《Monster Girl Ranching in Another World》 Chapter 1 - Cheating, Worth It Till Its Not "Kazz Formen says here that you were supposed to be a pro athlete; what happened there?" The recruiter asked me as I sat across the desk from him. The office was hot even with the windows open and two fans, and the man was showing it. I was fine, and I wasn''t really in the mood to talk about that. ?? "I wanted to help out and serve for my country," I said, thinking that was what every gung-ho recruit said that walked in the door. Just as I had thought, the man gave me a wicked grin that said I had no idea what I was in for. Maybe, but I just wanted to get out of here and off the continent. "Fine, everything looks good, and we have no reason not to take you if this is what you want. Be back here at O-six-hundred hours, and I suggest that youe early, or you will have a very long first week," The recruitment officer told me, and I nodded to him respectfully and left the room. After leaving the building, I went over to my old Ford Tempo and got inside. Once I closed the door, I just sat there for a minute, sitting and thinking about the past week. I was exposed as a cheater, caught for juicing, tossed out of MMA, and my Instructor Tom wasn''t answering my calls. I couldn''t me him, but my dream job of being a fighter was gone, and now I was here. My parents didn''t know yet, but they would find out on the news tonight; they were just releasing the information now. I had known for a month now, but I wasn''t even allowed to talk about it until now. Thirty-two, and I had already been fighting for seven years, but I was just about to get my big chance at a real fight. That was all pulled away because I couldn''t put the juice down and just get stronger on my own, and now I was paying for it. I wanted to punch the steering wheel of my car, but I was worried the damn thing might fall apart, and at this moment, I was just getting by. I had earned some money fighting, but I had big dreams and spent it almost as fast as I made it. Money was cheap then, but now I was forced to watch all my spending if I wanted to eat and have a roof over my head. So, the army was my best bet. I was smart in school, but after graduating, I went straight into a fight, even turning down two schrship offers. I didn''t care about school; what I cared about was the thrill of the out person trying their best to beat you before you took them down. There was hardly anything in this world that could provide me with that kind of adrenaline, but I thought that shooting guns and running for my life might be close substitutes. I knew I didn''t want to stay here, and the army wasn''t here. Shaking my head and then starting my car was all I could do, and it did, thankfully. I pulled out into the street and started to make my way out of town as the sun was slowly sinking into my mirror. I had to turn my head a bit to keep the re from it out of my eyes. The road had no curves in it for the first bit, so the sun always got me on my way home. After the short drive, I reached the valley that my house was built on after about fifteen minutes of driving. I took a right at the bottom of the hill and turned onto a gravel road that I followed for about twenty minutes. Driving slowly was the only way to keep my car in one piece; only a few of us lived down here, so the grader had a nasty tendency to skip us. I couldn''t entirely fault him for his logic, it was a dead-end, and none of the driveways were big enough to turn around in, but that left the road with ruts. I finally pulled into my yard, and it was gettingte. Even though I live far out on my own, I had no pets or animals, so no one was waiting to greet me. Story of my life, but I was used to that, and tomorrow I would be changing my carefree life to one of order and unending training. That would be that bad, just another thing to get used to, and I would be forced to get strong without having help from some drugs. I parked the car near the house and got out, fully intending to go in and grab the jar of pickled eggs. I would watch a fight or two before bed after devouring the remains of the jar, but something caught my eye out in the bushes. A glowing red light came from deep in the bushes just behind my house. That made me curious, but it started to get dark, so I couldn''t just run in blind. So, I ran up to my deck and grabbed a shlight from inside my door. I was about to leave but turned back and grabbed myrge hunting knife before turning back to leave the house. Turning back to the house briefly, I considered grabbing a gun, but it probably was just some people dirt biking out here and left their bike. People around here were friendly, and I didn''t mind people riding dirt bikes on the trails around my house, but it was toote for them to be out. I started into the forest, holding my light but not turning it on yet; there was no need, the sun was notpletely gone. It was just hitting twilight when I reached the light, and it was starting to get dark out, but the red light lit the clearing up that I had walked into. There was a hole in the ground, and stairs were leading down. The red light came from the hole, but I was not moving to get closer to it yet. This was more than strange because I had been back out in this clearing many times over the years. This house andnd had been one of my friends'' grandparents, and we used to spend a lot of time out here. There had never been a hole or anything like this, and I really wasn''t sure what it meant, but something about the entrance into the ground called to me. I was torn on what to do, but at the same time, there couldn''t be any harm in going to take a look, right? Chapter 2 - The Easy Choice, Without Cheating I was already walking down the stairs, and the ce smelled old and musty, like walking into an abandoned house. There were no bugs or cobwebs, which didn''t really make much sense considering theyer of dust on the stone steps I was stepping on. I was leaving tracks, and maybe it was just the light that was making the bugs stay away. I had already walked about three flights worth of stairs, and the tunnel was curving as I went. ?? "What am I doing?" I said to myself as I stopped. I needed to get back to the house and eat and get to bed. I had made my choice, and like the man had said, I didn''t want to bete, but there was that little part of me that just had to know. I couldn''te this far and not take a look, and it had just dawned on me that the light was being impossibly shone all the way to my house. That didn''t make any sense, and when I turned around, there was barely any light for me to see behind me. I decided to keep going, and at this point, I was at the point where I hade this far, and not going the rest of the way would eat me up. I started to walk again, and within five minutes, I had reached the source of the light. It was almost like the tunnel had been waiting for me tomit to my curiosity, and it got me. Now I stood in front of a wall with a massive thirty centimeters tall ruby-like semicircr gem protruding from the wall. The red light wasing from it, and I just discounted the fact that it barely glowed being in front of it now. I reached forward to feel the sphere, but the moment my finger touched the glowing red globe, I fell to the ground. Pain like I had never felt before ripped through my body, making me spasm on the ground as my muscles were ripped apart inside of my body. I screamed in unending agony as I felt my bone-cracking and break, but then healing only to do it again. I foamed and spit sprays of blood on the floor, making blood turn to sticky mud with the dust. My body shook, and I spasmed violently, and the pain started to eat its way into my brain, but then it stopped. I rolled over and vomited out more blood, but that made me feel better. The pain was gone like it had never been, and even though I knew it had happened, all that mattered was that I was able to move and breathe again. Something had just changed inside of me, every bone in my body had been broken, and every muscle torn. I felt different now, more muscr, but not by much, but then a voice in my head almost scared the life out of me that I was so dearly just fighting for. The voice was deep and old and not that impressed to be talking with me, and that was fair. I just had my body ripped apart, so I wasn''t really in the mood for a chat. "Do I need it? Isn''t that like some kind of cheat? What just happened to me?" I asked out loud as I picked myself up off the ground. < Your body is now built to absorb the essence of the monsters you kill, but all monsters in this world have the same power. I am offering you¡­> "Cheat System, so I can get to the top easier, right?" I asked, cutting the voice off. "Do I need it, or can I survive and fight to the top just by working hard?" I asked, driving the point home. The voice was now roaring hard in my head, and it was starting to give me a headache. "Are we done? Anything I need to know?" I asked, but the voice was gone. "Fine, don''t say goodbye; I didn''t like you anyway. "OH! So you''re one of those guys, huh? Need to have thest word like a child?" I challenged the voice. < Don''t you need to go get eaten by the first monster that sees you?> I ignored the voice and tried to dust myself off, but I only ended up smearing the blood and dirt all over me. I was a mess, but all I could do was leave this shit hole, so I turned around to leave back up the stairs, but they were gone. They had been reced with a cave entrance or exit since I seem to be in the cave. The outside looked to be some kind of rocky cannon. Well, I was not in the same ce that I just was. There was no way that my house was within shouting range anymore either. "I don''t have enough to pay rent this month!" A female cried. What? Rent? Wait a minute, why was there a woman outside? And as I just going to walk out and there is a city right here? "The Great Oni Doa doesn''t want your excuses! You have one day toe up with the payment, or you know all the dirty things that the Great Red Oni Doa will force you to do for him!" Cried a whiny and nauseated male voice. Woah, what is going on here? That sounded like some demon was going to force that woman to do some dastardly things! I waited, and then when I heard the p of wings leave, I made my way to the cave entrance. I had my knife, shlight, and a light on me, so not really much, but I would be able to get shelter, food, and heat with this, so I was good for now. First, it was time to check out the damsel. I wasn''t really set on helping someone right off the bat and having to drag them around with me. If it was something simple I could do to help, I would help, but I would get stronger than everything in this world. I had already messed my old life up by cheating to get to the top, so I needed to prove that I could be the best without cheating. Chapter 3 - Jilly, The Thirsty Oomukade I poked my head around the corner to find the woman that turned out to be a busty redhead, but I could only see her from the breasts up. Her heaving melons and erect nipples were barely covered and bulging out. Pointed golden yellow tubes she wore to cover herself left nothing to the imagination, and I was starting to get hot and bothered from just looking at her. For just stepping out of a hole in the ground, this was a pretty good start. ?? But just where the hell was I? I was looking up, which meant she was like two hundred and fifty centimeters or so tall. This woman was a monster, but tall chicks weren''t that bad. Still, I wasn''t here to fraternize that couldeter, and she had that hungry woman look. I didn''t want to just leave her, but I also did want to get caught up in whatever mess she was in if it wasn''t life-threatening. "Hey, sorry just got here, and didn''t want to interrupt your little meeting, with¡­ what was that thing? I heard wings, but I don''t know," I said a bit dryly, but the woman didn''t seem to be fazed by myck of expression. The woman looked me up and down, and as she did, two weird-looking things sticking out of her head shook. They looked simr to feelers or antennae, something like what you might see on an insect, and my skin started to crawl a bit, but I waited. "Oh, You must be one of those men. One of those that has a special System! You are just the handsome fellow to help me from having to do horrible things for the Great Oni Dao!" The womanined as her body tipped to the side, and my skin started to crawl with fervor. The redhead moved from behind the stone with repeated clicks of point touching down on the hard stone. At this point, my skin was about ready to crawl off my body, but I was a man, and she was still really hot; I could do worse than a centipede girl... "So this Demon Dog is going to use your body? Like as a sex ve or something? I don''t want details, also I''m Kazz," I said, offering the¡­ woman my hand. At this point, I didn''t know what I should call her, and using centipede girl didn''t feel right. I tried to look her naked body over to try to get over the fact that she was a giant bug, but the constantly moving little feet kept sending chills down my back when I looked at them. She looked at me strangely, and I used all my reserve manliness to not run away screaming like a little girl as the woman clicked closer to me. I focused on her pretty face as the monster woman came up to me and leaned her face to my hand. I watched in rapt attention as she slowly moved to lick my hand, but then I quickly pulled it away as she tried to bite me. What the hell was with this woman? She just tried to bite my hand! "What the hell?! Why did you try to bite me?!" I shouted as I jumped back. "I am Jilly, the Oomukade, and I wasn''t trying to bite you yet. I can if you want me to, but I will be more gentle than that. It''s the vor of you that I like! I want to lick all the salt off your body!" The woman clicked and squealed as she approached me. I was backing up again, trying to keep some distance between us as she advanced on me. I wished with all my heart that she could have been anything else but this. Wishing wasn''t going to change anything. My father had a saying he used to tell me when I would wish for something. Wish in one hand, then shit in the other, and then see which would get fuller faster. It was a good saying, and it meant that no amount of wishing could change things, so I took a deep breath and then let it out before speaking. "Hold on, the thing that was talking to you before said that you would have to do dirty and unclean things if you didn''t pay rent, right?" I asked while backing up, but she was moving faster than I could back peddle, and she was gaining on me again. "Oh yes! He is horrible and nasty to me, making me do all sorts of depraved things! You should defeat the Great Oni Dao, and then I won''t have to clean for him anymore! Then I can be your sex ve! Just let me lick your sweet sweaty body!" Oomukade said as she advanced on me, but I turned and ran as fast as I could "Thanks, but no thanks! Pay your rent on time next time!" I called back as I ran away, but the woman was fast! No way was I getting involved with this crazy woman! This Jilly could go do theundry and mop the floors if she couldn''t pay rent for her hole in the ground! "Come back, my precious! I won''t bite you if you don''t want me to! I can cook and clean for you too while being you faithful sex ve that will let you do anything that you want to me!" Jilly cried out to me. I started to run faster, and my body started to push past the normal limits that my body was set at before. The muscles in my legs pumped harder, and I slowly started to put some distance between us. I could hear her squeals slowly getting quieter as I put distance between us, but I needed to keep my attention forward. As much as I would have loved to have a sex ve or just a woman to fool around with, but bugs just weren''t my thing. Still, this was a new world, and I might need to start getting used to the weird-looking people if I wanted to be able to make it in this new world, but Insects were pushing my limits. Chapter 4 - Rock Man, The Bad Acting Monster Finding the centipede woman and whatever little winged demon was could only mean one thing. If there were two monsters in this world, that would mean there would be more, and that made me smile. I was hoping that most of them were as hot as the bugdy was. If it hadn''t been for those creepy legs, I would have beat that bug girls kitty like a red headed step child right now! ?? I really didn''t want to have to kill girls, that wasn''t something I could do. I mean, I was in a new world, and I was the odd man out from what I understood, but I would have to find ways to deal with them if I had to without hurting them. Maybe I was being stupid for being this way, and it was a dangerous attitude to adopt when I knew the world would be filled with danger. I already had dropped the chance to have the easy way, and now I was saddling myself with more personal restrictions. I had to look at it in the way of just giving myself a handicap in this new life, especially after the way I had acted and cheated in my old life. I was only thirty, and really in the prime of my life! So, giving myself some restrictions was good for me, but I wouldn''t restrict myself to doing other things with the women if they were willing, hehe. This was a whole new world that I could get strong in, but I wouldn''t have to fight monsters all the time, right? I wasing up to an open part of the light grey rock walled canyon. The area was filled with bolder, and many other smaller rocks, and was about thirty meters in diameter. At the opposite side it shrunk back to at the other end, and the canyon continued on. I looked to the left and right, and there were openings for paths just like the one I had juste from on both sides. I turned back to notice something that looked like a shaking rock up ahead of me, and I got excited. Whatever this rock thing was, it was moving, so it was alive, and must be a monster! Finally, something that I could try swinging a fist at, but I slowed down as the creature stood way up. A four meter tall man made out of stone that looked dark grey and jagged stood up with a shell of stone on its back. I started to rethink how I was going to face this situation. The rock thing stood on thick heavy rectangr boulder boots, and its hands were covered the same. The thing looked mean and grouchy and dangerous, but its elbows and knees weren''t protected well. It also wasn''t madepletely out of stone, so I started to let my mind absorb everything to figure out a n; I wasn''t taking psychopede as my partner. "What do you want, little man?" The rock man asked me in a slow and halting manner like he was missing some stones upstairs. "Just passing by, and you look a bit out of my league, but I need to get by, so do you think I could sneak by?" I asked, trying to buy myself some more time. "Hmmm? You just need to pass me?" The ugly-looking rock man pondered as he put a ground with his hand on his chin. "Sure, if you don''t need to fight, then that''s just fine; I don''t mind at all." I watched as the troll stepped back with a bow, but I could see the unrestrained grin creeping across his ugly human face, and this guy was a bad actor. I started to walk and act like I had no idea he was about to kick me. I was insulted that he had the nerve to pull his foot back before trying to swing it forward, but I had already scoped a stone up off the ground. It was about the size of my head, and pretty heavy, but my new strength made it feel a lot lighter. *Whoosh!* The feeling and sound of the foot just barely missing made my clothes p around, but I had just stepped back casually, seeing the footing in almost slow motion. Iughed as I turned around fast and hucked the rock at the kneecap of the leg still on the ground. Whatever this thing was, it had thin elbow and knee joints, and they were just as weak as a humans. The shot I fired struck the monster and sent it tumbling to the ground. I grabbed a bigger rock with a rough thirty-five-centimeter diameter, and walked over to the roaring and whining monster. This Rock man thought he was a wise crack, hmmm? I would be putting an end to this bastard''s dirty tricks. "What have you done to me! You broke my leg! Now, what am I going to do? This is all your fault, and now since I am hurt, I activate a quest to force you to go on a quest to help me!" The rock thing cried out in an agonized but victorious voice. Nothing happened, and I continued walking forward, but the idea that doing a quest for someone would make you stonger was dumb. So that''s what that minor bullshit system was, a way to suck me into random missions instead of just fighting monsters and getting stronger. "Wait! You are supposed to be stopping! Why do you have that rock?" The rock man said as I got closer to him, raise the rock over my head. The scream was cut off fast, and the rock made a squishing and bone-grinding cracking noise as it tore flesh and broke the creature''s face. Blood sprayed, and chunks of flesh, broken bone, and brain matter squished out the sides from the force and size of the rock. I stood all the way back up, and I did feel like this was a bit better now, finally getting a bit of natural adrenaline pumping inside of me. There was nobody to take care of, just me trying to get to the top of this monster-filled world without using some dumb cheat system. "Essscoose me, I ssseem to be lossst," a sweet hissing voice asked me from behind. I turned around, and I looked at the beautiful face of a woman with snakes for hair. The woman''s grey clouded over eyes. Yeah, I think I just lost The Game. Chapter 5 - Blind Mary, The Medusa I wasn''t big on monsters, but I was sure that I should be a statue right now¡ªsnakes for hair, snakes body from the¡­ hips down. I looked back up into Medusa''s gray eyes, still not getting stoned¡­ was she blind? "Umm, hellooo?" The cute Medusa asked again, and I finally spoke up. ?? "Yeah, I am right in front of you," I said, not really sure what to say at this point. How was she still alive? What kind of Monsters survived if they couldn''t do what they were supposed to? "Ooo, what are you?" She asked, slithering forward. I didn''t move, but I didn''t let my guard down either. That would be a great end, killed by stupidity. "I am a man, just a human man. Can I ask how you are blind and how you survive while being blind? You are blind, right?" I asked as the cute girl ran hands over me, not seeming to mind the fresh gore or the old crusty stuff. "I can be pretty good at avoiding getting in trouble, and my lovelies can smell when excited people are around. They can also smell strength and power, but you smell normal, but you said you are a human. Shouldn''t you be stronger or something? I have heard that when the old Hero dies, a new one enters," The Medusa exined, controlling her hisses, and she finally slithering back from me, but I was kind of hoping she would stay close. I don''t like bugs, but snakes I didn''t mind, and this girl was beautiful, and she was blind, so I was screwed. There was no way on god green earth that I could leave her behind and ever hope to sleep again. "So, what are you doing right now? Like, do you have a home? Are you just lost?" I asked curiously and reached out to take her hand. Medusa epted it and led her away from the massive head that I had just exploded. She couldn''t see what I had just done, and that was for the best, but I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do. "Umm, I don''t have a home, but my Lovelies always help me find somewhere safe to sleep. Do you have any food?" Medusa asked, putting her hands together. Ugh, she was so cute, and this is probably how she had survived for so long. Still, this was supposedly a world full of monsters, weren''t they supposed to be mean or something? "So, these other monsters don''t bother you? I just can''t understand why they would leave such a poor, defenseless, and beautiful woman alone?" I asked after trying to let go of her hand, but Medusa held on. "Because I am poor and defenseless? And you think I am beautiful?" Medusa asked, and I started to get level five Klingon vibes but knew it was already toote. "Yes, but the people in this world are monsters, right?" I asked. "...Yes, but what does that have to do with it?" Medusa asked while tilting her head at me. "...They are monsters¡­ doesn''t that make them evil or something?" I asked. I was entirely out of my element right now. I had no idea what monsters were like, but the name meant that they were evil to me, but now I was second-guessing that concept with the way Medusa was reacting. "Am I evil? I am a monster, just like everyone else in this world. Sure there are some bad ones, but there are some good ones too!" Medusa protested, taking my other hand in hers. "Okay, I am sure that you guessed that I am not really from around here, and where Ie from, Monster means scary and evil. The way you are reacting makes it seem like there are just as many good as bad ones, right?" I asked, and she got excited, drawing closer to me, her luscious chest a hair space from my own. I was starting to get excited in a very different way, but I shoved those thoughts down and focused on the things she was saying. "There are good and bad, but Monster is just our race. I can see why you might be confused, and some of us might look scary like me!" Medusa said, letting go of my hands to make a scary ws impression, and the snakes even started to wander aimlessly hissing. I''m a full-grown man that enjoys hitting things in his free time, but this was the cutest thing I had ever seen. No wonder she was still alive; who could hurt this precious beauty? "Okay, You''re right, but there has to be a bunch of bad ones for me to fight, right? Also, do you have a name, or do I just call you Medusa?" I asked because it was starting to feel weird referring to her like that. It would be like if she called me Human, and I didn''t want toe off rude. She seemed a bit airheaded but far better than the Oomukade I had just met before this. "My name is Mary, and yes, there are more than enough bad ones, but I can take you to meet some of the good ones that I know!" Mary said, somehow able to grab my hands from my sides. She started to bob, and her snakes hissed half-heartedly in protest as she did. I was watching other things shake and jiggle as she did, but having a guide to meet some of the so-called friendly monsters could be good. I wasn''t really here to make friends, but if I was stuck here, which I was sure that I was, then I should at least say hi. "Sure, take me to see these monsters, and maybe we can get something to eat," I said to the beautiful Medusa, Mary, with a warm smile that she couldn''t see. "Okay, let''s go!" Mary said with excitement. Mary pulled me along, and I followed, but there was something about a blind woman leading me that just didn''t sit right. Chapter 6 - Kazz, The Had "So, we just keep going this way¡­ we turn here, then we just have to go this way for¡­ I think we turn here," Mary told me as she dragged me into a big circle around the inside of the cannon area we were in. Never once did she try to make a left turn to leave the canyon, and she looked so cute wandering around that I let her do twops before stopping her. As adorable as Mary looked, wandering around, we were literally going nowhere, and it was getting hot out. ?? "Mary, are you sure you know where you are going? I don''t mean to sound like a drag, but we have been walking circles," I said to her as I pulled her to a stop. I could smell the thickening blood, and flies were starting to gather around the monster I had killed. I wanted to get out of here before the smashed head started to stink, and the smell of blood should attract other monsters, I think. I wasn''t sure how to take this world with Mary''s revtion that not all the monsters in the world were terrible, but instead, they like humans. If that was the case, then I would have to look at each monster case by case, which would make my rise to the top that much more difficult. "Umm, I think I might be lost," Mary said while blushing. She was also twirling one of her snakes with her finger and starting to get a bit rough with it. I had to grab her hand to stop her before she actually hurt the poor thing. She was strangling the poor thing, but I kept her fidgeting hands busy, holding mine. I found it weird that she didn''t know what she was doing, but maybe she was really frazzled right now. She looked embarrassed, and I racked my brain on what to do. Mary was blind, and she had no sense of direction, so I hadn''t expected much at first, but if she wasn''t guiding me, I didn''t want to go slow. I started to get hungry now even more, and I was sorely tempted to cut one of the rock man''s legs off. I had almost everything that I would need, but the thought of him having a face did put me off; new world or not, it would be weird. "Okay, that''s okay, but I don''t want to leave you here alone, and I want to move faster. So, two questions, first Can we eat that rock-man thing that I killed? It had a big rock shell and was pretty tall," I exined to Mary as she was slowly inching herself closer to me. "No, they taste awful and will give you a stomach ache, and then you just end up puking up anyways," Mary said with a disgusted look that screamed with familiarity, but that made sense, she would have to eat what she could get, but that made another question push its way out. "Did you eat it raw, or did you cook it?" I asked her, and her disgusted look turned to one of befuddled confusion. "K-ook, what is this? You can do something else with the meat?" Mary asked, somehow grabbing my hands again as she did. I was starting to think this whole blindness thing was pretty suspect, but the circles we had traveled in and the embarrassment Mary had show said it was real. Who knew or cared at this point, but their not being cooking in this world was beyond strange. It could just be said in a different word, and maybe there were a bunch of words that don''t line up. That, or Mary''s blind ass had just never seen it happen because of the obvious. Then again, this was a world filled with monsters that had no problem eating each other. So, it could just be that there has been no need for cooking, or only a select few races had the ability. "Have you ever put the meat over a fire before? And then try to eat it?" I asked and was pretty shocked when Mary reeled back, hissing at me. For a whole entire fraction of a moment, I saw what kind of true terror she could have been if she had been born with sight. Mary''s snakes wreathed her head, and all pointed their sightless eyes on me, and Mary scolded me in a deadly voice. "Suu doesssn''t burnsss the meatsss!" Mary hissed at me, and that was the end to her menace. She was adorable when she got all riled up, and her hiss lisp came out, but I could tell she was upset. Thankfully I didn''t need to hide my gaping grin, but I tried to exin myself to get her to calm her swaying tits down, no matter how much I liked watching them. "I don''t burn it, I make it taste better, and it makes it easier to chew. Plus, you can get rid of the stuff that makes you sick by cooking it long enough," I exined to Mary, and she slowly lowered herself back down in front of me. "You can make the stinky meat so we can eatsss it?" Mary asked, letting a cute excite his escape. I was no chef, and no, I did not n on teaching the monster world how to cook, but it wasn''t hard to barbecue a steak. I nodded to Mary but then smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand and spoke up. "Yes, but I don''t have anything to use for fuel to make a fire, we need some dry wood, but I haven''t seen anything since I got here. Maybe there might be something up top, but I don''t have the skills to free climb a wall that tall," I exined to Mary, and she looked disappointed, but then I froze. I heard multiple slow clicksing up from behind me, and my skin started to crawl all over my body. I slowly turned around to find Jilly, The Oomukade moving towards me slowly. "I might be able to help, but it will cost you! Also, hello my little Mary, has this man been doing inappropriate things to you without me present!" Jilly said usingly to me with triumph, but I could tell that she was a bit winded. "Aunty Jilly! Thank goodness you are here! I got lost, well, I got both of us lost," Mary said in a whiny voice different than she hadn''t used before, and now she was pushing past me to go to the Giant Centipede woman. Oh, this was just great; of course, the looney tunes woulde as a pair. What next? Wait! I was just kidding! I don''t want to know what Next is, I pleaded with an unnamed god that probably didn''t exist. Someone wasughing. Chapter 7 - The System, Not Done With Me Yet "You two aren''t rted, are you?" I asked as Mary hugged Jilly''s abdomen. I shivered a bit as all the little golden legs braced Mary, but she was giggling from it. I was still keeping my distance; I didn''t like to be tickled. ?? "No, this little blind vagrant is just someone I see quite often in these parts. I have tried to eat her numerous times and almost was killed each time by freak idents. So I decided to just leave her be; I also suggest not trying anything that she doesn''t like," Jilly warned me. Interesting, so Mary had some kind of protection thing that made chance work in her favor. That would exin how a blind, cute, and defenseless monster has survived so long in this world. Jilly had also just confessed to trying to eat Mary on numerous asions like it was nothing. Looks like there were conflicting views here. On one side, there was Mary, who couldn''t see the world and all of its ugliness, but she assumed that most people were good at the hippie monster. Then there was Jilly, who was a monster like I had read about for all intents and purposes, but a tad bit more civilized in some senses. She was also an eleven out of ten if you could just get rid of the bug body and homicidal nature, but you can''t win them all. It also didn''t look like I was going to be getting rid of her anytime soon, so I might as well take her up on her offer. "You said that you can get some wood or something that I can burn, right?" I asked Jilly. "Hm? Oh, that, yes. I can climb to the top and pass some wood down. I wanted to try this new thing out anyways¡­ Okay, so it will work, good," Jilly said, but thest part seemed like she was talking to herself, and I started to get a sneaking suspicion, but I was pulled from my thoughts. I had to watch as Jilly gracefully, and with no effort apparent, crawled almost fifty meters of the waving cliff wall. I had considered trying to climb the wall myself, but even with my new strength and body, there was no way I would chance trying to climb that deadly ascent. "EEEK!" Mary squealed and fell over backward like something had pushed her, and I rushed over to her. "You okay?" I asked as I slid my arms under Mary to help her up. Meanwhile, above, I could hear some thunderous crashing noises, but I was distracted. There was a mostly naked blind snake woman in my arms, sue me. "OwO, that hurtsss, but I can sssee sssomething blue!" Mary said with unrestrained excitement as she rubbed her head and cuddled into my arms. "What?" I asked in confusion, but not not liking the cuteness I was receiving as the bagging up top intensified. "How do you know what the color blue looks like?" That was the best I coulde up with at the moment, but suddenly the ground shaking and banging from up to stop. I looked into Mary''s grinning smile, about to ask her what the screen said, but then a sound simr to a table saw started. "Alright, what the hell is that woman doing up there," I said rhetorically, but Mary answered me. "I don''t know," Mary said so cutely that I just stared at her. I had that oneing for saying it out loud, but I was getting distracted again. Since Mary knew colors, the next most logical thing to think was that she could read, right? "What does the blue screen say, Mary?" I asked her, but she just shrugged and gave me basically the same answer she had just given, and I was about ready to just throw logic away entirely at this point. "I don''t know, I can''t read," Mary said inly to me, and I blinked at her. "Then how do you know that the screen is blue if you were born blind?" I asked, just hoping for a sliver of logic to protrude in this mind-bending conversation, but I had no such luck, and I tossed logic out the window. "I don''t know; it''s blue," Mary said and then cuddled into my chest again. Suddenly, the buzzsaw up top stopped, and silence reigned over the rock-filled canyon. Mary had been slowly wrapping herself around me, and now I had no choice but to carry her, not really a bad thing. "I am going to pass everything down; try to make a nice stack!" Jilly yelled down as she hung over the edge. "Pass down? I could catch¡­" I started toin, but shut the fuck up and ran for my life with Maryughing in my arms. The sun behind was blotted out by what I could only assume to be nned and perfectly cut fresh lumber nks of various sizes. What the hell was this witch doing?! Boards started to rain down like fat long wooden spears, and I was doing everything in my power not to be a precooked skewer. As I dodged, though, I started to notice something strange. No matter where I moved, the nks just barely missed me, but they did miss me every time. So, I stopped moving and stood still, and the boards rained down around me until I couldn''t move, but not a single one touched Mary. I did get a couple gashes, but my body was healing very fast, and now that it was over, I let out a long breath. What every Mary''s power or ability was, it had just saved my life, and I was d, but I had arge number of other emotions racing around inside of me. "Isss went up a level!" Mary squealed in my arms, and I looked down at her. What was going on here? Level? That sounded like some game BS, and I was starting to develop a sneaking suspicion of what was going on, and when Jilly poked her head over the top of the forest of boards pinning me into ce where a bright yellow construction-grade hard hat, I was sure. That damn thing gave the girls both Systems just to spite me! Chapter 8 - Gods, What Are They Good For? So, whatever was over lording this world seemed to have the ability to give out systems as he chose. I don''t know if I would call this cheating now that these two miscreants were part of my party, but I was paying for every advantage with attempts on my life so far. "Sorry, I guess I can''t kill you either with that little snake of snakes wrapped around you. Well, we have the wood, now you need to pile it! Also, are you going to burn that Troll or not?" Jilly asked me with impatience. ?? "Umm, if you can help me out, I can start the fire while you pile the wood unless you know how to cook the meat?" I questioned Jilly as I watched the hard hat slide off the top of her head and rest on her bare back just below her neck. "What''sss going on?" Mary hissed up from my arms. "Uck, fine, but this better be worth it! Stupid man, can''t even kill him! Probably would just leave me wanting more after anyways!" Jilly grumbles as she starts to rip the nks off of the ground with ease. Some boards were buried up to a meter deep, driven into the ground. Yet that didn''t bother this Hercules beetle of a woman in the slightest. I saw a vast gap already between the two of us, and it was starting to make me second guess my choice. I decided that for now, I would learn how to do things with Mary attached to me. This female had made it very clear that she would kill me if given a chance, and I wasn''t about to let my time in this world end yet. Maybe I would have to try and ditch her at some point. She clearly was nothing more than an acquaintance to Mary, considering that she tried to kill her as well. I wondered what Mary thought of Jilly in terms of whether or not she would be considered a good monster or not. If she was, then that just meant that the rest of the monsters in this world would just be different variations of bad. I could see how she might take on that outlook of other monsters, but it would be something that I would have to rify with her. Unlike Mary, I didn''t possess some kind of superpower that let me avoid danger like she could, and I wouldn''t want that. I wasn''tpletely averse to getting some kind of superpower that I could train and grow with; that would be cool. Jilly almost had a path cleared for me to get out, and I was briefly reminded of therge gap in our strength. If I got a chance for a superpower, I wouldn''t pass it up. Not so all and mighty then? Hey! So it was you that has been ting my path! Why did you give the girls the systems?! Value? Oh, I get it! So, because I don''t have one of those system things, you aren''t getting any¡­ points? What is this kind of big game? ...What? What is the whole point of it all? Is there a point? I was walking out of the lumber forest, and I got a re from Jilly and was told to go get working or I would be the one going on the fire. If these two were my help, I was not excited to find out who my enemies were going to be. Not going to spill all the truth about what your real game is, hmmm? Fine, I didn''t mind helping with girls as long as I was the one making a choice on whether or not I would be helping. "Mary, can you hold on to my back? I am going to start getting the fire ready, and then I will go cut up some meat, okay?" I asked, but Mary was already snaking around back. I smiled as I felt the warm, soft press of her chest on my back as I dug into my pocket. I only had a couple things on me, but a lighter was one of them, and that meant I wouldn''t have to go bushman and tried starting a fire by rubbing sticks together. I pulled out my lighter, but it did not look like a light. Instead, it looked like some kind of pen torch now. I pressed the bottom on the side, and a thin but solid stream of me appeared about a meter long. I almost dropped the thing in shock; what the hell was this thing? It looked like a homemade lightsaber or something that was made in some anarchist basement. "How did you get a Magical me de? You didn''t just have that before! You made me pull all of those out for nothing?!" Jilly screeched from behind me. I whirl around awkwardly as Mary giggled on my back, making them far too close Jilly rear back in from my vicious barbeque lighter. Ha! Now I had the fire and a weapon¡­ that I had never used before. Can I get a skill for this? Chapter 9 - The Blade, Not The Right Tool For That Job I got the fire started with minimal risk to my life being applied. Jilly had thrown a couple of the long boards at me, but they went wide,pletely missing me. "Look, the more you mess around with your vain attempts to kill me, the longer it will take to get the meat down," I said as I walked over to the fallen Rock Troll that I had killed. ?? "Mmm, maybe, but you have yet to show me anything that would make me less likely to want to eat you," Jilly said while looking at me hungrily and licking her lips. I ignored her; I was already having enough trouble as it was concentrating with Mary on my back. She had started licking the back of my neck, and I was having trouble staying focused as I walked over to the corpse. This was the hard part now, and I needed to get the meaning of this thing quickly before Jilly decides that she doesn''t want to wait for the meat. This woman was getting worse and worse as time went on, and I didn''t want to keep relying on Mary to keep me from being eaten. "Ooo, the Troll stinks! Do you really think burning it will make it less smelly?" Mary asked, after taking a break from licking my neck. "I can''t make promises, but I know that there are a couple different kinds of meat that are poisonous if you try to eat it raw or if it hasn''t been cooked properly. This meat seems like it will follow the same rules, so we''ll just have to wait and see," I said as I cut arge portion of the monster''s thigh up with my fancy knife. The twelve-centimeter-long de was beyond weird now. When I had pulled the knife out from my back belt, the de started to peel like sheets of paper. I was shocked at first and almost tossed the damn thing like I had just realized I had pulled a snake from behind my back and not a rabbit. I had a snake glued to me, so that analogy has kind of puttered, so I held on to the knife for a moment longer, and the rustling des seemed to calm down. I had approached the thigh of the monster and went to go skin the hairy thigh of the monster, the parts that weren''t rock were covered in three centimeter long bristly gray hairs. I cut all the way around just above the knee and split a line down the top to be able to cut the hairy skin off just like any animal I had skinned. As I started to skin it, the de yed apart again but then started to extend like ribbons. The knife split into four sections, and when I started to pull it through and around the leg, it was like cutting butter with barely any resistance. Once I had finished making aplete circuit around, the meat sagged off the bone in three wavy-cut sheets. I moved about fifty centimeters up and then scooped up the stinking meat, which was smelling markedly worse than before now that the blood and flesh were exposed. I was feeling less confident about my ability to make this taste better, but I could feel something dripping on my shoulder where Mary was resting her chin. I turned my head to find her cute face drooling dribbles of drool down on me. I would have wiped her face, but my hands were covered in the stinking Troll blood, so I just let her be. Maybe just getting rid of the hair and skin made it almost edible to them, but I had to stop Jilly as she approached with more dry wood to throw on the fire. "Hey! Wait, don''t put more wood on here yet. The fire has finally burned down now," I told Jilly as she dropped the wood and red at me. "It''s not making fire anymore; how are you supposed to burn the meat if there is no fire?" Jilly growled at me. I just waved her off and collected some saplings that had been knocked down in her attempt on my life. After gathering six long and fresh ones that wouldn''t burn quickly, I pulled my knife back out and tried to hack off the extra small branch on each one. Tried was the keyword here. My new fancy knife wasn''t having any part of it and actually twisted or bent out of the way every time I tried to hack a branch off. "What the heck, what is your problem, knife?" I asked the writhing de, not really expecting an answer. In response, the de fanned out into multiple des and then extended towards the meat. I watched as the de began dissecting the meat, cutting, and lifting out the thick blood-filled veins with the precision of a surgeon. I just stood dumbly with my arm out at the de, prepared the meat, and then stabbed the piss out of it after tenderizing it. The left side of my shirt where Mary was resting was soaked, and I kept having to bat away snake tongues that were getting too close to my ears. Finally, the de finished its handy work, and I was left with a pile for roughly five by twenty-five-centimeter steaks. After putting the de away, I pulled out the fire sword, hacked off the offending limbs on my saplings, and set them across the fire. I had moved stones to set them on, so there was up just a bit, then I tossed the steaks on that were only smelling slightly rancid. After watching the de to all the work, I was getting hungry. I tossed the steaks onto the fire and lined things all up. Jilly was hovering over me as she did, but she wasn''t bothering me, just watching with interest. The meat began to sizzle, and soon all traces of the rancid smell were gone. Cooking meats reced that, and even my mouth started to sliviatate. "Isss It''sss donesss yetsss!?" Mary hissed with drool, now reaching my mud and blood cover pants, but she was still fucking cute. Chapter 10 - Unique Requirements, But Did I Have A Choice? After having to hold Mary under my arm and fend off Jilly with the fire sword for about fifteen minutes, turning them once, they were done. The smell of the meat was quite good, and it filled the air, so I could see why it had to keep the girls back. This was probably the best thing that either of them had ever smelled. The bit of human in each of them yearned for theplexity of vor. ?? Eating fresh meat was probably second nature to them and every other monster. If they could all eat it raw, why would they try to cook? Now, I grabbed some burnt point short spear that I used to skewer the steaks. I was tempted to give Jilly hers right away in payment for trying to kill me, but instead, I spent five minutes running around waving meat sticks around while holding Mary off. I was trying to cool them off, but Jilly took it as me running away. Instead, being the intelligent centipede, she was had decided not to chase me. Instead, she grabbed one of the hot steaks that I had pulled away from the main coals. I turned around and started to run back, letting Mary have her meat stick that was not cooled enough now. I tried to call out to Jilly to stop as I felt the hot juices drip down my back from the meat Mary was eating. I had noticed that even though the meat stunk and it was a bit dark, the fat marbling was excellent, and the steak was almost three fingers thick when I put them on. I watched helplessly as Jilly savagely and hot greasy juice squirted out, and then all hell broke loose. "EEEEE! MOY MOUF HWERTS! I AUM DEEEING! IT BWURNS!" Jilly squealed as she writhed in pain. Maybe iling was a more apt description of the dangerous way her body and tapered legs were flying around. I pulled off my shirt and attempted to get close to her. "Jilly, I know it hurts, but calm down, and I will wipe you off. The steaks weren''t that hot, and they will be just minor burns," I said calmly while holding out my mostly soaked shirt and her meat stick in the other. Jilly had a wild look in her eyes, but she started to slow down, so I kept slowly advancing. I had to trust that Mary''s system would keep me safe. Jilly was calming down now, and she was starting to lower herself to me, and she was starting to look less like a monster. I was distracted by the moment, so it was hard to be surprised at how she acted. "I gertsss¡­ a new ssskill!" Mary cried out as she must have been finishing chewing some meat. The sound didn''t seem to bother Jilly as she continued to lower herself to me, but Mary reached her free hand forward. A bottle of green liquid and a white towel appeared, and they fell to the ground because I had no free hands to grab them. I stopped and dropped my shirt and scooped up the almost dryer fresh and soft white bath towel. This was something different, but I had to focus on Jilly, who was now right in front of me with a whimpering look on her face. I slowly and gently wiped the grease off, but the burns had left red lines and splotches all over her beautiful and fair skin. Once I was done, I grabbed the bottle of green stuff, and I was pretty sure what it was, and when I picked up the bottle and tried shaking it around, I was sure. I took the top off and shook out wired aloe vera gel that could be used to help soothe and treat wounds. I started to put some on her neck and chest area, trying not to give too much thought to the voluptuous breast that I was fondling in the process. After I finished applying the gel, I took a step back and then gaped in surprise. All the burns were gone; only the slightly wet-looking spots were the only reminder of where they had once been. I handed Jilly their meat stick I had set off the side in the ground for her and then looked at the bottle of gel in my hands. Then it exploded into a scentless puff of smoke that didn''t even seem real, but the bottle was gone. At the same time, the cloth exploded the same, and I was left staring stupidly. Whatever that stuff was, it was more than just standard aloe vera gel; nothing could have healed minor burns that fast¡­ it was like magic¡­ MAGIC?! "Jilly, is there magic in this world?" I asked seriously as Jilly was enjoying her meat, slowly this time. I went and sat back at my rock by the fire and grabbed one of my steaks, the one Jilly had tossed was about eight meters away. "Yeah¡­ we are magic, and the sword¡­ and dagger you have... are magic," Jilly said between bites. "...Okay, then what do you do for money in this world? What I mean is, what do you pay this rent that you owe with?" I asked after taking a bite of the meat. The vor was very nd and a bit gamey, but it was better than pickled eggs, so good enough for me, and it was protein. I need to keep eating if I want to keep my girlish figure up. "MP or Monster points, there are people all over that you can do tasks for, and some you can do more than once if they need the same job done. Others will just pop up, but sometimes they are too hard toplete," Jilly exined as she came over and took my other two pieces of meat. She was about to eat both of the steaks, but then she noticed Mary hanging over my shoulder, sniffing the air. I had to put a hand up because the snakes were licking the air as well. Jilly sighed but handed the second piece over to Mary, who took it gratefully. I savored my single piece of meat as the girl both let out satisfied sighs of relief. At least they were happy, was my thought, but then something the annoying god was back. Hmmm? Suspect, but was I really in a ce to say no this time, after everything I had learned? Chapter 11 - Ranching System, Activated! < Don''t be stupid this time, and hear me out. If you n on having these girls around you and you don''t want to be lunch while you sleep, you had better listen!> Jeez, this guy was forceful, but I wasn''t ignoring what he was saying. There was an excellent chance that he was right, and it would only be a matter of time until Jilly figured some way around Mary. ?? You just made that up, didn''t you? Fine, you''re right. I am being a bit of a turd, and I do need your help. So,y it on me; what is this fancy and unique System that you have for me? [Ranching System] Activated! [Level Up] Level 1 gained! [Level Up] Level 2 gained! I still wasn''t sure precisely what Hero meant with the System, but if it would still let me keep my own personal restrictions on myself, then it couldn''t hurt. Plus, it wouldn''t be bad to do something that I was already going to do anyway. Arge white-bordered white-edged window with a ck tinted background appeared in front of me. There was white writing, and it reminded me of an old MS-DOS screen on the old IBMputers. {Kazz Foreman} Level: 2 Title: N/A Rank: {Poor and Ranchless Rancher) Monster Girls: 2 System: Ranching System System Abilities: {Monster Girl Rancher}- Gain experience from taking care of your Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Pacification}- The innate ability to calm Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Care}- All things done to care for Monster Girls are 100% more effective. {Jilly} Level: 2 Title: N/A Species: Oomukade Unique Ability: Air Pressure Control System: Builder System System Abilities: {Builder Bug}- Gain experience frompleting Building Tasks. {Pinsir Saw}- Activate to use Pinsirs as a saw. {Spine Nailer}- Activate to fire fastening spines that grow out like razor vines, securing the spine. --------------------- {Mary} Level: 3 Title: N/A Species: Gorgon Medusa/??? Unique Ability: ??? System: Saintly Survival System System Abilities: {In The Aid of Others}- Gain experience from helping party members. {Helping Hand}- Twice per day, you can use this ability to help a party member that is in need, but the items used to help will disappear after use. {??? Blessing}- Gives logic bending luck bonus to survival odds when put into harm''s way. I could feel two pairs of eyes looking over my shoulders as I looked over the menus. I had been distracted and hadn''t noticed that Jilly had moved around behind me, but I no longer felt the same creepy-crawly feeling from before. I guess this new System and seeing her when she was hurt had reminded me that she was still just a girl. I wasn''t sure what Mary was doing because I could feel her staring just as intently at the screen. "Can you both see the floating screen in front of me?" I asked the girls as I turned to the girls. The screen moved around with me as I turned, and I noticed both girls following it as I did. That confirmed my question, but now I wanted to know how Mary could see it. While that did suck, the idea of getting something good just because I moved some crates or killed a couple monsters was like getting free help. So, the items being for the girls didn''t bother me, but what I was worried about was if the System would have any effect on the Items or other things that I found. "What is a Rancher? Are you our Master or something now? I don''t feel like I want to eat you now," Jilly said as she looked down at me. "Mastersss? Mmm, what doesss my Master wantsss me to do for himsss," Mary hissed seductively in my ear, and then licked up the side of my neck, send a hot shiver through my body. "No, I am not your Master; I am your caretaker, I guess. ording to this page," I said, pointing to the screen. "I just need to make sure that you two are taken care of and stay out of trouble, I think. Honestly, I know about as much as you do at this point," I said while scratching my head, but then I heard something. It was like the patter of feet, but soft like paws, almost like a pack of dogs or wolves. Of course, there would be monstersing, and the fact that we had this much time without any was the more surprising thing with the dead Stinking Troll. "I think we should get moving; this ce is about to get more dangerous," I said while turning to figure out which was to go. "What? You don''t want to fight whatever ising? I thought you wanted to get stronger?" Jilly asked, and that was about the time a pack of three head dogs charged into the clearing. They each had weird glowing mouths with the glowing stuff leaking out, green, red, and blue. They weren''t huge, and they went straight for the troll-like savages, but then I heard a high-pitched squeale from Jilly, and she charged. Great. Chapter 12 - Raining Death, Spoiled And Soiled "Jilly! Stop!" I called out, but it was toote to stop her. Suddenly, as I ran, my vision was filled with what must have been at least fifty little white borders and ck windowed messages. Each and every one of them read the same thing in rapid session, and then the air was filled with yipping, then all hell broke loose. ?? [Spine Nailer]x69 Suddenly, balls of fire, ice, and green smoke-looking stuff that I could only assume were poison gas began firing off in all directions. I ran and tackled the tall Oomukade by her centipede body and knocked Jilly to the ground. Jilly''s attack stopped, and she turned on me, but I was already crawling up her smooth body to pin her down. She had not been able to see the fireball that had just passed where her head had been seconds after I had tackled her. "Oh, isss this more meatsss?!" Mary asked as I was now moving up Jilly''s waist. "No, and you can''t go running into a fight like that!" I scolded Jilly, and she tried to look away, turning up her nose at me, but as she tried to cross her arms, Mary darted forward and bit Jilly''s left breast. Jilly started to squeal in pain and started to try and p Mary, but every one of them hit me instead. I had to cover Jilly''s mouth with one hand and pry Mary''s off with the other. "Mary! Stop it! That''s Jilly''s breast you''re trying to eat!" I whispered harshly in her ear, and that ended up making Mary let go in surprise, but the instant release of pressure must have caused Jilly some more pain. My eye nearly popped out of my head, and I suppressed using every curse word I knew and bit my own lip. Mary was in shock for only a moment, and then she moved forward again and began to gently lick her bite marks to make them better. The effect was spot on, but maybe a little too effective. As Mary licked Jilly''s wound she had created, Jilly stopped biting me but grabbed my arm. She began to moan softly, started to lick my hand that she had just bit very sexually. If this was any moment but this present one, I would already have my clothes off; this was way too hot. Then there was the little matter of the BALLS OF DEATH AND SCREAMING ANIMALS! Yet, none of this fazed the girls; they were in another world, inly enjoying themselves. "All right, you guys need to stop this and save it forter!" I whisper-shouted at them, but the sound of dying canine howls and screams were slowing down. {Jilly} Level 3! Achieved! {Jilly} Level 4! Achieved! {Jilly} New Skill [Leveling]- Jilly can now use Leveling for clearing sites and creating a level and stable build locations. I wrestled my arm from Jilly and parted Mary''s explorative tongue from Jilly''s breast that had lost the teeth marks. When I finally got up, I cringed at sight around me. Three-headed dogsy everywhere, dead or dying. All of them had strange ck roots protruding out of their bodies, and every one of them looked like they had died in incredible amounts of pain. Monsters or not, this was too much, and Jilly would need to limit what she used this for. Not only did it put the beast through cruel torture, but it also ruined any chance for us to eat the meat. Not that I would have wanted to eat dog, but I am sure that the girls would not have minded, but there was no chance of that now. All the intestines and other things that held waste would have gotten stabbed and then mixed with the blood and then the meat. "Oh look, I missed on over there," Jilly said as she clicked up beside me and started to rear up, but I grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. "No, you have done enough, and that one is not a threat anymore. You can''t be using that attack if you want to be able to eat the things you kill," I exined as I weaved through the bodies that littered the ground. I headed to where the dog was. It had been trapped in a corner by a half-ring from the spikes. They had grown up and around to create a fence about one-hundred centimeters tall. They had grown roughly the height of a piece of plywood turned sideways. "Why? Are you saying I can''t eat these now? Why not?" Jilly raged from beside as she traveled over the dead or dying bodies. I had slowed down at each animal that was showing any sign of life and brandished my de. The first one, I tried to go for a normal ear to ear, but when I went to make the cut, the de flexed. I was about to get very angry when I pulled the knife away, but as I brought it back, just above the neck, the dagger stretched out. The tip pierced the back of the dog''s three necks in lightning-fast session, and the dog fell limp. "No, you damaged the insides of them where all the waste and toxins are held, and they have mixed with the blood. Now we will get sick from eating the meat, even if we cook it," I told Jilly as I stood back up and continued on. I wasn''t really sure about the getting sick part if we cooked it enough, but poison meat and meat with poisons in it were two different things. Still, I didn''t want to eat the stuff, and this little possible untruth would help keep Jilly from being so reckless in the future with these attacks. "No meatsss?" Mary asked from my shoulder where she was resting her head; was this woman always hungry?!. "No, but we do have someone that looks like they could help us out since we are the cause of her pain," I said while pointing at the female three-headed dog that was bleeding from multiple nasty-looking cuts. Is this dog a bitch or bitches? My bitch or my bitches? Well, she was all dog, so at least I would only have to put up with two awkward situations. That is if this beast was tameable. Probably could hurt to try. Chapter 13 - Three-Headed Dog, Or Something Like That. "I sssmell bloodsss! There mussst be meatsss" Mary and her snakes hissed, and one of the snakes tongues went in my ear, making my eyes go funny as I had a minor body spasm. "BAH! Mary! Stop letting your snakes hiss in my ears!" I said to her as I caught my bnce. ?? "Sssorry, I isss ssstill hungry. Feed me pleasesss!" Mary hissed excitedly, and I wiped the drool from her cute mouth, making her smile. I turned back to the three-headed dog and wiped Mary''s spit on my pants. The dog looked in rough shape and would need to be cleaned up, and some of those wounds may be sewn up. "So, are we going to eat it, or are you just going to stare at it?" Jilly asked as she leaned down to me. "Can you go put more wood on the fire, and I will cut up some more of the troll when I am done here, okay?" I asked, and Jilly threw up her hands but then clicked off to tend to the fire, mumbling as she went. "Stupid man, thinks I am his ve, just wait until he is sleeping¡­." I heard her say, but her voice trailed off before I could hear the rest. I thought this system prevented the girls from trying to eat me? Oh. You say that, but neither of us knows what she actually meant. So, you might still be the unlucky bastard, but I''ll be unluckier. I pulled out my Fire Sword and hacked a path into the ck thorn bramble vines Jilly''s attack had created. This was the worst way to approach a frightened and scared animal by cornering them, but I didn''t have many choices. The three-headed dogs'' mouths started to glow their respective colors, but I put my hands out to them. "Listen, there was a big misunderstanding with my friend, Jilly, and I am sorry. I don''t want to hurt you; I want to help you," I said softly with my hands forward and palms up. I went slow, but they still backed up to the wall, so I slowed down and stopped altogether. I waited for the three heads toe forward, and they each sniffed my hand and then each licked one of my hands once. *Poof!* I had been moving closer to the dog, but it had suddenly exploded in the same kind of white smoke as the items that Mary had given me had produced. I went down on my hands and knees and crawled forward, but the smoke dissipated, and I was staring into¡­ One, two, and yes, that is a third breast in my vision. Holly Hanna and they were chocte milk-colored, tri-breasta perfection, but then there were the cuts and scrapes that cover the rest of the beautiful ebony angel. "Will you really help us, or is it to just use us for sex like our own people did?" A beautiful redhead asked me as I brought my vision up to the proper height and eye level, sitting up. "I don''t want to be a toy again," The girl with blue hair cried out in sorrow,rge tears starting to fill up her eyes. "I don''t think that''s what he wants, but then I''m pretty sure that''s what all men want," The one with green hair said, and she seemed to be the calmest of the three, so I focused on her. "Yes, I am a man, and yes, you are all beautiful, but I am not a wild animal that will force myself on you. For now, I just want to help clean up your wounds, and then we will get you something to eat," I exined with a gentle tone, but the mention of food made the girl''s stomach growl. They put hands over their stomach and looked away in embarrassment at the sound it had made, and that made me smile but hurt a bit too. These three must have had a tough life, maybe more than challenging, but I couldn''t change what was only what will be. "Mary, can I have something to clean these girls up with?" I asked Mary, but faster than I could follow, she was on the girls. At first, I was worried she would try and eat them, but instead, she just started to lick them. Blue and Red had squealed, but Green was a different fish than the other two. Green had her eyes closed and softly moaned, and soon the other two calmed down. I watched as the ces where Mary licked were healing slowly, but only slowing in the sense of not healing like Wolverine. {Mary} Level 4! Achieved! New Skill [???]-??? Hey! What is with all these question marks? How am I supposed to know what they are? I watched in awe as Mary basicallypletely healed the girls, but now I could see how starved her body really was. I shook my head in sadness and stood up, offering the girls my hand and pulling Mary off them. She had started to lick her way up Blue''s neck, where there were no injuries. The girls took my hand, but when they got up, I could see that it hurt them all to put pressure on their left leg. I stepped forward and gently picked up the girls into my arms and off their feet. They wrapped their arms around my neck, and Green pushed her face into my chest, and the other two rested their heads over as well. "What are your names?" I asked as I started to walk over to the fire to see Jilly grumpily attending. "Riez," the green-haired girl said on the left, and the one closest to me. "Cera," The redhead on the far right said. "Bera," The blue-haired girl in the center said. "Interesting," I said as I walked, feeling like I was missing something. Chapter 14 - Monster Nanny, Three More Cute Mouths To Feed I dropped off the girls on the rock I had been sitting on before to cook the meat. It wasn''t cold, but the girls had been shivering, so I figured this would be the best spot for her while I cut more meat up. "Are we going to cook her alive, Or do you want me to kill her?" Jilly asked me as tworge twenty-centimeter golden curved des shot out from under her hair. ?? Bera and Cera were both burying their faces in my chest as they grabbed at me in fear, and I couldn''t really me them. Only Riez had the balls to look Jilly in the eyes and her face des. "Stop it! I am taking care of her, and you will go find something to do while I get this meat ready, or I''ll¡­." I trailed off as I looked up at the sword face. "Just leave the girls alone. They have already been through enough, and I am going to get more meat to cook. Please go find some more¡­." [Monster Girl: Riez, Bera, and Cera] Is now in your care! [New Title]: Monster Nanny [Level Up] Level 3 gained! {Kazz Foreman} Level: 3 Title: Monster Nanny Rank: {Poor and Ranchless Rancher) Monster Girls: 3 System: Ranching System System Abilities: {Monster Girl Rancher}- Gain experience from taking care of your Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Pacification}- The innate ability to calm Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Care}- All things done to care for Monster Girls are 100% more effective. {Monster Girl Food Prep}- All food you prepare for Monster Girls is 50% more satisfying. {Riez, Bera, and Cera} Level: 1 Title: N/A Species: Cerberus Unique Ability: Fire, Ice, and Gas Magic System: Enchanted Fetch System System Abilities: {Fetch-Ice} Throwing an item and having Bera fetch it will give the item a slight quality improvement and give it a Common Ice Enchantment. (Items can not be thrown by system user) {Fetch-Fire} Throwing an item and having Cera fetch it will give the item a slight quality improvement and give it a Common Fire Enchantment. (Items can not be thrown by system user) {Fetch-Gas} Throwing an item and having Riez fetch it will give the item a slight quality improvement and give it a Common Gas Enchantment. (Items can not be thrown by system user) I hope that I was the only one that found this system degrading, but I guess she was a dog at heart, and I had to admit that it was a pretty cool System. The problem with it was that they had to have the items thrown, and they didn''t havebat System abilities, but they did have their magic. "Fine, she is part of the messed up a little group of females you are gathering. I won''t eat her, but I am still undecided about you, so, chop-chop!" Jilly said while shaking a branch at me. "Are you gettingsss more meatsss?" Mary hissed softly by my ear, making the hairs of my entire body stand up with the goosebumps right behind to give extra credence to the hair-raising effectiveness of her voice. "Yes, my cute little snake, we are going to get some more meatsss," I said with a hiss, but then Mary bit my neck roughly, make me shout and almost fall over. "I don''t¡­ mean¡­ to hiss!" Mary said after biting me, but then she started to lick me, and the pressure mark stings from her teeth. "Sorry, you''re right, that was rude of me," I said as we walked over to the dead Troll that was not smelling any better, and now there were weird flies that looked more like armored beetles. As I used the Loose Leaf Dagger to skin and cut the meat off the other leg and rump, I watched the beetles. Usually, I would be grossed out by them, I hated all bugs equally, but these ones were bizarre and seemed intelligent. I watched as one of the winged beetles took out a tiny rock that looked sharp and then started to scrape the meat off the bone. Bugs using tools, very strange, but what was weird was none of them were eating it. I was lucky that the Loose Leaf Dagger did ny-nine percent of the work, or I would have cut my hand off three or four times over. Mary was licking me again, and I was starting to feel more like I was just a salt block to her as I watched the bugs work, but I didn''t mind. After the Loose Leaf Dagger was finished prepping and tenderizing the meat, I carried all the cut steaks with my blind and drooling snake. Mary was staring at the steaks and leaking saliva out, and I still couldn''t figure out how she always knew where to look or grab. Jillyid out new saplings that she had trimmed herself and was nowying them across the fire like I had before. The sticks weren''t great to cook on, and you have to turn them. The only problem was that I had to fend off three hungry animals instead of two this time, and there was more food. "Isss it donesss yet?" Mary hissed with excitement as I ced thest steak, barely able to get my hand to block a snake tongue from my ear. "What are you doing to the meat? Why can''t we just eat it?" Red-haired Cera asked with a bit of a whiny tone. "It smells good," Blue haired Bera whispered. "Have a little patience; he is burning the burn, so it tastes better, I would assume. Can you not already smell how much better the meat smelt when our Master brought it over," Riez said, turning her head to look directly at me, her long pretty green hair. So, Cera got all the raw and hot emotions, fitting. Then Bera seemed to be quiet, calm, but emotionally built like a house of cards. Out of the three, Riez seemed to be the more level-headed and somewhat normal, if overly formal. The whole master thing just was not going to work for me, though. Chapter 15 - Girls, We Are Monster Too! I looked at Riez''s naturally green eyes because what other color would they be? They were pretty, but that wasn''t what was important right now. "Yes, I will make it taste much better, you can ask Mary her as she drools in excite...OwO!" I had been saying but then bit me harder this time, hitting a nerve and making my knees buckle. ?? "Sof merkin fun ov meh!" Mary said with my neck still in her mouth. I was barely able to stay on my feet, and I didn''t dare try to pull her off. Mary was all but breaking skin right now, but if I moved, that might change. I suppose I really needed to start treating these women likedies and not my pets. I deserved to get a bite for saying that after she had been so cute with me. I rxed my neck, and Mary slowly let go, and I was able to stand back up straight. The other four had stayed perfectly quiet the entire time. "Sorry, I know I said that I wouldn''t do it again, and I do. So, I deserved that. I will start treating you all more like women. This is all new to me, and I am not really sure how to act," I said, turning to Mary, but she crossed her arms across her heaving breasts and then snaked around to be in front of me. Mary was not heavy, but I had to move back from the fire and brace myself a bit. I felt like I was about to get an ear full, and I was not wrong. "Jussst because I am different doesssn''t mean you can pick on me and makesss fun of me! I tried to hurt yousss, but I couldn''t! You are ssstarting to sssound like some of the bad people!" Mary shouted at me. I froze, stuck in my own stupidity. This is what Mary had meant by good and bad people. That would be all that mattered to her, the way people treated her. Now I was acting like one of the bad people instead of just enjoying the cute things for myself. I wasn''t really sure how to fix this; Mary had all but just admitted to trying to kill me. "Mary, I think you need to give Kazz a break. He has been very good to us, so I think that we can overlook that he might say some stupid things from time to time, but he is a male. He could have easily just run away from both of us, and we both would have been alone again," Jilly said to Mary,ing over and petting her snakes, who seemed to enjoy it just as much as Mary. "I guesss ssso, but don''t do it again! You seem like a good person, and I don''t like hurting you, but I am a monster too!" Mary said as she slithered around me. I quickly moved forward and flipped the meat, and none of it was burned, thankfully. I was very grateful for Jilly''s intervention, and I would have to do something nice for her, maybe extra meat. The Cerberus girls were sitting quietly, but it must have been very awkward for them with Mary attacking me and yelling between us. The meat would be done soon, and then I could get everyone filled up, and hopefully, my new skill helped fill the girls this time. I had twenty-four steaks cooking, which meant that we could each have six, but that would just be two each for the Cerberus girls. So, I decided that I would take one from each girl and give four of mine to them. I wasn''t really sure about how their stomachs worked, but their body looked famished. I took the stakes that Jilly had got ready for me, and I started stabbing steaks on them and spreading them out. I mmed the meat sticks into the ground with my empowered strength to let them cool, and I wasn''t surprised when Jilly waited patiently. She had learned her lesson, but Mary was staying behind me and not hanging over my shoulder. That made me feel horrible, as it should, but I would have to try and do something to make it up to her. I can only imagine how difficult her life must have been up to this point. This was the same for all the girls, and now it was my job to take care of them. All while trying to be the strongest being in this world. I sighed; the title I wanted seemed exceptionally far out of my grasp. My current title ced me as a Monster Nanny, whatever that meant. I finished thest meat stick, and stabbed it into the ground, then started to hand out the first one that had cooled some. I told the girls to be careful because it was hot, but then I grabbed two meat sticks. "Jilly, I will be back in a little bit. My shirt is still there, and the inside of it will be good enough to wipe yours and the girl''s faces off," I said to Jilly, and she nodded to me. I turned and walked away with Mary and the meat sticks, heading over to a ce out of sight and earshot to the others. Mary had not asked for her meat, nor had she tried to climb over me, and this feeling was eating me up inside. "Mary, would youe around and sit on myp?" I asked after I had sat down, and Maryplied. After she came to sit in myp, I handed her the meat and let her dig into it. As she did, I took arge bite out of one of my steaks but then pulled it off and set my stick to rest on a rock. I had chosen this spot because of arge rock beside me close enough to be used as a table. I pulled out the Loose Leaf Dagger, and the knife went to work, dicing and chopping the meat into tiny little chunks as I chewed. I put the dagger away and then turned back to Mary, who was eating her steaks quietly. Her snakes were trying to gnaw on the steaks, but they weren''t having much luck. I didn''t want to even try toprehend how Mary and her snake''s insides worked, but they did seem hungry. I grabbed a bunch of pieces of meat that the dagger had cut up and started to feed them to the snakes, and they gobbled all of it up. I turned and pulled another steak off and let the dagger do the work, but I could tell the blind woman was watching me. As I turned back, Mary turned her body so her back was to me and then leaned back and cuddled into my chest as I fed her snakes. "Maybe not ssso bad," Mary hissed gently between bites, and I rxed, and her snake all looked to me for more food. I had better get at least on of these steaks, but if I didn''t, that was okay, too. I was just d that Mary was cute with me again. Chapter 16 - Friends, I Am Not Your Master I did get two of my Troll steaks after all the little snakes seemed full, and it was nice just to have a moment to rx. Mary was licking her fingers, and she had let me slide my arm around her waist. I was petting her snakes when Mary asked me something that surprised me. ?? "Whysss did youesss here?" Mary hissed softly as I watched her stone-covered eyes close with content from my strokes. "I didn''t n oning here, but I had made some mistakes in my life, and I tried to cheat my way to the top. I thought that I could just take the easy way and no one would care, but I was wrong. I ended up losing everything and embarrassing myself, so I had decided to join a group of individuals that valued hard work and determination," I said, thinking about what I had been about to do. There was a lot of merit in joining the army, but I don''t think it was for the right reason. What I had wanted was something that I could do to prove to myself that I was more than just some cheater that could only rise up by taking the easy way. "Instead, I got homest night, which is still here today, and saw a red glowing from behind my house and decided to check it out. From there, I found a hole in the ground, and now I am here with you girls," I said, finishing my exnation. "Do you likesss itsss here?" Mary asked, opening her eyes and turning to look at me with them. I stared into her eyes, but I was sure that Mary''s sightless eyes looked into mine, and that made me feel warm and calm inside. It has been one hell of a ride so far, but I can say that this is much better than I could have ever hoped for with the army. "So far, the ce has been pretty wild, but after meeting you, things have been much better. I can''t tell you how sorry I am for making you feel that way, Mary, and I promise that I won''t do anything like that to you again. I like you, and I don''t want to do anything that will make you angry or sad," I exined to her, and Mary rubbed her head into my chest. "It''sss okay, I forgive you this time. You fed my Loveliesss too, and they likesss you now, ssso I kind of likesss you too," Mary hissed with a smile as I stood with her. Mary curled around me and wrapped her arms around me this time, and rested her head on my shoulder. This girl was too cute, and now she was back to being that way and getting closer to me. That meant that my earlier assumptions about her being all over me because she liked me were off. I guess these girls probably just saw me as food or some kind of help until they could eat me. I walked back to the other two...four, yup, four. There was no meat left, and the girls looked bloated but satisfied. "Did we work out all our problems, my little snake?" Jilly asked as she lifted herself up off her red armor shell she had been resting on. "Yesss, Kazzzzz¡­" Mary tried to say my name, but the z sound made her stick out her tongue and make a buzzing/farting noise. It was all I could do to keep myughter in, but Jilly didn''t hold herself back as sheughed, but I guess they knew each other. "Don''t try to repeat his name; you might bite your tongue off. I can see your sleepy snakes, so you don''t need to tell me how it went. I know he has found your weakness, and now you''re just going to be his pet," Jilly said with a smile, but I stepped in, feeling Mary heat up on my back. "None of you are my pets or anything besides my now friends. I am not your master, you do not need to listen to me, but I appreciate it if you would for some things. This is new for all of us, but I don''t want to get off on the wrong foot, so to speak," I said while looking between Jilly and the Cerberus girls. They had stayed quiet and were rubbing their protruded belly. Three stomachs or not, that was a lot of meat for those girls, but they looked happy, so that was what mattered. "So, then what are you going to do now?" Jilly asked as she moved closer to me, slowly lowering herself down to my level suggestively. I turned from Jilly''s advances and walked over to Cera, Bera, and Riez, putting my arms under them to pick them up. The girls didn''t struggle, and they let me pick them up, but Cera got to rest on my chest this time, or there might have been someints. "I would like you to show me where it is that we can start earning some MP. Is the whole world like this? Rocks and canyons? Or is this just one ce?" I asked as I turned back to Jilly. "No, but this is a tiny part of the massive world, or so I am told, but I have never been off this ind," Jilly said to me. "Ind? So, is there a vige or something where we can go and get you, girls, some quests?" I asked hopefully, but I was not reassured by the devilish smile I got back. "Yes, this will be a great chance for you to have your first meeting with the demon kind, since you hid from thest one, ha ha ha!" Jilly said with a scoffingugh. "I didn''t want to interrupt your little meeting," I said with an innocent smile. "Well, don''t expect any warm wees from the demons. They only tolerate us other monsters and have been known to turn on us in the middle of the town. I advise you to watch how you act; some are a lot tougher than they look, especially the little olddy demons! DO NOT MESS WITH THEM!" Jilly warned me before turning to the south. Don''t fuck with little olddies, got it. Chapter 17 - Fork In The Road, If Worse Came To Worst I followed Jilly south, but I walked beside her so I could talk to her about the world. Now that things with the girls seemed to like it was straightening themselves out, I really needed to get on top of learning about the world. "So, are there any other humans like me?" I asked. ?? "No, there are some that look close to you, but they are some of the worst monsters. All they do istch onto you and drain your thoughts until you''re left to drool and starve to death. I can''t remember what they are called, but they have eyes in their hands and much sharper teeth, but that is about as close as ites to looking like you," Jilly exined to me, but I was noticing that the canyon was starting to arch up. "Hmm, that''s fine, not like it would make a difference. As you can see with me, humans are just monsters without visible natural weapons," I said as we started to get higher, and I was able to start seeing treetops, which reminded me of the wood that had just been cut up, and we ended up leaving behind. "What do you think of the Builder System that you have? Is it to your liking? Not that I think that I can change the system, but I might be able to show how to get to where you want if you tell me what you want," I said to Jilly, as Mary slept on my shoulder and the Cerberus girls in my arms, so it was just the two of us. Jilly didn''t answer me right away, so I had a moment to look around at the forest we were walking into. I was really excited to see the world, but I needed to get stronger. I didn''t want to rely on the girls for help. None of them were using Combat Systems, and the ones that they had shouldn''t have to be used as ones. "I guess I don''t mind it, but I have never really done anything that I truly enjoy because I could never do it the right way, and then I would just give up. I am just worried that I will hit a wall and not be able to progress further, and then at that point, what is the point even?" Jilly asked while looking forward. "Yeah, makes sense, but, like mine, your life has just changed. I didn''t really like the idea of having something forced on me that was going to let me breeze through here. You might think that is stupid, but that''s just the way I felt about things," I said to her as Jilly pointed to the left path of a fork in the road. "The other way is to the Minor Oni Demon lords keep; this path will take us to the town," Jilly said as she guided me, but I stopped her; I had an idea. "Now, we are all here together, and it is my job to keep pushing you forward, so just keep looking forward. If you feel like going back and stopping, I''ll be there to push you forward or take your hand and pull you. So, what about this minor Oni guy?" I asked now that I had stopped her. "Mex? For a demon, you might consider him nice, but she will usually rope you into doing things for him in the guises of his niceness. Still, if youplete the tasks, you can earn some MP. What did you have in mind?" Jilly asked,ing down to my height. "Good, I kind of assumed he might be like that. It was either that, or they would be horribly spiteful to everyone," I said with a smile. "That would be the other minor Oni, Neft. That one is on the other side of the ind," Jilly said while rolling her eyes. "Good, and she can stay there. I think that we should go visit this guy and earn some points, and maybe we can rent a stable or something to rent," I said absentmindedly. "What is a stable?" Jilly asked me. "It''s a ce to put horses, but they are an animal humans like me rode. So, I don''t know if monsters would ride other beasts or monsters," I said, tapping a finger to my chin. "There are races that do, or at least I have heard of something to that degree. Though, there is nothing like that on the ind," Jilly exined, and we both started to walk down the path that led to this minor Oni, Mex. "So, you said, he is nice, but what do you mean buy that?" I asked a little worried that this might be another one of those varied opinions. "If we can be of help to him, he will more than likely give us a ce to stay in his Keep. Though, we might be sent out to kill other very powerful monsters that can''t be killed by the average person. So, yeah, a ce to stay if we survive," Jilly said with a half-heartedugh. "That is a pretty steep bargain, but I think that we are above average. We will see what Mex has to say; worsees to worst, we can sleep outside," I said as we walked along. "That would definitely be the worst. The monsters thate out at night here are far worse. I usually pull a big rock in front of my cave and then roll one from the inside to discourage other night monsters from trying to attack me," Jilly said. "Okay, well then we had better kill whatever he wants us to, or we are going to have a very long night. I need to get in some monster killing anyways, and maybe we can get some new kinds of meat to try, I said, smiling up to Jilly, but then I felt Mary stir on my back. "Meatsss?" Mary hissed softly and then fell back asleep. Chapter 18 - Grandmother Nixi, The Daughter Eater It took us about an hour of walking to get to the giant castle surrounded by a ten-meter wall with guards standing on the tops. None of them looked like they were paying much attention to us as we approached arge river. A big bridge spanned across the water, and there was a pair of blue-skinned and winged guards standing at the entrance on the other side. I stopped our group before we went across the bridge; I wanted to ask a couple more questions that had juste to mind. ?? "Can you tell me a little about the demons, like do they have ranks? Are those guys like the one that came to see you?" I asked. "Yes, they are the same, all lesser grunts, but they can still fight and use magic, so don''t go thinking of trying to take the Keep. If we are nice, then Mex should be nice enough back to us. The biggest thing is to not let the grandmother get under your skin," Jilly exined, and I felt Mary stir on my back, and her snakes started to rustle around. "Hmmm? Where are weesss?" Mary hissed as she rubbed her face into the side of my neck. "Kazz has brought us to see Grandma Nixi and Madam Clesh at Lord Mex''s Keep," Jilly exined, and I felt Mary start to get excited. "Nushi?" Mary asked as she wiggled around on my back. The Cerberus girls had changed back into dog form now, and they were walking on the opposite side from Jilly. They had thanked me for carrying them but then asked to be put down, and now they were staying at my side. "Of course she will be there; the girl never leaves her room," Jilly said while rolling her eyes. "Clesh? Nixi? Mushi?" I asked in confusion. "Oh, I guess I had better tell you about Nixi. She is Mex''s Great Great Great Great Great Grandmother, and before you ask, the other ones are dead. Grandma Nixi is an Medium Lesser Demon, and she has a thing for eating her female descendant," Jilly exined, and I just looked at her with shock. "Wait, she eats her kids?" I asked in horror. "Her kids, her kid''s kids, and their kids, but only the female descendants. That is why Nushi never leaves her room; she knows that one day she will be married off and forced to have a child, then Nixi will eat her. Only Clesh visits her, and she is the only person that Mex truly hates," Jilly said to me. "Well, if Mex is considered a nicer demon, then I could see why eating his mother and not waiting to eat his daughter might make him like that. You called her a Medium Lesser. Does that mean that she is stronger than Mex?" I asked. "Nixi is the strongest Demon on the ind and the only Medium Demon; she is even stronger than Doa. You would wonder why a Demon of her rank would live under another then, right?" Jilly asked. "That is a good question, but I think I know the answer to this one. Nixi must be waiting for something so that she can leave this ind. If she has been gathering power for this long and hasn''t made a move on the controller of this ind, that just means that she is looking for a bigger target," I exined. "Yes, and no one knows how close she is to reach her goal or what she will do once she gets there. Some think that she will just leave and head to the main continent, but others think she will go on a killing spree and ughter the ind to be stronger. Regardless, be very careful around her; I have only met her briefly, and she didn''t seem horrible, but she is very opinionated," Jilly warned me, but then I turned to look across the bridge at the sound of a voice. "Eh! You! Yeah, You! Quit loitering, or we wille over and fuck you up. This is the Great Demon Lord Mex''s Keep, and we don''t stand for no loiters around here!" One of the blue Lesser Demons yelled at us. "Trig! These are more than likely guests to the Great Demon Lord Mex! I am so sorry for the rude way, my partner," said the other demon, trying to apologize, but the first demon cut him off. "Partner? What? Do you want me to take you to the shack? Lidy not doing things right for you? Need some real Demon in your," The first demon tried to say, but then, the second one punched him in the face. Things degenerated from there, and the two tossed the spears they were holding aside and went at it in earnest. I looked at Jilly with a raised eyebrow, and she just closed her eyes, shook her head, and took in a deep breath before speaking. "This is normal behavior, and it''s best to let them get it out, or you will just be drawn into it. Let''s just go inside; Mex should know that we have arrived by now, and he will more than likely be waiting at the top of his stairs so he can make his grand entrance when we do," Jilly exined. "Then we can goesss, and ssseesss, Nushi? I want to listen!" Mary said with excitement. "Yes, after we will take you to go see Nushi, and then we will stay with her while Kazz goes and defeats whatever crazy thing Mex wants to be killed this time," Jilly said nonchntly as she clicked by me. "Wait, hold on a minute. Why am I the only one going to fight this monster?" I asked, reaching out to stop Jilly but missed grabbing her. "You can''t actually expect to take us with you, can you? How are you going to protect us when you are trying to kill the monster?" Jilly asked as I caught up to her, and we passed the fighting guard, who paid no attention to us. Yeah, but who was going to protect me? [Author note: I have decided to try and promote this book just through *******. so, all extra chapter, NSFW art work will be avable on here. once I hit chapter 45 I will only post one a day to webnovel and scribble hub and all XXX chapters will be on here for anyone that purchase the monster girl ranching tier or a tier above that price with merchandise. this also means that I will be opening a merchandise shop soon with the new art that you will be able to buy from directly without paying the extras from patroen. please let me know what you think of this] Chapter 19 - Mex, Demon Pushover? I found it strange that no one really seemed to care that a human and three monsters were waltzing right into the ce. I looked around the castle grounds, but it was mostly grass, and there were even some flower beds being cared for by blue-skinned females who were wearing modest clothing. Not what I had expected from a self-proimed Demon Lord, but maybe I was holding on to my human world views of things that didn''t really even exist. I am sure that if the monsters saw our people in our world, they would ask why we all look so much alike. ?? The front door to the castle was unmanned, but It took all I had to even get the thing to budge. Of course, that was when Jilly decided that I might need help, and the door was opened with ease. This was just another reminder that even though I was in great shape and that I was an MMA fighter, The problem was that I hade from wrestling, and I had been a submission specialist. Sure, I had knocked a guy or two out, but all of my real fights for victories came from forcing my opponents to submit. I didn''t really think that monsters and demons were the submitting types, but I had been wrong about many things so far. As we walked into the castle, the first thing that we saw was a mass staircase that fanned out at the bottom. On either side were small fountains with water shooting up from them, but the sound was gentle and rxing. "Wee new and old guests! It is my pleasure to have you join me on this fine day! I am the Great Demon Lord Mex, only of this area of course, and I do love to Gloat my Minor Demon status a bit," A lighter blue demon with more giant wings than the others I had seen said. He was standing at the top of the tapered staircase sanding on a soft green carpet that almost looked like grass. I would say it was like astroturf like they used for minigolf, but from what I could see on the stairs, it looked too real for that. "Hello, thank you for the warm wee. My friends and I decided to pay you a visit since I am new in the area, and they told me that you were a kind and weing man. I can see that they were not wrong," I said, trying to butter this Mex guy up. I wasn''t really sure what the protocol was here. We hadn''t really said who was going to do the talking, but then Jilly can and picked Mary off me like a child. "Come with me, darling, and we will go see Nushi; you cane with me as well, girls, but you will need to change back. Madam Clesh does not like monsters to shed in her castle," Jilly said as Marytched around her. The Cerberus girls changed back, and then they headed up the stairs and then to the left, all but almost pushing Mex over the railing of the stairs. The Demon Lord had to Squeeze by them, and he made his way down to me. What was going on here? Was this Demon just a big pushover or something? "I am d to see Jilly, Mary, and their new friend, and they are getting along strangely enough. Just who might you be?" Mex asked me as he stepped off the stairs. "Kazz Foreman, I just got here from another world," I said; there was no point in trying to hide it. "Oh! Good, then you will be a good strongd that wouldn''t mind helping me out with a small task? I could make it worth your time? Say, three square meals, guards to train, I mean train with, and a ce to sleep? You got one of those fancy system things, right?" Mex said so fast that I could barely keep up with him, but I got the gist of it. "I did get a System, but it''s not one of the super-strong ones. It doesn''t actually help me fight at all," I exined, and Mex''s eyebrows shot up. "You refused the Hero System? Just how long have you been here for?" Mex asked as he now walked around me. "And what did you do before this?" I exined to Mex about my past and what I had done, and how long I had been here. It took about thirty minutes to exin it all, but I brought him up to speed. "Fascinating! So, you are the caretaker of these girls?" Mex asked me with great interest etched all over his face, and I nodded my head. "Oh, this is more than fascinating!" "Hmm? Am I missing something?" I asked, unsure what was so fascinating, but I guess just me surviving this long must be interesting to him. "No, this is good, and you know what? I am feeling even more generous than normal! Listen, normally, I would ask you to go kill a mighty monster, but I think that would not end up for you well, so this is what I will do. Come sit down here," Mex said as he put a hand into the air and called out, "CHAIRS AND TABLE!" I expected to see some more of the smaller and darker blue demons rush out, but instead, it was the table and chairs¡­ walking out. The entire inside of the castle was covered in dark mahogany-colored wood, and no stone showed, so it was weird to see a bright light yellow oak table walking. Not that the walking part wasn''t weird enough already, but the stark contrast just felt off. Then, when the three pieces of living furniture stopped, they all went back to being a typical set of out-of-ce tables and chairs. "I will tell you a little bit about the workings of this world; not everything is as friendly as it seems," Mex said as we sat down. Little did Mex know, I was well aware of this little tidbit of knowledge, but I was interested to hear what he had to say. Maybe this would shed some light on his previous excitement as well. Chapter 20 - Demons, No You Cant Rule Them "I am not sure if you have been told, but the world runs on strange stuff called MP or Monster Points. You can earn them from killing monsters that have marks be a quest given by myself or someone else, but you can also gain them from exploring new ces and even developing new areas," Mex exined. "Developing? So you mean if I made a city or a town? Or maybe if I took one over and made it better?" I asked with interest. ?? "Yes, that is how we Demons do it, but you would have to collect arge number of monsters to make a city and prevent them from eating each other. For us demons, it''s different; we don''t eat our own kind that often. You don''t have to build something so big as a town, but if you even created a business that helped monsters, you could earn points," Mex exined to me. That was some helpful information, but I wasn''t sure if I could make a business out of taking care of monster girls. Still, other things could be done, but I wasn''t sure if that was the route I wanted to take. "Okay, and then taking one over would be a bad idea as well?" I asked, and Mex nodded his head. "All the demons act the way they do because I act this way; not all Demon Keeps are the same. Some of them have violent and crazy Lords, which makes the other Demons that way, but if there is no controlling demon, they go into a frenzy. The Demons will start to kill and eat everything, including each other, until another high enough ranked Demones to quell them, or they are killed," Mex told me. Well, they might be the humans of the world, but they were still monsters underneath. I was just going to have to get used to this world being just varying shades of evil. "So, no trying to take over a city, got it. So then I guess I am just left with defeating monsters and exploring?" I said after rubbing my hand over my face a couple of times. "For now, but first, I have a question to ask. How do you acquire the girls you take care of?" Mex asked me, leaning forward, showing great interest. "Not too sure yet. I think I have to do things for them to help them and to satisfy them. Why do you ask?" I asked, having a slight idea what this crafty Demon was needling towards. "Oh, don''t worry about it, there is a pack of Sahuagin bothering one of my fishing viges to the west about an hour''s walk away. I am sure you can make it there faster; even without the Hero System, your body should have gone through some heavy changes to help you deal with the dangers in this world, right?" Mex asked me. A slight wince escaped me as the memory of the excruciating pain returned. "Good, then you will still gain power like everyone else. You can train your body like you did in your previous life; as I can see, you are well built, but there doesn''t seem to be much weight to your mass," Mexmented as he looked me over. That stung a bit, but that''s what you get for cheating. Coming into the world had made all the muscle I had gained from working out and using steroids look like a bodysuit that I was wearing and not my actual muscles. "Yeah, the result of my mistake, but it''s good to hear that I can work out and get stronger. So, I just have to go and kill or deal with the Sahuagin? What is a Sahuagin?" I asked with no idea what he was talking about. "These are Reef Sahuagin, and they look like fish, I suppose, but they can walk onnd. Unlike the monsters you have seen, there are bodies simr to yours, but they have fish heads filled with very sharp teeth. They also like to tote around spears to stab people with," Mex mentions at the end. "Well, that doesn''t sound too bad, and it''s not like I am weaponless. Are they any good to eat?" I asked curiously. "No, they have to lean on bodies, and the meat is tough, but I don''t suggest killing these ones, and that''s why I am sending you to this Quest first. I just need to find out why they are horranging my vige," Mex told me, and I nodded. "Well, that doesn''t sound too bad, but they tend to be very grouchy folk. I think it might have something to do with their faces, but that''s not really something that can be changed. Still, it doesn''t change their sparkling personalities of, throw spears, and then scream gutturallyter," Mex said as he waved his hands around in a, ooo look at me, I''m scary, manner. "Sure, why not, but before I go, do you mind if I go up and see the girls? I don''t want to just leave, and they do not know where I went," I said to Mex, and he nodded with a knowing smile. "Sure, it''s good to see that you actually care about them, but I don''t think that they will notice that you are gone. Monsters tend to have a very short attention snap, and Mary and Jilly are no exception," Mex said as we both stood. "Maybe, but this is more for me to check on them. Maybe the girls have forgotten about me, or maybe they haven''t, but I would like to see them regardless," I said. "Yes, fascinating! You are one strange animal, Kazz Foreman. I look forward to our future endeavors, but by all means, go see the girls, and you can meet my little Nushi. One thing, Nushi doesn''te out of her room much or see very many people, so she tends to be a little rough around the edges. Mary normallyes and stays at the castle with Nushi, but she likes to wander off, and then Jilly usually brings her back," Mex said, leading me up the stairs. Well, that made sense why he was so friendly with the girls, and if they were his daughter''s only friends¡­ I had a bit more respect for Mex after that. Now, it was time to meet this daughter; she was a Demon, so she might be pretty cute. Chapter 21 - Nushi, And Horny Things Mex pointed to the left corner of the second level when we reached the top of the stairs. "Down there is Nushi''s room, but I am going to retire for a bit, and I will see you when you return. Don''t worry about bringing back proof or anything like that; you can just show me your MP total when you get back, and I will show you how to do that as well," Mex said with a smile and then turned to the right, and head to the room in the opposite corner of his daughters. ?? "Thanks," I said before turning to go to the next room, but I took my time. I was partially worried that the girls would just forget me, but another part of me told me I was an idiot for thinking something like that. I reached the door faster than I wanted, but there was no waiting around; I still had to run to the vige and deal with the Sahuagin before it got dark and got back. I knocked at the door, and I heard Jilly call toe in, so I lifted thetch and entered. The room was all books, the cast was just a square with a turret on each corner, but this one was lined three stories in the air with shelves of books. Out of nowhere, a cloud of white smoke appeared, and my three-headed girl mped her arms around my waist, hugging me. I wrapped my arms around their little ebony-skinned body, and I felt the warm, soft, and exciting feel of the girls'' three soft breasts. "Didsss you bringsss meatsss?" Mary hissed, sticking her head around from where she was hidden by Jilly. "No, meat right now, but I will make some for youter once Ie back," I said as I pet each of the three girls'' heads, but I had to pull away when all three started to lick my bare chest. Being short and heavy chested,bined with the lick, made me stand out, and I didn''t want the girls to think that I was a pervert. I figured that the girls probably liked the salt from my sweat, but that didn''t help my male brain. All I could think was there was a three-in-one, triple-stacked petite hottie pushing her naked chest into me while licking me. I would still have to pay for this kind of treatment in my old life, but the girls didn''t need that side of me right now. "We need to get you girls some clothes. I am a man, and I can''t help how I feel when I see your naked bodies. So, do you think you girls could find some clothes? Or I can see about getting you some if that is okay?" I asked the girls as I walked into the room. "I have no problem with it, but you can look at mine all you want and do what you want!" Jilly said seductively while bouncing up and down. The effect was almost enough to put me into a trance, but I eye-rolled my way out of it as I finally could fully see Mary and a cute dark blue-skinned girl resting in her coils. The girl was a beauty, but one thing might make getting close to her hard. The girl had a pair of horns that came out of the top of her head. Then they ran directly down the side of her face, stopping at her jawline. Then they ran into sharp points that stopped in front of her mouth, so no kissing those lips then. "Hello, you must be Mex''s daughter, Nushi. I am Kazz; I was justing to check up on the girls before I left," I said, trying to give my best smile and not look like it was forced. "Yes, the girls have been telling me about the stupid thing you have been doing, but you are not from this world. What do you want then? You have seen the girls, now, don''t you have a job to do for my father?" Nushi asked with a whole lot of attitude. I had to strain to keep the smile on my face, and I was sure the look was far less convincing than it was before, but it was better than my scowl. So this is what Mex had meant; his little girl was actually a bear, not a Demon. "Do your horns have to grow like that?" Deciding that ignoring her was the best option, it seemed to catch her off guard, so I went with it and then stepped towards her to better look. Nushi shied back from my hand, and I stopped and stood back up straight. I would leave her be for now, and the girl was right; I did have a job to do. "Even if I cut them off, they grow back like this, okay!" Nushi shouted at me and then turned away, crossing her arms over her ample chest. "How fast do they grow back? And does it get her to cut them off?" I asked, starting my advance again. I moved over and sat down on the bed beside her for a moment. I was wasting precious time, but depending on her answers, I might be able to do something to help since they were horns. "They take about a day to grow back, and they don''t hurt, but it hurts my head when they get broken," Nushi said, turning to me. "Let me cut them off, and then when I get back, I will try something to get them to curl instead of going straight. That must make it hard to eat with," I said, thinking that it would make it hard to do a lot of other things that didn''t need to be mentioned. "Can you fix them?" Nushi asked in astonishment. "Just be careful of what you ask of him, or you will end up with another pet like us," Jilly said conspiratorially, and I red at her. "You know just as well as I do that none of you are my pets; you are all friends that I am helping!" I said, while still re at Jilly, who waved her hands around in the, whatever gesture. "I isss not petsss!" Mary turned and hissed at Jilly but then pointed to her snakes, who also started to hiss. "These aresss the petsss!" Dammit, her cuteness was going to kill me before any monster could. [Author note: In chapter 3 and 5 I added B/W pictures of Jilly and Mary] Chapter 22 - Sliced, Bringsss Backsss Some Treatsss I turned back to Nushi after the other two settled down. "Don''t listen to Jilly; I just want to help you. The way that your horns grow must make life hard for you," I said to Nushi. ?? She was looking at her hands that were fidgeting in herp. Nushi looked like she was deciding on something, so I grabbed my Loose Leaf Dagger and held it out from me. I red at the de because I knew it was going to try and make some kind of protest when I asked it to cut her horns off if she would let me. I didn''t want to have to fight with the de in front of the girl I was offering to cut part of her head off. I didn''t feel any resistance from the knife as I held it in my hands. Last time the knife had felt hostile when I had tried to cut the branch, but I knew that wasn''t a job for a sharp knife. Maybe the de worked on intuition or something like that. I knew that I should be using a tool like that for that job. This time it was different. This job was something that I needed the knife for, and there was no other that could do the same as it could. I swore I felt the knife¡­ get happy at myment? Maybe I was more sentient than I thought, but I would have to run some tests in the future, but for now, Nushi looked like she had gathered her resolve. "If you cut them off, and youe back before tonight, then they will only have grown a little bit, but I am warning you, MAN! If you touch my hair¡­" Nushi said as she started to get ready to give me a good ear to work, but I didn''t have time for that, and I was done. "Done," I said as the two horns fell away, and just like she had said, the horns were not like normal ones I have helped to cut off before. In the past, I had helped on numerous local ranches and farms with things like dehorning, nutting, tagging, and numerous other things, so I was familiar with the inside of a horn. The horns had nerves in them, and they spared blood, and it hurt them when you cut off a horn, But Nushi''s were different. They were all horn and no nerves and no squirting blood, thankfully. I didn''t have any talcum powder to clout it if I did, but that would look funny to see my shaking baby powder all over her hair. "What?" Nushi said in confusion as she looked at the horns that were lying on the bed now. The Loose Leaf Dagger I had used had cut as close to her scalp as it could get without hurting her, and it had even rounded the cut. I reached forward and ruffled Nushi''s hair a bit, and she puffed out her cheeks cutely like a spoiled child as I did. "Okay, now you can barely even notice them, and now I can see your pretty face," I said, moving my hand down to her cheek, and Nushi started to blush furiously and pulled her face out of my hand. "Shut up! Get out and go kill that monster my father told you to!" Nushi yelled at me, and I smiled and turned to go, but the girls were waiting back in dog form, wagging their tails, and I petted each one. "Sorry girls, you will have to stay here with the others while I go. I can''t protect you yet, and I am going to have to move fast, but when I get back, we will try out your skills, okay?" I asked the girls, and they nodded. "Bringsss backsss some treatsss" Mary hissed as I walked back to the door, making me smile. "I will try and find you all some nice treats on my way back, do you all like fish?" I asked as I turned back to the girls. "Meatsss? I likesss them all! Mary said as she reared up and then grabbed Jilly and started to lick her. "Get off me, you slobbering fool! Go lick Kazz!" Jillyined as she tried to figure Mary off but failed, and then finally gave up and let Mary lick her. I turned and left the room, I had already used enough of my time, and it was already the afternoon. I would have to make good time if I wanted to make it back before dark. I closed the door behind me, and there was no one around, but when I turned back from closing the door, there was a little old female red-skinned demon standing in front of me. I jumped back in reaction to the Demoness, and the old woman gave me an evil-looking smile. "Good reaction. Mex was right; you are a wuss," The old Granny Demon told me. This must be Nixi, but she was a dark red, not blue, but that must be what Jilly had mentioned about her being a higher ranked Demon. I was going to have to watch my words with this one; she didn''t seem to have a problem with people if your kin were any representation of that. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. I''ll get stronger, though; just take some work on my part," I said, figuring that just having an ideal conversation would be best, and I was right, thankfully. "Hmm, yes, maybe with some proper meat on your bones, you might be alright, but for now, you''re just a weakling that my Grandson is taking pity on. No wonder that useless beast always stays number three, always being too nice to the natives, like they own the ce or something. Your lote through here and then just die anyways, but my dear Mex always wants to help," Nixi said, rolling her eyes. "Well, I am thankful, but I do need to get going¡­ what?" I said in confusion as I looked around. Nixi was gone. Chapter 23 - Tests, There Is Something Wrong That was more than strange, the old woman had just vanished, and that was disconcerting. If she could just appear and disappear without warning, then I would have to be a lot more cautious about the things I said about her. It would probably just be best to get in the habit of not talking bad about anyone in this world. I was a little fish in the ocean right now, just waiting to be swallowed up by whatever came along next, so I don''t want to make any early enemies. ?? I walked down the walkway and back to the stairs. The grass carpet was nice to walk on, almost like a padded floor, and the whole ce seemed to have a permanent wood stain smell. I hadn''t really had a chance to look around or really take in everything. Since I hade to the world, I constantly moved and met new people, and it was still only the first day. The railings and everything was all a dark color, and the sounds of the fountain made me feel a bit more centered as I walked down and out of the castle. The yard was the same as before, empty, and there were still guards up tozing around. Heading out of the castle wall gate, the friendly guard with the wife, Lidy, waved and nodded to me, but the one called Trig ignored me. I was more than okay with and, but I would have to ask the other guard''s name on the way back. I got to the other side of the bridge, and then I realized a tant fact. "That you forgot to ask for directions?" I nearly jumped out of my skin as I whipped around to find Mex staging behind me with a self-satisfied smile. He was now shirtless like me and in some rough-looking shorts, and he threw a pair almost identical to me. "What''s the deal? Saving the idiot me a trip out here so you could give me directions?" I asked suspiciously. "Change your pants; they will just wear out fast once we get going. These shorts are of good material and will let you move more freely. Since we are running, you''re going to have to keep up; I would like to introduce you to some of my friends on the way. We won''t stay long, but chop-chop," Mex said, but he was giving me a severe look. I quickly changed my dirt jeans into my shorts, but it took me a minute to get my belt and the knife and shlight that I had yet to try. Something about the shlight told me not to touch it and that I would know when the time was right. I also grabbed my torch lightsaber thing, but the shorts had no pockets, so I decided to carry it with me. I had no idea where we''re going other to the left at some point to the west. I nodded, and we started on a brisk run north for about five hundred meters, and then we turned into the forest. The trees all had bright green leaves, and the ground was littered with multi-colored flowers and tangles of vines. I could hear the sounds of bugs buzzing and some strange high-pitched clickings, but as we ran, it felt like we were the only ones here. The birds chirped and called, but none flew around; it was almost like the forest had stepped aside for us to pass. I also noticed that when I stepped too close to the vines, they would try and stretch to me, and when I slowed briefly, one tried to grab my foot. The flowers also hissed at me when I got too close to them. I discounted the noise at first, but when I got too close to a tree that had some flowers growing on it, then things started to hiss at me like snakes. I was only momentarily distracted, but they did make me think about Mary''s snakes hissing at me. Suddenly, Mex slowed down and then stopped, turning to me. I slowed down to a stop and waited to see what he had to say. The severe expression was gone from his face, but now a tired one reced it. "So, Kazz Foreman, I havee out here with you today to introduce you to my four elementary friends, but first, I would like to talk to you about Nixi. I know you had a brief encounter with her, and I am sure that you got a small measure of her power just from that short exchange, yes, no? Mex said wearily. "You both were able to sneak up on me without me noticing, so I guess you are both strong, but I wasn''t able to see a real difference," I told Mex, kicking a vine away that was trying to attack my foot. "What? Wait¡­ I am going to get very scary looking, but I want to try something, okay?" Mex asked me. "Uh, sure. Why what''s up?" I asked back, and Mex looked up but then looked back at me with a scowl. "There is something wrong with you, and I want to see how wrong it is," Mex said as his skin started to ripple. Veins under Mex''s light blue skin grew enormous, and I could watch them pump blood as his muscles writhed under his skin. Mex grew and expanded to almost twice his size, and he no longer looked like a friend but he was just showing me something, but he did not look impressed. "Nothing? Not even a little bit of fear or worry?" Mex snarled at me, reaching out to the side. A ck hole opened in the air as he did, and Mex reached inside, grabbing something. When he grabbed the thing, the ck hole moved away from Mex and unveiled a massing straight ck greatsword. "Hey, uh, what''s the big sword for?" I asked, looking at the gigantic etched two-meter long de of ck, some kind of metal that I had never seen; it almost had a green shine to it. "More tests," Mex said as he advanced on me. Chapter 24 - Thanks, Oh Great Eye In The Sky! "Hey! What''s the big idea? Why do you want to fight me all of a sudden, I said, backing away from him. While Mex Himself didn''t bother me, the massive ck de in his hand was a different story. I clicked the button on my lighter, and my me de extended out, and I held it with two hands and prepared to fight. ?? Mex drew back the sword quickly but let it go behind him, sending it through two trees before it disappeared back into the ck how that it hade from. The hole had just appeared out of nowhere, and he had been able to get the weapon out reasonably fast, maybe even faster if he wanted to. "Interesting, I am sorry about that, but I needed to test some things, and I am still not done, but the rest can be done on the way. Now, about Nixi, You can see how easily I can wield that massive de and the power I can put behind it?" Mex asked as he shrunk back down and the two trees crashed down behind him. "Yeah, that''s wild how strong you are, and I am d you didn''t swing it at me," I said as I clicked my sword off and the heat from it stopped. It was hot enough out here already; even with only shorts on, I didn''t need to be carrying a torch. "Nixi does use weapons; she is the weapon with her magic and grossly disproportionate strengthpared to her size. You can''t even tell when she is mad, except for the increase in fear, but that seems to be an issue with you, and I am not sure if it''s good or bad," Mex said, looking at me curiously. Yeah, thanks, little birdy. Sorry! Thanks, Oh Great Eye in the Sky! "Monsters don''t and can''t scare me, but I am still aware of the danger that they could pose," I exined to Mex. "Oh, well, that is a good thing for you then. Now, about Nixi, I am sure that our friend Jilly exined to you about my mother and other grandmothers, right?" Mex asked, and I nodded, so he continued. "Well, she won''t eat my wife, but I know she is just waiting for me to marry Nushi. Nixi will be desperate because the firstborn has always been a daughter, but I wasn''t, and now she has had to wait." "What is the point of all of it? Why is she eating them?" I asked. "I can''t really tell you because I don''t know myself. The woman despises me and thinks my kindness is weakness, but I am sure that you can see that my kindness is just a facade to get others to do what I need, right?" Mex asked as he waved me forward, and we walked around the fallen trees. "Yeah, Jilly had exined, but that was the reason we came to you and not the town. So then, who are we going to meet along the way? Won''t it make use back in the night?" I asked as a path seemed to carve itself in the forest for us slowly as we walked. "I rule over this part of the Ind, and even though I am not yet as powerful as the others, I am the ruler of this domain, and nothing will challenge me. As you can see, even the very forest bends itself for me to make us afortable path now that we have slowed. The four we are going to see are for Primary Elemental Creatures that are constructed from the energy that is pulled from a different ne," Mex exined, and I could feel my heartbeat quicken slightly. "Elemental beings? What, like Titans or something massive?! I don''t know much about¡­ this stuff," I said, a bit worried, but I was about to say fantasy, but I was far beyond that; every part of this was genuine. "No, nothing so grand as a Titan; those ones are on the maind. Don''t worry; these all have a bark worse than their bite, but they will be a good ce to train over the next few days. It will be safe for the girls toe with you as well. I will groom the first part of the trail for you on the way back. Then there is a direct path to all of the four, and then to the fishing vige," Mex exined to me as we came up to a clearing. "Why are you doing all of this?" I asked, stopping. "Isn''t it obvious? I want you to take care of my little girl? Nixi has killed every other adventure once they got too strong, and every one of them died the same, frozen in fear. There is also the point that you might actually be able to figure out what her game is if you can talk to her. None of the others could speak, and that is why she didn''t bother you anymore earlier," Mex exined. "Really? You want me to go sit and have tea with the women that killed all the other adventures before me? Is it good tea?" I asked hopefully, and Mex started tough and waved me forward. "It''s good stuff, and you will do fine. My wife says she is fond of jokes, those two seem to get along, but Nixi put a seal on Clesh to prevent her from telling me anything they talk about! The woman is infuriating!" Mex rage as we walked into the stone-covered clearing. "That old wrinkly red bag of bones giving you trouble again?" Asked a slow and gravelly voice that wasing from a big pile of small stones and dirt. Chapter 25 - I Dont Have To, But You Know Im Going To! I watched as the pile of dirt and rocks slowly rose up from the ground and in the shape of an overweight man that was almost three meters tall. Not a titan, but then, he was still a lot bigger than me. "Grogvel! You still look as fat and out of shape as ever! You know, for a creature that doesn''t eat, you sure do put on a lot of weight!" Mex joked as he walked forward towards the rock man. ?? "And you''re still hiding from your grandmother! Who is the skin bag you have with you? Not like you to bring people around," Grogvel said as he was looking me over. "You would hide from her as well if you have to live with her! You are lucky that she can''t reach you right now! This is Kazz, and I think that he might be able to help me with my problems, but he came to the world with a support system, not a fighting one," Mex exined, and that made Grogvel walked over to me. I had to put my arms out as he walked; the ground shook that bad. Even as big as he was, there is no way that he should have made the ground shake as much as it was. "Hehehe! Sorry, the earth wants to move with me, so it shakes and groans. I don''t move like this often, but your new, so I won''t pull any trick yet, hahaha!" Grogvel said with augh that vibrated my insides, giving me a bit of a sick feeling in my stomach. "Woah, that is augh; I think I just got a full-body workout from that!" I said, and I had to roll my shoulders and do a bit of stretching; my body felt stiff. "That is one of his specialties, but we need to get going. I will be sending him and some misbegot monster girls with him tomorrow, and I would like you to help train them. I will also be sending Nushi, so be sure to take it easy on the girls," Mex said pointedly at the Grovel, who nodded to him and then melted into the ground. I looked around for him, but he was gone, and not even a pebble from him was left. "Come, let''s go; there are still three more to see. Next up is Wataluga, up at the waterfall, but we will have to walk to groom the path," Mex said, waving me forward. "What is this Wataluga like?" I asked as I caught up. "You will see, I am going to point in the direction of some things you might want to check out, but I ask that you do so alone and not with my daughter. Can you see over to the right? There is smokeing from the volcano," Mex pointed and told me as we walked. "I see the smoke, but I don''t see any volcanoes. Am I missing something here?" I asked as we continued on. "Sorry, these are like craters, but we call them volcanos. Some interesting species live near and in thevake that is at the bottom, but they have been having some issues with a gluttonous female Magma Spider that is making it hard for the other monsters to live, and I think they are about to get rid of her. Maybe you could go and see if there is anything you can do about her?" Mex asked curiously. "I don''t really like the heat, but I can take a look when I have some free time, and I can survive on my own," I said to him as I watched my surroundings change around me. The forest seemed to be slowly turning into a jungle as the tree became more twisted and the leavesrger. The trees were now blocking out the sun, but the humidity slowly rose the further we walked, but soon Mex pointed to the left. "You can see them, but there is a huge pair of caves not too far apart. There are two creatures that, umm, well, they don''t cause trouble. It''s just that¡­ Well, they aren''t very good at being monsters, and I have had them under protection for some time. One is scared of almost everything, and I had to put her in a maze to keep her safe," Mex exined but didn''t say anything about the second one. "What should I be looking for in this maze? And what''s the deal with the second one?" I asked, figuring there was going to be one or two massive butts to enter the next thing Mex said. "Jessabell is a Minostien, notmon around here, but there are some tribes on the maind. Umm, the other girl is a Manticore, but she has a sad story, and I don''t want to get into it right now; you can ask Nushi about it here. Tiga was abandoned by one parent and is still haunted by the other, and she is a mixed breed Manticore," Mex told me as we started to get closer to some water; I could hear the dull roar of a waterfall in the distance. "What''s the other half?" I asked with suspicion. "A Kraken, but it was her mother that abandoned her. The Manticore father wanted to devour her because she is a disgrace to his kind or something like that. The point is that she needs help, and her father is slowly getting stronger. Soon, I won''t be able to prevent him from getting to her," Mex said seriously. "Sure, add it to the list of monstrous women that I need to save," I said, rolling my eyes. This guy was just ying me like a fiddle to take care of all of his problems, but I could hardly fault him. "You don''t have to save them. I am just informing you about the locals," Mex said with a knowing smile. "I don''t have to, but you know that I will," I said with a sigh. "See? That''s the spirit, my boy! Now let''s go see Wataluga! He will cheer you up or drown you, depending on his mood," Mex said with a smile. I sighed and shook my head, but I followed. Chapter 26 - Demons, Only As Bad As The Worst One The roar of the waterfall was very rxing, and it helped me center my thoughts a bit. I was fortunate that Mex had taken a liking to me and that he was showing me around. I was starting to gather small bits of the puzzle with the clues that I was being left. Each one of them slowly made me more confident in the choice that I had made at the start. ?? "Wataluga, I have brought a Guest to meet you, and I would like you to do some work with him," Mex called out to the pool of water, but It wasn''t the pool that started to talk. "Oh, Yeah, brought me a little bean? Pink skin? What do you want me to do?! He will just be the red stuff under the pink if you let me at him!" The voice came from the center of the roaring waterfall where the face of an old wizardly looking face and a beard that was defined in the waterfall. The face was huge, and the voice was booming, but then it disappeared, and a little old wizard-shaped form of water rose up at the edge of the water. "Kazz here will be fine, but I will be sending some girls with him as well, and you will only have them in the pond. Do I make myself clear because my daughter will be with them, and you know how I feel about Nushi?" Mex said rhetorically and seriously. This was starting to worry me a bit. This was the second time now that Mex had got severe with the Elementals about going easy on the girls. Now, I was starting to get worried. What was the training going to be? I pushed that feeling down hard; I deserved this. I would have been getting just as hard, but in different ways, if I would have joined the army. "So, what do you think you are going to do with this young hairless monkey?" Wataluga asked Mex. "Don''t worry about that for now. I just need you to get the boy stronger so Nixi doesn''t eat him right away or try to kill him. If I can get you to make him tougher, then he might have a chance to make it off the ind, and you know what that means for you four," Mex exined to the undting wizard. "Well, when you put it like that, I supposed I could do a workover on the boy and the girls. Honestly, Mex, don''t you think you are getting a little carried away with helping all these monsters? Why don''t you just kill them and eat them like the other demons do?" Wataluga asked. "I have my reasons, and you have your orders. Am I understood?" Mex asked pointedly, and Wataluga nodded and sank back into the water. Mex turned and waved for me to follow without saying another word. The Demon Lord may seem like a pushover at times, but I could tell that he was serious about his daughter and her safety. "You''re quite a bit different than the other Demons of your kind, aren''t you? You seem way too nice, and from the way, the others around you talk, that seems to be considered a weakness among your race, yes?" I asked, trying to make idle conversation as we walked towards the smoke that Mex had pointed out before. "Yes, a bit, but I try to keep some bit of control over the creatures in my domain, but you are right. The others of my kind are far more ruthless and cruel than I am, but we aren''t all the same, and the other lesser demons act that way when their leader does. As you can see with the people in my Keep, they all have personality, but most of them are friendly and rxed for the most part," Mex exined. "Okay, so then the Demon race is a bit of a hive mind then, except for your kind the Rules not only rules over everyone and tells them what to do. They also tell them how to feel and act; so then, does that mean that there are good demons on the maind?" I asked as the humidity started to leave the air, but it was reced with drier and hotter heat. The trees around us were starting to change, getting thinner and more spaced out. The ones that were up ahead were all leafless, and it was starting to look like we were walking into a wastnd; even the ground was slowly turning ck. "It is the same as here, there are more bad than good, but that is the world we live in. There is always someone trying to get stronger than the rest, so that breeds fiercepetition. Anyways, up ahead is Fireden, and he is the nicest out of the group, but that is his shoring," Mex exined as the heat started to get to be like I was walking inside of an oven. "Him being the nice one is a bad thing?" I asked in confusion as I also painted breathing the hot air in. It was almost like it was cooking me from the inside out with each breath. My lungs were starting to feel scorched, and I was just about to ask Mex to wait, but then it slowly became easier to breathe. The change wasn''t fast, but soon I could breathe more manageable, and I was able to catch up to Mex, who started to speak when I did. He must have been waiting for this to happen and know that I would recover somehow. "When you first got to this world, your body went through some changes, one of those things and the most major is your body''s ability to adapt to your environment in this world. There are some ces like this where there are multiple different environments, but there will also be ces when the weather patterns change suddenly and dramatically. Your body is slowly getting used to this heat, and soon this will seem like a normal summer day," Mex told me with a smile as we walked up to a massive crater in the ground. Chapter 27 - Dont Try, You Will Hurt Yourself The crater had to be over a thousand meters wide and almost as deep. It was like looking into a whole other world down there and one that was hard toprehend. I could see serpents and other monsters swimming in the hot pools ofva below, but there was also a small town that I could just barely see in the far-off distance. Many creatures were moving down below, but it was nearly impossible to make them all out from this distance. ?? "Pretty interesting ce? This is actually the smallest fireke on the ind, but the other two are controlled by the other two Demon lords, and thest one is controlled by a Fire Wurm. This one contains the more timid monsters, and it also houses Fireden, who watches over the area," Mex exined as we walked up to the edge of the crater. "You said that there was a Magma Spider that was causing trouble here; where is she, and what is a Magma Spider?" I asked curiously. I didn''t see anything in the crater that looked like a giant web, but maybe she had another way of attracting and trapping her victims. "No, you won''t see Liza right now; she onlyes out at night. So, you will have toe and explore Crata''s nightlife to catch her, but that is for another time, now you get to watch something that I always enjoy," Mex said, and then he turned to the crater and yelled out Fireden''s name across the crater. At first, there was only the echo of this voice, but then I noticed something starting to happen in the biggestke of fire. The surface was beginning to stretch and move, and it began to swell up. I watched as little tiny monsters started to let out small screams that I could barely hear from so far away, and they started to run from the fireke. Theva became a giant hand that pulled a body and a massive wave ofva that all the screaming monsters were caught up in and then slowly pulled itself out. "Hey! I thought you said that these guys were not titans!" I shouted out in shock at Mex, but he just grinned at me. "Fireden is only about thirty five meters tall and hardly considered a titan. When you make it to the maind, you will be able to meet real titans, but they aren''t even the scariest of what you will meet," Mex exined to me calmly as the skyscraper of ava coated man started to stand himself up. I initially thought that the giant was killing the monster, but I could see monsters moving around inside him. Some with just their heads poking just out of his flowingva skin, while others were swimming around. "Fireden is the protector of this area, and all the creatures love him, but they don''t get all swept up when hees to see me. This is why you will have to be careful; Fireden is a kind and gentle soul that will help you build up your Physical and Magical resistances," Mex exined as we stepped back; Fireden was getting closer now, and he was climbing up the side of the crater. "So I will need to watch out for him to make sure that I don''t identally get turned into carbon?" I asked as we continued to back up. The heat was out of this world; even with my body trying to get used to it, I was still boiling over. Not like it would make a difference, there was no getting used to pure fire. "No, I want you to make sure that my daughter does not get hurt! I don''t care what you do, but I would prefer you not die. I am putting in a lot of effort for all of this to help you, but I am sure you know that I am only trying to do what is best for my daughter. Now, stop asking stupid questions, and let''s get this over with," Mex said, a bit perturbed. "Sure, fine, you''re the boss," I said, spinning my finger in the air, but that got a re from Mex as the Fire Elemental poked his head up about their ridge. "You know, a bit of fear might give you a bit more understanding, or maybe some moremon sense!" Mex growled at me, and I shrugged. I was sure that he was trying to use his fear aura or whatever it was on me, but my System made me like grease, and Mex''s fear was just a watered-down stare. I understood what he meant, though, and I nodded to him in understanding. Mex turned from me, looking a bit less peeved, but I could understand what he was getting at. He wasn''t doing this for me; this was to help his daughter, so helping me was the best way to achieve his ends. This was using me, but I was also using him to get stronger so that I could survive in his world, but I needed him more than he needed me. If I died, he would just have to wait for another person to stubble through that gate just like I did. I would be dead, and I would also never get to see the girls again. I didn''t want either of those things to happen, so I would take all of this far more seriously now. "Sorry, I am focused now. Still trying to wrap my head around all of this," I said with a half-smile, but Mex turned his head and looked at me thoughtfully as the massive head of fire poked over the ridge thoroughly. "Don''t try to wrap your head around this world; you will hurt yourself," Mex told me with a severe look, but that made me roll my eyes, and Mex smiled. "There is a lot to learn in this world, and too much for one day, so just absorb what you can and pay attention to the important parts." Chapter 28 - Otherworld Problems, How Does That Even Happen? We both had to stand back from the massive face of churning moltenva. My skin started to steam, and Fireden, the giant Fire Elemental, started tough, but it was only loud. It was nothing like the body vibrating experience that I had got when Grovel started tough, but the heat that poured off this guy was no joke! Even Mex was forced to step back with me, and now I was leaking steam like I had just hopped out of a hot tub at the Banff Ski resort in the Rockies. ?? "Where did you find this one? Soaking in the ocean for a week, and decided to bring him for a little story?" Fireden asked in a surprisingly weaselly sounding voice, not what I expected after the heartyugh. "I am just bringing him to visit, but tomorrow he will being to see you with Nushi and some girls," Mex exined as he fanned himself with his hand. "Oh? I get to tell stories to little Nushi? She loves my stories, and maybe now that she is older, she will be able to stay longer!" Fireden said excitedly, forcing us to take another couple of steps back. My skin was on fire, and I was starting to feel dizzy. I was starting to get a headache, and I was no longer producing any spit. Suddenly, things started to get blurry, and I felt my body just give up on me, and I started to fall. Mex caught me and pulled me back, waving to Fireden. "The boy is new to this, so you had better make sure they have lots of water!" Mex shouted as he dragged me away from the burning face. Slowly, my body returned to its average temperature, but I was still severely dehydrated. I assumed Mex was going to stop and give me something to drink, but he didn''t. As I was dragged, I could feel my body tightening andpacting, but I couldn''t even talk because my mouth was so dry. My body was changing again, but not the same extreme pain before, but my muscles were all getting smaller. "Over thest three meetings, you have the three jokes, but now you will meet Windorf. He is not a joker, but he also has a problem that I will need your help with," Mex exined. Mex hadn''t said anything about when I was being left out to dry as he pulled me, but I groaned for him to continue. There had to be a point to this other than destroying years of¡­ work to get these muscles, but maybe it was fitting. "Windorf somehow had a child, and he is a horrible father. He wants her to be like him, but she likes to dress and hang out with her only friend, my daughter. His daughter is part Undine, and don''t ask me how it happened, I wasn''t there, and I am not asking him!" Mex told me, and I groaned. Not like there was a lot to say, not like I could think either, my mind was a mess, and all I could think about was water. My body was still shrinking, and now the muscle tightening was getting a lot worse, and pain started toe from my major muscle groups as I was dragged. "This is good, looks like we have got you with some real muscle on you, even if it''s not very much!" Mex said as he let go of me, and I flopped the rest of the way to the ground. I rounded over, but I didn''t have the strength to lift my arms; let alone get up and back on my feet. Mex walked over to me and then crouched down beside my head. "The muscle that you gained in the other world was not dense enough for you to survive here. I have got you ready to meet Windorf, and after I give you this drop of blood, you will be back to feeling normal, somewhat. I am going to give you a single drop of my blood, and it will revitalize you, but it will also put you in a bit of a frenzied state, but only temporarily," Mex said as he nicked his thumbs on one of his sharp canines teeth in his mouth. I wanted toin, but Mex had yet to do anything¡­ other than this that would be considered harmful to me. Mex also exined that there was a reason for leaving me dehydrated this entire time, so I would just have to trust that what he was doing with his blood would help me. "Now, I need to tell you one thing about Demons Blood, powerful stuff, but highly addictive. This one small drop will be fine, and I will allow Nushi to give you some of her, but only if you are close to death. If you make a connection with her, then there will be less of a chance that it will permanently change you into a demon, and from what I have exined to you, that won''t be a good thing," Mex exined, and then let the drop fall into my mouth. That was a promise if I had ever heard one, but I didn''t have time to process what I thought as the drop of dark blue liquid sshed into my mouth. Instantly my body started to seize and shake, and I could feel Ice coldva pumping into my veins. It was like I was frozen on the outside and one fire on the inside, but whatever it was, it didn''tst for long. Suddenly, I was standing up and ready to go! I was like someone had pumped full of pure adrenaline, and I was ready to run a race or kick some ass! I looked down at my new thin and lean, but rock muscles and my body felt heavier. This was wild, I was just dead on the ground, and now I was ready to take on anything that got my way, but that was the catch. I understood when it was so dangerously addictive, but now I had more questions, but I wanted to hit things! Gah! The choices! Otherworld problems. Chapter 29 - OOO HOOO HOOO! Barracuda! Now that I was no longer dry as a fart in a sandstorm, Mex waved for me to follow with a sly smile. I felt like I was missing something, but that waspletely reasonable considering what I had just gone through. It had been hard enough already to follow what he had been saying about thest Elemental that we were going to meet, but I was interested in the daughter. I caught up to Mex and was about to ask him about her, but he put up a finger just as I was about to speak. ?? "Don''t bother; you won''t see her this time anyways. If you survive this, then I have picked properly; if not, well, you know," Mex said as the Evergreen trees started to be denser, and soon the rock teau was visible from a distance. Soon the trees became too thick, and I lost the rock outcropping, but one thing that I was able to notice was the constant vines and hissing flowers. I don''t remember seeing them near the fireke, but there would be no way that they could survive there anyways. "Hey, what is with the flowers and vines? They seem to be everywhere we go," I asked Mex without saying, up this time as I started to be able to make out the rock teau again. "Those are my wife''s creations, and they run everywhere. She uses them to check up on things for me," Mex said as the teau came into full view. "So she can hear us?" I asked, a bit worried. "No, only see us," Mex said, but that didn''t make me feel any better. Someone that would have an ability like that would probably learn how to read lips pretty fast, but I wasn''t about to go putting strange thoughts into his head. I would just have to keep a hold of this bit of knowledge, but maybe Nixi was right. "What do you want, Great Demon Lord of Nothing?" Called a wisped and condescending voice from the teau. "I am here to bring you a student, just like you asked," Mex said while holding a straight face. "This is what was spit out, and that''s what you brought me after all this time? I respect your actions, just not the man behind them, so I will test this Breath," The condescending voice said as we stepped onto the rock ledge that overlooked a beautiful green valley. As we stepped onto the tform, the wind picked up, and the streams became white and visible until they coalesced. The shape of a white armored knight appeared, but I couldn''t see his face because the visor of his helmet was down, closing off his face if he had one. "This is him, so do not rx. Your life''s on the line; get your weapon out!" Mex hissed at me, and I grabbed at my bet and found what I needed. I still somehow managed not to lose my me saber, so I lit it up as the Windborn knight drew a pale, long, and narrow sword. The thing was a child''s toypared to the massive de that Mex used, but something told me to be prepared. "I just want to be able to protect the girls and be the strongest in the world. Is that too much to ask for?" I asked as I brought my sword up, and that probably saved my life. White and red sparks filled the air as Windorf mmed into me from out of nowhere. I felt the force, but he only made me slide back, but only a little bit. Once I got my footing, I was able to shove the Air Knight back, and I held my sword up as the Elementalnded gently on the ground and then put his sword away. That was close, but I was ready now, and I wouldn''t be caught like that again, I hoped. "You cane tomorrow after you go through the training with the other three, but properly, or I''ll just kill you next time," Windorf said and then blew away like smoke on the wind. I was confused about what had just happened. Did I win? Was it even a test? I guess being alive was my reward for passing... "Well done, the chance is really on your side today! Well, now you have met your teachers, and you know what you have to do, so let''s go see what the pack of fish faces are so worked up about," Mex said as he waved me forward to follow him across the teau. Well, that one would be fun to deal with. I would have died if I had acted a secondter, but I didn''t, and that was what mattered. "Is he always so abrupt?" I asked in confusion. "Yes, but you will need to do more than just block him. Windorf is a Wind Elemental, so do not fear hurting him, and go for the kill every time you want to make any progress with him. That or he will just kill you out of boredom," Mex exined to me, and I nodded, understanding what he meant; I needed to get stronger and faster. Mex had warned me that there was a chance that I could die, but the new strength that he had helped me get helped as well. I would have never guessed that I was getting training from each visit. "So, do you know why the Sahuagin are bothering your vige?" I asked as we walked back into the forest, but Mex started to run, and I had to catch up. "They constantlye and bother the vigers because their cute wite will only have anything to do with them once a year. The females have more scaled bodies, but they have female faces, and they are all beautiful, and they constantly cheat on them with other races. So, the Male Sahuagin mope, whine, and cry to anyone that will listen and everyone that won''t! Lately, I have heard more about it, so I decided it was time to check things out," Mex exined as we ran through the forest. The sun was slowly starting to set, and it was getting darker bit by bit, but I could smell the ocean breeze as we got closer. I heard the waves before I even saw the water, and we came out just as the sun was starting to touch the water. The water was almost blinding as we came out, and I had to put my hand up to block it. I could see a small vige, and there were also two long floating docks, but the vige only consisted of maybe ten huts. Then I saw the group of sorry souls. Maybe about fifteen bluish-green men were walking in circles, and all I could hear was bitching and moaning. "Well, they seem more worked up than normal," Mex said as we started towards them, but the one noticed us. "Oh Great Demon, Lord Mex! OOO, HOOO, HOOO! Barracuda men came and took all our women! OOO, HOOO, HOOO! And they took Missy too! OOO, HOOO, HOOO! The fish-faced Sahuagin cried, making horrible crying noises, and then Mex turned to me. "Looks like I have another job for you," Mex said with a grin that made me want to punch him in the kisser. Chapter 30 - Shocking, A Decent Demon Lord? The trip back to the castle went by fast, and I was surprised that I could keep up with Mex on the way back. The man ran incredibly fast, but I was somehow able to barely keep up. We only slowed down when we reached the ce where we first stopped to talk, and Mex had tried to test me. After slowing down, I was able to walkfortably with him, so I decided to grill him a bit. ?? "You said that I couldn''t hold my breath long enough. Does that mean that you think I will be able to rescue someone in a single breath of air?" I asked, trying not to sound incredulous, but failing. Mex didn''t answer me at first, but I could tell that he was thinking about something, so I left him be. There was no point in trying to badger him for the information, and after a short moment, he began to speak. "When you go to meet with Jessabell, there will be something at the center of the Maze that will help you. The item you will be looking for will be the Cloak of Manta Ray, and there will be some other items in there as well, but they are all just barely above the rarity ofmon! It is really just a ce I put things that don''t have a purpose for," Mex exined as we walked through the dark forest that moved to create a path for us. "So is Jessabell one of those things that didn''t have a purpose?" I asked curiously. "No, well, maybe. Minostien''s are an umon breed of Minotaur, and their milk is highly sought after, but Jessabell will not let anyone near her. So, Yes, I suppose you''re right, but I don''t think of her that way. If you can find a way to tame her and can milk her, then I will reward you greatly," Mex exined as the road to the Keep slowly started to be visible through the trees. The moon was bright tonight, and when the two of us stepped out of the forest, we were both bathed in silver moonlight. I could see the bridge and Keep that was done the road away as we started to walk back. "So tomorrow, when I am done with training, and I bring the girls back, I am supposed to go deal with Jessabell?" I asked, but Mex shook his head. "No, you need to go take care of the Mantiken first," Mex told me. "What about the Sahuagin women? Are we just going to leave them to the Barracuda women?" I asked, but the Mex stopped and rounded on me, and he looked mad. "You can only do what you can do! Or you can not listen to what I say and go and DIE! I thought that you would be understanding by now that I am trying to help these people! I know that they are down there, and there is nothing that either of us can do, so I don''t need a constant reminder that there is nothing we can do!" Mex thundered at me, causing me to take a step back. I wasn''t scared of him, but I was shocked by his words and their meaning. I had just assumed that Mex only had ulterior motives in mind, but this reaction said that these people meant more to him than he was willing to admit, even to himself. "You''re right, and I am acting like a child about this, thinking that I can just fix everything right away just because I think that it''s wrong. You have been dreaming about this for far longer than I have, so I will stop asking the same baseless questions. I just have a hard time hearing about women being hurt or abused," I exined as we reached the bridge. "Yes, We will save them, as long as you understand that, listen to what I say, and do as I request. I ced these other 2 in ces that they would be safe for now, but the safety for the Mantiken is not going to be there forever. At some point, her father will get to her, and all the work I have done to keep her safe will be for nothing!" Mex raged, stopping just before that bridge. "What made you help this girl? I can understand the others, but you have aligned interests with the Magma Spider and the Minostien, but what does helping the Mantiken do for you?" I asked, not trying to be rude, but Mex had said himself that he never did something without a reason that would profit him. "This is personal," Was all Mex would say, and then he turned back to the Keep and started to walk across the bridge. I followed him; at this point, I had learned enough to know if he wanted me to know or I needed to know, he would tell me. This seemed to be one of those things, so I decided to leave it be for now. "Wee home, Great Demon, Lord Mex, and Kazz!" The Nice guard that I hadn''t learned his name yet called to us as we walked up to the gate. "Thank you Spel, how is Lidy doing? Close to popping out your little junior?" Mex asked with a smile, all traces of the stern expression had left him, and now he seemed to be back to his carefree self. For a Demon, Mex was turning out to be pretty human, and I was d that I had made a choice toe to this castle. I would probably be in the bottom of some olddies'' stomach right now if I hadn''t met him. Trig just waved at Mex and received a nod from him in return, then we headed to the Keep. The castle grounds were empty, but the ce was bathed in silver moonlight as we walked up to the Keeps entrance. "If you take a right around the fountain and then keep going straight, there is arge pair of swinging doors that lead to the kitchen. Tell Lidy that I sent you, and she will show you everything that you will need to prepare food for the girls. She will also be able to tell you the type of foods the girls will like," Mex said as he opened the Keep door. Chapter 31 - I Might Be Father Of The Century, But How Is Your Mother? "How am I supposed to go save people underwater? I can''t breathe down there, you know that, right?" I asked, giving him a single raised eyebrow. "I know that, but don''t worry about it, nothing we can do for now. All right boys, go back in the water, this handsome young chap will help you out when he can, but he will need a day or four," Mex told the horrifying creature. ?? Good lord, that was a face that even a mother would have trouble not leaving them in the first cardboard box they saw! Mex''s statement didn''t really seem to help the problem of his crying, but the Sahuagin did head back to the group and started shoving them all back to the water. "Can we really just leave them like this? Like, are the girls safe? Barracuda are like Sea Wolves, right?" I was concerned. This world was just a series of problems stacked on top of each other, but this seemed like the most urgent one I had found yet. Still, not like there was anything that I could do unless I started to breathe water all of a sudden. "There isn''t anything that either of us can do. My domain does not stretch past the shore, so I can''t help them, and you can''t hold your breath long enough. You just aren''t ready to deal with the beasts that hide in the watery abyss. I will help you gain what you need because our interests align," Mex told me. The sunset was a beautiful glistening ball of orange fire that was being swallowed by the sea as I watched the fishmen head into the water. There was an old-looking blue Demon that was wearing only shorts. It looked to be made out of the same heavy material as us, so this must be the standard for demon men on the ind and maybe for the world. The man''s wings were much smaller than Mex''s, but he did have some. I had noticed in the Keep that the guards and the few demons that had been working in the yard that had been male had no wings. Maybe it was part of rank or the next set for a demon before getting the light skin, but I was not a Demonologist. "Thank you Mex, it was starting to upset the women and children to have to listen to that howling all day long. You know there isn''t another vige for fifty miles in either direction, and they still feel the need toe here to cry!" The elderined as he walked up, and then he bowed to Mex. "Yes, I know, Dack. If I could figure out how to make them less ugly or their women less loose, I would. Anyways, this is Kazz, and he will be doing some work for me and helping out, so next time he will take care of them," Mex said as he introduced me with some hand waving in my direction. The old man looked at me and smiled. "Interesting, I thought he was a ve or something at first. You nevere out with these hero wannabes, so what makes you so helpful all of a sudden?" Dack asked with suspicion, but he was eyeballing me. "You know I never do anything without some kind of n for results in the future. Let''s just say that I have a modicum of faith in this young man," Mex said, and I sighed. "You know, I don''t mind that you call me a young man and boy, but you do know I am thirty-two years old, right?" I asked Mex with a strained expression. Both of the demons looked at each other and then proceeded to fall over and startughing and rolling in the sand like Hyena. I crossed my arms across my chiseled chest and waited for the children to finish their fit ofughter on the ground. The two helped each other up off the ground, dusting themselves off and wiping tears from their eyes. Mexposed him, but he still had a big shit eaters grin. "Okay, so what''s so funny, wise guy?" I asked, trying not to sound annoyed. I would have usually hurt someone at this point, but this world was teaching me a bit about watching and waiting. If everyone listened to Mex and even the forest moved for him, I would probably take his jokes with a grain of sand if I wanted to survive. "Sorry, but I think that I have earwax that''s older than yours. Dack here is three hundred and eighty-two years old and still a spring chicken. I think I was there when he was born¡­" Mex said, trailing off and fingering his chin in thought. "No, you were there as most of my life, but you were there when I was made, ording to my mother," Dack said nonchntly. One of my eyes almost popped out from my face as it attempted to perform some daring stunt of spiking one eyebrow while my eyes bulged. I was having trouble keeping up at this point; what was next? Was I going to have to save more children from this¡­ ah piss, he was a Demon, so I could hardly fault him for being dastardly. "Wait, your Mex''s son?" I asked in disbelief, but the two studiously ignored me. "How is your mother?" Mex asked curiously. "Not dead yet," Dack said tly. "That''s unfortunate; the bad ones always seem to live the longest. Well, like I said, I will send the body toe help next time there is a problem, but we have to get back now," Mex said and started to turn back to the forest, but I stopped him. "Wait, does the vige have anything that they would trade like food or clothing? I want to bring back something for the girls," I said, but Mex shook his head. "No need for that; there is plenty of all that in the Keep. We have cooks and such to prepare it for you all. Do not worry, we will," Mex tried to say, but I stopped him again. "I''m no great cook or designer, but I just need the stuff, and I will prepare everything for the girls," I told Mex, waving him forward, but he didn''t move. "So then, you''re going to train and do this every day? Even when we get back? Are you not tired?" Mex asked in confusion, but this time I got to smile. "Not all of it the same, but as a fighter, I needed to eat a lot, and I wasn''t pro yet, so I had to make all my meals. I had to repair my gear too or get new stuff, but that cost money, and it was just easier to patch things until they werepletely worn. I got this," I said with a smile as I started to walk into the forest. Chapter 32 - Overexcited, A Pile Of Monster Girls Mex left me and headed upstairs, so I headed over to the right and around the fountain. I led me to arge pair of dark wooden swinging doors behind and under the staircase. I had a hard time trying to rationalize how the ce stayed so clean, there wasn''t a single spot of dust anywhere, but I also hadn''t seen people clean. That didn''t really mean anything since the cleaners could havee while I was gone, but I wondered where that was all hiding then? ?? I shook the thought from my head and pushed open the kitchen door to find arge area with a sizeable two-by-four-meter ind set up in the middle. I could see the stoves and ovens on the side and arge area to wash dishes. "You must be Mex''s new guest, but what are you doing in the kitchen? If you are hungry, can I make you some food?" An average-looking female demon in an apron asked me. This must be Lidy, Spel''s wife; she was slightly shorter than me, but she wasn''t what I would call overly pretty, but she had a kind smile. She was also very pregnant, and she looked like she should be sitting down and resting. "No, it''s okay. I came to make some food for the girls and me. It''s not that I don''t think that you would do a great job, but I have a skill that makes the food more satisfying if I prepare it myself," I exined to her, and Lidy got a big grin on her face. "Alright then, can I still help you?" Lidy asked curiously, and I nodded. "Yes, I would appreciate that. I don''t know the kinds of things that each girl should be eating, or if there is anything special I should be making them," I exined to Lidy, and she smiled and nodded excitedly. "Oh, I can definitely help you out with that! It is nice to see a man taking care of his girls! Yes,e over here, and I will show you what each will want," Lidy said while waving me over to join her. It took me about an hour, and I was almost ready to fall asleep on my feet by this point. Lidy had been a great help with preparing things for me, so all I had to do was cook the meat, which seemed to be all that the girls ate. I had also boiled some eggs and potatoes in another pot. I needed more than just meat after this day. I had been so tired andzy that I just hard-boiled the eggs with the potatoes to save time and heating up another pot of water. Once everything was finished, I piled a tray full of cooked meats and plopped my bowl of spuds and eggs on top. I waved to and thanked Lidy for all her help as I left the kitchen and made my way up to Nushi''s bedroom. I knocked on the door once I got up to the room, and there was some banging around, and then I heard scrambling at the door. What the hell were they doing in there? The door flew open, and I narrowly dodged all three of the girls that came barreling out of the room and then almost went over the railing! Mary actually did go flying over the edge, but I didn''t have time to worry when a massive gust of wind pushed all of Mary and us back from the railing. I was forced to fall solidly on my ass, but it was controlled. So, the meat and my bowl stayed in ce, but where the hell did that wind juste from? I looked over at the girls that were now groaning. They were trying to pull themselves out of the mess that they had be as I watched them. "What is up with you guys? Are you all that hungry?" I asked as I slowly managed to get myself off the ground. The girls didn''t say anything until they got themselves untangled; as tired as I was, I didn''t mind waiting, but the food started to make my stomach growl. Then I noticed that they all were wearing clothes now, or some things that covered them. The Cerberus girls grabbed Mary''s hand and brought her over to me, and once Mary was within arms reach, she perked up. Mary came directly to me and then around behind me, and I felt her body curl around mine, but this time she was almost weightless to me. At the same time, Cera, Bera, and Riez ducked under the tter I was carrying and started to hug me, but it was awkward. I held the te at about waist height, so the girls had their faces buried in my crotch, breathing hot and heavy and rubbing their faces into me. "We thoughtsss that you died! Now your backsss! And you broughtsss meatsss! Butsss, you aresss different! Stronger, butsss smaller, but I likesss!" Mary said as she licked my neck up to my ear. The feeling sent a cold shiver running down my back that radiated out as heat through my body. This feeling was excellent, but like the kind that makes you want to return the favour, and that made the other situation with the girls worse. I felt myself start growing at an rming speed, and I was at a loss for what to do. I was only wearing shorts and my boxers, and I could feel them rubbing their faces on my now throbbing shaft. "Are you going toe into the room with that food or wait until those pups help you rub it off with their faces? I will just let you use a real hole if you wantter?" Jilly said suggestively as she came over and grabbed a piece of meat. Immediately the girls ceased their action and did a cute backward double roll, and my raging erection took a chill pill. The girls looked very cute and embarrassed in the yellow dress she was wearing with a white section in the center ran over her center breast and then fanned out. "Yes, let''s eat, and then go to bed; I am tired!" I said as I followed Jilly and the blushing girls into Nushi''s room. Chapter 33 - Reverse Psychology, Reversed! As I walked into the room, I noticed that Nushi was sitting on the bed, and her horns had barely even grown, and I frowned. I remember how adamant she had been about her horns growing back fast, so I was a bit confused. They had already cleared the books off one of the three tables Nushi had around her room, so I was able to finally set the te of different kinds of meat. I had to get some pointers on cooking some of the giant bug parts for Jilly. ?? I was hesitant about even cooking the giant ants, but Lidy had told me that I would get special points with Jilly if I cooked these for her. Mary was easy, and I only had to fry up some rabbit meat, and Lidy told me I could have just fed it to her raw, but I wanted to see if she and the snakes liked it better cooked. Cera, Bera, and Riez just got big thick steaks, but I had cooked them just past blue, and they were still full of blood and juices. I had also asked Lidy what Nushi ate, and she had said to just cook one of the steaks longer and cut it up for her. After I was done cing the ter down, the Cerberus girls and Jilly started to dig in and made delighted moans as they ate. I called Nushi over, and she ignored me at first and buried her face in a book she had only just started to read. "I cut you up some steak into small pieces and cooked it longer. I have it set off to the side on the tter for when you want toe and join us," I said as I took a seat in one of the chairs that were around the table. Nushi continued to ignore me, so I turned my attention to the beauty that was moving around me to settlefortably in myp and lean back against me. I was warmly reminded of the alone time that we had spent together in the canyon as I scoped the rabbit meat into my bowl of tubers. I held the bowl with one hand in front of me from Mary to pick from, and with my other hand, I started to grab the smaller pieces of meat and feed them to Mary''s snakes. They each eagerly waited for turns as I fed the patiently waiting snakes. The Cerberus girls would hold a piece of meat up to their three heads, and then they would take turns taking bites. I was curious about how they decided how to move, but that would be something that I went over with them before we left. Jilly grabbed the softball-sized sections of giant ant abdomen and popping was them into her mouth like theory were candy. I had to stop watching her eat when Jilly started to bite the legs off one at a time. During the time I was watching the other girls and feeding the snakes, Nushi had been moving across to the edge of her bed. I could tell that she wanted toe and eat with the rest of the girls, but her stubbornness prevented her from it. "You know, I don''t think that you would like this meat," I said nonchntly, making Nushi pull her nose out of the book and red at me. "Oh? And why not? How do you know what I like and don''t? Maybe I would like it!" Nushi said defiantly as she fell neatly into my trap. "No, you''re right, this steak that was cooked well done and cut up into pieces probably isn''t something that you would like. Jilly, are you still hungry? Maybe you could eat these?" I said. I was trying to be serious, but I was having a hard time. Before Jilly could pipe up, Mary turned around and started to hammer her fist on my chest. "But I wanted the meatsss! You''re sssupposesss to givesss them to me!" Mary hissed at me with a menacing cuteness that could have melted a cier''s heart. During this, Nushi had snuck over to the table and was trying to scarf down the meat. Unfortunately, her naturaldylike manner seemed to be preventing her from stuffing her face. Once Nushi was relieved that everyone was looking at her, she froze and looked like she was about to bolt. I hadn''t expected Mary to react like this, so I cleared my throat. "I am sorry, Mary, I wasn''t actually going to let Jilly eat Nushi''s meat. This was just a trick¡­" I had started to say, but stopped after Mary reached back into the bowl of meat and potatoes. Mary had been staring at me intently, but I guess that her hunger was outweighing the need to be upset with me, and she popped a small potato into her mouth. I watched as Mary bit down on the spud, and then Mary looked like she was about to cry as she started to wave her hands in the air with her mouth wide open. "Itsss ucky! I on''t ikesss itsss!" Mary hissed around the crushed boiled potato that filled her mouth. As I leaned forward to reach around Mary to grab the bowl for her to spit the spud out, Mary seemed to think I was trying something else. As I leaned, Mary grabbed my face and then kissed me. The feeling of her soft and cool lips was shocking at first, but the mouth full of potatoes I got from Mary really took the romance out of it. Still, Mary didn''t pull back right away, and even though I was trying to choke down the potato, I was still able to enjoy the kiss. Mary pulled back and then turned around like nothing had happened and went back to eating. This time she sniffed the food before eating it, and I was left stunned, or at least until Mary''s snakes hissed at me for more food. That was fun; I was half tempted to feed another one. Chapter 34 - Eggs, What Witchcraft Is This?! After I finished feeding Mary''s snakes, I was able to start eating my boiled potatoes. They weren''t much for vor, but I could feel them fill me up. Mary was feeling around the bowl for more meat, but I had picked out thest of the meat chunks for her, and now there were only a few spuds and my boiled eggs that I had yet to crack and peel. ?? "No more meatsss?" Mary hissed after turning to me with a disappointed look on her face. "I have some hard-boiled eggs if you want to try one?" I asked her, but Mary shook her head at me. "Thatsss not meatsss," She hissed cutely. "Yes, they are, eggs might not look or feel the same as normal meat, but they still have lots of protein," I tried to exin to her, but Jilly popped up in the background to give her two cents. "Yes, but you get shells in your mouth when you eat them whole. Also, even if you do just get the inside in your mouth, it is just eating your own nose running," Jilly said with a disgusted look on her face, and then Mary started in on me. "You wanted me to eat nose boogiesss from those rocksss?!" Mary hissed at me while screwing up her face. "No! I cooked them! They are solid on the inside now, and I eat them every day, or I did! Doesn''t matter! Just WAIT!" I said, losing a bit of my patience, and all the girls when quiet. [New Unique System Ability] Acquired! {Monster Dominance}: You now have the ability to exert dominance over a monster if you will is more significant than its own. Not just monster girls? That seemed a bit overpowered, but It would depend on the monster and how strong it was more than likely. Thank you for that, and I cracked the egg on the table, and Jilly gasped but then started to frown when I started to do it to the rest of the egg. "What is this witchcraft? How is it not falling to pieces and running all over the table?!" Jilly finally burst out while throwing her hands in the air from under her breast. As I watched them jiggle around and Jilly continued to rant, the Cerberus girls wereing up to sniff the egg in my hand. I had the entire thing cracked, and all that was left was just to peel it. "Just wait, and I will share it with you all," I said as I looked longingly at my eight eggs; life lesson, cook more food next time, I thought as I started to peel the egg. "That''s not an egg," Cera said, but she scrunched up her nose. "Is it supposed to smell like that?" "It does smell funny, but I kind of want to try it; it looks pretty and shiny¡­ I guess," Bera said, getting embarrassed at her own excitement. "He said that he cooked it, so that must have done something to the runny part on the inside. I do agree with Cera that it does have an off-putting smell, but I think Bera is right, and I would like to try it as well," Riez said. The girl''s arms were slowly rising the entire time, but it wasn''t until Riez spoke that they started to move fast. It was like none of the girls were really in control, and their actions were decided on an emotional voting system. I finished peeling the eggs and then offered it to Mary first, but she shook her head and leaned back, trying to push me, and I had to stop or get knocked over. I sighed and handed the egg to the girls, and they took it into their hands gently, but they almost dropped it when they tried to grip it. When the girls finally got a hold of it, Riez, who seemed the most confident, took the first bite, but then the egg was gone in two more quick bites. Then, all three heads turned up to me with big eyes, and I sighed heavily; I wasn''t going to get a single one of these eggs! I peeled three more and handed them to the girl, but then Jilly leaned down to re at me Menacingly. The following two eggs went to her, and she waited until she had both in her hands. "I never would have thought putting them in the fire would do this!?" Jilly said before popping one in her mouth, and then she fell over clutching herself with a bang but was moaning in pleasure as she writhed on the floor in ecstasy. Strangest shit I had ever seen, and to top it all off, she was still holding the second egg up like a priceless artifact while she writhed and grabbed herself inappropriately. I just shook my head and started to peel thest egg. Then I felt Mary turning around, slowing with an adorably cute and innocent face that would have killed a lesser man on the spot with just how fucking cute she looked. I had already lost, so I just peeled the damn eggs for her while she yed me like a fiddle. "Pleasesss¡­ ahhh," Mary said, opening her mouth to let me feed her, but she only took a small bite a first. Then Mary grabbed my wrist and took a small bite until there was only a small piece of the egg white left, and I popped it in her mouth. After she was done, she licked off each of my fingers and cuddled into my chest. My food was all that it seemed to take since now Jilly and the Cerberus girls were looking tired. It was time to get the girls to bed, but I wasn''t sure where that was supposed to be yet. *Knock, knock* "It is just your loving fathering to say goodnight to his little girl," Mex said as the door swung open. Chapter 35 - Uncalled For, And A Tempting Offer "Wow, you came just at the right moment. Everyone is getting tired, and I am sure that you and your daughter don''t want us sleeping in here," I said as I turned to find Mex walking over in a burgundy housecoat that had a ck lining. "The girls know where their rooms are; you just have to ask them. Nushi, the trim looks clean, but you know that they will just grow back the same way," Mex said with a piteous voice that made me want to punch him, and I wasn''t the target of his dramatism. ?? "I trimmed them for her, and I was going to help her mold them," I said, still puzzled over the how, but I did have a couple ideas; one involved heavyweight and some string. "Shape them? Did my darling daughter not tell you why her horns shrink down? It''s because she has such a poor attitude, isn''t that, OOF!" Mex''s speech was cut off as a book hit him directly in the mouth and knocked him over. "GET OUT! ALL OF YOU!" Nushi screamed. I wasn''t sure what the reason was for Mex to be acting, but I got up with Mary and grabbed him by the housecoat. I waved for the girls to follow as Nushi threw herself into her pillow, and then dragged Mex out with us, and left him outside the door. She must have gotten him good, or he was ying possum so I could ask him about why he was such a condescending jackass to his own daughter. I would have stopped him, but this wasn''t my house. So I let Jilly go in front, and I followed her to the front on the right side from where I was facing north. "We have stayed here many times before, and Mary usually lives here, but she is forever wandering off," Jilly said as she opened the big door to the tower and ducked inside. "I don''t getsss lost! You alwaysss findsss me, and bringsss me back!" Mary hissed, trying to defend herself. "I never do it on purpose, it''s that stupid luck of yours, but I did get free meals out of it when I came to visit, but I am too big for the ce as you can see," Jilly said as she lowered her centipede body, so she was at my height, but proportionally, she was much bigger them me. "I''ll see what I can do tomorrow or the next day. Before we go in the morning, I want to spend some time with each of you to figure out your capabilities and how your abilities can work apart. After that, we will head out with Nushi and go meet the four Elementals I met today," I exined, and Jilly nodded. "If you want, you cane sleep with me¡­ YAWN! I am pretty tired, but I could stay up for a bit longer if you want to have some fun?" Jilly, give a yawn and stretch but moving up close to me at the same time. Now that she was this close to me, it was not only intense how much bigger she was than me, but the fact that her breasts were each the size of my head! I really wanted to take her up on the offer, but I couldn''t leave the Cerberus girls all alone on their first night, and I didn''t think that Mary was going anywhere. "Maybe another night Jilly, I think everyone is tired, and I am no exception. We can do it another night," I said nonmittedly, but Jilly took it as a promise. "Good, don''t make mee find you," Jilly said, and then turned from me and went over to a set of stairs that went down a level, and then she and her long red glossy body disappeared down into it. I smiled and shook my head and then turned to the girls. "Ready to go to bed? Where is your room, Mary?" I asked the Cerberus girls, and then Mary. "It''sss up," Mary hissed by my ear softly; both she and the snake must be very tired because there didn''t even hiss when she did. So, I headed to the opposite side of the room from where Jilly had gone down. There was a set of stairs leading up that I walked up with the girls walking beside me. Once we got up top, the room was mostly bare, but there was arge bed with pillows. I walked over to the bed and then turned to the Cerberus girls. "Do you want to sleep in your own bed, or¡­" *Poof!* I was about to offer them to sleep in the bed, but they transformed back into the three-headed brown dog. I noticed that the girl''s tail was short, and it looked scared; something must have happened to them, but it would probably be a painful memory, so best to leave it be for now. "You can sleep on the bed then. Mary, are you going to sleep with us or, can I sleep on the ground?" I asked Mary as the girl bounded onto the bed and made themselvesfortable. "I don''t want to sssleep on the cold floorsss!" Mary hissed at me. "No, I mean I will sleep on the floor, and you can sleep in the bed with Cera, Bera, and Riez," I exined to Mary, but one of us wasn''t getting it. "Howsss do I sssleep in the bed if you aresss on the floorsss?" Mary asked in confusion, and I gave up because I was the one not taking the hint. I went over and kicked my very beat-up shoes off; I would be lucky if theysted till tomorrow, even with how beaten they got today. After that, Iid down with Mary, and she loosened her coils and removed them from my waist. Then she slithered over me and curled into my chest and arms, pressing her face into my bare chest and giving it a lick. After that, she pulled back a bit and then wrapped her tail loosely around my one leg. Cera, Bera, and Riez were already fast asleep at the end of the bed, and the sun was finally going down. This was quite the interesting first day of my new life, but I could live with it for the rest of my life if this was how I ended every day. I warped my arms gently around Mary and soon fell asleep. Chapter 36 - Caught, As Sneaky As I Thought Waking up was apletely different experience, and I wasn''t really sure what to do. The sun hadn''te up yet, but I could see that the dark night was breaking, and the sky was starting to lighten, but I was pinned in ce. Mary had coiled herself around me and was wrapped in my arms, but the loss of cirction was the thing that awoke me. As cute and adorable as she was, I needed to get free, and I tried to start wiggling around to loosen her up. ?? Bad idea and Mary began to constrict me more, but then something cold and wet started to sniff and tickle my feet. My eyes bulged as the girls casually tried to kill me with kindness, and started writhe trying to get free, finally waking a grumping sounding Mary. "Be ssstill, or I bitesss you! I am ssstill tired!" Mary hissed at me, but I grabbed her face and turned her head towards mine to get her to look at me, but then I remember that she was blind. "Mary! You''re¡­ crushing¡­ my legs!" I wheezed out, and the pressure stopped, but then my legs filled with pins and needles. "Sssorry, but I am going back to sssleep! Ssso, SSSHsss!" Mary hissed at me as she coiled up on the bed. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, but I had to wait for the feeling toe back into my legs before I could get up. The girls came over andzily rested their heads in myp, and I took turns stroking each one of the girls'' dog heads. Only the eyes and the ever-present glow showed in each mouth; besides that, there were only gems on their cors. They still seemed tired, so I decided that I would leave them be for now and head down to the kitchen to get some breakfast going. "You girls stay here with Mary, and I will go make some food and bring it back from you all, okay?" I asked, and all three-headed nodded in understanding. The feeling hade back to my legs and feet now, but I declined to put my shoes back on. Something told me that if I was going to get stronger, it would need metal-ted boots to get any life out of them. In the end, it would be better to caveman it and just let my feet get stronger. It seemed that hard work was the key in this world if I wanted to get stronger, but that didn''t mean I could ignore my stomach. I walked down the stairs, and the lower room was empty, but Jilly was probably tired like the girls. I headed out and walked down past Nushi''s room and slowed, but then kept going; I would be back once I had some food. Nushi was the first person I wanted to talk to after the way her father had actedst night, but something was off with the way Mex acted. I walked down the grass carpet stairs and reveled in the wait it felt under my feet as I did, but also pondered Mex''s worlds. The horns on Nushi''s head were connected to her emotions so that just meant that I would have to find some way to crack her tough shell. Maybe a little bit of alone time would be good for me to get to know her better, but there was also the question of if she could be one of my charges. That seemed to be what Mex was getting at before we came back, but I didn''t know if the System would register a demon as a monster. With the new skill that I just got, it made me question it. Good, that answered my question, and now I was at the kitchen door, but I was surprised to find that Mex was in there talking with Lidy and Spel. The friendly guard looked different now, and he was only wearing shorts, and Mex had on the same. "Kazz, good to see you," Mex said, but he didn''t sound like his usual cheerful self. "Good morning. What happenedst night? After your daughter''s room?" I asked, deciding not to beat around the bush. "Oh? Is that where I went? Emperyal Great Demons! I probably need to apologize to her now!" Mex said, clutching his head. "What was up with youst night?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen. "Let''s go for a walk, and I will show you the area behind the keep. Spel and Lidy will get the food ready, and you can cook when youe back. I am sure that the girls will be asleep for a bit yet," Mex said, waving me to a door at the south end of the kitchen. I followed him, not really sure what else to do, but I could understand why he might not want to talk about it around the others. Mex opened the back door and led me out into a wide-open area that only had threerge trees in the space, spread out. There was arge bare patch in the center that was about ten meters in diameter. The rest of the grounds were covered in beautiful light green grass that looked freshly cut. "About yesterday," Mex said as he turned around to face me. "I had been drinking after Nixi allowed Clesh to tell me about her little lip reading talent and that Nixi knows about my ns with you." The sun was starting to burn the night from the sky as it slowly rose, on the very cusp of breaking up. "And? That''s all that she was allowed to tell you? No threats to stop or that she was going to do something horrible?" I asked in confusion as the sun slowly broke the castle wall. "No, that was it, and that alone stressed me out more than any threat could have ever. The unknown is the only thing that I truly despise, and theck of control I have over it," Mex said, clenching his first. Chapter 37 - Carnal Cooking, Giving Her What She Likes I watched Mex; he was looking pained as the golden sunlight painted his light blue sink on his shoulder and the back of his neck. The rest of him was cast into shadow, increasing the weight of his pained look. "Then we move forward as nothing happened. Don''t let Nixi get to you, or she wins whatever game that she is ying. I will take your daughter with me, and I will take care of her like you asked me," I told him. ?? There was no stopping me now; I had already put my mind to help her and the other girls. Thousand or so years old crotchety granny Demon be damned! "That is good to hear; at least one of us seems to be able to deal with the pressure. You don''t know how much I envy you and your blockage of the fear that we produce. I have also noticed that I don''t feel the same when I am close to you like now. You are a strange creature, Kazz Foreman. Human, you said? The past Heroes have all been other monsters from other worlds, but I suppose that you are a monster in your own way," Mex exined, and I just shrugged. I had put my hand up while Mex was talking to block the sun, but now I was wasting time. I wanted to start working with the girls before it got too hot so we could enjoy the time. "I need to get back and get the food on and then get the girls fed. I will go talk to Nushi and take her food; you might want to leave her be for a bit. She got you pretty good in the kisser with one of her books!" I told Mex, and he rubbed his jaw. "I was wondering why I woke up outside her room with a sore jaw. Yes, get going; I shouldn''t have kept you for so long, but talking to you made me feel a bit better about things. I will chat with you when you return," Mex said but then disappeared. I really detested that ability; it was like he had never even been there in the first ce. I shook my head and turned to jog back to the kitchen door, and went back inside. Spel was gone now, and only the very pregnant Lidy was bringing some eggs over in arge pail. I rushed over and took it from her, and she smiled at me. "You don''t need to be doing this! How many months pregnant are you? You should be resting, shouldn''t you?" I asked, not really sure how it worked; she wasn''t an animal. I had helped on farms, so I was no stranger to calving season and all the fun things that came with it. Waking up in the middle of the night in the farmhand shack to go check the animal. Then all the way to castrating the male calves for the feedlots. "Months? I am seven days, and I will have my boy tonight. Demons are only pregnant for seven days, but then we can''t have another child; well, the females can''t. Males can continue to reproduce, but the females can only have one child, but this goes the same for other races that demons impregnate, but most of them aren''tpatible. This prevents the demons from spreading too fast, I think," Lidy exined as I started to put trays of meat in the oven. Yesterday I hadn''t used any spices, so today, I added salt to everything to see if they might be like that. After getting the meat in the oven, I went over to the counter, grabbing the eggs and a thick metal sheet, and went to the stove. I had no idea how the stove worked, but it produced a fire, and I was able to put the tray on top. I grabbed some butter and spread it all over before I started to crack the eggs. "You do a lot with the eggs! I have never seen them cooked alone before. I use them for baking and for breading meat if I fry it, but what are you doing with the eggs¡­ the smell is delicious!" Lidy said with delight. I had already eaten nine fried eggs, so I grabbed a te and scooped up two eggs with a metal spat. I had learned my lessonst time about wanting my own food. "Here, try them out. Each day I will make eggs differently. They are one of my favorite foods because they have protein that is good for your muscles, and they are tasty!" I said with a big smile as I offered Lidy the te. She took it and thanked me graciously, and then Lidy went over to a seat to eat, and I had to stop her. She was trying to imitate the way that I had eaten by picking the egg up and letting it slide into her mouth, but she was about to bite into the yoke with it half out. "Wait, put it all the way past the orange part, of it will spill all over your face," I exined but then had to turn back to the eggs I was cooking so as not to burn them. I refused to look over as Lidy started to make erotic noise as she ate the two eggs. The sounds were more than a little bit arousing and distracting; I was starting to lose focus on the task at hand.! I was trying to concentrate on the food I was cooking so intently that I didn''t notice her stop and then sneak over to me. It wasn''t until I felt her stomach push me from behind and then up against the stove and then the soft press of her ample chest. "Give me more! And I''ll do anything for you!" Lidy said as she started to grope me and her hot breath on my neck made fire run through me. I spun out of the woman''s grasp, and she turned on me. Lidy was looking far more attractive than she had before, but there was the fact that she was pregnant with Spel''s child. "Lidy, did I leave my helmet in here? Oh, hey, Kazz! Cooking up a storm, I see¡­ oh no, Lidy¡­ you gave her something that she liked, didn''t you? Well, I have other ces to be¡­ so, bye!" Spel said as he turned to bolt from the kitchen. [Dont want to pay per chapter? join my ******* to read 20+ chapters ahead of what is posted and get stickers! Join my P A T R E O N/Magic_] Chapter 38 - Pushed Deep, And A Girls Fears [XXX] "Hey! Where are you going! Your wife is trying to sexually assault me!" I yell at Spel as he tried to run away. "Better you then me again! Lidy is not my wife! You fed her!" Spel said, about to run again. ?? "What?! You got her pregnant!?! Didn''t you?!" I said as I waved a frying pan and the vapid Lidy, who looked like she was about to eat me. "What? No! Well, yes, but she forced me! I like men!" Spel said and then ran away. What the hell was going on here? "You cook me some eggs, and I will drain yours! You still have to finish cooking the meat, so you have time," Lidy said as she went down on her knees in front of the stove where I had been cooking eggs. I put the frying pan down and looked at the eager and very pregnant Demoness. What was I resisting again? I was throbbing in my pants, and the shorts that I was wearing were not hiding it at all. I walked back over to the stove and regreased the pan, and got ready to cook some more eggs. As I did, Lidy pulled my shorts down and let my rigid shaft protrude into her face. Lidy immediately took me into her, and I almost crushed an egg I was trying to crack in my hand! Lidy, at first, only used her mouth to pleasure me, but that alone was a fantastic feeling as I felt her tongue sliding all over my rock-hard rod. Then it was time to flip the eggs, and as I did, Lidy pulled out her breasts and hug the around the shaft she was sucking. My eyes tried to cross, and my concentration started to slip from the eggs; her breasts had just upped the game. Now, I pushed Lidy back, and I looked down to see that she had hiked up her dress and was now fingering herself roughly as she moaned. Seeing this was enough to put me over the edge, and the beast inside took over. I pulled the metal te off the fire to keep the eggs from burning and then grab Lidy''s head. I mmed rod into her face, but her breasts prevented me from making her choke, so I mmed my hips and shaft into her. I let go of her head and pushed it back, so she was tight to the stove, and then I gripped the counter. I rammed my cock between her breasts and into her mouth, face fucking her into the stove. Lidy let her tits drop as I could feel the pressure start to build up inside of me, and she forced my meat stick into her throat. The pleasure was too much, and my knees started to get weak. I forced myself as deep as my shaft would go and exploded my hot cum into the back of her throat. Lidy grabbed my hips and pulled me, pushing me deep until all of my shaft had disappeared in her mouth, making me groan loudly. After, Lidy sucked me off for a bit more to clean everyst drop of me up and then looked up to me with arge and satisfied smile. "Mmmm, the eggs smell good!" Lidy said as she got herself up, tucking herrge blue breasts back inside her apron, and then came and gave me a passionate kiss before taking the entire metal tray of eggs that had been cooking. "I have other holes for you to try next time you make me something I like." Then, Lidy took the tray of eggs and left me in the kitchen alone as I pulled my shorts back up. Yeah, wow, that was¡­ fuck, the food! I quickly went and grabbed a towel and pulled the tray of meat out. The meat all still looked good, and nothing looked burnt, so I started to pile the meat on the te. I headed out of the room with my massive tter of meat and made my way up to Nushi''s room, feeling rxed. That was pretty hot to get to fuck that pregnant Demoness''s mouth as I cooked eggs, and there could be more fun in the future! When I got up to Nushi''s room, I knocked on the door, and at first, there were no sounds. Then I heard some movemente to the door, and a scowling and tired-looking Nushi opened the door. "What do you want, Pinky?" Nushi asked me while rubbing her eyes. "I brought you some breakfast, and I want to see how you were doing after the way your father treated youst night," I said to her as she opened the door for me toe in and then closed it after I entered. I walked over to the table and set therge te of meat and eggs down. I sat down, pulled out my Loose Leaf Dagger, and cut up one of the chunks of meat cooked more than the others. While I did this, Nushi went over to the bed and brushed her long light blue hair. I had given up on thinking anything was strange and hardly noticed the color. "Here," I said and turned the tter towards Nushi and pushed it towards her, but she didn''t move off the bed. "What do you want?" Nushi asked me as she stared hot daggers at me. "To feed you and help with your horns. That''s why I am here now," I said, not really sure what to say. "Why? Why me? Did my father say that you are going to be my husband so I can have my baby and then be eaten?!" Nushi shouted at me, but I stood up and walked over to her. Nushi''s eyes were starting to get ssy as I walked over to her and took her gently by the shoulders. I looked down into her blue eyes and smiled down at her. "Your father did not ask me to marry you; he only asked that I take care of you and watch over you, and I n on doing that. Nixi will not eat you because you will not be getting pregnant while you are anywhere near her, and that will be your own choice. For, I will take care of you and protect you," I said to Nushi as her eyes filled with tears. [Monster Girl: Nushi] Is now in your care! [Level Up] Level 4 gained! Chapter 39 - Nushi, Feed Me {Kazz Foreman} Level: 4 ?? Title: Monster Nanny Rank: {Poor Rancher) Monster Girls: 4 System: Ranching System System Abilities: {Monster Girl Rancher}- Gain experience from taking care of your Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Pacification}- The innate ability to calm Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Care}- All things done to care for Monster Girls are 100% more effective. {Monster Girl Food Prep}- All food you prepare for Monster Girls is 50% more satisfying. < Chef''s Hand>- Physical body to body contact with Monster Girls increases how full and satisfied they are by 25% {Monster Girl Essence}- Gain 5% of all experience gained by monster girls in your care. Unique System Abilities: {Monster Dominance}- You now have the ability to exert dominance over a monster if you will is more significant than its own. {Nushi} Level: 1 Title: N/A Species: Demon, ss 3F Unique Ability: Lightning Magic *Requires Positive Emotional State. System: Author System System Abilities: {Summon The Story}- Summon a book called The Story. The Story allows the user of the Author System to read 5 seconds into the future of what is currently happening. The user of the Author System gains experience from making sessful changes in the book. The level of sess is determined by the user''s intentions of the change. {Editorial Deflection}- Change the trajectory of a moving object. This change will not work if the change is greater than 5 degrees off the target''s intended course. {Authorized Change of Scenery}- Change the naturalndscape. This change will not work if the alteration is more significant than >5%. Somehow, I didn''t think that this was going to be a good thing, but the skills made minimal changes. Still, Nushi would be able to see five seconds into the future, which could be exceptionally useful. "What did you just do to me? What is this screen? What are you?" Nushi asked, and I let go of her shoulders and offered her my hand. "I have confirmed that I will take care of you like the other three girls, and because of that, you have received a System. You should be able to summon the book, but I am not really sure how. After I feed the girls and spend some time with them, I wille and see you before we leave for training, okay?" I said, but Nushi grabbed my hand with both of hers. "Wait! I haven''t eaten yet! You can''t leave until I''m done!" Nushi shouted at me, and I stayed calm. "Sure,e and sit down with me; I have it all cut up for you," I told her, and Nushi got up and followed me over to the table. I pulled a chair out for Nushi, but she didn''t sit down, so I decided to sit and wait for her. To my surprise, Nushi sat on myp and then, then back to re at me. "Feed me," Nushi ordered me. I held my face straight, and grabbed the tter, and pulled it back, turning it. From there, I fed Nushi one piece at a time. I had to pay attention, or I ended up getting my hand pped when I brought the next piece too fast and growled when I was slow. Slowly, Nushi leaned back and then leaned her head into the side of mine. I tried to keep my racing heart from noticeably pounding in my chest, but there was no way that she couldn''t feel it. Still, she didn''tin about it, just the speed of my feeding. Slowly I felt something happening on the side of my face; there was movement, but I couldn''t move to look, but I knew what it was. Nushi''s horn was crawling up the side of my face, and now I had to pretend that it wasn''t extremely ufortable. Luckily I ran out of cut meat before I lost an eye. Once I had no more food for her, Nushi realized what she was doing and jumped from myp. "I¡­ uh¡­ THANK YOU!" Nushi stuttered and then screamed at me. She ran over and dove on top of her bed and grabbed her nket. Then, as she bounced up, she impressively did a barrel roll in the air, wrapped herself in a cocoon of nkets. "Can you leave, please," she muttered as she slipped from the fabric of her cocoon into thefort of her cocoon. I was finally able to let my smile crack my face in half, and I stood and grabbed the tter. Then, I turned and walked to the door and did a bncing act to open it, but I made it without dropping the tter. After leaving the room, I gave myself a minute to gather my thoughts. That went perfectly and far better than I had expected, and seeing that Nushi''s horns were starting to change was all the confirmation that I was doing something right. I started over to my door and was about to knock on the door, but decided to knock fast and then step to the side. I heard the tell-tale scramble, but then I heard Jilly Yelling at the other two to calm down, and that made me smile. Whether they were excited to see me or just hungry, I didn''t care; I loved how happy and excited the girls got. I really hoped that I could get Nushi to that point, but she might not ever be like the others, but it wouldn''t hurt to take some of the bite out of her. The door swung open, and Jilly poked her head out, turning to me with a knowing smile. "You do learn! And you brought more meat with you this time," Jilly said, but Mary and the girls were already squeezing past her. Jilly sighed and then pulled herself back into the room; that was something that I would need to work on after this with my Carpenter-pede. Marry came and wrapped herself around me as the Cerberus girls came to my side in human form, looking up expectantly. Life was good. Chapter 40 - Jilly, Why Do You Do It? I walked into the room and went over to a table, setting the tter on the table. I sat down with Mary, and the Cerberus girls grabbed a chair and pulled it over to get closer to me. "What have you brought us this time?" Jilly asked as she came over to the table, but she looked ufortable. ?? "Do you want to wait until I get the snakes fed, and then I will take you outside to eat with me while the girls eat?" I asked her. "Really? I mean, I don''t really mind, it''s not like you asked me to the bedroom or anything, ahhaha!" Jilly said with a funnyugh that was really hard to read, but kind of forced, but not? "Sure, have a fried egg; for now, they are cooled down now," I said, passing her the egg, and then I turned back to the te of meat stakes I had got. As soon as I started to cut up the meat, Jilly hit the floor and started to roll around again in pleasure. What is up with eggs? Are they like a monster girl aphrodisiac, or did I just meet all the exceptional cases? I sighed as the Loose Leaf Dagger finished cutting some steak in small pieces, but then it also cut up some other ones. It cut them up into cubes, and then it even stacked them all the while I held the thing; I needed to give this thing a raise! Then one of the des pointed at me and then at the meat, and then two pointed at the Mary and the Cerberus girls, who had all stopped eating to watch me. Oh, I see what was going on, but I didn''t mind feeding the girls some. Turned out to be a full-time job with the snake, Mary, and the three girls. I was like an automaton on an assembly line. I had to be friendly with how I fed it to them all, but I identally poked Bera in the eye with a chunk of steak and made her cry. That was because Mary was done eating, but now she was cleaning my hand off, finger by finger. I had to get up and wipe her face with a wet towel that Mary handed me that she grabbed out of nowhere; it made me wonder if she could see where the things were? "I am sorry for that, Bera," I said as I got up. As I did, Mary slipped off me to coil on the chair. I pushed it closer to the table so she could reach the meat and the rest of the small pieces for her snakes. "It''s okay, I wasn''t paying attention, and it was a tasty weapon! My eye feels better now, thank you!" Bera said shyly. I leaned down, and kissed the tops of the girl''s heads, and then scratched behind each of their ears. I turned and kissed Mary''s forehead, and she made a slight moaning sound, but she was also eating a piece of meat, so who knows what it meant. I scraped the rest of the girls'' food onto the table since there were no tes and then grabbed the tter. I turned to Jilly, and she had gotten herself back up now and grabbed some meat off the te. "Ready to go now that you have fed the children?" Jilly asked as she went over to open the door for me and then followed me out. "Would you like me to cut up your food and feed it to you?" I asked, being serious. "I don''t mind when we get outside." "Hmmm, possibly. I am still trying to figure out why we are going outside to eat when there is more than enough room in my room," Jilly asked me as we went down the grass carpet stairs. "Pft, because you would have tried to sexually assault me, and then we would never get anything done!" I said, chuckling as Jilly opened the front door, and we headed outside. "That doesn''t sound that bad, does it?" Jilly said innocently with a husky tone. "No, It doesn''t, but that is the problem, hehe. I want to work with you to figure out how to help you increase your Systems-level while we train. Your ss is going to be one of the most important sses if we are going to help other Monster Girls," I exined to Jilly as we turned right to the east side of the castle and went over to sit under a tree but with the sun still on us. I set the tter down and then crossed my legs, with my back to the tree. Then Jillyid down t on her stomach beside me, and then she rolled over into myp. "I cooked them in the oven this time with the steaks, so they should be a bit meatier, and I put salt on them," I exined to Jilly as I started to pop them into her mouth one at a time until she stopped to turn her head a bit to get a better look at me. "Why do you do this for all of us? I mean, I get that it''s your System, but you really seem to enjoy doing it. I just can''t figure out why? We must be a handful and hard to handle, so I just don''t get why you try so hard for us?" Jilly asked. "I enjoy cooking for you all, and you guys are my friends. You are also fun and make meugh and are adorable at times, and like you said, it''s my System. I would be stupid if I didn''t learn how to use it, and that means teaching you all to learn how to use yours, so I don''t end up dying because I didn''t take all the proper steps," I said with a smile. "I guess that is a good enough reason, plus it''s not like you will run out of things to do with us," Jilly said, giving me a wink. "Now feed me, Nanny, so we can figure this thing out." {author note: Sorry i have to move down to one chapter a day for the next week because on some studying I have to do, but new art for Nushi is on the way!} Chapter 41 - If She Builds It, I Will Fill It After spending some time with Jilly feeding her, it was time to start the training or whatever I was trying to do. I didn''t think that we would really need to do much other than average¡­ training. I also wasn''t really sure what training even meant after my experience with Mex yesterday. So, I decided that the best thing to work on was a new ce for us to stay, but I wasn''t sure where I could put it or if Mex would even let me. ?? "What am I supposed to do now?" Jilly asked me with crossed arms. "The same thing that you did in the canyon, but you will have to go over the wall to get the wood. I am going to get the girls and then ask Mex where we can build a ce for all of us to stay. It''s too small inside of the castle for you," I said, and Jilly looked at me strangely, but then she turned and bounded off over the wall. I would spend more time with Jill after getting the building supplies, and I got the girls doing some things. I could get Mary to y catch with them after I did it for a bit, but I wasn''t sure what I could do with Mary. I turned back to the Keep thinking about it and jogged back to get the girls, but then stopped at Nushi''s door. I might as well bring her to, but when I was about to knock on the door, Nushi called for me toe inside. I didn''t really think about it, and then opened the door, walking inside to find Nushi changed and blushing. Woah, holy smokes, she was like an eleven-point five with long white stocking that pinched her thighs just the right way. The poor excuse for underwear was something that I would love to make justpletely¡­ Nushi ran away¡­ wait¡­ I looked up and watched a book just barely miss me, but I still felt the wind passing and saw moreing. The books all missed, but Nushi looked pissed, and then I saw why. "Oh, that is not cool! That thing can not read my thoughts, can it?" I asked with my hands up, but Nushi kept throwing books with her free hand. Her horns that had almost grown back were doing some strange movements like they wanted to turn up during all of this but kept getting turned back down. So finally, I decided that I would go see the girls and let her cool off, but that damn book would be trouble! "No, your perverted mind is what''s the trouble!" Nushi shouted at me as I pushed back away from the door with my foot. "I still think you look cute like that, so I will be back to pick you up after this," I said as I left, but I got no reply. That was a bit much, and I would have to figure out how to keep her from constantly reading the book. That was how she knew that I wasing in, but then she would have known that I would have lewd thoughts about her. Damn women, this was probably some kind of test, and I failed, but I didn''t like getting set up. Maybe I should think about what I was doing with Lidy''s face earlier? That made me chuckle to myself, and I put that thought away forter as I opened it to find Mary and the girls waiting for me. They looked cute waiting for me, and I went over to them to pick Mary up by the waist. "Whatsss are we doing? Where isss Aunty?" Mary asked after licking me, sending a warm feeling into my body. "She is out getting supplies to work on a new home for us as long as Mex lets us build it," I said as the Cerberus girls came to sniff me, and then they started to sniff near my stomach and then lower. "Did you go somewhere to relieve yourself?" Riez asked me inly after I pushed the girl''s faces away from my crouch. "Something like that, sorry. I don''t mean to offend you; I just didn''t think about your strong noses," I said with a smile. "No, don''t¡­ uh, be sorry. But, um, why did you do it?" Bera asked me very shyly. "Just an urge that I need to relieve every once in a while. I will make sure to wash up next time," I said, but the girl was back at my pant and trying to take them off now. "We can clean you off!" Cera said with a devilish smile, but this was not the time for this! "Am I interrupting something?" Mex as the girls almost seeded in removing my pants, but I was able to wrestle the girls off me. "No, I wanted to talk to you," I said as I turned around to a grinning Mex. "I hope it''s about the new leafless forest that you are constructing. Mind you, I do think it has a bit of an exotic feel; maybe we could hang my foes with big nails from them!" Mex said with augh. "No, I wanted to ask if I could get Jilly to make us a house out in the yard area. That way, I can be self-sufficient, and my rent can be the tasks that you have for me," I exined. "Oh? What is the reason for wanting to set up outside? You don''t like my fancy castle?" Mex asked with a smile. "I like it, but it will not teach me anything about what it will take to raise these girls on my own. I need to be the provider for them, or when I leave this ce, I won''t be able to properly take care of them. There are steps to everything in life, but if you skip a step, you are more likely to stumble and fall than if you take every step on the way up," I exined, and Mex nodded his head. "Yes, that sounds like you have most things under control, but you still have a lot of work to do. Sure, use the yard and build a shack whatever size you want! But, make sure you get to the training today as well," Mex said with a nod and then left me with the girls. Chapter 42 - The Team, Getting Things Sorted I finally got the girls out of the room, and we all headed over to get Nushi, but as we got close to her room, the door opened. Nushi stepped out, still wearing the same outfit, but this time the Book that she held before was gone. I decided that the best route for this was not to bring it back up and just let it slide under the rug for now. I hoped that Nushi understood what kind of problems it could cause between us; I did not want to constantly monitor my thoughts. ?? "Ready to go? Jilly should be almost done outside, so we will see what help she needs after we all figure out what kind of rooms we want," I said as I walked past her. "You''re not going to say sorry for your inappropriate thoughts?!" Nushi shouted at me after I passed, but that was a push too far, and I rounded on her. "Listen, I did not give you that power or permission to read my mind! I will not say sorry for thinking you are beautiful and that I want to see you naked! Those are my thoughts, and I did not voice them, but I am allowed to think whatever I would like," I said without raising my voice. Nushi''s face went red, and she looked away from me as her horns did a little jig on her head. She was going to have to learn to cut that attitude with me; I didn''t need monster dominance to exin a simple fact to put someone in their ce. "I¡­ I guess I shouldn''t read into you, and you¡­ might be right¡­ sorry," Nusihi said, but almost whispered thest part, and that was fine. "I am sorry that you have to see me have those inappropriate thoughts of mine, but this will just be a lesson. Now, let''s get going, or Jilly is going toe in here to find us," I said as I walked over and started to head down the stairs with Mary wrapped around me. [Level Up] Level 5 gained! {Kazz Foreman} Level: 5 Title: Monster Nanny Rank: {Poor Rancher) Monster Girls: 4 System: Ranching System System Abilities: {Monster Girl Rancher}- Gain experience from taking care of your Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Pacification}- The innate ability to calm Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Care}- All things done to care for Monster Girls are 100% more effective. {Monster Girl Food Prep}- All food you prepare for Monster Girls is 50% more satisfying. < Chef''s Hand>- Physical body-to-body contact with Monster Girls increases how full and satisfied they are by 25%. {Monster Girl Essence}- Gain 5% of all experience gained by monster girls in your care. Unique System Abilities: {Monster Dominance}- You now have the ability to exert dominance over a monster if you will is more significant than its own. {Gift Hunter}- Gain the ability to track special items that will increase your bond with the Monster Girls you are looking after. These items will give a Special Linked Skill to you and the Monster Girl receiving the gift. [Level Up] Level 3 gained! {Jilly} Level: 3 Title: N/A Species: Oomukade Unique Ability: Air Pressure Control System: Builder System System Abilities: {Constructa-pede}(Passive)- Verbal instructions are tranted into mental Blueprints that the user can use to create the desired finished product. {Builder Bug}- Gain experience frompleting Building Tasks. {Pinsir Saw}- Activate to use Pinsirs as a saw. {Spine Nailer}- Activate to fire fastening spines that grow out like razor vines, securing the spine. Looked like Jilly had made some progress, but I also finally leveled on my own, which was good to see. It''s not like I have done too much fighting, but it was good to see that all my work with the girls was starting to pay off. I noticed two important things about our charts before I closed them: Jill now had the ability to turn my words into real things. Not only that, but now I had the ability to find gifts for the girls to help both of us out. While this system might not be overpowered, it sure knew how to dish out the fits just right deals. The girls were looking at me funny cause I stopped, but I just kept going. The other girls followed me down and out of the castle, and we turned left to see that the ground was covered in holes and upturned earth, but the wood was all piled. Jilly was over by the massive pile of nks from two by fours to twelves, and there were also some long eight by eights. "Nice to see you finally came back out. I thought that I was going to have toe in there and drag you back out from whatever fun you were having without me," Jilly said as she got up. "Yes, sorry about taking so long. I had to talk to Mex first about us building a ce, and he said that he doesn''t care how big it is. So, I thought that we would make a barn-style building if you know what that is?" I asked, but I also unclipped my me Sword from my belt. "Yes, but you will have to be more specific. I can make a barn, but how many people are we fitting in here, and do we need anything special?" Jilly queried me. "Girls, I will toss this, and then I want you to bring it back, but I want you to take turns so I can see the different enchantments and their effects," I said to the Cerberus girls, and they nodded and transformed, and then took off bounding when I through the stick. "Sorry, Jilly, let me get the girls set up, but we will need to fit eight girls in total. Mary, do you think you could toss the sword for me after I look at the enchantment?" "Yesss, I can do thatsss for you," Mary hissed after giving my ear a yful bite, and then she slid off me. [What you read ahead? https://.*******/Magic_?fannding=true I will be releasing chapters for free but they will be on a 5-7 a week. On ******* I will be releasing 10-14 a week, and there is also NSWF & SFW art, and scenes toe with more supporters!] Chapter 43 - Kieta, And Unbalanced Odds That woman was adorable, but now it was time to turn my attention back to Jilly, who looked like her patience was wearing thin. I was just about to talk to her, but Nushi''s throat clearly reminded me that I had not included her. "Sorry, maybe it would help if you could take notes on what effects are given to the weapon when the girls bring it back. I would also like you to find out if it is always the same kind of enchantment from each element. If it isn''t, then I need to know all the possible effects that it could cause. All of these things could be very important, including if there are more than one for each, then is there one that appears more?" I asked long-winded, but I was sure that she got everything that I had just said. ?? "Yes, I can do that, and I will also mark down anything else that I notice. Have you met Kieta yet? She is my father''s scientist, and you might want to talk to her about these things. Normally she is around the Keep more, but she is probably busy working on a new experimental weapon for my father," Nush exined as she brought out her Book. "Your father has a scientist? Why is this the first time that I have ever heard about this person? I would be very interested in meeting them," I said, bing excited at the prospect of meeting this person. I wasn''t big on science, but the words, experimental weapon instantly made me interested. While yes, the idea was to make me stronger, it was more about the fun of trying out new things while hoping that they didn''t explode. "Well, Kieta has a pretty bad track record for making usable weapons," Nushi exined. "What do you mean? Like one out of five? Six? Eight? Ten?!" I asked, with a growing rm as Nishi shook her head no each time. "Granny Kieta was at a running tally of two out of thest seven hundred and thirty-two weapons that she has created. Are you almost done? I am starting to get hot and bored," Jilly told me. "Okay, take down notes; we will talk more about Kietater on our walk," I said to Nushi, and she nodded to me, so I turned back to Jilly. "Okay, let''s go for a walk. I am sorry that I made you wait so long." "It is fine, but the sooner you tell me, the faster I canplete this project," Jilly said, but I was surprised how easily she brushed me off by making her wait. "Sure," I said as we walked over to the lumber. "Okay, so we need a water ce for sure since I will have to go rescue a Sahuagin at some point when I can get to her. Then there is the Magma Spider; I am not sure what we will need for her, so maybe leave arge room open," I said, but Jilly shook her head at me. "You so just let old man Fireden deal with her; you don''t want that thirsty bitch around," Jilly told me, and it didn''t sound like she liked this spider too much, but that was hardly surprising. "Regardless, Mex asked me to look after her, so the two of you will have to get along. I think this is a good ce on the side. We are close to the gate, so we don''t have to walk to the back of the castle each time. Make it pretty tall so we can add a second floor and still have lots of room below," I exined to Jilly, and she nodded and listened. "Okay, I think I have what I need from you, but I think you should all go y in the back, so I don''t have to worry about hurting anyone. I''m really more worried about something happening to Mary. With her gift, the thing is more likely to happen to me while I''m trying to work," Jilly exined, and I nodded in acknowledgment. "Got it, I will take the children to the back, but you make sure that you''re careful. I would have to see your pretty face or body get damaged," I said with a wink that made Jilly actually blush a bit as her yellow hard hat appeared on her back from out of nowhere and then slid up on her head. I turned back to the other girls with a smile just in the title to see the Cerberus girls in dog form grabbing the fire sword out of the air. As soon as they caught it, a level-up notification popped up for them. [Level Up] Level 2 gained! {Riez, Bera, and Cera} Level: 2 Title: N/A Species: Cerberus Unique Ability: Fire, Ice, and Gas Magic System: Enchanted Fetch System System Abilities: {SYTT-Link}- Save You The Trip Link allows the user to link with a partner, and the item that is thrown is returned to the linked partner''s hand that it was thrown from. {Fetch-Ice} Throwing an item and having Bera fetch it will give the item a slight quality improvement and give it a Common Ice Enchantment. (Items can not be thrown by system user). {Fetch-Fire} Throwing an item and having Cera fetch it will give the item a slight quality improvement and give it a Common Fire Enchantment. (Items can not be thrown by system user). {Fetch-Gas} Throwing an item and having Riez fetch it will give the item a slight quality improvement and give it a Common Gas Enchantment. (Items can not be thrown by system user). Sit Link? What? Well, that was extremely helpful, but that acronym was a bit much. Still, beggars can''t be choosers, and now it was time to see what information that Nushi had collected. There was also the question of how I was going to help Mary and Nushi work on their skills. I might have to make them more involved with the training outside of the Keep, but I would have to be careful with Nushi, or Mex would lose it. Chapter 44 - Calm Down, Is It Really That Big? Nushi was writing something down in her book, and I leaned over to look, but there was nothing on the page and the pen looking thing she had wasn''t even making a mark, but I could see that she was actually spelling something. "Do you mind?" Nushi said as she pulled her book away from me and then closed it. "You asked me not to look in your head, and now you''re looking in this new journal!" ?? "Wait¡­ journal? That is The Story, you special System power that I gave you! Also, I can''t see a damn thing on those pages anyway, but you are right, and I would wait. So, what do we know?" I asked as I stepped over to Mary, reaching out a hand to her. She turned to me and smiled, then Mary reached her hand and took mine, slithering over behind me. I squatted down enough for her to grab my shoulder and then wrap around me as I stood. [Level up: Jilly]: 4 {Jilly} Level: 4 {Stretch Lumber}- Acquired! I closed the window that popped up; I would check on Jilly after. I wouldn''t be able to see the new ce from here anyway, so I would check on her after. "Thanksss, I don''t wantsss to y catch anymore. I will restsss now," Mary said as she rested her head on my shoulder, making me smile as I turned back to Nushi, and the Cerberus girls, who had just got back with my me sword. "You asked about results? There are none, each time the girls came back with the weapon, it was the same as before," Nushi said with frustration, and the girls looked like they had just been yelled at. "Calm down; there has to be a reason for it. I don''t know that much about magic or the enchantment, but in games, can''t you only enchant non-magical weapons?" I asked, and Nushi looked at me with surprise, but then she got embarrassed and looked away. "Sorry girls, I should have known that. Kazz is right, and something that is magic can''t be given more magic," Nushi said, then took a deep breath before turning back to me, but I just smiled at her. "It''s fine, but we are all learning our powers, and not all of the things that you get will be useful right now. The girls have had a rough time so go easy on them. Maybe it would be good for you to go tell Jilly how you want your room if you are moving out here," I said to Nushi gently, not wanting to upset her next, and she nodded. "Sure, not like it matters where I live anyways," Nushi said as she walked to the¡­ Holy shit! "JILLY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" I called out with my hands cupped. There was no way that she had already built that much! Why was it the same size as the Keep but twice as TALL!?! Mex is going to flip his shit when he sees this! Yep, it''s casting a shadow on the Keep¡­ will Jilly get me out of this? "What are you yelling about! I am trying to work here!" Jilly yelled at me as she came out of the apartment block, not a barn at all. "What happened to the barn?" I asked as I got a warning bite on the side of my neck from Mary and a hiss to be quiet, so I lowered my voice. "This thing is twice the size of the Keep! There is no way you have enough wood to build this!" "No, I didn''t, and the barn was stupid, and we couldn''t fit everyone in a tiny little ce! And we don''t have enough lumber! I have to go get more, but I think we should get going after I finished the roof, or we will be out after dark," Jilly exined to me and then stalked off. I shook my head, but Nushi came out after her and ran over to me. "Don''t worry, my father is inside, and getting Jilly to split the top floor in half for you and him," Nushi said with a t look. I wanted to throw my hands in the air and yell in frustration, but the wise side of me said I was bound to get another bite. I just took a deep breath in and signed; it was what it was, and I am sure Mex was going to give me some story about his wife. "Sure, why not. I guess the castle will be less quiet, but I am not cooking for your father as well!" I said with defiance and quietly, shaking my fist, but even that got a growl from Mary; could snakes growl? "No, don''t worry yourself. I will be in the kitchen to help you when you need it, and I will make Mex''s meals," said a familiar voice from behind me, and I turned to find a very¡­ not pregnant Lidy, looking even more attractive than she had when I was filling her mouth. "I look forward to the help, but I want to get into the habit of preparing the girls'' meals for them when you aren''t around," I said with a smile to Lidy. "Me? Not around? You promised me Eggs a different way every day! And I like them! Come Nushi, I wille to stay in your room, but I will leave if you need time with him. I will im the kitchen as my ce!" Lidy said as she took Nushi''s arm, and I held my breath. Nushi''s horns started to p, but then she just turned and walked with Lidy without saying anything. What the fuck just happened there? My heart was pounding in my chest. I thought that I was about to get some kind of tongueshing for Lidy, basically saying that she would share me. Lidy had also imed the kitchen as her area, and Nushi didn''t even say a word. Thought her emotions were all over the ce from the way her horns were going wild. "It''sss too early to mate! Waitsss till dark, and I will¡­" Mary said after putting her hand over my heart, but then her hand fell away, and she fell back asleep. Oh? That helped keep the blood flowing, but maybe in the wrong direction! Chapter 45 - Neighbors, Scared To Talk I looked down to the Cerberus girls that have been waiting patiently in dog form. "Use your SYTT-Link with me, and then I want you to go find a stick, but no magic ones!" I joked, and the girl''s tail started to wag, but then they transformed back in a puff of white smoke. ?? The girls all gave me a hug, and then I felt the link like a bolt of power, chaining the girls and me as they nuzzled their faces into me. I smiled at the feeling, stroked the hair on each girl''s heads, and scratched behind their ears. "Okay, go find something, and then I will throw it for you all. I know we can get your ability to work, but using a magic item was just a mistake on my part," I said to the girls as they pulled away from me, but Bera shook her head, both hands came up to block her blue hair from Riez and Cera''s faces. "No, it''s okay, thank you," Bera said to me with a small smile, but I wasn''t sure what I was getting the thank you for. "People don''t stick up for us; they just use us. So, thanks," Cera said with a smile. "It''s just nice to know that you really are different. I didn''t think that I would ever be able to say thank you to a male again without being forced. Thank you," Riez said, but then the girls exploded into a ball of white smoke and then took off running to find something. It really bothered me that they had to go through something like that, but I was watching over them now, so they would be safe. I wanted to believe that was true, and it was, but only in these walls with¡­ "So, did you hear?" Mex whispered in my ear opposite from where Mary was sleeping, jolting me out of my thoughts. "Stop it! Appear in front of me, you sneaky bastard! And yes, I heard that you have invaded my private living spaceeee!" I said rounding on Mex, but I got a hard constriction from Mary, and I made a weird noise. "Well, it would be weird for me to live in a smaller castle, would it?" Mex asked. "It''s a Keep, and I did not tell her to build it that big!" I said, trying to keep my voice level, but I was exasperated with Mex. "No, I did, well, I asked her if she could, and she thought it was a good idea. Plus, with the whole, my wife is a traitor, and my great ate-the-rest-of-my-grandmothers-and-mother grandmother! I need a break, and you will hardly even notice me around!" Mex said, turning me around and giving the area of the building with a sweep of his hand; one of those, this could be all yours. "Whatever, but have you tried talking to Nixi? I like going to see what the problem is with her and if there isn''t a way around things?" I asked, and Mex looked at me like I was brain damaged, tilting his head. "You have no idea what it is like to feel what I do every day from that little woman! It is like being under constant watch, but also like she wille for me at any moment when my usefulness is up. I do not enjoy living near her, but I am linked to this area, and she is linked to this ce," Mex said with a sigh. "Fine, when Ie back from training, I will go and talk with her; maybe have some tea. Since I don''t seem to know what is healthy for me, this is the best solution, since now your daughters well being is a concern of mine as well," I said to Mex, but turn from him and to the Cerberus girls that were running up with a good-sized stick, and it was in Cera''s mouth. I grabbed the stick from her mouth, and the moment Cera let go of the stick, it started to glow like the energy in her mouth. I didn''t feel anything different, and I took the stick in both hands, and still nothing, but that was just the first test. "Mex, get your sword out and hold it out t; I would like to try something," I said to the Demon Lord, and he shrugged at me and then reached out into a hole in the air that appeared as he did. I waited for him to get it out, but this time it was nowhere near as big, but maybe Mex had more than one in there. Once his de with the stick, but on its t, and a couple spark came up, but there was no damage or even burning. Next, I tried hitting the sword five times in a row, and then I put my hand over the de where I had hit it. Yes, it was scorching, but this was a magical de, and more than likely, it wouldn''t be that effective, "So? Do you have a verdict on your glowing stick?" Mex asked, and I nodded my head to him but then turned to the girls. "Excellent work Cera! It took me a bit to figure it out, but I know what it does. Your enchantment transfers heat into the struck object. With enough strikes, I could melt through a sword or a shield! And even if it doesn''t metal the weapon, the heating and cooling of the weapon will weaken its durability and increase the chance of it breaking!" I said with excitement, and Cera beamed with happiness. "Can we have our turn now, please?" Bera asked. "Yes, I really want to know what my ability is! This is exciting!" Riez said, and I could see that Cera''s emotions were flowing into the other two. I thought the stick was hard and then turned back to Mex, and the girls exploded into smoke and took off. I turned back to Mex, and he was grinning at me. "Quite the interesting character you are turning out to be. Always stepping on my expectations, I don''t know why I even try to assume I have any idea what''s going on inside that head of yours," Mex said, shaking his head at me. Chapter 46 - Hard Life, In The Unknown Mex headed back to the new building that Jilly was working on, and I turned back to see the girls, but the stick was back in my hand suddenly. I was shocked at first, but then I remembered the SYTT-Link. I tapped the stick in the ground, and a small amount of frost appeared on the ground. After a few more taps, I concluded that it was the same as Cera''s enchantment, and I tossed it again for the girls. ?? I watched as they bounded over to where the stick hadnded, and Riez grabbed it up, and then the switch happened. I was prepared this time, and I was already in the middle of an overhead swing. The stick mmed into the ground, and the grass around me died in a wave. It was only a meter-wide circle, but it was clear that the effect depended on the force, and the movements I could use were crazy. Even so, there was the underlying issue of them having to "fetch" each item. As a matter of fact, this would not be helpful, and if I do not pay attention, it may even put the girls in danger. Despite the fact that the girls were running back with excitement, I was contemting this thing, and yet I forced myself to be excited as soon as they got near me. The girls had done an outstanding job, and once I got them up to a higher level, I was confident that I would be able to ovee this hurdle. "Great job, girls! See? I told you that you had it! Now we just have to keep working on it! But your abilities will allow me to use basic items and make them special! That alone is spectacr! I can''t wait to see how you all grow! I am proud¡­" I had to stop talking as the girls ran to me and hugged me crying, and I lowered myself down to their height. So much bullshit for these girls to have gone through in their lives, but the best I could do was build them back up. I hugged them, and even Mary woke up and was stroking the girl''s heads. Life was hard, but things were always better if you could find people that you could trust and a safe ce to call home. "Okay, Jilly should be out any minute now. We are going to go for a walk to see some funny old Elementals Mex introduced me to," I said to the girls, and they nodded, whipping their eyes and smiling at me as I stood. Then, as I bent down, I kissed the tops of each one of their heads with a smile on my face. My heart went out to any Monster Rancher that has the opportunity to take care of creatures as adorable as these. I turned back to the fortress that loomed over the Keep, and Jilly and Nushi were justing out, but they were carrying bags. I walked over to meet them and motioned for the gate, and they changed course. "What''s in the bags?" I asked, but I knew before Jilly spoke from Mary''s sniffing. "Food for our trip in case we don''t find something to eat, and it''s not cooked, but Nushi has some cooked things in her bag for you two. Mex said that we are going to see the Primal Farts, but do you know the way?" Jilly asked, and I nodded my head yes. "Mex created a path for us, so we should be able to travel fairly fast, and we are going to go see Grovel first," I said as we walked out of the gate and passed the guards. Trig actually had a smile on his face, but he didn''t say anything. On the other hand, Spel wouldn''t look at me, but he was looking at the ground, so he must be feeling bad about leaving me to Lidy, jokes on him. It wasn''t an issue for me at all when Lidy was hungry, and she was a great help to me. Even though I didn''t pick up his spouse, I liked that he was squirming after leaving me to dry out in the rain. Having made our way across the bridge a short distance away, we soon reached the path after a few minutes walk. Jilly eyed the path suspiciously and then rounded on me. "This wasn''t here before," Jilly said, squinting her eyes and me, and I put up my hands. "I didn''t do it; it was Mex. The forest just moved out of his way, but I think we still have to watch out for the roots and hissing flowers," I said to Jilly, but Nushi shook her head from beside Jilly. "Father won''t be with you this time, so there will be more than just roots that try to bother us. The Trogs like to roam around inrge packs, and there are some nasty little Kobolds as well. There is a good chance that we might be attacked by some of therger breeds of monsters like the Behemoth''s and Sphinx that roam this area," Nushi exined to me like it wasmon knowledge. I am sure that it wasmon knowledge, but I was notmon here, and this was all news to me. What was a behemoth anyways? And a Sphinx? Like the one with the broken nose? "Alright, well, I guess we will all just have to be on our guard and watch out for¡­ those things, but I suggest that you all keep your eyes peeled to look for things. I don''t really know what I am supposed to be looking for," I said, rubbing the back of my head with a smile, but Jilly just leveled her gaze at me. "If you see anything out there that moves, and it isn''t one of us, kill it. The things out here are not like us, these are real monsters, and they are mindless with their hunger and depravities. Do not think that you can reason with them, or someone will get hurt," Jilly said to me in the most serious I had seen her yet. Chapter 47 - Growls, Chewed Up And Spit Out "Sure, I can do that," I said as I let Jilly take the lead, and I stayed in the back with Nushi and the Cerberus girls between us. If there was ever a ce to try to attack, it would be from behind. There was a feeling of tension when we got into the forest. I already had both the Loose Leaf Dagger and my me sword out and on. ?? "Why do we have toe? My feet hurt!" Nushiined, and I gazed down at them and sighed. "Why did you wear shoes like that? You know we were going for a walk," I said, shaking my head. Nushi was about toin to me again, but Jilly hissed at her. "Quiet! Take your shoes off and carry them! No, just climb on my back, and we will pick up speed," Jilly said as she was looking around, but I could hear movement. "Get on her back, and girls transform so you can keep up. I will fight off whatever ising if they get close," I said as I started to run with the other, but I could hear growling and yipping like dogs. Nushi didn''t need to be told more than once, and she was on Jilly''s back fast. Cera, Bera, and Riez were already shifted and bounding along in between Jill and me. Whatever wasing, there were a bunch of them, but I still had no clue what I should be looking for. That was until a short man-dog leapt from a bush I was passing, but I was already swinging my Loose Leaf Dagger at it. The effect was something that shouldn''t even have been possible, but I was in no position to be judging. The des whipped out of the snake-like ropes at the creature. Then, the desshed and minced the creature into an explosion of gore. It was like... nope, it''s was like nothing I had ever seen before, was my only thought, and the creature erupted. "MEATSSS!" Mary hissed in delight as I seen her expertly grab some chunk of meat out of the air as we were both hits with the blood spray. I pushed forward, but now they were popping out of everywhere, but it wasn''t too much farther. I saw one try to get at Nushi on Jilly''s back, but Jilly shot a spike into it, and the creature began to scream in pain. That was the end of the attack, but Jilly gave no quarter and spiked five more before they gotpletely away. We continued moving, but there was a blinking Icon in the top left-hand corner of my view, but I ignored it for now and kept my eyes peeled. We finally make it to the clearing, and I was finally able to slow down. I was astonished that I wasn''t out of breath or even puffing; that workout yesterday must have done pretty good, but today was the real challenge. "What were those things? They looked like dogs but like ugly little men," I said as I stretch out. "Kobolds, fiendish little weakling that hunts in packs to try and take downrger prey. I hope that will teach them that were are not to be bothered, but I have a hard time believing that. They are all stupid animals, hardly better than a trog," Jilly said while rolling her eyes. "You keep talking about trogs; what are they?" I asked but then turned my head to Mary. "You are going to have to get down now and stay with the girls. We are going to do some training, and I want you and the girls back from Grogvel when he does his workout thing." "Mmmm, okaysss, but I wantsss toe back after," Mary hissed, and then kissed my neck and then licked me before sliding off me. She didn''t want to go, and I didn''t want Mary to leave, but if I was going to protect that pretty smile, I would need to get stronger. I did a couple more stretches before I walked over to therge pile of stones. "Grovel, I am here and ready for the first day of our training, and I brought the girls with me," I said, but then the earth opened up under me, and I fell like a rock. Instantly I was crushed from all sides, and I could barely even breathe anymore. My body was being crushed but not broken; I was squeezed but not squished. All of these were pushed to the maximum, and I was being kneed like beard dough. It was not more than my body could handle, even if I didn''t feel the same way. It felt like the crushing torture was never going to end, and I was going to suffocate, but then I spat back out onto the hard rock. Oh, did I want toin, fuck I had just been eaten and spit out, but you know, I felt good! No, I felt great! Amazing! I got up, and I could see that the girls must have gone through the same ordeal. Still, it was hard to believe that I could feel this great after being eating and spit back out; it was almost poetic. "So, you havee back with no Mex to say uncle for you! What did you think of the massage I gave you? Good, right?" Grovel asked from behind me, making me turn back around. Grogvel''s face was in the massive wall of the clearing, and his smile was cracking his face, literally. "I guess I don''t really have much of a choice. I want to get stronger, and after just a short workout with you and the other elementals, I have already seen dramatic changes. I am not ready for whatever you are about to do, but I am prepared to do whatever it takes!" I said with determination. "See, now that is a good attitude! Whether you have the same one after this is still left to be determined, BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" The moment Grogvel started tough, it was like every part of me started to shake, not vibrate. I fell to the ground on my hands and knees. I emptied my stomach, and I fell over on my side as my body began to seize up. This was too much, and it wasn''t stopping, but I had asked for this Chapter 48 - Tourtiere Of The Gods, He Is Minesss I could feel myself being lifted off the ground by soft hands, and I barely had the strength to stand on my own. My body had that particr kind of muscle pain reserved for the day after an intense leg day, but this was on every inch of my body. It was like my muscles had all been torn apart, and I could feel them painfully healing back, but it was like I was feeling dry. I was finally starting to get my vision back; I had to close my eyes the entire time Grogvelughed; the vibrations made it too hard to look at anything. ?? "You can stand, good man. You didn''t piss yourself, and there was no way you were going to keep your lunch down. Still, I didn''t think that you would even be able to talk after that!" Grogvel said, and I cringed, thinking that he was going to get me with another round ofughter. Nothing came, and I let out the breath I had been holding, standing up straight. The pain and fatigue were passing now, and I rolled my shoulders as Mary was about to climb up on me, but she reared away from me. "You ssstink!" Mary hissed at me dangerously. "Fixsss it!" I turned to her and stared at her nkly, not like Mary could see me, and she crossed her arms, and she waited. I sighed and turned back to Grogvel to ask him where some water might be to rinse off, but he was gone. When I was dropped to the ground, I wasn''t even surprised as my body was chewed up like a rag doll and then spit back out. I was able to catch myself as I was spat out of the ground, and Inded on my feet by the Cerberus girls that jumped back in surprise. "There, I rubbed the stink of your vomit off you! This will help you recover faster from the vibrations, but this will help you gain some mass. Make sure you eat before you take off! I have a date with a crevice that needs my attention, hehe!" Grogvel said with a slight chuckle, but I was able to handle that now. "Thanks, Boss, that was a good round, but I''ll be back for more tomorrow!" I said, clenching my hand into a fist tightly; this was different. "Good, bring a good joke so I can have a goodugh," Grogvel said as he melted back into the ground until there was no trace of him left. This feeling of strength wasn''t like before; I felt heavy like if I hit something, it wouldn''t stop me. This weight to my muscle was making my body like steel, or that is what I thought until I flexed and squeezed my forearms with my free hand as I did. My arms didn''t feel different; I wasn''t cut steel or anything like that, but I was progressing, beautiful. This was what I wanted, but I was getting ravenous all of a sudden, my mind got sidetracked entirely from the thought I was just having, and I turned on Nushi. I walked directly to Nushi, and she seemed to know what I wanted and pulled out a pie of some sort with a crust on it. She handed it to me, and I was about to tear into the whole thing with my hand poised over it, then my brain killed back in, and I looked at Nushi. "Would you like some of this?" I asked, probably looking like some kind of savage, but I watched as Nushi covered a smile with her hand andughed softly at me. Slowly, I watched her horns rise, but then I dug into the pie. If I kept watching her, Nushi would notice, and it would spoil it. So, instead, I turned to the girls after thanking her for this friggin Tourtiere of the Gods. Maybe I had to be the main chef for the girl, but damn, Lidy was an excellent cook, and this meat pie was not meant for mortal consumption! I could smell smoke as I finally scarfed down the pie; I turned to the girls who were¡­ making a fire with a grate over it. Wow, portable barbeque! This was great, but before I could say anything to congratte Jilly, the Icon that was blinking in the left-hand corner expanded. [Level up: Kazz] Level 2 Achieved! [Select Your ss] 1.Fighter 2.Dualist 3.Marksmen 4.Mage 5.Shaman 6.Necromancer What the hell was this about? I was already a level five Rancher; why was I getting a level two alert? Hero! That makes sense, but I will have to think about this, and I need to get cooking for the girls, but thanks. It was always lovely chatting, but I knew he was already gone; when he came, it was like there was a presence, and now it was gone. "Are you done admiring the empty te? We are also getting hungry, and you are the one that does the cooking!" Jilly said as she shook a stick at me, and I smiled as I walked over with my metal pie te; this would make a good bowl. "Yes, sorry, more new and crazy things happening up here," I said, tapping on my head, and then Jilly gave me a pitiful look and then handed me the bag of meat, her explosion going t on me. "I am hungry; get cooking, chop-chop!" Jilly said to me, waving her arms as I started to throw the meat on the grill. "Yes, my Queen, right away, I am on it," I said as Jilly moved behind me and came close to me to do something, but whatever she was going to do never happened. "BACKSSS, he is minesss, Aunty!" Mary hissed threateningly at Jilly as she came and wrapped herself around me tightly, very tightly. [No chapter posted on here for the weekend, see you on Monday! ******* will be getting 2 each day! :S] Chapter 49 - Mating, Lesson On Learning "I was not going to do anything to him, you blind-worm! He is yours, I get it, calm down!" Jilly said as she backed up and scowled at Mary. I was confused, but I needed to get the food, or the girls were never going to eat, but I didn''t understand what was up with Mary and her possessiveness. Jilly went over with Nushi, and the two of them stared at me as I ced the steaks and ant sections on the grill. ?? "What? What do I not know?" I asked as I finished cing thest meat on the grill. Mary was holding her arms around my neck and resting her head on my back contently now that the other girls were back from me. The Cerberus girls were on the other side of the fire sitting back a bit, and they were all watching the fire. "You know why she is acting like this, don''t you?" Jilly asked. "No, well, I kind of do, but a bit of an exnation would help. I would assume Mary is going into heat or something like that, right?" I asked. "She has grown attached to you, and now her mating urges are starting toe up from the smell you give off. I am not sure how she will deal with not being able to have children, though," Nushi exined. "Kazz will givesss me eggsss like Lidy!" Mary hissed softly from behind me and then started to kiss the back of my neck, which was making me far too horny for anyone good right now. "See? Just go give it to her while you are cooking, and then she will be fine, maybe. Nushi is right, and I hope that you can give her some children, or she will be distraught with you," Jilly said with a tired expression. "On the plus side, it''s not like she can eat you afterward, so you will live to give me my turn!" That was food for thought, but the girls were right to be worried about me giving Mary a baby. Who the fuck said I wanted any babies? I didn''t have time to take care of the children! That sounds a bit cruel, but it did make sense, but that still left the looming question of how I would get it done anyways. Mary was a snake, and something else, but not a human, even if she did have the same body structure. I flipped all the meat, and then I turned back to the girls. "It will be fine, the God Hero said that I should be able to do the job with time, but I am not ready yet. We will need to progress more today, but that also reminds me of something I wanted to talk to you about," I said as I finished flipping the meat by hand and trying not to burn myself. "Hero? That misbegot that leads the actual heroes to their deaths? Maybe that is a bit harsh; thest couple that I ate never saw iting. You, on the other hand, knew that I was about to do something to you and jumped back," Jilly said with a smile as she watched me cook. "What did you want to ask us about?" Nushi asked after Jilly finished. "I got a notification about me getting to choose between six sses, and I wanted to know what you knew about each of them? I am not really familiar with any of them, other than knowing the basic idea of them," I said, and Nushi nodded her head knowingly, and her horns stood erect as she smiled at me. "Yes, I know what you are talking about! I have studied the sses, and I am a level two Mage! But I am not very good, and this is the first time my father has let me train outside the castle," Nishi exined, and her Horns started to sink. "That''s amazing! You''re a mage? Like throwing fire and calling lightning? That''s really interesting! Can you tell me more about the ss?" I asked with excitement that I channeled into my speech, and it worked better than I thought it would. "Yes! Thank you, but I can only use my Lightning Magic when I am in a good mood, Shock!" Nushi said with excitement, and I had to jump back as her horns arc, and then nuked one of the steaks into a ck coal brick. Holy shit, if that would have hit me, it would have been worse than Grogvel''sugh! Nushi had just told me that it wasn''t that strong, but the fossilized steak begged to differ. "Wow! That was the craziest thing I have seen yet! Do you have any other spells you can use?" I asked with excitement, but Nushi shook her head sadly. "Sorry about the steak, but no, I can only use Lightning bases magic. This is why I started looking into all the sses after my mistake," Nushi exined. "Mistake? That power looks pretty good to me! And if I can keep you smiling, then I can keep you charged up!" I said with a smile. "When you choose Mage, you don''t get to pick what element you get to use, and you can only use what you are given. Once you reach level ten, you have to retake the Basic Mage ss if you wish to use the other elements. The other sses have simr restrictions, but you can also follow a ss and be immensely powerful like one of the Emperyal Demon Lords," Nushi exined, and I sighed as I checked the steaks. I was about to get a lesson on learning, but Nushi was happy, and the girls were content, and the day was still young. Chapter 50 - Skill, Food, And No Necromancy! "First, you have the Fighters, and I am sure that would be the natural ss for you, but make sure to listen to the others as well," Nushi told me with her tail swinging around excitedly. She looked cute like this, but I had to put a hand out to stop her. After that, it was time for the girls to eat. I had already taken the meat off the fire, and it was cooled now, and I had cut the meat up. ?? "Sorry, Nushi. Let me get everyone fed, and then you can exin it to me," I said as I gave Mary a quarter of a steak. I gave the other three pieces to the Cerberus girls, and each of them took a piece from my hand. The three looked cute as they chewed away. After I was done with them, I grabbed a bunch of chunks that I had cut smaller and dropped them into Mary''s cleavage. The little snake hissed excitedly, and Mary cuddled into me more. I scooped up the ant sections and popped the first two into Jilly''s mouth but then handed her the rest of them. Then I grabbed Mary''s steak portions after giving the Cerberus girls one more each by hand. I couldn''t feed them all the time, but I could do it a bit, and hopefully, that would still be good. So now, it was time to get back to Nushi, who was still happy and patiently waiting. "Okay, I''m, but is there any more food?" I asked, and Nushi handed me the bag. "I already ate my fruit while I waited for you, so you can have the skewers that are in there," Nushi said as I opened the bags and almost started to drool like Mary when I smelt the barbecued skewers inside. That woman was trying to get into my pants with all this great food! So I submit to give her what she wants for more great food like this! Imagine what doing a proper job with her will get me! "Thank you for bringing the food. Go ahead, and am ready to learn; I don''t want to pick something that isn''t going to be beneficial to the entire group," I said, and then pulled out one of the meat kabobs and bit into it; yup peeled right off the astral boar''s ass; damn that was good! "Okay, so Fighters specialized in swords, spears, and shields. They also use abination of barbaric attack with skills like Shove and Leap," Nushi started off with. Like she had said before, that was the most reasonable thing for me, but it did nothing to help the girls. So, I was still staying open to everything and listening attentively as I chewed on the excellent meat; how did she make the sauce ze to be like a caramelized candy ze?! "Next is the Dualist, who is like the Fighter, but the more noble and quick type relies on speed and avoidance. They are proficient with daggers and Short swords, but I have seen some wield axes and chain whips," Nushi exined, and I fed Mary another chunk of steak. Dualist was kind of what I was doing now, but again there was nothing really notable in the ss. So I needed something that would be able to help me protect the girls, not just kill the bad guys. "Marksman is the ranged ss that can use a bow or crossbow, and they can also use a dagger or short sword for closebat if they have to. The Marksman is more likely to track, scout, and support fire, but they also can do minor healing," Nushi told me as she walked back and forth, waving her hands cutely as she talked. The Marksman sounds a lot like a ranger, and that was not a bad choice, and the ability to heal was a bonus, even if it was minor. I would not always have Mary around, and if I even found someone hurt, it would be good to be able to help them. "I already told you about the Mage, but we are Ranged damage dealers, but we can''t really take much damage. So what we can do is dish it out when it works," Nushi said with a bitter smile that made her horns start to move. "You will learn to control them, I am here, and all the rest of the girls are here to support you. I won''t let anything happen to you, so you have no reason not to be able to use your magic, okay," I said to Nushi with a warm smile, and her horns stopped shaking. "Thank you, I don''t know how you n to stop my grandmother, but I believe you will figure it out. My father wasn''t wrong to trust you, but now let''s talk about the Shaman ss," Nushi said as she looked away from me with a red face. "The Shamans are nature Mages, but they are more hardened than Elemental Mages. If I knew what I know now, I would have picked this ss; they connect with nature, and creatures, then you form bonds." "What do you mean by bonds?" I asked, a bit leery. I wasn''t looking to adopt more pets; I had a list already. "The Shaman takes the essence of the thing that they bond with and creates bond marks or Totems on your body. With each "Totem" you get, you will gain an ability with them, but you will only be able to activate one at a time. I liked it because, with the amount of nature and creatures globally, there is no limit to the number of Totems you can have. The only thing is that you would have to capture six elementals, or you will run out of room on your body," Nushi exined with excitement. Well, that was one of the most universal options, and like Nushi said, there was really no limit to the bonds I could form. Then, of course, I would have to capture elementals, but maybe capture was too strong of a word. I didn''t really want to capture them, but if I could get them to work with me, then the sky was the limit. There was one ss left, but Nushi didn''t look too excited about exining it. "Last is the Necromancer, and it is one of my least favorite sses. They bring the dead back to life by taking the life from another, but what is bought back is not the same as what died. They are monsters and Abomination Mages; I would ask that you not pick this ss," Nushi said, and then she crossed her arms, giving me a look that said, you had better be listening to me. "Yes, I think that I will go with your suggestion. Necromancer sounds like a pretty good ss," I said with a smile, but the drastic increase of electrical discharge from Nushi''s horns made me put my hands up andugh. "Just a joke! I''m picking Shaman; don''t zap me!" Chapter 51 - Rampaging Hazards, And A Straightforward Question After I cated Nushi, she went and joined the other girls while I finished feeding Mary. As I was doing that, I reopened the menu for the selection and was about to warn Mary to cover her eyes just in case, but I let that breath out as I made the selection. No light came on, but I did it with a crash course on what seemed to be a very basic ss and then a small stat chart with numbers like a game. The names were straightforward enough that even this meathead could puzzle them out. ?? [Shaman ss] Acquired! {Shaman}: With this ss, you will need to create bonds with all forms of nature in order to receive Totems. Totems are marks that you will receive, and they will grant you minor abilities. You must gain Elemental Totem Marks in order to store more marks, or you will run out of skin to cemarks. To gain Elemental Totem Marks, you must form bonds with Pure Elementals. [Name]: Kazz [Level]: 2 [ss]: Shaman [Strength]: 2 [Dexterity]: 1 [Fortitude]: 4 (+1:Earth Blessing/EOD) [Wisdom]: 3 [Intellect]: 1 [Spirit]: 3 [Energy]:0 [ss Skills]: {Rank 1}: Target a nt to speak to it. 55% chance of sess. 10% chance of irritation. {Rank 1}: Auto-Trigger: Totem Bond is triggered when a Totem Mark can be acquired. The target must express gratitude to you in some form in order to trigger Totem Bond. [Bonds]: [Elemental Bonds]: [Blessings]: {Earth Blessing}: Grogvel''sugh is far worse than his bite. Gain +1 Fortitude for being chewed up and spit out until the End Of Day. Well, whoever created this thing had a sense of humor, that was for sure, but a ten percent chance of irritating a nt? What did that even mean? Was I going to piss a tree off and get attacked? Maybe I would have to try it on something like a dandelion or tulip that was small, so if I did piss it off, the fallout wouldn''t be that bad. I stood up and brushed my hands on my pants, and Mary wrapped her arms around my neck and then rested her head on my shoulder. The girls had already cleaned up the grill and put out the fire, so it looked like it was time to get moving. "Everyone ready to go?" I asked. "Just waiting on you and the sleeping beast," Jilly said with a grin, but Mary hissed from my shoulder. "I can still hearsss you, and I isss too cute to be a beastsss!" Jilly rolled her eyes, but Mary wasn''t wholly wrong. I mean, she has only tried to eat me once for real, so there is that. "Okay, Nushi, are you ready?" I asked her, and she nodded. The Cerberus girls were already changed back into dog form, so I pointed to the path, and Nushi climbed on Jilly''s back. We followed the same walking pattern and started down the trail. Just as we did, I was looking over towards the ce where Mex had pointed out that held the Minstien, Jessabell. I would have to make time to go over and visit her, but that could be an early morning thing. I could possibly do it before having to make the girls breakfast if I got up early enough. "Did my father talk to you about Jessabell already?" Nushi asked from up ahead as I turned from the northwest back west to her voice and started walking again; I hadn''t realized I had stopped. "Yes, I was thinking about her. I would guess that you are friends with her?" I asked as I followed along. Like before, the vegetation was starting to be more jungle-like and more humid and hot. I knew this was a cool spring daypared to the hell we would be facing after this next training boot camp with Wataluga. "No, I have only met her one time, and it was pretty bad. Jessabell is very pretty and smart, but she is very tall, big-boned, and scared of everything, even her own shadow. When father brought her home, she ended up rampaging through the castle, and father had to knock her unconscious," Nushi exined to me. "Wow, so then I guess your father put Jessabell in the Maze to keep her safe?" I asked. "Yes, Her milk is special, but until she has a child, she can''t produce milk. Her being scared of everything makes that very unlikely to happen unless she is forced. That''s why my father watches over her," Nushi told me. "What is your father''s deal? Is he like the worst demon ever?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around the enigma that was Mex. "Bad? I guess if you look at him andpare him to the other demons on this ind, the Maind Demons are a lot different than the ones around here. My father is just a good person, no matter what Nixi or any of the other Demons say," Nushi said with a nod of her head, and I had to agree, but the atmosphere had just changed. "Kazz, this is not good; we need to turn around, right¡­." Jilly started to say, but a seductive female voice cut her off. "Leave? No, you just got here, and I would like to y a little game with you," said the voice of a three-meter tall lioness with wings and a human face, but that was where the human stopped. This monster was not like the girls, but it did not look like something we could deal with physically. "Yup, we''re all going to be drooling over-ripened fruit in about thirty seconds," Jilly said while throwing her hands up in the air, but I was confused by herment. "A game? What kind of game? I asked suspiciously. "She wants you to answer a riddle, and if you are wrong, she will eat all the thoughts in your head," Nushi said. "It''s very simple, I ask you a question, and you tell me the answer before I get bored and eat your thoughts for fun!" The Sphinx said with a nasty smile. Chapter 52 - A Question, And A Food Stealing Whore I moved to the front of the group to stand with Jilly and Nushi, but I wasn''t really sure what to expect. I wasn''t a Jeopardy guy, and I would never make it past the fifth question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire without using all of my Life Lines. "Pst!" Nushi whispered to me and then pointed at her book. ?? At first, I had no idea what she was insinuating, but then it dawned on me. This was a proud creature, and there was no way that it would hold back the answer if I got it wrong. I nodded, and Nushi''s horns grew back to full strength, but I wanted to get some things straight before we started. It wasn''t like the Sphinx had to answer me, but I would try to bait her into it. "You must be pretty good at asking these questions. Does it matter if I ask some else? You know, considering it''s most likely going to be something that I have no idea how to answer, right?" I asked in a casual tone. The creature looked me up and down, and I tried to dumb down my expression. The Sphinx looked bright but maybe a little too smart for her own good. "Yes, I can see that you are a lower breed of animal, so I can''t see why having these other mouth breathers helping you is a problem," the Sphinx said haughtily, turning her nose up at the girls. "Good, so, what do you have for me? What kind of question is it, oh great Sphincter?" I asked, holding a straight face; two can y underhanded ball. "What did you just call me?" The Sphinx asked, ring at me. "You were about to ask me a challenging question, right?" I asked back, and the re squint tightened on me. "Fine, I won''t hold back then! You measure my life in hours, and I serve you by expiring. I''m quick when I''m thin and slow when I''m fat. The wind is my enemy. What am I?!" The Sphinx asked with a tone like she had already won. I looked over at Nushi, and she mouth the word candle, and I thought about it, and it made sense. "A candle," I said inly, and the Sphinx reared up in excitement before the answer had left my mouth. "Wrong! It''s a¡­ candle, wait, how did you know that?" The Sphinx asked as she came back to the ground, starting to re at me. "Made sense," I said as I started to look around, trying to look bored. "FINE! But you will never get this one!" The Sphinx said, but I put up a hand. "Hold on. I am not familiar with the rules of this game, but there must be some, and I don''t think that you get to keep asking, right?" I asked, giving the beast a severe look, and the girls nodded at my words. "HA! Now, who is the stupid overgrown catbird? Bwahahaha!" Jilly asked and then burst outughing maniacally. "Wait! That''s not fair! There is no way you got the answer so fast! You must have cheated!" The Sphinx raged, but I had enough and pulled out both my weapons. "Since your game is done, I will give you a choice. Stay here, and we will all find out what you taste like. Or, you can leave to spin another riddle; we have ces to go and things to do before it gets dark," I said calmly as I ignited the me sword. The Loose Leaf Dagger was in blender mode again, and I hoped it would calm down a bit if I had to fight this thing. While it might be big, now that it was struggling to gain ground, the idea of it being a treat had disappeared. "You have not seen thest of me! We meet again, Skin Walker! The Sphinx raged at me but then turned and stormed off the path. I watched her go but motioned for Jilly to start walking. This was wasting time, and we had a long lunch break. "So what is a Sphinx anyways, so I know for next time?" I asked as we walked along. "She is a monster that feeds off people''s thoughts, but because they are so powerful, they have a restriction ced on them. They have to ask you a riddle, and if you fail or don''t ask fast enough," Nushi exined. "How long is too long? Do I have thirty seconds or a minute?" I asked. "I don''t know the answer to that. Anyone who has experienced a Sphinx encounter is left one of two ways; alive or drooling with no thought in your mind to move your body. You will end up either getting eaten alive or starving to death in a puddle of your own excrement," Nushi exined, and a cold shiver ran through my body. "Well, I will have to make sure and avoid that creature at all costs, or that will be my fate," I said, but then I noticed the smokeing up from thevake, and I looked up at Jilly. "What do you know about Lizy, the Magma Spider?" "Hmmm? Besides that, she is a food and man-stealing slut? The witch is a glutton that fucks and eats more in one day than I could in two!" Jilly said with disgust. "I guess that you two had some problems in the past?" I asked curiously, but Jilly became closed-mouthed and wouldn''t talk about it. I also got a head shake that said no and a hand slice across her neck to signal that it was a sore subject. Thankfully, the bushes ahead started to russell, and I got myself prepared to attack whatever came out, but it was only a rabbit. I let out a sigh to the cute little creature and was about to start moving, but Jilly darted forward and grabbed the rabbit. Before I could open my mouth, I watched in horror as Jilly stuck the squealing creature in her mouth, and I almost puked at the sound she made. "WAAT?! I AM A STWESS EATER!" Jilly shouted at me with a mouth full of the whole half-chewed once adorable rabbit, and I sighed again. Chapter 53 - Secret Revealed, And Hissing I left Jilly alone and dropped the talk of Lizy, but we were getting close to the waterfall now. I could hear the dull roar of the water get louder until we walked out into the clearing. The water was misting from the falls, and I walked over to the pool of water with the girls. As we approached, a shape rose out of the water in the form of a little old wizard. ?? "So, you dide and brought the girls with you; does that mean you are ready to sweat?" Wataluga asked me as he stepped out onto the grass. "I hope your training is more thanughing me into submission; we already had that one," I said with a smile, and the old watery wizard smiled back at me, but then he started to expand. "No jokes, but this will be harder than the hand-holding Grogvel does. I am just going to have you run today, and then tomorrow we''ll start the fighting," Wataluga said as his body rapidly expanded to cover us up to our necks and fill the clearing with his watery body. "I want you all to start runningps, and I will say when to stop," Watalugu said from the center of the clearing where he rose up. This was weird; I had never been in floating water, and it was floating off the ground in the middle of my calves. Then I noticed that something was missing, and I felt around my waist; Mary was gone. "Where did Mary go?" I asked, looking around at the other smiling and bobbing heads. The water was somehow able to climb three-meter up to Jilly''s neck, but then only covered Nushi''s neck as well, and she was half the height of Jilly. "I am right, heresss!" Mary said from behind me, and I whirled around to find her head bobbing above their water. [Monster Girl Secret: Mary]: Mary is part Mermaid, and she has many sisters. [New Skill: Mary]: {Water Maniption}- Control and shape water at will. I closed the tab in shock and then looked down into the water, and sure enough, Mary was now a fish. I feel like I should be more surprised that she is a mermaid, but I had never really given it much thought. "Yes, there you are, and your tail looks really good on you," I said, but then found myself being drawn towards Mary, and she was reaching out from me. I was more than willing to take her into my arms, but the moment I was about to embrace her, we were ripped apart. "Alright, kids, go hump in the bush on their own time. Not in my body! Now, get running, or I make the water like mud to run in right off the start!" Wataluga warned, and we all started to jog. I started to run, and Mary and the girls all started to jog with me. The Cerberus girls were bobbing along, and Nushi was running with them. Mary was swimming beside Jilly as she scuttled along, and she looked like she was enjoying herself. Jilly had been uncharacteristically quiet since I had brought up the Magma Spider. I might have to try and talk to her alone after this to find out what really happened between the two. Maybe it would be better to just ask Nushi instead of antagonizing Jilly more. Jilly eating the whole rabbit had made it clear that I had touched on a very sore subject. It all was a reminder that Jilly was a ravenous man-eating creature, and I would have to be careful with her. It was really lovely and refreshing, but extremely weird. The water didn''t touch my skin the way water should; it was more like the water was just holding on to me. Instead of getting a wet feeling from the water, it was more like a cool gel being pressed against my skin. As we jogged, I could slowly feel the water start to press in on me more, and I was starting to sweat, but when I tried to dunk my head into the water, I almost broke my nose. "Don''t try to stick that sweaty face into me! You have four moreps, and then you can go take a dip in the actual water!" Wataluga said,ughing as I rubbed my face and then continued running. Thest fourps gave a total of twentyps around the clearing, and there weren''t more than a two hundred meter jog, but thosest twops. The secondst one was exactly what I would expect it to feel like running through mud. Thest one was a fish of a different color; the water became like rocks and crushed my body, but I kept going until I was done. "Hmmm, I will have to say that I am not unimpressed with you. Tomorrow we will start the fighting training, but today I needed to get my body used to the pressure that it will be under tomorrow. Go have a quick dip, but then I suggest you all make haste; the sun has started its trip back into the great beyond," Wataluga said as all the water from the clearing drained back into him impossibly. "Thank you," I said, and rolled my shoulders, and then did a small stretch. That was a body pounding, but I also felt lighter than I had before, so I wanted to try something. I bent my knees and then jumped almost two meters in the air. I almost didn''t stick thending. I was so shocked, but I was able to catch myself. I could make it in the NBA with this kind of air time! "Comesss in the watersss, Kazzisss...KAZZ!" Mary called to me cutely from the water she had already climbed into, trying to spit my name out. "No, you heard the old man! We need to get going before it gets dark," Jilly said in a no nonsensical tone. "Aunty! Isss just wanted to y with himsss!" Mary hissed and then did some spins in the water. "No, you can y with him tonight when we are safe. Now, get out of the water!" Jilly hissed back at Mary, and Mary rolled her stoned eyes. Chapter 54 - Discipline, Glad Its Not Me I walked over to the water and bent down to ssh my face, and then I cupped my hands to take a drink. Mary was swimming around me as I did this, softly humming to some unknown melody that was both beautiful and alluring at the same. I turned my face to look into Mary''s stone eyes as I listened to the song she was humming. I felt myself being drawn into Mary like there was some unseen force that was pulling me closer, then I got a rough smack upside my head. ?? It didn''t hurt, but I was knocked ass over tea kettle from the impact of Jilly''s big hand in my squatting position. As I slowly picked myself up, I realized something, I did not have time to be messing around like this right now! "Come here! What did I just tell you!" Jilly shouted as she came over to the water edge and dove in after Mary. Or, that''s what had assumed was happening, but only the female half of Jilly went in. Her red-ted centipede body stayed up, and soon it reared up, pulling Jilly back out. "Stop acting like a child! Or I will put you over my knee likest time! I am not hurting you; I am teaching you valuable lessons!" Jilly growled at the squirming Mary, who suddenly stopped resisting. "Isss just wanted to have some funsss with him, Aunty," Mary whimpered out in a hiss. I was d I wasn''t doing the punishing right now. That little stunt right there would have turned me into jello, but Jilly seemed to have a fly up her ass right now. "Yes,ter when we are home and safe, or would you like to get eaten by a pack of Behemoths? You know what it''s like out here at night, even for you," Jilly said as she set Mary down. I was back up on my feet again, and I walked over to where Jilly had set the downcast-looking Mary. I reached down, and put my hands under her arms, and lifted her up. As I did, Mary started to smile again, and she slowly wrapped her body around mine. Once she was done, I let go of Mary, and she moved around to her spot where she usually stayed. "Isss be a good girl forsss my now, okay?" Mary hissed softly into my ear and then licked my neck up to my ear. I closed my eyes briefly for a moment to enjoy the wave of pleasure that rocketed through my body, but then I opened my eyes. I turned to Jilly, who was looking as impatient as ever. "Are you okay with running with Nushi on your back?" I asked Jilly, and she nodded. "Yes, let''s just get going already; if we can make it there fast enough, the bitch will still be sleeping. So, chop-chop Rancher Boy," Jilly said and took off towards Fireden and the Lava Lake. "Make sure you hold on, okay? I am going to start running," I said to Mary, but then I turned to my Cerberus girls. "Are you girls ready to go for a run?" The girls all started to bark with different levels of excitement, but their body was jumping back and forth. I smiled and then took off after Jilly, and Nushi who had already gained a bit of distance from us. Jilly was in a hurry, and I guess that I couldn''t me her if she disliked Lizy that much. I ran hard to catch up with her, and the Cerberus girls ran beside me the entire time. While I had never really had many pets, it was only because I had a job at the time that required me to be away from home a lot. I didn''t think that it was right to own animals if you couldn''t take care of them. While this might seem likemon sense to most, it wasn''t, and animals were neglected all the time. So, running with the Cerberus girls was like having my own dog, even though I didn''t consider the girls to be something I owned. For me, all these girls were just people to take care of, and I was slowly starting to get past my aversions with even Jilly''s body. Thinking of her body, I started to look over her red carapace shell as I ran. I remembered it being a lot shinier before, and now there was even some dust and mud covering some of the red. I think that maybe tomorrow I will give Jilly a bath if she lets me. Maybe it might be able to help with some of her wild pent-up stress that she was under from Lizying to join us. I liked Jilly, and she was a great help when I came to get people in line, so I wanted her to feel the same as the other girls were. It was starting to get hot fast as we ran, and I could see the smoke rising from far up ahead. As we got closer, the trees were starting to thin, and now were nothing more than wilted and ash-covered sticks poking from the ground. "Let me do the talking with this one, I know Fireden well, and he will not mess around if I tell him not to," Jilly called back to me as we neared the massive crater that had a small stream of smokeing out of it. "Sure, let''s get this over with, and then we can get to thest challenge. Windorf''s challenge was speedyst time, so that shouldn''t take long," I said as we reached the edge of the crater, but we had to start back peddling right away as we felt the heat begin to rise fast. A massive melting hand that was on fire reached up and gripped the edge of the crater. The other one followed, and then the enormous burning face for Fireden poke above the edge. "Oh! Look who hase back for storytime! Boy, do I have a good long one for you today!" Fireden said with a chuckle, but hisugh was cut off. "No, you don''t; you have a very short story to tell us. I refuse to be near this ce when SHE wakes up!" Jilly said as she clicked over to stand between the elemental and me. "Oh, Jilly, I didn''t see you there, hmm. Sure, but you had better let the boye without you tomorrow if you''re still going to be sore about this," Fireden said with a hot sigh. Chapter 55 - Close Contact, I Would Not Be Held Responsible "I don''t want any messing around, you hear me, old man? I want you to pick a short tale and not go on and on!" Jilly said, scowling at the massive burning face of Fireden. The Cerberus girls had just finished transforming, and now they were standing beside Mary and me. The girls had been all panting before, but the moment they turned back into human form, the girls all broke out in a sweat. ?? "Do we have to wear this dress right now?" Cera asked as the right-pawed hand pulled the hair from her eye that was sticking to her face. "I am getting too wet," Berained as she looked down at her dress that was starting to get wet from the intense amount of sweating from the girls, and I nodded my head. "Yes, you girls can get out of that, and I will carry it for you," I said, but the girls didn''t move. "We need your help to get it off, please. It is hard for us to take off or put clothes on," Riez said to me. I looked over at Jilly and Fireden, and the two of them were having a stare of wasting time. I turned back to the miserable-looking girls that were now in a soaked dress that was slicking to their body. Even with the heat, the sight of their hard nipples pressing through their dress was making me get excited. I decided that it would be easier to do this from the back, so I moved behind them and undid the back buttons to the girl''s white and yellow dress. After I was done undoing them, I had to peel the dress off and then pull it down to let them step out of it. I didn''t hold myself back from enjoying the lovely view of the girls'' thick and round bottom, but I had to readjust myself after. As I reached my hand into my pants toy my stiffening tent pole down, the girls turned around and looked straight at my hand. I was looking dead ahead, and yup, there were three clits that would need more researchter, hehe. "You want a short story then? Come to me for training and then yell at me and order me around! Ha! I have just the story for you then!" Fireden said to Jilly, but that made Jilly narrow her eyes and the burning face. I had my hand out now, but the girls were still eyeing the bulge in my pants. Why did these situations always need toe up when I couldn''t act on them! I could love to let these girls have their way with me like they seemed to want, but no was not the time nor ce. Things with Fireden and Jilly also looked pretty tense, but she told me that I wouldn''t need to talk, so I decided that it was better to let her do what she wanted. "Everyone gather around; the story is more effective if you all stay close," Fireden said, and then Jilly turned back to us and red. "Sit down, and let the girls sit in yourp, and I will press into your back with Mary," Jilly said as she skittered over to me. I was going toin, but the look Jilly was giving me said, I dare you. So, I stayed quiet and sat down as The naked Cerberus girl came over to sit in myp. The girls pushed themselves back as they sat down and then let their sweat-soaked bottom slide down my chest. As they did, I felt Mary push over, and then she pulled back for a moment. While that happened, the Cerberus girls slid down onto my rock-hard shaft, but my shorts acted like a barrier. Still, the girls had pushed my shaft down t, and it was a bit ufortable, but I wasn''t sure that I disliked it. Then I felt both Mary and Jilly pressing into my back, and I started to get very hot, and not just from the heating from them. The girls had taken their tops off, and now I could feel the hot and stiff points of their nipples pressing into my back. "Well, no, that you are all close together andfortable, I think? Don''t you want to take your boy shorts off? You are going to start swimming in those!" Fireden said as he gave me a critical look, and then the Cerberus girls hopped up fast from myp. "I am not sure that is a good thing," I started to say, but then stopped and started to pull my shorts off awkwardly in my sitting position after Jilly let out a low and menacing growl from very close to my ear. Fine, I tried to warn the two of them, so I could not be held responsible for what the Cerberus girls did from this point. I was excited to hear the story, but when I watched the hot little triple-breasted Cerberus girls slowly lower their thick, jiggling bottom, I didn''t really care what the story was about. "Now, I will tell you a short tale about two mighty women that did not get along," Fireden started as I felt the girls wiggle their way down to get between my stomach and shaft, forcing me back down. I felt myself slide out, and then the girls closed their legs and leaned back into me, gettingfortable. Mary Licked my neck, but then snaked over my shoulder and then reached down to between the Cerberus girls legs, and then wrapped her hands around it tight. "Thisss is minesss! You can''t have hisss ssseed!" Mary hissed at the girls, and the girls cuddled back into me, and then Mary finally let me go, but that had taken some of the fire out of me. I finally felt myself calm down and soften, and the girls end up sliding past it and deeper into myp. I let out a sigh and turned my focus back to the burning face that wasn''t feeling that hot anymore. "Now, since you are all done horsing around, I shall begin," Fireden said, and suddenly the heat intensified. Chapter 56 - Betrayal Of Trust, I Want You First "Now, Jilly is not going to like this, but she won''t tell you exactly what happened either. So, I will tell you the story of two proud women, who are both terrible losers," Fireden said, and Jilly was gripping my shoulder as hard as the System would let her. The wave of heat that came off Fireden felt like they would melt my skin from my body. I wasn''t sure what this was doing, but I just remembered feeling lighter and faster after I was done. ?? "One year ago, Jilly was living down in the crater with me and the rest of the Fire denizens of the crater. During that time, Lizy had arrived, and the two had be fast friends, but that onlysted until Jilly had offered Lizy a friendly bet," Fireden exined, but Jilly''s face poked over my shoulder and I could feel her heartbeat racing on my back. "That bitch cheated, and you know it! You know what she did wasn''t right! That was my home!" Jilly shouted, but her tone was strained. She almost sounded in tears, so I put a hand on hers where Jilly gripped my shoulder. Jilly let me take her hand, and she seemed to calm down, but now even Fireden had a strained look on his face. "Yes, what happened wasn''t right, but I had also told you not to do it. You were the one that made a bet and set the terms, and that was your mistake," Fireden said, shaking his head back and forth. The waves of heat were starting to be more bearable, but I also had stopped sweating. Even the Cerberus girls had almost stopped, but they still had beads on their skin. "Still, there was no way that you could have known that she was going to act like that after. I am sure that this has been a valuable lesson, and because of it, you were back to meet this boy. I think that it was worth going through a bit of a hard time to reach where you are now, right?" Fireden asked Jilly, and Jilly mumbled yes, but only loud enough for me to hear, but Fireden knew. "So, what is the story then? What was the bet?" I asked, trying to move the conversation along. "Yes, I will get to that now. Jilly asked Lizy if she would like to have apetition to see who could screw the most men. I think you know what happens to the males after, but for some reason, the denizens below don''t mind getting eaten if they get a chance at the girls. Each one of them thinks that they will be different, but that is Satyrs for you, horny till the very end!" Fireden said with a boomingughterid the heat to us, but now the heat felt differently. "What does your training do? Sorry for interrupting, but I am concerned about stopping sweating. That is usually a sign that I am dehydrated, and that could be dangerous for me and the girls," I told Fireden, and he nodded at me with a knowing look. "That is a fair assumption, but your body is normally made of seventy percent water. Each visit with us will slowly rece that water with elemental energy. I can sense that you have changed now, and I can sense your Shaman ss. You absorbing the elements is even more essential now if you n on forming contracts with us," Fireden said to me, and I was a bit shocked. "Are you okay with this?" I asked in confusion, but Fireden onlyughed at me. "I have been stuck here now for longer than any creature on this ind, and making a contract is the only chance that we have to leave. Now, we were going to bind with you, but it would have made dramatic changes to your body, and we weren''t sure if you would ept that. Mex had told us not to worry, and he turned out to be right," Fireden exined. "So, now that I have the Shaman ss, you don''t have to¡­ change me?" I asked. "That''s right. Instead, we will just be your Elemetal marks, and we will still be able to be free when you let us. If we were to Bind with you, then we would have be a part of you until you died, and then we would be released," Fireden said, but then looked back into the pit and then turned back to me. "I think that we have used up all our time today. Jilly, treat him well, and he will do the same." Fireden waved for us to leave, but I never got to the end of the story. "Hey, what about the end?" I asked, and Fireden stopped and looked at Jilly. "You can tell him now, I did the hard part, my dear. Tell him, and move on; you don''t need to keep carrying the weight around with you," Fireden said and then sunk back down. Jilly pulled back from me and then went over to pick up her close and Marys, but never put them back on yet. The girls were still all covered in sweat, and I had no towels to dry them off, but then I noticed Nushi. "Hey, why didn''t youe with the others and take your clothes off? Your shirt is soaked to the bone now!" I said as I stood, but when I looked into Nushi''s eye''s they were pretty big and not pointing to my face. Then I realized where she was looking, so I grabbed The Cerberus girls and pulled them to stand between us. Nushi quickly turned once her eye contact was broken. "Sorry! I can''t be as close as you can yet, and¡­ I wanted to wait for you to see me naked, but now I have seen you naked," Nushi said, and I saw her start to reach for her shirt, and she started to pull it up. I let go of the girls, rushing over to Nushi, and wrapped my arms around her to stop her from getting undressed. I guess that she had thought that she needed to show me now that she had seen me fully naked, but that wasn''t necessary, but Nushi gasped when I grabbed her. I was about to let her go, but she gripped my arms, and I waited. I knew what had caused the gasp. I was pressed into her back with no pants on and hard as stone. Still, I remembered how she had acted before, so it was weird that the press of me into her back wasn''t bothering her. "Did you have sex with Lidy yet?" Nushi asked me quietly, and I replied quietly and quickly. "We had some fun, but no intercourse if that is what you mean?" I asked, and I felt Nushi press into me. "Good, I want you first, please," Nushi said cutely and then turned her face to kiss my cheek and then ran to climb onto Jilly. Chapter 57 - Sharked, But Not Cheated Jilly let Nushi climb on top of her after she pulled away from me. I turned around to get my shorts and almost tripped over the Cerberus girls but was able to sidestep around them. I got my shorts on, scooped up all the rest of the girls'' clothing, and then started back after Jilly. I also told the girls to go back into pup form for now, andter I would give them a bath. ?? I decided that I was just going to rip the bandaid off with Jilly. I had to hope that she just tells me what the problem was when I ask. "Hey, so are you ready to tell me how this spider cheated?" I asked inly after I caught up to Jilly. She was quiet for a moment, but then she took a deep breath and then let it out. Whatever this was, it really bothered her, and I kind of wish that Mary wasn''t needy today, but only kind of. "I asked Lizy to take a bet with me about who could get the most men toe to us so we could feast on them. At the time, I had thought that I knew her quite well, but I was very naive, and I had never seen a spider before this. Regardless, I challenged her to the bet, but I said that the winner gets to choose the prize," Jilly said as we jogged along. "I can see where this is going. You got sharked," I said inly as we ran. "What did you just say?" Jilly asked, looking a bit miffed. "The term "Sharked" is for those good at a certain type of bet-able event, but they hide their skills. They will even go as far as to lose a couple times to help build your confidence, but that''s when they get you. After ying a couple rounds of them losing, they will offer or encourage the other person to make a muchrger bet," I exin, and Jilly''s eyes went big, and she slowed down to a stop. I hadn''t realized just how far we have traveled, but now I could see that the rock teau outcropping was only about one hundred meters away. I slowed with Jilly and stopped, petting the Cerberus girl''s heads when they came over to me. "This is a thing? So, I should have known about this?!" Jilly asked in disbelief, but I shook my head no. "It is a term from my old world, so I do not think that it would be called the same, but regardless. You made a mistake in not knowing what your opponent was capable of, and you did not set limits, but you already know this. Jilly, whatever happened between you two is not worth the fight for you," I said, reaching out to Jilly and putting my hand out to take her hand, but she crossed her arms, so I dropped it. "I know that I was big-headed now, but what am I supposed to do? Just ignore that she cheated and," Jilly started to say, but I put up my hand to stop her. "Did you set out any rules? Did you say there were things that she or you could not do? I am not trying to take anyone''s side here, but logically speaking, she didn''t cheat because there were no rules set out, and honor doesn''t count," I added in at the end when I saw Jilly taking a deep breath for another excuse, but I forced her to dete. "Fine, I am serious about her, though. I know you n on going to see the other girls tomorrow after your training, but you need to watch out, or you will end up as a meal," Jilly said as she turned back to the direction we were headed. "I will, and I will also try and see what I can do about whatever her problem is. Thank you for the warning, but I think we had better get going; the sun is starting to skin. One thing, everyone is ready; I think that he will onlye for me, but there is no guarantee," I said to the girls as I pulled out my Loose Leaf Dagger and my me de Thinger. I still hadn''t really thought of a proper good name for the weapon, but I think that it will juste to me. Naming things was one of those things that either felt right or didn''t. "Yes, I am feeling grimy, but I am also exhausted," Jilly said as we approached the rock ledge. I walked to the front of the group this time, and I started to walk out, but suddenly Nushi cried out. "From your left side!" She cried, and I brought both swords around and hammered Windorf back. I had my eyes on him now, but something was different. I could feel him swirling around in the ce he stood, but then he disappeared, blowing away, but I could still feel him. I dash forward, not following him; that was pointless; he was too fast. Instead, I picked up speed and watched for him toe in for the attack. Even though I could feel where she was, I still barely had time to execute my n correctly. I spun my des and smashed Windorf back again, but now he looked pissed. Windorf didn''t say a word the entire time, but after getting smashed back, I could see that he was getting frustrated. I must be progressing faster than he had anticipated, and now he was trying to overdo it, and sure enough, Windorf blew away. This time it was much different, and now I had no way to know where he wasing from, or maybe he wasing from all ten of the different sources that I felt. I slowed down and got myself centered but then stopped and quickly put my weapons away. I got myself into the ready position, and I was sure that I could hear Windorfugh at me. I was going to try something, and if he was going to actually hit me, Windorf would have to be solid. "Ready to die?" multiple echoes called out around me, but I just grinned and called back to him. "Are we going to fight? Or are you just nning on talking me to death?" I asked and closed my eyes. Chapter 58 - The Run Back, Something Doesnt Feel Right With my eyes closed now, I could feel the different copies of Windorf, but only one of them was the real one. Now with my eyes closed, I was quickly able to lock on to him, and with this new sense, I could keep my eyes closed. I waited, and I assumed that Windorf was attacking me right away after myment, but the windbag was made of more potent stuff, it seemed. Regardless I would just have to wait, this was probably one of his tactics to catch me off guard, but I was surprised when I felt him slow down until he stopped moving altogether. ?? "That is all," Windorf said, and I opened my eyes, but at the exact moment, all traces of him had disappeared. I turned back and walked back over to the girls where we were all waiting, but then I remembered something and wanted to kick myself. "Mary, can you please get down for a moment," I asked Marry, and she listened to me, and then I turned back to the clearing and yelled. "Hey! Come back, that wasn''t fair, and I had forgotten about Mary." "That was not why I said that we were done. I had no way to attack you without you being able to take me into some kind of grapple. I knew that you hade far enough for now and that you will need this lesson to sink in," Windorf said as he briefly appeared and then blew away when he was done speaking. I shrugged my shoulders; that was a pretty good exnation, and that sun was getting dangerously low. I turned back to the girl and picked Mary back up. "That was beyond the normal amount of strange, but it was also good to see that he is taking me more seriously. I think that tomorrow I might be able to get him to actually try to fight me, but also, thank you, Nushi. You probably saved my life there, and I owe you for that," I said with a smile, but Nushi was writing something in her book, and when she was done, she looked right at me. "I know, I have it written in my book, and now that I have increased my level, I can learn more. I will keep track of all the lives you owe me, and then one day I wille to collect them," Nushi said as she closed her book, and that made my eyes go big. "Hey! I''m a bit attached to my life, you know. I kind of need it to¡­ keep living," I said with a strained look, and Nushi onlyughed at me. "Not your actual life, silly. I will just take my payment in the form of children since you also said that you would protect me from Nixi. So, I will let this one go if youe through with your promise, but not like I will be around toin about it," Nushi said, looking away, and her horns were starting to drop down, so I interceded. "No, you better worry about saving my life more than because this one is already paid off with my intent. If I can''t protect you from Nixi, then I won''t be here to say that I told you so after because I will fight until I got nothing left," I said in a confident voice, and that helped snap Nushi''s horns back into ce. "Good, everyone is happy, now can we go? It is going to get dark very soon, and we don''t want to be out here when it does!" Jilly said, and then she turned and started to run very fast with Nushi on her back. Jilly was right, and I started to run after her with the Cerberus girls running beside me. I had forgotten the girl''s clothes, but that was a minor thing considering that we needed to get home before dark. The trip back was far faster than it was there, but that was to be expected, but there weren''t any signs of monsters. I had assumed that there was going to be something that would try to attack us or something, but there was nothing. "Is this normal?" I asked Jilly as we passed by Wataluga''s pond. "What? The fact that nothing is bothering us? That is because as the sun is just about to go down, until the end of twilight, the daytime monsters go into hiding, and the nighttime ones start waking up. This is probably one of the safest times to be traveling if you have somewhere to go," Jilly exined to me as I ran beside her, and we were almost back to Grogvel''s area. He wasn''t there, and we kept up the pace, running hard to get back, but something felt a bit too easy about this run back. Once we broke from the forest, my suspicions were confirmed, and we all stopped in front of Mex, who was conveniently waiting for us. Now, that didn''t mean that he followed us around, but I felt like there should have been more monster attacks. I wouldn''t have put it past Mex to get a couple of the monsters to attack us as a test to make sure that I could take care of the girls. "You all made it back safe and sound! Wonderful, just wonderful, and it isn''t even dark yet! I can say that I was a bit worried, but you handled yourself quite well, but you did have help with Candace," Mex said casually, but he was ring at Nushi, but she was ring back. "I figured that you might be lurking somewhere; there was no way that It should have been that easy," I said as I watched the two demons stare each other down, and Mex was the first to look away. "You know that she is going to be pissed at you forever now, right? And him as well!" Mex said as he rubbed his head as he looked at the ground. "Candace? The Sphinx? So you know her?" I asked in confusion. "Sorry, I guess I shouldn''t have been so hard on her, but I thought she had left the maze on her own! How was I supposed to know what games you were ying?!" Nushi retorted, and now I was pretty confused. Chapter 59 - Stuffed In A Can, And Not In A Good Mood I looked at Mex, who was rubbing his head, but then I started to feel really weird. It was like a wave of dizziness hit me, and I just tipped backward. Suddenly, I felt like I was sucked into a tiny little pinhole like draining water, and then I was spat out. I felt like I had been turned into rubber and stuffed into a can and then let back out. ?? I immediately hurled onto a pair of ck shoes with red feet in them and then fell over. That was not okay, I think I might have shit myself, and I don''t think some of my organs are in the right ce. "I said that was reckless! He doesn''t turn to ink like us! I think that you might have just killed him," A female voiceined. "Shut it! He is mostly fine; go to him and clean him up! I need to clean my feet now!" The familiar voice of Nixi said, oh so¡­ I puked some more. This was a new kind of messed up; why couldn''t¡­ just ask myself¡­ What was I thinking about? "Here, drink this!" I was held down with no effort and something thick with a dark, ironic taste that made me suck a deep breath. Demon''s Blood. All the damage caused was being reversed right now, but I was also feeling the violence course through my veins. Mex warned me about this, but that just meant that I had to control myself. I was still aware, so I must hold it down; I just have to wait. Now I could open up my eyes, and I could see who my captors are, but that did not help me in the least. "Just rx, we are going to put you into a hot bath briefly, and it will help with the healing that you have received from the Demon''s Blood. My name is Noel, and I am Mex''s great great grandmother. For now, just rx, and we will get you back into good shape." I had no words, so it didn''t matter; I just nodded my head. I was beyond confused about what the actual hell was going on; none of this made any sense. "You''re dead, pretty sure that''s what everyone thinks, right?" I asked while gritting my teeth, trying not to let the bubbling font inside of me overflow. "He holds it pretty good, for whatever he is," Another female said, and soon I was surrounded by buxom, beautiful women that were scooping me up. Each one of them had dark blue skin, but each had different types of horns. I was getting jostled around so much that it was hard to stay concentrated on any one of them. "This might hurt at first," Noel said as I was lowered into what could only be described as boiling cream. The scalding froth made my eyes rip open, and I wanted to scream, but something said, no. I can''t exin it, but it wouldn''t let me try to grab the edges, and I was sure that this was it for me, but then the pain stopped. The¡­ water? I looked, and it was most definitely water that I was sitting in, but I was sure that it had been some kind of milky boiling froth. I tried to move my arms and found that I had motion once again, and I could move my mouth. "Wow, that was a lot of work just to get me toe visit," I said, rubbing my jaw and then dunking my head under the water. I held it there for a moment, collecting my thoughts about what was going on. Nixi had done some kind of teleporting, but it had almost killed me, but why? This was the castle, and I was on my way over! She could have juste and got me! I brought my head above the water and then took a deep breath of air. I wiped my hand over my face and stood up in the bath pot or whatever I was in, and looked around. "Well, whatever he is, we can keep him busy until Nixi gets back!" A red-headed Demoness said, and I looked down to see her reaching forward to grab me. "Get your hands back! I am already spoken for tonight, and I am not in a good mood. Where is this damn old woman?!" I asked after swatting away the redhead''s hand. "Help him out and get him some shorts. This Damn Old Woman is waiting to talk to you," Nixi said from the other room, but all the women shrunk down. So this was the pressure they all felt from Nixi, and it was enough to push these women to the ground on the spot and make them cower in fear. I stepped out of the pot and walked out into the main room, where Nixi was sitting in a chair with the back facing me. I walked around her and then took a seat in her fancy red velvet chair with my wet naked ass and rubbed it in. The old woman had her arms crossed, and she did not look impressed, but I really didn''t care. I reached forward and grabbed the only cup of tea on the table and a couple cookies and then sat back in my chair. I dunked the cookies in and ate them, then drained the tea, which was very good, no sugar, a spot of cream, but not too dry. "Are you done yet?" I asked after setting down the white teacup on the table. "What did you just say to me?! Are you too stupid to be scared of me?" Nixi growled from her chair, clearly miffed about the cup of tea and the one I was pouring now. "Stop scaring your family; it doesn''t work on me, so you are just wasting you¡­ menace? And you are causing your family that is supposed to be dead a great deal of stress," I said as I picked the teacup back up, but it was too hot to drink right away. I heard gasps for air from the room where I was just cleaned, and that must mean she let them go. It still boggled me how she could be so influential on everyone around me, and I was fine. "So, what have you almost killed me for to bring me here?" I asked and then took another sip of tea, making Nixi growl at me, and reach her hand out to the side. A cup flew into it, and she set it down on the table and then red at me. I red back but finally relented because I was already being a rude asshole and poured Nixi a cup of tea. Chapter 60 - Dancing, I Just Lost It "I needed to bring you here this way because you don''t know a lot of things that are going on right now. Mex and the others can not know you are here and do not. To them, you just disappeared, but after we are done here, we will drop you out of the sky, and Mex will catch you," Nixi said inly after quickly grabbing her tea. "What? No, I am not getting dropped out of the sky! Why is this a good idea?! I am just going to walk out that¡­." I started to say, but then I looked around for the door, and it wasn''t there. ?? "There is no way to exit this tower unless you are of my bloodline and only with my permission. You will have to trust me in this and listen to what I have to say if you care about Nushi or Lidy," Nixi said to me and then took a sip of her tea while still ring at me. Damn this woman! Always another trick up her sleeve, but what was I going to do about it? Just because I could handle being around her did not mean that I could take Nixi. I just needed to calm down and listen to what she had to say; there was obviously something I was missing that was key. "Fine, okay, I am listening. Tell me all about what you have been doing here and why it is important to me," I said as I took another sip of tea before setting it down on the table and looking directly into Nixi''s dark red eyes. "First, what has my son told you about Demons?" Nixi asked. "Next to nothing, other than the basics about the blood and how you govern yourselves. Nothing really past that, other than you eating your children, but that wasn''t true, so I probably have no clue about anything," I said, running a hand through my hair. "Yes, there is a lot that you don''t know about the demon race, and it is the reason that I have been doing this for so long. Demons here on this ind are disgusting monsters, and I am sure you think that I am just exaggerating, but that is not the case. They are ces here that farm Demons," Nixi said, and this was the part where I started to get confused. "Wait, Demon farm? That can''t be right, or I just don''t understand what you are talking about. Are you trying to say that the Demon''s have farms, and they are what? Raising animals?" I asked, thoroughly confused. "No, they farm themselves and ughter the women right after. If Demon women are found that can''t bare children, they are ughtered. Dao is farming to try and get stronger demons, but that involves killing the ones that are not strong enough," Nixi exined, but the hairs started rising on the back of my neck. "You''re not kidding, are you? Then this means¡­ Tell me about demon pregnancies. This is something that must be involved with them then, and if they are just using women as breeding machines, I am going to get angry," I said, gripping the side of the chair. "Then you had better be prepared to get very angry. Yes, that is exactly what it is, but far worse than that. Do you know how pregnancy works with demons?" Nixi asked me, and I reached for my tea. "No, I don''t, but I did see that Lidy was pregnant before this, but now she isn''t. Where is the kid?" I asked. "When a male demon impregnates any female, they make them barren. When the Demon is born, it will leak out of the female as ck ink and then form into a fully grown demon," Nixi exined, and I broke the arm of the chair. That made my blood elerate at a rapid pace and changed the hand I was holding my tea with. I grabbed the other arm, and I was partway to crushing the other arm of the chair in my rage. What the hell was going on here? "So, before I lose my shit, what else don''t I know? There must be more than this, and I would prefer to get this all out in one go," I said, and the other arm broke off, so I tossed it to the side. "Do you mind?! Those were not built on this ind!" Nixi yelled at me, but I red at her. "Speak, woman, You need me, and I need you to get off this ind more than likely. So, stop giving me parts of the whole thing and just exin it inly," I growled, moving my hands around, trying not to spill my tea, and find a ce to put them down, settling for my knees after setting down the tea. "I really don''t like you, and I wish that I could eat you!" Nixi hissed at me, but I pointed my finger at her. "What did I just tell you about that anger of yours? Put a cap on it, or I''ll smash that damn teapot!" I said, leaning forward to shake my finger in her face. This witch had no concern for the people around her, and I could see the women crouching in the far room. She was already making me upset with this story, so I was not in any mood for this child-like behavior of only thinking about the goal and not the journey to get there. "I can just kill you, and then¡­." Nixi started to say, but I lost it. I stood up and kicked the table with all my strength, and it exploded in a spray of liquids, food, and wood chips. I walked up to stand directly in front of Nixi with my cock nearly touching her face; I didn''t care anymore. "Here,e on then, smartass. Kill me," I said and waited. Nixi started to change, and she started to get a lot bigger to the point that the chair broke, and she stood up as it did. After she was done, Nixi stood a full head taller than me and red down at me. Chapter 61 - I Am The Way, Bitch! "And?" I asked with supreme annoyance. This woman thought she could just push through every thing that stood in her way? Then Nixi could try pushing the way, because I am the way, BITCH! ?? "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" The massive red Demon that used to be Nixi roared at me with enough force to push me back a step. "Are you done yet?" I asked, crossing my arms. "I am still alive, and you are still pping your gums. What is it going to be? Are you going to start smashing things, or should I?" I asked, wiping some of the spit off my face. Nixi looked like she was about to start yelling at me, but then one of the women came out from the side room. The redhead had long horns that ran down the back of her head like hair, but they were thick like Lidy''s. "Please, this is pointless to keep this up, Nixi! There is something wrong with him, and no amount of intimidation will work with this one. My son would not have picked him if he didn''t think that he could stand up to you," The red-headed Demoness said, and then she straightened up. Nixi started to shrink in front of me, so I decided that I should step back, but instead of staying focused on her, I turned and walked over to the Demoness. The other women wereing out now, but I was most interested in this one that had called Mex her son. "You have a very good son; even though he might not always have the best ns, his intentions seem to be in the right ce. Do you think that I could get you, women, to exin what is going on? I don''t think that it is good for the two of us to continue like this," I said and motioned my head to where Nixi was behind me. "Yes,e, we will go up to the top floor, and we can talk there. Is this alright, Grandmother?" The redhead asked Nixi, looking over my shoulder. "Fine, but you had better make sure you tell him everything that I need him to know!" I heard Nixi say, but I didn''t bother looking back. That little witch seemed to know just how to rub me the wrong way, and it would be pointless to try and have a conversation with Nixi at this point. We were both angry, and neither seemed to like the other, but I had a feeling that Nixi didn''t like anyone. "Come this way. I am Perita, mother to Mex and the youngest; once we are upstairs, I will introduce you to the rest. We will keep our hands to ourselves today since we all know about your little gorgon that is waiting for you," Perita said and waved for me to follow into the door. Inside, I was led up inside a spiral staircase, and we had to walk far higher than was possible. I was sure that the turrets on the keep were no more than five stories tall, but this felt like we had already walked almost double. "Hey, what is up with these stairs? And why are there no other doors for any levels? There is no way that the tower is this tall, right?" I asked as we continued to walk. "This is a part of the castle''s magic, and we need a ce that we can be far enough from Nixi. The pressure that she gives off can make it very hard to breathe or even move, and she is angrier than she isn''t. I am sorry for the long trip, but we will be at the top soon," Perita exined to me. That made sense, and I looked back to see the other women that were following. They all had different shades of blue hair, but the horn styles varied. I turned back and now could see that there was a door up ahead, and that was good because I was getting tired of walking. I had already had a full day of training, and I still had to go make food for the girls, so I just wanted to get this over with. Perita opened the door, and I walked inside, but I was blown away by what I was seeing. "It must be pretty interesting to someone that hasn''t spent more than two hundred years here," Noel said as she moved past me into the outdoor beach that I had just walked into. "Wait, what is going on?" I asked and then turned around quickly. Thest three women came through a door that floated in the air. After thest Demoness with curly horns that pressed into the side of her head passed through the door, she closed it, and it stayed hanging there. I decided that it was about time to throw what I know away and just let the craziness of it all wash over. There was no point in bringing logic into this; that was just a recipe for trouble, and I knew enough recipes already. I sighed and then turned back to the beach scene where there was a medium-sized fire burning. The women gathered around the chairs that were spread around it and sat down, leaving one open for me. "Pleasee sit down; there is much more that we need to exin to you. My name is Freida, and this is Kimera and Fairilese. You have already been introduced to Noel, and Perita, so now I can introduce us as a whole and exin why we are here and why this has all been kept a secret from Mex and Nushi," Frieda said, motioning to the empty chair. As much as I didn''t want to sit down, I had no reason to be rude or mean to these women. They were also all beautiful, so I might want to say on their good sides for any future endeavors I might find myself in with these women. Chapter 62 - Look, New Problems I settled myself down into the chair, and then Perita handed me another cup of tea on a saucer this time. I thanked her and smiled up at her and got a smile that felt like it was almost going to blow the clothes off my body, but then she turned and sat down. The crazy clothes tearing force stopped like it was never even there, and I frowned at the woman. ?? "So, I know that you all probably don''t see men very much, and all, but can we get to the part where you all tell me what the hell is going on? I get the demon part and the farms, kind of, and now I am slowly starting to put together why Nixi has kept you all locked in here with her. The part that I don''t understand right now is why the secret from Mex and Nushi?" I asked, and Perdita is the one that spoke up again. "Demons of higher ranks can read the mind of lower-ranked demons," is all that Perdita said. I blinked, and then everything made sense; like a wall of fog had been lifted, I started to put the pieces together. "So, Nushi can''t know cause Mex cant know, or Dao will find out, and then you will all be killed? How am I doing so far?" I asked. "Yes, that is the fundamental version of the ring problem at hand, but not all of it," Noels told me, and I nodded. "Yeah, there is the problem of why? Why is he killing the women after they have a kid? Just because they are infertile? Seems pointless," I said, trying to brush off these things that were pissing me off. Getting angry now wasn''t going to help, and these women were not Nixi and did not deserve my anger. So, I kept myself calm and level-headed as I waited for them to exin. "There can only be so many demons in the world at one time. None of us, nor even Nixi know what that number is, but it prevents our kind from running rampant and devouring this entire world," the one called Fairilese said, and I nodded. "That is the final piece then. So, Doa wants stronger Demons, but how does that part work then? If there is no more room here and one Demon dies, doesn''t that mean that it would be the next Demon to be born?" I asked, but Fairilese shook her head no. "We don''t know exactly how it works, but I have never heard of the same Demon being born twice. I don''t know what that means, but I would assume that there is a massive pool of them somewhere or that we are created new each time," Fairilese exined to me. I sat for a moment quietly and dug inside to try to wake up¡­ Good, then can you tell me anything about them? Rules? I guess there would have to be something to govern the higher powers. Still, there must be something you can tell me to help me in this situation, right? And then Hero was gone again, but I was sure he would be there if I needed him again. As much as I disp[iesed the bodiless voice inside my head at first, he had proven to be very helpful. "Okay, so now what? We have gotten everyone on the table, but where do we go from here? What am I supposed to do?" I asked, and all five women smiled at me. "Just keep training and helping the girls that we have asked Mex to look after," Kimera said with a smile. She had only small horns, and they almost looked weird on her with all the other women and theirrger and longer ones, but it did not take from her beauty one bit. I kind of liked the smaller horn look, but I was sure that I could find something that I liked about every one of these women. But then I thought about thest part of what Kimera had said. I had been too wrapped up in the look of her horns to catch the vital piece of info. "Wait, thest part you said, about the girls you told Mex to Look after?" I asked with confusion, and Kimera nodded at me. "We can not leave, but Clesh can; she is out annoying Mex right now," Perita said with a wicked smile. "Wait, why do you say it like that? He is your son, isn''t he? And from what I can tell, he is a pretty good person, all things considered," I said, but that made all the womenugh. "Sure, my son is a real saint, unless that involves female monsters," Perita said while rolling her eyes. "What¡­ No, are you serious? Is he really cheating on Clesh with that Sphinx named Candace?" I asked, but then all the women looked at me like I was talking in anothernguage. "Cheat? At what?" Perita asked in confusion. "I mean, is he fucking the Sphinx behind Clesh''s back? Or am I missing something here? Why is everyone mad again?" I was starting to confuse myself at this point, so I decided just to shut up and let the women exin the problem to me. "Honestly, I think that everything can be med on Nixi if you look at the problem hard enough. Nixi forces Clesh to keep silent with Mex, but she also Requires that she watch him when he leaves the castle. In this world, demon women do not care what the man does when he is away from home, nor does he ask his wife; both of us are promiscuous creatures by nature. For Clesh, it has been different, and Nixi doesn''t seem to care who it affects the two of them," Noel said to me, and I had remembered her being the one that had scolded Nixi for almost killing me. Chapter 63 - Round Two, Crushed I stood up, I had heard enough from eight lifetimes, and it was time to go see the Witch one more time before I have to go back to what I was doing. "If I go out the door, so I just take the stairs down?" I asked. ?? "Yes¡­ We can send you out if you want," Perdita said with a strained look on her face, but I shook my head no. "No, I think one more little wee short talk is in order between Nixi and me. You will all stay up here though, because I n on pissing her off, so you might even still feel it up here," I said, and all the dark blue skin started to get pale, but none argued, but Frieda, who had been silent the whole time nodded to me. "I''ll send you down, and then you have twenty seconds to say what to want, then you will be ported above the castle. Mex won''t be expecting you, but I think that you are tough enough now to survive," Frieda said with a knowing smile; then, I was standing in front of the small table and two chairs that had been destroyed earlier. "What do you want?" Nixi growled up at me from her chair, holding her tea away from me. "Clesh, no more, you leave her alone. If you want to know something, you cane and ask me directly from now on, and you will stop acting like a terror to your family," I told her fast, and Nixi red back at me. "Oh? What will you do to make me?!" She stared up at me, so I horked and then spit. I expertly hit the teacup Nixi was holding but then quickly dodged the cup and the spray of hot tea, but the damage was done. Nixi was starting to swell up again, but I had seen thising, and I had hoped that my assumptions about Nixi were correct, and it seemed like I was on the right track. Nixi wasn''t even half as big as she was before, but I was sure that she was still more than strong enough to kill me, but that was not my point. It looked like Nixi''s power was linked to her family, which made her child-like attitude and how she dealt with things make even less sense. "If you don''t, I will leave you here when I go, and I will take all of your family with me. I am pretty sure that I could do it right now, and you wouldn''t be able to do anything about it, right? Your power has something to do with bonds, just like mine, and that very likely means that you are a shaman, but you are linked to this castle, so you can''t leave. So, smarten up, or enjoy rotting alone while I take your family to safety because, for some reason, it means more to me than you!" I said in as much of a rush as I could, and before Nixi could open her mouth, the wind was rushing at me. "Great," I said out loud, but my words were devoured by the rushing wind as Im started to plummet to the grass in the back part of the courtyard. The ground wasing fast, but I noticed a set of doors in the ground near the far back corner of the castle. If I survived, I would check that out, and it was going to take less than five seconds to find out. "I do not suggest trying to fly without a pair of wings," Mex said as he grabbed me about five meters from testing my resistance to dying. "Yeah, I remember that the next time I get shit out of a paint can. What the hell just happened to me?" I asked, trying to y it off, and Mex already had an exnation waiting for me. "Wumpus Holes, they happen in the area a lot, and there is really no way to predict them. So, when you disappeared, but Mary was still here, I knew what it had to be. So, I was watching for you, but my Wife distracted me. Also, you had better go deal with that woman, or she might start tearing down the castle to find you!" Mex said with no smile and then made me grin a bit as Mex set me done. "Your wife distracted you?" I asked curiously. I found it hard to believe that Nixi would act so fast, but how was I supposed to know how things worked? Everything in this world was so far out of what I considered the norm, that I wasn''t sure which way was up at this point. "Yes, Clesh came to apologize to me and said that she would stop watching over me. Strange, but it''s not like I canin! Now she will stop getting so mad at me every time I leave the Keep!" Mex said and then started tough. I was still trying to wrap my head around Mex and the Sphinx, but as soon as my mind got into the details, I realized that I wasn''t THAT interested. Still, I was d that she actually listened to me, but now I had a feeling that I would be seeing a whole lot of her. "Okay, well, thanks for saving me," I said, rubbing the back of my head, but Mexughed at me. "Saving? That wouldn''t have killed you! Pft, a broken bone or two, but you would be back up in a short bit. I guess you haven''t had a chance to hurt yourself yet, so...hmm, yes, I don''t think that you will need this right away to entertain her," Mex said casually, but then out of nowhere, grabbed my hand and crushed it in his grip, breaking an untold number of bones. The pain was pretty bad¡­ but my hand had just been crushed, so¡­ pretty bad was pretty good, I guess. Yet, when Mex let go of my hand, it was thoroughly mangled to the point where it hardly looked like a hand anymore. Chapter 64 - Sex, And Surviving It "REALLY?! Was that necessary?" I shouted and then growled, but Mex just nodded at me. "You are going to have sex with a creature far stronger than you are, and you are going end up with a few broken bones, but you don''t want to let that ruin your fun. Now, look at your hand again," Mex said to me, and my eyes spread wide in surprise. ?? "Woah! What the hell? How is this even possible?!" I asked in shock as I watched my hand fix itself. "That is part of the reason when you have been doing this training. Your normal bodyposition is seventy percent water, but beings on this world are made of seventy percent Mana or Energy. Doesn''t matter what you call it; the name doesn''t change what it does," Mex exined. "Okay, so then if I get hurt, I will just heal? Does that mean I will be invincible when I am done with this training?" I asked with a strained look, but Mex justughed at me. "You can be killed just the same as before. If I cut your head off, it will not grow back. If I draw a rock on you that crushes you or hack your limbs off, your body will not be able to keep up. Maybe If you train at this your entire life, then you might be. The point of this is to keep you from dying from normal interactions with beings of this world," Mex exined, and I started to understand where he wasing from, but I was still a bit confused about the part with the girls. That made me swallow hard, and I nodded my head to Mex. "Thanks," I said, my mouth feeling a bit dry after Hero''s burst of info. "Come now, the girls are waiting for you, and I will stay in my Keep for tonight and give you some privacy," Mex said as he walked away from me. I watched him go and scratched my head but then pulled away from my raised arm. I smelled very ripe, and I would need some kind of a bath before getting into bed. I turned and walked over to the massive wooden structure that Jilly had put together this morning. There were lights in, and I could hear arguing and hissinging f4rom inside, and I could only imagine what the scene was going to be like in there. "Where isss he?! Kazzzzspppff wasss heresss with me''sss!" Mary hissed and spat out my name threateningly as I walked into the house. "RIGHT THERE!" Jilly yelled at Mary, pointing at me, but I was too far for Mary to sense me yet, but Jilly was ring at me. "Deal with her!" "Kazzzzspppff?!" Mary hissed, butchering my name as she looked around for me, and I grinned and walked over to her. "I am right here, but I need to have a bath, but I also need to make you all something to eat. I am sorry for disappearing like that; I, uh, don''t know what happened to me," I said, but Jilly looked around the room and then came over to me. Only Jilly and Mary were in the room, which was a living room of sorts with two couches, and on a coffee table. There was arge dog bed that must be for Jilly to getfortable on, and there were a couple cabs. "Don''t y dumb with me; tell me what is in that room! I know that you went to talk with Nixi, and I want to know what is inside of there!" Jilly said, getting right up to my face, but Mary started to hiss dangerously, and Jilly pulled back. "I''ll tell you tomorrow. In the morning, I would like to take you for a bath to help clean you off; your carapace is not looking as bright as it was when I first met you," I said as I picked up the waiting Mary, and she wrapped around me. Jilly pulled back and looked away quickly, blushing furiously. "Okay," Was all that she said, and then she started to walk over to the front door, but I still didn''t know where the bath was. "Hey, Jilly, where is the bath?" I asked her, and Jilly froze and turned her scarlet face to me slightly. "It''s in the castle, um, on the main floor¡­ wait, I was going to the kitchen," Jilly said absently, and turned her face from me, and skittered off to the kitchen. I smiled warmly as I watched her go; that was the first time that I had really seen Jilly that flustered, and it was like one of thest hurdles that my brain seemed to get over about her. I had just assumed that she was just some monster that just wanted to fuck, and then eat me, but Jilly was a bit moreplex than that if you gave her a chance. "Isss it timesss for bed?" Mary hissed and then started to kiss my neck. Her snakes were also getting excited, but I did not want to get into bed smelling like this. Even if I was going to be working up to more sweat, I still wanted to be fresh for it. "Do you want to go for a quick bath with me? And then we will get something to eat, and then we can go to bed, okay?" I asked as I reached over my shoulders and stroked Mary''s head and snakes gently. "Ssswinsss? I likesss the water, and I cansss have fun with you nowsss?" Mary hissed as I started walking out of the house. "Yes, we can y in the water now, and I will give you a good clean¡­" I said, but my words trailed off as I walked into the fresh night. Mary''s tail had just slipped into pants and was already starting to y! Chapter 65 - Cool Lips, And Watching Them Disappear I walked into the Keep and was surprised to find that Mex was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. I had pulled Mary''s tail out of my pants beforeing in and ended up stumbling onto a sensitive ce at the end of her tail. "I guessed that you might want to clean off, so I thought that I might direct you to it. Least I could do for you, thanks," Mex said and started to turn, but I grabbed his arm in confusion to stop him. ?? "Hmm? What are you thanking me for this time?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. I wasn''t really sure what to think at this point. So much had happened that it could be a number of things. "For talking to Clesh, what else? She told me that you talked to her about the spying that she was doing, and she was able to convince Nixi to stop it. I don''t know what you said or did to my wife, but whatever it is, do it more! Preferably when I am not around, but personally, I don''t care if I am home!" Mex said with a big smile and then turned to lead me. What? So that is how Nixi is going to y it, but now Mex thinks that I fucked his wife into a better mood and just told me to do it more. Demons were stranger than fiction, but Mex was happy, and so was his wife, so everyone was winning in my mind. I followed Mex around the left water fountain and was led to arge door where Mex stopped and turned to me. "There are extra shorts in there and towels for when you two are done. I think that I am going to go out and celebrate! Maybe I will go and see if I can get Candance in a better mood, so she doesn''t try to kill you tomorrow!" Mex said, snapping his finger as if he had just figured it all out, and then walked away from me. As I was about to leave, Mex called back to me and I shook my head and walked away. "Oh, and if you still have energy after, don''t be afraid to help keep my wife in a good mood," Mex called, but the door was already closing behind me. Inside was arge inground pool that was steaming, and the rest of the room was bare except for a stand that held towels, gel soap, and one pair of shorts. I had to give it to Mex; he was an excellent host. "Ready to get clean, my little fish?" When Mary slowly turned around, she looked at me as she slowly slid around my body to face me. "I isss not a fish, Kazzzzspppff! I am your Mermaidsss!" Mary said cutely, and I slowly took her face into my hands. "I don''t care what you are, as long as you are mine," I said and then gently pulled Mary''s face into a kiss. Mary responded and moved with me, pressing her cool lips in mine, and I felt a warm wave of pleasure. I felt it course through my body, and I could also feel Mary trying to take my pants off, so I let go of her face and helped her. Mary continued to kiss me as I removed them, and then I slowly walked into the water, wrapping my arms around her. The warm water crept up my legs and gave me a slight shock when it reached my waist, but then something else happened. The feeling of Mary being wrapped around me changed, and then she broke from my kiss, slipping out of my hands. I opened my eyes back up to watch her slip under the water with her mermaid tail making a ssh. The water wasn''t very deep, but it was up to my chest in the deepest part, so it gave Mary more than enough room to move around. The pool was three meters square, and I decided to let Mary y for a bit; and I went and grabbed the soap and a cloth. I sat down on the steps of the pools and started to wash myself off, but as I did, Mary swam over. She poked her head up in between my legs with a bright smile and stretched up to kiss me, her breasts dragging up my chest. "Can you cleansss me toosss? The moment Mary had finished kissing me, she hissed at me, and I smiled back at her, acknowledging her. "Yes,e sit with me, and I will get you cleaned," I replied. I then picked Mary up and snuggled her close against my chest as I closed my legs for her to sit. I started to scrub soap all over her body, and that made her giggle to the point where she finally just slipped right off my leg and back into the water, but I had got most of her cleaned. Now I just needed to get myself cleaned off, and I let myself slide into the water. Mary was waiting for me, and came directly to me, and started to kiss me. At first, I was worried that I was going to drown if she kept me under too long, but the moment that Mary''s mouth closed over mine, I no longer felt the need to breathe. I was ready to lose myself in the kiss and let things go as they wanted, but Mary had other ns. She stopped kissing me and then looked down at my erection that was pulsing from my excitement. I was forced out of the water, but only up to my chest, and I was forced back to the steps, and Mary popped her head out of the water. She looked at me with her stone eyes with so much emotion that I was bing aroused, but not like I wasn''t already. "I wantsss to tastesss you," Mary hissed as I felt her hands wrap around me, and my heartbeat started to race as I watched Mary slowly sink into the water again. Chapter 66 - Mary Pt 1 Mary sunk down, and I felt her hands slip around my swollen shaft, and I waited with building anticipation. Suddenly, I felt Mary''s cool lips wrap around my rod, and I let out a small pleasurable groan as I felt her take all of me inside of her. I was surprised that Mary wanted to do this for me, or that she wanted to do this at all, but I wasn''t about to startining! I had thought that she would just want me to fuck her, and then it would be over, but that didn''t seem to be the case with Mary. ?? I could feel her long tongue moving around my shaft as she sucked on me, and I had to resist the urge to grab the back of Mary''s head. The waves of pleasure she was making me feel made me want to push myself deep into her mouth, but this wasn''t Lidy. I reached my hands into the water to run my handles gently over Mary''s snakes, and that made her move faster. All I could do was lean back and let out small groans as Mary started to suck harder, making my eyes roll up, but then it stopped. I looked down, and then I was pulled under the water without being able to resist. Once I was under, Mary pulled herself up to my face and started to kiss me, and I took her into my arms. The moment we started to kiss, I was filled with air, and I was able to fully enjoy the kiss we shared. I slid my hands down Mary''s back and then over her sexy ass bump and gave it a soft squeeze. That seemed to make her more excited, and I felt her push her body into mine harder. Mary''s tail was between my legs, and now I could feel her slit rubbing against my shaft. Mary slipped her tongue into my mouth, and it was almost more than I could handle, but at the same time, I didn''t want to stop. Mary twisted her long snake tongue around mine and moved it like she had when she was sucking me off. I squeezed Mary''s ass harder, and she started to grind my cock harder. Then she slid down my body a bit more, and I felt the tip of my rod split her flesh. Mary immediately slowed down, and her kisses became softer as she slowly moved back and forth to fit me inside of her. I should have assumed that she would be this tight, but I could feel that Mary was having trouble, and I was not going to fit without hurting her. I pulled us out of the water and pushed back to the steps with Mary, taking myself out of her. That wasn''t hard since I had barely even got the tip in, but now Mary had a worried look on her face. "Isss to bigsss?" Mary hissed with a sad tone, but I leaned forward and kissed her. "It is big, but not too big. You just need a bit of help from me to loosen you up first. Come sit in myp, and I will help you," I said to Mary, and her eyes lit up with excitement, and she was in myp facing me. "Likesss thisss?" Mary hissed with excitement, and I shook my head. I turned her around in myp, so her back was to my chest. Then I started to kiss her neck gently, and Mary started to moan softly. "Justy back like this against me," I said, but Mary turned her head back to me in confusion. "How cansss you helpsss me if you cant put it insss me?" Mary asked, but my hand was already sliding down her waist. "Just rxed, and I will take care of you, beautiful," I said, and then Mary let out a gasp as my fingers slid down into her folds. "Whatsss are you do-o-o-o-ing?!" Mary asked as she moaned out thest word, and I stopped, but then Mary growled at me. "Don''t ssstop that, pleasesss. I didn''t knowsss that you knew how to dosss that!" Mary said with excitement as she moaned more. As I moved my fingers around on the small ball, I took one of Mary''srge teal-colored breasts in my hand and started to grope it. I took her nipple into my fingers and squeezed it, pulling gently on them. Mary turned her head to mine and started to kiss me again as I yed with her. Then I let my big middle finger slowly slide into her to slit and inside of her. It was different from fingering a human girl; I didn''t need to reach down and then stick my finger back up inside. Instead, I was able to slide my finger straight down towards her back, and then Mary started to push into my hand as I pushed deep inside. I could feel her start to loosen, so I removed my fingers, and then Mary pulled back from kissing me. She slid off me and then took me by the hand to pull me back into the water, and I let her. Mary moved to the same position and started to kiss me again, filling my lungs with air so I could concentrate. This time I spun so, Mary was lying on the bottom of the pool, and I reached down in between my legs to grab my rock-hard shaft that was aching to pierce into this Mermaid''s body. I rubbed the tip of my rod into her slit as we kissed and then slowly pushed it inside of Mary''s still very tight pussy, but it was going in. At first, Mary let me slowly work myself into her, but then she got impatient, and wrapped her arms around me, and then forced herself onto my cock. I felt the stretching, but I didn''t have time to react as Mary crushed me in a bear hug as the shock and pain of what she just did move through her body, and then she was still in the water. Chapter 67 - Mary Pt 2 I was all the way inside of her, but I was having trouble breathing now, and Mary wasn''t moving. That must''ve hurt her far more than she thought it would have, and now I was almost positive that I had multiple fractured or broken ribs from the squeeze. The two of us floated, not making any movements, but Mary''s grip on me was slowly loosening. Slowly, Mary started to kiss me again, and then I felt her start to move her hips, but very gently. ? ? I could feel my ribs healing, and now it was back to normal breathing for me. Mex was right, and I probably would have been crushed to death there without proper training. I held myself up a bit, and I let Mary move her own body as we kissed. The feeling of her hot pussy gripping my tight shaft and slowly moving was starting to make my blood rush, and I had to control myself. I just wanted to drive my cock into her tight little slit until she could move her tail, but I wanted her to enjoy this. I had to assume that it would be her first time, and I didn''t want to make it rough for her. Then Mary started to move faster, but it was awkward with the water rushing in after every thrust. I picked Mary up while she was still fucking me, but then I stood up with her in my arms, pulling out of the water. Mary wrapped her arms around my neck, and I took her tail between my legs, and then Mary started to move a lot faster. As much fun as the water was, there was too much resistance, and now Mary was fucking me harder, mming her slippery wet down over my shaft. This was an awkward position for me, so the best I could do was to hold her hips and help her go deep onto my hard throbbing cock. I could feel the pressure starting to build up inside of me, and I knew I was close, but Mary must be the same because she started to m her hips into me even harder. [New Skill: Impregnate]: When you copte with one of your Monster Girls, you have the choice to impregnate them. "Fillsss me upsss! I want your seed in me!" Mary cried out in an erotic hiss, and I could not hold it back anymore. [Impregnate]: Activated! I gripped Mary by her ass cheeks and then forced her all the way down onto my cock, and I let the dam go. Mary wanted to get pregnant, and If I didn''t try, she would for sure get angry with me; Jilly had pointed out as much. Mary cried out and then dug her nails deep into my back, and I filled her tight pussy with my hot cum. The pleasure blocked out the pain at first, but then I realized just how bad she had gotten when I could see blood starting to color the water below. "Sorry, Isss didn''t want to hurtsss you, but it felt so goodsss," Mary hissed at me softly, still slowly moving back and forth on my cock. "It''s okay, I have been training, so I will heal from this in no time. I do not mind the pain, and if it means that I get to do this with you, I can handle it," I said with a smile, and I could feel that I had already stopped bleeding and the wounds were closing back up. They would probably heal faster after I had more training, and then I could recover from these things faster or just not be hurt by them. At some point, my body was going to have to start getting more robust, or I should be able to get used to this, or I would have to start tying them up first. That might not make the sex as much fun with some of them, and the only person I really wanted to tie up was Nushi. I think that girl needs a man that will dominate her and tell her what she likes, or sex would just be awkward because Nushi was such a shy girl. Mary pulled herself off my shaft that was only now shrinking, but she still moved slowly, and each move made her moan more. After she was off me, I slowly sank back into the water with her, and Mary broke from me to start swimming like nothing had just happened, but I didn''t really expect much less from her. I walked over to the soap, and grabbed a cloth, and started to scrub myself. Even though I had been in the water, I had two days of work on dirt that needed to go, so I scrubbed with my fervor. Then, I felt Mary slide up behind me, and press her chest into my back, and then a lick on my neck. I was mostly done cleaning now, but Mary reached off and took the soapy cloth from me and started to wash my back with it. "Cansss I sssleep in your bed?" Mary hissed next to my ear, and even though I had just blown my load inside of Mary, the suggestion was almost enough to get me back into working order for around two right now! "Yes, Beautiful. You cane and sleep with me tonight," I said to Mary, and she started to kiss my neck, sending waves of pleasure down my body. "Goodsss, I want more ssseed," Mary hissed cutely, but I turned to her. "I did fill you with my seed, and now you should be pregnant," I said to her, but Mary just shook her head with a smile at me, "I know, but now I want the big thing to putsss more ssseed in my hole, please?" Mary hissed with big eyes looking up at me, and I just smiled and nodded. Who the fuck could say no to this little angel? If Mary wants me to fill her up more, then yes, I would do that for her because I am a good guy, and I like to give girls what they want, sue me. Chapter 68 - Waking Up Earlier, And The Nerve After drying Mary off and getting the clean pair of shorts that had been left for me, I picked her up. Mary was still not wearing any clothes, but I was no longer concerned by it as she wrapped herself around me. "Are you ready to go get something to eat now? I will probably have to cook it, but it shouldn''t take very long," I said to Mary as she slid around to press her soft and smooth breasts into my back. ?? "Yesss, but I want to goysss down," Mary hissed into my ear, and I nodded. "Sure, I will take you up top to my room before I start making food. Then after I am done feeding the rest of the girls, I wille up and feed you before we go to sleep, okay?" I said as I pushed the door open to leave the bathroom. "Yessss, I would likesss that," Mary said to me, and then she cuddled into my back as I started walking. The Keep was empty, from what I could tell, but there weren''t usually people moving around at the same time. So, there wasn''t really much topare it to, but something did feel different now. I left the castle and turned left to head back to the new apartment that Jilly had constructed. It was well into the evening, but I wasn''t sure what time it was exactly, but it had to be gettingte if the moon was already up and it waspletely dark. "So, did you two enjoy your time?" The sound of Nixi''s voiceing from behind me almost removed my soul from my body, and I whirled around on the pest. "What do you want now? Have I not been through enough today with you?" I asked while ring down at the little old red-skinned woman. "I would have thought that you would be in a better mood considering¡­." Nixi trailed off with a knowing smile, but I was not in the mood for this woman right now, so I turned and started walking. Suddenly, Nixi was standing in front of me, but I just sidestepped her and kept walking to my destination. I could hear a growling from the woman, and then she called out a threat. "If you don''t stop, I will move into your room so you can''t," Nixi started to say, but then I felt Mary turn on my back as I walked. "Ifsss youe in the room, Isss will eatsss you! He is mine tonightsss!" Mary hissed dangerously. That made meugh out loud, and I decided to turn and see what the hag wanted. I didn''t doubt either of the women, so it was probably best to deal with this now rather than fightter. "Fine, what do you want? I don''t understand why you couldn''t wait till the morning!" I said, putting my hands on my hips. "I don''t have to tell you anything! But, I decided to let you know that it would be best for you to leave early. If you are fast enough, you will be able to sneek past Mex and that flying cat he is screwing to get to Jessabell. I also suggest that you bring sweets and salt, which should help you with getting her home, and then you can go back out to do your training," Nixi exined to me. Once she had started talking, I took my hands off my hips and actually started to listen to what Nixi had to say. For some reason, the woman was deciding to be helpful, and I wasn''t about to let free info go, just because I didn''t like her. "Thank you for telling me that, but why? I might not have gotten in as easy, but I would have found my way in. So, what is the point of all this? Not that I don''t appreciate it, I just don''t understand why you are willing to be helpful all of a sudden?" I questioned Nixi, and she just shrugged at me. "It is in my best interests like you said. The sooner you can get stronger, the sooner we will leave this ind, but if you constantly do things the hard way, we will all be long dead before that happens," Nixi told me, and I narrowed my eyes at her; if it wasn''t one thing, it was the other. "What is going to kill us? What new disaster is waiting for us now?" I asked, trying not to roll my eyes, but then Mary started to get restless, and I could tell that she wanted to go. "Wait, you cane and talk to me while I cook food. I need to take Mary upstairs first, and then I wille down and talk to you." "I don''t think that is a good idea, Nushi will be in there, and she is terrified of me," Nixi said, but I was already turning around. "Maybe if you talked to her rather than just hovering like death around her, she might not be so scared of you. Also, if you stopped with the stupid pressure that you like to put everyone under, that might help out as well," I said as I finally made it to the door to my new home and walked inside before Nixi had a chance to give me another excuse. Inside, the girls were sitting around, and Jilly was rxing in her oversized cushion. The girls all turned to look at Mary and me, and I smiled at them but didn''t get any in return. "About time you two got back here! When are you going to make something to eat?!" Jillyined, and I smiled at her. "Sorry, I will get back down here as soon as I get Mary up to bed. We will also be having Nixi join me in the kitchen if she has the nerve to show up," I said, and almost right on cue, Nixi appeared to defend herself. "I have the nerve! And I will join you, so get back down here!" Nixi Growled, but then Nushi screamed at the top of her lungs in fear. Oh boy, here we go! ?like the book? it would help out a lot if you could leave a review of what you thing of the book so far!? Chapter 69 - Tucked In, I Needed Extra Help "WHY DID YOU INVITE HER! Nushi screamed at me as we walked up the stairs, but then Mary hissed dangerously at her. "SSSS! You don''t havesss to be ssso loud! He can hearsss you!" Mary warned, and Nushi stopped yelling. ?? "I asked her toe, and I know you are scared of her, but I told you that I would keep you safe from her. I don''t n on breaking that promise I made to you, so I need you to trust me," I said to Nushi and then added another thing that might help her see reason. "You can always just keep your book out, and you will know what she is thinking, right?" Nushi paused and then looked up at me with an embarrassed look that made her horns start pping. I smiled and patted the middle of her head, and then her horns stood back up to the full height. "Okay, I will try, but don''t mess around! Jilly has beenining about you and Mary since the two of you have left, so I suggest you get some food to feed her! I am also starving, so please?" Nushi asked, and I nodded to her. "Yes, beautiful. I will be down right away to cook, and I will try to make something that doesn''t take too long, okay?" I said to Nushi, but the Lightning started to crackle from her horns, and she ran away with burning cheeks. I couldn''t help but smile as I turned back and made my way up to the fifth floor. When I reached the top of the building, there were two rooms, but Mex had already put a sign up. The paper looked like a child had drawn it, and it said, "Not Your Room," on his door to the right, so I opened the door to the left. Inside was nothing special, and there was only a bed with a single dresser that had three draws in the room. I didn''t need to check to see what was in the draws; there wouldn''t be anything but shorts, my new standard wardrobe. I walked over to the bed and pulled the covers back from the bed. Mary slid off me and into the bed and then got settled in. After she wasfortable, I leaned in and gave her a kiss. Mary tried to pull me down with her, but I pulled away, then tucked her in. "I will be back in a little bit, so wait for me, okay? I will bring some tasty treats for you and the snakes when Ie back," I said, and Mary just nodded and smiled at me. I paused for a second to enjoy that smile, but then I remembered what I was doing and turned to run back down the stairs. I would have timeter to look at that adorable smile and maybe get a taste of Mary''s sweets if she will let me! Soon, I was back down in the living room area, but the girls were all gone from there, but Jilly. She still was lying on her bed, and I was going to go over to talk to her, but the look I got from her said that I better be handing her food and not opening my mouth to talk. I turned and headed to the kitchen and sighed when I got there. I could see both Nushi and the Cerberus girls hiding behind Lidy, who was looking good, only wearing her apron, and I turned to find Nixi in the far corner of the room. "Thank goodness you have finally got here!" Lidy said with a smile and a look that seemed to be designed to cut off my shorts. Luckily these shorts were made of stern stuff, and I walked over to where Lidy and the girls were. "I can take over now; thank you very much for getting this already for me," I said as I looked at the prepared meats on sheets. I wished I had some kind of helper for this, or I could give Lidy some kind of skill to help me with the cooking. Mex was right, this was going to turn out to be a big job, but at the same time, I didn''t need to make and feed them every meal. "Lidy, if you don''t mind, from now on, if I am going to bete, can you start cooking without me? I don''t want the girls to all have to wait for me like this, and I also won''t always be able to feed them when I am out," I said to Lidy, and she gave me a warm smile. "Yes, I was hoping that you would ask me. Did you like the meal that I sent for you with Nushi?" Lidy asked, and I gave her a smile in return. "If I said that it wasn''t the best meal that I had ever had, I would be lying. The food was beyond great, and honestly, I don''t think that my Systems cooking skill can evenpare to the food you can make!" I said with a smile, but Lidy shook her head at me. "Don''t talk like that when other people are around, or I might ask you for something that I like! And I don''t think that the girls want to see that," Lidy said, and that made me visibly gulp down some air. This woman was a sexual beast, and even her simple warning made my heartbeat start to race. I looked away quickly, avoiding looking at the other girls, and started to put the meat in the oven. Once I was done, I went over to where Nixi was sitting, took a chair that wasn''t too far from her, and sat down. Nushi came over and crouched down behind my chair, but the Cerberus girls came to sit on the ground transformed beside my chair. I scratched the girl''s heads and then looked up to Nixi, but she wasn''t looking at me. She was ring at Nushi, and I could feel her shaking. I was about to snap on Nixi, but she spoke up before me. "Why can''t I read her mind?!" Chapter 70 - Revealed, Like It Was All A Joke "That isn''t a bad thing, and it''s probably the same reason I can''t read her book if she doesn''t want me to," I said, and Nixi red at me. "What are you talking about?" Nixi asked, and I felt the Cerberus girls starting to tense. ?? "What did I tell you? I can''t stop you from acting like a spoiled child inside your room, but you will not try to intimidate my friends inside of my own house, or you can leave. I don''t have to answer anything that you say, and I don''t really want to talk to you," I said, and Nushi gasped in my ear, startling me. I hadn''t even noticed her get close, and her deep breath inhtion was almost in my ear, making me turn to her face. When I did, Nushi turned her head into mine, and our faces pressed together. I wouldn''t call it a kiss, Nushi pulled back too quickly, and our lips had barely grazed each other. Nushi''s horns started to crackle as she pulled back, and I thought I was about to get it, but then the crackling got closer. I had my hand on Riez''s head, and she was no longer shaking, but the other two were still. That just meant that they were still scared of Nixi, even without the pressure, and that was to be expected. "Fine, tell me how it is that I can''t read her mind then," Nixi said in a somewhat calm voice, but I could tell that Nixi was trying to keep her temper in check; that was the best I could hope for. "Do you know about the abilities that I have given the girls? It happens when I take them into my care and confirm that I will look after them?" I asked, and Nixi nodded to me. "Yes, I know about the Systems, but I thought that they were only reserved for the Heroes? Why can you just give them away?" Nixi asked in confusion, but I smiled at her. "I was offered a powerful System at the beginning when I first arrived on the ind, but I refused it. I don''t need to get into my reasons that deeply," I started to say, but Nixi added her two cents. "It''s because you''re an idiot. Why else would you deny something that could make you stronger?" Niximented, and I just shrugged. "That is a matter of opinion, and what good did it do the ones that came before me? I can''t say that it had anything to do with choice because it had nothing to do with it. If I would have made a choice to take it, I would more than likely be dead already, and I wouldn''t be able to deal with you," I exined, shaking my head. My reasons were my own, and I didn''t need to exin them to everyone that asked. most of the time I just got looks that asked if I was stupid, but you needed to walk a mile in my shoes before judging my choices. Nixi still had her eyes narrowed at me, but she was bobbing my head along to the points I was making, so I had to assume she was getting it. Nushi hade around to the other side of me and then pulled a chair closer to sit beside me. Nushi was nearly crawling to get on top of me. She stayed so close to me that she almost had her legs over the top of mine. I don''t even think that Nushi noticed what she was doing. All she did was stare wide-eyed at Nixi. "Fine, so you didn''t take the System offered. That doesn''t exin how the girls got their powers!" Nixiined, and then I went over the rest of the story until we arrived at the Keep. After I was done, Nixi was back to looking Nushi over, and at this point, the girl wasn''t even sitting in her own chair anymore. "I am not going to eat you, and I did not eat your grandmothers," Nixi said very slowly, and Nushi looked back at me with an aggressive amount of confusion stered all over her face. "It''s true, I just met all your grandmothers, and they all seem like nicedies, and I am sure that Nixi will let you visit with them," I said, but Nushi wasn''t the one to speak; it was Nixi that started tough. I turned to her with a raised eyebrow, but Nixi just put her hand out to get me to wait until she could get herself under control. Nushi was frozen in ce, and it was time to get up and check the meat out, but Nushi wasn''t moving. "Pft, you think that they are nicedies, but that is only because you have only met them on time, and none of them were able to corner you alone or in pairs. Maybe you should bring Nushi for a visit tomorrow? I am sure that they are all the morefortable around you, and they will take excellent care of you," Nixi said with a wink, and I looked down at Nushi, stuck with a frozen look on her face. This reveal must have been just too much for her after living in fear for so long. Now, it was like we were telling her that it has all just been some borate joke. I had no choice but to slide my hand under Nushi''s bottom and lift her up with me. Nushi unconsciously leaned into me and wrapped her arms around my neck as I walked over to the oven. Lidy had signaled to me that they were done, and when I got over there, she handed me a thick potholder and then opened the oven for me. I smiled and thanked her after I was done with Nushi still resting on me without saying a peep. I pulled the Loose Leaf Dagger and held it out to the meat, giving it mental instructions on how I wanted the meat cut. Once I was finished, Lidy grabbed the tter of cut meat and followed me to where Jilly was waiting. Before I left the room, I turned back to tell Nixi that I woulde in the afternoon with Nushi, but she was gone already. Chapter 71 - He Remembered, Not Letting Go I turned back to the living room, and Lidy had already set the te down. Jilly and the Cerberus girls were already digging into the food, and Lidy turned to face me. "Eggs in the morning?" Lidy asked me and started to turn to head upstairs, but I walked over quickly to stop her, reaching out my hand to her, but she shook her head, and pushed my hand down ?? "Why don''t you join us?" I asked, but Lidy just smiled at me and shook herrge horns curling horns from side to side. "No, you have other evening ns, don''t you? I am sure that Mary is not done with you yet, and If I stay, I might like it too much," Lidy said and turned to head up the stairs without another word. I watched her go and got a nice view of her naked ass, and I bit more as she left, but then a soft nip at my neck got my attention. I looked down and then remembered what I was doing as I looked into Nushi''s squinted eyes. "Do you need to do that when I am in your arms?" Nushi asked crossly, and I had to gulp down some air. "Sorry, I, ah, yeah, I will keep my eyes in my head," I said and turned back to the other girls and walked over to the couch. I sat down slowly and let Nushi slide down onto myp, and I assumed that she was going to slide off me. Instead, Nushi turned to put her back to my chest and leaned back, waiting. I knew what she wanted, and I wasn''t able to do it at lunch, so I grabbed one of the metal-looking chopsticks that Lidy had left on the te for us. I stabbed the meat, but I was surprised that they didn''t have forks or something like it, but I guess chopsticks were easier to make. I would stab the meat and then hold it about ten centimeters from Nushi''s face. Then, and only when she was done entirely chewing, Nushi would take my hand and guide the meat into her mouth. Jilly was the first one to finish therge pile of sections that I had cut up for her, and she got up right away and started to make her way over to the stairs. I reached out to catch her hand before she went by me, and that stopped Jilly. She looked down at me, but Jilly had one of those, whatever you want, it better be a good reason to interrupt me. I smiled up at Jilly and let go of her hand. "Are you still going toe and let me wash you off in the morning? I will be waking up super early to go see if I can deal with Jessabell, but I should be back in good time," I said, but Jilly was already looking away from me, and I swear I heard her mumble, "He remembered," but I wasn''t about to ask her and ruin the moment. "Umm, yes, that is fine. Come get me when you¡­ um,e back, please?" Jilly asked shyly but then ran up the stairs before I could answer. Something had changed about Jilly since we were at Lava Lake. While I thought the new attitude was cute, I could tell that something was really bothering her, so I would have to try and make her feel better tomorrow. There was only so much one man could do in one day, and my day was already stretched. I turned back, stabbed a bigger slice of meat, fed it to Bera, and then grabbed one for Nushi. After all the meat was done, I picked up Nushi. She was bing more attached to me, and I was sure that it was because of the revtion with Nixi, again not a bad thing, but something that would need to be discussedter. I called for the Cerberus girls, and then I headed up the stairs with Nushi in my arms and the girls on my heels. They were still in dog form, and I think they thought they would being to bed with me again. Nushi''s room wasbeled, but before entering the room, I turned to the Cerberus girls. "Go up to your room, and I wille to say goodnight to you before bed, okay?" I asked the girls, and they hung their heads. "Tomorrow, you cane sleep in my bed, but tonight I need some time alone." The girls looked unsure, but then they turned and ran up to the next floor where theirs and Mary''s rooms were. I sighed and turned back to Nushi''s new room and opened the door. I was surprised to see all of the books from her other room inside the room, and the bed was the same. "You must have done a lot of work when we got home," I said as I looked around the room, but Nushi seemed just as surprised as I was from it. "I didn''t do this," Nushi said as I walked over to her bed. I reached down and pulled the covers back and thenid Nushi down in bed. The problem was that when I went to let go of her, Nushi didn''t, and I was held with my face almost touching hers. I could feel and hear her breath getting shorter, and after only a moment of looking into her beautiful smile, I knew what she wanted. I let my arms wrap back around her, and I slowly pulled Nushi into a kiss. At first, Nushi was stiff in my arms, but then she melted and gave into the kiss. Sparks crackled around me, but I really didn''t care; I wanted to enjoy all of this, but not tonight, and not without some proper preparation. I slowly pulled back and broke the kiss, and this time, she let me go. Before Ipletely pulled back, I leaned down and gave her another kiss, and then said good night, and then left the room, heading up to the next floor. Chapter 72 - Heartbreaking, Not Forgetting Anyone I put out the candle by Nushi''s door as I closed it. Things were slowly starting to put themselves together, and even the whole Nixi thing was working out. Still, these things were the easy ones to deal with. That was really only because I knew what Nixi''s deal was and what was going on with her. ?? Now I had to deal with the other misbegot girls and then things that came with them. And then there was the Demon Lord Dao, and he was for sure going to be a pain. That made me think about the first time I had met Jilly and what the more minor demon had told her, but did that still apply? Jilly was no longer staying there, so why should she have to pay rent? I walked up the stairs and turned to the girl''s room that was already open, putting the thoughts of Jilly''s rent to the back of my mind. I could talk to her in the morning after I got back from trying to rescue Jessabell. "Master?" I heard Riez call from the room, and I rubbed my hand over my face and walked into the room. ¡°I am not your master, Riez! You girls are my friends, not my pets," I said as I walked into the room but then froze in shock. The girls were sitting on the bed andpletely naked, but I didn''t want to look away. Yes, they were beautiful, but they were also very fragile, so I didn''t want to make them think that I found them hard to look at. "Why are you girls still not in bed?" I asked, looking them each in the eyes, and then they scrambled with the nkets to get under them. That did not turn out as nned, and within seconds, the girls were tangled up. I should have known better and just helped them out, rather than try to rush them when I knew that they didn''t haveplete control of their movements. I walked over and slowly helped the girls get untangled and then into the bed properly. After I was done, I looked down at them, but they didn''t look thatfortable. "You girls don''t have to sleep in this form, you can change back, and it will probably be a lot easier for you to get to sleep," I said to the girls, but they all shook their heads no, but at different speeds. "You can''t turn into a dog," Bera said softly. "If we sleep the other way, you can''t hold us like Mary," Cera said, and then blushed, trying to look away from me, but I was in her line of sight no matter where she turned. "If we don''t get used to sleeping like this, then you are not going to want to use us," Riez said, and she stared into my eyes as she spoke. I paused for a moment to think and didn''t speak right away. I could have guessed that was the reason, but it was hard to wrap my head around the idea that all these girls wanted to sleep with me. "I understand, but I still want you girls to befortable. When ites time for you three toe to sleep in my bed, I will still cuddle with you all when you are in your other form. It helps me to sleep better if I know that you girls arefortable," I said, but the girls didn''t move, so I sighed. I tried, but sometimes people just do what they liked, no matter what reasons were given. The girls had a one-track mind, and it seemed if they put their minds to it, that was what would be done. I tucked the girls in and then gave them each a kiss, but everyone was different. I leaned over the girls and kissed Riez first, and it was a regr kiss, but we held it until the other two got restless, and I moved to the next one. Bera''s kiss was a lot faster, but she had the softest lips, and the kiss left me feeling cool and refreshed. Cera was already trying to put the hand on her side into my shorts, and I had to pull it away as I moved to her, and I got a pouty-looking face when I brought my face to her. "Can''t I kiss you down there?" Cera asked with a devilish grin, but I shook my head. "Another night, and I will let you do that as much as you want," I said as I leaned in to give Cera a kiss, but both arms wrapped around me and pulled me into a fiery kiss that involved a lot of tongues. When I was finally able to pull back from the girls, all three were blushing and panting. They were all looking up at me with hungry looks in their eyes, but I shook my head no. It pained me to do it, and the sad looks I got were almost more than I could take, but then Riez spoke up. "Thank you, and we can wait. You have already done so much for us, so we shouldn''t be bothering you about this kind of thing, but we can''t help it. It''s always like this for us, every month, but for the first time, we get to choose," Riez told me, but her words were like a vise crushing my heart. These girls had been through a lot, but I would make their lives better. This was part of the reason that I wanted to do this; to help these girls get away from hard ces that were not good for them. The other thing I should have been aware of; female dogs went into heat every month. While I liked the idea of getting to give the girls what they wanted, there was also the fact that I was only one person. Hopefully, the other girls wouldn''t have the same problems, but I had to hope they were more spaced apart if they did. If they weren''t, I would have a hard time going any actual distance from the girls since they are not likely to be cars or the equivalent in this world. "Tomorrow evening, when Ie back, we''ll y catch for a bit, and then after supper, you three cane up and sleep in my bed with me. How does that sound?" I asked the girls as they looked up and me with big smiles, and they all nodded their heads happily. Chapter 73 - Mary Pt 3 I kissed the girls on the forehead before leaving and put out the light for them as I closed the door. The girls were cute, but their story was heartbreaking. Even if it was normal for a dog from the earth, I was from, this was not the earth, and I didn''t see these girls as animals. They were beautiful, cute, and kind, and I would make sure that they had a good life from this point on. ?? I was about to turn to head up to my room, but I spun around and ran quietly back down to the second level. I went to Jilly''s door and knocked quietly; after talking with the girls and being reminded of their story, I wanted to just say good night to Jilly. "What do you want that makes you have to run back down here?" Jilly called from the other side of the door. "I had forgotten to say good night to you!" I called through the door, but then I got silence from the other side. Maybe I was overreacting, thinking that Jilly would want me to treat her like the other girls. She was more of a woman than the other women, but at the same time, I think that she put on a stern face to cover other things up. "Thanks," Jilly whispered, and I was barely able to hear it, but I did and smiled to myself before turning back to start to quietly jog up to the top level. "Shit," I said out loud and then ran back down to the living room to grab the meat tter and what was left on it. I bolted back up to the top, but it didn''t take me very long to get up, and I went straight to my room and opened the door. Mary was sitting up in bed, staring at me, but I guess she must have been staring at the door, waiting for me. "Sorry beautiful, I had to get the girls tucked in, but I am here now," I said with a smile, and Mary returned it. "It''sss okay; I knew you wereingsss back. You brought me sssome meatsss, too!" Mary said with excitement, pping her hands together. I smiled, and sat down on the bed beside Mary, and started to feed her and the snakes, but it didn''t take very one. Mary was on a mission, it seemed, and when she finished eating, she tried to take the tter from my hands. I smiled, and then set it on the floor, pushed away from the bed, and then turned back to Mary. She was no longer under the covers, and her naked body waspletely on disy to me. Mary pointed to the slit on the front of her body that I had prated before in the pool as I climbed onto the bed. I knew what she wanted, but we weren''t underwater this time, so I wanted to try something different. "I will do that for you, but this time I will use my mouth instead of fingers, okay?" I asked Mary as I hovered over her teal blue slit between her hips. "You wanted to eatsss it?" Mary asked with a confused look on her face, and I just decided that it was something that was better shown than exined. I let my face drop and pushed my lips into Mary''s slit, and then let my tongue slide out and into her. Mary immediately started to moan softly and then began running her finger through my shaggy brown hair, which seemed to be growing far faster than it should. As I licked, I got a sweet vor like nothing that I had ever tasted before and let my tongue dig deep into Mary. I reveled in the sweetness of her juices, and that made me increase my speed a bit too fast. Suddenly, I felt Mary''s tail wrap around me and start to tighten on me, but I flexed my chest and continued on licking even harder. Mary was now moaning loudly, and I had already felt two of my ribs crack, but they healed so fast that I barely had time to register the pain from it. "Ssstop! Or I will¡­ pee, ahhh!" Mary cried out, but I knew what that meant and didn''t stop as my mouth was filled with her hot, sweet, and sulent juices. I drank all of it in, and my fatigue from the day seemed to leave me. I wasn''t sure if it was the pussy juice or the excitement of it all, but I was no longer feeling tired. "Whatsss was that? You licked me, but it felt different. I liked it, but now I want more seed in my hole, please," Mary told me, and she was so damn pretty and cute that I barely even wanted to fuck her, just kidding. I wiped my face, and slowly climbed up the bed to bring my face level with Mary''s, and then pressed my lips into hers. The familiar cool feeling of her lips, and her extraordinary smooth body, made my blood boil, and I was already guiding myself into her wet and waiting slit. Mary was nowhere near as tight as before, but I still had to slowly push myself in. As I did, I felt Mary''s nails start to dig into my back, and I reached for both her arms and then put them above her head. Mary pulled back a bit from my kiss and looked up at my hand that was pinning hers, but that''s when I started to move myself back and forth. Mary''s eyes got big as she watched myrge shaft slowly slide in and out of her, and her hands were forgotten as I used my other hand to fondle and squeeze her breasts. I had to prate Mary with my legs on either side of her hips, there was no way to enter her from behind, so I didn''t have many positions to choose from. Either I was drilling myself into her, or Mary would have to be on top doing the same thing but from a different view. Suddenly, Mary''s tail was wrapping back around me, but I caught the end of her tail as I picked up speed. As long as I rubbed her tail, Mary practically screamed with pleasure as I drilled my cock deep inside her slit, but I could feel the excitement building to a crescendo. Mary started to shake as she orgasmed and pumped all my hot semen deep into her tight little hole, and I let out a groan as I did. I let go of Mary''s hands and sunk down onto the bed beside her. "Thank you for ssseeding me," Mary said and then cuddled into me. I wasn''t sure what to say out loud to that, but I knew that I would be more than willing to help her with this issue any time she needed it! Chapter 74 - Growling, And Keeping My Word I woke in the morning, but it was still dark out, and I couldn''t feel my legs. Not really that surprising since I was sleeping with a woman that was a part snake butpletely adorable. I gently tried to uncoiled Mary from me, but I had no luck and even got growled at. This wouldn''t do, and I needed to get going, so I leaned down and grabbed the end of Mary''s tail that was trying to squeeze the life out of me. ?? I started to rub it, and Mary started to tighten on me, but then loosened up and let me slide myself out of her grasp. After I did, Mary curled up but never woke up, and I was d for that. I didn''t think that Mary was a morning person, and waking her up might not be suitable for my continued good health. I smiled at the thought and then tried to stand up, but it didn''t work out properly for me. I tumbled to the floor andy still for a moment, trying to get some feeling back into my legs, and then the pins and needles started. After about ten minutes of throbbing legs and trying to rub some feeling back into them, I was finally able to get up. I crept over to my single wardrobe and opened it up. All the shelves had shorts in them, but they were different colors, but they were extremely bright colors. "What are they trying to do? Paint a target on me?" I mumbled to myself as I grabbed a lime green pair of canvas shorts and put them on. I turned and crept over to the bed and leaned in to kiss Mary on the cheek, and the little witch growled at me! Well, looks like my seed must have served its purpose, and now I was just another creature to her? I tried not to feel sour about it, but it was hard when the girl was as cute as Mary was. I pulled back and then slowly crept out of the room and closed the door behind me. I turned and then headed down to the bottom level and then into the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat before leaving. I was surprised to find that Lidy was already up, and she had food prepared for me! "I knew that you would be up early to go deal with Jessabell, so I got up and made you a set of meat sandwiches. I will feed the girls this morning, but I would like some eggs when youe back. Remember, you told me that you would make eggs a different way, every day, right?" Lidy asked with a sexy smile, and I walked up to her and kissed her. "You really are the best, you know that, right? And yes, I will make you eggs when I get back! Today we will have them poached on toast!" I said to Lidy after the kiss, and she smiled at me, touching her lips softly as she did. "Mmm, That does sound good," Lidy said, and then she stepped into me and then reached up to pull my face to hers. This time the kiss was much more passionate, and I found myself putting hands all over her body. The fact that she had no clothes on, but her apron made me start to slip into a rabbit hole that I just didn''t have time for at the moment. I slowly pulled away from Lidy, and she had a passion-filled look that said she wanted more, but I shook my head. "Then I better get some more of that when I get back because I like it! You aren''t rough or mean, and I want to experience what little miss Mary got to twice yesterday! I think that you can have time for me when you get back and then still have energy for the pups tonight, right?" Lidy asked as she used one hand to run a finger down my chest and then the other hand to rub my stiff package. "Yeah, I think that I can fit you in, but not until after I take Jilly for a bath, okay?" I asked Lidy, and she gripped me in her hand, making me groan at the pleasure. "Just don''t make me wait too long, or I wille to find you, and get what I want, wherever you are," Lidy said, giving me a very pointed look that said I had better be the one to find her. Lidy leaned in again and then kissed my cheek and finally released her grip on my kickstand; the smell of her was intoxicating. I let out a breath that I hadn''t known I had been holding as Lidy pulled away and then left the kitchen. "I suggest that you hurry up, I tired her out quite a bitst night, but she is still angry with you. Neither of the Sphinxes is allowed to attack you, but they will make your life more than difficult if they are awake when you pass," Mex said from behind me, but I had gotten almost used to the unexpected surprises and turned to him. "Yeah, I am going," I said as I grabbed the two steak sandwiches and turned to leave, but Mex called out to me. "You also had better make sure that you give that woman what she wants. Lidy is an excellent helper, but the woman does not work for free if you know what I mean. Lidy is also a Passion Demon, meaning that she is very passionate about what she likes and doesn''t. So, just keep that in mind when you are talking to her and making ns," Mex said and then disappeared. I had gotten that feeling from the first time we met, but I didn''t think that it was an actual part of her; I would have to be more careful around her, and maybe that''s why Spel was scared of her. I would make sure that I paid thedy, but I really needed to get going, or I would be in trouble. Chapter 75 - Candace, And Veronica I had forgotten to ask Mex about how to get there, but I couldn''t turn back. I did remember where I had to go to get there for the most part. So, I bolted out of the house but slowed to close the door quietly. Once it wastched, I took off running to the front gate entrance of the Keep. ? ? There were no guards at the gates as I ran out. I was surprised by that, but I guess they were more just for show, considering who Mex was. I didn''t really have the time to be worrying about that right now, and I took off running. Though not too fast, I didn''t want to gas myself as soon as I got started. It was still mostly dark, but the sun was slowly starting to lighten the sky as I ran down the path to where I would be training with Grovelter. Once I arrived, I looked to the northwest. I was looking for the top of the Maze that I had seen before but noticed a path. That hadn''t been there before, so I had to assume Mex made it and started to run down it. This path was jungle-like, simr to the one to go to Wataluga''s area, and it was almost identical in the way that it looked. I wasn''t paying that much attention, though; It was starting to get very light out, but now I could see the massive three-story-tall grey stone building about two hundred meters in front of me. Then I saw her, sitting proudly at the entrance, eyeballing me. It was Max''s fuck buddy and my best friend, the Sphinx; I was toote. "So, looks like you don''t get to just sneak around me!" Candice said with triumph, but I didn''t have time for her games. I walked up and then straight past the giant Sphinx. I kept going without even looking at her, and she didn''t seem to like that. "HEY! You can''t just go in there! You have to answer my riddle!" Candice shouted at me, and I could tell that she was turned to face me from the projection of her voice, but I just kept walking. "Sorry, I don''t have time for your games. I also don''t have to answer any of your questions, and you can''t do anything about it," I said as I entered the Maze, but then there was another Sphinx waiting inside for me, and I rolled my eyes. A guy just couldn''t get a break, but they couldn''t harm me, so I wasn''t sure if I should be worried about them or not. Mex has said that they couldn''t hurt me, but he also said that they were going to make my life a living hell if they caught me. "So you are the one that has Candice all worked up? Not much to you, but you have seemed to get under her skin, and she is my little sister, so I don''t think that I will let you pass," The more enormous Sphinx said as she blocked my way, and I groaned but ran straight at the massive creature. The Sphinx was surprised and unable to react to me as I dropped down and slid on my shorts underneath the creature. The moment I was past the older sister, I was up and running again. "HEY! That is not how this works!" The Sphinx called out after me in anger, but her voice was already starting to fade as I put more and more distance between us. I was d that I was able to get free from them, but now I had no idea where I was going. The inside was all smooth grey stone, unlike the rough texture of the outside. I had remembered it froming in, but there was nothing to indicate which way to go. At first, it wasn''t too bad if I took a wrong turn, and the dead-end would be right away, but after the fourth fork in the path, the wrong paths started to get longer. That meant that I had to spend more time backtracking, and when I got back from my second long walk back, the girls were waiting for me. "Think you''re so smart! You won''t fool my sister, Veronica, twice!" Cadence called out to me as I approached, and I rolled my eyes. "Oh, then that means that you are the one that always gets tricked? Wait, don''t answer that; I have something better, I said as I walked up to the two Female Sphinx that was blocking my way. "You want to ask us a question? What makes you think that we will answer you?" Veronica asked as she looked down at me, but I just shrugged. "Maybe you do, maybe you don''t, doesn''t really matter to me," I said as I looked the girls up and down like I was sizing them up and then asked them a question. "How many Sphinx does it take to screw in a light bulb?" Both creatures looked thoroughly confused, and that was exactly how I thought that they would react. "The answer is over there," I said, pointing down the hall that I had initiallye from, and both of the Sphinxes looked over at the same time. I ducked down and ran through Veronica''s leg, and then out from behind her, and started to run again, but this was going to keep on happening if I let them stay behind me. Not like I had a lot of options at this point, and I guessed that I would just have to keep dealing with them. Then I heard a dongling noiseing from ahead that sounded strangely familiar. I listened as I got closer to the sound. Soon, as I progressed further, I was able to hear the sound more clearly, and I knew what I was hearing, the Blue Oyster Cult and Will Ferrell had engraved it into my head. Now I just had to listen to know what way to go, and the sound of the Cowbell got closer and closer, but then something weird started to happen. As I got near to the sound, the sound started to move away from me, and then I stopped, and so did the Cowbell. Oh, you have got to be kidding me! Now I had to chase this Scaredy-Cow around the Maze? "Ha! Found you!" called Candice, and she and Veronica came barreling around the corner. Great, now this has just be a Looney Tunes skit! I had no choice but to turn and chase after Jessabell cause I need more Cowbell! Chapter 76 - Catching Up, Off Topic "You can''t run forever, little man! We will catch you!" Veronica called out as I ran. These women were so damn annoying, and out to make this whole process take far longer then it needed to! Making my life hell was an understatement, and what was with this girl? ?? How the hell could she run fast enough to outdistance me no matter how fast I ran?! It seemed like every time I sped up, so did she, and I was starting to believe the Sphinxes. "You are never going to catch her! The woman is more than a head and a half taller than you!" Candice called up to me, but I was not going to be beat. I blocked the girls out and started to focus on my breathing; even, deep and powerful breaths. In my mouth and then out my nose, but something was different, and my body started to pump up, and push harder. The Mana or Magic that was recing the water in my body was reacting differently, and suddenly I felt like I was barely jogging. Each breath made my steps light, and then I ran faster than I had ever moved in a car. Every sense in my body turned up, and even though I was moving fast, I felt like I was moving at the same speed. It was everything that was slowing down around me, and I pulled away from the Sphinx sisters with ease. I could still hear the Cowbell, but it was a lot slower now, and a couple times, I had to pause, but I finally caught up to the tock and clop. When I rounded thest corner, I called out to the huge woman in a Holstein print bikini, and two¡­ three¡­ FOUR BREASTS! This was the moment that she noticed me, and Jessabell turned around to me, making my eyes go wide in confirmation. I got a full view of the fourrge breasts that were stacked on top of each other and obviouslyrge nipples pushing out, making lumps in her bikini. She had the same ck and white patterned hair from her knees down, and now the name, Minostien was starting to make a lot more sense. I could think of arge number of different things that I would like to try with her, but big dick or not, that was made for some weird sex trying to climb a mountain! This all went through my head at light speed, and then Jessabell Scream at the sight of me and bolted. I shook my head and followed but had no idea how I was going to do this. "Ha, we have... you know that you are¡­ tired!" Candace called to me, and I saw that both were winded, but this was probably the most exercise these two had gotten in ages. "I am not tired; I was just thinking," I said as I did just that, trying to figure a way to get Jessabell and to get her back to the apartment block. "Well, my sister is the master''s ything, but I don''t have someone to give it to me like she does," Veronica said suggestively, and that made me look up at the approaching female face in shock with a raised eyebrow. "Excuse me? I don''t think that we are quite the right match, I am not¡­ Sphinx enough to join the Sphinx club, if you know what I mean. Since we are on the subject, how does Mex satisfy your sister?" I asked, and Candice answered to my surprise. "He gets bigger, duh! Then the Master fucks my tight pussy until I am unable to walk. And then he does it for about another hour until I can barely talk or even form words!" Candice replied to me with more cheer and excitement than I thought due to this conversation but to each their own kind. Still, I was not fuckling an animal, female face or not. There were just some limits that I would not break. The monster girls were a different story because they were all primarily human or could change into one. "Listen, I think the conversation has gotten a bit off-topic. Were you two not just trying to stop me from getting to Jessabell?" I asked, diverting the conversation from sex, but Veronica was having no part of that, and I was slowly backing up as she advanced on me. "How do you know that you won''t like it? My Master Mex seems to enjoy absolutely destroying my sister, and I can only watch!" Veronica said as she got close with a predatory look in her eyes. At this point, I was sure if **** was included in the orders to not hurt me. The closer Veronica got to me, the less likely that seemed. "Listen, you have a pretty face, but you are far more Beast than humanoid, and I am just not into that. I am sure that Mex would give you what you want if you asked him, right?" I said, still trying to figure out what to do, but Candice shook her head no. "No, he will only do it to me because I have always been barren, so his ck demon juices just leak out. If he does it to Veronica, she will no longer beagle to bear children, and she will birth a demon Sphinx. The world does not need one of those," Candice said, rolling her eyes, but now I seemed to be getting somewhere with them. "Ah, I get it, but I am not really sure how I can help you. I can''t get bigger, and like I said, it''s just not my thing, so I wouldn''t be able to perform," I said, and Veronica''s expression fell to a somber-looking face. Fuck, Veronica did have a cute face, and now it looked sad, and I really didn''t like that, but I didn''t have a way to fix it. Maybe I could see if I could find her a partner? I am sure that there have to be some male Sphinxes kicking around here somewhere. Chapter 77 - First Totem, I Wont Separate Family "Look, since neither one of us can do it, then what If I try to find you a male of your own species or at least something close? I don''t know how sessful I will be, but I will try, and that is the best that I can do," I said, and Veronica''s expression brightened a bit. "Really, you would do something like this for me?" Veronica asked me hopefully, and I nodded my head. ?? Now, time to get what I want, as horrible as that might sound, which was a trade of services. "Okay, so I will do this thing for you, but I need help, and it will probably make your lives easier. How can I get Jessabell from here? I need to take her back to Mex''s Keep, but I can''t just scoop her up and run off with her, right?" I asked, and Veronica lifted an eyebrow at me. "Why not? The Master must have told you about her. Jessabell is Omniphobic, and a Hypochondriac, so you will need to either knock her out or cover her uppletely. That will be the only way that you will get her out of here," Veronica exined to me, and now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "I am not knocking her out, but will a sheet really work?" I asked. "That''s what we do when she starts to have a panic attack; a nket is the only way that you will calm her," Candice exined as she walked up beside her sister. I was surprised that Candice was willing to give me any information, but I guess if I was willing to help her sister, I wouldn''t be that bad. I guess that I would just have to take their word on it. This could also just be some kind of trick, but something told me that we were past that. I think that now I might even be able to consider Veronica a friend, if not her sister as well. *THUMP* Suddenly, I felt a thump in my chest like a force was forcing me to push my chest out, and I lost power in my legs. I dropped to my knees, only able to look forward to Veronica, but she was now glowing blue. "What is going¡­." I tried to say, but A message window cut me off, and I understood what was going on. [Totem: Water Sphinx] Confirm: Yes/No? Yes. I understood now; this was my ss, the Shaman. I looked down, and I could feel the mark as it appeared as three circles that made a sort of triangle. "What did you just do to my sister?!" Candice said, trying to step towards me. Veronica pushed her head into Candice to stop her and let out a low growl. "I choose this, leave him," Veronica growled and then looked back at me with a warm smile. "I guess this isn''t quite what I wanted, but you are very strange, in a good way, and I lend you my strength." I smiled and nodded back to her; this was different. It wasn''t like I could read Veronica''s mind, but I could feel that she was happy with the way things had turned out. "I appreciate that, and I will try to use the power you have lent me to the best of my ability. Now, though, I really need to get this girl back to the Keep. I have a lot more I have to do with the girls and other things and people I need to do," I said and was about to turn when Veronica turned back to her sister. "Give it to him!" Veronica snapped at Candice, and she took a step back from her sister. "Fine, you are his little pet now, I get it! HERE!" Candice shouted at me before she turned her head back to grab a package that I hadn''t seen before. Candice turned back and tossed the bundle to me, and I caught it. When I looked down at it, I realized what it was right away, and I looked up with a smile. "Thank you, both of you. I know that we didn''t get off on the right foot, but I think that we can change that. I know that you like Mex, but I just want to be able to be civil around each other since I am more than likely going to be seeing a lot more of your sister. Where do you two normally live when you aren''t watching the Maze entrance?" I asked, but Veronica shook her head. "We don''t have a home besides this ce. We mostly wandered before Mex found us. He saved us from being killed but a part of demons that wereing to kill us. Since then, Mex has mostly taken care of us as long as we watch the maze and Jessabell. So, I am not sure what he will do with us now that we don''t serve a purpose," Veronica said, but her voice had gotten a lot softer as she finished speaking, and I could understand why. I was sure that someone who would leave people in a brainless drooling state was a problem, and not many would like that. Looks like I was going to have to ask Jilly to do some more building when I got back. "The Master won''t just leave us!" Candice said, trying to cheer her up, but that just made Veronica''s mood even worse. "No, He won''t leave you, but now that I serve no purpose, why would he keep me around or give me a home? I am no use to him," Veronica said, but that is when I stepped in. "Listen, I have a ce in Mex''s courtyard, a house that Jilly, the Oomukade built. I will ask her to build a ce attached to the house today, and you girls can be my escort back to the Keep. I will give you a home; all I ask is that you don''t ask me any riddles that could turn me into a drooling vegetable, okay?" I asked, and both the girls'' eyes lit up with happiness, but then Candice froze. "You just mean my sister, right? Since I already have the Master to take care of me?" Candice asked quietly, but I smiled at her. "No, I mean both of you, I won''t separate you girls, the two of you are family. Now,e help me with Jessabell. The sooner we are done here, the sooner I can get back and get Jilly working on your new home!" I said with a smile, and the girls nodded excitedly. Now, if only Jessabell could go this smoothly, but something told me I was asking for too much. That meant that I was more than likely about to pay for my greediness. Chapter 78 - Climb On, But Dont Fall Asleep "So, how do I go about catching her?" I asked the two Sphinx''s, now that we were on better terms. "You have to be quiet and sneak up on her and then put the nket over her head," Candice exined, but Veronica shook her head. ? ? "No, that won''t work now. You know how Jess gets once she is scared, and there will be no way for us to sneak up on her. Climb onto my back, and then move up, so you are tight to my neck. You will have to put the nket over your head and then bury yourself in my mane," Veronica exined to me as she lowered herself down to me. "Are you sure," I asked as I walked up to Veronica, holding the strange patchwork nket I had been given. "Yes, she already said she was ready to let you inside of her, so why would she care if you rode on her?" Candice said as she walked by me and then bumped me with her back end into her sister. Yes, well, that was true, and she was bonded to me, but I still wasn''t sure what that meant. I climbed up and then scooched myself forward until I was sitting on Veronica''s neck and tight to the back of her head. I was about to put the nket over my head, but then Veronica spoke up just before I did. "Don''t fall asleep; the nket is enchanted to make the person using it feel very rxed. I also don''t want to brag, but I am sure you can tell that my hair is very soft and inviting, or so the Master tells me," Veronica exined, and she was right. "Okay, I will keep that in mind, but what am I supposed to do? Just wait for you to get close enough to her and then toss the nket on her?" I asked as I got myselffortably tucked into Veronica''s cloud-soft fur. "Something like that. You will have to wait for your chance while we try to calm her down. I will use the word trepidation when I think that it will be a good time for you to try. Remember, you will only get one chance at this, and then it will be you chasing her again, and even with your speed, I don''t think that you will be able to catch her," Candice said. I guess that I would just have to trust the two sisters that were just out to make my life hell, and that was all I could do. I didn''t have time to keep messing around here; there was still a lot left for me to do today, and now I would have to butter Jilly up some more when I got back. "Okay, I am relying on you girls for this, and I have faith in both of you. If we get it right the first time, I promise that I will have a treat for you both when I get back from my training. Whatever you girls would like, within reason," I said, and I was sure I heard Veronica let out a small defeated sigh, so I rubbed the side of her neck in constion. "I will try my best to find you, someone, like I said, but you will have to give me time." "I know, but do you know that Sphinx''s are only female? And other than Tiga''s father, the idiot Manticore, there is nothing on this ind that would be close to me," Veronica said quietly as we started to move. "No, I didn''t know that, but give me some time to ask some questions to the right people, okay? I will try as hard as I can, but that is the best that I can do," I whispered to Veronica and then pulled the nket over my head after I felt her nod. Instantly I felt tired, but not the exhausting kind. It was like I had justid down on one of the costly beds at the mattress store, and now I didn''t want to get up. Veronica was right, and I had to fight not to let myself slip off for a nap. I concentrated on the girls'' different footsteps, but that just made it worse, but then I heard a new voice, and I focused on that. "Umm, hello? Veronica? Candice? Is that you girls? Or¡­" The female voice that had to be Jessabell, asked in a very nervous tone. "It is just us, there was another person, but Candice asked them a question. You know how that goes, and now we areing to see if you are alright since we had to chase him for a while," Veronica exined. "Him? There was a man¡­ here? Was he alone? Do others know that he was here? Are they gone toe and infect me with something? or maybe they want toe just to kill me!" Jessabell said, but the girls tried to calm her. "No, as far as we know, he was alone. When we are done here, we will go back out the front to watch and make sure that no one elsees, okay?" Veronica asked, but that didn''t seem to be what she wanted to hear from them. "No one is watching the door? What if there are monsters or demons already inside?! They could be hiding everywhere! I am going to die, but I don''t want to die yet! I haven''t even been able to have a baby yet, but now I am going to be killed, skinned, raped, and probably be given arge number of diseases too!" Jessabell cried out, and I could hear the colp of her hooves, meaning that she must be dancing back and forth on them. The order that she assumed that everything was going to happen made it sound like an excellent way to go if that list of things was going to happen. Still, this was not helping because I could hear the clopping of her Hooves start to move away from my position. "No, it is fine, and you know that the Master protects you from all evils, and he would never let something bad happen to you, right?" Candice said, and then the clopping stopped for a moment. Chapter 79 - Calming, So Thats What He Meant The sounds that Jessabell was making had stopped, and when she spoke again, I was very close to where she was. So close that I need to restrain myself from trying to peek out of the nket that was covering me. "The Master did say that when he found me, but even he is scary! I heard how he makes you cry out when he visits! I don''t want to cry like that!" Jessabell cried, and now I could tell that Veronica must be almost right beside her. ?? "What the Master does to me doesn''t hurt me that much, and I ask him to do it to me. I think if you tried it with someone, you might feel less trepidation about it," Candice said, and that was my cue. I sat up and pulled the nket off me and was hit with a wave of excitement, nervousness, and adrenaline, all at the same time. It was like sitting at a desk with a blindfold on and then taking it off to find that I was on a rollercoaster that was just about to hit the shit and do a twenty-meter drop. I turned to a horror-stricken Jessabell who had an adorably cute face, but it looked to be about to explode with terror. I tossed the nket over her head before she could let out the scream that she had been sucking in the wind for, and Jessabell froze. At the same time, Veronica lowered herself to about Jessabell''s waist height. The nket wasn''t big enough to cover the second pair of breasts, but it dramatically affected Jessabell. "Hurry! Pull her onto my back, and then keep the nket over her head! We will take you both back to the Master''s home, but you will have to keep her calm. The nket will only do so much, and once we go outside, things will only get worse for her," Veronica exined to me as I did as I was told, pulling Jessabell toe andy down. I was astonished by how well she acted with the nket over her head, but at the same time, it was scary. The fact that a nket could do so much to her must have been one of the reasons why Mex was protecting her, and I could see how others might abuse this. I was going to have to find a way to deal with this fear in the future, but for now, I just needed to get her back to the apartment. Then I was going to have to find a ce to put her; hopefully, Jilly will have already made something for her, but I had no idea what it would be. Jessabellid down over myp, and Veronica lifted herself up slowly and then started to walk without any trouble. I wasn''t overly heavy, but between Jessabell and me, there had to be a lot of weight pushing down on Veronica''s back, but it didn''t seem to bother her at all. I reached down and made sure that the one end of the nket was still tucked between my legs and Jessabells breasts. As I did, Jessabell let out a small whimper, and I pulled my hand back like I had just realized I had stuck my hand into a basket of vipers. "Sorry, I did not want to do this, but I need to get you back to the Master''s Keep so we can keep you safe. I know that you probably don''t think that is true right now, and I can''t really me you. My name is Kazz, and I am¡­ a Rancher that takes care of monster girls, and the Master, Mex, asked me toe and get you to bring back to the Keep," I exined, but I only felt Jessabell tense up as I spoke. I wasn''t really sure what I could tell someone that was scared of everything. I started to unconsciously stroke Jessabell''s back as Veronica and Candice made their way out of the maze, and I felt some of the tension start to leave Jessabell. That made sense, and I know that I found it rxing when someone did the same to me. I started to pay more attention to what I was doing, and soon I felt Jessabell gopletely limp over me. "Well, that is one way to do it," Candice said quietly from beside me, and I smiled at her. "I just hope that she doesn''t lose it when we get back, and I have to take the nket off her head. When I took it off, it was a huge rush, and it was all I could do to quickly get the nket over the top of her head," I whispered back. "Yes, well, I hope that you have somewhere safe to put her from now," Veronica said as we reached the entrance to the maze and then walked out. The girls both stopped and looked back at the maze for a moment, and I could almost tell what they must be thinking as they looked longingly at the entrance. This was a big step for them, and I was sure they had started to consider this ce as their home. "You girls cane back and visit still," I said, not really sure what to say, but both the girls turned back with beautiful smiles to look at me. "This ce has always been a safe ce for us, but I don''t think that it could be called our home. We have never had a home, so for me, I was just thinking about what it will finally be like," Veronica said and then turned her head back to facing forward. "Yes, good riddance! And now I can be closer to the Master!" Candice said quietly, and I grinned at her. "You do know that the Master has a wife, right?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, and then I got a confused look from Candice. "Hmmm? Master said that you were taking care of his wife for him so he could give me more attention, right?" Candice asked me, and I rolled my eyes. What Mex had said yesterday started to make a lot more sense, but then I felt Candice tense underneath me. Great. Chapter 80 - Hero, I Guess I Could Listen "No, Mex mixed my words up; I have enough things to worry about right now. Let''s get back quick; I still have a bunch of stuff to do," I said to the girls, and Veronica started moving without saying anything. I was going to have to figure out something for this, but Veronica also didn''t need to get sensitive about this kind of thing. I was just a man helping women, not one that was tied to them¡­ well, maybe I was a little bit. ?? "I am sure that Clesh will find her way into your bed if the Master assumes she is. Most demon women don''t like demon men because they go¡­ demons on them, and that is fine with me, but you can see how a smaller creature might not enjoy it," Candice said as we started to walk. That was fair, and after seeing how big Mex had gotten before, I was able to understand. I guess that I wouldn''t mind if Clesh or the other women snuck into my bed, but I didn''t have time for women fighting over stupid things like that. I continued to stroke Jessabell''s back, and I pondered what I was supposed to do with her. I guess that I would have to ask Nixi and the other grandmothers if I could put her up on the ind at the top of the tower. That would solve one of my problems, but there was another thing that I was slightly worried about. It was one of those minor things, but it was still something that I needed to consider. While Mary, the Cerberus girls, and the demon girls were all the same size as me, I wasn''t sure what to do about Jilly, and now Jessabell, and Veronica. While there was no denying that we could do things, it would be like throwing a hotdog down a hallway. Hero? I thought you had gone on a vacation? And since when are you my guide? I don''t even know how to use the thing yet, and you want me to train with the thing turned on all day long? The man had a point, and I had already caused him enough grief to begin with, so it might not be that bad of an idea to hear him out. Okay, I will listen, but what will the Totem do for me? Interesting, this would be very helpful, but at the same time, it was going to be highly distracting. I had more problems than I could count on right now, so this was going to be quite the experience. I had never really liked to over process thinking; getting worried about things that you can''t control isn''t good for you. At the same time, because of myck of caring of what I did to make it to the top on Earth, this might not be bad. "We are here," Veronica said quietly, and I was pulled from my introspection with Hero. I looked up, still stroking Jessabell''s back as I did, and there was the Keep and my muchrger apartment beside it on the right. I still felt weird about it, but Mex had basically moved in and said I could do whatever I wanted. I guess I could see where he wasing from, but he had better still be doing what he is supposed to as a Demon Lord! I needed to talk to him about that to find out how that would and what I could do about Jilly''s rent. "Thanks, can you take me up into Mex''s Keep, and then I''ll go drop Jessabell off with Nixi. You two can find some shade for now, but you will have to wait until Ie backter for me to get the rest sorted; I have the training," I exined to the girls quietly. "Thank you, we will be fine in the shade, but if there is water, that would be good as well," Veronica said. "Yes, I will get arge basin, and I will ask Lidy to prepare some Meat for you," I said, but then Candice gave me a horrified look as we crossed the bridge to the front gate. "We don''t eat meat! Just nuts and berries, and some watery leaves, please¡­." Candice asked me, trailing off, and I nodded. I hadn''t really thought about anyone but Nushi not wanting to eat meat, but I was sure that Lidy would be able to help get something prepared. "Yes, I will ask Lidy about it, but I am sure that we have some of all that stuff. Good morning men," I said as the two guards, Spel and Trig, gawked up at the two sphinxes and me as we walked by. The two didn''t say anything, and then they just turned back to face forward after we passed them by. Either the men knew who the girls were already or were just terrible guards; I would say thetter, but I wasn''t here to judge. We reached the front of the Keep, and Veronica bent down for me to get off easily, and I was able to get off without taking the nket off Jessabell''s head. I then rolled her into my arms awkwardly but was able to lift herrge frame with ease now. I was fortunate to have made peace with these girls, and I might not have been able to get Jessabell if it weren''t for them. I wonder if this was Mex''s n all along? Chapter 81 - The Heat, And Bygones I looked over at Veronica as I walked around, where she was still bent down at my height. Now that I was up close to Veronica''s face, I could see just how much bigger she was than me. "Thank you for all your help, girls, and especially you, Veronica. Thank you for giving me a ride," I said, and I walked up to Veronica''s face and then kissed her cheek that was evenrger than Jilly''s. ?? I could feel the heat start to radiate off Veronica''s face as she crawled back from me, and that stood back up in shock. I watched her lift one of her paws up to touch the ce that I had kissed, and I turned around to head into the Keep. "Find some shade so you can both keep cool. I will send someone out to bring you water and food," I said as I awkwardly opened the door and slipped into the Keep. The door closed behind me, and I sighed and then started walking up the Astroturf stairs. Jessabell was awake, but she was shaking and staying quiet as I carried her to Nixi''s room. I had to wonder what was going through her head right now that allowed her to stay mostly calm? I would have thought that nothing could help someone that was scared of everything, but I guess that everyone has some kind of coping mechanism. I knocked on Nixi''s door, and there was a scramble that came from behind the door, and then I heard women arguing and then some crashing. I wasn''t sure If I should stand this close to the door, and I also wished that the women would calm themselves down. Jessabell was starting to shake more now, and I couldn''t really me her. I was worried about what was going to be waiting for me on the other side of the door for us, and when I finally did open it, I was surprised to find that Mex''s mother, the redheaded one, was the one that opened the door to greet me. "Wee! Have youe to¡­ what is in your arms?" Perita asked me as she Looked over Jessabell, then she got a look of understanding and nodded her head. "Ah, I see. Yes, bring her inside, and we will take you upstairs? I assume that was what you wanted, right?" "Yeah, if you girls don''t mind watching over her until I am done with my training. I need to do some stuff with the other girls, and now I need to get Jilly to make some more room for Jessabell and the two Sphinx girls," I exined, and Perita nodded. "Yes, the other women are already up there waiting, but we will have to send you back the same way. I can take the Minostien up with me, and then you don''t have to getunched out of the Keep," Perita told me with a warm smile. "Ummm, sure¡­ You got this?" I asked, trying not to say something rude, but Perita nodded to me with a smile and then took Jessabell from me with almost no effort. "We will take care of the girl; you go deal with the other ones and get what you need to be done. Just remember how helpful we are to you in the future," Perita said with a smile as she closed the door on me before I could respond. Then I was standing out in the hall all alone, or I was for a whole fraction of a second. "Why do you insist on trying to sneak up on me?" I asked as I turned around to face Nixi. To be honest, I had really thought it was Mex behind me but, one was just as bad as the other. "I was just observing your interactions with the different women. Kazz Foreman, I really don''t like you, but there is something that is different about you that I can''t deny. I hope that you continue to keep doing this kind of work in the future," Nixi said to me, but I raised an eyebrow at her. "Hmm? What is this all about? You''re supposed to hate me, right? I still don''t like you very much, but I can see your reasoning for what you have done, but I disagree with your careless attitude towards everyone that is around you," I said and then began to stretch. "I am just seeing things the way they are right now, and I have been thinking about some of the things that you said. I didn''t like most things that you used me of, but I also can''t say that you are incorrect in assuming those things. I have just been dealing with people like my son and his pet projects for so long. I guess you can say that I was getting tired of knowing that nothing was going to change, and it was only a matter of time before someone found out what was going on," Nixi exined, and then took in a deep breath, then let it back out in a long exhale. "I can see why you might feel that way, but if you want to get off this ind, then we need to work together. Though, I will not work with you if you can not control your anger. None of the girls or even Mex deserves your anger. I was the one that broke your shit and yelled at you, not any of the others," I exined, and Nixi looked to have resisted heavy eye roll as she nodded her head. "Yes, father, I will learn to get my anger in check! But then you have to start treating me with more respect!" Nixi countered, shaking her finger at me. "Sure, the moment you give me a reason to. I am not trying to be rude, but this is a two-way street. If we are going to work together, this will take effort from both of us. For now, I just want you to help me with Jessabell. Help me figure out what the best way to deal with her will be and how I can keep her and the rest of us safe from her; deal?" I asked. "I shall do my best; you keep getting stronger and get the girls back here that will be with us. The moment you can break through the barrier, I want to be out of here," Nixi said, and I nodded in agreement. Chapter 82 - Eek, A Taste Of Sphinx! I turned around and then ran back down the stairs and outside, turning to the left and heading to my ce sprinting, but stopped when I saw a strange-looking woman holding a vicious-looking sword. "Hey! Yes, you! There isn''t anyone else out here!" The woman said to me with a growl. ?? She was short and had teal skin but darker than Mary''s, and she had what I would consider being Egyptian features. The sword she was carrying was a scimitar, but the de was jagged like a saw. "What would you like? Keita? Is that your name? You''re the Mad scientist with all the failed creations, right?" I asked, and then she threw the swords at me. Instantly, without warning, my Totem Mark started to glow, and time slowed, and I watched the jagged scimitar fly at me. It was very elegantly crafted for all of the Jigsaw vibes it was throwing off, but I really hoped that Jilly wasn''t mad and me for taking so long. The de still hadn''t reached me yet, and I was starting to get worried about the way that I had to leave Mary this morning and the way she had acted towards me. There was also making sure that I spent the night with the Cerberus girls tonight, and I needed to deal with Lidy. Then I caught the swords, and the world stepped back into ce, and I used my free hand to clutch my head. Holy shit, If that de would have taken any longer, I was about to cross into a ce that I didn''t want to go to and that I had been ignoring. "Smart-ass! Yes, I am Kieta, the Failed Sphinxlin, that is always left with more questions than answers!" The woman yelled at me and was about to storm off, but I stopped her. "Wait, sorry, I didn''t mean it like that. I am sure that it isn''t easy to craft a magical weapon; I was just making sure that you were the right person. I can be a bit of a bonehead sometimes, and I have a lot on my mind right now, so sorry. This is a very nice sword though; I don''t know much about them, but I can tell that the bnce is perfect, and it is a nice weight," Iment, and the woman walked over to me and put out her hand, and I handed her the sword, but Keita would take it. "Take care of me! I have heard from Nushi that you told her that you would take care of her, and now she has special abilities from that! I need that! Tell me what you want¡­ and¡­ I will try to give it to you¡­ But nothing perverted! I am not some sex-crazed demon, nor do I want to make any babies. The world doesn''t need any more Demons!" Kieta dered to me, and I dropped the sword in shock. "Woah, hold on, did you not just hear that I said I had too many things going on right now? I am already taking care of quite a few girls, and I have more on my list!" I said, putting my hands to my head, rubbing my temples. "I never said that it had to be right now, but I hope you can think about it. The Master takes care of a lot more people than you do, and it seems to work just fine for him," Keita exined, and I let out a long sigh; she had a point. "Okay, I will think about it, but I will have to get back to you either tomorrow or the next day. Does that work for you?" I asked, and Keita just shrugged. "Not like I can say no, you hold the power here. I will just have to wait patiently as I continue to be unsessful and will probably be thrown out of the Master''s Keep for being useless!" Kieta said dramatically, and I rolled my eyes and then shook my head with a smile. "I might believe that If I didn''t know Mex as well as I do, but there is no way that Mex would kick you out," I said, but Kieta red up at me. "Yes, he would! He threatens me all the time!" Kieta retorted. "Yes, it''s true, I do! Now get back to work and create something magical, you wretch!" Mex said from behind me and then walked up beside me with a light-lipped face that I knew was holding back a smile. "SEE! He is always threatening me to produce something, or I''m gonna get the boot!" Kietained but then ran away, squealing like a child as Mex chased her, making roaring noises. What the fuck was I watching right now? Was this really happening, but the better question was how the hell she could believe him when he was clearly joking? "She is a good person, but she needs a push, or she will just fall into a slump. She is very book smart, but her emotional intelligence is that of a young child''s, so she is very gullible," Mex said from behind me, and I wanted to hit him so badly, but then Mex tapped my shoulder. "You had better train more Water Boy before you try that, but I can understand why you might want to." "I bet you can; Nixi must always do it to you, right? Well, I don''t care, stop doing it, or I will be taking care of Candice, and you can take care of your wife!" I said, turning on Mex, and he narrowed his eyes at me. "Those are fighting words, boy," Mex said with a low voice, but I red at him. "Then stop being a jackass and appear in front of me. You aren''t fooling me, just annoying, and besides, right now, I think that I have been pretty nice and helpful, so I think we should be on more respectful terms. I don''t think we are equals, but I don''t want to be just another person that you sneak up on to annoy, alright?" I said, feeling in a bit of a huff after using the Sphinx Water Totem. That ability has caused me to think about all my problems. The things guing me and other things I had forgotten about were way too in-depth, and now I would have to train like that. Mex was looking at me and then nodded. "Yes, you''re right, and we aren''t the same. So, let''s make a deal, I will pretend to be the Demon Lord, and you can be the real one?" Mex asked and pped my hand to my forehead, but he wasn''t finished. "I only have one request, Leave Candice out of your, umm list of girls; she is mine. If you want to have a taste of Sphinx, I can talk to Veronica, but I don''t think that one would take much convincing. By the way, good work on making peace with the girls and bringing all three back!" Chapter 83 - Admire, And Envy I shook my head and then walked past him without saying a word; I didn''t have time for this right now. "At least think about it!" Mex called as I walked into the house and found the girls waiting for me. ?? Jilly looked tense, but the rest of the girls were rxing on the couches. Mary was curled up with Nushi on one side of her, and the Cerberus girls were on the other side of her. I went straight over to Jilly and smiled up at her. "I just need to go talk to Lidy about cooking for her after. Do you want to meet me in the bathroom?" I asked Jilly, and she looked away from me. "Yes, but I wasn''t waiting or anything like that, or upset, or anything like that," Jilly said, repeating herself as she turned and also walked into a table. I smiled as she made her way outside; I was reliving to see her act cute and a bit nervous, but I wouldn''t tell her that. At least not when there were other people around to hear, or she would get embarrassed and upset surely. I turned back to the other girls, and went over to them, and leaned down to give them kisses, and Mary tried to growl at me again, but this time I kissed her anyway, and she didn''t do anything but stayed still. "How did it go with Jessabell?" Nushi asked after sheughed at my exchange with Mary. "Good, I have her with your grandmother until I can get a ce for her that will keep her safe. I also met Kieta," I said, eyeing Nushi, who turned her head up to me with a smile. "And? How was that? Are you taking care of another girl now?" Nushi asked, putting a hand to cover her mouth, but only after she gave me a knowing grin, and I shook my head. "You are just as bad as your father, you know that, right?" I said to her, and then I heard Lidyugh from behind me, making me turn around. "As bad? You will learn that we are all far better at being Demons than the Master is," Lidy said, and I tipped my smile and shrugged my shoulders; I would believe it. "Good that you are here. Did you happen to hear me talking to Jilly?" I asked, and Liddy nodded, with her tail whipping around excitedly. "Yes, I will wait, but try to not take the rest of the morning; I am starting to get hungry for those eggs that I like so much and the promise that you made to me," Lidy said, the smile slipping off her face, rece with a more severe expression that almost made me gulp, and I nodded. "Yeah, I will, but I can''t rush my time with Jilly, and you know that! I also would like you to prepare something for the two Sphinxes that I brought back with Jessabell, if you don''t mind." I said, and Lidy nodded, then motioned to the door. "Then get going, and stop screwing around here with me. The sooner you are done, the sooner I get rid of this itch," Lidy said as she turned back to the kitchen, but I watched her hand slide under her apron in the front, going down to between her legs. I turned and ran out of the house; my heart was pumping with a bit of excitement, but I focused on the task at hand, Jilly. I hadn''t really got to spend too much time with her, and I also didn''t think that I had all of the story with Lizy, the Magma Spider. I ran back to the castle and waved at the two Sphinx lying on the other side of the Keep, opposite to where I had my castle built. God, now I was calling it my castle; damn that Mex and trying to sluff his duties off on me! Though the idea wasn''t a bad one, and then I would be able to maybe make the ce a little more efficient. Plus, if Mex could do it and be moderately sessful without the other two Demon Lordsing down on him, I should be fine. I walked into the Keep, and low and behold, guess who was waiting for me. Honestly, I should expect to see him every time I think about the Demon. "I break out in a terrible sneezing fit when it happens! So, then Ie and find you to see what you were thinking about; it usually is insulting, but also quite interesting," Mex said, and he looked me over. "Fine, read my mind!" I told him and thought of telling him to go fuck himself, and Mex frowned at me. "You''re not a demon, and why would I do that to myself? I can''t read your mind, but I can still read you like an open book. You are very expressive, and you should learn to keep a firm posture; stop slouching all the time; it makes you look short, and you already don''t need any help with that!" Mex said, raising an eyebrow at me. "Yes, great Master, sure, but I have shit to do, so Vamos, and let me get going. A woman is waiting on me," I said and turned away, starting to head to the left, around the fountain, but Mex still spoke as I left. "I admire, and envy you; when you act like a good person, everyone sees it for what it is. When I do good things, people just see me as being a useless and bad Demon Lord. Maybe they''re right, but then, I really don''t care, let them say what they want, and you can get this ce running. I would sooner be bad at being a Demon rather than be good at one," Mex said as I walked away. When he finished, I turned around to look at him, but Mex was gone. Chapter 84 - Late Rent, Not In A Single Mission I turned back and headed to the bathroom where Jilly was waiting and went inside to find Jilly naked and already in the water. I smiled and walked over to where the towels and soap were and grabbed a pail that was beside the stand. "Took you long enough; you sure like to keep a girl waiting," Jilly said, and then sunk down into the water and started to move around in the water to get her body wet. ?? "Sorry, I had to talk to some people, but I am here now, and it is time to get you clean," I said as I waded into the water with my bucket that had my soap and rags in it. "It''s fine. I know that you are doing things right now, and that is a lot of work. I am almost always surprised with how willing you are to help everyone," Jilly said as I started to scrub her red shell. "I am not saying that it is my job, but it is the task that I have set myself on, and I hate to see people in trouble. I am also trying to make up for my previous life where all I did was cheat and do things for myself, so I want to do things differently this time. I also need all of your help in order to make it anywhere," I said, but I was surprised with how well the grime came off. "What? Just because I can build things?" Jilly said, whipping around and hitting me across the face with her breasts. "Oops, sorry!" It was a good p, but good in a good way not, ouch, that hurt way, and I started tough. It''s really a pity that this woman didn''t see how important she was to all of us. "Your little building things are one of the most important and helpful systems that any of the girls have, and I think we will ever have! I am so thankful that you are the one that got it because I think that you are the only one that can properly use it," I said to Jilly as I moved down her shell and scrubbed. "Can you tell me some more about Lizy? You know that I am going to have to go get her, so I need to know what to watch for." Jilly turned away from me at first, and I thought that I was just going to get another titty smack, but she let out a long breath instead. Then Jilly turned slowly back towards me, and that is when she started to exin. "I don''t know how much I can actually help you when ites to her. Like you said, I had never asked any questions or really learned that much about her. I had thought that we were something like friends, and I thought that the challenge was going to be something small. I was naive, and I lost my home. That used to bother me, but now¡­ I am here with you, and it doesn''t hurt quite as bad as it did, and I feel like I actually belong with you all," Jilly said, and I continued to clean but spoke up. "That''s why I do this; I want to make a ce that is a home for anyone that wants it and is willing to work together as a team and family. I wanted to ask you something about yourst home, in the ravine. You still owe the Demon Lord Doa rent for there, right? How can we go about paying that?" I asked, and Jilly''s eyes went big. "I forgot about that! You will have to ask Mex to send you on an actual mission tomorrow, not on one of his tasks. Then you will be able to collect MP, and then we can give it to Doa, but you will have to go and visit him," Jilly exined, and I raised an eyebrow, and not only because there were a lot of you''s in there and no us''s. "That does not sound healthy; I mean me going to see the Great Demon Lord of the ind, right?" I asked, but Jilly shook her head. "No, he has no reason to hurt you or even bother you unless you do something to hurt him in any way. If that happens, then it doesn''t matter where you are on the ind; he wille for you. Demons are not all unreasonable, and Doa will not chance losing any of his good warriors to fight you. I am sure that his goal is to get off this ind; unlike the Lesser Demon lords that have no ambitions, Doa wants to increase his rank to the highest level, Empyreal," Jilly exined as I started on her legs. "Okay, that makes sense. So, I just have to get the Monster Points and then drop them off to Doa, and you will be square with him?" I asked, and Jilly gave me a funny look, and Iughed. "Sorry, I meant that you would not owe him anything else. How many Monster Points was your rent?" "Three hundred points," Jilly said, turning to look forward as I moved to her other side and started cleaning her other legs. That really didn''t seem that bad, but what was with the weird way she was acting now, and that made me start to get a bit worried. Maybe I would only get one to five from the mission? "Okay, three hundred MP isn''t that bad, but how many MP do I get for each mission on average?" I asked, thinking that I would get about that much from a single mission. "Anywhere from ten and up, it all depends on the rank of the mission given, but I am also six monthste on my rent, and that is why Doa was sending someone toe and collect it from me," Jilly exined, and I froze. What the fuck did she just say? Six Months?! Chapter 85 - Jilly, Finish The Job "Eighteen hundred points?! And the missions start at ten points?! How many points do you have?" I asked in exasperation. "None," Jilly said, still not looking at me, and I threw my hands in the air. ?? "What do you mean none?! How am I supposed to collect that much MP?!" I will have to do missions for a month straight!" Iined, and Jilly sighed and turned to me. "I am sorry, I really didn''t care about anything at that point and was willing to go be Doa cleaning ve, but then I met you and chased you. Now we are here, and you are cleaning me, so I am sorry," Jilly said, and I rxed and let out my own sigh. This was not what I had expected, or really what I needed on my te right now, but I cared a lot about Jilly, so I would make it work. She was the first girl that I met when I got here, and even though she had tried to eat me, she had be an indispensable part of my team. "Okay, can you roll over and start exining how the ranks and payment work for the mission and MP?" I asked, and Jilly did as I said, rolling over onto her back. "The lowest rank mission is F-, then it moves to F, F+, and finally F++. Those four are worth ten, twenty-five, fifty, and one hundred. The mission''s pay scale doubles each time you move up a letter rank up to A and then S rank. After that, there are many ranks that start after that, but you will never find them on this ind, and they don''t have MP rewards," Jilly exined as I cleaned her light golden underside. "That makes sense, but how do I know the rank of the mission?" I asked, and started to get close to Jilly''s waist area, and stopped. "What are you doing? Why did you stop? You said that you were going to clean me up, right? That includes all the cobwebs I have in here, right?" Jilly said with a grin, and I rolled my eyes, but then Jilly tightened her eyes at me. "You promised me that you would clean me. And I am not asking you to fuck me yet, so it is fine, and if you want to hear more, you had better get to it!" "You are forever the extortionist, but if you insist," I said and kept cleaning. I ran the cloth over her slit, and Jilly''s body started to tremble, and then she pushed against my hand. I moved the cloth aside and then sshed a bit of water on her to clean the soap off, and then I pressed my fingers into Jilly. "Mmm, I like where you get in there like that! I need a really good scrubbing down there, so take your time," Jilly said, and then closed her eyes, and I slowly rubbed herrge clit. I could almost use my entire hand to do it but, using two fingers seems to work just fine. As I yed with Jilly, I could feel her start to get sticky. I reached up and grabbed one of herrge breasts and then started to y with her nipple. As I did, Jilly started to moan louder, and then she was reaching into my pants, and I didn''t stop her as she pulled me out and then moved so she could turn her head to take me in herrgemouth. Jilly''s used her tongue on me, and my knees started to get weak, but that just made me run harder. I let my four fingers slide into her and then used my thumb to rub her swollen clit. I could feel that Jilly was starting to get hot, and I was starting to get close; I stopped ying with Jilly''s nipple, and put my hand on the back of her head, and started to fuck her face as I moved my other hand faster. The wave of pleasure that followed me ejacting into Jilly''s mouth and the feeling of her body shaking against my hand was great. I don''t think Jilly would have enjoyed it as much if we would have actually had sex. I took my hand slowly from inside of Jilly, and she cleaned me off and then pulled my shorts the rest of the way. "Mmmm, you don''t know just how bad I want to eat you right now! You will have to put new ones on after anyways, and for you not being very big, you do know how to use your hands very well, but how can you clean the rest of my body?" Jilly asked me with a sexy smile. I had been partially worried that she was going to ask to have another round, but it seems that she just wants me to finish what I started. I was also d for my system, or I might not have made it out of the bathroom alive! I continued cleaning like nothing had happened, but I felt great; Jilly must have eaten a good number of men before me. She had some excellent skills, and I couldn''t wait till I got the skill to match her, but this was not bad for now. "As for the rank of the mission, when you ept a mission, you will get a notification that will show you a floating window. That will disy all the information about the mission and what you have to do to finish it," Jilly exined as I finished washing off her breasts. There was a lot of surface to clean, so I made sure that I gave them a thought of scrubbing, getting small moans out of Jilly. After I finished, the two of us got out, and I dried off, and slipped a new pair of shorts on, then grabbed some towels. "What do you have to do now?" Jilly asked as I toweled her off. "Make eggs for Lidy and then training, but I wanted to ask you if you can make a ce for the two Sphinx and Jessabell. The ce for her has to be strong and secure and calming; she is omniphobic," I said to Jilly, and she nodded to me. "Yes, I can do that, I have already been thinking about what I would do with her, and I have some ideas. I will have both ces ready when you get back," Jilly said as she slipped her massive breast into her tube top, and then we left. Chapter 86 - Totem, And Completely Distracted I walked out of the bathroom with Jilly, and the two of us headed back outside and then back over to our apartment block. "I am going to go get started on collecting supplies, but I need to take Mary with me. She has beenzy since you two had your funst night, and I don''t want to get attacked," Jilly exined as we walked. ?? "I am going to cook, and then I have to do my training with my new Totem Mark I got from Veronica the Sphinx," I said as I opened the door, but when I looked inside, there was no one downstairs. "Mary will be in her room, but Lidy should be in the kitchen. Thank you for everything; I feel better now," Jilly said and then made her way up the stairs. I smiled to myself and then made my way to the kitchen, but it was empty. "I sent her off to do some tasks; you can deal with her when you get back from your training," Mex said as he appeared in front of me for once. "Thanks, I have a long day ahead of me still with seams, but this time I want to make thest lessonst long," I said as I grabbed the sandwich. It was on a te with a note that said, "I''ll be waiting, and I am getting tired of waiting, Mr." That said it all, and I scarfed the sandwich down and waved to Mex as I ran out the apartment. I ran out to the front gate, and as I was about to turn on the speed, Spel called to me. "Kazz! Hey! Wait for a minute!" Spel called to me, and I slowed to a stop and turned to him. "Hey, what is it?" I asked, still jogging on the spot. "I am sorry for Lidy, and I know that you are already dealing with a lot, but thank you!" Spel said as he bowed low. "Don''t act like that, you idiot!" Trig snarled, but Spel whipped his head to him, still bowing. "You should be bowing to him as well! You''re the idiot! The Master spoke to us not even a moment ago, and you have already forgotten what he said?" Spel sneered uncharacteristically at Trig, but Trig bowed quickly. "Sorry, uh, sir," Trig said awkwardly from his bowed position, and I rolled my eyes but nodded to both of them. "Don''t sweat it, but I want you two to start paying attention, and at night I will have the Sphinx taking turns on watch from now on," I exined but then turned and took off. I didn''t really have time for small talk right now, and I knew that things were about to get a lot harder. I still didn''t know how to activate the Totem Mark, but I was sure that Hero was just in the back of my mind waiting. Do you mean like from an app on your phone? Do you mean I can''t use the word hero unless I am calling you? I was at the break in the trees now, so I slowed down; it was well into the day. There would be monsters out, and I was sure that Mex would not be here to babysit me, but that was good. "Totem Mark of the Water Sphinx,e to me!" I called, reaching out my hand. The power inside of me responded immediately, making me feel better about the dramatic pose I had struck. Strange blue lines that rippled like water started wrapping around my arms and the rest of my body, then they snapped tight. Instantly, the world slowed, and I knew exactly why. I was in that ce that made me think about everything, and now I was about to walk through the most dangerous gauntlet that I had ever been in. Well, maybe my bedroom might prove to be more dangerous, but regardless of what happened, I needed to keep moving. I would have more than a monster problem if I waste back, and I didn''t cook those damn eggs for Lidy. I started walking, and I waspletely aware of everything around me. Whenever a root tried to trip or grab me, I would easily sidestep it and dance around the nts with no problem; that wasn''t my issue. "Why does Mary still act like a little witch to me? What did I do wrong?" I asked out loud and started feeling like an idiot instantly after. What did that matter? A Kobold suddenly jumped from a bush on my right, and I grabbed it by the neck and broke it, not really sure if I did a proper job with Jilly. She seemed satisfied, but maybe she was just nice to me because I was doing the same for her? "Raw- EEE," Kolbod said as I punted it out of the air. [Shaman] Level 3 Acquired! [Name]: Kazz [Level]: 3 [ss]: Shaman [Strength]: 3 [Dexterity]: 2 [Fortitude]: 4 [Wisdom]: 3 [Intellect]: 1 [Spirit]: 4 [Energy]:0 [ss Skills]: {Rank 1}: Target a nt to speak to it. 55% chance of sess. 10% chance of irritation. {Rank 2}: Auto-Trigger: Totem Bond is triggered when a Totem Mark can be acquired. The target must express gratitude to you in some form in order to trigger Totem Bond. [Bonds]: {Water Sphinx Totem}: [Bond: Veronica]: Increase reaction, awareness, and thought process. [Elemental Bonds]: [Blessings]: Nothing dramatic, just some stats boosts, and all my buffs were gone that I received. I would have to look at what the other buffs were doing for me after the other meetings. I pulled out the Loose-Leaf Dagger and did a slow spin, dicing up to more kobolds as the des fanned out like snakes. I started thinking about how quickly Mex started telling everyone about me taking over. This guy just did not want to be in charge, but was there some other meaning behind this? Chapter 87 - Gardaina, And The Living Land Even with the extra brain power that I could pour into worrying about Mex, I just couldn''t find a reason for him to do all of this. I mean, besides the reason that he had actually given me, like him thinking highly of me and saying that I would do a better job of it. That could just be Silvery Mex sugar tonguing me up with smooth words and reasonable promises to get me pinned into a trap. There was something big in the bush, but It was only watching me, and I was almost to the first clearing where I would meet with Grogvel. ?? It was some kind of cat, but very big, and ck with red stripes. It almost reminded me of a tiger, but from hell, and a lot bigger, but I think because it knew I could see it hiding, it didn''t want to attack. I walked into the clearing and then stepped around where Grogvel tried to open up the ground under me. Then I had to hop six more times before the Earth Elemental burst from the earth, sputtering in anger. "Hey! Stand still, or I can''t help you!" Grogvel growled at me, and I nodded, starting to wonder what I was going to do about Kieta. "Yeah, sorry, my head is all over the ce right now. You can chew me up, and I will stand still, but how did you get here in the first ce?" I asked but was then dropped into a hole that opened under me. As my body was chewed up, I was now able to more easily identify what exactly was happening. This was like a deep tissue massage, but it was also stretching my muscles out and pulling them apart weirdly. Everything slowed down even more during this time, and I started to think about how this Totem actually worked. It sped up my reaction time, and that allowed me to have more time to think about what I would do. The problem is that it made me think about too much while it was happening, and then I would lose the extra time. I was still able to react to everything around me, but I needed to fully channel this focus to outside of me. I felt a change; the grinding slowed, and I felt myself sink down a bit before I was spat out. I was ready for it and quickly caught myself andnded on my feet, trying to force my focus on Grovel. "You are getting stronger and more reactive with that new Totem. Now, let''s see just how well you understand it, BWAHAHAHAHA!" Grogvel said and then barked out a burst of seismicughter that rippled through my body. This time was different, and I nted my feet and focused on breathing and staying on my feet. I forced my body to do what it needed to do to function correctly and blocked out the body rippling tremorous soundwave. I opened my eyes, and I could see the muscle in my body getting pped around like I was getting hit with gale-force winds. I started to flex, and I used my muscles to create a barrier from Grogvelughter, and my inside started to take less of a shit-kicking. I could feel my eyes starting to bulge, so I had to close them from the pressure, but theughter onlysted a moment longer. When it stopped, I let go of my concentration, but I could feel the drastic improvement in my body''s Fortitude. "Incredible, you can already stand up and breathe through myugh? I am almost disappointed to be the first to get linked in! I am from the main continent, Gardiana, just like the rest of us Primals, but we are only small parts of our parents or our whole," Grogvel exined, and I nodded. "So then, who brought you here and why?" I asked, but I was silently cheating in my head. That admission meant that he didn''t need to teach me more meant that I would be able to acquire him as my Primal bond. I still wasn''t entirely sure what that meant besides that I would be able to take unlimited Earth Totem Marks. "Mex brought me when Doa ran away from a B Ranked Demon Lord, Hesperia. She had taken all of his demon farms down, but Doa was able to escape with the demon that he had under his control. Now he is trying to build a force again in the same way with more Demon farms, but it won''t work," Grogvel exined, and I nodded my head. "Because he is one of the lowest-ranked demons, and I would assume that lower-ranked demons can produce higher-ranked demons, right?" I asked as I stretched out; my body was still sore from the experience. "Yes, and only minor demons at that, and then he has to train them and keep them from getting themselves killed. That is a lot harder than he could have ever imagined; this ind doesn''t like that we came to take it over, but it won''t let us go either," Grogvel said, and I gave him a strained look with a raised eyebrow. "The ind doesn''t like it? You talk like it is alive?" I said, and the earthen man nodded his head. "This ind is sleeping right now, and the only way to get off of it is to wake it up. The moment that Doanded on its shore and started to spread out, the ind started killing the demons. Monsters attacked us relentlessly, and the demons on this ind are only a quarter of what arrived. Doa had to demonize the Orcs that were natives on this ind to recover some of his numbers. Once that happened, the ind forced the monsters to start fighting. Within a year, most of the monsters that were inrge groups had been whittled down. This ce does not like the demons, but most inds are the same; none have had good experiences when the Demonse, and allnd is connected," Grovel exined to me and gave me a hell storm of information to process. "You know this only because you''re the Earth Primal, right? Or does everyone one know the inds will?" I asked, but Grogvel gave me a sad smile. "Everyone but the Demons can hear the silent calls of the ind. If you can''t get Mex and the rest of his people off the ind, they will all end up dead within the month. I shall be your Primal Earth Totem, and then you will know," Grogvel said as he started to give off a brown glow. Chapter 88 - Not Right, What Is Your Goal? I watched as Grogvel started to glow a bright brown that was starting to pulse weirdly, but then I realized that it was in sync with my heart. "What am I supposed to do now?" I asked the glowing rock man, and heughed, but it didn''t have any effect on me. ?? "Come and ce your hand on my chest, and then we will enter into a binding agreement. After that is done, I will be your first Primal Earth Totem, and any Earth elemental Bonds you make will be held within my mark. If you had already made an Earth Bond, then that one would merge into me," Grogvel exined to me, and I nodded as I stepped forward. I ced my hand on his pulsing chest, and the world around us faded away, and the two of us were left floating in space. I was shocked at first, and my mind started racing to check to make sure that I could breathe, but I didn''t need to. "What is your goal?" Grogvel asked me, but he no longer had a gravelly voice; instead, it was that of a young man. "The same as always, get stronger the normal way and protect the people that need it when I can. I don''t really think that there is much more that I need or want, but I will need your help to aplish this," I exined but then asked a question. "Why do you ask me this? You trusted me before when Mex was here, right?" Something was different about him; Grogvel looked the same, but something felt off. Before I could get a reply, I was back, standing back in the rocky clearing. "Now that your hand is there, we shall start the bond," Grogvel said to me, but I pulled my hand back. "What was that just now?" I asked, looking down at my hand that looked perfectly normal. "What are you talking about? Nothing has happened yet? You had just put your hand on my chest, and I was about to start instructing you how to go through the binding," Grogvel exined but then raised his eyebrow to me. "What happened?" "I touched you, and then the world around us faded away, and then we were floating in space. You asked me what my goal was but in the voice one a young man, like a teenager. I spoke and then asked you why you would ask me, but then I was back in the clearing with you, and you started to talk," I exined, all the while trying to figure out just what the fuck that was. "I have no idea what you are talking about, and I have never even heard anything like that, but Fireden might, or Windbags. Wataluga wouldn''t be likely to know, but that is strange," Grogvel said to me while scratching his rocky chin. Strange was a severe understatement, but I couldn''t let that stop me from getting the Bond. I walked back up to Grogvel and ced my hand on his chest; this wasn''t his fault; he was just as surprised as me. I focused on Grogvel, and I tried to do the same thing as I did when calling the Water Sphinx Totem. I could feel the Energy start to power into me, but it was gritty, rough, and almost like boulders rolling through me like a canyon. "Good, now Kazz, The Shaman, I give you my Bond as proof of my trust that you will do good for this world. I offer you the Primal Force of Earth to augment and collect all your Earth Bonds. Do you ept?" Grogvel asked me, and I nodded. "I ept your Primal Force of Earth and will hold true!" I shouted, and Grogvel burst with light. I felt a hand p the back of my left shoulder, the fingers wrapping over. The handprint became a tribal design, but it was dark brown, and it covered my entire shoulder. [Primal Force: Earth Pact] Complete! [Primal Earth Totem] Acquired! I stretched myself, but I didn''t feel that much different. Even the Primal Totem Mark left no feeling. It was almost disappointing, but I had other things to worry about right now. I started to run, but I wasn''t really sure what else to say about it. It was not a demanding voice, but besides that, I''m not really sure what to tell you. I started to dig into my memories of that short moment, but I had to put the thought away; I hadpany again. I would have to get back to Hero after this; it looks like my Demon Tiger has had enough of chasing me. Oh, that is just adorable; why does a fucking cat with razor-sharp ws need to breathe fire?! The Hellcat was closing, but I was still running, and I concentrated on my Sphinx Water Totem. Once I had it in my mind, I could see that it was just as Hero had said, and all I had to do was release it. I let it go, and the rippling blue line retracted back into the Totem Mark, and then I dug for Grogvel. I had no problem finding him, and when I activated his Totem, I started to change. I had to slow down, my body was getting heavier, and my feet were starting to leave deeper prints. I could feel my skin start to get hard and ridged like rock, and I turned to meet my foe, but the Hellcat was gone. Chapter 89 - HellCat, You Pervert! I looked around, but I couldn''t find the creature, but my mind was not working nearly as fast as it was. I could no longer track the creature''s movements, so I pulled out my fire saber but left the Loose-Leaf Dagger. I was unsure about this creature, and fighting fire with fire seemed like a fine idea, but Hero didn''t feel the same. ?? All right, smartypants, what do you, the all-knowing Hero, think I should do? True, and I was going to die if I didn''t start listening, and I could do fist fighting. So, I can''t track him, but then how do I fight him? It''s a him, right? I could hear the creature, but the jungle was thick here. If this had been in the earlier forested part before Grogvel''s clearing, this would be a bit easier, but now I just had to wait it out. I turned right, but with my footing up on an ark as hard as I could, and spun myself. As I twisted, I had a brief and hot view of the inside of the Hellcat''s mouth, but then my foot connected, and I heard cracking. The beast was thrown to the side, and it rolled, trying to get back up. I was already bursting forward with all the speed I could, but there was a fire starting to form in its mouth. The Hellcat breathed out a stream of fire over me, but I only felt hot air as I ran forward. I raised both first above my head and smashed them down onto the creature''s head before it could rise. There was a sickening crack as I drove the Hellcat''s head into the ground, cutting the fire st off. The creature''s head cracked open like a rock, but it was just orange-red on the inside like I had cracked open ava-filled rock. The heat and fire faded fast and turned into ck rock, even the creature''s hair. Then it started to crumble and fall apart until it was nothing more than a pile of ck powder. [Shaman] Level 5 Acquired! [Name]: Kazz [Level]: 5 [ss]: Shaman [Strength]: 6 [Dexterity]: 3 [Fortitude]: 8 [Wisdom]: 6 [Intellect]: 2 [Spirit]: 7 [Energy]:0 [ss Skills]: {Rank 2}: Target a nt to speak to it. 60% chance of sess. 9% chance of irritation. {Rank 1}: Summon Bonded nt to fight as your ally. {Rank 3}: Auto-Trigger: Totem Bond is triggered when a Totem Mark can be acquired. The target must express gratitude to you in some form in order to trigger Totem Bond. {Rank 1}: Activate more than one Bond at a time. Only one Primal Bond can be active. Total Bonds Activatable: 2. [Bonds]: {Water Sphinx Totem}: [Bond: Veronica]: Increase reaction, awareness, and thought process. [Elemental Bonds]: {Earth Force Pact}: [Bond: Grogvel]: Greatly increased Physical Resistance. Immune to Fire, Wind, shing, and Blunt Damage. Weak to Water, Piercing, and Vibration Damage. [Blessings]: I stood up as I looked over my chart and then let go of the Earth Bond, reactivating the Water Sphinx Bond. The new things that I had gotten with my level were good, but since I was going to do training with Wataluga, I wouldn''t want to use the Earth Force Pact. But seriously, what is up with this nt stuff? First, I can try to talk to a nt, and now I could summon one to fight beside me¡­ I looked down at a flower that was growing on the side of the path, and it hissed at me. Yeah, that is really scary. < Don''t underestimate your system. If it says that it will fight beside you, then it will be of help, and since you are stopped, this is a perfect opportunity. Why don''t you try with that flower that just hissed at you?> Sometimes I wished that Hero was here in person so I could re at him, but what did I have to lose? I bent down to the hissing flower and activated my ntspeak, targeting the flower. It was weird to just think of what I wanted to do, and it did it, but it was also very helpful. [ntspeak] Sessful! "Stupid big ugly idiot almost let the big fire cat burn me, AND THEN almost stepped on me when I had just warned him! Why did I have to grow up here!" The flowerined, and I rolled my eyes. Great, another poor me. "Hey, umm, Miss Flower? Are you okay? I am sorry if I almost stepped on you; I didn''t mean to," I said, trying to sound as pleasant as possible, but the flower didn''t say anything. Great, I probably just messed up, and she isn''t going to talk to me, but then she spoke slowly. "You can¡­ hear me? Or are you talking to someone else?" The flower asked, and I held my expression, trying not to crack a smile; these types hated to beughed at. "Yes, I am talking to you. My name is Kazz, and," I started to say, but then I got a message on my disy, and I raised my eyebrow. [Totem: Air Hissing TsunaLily] Confirm: Yes/No? Yes. What the hell, why not? But when the light from whatever was happening cleared, my eyes got big, really fucking big. "What are you staring at, pervert?!" The flower asked me, not really looking that much like the flower she had been. Chapter 90 - Extortionists, And Irritated The flower girl had a very sparse grass dress if you could call it that. It didn''t do a very good job of covering her up, and this is why I was getting yell at; better start things off a little better. "Sorry, you are gorgeous, but I will try not to look at you, but you should cover yourself up if you don''t want me to look," I said and turned away, but I was already trying to unsummon her. ?? I didn''t have time for this, and I needed to go to my next lesson with Wataluga. "Okay, you can turn around now; I am covered. My name is Kali," the girl told me, and I did as told, but then pped a hand over my face and shook my head. Kali was wearing a pink ski mask made out of flower petals, but she had done nothing to cover herself up. "Listen, Kali, we need to get going, so I am going to have to unsummon you, for now, okay?" I asked the girl as she used her hands to cover her face more. "But you just did the thing! Why do I have to go away? I could have just been a flower in the middle of the road to be stepped on if all you are going to do is ignore me! This is what I get for," Kali railed at me, but my unsummons silenced her. "Well, you have your first nt bond!" I said out loud in a mocking voice and then started to run. < Don''t be like that, she was the cutest thing that you have found yet!> Oh yeah, real fucking cute and extremely whiney; I was just starting to break Nushi of that. Now I had another overgrown child in my care, but she was in my care, so I would have to deal with her at some point, but maybe not yet. Since I had killed the Hellcat, the jungle had be pretty quiet, and I was able to make my way without much trouble. That didn''t mean that the rest of my jog was uneventful, but I was starting to be able to focus my mind better, and I was able to keep it from wandering. A small pack of Kobold tried to attack me; they had tried to ambush me. After I broke the first one''s neck and tossed it back into the bush, the rest of them stayed quiet and still. I wasn''t in the mood to kill for fun; in fact, I really didn''t want to have to kill something unless I had to. That, or it was some horrendous monster that just needed a good killing, I would do that as well. I knew that as well, and if I had to, I would stop a problem before it turned into a bigger one, but now I wasing up to the waterfall. Oh great, this is precisely what I needed, something to make me more agitated. I had just gotten ahold of my over-thinking! Now I was about to add another thing into the mix, and I was already getting worked up. I took a deep breath in, held it, and then let it out once I entered Wataluga''s clearing. I reached inside of myself and then took hold of Kali''s Totem, and to my surprise, she squealed in delight. "So, you want to use my power? Are you going to let me back outter? Or am I just going to be stuck inside of you muted until you need me? I can tell if you are lying!" Kali said as time seemed to freeze. What the hell was this little extortionist trying to pull? I was stuck, but I didn''t really think she could say no; it was either she helped me or was stuck inside of me regardless. Still, I guess I would have to put up with her, and it wasn''t fair that she had to stay cooped up like this after living a stationary but free life. "Sure, but not until after I am done training. On the way back and when I am home, I will let you out until you can hold your own, okay?" I asked, but then I was able to move again, and smoky gray lines spread over my arms with the rippling blue ones. "Looks like you have been busy, and is that you, old friend?" Wataluga asked as he rose from the water, and I felt something leave me, but notpletely. "Yes, the boy has passed my training, and now it is time for him to take another run at yours," Grovel said with augh as he went to sit down on the ground far away from me. "Can we get started already?" I asked without even thinking, and both elementals looked at me, and I took another deep breath. "Sorry, I am trying to use two Totems at the same time, and this Wind Totem seems to make me a bit short-tempered." "Well, you had better get ready to sweat because I am not going to take it easy on you this time!" Wataluga said, and then both of the elementals started tough at me, and I ground my teeth but kept my mouth shut. I could do this, even if I wanted to punch them right in the smug faces! Chapter 91 - Barely Walk, And Him I wasn''t going to be able to finish if Wataluga kept this up. "Come on, tough guy! I thought that you would be speedrunning the entire time!" Wataluga teased me, and I started to move faster, using my anger as fuel. ?? I had started off fine; the Water Totem helped me find the easiest path for me to travel through the heavy water. Then Wataluga must have sensed that I was doing too well, and the pressure and roughness of the weather increased tenfold. Now I could barely walk, but I was jogging now and pushing myself to my limits. I had so many things that I needed to get done; that meant that failure was not an option. "You can do it!" I heard Kali call out from the back of my mind, and that made me smile a bit, and I pushed forward. "You just don''t know how to quit, do you?" Wataluga asked after he condensed his body back to his standard water man form. I was panting, but I hadpleted the training without stopping after what had to have been two hours of running. It was now just past lunch by the sun, but I had already eaten my food on the run here; even though the sandwich had turned into a breaded meatball, I had still eaten it. "I can''t afford to quit or fail right now; I have too much to do," I said, and I went over to the water and then bent down to wash my face. "So, what do you think, Watal? Pretty good? I think that he will take us back and maybe even help organize some of the cmity back on Gardania," Grogvel asked as he walked over to me. "I would be an idiot to say that he doesn''t show promise, and he seems quite adept when ites to using Totems. Fine, I will lend my strength to you, but know that I will be watching and judging you!" Wataluga said, and I let go of the Wind Totem before speaking so this didn''te out wrong. "I hope that you two aren''t going to be perverts and watch me with the girls, right?" I asked, but Grogvel shook his head with a smile. "No, we will be your guards during the night, so you don''t have to worry about that. We can also act as your guards during the day if you want to enjoy that during the light. If you do that, you will not have ess to our Totems or the ones connected to us during that time," Grogvel exined, and I nodded to him. That was all I needed to hear; I didn''t want to have to worry about peeping Toms. I walked up to Wataluga and was about to ce my hand on his chest. "Something wrong?" Wataluga asked me, and Grogvel spoke up. "Something happened the first time that he touched my chest, but I don''t know what it was," Grogvel exined, and I nodded. "I was in space, but it was nowhere that I had ever seen, but I don''t really remember that much about it other than Grogvel having a younger voice," I exined. I stepped forwards again, took in a deep breath, then ced my hand on Wataluga''s chest. I was back in space again, but this time with Wataluga. I immediately started to look; I needed to have something to bring back to Hero. I noticed that there were two suns that looked very close to each other, and behind them was a massive nebulous cloud that was a rainbow of colors. There were alsos, but I was too far from them to make out anything particr about them. "What side do you fight for?" The same young man''s voice asked me, but I didn''t reply this time. I didn''t know who this person was, but I didn''t have any reason to answer them. I fought for what was right and what made sense, and if I couldn''t make sense of it, how could I fight for it? Then I was standing back in front of Wataluga, and he looked to be about to ask me a question as he started to glow blue. I quickly fed the information back to Hero and then waited for Wataluga to speak while Hero mulled things over. "Kazz, The Shaman, I give you my Bond as proof of my trust that you will do good for this world. I offer you the Primal Force of Water to augment and collect all your Water Bonds. Do you ept?" Wataluga asked me, and I nodded. "I ept your Primal Force of Water!" I shouted, and Wataluga burst with light and then poured into my chest like a swirling Maelstrom. I felt Grogvel merge back into me, and then nothing. Just like before, I felt no different, but I reached inside myself and took hold of Wataluga with my Water Sphinx Totem. My body took on a watery ze, and I felt far more flexible than I had been before, but my reaction speed and my thinking didn''t increase. I did feel like I could take a punch and absorb the impact, but I would have to do some more testing. I had forgotten about Hero, but the mention of the person got me curious. Who is He? You''re talking about the game that you are ying, right? How does that even work? [if you would like to read ahead farther then these chapter, check out my P A T R E O N/Magic_] Chapter 92 - The Last Drop, Or Be Consumed I started to run, and every step felt easy, like I knew exactly where to step and how. It was rxing, and I was able to focus on Hero and what would be considered the bigger picture. ?? Oh, you mean that the other ones aren''t as rude? Just kidding, I''m listening, and that makes sense; keep going; we are almost at Fireden. I slowed down as I got closer to the Fire Lake crater''s edge, but just how many times have you done this? Fine, if I could skip past the idea that humanity was going to be or is annihted, two hundred billion would make it impossible to sustain. Then what now? What are you doing with me? Does that mean that you are looking for someone to fight in an intergctic tournament? Like that show¡­ Dragon, what''s it''s nuts? I can''t remember, but they had some big tournament; is it going to be something like that? I could hear the Fire Elementaling and the heat rising. I hadn''t even realized, but the Hellcat had torched my shorts, and I was mostly naked already. I took my shorts off, tossed the rags to the side, and then sat down cross-legged as Fireden rose above the edge. He looked happy, but the fiery heating from him was being buffered by The two active Water totems, but it was putting a mental strain on my body. "So, have youe alone this time? Are you ready to hear my story?" Fireden asked me as he crossed his arms over the edge. Lava started to melt off him and move towards me, but it started to create a circle around me when it was about six feet away from me. The mental pressure started to get more intense; this was so much different from all the other training, and I had to focus on speaking. "Yeah, let me have it, Boss," I managed to get out, and Firedenughed at me. "Good, I will tell you about the Seven Primal Forces in this world. Each of them resides in Gardania, the mega continent; the rest of the world is made of smaller inds like this one. I was once part of Fire, but I was asked by Mex to apany him like the rest of us. He is a Shaman like you, but he has taken the Sages path and no longer uses totems. One day you will have that option, but I hope we can school you better than Mex if you n to take us all," Fireden exined. Theva had wholly surrounded me, and now there was a bit of steaming from my body. I was listening, but all I could do right now was nod at the appropriate times; my body was stressed beyondprehension, and I was worried I was going to puke from my nerves. "While holding those totems, I can extract the final bit of water in your body andplete the change. Your body will now feed on Energy, and you will be able to convert that into your system skills. You will also absorb elemental Magic if you control it, but it will regenerate you, but not boost your Shaman Skills," Fireden told me. I was starting to get shorter breaths, but I focused on them and got myself somewhat leveled out. The heat was constantly getting worse, though, making my stress levels rise to the point where I was starting to feel cold and mmy. "You are going to hit a point where you think that you are going to ckout, but you need to push through it. After that, I will tell you of the other three, but for now, you need to keep your head above water, or you will be consumed," Fireden exined to me, but I was already fighting it. I could feel a wave of intenseness start to roll through my body, and it was like all the blood was rushing to my head. I started to get dizzy, my head got light, and the heat closed around me. Chapter 93 - The Seal, And Time "Don''t give up!" I dug my fingernails into my knees and shook my head, fighting through the dizziness and nausea. Kali''s voice echoing from the back of my head had brought me back, but not the stress was fading, and so were all the feelings that it brought. ?? I was finally able to sit back up straight and look back at Fireden, whose smile was set to crack his face in half. Now the Fire no longer bothered me, and I was able to sit in peace as I waited for the Fire Elemental to continue. "Fire, Water, Earth, Air, these are the four that you have met, but there are three more. The Element of Life is Light, for where there is light, there can be life. The same is true for Death, the Element of Shadow. While some can survive without it, in a ce where there is no light, there is no warmth, and nothing can survive. Basic information, I know, but these elements act in the same way as they behave, which is important to know when dealing with them," Fireden exined, and I was finally able to speak up. "So I will have to deal with them ordingly, but why weren''t these two, and the other unnamed one not with Mex?" I asked, and Fireden nodded appreciatively. "Good, you look much better now, and you can talk. As for Mex, that is why I exined the two different personalities of Light and Shadow; the two are nearly impossible to get to work together. As for thest element, Energy, it can''t be tamed until you have mastered the first six because Elemental Energy is the source of the six elements," Fireden exined, and I started to get a bigger picture of everything, but I had more questions. "Grovel said that thend was alive, but I don''t think I quite understand what he means. He told me that thend forced the monsters to attack the demons but then attacked themselves when they learned what the demons were doing. How does thend do that?" I asked, and Fireden nodded with a grin. "I am really starting to like you, Kazz; you seem to know how to ask the right questions. Once you leave this ind, you will start to feel the changes in the world; not like visions, but you will be able to sense turmoil and strife. So yes, the world is alive, and it is abination of all the Primal Elements, and they are conscious, and they will fight back. The monsters and all things in this world are our creations, except for the demons. They are a gue brought to this world by some unseen force. Since then, some have learned to live with thend like the monsters. There are evenrge cities on Gardania that you will visit," Fireden exined. As he did, a new feeling was starting to roll over my body. Revitalization, my body was healing all my torn muscles. Anything that had been wrong with me was now repaired, and I felt like I had just woken up from a long and rxing sleep. I was now slowly absorbing the power from Fireden, and it was repairing my body, but I wondered what would happen to the Energy that went to my system? "What is the Energy going to do for me? You know what my system is, right? I can only support the girls that I choose to help, so I will assume that will just make me do that better?" I asked skeptically. "I am not really sure about that, not my area of expertise," Fireden said with a frown and then scratched his chin as he thought about it. Yes, I would be okay with getting some armor or something, and maybe a primary weapon that didn''t involve an element or backtalk. "So, something on this ind is blocking me from being able to hear the rest of the Elements?" I asked to skip over myst question. "The Great Demon Doa is the one that sealed off the ind using a special artifact that he constructed. It is hidden somewhere in the center of the ind, but there is no way to target it or find it; we have tried many times. Doa ced it there to stop the interference from the ind. By that time, all the monster herds had beenpletely thinned out. Now our best hope is to get off this ind and get back to Gardania. Once we are back there, we will help you find a ce to settle down, and then we can work on the other two Elemental Forces," Fireden exined to me, but as he did, he started to shrink down. I slowly stood up and started to walk forward to Fireden, that was slowly standing up after crawling up from the edge. We were the same size now, and theva pulled back from me as I walked forward. Fireden had a new orange glow to him, and I knew what this meant, but I paused before reaching up to touch his chest. Now that I knew who this was, I was more than likely to meet; how should I treat him? I could do that. There was nothing left to do but reach forward, and I ced my hand on Fireden''s burning chest. Then I was in the ce of two suns, floating with Fireden, who began to speak to me. "What makes your soul worthy? You may ask one question if you speak it. Bear all unto me, for I wish to know thy essence. I am Time. What you were, does not matter. Who you are, is my question. What you shall be is my judgment." Chapter 94 - Return To The Stars, And Why You Made This Choice What made a soul worthy? And what was a soul? Is mine worthy? All questions that I would not be asking this person called Time. I needed to think about this, and I caught myself before asking if there was a time limit. That would be just like me; get all prepared and then mess up without even thinking. ?? Time would have no meaning to a person like this, so I should have as much as I need, but that didn''t get me any closer to answering the question that I was asked. I needed to ask him a question, but there was only one thing that I really wanted to know after Hero had talked about the Dragon Nuts Booby-kai tournament, or whatever it was called. "If I am chosen, and you deem my soul worthy, what is it all for?" I asked, trying to be specific, but not at the same time. Time was silent, and he did not speak right away. I was left to wonder if I might have offended him or something; considering he was called Time, I thought he might be a faster thinker. "Even I need a moment to answer this question. While I may be called Time, and I may have control of it; in this ce, we are of the same time, and I can not alter it. As for your question, there is a tournament of sorts, but it is not the purely fighting type. If you can pass my judgment, then you will be transported to a new world with your pets, but there will also be four hundred and ny-nine others that will have passed the test there," Time exined but then said no more. I didn''t like that he called my girls pets, which immediately put me on edge with Time. He may be the god of the next level, but then that meant that my pets were his creation, and he should know that they are so much more than animals. "That did not answer my question; you told me about the things that it involved, but not how it was. That was the deal, right? I ask you a question, and then you answer it? Your words, not mine, and if you would have said that I could ask you a question and you might answer, then I would understand, but you have still yet to answer my question. Stop reading my mind and read the question," I said, crossing my arms, not really caring what Time thought. I had seen enough TV to know that Demons and Gods loved to mince words, and I wasn''t about to let some level two god y me for a fool. Fireden was not ring at me, but he gave me a strained look, so I started to tap my foot on the ground that wasn''t there. "I am surprised; normally, a witless person like you would just ept what I said, but as I have hoped, you are different. Yours and everyone else''s target is the tenth ne, and that is the final realm where what you call gods reside. Once we have found our next god, we will try again. Now, I have answered your question fully; it is time to answer mine," Time told me, and I nodded. "And I will give you my answer, but I don''t know if you are going to like it, but I didn''t really like your answer. I don''t give a rat''s ass if you think my soul or I am worthy! I have a great new life, and I thank you for that, but I am not about to butter you up to try to get first ce; not my style, and never was," I said, and Time/Fireden raised his eyebrow in surprise. "So, even after telling you that you will be a god, you still do not care?" Time asked me, and I shook my head no. "If you are the standard for a god, then no. In my mind, I see this as all a big game to you. I also think that you are the type that cares only about end product matters; to hell with what stands in the way. I am dealing with a woman with the same issue, and if that is what I have to look forward to, then I would sooner just die when my timees. At least I will be doing it with my friends and the people that I love and care for, the same ones you call my pets! Who do you have? Do you have a huge family that you will go back to after this meeting? I do, and I wouldn''t trade this life for the world or to be a god, Mr. Time!" I said, and to my surprise, he smiled at me. "You are right, and I don''t have what you have, but that is why I do this. One day, you will return to the stars with me, and we will all be waiting for you. I just hope that somewhere deep inside, you remember why you made this choice in the first ce. When this is all over, I hope¡­." I was back standing at the Lava Lake Crater again, but my hair was all standing on end, and a cold chill ran through my body. I knew that person, and his name was not Time, but that was all that I knew or thought I did. "Kazz, The Shaman, I give you my Bond as proof of my trust that you will do good for this world. I offer you the Primal Force of Fire to augment and collect all your Fire Bonds. Do you ept?" Fireden asked me, and I nodded, my body starting to calm down. Hero''s words jolted me from the thoughts that were trying to sink me, and I looked up at fireden while rying everything that had happened. "I ept your Primal Force of Fire Pact!" I said with confidence, and Fireden burst with light, but Hero had gone silent. Chapter 95 - Ogre, And The Heroes I Have Eaten Fireden''s mark covered my right arm with ming tribal lines that were red at first but then faded to ck. While this was interesting, my mind was waiting to hear what Hero''s response would be, but he wasn''t talking. I looked down at my burnt shorts and then shook my head. There was no point in putting those back on, and I needed to get going. ?? My talk with Fireden hadsted a lot longer than I had anticipated, and now the sun was starting to make its arch down. I kept both Water Totems active and then started to run. I no longer felt the heat or cold as things that affect my body. Instead, I could feel the heat and cold around me. I could sense monsters in the area, and I could make out some of them, like the green eyeless lizard things that were staying clear of me, but there was something more significant than the smaller creatures. Whatever it was, it wasing for me, and it was big. I decided that now would be an excellent time to pick up the pace, and I started to run as fast as I could, but that just seemed to egg the monster on. I was about a mile from Windorf, but the creature was slowly gaining on me no matter how fast I ran. I slowed down and switched to Grogvel Primal Totem. I was preparing myself for what was trying to catch me, as my body became stiff and rigid, but this time I could think and move faster. "So, Mex has a new y toy? I was wondering why I couldn''t get in here, but now I have found you, Snack!" a massive hulking Green ugly giant said as he walked onto the path. This thing was ugly enough to stress even a mother''s love, and it also looked pretty tough. I would have to go all out if I wanted to beat this thing, but then suddenly Mex appeared out of nowhere. "Run, Go to Windorf andplete your training, and then go to the vige and stay the night there. You can not fight this one, or you will die. I will hold him off for now, and I have already locked the path to the vige, now GO!" Mexmanded me, and every part of me wanted to stay, but something about the way that Mex was acting told me that this wasn''t the time for dicking around. "What? Mex, I only wanted to have some fun with him; you know, like the others that I ate? I want to hear him scream as I gnaw his limbs off! I am just a friendly ogre that wants to be fed. Is that so wrong?" The Ogre asked, and I started to run. "Yeah, don''t worry. Mex can''t protect you forever; I will catch you one day, Snack!" That was thest thing that I heard before getting out of earshot of Mex and the Ogre. The creature didn''t scare me, but knowing that the creature had eaten heroes before was enough to make me pull the pin out and get moving. Whatever that creature was, an Ogre, Mex was worried about it, and if he was worried, I was more than worried. Sometimes it might not be that bad to feel a bit of fear every now and then. That surprised me, and I had almost forgotten about him. Still, you weren''t there, and you aren''t me. I was the one being asked the questions, not you, and I don''t think that he is the god of all gods. I think that Time is one of many, but I also think that I answered the question correctly because he smiled before sending me back. In my mind, that is a win. Maybe if my elder was a bit more respectful about the way he referred to people, I wouldn''t have acted that way. That is neither here nor there, and speaking of elders, you caught thest part, didn''t you? Time knew me from before this. What that means, I have no idea, but I would think that would make me your elder, yes-no? Thanks, how kind of you, but yes, I have a lot to learn from you, even if I am someone else. So, you will get to be Grandpa Hero for now, and I will Kazz the Menace! Yes, but you also didn''t say I couldn''t beat it, but I am d too. I would sooner be able to beat that thing on my own and not be a snack. Huh? We are going to get the Princess in the dark? And since when did I no longer need air to breathe? That was impossible, I was running hard right now, and I was¡­ what the fuck? My chest barely even moved, and I wasn''t breathing; then, it felt bizarre andpletely unnecessary when I tried to. It was almost like my body was reminding me that I didn''t do that anymore, and it was pointless to try. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around it all, but I was at Windorf''s teau now, and I had to bring my head back into the game. Windorf wasn''t going to be like the others. I would have to make him submit to me, but that was like asking the wind not to blow? Chapter 96 - Only Opponent, And Magical Odors It was time to face the only one of the four that I considered an opponent. The other three had been my teachers, each one of them preparing me for this, and it was going to be a fight. Each time I had been getting better, but something about this time said he was going to be serious, and I couldn''t see him anywhere. I didn''t take out any of my weapons. Instead, I prepared myself and opened myself up to the area around me. ?? I could feel him moving around me; Windorf was circling me, looking for an opening. I wasn''t going to let him have it, and when he finally made his move, I was ready. Everything happened in slow motion as I turned and pped the fist away and then drove my own fist into Windorf''s sr plexus area. Windorf drove an open palm down onto my fist and pushed it to his stomach, where he absorbed the force and then jumped back, but I could read him now. I followed him, pulling my fist back as the two of us leaped in the air, and the moment that wended, I stepped into Windorf. I mmed my fist into him, but at thest moment, he disappeared into air vapor. I almost fell and had to roll forward to dodge a cut from the wind de that Windorf had suddenly sent my way. He must be furious if he resorts to using a weapon against me, but that wouldn''t help him now. I didn''t have him as a totem yet, but because I was connected to the other three and I was mostly made of magic or energy, I could feel him around me. The next attack came as a full-frontal sh, but I could see and feel what he was going to do next or the three possible things that he could do next. The water totems helped me read his movements and the flexibility and reaction to deal with them, but it didn''t give me power. I pped the de away with an open palm and then kicked forward like Windorf was a door in my way. The Wind Elemental was kicked back but then disappeared again. I released Wataluga''s Totem and summoned Fireden, and my body started to heat up. My muscles started to feel like they were burning, but I wasn''t in pain; they were burning to be used, and that was when Windorf decided he had had enough. Suddenly, I could sense Windorf all around me, but I remembered this trick, and There could only be one attacking me at any time. The problem was that I could sense four out of the sixteen surrounding me were solid forms of him. I started to take deep breaths, and each one of them stoked the fire in my muscles like I was revving the engine of a car. Burning red veins started to cover my body, and even my mind started to work faster, and that was when I noticed what Windorf was doing. Each of him was only one-quarter of himself, which meant only one-fourth as strong as he usually was. I dashed forward, and the moment I started to move, my mind started to slow the world down as I ran at what I considered to be an average speed. I ran straight at the first Windorf before he could react and smashed him out of the ring, making all but the three others disappear. Windorf rushed me, all three of him, at the same time. It seems that he is done with his game, but now it was time to finish this. I clenched my fist as I strained and squeezed the fire that was built up in my muscles. I must have looked like I was trying to shit my pants because Windorf slowed down, but that was a bad idea. I was trying to release the built-up fire, and suddenly, I farted a little, then exploded with heat! The wave of heat hit Windorf before the smell of a well-cooked fart could hit my nose, and all three of them were blown back from me. Windorf was knocked to the ground, but he didn''t disappear this time. The st must have beat the wind out of his sails, but I was more concerned about just how bad that fart smelled; what had I eaten? "Fine, you have passed my test, but I am not happy about this. Mex told you I have a daughter, right?" Windorf asked, and I nodded while trying to walk away from the fart that kept trying to follow me. "Yeah, she doesn''t want to be stiff like you, and you need someone to take care of her, right? I can do that for you, but you need to stop being such a prude. I beat you, even if I had help from my totems; that is my ability. If I had had a gun or a sword and beat you, it would have meant the same," I told Windorf as I walked over to him, and he made a disgusted face. "What is that horrible smell?!" Windorf asked, and I rolled my eyes. "How the hell can you smell my fart? I let one little bastard go trying to squeeze out the heat, and now I''ll never hear the end of it!" Iin, shaking my head. "You are mostly Magic now, so even your odor has a smell to Magical creatures. I suggest you do not do that around my daughter, or she will treat you worse than she does me. Now,e this way, I want you to meet her first before I give you the Wind Force," Windorf said as he stood up finally. I nodded and shrugged; not really anything else I could do. Windorf seemed to think that he always had the upper hand, no matter where his hand was. I was led into a cave that was around the corner from where we fought, but it was dark. I ended up having to walk for five minutes in what should have beenpletely dark, but my body was giving off a slight glow, making it easier to see. Not like I couldn''t just follow Windorf, but I liked to be able to see where I was going. So, it was nice to make some light, but I would also have to be wary when I was traveling at night. I was surprised to see that the tunnel ended in a wooden door with a round top. Windorf paused in front of it and then turned around to face me. [Dear Readers, I am droping down to three chapters a week, but I will still be doing one a day on *******/Magic_ | Current chapter 120] Chapter 97 - Frustration, Can I Call You Daddy? "My daughter is what you might call a horrible and intolerable child that is next to impossible to get to do anything or to listen. I ask that you take good care of her if you decide to take her on. Her mother wanted nothing to do with her, and I have not been able to handle her," Windorf exined, and I gave him a raised eyebrow. If you weren''t able to do it, what makes you think that I will?" I asked, and Windorf nodded his head. ?? "I don''t think you will, but Mex does, and he is one of the very few people''s opinions that I respect and will listen to. Mex believes that you are something different, and all of our tickets back to Gardania. Once we are back there, I will ask you to find the mother and try to talk some sense into her!" Windorf said while shaking his fist, but I shook my head to thest part. "I will take you and your daughter there, but I will not be forcing anyone to do anything. If you force a useless parent to be good so they can get their child back, they will just go back to the same way they were after everyone is gone! I will take you there, and if the girl''s mother wants to try to get back into her life, then I will help. I will do nothing if she does not want to, and neither will you! Kids don''t need useless parents to bring them down," I said with passion. I didn''t have kids because my job never had the time for it and because I couldn''t be there for the kid the way they would need me. I had seen many people forcing other people to do things that they clearly didn''t want to do. No matter what, in my mind, you can''t make people do something they didn''t want to do. No matter how much you think or know they should do something, that isn''t our choice in the end; it''s theirs. "Hmmm, not what I had expected to hearing from your mouth, but I understand, and maybe you are right. It might cause more damage to even introduce the woman back into her life," Windorf said, rubbing his chin. "Daddy, I can hear you out there," called the cute sounding voice of a little girl, but for some reason, that seemed to put Windorf on edge. "I told you to call me father! We have a guest that I would like for you to meet, so please restrain yourself," Windorf said and then looked at me with an exasperated look, but I was wondering what the issue was. The door swung open to reveal a clear-bodied beauty that was about five foot five,pletely naked, and far more adult than I would have ever imagined from her voice. She was full-chested and had an hourss body that was light blue, but there was also a spinning presence around her like air currents. "You''re so serious all the time, Daddy! You are going to get old if you keep that up! What is this man-thing that you have brought? Is he for me?" The blue water beauty asked her father, who rubbed his hands over his face in frustration but then disappeared, so I stepped up to the girl. "My name is Kazz, and I am a Shaman. I havee to im your father as one of my Primal Totems, but he has asked that I take care of you, but I still don''t know your name," I said to the girl, and then she jumped up to me, and I reflexively caught her, and she stretched up and kissed me on the lips. "What are you doing, Hydie?!" Windorf roared, but the girl ignored him as she wrapped her arms around my neck. The kiss was cool and soft, and Ipletely Blocked out Windorfs ravings; something about this girl seemed to make the world disappear. Windorf was nowhere to be seen when they finally stopped, and Hydie looked up at me with glowing red hearts in her eyes. "If you are going to take care of me from now on, will you get mad at me if I call you daddy? I won''t think of you like him, and he has kept me locked up here for so long! I need to enjoy things," Hydie said as she let her arm fall and started to stroke my stiff erection, and I had to hold back a groan. What the fuck had I just walked into? Windorf was never going to let me take her now, and he sure as fuck wasn''t going to give me his pact now! "Listen, Hydie, I need your dad as my Primal Totem, and I don''t think he will do that. If you are doing this to me when I ask him!" I said, but not stopping her; I couldn''t say that I wasn''t thoroughly enjoying this moment. "Fine, but you better not make me do things like my father! I don''t want to be a fighter like him!" Hydie said as she pulled her hand back, and I sighed. "I will not make you do anything that you don''t want to, and you can stay with Nushi until I get a ce for you. You know her, right? There are also a bunch of other girls that I am taking care of as well; you might know some of them like Mary or Jilly?" I asked, and Hydie nodded as I let her down. "Yes! I know all three of them! Do I get to go live with the girls? At Uncle Max''s castle?" Hydie asked as she took my hand, and we started to walk back out, but I was having issues. I was trying to think of my dick being put through a meat grinder so I could lose this erection before going out, but it wasn''t going down. Hydie was not helping because every time I looked at her, she was staring at it, and finally, I had to stop after only making it about ten steps. I turned to Hydie, and my blood was pumping like a hammer in my ears. She was looking up at me; the hearts in her eyes were glowing brighter than before. I couldn''t hold myself back, there was too much sexual tension in the air, and my body was suddenly aching for this transparent girl. I bent down to kiss Hydie, but she grabbed me by the hand and pulled me back to the door and into the room, closing it behind her. Chapter 98 - Shocked, And Dried Up Raisins "Father can''te in here when the door is closed, and that''s part of the reason why I make him so mad. No matter how strong he is, once I learned basic maniption of Water and Air Magic, I was able to seal the door and create a buff that disrupts him if I want," Hydie exined to me in a much more mature voice that suited the full-figured body. "Why do you like tormenting him so much? And are you just climbing all over me to get at him? I am game either way, but I would like to know which way my chain is getting pulled, if you know what I mean," I said as Hydie got down on the ground in front of me. ?? "I am not doing this to get back at my father; it''s theplete opposite. I am doing things, so you want to take me along with you," Hydie said as she moved to take my shaft into her mouth, but I stepped back, starting to feel uneasy. I did not want her to think that this was what she had to do, and the idea of me just letting it happen made me feel ill. "I will take you with or without this. You do not need to do this; I am more than willing to take care of you, regardless of your father''s choice," I exined to Hydie. No sooner did the words leave my mouth and Hydie burst with light, but I also felt a washing pressure on my Water Pact. I closed all the windows that popped up; they could be dealt withter and knelt down in front of Hydie. She was more solid now but still transparent, but the waves ran over her body in strange, beautiful patterns. The Designer System was what she had received, and it must be what was causing the designs¡­ System, yeah, that made sense, duh. "Are you okay?" I asked and put a hand on her shoulder. Hydie looked up at me with zing Pink hearts in her eyes, and she smiled at me. "Now, this isn''t a job," Hydie said as she moved forward and kissed me, wrapping her cool arms around my neck. I returned the kiss, and slowly stood up with her, and felt her cool body start to slowly heat up. When Hydie pulled back to break the kiss, and I finally opened my eyes, I could see that her body was now the same glowing pink as her eyes. Hydie slowly sank down and smoothly took my renewed erection into her mouth, and I was apletely new feeling. There was warmth and suction, but there was also a rush of bubbles wrapping around my shaft as Hydie sucked on it. It was strange to be able to see everything that was happening inside of her head, but she hadn''t stopped sucking since she started. I put my hands on the sides of her cheeks, and Hydie released me, opening her mouth. I gasped for breath, not realizing that I had been holding it, and then I staggered as the blood rushed up to my head. Then right as it filled and lightheadedness hit its peak, I got a burst of alertness, like a shot of controlled adrenaline. "Did that feel good, Daddy? Are you going toe and fill the rest of my holes now?" I heard Hydies voice call to me. I snapped back, but right as I did, Hydie took my hand and pulled me to the bed. I activated the Fire Pact and the Water Sphinx totem, and only the blue rippling lines appeared. "I want you to make me scream, Daddy!" Hydie said to me in an erotic voice the sent pleasure spikes through my body as I climbed on top of her. Hydie was already reaching down, taking my hard erection in her hot hand. I leaned down and kissed her to keep her quiet as Hydie rubbed my tip into her almost hot lips; her body was radiating heat, but I was absorbing it. I pushed and felt myself plunge into a Maelstrom nexus; like a vortex pulling me in, the pleasure level was breathtaking. I focus as I kiss her and controlled my blood flow and heart rate as I started to fuck her. I started off slow, but the Vortex seemed to pull and twist harder. Then when I pick up my speed, Hydie started to moan into my mouth, but the Maelstrom slowed, so I punched my cock deeper and faster. "Harder, Daddy! This is the calm before¡­ Ahhh! Don''t stop, Daddy! Fill my pussy!" Hydie cried out as I held her by the shoulders and hammered my cock into her burning body. Then, the calm inside of her body stopped, and she turned gray and cloudy. "I''m sorry, Daddy, I hope you are ready for this," she said in a calm voice as I continued to plow her body with my rock-hard zing erection. [WARNING: Seed is destroyed, no options avable.] Then I was struck by lightning, right on the tip of said erection, and I ejacted. At Least that was the short of it for the naked eye to see. In my heightened state, and the Water Sphinx Totem active, the Lightning had a different effect. I experienced the next second, with milliseconds running at the speed of seconds. I felt the waves crash over me and the electrical charge on every nerve. The volts only attached the memory of this incredible experience as I felt the pleasure of ejacting in slow motion. I reveled in the feeling that seemed tost forever, and the best part was the fact that my body resisted the pain from the shock. I was sure that I cummed more than I had ever had in my life, and my testicles must be dried up raisins because I could see arge amount of cum floating inside of Hydie. "Mmh, Daddy, that was really good, but we need to get going, or Father will start getting actually mad," Hydie said to me, and I grinned, and then kissed her, then pulled back. "Sure, but what are you doing with the fried eggs floating inside of you?" I asked, and Hydieughed at me. Then her insides started to swirl around, and the electrified semen disappeared in the rush. "There, I absorbed it, but you are pretty tough, but I think you should turn the totems off now," Hydie told me and opened the door, but Windorf was standing there with crossed arms. I was taken back to the day that I had to jump out a girl''s window as her father came up the stairs. I nearly broke my damn arm jumping off the roof, but this time I was a deer caught in the headlights with no windows in sight. Chapter 99 - Worlds Collide, The Center Of Everything "I like him, father; let''s go," Hydie said as she danced out of the room past Windorf, who was still looking at me. I centered myself, and stood up straight, and walked forward. I prepared myself for what was about toe as I approached Windorf with my eyes locked with his. ?? Hero''s voice was thest thing that I heard before I was back in that ce as I pressed my hand to Windorf''s chest. Nothing had changed, and then Time asked me one more question, but then it became somethingpletely different. "Do you think that your Soul is worth its weight? I asked this not as Time, but as the man that you questioned. You asked me this very same question before we agreed to this, and I am still unsure how to answer it. I know why you choose to do this, but I don''t understand the question. You don''t know what I am talking about, and I might have overstepped myself, but it is as Hero said, we will not speak again for some time," Time exined to me, leaving me to dig into my mind as fast as I could. Both my Fire Pact and Water Sphinx were still active, but I couldn''t remember things that weren''t there. Whatever Time was talking about, there were no traces of it in my mind, so instead, I shifted myself to the question. Do you think that your Soul is worth its weight? That was a philosophical question that was asking if you thought your Soul was worth what everyone else assumed it to be. "Are your intentions as good as your goals? Are you worth the pedestal you have been built upon? Am I? I can answer that question, but you''re the one with the name Time. Only Time will tell me, right?" I asked, and Windorfs body blinked at me in surprise. "You gave me this name! Right before you said goodbye! Are you telling me that I had waited all this time¡­ You are impossible, but a cleaver soul! Whatever happens from this point forward, you are on your own, but I will be leaving you with a present. Try to stay alive, and know that I still think that this is pointless. Whether youe out on top, the real fight happens at the ce where Worlds Collide. You told me you have a n this time, so I have to trust you because this is your Soul," Time exined to me, and it felt like he was about to leave, so I started to talk fast, and then the feeling of departure left. "Wait, I need more, like yours and my name. Don''t give me that made-up Egyptian shit; I want our real names. Who were we?" I asked in a rush. "Mark and your name is¡­ nope, can even mouth it. That was probably your doing and will more than likely trigger something if you hear it used in the context of your name. We are Humans that made it, but you denied it. Why? Because you are a meathead that only cares about fighting!" Mark told me, shaking Windorfs head, and I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I am sure that was it; I just decided to do all this for a good fight," I said, and Mark narrowed his eyes at me. "Fine, you want to end it all, win the tournament, and then we will rule it all! Or, as you like to say, it breaks the never-ending cycle that will allow the Multiverse to unfold. Easy you said; it''s going to be simple; No way I can lose! What you didn''t say is that it would take you twelve thousand years to appear on the FIFTH cycle!" Mark raved, but I shook my head. "That was obviously something that I had no control over, and you seem prettyfy. Plus, ording to you, if I wouldn''t have done this, you and I would be doing the same thing right now, right? Watching for other schmucks with the stats to do the job that we were MEANT TO DO!??" I shouted thest part, and suddenly I was standing in a room that was filled with gateways made from stone in a circr room. I was in a different body, a well-built frame; I was in my forties, and Mark stood before me as we had this exact argument. This was the ce where the Worlds Collided, and I had just refused my ce as a god thing like Mark. Because they offered me a ce as a God, but I had declined. Then, even though I had refused it, they would not allow me topete for a chance to take The Center of Everything. "Why do you think you can change this? You hadpleted the journey like we talked about when we first started, and we both got our ces! Now what? I have to watch out for you while you go out and try to change another world?" Mark raged at me, but I wanted to punch him in the face. "You know that this will never end, and you are just giving into Zero. You are letting the Demons win, and that is not how bnce works! They refuse to power, and now the Demons are filling up the Multiverse. Only I can cap them by going back in," I said, but then Mark grabbed me by the shirt and shook me; he knew what I was about to do. "Are you mad! Everything, you would lock it all away for this? You will never make it without knowing why you are doing it, and I won''t be able to tell you!" Mark raged, but I pushed him off me and walked over to the portal to the world called Earth. "None of it matters, not me or these memories. Soon, you will only be watching the Demons on the worlds, but I won''t let that happen. Do you think that your Soul is worth its weight? I will call you Time from now on Mark because you know the answer to that question. I will save this, but I promise you that my Soul will not Change, even after the memories are stripped clean. I will be back to take my ce in the tournament," I said, and then I was standing in the tunnel with Windorf and Hydie. [Want to read ahead, get stickers, and see thetest art? Join p*atr*eon/Magic_] Chapter 100 - Take Care, Review Of Logs I closed my eyes briefly; I needed to take everything that I had just seen in. Time or Mark was someone that I was obviously close to, but I disagreed with. I could see why I would have trouble stomaching this problem, but there was something else; the Demons. A Demon at the center of this all, and I was helping demons. ?? I knew that all demons couldn''t be the same, but I would have to remember that Mex and the rest were still Demons. The one at the Center of Everything was trying to flood all the worlds with Demons, but I had given up everything about me to put a plugin on them. I can''t tell you, and it wouldn''t matter if I did; none of it has anything to do with you. We are both ying different games on the same chessboard. The only difference is that I have already yed as you, to reach for a spot as a god, but It wasn''t to my liking. You could say that, but it was more of me just gaining a better understanding of the bigger picture. For now, none of it is essential, only what I aplish in this world. Let me deal with Windorf before he gets even more angry with me. Not yet; I only got a better look at what the target was and why it was my target. The two only thing that I needed to understand was the reason that I needed to do this. "I think you have to go first, you know," I said inly, and Windorf blinked at me and then shook his head like he had been stuck in deep thought. "Yes, the Pact¡­ I am trusting you with my daughter¡­ her color, I have never seen it before, so maybe this is the right decision. Mex seems to have to believe in you, and the other three have trusted you. I cannot get a strike past you now when you have no weapons. Kazz, I Windorf offer you the Wind Force Pact as a sign of the respect that I now hold for you. Please take care of my daughter," Windorf exined to me, and I nodded firmly and then focused; I didn''t need to speak, but I did roll my eyes when I felt the elemental Airflow into the tramp stamp location on my back. Great, now I had the Pact of Wind Force over my ass. Maybe I could flow while meditating by using my Wind? I shook my head and then looked at Hydie, who was still pink, but her eyes were now normal pupils. I reached under her and scooped Hydie up, and she giggled, then stretched up to kiss me. "Is Daddy going to take me home for more fun?" Hydie asked me after she stopped kissing me, but I shook my head. "No, we are going to rescue another girl that needs help," I said as I released my Fire Pact and then activated Windorfs Wind Pact, but I also opened up the windows that I had pushed aside earlier. [Name]: Kazz [Level]: 5 [ss]: Shaman [Strength]: 6 [Dexterity]: 3 [Fortitude]: 8 [Wisdom]: 6 [Intellect]: 2 [Spirit]: 7 [Energy]: 127 [ss Skills]: {Rank 2}: Target a nt to speak to it. 60% chance of sess. 9% chance of irritation. {Rank 1}: Summon Bonded nt to fight as your ally. {Rank 3}: Auto-Trigger: Totem Bond is triggered when a Totem Mark can be acquired. The target must express gratitude to you in some form in order to trigger Totem Bond. {Rank 1}: Activate more than one Bond at a time. Only one Primal Bond can be active. Total Bonds Activatable: 2. [Bonds]: {Earth Tsunalily Totem}: [Bond: Kali]: Increase body proportions. {Water Sphinx Totem}: [Bond: Veronica]: Increase reaction, awareness, and thought process. {Water Undine Totem}: [Bond: Hydie] Intensify senses of you and those you are in contact with. [Elemental Bonds]: {Earth Force Pact}: [Bond: Grogvel]: Greatly increased Physical Resistance. Immune to Fire, Wind, shing, and Blunt Damage. Weak to Water, Piercing, and Vibration Damage. {Fire Force Pact}: [Bond: Fireden]: Greatly increased Magical Resistance and Absorption. Absorb Wind Damage. Weak to Water and Earth Damage. {Water Force Pact}: [Bond: Wataluga]: Greatly increased flexibility and body control. Combinations with Wind, Earth, and Fire Damage will create Different types of Damage. Weak to Wind Damage. {Wind Force Pact}: [Bond: Windorf]: Greatly increased Physical Speed and Strength. Immune shing and Piercing Damage. Weak to Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, and Blunt Damage. [Blessings]: -------------- {Kazz Foreman} Level: 6 Title: Monster Caretaker Rank: {Condo Rancher) Monster Girls: 5 System: Ranching System System Abilities: {Monster Girl Rancher}- Gain experience from taking care of your Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Pacification}- The innate ability to calm Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Care}- All things done to care for Monster Girls are 100% more effective. {Monster Girl Food Prep}- All food you prepare for Monster Girls is 75% more satisfying. < Chef''s Hand>- Physical body-to-body contact with Monster Girls increases how full and satisfied they are by 35%. - Designate up to 1 person, and that person will receive the Monster Food Prep Skill. {Monster Girl Essence}- Gain 10% of all experience gained by monster girls in your care. Unique System Abilities: {Monster Dominance}- You now have the ability to exert dominance over a monster if you will is more significant than its own. {Gift Hunter}- Gain the ability to track special items that will increase your Bond with the Monster Girls you are looking after. These items will give a Special Linked Skill to you and the Monster Girl receiving the gift. ----------------- {Hydie} Level: 1 Title: N/A Species: Undine/Wind Elemental Unique Ability: Barrier Creation System: Designer System System Abilities: {Pattern cement}: Create patterns on anything. {Designers Touch}: Edit objects, but only the visual aspect. The original object will not change, just how it is perceived. [To see all the new and current art and read 20+ chapters ahead, Check out my Pa*tr*eon/Magic_] Chapter 101 - Duck, And Thrust! There was a lot to go through, but not a lot had changed with my stats, but I did get a better look at the totems, and I was interested in Kali''s totem; it looks like I wasn''t going to need the help from the system for that. That would leave Veronica, but If this System was going to work in the way I thought it did, then I would be given something to help, maybe change her somehow. That might be asking for a lot, but at this point, I really wasn''t sure what a lot should be constituted at. ? ? Hydie squealed with excitement as I burst forward; the Wind Force that the Pact lent me boosted me. The Primal Totem made me fast and strong, which made me even faster, but there was an edge to this Pact. The wind is strong and can be violent, but it is also very fragile. Because of my Water Sphinx Totem, I was able to feel that my body was actually weaker, but I was being pumped by the Wind Force. I burst out of the tunnel onto the teau and then turned to the path for the Vige. "Hold on to me, and don''t let go. Mex said that he guarded the path, but you can stop everything, so I will have to move faster and watch my surroundings," I exined, and Hydie got down from me and then stepped back. I watched Hydie, but I was about to tell her that we needed to go. Instead, I decided to see what she was doing as Hydie pressed her hands together and closed her eyes. Hydie opened her eyes, but now they were rolling waves, and the pink drained from her body, and it was reced with dark blue water. She stepped forward, and Hydie ced her hands on my chest and started to walk into me until she disappeared. As Hydie did this, the dark blue water of her bodypletely coated my body. It was like slowly sinking into chilled water, but I could immediately feel the effects of whatever Hydie had done. [Deep Sea Pressure Barrier] Activated! "This will help you stay unnoticed, but it will also give you some protection while using your Wind Pact, but do not use your Fire Pact at night if I am your Barrier, or we will alert the entire ind of where we are," Hydie exined to me, her voiceing from my shoulder. "Noted; is there anything else that you think that I should know?" I asked as I started to run down the pine path. I was already surveying the area, and it was getting to the end of twilight; I just needed to hurry. If I could move fast enough, I could get to the water before anything big came out. "You can go straight into the water like this; it will be fine for me. I will also create small pockets of air for you underwater. I can design my body for different things now, but that is really the only thing that this new thing can do in battle. The effects that it can do outside of it are also only superficial things and just illusions," Hydie whispered to me, and I nodded as I ran. "Keep using your abilities whenever you can. The more you use them, the more you will be able to learn new ones and improve the old ones. You can only make the illusion right now? That is very helpful inbat; think about if someone was chasing us and we hid behind something quickly. Now, what if you made us look like we weren''t there?" I whispered back, blowing a bubble first before Hydie let me have an air hole. I was about halfway, but now dark had set in, but we still seem to be in the clear. I pulled and dug at the power that was naturally running in my body, pouring it into my Wind Pact. I started to move faster, much faster, but I could feel a drain on me. It was like I was using a nitro boost, and it was draining my tank fast. I cut off the boost immediately and slowed back down to the pace that I was going before. I was almost to the Vige, but now there were things starting to head towards me. "You shouldn''t have done that! You just sent out a challenge to every creature in the area! When you use your own energy, your power radiates out of you. If you were stronger, it would be a good thing, but there are many things out here far stronger than you, and now you just told them you want to fight!" Hydie told me, no longer whispering. Three giant apes the size of houses were tailing me; Arge harry humped back beast with horns wasing from the right; ten plus hyena man things to the left swinging clubs and ils. I just ran as hard as I could; there was no fighting with even one of the groups. I was almost to the Vige, but the apes and Hyena men were close, and I jumped to avoid a club thrown at my legs. I could feel a handing down on me, but I ducked and switched to my Water Pact in a blink. I used the force of the massive handing down on my back along with the tips of the fingers to spring forward with a pelvic thrust. I had tond into a double roll and then jump up to sprint to the beach that was in sight. There had been an assortment of weapons thrown at me, and only the Water Sphinx Totem had allowed me to see the weapons being thrown. Those hyenas were outstanding shots, and there would have been no way to dodge those attacks usually. I was on the beach now, but the feeling of being chased was no longer on me, but I barely dodged two twirling ils. The monsters had stopped, and the bastards weren''t even bothering each other; the apes were pushing the Hyena men and pointing at me. I gave them two middle fingers and a couple pelvic thrusts as fuck you''s. Then I dodged more thrown weapons as I ran to the water, waving my fingers in the air. Chapter 102 - Ugly Fucker, Level-Up Facelift I didn''t bother going to the Demon Fish Vige; I would see them when I returned from rescuing Missy. For now, I ran into the rolling waves until I was up to my waist, and then I took a deep breath and dove in. The ocean water was cool and refreshing after running so hard, but I perceive hot and cold differently now. I felt them, but I was no longer affected by temperatures outside of the normal. ?? I released the Water Sphinx Totem and then activated the Water Undine Totem, and suddenly I felt a massive boost to all my senses. Even my Wind Pact felt stronger, and then I got an alert that popped up, and I swam forward. [Totem Sync] Acquired! {When 10 Meters from a Bonded Partner, the Totem Marks power increases.} "How are you going to find these people? It''s dark, and you can''t see in the dark, right?" Hydie asked me, but I pointed to my ear. I could already hear the vibrations from the Sahuagin; they never seemed to stop mourning their women. Well, at least they could lead me to when I need to go, and now that Hydie got her System, I had an idea. I cut through the water like a shark, and I was at the Sahuagin vige. It took no time at all, but the sound was almost worse underwater. I swam to a massive shell where the majority of the sound was pouring out an open entrance. There were some very dim glowing fish that glowed soft silver like the moon. It must have been to help their eyes because I could see the horribly ugly face with my heightened senses. I shifted to the Water Pact and Water Sphinx Totem, and my vision dimmed slightly, but I immediately focused on blocking my ears. At the same time, I was looking around the Chum Bucket for nkton or whoever was in charge. "What are you going to do now?" Hydie asked, and I wasn''t sure, but the Sahuagin turned to me as I drifted forward. "Make, clear," I barely whispered, using a small amount of air that I was still holding from before I dove in. "You can use the air, and I will hold it for you to breathe back in to talk. As long as you don''t hold it back in or the old air will make you dizzy, Magic or not," Hydie exined, and also when clear. "OOO-KAZZ! HAVE YOU COME TO OOO-HELP US WITH THE BARRACUDA-OO-OO?!" One of the Sahuagin cried, and suddenly it was deathly quiet. "Yes, but I need your help to get to them. I also have a n to help you win the girls back, so they stay with you. It will also be helping my friend practice and train her abilities, but If one of youys a finger on her, I will boil you all like lobsters," I told them, and that was when I spotted the biggest one of them start getting up. My voice seemed to carry fine out of Hydies bubble because many smiles were growing on their ugly faces. The big one turned around to me after standing up, and it seemed the bigger they got, the uglier. "The boys have told me about you and that you woulde, and here you are. If you have a n, then we are at your dispense, but we are not warriors that can fight the Barracuda. I am Shirzik, and I will lead you," the ugly fucker said, and I sucked in the stale air. "Hydie, can you make these god-awful-looking creatures better looking?" I asked, and then Hydie moved a small air bubble into my mouth and released it before splitting from me. "I think I can make them look better, but they will still be the same underneath," Hydie told me, and I nodded. Hydie shrugged and then got started. The first two that she tried gave them average-looking faces, but then she leveled up right away, and the skill got a boost. The following five got an average face with average bodies and then a level up, but she received a new skill this time. [Designer''s Vision](Passive): Designer''s Touch now gives partial feeling when a creature focuses on a target that was targeted by Designer''s Touch. I wasn''t really sure what it meant, but then one of the average-looking men shouted in surprise. "I CAN FEEL YOUR NOSE! Wait¡­ I can still push through it?!" The other Sahuagin had no noses, just t faces, so that would be helpful. The next fifteen turned out pretty good, and they were decent-looking. There was another level, but there was only a change in her pattern ability. The change allowed her to manipte what she was using to make the patterns. Now the men were starting to look like Mermen without fish tales. Thest thirty-two got to the final level, and there was only one left. I scanned over the final level-up results; Hydie was now the highest level girl that I had. And there were some changes. {Hydie} Level: 5 Title: Sahuagin Idol Species: Undine/Wind Elemental Unique Ability: Barrier Creation System: Designer System System Abilities: {Pattern cement}: Create detailed patterns on anything. Change up to 35% of up to an area with a 5-meter radius area of coverage. {Experienced Designers Touch}: Edit objects, but only the visual aspect. The original object will not change, just how it is perceived. {Designer''s Vision}(Passive): Experienced Designer''s Touch now gives partial feeling when a creature focuses on a target that was targeted by Designer''s Touch. {Weapon''s By Design}: Create a weapon from any material that is not metal. Choose one of the following options: Spear/Sword/2x Dagger/Mace. Weapon Quality: Poor. Oh, that is too perfect! Now it was time to give the Ugly Fucker his facelift! "Shirzik, ready for this?" I said with the bit of air that I had. The Sahuagin leader grinned at me, and I couldn''t help but cringe. It was hard to believe just how much worse that made him look with teeth sticking out all over the ce. {Dear Readers, if you could leave a review of the book that would help out greatly! Thank you all for reading this far, but the story is only just getting started! If you want to see more chapters each day, Review the book, join the discord in the synopsis, and vote! Every 500 powerstones a week i get, or 500 golden tickets, I will pump out an extra 2 chapters!} Chapter 103 - Fragile, And Say That To My Face! Hydie put a hand on Shirzik''s arm, and the creature began to change. I don''t know if Hydie could read my mind, but I was looking at Aquaman on the Juice once she was down. [Designer Reality Merge Fluke] Acquired! ?? {5% chance for Experienced Designers Touch to be physical and tangible, not just an illusion.} "What is this?" Shirzik asked as he touched his handsome face. Wow, I might have to get Hydie to give me a touch-up after; The Ugly Fucker was looking better than me! I was the Ugly Fucker now! "You are the lucky winner in this draw, it looks like, and now you are stuck like this," I said with a grin. "You''re kidding me, right? I even sound better! Even the ones of us that are average are leagues above the Barracuda men now! BWAHAHA!" Shirzikughed out in joy, and the other Sahuagin joined him with cheers. They would no longer have to cry out the horrible howls, but this was only half the battle. The other half was getting the women back, and the Barracuda men weren''t likely to want to do that without a fight. "Do you or the Barracuda use weapons?" I asked, but Shirzik shook his head no. "We use our teeth and ws, and so do they, but they are much faster than us," Shirzik exined, and I nodded; that was a good sign. The Sahuagin hadrge, awkward hands that were filled with webbing. They kept them open most of the time, so I would have to think this over. I gathered everyone up and convinced them to follow me with Shirzik, but most of them looked worried. We made everyone collect something that was strong on our trip, and Hydie moved around and created spears for everyone. This was the best kind of item I could think of for them to hold since Shirzik was the only one that had his hands more human-shaped. He still had the webbing, but it was more flexible and contracted when he closed his hands. The one thing that surprised me was the fact that Hydie didn''t increase in level after making all the weapons. However, it was evident as she had created a barrier around me, she had beenpletely exhausted. "Thank you for doing this for them. Now, I think that we might be able to get the women back without a fight. There are a few fewer Barracuda men, so I am hoping that showing up with an armed force of handsome men will make them think twice," I said once I was able to use the stale air to talk, but it was no longer stale. "No problem, but all the weapons are more than likely to break after a couple uses. The materials like coral and shells are strong. The problem is with the level of skill that I have right now. All the weapons are already cracked or fragile, but the spears are round, so they will cut the water. I think if I had made swords or maces, they would create drag, and then just snap on the first swing," Hydie exined to me, and I nodded. "Yeah, I thought the same, but hopefully, there is no need for the fight. I think that we can just overwhelm the Barracuda with a show of force," I said, but then I noticed a glow in the distance that wasing up. "We are getting close, and they wille out to meet us before we can get close," Shirzik told me, and I could see shapes starting to appear in the dark water swimming towards, and then I blinked. "They had fins for arms?" I asked in disbelief as the four-armed Barracuda herd gathered haphazardly in front of my group. They were tall and did have decent-looking faces, but the rest of them were just long and stretched out. They also didn''t have legs, just a fishtail. "Wow, the girls really didn''t move up the food chain very far," I said as I looked over the creatures. "What do you want? You had better leave, or we will tear you all to shreds!" The biggest of the fishmen called out to us, and I sighed. "So much for your show of force," Hydie muttered off-handedly, but I had somewhat expected this. These creatures were brave enough toe in and steal the women, not like they were going to give them up that easily. The problem was that I didn''t want to have to kill them all. I could clearly sense the power levels of the creatures around me now, unlike when I was running from the ones stronger than me. I had only been able to tell that they were strong, but not how much stronger. Now I could tell that this would be like shooting fish in a barrel, no pun intended, but good jokes always raised the scales. I let go of the Water Spinx Totem, and floated forward, and activated my Earth Tsunalily Totem, and started to expand rapidly. To my surprise, the stubborn Barracuda men didn''t even flinch, but I started to feel that something wasn''t right. There was something else big near here, and it was hiding. "Fine, then I challenge one or all of you for the Sahuagin women and Princess Missy back!" I called out but nowhere near as loud as I wanted, but the Leader heard me and nodded. "Sure, she has been waiting here for three days for you! If you can beat her, then we will return the women. We never wanted to take them in the first ce, and now our women are angry at us! It is just fun for the young ones to go and mess around with them, but now they are causing problems between spouses! I didn''t know you wanted the girls; I thought you would have brought the Sahuagin, but they are cowards, so I am not surprised!" The Leader of the Barracudaughed, but Shirzik floated up beside me. "You want to say that to my face, Fish Stick? It is I, Shirzik, and I havee to fight you¡­." Shirzik started to say, but a deep, old, and otherworldly voice cut him off. "No one cares about your squabbles. I have not waited here for three days to listen to you argue about who is uglier!" The voice said as the biggest and angriest looking octopus I had ever seen slowly started to take shape from the dark as it moved closer. {bonus chapter! thanks for voting!} Chapter 104 - Dirty Little Tramp, And Her Idiot Of A Flying Father I had never seen anything like the colossal horned four-story tall octopus that was floating forward into full view. I was still nearly three stories tall, but this creature was vast and looked like it wanted to get handsy with all those tentacles. What could this female creature want with me? What was this thing anyway? Octopus didn''t have horns or grow this big. ?? Yup, there I go again with that idiot first-world brain. It didn''t matter what this grayish blush multi-armed horned disaster looked like, it seemed to have a problem with me, and I needed to deal with it. "Who are you, and what do you want?" I asked after Hydie fed me air to fill my big lungs. "Me? I am The Goddess of the Sea! What do I want? It''s quite simple, I will consume you, and then I will reform and bind your body with my magic! After that, I will empower you and use your system to help me finally kill that dirty little tramp and her idiot of a flying father! KACK KACK KA KA!" The Gray Turd announced to me, and I had the decency not to burst outughing. So, this was a Kraken who tried to eat her child, Tiga, the Mantiken. Now she wanted to use me to finish the job? I was going toy the hurt into this old witch, but I had some questions I wanted to try to get her to answer. I wanted to know more about the ocean, and something as ugly and old as this creature was likely to have the knowledge, regardless of how insane she was. "Is that really yourugh? Also, what is a horned octopus-like you want with the girl? She isn''t in the water, so why should it affect you? You rule the sea, and from what I understand, she isn''t likely toe and take over. What are you doing hanging around here and not ruling the rest of the sea?" I asked, crossing my arms, about preparing to switch Pacts at a moment''s notice. I looked behind me briefly, and the Sahuagin, and now Barracuda men. They were all gathered together shaking in fear; previous quarrels were forgotten for the moment. Then I realized what was happening, and I uncrossed my arms back, and they all moved back. I needed to stop antagonizing the sea witch; I wasn''t affected by the Fear pressure that the Kraken was generating, but everyone else was, yet this creature wasn''t as strong as Nixi. "What do you think you can do to stop me? The child has half of my power sealed within it. Once I kill the failure, I will be returned to my full strength!" The Kraken snarled at me, and then her tentacles shot for me. I was ready, and I activated my Fire Force Pact; not the best choice typically, since I was in the water, but the Pact only fully activated once I had stored up enough energy. Hydie was the buffer, and that concerned me. I grabbed the first tentacle that reached me and then squeezed down as hard as I could. The effect was immediate, and the rest of the tentacles red out of control as I closed my fist to tten the tentacle just like a yogurt tube. A bolt of something struck me in the front of my left shoulder, but my body and Hydie absorbed it. The Kraken was screaming at me to let go because it had literally squeezed the guts out of the tentacle, and she had onlye just within range of me. "Are you sure that the fire totem is a good idea? You might attract unwanted attention," Hydie asked me as I stepped back and grabbed up a bit higher, about to crush it, but I had to shrink down to my normal sizest second. There was a massive stgmite of coral that passed through the area that I just was in with great speed. Then, after it was gone, I expanded again, but I no longer had a hold of the tentacle. "I am going to enjoy consuming you, Mortal! I will revel in joy as I grind your body into paste!" The creature spat, but I rushed forward as she was speaking. A flurry of tentacles tried to stop me, but I crushed any in my way, and then I was hit with a flurry of chromatic-looking blots. I assumed that they must be magic, or some type of energy, because my Fire Force Pact devoured them, and they just sunk into me. Both Hydie and I werepletely absorbing all the magical or energy attacks, but that was the Pact ignited. The lines of the Fire Force Pact burned up my body like veins of burningva, and then I exploded with bright pink light. That made the Kraken close her eyes from the brightness. I used the opening to grab onto two of the horns on the top of her head. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! YOU DON''T KNOW, AHHHH!" The Goddess screamed as I rammed both my knees into both her closed eyes. There was a horrible squishing noise, and then I was knocked back from the iling tentacles as the creature squealed. I was emitting an intense amount of pink light, and I could see far-off shadows that were moving, massive shadows. "I Hope the Night Harbingers get you all, you filthy creature," The Kraken screamed as she retreated, trying to get out of my burning light. I switched back to the Water Force Pact, and the light had disappeared, but the damage was done. I turned back to the Men that were moving back to me with worried looks, and I couldn''t me them. I had seen two shadows that made the now retreated Kraken look like an average-looking octopus with horns. They could be one of two types of ocean creatures, and I really hope it was one and not the other. "Get everyone as fast as you can; leave everything behind, and we need to get back to the Sahuagins vige where the water is much shallower here. I don''t think that whatever ising will be looking to talk, now!" I told the two groups of me and yelled thest part to get them moving. That was the shadow of a massive shark that had to be three times the size of a Blue Whale. A Megalodon, or this world''s equivalent. Chapter 105 - The Horde, But Why? "This is bad, but do you think that something that big will care about us?" Hydie asked, but I had seen too many crazy shark movies to act rationally. I was being taken to Missy by a pair of worried-looking Barracuda men. Everyone else in the vige of the Barracuda Folk was running around and rushing to leave. ?? "I don''t want to take any chances. It is easier for them to all move to shallow water, and then they will be out of reach. I also think that this might be good for both races if they can learn to work together then maybe they would have problems in the future. Plus, I will be giving them a healthy stared down before we leave with Missy," I exined, and Hydie sighed. "I guess that this is good for everyone, but I still think that there is no reason to get everyone to leave without their stuff," Hydie told me, but I had activated her totem. "Can''t you feel that it is more than just the two massive things? I can hear many things that areing our way right now. So, I would sooner be wrong and have them have nothing happen, but it''s a lot easier toe here to the stuff after. If everyone''s dead, then it won''t matter if I am right or wrong," I exined, and Hydie went quiet for a moment. "...How can you hear that? I can''t hear anything like that; how can you?" Hydie asked, but that was when we arrived at where Missy was being held. "I just focused on it, but we need to get these girls and get out of here. I need you to protect her and help her get back if the creatures get here before we can leave, okay?" I asked as our escorts fled, and I walked forward to the open entrance in the shell hut. A dim light lit the inside, and my eyes fell on the beautiful green-haired and blue-skinned beauty. So this is Missy, half Sahuagin, half mermaid, and all Goddess; just wow. "Who are you?" Missy asked me as our eyes connected; they were a sparkling teal like an ocean bay in the tropics. "Mary, your sister says hello, and she is pregnant. She wants you toe and see her," I lied. Mary had said no such thing, but that wasn''t important right now. Not all of it was a lie, and Mary would have probably asked me if I had mentioned it, possibly¡­ "How do you know my sister?" Missy asked me, and even her voice was beautiful and inviting, like her smile. "I am looking after her along with a bunch of other monster girls; Hydie here is included," I said, and Hydie released herself from me as I did for effect. "Who are you?" Missy asked so innocently that she could have been murdering something, and I probably wouldn''t have noticed. "I am Hydie, but we really need to hurry!" Hydie exined, and Missy put her hands up to her mouth with a gasp, looking adorable. "Why?" "Monsters areing!" "Oh no! Why are theying? "They are¡­ I don''t know¡­." "Why don''t you know?" "Huh? What? I don''t know why¡­ Hey! We don''t have time for these questions! KAZZ, DO SOMETHING!" Hydie screamed at me, and I was snapped out of thinking of all the dirty things I nned to do to these two. "Huh?" I asked, shaking my head to clear it, but Hydie looked down and threw up her hands into the air when she saw my raging hard-on. "Monsters areing that I can actually hear, and now you are thinking about having sex with us?" Hydie raged at me, and I could see her point, but something about Missy was highly distracting. "He was?" Missy asked, and then she blushed, and I almost ejacted when she licked her lips and then swallowed. Hydie moved forward to jump towards Missy but tripped on her feet and then fell t on her face. I had to open my mouth and let some of the salty ocean water in just to make sure that I was still in the water. "Why did you do that?" Missy asked, covering her move with a shocked look. Hydie growled as she got up, and I quickly got between them and faced Missy. "Listen, I need to get you to safety. Can you please let Hydie help you so I can defend you if needed?" I asked, now hearing the cries of the horde advancing on us, but it sounded like the others had left. Missy looked at me with enormous eyes and then looked down at my erection. "Why is it so big?! Did Mary use this to get pregnant? Is she bigger than when I saw herst? How did she fit that in?" Missy asked in a rush of questions, but it was toote now, and I could hear the creatures getting way too close. Any other time I would have given her the full exnation and also a lesson if she wanted, but it was go time. I reached forward slowly and took Missy into my arms and then held her close to my body. "Hydie, cover us!" I called as Missyid against my chest silently. I activated my Wind Force Pact and was about to swim out, but then the hut exploded around me. A tentacle mmed down beside me, just barely missing me, and I swam as fast as I could, but I was in serious trouble. There were horrific monsters all around me, and they had already surrounded the vige. Outnumbered, hundreds of monsters versus one very stupid Shaman and two cute monster girls. I gritted my teeth as the monsters all converged on me and activated my Water Sphinx Totem. I hade too far to die now. That couldn''t happen before I got to the end of the third day! Plus, there was no way that I was going to let anything happen to these girls. I would show my soul''s weight to this world and everyone else watching. Nothing would stop me before I reached the end. Chapter 106 - Twisting Fate, Chaos The world seemed to copse on me as the horde of sea monster fish, sharks, and whales. All their eyes glowed a strange pink but brighter and more neon than what I had produced. "What are you going to do?!" Hydie asked in a panicked voice. ?? "Get us out of this, but I need you to make sure that you are holding on to Missy. I can''t do this and hold her," I said, and I felt Missy press into me, and I let go of her, but there was a Hammerhead shark with armsing at me. Right before it got close enough to hit me, I knifed my arm into the ce where the long hammerhead met its neck, closing my fist at thest moment. There was a snap, and the shark was sent spinning into the next one that wasing for me, sending them both spinning through the water away from me. I started to swim up fast and used the w of a monstrous lobster that tried to attack me, boosting me up. It was no good, and the monsters started to follow me up in a spiral. And bare dodge their normal spearfish, but then darkness started to surround me. I started to swim forward at the mouth I had been scooped into, filled with teeth, and was closing fast. I hadn''t even seen the shark, but the mouth was like half a football field that was sucking me back at the same time as I tried to escape. Suddenly, right before the mouth could close and seal our fate, the craziest thing happened. The other Megalodon came and bit the button jaw off the one that was about to eat us. We were somehow missed, and the now dying Megalodon was iling away from us. I was already trying to swim away again. Chaos was unfolding around me, but I kept swimming. A tentacle tried to wrap around my waist, but it fell away limply. I looked back briefly and couldn''t believe what I was seeing, but I turned back and swam as fast as I could. Everyone was fighting, and it was almost impossible to see anything with all the blood that was filling the water in a dark cloud. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! WHY ARE MY LOVERS KILLING EACH OTHER AND NOT YOU?! I WANT THAT POWER INSIDE OF YOU!" The screech cut through the water like a knife, and it sounded like I was above the water, and that just made me redouble my efforts. Whatever wanted me sounded angry, so I didn''t need to feel free to know that I needed to get the hell out of there. "What just happened?" Hydie asked as we got almost halfway back to the shore. I wasn''t going back to the Sahuagin vige tonight; it had to be well past midnight and getting to the morning. I had a sneaking suspicion about the series of events that had happened. "I don''t know for sure, but I think that it had something to do with the same blessing that protects Mary. If you have met her, you must know what I am talking about," I said as I swam just below the water''s surface. Missy had fallen asleep on my chest. "Hmm, I guess that makes sense, and I don''t really want to overthink it; we are alive. What are we going to do now?" Hydie asked. "Home, it is almost morning and the best time to get back home. Plus, having Missy with us will make the trip that much easier if something does attack us, but I have to ask something of you," I told Hydie. "You want me to stay around Missy, right? I figured as much, and I know that we are going to be leaving soon, so I don''t need to worry about doing it for very long, right?" Hydie asked me. "That is the n, but I still don''t know how we are going to get off the ind. I don''t even know if we have a boat yet, and I don''t know how to break through the barrier either. I haven''t even seen it yet, so I don''t really know what that even is," I said as I could see the shoreing up. "The seal just requires that you reach over the level often with your ss. F Ranked demons can''t get past level five, but they can get much stronger than that. The barrier is more of a guardian that reads your level before leaving. When you leave, you will be able to take anyone that is in your party, so all of us girls, and my father and the other three," Hydie exined as I stood from the water, starting to walk out onto the beach. The night was starting to be burned away from the sky, and I started to run to the path and pushed myself. I was starting to get tired; I had been up for an entire day at this point, but I got a lot done, and now it was just time for me to get home, but something was bothering me about the exnation. "What about Mex and the others at the castle? I can''t leave them behind," I said as I came up to the teau that Hydie used to live in. "Then you need to kill Doa, or you will have to leave Mex and some of the others behind. You will also have to add them to your party somehow, but I don''t know how that would work with the system you have. My father exined everything that he learned from you, so I have a pretty good idea of what your system does," Hydie exined as I passed the teau, and I started for the Fireke. I was supposed to convince Nixi of this? Chapter 107 - What I Thought, Something Like That Mex wouldn''t be a hard sell or any of the others, but I wasn''t sure about Nixi. This was her idea, but she didn''t seem the type to bend a knee, but she might surprise me. Everyone wanted off the ind, and it wasn''t like I would treat them any differently than I do now. So, the next thing to worry about would be Doa, but that would being sooner thanter. ?? I was justing out of thest path, so I started to slow as I jogged back to Mex''s Keep. I was starting to feel exhaustion starting to set in, and I just wanted to get the girls settled in and then to bed. It was still early, so I could probably sneak in before anyone noticed, but I was almost sure that one person would be awake. As I jogged over the bridge, I hoped that I could make it to bed without an encounter with Lidy. she was going to be pissed at me for missing out on making her eggs and the other stuff, but I was more than worn out at this point. The courtyard of the keep was quiet, and I could see that the Apartment block had stretched out a bit now. There was a building attached to the back of it that was fairlyrge, so I had to assume that Jilly had made that for the Sphinx. "An interesting walk of shame, but I think you should be careful going inside. Lidy is in a mood, and it is best to let her calm down," Mex said as he appeared in front of me for one. There was a ck line on his shoulder that wasn''t there before, and I was curious to just how he got it. "What is with the ck mark?" I asked as Hydie let my head go from her barrier. "The ogre and I had some words, and things got a bit physical, but I was able to get away. That isn''t really important right now; this right here is far more than I expected in one day. How did you manage to get three girls in one day?" Mex asked me curiously, and I sighed. "Without any sleep, but I think that I may have stirred up some trouble out in the water," I said to Mex and then exined everything that happened. As I exined, Hydie moved from me topletely cover Missy. Mex put out his arms and took the two of them, but it wasn''t like they weighed me down. "Really, Karen was waiting for you at the Barracuda vige, and then you pissed off the Sea Witch? You have had quite a busy day! Mind you, with your power growing, there will be a lot of creatures and Demons that will want to take that for themselves," Mex exined as we slowly started to walk to the apartment, and then I remembered something. "So, I found out how I can get you all off the ind," I said casually, and Mex stopped abruptly and turned to me with an interested look. "Do go on," Mex said with both of the girls in his arms. "The voice in my head, Hero, he told me that I could take you all with me, but I would have to Kill Doa first, and then you will all have to pledge yourselves to me. That means that I will have full control over you, but I will not exert my control like a ve master. I know that this is easy to say now, but I think that you know the type of person I am," I exined to Mex, and he nodded as I thought he would. "Yes, I can''t see anything wrong with that, and it would be fitting if you killed Doa. The question now is, how are you going to beat Doa? I think that he will being this evening himself about Jilly, but he won''t do anything yet," Mex exined, and I frowned at him. "Why wouldn''t he do anything? I can imagine someone as deadly as the Demon Lord of an ind being very lenient, right?" I asked, but Mex just shook his head at me. "As dastardly as Doa is, all Demons follow a code, and that says that they have followed any rules that they state. Doa made a rule when firsting to this ind before the shit hit the fan. He promised that everyone would be given three chances, and after that, he would kill them. The warning that you witnessed was her first, but Jilly did kill thest five he sent," Mex said with a slight chuckle. "Well, I need to sleep beforeing up with any n, but I would assume that I just need to get stronger than him and kill him, right?" I said as I started to switch feet to lean on. My brain wasn''t running at full speed anymore, and I had even lost hold of the Wind Force Pact and the Water Sphinx Totem. Mex nodded to me and then nodded to the apartment. "Yes, something like that. Head inside, I just felt one of Nixi''s teleportation spells, and that means she listened to me. The old witch thinks she is smarter than me! I noticed something different when you fell from the sky, and I put the pieces together!" Mex said proudly, and I gave him a weak smile, shaking my head and then turned back to the apartment. I headed inside and went straight up the stairs to my room and opened the door quietly. The ce was pitch ck and silent, but I knew where my bed was, and made my way over to it easily. I was already naked, so I crawled into bed but was surprised at the feeling of someone else in the bed already. I hardly had the mind to worry about them, but I was pretty sure it was the Cerberus girls. I rolled to face the outside of the bed and then let my heavy eyes finally close, and I slipped into a deep dreamless sleep. Chapter 108 - Cera, Bera, And Riez I awoke to the feeling of soft tips brushing my chest and the pressure of a body pushing down on me. I didn''t open my eyes right away; there seemed to be a hushed debate going on. "Just do it already!" Cera''s voice whispered harshly. ?? "No! I mean, I want to, but¡­." Bera said shyly. "I think that he is awake. I can feel his penis getting harder," Reiz said, and I reached up and grabbed the girls, and then all of them squealed in shock. I rolled them over and got myself over top of them. The three girls'' faces were smiling up at me brightly, and I leaned down and kissed Bera first while I groped the other two girls'' outside breasts, and the two of them moaned as I did. That was the first test, but as I pulled back from Bera and moved to kiss Riez, I reached down between the girl''s legs. As I started to kiss Riez, I rubbed the Clits that I assumed were attached to Cera and Bera. Bera started a cute simpering moan, and at the same time, Cera let out panting moans. When I moved over to Cera, who kissed me hungrily, I only rubbed Riez''s clit with my thumb and then slid two fingers into the girl''s moist little pussy slowly, giving it a chance to stretch. Riez was biting her lips and trying to hold back yipping cries of pleasure as I dug my fingers deep inside of the girls and started to finger them. Bera was moaning loudly as I finally pulled back, and I slowly removed my fingers from the girls as the three of them pants with red faces. Now it was time for the final test, but first, I slowly kissed down to the girl''s breast and gently kissed and sucked on each nipple. I felt the girls'' soft and furry hands ying with my hair as I licked their nipples. I then started to kiss my way down their chest, and I moved my face down between the girl''s legs. They were already dripping wet, and I slowly lowered my mouth down to lick the Bera clit, and she moaned softly. I moved to Cera, and she cried out as I licked her harder, and then all the girls started up as they were hit with an orgasm. That made the girls start to tremble, and I slowed down as I moved over to Riez''s clit. I moved slower, but I lifted myself up so I could push my fingers back inside of her. I slowly moved my fingers, curling them up and then gently caressing the inside of the girls to make them all startup, but I had to stop and pull out. Riez had started to yip strangely, and it was in the middle of the day. Thest thing I wanted to do was get the other girls up here to interrupt us. I pulled back and then lifted my face to the girls. "Rollover on your knees, and then you can all moan into the pillows, okay?" I said, and the girls nodded fast and moved quickly to get in position in front of me, pushing their faces down into the pillow. The girls were wiggling their ass excitedly, and I grabbed it with one hand, guiding it toward my throbbing erection. I rubbed the tip of my stiff rod on the girls soaking wet pussy lips, and then I rubbed my hand on it to lube my cock up. Then I rammed my cock all the way inside the girls and held it there as I reached forward and grabbed the girls by the biceps. The girls cried out in muffled screams as I started hammering my thick cock into the short girl''s body. I leaned back some, and then I started to bounce their thick chocte ass cheeks off my hips. I leaned back farther and slowed as I pulled the girls up to rest on my chest as they painted, then I pulled myself out and moved up. I pushed my tip into the girl''s ass, and I went slow, unsure how they would react. The girls all gasped but slowly pushed back onto my dick as I yed with their tits and gently fingered them. Once I was entirely inside of the girl''s ass, I took my hands and put one over Riez''s mouth and the other over Cera''s. I started to move slowly as I fucked the girl''s ass; the tightness of it clenching felt terrific on my shaft. The girls started to moan and then scream into my hands as I fucked them. Bera just painted and moaned in long,borious calls, and I could feel myself starting to build up inside as I got close. I let go of the girls, pushed them back down to the bed and pulled myself out and spit on my hand, and re-lubed myself. Then I pushed back into the girls waiting for hips as I held them down. I pounded my pulsing shaft into their chocte brown ass cheeks, and I started to build back up again. The girls screamed muffled cries out, but they still pushed me deeper into them as they did. I dug my cock deep into the girl''s ass, making them scream out as they arched their backs against my hold, and I exploded hot cum deep into their ass. I slowly pumped the girls, but I took the handoff the back of their necks, squeezing everyst drop of cum into them. I pulled out, and the girl''s knees slipped out and thenid t on the bed, moaning and panting. Iid down beside the girls and then rolled them into my arms, and all three of them had happy smiles on their faces. That gave me a bit of relief because I had gotten pretty rough with them, but they seemed to like it. That was good, and I kissed each one of the girls and got up, and they curled up on the bed and poofed into the three-headed dog. Chapter 109 - Slide In, Thats A Bad Idea I climbed down from the Ogre after I had a chance to collect myself. I was still filled with the Demonic energy that I had taken from Lidy, but now it wasn''t like I was going to explode. I pointed myself at the Fire Lake again, activated the Wind Force and Water Sphinx Totem, and then ran. I had to collect Lizy, the Magma Spider, but I was still pretty unclear how I was going to do that. ?? The forest started to thin as I got closer to the crater where the Fire Lake was. Thend was sted and burnt; the closer I got, the thinner the trees became until they were just cked skeletons. Jilly didn''t really talk about Lizy, just about what had happened between the two, and I would have to bring Jilly up as well. I would just have to wait and see what Lizy was like, but I would keep in mind that she will more than likely try to kill me with some kind of trick. I slowed down as I reached the edge of the crater and stopped before going down to look around. I had arrived on the vige side of the crater. I considered going down there to talk with the denizens, but I just wanted to get this done. I wanted to just go straight to Lizy. The people were more of a food bank for the other monsters like Lizy, it seemed, but they might have some information for me. I switched back to the Earth Force Pact and then slid down the hill towards the strange vige filled with red brick buildings. As I descended, sliding down the crater, I looked over the rest of the area, and I could see many different glowing lizards over by the Fire Lake. They were allzing around, sliding into theva and bobbing in and out. Then I saw what I had been looking for, and I groaned. I spotted gray metallic-looking webs, but they were all leading into a hole in the side of the crater. That was just asking for trouble if I went in there. I would have to try to get Lizy out somehow, and finding out a bit about her would be a good idea. There was only one problem. I had been looking over the vige, but there wasn''t a single person outside, and I couldn''t see any light''s on. What was the name of this town again? Crata, that was right, but Mex had said something about the Nightlife, so maybe that meant the people weren''t active during the day? I headed over to the town, which was reasonablyrge with fourrge buildings in the center. The rest of the brick buildings looked the same and were built out in five rows, making the town a giant square. I decided to head straight for the middle, and the entire walk through the town was eerie and weird. I couldn''t see anyone watching me, but I could feel them, and now that I was in the town, I could feel people of some sort around me. I couldn''t tell what they were, but they were mostly weak, but there were some stronger people up ahead. Stronger than the rest, but notpared to me, maybe close to the girls, though. I approached therge two-story brick building that had the strongest signatures, and walked up to the strange stone door, and pounded the t of my fist on it. There was no sound, but I could sense the persone to the door. "What do you what?!" A muffled voice yelled at me. "I want to talk; I am from Mex''s Keep," I called back. "You cane in if you can open the door!" The muffled voice called, and I nodded to myself with a smile; I could do that. I stepped forward, ced a hand on the door, and pushed. The door didn''t budge. "Have you started trying yet?" The voice asked, and I gritted my teeth, drinking in some of the dark energy. I pushed, digging my feet in, and the door started to creep forward, but it was still barely moving. Then I noticed something; there were more people behind the door! Were these bastards holding the door on me as a prank? Oh, I was going to give it to whatever the hell was on the other side of this door! I pulled more of the Dark Energy into my Earth Force Pact, and my rough and rigid skin started to turn ck, consuming me wholly. I used the Water Sphinx Totem to focus on my muscles, curling them, and then I shoved, and the door flew open, along with red and orange-skinned humanoid creatures. I rxed and then walked into the building as the creatures picked themselves off the ground. They were strange-looking with rough skin and glowing red eyes that were burning. I was trying to figure out how their brows weren''t getting burnt when one of the female ones darted at me and then around. I was going to stop her, but the woman was just closing the door behind me. "Why are you here? What does Mex want with us?" The strongest one of the group asked me. He wasn''t taller than the others, and he actually was thinner and leaner. Still, there was no mistaking the power I felt from him. "I wanted to ask you about Lizy, the Magma Spider," I said, and the creature began to smile, but the females all threw up their hands and walked away. "What do you want to know about Lizy? She is bing a bit of a problemtely, and she almost got mest time that she invited me over," the man said proudly, and I raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean? Shees and invites you over?" I asked curiously, but The man shook his head. "Not exactly. Heree to the back with me, and I will show you around the ce. I am Farin, and I am a Gog if you were wondering," Farin exined to me as he turned and waved for me to follow. Chapter 110 - Ogre, Pretty Funny The bridge was crossed in three long strides, and at the end I turned and left. I pointed myself in the direction of the smoke in the distance. Then I ran into the forest, but this time not following the path; I was hoping to meet someone on the way. It would be a real shame not to use all this barely contained power from Lidy. I really hoped that this wasn''t going to be an ongoing thing with her. I could understand why she was angry, but this was taking things way too far. The forest was blurring by me as I ran, but nothing seemed to want to fight with me this time, even though I was glowing within red lines of power. I was probably over twenty feet tall, but I still knew that this wouldn''t scare the creature away. I could feel the monsters around me, and there were some of the hyena creatures that had attacked me, but they stayed far from me now. I searched as I ran, and then I felt the pulse of power enter my range of sense. The Ogre. It had to be him, and I angled myself to the south. I pointed myself towards the power and pounded the ground harder as I picked up speed. Whatever was there had stopped moving, and it looked like it was waiting for me, so I started to pay more attention to my surroundings. I wasing up to a clearing, so whatever was waiting for me was going to be there. "Come to y? Not going to run away again, Snack?" The Ogre''s menacing voice called to me. I pulled in a deep winding breath and forced the oxygen into my muscles as I ran out into the clearing where the Ogre was waiting. I needed to keep my cool and not get overconfident; even with all this strength and power, I could still sense that he was stronger than me. "Yeah, I am ready to tangle; let''s get this going," I said as I walked forward, getting my arms up. "Hmm, I hope you don''t think that this little boost of power is going to do you any good! I am going to tear you to pieces!" The Ogre told me as he started to circle me, but I moved with him, not letting him get out of my sight. Then he came for me with arms out, but I side-stepped him, swinging for his head, but he ducked. I missed, and he turned into me, staying low, and then caught me on the bottom of the chin with an uppercut, and then to fast stiff jabs to the stomach, knocking me back. The Ogre came for me, giving me no pause, but I recovered my senses and locked arms with the creature. This was no good because he bit down on my shoulder, making me yell out in pain. My reaction was to drive my knee forward with great force between the Ogre''s legs, making him let go of me with his teeth and hands. I grabbed the Ogre with both hands by the back of the neck as he bent forward and drove my other knee into his face. The Ogre''s head smashed up and back, but I spun quickly and wrapped my arm around his neck, locking him in a headlock. I threw my leg forward and let my body drop, mming the creature to the ground. He tried to get up, but I spun around and ripped one of his arms out from under him as he tried to stand. I put him into an armbar and broke the arm without a second thought and then rolled away. The Ogre roared as he tried to get up, but I was already bad on my feet, and I rocketed forward. I pulled my leg back and drove my foot forward to drive a kick into the Orge''s head, sending him spinning, but the creature caught himself in the air andnded. "Pretty funny, huh? Think this little thing will bother someone like me?" The Ogre said and dashed forward at me again with one arm hanging loosely at his side. I could feel a difference in him now, and I was struggling to keep up. He came at me with a hook, but as I blocked it, he spun impossibly in the air with a front flip, smashing me to the ground with a kick to the shoulder. The force was so great that I bounced off the ground, feeling multiple ribs crack and fracture. Before I could react, I was kicked into the air backward, and then I could see him leaping for me as I flew back. The Fire Force Pact was released, and I activated my Earth Force Pact just before hitting the ground. The Orgended on me and started to hammer me with his single fist, but only about three hits before the first started to bleed. The second he stopped, I sat up and punched as hard as I could into the side of the Orge''s left kneecap, bowing his leg out. I then grabbed his broken arm as he tried to punch me, but I couldn''t feel it, and I ripped the arm down, and then I rolled forward. The Ogre came crashing down face-first into the ground, cutting out the roar that was starting. I jumped up from the roll and turned back to jump on the Ogre''s back. "Get off me, you little," the Ogre started to say, but I grabbed his greasy hair and started to smash his face into the ground until there was no more movement under me. The ground was covered in blood, but I was finally about to let my Earth Tsunalily Totem go. I shrunk down, but I was still filled with power. I decided to sit for a moment on the back of the massive Ogre that I had just killed. I actually killed it; the Hero Eater was dead. Chapter 111 - Shut, THE FUCK UP I trailed behind Farin and walked out of the hall that the entrance was in and into arge central hall that was filled with the creatures. The females were all dark red, but every one of them turned away from me with a scowl as soon as I made eye contact with them. "Ignore those females. They are going to think very little of you because of your interest in Lizy. I am sure you have noticed that there is a lot more red skin than gold, and that is because of Lizy and the little games she likes to y. Here, sit down," Farin said, motioning to a chair at a table with a couple of the other Male Gogs. "Who is this guy?" One of the men that I had sat down next to asked Farin. "This is a friend of Mex''s from the Keep, and he is asking about Lizy. So, we will answer anything he wants, right? Or the damn women will leave us outside for good soon!" Farin told the others as he sat down across from me. "Oh! Are you here to kill her? She has got enough of us already, so I think that it''s about time Mex did something about her!" the Gog beside me said. Then another one spoke up, "Yeah! Since Fireden disappeared, the creature has started toe right into the town and will convince one of the men to join her! She used to have to wait until one of us came out on her own, but now she justes to take her pick if someone doesn''t go out!" Another Gog from across the table said; they all looked the same, and I didn''t n on staying here long enough to learn them all. "So I just need to wait until night? Or I can go into her cave right now?" I asked, not answering the question that had been asked. "No, she covers the way at night with her Razor Silk, and even if you got close, she would feel youing from the entrance if she hasn''t already. I would suggest that you wait until nightfall when shees out. I have survived three experiences with her because she is a conniving creature that loves to gamble," Farin said proudly but then deted when a female voice spoke from behind me. "Yeah? And how many others have died because of this Vixen? You might have lived, but what good does it do you? Soon you will join the rest of the dead men," a female voice said, and I turned to see the scowling face of a female Gog. She wasn''t really what you would call pretty, but a flower in mud, to be for sure. I stood up from the bench table and turned my body to face her. The girl was less than five feet tall, shorter than the Cerberus girls by a bit, but she was scowling at me. "Can I talk with you alone?" I asked, hoping that she would say yes. "What do you want? You''re just here to get some from that beast, right? Then you are going to go, and things will be the same!" The girl said with a burning rage in her words, but there was also pain, but I just motioned forward. The girl threw her hands up in the air with a huff of frustration. Now I could understand why, but I didn''t want to talk inside. Once she started to move, I stepped forward and took the lead heading to the door I had juste in. "Hey! I thought you were going to ask us a bunch about Lizy?!" Farin called, and I stopped and turned back. "I would like to talk to your friend in private outside if that''s okay?" I said more than asked, but the Gog just raised a hairless brow at me; none of them had hair, but the females had dread-like fleshy man finger width tendrils. "What do you want with Keri?" Farin asked but then said, "She won''t be able to tell you anything that will be useful about Lizy!" "Shut, THE FUCK UP, TARIN, YOU SLUT! You are lucky that the women don''t just throw you out by yourself! It''s not like you help get food! You are the one out there pissing her off, so can it!" Keri yelled back and looked like she was going to keep going. I reached down and took her hand, starting to pull her away. I expected resistance, but there was none, and when I looked back to her, she was looking down like a scowled child. I went to release her hand, but Keri gripped my hand tight, so I kept hold of it. I was at the door now, and my Earth Force Pact was still active, so I had no trouble opening the door one-handed. Once we were outside, I closed the door and then continued to walk forward, but I felt frantic pulling on my hand. I stopped and turned back to a terrified-looking girl that was pulling my hand; the fire from inside was gone entirely. "Where are you trying to take me?! Don''t you know what it''s like down here during the day?" Keri pleaded with me, but I shook my head. "I will protect you, but all the creatures down here are made from fire, and I can see that your eyes are on fire. Doesn''t that mean you are immune to fire?" I asked in confusion, and Keri shook her head yes, and that only confused me more. "The Elemental creatures were created from Fireden''s presence here so long, and we consumeva to survive, but they are magic fire and deadly to us. For the longest time, there were no Elementals or Lizy, just Jilly, and we actually got along. She also wasn''t a glutton, and we were able to reproduce barely faster than she would consume us, which was good. Now, Lizy eats only men that she sleeps with and that she wants to, where Jilly would take the weakest or the dumbest ones," Keri exined, but that begged for another question. What would happen if I took Lizy out, and there was nothing to keep everyone in check? Chapter 112 - Misbegotten, Big Eyes And A Cute Little Smile I convinced Keri to ride up on my shoulder, and I headed out of the town and towards the Fire Lake. "Tell me about your people. What will happen if I take Lizy away? You make it sound like you reproduce a lot, so what does that mean?" I asked, unsure how to phrase it properly, but Keri seemed to understand what I was trying to get at. "I get what you are saying, and yes, we do reproduce fast. It only takes about a week for us to have our children from conception, but we only do this often when there are threats because we have very little in the way that can hurt the things that attack us in our environment. Normally the heat is enough to keep normal creatures away, and the ones that doe are usually resistant to fire, or Immune like us," Keri exined, and I nodded. That wasn''t so bad, and the reasoning made sense in a weird kind of way, but it still did. "Okay, so then can you tell me about it," I started to say, but frantic patting on my head made me stop and look around me. I wasn''t out of the vige yet, but there seemed to be some Elementals roaming around town, and some had just found us. Two Komodo Dragon-looking mother fuckers, but their bodies were pure orange and yellow fire. "I told you!" Keri whispered harshly as she started to shake in fear, and I turned back to just jog away, but three strange dog-looking wolf fire hounds were blocking my path. I felt something very warm run down my chest and back as Keri started to whimper. I ced a hand on herp and turned my head to her. "I-I''m s-sorry! I''m scared!" Keri said as tears poured down her face, and I squeezed her leg gently as I let go of the Earth Force Pact and activated the Fire Force Pact. "Don''t worry about it. It happens to the best of us, but I guess I should have told you about this when we left," I said, and the three Lava Houndsid down on the ground in front of me. "Huh? What is going on? Why aren''t they attacking you?!" Keri asked in confusion as she rubbed the tears from her face, looking behind me and then forward again. I stretched out my hand towards the dogs before talking and called their energy to me or back to me since these were all just remnants of Fireden''s Elemental Magic. The creatures disintegrated into embers and absorbed into my body, and Keri put a hand over her mouth as she gasped. "You''re him! You''re Fireden?! Why did you leave?" She asked, but I pointed to the red Suncrest Fire Force Pact Tattoos of a zing tribal sun on my stomach. "No, I am not him, but Fireden is inside of me along with the other Primal Elementals. I can reabsorb any Elementals that we meet, and I will try to get as many as I can before leaving. I am sorry that I didn''t tell you before this," I said as I turned and absorbed the other two lizards that were lying on the ground waiting for me. "Oh, but then why did you take him? He was keeping the elementals in check, but I guess if you are going to be taking care of them, then it doesn''t matter, but he also kept Lizy in line," Keri exined as I started to walk back out of the vige. I wanted to get Keri to give me some information about Lizy''s habits and what kind of things I should watch out for. Women were notoriously good at pointing out the ws in others that they didn''t like. "I n on taking Lizy from here to take care of her and get her out of your hair. Mex told me that she has been getting worse, so I will figure out a way to deal with her, but that''s why I wanted your help. I want to know about her habits, strengths, weaknesses, and anything else you can think of," I exined, and Keri stiffened on my shoulder, making me stop again. I didn''t see anything around us when I looked around, so I looked up to Keri, who had a confused look on her face. I wasn''t sure what she was confused about, so I decided to keep walking to theva. After I started to move again, Keri spoke up. "What do you mean that you are going to take care of her?" she asked, and then it dawned on me what she was confused about. I mean, I would be pretty confused if someone told me that they were going to capture a murder and then go take care of them. No matter what way you spun the term, it didn''t sound good. "I take care of misbegotten Monster Girls that I find, or Mex suggests could use my help. I am just trying to make a ce for people that don''t have homes or don''t fit in the environment that they are in. I am just trying to help out before I leave," I said, and that made Keri start to fidget on my shoulder, and I rolled my eyes and stopped again. We had barely made it ten more steps since thest time that I had stopped. "What is it this time?" I asked, trying not to sound impatient, but she could at least wait till we got to where we were going to ask me questions. "How do you feed them?" Kerri asked, and I resisted a sigh. "I can make food that satisfies the girls, and I can usually make whatever they need," I said, and there was more fidgeting. "So, what if they don''t eat normal food like everyone else, and they need certain things?" She asked, and I could see where this was going, but there was no point in holding back the information now. "The Rancher System that I have allows me to help the girls, and it provides me with all the tools that I need to do so," I exined, and Keri stopped kicking and then slid off my shoulder, forcing me to catch her in my arm cradled. "Um¡­ Do you have room for one more?" Keri asked as she looked up at me with big eyes and a cute little smile. Chapter 113 - Confirmed, With You "Why do you want to leave?" I asked as I carried Keri to the Fire Lake. There was a trail of elemental creatures following me, and I felt like the Pied Piper as I led them. I would wait to absorb them, and for now, they seemed content with following me; I didn''t want to start glowing too bright yet. A n was forming in my head, but I needed more information, and I needed to know the reason for this Gog wanting to leave was. "I just don''t like being trapped here. I can''t leave, but you said you are going to leave the ind, and I want to see the world! What is the point of staying around here and waiting for something to kill me?" Keri asked, and I nodded. Those were all good reasons, but I was about to get rid of the treat. "I will be taking Lizy with me, so you won''t have to worry, right?" I asked, but Keri shook her head no. "More wille until an apex predator is established. The same thing happens every time someone gets rid of the old one. It''s like the Fire Lake is doing this to us, constantly calling new monsters to keep us in line, but the others are fine with this. I am not, and I don''t want to die here if I don''t have to," Keri said as I stepped up to the bubbling magma-filledke. I could feel the heat, but it was different because I felt it absorb into me, not burn me. The red veins of my Fire Fore Pact started to intensify and spread over my entire body as I set Keri down. She immediately went to the edge of theke and looked around before dropping to her knees. I watched curiously as Keri began to carelessly scoop her hands into the magma and then drain it into her mouth. I was amazed to see that the excessva poured down Keri''s face, hardening and then king off like it was nothing. This creature was terrific, and I would take care of her just to see a sight like this again! Then Keri shed with light, and I groaned. I did not mean to activate this yet! DAMMIT! {Kazz Foreman} Level: 7 Title: Multi Master Caretaker Rank: {Tribal Rancher) Monster Girls: 6 System: Ranching System System Abilities: {Monster Girl Rancher}- Gain experience from taking care of your Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Pacification}- The innate ability to calm Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Care}- All things done to care for Monster Girls are 100% more effective. {Monster Girl Food Prep}- All food you prepare for Monster Girls is 75% more satisfying. < Chef''s Hand>- Physical body-to-body contact with Monster Girls increases how full and satisfied they are by 35%. - Designate up to 1 person, and that person will receive the Monster Food Prep Skill. {Monster Girl Essence}- Gain 12% of all experience gained by monster girls in your care. Unique System Abilities: {Monster Dominance}- You now have the ability to exert dominance over a monster if you will is more significant than its own. {Gift Hunter}- Gain the ability to track special items that will increase your Bond with the Monster Girls you are looking after. These items will give a Special Linked Skill to you and the Monster Girl receiving the gift. {Monster Girl Transformation}- All Monster Girls will have their physiology edited to Match with you when you confirm that you will take care of them. ----------------- {Keri} Level: 1 Title: Molten Devourer Species: Gog-Kin Unique Ability: Fire Magic/ Fire Immunity System: Devourer System System Abilities: {Magma Consume}: Molten metal or Magical Fire that is consumed is converted into Elemental Copies of KERI, 1/32 of the original size. {Elemental Copy}: Copies are stored inside the body. Controlled using a Hivemind, Elemental Copies can be ordered to consume organic material but will burn out after consuming their weight. Elemental Copy Weight: 3 Grams. ---------- [Bonds]: {Fire Gog-Kin Totem}: [Bond: Keri]: Fire Control. Control fire that you can visually see. I looked down at Keri, and she was still short, but now she looked a lot more like a human¡­ no, maybe an alien. She still had the same dreadlock tendrils for hair, but they were thicker now and longer. Keri''s bust had not increased, but her cute face and thick hips more than made up for it, but what was up with her System? The Devourer System was fitting for this girl, and the changes to her definitely made her much more attractive. "What happened to me?!" Keri asked as she spun in circles, trying to look at her new body, which was now pink, and her skin was smooth. "Hmmm, well, this is what happens when I confirm that I will take care of you, but I only thought it in my head. Regardless, I think you look great, but I want to ask you about Lizy now, okay?" I asked, and she nodded excitedly. "Thank you! And yes, whatever you want to know!" Keri said with excitement as she still looked over her body. "Then I want you to tell me what Lizy looks like, and how she makes the steel threads, and anything else that she can do," I said, and Keri stopped spinning. "Nine feet tall when she stands at her full height, and a ck ridged body with glowing magma showing on her back section in lines the run around the ridges. She produces her silk as a burning hot thread, but it''s magical, so we can''t affect her," Keri exined, but I shook my head. "No, you couldn''t affect it before, but now you should be able to even metal her Steel Silk with your fire. I think that together we might be able to corner Lizy so I can at least try to talk to her," I said, and Keri shrugged and put her arms up. "Sure, as long as I am with you, I will be okay. I know that now," Keri said as I walked over and picked her up, shaking my head at the change. Chapter 114 - Soft Hot Silk Hole, And Then Her Legs Gave Out Together, Keri and I walked around the Fire Lake, and I slowly collected a wave of elemental fire that followed us as we walked. Keri was now okay with walking. She had a pair of Lava Hounds that were walking on either side of her that she was petting as we walked and talked. "So, your n is to just walk in there? And then what? Wake her up with your bright light? Don''t you think that it would just be better to wait until tonight? It is only like four hours away," Keri said to me, but I shook my head at her. "No, I don''t want to bete getting home tonight, there is someone I want to have a talk with, and I have made her wait for enough already. I think that we have enough now, and it''s not like there is any point in waiting for her toe out. Lizy justes out and takes what she wants, right?" I asked as I turned towards her cave that was covered in different thicknesses of steel wire webs. "Well yeah, but there are the threads she leaves going down! You can get sliced from them!" Keri said, running over in front of me. I stopped and sighed, "I am not going in that far; maybe I won''t have to go at all. I am going to yell down, and the light I give off and my voice should be enough without having to risk too much, right?" I asked, and then she was the one to sigh. "I guess, but this would still be easier if you waited," Keri said, and I shrugged. "Easy is boring, and like I said, I don''t have time. You wait here for me, and I wille and get you after; just make sure that you stay back, okay?" I asked, and Keri nodded. I walked around her, and as I did, I started to absorb the rest of the fire elemental, taking in a massive pulse of energy. I wanted to use the new Fire Totem, but my Earth Hissing Tsunalily was what activated, making me grow twice my size. Incredible, even after all of that, I was still only forced to be half as big as I had from the energy from Lidy. Just how strong was that woman?! I needed to get this dealt with, so I could get back there and talk to her and figure out what we were going to do from here. I also needed to go and have a nice little talk with Nixi, who should be more than excited to see me, internal sigh. I walked forward and until I was directly in front of the cave entrance. The lighting from the glowing veins pulsed out like a shing red light down the tunnel, and I was reminded of the walk down into the ground. That was only a couple days ago, but it felt so long ago. I guess this resulted from constantly staying busy and having to worry about others rather than just drowning myself in a daily routine that made the days blur together. "LIZY! COME SEE ME; WE NEED TO TALK!" I yelled into the tunnel, and then I waited. I looked back at Keri, and she was chewing on her fingers, and I shook my head at her, but then I heard something. I turned back to the long tunnel and listened closely to see if I could hear something, but there was nothing. "HEY! SEXY LADY! I WANT TO HAVE A GOOD TIME, AND THERE IS A WHOLE LOT OF ME!" I yelled, trying a different tactic. I waited, and there was no sound at first, and then I heard a growl that was apanied by the sound of stones tapping together. "Stupid Gogs! Where did they get this damn light from?! I am just going to eat whoever is out there! It is not time for me to be awake yet!" I heard a female voice say, but I couldn''t see her yet. I crossed my arms and waited, then I saw a significant ck figure with a distinctive spider looking into view. There were glowing lines on the Magma spiders rigid back two bulbous sections. "Wait, what are you?" The ck-haired and quite voluptuous woman asked me as she came into view, no longer seeming quite as angry. "A Kazz, and I am here to take care of you!" I dered and waited. Nothing happened. "I guess we could go have some fun if you''re that serious about taking care of me. Come inside the cave¡­ wait. Keri, what happened to you?" Lizy asked curiously as she looked over my shoulder. Lizy was taller than Jilly by a good three feet, but that was almost all legs. Her body was roughly about the size of Jilly, and her breast were of the same size as well. "The Kazz said he would take care of me, and then I burst with light, and now I look like this! You could, but you have to want it. He said that he will feed you whatever you want and make you satisfied, right?" Keri asked, and I pped my hand to my face. I liked how she was ying along, but she could have phrased things slightly differently to a woman who craved sex and then ate the men after. If I could get her to let me take care of her, then I would be able to curve that appetite. "So you''re telling me that she will give me his big cock every day and then feed me tes full of Gogs too? I might take the first, but I like to hear my meals scream!" Lizy said as she turned, but I had been waiting for this. The moment Lizy turned her big ck rock glow spider ass towards me, I dove forward. Before the glowing Magma Silk coulde out, I covered my hand in raw Elemental Fire and mped my hand over her silk hole. "W-what are you! Don''t! That''s m-my s-sensitive...WHAT A-ARE Y-YOU...AHHH!" Lizy squealed as I rubbed her soft hot silk hole, and then her legs gave out, and Lizy started to touch herself as he body gave into the pleasure. Now was time for my grand dirty-minded n that I never thought would work. Chapter 115 - Lizy, Reeducated "Keri,e over here and put your mouth where my hand is," I called back and kneeled down as I capped and rubbed Lizy''s Silk Hole. "WHAT?! Are you kidding me?!" Keri squealed. If this works, I might be able to kill a few birds with one stone. My n was dirty, it was wrong in so many ways, but I was sure it would work. "Yes! Come here and eat the molten steel she is trying to spray out at me! It will only seem weird at first, but I will help you get started. If you like it, then you will always have a food source without me having to melt the metal down for you," I exined as I looked back at Keri. She looked scared and worried, but she was still slowly walking over to me. I was asking a lot of her, but at the same time, this could be a match made in heaven, for the most part. "W-what are¡­ Ahhh!" Lizy tried to ask me something, but I pushed two of my fire-coated fingers into her burning hole. She moaned and groped herself as she gave in to the pleasure again, unable to speak. "Are you sure it''s safe?" Keri asked from beside me, but she was only a portion of the size of me now, barely the size of a child. "Yes, If you do just as I say, then there will be no problems. Just get ready to put your mouth over her Silk Hole, and start drinking it down. You might have to use your tongue to stretch out the hole like I am now with my fingers," I instructed as Keri walked up to my hand where I was kneeling down. Keri looked at me skeptically, and I tried to give her one of my best smiles to reassure her, and it seemed to work. I watched as Keri moved between me and the end of Lizy''s back end, and then she moved her face to where my hand was still fingering Lizy. I ced my free hand on Keri''s back and then pushed her forward as I pulled my fingers out from inside Lizy. Hot magma squirted out a bit as I did and got all over Keri''s face and in her mouth, and that was all she needed. Keri pushed her face into Lizy Silk Hole and then grabbed onto the ridges of her back. Lizy started to shake and pant through her moans as Keri greedily sucked the molten liquid from Lizy. I stood up and walked off to the front of Lizy, where she was moaning on the ground as she groped herself. She had a fantastic body, and she wasying on her side as I leaned down, and to her panting face in my hand, under her chin. "So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Personally, I want to do both, but we will have to see. Have you decided if you would like to join me yet?" I asked with a straight face. Lizy didn''t answer me right away, so I took the hands that she was using to finger, and groped herself, and pinned them down with one hand. Lizy struggled weakly against me and still refused to speak, so I let go of her chin and grabbed one of her perky nipples roughly and pulled it. "Ahhh! Stop! Let go of my hands, you beast! Ahhh! I said stop it!" Lizy cried as I pulled again. "That wasn''t what I asked, was it? If you want a reward, then you are going to have to answer my question, or I am going to have to punish you!" I said as I let go of the nipple I had been pinching the entire time. Lizy gasped out but then looked at me with anger, and I noticed six other smaller eyes on her forehead. They had been covered with hair before, and it was a bit unsettling, but nothing that would stop me! "I will not be going w-with...Ahhh! What is Keri doing to me?! Ahhh! Please make her stop, or let go of my hands!" Lizyined between long sexual charge cries of pleasure that ripped through my body. "I told you that I will reward you, but only after you answer my questions. You have been a bad girl, eating far more than you need to and getting greedy, so I am here to deal with you. I could have just killed you and done with this all, but I think you just need a bit of reeducation on your manners and the way you treat people," I said as I looked down into my captured Magma Spider''s red glowing eyes. "What do you want me to say? That I will let you take care of me? And then what? I am your ve?" Lizy asked, but her voice was poutier with moans now. While this was fun, I still wished there was another way to do this, but I also had to remember that this woman had sex with men and then ate them. As far as I could tell, she wasn''t doing this to reproduce; it was just to fill her urges; I curb that appetite today and give her something to thirst for. "Yes, but it has to be more than that. You can''t tell me that you are satisfied with your life here? I will know if you lie," I asked and then told her as I ced my hand over her left breast, feeling her racing heart. "What else am I supposed to do? If I leave here, I will just be hunted by the Demons! So, no, I don''t like living here, but it is where I am!" Lizy painted defiantly, and I smiled at her, and ced my free hand on her stomach, and slid my hand down. "See? That wasn''t so hard?" I said as I let my fingers slide into her dripping wet pussy lips that were hairless and soft. Lizy gasped as I entered her and slipped my fingers slowly into her hot and tight little hole. I guess the Gogs didn''t give her much in the way of stretching. "Mmmh, your fingers are so big!" Lizy moaned, and I leaned close, so my lips touched her ear. Chapter 116 - Keri, Spicy Volcanic Juices "If you are a good girl, I will give you something even bigger," I whispered and then bit the lobe of her ear as I slowly plunged my fingers in and out of Lizy''s pussy. I pulled back, and Lizy was starting to look a lot more submissive than before, and I smiled at her. "Can I have my hands back now?" Lizy asked me with puppy dog eyes, and I slowly did, but then she tried to grope herself again, and I pped her hands. "I didn''t say that you could do that, did I?" I asked as I slid another finger into her and pushed the deep, feeling her hole stretch out as I did. "Ahhh! My Pussy! What are you doing to it?! If you stretch it out that much I''ll never feel anything!" Lizy cried, but I took one of her hands and ced it over my shorts, on my pulsing smi stick that was almost three inches thick and sixteen inches long. "I am getting you ready for me, or it will hurt you when I enter you. I want you to lube me up now so it will go in easier, but I want to see how Keri is doing. I think your Silk Hole has had enough, but are you going to be a good girl now and listen to me?" I asked as I pulled my fingers out of Lizy''s pussy and stood up. "Yes, master, pleasee back quick, but don''t stop Keri. I want to feel it all if that''s okay?" Lizy asked me submissively, and I nodded. I took my shorts off, and my colossal erection flopped out, standing straight out from my body. I could see Lizy''s big eyes as I turned, and that made me smile to myself. I could get used to this spider-like woman, but now it was time to check on Keri, who was still pressing her face into Lizy''s Silk Hole. I moved behind Keri, but I was still massivepared to her tiny body, so I shrunk back to normal size. "How are you doing?" I asked softly into her ear as I moved up close to her, my erection slipping between her legs. As it did, I felt my shaft bump into something that was moving and was hot and wet. Suddenly, I felt a small wet hand wrap around my cock, and then I was guided to more hot wetness. "Give me some first! I was before her!" Keriined as she briefly pulled her face away, and I felt myself slip into her burning hot hole. Even with my resistance, my cock was on fire inside of her volcanic pussy, but I still pushed it in. Keri moaned, and then I saw her grip on Lizy carapace harder, and she pressed her face in harder. "What is she doing to me?! Ahhhh! What is moving around inside of me?!" Lizy cried out as she shook but held her hands out to the side. "Don''t touch yourself until I am done back here, Or I will make you wait longer!" I called up to Lizy. She pulled her arms above her head and away from her trembling body as spasms rocked her beautiful body. "Are you ready for this?" I whispered as I reached my hands around to grab and fondle her breasts. Before Keri could answer, I pushed myself deep into her, and I got the fire nearly cooking my throbbing shaft. Keri moaned, but it was muffled, so I started to fuck her little volcanic pussy while fondling her small tiny breasts. The heat started to get more intense, but that just made me m my burning rod into her harder, almost lifting Keri off her feet. Keri tried to pull her head back as she moaned loudly, but I let go of her breast and shoved her face back into Lizy Silk Hole. This way that the two girls moaned made everything that much better, and I finally slowed down when Keri started to vibrate. I pulled out of her, and then a spray of transparent magma poured out of her. I reached down between Keri''s legs and wiped my hands over her steaming crotch, getting some of the Magma juices on my fingers. I licked my hand, getting the spicy pussy magma in my mouth, and then grabbed Keri by her hair tendrils. I pulled her head back to kiss her, getting a mixture of her spicy juices and the metallic taste of Lizy''s Silk Hole. I pulled back from the kiss, letting go of her hair, and then looked at the patting Keri with a smile, but she looked displeased. "You aren''t going to give me your seed?" Keri asked, and I shook my head no and grew to twice my size again. "No, not this time. I have another part to this n, so you just keep doing a good job, and in the future, I will give you the seed you want," I said as I walked back to the front of Lizy, who was panting and her pale skin was flushed to almost red. "Is it my turn now?" Lizy asked as she stared at my cock that still had some of Keri''s volcanic juices on it. I kneeled down in front of her face and used one of my hands to grab the back of her head and get a handful of hair. I used my other hand to fondle her breasts as I guided her mouth to my waiting erection, and Lizy opened her mouth obediently without me speaking. "Yes, after this, and then I will give you what you have been aching for," I said as I pushed my cock deep into Lizy''s mouth. As I pushed myself into Lizy''s mouth, I sensed that Keri was closer to me, and then I felt her tiny body crawl between my legs. I looked down as Lizy tried to take all of me at once and choked, but I held her face as she choked and struggled more. When I let go of Lizy''s hair and head, she pulled back with a gasp, and as she did, I felt one of my testicles get sucked into Keri''s mouth. I could barely see her below me, but she also took her tiny hands and started to jerk the base of my colossal shaft off. Lizy saw this, and dove back for my cock, and started sucking with renewed vigor, trying to reach as far as Keri''s hands. Every time she did, Lizy would start to choke, but that didn''t stop her. Finally, I pulled back and stoop up, looking at the two girls lying on the ground panting and smiled. Now was for the best part, and it looked like Kerri wanted to be included! Don''t mind if I do! Chapter 117 - Interruptions, Not The Kazz I was about to climb on to Lizy, but I started to hear amotion, and I looked up. I really didn''t want any interruptions right now, but this looked like it could be trouble. "Uh-oh, this doesn''t look good!" Keri whined, and I agreed. Arge number of dark red-skinned Gogs were heading our way, and they had fire burning from their eyes brightly. It looks like I will have to put my fun on hold now, but what did these little creatures think they were going to do? I didn''t bother getting dressed, but I did help Lizy up, who still seemed to be in a bit of a daze. I also changed back to my Earth Force Pact now that I had absorbed all of Firedens; It was looking like I might need to remind Lizy. She got back up, and Lizy started to look around, almost looking lost for a moment, but then she noticed the women rushing towards us. "Do these creatures all want to die? I would hate to waste¡­." Lizy started to say, but then I pped arge hand down on her rigid tail section. I moved my hand near her Silk Hole and then reached a hand up to her cheek. There was still some learning that would need to be administered with this one, but that couldeter. "I will talk with them, and then we will get going and get back to Mex''s Keep. I have things that need to get done, and I do not want to waste time," I whispered into Lizy''s ear as I caressed her cheek and pped her tail section again, making her wince. "Umm, yes, Kazz," Lizy said, turning back into the obedient girl from just before, and I smiled and kissed her cheek. "Good girl," I said and then stepped in front of her, and Keri joined me. The dark red-skinned Gog Girls were about thirty feet away still, so I looked down at Keri. "What do you think that they want?" I asked, and Keri shrugged. "More than likely to try and force you to get rid of Lizy, so I don''t think that there will be many problems," Keri exined, and I nodded, starting to walk forward. I zed back, and Lizy was still waiting where I had left her, and then I turned and shrunk down. I activated my Water Sphinx Totem, and my mind started to move faster, and I was able to sense Lizy behind me. Now I concentrated on what I was going to do about these women. While I was sure that Keri was right, I had a feeling that this wasn''t going to be that easy when the other girls got a closer look at Keri. "Are you done having your fun with her? Now what?" The first dark red-skinned female Gog asked me, and the group of about fifty of them approached. I decided to hold my smart-assment back and then summoned Hero before I spoke. Do I need to take them with me if I do? Can''t I just do what I did for Keri and then leave them? What do I need to take them with me for? <...Maybe, but no matter what, they will be drawn to you after. The Rancher System is meant to create a powerful team for you, and the ones that be part of the system are beholden to you.> Hmmm, that would make things difficult, but maybe I was jumping the gun on this. That was a good point, and I would consider it, but now the girls were starting to look impatient. I was also surprised that none of the orange male Gogs had decided toe and join the rally, but maybe they were on the same page. "I am going to take her and Keri with me, and then you will all be fine," I said, and another female Gog spoke up. "What did you do to Keri?" The woman asked me but then turned to Keri. "Why do you look so different now?" "The Kazz said that he would take care of me, and now I look like this! I know that it is strange, but I like it!" Keri said as she rushed forward into the crowd of women. Lizy was getting antsy behind me, and I felt the same way, with thoughts of Lidy filling my head. There were also tons of other things I needed to do, the final girl and then dealing with Doa. "My name is Kazz, not The Kazz, but I want to get going, so I will have to take my leave with the girls now," I said to the group of women, but then they all turned to me as one. "What about us? You aren''t going to take care of us? Only Keri? Why only Keri?" All the women started to ask, and I rolled my eyes. "And then what about the men? Are you all going to just leave them here? And where am I going to put you all? Mex''s Keep is not hot like this, so I don''t think that I can take you all," I exined, but then the first red Gog spoke up again. "You don''t need to worry about us, we can make our own heat if you dig us a pit, and we will get the men. They were just too scared toe out," The female exined, but I shook my head no. "Not this time, I wille back and get you all before I leave the ind, but I don''t have time for that right now," I said and then looked down directly at Keri, "Let''s go." Chapter 118 - Special Item, Piss Around Later Keri nodded and pulled from the other woman, who didn''t lookpletely satisfied, but then I felt something. *Release me* That was Fireden, but it wasn''t a voice, more like a feeling. I did as he asked, but I was sure he could havee out on his own if he wanted to. Fireden emerged from me in a burning form that was the same size as me, but he looked a brighter orange, almost white this time. All the females gasped and then rushed forward to the crowd around Fireden with excitement. Firedenughed as they did, and turned back to me with a wink, then back to the girls. "Listen, Children of the me, this man, Kazz, can be trusted as you can see. I have given him my own trust. If he says he will be back, you must trust that he will keep his vow. Enjoy the time you have to rx for now because when we return, there will be much to do," Fireden exined, and all the women collectively sighed simultaneously, but they nodded. Fireden turned back to me with a smile and then walked back over and fused with me again, pressing into the mark at my stomach. I sighed and then turned back to Lizy. "Now, are you ready to go?" I asked her. Lizy nodded, and I walked up to her and changed Totems as I did so I could be her height again. I moved up, so our faces were nearly touching, and I took her face gently in my hands. "Are you ready to let me take care of you now?" I asked quietly and then leaned forward and kissed her gently. I pulled back and then waited as I watched the emotions y across her face. "Do I have a choice?" Lizy finally asked, and I nodded, not liking this part. "Yes, you always have a choice, but the options aren''t always good ones. You can eithere with me and let me take care of you, so I know you are no longer getting in trouble, or I will have to kill you right now," I said with Lizy''s face in my hands, and she closed her eyes, sighed, and then burst with light. {Kazz Foreman} Level: 8 Title: Rancher Rank: {Tribal Rancher) Monster Girls: 7 System: Ranching System System Abilities: {Monster Girl Rancher}- Gain experience from taking care of your Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Pacification}- The innate ability to calm Monster Girls. {Monster Girl Care}- All things done to care for Monster Girls are 100% more effective. {Monster Girl Food Prep}- All food you prepare for Monster Girls is 75% more satisfying. < Chef''s Hand>- Physical body-to-body contact with Monster Girls increases how full and satisfied they are by 35%. - Designate up to 1 person, and that person will receive the Monster Food Prep Skill. {Monster Girl Essence}- Gain 15% of all experience gained by monster girls in your care. Unique System Abilities: {Monster Dominance}- You now have the ability to exert dominance over a monster if you will is more significant than its own. {Monster Girl Trainer}- Things taught to monster girls by you are 50% more effective. {Monster Girl Mutator}- All Monster Girls gain the monster Girl Mutation skill, Monster to Girl. {Gift Hunter}- Gain the ability to track special items that will increase your Bond with the Monster Girls you are looking after. These items will give a Special Linked Skill to you and the Monster Girl receiving the gift. {Monster Girl Transformation}- All Monster Girls will have their physiology edited to Match with you when you confirm that you will take care of them. ----------------- {Lizy} Level: 1 Title: Magma Constructor Species: Magma Spider-Kin Unique Ability: Steel Silk/ Fire Immunity System: Printer System Monster Girl Mutation: {Monster to Girl}(Basic): Transform from Monster Girl to Human Girl. System Abilities: {Steel Three Dimensional Printing}: Create three-dimensional constructs using Steel Silk. {Steel Silk Wrap}: Wrap and reinforce objects with Steel Silk coating. {Steel Silk Flex}(Passive): Steel Silk Flexibility: 0% ---------- [Bonds]: {Fire Magma Spider-Kin Totem}: [Bond: Lizy]: Steel Silk Coating. This coats your body and anything you are holding in Steel silk, but it also has the same flexibility as Steel Silk Flex. As my chart popped up, a light appeared in front of me as Lizy was starting to shrink and change. I reached forward and grabbed the light, and something appeared in my hand. [Special Item: Jilly''s Shell Polish!] Acquired! A small container with a lid appeared in my hand, and it said "Jilly''s Shell Polish!" on the side. I wondered when I was going to get something like this, but I turned my attention to Lizy, who was staring at my massiveid shaft hanging in her face. I shrunk back down until I was my average height, and Lizy was now eye level to me, but her body was not the same. She now looked like an ordinary human woman with eight glowing red eyes and ck hair. Lizy also had a ck and silver threaded gothic dress that hugged her body nicely, but Lizy looked troubled. "What have you done to me? Why do I look like a Kazz now like you?!" Lizy asked in distress as she looked at her body, and I tried not tough. "You can transform back, but I think that you look good like this," I said as I reached for her, but Lizy stepped back from me as I did. "Wait, let me try first!" Lizy said, holding her arms out to ward me off, and I rolled my eyes but nodded. I could see why she might want to see first, but I was getting tired of waiting around. I waited and watched as Lizy tried to figure it out, and as she was, Keri walked in front of me, holding out my shorts to me, and after I took them, she put her arms up. I smiled and reached down to pick Keri up after putting my shorts on and slipping the shell polish into my pocket. After Keri got settled with her legs around my neck and hanging down my shoulder, she whispered that she would not have another ident, and I squeezed her knee. I looked back to Lizy, and she was still struggling, so I walked over to her while she was distracted. She noticed me at thest second, but it was toote, and I was tired of waiting. I scooped Lizy up as she tried toin, but I shook my head as Keri gripped it. "You can piss around when we get back all you want, but now it is time to go," I said as I turned to the side of the crater and started to jog. Chapter 119 - Now, You Are Lost I dug my feet in as I ran back up the hill; my Earth Force Pact made steps like another stair, and I was able to scale the crater in no time. Lizy was staying quiet, but Keri was cheering as I made my way up. "You can do it!" Keri yelled with joy as I reached the top. I looked around and then concentrated on the area I assumed the Keep was in, but I wasn''t entirely sure. I could take the path around to the other side of the crater, but that would take extra time that I didn''t want to waste. "Do either of you know the direction that the Keep is in?" I asked the girls and then exined myself when Lizy looked up at me with a strained look. "I don''t normally go this way, and I used the smoke that wasing from the Fire Lake as a marker when I wasing over here. The problem was I had to go deal with something, and I was thrown off course." "I think that you just have to keep going this way, and you will get there," Keri said as she pointed in the general direction that I had assumed, but I frowned at this. I had remembered that the smoke from the Fire Lake was off to the left from the Keep. That was the direction I was pointed in, so that seemed a reasonable assumption. The issue was that I would have to run a couple of miles before I got there, and I wouldn''t be able to see the Keep until I was almost next to it. The trees in the forest were very tall and hard to see through even when I was big. "I think that you should just go back down there and let me eat all those women! You know what they wereing to do, right?" Lizy told me but then cried out as I pinched her ass roughly, "OwO!" "Don''t be like that. None of the women were going to hurt you; they just wanted to make sure that I was taking you and not leaving you here to eat more of them," I exined and started to run, but Lizy just crossed her arms, looking slightly embarrassed from my pinch. "Things will be different for you now! Stopining about everything, and just enjoy the fact that you are not dead right now! That was what was going to happen, you know!" Keri told Lizy as I jogged into actual green trees. I could feel the temperature finally drop to a reasonable degree, but it didn''t really matter to me, but I still noticed those things. The Water Sphinx Totem always made me more aware of my surroundings, but I still had a bit of trouble controlling it. Lidy. She was filling my mind right now, and I was trying to figure out what I would say to her or what she might say to me. I barely noticed when the trees turned to the giant jungle leaf tree with the hanging vines. That was because they went straight into the typical forest that I was used to entering, and I assumed I was close. I am, but what do you think that In should do about Lidy? I mean, I can''t have her keep on doing this all the time, and I would have thought that her being my assistant would have prevented her from doing that, right? Making Lidy part of my System doesn''t sound like a bad idea at all, considering how I feel about her. I probably should have done this in the first ce, which would have prevented all of this. Ugh, if I just would have waited, but how was I supposed to stop the girls when they were on top of me? You are right, and I will work on it. Huh? I slowed and then looked around, but I didn''t recognize the trees that were around me. I was standing in sand-like dirt, and there were palm trees all around me. "Hey, umm, do you guys know where we are?" I asked but knew I wasn''t going to get a helpful answer before I finished speaking. "Yes, lost," Lizy said, and I resisted pinching her ass. I didn''t want to take all the fight out of Lizy, but I didn''t really need the smart-assments right now. "I think we are close to the vige, but the one south of Mex''s Keep. If we keep going, we will get to it, and then we can take the road back, but I don''t know anything about the vige. There was a Hero before you that came and messed around with some of the Gog Girls. One of the girls stole a map from him, so I know where some of the things are on the ind, but not much," Keri exined, but then Lizy started tough in my arms. "You mean that children''s drawing that you all have framed in your main hall? OwO!" Lizy sneered at Keri, but then my pinch made her cry out and then go silent. "Enough with the constant attitude, or I will be putting you over my knee for the next lesson I need to teach you, understand?" I asked Lizy with a menacing look that took the sassy look off her face, and then I turned up to Keri, "Thank you." Now it was time to get moving forward and get back home, or that was my n. Chapter 120 - The Village, Guts, And Starting To Get Annoyed I started to run again, but the forest was starting to get thicker, and it was almost like I was being gilded more south, and I was almost tempted to try Keri''s Totem with Fireden to just start burning my way through. Unfortunately, my jog was not all sunshine and rainbows, and I didn''t really have the time to think about much while I dodged thrown weapons from the asshole hyena men, or Gnoll''s as Keri told me. She was lying on Lizy, and Lizy was scowling up at me, but she wasn''tining, which was good. I didn''t have time to listen to them; I had to switch to the Fire Force Pact to empower my Water Sphinx Totem to be able to avoid the projectiles. I wanted to fight them, but there were too many for me to stop without having a corner to put the girls in so I could protect them. Right now, I had no free hands, and I was running through the palm tree jungle with no rocks or anything that would help. I ducked a spinning il and tossed the girls forward in an arch. Then I reached up and grabbed the il out of the air, spinning in the air with it in my heightened state. Wind Force Pact and the Fire Gog-kin Totem ignited, and time sped up briefly. I charged the il full of fire, covered it with the mes, and then changed to the Water Sphinx Totem. I hurled it back with the added power of the Wind Force Pact back at the Gnoll''s and let the force push me back. The il crashed into the group like a bowling ball and then exploded, killing a bunch instantly, and a level progression alert appeared, but I closed it. All of this happened in the span of about six seconds, and the girls were still in the air as I flew back under them. I activated the Earth Force Pact and let my back hit the ground, but it forced me to stick and slide across the ground. The girls bothnded on my chest, and I grabbed them and then did a rolling backflip. I twisted in the air, andnded, and kept running. "What are you doing, you idiot!" Lizy yelled at me after catching her breath from getting it knocked out from Kerinding back on her chest. I didn''t bother to reply, I needed to keep moving because there were still more Gnoll''sing after me, but I could see smokeing from up ahead. I put on a burst of speed but had to sidestep two more flying hatchets. I could see a vigeing up ahead of me, and I gritted my teeth. This is not where I wanted to be. I didn''t want to involve these people in my problems, but now I could put the girls down. I stopped just outside of the vige and put the girls down unceremoniously. I whipped around, catching a rock that wasing from the back of my head. Enough of this bullshit. "Girls, get into the vige, but stay close," I called out. I did it out of the corner of my mouth to the girls as they got up. Then I whipped the rock back into the forehead of the first out of the five that were left. The creature''s head exploded, but the other four still rushed me, but I was pissed. I was way off track, and now I was wasting more time, so these bastards were breathing their final breaths. I didn''t change my Pact or Totem, and then the first Gnoll smashed a thick stick into the side of my head, but it just exploded. I stabbed my hand forward through the splinters and grabbed the creator by its thick furry neck. I used the momentum it had and whipped it around, slowing my initial spin and then speeding up as the end. I timed it to use the head of the first Gnoll to smash into the second face and block another thrown rock from the farthest one. "You little bastards picked the wrong day to mess with me. I am not in the mood," I said as I let go of the first dead Gnoll in my hand; I had crushed its neck. The other two looked like they were about to run, but I had already decided that none of them were going to live. I dropped the Water Sphinx Totem and activated the Earth Hissing Tsunalily Totem, growing five times more significant. I was surprised by my new size, but I didn''t let it affect what I was doing. I grabbed the first, then kicked at the other one, and connected, sending it flying into a tree, but the tree was far more rigid than the creature. The Gnoll hit the tree and exploded around it with a sickly crunching and tearing noise. I pulled the strugglingst one to my huge face; I was almost four stories tall, and I noticed the top of the apartment, but I was at least three miles away from it. I red at the struggling creature, but it was only trying to get free and not looking at me. "Can you speak?" I asked, and the Gnoll stopped struggling, looked at me, and then bit my hand with its Hyena face, and I red at it. "Fine, a mindless monster then?" The creature continued to try to bite me, but to no effect, and I shook my head. Then I raised my arm and whipped the Gnoll into the ground, and its body pped into the dirt, and then I stomped on it with one foot and then ground it into the ground for good measure. I turned and shrank back down as I did, looking for the girls. I couldn''t see them through the crowd of dark blue-skinned Demons that were starting to crowd around me. "Hero! Can you help¡­." "Oh, legendary fighter, I need¡­." "The mightiest of all, I must request¡­." Great. Where the fuck did those girls get to, and how was I going to get around these people! Chapter 121 - I Ate Them, Killing My Children I scanned around, but I couldn''t see Keri or Lizy anywhere. The Demons were trying to crowd around me, but I was taller than most. Everyone was talking at once, but I didn''t have time for this. I started to push the people out of my way, and then my hand hit an object that wouldn''t move. I looked down and groaned. My hand was stopped by an old woman''s face that my hand was trying to push through. "Do you mind?" The old woman asked me with narrowed eyes as she turned to me and pushed my hand back as she did. Great, a little old Demondy, ugh. She even looked like the light blue version of Nixi! I pulled my hand back quickly. I remembered my talk with Jilly before getting to Mex''s Keep; I didn''t want to start things with this old batty. "Sorry, but did you see where my two girls went?" I asked, and the woman looked at me nkly. "I ate them," the woman said, and everyone around her went quiet, and my hair started to raise with my anger. "I hope for everyone''s sake in this vige that you are trying to be funny right now, but I am not in the mood. Where are the girls?" I asked as I stepped up to the women, my Fire Force Pact igniting on its own. Red veins of power started to crawl across my skin, and I amplified my Water Sphinx Totem to feel around me. If this wasn''t some kind of game¡­ I don''t know what will happen to these people; my calm was evaporating. Then I felt the girls or something like them, but it came from inside the old woman. *Snap* Something inside of me broke. The part that I had been holding back. Each time I have forced into a situation that the others were in danger, I was always able to save them, but¡­ I grabbed the Demon granny and then whipped her through the building, and all the demons started to change and grow. One jumped at me, trying to bite me, but I switched to my Fire Gog-Kin Totem and incinerated the Demon with fire. The red veins of power were starting to actually sprout mes, and fire zed from me. Demons rushed me, but they were all burnt to a crisp, and I walked to where the now-massive demon woman was getting up. The grandmother now looked more like Lidy when she was full of power, but she was more potent, but I was beyond reason. "They are not dead!" The Demon screamed at me, but I set fire to the house she was in with a torrent of fire that poured out of my hand. "Fine, I will get them out of you. One way or another. You picked the wrong person to fuck with today, little olddy," I said, and then I made my fists ignite with molten fire and dash forward. The Demon tried to reach to the side, but I didn''t let her get the hand all the way in before my burning fist exploded against the side of her face. The Demon was rocket out of the burning house and through three more, but I was not done with her yet. I blitzed forward and then kicked the massive body again, but she caught my foot and was able to divert the kick and catch herself tond. I switched to the Wind Force Pact, moved in a blink, and spin kicked her when shended. I wasn''t going to let her get a chance to retaliate until I beat her to near death. "WAIT!" A male voice that sounded familiar called to me, but I was death on the wind right now, and nothing would get between me and my prey. I dashed forward and charged my fist again with fire, but at thest moment, my fist connected with metal, and there was an explosion of sparks as my fist smashed through a massive ck de and then into Mex''s face. Mex¡­ Wait¡­ Mex was smashed back into the female Demon, and he was also erged. The two smash into another building, and I walked forward. What was Mex doing here, and why was he trying to stop me? Was he trying to protect this witch after what she just did? "Kazz, wait! Calm yourself! Lani is a Containment Demon, and the girls are still alive inside of her, but you need to stop!" Mex said as he stood from the rubble, putting his hands out to stop me. I red at him. "What are you doing here?" I asked through gritted teeth. "Good, now listen. I am sorry that Lani did this, but she wouldn''t know that you and I know each other, and that''s my fault. The girls are fine, and she will return them, right?" Mex asked as he looked back to the female Demon that getting up. Mex was still holding his hands out to me, and for a good reason. There was a firestorm zing around me right now like a cyclone, and my skin was on fire. I was trying to calm down, but I was so turned up about the girls that nothing short of them being in my arms would suffice. "Yes, here," Lani said as she got up and cast a hand to the side. Suddenly, Keri and Lizy appeared, and then both ran to me, but then stopped with worried looks. "Kazz, umm, are you okay?" Keri asked as she looked around at the half-destroyed and burnt vige. "What happened to this ce? It was just a normal vige a second ago, so how did it end up like this? Did you do this fighting the Gnolls?" Lizy asked, but then she spotted Mex. "And what are you doing here?" "Stopping Kazz from killing my children. It wasn''t his fault, but at least twelve people died, and now you will be answering for it," Mex said as he turned on Lani. "How was I supposed to know that you had found someone?" The now petite olddy, Lani, asked, and I took a deep breath in, then let it out, and released my Totem and Pact. Chapter 122 - What I Had Done, Can We Do Both? "Yes, well, I suppose this is my fault," Mex said, but I was walking over to the girls to grab them. My head was cooling, but what I had just done was setting in. I had just killed people. While they were demons that I knew would never actually die, that didn''t really key into my logic. I knew that my reaction to the information wasn''t bad, and I would do it again. Yet, I had still killed people trying to protect what must be the leader of this vige. "Are you two okay?" I asked softly as I walked up to the confused-looking woman. "Yes, we are fine, but what did you do here?" Lizy asked as she looked around the now only smoking and partially destroyed vige. "The woman told me that she had eaten the two of you, and I lost it," I said as I scrubbed my face with one hand. "And I killed some of them." The girls got surprised looks, and then they both turned to Lani. To my surprise, the two of them started to tear into the demon woman. "Are you satisfied now?" Keri asked Lani and then said, "You would think after your Father had to kill that hero for doing the same thing! Fireden used to tell stories about this vige!" "You are all lucky to have anything left. If it would have been met and just a meal you had taken, I would have killed you all!" Lizy hissed at her. "Well, maybe if we actually got some help once, in a while, I wouldn''t have to try such underhanded tactics! I am talking to you, Father!" Lani said as she rounded on Mex, who was studying the back of his hand intently. "I have been busy, and such! You are a grown woman and looking horrible for your age; stop that! You shall talk to me in the form that your mother birthed in on Gardania!" Mex said as he reversed the conversation. "I will look however I want to! You left me in charge of these people, and they don''t respect me if I look like some cute little tart!" Lani shouted at Mex, and I finally decided to speak up. "How is Lidy?" I asked Mex. That was the only thing on my mind right now besides what I had just done, and I needed to focus on her. I didn''t want the thoughts of what I just did to keeping back up. "Sleeping, and she will be that way for a couple days," Mex said, and I sighed. All of my rushings had been for nothing, and now I felt worse about what I had done. I couldn''t bring them back from the dead, but I could help out this vige that I had just torn apart. "Can you take the girls back with you then? I will stay here, help out with repairs, and help out with what I can, and I will be back in the evening. I need to have a sit down with you when I get back, and I need to deal with Jessabell still," I said, and Mex nodded to me, but the girls both started toin, but I put my hand up to stop them. "Kazz can''t keep an eye on the two of you while he is trying to help others. The two of you wille back with me, and you will get to ask your best friend to design your new room," Mex said with a smile as he said thest part to Lizy. "What? I don''t have any friends!" Lizy said a little too proudly, and I had to hold back a smile despite myself. "Hehe, that''s right! The Kazz said that he was also taking care of Jilly! This is going to be fun!" Keri said as she came over to me with her arms out. I reached down and gave her a hug and then a kiss, and Keri smiled at me adorably. It was pretty easy to like her when she acted so cute like this, but that is why I had gotten so mad. "Be safe, and listen to Mex; I will be home as soon as I can," I said to her and then kissed Keri''s forehead. I stood back up and then walked over to where a frustrated Lizy was standing cross-armed, staring at a section of the wall. I couldn''t imagine what was going through her mind, but I knew that I wouldn''t get the same kind of goodbye from her that I did from Keri. I moved behind her and slid my arms around her waist. Lizy tensed and tried to turn around, but I held her in ce and then moved my mouth to her ear. "Be good, and y nice with the others. If you do, I might give you a reward, but if not," I whispered, and then softly grabbed one of Lizy''s covered nipples through her ck dress, and then I squeezed down on it, but not too hard likest time, and then continued, "I will have to punish you again." Lizy gasped as I did, but then I let go of her nipple and started to move my hand away, but Lizy grabbed it. She pressed it into her chest and then leaned her head into mine, pushing her cheek into mine. "Can we do both?" Lizy breathed only loud enough for me to hear, and I gave her a gentle grope and then kissed her cheek as she moaned almost imperceptibly. "Be good, and we will talk about itter," I said and then let her go. Lizy stayed turned away from everyone and then left the damaged building that we were all standing in. She must have been blushing, or something like that, because she made an effort to keep her face hidden from me. "I will see you tonight, and you had better not give this man any trouble. While I am sad that some of my children are dead, it was your fault, not his, and you should have told them to stay back!" Mex said and then took Keri''s hand that she was holding out to him and left. Chapter 123 - Just Another Demon, That I Want To Help! After Mex left with the girls, I turned back to Lani, and she looked frustrated. I couldn''t me her, and I felt the same way, so I needed to try and mend some of this. The problem was that I didn''t have any kind of Totems that would help me out with something like this. The Magic that I could control right now was only suitable for fighting, for the most part. I still activated my Fire Force Pact and Water Sphinx Totem. These two could help me start drawing in Magic and think better while being more aware of my surroundings. "What can I help you with? I am not much of a builder, but you were saying that you are having problems. What kind of problems are they, and how can I help to fix them?" I asked and then added, "I normally would have been a lot more friendly, but I had a violent exchange with Lidy this morning, and I was worried about her." "Lidy? You didn''t give her what she wanted? And what does it matter? She is just a Demon, and you didn''t kill her, so she will be fine when she wakes," Lani said, giving me a curious look. "I care about her, but you are right; I put off what I had promised for her and then did other things. I deserved what I got, but maybe the Keep didn''t. Regardless, I wanted to smooth things over with her. I don''t like worrying about what she is thinking about when she helps me so much," I exined, but now Lani was giving me an incredulous look. "Who or what are you?! Since when has anyone ever cared about any Demon?! Demons don''t even care about each other most of the time! My father is the retarded exception to the rule, and my grandmother is proof of just how violent our race can be!" Lani railed at me, but I just narrowed my eyes at her and put my hands on my hips. I wished I could tell her that Nixi wasn''t everything that she seemed either, but while Doa still lived, I couldn''t take any chances. What I was is a question that I didn''t even know the answer to. How often do heroes snap and kill innocent people? I hardly feel like some kind of savior after the way I reacted. And? What is your point? Don''t use my own words against me, Mark. "I am¡­ something, but whatever that is, it doesn''t matter. Your father is a good man, and I have learned to respect him, and I don''t care what race you are. If you treat me fairly, then I will treat you the same way. Go the other way, and I will do the same," I told Lani, and she made a harumph sound and then turned to walk out of the building. "Follow me, then, and I will show you on a map the problems that we are facing right now. Multiple threats attack us each day, so you won''t have to go far to find trouble," Lani exined as she waved for me to follow. The vige was more extensive than Mex''s son''s fishing vige, and I could also see the ocean at the edge of the vige. The most significant difference was the actual building here looked more like houses than huts, and few looked what you might consider fancy. I was led to one of the fancy houses, but I also noticed that there were many repairs on the houses that were close to the edge. That must mean that they were attacked by something or things quite often, but I could see people already starting to fix the damage I had caused. I followed Lani into therge light blue house and then into a sitting area with chairs and a table. The table was covered with loose papers, but I could see arge map under it all. "So, this is your house? Are you the only one that lives here?" I asked as I walked over to look at the map on the table. "So what if it is? Do you think that it''s too big for just one person? Or is it because I am a woman, and I don''t deserve to," Lani started to ask me in an usatory tone. I put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her down. There was a seat she was standing in front of, and I gently forced her into it. It seems that this woman must be having a hard time with things here, and I could understand why. I was no longer mad at her, and I could see that she was very wound up, so I squatted down in front of her. "For a moment, I want you to pretend like I am another Demon, just like you, a Minor Demon, okay?" I asked as I took her small and wrinkled hands into myrge and strong ones. "What does that even mean?! You are a stupid male, so you want me to grovel to you?!" Lani asked with defiance burning in her voice, but she turned her face from me, and I could see that her light blue cheeks were starting to turn purple. "Then think of me as a woman, just like you. I help the people that I WANT TO HELP," I said and stressed thest part in a slow but pointed tone. "Why? Why did you help those girls?! I don''t understand you!!" In frustration, Lani tried to pull her hands from mine, but I held them in mine. "The same reason that I helped your younger sister, Nushi. Because I wanted to, no other reason. Well, I do have a system that helps me take care of them and make them happy, but I don''t get anything from it, other than better ways to help," I exined, and Lani whipped her head around to look me in the eyes. "What do you mean you are helping Nushi?" Lani asked in surprise, and I smiled. "I help her be happy, and now her horns stand up instead of hanging around her face," I said, and then Lani started to change. Chapter 124 - Turquoise Eyes, Labeled With The Status Quo Lani''s body started to grow and fill out, but not significantly. She was now beautiful, but she looked barely eighteen, and it was hard to believe that she was Nushi''s older sister. I could see why she kept herself in the body of an old woman. I was sure that she must have had trouble with all the vigers with a cute face like hers. "See, this is what I look like, a child. No one respects me like this! They either try talking to me like I am a child, or they ignore what I say, and then I have to punish them!" Lani said as I still held her hands, but I could feel her starting to shake. "I understand, but I think that you look beautiful like this, and I wished you didn''t need to transform like this. I will still treat you the same no matter how you look, but you need to start treating me as an equal then. Mex has given me his position of Lord of this area, and while I may not be as strong as your father, I can still hold my own if you hadn''t noticed," I said with a grin, and Lani rolled her eyes. I let go of her hands, then stood back up, and turned to the table. I started to stack the papers so I could get a better look at the map. The papers were notes, and invoices, so I made sure to not mix them up. There was nothing more annoying than having someone mess up things you had been working on. I was going to ask her what she wanted me to do with them, but I stopped myself. Lani seemed like the type to think that I was upset about it, no matter how I said it, and she would end up getting angry. It was better for me to just feel my way around, and there weren''t too many different types of documents. I was able to sort them out quite quickly, but I could really read anything; I just knew that they looked like bills or receipts. As I did this, Lani stood up and stood beside me, barelying up to my shoulder. She watched what I was doing curiously, but she wasn''t making any effort to stop me. At one point, she even leaned into me, but I ignored it, not wanting to make a mention of it. If I were to say anything, I was sure that she would react poorly, so I just continued with my sorting. Once I had the papers into their stacks, notes, bills, and receipts, I turned my head to look down at Lani. She was resting her head against me, and part of me just wanted to be quiet and keep her like that, but we had things to do. "Where would you like me to put these stacks so we can look at the map better?" I asked, and the question startled Lani, and she jumped back from me just as I thought in surprise. As she did, Lani collided with the chair and started to fall backward. I dove forward, giving up my own bnce, and pulled her out of the way of the chair to save her from getting seriously hurt. I turned in the air and then crashed to the ground with Lani on top of me. Both of our faces were a hair''s breadth apart now, and I was staring into Lani''s beautiful turquoise blue eyes, but she jumped off me in a panic again but didn''t trip over anything this time. "What are you doing?! Why did you grab me like that?! Are you trying to have your way with me?! Were Lidy and my sister not enough for you?!" Lani barked, and she changed back into the old woman''s body again. I sighed and got back up on my feet, and red at her. "I was trying to keep you from getting hurt! You were the one leaning against me and then jumped back into the chair that you would have fallen on!" I growled as I dusted myself off. "I am¡­ a Demon¡­ Why do you care if I get hurt? I wouldn''t be hurt by something like that!" Lani said in a confused voice, but I shook my head. "If a woman fell onto a chair like that from the ce that I came from, she would get seriously hurt. I didn''t see you as a Demon at that moment; all I saw was a girl that was about to get hurt," I said and then turned back to the map. I should have known better about her; I had just mentioned our high strength, but I couldn''t help my body''s reactions. Even with my mind cranked up from my Water Totem, my natural instincts to help a person kicked in and overrode everything. "You are strange, and I don''t know if I should trust you. I want to know why you just didn''t put all of my papers into a stack, or even just pushed them off the table? You didn''t have to do that, and I wouldn''t have said anything if you did, so I don''t get it. Why sort them?" Lani asked, and I answered her as I looked over the different threat markers and the recorded average strike times. "It would have been rude for me to do either of those things. I was going to ask you what you wanted to be done with them, but I assumed that you would have thought I was upset about them. So, instead, I figured that I would clean them up, and when you came over and got close to me without saying anything, I assumed what I was doing was right," I exined, but that didn''t satisfy Lani. "That is not answering my question. Rude is what men do; everyone I have met has been the same! They are all rude and inconsiderate, and they all act the same and want the same thing!" Lani said, getting visibly angry, and I finally turned from the table to look back into her still sparkling turquoise eyes. "I did it because I wanted to, and I didn''t want to make a mess. Maybe all the men you have met are like that, but this is the first time that you have ever met me, and I am not from this shit hole. Maybe just give me the benefit of the doubt before you start lumping me up with everyone else. I decided to stay here and help out because I wanted to, not because your father ordered me, or even asked me, so I can leave at any point if you want," I growled, getting tired of gettingbeled with the Status Quo for men in this world. Chapter 125 - I Can Help, Being Controlled Lani looked at me a bit shocked, but I turned back to the table and pointed to the vige''s east side. Lani came over to the table and gasped; the strike time was some were around this time, which would be lunch. My observation skills from my Water Sphinx Totem were on full torque; being constantly fed by the Fire Force Pact, I spotted a sundial on the front deck. It was about ten mins before the Strike time, but we could make it there without a problem. The problem was that I couldn''t read the notes that were under the time. I was slowly starting to piece thenguage together, but I would need a good hour of grilling Lani about the letters and words. "We can make it there, but I need to know what I am going to be dealing with so I can make a n," I said as I turned and looked down at Lani, who looked worried. "This is the Behmonth attack, but they didn''te yesterday. That means that they will being with more this time! We need to let everyone in that area know so they can evacuate!" Lani said and then turned from me, rushing to the front door. I wanted to tell her that I could take care of them, but It would be just easier to deal with the problem myself. It was hard to fight while protecting people, and Lani getting the people would be a good n just in case I had some trouble. I took off running but only switched to my Wind Force Pact. I still needed to think, and the speed was more than enough for me to reach the other side of the vige in less than a minute. I did have to dodge and weave through the crowds, but I was thinking the entire time. I wasn''t sure what a Behemoth was, but it sounded big, so I would more than likely want to use Earth and my Tsunalily Totem. The fortitude and size would be suitable for whatever came at me. *I can help you! I can be whatever you be, and then you can change to something different. I won''t be as strong as you, but I can still get big!* Kali''s voice rang in my mind softly, and I nodded and stepped outside of the vige. I focused on her presence now that she spoke, and Kali emerged from me. "Thank you for finally letting me out! I thought we had a deal! I don''t want to be stuck in there alone all the time! Idiot!" Kali said to me, and I ruffled her vine-like hair and squatted down in front of her. "Sorry, things got busy, but I will let you out with the other girlster when I get home, okay?" I asked, and then I pinched her nose yfully. "Fine, but you had better not forget! It takes a lot for me to get through to you! You always have so much going on inside your head, so I had to catch you at the moment that you make your choice," Kali said as she pushed my hand away, and I stood back up, summoning the Earth Force Pact. My body became rigid, and small mountainous peaks started to form all over my body. Then I activated Kali''s Totem, and I grew to five times my size, a massive thirty feet tall. I looked down at my body, and I was covered in stony ridges, and then I noticed a green lighting from my feet. Kali was emitting a green light as she slowly lifted into the air until she was at my chest height. As she was doing this, I had to turn slowly and look to the east, but the trees were still mostly taller than me, but I could hear and feel somethinging. Suddenly, Kali burst with an even brighter light that overtook the sun as vines exploded from her body in all directions. Within moments she had entirely created a thirty-foot exact copy of what I was, but a twisted vines version. I turned my head back and saw three sets of glowing red eyesing from the dark of the forest as the steps, and heavy breathing slowed. "What do you know about Behemoths?" I asked Kali, and she replied in my mind. "They are magical creatures that can use some kind of weird magic that distorts the air, but I have seen creatures be turned to blood paste by it. Their bodies get sucked into one point, but I don''t know if it will affect you or me because of our size. We will have to watch out if they start targeting the huts, then we have to interrupt them," Kali exined, but I was confused. "You act like we aren''t going to be able to kill these things right away. What are these things? And I thought they were night creatures?" I asked as I tried to see into the darkness, but they had stopped, and I still couldn''t see them. "These are some of the strongest creatures on the ind. Maybe the Ogre was stronger, but there are three of these. I don''t know why they would be attacking, and they rarely attack in packs; they like to challenge their foe and kill them in one-on-onebat. There must be something controlling them, like a Demon Lord. I have heard Mex talk about him in passing many times because of his wife, Clesh. I can hear all my sisters, and I talk with Madam Clesh often, and that helps the time pass," Kali exined to me, and I nodded as I looked out at the red eyes. "Tell Clesh to put Jessabell into a secure room so I can talk to her when I get back and ask her to ask Jilly to prepare you a room," I said, and then got serious, "Let''s go, they will have the advantage in the tree, but we just have to keep them from the vige. Do not chase, and stick with me; that is an order." Kali''s copy of me nodded, and I put two fingers up and motioned forward for us to move. As we did, the eyes disappeared. Chapter 126 - Neft, The Loser Necromancer I was tempted to change my Pact and Totem, but at the same time, it might be better to wait. Whatever these things were, Kali was worried that we were going to have trouble with them. I walked forward with Kali mirroring me, and the forest started to get darker. All the light was being blocked out by the trees that hung overhead, but even being as tall as I was, didn''t make it easier. Once we were roughly about the area that I had seen the eyes, I put up a hand to stop Kali. There was no point in going any further, and if we did, then we wouldn''t be able to catch one if it tried to go around. "I don''t see them anywhere, and they are nearly as big as us!" Kali said as she looked around, but I was studying the ground. This world was full of so many strange things. More than once, Grovel had surprised me with an attack from below. I studied the ground ahead of us, and at first nce, there seemed to be nothing wrong with the area. Nothing, no massive footprints, or anything broken, and that was also what gave it away. I put a hand up and waited for Kali to notice, then I signaled for her to move back slowly. Together, we took steps backward but moved at a snail''s pace. As we did, I bent down and picked up the broken trunk of a fallen tree. As I stood up, I pointed to my eyes and then the area behind us in a sweeping motion, and Kali nodded. While she was keeping watch, I gave that area a quick sweep, just to make sure there wasn''t anyone else around. I didn''t think that all three of them would be in the hole, but I guess that it also depended on the skill level of the person controlling them. After being as sure as I could, I tossed the massive log at the area. As it flew through the air, I prepared myself, lifting my massive leg in the air, concentrating on channeling my Earth Force Pact into my foot. I timed my foot to m down right after the log did, but I tipped over backward in surprise as the ground erupted. I hit the ground hard, but it had no effect on me with my Earth pact on, but I was hit with more than just dirt and debris. Chunks of flesh, rotten and horrible smell, or at least most of them were. Strangely I was getting the smell of some kind of solid pine scent, like Pinesol, that cleaning product my mother always used. After everything cleared, I looked around to find Kali slowly shrinking back down, and all the chunks were falling off of her. That was mighty convenient, but I was also highly disturbed about what had just happened. I am no rocket scientist, but this rotting flesh makes me think of a Necromancer, and now I could see why Nushi hated them. I got up and started to look around, but I saw nothing, and I could still see the vige from where I was. "Go back, and make sure that one didn''t sneak around, okay? Make sure to tell me if you see one, don''t go after it alone," I told Kali as she finally pulled back into her girl form. Kali nodded up to me and then started to move on, rolling vines at an incredible speed. I shook my head in wonder and then turned back to the hole in the ground. I would have to ask Lani and Kali about the other Demon Lord, but for now, I needed to see if I could confirm the dead. I started to walk over to the hole and nearly pissed myself as a voice started talking not far from my head. "Smarter than you look," a deep and growling voice said to me as I jumped back, knocking over a tree. I stumbled but then steadied myself and then looked towards the sound. Up in the tree, I had been standing beside, there was a massive purple-haired bear face of a sort but uglier. It had a slight resemnce to the Gnolls, but it was more brutal looking but less crazed, if that made any sense. "Are you the Demon Lord Neft? Or just another loser that practices Necromancy? Or Both?" I asked as I walked over to the head that was jammed in the tree. "Ha! You think you''re funny, Skin Bag! You are lucky, that is all! The body eruption should have been more than enough to kill you!" The detached head said to me in rage, but I was barely paying attention to it. I was smelling the head, and sure enough, it had that same smell. So, to cover up the rotting smell, Neft perfumed his zombies, and it looked like he tried to blow me up with some sort of trick. I would have to keep that in mind, but now it was time to try to trick this idiot blowhard. "Pretty stupid of you to ignite all four at the same time," I said off-handedly as I turned from the head and walked to the hole in the ground. There was nothing there, so I would have to rely on my estimation of this Demon Lord''s intelligence. Neft seemed like the type that would love to correct anyone he could just so he could rub it in their faces. "Four? You idiot, there were only three!" The head rages from behind me, and I nodded my head. "Good, so we did get them all. Okay, umm, it was a talk," I said, and then I turned back around and walked away from the stunning head. I only got about two steps before he started up again. Neft must have had to have a little temper tantrum before hopping back on the horn to yell at me hehe. "You just wait! Now that I know you are here, I will be sending more things tomorrow! Mex has the champion, eh? Well, it won''t matter once I kill you! No one will be leaving this ind until Doa says so!" The head screamed at me, but I rounded on it and then grabbed the massive head by two handfuls of cheek fur. "Or maybe I juste and see you today? You and I can have a little talk, Demon Lord to Demon Lord, since Mex made me the ruler of this region, that means you are stepping on mywn. I don''t know about you, but I don''t take kindly to strangers trespassing on my property. Prepare yourself!" I shouted at the head, then tossed it into the air and kicked it into the forest. Chapter 127 - Deepening Our Connection, And Doing It As the head disappeared into the forest, I turned around as I started to head back to the vige. I think that I was almost ready to fight a Demon Lord, and Neft would be a good tester before I danced with Dao. Still, I needed to go and find Lani, there were other spots on the map, and Neft said he wouldn''t be back till tomorrow. While he could be lying, I didn''t think so, which meant that whatever wasing today would stille. I changed to my Wind Force Pact and Water Sphinx Totem and shrunk down as I ran but picked up speed fast. After getting out of the forest, I went for a jog around the vige until I spotted Kali and whistled to her. That got her attention, and I went to meet up with her. We were on the beachside of the vige, and Kali confirmed that there were no other behemoths. "Did you see Lani, the little old light bluedy running around?" I asked after Kali reported to me, and she nodded her head yes. "Yes, I talked to her and told her that the problem was dealt with, and she said to tell you she would be back at her house. Who is she?" Kali asked, and I looked at her curiously. "You don''t know? Can''t you see the things around me while you are inside of me?" I asked. I had assumed that she was able to see the same as me, but I guess that wasn''t the case. "No, I can see if you are close to a Hissing Lily, but then only if Madam Clesh is looking there," Kali exined, and that made me feel horrible. "Listen, Kali, I am really sorry. I thought that you could see out while you were inside of me. I will make sure that you get more time toe out and see people, or I can just keep you out permanently if you want," I said to Kali, but she shook her head. "No, you need me with you, and it isn''t that bad. I will enjoy getting to meet the girls and finally hug Madam Clesh!" Kali said with girlish excitement as she hugged herself, and I patted her head and stroked her hair. Kali was different from the other girls, and I felt like she was more of a sister. I really hoped that she didn''t feel differently, but I think this girl would be better as my friend, rather than a lover. Plus, I didn''t have siblings, so having a little sister might be fun and a good break from the other women. "Good, maybe we can find a way to make it easier for you to talk to me. Then you can chat with me if you are lonely," I said, and Kali looked up at me with a warm smile and big eyes. "Really? You don''t mind? You just have to deepen the connection between us! Then we can talk whenever you want!" Kali said with excitement, but red gs started to go up in my mind. The term deepening the connection didn''t sound sexualing from her mouth. It was that my mind was having a hard time getting out of the gutter with how all the other girls talked and acted. "What do you mean by deepening the connection?" I asked hesitantly, and the reply set my nerve even more on edge. "Well, we can''t do it out in public! We need somewhere private to go, so maybe it would be better to do it when were are alone. I think it would be better if other people aren''t watching, hee hee!" Kali said in a shy voice that made my eyes big as I sucked in a deep breath I didn''t need. "What do you mean by "do" it?" I asked, trying to keep my tone level, but I was struggling. "Huh? Oh! Well, there are a bunch of people around, and umm¡­." Kali said and then blushed and looked away. The hammer pound in my chest, but I was not going to change my morals on this! Kali was my cute little sister! There had to be another way! "Listen, Kali," I started to say, but the sound of my name being called made me stop and look around. I spotted Lani waving at me, and then I remembered the other time stamps on the map and pped my forehead. This little thing would have to wait, but I was going to convince her that there had to be another way! "Come, we can talk about thister, or when we are alone, like you said," I said to Kali, and she let out a relieved-sounding sigh. I think Kali thought I would make her say it out loud, but I wouldn''t do that to her. What I would do was find another way to deepen our connection without burying myself deep inside of her. I turned back to Lani and then reached my hand out to the side to offer it to Kali to hold. I didn''t really think much of it, but Kali gasped, and I looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, and now she was blushing furiously. "W-What?! Y-You, w-want to d-do it with me n-now?!" Kali asked in a cute and stuttering voice, and a mountain slid off my back. I smiled down at her and then took her small green hand that was shaking like a leaf into my own. Then, without a word, I turned and started to walk to where Lani was waiting. Kali followed along, and soon I felt her hand grip my own more firmly. This was good, and I felt a million times better because my misconception was now gone. If this is what it took to deepen my bond with Kali, I will do it whenever she wanted! All that is well ends well, but now it was time to deal with the next problem on today''s Asses To Kick List. Chapter 128 - A... Ranch, I Guess I walked back to Lani''s house, and she was waiting for us at the door, tapping her foot. That meant that something must being soon. I picked up my pace, and so did Kali, and we followed Lani back into the house. "There is an attacking from the beach in about fifteen minutes, but there will be another attack from the Gnolls to the west where you came in," Lani exined as we walked into the room that had the table. "I don''t think they will be as likely to attack after I just killed the ten that were chasing me," I said with a chuckle, but Lani shook her head. "No, they are stupid creatures that survive from raiding other people rather than finding their own food! They don''t care how many die because they reproduce like that Gog girl you had with you!" Lani said in frustration as she ran her hands through her hair. Well, this was going to make a bit of a pickle, but with Kali, I might not have that much trouble. The question was, what wasing from the sea? "What is going to attack the beach?" I asked. "Mutalisks, they are strange and crazy shellfish monsters, but they are all differentbinations of shelled creatures. They don''t have reason or thoughts as far as we can tell, but they are the only thing thates from the sea," Lani exined, and I rubbed my chin, feeling some stubble as I thought. I would have to let Kali copy me in myrge form, and then she could take on the Gnolls without a problem, but the Mutalisks had me thinking. Something that was mindlessly doing the same thing over and over had all the signs of another person controlling them. "When did the Mutalisks start attacking?" I asked as I looked at the map. There was another time stamp on the east side, but all I could make out was number one, which was written the same as our number. This would be considered strange since the writing was different, but this was not the time to go over that. "Only a couple days ago," Lani told me, and I nodded my head knowingly. I wonder if this had something to do with either of the two bastards I saw underwater. Both of them seemed to already know I was here, and I probably would have gone to the vige first if I hadn''t met the girls. "Okay, since we have a couple minutes, what is thest thing that will be attacking?" I asked as I looked at thest timestamp on the map. "That one isn''t really an attack. There is arge creature called a mammoth, and it is the only one on this ind, but it doesn''t attack us. Instead, I need to warn the people that it''sing by so they can put their breakables into safe ces," Lani exined, and I raised an eyebrow. Mammoths were prehistoric creatures from Earth, but I had a hard time believing they would cause that much disturbance. The creatures were no more than fifteen feet tall, so it was hard to imagine their steps making that much of an impact, but who knew how big they were here? "Hmm, well, I will see what I can do about that, but Kali, I need you to take care of the Gnolls. Are you okay with that?" I asked, turning to Kali while still holding her hand, and she nodded with a cute smile. "I can take care of them; I know the way they fight, and my massive body might even scare them away," Kali said to me. During that time, Lani was studying our hands, and I noticed it out of the corner of my eye. Though, when I turned to look at her, Lani looked away from me. Curious, but again this was not the time for my mind to go off on a tangent. "I will go and deal with the Mutalisks since I think that theming is my fault, along with the Behemoths, but that will end tomorrow. I don''t know if I can get to who is controlling the Mutalisks yet if they are controlled, but I will work on something to prevent them from attacking you," I exined. "Okay, thank you," Lani said but still wouldn''t look at me. Looks like I might be taking another girl into my care, but I was going to start having trouble keeping track of all these girls soon. I needed to get off this ind and get to Gardania soon so I could set up a¡­ ranch, I guess. There wasn''t really anything that I could think of to call it that would make sense, and I mean, my system''s name. The problem would be finding the perfect ce that I would be able to meet everyone''s needs. The girls would be able to help me shape the ce, and then I could take on caring for anyone that needed it. This world was a hard ce, and I was sure there were many people and entire viges just like this one that went under constant attacks. By the end of it all, I was going to have thergest ranch that any world had ever seen, but the real question was whether or not I was doing what was right. I had a purpose for being here, and in order to move on, I would need to prove the weight of my soul. What I was doing in my mind was good, but I also was having fun with each of the girls, so I was concerned with how that would affect it. It was hard to imagine, but somewhere in my head was all the information that I needed, but I had ced a block on my mind. It was the only way I could make another attempt at getting into the final fight and take The Center of Everything back from the Demon King at the ce where worlds collided. Chapter 129 - Feeling Things Out, Stopped Counting "Okay, we have about seven minutes, but I think we should get going. Once you are done,. I want you toe back here and wait for me with Lani. Lani, if you don''t mind, I would like you to go with Kali and watch her back. I am sure that you are more than strong enough to deal with a Gnoll or two, but don''t take any risks," I exined to the girls after we got back outside. "Yes, I can go with her, but are you sure that you don''t want any help from us? The Mutalisks are vicious creatures, and we almost always lose a person when they attack," Lani told me with a worried expression on her face, but I smiled. I had gotten robbed with the Behemoths, so now I was excited for a chance to do some real no holds barred fighting. If these were mindless creatures with only one goal, then I would have no trouble cracking down on them. "Don''t worry about him. Kazz might not look like much, but he is a vicious fighter. You and I will deal with these, but Kazz will probably be waiting for us when we get back," Kali said with a smile, and then she closed her eyes and crossed her legs as she started to float in the air. I thought that I was going to have to change so she could mirror me, but Kali seemed to retain the memory of the form in her mind. I nodded to the girls and then turned to the beach, setting off in a dash. I still have the Wind Force Pact and Veronica''s Totem active, so it took me very little time to get to the beach in the south. Once I got there, the beach was empty, but I could see gouges in the sand now that I was studying the beach. These creatures were significant if the holes in the sand were any indication, but not like the Behemoths. The tracks were deep stabs, but that could be from their shell weight, so I also had that to consider. I looked around and looked at all the tracks and got a visual of the previous attack. It looked like there were about fifteen or twenty of the creatures, and that might be a problem. If I was their target, I might be able to lure them away from the beach, but it would be risky. Whoever was sending them could catch wind of what I was going and then send more to attack the vige once I got the first group away. I activated my Water Force Pact but kept the Totem water as well. Water against water might not be the best idea, but this would allow me to be aware of everything, giving my body more fluid motions. I waited, but nothing came. I assumed that everything would happen on cue, but the timestamps were probably just generalized times. The idea that all the attacks would alwayse at the exact time listed was silly anyway, but this was a bit ridiculous. By my estimation, they were already ten minuteste, and I was starting to wear a grooved path in the sand from my pacing. I was concerned about the girls, but I couldn''t leave this ce. They might be waiting in the water right now, waiting for me to do just that. I decided to sit down for a moment, and I closed my eyes. Since I was able to track down the Ogre, I had started to be able to feel other creatures around me that were just above my strength and below, so I tried it now. I pushed thoughts from my head like I was preparing to meditate, then I pushed my senses out. It was much easier to do than I was on Earth, but that was probably because of the Water Sphinx Totem. At first, I didn''t really feel anything other than the Demons in the vige, but then I was able to sense Kali and Lani. Since I had been in contact with both of them, I knew what their presence felt like in my mind, and then I felt the Gnolls. Even as I probed, the number of Gnolls was rapidly decreasing, and there were now only five left. I guess that the girls were going to be done much sooner than me, but why? I pushed my senses out farther and started to feel other monsters, but they were all onnd. I was getting nothing from the ocean, and that frustrated me. I could have been helping the girls, but they seemed to be doing all right, so that wasn''t really a problem. I opened my eyes and then stood back up, whipping the sand off my bottom. I red at the ocean and started to walk towards it. I was going to check if I could even see anything from the water since there was really nothing else I could do. The beach area was only about fifty feet wide, and there were cliffs that started up on either side, running down the coast. I didn''t think they could sneak around me if I went and took a peek, and I was getting tired of waiting. I was also tempted to get the girls toe to the beach, but I had a feeling that this was going to be another letdown for me, so I really didn''t see the point. Then I started to feel somethinging from the ocean, but it was a lot of something. I started to feel creatures nearly as strong as me, but I stopped counting after I got to fifty, and that wasn''t even half of what I felt, but they weren''t moving. I started to get a terrible feeling about this, but I needed to go look now. Those things could not be allowed to get past me, but I wasn''t sure if I could handle this many on my own. Chapter 130 - There Was Good, And Bad I stood at the water, just back from where the waves touched, and racked my mind. What could I do to keep this hoard of monsters from just running over this entire vige? Going into the water was an absolute no-go now, but the path was far too broad, even on the beach. I was going to have to figure it out quickly, but I wasn''t really sure what I could do. I hadn''t even thought about summoning them! While I could only tap into certain parts right now, the other three could use their elemental powers to help. Thanks, Hero! That was a great suggestion; I have to remember to ask you when I get stuck. Don''t get your panties in a knot; I am slowly getting it. I ignored Hero, and closed my eyes, and then found Windorf, Grogvel, and Wataluga. I would keep Fireden with me, and I could use him to gather energy from the monsters as I killed them. I Found each of the four Primals within me and then changed Pacts. After Fireden''s Fire Force Pact was set in ce, I summoned the other three Primal Elementals. Water, Earth, and Wind Elemental energy poured from my Primal Totem marks in blue, brown, and white streams out of me to form my partners. Both Grogvel and Wataluga started to stretch, but Windorf rounded on me, and I rolled my eyes. "Why is it only now that you think to summon us?! We could have helped you when you were in the water! Use your head! If you die, then we will go with you, and then who will look after my daughter?!" Windorf shouted at me, blowing hot air in my face. Part of me wanted to tell him that his daughter was not a child anymore, but I understand what he meant. I really did need to start looking at the bigger picture and using the help I was given. "Save you wind bagging forter; right now, we have bigger fish to fry. The kid has a lot going on, and we need to do something about the wall of monsters waiting there. I will create a choke, and Windorf will stab them from the sides. Wataluga, you will have to whip them into a freezy, so they don''t stoping. You will also need to create a barrier to make it hard for them to see in. nothing tough, and I will collect the dead that Windorf kills and spit them somewhere out of sight," Grovel exined, surprising me, but I wasn''t too sure about wiping them into a frenzy. "Are you sure about making the mindless creatures angrier?" I asked, and Grogvel nodded, causing some small rocks to fall off his face. "Yes, and it will be a hard fight, but those things out there are not mindless, and they are not fully controlled. We don''t want only half of them toe and attack, or the other half will just wait until we leave. These are demon Mutalisks, and they are ruled by the Sea Demon King, Gyro, a Rank D Demon, and not to be messed with. There is good and bad to this, though," Grogvel said but then sunk into the ground. I was still finding it hard to believe that Grogvel was the one ordering everyone around, but he made some solid points. I had to hope that his n was going to work, but what did I do to this Gyro guy, and why am I getting hungry thinking about his name?! I held no regrets about not taking the first system, and I had nned to go all out from the start, but Hero''sst words got to me, and I closed my eyes. As I did, the world started to shake, grind, and rumble around me, but I focused. I centered my thoughts like I would before any fight, given a chance, and then rolled my shoulders. I tipped my head from side to side and then opened and closed my hands. I could feel the muscles in my arms like cords, and I could feel them differently than I had before. The control of my body and muscle was greatly improved now, but I would need so much more to leave this ind. The shaking stopped, and I opened my eyes to a long corridor and Grovel''s face in front of me on my right. The path''s walls must have been at least twenty feet tall, and after a quick nce behind me, I estimated that it was about fifty feet long. "As I was saying before, the good news is that Gyro can''te ashore. The bad news is that his three hundred and fifty-odd Rank two F demon Mutalisks can," Grogvel informed, and I grinned. Looks like I was getting a new ss if I survived. Chapter 131 - Wait For It, I Couldnt Lose I stepped out of the corridor and looked to either side at the massive tan stone walls Grogvel had raised. Now they would be forced to only attack me and not get to the vige. Still, there was something that was bothering me. "Wataluga, do you know why they aren''t attacking yet?" I asked one of the many copies of him on the beach. There wasn''t much to him because there were about twenty of him spread across the beach. Soon, Wataluga would make a barrier to block the view of the oing Mutalisks, but not until I fell back. I wanted to try and hold the beach area for as long as I could before falling back. While it was more dangerous out in the open, I would be able to expand and attack them with all of my abilities. "He is waiting for you to signal that you are ready," Wataluga said with a soft voice, and I turned to focus on him. "Signal? Why would he be waiting for a signal?" I asked because I was beyond was perplexed by this. What was this like, some kind of game or something? I had never heard of something so ridiculous in my entire life! "Is this the way of Demon Kings, who always want to see a good fight, win or lose? Even when you die, they just go back to somece and wait for their turns to rise again, so most of them don''t care what happens; they just thirst for the battle lust of battle," Windorf said as his windswept body formed in front of me. "What do you mean by a thirst for it? Are you using that as an expression, or is there something I don''t know?" I asked Windorf curiously. I was interested in knowing about this, and if they were going to wait for my signal, I could learn something. This might be valuable information about the one at The Center of Everything, and anything I could glean I would need. "Demons that are Kings of D Rank or higher be stronger by taking in raw hatred, anger, anguish, and pain. They drink these emotions in the greatest battle and are constantly fighting. Demons on this ind are childrenpared to that monster out there, and he is a childpared to the one from the depths or on Gardania," Windorf exined, and that made sense. I had never gotten to see the Demon King, but it made sense why he would have constant fighting around him with his tournament. That also meant that Zero, the Demon King, would be getting constantly stronger. This was the one thing that made me question if not taking the Hero System was the best choice. I had made my bed, and now I had to lie in it; there was no going back now. "So, then what do I do to get this party started?" I asked as I put my arms up and stretched, leaning to both slides. Suddenly, the water about three hundred feet off the shore started to churn and froth as a deformed green lobster/five-armed crab rose up. The thing was huge! There must be fifty feet of it sticking out of the water and just the ugliest thing that I had ever seen. My excitement drained away for this fight as I looked and the abomination that floated with a clearly visible hideous grin on its misshapen face. "So, yer the Hera I erd bout? Ya don''t look like much? All dem prudy blue Demon gals not feedin ya right?" A loud pirate-sounding voice called out across the water to me. "Is this a contest? I didn''t know that I was supposed to dress up all funny like you! I wish someone would have let me know because I feel like you are going to win the ugliest creature to grace this world!" I called out, and the Demon King chuckled, making a loud and rumbling sound. "O ye be a talker with ye fancy words! Let''s see de jokes ye make as the boys are rippin ye arms off! I gave ye a chance to git a yer walls up, but now it be time for a fight, Pink Man! Alright, Gettem, ande back with him in chunks!" the Demon Sea King roared and sunk back into the water. As he did, the waves started to get stronger, then the water started to churn, and I stepped back. Disfigured forms started to rise out of the water six to eight feet tall, and every one of them looked different. It was almost like some had been ying with different shellfish parts and then just stuck them together. I closed my eyes one more time as the creatures started to howl at the sight of me and charging up the beach to me. This was going to be one of the most challenging fights I had ever been in, and the odds were stacked against me, but I had my friends here to help me. Like Hero had told me, people were relying on me to win and continue surviving. I had to make it to the end, and finish this all for thest time, and bring bnce back. That meant that no matter what, I had to win every time, there were no more do-overs, and I have already given everything up once for this. I opened my eyes as red lines of power zed up my arms like spider veins, and these Mutalisks were leaking out energy in droves. The Fire Fore Pact absorbed it, and my sense started to peak as the world around me slowed. I heard a beat in the back of my mind, and that turned into a song that got louder as the creatures got closer. I smiled, thinking back briefly in my room right before a fight and this song woulde one, a blood-pumping track by Rage Against The Machine. ''Some of those that workforces are the same that burn crosses! Uh! Killing in the name of!'' Chapter 132 - Loose Fire Witch, Big-Headed Cow Bug! [Back at the Keep ten minutes before the monsters reach Kazz] "You just left him there with her?! ARE YOU THAT STUPID?!" Nixi roared and expanded, snatching the cowering Mex up off the ground with one hand. "Lani won''t hurt him!" Mex yelped. "I am not worried about her, she is a far better demon than you, and she actually does the job she was given! Has it been so long since Hammond, the Bearman Hero killed, was here?! He went to the vige after getting strong fast to try and leave? Don''t you remember who was waiting for him?!" Nixi growled, squeezing Mex harder, making his eyes bulge. Then it hit Mex almost like a hammer to the head, realizing what the power was he was feeling. Nixi was forced to drop, and Mex red at her, now almost as big. "Port me there, now. I am an idiot, but I need to get there now, so take my left wing for it; that will grow back. I need to get back there before there is nothing left of everything, but I should have known that the Kings would be starting toe for him!" Mex roared in a fury at himself for being so thoughtless. Nixi reached down without a thought and tore his wing off, causing him to scream out in pain. Nixi needed something of his body to send him this far away with her Necromantic Blood Magic, and then just to be sure, and then ate them both. Pink runes started to appear all over Nixi''s body as ck blood poured down Mex''s back as he gritted his teeth. With her sharp teeth that had devoured the wings, Nixi bit off her right thumb, but the blood that came out was the same color as the glow pink runes. "The price has been paid, but you have no wings, so prepare yourself for the drop. Do not let that boy die, or I will kill you!" Nixi growled and drew a glowing circle and then reached through it and pulled Mex''s massive body that was sucked until he disappeared into a single point. "Are you sure that your son can handle this? There is a huge force out there waiting; I know you can feel it. I can feel the Demon King as well; while he is only a D Rank, there are hundreds of creatures the same rank as your son and granddaughter!" Clesh said to Nixi as she was shrinking down, but once she was back to her diminutive olddy size, she waved Clesh off. "I sent five of the girls to help; this is what he has been collecting them for and giving them strange abilities. It''s about time they got some actual battle experience, or we will never make it across the ocean. You remember how many ships we had when we left Gardania, and how many we arrived with? This time we will be alone on the open water, so all of the ones that he is collecting will need to get stronger, and we shall serve them," Nixi said with a tired voice like she was exining to a child for the fourth time. "Serve? So then you are fine with submitting to him? You, of all people, would be the one to resist this, but you aren''t. Why what has changed?" Clesh asked with an oblivious tone that made Nixi angry, but she held herself back and looked out through the castle when Lidy kicked Kazz. The apartment was there, and it was getting bigger and full each day, but it was more than that. That man drove Nixi wild because he stood up for the other demons, and he had felt back after having to kill some. In Nixi''s mind, this was the stupidest thing that she had ever heard of. Even the higher Ranked Demon only acted civilly, but they were all the same kind of monsters. Nixi knew she was a monster, consuming her kin to use magic and herself. Even though the limbs grew back, that didn''t make her any less of a monster. Somehow, this man was doing something to everyone. It was like everyone was changing by just being around him, and it was even happening to Nixi. "It is because of him. That man keeps breaking the rules and then writing his own before you even have time to blink! Suddenly everyone is moving around more and talking! Even that jackass of a guard, Trig, is standing up straight! Who is this Kazz? Why is he so much different than every other Hero that hase through that portal? How many have we killed for treating us the way we see ourselves?" Nixi asked, and Clesh nodded. "Quite different; look at how the grandmothers are acting? They have everything packed and ready to go, but they also watch him from the ball you gave him whenever you let them. Even Lidy is starting to change; she stopped and let the energy go, she lost it at first, but then she was able to stop herself! Have you ever seen that?" Clesh asked as they turned back to Nixi''s tower and went inside. Closing in on the vige was four tall monster girls and one little one that was squealing in excitement on the back of Victoria. The Sphinx flew above the road with her sister, Candice and the other two women ran at top speed, arguing since theyid eyes on each other. "Why didn''t you stay with him? You loose Fire Witch!" Jilly shouted as she weaved to help her move faster. "Shut up, you big-headed Cow Bug! He told me to go with Mex, and he is the master, or do you just not ever listen to him!" Lizy screeched as she galloped on her spider legs. "You have better hope that he is okay!" Jilly shouted, but then Veronica swooped down to their heights. "Stop it you two! Use the energy to get there; the attack is already starting! They are rushing up to the beach, so get a move on it. We will fly ahead, so hurry up and don''tin!" Veronica ordered them and then lifted them back into the air with Keri. The two nced at each other but then faced forward and redoubled their efforts. Somewhere about a quarter mile down the coast, Mex was spat out of a pinhole fifty feet about the tree line and started to fall. He was not having a good day, and this was about the time that Kazz started to tap his foot to the song in his head, and the Mutalisk boys were closing in. Chapter 133 - Incoming, On The Open Water! My eyes snapped open, burning bright, steam pouring out of my mouth. The Mutalisks closed on me, but they were so slow and wasted so much energy, so I drank it all in. My hands snapped close, and the veins of power crawling my arms and hands bled, covering them in red elemental energy. I punched into the first shrimp-headed blue crab, and mes exploded at the moment of contact with the disgusting creature. They sted forward like there was andmine strapped to my fist on a steel te, and I turned to st the next one but had to back step. The Mutalisk had moved faster and almost hit me. I felt a lot of energy go with that punch, and now everything was moving faster and getting too close. I pped my hands together, but at thest moment, I ignited the Fire Gog Totem. The explosion incinerated everything within ten feet, and the rest of the Mutalisks were squealing or hissing in pain. Most were still being cooked inside their own shell or in pieces, barely holding on for the next twenty. Two notifications popped up, but I ignored them. I had no time for distractions. That was only a few of them gone, and the horde of Boys was crushing the dead or dying to get at me without stopping. I was about to change to my Earth totem form, but then I heard a sickening series of crunchese from the left. I turned to see Kali kicking and crushing the creatures, but she was already getting surrounded. I was about to help her, but Veronica swooped in with Keri on her back, screaming in joy. Little me fell down like ember, but when they touched a creature, they started to expand and cover the Mutalisks. The creatures started to scream, and the ones that didn''t hit a target started to form into a snake. I sted about ten more, but the wave kepting, but it was good to have some of the girls help. Candacended down beside me, but she looked worried, looking around for something. "Where is the Master?!" Candace asked me after I smashed a Mutalisk that got close to her. "Mex? I haven''t seen him, but you need to get back into the air! You aren''t built for this type of fighting, so go find him so he can help!" I told Candace, and she used her powerful legs to spring back into the air without a word. I changed to my Earth Tsunalily Totem and expanded to be huge, kicking the monsters from my path. Without Grovel, I didn''t want to try to step on them; the idea was about as inviting as walking down a hall filled with lego in bare feet. "Go on your own side, you boiled six-eyed freak!" I heard Jilly scream, and then a hail of ck spikes came raining down around me. "Quit being such an irritating bitch all the time, big mouth! I bet you haven''t even tasted him yet!" Lizy''s voice sneered back, and then streams of glowing liquid started to spray all the way out to the water. The moment the strands cooled, anything that touched was sliced, and the spiked creatures were now screaming in pain. I looked around, and the rate of the monster''s attack had slowed dramatically, but we hadn''t even got pushed back. "Is that the best you got?!" I boomed out to the open ocean, and suddenly the creaturesing up the beach turned to run away, but the girls were going to let them go. Hails of ck spikes and long streams of Steel Silk pounded into and sliced to piece the retreating foes. The girls didn''t stop there, and the spikes continued and started to grow out of the water like brambles coated with razor wire. "I have, and he yed with me! I bet he just used you like some cum dump to relieve himself! He also cleaned me. Did you get that as well?" Jilly challenged Lizy as I shrunk down and all the girls, except for Candace and Mex. That had me worried, but I need to deal with these two multi-legged cats before they get into a fight. "Thank you both foring, but now Mex is missing, so we need to," I started to say but was interrupted by a roar from the sea. "Yas think ya funny? I will remember this, Pink Man! Watch yer arse on de open sea!" The Demon Sea King roared and then smashed back down into the water dramatically. "I am also mostly fine!" Called Mex from the air as he and Candace flew down. Veronica alsonded with Keri, and she hopped down and then ran to me with open arms. I bent down and hugged her and then picked her up when she didn''t let go. "What happened to you?" I asked, turning to Mex after kissing Keri''s cheek and loosening her grip on my neck. "Well, I wasing to help you, but Nixi''s Porting Blood Magic was off, and Inded in some trees, broke a few bones. I am fine now, even my wings are growing back, but I think I might need another day to heal," Mex said, and that was when I noticed that his wings were little stubs, and I raised my eyebrow at him. "Did your wings get ripped off before the fall?" I asked curiously. "No, Nixi ate them. It was the only way to get me fast enough, but the old bat must be getting rusty! She has sent me across the ind a couple of times before with no problem, but maybe she was worried. Magic like that requires a lot of concentration, so I can see why it might have been off," Mex exined, but I was shocked about what Nixi had done. I had thought that it was just a joke at first, but I guess that Nixi really could have eaten the women. I guess that was what had made it so believable, but now I had more questions, and I would have to go to Nixi to get the answers. Chapter 134 - Relaxing, Pillow Soft It was over, and now I had time to check my ss, but I had forgotten about what Hero had told me about having to pick another ss. Though, I had seen two other shes beside the first two, so I didn¡¯t kill quite enough, but I did feel much stronger. [Name]: Kazz [Level]: 9 [ss]: Shaman [Strength]: 15 [Dexterity]: 12 [Fortitude]: 20 [Wisdom]: 16 [Intellect]: 14 [Spirit]: 13 [Energy]: 536 [ss Skills]: {Rank 3}: When 50 feet from a Bonded Partner, the Totem Marks power increases 60%. {Rank 4}: Target a nt to speak to it. 70% chance of sess. 7% chance of irritation. {Rank 3}: Summon 2 Bonded nts to fight as your ally. {Rank 5}: Auto-Trigger: Totem Bond is triggered when a Totem Mark can be acquired. The target must express gratitude to you in some form in order to trigger Totem Bond. {Rank 2}: Activate more than one Bond at a time. Only one Primal Bond can be active. Total Bonds Activatable: 3. There was nothing new, but I did gain higher ranks in the stuff that I had. The beach was slowly cleaned by the elementals as I sat down with my girls all around me. Windorf and Wataluga were pulling the bodies, and Grogvel was collecting them and throwing them back into the water from one of the cliff walls to the south. I kept Jilly and Lizy at either side of me and threatened that neither was going to get anything from me if they kept acting like this. I had imagined that they would be at each other, but the name-calling was getting a bit ridiculous. Keri was resting in myp with Kali, and then two of them had their heads on my chest. It had been a long day for them, but I wanted to rx for a bit before I headed back. Veronica was letting me rest against her, but Mex had already headed back. There was no way for anything toe up the beach now, so the Vige would be safe for now, but there was still the Gnolls, Neft, and Tiga left to deal with. Then I needed to kill Dao and then get off this damn ind. How? Don''t they all have the hero system? So, then what you are saying is that I need to get off this ind fast, but then make some detours at sea to get stronger? But what about the things that will try to eat us if we do? This was a fair idea, but I wasn''t sure how I was going to build something like a battle submarine. I decided to shelf the n; for now, I would think of something in the future, I was sure. I rxed back into Victoria and gazed over the girl''s Systems. Each of the three girls had gotten levels and had some new abilities, but I closed them after scanning them over and rxed. Veronica was incredibly soft and so great to rx against, and thoughts of her brought me back to when we were in the maze. I could now take her on, and she would change into a morepatible form, but no sooner had I thought it than did I fall back in a sh of light. "Hey!" Keri cried as we fell back, and Kali squeaked. I was pped in the face and nearly smothered by a pair of massive breasts that were soft as pillows. I pulled my face from under them, but I could have probably stayed that way for a bit longer, but I want to see the rest of her. The girls got off me, and I turned around to help Veronica up but froze when I saw the cute, power blue cat girl with angel wings. Wow, her hand changed a lot, but she was beautiful now, but not that she wasn''t before, but those were some huge pillow-soft ta-ta''s! "Are you okay?" I asked as I finally unfroze, and Veronica nodded shyly to me and then apologized quickly, "Sorry, I shouldn''t be looking you over like that before asking if you were okay! Or, um¡­." Veronica blushed at first but then started to giggle as everyone started to get up. I offered her my hand as I did, and together we stood up. "No, I like that you were; that means that I might have a chance with you now. I am confused, though, but notining; why didn''t I get one of the things like the girls?" Veronica asked me after we were standing, but I really wasn''t sure. "Fresh out of systems, but you got the body enhancements instead, not a loss in my body. In fact, I see them as big gains!" I joked, but Veronica smiled at me so seductively that I had to look away before I started to get handsy. "Niceeback before; I guess I''m still ahead on some things!" Jilly hiss whispered, but I could clearly hear it, and the real world I was in came back to me as Lizy screamed. Chapter 135 - Pftpftpft, Stop That! I had to increase my size and get between the two women as Lizy dove for Jilly, who wasughing but was looking ready to fight. I didn''t want to be holding these two apart right now; I wanted to be holding those new pillows! "I should have just killed you instead of forcing you to leave!" Lizy screamed, but then I grabbed a nipple on each of the women and pinched hard. Both women squealed as I pulled them together by their tits. Then I brought both of their faces close to mine on either side of me. I was going to have to start dealing out some punishment if this kept up! I wanted to see how Veronica was doing after the considerable change. "The two of you had better get your shit together, or so help me, I will tie you both up and toss you in a dark room to bitch at each other! The two of you were friends or something like that at one point, and the pair of you will get back there! I like both of you, but I will not have you ruining everyone else''s time just because you two are acting like children, understand me?" I asked the girls as I looked into their eyes, and both gulped. "I didn''t start, OwO!" Jilly started to say but then squealed as I mped down harder, making her lean into me as the wave of pain hit her. "No, I don''t want to hear your excuses; what I want is for you to act civil and stop fighting so I can check on Victoria. There is no reason for you to fight anymore, and I think that you two should get used to spending time together. I am going to get you two to start working together on something for us to get off this ind," I exined to them, and then the girls gasped as I let their nipples go. Neither girlined, but they both turned away from me and each other. This was fine, but they would have to work together. If this was the end of the Systems, then that meant that I would have to use the things that the girls had now. I felt a little better about taking other girls on; It was starting to get a bit hectic trying to keep track of them all. I turned back to Veronica, and she was running her hands over her new body as Keri, Lani, and Kali were standing around her talking with her. The moment Veronica saw me, she smiled, and I couldn''t help but smile back. She was strange, new, and absolutely gorgeous. Her hands and feet were still paw-like, but a human mix simr to the Cerberus girls, but not as fluffy as them. Veronica also has a thin lion-like tail that had a lighter blue fluff at the end of it. Her face was cat-like but not extended out, and she had cute ears that I wanted to pet fiercely. "Is this what happens every time you take a girl on? They change to be morepatible with you?" Lani asked as she was looking over Veronica. "Now, yes. Before, not as much. Why are you looking for a ce on my boat? You don''t have to be part of my little group, but you will have to swear to me when I kill Dao," I exined to her as I walked up to Veronica. "Swear to you? Like to be your servant? Why would I want to take care of you if you are going to take care of me?" Lani asked while looking at her hands. I chuckled and then pushed some hair out of Veronica''s face and kissed her forehead before stroking her head and ears. It was just as soft as I had imagined, and Veronica leaned her head on my chest and hugged me as I did. "Thank you for this," Veronica said into my chest, and I smiled, petting her head and ears more as I looked at Lani. "If you would prefer that I take care of you, I will. I am just giving you the only two options that I know to get off this ind with me and everyone else," I said, and Lani put her hand to her chin thoughtfully but then looked up at me. "Are youing back tomorrow?" Lani asked me and then added, "We don''t need help in the mornings, but if you coulde again at lunch, it would help." "Can you handle the Gnolls if I send help? I will deal with your Behemoth problem tomorrow, but I also have one more girl to get to safety. So, I have a busy day, but I will stop by after and walk back with the girls if I amte," I exined to Lani, and she nodded. "Yes, I am sure if you send help, we will be fine if you are dealing with the biggest problem, and the Mutalisks can''t attack. Thank you, and I am sorry about how we met. I will see you tomorrow," Lani told me and then turned to walk back down the corridor Grogvel had created. I smiled and then stroked the soft powder blue wings on Veronica''s back for a moment before pulling back from her. I bent down and picked up Keri, who was waiting with arms up and then put her behind my neck on my shoulders, getting a warm feeling as I did. "Alright, everyone, let''s get going back now. It''s past mid-day now, and I want to see everyone back at the Keep," I said to the others and then called back to the Primals, "Boys, let''s get out of here!" "Listen here, you ignorant child! I am not you boy, you, pftpftpft, stop that! Pftpftpft!" Windorf had tried to be¡­ himself, but Wataluga sprayed him in the face as he did. The other threeughed at me, but all four fused into me, time to go home. Chapter 136 - Lurking Behind Me, Too Soon For Cannibal Jokes? I turned back to the girl and motioned for the corridor, and we headed back through and out of the vige with absolutely no fighting. That was nice, but the girls weren''t talking at all, and it was kind of getting awkward. That was right, and I hadn''t really given it much thought other than kicking the shit out of him. The guy seemed like trash the way he talked about his daughter, ording to Mex, but he also did save his daughter. I would do that then, and I would also talk to him about the other Demon Lord, Neft. I needed to know what I would be up against, and I had to decide what ss I would switch into. I had nned just to take fighter for the physical boosts, but now I thought a ranger might be better. If I was going to have two sses, they shouldplement each other, and I was missing things like traps and diversion. The problem was that I could make traps and diversions, but what I couldn''t do was use the elemental power freely. If I became a mage like Nushi, I could learn to control all the elements and freely use my powers. I blinked and realized that I could see the walls of the Keeping up and the bridge. I hadn''t even felt the turn or paid attention to anything on the way back; time had slipped away. I must be getting tired, but I still had things to do. The girls split off and headed back to the house after I let Keri down to go with them, but Veronica stayed with me. "Do you mind if I stay with you for a bit? This is still really new for me, and I kind of feel awkward with the other girls," Veronica told me, and I nodded. "Sure, but we are going to talk to Mex, and then Nixi," I said, and after she nodded, I linked my arm in hers and headed inside. The door was open, and I was surprised that the ce still looked like a mess. After some brief door knocking, I realized that there was no one here. Not even after pounding on Nixi''s door five times did I get a response. "Do you think something happened?" Veronica asked me as we headed back outside. "No, I think there would be more of a fuss if there was. I think that the ce probably got a lot bigger on the inside," I said as we walked around to the apartment that had somehow not gotten taller, but it had two more floors. I was curious to see what kind of changes had gone on and where Lidy was. I hadn''t forgotten about her, and I wanted to see her as well, but I should get to the kitchen first. Mex and Nixi coulde to find me there, and maybe I could make some good eggs to wake Lidy up. Veronica and I walked into the apartment, but it had somehow not changed, and there was an elevator. I think I had read something about Basic Mechanisms in Jilly''s stats, but the thing was wild, and it was big enough to fit her in it! No one was on this floor, so I led Veronica to the kitchen and then to the table in the corner. "Do you mind sitting here? I will get food ready for you and everyone else. Then, once I have the meat on, I will cut you up some veggies and take a dip for it, okay?" I asked her, and she smiled broadly and sat down. I had to catch her because she almost missed the chair, only catching it with one of her cheeks. After she was properly seated, I turned from a blushing Veronica and headed over to the stoves to turn them on. I wasn''t sure how they worked, but they were simr to a typical gas stove. The only difference was when you turned the nobs, and mes appeared, no need to light them. I got the stoves on and started to warm up a cast iron pan with some oil from a ss bottle that looked like olive oil. It had nobel and a slight fragrance like thyme, but it seemed to do the job. I turned around, looking for the walk-in freezer to get the meat, but there was no door. Then I noticed a mini-fridge, opened it, and there was my meat. I took the meat out on a tter, closed the door, and just out of curiosity, I opened the door again. It was full of meat again! I closed the door, ignored my sense of what the fuck, and organized the trays. I found some bacon slices in the pile that I cut up small and put off to the side for Lidy''s meal as well. Once the meat was in the oven, and the skillet was hot, I tossed in the bacon to cook first. While the chunks were cooking, I cracked ten eggs into a bowl and mixed them, throwing in random spices withoutbels. I was making it, so the food would be great, and I had found some cloth-wrapped cheese and a grater! After the cheese was found, I cracked another ten eggs in for myself and tossed the meat in the oven. Suddenly, I could feel two people lurking behind me, and I groaned inwardly. "What are you making there? I can only smell the bits of meat you are cooking, but getting this close, even those uncooked and abused eggs smell wonderful!" Mex told me, and then Nixi piped up. "You are going to have to make at least that many for me! Since we have a lot to talk about, I am getting hungry again!" Nixi said as she walked over to join Veronica, who was almost drooling. I wonder if it was too soon for cannibal jokes? And had me adding Veronica as one of my girls turned her into an omnivore? Chapter 137 - Change, And Lead By Example I poured thirty whisked eggs into two skillets that had warmed up and showed Nushi how to constantly scrape them off the pan. Keri was helping cut up some vegetables with Kali, and Veronica was standing behind them both, waiting patiently. Some of the girls had wandered into the kitchen and asked if they could help, and I was more than excited to have them. Since I was going for the entire house, it seemed I was going to need more hands, and the girls were more than willing and excited to help. After Nushi was good, I went through the three ovens and flipped the meat, and then stood back up, looking over everyone. Then when I was satisfied that everyone was busy, I turned to Mex and Nixi and then walked over to join them at the table. "I am always surprised to see you in the kitchen; not a lot of men I know would be caught dead in here. Yet, you are the one telling the girls how to cook? Fascinating stuff," Mex said with intrigue, and I resisted rolling my eyes because I could see that he meant what he said. "Yes, but we aren''t here to talk about his cooking skills! Kazz, you have something that you want to ask of me, but I will save you the trouble. My daughters and I will serve you once you have defeated Dao," Nixi exined, and mine and Mex''s eyebrows crawled up our foreheads. "Daughters? What are you talking about? Since when did you start calling Clesh and Nushi, your daughters?!" Mex asked with great confusion, and I was rmed. "There is no point in trying to hide it. If you are to fight Dao, then he might as well know; the women are getting tired of hiding, and you mother wants to p you around," Nixi said, but then right on cue, the five other Grandmothers walk into the kitchen, with the red-headed Perita in the lead. "p? No, pping is for people that need to snap out of it. My son, Mex, is a broken Demon, but, in his case; Is that really such a bad thing? If I have learned one thing from this man in the short interactions that we have had, it is that we are the ones acting strange. Why is being mean and cruel right? Because that''s all, we have ever known?" Perita asked as she and the other women moved into the kitchen and started to help with the meal. I had just been about to get up and check on the meat and to see how Nushi was doing with the eggs, but the women took control of things. I rxed and looked over at Mex, who was grinning like a schoolboy as he stood up. I was surprised to see him go over and hug each one of the women, his motherst, and the two of them held on to each other for longer. Once the two of them pulled apart, and Mex had wiped his eyes, he looked over at me with a big smile. "Sure, I might be the Broken Demon, but Kazz isn''t broken. We have all had a chance to know Kazz and be treated by him the way that I believe is right. Each one of us knows that Kazz looks at us and treats us like we are no different than him, even if we still don''t fully agree," Mex said as he shifted his gaze to Nixi. "Even Lani warmed up to him a bit; I saw it! Kazz forgave her right away, even after she tricked him! Then he apologized for killing the vigers!" Nixi whirled on me and red at me with only a single-worded question. "Why?" The automatic reaction that wanted toe out was because they were people, just like me, but that wasn''t how they saw themselves. They viewed themselves as monsters, and in most cases, they weren''t wrong, but I knew that it couldn''t be so ck and white. The girls were monsters too, and they were far scarier for the most part than the demons, but I still treated them the same. "Do you ever stop to think when you are getting angry?" I asked inly. "What? Of course not! Why would I?" Nixi asked in frustration. "What if the roles were reversed?" I asked, and Nixi narrowed her eyes on me. "So you were the one yelling at me?" She asked, but I shook my head. "No, more than just that. You can see what effect your anger has on others; now, what if you were the one on the receiving end of this? I know you know what it feels like; you came from Gardania, so there would have been much stronger demons than you that probably treated you poorly. Didn''t you ever think that the amount of force they used was too much? Maybe that you would have gotten the point if they would have just talked normally to you?" I asked, boring my own stare into Nixi, and I watched her eyes lose focus. I could tell that she was slipping in and out of what I was sure were countless injustices during her long life. I wanted her to remember them so that my point might sink in farther when I made it. "What of it? What will wishing do? It won''t change anything! I wished those things every time!" Nixi said with rising heat. "That is exactly the problem and the answer. My father used to have a saying, wish in one hand, and shit in the other. Which one will get fuller faster?" I asked with a grin. "Of course, the shit will fill up fasters! That is a stupid saying; I already know that!" Nixi railed, pounding her fist to the table. "Then why wish for the change if you know it''s not going to do anything? If wishing won''t do it, then what will? Change. And then you will ask me how do you change everyone else? You don''t; you can only change yourself and lead by example, no matter what the rest of them do. I treat you guys this way because I want you all to treat me the same way," I exined, and the room went silent. Chapter 138 - Make-Up, Treat Me Better Only the sounds of cooking could be heard in the kitchen; everyone was silent after my exnation. I could see all of them thinking about what I said, and Nixi was the first one to speak up. "So, what you are saying is all we have to do is change how we act, and that will change everyone over to acting like that? You have to be nuts to think that I would believe something like this could be so easy!" Nixi said to me, and I shook my head again. "I never once said that changing everyone else would be easy; that part never is easy, but it always takes one person to start it. This is all you have ever known, but I have seen a dramatic improvement in everyone in the Keep over thest four days. If this was just from me being around and acting normally, what kind of effect will it have if you all start doing it?" I asked, and Nixi went quiet again. The change was always met with resistance, but that doesn''t mean that it will stop the change. If the idea is strong enough, nothing will ever be able to stop the change from happening, but there would be somerge walls to ovee in the future. Still, if I could get the world to start changing here, with these Demons and monster girls, I would slowly start creating a trend. "It won''t catch on at first, and others will treat us the same way you have been treating Mex. People will think we are jokes or that we are just trying to trick them, but in time, we will change that view, just like I did for you all. All it takes is one push to get the ball rolling, and as long as we all keep rolling with it together. At first, our ball will be small, and it will take a while before we start getting traction and pulling people in. The more we do, the more momentum we will gather, and it will start bing easier," I exined. "I can see where you are going with this, and you know that I am more than willing to keep on being myself, but what about the rest of you?" Mex asked as he looked around the room that was starting to make my stomach growl from all the smells permeating up from the cooked food. The women had been taking it all out, and now hungry faces were starting to poke into the room. "While I think your idea is never going to work, I really can''t find a reason other than it not being right to not try. But if I do, then the rest of you had better follow suit! I don''t know how well I will do, but I will try to treat the rest of you with a bit more respect. Though, the first one to test me will end up inside of me!" Nixi threatened the room, and I scrubbed my hand over my face wanting to drop a chop on the top of Nixi''s head, but I had to take what I could get from her. If she was willing to try it out, then it might not be as hard to do with the rest of the Demons, but I also thought that Nixi''s anger and bravado were a bit showy sometimes. The real demons at sea and one Gardania would be a different story. Before we got started on the next set of ring issues, I let the grandmothers te the food and pass it out. While they did that, I went back to their stove and cooked the scrambled eggs, bacon chunks, and some cubed hash, tossing them back into the pan. I grated some cheese over it and tossed it a bit more in the pan to melt it. I then dropped it out onto a te and then told the other that I would be back in a bit. I headed out of the kitchen with my giant te of food, two forks and into the living room area filled with monster girls. Two that were down here were Mary and Missy, and it had felt like ages since I had seen her. "Going to make up? I hope that you are ready for round two with her, right?" Jilly asked after she finished chewing an ant section as I passed her. I smiled and kept walking; Jilly was just trying to get under my skin to bug me, but I really hoped that this didn''t turn into another fight. I walked up the stairs, and the sounds of the girls talking faded, and I looked over the four doors on this level. One of the doors said Lizy''s room, and beside it was Keri''s. On the other side, it said Missy and Mary, with their doors beside each other. I would have to stop by on my way back to see how they were doing and if Mary was done treating me like some wild animal encroaching on her food. I missed her hisses and her being wrapped around me, but maybe now, Mary would treat me a bit better with her sister around. I turned to head up the next set of stairs and then stopped as I looked up at what seemed to be a never-ending staircase that went up on an angle. There was no way that that could be right, or it would lead outside of the building, and the building wasn''t this tall! [One of the women must be able to use some kind of special magic, no point in trying to wrap your head around it. If you try, you are more than likely to hurt yourself in the process. Also, your food is getting cold, so I suggest you focus on what is essential right now.] You and your logic, but Hero was right, and I hurried up to the next floor where I could see Lidy''s room beside the Cerberus girl''s room. I walked up to the door and reached for the handle but froze. What was I going to say? "Probably something to exin why the food is cold," I heard Lidy''s tired-sounding voice say from the other side of the door, and I almost dropped the te. Chapter 139 - Overreacted, You Cant Help It I didn''t open the door right away. Out of force of habit, I took a deep breath and let it back out. Even though I didn''t need air anymore, it still made me feel better and more rxed to do so. I closed my hand around the door handle, pressed the lever, and pushed it open. Lidy was sitting up in her bed with her back against the simple wooden headboard. She had an even expression on her face, but Lidy didn''t look mad, but she did look tired. I could only imagine what it must be like for her right now, but she looked to be uninjured. "How are you feeling?" I asked as I walked over to the bed with my te for her. I was hoping to share some of what I had brought, but I would be fine if I had to scrounge up something after. "Tired, but that was my own fault for losing control like that, but I was irritated with how I had just asked such a simple thing that you had promised me. I know it was a simple thing, but I don''t take things simply, and people don''t treat me nice like you do. When you tried to kiss me, I was scared that if I let you and liked it like I knew I would, you would just ignore me. After you had forgotten about your promise, It felt like everything I had been feeling mmed into me all at once," Lidy exined as I sat down on the side of the bed beside her, handing her a fork and then setting the te on herp. I really understood where she wasing from, and I was sorry that I made her feel that way. The thing was that I wasn''t fully aware of what it meant when Lidy was exined as a passion Demon, and there was more than just her around here. But, I had made a promise, and I broke it. I hadn''t made a promise to anyone else other than Nushi, so I really had no excuse; this was my fault. "You were right to feel that way and to say that I didn''t understand the culture of all the different things would just be an admission of ignorance anyways. I made a promise to you, and I broke it. I am very sorry for that, and I will try to do better in the future, but I can''t promise to make eggs or any food every day. There are times when we will be apart once I find us a ce to set up a ranch on Gardania," I exined as Lidy ate, and she nodded, and I waited for her to finish chewing. "I know that, and I know that you are trying to help everyone, and I was unreasonable, but¡­." Lidy started to say, but I took her hands in mine and finished her sentence. "You can''t help it; I know. Or, at least, now I do, and I understand the implications my words have on you. I am still trying to learn all of this, but I am slowly getting it, and I will work harder to be more conscious of those things," I said to Lidy and let go of one of her hands so she could still eat. "I was still surprised that I was able to stop myself, and I was even more surprised when I saw you take it all in after getting huge. When did you learn to do that? I feel like you are advancing far faster than the Master ever had, and you are getting much stronger, maybe more than the Master?" Lidy asked me curiously as she started to eat again. It was true that I was starting to get stronger, but I guess that she didn''t know about me and Mex''s slight role reversal. I didn''t need to mention it right now, so I let her finish eating¡­ All the food, just as I had expected, but she looked even more tired than when I had entered, but now she was wearing a smile on her face. I leaned in and brushed her cheek and then moved in to kiss her. Lidy didn''t pull away, but I still moved slowly until our lips touched. Once the connection was made, I moved my hand behind her head, pulling Lidy gently into my kiss. She was tired, so I didn''t want to start any fire just yet, but I might sneak inter after she rested more, and I went out and saw the girls. There was also finishing my talk with Nixi, and Mex then got information about Dao. A couple things that needed to be done, and then I coulde back for more, but I would have to go nt another seed before I got into this bed. So many women to do, and only one of me, but I also wouldn''t want to miss any of the action by getting someone else to do the work for me! No, I would take my time with the girls and spend time when I could, but I wasn''t about to go messing up two promises. We slowly pulled apart, and Lidy was smiling warmly at me as we did, and I was feeling good now that this had been sorted out. I took the te from Lidy and stood up, but I held eye contact with her. "I will try to stop byter tonight after you have rested, and we can talk more if you want," I said, and Lidy rolled her eyes at me and scoffed. "Yes, because that''s what you areing to do. Talking, right?" Lidy asked, and I grinned, leaning down to kiss her one more time before turning to leave the room. I closed the door, and smiled to myself, and then looked up at the pair of doors that had the sisters'' names on them. Mary, and Missy. Chapter 140 - The Nauticus, And The Skyra I was curious to know how Missy was doing now, and I still hadn''t taken her one as one of my girls. I was sure that the girls were still eating, so I headed over to the doors but was unsure of which one to go see first. I reached for Mary''s door but then stopped and knocked instead of walking in. Last time Mary had been a little witch to me even after I kissed her, and that kind of miffed me. I hoped that this time we might have a better talk, or even words, those would be nice too; not like I didn''t love and miss her cute hissing. *Knock, Knock!* "Who''sss isss it?" I heard Mary hiss, but then I heard Missy speak up. "Who is it?" "I don''t knowsss, I jussst asssked!" Mary hissed in a more muffled voice, and I assumed she turned to scold her sister. "It''s just me, Kazz. I came to check up on you two and see how you were both doing," I called, trying not to be too loud since I just left Lidy to let her rest. "Yesss, K¡­ you canesss in," Mary said, deciding better of trying my name out again. I grinned and opened the door and was surprised to find that what looked like two rooms from the outside was actually just one. I mean, half the room was a very deep-looking pool that I couldn''t see the bottom of. Mary was lying along the edge of the pool, and Missy was hanging by her head on the edge of the pool. Even the snakes were beingzy, and Mary looked like she was suntanning. "Why didn''t you say Kazz''s name?" Missy asked in a cute and airy voice, and Mary growled at her. "Because Isss can''t saysss hisss name right," Mary hissed and turned away and back towards me. "But why can''t you say his name, right?" Missy asked before I could stop her, and that made Mary whip around to attack her, butpletely missed. Now, I''m not sure if it was the blindness,zy snakes, or what, but there was no way Mary should have missed. It was like some freak roll of the dice things, but then that got me thinking too back in the ocean. "What are you doing, Mary? I thought you said you did want to swim? Maybe you can say Kazz''s name, but you don''t want to?" Missy asked after she wiped the sshed water from her face. "Mary looked furious and dove for Missy again but missed again and headed directly into the side of the pool. Then things started to get really weird as Mary was flung into Missy, not reaching her, then tossed into the pool with her mermaid tail flopping as she screamed through the air. My head was starting to hurt with the mind-boggling disy that I had just seen, like some poltergeist was flinging her around. Missy was sshed with water during all of this, and now she looked mad, but like a cute mad. I decided that I would just sit this one out. There were forces at work here that I had no control over, and I did not want to get in the middle of. Whatever force kept Mary from danger also seemed to surround her sister, and that made me more curious than ever. I was about to ask Hero, but then girls started back at it, and I really didn''t want to miss a moment of the action! Missy dove for Mary, but a pocket of water opened up around her, and Missy fell about ten feet down before the water copsed. Mary tried to dive into the water after her, but when she dove out, Mary pped down onto the surface of the water. As Mary iled on the surface of the water, her body changed back to a snake from the fishtail. I could see Missy pounding and scratching at the water to get at Mary while she was doing the same, but whatever forces were protecting them seemed to have had enough. I decided that this would be an excellent time to check in with the local expert of the world on my shelved matter of the mysterious force. [There are old and ancient things in the depths of the ocean that were here since life crawled on thends and before demons ever got here. I don''t think that they are gods or anything like that, but I don''t actually know what they are. Anything as old as the Nauticus has to have some kind of supernatural abilities or magic to keep them alive.] So what do they have to do with the forces around the girls then? Are you telling me that there are worse things than demons on this?! [If you look hard enough, you will always find something better and or worse, that is just the status quo of life, my boy! Now, this is just my assumption, but I think that they must have something to do with it. As far as I can tell, there is not happening right now that registers as magic or any kind of energy at all. This can only mean that it has something to do with them or the Skyra. They are flying inds that nevernded and have been around just as long as the Nauticus. Still, the Skyra aren''t likely to interfere with water ornd-bound creatures, so the Nauticus have to be the answer.] That was a very good point about a bunch of things that I had no clue about, so I had really gained nothing. Well, I did learn that there were more things that I didn''t understand and that there were some things that Hero didn''t even know, so not aplete loss. I turned my focus back to the girls and sighed as the two were still scratching at each other. What was I going to do about these girls now? Chapter 141 - Paying More Attention, Really Meansss Thisss? I sighed again as I walked to the edge of the pool where the girls were being kept apart. I activated my Fire Force Pact and the Water Undine Totem, concentrated on projecting my m out to the girls that were balls of rage. The intense feelings I was getting from the two of them were animalistic, but I shouldn''t be surprised. I kept on trying to treat these women like ordinary girls, but before I came, most of them were constantly trying to kill each other or avoid being killed. Still, Things were different for these girls now and the rest of them. I would have to start working on this more with them and maybe y referee a little better. Maybe this was another case, the same as Lidy, and I really just needed to look at what the problem was and deal with it. For Lidy, that problem had been myck of understanding of how her abilities worked, so maybe Mary was something of the same thing. I have known since she first bit me that she doesn''t like being teased for anything. Now I could understand why Mary had no tolerance if she had spent any time with Missy in the past. There were times that I wanted to stuff a sock into her mouth, and if I ever messed around with Missy, I might just have to fill it to keep her quiet hehe. "Mary,e here, please. I want to talk to you," I told Mary, and she looked over at me with a wild look in her sightless eyes. I was always amazed when she looked directly at me, but this time, she looked hostile, but I wasn''t worried. I was curious if I could walk on water. Even if I could, whatever unseen force kept the girls apart would probably stop and put me in the drink when I was there to get between the girls. Mary was about to turn away, but I frowned as she started. I began to concentrate harder, making a face like I was trying to squeeze out one of them micro rabbit turds the size of a dime that you had to fight to get out. Mary''s turn started to slow, and the veins on my forehead started to pop out, and I redoubled my effort. The Fire Force Pact activated, and my body started to be covered in the glowing veins of power I had been absorbing from around me. "Please?!" I asked through gritted teeth, and Mary started to turn back to me. [Stop that! You''re going to either pull something, pop a hernia, or shit your pants! Maybe even abo of two, or all three, and really fuck yourself! You don''t need to flex your body to concentrate your brain!] Huh? I slowly unclenched my body as I concentrated on keeping Mary calm, and I guess it did make sense. I had just thought that it was one of those things that you would have to give your all for, not just the mind, but body-focused! [No, you are just making things harder on your body when you do that and restrict the flow of energies. It is better to stay as calm and rxed as possible when you are trying to concentrate, and you will find that you have much better results.] Hmm, learn something new every five minutes around here, but I guess that a baby feels the same way after being born into a new world. Both girls had stopped, and now Mary was making her way over to me across the water. Once Mary was in front of me, and gently patted her snakes, and then bent my face down to hers. I probably should have done this the first time that I met her, and I would have to start sticking up for her, or all I was ever going to get from her were growls. "I have missed you, do you know that? I missed having you wrapped around me, hissing and drooling," I said, and Mary started to get a dangerous look on her face, but I continued. "But I like those things, and they are the things that I like the most about you. I think it is so adorable when you say my name, and I love when you do it! I will try to stand up for you more when others like your sister are trying to tease or insult you." The violent look on Mary''s face started to disappear and was reced with a thoughtful expression as she looked down for a moment with her sightless eyes. I wasn''t really sure what was going on inside of her head, but I wasn''t going to move away if she wasn''t. I was concerned that Missy was going toe over and start asking a bunch more questions that would throw Mary into another fit. That was thest thing I wanted after getting her calmed down, but it looked like Missy was keeping her distance wisely. Part of me wondered if part or all of Missy''s personality were an act, but at the same time, I was pretty sure they were genuine. I had a hard time believing that someone would go out of their way to act like they barely had a thought in their heads. "Do you really meansss thisss?" Mary probed, and I nodded and leaned down to gently kiss her forehead. "Yeah, I think you are adorable, and I love all the parts of you! Now, have Missy and you eaten?" I asked Mary, and she nodded her head. "Yesss, one of the Demondysss came, but the chunksss were hard for the snakesss to eat. I am still hungry too!" Mary hissed excitedly, and I scooped her up and looked over to where Missy was resting. "Are you still hungry, Missy?" I asked, but Missy shook her head and then dove under the water. I guess that was a no? Chapter 142 - For Your Sake, I Would Have Preferred To Be Wrong Maybe it was my pointing out her teasing, or maybe she had decided to get nervous. I had no idea, but now wasn''t the time to be diving into another problem. I would have to talk with her more on the boat if we were leaving in a few days, but Missy wasn''t as important right now as Tiga and Jessabell. I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do about the Omniphobic Minostien. There was Tiga, the Manitken, and her father to deal with, who might or might not be an idiot. All more things to add to the stack, but I was making progress, and soon I would be off this ind, and I could rx for a bit once we were on the open sea. [Rx? Good luck, but you are right about having some less violent excitement for a while, at least. At some point, you will have to move off the beaten path, and you will be back in the thick of it again. Trouble and people with problems seem to gravitate towards you, and even on the open sea with nond in sight, I am sure you will find that type of thing.] That was more than likely going to be the case, but that didn''t mean I looked forward to not running around. Though, I understood what Hero meant; There were the girls to take care of, and some would be more difficult than others on the open water. Mary got herselffortably settled around my waist and hanging off my back, but she felt bigger now. Not from the pregnancy; no, it was too soon for that, but an overall sense of her size. Maybe it wasn''t her, but me that had changed, and I couldn''t remember thest time that I had looked at myself in the mirror. The two of us left the girl''s room and then headed downstairs, leaving Missy in the pool. It wasn''t like she would do very well out of the water, and I was sure that Mary needed a break. I was hoping that when I could confirm her as one of my Girls, she might go through some changes. Missy should get help over this problem like Lizy, Kerri, and Veronica when it happens, but there is no guarantee that it would work. I wondered how the girls were when I wasn''t around? I never really heard anyoneining about the others, so they must get along when I am gone. They must wait for me to get back to start acting up and getting wild, but there were worse things. I would far sooner have them act up around me so I could meditate rather than when I wasn''t around to prevent any idents. "Did you get lost up there?" Jilly asked as I came down the stairs, but Mary spoke up before I could. "Ka...sblf...came to see me, and told me that''sss I isss cute!" Mary said beside my ear, and I twitched as one of her snakes stuck their tongue into my ear. "Really? Well, I suppose that is a lot nicer than what I would have called you. Where is your sister? Dead? I don''t know how the two of you can stand each other without killing each other!" Jilly said with a grin, and I agreed but kept my mouth shut. "I will tell you how! The two girls have the same forces protecting them, so when the two fight, I think it is more dangerous for anyone who isn''t them! You weren''t there in the water; when that happened, everything went crazy, or something like that. It was more like they had finally realized that they were a group of creatures that considered things smaller than it to be lunch!" I exined, getting a bit into it with my hand waving in the air as I described everything. "Hmm, that is bothersome, but I am curious to know if the rest of her sisters have the same thing; you do know that there are at least three more that I know of, right?" Jilly asked, and as she did, Nushi closed her book and dropped it as she stood up. The book disappeared as soon as it left her hand, and Nushi came over to see us. Something in the conversation must have piqued her interest and drew her over. "Since I can talk to my grandmothers, and I know that Grandmother Nixi is no longer trying to eat me, I have been asking questions while you were gone. From what I have learned about Mary, and her sisters, is that every one of their mothers has gone missing," Nushi exined. "Missing? Didn''t your father say that Mary was abandoned by her mother?" I asked curiously as I remembered back to Mex and me talking about it, but strangely, Nushi nodded in agreeance, confusing me, until she exined herself. "Yes, that is what we were told when we found Mary, and Missy, and the other three, but all of them had the same story. Mother had abandoned them, and then The mermaid had dropped them off, but no one had ever put them all together because we didn''t meet the girls all at once," Nushi exined, and my eyes went big. "Wait, wait, wait! You found Mary? And her sisters? On this ind, right?" I asked but already knew that I was wrong. "No, we found each of the girls on different inds and very spread out. Some of the girls didn''t find out that they were the girls'' sisters until we left the ind. I think that there are somerge forces at y here, and I don''t think that these mothers left their daughters," Nushi exined, and I thumbed my chin as I mulled this information over. "Does that mean that it might have something to do with the Nauticus?" I asked, and Nushi let out a cute gasp, and I could feel the air start to charge and crackle. "How do you know a name that is older than any demon on the?!" Nushi squeaked out. Hmm, looks like I hit the nail on the head, and Hero was right. [For your sake, I would have preferred to be wrong.] Chapter 143 - Brutish Creatures, With Plenty Of The Night Left "Heard people talking about it in the vige," I lied, not wanting to talk about Hero. It wasn''t like I hadn''t talked about him before, but now I thought that it might be better to keep quiet about him. I would have to do something about the ones that did know, but I am sure we will figure it out. [It is probably a good idea to keep quiet about me rather than let the rest of them know. As for getting rid of the memories, there are Demons that can, or the Sphinx can remove some things on request, but I don''t advise it, even with Veronica. The Sphinx takes everything about whatever the memory was, meaning that you would be gone as well.] That was fair, and I was d for the advice. Looks like I would be looking for some kind of memory-altering Demon of sorts. Nushi''s horns still crackled, and Mary was starting to growl from behind me, but Nushi wasn''t talking. I concentrated without flexing and then looked at Nushi with a stern expression. Her horns stopped cracking as I did and thenid back on Nushi''s head as Nushi moaned a bit. The long rigid two-inch-thick horns pointed behind her as my presence that I was emitting dominated her. What I couldn''t see was that It was also affecting everyone else in the room, but I didn''t hold long. A room full of gasps and then, strangely, titters ofughter was what tipped me off. I turned around to see Mex, Nixi, Clesh, and the other five Grandmothersughing. On closer inspection, I noticed that they were all sweating quite a bit, and¡­ hot and bothered? [Skill Upgrade: Monster Ecstasy Domination]: You now have the ability to exert dominance over monsters that will also simte them in arousing ways if you will is more significant than its own. Oh, this is just really cute; now, I was going to be rendering people unable to walk due to over-arousal. I would be the ultimate pervert, but only when I got really serious and mad, just frickin hrious. [I am sure someone isughing out there right now, I know I got a couple good chuckles when I saw you get the new skill upgrade.] "Is everyone alright? Sorry about that, I didn''t mean to¡­ umm," I started to say but paused, trying to think of how to properly word it, but Clesh was the one that spoke up. "You can get mad at me anytime you want! That was¡­ More than interesting," Clesh said with a smile that said I was looking tasty and eyes that were constantly trying to take my shorts off. "Mother! Father is standing right there!" Nushi squeaked as she poked her head around the side of me. "No, I agree with your mother. I feel like trying to make you irritated to pissed you off just for another round! Although I will need a new pair of shorts after this, I already painted the inside of these ones," Mex said with a look that made me very ufortable. I could feel Mary behind me, and she, out of all of them, was the only one that was acting normal. I wasn''t really sure what that was since she was behind me, but I told Mary I was going to feed her and the snakes. I looked at Nushi with a smile, and then she blushed and went to sit at the table. I turned from her, ignoring the other ones in the kitchen, and went over to the stove where there was still some meat. The group stared at more for a bit, but then Clesh, and the Grandmother, who were all still joking, left the room. That left just the four of us; there were none of the other monster girls in the room besides Nushi, but she was a Demon. "So, I want to ask you all about Dao. I need to know everything you know about him, his farms, base castle, or wherever he is staying. Before you start with him, I also need a quick rundown of Neft," I said after I finished cutting up a huge pile of the remaining meat. I walked with it, and Mary, who was quietly drooling on my shoulder, and down the front of my chest like she did when I first met her. The two of us sat down, and she moved around to sit in myp,ying on my chest, like she did each time. "Neft is a pompous fool that always thinks he is smarter than everyone else and likes to rub it in their faces when he is wrong. The Minor Demon Lord is a Necromancer, and a fan of using big and brutish dead creatures he animates using drained energy from other living things," Nixi exined as I held the te for Mary as she casually popped pieces of meat into her mouth. "I gleaned that much from the interaction that I had with some creatures that he was controlling; Behemoths. What about where he is staying? Are there traps or other things like innocents that I should be worried about?" I asked as I used my other hand to grab a bunch of the small pieces that I had cut up. I was moving my hand around her head, letting all of the snakes get some since it was too hard to keep track if I fed them one at a time. It must have looked like a strange sight for most, but it didn''t seem to bother the others. Nushi had her head in her hands with her elbows on the table, peaking out when I wasn''t looking at her, but I could still sense when she did. It was cute, and it got me excited about forter after it was time for bed. I put my hand down and wiped my hand on my shorts. It seemed that Mex and Nixi were waiting for me to finish. There was more I needed to know, but the sun was only just starting to set. There was plenty of night left to n now, and then games after! Chapter 144 - Bonding Type, Getting Off Track I nodded for either of them to exin, and Mex was the one that answered, and Nixi gave an eye roll that said, just watch, this is going to be rich. While Nixi was stronger and older, she was not a Demon Lord, and Mex was, but I understood why she was rolling her eyes. "There are other Demons there, but they are all beholden to Neft using his powers as a Demon Lord. I had them before but never used them, and once you kill Dao, you will have ess to them. They aren''t really a Demon thing, more like your Ranching ability, but far more limited in most ways. What it can do is assert control once you are bound with the people," Mex exined, but I was confused. "Sorry, but you all don''t really seem like the bonding type," I joked with a grin, and Mexughed back. "You aren''t wrong, and I say this for you because you aren''t the only person I have trusted, but you are the first person that Nixi has. The heroese, take power, make a mess, and then leave without fulfilling the bargain, and my Demon Lord powerse back to me," Mex said as he shook his head. "That''s because you are a pushover, and you let them walk over you!" Nixiined, but I was starting to get a feeling for this world, and I knew that it wasn''t that easy. This had to be something like a starting area, but were there any other ces like this? [No, this ce is the unique entrance to this world.] "I don''t think that it is just that Mex is friendly, good-natured, and for the most part a weird but respectable person. I don''t think that is any ce that we so-called heroese out from in any other spot in this world. Let him finish," I told Nixi, and she muttered but left it alone and crossed her arms. "For demons, we force the control by using our mind-piercing stares to see weaker thoughts, and we can nt allegiance in there, but I choose not to," Mex said once she quieted, but then threw up his hands as Nixi burst out in a cackle. I looked over at Nixi, and when she noticed I was giving her a pointed look, she stopped and collected herself. I couldn''t be too hard on her, she was trying, and she could be a lot meaner instead of just rude. "Sorry, it''s just funny, that''s all. I know we are trying to change, but you were right when you said that others wouldugh at us when we talked about it! I amughing about it as you two talk about not using people or the mighty powers of domination! We were born with this power to be able to be great if we could push hard enough!" Nixi almost shouted as her body started to swell in her excitement. This is what I was trying to get through to them, but it wasn''t going to be easy. You don''t need to control people to get them to follow you; you need to give them a reason to want to. I must have let my face give off some of my determination because Nixi''s smile fell into a scowl. "Look, I get it, but what is the point about going back and forth with what we already know? What if I constantlyin about how much I don''t like hearing youin whenever you talk about the rest of the Demonsughing at us? And then Mex will ask you the same thing; what then? Let''s all get in on the Wine and Cheese party," I said, rolling my eyes and waving my free hand that was now empty of meat in the air, and Nixi grabbed her ck hair in her hands. "I understand what we are trying to do, but the others will! None of the Demons from the maind will listen to a man that arrives in a single vessel! We are going to be lucky if we can even make it out of the port without being picked up by a Demon Lord!" Nixi growled as she exined herself, and I grabbed another handful of small meat chunks. This was getting off-topic, but I was not going to be someckey or follow anyone. I was my own person, and if others wanted to follow me, they could. "Don''t worry about me or us. I will be taking care of us, and we will all get a lot stronger before we ever step foot on Gardania. Now, what kind of Keep or Castle does Neft have, and what do I need to watch out for?" I asked, trying to get us back on track. "His Keep is in the center of a walled town, and there are a lot of demons there, but you can just exert your¡­ Presence¡­ yeah, that should keep them from bothering you, hehe. Neft will have lots of guards patrolling, but he has to control them all. While he is actually quite skilled at it, he can''t see through all eyes," Mex told me, and I nodded with a sigh. This is going to be one hell of a shit show. I was going to have to wade through the Demon orgy, but Mex was right about it being a good distraction, so I motioned for him to continue. "The disruption that you will cause should make it easy enough to slip through the town. The inside of the Keep is much bigger and more like a castle than mine, but it will be filled with female Demons. Do not mess around with them; they are not normal Demons; they are Subus, and if you have sex with one of them, they will drain your lifeforce away. The rest of the Demon women are fine if you get too frisky because it is going to be one wild show there!" Mex exined with a chuckle, and I rolled my eyes. Chapter 145 - The Night Wasnt Over, My Best Feature "Fine, but what about where I find Neft? Isn''t he going to hide when I storm into the ce?" I asked. After the little chat I had with Neft, I was sure that he would be the type to run at the first sign of battle. "You won''t have to go looking for him once he knows that you are inside the Keep. That one is a proper Demon and didn''t get the title of Demon Lord for nothing. Don''t worry about that part," Nixi exined to me, and I nodded, reaching forward to put the te on the table. Mary was curled into my chest now, and her snake was barely making any noise now. I had stuffed a lot of them and even got some of the meat for myself. I decided to change topics and leave Dao for tomorrow, but there was still Tiga that I needed to learn about and her father. "What can you tell me about Tiga and her father? You said he was an idiot and hated his daughter, but he saved her and had to know then what she looked like. What am I missing here, or what aren''t you telling me?" I asked, probing Mex. While I didn''t think that he was lying, there was something definitely being left out, and Nixi started to make a ho ho ho sound. I wasn''t sure what it meant, but the frustrated look on Mex''s face said that something had happened between the two of them. "I was not lying when I said that he said those things; well, at least notpletely. We were both very, very drunk when he said that, and he had said some mean things about my mother, Perdita. I had taken it very personally when he did since she was still dead at the time, and the two of us got into a fight," Mex exined, and Nixi started tough. "Yeah, and Gregory kicked your ass! You came back half-eaten and dragged the left half side of your body! You should really learn to hold your liquor better if you''re going to be so sensitive!" Nixi teased, and she wasn''t wrong. The whole know your role wasn''t always an insult, and drinking your limit never turned out good for anyone but the people watching from afar. Still, I was trying to picture something like Candace, but male, and Mex drinking. The idea flummoxed me and was causing my head to hurt, making me wish I had my own drink. But regardless, this wasn''t really helping me unless I went and tried to out-drink Gregory the Manticore. "Anyways," Mex said to push that under the rug, "I have a bit of a jaded view of Gregory, and he isn''t aplete waste of skin and did save his daughter. Still, Tiga wants nothing to do with him and thinks he is a pig that will fuck anything that moves." "Isn''t that the Tea Pot calling the kettle ck?" Nixi shot at Mex, and I even had tough out loud, but then Nixi directed her gaze at me and scoffed. "Pfft, Mr. Take Me to Circus With No Pants On wouldn''t really beughing! You''re really, really not better. I might almost say that you''re worse¡­ No, you are definitely worse." I shrugged my shoulders, and then gave Nixi the middle finger, and she looked up, and I pped my hand over my face. Couldn''t even get away with a fundamental insult around here! "What are you pointing at?" Nixi asked in confusion, but I was already standing up, slipping one arm under Mary and the other around her to hold her into my chest. "Don''t worry about it, but start getting things ready. If everything goes right, I hope to be off this ind in no more than two days. So, make sure that everyone is ready while I get thest things sorted out, okay?" I asked, looking at the two of them. Mex nodded and stood up with a smile. Nixi did the same, but with a sigh and no smile, but that was Nixi. I was d that I was starting to make some headway with her, rather than being at each other''s throats all the time. I was also a bit moved by the effect that I was having on these people by just treating them like ordinary people for the most part. Nushi stood with me, and we headed out of the kitchen with the now softly snoring Mary. The living room was empty, and I could see the sun starting to go down behind the wall that surrounded the yard around the Keep. The night was finally upon us, and tomorrow would be a new day, but my night was far from over. I motioned for Nushi to follow me up the stairs, and the two of us headed up to the second flight of stairs and then to Mary''s room. Nushi opened the door for me, and I was surprised to find that there was a wall up dividing the rooms now. This must be how the girls can keep from causing all sorts of mayhem with the supernatural forces surrounding them. I took Mary over to her massive round bed that looked like a giant cushion andid her down. After I did, I kissed her on the forehead, and then Mary tried to say my name while she was still mostly asleep but ended up doing a raspberry with her tongue out. I smiled warmly down at her, kissed her forehead again, and turned to head to the door where Nushi was waiting for me. She had her own bright and warm smile that beamed at me with a warm radiance that I could almost feel. "You are really good with all of us, even if you are a bit rough around the edge," Nushi said as we left the room, but the moment I had the door closed, I scooped her off her feet. "Personally, I think that''s the best feature! I want you toe with me and exin about Mary and They Who Must Not Be Named!" I said with a deep dramatic voice. Nushiughed, but it was so forced, it almost hurt my soul to hear. I was going to have to learn some of this world''s references, but did this world really have a pop culture to pull from, or was I going to have to start collecting stories?! Chapter 146 - Gods Of The Deep, Tie Me Up I walked up the next flight of stairs with Nushi in my arms, and she pointed me over to a door that had her name on it. I walked over to the room and entered, closing the door behind me, but I was amazed at how much like her other room this was. I walked into the room with Nushi, around the table that we had all sat and eaten the first time I had given the girls eggs and cooked for them. Just a couple days felt like months with the speed that everything had been happening at. I walked around to the side of Nushi''s four-poster bed andid her down on it, but gave her a hand up to sit back up with me. As much as I wanted to tear the little bit of clothing she had on, I wanted to get some more information about the Nauticus. Whatever force was surrounding the mermaid girls, it must be something essential and maybe something I might use in the future. "So, can you tell me a bit about the Nauticus and why you got so worried when I mentioned their names?" I asked, but Nushi had gotten quite a bit more than worried when I had brought it up. "You don''t want to mess with them; they are the oldest things in this world and some of the worst things. They offer deals to people, but they alwayse with huge penalties. If Mary''s father has something to do with the Nauticus, you want to stay as far away from him as possible. The Gods of the Deep are not something that you want to deal with," Nushi exined, but she was giving me a worried look. That was probably because she knew that all of her warnings were going through one ear and out the other, and I felt terrible about that. Still, the Nauticus couldn''t be all bad, right? "What about the forces that surround the girls and prevent them from getting in danger or hurt? That isn''t what I would call a malicious action, in my opinion, so I think that we need to keep an open mind when judging them. Have you ever met one, or met someone that has legitimately met one, or is this all just hearsay?" I asked Nushi, probing to get all the information I could. While I was sure that whatever these things were, the Nauticus would not be all good if they were handing out gifts. Creatures like that were far more likely to be the type to offer the gift and then add a but after, yet the gift was given to the girls. "No, I have never talked to one or met someone that has, but I have heard stories of Demons going down and never returning. There are more stories of othersing back changed, and almost like shells; nothing left inside," Nushi exined, and I nodded. That was a bit of a worry, but without any confirmation, these were all just old wives'' tales and held no value other than to worry me. It might be about time to shelve work talk for now and switch to a more personal conversation. I had been periodically checking up on the girls and their charts and stats, and Nushi had got to level four already. I had noticed that she had also gotten a new skill that allowed her to control the flow of a conversation, and her abilities to predict by reading ahead were getting stronger. "Okay, thanks for telling me what you know. How are things going with the book?" I asked Nushi, switching subjects. "Oh yes! I have been working with Kieta, and she has been making some progress with her creations with my help! I am able to see where she makes mistakes now! I can target the item she is working on and learn about what it is, and also what it could be if it isn''tplete!" Nushi said with excitement, grabbing my hands in her''s and all but jumping on the bed. I smiled warmly at her and leaned in to kiss Nushi, startling her, but she didn''t resist. Her blue lips were soft, and I felt myself being pulled into her like a gravitational force. I moved to press her back onto the bed, but Nushi stopped me and pushed me back with a smile. I was confused at first, but then I could see that she had something she wanted to say, so I pulled all the way back and waited. "Umm, do you think that you could be angry at me like before? Maybe treat me like I have been bad, and you are punishing me? I, umm, like to be tied up, but I have never tried it with anyone but Mary before, and she isn''t very good at tying the knots," Nushi exined, and the hairs all over my body started to stand on end in my body''s carnal response to her words. I could feel the blood and or Magic that was pumping harder through my body as the excitement started to well up. I kept a rxed and calm expression that I let slip into a warm smile on the outside, and I began to concentrate. Nushi eye''s started to get a distant look, and then she had hands on her breast, and she was rubbing thighs together as she started to squeeze them. Small moans escaped her mouth as I stood up from the bed and looked around, finding what I was looking for. Rope, or something of the sorts, but what I found was a pile of pink silk two-inch wide ribbons. Maybe not the best thing for the job, but they would work and not leave the same kinds of marks that rope or cord would. Nushi was moving one of her hands down to go between her legs as I grabbed the ribbons. I reached up and grabbed the hand and pulled it away, dropping the pile of ribbons beside her. Chapter 147 - Nushi Pt 1 "Not until I say you can," I said as I took the other hand away from her breast and then put both hands above her head and started to tie them. "Don''t be too rough with me; I don''t like the hitting stuff that I had seen being done when my father tied up my mother. I just like the way that it feels to be restrained, but I can''t do it; it''s not the same," Nushi exined to me as I bound her hands, and I nodded to her. This wouldn''t be like with Lizy, and this was just some bondage y, but there was no reason we couldn''t have some fun with it. "Sure, I will be gentle with you, but I am still going to have some fun with you," I said with a grin as I crawled on top of Nushi''s small body to tie her hands to the headboard. Nushi''s body writhed beneath me as I finished securing her, and then I moved my face down to hers and then softly kissed her blue lips. Nushi tried to kiss me more passionately, but I pulled away from her and climbed off her and the bed. "What are you doing? Where are you going?" Nushi asked in a bit of a panic as I walked to the end of the bed. "Don''t worry, I am not going anywhere. I am just going to tie your legs, but the fun of it is the teasing and bringing you closer to the edge," I exined as I leaned over the end of the bed and began to tie Nushi''s legs. As I did, Nushi rxed as much as she could as I gently pressed my presence into her body. I wasn''t sure exactly what it was doing, but it was effectively working whatever it was. I was aroused just to watch and listen to her soft moans, but then I realized that I had forgotten something. "I am going to have to remove your clothes, but they are going to be wrecked after this. I hope that''s okay?" I asked as I finished the knot around the post at the foot of her bed. Nushi nodded the best she could, but as she did, Nushi''s body started to shake, and I stopped the pressure. She gasped and then looked over at me in confusion as she panted, not yet my little Demon. "Why did you stop?! I was almost going to," Nushiined, but I came around the side of the bed and cut her off with a kiss and held it before pulling it back, activating my Fire Gog Totem as I did. "I know, but it will just feel that much better when you do, right? Plus, you are in no position toin, so just let me take care of your body now, okay? I asked, putting my hand to her cheek, kissing Nushi before she could reply. "Fine, I have just never done anything like this with a man, and I don''t want to hurt you," Nushi said as I pulled back and looked into her blue eyes, and I grinned. I knew that she wasn''t kidding, but I was sure that I would be able to handle her. Still, I understood what she was trying to say to me. "I will be gentle, but I want to give you pleasure, but a bit of teasing will just make it that much better," I said, and then grabbing the thin straps of her halter top, I cut them with fire. "Maybe next time, we will have to try taking them off first," Nushi joked as I slipped my hand into her shirt. I smiled as the back of my hand grazed over her soft breasts as I dragged my finger of my other hand on it to slice her shirt open. I didn''t want to burn Nushi, and once it was done, her sizeable blue breast fell out to the side with her bright pink nipple. I concentrated and pressed my presence out again, taking her breasts in myrge hands, grabbing her nipples between thumbs and pointers. I squeezed down on them, and Nushi''s back arched as she let out a breathy and chased set of moans. "This¡­ Isn''t fair! Don''t tease me¡­ mmm¡­ ahhh," Nushiined as she moaned, but I turned up the intensity of my presence, and her words were lost as her body started to tremble as an orgasm crashed into her body. Several loud bangs and other sounds wereing from around the house, but I didn''t hear any of them. Nushi''s body and voice that cried out in pleasure as I groped her was the only thing that was on my mind. I let the pressure ease off, and let go of Nushi''s breasts, and then slipped off my shorts, and with a swipe of my finger, I swiped the ribbon that was holding her hands. I grabbed her hands as they tried to drop back down, they were still bound, and I used them to pull Nushi''s head to the edge of the bed. I didn''t need to wait to prompt her; Nushi reached her mouth to ept myrge shaft into her eager mouth. I turned the presence up again as I filled her mouth with my cock, and I reached down to burn the side of Nushi''s, and then the soaking wet things off her. I grabbed the hair on the back of Nushi''s head between her horns, and Nushi took all of me each time. I used it to hold her head, so I could pump my cock into her face as she sucked it. While that happened, I was pushing my fingers inside of her soaking wet pussy. It was starting to tighten again, and I could feel her body start to tremble again with minimal prompting. There was more banging, but now it sounded like other people were also crying out, but I was totally absorbed with Nushi''s body and what I was doing. What I didn''t notice right away was that I was constantly increasing the pressure of my presence. Chapter 148 - Nushi Pt2 Nushi let out a small gasp as I pulled my throbbing and swollen shaft out of her mouth, dripping with her saliva. That was when I noticed that Nushi¡¯s eyes were rolled in the back of her head, and her back was still arching without me even moving my fingers, and then I remembered. Suddenly, I became very away from the other cries of pleasureing from every direction. I immediately dropped my presence, and Nushi¡¯s contorting body fell limp in the bed with her chest heaving. Most of the screams in the house stopped, but there were a few, Lizy for sure, that kept going until they were finished. This might not be the best thing to be used when around other people or when I wasn¡¯t fully concentrating. [Just swinging by to say that with your experience, there is no concentrating your presence. When you activate it, everyone in the area will feel it. The more you concentrate, the greater the effect and reach. You will also increase its power if you concentrate on it with another thing. I¡¯ll let you get back to what you were doing, but I thought I might add it since I heard the question.] I shook my head and walked around to the end of the bed. I untied Nushi¡¯s feet from the bedposts, and she finally started to move again after justying there limp and panting. I walked back around the bed to sit down beside Nushi, to see how she was feeling, but the exhausted Nushi pushed me back with afoot. She struggled with her hands still tied but sat up on the bed, her face stained purple from blush. I gave her a raised eyebrow, but Nushi rolled and perched up on her hands and knees, pointing her dripping wet slit and sexy ass at me. ¡°No more feeling or hands; I only want you to put that big dick inside of me before the whole housees to try and take you from me! Now fill my hole with your baby seed until I am pregnant! I need that big dick inside of me! My wet little pussy is waiting for it!¡± Nushi told me as she shook her ass and dripped slit at me. The tone that she was using was much different than what I was used to from her, but it was fucking hot! I didn¡¯t mind getting a bit of instruction, and it wasn¡¯t like I was going to say no! I grinned, and grabbed her hips, stepped forward, pulling at Nushi¡¯s ass cheeks up to my cock. I guided it to Nushi¡¯s wet and waiting hips, rubbing the tip into it, feeling her juice cover the head of my rod. I pulled back, and Nushi moaned, but I rubbed my hand up her wet slit and rubbed her juices over my hard cock. I moved back up to Nushi¡¯s questing hips and pushed the tip inside of her sweet tight hole, and then the rest of me in one motion. Nushi screamed into the bed as I stretched her pussy out, making her his quiver, but she started to push into me within seconds. I grabbed her hips and drilled my cock into Nushi¡¯s little hole as she screamed in pleasure into bed, wing at the sheets. I reached forward, and grabbed both of her arms, and pulled them behind her back. I took them in one hand and her hair in the other, and Nushi¡¯s pleasure-filled screams echoed through the room. I didn¡¯t care as I forced her body to float in the air, and I could also feel my presence start to leak out again. Nushi, and it seemed every person in the house called out their cries of bliss and pleasure as I hammered my shaft into the tight hole. I let Nushi back down and then rolled her body over to her back to reveal a grinding and sweaty adorable girl. The smile on her face turned to a moan and then back to her cries as my shaft mmed back inside of her. I held her hands above her head with one hand and Nushi¡¯s throat in my other, and I pumped her body with long strokes. I leaned down and kissed her passionately, and then started to pick up speed, lightly pushing on her jugrs on the side of Nushi¡¯s neck as I did. I pulled back from the kiss and let go of her neck; I could feel myself starting to build up. My emotions were starting to get away from me. Nushi¡¯s eyes were rolling into the back of her head as I started to feel the cum well up inside of me, ready to bust out. As Nushi¡¯s back arched, her screams went silent, and her body shook wildly as I filled her with my seed. The house sounded like some kind of freak zoo from the other women, and the periodical roars from Mex. I was able to close my presence off again, but in time I was going to have to learn to control it, or I was going to have very awkward breakfasts. I pumped Nushi slowly, ensuring that I got all of it inside of her, but then the option to impregnate her appeared. I was almost positive that she wanted me to do it, but I figured it was always best to ask in this situation. ¡°You do want to have a child, right?¡± I asked as I moved slowly, still enjoying the fading pleasure. ¡°Yes, please,¡± Nushi said to me with a cute smile, and I grinned back as I confirmed the option, but then something happened. Right above where her pussy lips split, a bright glowing pink mark appeared and started to grow. I watched in shock as a pink tribal-like glowing tattoo appeared and was confused and concerned by what it meant. Then I made a gurgling noise as Nushi pulled back quickly, dislodging me from the warm hole I was enjoying. That was fun while itsted, but what was this all about? Had I done something wrong? Chapter 149 - My Judge, Controlling This Big Cosmic Game "What''s wrong?" I asked, still surprised by the fast pull back from Nushi. "Why is the mark pink? I know you''re not a demon, but why is it pink and glowing?" Nushi asked, but I had no idea. [When a Demoness is impregnated by a Demon, they receive a ck marking simr to that one. This is not a child, unfortunately, but it is something that you might need. I don''t know if you have any secrets locked away that will help you inside of your head, but this will unlock a few of them.] Secrets in my head? Are you telling me that they will give me some of my lost memories back if I knock up demons? [Yes, but I don''t know what they will do to help you. Nushi will give birth to some of your memories in two days, so you need to make sure that she stays safe. Think of her still being pregnant with your actual child. If she is hurt, the memories could be damaged; if drugged or poisoned, they could be altered. I don''t think I need to tell you what will happen to them if she dies.] Then I was impregnating her with my memories to unlock for me, but that meant that I was giving away my memories. I think what Hero was trying to say is that if Nushi dies, so does the memory. [Exactly, but so will she. When Nushi births your memory, she will change from being a demon, transformed into her original form, but then the Ranching System will change here to bepatible with you and this environment.] Oh boy, what is this about; alien monster girls from another world? And they are transformed into monster girls? [All Demon women who birth Memories are returned to their original forms from being first turned into demons. These creatures will be like nothing that you have ever seen on this or Earth. The girls were created from lifeforms from other worlds and realities and will be much different than what you are used to.] I needed to get the memories that I had given up back sooner thanter. Changing the girls back to their original forms sounded good, but there were many other things to consider. Like what about the male demons? Were they all bad, and was there some way I could get them back to their normal forms? While I liked helping the girls in my own way, I wasn''t about to start swinging the other way, but there had to be an alternative. Thankfully, Nushi was still fingering the glowing markings and not really paying that much attention to me. I grinned as I watched her; it was almost fitting that me fucking the Demons was going to help me get close to really fucking them. [The Demon men can not be changed the same, but each time you defeat a Demon Lord, you will absorb him and all the souls of his people. This does not strengthen you in the physical sense, but instead, it will start converting the elemental energies in your body to the basic form. Once you have gathered enough, Time will revisit you, and you will be judged.] So, Ryan was going to be my judge, but something told me that I wouldn''t get a free pass just because I knew him. The King at the center of it all wouldn''t make it so easy for us if he was the one controlling this big cosmic game of a sort. I looked back at Nushi, who had a cute little smile on her face as she traced the glowing marks with her fingers. I was disappointed that I would have to tell Nushi that she wouldn''t have an actual child, but the positive was that maybe after she might be able to. "So, I don''t really know too much about Demons or your childbirth. Do you think you could exin it to me?" I asked, rather than go into detail about what Hero and I just discussed. "Birth? Hmmm, it''s not like how other creatures do it if that''s what you''re asking. We don''t have eggs or even babies, and when we get pregnant, that is usually the one and only time that it happens," Nushi exined, and I nodded. "Yes, your father told me about how the male Demons. They sterilize anything that they mate with, but what about how they are born? You said it''s different, and you don''t have children, but then where are the Demonsing from then?" I asked in confusion, but I also reached out my hands to Nushi. I was getting tired, and I would have to make some eggs in the morning for Lidy because I didn''t feel like leaving this bed. Nushi took my hands, and I pulled her over to me as Iid back. The feeling of her naked body and her soft skin gliding over mine felt great as Nushi came toy in my arms, cuddling into my side. Tonight was an excellent night to have some much-needed alone time with Nushi that didn''t involve nervous or sexually charged conversations. "When a Demon gives birth, arge pile of ck ink is expelled from the female''s womb, and then it forms into a fully formed demon. One thing you might have noticed is theck of males here, and that is because Trig and Spel, and my father''s other two children, and my grandmothers came from Gardania. All other male demons that are born are required to serve the strongest demon in the area," Nushi exined as she gotfortable, and I nodded, scratching my chin as I thought. "So, this is the reason why Doa moved everyone from the main continent, right? The woman must have been having children and then leaving him with only the female. All the males would be going to almost anyone but him if what I understand about Gardania is true and all the demons are much stronger," I said as I continued to thumb my chin in deep thought. Chapter 150 - Birds And Bees, The Demonic Edition "What do you know about the Demon Farms then? Do you know the locations on the ind and how many there are?" I asked Nushi as sheid beside me, cuddled into my chest. The house had gone silent around us, but I was she I could still hear some heavy breathing. Now the two of us were discussing the birds and bees of Demons. So far, I had learned that Demons were more pissed out than birthed and then came out fully formed assholes. After that, they left home to go to the strongest person in the area, but not by choice. "I don''t know where he has them because father has raided them a few times, but in the end, it doesn''t matter. The only way to stop the farm is to kill the Demon Lord and be the strongest to rule them," Nushi exined to me, and I nodded. "Yes, well, it will work a bit differently when I take over, and they will have a choice if they want to join me. If not, then they will be absorbed by me. I also think I know something about that mark, and I think that you''re the only person that I can safely tell this without someone digging in your head," I exined to Nushi, and you pulled away from me a bit and raised an eyebrow cutely at me. "You sound like you know a lot more than you are telling me. What are you talking about?" Nushi asked with a curious look on her face. I can tell her, right? She was able to block Nixi from reading her mind, so that should keep the others from digging into her mind, right? [This is true, and when the Reading System is at a high enough level, she will be able to rewrite others'' memories.] Good; it wasn''t like there were many that knew about Hero, but the less that knew, the better. I already had a Demon tracking system on me to notify every strong Demon around that I was supposed to be much stronger than I was. That would also mean that I would need to help Nushi get to that level soon, but for now, I could share my thoughts with her. "Have you talked to other heroes before this?" I asked Nushi, who shook her head no and pulled away from me more, sitting up in the bed. "No, father never even told any of the other heroes about me, but I think that he was worried about Grandmother eating me. Mother is the only female that is allowed to stay barren because they had me before the ind, but if I had a child¡­." Nushi exined, her voice trailing off at the end, but I already knew the rest of the sentence. "Well, I have a voice in my head, and his name is Hero, the God of this world, or something like that. More of a watcher than someone that can physically interact with us. Anyways, he is the one that gave me the system that gives you yours, and he has been helping me. Well, he has been trying to, but I was being difficult at the start," I exined, reaching up to pull Nushi back down to me, but I had piqued her interests, and it looked like I was about to get drilled with questions. [It is to be expected with this one, Nushi is a keen and perceptive girl. I am curious to see what she changes into after this.] "A voice? A god? What does he say about my glowing Birth Mark then?" Nushi asked, but nothing else, and that made me pull myself up. "That''s it? Are you worried about anything else? This is all you want to ask about?!" I asked in disbelief, and Nushi raised an eyebrow at me. "We are talking about the mark on my stomach, not about the voice in your head. I will have plenty of questions for you after, don''t you worry. Right now, all I want to know is about what is going to happen when I give birth and if I will be able to try again after," Nushi told me, in a t tone, dropping the eyebrow to squint at me. [Well, she doesn''t beat around the bush! Tell the woman what she wants to know and that she will be able to try again after.] So I did and exined everything that Hero and I had talked about. How my memories were being birthed, and what would happen to her after. Nushi was very calm and nodded along without interrupting me. After about thirty seconds of me talking, she extended her arm to the side, and her book appeared. Once I was done talking, I waited for Nushi to finish taking notes and then waited for her to respond. She was obviously collecting her thoughts about everything that I had just said, and she had been nice enough to let me talk and get it all out. "So, you will need to have more memories birthed, right?" Nushi asked me finally, and I groaned inwardly; this was the take away of a woman after thest something like forty mins of me talking and pausing for her to talk notes. "Yes, but I don''t know how many for sure yet. I just learned about this all," I said, trying not to sound hesitant, but Nushi gave me a determined nod that confused the hell out of me. "Good, I hope that you will be able to do it for my mother, my grandmothers, Lidy, and Lani. If you can get at least them, that would be really nice, but I am sure it would be a lot better if you could help more! Imagine a world where we wouldn''t be theughing stock of demons because we didn''t want to be mean? If you can make us not demons, then none of us ever have to worry about bing some y toy for others!" Nushi said hopefully as she moved closer and leaned into me as she exined. Chapter 151 - Nushi Pt 3 I could see the fire in her eyes, but it was not what I was expecting at all, and I was so d that it wasn''t! Then there was the part where I had just been asked to fuck my way down the family tree to the roots! While I understood what she intended, I guess I still was just a stranger in this world with ideas that needed to go out the window. Not like this was bad, I was just not used to being offered things like this; they were more of the things you see or read in¡­ fantasy-based stories. "Okay, so I need to sleep with all the Demon women in the house?" I asked, just to make sure, and Nushi nodded to me with a big smile. "Yes, and any others you can give your memories to as well. Think of it as you helping us so we can help you, right?" Nushi exined to me, and I kept my head shaking to myself. I was doing them a favor, and helping them, so they could help me; yes, I am almost positive that''s what I heard. Maybe I am having a stroke? Did I fall asleep at some point? This world has been as crazy as all hell and filled with things that I have barely understood and can hardlyprehend. This, this was some fucking Lite Novel next level Hentai shit; I had to be in a dream or something. "Okay, I will do my best, but I don''t know what the limit will be," I said, but the Hero spoke up. [No limit, even if you get all your memories back. Your sperm is De-Demonizing! You can just fuck the Demon right out of them. Just screw them till the Demonic forces go home. Plow them till¡­] I GET IT! God, what are you like five? [Age is just a number.] "Well, looks like I will be busy in my spare time since there is no limit to the number of Demonesses I can convert, even after I get all my memories back," I said, trying to sigh, but Nushi pushed me back down to the bed and kissed me. "You don''t need to make a job out of it! Just the ones that look like they really need your help. I think if it wasn''t for father, you could just screw us women and then leave the ind with us," Nushi told me as she cuddled back into my arms and chest. "I want to take the ones that want toe from the viges and the Gogs as well, so there is no point in doing half the job. I still have to defeat Doa, and Neft, then we will leave this ind," I exined to Nushi, and she nodded. "I know, but I mean, it would just be easier. Tomorrow you need to go get Tiga and get rid of Neft, so you should get to bed and get some sleep," Nushi told me, and I agreed with her. The two of us got under the sheets to go to bed, but I had to tickle Nushi to get her horns to stand up straight, so I didn''t lose an eye. They were stillid back and pointed at my face as I tried to spoon her, and the tickling made them stand up. Though, while I was tickling her, Nushi ground her ass into my hips, waking the beast inside me back up. Now, my hand moved up from Nushi''s waist and onto her breasts as my erection rose like her horns. "I thought that I just said you needed to go to sleep! We are going to¡­ mmm," Nushi said, but the words trailed off and became soft moans as I kissed her neck, grinding my hips into her ass. "I can sleep when I am dead, and as for the others, I will deal with that in the morning. I will just go slow," I said as I let go of her breasts with my hand that wasn''t under Nushi and spit on it. Nushi didn''t bother toin and more as I pulled my hips back to take my erect shaft into my hand, stroking it to lube. She lifted her leg, and I guided the tip of my cock to Nushi''s waiting lips. I pushed the head of my rod, and pierced her warm blue pussy lips, and slid in smoothly. Nushi let out a long and low moan that made my cock stiffen and bulge as I buried it deep into her. I tried to hold my own pressure down, but I could feel my presence start to leak out of me as I began to move inside of her. The moans starteding through the walls, but they only served to turn me on even more. It was all really just a vicious circle, but it didn''t bother the two of us as I kissed Nushi''s neck. Right now, the world could go crazy around us, and it wouldn''t matter; only my cock inside of her mattered, and how good it felt. Nushi turned her face back to me, and I moved my kisses up her neck, then chin as I fed her my shaft in long slow strokes. I reached her lips, and Nushi kissed me passionately, and I let go of her other breast and moved my hand up to her neck. I used my other free hand and pushed my finger down her pussy lips, feeling my cock as it entered her. I moved my finger to find the little ball and started to rub Nushi''s clit as I started to tighten my grip around her neck. Nushi pulled back from my kiss to turn her head back as I picked up speed. Her moans started to turn into panting cries that were echoed from the other women of the house and a weak sounding roar. I rubbed harder and hammered my cock into her pussy, making Nushi writhe in my arms as her body started to shake. My grip tightened just enough to cut the air off and mmed myself deep into her tight little hole as then semen burst to fill the inside of her womb with my seed and memories. I let go of her neck as women cried out in ecstasy, and Nushi joined them as I pushed myself as deep as I could, emptying everyst drop into her shaking body. Chapter 152 - Spacial Magic, Mouth Hanging Open I had a fantastic sleep with Nushi cuddled into my chest, and when I woke up, I felt refreshed. The sun was just barelying up, and I felt filled with vigor and energy, then I remembered the sounds I had causedst night outside our room. I was filled with a sense of dread, and part of me just wanted to pull the covers over our heads and go back to what we didst night. That wasn''t going to work or help me; plus, it would just make the situation worse. I had to hope that they weren''t that mad, but I had a hard time believing that. If my estimation of the noise was correct, every person in the house felt my presence. While some of them would have liked it, I don''t think old Grandmother Nixi was going to appreciate it. "How long do you n on fidgeting behind me?" Nushi asked me with a smile as she turned in my arms. I sighed and grinned. "I know, just enjoying my time with you," I joked, but it wasn''t aplete lie; I really did enjoy holding Nushi in my arms. "Are you sure you''re not trying to avoid going out and talking to everyone? Why don''t you try and sneak out the window?" Nushi joked back, and I raised an eyebrow. "Do you think it would work?" I asked, but only half-joking, but the answer I got was not the one I thought I was going to get. "You could, but I highly suggest against it. There is no air out there, and the things out there would cause you nightmares for the rest of your life. My great-great-grandmother Fairilese has a special type of ability that allows her to manipte special pockets that can distort things to be muchrger than they appear," Nushi exined to me, and I looked at her with a bit of shock and then got up. I put on my shorts and then walked over to the single window in the cylinder room, and my eyes peeled back as I looked out it. Nushi also got out of the bed and came over to stand beside me as I looked out the window into an endless nebulous space vista. Then I saw something that defied all reason and logic; a monster to give monsters nightmares. Yet, I felt nothing but curiosity towards the disgusting-looking-sized mass. "What is that thing? And what does it do?" I asked curiously as I looked at a massive ball of undting tentacles that would stretch out randomly and then start to change into a creature. "That is the Nevermore Achitchet; it is one of the many denizens of that dimension. It creates creatures from its own body to go and infect others and force them toe back and feed themselves to it," Nushi exined, and I turned to her in shock. "That isn''t the worst one?" I asked, and Nushi gave me a cute smile and shook her head. "I forgot that father told me about you not being scared of anything; instead of being terrified, you''re curious. No, there are muchrger and evil creatures out there; Fairilese has been telling me about all the different types of creatures that she has met in her travels there," Nushi exined to me as we both turned away. I watched her go over and get changed, and Nushi actually put on a skirt, but without underwear, and her ass cheeks were hanging out. I couldn''tin as I watched her put a bikini top on; it was not like there was anyone else to check her out other than the gay guards. After she was finished cloistering her blue bubble bump in her top, we shared a kiss and then headed out of the room. The house was pretty quiet for the most part, but I could hear murmursing from below. I took my customary unneeded deep breath in and then let it out as the two of us headed downstairs. I really wasn''t sure what I was expecting, but I assumed that there would be at least one or two people upset or angry with me. The reality, as everything had been since I got to this world, was far stranger than any fiction my brain had been able to make up. Anger, dirty looks, yelling, shit throw, or even just silence was what I had expected when I walked down the stairs. The room was full of grandmothers and most of the girls, but the atmosphere and attitudes were bright, excited, and filled with energy. There was a feeling of happiness and contentment that was almost palpable. I could almost taste the feelings in the air, but the women only smiled at me. Then I was summarily dismissed them as they went back to talking with one another. I looked over at Nushi, but she was already walking over to join the rest of the women. I was left standing like somewhat of an idiot, and I shook my head as I walked over to the kitchen. Lidy was there preparing food with Fairilese and Perita, and all three of them also looked pleased as they looked over at me with a knowing expression. I smiled, not really knowing what else to do, and then turned to the table in the corner. Mex and Nixi were sitting and drinking something that looked like coffee, so I walked over to join them. I could see Nixi''s face, but she didn''t look angry, but only the back of Mex''s head. If anyone was going toin, it was more than likely going to be the two of these people. Poor Mex hadn''t even made a noise during thest wave I had pushed out, but when I sat down, I could see that he had the biggest smile of them all. This was ufortably weird, and the two of them both looked at me, smiled, and then went back to talking with each other. They were talking about what temperature of water they liked when bathed, and I just stared openly in confusion with my mouth hanging open. Chapter 153 - Painting, Dragging A Finger "What is wrong with all of you?!" I finally asked after getting tired of watching the way to happy Demons gossip about nothing important. Mex looked at me with a grin, and I widened my eyes at him with a "what?!" expression stered on my face. "Don''t you have something to do right now? We are all just having a great day, and you have things to do, so we don''t want to take up your time. You know, since you are so good to all of us, hehe," Mex exined, and I narrowed my eyes at him and then stood up from my chair, shifting my gaze over to Nixi. "And you? Are you the same brand of bright eyes and bushy tails as the others?" I asked as I stared at Nixi, and she shrugged at me. "Not quite as much as this idiot, but I won''t say that I didn''t enjoy the feelingsst night, but I am still trying to figure out this thing," Nixi said and then lifted up the ck dress that she was wearing, and I held back my cringe. Then I saw what she was talking about, and my eyes almost fell out of my head. Just above a hairy and wrinkled snatch was the bright pink glowing mark, twin to the one that Nushi had. Just what the hell was going on?! I turned without saying a word and then looked over to the other Demon women that were cooking. Both grandmothers wore long sexy dresses that exposed more than covered their cleavage, but Lidy was only wearing her traditional apron. I walked up to her, and Lidy smiled at me as I pulled her apron back and revealed the glowing pink Birthmark. "Is this the same for all of you?" I asked as I looked up to the other women, but I already knew the answer. Both gave me a knowing smile, nodded at me, and then lifted up their skirts together to reveal a pair of bald eagles with the same glowing marks above them. What had I done? Wait! What about my other girls?! This had better not be universal! If my monster girls were all pregnant, this would open up a giant disaster waiting to drop at open sea on me! I dashed from the Demon women and into the living room but rxed as I looked at my girls, but they were back on edge as realization hit. The girls had no marks, and my mind had briefly reasoned that this was good and everything was fine, but then the rest of my brain caught up with the initial thought. These weren''t Demons, so why would they have any kind of marks? Panic washed over me as I looked over My monster girls. My mind went over just how much trouble this was going to cause in the next unforeseeable future and on. Then I almost jumped out of my skin as I was startled by hands wrapping around me from behind me. "I don''t think it affected the other girls, or I would be able to tell," Lidy said from behind me, and I rxed, turning to face her. I was so wrapped up in my panic that I hadn''t even noticed Lidy, but now I was curious how she would know these things. "Are you sure?" I asked, and Lidy nodded. "Yes, I had a special menu for Mary, and now I have one for all the demon women, including myself, but nothing for the other girls. Looks like you will have to do those ones by hand, but it''s probably for the best. Don''t think that this will work for me every time though, I want to see you in my bed when we get on the boat!" Lidy said with a sexy smile as she used her eyes to follow her finger as she dragged it down my chest. Watching her filled me with a feeling of warmth, but that also let some of my presence leak out. I sucked it back in, but I heard gasps, and soft moans started; Mex grunted, coughed, and then cleared his throat. "Maybe you might want to give us a break until we are at least closer to a change of shorts!" Mex said with a grin as he stood up with a bulge in his tan shorts and a big ck ink-like stain painting the front of them, then said, "I need to go change, and you have a date with that showboater, Neft. So, I suggest that you get a move on it. I will go with some of the girlster to help in the vige and then get working on some kind of vessel." I nodded and then grabbed Lidy''s hand that was tracing a line down my chest, pulling her to me, using my other arm to pull her into a kiss. There was brief resistance, but with the happy and almostughing expression she wore, I didn''t bother to stop bringing her lips to mine. While I had decided that I couldn''t really get attached to any one of the girls, Lidy was different. After what happened between us and then the talk, I was feeling closer to her, knowing that she was always going to be one of those people there to help me. After we pulled apart, there was a tingle of purple in her cheeks, and Lidy quickly turned around and headed back into the kitchen. I grinned fiercely as she danced through the doorway to avoid running into the frame of the doorway. I turned and then said goodbye to everyone as I walked to the door. I got waves and wished to have a great day. All of it felt weird, and I was almost missing the random outbursts and the general feeling of hostility in the air that kept me on my toes! This was just in strange and unusual, but I shouldn''t beining. Everyone was happy and content, and when we left this ind, all the demon women would be exorcised, forck of a better word. Chapter 154 - Do You Remember When, Sphinxlin Smith? Once outside of the apartment, I gave a brief stretch and was about to turn when a vaguely familiar voice spoke up beside me, startling me. What was with these people today, or was my brain just that fogged and filled up? "Do you remember when I asked you about bing one of your¡­" Kieta, the Sphinxlin, started to say to me but then exploded with light brighter than I had seen yet. I had screamed yes in my head, only in frustration at being startled again, but it seemed to have some kind of effect on the change and intensity of it. The light was so fierce that the reflection from off the wood made it impossible to even turn to look until it was over. The moment it started to fade, I turned quickly to see the older woman because I was worried about how her body would handle the change. I was d I did and grabbed Kieta out of the air as her body rag-dolled. The half Sphinx, half Goblin woman, fell into my arms, but she now looked much younger. I stood up with her in my arms, but I was unsure about what I was supposed to do next. Keita''s chest was rising and falling, and after a moment, she started to shift in my arms. Her eyes opened, making my own peel back as I stared into a series of moving cogs like I was staring at the gears inside of a watch. "Is there something near my eye? And why are you holding...what are these?" Keita asked as she groped her breasts inside her shabbyb coat that was covered in stains. To begin with, Keita didn''t have any chest, and the improvement seemed to help barely at all. I guess when you are used to not having anything, every little bit counts. While she was not the same kind of beauty as Veronica, Keita had her own sexy nerd appeal with light powder green skin and tinum blonde hair with a hint of blue. I could also feel that what Keita mightck in the chest was made up of a thick pair of lower assets. "Sorry, you passed out on your feet, and those are your breasts," I said with a grin, bending over to set the woman back on the ground. "Oh, thank you¡­ I need to go, but thank you! I will make you things that will help you! Too many things in my head right now, gotta run, sorry!" Keita said as she tried to walk backward and talk to me simultaneously, nearly tripping twice. I nodded to her with a smile, and then Keita grinned back and ran off the back corner of the courtyard. There was a door open that was level with the ground, and Keita ran into it, mming it closed behind her. I chuckled to myself but then turned and activated my Fire Force Pact, and then Water Sphinx, Undine, and Earth Tsunalily Totems. I hadn''t been using my abilities to the max, and I tried to shrink down, and I was surprised when I was able to reduce my size five times from what I was usually. This would help me sneak into the city past the patrolling guards, but it would take me forever to get anywhere at this size. I would have to think of some way to move faster because I was sure that there were bugs that could run faster than me at this size! I was below a quarter inch in height from my estimation, and after seeing some nasty-looking bugs that I had never seen before, I returned to my standard size. Yeah, not as easy as I had thought, but I would just have to think about it. I could summon Grogvel or Windorf to provide me with some type of distraction, and then I shouldn''t have too much trouble. Out of the Primals, they were the best suited to help in this environment and would have no trouble getting back to me after we separated. The other two would have trouble, and I would need their Pacts. While Windorf might allow me to move faster, I was too vulnerable in that state, and I needed Fireden to keep myself charged. Thebination of all the Totems was taxing, and I could feel them burning through my energy almost as fast as I could absorb it from the world around me. I needed to get moving and get to where there was more elemental energy, or I would need to drop a totem. While my ss let me use more Totems now, they were also more potent and used more of my energy to maintain. Before, I was able to keep up with a single Totem and make it work much better using the Fire Force Pact, but now I was just barely getting the extra effects. I started to run, waving to Spel and Trig, who greeted me warmly and were both smiling. Though Trig''s smile was filled with sharp teeth and was likely to make a baby cry at the site, it was nice to see him happy. Turned out that the whole Keep needed to rub one out, and now everyone wore smiles that made them all look happier than a pig in shit. Maybe this perverted aura of mine might not be such a bad thing after all, and maybe I could use it to do some good? [Yes! That''s the spirit, oh Great Sage of The Perverted Path! Ha! I like it! It has a good ring to it!] Oh yeah, that''s what I want to put on my tombstone when I leave this world! Here lies the Pervy Sage, Kazz! May he and all our Privates finally rest in peace! [Yeah, I will write it down, and make sure that Mary gives them the spelling for your name, hehe! I think that will leave a good mark on this world!] Yeah, about as good as a mark on the inside of the seat of your pants when you forget to whip! [That too!] I shook my head as I jogged off the bridge and headed east. Chapter 155 - Can I Get A Ride, Little Sister? ''Hey there, Hero, I have two questions for you. Why are there so many goddamn Gnolls, and why are they not demons?'' I leaned to the left as I ran at the sound of a de cutting the air from behind me, and a battle ax flew by me. There were thirty of the yipping bastards chasing me now, and I had been tempted to just turn and deal with them, but I decided to let theme with me. [The Gnolls hate demons more than anything after Doa tried to do what you are asking. The Gnoll poption was taken down by other beasts, but the demons had tried to take some of them during this time. Dao had figured out what was going on by this time and had sent out Demons and Demon Orc raiding parties all over the ind.] ''Sure, but then why are there still so many of them? If the Demons couldn''t capture them, I''m sure they would have just hunted them down. What did they do to avoid all of this?'' I jumped and spun at the humming noise of a spiked ball on a chain that came at me from a wired angle. I grabbed the il at the wooden stake handle and continued my spin back with the weapon''s momentum around tond. I didn''t miss a beat, and kept on running, Veronica''s totem allowing me to react andnd with precious and no missed steps. I had to shrink down a few times, but even with the Sphinx Totem, that was like pulling the ground from underneath yourself at high speeds. Hydie''s Totem was allowing me to feel when the creatures were going to throw something at me so I could react adequately. Now, I spun the spiked ball on the chain up to speed as I continued forward, ready to deflect the thrown projectiles. [How they survived, I do not know or even where they went. The Demons did just as you said and killed them off because the Gnolls would kill all the women and fight until they were dead.] ''Sounds like it would be a gruesome thing to watch.'' [It was a savage time on the ind, but they started toe back after it was all over, and the ind''s monsters stopped trying to kill them. The other creatures didn''t bother them after, but Doa has wiped them out more than five times, but they keeping back.] That was interesting, and I wished I had more time to look into this. Even though the Gnoll had refused to talk to me when I had caught it outside of the Demon vige, I could feel more than just hunger or anger from them now. Complex emotions wereing from each of them; I could even sense their fears, which told me I must be getting close to Neft. Now that there were so many from me to leech Elemental Energy from, I could even hear them talking to each other in some kind of bark. [Whatever these creatures might seem like, don''t get too carried away with them, you have more than enough to do before we leave the ind. Neft''s walls are only about half a mile from here, so watch out for the guards, and don''t get seen yet.] ''Yeah, Yeah, I know, but I have a n for getting into the city, but it''s not foolproof, but first I need to get within range and then lose my groupies.'' That''s when I started to smell the pungent odor of Pinesol and slowed, deflecting two rocks with the il. I turned back, changing the Undine for Gog Totem, and hucked it back into the group, ignited with fire. I shrunk down just as fifteen massive purple bear/bull men came into sight. The il only killed two of them, but it exploded in a shower of sparks that served to get the guards'' attention, AKA Neft. I was four times as small and about three-quarters of an inch tall, legs were less than half of that, but I had a n. I summoned Kali, and she appeared the same size as me with a smile; the two of us had been talking before Hero, and I discussed the Gnolls. "Can I get a ride, little sister?" I asked and vowed to never phrase it like that again. Kali gave me a cute smile and turned her back to me, putting her arms out to the side. "Sure big brother, you can ride me anytime that you want! You just have to ask, and you can mount me, but you don''t have to worry about being too big for me! I can handle all of you, so don''t be afraid to ask to climb on top of me!" Kali said in the exact friendly tone that she had meant it, but I was trying to imagine what it was like to shave with a cheese grater. "Thanks," was about all that I could muster after hearing that. Once I had made sure that I was decent and not going to be causing any questions to rise, I¡­ mounted Kali. This was my own damn fault for even trying to be funny, and even though it had gone over her head, she had unknowingly yed alone. Once I was on Kali''s back, and she coiled some vines around my legs, we started to move forward at a swift pace. Kali didn''t really walk or run, but more like riding a surfboard on a wave, but in a partial lunge. The ride was rough but top speed, and even at this size, we almost traveled as fast as I ran full-sized, which made me wonder if I really shouldn''t ask her for more rides. If Kali could get me around the ind faster, I would be able to get more done in the short bit of time I had left here. [Yeah, I bet you like riding your little sister any chance you get! BWAHAHA!] ''If I could reach you, I would hit you.'' [Imagine how many times I have said that since you got here!] Chapter 156 - Yeah, So We Can Do It Again! Ignored the pervert in my head and focused on my surroundings. The Undead Behemoths had already chased the Gnolls off, but I kept moving us away from the area that they were moving. The problem was two other groups were also in the area, thepleteck of trees and something like a fifty-foot wall to get over to even get into the town. This was not going to be as easy as I thought, but it was still far from impossible. The two of us managed to get to an area that was out of sight from the patrols, and I summoned Grogvel and Windorf. Once they were out of me, I started to exin the n to them, and Windorf actuallyughed when I was finished. "You are going to get the girl to throw you over the wall? And then what are you going to do when you get to the other side? Pain the side of a couple buildings before yound in a battered pile of meat paste?" Windorf asked while trying to keep a severe expression that even he was having trouble holding on to. "I mean, It does sound like a good idea, but without my Primal Force active, I am going to have to agree with Windorf on this one," Grogvel said while giving me a look over like I had changed since thest time I had seen him. "It will be fine, and I actually have a n for this one, so don''t worry. What you two need to worry about is keeping this little girl safe while I am in there. Thest thing I need is to have Neft have some kind of bargaining tool against me, so keep her safe," I said, and then Kali spoke up. "Yeah! This was the first time my big brother got to ride me, and I was amazed I could handle all of him when he was so big! I could feel our bond getting bigger and bigger inside of me when he mounts me like that! I will make sure to stay safe for you, so we can do it some moreter!" Kali said as she danced around. Both Windorf and Grogvel we eye fucking the shit out of me, and I put my hands up in the air as I shook my head. This was so wrong, but I would be a fucking liar if I said that it didn''t turn me on, just a tiny wee bit. "No, Don''t even go there or say anything about it! She is still a child, and that brain of hers will stay that way!" I dered with a huff, both the men started tough at me. "What''s so funny? Did I say something weird or wrong?" Kali asked with the innocence of a babymb, and I sighed, looking down, shaking my head. "Alright, enoughughs and games, we can save that forter," I said, but Kali piped up again. "Yeah, so we can do it again! Maybe we can just keep going till I''m so tired that I can''t even use my legs anymore? I have only done it with you, so I don''t know how long I can go for or how much I can take. I think if it''s you riding on top of me, I could take it," Kali said in a bright voice as she did a pirouette. There were so many things wrong with this! Why did Kali have to sound so frigging cute when she gave this exceptionally erotic and taboo description of me getting a piggyback ride? I was going to hell for even entertaining the thoughts, but I was sure that the so-called pit of eternal damnation was a fairytale that didn''t exist. If it did, I would have been sent there instead. I definitely would not be ced on an ind in the tropics. On top of that, it was filled with beautiful monster girls and gave me superpowers; I had been given so many opportunities to make it worse, and I think I took almost everyone since I got here. I had to hope that these kinds of things weren''t lightning or overburdening my soul, but I hardly knew up from down when it came to that stuff. I was running circles in my head now and putting off the inevitable, so I reached out and stopped Kali from spinning. As I did, Kali looked up at me with a cute smile and wrapped her arms around mine, hugging it into her chest. I was curious why she was acting like this now when before, she had been to the point and almost crabby at times. Though I was talking to her more now, she was spending time with the other girls, so that might be part of it. "Are you ready? I need you to throw me over the wall, but I need you to do it fast and then shrink back down, so no one sees you, okay?" I asked, and Kali nodded. "Mmh, I will!" Kali said, and I nodded for her to start her transformation. The patrols would be out of sight for about five more minutes, then we would have to wait. Kali''s transformation didn''t take long, but the burst of green light had me on edge, but no one in the area noticed it. "If you are doing distractions, try to stay out of sight. I don''t want Neft to know I aming, so he can''t see that it is you guys doing it, or he will know it''s me," I exined to the Primals as Kali reached down to pick me up. The Elementals nodded at me, and I was lifted into the air. I would be lying if I said that I wasn''t a little bit nervous about this n, but I had watched squirrels fall out of trees, hit the ground, and get back up fine. I should be fine was myst thought as Kali reached back. I just need to think weightless thoughts, and I would be¡­ wait, I think it should have exined how haAAAARD!'' Chapter 157 - Shuriken Cartwheels, Karen Would Be Back [Well, the good news is that you are going to make it over the wall. The bad news is that I think you might be going just a little bit past the target.] Kali had thrown me like a Hail Mary football pass and at a breakneck speed. All my ns and thoughts were lost as I was sent spinning into the sky. [You''re going to have to get big, and then small, or you willpletely miss the town!] I knew this, but I had difficulty grasping the Earth TsunaLily Totem as I cartwheeled through the air at subsonic speeds. I spun through the air like a ninja star facing, and I could somewhat make out the vige, an impressive-looking Keep whirling around below. Got it! I mped onto the power that had really been just at the tips of my fingers. The problem lies in that there is no training to prepare you for flying an airne without the airne. [Hurry up, and make the change only long enough for you to slow down, then get small!] I did as Hero instructed and Expanded my body to a full five times bigger, and my spinning stopped, but I was casting a massive shadow over the city. I pulled myself in and shrunk down to four times as small and then started to fall. Getting big had stopped my momentum mostly, and now I was back on course to fall to what the others thought was my most certain doom. I started to let my presence pour out of me, using the Undine Totem to ramp up the range and strength, not really knowing what else to do. I changed Pacts, still pouring out my aura, hoping that it was going to be enough to distract from the big ass cloud in the sky that had vanished. My speed had significantly slowed, and now I could get a better look at the town inside the mammoth walls. [View of Neft just before Kazz is thrown] Neft walkedps around the massive Blood Moon Orb he used to control the bodies that he animated. Five patrols of Behemoths were patrolling outside of the walls and Nether Knights all over, guarding the gates and walking the streets. Neft knew that he had no reason to worry, but worry hardly ever needs a reason. He would be fine, and even if the pink goon got past the guards, the women would take his soul before he ever even got near. Neft was also far stronger than that creature, or so he assumed in his mind. The Demon Lord had jumped the gun and blown up his minions before the Hero was close enough. "It doesn''t matter; the booster isn''t likely to show up anyways; it was probably just a bluff and the type of thing that Mex would do. That excuse of a Demon was always a useless coward! A snake had more backbone than him!" Neft growled as he paced. "I think that you should be a little more mindful of this new one, you idiot! He isn''t like the other ones, and I have seen his big sexy eyes in that stupid red ball of yours. Don''t think that you are going to walk out of this alive if you just walk around in circles all day, you useless sack waste! Pfft, calling Mex out, the Kettle to the Pot," A big titted Subus with short horns said in a rude voice to Neft, and he stopped his pacing from turning and ring at her. "Karen shut the fuck UP! I am trying to think here, god! What is wrong with you? Aren''t you supposed to be sucking this cock?" Neft barked as he pointed down at hisid but still impressive blue meatstick, and Karen rolled her eyes around her head horizontally as she silently mocked him. Neft growled, and his erection snapped up, and Karen''s eyes snapped forward in excitement as now she was going to get all her holes destroyed just the way she liked it. Karen moved forward to take the Destroyer of Holes into her mouth, but that was about the time that Kazz expanded into the air. Neft grabbed the back of the Subus''s head to force his blue steel down the miserable wenches throat, but Karen didn''t resist. They were standing near a window when Neft noticed that there was a massive cloud that magically appeared in the sky; unfortunately for Karen, he let go before turning. Karen was flung out the window off the tip of his massive two-and-a-half-foot-long flesh bat as Neft turned to see what was in the sky. Nothing. "Maybe there hadn''t been anything there at all. It really does matter; I got rid of that annoying bitch," Neft said as he turned back to Blood Moon Orb. Unfortunately for Neft, and he knew this, just like the cat, Karen would be back. And even by some miracle, Karen didn''t survive; there was another Karen to take her ce. Neft suffered from the inability to get erect if he wasn''t angry, so all the Subus had been hand-picked before they left Gardania. The worst, most vulgar, annoying, mean, rude bitches they could find from him, that''s what he needed, but it didn''t mean he had to like the cunts. He wasn''t back at sex; he just had to be and to have it. Besides that, he was nine feet tall, built like a brick shit house, semi-intelligent, capable, total catch with a cock the size of a kids foam bat. Neft also thought that pants don''t even look good on women and never wore them. That way, people would really understand when he was angry! Though suddenly, Neft started to feel a bit frisky, and he looked down to see that his cock was rock hard, but he wasn''t even angry! Neft dashed from the room to find Karen and see what this was all about; whatever the women were going, it was precisely what he needed to take his mind off things. Chapter 158 - Harold, Save Us All ''You know, this really isn''t that bad. The looking down to my doom is not the greatest, but it''s kind of rxing at the same time.'' [Yes, I have to give it to you, not a bad idea to grab a leaf to glide down on. I was almost getting concerned when you hadn''t said anything about them, but then I noticed you grab the leaf and figured out what you had nned.] I was floating down as I used the leaf I had grabbed like a glider of sorts. The vige was much better built than either of the two that Mex watched, and most of the buildings were around at least two, some even three stories tall. Mex had enough trouble taking care of himself most of the time, so I could see why it was better for him to have the viges separate. If they were like this, they would expect things from Mex, and he could hardly live up to his own expectations. There were orangish-brown y-tiled roofs below me, and the vige was very well organized, which surprised me. Considering what I had learned about demons, I would have assumed the ce would be a bit more violent and hectic. Though now that I had started to st out my Orgasmoura, yes, I had named the damn thing; the ce wasn''t starting to get a bit wild. Women were slowly dropping things and then sinking to the ground as they started to fondle themselves. The men were sad sights, and the further I zig-zagged down, the worse it became for them. Almost every male Demon was on the ground twitching with their shorts torn off or torn, goats of ck ink pouring out of their cocks. [Well, this thing is scary and effective on lower-level creatures, but it won''t be very effective on someone like Dao with the same power level as you. Demons on Gardania will be barely affected if you were to use it unless you got incredibly more powerful by that point.] That wasn''t a bad thing, but that meant it would also always be effective on my people. Watching the Demons letting out roars that were getting weaker as I floated down made me feel bad for Mexst night, and I wouldn''t want to be the one to clean up his room today! [Once you reach level ten, you will gain more control over it and be able to direct your aura to,] ''Orgasmoura, don''t start changing it now! I know you can hear all my thoughts, and you are always here.'' [What? No! I go to y chess with the other gods and things!] ''No, I used your name with Nushi, and you never made a big deal about it because you forgot your lie to me, but it''s fine. I know who Time is, but I don''t know who you are, and now I am curious.'' [...] ''I have time to talk this out for a bit. I estimate about five minutes as long as the wind doesn''t start. I gave Time his name and asked him a question. Can you tell me what question I asked him?'' Zero wouldn''t know the answer to this or Mark''s real name, Mathew. So, I was pretty confident the Hero person either knew me or was under the Demon King''s control. [Marcus Grimes, your idiot sidekick that always hid behind you. Fine, my name is Harold, and I detested you, but I have started to understand you a bit better now that I am stuck in your head. I will say that the fact that you actually think about things before you make most of your choices is refreshing, but I won''t deny that I was more than willing to let you die.] That surprised me, and the increasing sounds of female cries of pleasure were getting closer, but they became background noise. I didn''t expect that answer, and now I was curious to hear more, but there wasn''t much time. [You have always had this ability to do anything anyone else could, but better, and most people were okay with that and just tagged along. I devoted my entire life to the Energy Kaleidoscope Theory! Then you walk into theb, ASK ME ONE QUESTION, then solve the equations in less than thirty seconds. I looked up your file before you got the call toe to take a look. Nothing in Physics, Chemistry, or anything rted to the studies of energy!] I had floated down from the sky and into an alley off what seemed to be the main road. I settled down next to a beautiful Demon woman who had one hand choking herself while furiously rubbing her dark blue pussy. ''Well, it sounds like I couldn''t really control that I was good at things, and that obviously is not the case anymore. So you are one of the people that was working on the project then? Or whatever started all of this?'' [All of this? Yes, I guess that you could say that we definitely helped, but it wasn''t any of us that started this; it was Zero. He flipped the switch, but you don''t have time for this right now, and we can talk about itter.] Zero did this, the Demon King? I needed to know the rest of this, but¡­ [Harold, but you used to call me Hero because you thought that my work was going to save us all. Funny just how wrong you actually were about it, but I used the name just to spite myself now.] Harold, hmm, I didn''t really ring any bells in my head, but neither did Mark''s name until I got the shback, and I still didn''t really know who he was. Now, I knew that he was my supposed best friend, but I found it hard to believe I could be friends with someone who didn''t want to try and hid from responsibility. [I used to ask myself the same things, but this is not the time, nor ce to be bringing this all up. You have a demon Lord to kill.] Chapter 159 - Hanna, And The Pink Shaman Harold¡­ No, if I called him Hero, I must have meant it, and I was slowly getting the shape of the person I once was, or still was underneath it all. [Doesn''t really matter, but what is your n from here? I am sure you understand what you have to do, but how do you n on doing it? I don''t know if you have noticed them, but strange animated dead things are in armor walking the streets. They look like some kind of patrol, and your¡­ Orgasmoura is having no effect on them.] I didn''t see what Hero was talking about, but I was deciding if I should put away the Orgasmoura for now. That would make it a bit easier to hide in the crowd, but I needed to get moving, and I was already inside. This wasn''t meant to take an extended amount of time, so I needed to get moving. ''Can I take them?'' [I don''t see why not, and I would keep you Orgasmoura turned all the way up because it will keep Neft distracted until we get there, or it should.] I started to grow back into my standard size, and at first, the Demon beside me didn''t notice me, but she did notice the erection pushing out of my shorts I couldn''t hide. Like me, it was growing, and I was now bing more aware of the sounds and sights around me. I thought the woman might call out to the guards, but she didn''t. Instead, the Demoness rolled to the side of her ass cheek as she looked up at me with pleading eyes. "Fuck me, stranger, I don''t know what hase over my body, but I can''t stop the need for more pleasure. Put that strange big pink shaft inside of my aching holes, use every one of them!" The woman pleaded in a husky voice with me. I almost felt bad, but this would be a chance to test if I needed to activate the impregnating skill or not. What I was doing right now was to help them all and break them from these shells to help them. I smiled gently down at the woman as she panted and lowered myself down. I pulled out my cock that was aching to pierce the exposed dripping hole of the Demon, but I stopped as I touched the tip to the hot lips. The woman moaned out, but the cries wereing from everywhere, and I wanted to check something. I reached forward and lifted the woman''s dress up higher, and there was a ck tattoo. The woman, even in her pleasure-filled blissful moans, the Demoness realized what I had just seen and froze. Her eyes were wide and filled with fear and then confusion as she finally looked me in the eye, realizing I wasn''t a demon. Before she could say anything, I pushed my rock-hard meat inside of this beautiful creature. As she gasped, her moans ceased in a pleasure overload as I buried myself as deep as I could, reaching down behind her neck in the same motion. I pulled the Demon woman to my lips to cut off her moans and slowly started to move as she eagerly returned my kiss. I could feel her desperation, and I wanted to tell her that it was going to be okay, but I couldn''t let my Orgasmoura lessen off. Instead, I gently moved inside of her as we kissed, the sounds of orgasmic chaos raging around us. Finally, the intensity of the kiss started to ebb, and I was able to pull back just a bit from her lips, and the Demon woman pulled her leg between us. She brought it over, turning her body, so we were facing each other. "Who are you, blue-eyed Shaman? Why are you pink? You couldn''t be one of the C ss Demons who finally hase from Gardania? And are you going to kill me now that you can see I have been used?" The woman asked slowly as she was able to start breathing through the pleasures. "Kill? No, nor am I a Demon. My name is Kazz, and you couple say that I am here to help. What is your name?" I asked as I fed her clenching hole with cock. The feeling was amazing, but I was still aware of everything around me. This was not the ce to lose myself in the pleasure with possible dangers all around us. "Hanna, but what are you...yo-ahh¡­ mumble¡­ fuck my little hole! I don''t care who or what you are; just give me that dick faster and harder! Split me in half, and fill me with your pussy destroying juices, Pink Shaman!" Hanna cried out in her husky voice, and I did as told and focused on my cock, causing it to swell with my Earth Totem. Hanna''s words filled me with fire as her eyes got huge, and I started to assault her pussy like a battering ram pounding through a door. Hanna screamed as my Orgasmoura intensified and my cock filled her insides. "YOU! PINK MAN! I should have known this was too good to be true!" roared a hollow voice from up the alley, and I froze. ''How did neither of us not notice them?'' [They aren''t alive, but they are more than that; there is nothing inside of them. They must be some kind of golems and are going to be hard to kill. I suggest you, umm, postpone your activities and run at the Keep. The gig is up, and now you need to finish this before he gets wise!] I looked back, and two strange guards were standing where the sound wasing from, but I had to react instantly when I saw the arm pulled back. I grabbed Hanna and rolled as a spear smashed into the stone where we just were, sending rock spraying. I rolled, and Hanna moaned out as we did because I was still buried deep inside of her. I kept an arm around her, sprung up, and bolted, barely avoiding another spear. Now I was on the intercourse speedway, and I was going to pound the pavement and Hanna''s pussy all the way to Neft''s front door! Chapter 160 - Womb-Burning Seed, My Birth Sister Five Metalheads trailed behind me as Hanna bounced on my stiff steel shaft, holding onto me with legs and arms for dear life as I sprinted forward. I stepped to the side, narrowly dodging a spear that trimmed some of my shaggy hair, almost slicing my cheek. I had already destroyed each of the five by returning the spears to them, but each one had reformed at a blinding speed. My hand was still healing from thest spear I grabbed, and the first one I had tried to grab damn near took my fingers off. There were des all up the shafts of each spear that had slicked them up. The Metalheads were able to summon them from holes in the air like Mex did to get his sword and was constantly dodging them. There was barely any pause between each one, and my Water Sphinx Totem was running on overdrive. I focused on making turns and moving faster than the Metalheads, but I was starting to get lost. The alleys and streets were not linking up where I assumed they should be, and Hero was no help when I was turned up like this. Everything moved around me in slow motions, but there was so much going on that I could hardly keep track of it all. The erotic moaning into my neck was not helping me, and more than once, I had almost slipped and bit it on Demon cum. I turned another corner and then turned into a doorway, stitching to my Fire Gog Totem, and sted the thing off its hinges and burst inside. I ran in and hopped over a twitching Demon that was crying as his body spasmed, and a weak stream of ck ink squirted out of him. I watched it in slow motion for only an instant and then focused on blowing another hole in the wall in front of me. If I couldn''t find the way to the castle, I would make my own, and I could feel the excitement building up inside of me. Hanna bit down on my neck, letting out a loud moan as I thrust my free hand and hip forward. Fire burst from my hand as I cock dung deep into Hanna''s pussy, and the wall exploded, but I wasn''t ready to finish yet. Burning ciders and boards flew around us as I burst through wall after wall, cutting a path like a snake through the vige. The Metalheads were having trouble keeping up because I was making sure that I was doing enough damage to make it hard to follow. I burst through the next wall and then sprinted to a door, opened it, got inside, closed it behind me carefully, and then sprinted to the stairs at the back of the house. I searched and had picked an empty house, and I sprinted up the stairs three times, trying to be as quiet as possible. I dropped my Orgasmoura on my way up the stairs, and I felt Hanna''s body start to rx. She even was able to keep quiet as I bounced her on my shaft as I quietly leaped up the stairs. Once on the second level, I headed for the first open door and slipped inside a room with a single bed but nothing else. That was one thing that I noticed about almost every house I had blown through; everyone was spartan and only had what was needed. I closed the door and then crept over to the bed, crawling onto it with Hanna still under me. I had only been running for another ten minutes, but with Veronica''s Totem so turned up, the time had seemed much longer. Hanna loosened her grip but stayed wrapped around me; she knew that we might have to move in an instant. The sounds of pleasure had stopped, but now they were reced by Demons screaming for water and help, thanks to your''s truly. Then I heard the sound that I was waiting for and locked eyes with Hanna as we listened to the light clicking of armor. That was the only thing that I had been able to pick up to sense the Metalheads. I pushed some of Hanna''s red hair that was covering one of her red eyes that glowed slightly. As I pulled the hair back, two small cute horns were revealed at the same time, and I smiled despite the situation. Hanna quickly turned her head away, and her cheeks were stained with purple. I was surprised at first, but then I thought about how big the other women''s horns were and how self-conscious Nushi had been about hers. The sounds of the Metalheads were starting to fade, and I rxed a bit, reaching down to take Hanna''s chin in my hand. I turned her blushing face to me and then kissed her softly and pulled away. "I think they are cute, and big horns are overrated, but don''t tell Lidy I said that!" I joked, and Hanna rxed for about the entire blink of an eye, and then her eyes went big. "Like Mex''s Maid Lidy? How do you know her?" Hanna asked in a confused whisper, and I was just as surprised by the question. "Yes, I reced Mex as a Demon Lord, but just not the Demon part. Lidy is one of my¡­ well, she is more than just one of the girls, but how do you know her?" I asked, lifting my own eyebrow, but Hanna just smiled at me and then started to move her hips. "Shh, we can talk more after. If you know Lidy and are a Demon Lord, then I want you to finish what you started. I still don''t know what you are, Pink Shaman, but if you know my Birth Sister, Lidy, fill me with your womb-burning seed. You can see that I am already barren, so it doesn''t matter anymore," Hanna whispered to me, her voice sounding heavy at the end, but I smiled down to her and then kissed her blue lips again, pulling back slightly after. "I am going to fill you with my memories, and I will break the chains that bind you to this existence," I whispered as I dung my shaft into Hanna and pressed my lips into hers. Chapter 161 - Wrong Side Of Bed, Crying Mess [View of Monster and Demon Girls at the beach] While Kazz was filling The red-headed Demon, Hanna with his memories, among other things, the women were working. Or, that was the n when Jilly, aining Kieta, Veronica, and Keri announced that they were going to the beach to start building a boat. Well, Keri told everyone else where they were going, starting a chain of everyone wanting to follow along. In the end, Only Mex, Jessabell, and Candace stayed behind because Jessabell refused toe. She was content in the small room with only a bed, pillow, and nket, but even then, it had to be the special nket that rxed her. The girls were now all on the beach, even Nixi, who was dragged along by the other grandmothers. She was sitting in a chair that Lani had got one of the vigers to bring over for her, so Nixi could watching the argument unfold. "Don''t you think you should step in? If they keep at it like this, nothing is going to get done! The two are also going to tear each other apart if no one stops them!" Nushiined as she scanned over the conversation of the two girls that would continue getting worse. "And does your book say it will change anything if I step between these two?" Nixi asked as she looked out at the bramble barricade of ck chiton weaved like vines draped with Steel Silk. Jilly and Lizy had created the wall to keep out the Demon Mutalisk Kings army that wanted to seek out Kazz. While they might now have created it together on purpose, it had caused all attempts by any monsters to attack the vige since yesterday. "You stupid piece Gnoll excrement, you can''t expect up to be able to survive underwater! I don''t know if you haven''t noticed, but neither of us breathes water!" Lizy screeched in a tirade, and Jilly put her face in her hands, growling in frustration. Things were not going well between the two giant women, but the rest weren''t getting involved. None of them knew anything about shipbuilding. On top ofck of understanding, most didn''t even understand what the women were arguing about. What each proposed was nothing like any of the women had heard of before. "Do you really think a boat made out of steel thread is going to hold water or float on it? What I am proposing is to build something that can go under the water! Why are you still being such a Behemoth about this? Why can''t we do as Kazz asked and work on it together?!" Jill asked in an exasperated voice. She wasn''t trying to antagonize Lizy, but Jilly was still angry from this morning. Keeping her replies civil with how rude Lizy was constantly acting was starting to push Jilly. Lizy had been challenging from the moment her eyes had opened. Then once she found out that Jilly and the others were going to work on the boat, all hell had broken loose. The girls didn''t know that Lizy was partially angry and hurt because Jilly had left her out. Kazz had said for both girls to work on it together. In her mind, Lizy saw this as a direct p in the face after Kazz had told them. The spider woman was also lousy mood because ofst night and was still jealous of Jilly, but that wasn''t new. It was the reason why Lizy had tricked Jilly the first time. Still, even after all that had happened, Jilly seemed happier and more mature than ever. That had just added to Lizy self-righteous anger that she couldn''t seem to let go of. Now, no matter how patient Jilly was, Lizy refused to give in, and Jilly knew that she wouldn''t be able to do this job alone. Still, Jilly was furious at Lizy for what she had done this morning before most had even woken up. Situations like this could cause or mend significant rifts, but all stories had a beginning. In this case, Jilly had, like the others in the housest night, had experienced a blissful night of body hammering orgasms. In the morning, Jilly awoke in a great mood, but that soon changed when Keri hade bursting into her room crying long before Kazz and Nushi had awoken. Keri was the one to suggest the idea to make a boat that could go under the water but had tried to talk to Lizy about the idea first. Lizy, despite the exhausting pleasure-filled night, woke up in a foul mood. This was partly because Lizy had been forced to sleep in a bed. After all the excitement of the day, she had been too tired to spin her own cradle, but the main reason was Kazz''s aura. The Orgasmoura would bring her quivering pussy to the climax, then it would get weaker. Lizy had decided to bezy when it had first started, letting the aura do the work but lost her build up the first time Kazz let off. Not wanting to lose it, Lizy had started to rub her pussy hard to bring her orgasm back, but then the Orgasmoura started again. Right as she started to cum and her orgasm was finally starting, the Orgasmoura hit her even harder than before. The pleasure overload had contorted Lizy''s body and twisted her mind, forcing her to continue rubbing as she started to cum non-stop. Held in the savage grip of her own severely overly stimted orgasm, Lizy had thought that she was going to lose her mind. Her mind was numbing as Lizy''s boiling love hole spewed out her hot juices all over her bed until the Orgasmoura stopped again, but then it started all over. Needless to say, when Keri burst into her room in the morning screaming about the great idea that she had, Lizy was not impressed. Keri was sent out of the room balling after Lizy had picked her up and mmed her into the wall, screaming at her. "The master only used you as a tool and a sex puppet so he could fuck me! He doesn''t care about you and your ugly little t chest child body!" Lizy had screamed at Keri, causing Keri to wet herself. This had just made Lizy even angrier, and Lizy then took it upon herself to belittle Keri for that. When Keri was finally put down, she ran from the room in a crying mess. Chapter 162 - Skin Will Fall Off, Ruin My Reputation Keri had run from Lizy''s room in tears, running into Jilly''s room as the massive Oomukade was getting dressed. Jilly was still trying to get used to wearing clothes since that was something that Kazz seemed to like. Jilly still didn''t understand why the man didn''t prefer to have them all naked so he could just take the girls where he pleased; it would save a lot of time. While extremely strange, Kazz meant a lot to Jilly, but she was sure that the other girls could say the same. Still, Kazz had epted her after trying to eat and kill him on numerous asions. Jilly was used to all forms of men being sex-hungry beasts that never wanted anything more, but Kazz wanted more than that from her. Men hade to her, and she had given them what they wanted and then killed them because she knew that was all she was to them. Now for once, Jilly belonged somewhere, and that was thanks to Kazz, so she was willing to entertain him and wear the cloth coverings. Jilly had to admit, though, having her breasts tied down made moving faster, morefortable, and more manageable. The sound of Keri''s balling voice had tipped her off that Lizy might have done something. It had been a while since she had seen her little Kiki, and Jilly was ready to end Lizy if she hurt her. The smell of urine had instantly set Jilly on edge as Keri came balling. Going over to her, Jilly scooped the tiny crying woman up into her arms. While Keri was to be considered an adult for a Gog, Jilly had known her from birth. She was one of the few creatures that Jilly secretly cared about, along with Mary, Nushi, and now the Cerberus girls. Knowing that Keri only wet herself when she was scared for her life, Jilly had been about to go and tear Lizy''s head off, but Keri had begged her not to. "Something is bothering her, and I¡­ I don''t think she meant it!" Keri had partially lied, knowing that Lizy had meant every word she had said, but she also didn''t want to see the girls get hurt. "Why did you go see her? What was the reason that you went into that Bears cave in the first ce? You should know better than that, Kiki! Lizy is a vile abortion, and talking to her is about as effective as trying to look through a stone wall!" Jilly hadined as she carried Keri out of her room and down to the bathroom to get her cleaned up. "Aunty, don''t call me that anymore! I''m not a child anymore!" Keriined as Jilly grinned, cradling Keri in her arms like a child. "I will call you whatever I please, little girl! I can remember the first time that I tried to eat you, and then decided that you were more bones than meat, letting you live," Jilly said fondly as they entered the bathroom where the girls found Veronica with a hand between her legs and the other groping a breast. Sitting on the edge of therge fifteen-foot square bathing pool, Veronica had been cleaning her new body and exploring it. The girlsing in had startled her, and she quickly removed her hands to stop touching herself. Noticing Veronica''s embarrassment but understanding what this must be like for her, Jilly set Keri down. Moving into the water, Jilly made her way over to the blushing blue-skinned woman. During this time, while she thought Jilly was distracted, Keri climbed into one of theundry baskets, only now realizing where she had been taken. With all the things Keri loved about the changes she had gone through, the idea of going in water just wasn''t one of them. "Testing out things afterst night?" Jilly asked in a warm and almost motherly voice. The sound of it seemed to make Veronica rx a bit, but she still looked very unsure of herself. Veronica knew what she was doing wasn''t wrong, but that didn''t make it any less embarrassing for her to be caught in the act like she had. "That was a lotst night, but I really enjoyed it. Some parts were so intense that my body started to move on its own, and the only thing that I wanted was to have a pressure between my legs. I really liked the feeling, but now when I try, it''s not the same," Veronica said quietly, blushing and then turning her head from Jilly. Jilly knew where Keri was hiding and kept an eye on her as she took Veronica''s face in her hand and turned it back to her own. Jilly might not have experienced what Veronica had, but she more than understood the thoughts and feelings. Plus, Jilly thought this was a great chance to blow off some steam while giving a bit of a lesson at the same time. That was when Jilly also started to smell smoke and had to turn from Veronica, letting go of her face as she did. "Get out of that basket before you burn the ce down!" Jilly shouted, and the smoking wicker hamper fell over onmand, and a coughing Keri rolled out. Fast as a whip, Jilly struck forward, grabbing Keri before she could scurry away, hauling the squealing little woman into the air. "Aunty, stop it!! I take baths inva! Mother always told me water will make my skin fall off! This isn''t right!" Keri squealed, but Jilly ignored her for the most part, pulling her into her chest and holding her there. Jilly made sure that she never acted this way around Kazz. She didn''t want to ruin the image of a wild, angry bitch, and have the man think she was friendly or something foolish like that. Jilly waited until the little dark red-skinned girl stopped fighting her. Knowing that this must be scary for her, Jilly spoke to Keri calmly and softly. "You are not like you were before, but we will take it slow, together. If it hurts, tell me, and I will stop, but you need to get clean, or Kazz isn''t going to want toe anywhere near you selling like this, okay?" Jilly asked, and Keri slowly nodded, still looking unsure and scared. Chapter 163 - Sounded Kind Of Silly, A Man We Grew To Love As Keri and Jilly were talking, Veronica was watching them with interest. Coming to the keep with Kazz had been a split-second decision she had made out of loneliness and pure jealousy of her sister''s rtionship with the Master...Mex. That part was still hard for her to remember. Candace and Veronica had known Mex as their master since he came to this ind. The two of the women, still girls at the time, had been running from arge group of Gnolls. Their mother had just been killed by the same group. Both girls thought that they were going to die when they were chased into a corner. As the mangey creatures closed on the girls, that was when they had met their master for the first time. Mex had been in his massive demon form and hade out of nowhere. A monster the same color as the sky and like nothing either of the girls had ever seen before. As Mex had finished slicing the Gnolls into small pieces, the girls had both crouched back in fear. The massive light blue creature that was covered in Gnoll blood with burning eyes had turned on them. Veronica remembered this part like it had just happened, and seeing Keri urinate in fear had reminded her of Candace''s reaction to seeing Mex. The terror of seeing a demon for the first time had frozen Veronica in fear, but then he had tossed the big ck sword to the side, and it had disappeared. In the blink of an eye, Mex then shrunk back down. That night, the man standing there had saved those girls. "Beautiful creatures such as Sphinx being chased down by ugly perversions such as these? Not while I am around to do something about it!" Mex had announced in a dramatic voice, and then his expression had changed to one mixed with pain as he looked down at the girls. His dramatic words seemed silly to Veronica now. At the time, that man had saved their lives and was a hero to them then, and still was. The scared girls had barelye up to his hips even when he was shrunk down. He walked over to the girls and bent down with a sad look in his eyes. "I think I found your mother back there, she was the only one, but she is gone. I know this is hard for you girls to hear, but I need you both to listen very carefully to me if you want to live," Mex had told them, and then exined about Demons and the others that hade with him but weren''t like him. Later on, the girls would learn that Mex was the only Demon like himself. In time, the girls found out that the other Demons were worse than the monsters. Still, Mex had kept Candace and Veronica safe from that day forward. Even finding and cleaning out the Maze for them to live in, away from the Demons. Then he found Jessabell and asked them to watch her. All the time, Mex woulde to visit and telling them stories of his home on Gardania. Over that time, Mex and Candance had started messing around because Candace had turned out to be unable to have a child. It hadn''t bothered Veronica at first, but she finally approached Mex about it as the year went by. "I understand how you feel, and I think you are just as beautiful as your sister, but I refuse to take the chance of you having a child with you. One day, we will leave this ind, and we will return to where I came from. I don''t know when exactly, but when we do, I will find you a proper man perfect for you, even if I have to put a cor around him!" Mex had joked, and Veronica had waited for five years. Then something had happened, and Candace hade home in a rage that day. It was after Mex hade for one of his visits to make her scream his name loud enough for the entire ind to hear. "That pink creature that Mex asked me to test is beyond frustrating and strange, and I am going to strip his mind of every thought that he has ever had!" Candace raged, and she pranced up to the Mazes entrance that Veronica was sitting in enjoying the sun. Veronica had been confused because Mex hadn''t mentioned anything to her about this pink man. Candace hadn''t been in the mood to talk when she got back, so Veronica was perplexed about what was going on. Mex always told both of them about everything, as far as she knew, but maybe her sister and Mex were closer than she had thought. Veronica remembered that the thought had bothered her quite a bit, but Mex hade again to see Candace that night but stopped to talk to Veronica first. "Hello, my dear Veronica. You are looking the wrong shade of blue today, my beautiful Feline Goddess! What has made you so upset, my little Blueberry?" Mex asked while trying to sweeten Veronica up. "Who is the pink man, and why did you tell Candace about him and not me?" Veronica had asked. Now, Veronica could see how childish she had been, but it was always easier to look at the past than see the future. Mex had grinned and thenughed, but then got very serious with her, surprising Veronica. "The pink man is Kazz. What his race is, I am not really sure, but what he is, is a Hero!" Mex said, and Veronica had given him a confused look. All the so-called heroes went to the vige and hardly ever left because monsters were constantly attacking it, and Mex wouldn''t have sent Candace near the Demons. On top of that, The heroes were worse than most of the Demons, and Mex never talked about them unless it was to mention one dying. "I know what you are thinking, but this one is different. So much so that I have even trusted my little Nushi in his care! I am sure you are wondering why I told your sister, and not you, and why I am here right now," Mex had told her and then smiled warmly as he continued. "I love you more than the world, but you know that I can''t treat you the same as I do your sister. I can''t promise you that it will work out, but I think I might have found someone for you." Now Veronica was sitting on the edge of a pool in a new body, friends, and she was closer to getting what she desired than she had ever been in her life. Closing her eyes, Veronica thanked whoever was out there watching over her and gilding her to this point in her life. Chapter 164 - A Childish Expression Of Wonder, Determined To Kill Veronica was no longer embarrassed as she watched Jilly with Keri, but it was strange to watch. Considering the way Jilly acted so aggressively when Kazz was around, this was always a more interesting side for Veronica to see. Together, Jilly and Keri touched down into the water, but Keri didn''t seem to notice at all as her shaking toes pierced the water. She was visibly shaking, and a thin line of yellow ran down the front of Jilly but was washed off as they both entered the water. Jilly made noint about it so as to not embarrass her further. Within moments, the two women were up to their chests in the water, but Keri was still shaking and was clenching her burning eyes closed. Jilly had to hold back herugh and then leaned down to kiss Keri''s forehead. "How much farther do we had to go, and why did you do...?!" Keri started to ask but then stopped talking as she tried to grab onto Jilly more and sshed. Keri froze, and then slowly opened her zing sockets, and then looked around her, and then down at the water she was submerged in. Keri looked back up with a childish expression of wonder. "Does it hurt?" Jilly asked with a smirk on her face, and Keri started to smile brightly as she moved her arms around in the water. "This is nice! Is all water like this? I thought it was going to be colder, but it''s not like the stuff you drink-," Keri said as she wriggled in Jilly''s arms but then slipped out, disappearing into the water that was almost six feet deep. "Keri!" Jilly cried. About to go down and get her, Jilly started to sink her body down, but then Keri popped her head out. She turned her head back and forth but kept her eyes closed. Veronica had also been about to dive in but stopped when Keri popped back up. Then the little red-skinned woman opened her eyes, and both Veronica and Jilly rear back in shock and revulsion as Keri opened to ck fireless pits. "Hey, did you guys turn out the lights?" Keri asked as she looked around while treading water. Both of the other women''s words were stuck as the shock started to turn into fear. Jilly was starting to tear up, but then the fire in Keri''s eye poofed to life, and both of the women let out clearly audible sighs. "Oops, looks like I turned the lights out! I was wondering why I could only see for a second; oh well," Keri said and then dove back under the water like a redfish. It stood to reason that Keri would be a good swimmer since she has been swinging inva her entire life. Jilly shook her head and then turned back to Veronica, who had a big smile, and Jilly went over to instructed her on the ways of her new body. This was about the time that Kazz had started to get up, but Lizy was still in her room, in her closet with the door closed. She wasn''t in typical form. Instead, she was holding a nket wrapped around herself even though she wasn''t cold. Everything was bing too much for her, and Lizy didn''t understand why she was even here. She wasn''t like these other girls; they only had the name; Lizy knew she was the real monster. What did it matter? It had always been like this for her. It was stupid that she had to be forced into this situation. It would end the same, it always did, and that''s why Lizy acted the way she did. This wasn''t her first time meeting friendly people. Lizy had been born on a different ind and carried across the sea. With hopes of making it to Gardania, Lizy had floated like her other siblings. Each Magma Spiderling and Lizy had been forced to create unique gliders. They had used them to catch the wind to flee from their mother. Determined to eat and kill as many as she could, Fearcania, the Ancient Magma Arcania Queen, ughtered her child in droves. Lizy could remember this time clearly, and how horrifying it was as she shook in the closet. Lizy had been excited to get out, finally meet the one that created her, and then go out into the open world. All her siblings had felt the same way, but when the steel cocoon opened, a massive beautiful creature was much like them but one hundred times bigger. "Wee to life, all my beautiful children! I know that you are all excited to see me, your mother, and to explore the world, but I must teach you one lesson first," Fearcania said in a sweet and motherly voice as she reached into the Magenta Steel Silk cocoon filled with her children. Lizy remembered just being missed by the hand and being so sad that she had not been picked. Looking back now, Lizy knew better as she remembered watching her mother bring her siblings up to her face. "The one single lesson that I must teach you is that nothing in this life is ever free or fair, so you should never trust the worlds of anyone. This world is being filled with creatures that live off lies and deceit and will trick you into a false sense of trust," Fearcania said with a slow and lilting voice as she looked lovingly at the children in her giant hand that was all looking up at her expectantly. Lizy''s trembles started to get worse as she remembered just how enthralled she had been, but those words had stuck with her. Fearcania had let her words hang in the air before she had spoken again, but her tone and expression turned violent as she did. "All only want to draw you in, so they can CRUSH YOU!" Fearcania had screamed as she mmed her fist closed with a sickly crunch. "Those that survive this shall remember my words well, and heed my warnings if you want to survive in this world!" Chapter 165 - Escape, The Platinum Touch Fleeing for her life while Fearcania ughtered her siblings, Lizy had frantically spun a sail as she ran and dodged. Strangely, Lizy had remembered that she had felt stronger each time more children were killed around her. It had almost been like she was receiving part of each of their lives as they died. It helped to strengthen and give her the energy to move faster. Lizy''s scrambled with the others as she frantically created the sail her body was telling her to. The only thoughts at the time had been to get to the edge of the crater she was in. The Magenta Steel Silk cocoon was at the top of a volcano in the middle of the Hydralica Ocean known as Deaths Summit Ind. It was a single massive Ind that was all volcanoes that stretched up into the clouds. This would be seen as cruel and unfair to the outside watcher and her children. Yet, the ancient Queen didn''t do this because she wanted to. Fearcania knew that this was the only way for the surviving children to have a chance to grow. In the new dangerous world that she was sending them, the strength she had given them was shared among all her children. Fearcania knew that she would have to kill as many could so the others would be strong enough for the journey across the sea. She knew that many would not make it and drowned in the Ocean, while others would be consumed as they drifted to reach Gardania, Fearcania''s home. Their fight wouldn''t be over then because the Demons would never let them live in peace, the reason why Fearcania was forced from her home. Or it had been, but then the Demon King Scourge and a flood of other Demons had appeared almost five centuries ago. The King and his wave poured out over thend, and the creatures of this world had tried to destroy them, but they came back as fast as they were killed. Forcing most of the ancients to flee the continent, the Demons continued to spread across thends. Fearcania was one of thest to leave because she wanted to learn as much as she could so she might return one day. There was a limit to the Demons, and once they hit it, their reproduction had almostpletely stopped. They also burned out their women after the first child, but then the demons captured other races. They changed them into demonic shadows of their past selves, but it destroyed the soul that was inside of them. The Spider Queen had been forced to kill her own children after they had drunk the blood of Demons, figuring out how they were doing it. Over time, Fearcania had watched them spread out and even forced her children to stay with her as she gathered an army of hundreds and thousands. She had nned to assault all the New demon settlements but had failed and almost lost her life. Almost a century ago, The Queen had mounted an attack against the Demons. She had attacked from all over the continent of Gardania at the same time. Spreading them across Gardania over ten years, Fearcania had nned the assault to be wless. With orders for her children to attack at the first full moon of autumn, and everything had gone to n. Then he appeared, The Demon King Scourge and the flow of the assault reversed. Ten years of ns fell apart in a matter of hours. Scourge, a Rank A tinum Demon that could turn anything he touched into tinum, this was this third entry. Demon Kings with the Rank of A or higher were Conqueror ss Demons, and Zero, one of two Empheryal Ranked Demons, sent them across the Multiverse. Each Conqueror ss Demon King was responsible for removing the old life and recing them with his demonic ones. Scourge had already purged the life from two, and not even the Champions of those worlds could stop him, and now it was time for the next. Entering from a tear in reality with massive spiraling horns, a humanoid no more than six feet tall, the Demon King, Scourge, appeared on the battlefield. To this day, tinum bodies littered the ins of Gardania; Scourge was able to split himself, and every spiderling he touched was turned to solid tinum. Fearcania was chased from the continent, barely escaping with her life, losing one of her long eight legs. Now it served as a reminder to the Queen that these Otherworldy Abominations couldn''t be beaten, and Fearcania wasn''t over three thousand years old because she was stupid. Culling her children was the best thing that she could do for them. Yet, it was likely that even if she could give all of her strength to one, it would still be killed. All the Spider Queen could do was hide at the top of the mountain. Fearcania waited for a hero toe and save her, but even she was losing faith in the Old One''s words. Lizy knew none of this and still didn''t. At the time, and even now, she had known that fleeing was the only chance she had to survive. Tossing herself off the edge of the volcano, and then the sail that was partiallypletely caught the air draft, and Lizy was pulled into the sky with her other siblings. The sounds of squeals and death slowly had gotten quiet and then were reced with new squeals of the same thing. From Death''s Summit Ind, the Spiderlings had floated up and into the clouds that touched the peek. Though, above the clouds, a new death awaited them in the form of small dragon-like creatures that snatched the fleeing spiderling. Lizy and her siblings were no bigger than hand-sized, and they had no way to avoid the creatures as they were picked out of the air. Some tried to use their Steel Silk to shoot at the creatures, but the thin threads of the freshly hatched Magma spiders had no effect. Nothing short of a miracle had allowed her and a group of fifty others to escape the ughter. Together they floated for three days. Lizy had gotten to know some of them at that time, and she had started to think things were looking up. Then the storm came, and more than half of them were killed or lost. Chapter 166 - Her Word Rang, Down To The Core Of Her Soul During the storm, Lizy and the surviving spiderling found the ind she lived on now and had decided thatnding on it was better than dying in the storm. The group of fifteen spiderlingsnded on the ind, and this was before the Demons had arrived. Lizy and her group had thought that they had finally reached safety, and in a way, they had; the creatures of the ind left them alone. They found thevake that is controlled by the Demon Lord Dao, but Lizy soon learned the value of her mother''s words. Things had been good for the first two weeks, and Lizy had even gotten close to one of her sisters, Mackenna. The two hunted together and even would share their meals before eating them or trading before eating. Then one of Lizy''s brothers disappeared, but no one knew where he had gone. Mackenna and I, like the others, had just assumed that he must have left to go to explore. One dayter, another one disappeared, and all the spiderlings started to get worried because none of them had any idea where they were going. Then the disappearances stopped once we started to keep track of each other. Things were normal for about a month for the remaining ten, and everyone started to rx. Then six of the spiderlings went missing, and Mackenna was one of them, but Lizy and the others were too scared to leave the crater. Then Mackenna returned covered in cuts and burns, and the others had rushed to help her, but Lizy hadn''t. She created a spear as thest three others had their upper bodies cut to small pieces as Mackenna whipped her Steel Silk at them. Lizy hadn''t waited to ask her why because in her heart and ringing in her head were her mother''s words as the Steel Silkspun spear left her hand. Trust no one; they will all betray you in the end. The spear had struck her, and Mackenna was surprised as she saw who had thrown it and had called out to Lizy, saying that she did this for them. Lizy had waited an entire day just to make sure that her sister was dead and then went and tossed her body into the fireke. For years, Lizy lived alone, having her way with the creatures of theke, and then would devour them, but always felt like something was missing. No matter how much she took her pleasures, no man or even woman could satisfy her need, and that was most of the reason why she killed them after. Then the Demons arrived on the ind, and Lizy was chased out of the East Fire Lake, and she was forced to find a new home. The north and south Fire Lakes creatures had heard of her and refused to have her stay with them. After killing many monsters, Lizy was able to make it to the West Fire Lake that was under the control of an Elemental that hade with one of the Demon Lords. She heard that Mex wasn''t like the other demons and was made fun of because he wasn''t mean. Deciding that this was her best chance, Lizy arrived at the West Fire Lake. This was also the first time that she met Jilly, the Oomukade. Due to her past experiences, Lizy had decided to try and befriend the women. Secretly, she started to n how to get rid of her. The problem was while a bit rude at times, Jilly was actually really nice. Lizy hated to admit it to herself, but she had started to almost like Jilly. Each time Lizy would feel that way, the sounds of her mother''s words would start to echo in her mind, and she would remember. Jilly was a carnivore like Lizy, so in her mind, there was only one way this could end, but Lizy didn''t think she could take her in a fight. While Lizy was taller at Jilly''s standard resting height, the woman moved and struck faster. Lizy had watched her with her prey, and when she was done with the creatures, she killed them in a blink and then devoured them. Instead, Lizy had decided to use Jilly''s naiveness against her, tricking her into a game that she cheated to win. Lizy had made a bet in a fun and joking manner but made sure to do it in front of Fireden so she couldn''t back out but said the winner chooses the prize. The rest of her story was history now, but Lizy didn''t understand why she felt so horrible for the way that she had treated that little Gog girl. That was how she treated everyone, but it was because it was only a matter of time, so why was it bothering her so much? Lizy closed her eyes and let the events y in her mind. Keri had burst into her room, but why? Lizy tried to remember, and when it came to her. The little red woman had burst into my room talking about some idea about an underwater boat. Already in a horrible mood, Lizy had snapped at the fact that this creature had woken her up for nonsense. Her reaction was normal for her, and only because of the stupid man had she not been able to kill her. Yet, Lizy knew what she had done was wrong down to the core of her soul for some reason. Even though the idea might have been stupid, that coward hade rushing into Lizy''s room instead of Jilly''s. It was easy for Lizy to see where the mistake was now, but she was still struggling with an internal fight about why it was. The man had done something to her that was slowly trying to silence the echo of her mother''s warning. As Lizy sat in her closet shaking with a raging storm of emotions inside of her, she started to cry. As the tears fell, Lizy started to wonder if what was happening to her was really that bad? Maybe it might be worth trying to be more likable? Chapter 167 - Really Be Able To Help, My Little Blue Kitten Once the girls were done with their bath and were about to leave the bathroom, Keri spoke up. "Aunty, I have an idea for the boat!" Keri said as Jilly was drying her off. "Hmm? What kind of idea are you thinking of?" Jilly asked after she finished toweling Keri. "Since we can''t really see the big monstersing when we are on top of the water, what if we went under?" Keri asked, and Jilly raised an eyebrow forcing herself not to say exactly what she thought of the idea. "Well, that might be a good idea, but there are only a few of us that breathe underwater. The most important one would be Kazz, and he can hold his breath for a long time, but not for a day. We would constantly need toe up for air, but I can see your point," Jilly exined, but that didn''t take the excitement out of Keri. "Yeah! I know that most can''t breathe water, but I am sure we could figure it out if all of us worked together. We should go talk to Kieta! I saw her working on some things, so she might be able to figure it out!" Keri said with even more excitement as she started to jump around. Jilly looked over at Veronica, who was smiling very brightly after the lessons she had received about her body, but both women knew Kieta. They also knew about her reputation for not being able to create anything that worked the way intended. "Kiki, I don''t know if Kieta will really be able to help," Jilly started to say, but Keri ignored and interrupted her, turning to Veronica. Veronica was trying to get a shirt over her head and chest but was having a tremendous amount of trouble. Keri didn''t seem to mind or care as she started to try and convince Veronica. "Come on, Veronica! Kieta might be able to help, or she might not, but does she evere out with you girls?" Keri asked with impatience. Jilly sighed and went over to help Veronica get her head through the right hole of the ck tank top she was struggling with. Once her head was through, Veronica smiled up at Jilly. "Thank you, but don''t you think she is right? I know that I have been enjoying spending more time with you and all the other girls. Maybe it would be good to get Kieta out of herb for a change?" Veronica asked as she struggled to get her huge breasts tucked into her shirt. Jilly agreed, and after everyone got dressed, the three girls headed down to the first floor. Seeing all the other happy faces of the girls, they decided to join the other women for a bit before heading out. Kazz came down with Nushi after that, and the girls did notice them but paid little attention to him. Most of the women wanted his attention so they could be the next in his bed, or at least to get some male relief. After the experience fromst night, The women were more than content to let Kazz get on with his tasks. Now that they all knew that the n was to leave the ind, they didn''t want to interrupt him. Once Kazz had finished his rounds and left out the front door, the trio heard Kieta''s confrontation. Keri had been the first to get up, but the blinding light caused her to trip, but Jilly grabbed her before she could hurt herself. Jilly had already shielded her eyes as soon as she heard Kieta''s voice, knowing what it would be about, and figured Kazz would agree. The direct light didn''t bother her eyes, but for some reason, Kieta had burst with a far brighter light than the others Jilly had seen. Once the light cleared, the trio of women went outside to find Kieta, but she was already gone, but the door to her underground shop was still open. The girls all looked between each other and shrugged. "Whatever happened, she must have been excited about it. I am betting she left the door open in her rush because I don''t think that she would have followed Kazz," Veronica said, and Jilly nodded and then looked down at Keri. Or where Keri had been when she had looked ten seconds ago. Jilly looked up, and Keri was already running to the horizontally opened metal that led into the ground. Groaning, Jilly started to follow, and Veronica was just behind, trying to cover up herughter with her hand. Down in the shop below ground, Kieta was racing to get to her drawing board. Her mind was racing as the missing pieces to all of her failed creations floated around the inside of Kieta''s mind now. "Where are you? I know that I put you¡­ Yes! Now I can start working on-," Kieta had started to say as she grasped the paper that she had been looking for, but Keri''s voice made her whip around. Kieta had only had one person that visited her, and this was not the master, Mex. The small girl with burning eyes was talking to herself and looking at Kieta''s different failed creations. Not wanting to get rid of them, Kieta stored them at the front section of her shop. She had always hoped that one day the missing piece to all her puzzles woulde to her. Mex had bought her from a smith so long ago she had forgotten the man''s name who had owned her. Previously a ve, Kieta had always been thankful for what he had done for her and had always wanted to be able to thank him somehow. Her problem had caused her to never be able toplete anything, leaving Kieta depressed most of the time. Still, no matter how many times she had failed, he would always say the same thing to her. "Next time, my blue little kitten, there is always next time! Don''t think about what hasn''t worked, and only think about what could work! I love you, and I know that you will do better tomorrow!" Chapter 168 - Nixis Mother, Unlike The Others Every project turned out the same, and while at Mex''s Keep in the hills of the state of Denitia, Kieta had fallen deeper into her sadness. Even though Mex didn''t care if she created anything, Kieta cared and knew Mex was constantly criticized for keeping her around. Mex had noticed this but was not sure what to do about it. At the time, not even his wife or anyone had respected him, so he had no one to turn to for help. Then the ruling Rank C Demon Queen, Dentia, forced Dao out of his Castle and Gardania. After discovering Doa''s demon farms, the state''s ruler was told by the Scourge himself to remove him. The farms would restrict the number of higher-ranked Demons the ruling King could produce to fill his own ranks. The Demon King, Scourge, was constantly under siege from other high Ranking Demon Kings, but this was normal. The battle rage the demons fed off was literally how they survived and trained the best fighters. Anyone that died wasn''t worthy in the Scourge''s eyes, and he would recycle Demons until he had the perfect army. Everything was in preparation for the day that a real hero woulde, and it would happen; Scourge knew this. Thest words had been the same, but the ruler of this Demonscaper Army had almost lost to the first real hero he had met. Mark had almost beaten him, but the Scourge had defeated him, yet Zero had forced him to spare the man and then had taken him. Needless to say, a minor Demon Lord like Doa of the lowest rank plugging up the reentry for new Demons. On top of them not being under the ruling King''s control, the lower-ranked Demon rebirths very rarely ever produced even a single rank higher. This was not good for business, so to speak, and Queen Dentia was told to kill him and all of the followers. While the Queen would have no problem killing Doa and his overconfident son Neft, but Mex was one of her many grandsons. Dentia had forced them all onto boats in the middle of the night after thoroughly obliterating each of the three Lord''s settlements. After saying goodbye to her Daughter Nixi and the rest of her family, Dentia sent them away and told them to nevere back. They had made many stops during the trip across the sea, and Mex had picked up passengers along the way. Kieta had remained held up in her room at the start of the journey, but Mex made her go out with him on his stops. While on the boat, Kieta had not been able to work on any of her projects for fear of them getting wet or ruined. At first, she had not been happy about going to talk with random people, and Mex almost had to tie her up the first time they had left the ships. People had always just been distractions from her work, and Mex had never forced her out of her shop before this. Forced to tag along and interact with the strange natives they met on each ind, Kieta had been angry with Mex at first. Then they met a cute but strange-looking girl that lived in the water they met on the way to the ind. This would beter discovered to be Mary''s sister, Mati, a Killer whale/ Mermaid. Unlike the creatures of earth''s oceans, the Killer whales were savage killers that revealed in carnage and the blood of their enemies. Then, there was Mati, unlike the rest of her kind, who was a kind and curious soul that only wanted to explore and meet new people. Mati''s curious nature had made her ask Kieta many questions on the way to the ind and had appeared at the side of the boat on the way back. Following them from each ind, Kieta soon became friends with Mati for the first time in her life. They spent most of the trip together until they almost reached the destination, but Mati had said she had to go when they got close to the ind. Kieta had begged her to stay, but Mati had said there was too much of the world left for her to explore. Kieta had been sad but had understood that the two of them were two different people, but Mati''s had be more than just a friend to her. Kieta had cried for weeks, even after Mex had constructed her new shop, and nothing anyone did would help. Finally, Mex hade down one night toe and visit and exined to her about his dreams to one day leave the ind. Kieta had not spoken during this time, but her tears had stopped like Mex had known they would have. He was not blind, but Mex had been running around the ind saving every creature that he could find from Dao and his son, Neft. Mex had gone over and hugged Kieta to exin his dreams of one day escaping the horrible Demon culture he had been born into. Kieta had always found Mex strange since she had been around the foul creatures her entire life, yet he was the exception to the rest. From that day forward, Kieta started to build things again, but this time she was only using it to pass the time because Mex was the only person she had ever trusted. Now, a little red-skinned woman was very simr to her own size in her shop. Keri, that was the name she had heard, and she was utterly ignoring Kieta as she went over the weapons and contraptions. Not sure what to say, Kieta just stood there watching Keri until Jilly and Veronica made their way down into her shop. "Why can''t you just wait for us, Kiki?" Jilly asked after she straightened up froming down the stairs and then looked over at the startled-looking Kieta. "Sorry for invading like this, but we wanted to know if you would like to join us for a trip to the beach?" Chapter 169 - Stirring Up Old Feeling, Finally Snapped "Umm, er, no, I have a bunch of work that I mustplete first!" Kieta blurted out as she turned away in embarrassment. Part of her did want to go, but there was still so much more for her to do, but seeing Keri had stirred up memories and feelings. The way she seemed genuinely interested in everything and how close in size she was to Kieta started to make her feel strange inside, but she was an old woman now. Or that is what Kieta still assumed about herself, but that wasn''t true. Kazz''s Ranching System had restored her to that of when she was a young woman. In all the excitement, she hadn''t even looked at her own hands clearly. Her only worry was to be able to finally fix all of her creations, and Kieta never looked at her reflection anymore. Jilly had already figured that Kieta wouldn''t want toe, and Veronica was disappointed, but Keri was a different breed than the other two. Unknowing of Kieta''s inner struggles, Keri ran over before Jilly knew she was gone. Keri reached Kieta''s side in the blink of an eye and pulled on herb coat, aching to ask the little blue woman questions. Kieta jumped back, but not very good with social cues; Keri moved forward with her as Kieta jumped back from Keri. "I think you need to get out of this cute little hole in the ground! Also, I have an idea, and I think that you might be able to help! AND, now that I have seen all the cool things you have, you made them, right?" Keri asked, firing off questions, but only the part Kieta caught was about the idea. "What idea are you talking about?" Kieta asked with Keri''s burning eyes and smooth-looking cute face close to hers. Kieta had been pushed back into her drawing board, and Keri was almost climbing on her. Even though Kieta looked panicked, it wasn''t because she didn''t like Keri in her face or close to her. Instead, it was because Keri was starting to remind her of Mati and about how she had felt towards Mati. Kieta had never told Mati how she had felt, but that had been because she had never assumed she would leave. Suddenly, Keri was lifted in the air and away from Keita by Jilly, but the heat was not gone from Keita''s face. Keriined to Jilly to put her down, but Jilly ignored her and looked down at the tiny little blue woman that was nearly the same color as Veronica. Jilly was about to apologize to Kieta for Keri, but then she noticed the different colors on her cheeks as she looked up at the squirming red-skinned girl. While Jilly didn''t know Kieta very well, she knew enough about women to know what she was seeing. Instead of asking, Jilly tucked Keri under one of her arms and then reached down to pick up Kieta. Not really sure what was going on and lost in her own thoughts and emotions, Kieta let Jilly pick her up. Then she was stuffed under Jilly''s other arms and the four-headed out of the underground shop. "Umm, where are you talking to me?" Kieta asked once they were outside; Kieta realized that she had just had a carnivorous monster pick her up and stuff her under an arm. "We are going to the beach!" Keri said with excitement, already forgetting about her idea. "I can''t go to the beach! I told you that I have my projects to work on!" Kieta tried toin. "You can do that anytime that you want, but today you areing with us," Jilly said in a tone that Kieta decided not to argue with. Secretly, she was kind of d to get out of her shop, but she really did want to work on her projects. Still, Kieta couldn''t stop herself from stealing peeks at Keri, who was, of course, oblivious to all of these nces. Keri was excited to be part of something with the girls, but the excitement of things got to her. Now, she was dreaming of what it was going to be like at the water and thinking about all the fantastic things that she had seen. Keri looked over at the creator of said amazing things, but the tiny, pretty blue woman looked away from her when she did. Keri wasn''t sure if she had done something wrong, but she hoped not. The little blue woman was interesting, and besides Kali, the only person close to her size she had met so far. Keri hoped that Kieta would tell her more about her amazing things because she had no idea what they were but was very interested. The now four women headed back into the house, and most of the other women were down in the living room sitting and chatting. Lizy was alsoing down the stairs at that time, and Jilly had half a mind to rip the woman apart in front of everyone but decided against it. Keri wasn''t bothered by the woman, so Jilly ignored her instead of starting a fight. Turning to the other women, Jilly told everyone what the four of them nned to do. Instantly, the previously low murmur turned into a flurry of womenining, and Jilly immediately regretteding back to tell them. As the women all announced that they would being as well, Lizy froze with her mouth open. She had just been about to apologize to Keri for how she had acted this morning but had frozen when Jilly made her announcement. Ignoring her, Jilly had then told everyone that she was going to do the job that they had both been given without asking her. One voice in Lizy''s head told her that she deserved this for how she had treated Keri. Then another told her that this was Jilly trying to get back at her. There was also the voice of her mother wing at her mind. I was reminding Lizy that it was worthless to apologize to the people that would just hurt her in the end. With mental health starting to deteriorate faster than she was aware, this was the final straw for her. As the voices screamed inside of Lizy''s head, thest strand holding her together finally snapped. Chapter 170 - The Scream, Frozen As Jilly started to exin what the n was, Lizy screamed. "NO! That is stupid, and I will be building the ship!" The scream had made the girls all go silent, and everyone turned to the ck-haired woman to stare in wonder. Jilly turned her head slightly to the shorter woman and tried to hold back a groan, but failed, and Lizy''s face started to get red with her rising temperature. "No, you cane along if you want and help, or you can go build on for you to float around in, but we are going to work on this together. Do not test me right now woman, if it wasn''t for Kazz, you would already be inside my belly," Jilly said in a dangerous tone and then turned back to the others. As Jilly started to talk to the other, Lizy started to shake from her frustration with everything. Lizy couldn''t get anything to line up in her mind with all the voicing inside of her head. Even though Lizy knew she should stop, her mind was a mess. It prevented her from taking a step back from the situation and making things worse for her. Keri, of all people, was the only one to hear the stress and confusion in Lizy''s voice but wasn''t sure what to do about it. After Lizy had attacked her this morning, Keri had thought that she might be better by now. Keri should have known better than to rush into Lizy''s room first thing in the morning, and it was only because she had be sofortable around everyone so quickly. Usually, She wouldn''t have dreamt of going near Lizy''s cave before she woke up. Yet, Keri had and paid the price for it, but she was still alive, and that was more than she could say for anyone else that had made the same mistake. Now, Lizy sounds like something was wrong, but Keri was too scared to try to go see her. From there, and all the way to the point that everyone was currently, the women argued about every detail. For her part, Lizy shot down every idea given but refused to give suggestions other than to build a boat that floated. Now, Jilly was at her wit''s end and getting extremely frustrated. If they kept up, Jilly was ready to make an attempt at murdering the now-massive spider woman. "If you don''t stop acting like this, I am going wrap you in your own Steel Silk and through you in the water to drown while you cut yourself into ribbons! I would sooner hear your death screams than listen to the sound of your constant bitching!" Jilly said sharply as her patience waned. Lizy''s mind was a mess at this point, and she had wanted to stop, but it was almost like she had no control over herself anymore. Voices screamed in her head, but they were just screaming now, not even words. Keri was standing off to the side with Veronica and Kieta, and she was shaking. The shaking was partially caused by her Aunty and Lizy fighting, but knowing that she had caused this was the main reason. There was something wrong with Lizy, but no one but her seemed to notice or care, and this also bothered Keri. Kazz had told them that they needed to start being nicer to each other, but now that he was gone, it seemed that nothing had changed. "You have no way to make it so we can all go underwater, and yet you are still determined to build a ship that goes underwater! Why don''t any of you idiots see the problem here? Or is it just because I am who I am? Is that why you felt it was okay to just leave me out?!" Lizy screamed, and then Keri understood. "Are you really going to act like some child that was pickedst? So all of this acting like an idiot is because you think that everyone thinks you''re an idiot?" Jilly challenged, causing Lizy to grit her teeth together violently and about to say something nasty back, but then Keri ran up screaming as loud as she could. "STOP! WAIT! STOP!" Keri squealed as she ran over between the massive women while dragging Kieta along. Kieta, with no clue to what was happening to her, suddenly was between two very angry-looking carnivorous monsters. Kieta was not one for getting into fights on her own and never put herself in danger, so this was far past afortable situation. The pair of giant monster girls looked down at the pair of tiny blue and red girls between them. Seeing them there forced Jilly to cool down some, but Lizy was frozen, her mind a fluster storm. "Kiki, I don''t think you should be over here right now," Jilly said, looking down at the girls, but Keri ignored her, and turned to the still frozen Lizy, and then let go of Kieta''s hand, dropping to her knees. "I am sorry for rushing into your room this morning without giving you a warning first, Lizy. I am also sorry that we didn''t invite you personally when Kazz told us to work together," Keri apologized after putting her head to the ground. The beach had gone dead silent, and the only noise was the strange sshing from the waves cutting the brambles Jill had created. Everyone was beyond surprised by Keri''s actions, but the most affected were Jilly and Lizy. Only Jilly knew about what Lizy had done to Keri, and she was left speechless after she heard what her little Kiki had said. All the fire went out of Jilly, and she really looked at Lizy for the first time in a long time. Then she could see something that wasn''t clear to her before when she looked into her nemesis''s eyes. Fear. That confused Jilly, and she didn''t understand why someone who acted so harsh and angry could be scared of something simultaneously. Something was wrong with Lizy, and because of her closeness to Keri and past experiences with Lizy, Jilly couldn''t see it, nor had she wanted to. Keri still had her head on the ground, but Lizy didn''t know what to say or do. This little girl''s simple apology had made the voices go silent, but to hear the person that she had hurt say sorry created a new pain. Chapter 171 - Nature Of The Beast, Not Big On Sharing Lizy felt lightheaded because of all the stress getting to her, and her body shrunk down on its own. She copsed on the ground in front of the tiny women, but now they were only slightly smaller than her. Suddenly, the women that weren''t involved decided to find other things to do. All except for Nushi and Nixi, those two stayed to watch things unfold. "Why does that Keri girl have Kieta with her?" Nixi asked, and Nushi looked through the page she was on. "Do you know who Mati is? I guess Keri reminds her of that girl and is allowing herself to be dragged along. Hmm, this is strange," Nushi exined to Nixi but then became distracted as she started to read intently. "You can read other people''s minds? Can you read mine?" Nixi asked almost jokingly, but she was curious. "You don''t actually want to know the answer to that question, trust me," Nushi said, and then looked up at a ring Nixi and asked, "Do you know Who Fearcania is?" Nixi''s re faltered and slid off her face, reced with a questioning look. "How do you know that name? You were neither alive during the Arcania Uprising nor the assault as we passed Death''s Summit, so how would you know about her? Because I know she didn''t tell you," Nixi questioned, and Nushi finished reading thest page of Lizy''s story. Nushi had leveled up again when Lizy had shrunk and copsed and was now able to read her entire life story. Before, each time Nushi tried to read her, the pages had just filled up with screams. "My System just improved its rank, so to speak, and now I am getting all of Lizy''s story. I can see why she has been acting this way, but I am still not sure what to do," Nushi said with frustration as she closed the book. "What do you mean? Was her life hard here?" Nixi asked and then said, "Fearcania was a caring creature that tried to take her home back from us. She was chased off of Gardania over a hundred years ago." "That isn''t the creature that I read about; this one was ughtering her children in hopes of making them stronger. Then more of her siblings were lost to Sky Drakes and then a storm," Nushi exined, and Nixi gave her a surprised expression, and Nushi nodded, continuing with the rest of what she had read. While this happened, Kerri had let go of Kieta''s trembling hand and scooched forward to Lizy, who was looking at her hands. Tears were silently pouring down her face, and she was astonished when the little pair of dark red hands slipped into her own. Lizy looked up in baffled confusion, not understanding what was going on. Why was this creature apologizing to her? The question was the only thing Lizy''s mind could focus on, and the tears wouldn''t stoping for her. "Why? I should be apologizing to you! Not the other way around!" Lizy cried, and Keri, in her infinite wisdom, replied without a second thought. "Then why don''t you? Pretty easy, and then we can go back to trying to build the boat! I know it''s kind of a silly idea, but there are a lot of us here to work on it!" Keri said with a bright smile and then added, "We are friends, right? You could have eaten me lots back home in the crater but didn''t. I was always scared of you and didn''t really like you, but you could have eaten me and didn''t. So, I just assumed we were friends." Lizy was stunned by Keri''s words and could hardly believe that anyone would be so stupid to believe her words or ept them. Yet, Lizy tried to tell herself that it couldn''t hurt to maybe try; a creature that wasn''t a threat to her had never called her a friend before. "Umm, sorry for the way that I treated you this morning and any other time," Lizy said quietly and then squealed as Keri let go of her hands and hugged her, rubbing her face into Lizy''s cleavage. Behind them, Jilly turned around, walking off by herself. She was confused by the events unfolding in front of her, but Nushi chased after her. She knew that Jilly was perplexed about what was going on and wanted to talk to her. There was a chance that she might be able to help fix things between the girls, so Nushi wanted to try since she was the only one who really understood. Lizy''s mind had been poisoned by her mother''s words, and a string of unfortunate events caused Lizy to force Jilly out of her life. "Jilly! Wait!" Nushi called as she tried to catch up with the giant Oomukade heading to the east side of the beach. Jilly slowed and then stopped to wait but didn''t turn around. Her head and heart were in strange ces right now after watching Keri with Lizy. She had known there was something wrong, but she had just assumed it was Lizy just being the same person she had grown to hate. There was a time when she had been different, but that had been all a lie, so it was hard for Jilly to see Lizy in a different light. The girls were mostly out of earshot, and Nushi jogged over to stand in front of Jilly. "I know that you are confused, but there is more to Lizy than the lying monster that you think she is," Nushi said, and her eyes went big. Nushi was not big on sharing the fact that she could read the minds of others, but Jilly was her friend, and this was important. "Yes, I can not only read your mind and actions with my book, but I can see the events in my head. Give her a chance. You should also know that she feels threatened by you because all of her surviving siblings were killed by her sister that she had called a friend. There is much more to Lizy, but it doesn''t matter; just try to give her a chance," Nushi exined in a rush, and Jilly turned to look at Keri and Lizy. Discord: https://discord.gg/jyFRGudWZ6 Chapter 172 - Our Very Best Effort, Dripping If there was a chance that Lizy could be that person who hadughed and joked with her before, and that person was real, then Jilly would be willing to give her another chance. She knew all too well that the world was a cruel ce, and events shaped the monsters that each of them grew into. It felt only yesterday that she had tried to eat the man that was changing all of their lives so dramatically. Jilly now had a home and a strange family because Kazz had walked into her life, and even after everything, he still gave her a chance. Jilly turned back from the girls and nodded to Nushi. "He really has done so much for each of us and never stops no matter how insurmountable the tasks be. Kazz is special and important, whoever he really is, and we all need to do our best for him. If he only asks us to try and get along with each other while he goes out, risking his life, doing the things that none can, then we owe it to him to give that our very best effort!" Nushi exined. Jilly sighed because she knew that the little blue demon was right, with her horns turned up, just another mark left by the man. Jilly turned back around, and the two of them headed over to where Keri was still hugging Lizy, who was finally returning it. Jilly lowered her centipede body as low as shefortably did as she approached the two, and Lizy looked up at her. The two locked eyes, but Jilly could see the fire was gone from them. "Lizy, I am sorry for not including you this morning, but I was angry with the way you treated Keri," Jilly exined, then paused, making Lizy look, but then she continued. "But, you apologized to Keri, and she obviously has epted it. So, I would like us to move forward and treat each other like we did before. We were also friends before, and if you are willing, I want to try again." Lizy couldn''t believe her ears at the words that she was hearinging out of Jilly''s mouth. What was more unbelievable was that Keri had been right about how simple it had been, but words couldn''t fix everything. "You''re right; they can''t. Some problems can only be fixed with your actions and how you decide to deal with things from now on. Kazz never exined a certain part of his ability to you, and that''s that we can''t hurt or wound each other once we have be part of his system. None of us will betray you, and you can trust us, despite your mother''s words," Nushi exined as she stepped forward. Nushi kneeled down in front of Lizy, who was still hugging Keri close to her, and more tightly now. The little Red woman didn''t seem to care and seemed quitefortable with her eyes closed, resting her face on Lizy''s breasts. Kieta was standing close and anxiously watching, and Nushi could see the cyclone of emotions in the little Sphinxlin''s eyes. Nushi knew she would have to deal with that er, and possibly others as well. Nushi pried Lizy''s arms off Keri, and then Nushi gently pulled her back, telling her to go give Kieta the same kind of hug. Keri''s head was a strange ce to be, and Nushi had looked very few times because all her thoughts were directional to her emotions. It was like looking at color and knowing that feeling that provoked, and while moreplicated than that, Keri''s mind was uninteresting to Nushi. She preferred ones like Jilly and Lizy''s,plicated and very troubled because there was so much more to a person that constantly struggled. Keri nodded to Nushi and then ran and tackled Kieta to the ground-hugging her as Kieta ineffectually struggled. Kieta was concerned that maybe Keri liked Lizy, but she didn''t want to ask because that was weird for a girl to like another one. After knocking her to the ground, Keri began to rub her face into Kieta''s extremely modest chest. She was having trouble seeking the same softness she had experienced from Lizy''s bonkazonka honka big bonkers. Kieta finally realized what Keri was trying to do, and her face got hot as she became embarrassed by theck of breasts she had. In her embarrassment, Kieta had frozen, and Keri noticed, stopped what she was doing. Keri pushed herself up with her arms, so she hung over the top of Kieta and noticed her blushing face. Reading this wrong, Keri attempted to apologize. "Ooo, I am sorry for ying with your bonkers, unless you like it! They aren''t massive like aunties and Lizy''s; they are just like mine, see?" Keri said, lifting her loose white dress up to expose her small round jiggling breasts to Kieta, making Kieta''s faces get worse. Kieta tried to reach up to pull down the dress, but Keri misread this. Thinking Kieta wanted to feel her itty bitty titties, Keri grabbed the hand and pressed it onto her breast, giving it a squeeze. "See?! Now you can feel them, and then I can feel yours again and," Keri continued on, while Kieta had her first experience with touching another girl''s breast. Nushi smiled to herself as the storm in Kieta''s head started to slow down on its own and then focused on Lizy, who was watching the girls. Nushi reached forward and took hold of Lizy''s hands, bringing her attention back. "Can you read my mind?" Lizy asked, and Nushi nodded. "Yes, I know what you have been through, but you don''t have to go through it alone. If you ever want to talk or need anything, I will be here, and so will all the other girls. Soon, we will be leaving this ind, and then we will all be starting brand new lives, some of us more than others. This is your chance to make that step with the rest of us, and start over as a new person, and be the person that you want to be, not the one the world shaped you to be," Nushi exined with a smile, and Lizy could only nod. Things at the beach settled down, and the girls made up for the most part. After that, the girls started to work on the idea that had just changed many of their lives. East from them, Demon women were screaming in orgasm as Kazz hammered his cock deep into Hanna''s dripping pussy. He groaned and pumped the quivering demon''s womb full of his love juices and memories. As he did, Kazz activated his skill, and every Demon woman within range of his Orgasmoura felt their pussy''s tremble. At the peak and about to cum, Neft lost his erection as a burning pink tattoo appeared, and Karen started to tell him what a nice cock he had and how much she loved when she fucked with it. Chapter 173 - What Mex Would Stand Up For, Lighter And Brighter As I dug my shaft deep inside of her, I exploded, pumping Hanna''s cervix full as I could feel my seed start to gush back out. Hanna''s eyes crossed as she held her hands over her mouth to hold back her screams as her back arched. My Skill activated as her body contorted, and not even her hands could hold back the screams as I hammered Hanna''s tight little overflowing hole. I wanted to make sure that I really got it pumped inside of her, but I also felt amazing as her pussy gripped me and her body vibrated. I would have covered her mouth with my own hand, but the vige all around us was crying out in an orgasmic chorus. I thrust myself onest time as the glowing pink tattoo finished covering over the old ck one. Even after I stopped, Hanna''s body still convulsed and shook. After the tremors slowed, she was smiling up at me as she panted to catch her breath. Something was happening to her as I looked down at her beautiful face and small red horns. The red of her hair and eyes were slowly getting lighter and brighter until they almost glowed. As I pulled back and removed myself from Hanna, her body shook as I held my hand to her soft cheek. Once I was removed, Hanna gasped with one final shiver that pumped a bit of my seed out of her pulsing mound of Venus. "What just happened?! I feel like I was hit by a Behemoth, but with no pain! And why was¡­ I am pretty sure it had to be every woman in the area that was screaming with me as you filled my little hole so full of your seed! What about this pink Birthmark? What does that-" I cut her off with a kiss and then ripped the nket out from under the two of us; it mainly was tossed and easy to grab. I pulled the nket over the two of us the best I could, but I knew it was like losing my arm and then hoping a bandaid would be enough. "What are you doing now? Why are you pulling the-" Hanna started again, and I rolled my eyes as I kissed her again, and then narrowed my eyes at her when she opened her mouth to talk, but then closed it. "Hard to get a word in edgewise if you keep asking me questions! Now, what is a Birth Sister? The mark is you being pregnant along with every other demon woman in this vige and the area. After I get a couple answers from you, I will tell you why we are under the nkets," I exined, and Hanna looked up at me curiously. "You mean Lidy? We were born at the same time and came into being facing each other. Our mothers wanted us to have each other like they did, and they had both let Mex fill them at the same time," Hanna exined, and I nodded, assuming as much from what I had learned about the Demons. "Okay, good. Now, why are you here and not with your sister? If you were meant to be together, then what are you apart now?" I asked, and Hanna''s expression turned sour, and she tried to turn her head away from me, but my hand stopped her. "Dao separated us, and they took more than half of Mex''s subjects to rece what they lost on the trip here. Neft has always been jealous of Mex, and he knew that it would bother Mex to separate us, but Mex is such a pushover," Hanna exined, and I grinned at her. "Yes, I kind of thought the same about him when I first met him, but now I can see that it was so much more than just that. Now, I am going to go kill Neft, and then Dao, but I wille back for you when I am finished with Neft. The thing is, if you want toe with me, then you will have to let me take care of you," I exined, and Hanna focused on me with a puzzled look. "Why can you say that so casually?" Hanna asked as she started to get a distressed look on her face and then started in on me again, "Who are you that even Mex, of all people, would give his title to you? While never mean or controlling like almost every other Demon, Mex was almost killed by Neft when he took me and then forced me into his bed to ruin me. The only time I ever saw Mex stand up to anyone was when it was for someone else." "Yeah, I could see that, but if Neft ruined you and knocked you up, then how are you still alive? Why didn''t he just kill you after?" I asked, ignoring her questions. "Because he took everyone''s memory of me away, and now none of them would even recognize me. I know this because I tried to go back, and Neft sent Behemoths to follow me to Mex''s Keep," Hanna told me as I hung over her. "Neft, just let you go back? Or did he send them to stop you?" I asked, but Hanna shook her head no, making her almost glowing pink hair toss. "I thought they wereing to stop me, but instead they protected me and let me go see Mex, but he and even Lidy had no idea who I was. Mex actually sent me away, saying that if she knew who I was, he still couldn''t have helped. I think that was because of him being almost killed by Doa," Hanna exined, and I raised an eyebrow. "Mex tried to fight Dao?! I could see someone like Neft if she was the same strength, but Dao has to be much stronger than him! Mex is gant, but he isn''t stupid," I said, and Hanna shook her head no again. Chapter 174 - Not A Demon, A Wind Blade Demon "No, but he did almost end Neft, and Dao told him to stop, but no matter how much he tries to deny it, Mex is still a full-blooded Demon. What Neft did to me wasn''t wrong in my people''s eyes, and I epted it for what it was, assuming I was going to just die after. Yet, I had never seen such a rage take him over. If you are going to fight Dao, you will see the crater on the far northeastern coast about a mile from Doa''s Castle," Hanna told me, and getting tired of holding my arm up, I rolled over beside her and took Hanna in my arms. I was wasting time, but each little thing that I learned now would help me out in the future. In order to win, I was going to need every advantage and toss my old qualms for power to the wind. I hadn''t really thought about taking over Mex''s position as the Demon Lord, and if I couldn''t protect my people, one of them might end up like Hanna. I had the responsibilities to all the people in my care, and now all the Demon women were pregnant, but what of the rest? "If I kill Neft, what will happen to the rest of the Demons?" I asked, not sure how it worked. "You will need to kill Dao because while Neft has control of us, Doa is the one that owns us," Hanna exined. "Okay, so then Mex tried to do that, or what was his n? I mean, I know you probably don''t know, but I am trying to make sense of this because this just doesn''t sound like Mex," I said with confusion as I scrubbed a hand on my forehead. "I don''t think he was thinking at the time; he just snapped. You know that he considers everyone under his care as his children, right? When we were on Gardania, he was known as the Broken Lord. Laughed at by all, but alwaysughing with them no matter the insult. There has never been another demon like him," Hanna said, and then cuddled into my chest and then kissed one of my pecs. Then her eyes went big with surprise, and then Hanna put the fingers of her free hand on her lips in confusion. I thought that it was cute, and I didn''t really understand why she looked so surprised and confused. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Why did I do that?" Hanna asked absentmindedly as she continued to finger her lips. "Do what? Kiss my chest?" I asked, now sharing in the confusion, and then asked, "Why is that strange?" "Because it''s stupid, I don''t like doing it! No Demon woman would kiss a man by choice!" Hanna dered, and I nodded while giving a "That''s fair" Expression as I did. "I guess, but I''m not a demon, so that can be your excuse, right? I mean, you also didn''t seem to mind before when we kissed," I asked, not sure what else to say. "No! I¡­ I¡­ what? Wait! No¡­ what? Why?" Hanna asked, looking like smoke was about toe out of her ears as I watched the gears in her head try to reason out my words. I pulled Hanna close to me in my arms and then leaned down to kiss and silence her. I also ensured that it was an affectionate kiss that ended with a trail of kisses from her lips to her ear lobe, which I nipped. "Maybe you have been doing it with the wrong person? Was that really that bad?" I asked Hanna in a low and seductive voice. "Who are you?" was all Hanna could utter as she breathed heavily, and I grinned. "Let''s talk about thatter; for now, finish the story about when you went back to see Mex," I said and then kissed her forehead; I needed to get going. "Not much left to say, Mex won''t be able to remember that he fought them to save me. He will just know that he was nearly killed for defying Doa after attacking Neft," Hanna exined, but then asked me," What do you mean, take care of me? Are you doing the same for Lidy, and why would you ask me if you could take care of me? Shouldn''t I be begging for you-" I cut her words off again with another kiss that was more passionate than thest. I found myself getting pulled into the kiss, and my hands started to explore her body, but I had to stop myself before I wasted any more time. I would have plenty of time while we were on the boat, and I had done what I came to do, so all that was left was epting Hanna as one of my girls. "Yes, Lidy is one of my helpers, but she is much more than that to me, and she will be one of my girls soon. There is no need to beg me, I want you toe with me so I can take you away from this constant reminder of a life that is no longer your own," I said, and just like that, Hanna burst with light under the covers of her bed, but there was no level up for me, but I did notice something. {Hanna} Level: 2 Title: N/A Species: Wind de Demon, ss 3F Unique Ability: Air condensing and manipting Magic *Requires Positive Emotional State. ss: N/A The light cleared, but nothing had changed physically, but I read on her small card that Hanna was a Wind de Demon that was ssless. I wasn''t sure what that meant, but I quickly pulled up Nushi''s chart to check something. Yeah, they both had a magical ability that was controlled with emotions, but she was already level two. I guess that meant that she had a bit of experience using her skills, but I was curious how it worked, though it would have to wait till ater point. Chapter 175 - Did You Get Hit In The Head, Or Was It Me? Hero piped up in my mind to give me a run down of Demon women, and exin a bit about their magic. It made sense from what I knew, and I was curious again to find out more! "What just happened to me? Why do I feel¡­ free? Can I kiss you? I don''t know why, but I really want to every time I look at you! Please, just a little bit more?" Hanna asked me, and I closed the Air Krashmia Totem tab. "Yes, but then I have a date with Neft, and I don''t want to keep him waiting on me. You are now one of my girls and no longer under Dao control," I said and then shared another kiss, but I had to cut it short. Hanna looked disappointed, but I smiled at her and then gave her another quick kiss. "Stay here, and wait for me. When I am done, I wille back and get you, and then we will go home, okay?" I asked and started to turn, but Hanna caught my hand with a scared look. "Are you sure that you can beat him? He isn''t the same Demon that fought Mex, and Dao forced him to do training since it happened. He also has all the guards!" Hanna told me with a worried and trembling voice. "Don''t worry, while I might not be one of the heroes from legends, Mex asked me to be the Lord for a reason. Plus, I didn''t like the idiot before this, and your little storytime has given me some motivation, and now I am going to go tear off his arms and beat them with it. One final question I have before I go is what you meant by taking the memories of you? Are they gone?" I asked, knowing this world was beyond strange, so something like this might not be outside of the realm of chance. "Memories? Oh, of me? Neft has them stored in his head, and only he can give them back. I don''t think you will be able to get them back from him; if you do beat him, they will go to the grave with him," Hanna said as she let go of my hand and looked down in herp. This son of a bitch was going to get it because I was beyond furious, but I smoldered the firestorm until I could get away from Hanna. I kept a smooth and friendly expression as I talked with Hanna, but now I was starting to slip. "Do as I said, please, and I will see you after I am done, so don''t go anywhere, please," I told Hanna and then turned before I started to shake, walking into the hall and down the stairs. [New Personal Skill Unlocked: Demon Harbinger]: Demon Harbinger activates when you make a decision in regards to one of your Monster Girls. While active, your emotions are converted into physical strength. All sses and Systems are deactivated during Demon Harbinger''s activation. [Demon Harbinger] Activated! I scanned it and closed the screen as I tried to quietly open the door but ripped the handle and part of the door off. This only served to add more fuel to the ze that was now roaring. ''Huh?'' I was surprised by the question as I pulled the remains of the door open and closed it as I went outside into an empty street. I looked around, and there were puddles of Demon cum littering the ground. ''You tell that to the Skill, but I am notining. I am going to kill that son of a bitch, and then his father will be next tomorrow.'' ''You should be more worried about Neft.'' I was beyond pissed, and I was about to make Neft wish that he had never been squirted out! Demons¡­ why did they need to be so despicable?! I shook my head and bent my legs, and gritted my teeth, and exploded into the air as I jumped two stories into the air tond on a tile roof. I could clearly see the Keep now, and the wall around it was about the same height as the rooftops. I was about to start running, but I was sent flying out of nowhere as something huge collided with me. I was sent flying, and then I skipped across two roofs before smashing into the second floor of a house. I smashed through the wall but somehow ended up in a bed with a screaming girl. I looked over at the ck-haired cute Demon girl who was screaming but then stopped when our eyes met. "Who are you?" the girl asked in shock, and not really sure what to do, I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, and then hopped out of the bed. The girl fell forward in her bed as she tried to follow my lips as I pulled away and then looked up at me. She was touching her lips like Hanna had, but I didn''t have time to wait around, and whatever just attacked me would be. "Name is Kazz, and I am trouble, so stay here, and I will try not to get you hurt," I said as I walked to the edge of the hole in the wall. "Wait! What does that mean?! Who are you?! I have never seen a pink person that isn''t a Demon, but you''re not a Demon! ¡­ and you kissed me¡­ why did you do that? Why did I like it? What is going on right now?! I just got finished fucking myself silly on the corner post of my bed, and now you burst into my house looking all¡­ different and THEN! You kissed me? Did you get hit in the head, or was it me?" The girl asked in a flurry of questions and confusion. Chapter 176 - Mangle-Handed, Little Demon Clarence Thement about the bedpost made me turn around to look at her again with interest. Yeah, wow, therge post was still wet, and it looked about the size of a pop can, and it was wet for about a foot down! "Well, at least I know you are a man for sure!" the ck-haired Demon said, but then looked at myck of shorts that I had left in the back alley. The girl jumped up from her bed, and rushed over to me, and started to examine my now erect cock. "Don''t you think that you should be paying attention to the thing that is trying to kill you?" A growling voice said from behind me as a purple hand snatched me out of the house. I was hauled away from the girl that had fallen back as it happened and then brought up to the Behemoth''s disgusting grinning face. Even with the Pine-Sol smell, being this close to the creature''s mouth was less than a pleasant experience. The creature was trying to squeeze me, but it was like trying to squeeze a rock because my temper was reigniting. The short talk with the girl had slightly cooled down, but getting interrupted in the middle of my cock rating was thest straw. "Where are you? I heard you were some big old chicken shit that would be too scared to fight me. Mex wasn''t wrong, and I found it hard to believe that someone like Mex could even fight his way out of a wet paper bag!" I said with augh, and I could tell that the creature was trying to squeeze me harder. "That weakling?!" Neft roared, and I snapped my hand forward to p him on the end of the nose, sending his head sideways. "Hardly the answer to the single question that I just asked you. Where are you?" I asked and then pped massive snot again before he could speak. "I haven''t even spoken yet!" The Behemoth roared, and I raised my hand to mock another p, and he finally pulled his hand from his face. That was about the time that I had be tired of smelling the rotting hand mping me. I flexed and pushed my arms out to the side. I became more annoyed as that only made the smell worse as I fell to the ground with rotten finger parts raining down around me. The force I had used tore them off the dead hand, but now I had some of the nasty shit on me. The Behemoth swung at me and jumped back some, but into a shadow. I threw my arms up and braced against another purple fist that was trying to crush me into the ground. [There are more of theming, so I don''t know what you need to do with this power, but you need to do it now!] ''Like I don''t know that already!'' I grunted and pushed up, forcing the fist back up, and I spun around as the other mangle-handed Behemoth charged me. I kicked at the heel of the one I had just knocked off bnce and then jumped to the room as it fell. I didn''t spare a second as I started to burst forward, skipping across the roof, looking for some thick smoke from a stone-built smiths shop. I could see the Behemoths now, but sets of armor started to climb up to the roofs. [To you left, I think that is your best bet] I looked and then sprinted at the stone chimney that wasing off of a small shop that had a sign with an anvil on it. ssic. I spared no time and just hurled myself at the roof, smashing through the red tile. I crashed down and miraculouslynded in a straw pile; I must have a horseshoe up my ass today! "What are you doing in my shop, you little¡­ what in demon seed is wrong with your skin? Did someone attack you with Strip Sealer Sap Wax Strips like the crazy women use?? I hear thedies-" The man was a small dark blue demon male with an apron, but I could see the ck stains on his legs. That had really hit everyone good, but now was not the time for this, or we were both going to die. "Big weapon, now! Here to kill Neft, so give me something that can take a beating!" I shouted as I got up and cut him off. "Neft? Kill him? Not bad, but I have heard better excuses for assisted robbery, but sure, here!" The little Demon said as he turned. The man paused for a brief second as he quickly scanned the wall filled with weapons of all shapes and sizes. I could hear and feel the pounding getting closer, but it was frustrating that I could sense them anymore. "Here! Take that ck and red rod if you can lift it up, hehe," the little Demon suggested with a chuckle. I looked at the rod in question, and it was about three inches in diameter, but it had carved a handle at the end that was only two inches thick. The thing looked like a ck pole with red cracks, and I moved off and picked it up without a problem. I heard choking, and I turned quickly to see what was going on with the little Demon. The man was choking, but his eyes were on the weapon I was holding. "H-How?!" Was all the man could utter before the damaged roof I hade sailing through was torn off the Smiths shop. "What are you doing with my Dread Ore Axe?!" The growling voice of a Behemoth asked, and I turned to face the massive ugly purple bear. "This? I said, looking at the weapon that was clearly a bat at the very least, but not an ax. "You use magic on it to change its shape, but none has even been able to lift it but Dao, and he struggles!" The little man squeaked, and I heard him scurry back from me. "Shut it, rence! I am already sending the Nether Knights to deal with you!" Neft roared, but he had a bad habit of getting in people''s faces. "You want it?" I asked and then tossed the bat into the air. Chapter 177 - Heart-Eyes, Though Eater As the sickly colored yellow eyes of the Behemoth followed the weapon, I timed it in my head. This would be a lot easier than when I used to throw the ball up at the same time at Baseball practice. I didn''t need to speed up reaction time for this one because it was something I had practiced as a kind on earth. I timed it and wound up; this usually didn''t work very well, but I was just a kid back then. I fueled my anger and outrage as I caught the ck and red, cracked bat, mming it into the side of the Behemoth''s head. The bat cut diagonally and severed the top part of the creature''s head, causing it to rear back in surprise. Then after turning the remains of his head back and forth, the Behemoth copsed. Neft must have lost sight, so it would be easy to focus on the very close others. "Get out of here, and I will try to get to him, but I need to know where he will be. Can you help me out with that, or those Metalheads are going to get you, and I can''t protect you right now, okay?" I asked rence, and he nodded as he walked over to the wall and started to pull off armor and put it on. "Sure, top tower, break the Blood Moon, and he will lose control of the Behemoths and Nether Knights, but you need to make sure to watch out for the Karen''s. They are all nasty women that are almost as dangerous as Neft himself," rence exined, and I nodded. "Good, how much does this thing weigh?" I asked as I looked up at the tower and took some steps back until I was beside him. "About the same as half as much as the stone it took to build the Keep! What are you?! Some kind of monster?!" rence asked me as he was suiting up, and he was starting to look more like a Dwarf than a Demon. I thought it was rich that a Demon was calling me a monster, but I let it go as I focused on Hellbat. Cheesy name, but hey, I was on a roll and swinging it now; I was getting a feeling for how it was straining my muscles. "Perfect, I always wanted to see if I could fly," I said as I stepped forward, windmilling the Hellbat in an underhanded swing picking up speed as I focused on the tower. The wind from it was starting to create a wind storm of straw and dust as the Hellbat started to hum and my arm started to feel the strain. "Fly?" rence asked, but I was already bursting forward, and then I jumped into the air as I timed the Hellbat to point at the top of the Keep. Even in this intense state, the speed and strain on my arm was incredible, and my aim was low, and I smashed through the Keep. I crashed through the stone walls of the first turret and then into the second that was on the opposite side. I flipped forward in the second and smashed down, smashing through the floor andnding into a pool full of beautiful naked blue demon women that expertly dodged the falling stones, and Inded in the waist-deep warm water. "What is he? He looks so nice and handsome. Are you looking for Neft, the angry master?" One of the girls asked, and she moved forward like the others. All of them had glowing pink tattoos, and the first one did not really fit the description of a Karen, but this wasn''t my old world. I backed up from the vapid-looking women that had hearts burning brightly in their eyes. These were the Subus that I had been warned of, but they seemed changed, and none of them seemed to be the described mean Karens. As I backed up, I thought about it, and Karen''s and then being mean was totally an Earth thing, but what did that mean? I didn''t really have time for it right now, but it wouldn''t be wrong to ensure Neft''s location. "Where is he? And please stay back, I know you are all Subus Demons, and I am the one that gave you all those marks," I said, but that made the women''s eyes burn even brighter. I swear they started to pulse as all the women started to get excited, but they stayed back from me like I had asked. One of the women took a single step forward and then stopped and smiled at me. "Yes, thank you, he is up in the observatory; killing him will be nice until Daoes and kills up all. Still, we were all barren and destined to die whenever Neft got tired or too annoyed with the way we acted before," One of the women exined, and I nodded and grinned at them. "I will be visiting him after that, so don''t worry too much about it. There are going to be some big changes soon, so stay here, and I will go deal with Neft," I said, and then turned to go, but stopped when another one of the women called out to me. "Wait! Neft had special things in his head, so don''t damage it so we can get the Thought Eater to get the things he stole from everyone," the Demon called to me that stopped, and I nodded to them. "Good, I was worried about that. I will make sure to bring you his head, but I need to all to stay out of the way. Maybe even leave the Keep for now," I said to the women, and they nodded gratefully while still thanking me for fixing them. I grinned, turned with my Hellbat, opened the door to the center lower area of the Keep, and walked out into the center. I looked around, and the ce was empty, and I looked up. Chapter 178 - Zack, Energy Dispersion Wave Theory [What''s the n?] ''Pest removal, I am going to get the rat out of the rafter.'' [I''m watching with interest.] I started to swing the Hellbat back and forth and focused on the center of the roof. I didn''t want to throw it too hard and lose it, or worse, it falls and kills people. I tossed the Hellbat up, and at the exact same moment, the massive doors behind me burst open. I turned and then started to back up, but the toss was light, and the Hellbat waspleting the height of its arch as the Behemoths and Metalheads crashed through. I turned back and ripped the post of the railing and whipped back around, and threw the bit of wood at the Metalheads. I barely dodged a spear but then ducked two more speers as the wood crashed into two, but not really doing that much. That was enough, though, and I grabbed the Hellcat out of the air, then the spear hit me in the chest. I was pushed back, but then the speer fell harmlessly without leaving a mark. [That isn''t normal.] "What is wrong with you?!" The three Behemoth snarled at me at the same time, but I narrowed my eyes at them all. "I am angry, and you are the reason, and you are going to be the reason that I feel better," I said as I thought about Mex, Hanna, and everyone else affected, and I closed my eyes. Usually, not the smartest thing to do in a fight, but something about it felt right. I centered myself, feeling something like the energy that was typically filling my body. The energy was hot, but it wasn''t anger or rage; it was the passion I had for changing things that weren''t right. Somehow I knew that this was something about the real me, a person I was going to finally meet in two days. Time had stopped outside, and there was no sound; something about this power had drawn me somewhere else. I tried opening my eyes, but I was back in that ce with two suns, but I was alone. In the vacuum of space, there was no noise or sounds, but it was strangely rxing. I wasn''t sure what the point of me being here was until I heard a female voice from behind me. It was familiar, soft, and inviting, but I had never heard it before. "Hello, Zack, it''s been a while. You still look the same, but then, you would. I can''t stay long, but I am here to remind you that you can do this. Everything you need is already inside of you, and when you find it, you will understand why I know that you will win. Zero was never half the man you imed not to be, and I know that your will is the thing that will bring us home." I couldn''t move, and the voice stayed behind me, but my eyes filled with tears. I knew who this person was, but something held the information from me, but they were close to me. "I have to go now, but you don''t need help, but you need to watch out for Time, Zero got to him, and he has been converted to a Demon. Harold was right about him, and he was the only reason we could find you. Harold chased after you and activated a Gods Gate as Ryan started to destroy all the World Gates, and Harold has been waiting for you. Be safe, and don''t get killed, yeah, big idiot," the female voice said and then vanished as I tried to tell her to stay or anything. Nothing on my body worked, and it was beyond frustrating to know that person was so close, but I couldn''t see them. I needed the memories back. [They areing, but don''t get over-excited for them. They aren''t all good.] ''You were here the entire time? Did you hear everything?'' [Yeah, but I was as nk as you were when I came here. This is the first time I am hearing about Marcus, and that is extremely disturbing. I don''t know much about the gates, but him destroying them sounds like we don''t get another chance at this.] ''Yup, I agree, but I need to find out about Zero and what started whatever all of this is.'' [Agreed, and you will, but I can''t tell you because I don''t know. Maybe when you get your memories back, I will get some as well.] ''So, why are we here?'' [Beats me. I thought you would have woken up, but we are still here, and I have no ess to anything. I am just a voice floating through your head right now.] ''Thank you, Harold. I am sure that I pissed you off in the past, and I have been horrible to work with. Still, you made the sacrifice toe through, but why do you know your''s and my name?'' [I got some of my memories back the moment we connected, but I still can''t remember what happened after we left the Lab¡­ interesting. Zack¡­ yes, that is your name, kind of silly now that I can say it, but I am not blocked any more that way I am in my own mind.] ''We were working on some numbers? Or what?'' [No, we were talking about something to do with the form for the Energy Dispersion Wave Theory. Everything is nk before and past there, but you were concerned about what Zero was doing with the form.] "Even if you get every memory back, crawl your way to me, I am going to win, Zack. I have so much more at stake than you do, and if you had just listened to me, it would have nevere to this. Even Ryan understands now why I did it, and in time, you will too. Whether you like it or not, you will see why the Dredge Gate is the best use for the form," A far too familiar voice of an ordinary man whispered into my ear that set my emotions to rage. [It''s Zero.] Chapter 179 - Know My Pain, Can Stop Laughing "Oh,e now, Harold, we are all friends here, right? Since you decided that this wasn''t good enough, and wiped your brain, let me remind you, Zack! Heslin Zero, millionaire, and extraordinaire, but now I am this thing because of you!" Zero said to me and then walked around to stand in front of me, and I flinched despite not being able to move. The creature that stepped in front of me was any but what the voice suggested. Instead, horrendous and graphically disturbing just could not epass all the random teeth, eyes, and mouths all over the body. Zero had gxy-sprayed skinned with fast rotating sr systems that actively floated around the inside, but it was hard to concentrate on anything. Each time I did try to follow it, I would run into a mouth filled with a red swirling substance the spiraled inside or an eye. "So, what do you think? King of everything, but what did I have to give up? Everything, of course, because I don''t get a choice in this anymore! You made sure of that!" Zero''s casual tone turned to anger as I could feel the countless eyes narrowing on me, but I, of course, had no clue what he was talking about. ''Was this guy always such a big talker?'' [We are both deaf kids being yelled at right now, I have no idea what is going on.] "You both are impossible! You will learn, Zack! Mark will teach you if the Scourge fails, BUT YOU WILL KNOW MY PAIN!" Zero roar and unearthly otherworld scream cut me to my core, and it seemed toe from everywhere at once. The words were sharp, and the screams were like razors, but this constant "feel my pain" routine started to push my buttons. ''What are you? You are too scared to let me use my own voice? I can''t remember you, but I don''t think I need my memory back to know that you are just some entitled prick that thinks you own the world. Well, shit head, I have news for you! The universe only revolves around you until I get there and kick your ugly-looking ass off the throne.'' "You think that it will be so easy?" Zero growled and came close to me, and I felt my jaw loosen up. "No, nothing is ever easy if it''s worth it, but that won''t change the end results. That''s why you cheated me the first time, right? For more time, and the hopes of convincing me like the others? Whatever happened to cause all of this, I will be the one that finishes it," I said, and the mass of eyes red at me, but I red at the pair closest to where they should be. [Why is he here? What does he get out of this.] "That doesn''t matter, and our time is up. Think about it, this doesn''t have to stop, but you need toe to my side. Once youe, the rest will fall like dominos!" Zero dered as she leaned in closer to me until his face was almost touching- Suddenly, and felt something hit me, and I opened my eyes as another spear hit the ground, and I was back in Neft''s Keep. I didn''t even think about it; I just tossed the Hellbat into the air and stepped back to the stairs as spears pelted me. The Hellbat crashed through the ceiling, and in the same instant, all the animated dead dropped to the ground. Above, a descending roar got closer until it smashed into the ground in the form of a massive sky blue demon simr in shade to Mex and Lani. Two halves of a globe smashed down and then shattered into red stone as the Demon started to get up, and he looked mad¡­ what the hell? [Hard to tell if he is angry or happy to see you.] "You stupid Pink Man idiot stupid¡­ Idiot!" Neft snarled, but I started tough; I couldn''t help myself. The Demon was massively erect with a cock as big around and almost as long as the Hellbat. "W-What''s with the hard-on? I mean, I know I do it for thedies¡­ hahaha, but I never knew I had this effect on men!" I stuttered andughed at the tripoded Demon as he shook with rage, and the third leg stood more erect. "SHUT UP! I will crush you-" Neft started to say, but I cut him off as I reached out to the sideughing, and veins in his half leg started to swell as the thing pulsated. "-Me with that thing? Honestly, not much scared me, but I can say with confidence that the veiny elephant leg stabbing from your hips is putting the fear into me!" Iughed, and I swear the big bright blue thing started to turn purple like he was holding his breath, but the wrong head was changing colors. [Better stop teasing him, he looks like he might try with the hard-on he has for you!] ''Hey! That''s not funny! That thing would make a whale scream!'' "I am going to rip your head off and then-" Neft started to roar, but I cut him off again, almost in tears, as I backed up, waving my hands in front of myself for him to stop; it was too much and too easy. "Oh god, don''t say what I think you are going to say! I don''t want to get prated anywhere with that whale stretcher!" I said, but Neft finally seemed to get the idea that I was not taking the threats seriously, and he stabbed his hands out to the side. A hole on each side cut open, and I stood straight and settled down, unlike the giant dick in my face. I wonder if he was going to use it as a weapon. [Maybe you shouldn''t have lost your shorts and stolen a frying pan to cover your ass with!] ''There isn''t a suit of armor that could resist that ass splitter!'' [Don''t drop the Hellbat! Haha!] Chapter 180 - Blue Thunder Rod, Lets Make A Deal I blocked a pair of axes that smashed down using my other hand to brace the other end of the Hellbat and then shoved it back. Neft''s pair of axes went up, and I went forward but then backed up after almost face nting into the meat stick of doom! [I don''t think it will fit.] ''Shut it!'' "What is your problem?!" I asked as I ran up the stairs from the giant cock Demon. "What? You''re scared of me now, Pink Man?!" Neft roared out he leapt to the second floor. I smashed two strikes from the axes, but then the pervert tried to shove his blue thunder rod at me. I back peddled and turned to run as I started cutting ap. "No, I am scared of being sexually assaulted by you, not physically, but maybe that''s the same. Honestly, do you need to be erect right now?!" I asked as the Demon Lord chased me like some cartoon around the second floor of his Keep. "I can only get hard when I am mad, and you are PISSING ME OFF!" Neft screamed, and I felt something hit me in the back, and I was sent rocketing forward and out through the castle wall. I sailed into the open air, and I had a brief moment of silence. [That makes sense with having a bunch of Karens, and I guess his enemies all know when he is irate.] Iughed as I arched into the open street and face-nted, cracking the ground with my face. What the hell was going on here?! I got up and then felt my face after dusting my hands off, but there was nothing wrong with it. I didn''t even feel it when I hit the ground, but I was really getting tired of being used as a golf ball! [Start paying attention then! He ising for you again!] I was still holding the Hellbat, and I could hear the roaring Demon Lording at me from behind, and I gripped the Hellbat tight in my right hand. I spun and smashed the ck bat into Neft''s shoulder and sent him through a house to the left. He flew through the first floor and out the back, bouncing the entire way, but recovered on the other side of the street. Neft''s arm was severely mangled that I had struck, but I could see the muscles under his skin moving. [He will be able to heal, even the lowest demons can regenerate.] I dashed forward, and Neft did the same with his single ax as his other arm healed, but I had the advantage now. I was having trouble before because Neft was much more skilled using the axes than I was using any weapon, but now it was different. Neft was forcing me to be constantly defending strikes one after the other from both hands. Now his single strikes were smashed back by the immense weight of the Hellbat. The raging erection was starting to wane, and I increased the ferocity of my strikes, and Neft missed a block. I brought the bat down on the gap between his shoulder and neck. The Demon Lord to his knees while caving his shoulder into his neck in a sickly crunching noise. Suddenly, Neft started to scream, and he split something up at me, but I jumped back and used the Hellbat to swat it out of the air. The thing was a pulsing ck egg, but even the strike had just smashed it into the ground, not seeming to damage it. "My father wille and kill you, but¡­ HEY-Y!" Neft started to say but then cried out as I drove the tip of the Hellbat down on the ck mass. I sunk it down to almost the handle, letting go, and then walking up to the still living and recovering Demon Lord. I grabbed Neft by one of hisrge curled horns simr to Nushi''s when she was happy and brought him to my face. "So, Daddy Dao is going toe and fight me? How do you know this? Can he feel you?" I asked, and Neft tried to swing at me. I let go of the horn and caught the fist, rotating it while sidestepping, then dropped my elbow down on the back of his. Neft screamed and sprayed me with dark blue, almost ck blood, and I punched him in the face to shut him up. The strike would have taken a normal creature''s head off, but the Demon Lord turned his head back with hate in his now solid ck eyes. There had been some white before, but now they were solid ck. "So, you''re the one that has been stirring up trouble? A Demon? No, maybe a Hero, but even then, where are your fancy powers! I knew that this mound of flesh was useless, but to be beaten with bare hands¡­ Let''s make a deal, Traveler!" ''A deal?'' [There has to be more than that. Demons don''t make deals unless they have the advantage.] "Why would I make any kind of a deal with someone like you? You must know why I am here and where I am going to be going next!" I said to Neft''s body that The Demon Lord Dao was speaking through. The expression on his face had almost be smug, and something about that bothered me. "Yes! I assumed as much! You seem strong, and it looks like you have taken a great interest in Mex. Would you be willing to talk to me?" Doa asked with a curious expression, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. "What do you want to talk about?" I asked as my mind started to race. "I will tell the Demons surrounding his¡­ well I guess your Keep? Anyways I will tell them to back off, and we can have a little talk? I have Mex here, but I left the rest of your creatures alone. I just want to have a talk, but know that they will not be far, and waiting. I won''t hurt them, but only if youe and talk with me," Doa told me, and I should have felt a bit relieved, but I wasn''t. Chapter 181 - Sterilized, Starting Area "How do I know that I can trust you? You could just kill them the moment I get to you, right?" I asked, and Neft''s face distorted into a smile filled with sharp teeth. "Think of it this way. Most of the women and the missing ones that I have been trying to find and kill for thest thirty-odd years are at the beach working on some strange metal shell. I should be killing them, but that will just end up getting me into a fight with someone that is very angry and unreasonable," Doa exined. "What do you hope to gain from talking to me? Do you think I am going to spare you after all that you have done and are still doing?" I questioned, and Neft''s head nodded to me with an understanding look that annoyed me. "Yes, I do see where you areing from, but it is a matter of view, my boy! In this life, a demon has one task. Conquer until there is nothing left, and then we all move on! But if we die, that doesn''t happen until we are born again! I don''t really want to leave, so I will offer you a deal if you are willing to speak with me. If not, I will just kill all your pets, and you cane, and we can see who wins," Doa said inly to me. [You don''t have a lot to work with right now, but it really doesn''t matter what you do. He can attack the girls at any time, so buying some time to think might not be such a bad thing.] It was true, but my head was a storm right now; this was the worst possible situation and something that I had been worried about. I would have toply, but I would also need to figure out what I could do to stop the guaranteed betrayal. "Look, I know this is a bit of a surprise, but I will show you my good faith, and I will light the beacon, so you know where to find me. In a show of good faith, I will give the memories taken back that this sack of shit took for his games," Doa said to me suddenly, and I jumped back as Neft started to glow blue. Thousands of lights shot up from Neft''s head and shot out in every direction, filling the sky with light. This carried on for almost a minute, and I looked back down at Neft''s body and then watched him reach up and tear his own throat out. "S-See¡­ S-S-oo-glug¡­" Dao said as Neft bled down the front for himself and then fell to the ground, twitching as more of the dark blue liquid leaked out around him. I shouldn''t have been surprised by the act, but I was. Even though I had nned on killing Neft, seeing him being forced to tear out his own throat gave me an idea of the person I was facing. [Hard what you should make of him.] ''What do you mean? He took Mex, and he had the rest of them under watch and waiting to pounce on them!'' [Maybe at the Keep, but if the majority of them are together, I don''t think we need to worry that much. You do remember the beach, right? All those demons we like lesser versions of Neft and Mex, and there are very few other sky blue Demons. The girls can more than handle themselves.] That was a good point, but that still left Mex and the ones at the keep. [Again, this is I am not sure what to make of the current situation. None of what Dao has done benefits him other than making youe and talk to him. If he was going to y a trick, then why would he take a male of all things as ransom? Think about it, why not at least take one of the girls?] That was a fair point. ''So what? I just walk in there, and what? Make a deal to let him live after everything?'' [I really don''t know yet. I think you will have to wait and see, but there is something I wanted to mention about the Orgasmoura that might be of some use.] ''Oh? I am listening.'' [When you activate your Impregnate Skill, it is having an adverse effect on all the male demons. At first, I thought it might just be something to do with you, but the seed that leaked out of him was not right, and I assumed it might just be something to do with him. I have been monitoring things since, and I have found the same thing with all the Demon sperm that you havee near.] ''What did it do to them?'' [In a word, castrated.] ''Really? Now isn''t that just the damnedest thing? So the demon women are changed back, but the men are sterilized? While I am sure that most might deserve it, this doesn''t feel right.'' [I agree, but if it stops the demons from reproducing, this could be a secret way to keep one up on Dao. This will also keep the Demon farms from continuing, and they will be forced to adapt to the new lifestyle.] I turned and walked back to my Hellbat and tried to pull it out of the ground, but nothing happened. More like I wasn''t strong enough to budge it, then I slowly started to feel my connection to¡­ everything came back. When I had lost the connection to my Shaman ss and System, I had been focused on finding Neft and hadn''t really noticed. Now I could feel the worlding back to me, and then I could feel Hanna. ''I am going to have to go and see her, and then send her to the Keep with Kali, and then we head for the final confrontation.'' [If you think this will be your final confrontation, then I think I need to exin something to you, Mr. Zack. If you have ever yed any game in your life, then you should be familiar with the concept of a starting area. Everything on this ind is at its weakest form.] ...Oh. Chapter 182 - Snu-Snu God, Suck-Your-Dicks Patrol Not really disappointing, but it was a bit of a buzzkill considering how hard I had fought over thest few days. This was only my fourth day on the ind, and I had thought that I had undergone some extreme changes. Now, Harold was telling me that I was equivalent to a toddler struggling to swim in a wading pool. Except that the wading pool was in the middle of the ocean, and there was no in between the next step. [Yeah, that is an excellent way to put it, but it''s meant like that so you can learn how to use the skills you are learning in a short amount of time.] That was a good point, and I activated my Fire Force Pact and Water Undine Totem, then locked onto Hanna. I jogged the block to the house where I had left her and then went inside to hear hering down the stairs in a rush. "You killed him? The Keep is a mess, and all the animated dead dropped!" Hanna said as she ran over to hug me. "Yes, he is dead, but we need to get going. I am going to take you to my friends, and they are going to bring you back to the Keep. Dao has Mex, so I am going to deal with him," I exined, and Hanna let go of me in shock. "He has Mex?! Why?! What about everyone else?" Hanna asked with a perplexed look on her face. "He wants to talk to me, but everyone else is alright as far as I know. I need you to go back and help Candace watch over Jessabell, the Minostien, until I can get back. I am sure that the rest of the women will be back at the Keep as well soon enough," I exined and mentioned the door, and Hanna quickly went out it. Once Outside, I was able to activate Kali''s Totem and turned to Hanna. "I am going to get bigger, and then we are going to get out of here," I said, but then people started to fill the streets, and everyone was looking at me. "There he is!" I heard a female voice from behind me call, and Hanna and I turned to find the about fifteen Karens running up with barely any close on. I groaned, and Hanna looked up at me questioningly. "You had time to do all that and defeat Neft? What are you?" Hanna asked with admiration in her eyes that felt misguided, and I shielded my eyes with my hand, shaking my head. [The Snu-Snu God! All hail the man who slew the entire vige of women in one deep thrust!] ''Don''t use that word, what are you like fourteen? Come on, get with the program, help me with the suck-your-dicks patrol heading over here!'' [I don''t think they areing to suck your soul out of your cock.] The women''s eyes were now just reddish pink, and they all looked happy and not vapid and ready to jump my bones like before. Maybe they just wanted to say thank you. "If you are going to kill Dao, are youing back to rule us?" The head Subus Demon asked me. "No, you are free to do what you want. I will be leaving this ind and heading back to Gardania. You cane back with me if you would like, but I will not be staying here. All the Demon men have been sterilized, so even if you sleep with one, they won''t get you pregnant," I exined, and then the woman pointed down to the glowing Birthmark on her stomach. "And this? What will being out of us? This was you, right?" The female asked. "My memories, and then you will no longer be demons. What you will turn back into is far beyond what I know, but I don''t have time to talk right now. I wille back tomorrow or the next day to see if you all or any want to join us," I exined and then took Hanna''s hand. "Thank you, but most of us will probably stay; going back means death. I hope that you can defeat Dao," The lead Karen said to me, and then they all bowed to me. Demons all around me started to say thank you, but they came out slow and awkwardly. Something that they probably weren''t used to saying, but at least they knew how to. Hanna and I started to run, and she led me on a short route to the viges'' front gate. The trip was a lot faster, having a guide that knew their way around the vige rather than just wandering around. I had nned on just getting bigger and trying to step over the houses, but now there were people in the street everywhere. One of the things that I did notice while I was running through the streets was the overall positive feeling I could sense from the people as we ran by them. Once outside the Vige south wall gate entrance with piles of armor littering it, I pointed West. "My friends should be over there," I said, and Hanna nodded to me, but then I heard Kali''s voice call to me. "Big Brother! I am over here! Are you ready toe to climb on me and ride me like you did before?!" Kali called as she came running from a boulder that started to break apart and form into Grogvel. "Hmm, it seems you have quite the varied taste," Hanna said without looking at me in a tone that I didn''t like. "No, she is like my little sister, but she was a flower before this, so her mind is still a little bit immature. I might be a pervert, but I am not a sicko. Regardless, I need you to ride her back to the Keep and protect the others," I exined to Hanna, and she gave me one of those "Sure, whatever you say" looks, making me roll my eyes. Chapter 183 - Big Brother Treats Me Well, The Regularly Scheduled Shit Show "Alright, Kali, this is Hanna; I want you to take her back to the Keep. Grogvel, can Windorf and you escort them back? I need to go rescue Mex; Dao took him," I exined to everyone as my Elemental partners gathered around me. "We can, but are you sure that it is a good idea?" Gorgvel asked me as he made a grinding sound scratching his chin. "Don''t have much of a choice; I have to go deal with Dao, but he has Demons surrounding the Keep, and I don''t want to send the girls back there alone. You can also help defend if ites to that. The rest of the girls are at the beach right now, but they will being back at some point, and they are being watched as well," I exined. "What happened there? How did everything be so blown around?" Windorf asked in disbelief, but then his eyes went big. "Where is my daughter?!" "She is with the girls, and she is safest there, so you two need to get there and make sure that the ce is ready to defend if ites to it. I will try to distract him till the end of the day, so it gives the girls some time to get back to the Keep from the demon Vige. Once you are set up, it wouldn''t hurt for you to go and let them know what is going on," I told them, and my Partners nodded to me, and then I turned to Kali, who was talking with Hanna. "Don''t worry, big brother treats me really well! He only kept me in that dark ce for a day or two, so it wasn''t that bad! Then he showed me how big he was, and I didn''t think that Big Brother could get bigger, but he did!" Kali exined, and Hanna''s eyes went wide with thecking description of me using her Totem. "Kali¡­ just¡­ don''t¡­ ugh, I don''t even know what to say anymore! Hanna, just go with them, okay? And no to whatever is boiling around inside your head!" I told Hanna, and she grinned at me and then came over and gave me a kiss. "Just be careful and don''t underestimate Dao," Hanna told me, and I nodded to everyone and then turned west to run, expanding as I started to run. I reached my full height and used the corner of the wall to swing myself north when I said it. A zing red light wasing from the north. [That must be the beacon that he was talking about. At least you won''t have trouble getting there.] There would still be monsters, but I had ignored the final Shaman level I just received, and as I started to run, I pulled it up. [Name]: Kazz [Level]: 10/+346 Exp(ss Options Avable) [ss]: Shaman [Strength]: 18 [Dexterity]: 15 [Fortitude]: 25 [Wisdom]: 17 [Intellect]: 17 [Spirit]: 30 [Energy]: 1550 [ss Skills]: {Rank 3}: When 50 feet from a Bonded Partner, the Totem Marks power increases 60%. {Rank 4}: Target a nt to speak to it. 70% chance of sess. 7% chance of irritation. {Rank 3}: Summon 2 Bonded nts to fight as your ally. {Rank 5}: Auto-Trigger: Totem Bond is triggered when a Totem Mark can be acquired. The target must express gratitude to you in some form in order to trigger Totem Bond. {Rank 2}: Activate more than one Bond at a time. Only one Primal Bond can be active. Total Bonds Activatable: 3. {Rank 1}: Activate with Force Pact to take on the fundamental properties of the Force Pact. My spirit and Energy had significantly increased, so that would mean that I would have a much greater reserve to use. The thing that caught my eye the most was a new skill. Elemental Aspect gave me control over the elements, it seemed, but I would need to test it out. I had Keri''s Fire Totem, and it seemed to let me control fire, so what would be the difference? [It''s the difference between controlling the fire and bing the fire. When you take on the Aspect of a Force Pact, you convert all the energy in your body to a specific element. Your abilities will be limited for now, but as you level up, you will be able to control them better.] ''Then what is the point of taking another ss? Am I really going to miss out on that much experience?'' [... You''re not the same¡­ no, the system isn''t the same! You changed it! You shouldn''t have more experience than your level!] ''I didn''t do it!'' [Yes, you did! Had to be! Who else is going to change it? Do you think that Zero gave you some kind of advantage?] ''No, but what could I have done that you wouldn''t have known about?! You are in there too; if anyone changed it, that person would have to be you!'' [I know! But why would Iin about it? Things like this don''t just happen; it just doesn''t make any sense!] ''Pfft! Wee to my world; thanks for joining the regrly scheduled shit show! d you finally got a taste of the unfairness of everything! Whatever it is, don''tin about it, and we are going to get a chance to see how it works.'' I could feel arge number of Gnolls in the area, more than usual. [Strange, what are they doing right now? You would think that they would be rushing you, but they are all gathering and¡­ wait! They are disappearing!] I could feel the same thing happening, and I slowed down and looked in the direction that the creatures were gathering. I could just barely make out some Gnolls, but I couldn''t see what they were doing with all the trees in the way. ''I wonder if this has something to do with how they keep surviving?'' [Quite possible, but you don''t really have time to be messing around with them.] Chapter 184 - Remember, He Is A Demon ''Is there any way we can mark this ce? I want toe back here before we leave the ind. I think this might be something important, but I''m not really sure.'' [Done. I have it marked on the general map of the ind I have. You also have ess to it, but it is not detailed and is only a basic overhead view. I should have told you before now, but I had forgotten about it after you decided topletely ignore me.] I looked away from the Gnolls that were almostpletely gone and sighed. I could have saved everyone a lot of trouble if I had taken things more seriously in the beginning. [more than likely, but that was yesterday, and only now and tomorrow matter. You are doing better now, but in the future, you are going to have to work on a base of operations.] I started to run again, weaving through the trees as I thought about Hero''s words. I nned on making some kind of Ranch like my system suggested, but I couldn''t do it yet. ''Once we get to Gardania, I will start looking for a ce to set up shop, but it will have to be somewhere that works for everyone. That''s not going to be easy to find.'' [The system will help you create a Base, and then it will help you set up ces for each of the girls. I agree that you will need to wait to set up a big one, but you should consider setting one up on the boat as you go. It will be better for the women if they can be morefortable in their own environment.] This was true and definitely something that I would have to think about and consider how I could do that on a boat. I was also curious about what the girls were building. [That will be interesting. I almost would be tempted to ce a bet about it.] ''Oh? What would you like to bet on? The better question is, what is the prize?'' [Winner picks?] ''Oh, that''s not even funny!'' [Sorry, bad taste, but if you win, I willply with a single request, and the same goes for you. It has to be something that is within either of our abilities to do.] ''Sure, that sounds fair. While I don''t think that you liked me much back in the day, you obviously are a good person if you chased me in here. So, what''s the bet, Boss?'' [I bet you that the girls don''t get anythingpleted, and they fight the entire time, and you will have to go stand over them. I don''t think that Jilly and Lizy are ever going to see eye to eye.] ''Sure, any day of the week, I''ll take that bet, and you had better get ready to pay up!'' [What?! You think that those girls are going to work together?] ''Yup.'' The two women would probably fight, and it would probably get pretty bad, but if all the other girls were there with them¡­ ''One hundred percent, they will work together in the end, and they will have decided on a design by the time I get back.'' [Hmm, well, I am excited to make my request when you lose!] ''Dream on Harold; I believe in the girls. I only asked them to get along, and while I know that is a lot for those girls, it''s not impossible. Jilly and Lizy were friends at one point, but Lizy betrayed her trust, so it''s not like it''s impossible.'' I was starting to feel demons ahead of me, but more than four times as many as at Neft''s Vige. The feeling of them spread out farther and farther as I got closer. ''How can there be so many of them?'' [it isn''t as many as you think. There are less than two hundred.] ''Oh yeah, you''re right, that is so much better.'' I noticed the trees starting to thin and be ashen and burned as I came up to another crater like the Fire Lake I met Fireden. I could see trails of smokeing from hundreds of buildings as I came closer to the edge of Crater City. [It really isn''t that big, it just looks that way.] ''Listen here, I am the one about to go for a walk through all those demons, and what about the rest of them? And how am I going to sterilize all of these? What about the ones that are with the girls?!'' [Talk to Dao first and see what he wants. You are stronger than him, and if you really wanted, you could kill every demon in here without much effort; most of them couldn''t use a sharp knife to stab you. The spears the Nether Knights threw at you at the Keep wouldn''t have pieced you because you leveled after killing the second Behemoth.] ''Hmm.'' I guess I was overthinking this. If worse came to worst, I would kill Dao fast and draw enough power to incapacitate the ind. Then I would just have to find a female Demon that would join me in the center of the ind. [That is a good idea to just do.] ''Maybe, but I want to hear what he has to say. I might be able to get some information out of him before we have to do anything so drastic.'' [Fair. Just remember that he is a Demon.] ''True, but what does that really mean? What are demons really? If the demon women are changing back to whatever they were before, then what about the men? Are they different?'' [That is a good question, but I don''t have the answer to that question yet. I think we will figure it out in time, so many of you are right to be hesitant about killing him.] ''Oh no, that bastard is getting his. He has been the cause of far too much pain already; he will have to make it up in his next life.'' Chapter 185 - Crater City, Every Trick In The Book I looked over Crater City as I had dubbed it and examined the buildings, but most of them were typical brick buildings with y tile roofs. I did count at least ten cksmith shops, and that made sense. The most prominent things were three sizeable ck circus tents that looked to be about one hundred and fifty feet across. There was a muchrger one at the far end of the crater, and the bright red light was on top of it. That must be where I would find Dao, so I started to jog around the edge of the crater, and as I passed on of the smaller tent, I started to hear cheering and screaming. There was a crazy, frantic, wild, panic, but excited auraing from the tent, and I knew it. The ring. That savage excitement of wanting to pound the other person down until they give up or stop moving. The crowd cheering you on to do that and so much more; the energy of the ce was something I was familiar with. I kept moving and started to run faster, but I started to shrink down. While it would be fun toe in there all big, there wasn''t a lot of room around the building down there, and sliding down big would cause andslide. Once I had reached the back of the crater, I started to slide down the side, and I could feel the same energy from the other tent but magnified. I was almost excited to see the inside of this thing; it was bringing back memories of my own times in the Octagon cage. [Don''t get involved with the fighting, you have better things to do!] ''Ah,e on. If we have a n and have them in the palm of our hands, what''s the harm? You said I am too strong for them all anyway, probably wouldn''t be a challenge!'' [They aren''t fighting each other. There is a Challenger Crystal inside each one of these tents, and if you focus, you will feel that this is something that isn''t supposed to be there.] I wasn''t really sure what he was talking about, but I focused on the tent in front of me as I reached the bottom of the slope. I tried to feel throughout the tumult of emotions, but I wasn''t sensing what Hero meant until it hit me. ''Why does it feel digital? There is a picture of a red gem with a ring around it in my head, and now I know that it can be used to temporarily summon monsters. But why?'' [Not sure, but I think it has something to do with what happened to us. Anything coulde from inside of one of those things, and they create barriers around themselves. If you go into the barrier, it activates, and you can''t get out if you can''t win.] Well, that was a bit of a buzzkill, but I didn''t want to get myself killed just to feed my own curiosity. I walked up to the ck tent wall and activated Keri''s Fire Totem, using my finger to burn a line down the heavy canvas. As I got to the bottom, it started to actually burn, and I had to pat it out, but it was still smoldering. Yells and screams that were still muffled poured out as I pulled the p I had created back and slipped inside. The area I entered was a covered-over ce that was still separate from the rest of the area and filled with boxes from what I could see. I created a small ball of fire on the palm of my hand, and the room lit up, but it was no more than I thought, just storage. [What is in the boxes?] That was a good question, and I pulled the lid off of one of them without very much trouble. Inside was armor and weapons, and after checking more of the boxes, I found that all the armor was used and stained. [Probably from the Demons that didn''t make it.] "Hey! What are you doing?!" A voice asked me, and I turned to see a demon holding a torch looking at me with an angry expression. "Just browsing your wares, but I have an appointment with Dao, so let him know that I am here," I said casually as I dropped the partially melted helmet that I was looking at the back into the crate. "Who do you think you are?!" The Demon growled as he started to approach me. The creature had horns sticking out the side of his head, and he had a pair of broken sses with only one arm and a single lens. Tan shorts were the only clothes, but at least he wore that much. "Listen, I don''t want to kill you, but if you don''t do as I asked, I am going to shove this little ball of fire down your throat and then make it expand like this!" I said and then poured more energy into the small one-inch globe, expanding it to over two feet wide. The Demon stopped and then backed away from me, holding a hand up to ward off the intense heat rolling off the ming sphere. I guess that was enough, and the Demon turned and fled back out the way he came in. [Get ready for every trick in the book, and don''t let him egg you on.] ''I should be fine.'' I said, feeling a bit giddy with the roaring noiseing from the other side of the p I was walking up to. It kind of reminded me of walking past thest door, that moment right before you know the sound of everyone''s screams are about to hit you. That was when it all became real, and everything you had worked for to get to this point would be put to the test. I was ready to end this problem and break the first of countless chains that I would be destroying. Chapter 186 - Bit Of A Pickle, I Told You So I pushed past the opening, but as I did, I saw the red ten-foot cube in the center on a raised dais. I couldn''t see into it, but I could see something that I didn''t expect; a screen that was disying a demon running from a tiger that was about eight times as big as it should be. "So, you dide, and sooner than I expected!" I heard a voice to my right exim, and I turned to find a pale blue demon with a pair of colossal ram horns sitting on a throne. The chair he sat on was only a throne in its size because there was no grandeur. It was just a big tall wooden chair, but the craftsman did an excellent job of it. The man in the chair had very light blue skin too but looked younger than Mex, who was standing at the bottom of the tform. There were two tough-looking demons behind him, but they would be no match for Mex if he wanted. I walked around without saying anything until I was standing in front of Mex. He looked fine, and even his shorts were clean, so I grinned at him. "Looks like you got yourself in a bit of a pickle here," I said with a chuckle, and Mex smiled back. "Better just me here than all the rest, and then girls and take care of themselves. I am just worried about Candace, Jessabell, and now Hanna! I don''t suppose you-," Mex said and then started to ask, but I nodded, and he stopped with a relieved face. "Hold tight, we will be out of here right away, and then I want to show you something I found," I said to Mex, and he nodded with a determined look on his face. "Oh, aren''t you two just too cute! You know that I can hear both of you!" Dao said as he stood up; his previous calm vanished as he rose. I turned and walked up all the way up to the eighteen-year-old-looking Demon that seemed to think he ran the show here now. I walked up to Dao, Demon Lord of all the demons on this ind, and now it was time to take the big stick from this kid. "So, you wanted to talk; what''s up?" I asked, and god bless his little ck soul; Dao looked up and then down again with a scowl. "The ceiling, but I want to make a deal with you! Can you get out of my space first?" Doa asked with irritation as my nose touched his. "Nah, I like it here. Speak!" I said, shouting for him to speak. To his credit, Dao didn''t flinch, but he did let out a sigh. "I release Mex and all of his people, and you can take them off the ind. I will stay here and never bother you again! What do you say? Good deal?" Dao asked, and Iughed in his face like when Spiderman asked his editor for a job. "I was going to do that anyway, but just with two fewer demons on the ind. You did half the work for me, so why would I want to let you live?" I asked, getting severe after myugh, giving him a curious look. "What about if I give you information?" Dao asked; his expression looked a bit less unsure, and I stepped back and thumbed my chin. Dao looked slightly relieved, but there was no reason for him to be. Unless he had something that only he would know, but even then, it was not worth leaving him alive. [it is probably best to just get rid of him before he does something stupid. You''re backing the rat into the corner, and he is going to figure it out sooner thanter.] I looked back to Dao, who was ring at me, and then looked back down at Mex, but he wasn''t there. I whipped my head back around at Dao, but she was grinning, and the Demon started to roar again. "I figured you wouldn''t want to actually make a deal, but this was the best I had! BWAHAHA! Mex should be fine with only one monster, right?" Dao told me as heughed, and I stepped up to Dao and grabbed him by the throat in the blink of an eye. I could feel his body try to change, but then he started to scream as my fingers burned and caused the pale blue flesh to turn red and bubble. The Demon Lord struggled and screamed as I brought him up to my face. "What did you do to Mex?!" I asked, keeping myself from killing the rat here and now. "I-I s-sent him in!" Dao choked out, and I red at him and turned to the two mean-looking demonsing up to me, and I let go of his neck and grabbed him by one of his ram horns. I pooled energy into my fist like at the beach and then punched forward, causing a st of fire to shoot forward. The two Demons were incinerated, and I walked down the steps, dragging Dao behind me. [I don''t think this is such a good idea.] I thought about how Mex treated me the first time that he met me and every day since. The man was rough around the edges, but he gave his right-wing without a thought, just to get to my side when I needed it. "What are you doing! We can''t go in there, or you will summon more monsters!" Dao yelled out, but I ignored him and tossed him into the wall of the red cube that he disappeared into. [I still think that you should consider this before you go in there. He is not lying, and there will be three monsters if you go in.] ''Yeah, I know, but I can''t leave Mex in there. You know that I can''t.'' [I know that, but I just want to make sure that I have given you the proper warnings so when I tell you that I told you so, it will be more valid.] Chapter 187 - Raindrop, Human Torch I stepped forward and into the red wall, and then the lights went out, and I was lying on some kind of dirt. I opened my eyes, and I was staring into a kind of purple sand. ''Where am I?'' There was no answer from Hero, so I pushed myself off the ground and saw Mex stand at the edge of a sandy ledge. Doa was groaning on the ground while grabbing at his neck, but I ignored him; Mex was looking at something. "What is it?" I asked as I got up, and Mex whipped around. "Wait!? Why did youe in! I thought that you just threw this idiot in here with me and be done with us! You''re not supposed to die! The girls will hunt both of us down in our next lives and kill us both!" Mex said as he threw up his hands in the air in frustration. "Yes, but we aren''t going to die here, so calm down. There is no way that I could just leave you here, and maybe I should have just killed Dao rather than bringing him with us, but that''s water under the bridge now," I said as I walked up to the edge beside him and then stopped. "Are you sure about that?" Mex asked me as I looked down into the deep canyon disying a red dragon, a Cyclops, and the same giant lion that I had seen eat the demon that was in here before. That was disheartening, but they were only monsters, and there were three of us versus three of them. I couldn''t really see that much of a problem with the match-up, and I was sure I could take the dragon on if they could handle the other two. "Dragon is mine, and you and dipshit take care of the one-eyed freak and the oversized house cat, okay? I said as I looked back down at the three creatures that were casually pacing around each other. It was almost disturbing to see that they walked by each other without care, each of them waiting for their target. Usually, there would only be one left and two bodies if any of them survived. "None of those things are what you think they are, and there is an excellent chance that they aren''t even what I think they are. This Challenger Gem spawns you in a random location and creates random monsters. I haven''t told you this, but I came with the Demons when they entered this world from thisnd, Kubrick and I have fought in one of these before. I was almost killed, but over three thousand entered the first time we found one, including the Scourge," Mex said as he continued to look down. "The Scourge? Who is that? Some high-ranking Demon Lord?" I asked Mex, but Dao was the one to answer,ughing. "Ha! That''s our fearless leader! And that is no joke; he killed all the monsters that were summoned in the span of a few moments! Scourge, The Demon King, and also the reason why we are all here in the first ce!" Dao cackled, but I raised a backhand to him and narrowed my eyes. Dao shut up and hopped back, and I turned back to Mex. He turned from the canyon and smiled at me weakly but then turned to re at Dao. "Yes, Scourge is the ruler of us all, and this idiot is the reason we got almost killed! We only survived because my Grandmother didn''t want to eliminate her entire family! Still, you don''t learn!" Mex snarled, but Dao grinned. Suddenly Mex turned and jumped off the cliff before I could stop him. I turned and grabbed Dao before he could get his hands up to stop me and then hurled him off the cliff after Mex. I dove off the cliff and followed them, and Mex had caught himself with his wings and was drifting down, but I could feel my speed start to pick up. I drove at Dao and then charged my Fire Force Pact that was going wild, absorbing crazy amounts of energy. Before Doa could catch himself, I struck forward into his back when I was within range about forty feet above the ground. The connection sted with so much force I was forced back up into the air in a gut-wrenching motion. Dao was shot downward and exploded into a dark blue stain on the rock, not even making a dint. I switched Pacts and then activated my Elemental Aspect, and suddenly my body started to change to be clear, and I felt wet. Then I hit the ground in one of the strangest experiences that I have ever had. My body sshed like a raindrop, and I felt my body change and even parts of me leaving me, but still feeling them. There was no pain, but it was hard to pull myself together. "I suggest you get a grip, or you''re going to be lunch!" Mex called from above me, and I locked on to his voice. I couldn''t feel any tremors in the rocks, but Mex wouldn''t lie to me. I focused on his voice, using the direction, something I was having difficulty getting hold of. My liquid body started to form, and my vision started to be more apparent, but it was still messed up. My one eye was crawling up my face, making everything look tilted, but I could clearly see all three creatures boring down on me. Strangely they were moving slower than I would have thought them to be, and I could clearly see them pounding the stone of the canyon floor. Were the creatures even real? I wished I had Harold here, but he might not know much about what was happening, but he could have told me how to use these aspects. I changed to my Fire Force Pact, and suddenly I burst with mes, and I became a human torch. "Come on, don''t just stand there hot head!" Mex called to me, and I turned to find him sweating and panting. Chapter 188 - Extreme, Good Questions Mex turned and waved for me to follow and started a very slow jog. I was about to make a joke as I jogged up to him, but he was panting and pouring sweat. "What is up? Did Dao do something to you before I killed him? I knew I should have killed the bastard faster!" I said as I looked back at the advancing monsters, and I noticed Mex looked at me. I turned back to him, and he had an incredulous look on his face. I looked back at the monsters that were clearly going to catch us and then back at Mex. "Sorry, boss, but I am going to have to carry you; where are we going?" I said as I scooped a drenched and wheezing Mex. Mex didn''t fight, he just pointed up, and I took the hint but wasn''t sure what to do about it. I was still fresh with these abilities, but I couldn''t take all three of these things alone with Mex like this. "Valley¡­ Gravity¡­ Magic¡­ Extreme... cough, cough!" Mex wheezed out and then started to cough. I ran forward down the canyon and thought about the words, and started to understand what was going on here. I also started to have a bad idea, but it was the best thing that I coulde up with in the current climate. "Hold on, you might have to fly if this doesn''t work out," I said to Mex and started to gather more energy from around me. I concentrated on the fire in my legs and feet, then I crouched and exploded into the air. Literally, I poured fire out from my legs like a rocket, but I started to spin immediately. Suddenly Mex and I were corkscrewing into the air, but we were going up. With a spinning head, I waited until we were above the canyon a good way and then kicked sideways. Like a burning star, I shot at the opposite side of the canyon that we had started on, but I didn''t care. I crashed into arge bush and bounced off it, dropping Mex and then bouncing till I hit a tree with my back. It was like hitting a steel pole, and my mes extinguished as I fell onto gritty¡­ green sand? What was with this ce? I groaned as I rolled over and pushed myself up, feeling drained. I had used everything to make sure that we got up and to somewhere safe, or not down there. Magic and gravity were significantly increased, but it either didn''t affect me, or it was because of the Aspect converting my body to pure energy. "It is your Aspect, but you shouldn''t be able to fully convert your body yet. This is a microscopic world inparison to the one we are in now," Mex exined, and I had almost forgotten about him being able to read my mind. "So, now that we are safe and aren''t being chased, can you tell me about this world? You were looking rough down there, and we can''t fight those things if you are like that, right?" I asked Mex as he walked over slowly to me, but he was looking¡­ stretched. I looked down at my own hands, and they were looking stretched as well. Curious, I grabbed my finger and then pulled, letting go right away in shock and horror. Mexughed at me, then tried to start exining this world, but like a child with a new toy, I reached down and grabbed my pecker and gave it a tug. Iughed as myid cock stretched like putty, and Mex cleared his throat. "As I was about to say before you discovered your limp noodle for the first time, this world is full of oddities and inconsistencies¡­ Stop ying with it! The world has different environments, and some of them defy what the mind can even handle, so we need to be careful. ces like The Stomping Grounds down there are just one of the many oddities, and far from the worst," Mex exined. I let go of myself and listened to Mex, and I was curious to know just what was worse than a ce with crushing gravity? This ce that stretched my body seemed pretty mind-bending, but I don''t think this is what he meant. "Okay, then how long do we have, or do we just stay here till we die, or they do? What about other creatures and things on this?" I asked, trying to get ay of thend so I could start making ns on how to get out of here. "We are stuck here until, and there will be creatures here. They will all be demonic perversions of what they were before, and some far worse because of certain ces. As for how much breathing room we have? The entire, and time, move differently, and the images on the screen above the cube are repeated. It is to make it look like we are spending less time than we are inside of this ce," Mex exined, and I nodded in thought. Well, there was that, but while I could use my Totems and Pacts, I had no ess to my menus. There was only one thing that we really could do in a situation like this. We were going to have to start a quick crash training course to get Mex up to top shape. Since I couldn''t even ess my skills to pick a new ss, I could focus on Mex getting more robust, and I would just gain for what I did. "Okay, then I need to know how we level up. What I mean is, how does it work when we kill a monster? If you and I both hit it, but I kill it, do we both get experience? And if we do, does the person that kills it get more experience?" I asked, and Mex smiled. "Those are some good questions," Mex said and then gestured for me to start walking with him. Chapter 189 - Distortion, Close My Eyes The two of us started to walk into the stretching forest, but Mex didn''t talk right away, but he probably knew that I would be distracted. If he did, the man was not wrong because I could stop looking at the strange birds and insects that moved so strangely. The insect stretched its legs along, reaching forward and then nting afoot, and another would stretch. More than once, Mex had to put a hand on my back to keep me moving as a small bird-like creature would float by. They were like feathered balls with rippling one foot streaming t one-inch wide bands flowing out of them. Each time one would float by, I would be distracted by its impossibleness. "The world is amazing, there is no doubt about that, but we took the beauty of its Impossible naturalness and perverted it. These creatures are all Demons, and now they wander mindlessly. Demonizing a species doesn''t make them intelligent," Mex said and then stopped to point at two clearly different bugs. One had a stretched horn and eight stretched legs, while the other only had three legs and a spiked shell. The two were moving in a strange stretching manner towards each other. I had seen other bugs and birds with creatures of the same species. Yet, I had not seen any other species mixing, so I watched the pair Mex was motioning to. "The demon inside of us doesn''t like even the other races of our own kind, but we barely like our own, to begin with. In the unthinking beasts, this is changed, and they treat those of the same species normally but hate every other species," Mex exined, and that was when the insects reached each other. The horn on the firs bent down on its own, and the multi-legged beetle charged, but the other insect bent forward. The strike was deflected with the spiked shell of the other, but then all the spikes stretched out like tentacles fast as whips. The beetle became ensnared, and the other insect started to stretch its shell to start to eat the other bug. That was about the point that I had looked away, seeing enough and fully understanding what Mex was getting at. The Demons were recing all life in the worlds with twisted images of the creatures that once were. "What about the other Demons that are sentient? Are there any left here?" I asked as we started to walk again. "Yes, there will be the Kareons, the alien tripedal lifeforms that we''re the only intelligent andmunicating species. There are other brilliant creatures, but they didn''tmunicate with us, but the Horde fed them bodies of the fallen and then let them tear each other apart," Mex exined. I listened, but the stretching was starting to worsen, and our steps started to get longer and stretched. I was starting to get worried because the distortion was getting much worse. "Hey, are you sure we should keep going this way? This is starting to get really messed up!" I said as I watched my leg stretch forward impossibly and step down. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around what was going on because I couldn''t feel my leg stretch. I was starting to go slower than Mex, and he looked just as bad as me, but it wasn''t bothering him. Mex stopped and turned to me, and my eyes went big as I watched his face start to drip but bounce back up when it stretched to a point. I blinked my eyes, trying to make it stop, but now even his eyes were doing it! This was like some crazy drug trip, and I was starting to have a hard time thinking at all. My brain was being hit with so many new stimuli that I was able to process anything but the stretching and now melting world around me. "Close your eyes for a moment," Mex told me calmly, and I did as he said; panic was starting to creep up. The darkness swallowed the world of distortion, and suddenly everything was expected, but I couldn''t see anything. I took a moment to collect myself and slow the churning energy inside me and then was about to open my eyes. "Keep them closed for a bit longer; there is no rush. Time is sixty to one for the outside world, so every minute is only a second out there, and Dao is gone, and they will all feel it. So, the women at the beach will start heading this way, and the other demons will as well. I don''t know what they will do; none of them have ever been without a leader," Mex exined. If it took then four hours to get here from the other side of the ind, that would be thirty-two hundred minutes. Then divide that by twenty-four to give us¡­ oh wow. "Yes, we have almost ten days before the girls get here, but we don''t have that long. The maximum time inside is five days, and after that, everything is reset. You can open your eyes now, but move fast because we are in the thick of the distortion. Concentrate on looking forward into a distant spot, and it will make it easier," Mex exined, and I opened my eyes. It took me a moment to recognize where I was because there was barely any distortion, but I could feel its edge back. I started to move Mex pointed forward. "We are going straight until we get out of the woods, so just focus on ahead, and let me know if you need to stop. Just know that each time you close your eyes, the effect lessens and the distortion bes more engraved into your mind," Mex informed me, and I nodded. I tunneled my vision forward and focused on getting out of this twisted forest.. As I started to jog, I worried about how the girls were doing and how they would deal with the Demons. Chapter 190 - Mini-Kazz Theory, Storm Spirit Back on the beach, the girls were finally starting to make some progress on the Deep Sea Bottom Piercing Sucker Boat. Keri had ced herself in charge of naming the ship, and no oneined because that was the job she had to stick with. That meant everyone else that was helping was free to do their work without being asked question after question. Keri rarely even listens to the entire answer before asking about something in the answer. The name Deep Sea Bottom Piercing Sucker Boat did get most of the boat''s features in it, but it was a bit wordy. The boat was a submarine of sorts that looked like a t bottom feeder type of fish, but many other features were being added. "Do you think that you will be able to seal the boat in one of your barriers and still make tight seals? I am worried about the moving parts on the outside of the boat. The metal on the outside and then your barrier, and the rest of the inside as wood is a good idea if we can keep it dry, right?" Kieta asked Hydie, and she nodded with a smile. Hydie opened her blue transparent mouth to reply, but she stopped and started to look around. She could feel new presences starting to move closer to the vige, but then they stopped about five hundred feet from the vige. "Something wrong?" Kieta asked as she looked up at a distracted Hydie that was looking back towards the vige. "New Demons are starting to surround us! I need to go tell Nixi!" Hydie said, not really sure who else to tell, and she turned to where she was sitting as she chatted with Nuhsi and the short-horned Kimera. They had been talking about what the possibilities were going to be in two days. They were also making assumptions about what was really going to happen then. It wasn''t like they didn''t believe Kazz, but Nixi and Kimera both knew that men had a way of only hearing what they wanted to. "Demons are here!" Hydie eximed to Nixi, and she looked up at the Storm Spirit that had small static discharges crackled off her skin. "Yes, as expected," Nixi said and then went back to her Mini-Kazz theory she was discussing. Hydie was confused, and Kimera ignored Nixi, to her great displeasure, and cut her off by talking over. "Not much that we can do about it, Nixi could Kill many of them, but it only takes one well-ced strike or shot; she is down. The rest of us just aren''t strong enough to help or don''t have the skills needed," Kimera exined, and Hydie got a worried look on her face, but Jilly was close by talking with Veronica and Lizy about some designs. Only partially hearing the end of the conversation, Jilly asked the girls to wait and moved over to the demons and Storm Spirit. "Who isn''t strong enough?" Jilly asked, with the girls following behind her. "None of us are strong enough to fight over one hundred Demons!" Nixi snapped, but Jilly started tough as she looked down at Nushi, who remained quiet but had a slight smile. "None of you that are not part of Kazz might be able to, but I think that we could send Missy and Mary out there alone, and they could fight them alone without even trying!" Jilly said with a smirk and then looked down at the grinning demon and asked her, "Nushi, who are we sending out to deal with this? Who is going to check the castle, and who is going to check on that idiot man?!" At Jilly''s deration, Hydie perked up, and sparks shot off her. Her thoughts had been surrounding Kazz, and she wanted to be able to go check on him but knew that was silly. "You and Lizy will be responsible for taking care of the demons here surrounding the vige, and Lani and The Cerberus girls will help you," Nushi started to exin, and Jilly nodded, looking up and across the beach that no longer had the Steel Silk threads and Chiton bramble on it. Lani was down the beach, ying fetch with the girls. Jilly had also noticed that she had also been testing out the things that had been enchanted. The mermaid sisters were out in the water enjoying themselves. Mary and Missy were ying tag in the waves as they rolled into the beach a way out. Jilly had worried briefly about the women, but a shark had tried to attack them as they yed and missed by a ridiculous proportion. Then the girls attacked and ate the shark, and Jilly couldn''t say that she wasn''t envious of them. Jilly decided that whatever attacked the girls would be doing it at its own risk, and she continued to listen to Nushi. "Nixi, I want you to go back with Veronica and go give Jessabell her mask. She will take care of the rest of the demons that are there if you all help her with them," Nushi said, but Nixi spoke up, waving her hands for Nushi to wait. "Hold on! When did your father tell you about that?! She isn''t part of Kazz yet!" Nixi exined, but Nushi shook her head. "I got it from your head and the reason why Father has only ever used it once. Kazz is going to Kill Dao; that is the only reason why he would send demons to us now. If Kazz is dealing with Dao, what creature will be able to evene close to Her strength? I think father will agree with me, so you can go and talk to him about it," Nushi exined. "Then who are you sending to go get Kazz?" Nixi asked, and even Hydie could feel it as the air started to be charged and hair started to stand. "Hydie and I will go fetch our soon-to-be Master before he does something stupid like getting himself killed," Nushi said as she stood up. Chapter 191 - Memories, Contact Point [ 8/150 mins until Dao dies 2:30 after entering the Challenger Gem] Nushi stood up, but so did Kimera and Nixi. Jilly was also looking at Nushi appraisingly, questioning what was going through her head. Unfortunately for Nushi, she was subject to all the horrible ways that the others thought she was going to die now, but that would not be the case. She was close and had been for a while now but had wanted to wait for Kazz. "Stop it, all of you! I can see the wild concoctions you are all whipping up in your head, but Hydie and I will be fine. Both of us are more than capable of handling anything thates our way. I am about to increase my rank as a demon as well, but I don''t know what that will mean for me after I birth Kazz''s memories," Nushi exined to all of them, and the Hydie spoke up. "I can protect her; in the short time sinceing here, I have been able to drastically improve my barriers, and my father couldn''t even prate them before that! I will keep Nushi safe!" Hydie said as she walked up behind Nushi. Hydie put her hands on Nushi''s shoulders and slowly melted into Nushi''s body, covering her body up to her chin. Hydie''s twin elemental body started to churn, and her blue changed to pink and gray clouds started to form around Nushi. "The two will be fine, you will go and get your son, and we will take care of the creatures around here. Be safe, Veronica, and we will meet up with you after, and we can go help him end this all," Jilly told Nixi, and she tossed up her hands but didn''tin further. "I will go look for Nushi after I drop Nixi with the others, and I can help get her there faster," Veronica said as her head and body started to grow back into the body of a giant winged lion with a human woman''s face. "We will be moving fast, so don''t worry about it, just make sure that everyone is safe at the castle. After today, nothing is ever going to be the same for us," Nushi said to the women around her, but Jillyughed. "Everything changed the day that he walked out of that hole in the ground, but I understand what you mean for you Demons, and I also and tied to Dao in debt, so that will be different," Jilly said, and then she bent down and hugged Nushi, "Be careful, I know you can handle yourself, but you are also carrying some of Kazz''s memories. Make sure that they don''t get hurt or damaged, meaning don''t take risks." Nushi hugged Jilly back and then separated as Kimera was helping aining Nixi up onto Veronica''s back. Keri was already up there with Kieta was being held by her and blushing. Once the three were up, Kimera also climbed up, and then Veronica took off, flying into the air. The trip would only take them fifteen minutes, so Jilly called Lani over and turned to Lizy. "What do you think we should do to keep them from charging the vige?" Jilly asked. "What if Lani and the girls throw something behind them to distract them, and we can run around and create the same kind of barrier as before. Then we don''t even need to fight them if they can''t get to the vige, but it will keep us here for now," Lizy said as Lani and the girls showed up. "Well, there is really no point in us getting involved with the others, and once we have everything secured, we can go back to working on the ship. We also have to wait here for Hydie to get Missy back to the house. Another thing that man needs to do is get all the women in his care, so they aren''t restricted," Jilly said and then shook her head in wonder. This kind of thing would have never mattered before, but Kass wanted to keep the girls all close to him. So, he helped them, buttely, hecked duties, but that was to be expected. ''Lani, can you and the girls make some things that can be thrown as distractions, and then we will set up a barricade behind you," Jilly exined, and the girls started to make a n. Nushi and Hydie were already providing the first distraction as Nushi dashed down the roads at high speed and then turned to angle northeast. There were blue demons up ahead, and they saw her right away and started to scream and roar. Spells started to form in hands, while others rushed with bare hands, but Hydies body was bright red now. The undting clouds around her started to grow as she suddenly burst forward in a sh of speed. Everything happened in seconds for Hydie, but time moved differently for Nushi since she had been finally able to use her magic at will. Training with the magic had be simple once she had received her reading System. Rather than simply reading the words, she had been able to feel what the person had been writing them had meant. After learning how to craft and control the lightning, a section talked about using the lightning on your own body, but the book warned against it. Nushi, of course, was of the secret mad scientist''s variety. The type to get an itch and be required to scratch it or so help anyone that came near her. Not stupid, Nushi had used her abilities, and after getting to actually talk to her grandmothers, she had figured it out. Now, for short bursts, Nushi could charge her body to go much faster than it usually could. Dashing from one person to another, she lightly tapped each male and female demon in the area that was in her way.. Each tap left an contact point, chaining each one, and after tapping fifteen demons, Nushi used what she had to put some distance between her and the Demons, heading to Kazz. Chapter 192 - Shattered, If You Could Be Someone Else We finally walked out of the stretching forest, but thendscape in front of us was shattered. Massive and small rocks of all sizes floated ahead, and they were not still. Rocks that looked like they were moving slowly were constantly bumping together and bubbling up from somewhere below like a slow-moving fountain. There was no way that we were going to pass through this area. "What is the n now? Is there some way around this broken fountain orndscape?" I asked Mex, but he didn''t look back at me and walked to the edge instead. "We need to eat, and the only edible thing is on the other side of this. It is far worse than it seems, look," Mex said and then pointed at two huge rocks about to collide, and they did, but the effect was not what I had expected. They just bounced off each other and didn''t even chip. I walked up to the edge and stuck my hand out to touch one of the passing rocks. My hand instantly felt lighter, and the rock was hard, but I pushed it like nothing. I let myself rx, but that was when Mex spoke up again. "The one thing that we need to worry about is the top. The trip across will take us very little time, but the closer that we get to the center of the force that is driving it up, it gets a lot stronger. You need to make sure that you are constantly going down and not let yourself get to the top," Mex exined as he turned to me. "The top? What''s wrong with going up there?" I asked, and Mex shook his head. "I don''t think that there is anyone that could survive it, even the Source would be killed, and he is an A Ranked Demon. If you are pushed up to the top, you will be forced into a tunnel in the center. If you are sucked in, that will m you down to the ground and all the rocks with you. If you somehow survive that fall, the constant hammering of rocks will turn you into a paste for about an hour, and then your remains will start to float back up," Mex exined to me with more detail than I needed. Well, on the one hand, it shouldn''t be that hard, but it looked like it was going to be very easy to get disorientated. I was concerned about how we would do this and not get messed up and killed. "So then, what is the n to get across this?" I asked Mex with concern edging into my voice, but Mexughed. "You can fly us through as I bat everything away from us. Normally, this would be dangerous and difficult, but since you still have Fireden and Wataluga with you, it should be no problem, but I am curious to know why you came here with only two of them? I can''t feel Windorf or Grovel with you," Mex said to me, and I nodded. "This is because I sent them with Kali and Hanna to escort them back to the castle, so everyone there will be safe. Didn''t think that you were the type to pick a fight though, even over a woman," I said as I backed up from the edge and turned back to the stretching forest that we had just left, but it looked normal from the side. I knew that all it would take was one step inside, and the stretching distortion would retake hold of me. That was something that I did not want any part of again, and I hoped that we would have toe this way on our way back. "I don''t do it just because they are women; I choose to help others because they need it. Makes me feel better about the first world I was in and how horrible I had been. I had acted like every other Demon, but the races in the world had been weak, and something the hero asked me, but never gave me an answer to make me stop and think about what I was doing," Mex told me, and I turned back to him. "Something that someone said to you? Another person like me?" I asked, now more curious, and Mex nodded. "Maybe not the exact same, but he was a hero like you, but far less assertive, and not the same kind of personality as you. After trying to defeat the Scourge with a surprise attack, he almost did it but lost in the end. He had asked me if I didn''t need to be myself, who would I be? This was with a de to my neck, and then before I could answer, he vanished and let me live," Mex exined to me, and I sighed. While this person probably wasn''t the same, it was still a reminder of Mark''s betrayal. The question was interesting, and I could see how it might make someone in Mex''s position question what he was doing. "So then what? You came to the next world and started being good?" I asked, and Mexughed but then stopped, and his face fell. "No, Scourge killed all my family and kids rule, stripped me down, and put me under Dao''s control. I spent that world trying to figure out where I had gone wrong, but it was just a culling Dao had done to make room for more, and I had been in favor of his greatest rival, my wife, Spania. I was Transranked with her, and because of it, I could not stop the Scourge from doing what he did. After that, I lost my fire, and my energy was no longer useful to Spenia," Mex exined, but I put up a hand to stop him. "Wait, you had more family before this? And the Demon King killed them all for fun?" I asked in confusion, and Mex shrugged. "I was never able to find out exactly what happened, but from that point, I left the capital went out on my own. I helped the ones that I could, and vowed that I wouldn''t be a Demon anymore.. Even though I tried to stay away from them, I was sucked into the next world, and then after this one, Nixi Found me and forced me with Clesh," Mex exined to me, and I just stared at him. Chapter 193 - Family Tree, World Record "So wait, you and Clesh were forced together? Why would Nixi do that?" I asked, but I was sure it was just because she was a controlling witch, but maybe I was wrong. "She said that Clesh was a good woman that needed my help, but it was because Clesh was a runt offspring of a B ranked Demon King. Every once in a while, a Demon of a higher rank will produce an F Rank Lesser Demon. She was not treated the best, but now worse than anyone else," Mex exined as the shattered ins fountained up behind him. "So Nixi thought that if you had a child with her, you might produce a Demon that was of a higher rank?" I asked, and Mex nodded. "That was the idea, but the chances of it happening were very slim, as you can see with my daughter. You should have been there! A solid week of everyone pissing themselves in terror! But I was happy, briefly. Now Nixi is forcing us to stay together because she needs her for some special magic she uses or something," Mex said with a shrug. "Be together? But you''re not, are you?" I asked casually but then added, "None of my business, really. It just doesn''t seem like you do since you asked me to take care of her for you¡­ wait!" Mex started to grin, and I narrowed my eyes at him, and his grin slipped off his face, and his expression fell. The Demons body sagged, and it looked like the fight had just left him, and I was confused by the abrupt change. "You have noticed that I don''t have anything to do with the mothers of my children, right?" Mex asked, but his voice sounded tired and worn out. "I have noticed, but it''s none of my business, and I just assumed that was a Demon thing," I said, and Mex nodded. "Yes, it is, but I assumed with your morals, you might have thought that I would be better than this," Mex said with a weak smile, and I nodded and grinned back at him. "I did, and still do," I told him, and I did really think that he was better than that, so I was interested to hear what his excuse was. "I ruined each one of them, Kazz! I wrecked them, and even though it would have been no different if done by another Demon, it does not make me feel any less guilty. I have watched life be born naturally, and it is disgusting with most, but each one is new and without hate! We are monsters, Kazz, MONSTERS! And I can barely even look Clesh in the eyes now!" Mex exasperated, spreading his hands to the sides. I didn''t expect that, but I should have. Of course, Mex would feel bad for it, and I knew this, or he would have fucked Veronica just the same as Candace. "Okay, first, let''s get this out of the way. My real name is Zack, not sure why it was given to me backward," I exined, inwardly groaning as I thought about exining it to the others. "Zack? That sounds better than Kazz, and maybe Mary might even be able to say it!" Mex joined, and I had to smile at that. "I don''t think so, but it will be adorable to watch her try. Okay then, the next thing is Clesh. So, you don''t want to be with her then, but Nixi doesn''t want to let her go? Am I getting this all right? Oh, and you are now sterile, so no more burning out wombs for you," I said, remembering at the end to add thest part. Mex''s eyes almost fell out of his head. "What?! You mean that I can''t make more Demons?" Mex asked as he came over and grabbed me by the shoulders. "No, and I am going to sterilize all the male Demons on this ind. Honestly, it was a pretty funny sight at Neft''s vige," I chuckled, but Mex narrowed his eyes at me. "I didn''t find it very funny as I was lying on the floor twitching, and my body was orgasming for the fifteenth time! My eyes kept spinning in my head, and my hands were still shaking when I woke up the next morning covered in my own Demon Seed on my bedroom floor!!" Mex growled, and Iughed harder despite him. "Okay, Okay, Okay! Sorry! Wow, fifteen times? Is that like a world record or something? I mean, it must have been a pretty good workout, right? How about you goy behind that rock over then, and I st out the old Orgasmoura for a couple hours, and then we can go back to fight the monsters?" I asked, trying to contain myself, nearly in tears, and then burst outughing again. Mex looked like he was ready to p me, so I tried to get my wheezing under control, but I had to pull away from Mex. His serious expression made it hard to keep from thinking about him roaring on the floor like a broken sprinkler. "Okay, back to Clesh," I said after smacking my cheeks a few times to try and beat the face-splitting smile that was glued onto it. "Yes, her and the rest of them. Knowing about the sterilization doesn''t really change things between us because there was never anything there in the first ce," Mex exined. "Rest of them?" I asked, raising one eyebrow almost to my hairline. It wasn''t like I hadn''t considered it, but as the old saying goes, hearing it straight from the horse''s mouth was unexpected. I waited ever so patiently for Mex to continue, my attention fully grabbed, and most jokes set aside. "Clesh doesn''t deserve to be alone, but neither does any of my grandmothers, except for Nixi.. That bitch can be left here, and I don''t think anyone wouldin! I wouldn''t! I would throw a party!" Mex snarled as he finished, and I chuckled. Chapter 194 - Broken Sprinkler, Hot Mental Slap ¡°So then you want me to make all of them mine? Like the whole family tree?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°Yes, and I know it is a lot to ask of you when you are already looking after so many, but I think that they will be happy. Even if it¡¯s just to know that they have someone that cares about them,¡± Mex exined, and I nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Sure, but then what are you going to do? Settle down with Candace?¡± I asked curiously, and to my surprise, he nodded right away. ¡°I really like Candace, and over the years, I have grown attached to her, so I would like to make it more public for her. I also noticed what you did with Veronica, and I am curious if you can do the same for her sister?¡± Mex asked me curiously, but I really wasn¡¯t sure, and I really didn¡¯t want to bring Harold up again. ¡°I am not really sure at the moment, but I think that we should get going, and we can look into itter,¡± I said and then started to walk over the edge as I mulled everything over. I hadn¡¯t been thinking about doing it, but I still wanted to wait until the women birthed my memories. Nushi and Hanna were the only demons in my System right now, and I wanted to test something. I could see which route was better by not adding the other women, but it wasn¡¯t like I could take all Demons in. I didn¡¯t want to make any of the others more or less now that I had the n. The other women were all reasonably close, so I didn¡¯t want to make one more than the other, but I think I might make an exception for Lidy. While Nushi was the first and decided before I met most of the other women, Lidy was unique, and Hanna was already in the System. Hanna had been more of a strategic move, so to speak, so I could find her, but she was Lidy¡¯s sister. The other Demon that I convinced to join me in the center of the ind would also be part of the System. ¡°Is he not here?¡± Mex asked from behind me. That surprised me, and I turned around to look at Mex, and he had a puzzled look on his face. I wasn¡¯t really sure how to reply, so I tried to just raise an eyebrow questioningly. ¡°The God or whatever you talk to,¡± Mex added, and I groaned, but there was nothing for it right now. ¡°Yeah, when I entered this world, he disappeared, and it was a pretty inconvenient time. I have no idea how to use my new Aspect thing,¡± Iined, but then remembered something and asked, ¡°Hey, you are a shaman, right?¡± ¡°Hardly, I only have ess to two totems, and neither is useful for the most part. I have one from Candace and one from Kieta. Candace¡¯s is an Air Sphinx Totem, and it allows you to see far, while the Water Sphinxlin Totem allows me to Calm creatures,¡± Mex exined, but I didn¡¯t really think he would, but I was surprised about Kieta. ¡°You and Kieta were, or are doing it?¡± I asked, and Mex shook his head no. ¡°No, she is like my daughter; I bought her from a cksmith ages ago. I Heard what you did for her, and thank you. I had meant to do it when you got back tonight, but we aren¡¯t going to make it,¡± Mex said, and I nodded. ¡°Okay, I think she will be a tough nut to crack or even pry from her work,¡± I joked, and Mex grinned at me. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about that one too much. I think that Kieta likes women, and she was very close to one of Mary¡¯s sisters, Mati,¡± Mex said, and I nodded. That was good to know, but now I needed focus, and I could think about that other stuff tonight. For now, we needed to get somewhere that we could sleep because I didn¡¯t really want to sleep out in the open in a world like this. I closed my eyes for a moment and centered myself, focusing on Fireden¡¯s presence. I wanted to see if he could maybe help me out. ¡®Fire Boss, do you think that you could help me out-¡¯ I felt a hot mental p that jumbled my thoughts, and it almost made me lose the connection that I had just established with Fireden. [I really thought that the Hero fellow was a bit overzealous with his usations of you not asking for help, bute on, man!] ¡®Did you just backhand me?¡¯ [No, I used the other side, but if you keep ignoring us, I am going to let you try it out!] ¡°Z-Zack¡­ yeah, Zack! Are you okay? You looked like you just got hit by something!¡± Mex said from beside me. ¡°Give me a moment while I deal with this hot-headed prick in my head,¡± I growled as I held my focus and threw all of myself into the connection. Suddenly, I was in the ce of two suns floating through the Cosmos, but I wasn¡¯t restricted this time. Fireden and Wataluga were both standing before me; one had arms crossed while the other grinned. There was a thin ethereal line that connected me to Fireden but nothing to Wataluga. I would get the answer to this and everything else now and set something straight. ¡°So, oh great fiery storyteller, answer this! In what fucking story of your does it end good for the arrogant passenger that ps the driver and owner of the vehicle?¡± I growled as I walked up to Fireden, and he uncrossed his arms and his mes stoked. ¡°The one where the passenger reminds driver who is fueling the vehicle and that he would like to make it to his destination, you stupid fucking meathead!¡± Fireden snapped, and that really ground my gears as my own heat started to rise. Chapter 195 - Lets Talk, Unlimited Power "You wanna go, Smegma lips?" I said, stabbing a finger into his fire chest but ripping it back in pain. It had been a while since I had felt pain from any fire, but it just pissed me off more, but Wataluga stepped between us. "Alright, children, enough. Zack, we can''t help you without you strengthening the bond with us. That means you interact with us more, and Fireden is upset because none of us want to listen to another one of his arduous stories," Wataluga said, and I cooled myself down and shook my finger as it healed rapidly. So, Fire Face is tired of being locked in the box with no one to tell his stories. I guess I could understand his frustration, but it wasn''t like I had done this intentionally. "Fine, I can do that, but you guys have to give me a break because I sure don''t remember hearing this before except from Kali! So, how was I supposed to know? Ask a question that I didn''t know I was supposed to ask?" I questioned, and a small, ethereal line formed. It came from the same ce as the one attached to Fireden, and I noticed that he was a lot brighter now. So, the more that I interacted with them, the stronger the connection would be. "I understand this, and well, Fireden just isn''t used to not telling people his stories," Wataluga said as he stepped between Fireden and me. His arms were still crossed, and I let out a breathless sigh that had no sound. "Sure, let''s talk then. Tell me how I can get better control of both of your Pacts while using them in my Aspect form," I said to the two elementals, and they did. For some time, that''s total I was unsure of, then men exined how the energy flowed through my body and how to control it. I was concerned that Mex would be getting worried, but I had no interruptions. When they finished exining everything to me, I felt like my head was about to explode. There were so many crazy things that were being exined. Still, as I listened, there was something familiar about the way it was being described. Whatever the familiarness was, it was just out of my reach. It would more than likely be something that was locked in my memories that were being nurtured. The ethereal link between the three of us burned brightly, and I could now feel the connection like a tangible thing. This connection would allow me to alternate with the Pacts using a thought barely. They had also exined about higher levels and the different things that I would gain ess to. I would be able to startbining Pacts and totems while using the abilities freely and summoning multiple Elemental partners. "When you be strong enough, I can even force volcanoes to erupt or call magma from deep underground!" Fireden boasted, and I grinned, but I really needed to get back to Mex. "Alright, so now you guys can talk to me, and I understand more about my ss than I ever did before. Thank you, and I am sorry if it seemed like I was ignoring you, but I do need to find somewhere to sleep," I told the two, and they nodded to me. I closed my eyes, and I felt a shifting, then opened them to see the rocks still tumbling weightlessly. I turned to look at where Mex had called me from, and to my surprise, he was still standing there, and he raised an eyebrow at me. "Sorry about that! I really didn''t mean to take that long!" I said but stopped before I said anymore when I saw the surprised look on his face. "What? You''re joking, right? You literally just told me that!" Mex eximed, and it was my turn to have a surprised look on my face. "Huh?" I uttered in confusion. [When inside of your head, everything around you stops, but you are the only person that I have ever heard of it happening too. Mexmunicated with us, but never like you have been.] Wataluga''s words confused me, but he had given me what seemed to be the brunt of the information. This little thing might be necessary for the future if I get into a tight spot with no time to think. ''Thanks,'' I thought to Wataluga, and I felt a nod in reply. It was good to know that I had someone to rte to now, but I would still be excited to have Hero back in my head after this. I hadn''t even bothered to try anything in my System, but there were no girls here; I only knew how to open my stat menus and activate skills. I shook my head and then focused on Fireden. Just like that, I could instantly feel the Fire Force Pact activate. I closed my eyes and started to drink in the energy of the world around me. Now I could focus the drain and take from more suitable energy sources from farther away. I reached down, and to my surprise, I could feel massive stores of burning Elemental Fire Energy less than one hundred feet below me. This was more than good, and I linked myself to the energy like Fireden had Shown me, giving me a direct line to feed me. I opened my eyes, and I pulsed with glowing red lines that spidered like veins of magma all over my body. While I would have unlimited power like this, I could end up hurting myself if I tried to use too much more than my own total power. [Remember that connecting like this is not refilling your energy; it gives you ess to more. You will still need to use some of your own to use any of the other, and if you run out of your own, you will be in trouble.] With Fireden''s warning in the back of my head, I activated my Elemental Aspect, and the veins on my body burst with mes. As I could feel all the energy in my body be converted to fire, I turned to Mex with arge zing grin. "Are you ready to go for a ride?" I asked as thest of my body was consumed with fire. Chapter 196 - Strangely Haunting, The Nafa Mex looked at me like I was crazy as I put my arms out. "What? I just carried you up here like this, and hey, why don''t we just fly over?" I asked, and Mex shook his head no fast. The sky''s thest ce you want to be! The fact that we weren''t eaten getting out of the valley was pure luck! Why don''t you think I would have suggested this before?" Mex asked and then added, "Also, I am not dying, and I need to swing the sword. I will just ride on your back." That was fair, but what was this about the sky not being safe? What was with these worlds and their crazy ariel wildlife? [None of this is natural.] Fireden''s voice surprised me. ''What do you mean?'' I motioned for Mex to get on my back as I listened. I agreed that nothing was natural, but what did that really mean in the grand scheme of it all? [This world, and the previous all came into being, now of them were formed, but past that, I have no idea why. Not even the rocks that were here when each world appeared to know how it happened Grogvel asked.] It was awkward to have Mex climb on my back, but not because he was a guy. I was buff when I came into this world, but now my body was lean, and Mex was much bigger than me. Once he was on, I leaned forward and forced heat to pour off of me like a jet engine, lifting me into the air. I want to use some of my other totems, but Fireden warned me against it because It would be burning my reserves. "So, you want to be flying downward slightly, but you will lose your sense of direction right away. You will need to use the sun to make sure that you are going in the right direction. As long as you keep it to your left, we should be through in less than ten minutes," Mex exined, and I nodded and waited for him to getfortable on my back. I felt Mex stab his hand out to the side, and after the count to three, and started to move forward. There was no sensation as I entered, but I did feel Mex get lighter, and he locked his legs around my waist. "What is up in the sky?" I asked as Mex started to poke the stone. Mex was worried about getting lost, but while I didn''t have a map of the, I did have one of where I was and apass. I thought I might keep this to myself this time and make it look like I was just a pro afterward. "Strange transparent creatures that are very fast and will even attack their own kind and eat them. And you being a burning beacon really is bad for my health. They will even attack creatures and people on the ground, but that doesn''t happen as often and only if the person is jumping in the air a lot," Mex said to me, as he constantly shoved big rocks out of the way. The small ones were fine, and the big ones weren''t terrible because none of them had any weight. The dangery in therge groups that were already pushed into one another. There were some rocks that got into groups, and they became hard to move because they bounced off each other. The rocks could be moved and broken apart with multiple pushes, but the clump really didn''t look much different from the rest. When two clumps came together, rocks were crushed and smashed, and neither of us wanted to be fountain paste. However, besides the chance of being squished, I would have to say that it was one of the most peaceful and rxing ces I had ever been. The rocks moved up slowly, and the echo that they created as they clicked and cked. Together it created something almost strangely haunting, like what it might be like to fly through an asteroid field. Not like I had the experience topare it to, and I knew that there was no sound in space, but it was what I would like to assume it to be like. [There are tripedal creatures up ahead of you. Fireden is checking to see what type of energy they have, but they are Demons, and there are about fifteen of them.] I ryed the message over to Mex, and I heard him groan from above me as he pushed a rock. "Can you see what color they are? The highest level Demon left here is D Rank and the Demon King. There are two breeds of the Tripedals, and they should be able to coexist, but one was much more troublesome than the other and was a thorn for the other breed before we even arrived," Mex exined, and I could see glimpses of the horned redskins creatures. [Rank E-Three Demons, none have anything that looks like usable energy, but the crystals on the end of the rods they carry do. Do not engage them, or it is more than likely that you will die.] I slowed down, and Mex had to work harder to keep the stone from closing in around us as I looked over the three-legged creatures. They all wore loincloth underwear, but their shoulders had strange sparkles that were glittering on their shoulders. "Do the bad one''s glitter?" I asked as I picked up speed again but started to lower myself. The ridge on this side was much lower than the other one we had left beforeing across, and I was mindful of the sky. More than once, I had seen glimpses of shes of light from about to only find nothing but a multi-hued sky. "No, they are the Nafa and much better than the others, but we will see if they decide to talk or kill first," Mex said, and I groaned. Chapter 197 - Pathetic And Snivelly, The Great Beeno Of Nafa Since we started to get closer, Mex had started to whisper down to me about the Nafa. He exined about the city they all lived in and about the people themselves. "They live in another gorge like the one the monsters were in, living near the top in caves carved into the walls. Their bodies look thin but do not let that fool you into thinking the creatures are weak. Their bone and muscle density is almost four times as much as my own," Mex exined quickly. "Okay, is there anything that I should know before we meet them? I don''t want to do something that will offend them," I said in a low voice. "They are quite simr to us, but the roles and hormones of the males and females are reversed. For the most part, they are good, but the females can be extremely aggressive. Don''t stare or ogle them, or you will get yourself in trouble!" Mex told me, and I chuckled. "Why? Am I going to get myself more women?" I chuckled and then growled after Mex used his hand to chop the back of my head. "Joke andugh if you want, think that the girls are rough on you? I was in bed for three days after being nearly fucked to death! I have been with monsters of all sizes, shapes, and variety, but these women are a different breed entirely!" Mex told me. "Three days? That is not even that bad! I have pulled muscles that havested longer than that!" I said but then got another chop to the back of my head. I whipped my head back around the best I could to re up at Mex, who was pushing another rock out of the way. Mex looked back and then gave me one of those looks I reserved for Twat''s; you know, people with a bad habit of talking without a thought. Oh, and I suppose while that was healing, you were also regrowing an arm, pelvic bone, and healed more than fifty different cracks and fractures?" Mex asked. I turned my head back without saying anything. Yeah, only many I deserved that one, and I was being a twat, but it just was so hard to imagine a woman being that violent or intense, but I let Mex continue. "They take that as direct interest, and then fighting is the equivalent to flirting for women. The men hate this and tend to get very emotional about it when the women smack them around. Just let me do all the talking," Mex exined, and I was trying to imagine it as we got closer. The tripedal creatures watched us intently as the two of us emerged from the rolling ins and lowered down to the ground. We had to look extremely strange, even in a ce like this that seemed to defyws and logic in every way conceivable. Mex hopped off my back, and I straightened myself out beforending but looked up quickly as I noticed another sh from above. That one was much lower, but I brought my attention back to Mex and the group in front of us, releasing my Elemental Aspect. "Why have you all returned? Have you not destroyed enough already?" Asked a deep voice from behind the other Nafa. The creature that walked out was rough, mean, one breast, pale red skin, and¡­. Wait, what the fuck did I just see? The¡­ woman breast was a single uni-boob that was wide with a single rectangr nipple and are that looked strange, but a new strange. I was about to let my eyes go lower, but then I received a backhand from Mex that caught me entirely off guard, knocking me back. The strikepletely caught me off guard and dazed me to the point where I almost fell over as I stumbled back. Before I could catch myself, I felt arge hand on my neck, and my face was mmed to the grounds. My temper red, and I was about to lose it, but then Mex mmed his own head down beside mine. "Shut the fuck up and keep your eyes on the ground, or you will have wished to monsters killed us!" Mex growled in a low and dangerous voice but then switched to something pathetic and snivelly. "Uh, umm, yes, we are very sorry! We are here alone, from a Challenger Gem! We are weak and pathetic creatures from another world, but I was in this world before and know of your might and honor! Can you please help us be stronger!" The change was beyond weird, and it was like I was beside an entirely different person. This person must be significant or something to that degree, or Mex would not be acting like this. "Mene to get help from a woman? What makes you think I would even consider this after the mess you left us with!" The woman growled. "I know that we as men are beyond worthless, Great Beeno of the Nafa! Please-," Mex whined and swiveled, and I couldn''t believe what I was hearing, and I started to growl, making Mex stop talking. This was beyond stupid, and my failure with Dao plus being stuck in here started to get to me. I was not here to y around, nor was I here to start taking orders from some Queen with a sore tooth and a grudge. Like a dried twig underfoot, I snapped. Fire Pact, Sphinx, and Gog Totems activated, and I pped Mex''s hand back from the neck. I pushed him back from me, mes erupting from my fingertips as I stood up. I felt the fire licking out of my eyes like Keri, and I turned to re at the red-skinned Queen Uni-Boob. I stared directly in her strange solid jade eyes that were faceted like gems, but she gave me the same defiant look back. [Be careful, they are not as strong as most, but there are more watching, and you will be in a fight for your life. I understand your frustration, though, and I will give you everything you need to bring this under your control.. Think, and then act. Who else are you going to get help from?] Chapter 198 - Pathetic And Snivelly, The Great Beeno Of Nafa Chapter 198 - Pathetic And Snivelly, The Great Beeno Of Nafa Since we started to get closer, Mex had started to whisper down to me about the Nafa. He exined about the city they all lived in and about the people themselves. "They live in another gorge like the one the monsters were in, living near the top in caves carved into the walls. Their bodies look thin but do not let that fool you into thinking the creatures are weak. Their bone and muscle density is almost four times as much as my own," Mex exined quickly. "Okay, is there anything that I should know before we meet them? I don''t want to do something that will offend them," I said in a low voice. "They are quite simr to us, but the roles and hormones of the males and females are reversed. For the most part, they are good, but the females can be extremely aggressive. Don''t stare or ogle them, or you will get yourself in trouble!" Mex told me, and I chuckled. "Why? Am I going to get myself more women?" I chuckled and then growled after Mex used his hand to chop the back of my head. "Joke andugh if you want, think that the girls are rough on you? I was in bed for three days after being nearly fucked to death! I have been with monsters of all sizes, shapes, and variety, but these women are a different breed entirely!" Mex told me. "Three days? That is not even that bad! I have pulled muscles that havested longer than that!" I said but then got another chop to the back of my head. I whipped my head back around the best I could to re up at Mex, who was pushing another rock out of the way. Mex looked back and then gave me one of those looks I reserved for Twat''s; you know, people with a bad habit of talking without a thought. Oh, and I suppose while that was healing, you were also regrowing an arm, pelvic bone, and healed more than fifty different cracks and fractures?" Mex asked. I turned my head back without saying anything. Yeah, only many I deserved that one, and I was being a twat, but it just was so hard to imagine a woman being that violent or intense, but I let Mex continue. "They take that as direct interest, and then fighting is the equivalent to flirting for women. The men hate this and tend to get very emotional about it when the women smack them around. Just let me do all the talking," Mex exined, and I was trying to imagine it as we got closer. The tripedal creatures watched us intently as the two of us emerged from the rolling ins and lowered down to the ground. We had to look extremely strange, even in a ce like this that seemed to defyws and logic in every way conceivable. Mex hopped off my back, and I straightened myself out beforending but looked up quickly as I noticed another sh from above. That one was much lower, but I brought my attention back to Mex and the group in front of us, releasing my Elemental Aspect. "Why have you all returned? Have you not destroyed enough already?" Asked a deep voice from behind the other Nafa. The creature that walked out was rough, mean, one breast, pale red skin, and¡­. Wait, what the fuck did I just see? The¡­ woman breast was a single uni-boob that was wide with a single rectangr nipple and are that looked strange, but a new strange. I was about to let my eyes go lower, but then I received a backhand from Mex that caught me entirely off guard, knocking me back. The strikepletely caught me off guard and dazed me to the point where I almost fell over as I stumbled back. Before I could catch myself, I felt arge hand on my neck, and my face was mmed to the grounds. My temper red, and I was about to lose it, but then Mex mmed his own head down beside mine. "Shut the fuck up and keep your eyes on the ground, or you will have wished to monsters killed us!" Mex growled in a low and dangerous voice but then switched to something pathetic and snivelly. "Uh, umm, yes, we are very sorry! We are here alone, from a Challenger Gem! We are weak and pathetic creatures from another world, but I was in this world before and know of your might and honor! Can you please help us be stronger!" The change was beyond weird, and it was like I was beside an entirely different person. This person must be significant or something to that degree, or Mex would not be acting like this. "Mene to get help from a woman? What makes you think I would even consider this after the mess you left us with!" The woman growled. "I know that we as men are beyond worthless, Great Beeno of the Nafa! Please-," Mex whined and swiveled, and I couldn''t believe what I was hearing, and I started to growl, making Mex stop talking. This was beyond stupid, and my failure with Dao plus being stuck in here started to get to me. I was not here to y around, nor was I here to start taking orders from some Queen with a sore tooth and a grudge. Like a dried twig underfoot, I snapped. Fire Pact, Sphinx, and Gog Totems activated, and I pped Mex''s hand back from the neck. I pushed him back from me, mes erupting from my fingertips as I stood up. I felt the fire licking out of my eyes like Keri, and I turned to re at the red-skinned Queen Uni-Boob. I stared directly in her strange solid jade eyes that were faceted like gems, but she gave me the same defiant look back. [Be careful, they are not as strong as most, but there are more watching, and you will be in a fight for your life. I understand your frustration, though, and I will give you everything you need to bring this under your control.. Think, and then act. Who else are you going to get help from?] Chapter 199 - You Want Some Of This, Super Orgasmouraman! I wanted to stay frustrated, but Fireden was right, and I was going to burn my only bridge if I ever wanted to get back to the girls. They were all in danger out there, and I was stuck in here with this, but that just meant I needed to deal with it properly. ''Fine, I get it. I am asking to get in a fight with the only people that might be willing to help us.'' Still locked eye to eye with Queen Beeno or something, I broke the link and started to pull in the energy from all around me with no concern of what it was. It didn''t really matter for the ne I had. I considered what Fireden had said, and if these women liked to fuck, it was probably to give them relief. I could do that without all the work. While talking about the Elemental Aspect with Wataluga, he exined how to concentrate my Orgasmoura. "Who do you think you are, Pink Man? Want me to crush your pelvis and break that lit-," Beeno growled but choked on her words as my body and previouslyid shaft to Neft sized. "You want some of this?" I asked, and I heard Mex start to curse behind me, but his words were getting quieter. I knew that Beeno was going to dish something out to me, but the moment she went to open her mouth, I stepped forward and grabbed her. Surprised, Beeno froze as I pulled her into me with one hand, my cock sliding between her legs, getting wet. I leaned in, pushed her long Orange hair to the side, revealing a hexagonal-shaped ear. I ced my lips close to it and whispered so only she could hear. "Before you answer, Let me give you a small taste," I breathed gently to Beeno and then mmed my Orgasmoura into her, using almost a quarter of my energy in one shot. I had to move my free hand fast, and it took both my hands to hold the alien Demon as her legs instantly failed her. Beeno''s arms wrapped around me, but she didn''t squeeze hard; she just held on as she tried to scream. The others around us were all shocked, but they recovered right away, but none of them looked sure what they should do. Some of them lowered weapons at me, but then others pushed them back up and pointed to what had to be a wet spot under us. I could feel the wet hole at her center under leaking downsides as Beeno started to slowly grind on my shaft. I had felt her hole before, and it seemed pretty, and that had made me curious about how the men fucked them. "W-Waa d-di-d y-y-y-ou doo t-to m-me," Beeno stuttered in a new and much higher and feminine voice as my Orgasmoura burst final faded. I had used a single massive st because I didn''t want to make a huge scene, and I figured these girls must have trouble getting off. So, one big st to show that I meant business, but now I could see I might have misjudged who this person was. Since Beeno was rubbing on me and had started to sweat, her skin became a darker red and very dirty, but I didn''t really care. I patted her head and stroked her hair as the other three-legged uni-boob watched in utter confusion. [Now that''s what I call taming the Shrew!] ''Yes, Fireman, but now it''s time to offer them a deal they shouldn''t be able to resist!'' "All of you! I am Zack, and no, I am not a Demon, and I need your help to train my friend. If you and your people can help us, I will free the females from being Demons and sterilize the men. I don''t know how to change the men back yet, but I am working on it," I said to them all, but they all remained silent. To my surprise, Beeno didn''t let go of me, and she got a better grip around me. The woman was kind of cute, and I might have to see about maybe bringing back another addition for the ranch. "A man that can make a Dominatra do that is one that I would like to get to know!" Said a strange, weirdly feminine voice from behind me. "Yes, this creature is one of a kind and constantly surprises me," I heard Mex''s voice say as well. Since Beeno didn''t seem to want to let go, I let myself goid and started to lift her. As I did, her two front legs wrapped around my waist, then the thor back one between my legs. I paused for a moment and looked down, but Beeno had her jade gemstone eyes closed. I shook my head and grinned at the adorable alien and then turned around slowly. I was surprised to find a small feminine-looking creature that wore a dress that went down to cover hoof-like feet like the women. This must be one of the males, but the dress seemed strange on him, even with the feminine features. "Zack, This is Horus, and he is something of a King to these people," Mex said as he gestured to the feminine male, and I nodded. "Sorry for making a scene like this and not doing what that idiot was, but it''s just not my style," I said with a small smile, not wanting to seem rude, but Horus started tough. "Ha! You''re still alive, and you have one of the most terrifying women I know doing¡­ you know I really have no idea. Whatever it is, I want you to teach me to get them to do that! Pleasee to our home and at least talk with us, and we will help you with what we can!" Horus told me in a voice reminiscent of a squawking crow that was filled with excitement. ''All in a day''s work!'' [Yeah, for Super Orgasmouraman!] ''Haters gonna hate, Fire Nuts! And I am going to get some three-legged alien pussy, so suck it!'' [Fuck you!] "Nice burn, Cinders," I said out loud by ident, and Beeno looked up at me curiously. "Who are you talking to?" Beeno asked me. "My friends in my head," I told her, and Beeno''s look of curiosity turned into concern, making me grin. [Hey! 200! Woot! Thank you all for reading and supporting me here on P a t r e o n and everywhere else! Also, let me know in discord if there are chapters missing andd I will post them on there! Thepany posting my book has ignored me for a month now, so I am not really sure what to do about it owth then to offer the chapters on discord, https://discord.gg/gaKsGdZYtj] Chapter 200 - Last Laugh, Ever [35/150 mins until Dao dies 2:30 after entering the Challenger Gem] Veronica flew with the women to the Keep, but Candace was pacing around the courtyard when they got there. Veronica could tell that she was upset andnded faster near her to Nixi''s great displeasure. "What are you doing?! You are going to kill all of us!" Nixi screamed as Veronica ignored her andnded. Candace turned with tears in her to look at her sister and then broke into a sob. "T-They took him!" Candace as she sunk down to the ground. The girls hopped off with Kimera taking a iling Nixi with her, and Veronica went over tofort her sister. The women were looking at each other in confusion after Nixi was back on solid ground and done fussing. "Why would Dao take Mex of all people?" Kimera asked while raising an eyebrow at Nixi. "Who else? Dao must know the game is up and now wants to try and bargain with Kazz. Jessabell would have been far more trouble than she was worth, and Kazz would kill him without giving him a chance. Taking my grandson was his best option, but I am curious as to what he has nned," Nixi mused, but then motioned to the ce they had started to think of home now. "Yes, No, go talk to her with the girls, and I will go get the mask. I think it will be good for her to get out and stretch her legs," Kimera smiled, but Nixi groaned and started to walk to the apartment but stopped, turning around. "Are you twoing with me?" Nixi asked, trying not to growl. The girls shook their heads, and Keri took off dragging Kieta in the direction of her underground shop in the southwest corner. Nixi shrugged and turned to head to go talk to Jessabell. Once inside, Nixi went up to the first floor and then to the back of the first flight of stairs. There was a door there, but it had no sign, and only Nixi and a few others could even see it. Nixi knocked on the door gently, but Jessabell still let out a small scream, and Nixi sighed. "Jess, it''s me, Nixi. I am getting Kimera to bring you something that will help rx you," Nixi exined slowly and then waited. There was a short pause, and then Jessabell asked, "What is it?" very quiet, and Nixi had to strain to hear her but had expected it. "It is something that I made for you a long time ago, and you were able to get out and see the world? I mean, you beat up a lot of evil creatures and did an excellent job of it!" Nixi paused as she leaned into the door with hands pressed on it and about to press her to it. Then fell in as Jessabell opened the door in shock but caught Nixi''s robe before hitting the ground. After shutting the door and putting Nixi down, Jessabell went over to her desk and started to tap her fingers on the desk. Nixi walked over to her from behind and started to draw a Sigil of Calming as she bit off one of her own fingers. This was done with hardly a trace of even a grimace while finishing the sigil. Once done, the sigil lit up red and then turned to blue. Nixi quickly used the same finger to wipe the blood from her hand; she had removed the already regrown finger. With rapid speed, Nixi drew the same sigil on Jessabell''s back. Before Jessabell could say anything, the sigil was bound to her and snapped down, sending calming magic all through her body. Nixi stumbled and fell over as she passed out from draining her magic reserves to give Jessabell a clear mind for three hours. Everyone thought that it was the mask that had done it to Jessabell, Nixi had, and convinced her to wear the mask. Nixi didn''t want anyone to think that she would help anyone, demons had a reputation to keep up, or they did. The tension left Jessabell''s body as it happened again; she was free. The fear was like a cage that held her inside and made everything seem like it would hurt her. Her fingers stopped, and she turned quickly and then gasped when she saw Grandmother Nixi on the floor. Jessabell could see that she was breathing, and there was blood on her hand and on her finger-likest time. There was a soft knock on the door, and Jessabell answered for them toe in as she was kneeled on the floor by Nixi. At first, no one came in, and Jessabell almost got up to check if the door was locked, but then the door opened, and a confused-looking Kimera walked in and then gasped when she spotted Nixi. Then she looked at Jessabell, who looked back at her with calm and lucid eyes. Kimera blinked and then looked down at Nixi and then to her hand. Then Kimera dropped the mask as she burst outughing uncontrobly for almost a solid minute as Jessabell just stared at her. She was trying to figure out what could be so funny about all of this, but finally, Kinera got ahold of herself. "Sorry¡­ Hehe, just had tough. This is rich and almost stranger than any of the fiction I have read! So you mean to tell me that even this menacing woman had a soft spot before the man came?! Bwahaha!" Kimera said and then burst outughing again. "I wasn''t supposed to tell anyone because I guess she didn''t want that to happen," Jessabell said with a slight chuckle, but Kimera covered her mouth and shook her head as she tried to calm herself. "No way! No one would dareugh at Nixi to her face! That''s why I''m doing it now while she is passed out! She would kill me if she was awake!" Kimera said, but the froze as a growl came up from Nixi. "Yes, I would!" Nixi growled/groaned as she rolled over to re at a wide-eyed and terrified Kimera. Chapter 201 - Tremendous Change, Queen Mother Nixi sat up with Jessabell''s help and then waved off the terrified Kimera with a weak dismissal. She was trying to do better, but some old habits died hard, and the look on Kimera''s face was priceless. "I am not going to hurt you, but I will need your help to get out of here. I used up everything I had to give her time to take care of the Demons around us," Nixi exined, and Kimera rxed and spoke up. "Well, I don''t think that it will be that bad now. Grogvel and Windorf just arrived with Kali and Hanna. The two elementals have chased most of them away, but, umm, Jess?" Kimera said and looked at the hulking Minostien of Nixi. "Yes?" Jessabell asked curiously. "I remembered that you are not only very strong but very smart, right? Can you help Kieta and Keri with the projects they went to do? They are in the southwest corner of the courtyard in an underground shop. I am sure the extra help will be wee," Kimera asked her, and Jessabell''s face lit up as she nodded her head in excitement. "Yes! My studies before getting washed up on the ind were more for the milking, but I studied other areas, and I am a quick learner," Jessabell eximed. "Good, hopefully, that man gets back here quick, and Kazz and takes you in as one of his girls. That should help remove the fear that eats at you, but if you feel ite back, make sure you get back here. If you don''t, who knows what will happen," Nixi said as Jessabell stood up and walked around her. The room was not nted like the stairs outside of the room would suggest like the other rooms. It was muchrger than it appeared, but there was only a single cot and table with a chair. "I will," Jessa called as she ducked out the door, and the sound of her clopping hoof could be heard as she left. "Do you think she will be okay?" Kimera asked Nixi as she went over to help her up. "Are any of us really okay? It is all up to him, everything relies on the oue of his battle, and we will know the moment it happens, but only if it works," Nixi said as the women exited the room. Jessabell was already running outside but stopped over to see Veronica and Candace. Candace was still upset, but she was feeling better. Kali and another Demon that Jessabell had never seen before was with her. "Jess? What are you doing?! Are you okay?" Veronica asked as soon as she noticed her. "I am okay for now, Grandmother Nixi helped me with some magic, and now I can think for a little while. What is going on?" Jessabell asked, but then Veronica turned to her but started to shrink. Jessabell''s eyes went huge as she looked at the short blur girl that was Veronica now as she walked up to her. Veronica gave her a tight hug, and Jessabell returned it, but she had to bend down a bit. "I really hope Kazz can help you stay like this; it''s like seeing apletely different person in your eyes and posture. I can now be with him, and I finally feel happy; I don''t care what happens from here on out. I just want us to all be able to do it together," Veronica said as she let go of Jessabell. Jessabell could also see a tremendous change in her friend; she had noticed how sad Veronica had been, but she had been trapped in her own cage of fear. Now things looked like they were changing. The stranger that had captured Jessabell had also captured the hearts of many of the women. She was interested in meeting him, but that didn''t really exin why Candace looked sad or why Demons were attacking in the first ce. "What is going on right now? What are we being attacked for?" Jessabell asked, and Veronica and the girls exined everything that was going on. "Now Kazz is going to get Mex, but he really shouldn''t be gone that long. Veronica told me there was even someone going to help him!" Kali said with an excited smile. "That is good, and I am sure that this Kazz will get him, but I am going to go down and help the girls. I am sure we could use some help if you all want to join us? It will be a good way to take all your mind off of Mex and Kazz. The sooner we can get everything ready for this boat you mentioned, the sooner we can get off this ind," Jessabell said to the group, and they all nodded. Jessabell was from a secret ce in the peaks of the west mountain on the far side of Gardania. She had been on a boat looking for a particr person that had left with the first exodus when the Demons came. Three years and after losing everything, she had still not found the Queen Mother Minotaur. The only one that could teach that art of magical separation, the Queen, had fled with the other old ones, leaving no trail. Thest known person that knew the magic had died four years ago, and for a year, they had tried to find different ways to separate the two magic within. This had be essential because it could cure Demonism and prevent it, but this had all been lost to her. It was essential for her to find the Queen Mother, and to do that, she was going to need to get off this ind. That meant helping these women build a boat, but she was concerned about what kind of a boat such a random group of women could be building? Across the ind, Nushi and Hydie stood at the eastern edge at the top of Crater City. Nushi''s skin had lightened to pale frost, and she stood seven and a half feet tall, built from coiled steel muscles. "Do you think he is there?" Hydie asked, and Nushi growled in a hissing Demonic voice. "I can''t feel him, Father or Dao, and I can have a bad feeling about this. We need to hurry!" [78/150 mins until Dao dies 2:30 after entering the Challenger Gem] Chapter 202 - Cuddly As A Kitten, We Are Monsters I walked beside Mex and Horus with Beeno resting my arms. She had seemed to be apletely different woman after I had hit her with the st of super-charged pleasure. Now, the angry little woman was as cuddly as a kitten, which was quite a bit better than the other way. The rest of the group followed us, but I could feel their eyes on Beeno and me. "As I said, this is a very new experience for Beeno. The other women are curious. I am sure to know why the strongest of them would act like this," Horus exined as we walked along the rolling shatteredndscape, and then mentioned, "I will be able to exin it better when you meet my partner." It seemed to go on endlessly, rolling away like a giant living wall. Thendscape we walked one was distinctly honey bee yellow and ruby red sands, but it was beautiful in a strange way. There were t rock shelf parts, but no one was near them, and I was curious to know why. "Food Rocks, they are magical creatures that live in the rocks, and they will get under your foot and eat you. All the way from the foot to your head, they aren''t big on wasting, but they don''t really have minds," Horus exined, and I nodded, but I had some other questions I wanted to ask. Since the confrontation with Zero and him constantly telling me that I would learn what he was trying to do, something had been on my mind. Since this had beenpletely taken, I could see how the changes have affected everyone. "What was it like for you and everyone before the Demons came versus how things are now?" I asked Horus, not sure how he would respond, if at all, and he waited before speaking as we walked. The Nafa had a strange way of walking, and each one of their legs had four joints, giving something like a second knee. The back leg was slightly longer than the front two, but they walked smoothly, despite it looking awkward. Their walk consisted of the front legs making two steps, while the back pushed forward, and then it would move ahead. "Not terribly different, and each different way has its benefits over the other," Horus said as he made a gesture of using his hands as tipping scales. "What are the benefits?" I asked curiously, and Beeno started to stir in my arms and then spoke up. "Living until you are killed, and then having the chance to be reborn again, heals from most wounds, but they are also the things that make it bad. We can never die, and I have heard that the ce that everyone goes to wait is like a jail, with no clue when you will be leaving. You can''t even kill yourself; you have to ask someone else to do it," Beeno said and then tucked her head back into my chest, closing her pretty gemstone eyes. Not really what I would call a convincing argument in the Demons favor, but maybe this isn''t what he meant. Helsin Zero had said I would know, so it had to be something else. "That isn''t the only thing, and you know it. I think it is also the reason why you despise them so much. Surprisingly, the Kaulu and us fighting has almostpletely stopped, and we are working on peace treaties as we speak. While there is still fighting among our people, it is mostly sanctioned duels," Horus exined, and Mex was the one to burst out this time. "Excuse me? Peace treaty? Do you even know what that word means? You fought before we came and partially lost because you refused to work together!" Mex burst out, turning to Horus with his arms spread open in disbelief, but Horus just let out a cawingugh. "Yes, both of our people know what the word means and understand what we did wrong. We were angry after you all left, but we started to think about our new lives and reflected on our old ones as time passed. I am not saying that it made a choice for us, but bing Demons has almost been what I would call good for us," Horus said, and I thought that Mex''s jaw was about to fall off his face. "Wait, Wait, Wait a minute!" Mex burst out again, and this time everyone stopped, and he continued. "We are Demons, the worst creature to ever have existed! We came in like wildfire and destroyed your way of life! We are monsters!" "Yes, I agree, but we are not you, and our old way of life wasn''t perfect anyway. Things are not as bad as they seem, but some people are stuck in the old ways," Horus said and nced at the women in my arms, and I grinned. I could see she was a feisty one, but I was slowly starting to get an image of what he was getting at, but I wasn''t entirely convinced. Sure, on a small like this, it would be fine if only two races benefited, but what about the ces with many different types? Would the effect be the same? I found that very hard to believe, and I had already seen that the wildlife hadn''t changed that much. I couldn''t make any assumptions yet, and I would have to see how it had affected the parts of the world that were already Demonized on the world I was on. I had thought of doing what I had done for the Demons at Neft''s vige, but I couldn''t fix the men yet, and I wasn''t staying. It also seems that I worked here, so I might be the one causing the damage if I changed things back. This was starting to beplicated, but it wasn''t like that was anything new. I just had to keep moving forward, but then I felt the pulse that smashed through me, stopping both Mex and me dead in our tracks. "How did she get in here so fast?!" Mex in uttered stunned confusion and I shared it, but there was more than one of them. Chapter 203 - The Flash, Toss Water Boy It was hard to tell if this was going to create more trouble or help, but I could feel four new distinct presences enter this world. Nushi and Hydie, but also two other things that I couldn''t read from this distance, more monsters. "Well, I hope it''s something like a pair of Gnolls," I said, but Mexughed out loud at me. "Don''t get your hopes up, but at least Nushi should have no problem finding us. The real question is, what is with her power?!" Mex asked after hisugh, and I agreed. There was something different about her, and I felt a significant increase in her power, but it was not to the Reading System. Whatever change Nushi had gone through, she was now stronger than Doa had been. I wondered what that would mean for her when she was no longer a Demon, or any of the women really? There was so much to learn, but I had time once we got off the ind, and I nned on making sure I was more than ready to enter the continent of Gardania. "Do you think that we should wait for her? Or should I go get her? I am worried that she might try flying or something, and the birds might get them¡­." I said but then trailed off for a moment as Nushi started to jump close to me. "What the hell is she doing?" I focused on the girls, and then suddenly, they started to get closer, but they seemed to be moving in bursts. It was like they were a bolt of lightning bouncing closer, and then I turned with Beeno in my arms. The air started to feel charged, and then a bolt of lightning came from the undting rock wall. The lightning ricocheted off the rocks and then out onto the sand, but when it hit, Nushi was there. "Is that my daughter?" Mex asked as he walked up beside me. We were both staring at the glowing pink massive Female with thick horns more like Lidy''s but more rigid and crackling with lightning. I connected my eyes with her, and her muscled body began to shrink down as she smiled at me. Suddenly, I noticed a light reflection in the sky above, and then I saw three outlines of winged creatures. They were diving down at Nushi; the lightning shes must have attracted them. I activated my Water Force Pact and phased through Beeno, leaving a copy of myself behind as I dashed forward. Clouds were forming around Nushi as she looked up, and she started to crackle as she reached her hands out to the side. I split myself into three and flung myself into the air at the strangely reflective dragon-like creatures. I retracted the copies and made another to help spin and fling me at the creatures harder. The creature that I hit was smashed out of the air. It smashed into the top of the rock was where it was sucked into the center. The body took on the same pattern as the rocks as it struggled to get free, but it was caught. The creature went wild with screams and colors as it was sucked into the center of the undting wall. The body was crushed, and blood sprayed out over the rocks. Mex hadn''t been joking about that, but it made me wonder how we could even get through. Instantly, in a sh, Nushi was up in the air with me, cutting my thought short. She used a pair of crackling swords, cutting through the other two. I turned in the air and whipped my hand to stretch to Nushi, connecting with Hydie. More creatures wereing now, and I could feel the blood lusting from them from all around us. We had kicked the ho''s nest, but it was toote to back down now. I pulled my body to the girls and fused with Hydie, immediately feeling the connection of our minds far more substantial than even Hero had been. "Kazz? What in this world is this ce, and what are these creatures that are attacking us?!" Hydie asked me clearly in my mind as if she was right beside me. "No time! Let me take control, but hold the shield up! Nushi¡­ Hit things, and I will watch your back!" I called out. I felt myself be more as Hydie and I fully fuse, gaining some of her emotional senses. I could now target about thirty of the strange draconic creatures. They looked like four-pointed diamonds from a deck of cards, or kites, and moved very fast. They quickly cut the wind, but now I could see the reflective backs of the creatures and sense them. Nushi was using her electricity to heat mine and Hydie''s bodies. This caused the mini-storm systems to form, and then Nushi threw lightning at them. The connection created bridges of spidering lightning that she ran across. I could barely follow any of this, but I could sense it more than see it, but I had to focus on the others. Even as Nushi sliced the Dragon Kites to pieces at a blinding speed, the other would be predicting her next move. I pulled Wataluga into me and forced control over him, and then we both split ourselves into three. This was hurting my brain, but it was the only way to keep up with the increasing number of Kite Dragons. Nushi dashed along with the current, and I sent out two whips and Wataluga one, pping three Kite Dragons down. Our strikes weren''t killing them, and even after almost thirty were killed, there were now forty, and the number was increasing faster than we could kill them. "This isn''t working! We need a new n!" I called out. [Separate and pull yourself back together, toss Water Boy back to the girls, and let''s barbecue some Invisazards! Once it''s only you and me in here, we can fuse and make this even the air burn!] I wanted to argue that I had already picked Kite Dragons, but there was no time. I decided in a split second and told everyone what to do as I started to pull myself back together. "Hydie, Nushi, get to Mex, and get everyone away from here! I will distract them!" I told everyone and then separated from them. Chapter 204 - Worlds Collide, It Was Me Using a massive watery fist, I shot off and connected with three Invisazards, retracting all parts of me as I did. I felt that Beeno had climbed down now and retrieved thest part of myself. I was falling, but Nushi started to retreat at high speeds while darting back at me. Once I was whole, I changed aspects and threw Wataluga as she zipped past. I felt him connect with them, and I burst with mes, but I was scooped out of the air in the mouth of an Invisazard. I grunted, but it was just the pressure. I was energy incarnate, I felt no pain, but these creatures would. [Ready? This is going to feel like you''re getting hit by a truck and then ripped apart, then back together about three times. Typically you shouldn''t be able to do something like this, but this world is thick with energy, so I will force you to overfill and stretch your energy reserves.] ''That sounds painful.'' [So does dying. This will be like nothing you have ever experienced; prepare your mind for this.] Two more Invisazards locked onto me, the first on a leg, then another blocked my vision as it burned its mouth trying to chew my head off. This was not going well, time started to slow down around me, and I closed my eyes. I could sense the other creatures starting to head after the other Demons, but Nushi and the rest were with them. They were forcing the Nafa to run, but they were very slow, and there was no way for them to escape. As time kept slowing, my mind started to prepare for what wasing or tried to. The pain was something that I should be able to handle, but the description of what would happen actually scared me. Time dted to the point where the world seemed to freeze around me as I dug into my thoughts. Fear, something even on earth, had never affected me, and I always had this block for all I knew. ''Do it.'' [Creator of Life, I, The Fire that Creates Light, Seal the Binding Force Pact!] The tattoo on my stomach started to grow, and energy started to pour into me like nothing I had ever experienced. The creatures biting me were turned to cinders, but I could only focus on the feeling. My entire body was being filled past the point of full, and I felt like I was going to explode. The pressure made me want to scream, but I was caught in the grip of it all, only a passenger at this point. [Ignite.] My mind was shattered and forced out in every direction as my body fell apart at the atomic level. Nothing made any sense; shes of two people fighting, a st of a strange light, something shattering, and I was mmed back together. The feeling of my body smashing back together ripped all chance at digesting what little bits I had seen, and then I was filled again. I screamed this time as my burning body was pushed far past its limit, and the Invisazards circled me. It was like they knew this would onlyst for so long. I was able to barely sense that the others had gotten away, which was good. The creatures were all focused on me, and I could feel the pain reach its crescendo. [The Fire.] Blown apart again, but this was worse, and the images were of the same thing. The colliding worlds. Something was escaping me about them as more of the beast died, and others were forced back. My vision kaleidoscoped, and suddenly, as I could clearly see the world from every angle. My mind raced as it tried to adjust to the infinite number of different views I was being subjected to. The more I looked at them, the more they started to look like anything buts. They weren''t around, and there was a divot on one side near the collision. Then I was smashed back together, and I could no longer scream; every bit of me held on to my cracking mind as the pain swallowed me. The fire consuming and filling me was starting to rip at my sanity, and a gnawing feeling of failure was trying to creep in. "MY SOUL IS NOT DONE YET!" I screamed with every fiber of my very existence. [Inside!] The worlds were apart, but they weren''t worlds, but two heads. Then they moved to smash into each like one was head butting the other, but at thest second, there was a sh. A light burst, and the right face smashed into the other, shattering it, but then a wave of the same strange blue-ck and white light that burned in the first shes hit them, and they became fused, then began to change. They morphed back into thes that I hade to know from my visions. I observed it in other visions, but now I was drawn to the face that had smashed into the other. I stared at it, but then something unexpected happened; It looked at me. But I was looking at it already. But I was already looking at it. It wasn''t looking at me because it wasn''t an it. It was me. Then, thest part of my sanity that I had been unconsciously holding onto slipped from my grasp as I realized something. It was me. I wasn''t just fighting to get to the center of everything, trying to stop this all. No, it was so much more than that. I was the center of everything, and I was fighting for everything. When my body mmed back together, there was no pain, and my burning body felt different. Fireden was now more than just my partner, he was now me, and his essence was now a part of me, and my Aspect skill had gained a new tier. [Pact Aspect: Ignite The Fire Inside!] Activated! Tore apart, dragged across gxies, forced into a fight I wanted no part of. Elemental fury boiled within me like an unbridled hurricane, churning as energy filled me, and hundreds of monsters circled me. This world would know my pain. Chapter 205 - No Choice, I Didnt Listen The fire gathered into me, and the creatures tried to strike, but I incinerated them out of the air like scraps of paper. Fire whirled around me in whipping tendrils that struck out on their own as I sted out torrents of fire. Still, they kepting, and now they were starting to get bigger. I didn''t care; somehow, I knew that this was all preventable, and it never should have happened. This was the result of something idiotic, I could feel it in my soul, and these creatures were another perversion that should have never been. So I would unmake them. [Three big ones are iing, far above, but they are starting to descend, and they are much older and stronger. Prepare yourself; there is no escaping, have no choice now, you must fight.] No part of me dreamed of it. The fear that had briefly touched my soul had been wiped from existence, and all that remained was my anger and frustration. I twisted and shot fire at arger one that got closer, but it resisted my fire and flew straight at me, screaming with burned flesh. Tendrils snapped around the body and then tore the body apart into seared chunks before it could get within ten feet, but it was a wake-up. [You can''t pull in more energy, even after all this, the big ones might be too much. The others are far away, but I am not sure what you can do to get away. Even if they can''t kill you like this, it is only a matter of time before your physical body runs out.] He was right, and the new bigger ones were starting to increase in numbers as I killed smaller ones in droves. It was like being at the center of a storm, but the calm was reced by Invisazards diving at me from every angle. I closed my eyes, and I forced the world to slow down. I wasn''t sure why I could do this, but I used the time to try and figure out what to do. While the ability could slow the world, it didn''t change the situation on the other side of my eyes. [I didn''t think that a world so small as this would have something like those elder creatures here. This world is like a mini version of ours, yet it is wholly fractured in ways far beyond impossible! Look at that undting wall that sucks things in and kills them! Where does that even go if you can fly through it?!] I had the same question on my mind before, and it didn''t make any sense. How could the wall do that, and where did it go? [That would be a great ce to lose them, but then you would die.] ''No, I wouldn''t.'' [Oh yeah, duh! ¡­! Hey, You can¡­] ''Yes, I know, duh!'' [Hey!] I opened my eyes, and the world snapped back, but I shot straight at the top of the wall below. I smashed through the sphere of Invisazards, the fire tendrils slicing them to pieces as I rocketed toward the undting rocks. I could feel the number of creatures had grown too big to give a name right now, funneling down after me. My senses were going off like crazy as I got closer, screaming that this was a bad idea. [They might not be wrong! Even though you are energy, this world has proven that it is not normal, and I don''t know what will happen if we go in there!] ''Do you have a better idea? Cause it looks like the top half of the wants to eat us!'' [Good point, but that doesn''t make this any better!] I mmed into the top of the wall and straight into a tunnel of cascading rainbow lights, and then all sense of the world I was in vanished. The roars that had chased me into this ce ceased, and I plunged into the unknown. ''What is this ce?'' There was no answer, only the myriad of colors that fell with me. I tried to look down, but my eyes couldn''t be held on the ckness below; they kept being forced back to the falling colors. I tried to close my eyes, but nothing happened, and I opened them again and looked down at my body. There was nothing there. That made no sense, and I tried to look for something that could ount for the fact that I was the one looking. If I could see, then there had to be more of me or even some of me. "You would think that." I had just said that¡­ but it wasn''t me that had said that. "Yes, it is. This is all you, us, and him." I started to look around frantically, trying to find who or what was making the noise, but it was me. "He caused this, but I started it." I started this? What was I talking about?! "I wanted to stop him; that was what I meant to do." Then why didn''t I? "I knew I could do it alone." Wait, why would I think like that? I¡­ had been alone on earth¡­ but things were different now! I¡­ I was alone, trying to save everyone¡­ Just like then. "I knew that there was a chance that something like this could happen, yet, I didn''t listen." Was it really my fault? "You need to open your eyes." That voice wasn''t mine. The pressure weighed down on me as I opened my eyes and saw a small male¡­ Ka? The markings were different from the Nafa, and the small feminine male looked very angry with me. I tried to sit up, but the pressure made it almost impossible to move. I looked at the male and then around as best I could. I was in a small cave, and it was filled with strange glowing rocks and numerous other things. "Where am I?" I asked, but Fireden''s voice was the one that spoke inside of my head. [On the other side of the.] Chapter 206 - Spikus, Of Course, I Have Had Sex! ''Other side of the?'' [I am not sure how it happened, but you were sucked in and cked out. Then you were outside this cave, and we were almost eaten! Luckily this angry tripod decided to chase the Paper Snake away, or you would not have woken up!] ''Wait, I came directly here? Are you sure there wasn''t some kind of pause or something like that? I was in a tunnel surrounded by streaming light, and I was talking to myself, or something like that.'' [No, I was tracking the others, and they were moving at the same pace. You were talking to yourself? That hardly seems strange; you do that all the time, haha!] ''No, you burnt tool! I was talking to myself, but it was confusing, almost like I was inside my own head. I think I am starting to figure out what happened, but at the same time, I still don''t understand why it happened.'' [Well, I think you should put that thought off for a moment and deal with the three-legged grouch. He looks like he is starting to get irritated, hehe!] Fireden wasn''t wrong, and the little girly man looked like he was getting a darker shade of red. "Hey¡­ thanks, but I need a minute to gather some... strength before I get up. Why... don''t you... tell me a bit about yourself? I am new... around here, but I have... met the Nafa," I groaned up to the man. The mention of the other race made him turn an even darker shade of dirty red. Well, looks like they weren''t kidding about not liking each other, but I was curious to know why. Learning about this might help me understand if what Zero was trying to do was actually helping. I had a feeling that everything might not be as clear-cut as it seemed. [I have a feeling that you are correct from the attitude this one still seems to have.] "You do look different, but they are on the other side, where they should stay! How did you get over here? There are more than enough things that would kill me out there! You can''t even lift yourself up!" The little man raged, doing some strange eyebrow dance as he did. He wasn''t wrong, but I couldn''t change my aspect because I couldn''t draw power. It was like something was blocking me from pulling energy into me. "You wouldn''t believe me if I told you," I said as I slowly turned both my hands over. I started to flex my fingers and toes, but it was not easy, and my body felt bruised and sore. [Well, you did shoot about fifteen feet in the air with a triple barrel roll, and the position younded in did not lookfortable. I don''t even know how we got here so fast, and there was no mark where we came up.] That would be why it was so hard to move and why I felt run over like well-used pavement. I just needed to keep working my body, and it would heal faster. "Oh? Now I actually want to hear it! Living my entire life in a strange world, I have seen my share of oddities! Tell me your story, and I may enlighten you. My name is Tchick," the man said as he backed up to a chair and lifted the strange thin dress. [Woah, Needle Dick! Put that weapon away!] The Kualu had what had to be a long skinny penis or tentacle that hung down between his legs. Tchick saw me looking and then grabbed it and performed a perfect helicopter that made my stomach sick. "Not too bad, hey? My Spikus may not get as much use as it did back in the day, but it''s still flexible!" Tchick said as he stretched it out and pped the girth up and down like he was ying the guitar. [Oh holy astral entities, what the fuck is he doing?!] I felt like I was going to puke as my ball tried to hide behind my tonsils. The high-pitched tone was so strange with the choice of wording, but seriously, what the hell was wrong with this guy? Tchick seemed to notice my extreme difort and dropped his "Spikus" and then grinned at me. "Sorry, I guess with a little thing like that, I might cause a bit of Spikus-envy, so I am sorry for that. Now, tell me how you got here," Tchick said to me and dropped the skirt down. If I wasn''t being crushed from all angles but pressure, I would haveughed out loud, but I was being crushed, so I didn''t. Still, seeing how long it was begged the question, why were the women not being satisfied? [How does the old saying go? It''s not about the size of the boat; it''s about the motions of the ocean, right?] ''Sure, but having a big thick dick helps.'' [Can''t argue there.] ''Wait, have you actually¡­.'' [What? Of course, I have had sex!] ''Really?'' [What? Did you want to watch it?] ''I would be lying if I said I didn''t. It just doesn''t¡­ I don''t know, seems right? How does it work? I mean, for scientific purposes.'' [Go piss up a rope.] ''Hey, don''t be so touchy! I just answered your question, right?'' "Did you fall asleep with your eyes open? Or did your brain stop working?" Tchick asked, and I realized that I had just gone quiet on him. "Sorry, I was thinking about something. Do you know about the rolling wall of stone? I dove into the center of it, then ended up here," I exined, but the little man looked extremely troubled. Tchick kept putting his hand up to point it at me but then would drop it as his mouth gaped open and closed like a fish out of water. Even though he had said that nothing would surprise him, Tchick looked like that was not what he expected. [want more chapters a day? Then vote more with stones and tickets to keep 3 a day to possibly 4, but the voting has been dropping everywhere, so it is back to 2 a day. Pat will still have 3-4 a day] Chapter 207 - Tri-Gods, Flames Of Emfirza "You¡­ Wait¡­ You, no, you must be joking? I have lost friends in that wall, and I know that they died!" Tchick finally choked out as he waggled a finger at me usingly. [Don''t worry, Needle Dick, I feel the same way!] ''Shad up.'' "I wish I was, but we were attacked by Invisazards-," I started to say, but Tchick cut me off, waving his hands frantically. "Invisa-what?" Tchick asked in confusion. "The...err!" I grunted as I tried to lift my arm, but there were torn and pulled muscles in both my arms and shoulders. "Insiva..ble? Do you mean the Carnica? The Reflections of Death? No way, nope, nuh-uh! There is no way that you fought even one of them!" Tchick almost squealed out. The little red man reminded me of one of the red fan-powered tube people they put outside at fairs, furniture stores, and Car dealerships. "There were a lot more than one. I killed well over a hundred of the small ones, but then the massive three came. They brought-" I started to say, but then Tchick flung himself onto the floor and started to scream and kick around. I waspletely surprised by the disy and wasn''t really sure what was going on, but I really didn''t care that much. My body was trying to heal, but there were things broken and out of ce. [Well, I mean, you really only have three choices here. One, you asked the four-legged girly man-child that is throwing a temper tantrum. Two, you can continue to struggle ineffectively, or you do the only sensible this, you stupid idiot!] ''Call a friend, or ask the audience? I don''t think fifty-fifty will work with only three options, right?'' [You know that one day, a is going toe and take a shit on your head!] ''Not as big as the one I took in your cereal! Yes, I know, ask you for help, h h h! Honestly, I liked you more before when you were shoved in a tiny dark ce!'' Before the hot head could reply, I concentrated and then summoned Fireden, but I forgot to mention that to Tchick. The iling man froze as the room instantly lit up, and I was forced to close my eyes. When I opened them again, Tchick was staring at Firden with eyes open so wide, he was in danger of them falling out. "Ummm¡­ err¡­ Fireden¡­ My friend¡­ Sorta¡­ Elemental, Gah!" I said and took in a gasp of air as I had to catch my breath. It had been so long since I had even thought about breathing, and the tiny bit that I did need, I got from drawing in air to speak. Now, I was panting like I had just done a five-kilometer run in five minutes¡­ well, maybe I could now, but that wasn''t the point. "W-Why d-d-d-do you have w-w-w-one of them?" Tchick stammered as he pushed back to the wall. I turned to Fireden, but his eyes were closed. "There is only one, but he is older than me¡­ angry¡­ disced¡­ and very tired, and he is split into three," Fireden said, and then opened his eyes, and then he looked at Tchick. "I am not going to hurt you; I am bound to this man, so don''t piss him off, and you will be fine." I was surprised with Fireden''s brass words, but it seemed to be the right thing for Tchick, and he seemed to rx. He picked himself up as he looked me over again, seeming to appraise me differently. "Embra, Firaga, and za, the Tri-Gods, and the three mes of Emfirza, the Eternal Fire Oni. They are not nice creatures, and it is best to stay out of their domains," Tchick exined, but then looked at the Force Pact marking he could see. "How are you able to tame something as wild as raw power?" That actually made meugh as Fireden bent down to my legs; something was bothering him, then without warning, gripped the broken one tightly. My body spasmed as I was hit with a mind-twisting wave of pain, and a strangely charged sour vor entered my mouth as I almost bit through my lip. "Three rough breaks; I knew that rock younded on fucked you up, but I could sense how bad it was. Well, no easy way to say this, but you know this is going to hurt, but you''re going to ckout; I will make sure of it," Fireden said as I gulped down some of the charged sour blood pooling in my mouth. "Do it; I need to get up, and I need some food. I haven''t eaten since breakfast; I should have grabbed something from one of the houses I smashed through when I was fighting Neft," I groaned. "You can''t eat anything here; I forgot to tell you about that. Eating anything in this world will be the same as eating a Demon. Once you are healed, we need to get out of here. Even Emfirza is a demon now, and that bothers me deeply," Fireden said with a look I hadn''t ever seen on his face. Worry. "What does that mean then? I mean, it seems to be affecting everything, so why would it affect you any differently?" I asked because I didn''t really think that something like the elementals I knew could be so pivotal. "If Demonism can affect even me, then that is very worrying because we are the gears in the cycle of life that keeps everything going. If Demonism poisons the elements, that world stagnates, and life is no longer created," Fireden said and then looked up at Tchick. "Emfirza was always a Demon, wasn''t he? And he came before your birth, right?" "Yes, long before, and he devoured the original six and perverted them. Now each of the three Tri-Gods has three elements and is impossibly powerful beyond anything you can imagine.. You say you have seen and were chased by the three Emperors of Death? Not even they would dare attack a Tri-God!" Tchick dered. Chapter 208 - Largest Volcano On Hydrous, Mordena I was having a hard time thinking, but I had enough brain to figure out where I had gone wrong in my assumptions about Fireden and the others. I had forgotten that they were really only parts of their real primal bodies that I didn''t even know the location of yet. "That means that the Demons did break this world, but it just wasn''t The Scourge. Emfirza needs to be removed, but there is not a chance that you could fight even a Shard of him. Something as old as that couldn''t be fought if you had all four of us," Fireden exined, and I grunted, giving an almost imperceptible nod. "Yeah¡­ You''re¡­ Not whole¡­ Come back¡­ Again," and I started to paint again and felt dizzy. "Yes, that is the only way that this ce could be saved and returned. Now, time for a nap," Fireden said as my eyes peeled open with my mouth in a soundless scream as my leg was stretched. Then the world went ck. [Change to View of Fireden and Tchick] As Zack Foreman passed out, Fireden started to work. While this might be the worst, it was not the only broken bone. Thread thin tendrils of fire sprouted from Fireden''s hands, and then they pierced the skin. Using his expert skills of sense and control, the Fire Elemental adjusted the break to line up. While Zack could heal, the bones needed to be set, or the healing would be the same if a normal bone was left to heal without being set. While Firden did this, Tchick came over to sit beside Zack''s unconscious body and then reached a handout, touching Zack''s arm. The moment Tchick''s fingers touched the skin, he ripped them back in horror. "How is he still alive? The body¡­ There is so much damage! You said it was only fifteen feet! This¡­ it is like he was dropped from Death''s Domain in the sky!" Tchick eximed in disbelief. Fireden knew this was true; the thing that had brought us here had caused even him to ckout, which was impossible. The fall had broken his leg, but it was the trip that had put his body into this condition. "This one is tough because he is an idiot," Fireden said with a chuckle as he worked, but Tchick gave him a strained look. "You say he is tough because he is stupid?" Tchick asked, a bit confused, but Firden shook his head no. "No, he is an idiot that doesn''t know how to quit, not stupid. Acts before thinking sometimes, but that is because he cares too much about everything. Mark my words, if he says he will be back, Zack will be back," Fireden said, and Tchick nodded, but then Fireden asked, "Can you tell me about the Ku and Nafa? No spitting this time; you are not a child." Tchick would have lost it to anyone else, but hearing it from something as old as a Fire God seemed to give the words a bit of weight. Tchick paused, and thought about the two people, and then let out a breathy sigh. "Yes, I suppose you''re right, and at the end of it all, I don''t really like the Nafa or even my own people. Everyone pretends that this treaty is going to solve things, but they are wrong. It is just another trick, and that is why I am here," Tchick said and then looked down at his hands that had started to tremble and then clenched them closed. Fireden had expected this and would have been greatly surprised if this had not been the case. Demons didn''t know peace even among themselves, and the King of them all was trying to sway this single person. This was more than a bit strange to think that he would be concerned about one person, which must make Zack extremely important. Since meeting the young man, Fireden had begun to suspect that he was actually older than even the, Hydrous. Each of the six Primals had formed that day. Somehow, they knew what needed to be done, thus causing the world to evolve. The speed that it had happened had bothered all the Elementals. The problem was none of them really knew why until it slowed, and they observed the growth at the natural pace. When they had all figured out that something was off, none of them did anything about it; it was only an oddity to them. Fireden hid his Main body long before the Demons came, almost three thousand feet below sea level under one of the oldest volcanoes on Hydrous, Mount Horr. More than seventy percent of Hydrous was water, The Hydrosis Ocean, and was speckled with far apart inds. Mount Horr was on the far northwestern side of Gardania, and it was also the home to the Minostein Sect, followers of the Queen Mother Minotaur. Thought to have abandoned her followers, some curse the Queen''s name, but Fireden was the one that had sent her. Find a ce to hide, and tell no one, was the words the Primal had told her, and then ced a tiny sliver of himself with the Queen Mother Minotaur, Mordena. Now it would be time to retrieve the Queen Mother, one of her Followers had finallye but had lost her mind after losing everything to a storm. Fireden hoped that Zack would repair her mind because Jessabell would be essential in ridding the world of male Demons. "This man is critical, not just to you or I, or even just this world. It is starting to look like everything hinges on whether Zack seeds or not, but I don''t know what seeding even means!" Fireden said in frustration suddenly. "I am not sure what I can do," Tchick said in surprise as the elemental burst out in anger. Tchick had started to fidget with his hands, but Fireden didn''t need help with this. Zack would recover, and worrying did nothing. "Do you know any stories? Anything will do since I have never been to this world.. Just to help take my mind off the swirling cloud of chaos that is constantly getting bigger," Fireden said, sounding tired, but Tchick nodded and began to distract Fireden while he worked on Half of Everything. Chapter 209 Told Me So, Elemental Eggs 209 Told Me So, Elemental Eggs [Nafa Vige] "You can feel him! Why aren''t we going to get him?!" Nushi growled as she held her father in her fist up in the air. MEx was really getting tired of this, and the fact that thest person to do this was the same one that said this exact thing. Nixi had said this was going to happen if he put it inside of her, and low and behold, Mex was floating in the air. "You know why we can''t go! Zack is out of reach right now, and we had to wait for him! No, put me down! I am still your father, and you shouldn''t be taking after your grandmother! This world is strange, and I know you think you are strong, but you saw what attacked him!" Mex growled back, and Nushi finally realized herself and put her father down. After shrinking down, Nushi turned from Mex and stretched her hand out to the side. Her book appeared there, and she started to browse through her father''s story, but it was the same thing. "Why did Dao have to pick you? Why didn''t he take someone else!" Nushi cursed to herself. "I Didn''t ask for that man to like me! In fact, I tried to make myself seem despicable so he would at least take you all!" Mex shouted, feeling out of sorts because he also wanted to go to get Zack. "It has nothing to do with you being his friend, but if you were strong, this would have never happened! How does a demon lose its Rank? You weren''t always like this, I have read your history, but there is no exnation to how or why you dropped from a C rank to F?!" Nushi eximed, and she whirled around. The air started to charge as her now thick and curled horns crackled with power. Hydie was sitting in the corner in a chair and studying a spot on the floor with total concentration. "I gave it away; Rank can be earned in many different ways. One of them is by receiving another''s umted Experience Orb from a living Demon. This forces them to regrow the Exp Orb, and the level is reset. The Demon that receives it must cultivate the power of the gain Exp Orb, and that means mental and physical training," Mex exined, ignoring the stab Nushi had made about his strength. "Then who did you give it to?" Nushi asked, but in a much calmer tone. "You, who else? Your mother was the daughter of a high-ranking demon lord, and Nixi had said that was more than enough, but I made her pull mine out. You have it in you, and you will continue to grow," Mex exined, and Hydie grinned, winning a personal bet with herself. Nushi was frozen for a moment, but then she opened her book up and started flipping through it. As she went back and forth, Hydie got up and walked over to Mex, looking at his right temple curiously. It didn''t matter what ce or what way she looked; she would have seen it the same. This was Air and Water magic, very simr to her own, and Hydie was about to ask Mex about the barrier around this mind, but Nushi came over with horns crackling. "What is that thing in your head? Why is it blocking me from reading your mind?!" Nushi growled. "You tell me! But if you can read my mind, it is better to be there for both of us! Calm down; the man is just recovering; you can feel him getting stronger, right? I know you can, so go calm down!" Mex said in a tired voice, getting tired of fighting with his supposedly adorable and favorite little girl. Not so little, but He had known this day woulde. All Nixi''s nning was actually finallying to bear, but she was going to be changing into something different. Nushi stormed out of the room, but Hydie stayed behind, still looking at Mex. "Something wrong?" Mex asked, and Hydie was still looking at him, but then she reached up to his head. Mex jumped back quickly, and Hydie was left with a nk look on her face and her hand still in the air. "What are you trying to do, child?! You do not want to let out what is inside of my head; this was done but another storm spirit, in the previous world that I was on, and it was much different than this one," Mex warned and exined. Mex didn''t even know what might happen, and he was hoping that Kazz could remove the Demon from him if it worked on the girls. Not in the same way, of course, but there should be something different for him to be able to do. "Sorry, it just felt familiar, and I thought that I might be¡­." Hydie said and turned away. "Go watch over my daughter please, you two should be sticking together while in this world, but I think that we will meet your mother at sea. I want you to know that your father is a very good man, and so is Zack," Mex exined, and Hydie sighed but nodded. "I know this, dad only wanted me to be prepared for the world and Ka-... Zack¡­ still weird to say, but he is more than just good," Hydie said with a dreamy smile that created small static discharges that rolled across her elemental body. "Your mother is not, and you should not be excited to meet her. Your father fought her on our trip over to the ind. I am sure you know what I mean when I say fight, but when pure elemental forces merge briefly and create intense energies under incredible pressure. This creates an Elemental Egg from the merger, and your father was able to bargain with your mother for you," Mex exined, and Hydie nodded and turned, leaving the cave they were all in, and Horus walked in after Hydie left. Chapter 210 - Shit Myself, In This Desolate Canyon "Sorry about waiting outside, but I was interested in the way that you were acting, and I had to eavesdrop!" Horus the Nafa Male Leader, but Mex grinned at him. "I knew you were there, but it must be more than just curiosity. What did you need from me?" Mex asked. "I was first curious about the same as your daughter, but now all I want to know is what you have in your head. What did they put in there? And what is it really?" Horus asked as he walked into the room. The Leader of the Nafa looked concerned, but it didn''t seem to be what he was asking about, but Mex still told him what he knew. Horus might not look like much in his dress, and he was Mex''s superior quite a few times over. "Half of an S rank Water Demon, want him? It might be good to let out to y with Emfirza, but that would be the end of this world. I haven''t had the heart to tell the kid what we had to do to thest word; there is nothing left," Mex said as he remembered the Demon Tidal wave that wrapped the. "I saw when you all went through, but what was there to do? The was cleared already, right?" Horus asked. "You would think that, but something had happened, and everything had been driven underground, but It took thirty years to get down there. Hundreds of thousands of Demons died from unimaginable elemental horrors. Once down there, the creatures were much too powerful. Even the Scourge had been almost killed," Mex exined, and Horus cleared his throat nervously. "The creatures almost Killed an A-Rank Demon? What were they?" Horus asked. "Real demons, or as close to us coulde, but not; they were only green and white. Something like a troll crossed with an orc, but they had skin like stone and were resistant to physical and magic attacks had no effect," Mex exined. "That would make for quite the battle, but why were they so strong?" Horus asked, and Mex actuallyughed at this because even now, it sounded ridiculous. "Five hundred years, and nearly getting wiped out seven different times to figure it out! The Demon S Ranked Elemental was being stalemated, and the creatures below were absorbing the runoff. There were strange creatures that reproduced as fast as killed and kept the Elemental locked in a constant battle," Mex exined, and Horus shivered. "Well, better you than me. I think that you shoulde with me and we can go wait for him toe. I know that the Kualu are still angry at us, but they would still send him down the path. You should walk with me for a bit; you look like you could use some exercise," Horus said, not bothering to push Mex any further on the subject. Mex was thankful for that but was not that keen about going down for a walk. That would trigger the monsters to starting to them, but they might already be heading towards Zack. "Sure, we can go collect the girls and head down. Zack can''t stay here for that long; I had forgotten about him needing to get some sustenance from actual food," Mex said to Horus, and heughed. "Yes, I suppose so. Do you think that man is going to take Beeno?" Horus asked as they left the cave, and Mex rolled his eyes. "He is going to need to make an encyclopedia to keep track of all the different creatures he is, quote-on-quote, saving, aha!" Mex said with augh. [Zack''s View] Coming to, I felt so much better, but I didn''t open my eyes right away. [Feeling better? You are all healed, but I suggest you get up and start running. I didn''t really think about it, but the monsters we saw were moving very slowly, now they areing for us. Tchick left already after I told him about the monsters getting closer, but it''s time to get moving.] ''I''m going, but I still feel heavy.'' [Yes, and that is why you need to get running so you can get used to this immense pressure down here. The problem is with how stronger they seem to have be, so we might want to get the others because there are three dragons.] I started to pick myself back up, but even being healed, I felt like I was made of stone, but I forced my body up. I pulled in energy, and the Fire Fore Pact started to charge, and I activated the Water Sphinx Totem, putting everything into it. I briefly closed my eyes and reorganized how and the way my muscles worked. I forced groups used to support my body to adjust and lowered my center of gravity. I took my first step and thought I was going to shit myself as I mmed my foot down, jarring my leg. This was far harder than I had imagined it would be, and I was bing more away from the five powerful presences that were closing in on my location. [I suggest you pull the lead out of your ass and maybe fly ahead a bit, so the monsters don''t have to watch you shitty crack as they chase you!] ''You''re an idiot, but I am going to do this!'' I let my eyes bulge as I forced my body to push through the pressure and out of Tchick''s cave, closing the strange door behind me. It was a diamond pattern grating that stretched down. It felt out of ce in this deste canyon with tall deep rusty brownish-red soaring stone walls. I could hear distant roars, and I knew why Fireden wanted me to get moving. Dragons; I didn''t need to be a fantasy buff to know that something that could breathe fire might be pretty resistant to that element. [Oh, look at you go! I would almost be hurt if I didn''t get to exin it to you if I wasn''t so impressed with how quickly you picked it up! There might just be hope for you yet!] ''You didn''t have a lot of friends before this, did you?'' Chapter 211 - Plan, Done With Fun "Alright, serious face!" I said out loud to pump myself up. I wound up giving myself one of those wake-up smacks that straightened your brain out, but realized my fault as I tried to slow my hand with little sess. The p hit my face a bit harder than I wanted, making a few bits of tinsel sh in my vision. [Try not to do the monsters work for them.] I ignored Fireden and started to trudge forwards, but oh man, paint dried faster. Roars wereing from behind, but that just made me suck energy like it was going out of style, and I finally started to move. I found if I just concentrated on keeping my body fed so Veronica''s Totem could act on its own gave me better results. [Better, but you need to get ahead of them! Fly ahead, or the dragons are going to start trying to cook you alive!] ''Old man, I am trying to get this breathing thing down again now that I need it! I know they are getting close but wait. We are not going to die today!'' I started getting a rhythm, and just like most everything, it got easier the more I did it. There was heat behind me, but I was just passing what it seemed that I could do, but I didn''t want to get too far away. [n?] ''Kill the Tiger thing and one-eyed bastard before we get to the others, and then tag team the dragons? I mean not much else they can do if I don''t cut the numbers down beforehand, or there will be too many distractions.'' [Good, but you are going to have to bare-hand them. The dragon''s presence is giving them near immunity to fire.] You know, one day, I was going to get something easy that was not going to be some crazy wild fight! Some of these battles were only things that could be brought forth through imagination! [Yes, most of this world has been what you would call stranger than fiction. Still, we found the source of the infection, and one day we wille back to do it again. Concentrate on getting ready to deal with the creatures.] I nced back and groaned as I turned back, putting my head down, turning on the speed to get ahead. The three dragons were much closer, and the other two were over one hundred feet behind them. [Your energy reserves should be able to make some good use of your Earth Tsunalily Totem with the Sphinx should be fine.] ''Not yet, give me a light, Boss!'' I felt Fireden groan mentally, and I burst with mes, and the pressure left me, making me feel weightless. I turned on a dime, then shot back at the dragons and was bathed in fire, but my burning body drank in the zing energy. I shot between the two that were the closest pair, and the moment I was past their heads, Fireden deactivated the Elemental Aspect. I pulled my knees up, curling into a ball, and then only activated Kali''s Totem. I expanded to six times my standard size, and the dragons were smashed into each other and the walls. I deactivated it as I flipped through the air, and then I was on fire again, hurtling at my targets. I was only half full, but with my energy reserves, holding over ten thousand units of energy meant that I should have enough. I forced a link with the stone, but it was not like the fire from below like before, and the stone barely gave me any energy. The total energy wasn''t significant; it was the augmenting energy that I received and allowed me to convert the other energy to Earth Energy. I shot at the giant tiger, aiming just under its chin, and Fireden released the aspect, ten feet from the tiger, with my right fist cocked. Earth and Water Totem snapped to life, and time slowed as I expanded and uppercut the tiger into the air with a massive textured rock-like fist. I could sense the Cyclops turning to me, so I ducked back down and let my momentum spin me around. I came back up, bringing my leg up simultaneously,nding a well-timed roundhouse kick to the side of the Cyclops head. The one-eyed giant skipped on the ground, and I jumped into the air to grab the stunned cat. I forced its head between my legs and forced all my energy into my skin as I wrapped my arms around the body. The extreme gravity started to do its job, and we were pulled back to the ground, but the tiger was gouging kes out of me. That stopped abruptly, and my ass made a body jarring connection with the ground that seemed to have no give at all. The tiger body fell, and the blood and brains smashed between my legs were disgusting. It made me feel like I had just done abination of shitting and pissing myself. I could feel the dragons recovering, so I jumped up and dashed at the Cyclops that was shaking its head. It looked up at me and gave me a challenging roar, bursting towards me to meet my charge. I grinned, and right before we got within swinging range, I shifted focus to water, letting the first fist graze my cheek. I activated Keri''s Totem, concentrating on my head. [Don''t do it! You will regret it!] Toote, my hands were already gripping the back of the creature''s head. I drove my forehead forward and pulled the Cyclop''s face into mine. The effect was disgusting as I felt my forehead smash into the Cyclop''s face, but that was when I made my head burst with a concentrated st that blew the creature''s head away from its shoulders and most of its two arms. I whirled around, and the dragons were all looking at me with burning eyes. [Good start, but this is where the real fun begins.] ''No! I am done with fun for today!'' Chapter 212 - Understanding My Head, Frozen In Time "Light ''em up!" I roared, and I dashed at the three angry dragons, and the blood and viscera were burned off my body. I picked up from the ground and then sted forward, but I cut up and over them this time. The dragons were positioned more prominently this time, and I suspect they would not allow me to do the same thing twice. A st of fire burned around me as I soared above it, but I dropped the Earth Link, and it became mine. In spite of the fact that the fire was useless against these giant leather chickens, I would be able to convert it. [Located thirty-five miles up North, Wataluga is in the hands of Mex, so we will switch and provide you and the gang with energy support. He hasn''t really progressed that much, but he is still a shaman, and you''ve helped me grow, so I''ll help him grow as well.] I sted the heat even hotter, and I began eating away at the gap between my friends and me. I was just d that some improvements took ce with Mex. [Yes, but after we get off the ind, I suggest that you take him with you when you go to train. The Demon looks darker these days] That was true, and I would need to plump Mex up, get him on the track, and pump some iron. The man looked like he could be stronger; he just needed to get back up and at it. The dragons were moving faster now, which means they were getting stronger, even though I kept a reasonable distance between us. I didn''t have much to do for it, but when I was about ten miles away from my group, I was able to get Fireden to drop the aspect. [There is still over a third of the way to go! What is the big idea?] ''Energy, if you are going to be with Mex, then I need a full tank. This is far enough that the other should get there about the same time as the dragons.'' I settled down and crossed my legs on the ground, getting into afortable and rxing meditative position. As well as the energy, I wanted to take a look at something that was bing more bizarre as time progressed. ''Is there any water anywhere you''ve noticed? To be honest, I wasn''t paying attention when I was walking through the forest before. Furthermore, I have noticed that the rocks and the wind here arepletely different from what they are in our world. Is there a reason for that?'' I decided that this was something that needed to be talked about. It would more than likely be essential to deal with the uing problems. I closed my eyes and breathed in some air, so much easier thanst time, and I slowly breathed out. On the next breath, I pulled and drank in the energy from every source that I could take from. I slowed time and then pulled my consciousness into my mind. For the first time, I stepped into my own mind with a clean transition. I stood up from my sitting position, and I was wearing sweats and a baggy t-shirt, looking into a hall that was undting with rolling books on the walls. They opened, flipping through all the pages, but another would open on top of it before the book could close. I tried to read the words as they rolled by, and I saw every word on every page that flipped by. The problem was that these words didn''t exist, making them ineffable thoughts. "Frustrating, but if you were not so locked up, this would be a wonderful ce to think," Fireden said from behind me. I knew the Elemental was there; I controlled this ce; it was inside of my head. My power here was only limited by my knowledge to build off. I turned, and Fireden was looking around the hall. Strangely, he had chosen to wear a tan suit with a white undershirt, and he looked older, but his skin and hair still burned. "Nice suit, but what is the asion?" I asked. Since I didn''t see him like that, I wondered why Fireden would have chosen to look like a real estate agent. "Just felt right, no real reason. When I sensed that you were the one creating the space, the image of myself in a suit like this came into my head," Fireden exined with a shrug. "Interesting, but we can save it for another time. Is this because of the Elementals being consumed?" I asked him while gesturing to a chair that appeared behind him. We both sat, and the scene changed to a stone patio area in the center of a hedge maze. I was trying out different things to gain some familiarity with the way that I could control this ce in my head. "Partially, I think. I wasn''t here when it all happened, but Demonism is at the center of it. Has to be; the Demons don''t need sustenance, so I think the Demonism of the removes the need for elemental energies to support them," Fireden exined, and I pulled up a globe of the. It was nothing more than a globe with no detail, but I had been subconsciously building a map inside of my head. Slowly, information gathered started building a picture of this world that started to take form on the globe. "Can you add to this?" I asked and then mentally passed control of Kubrick''s map to Fireden. I couldn''t pick things out of Fireden''s brain and request information he had gained. What I could do was allow him permission to use the things that I created. As Fireden started to edit and add things, I moved to the ce that we usually went when entering my head. Oddly, I was not able to move, edit, or change anything like each other. I left the ce and returned to the maze, and Fireden was still glued to the globe as it changed. I stood up from my seat and turned to walk into the maze that was my mind, leaving Mex to work. This ce was starting to provoke urges and feelings. While the worlds outside of my mind stood frozen in time, I went for a walk. Chapter 213 - Stretching My Imagination, Full Of Yourself Immediately, the paths became shifting vistas that I had no control over the order in which they came. It was my choice to spend as much time as I wanted in each ce, but I could have stayed for eternity in each one. I entered each of the scenes, having never been there before, but each of them made my heart race. My chest squeezed with emotion as not only the ces but the things I saw touched me deeply. The first was a jungle forest path that I must have walked countless times, as my feet remember the damp dirt path. An old building loomed ahead of us. It was arge and very tall structure with a style that was oriental. As I gazed at the steps, something made me feel like something was pressing on my chest as it looked utterly out of ce in this jungle scene. When I tried to recall the memory associated with each ce that I traveled to. I always came up with the same thing: nothing. Each ce would be locked up in every location I traveled to. Whatever the entrance, if I tried to gain ess, I would find that something was preventing me, like the memories. After ten unsessful attempts, I finally gave up and settled on a beach with very bright white sand and purple waves. I started to walk and to test things out as I went along. My initial goal was to create something as simple as possible. So, I started with a piece of steel that was an inch wide and three feet long. It wasn''t like I raised my hands or used strange motions; however, I did twist the band. Using my imagination, I visualized spirals of hair growing in the same direction as the band twisted. I let the creation float farther out in front of me as stoneless sand pressed up around every one of my steps as I walked. Having let the strands spread out farther from me, I stretched them up into the sky as they grew farther away from me. The threads had grown to create a thirty-foot radius when I stopped it at one hundred feet tall. There was something familiar about going through the motions of this, and it felt very natural to me. As I let the dark grey threads fall down, Fireden walked up beside me, but he did not speak, just watched me as I let it fall. I let the threads weave themselves together in intricate patterns all the way to the bottom. I forced them to pull to the center and tied a knot to hold it all together. At the exact moment I mentally let go of the knot, the entire structure fell apart, causing Fireden and me to take a step back in shock. The thing I had created had some sort of magic inside of it, but nothing could have prepared me for the reality that I witnessed. "Don''t you think you''re a bit full of yourself, don''t you? The image does not look bad, in my opinion, but if you build anything, then why this, and why him as well? Didn''t you think that I would look good up there with you?" Fireden asked as he tilted his head to the side. He was looking at me with a raised eyebrow as he asked. A flummoxed look crossed my face, and I was left with no choice but to shrug. From the waist up, the statue of me was golden and glittering, holding a globe that looked like Earth in my hand. Looking at the ten-foot, glittering statue, I exined, "That''s not my work." The situation that I or my statue was in was making me feel highly ufortable. A man stood behind me with a knowing smile on his face but no visible face above it. The grinning man was known to me; there was only one person who could be him. His golden body was leaning forward with his hand holding my wrist as he smiled. I could almost feel the pressure being applied to my statue''s wrist, which prevented it from closing around the globe. Suddenly, my eyes were drawn upwards to the head that was facing me directly. Despite the head-turning between us, Fireden remained silent as I was frozen. The body of my statue turned ck, and I crumbled to dust as Helsin Zero said, "I see, you got here without any help at all. Infuriating, as usual." As the faceless golden half-body shrank, it took on the form of a man about the same height as me. He had a European look, with red hair, tan cargo shorts, and a flower-print button-up shirt... Was he Swedish? Zero responded by waving his hand in the air and saying, "Yes, but none of that matters." You''ve got to be kidding me! "Why are you here? Is there anywhere I can go that you can''t go and fuck it up?" I asked as I began to march over to him, but nothing was happening. As much as I walked, and I know I did, I didn''t get any closer to him, and Fireden was still next to me. Suddenly, I turned to look at my friend, but even the mes of his skin and hair had been frozen in time. "There is nowhere you can go, that I can''t, and this is your fault! I Paid you to do a job, you agreed, but still interfered! Still pointless! You know nothing because you refuse to see the truth!" Zero yelled at me, tossing his hands in the air. There was something almost timeless about this. "Because it is!" Zero raged, but I was getting tired of this. "Get out of my head!" I growled, but that made Zero explode, literally. The body of Zero exploded in a burst of tentacles painted with gxies.. It was as if the world around me had been blown away, and I was alone with the monster that was Helsin Zero and all the darkness that surrounded me. Chapter 214 - I Paid For It, Doctrine Remained Unchanged Despite the fact that I couldn''t move, I floated up to the gctic face of broken faces, and all eyes were focused on me. "You say that I should get out of your head?!!" Helsin roared and then uttered a deathly otherworldly scream which seemed to have pierced into every pore of my being. I was suddenly in a scene in a high-techb, but standing across From Helsin Zero, I was experiencing a very bizarre feeling. My right was a switchboard, and next to it was a viewing window, but it was clouded over, so I could not see what was inside. Furthermore, there were many shing lights close to the argument, and one of them was the center of attention. "You don''t get to make that choice!" I yelled at Zero, and he pushed me back. "Because I paid for it, I am the one who makes the decision! Not you!" Zero roared. I grabbed his shoulders, but he also reached out to p down the most prominent shing button. At the time, the only thing that came to my mind was to do what I could. Despite the fact that everyone''s lives were on the line, I was still toote to save them. In the second moment, before my forehead mmed into Zero''s face, his hand had connected with the button. From behind, the ss gushed out a burning light that I had seen through the sh. We were less than a hair''s breadth apart when the light hit us, and every atom in each of our bodies turned into glowing balls of energy. Time froze, and I was thrown out of my body, and I watched both of us be cloaked in a soft blue, glowing light, and then time snapped back to normal. As my glowing head mmed into Zero''s face, I was forced back into my own body. It shattered as though it was ss, and my head went right into Zero''s, still whole, though brighter. Once again, the time slowed down; I was torn out of my body again, then mmed back. Our bodies began to distort, and I felt as if I were being sucked into the image. Then my consciousness was pushed out with it as I rode the st as everything I had ever known was smashed into pieces. As I rolled across the sand, I groaned and came to a stop. When I opened my eyes, Zero was sitting ten feet away, facing the purple waves with his back to me. Rolling on my stomach, I picked myself up and sat up. Once I was off the sand, I began brushing myself off. My first instinct was to kick him in the head, but it was pointless... "...Because I would see iting," Zero said, finishing my thought. I walked over, so I was several feet away from him; as I sat on the edge of the surf, I crossed my legs and watched the waves as they rolled in. "What were you trying to do?" I asked because I still really wasn''t sure what happened. "Give everyone a direction," Zero said, but the voice he used said he didn''t even believe that. "Sure, and I am just some unreasonable guy that came in to ruin everything and put us in this mess, right?" I said in an even tone; getting angry now helped nothing. "I wanted to rule it all, to be at the center of everything. I got it, but to gain what should have been naturally mine, I was twisted, perverted, and now there is only one person that can change any of this," Zero said in a tired voice. "And what is happening to each world after your spawn leaves it?" I asked, looking over at him, but Zero didn''t look back. "There is no need for anything; they never truly die, and no hunger! Worlds don''t even need the elements to have life!" Zero railed, but I shook my head. "Don''t need anything? Don''t be stupid or think that I am. You need the pain, suffering, and bloodlust, and look at the disgusting things that the creatures do in your name! There are ones like Mex who have done everything in their power to be different, but you are the thing that made them this way!" I said, starting to get angry. "Yes, this is all my fault! Cause I am the one that caused this!" Zero growled in a sarcastic voice. "Yes, it is! Why are you so stupid that you can''t see that you are the problem?! You are sending Demon Elementals ahead of the Demons to purposely warp the words! Why could you ever imagine that I would work with you if you even know me a little bit?" I roared as I let out a burst element of fury that released waves of energy, altering the environment around me. The ocean started to flow up into the air in streams like motionless cyclones as all the clouds in the sky lit on fire. Trees froze into ice and began to grow massive, and then came to life, breaking from the roots that held them. "I wouldn''t have to if you would just agree to work with me! You might hold the world in your hand, but I am the hand that prevents you from being able to realize your potential! Join me, and we can work together to forge new worlds, shaping them in our images!" Zero roared suddenly, getting up in a rush. Although I felt the irritabilitying off him in waves, I was no longer worried because I knew exactly what I needed to know. Despite the 6 Verdant Frost Elementals surrounding us, all of them remained focused on Zero. Frost-covered vines erupted from the giant Elementals, enclosing Zero, and there was no escape this time. If this was all in my head, fine. Even if I was being restricted, I was not the one trying to hold on to life by clinging to straws and falling apart. This was all about me trying to finish a job that I was just a breath away frompleting from before.. Nothing has changed, and I do not need to rely on my memories for me to understand that this man''s doctrine remained unchanged. Chapter 215 - Stronger, And Smarter I turned from Zero and looked back out over the purple sea before I spoke. I wonder what memories I had of this world that were sealed away? The only way that I would find out was by getting my memories back, and staying here was not helping that. There was nothing left to talk about, and I had spent enough time In this ce. "You have two choices right now, so fuck off, or I will squish you like a bug, Toothy. Nothing will change with me, no matter how many times you try because you refuse to bend. You expect everyone else too," I said and turned back around to the frosted vines, but Zero was already gone. "Where did your statue go¡­ woah!" Fireden started to say but then eximed, and I turned back to where I left him. "Yeah, Zero was here, but he is gone now. Show me what you figured out," I said, and the world shifted back to the center of the maze. This was all in my head, just like I am now, and that is why everything is so strange and seems out of ce. That means that I should be able to control the outside world, but Zero is holding me from closing my hand around the world. "How is he able to get inside of your head?" Fireden asked as he sat down and then returned the globe to me. "I am going to hold on to that bit of information for now until I figure out some things. While I don''t know if telling you or the others will make a difference. I would prefer to wait because I learned some important things. Now, exin to me what happened to the elements, besides Fire that seems to make up most of the," I exined to Fireden and mentally took a quarter of the globe away. I looked inside the globe, but there was another sphere in the center of the that was ck. The quarter that I took out didn''te out of the center of the globe, and no amount of concentrating changed it. "That is where the real six are, but something is sealing them down there. The elements that are here are stagnant, and the energy they hold is just the remnants from before. Wataluga and Hydie will be fine, but the longer the creatures are here, the stronger they be," Fireden exined, and I nodded. "Okay, we will have toe back then, but I am not sure how at the moment. Still, not important," I said as I tossed away the globe, sending it to a ce to store the knowledge. "Remember, You have already been here for over a day. Don''t mess around. Kill them so we can get back," Fireden said, and I closed my eyes and then opened them. The energy was still just starting to pour into me, and everyone was the same distance from when I closed my eyes. The dragon''s pace was steadily getting faster, and I tried to think of a n while my reserves were being filled. [Dragons all can fly without pping their wings using Magic, but they can also use magic to cast. On top of that, they have a second lung that uses the oxygen to breathe Fire.] ''''Really? Is that all? Good lord, these things sound like they are going to be a nightmare, considering how fast they adjusted to my attack.'''' [That isn''t all. Dragon''s are resistant to Magic, and physical attacks, Telepathic, and very smart. Much more than you or I.] ''''Oh, fuck off! Are you kidding me? Three monsters that are smarter, bigger, and tougher than me, and I am just supposed to fight them?'''' [Yeah, I wish you the best of luck. The creatures don''t really have many weaknesses, and they are more than likely going to be working as a team since they are all red. The one thing that might be to your advantage is that because their colors are red. They tend to be the least intelligent of the colors, making them easy to frustrate, but they are the most vicious of the colors.] Well, I could use that to my advantage, and I was almost full of energy. Considering how much power I held, I didn''t really feel that much stronger. [You won''t until you need to use more than you usually do. It is a matter of how much you are using because you are not a mage, so you are not casting spells. Instead, you are controlling the elements and shaping them with your will.] I stood up; the dragon''s speed just became a lot faster and steadier, but they were still out of my sight. I turned and started to take lunging steps that must have looked ridiculous, but it was helping me get more limber. I summoned Fireden, and he was only in the elemental body of Fire, not the suit from before. "I hope you don''t expect me to do that with you," Firedenughed, and I straightened out with a grin, but they started to take long leaping strides towards the other that I could barely see. Fireden started to float beside me and nodded as we got closer. This was really the best that I could do; just keep trying to get more muscr like the dragons had been. I could feel them getting close, but they hadn''t gotten any stronger since they started to fly. I started to push my jumping leaps, so I went higher in the air. It was strange because the closer I got to the top of the canyon, the easier it got to jump even higher. The problem was thest time I jumped up, I went too high, and I had to get massive with Kali''s Totem beforeing down. After shrinking down, Fireden grinned at me. "Thought I was going to have to put you back together again there!" Firedenughed, and I rolled my eyes as I rubbed the pins and needles of them. "Z-Zack!" Nushi called to me awkwardly, and I turned around. Chapter 216 - Lets Get MOIST, BOYS I went to open my mouth as my eyes connected with her, but then Nushi and Hydie shifted forward in a burst of light. Her lips connected with mine, and Hydie separated from Nushi at the same time. I turned and kissed Hydie, and then she merged back with Nushi. I could see Mex stilling, but now I could also see Beeno on his back. Wataluga unfused from Mex, and gilded ahead of them, causing Mex to slow down some, but Fireden was already heading over to switch. I really wished that I had all four of my partners right now, but the water was the best thing against fire. "We really need to find you some clothes that can handle the stress that you put them under! Not that I don''t like seeing you like this, but I am sure others wouldn''t mind seeing you in some pants!" Nushiughed, and the confidence she emitted was something new but also very refreshing. "Yeah, but we will worry about that when we get back home. For now, we have three furious dragons to deal with. I dealt with the other two, but the creatures that we are going to fight are tough stuff," I exined, and Hydies face appeared on Nushi''s shoulder. "I will work on weapon creation and barriers for Nushi, but I can''t keep one upon you," Hydie exined, and I nodded. I could see and sense the dragons now in the distance. They were less than two miles away now, but Wataluga wasing up to me, and I reached my hand out to him. "I want you all to stay as supports and don''t get caught between any of them. These things are very smart and immune to Fire Magic. Please stick with ranged attacks, but don''t let them try to separate us. Thest thing I need is for one of you to get hurt or killed, understand?" I said to the girls after Wataluga merged with me, then I looked at Mex and called to him, "Mex, you and Fireden are on supply, but give me your sword!" The Nushi kissed me quickly again, and then she hopped back as Mex stabbed his hand out to the side. I watched as Mex smashed his hand through to tear open a hole in reality and drew out the massive ck greatsword. As he pulled back and tossed the de, I activated My Water Force Pact, Wind de Demon, and Water Sphinx Totems. I would need to learn how to do that trick in the future, but I suspect that it had something to do with being able to control things in this world. I jumped up and caught the de, letting myself be turned in the air, and then mmed back down. The impact of the connection was absorbed this time from my Water Force Pact, and I started to run forward. I could feel the air charge around me, and I felt a breeze start. I could feel the air pressure start changing, and the heat I had be used to started to drop, but I focused on the three shadows above. [What''s the n? How are you going to keep them on you?] ''I need to get them angry, so I want you to add water to the Wind des, but I want you to try and stick to them. See if you can get up to their eyes and be a pain to them.'' [I will try.] I summoned Wind des and Started to whip them up at the iing dragons. They tried to dodge them, but Wataluga curved them, and they all impacted. The des did no damage, and I dropped the Totem, only activating the Water Sphinx Totem. I was already running at the wall and jumped at it, Pooling the elemental energies in the sole of my feet and my hands. I mmed Mex''s sword into the ground but left some of Wataluga with it for fast retrieval. Wataluga had exined to me before the shattered wall that I could use water energy to create suctions for running on walls. The problem was that I didn''t change the direction that gravity flowed. I powered up the wall, and two of the three dragons wereing for me, but the other was heading for the others. I knew that this was going to happen, and that was the time that I got about the mark that I had mentally made when I jumped. "Okay, let''s get MOIST, BOYS!" I screamed out and used all my strength to fling myself backward on an angle up in the air. [Don''t ever say that again.] The dragons curved up to me, almost instantly changing directions. My body started to liquify as spun and then whipped my arm at the third dragon. My watery arm shot forward and pped onto the back of the dragon. I felt the heat of the other two barely missed me with sts of fire breath as I pulled the rest of my body to the other. ''Switch!'' Just before I hit the dragon, my aspect dropped, and I sted Kali''s Totem. As I expanded to nt my heels into the dragon''s back. The weight of my impact knocked him down, but the dragon tried to recover using its flying ability. I suctioned to its back and shrunk down as the other two dragons were forced to dodge two bolts of lighting. I Expanded from half my size to six times, and the dragon was forced down again, but this time the gravity caught. The other two were stilling at me, but I shrunk again to avoid getting hit and then did one final expansion. Just before the dragon was smashed into the ground, Wataluga had to force me into my Water aspect, and I sshed into the ground. The dragon had suddenly disappeared from under me, but I heard a crash as the disconcerting feeling of my body being smashed apart. I quickly reformed, and the other dragon was getting off the ground, but both the others were bearing down on me. Chapter 217 - Dread Dragon, RUN! Both dragons wereing directly for me and ripped myself from their path using the water I had left on the swords. My hand connected with the sword, and then I moved past, ripping the sword out of the ground. The other two were rounding on me and ignoring the others, but I was heading straight to the other one. It was less than thirty feet from me, and it looked injured. Whatever kind of teleportation magic it used, it was not meant to be used like that, and the creature had broken its wing and front leg. The wing was not a problem; the broken leg paired with gravity kept the dragon down. [Throw the de, I am switching to aspect!] I didn''t think, I just threw the de, and my body sshed to the ground, and the fire burned over the top of me. The moment it was done, I targeted the farthest dragon that had turned back on the others, locking on to the water on the back of its head. The dragon was already breathing fire at the girls, but Mex got between them and tried to absorb it all. The moment I got within ten feet of the target, I shot up in the air to where the dragon had just teleported.. Instead of following it, I locked onto the one that had just tried to touch me and pulled myself down. The two could keep on teleporting, but I was locked on to them, so I could get to the were ever. Then the dragon breathed fire directly at me, but I activated Fire and Earth totems, punching into the fire. The dragon tried to lift off the ground but was too slow as I tackled it in the air. We both smashed into the wall and hit the ground, but I ran up to the head and grabbed one of the horns. This was the first red dragon I had seen when I got to this world, and It would be the first to go. I could feel the other one bearing down on me, and the injured one was still alive, so I reached out to the side and summoned Mex''s sword. I could feel the sword trying toe, but something was stopping it. I looked over to see the injured dragon had the damn thing in its teeth. [Forget it! To Mex!] I felt my body go liquid, and I targeted Mex, who Wataluga left a tiny bit of water with as the dragon from the air crashed down on the other one. Both Mex and Nushi had moved back a lot, and I reformed just before Mex to see he was still carrying Beeno on his back. Glowing red veins covered his sky blue skin, but I turned back to the dragon quickly, and I was surprised at what I saw. [That is not good! Get everyone up top now!] I turned back to Mex, and Fireden leaped from him and returned to me without any prompt. "To mean everyone!" I hollered, and no one argued; they just rushed over. The dragon that had been flying pinned the dragon''s neck down. It ripped a chunk of the first dragon''s neck out and then went off to the side of the dying creature. I shot up in the air with everyone the best I could, then the dragon used a w to tear open the side of the dying dragon. I watched as it used both front arms to spread it apart, to reveal something that was glowing on the inside. [Dragon hearts are potent catalysts used in special rituals, but if a dragon eats one¡­ justnd up top and get away from the edge and start to run. If you can see it, we won''t survive, so hurry!] Fireden''s words sparked a fire in me, and I tried as hard as I could to pour more fire out as the dragon stuck its head in the other one''s body. I just made it up to the top, pushed us over the edge. That was right as the dragon took its head out of the body with a glowing basketball red gem in its mouth. I didn''t see what happened, but the moment I rolled over, there was a crack like a thunderp, and then the valley behind us erupted with mes. [No, RUN! Do not wait for it; get going!] Wataluga''s words forced me to snap out of my stunned stupor, and I got everyone else up, and the fire was still raging behind us. I pushed everyone to get moving, but I knew that the thing back there was nothing that even I could fight with all my elements. [Forty miles west is your only chance! I am locking on to the Tri-Gods, and you will need to get it there!] "Run, we are going east, and we need to run like the wind!" I called out, and everyone confirmed with me as we started running. I could still sense the fire pouring out of the canyon, but it was slowing, and I could sense the ridiculous power surge that was erupting from behind us. I needed to get a n, but I wasn''t sure if we had a chance to make it. The thing that was starting to lift up from the canyon was somethingpletely different from before, but I didn''t get how it was stronger. [What the dragon has done goes against its code, but we are trying to eliminate it. The dragon will not survive, even if it wins. This is a Fire-Dread Dragon, and it emits explosive fireballs that explode on impact. I am not sure what you''re going to do, but you have less than fifteen seconds to do it!] Wataluga was right, but I wasn''t sure what to do about something like this that is this huge and crazy. Then I got a crazy idea. [Yes, that is a horrible idea, but at the current moment, it might be your best one. Not like they aren''t already going to being.] "Keep going east! I will be right back!" I yelled to everyone and shot straight up into the air. Chapter 218 - Pact Aspect, I Refuse To Fail "FLAME ON!" I roared and took off into the air like a rocket, burning the fire faster than I could take it in. I put everything I had into pumping out as much heat as I could so that I could reach top speed. It was a bad idea, but I needed to make sure that the Carnica actually zeroed in on the Fire-Dread Dragon. [You don''t want to take in too much of Emfirza''s energy, so don''t drain yourself too much. If you do too much, you will be poisoned, and the effect will be diminished. The kind of energy used is precisely the opposite of the type that we use, so it will cancel out yours, and vice versa.] I slowed down and then sent a thought. ''Can Wataluga hit me like you did? I can''t fight that thing with fire!'' [What?! What is he talking about?! You didn''t force the Pact, did you!?] [I don''t suggest it; your mind won''t be able to handle it! We shouldn''t have done it the first time.] . It was clear to me that the reflections above me were now angled downwards at me, and I nced back at the monster rising from the canyon. I could never have imagined that there would be a monster like that. ''Does it matter if we all die anyway? Look at that thing! It is three times as big as the one that ate the gem! HIT ME!'' [Hold on to sanity, this is going to pull and twist your mind past its limits!] As I red at the dragon, I gritted my teeth and prepared myself for the fight. Although I could sense the Carnica in the distance, they were still too far away from me to pose a serious threat to me. There was something in the Dread Dragon''s eyes that seemed to smile at me. Even though this thing knew it could kill me, it still waited as my body swelled into a throng with a form of wild elemental power. [Creator of Life, I, The Water that Quenches, Seal the Binding Force Pact!] *BOOM* After suddenly exploding, my body becamepressed. I began to tten out, then spread out, causing my body to be paper-thin as if this was what was nned. My mind felt like it was being ripped apart as my body spun. In the midst of my confusion, I felt cracks beginning to form in my sanity, and then I heard the first word echoing in my head. [Churn!] When my body snapped back, both my body and my mind were thrown back into their original positions. The moment I was whole again, the energy began to fill me again. Watery tentacles appeared from my body, causing me to scream as they appeared. With watery swords, they began striking out at the small Carnica, cutting them out of the air in the process. My mind then stretched like a cross as I burst again, and as a result, I started to fragment. [You can do this, Zack! Don''t give up now!] My body spun as massive t, watery discs as Fireden''s voice sounded, and I suddenly remembered the girls. [The Storm!] My mind was again smashed into my own flesh, but this time I could sense the Fire-Dread beginning tobat the Carnica. The watery tentacles burst from me as more power overflowed me, and I screamed as more tentacles burst from me. In the process of forcing the girls to pass through my mind, I began to wonder in my mind. What was the reason for it still hurting this much after stretching my reserves out the first time? Despite my best efforts, I could feel myself being pulled away from the question at the veryst moment. Despite my fighting, my eyes sprang open when I was suddenly sprayed with white-hot pain from a magical shot of power that struck me straight in the head. "I REFUSE TO FAIL!" I roared, and all the power retracted. I lost control of the liquid whips, and they started to m back into my body in a violent rush. As a result of the intense whish, I opened my mouth in a wordless cry. I ruptured, once again, bursting with the unbridled rage of what felt like a hundred storms all at once. As my body was blown into four ttened whirlpools, an eight-pointed star formed from my four body parts. [Within!] Once again, back in the memory of the explosion from Helsin and my heads colliding. I found myself at the edge of the wave, but this time it was no longer moving. I was then being sucked backward by a force that I could not control. The wave picked me up and threw me back to the ce I worked, and the wave forced me to the spot where I crashed into Helsin''s head. At this point, something changed. As I looked around, new cracks started to appear, and news began to appear, vanish, and then reform. The next moment, I found myself standing in a room filled with portals. The ce I was in was not new to me - because I had seen it before when I left thest time. That was also when I gave Mark his name, Time. I understand that he destroyed everything, but if I''m thinking the right way, nothing has really been destroyed. Even though Helsin was in a position to restrict me, I still had some control in my head. "I have always been in control. I am always the one that holds power," My voice said to me like an echo in my mind. "If I have always been in control, then why am I restricted now?" I asked, but no answer came, and I started to feel something strange inside my chest. It was both elements rolling around in my body as I absorbed them. My power was within my control now, and yet I felt like I could push myself even further now. Chapter 219 - Churn The Storm Within, Alive And Well? There was something about the two powers rolling around inside of me that didn''t feelplete. I was also acutely aware of ack of pain and forgot about the numbing sensation in my mind entirely. Additionally, there was something about this feeling that felt right. Fire, water, as one, one more time. [Don''t do it!] I ignored Wataluga as I gathered the swirling Fire and Water, mentally gathering them into balls of fric energy. Both elementals screamed at me, but something about this felt right. [You know, he is right, and I don''t even know if you can do something like that! I think you should¡­] It was toote for Fireden''s words, and I crushed both forces together into my body. They didn''t want to go, but I was tired of things not working, and this thing was going to work! Then the lights went out, and everything disappeared from me, leaving me without even a body. Darkness covered me, but two things pulsed behind it. Despite the fact that I could perceive Fire and Water, I felt like I was separated by a nket. The darkness, whatever it was, was blocking the pulses froming through to me. Although my hand attempted to reach into the darkness, trying to feel for the powers that were just out of reach, something seemed to be missing. Yes, that was my hand to reach with; ugh, this ce was starting to get frustrating! [Fancy seeing you here.] When I heard Hero''s voice, I was surprised and tried to turn around to find him, but of course, there was no one there. Although it had only been two days since I heard him, it seemed like ages had passed since then. ''Where did you go?!'' [I was left behind when you crossed over, but I was stuck in this ce of darkness. Though I haven''t been here for more than thirty minutes.] ''Do you know what this ce is? I can feel the energy that I am trying to get, but at the same time, I feel like it is just out of my reach.'' [The elements are on the other side of the ck wall, but the wall isn''t actually there. I can see the shade of it, but it has no natural substance. This is a block of some sort, but it was put there by you, or I wouldn''t be able to see though.] ''I created this? Why would I block myself?'' [No clue, but you are the type that almost requires some kind of challenge, or it doesn''t interest you. Maybe you knew this and knew that you would need some kind of challenge to push yourself? Also, what happened to you? Did someone give you some kind of special powers?] ''Hmmm? No, a lot happened inside the Challenger Gem and is still happening! I was attacked by three dragons, and now one of them ate the others and is some big Dread Dragon thing!'' [Hmm, that sounds like you had better hurry up and figure this out.] ''Yes, thank you for the reminder, Captain Obvious!'' Despite my best efforts, theck of substance or form made it impossible for me to reach ahead. Even though I tried closing my eyes in frustration, it didn''t do anything. ''I am nothing right now! How am I supposed to break through this wall that doesn''t exist with a body that doesn''t exist?'' [What do you mean? You have a body; I can see it right there! You are on the other side of the shadow wall.] ''So, you can see me, but I can''t see me, or even feel me¡­.'' I let my thoughts trail off as I thought about it and rxed, feeling the stress starting to melt off me. I was getting too worked up over things, not thinking, and not using the only thing that I seemed to have left at this point. The wall wasn''t there, but I was, yet I could see the wall, but not my body. That would make this some kind of illusion or something that, but was I the one creating it? I concentrated on my body and its form. I envisioned the lines that traced the outside of my body and reached forward. This time, my own hand pushed into the shadow, and I raised the other one. With both hands, I sped the power, and they crept up my arms, filling each half of me with elemental power. [Try not to die, I can''t follow you to that ce, so make sure youe back. There are a lot of people waiting for you.] Hero''s words faded, and both Pact Aspects activated, and the darkness was sted away. [Pact Aspect: Ignite The Fire Inside!] Activated! [Pact Aspect: Churn The Storm Within!] Activated! I was back, and the Carnica were still attacking the Fire-Dread Dragons, but it was not paying any attention to them. The dragon was focused on me and only me. Arger Carnica tried to attack me from behind as the dragon, and I stared at each other. Whips of Fire and Water cut the creature out of the air without so much as a thought from me. [You are alive and well?] ''Is that even a question? You can feel, can''t you?'' Wataluga didn''t answer, but Fireden did. [While this is something that I had never heard of before unless it was a high-level user, but even then, I don''t know if this is enough. That thing down there is almost the same as an A Ranked Demon.] ''I don''t n on killing it or even fighting it. We just need to get it to Emfirza, right? So, I just need to survive until then. How much farther do they have to go till they are there?'' [They have barely made any headway, but they stole a wagon now from some very angry Kualu. Or at least that is what I would assume since a group of them is chasing the wagon, they are riding in.] ''Alright, are you ready to get the hell off this tiny ass world?'' [Don''t count your chickens before they hatch!] ''Watty, you need to stop being a Debbie Downer! I got this!'' I mean, I was pretty sure that I had this. Chapter 220 - Eternal Flame Of Damnation, Is It Seven Or Nine Rings Of Phenocai? I turned north and started to shoot in that direction as the dragon chased me. The speed it could move was absolutely amazing, and its aura cooked anything that got anywhere close to it. On top of the oven aura, it had some type of reactive skin that created a ridiculously strong explosion. It was activated when something like the burning body of a Carnica would impact it. The body would be blown to bits, but there would be no marks on the dark red dragon after. That alone made the creature nearly impossible to fight, but that wasn''t even mentioning the deadliest part of the massive creature. The ability to spit out ten-foot fireballs that could be detonated at will had already almost knocked me out of the air. I had tried to just barely avoid it, but the ball of fire ruptured beside me, sending me spinning through the air. Luckily, the fireballs also exploded on contact, so I had been hiding in the creatures. Still, the shockwaves from the st were enough to toss me and the other creatures around from a distance. The Carnica all seemed to agree that I was not the threat anymore, and they basically let me weave around them, and they plummeted to their doom. I was curious when the three big ones would show up, but I was also not sure if they would. Even therger broods were torched or blown apart before a mark could be made on them, which speaks volumes about how quickly they were killed. It might not be worth it to challenge the Dread Dragon at this point. In my case, that was a problem. Our game of cat and mouse was proving to be tiresome for the dragon, who seemed to be getting tired of ying. I started to cut east, and then I cut straight down and into the trees. A fireball exploded right behind me as I burned forward, and I used the water whips to grab trees to turn fast. [He is just ying with you!] ''Better than eating me!'' Then I felt a fireballe directly behind, and then I was catapulted forward before I could react as it went off. I mixed my body and puffed into steam, rushing forward with the st just before hitting a tree. [Five miles, and then get ready to move fast. The others lost the Kualu that were following them, and they were about eight miles away. Also, you are burning a terrible amount of energy in this form, so be careful.] I could feel the strain of this form as I had to keep my body constantly working. I have to keep the water hot enough to stay vapor while keeping myself together. I could sense the dragon''s frustration increase as the explosions started to rain around me, but this allowed me to siphon off more energy. Thend here was toxic, and I already tried to absorb some of the energy, but it did nothing but eating the energy that I had. After thest volley, I forced my body back together, but the Fire-Dread Dragon was almost on top of me. The world around me was zing even as pure fire. I could feel the oven aura trying to cook me. [Left!] No thought, I just sted steam right and narrowly missed getting smashed into the ground with a massive w. The other tried to grab me as well, but I blew apart as steam, burning a massive amount of energy with the star-level heat from the dragon''s aura. [Almost there, and the Tri-Gods see youing, and they look mad. Not really sure what is going to happen here, but get ready to try and not die! I bet Wataluga that we aren''t going to make it out of here alive, and now he isn''t talking to me, so maybe try to prove me wrong?] I couldn''t even give him a reply, all of my thoughts were focused on getting to the fireke and then into it. I really hoped that Keri''s totem would help me recover here, or I was fucked. The Dread Dragon bit the ground behind me from the dive, and I burned into myst reserves of energy. I rocketed forward towards a split in two rocks, aiming at thevake ahead; I was starting to feel drained. [UP!] Fireden''s words were toote, and I was grabbed out of the air by a burning hand. Thankfully, it was a normal fire, even if it was the harmful shitty fire, and it didn''t hurt me, but the hand''s owner looked like he might change that. The angry-looking element looked none too pleased to see me, and the burning spiked armor looked pretty menacing. I could sense the other two elementals and the Dread Dragon, but I focused on the one that was more than likely to kill me first. "What are you doing here, Hero?! Are you looking to die that bad? Or are you just that stupid that you would try to attack me, Embra, Eternal me of Damnation for All seven¡­ no nine¡­ Firaga! Is it seven or nine rings of Phenocai?!" Embra, the idiot Tri-god, asked. Like seriously, not like there wasn''t some giant dragoning that makes fire sweat! "It''s ten, you coaled ember! And throw that little shit in theke; an overgrown hairless bat ising this way!" Strangely wizardly looking, Firaga roared at Embra. The big armored burning giant pulled me up to his face and growled at me, but I was too tired to give him a wittyeback. "Don''t go anywhere, you little shaman shit! I want to know where the Phen you came from, and then I will tear each one of the elemental children out of you! Then I''ll -," Embra said, but then a massive burning hand pped the back of Embra''s hand. I wasunched like a bottle cap out of his hand and into thevake before I could hear anything else. Chapter 221 - Three Fiery Thots, And A Half Empty Lake I remember being a kid at theke, and a friend''s parents had bought a strange giant air bag. One personid on the front of it, depressing the massive bag, and then another person climbed up a talldder. That person jumped off, andnded on the back part that was filled with air. The results were you being catapulted into the air about twenty feet, and then back down to p the water. This was about four times as hard, and there was no upward arc to slow me down. I speared into theva, and my Fire Gog Totem and Fire Force Pact took over. I had to keep my eyes closed, theva was far too bright, and I didn¡¯t need to see to eat. I opened my mouth and the fiery thick milkshake texturedva poured in. [Good, consume as much as you can while they are busy. It is filling you with energy, but if they kill the dragon, you should be teleported from here before the Tri-Gods can get you.] ¡®Should be, isn''t that inspiring.¡¯ [Then you had better get eating!] za, the Aegis me, an element creature with the form of a wingless dragon that looked simr to Godzi, pped the back of Embra''s hand. The hero rocketed out of it into thevake, but za knew that world hardly hurt a Shaman. ¡°That little shit brought us a challenger, a Fire-Dread Dragon from Kartharust. The thing has used half of its D-Fury, but the D-Fury-Aura is still dangerous,¡± za said as he red at the approaching dragon, but Embra started tough, and za rounded on him with a furious look. Firaga rolled his zing eyes, and groaned as he watched his other two halves start to get into an argument. The Tri-Gods were three parts of the S-ss Primal Elemental, Emfirza, but the three each took one third of the emotions. ¡°D-Fury! I think we should be more worried about the literal trantion of that than the heat of it all!¡± Embra barked out with augh. za pped the zing face of Embra, and the Armored Fire Elemental tipped back with moreughter. Then an explosion from one of the Dread Dragons fireballs erupted behind him, cutting off the burning giant''sugh. ¡°Stop pissing around, this thing is not something that we can joke with, or we have to go back to that ce and wait!¡± Firga said as he started to create massive fiery hounds that took off as they formed. None of the three wanted to be forced back into one mind, or go back into that ce. All the elemental spirits were pulled from a ce that was simr to the one the Demons were held in. ¡°Got it!¡± Embra shouted as he spun around with a zing shield forming in his hand. A fireball smashed into Embra¡¯s shield, exploding, and forcing him back. za dashed forward between the gap Zack hade through, avoiding the st. Long burning tracks were left from Embra getting forced back, and he tossed his shield to the side. That was the same moment that the me Hounds started to leap, and rocketed into the dragon. The Fire-Dread Dragon¡¯s skin repelled the first one using it¡¯s Dragon Fury Rebuke, blowing the hound away. Firaga, unlike Zack, knew about this creature. More rocketing me Hounds flew up to crash into the same ce. With water and darkness elements fused into them, the attacks were forcing the Dread Dragon to pull back. It had lost its main target, and now these Elemental creatures were attacking him. This was not the target that he was summoned for, but it was toote for him now. The Dracon would know of this man. The Dragon knew that even if he, Kinedra made it home, he had broken the Gem Heart of another. Kinedra telepathically sent a message across space and time to his father and the others. The face and essence of the man, and then others that he had been forced to target. The message might take a long time to reach the Dracon, but the Emperor, and Council of Ten would avenge him. za created spears of fire, hurtling them into the dragon, piercing him. Each was imbued with elemental earth, and they ripped into the wound created from the Hounds. Kinedra roared, spitting a fireball at the burning naked man between the rocks. The Dread Dragon tried to pull back, but an armored Embra brought a zing club that burst with light. The Dread Dragon was driven back down, and Embra started to smash the club down over and over. Kinedra¡¯s Dragon Fury was almost at its end, and nearing the end of his strength. ¡°Embra, get back from it!¡± Firaga called out as he started to create a shield. za rushed back through the crack in the rock. The Dread Dragon was starting to glow, so he ran down the path he had thrown the spears from, heading for the fireke. Embra was ignoring Firaga¡¯s warning, and continued to smash his fiery club into the back of the Kinedra¡¯s head. The Dragon Fury Aura was starting to pulse with even more heat. The intensity was causing Embra¡¯s burning armor to melt off of him in streams, but he stillughed. za reached thevake, but it was almost empty with the hero swimming around, gulping it all down. Uncaring, za dove in, and the hero was covered in a wave ofva. Zack sensed the elementing, but had no ns of leaving this area with the energy level the dragon was putting out. The others were underground now, but now he was stuck with the giant fire elemental. Back at the Fire Dread Dragon where the creature was almost ready to explode, a fire whip shot from Firaga¡¯s hand andtched on to Embra. ¡°No! I am going to kill this thing! I am the Eternal-,¡± Embra cried out in a maniacal voice, but was ripped back into the shield with Firaga. Kinedra closed his eyes as the Death Fury Rattle built within him to it¡¯s crescendo. The royal son of Karth of Chaos, Dragon Emperor of Kartharust, sted out a final message to the Dracon Council, and then ruptured. Chapter 222 - Vacuum Suction, Too Late [Zacks View] The wave ofva from the Elemental sshing into the fireke hit me, and I was taken under with it. This really wasn''t much of a problem, and I plunged deep, using my arms to pull myself to the bottom. [za is trying to get to you, but you need to seal yourself from him and then try to absorb what you can! fifteen seconds till eternal damnation is released, and the top ten feet for a mile around is vaporized!] I didn''t need Fireden''s voice to remind me about the burgeoning atomic bomb worth of energy. I kept Keri''s Totem up but changed to my Water Force Pact and started to churn the fiery sludge. The massive surge was building within the Dread Dragon as I whipped theva around me faster. I could tell that it was about to reach the crescendo of overcharged unbridled power, so I needed to be faster. I closed my eyes, entirely slipping into my Water Aspect, forcing my body to expand. Then I started to swirl my body around, creating a small dome of volcanic rock for me to stand in. "This is your fault! Stupid heroes always bringing trouble!" An angry voice roared, but the thick but porous rock muffled it.. Then I sensed a massive hand close around my sphere, and I started to rise. ''Oh shit! This isn''t good!'' [Too Late! Get ready for a ride!] I felt myself moving faster upwards, and then I was forced into a puddle as I felt myself beunched into the air. Then it happened, the Fre-Dread Dragon hit critical, and I felt everything get pulled back towards the source. My upward motion was slowed, but I was still over two thousand feet in the air. I could sense Carnica was trying to attack my rock, but they were having no luck as they started to be pulled down. The second felt like itsted forever as my unformed body of water lifted slightly. Then the direction of the st reversed, and my body was smashed to the bottom of my domedva rock. [me on! Hehe, okay, I get why you say it now! It''s pretty fun!] ''Ugh, what is happening?! Why are we still going up?!'' Now I was surrounded entirely by fire. The gravity created from the speed boost stopped pulling at my body, but I wasn''t slowing. The further I went up, the farther I got from the''s surface. It was also taking me away from the source of the eruption of energy, but I could still feel the others, and they were still safe. There was only a handful of Carnica''s I could perceive near me, but they were far below me. Arge number of them had been incinerated during the explosion. The st had produced far more energy than I had predicted, and I was still rising up. [Do not change forms! You are shooting into space! If you change back to my form, you will be frozen solid!] Suddenly, I felt strange, and my body started to be hard to move. It was like I was pushing on something that didn''t exist. This was space, and there was a slow hiss that started, and I groaned. "Fuck." My body was ripped out of the porous rock through a series of connected pin holes that were being ripped open further. I was forced out into the cold. My body started to feel strange and pressurized, but I was eating through energy and in the vacuum of space. [This isn''t good; you are going to start eating through your reserves! There is no oxygen, and if that means you are using your own energy to even keep my fires lit.] ''Oye! I know what space is! What do I do?'' [Really? Get back to the!] I looked around as I felt my body eating the energy inside of it, and there was nothing around us, not even moons. For the first time, I got a look at the world I had been forced onto and had been traveling around. Even with the vacuum of space trying to snuff my fire and life out, I had to enjoy the twisted beauty of it. A world that was no bigger than our moon, yet it was clearly divided with intersecting massive canyons. There was barely any green on the side that I could see, but what was there was a perfect green. There should have been some kind of variation, but It was all green of the same shade, What I could see was the massive clouds of dark smoke billowing up from below where the dragon had exploded. A fiery path still raged at the outsides where the Fire-Dread Dragon had chased me. It looked to be growing at an rming rate; the fire was catching fire to everything like it was dried tinders. I needed to get down there and deal with that; I had spent enough time gazing down at the. [Toote!] Fireden''s voice shocked me, but it kicked my mind in gear, and I started to pour fire from my hands and feet. I sted forward, but something started to happen, and I felt myself start to fade. ''What''s going on? We need to get down there and stop that fire!'' [It''s toote now, the Challenger Gem ispleted, but the fire will leave with us. The mark and memories will remain, but the remnants of the fire are Dragon Fire, and not of this world.] I rxed with Wataluga''s words, but I felt all my energy leaving as I started to fade from this existence. All the energy I had gained from eating theva and drawing it into my body was disappearing. It was like sitting down on a couch after first getting home from work. The energy was just flushed out of me, and I was left with a feeling of exhaustion. Then I hit the ground with a painful thump, but it was stairs. Then I felt more bodies pile on me, making me groan as my back was crushed into the stairs. Chapter 223 - Another Pink Man, You [Ooo, that is not going to feel good in the morning!] ''Great to hear you again too, Hero.'' [Yes, well, you look like you have been run over many times, but what is with this intense aura you have? Your energy is almostpletely depleted, but you still have more than what your limit was when you left!] In the background, there was silence, but I could feel the Demons all around us¡­ wait, why did I feel that? "Ugh, yeah, had my mind blown apart a couple times, but you saw me after that, right? Also, since when did a human join us?" I asked out loud, and the bodies that were crushing me into the steps started to move. "What did you just say?" Mex asked as everyone got off me. I ignored him, my eyes were still closed, and I rolled over. I reached my hand out to push myself up, but the hand slipped, and then I tumbled the rest of the way down the stairs. [You should try opening your eyes, I hear they help when looking for ces to put your hand, hehe!] ''I will remember that next time I see you in person so I can make sure I drive my foot directly up your ass!'' [Is that a threat or an offer?] I groaned and opened my eyes to Nushi, Hydie¡­ Beeno, and¡­ who the fuck is that pink guy? [Says every person that has ever looked at you] ''Pipe down, Harold! Seriously! You can not tell me that is who I think it is, right?'' "Is there something on my face¡­" Mex started to say but paused as he raised his hands up to his face, staring at them in wonder. [Woot! Look at you go! Finally, I can tell you this stupid bit of information that I have been holding on to this entire time! Defeating the controlling Demon Lord or King will allow you to purge the Demon males, but you still have to use the Orgasmoura to activate it!] ''Really? Well, that is a massive relief! I was really not feeling leaving a bunch of sterile male demons around the ind!'' I leaned up and kissed each of the three girls, but Beeno looked confused, yet I had to push past her and the others. I stood up and walked over to Mex, a tall man who looked to be even an inch or two taller than me. I reached up and grabbed his cheeks and then pinched and stretched them until Mex batted my hands away. Then he started to do it to himself, and Iughed at him, pping him on the shoulder. "So, you''re a pink man like me now? Do you have any memories from that body?" I asked as Mex explored his body but then froze. Mex slowly looked up at me, but then I noticed something blue on his side that hadn''t been there. I looked up into Mex''s eyes and stopped breathing as I stared into one red and one blue eye. "I think I might have unleashed something and brought something else back with me, but I have no extra memories. For some reason, a part of za came with me, and now Maelstrom is released from the prison in my mind," Mex exined, and I started to walk around him. There were Wave and Sun Force Pact markings on Mex''s back, but then they each held three colors. The sun was red, brown, and white, but the Wave was blue, ck, and gold. "How does it feel?" I asked but then turned around to look at the girls and everyone else that was still in the massive tent. Everyone was staring nkly at me, and it was a bit awkward, so I turned back to Mex, who was still looking at his hands. Nushi walked up beside me, and she looked equally confused about Mex, but it was not because of his eyes. "Is this what will happen to us? You said aliens, but the word means now of this world, right? He looks just like you, though," Nushi said, and she slipped her arm around mine. [Freak chance that he changed into a human, but that doesn''t mean to say that it can''t happen again. There is a chance for some of the girls to turn into a hairless primate, but highly unlikely. They will be creatures that could only be imagined.] ''Real funny. So anything that I can think of, yet I have no idea what any of them are.'' [Yes, I guess that you know what happened now, or something to that degree. While it is your imagination, it is also part of Helsin''s, so some things might be recognizable, but you will not know about them because you are not him. Even after learning it all, nothing will change that.] ''Not like anything is really changing then. I do know what you mean, though, so does that mean that Mex isn''t a human? [If you look, he is not human or at least the kind you are familiar with. This body is an Appadis, and if you look closely, each of his fingers and toes is longer, and they have many more joints.] Then I saw it. It was easy to overlook the higher eye level, the hands that looked quite simr, and not the slits in Mex''s neck that red out as he breathed. Yet, now I could see every difference, and I started to point them out to Nushi, and she started to look around her father for other things that were different from me. "They are upset, but there is nothing that they can do because the Pacts were forced, and now they are stuck with me. It seems like they can still control how much energy I can use from them, if any," Mex exined, and I nodded and then shrugged with my hands to the side. "Well, I suppose it could be worse, but what are we supposed to do about all these demons? What are they waiting for?" I asked, and Mex gave me a pointed look and said one word. "You." Chapter 224 - Bizzare, The Nerd Within Is Revealed "Me? What are you talking about?" I asked as I looked around at the gathered and waiting Demons. They were all looking at me with expectant faces¡­ wait¡­ they were waiting¡­ Me? I could actually feel that from them, but I didn''t understand what It meant. Was this part of being a Demon Lord? [You are the strongest, and the only Demon Lord left on this ind, but you are immensely more potent than anything that is on this ind. I suggest you call a meeting and recall the ones that were sent out to attack.] "Am I the Lord of everyone now? How does that even happen?" I asked Mex, and he mimicked the shrug I had just given him. "I guess that you are too strong, and they have all been forced under your control. I think that only Nixi, Lani, Nushi, Dack, and Nushi are the only ones strong enough to be able to resist you, but I will give you my loyalty without question. You fixed me!" Mex said with excitement as he grabbed his crotch with a big grin. Then the grin slid off his face as Mex looked down, still grabbing himself, but the proud grab started to look frantic.. Mex ripped his shorts clean off his body and roared, shaking his fist at the sky. I started tough, Nushi buried her face in my chest, and Mex started to go off about how he had been cheated. I mean, it was a good size, but it must be pretty frustrating for him going from a greatsword to a short sword. While he raged, I closed my eyes and concentrated. I tried to feel out all the Demons on the inds, and it turned out to be a lot easier than I had thought it to be. [I suggest you get everyone to meet in the ce that it all began, at the center of the ind. That way, you can get everyone in one go. You can seal the deal with that strange-looking alien Demon that you brought back with you.] I sent out the suggested message, and before I was done, I could feel the Demons around me starting to leave. The ones outside the tent were also heading in the southwest direction, and I could feel the Demons all over the ind starting to move. I turned, still with Nushi hiding her face from her father, who was still raging about getting the short stick. I looked down at the other two girls that were still down at the bottom of the steps. Hydie was talking with Beeno, but the red-skinned tripedal Demon still looked disturbed and refused to look up at me. It must be bizarre for her to be here, and I felt the same way, but it wasn''t because I didn''t want her toe. I was not only curious but also worried about what the effect of this world might have on her body. "Come, let''s go see the new addition to the farm," I said to Nushi, and she peaked at me with a grimace. "Is he done yet?" Nushi asked as she kept her eyes glued to mine. I looked over, but Mex was no longer standing in the same ce, and I had to turn my head back to where the red cube of the Challenger Gem had been. Mex was holding a red gem in his hands, but it was about half the size of a human head. It was cut to look like one of the perfect gemstones that you would typically find in a video game. "So, what are you nning on doing with that?" I asked Mex, and Nushi peaked from my chest and then ran from me down to the other girls since her father''s back was turned. "I will take the girls outside, and we will meet you both out there. I suggest you both try to find some pants or shorts! You are making Beeno ufortable!" Nushi said and even shook a fist at me. My eyes went big, and my hand automatically went to cover myid penis. This was the first time since I got here that anyone had told me to put on clothes, and it was a bit of a shock. "Errm, yeah, sorry!" I said, feeling a bit embarrassed, and then whipped around to aughing Mex. "Well, I never thought the day woulde that you are short for words! We can take this one with us, but we can leave the others if you are not talking to the Demons with you. Think of them as a form of entertainment, and even if they are not Demons after, they will still need something to keep them busy!" Mex exined, and I shrugged off hisugh and sighed. "I am d that everything turned out, but are you serious that people are going to want to go there by choice? They won''t be Demons anymore, so they might not be drawn to violence quite as easily, right?" I asked as I watched all the blue-skinned people leaving the tents. "Ha! I think that you should know that it does not talk about a Demon to enjoy a good challenge! I think that you might even want to go back in there, now that you can fight the things that could be sent out," Mex said as he nodded approvingly to me while holding the Challenger Gem up to me. I grinned at Mex and nodded to him as I took therge red gem from him. It was so perfectly cut that it almost made me feel like I had stepped into Hyrule¡­ Hyrule¡­ Why did I know that name but couldn''t ce where I knew it from. Something about a flute of time and a captured princess? Could it possibly be one of the worlds I had explored the first time I ran through this? [Nope, it is just the true nerd that is under it all trying to get out!] Chapter 225 - Beenos Concerns, Elemental Chat Group I told Mex and Nushi to head back to the Keep and let everyone know what was happening. Before they left, I asked Hydie if I could talk to her. I wanted to pick her brain about Beeno and see what I could do to make her morefortable. Clearly, she was very stressed out, and I don''t think she understood what was going on. "Yes?" Hydie asked after she joined me in the back storage area I had used to enter Dao''s tent. "I wanted to ask you about Beeno. She seems distressed," I said to Hydie, but she rolled her eyes to my surprise. Not the expression that I assumed I would get, and then Hydie took in a deep breath. After letting it out in a long sigh, Hydie shook her head and then looked back at me with a grin. "Nushi told her about all of us and our rtionships with you.. Now she thinks that she is going to be standing in a long line. The girl just wants to be able to spend time with you, and I get it, so I think you could maybe do some stuff with her," Hydie exined to me, and I nodded my head. "Well, thank you. I didn''t really think about it," I said, but as I did, Hydie came up and put a cool blue hand to the side of my face and then kissed me. "But you did think to ask me about it, so it''s okay. I know that you have a lot still to do, but I think you should take her with you," Hydie said as sheid her hands on my muscled chest, looking into it. "Yeah, I guess I did just get some rest, but it''s past midday, and the sun is working its way towards back down to the horizon," I said as I casually stroked Hydie''s hair. Her hair was massive and almost reached the ground. Running my hands in it was like running my fingers through a thick gel, but Hydie shook her head and stepped back from me. "There is still plenty of the day left, and really, there is nothing on this ind that would even blink at you. I even feel slight intimidation from you, and I know you and have felt your kindness and passion," Hydie said, kissing me again before turning to leave. I was left standing alone in the storage area, and I thought about what I would do with the rest of the day. I would take Beeno with me, but the question was what to do. [I think you should deal with Tiga, but I think that should be saved for tomorrow. You have two days, not including the rest of today, then you need to get off the ind.] ''What is the reason that I need to get off so fast? There are other things that I need to take care of, and it will be hard to fit them all in.'' [The ind will force you off the ind by increasing the power levels of everything but only by one rank. The difference in power might not seem that much and won''t affect the Demon, but it will put everything else into a rage for about a week.] ''An entire week? That is beyond wild, but they won''t be Demon''s then! What will happen to the other ones?'' [Let''s not find out! While that is fine for you as long as you get off the ind, the remainder of the ind''s denizens will be under constant attack during that time. Even if they survive, a good number of the ind''s poption will be reduced, and most of the ind will be destroyed.] ''Has this happened before?'' [Yes, but the demons don''t have to eat, so it never affected them. If anything, it made them stronger and fed them. The only way for it to stop early is for the hero to die, and I don''t think that is something to consider.] ''Sure, well, I am going to have to deal with Tiga and her father tomorrow, and then I will make my final rounds on thest day before I leave. Do you have some sort of timer set for that?'' [Yes, and I will keep track of everything. I also am creating an Elemental Chat Group within The Rancher System. Seems that with your new knowledge, I am getting a bit more ess to different parts of the system. There is an operating system underneath it all, and it has some options that could help.] ''Did you just say "Elemental Chat Group"? What the hell does that mean? You had better not be signing into Grinder or and Tinder!'' [I do what I want! What are you gonna do about it? Don''t be stupid; this isn''t earth, and it has no ess to it. There is an inte of sorts here, but it is entirely nk, and I have no clue where all the signals areing from, but there is something like worldwide Wifi here.] I wanted to think that was strange, but I could see something like the inte that had been so ingrained in our minds showing up. ''So, what does that mean for you, me, and everyone else?'' [Not sure, yes, I can only work on building things from the inside, you will need to create things to use to be able to use them. Nothing about it will be easy, but I am sure with the girls'' help, you will be able to figure something out.] That was true. There were many things that the girls would be able to help with, and I was sure to meet more in the future. ''Okay, well, I think that I will take a look at the Gnolls hideout. I am very curious about it. I am not sure if it will be a good ce to take Beeno, but it could be worse.'' [Don''t forget about the demons after at the center. Even if Beeno doesn''t want to do it with you yet, there will be one or maybe one hundred women willing to take her ce.] Chapter 226 - Not The First Life, ERTCG Before leaving, I went through a couple of the boxes until I found something to put on. The shorts I found were red and had some bloodstains, but it gave them a textured look, and I really didn''t care what they looked like. I left the storage area and backed out into the central tent area, but the ce was deserted. I looked around, and I didn''t see Beeno at first, so I closed my eyes. I immediately felt her and opened my eyes to look in the direction that I had sensed her. The raised hexagonal dais that was surrounded by stairs blocked my view, so I walked forward. I looked around as I did, the ce looked much different and empty, but most of the arenas did. Without the people and the energy that came with them, the ce was just a tent. Beeno was squatted at the end of the stairs, and she was using one of her long fingers to draw in the dirt. As I got closer, I was surprised at what I saw in the dirt. . She drew a picture of me fighting with one of the dragons when I threw Mex''s sword. I really hoped that Mex got his weapon back, or I would feel pretty back about losing it. "That is really amazing! I find it hard to believe that you were able to make such a detailed picture only using your hands!" I said as I walked over to Beeno. As soon as I spoke, Beeno used her hand to brush away the drawing, and she stood up too quickly and jumped almost five feet into the air. It might not have been so bad, but she had jumped backward, and she was going tond on the stairs. I rushed over and caught her out of the air, and Beeno struggled in what might be considered a non-effectual way, but she was strong! I received more than one idental strike to the face, but Beeno settled down fairly quickly. "I am really sorry! I didn''t mean to hit you! I just was scared, surprised, and¡­ my drawings are just stupid," Beeno cried out in an apologetic voice, but then her voice shank. Beeno looked away, and I decided to leave it for now, but I would be bringing it up again. I turned with Beeno still in my arms and headed to the west entrance and out into Crater City. The city was a ghost town, not a soul in sight, but the silence was actually lovely. I turned south, and I was about to dash forward, but instead stopped and looked down at Beeno. "Did you see when I turned into fire before? I am going to do that again, so where can I get to the ce I want to go to faster if that''s okay? I mean, I can run there, but this will be a lot faster," I exined to Beeno, and she gave a slight shrug. "I will be fine; I am not scared of heights, but where are we going?" Beeno asked curiously. "I think I might have found the home of some creatures called Gnoll. They have been a pest, but they have also survived numerous attempts by the Demons to eradicate them. That alone has me interested, but I hope you don''t mind," I told Beeno, and she shook her head. "No, this is perfectly fine. I know you talked to Hydie about me, so I know you are just trying to make me feel better. Still, I like it and am happy, and I want to tell you to put me down, but¡­ I also don''t want you to¡­ does that make sense? I also want to hide my face because you saw me do that thing," Beeno said and then did hide her face. This cute little red demon was far better the way she was now rather than the way she had been the first time I had met her. I still could see the angry proud face that was going to teach me a lesson. I smiled inwardly at my cuddly little kitten and the dramatic change that urred after a directed st from my Orgasmoura. Now, she seemed to be confused by her emotions, but I found it strange that I wanted to call her kitten. I hadn''t really thought about it until now, but she really wasn''t anything like a cat and her curling horns that pointed to the back of her head. Beeno had ck hair, but it was very short, thin, and soft, no more than a quarter-inch long. Still, for some reason, my brain kept wanting to refer to her. I wonder what it could mean? [Possible that this Nafa body was not her first life, and she might be a born Demon.] That could be it, but I was using the Fire Force Pact while I was going over this. It slowly pulled in energy from my surroundings, but it wasn''t the same. *Fireden: There is nowhere near as much energy on Hydrous, so it will feel prolonged, but look at the gauge thing in your charts.* Oh, that was fucking weird. A rectangr chat bubble popped up with Fireden''s name in it and his message, just like a chat bubble¡­ interesting. [What do you think? I should be able to get all the elements around a table with this chat thing.] ''Honestly, great! The familiarness reminds me of an actual chat, but we will have to see what it''s like with a full table. ERTCG, Elemental Round Table Chat Group!'' *Wataluga: Better than a kick in the head with a frozen boot, I guess, but why does it have to be a round table?* There was stirring in my arms, and I realized that I had been standing in the same spot still and without talking for about ten minutes. "Sorry, we will get going right now; I was just talking with the Elementals that are inside of me," I exined, and Beeno looked up at me with a single eye. "I''m fine; I was just adjusting my legs. I don''t mind," Beeno said with her mouth half pressed into my chest and then tucked her face back down to hide her eyes. Chapter 227 - LMFAO, ROFL I smiled, but I also activated my Fire Aspect, and fire slowly covered my body, but it didn''t cause Beeno to pull back from my chest. I grinned down at her and lifted into the air slowly, not wanting to set everything below me on fire. Once I was about fifty feet in the air, I turned on the heat, rocketing forward to my destination on the map. Now that Hero was back in my head, I no longer had to rely on doing everything myself. I knew that Hero helped me out a lot, but having him gone made me realize just how much I relied on him. [It''s about time that you noticed, but I am just d that you were all able to make it back safely.] *Wataluga: You were talking about the table?* I didn''t have far to go, so I ryed about Arthur Pendragon and his Knight, and it was well-received by both Elementals. Of course, I didn''t really exin that much; Hero had to exin most of it because reading wasn''t really my thing. *Fireden: I like the sound of it! I''ll be that Merlin fellow! He sounds like a storyteller!* *Wataluga: I think we should just stick to using our names.* ''Yes, I agree with Wataluga. I am not learning a whole bunch of new names and trying to keep them straight. So, the ERTCG works, right?'' I was just slowing down to hover over the top of the area that was marked out on the map. I was hoping that they had not moved whatever might be down there if there was even anything. *Wataluga: So then what about the group? You said that the people who were sitting at the table were a group, right? What is the point of having the group in it if a round table means the same thing?* ''That is a fair point, but this really isn''t about the Round Table; I just thought it was fitting, but it is a Chat Group, and if the G isn''t there, it doesn''t sound as good, in my opinion.'' *Fireden: Bah! Sounds great, but who really cares? Let''s go down there and let us out so we can help you! I have been cooped up for too long!* ''What about me? If you guys leave, then what am I going to use to protect myself?'' If I let both of them out, I would be left defenseless because they would take the Totem Marks with them. It wasn''t like my Rancher system gave me any buffs or anything, just an experience boost, which I haven''t really seen much improvement with. *Fireden: LMFAO!* *Wataluga: ROLF!* ''What the hell is so funny?'' *Fireden: BWAHAHA!* *Wataluga: WHEEZE!* Alright, I wasn''t sure what the hell was wrong with these two jokers, and Hero was suspiciously quiet. I had no clue what was causing them tough like hyenas, but I was starting to get annoyed. I dropped to the ground, slowing just before I set down, and I extinguished my me. *Grogvel: Hey! Long time no talk, I guess, but you have only been going for just over an hour. What are the other two saying in chat?* [One moment, I am uploading Text expression. Unfortunately, we can not use emojis without someone drawing them.] ''No, there is nothing unfortunate about that, and even if we could, there is no way I am going to have eggnt emojis while I am trying to do the nasty! Now, what is so damn funny?'' [You don''t need anything to fight the creatures on this ind, here. I will pull up just your stat sheet, the one you have been looking at stopped working when you went over. I was just able to get this one back online, but the other two can sense your strength.] I blinked as I slowly set Beeno down; what were they talking about? I didn''t really feel that different. [Name]: Kazz [Level]: 10/+43056 Exp(ss Options Avable) [ss]: Shaman [Strength]: 344 [Dexterity]: 327 [Fortitude]: 420 [Wisdom]: 301 [Intellect]: 299 [Spirit]: 521 [Energy]: 51550 Is it broken? [I think so but in your favor. I have never seen this, and I have some of my memories back of other times I have helped you like this, from before.] Maybe it has something to do with my training in my mind or just the enormous spikes of energy that I absorbed when activating the Pact Aspects. Whatever the cause of this dramatic improvement, I was powerful and could handle my own. Now I see the reason for the constantughing; it was well deserved after the worrying I was doing. I was a lot different now, and I felt like I had paid the piper this time to get this boost. The pain was a distant memory, but that didn''t make what happened any less real, and I knew I would do it again. I Summoned Fireden, Wataluga, but then I also felt the connection to Windorf and Grovel. I used the connections, and I was able to summon them as well. [This won''t work everywhere like this, but since you control the ind''s Demons, we can use the Fire Seal embedded in this ind. We can draw power faster, but this Seal is meant to be weak.] "You look different. Did you just go somewhere to eat and work out the entire time?" Windorf asked with a sarcastic smile but then got sprayed directly in the mouth with water. "I activated two Pact Aspects and thenbined them. Not fun! Then I proceeded to break...." I growled at Windorf, whose windy eyes went big. I trailed off when I tried to think of how many there were, but Fireden spoke up. "Fifteen actual breaks and twenty-one fractures," Fireden added helpfully for me. "Yeah, Fifteen breaks¡­ wait, really? Are you kidding me?" I asked, and Beeno started to poke me with stiff jabs with her finger. "Hey! What are you doing?!" I said as I jumped back from her. "How can you get this many things broken? And then be alive?" Beeno demanded. "The shit him out, and hended on a rock, and I patched him up. Now, can we stop pping our gums and go see what the two-legged dogs think is so damn interesting here?" Fireden growled. Chapter 228 - Always Has Been Here, Summon Gem Fireden was right, and I didn''t want to waste too much time with this. I still had the demons that were still gathering to deal with, and I wanted to get home to see my girls. "Okay, let''s go check it out; I am not sure if we will even find anything. I had just found it very suspicious that the Gnolls didn''t try to attack me when I found them all heading down here. If I had had more time, I would have checked it out then, but it is probably better now that we are all together," I exined to everyone and then waved Fireden ahead. I let the others go ahead and offered Beeno a hand, but she only looked at me strangely. I resisted an eye roll and reached down, taking Beeno''s thin hands in mine. "Are you sure you want to hold my hands?" Beeno asked me shyly, and I looked down at the hands that were in mine. They were thin, long fingers and a bit rough, but there was nothing wrong with them. "Yeah, let''s get going.. Who said your drawings were stupid or bad?" I asked as I pulled Beeno after the Elementals. The tunnel we walked into was round, spacious, and unrestricted, almost stretching twenty feet from side to side. I could see many footprints that look like strange padded human prints but thinner and shallow w marks. She was silent at first, but I was okay with the silence; I was looking around the tube I was in. Something was strange about this ce because the tunnel waspletely round. A patch of dirt was put down, but the tunnel itself was drilled through stone. "Gorgvel, what do you think of this? What caused this perfect tunnel? Is there a monster that could do this?" I called up, and Gorgvel slowed down, dropping back to walk with us. "There are a few things that could have caused this, but this was always here. It is part of the ind and has been here since the world started to churn. It is just like the path that you came up into this world on; it was just part of the world," Grogvel exined, and I shrugged. "What do you think is going to be down here? I find it strange that I can''t feel them down here or hear anything from us, right?" I asked Grogvel but then called up to Fireden, "Hey, can you feel anything?" "Same as the Challenger Gem, I could feel it up above, but you were yapping! This is why I wanted to get down here! The walking hyenas are all gone, so it must have something to do with whatever is down there!" Fireden shouted back, and he and the others picked up their speed, but Grovel stayed with us. "That will be the Summon Gem, but what kind is the question?" Grogvel said, and then Hero spoke up in my head. [There are multiple types of Summon Gems, but they all spawn monsters from different sections of a strange structure. There are many different types of monsters, and some are more alien than others. The other part of the gem is that they can act as Artifacts and are able to grant certain buffs to the controller and party within an area.] ''That was good then, but I wonder why the creatures returned?'' [Your power level increased over them enough that they were forced back into the gem. This is not the first time that I have seen all the Gnolls retreat from the ind. Now I understand what was happening, and I am d that I never figured it out. I might have inadvertently given the advantage away.] "Everything has its ce in time, and I guess that this one was put here for me if it was set here when the world was created. Let''s pick up our pace, or Fireden will try spamming the chat," I said, but then turned to look at Beeno and then waved for Grogvel to keep moving forward, "I will catch up!" I stopped, and Beeno stopped with me but looked up at me with an inquisitive look. It was clear that even with having the legs her entire life, she was far fromfortable with moving fast with them. "Look, I know thating to a new ce must be hard for you, and the ce is very different from the one you are from. I want you to feel at home with the other girls and me, and I don''t want you to feel left out. So, I would like to make you a part of our group," I said, but I had not made the conscious decision on my own. I wanted to ask her a few things, and the other four could go down and piss around with the rock. So, I made sure that even if she decided to, it wouldn''t activate on its own and improve her. "What do you mean? What are you¡­ going to do¡­ to me?" Beeno said with a blush and then looked down as her face got hotter. I grinned and then said, "I have an ability to change you and improve things that you are already naturally talented at." Beeno looked up at me quickly, the blush fading faster than it appeared. "What do you mean? Like I could be a better fighter?" Beeno asked, and that made me chuckle. "That is something that would naturally happen with the change, but I mean more of your skills. Things that you are good at doing or maybe enjoy. Remember, this isn''t about what I like or any of the other Nafa might like. None of them matter, only what you like," I exined as I looked into Beeno''s solid Jade eyes that were faceted like a gem. Beeno paused, and I let her take her time to think. I really wanted her to bring up the drawing, but I also could see that it was ufortable for her, so I waited. Chapter 229 - Passions Are Important, Gnoll King [I know that you don''t want to push her, but maybe it is something that was done to her, and she is scared to talk about it.] ''I don''t really think that this is the case here. I think I might have been something along the lines of someone important to Beeno disapproved, and she crushed it down. It happens all the time with kids and young adults.'' People at young ages were always more impressionable. The disapproval of someone they looked up to could easily cause them to stop doing something they loved. Sometimes it was attraction, the need for friendship, attention, or getting to a ce you wanted to be. Some would do anything in order to impress others, and with gangs and other groups that would be sometimes pushed to the limits. I let go of Beeno''s hand and turned from her, and started to talk casually, "I feel like these passions people have could be the things that help if that is what was taught from a young age. Passions are important, and if people are allowed to express them, they are usually a lot happier." "Do you think that it is going to help anything if I can only draw a picture? I can''t create anything I draw, so what is the point of doing it?" Beeno asked from behind me. I turned around with a smile and said, "When you draw a picture, you are creating that image in their minds. You allow other people to experience things that they might have never seen and may never get the chance to. There are many different ways that I can think of that your skill could be helpful!" Beeno looked surprised, but a shy smile started to creep onto her face. "Do you really believe that?" Beeno asked, and I smiled down at her but then scooped her up. "Of course I do! Let''s go get this over with, and then we can go have some fun if you want. I have been interested in continuing where we left offst time," I said as I started to jog down the tunnel. "Y-You want to d-do that?" Beeno stammered and then buried her face into my chest, so I decided to try teasing her a bit. "Mmhmm, yes. After you told me how you were going to snap it off, I have been inquisitive about getting to see what that might be like," I said, lowering my voice to an almost growl. The one jade gem eye was exposed as Beeno on eyelids peeled back. That made me chuckle, but then I groaned and almost tripped as she bit down on one of my abs. "Hey! I wasn''t kidding! Be careful; I don''t want you to make me start bleeding! Wait until you are in my system so that you can try to abuse me all you want!" I growled, and Beeno let go of me but left red teeth marks. I knew that she wasn''t trying to bite me to hurt me, but I was still surprised by the amount of force that she was able to exert. Might want to get this one into the group sooner than I had nned if she nned to continue ying rough. It only took us about a minute to get down to a massive cave where I could see the flickering light of Fireden. I jogged over to them, trying to look around. There wasn''t anything but packed dirt with scratches carved into it, but it was hard as a rock. I guess that this was just a gathering area, or they took everything with them. "Thought that you might have got lost. You know, considering all the ces that you couldn''t turn!" Windorf griped, but I ignored him. "So, this is one of the Summon Gems that you said it would be?" I asked Fireden as I walked up beside my burning friend. "Yep, but I don''t know what kind it is; you are going to have to figure that out. It wouldn''t react to any of our touches, so I must be locked on to you," Fireden exined. Then he and the rest of the Elementals started to back up from the softly glowing blue gem. This one looked more like a diamond meant to be set into a ring, but it was the size of my fist. I set Beeno down and then asked her to go stand with the others. She seemed to understand something was going to happen and knew that she wanted no part of it, leaving me with no fuss. I looked past her at the others, and I was curious why they were all moving back. I turned back to the blue crystal and walked forward; I was about ten feet from it. [Don''t touch it until they have left the room, or you will suck them in with you. If that happens, you will be giving the dimensional rift in the Summon Gem more power.] I slowed down when I got within arms reach and looked down at the gem, but it was glowing brighter now. The diamond was reacting to my presence, so I turned around to wait for the other five to get out of the massive cave. *Fireden: Alright, this should be far enough now. You can attempt to activate the Summon Gem. When this happens, you will get sucked into the gem to meet, in this case, Gnoll King, but you might be offered something enjoyable.* ''What do you mean by something interesting?'' *Grogvel: There are special buffs for the gems, and you can get buffs for the Gnolls.* I was just going to have to check the ce or thin out myself, and there was no point mulling over it. I turned back to the gem and reached forward, letting my hand press down on the cool surface. Instantly, my world burst with lights and colors, and I started to feel like I was falling into a rainbow. Chapter 230 - Mustafa, Constellation Of Light Lights streamed around me, and I fell onto soft ground, but the lights were still spinning around me. They were starting to clear, and I could see a massive Gnoll in front of me sitting on a throne made of weapons of all sorts. The rest was space; we were on a single ind floating section ofnd that floated in the vast void. The colors were starting to slow down now, so I waited to see what the massive King of the Gnolls was going to do or say. His face was long like a hyena, but his body was covered in muscle and iron jewelry. He had no weapon, but the ws on his gigantic hand and the steel cord muscle on his arm said he really didn''t need them. "So, you are the big shot that is making waves out there? Everyone came back and said some scary guy was here now! I guess they weren''t wrong, but you are so strong to be on this ind. What brings you to the ind?" The Giant Gnoll asked. "I stepped into a Challenger Gem and got extra training, but I only got here four days ago," I said. "Oh? That is something, then.. My name is Mustafa, and I am the Gnoll king, leader, and ruler of this Domain! Before I offer you my blessing, can I ask your name?" Mustafa asked, and I nodded. "Sure, Zack Foreman," I said, but the moment my words were finished, Mustafa''s eyes started to glow red, and he stood wordlessly. I wasn''t sure what was going on, but I wasn''t that worried as the King walked over to me with an expressionless face. The red-eyed Mustafa knelt his massive body down in front of me, bowing his head. Even bent down at this height, Mustafa was still at least three feet taller than me. Still, I hadn''t really expected this; I would have thought I would have needed to bargain with him or something to get a good deal. "You are the name I have been waiting for. I pledge my Domain to the Light!" Mustafa said in a droning voice that rose at the end. Mustafa looked up into my eye, and my heart thudded in my chest, and I felt a rippling pulse ripple out of my body. A sh of the two colliding worlds came, but my vision wasn''t focused on it. There was aplex constetion of dark purple stars, a Demon''s horn. Opposite of it, a bright star-lit alone behind the was a representation of my head, then I snapped back. Mustafa was back on the throne, and his eyes were normal, but I was sweating and panting. Something burned on my back, and when I reached back to see what it was, I recoiled. "Leave it, for now; you have started the first step on the path toplete the constetion of Light. It is good to finally meet the one I have been waiting for, and now you are able to summon a Gnoll Partner to assist you and augment them with your System. You will also learn Wild Speak, the ability to speak to any creature of the wild!" Mustafa proimed to me, about the I put my hand up for him to stop. "Wait, so I can talk to anything? That doesn''t mean that they can just start talking to me, right?" I asked, and the Gnoll King shook his head no, and I sighed and motioned for him to continue. "I will find someone that will be a good fit and is our strongest warrior," Mustafa said and clenched his fists tight, but I put my hand up to stop him again. "What about someone brilliant and, or inventive? I need more smart people, not tough ones, and they don''t have to be perfect. All the people around me are misfits, so it''s better to send me someone that might be a recluse or something like a hermit," I exined, and the Gnoll King gave me an inquisitive look, raising one eyebrow. "Really? I guess I will go through and see if I have anyone that fits the description, or we can just wait till a new one is born," Mustafa said as he rubbed his chin. I was a bit confused about how he didn''t know all his people. I really thought of this guy as some celestial being, but I guess that I was overestimating him. "So, anything else?" I asked and then sent the same message to Hero but got no response. Something about these Gems seemed to seal him out of these dimensions, or whatever they were. "I will increase the elemental water power of all those around you. The more points of the constetion of Light youplete, the stronger the buffs be, but that is all I can do for you. I will let you know when I find a suitable partner. The Gnoll world has a poption of over fifteen billion, and it is always growing. I just have to look," Mustafa said with a wolfish grin. "Well, I guess that makes sense why you don''t have one you can just grab! Even aputer would take a long time to figure out something like that!" I said with a nod and an impressed look. "Yes, not really a cakewalk by any means. I can sense them all, but that is like sensing every de of grass in a field. I will look, but It will take a while, so I hope that is alright?" Mustafa asked but then mentioned, "I could just pick a random one for now if you wanted?" "No, I have more than enough to deal with right now as it is, no rush. Thanks for meeting with me and all the buffs and backaches!" I told the Gnoll King, and he nodded to me with a chuckle. Then I was standing in the darkness, but there was a slight glowing from behind me. I could just barely see the pedestal, but then I heard Fireden call my name. "What? Now you don''t need me as a night light?" Chapter 231 - Sibling Rivalry, Toast Kernals For That! "Don''t be mad just cause you know that I am going to outshine you one day!" I called over to Fireden as I walked back to the group. "Seems like everything must have gone very well, but I expected you toe out with a partner," Wataluga said as I came over. He was looking bright, and I nodded, then said, "Yes, but he is looking for a certain type, more brainy than brawn. He has a very long list tob through, but I told him not to rush it; hehe, not like I don''t have enough people to worry about at the moment!" "True enough, but let''s get going; everyone has gathered at the center of the ind," Grogvel said, and I nodded and recalled the elements into my body. This type of thing was getting more like second nature to me now. I was bing far morefortable using my ability, and it was starting to help build my confidence. One thing that I needed to work on was my temper. I was getting overly frustrated and sometimes rude to people I had just met for no reason. Beeno was the only one left standing in the dark before me, and I walked over to her.. I would work on my temper and maybe wait until people give me a reason to make rudements. [Now that is the best thought I have heard you have!] ''People like you make it really hard to work on change, you know!'' [Hey! I am not trying to be rude, but you know it yourself. I don''t need to tell you that you are a bit of a douchebag sometimes. I just think that it is good that you areing to this on your own. It might have taken uncountable lifetimes to do, but hey, who is counting? Four.] True, and as much as I didn''t like the taste of admitting my own fault, you couldn''t move forward without recognizing them. I walked to Beeno with a slight smile, but she looked like she wanted to say something, but I put a finger up. The finger and the rest of my body took on a rock-like look, almost like I was made out of stone. "Wait, let me pick you up and start moving, then you can tell me. I just want to get to the people I asked to meet in the ind''s center. Some of them havee from all over the ind, so they will have to go back after," I exined to beeno, and she nodded as I came over to pick her up. At least I would be protected from her teeth and jabs now, and I wanted to try something, but before I did, I closed my eyes. I spent about four hours with Windorf and Grovel, talking about how to properly control each element with tests. Opening my eyes, no time had passed, and I started to glide forward, smoothing on a wave of dirt. If I was alone, I would be able to merge into the rock and head directly up to the surface, which was probably one of the coolest, yet scariest abilities of the four elements. "Tell me what was on your mind," I said to Beeno as we made our way out of the tunnel. "I always have enjoyed drawing, but as a female, we are the warriors, and we are expected to be the fighters. The thing was that my Birth Sister and I were verypetitive, and she always teased me for my drawing. She told me that they were the reason that I wasn''t able to ever beat her," Beeno exined to me, and I nodded. "Sounds about right; sibling rivalry can really be intense sometimes. I was a single child, so I can''t really, reallyplete, but I do understand," I said as we glided in the almost near dark. While I could now activate two pacts at once, it was massively draining to my energy in all the tests. Even with Fireden, there was no way to keep up with the drain, so I was forced to travel in the dark, with my new Summon: Water Gnoll Gem as my only source of light. "Yes, and I did as she said, and then I beat her, and then moved past her, and then kept climbing. After a while, I went to her and asked her why she didn''t keep advancing; she got mad at me and yelled at me to leave. I decided that I would keep pushing until I reached the top, and I did, but¡­." Beeno said with her voice trailing off. "It can be pretty lonely at the top when you push everyone else out to make it there. I can rte to this one, and I know what it''s like when you give up while doing everything for what you want, no matter what it costs. I also learned that sometimes it is better to have people there to help keep you grounded and to give you a reason to fight harder," I said, thinking of my own troubles in myst world. "So, you think that it is a good idea for me to just focus on my drawing?" Beeno asked curiously as we started toe back into the light. "Just drawing? No, you have been a warrior for too long, and I am sure you could help whip the other girls into shape. I think you should try to bnce the two out and enjoy both of them. There is no reason that you only should be allowed to do one," I exined to Beeno, but her eyes lit up at the mention of whipping the girls into shape. "I did a lot of the training with the women of Nafa back on Kubrick! I would love to help train them all and help get them all in fighting form!" Beeno said excitedly, and I let out a chuckle with a surprised look. The thought of Mary or Missy working out was almostmercial, but I kind of wanted to see her try! *Fireden: I would toast kernels for that!" Chapter 232 - River Of Demons, Winkingface Once I was outside with Beeno, I picked up the pace and started to glide across the terrain. It was a lot different traveling across the ind now. It felt more like a casual stroll rather than traveling across an ind filled with dangerous monsters. [That¡¯s because you are the most dangerous monster on the ind right now. I honestly question if the monsters could even rampage now with just how strong that you have be. If you spent a week meditating, you could fill up your energy reserves. everything on the ind would be eating out of the palm of your hand.] ¡®Not really what we want, but my presence should help keep the other monsters on the ocean at bay. I am curious to see what the Demons want to do.¡¯ [Do you think that they will want toe with you?] ¡®Not very likely.. From the sounds of it, Doa was told to leave and nevere back. I would guess that it was meant for everyone with him, so I can¡¯t see them wanting to go back to that.¡¯ [Fair point, but you also have the Gogs, and you will need to check up on the Sahuagin and Barracuda folk. I don¡¯t have to tell you about Tiga and her father, but you have tomorrow set aside for that already.] I was getting closer to the massive group of Demons, but there was no way that I could count them all. It was like a sea of presence and energy; I could even feel the different sses. [Stop trying to feel them all; I am working on a way to separate them with your system. I will integrate your senses into the map, and you will be able to just use your map to identify the things and creatures in the area.] That would be extremely helpful in the future. For now, there was no reason for me to have all the extra info about each demon. The forest broke, and I glided up to the entrance to a deep gorge that was packed with Demons. This would be a bit of a struggle to make my way to the middle of everyone. *Grogvel: Take to the walls, and glide along with them; just don¡¯t go by any loose boulders. That is unless you are trying to thin out the Demons on your way over?* *Fireden: There are quite a few of them, but I think they are fine; I just hope they don¡¯t all want toe. If that happens, then a culling might be in order.* *Wataluga: What is wrong with you two? These people have been under the rule of a tyrant this entire time, and now you sound just as bad as him!* *za: I like the Rock¡¯s n.* ¡®Wait, what?¡¯ Was that the voice of the giant Fire Elemental from Kubrick? [Yes, I linked both of Mex¡¯s Dark Elementals into the ERTCG.] I shook my head. This was going to turn into a super toxic chat block with the two Dark Elements in there. *Maelstrom: I don¡¯t think you should kill them like that.* Oh boy, here we go. *Maelstrom: You should just kill them all.* *Wataluga: What is wrong with you?! How are we of the same element?* I groaned and glided up onto the wall as the chat bubbles streamed by in the corner of my vision. They were starting to go at each other now, but I just ignored them and watched where I was going. I looked down over the river of Demons that were all looking at me with curious and confused looks. That was to be expected since I hadn¡¯t really given them anything to go on. Most of the women wore dresses, while others wore no more than aprons or smocks. The men wore shorts or shorts with aprons, but a few didn¡¯t have anything on. ¡°These are all deficient level Demons down there; I can only sense one close to me. Whoever she is, the Demoness is linked to others and isn¡¯t that strong on her own,¡± Beeno said as she looked up ahead, but I slowed down as I noticed two caves. [This is where it all started.] I was just gliding over Jilly cave, and up ahead was the cave from which I had entered this world. In my reality, six days had passed since then, but it felt longer. Jilly had changed, and I noticed that she did have a softer side but hid it. To think that she had tried to kill me numerous times, but things still turned out good in the end. Ahead was where I met my little drooling snake-fish and the three-headed pups. Now, it was filled with demons, and to my surprise, other monsters like Rock Trolls and Behemoths. [Looks like everyone wanted toe and see what the fuss is all about.] That wasn¡¯t an understatement in the least bit, but as I slid down the wall with Beeno in my arms, the crowd made way. Everyone moved back to make a path to the open area where the girls and Grandmothers were all waiting with Mex and Candace. Everyone looked excited to see me, and when I finally got over to everyone, they tried to rush me. ¡°Wait! Let me get over there first and put Beeno down, and then lift us up!¡± I called, causing all of them to stop, halting the wave. I slid up into the center of everyone and then leaned down to kiss Beeno¡¯s forehead before putting her down. She blushed and then ran over to where Hydie and Nushi were standing. I grinned and strained up, but Jilly¡¯s face was waiting for me. ¡°You took your sweet time, but you are much different now. I can see you are bigger than me, but I feel like a little girl beside you now,¡± Jilly said with a strangely warm voice that gave me shivers. [Your monster dominance seems to have also gotten stronger. :winkingface:... nope just thought I would try, hehe.] Chapter 233 - Freedom, Uneasy Sounding Laugh I smiled at Jilly and looked around at everyone else gathered in the center of the canyon. I could even see people up high up on the cliffs, but I wanted to lift us up so everyone could see. I pulled at the stone around me and forced us all up into the air on a thirty-foot-wide stone tform. I lifted it up about ten feet in the air, and then I moved directly into the center of it, lifting a three-foot section up another five feet. This ced me above everyone''s head and in view of the ocean of blue Demons and the three rivers that poured into it. I could see the path leading to the northwest had more creatures that must be the Orcs. Hard to say what they looked like other than hairless monkey-pig-men. Some did look like women, but I don''t even think my system could do enough work on those ones! [Maybe you could get Hydie to do a post-evolution touch-up?] ''Or maybe I don''t have to screw everything that moves!'' [Really? I was under the impression that this was your n from the start? You seem to be making a reasonable effort at it.] . I ignored Hero and switched the Elemental Aspect, and my body became lighter. My body appeared to have parts of it blowing away, but then they would reform right away. I concentrated like Windorf had shown me and focused on amplifying my voice. When I started to speak, my voice projected out in all directions at once. "Sorry to gather you all here like this, but there are a few things that I wanted to talk about, and I don''t have time to go to all the ces. I will be leaving this ind and heading back to Gardania, and you are all wee to join me, but you don''t have to. I know that you were asked not to return, but I will be with you, and you won''t be demons anymore. This change will happen whether you stay on the ind or go," I exined to everyone. The crowd burst out in chatter, and I let them all talk. It wasn''t like they had to make the decision right now. This was probably a big shock for all of them who had lived their lives under the rule of someone else. I was basically telling them that they could stay and live free without worry, and it probably didn''t feel or sound real to most. "Why would you just let us stay here if you are going far away?! You won''t be able to control us then!" One Demon called up, and a couple other ones were cheering his words. I nodded to the words; I had expected this. "I have no need to want to control you. All of you are free to do what you want, but you can not harm others for no reason ormit senseless acts of violence. You will all be undergoing some changes in the next two days, and you are going to lose your urges to be violent, and your magic and skill should also change," I exined, and then Mex stepped forward, and waved his hands in the air to get everyone''s attention. "I have gone through the transformation, and I feel great!" Mex said, but then a significant number of Demons started tough at him, but Mex just grinned. Suddenly half of his body started to run and be dark water, and then the other side became ck with bright red cracks. Everyone that wasughing went silent, and the others eximed at his new form. I had to admit, he looked pretty cool, and I was pretty surprised that he could even do that. Mex backed up and then got behind the girls after he talked, and I was curious about what he was doing. Then the elements vanished from him, and Mex copsed on the ground, out cold. The man had shown off, but it had left an effect on the others. Most of them would have a brief understanding of what a ss could and couldn''t do. So Mex''s little demonstration of using two Aspects at once should clearly indicate the possibilities. I waited for everyone to settle back down before I spoke again. "You don''t need to make your decision right now, but I will be¡­ putting you all through a bit of a ritual of sorts," I said to everyone. [Oh yeah, one of the ck magic orgies under a full moon at midnight kind of thing, right?] ''Pretty much.'' "What are we going to change into? Are we all going to look pink like you and Mex?" Another Demon asked, and I had tough at the question, but then I answered him. "I have no Idea, Aliens, monsters, pink men, I have no clue. Whatever you all change into it will be better than what you are now, that I can mostly say for sure, kinda," I said with about as much confidence as I felt. Myment actually made everyone start to break into a slow and uneasy soundingugh that slowly grew. Soon, everyone in the area, monsters included, were allughing, but I don''t think most of them even knew why. They were all just infected by the generally good feeling that wasing from everyone. They all seemed to understand that what I was saying was true, and they were going to actually be free. I switched Aspects back to Earth, and lowered my podium, and smiled at the girls around me as Mex was being helped up. I looked over to Beeno, who was still standing with the girls, and grinned at her as I lowered the central tform of stone. Beeno looked over at the other girls, but both stepped away from her, and she could tell I was focused on her. Her face started to heat up as I walked over to her, and purple started to stain her face. "Ready to have some fun?" I asked, shifting to a gentle smile. Chapter 234 - To Much Information, Rancher Levels Beeno had a burning expression on her face, and I did feel bad about having to pull her off the side to do this. Still, it was something that needed to happen, and I was about to try to get creative with a private little area. "I am guessing that you n on spreading your Demon Sprinkler Aura out now, right? I think that I will head back to the Keep with everyone; I don''t think that I want to be around for this. Something tells me this will be something that you can''t unsee," Mex said as he leaned on Candace. I could see there was a strange expression on her face, and I could assume that she was worried about Mex''s new form and how he would feel about her. ''Can I give them all a more human form to have sometimes? I mean, for more than just my own girls? Like what about Candace? Or even Jilly? Missy?'' [Add Beeno and Jessabell, and that will put you at level ten, and you give them all the ability to shift into two forms. This is the chart for Ranching System ss levels.] A list appeared in the corner of my vision, and I looked over it, but I also was looking for Jessabell. I spotted her over with Nixi, Kieta, and Keri and headed over. . ''Why are there only fifty levels? Is this the same for my ss? Should I be taking more sses then?'' [No, even if you take another ss, your total level for system and ss can not exceed fifty-nine. So taking another ss could help diversify your skills, but it will prevent you from attaining the highest level of your Shaman ss.] That made sense, but now it was time to put all of that aside. I had a bunch of things to do before I could even get to the fun stuff. "Let''s go talk to Jessabell first; she is that tall girl over with the little red demon," I exined to Beeno and then offered her my hand, and she took it this time with a nod. Jessabell was talking with Nixi, Kimera, and Kieta, but Keri saw me and came running over. I had to let go of Beeno''s hand as Keri jumped up and flew into my arms. "The Kazz! You made it back with no trouble! Not that I was worried! I told the others you would be fine! Who is the red girl? Lizy and Jilly got in a fight because she yelled at me! Jilly gave me a bath and then taught Ver-muffle-muffle! Hey! I was telling him everything that happened, aunty!" Keriined as Jilly plucked her out of my arms, cing a hand over her mouth. "The Kazz doesn''t need to know everything that happened, and he is here to talk with Jessabell! You can see him when he gets home, so let him get what he has to do, done with," Jilly said to me, and I grinned at her. It was unfortunate that the girls got into a fight, but from how Lizy was standing with her, things must have gotten worked through. I really should have worked on the problem with them, but something the girls were going to have to figure out on their own "Thanks, Jilly, but I will have a surprise for all you girls after I finish adding Beeno and Jessabell," I said to Jilly as she put the squirming fire-eyed Gog girl down, and she ran over to Kieta. I watched Keri grab Kieta from behind, making her jump. Then Kieta started to blush, which was new to me, but I remembered what Mex had said about her, and it made sense. "d to see that you made it back and that you brought Mex back for my sister," I heard Veronica say from beside me, and I turned to her. She was looking beautiful, and I smiled at her as I put my hand to the side of her face. I leaned in and pressed my lips to her, feeling the softness of them as she returned the kiss. I felt herrge hand and fingers wrap around my forearm, which made me ce my other hand on her waist. I had to stop myself from putting my hands all over her as her other hand went to my shoulder. There finally came the point when I had to stop enjoying the kiss that I was enjoying a little bit too much. As well, I did not want to spend too much time with another one of the girls right before we had our time with Beeno, so I did not get too frisky with her. Even though Veronica should be first, she wasn''t a demon, and I need to do it with one. I would have my time with her, and I could see myself wanting to have her between the sheets often if I could. "I am going to help your sister so she can change like you can since I could see she was eyeing up Mex," I said after pulling back from Veronica, and she gave me a cute smile. Chapter 235 - Something I Didnt Want To Stop, You Dont Have To Yell "Thank you! She didn''t even think it was Mex at first, but then Nixi started to make fun of him. I think that she will be happy to change like me; I think she was getting jealous that I was spending so much time with the others," Veronica said to me, and I nodded. "I am going to take care of Jessabell, and then I have a date with Beeno, but maybe tonight we can all get together and do something? I feel like we all have been going nonstop, and it would be nice to have a break, right?" I asked, and Veronica smiled and nodded before kissing me again. "Sure! I am sure that everyone would really like that, so I will get everyone to help get it ready!" Veronica said, and I turned back to Jessabell, who was still with Nixi and Kimera, but Beeno grabbed my hand and pulled at it. "That Rank E demon over there like me is the one that I was talking about!" Beeno said while almost crushing my hand. "Yes, that is Nixi, Mex''s Great x six grandmothers," I said with a smile, and Beeno released her death grip from my hand, and I had to shake the feeling back into it. "Oh, x what?" Beeno asked curiously. "She is the sixth and the oldest in a long line of grandmothers to Mex," I said, but then Nixi''s irritated voice interrupted me. . "I am not the oldest! My mother is still alive, and Dentia is also still alive," Nixi dered, but Kimera started to push her away from Jessabell, giving me a small smile as she did, and our eyes connected. For the brief moment that our eyes met, I felt a spike of sexual tension that pulled between us like a bowstring. The moment was over in a heartbeat, but it was like I had closed my eyes, and the world seemed to freeze. Before I could make anything of what happened, the two women were pushing into the group. Whatever that had been, I wanted to know more, but that was the same for all the Demon women. Soon they would all be different monsters, and I would have more new vors to try out. Now, I had the Minostien that no longer seemed scared of me to help. Something had changed about Jessabell since thest time I had met her, and this was my first time really getting to see her. She was beautiful, and the four breasts looked like they could be all kinds of fun, but this wasn''t the time for that. "So, this is the first time that we actually get to see each other in person," I said as I walked up to Jessabell; Beeno waited back about ten feet. "Yes, I am d that you have made it back so fast. From what I have heard and learned from the other girls, you might be able to help me with my problem?" Jessabell asked me, and I smiled at her. "I can''t promise that I can fix the fear, but I will try my very best!" I told her, and Jessabell nodded with a small knowing smile. "I know it''s not a guarantee, but anything at this point is better than nothing. I just don''t want to have to go back into the dark again. Is there anything that you need me to do?" Jessabell asked. "Not really; I just need you to think about what you want to do after this. I think if you know what you want in your mind, my Rancher System will help you achieve that," I exined, and Jessabell nodded and closed her eyes. "Jessabell, the beautiful Minostien, do you ept my help to take care of you?" I asked but still held my choice neutral, waiting for her answer. "Yes, please," Jessabell said, and I nodded and closed my eyes. I concentrated and forced raw energy to flow through my body at a rapid rate, churning a storm up inside of me. I wasn''t sure if it would help, but it was worth a shot, and I screamed the confirmation in my mind. ''I ACCEPT!'' [Hey! You don''t have to yell!] Jessabell burst with light, and Demons everyone cried out and reared back from the burst of light. Whoops. Jessabell started to shrink down, but as the light cleared, I could see she was still about four inches taller than me. Other than that, not really much had changed, but I was curious to know if the fear had disappeared. I did feel wrong about blinding almost every Demon insight, but they would be fine after a little while. I was curious how Jessabell was able to function, considering how she had been thest time that I had seen her. "Nixi cast a spell on her," Nushi''s voice said from behind me, and I turned into a kiss. "Hey! Since when could you read my mind?!" I asked after pulling my lips from Nushi''s, getting a slight shock as we parted with static electricity. "Don''t worry, I can''t actually read yours no matter how much it frustrates me. I could just tell that you were probably wondering about it. I can''t read your mind, but I am still a woman, and we have always been able to read men''s minds," Nushi said with a mischievous grin, but then I gave her my own. "Probably good because if you could see what I was doing to you in my head right now, you wouldn''t be smiling like that, hehe," I said, and Nushi blushed. Then Nushi narrowed her eyes at me, and I could feel the air start to charge as her horns started to crackle. Knowing my life was in peril, I dove at Nushi and grabbed her as I attacked her with a flurry of kisses. Not expecting it, my attack smothered the fire that was starting to build up before Nushi could explode at me. As fast as I started, I stopped and whipped back around to Jessabell with a straight face, like nothing had happened. Chapter 236 - Never Enough Time, Party Later ¡°Sorry about that!¡± I said with a grin to the still surprised-looking Jessabell. ¡°Umm, it¡¯s okay¡­ I feel better, and I can feel my mind, and I can tell it¡¯s not going to slip from me like before,¡± Jessabell said and then came over and gave me a hug. I wrapped my arms around her, and it was an exciting feeling. All the soft presses of her chest were almost distracting. It was also a new feeling to be this much shorter than a girl while hugging her. It almost made me feel weird, but the soft press of her four breasts was more than enough to push the awkward feelings aside. Jessabell released me, backing up, and then bent down to kiss me, but I had already changed to my Fire Fore Pact and Tsunalily Totem. I grew slightly, making Jessabell stop and step back a single step as I rose to be just about the same four inches taller as she had been before. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t want to have to stand on my tiptoes to kiss you,¡± I said with a grin, and Jessabell blushed as she smiled back. . ¡°No, it¡¯s okay, and I like that you can berger than me because I felt awkward trying to kiss you!¡± Jessabell eximed, and my smile got bigger as I stepped up to her. ¡°It was a shared feeling, and I should have thought of it faster, still,¡± I said and then leaned in and kissed Jessabell, but her lips weren¡¯t as soft as Veronica¡¯s. Still, what theycked in softness was made up with experience, and I even got a bit of tongue! I put one hand to the back of her head and the other to her lower back. I let my hand trace over each of her horns, and Jessabell ced one of her hands over mine. At first, I thought it was to pull it away, but then she pushed my hand to her horn, running her fingers between mine. There was going to be a lot of fun to be had when I got time, but now was not it, and I had to pull away from her. She looked disappointed, but I could also see understanding after she nced behind me. I leaned forward and kissed Jessabell¡¯s forehead as I stroked the back of her hair. ¡°Thank you for this and everything. I know you have been doing so much, so I will get back to working on the underwater boat the girls have started on,¡± Jessabell exined to me, and I nodded in appreciation. ¡°Thank you, and I am excited to see what you alle up with. Now it is time I got this show on the road, or it is going to be very dark by the time that people get home,¡± I said, and she turned and went to join Nushi, Nixi, and Kimera to head down the path that headed south. I turned back and went over to where Beeno was waiting, and she had a curious look on her face; it was time to get my grand creation started. While it would be nothing like the strange structure that I had created in my mind, it would still be impressive. ¡°I am going to pick you up again, and then I am going to lift us up into the air. I want to make sure that this affects everyone,¡± I exined to Beeno. ¡°Do you really care about every one of the girls that you look after?¡± Beeno asked as I scooped her up, and I gave her a yful look with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Yeah, of course. I mean, there are times where I am busy, but that is just right now while we are rushing to get everything done. Once we are out on the water, I n on taking some time to rx for a day or two. Then we will have lots and lots of time after that during the rest of the trip,¡± I exined, and Beeno turned her face into my chest, and I smiled. I thought her nervousness was cute, and I was going to make this into an experience that she would never forget. She had probably thought that we were just going to have sex and then have nothing to do with her. I was also excited to see what kind of changes she was going to go through, so it was time to get this show on the road. Mex and the girls were all leaving, and I bent down to pick Beeno up and then cut off my Fire Force Pact that had been gathering energy. I reactivated my Earth Aspect, and the earth started to crack and rumble under me. The two of us started to push into the air as a tree started to grow under me rapidly, but it was rapidly eating at my energy reserves. I had to activate my Water aspect, and it is now more effective, but just having both Aspects was draining. I focussed and made sure I wasn¡¯t wasting energy, and we pushed up thirty feet into the air. The tree under me started to grow out and create an enclosed dome around us. Branches and vines created it, but I also pulled in soil into the canyon and grew grass under the Demons. This would be a violent mess, and the grass would give everyone padding to twitch out on. I wished there was a cleaner way to do this, but at least everyone would have a good time for the most part. [It is what it is, now you just have to add Beeno, and you will get the tenth level you need to give all the girls ess to their human forms, but you have arge amount of absorbed experience that you will get when you get off the ind for your System and ss. Your System has been storing all of your extra gained experience from the girls, so I assume you will also get that.] ¡®Let¡¯s get this show on the road!¡¯ Join P a t r e o n /magic_ Chapter 237 - Beeno Pt 1 I grew arge bed in the center of the room, a thick mattress of moss growing up. I set Beeno down, and she stepped back from me. "This is beyond amazing! I wish that I could draw it!" Beeno said with excitement but paused after speaking. I watched as she ced her fingers to her lips, and it almost looked like she was surprised that the words came out of her own mouth. I thought it was cute, and I stepped up to her and ced a hand on Beeno''s cheek, looking into her green eyes. "Ready for the change?" I asked, and Beeno took her fingers from her lips and gave me a big smile. "Yes, I am ready for you to take care of me!" Beeno said with excitement, and I grinned at her as she burst with light. The rest of the Demons below must have been wondering what was going on, but I wasn''t going to make them wait any longer. As Beeno''s body began to change, I let out the first wave of my Orgasmoura. . Cries and roars started to fill the air, and I knew that every Demon within range was already on the grassy floor I had created. I sent enough of my aura out to take down Behemoth, and a couple ground-shaking thuds and roars much louder than the rest proved my point. I was actually worried about the Demons that were around the giant purple bears. I mean, them falling might crush a few, but I had bigger concerts. Like about the massive amounts of non-ck ink semen that was about to be pumping out of the fifteen that were out there. That experience would leave a mark on some of them that no amount of tide was going to get out! I focused on Beeno and put the spewing purple mountains out of my head. She was now down to two legs, but she now had a tail of sorts, but her fingers had gotten thicker, and they almost looked like Veronica''s paw hands. Her face had taken on more of a feline look, and she now had cat-like ears but tendril hair like Keri. For all purposes and intent, Beeno had morphed into a fireless upsized Cat-Keri, and I was digging it, but there was one thing that was strange. "Why do I have two breasts? Does this even look right? What do I need two for?" Beeno asked as she felt her square breasts. Completely square. [Yeah, that doesn''t really make any sense at all.] ''Wow, that''s pretty riching from you! When in Rome!'' I lowered my face down to Beeno''s breast level, and she watched me, but I could tell that the Orgasmoura was affecting her. Still, it looked like it was barely even making her wet! "I think that you need to let me-," Beeno grabbed me like a rag doll and then tossed me into the air before I could even blink. As I sailed in an arc to facent, Beeno moved at an rming speed. I watched in slow motion as Beeno leaped into the air, catching me and performing some kind of acrobatics reserved for seasonal circus performers. With a double front flip 180, I was mmed down on the bed, and I felt my cock pierce hot wet flesh. Then connection from Beeno thrusting my shaft deep inside of her made me release a magnified st of sexual energy. She copsed forward, but I was excited now after that trick in the air, and I wrapped my arms around Beeno''s body. Red tendrils fell down into my face as I started to pump my Third Leg into her dripping hole, making Beeno gurgle and moan. I could feel the pressure already building as her Cock Holster clenched my throbbing shaft. Suddenly, Beeno broke free from my grip on her and spun on my cock, getting into the reverse cowgirl. She started to fuck me, and I was forced to use my Earth Aspect to prevent her from breaking the entire tree. "This big cock feel feels so good in my tight little hole! Fuck me harder, give me that big dick so hard I scream!" Beeno cried out and then hopped off me. I hopped up fast, scared of getting body mmed, and Beeno tried to grab me, but I dropped my aspect. Activating my Fire Force Pact and Water Sphinx Totem, I grabbed her hand and got behind her, mming my rod into her leaking pussy as I spun her ass to me. I grabbed her other wrist and started to hammer my cock deep into her, concentrating direct Orgasmoura sts. Beeno''s tongue started to hang out of her mouth as she panted and moaned, but no screams. Beeno broke from me and turned around with her face full of tears and pit, but she immediately went for my shaft. She started to suck my cock with a fierceness that would have scared the average person. I was no such average person, and I grabbed her tendrils, forcing my shaft down her throat. This caused her eyes to go bigs as I started to fuck her throat like a mouth pussy. Beeno was a Demon, so I wasn''t worried about her breathing, but it just wasn''t hitting right. I pushed Beeno back off my rod and then told her to spin around, so her head was hanging off the bed. I grabbed her square breasts and started to feed my throbbing shaft out of her open and waiting mouth. In this position, I was able to fucked her mouth so much better, and I started to destroy it as I used her breasts for grip. I could feel myself starting to build up, but I wasn''t ready for it to be over, yet I couldn''t stop myself now. I drove my Meatstick deep in Beeno''s throat until my ballsack covered her nose, blowing my load directly into her. [Sexual Sage of The Seven Winds] Activated! Oh boy, we were just getting started! Chapter 238 - Beeno Pt 3 I grinned at her and then moved forward, mounting her waist. My cock was covered in her juices and my own milk, and I looked down at Beeno with a smile. "H-How are you still h-hard?!" Beeno moaned, but then I inserted my long shaft into her square breasts, and I grinned at her. "I still have a round or three left in me, but we can stop if you want?" I said as the head of my shaft slowly emerged from the top of her breasts. Beeno shook her head no and leaned into the head of my cock with an open mouth. I grinned and reached down to take her head with both my hands. Once my dick was in her mouth, I pulled her head up and started to fuck her square tits. Beeno used her tongue as I pushed my tip in and out of her lips like her mouth was a pussy. I kept one hand on her head and then reached back and slipped my fingers into her wet mess of a pussy. I curled them up, making a e here" gesture to milk her pussy more as I got ready to fill her mouth.. Beeno''s eyes went wide, and her body started to shake, making me thrust deeper into her breasts and mouth. The moment that I felt her soak my hand, I exploded in her mouth, puffing her cheeks out. I slowed my fingers and slowly pulled my shaft from Beeno''s mouth as she swallowed down my massive load. I pushed beeno to the edge of the bed again, so her head was just over the edge. I got off her, and there was still some cum on her lips, but Beeno knew what I was going to do again. She tipped her head back, and opened her mouth to await my cock as I turned around. I slowly inserted my shaft into Beeno''s waiting mouth pussy, and the moment I was all the way in, I started to milk her pussy again. Beeno gripped my ass cheeks as I started to fuck her face, and I could almost see my cock stretching her throat. She kept pulling me into her mouth, so I didn''t slow down, and I fingered her harder. Beeno started to shake again, and I ripped my fingers out, rubbing her until her pussy sprayed. I grabbed her legs and brought her ass into the so her pussy was closer to me. I started to drive my fingers in her pussy as I continued to throat fuck, and made her spray us both in a shower of her juices. I pped her pussy, and she sprayed me again, but then tapped my ass, and I came onmand, dumping my fifth load down her throat like the first. I pulled out and let go of her legs, causing Beeno''s body to flop down almost lifeless. The only thing that registered her as alive was the constant heaving rise and fall of her chest. "Still alive down there? Do you think you can handle more?" I asked as I crawled back on the bed, cing myself in front of Beeno''s leaking holes. "I-I¡­ So much! W-Why can you just keep g-going?! I am used to sex being over in seconds! I want to fuck me until you are done; just keep going and don''t stop! I have never felt so good in my entire life, so I want you to fuck me until I can''t even walk!" Beeno panted out. "Your wish is mymand, my little kitten," I said, and I grabbed one of her legs and put it into the air, rolling Beeno to her side. I grabbed my cock, and pushed it back into her ass that was still lubed. "Yes, Fuck that little hole!" Beeno cried out as I started to drill my cock into her ass. Then I pulled out and started to hammer into her pussy, making Beeno''s eyes start to roll again. I pounded the pussy with her leg at my shoulder, and then I grabbed Beeno''s tail at the base and started to grope it. I wasn''t sure what it would do, but Beeno instantly started to shake. I ripped my cock out as she sprayed pussy juice non-stop as I jerked her tail. Seeing her squirting endlessly was too hot, and I grabbed my cock and jerked it, aiming it forward. As I jerked my cock and Beeno''s tail, I burst, spraying Cock Milk all over her stomach and tits. "That is super sensitive!" Beeno cried out after I stopped ejacting, but I flipped her over, excited for the grand finale. I put her back into Doggie and pressed my cock deep into Beeno''s ass as I stroked her tail that I had ignored till now. I fucked her ass, stroked her tail with one hand, and gripped her hair tendrils, making her cry in pleasure. Suddenly, I felt Beeno''s wet hand stroke my balls and grip them, making me fuck her hard and faster. "I can''t stop cumming! Fucking my ass is making my pussy is a waterfall!" Beeno cried out, and I let go of her hair and gripped her tail in both hands. Beeno gripped my scrotum, and it was like she squeezed thest bit out of me. I filled her tight ass as I could feel her spraying pussy juice reflecting from her wrist. I let go of Beeno''s tail, and her shaking body slid forward off of my cock. It was finally goingid, and I was covered in sweat. Iid down beside Beeno on my back, and she turned to me. She was still panting, and she looked like she had just finished a ten-mile run without breaks. "I don''t know how you can do it so much, but my legs no longer work. I have never been fucked so hard or so long! This was longer than the total time I have even had sex!" Beeno eximed in a panting voice, and one of her hair tendrils fell down. Pushed it out of her face and said, "I think I will want to do this again! I love the way you sucked me off!" "You don''t want to do it again right now, right?" Beeno asked with rm, looking down at my hand that was sliding down the inside of her right thigh. "What? You aren''t ready for round eight?" I asked as I pushed the hair tendril out of her face. "Have mercy on my little pussy! This is my first time with someone as crazy as you!" Beeno groaned but then gasped as my fingers slipped back inside of her. 239 Beeno Pt 3 239 Beeno Pt 3 I grinned at her and then moved forward, mounting her waist. My cock was covered in her juices and my own milk, and I looked down at Beeno with a smile. "H-How are you still h-hard?!" Beeno moaned, but then I inserted my long shaft into her square breasts, and I grinned at her. "I still have a round or three left in me, but we can stop if you want?" I said as the head of my shaft slowly emerged from the top of her breasts. Beeno shook her head no and leaned into the head of my cock with an open mouth. I grinned and reached down to take her head with both my hands. Once my dick was in her mouth, I pulled her head up and started to fuck her square tits. Beeno used her tongue as I pushed my tip in and out of her lips like her mouth was a pussy. I kept one hand on her head and then reached back and slipped my fingers into her wet mess of a pussy. I curled them up, making a e here" gesture to milk her pussy more as I got ready to fill her mouth. Beeno''s eyes went wide, and her body started to shake, making me thrust deeper into her breasts and mouth. The moment that I felt her soak my hand, I exploded in her mouth, puffing her cheeks out. I slowed my fingers and slowly pulled my shaft from Beeno''s mouth as she swallowed down my massive load. I pushed beeno to the edge of the bed again, so her head was just over the edge. I got off her, and there was still some cum on her lips, but Beeno knew what I was going to do again. She tipped her head back, and opened her mouth to await my cock as I turned around. I slowly inserted my shaft into Beeno''s waiting mouth pussy, and the moment I was all the way in, I started to milk her pussy again. Beeno gripped my ass cheeks as I started to fuck her face, and I could almost see my cock stretching her throat. She kept pulling me into her mouth, so I didn''t slow down, and I fingered her harder. Beeno started to shake again, and I ripped my fingers out, rubbing her until her pussy sprayed. I grabbed her legs and brought her ass into the so her pussy was closer to me. I started to drive my fingers in her pussy as I continued to throat fuck, and made her spray us both in a shower of her juices. I pped her pussy, and she sprayed me again, but then tapped my ass, and I came onmand, dumping my fifth load down her throat like the first. I pulled out and let go of her legs, causing Beeno''s body to flop down almost lifeless. The only thing that registered her as alive was the constant heaving rise and fall of her chest. "Still alive down there? Do you think you can handle more?" I asked as I crawled back on the bed, cing myself in front of Beeno''s leaking holes. "I-I¡­ So much! W-Why can you just keep g-going?! I am used to sex being over in seconds! I want to fuck me until you are done; just keep going and don''t stop! I have never felt so good in my entire life, so I want you to fuck me until I can''t even walk!" Beeno panted out. "Your wish is mymand, my little kitten," I said, and I grabbed one of her legs and put it into the air, rolling Beeno to her side. I grabbed my cock, and pushed it back into her ass that was still lubed. "Yes, Fuck that little hole!" Beeno cried out as I started to drill my cock into her ass. Then I pulled out and started to hammer into her pussy, making Beeno''s eyes start to roll again. I pounded the pussy with her leg at my shoulder, and then I grabbed Beeno''s tail at the base and started to grope it. I wasn''t sure what it would do, but Beeno instantly started to shake. I ripped my cock out as she sprayed pussy juice non-stop as I jerked her tail. Seeing her squirting endlessly was too hot, and I grabbed my cock and jerked it, aiming it forward. As I jerked my cock and Beeno''s tail, I burst, spraying Cock Milk all over her stomach and tits. "That is super sensitive!" Beeno cried out after I stopped ejacting, but I flipped her over, excited for the grand finale. I put her back into Doggie and pressed my cock deep into Beeno''s ass as I stroked her tail that I had ignored till now. I fucked her ass, stroked her tail with one hand, and gripped her hair tendrils, making her cry in pleasure. Suddenly, I felt Beeno''s wet hand stroke my balls and grip them, making me fuck her hard and faster. "I can''t stop cumming! Fucking my ass is making my pussy is a waterfall!" Beeno cried out, and I let go of her hair and gripped her tail in both hands. Beeno gripped my scrotum, and it was like she squeezed thest bit out of me. I filled her tight ass as I could feel her spraying pussy juice reflecting from her wrist. I let go of Beeno''s tail, and her shaking body slid forward off of my cock. It was finally goingid, and I was covered in sweat. Iid down beside Beeno on my back, and she turned to me. She was still panting, and she looked like she had just finished a ten-mile run without breaks. "I don''t know how you can do it so much, but my legs no longer work. I have never been fucked so hard or so long! This was longer than the total time I have even had sex!" Beeno eximed in a panting voice, and one of her hair tendrils fell down. Pushed it out of her face and said, "I think I will want to do this again! I love the way you sucked me off!" "You don''t want to do it again right now, right?" Beeno asked with rm, looking down at my hand that was sliding down the inside of her right thigh. "What? You aren''t ready for round eight?" I asked as I pushed the hair tendril out of her face. "Have mercy on my little pussy! This is my first time with someone as crazy as you!" Beeno groaned but then gasped as my fingers slipped back inside of her. Chapter 240 - Elementi Can Suck Phenoxs D*ck, Did We Kill Everyone? After teasing Beeno a bit more, the two of us got cleaned up. *Wataluga: I know that water is meant to wash this type of thing off, but you are using my body to do that!* *Maelstrom: you can use me to clean your ejacte of any of your females; I will notin.* *Windorf: What in the Seven Rings of Elementarus is wrong with you, you twisted piss hole?* *za: Tell Elementi she can suck Phenox''s dick!* The ERTCG continued to scroll by in the corner of my visions as I finished washing the two of us off. As toxic as the dark elementals were, I could not say that they weren''t entertaining. "What are you smiling about?" Beeno asked as she walked over to me on very shaky legs, pressing her square chest into mine. She had refused help and said that she would be walking out. I wasn''t really sure what her deal was, but she had dered it like some oath. . Next time I would make sure that I did a better job; those legs would be jello sticks! I leaned down, and used my hand to tip her chin to my lowering face, and pressed my lips into hers. Beeno''s hands wrapped around me, and I used my free hand to stroke her hair tendrils and then slowly broke the kiss. "Maybe just seeing you is enough to make me smile?" I asked, but then Beeno bit my neck, yful like a lion would a gazelle, and I growled at her, "Hey!" "Don''t y stupid with me; I could see that far-off look. It was something in that head of yours; you always do that!" Beeno said while grinning at me, making me feel like I was being scolded by a crazy person. I might not be wrong. [You might be correct, but for everyone''s sake, let''s both pray to one of those idiot elemental gods that you are wrong!] "I can see all the Elementals talking, and they can be entertaining at times. I also ask them about things and get their help if I don''t know how to do something. If I close my eyes, I could be only blinking or gone for hours," I exined, but something was bothering me. There had been no soundsing from the outside area for a long time. I think that it was about the fifth round that the outside world had gone silent, but Beeno had filled the quiet. "Oh, I guess it''s just inside jokes then?" Beeno asked while still holding on to me for support. "Not really jokes, more like entertaining to watch them all argue. It''s mostly them just being rude to each other, and I am just a big child thatughs at them," I said with a chuckle, and a look of understanding crossed over Beeno''s face. "Ah, I see, then I am not missing out on much. I never really understood why people acted like that," Beeno said while shaking her head, tossing the red tendrils back and forth. I should look into creating some jewelry for the girls; that was something that I was sure was universal with more women. It was just a matter of finding out what kind of jewelry would be best for each and that they would like. "To each their own, the world is a rainbow of vors. There is enough for everyone to enjoy what they do and to ignore what they don''t," I said as I activated my Earth Aspect and unfolded the bowl canopy. I froze at the horrific scene around us. "Did we kill everyone?" Beeno asked me with shock, and if I couldn''t sense that they were still all alive, I would be asking the same question. There was ck semen sprayed everywhere, and there wasn''t a stitch of blue skin anywhere. Some ces on the walls, it was shot up ten feet, but that was far from the worst. Gouts of white Behemoth cumy in streaks everywhere, giving the ces a look of whipping strokes of paint on a ck canvas. Where the massive purple man bears had turned on their sides, Demons had been sted into piles of ejacted mess. "They aren''t dead, but I think some of them probably wish they were. I think I had better clean this ce up; the grass looks like it could use a good watering," I said with a smile, and Beeno''s eyes went big as I turned blue and translucent. *Maelstrom: Ooo, pick me!* *Fireden: ROFL!* *Windorf: LOL!* *za & Grogvel: WHEEZE!* *Wataluga: Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me!* I actuallyughed out loud at Wataluga''s message, but I had caused this mess, so WE had to clean this up. *Wataluga: What is this we shit? You made the mess, not me!* ''Sorry bud, you gotta be a team yer!'' *Wataluga: Team yer, my ass! I should get a vote!* *All other Elementals except Maelstrom: I vote yes!* *Maelstrom: Pick me!* My reading was interrupted as Beeno bit through my neck. Then she started to cough out the water that flowed back to reform the chuck she had taken out of my neck. "Sheesh, woman, calm down! The water elemental is just salty about having to be used as a cleaner," I said with a chuckle, and Beeno let go of me and stepped back with an understanding look tinged with a grin. "Is salty a word for being upset? If it is, then I can understand why he might be a little salty. I don''t think I would want to be used to cleaning up this battlefield, but it has to be done," Beeno said as her grin broke into a smile, and I could start to hear groansing from the Demons around me. I let water pour off me and made it flow out over the strange tree that I had grown. The water picked up speed, but I made it flow around Beeno, so she wasn''t washed away. The water rushed over the Demons and monsters in waves that crashed over them, washing them clean. The cum was forced down into the cracks at the edges of the canyon, and after fifteen minutes, it was all over. Chapter 241 - Crowd Went Wild, Night Was Coming When the Great Bath wasplete, I changed to Wind and gave everyone a good blow job. I used the Wind to pick everyone back up, but the Behemoths looked like giant purple balls of fluff. They didn''t look pleased, but none of the demons would ever be the same after taking part in this event. I changed over to my Fire Force Pact and started to take in energy; I was running on fumes at this point. I looked at Beeno with a smile and asked, "Can you jump down-." Before I could finish speaking, Beeno jumped forward, then did a double front flip,nding perfectly. The moment shended, the crowd went wild with roaring cheer, and then a chant started. *She can walk! All hail the Great Red Cat Demon!* I grinned, considering most of the people that I had stood up had fallen right back down, and then some soon after. After activating my Earth Force Pact, I hopped down and then went back to only using fire; this was the best ce to get energy. . I looked over at Beeno, who looked like she was about to pass out because her face was so purple with blush. I walked over to her and offered her a hand, and I activated the Wind Aspect to amplify my voice. There was a slight breeze, and Beeno gasped as part of my hand she was about to grab was blown away but then came back. Beeno grabbed my hand but then let go with a screech that made my hair stand on end as my wrist and part of my forearm blew away. Luckily, the chanting was still going on, and she was drowned entirely out from the roar, so I went over and grabbed her in a hug. Her face was turning purple again, so I wrapped her in my arms, letting her bury her face in my chest with her eyes closed. "Stupid windy body!" Beeno muttered to me as I roared for everyone to be quiet. I wanted to get everyone moving, and I didn''t have much to say. The coward died down almost instantly. The silence that it left made me feel more on the spot than when I had been up in the air. *Wataluga: Not like you have to clean the semen off an army or anything. What are you embarrassed about? Dick." *Maelstrom: You should have rolled in the glorious ejacte and let it churn in your froth!* ''Maelstrom, are you a male or a female?'' *Maelstrom: which would you prefer? I can make any hole you want!* ''Woah, just asking a question here! No need to make threats!'' The dark and dirty elemental continued to rave, but I ignored it and spoke up to the people gathered. "You all can go home and decide what you want to do, but in two days, we will be leaving the ind around this time. I would ask that youe by lunch so we can see who ising and staying. Those who wish to be in charge and have been voted as leaders, and not by force, should alsoe. That is all, and sorry for the traumatic experience, but this time in two days, you will all be changed people and will be thanking me, I hope!" I called out, and then, gathering some wind under me, I burst into the air. I flew straight up, and stopped about one hundred and fifty feet, and paused to look around at my home for thest four days. I did a full rotation and spotted the other two craters that I hadn''t visited. I wondered if I would get a chance to check them out before leaving, but there was still so much to do. The next day there was Tiga, but that was tomorrow, and it was already gettingte. The sun was just touching the horizon, and Beeno looked around at the ind with me, but she also kept a tight grip on me. I wasn''t going to drop her, but I didn''t want to take any chances or try to perform any fancy aerial maneuvers to catch her. "This is a breathtaking view, and I am delighted that you brought me up here. I know you are probably itching to get back. Before that, I want you to know that I really appreciate what you did today to take time with me and everything. You are one surprise after another, and you must keep the women on their toes by trying to figure you out!" Beeno exined to me as we floated high in the air. I looked out over the sea and put farther past that into the distance. "I wish I had more time to spend with each of you girls, but I n on taking my time after this ind. I have been feeling rushed the entire time since I got here, but I have met all you amazing women and people like Mex as well," I said with a weary grin, thinking about all the running I had been doing. "You helped me understand that I can do two things, or more if I wanted. I have been living my entire life in a way that seems so strange now to me. This was all because of some arrogant man who walked up to me, put me in my ce, and melted me somehow. I can only imagine what you have done for the other women," Beeno exined as she looked into my eyes with her crystal jade ones. On the one hand, this has been a tiring, nonstop, and exhausting experience; on the other hand, meeting each of you girls has been worth its weight in gold! Seeing each of you be happy and or sessful is all the reward that I will ever need in this life. Plus, I get to have sexy time with each of you, and none of you get mad! Practically paradise, but we should get home; there is a party waiting for us!" I said as I kissed Beeno''s grinning lips and shot at the Keep; time to go home! Chapter 242 - Nightmares, Negative Dimension As I got closer to the Keep, I could see lights in some of the apartment building''s windows. I decided to go take a look to see who was doing what. It was just a little bit of espionage on my lovers to see if they were doing anything cute or to try and catch them acting out of character. I could see that there were many women around arge fire behind the stone Keep, but no one had noticed me yet. "What are you doing? I thought we were going to the back where the fire is?" Beeno asked, and I grinned. "I want to do a bit of spying first. It''s tough to catch you, women, out of your elements, and I am always curious about what makes each of you tick," I exined as I floated to the highest window on the east side of the building. This would be Mex''s room, so this wasn''t really spying, just checking up on him. "You really care about that stuff? While I disapprove of your methods, it''s nice to know that you do make an effort," Beeno said as I got closer to Mex''s window, but then started to frown, and she asked, "What''s wrong?" Mex was not in the room, nor was this Mex''s room from when I nced in it previously. That alone could be brushed off as one of Kimera''s Spacial Magic abilities, but there was a female sitting on the far side of the room. She was in a rocking chair, and she was knitting something, but her head was down. I couldn''t get a look at her face because her hair was covering it, so I decided to try knocking on the window. I stopped right before my hand touched the ss pane, my wrist being grabbed by Beeno, but simultaneously, terror gripped me. It was an icy hand that gripped me by the spine, and I was frozen stiff. [Get back from that window! I was watching the ERTCG, and that is a creature from your nightmares!] Toote, the woman looked up at me, but she had no eyes, only mouths in ce of them. They were filled with sharp-looking teeth, but I could tell that the creature was staring at me. Then the mouths started to stretch out of her face impossibly, twisting and weaving closer to me. Each mouth opened and closed, and I knew they wereing to devour me, and I was powerless to stop them. "Zack!" A distant voice cried out, but I was powerless under the gaze of the terror that wasing to devour me. Then I was falling, and everything went ck, and I opened my eyes with a massive groan as I gained control of my body once again. I could feel cracked and broken ribs, but I couldn''t feel my legs, but that was slowlying back. "Are you okay?!" Asked a tall redhead bent over me that looked familiar, but my head was still a mess, and the pain wasn''t helping. [Just rx, and let your body heal. None of the damage caused by the five-story drop is serious other than the spinal cord, but it is healing. Give it about five minutes before getting up, or you will do more damage.] I panicked but calmed as I saw Beeno leaning over me with the other women. I was worried that she might have gotten hurt as well, but she must have been about tond safely, thankfully. [She tried to jump to the wall and bounce off it to catch you but missed. I suggest you tell her and the rest that you are fine now.] Beeno and the rest of the women did have worried expressions, so I spoke up. "Yeah, I just need toy here for a few more minutes. That really took it out of me, but what happened?" I asked in a groan, still not moving any part of my body other than my lips, but breathing more air sent more sharp pains. "You were looking in the window, but it was fogged over, and then you froze and started to tremble. You started to pour sweat, and then I tried calling, but you only shook worse. I screamed your name, but then that was when you started falling¡­." Beeno said with her voice choked off, and she looked away from me. [You were looking into the Negative Dimension, and all Demons Magic are linked to it. I don''t know what will happen to their Magic after your memories are born.] ''What about Mex? He is the only person that has transformed, so can''t you tell with him?'' [Mex isn''t really a good example, as most male demons don''t have special Magic''s, rather abilities outside of their ss. Only when Mex retrieves his sword does he touch the Negative Dimension.] My body was starting to feel better, and I slowly sat up; the girls backed up and gave me some room. I was still sore, but my body was still working, and I was just happy to have use of my legs again. I tried to stand up, but it seemed that my legs weren''t ready for that, and the redhead caught me in her arms. Then I started to notice the golden ws that seemed to sp her body under the red revealing long sundress she was wearing. "Jilly?" I asked as she helped me stand. Instead of responding, Jilly pulled me into a deep and passionate kiss that left no room for doubt in my mind. I took Jilly in my arms, and I could feel that she still had carapace ting on her back and her golden legs sped her breasts and body. I was very excited to finally enjoy the first women I had met in this world, but that would be after. "Thank you for this. I was actually going to ask if you could do something like this, but on our way back to the Keep, a bunch of us transformed. There are one or two other people that you might want to include as well," Jilly said and then turned her head. I followed her gaze, and Itnded on Mex and Candace. Chapter 243 - Enthralled By You, Can I Ask A Favor That was right, and there was also Missy, Lidy, and the grandmothers. The grandmothers could wait, but Lidy was a different story. She held a special ce in my heart, kind of the way that Nushi did, but not to say I didn''t care about the other girls. For some, it was just different, and I felt a bit more attached to them, and I felt like Beeno would be another. While Lidy might be partially in the system, she wasn''t fully part of it, and if anyone deserved it, Lidy did. "Let''s go see the party that you all have set up! I want to hear all about what happened today! Seems like a lot has happened over the short time that I was gone," I said, but for some reason, all the women looked away from me, except for Keri. "Oh! Let me tell you¡­ Mmhmhmhm!" Keri started to say, but Jilly went over behind her almost faster than my eyes could track. "Nothing that interesting. Why don''t you tell us about your day, or days ording to Mex? I would also like to know what could make you sweat like that. Beeno was slick with it, and you were covered when we got to you, and I have never seen you scared of anything. The only time you have ever run was from me, but I was stronger than you," Jilly exined as she came over and took my arm andtched it with hers at the elbow. I really didn''t want to think about it, and I was slightly embarrassed. I had nearly died of fright when that¡­ that¡­ What? [The things you see there are simr to dreams and nightmares, so they are tough to remember. It was more like you saw something that wasn''t really there because they''re creatures from the Negative Dimension, existing in another existence and reality. This is the same as the Dark and Light Elementals; their home is in a different reality than the one that we are in right now.] ''How many different realities are there?'' [It''s an uncountable number, it''s constantly changing with the domination, destruction, or birth of new worlds and realities. You have been going for a while now, and I think you should just focus on having fun tonight and enjoy some much-needed rest and rxation. You have surpassed every bar I have ever set for you, and it is really bing great to work with you.] I felt my chest swell a bit, but I kept myments to myself and just thanked Hero. I should be the one thanking him, but I was worried I might choke up even saying them inside of my head. [Don''t worry, I understand. This has been a fast and challenging set of past days, but you have done so much more than I had ever expected of you. You are a hothead and think that you can just think your way through every problem. Though, now you are learning that sometimes it''s better to rely on others, rather than doing everything on your own.] It was true, and I had been trying to figure everything out on my own, but I was also getting the help I needed from those that could assist me. I just needed to keep pushing forward, and things would work out as long as I asked for help along the way when I needed it. I looked over to Jilly, who was walking beside me, and smiled as I looked over at her and her beautifully fit body. I felt a smile creep onto my face, and It was hard to stop it, not like I wanted to. Jilly noticed me looking at her and then slowed to a stop, and I stopped with her. "What are you grinning like an idiot about?" Jilly asked me as she crossed her arms over her ample chest, but I reached out and took both of her hands into mine, and my smile grew bigger. "Honestly, I am enthralled by you. I am so used to you looking down on or being so much bigger! Now, things are different, and you are a bit shorter than me, and I can do this," I said, and let go of her hands, and I slipped my arms around her and pulled Jilly into a kiss that seemed to surprise her. Jilly was frozen with her arms out to the side, but then she slowly let them both fall to my shoulders as we shared our first real kiss. This was something that I had been waiting to do for ages now, and it was worth every second of the wait. I let my hands slide down her back until the hard carapace ended, and I slipped my hands around her ass. Another new experience because before, Jilly didn''t have an ass before as strange as it was. Now, as I slipped my tongue into Jilly''s mouth and squeezed them yfully, Jilly pushed forward. She pushed her hips into me, feeling my excitement, and then Jilly broke the kiss by pushing my lips past mine, sliding across my cheek to my ear. "I was wondering what that was for, and maybeter you might want to try the extra hole out? Maybe we should stop for now, though, or I think I will be murdered by the rest of the women the second you turn your back," Jilly whispered in my ear, not helping my situation at all. I let go of Jilly''s ass and turned from her, back towards the first, and the moment I did, every woman looked away from the two of us. I turned back to Jilly and Gave her another quick kiss on the lips and then the cheek. "I will spend some time with everyone, but I think that I might want to take you up on that offerter," I said with a grin and turned, trying to pull Jilly along with me, but she stopped me one more time. Confused, I stopped and looked back at Jilly. "Can I ask for a favor? And you don''t have to say yes, but I think It might help us," Jilly asked and exined. "Sure, ask away! I can''t make any promises, but I will listen to the question," I said with a grin, and Jilly took a deep breath and spoke. "Do you think that you can ask Lizy to join us?" Jilly asked, and my brain overheated, started to boil, and proceeded to leak out of my ears. Chapter 244 - Whispered Something, Fire-sicle I was stuck stunned with a stupid childish grin on my that, at first Jilly smile at. However, as I tried to let my brain cool down, her look turned to one that said she wanted to knock the smile off my face! [Function, you idiot, you didn''t just solve the Hodge Conjecture, pull yourself together, man!] I shook my head and then blinked, looking directly at Jilly, and then kissed her passionately, making her eyes go wide in surprise. I pulled back, breaking the kiss, still smiling, fuck, I couldn''t help it; I didn''t even ask for a cookie and got the whole jar! "Only on days ending with Y, no others," I said with a grin and kissed my confused-looking Oomukade, but then I leaned forward to her ear and whispered something. "Wait, Monday¡­ Tues-" Jilly said, and I pulled away from her, backing up to the fire, but Lizy came up and whispered in her, making her cut off. I could hear the words in my head as Lizy spoke them in Jilly''s ear, "All days end in Y!" I watched surprise appear on her face, but then Jilly started to nod her head. I activated my Fire Pact Aspect as the surprised look turned into, "This motherfucker thinks he is funny tricking me" look. Suddenly, the old Jilly was back. Like the snap of a Bullwhip, Jilly exploded forward as she transformed, but I shot straight up into the air like a rocket. Jilly screamed, and everyone turned to look like sections of her red carapace flipped up. The sun was just about finished being swallowed by the ocean, and twilight was setting in, but it was dark for those below. This was a perfect time for this, but what was with the new upgrade Jilly had?! I watched as a pair of safety sses appeared on her face, and then they lit up, and I almost cheered. [You should be getting yourself ready for this, she actually looks pissed! Jilly now can store up to fifty thousand pounds of building material inside her body, a targeting system, and the ability to read and build blueprints. She can also process material and construct small items inside her body. Oh, did I mention she now fires ten thousand of those ck spikes a minute, and they will all lock on to you!] If I wasn''t entirely made of fire right now, I would have a tear in my eye from how proud I was of her. She must have been working so hard with everyone, and she and Lizy were even trying to work things out. [Jilly''s level is maxed out with stored experience like yours. Most of the girls have been working very hard¡­ most of them.] That made me chuckle, but that was when it started, and a rainbow of colored glowing spikes streamed at me. Fuck, they looked so damn cool! God, Jilly, I love you! *Wataluga: It was a good run while itsted.* *Fireden: I don''t think she heard what you whispered!* *za: Oof, the double view is excellent! Water¡­ Thing, go make us some popcorn, bitch!* *Maelstrom: Don''t make me tell them what I was just making you do to me, zy!* *Grogvel: WHEEZING!* At thest second, I grinned savagely and roared, "Let''s get it on!" and took off with the rainbow of glowing death trailing after me. I flipped and did a ny-degree corkscrew, but the needles followed me with a relentless pace gaining on me, so I turned up the heat. My fire became purple as I cut intricate patterns in the, getting ahead of the spikes. Then I instantly heated the glowing spike from the inside out, like a microwave. Below, the girls were yelling at Jilly to stop, but all looked up as I burst the first spike like a firework. Thankfully, Jilly stopped firing, but there were almost one hundred thousand of the glowing death needles flying after me now! This was going to be one hell of a show, but we had alle so far since that day that I walked into the hole in the ground. All because of that strange red light, I get to be the happiest I think I have ever been. [I really have been quite the journey so far. I can see good things in our future.] ''You bet, Buddy. This journey is only getting started, so let''s kick it off with a bang!'' I dialed up, and my fire turned blue, and the spikes started to explode, filling the dark sky with light. The image reflecting off the water around me was spectacr, and even the ERTCG had gone quiet. I really wish I could share the view with the girls, but they were all cheering now. They were waving up at me as I lit the fresh night sky up with colorful explosions of light. The whole thing only took ten minutes, but it had felt much longer to me, and Jilly hadn''t let up until the final one exploded. I flew back down to the fire and then into it, dropping down to just my Fire Aspect, directly absorbing the energy from the fire. Nothing short of Earth Gliding to the mantle to refill was faster to recharge faster. I didn''t need to stay in long and walked out after about a minute. When I turned blue, my energy gauge started to suck down fast. I had almost been depleted, so I was d for it to be over now. [Next time, you had better stop oo-ing and awe-ing over the abilities! Jilly was only using half her ability with the spikes!] As I stepped out of the fire, the girls all started to chant. "Fireman! Fireman!" *Maelstrom: Thinks he is a funny man!* *Fireden: Then has to run for his life, so he doesn''t be a dead man!* *Maelstrom: Ooo, maybe you want toe over here and tell me some stories! I will treat you well, Fire-sicle!* *Windorf: Ha! Do you hear that Fire Nuts?! Someone actually wants to listen to you! Bwahaha!* *Fireden: I have to politely decline your offer.. I am not that bored.* Chapter 245 - Oh, You Know After everyone settled down, I switched back to just my Fire Force Pact and continued to suck in energy. I would more than likely need itter, the night had just begun, and I already had more work forter. [Yeah, such aborious job, I am sure everyone should feel sorry for you!] "What was that all about?! Why did you make Aunty mad? The lights were really pretty! Lizy is friends with me! Did you know Kieta is really smart? I think the Grandma''s are going to ask you to-, Owie! Grandma! What was that for?!" Keri squeaked after Nixi chopped the top of her head. "You need to learn to breathe and talk about the things that happen to you! Let the others tell him about their day, and you tell him about yours! You don''t need to say things that people don''t want to say! Looks like you have been away from your aunty for too long!" Nixi growled and then red at Jilly, but she just rolled her eyes. I walked over and scooped Keri off the ground, up into my arm, and then attacked her cheeks and neck with kisses. She started to giggle and squeal as I did, and then Keri hugged me after I was done, and then I gave her a kiss. "How was your day, my little Chatterbox?" I asked Keri as I started to walk over to the table filled with cooked food that smelled delicious. Lidy was over there, and I went over to her, giving her a kiss as Keri rattled off about her and everyone else''s day. I turned my head to Keri and waited until she had to take a breath of air, and then I kissed her, and the chatterbox was turned off for a moment. "I''ll talk to youter, beautiful, but I want to get something to eat; it''s been a couple of days since thest time I had anything," I said as I put Keri down. She ran back over to Kieta and she was giving me a look with narrowed eyes. I stuck my tongue out at her, and her eyes went big in surprise. "Here," I heard Lidy say, and I turned back to a nice te piled with cooked meat. "Thank you! Ugh, you are the best!" I eximed as I took the te from her hand with one of my but held it off to the side. I reached out with my other arm and wrapped it around her waist, pulling Lidy into my body. She gave me a sexy smile, putting two hands on my shoulders as I looked into her eyes, but they had a glowing pink ring in each of her pupils. "You seem excited to see me? Did you really miss me that much?" Lidy asked, still wearing her cute and sexy smile. "Miss you? It''s been two days, Lidy," I said to her, pausing. "I guess it has only been that long-," Lidy started to say, but I turned with her in my arms, setting my te down on the table. I pulled Lidy into a deep kiss, running my hand through her hair. She really had no idea, but this was just one of the things like so many others that I would have to work on. I broke the kiss and took her face into my hands, staring deep into her glowing pink eyes. "It has felt like forever since I have got to do that, and I have been missing you a lot! I wanted to ask you if you wanted to be one of my girls, like Nushi?" I asked, but I had already confirmed it in my mind. To my surprise, nothing had happened, and Lidy smiled warmly at me, but she shook her head no. I was surprised by this because I thought she would have jumped at this, and I was disappointed until she exined. "No, not yet. I want to see what I look like after first, and then I would like to be yours and let you take care of me. I think we can wait a little bit longer, and it will just make things that much better when we get to them. Now," Lidy exined and then kissed me before continuing, "Eat some food and talk to Mex and Candace. That was a magnificent disy you and Jilly put on earlier; it almost made me feel like when we were back where I grew up on Gardania." Lidy kissed me one more time but then broke away from me but forced my te back into my hands. Then I got the two fingers back and forth in a, I am watching you gesture between the two of us. I started tough but then grabbed a steak from the te and took a big bite out of it as I turned around. Even in the dark, it was easy to spot Mex, and I could understand why I was so preeminent in this world with this much pink. I took my te and walked over to them and Kissed Hydie, Jessabell, Kimera, and Frieda on the way over. The grandmother''s Noels, Fairilese, Perita, and Nixi were over at a table on the other side of the fire with Nushi, Beeno, and Veronica. Keri chased Kieta around the yard, and Kali, and the Cerberus girls who were transformed chased after them around the yard. Jilly and Lizy were both in human form and standing near the fire. Seeing them like that warmed my heart, and I was so proud of my girls for how much they had changed in such a short time. Now it was time to do a favor for a man that had helped me so many times in thest group of days. "Well, looks like you will just keep the surprisesing, but I do have to say that their disy was marvelous! So, Demon Lord Zack, What great and amazing feat do you have nned next?" Mex asked as I approached him and Candace. "Oh, you know," I said with a grin, and then looked at Candace with the same grin and asked, "So, you want to join the team?" Chapter 246 - Mistakes Were Made, Struggling To Get Free "Excuse me? Don''t you already-," Mex started to say, but Candace punched him in the side, cutting him off. "He doesn''t want me stupid; he is helping me so we can be together, right?" Candace asked me with a look that said she wasn''t one hundred percent sure of her own words. "Yes, of course!" I said with a chuckle, shaking my head. [You are an asshole, you know that, right?] ''Yes, and so does everyone else.'' *All Light Elementals: Yup!* *za: You wanna see a real big asshole?* *Maelstrom: Are you gonna show them yours?* The ERTCG burst intoughter, and so did I, earning me some strange looks from the two in front of me. ''Can you put the chat on disy for everyone to see? I am getting tired of being the only oneughing at this shit.'' [One moment¡­ There.] The chat log in the corner of my vision exined slightly and started to actually float in the air. Mex''s and Candace gave me a surprised look, but Mex''s was much more than Candace''s. "So this is why they are so quiet! I was wondering what they were up to, but you seemed to have found a way¡­ Oh wow! That Maelstrom is quite the character¡­ Wait¡­ What are they going to do to me? What sex is Maelstrom?!" Mex asked as the ERTCG started to be a blur with lewd text, but then the Dark Water Elemental started to spam text repeated lines. I was about to tell Hero to mute Maelstrom, but then I saw what the Dark Elemental was doing. The messages were nowing in chunks as Maelstrom seemed to slowly master the art of text images. I was d just the three of us over here to watch the pictures made from special characters. Using new symbols to his pictures to make them more defined, it was clear Maelstrom was trying to make more effort for us to see now that he had an audience. The pictures were of a water drop with a face to start and very basic, but then moreplex characters started to appear. The pictures started to get more defined, and the water droplet turned into a man with arge cock. Then there was another in the picture that was also a man but looked to be on fire. That burning man was attacked with what must have been water whips, and that was when Hero muted Maelstrom. "Wow, that was the two inside of my head?! That''s what they are doing?! You know, I almost feel sorry for za. I bet he is regretting tagging along now!" Mex said with augh. Another message appeared in the chat, and I burst intoughter as soon as I saw it. *za: Mistakes were made.* Then the chat burst withughter, and so did we again, attracting looks from the others. As we did, Keita and the girls came running over, and I asked Hero to close the chat. Keita came to me like a scared child with her arms up, looking adorable, so I scooped her up, activating Kali''s Earth totem. I grew an extra foot up to keep Keita out of the grasp of the other three jumping up at me. "Thank you! They said they were going to pin me down and tear my clothes off me! Then tickle me to death!" Keita squeaked cutely in my arms, and I gave her a raised eyebrow. "All of them said that? I mean, I might not mind trying that with you, but much less tickling and chasing?" I said, feeling a little frisky while also turning from Kali that kept trying to just up on the front of me with the other two. Keita''s face burned with a blush, and then she buried her face in my chest, mumbling something about it not being so bad. I grinned at her but then looked down at the girls with a narrowed-eyed look. The three squealed like mice and then ran away with Keri telling them to chase her and do the same, but she wasn''t running very fast. The girls caught her quickly, and then shreds of Keri''s dress flew into the air as the girls attacked. Keri''s naked body was ravished with vines, paws, and three pairs of tongues, making her scream out in ecstasy. Then Kali started to get very explorative with her vines, making both Keri''s and my eyes very big. *Cough* My head whipped back to Mex and Candace, where the cough hade from her. Mex had one of those shit-eating grins on his face, and I rolled my eyes while they also tried to dart back to the girls. "Let me down! I will go help her!" Kieta proimed, getting a burst of confidence from somewhere, so I shrunk back down and then let her go. Kieta took off to help Keri, and I focused on Candace, ignoring Mex and his stupid smile. I knew what he was grinning about, and I agreed, but I was trying to have a serious conversation here! "Sorry, got a bit distracted, so do you agree? You will still be Mex''s woman, but you will be able to," I started to exin and then was cut off by the sounds of new squealing. All three of us turned to the noise and then choked on my tongue as I watched what Kali was doing. Kieta, Keri, Cera, Bera, and Riez were hoisted into the air with vines. More vines were approaching their bodies to tickle them and much more as the girls struggled to get free. Except for Keri, she looked like she was having the time of her life. "Sorry, I will be right back.. I need to go deal with my little lust element! I will be right back, but you need to confirm the choice in your mind, and then I will ask you a few more questions!" I said, and then I ran towards Kali. Chapter 247 - Oh, Big Brother "Kali! Put the girls down, right now!" I called out as I ran over, but Kali ignored me. She seemed to be caught in her excitement, not being able to break from this new thrill Kali was experiencing. Kieta trying to interrupt the new fun she was having must have caused her to get a bit wild. [You had better absorb her for a while and let her calm down. I will keep her out of the chat for now, and after, she will be allowed in a new Chat Group. I put a restrictive lock to block explicit stuff, and only the Lighties will be allowed in. I suggest you consider trying to find her a partner in the future; I think she is maturing fast.] Hero was not wrong, but I have a lot on my te right now. I would have to look on one of the inds along the way or underwater nts. For now, this was not okay; as much as I wanted those vines to hit their marks, I needed to end this. I sprinted and drew Kali into me or tried to. She was resisting me, and her elemental Earth energy was going wild. I closed my eyes, and time froze as I sat at the head of a massive roundtable in my mind. All six Elementals were seated around it, looking at me surprised. "What can I do to deal with this? I can''t get a grip on it, and she is resisting me," I exined. Grogvel nodded and spoke up, saying, "You can just take control of her with my Aspect, but be prepared for her emotions. They will be a wild storm, and you will have to center her and pull her back together." "She is also going to be a Minor Elemental like Hydie. I suggest you leave her body as fast as you can, or you are going to make the connection too strong. We can feel all your emotions, and we turn them off when you are with the girls," Windorf, but then Fireden and Grogvel coughed, then za burst with a smog fireugh that filled the open air. I red at the two, and Grogvel looked away, but Fireden just shrugged. "It''s pretty lonely up here, boss, and we don''t even get this fun little table when you are not here. Gotta take our pleasures where she can get them!" Fireden exined, and I sighed. I guess he was right, but maybe I could do something about it in the future. For now, I needed to get back and deal with the Elemental girl going through puberty. "Fine, but I don''t want to hear about it, or I will just kick you out of my head when I do it! Now, let me deal with the Lust-emental!" I said and then opened my eyes, the world around me filling with the squeals from before. I changed to my Earth Aspect just before I touched, but vines wereing at me. The instant I made the connection, I was sucked into Kali''s writhing body. Lust, raging emotions, the urge to have my tentacles pierce the girls. I wanted to fill...wait! This was beyond intense, but I needed to focus, yet what I wanted was to see just how wet those holes were. FUCK! ''B-Big b-b-brother? You''re inside of me?!'' Oh great, not this again! I should have nipped this in the ass this morning! Ugh! ''Yes, and you need you to rx and put the girls down, and I will help you get through this,'' I exined by sending my thoughts to her. ''But, I wanted to know what the other holes felt like! Kerri was letting me y, and now she wasn''t to again! I think the other girls want to y, but they just don''t know it yet!'' Kali replied in a rough and erratic sounding voice. Oh, I just want to get my vines into the g¡­ the situation under control. This was almost too much, but I gave myself a mental p and centered myself within Kali. ''You have to ask first, and then it is the other person''s choice if they want to participate in the fun you want to have. You don''t get to make that choice for them, okay?'' I sent, and I started to slow the energy nexus within Kali. ''But what if I just put it in a little bit?'' Kali asked, and I resisted the urge tough and told her no as the girls were slowly lowered to the ground. ''Let''s just work on getting you to your next stage, okay? You are going to go through some big changes, but we are all here for you, got it?'' I said to her, and I finished drawing in the energy to the center of her nexus. Then I pushed myself back out of Kali''s body, and the girls were already fully dressed again and panting, but none of them looked too bad. Hydie, Nushi, Jilly, and Lizy were with them, but I was the only one over by Kali. She was now glowing green and slowly growing into the body of a young adult woman. Her body was much more defined now, and after the emotions that I have felt inside of her, things between us would change. I was no longer going to be able to call her little sister anymore, with those emotions and that body. Probably for the best anyways; that whole brother-sister thing was starting to get a bit weird. The glow slowly left Kali, and she looked much more mature as she stepped up to me withrge green nippleless breasts. She had a look filled with a sexual hunger that I could almost taste as she pressed up into me and then mouthed her mouth to my ear. "Oh, Big brother, I am going to get you to fill every hole I have with your¡­." Kali started to say in a seductive voice and cut off to absorb into me just before she could finish. [Slight change in her personality should be eptable.] Fuck me! *Kali: In front of everyone, or do you want toe in here? In me?* [Might have slightly understated that.] Chapter 248 - Not A Demon Anymore, And You Are A Good Guy ¡°Well, I guess this is what you call a real party!¡± Mex said with augh that made me roll my eyes. I ignored Mex and walked over to the girls to check on them. They all seemed okay, but two of them didn¡¯t at the time and had been screaming. ¡°Are you girls okay?¡± I asked, looking over them in the new clothes, but Nushi was the one that spoke up. ¡°They are okay, go do what you need to! Shoo! We have the girls, and Hydie made them new clothes, so go finish with Candace and Missy. Also, go eat!¡± Nushi growled at me as the air started to charge. I grinned and then spun on my heel, walking back over to Mex and Candace. The two were still waiting for me, but they were both drinking fromrge metal mugs. ¡°Well, that was quite the disy, but you are really bing quite the adept with your Shamanic power and your Elemental control! I might have to start learning from you now! To think, four days ago, you would show up on my doorstep! Ha!¡± Mex said heartily and then poured the rest of his drink down his throat. ¡°You will being with me! From now on, you will being out with me and training!¡± I told Mex, and his eyes went in wide with surprise, and then I asked, ¡°What¡¯s in the cup? Are you holding out?¡± ¡°You deal with this one, and I will go talk to Clesh about getting us some of her special fermented nectar!¡± Mex said as he gently pushed Candace towards me and then walked past me, pping my shoulder. I shook my head as he passed but then walked up to Candace. She looked nervous, but I gave her a warm smile. ¡°No need to be worried, there really isn¡¯t much to it, but I just want to ask you some questions first. I think that me having a better understanding of your skill will help the change go over smoothly,¡± I exined to Candace, and she nodded slowly. ¡°It¡¯s not going to hurt, will it?¡± Candace asked in a quiet and shy voice. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask Veronica about what happened?¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°I, umm, hadn¡¯t talked to Veronica much, except for when Mex was taken, and then it was just about him. I guess that I was a bit jealous of her, even though she had just gotten what I had always had and she wanted. Stupid that I couldn¡¯t just be happy for her,¡± Candace said as she looked down with a disappointed look. ¡°Not everything goes as we want it to, but you should be happy for your sister. Though I do understand you and your sister went through the same thing with you and Mex. Now, the two of you will be the same, and I think that you should try to spend more time with each other,¡± I exined to Candace, and she smiled at me. ¡°You know, I never thought that the man that had made me so mad would be giving me the advice to spend more time with my older sister. You really are something special, and I can see why she has fallen for you so deeply. Mex is lucky he is such a good guy, or I might be asking to join you and my sister,¡± Candace said with a confident smile, and I smiled at her. ¡°Well, I think that you know what you want, but is there anything that you want to be better at that you are good at already?¡± I asked as my final question before I confirmed taking Candace in. ¡°No, Just to change like my sister. I have all I need with Mex, and he seems different after being around you so much. Just a basic change is fine,¡± Candace said, and I smiled up to her as she burst with light. ¡°Good thing I am not too bad of a Demon!¡± Mex said as he walked up beside me, bumping my shoulder as Candace shrunk down. I looked over, and Mex handed me a mug like his while using his other arm and cup to block the light. I took the drink from him and grinned. ¡°You are not a Demon anymore, and you are a good guy. Now go spend some time with your woman, and let me go eat!¡± I said as the light faded from Candace. She had shoulder-length Green hair, but very simr to Veronica, just a smaller chest. Still, Mex lit up when he saw her, and I turned to leave them, but then Mex stopped me. ¡°Wait, can I talk to you for a minute? I know you are busy, but just hear me out!¡± Mex eximed as he pulled me off the side. I wanted to groan, but it was Mex, so it wasn¡¯t going to hurt to listen. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked after Mex finished pulling me to the side of the Keep and out of sight from everyone. Mex gave me a hug that surprised me, but I returned it. It was short, and Mex cleared his throat after. ¡°Sorry, but I really want to thank you for everything that you have done for me and everyone. So far, you have done everything that I was trying to do, even though I knew that I would. On top of it all, I am no longer a Demon, and I can be with a woman that I love!¡± Mex eximed, and I shrugged. ¡°You gave me a chance, even though I could have just been like the other heroes. Still, I am d I met you, and we are going to have a good time when we get off this ind!¡± I said with augh and pped his shoulder and started to turn, but Mex spoke up again. ¡°That brings me to the reason I brought you over here. Clesh and I have officially separated, and Nixi even sanctioned it. You could have, but I thought you might find that strange, and Nixi was actually willing to do it,¡± Mex exined to me, and I grinned. Twist my rubber arm! Time to pull out my ax-cessory to take this family tree down! Chapter 249 - Trying To Kiss Mommy, And She Liked It After I was given a pair of shorts, the two of us headed back to the fire. Mex went over with Candace, and I went back to the table. My te was empty, and most of the food was gone. I heard snoringing from under the table and looked under. Kieta, Keri, and the Cerberus girls were sleeping under the table, and they all had swollen stomachs. That was cute, but there were only bug parts left now, and I sighed. "Umm, I saved you a te." The sound of Clesh''s voice surprised me, and I turned around to see her standing with a te. With her dark ck hair and horns like Nushi, Clesh was an older and more mature version of her daughter. I set the mug down and took the te but held it off to the side, reaching out with my other hand, slowly sliding it around Clesh''s waist. There was no resistance as I pulled her close, and I stopped when our noses almost touched. She had a slight smile on her face, and she slipped her arms around my necknguidly. Clesh was giving off a sweet and almost intoxicating aroma that smelled sweet and earthy. "So, I guess you are now a single woman? Any ns for the future?" I teased, and Clesh''s small smile grew slightly, and I slowly pulled her into a kiss. *Kali: Why is my mommy kissing my Big Brother?* Both Clesh and I broke the kiss as a chat window appeared between our faces. The window was made with twisted vine-like lines for the border, and the text was more flowery. "Is that Kali? Why is she talking like that, and how?" Clesh asked, and I growled. "Yes, and partially my fault, but she just matured, per-say. Now, she takes pleasure in the awkwardness," I said, but I was also speaking to Hero. ''What the hell? I thought you said you were going to keep her out of the chat for a while!'' [I didn''t let her in; this is your fault. You were inside of her for too long, and now she has almost as much control as me. I am locking her out of things for now, but by tomorrow, you will have to talk to the others about what to do. At this rate, she will lock me out of your systems in two days.] *Kali: I won''t do that, but you can''t keep me in a box anymore. I am not a child, and I want to learn, so don''t try to restrict me, and we will be fine!* "Well, looks like you have a lot to deal with, and maybe we shouldn''t do this in front of the child," Clesh said, but I held her from breaking from me and closed my eyes. Then I sat in the center of the maze of my mind at a small table with Kali and her new beautiful body. She was gorgeous, but I needed toy some ground rules, and I wanted to quickly try something. "What is this ce?" Kali asked me as she looked around. "The maze that is my mind. This ce holds ces that I can''t even remember but have been. I am going to try and let you have ess to this ce to explore along with the other Elementals," I exined, and Kali''s eyes lit up. "You mean that I will be able to explore all your memories? All the parts?" Kali asked with a mischievous grin, and I sighed as I shook my head. "You need to figure yourself out, and you need to get control of your urges, so maybe burning off some steam in my mind will help you. Regardless, I can''t have you interrupting me when I am with other girls, that isn''t fair, and right now you are in a time out," I said with a more stern tone. "Fine, I get it, but you can''t lock me in here for," Kali started to say, but then her words cut off as the scene shifted to the universe with two suns. In this ce, both of us were immobile, but thoughts could be used. ''Do not test me, little girl. Don''t think that just because you have tits and I look at you differently, you can act like a spoiled brat with me. If you do not listen to my rules, you will spend some time here, frozen in ce,'' I exined in a calm thought. While I was trying to make a point, getting angry did nothing for anyone. I just wanted to make it clear that I was not messing around. ''You have ess to my mind now, and tomorrow, you cane out for as long as you want. For today, you will stay within my recent memories, and if you are good, I will let you into the ones that I have not even explored.'' I shifted us back to the garden in the center of my mind and then created a barrier around the area and fixed it there. I then called the other four Primal Elementals, and the four appeared. "What''s up, doc?" Fireden asked as he looked around. "You all have free reign here, and I want you to keep an eye on Kali, but leave her be. You can do what you like, just hands off my woman," I said, and the fourughed at me. "Don''t worry, while some of us are perverts, none of us would ever do that to you. You have done far too much, just like Mex said. Go and enjoy the rest of the night, and we will keep an eye on this one," Grogvel said, and the others nodded. I opened my eyes back up, and the screen was gone, and it was just Clesh, me, and my te. I backed us up to the table and put the te down before taking Clesh in both of my arms. "There, it''s just the two of us; where were we?" I asked with a smile. "I think that you were trying to kiss mommy, and she liked it," Clesh said, making my blood pump as I pulled her back into a kiss. Chapter 250 - Pinched Her Bottom, How Can You Do That Clesh and I broke apart, and I finally got to dig into my food. Clesh kept refilling my mug as I ate, and the drink was like a smooth cider. Jilly and Lizy came over and moved the table to grab the girls from underneath it to take them to bed. It was cute to see the girls like this, and I got suggestive looks from each one as they passed Clesh and me. After they left, the two of us went over to where the other women were gathered around the fire that had died down dramatically. It was still burning but was primarily coals, giving off an orange glow that painted the surrounding girls. "This was a good idea, and none of us have had something like this in a long time, but for some of the girls, this is the first time. Thank you, but I am going to let you get over to Missy; she looks like she is getting tired of being in one spot," Clesh said. Before leaving, Clesh gave me a kiss and filled my mug. After that, she turned to walk over and join Nixi and the other grandmothers. I smiled as I watched them go and then turned to where Hydie and Nushi were sitting with Mary and Missy. The four of them were sitting back from the fire, but Missy was fidgeting on her lying chair. [Thest one left for now, and then you will be able to get to bed or to a room that has one if you are lucky!] ''I will get a little less sleep if it means I get to y with the two deadliest women I know at the same time!'' [Yeah, I can see why you might get a second wind with that thought in mind.] I grinned as I made my way over to the group of girls and went over to scoop Mary up from behind but missed and tripped over the chair. I was going to do aplete face nt, my Earth Aspect activated, I was stopped as my feet were glued to the ground. I was about a foot from the dirt, and everyone around me had gone quiet, and I groaned as I straightened back up. "What are you doing?" Nushi asked with a raised eyebrow and scoffed. "Tring to see what a particr de of grass looked like, with style!" I joked, and Nushi rolled her eyes at me, but she was smiling as she did. "What doesss you wantsss? Sackssss?" Mary hissed up at me as she tilted her head back to me. I almost burst outughing but held it in as I bent down to kiss Mary like Peter Parker did in the first movie. The press of the chilly blue lips on mine was lovely, and Mary tasted quite sweet tonight. So many beautiful women, yet so little time on this ind to do all the dirty things that I wanted to. There would be time once we got out on the open war, and I hoped we could actually enjoy some time away from the struggle. "I havee to steal Missy, and then I will take her up to her room. I think I will probably be out for the night after that, but we can all have breakfast together in the morning if that works for you girls?" I asked the girls around me, but Missy finally spoke up after sitting the entire time quietly. "Why do you want to steal me? Won''t someone miss me if I am gone?" Missy asked innocently with a bit of pouting face. "Yessss, I will misss you being undersss the watersss when you asksss your questionsss!" Mary growled, but then squeaked when I pinched her bottom, and then she red up at me, asking with a hiss, "Whatsss wasss thatsss for?!" "You don''t like when people make fun of the way you talk or when you drool, right?" I asked, and Mary crossed her arms, looking away from me. I attacked the side of her neck with kisses until she started to squeal with delight. I pulled her into a hug from behind and kissed her cheek as I did; Mary''s snakes were also yfully nipping at me like they wanted to join the fun. "Be good, or next time I won''t go so easy on you, okay? Now, Missy, I am not going to actually steal you, but I would like to talk to you alone if that''s alright?" I asked Missy after giving Mary another kiss and letting her go. "What do you want to talk about?" Missy asked, and Mary started to growl but stopped when I gave her a look. "Just go with Zack, and he is going to help you, so you don''t have to be stuck in the chair like this," Hydie exined, and Missy''s eyes opened up wider. "What is he going to do?" Missy asked with increasing interest that was disyed from her wagging tail fin. I walked over, scooped her up before she could get another word out, and activated my Water Pact Aspect, creating a water sphere around us. Then, it started to roll slowly, but it picked up pace fast as I sent us to head out of the courtyard to the gate. Trig and Spel were standing together as we passed, and the men were looking up at the stars as they seemed to be talking. The two smiled and waved as we passed, and then I slowed to a stop in the middle of the bridge. I slowly let go of Missy, and she floated in the watery sphere with me, staring at me in awe. "How can you do that?" Missy asked me, and I was starting to suspect that there might be more to her questions than just an incessant need to know. "Missy, can I take care of-," I started to ask, but she burst with light before I could get the words out of my mouth. Chapter 251 - Thank You, Cute Fish Princess I watched as Missy''s tail split into two legs, and the gills on her neck changed slightly, but she didn''t seem to have any trouble breathing. When the light cleared, Missy started to swim to me, and she hugged me tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank yoo-ho-ho-hoo!" Missy wailed into the watery sphere as I wrapped my arms around her and started the spear forward. I let her cry, not bothering to ask why; Missy would tell me if she could, but for now, I could just hold her as we went for a drive. Something that I had enjoyed doing when I was back on earth, and this wasn''t the same, but it was as close as I could get. There was a full moon tonight, and it lit the road up, making it easy to see where I was going. Missy slowly calmed, but she still held on to me as we rolled along; I had not been specially nned; it was just lovely to get out. "How are you able to do what you are doing? Sorry, I don''t have to ask questions now, but I am curious about how you can do this," Missy said in a far less ditzy voice, but it was still a cute one. I exined everything that I had been through, and then she asked me where I had found her. I exined everything that she asked me, but I was surprised that she couldn''t remember any of it. "I can remember bits and parts of it, but it was like I could only understand a small portion of each thing that went on. Now, even when I try to remember, I get memories of the simple questions that I had," Missy exined. The two of us floated together and rolled down the road that headed to the center of the ind. "Do you have any idea what is with the supernatural force that is around you?" I asked, hoping that I could get a bit of information or anything about it, but I was disappointed. "I don''t know what you are even talking about; what supernatural powers?" Missy asked, and then I exined the special powers that she and Mary both possessed, but Missy sighed at the mention of Mary. "If there is one thing that I can remember, it was how much Mary hated it when I asked her questions. Now that I think about it, I think I know what you are talking about with the supernatural powers. However, I still don''t know anything about them," Missy exined, and I slowed the sphere down to a stop. Once we halted, I started to head back in the other direction, but I didn''t turn us back around; and instead, I wrapped an arm around Missy''s shoulder. As I did, I leaned the two of us back so we could look up at the stars. Missy cuddled in close to me, and I slowly lowered the top of the sphere as it still rolled beneath us. I didn''t need to look back because I had my mini-map to guide me, and the path was wide and straight for most of the way. "Well, I am just d that you are back to normal, but I am still curious about your power and your past. Do you remember anything about your mother or father? I haven''t really asked Mary about them because I just assumed that she wouldn''t know. Now that your head is clearing up, I thought that I might ask you," I exined, but Missy didn''t know. "Sorry, I don''t have any memories of when I was a child. I have met my other sisters, but that was a really long time ago," Missy exined, but then paused for a moment, then turned her head to ask me, "Why did you do this for me?" After seeing how messed up her memory was, I had been waiting for the question, and I smiled back at Missy. "I just like to help out the ones that need it, and you looked like you could use some help. I also wanted to make it so you could spend more time out in the open with the girls. Before you spent most of your time in the pool in your room," I exined, and Missy nodded her head thoughtfully. "Well, thank you again. I don''t know if I have even gotten to enjoy this view like this. Normally I would have to ask a ton of questions about why the stars were even in the sky!" Missy exined. She cuddled deeper into me as we floated on the surface of the rolling semi-sphere. This was really lovely and rxing after the long couple of days that I just had. We wereing up to the bridge to the Keep now, so I turned us back around. Only Spel was standing watch, and Trig was sleeping against the wall and made our way back to the big house beside the damaged stone Keep. "Don''t worry," I said as I stood between the two of us and stuck all the water back into my body to make myself whole again. I held Missy as we sat down on the ground, just to make sure that she could walk. I had considered carrying her, but that would have defeated the purpose of giving her the two legs. As I held Missy and she slowly figured out how her legs worked, I looked over to the fire, but it was out, and everything was cleaned up. Looks like the party was over, but It wasn''t like anyone had gotten very crazy. Clesh made some excellent drinks, but we might have to work on something that was a little bit stronger for me. Then, next time we could have more of an adult party, and really get into some trouble! For now, I would help my little cute fish princess get up the stairs and into bed. Then, I had two women that were waiting for me! That is, as long as the two of them didn''t fall asleep already! Chapter 252 - Worry About Me, Main Event "Come, let''s head up and see how your sister is doing," I said as I offered Missy a hand, and she smiled gratefully and epted it. Together, Missy and I made our way into the building and then up the stairs quietly. There was no one downstairs, and the house was quiet. "What do you think Mary will say when she sees me?" Missy asked softly as we approached the doors to her and Mary''s room. "I am not really sure, but we can find out together," I said as I let go of her hand and gestured to the doors. Missy gave me a weak smile but then moved forward to open Mary''s door. As she opened it, I started to scan around the room for Mary and froze when I saw her. Mary had two legs that she was standing on, but her hair was the biggest thing that drew my eyes. Her hair was now a single smooth and wide snake that was coiled around her body. "Missy?" Mary asked, and that killed it; the hiss was gone. "Mary? You look amazing!" Missy said as the two girls rushed together. But what about the hiss? [She can change back, you dimwit!] ''But does that mean that if Missy or Jessabell change back, they will start acting like before?'' [No, the illnesses are cured when you take them on, but Mary hisses to talk, that''s just normal.] Yes, because talking snakes were so typical. Well, at least the girls both looked happy, and the massive green snake looked really cool. "Well, girls, I am justing to say good night," I told them, but the two were already deep in a discussion. I grinned, and slowly backed out of the room, and closed the door behind me. Now that the two could talk to each other usually, I was sure that they were going to have plenty to talk about. I turned from the room and started to make my back down to Jilly''s room that was one level down. I assumed that the girls would be in there since it was closer. After knocking and then peaking in, I was forced to make my way up to Lizy''s room on the third floor, but it was empty as well. [Ooo, looks like you got stood up!] I ignored Hero and made my way up to my room, but there was a note on my bed when I got there. I walked over with a sign, and then opened it up to read it, and then burned it with a growl. [Look on the bright side, at least they didn''t forget you!] The note said that the girls were both waiting for me down in the bathroom of the Keep. While it was a good choice for fun, I was on the fifth floor, and now I had to walk back down to the bottom floor! It would be faster if I could just jump out a window, but I was forced to head back down quietly. I wouldn''t mind a bit of a soak with the girls; it had been a while since I rxed or anything like this. [Rx, I am sure that is what you are going to do. I am going to go and join the others while you enjoy yourself; maybe I''ll see if Maelstrom wants to y.] ''Wow, you want to tangle with that crazy bastard?'' [Everyone has their own brand of strange, but some don''t broadcast them as much as others. You worry about you, and Maelstrom will worry about me.] I walked into the Keep through the hole in the wall and mentally shrugged. I had no ce in judging others and what they did behind closed doors¡­ in my head¡­ I am just not going to think about it. I headed over to the back corner of the main floor of the Keep to where the bathroom was, and I could hear the girls inside. I pushed open the big door to find both of the women in their human forms, both up to their necks in the water. "About time that you made it down here, the two of us were going toe to hunt you down in your bedroom!" Jilly said as I closed and locked the door behind me. Not like there was likely anyone toe and open it, but this was not something that I wanted to get interrupted! I nned to take my time with these two monstrous beauties and prepare the best n to keep the ball in my court! "Sorry, I had to go on a wild goose hunt," I joked as I pulled off my shorts and tossed them to the side as I walked over to the pool. I slowly slipped into the hot water down to my neck and then glided through the water over to the girls. Both were smiling at me, and my heart was already starting to pump as I reached them. "So, you two look like you are getting along a lot better? I hate to bring this up, but I am very impressed with the two of you! I was really worried that I was going to have to sit you both down, but I was wrong, thankfully," I exined to the two of them after kissing both of their cheeks. "I have been living my life in a way that hurts others around me, and when you made me join you, I thought that I could just keep acting the same way. That changed after I almost hurt Keri, and Jilly yelled at me, but it was Keri that helped me see that I could change," Lizy exined, and I watched Jilly grab one of her hands and squeeze it. "I really think that Nushi is the one that deserves most of the credit. Without her abilities, we would have never learned about Lizy''s mother. Learning what you had to go through, but that can be saved for another time," Jilly said as she looked at Lizy meaningfully, making her blush. Yes, now for the main event of the day! Chapter 253 - Jilly & Lizy Pt 1 In the middle of the two of them moving towards each other, I noticed Lizy and Jilly looking at each other. In the middle of their backs, they both had stiff armor te sections. Closing the distance between them as they did so, my mind raced like it was against time. I never imagined that I would ever be able to see anything like this in my wildest dreams, but this really was my wildest dream. Jilly reached forward and pulled Lizy into a kiss, the two girl breasts pressing together as I watched. I watched as Jilly''s hands started to explore the length of Lizy''s back as they slowly kissed. I was frozen in the hot water as I watched them go at it; I was not really sure what I should have done at this point. Jilly was getting into it far more than Lizy, but I could see that she was slowly starting to ept it. After a moment, the two girls broke apart slightly and smiled at each other, but then both of them turned to look at me. As they did, it dawned on me that I probably looked like an idiot, but It was hard to look away or divert my brain to think of anything else. "How long do you n on standing there and staring at us? Or did you n on actually joining?" Jilly asked me in a sassy but sexy voice that snapped me out of my lull. "Sorry, I was enjoying just watching the two of you, but I think I have seen enough to get a feeling for what is going on. I think I have the room vibe down now; anything goes no holds bar tag team fuck me to deathmatch, right?" I asked, rubbing my hands together, but then asked, "Do you need a safe word?" "What is a safe word?" Lizy asked in confusion, but then I shook my head. "No, you''re right. I probably need one! Orange! That sounds like a good one!" I dered, but both the girls were giving me a strained look of confusion, and I started to chuckle as I waded closer to them. Then I wrapped an arm around each girl''s bottom, holding them both tightly and pulling them close to me. Initially, it was Jilly who kissed me, but the kiss was short, and she moved my mouth to Lizy''s. In the process of kissing Lizy''s soft, almost ck lips, Jilly started to kiss Lizy''s neck as well. Both girls had their hands on my cock at the same time, stroking it simultaneously, but then Jilly pulled Lizy away from my kiss. Both girls smiled at each other and then stepped back from me and started to growrge. So there were two massive monster women dripping water and towering over me, and then the two started to go back to it again. There was no way I was just going to stand and watch this time. For the time being, I focused on staying my own size and waded my way over to the other side of Lizy''s Stoney bulbous section. I moved over to Lizy''s Silk Hole and grabbed my big shaft, guiding it to the strange dripping hole. Lizy gasped out as I slowly pushed myself deeper, but Jilly reached her hand down between Lizzy''s legs and then gripped her by the chin with her other free hand. "Look at me when he is fucking you little Silk Hole, and I am going to finger this hole, so you do mine," Jillymanded Lizy. All I could do was watch and grip Lizy''s shell. I started to plow my stiff shaft into Lizy''s hole as she was fingered by Jilly. Lizy had to wrap both arms around Jilly''s neck as both of us attacked her holes from both sides. Lizy started to cry out as I watched Jilly''s arm start to be a blur, and I took that as a challenge and gripped Lizy''s shell harder. I started to fuck Lizy''s so hard my balls pped up against the underside of her spider body, making her start to scream. Neither of us gave her a break and fucked her until her long ck legs started to give out. We both slowed down, and I gave ast good thrust, burying my cock deep down at the bottom of Lizy''s body. When I filled the burning Silk Hole of hers with the hot, spicy Cock Milk, Lizy''s back arched as she let out a shrill scream. I pulled out my hard cock, and Lizzy gasped as our red and white juices mixed together, leaking out from her Silk Hole. Lizy panted as she held onto Jilly for support, gasping in deep breaths of air as I stepped back from her and started to move around. I activated my Tsunalily Earth Totem as I waded in the water and started to get bigger. It didn''t take long for me to grow to nine feet, the same height as Jilly, but I was taller than Lizy. The roof was very high, probably a result of Fairilese''s Spatial magic, and the water was only up to my knees. I walked over to Jilly and smiled at her. "Want to turn around and do a triangle? You eat Lizy out, holding on to her legs, and then I will fuck you while making out with Lizy?" I asked, and Lizy''s tired eyes became wide. "Don''t I get a break?" Lizzy asked, and Jillyughed as she turned around to meet me for a kiss. Jilly wanted her soft hands over my chest, and for the first time since I met her, I could really appreciate her for who she was. It was nice to be on the same level as her, and our kiss intensified briefly but then broke shortly after. Backing up, Jilly slowly bent backward as her pink slit slowly spread slightly, and with the help of Lizy, lowered her head between Lizy''s legs.. This was the strangest thing I had ever seen, and the dark-skinned Lizy started to moan as Jilly began to lick her. Chapter 254 - Jilly & Lizy Pt 2 As I moved towards the golden underside of Jilly''s body, I noticed multiple legs that were all moving at different times at the same time, curved inwards. When I was approaching her, I found it almost mesmerizing to watch it. Instead of mming deep between Jilly''s beautiful golden legs, I gently grasped two of them rather than diving into her. The next thing I did was to start licking Jilly''s very swollen clit aftertching onto her pussy. Lizy screamed as Jilly''s body withered in my grip as I attacked her pussy. I was trying not tough from getting prodded from all of Jilly''s writhing legs, so I slid my tongue down and started to punch it into her pussy. That seemed to be all that Lizy could take, and her body trembled violently with Jilly''s, and both girls cried out as they squirted. My mouth was filled with Jilly''s warm sweet pussy juices, and I watched as Jilly gulped down Lizy''s hot orange fluids. Before Lizy could copse, I let go of Jilly; I mounted her and guided my massive cock directly into her soaking wet pussy. This made Jilly attack Lizy''s pussy, shocking her back to like, and I used one hand to pull her into a kiss as I started to fuck Jilly. "Pweese! Make her stop; I am going to looooose my mind if you keep this up! She is l-l-licking every p-ce inside of me, and ayeeee can''t stop c-c-c-c-cuming!" Lizy stuttered and cried after breaking our kiss as I started to pick up my pace with Jilly. "Not yet, babe, you need a good fucking like you have never had. I am going to carry you to your room after this because you aren''t going to be able to walk," I whispered into Lizy''s ears right before I mmed my shaft deep in Jilly. I exploded, and then Lizy started to scream and shake wildly as I confirmed to pump a baby into Jilly. Even Jilly thrashed wilding as I gushed hot cum into her pulsing hole, Lizy gripping me tightly. I waited for the girls to calm down, and then I helped Jilly stand back up, and all three of us shrank down. As soon as we did, I rushed to Lizy and scooped her up before she could copse into the water. "You did it!" I heard Jilly say, and I turned with a panting Lizy. She was leaning her head on my chest, but I wasn''t done with her yet. I looked into Jilly''s eyes and was surprised to see the glowing hearts in them. "What did I do?" I asked with a grin, ying stupid, already knowing that she must have sensed something. "I never even thought that it was possible!" Jilly said as she looked down at her body that now seemed to glow slightly, and Lizy lifted her head to see what was themotion. "What are you talking about?" Lizy asked, and Jilly''s smile widened as she ced a hand over her abdomen. "Zack has put a child in my womb," Jilly said in a revenant voice as she looked at me with a look that made my chest tighten a bit. "What?! You mean he does one thing to you, and you get a baby?! What about me? After what I just went through, you would think that I would get one!" Lizyined, but I squeezed her bottom with a broad smile. "Oh, don''t you worry, the two of us aren''t done yet. Jilly, I will rendezvous with you another night. Still, I am going to talk with one and make sure that everyone gets what they want," I exined to Jilly as Lizy gasped at my implications. "What? There is more? I can wait!" Lizyined, but it was Jilly that spoke up. "Oh-oh, we are to be equals, and now you need to go get a baby pumped into you so we can be pregnant at the same time! I will get more when we get off the ind!" Jilly said, but then started tough like an evil person. I really did love Jilly''s team spirit, and this new side of her wasn''t too much different from the old, but it was the small changes. That was what made it meaningful, and I was starting to get to see new sides of the girls. I could have never guessed that a soft loving woman existed underneath that carnivorous nature after the first meeting with Jilly. Now I could see that she was actually thrilled to be with the child. Her caring for Keri and the more petite girls made more sense now. Jilly yed the monster, but only because she had to before. Hopefully, things will change now going into the future. "Have a good sleep, and I will see you in the morning. I will help Lidy with breakfast, and we will all eat together before I leave," I told Jilly, and she nodded to me with a smile. "That sounds good, but If you have the energy, you might want to make a couple stops on the way up to your room. There are some girls that deserve a little bit of your attention, but make sure that you seed that one good so we can stay equals! I don''t want either of us to have an advantage, and I will take whatever you give her another time!" Jilly dered and then dove under the water to clean off. "You know, I almost liked her more than before! You know I can''t walk! What more can you do to me!" Lizyined as I turned to head for the closed door. "Lizy, I am going to fuck the attitude right out of you," I said casually, and Lizy gasped. "I don''t have an attitude! You have an attitude! Just let me go to bed, you wild sex beast!" Lizyined as I opened the door and headed back to her room in the apartment with a savage grin. Chapter 255 - Lizy, Sweet Dreams I awkwardly opened Lizy''s door and then kicked it open with no help from her. She was ying hard to get and pretending like she was tired. As soon as the door was closed and I put her down on the bed, Lizy got on her hands and knees, turning to face me with a smirk on her face. I knew that she wanted more, and as I walked up to her, Lizy reached out and guided my stiff rod into her mouth. I ran my hand through Lizy''s ck hair as she forced my big cock deep into her throat, making her choke more than once. I reached back and pped her ass and grabbed it, and then slid my middle and ring finger to rub and press on her tight virgin hole. I pulled myself out of Lizy''s mouth, and she gasped for air as I did. She sank down on the bed, and Lizy was gasping, but I could see a small smile on her face. I pulled my shorts all the way off and crawled on the bed, turning and pulling Lizy''s heaving body closer to me. I pulled her directly up to me, pulling her onto my rock-hard shaft so that only the tip pierced Lizy''s wet slit. Then I forced myself into Lizy, grabbing her tits and immediately going fast and very hard. Lizy''s eyes started to roll back as she grabbed at my arms, but I didn''t slow down. I fucked her so hard she could even cry out, but I slid one of my hands under her neck to bring her six eyes up to mine. Then I dug myself deep in her womb, and Lizy''s crossed, and then her body convulsed as I pulled my dick out. "Please, no more! I am going to lose my mind if you-," Lizy started to plead, but I was already rolling her onto her knees, pushing her head down. I pushed my fingers into Lizy''s hot slit, making her gasp, then pulled them wet, and then pushed them into her tight, light asshole. "Please, not that hole! Ahh! Be gentle with it; your thing is-ahh! You''re stretching my little ass so big!" Lizy cried out as I slowly pushed my big wet cock deep into her tight little and started to fucking it. I could feel Lizy ying with herself as I started to plow my long dick into her super tight ass. Lizy came, and then I switched holes, pulling her up straight, so her back was close to mine, but I pinned her arms back. "What is wrong with you?! Haven''t you filled my holes enough?! Just cum in me already!" Lizyined, so I slowed down and put my lips to her ears. "You still have so much attitude left in you, so I need to deal with that, right now," I whispered and then let Lizy fall back to the bed, but then I grabbed onto her wrists. Just as she hit the bed, I started to drill myself into her again, but this time faster and much harder. I made sure to think about dead puppies; naked grandmas just weren''t going to work anymore, and Lizy begged to just cum. I wanted to see if a good fucking wouldn''t help make her a bit timider, and she had lots of fun holes and likes to y with others. I wanted to make sure that she was addicted to this cock, so I sent a steady stream of Orgasmoura into her body. "No, Nononono-eeee!" Lizy squealed as her pussy finally started to leak all over to make sshing sounds as I hammered my hips into her cheeks. I was getting close as she shook wildly, and I pushed myself as deep as I could and activated my impregnating skill. Hot seed pumped from my shaft and filled Lizy''s hole, making her body go rigid as she tried to force out a scream, but her voice cracked. I slowed down and let go of her arms, but Lizy slid forward off my cock to copse on the bed, panting. I was also feeling tired, and I wasn''t sure If I was going to make it up to my own bed, but that wasn''t so bad. I rolled over and kissed Lizy''s cheek, and even though she was huffing, she wiped her head around to re at me. Her face was covered in sweat, and she was giving me a pouty re. "So, now you are just going to leave and keep making your rounds? Finished with me?" Lizy growled in a cute pouty voice, but I pulled her into my arms. While she was hot in her spider girl form, she was small and cute like this, but it seemed that no amount of anything was going to break her attitude. Not like I was going to stop trying, but Lizy seemed like she didn''t mind having others join in. "No, my little spider woman. The night iste, and I am tired. Do you think I can sleep in bed with you?" I asked yfully. Trying to hold her scowl and failing, Lizy buried her face into my chest and cuddled into me. I lifted her up and got the nket over us, and I kissed the top of Lizy''s hair, and she softly kissed my chest. As the two of usid there, rxing in each other''s arms, sleeping in closer to take us both, I thought about thest two days'' events. Things had flown by, but now it was all over, and there were new girls with me, and the ind mainly was secured. Two days and I would be out of here and then out on the open water to finally get some real vacation time. This had been fun meeting the girls and watching them grow so much over such a short period of time. I went to sleep with Lizy tucked into thinking over what each girl would look like with a swimsuit one and off. Sweet dreams! Chapter 256 - Smash That Bird-Cat, Sorry Not Sorry "Egg Benny''s, but I might have to improvise with the sauce for them," I exined, and Lidy''s annoyed look shifted. "What is an Egg Bunny? Can rabbitsy eggs? I am sure they can give birth on the move, or even while in fights, but I think the babies juste out wet and not in a shell, right" Kimera asked from behind me, obviously not hearing what I said. "Egg Benedict, but I don''t think you will have any English muffins. So, we''ll just have to make do with a toasted bun," I said and then kissed Lidy before getting everyone started to get moving. I got Kimera to get a pot of water on and let me know when it was just before boiling. Fairilese started to slice and fry some ham while I worked at whisking Hondaise sauce and beating eggs, lemon, and zest all together like it owed me money. "What is this sauce that you are making?" Lidy asked as she toasted a hung pile of some ttened Ciabatta buns simr to an English Muffin. I looked over and smiled at Lidy, and start to point to the food the the other women were preparing as I made the sauce. "Very good with fish, eggs, and vegetables," I exined as I added a bit of my own heat as I whisked. As I did that, I grabbed the ss bowl with butter in it, putting heat into the bowl, and melted it with my fire. I poured the melted butter into the mixture as I whisked it all together. It had a nice and smooth texture when it was finally done, and I poured it into a ss pitcher to cool briefly. As it did, I helped Fairilese with the pooching of the eggs, sixty of them, and I was still worried that I might have to make more. After it was all finished, I called the girls down; Kimera and Fairilese started to te the food after showing them what to do. Lidy and I were sent to the corner with tes with four stacks each of toasted bun, ham, poached egg, and then the Hondaise sauce covering them all. I had even managed to find some hot sauce for them, which was the final piece to making the meal perfect. I sat close to Lidy, and the two of us enjoyed our meals together in silence, but I could tell that she was more than enjoying them. Lidy was moaning and even sliding her hands under her apron as she erotically enjoyed every bite of the eggs. I watched even after she had finished, and then removed her wet and slick hand from between her legs, and then licked her two fingers clean. "That was amazing!" Lidy said as I adjusted my boner caused from her erotic disy of eating. [Couldn''t agree more.] *za: Yep, spicy moan session to jerk off to after watching the idiot master smash that bird-cat!* *Fireden: Yeah, that was better than a fresh cup of coffee!* *Grogvel: Definitely got some rocks off, that is for sure!* *Windorf: I blew a load off; I needed that.* *Wataluga: ...What are you all doing to me?!* ''More like what were you doing to yourself?! And I do not need a group jerk-update, but isn''t Maelstrom unmuted now?'' [Hehe, they might not be too vocal today. Let''s just say I might have quelled the storm for a few days.] Whatever made that vile storm quiet was not something that I wanted to know now or ever. I kind of felt bad for whatever Hero might have done to Maelstrom, but I didn''t really want to overthink it. "I am d that you enjoyed the meal today, but I think that tomorrow I will have to rely on my all to do the cooking from now until we leave. Since all girls except for Tiga are safe, I will go get her today, but then Mex will bring her back. After that, I am going to go for a walk around the ind for the rest of today and tomorrow before I leave," I exined to Lidy, and she nodded knowingly. "Yes, you have a bunch of ces and people to go see before we leave, but I will make sure that everything is ready to go. The ship that the girls started yesterday should be finished by tomorrow, but I can''t really tell so much about it. I have never seen anything like it before in my life," Lidy exined, and I shrugged with a grin. "Good, and thank you. When we get on the boat, I would really like to spend a little more time with you than I have been able to," I said to Lidy as I leaned in and kissed her. "I suppose I could take some time for you, but that would mean that you helped out with the girls first. I think today will be an interesting one, but I hope that your day goes well," Lidy said as I stood up, but I gave her a curious look. "Why do you think that today is going to be an interesting one?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "You will see when you get outside. I don''t know how Beeno is doing it, but certainzy and mischievous monster girls are kept busy. I get Keri and the Cerberus Girls, but I have no idea how she gets Mary and Missy out. Beeno actually has them doing that crazy whatever that thing is in the southeast corner of the courtyard!" Lidy exined, and I offered her my hand. "I think I have time to check it out. Would you like toe and join me? I am curious to see what you are talking about, and I have to see the girls breaking a sweat for myself to believe!" I eximed as Lidy took my hand with a smile, standing up with me. As she stood, I looked back and groaned; the seat was wet; so fucking hot. "Oops," Lidy said, but I could tell this was sorry, not sorry. Maybe I might need to do one more thing before I leave on another two-day adventure. Chapter 257 - Smash That Bird-Cat, Sorry Not Sorry "Egg Benny''s, but I might have to improvise with the sauce for them," I exined, and Lidy''s annoyed look shifted. "What is an Egg Bunny? Can rabbitsy eggs? I am sure they can give birth on the move, or even while in fights, but I think the babies juste out wet and not in a shell, right" Kimera asked from behind me, obviously not hearing what I said. "Egg Benedict, but I don''t think you will have any English muffins. So, we''ll just have to make do with a toasted bun," I said and then kissed Lidy before getting everyone started to get moving. To start off with, I got Kimera to get a pot of water on and let me know when it was just about to boil to pouch the eggs. Fairilese started to slice and fry some ham while I worked at whisking Hondaise sauce and beating eggs, lemon, and zest all together like it owed me money. "What is this sauce that you are making?" Lidy asked as she toasted a hung pile of some ttened Chiabatta buns simr to an English Muffin. "Very good with fish, eggs, and vegetables," I exined as I added a bit of my own heat as I whisked. As I did that, I grabbed the ss bowl with butter in it, putting heat into the bowl, and melted it with my fire. I poured the melted butter into the mixture as I whisked it all together. It had a nice and smooth texture when it was finally done, and I poured it into a ss pitcher to cool briefly. As it did, I helped Fairilese with the pooching of the eggs, sixty of them, and I was still worried that I might have to make more. After it was all finished, I called the girls down; Kimera and Fairilese started to te the food after showing them what to do. Lidy and I were sent to the corner with tes with four stacks each of toasted bun, ham, poached egg, and then the Hondaise sauce covering them all. I had even managed to find some hot sauce for them, which was the final piece to making the meal perfect. I sat close to Lidy, and the two of us enjoyed our meals together in silence, but I could tell that she was more than enjoying them. Lidy was moaning and even sliding her hands under her apron as she erotically enjoyed every bite of the eggs. I watched even after she had finished, and then removed her wet and slick hand from between her legs, and then licked her two fingers clean. "That was amazing!" Lidy said as I adjusted my boner caused from her erotic disy of eating. [Couldn''t agree more. You should really work on making a point to make the eggs for this luscious creature!] *za: Yep, spicy moan session to jerk off to after watching the idiot master smash that bird-cat!* *Fireden: Yeah, that was better than a fresh cup of coffee!* *Grogvel: Definitely got some rocks off, that is for sure!* *Windorf: I blew a load off; I needed that.* *Wataluga: ...What are you all doing to me?!* ''More like what were you doing to yourself?! And I do not need a group jerk-update, but isn''t Maelstrom unmuted now?'' [Hehe, they might not be too vocal today. Let''s just say I might have quelled the storm for a few days.] Whatever made that vile storm quiet was not something that I wanted to know now or ever. I kind of felt bad for whatever Hero might have done to Maelstrom, but I didn''t really want to overthink it. "I am d that you enjoyed the meal today, but I think that tomorrow I will have to rely on my all to do the cooking from now until we leave. Since all girls except for Tiga are safe, I will go get her today, but then Mex will bring her back. After that, I am going to go for a walk around the ind for the rest of today and tomorrow before I leave," I exined to Lidy, and she nodded knowingly. "Yes, you have a bunch of ces and people to go see before we leave, but I will make sure that everything is ready to go. The ship that the girls started yesterday should be finished by tomorrow, but I can''t really tell so much about it. I have never seen anything like it before in my life," Lidy exined, and I shrugged with a grin. "Good, and thank you. When we get on the boat, I would really like to spend a little more time with you than I have been able to," I said to Lidy as I leaned in and kissed her. "I suppose I could take some time for you, but that would mean that you helped out with the girls first. I think today will be an interesting one, but I hope that your day goes well," Lidy said as I stood up, but I gave her a curious look. "Why do you think that today is going to be an interesting one?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "You will see when you get outside. I don''t know how Beeno is doing it, but certainzy and mischievous monster girls are kept busy. I get Keri and the Cerberus Girls, but I have no idea how she gets Mary and Missy out. Beeno actually has them doing that crazy whatever that thing is in the southeast corner of the courtyard!" Lidy exined, and I offered her my hand. "I think I have time to check it out. Would you like toe and join me? I am curious to see what you are talking about, and I have to see the girls breaking a sweat for myself to believe!" I eximed as Lidy took my hand with a smile, standing up with me. As she stood, I looked back and groaned; the seat was wet; so fucking hot. "Oops," Lidy said, but I could tell this was sorry, not sorry. Maybe I might need to do one more thing before I leave on another two-day adventure. Chapter 258 - Spatial Structures, Unruly Subject Lidy and I left the apartment holding hands, and I could immediately hear sounds from the southeast corner of the courtyard. I couldn''t see anything, but I could hear Beeno''s familiar voice calling out for whoever to move faster. "I really wonder what kind of sorcery that woman is using to get the girls to do anything? I really only hear the new girl, Beeno, and she sounds like she is giving them¡­ oh my, what is that thing?" Lidy asked, briefly pausing when we got around the corner of the Keep. There was a massive Ultimate Wipeout, Viking, Ninja Warrior course, unlike anything I had ever seen. "Well, this is something else," I said as we walked over to where Beeno and Mex were standing. Beeno was yelling up at the girls climbing and running up a series ofdders, ropes, tforms, and things. On top of all of that, things were moving around trying to knock people down. "Is this even safe?" Lidy asked, and Beeno stopped yelling and looked over with a shrug. "Should be fine, we have water below, and they are tougher than they look. The Mer-sisters don''t even hit the water when they¡­ MARY, GET YOUR ASS MOVING!" Beeno shouted after turning to look up at the massive structure. Mary seemed to be ying at dodging the swinging poles, but when Beeno yelled, Mary jumped. She started to move again, but she had not been paying attention, and Mary was struck by a massive stone. "Mary!" I called out and started to rush, but Beeno grabbed my arm hard, stopping me. I whirled around, but Mex was already approaching with hands up. "Calm down, Mary is fine. Noel is using her Temporal Construct Magic, and the girls will not be physically harmed. However, they will still gain experience from the training. This is why Mary and Missy decided to try. That and Beeno is very convincing; she knows the art of bribery well," Mex exined to me, and I rxed, but I still turned back to see Mary swimming in her human form. "Why is she not a mermaid now?" I asked Mex, turning my head back, talking out of the corner of my mouth as I watched Mary. She climbed back out the water up adder leading up to a tform with three giant green rubber balls. I watched as Mary expertly bounced across them with little to no effort,nding on a tform on the other side. A massive rope led up to the next section, but this one proved to be a bit more of a challenge for her. Mary was getting tangled, but then her long single snake uncurled and started to help her by reaching up and pulling her up. I looked up higher, and I could see Keri and the Cerberus girls running across a tform about ten feet wide. They were dodging spikes, and I felt like I was sitting at the edge of my seat watching them while still standing. Then what I was scared of happened. Keri must have miss stepped, and I watched in horror as a spike drove up to pierce her heart, making my own stop beating. The moment the spike touched her, Keri exploded into a cloud of smoke. Then a glowing magic circle appeared in the open-air thirty feet above the water. Keri fell screaming to the water and hit with a loud ssh, and my heart started to beat as she broke the surface. I turned to give Mex a look that said, you had better start exining very fast. Before Mex could speak, Lidy put her free hand on my shoulder of the hand she was holding, and I turned back to her. She was wearing a cute knowing smile that made my frustration melt away, and I waited for her to exin. "Noel''s ability was highly sought after for training on Gardania but is a little hard to stomach unless you have actually tried it. I just called her out, and Noel said she woulde. She can ce you in a Spatial Cab like the others are in. Once you are inside, her magic will continuously make copies of you each time you die," Lidy exined, and I nodded but was a bit confused. As much as I like the concept, the revived thing made me think that people would just abuse it. "What about if you die? You just get dropped from thirty feet with a new body, so what is to stop someone from abusing that?" I asked curiously as I pulled her into me, wrapping my other arm around her. "No, you start off getting dropped from five feet, then each death increases the height by five feet to a maximum of one hundred feet. You will get a new body, which can heal slowly, but the fall gets worse, and the fatigue doesn''t go away. Once you are inside of the Spacial Constructed Area, you can only be released by finishing or being let out from your Spacial Cab by Noel herself," Lidy exined. Then Lidy kissed me, and I tightened my arms around her. The kiss was passionate but very short, and after she pulled apart from me, Lidy said, "I need to get back and help the girls get ready for lunch. I will pack you some food for you and Mex while you both try it out." "What? When did you start ordering me around!" Mex demanded from over my shoulder, and the two of us turned to look at him. "Darling, can you tell your unruly subject that he had better listen. Or someone might not be getting special time on the boat anytime soon," Lidy said with a pouty voice as she drew her finger across my chest, staring up into my eyes. I grinned at her and then looked up at Mex, letting my face shift to that of a stone before saying, "You''reing with me." Chapter 259 - Kitty Cat, More Chances In The Future "Hey! I didn''t give you that authority just to p me around with it!" Mexined, but I shrugged. "I also didn''t get it to be held at arm''s reach from what I wanted! Mistakes were made, but now we just have to roll with the punches! Meaning, you are going up there with me cause shit rolls downhill! You just stepped down into the all-you-can-eat Taco Tuesday Landslide!" I said with augh. I turned from Mex as Lidy left and looked at my cute red cat, who was ring up at the girls. It was almost a bit intimidating to see her like this, but also a bit of a turn-on, and maybe next, I would let her order me around for a change! I slid my hand up the cute ck skirt she was wearing and ced it over her nice soft little red ass, and suddenly Beeno''s body rxed. She turned to me and then basically melted into my chest like butter. This cute little thing wasn''t going to be telling me anything when I had my hands on her body. Our first encounter seemed to have left asting impression, and then the second one only carved it into her deeper. "I am still confused as to how you got the girls to start this and to keep going," I said as Beeno cuddled into my chest. "I give them proper motivation, and they two seemed to have goodpetitive spirits. I really thought that I was going to have to try harder. Still, with red meat and fish as the reward, the two girls are more than willing to make an effort," Beeno exined and then kissed my chest before pulling away from me. After my hands left Beeno, she resumed her previous demeanor of the drill sergeant and started to yell up at the girls again. I turned back to Mex, who now looked up at the structure with a pained look on his face. I had no pity for him; the man hardly ever put in any effort to get stronger. Mex would instead just spend his days trying to fix all the minor problems everyone else had. Today, that was all going to change, and from now on, I would be Keeping Mex with me to help him get stronger. "Are you ready for this?" I asked casually as I spotted Noel walking around the Keeps corner. "You don''t know what this is like! Noel is a vile woman that looks kind and nice, but she is a ve driver! See the girls up there? They are on easy mode, as I like to call it! My grandmother is-," Mex raged, but then his words were cut short as Noel tapped on Mex''s shoulder. "What am I?" Noel asked from behind Mex, making him cringe, and his eyes went wide She wore a red and ck dress that looked very nice over her curved hips, where it split down the legs on both sides. Noel had conch shell horns pressed to the side of her head and blonde hair that streamed around them. "Umm, you are, umm, my favorite-," Mex started to say, but then a door into reality opened, sucking him inside. "What about you? Do you want a hard or expert level? Mex is going on expert for his mouthing off and won''te out until hepletes it. I will let you out after an hour or whenever youplete it," Noel exined to me, and I gave her a raised eyebrow as she walked over to stand in front of me. I looked down on her with a smile; she was pretty, but like Beeno, I got the strangest feeling of a cat-like presence. It was bing more and more present, and I was curious what might be causing it? [Something to do with the forms that they will be changing back to. Still, I have been getting strange but simr energy reading from almost all of the Demon women near you. Whatever they are going to be, they are unique and special. I think that they were some legendary beast, but where the Positive Energy came from is beyond what I know.] "Better give me the same, but what is the difference, Kitty Cat?" I asked yfully, and Noel gave me a surprised look. "Hard you experience the deaths; on expert, you get to feel the pain. You also won''t be in the same ce as the others. The girls can''t see each other, and you see the basic skeleton for the Tower of Training or Terror if you pick Expert level¡­ I don''t know why you called me that name¡­ but if you can beat the first tower in less than an hour, I will let you call me by that, and kiss me once," Noel exined but turned away as she said thest parts when she started to pause. Interesting, and it made it out to more than just one tower, and gods knew I loved a good challenge. The pain part didn''t sound like fun, but I couldn''t chicken out when Mex did the same thing. I wouldn''t need to take him with me if Noel was going to train him, which meant I should be able to move faster. I was hoping to have him with me to deal with the Manticore, but I was the most challenging thing on the ind; I shouldn''t have too much trouble. "Deal, but can the deal also include more chances in the future to win more of these kinds of prizes?" I asked yfully, and I could see purple starting to stain Noel''s cheeks. "I¡­ umm, suppose, but you need to finish this first!" Noel said, sounding a bit worked up. "Sure, sure, but I just want to make sure that we have all thingsid out now, so there are no misconceptionster, right?" I asked seductively. I tried to lean close to her ear, but that was when the vacuum of space started up behind me.. Before I could get close, I was sucked into a different reality, then I was hitting almost scalding water. Chapter 260 - Boiled Alive, Dealing With Balls My body got used to the water really fast, but it was like being in a pot of water being brought to a boil. [It is, so I suggest you get moving, or you are going to be boiled alive!] I didn''t need to be told twice, but what I couldn''t figure out was why I was even feeling the heat. I made it to thedder and pulled myself up and out of the water, body steaming as I did. [You have ess to your Shaman ss while inside of here. People get used to relying on their sses, but there are things that can stop your ss from working. I think it would be in your best interest to learn to make your body stronger.] I pulled myself up onto the five-foot cube thedder was attached to and finally took a look around. There were the three balls I had seen Mary bounce across, but now they looked much farther apart. On top of that, they were now yellow, and they weren''t in a straight line. "How the hell am I supposed to get¡­ who are you? ...What are you doing with that hammer..." After being on the cube for all of five seconds, a man appeared out of thin air with a massive hammer. It had a massive spike on the mallet, and the strange man wearing a tuxedo smiled at me, making my voice trail off. "Oh fuck! Wait! AHHH FUCK!!" I screamed as the hammer moved at a blinding speed. I felt the massive spike m into me and then out my back sending a pain like nothing I had ever experienced. I was knocked off my feet as I screamed out in pain, but then I died, and I was screaming as I hit the water again. [I suggest that you move fast, or you are never going to make it to the top!] ''Thanks for that word of warning.'' [You needed that because it''s only going to get worse, so I suggest that you make sure that If you are going to die, make sure it is instantaneous death.] That was good advice, and I prepared myself to move as I started to climb up thedder for the second time. I couldn''t be messing around this time, or I was going to get killed again. It had hurt, but my immunity to fear made it a lot better, but I was worried about Mex. This could be very hard on the mental state, and I was not looking forward to my subsequent encounter with the blonde-haired, in-faced man in a tuxedo. I climbed onto the floating cube, immediately getting up and attempting to jump to the first ball. I had watched many of the game shows and had always wanted to try them, but this was biting off more than I could chew. The moment I hit the ball, I sunk into it in slow motion; my hands and feet sunk in deep. Then my hands and feet were ejected, causing me to be flung into the air doing summersaults. I had no chance to react, it all happened so fast, and then I smashed an invisible wall, breaking my neck, and instantly killing me. Then I fell back into the boiling soup, and I pped hard into the water. [That was unexpected. You might not be able to make good on this bet you made.] I was already climbing back out thedder, but I was already starting to feel the strain from this, and it was only my third time! I was not going to give up, but I needed to start using my head. Hero was right, and I clearly was relying too much on my elemental powers. I needed to work on figuring things out. Then I closed my eyes, and all sound stopped as I sat down in the center of my mind''s maze. Then Harold appeared with sandy brown hair, loose khakis, and a white t-shirt. He was still wearing the same clothes from when I saw him before entering the world for the second time. "Well, at least this still works, and we should have a model now from what I have seen before," I exined as I started to try and create the tower, but nothing happened. "We cane in here, but your creative power is in your real body," Harold exined as he leaned back on two legs of his chair. That was frustrating, but this was better than nothing, and it gave me time to think. I had watched Mary go across them with no problem, but the course had changed, and now everything was different. "What is the pole in the center of the room for? All of this stuff is floating up in the air, but there is still a huge pole in the center of it all, but what is the point?" I asked Harold, and he nodded. "That is how all the structures are controlled," Harold exined and then asked, "How do you n on dealing with the balls?" "If they are soft, I will have to try covering more area," I said and then opened my eyes. The sounds came back rushing into my ears, and the heat from the water below me radiated up. It was very easy to forget about that after stepping inside my mind where everything was the perfect temperature. I wasted no time the moment that I got up top and ran and jumped at the first floating ball, but it was ck now. The moment I hit it, I felt ribs crack, and along with my nose, that smashed into the ball that was rock hard now. I was alive and still on the ball, but the next one was still yellow, and I was having trouble even getting up with all the pain in my chest.. I wasn''t going to make it, so I just threw myself at the ball to test out a theory. Chapter 261 - Oh Boy, Looks Fun I hit the yellow ball with my shoulder, sinking into its top as I did, but then I wasunched up. I flew up and thennded on a cube-like the one I had just got climbed upon with a hard thump. I closed my eyes tight, but I didn''t drop into my mind. There was no point in it; I would after I was on thedder. I put my hands over my head as I waited for the man in the tuxedo to appear. He never came, so Iid there for a bit, letting my body heal slowly as I did. [Looks like you might have a chance after all, but I think that you will have to hurry once you get up.] I nodded to myself and slowly spun myself around to face a winding path that led up. Every five feet of the bridge section looked cracked, and jagged lines were running through each. ''What do you make of this?'' [I saw the girls using them before, and they were dropping out, but the girls seemed to be able to know where to walk. I didn''t see them long enough or from a good angle, so I had no way to make out the pattern they were moving in.] Well, I could just jump on the sections every five feet, but nothing was holding up this spiraling tform. There was a good chance that these could even break open at those points, but this was my best choice with the info I had. Before getting up, I turned my buoy around to look at what was behind me, and when I did, I could see that I had skipped a level. This was good, but I looked down at the second ball that I had used to bounce upon, and it was ck. The third ball was still yellow, but the middle ball was the only way that I could get up here so quickly. I turned back to my next challenge and started to study it some more; I needed to keep moving forward, or I might not be able to make it. [I suggest you move fast and don''t stop. The more you think, the more you will not be paying attention. Just give it shit like you are in some crazy game show; don''t let failure be an option! You can do this!] I could feel my heart start to pump, Hero''s words got me fired up, and he was right. If I thought about this too much, I would just bring more problems and what if''s into my head to distract me. "Thanks, boss, I got this. No amount of worrying or wishing will ever change what will happen," I said as I got myself ready to go. [Wish in one hand, and then shit in the other, and see which gets fuller faster. Only the things you can touch and affect matter, and you will never get your wishes by wishing for them.] That was a good point, and now I was pumped, and I sprung up, leaping to the first section. Inded, and the section behind me opened up, but I didn''t stop and kept going. tform broke open behind me, but the center sections never fell, and I was able to make it across seven sections. Then the pattern changed, and the floor became filled with ten-inch floor sections with holes in the center. I didn''t need to be told what this was; I remembered watching Keri almost getting impaled. This time I would not have the same luxury, but I didn''t slow and burst forward. Then the clicking started, and I was dodging a spike a momentter. Step left, turned, and curved my body as a spike stabbed up and cut my arm, but I kept going. The clicking was starting to intensify, and after another seven sections, the sides became walled with a room. [Oh boy.] I ignored Harold and started to really listen to the clicks, and I dodged, spun, and dove, slowly picking up a pattern. Left, right, left, floor, right, and then the roof, and repeat. This section was much longer, and I had no way to see how much longer it would be; all I could do was focus on the pattern and its increasing speed. Even knowing the pattern didn''t prevent me from getting hurt; it only told me where to be aware. The spikes were starting toe faster than I could tell, and my cuts were starting to pile up. I was covered in blood, but my sweat stinging in the cuts kept me on edge. Then it happened. A spike came for my face, and I was already moving into it; momentum prevented me from moving in time. As the ck spike drove to my face, I did the only thing I could think of in a split second. I punched it. The ck spike shattered, and like the sun had burned the fog away, I could see what I needed to do. Like a whip, hair raised as my excitement for the thrill of a fight-filled me like pure fire. Dodging things were fine, but I was built to fight back. I started to track the clicks differently, slowing right down, forcing the click to slow as well. The spike came, but I was able to track them, and I smashed every one of them as they came, slowly moving forward. My fist was getting sliced, but I healed fast enough that I could switch hands to let the other heal. Still, the path felt like it was never-ending, but I didn''t mind this part of it. With every spike hit and smashed into shards, my reaction increased, and they became easier to track. My pace started to increase, and then I started to sprint, only smashing the ones that would hit me. Then I saw the red light pouring in up ahead, and there was another giant cube waiting for me that I threw myself one to. Ahead there were hanging long ropes and massive swinging ax des between them. [Looks like fun.] Chapter 262 - Run, Prepare Yourself Iid t, and Tuxedo Maskless never came, but I was getting frustrated. [I really can''t seem to figure out a pattern that you can use to make it through without getting chopped in half. The speeds are constantly changing, and there is no pattern to the changes.] I could see that, and I was trying to figure out how I was going to make it past this part. I looked up, and all the ropes were attached to a one-foot wide I-beam. If I could climb up to the top, I might be able to cheat and cross, but that was cheating¡­ Wait! Who gives a fuck if I cheat! I got up and dashed forward, leaping and grabbing the rope. I scurried up it and then pulled myself up, allowing me a better look at my surroundings. It looked like the rest of the sections were covered as far as I could see. If I stayed up here, I might be able to make the rest of the way to the top with ease! [Tuxedo Maskless! RUN!] I didn''t look; I just ran and burst forward as I heard the swish behind me. Looks like there were rules, but I was already here, and I didn''t want to start over; I was too close to the goal and my kiss. "Zackery Foreman, you are outside the course''s intended area!" Tuxedo Maskless said with a straight face as he jumped over another hammer strike as he appeared beside me from thin air. Inded on the roof out the next section and then rolled to dodge another strike. Each time Tuxedo Maskless would appear, there would be a shimmer of him just before it happened. From that, I judged where the next attack woulde from with the position of the outline he made pre-attack. Still, this man was fast, but the course had been teaching me that the rules here were more of suggestions. "I can not allow you to keep this up. You must return to the course," Tuxedo Maskless said in a calm, level voice, but I intercepted his strike this time. ting my foot and stepping inside the hammer''s strike area, I grabbed the hammer just below the head and kicked Tuxedo Maskless. I broke his grip, still holding the hammer, letting its momentum spin me as the man somehow caught himself in the air and shot back for me. I let the hammer slide in my hands and caught it at the end as I wrapped it around. I timed the swing and drove the spike into Tuxedo Maskless. The surprised look on his face was priceless as he exploded into a cloud, but I didn''t wait. A new shiver was already appearing, but this time it was different, but I swung the hammer to meet the simmering de. Sparks exploded from our weapons as an armored version of Tuxedo Maskless appeared, but my strike blew his greatsword back. I swung around lightning fast, golfed him into smoke like thest time, and then sprinted up the metal-ted path. The shimmer came from above, but I was getting used to looking for the shimmer and jumped into the air into a front flip. The hammer strike turned another knight with a battle-ax into smoke before he could fully form, and then they started to attack in pairs. The first came from my right with a downward battle ax strike, but I turned him into dust before he could get close. I let go of the hammer and threw myself sideways as the great sword de shed over me horizontally from the left. I nted my hand and kicked up hard, connecting with the de''s t, sending it up in the air and the remaining knight off bnce. I rolled with the kick, spinning around to face the knight, and shot forward before he could recover. I grabbed the hit of the great sword that the knight was holding and then nted my feet on his chest. I could sense the one reappearing behind me, and I kicked off the one fighting me for his sword, ripping it out of his hands. The knight was sent flying off the metal trail into the open-air wordlessly. I drove the greatsword into the shimmering area using my momentum before the other knight formed again, twisting. The second the double-ded battle ax appeared in his hand, and he exploded, I snatched it. I hit the metal decking and rolled but used the big weapons to stop myself, but I stayed down for a moment. Nothing happened, and I breathed out and took a few more breaths. This was almost worse than fighting the dragons, and I had no powers to augment myself. [This is why it''s so vital for you to get better like this. This will help you in the future as well. Think how well this will be if you can augment what you learn here with what you already know?] All excellent points and the metal deck ended up ahead. I was almost at the top; the fight had constantly been moving me forward, and now I had less than twenty feet left to go. Then the shimmer started again, but it was all three this time, and they were now blocking me from the end. Tuxedo Maskless was the only one with a weapon, and he stepped forward. "You can not go any farther. You must return, or we will be forced to use extreme measures," Tuxedo Maskless told me as I got up with the tworge weapons, both of them lowered. "What happens if I can get past you? If I get to the tform behind you, do I still not win?" I asked as I rolled my shoulders and casually stretched my neck. For the first time, I saw annoyance cross Tuxedo Maskless face. Then it was gone just as fast as it came. Looks like I must have hit a nerve, and this guy must not like people that take the easy way. That was not how I saw this; this was still training, but it was my way. "Prepare yourself, Ie," Tuxedo Maskless said, and the three of them merged. Chapter 263 - Wall, A Single Kiss Tuxedo Maskless and the two knight versions of himbined, but he was still the same. Or that is what I thought. Suddenly, Tuxedo Maskless was in front of me, and I was barely able to block his strike. I was sent back another ten feet, and there was a downward strike before I could react. I tried to block, but I was driven down, and I wasn''t going to be able to stop the hammer. I rolled to the side, and I was forced to drop the battle-ax as I did. Tuxedo Maskless was literally three times as strong and as fast as he was before when I fought him. Fighting with him now was like fighting someonepletely different and using two weapons meant to be wielded with two hands. Then one of the Knights split off from Tuxedo Maskless to grab up the battle-ax as he rushed me. I sprung up, bringing the sword up in an arch, deflecting the hammer strike that wasn''t as strong as before. I quickly switched grip and shed through Tuxedo Maskless, but he turned to smoke, and the knight wasing for me. I was done messing around and turned to sprint to the top, hearing the knights pounding footsteps, trying to catch me. Tuxedo tried to shimmer into my way, but I time my cut, and he was blown into smoke. I had ten feet to go, but then I stopped and whirled. [WALL!] The force of me hitting some kind of invisible wall with my back almost knocked the wind out of me as I hit it. I had heard Hero at the veryst second, and instinct made me spin, and now I was heaving to get my breath back; even my magical body was being pushed here. Tuxedo Maskless and his knight copy were standing with knowing smiles but noting to attack me. They had been ying me for a fool this entire time. "You must defeat me alone, or you shall not pass," Tuxedo Maskless told me as the knight walked up beside him. Since I just turned him to smoke even when there were two, that must mean that I needed to fight him alone. That meant holding two of the weapons while defeating him, but he was too fast for me to react when he was that fast. [You need to train your body like you have been to get to the point, but you need to hurry up, or you are going to run out of time! You have been in you for fifty minutes, and you are going to be taken out before youplete if you don''t hurry up!] I gritted my teeth and the sword, narrowing my eyes and the two Tuxedo Maskless, and sucked in a deep breath. Ten minutes was a lot of time, but I was going to have to switch up the way I was doing things. I burst forward, but I targeted the knight copy, smashed him back without killing him, then turned to the real one. I rushed and started to attack viciously, but I ensured that my attacks were not as strong. Tuxedo was able to keep up with me, and the two of us picked up speed, but then I felt the copying from behind. I increased my power to full and smashed Tuxedo Maskless back and then whirling back with a horizontal sh to intercept the Knight copy. I spun back through the smoke and then dashed forward to attack Tuxedo Maskless again, but I had to decrease my power more this time. I was getting stronger fast, but I needed more, and I increased my strikes until he failed to keep up and was blown into smoke. I could feel the battle-axing for my head, but I let go of the great sword with one hand and snapped my hand up to stop it. The sharp ax head hit the palm of my hand and stopped without breaking the skin. I pulled forward, ripping it out of the Knights, and spun to cut him in half with my other hand. I finished my arc through the smoke and flipped my new weapon around, so I had the battle ax''s hand in my hand correctly. "So, are you ready to fight me seriously now? Good, I was concerned that my master interest in you might be blind, but it does seem that you can learn given the right motivation. That will be enough; you pass the first tower''s test. My name is Sigma, and I look forward to our many challenges in the future. That is if you have the stomach to try again," Sigma told me and then disappeared into a puff of smoke along with the weapons in my hands. I was left in with a stunned look on my face, still not really sure what just happened. Did I just win? [Not if you keep standing here!] Hero was right, and the timer he had put up said thirty seconds. My brain clicked back on, and I sprinted thest twenty feet, jumping on the metal decking down to the final cube. There was a pedestal in the center of it, and after dropping down ten feet and rolling forward, I got up and pped the button. Instantly, the world around me was sucked in, and I was back in the dark ce and then being spit back out. I was able to catch myself in the air, and I stuck thending, but Noel was there waiting for me. Before I could even finishnding, Noel kissed me, and I was knocked off bnce, and I fell over. [Really? After all that, and a single kiss knocks you off your feet from a grandma?] Noel was already walking back to the house at high speed, and I decided toy here for a bit longer. There is no point in trying to chase her; I would just have to keep ying her games to try and get closer to the shy Tsunadere woman. For now, it was time to get the next part of my day started, dealing with thest girl.. Tiga and my so-called idiot father. Chapter 264 - Mini-Repair People, Like A Lion That Got Fucked Bird That Got Fucked By A Scorpion? I gave onest look at the girls up on the tower, and the thing still didn''t look nearly as bad as it was before. It was probably because of the difficulty level that I had chosen. Again, I was curious about how Mex might be doing. *za: He finally got past the balls, but now is being cut up by the des on the rope¡­ nope, he slipped and cut his throat¡­ yup forty-foot drop this time. You know this is the best show I have seen!* I turned to Beeno and then crept up behind her, slipped my arms around her, and kissed her neck. The moment I did, her either body rxed like jello into my arms as she turned her head to me. "Mmm, did you have fun? I don''t think you could see me, but I was watching you, and that was a very impressive fight that you had. I really wasn''t sure if you were going to make it, but you seemed to always have another surprise waiting," Beeno said to me, and I just smiled at her and then gave her a kiss. "It was fun, and I will be trying it out again in the future. I hope that you have a good day, but no, I need to get going to deal with everything else," I said to Beeno and then gave her another kiss. "Good, maybe next time I will join you, and we can have some fun," Beeno said as I let her go. I shook my head and turned back to the apartment, and I could see something like a leather backpack sitting outside the front door. Lidy must have packed something for me to eat on my trip, but I was surprised to find how heavy the bag was. I opened the leather pack up and looked in at the contents, filled with food and two things that I hadn''t seen in a while. [Well, you are more of a fist-type person, so I can see why you haven''t required them. Still, now that you will be alone, the Fire Sword and Loose-Leaf Dagger can be used for cooking and preparing foods.] That was true, and I closed the pack up and slung it over my shoulder. Now that I had everything and got some good morning exercise, it was time to go. I activated my Fire Pact Aspect. My body became pure fire, giving me a familiar feeling I had missed while in the tower. I started to lift into the air until I was far up in the sky above everything. Then when I was out of range of the apartment, I pointed at the small mountainous area that I knew to be my target. [Yes, I have the ce marked on the map, so you should have no problem making it there. I also took the liberty to scan the ind again now that you are stronger and have aplete map of everything. This will include all the viges and some other important ces that you might want to check out before we leave.] ''Yes, that is all dependent on how long this takes with Tiga and her father. I am hoping that I can just scoop Tiga up, and her father is nothing like Mex described him, but I am never that lucky.'' [You are right about your luck, but honestly, there isn''t a creature on this ind that could say no to you. Even if one did, a simple narrowing of your eyes or a st of your Orgasmoura would bring many to their knees. For now, I think that you should be able to enjoy the rest of your time on the ind since there isn''t really much left for you to do. Nothing can or will even make an attempt to attack you.] Well, that alone was a relief, and there were a few things that I wanted to check up on before leaving. Since I hade to this world, there had been some oddities that I had ignored, but now that I had time, I was curious. [Yes, like those bugs! I was agitated when you just ignored them! Think about it! Bugs using tools! If that can do that, then they must have some kind of way tomunicate, right? If you could somehow get them toe work for you, then you would have teams of mini-repair people!] That was true, and I hadn''t really thought about that at the time. There had been so much going on with the girls at the time, and it had been easy to overlook. ''True, but where do I find them, and how do I talk to them?" I asked as I neared the mountain. It wasn''t enormous, but it was rock, and it poked out above the trees, so it was a mountain in my mind. I started to circle to the west until I saw the single cave that had been marked out on the map for me. [I have various locations for you to check to see if we can find them. As for how to talk to them? I haven''t really figured that part out. I am sure that we will think of something, but I do think that it is worth checking out.] ''Sure, but now we have to deal with this problem. We can go check out the bugster.'' I lowered myself down,nding on the small ledge at the opening of the cave. I looked into the dark cave, but I didn''t see anything, so I turned around. Behind me was a nice view of the ind''s west side and the ocean, but when I looked down, I was confused. Before I could even think, I heard wings pping from above me. [You havepany above. The Manticore seems to have noticed you] I looked up, and the thing that I saw was something right out of a scienceb. No one part of it made sense. [That''s what it''s supposed to look like.] ''Huh? Like a lion that got fucked bird that got fucked by a scorpion?'' Chapter 265 - Uh Oh, Cute Voice "Who are you, and what are you doing here? I do not recognize you from anywhere on the ind, and you are not a Demon," The Manticore questioned me, and I nodded to him. "My name is Zack, and I am the new non-Demon Lord of the ind, and I am friends with Mex," I said to the strangebination of a red lion, bird, and scorpion. The Manticore was pping its wings above me, but when I mentioned Mex, the lion''s face turned sour. "You still never said why you were here. Mex should know that this ce is off-limits! I get that he helped me, but I don''t want anything else from that woman stealer!" The Manticore shouted at me, and I swore I saw a tear in his eye. Oh great, so this is why Mex never wanted toe, but who was this woman that he stole? Candace? "Who did he steal from you? I can''t really see Mex being the type to do something like that," I questioned the creature. This seemed to be the thing that was making the two of them dislike each other so much. So, I should probably get to the root of this problem before telling the beast I was here to take his daughter. "The love of my life! She was so sweet, and her fur looked so soft with its gentle blue color. Her face was that of a mermaid and the grace of a dragon!" The Manticore told me in a lovey-dovey tone that waspletely different than the one he had just used. [Oh great, this fool probably never even talked to her! I can see why Mex might have talked shit about him; wait, is he crying now?] "Alright, so it is Candace then? The sphinx girl?" I asked, and the now sad-looking Manticore and he nodded, so I continued to say, "Well, that was ages ago, and they are getting married at some point." The Manticore stopped pping and then fell out of the air. [Uh-oh!] I looked over the edge, but the Manticore was just below it, pping again. Oh great, now we have a drama queen! "You okay?" I asked, but the Manticore was crying. This was awkward as fuck, and I wasn''t really sure if I should just wait till he was finished or leave him to cry on his own. *All Elementals: Leave him!* [I agree, and you are usually good at helping people who need it, but you are not trained to deal with this level of sorry sucker.] I started to turn from the ledge, but then I heard the beast calling to me again. I turned back with a groan, rolling my eyes as I did; I could already hear the while in his voice. "Wait! Where are you going! That is my daughter in there, and I am protecting her from her witch of a mother! She is all I have left!" The Manticore cried out desperately, and I groaned out loud. "Listen, umm, what is your name?" I asked. "Cbro!" The crying lion wailed. "Sure, Cbro, I am here to take care of your daughter and look after her. You need to go find a hobby or something," I told him and started to turn again. "Huh? What? Wait! Her mother!" Cbro wailed. "I will deal with her! Now, are you done?! I have other things that I want to do after I help your daughter," I told him, trying to keep my temper with this sniveling creature. "What am I supposed to do now?! Be alone till I die?! I will be alone forever!" The Manticore cried. *za: Tell him to go see Mex, and I will shorten his time on this dirtball!* "You are going to have to find something to do. Maybe go try to be helpful to someone, or something like that, okay? I will see your daughter that you have had to keep cooped up in a dark ce, and I am going to give her a better life. If you can do that, then get to it, and I will leave, but if not, do as I say," I said with my voice getting low. "Fine, I will go!" Cbro dered, turning and then flying off to the southeast. I didn''t like to be such a jerk to the guy, and I was sure that he would get into a fight with Mex. Cbro would get a surprise, and I wouldn''t be surprised if one of the women there didn''t tune him in to make the ruckus that he was sure to make. I turned back to the dark cave finally and started to walk forward. I let go of my aspect, switched to my Earth Force Pact, and then slipped into the ground. I became one with the rock and began gliding through the rock and angling down to the cavern that I could sense below. I could have walked down, but the path was spiraling and would waste time. There was no way to get up here other than flying, so this ce was safe from most demons, so there was no maze-like area. Still, I had many things I wanted to see and do before leaving, so I didn''t want to waste my entire day dealing with this. I popped out of the stone cavern roof and fell about fifty feet down to a sandy rock area, but my stone body absorbed it. There was a pool of walled-in front of me and glowing moss almost everywhere. The entire ce was lit with a low and dull yellow-green light that gave the ce a mystical look. "Hello? Who are you, and how did you get past my father?" A female voice asked from the water that I could only assume to be Tiga''s, but I couldn''t see her. "My name is Zack, and Mex asked me toe and take care of you so you can leave this ce and have a normal life," I said with no preamble. "Oh, are you sure?" Tiga asked in a cute voice, and I heard the water ssh. Chapter 266 - Drugged, RhinoEasyArrowLickLickYellow WallEasyIcicleRhinoDemon I looked over to the sound of the sshing water and spotted a girl with hair as green as grass. Tiga slowly came closer and out of the water, revealing a tail like her father''s, but different andcking a spike. "Yes, and the soon we get out of here, the better! I want to go and explore the ind, and you are more than wee toe and join me. I do have a question; what have you been eating? Are there fish, or¡­" I asked with my voice trailing off. "Wait, you have only seen the top of me, but you might not feel the same after you see what I have hidden below the water. I am not as pretty as you might assume! Tiga dered in a cute voice that sounded painful, but if she didn''t have a dick, I was pretty sure I could fix it. Then I watched as she slowly came to the rest of the way, and a mass of massive green tentacles moved under her. I tried very hard to keep my expression neutral, but my eyes continued to get bigger. "See! I know you would be horrified!" Tiga cried out, but I was instantly beside her using abination of Pacts and Totems. "Shh, you are fine. The big eyes are because I never thought such a beautiful creature could exist!" I eximed as I pulled her hands down to reveal a shocked-looking face. "What? Huh? Beautiful?" Tiga asked as her green skin started to turn a deep pink. Oh boy, this girl even blushes cutely! Thatbined with her amazing bodying, ample chest, and some r-rated bullshit from the porn gods themself. I reached down and took hold of one of her tentacles, and I felt some of her suckerstch onto my hand. The skin was smooth and rubbery, but the color was spectacr, grass green to royal purple in a pearlescent hue that changed as they moved. I started to feel the other tentacles start to loop into my legs and up, then exploratively. This girl seemed pretty timid, but maybe she was thirstier than I thought, and I pushed down one of the buggers that were going up my shorts to my backside! "I am so sorry! I can only partially control them, but they have a mind of their own sometimes! See! I am a big pervert too!" Tiga cried, and her tentacles started tosh out, tearing my shorts right off me; cheap bastards! I had a hold of Tiga, but she seemed to be losing control, but then her skin started to glow, and shit started to get weird. Things started to distort and then sharpen, creating patterns in everything. Suddenly I was distracted by everything, and one thing just distracted me to the next. Then I was in the water, and it was distorting but rxing; there were colors everywhere, and I couldn''t breathe. [YellowOrangeUpside NaughtyEasyEasyDemon TallyOrange GravyEasyTally UpsidePeanut OrangeRhino YellowOrangeUpside WillyIcicleLickLick DemonIcicleEasy] The sound was like words smashed in my mind and forced out of random echoing microphones. The screaming was getting quieter, but then I was pulled back out of the way, but things were still getting quieter as I forgot to breathe again. [BaconRhinoEasyArrowTallyHideEasy YellowOrangeUpside IcicleDemonIcicleOrangeTally!] Then something soft pushed on my face, and the air was forced into my lungs, and I lit on fire. That made me freak out for about thirty seconds as whatever was done to me was burned off. Then I rolled over and started to cough out steam clouds instead of water. Something had just happened like I was drugged, and I was still sending slight traces of patterns trying to form in my vision. That had been like getting a super dose of acid, and it was hard to believe how close I was to dying. I would have to deal with whatever caused that, and I was pretty sure I knew the culprit, but It wasn''t really her fault. I looked up as my fires died down, but Tiga was back in the water, and she looked scared. I guess that she thought I might be mad, but I wasn''t. If it was from her secretions or something like that, and I have just got a super dose, then it was no big deal. It was my fault for getting so up close and personal with her. [Can you understand me yet?] ''Yeah, but you were talking in fastbinations of words, but I couldn''t make them out.'' [Yes, I recorded myself saying them because I was trying to talk usually, but it wasing out in a strange code that I wrote down. Maybe if you get Tiga to use her Magic in you again, you will be able to get more of whatever the code is; it might be important.] That was true, but I wasn''t sure what that was going to do to help me. The other side was that Tiga used Magic on me, but I was some strange guy, so I was still at fault. "Hey, sorry about that!" I called over to her, and she gave me a surprised look. "Sorry? I am the one that almost got you killed because I got too excited and couldn''t control my Reality Blending Magic! What is wrong with you?" Tiga asked in surprise as I got back up. I decided that I would have my discussion over here this time, so I didn''t get her to work up, but I was surprised how easily I was affected. I should have been able to lessen the effect with how strong I was, but it had no effect. [She holds more than half of her mother''s power and is emotionally stronger than you with Magic. While you are stronger normally, she has a type of hidden power because of her mother''s Magic.] "Bah! It was my fault for getting too close to you too quickly. So, what do you say? Are you ready to get out of this ce?" I asked as I started to walk back over to the water towards Tiga. "Did you not just see what happened?!" Tiga shouted at me as I walked into the cool water with a grin. Chapter 267 - Free, Sticking It In A Dirt Storm "Yes, but I think I can help with that, just don''t get too excited. If you let me take care of you, I can help you get your powers under control," I exined to her, but Tiga didn''t look convinced. "No! I can''t leave here! My father has been protecting me from my crazy mom that wants to eat me!" Tiga cried as I slowly waded into the water. "Don''t you worry about her; I already dealt with your mother once when I was a weakling. So now I shouldn''t even have to look at her to keep her back; plus, If she starts causing trouble, we will be the ones that are eating her!" I dered. Tiga gave me a strained look, and the water near her started to froth, and I stopped. I wasn''t sure what her range was for whatever she had used on me, but I was prepared for it this time. "Who are you, and how can you be so confident of yourself?" Tiga asked me with shock; her tentacles were causing the water to undte and boil around her. "Mex gave me his ce as Demon Lord, and I killed Doa who killed Neft. I am the strongest, and only Demon Lord left on this ind, but I have also been helping everyone I can before leaving. I will help you learn to control your powers so you can be stronger, or you can just rx with the other girls, but you will have to help out," I exined, and suddenly Tiga froze. "Girls? Rx? Get stronger? Free?" Tiga asked with a confused but partially hopeful look growing. My body became clear and blue as I activated my Water Pact Aspect, and I let the air around us filled with snakes. I told my mind what I wanted to have around me, and my intense control over water made the snakes swirl and twist around us. "All of those things, you just have to agree," I said, and I parted a path three feet deep and two wide and walked over to where Tiga was stunned, floating in the water. Tiga didn''t even look like she was breathing as she watched me. I was walking on top of the surface of the path and the snakes around her. When I finally reached her, I offered Tiga my hand with a smile. "One step at a time, but I will show you the world if you let me. You have a lonely life with only a crying father to keep youpany. Let me take you to meet many girls of different races, shapes, and sizes," I exined, but Tiga looked away for a moment, then looked back before speaking. "My father does cry, but he is a good man. If I go, you have to bring him along and find him, someone!" Tiga dered with a determined look that made me take a step back in surprise. [Ah shit, of course, she would pull this shit.] "Fireden: Toss her back!* *Grogvel: Sounds like too much work.* *Windorf: So, you just need to fall in the water, and then you absorb into the rock, then make a clean getaway!* *za: an extortionist! I like this one! You should definitely keep her!* *Wataluga: Oh, for the love of Elementari! What is wrong with you that the Dark Elemental has morepassion than you three!* *za: Elementari can suck Phenox''s Burning cock!* *Kali: Tell Phenox to stop sticking it in dirty wind storms then, and it won''t burn as bad!* *Fireden: Get rekt cock cheese; you got drenched!* *Wataluga: That is not how the saying goes!* I ignored the rest of the chat and smiled down at Tiga, nodding against my own better judgment. Still, this girl didn''t deserve this. Plus, her father had already run off to more than likely go try to confront Mex, who was busy. Who knows, Calbro might already be working his way into the pot. "Yes, I will take your father with us. He did save you from your crazy mother after all," I said, and Tiga finally rxed and smiled, reaching up to take my hand. I took hers in mine and confirmed that I would take care of her in my mind, causing her to burst with light. I watched as she grew two legs, and then her eight tentacles moved back to surround her strange scorpion tail. Once the light faded, I helped her climb up on the path I was standing on, allowing her to stand on it like I was. Tiga was wide-eyed, but before she could talk, I put a finger to her lips and started to back up. Tiga followed, but I was sweating by the time she got back to the shore with me. It was weird because I was man-made out of water. The strain of doing so many things at once had been fine at first. I pushed too hard, and I still wasn''t used to doing so much at once. The moment Tiga had stepped up, that was like I had to double my concentration to let her walk on water. It was something to keep in mind for the future. [Controlling the water is easy, but using it to move things is much more challenging. Earth and Wind are better for that.] I dropped down to just my Fire Force Pact and then smiled at Tiga, examining her new body. I stepped back, and she looked terrific, but the way her nine tails looked like an undting flower was remarkable. "How did you do something so drastic?! Am I dreaming? How can I be so different? What are you?!" Tiga asked me in shouts of confusion, and I just grinned down at her with a big goofy smile. "I am just a man looking to help the people that need it if I can. You have been stuck here because of your idiot mother, and I n on changing that.. So, now are you ready to meet all the rest of the girls and your new family? I think that we need to go stop your father from getting himself killed," I told Tiga, and she gave me big eyes. Chapter 268 - Ass Kicking, Thank You For Everything Tiga climbed into my arms as I lit with fire and spiraled up and out of the cave. I didn''t think the girls would hurt him, but I had no idea what Beeno might do if he tried to interrupt her training. "Do you think that my father will be alright?" Tiga asked, and I nodded as we got closer to the exit. "We will be there in very little time; just hold on. The worst thing that will happen is that Noel put him into the training course with Mex, who will already be in a nasty mood. Still, then the two of them can''t die," I exined, and the bust from the cave before she could reply, rocketing in the direction the Calbro had gone in. I could see the Keep right away, but I didn''t see the red Manticore anywhere in the air. I headed to where therge tower was standing that I had scaled earlier and dropped down to the ground with Tiga. Beeno hardly noticed, but I could see why as I put Tiga down and looked up at the tower more closely. Now that I was at the ground level, I could see the very one-sided fight that was going on. What is my father doing?!" Tiga cried as her father, in a human-like form, jumped at a very grumpy-looking Mex. Mex turned almost as fast as I would have and sucker-punched the Manticore man hard in the face, and he smashed back into the cube. Tiga screamed, but Calbro exploded into smoke and then fell out of a magic circle twenty-five feet above the water. "Don''t worry, he will be mostly fine. The two can work together to get out, and they can die as many times as they need. Nothing we can do about it until they are done," I exined to Tiga, pulling her back around to me. "What?" Tiga said with confusion, but I let go of her arms and offered her a hand. "Come, I will introduce you to the girls and then can show you around. Don''t worry about your father; this will help him get stronger like you wanted, so don''t worry about him for now," I exined, and then Beeno spoke up. "Don''t worry about the flying cat; Mex has beenying an ass kicking into him since he got here and flew directly in. Noel forced him into the body after he was killed the first time. So now he will have to work with Mex, or they will be in there till they do," Beeno said casually without turning away from watching the men. "I guess this is what my father needs. He is alwaysining about Mex, but he is the one that helped me find that cave for me to stay in. I think if my father can get over his obsession with Candace, the Sphinx girl. Then he might be able to be friends with him," Tiga said as she watched her father climb back onto the cube in front of the big balls. [This is really the best possible oue, and now the two shoulde out stronger, faster, and hopefully wiser. I wouldn''t put too much stress on thest one though, these two are like a pair of bulls, so I don''t really see them getting any wiser oring out.] ''That is a bit much.'' [Well, they are out of your hair until they start acting like well-behaved children. Now drop the girl off so we can get back to exploring!] Tiga had an uneasy look on her face, but she still took my hand, and the two of us walked over to the apartment in the grass. I let the fire go and went back to just refilling my tank that always seemed to be running on empty. The feeling of the grass on my feet reminded me of walking through the Keep when I first got here. I might have to see if we could get something like that on the boat, something I was also curious to see when It was finished. We got to the double doors, and I opened one of them up and walked in with Tiga trailing behind me. Nushi was the only one in the living room, and she was reading her book but looked up at Tiga when I walked in and smiled. "I suppose that you are looking to pawn her off on me to shower around," Nushi said. She let her book go, and it disappeared, and Nushi focused on me for a moment, connecting her blue eyes with mine, and then looked at Tiga as she got up. "Come with me, and I will show you around. When Kimeraes back, we will get you a room sorted out, but we aren''t going to be here for much longer," Nushi exined as she got up. Nushi came over to us, but I turned to Tiga first and put a hand to the side of her green-skinned face. I pushed some of her grass-green hair back and kissed her forehead before looking into her purple eyes. "Are you going to be okay with me leaving you for now? I have some things to do before we leave, but when we get on the open water, we will talk and spend more time together," I exined, and Tiga nodded to me but then hugged me. I hugged her back, and the two of us stood like that for a little bit. I almost got lost watching her tentacles moving together as one. They moved in patterns around her scorpion tail that had a fleshy pink opening at the end. That was something curious that I was interested in exploring when we were on the boat and off the ind. "Thank you for everything you have done so far for my father and me," Tiga told me before finally breaking free from my hug. "No problem, but I don''t know if your father will thank me, but this is his own fault, and he is going to have to sleep in the bed he made.. Too bad Mex had to sleep in the same one now!" I said with a chuckle as I headed back outside. Chapter 269 - Add To The Ranch, Expected I stepped outside the apartment and lifted back into the air, letting my body be enveloped with mes. [I have marked three locations that are most likely to have colonies, but I don''t know if they are ruled separately. They might be under the control of the leader of the colony, or they might all follow a central ruler between them.] ''Do you really think that they will have such aplicated system? They are just bugs," I thought to Hero casually, and I got about one hundred and twenty feet in the air above everything. I had each one of the locations in my vision, and because we were so high up, Hero marked the areas in my vision with digital markers that weren''t really there, but they made it really easy to keep track of areas. [You didn''t pay attention to them, but I saw them using different types of tools. I also noticed that they were ordering each other around, and some of them had to carry devices. I think that adding some to your Ranch would be an excellent idea.] Not a bad idea, but I wasn''t sure how many bug girls I wanted to add to my retinue. Still, I couldn''t just help someone if they needed help. [You can add Male to your Ranch, but they just don''t benefit you in the same way. Men who join the Ranch will be ced as helpers and will get more helper roles than anything. They will still get physical enhancements, but they will be able to help you with what you need.] That was interesting, and it helped out with a lot of things that were up in the air right now. If I could turn some of the males to my side, I would have them around to help take care of the girls. Still, even if I did have males for help, there would be one thing that would be in the back of my head while I was gone. How was I supposed to trust them while I was out? [Don''t worry about that. Just like how the girls can''t hurt you, the men can not touch your women, now go against your wishes. This is no joke, and it has severe repercussions for anyone that tries.] Hero''s words were confident, and that blew my worries away. ''Good, then send me to the least likely to be the one we want first. Who knows what we might find, right? So it would be best to start from the bottom and work our way up, right?'' [Head to the distant location, it is closest to Crater City, so we can make a stop there after you are done. You can see if there is anyone that wants you toe with you or others that might want toe.] I turned my body to point in the northeastern portion of the ind, but more north than east. The marked area was in a heavily forested area. Still, the exact location was strange and was almost like a mini desert in the middle of a luscious forest. I was going to drop down to the center of the sandy area, but when I got closer, I decided against it. Not only could I see hundreds of thousands of bugs moving around, but I could also feel intense levels of energying from them. There were some bugs that were just as strong as the girls and even a few that were stronger. ''What is up with these bugs?'' [I told you that they were curious creatures, but I didn''t realize just how advanced they were.] I glided over andnded at the edge of the twenty-foot wide circle of sand that was alive with constant movement. It was incredible just to see how many were there moving around and the diversity of the types of bugs. ''So, what am I supposed to do? I am just supposed to, what? Shrink down and ask them to take me to their leader?'' [Unless you have a better idea, I think that is precisely what you should do. I mean, what else are you going to do? You have the ability to talk to almost anything now, so put it to use!] I squatted down and looked over the different bugs, and while some of them had simr shapes and colors. They were all just slightly different than anything that I had ever seen before, or at least that I could remember. I activated my Earth Force Pact and my Tsunalily Totem and then began to start shrinking down. I reduced myself to being just over two inches tall, making myself taller than any of the bugs that I saw. I did it so I wouldn''t be challenged by any bug, but as I walked out of the grass de forest that I had shrunk into, I got another surprise. Two-horned beetles were waiting for me and all the bugs that had been racing across the sand. [Looks like you were expected.] ''Looks like they saw a giant ming human and then watched him shrink down. If they are slightly intelligent, this doesn''t really seem too far out of what any empire would do. If I were to notice me, I would have done the same thing as this.'' The beetles were green and looked just like standard horned beetles, but I could clearly see the intelligence in the bug''s eyes. They didn''t look humanoid, so I didn''t know if they were male or female, so I decided that it was best for me just to stay quiet for now. "Grixaitx would like to speak with you, so if you would follow us, we can show you to the chamber that you will meet him in," The first of the two exined to me in a buzzing and very bug-like voice. That didn''t help me figure out what sex they were, but It was good that I would be taken to talk to the head person or bug. "Sure, lead on," I said, and then both the bugs ck beady eyes started to protrude out of their heads. Chapter 270 - Understander Better Then Most, Central Intersection I looked at the shocked-looking bugs trying to figure out what I had said to make them act so surprised. There was a short moment of awkward silence between the three of us, but then I spoke up. "What''s going on? What is with the surprised looks?" I asked the two beetles. They both looked stunned, but it was the one that hadn''t spoken yet that shook his head first and then nudged the other horned beetle. That seemed to get his brain moving again, and after another short shake of his hard shell-covered face, the bug started to speak again. "Sorry, we just didn''t expect you to be able to understand us or that you would be able to talk to us in ournguage! Normally, we have trouble talking between different species of bugs. I am sure you can understand how surprised we were to find that you can not only trante what we say but speak it back to us better than most of us can!" the beetle exined. I nodded my head but shrugged at the same time. "I am a bit of a weird one, there is no doubt about that, but understanding and speakingnguages is something that I am very good at. Please take me to meet with your leader, I have some questions, and I would like to meet some people here. My name is Zack, and I am the Demon Lord ruling over this ind now, but I will be leaving in less than two days," I exined to the two bugs, and then both nodded to me. "Yes, follow us to the center, and we will take you to meet with Grixaitx. As for the rest of the stuff, Grixaitx will help you with it; we are just guards that were sent to fetch you. My name is Zibafatodick, and this is Raulmexsloberries, but you can call us Zib and Raul," the second-horned beetle, and I nodded in confirmation as the two turned to the center of the sand circle. [Well, this is going far better than you could have ever hoped!] ''Shut the fuck up! Are you trying to Jinx me?! You never say that things are going better than expected! That is a clear invitation for some bad Karma toe and fuck everything up! Don''t you know that Murphy is always watching?!'' [Bah, don''t be so superstitious! That is just old women talking!] *za: I agree with the pink stick, any time I mention something is going better than it normally is, I get fucked with a wire brush!* *Fireden: Stop saying it so close to Maelstrom then!* *Grogvel: Speaking of that poisonous water whole, where is he? Shouldn''t he be unmuted?* [Oh, umm, I have him locked in my basement right now. Don''t worry; if Mex needs use of the Dark Water Elemental, I will let it out. Me and¡­ they are having lots of fun right now, and I would hate for that to end, so don''t worry about him.] *Wataluga: Why do I constantly get the feeling that the Dark Elementals are not the worst people inside of your head?* *Windorf: Because we are all bad in our own way, but our bad is a controlled thing, unlike the other two that just let the crazy out every time that they open their mouths.* I watched the chat continue to scroll by as I followed along behind the two bugs, but I was looking around to try and see what else I could find in the area. I half expected to see some kind of structure, but there was nothing but sand and holes. [putting anything above the sand would attract attention, so I can assume that if they have structures, they would be under the sand. Still, they are all still bugs, so I don''t know what they would need structures for.] That was a fair point, and when we finally got to the center of things, there was arge hole in the ground that had a spiral path that went down. From above, the hole had only been maybe a foot wide and nothing more than a tripping hazard. Now, it was muchrger to me from this perspective, and I followed the two bugs down into it. I couldn''t see the bottom of the hole, and the road down was very sturdy, but I couldn''t help but think how much safer it would be if there was a railing around the edge. "Do you ever have bugs fall off the edge? Like into the hole?" I asked as we moved down what felt like a hundred feet, but I was sure it was less than two. "Fall? Maybe if they were in a hurry, but anyone that does that kind of thing usually gets in trouble from the Sector Director. They don''t like when things are interrupted, so I suggest that you stay close and listen where we have to cross the lower floor," Raul, the first guard, told me, and I nodded. "Yeah, don''t worry, I will stay close, but what do you mean? Is there traffic or something down there?" I asked with confusion as I again tried to peer over the edge. "Every big sector has a Sector Director, and they are in charge of making sure that everyone keeps moving and there is no dy. Where are going to one of the biggest central intersections in the Dune, so it is always busy, and there are over seventy-five exits and entrances, and people need to keep moving, or big problems start," Zib exined to me, and I started to hear the buzzing and clicking from below as we continued down. Well, I guess it was going to be a bit of a trip to get across this next spot, but it was just crossing the road. Out of all the things that I have done in my life, crossing the road would be a walk in the park. Or that was how I felt until we reached the bottom level, and I wasn''t introduced to the embodiment of living chaos. Chapter 271 - Stranger Danger, Spikes With Spikes I watched as bugs flew and ran in every direction all at once, but not a single one of them crashed or even bumped into each other. In the center of the chaotic whirl mass, a strange-looking slug was hanging in a basket, but it was covered in eyes. "Okay, as soon as we move ahead about five feet, we will be marked, then you just have to listen to the directions and follow them exactly. We are going over to the cave directly across from us with the red paint lining the entrance. Make sure that you are focusing on that when we go, so the Sector Director knows where to guide you," Raul exined as he pointed across the cavern. The ce he was showing me was hard to see with all the bugs moving around, but I was able to spot it. I hoped I didn''t get lost from these two, but I could just find them after and get to them quickly. I was hoping that I would be able to find something to track the main leaders of each hive so I could just easily travel down to them rather than take such a long trip. Walking down to each one would eat up a lot of my time, and it would be the night before I knew it. [Yes, I am sure there will be some way for you to figure things out. If they don''t give off specific energy, then you can ask if the hives are set up the same or if they know theyouts.] "Alright, I am ready to do this, I think. So, all I have to do is focus on the red entrance and then listen to what I am told?" I asked the guards, and the two of them looked at each other with a smile. "It will be a bit of a challenge for you, I think, but then again, you are much stronger than us, so you might pick it up faster than most. You are going to have to jump, duck and roll to make it around here," Zib said with a chuckle, but I justughed back at them. The two looked at me with strained looks, but then I sunk into the ground up to my neck. Zib and Raul looked highly shocked as I smiled up at them with only my head protruding from the ground. "Listen, you two seem like nice chaps, but I am in a bit of a hurry, so do you think that you can just point me in the right direction? I should be able to find the ce, but I can sense three ces far underground that have strong presences right now. I am sensing them at the center of the ind, but I don''t know which location is the right one," I exined to the now even more shocked-looking Horned beetle guards. "Wait, how can you know where the three great chambers are?!" Raul asked with astonishment, but he was pped on the back of his head by Zip. "Ignore my brother; it will be the one closest to us if you can tell where they are from here. It is best if you go alone if you can get there faster. If we guide you, it will take just under a day with all the stops, but you need to be aware that there are some less than reputable ces down here. You should be wary of bad bugs that might try offering you things. Still, I suggest you not ept anything from anyone if you don''t know," Zip exined to me, and I tried not tough but failed, and that got me a "listen hear" look. "Sorry, I just¡­ sorry. I will stay away from any miscreants and not ept gifts from strangers. I will also look both ways before crossing the roads, don''t you worry. I know the stranger danger protocol!" I said with a grin, and Zip red at me, but then I disappeared into the ground before either beetle could say anything. [I hope you are not as stupid as you let on to be.] ''No, I was just giving them a hard time. I should be able to travel to the first area through the rock, but I don''t know what the inside area is going to be like. I can''t sense anything but a massive amount of energies past that point because there are three massive fifty-foot wide cocoons that all the paths lead to.'' [Just make sure you listen to what he said. Look what just happened in an innocent situation with Tiga, right? Think about what could have happened if she didn''t pull you from the water, and you are also much stronger than her, plus she had no control of her powers.] This was true, but my fear block made it easy to forget things like that, but maybe that would change when I faced things that were meant to be feared. Regardless, I was taking their words seriously, and I glided through the earth, taking only about five minutes to get to the tunnel that entered the cocoon. I dropped into the tunnel,nding beside a strange-looking caterpir that was orange and ck with strange spikes protruding out of its body. On top of that, some of the spikes were very long, but most were short and had more spikesing from them. "What are you staring at, you monster?" A decidedly female voice asked me, sounding angry. Being called a monster was a new one, but I guess looking from the other side of the coin, I was far stranger. The longer spikes were starting to move slowly, but they definitely looked dangerous. "Sorry, I am just going to see Grix-a¡­." I started to say but was trying to recall the person''s name. The caterpir turned her head to me and looked at me with what looked like painted-on tan eyes. This was the strangest thing that I had ever seen, and I was beyond curious to know what she would look like as a girl. "Grixaitx, you mean?" The caterpir asked me. Chapter 272 - Forced Forward, Getting Lost "Yeah, sorry. I am Zack, non-Demon Lord of the ind, and I am going to visit the higher powers down here," I exined, keeping my eyes on what I assumed to be hers. The caterpir stared at me for a moment and then started walking in the direction I was heading without saying a word. [That was strange.] That was an understatement, and I was confused by what had just happened, but I didn''t have time to waste. I started to move forward and followed the strange and deadly-looking caterpir into the pulsing tunnel. Whatever the walls were made from, it looked alive, and I was curious to what it was that could make it pulse like it was. It was almost like the view depicted of a child when they are still growing inside of the womb, and maybe that was what it really was. The walls were orangish-red, but the pulses of light caused them to turn yellow in the centers of the membrane. It was almost eerie to think that this could all be alive, but I did get a feeling of any energy other than what I expected to get from a tree. Then I hit a problem that I hadn''t considered; there wasn''t a single path that led forward, and I was at another one of the intersections. The traffic into this area from where I had dropped in was slow and very spaced out. I could barely even see the Sector Director that was hanging down, and the traffic was only going two directions! I turned to look at the caterpir, but she was already moving out into traffic, and all the bugs were going around and over her. The way that the creature walked so confidently was kind of remarkable, and it inspired me to move forward. {Forward, pause, pause, forward, forward jump, forward, forward,nd, roll, roll, stand, turn left, maintain triple forward pace.} The message was so fast, but my body was propelled forward, and I followed the directions almost without thought. The Sector Director seemed to be able to force control over anything that was in the area. This must be how everyone was able to move without getting into any idents. Still, the feeling wasn''t invasive or all-controlling. It did force you to move when it was time to and in the direction that had been instructed. I was forced into the traffic on the other side after hopping over a snail and then rolling as bugs jumped over me. Now I was jogging and being pushed forward, but within moments I was into a long tunnel that had tunnels leading inwards spread along the way. Once I was out of the main intersection, I was no longer forced to keep moving, but I didn''t want to stop and cause a scene. I kept moving, but I was running without a real direction other than to the lower center. [This ce looks veryplex, and I think if you just wander around, you aren''t even going to make it back in time to leave.] That was a good point, but I was not really sure how I was supposed to know where to go since different bugs were going in different holes. I tried more than once to ask a cricket beside me how to get to see Grixaitx, but the ugly creature ignored me. I didn''t like bugs on the best of days, and this whole experience was not helping in the slightest. I could see the female caterpir up ahead and decided that she was my best bet at figuring out where to go. I jogged to catch up to her, but I had already been gaining on her. Before I could catch her, the caterpir turned into one of the side tunnels that led into the center. I followed her inside the tunnel and jogged to catch up with her. Yet, she ignored me when I walked up beside her. "Hey, do you know how to get down to the meeting area? I could maybe help you with something if you could help me?" I asked the caterpir, but she ignored me. This path led deep to where I wanted to go, so I decided that I would just continue with whoever this was. "Hey, you look new! Try some of this stuff!" A metallic cricket asked as he jumped in front of me, forcing me to stop in my tracks but letting the spiked caterpir go. "Sorry, I don''t want any," I said as I tried to step around the cricket that was holding up a glowing green gel that I wouldn''t have taken even if I hadn''t been warned. The cricket sidestepped to cut me off again, and my eye twitched. Then I noticed other Metal Crickets were climbing out of holes from all over the tunnel I was in. I didn''t want to have to make a big scene, but if this was going to be like this the entire way, I might as well just burn my way to the center of the ce. Then the cricket started to squeal and thrash as one of the long ck tentacle spikes plunged into its back. I stepped back, but it was out of the revulsion of the thrashing bug as it screamed out its death rattle. "If any of the rest of you want to end up like him,e and try!" The caterpir growled, and the rest of the crickets backed up into the tunnels that they appeared from, and then she turned to look at me and said, "Follow me if you want to live." I stared at her nkly but then started to move as soon as she started to turn around. [Oh, look at you go, getting your own protector, isn''t that cute!] ''What? Are you scared that she is going to be more useful than you? I didn''t hear any grand ns when I was about to cut my way to the center of the hive!'' [That''s because I thought it was a good n, but I guess this works.] Chapter 273 - Dani, The Rest Of My Life I walked beside the caterpir for about ten minutes before we were approached by a greasy-looking cockroach. This was the worst, and it was all bug and nearly as tall as me, but the Mexican ent made him slightly better. "Aye, buddy! You sounde down and have some drinks of fermented nectar with the boys and me! You look weird enough to know how to have a good time!" The cockroach said to me, in abination of its chattering hisses. The sound made my skin crawl, and all the hairs on my body tried to stand out straight. There was nothing that could make something like this attractive, no matter the modification. "Vishticalus, leave him alone! I am taking him to see Grixaitx. Get out of my way, or I will cut all your legs off likest time!" My caterpir friend growled at the disgusting bug that was bigger than her. Vishticalus took a few steps back with a cringe and then said, "Calm down, Danincalinox! I am just asking a friendly question! You know that we are good stuff, we just like to try new things! And drinking helps that!" I was a little bit curious about what this guy was talking about. It didn''t sound like they wanted to do anything sexual, more like thrill seeker. "You can after I have taken him. For now, get out of my way; you smell horrible," Danincalinox growled, and the roach backed away, nodding. Vishticalus then turned and crawled up the tunnel wall and then squeezed into an opening, disappearing. "Dani¡­ Is that alright? I don''t want to make a mistake saying your name, and it sounds nice, right?" I asked as we started to walk, but she didn''t reply right away, nor did she look at me. "Fine, it is better than butchering my name. Soon we wille up to the central city, and this ce is hectic. I take this route because the wild types live in this area, but they all know me. The city is different," Dani exined to me. I listened attentively since this was the first time she was talking, but I had more to ask. I wanted more information about what this cocoon really was besides what I had gathered from the outside. Each of the three shells was about nine feet tall and five wide, but I really didn''t know much past that. "I will make sure to stick close to you, but can you tell me some things about this ce as we walk? Like why the ce seems like it is alive? Not like you or me, but more than a tree or nt," I questioned Dani, and she nodded, seeming to appreciate the question. "Citipods are an organism that leaches energy from its host to grow. There are Digger bugs that work every day to increase the area around each of the Citipods to grow," Dani exined as the tunnel started to get steeper. I could hear a whirring of buzzing, clicking, and every other insect sound I could think of getting closer. The slow descent started to get faster as the path became steep steps that were not ever wide and not built for human feet. I had to move fast and watch my footing as I did so I didn''t slip and fall. I kept looking over at Dani enviously as she quickly descended the stairs with little to no problem and eight times as many feet as me. "Stay beside me, and ignore everything that is going on around you when we exit the tunnel. Do not panic; just move at the same pace as me, and stay close. The trip will take almost an hour, so you had better be able to handle this," Dani exined as we started to stop as the path became less steep and started to ne out. "Sure, I should be fine!" I shouted since the noise was so loud. "There is no need to shout, I can hear you just fine, and you should be able to hear me just fine, right?" Dani asked, and I nodded my head slowly in slight shock. I could hear her perfectly fine like her voice was canceling the other noises out. [She is using a frequency that is drowning out all the other sounds for you, but it doesn''t seem to affect how her voice is transmitted. This is a fascinating creature, and with the natural spikes, hmmm... Are you thinking what I am thinking?] ''That this is probably going to scar me for the rest of my life?'' [Don''t be such a wuss and get some of that bug ass! I bet she will be quite the looker! Three tentacle monster girls? What kind of sick joke is this that I am stuck in your head with this water witch? You should work on getting Mex a dark female Growth Elemental or something like that!] ''Holy, calm down, you have the twisted piss whole for now, but I am almost worried about them.'' [Don''t worry, what I am doing isn''t what you think, unless you are more intelligent than I give you credit for.] ''So you''re not screwing Maelstrom in the basement of my mind?'' [Oh yes, we are doing that, but Stormy doesn''t mind; Maelin feels differently, but he puts up with it. Unlike za, Maelstrom is the smaller half of a Dark Primal Elemental and still has all three parts together. There should only be two, but there is a third entity in there that is the darkness.] We reached the bottom of the stairs, and I could feel the noise that wasing from up ahead. It was so intense now that it started to vibrate my chest, and my hairs were back to standing on end again. "Are you ready for this? Once we start, there will be no stopping, we have to keep moving forward, or there could be trouble," Dani exined to me, and I took a deep breath that I didn''t really need and then let it out as I nodded my head. Chapter 274 - Promise, Violating My Other Half It was like walking into one of my worst nightmares. Bugs were everywhere, moving in what seemed to be every direction at once. "Do not stop; just carefully grab one of my spikes and close your eyes. You can keep on walking with their shut, and it would be bad for you. Still, this is pretty sad that a giant monster would be scared of bugs," Dani told me as I tried not to freak out every time something touched me. "I am not scared, what I am is ufortable, and I don''t like the feeling of things lightly touching my skin like everything is now! Though I agree with you about closing my eyes, I will end up going silent for the entire trip," I told the orange and ck caterpir as I grabbed one of her spiked tentacles. "Promise? Not one word the whole trip?" Dani asked in a harsh voice that made me roll my eyes as I closed my hand around one of her spiked tentacles. The spike on the ck appendages was sharp but not like razors, and I was able to take hold of one with a careful grip. The feeling was smooth and velvety, yet tough, but the spikes were slightly warm. I forced my body into a simted auto-pilot mode that would allow me to use the central area of my mind. This would allow me to still walk and observe the area better than my eyes and talk more about the Dark Elementals. I slipped into the center of my mind, but I was on the bridge of a space battleship this time. It was from some movie I have once seen or maybe something I had read in a book once, but that didn''t matter. Inside, all my elementals and Harold were in sweats and a matching grey hoodie. I was wearing gym shorts and a hoodie, so it wasn''t like I could really give him a hard time for looking like a slob. "Coffee?" Harold asked me in as he stood over beside a counter that was entirely out of ce and looked like it belonged in a government office break room. "Does it even do anything?" I asked, and Harold shrugged. "It''s your mind; make it do whatever you want it to," Harold said as he came over and handed me a cup that said "SSOB" filled with steaming coffee. I took the cup and then turned it around to see the other side, and there was something different on the other side. Stupid Son Of a Bitch Reverse acronym for boss Thank me for the free knowledgeter "Smartass," I growled as I sipped on the bitter and strong ck coffee that was just the right temperature before scalding your mouth. "This stuff isn''t bad," rumbled Grogvel as he stood at the center console table that had a three-dimensional map floating above it. Grog was looking like the Thing, but more quartz stone today with a whiteb coat, with the stoic Windorf in a guard captain''s uniform. They were both watching the insane amount of bugs that were moving around inside the firstyer of the Citipod. "I don''t know how you all drink that stuff; it runs right through me," Windorf said as he looked between the two of us. I refused to look directly at Windorf orugh at his horrible joke. Instead, I focused on where we were headed; a massive dome and the bottom of the city. The thing that was interesting is that the mass of bugs that we were walking through right now was only like this for half the way, and then after that, it looked calm, but our progress was plodding. Still, I didn''t think it would take us more than twenty minutes to reach the next area, so I turned away from the map. I looked around for Fireden, who was in control of monitoring me walking, and he just waved at me, also with a coffee in his other hand. "Harold already went to theb he set up down the hall; you can''t miss it. Wataluga is with him, and there is only one door, so you can''t miss it. I got the steering wheel for now," Fireden exined to me and raised his coffee mug to me in a cheers motion. I returned the gesture, reading the "I''m Hot" on Firedens mug with a smile as I did. Then I turned the rest of the way around and headed over to the futuristic sliding doors that opened when I got near them. Out in the corridor were all-metal walls, but it was nothing more than in paneling. In fact, the whole ce felt very bare-bones, like it was missing a bunch of different ces and decorations. Still, this was just a ce in my mind, so It wasn''t like anything that I did inside of my head really mattered, or did it? Harold''s words start to run through my head again from when I just entered my mind. I wondered just how true that might be as I walked down the hall and reached the set of sliding doors at the end. If I could affect the world out there from inside here, this ce might be extremely valuable in the future. I walked up to the door, and it opened to a dim room filled with machines covered up with clothes. At the end of the room, threerge ss cylinders were all empty, and three people were waiting for me. "So you are going toe and try to help rip me apart?" Maelstrom asked in a high-pitched male voice, and I raised an eye at them. "I haven''t finished exining what exactly we are trying to do here and what will happen if we do. We need to talk about what happens if the dark energy escapes," Harold exined, and Maelstrom to him with a pout on their face. "What?! I thought you said that we were going to do it? I don''t want to feel you viting my other half more!" Maelstrom whined, but it sounded forced, and Harold rolled his eyes, but I felt like I waste to the party. Chapter 275 - Elemental Hatchery, But Not Impossible "So, what exactly are you trying to do inside of my head?" I asked as I walked over to Maelstrom and Harold. Wataluga was standing over at the one machine that was uncovered, but it was aplicated look switchboard. None of the buttons hadbels on them, but my Water Elemental was pressing them like he knew what he was doing. "What I am trying to do is diversify your energy and give you ess to more elemental power. Normally, you should only be allowed to get the six Pacts and create bonds to form Totems. I am going to try and start breeding elementals inside of you. Then when they are brought from the nine rings, they will automatically form a pact with you," Harold exined. "Breeding them? You n to start the ranch in my head?" I asked, half-joking, but the look on his face said he wasn''t kidding. "Yes, but more of an elemental hatchery in your head, but I think it will give you more diversity. It takes too much energy tobine the elements to create the desired effects that you want. There is one catch," Harold exined, and I rolled my eyes but then turned my focus to Wataluga. "Isn''t there always a catch? What is the waterboy doing over there? It looks like he is just pressing random buttons, or is there something there that I can''t see?" I asked as Wataluga turned back to re at me. "I am no child!" Wataluga dered as he leveled his re at me, but that just made my eyes roll around my head more. "You are all children in my eyes since you are all just the creations in my head," I shot back, and that made Wataluga roll his eyes. "Children, there are more important things to deal with right now than bickering about things that don''t matter right now! I need to exin to you what could happen when we split Maelin and Stormy up. The switchboard is programmed to only respond if a project is being worked on. Then it can only be essed by that person," Harold scolded and then exined. "That seems a bit silly, but I guess it''s alright. Just seems a bit overkill for security inside my own head," I said as I turned back around to face Harold. "This is what I have been trying to exin to you. If the dark energy gets loose, it could infect you, so I have set almost everything in your head to respond only to each of us the way we are right now. Suppose any dark energy gets looked at and infects one of us, the elemental. In that case, we can just separate it from us, but we can''t if it infects you," Harold exined, and I nodded in understanding. That meant that if it got free, there was a chance that it could go directly for me. With my luck, it was best just to auto-assume that''s precisely what it would be; it would be silly to think otherwise. "So, then what are we doing to prevent this from happening, and what do we do if it does?" I asked, and Harold nodded with a smile. "Fear not, dark energy is not all bad, and you have absorbed some before, but the difference is this kind won''t go away. You can still survive with it, but it will be the little devil in every conundrum you run into. These tubes are the best bet for now, but it''s not a permanent solution, and let it out of you is not an option," Harold told me, and I lifted an eyebrow at him. "Why can''t we just let it out? That seems like the best way to get rid of it, right?" I asked, but Maelstrom was the one that spoke up. "No, you don''t want something like that to happen, or you will be dealing with a huge problem that you don''t want any part of. We are strong enough to handle and control it, but if it gets into an ind heart or a monster, then we will all be in trouble. The dark energy will start to consume everything that it can, and it will start to spread out until it consumes the world," Harold exined. "So then we just have to make sure that it doesn''t get out, but if it does, then what? Is there a way to burn it from the world?" I asked, but Harold waved me off. "That isn''t important because the chances of it getting outside of your head are basically impossible. I was going to exin this before, but then we got on to the topic of Maelstrom, so I wanted to show you all this. I created this ship to be out in a real space environment, so it will be tough for the energy to escape, but not impossible," Harold said with a sigh. "So what you say before is true then? We could do things inside of here that can affect the world out there? The ce looks unfinished, and it looks like there could be a lot more added, and there are so many things that are covered up around here," I said as I looked around the room. "As you get stronger, you will slowly start to gain more control. This is half of your mind, but right now, Zero is much stronger and more infulencical in the world. The Elemental Hatchery will help out with this, and so will the girls. Every step forward you take is your hand slowly closing, and your control inside and out will increase. We will have ess to more things like crafting and enchanting," Harold told me, and I nodded with a deep sigh. There was no end to this, but at the same time, this was something that I dearly needed. I had already felt the massive drain from the first time I turned my body into steam on Kubrick. "Alright, tell me what we need to do then," I told Harold, and he nodded with a smile. Chapter 276 - Circled Around, Just Wanted To Get Out "Well, we will try right now since you have the time. Everything works on thought here, so doing something is as easy as believing you can and doing it. This will seem confusing until you get your memories back. You will be able to do this in your sleep, literally," Harold exined to me, and I nodded my head. While it did sound a bit wild, I had already experienced how creating things works here when I was on the beach. That was when I had confronted Helsin Zero and then tossed him out of my mind. "So, does this mean that you want me to do it?" I asked with a strained expression, but I rxed when Harold shook his head no. "I will separate them, but you and Wataluga need to contain the Dark Energy. You will have to put it on the top of the cylinders and seal it inside. Just remember that this is different from using your powers on Hydrocus," Harold told me, and I understood what he meant. "Okay, I get what you mean," I said as Wataluga walked up beside me. "We just need to create a prison out of the water and then quickly transfer it over. You contain it, and I will control the transfer over, but you will have to seal it with apleted ss dome. I don''t have control over this ce, so you have to do this part," Wataluga exined to me. I nodded, and the three of us circled around Maelstrom, but I still really didn''t understand what was even going to happen. I watched as Harold concentrated on Maelstrom, and nothing happened at first. Then Maelstrom''s head pulled apart as their arms grabbed at their throat. I went to move forward, but both Harold and Wataluga put their hands up to stop me, and I finally noticed that Wataluga was concentrating on Maelstrom as well. "Just get a prison ready, and be prepared," Wataluga said to me, as Maelstroms three heads let out wordless screams. I prepared a whirling cocoon of water about the size of the one I was being guided through right now outside of my head. I prepared a small gap to catch the Dark Energy as I watched the Elemetal torn into three. One head was clearly female, and I was pretty sure the other was a man, but I wasn''t going to make any assumptions. Thest face was distorted whirling darkness that was slowly peeling over apart from the other two that were also separating. "NOW!" Harold yelled at me, but I could see what was happening. The moment the energy separated, I snatched it up, but then a fight started. My mind began to strain as I condensed the prison, increasing the pressure of the oval sphere. I started to add moreyers trying to restrain the far stronger energy than I could have ever anticipated. The other two were already inside the tanks, but Wataluga wasn''t moving the cocoon. "Do you want to hurry up and get it in there?" I asked with gritted teeth. I kept mming moreyers and adding more pressure, but I was in a stalemate. The Dark Energy tore through the shielding that I was trying to create just as fast as I could create it. "Calm down, and rx. Remember, this is inside your head, and you have control of this ce. This is not like out there, so rx, and stop trying to do things so one dimensional. Look, try to think of this like containing gas; water can''t really do it, but water can also be a gas, right?" Wataluga''s exnation helped me, and suddenly I was able to grasp what they had actually meant before we started. I instantly froze the cocoon, and the fight was over; all stress that I had perceived was gone, the sweat, the pressure. Wataluga grabbed thest cocoon with water ropes, lifted it, then lowered the massive frozen cocoon into the ss cylinder. When he was done, I started to concentrate on the top of each of the ss tubes. "Remember to make them all one piece so there is no way that they can get out. Even though I am sure that the other two will be fine, better safe than sorry. I just want to make sure that they are alright before we set them free in your mind," Harold exined, and I nodded as I made the ss grow up into a spherical top to seal all three cylinders. Once it was finished, I turned back to Harold and asked, "So, now what?" "Nothing, we will leave them for now, and we will monitor them. Once we are ready to try breeding them, I will let you know," Harold told me, but I shook my head no. "No thanks, just tell me when you have some results. I trust you to make your choices in my best interest since it is in yours," I said, and Harold grinned back at me. "Yes, that is true. You should get out front, you are getting closer to the destination, and now we are getting a better reading of what is going on inside. You might want to go take a look, and I will join you out there soon," Harold told me and then turned back to the cylinders where the three parts of Maelstrom were being stored. I turned and left the room, but I was curious about what was going to happen with this project, but also about Maelstrom. I wondered what would happen to the other two now and how this was going to affect Mex. I left theb and headed back down the metal panel hallway to the main operation bridge of my mind. I just wanted to get out of the swarming bugs and get down to the center of this ce so I could get to the other ces on the ind. There was no way I was going to be camping with these bugs tonight! Chapter 277 - WARNING, Forced Evolution! I walked through the sliding doors, and the four elementals looked at me, but za seemed uneasy. I was sure he was curious about what was happening to Maelstrom, considering that It was more than likely to happen to him next. "The three have been split apart, but they are being contained and monitored for now. Harold is going toe back up here soon to let us know what is going on. Still, I have the Dark energy quarantined for now," I exined to them all, and za''s edgy look seemed to disappear. "What does that mean for me? Are there three of me?" za asked, looking down at his hands where he stood beside Grogvel and Windorf. "I don''t know yet; you will have to ask Harold when he gets out here. I am sure that we will figure something out, but what is going on outside right now?" I asked as I walked over to the table, but the map was no longer up. "There were thousands of hanging pods and then some strange rings, but now there is a strange frequency blocking your senses. Now we have lostplete reading for our maps and all the things we normally have ess to. Your hearing and sight had been severely limited because of the bugs," Grogvel exined. "Do we know how far away we are from where we are going, or what happens after we pass the next area?" I asked, and Windorf nodded from the other side of him. "Yes, but there is some kind of gravitational anomaly in the center. It is creating something almost like a zero-g space, but the bugs there seem different. There were hanging pods that looked like living quarters, but the bugs almost seem like you, or like Jilly, but more bug," Windorf told me, and I lifted my eyebrow. "Are you trying to tell me that the bugs inside that area are more evolved than the ones that are swarming here?" I asked curiously. "I only got a brief view of what was going on, but I think it has something to do with the area inside their swarming ring. I saw some bugs enter, and they changed when they did. Still, only certain bugs were able to get through the invisible wall," Grogvel exined. I nodded, but then I turned to Fireden. "What is your opinion about this?" I asked him, and I got a shrug. "I suggest you suck it up and go out there and ask Dani some questions since we have no way to do so ourselves," Fireden said, and I sighed, shaking my head. I really didn''t want to go out there until I absolutely had to, but I guess this was important enough to warrant me going back out. Still, I was not excited about this, and I took in another deep breath before I closed my eyes and then cracked them slightly. I closed them tight again but forced myself to stay in my body even though my skin was trying to crawl right off it. "Can I ask you about where we are going?" I asked, trying to use a normal voice, but I still ended up almost shouting. "I thought that you were going to stay quiet the entire time?" Dani asked me, and I shrugged, still keeping my eyes mped. "I want to know about the area that we are going into. I was trying to sense it, but I was suddenly blocked," I said, trying to y my abilities off as normal. "Smart of you to ask, but it is hard to exin. Grixaitx is a strange brain-like insect that produces a strange field. Certain bugs are allowed into the Citipod Center. Inside there is another world, and you have to be careful how fast you move, or you will get drawn into the Gravity Well at the center," Dani exined. I listened to what I mostly knew, but the info about Grixaitx was new. I didn''t know what kind of bug he was, but Grixaitx must be something more than a bug to do something like was being described. It all sounded like something out of a science fiction movie, but that wasn''t unusual. This world and everywhere were just one head trip after another, so this really wasn''t that strange. This was just another crazy concoction of two warring minds, nothing to get excited about. [I beg to disagree. If you had something like this, you could create a mini world to start your Ranch.] ''You are done with the water elemental? How did things go?'' [They seem fine, but we will monitor them until we get off the ind. I am not sure if the barrier is affecting them, so I want to keep them under observation for now.] ''Good, but how am I supposed to use Grixaitx? Not like he is just going to leave this cocoon, right?'' [I think that the girls are working on unique ces for everyone on the ship. They are making lots of room for the people we have, but you are bound to collect more people that you will be able to hold in one spot. While I don''t think that you will be able to take Grixaitx from the Citipod, you might be able to take the Citipod with you.] That was an exciting idea, but it was too soon to count the chickens. We still had to wait and talk with Grixaitx before any ns could hatch, and then we could deal with it. Currently, the most important thing for me to do is to get to Grixaitx at the bottom center of the map. However, the other elephant in the room has to be addressed first. What was Dani going to change into when we entered this new ce? And would it do more than just affect her appearance? Suddenly, there were no bugs around me, and I was pulled into a jello-like wall before I could open my eyes to see. Activated! Chapter 278 - Fuck, I Should Have Seen This Coming! My body started to change, and my skin became more smooth. There was no pain, but I could feel the gel or whatever it was sunk into my body like water into a dry sponge. Then my hair fell out, such a strange thing to feel, but I did not really feel it. My eyes were still closed, but I could sense it happening, but I had no idea what was going on. [That gel is what is doing it, but I don''t know how it is doing it, but we are working on it right now. The problem is that literally, everything that we have is offline and not working while this is happening. Open your eyes up so we can see where you are.] The world turned as I opened my eyes, and suddenly I was standing on a grassy field on a sunny day. My body felt almost weightless but what I was seeing was hard to take in. My mind was being pulled in every direction, and all I wanted to do was sit down and stare at everything that was around me. The sky made no sense, the pods that had been mentioned looked like clouds on strings, and there was a waterfall of rocks in the center that undted. [It looks very simr to the undting wall you traveled through on Kubrick, but I don''t suggest you try that again. Hydrocus only has one supercontinent, but the rest of the world is water and inds like this one or more minor. If you travel through this Gravity Well, you will be a long way away from here.] ''I could always fly back fast.'' [Not fast enough. Hydrocus is veryrge, and it would take you more than half a day to get back here, and then it would be toote. Youe back onto the ind would just cause all the monsters to go crazy.] Well, that was a pain in the ass, but it just meant I would have to be careful here. I was still holding Dani''s tentacle, but I had yet to look at her, and to my surprise, she had notined about the wait. It was hard to make heads or tails of this girl, but when I turned to look at Dani, I froze. Where to even start? It was like a tiger-striped girl''s body had pushed out of Dani''s mouth, and now her tentacles were much longer. "Have you had enough time to absorb thendscape? I need you to pay full attention right now and not look around at every strange thing that passes you by, alright?" Dani asked, and I just nodded as I examined her body. "Yeah, whatever you say I shall do, don''t worry about that! What happened to you? You look amazing!" Imented, but I was just red at. "You aren''t one to talk, blue man! You look like some kind of lizard! Now, pay attention. We need to travel to the lowest ring, but there are two dangerous rings that we will have to pass through," Dani scolded and exined to me. I was confused about what she was scolding me about; I had just given her apliment! As much as I wanted to ask about it, the rings were more important. "What are the rings that you are talking about? Also, why does this ce feel so big?" I asked. I knew how big this area should have been, but it felt like I had just stepped onto another world for some reason. The Gravity well should have been much closer than it was, and I should have been able to see both ends of the chamber, but I couldn''t. [You are only one-eighth of an inch tall now. The gel did this, but other things are causing this. The gel that you walked through is only part of what is causing this effect.] ''What do you mean that it is only one part?'' [Other things are causing this effect, and that''s why I think that it isn''t permanent. I don''t know since I can''t scan anything, I can''t use the information we have from before the systems stopped working.] This was far more than I thought I was getting myself into, but I was here, and leaving wasn''t really an option. I looked down at my hand, and it was blue with ck stripes, just like Dani''s. There was nothing for it. "Okay, I think I am ready to go, but I am at your mercy right now. I will be relying on you to guide me safely because many people are waiting on me. I don''t want to have to, but if something is going to put my life at risk, I will have to return to my normal size," I exined to Dani, but she shook her pretty face no. "I do understand that you need to look out for yourself, but now that you are here, you can''t leave until Grixaitx says you can. I am sorry, but it was my job to make sure you were brought here. Now you are a prisoner like the rest of us," Dani said to me in a solemn tone. [Fuck, I should have seen thising!] I whirled around, but there was nothing but grass behind me. No trace of where we entered from at all. [There is another problem, and you are not going to be happy about this. All the elementals are gone.] Fire. I reached for it, but there was nothing, but my body was filled with it as rage took me over. This was more than just some kind of simple trick, and now I had been blocked out from my Shamanic powers. I turned around with a dangerous look, and my anger piqued as I did, crushing Dani to the ground. My Orgasmoura was gone, and now I was just a monster. "You had better exin what is going on very fast, or you are going to die.. Then, you are going to point me in the right direction to go deal with this Grixaitx!" I growled with a dangerous tone as Dani was crushed into the grass by the invisible force of my overwhelming presence. Chapter 279 - Dani Pt 1 The Elementals had vanished, none of my abilities were working, and nothing happened when I closed my eyes. I still had Harold, but this was beyond frustrating. [I can''t really tell you much about this ce, even though I don''t understand it, but then I usually have reading to go off. This ce is almost like a whole other world, but you still seem to be quite strong. Look on the positive side; at least your presence works appropriately.] ''Sure, but what does that matter if we are stuck here?'' It seemed like something was trying to trap me here, but I didn''t know what. That''s what was making me mad, wasting my precious time on top of that. "This¡­ Isn''t¡­ My¡­ Fault!" The girl called out in gasps, and I rxed my anger, but only enough for her to speak. I was beyond mad now, but I was also stuck between a rock and a hard ce. "I am sure that you were probably forced to do this, but I have people that I care about and look after the outside of here! I don''t have the time to waste inside of here!" I growled. Then I looked down on the strange caterpir woman that was cringing in fear on the ground, and I sighed. I let go of my anger and then sat down on the grass in front of Dani and waited. "I¡­ wasn''t forced, and I knew that you would get trapped, but¡­." Dani said as she slowly pulled herself up but trailed off. "But?" I asked, trying to keep my tone level, but this exnation was not helping my mood. "...Other bugs are scared of me, but for more than just my scary appearance, but you treated me differently. This is a horrible reason, but I have been trapped in this cocoon for thest five years, unable to leave orplete my journey to metamorphosis. Can you please stop them so we can be free?" Dani asked me with desperation in her voice as she leaned into me. [And so the plot thickens. Who do you get mad at? The one that dragged you in because she was trapped or the one that trapped her and the others?] I wasn''t stupid, but this person had already tricked me once, or did she? [Technically, you were going toe here anyway, so it''s not like she forced you. In fact, you were the one that asked her. As far as I can see, this is an anomaly, and it has broken contact with the world where we were. What this means, not sure, I need to study the ce more.] "Fine, I can''t say no to someone genuinely asking for help, but I need to know more about this ce," I said as I stood back up, but then things got awkward. I was still naked and with an erection that seemed to creep out of nowhere, and that was right in front of Dani''s face. I was about to step back, but she opened her mouth and leaned forwards. I let out a soft groan as Dani''s bright orange lips slipped over my stiff shaft. This was not really what I meant, but I wasn''t about to stop her now. I took her smooth head in my big hands and started to pump cock deep into her mouth. Dani was like a smaller cross of Jilly and Beeno, but I was still surprised that she wanted to do this. Then Dani pushed on my hips, and I let go of her head as she took my cock out of her mouth and then raised her face to mine. "I am sorry, and I know that you probably hate me, but I want you to use my body as payment. I¡­ want you, but this is my first time with this body, and I don''t know how this is supposed to work," Dani said to me shyly. Then she looked down, and my eye followed to where she was ying with her slit just above where her body connected to her lower half. Again, I was not about to let this chance go to waste. I could sprint to the end of this ce in a blink if I wanted to, so I could spare some time for some bug pussy; Jilly had fixed any aversions I had previously. "If this is what you want, then we can do this, but then after, I need you to point me in the right direction to go deal with this," I said to Dani. Then I ced my hands on her shoulders and slowly guided her to the ground, whispering, "Let me show you how to do that properly." Iid down beside Dani, pulled her into a kiss with one arm, and then slid my other hand down her waist. The ck striped orange hands pulled back as I slid my two fingers down into her pussy. Dani moaned, and her tentacles started to move,ing to caress and drag on my skin. The tentacles movement increased as I started to rub her clit, and then she pulled away from my kiss to moan loudly. I leaned into her neck and started to kiss my way down to her ample, nippleless breasts. Dani ran her hands through my hair, and her spiked ck tentacles dragged as her back began to arch. "What is happening, eeee! Oh, my little slit feels so good when you do that," Dani cried out as she had her first orgasm. I slipped my fingers down and then slipped one of my fingers slowly inside of Dani, and she started to paint. I pushed it all the way in and then slowly started to finger her as I pulled her back into a kiss. I slowly picked up speed, and as I did, our kiss intensified, but right before I could tell she was about to orgasm, I stopped.. Dani''s kiss slowed, but I climbed on top of her before breaking the kiss and taking her smooth hairless orange face in my hands. Chapter 280 - Dani Pt 2 As Dani stared up at me, confused, I smiled and lifted my body with my knees as I lifted my body to hang over hers. Then she watched me move my cock into her wet slit with my hand. "Is that even going to fit in my little hole? I want it in there¡­ put it in, but please go slow. My hole wants that big thing, but your little finger was so tight!" Dani moaned as I rubbed the head of my dick in her wet slit and then stroked myself to lube myself. "I will make it fit; I just have to go slow; you will stretch," I said, and then slowly started to push into her extremely tight hole, making Dani''s mouth freeze in an open position as I did. I started to slowly move back and forth, stretching her pussy wide as my dick dug in deeper as Dani moaned. Then I was buried inside of her as deep as I could go, and the two of us locked eyes together. I was scratched by Dani''s spikes for pushing myself to such depths, but now theyy still on the ground. The throbbing of Dani''s pussy was almost palpable as she panted and slowly caught her breath. "Please start moving, it doesn''t hurt now, and I will feel that feeling again. Please make me scream again, you big blue monster!" Dani told me, and I took hold of her hands and ced them above her head. Then I started to fuck Dani''s tight little slit, and she almost immediately came, but I didn''t stop as her body twisted and writhed under me. I drilled my cock deep into her wet little hole, and Dani screamed in ecstasy as I destroyed her virgin pussy. Dani''s tentacles were all lying t and stretched out stiff as the sound of her cries and the wet noises of me fucking her filled the air. I could see her caterpir body twisting and rolling side to side behind me, but she never asked me to stop. I used my feet to gently pin the soft abdomen of her lower body as I pumped my shaft into her now soaking pussy. The body was soft and almost furry, and the feeling on my feet was very lovely, but I could feel the pressure inside of me starting to build up, and so could Dani. Her body started to arch, and her squeals turned into screams as I plunged deep inside of her. Hot milk pumped from the tip of my cock, and filled Dani''s hole with my creamy batter, making her body shake violently. When I was done, I slowly pumped my cock a few more times before pulling it out and climbing off Dani''s heaving body. She looked exhausted, but this was her first time feeling this or anything like it, so it was understandable. There was a mixture of our juices still covering my shaft, but Dani got up and sucked me clean. The whole process made me weak in the legs, and I groaned many times during the process. After she was finished, Dani got up, and the two of us locked eyes. As much fun as this had been, I needed to get going to figure out how I was getting out of here. "So, now can you tell me where I have to go?" I asked, and Dani nodded to me and then pointed in the general direction that I had assumed. "There are at the end, but there will be guards when you reach thest ring. I woulde with you, but I will only slow you down. All I ask is that you don''t forget about me. Still, even if you can just stop them, I will be happy with that," Dani said with a resolute smile, but I could tell that she was waiting for me to give some kind of reassurance. "Yes, don''t worry, I wille back for you, but I am not really sure how you will do in my world. We are the same size here, but outside of this ce, we will be different. No point in counting your chickens before they hatch, and we will see how things go after we get out," I exined to Dani and then leaned down to give her a kiss before straightening back up. I received a hopeful smile and nod of understanding from Daniel. It seemed that she already understood what she was offering, just not sure how to act on it. "I know that, but I think you are something different, and that''s why I opened myself up to you like this. I trust that you will figure out something in the end, but I will wait here for now. I am done with my work for the day, so I don''t have to go back out into the swarm," Dani told me, and I nodded as I turned away from her. I looked in the direction I needed to go and then took a deep breath in before I started to jog forward. The jog quickly picked up and became a run and then a sprint as I tore across the empty grassy in. [That was quite an interesting experience. You two sure got over that disagreement in a hurry! Much fewer wars would be fought if people sorted their problems out like that!] ''What? Do you expect two nations just to get together and have one big orgy?'' [I mean, that doesn''t sound like a terrible idea. Think of it as building rtions across nations! I think it would all reduce the cost of war dramatically and cause poption booms instead of declines. All and all, Sex Wars sounds like a pretty good idea!] I rolled my eyes at the thought but couldn''t find a good argument other than it just wouldn''t work for his idea. The thought of it happening was about as distracting as what I had just been doing, so I shook my head to clear it as I came up to the first ring. Chapter 281 - Reflections, Astral Orichalcum Coming up to the first ring, I was confused about their purpose and hadn''t asked Dani about them. The events before this had distracted me, buting up to the ring, it had looked like just more ins. Getting closer, I could see that was not the case, and there seemed to be a mirror-like surface that covered as far as I could see. I could see my own reflection on its surface as I came up out of the strange glowing teal rock ring. Being so far away and the brightness of the day hand made it next to impossible to get a good look at the ring. I slow Gold veins in the glowing rock pulsed rhythmically with yellow light, but the pattern seemed to change as I got closer. I had never seen anything like this before, and I was starting to wonder if this wasn''t like Noel''s Spatial Construction Magic. "What do you think about this?" I asked out loud as I slowed down to a stop. [Strange is hardly appropriate, and I really shouldn''t be the one acting like this, but this is a bit stranger than most of the things that we have found. I have no way to tell you anything about the barrier itself. Still, the rock is Libra Orichalcum, so be careful.] "What is that supposed to be?" I asked as I started to walk again and got closer to the ring that turned out to be a rocky crystal surface. The golden veins near me were starting to get brighter, and the pulses more erratic. It was like the rock could sense that I was getting closer, and that bothered it. [Wait, that is alive, and I don''t know if you want to touch it. This must be part of what is controlling this ce or one of the twelve Astral Orichalcum Rings that Grixaitx is using to control it. Orichalcum is a powerful metal with natural and almost sentient magical properties. Astral Orichalcum Rings are alive and always in sets of twelve; they also should not be here.] I stopped as I listened, examining the rock as Harold exined to me, but I could feel the rock pulling at me. There was a solid and proud aura pulsing off of it, but I resisted it; it was far too inviting. "What do you mean that they shouldn''t be here?" I asked as I turned my back to the glowing stone and reflective wall. Then something bumped my hip, and I turned around to see what it was, but nothing was there. I was sure that I had felt something, and I turned a full circle, but there was nothing anywhere but the wall and stone. [There must be other things here that you can''t see because I felt that nudge as well. These rings are Mythical items that create controlled paradises. The more rings that you have together, the greater control you have over the environment.] So this was how the crazy environment was created, and now some bug has control of it?" I asked and then spun around again as something brushed by me. I tried to concentrate on the area that whatever touched me should be, and I didn''t see anything at first. Pressure started to build in my head as I thought I started to see the outline of something human-like but not. Then I noticed something like flecks of tinsel in the air like I had held my breath, and I started to feel dizzy, and I stubbled. I looked away from the area, and the feeling stopped, but the feeling didn''t return when I looked back on the spot. [Now that is strange; whatever you saw almost made you ckout. More strangeness, but no bug could have done this, not even a group of them. The problem is that they require a lot of power to control them and a conscious mind. No bug in this world could have done that, and even now, I would say you would struggle with maintaining even a single ring of the twelve.] "So, what does that mean for us and moving forward?" I asked. [That we should proceed with caution and not touch any of the rings. Since they are in use, the Astral Entities will conform you to the rings or try to. If that happens, you will have your mind nketed over, and you will be part of the wielder''s power.] "So I have to jump like thirty feet, and then I am good? What happens if I touch it? Am I immediately screwed? Or is there a way to fight the rings?" I asked as something brushed by me, but this time I ignored it. [You can fight them, but we don''t know who or what is controlling them. Being in this small ce doesn''t guarantee they are small, like a bug. For all, we know there could be a dragon controlling them or even a demon, which is unlikely, or they would be controlling the Demons. I don''t know anything about these rings other than what I have told you, but I do advise you to proceed with caution.] This was turning out to be more of a pain in the dick than I had first anticipated, and I was kicking myself for this blunder. This was another diversion from what I was supposed to be really doing. [Don''t, this is just as much if not more my fault for suggesting it, but neither of us could have seen thising. Regardless of how we got into this, if we can get out, you will control the rings and have your ranch. The Astral Orichalcum Rings can be worn all by you when you are strong enough because of your ability to step inside of your own mind.] "Wait a minute! What is up with this putting everything inside of me like I am some sort of Ark!" I growled. [You and I are the only ones that will be traveling to the next world.] {Dear readers, I am going through some mental problems rn, so I am sorry that the book ising out so slow, will try to do better} Chapter 282 - What Does It Matter, Till Dark The words hit me like a hammer, and my chest started to get tight as my mind ran through a wide range of emotions. "When were you going to tell me this?" I asked, keeping my voice level and deadly calm. [They will all join you in The ce Where Worlds Collide, and I never really thought about it till now. What does it matter?] "What? How could it not matter?" I asked with shock as I sat down in the grass, stunned by what I heard from Harold of all people. [You know what is going to happen if you kill him, right? When Helsin Zero is killed, this all ends Zack, you know that; you don''t need the memories for that. All these bonds, people, and everything beside me only exists in your mind.] Harold was right, and so was Zero when he told me I would start to understand what he was trying to do. I still didn''t agree, but now I was torn about this all. "So you''re telling me that I have to choose between this life and the people of Earth? There are what, Infinite world and realities here? The Earth was just one ce, right? Aren''t all the people of Earth here with us?" I asked in confusion. [I don''t know, Zack. There are some I know about here, like Mark, but I am missing my memories from before like you. I only have my memories from my times the first time through and now.] When I got my memories back, I would get those feelings from that time, and I was sure that my opinion of this would change again. I was also bothered by the idea that I had done this before. Has it been the same? Had I already lost people that I had collected like I was now? [No, that is one thing I know. You did it all on your own, and you ignored all sources of help from your old guide. The man was a strange one, but I can''t remember his name for the life of me, but it was something strange.] That was relieving, but I was still left with an unsettling feeling about the endgame of this all. [Don''t overthink it too much for now; you have this world to worry about right now. Now let''s get up and start moving. Libra is the Scale of Bnce, and the world will be very bnced and symmetrical if the sign is any indication of it.] I sighed and got back up. Breathing constantly came naturally now, but it was still weird to do when I thought about it. I stood up and started to back up, but then I bumped into something soft. I wasn''t going to be fooled in turning around, but the thing spoke. "Owff! Watch where you are going! I didn''t mean to sneak up on you like that! I just wanted toe over here to wait for you! Then I saw you sitting here, and I wasing over to talk to you, then you stood and backed up into me!" Dani said in a matter-of-fact voice as I turned around to face my tiger-striped caterpir. Dani backed up from me and crossed her arms, but she just looked cute with her pouting face. Her caterpir body wasn''t as strong as Jilly''s, and she was much smaller than her, so Dani only came up to my chin. "Might be a good thing that you came over here. What should I expect past these walls? Also, why are we the only ones on this ring? I hadn''t really taken the time to ask you anything about this ce," I said to Dani, and she gave her own sigh but nodded. "You will be fine; if you touch each one of the rings, you will get there without trouble. If you don''t, you will stand out in each ce. I will have toe with you, and you will just have to follow me and listen to what I tell you," Dani exined and let out a sigh like she was lecturing a student that didn''t know how to listen. "No, you can stay here. I am not touching the rings, so you probably won''t remember me or something like that, right? What about the empty grass fields?" I asked. "There are others here, but you can''t see them because they are here for a different purpose. You were holding on to me when we came in here, so we could see each other. The first ring deals with the separating of food, then living, and the hatchery. After that, you will reach Grixaitx," Dani exined to me. "What is he?" I asked, but Dani shrugged. "No one that I know has ever seen him, but I was curious to see. I can walk through, but you will just have to convince me that I know you. It is better to have me as your guide than trying to do this alone," Dani told me, and I gave her a raised eyebrow. "What can I do to remind you that you know me?" I asked, not really sure what I would be able to say. "Just say the nickname you gave me, and act forward with me, and I am sure that I will melt back into your arms. Then you can also mention that I was taking you to go see Grixaitx," Dani exined, and I grinned as I stepped back up to her, cing a hand on her hip. "Well, then what about we have one more kiss so you will have something to remember, right? This will be an easy reminder of who I am to you," I said and then leaned in for a kiss that Dani epted gratefully. I stroked her smooth head as we kissed, but I was still concerned about the time I was spending here. The two of us broke the kiss, and I looked into her eyes; they were grey. "How long till it''s dark?" I asked, not excited to hear how long I had. "Time moves very slowly here, so you have about three days before darkness sets in outside of this ce," Danie exined, and I let out a sigh of relief. Chapter 283 - Unsure, We Are Inevitable I smiled down at Dani, and the two of us broke apart, and I stepped back from her. I looked over her long caterpir body and mused over what to do. The idea of convincing her about me each time did have its charms, but it was hardly what I would call efficient. It would be better for me to carry her with me, and it looked like it would be possible but tricky. "What happens if you don''t touch the rock? Can you still guide us, and we blend in?" I asked as I started to walk around Dani, looking her body over. "I don''t know, but I do remember how each ring works! I can still guide us, I think, but are you sure that you are going to be able to carry me over?" Dani asked as she watched me examine her. I nodded, and then walked up, and bent down at the center section of the tiger-striped caterpir''s body, and scooped it up. Dani squeaked, but I didn''t stand up right away and turned my head to face the shocked-looking girl. "Put your hands on my shoulders, and I will hold your lower section up, and you can use your spike tentacles to hold on, but just don''t grip too tight! I only just healed from thest marks you left!" I said with a chuck, and Dani turned away with what looked to be an embarrassment for a moment. Then Dani turned back to me with a sigh and nodded, moving around to climb onto my back. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I slowly stood up, and her body was surprisingly light. The underside of her abdomen was a soft fur-like velvet in my arms. The orange and ck upper section was smooth and felt nice, pressing softly into my chest. This was going to be awkward, but I should have no problem clearing thirty feet in the condition that I was in now. I was more worried about overshooting and hitting something on the other side. "Is there anything that I should be worried about? Like on the other side where we are going? Any buildings or walls that we might crash into?" I asked as I started to back peddle, but I had to dance out of the way of some invisible incest that I had just backed into. "Yes, I would try not to overshoot the ring too much; there is a long wall with gates to walk through on the other side. There is about my body length if Iy down and stretch out," Dani exined to me, and I nodded. [She is about ten feet, so you will have to be careful. Dani had a soft body, so I don''t think I need to tell you what will happen if you crash into something.] That was a disturbing thought to have as I backed up to get some good distance. This was bing less and less of a good idea, but I was a good judge of strength, so I had faith. "Are you ready for this?" I asked. "Is it okay to say no?" Dani asked, and Iughed, but I understood how she felt, but this was the best way to do it, maybe. [That is a lot of indecision.] ''Of course, it is, dick head! I could make her go st if I hit the wall on the other side! I don''t want to kill her, but I don''t know how hard it will be to convince her when I get to the other side! You saw how the ring reacted when I was close to it! Whatever is controlling them knows I am here, and it might try to do something to her with the Libra Orichalcum Ring.'' [That is a fair estimation of what we know. Maybe it is best just to leave her here and power through this.] ''You know more about these things than I do. Can you just power through them, or am I going to hit a bunch of resistance the entire way?'' [I honestly don''t know. I have read things about them before, and I was going to suggest them farter on, but they should not be here, so I didn''t look into them more. If I was in your system, I could pull the info upon them, but I am blocked like you.] This was frustrating, but I couldn''t wait around, so I started to run at the mirror wall, preparing to leap the Libra Orichalcum Ring. I picked up speed, got to where I needed to be, and got ready to jump, sure that this would work. Are you sure? The thought sent chills through my body, and I missed my jump. I tried to stop, but I was going too fast, and I was holding Dani. [What just happened?!] I had no time to think; I just spun, uncoiling Dani from me and throwing myself backward. Dani was tossed off me, but I still slid, and I felt my foot touch the warm Libra Orichalcum Ring. I closed my eyes, and the world dropped from around me, and I lost all sense of having a body. "Why do you resist? We are inevitable, and no matter how much you struggle, we will always win!" Said four male voices simultaneously, but I had no way of telling what they were. There was one thing that I could tell right away; I didn''t like them. Damn cheesy ass lines! I opened my eyes, and I was in space, but I was in my old sr system, and I was facing the Scale of Bnce, or the constetion of it. There was nothing else, but there was Earth; A ce that I left with a haunted feeling as I looked down at it. "I don''t know who you are, but there is no way that I am going to mess with me. I have things to do, and now I have found out that I can use these rings to help me.. That means you have something I want, and you are doing bad things with them!" I shouted mouthlessly, but my words still rang out, making the void of space seem to tremble with fury. Chapter 284 - Libra, Ghost Of A Feeling "Who do you think you are!" The voices shrieked, but I ignored them as I thought about where I was. ''Harold?'' [...] Nothing from him, so this was like when I talked to Mark. I had almost no way to do anything to resist, but that was before I had spent time in my own head. This was just another ce in my head, and the ripples from the voices wereing from the direction of the constetion. I focused my will and targeted the pattern of stars and let myself reach out to make a connection. This was my head, so I made the rules; the others were the invaders. "Stop that, you wild animal! You can not take this control! We are the rulers of the Astral Orichalcum Rings!" The voices shrieked, but they were weaker now. I refused to give them the satisfaction of a reply and instead focused on establishing my bond with the ring. Even though I was targeting the constetion, I knew that the real target was the Libra Orichalcum Ring. Suddenly, I was pulled into another reality, but this time I was in a courtroom, and there was a woman with massive breasts sitting on a throne where the judge would usually be seated, the pedestal reced. There were two faceless muscr men beside her, and each was holding her bare breasts up. Everything else in the room looked Identical to the typical courtroom you would see in a crime show. They had no genitals, and their faces werepletely smooth, giving them a statuesque look. The men crouched were holding each basketball-sized breast and then seemed to be motionless, so they might just be statues. "Thank you for breaking me from the grip of the Brothers. I have been waiting for you toe back to get me, Zack," The Astral constetion known as Libra told me, and I knew that it was her. There was something familiar and nostalgic about this ce, and I was getting ghosts of feeling and past experiences here. I had been here many times before, and Libra and I had spent many hours talking in this very room. Each time I tried to reach for one of the memories, it was the same as trying to get at any of my blocked thoughts. I knew they had happened, but the actual memory was at the tips of my fingers, just out of my reach. "I know you, and we have spent time together, right?" I asked. "Yes, but when you left us here in the ground, none of us believed that you would evere back," Libra said with a sad smile that cut me more profound than any knife ever could. Harold''s words came back into my mind once again. What does it matter whether they are all gone or not? What made me feel that way before? Did I really think that way? Has anything changed for me this time around? "I am sorry that this happened, and I can''t really make excuses for the person that I was back then. I am slowly figuring out that I need to do things differently this time around. Can you tell me what is actually going on here and what I said to you before leaving?" I said to Libra, and she nodded to me with a brighter smile and then waved her hand out to the side. The scene shifted, and I was standing in a bedroom with Libra on a four-poster bed that felt more than inviting. She was lying on her breasts, and they forced her back to curve and arch as she looked up to me. "Why don''t you join me? It has been so long since anything but the scales of time have touched me, and we spent so much time together before you left us here," Libra said seductively, but thest part stung, and I deserved it. I was going to have to figure out something that could help save everything, but why didn''t I want to help before? Why was I so willing to leave this woman behind? Libra had golden eyes and her smile that she gave me melted me like butter, and I buried her in the ground here. Why?! "I don''t understand why I did this? I just can''t see myself being okay with doing this!" I growled in frustration as I slowly walked over to the bed. I sat down on it, and the bed was covered in sheets that looked to be spun from gold, but it was smooth like velvet. "You said that you would be back, and you know that this was never going to work. I wasn''t sure, and most of us thought that you would get back to us, but the faith of the others has started to fade. You need us, or you can never win, but you know that. You said that you weren''t ready to win yet," Libra told me, and things started to make sense. "So you are saying that the reason that I left you here is that I knew that I was going to lose, and I was preparing for me to do this again?" I asked, and Libra nodded. "Yes! That is what we thought, but we never thought that you would take this long," Libra said as she looked up at me with a gentle smile. I leaned down to kiss that smile, and then I felt the burning on my back again as my Astral pattern gained another star. These rings were more of the constetions of light that I needed to collect. "So, who are these brothers?" I asked after pulling back from the kiss. "Wait! Before I tell you, do you think that you could give me some attention before you leave? Once I tell you who they are, you will have to go.. So, can it tell you after?" Libra asked me with a cute smile and some of her blonde hair falling down into her face. Chapter 285 - Libra, And Filling Her Constellation I pushed the hair out of her face and smiled down at Libra warmly, and she pulled her knees up. This raised her hips up into an inviting position, and I kissed her, but I still needed to figure out things while I could remember them. "Sure, but I have questions that can''t wait, or there is a good chance that I will forget them. Did I have the same connection with the others as I did with you?" I asked, but that made Libra chuckle. "I don''t think you share the same rtionships with the others, but there are some. Virgo, Gemini, and Aquarius were all close with you; the rest have their own enjoyments," Libra said with a smile. I climbed on the bed, positioning myself to rest my cock between her cheeks. I gripped her hips, enjoying the yful sliding of my cock, and the softness of her ass. I reached down between her legs and gently yed with Libra''s smooth and hairless slit. I made her moan as my fingers became sticky with her excited leaking juices. I used my other hand to guide my cock to her waiting hole, pulling my other hand back to lube the tip of my cock. I wiped my hand off on my leg, and Libra gasped out, grabbing her giant breasts as I glided into her wet pussy. My shaft sunk deep until Libra had taken every inch of me inside her and then leaned over her slender hourss body. I pulled her hair back from her neck and slowly started to kiss her neck as I started to grind my hips in Libra''s. As her moans started, I reached down and slipped my hands under Libra''s massive pillow soft breast that were just as light as pillows. I felt around until I found herrge nipples that felt almost the exact same, and I started to y with them. I made longer strokes, and Libra''s moan became louder, but then she turned her head to mine. I pulled my lips from her neck and pressed them into her lips, muffling her moans as I fondled her breasts even more. Libra''s pussy started to tighten, so I picked up my speed, and she was forced to break from the kiss. I plowed my cock deep inside her as Libra''s hips started to shake, and she cried out, but I kept going as I was getting close as well. "Fill me with your Gctic Seed, my Astrological Emperor! My constetion aches to be filled with your Milky Wave!" Libra cried out as I mmed my gctic hammer deep in her constetions. I burst with a milky explosion that filled Libra''s hole, making her back arch as she screamed out in pleasure. I let go of her breast and slowly kissed down Libra''s back as I slowly pulled out of her trembling body. When I was fully out, her body twitched, and I kissed the rest of the way down to Libra''s ass and then spread her cheeks. Something was satisfying watching her hole leak my hot cum out. "You like to watch it leak?" Libra said in a suggestive but tired voice. Then I felt her body tighten in my grip, and more of my hot white spunk leaked out, making me smile. I pped one of her ass cheeks and then rolled Libra onto her back slowly so I could look into her pretty face. "So, now can you tell me about the three brothers that are still controlling the other rings? I will go slow this time, but I am not done with this perfect body yet," I said as I became hard again. I didn''t have my Sexual Sage of The Seven Winds, but I could still get one more round in before I had to leave. Libra smiled at me encouragingly, and then she let out a small gentle moan like an angel as I pushed the tip of my still wet cock inside her. I leaned down and kissed Libra as I slowly fucked her and then pulled back, holding myself propped above her. "SkinWalkers; they look like you with no clothes, but they are eyeless like Troglodytes. They are smart, and because of the rings, the three of them are now connected and call each other brothers. From what we have gathered, they were transported on a ship, but a storm imed them. They ended up on this ind," Libra said as I moved my shaft back and forth gently, enjoying the feel of her pussy as I listened, but I spoke up after she was done speaking. "This ind seemed to be the drainage for storms, and I guess that the creatures must have stumbled on to you all? How did I hide you?" I asked. "You connected us to these Citipods to keep us safe, but the SkinWalkers are attracted to Magical Items, and they are attracted to us. They are extraordinary, and because they each have multiple personalities, they can control all of us, but not well as you can see. Still, no bug could ever be strong enough to stop them," Libra exined, and I nodded. Then leaned my head down to take her lips in mine as we began to kiss again, and I picked up my speed. I had got what I needed; now, it was time to get back to the rest of the rings. Libra''s moans were getting loud again, and I could feel her body clenching me as I felt close to bursting. I pumped more hot Cock Milk into Libra''s messy wet hole as she cried out, clenching her breasts tight as her body trembled. I looked down, and Libra''s hair was stered on her angelic face that was slick from sweat. "Thank you for taking the time to spend with me like this, but I hope that next time you can stay for longer.. I give my blessing of the Wind, don''t try to take on the other rings like this yet, just leap over them, I will guide you," Libra told me, and then the scene shifted back to myying in the grass. Chapter 286 - New Orchestra Member, Get Over It [Are you okay?!] Harold asked. [He is fine, but who are you?] Libra asked curiously. "Are you okay," Dani asked as I opened my eyes to find her tiger-striped orange and ck hairless face hanging over top of me. I nodded as I was assaulted by all three voices inside and out of my head. I scrubbed my hands over my face and sat up, making Dani pull back as I did. "Yeah, I think that I am alright, but I have control of one of the rings, and I have an idea of what I am dealing with now. Though it looks like I gained a new orchestra member in my mind," I said, and Dani gave me a strained look. "Are you sure that you are all right?" Dani asked me with a concerned look on her face, and I rolled my eyes. Everyone seemed to think that I was crazy when I talked about the voices in my head, and one really couldn''t me them. [I am Hero, Zack''s guide. You are Libra, I would assume, right?] Harold asked. [I am one of his Zodiac lovers! Libra, The Perfect Scales of Astral Bnce!] Libra dered in my mind, and I could almost feel Harold''s eyes rolling. [Of course, you are, and I did just mention that was your name. Regardless, what does this mean for us now? You were gone for a blink, but something interesting must have happened while you were gone, right?] Harold asked. [Zackary will not talk of our private time in which he filled my tight wet Constetion to bursting with his Milky Wave!] Libra dered, and I rolled my eyes. [Oh yes, there is no need if you are going to tell me! Sounds like you are better at describing than Zack is anyways!] Harold chuckled. [You are the lewdest of men, Hero! You were not to listen to a lovely virgin maidens secret words!] Libra growled cutely. [Oh yeah, a virgin, like my ass! Where did you find this one?] Harold asked me, and I sighed. ''Buried in the ground; the same ce that you are going to be soon if you don''t stop egging her on! You two are like a big pair of children; now let me deal with Dani so we can get going!'' I got up as Dani continued to look me over with concern, brushing bits of grass off my ass and the back of my legs. I turned and looked at the concerned-looking Caterpir girl. "I have one of the rings in my control now, and they are going to be my guild. It will be safer for you to wait here for me to get back after dealing with the brothers," I said to Dani, ignoring her concerned look. "Are you sure about this? You don''t seem like you are in the proper state of mind to go off by yourself!" Daniined. "Don''t worry, I will be fine; I have guides, and I can just muscle through anything that gets in my way if I get stuck," I said, but that just seemed to antagonize the look on Dani''s face. "See?! This is why I am so worried!" Dani yelled at me. At the same time, I felt somethinging out of me, and so did Dani, making her scream and then pass out. I turned my head, facing Libra, who was standing beside me in a sheer white dress. Both her breasts floated off her chest like a pair of moons that hung weightlessly. I grinned at her and then reached out to her, but my hand passed through her figure, making her image waver slightly. "Sorry, I can onlye out and tease you and others, but I won''t normally do this. This girl just seemed to be a bit too concerned about things that didn''t concern her. Now she is taking a little nap, and you can get going. You have a job to do, don''t you?" Libra asked with a slight smile. [That isn''t fair! Why can''t I do that!] Haroldined from inside of my head. "You already have enough advantages, Astral Guide. This is just from me to help provide visual help. So I can tell my man when I want him to fill-," Libra started to say, but I concentrated, and she was sucked back into my body before she could finish her sentence. [Hey!] Librained from inside of my head as Haroldughed. "You said that we needed to get going, so let''s get to that!" I said as I turned and started to walk across the rough ring. The two stayed quiet, and I pressed through the mirror wall, and it was like passing through cool water that didn''t make my skin wet. The other side was less than impressive, but I wasn''t really sure what I expected to see. Arge white marble wall was on the other side, but now I could see many insects, but they were more human-like than I would have expected. They were still bugs, but they all had some resemnce to humans. Or that was what I thought at first, but I started to notice that most of them were missing eyes. The brothers must be shaping the bugs in this world to be more like them, but I was curious about the purpose of this all was? [They need to make the bugs gain memories and then devour them when they gain enough experience. The bugs all typically have very short lives and are unthinking, so this is a win-win for them.] Libra exined, and I nodded as I looked over the insects as they filed to an opening in the wall. I looked over at the crowded gate, but there seemed to be some disturbance, and the bugs were arguing. [I am no longer influencing this ring, so they are probably arguing about something that isn''t important.. I suggest you just hop over the wall and get on your way!] Libra said in my mind with excitement. 287 I Knew It, Carnage 287 I Knew It, Carnage I bent my knees and focused on the top of the massive white marble wall. The entire thing looked perfectly built, and it seemed to stretch up and around the whole of the ring. ''What am I to expect when I get up there?'' [An exhaustive ring-wide argument since I am not there now to keep everything bnced. The world is built using hexagons that each hold unique and bnced habitats. Now that I am no longer there, any bugs can enter anywhere. They will be arguing about peopleing into their bnced areas while the newer bugs are just trying to find a new ce.] Libra exined, and I nodded to myself. I jumped and flew into the air about thirty feet and thennded on the top of the marble wall. Knowing that I was about the size of a flea made me kind of feel like one as I had been flying through the air. [Yeah, Zack Flee''s that can jump thirty feet in the air and wille and breed with the other organisms on you! That is just what every parent wants to find in their kids'' hair!] Harold said with a chuckle, but I was too busy looking around at the countless hexagonal hive sections that were spread all over the entire ring. Bugs were walking over then, but some of them would sh a soft yellow and then disappear. I watched more like them, and it seemed every time one of them would touch the surface of a hexagon. [Each one of these ces is a nk te until a bug enters it, and then it bes the perfect habitat. You might think that this would be enough to hold as many things as you want, but that is not the case. There are so many because they are no more thanfortable holes in the ground that create fake memories.] Libra exined as I looked around. Bugs were arguing, but to my surprise, none were fighting. Considering how close all the bugs were and how fiercely some were fighting, it was hard to understand theck of physical altercations. [One of the few upsides about this ce is that the bugs can''t kill or even hurt each other; that is the SkinWalkers job. They prevent them from acting out but still allow them to argue and y tricks on one another.] Libra exined to me, and I jumped down off the wall. Inded near a dark red centipede man who was arguing with a bulky rhino beetle. The beetle man looked like a sumo wrestler with armor on, but the Centipede man was much more vicious-looking than Lilly had ever been. "This is my hole now! You left it, and I took it!" The centipede man hissed. "No! That is my hole! I don''t want your wriggly body in it! That is my hole!" The Beetle raged in a voice that said he might be more muscle than brain. [Normally, I would just sort this problem out, but it is much better to leave everyone like this for now. It will cause great confusion with the three and may make it easier for us to sneak through.] Libra exined as I started to jog, ignoring the two bugs. There was about a five-mile gap to cross from what I could see. The next far-off reflective wall made it hard to urately judge the distance. [Five miles seems about right, and you should have much trouble getting through this ce. The main thing is that you don''t have any more distractions for a bit of a while!] Harold scolded me, and I knew what he was talking about. I might be putting around, but it never hurt to have a little bit of fun here and there. Plus, this was a new world, and there were many new vors to try on this ind, it turned out. [Just remember you have all the rest to take care of!] Haroldined. [The man is just having fun, and so far has only added one now treat to his permanent entrees! Let him enjoy himself a bit; you have seemed to be keeping him running this entire time!] Libra said in my defense. [I will never ever understand women, no matter how long I live!] Haroldined. [That is the point! You are never supposed to understand women; you are just supposed to listen to them!] Libra dered. [Yes, that and men are always wrong, and your shit doesn''t stink, right?] Harold questioned Libra in anger as I started to jog by the other arguing bugs. [Yes, you have it!] Libra said with augh, making Harold lose it. [I hate women like you!] Harold raged. [Because I always think that I''m right?] Libra asked. [Yes!] Harold raged. [I knew it!] Libra cackled, and Harold proceeded to lose his shit. I ignored the two as I weaved through the paths, dodging around all the arguing bugs. It was hard to believe that they were all arguing, but with this many varieties altogether, they probably would be killing each other. [Yes, they would be, and so now all they can do is argue. When the rings are removed, all the bugs will revert back to their bug forms but will retain their intelligence.] Libra exined to me, and I frowned as I walked. ''What about Dani? If everyone reverts back to bug form, then how am I going to find her?'' [Don''t worry about that; you had sex with her once, and that is all you need. Once the system is back up and running, I will be able to track them and anything else that you have stuck your dick in!] Harold informed me, but I was hardly paying any attention to him. There was a group of insects that were starting to run towards me. None of them looked to be arguing. [Something ising!] Harold shouted in my mind, but I didn''t need to be told; I could feel the opposing presence. [Carnage; this Citipod''s ruler, the Skinwalker!] Libra said with venom in her voice. Chapter 288 - Carnage Pt 1 The bugs weren''t crying out, but they were doing their best to get past me. I stood still and watched as a strange faceless man in a luxurious red robe that I would think a vampire would be wearing. [Be careful. This creature is vtile, and if it loses control, it will go berserk and be much more potent. Don''t let it get that far, or you won''t be able to beat the creature in this state!] Libra told me like the smooth-faced man with a mouth full of sharp teeth stalked toward me. Those chompers looked like they could do a lot of damage, so I had better keep my hands out of his mouth. I was stuck at a bit of a disadvantage here. I had no weapons, my pack was left back in the cavern, but it didn''t look like the creature had any either. Though, with the confidence that the creature was walking with, I could assume that it had no need for any. ''Anything I should know about this thing before I start trying to fight it?'' [It has no special powers other than its Omni sight that allows it to see from every angle simultaneously because of its personalities. Outside of the rings, they are influential Mental Magic users.] Libra exined. ''Then what does that mean for us inside here?'' [ Like you, they lose all magical power, and it is converted into physical power. That is the trade-off to live in the rings, but it is not bad considering that it can dramatically improve your body like it has for you.] Libra told me, and I looked down at my own blue and ck tiger-striped skin. I did feel stronger, but it was hard to tell the difference without hitting something. There was no point in thinking about this; I just needed to do what I did best and kick the shit of this thing before it could lose its mind. "Why do you resist us?" "Why must you defy our will?" "Who are you?" "We are inevitable!" The voices called out at the same time, but I was able to hear them all clearly. Whatever this thing was, talking to it was not the right idea; it already sounded bat shit crazy. The SkinWalker started moving forward, and I put my hands up, getting myself into a boxing stance. I could feel it watching me, and its two hands came up into a strange position with one palm forward and the other face-up. I wasn''t sure what he was doing, but I clenched my fist and advanced. The moment he was in range, I tried a short left jab to test the reaction, but the hand with the palm forward snapped into my inside elbow. I tried to counter with a right hook, but my elbow was pped up, and then both of his hands mmed into my chest. I was pushed back almost five feet from the strike, but I was able to keep my bnce. That was frustrating. The creature could read me like an open book, and I could tell that it was just ying with me. [I told you, they can see everywhere, and they are very good at predicting movement. They have thousands of years of memories to pull from for experience that stretches farther than just these bugs!] Libra warned me, and I narrowed my eyes at the creature. [Be careful. This thing isn''t like the other things you have fought. Those movements were smooth and fluid, so you need to watch out. This creature is obviously very skilled and almost as deadly as the Dread Dragon.] Harold told me, and I started to circle the creature. "You are like us." "You are more than one." "Join us!" "We are inevitable!" The distorted voices snarled out of Carnage''s mouth, and then it shifted to a killer smile of sharp teeth. It turned with me, and the creature seemed to follow all of my movements, but it did not attack me. I could see no way to get through the defense, and running wasn''t going to do me any good. I dashed forward, feinting a right hook, striking with my left foot at Carnage''s knee, but the creature jumped in the air. This was my n, but before I could strike forward, I was kicked in the face, and my body was lifted off the ground. I was tossed through the air with my head spinning from the blow, and then I smashed into the corner of a hexagon. Before I could fully register the pain in my side, reality shifted, and I was tossed into a dark hole. "What are you doing?" A grump male voice asked me, but I ignored the strange red beetle and got up off the ground. I turned around to the only light that was a dim grey light. I put my hand to my chin as I opened and closed my mouth. That had hurt, but the creature had already seen me move my arm to punch it right after I had forced it to jump. The Omni-vision thing was going to be a severe problem, or I would have to get faster. I walked forward slowly, and both the other two were staying quiet. That meant neither had helpful anything to help me in my fight. I walked forward, taking deep, controlled breaths as I did, and went back through the gate I had been kicked through. My side didn''t take much damage because I was transported into this hole, but I might not be so lucky next time. I stepped up to walk through the gate, and I proceeded to walk forward. The moment I touched the smooth grey surface, I was on the other side. Carnage was on the other side, waiting for me. "You are soft!" "He is weak!" "We shall devour all you are and have ever been!" "We are inevitable!" Chapter 289 - Carnage Pt 2 That pissed me off, but I didn''t let it make me lose my cool; I just needed to take this in strides. It was just trying to get under my skin, and tricks weren''t going to work on this monster. I opened my hands and started to circle and lowered my center of gravity, spreading my stance. I needed to watch out for the creature''s mouth, but taking it down was going to be the best option. I would have to prepare to defend the counter-blow that would surelye. Still, taking Carnage down and breaking to bones would slow it down some. Carnage was watching me as I circled, but after I opened my hands, the smile had left. I guess that it could assume I was about to try, meaning I was on the right path. I slowly closed the circle, and the creature raised its hands as I got closer, but right as I got within reach, Carnage started to back up. I wanted to taunt it, but I remembered Libra''s word and just kept focused on the red-robed monster. "Strike us, fool!" "You are nothing!" "We will consume you!" "We are inevitable!" I was really starting to get annoyed with that voice constantly saying the same droning hive talk, but I had to remain calm. It was clear now that this thing was just trying to get me to react and make a brash move that it could counter. I still couldn''t figure out if it was ying with me or not, but I was starting to think that it wasn''t very good at offense. The attacks that it had done were not that fast either, but it was more than likely holding back with its smug attitude. We were still in the corridor of Hexagon portals, and I considered jumping into one of them, but that wouldn''t do me any good. Then I considered what I knew as I kept pace with Carnage. He was keeping his distance, but that meant he didn''t want me to get in close, but just how fast was he really? My earlier thoughts about running came back to me, and I decided to give it a shot. I turned and ran as fast as I could to the next ring. "What?!" "Where is he going?!" "Wait!" "We are inevitable!" I nced back as I booted it down the ck and white corridor, and sure enough, Carnage was not able to keep up. I turned back and focused on going forward, heading towards the next ring. [What are your ns? As annoying as his line is, he is not wrong. No matter where we go inside here, you are going to be found. You also can''t take on any more Astral Energy at your current level; trying would destroy you.] Libra exined. "I don''t really have a n at the moment, but I need to find something to fight this thing with, and there is nothing here. What is the next ring again?" I asked out loud as I approached the next ring. I needed to have more information before making any kind of ns, and I also needed to find something for a weapon. I once again kicked myself for not remembering my bag in Tiga''s cave. The weapons would have been handy with a foe like this, but that was in the past now. There was no point in crying over spilled milk, and my sprint was eating up the miles; all the bugs seemed to have retreated now that the master was out. The Astral Orichalcum glowed the same teal with golden pulsing veins that were very active and started to strobe as I got closer. They must be irritated because of Carnage, but I wasn''t sure if it could do anything to me. [Just jump over them and ignore him, Scar hates you, and he would love for you tond on his right now. The next area is a dessert, but you will need to watch out for the giant bugs there. They are under the control of Scar, and he will be more than willing to help Carnage!] Libra warned me as I came up to the ring. This time I made sure that I had a clear head, and I jumped into the air, soaring over the erratically pulsing Astral Orichalcum Ring of Scorpio. I passed through the mirror wall and was hit with hot arid heat, and Inded in zing yellow sand. I could feel the sun on my skin far more intensely than I had in thest two sections, but this one was much more like the first one. That was how it seemed at first with what seemed like endless rolling hills of sand. Then the sand started to move, and I groaned as a massive scorpion emerged from the sand. Before it could say anything, I ran. It looked like it had a lot to say as a human body with golden skin like the rest of his scorpion form. Scar''s body stood ten feet off the ground, but his tail that looked like a golden wrecking ball with a dick, made him at least thirty feet tall. "Get back here, you useless Bastard! I have been waiting for you to return now that I have a new master! Now I can kill you for stealing my dear Virgo from me!" Scars roared in a voice that was much louder and deeper than his human frame would suggest. [Virgo never was his, and she never liked him! The idiot ignores Capricorn and chooses to focus on you like a child instead. Still, he is one of the Legendary Twelve Constetions, so don''t take him lightly!] Libra warned me, but that was obvious. There was no way I wasn''t going to take a giant golden scorpion like this seriously. By serious, I meant seriously running away from it. There was no way I was fucking with that monster with my bare hands, but then the ground around me started to move. [We are all going to die!] Haroldined as massive worms and centipedes started to rise from the sand. Chapter 290 - Keep Pushing, Incredibly Chilled I jumped in the air, and a massive centipede with a ck carapace passed under me, and I came down tond on its back. I ducked down as a giant green worm passed over the top of the giant centipede and me, but I jumped off before it could crash down. The giant worm crashed down on the centipede, crushing it and causing it to scream out as it died. I kept running, but the loose sand was making it hard to get any speed along with trying to dodge the long bodies monsters. "It is only a matter of time until one of my pets gets you!" Scar roared from behind me, but I had no part in name-calling. I was trying to not get eaten by the giant creatures that seemed to endlessly spawn out of the sands. It was all I could do to dodge them and keep them at a distance, but it was getting harder. [two kilometers left, you can do this! Three-fifths of the way there, so just keep pushing!] Harold cheered me on, and then I rolled under another jumping strike, getting back up to my feet right after. Two more green worms looked like they were going to try to collide and sandwich me between them. I jumped, flying into the air over them, and there was an explosion of ichor below me. The world was going crazy around me, but there seemed to be a limit to which the giant monsters could be pushed. Fewer creatures were rising back out of the sand, and they seemed to be acting less aggressive now. I could no longer hear the yelling from Scar as I closed the distance to the next ring. The moment I got within fifty feet of the ring, Scar burst up from the sand. The massive golden wrecking ball came stabbing at me, and I dove over to the side. "You think that I will let you get away that easily? I am going to kill you and make sure that you never get my precious Virgo!" Scar roared as I rolled with hot sand peppering around me. "You know that she doesn''t like you, right? Why do you want to stay under this faceless monster''s control? If youe back and stop acting like a spoiled child now, I will promise to bring you all sorts of goodies to TRY, and woah. I repeat nothing more than trying with the girls. Then you can try to find your own group of girls," I said calmly as I got up, brushing the sand off me. "And what if I resist? What will you do? You think that you can¡­." Scar started to say but paused as I bent down. I picked up a rock from the sand about fist size and straight back up. I gave Scar a knowing look as I tossed the rock up in the air meaningfully, and he seemed to understand what I was getting at. "HEY! PUT THE ROCK DOWN!" Scar roared as he started to back up while also using his ws to protect his soft human body. "Listen, the bugs don''t want this, and you don''t want to die, or whatever will happen if I kill you here. You have two choices, but there is only one sure answer. The other is a question of how many rocks will I need to hit you?" At the same time as I finished speaking, I threw the rock, and the air cracked as the rock flew past Scars head. The massive golden scorpion sidestepped in reaction, and I bent down and grabbed another rock. "Wait, Wait, Wait! Fine! What do you want?!" Scar shrieked, and I rolled my eyes. "For you to get out of the way and stay there! Now, or I am going to take you apart and craft a weapon to fight this faceless psycho! Scoot!" I growled, raising my rock in a threatening gesture. Scar shrank back and then borrowed into the sand, and I turned around with a sigh. I looked over the desert sands that were now all yellow again; all the dead had been dragged under with the sand churned. The desert was a good ce for creatures like this, but they would just be nuisances unless they were controlled. I would have to look into them more when I was on the boat. For now, I was trying to spot Carnage, and it didn''t take that long. The dark red robes stood out a lot on the bright golden yellow sand. I could see that the creature looked very calm as it walked across the sand directly towards me. Something seemed different and less maniacal about the red-robed monster. [He has most definitely lost it, and that will make him much more dangerous and focused. I suggest you try and keep your distance; getting close now won''t be a good approach.] Libra exined, and I nodded to myself and turned back around to face the next ring. I started to run and picked up speed as I approached the next Astral Orichalcum Ring. [If the rings are following their chart order, Sagittarius should be next, and that is the centaur archer, I think. The next ce should be some kind of wooded ce, but Libra should know more.] Harold told me as I got closer to the Teal and pulsing gold ring. [Hero is correct, and Sagittarius will more than likely ignore you, but his children are all quite varied and strange. The one thing they all share inmon with their father has a single innate talent that they can do perfectly. Some are kind, while others are mean or bully with their superiority.] Libra exined, but she seemed on edge about it. I reached my jump point about five feet before the ring, vaulting up in a high arch. It looked like I was about to smash into a mirror, but then I was hit with an incredibly chilled feeling as I passed through. [Due to Share Story messing with my pay I will no longer be posting chapters to allnovelfull more then once a week if I post at all. I will be continuing to post chapters on p at re on. as of 12/8/2021 there are 302 chapters and the number will increase everyday.. thank you for reading this far, and I will talk to them about unlocking the priv so you can read thest ten chapters without paying extra.] Chapter 291 Oh Shit, We Are Going To Die The instant I was on the other side, I felt instantly better as I burst into a nice summer day. I flew out and over the ring andnded on the other side with a roll in some tall grass over three feet tall. I stayed low, but I couldn''t see anyone around me when I looked around. I was at the entrance to a forest with tall trees that stretched up higher than I could see in some ces. This ce was much different than the other three sections that I had been in, and I couldn''t see a straight path through. This tall grass was also everywhere, making it very hard to spot anything. This made it good for me to hide, but that also meant that there could be other bugs hiding. Not like they should attack me, but there were also Sagittarus''s children to worry about as well. [they are all centaur-like him, but their upper bodies will look different. You will see theming; the centaur are proud creatures that like a good challenge. What you will need to watch out for is the wildlife.] Libra exined to me as I slowly stood up to get a better look around. The forest was quiet, but that was concerning all on its own. No bug or bird noises wereing from anywhere, but there was a soft breeze. That was making the grass rustle everywhere, and it was setting me on edge. ''What kind of wildlife am I to expect?'' I asked the question in my mind this time rather than speaking out loud to prevent any unnecessary sound. The more I was here and looked around, the more of a sense of uneasiness set in. [Monsters, but you shouldn''t be too worried right away. Goblins and Troglodytes are not very likely to bother you, even if they are in arge group. As you get deeper, the monsters will get stronger. This is how Sagittarius trains and keeps his children in shape. It is also how he feeds his people and the other bugs that make it this far.] Libra exined. I sighed and then started to move forward through the waist-high grass. ''What do you mean to make it this far? I thought that you said that they were meant to make it this far so the SkinWalker can devour them, right?'' [I don''t think that it needs to feed that much, and it probably values the ones that have the most memories.] Harold exined. [Yes, you are right! The worms that just tried to kill you were part of Scars Ring, just like the Centaur and monsters are on this one. We don''t have to follow the same rules as the bugs, and we can kill them if we want. Not all of us do that, but most do as they see the bugs as invaders that they are forced to shepherd.] Libra exined, and I nodded to myself. It made sense, and I wouldn''t like having these crazy eyeless freaks taking over everything and forcing me to do this. Then having all the strange bugsing in that were probably frustrated and confused would not help. The forest stayed quiet for the first ten minutes of walking, but I was taking it slow. I had already made good time with the other two rings, and no more than two hours had passed. Then I met my first group of monsters, and everything went downhill from there. I was slowly proceeding forward, but then I heard the sound of nasal voices that reminded me slightly of Keita. I lowered myself and stopped, waiting to see what they were going to do. I couldn''t see them yet, but I was sure they were about thirty feet off to my right, just ahead of me. I wanted to avoid them, so I decided to stay still and see if they would leave. "Z, if we go that way, Chez will use us for target practice!" A squeaky male voice argued. "What do you want to do then? Go that way?! Archie will make us part of one of his experiments!" anotherined. "There is nowhere to go but to the edge of the ring, boys! Karl will cook us up if we try to go forward!" A deeper but still high-pitched voice said, and then they started to move directly towards me. [I think you could probably just kill these three reasonably fast, and they would be out of your hair. Doesn''t look like these three are going to make it very far.] Harold said, but I didn''t think that was going to be the solution. From the sounds that were getting closer, there were more than just the three. I decided that I might as well wait and see who these creatures were and see if they might have something worthwhile. Harold grumbled in my head about wasting precious time, but I could feel Libra''s approval of my choice. [I think that it could be good to help these creatures. You never know what kind of help they could be in the future.] Libra said, and I could almost feel her beaming smile in her words. Harold continued to grumble, but I think he was just sore about not having the best possible answer to every problem. I waited, and the rustling started to get closer until a small green humanoid two and a half feet tall walked into me. The goblin bounced back off me and then knocked the grass back to reveal seven other shocked and scared-looking faces. Oh yeah, this was great; they had children; there goes any hope of shrugging this group off. Like the other one, two more males got back up and then three females, two of them holding children. "Oh shit, we are going to die," The deep-voiced Goblin said in a tone that seemed to expect this oue. "Wait, Wait, Wait! I am not going to kill anyone, but I might need your help as guides," I said right away, and they all looked shocked. Chapter 292 Quick To Agree, Dont Be Stupid They all looked at me withbinations of confusion and fear, but thankfully none of them yelled. They all had smooth skin, and they kind of reminded me of those football-headed creatures from tv with the colored hair tufts. "You''re not going to close our eyes?" One of the two children asked me, and I shook my head no. "Nope, I am new here, but if you all aren''t trying to hurt anyone, then I don''t think you should be hunted or used as experiments," I said as I gave the fallen goblin a hand up. "Umm, thanks, but why? I mean, you are really, really, really strong, so why would you help us?" The goblin asked after brushing off his rag clothes. I was a bit surprised that they had clothes on, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt underdressed. I waspletely naked, but I had be so used to it that even Mex had to tell me to put shorts on. "I don''t kill needlessly, and from the sounds of it, you all could use some help. I need a guide, so I can help you get somewhere safe if you can do that. Does that sound like a good deal?" I asked, and the goblins all shook their heads yes. The creatures were quick to agree, but in the current climate, this was their best choice. "Okay, let''s get some names, and tell me the best way to get to the other side of this ring," I told the goblins. At first, they looked excited to say their names, but then I continued about getting across the ring. The goblins'' faces all took on worried and scared looks, and I sighed, trying not to be disappointed. "Don''t worry, I wasn''t really thinking. Of course, you have never been to the other side of the ring, or you wouldn''t be having these problems. Okay, you all seem to know about the centaur''s, and I need to deal with some of the mean ones to get through, so you all can help me with them," I said, and the goblins sighed, but one of the males passed out. "Ah, Gee, not this again! Go wake him up! I am Ayech, and the passed-out idiot is Zee. He doesn''t deal with stress well, but it has saved his life more than once," Ayech said with a strange deep nasal chuckle as Gee bent over Zee and started to p him. I looked away from him and turned my focus on the three women that were in dresses, but they all looked almost identical. Thankfully, they were wearing different colored ones, and I would have some way besides voices to tell them apart. "My name is Rei, and my child is Milo," one of the female goblins wearing pink said,pletely ignoring Ayech assaulting Zee. Milo looked sad, and I considered trying to cheer him up, but I was like eight times as big as him. I probably looked like a scary-looking lizard man, but I thankfully still had t teeth and a normal tongue. "I am Kaedi, and this is my daughter, Genni," the female goblin wearing yellow said sweetly, but then turned to G, who was still pping Zee, and growled, "Punch his gut, you idiot! Are you trying to get every monster''s attention?! The ps are too loud!" I was surprised by the switch in Kaedi''s tones, but they were goblins, so maybe most of them had vtile personalities. Thest one had a nk look on her face, and she was wearing a blue dress. The Goblin girl didn''t speak right away when I focused on her, but when Kaeli elbowed her roughly, she spoke up. "Meg." That was all I got, and I was sure that there was a lot more there than just a name. Still, Meg didn''t really didn''t look like she was about to open up about whatever was bothering her. I turned back to the men just as Zee gasped out after getting a punch to the gut, and the Gee pped him again. Zee looked like he was about to throw a fit, but then Gee raised his hand again, but this time made it into a fist. "Quiet," Gee growled and then dropped him and walked back over to stand beside Ayech. It was like watching children fight and schwalbe, and I was half tempted to break them up through the little performance, but It was too entertaining. They were also what looked to be fully grown adults, even if they looked like a bunch of little green Stewie''s. "Okay, I heard you talking about the other Centaurs around here, but which one of them is the worst of them all?" I asked, thinking that was probably the best one to take care of first. If I dealt with the toughest ones first, the weaker ones would bend a knee to me, and that would save me some trouble. As much as I had a bit of extra time, I still had more to do outside of here on the ind, and I couldn''t be wasting extra time. "You are a smart one! Finding out the strongest person is a good idea so you can avoid them! Chez is the one you want to stay away from! He has a bad habit of chasing his targets down and filling them full of arrows! Archie kills quick, but then you have to watch him cook your friends up until it''s your turn to be lunch!" Ayech exined but stopped there. "What about thest one that you had mentioned? Karl? You said something about experiments?" I asked curiously. This one sounded the least dangerous of the three, but Ayech looked a bit hesitant to exin. "What is the point in lying to him? Don''t be stupid! All three of them are dangerous, but Karl captured most of our vige and is doing tests on them to make them stronger," Kaedi exined. Chapter 293 Carnage, Chaos, And Calamity [Stronger? Well that doesn¡¯t really sound that bad, but I am sure that they wouldn¡¯t be running from this Karl person.] Harold said in my mind, and I agreed with him. [Karl is able to increase one skill to be perfect, but at the cost of everything else. They basically be more monstrous monsters, and it looks like histest victims are these poor goblins. Normally they are weak creatures, but even more so here, since they are the lowest level of creature here.] Libra exined. That was troublesome, and it made sense why I was being directed to them, but I couldn''t figure why one of the so-called Twelve would act like this. I had assumed that they would all bewful and righteous, but that didn¡¯t seem the case. [Hardly. None of us are angels, and you were the one that mostly kept us all in line. While there are some like me that are mostly good, but none of us are perfect.] Libra exined, and I sighed, making everyone look at me with worried looks. ¡°Well, I guess that we can go deal with this one first, and then we can find you a good ce to settle with the rest of your people,¡± I said, but then the quiet girl in blue, Meg, spoke up. ¡°If there are any left. Karl works fast, and once all of us are dead, new goblins will spawn in. Well will soon be all killed, and then like Milo said, we will all close our eyes and rejoin the ring,¡± Meg said in a monotonous tone. Looks like these folk have been through a very rough time, and it was showing on some of them. The others seemed to not let their despair show, but Meg and Milo seemed the worst hit of their lives. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going so we can save the ones that are left. I will help straighten things out the best that I can, I just need you to guide me in the right direction,¡± I exined to the group, and Ayech and Gee nodded to me, and turned to start walking into the tall grass without another word. I let the others go ahead of me as I looked around the forest that was filled with tall grass. There was nothing in the area that I could sense, but I was curious how the goblins were able to get close to me without running away first if they thought that I was so strong? [I think that it might have something to do with them being scared and trying to find shelter. You also had decided that you weren¡¯t a threat to them.] Libra exined to me. The goblins moved surprisingly fast for having such small legs, and I had to walk briskly through the tall grass to keep up with them. Not like it was hard to see the trail they were making as we headed left from where I came in. [I have so many questions. First of all, what is with those names? Ayech? Like the letter? And then there is Gee and Zee, highly suspected to also be letters! Then there are the girls, and their children! None of them are letters! What the heck?] Haroldined. I was a bit curious about that as well, but now was not the time to be talking out loud. I needed to make sure I was keeping distance from Carnage, so this steady pace was good. From the speed that he had been walking at I only had about a ten minute lead on the creature. Carnage looked like his pace had picked up, so I needed to figure out something to fight him. [You could just get a big stick.] Harold suggested. ¡®Nope, that isn¡¯t going to work, and I don''t even know if a metal weapon will work on this guy. He was able to see everything the second I did it, and was able to react. That means that he has to have a ridiculously high reaction time as well to be able to think so fast, and now he is going to be serious.¡¯ [You are going to have to be very careful with Carnage here. You might be stronger than him outside of this, but not inside of this ce. Carnage, Chaos, and Cmity rule all with the power of the Astral Orichalcum Ring.] Libra exined to me, and I held back a sigh. I was already struggling with this foe, and there were two more of them to deal with this after. Now that I was here it wasn¡¯t like I could just leave, but I might have to figure out something for the other two cocoons. [This will be one of your hardest battles you will face, but you promised us all that you would return and finally activate the Constetion of Light. You have activated mine and the Gnoll King, Mustafa¡¯s stars now, but your journey is only just beginning, and there are many more Astral Stars to retrieve.] Libra exined, but I had to focus on my group and surroundings. The group was starting to slow down, and I could feel eyes on me, multiple sets. There were three shapes moving towards us from the sides and behind, but I couldn¡¯t make out what they were. I looked around, and there was a lower tree that was lower. ¡°Go over to that tree and get up it!¡± I yelled at the goblins pointing at the tree, and they didn¡¯t even look to see where I pointed but they all ran to where I had. I whirled around and reacted with a fast kick that smashed into the side of arge blue wolf that had leaped at me. My eyes searched around, but I couldn¡¯t find the other two, and the one I had just kicked was getting back up. [Oh, don¡¯t these things look cute! Be careful, they have teeth!] Harold told me helpfully, and I groaned. This was wasting my time, but I needed to deal with them. The visible wolf got up after, but then I heard the goblins screaming behind me. Chapter 294 Stupid Jerk, Catching Up I turned my head, but I tried to keep my eyes on the other wolf I had hit as I did. The other giant blue wolves were jumping at the tree where the goblins were trying to hide. "HEY!" I yelled at the other two wolves, and they stopped to turn to me. [The other wolf! Jumping at you now!] Harold yelled in my head. I ducked, but the moment the blue wolf was above me, I shot back up. I drove both my fists straight up, mming my fists into the ribs of the creature, feeling and hearing ribs crack. The wolf let out a yip as it was tossed over my head and mmed down into the grass, not getting back up. I red at the other two wolves and then started towards them, but they both turned and ran. I let out a sigh and looked over at the goblins that all seemed to be okay. Then Zee fell out of the tree, and I groaned. "Zee, you stupid jerk!" Kaedi growled as they started to try and climb down the tree. I walked over to the tree to help them down, but I kept an eye on the wolf still lying on the ground whimpering. It was still alive, but I must have broken some ribs because it looked like trouble breathing. Once I got the goblins all down from the tree, Gee and Ayech started to ''wake up'' Zee. While they were doing that, I turned back to therge blue wolf. "Are you going to kill it, or just leave it?" Rei asked me, but I wasn''t sure, so I didn''t say anything. [What are you going to do with it? Don''t tell me¡­] Harold said with his voice trailing off. p I wasn''t going to kill it, but I wasn''t going to leave it here to die like this. [You never change.] Libra said in a knowing voice, and I could feel Harold''s eyes rolling. [You don''t really have time to y vet! It''s a monster! It can heal on its own, and you have a thought-thirsty predator chasing you that you can''t even deal with!] Harold raged, but I had already made my choice. ''Listen, I know that you think this is silly, but I am not just going to kill this because it was acting like the animal it is! It is another monster that could use some help, so I will try, but if I can''t, I will just leave it.'' [Don''t give me that shit! I can read your mind, and I know that you just want to make this giant mut your pet!] Harold roared, and I could feel him shaking his fists, and I just shrugged. Sue me, it was a massive blue wolf, and it would be an advantage if I could make it submit to me in the future. Plus, it would be just lovely to have a pet and not another girl to take care of. Not that I didn''t love all my girls that I was looking after, this was just different. [You pick the worst times to be difficult!] Haroldined. I ignored him and walked over to the wolf, and it started to growl through its whimpers. It started to get up, and I stopped and waited to see what it would do. "Easy, I don''t want to hurt you, but you can''t eat the goblins," I said as the blue wolf stumbled to its feet. "Why not?!" The wolf growled to my surprise but then let out a yip. Of course, the wolf would talk; why wouldn''t it? "Besides me making youy back down permanently, I will feed you something else. Possibly centaur, but we will see how they act, but I am sure that more things will try and attack us. Or you run off and try to find something else to kill and feed yourself," I exined to the wolf. "Why would you want to do that? I am a monster; you are supposed to kill me, not feed me!?" The wolf eximed in confusion, stepping back from me. "Oh? So you want me to kill you? End it all, and get it over with? I can if you want, but I would much prefer to have someone to watch my back. In return, I will feed you and give you a safe ce to sleep, or as safe as I can make it; can''t really make real promises to that end," I exined nonchntly as the wolf stared at me with overwhelming confusion. "No, wait, I just have never heard of something as weird as you. Everything here except for the bugs tries to kill each other, but you want me as a pet?!" The wolf asked with incredulity. "More or less, but we don''t really have the time to be going over this right now. The thing controlling the rings is after me right now, and I am looking for some way to get stronger or make a weapon of some kind. So, if you are going toe with me, then we need to get going," I exined, but the wolf still looked hesitant. "How do I know I can trust you?" the wolf asked me, but I was already turning back around to see how the others were doing, then I heard the wolf shout, "Hey! What are you doing?!" I kept turning back to where the six goblins were standing quietly, staring at me with awe. I waved for them to get going, and they all looked confused at first, and I could see them looking behind me. Finally, that started to move, and I flowed behind them, leaving the wolf behind, but it didn''t take very long. Within about ten steps, the wolf was walking beside me, looking much better already. "So, where are we going?" The wolf asked, but that was when I heard the voices. "You can''t run forever." "We will catch you." "Your resistance is meaningless." "We are inevitable!" [I told you that you were wasting time] Haroldined. "Running away from that thing!" I told the wolf as we picked up speed, and I yelled, "Get those little legs moving!" Chapter 295 Howl, Mad Scientist My group easily outdistanced Carnage, and his ovepping voice was soon lost in the swishing grass. We ran for about thirty minutes, but then the goblins started to slow down as we reached a section of the forest where all the grass became short. When we reached the edge of the grass, the goblins stopped and turned around to face me. The grass on the other side was dramatically shorter than the three-foot stuff we were wading through. It was almost like someone had been cutting it, but I found it highly unlikely. There might be some animals eating it, but it looked too even. The line that divided the tall from the short was too clean and even, so there was no way that animals were doing this. "We are getting close, but this is Karl''s sanctuary, and he will know as soon as we step into it," Ayech exined to me. [All the centaurs have particr areas that they stay in. Sometimes they will move after getting stronger, but most of them pick a spot that suits them the best and then stay.] Libra exined, and I somewhat understood. "Alright, well, that just means that he will know we areing, so is there something waiting out there? Maybe bombs? Or is he going to send people to," I asked, but then I was cut off by a voice. "Come out now, and you will have the privilege of bing one of my illustrious experiments! I have you surrounded!" the voice of a mad scientist called out; it had to be, no one talked like that that was sane. I looked around, but I didn''t see anything. That didn''t mean anything, but I didn''t really feel threatened. He did just threaten to make me one of his experiments, but he never said he was going to kill me. I wasn''t about to let myself get caught by this maniac, but I was curious to see what was wrong with this horseman or whatever Karl was. "What do you think, Howl? You have been silent this entire trip," I said to my big blue wolf that I had just named Howl. "Howl? That is what I do! It is not a name!" Howl growled but then said, "Karl is a hopeless fool, just kill him." "It is a name, your name. Now, let''s deal with Karl. Come along, my octolet of goblins," I said as I nodded and started to walk forward. The moment I stepped onto the grass, little wild-looking goblins with devices attached to them started toe out of hiding. They all had crazy looks in their eyes, and most seemed to stumble, while some were even crawling towards me. It was the strangest thing that I had ever seen, and I started to walk towards them with Howl at my side and the goblins behind us. Karl didn''t say anything else, but something strange happened, and the devices attached to their chest started to glow. Suddenly the creatures that could barely even walk were bursting towards me, and they started to get close. I turned to the wolf and then red at him. "Are you kidding me? How do I not kill these things?!" Howl growled, and I turned back to the first savage goblin that was almost within range. "Take the devices of them; that should stop whatever he is doing to them to control them. After that, I don''t think that they will bother us," I said as the first one jumped in the air at me. I snatched the creature out of the air by the neck, and I removed the strange device in one motion. It was a metal ring on a te with strange glowing runes carved into it with leather straps that were holding it on. The leather straps were secure, but they snapped quickly with my strength. The moment that I took it off, all the first and struggle left the goblin, and it gave me a strange look. I tossed it to the side without a thought and grabbed at the next two that flew at me, this time targeting just the rune tes. Whatever these things were, they weren''t permanent, but that was great for us. Howl was ripping the devices off, but my group of goblins was starting to get into the fight now. Even the Genni was trying to rip one of the devices off an unconscious goblin, and Miloined about how they were all going to die. Within minutes, all the goblins were lying on the ground or walking around in confusion, but there was no blood anywhere, thankfully. I was d to get this done and over with while not having any casualties. "What have you done to my army! That is it! I will face you myself!" Karl, the mad scientist, cried out. Then the sound of a veryrge and powerful horse came clopping into the clearing. I tried, I really did. I didn''t want to, but the moment I saw the tiny little disfigured man''s body attached to the type of horse that could tow a house, alone; Iughed like a hyena. "You think you are funny?! Prepare yourself, Trespasser! I will hold nothing back!" Karl cried out and then charged me. The small, disfigured man had no device attached to him, and besides the massive horse body, I could see no weapons. I stood still and waited as goblins scattered out of the centaurs'' way and headed straight at me. [You are pretty tough, but that horse will mess you up if it hits you!] Harold said with rm as Karl got closer. This was true, but I had a pretty good feeling about this guy, and I was confident in the choice that I was making. If his body was the only thing perfect on him, then I had to believe that holding my ground was my best n. I was pretty sure, but Karl wasn''t slowing down. Chapter 296 Only After Me, Lord Carnage I braced myself and prepared to dive if I was wrong, but Karl stepped sideways to dodge me at thest second. The movement forced the white-haired centaur to cross his legs; I had been waiting for this. I shoved into the horse''s shoulder, causing its feet to be entangled, toppling therge horse. Karl cried as he crashed into the ground, sliding across the grass; I was sure it was going to make a mess of his hair. This was the most excellent way that I could deal with this one without seriously hurting him. I wasn''t sure if I should kill him or not since Karl was one of Sagittarius''s children. [Saggittarius will not mind if you do. He is more than likely to thank you for getting rid of the problems. He is just toozy to deal with them himself or send people to go and deal with them.] Libra exined to me as I walked over and ced my foot on the human-like but twisted neck. "So, we are going to do this one of two ways. You listen to me, or I kill you because you have already been hurting enough people," I growled, and Karl looked toin. "So, is this what you meant when you said you would get me some meat? I think I could get used to this! I ain''t never had me some centaur before, and goblins are mostly skin bones and guts anyways!" Howl growled as he put his two front paws on Karls horse body opposite to the legs. Karl froze at this gesture, and I could see that I had finally gotten his attention, and he was starting to understand his position in all of it. "What do you want from me?! Don''t you know who my father is?!" Karlined, but Libra unfused from my body as he did. The moment Karl saw Libra, he stopped all of his struggles. "I suggest you listen to Zack. He is the one that controlled us all before you were born, so it is forgivable that you didn''t recognize him. Now I am telling you that he is our master, so there is no excuse," Libra said, but then fused back into my body just as fast as she hade. We were all silent for a moment, and I finally decided to take my foot off of his neck, and I signaled for Howl to back up. I wasn''t sure how this would work when I dealt with Saggitarius, but it might just be best to avoid him for now. [Don''t worry about that. Sagittarius will be going out of his way to make sure that he doesn''t have to deal with you.] Libra exined. "Fine, Fine, Fine! I will listen to you, but if Carnage catches me helping you, then we will all suffer!" Karlined as he got back up, but I heard the voices starting to get closer again. Karl seemed to notice this too, and now he was between us, the Carnage, who was getting closer. The goldins were helping their friends and family get up, and now they were all scurrying away. That was all but the six I had saved, and I looked back over at them as the ovepping voices were getting closer. They looked scared, but they had no reason to be at the current moment; I was the one he was after. "Go; take everyone and get as far from here as you can. Carnage is only after me, and now you have your vige back," I told the goblins, but before any of them could reply, I whirled around at the sound of Howl''s growl. "Running for us is pointless." "These creatures are only food." "Your actions are meaningless!" "We are inevitable!" Karl had backed up, turned, and fled towards the sound of the ovepping voices, and I cursed under my breath. I guess that Karl didn''t hear the word that was just spoken by the creature, or he would have never run towards him. I turned back to Howl and the goblins, but only the sizable blue wolf remained by my side. Then I heard Karl''s voice as I assumed he got closer to Carnage. "Lord Carnage! The invader! He is over¡­ Wait! I am helping¡­ Aaahhh!" The centaur''s scream cut through the air, and I looked at Howl, giving him a nod, and both of us took off running. While I could stay ahead of Carnage quickly enough, he would find me sooner orter. I was going to have to find something to deal with him. Right away, the two of us came upon Karl''s house that was nothing more than a stable. I had been tempted to go and check it out to see if there was something that I could use as a weapon, but a quick nce told me it was pointless. I waved for us to keep going, and the two of us kept heading northwest. I didn''t have a map or apass, but I decided that the next ring would be to my north to make things easier. We both heard Karl''s screams for a long while after we started to run, but after almost twenty minutes, it stopped. Whatever the SkinWalker did to take the thoughts from the creatures was not something that I wanted to experience. "So, what is the n now? I am starting to get pretty hungry, and you promised me food, so what is that about?" Howl asked, and I just shrugged as we ran. "If you want, you can go back and get what is left from Karl, but as of now, I just want to get out of here. The further distance we can put between the Lord Carnage and us, the better. I need some time to make a n or to find a weapon. I don''t suppose that you know where I can find something that might help us deal with that psychopath?" I asked as we continued to run. Chapter 297 Running Out Of Options, Komodo Chew Toy "If you are looking for weapons, then you should head north, but I don''t know how Chez will act. He is normally shot first and then doesn''t ask questionster. I don''t know if it is a good idea to go to him, but it doesn''t matter if we go to Karn, Micha, Harve, or any of the other brothers; they are all crazy and will try to kill you," Howl exined and we started to angle north more. This was expected from what the goblins had said, but I didn''t really have much of a choice at this point, so I kept going. I was starting to think that this wasn''t going to help me out either right now. I had to try; I might not be good with a bow, but it would be good for me to have some kind of advantage against this guy. Carnage could read my moves, but I was much faster than he was; I just needed some kind of edge. That was also before he had gotten serious, making me feel less confident about fighting him. I usually could shrug off fear, but something told me this guy was much different than everything I had faced. [Regardless of how you feel, killing him is the only way out of here. I don''t know what we are going to do, but staying in this ring doesn''t seem like an excellent ce to find a decent weapon. I really don''t think a bow would work on someone like this.] Harold exined, and I sighed in agreement. [Thest ring is the final cityscape, and it is filled with all the bugs that live out endless lives until Carnage decides to take one. It seems fine, but we are going to be here until the end of this world if you don''t do something to get us out like you said.] Libra told me in a matter-of-fact tone. "Zack, slow down; something is tracking us," Howl growled from beside me, and we both slowed down dramatically. Whatever he had noticed was out of my sight, but I could feel the tension in the air as I slowed down. Something was getting closer to us, but it was moving much too fast for it to be Carnage. "What is it?" I asked, and I turned to face a new threat as I felt the ground start to shake. "Giant lizard that tastes pretty good, but it will more than likely kill us before we get the chance! It doesn''t need light to see to find us, and now that it has our scents, it won''t let up. It acts like a big snake, licking out its tongue to taste the air!" Howl growled, but he sounded worried as the enormous creature came into sight. The grass where we were was much shorter here, but even tall grass wouldn''t have hidden the massive grey lizard with green spots. It looked simr to a giant Komodo dragon, and it also looked starving as it stared open mouth and slobbering at me. "I don''t think that this is a good idea. How far is Chez from us? Shouldn''t we be getting close?" I asked Howl as the creature slowly crept towards us, looking like it was about to pounce. "Yes, he should be very close!" Howl said, and I nodded, keeping my eyes on the massive lizard. "Then go get him! I am sure you can draw his attention without getting shot, right?" I asked as the massive lizard started to shift his head back and forth to me like a dog hearing a strange noise. "I don''t think that it is a good idea to leave you here with this thing! You will be dead by the time that I get back!" Howl growled, but I waved for him to go. "If you stay, then we are both dead. At least this way, there is a chance that we might be able to do something. If you slowed down, then that means you can''t outrun this thing, so I will have to be the one to distract it; now go!" I yelled, and Howl took off without another word. Something about the big blue wolf said that I could trust him, but I had to put all thoughts of the world out of my head. I was going to have to figure out some way to deal with this creature. [Be careful. If that thing bites you, it will liquify your inside in about five minutes. Giant Monitor Lizards are very thick-skinned but have soft undersides. Your best bet is to attack there, but you have nothing to use as a weapon.] Libra exined to me, and then the creature charged at me. The thing was almost fifteen feet long and moved fast like a whip, so I ran straight sideways, forcing the creature to turn, which did slow down its explosive forward motion. The moment it was done, the motion for its turn, the lizard, burst towards me again at full speed. This would give me a slight advantage, but I had always been running since I had gotten here. Even if Howl didn''t make it back in time, it was only a matter of time before Carnage caught up, and I could pawn the monster off. The problem was going to be staying alive during that time. Not only was the creaturerge, fast and deadly, but after the second time that I turned at thest moment, the Giant Monitor Lizard turned with me. I punched down on the top of the creature, snapping the round head shut, and was able to narrowly avoid the bite that nearly got me on my hip. I had seen on Animal what a Komodo Dragon could do to a creature it got a hold of. I did not want to be a dog''s chew toy, so I would have to think of something quick. Either that or all more work on this would have been for nothing, and that just wasn''t going to work for me. Chapter 298 Pathetic Excuse, All Going To End [View of Howl] Running through the forest, Howl wasn''t really sure what he was doing. He had no reason to help this creature, yet something about him was strange and different. Howl was used to the other bug peopleing in and trying to kill him and seeding a few times. Each time he died, Howl would respawn in a different ring location, but the oue was always the same. Now, this man had offered to take care of him, but Howl was a proud creature and not the type that shouldn''t need help, but he did. Howl continued forward, but suddenly his senses went wild, and the wolf jumped to the side as a projectile streaked towards him. An arrow pierced the ground where the blue wolf was supposed to be, but Howl gave it no thought as he darted for a tree. The wolf''s mind had been in a cloud of thoughts, and it had almost cost him his life. "You of all the creatures should know better, Blue Wolf. I know it is you!" The voice of Chez the centaur called from up ahead, with the voice getting louder. This wasn''t Howl''s first run-in with the hunter, and he wasn''t wrong. Chez had killed many wolves before this, but he had yet to kill Howl. Centaur''s are typically proud creatures, and someone like Chez, a real centaur, was no exception. Howl decided that the best way to deal with someone like this was to use their strengths against them. "You like a challenge, right? There is a giant monitor lizard up ahead, making it very hard to hunt! I know that you are a pretty good hunter, and I am sure that you could deal with something like this," Howl exined using a calm and somewhat convincing tone. There was no chance that Howl was going to outright trick someone like Chez. Instead, Howl was going to have to try a different approach that he wasn''t used to using, but not unknown; trickery. Howl waited for a reply, but none came at first, then he heard the muted clop of the centaur Chez''s hooves. Chez was one of two brothers that were direct descendants of Sagittarius, naturally born from female centaur''s. "Why would a creature as proud as yourselfe to me to ask for help? What is the meaning of this request?" Chez asked, still staying out of sight from Howl. Howl cursed to himself and growled his tail swishing. He should have known this, and now he had no idea where Chez was, but then the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. "You had better have a good reason foring into my domain with such a pathetic excuse, Blue Wolf," Chez, the master hunter, said as he pushed the tip of his drawn arrow into the back of Howl''s neck. [Zack''s View] At thest second, right before the creature was about to get me, I took a hard left turn around a tree, making the creature react the same. Unfortunately for the giant monitor lizard, it smashed into it, slowing it briefly. [You need to figure something out, or you are going to get killed eventually! There is no way you can keep this up, and the creature is learning from each new trick you try on it!] Harold said as I ran to try and find something that could help me help me. I had already tried to userge branches and rocks to hit, stab and even slice with a sharp rock that I had. The problem wasn''t the weapons; it was me. None of my attacks were strong enough to do more than minor damage. On top of that, the creature was able to heal cuts and stabs in mere moments. [This creature is far too strong for you to fight right now! You need to run away from it!] Libra told me, but that was what I had been trying to do, but the creature was much faster than me. ''Best I can do right now is slow the creature down and stay out of its reach. I have to put faith that Howl will return, or I am as good as dead anyways!'' There was a sharp-looking stick up ahead of me, and I burst forward to snatch it up as the pounding steps started to increase the pace and get closer. I didn''t need to turn around to know that my doom was barrelling towards me. Instead, I tried using the same trick that I had just used and aimed myself at the closest tree. When the creature tried toe around to counter my attack, I would stab this stick into the soft tissue in its mouth. [I can tell you when to turn, but this creature will not fall for the same trick twice in a row!] Haroldined, but I was counting on it. I could hear the panting and growling getting ufortably close to me, but I was to the tree. I started to turn, but Libra screamed in my head, making me try to turn, but it was already toote. [Watch out for the tail!] Libra screamed in my mind, and I was smashed off my feet. I flew through the air, the stick flying out of my hand, missing trees, and smashing into the ground. The air was smashed out of my lungs doubly, and I had no idea how the creature had pulled off the deception. I tried to force myself up and off the ground, but my body refused to work as I gasped for air. I forced a hand under my chest and rolled myself over, and an ice-cold feeling ran through my body. There was a shadow over top of me, and a massive toothless open mouth was moving towards me. I screamed internally as I tried to force my lungs to suck in air, but nothing was working. Was this it? Was this all going to end with me being eaten by a monster? No, this was not where my story ended! Chapter 299 The End, The Silence [View of Howl and Chez] Howl''s hair stood on end as he was frozen in ce with the tip of Chez''s arrow pushing into the back of his neck. The wolf cursed himself for getting so close to the centaur in his own environment, but he didn''t have time to y around. If Howl died here, then so did his new¡­ friend. That was a strange word for him since Howl was a wolf, and the only creature he had anything to do with were his brothers and sisters. "I didn''te here for me! There was a creature that I tried to attack, but it stopped me, almost killing me. Then, he didn''t and offered for me to join him!" Howl growled out but felt stupid even as he exined it. Then the pressure from the arrow left, but Howl didn''t move. The arrow was more deadly from farther away, so the blue wolf decided it was best to wait and see what Chez would do. "What if this creature? Who is he?" Chez asked, now standing back from the wolf. Chez was very dissatisfied with his life in the rings and started to be more and more frustrated ofte. The ring was starting to be a mess, and their so-called Astral leader didn''t seem to care. His father, Sagittarius, kept breeding more and more Demi-Astralite children and setting them free in the ring without care. Chez had killed many of them with his hand because of how crazy they were, even hunting their kind. Chez knew from old legends that the rings were ced here by a man, and he had the power to wield all twelve. This man had foretold that he would return one day to im them, but he would only be at a fraction of his current power when he ced the rings. Then the SkinWalkers had appeared after nearly one thousand years of waiting, and since then, things had gone downhill. Chez''s father had been one of the nine who stood up to Carnage, Chaos, and Cmity, but the other three had betrayed them. Each of the nine had been beaten into submission, and Sagittarius had taken the worst of it. Now, after nearly another three millennia, the archer that never missed was a shadow of his former self. If this creature made it this far and was able to convince this sizable blue wolf to join him, he might be the one that the legends had foretold of. "His name is Zack, and Lord Carnage is chasing him. The Lord killed Karl when he tried to help him and will stop at nothing to get at the man!" Howl growled, and Chez''s blood started to pump in anticipation. "Lead me to him at once!" Chez yelled and then cursed under his breath for wasting so much time. [Zack''s View] I forced air into my lungs and then tried to throw my body back into a tumble just as the giant monitor lizard snapped its mouth forward. I wasn''t fast enough, and the giant smooth-bodied grey lizard with green spots caught one of my legs in its mouth. I roared in pain, but luckily the creature had no front teeth, but the power of its jaw had my leg pinned. Before I could react, the creature whipped my body to the side, and I just barely missed a tree. Before the giant monitor could whip me again, I drove my heel into my left beady little ck eye, and the monster screamed out in pain. I was dropped, and I rolled out of the way as the creature started to thrash in pain. I got to my feet and started to run, or at least I wanted to, but a limping jog was all I could do as my bruises healed. My body could also heal, but it wasn''t anything like the lizard, who had already stopped trashing. "Looks like we need not interfere." "He is already broken; let the beast finish." "You are weak, and we are stronger!" "We are inevitable!" [Wow, you really can''t seem to catch a break with this guy!] Harold said with a very dryugh that sounded forced. I turned from the sounds and kept running. I wasn''t sure what I was going to do at this point, there was nowhere left for me to run, and I could feel the stomping starting again. I looked back quickly, and the lizard was gaining on me fast, and it looked far angrier than it had been before. This might have helped me before, but I couldn''t get any distance between the creature and myself. [I think this might be it, and I don''t know what will happen to you if you die here. It has been good knowing you.] Harold said in a sullen tone. I wasn''t ready to die, but not all things work the way you wanted them to. I ran forward and weaved around the trees, but the sound of the giant monitor lizard was gaining fast. "Running is¡­!" "ept your¡­!" "Your mind is...!" "We are¡­!" Theyering voices all cut off at the same time as the pounding behind me did, and I whipped around to see what had happened. The massive grey and green spotted lizard was unmoving on the ground. There was a long, fletched arrow sticking out of the eye that I had kicked with blood and ooze seeping out of it. What had just happened? "Come with me if you want to live!" A proud voice called from in front of me, causing me to turn back around to the chest of a tall and strong-looking centaur. "Listen to him!" Howl called from beside him, but I was filled with confusion. [You don''t have time to be confused!] Harold yelled in my mind. I looked back at howl and grinned with a nod as I sucked in a deep breath to fill my aching lungs. This horseman must be Chez, but I was still surprised that howl had been able to convince him toe. Chapter 300 Kill, Or Be Devoured I stumbled and took another brief look at the creature that had almost killed me. There was an arrow shot through the creature''s eye and out the other side of its head. "You! Your father will pay for this!" "Chez, you are making a mistake!" "If you side with him, you are doomed!" "We are inevitable!" I could hear Carnage, but he was out of sight, so I wasted no time. I turned back around to follow the other two. I was still stunned by the fact that I had just been saved by a centaur. One that had somehow been convinced by my wolf toe and help me. The entire thing was going over my head, and I really wasn''t sure what to make of it. The best thing that I could do at this point was just try to keep up with the other two as we headed north. My body ached something fierce from getting batted around the forest by the giant monitor lizard, but I was slowly healing. I didn''t have the same abilities as the monsters, but my body was doing its best to repair the damage that had been done, and breathing was getting easier. "Sorry I couldn''t get here sooner; you look like you are almost finished. Chez was about to shoot the beast when it was trying to eat you, but then you tried getting away, and he had to wait to get a better shot!" Howl exined to me as he fell in line beside me as Chez kept the lead. "Well, it wasn''t like I had that much of a choice at the time, and I didn''t know you were back. Still, I am just d that you were able to convince him," I said with some relief as It slowly became easier to breathe. "About that. I didn''t really need to do that much convincing. He seems to think you are something special, but I am not too sure. After the way that you handled that monster, I think he might be giving you a bit more credit than you are worth," Howl growled at me as we ran. As much as I wanted to argue that I was usually stronger than this, Howl was right. I had just got my ass handed to me by a monster that I should have defeated with no problem. "I question that very thing myself, but I don''t have much of a choice. Either I kill Carnage, or he devours me; not much of a choice if you ask me," I sighed as I was able to pick up speed in the tall grass. "You need to train if you want to get stronger. There is no other way. Or you die, but I don''t think you will be reborn like me. You are like Chez in that respect, and he has gotten stronger by killing many foes much stronger than I," Howl exined, and I nodded. [The wolf isn''t wrong. Other than what you have done with the Primals, and the fighting you have done here and on Kubrick, you have had almost no training. It might not be such a bad idea to try and do some training. While you are powerful, youck the proper skills to put your strengths to good use.] Harold exined as I ran. While I had done some training in the tower this morning, that had been the extent of my training, and that was more about survival. I had yet to learn anything to do with actual fighting other than what I already knew. Wrestling wasn''t really that good for fighting monsters that were bigger than ones or me with natural weapons. Even though Carnage was scared of my getting close to him, he had razor-sharp teeth. If I took him down, there is a very good chance that he couldnd a fatal bite if I wasn''t careful. There was also the chance that I was just being lulled into a false sense of security. There were so many things that could go wrong, but it wasn''t like I could just give up and leave. Hopefully, this Chez will be able to help me in some way. I was interested in learning why he was so keen to help me. It was not every day that a monster went out of his way to help me; most of them just wanted to kill me. The centaur was much taller than me, but he looked like I had the same sized torso. It was therge horse body that set him up so high. Still, even with the massive equestrian body, the man moved with a grace that I could never match. This centaur was much different than what I remembered seeing in books. His chestnut brown horse body was massive like an average horse with his backing up to my shoulders. I wondered if he would let me ride, but then that might be weird. Suddenly the grass became short and trimmed like it had been when we had gotten to Karl''s area. Thinking of Karl made me think of Carnage and the warning he had just uttered as we ran away. I wasn''t sure what it meant to this centaur, but I didn''t want more people to die just because of me if they didn''t have to. As bad as the centaurs might have seemed at first, the monsters were here from them to kill to get stronger. I was concerned that Carnage might start killing more people just to make an example of them and draw me out. [Not very likely. The threat would be valid if this was any other ring, but we are immortals, and Sagittarius is nothing more than a shade like me. He doesn''t care if his children are killed. Neither of us can affect the physical world here, but this also keeps us from Carnage. Sagittarius also won''t care if all his children were killed because only Chez and Riel are his children.] Libra exined. Chapter 301 Zodiacs, Plastered To The Ground ''Wait, how does that even work? You said he was like you and not of this world, but he has all these children, right? But they aren''t his children? I am beyond confused right now,'' I sent to Libra as we slowed to a stop. Chez turned to me and then closed his eyes, cing his hands together. Strange purple lines started to appear on his chest as the centaur began to chant. The lines ran to glowing points, and then the points started to glow like purple stars. That was when I realized what was happening; there was a constetion forming on Chez''s chest. "Bless my home. Cover me in the shadows. Take me to the stars. Draw me a ce in the constetions. Astral Ind Activated!" Chez''s chant ended at the same time as the circr constetion finished forming on his chest. I had expected that it was going to be something moreplicated, but then both me and Howl were crushed to the ground. It was like someone turned the gravity all the way up, and I was panting hard like the air had just gotten thinner. I looked around me, but everything else seemed normal other than my big blue wolf. He was facing away from me, and his chest was heaving like mine. Then I looked behind me and stopped breathing altogether. "This is my Astral Ind, and I have been waiting for you toe for a very long time, but you are a fraction of your former self. My name is Chez, son of Saggitaruis. I am known as Master of the Hunt for my skills in tracking, hunting, and concealment," Chez exined to me as I looked out into the vastness of space. Where the grass had been longer and uncut was now gone lit, it had never been. In its ce was the infinite open expanse of space, lit up with stars and exploding nebs of gas. The centaur was standing with no problems and seemed unaffected by the gravity pinning Howl and me down. This could only mean one of two things; either Chez used gravity to hold us down, or we were much weaker than him. [You are just weak; this ind area seems to be producing gravity, but it is very small, so it must be something to do with his magic. Both answers are correct, but I don''t think knowing either is really going to help you right now.] Harold exined, and I groaned in agreement. "I will be leaving the two of you here to get used to the pressure; there is no other way. I have spent a great amount of time here, so I am very familiar with it. Spending time here is the only way to get used to it, but oveing this hurdle alone will help make you stronger. The problem is that you seem tock a lot more than just strength. What happened to you?" Chez asked me, and that stung a bit. "Let''s just say that I gave everything that I had learned up in order to have another chance. I failed, and it seems that I knew that it was going to happen. I just don''t get why I wouldn''t have tried something different if I knew I was going to lose," I said in frustration with gritted teeth. I was already starting to have an easier time breathing, and I was slowly opening and closing my hands. I just needed to keep moving my body, and I would be on my feet in no time. "Well, if you are Zack Foreman and the one that the Zodiacs have been waiting on to return, then I will do my best to help you. For this part, you will have to do this on your own and thene to the center of the ind, where the pressure is the greatest. Once you have ovee all of this, I will start to train you as a hunter. I am sure that you still have the skills that you lost somewhere locked inside of you, and I will draw them back out of you," Chez said but then turned to leave. The man had dark brown long wavy hair that was down to his shoulders and a bare chiseled body. Thankfully, the man''s bits and parts were not in front of him. I watched the centaur leave but then concentrate on what I was supposed to be doing. I needed to get up and after him. "Are you okay, howl?" I asked as I started to move my arms and hands. I still wasn''t able to lift any part of my body off the ground, but I was getting somewhere. The problem was that I was starting to get tired from the brief movements that I was doing. "I feel like Karl is sitting on me, but I am alive. I don''t know how quick I will be able to get up, so you can go ahead, and I will catch up," Howl growled from his ce beside me, just outside my reach. I wasn''t going anywhere fast, and I had just stopped moving my arms. I was already exhausted and panting from less than five minutes of minor movements. "I don''t think that you need to worry about me leaving too quickly. Do you know anything about this ce or Chez?" I asked howl after catching my breath. "No, I had no idea that he was able to do something like that. I am just a monster, and I have been lucky enough to have not been killed by him because I stay away from his hunting grounds," Howl exined, and I sighed, but I had guessed as much. [The Astral Ind is a power that is granted to Demi-Astralites for training. I do not know much about these things because a confident man told me that it would be better for us to wait.] Libra told me pointedly in thought, but then she emerged from my body. Her form was glowing, and she looked much more substantial than it had in the rings. Regardless, I was still stered to the ground. Chapter 302 She Was A He, Getting Up "That is because we are closer to the source of our powers here. Once you reach the center of the ind, you will be able to see Sagittaruis''s own ind and possibly his daughter''s ind, Riel," Libra exined to me. "Wait! I thought that all of the Sagittarius''s children were males?!" I asked with confusion. "Riel is more of a man than either of us are! I assumed that she was a he up until just now," Howl growled out. The wolf''s reply made Libraugh, and it was a beautiful noise that made me feel energized. "Yes, as your pet said, Riel is the only woman in respect of gender, and I forget that sometimes. I am sure that you will have a chance to meet her as well after this; Chez and Her are very close," Libra exined, but Howl spoke up again. "Close? I am sure that she is the only of all the siblings that has ever tried to harm Chez, and Riel does it on a weekly basis!" Howl eximed. "That is part of a pact the two made long before Zack had found us the first time and long before your time. Chez also takes turns hunting her as well, per the agreement they made with the pact. They do it to keep the other in shape and at the top of their game. Before the SkinWalkers came, Sagittarius would also take turns hunting the two of them," Libra exined. I began to move my arms again, and it was much easier this time. Still, any attempts to lift my body off the ground were met with what seemed to be the pressure of a mountain on my back. "Is there an easy way to get through this?" I asked and then said, "I don''t really have time to be lying around right now." "You don''t really have much of a choice at this point. You just need to keep doing what you are doing now. You, of all people, should know that nothing is worth doing if it''s too easy. You will get through this and get back to the girls you keep thinking about. It seems you have gained quite the collection of new lovers, and you will need a home for them," Libra told me but then remerged into my body before I could say anything. Libra went silent from that point, but she gave me a feeling of satisfaction. I had been initially worried that she was angry with me, then the feeling that she projected onto me pushed that thought out. [Focus on your breathing first so you can get the blood moving correctly first. After that, it will be much easier for you to move.] Harold exined to me. ''Where did you learn this from?'' I asked Harold as I started to focus my breathing in a rhythmic pattern. [You, I think, but I don''t know when. I just remember you telling me something like that. I don''t know if it will help, but it is better than nothing.] Harold exined. "Howl, try focusing your breathing," I called over to my big blue wolf, but I got a strange barkingugh as a response. "What do you think I have been trying to do this entire time? What have you been doing? Struggling to try to stand? I can''t even feel my paws right now!" Howl barked out with augh that turned into a cough that sounded like he was trying to choke out a furball. I furrowed my brow at the wolf''s jest, but he was right about the loss of feeling in my limbs. I could still feel my hands and feet, but they were cold, and that meant that they weren''t getting enough blood. I closed my eyes and focused, getting my breathing to a nice and even pace. The heat started to return to my limbs, but I also started to feel more energized like I had from hearing Libra''sughter. p The two of us continued breathing for about thirty minutes, and I could rollover. Now I was starting to lift my arms and legs, but Howl was still unmoving. After another hour, I was able to get up and on to my feet, but I was shaky and feeling exhausted from the exertion it took to get up to this point. "How are you doing?" I asked Howl as I walked over to the other side of the enormous blue wolf. He was panting, and his sizeable pink tongue was hanging out of his mouth. The wolf looked like shit, and he still didn''t have his breathing under control. "I am nowhere near as strong as you, and I am also a lot bigger than you. I will be here for a while, but I will catch up," Howl growled. I grinned and then patted him on the head once, but it made the wolf wince, so I left him be. I needed to get to the center of this ind, but I was still amazed by this ce. I turned to look back out at the endless space, and I pondered why this felt different than when I had been in my head. [Simple questions get simple answers. This ce is ''real,'' and the other is a construct of this ce in your head. Outside of here, you can create almost anything in your mind if you want to, but here, this is really the space outside of Hydrocus.] Harold exined, and I nodded to myself in understanding. So this ce actually existed somewhere in the smashed-up multiverse in my mind, and it was more real than the one in my mind. Sure it made perfectly good sense; no way I wouldn''t understand something so simple that makes absolutely no sense. [You and that idiot are the ones that made it like this, so of course, it doesn''t make any sense. Regardless, this is the way it is.] Harold said, and I could feel that he was equally frustrated from the haywire reality that we were all in. Chapter 303 Ten Steps Back, Still Ticking I left Howl and started to move forward, but I was immediately met with fierce resistance. As I assumed, the pressure started to worsen, but each step crushed my foot into the ground the moment I put pressure on them. On top of the crushing steps, it felt like my head was going to explode. My body was under vice-like pressure that was hard to describe. It was like being pressed from all angles on every inch of my body. Not only did it press in on me, but the farther I pushed in, the thinner the air seemed to get. Finally, I had to stop to catch my breath, and I was sorely tempted to sit down, but I knew it would be that much harder to get up this time. I need to keep pressing forward, but the closer I got, the harder it was, obviously, like Chez had said. [Take ten steps back.] Harold said out of nowhere after remaining silent. ''Really? Do you know how hard it was to take those ten steps?'' I was only just out of sight from Howl now, and I was sweating from this short trip. Going back even ten steps after the fifteen minutes it took to get here seems counterproductive. [No, I have been thinking about what you could do to make it easier. You are just going to have to trust me on this one. If you go back, it should be easier for you, and you can do some light training. I don''t know if it will work, but I don''t think just forcing your way, though, will help.] Harold exined to me. ''What do you think about this n, Libra?'' [Whatever you choose will be best, I am sure.] Libra said, but I could tell she was just dodging the question. It was possible that Libra did know, but it might be better to find out on my own. Some things couldn''t be taught; they needed to be experienced. [You are more intelligent than everyone gives you credit for.] Libra said in a praising tone. I closed my eyes, and centered myself, and then took ten steps back. The pressure immensely decreased as I moved, and after the tenth step back, I almost felt like usual again. I flexed my hands and then dropped down into a squat, feeling some resistance as I came back up. I started to jog on the spot with high knees, and again the pressure was there, but it faded fast. This was so much better than before, and I ran through a series of exercises. From jumping jacks to push-ups, I did short sets of five and cycled through exercises to work on each part of my body. [Seems that your time on earth wasn''t all a waste. You might want to put those skills to use more often than just in life-threatening situations!] Harold joked, and I ignored him as I worked myself into a full sweat. After about fifteen minutes, I was lying in the trimmed grass, panting and sweating, but I felt good. It was like an excellent first set of a workout, but I was starting to get hungry. [There are some different fruits just up head to the right from when you were. I think there were strawberries and raspberries. Not much, but a lot better than nothing.] Harold exined. [They will be more than filling. All the food here is very good for you and cultivated by Chez himself.] Libra exined. I whipped some sweat off my face and then got back up off the ground. This time I had no problem, and I was feeling a lot better now with new energy coursing through my veins. I had a n now, and I was going to try to run as far as I could and thene back the ten steps. I would just have to keep repeating this process until I made it to the center of the ind, but the first goal was getting some food. I looked forward and got my breathing to an even pace and then bolted forward. Within seconds I was hit with the pressure, and it felt like I was trying to run down into water. I noticed the fruit as I was slowed to a jog, and I forced myself to go at least ten steps past the tree. The problem was that by the time I made it that far, the pressure on my head was making me see stars. [Don''t push too far in, or the pressure could kill you. If you go too far too fast, your blood will start having trouble flowing through your body correctly.] Harold warned me as I was already backing up to the fruit. I wasn''t sure just how far the center of the ind was from me, but I could tell that I was starting to make serious progress. When I reached the fruit, I sat down for a moment to eat some of it, but I was surprised to find myself feeling stuffed after a handful of each. [The fruit is created with the help of Chez''s Astral power, and when you gain control of Sagittarius''s ring, you will have ess to the same powers. You will not be able to acquire this ring until you havepleted this world, but you should be able to gain ess to at least six of us before leaving this world.] Libra exined, but the exnation was the equivalent of saying it was magic. I got up and started my workout again, forcing myself into a sweat, but I didn''ty down this time. Instead, I forced myself forward again, but I didn''t force myself as far this time. I started to get into a rhythm, but there was no sign of Chez anywhere. The centaur was good at covering his tracks, but this was his domain, and I just had to keep moving forward. [When this is all over, you are going to be in great shape, so things could be worse.] Harold told me, and I had to agree, but the clock was still ticking. Chapter 304 Mex And Calabro, Should Have Let Him Die [View of Cbro, the Manticore and Mex, the Ex-Demon Lord] "This will only get worse if you keep this up, you fool!" Mex yelled at the Manticore, Cbro. The Manticore was now in a more anthropomorphic lion man''s body with wings and the scorpion tail still, but none of those things seemed to slow Cbro. He would get Mex for the wrong that he never did to him. Cbro was sure that Mex had stolen his love, Candice, from him. The Manticore had known the Sphinx girl''s parents before they had been killed. Their deaths urred when Dao and Mexnded on the ind, but Mex was the one to save them. No story is ever that simple, and now the story will rewind time back to the point when the men first met. This is the tale of Mex and Cbora when Mex first arrived on the ind. During the firstnding on the ind, Cbro had hidden while Candace and Veronica''s parents had been killed. Yet, he still assumed that he had been wronged by the Demon Lord who had killed his own kind to save the girls. Mex had always known about Cbro''s fragile personality and his cowardly nature from their first meeting. Shortly after things settled down from the first assault to the ind, the Manticore had tried to attack him. Cbro had waited till Mex had left the Demon encampment to go and explore the ind. Mex had known about him the entire time. Instead of attacking him or calling the creature out, Mex decided to wait to see what he would do. The result was the Demon Lord leading himself into a cornered ce. Mex has gotten sick of waiting after three hours of walking and no attack attempts. Cbro jumped at the chance, proving how simple the creature was. The Manticore drove from his poor attempt at stealth, a bush smaller than him, to block Mex''s escape. The creature had been aughable sight for the most part, but it was still a deadly creature that could hurt him. The problem was that when it blocked the exit, the Manticore had not attacked. "Give me the girls back, and I will let you live, you wretched beast!" The Manticore had shouted and tried to look menacing. Mex had sensed his presence when he had saved the girls and had seen where the beast had hidden while the girl''s parents were killed. The ones that had made the killing were Demons very simr to himself, so Mex had no right to Judge the creature for hiding from certain death. "And what will you do when I do?" Mex asked as he crossed his arms, staring at the beast. Cbro took a step back, unsure of the words he had just heard. He could have sworn that the monster had told him that he would give the girls back but didn''t understand why it mattered to him. "What does it matter after I have them? I will take responsibility for them!" Cbro shouted at Mex in defiance, but Mex blew up at that moment. The Demon Lord''s form expanded, and suddenly he towered over the Manticore, causing the creature to jump back in a mixture of surprise and fear. This was not what he had anticipated, and the monster looked angry. "And will you take responsibility for them when someone like mees to take them away from you? Or will you just run and hide? I saw you, small creature! You are a coward in the face of danger! If you are too blind to see the same, you will just get them killed! I can protect them, and if you can lose this attitude that you have, I would see that you stay in their lives!" Mex growled at Cbro, whose hair was pinned back like an angry massive winged cat. Cbro''s mind twisted and warped the words in his mind after years of torment and abuse from other ind monsters. The Manticore had been attacked and almost eaten more times than he could count, and years of torment had caused mental breaks. "You are just saying these things! You are just trying to lull me into a false sense of security!" Cbro shouted as he backed away quickly, and Mex groaned as he rubbed one hand over his face. Before Mex could say anymore, Cbro turned and jumped into the air to escape Mex. The Demon Lord could have easily caught up with him, but Mex didn''t see the point in it. From this point, Mex had established his keep and control over his ind area. He had kept the girls with them at the castle, but Nixi started to question what Mex was nning to do with them as they got older. Mex had cleared thebyrinth for the girls and helped them make a home as best he could. Over this time, the Demon Lord had begun to get closer to Candace. Fifteen yearster, Cbro showed up on his doorstep covered in blood and holding a bundle up with a strange child in it in his mouth. Mex found him passed out, and he had Lidy and Clesh help him with the little girl that would grow into Tiga, the Mantiken. Mex had been sorely tempted to leave Cbro to die, but from the traits of the little girl, he had a rough idea of what had happened. Still, Cbro had saved his daughter from her mother, the Witch of the Sea, meaning half of her power was sealed in the child. Mex had Clesh confirm that the child was who he thought. After that, he had the women bring the Cbro back to health. When Cbro awoke on a pile of straw, he had been confused but started to look for his daughter. Only Mex was in the room, sitting on a chair with one leg crossed over the other, sipping a cup of tea. "What have you done with her?!" Cbro shouted, but Mex gave him a pointed look. "Your child is fine, but that is not your concern right now. I have questions that you ARE going to answer before I say more, then she is safe and healthy! You have no idea what you have done, you idiot! How did this happen, and how did you get away from her?!" Mex demanded in a tone that reinforced his words, making Cbro look away in embarrassment. Chapter 305 Mex And Calabro, As Stupid As You Look "The wall isn''t going to give you the answers that you are looking for," Mex said as he sipped his tea, watching Cbro. The Manticore turned his lion head back to The Demon Lord and now was giving him a pointed look. Cbro always hated how this creature always disyed such calmness, no matter the situation. "Getting excited or upset won''t help anything. Now, I can see how you were tricked. The Witch of the Sea can change her body to he chooses. What I am having trouble figuring out is how you were able to get away?" Mex asked after digging into the beast''s mind. The Manticore tried to jump up to yell at Mex, but then Mex Tea crashed to the ground. Both of them were on the ground, groaning as Nixi walked into the room. "This child is of that witch that chased us across the sea to this cursed ind! You will ce her under our protection, and the father will serve as a watchdog to make sure that she is safe. If we are ever to get off this ind, then she will be our ticket to leaving the ce!" Nixi ground as she red at the two men who were now whimpering in pain as the little red Demon used her overwhelming presence to crush them down. Both men groaned as cuts on Cbro re-opened, along with wounds that were long since scars on Mex. Neither of them made any more sound than they needed to, and Nixi didn''t bother waiting for either of the two to reply. "Who does that woman think she is?" Cbro asked in a low voice long after Nixi had left and the pressure faded. "You really are as stupid as you look," Mex scoffed as he picked himself off the ground and scowled at the broken teacup and spilled contents on the floor. "What did you say to me, you two-legged freak?!" Cbro growled as he picked himself up from the straw. "You do remember that I did just save your life, right?" Mex said, turning his frown on the Manticore. "What I remember is you took the woman that was supposed to be mine! Their father had promised Candice to me when she was of age to breed!" Cbro dered but then was crushed back to the ground with a roar of real pain. Mex was furious and targeted all his pressure into Cbro, making him squirt blood. The idea that one creature would give another away like that drove Mex crazy because of his own forced couplings. "No one gets to choose for Candace or Veronica! They can make their own choices, and she chose me! Stop acting like a spoiled child! You have your own to raise now, and you have no choice!" Mex roared, the fury pouring out of him, but the broken creature would not give up and pushed against Mex. "Have you seen the thing that I created? I am a monster; that is an abomination! How am I to raise a creature that holds half the power of something so wretched?!" The Manticore roared, and the two railed at each other in a contest of wills. "You will learn, or you can go tell my grandmother that you aren''t going to listen to her," Mex growled as he released the pressure and rxed. The Demon Lord knew that there was no point in him getting mad about this. Nixi had spoken, so it would happen, where this creature wanted to take responsibility for what he had done or not. The years had passed, and now Mex stood at the top of the second level, watching the enraged Manticore-man. Cbro had just leaped onto the tform that had thedder to get to this level. Noel said to help Mex out, she would end it as soon as one of them made it to the top. This meant that they could work as a team toplete the course, but that was about as likely as Gnoll befriending a Troglodyte. "You know that we could work together toplete this course, right? Instead of me killing you over and over again, right?" Mex asked while keeping an eye on the tunnel of mming walls, waiting for an opening to run through. AT this point, Mex was almost ready to let Cbro kill him just once so he could concentrate on moving forward. There were much better things that he could be doing with his time rather than killing this insane creature over and over. "You are the reason that my life has been such a waste! You came to this ind and stole everything-" Cbro started to yell as he pulled himself to where Mex was standing and had his head kicked clear off his shoulders. The Manticore man''s body fell back and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and then Cbro fell from a hole in the sky. It was his fifth death, so he fell from twenty-five feet up in the air into the soon-to-be boiling water. Mex shook his head, turned back to the mming walls in front of him, and focused. Four sets of walls moved around in an intricate pattern at high speeds. If you touched any part of one of the eight moving sections, the other side would p around faster than the eye could move, even for Mex. Whatever was caught would be crushed and ripped off your body. The worst part was that the first one started a chain of walls crushing your body until you died. "From ME! You took it all! I will never forgive you, and I will chase you to the¡­ HEY!" Once on top of the first block, Cbro started up again but started screaming, "Stop! Ahhh!!!" Mex rolled his eyes and got ready to make an attempt as Tuxedo Maskless cut Cbro in two. The Ex-Demon Lord knew his own time was limited here and dashed forward. Chapter 306 Nushi And Tiga, Lucid Dream Insertion Noel turned away from Her spatial construct after transporting Cbro inside with her grandson. She was apanied by Tiga, Nushi, and Nixi; the rest of the women were all busy getting ready to leave. "I think this is a bit harsh for even me. There is no way that the two of them are ever going to get out of there! I don''t take our grandson''s side very often, but throwing the bull-headed creature in there with him!" Nixi growled as they all turned back to the apartment. "If that creature is toe with us, then Mex is going to have to beat some sense into it," Noel said without batting an eye as she strode forward. The shorter Nixi walked beside her, but the other two girls fell back from them. Tiga seemed distressed, but Nushi knew precisely what the problem was. Though, that, in turn, was the real problem. Nushi could see into others'' minds and even predict what they would do next. What she couldn''t do was alter them, and there was something creepy about Cbro, the Manticore''s mind. "Do you think that my father is going to be okay? I know that he seems crazy and rude, but he is actually really nice! There is just something wrong with his head¡­ he sometimes would say strange things, like he was talking to someone," Tiga exined to Nushi. Nushi watched it happen like she was there herself, as Tiga exined. Her power allowed her to see actual scenes from their memory into people''s minds, but that was the limit to Nushi''s ability inside of the mind. Nushi watched the Cbro, the Manticore, argue with himself as she hid around the corner in the dark tunnel. She was in Tiga''s body as a passenger, but the memory continued even after the Mantiken stopped exining. Suddenly, Nushi is pulled into the vision, and her world goes ck. Nushi opened her inside Tiga''s body, but her thoughts were no longer her own. Nushi is unaware, but her abilities have just grown, and she has gained a new power. [Lucid Dream Insertion- The ability to enter a person''s mind and feel what they do. This also allows you to use all your abilities while in the dream as well.] Both Noel and Nixi turn around as both girls fall to the ground. The women don''t turn to the noise, but instead because the presence of both girls had disappeared. Both Tiga and Nushi were lying in the grass like they had just passed out walking. The two grandmothers looked at each other in shock, but Nixi was the first to speak. "I don''t feel anything from either of them, but both of their chests are still moving, so they are not dead. Whatever this is, I am sure that it has something to do with Nushi and her powers. Go get whoever is in the house toe help us get them inside to beds for now," Nixi ordered, and Noel nodded. Nixi turned back to the two girls lying on the ground, rolling her eyes. Then she looked up at the spatial construct Mex, and Cbro tried toplete and shook her head. "I really hope that boy is making progress with whatever he has left on this ind," Nixi growled under her breath as she waited for Noel to return with help, even though Nixi could have carried them by herself. That wasn''t her job! [View of Tiga/Nushi, Three Days Prior in Tiga''s Dream] Tiga''s father argued with himself, and it was something that the girl had seen her entire life. Though, things had suddenly started to get worse this morning. "I am safe here, and so is my daughter!" My father said from the mouth of the cave. ''Then he stopped, though I couldn''t see his face from this far, so I decided to move closer.'' Tiga thought as she crept forward. In the back of Tiga''s mind, Nushi was watching and creeping forward with the Mantiken. The whole experience was challenging for Nushi to take in at first, but the moment they were in the range of Cbro, she snapped to attention. You are never safe, and you know this. They will be just like the rest and betray you in the end, even your precious daughter. Even though this wasn''t her body, hearing the chilling etheric voice made her thoughts freeze in panic. Whatever was talking right now was nothing she had ever heard before. A man ising that is going to kill you and take the girl from you! Nothing you can do will save you! Unbeknownst to the insidious voice, Tiga continued to creep forward until she was within ten feet of her father. The voice sounded like it wasing from something vast and monstrous the way that it echoed through her mind. "I don''t care what you think! I have listened to you over the years and barely survived! This is one thing that I will not do, and I will defend her from anyone that tries to take her!" Cbro roared, causing Tiga to cry out in fright at her fathers'' outburst. The Manticore whirled around on his daughter and stared at her. The two of them locked eyes, and Nushi could feel Tiga''s fear. Next, what the voice said in the Manticore mind gave Nushi her own dose of real fear. The Manticore was a childpared to the powerful creature she was, but the voice¡­ You need to kill your daughter, and then you will prevent Mex from ever leaving the ind. Then, if he tries, the Witch of the Sea will kill him and all of his family. That''s what you want, right? Then I can force that creature to be yours, and you will finally have everything you want, right? Cbro''s eyes went huge, and Nushi could tell that he had entertained many different scenarios. Not only did they end in her father''s brutal end, but her own as well. Suddenly, Nushi is pulled into five more dreams, fracturing her mind. She was pulled into five more dreams, seeing them all at once. Chapter 307 Nushi, Multiplied Nushi was standing on a beach, in a castle, standing in the forest, on a mountain top, in the middle of the ocean in a boat. Nothing made sense, and Nushi''s mind felt like it was being pulled apart. "What is going on?" Nushi asked out loud in fear, and it felt like her mind was trying to pull itself apart. The Demon''s powers that she had received from Zack Foreman and her own multiplied due to her being outside of reality. In most girls'' cases, there were no manuals for them, But Nushi had the advantage in this respect. Grabbing her head and trying to concentrate, Nushi closes her eyes. This allows her to bring her fractured minds together and lets her summon her journal. Each of the girls needed to learn everything independently, or that was the case before Nushi could use a series of tests with her predictive journal. The book allowed her to look into people''s thoughts and see the results of their actions up to five minutes in the future. p But nothing like this had ever happened to Nushi before. Now she stared into the book, and for the first time, there were words that were not her own. The journal had always waited till she wrote in it or sent thoughts to it to reply, but this time she had done neither. You are the one in control of this ce, but the one you face is much greater than you. You must force your mind back together and only recognize this reality as to how you see it. Nushi understood and didn''t bother to question the book, letting it disappear from her mind. She trusted the book as much as she trusted Zack, so she focused her mind. ''I am standing in the courtyard of my father''s castle. It is a beautiful day, with the sun in the sky and clouds peppering the sky. There is a light breeze, and I can feel the grass tickling my feet,'' Nushi chanted in her mind until she affixed the image in her mind. Slowly, the Demon opened her eyes, and she was back. Nushi stood in her father''s courtyard beside the keep, but there was a man in front of her as well. He was as tall as Zack, but he wore a strange ck cloak that seemed to swallow the light. Nushi couldn''t see the man''s face at first, but then the man looked up at her, and their eyes connected. This man was Time, or as Zack knew him, Mark. Once a friend to Zack, Time betrayed him, deciding to take Helsin Zero''s offer of immortality. Nushi did know the man, but Time didn''t know this and was shocked to find one of the Self-Titled-Heroes women here. This was a rare chance, and Time had assumed it was Zack that he had pulled into this trap. "How did you manage to get into the girl''s mind? Not that it matters, I will trap you here, and this will be a way to lure-," Time started to say, but he was blown off his feet by an immense charge of lighting seeming toe from nowhere. Nushi had seen into Zack''s mindst night, and for the first time, she had been able to see everything. It was like trying to look at every part of the at the exact same time, so most of it was a blur, even for her. Yet, one person stood out from everyone else, and it was a man that Zack knew long before this. This man had been Zack''s close friend but had secretly shared the form with Helsin Zero before the ident. Nushi had, of course, tried to tell Zack, but something made her forget each time she thought to ask. Now, this Mark from Zack''s past stood before her. Nushi knew this was like a dream, and she was in control of it, so she had closed her eyes as Time rambled. If it was a dream, she was the most powerful thing here, and she believed it to her core. "So you are the snake that stabbed the man I love in the back after everything he has ever done for you?" Nushi said as her body continued to expand, and she dashed forward. Time bounced off the corner of the keep and hit the ground in shock at what was transpiring. Before the robed man could react, he was kicked into the wall that surrounded the courtyard. Time smashed through the wall, and Nushi fired Lightning bolts after him. She screamed out in rage as she did. "HE GAVE YOU EVERYTHING AND ALWAYS TOOK YOUR SIDE! YET, YOU ALWAYS BETRAYED HIM!" Time caught himself this time and created a shielded dome around himself to stop the rain of lightning. This response had caught himpletely off guard. ''How can this creature be so powerful?! This is one of his women! They are supposed to need his protection!'' Time raged in his mind, but then suddenly looked up as the now monstrous light blue woman bore down on him. Time tried to force more power into the shield, but Nushi was limiting the power he could draw from this reality. ''No one should have this much power at this stage!'' Time screamed into his mind as his body was crushed, and the reality he had created to trap the Manticores mind shattered. Nushi was also ripped out of the world sent out into the ckness. It was only a brief moment, but seconds could stretch to eternities in the ce between thoughts. Then Nushi woke up in a bed with all the Grandmother''s standing over her, but something was off with them. She was also on the floor but still on a mattress. Each of the older Demon women had a concerned look on their face, and that was when Nushi noticed that she was lying in a broken bed. Nushi looked back up in confusion. "What happened here while I was asleep?" Nushi asked, and Nixi was the one that replied. "You did," Nixi said quietly and with the most respect that she had ever used with her granddaughter. The tone was not lost on Nushi, and she went to put her hand up to her mouth, but that was when she saw it. Her hands were red but a shade lighter than Nixi. Chapter 308 Mex And Calabro, Waking Up From A Nightmare The moment that Nushi defeated Time, Cbria underwent a dramatic change. [View of Mex and Cbro, Moments Before Time''s Defeat] "You have taken everything from me!" Cbro screamed as he was somehow expertly able to weave through the tower''s traps to chase Mex. "I have done nothing of the sort! You have done this all to yourself! Whatever is wrong with you was wrong long before you met me!" Mex yelled down as he dodged spikes that were shooting up from the tform he was running across. Time was forcing Cbro into an almost trance-like psychosis that was distorting reality as the Manticore saw it. This was causing him to see Mex as a monster while being assaulted by auditory hallucinations telling him that Mex was the cause for every problem in his life. Because Time''s influence was so strong, Cbro could no longer tell right from wrong or enemy from friend. Mex had no clue of any of this, nor did any of the few that knew him. Everyone from the keep had just assumed that the Manticore was mentally unstable, which wasn''t wrong. The problem was that it was an illness that forced him to be used as a toy to prevent Zack frompleting this first world. ''You must kill him and the rest of them before they kill you! I have told you that they would trick you, and I was right. Kill the Demon Lord, and then kill all of his family! If you do this, you will have Candace back, and these creatures will never bother you-!'' Time tried to scream in Cbro''s mind but was cut off. This was the moment that Nushi attacked, and Cbro was climbing onto the next tform that Mex had just finished. As he pulled himself up, the Manticore-man''s mind snapped back intoplete rity. Mex watched him with interest, noticing the change in the creature''s movement right away. Cbro now looked confused, and as he stood up on the starting block for the tform, Mex had just crossed. "Who are you, and what is going on? How did I get here, and why do I have a body simr to¡­ whatever you are?" Cbro asked Mex, baffling him. "What? Did you justpletely snap now?" Mex asked as he watched the Manticore stare back at him in confusion. "Snap¡­ what? ¡­ wait¡­ that voice¡­ you are¡­ Mex?" Cbro asked with actual confusion in his voice. Mex lifted an eyebrow at Cbro but then was distracted by one of the guardians appearing with his massive sword. "Duck!" Mex shouted, and Cbro listened without hesitation, barely avoiding the slice that would have cut him in half. Something had clearly changed with Cbro, and Mex made a split-second decision to try to help him. Mex wasn''t scared of dying, so if he was betrayed, he would just make the psychopathic creature pay when he revived. "Come to me, but listen for the clicks! They are the spikes in the floor, and you will get impaled if you stand near one after it clicks!" Mex shouted as fast as possible, but Cbro started moving right away. Mex knew that it was safe to stand on the end tform of each challenge. If you stood on the first section for too long, one of Noel''s Guardians would appear to try and kill you. The point of all of this was to train the mind to think faster and on the move. Sometimes you didn''t get time to think over a choice before making it, and fighters needed to learn how to quickly adapt to any situation. Cbro was nearly impaled on the first spike that shot up and barely evaded it. With Mex''s instructions, he was able to make it across with only one deep gash. Mex stood back and made room for the panting red-skinned winged man with a scorpion tail as he jumped to the cube that he was standing on. The Demon Lord watched Cbro as he caught his breath, watching the creature intently, waiting for him to make some sort of attack, but nothing came. Cbro looked up, and the two men locked eyes, but the crazed look was gone from his eyes. Mex was still unsure of what was going on and decided to wait for Cbro to speak. "I feel like I just woke up from a nightmare that hassted for longer than I could remember. Is this what we both really look like?" Cbro asked in a calm and level voice, making Mex''s eyes grow huge in surprise. Then Mex started tough as he screamed in his mind. Cbro watched the Demon Lord for a moment, unsure why he wasughing. After a short moment, Cbro joined theughter with Mex, and the twoughed for a good five minutes straight. Finally, after the two had almost been brought to tears, theirughter subsided. The two smiled at each other, but then Cbro asked, "What is so funny?" This made Mexugh again, but this time it was short-lived as he noticed the apparent confusion on the Manticore man''s face. Mex settled down and then smiled at Cbro. "I have known you for many years, but this is the first time that you have ever made any sense! This is what I look like most of the time unless you make me angry. You, on the other hand, are not normally like this, but we are inside of a tower built for training," Mex exined, and Cbro nodded thoughtfully. "So, I guess that we are supposed to work together to get out of this ce, right?" Cbro asked, but that caused Mex to startughing again. Mex was not one to hold on to any grudges. In fact, there were only two people that Mex truly held contempt for, and the psychopathic Manticore was not one of them. Together, the two of them started up to the next tform. Since the two men had known each other, they worked together as friends for the first time. Chapter 309 Sealing Things Up, Comically [View of the girls on the beach working on the Underwear Boat] "Do you really think all of this will work?" Jilly asked as she watched as Hydie created a transparent blue barrier around the long oval-shaped boat that she had created. Jilly, Hydie, and Lizy were all standing on the beach in front of the submarine that they were creating. Hydie was channeling the waters from the edge of the beach to surround the vessel that was shaped identical to that of a submarine. The girls had no idea that they were creating a Submarine, and modern-day submarines were definitely not built like this. The girls were also running into some problems, including sinking, breathing, propulsion, and eating, but everyone mostly had a hand in the project. ? "Yes, but we still don''t know how we are going to make it move. My barrier will replenish the air, but it will also keep the ship filled, keeping it above water. This would be fine, but the boat is meant to be navigated under the water," Hydie exined as she finished covering the exterior of the underwear boat. Hydie stepped back after speaking and then looked over to Lizy. The Magma Spiderdy was in her human form, and she already had some of her red eyes fixed on the storm elemental. Now it was Lizy''s turn to surround the boat in a massive molten cocoon, but she looked unsure. The idea of climbing on top of the ship that looked to be covered in ayer of water wasn''t that appealing to her. "Are you sure it is safe for me to start? It looks like I am just going to slip if I try to get on there and get wet!" Lizyined, but Hydie shook her head no, but it was Jilly that spoke up. "No, I have made sure that everything inside is secure, so Hydie can rotate the ship while she turns it," Jilly exined. "I will also use the barrier to help you get on top of the ship, and then you can transform back into your normal form. Then you can start to slowly cover the entire ship in a cocoon to help protect us from anything that wants to try and take a bite out of us underwater," Hydie also added. "Aunty Lizy! Can Ie up top with you?!" Keri called over as she ran over. Keri the Gog had been walking up the beach with the now much more shy Kali the Growth Elemental and Veronica. The Sphinx woman was exining something that Nushi had instructed her onst night. Now Kali was slowly starting to understand, but she was embarrassed by her actionsst night. Veronica had been exining things about the names she should use and what certain words meant, but the Sphinx woman had also learned some new things. "Is it okay for her toe up with me? Lizy asked, and Hydie smiled and nodded as Keri ran over to Lizy. "Yes, both of you can go over there, and I will lift you up," Hydie exined as she gestured with a blue translucent hand to the boat. A wave of water came up from the beach and slowly formed a set of stairs that you could clearly see through and even had some fish swimming in it. "What are those things?" Keri asked as she pointed to the fish in the stairs, but then before anyone could answer her, the little woman with burning eyes took off. At first, Lizy just shrugged and then followed along, but as Hydie watched Keri get closer, she realized that the woman wasn''t slowing down. "Keri! Stop, the water is-!" Hydie called out, but it was toote. Keri had it in her mind that she was going to get one of the strange looking things that were swimming around in the stairs. What she didn''t know was that the stairs were built using a barrier that made it so the water could be walked on. The Gog-girl ran face-first into the iron wall of water that made up the staircase and bounced off the wallically. Keri hit the ground, and the other woman gasped, and Lizy ran over to check on her. Before the Spiderdy could get close, Keri bounced back up and dusted herself off like nothing had happened. Though, Keri didn''t turn back to look at the other girls because she was slightly embarrassed. Instead, Keri walked over to the side of the staircase that she had just run into and patted the transparent surface, and she nodded. "Yup, that is pretty tough," Keri said, pping the side of the stairs as Lizy came up beside her. "Are you okay?" Lizy whispered as she focused on the small woman. "Yup! Let go do¡­ What are we supposed to be doing? "Keri asked as she looked up at the dark skinned woman with multiple red eyes that she rolled in her head. "I am going to wrap the boat with my molten threads as Hydie spins it," Lizy exined, and Keri nodded along as she did. Even though the little red woman nodded, Lizy knew that she had no idea what was going to happen, but there was nothing for it. Lizy was already nervous enough as it was. The idea of trying to stand on this¡­ thing that Jilly had created in her natural form gave her pause. It was not because Jilly had created it, but because it was covered in water, which caused her to get very sick. When Lizy first came to the ind, she had gotten very sick and had almost died due to her body temperature dropping dangerously low. From that point, Lizy had stayed away from water until now. Keri walked around and started up the stairs but turned around to find Lizy still waiting at the bottom. The spider woman hadn''t taken the first step up yet, but she was trying to convince herself that it would be fine. Chapter 310 Lizy, Sticking To It "Come on! This was your idea, right?" Keri asked Lizy, calling down from the top of the liquid stairs that Hydie had constructed. "This was only partially my idea! I never nned on going near the water!" Lizy said, feeling her temperature rising with her frustration. "I will make sure that you don''t get wet or fall off," Hydie said as she walked over to stand at the bottom of the stairs with Lizy. Initially, Lizy wanted to say something rude, but after taking a deep breath, the spider woman decided against it. Getting angry wasn''t going to help her, but she also didn''t want to admit that she was scared out loud. "Did you know I don''t like heights? I absolutely hate admitting to such a thing, but it is true," Jilly said as she walked over to join Hydie and the spider woman. Lizy had been concentrating on the steps, trying to get her confidence up. The sound of Jilly''s voice snapped out of the trance-like state. "You are scared of being above the ground?" Lizy asked in incredulity as she stared at Jilly, who was now in her human form. "You don''t have to say it like that! Everyone has something that scares them!" Jilly growled in defense but then sighed and rxed her shoulders. "I think that Jilly is trying to tell you that it is okay to be scared of things. I really don''t like the cold, and if I get too cold, I get to a point where I can''t move and could potentially die," Hydie exined, and Jilly nodded along with her. Seeing that Jilly was the same size as her made Lizy feel a bit better. Hearing that she was scared of something so trivial as her ws not touching the ground helped a lot more. "Look! The water isn''t even wet-! Ahhh!" Keri cried out as she rolled off the top of the boat, falling down to the sand. Keri seemed to recover almost as fast as she fell off but ran back around to the stairs where Lizy was still standing. Before Lizy could say anything, Keri was pushing her up the stairs from behind. "Hey! Wait! I didn''t say that I was ready to start moving yet!" Lizy cried out as she was forced up the stairs by a surprisingly strong Keri. Hydie, Jilly, and the rest of the girls watched them. Before they were at the top, Jilly turned around and shooed Veronica and Kali. "I don''t think that you need my help, for now, so I will take these too, and we are going to do some training with Beeno. She has been working with Cera, Bera, and Riez all morning, so I think that it is time that we got over there. If we don''t, I am sure that the lunatic wille and find us!" Jilly said with a smile as she dramatically rolled her eyes to jest. Lizy was now standing up at the top of the submarine with Keri, but she had yet to transform. The spider woman was also holding Keri''s hand for bnce, and her legs were shaking. "Sounds good; when we get finished here, we wille and join you," Hydie called to Jilly but then turned back to Lizy to say, "You don''t need to worry! I am holding your feet to the ship, so you won''t fall off! None of the water on the ship can hurt you! I have it all sealed within an air bubble!" Lizy knew what water felt like from rain, but she had never been in the water. The feeling on the buttons of her feet was more like a gel, but these feet had never touched water. This form was all new to Lizy, but that didn''t change how she felt about getting wet. Things were changing so fast in her life that the Magma Spider was having a hard time keeping up. "You know, I was really scared the first time that I got into the water! Aunty Jilly had to pull me in, and I fought the whole way, but when I finally did it, I loved it! This stuff isn''t like the stuff I had a bath with, so I think that you will be safe!" Keri reassured Lizy. Lizy stared at the little woman with burning eyes, and Lizy sighed as the little woman turned away. This should even be possible for a powerful creature such as herself if even a creature that ate fire could do it. Lizy let go of the red-skinned Gog-girl''s hand, taking a deep breath. The spider woman closed her eyes and concentrated on what she usually looked like. As she did, Lizy''s humanoid body began to grow and expand. Her two legs shrunk down to points, and six other legs grew from therge grey shelled abdomen that started to glow bright orange and red. Keri jumped back as Lizy grew into her massive Magma spider form. Even though she knew that Lizy had changed and was getting better, the massive form still made her a bit uneasy. After finishing her transformation, Lizy opened her eyes slowly and then looked down. The tips of each of her legs had some of the water crawling up them, but they were holding her in ce. Slowly, Lizy lifted one of her long pointed legs to test, and she was able to do it with no problem. Then when she put it back down, the water pulled back up her leg point to hold her down. After a few more tests of leaning from side to side, Lizy was satisfied. She was about to start spraying on her molten webbing, but then something happened that made her freeze. Lizy wasn''t the only one; every girl connected to Zack felt his presence disappear. This was when Zack stepped into the first Astral Ring, Libra. "Did you just feel that?! Where did he go?!" Keri asked with fear in her voice as she looked at Lizy, but the spider woman didn''t know how to reply. Chapter 311 Finally Making It, Left Me More Confused [Zack''s View] "I think I can see that Bastard!" I growled as I strained to push forward. Now, my body had been conditioned, and I no longer needed to use the forward and back strategy. I just had to push as my body absorbed the pressure of whatever was creating such a massive gravitational pull. [You are doing great! Just keep going!] Libra said, cheering me on. Harold had been silent most of the trip, but I think that he was getting tired of fighting with Libra. It was surprising just how much the two seemed to detest each other, but it was a nice distraction. I had no idea how long I had been at this walk, but I was sure it was more than two days. I was starting to think that I was outside of my previous reality because I had been going nonstop. [You are right. The astral ne does not move with time; it is outside your ordinary reality. I don''t know how it works; I just know that time doesn''t flow here.] Libra exined, and I frowned but left it alone. I had been worried that the girls would be waiting for me, but if time froze in here, I could take my time if I wanted. The thing was, I was running out of all forms of patience, and I just wanted to get back to my girls. "Impressive, I never imagined that you would be able to make it here so fast," The familiar voice of Chey called from up ahead where I had glimpsed him. Hearing the centaur''s voice made my blood boil, and I was filled with a new burst of energy. I pushed myself forward and marched into the clearing that Chey was standing in, and then I looked around. There was nothing but an empty area. I was not really sure what I was expecting, but I expected more than an open patch of grass. I had assumed that Chey would have something set up to train me or something, but there was just the horse-man. "What now," I asked as I walked up to him. "Now? You can sit or stand, but I am going to exin some things before I send you back," Chey replied, but I narrowed my eyes. "Send me back? What about training me?" I asked, confused. "Training? What do you think you have been doing? While you are on my Astral Ind, you won''t notice the change, but you will when I send you back," Chey exined. "Are you noting?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "No. When you are sent back, you are going to kill Carnage, and then you will be set free from this reality, but that also means that everything in this ce will be reset. All the bugs will be returned to their normal forms unless you have given them power," Chey exined, but as he finished, I was distracted by the sounds of heavy breathinging from behind me. I turned around to see a much healthier-looking Howl slowly making his way forward. The massive blue wolf was panting, but I could see the fire burning in his eyes. "d to see that you make it, friend," I called to Howl, and the wolf just growled at me, but that made me smile. I was d that he was able to catch up. I was starting to be fond of the creature, but then something hit me, and I turned back to Chey. "Does that mean that Howl will disappear as well?" I asked, and Chey nodded. I would have to make sure that I did something about that before killing Carnage. I enjoyed hanging out with Mex, but he was the only guy around. It would be nice to have another male presence with me to talk about certain things. "Okay, well, I am listening. What do you have to exin to me?" I asked, not really sure what else I needed to know. "After you kill the first SkinWalker, you and your party will be forced out of the rings. The first four rings wille to you, but you are not strong enough to wield them all yet. For now, you will only be able to wield one, but after leaving the ind, you will be able to challenge the next one," Chey exined, but I already understood this point. "Sure, I understand that, but what am I supposed to do with the other rings? I don''t want toe back here to get them after," I told the centaur, and Chey nodded. "You will have to remove them from the ground and take them with you. The other two cocoons will have to be dealt with at another time when you are much stronger. The same thing will happen again when you try to enter one of them as it did for you in this one," Chey exined, and I nodded as I listened. "Okay, I get that, but now I have a couple questions," I told the centaur, and Chey nodded. "Ask, but know that I can tell you nothing that has been sealed, so my answers may be short and limited," Chey exined, but I had already assumed as much. So many things were covered in a lead nket that no one seemed to be able to lift, but that didn''t mean I couldn''t try and get some answers. I decided to focus on things that Chey was more likely to be able to answer. "What are you, and why are you all connected to me?" I asked, but I was not expecting the look that Chey gave me. He was surprised. The question seemed to have caught him off guard, and the centaur stood silently for a moment as Howl walked up beside me. I looked over at the wolf, and the creature gave me a look that was equivalent to a raised eyebrow. The following words from the Centaur''s mouth only left me more confused. Chapter 312 Familiar Place, Judging Truth "You are the central focus point of everything, and everything is connected to you. What am I? Fragments of your past that joined together to help you along your way. Nothing that I tell you will make sense of this, but you will know the truth when you leave this ind. There is no point in asking now, but I will exin it to you," Chey exined. "You will? How do you n on doing that from inside of here?" I asked in confusion, but that made the centaurugh at me. "I would ask that you take me with you from this ce when you leave. I don''t want to be forced to roam my father''s ring again for eternity," Chey told me, and I took a deep breath in. It didn''t really surprise me that he wanted to leave this ce. I would have to assume that he had been here for countless years already. The problem was that, unlike Dani, the caterpir girl, Chey, and Howl were part of the ring''s reality. I wasn''t really sure if they could be brought out into the reality that I was in before this. [All realities are the same, and we can exist in any of them, just like you can, but only with your help. Without you, we are each locked in the reality that we were born into.] Libra exined in my mind, and that helped clear things up for me. "Sure, you saved my life, so this is the least that I can do, right?" I asked Chey after my short pause. I offered my hand to the centaur, and he was about to take it, but something hit me. I pulled my hand back and then put my other hand up. "Just wait. I want to figure something out first. Normally when I do something like this, you would agree for me to take care of you, and that is fine for Howl. For you, I don''t think that this makes sense," I said as I pulled my hand back to my chin. Before either of the two could react or say anything, I closed my eyes. Time froze outside of me, and I was pulled into my mind; I needed some time to think. I was sitting at the round table in the center of my mind. My four Primals were sitting at the table looking at me, along with Harold and Libra, who sat opposite sides. "Come to talk?" Grogvel asked me as I leaned back in my chair and nodded. "Yes, but this question is for Harold. My purpose was to have some time to ask rather than make the others wait. Is there a way that I can make someone a helper, or something like that? I don''t think that it is right to have someone like Chey as one of my pets. Not to say the girls are my pets, but you understand what I am trying to say, right?" I asked, and Harold nodded at me. Suddenly, I was sitting at a different round table filled with books, and only Harold was sitting next to me. The room that we were in had bookshelves all around us, and each line of selves seemed to go on forever. Something about this room felt familiar, but I could quite ce my finger on it. Each reach for the memory seemed to just push it farther away, just like all the other ones. "Sorry, I would prefer to talk to you about this stuff alone. This has nothing to do with that annoying woman stuck in your head, so don''t ask!" Harold growled from across the table, and I smirked at him. "What is this ce?" I asked out of curiosity. "A ce that I like toe and think. I don''t know why Ie here, but something about this ce feels familiar, and I feel at home. Don''t ask me why; it''s just a feeling," Harold exined, and I dropped it. More important things were to be discussed now that I had Harold alone. "So, how long do you n on keeping silent around Libra?" I asked, and Harold glowered at me. "That woman is a venomous snake!" Harold snapped, bolting up from his chair to throw his hands in the air. I was shocked, but not because Harold had just jumped up. Did that mean Libra was up to something? "What do you mean? Is Libra hiding something?!" I asked, standing up from my own chair in confusion. Harold rolled his eyes at me and then shook his head. The action made me calm down, but I still waited for Harold to speak. "Don''t worry, Libra is a pure soul, and she doesn''t hide anything! That is the problem! For a woman that watches over the Scales of Bnce, Libra is not very good at weighing her words!" Harold growled, and I started tough, but I did understand his point. "Yes, I can tell that she is the type to talk first. I really don''t know what is going on in Libra''s head to need to be so spicy when she talks. That might be something I need to find out about her on another date," I joked, but I was just d that she wasn''t hiding something. "All I know is that I can''t wait for you to get out of these ursed rings! Then she will be forced out of your head and back into a solid; as a mortal, I might add. Libra''s powers will be limited by your abilities with them," Harold exined, and the two of us sat back down. "What type of abilities will I get from her ring?" I asked after we settled. "To start, nothing much. Libra''s poweres from her ability to weigh the scales. The first ability that you will have is the ability to judge the truth in a person. You will be able to weigh the truth of their words innately. The rest will take time and lessons from Libra," Harold replied, and I nodded, but we could discuss this at another point. Chapter 313 Wardens, Thalassophobia No-Go "Okay, now let''s get back to the real reason that we are here. What can the ranching system do about Chey? I know that we made Lidy a helper, and I had the other demons swear to me, right? I could make him a helper, but what would that mean for him?" I asked Harold as we sat around the table. The two of us were both drinking coffee now, and even if it was in my mind, it was great. There were some things that just couldn''t be beaten, no matter what reality you were in. "What you did with the Demons won''t work here because you are outside that reality. We will just call the ces in your back constetion the Astral Realm for now. Only the ranching system will work outside of the Demon Realm, the ce everyone else is. This system will work in every Realm," Harold exined, but I narrowed my eyes on him. "We are on my back right now?! How does that even make sense?!" I asked with wide and confused eyes. "I didn''t ask you to make sense of it! The Astral points on your back are nodes, and some of them are greater than others. Your mission is to collect and activate them all. When you do this, Helsin Zero will be forced into the final conflict at the Center of Everything!" Harold dered and then drained his coffee. While I understood that point, kind of, I was still trying to figure out how I was here, or there, but on my back! The lines were starting to blur, and I was having trouble keeping my grip on everything spinning around me. "You are everything, and everything is you. Don''t try to make sense of it all, or your head will start to hurt or possibly explode. The constetion on your back isn''t on your back, but it is. The actual ces are inside the Astral Realm, but all Realms are part of you," Harold exined, and I gave my head a shake. I could get lost in my own thoughts for an eternity trying to wrap my head around the implications. Again, I was getting distracted and kept digressing from the topic at hand. "Fine, I''ll drop it. Now, back to Chey. What are we going to do about him?" I asked. "We will make him a Warden. You will be able to gain as many of these as you need. They will take care of defending the women and others while you are away from the ranch. Once you leave the ind, the boat that is being built will be converted into your first ranch. Once you gain full control of Libra''s ring, we can start setting up inside of it," Harold exined, and I just sipped my coffee, narrowing my eyes. This sounded like an aggressive amount of work. There was no way that I was going to be able to get this all done and explore this world. "You better not be going anywhere anytime soon! You just keep piling on more and more things!" I growled, and Harold started tough. "Don''t worry, as much as I want to leave, we are stuck with each other. Once you have the first ring active, I will be able to help you more. It is up to you to learn to master it along with the hundreds of other things you have to do, haha!" Harold cackled, but I didn''t find it very funny. "Don''t fuckingugh at me! I will just learn how to use the damn ring!" I growled, but that just made Haroldugh more. "Nothing is ever that easy, but I will let you figure that out. Now, when you are back in front of Chey, just do the same thing that you would for the girls. The difference is that you will ask him to be one of your Warden''s, and then you both just have to confirm it in your minds," Harold replied, and I opened my eyes. I was standing back in the same ce that I had been, in front of Chey. I looked over at the panting sound, and Howl was also in the same ce. For me, I had been talking for thirty minutes, but it was a mere blink for these two. It was always a bit strange for me, but now I knew what I needed to do. "Chey, would you like to be one of my Warden''s? That means that you will be one of the people in charge of watching over my people while I am away. Are you okay with this?" I asked, and Chey pulled his shoulders back, straightening his back. "With pleasure! I would have done almost anything to get out of this ce, but that sounds like a splendid job!" Chey said with excitement and then asked, "Where are we heading?" "Across the open water, and then to the bottom of the ocean-" I started to say but then stopped. All the excitement and color seemed to drain from the centaur as I had spoken. Now he looked like he just had the wind knocked out of his sail. "I guess I will just stay on this ind until you can open my father''s ring¡­." Chey said as he looked away in disappointment. "What are you talking about? Weren''t you just all excited to leave this ce?" I asked in confusion. "Can''t swim, and I hate open water. I also have thssophobia, so the ocean is a no-go for me. It was a fun idea while itsted," Chey said in defeat, but I shook my head. "No, you areing, and you don''t have to worry about the water. You will be watching over the inside of the submarine that my girls are all working on. It is a ship that ispletely enclosed, and you won''t have to worry about anything!" I exined to Chey, but he didn''t look convinced. Chapter 314 Shrinking Down, To Much Attention "Are you trying to tell me that it would be better? Stuck inside a box at the bottom of the ocean? That sounds worse!" Cheyined, and I rolled my eyes, but then Howl spoke up. "Are you, the great hunter Chey? Or are you his sister?" Howl growled. "To be honest, I think that his sister would have probably not had a problem with it!" I said, and both Howl and I started tough, but his was more of a choking bark. "Fine! I wille with you, but the two of you had better not tell anyone or bother me about this!" Chey ordered the two of us. I saluted him, and Howl did his best to mimic me. He only got a front paw up to his ear, but the wolf made a valiant effort. I confirmed that I would take Chey as my warden, and the centaur shed with light. His body shrank down, but something strange happened to his face. "What the heck is going on?!" Chey asked from a horse''s mouth. Chey had lost his horse body to have an average human one, but his horse aspect had all gone to his head. Chey was now a horse from the shoulders up rather than the waist down. I looked over to find my massive blue wolf on the ground barking out his chokingughter. If I didn''t know any better, I would have thought that he had started to choke on something. "There is nothing funny about this, you oversized blue carpet!" Chey shouted at the growling wolf. "Calm down; you can shift back to your monstrous form! You just have to concentrate on it," I exined, but Chey just tossed his arms in the air in frustration. "My monstrous form?! What do you call this?! I was a handsome-looking centaur! Now I look like some freak! What is the point of this?!" Cheyined, but then his body shifted, returning to his previous form. "For one thing, you aren''t nearly as tall as you are in this from. You will be able to fit into ces that you normally can''t because of your height, and you will need this change to go where I do. I don''t think it is that bad, and if we put some clothes on, you will look good!" I exined with a smile, but Chey rolled his eyes. Howl was still on the ground, so I turned to the wolf. Howl decided to get off the ground, seeing me turn, but now he was covered in dirt and other debris. Then he shook himself off, and both Chey and I were sted with debris and long hair. Great, the fucking wolf shed, this would be just splendid. "Do you mind?" I asked the wolf after he had finished. "Sorry," Howl growled. "So, are you going to follow me across the world?" I asked Howl, but I had already confirmed that I wanted him for a partner. The wolf nodded and then shed with his own light. Just like Chey, Howl started to shrink down, but he got much smaller than a human. The wolf''s body didn''t change that much, but he kept getting smaller. When Howl was the size of a small dog, he stopped shrinking. Both Chey and I stared in shock, but not as much as Howl. He was frozen in utter confusion. "What is the meaning of this?!" Howl squeaked but then jumped back at the sound of his voice. Chey startedughing so hard that he shifted back into his horse-man form. Despite Howl''s shock at his size, the pup started a squeakingugh at Chey. [Howl will be stuck like that for a while. He will be your partner for this world from this point on, and he will grow with you. This will be different from the girls, but simr in some way.] Harold exined in the back of my head. "All right, you two! Enoughughing, we have to get out of here and go deal with that freak! Then we can get out of these rings!" I told my two friends, but Howl called up to me after I finished. "Hey! Why can''t I change back like the horse?" Howl squeaked in panic. I figured he would freak out about this, but there was nothing to do about it right now. I squatted down to the blue wolf pup and gave him an understanding smile. "Sorry, bud, but you will get bigger as I get stronger. For now, you are just going to have to deal with this, but I don''t think you are weak. You should be nearly as strong as me even at this size," I exined with a grin while stroking the wolf pup''s head. "Fine, but they''re better not be people telling me how cute and small I am! I am a proud wolf!" Howl growled at me, and I almost burst outughing. "That, I can''t promise. I think you will be lucky if the girls ever let me see you!" I joked, and Howl''s ears drooped. "Maybe it''s better if I just stay here¡­" Howl squeaked in a defeated tone like Chey had before. I was about to say something, but Chey was the one that piped up. "Oh, I see! This is what really scares the little wolf! Ha! The great blue wolf is scared of some girls! Ha!" Cheyughed out his horse mouth, and that made the little wolf whirl around. "Shut up, your pping lips; you are walking circus!" Howl barked up. "What did you say to me, you oversized blue rat?!" Chey retorted. While I would have loved to watch them go at it all day, I had other more important things to take care of. "Boys! Can it! Chey, open the damn door out of here, and Howl, keep up!" I ordered the two, and they both shut up. It was finally time to get back to that bastard with the split personalities. I was going to end this and then get the rest of the things I needed to before leaving this ind! Chapter 315 Killed Me At Any Time, Soup Can Portal "I will send you back, but things will be different this time, so we will just wait for you to copse the rings. We will just be in the way," Chey exined to me, and I understood what he meant. Chey had drawn a line in the air with his finger, and a white line had appeared. As it did, the gate back to Sagittarius''s ring opened up to show the area that we had left from. "What do you mean that things are going to be different?" I asked before I walked through the Astral Gate. "Carnage was only ying with you before because he was much stronger than you. Now you will be near or equal to his power, so he won''t be as timid this time around," Chey exined, and that made sense. "Okay, but is there anything that I need to do after I kill Carnage?" I asked, but Chey shook his head. "No, you just need to remove the stain, and we can all leave this ursed ce!" Chey growled but then shifted back into his horse-man form with surprise. Howl started squeaking out his chokingugh from behind me, and Chey threw his hands up into the air. I grinned, left the two of my friends, and walked back into the ring. The moment I did, it was like a huge weight was lifted off every inch of my body. I turned to look at the Astral Gate that I had just walked through, but it was already gone. "The invader has returned!" "It is still hopeless!" "You will never defeat us!" "We are inevitable!" The familiar disjointed and ovepping voices called to me from behind me. I turned around, and the eyeless creature was walking towards me. The human-shaped creature still looked crazy, but this time it didn''t look like it was going to wait for me to engage. "Are you ready to take me seriously this time?" I asked, but I got no reply as the SkinWalker advanced on me. I started to circle the eyeless creature, but Carnage had no part of my games this time. A wed hand shot towards my neck, but this time I was the one to strike his hand away. Carnage didn''t stop with the single strike, and I was forced to block a knee right after. The creature''s face shot forward with a mouth full of razor teeth, but I drove my fist up into its chin. The strike seemed to catch him off guard, and I followed that up with two fast and hard body shots. They pushed Carnage back, and I quickly spun around to kick him. Just before my heel connected, Carnage was able to grab my foot, and I was flung into the air. Before I could catch myself, the creature had grabbed my foot and smashed me into the ground. I had braced myself and kept most of the air in my lungs. The moment I connected with the soft grass, I twisted my body and kicked Carnage in the face, knocking him back. p This forced the SkinWalker to let go of my leg, and I leaped back to my feet. I backed up from the creature as it wiped the blood from its mouth where I had just kicked it. I did feel much stronger, but the eyeless creature was still keeping up with me. This was just proof that it could have killed me any time it wanted, so I would have to be careful. "You are much stronger, but we are still inevitable. No matter how much you struggle, I will be the one to consume your mind! I will live forever on your ageless memories!" Carnage growled at me in a single voice, meaning he was getting serious. I burst at the creature, not giving it the first move. I needed to end this before Carnage went utterly silent. My first strike was blocked, and Carnage returned the strike. I blocked that one, and the two of us became a flurry of fists and feet. Each strike I made was blocked just like mine, but the SkinWalker''s strikes were getting weak. It was strange because the defensive blocks still were just as strong as they were moving slower. I started to change the aim of my strikes and focused on the creature''s arms. Instead of making body or face shots, I tried to predict where Carnage would block, and I struck at the joints. This tactic seemed to confuse the creature; I was able to strike the inside of the elbow with my right. The creature''s right arm came in to grab me, but I grabbed the arm. I twisted, brought that arm over my shoulder, and threw the creature. I didn''t let go of its hand as Carnage mmed on the ground, and I used my foot to stamp down. I used all my force, and my barefoot crushed the creature''s head into the ground. I felt Carnage''s head crack, but I didn''t ease up, no matter how disgusting it felt on my foot. The moment that Carnage''s arm went limp, the world around me started to copse. I had no time to react; everything with myself included was sucked into an infinitely small point. Then I was spit back out from one of the same kinds of soup can portals Nixi had sent me, though. I hit the ground, and pain radiated through my entire body, but then I felt him. *Wataluga: Activating the Water Force Pact!* All the pain I felt disappeared, and my body became calm like ake on a windless day. I was lying face down on the ground, but I could hear voices around me. They were Dani, Chey, and the squeaks of Howl. It was good to know that they were all okay, but I needed toy here for a while. "Zack? Are you okay?!" Nushi asked from behind me with concern, but she wasn''t supposed to be here. I rolled over, and my eyes went wide at what I saw. Nushi''s skin was red, but not dark like Nixi''s skin. What had happened while I was gone? Chapter 316 Drown On Dry Land, Im Not Going To Eat You! "What are you doing here?" I asked Nushi in confusion. "You disappeared from everyone''s senses, and this was thest ce that I could find any traces of you. The moment I got here, these three spit out a portal, then you followed. That still didn''t exin why she was red. The only other Rank E Demons were Nixi and Beeno, but they were both a darker shade. I looked over at the other three that hade from the rings with me. They all looked to be in rough shape, but I guess we all had to be thankful we were alive. I was about to ask about the rings as I tried to sit up, but there was a sh from behind Nushi. Libra appeared from the light, but her body had changed. [Finally! I feel like I can finally breathe again!] Harold cheered in my head. That caused me to grin as I looked at Libra, whose breasts were no longer the size of basketballs. While I liked how she looked before, these cannons would be easier to y with. Libra walked up to stand beside Nushi, smiling at both of us. She was holding four golden rings in her hands, and Libra lowered herself to my height. "You look like you and the others have a rough trip, but you defeat Carnage. Not that I doubted you, but I think Sagittarius''s son had a big part in your sess! Regardless, these are yours, but we have a lot of work to do before you are able to control a tenth¡­ of my power?" Libra told me valiantly, but her tone changed quickly when she got to the end. Libra dropped the rings on myp and then stood back up quickly, trying to wave her hand. Nothing was happening, but I knew what the problem was. [I guess this is her first time being summoned by someone this weak, haha!] Haroldughed. That was rude, but I couldn''t really argue. I still was just a child in this world, and I had much to learn. Thankfully, Nushi put a hand on Libra''s shoulder. The Astral goddess turned to my beautifully demonic bookworm, who smiled at her but shook her head no. "Libra, your powers are gone until Zack gets stronger. You will have to teach him how to use your rings, and you will both grow together," Nushi exined, but the use of Libra''s name seemed to shock her. "How do you know my name already?" Libra asked, narrowing her eyes at Nushi. "This is Nushi, and she has the ability to read minds and into people''s past. Still, what is with the change in skin color?" I asked. "I freed the manticore and Tiga from the Demon King''s grip. When I woke up, I looked like this, and my demonic abilities had changed," Nushi exined. While she did, I sent Wataluga over to the other three that were still looking rough. The Water Primal had helped me heal most of the internal severe damage. Now my body''s healing could take over. "Well, you look great! I will get two of my Primals to escort these people back, but since you are here, do you minding with me?" I asked Nushi, and she nodded. "Yes, I don''t minding to spend some alone time. I might help keep you out of trouble as well!" Nushi said with a grin, and I rolled my eyes before turning to the others. "What is this thing?!" Chey called out as Wataluga poured out of my body to heal the group from the rings. "I am a person, just like you!" Wataluga growled as he formed his body. "No, you are not like me! You are a walkingke! Get back from me, you elemental beast!" Chey shouted from his horse body but then shifted back to his Horse-man form. Wataluga ignored him and walked over to Dani and Howl, who were both lying silently. The element ced his hand on each of them, and part of his body leaked out. Both the blue wolf pup and the ck and orange spiky caterpir girl were covered in a thinyer of water. Both of them let out rxed sighs as they were covered from the neck down. "There is no way that monster is going to get me! I didn''t just get out of those infernal rings just to drown on drynd! No! Get back from, NEEEEE!" Chey screamed as Wataluga dove for him with no warning. Even with his injuries from the Soup Can Portal, Chey was able to dodge Wataluga. While this surprised my elemental, I had already released Grogvel. The ce where Chey had jumped to open up like when I had trained with the earth elemental. Chey didn''t see the hole in the ground and screamed like a dying animal. "Calm down, I am not going to eat you!" Grogvel rumbled as he swallowed the Horse-Man. "Help! Help! I thought you were my friend Zack!" Chey screamed at me. I rolled my eyes and watched as Wataluga poured into the hole that Grogvel created to trap Chey. I turned away from the scene and slowly picked myself off the ground. I grabbed the rings before they fell from myp as I got up, but I was confused by them. All four of the rings looked the exact same; nothing more than golden bands. "How am I supposed to tell which one of these is yours?" I asked Libra, who was whispering with Nushi. "When you put them on, you will know. The rings can be worn, but you will activate the battle for control if you try to ess the other rings'' power. This is not a battle for one of us to take over your body, but if you lose, you will be stuck in the ring," Libra exined, and I nodded and slipped the rings on. Each of them fit perfectly on my right hand, and I could feel each one as I slipped the rings on. Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Capricorn, but Libra was the only one that I could feel powering from. Chapter 317 Quiet, A Nice Walk The rings were a side note for now, and I still had many ces to visit. "Grog, there are tworge cocoons in the ground. I want you to carefully remove them and then take them back to the Keep. Take these three people with you, and make sure to exin who they are," I instructed Grogvel. Chey had quilted down after he finally realized that he wasn''t going to die. The others had been silent the entire time, but I was going to get to the next. "Dani, the girls, will help you, but find Lidy, and she will get you something to eat. That reminds me, good lord am I hungry! Nushi, Howl? Can we get going?" I asked Nushi, but she instantly became distracted. The mention of my talking pup made Nushi''s eyes get big as she finally noticed Howl. The womanpletely ignored me and walked over to scoop up Howl off the ground. "Unhand me, Demon Woman!" Howl squeaked out, but then his face was smashed into Nushi''s lovely red breasts. I left Nushi and Howl to get acquainted, and I walked over to each girl. I kissed them both and told them I would be back tomorrow, and we could all talk then. After I was done with the girls, I walked over to the horse face. Chey seemed to be doing a lot better and even looked rxed. "Feeling better?" I asked, and Chey nodded his horse head. "Yes, and I am getting a full-body workout from the ground monster. I guess this is not that bad for a speedy recovery. Still, not something that I would like to go through often!" Chey dered, and I smiled. "You will just have to stay away from Soup Can Portals from now on! When you get back to the Keep with the others, go find Mex. He was the previous Demon Lord, and he will help you get settled in," I exined, but that was only if he had made it out of the tower yet. "Previous Demon Lord? Who is the new one?" Chey asked with an uneasy look on his face. "I am," I said with a grin, and Chey''s eyes went big. "You are?! You''re a Demon?!" Chey asked in surprise. "I am the Demon Lord of this ind, but I am not a Demon. It is a long story, and I am sure that Mex will love to tell you all about it," I exined, and Chey nodded, still looking surprised. I got up and turned around to go join Nushi. She was waiting for me, but Howl had seemed to calm down now. This was surprising, considering just how much heined about being fussed over. "Where did you find such an adorable little friend? Do you think that I could have one?" Nushi asked. I rolled my eyes and then tried to exin that Howl was actually a big blue wolf. That didn''t help at all. "Does this mean you are just a cute little wolfsee that I can carry around with me? Even though you can talk, I can''t read your thoughts! It''s the same as when I try to read yours, Zack!" Nushi said with more excitement about the news than I expected. "I think that is because he is my partner, so he shares some of my abilities. Why do you seem so excited about not being able to read his mind?" I asked. "When it is just you and me, I can pretend like I don''t have this power. When I am around others, I read minds without knowing I am doing it. While I like to help everyone, I have to admit I missed the quiet of my room when I was locked up there," Nushi exined as she stroked Howl, who was remaining quiet. "That makes sense. I couldn''t imagine how loud it must be for you sometimes. Still, I can''t figure out how you made Howl calm down? He said that he was a proud wolf that hated being called cute," I mentioned as we walked to Crater City. We could have flown, but walking was nice. "I am proud, but I also know that this Demon is far stronger than me, so fighting would be futile. I shall allow her to transport me this one time, but I am not some cute pet!" Howl growled but quieted back down as Nushi stroked his blue fur. "Thank you for inviting me along. It is nice to get away from everyone, especially since we are all going to be cramped up in a boat soon," Nushi exined as we walked through the woods. "I like spending time with you, so we are both winning, but I know what you mean. Still, I think that the girls will make the ce a lot more spacious than it appears. I will also be setting up our ranch on the boat to help with the girls," I exined. The ce where I had found the bugs wasn''t that far from Crater City. The trip only took us two hours, but I had spent the equivalent of four hours inside the rings. We spent the entire time talking about things and problems. Stuff that we might face leaving the ind inside and out of the ship. Still, we both talked constantly till we reached the edge of the city. I had enjoyed the trip, but now I was starving, and the sun was going down. "Do you think that we will be able to find a ce to sleep and eat down there?" I asked, half-joking, but it did make Nushiugh. "Find a ce? I don''t think there is a single person here that wouldn''t give you everything they own! I am excited to see how the ce has changed! Look, the fighting tents are lit up! Maybe we can go after that?" Nushi asked me with excitement as we stood together at the crater''s edge. I could only smile at this beautiful and unique creature. I was what you would call the luckiest man in the world! [Technically, you are the only Human in this world, so you would be the best in all things.] Harold informed me. ''You know, I could invite Libra back in!'' I shot back in my mind, and Harold went silent. Chapter 318 New Demon Lord, A Treat Alone The sun was starting to creep out of sight now that we had made our way down into the crater. The city was filled with the sounds of people shouting andughing. "Do you know where we can find food and a ce to eat?" I asked Nushi as we walked down a dirt path. Demons were walking around us, and they were all staring at us in wonder, but none of them spoke to us. It was hard to tell if they were ignoring us or we were just scared to talk to us. "Yes, we just have to ask anyone, and they will point us in the right direction. I could just dig it from someone''s head, but it would be better to announce ourselves," Nushi exined, and then she reached out to touch a Demon that was passing by. The woman''s reaction was much different than I would have expected. She was terrified, and the dark blue-skinned woman looked at me with a pleading look. "Lord, I have done nothing wrong!" The woman cried, and Nushi let go of the woman withrge eyes and a horrified look. "I don''t think you have. Nushi, daughter of Mex, was just trying to ask for directions. Why are you so scared of her?" I asked in confusion, but Nushi spoke up, turning back to the woman. "I am sorry, I should have exined who I was. Ipletely forgot about my Rank, but you don''t have to worry; I am pledged to Zack, your Demon Lord," Nushi exined, and the woman''s eyes almost fell out of her head because she opened them so wide. "You are little Nushi?! Unbelievable!! I am sorry that I acted so scared, but it has been many years since I have seen any demon with red skin since we left our home on Gardania!" The woman exined, slowly getting excited. "Well, I hope that you choose to join us on our journey back to the Main Continent. For now, would you be able to direct us to a ce where we can find some food for the Lord?" Nushi asked the woman, and she nodded her head fervently. I wasn''t really sure how I felt about being called Lord, but there was nothing for it. Fighting something like this was never worth it; it was just a matter of time before I would have to cave to the people. "Oh yes, of course! I can show you the way to the fighting tents. There will be many people preparing food, and then you can enjoy the show! I will also have Dao''s Quarters cleaned and prepared for you both to enjoy! My name is Baricema, but you can call me Cema!" The woman exined to us as she led us deeper into the city. The women walked together, both talking loud enough about us for everyone to hear. I fell behind the two of them and greeted people that came up to talk to me, along with epting people''s thanks. [Even though these people are Demons, there is not really much difference between them and regr humans. I mean, yes, there are the skin color and ck blood, plus the wings, but I mean, they seem to act the same way. I am sure there will be more bad ones, but I don''t think they are all bad.] That was true, and it was something that I hoped I could put to use in the future. I didn''t want to have to kill whole viges to get at the ruler''s if that was all it took. [You will be able to break the control of all the Demon Kings if you can defeat them. The problem is that word of you will start traveling fast when we leave this ind.] Harold exined as I followed the women deeper into the city. As I followed the girls, most of the Demons kept their distance. I guess they were used to having a mean Demon Lord as their ruler because most kept their distance. That wasn''t horrible, But I hoped that the ones who decided to join got used to me in the future. I didn''t want people to be scared of me, but having them respect me wasn''t bad either. "This is Wanda, and she can feed you before you go to see the fights," Bericema called back as I walked up to join the women in front of a strange-looking food stand. Wanda was a pretty-looking small Demon woman standing in front of a food cart. There were different types of meat hanging, but I wasn''t sure what any of it was. "Hi, my name is Zack, and we are looking to try some of your food," I exined as I looked the food over. "Oh! You are the new Demon Lord!? And you want to try some of my food?!" The minor Demon called Wanda nearly shouted. "Yes," I said with a smile, but the girl looked to be on edge, so I added, "Don''t worry, I will not get angry if you give me something that I don''t like!" Wanda smiled at me and then breathed out a long sigh in relief. Nushi came over to stand beside me, smiling as Wanda pulled us down some meat skewers. "I will be able to show you some of our cultures and food now. I am excited to show you everything, but seeing you interact with everyone is a treat alone!" Nushi exined to me as we took the strange meat. "I guess that you are used to seeing people like me talk down to people?" I asked as we walked away from the stand, and Nushi nodded. "Yes, Doa was very cruel, and I have heard that other Demons are the same. Something about getting the power seems to go to all of their heads. After they be Lords, almost all Demons be eviler. Not that most aren''t, but they care about other people''s lives less, but you are different," Nushi exined, and I shrugged as I put one of the Skewers up to my mouth. "I n on doing a lot of things differently," I said with a smile and then took a bite out of the meaty skewer. Chapter 319 Human-Shaped, Not Everyone Needs To Come I took a bite out of the meat stick, and my mouth was hit with a sweet but gamey and rich taste. The meat was not what I had expected, but I was hungry, and the meat wasn''t that bad. "What do you think of the meat?" The Demon woman that had handed me the food asked me, but I put up a finger to get her to wait. The meat was chewy, and there wasn''t much fat on it, so I was trying to empty my mouth before speaking. "Not horrible, but a bit chewy. Still, I was starving, and the sweet sticky sauce that you put on it is perfect!" I exined after I was finally able to swallow the meat. "Yes, the Gnoll tends to have a bit of a weird taste." The woman''s words instantly made my mouth start to salivate. My stomach started to churn, and I had to fight to keep the food down. "Are you okay?" Nushi tried to ask me, but I nodded my head yes, even though I was far from okay. The gnoll were humanoids, and the thought of eating anything human-shaped was making me sick. I knew that they were not human, but that still didn''t make me feel any better about it. "Thank you for the food; it really hit the spot!" I said with a fake look on my face, but I turned to Nushi and Howl. "Umm, do you still want to go to see the fights?" Nushi asked with a hesitant tone. "Nah, I thought that we might just get out of here and go for another walk. I don''t think there is anything on this ind that can hurt either of us, so we should be able to sleep outside," I exined to Nushi, but the woman that had guided us here spoke up before Nushi could speak. "Leave? You don''t want to sleep outside! You two lovebirds can have the top floor of the house that I share with some other demons! The two of you can go out and explore in the light of day tomorrow!" Wanda, our guide, dered. Before I could argue against it, the blue-skinned woman had grabbed our arms. Wanda started to pull us back the way we came, and I looked over at Nushi, but she shook her head. "We should sleep here, and it is rude to refuse a free bed, don''t you think?" Nushi exined as we were pulled along. The truth was that I wanted to go find some normal food, even if that was just berries or something like that. The meat had left me feeling sick, but I couldn''t deny how hungry it had actually made me. "I saw the way the meat seemed to make you sick, but you don''t have to worry! I am sure that one of the other women living with me or I can find something more to your taste," Wanda exined as we started to slow down. "Sorry, I am just not used to eating things like that. If you show me your kitchen, I am sure that I can whip up something quick for the two of us, depending on what you have," I exined, and Wanda nodded her head as we stopped in front of a two-story house. The house was jammed in between two other houses, and the ce looked almost identical to the rest. I supposed that the Demons weren''t really too big on interior design like Mex had been. "You, a man, can cook? And you choose to do so? Do you fear poison that much?" Wanda asked with real shock. "No, he doesn''t fear to poison. I can agree; the first time that I saw him cook, I had a simr reaction. Still, Zack is an excellent cook, and all of us at the Keep love to eat his food," Nushi exined for me, and that made me grin. "Really? Well, this will be a treat for all of us women here! Come inside, and I will show you around!" Wanda said with excitement. The woman turned around, opened the door to her house, and waved for us to follow her. I looked over at Nushi, and she smiled broadly. "Well, this is better than trying to hunt your own food, right? This can also be a good chance for some of the Demons to see what kind of a person you are," Nushi exined to me, and I nodded. "Yeah, I didn''t n it that way, but you are right. Though, I am not really sure that my cooking will persuade them all," I said, but Nushi shrugged her shoulders. Wanda had already stepped inside, but the two of us were standing still. "The idea isn''t to bring everyone, just the people that will be beneficial to us. You don''t want people that don''t want toe, but with the orders for us to never return, most don''t want toe. You are going to have to show them that you can be trusted. If you don''t and force them toe, you will be no different than Dao," Nushi exined. Instead of replying, I just nodded. I was different from the Doa, but Nushi was right. I didn''t need any of them toe. In fact, it might be better if all the other Demons just stayed here on the ind. I really didn''t need more people to protect, but I was going to need people to help. There was no way I would be able to put everything on the grandmothers and Mex. "You''re right, and I don''t need everyone, but we will need some people to help. I will try to make a good impression on them, but I am also starting to get tired," I exined with a weary smile. "Good! Now, let''s get inside so you can get started with the food!" Nushi said with a smile and then grabbed my hand and pulled me inside. Chapter 320 Explosive Surprise, Giant Eyes The building was nothing special from the outside. Most of the buildings I had seen walking through Crater City looked the same. Each of them had been poorly built from wood, but walking inside this house made me turn back around. I had to look to ensure that I was still in the same ce. "You looked shocked that the inside of our home doesn''t match the sad attempt of a house''s exterior, yes, no?" I turned around to find that Wanda was standing over by two lovely looking Demon women. I couldn''t tell at first which one had spoken, but the one with long blonde hair gestured to a chair. "Please, Lord,e sit down. It is an honor to have someone like yourself in our humble home! Can I fix you some tea?" The woman asked me politely, and she smiled brightly, making her eyes almost go entirely closed. The inside of the ce was beautifully stained wood, and the house opened up into a sizable open concept kitchen and dining room. I could see a living room behind the two women with a set of stairs that led up to the next level. The interior was muchrger than what the outside suggested, making me think that someone here must be able to use spatial Magic. That made me think of Noel and the rest of the women back home, but I pulled myself back to the present. I looked back over to Nushi, but Wanda, standing beside her, had an edgy look. I wasn''t sure what that was about, so I turned back, but chaos broke out before I could reply or even blink. Suddenly, the Demon woman that had been silent mmed the Demon to the wall. There had been a charming shelf there before with what looked to me cute ornaments. That was now obliterated. "WE TALKED ABOUT THIS!" The Demon with dark blue hair cut short in the back but more extended in the front. The Demon woman practically inside the wall now didn''t even open her eyes. She also had not stopped smiling. Something was going on here that I didn''t understand at all. I took a chance to nce back at Wanda, and I caught her in the middle of an eye roll. Before I could ask anything, the polite woman being smashed into the wall spoke up. "No, you said what was going to happen and expected me to follow. Don''t be jealous, Peri," the Polite Demon said calmly. At the end of her words, I turned back just in time to see a lightning-fast kick nted into the stomach of the Angry Demon woman. She was sent flying back over to the kitchen side near Nushi and Wanda. The two girls didn''t flinch as the Angry Demon woman smashed into the cupboards. That section of the kitchen was now destroyed, and I felt my hopes of cooking a meal drift away. "I said that I was going to make him," Peri started growling as she pulled herself up from the wreckage that was once part of the kitchen. "STOP!" I shouted, making both women look at me. To my surprise, both women became meager and bowed their heads like scolded children. "I shall make the damn tea and some food if you have any to spare. I will also cook some food if you could show me where things are in what''s left of the kitchen," I exined while trying to keep calm and patient. I was starting to feel the weight of the hours I had been awake, and it was starting to leak out of me. I didn''t want to snap at the women, but I just wanted to eat and go to bed after everything I had been throughtely. The ce was a mess now, but there was still some counter left. I could see many ubeled spice bottles smashed on the floor, but I was sure I could find something. "Don''t worry about the kitchen, Lord. My arrogant sister here, Thenai, will repair everything," Peri exined to me and then bowed low to me. I resisted the eye roll I wanted to give at this, but I knew it was a regr part of their lives. A small part of how they would have treated Doa, the previous Demon Lord before me. Still. "There is no need for bowing and groveling. I am your Lord in the sense that I will try to protect you and everyone else. All I ask is that you refrain from killing and abusing one another," I exined, and both Peri and Thenia looked at me with confused looks. Luckily, Nushi finally decided to speak up and said, "It will be hard to get used to, but if Grandmother Nixi can do it, I am sure that the rest of you will." At the mention of Nixi, all three women turned nearly gray. I guess that the old bat''s name strikes fear in other Demons on this ind. Then all three women''s eyes turned on Nushi, and the looks on their faces turned to horror. "Does that mean that you ate Nixi?" Wanda asked as she slowly started to back away. I hadn''t seen Nushi fight yet, but I could feel her power that had balloonedpared to how she was before. There wasn''t a ce on this ind that these women could run to if Nushi got angry. Nushi just smiled at them before saying, "No, Nixi and all my grandmothers are still alive. I gained my power with the help of Zack, our Lord. The rest of you have this chance just like me." The three women looked at her with surprise and then looked to me for confirmation. I could tell that the gears were turning in their heads, so I nodded, but it was only partly true. I was still unsure how Nushi gained her new powers, but we could talk about thatter when we were alone. For now, I was hungry, and seeing the shocked looks on the girls'' faces had changed my mood for the better. "Listen, let''s get the kitchen fixed back up, and I can answer your questions while we cook, okay?" I asked the women. Before they could even nod, Howl decided that this would be the proper moment to speak up. He was still resting in Nushi''s arms, nuzzled into her lovely red voluptuous breasts. "So now you n to do this cooking thing? I am not sure what was wrong with the meat you had received before, but-" Howl had started to ask but cut off at noticing the giant-eyed stares of the three demon women. Chapter 321 Watch Your Tone, Uncontrolled Power The women mobbed Nushi and Howl briefly, but it ended quickly. Within minutes they broke away, and Thenia turned to me. "What are you wanting to make?" The pleasant Demon woman asked. As she did, I became distracted, watching the kitchen knit itself back together. I had seen many strange things, but this was like watching time run in reverse. Chunks of debris down to the dust slowly started pulling themselves together. The cracks and seams of each thing sealed up as I watched. The whole scene made me forget Thenia''s question and my hunger until the disy was over. Also, watching the shards of ss reform to bottles as the spices stream back into them was oddly satisfying. "You act as though you have never seen this before? How could you be a Demon Lord and never have witnessed Spatial Reversal Magic?" Peri asked in a slightly condescending tone, but I ignored it. Nushi spoke, which was nice because I didn''t have a good answer to the question. Then I felt a spike in presencee from Nushi that I could even feel like gravity trying to pull me down slightly. "Zack isn''t from this ind, but that''s not asmon as you think. The only one that can use Spatial Magic is Grandmother Noel, both of us had only just met. Regardless, I don''t like your tone, Peri. While Zack may not be Doa, that doesn''t make him any less of a Demon Lord. You would be wise to remember that," Nushi spoke tly, but she was causing the women to drop to their knees. "Nushi, that is enough," I said softly as I walked over to the three Demon women that were now all sitting on the ground. Each of them was sweating, and there was fear in their eyes. Even Wanda stared at the ground nkly, tears streaming down their faces. I understood Nushi''s point, but I think she is unused to the level of power she controls now. We would have to work on it in the future, but luckily, the women seemed capable of doing worse to each other. "I¡­ I didn''t¡­ I-," I heard Nushi start to say from behind me, but then she cut off. I turned at her footsteps, starting to leave to see Nushi run outside. Her horns that had been erect dropped back down to the sides of her face as she fled. I started to head back outside to go after her but then froze in shock as Nushi started to speak again. "No¡­ What have I done?" Was all Nushi said with Howl still in her arms. I started moving towards her again, but a pair of red wings burst from Nushi''s back. Before I reached the door, Nushi leapt into the air with Howl. I didn''t know where she was going, but I could track her power anywhere on the ind. This was not how I had nned things going. The state of the situation had driven off my hunger for now. I stood in the hall in which we had entered the house, and I scrubbed a hand over my face. I had an idea of what would be waiting for me, but my eyes widened when I walked out into the dark, fire-lit streets. The roads had been filled with roaming Demons minding their own business. Now, the streets were littered with people on their knees orpletely passed out. The radius of effect had stretched out far more significantly than I could have ever imagined. I looked both ways down the street, but people were on the ground for as far as I could see. Now I understood why Nushi had fled, and I needed to go after her, but I couldn''t leave just yet. I turned around and walked into the houses where the women were still on their knees. As soon as I got back inside, all three of the women tried to speak over the top of each other. They were trying to apologize, but I didn''t really have time for that. I put a hand up to stop them, and the three went deathly quiet. "I apologize for Nushi''s actions, but her words were not wrong, Peri. As much as I would like to have stayed, I need to find Nushi and my pet wolf. If you would still like to join us for our trip,e to the southern beach tomorrow," I exined to the women and then turned back to the door and left. [View of Wanda, Peri, and Thenia] The Demon Lord of the ind, Zack, walked out of the three women''s house, closing the door behind himself. As he did, the women leaned into each other. All three were still shaking from the terrifying feeling of having thousands of needles forcing them to the ground. The pain and feelings were a small reminder of what it was like back in Gardenia. "Is that what we really want to go back to?" Peri asked, not attempting to get back up from the kitchen floor. Thenia knew what Peri meant, but Wanda had been born on the ind. She had never met anyone as strong as the two just in their house. Wanda had understood that Nushi had gotten stronger, but she had never realized the change could be so great. Something else Wanda had noticed was that Nushi''s horns had been standing up and not down the side of her head. Wanda had visited the Keep at the center of the ind a couple months ago and many times before this. There were monster girls that came to the castle often. They were friendly for the most part, and Wanda enjoyed visiting with them. They also had a cook named Lidy that could be very nice and had great food, but she was also scary in her own way. The times that Wanda had visited, she had seen very little of Nushi, but they had visited. The girl had dark blue skin like her own, which marked her as the lowest level demon. Nushi had always seemed scared and depressed, rarelying out of her room. The girl that had just forced them all to their knees was not the one that Wanda remembered. The force that had poured out of Nushi was even more terrifying than her great-grandmother, Nixi. The very few times Wanda had met the old Demon were those she would not like to remember. Still, Wanda didn''t understand what other parts could be worse than this? The feeling of having your body crushed by countless needles was near the top of her list, but crueler things could be done. "What do you mean a small part?" Wanda asked, turning to Peri, but Thenia was the one that exined. Chapter 322 Ruined Keep, Set Me On Edge [View of Zack] Once the drop was closed, I looked around to ensure everyone was at a safe distance from me. Everyone was now starting to get off the ground, but some of the people still looked shaken. This wasn''t Nushi''s fault, but this might limit the number of people who want to join us. If this was the power of a middle-ss E-Ranked Demon, I wouldn''t want to know what power the higher ranks could exude. Making people want to say on the ind was kind of the aim. Still, what happened was not my aim, but we didn''t really need to be taking more. I activated my Fire Pact and rose into the air, closing my eyes. I could feel Nushi''s presence southwest of me, the direction of home. [Nushi is back in the Keep in her own room.] Hearing Harold''s voice spooked me, and my eyes snapped open. I had so many things on my mind that I had forgotten that he had ess to a map of most of the ind. ''Thank you. The people seem to be okay, and as rough as it was, it will keep most of this part of the ind here. We already have the Gogs, and I feel we might have to deal with the Shaugin again.'' I aimed myself at home and started off, but I didn''t move overly fast. I think Nushi needed to have some time to herself before I showed up. [That is true, but I don''t think this will deter some. Most of these low level probably have painful memories of being on the maind. The power that Nushi disyed works in both ways. For some, it will be a painful reminder of a terror-filled time. For others, seeing Nushi will give them hope as one born of the lowest rank increases with power so significantly.] I hadn''t really considered that that was something that was a possibility. I still wasn''t sure exactly what had caused this dramatic change, but something dramatic must have happened. This made me curious if this was just Nushi or if the others had somehow also broken past old limits. [The team seems to have increased, but you will have to look at their status window another time. I am sure that you will notice the difference between some of the girls. It seems that they have all been very busy on thest day.] I had also been training, but if the others were any stronger than Nushi, I would be the one holding the group back. [None have improved anywhere near that of Nushi''s increase. The others are growing gradually, some more than others. They all seem to be doing training in some form or another.] I was nearing the broken-down Keep that was no longer lit. The now somehow taller apartment building Jilly built was towering over the old stone structure that never got fixed. I slowed down and entered the Keep through a hole in the East walls, on the second floor, just north of Nushi''s room. The door was there, but part of the roof was missing from the Keep and the turret that had been her room. I released the Fire Pact and took a deep breath before walking to the door. I still wasn''t entirely sure what I would say to her, but the best I could do was be supportive. This wasn''t her fault, but that didn''t make the event any less traumatic. After having to go through the same treatment from Nixi, the thought of bing what you always feared was not appealing. I didn''t bother knocking and just opened the door to find apletely empty room. Nushi was sitting on the ground, stroking Howl''s blue fur, and she looked up at me when I opened the door. "Zack, I am sorry I left, but everything was so overwhelming! I could hear everyone''s pain, and all I could think of was my grandmother. Nixi had tormented my father with the exact same thing!" Nushi said in an angry voice that surprised me, but it wasn''t furious. Nushi''s horns were also back up and erect. There were tiny sparks of blue energy-sucking into them. That was new, among other things, but not important right now. I closed the door behind me out of habit and turned back to Nushi. "Don''t worry about it," I said as I walked over and turned my back to the wall, sliding down beside Nushi before continuing. I reached a handover and scratched behind Howl''s ear, feeling the softness of his fur. It made sense why Nushi had refused to put him down; it was pretty rxing. "This strength is new, and I just had to go through something simr, if you remember. What you did may have hurt some minorly and scared others, but it served a purpose in the end," I exined to Nushi as I slipped my hand over hers, turning to look into her blue eyes. "How can I forcing an entire town of people to their knees serve a purpose?" Nushi asked, giving me a strained look. I smiled and then exined what Harold and I had talked about on my way over. Nushi wasn''t convinced at first, but after a bit more exnation, I was able to drive the point home. "We really don''t need a bunch of extras toe with us. At the same time, I don''t really want to leave anyone behind that wants to return. We will just have to work on reining in your new power, which I am curious to know how you came about it?" I asked, giving Nushi a raised eyebrow look. I had been itching to ask this question, and I know Harold was also interested in the answer. Whatever happened must have been pretty dramatic to produce S ss results like I witnessed with Nushi. "I was trying to help Tiga, and I looked into her memory and watched her spying on her father. The memory was of him talking to himself, and he was arguing over if he should kill his daughter or not," Nushi exined, bing serious, and sitting up. The start of her exnation immediately set me on edge, and I also sat up. This was not what I had expected to hear. Chapter 323 Tri-Sexual Dirt Puddle, Become Lunch "Are you saying that Cbro is a danger?!" I asked, but Nushi shook her head no. I rxed, but only slightly. The severe look that Nushi had on her face said that the story was only getting started. "As I listened, I tried to peer into Cbro''s mind, but that''s when something extremely strange happened. There was an extremely dark demonic presence unlike I had ever felt. Before I knew what was happening, I was sucked into four different dimensions, fracturing my consciousness," Nushi exined as I listened with rapt attention. I was no longer resting against the wall. Instead, I was sitting cross-legged in front of Nushi. I had a creeping suspicion of where this story was going, but I didn''t want to interrupt her again. I would let her continue to exin, but my mind had started to race. Only one demon could do something as impossible as this sounded. Helsin Zero. "Unfortunately for him, the mind is, and always has been, one of my specialties. I was able to force all the dimensions into one, and I absorbed a bunch of energy. I fought off Time and pushed him out of Cbro''s mind, but I don''t think he is gone," Nushi exined, and my mouth dropped open, and I put my hand up. That was not the name I expected to hear, but it made sense. Helsin must have given Mark a new ability to try and stop us. I still had a hard time believing that he would go so far as to hurt one of my girls. Why not attack me? [Because Mark was and always had been a coward. This isn''t news to either of us, but you are right that this seems out of character for him, or is it? I feel like we are missing something!] "That is because you are, and I know what it is. Something is making me forget what I am trying to say every time I do!" Nushi eximed, scaring the shit out of me, causing me to jump slightly. "I thought you can''t read my thoughts unless I let you?" I asked Nushi, but Harold was the one that answered me. [Your mind isn''t locked in your head like everyone else; it is more like another dimension. Nushi isn''t reading your thoughts, but it looks like she has seen some of them while you slept. There is no harm there, and this is nice to have someone intelligent to talk to.] Fireden: Oh yeah, you are just the brains of the operation! Windorf: More like the never-ending sore foot that is alwaysining! Maelstrom: Master¡­ I mean, Harold is brilliant and brave, and¡­ za: Oh, cram it, you tri-sexual dirt puddle! You are already whipped like a mule! I can''t believe that you are already bending over backwards for him! You are a pathetic excuse for a Dark Elemental! "Oh, dear! You seem to have a lot more going on inside your head than I expected!" Nushi said with a smile. "Well, this conversation seemed to derail, and I agree with Harold. If you can hear him and the others, you can help me make sense of them. Also, the best use of each of their skills and my abilities," I exined to Nushi, and she nodded to me. "I am sure that I could help you out since you seemed determined to keep me at your side," Nushi said, starting off strong but finishing off in a shy voice. I smiled at Nushi, and she wasn''t wrong. Not that I ced favorites, but Nushi was one of the women, like Lidy, that I wanted to keep close to me. I stood up and reached a hand down to help Nushi up. As I did, Howl hopped out of herp and did a slight stretch, opening his mouth wide. After that, Howl sniffed in the air as I helped Nushi up and then looked at me. The look caught me off guard, and I had to hold back augh at the disdain Howl was extruding. "Are you going to feed me? I remember something about you saying you would take care of me! Now, I don''t think I have ever been this hungry, and this is not how I imagined things!" Howl growled at me like a small dog, and I rolled my eyes. "Yes, we will go get some food. I am sure that there will be some in the kitchen. I am just as hungry as you are!" I said with a smile and augh, but Howl didn''t look impressed. "If someone pissed on my leg, it would not make me feel better to know that you were as stupid as I had been!" Howl growled, and I shrugged. The wolf had a point, which made Nushiugh as she took my hand. She leaned into my shoulder, and I turned my head to lean down and kiss her blue hair. "Let''s go; the food is just over in the other building you probably saw on your flight in-," I started to exin, but then Howl disappeared in a small blue sh of light. "What just happened?" Nushi asked in shock, but I had no clue. "I am on the other side of the drop, and I am going to find this ce of food you have spoken of!" Howl''s small voice squeaked out from the other side of the door I had closed. This was new, but I really hadn''t had that much time to look over the Character Sheets. I am sure many new surprises were waiting for me to discover. "Do you think we should go after him? I am not sure how the others will react to a wolf running around the house," Nushi said, and I agreed. Thest thing I needed was Mary or Lizy getting a hold of him. I was sure that the girls would like him after I exined he wasn''t on the menu! "Yes, let''s get going before one of the girls gets a hold of him, or he will be lunch!" I said with a half-serious grin as we headed for the door to follow Howl. Chapter 324 Not Meatsss, Never Change Nushi and I headed from her old room out onto the balcony. The same one I remembered first walking up toe visit Nushi. It wrapped around the inside of the Keep, but it had lost its luster. The ce didn''t look the same as the first time I hade in. The floor was now just wood; the grass that had been there before was now nothing more than memory. The rest of the Keep also looked in, wood and stone. As the two of us ran down the stairs, I turned my head to Nushi and asked, "Does this mean Noel was responsible for the way the keep looked before?" Seeing this now made me wonder how Mex and her had been fooled by Nixi for so long. "No, my father can also use Spatial Magic, and he was responsible for the entire interior of the Keep. Now the only thing he keeps up is the bathing room since Noel is more capable at this type of Magic than dad," Nushi exined as we opened and then ran out the front door. The answer that Nushi gave me was a surprise, but it made sense. I had seen him use it to retrieve hisrge ck sword. At the time, I had just assumed that it was some type of ability that higher-level demons had ess to. So many of my views had changed since then, not including how much everything had changed since my arrival. "That makes sense. Let''s just hope that most of the girls¡­." I started to say but was cut off at the sound of something breaking. We both ran around the corner in sight of the east side of the apartment, and the sounds ofmotion and girls yelling started to get louder. That made both of us run faster to the south entrance, and I reached for the door. I opened it up to half the house in the living room, and the ce looked like a warzone. I walked in with Nushi as Howl came zipping by me with Mary close behind. Howl blinked out of existence the moment he could see up the stairs with a steak in his mouth, reappearing at the top. "Get that Mut! He stole¡­ oh, hello Zack! I was making your food, but this small animal stole it!" Lidy growled, but she looked happy to see me. I had no time for a greeting because Mary was slithering fast across the floor and going for the stairs. "The Meatsss has ssstolen your Meatsss! I will getsss it back!" Mary hissed, but I scooped her writhing body up into my arms. "No, it''s fine! This little rascal is Howl, and he is not on the menu! He is a friend of mine; we are both just famished," I exined to everyone. Mary stopped fighting me and then turned her body in my arms, giving me a quizzical look. I smiled at her and then kissed her forehead, making her snakes rustle and hiss slightly. "Are you sssure that it''s not meatsss? It looks like meatsss!" Mary asked me, and I rolled my eyes. Howl suddenly appeared in the air in front of Nushi, giving her just enough time to catch him. The steak was almost gone at this point, but Howl''s paws were stained purple. "You forgot to tell me that the house was filled with monsters and Demons!" Howlined, but I was ring at the stains on Nushi''s pink top. "Get down; you are making a mess of her shirt! No one will eat you, I am pretty sure," I growled at Howl, and the small blue wolf winked out of existence, reappearing on the floor in front of me. ,m "You girls are forever making work for me!" Noelined from where she and the other Grandmothers were standing. Suddenly, like I had witnessed back in Crater City, the room started to pull itself back together. As the Broken furniture and ornament started to reform, Mary wrapped her long body around mine. "Can we go get some meatsss?" Mary asked after she had settled herself behind me. I could feel some of her spit leak down onto my shoulder, and I smiled. Not everything has changed since I arrived in this world. There were some things about each of the girls that I hoped never changed, but that also reminded me. Tomorrow was ourst day on the ind, and I still had to visit some other ces. After that, we would no longer be inside this ind''s safe bubble. We were going to be thrown out into the world that would be filled with countless deadly creatures and Demons. There might be some along the way that proves to be too powerful, but I could afford to lose. I looked around the room; this was only a small portion of the people under my watch to take care of. I was going to have to work harder. [Just remember that you are not alone, and part of your job is to protect your people, but not the only thing. You will have to teach them to be able to defend themselves. You will leave this world at some point, and not everyone will being with you.] I put a hand on Mary''s, resting on my shoulder, and headed for the kitchen. Before I left the living room, I stopped at the doorway, turning to the other women in the room. Clesh, Noel, Perita, Kimera, Fairilese, and Frieda were now moving back to take ces on the reformed furniture. In the future, I hoped to be closer with each woman. This wasn''t only because they each were beautiful and had their charm. I was sure that there was something special about them. There was something I had begun to notice with most of the people that I had met. More importantly, the one''s made connections with after time gave me a slight feeling of remembrance. Now I could feel something like strings that indescribably connected us all together in a grand web. All I really knew for sure was that I didn''t want to lose any of my girls. Chapter 325 Accepting, Shot Over My Shoulder "Listen, I just want to thank you all for helping me out and getting this far," I said, but Perita spoke up, pushing some of her long red hair out of her face. "I could hardly say that we have helped you. Since you havee, we have constantly ced our burdens on you. At first, you epted to all of our surprises," Perita exined, and the other women nodded along. "I, for one, have been one of the biggest thorns, but I am thankful for the person that you have turned out to be," Nixi said as she came walking down the stairs. The women all started to voice my praise, and that was not what I had intended. Luckily, Clesh seemed to notice the uneasy look on my face and stood up, quieting down the others. "I think what Zack meant was for the work we have been doing. We should all enjoy that, and most of us should be getting to bed. Tomorrow is ourst day on this ind, and we all have much left to do," Clesh told the women like she was the oldest among them. Surprisingly, the woman nodded at her words and got up. The group of them thanked me and then headed upstairs. I guess that they have all lived lives under thumb, even Nixi. This was finally a chance for everyone to change for the better, and I would be the catalyst. Each of them gave me an intimate look that left me wanting more. That was about the time that my stomach let out a loud rumble that made all the womenugh as they headed up. I groaned and turned to Nushi, who had a hand over her mouth, covering augh. I made a frowning face, and she pulled her hand away, still smiling. I seized the moment, even with Mary wrapped around me. I reached out quickly, pulling Nushi for a quick kiss. The feeling of her firm body in my arms as our lips pressed together was amazing. The closeness of us drove all thoughts of food from my mind. The kiss was short but meaningful, and we broke apart after a few seconds. We headed into the kitchen, where Howl now had arge meat te on the floor. My wolf pup was tearing into the food like it was his first meal ever. I swear I could even see tears pouring out of the little blue wolf''s eyes. "I hope you are hungry; I made you some-," Lidy started to say, but I put a hand up to stop. I walked around the kitchen ind where she was cooking and went over to give her a kiss. I wasn''t sure what kind of meat she was preparing at this point, but I was hungry. After I broke the kiss with her soft pillow lips, I smiled at Lidy and said, "Don''t tell me what it is; I just want to eat some of your amazing cooking!" "Alright, go sit down, and I will te you," Lidy replied after giving me another quick kiss and a smile. I grinned like a fool but then did as I was told. I turned back and was about to walk over to the table in the corner but stopped. "What are you looking at?" Chey asked me from the back of the table where he was sitting. I hadn''t noticed Chey because of him mostly being in the shadows. The look really wasn''t that bad on him, but I could understand the feelings he might be having. When I had shrunk down from all the training, I almost felt less of a man. This was obviously different, but I still understood how he might feel. "Sorry, I just didn''t see you there in the shadows. You know that you can change back any time, right?" I told Chey as I walked over and joined him and Nushi at the table. "I tried that, but I towered over everyone, even with my lower halfying on the floor. I will have to admit that this form is much better for rxing. I just don''t understand this ridiculous head I have in this form! Neigh!" Cheyined with frustration, but his eyes wentrge at the noise he made at the end. Chey through his hands up to cover his mouth as the house noise slipped out. Thankfully, everyone kept a calmposer, and I held myugh back. Thest thing that we needed to do wasugh at the poor guy. I was sure that Chey would gain better control of his form with some training. "Don''t worry. Remember that you just got this ability, right? You should know that nothing is mastered the first time you do it," I exined to Chey, and he seemed to rx. "The girls that transform like you do can help you out. Some have been doing it their entire life, while others are learning like you," Nushi added. "I guess that you are right, but there is one thing I can''t get over. Why do I all of a sudden hate meat in this form? That te of meat that your cook is bringing overlooks delicious, but it smells like death to me in this form!" Cheyined, and that made meugh as Lidy came over. She ced arge te of meat in front of me that looked like it could feed eight. A teal arm shot over my shoulder before I even had the chance to reason the massive te of meat. A steak was snatched up with lightning speed and then flew back past my head. I had forgotten Mary wrapped around me so effortlessly since I was sitting on a stool instead of a chair. "Thank you, Lidy, this is all great, but you should get to bed. I will clean up after we are done, but we all have a big day tomorrow," I told Lidy, and she smiled and then leaned down to kiss my cheek before leaving the kitchen. I smiled and turned back to my food, picking up the cutlery Lidy had brought me. I quickly cut one steak into big chunks and plopped one in my mouth before anyone could interrupt me. "So, What are you nning to do with the rest of the Astral Rings?" Asked the familiar voice of Libra from behind me. Chapter 326 Exhausted Mind, Leaving The Island Couldn''t a man just eat in silence? Not in this reality, it seemed, but the truth was that I didn''t have a good answer. Another ordinary chair was empty at the table, which Libra used to join us as Mary and I ate. Libra told me to finish eating before I answered, and I was thankful for that. I divided my time by filling my face withrge chunks of meat I sliced and cutting smaller chunks. I tossed them over my shoulder, and I could hear one of the snakes snap it out of the air each time. Soon, the te was empty, and I still had no answer. Mary had her arms loosely around my neck with her head on my shoulder resting. Even her snakes looked tired but satisfied. I would have to take her up to bed after I was done talking and then take myself to bed. I was exhausted. "I am not really sure what to do about the rings as they are, and I am. We will have to bring them along with us until I am strong enough to take control of the other Astrals," I exined as I took a napkin from the table to wipe my face with. "I agree, but from what I hear from some of the other women, this ind is doing something to you. Limiting your growth, and once you leave the ind, you and many others will be stronger. Depending on just how strong you be, you might be able to challenge more of the rings. I don''t think that you will be able to take on the other two SkinWalkers yet, but mending ties with Scorpio and Saggitarius are important," Libra told me as I sat there. "Why are they important to me? Not that I don''t think I should make friends, but Scorpio is a bit of a dick. Sagittarius also seems to have lost his will to fight," I exined, and Chey nodded along. "Father is not the same person that he was once before. I don''t know if he will ever recover from his mncholy," Chey pointed out, but Libra shook her head. "Regardless of what you think of them, you will need them in the final battle with the Demon King. They will also be important parts of you being able to bring your allies into the next reality. You know that after youplete your adjective here in purging the Demon invasion, you will be sent to the next world," Libra exined, but Nushi spoke up. "Purged? Isn''t that a bit of a strong word?" Nushi asked. "No, you know what Zack''s powers are and the type of presence he can emit. This will not be his first or hisst world that he has removed the stain of Demon kind from. Under every Demon is a person that was from another world, captured, and forced to act the way they are," Libra said, stunning everyone in silence. I had assumed something simr to that, but this confirmed my suspicions. What I still didn''t understand was how it all started or when the Demon Invasion had begun. The problem was that I knew that I had the answer to all my questions inside my head, but I was only privy to certain ones. I needed to get off this ind, and then hopefully, I would finally get all the answers that I had been looking for. "Fine, I will work on everything when we get off the ind. I am sure that there are going to be many long days crossing the ocean. I will try to get them back on their good sides," I told Libra, and she nodded at me with a determined look. "I know you can do it. Once you get all your memories back, I am sure that you will gain your old confidence back. Be warned that the path to your memories will not be like any other time, even if you can''t remember them. This time you will see what really happened, not just your memories. They will be painful, but I know that you can bear them; you must," Libra told me, taking one of my hands in both of hers. I knew that this wouldn''t be easy; I already knew of the betrayal from Mark. But I was still missing the connection to everything. I still felt like I was from the previous world I hade from, not some other Earth that I keep getting shes of. No matter how many times I looked over the memories, there was a connection to them I was missing. When I left the ind, I hoped that I could still find that connection to everything. Still, this was all very heavy for my extremely exhausted mind. "I will try my best and get everything in order, but I am tired and need to get some sleep. I am almost at the point where I could just fall off the chair and sleep on the floor!" I said with augh, rubbing the back of my head. "Of course! Once we are off the ind and on our way with free time, we will talk more about this. Enjoy your rest," Libra told me and leaned over to give me a kiss before standing up to leave the kitchen. I looked over to Nushi, and she was in deep thought, but she noticed me turn to her. "Ready to go to bed?" I asked Nushi, but she shook her head no. "I need to go check on some of the women and tell them to rest. Some just don''t know how to stop when they get determined," Nushi said with a smile, and she also didn''t really look tired. "All right, I am going to go drop this one-off and then try to make it to my bed. Have a good sleep, beautiful, and you too, Chey," I said as I stood up to leave. Chapter 327 Fire Piss, Could Have Fooled Me I left the kitchen and headed through the now empty living room and up the stairs. Mary''s room was on the first floor, so I walked over to the pair of doors on the left. There were two doors for the same room; the other was for Missy. I wondered if the two were getting along better now? I opened the door, but there was a wall up this time, dividing the two rooms. I guess this was a good way to keep them from fighting. I walked over to Mary''s bed and slowly started to uncoil her off me. She stayed asleep for the most part as I did this, asionally moaning about meats. Once Mary was in her bed, I leaned down and kissed her forehead. Her snakes didn''t hiss at me, and I smiled as I stood back up, heading for the door. I would have to try and help the sisters mend things. I would need to figure out what was the reason for Missy''s benign and constant questions. I closed the door as I left and started to make my way up to my room. I was tired, but now I had Missy on the brain as I trudged up the stairs. There was a chance that it was just part of her personality or a product of being catered to by everyone. I wasn''t convinced on either point, and there was also the cluelessness of Mary. I had finally reached the top floor, and my room was on the left, but I paused. There was one person that knew more about the girls than anyone else. I turned to the right and walked over to Mex''s room. I really didn''t want to interrupt him in the middle of something, but this was karma. *Knock, Knock* "Come in, Zack," Mex called from the other side of the door. I was surprised, but I shouldn''t have been. Mex always seemed to know everything that was going on around him. It made me wonder if that wasn''t part of his Spatial Magic? I shook my head and opened the door; and Mex was in his shorts, sitting on the edge of his bed, but something was off. The room seemed to be cut in half by what looked like a ss wall, but there was no light on the other side. I walked into the room, and Mex grinned at me as I looked over the wall. "Candace is sleeping, so I put her in a pocket so we can talk without worrying about waking her. The woman does love her sleep, and she has well deserved it after the night we had! Thank you again for what you did for her! I know you don''t want to know the details! Still, you truly deserve the title of Lord!" Mex eximed as he came over and gave me a hug. It was still a bit of a shock to see him like this. Like me, mostly. There were the gills and the extra finger joints, but at first nce, it was always surprising. I was so used to seeing monsters and Demons that Mex looked alien. "I am d that both of you are happy, and you look like you have trimmed up a bit? How was the Tower?" I asked Mex after the two of us broke from the hug. "Oh, that? Well, I can tell you that I never expected to see Cbro in there with me! Then, after fighting me for the first bit, something dramatically changed inside of him!" Mex eximed as he summoned us to a pair of chairs. A table appeared, along with a bottle of clear brown liquid and two sses. I took a seat and rxed in the chair as Mex poured us both drinks. "That I assume was because of what your daughter did. Nushi told me about her struggle with Time," I said as Mex finished pouring the drinks. "Now that is something to celebrate! MY LITTLE GIRL! Oh, Zack, you had no idea how proud it makes me see how much she has improved! Cheers to that, my friend, something that was only possible because of all of the things you have done!" Mex dered as I picked up the drink and smelled it. Not that I was worried about what was in it, more curious about what it might be. I put the ss up to my nose and pulled it back right away. "What is in this ss?" I asked as the heavy scent of alcohol still burned my nostrils. There was a hint of butter, and spice, so possibly a rum. "Demon Brewed Spiced Rha, this stuff will take the hair right off your chest!" Mexughed as he raised his ss to me with a chuckle. I was sure that this could be used to remove paint from walls, but I raised my cup to him. Even though everyone praised me, I had learned things from every one of them. "Smells like buttery turpentine, but I also couldn''t have made it here without you, Mex. Cheers to your evolution and everyone''s progress as we head towards Gardania!" I responded, and we both clinked sses, downing our drinks. The first ssh hitting my mouth had the makings of a spiced rum. Then I got the rest into my mouth and down my throat, and it was all fire! I had to cough and lean away from the table as I started to take gasping breaths. The shit burned likeva going down, and I could feel it already burning my guts. Mexughed hysterically as I coughed and tried to get my breath back. It took me a moment, but after about five minutes, I turned back to the grinning fool. That shit was bad, but I wasn''t about to be outdone by Mex, and we had more to talk about. I pushed my ss towards the bottle, and Mex''s grin broadened. "You know, there aren''t many Demons that care to ask for another drink?" Mex said as he filled us both our sses back up. "Well, I am not a Demon, and we have more to talk about," I said with a grin, taking the proffered ss. "Could have fooled me," Mex replied with augh. Chapter 328 The Old Gods, Best Bro "Now, what is it that you came to talk to me about?" Mex asked as I sipped on my drink. I was calling the stuff Fire Piss. After the first drink, it seemed to go down better, but it still burned something fierce. Tomorrow would be one hell of a hangover, but this was today. I was sure that Wataluga or one of the women should be able to help with it. "I want to know more about what you know about Mary and her sisters. Missy constantly asks pointless questions, and Mary has stone eyes and doesn''t seem to be all there. I think something is causing this, but I want to know what you know," I exined to Mex, cing my drink on the table. Mex didn''t answer right away. Instead, he looked into his drink for a moment. "There is a lot that I don''t know about the girls, and most of what I have heard has been circumstantial at best. In all the stories, one thing that lines up is their father, Odysseus," Mex exined, and I frowned, picking my cup back up. ording to the Poems of Homer, Odysseus what a king that wandered for ten years, but that didn''t mean that it had relevance. Still, Odysseus had wandered from ind to ind in the movie I had watched. "So, you know the girl''s father''s name, but what else, and for what reason does he procreate so much? From what I understand, that is not normal for Mermaids to do, right?" I asked as I took a drink, and Mex nodded as he did the same. "This is where the stories start to be more Myth and Legend than actual facts. Some say that he is cursed, others that he is being controlled. There are some that say an Old God of the Depths is using the girls to be stronger. There are so many tales, but the best I can do is specte," Mex exined, and I nodded, thinking about what was just said. "There has to be some truthyered in all that, but I get what you mean. What is your opinion of all the stories that you have heard? You are the closest person to them, and if there is something that I can do to help them, you know I will!" I dered, starting to feel the drink a bit. Mex nodded but put his empty ss down first and poured himself another drink. I finished mine, tipping the Fire Piss back and cing my drink on the table for Mex to fill. Once we both had our drinks filled, and in our hands, Mex continued. "Well, from what I have gathered, I think that it must have something to do with one of the Old Gods. We have seen what the Sea Witch can do, but she doesn''t have the power to do something like this. I think that an Old God is using some sort of Magic on Odysseus. The problem with this is I don''t know how the girls are being affected or why they are being cast out," Mex told me. "You don''t think that it might be Odysseus? How can there be so many different kinds of children and no mothers to be found?" I asked, but Mex shook his head no. "Odysseus is dead," Mex said tly, taking a long drink. Both of us stayed silent for a moment. "Well, that definitely rules him out, but how did you find him?" I asked. "That answer leads to more questions. Odysseus had been trying to capture the heart of a Turtle Queen on an ind that I had stopped at. This happened before I showed up, but the men of the ind are very protective of the women. News had already reached this ce of his abductions. They killed him in his sleep and then left his body for the scavengers. Now they have his bones on disy as a warning. I was able to see them when I visited the ind," Mex exined to me, and I nodded as I leaned back in my chair. ,m I was curious about what a turtle woman might look like. By its sounds, looking would be all that I got to do. "So then, what do you think happened to the girls'' mothers? Do you think that he killed them, or whatever was controlling him made him?" I asked, and Mex shrugged. "Now that is something that has even more wild spection, but I have a theory," Mex said, taking a drink. I raised my eyebrow, starting to feel the drink a lot more than before. I leaned forward, now very interested. "I am all ears," I said with a grin, and Mex smiled back. "Well, look at what we know about the Sea Witch. From what I understand, the gods of this world share their power with their offspring, or they absorb them to make minor copies of themselves. The Sea Witch that you fought was a copy of her former self, who is much stronger. They can do one other thing, and that links their power to a stronger host or a stronger god," Mex exined, and my eyes widened. "Do you think whoever is doing this has forced the mothers to give themselves the power boost?" I asked, and Mex downed his drink. "Exactly, though I am still not sure how it''s done, there is more. While on this ind, we are too weak to feel it, but once we leave, you will see that Mary and Missy both have seals on them. Nixi had tried multiple times to break them but to no end. I think that is also part of it, but I am also worried about breaking them," Mex exined. "Well, you couldn''t get them off, so why are you worried?" I asked, knowing my question didn''te out right, but Mex understood. The man seemed to be able to handle his alcohol much better than me, and Mex was already a ss ahead of me. I had given up on trying to keep up with him, or I wouldn''t remember a damn thing. "It wasn''t until after I had tried to break it that I was informed that the seal was created with Mermaid Magic. I am sure you know about as much as I did back then, but Mermaids can only use Protective Magic. That means that whatever the seals are, they are there to protect the girls. I have a sneaking suspicion that this might have been the only way that Odysseus fought back, but I don''t know," Mex told me. Unfortunately, the alcohol was catching up to me much faster than I wanted, but I had gained some valuable info. I needed to get to bed before I got to the point where I stopped remembering. "Alright, well, I think I am drunk. So, umm¡­ Yeah, bed. I should probably¡­ get there," I mumbled as I tried to stand back up, nearly falling. My legs weren''t obeying mymands, but luckily Mex was fast and grabbed me. Yup, I was hammered. I hadn''t felt this drunk since I had drunk that whole bottle of one-fifty-one. Somehow I felt like this was worse, and I was already regretting the morning. "I will help you to your room; it is empty for once. Surprising, but you look like you could use a good night''s sleep!" Mex said with augh as he mostly dragged me to my bed. "Thanks, Mex, you da best bro. I really am d you turned out to be as cool as you did¡­." I said as my head hit my pillow, and everything went dark after that. Chapter 329 Memories, Fuck Around And Find Out [Day 7: Final day on the ind] To my surprise, I woke up with a clear head, feeling better than I had in a long time. It was like I had just slept for a week, and people had been stretching my body up till now. Wataluga: We fuzed back up with you after you fell asleep, and I noticed that you were inflicted with poison. I flushed your body, so you should feel better now. Grogvel: I also made sure that you got a good workout while you slept! Man needs to be in good shape for today! You''ve got a lot of work to do and very little time! I sat up in my bed, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. I was thankful for my Elemental friends more than ever today. ''Thanks, guys; I really needed that afterst night''s drinking with Mex. You are right, though; I need to get up and go. I have eggs to make!'' I wasn''t going to forget this again, and it was the easiest part of my day. Lidy was another one of the girls that were close to me, and I enjoyed seeing her smile. I changed my shorts and grabbed a grey shirt that was hanging on the wall. Clothed, I headed out of the room, closing the door being me. Mex''s door was closed, and I didn''t feel any presence of him or candace. That surprised me. I would have thought that Mex would still be trying to sleep the booze off, but he was the one that took me to bed. He probably could have polished the bottle off by himself and still been fine. That or Candace forced him to get up. Hungover or not, that was probably the answer. I could hear the sounds of girls'' voicesing from down the stairs, so I headed down. The floor below me was where Clesh and the other grandmothers lived, with three doors on each side. I had never been in any of their rooms, but it was toote for that now. We were leaving, and this ce would be left behind. Even though I had been here for just under a week and less time in this building, it felt like home. I would miss this ce, but I was sure¡­ *Squawk!* I stopped in mid-thought and turned around. I had made it halfway down the first flight of stairs, but I swear I just heard a birding from back up the stairs. When I rounded, there was adder on the far wall between our rooms. That had not been there yesterday, and it led up to a hatch on the roof. This was strange, and I was starting to get the scent of the ocean in the air. I frowned and decided that it wouldn''t hurt to go take a look at what was up there. I was probably just hearing things. I walked over to the metaldder that looked to be fused with the wall, eyeing it at first. With a quick shake test, I deemed thedder to be safe and started to climb up. There were a number of ways that I could have used my abilities to make it easier. Sometimes it felt better to do it the way I was used to, but I would have to break that habit. I needed to get more familiar with my powers, the ones that the others have. I needed to do this if I hoped to have a chance to keep everyone safe. Thedder wasn''t that tall, and I reached the top fairly quickly. I pushed on the door above me, and I was surprised at just how heavy it was. As I opened the hatch, I was hit with a fresh breeze and the bright light of the sun just rising. There was also Lizy standing in front of me. "Oh, hello, Zack! I see you have found the hatch to the ship! Have youe to see all the work we have been doing?" Lizy asked with a genuine smile as she stood atop a massive steel cocoon. "Please tell her we did good! I don''t want to hear about it after you go!" Kerriined as she weaved around Lizy''s long thin spider legs. p "Be quiet! I am not that bad!" Lizyined as Jilly came walking alongside the ship, wearing her construction helmet. "You are, but I would much sooner have you this way than you were before. I count my blessings, but you have to admit that this is quite good. Also, good morning, Zack," Jilly said and then extended her body to give me her cheek to kiss. When Jilly was in herrge form, my lips were too small to kiss hers. I crawled out, making my feet like stone, and kissed Jilly''s cheek, and then I looked around. We were out at the south beach and not far from the vige that Lina lived in. The ship looked amazing; it was a submarine made from razor wire. "This is great; you all have done an amazing job," I told all the girls, and Lizzy transformed into her human form. The two girls came over to me, and I gave them both kisses. When I was done kissing Kerri, I felt something. I was being pulled at by something behind me. I turned around, but it was only open water, but there was something out there. Even if I couldn''t see it, I could feel a gathering presenceing from the water. Whatever it was, it was going to try and cause problems for us leaving. "They are minions of the Sea Witch and the Demon Lord you stopped from invading this beach," Nushi''s voice said from behind me, making me turn around again. Nushi was floating in the air withrge red wings out but not moving. Seeing her majestic form was almost enough to make me forget the massing hordes of sea horrors. "We will deal with them when we leave. Remember that we are all gonna get a big boost when we leave the ind. They are ying a game of "Fuck Around and Find Out!" and they aren''t going to like what happens. Come, I will make you all breakfast. Eggs in a Basket with bacon!" I dered, and the girls all cheered. Chapter 330 Cooking With Kerri, Id Pay To See That! The girls followed me back down thedder, and we headed down to the kitchen. I still found it strange to see both Jilly and Lizy walking around in their human forms and not fighting. "What is "Eggs in a basket"?" Kerri asked me as we made our way down the flights of stairs. Lizy and Jilly had the lead, and the two of them were talking about something to do with the boat. Seeing them side by side made me smile, knowing that nearly everything else should be a breeze if this was possible. "You will see. It is nothing special, more like a fun way to eat," I exined, and Kerri raised her hairless brow in surprise. "Fun way to eat? I thought you weren''t supposed to y with your food?!" Kerri eximed, and Iughed as we started down the final set of stairs. I smiled and then wrapped an arm around Kerri to pull her into a hug and kiss the top of her head. The woman was clueless most of the time, but that was one of the things that made her so cute. "This isn''t really ying with your food, but you can help me in the kitchen if you would like," I told her with a smile, and she nodded with excitement. "Oh yes! I would love to learn! I was never allowed in the kitchen before, so this is gonna be a lot of fun!" Kerri eximed, but herment gave me an uneasy feeling. "I would suggest that you keep an eye on her, or we all might be waiting a long time before you make something close to being edible," Jilly said with a smile once we were all in the living room, and I was starting to think I might have made a grave mistake, but that ship had sailed. "I am sure that it will be fine. While I get food ready, do you girls want to go collect everyone? I am sure that will be much better than trying to track them down after the food is finished," I asked Jilly and Lizy, and the women both nodded. "Sure, just make sure that the little one doesn''t burn down the house!" Jilly said with augh as she walked over to me. Jilly was now the same height as me, and when she leaned in for a kiss this time, I wrapped my arms around her. I pulled Jilly into a warm embrace, kissing her with a bit more heat than I expected, and when we pulled apart, Jilly looked a bit off bnce. I smiled at her and then turned to Lizy, who seemed to be waiting for the same treatment. I smiled at her and strode over to Lizy, also pulling her into a kiss that I held. Once we finished, Both girls smiled warmly, and then the two of them turned and headed out the front door. As they did, I got a look outside. It was no longer the grassy yard of the Keep, but instead, it led out onto the beach that I had just retrieved the girls from. I wonder what happened to Kieta? Would she have to abandon her workshop? [Not from what I can tell. It seems that one of the women or Mex created a basement below us. There is a stairwell under the stairs that leads down, so I would have to assume that is why Keita is down there.] A small mapying out the apartment appeared in the right corner of my view. It was opposite the corner that the ERTCG appeared in, and it was transparent as well. I looked to the area below the house, but from what I could see, it was just arge open area, but I could see a blue dot. There was no name on the dot, but I knew that it was Kieta, and I could see and identify the others that were on the map. [You can Identify them as long as they are integrated into your system. You will notice that there are other unidentified grey dots, and those are the ones that are not part of your system but are neutral to you.] ''So then, I am only going to see friendlies on my map? I guess that makes sense, but it would be nice to have some kind of warning that enemies were getting close,'' I mused in thought to Harold. The thought I sent to Harold might be a bit of a stretch, and I probably should be happy with the advantages that I have. Still, as Kerri and I walked into the kitchen, Harold''s reply was more than I had expected. [There will also be two other colored dots, red and orange. I have finished mapping the ind now, and nothing is hostile to you because of your current level. Once you reach the ocean, this will change. Orange dots will be considered dangerous to you but not targeting you specifically. Red means that they are aggroed to you, and they will actively hunt and try to attack you.] p ''Well, that is more than I can ask for,'' I replied in thought as I smiled at Lidy. Then I stopped and pped my hand to my head. I hadpletely forgotten to clean the kitchenst night, and it looks like Lidy had to do it, damn! Wataluga: No need to worry. Fireden exined that you had forgotten, but you were tired, which is understandable. Still, you need to be careful of your words to this woman. You shouldn''t have too much trouble remembering what happened to you thest time you fell short on a promise to Lidy. Fireden: You know the saying, a happy wife makes a happy life! Lidy is a treasure, but if you don''t treat her right, she will be a Mimic and devour you! za: I would pay to see that! The elementals continued to argue as I walked over with Kerri to help Lidy get Breakfast going. While I did, I watched the ERTCG flow by; it was starting to get interesting. Chapter 331 Marly, And Life With The ERTCG [Conversation of the ERTCG, Elemental Round Table Chat Group] Windorf: And what would you pay with? Ash in a jar of all the things you have destroyed? Not like you could give away your balls, I am sure that Maelstrom still has them! za: Cram it, windbag! Maelstrom never bothers me anymore; it is the god''sp dog now! Maelstrom: I am no one''sp dog; you overheated ashtray! [Marly, I think that it is our ytime. Come, I have many new things to try out on you; ignore the rest, my little water-spout. Let the others say what they want; they are just jealous that I never picked them!] Maelstrom: You said you weren''t going to call me that in front of the others! Windorf: You think I would be jealous of whatever it is you two twisted fools do in your spare time? I think not! I have spun with another element, and that was an experience of a lifetime! Fireden: Not going to lie. It does get a bit lonely here with just a bunch of male energy spinning around. As much as it burns me to say this, I kind of wish I wouldn''t have been so fast to judge Maelstrom. Grogvel: I agree with Fireden. Out of the three of us, only Windorf has created offspring. I had considered it long ago, but I was only three hundred years old at the time, and I assumed I would have plenty of time. Wataluga: That was before Mex found us. At the time, I remember I had been flirting with an Ice Elemental, but helping Mex was more important at the time. za: You had a woman? Hard to believe, considering how uptight you are! Fireden: Believe it or not, Wata is the smoothest of us, but time has forced him to be more calcted. His biggest problem is that he is picky, or I am sure that he would have gotten hands-on Maelstrom long before the god did. [I am curious about how you procreate. I have tried multiple times with Marly, but with no sess. I had assumed it wouldn''t work from the get-go, but I am still interested in how it happens. From what I understand, all of you were created at the making of the.] Fireden: This is true, Each of us came into existence as the was formed, but most memories from then are faded. We are all part of ourrger counterparts, and there are copies all over the world to help bnce the natural flow of elemental energies. Unfortunately, Windorf is the only one of us that has spawned offspring, so you will have to ask him. Windorf: What?! You want me to talk about my private time with Hydie''s mother?! Are you all mad?! Grogvel: Not what you two did, airhead! We are just curious about the process that creates the minor elementals. Windorf: Well, it is a hard thing to exin, regardless. When two elementals care about each other¡­ za: None of us are under one hundred here; talk like it! We are not newly formed, you old hot airbag! Windorf: Would you like to hear what I have to say, or would you like to exin this thing that you have no experience in? Maelstrom: Yes, please exin. I am getting frustrated with all of our attempts! Windorf: Firstly, you will never seed unless you can both create your own energy. On top of that, there must be a connection between each member of the party. Fireden: You mean between the two, right? Windorf: no, the creation of a new and Lesser elemental is not limited to pairs. The more thatbine and mix their energies, the more diversified the offspring are. The important part is bing connected to the other because elementals fuse together during the act. [So the chances of us creating offspring is limited by my form? If I were an Elemental-based being, we could create new life?] Windorf: These answers are only revealed once the connection is established correctly, and the knowledge I have only pertained to the coption of Elementals. I don''t know if it is impossible; I have never had the desire or want to try the same with a physical lifeform. Grogvel: Well, that does make sense, but in the state, we are in right now, there is very little chance for us to meet others. Wataluga: This is true for now, but that is only because there are no other Elementals left on the ind for Zack to absorb. After we leave the ind, there will be many more elementals that our master will bond with, and not everyone is going to be head over heels for him. We all just have to be patient. [Now that I somewhat understand the process, I will start trying some new tests. That is, if you wish to continue with me, Marly. I know that we are working on finishing removing the Demonic Presence from you, but I will not force you to continue our other path if you would prefer to attempt with one of the others.] I had been listening the entire time while preventing Kerri from turning the kitchen into a warzone. This was the first time I had heard Harold talk in this tone. I could tell that Harold liked Maelstrom more than he let on, but the man had a bigger heart than he let on. If he did feel this way about Maelstrom, then he was a better man than most, but Maelstrom proved the feeling was mutual. Maelstrom: No, I would like to continue. At first, I hated you but enjoyed that you were a bit twisted like me, but things have changed. As this Demonic presence in my body fades, I can say that Ie to see you because I want to, but that small part of me is still embarrassed. [Good. You know how to reach me. Also, because I know you are listening, I am close to being able topletely remove the Elemental''s darkness. Once I can, you will beagle to remove za and Marly from Mex] Chapter 332 Strange, Groomed My Own Path Remove them from Mex? I was just getting my te filled as Harold dropped another bomb on me. I had been curious to know what could be done about the Elementals'' darkness, but taking Mex''s power seems a bit much. [You will not be stealing from him. I have scanned and looked over everything that I have learned from your elementals. You know that they were his before, so I was able to retrieve detailed information about Mex. I hadn''t said anything about it yet until I was sure.] Kerri was now our acting waitress, and she was talking tes to everyone now as Lidy sat on myp, eating her eggs. Kerri was doing much better as a waitress and had only split a single te of food. ''What does that mean? What did you find out?'' I sent as an anxious thought. [Mex is no longer a Sage ss like you, he is a Fighter ss. To put it more correctly, Mex was never a Sage ss, truly. Something forced the Elementals to merge with him. I have no clue what that was, but none of the elementals know what it was. ording to all of them, Mex has always been a Sage, but that isn''t right.] I was confused by this mostly, but parts of it were making sense. I knew that Mex had been much stronger at one point before the Demons had invaded this world, and that was about the time that Maelstrom would have been captured. ''What does Maelstrom know about this?'' I asked. [nothing, all memories from before being released from the prison in Mex''s mind are gone.] ''Are you sure gone is right? Do you think that they are blocked?'' I asked. [That I don''t know. I don''t have powers the same as you or the girls, but I do have ess to many tools. Just not the ones that I would need to do something of that scale or advanced enough. I am limited to the tools of this reality and what has been discovered.] There had to be some way to find out, and one of the ways would be to ask Mex, but he might not be able to say. There was another possibility, but we would have to wait until Mex could summon Maelstrom. [Mex will never be able to summon either that are inside of him. He has never summoned any of them, only acted as a vessel to bring¡­ them to the¡­ ind? Hmmm¡­] ''What are you humming and ha-ing about?'' I asked. [Strange, don''t you think? Mex has never been able to summon an Elemental, yet, for some reason, he brought them to this ind and released him. Now I don''t have aplete map of the world, but from what you have learned, there is one main continent, and the rest is inds.] As far as I had learned, that was the picture that everyone was painting. I was starting to guess where Harold was going with this, but I was still confused, so I just listened. I had my arms wrapped around Lidy as she leaned back on my chest, so I was in no hurry to get up just yet. Lidy had finished eating, but some of the others we still working on their tes, so I had time to listen. [I can guess that this ind isn''t much different than the ones that make up most of the surface of this world. So why was this one picked? Because this is where you were going tond, right? I think that the previous you has something to do with this, but I don''t think that you will find the answer to this question when we leave the ind.] ''I actually have an idea about that. Once you can transfer Maelstrom over to me, then I can summon her; it is her, right? I don''t want to be rude since you two are¡­ you know.'' [Yes, Marly is a she, but Elementals don''t have genders like us naturally. They can take on most forms, but this world changed that for them. Because of the nature of Demons and other species of the, they adapted their personalities to the forms they took.] ''You keep calling her Marly, but is that really her name, or one that you chose for her?'' [Maelstrom is the identity that the darkness inside of her goes as. Marly is the name of the original before she was taken over, or at least I assume as much.] ''What do you mean, assume? You don''t know for sure? I mean, you did say she remembered nothing, right?'' [While I was trying a different test to regress Marly''s memories, I asked what her name was. I was using a basic hypnosis trick, and at first, all I got was Maelstrom repeatedly. Then, right as I was about to try something else and bring her back, she breathed "Marly" so quietly that I had to check the recording many times. After that, the darkness was at its height, and I got nothing, but that also made it easier to target it.] ''We have someone that can deal with this. Once you get all of the darkness out and Marly transferred over, I will summon her and have Nushi look into her mind. If there is anything there, she will find it.'' [Thank you. Both of us want to unlock Marly''s past, but I have been hitting walls.] ''Don''t be afraid to ask. You have helped me out more times than I can count! Once we get off the ind, I will help get Marly''s memories back.'' [I appreciate that. I didn''t ask before because you have had more than you can handle on your te for quite a while, but I think you will have more time in the future for minor tasks.] ''This is no minor task, Harold. If you are right, then I groomed my own path, and finding out this could help direct me in the future.'' Chapter 333 King, And Witch [View of Barbarous, Self-Proimed Demon King of the Sea, and Thesta, Clone Spawn of The Witch of Sea] "What do yer mean we can''t kill ''em?! The Hero must die, or we will be the ones floating belly up, yer know!" Barbarous raged, shaking two of his five ws at Thesta. The two of them were inside of a giant mshell Barbarous''s Mutalisks had brought. The massive shell was filled with glowing coral that filled the area with light. The reason that they met inside of the shell was for Barbarous''s protection, but not from the Hero. Thesta had called a terrible creature from the depths; a Screelix. For this reason alone, Barbarous did not understand why they shouldn''t try to attack them. The creature the Sea Witch brought would kill most of the creatures in a two hundred-foot radius. The Screelix was a small snake-like creature that the mshell could protect from the mind-shattering screams its body could produce. Naturally timid and shy, the Screelix has vocal cords on the run along both sides of its body. The Screelix used extra stored oxygen to produce screams that could turn anything that wasn''t protected with magic into powered or paste. "I need to try and recover my daughter so I can consume her, and I can''t do that if she is dead. I would like to try to convince him to hand her over first, and then you can do what you choose with him," Thesta said as she stood in the form of a beautiful woman wearing a jet ck dress. There was a tentacle attached to her dress that led outside of the magically protected mshell. The female Kraken''s main body rested a short distance away, but Thesta was using the form to prove her point. Thesta didn''t need Barbarous, but having more numbers was always advantageous, even if they were demons. The vile creatures had appeared on this world and started to spread across Gardania and then into Hydrous''s oceans. Many Demon lords like Barbarous came to the sea to find easy targets to enve, but most of them had been killed or turned into enved people themselves. Thesta and the other old gods had dealt with most of them, and the remaining ones stayed hidden. "And ye be thinking that yer be able to do something like this? Do you really think that he be that stupid, Lass? Something tells me this one be different from the others; he is not alone," Barbarous hissed through his deformed mouth. "No, I don''t, but I would not like all my time here to be for waste. We will throw everything we have at him and crush the Hero and his friends into food for you soldiers if ites to it. Though, if I can get him to take me, I will be blessed with another clone, and this one would be much stronger than the rest," Thesta exined as more Mutalisks started to arrive. "I think that you are wasting your time. You faced the Hero before just like I have, and he is no fool like you seem to think! A single clone can''t be worth that much to you; I am sure you have many more! Why waste so much effort on this spawn of yours?!" Barbarous asked, throwing his ws up in the air. Suddenly, the Witch''s body reverted back to a tentacle and whipped forward topletely wrap up the Demon Lord. Thesta''s other tentacles pried the shell open and pulled Barbarous close to her massive twenty-foot tall undting body of tentacles. "You don''t make the rules, Demon scum! You will do as I say, nothing more or less! I will not forgive those that stand in my way, and I have been here waiting for thest twenty years, and I will get what I want! I always do!" Thesta screamed in Barbarous''s mind as she constricted. "Yes! Your wish is mymand!" Barbarous screamed out loud. The Mutalisk Demon was no fool and knew that he was nothing more than a toy in the Sea Witches'' ns. There was nothing he could do but follow along with whatever Thesta decided, no matter how much it didn''t make sense. Barbarous knew that his life was forfeit already, but he wanted a chance to challenge the Hero that had decimated his assault of the beach. That was the only thing that Barbarous had left to look forward to. There was a very good chance that the Demon Lord and all of his Mutalisk would be killed in this battle, but that wasn''t the end for them. The Demon souls would head back to the ck Depths of Zero, the true Demon King''s body. All Demons were spawned and stored in the great Demon King''s body to be spewed back out to the universes as he saw fit. Each world had a limit since Helsin Zero''s Demon Horde was not as endless as it seemed. Thesta red at Barbarous and considered killing him now. The creature was a nuisance, but killing him would just cause the Demons she controlled to go into a frenzy that not even Thesta could control. "Follow my orders, and there is a chance that you and your misshapen followers will survive to serve me further," Thesta said as she released Barbarous to fall to the ocean''s floor and then retreated into the darkness of The Drop. The floor of the ocean traveled on a gentle slope away from the ind, but at five hundred feet from every shore on the ind, the floor disappeared. It was another thirty thousand feet to the ocean''s bottom from The Drop, but the ocean was deeper than that. There were many things and creatures that no Demon had ever seen, and even some the Old Ones were unaware of. There was no beginning on the that could know all things, but there were some Old Ones that came very close. Thesta did not retreat to the bottom; she had a cave she had found fifty feet down past The Drop. While it was essential for her to retrieve Tiga, her survival was first and foremost. Chapter 334 The Last Day, Skating On Water [Zack''s View] Breakfast was finished, and Wataluga was ying maid, making quick work of all the dishes from the meal. I had released the others to go help with preparations to depart, but once Wataluga was finished, we would be heading out. I had two ces that were important to go see before leaving. Craterville, and the west fishing vige. Nixi had sent each of the grandmothers to go collect those that wanted toe with us since I wouldn''t have time to do it. I was d for that, but I needed to be the one that dealt with the Gogs. I was concerned about them multiplying, but Harlod and I had decided that I might just have to try and get them to crossbreed. I wouldn''t force it on them, but it was the best way that I could think to slow their birth rate. [It won''t be an immediate solution to the situation, but it would help them in the future. Maybe if the creature had some stronger blood in them, they wouldn''t constantly be targeted as prey.] I agreed with Harold, but I wasn''t sure just how easy it would be to convince them, but the best I could do was try. Wataluga just finished cleaning and came over to absorb back into me. Lidy was still in myp, and I really didn''t want to move her from her resting ce on my chest. I didn''t even care that her horns were digging into my chest, but it was time. I leaned forward and kissed the top of Lidy''s head, making her eyes open up. Lidy sat up and turned in myp, throwing her leg over me to face me. "Be safe, but don''t take too long. I don''t think we should stay on this ind for longer than we have to," Lidy instructed me, and I smiled and then kissed her. "Yes, my dear," I said after the kiss, but Lidy gave me a severe look that made my smile falter. "Don''t, yes, dear me! I know what you are like! Everything distracts you, so Craterville, then the west vige! After that, youe home to us so we can leave this ind! Do you understand me?!" Lidy ordered me with knitted eyebrows, and I gave her a nod. These women seemed to know me better than I thought. Not like Lidy wasn''t right, but I knew what was at stake today, so I wouldn''t be taking any detours. "I will go there and straight back, I promise," I told Lidy, matching her serious expression, making her rx slightly. "I just care about you, and I don''t want to lose myself and forget you," Lidy said, putting a hand on my cheek, looking deep into my eyes. I ced mine over hers and leaned in for another kiss. Lidy epted and returned it with a passion that made my heart pace increase. Once the kiss was finished, Lidy got up from myp, and I rose from my chair to stand. It was time to get going. I kissed Lidy one more time and then headed into the living room to the front door. Today would mark thest day of me having to run around to collect people, and after, we would all be inside the apartment. I opened the front door, but there was no grass waiting for me. Instead, I walked out onto the south beach, where some of the girls helped with what looked like a growing number of people. Far more than I had imagined, and there were even tents set up down the beach. "Zack!" Veronica cried out, and I turned to the sound of her voice. Veronica had been standing with Jilly and her sister, Candace, but now she was running over to me. I opened my arms, and Veronica jumped into them as I was careful not to hurt her wings. "We are so close!" Veronica said with excitement after I put her down. "Yeah, but this is a lot more than I expected! I hope that we are going to have room for everyone," I said, and Veronica smiled at me with a nod. "Don''t worry about how many there are. Candace said that Mex is creating ces for them all, and Libra said that you can use the Ring of Bnce to ce the extras for now. She said that you would have to do something first, but she said it was a trivial thing, so just concentrate on getting back here. The sooner we leave, the better," Veronica told me, and I nodded. "Yup, Wataluga and I are going to head to the west vige right now and hit Craterville to see if the Gogs are stilling," I told Veronica, and she nodded. "Good, I would fly you over, but we all need to be here to direct people to where they are going to stay. When you get back, make sure to go see Libra, okay?" Veronica asked, and I nodded before leaning forward to kiss her soft blue lips. I had to pull back from her to break the kiss fast, in fear that I might get lost in the moment. I had shit to do, and the fun could be had when everyone was safe and off the ind. I smiled and then activated my Water Force Pact, turning my body blue and transparent like Hydie. I turned and ran for the water; now, all the thorns and steel threads were gone. The moment my feet hit the surface of the water, I started to skate across the surface of the wave. Grogvel was working on a track for getting the ship out into the deeper water, and Fireden was helping fuse thest of Lizy''s threads on the ship. I started to pick up speed, and I had to admit this was my favorite form of travel yet. Flying was great, but being able to treat the moving wave-like moving ice was an experience all on its own. I used my connection with the water to propel me forward as I skated across, hitting waves. I would rocket up them and into the air, and a couple times, I tried to pull off some tricks like grabs and such but stopped after I fell and smashed into the water. After I pulled myself back up, I stopped messing around and concentrated as I wrapped around the coast. Soon I could see the fishing boats that were offshore, and the small vige came into sight. Chapter 335 This Was Personal, Goodbyes ,m I wasn''t here to see the vige, Noel hade already, and she was heading back to the south beach. I could see a few people on my map with her that had decided toe as gray dots. No, the reason I hade was just to check up on the Sahuagin and Barracuda Folk. I wasn''t sure how they were all doing since Hydie and my intervention to save Missy. That had turned into a far bigger deal than I had assumed it would be. That was my first meeting with the Sea Witch, Tiga''s mother. I dropped down into the water and flowed towards the vige I could see deep below on the ocean floor. I could now feel the presence of all the monsters around the ind, even stronger than before. They were waiting for me and the rest to leave. This would mark my biggest confrontation since I came to this ind, but it was nothing in my mindpared to what I have faced on Kubrick. The fight with the dragon and breaking through the pacts was far more deadly than these creatures. Once I left the safety bubble of the ind, I would be at the mercy of the world, or that is what the world thought. This world wasn''t ready for me, but I needed to stop getting ahead of myself. I had no idea just how much my power would increase yet, and having this attitude could end up being my downfall. I need to be smart and not make any foolish choices that could risk myself or any of the people I was protecting. As I got closer to the Sahuagin vige, I noticed that there was more than just the Sahuagin. Suddenly, the people seemed to spot me, and soon everyone wasing out to meet me. "Kazz! It is great to see you! Hero of the Sea!" a familiar face called to me as arge group of Sahaugin and Barracuda Folk swam over to me. "Shirizk! Great to see you again! Looks like I am no longer needed here!" I said with arge smile, and the leader of the Sahuagin smiled back. "This is all thanks to you! Since the Barracuda''s vige was destroyed by the Sea Witch, I decided that letting theme live with us was the best route. Thanks to your intervention and getting our women back, they have seen the error in their ways. Now we live together and are mixed. Some of our women decided to stay with the Barracuda men, but not all was bad with that. It turns out that Barracuda women aren''t really fans of their men and their boastful manner," Shirizk exined as therge group crowded around me. Arge Barracuda man swam forward and gave me a strange bow and then straightened up. "I am Crass, and I am the leader of the Barracuda. I would like to thank you for what you did to free us from the hold that vile Witch had on us. Still, I cannot say that it was all her; we are also partially to me. Thanks to you, we can now live together, mostly peacefully," Crass said, and I grinned with a nod. "That''s great to hear! I was justing out to check on you all and tell you that I will be leaving the ind today. There is a good chance that we won''t see each other again, but I didn''t want to leave without seeing that things are good here. Looks like my worries were for nothing, but there is one more thing. I am sure that you have all felt the massive amount of monsters around the ind?" I asked, and Shirizk and Crass both nodded. "Yes, we were both wondering about that, but Shirizk said they were most likely here for you. We are here to help if you need fighters," Crass said, and Shirizk nodded in agreement, but I shook my head. "No, I want you all to keep everyone in your dwellings safe. This is my fight, and I have been waiting for a chance to get payback for thest time I fought the Sea Witch. This fight has now be personal, and none of these demons or the Witch are leaving here alive," I said, clenching my blue transparent fist. Thoughts of Tiga being trapped down in that cave her entire life made me furious. I would make sure that I traced that bitch back to the original, and I would delete the old god from this world. "Well, if you insist. I, for one, would not want to be at the end of your anger! That woman needs to pay for what she has done here. Just imagine what the rest of her clones are doing!" Shirizk growled in bubbles. "About that, being of the water, you might know more about her than most that I have talked to. Is there anything that I should know or watch out for with her?" I asked, and Crass nodded. "She can take on any form, and she has the ability to force control of others. The Witch can also use other Magics, but I am unsure of the kinds. She forced control of us to lure you out, so I would be wary of her. You are strong, but she is powerful and very old, be careful," Grass exined, and I nodded. "Thanks, I appreciate the advice, but it is time for me to get going. I hope you all have prosperous lives, but just remember, I will be watching. Don''t make mee back here unless it is to say hi, got it?" I told the two men, and they nodded with grins. "We learned our lessons," Crass said. "And you fixed our faces mostly, so everything should roll like gentle waves from here on out. Have a safe journey!" Shirizk said and nodded. I turned from the group and started to make my way back to the ind. One more stop before it was time to get off this damn ind and break out into this new world! Chapter 336 Glassy Eyes, Uncle Harold Once I left the group, I headed back to the surface and shot myself back out tond on the surface. Once I was back on the water, I made my way to the shore. The meeting with the Sahuagin and Barracuda went much faster than I had imagined. I figured that I would have time to pay my respect to Dack, Mex''s son, who I was sure would be staying behind. When I reached the beach, I walked over to the small vige that was only about fifteen huts, give or take. Some more significant and few must be shed or small shacks for cleaning their catches. I deactivated my Pact, but my shirt was soaked now, so I took it off. There was a line out with other clothes hanging on it, so I tossed the shirt on, having no real need for it. "Kazz¡­ or, I guess Zack! Good to see you again!" Dack called over to me from a group of people he was talking to. The dark blue-skinned man strode over to meet me and offered me his hand. I epted, shaking it, and Dack put his other hand over mine with a big smile as I did. "You know, we here in the vige are in debt to you for helping the Sahuagin and Barracuda settle their problems. Though, I could have never imagined just how amazing you are. I would like to personally thank you for the chance to meet my grandmother one more time. I would have wished to see the others, but having Noel show up was more than a treat!" Dack exined to me with ssy eyes. I hadn''t really thought about that, but I was d that Dack got a chance to see Noel. It was too bad that I couldn''t have brought the others over to visit, but we were stretched for time. The other grandmothers had their own missions, but Dack didn''t need to stay on this ind. "You know that you coulde with us, right?" I exined to Dack, but he shook his head with a small smile. "No, I have grown to love this little ind, and I have no aspirations to be stronger. I will stay here, look after my people, and keep watch over the ind while you are gone. Maybe you wille back to this ind someday to visit us all, and when you do, I hope that we have be better people," Dack said, letting go of my hand. "I don''t know if you were ever evil people, Dack. You all just have gotten the short end of the stick as far as I have seen. I truly believe that you will be great people, and I look forward to the day in the future when I return to see how you are all doing!" I told him with a hearty smile. I didn''t know if I would ever return to this ce again, but it wasn''t impossible. Still, I knew that these people would thrive now, and the bubble of the ind would keep stronger Demons away. "Well, I think that you have a boat to catch, ording to Noel. She told me to make sure and remind you of that, hehe. Thank you, Lord Zack, of the Demons, but I think you should get going now!" Dack said with a hearty smile, and I nodded, giving a final wave to the vige before I turned and headed into the jungle. Once I was on dirt, I activated my Tsunalily Bond and called vines to me, and they started to push me forward. This was how Kali had done it, so I had assumed that it should be something that I would be able to do, but after about twenty-five feet, I stopped. "Do you need some help with that?" Kali asked from my shoulder as her face appeared there. I was startled slightly, but I nodded to Kali''s face. To use the vines, I have to connect to each tree as I go by them while tucking them back under the ground afterward. I looked back, and the path was now just a sprained ankle waiting to happen. I don''t think even using Veronica''s Totem would help me out in this situation. "Yes, please. How are you? You have been awfully quiet for a long time," I asked as the roots behind me settled back into the ground. "Uncle Harold has been training me and teaching me how to control my body better, so I don''t get too excited," Kali exined as I started to shoot forward again. This time was much faster than I had been thest time I had gotten a ride from her. The training was helping, whatever it was. Thinking back then made me grin, but I was curious about what kind of training Harold was having her do. I knew Harold wouldn''t do anything I wouldn''t like, but I was still curious because Kali did seem much calmer and more mature. [I was having her help me while in theb during the time that Marly was meditating. Kali had asked what she was doing, and I exined it to her and asked if she would like to join Marly. At first, she had trouble, but Marly exined how she slowed her energy to Kali, and she started to get it.] ''Is that something that you suggested to Marly?'' I asked Harold. [No. Marly started doing it on her own after I was able to siphon off some of the darkness. Though, it did happen after I had hypnotized her and got her name out of her. Regardless of the reason, Kali has significantly matured in the short time and has better control of all her powers.] There was nothing wrong with that. "I am happy that you are doing better now. How are you feeling? Once we get back to the ship, I will release you, then you can go help the girls and stay with them in the house," I exined as we reached Windorf''s teau. "I feel great, and that would be really nice to see the girls and see Clesh again," Kali said in a bright voice as I jumped off the vines to walk across the stone rise. Chapter 337 Kali As I walked across Windorf''s teau, I looked over at the cave where I had first met Hydie and got the shock of a lifetime. That had been an exciting experience, but now thinking about it, I wondered how my Ranching System would facilitate us having a child? The first time we had tried, my swimmers had gotten fried when I stirred up Hydie''s insides, and she orgasmed, but there had to be away. As I got to the other side of the teau, I decided that I would pull up some of the girls'' sheets and look them over, but Hydie''s first. Once Kali had me bursting forwards, I summoned Hydie''s character sheet and scanned over it. [Hydie] Level: 10 Title: Storm Elemental Species: Undine/Wind Elemental Unique Ability: Barrier Creation System: Designer System Species Abilities: [Call Storm]: Summon ss 1 storm. Wind speeds from 75-90 Mph. Destructive Force: Minor. [Control Storm]: Direct Storm ss one Wind direction, rain output, Lightning discharges. [Storm Shield Rebuke]: All barriers created discharge electricity when attacked with a melee strike. [Storms Hunger]: Barriers struck with magical attacks will absorb up to 35% of the energy used to summon the magical attack. System Abilities: [Pattern cement]: Create detailed patterns on anything. Change up to 35% of up to an area with a 30-foot radius area of coverage. [Experienced Designers Touch]: Edit objects within a 35% margin of the original form [Designer''s Vision](Passive): Experienced Designer''s Touch now can also change the scent of an object. [Weapon By Design]: Create a weapon from any material that is not metal. Choose one of the following options: Enchanted Spear/Sword/2x Dagger/Mace. Weapon Quality: Umon. The system did change slightly, but most of her new abilities came from her, not the Designer System. There is nothing wrong with that, and the new storm-calling ability would be interesting, especially heading out to the sea. I wanted to dig into the rest of the girl''s sheet, but Kali had made short work of the distance that was between the teau and the Fire Lake. Due to theck of living trees, Kali had to stop short, about a hundred feet away from the edge. "Sorry, this is as far as I can take you now, but I can help you again after you leave!" Kali said from my shoulder as she pulled the roots down, and I was set back onto the ground. "This is more than good enough for now. Thank you very much for your help, and I am happy to see you growing," I said with a grin, but Kali pulled half of her body out of mine as I did. She had moved around to face me, and we were now connected at the waist. Kali''s swollen bare breasts were pressing into my chest, unlike thest time I had seen her. Kali looked a bit different now, her face and body had matured, and I no longer felt like I was looking at a child. The look she was giving pulse sexual energy, one that I knew all too well. "You know, one thing I did learn from all of this is that I am not your little sister. We are bonded, and I have seen how you treat the other girls, so I would like you to treat me the same way. I know that you are busy now, but maybe you might have some time toe and y with me when you are free?" Kali asked me directly, and I could see in her eyes that this was no joke to her. I smiled and slowly wrapped my arms around Kali, pulling her in for a kiss. The soft press of her chest was a mirror to the gentle press of her lips on mine as we slowly kissed. I still had a reasonable amount of time before lunch, and there was no one else around, so I decided to enjoy the moment. I could feel myself get harder as Kali''s kisses became more passionate, and my tip was starting to press into her lower back through my shorts. As I ran my hands through Kali''s thick vine-like tendril hair, I felt more vines grow out around my other hand on her lower back. They slowly took off my shorts and then started to massage my swollen shaft, which was starting to pulse with excitement. Kali ran her hands over my back and through my hair, but soon there were vines that joined. As they did, Kali slowly pulled her hips out of my body, and I lowered both my hands to take her soft green ass cheeks in my hands. "I want to feel you deep inside of me," Kali breathed and slowly pushed herself down as her vines guided me to piece her warm wet flesh. Both of us moaned as Kali slowly slid down me until I was fully buried deep inside of her. Kali stopped kissing me as she moaned, starting to move slowly. As she did, I moved my lips to her next as I turned back to the green forest and walked over to a spot of grass; I slowly lowered us down as Kali started to move faster until I touched her back to the ground. I stopped kissing her and slowly pulled up from Kali as she looked into my eyes. She looked confused and spoke up when she noticed that she couldn''t do what she was doing before. "Why did we stop?" Kali asked, but then I pulled my cock deep inside of her, making her eyes roll back. All the vines that had been wrapped around me went wild and came off me, burying them into the ground. I started to speed up a bit, but not too fast, making Kali moan loudly with pleasure-filled cries. As I filled my Little Flower''s tight hole with my shaft, I noticed that nts and flowers were starting to grow around us. I could feel Kali getting hotter as her cries started to get louder, and the nt growth started to increase. "Zack! I have never felt so going in my entire life! I, I, I feel like I''m going to¡­ Ahhhh!" Kali screamed as her pussy tightened around my thick rod, and flowers and nts burst into seed around us. [Do you wish to impregnate?] ''Yes.'' I kept pumping as my pressure reached its crescendo, her little hole holding me tight, begging to be filled. With Kali''s face in my hands, staring into her heart-shaped pupils that glowed pink, I exploded inside of Kali. The gush of my hot cum made her scream out in ecstasy as Kali''s back arched. As she did, I leaned down and kissed her passionately until her small body stopped shaking. Chapter 338 Elemental Egg, Too Strange Of Creatures As Kali''s body still trembled beneath me, I looked over and then closed a few tabs that had popped up. [Impregnation of Kali isplete!] [New Skill unlocked] [Elementary Impregnation]: Basic understanding of the creation of Elemetal Eggs. I would check those out at another time. Kali and I continued to kiss for a short while as I slowly moved inside of her until I waspletelyid. A twitch from Kali''s pulsing pussy pushed me out of her, and I slowly pulled away from her lips. The two of us looked into each other''s eyes, but the hearts were now gone from them. That didn''t take away from her beauty, but I was curious to know what was going to happen with Kali now that she was pregnant. Sure, I had a rough idea about what was going to happen with my new skill, but it basically told me she wouldy an egg, and then we both would have to feed it some of our energy. Once the egg had received enough energy, it would be a new Minor Elemental. "Is there something inside of me?" Kali asked, breaking me from my thoughts, and I nodded. "Yes, it looks like we have created the first Elemental Egg, and we will have a new sprite in the future," I said with a grin. "Really?! Oh, Zack, I never expected this, but thank you! I didn''t even know that it was possible!" Kali said with excitement as she pulled me into another kiss and rolled me on my side. "That makes two of us, but I am d that it works. This means that it will work with others, and this will make Harold and Marly very happy," I said, and Kali nodded with a big smile. I kiss Kali one more time while giving her ass a final squeeze and then a smack. Kali grinned and pushed me over to my back, crawling on top of me. I was about to tell her that we didn''t have time for more right now, but she only leaned in for another kiss. Though, as soon as Kali''s lips touched mine, her body merged with mine, leaving me with an unsettling feeling of not being able to breathe momentarily. "Let''s not try that one again. I don''t really like when you cover my face like that, my Little Flower," I told Kali as she appeared back on my shoulder. "I am sorry, haha. I just wanted to try it, but something feels different now," Kali said, and I agreed. As Kali spoke, I could feel something crawling under my skin where her face was. The feeling was not painful, but it felt like something was growing on my arm. "Kali''s body is now forming a Minor Pact with you like the Force Pact you have with each of us. Her powers are abination of Earth and Water, so she will form the Growth Force Pact," Wataluga said, scaring the shit out of me as his face appeared on my other shoulder. "You two need to stop that! I have had enough of everyone''s damn sneak attacks!" I growled, but I was thankful for the info. So I sighed and asked Kali to move her face down my arm so I could see what was under. As she moved, a green tree with roots shaped like a circle was now raised up from my skin. "Why don''t I have one with Hydie?" I asked Wataluga, but he didn''t know the answer. "Could be a number of reasons, but I don''t know anything about this, really. I could just sense what was happening from within you," Wataluga exined, and I nodded, but that was when Harold spoke up, but something was wrong. [So, you remember how Kali told you that she wanted to connect with you to get closer to you?] Harold''s voice in my head sounds genuinely happy, almost shaking with excitement for the first time in¡­ ever as far as I knew. I did remember walking while holding hands with Kali and when she asked me before that. I got up as I replied with, ''Yes, I remember, but what about it, and what has got you all worked up?'' I asked as I walked over to my shorts, pulling them back on. [I think that I have found the answer to both of our questions. The connection. You bonded and spent a lot of time with Kali, and only now are you having intercourse. Both you and Hydie were strangers, and her body rejected you by shocking you. That is my hypothesis, but I am still not one-hundred percent sure. I will do more testing, but this is good. We are heading in the right direction, so go tell the Gogs to stay here, so we can get back to the boat.] ''What?'' I asked in surprise as I reached the edge of the crater. [Your n won''t work, Gogs are too strange of creatures and aren''tpatible with anything on this. You will be able to have sex with Kerri but not conceive. Unless you were intentionally putting her in the way of danger, and you died. Then Kerri could use your blood to draw a line down her stomach to birth new Gogs that mature fast to rece you.] I gulped, looking down at the town, but then paused. ''What about if they were safe?'' I asked. [Then they would die out, unable to reproduce. You would have to let them get killed for them to survive, and I don''t think you are prepared to let them do that. I think it will be better if you let them stay here and continue to thrive. We can''t change everything, and you have to remember that everything is made of two minds; some things will not make sense.] That was pretty stupid, but I couldn''t save everything. Some things like rabbits were meant to be prey. Without the predator, they would multiply too fast, but this was different. "How do you know so much?'' I asked as I slid down a mud path as I created it. Chapter 339 Killed The Rest, The Monster [Marley recognized Kerri and had asked why you had her around. I exined about your system, but that was when she exined their reproduction. There are other races like them in the world they are from, and I think they are monsters that were imagined from different games and legends without understanding the entire concept. There will be other races like this along the way.] This was disturbing, but it kind of made sense. I still didn''t like it, but it might be better if they stayed on the ind. I would fix all of this one day, but that day was still a long way off. ''Fine, but I still want to stop by and tell them I am leaving since I said I would,'' I told Harold as I reached the bottom of the crater, heading to the small brick town of Craterville. Harold was silent after that, and I walked in silence, thinking about what this meant for Kerri in the future. I didn''t n on knocking every girl up because I couldn''t have a bunch of kids and save the world, but still. This cut off any possibilities for Kerri going forwards, but who knew what my system would do. There was also the next life and world I would have to conquer, so there was no point in getting disappointed in things just yet. I was close to the town now, but I could feel something watching me. It wasing from the Fire Lake, but I wasn''t sure what it was. I tried looking on my map, and there was something there, but it only showed up as a gray dot. Whatever it was, it was staying out of sight, but there was nothing on this ind that could challenge me now. I ignored whatever was watching me as I walked into the town. The ce looked much more torn up since thest time that I saw the ce, and there was no one in sight. Not seeing anyone was expected, but the extra damage and entirely destroyed buildings were new. Whatever was in thatke did not seem to be as picky as the girls, which made my gears grind. How was I just supposed to leave these creatures here? It was like leaving out free food for any passing monster that wanted toe to terrorize these creatures. [Zack, you can''t save them.] ''Do you know that? Do you know everything that my system can do?'' [Well, no, but¡­] ''Then I will be taking them with me until I know that I can''t do anything about it. I can''t leave them here, and I won''t!'' I picked up my pace and strode over to the town hall, where I had found the othersst time. I would be damned if I did any less, and that just wasn''t the type of person I was. Once I was ten feet from the hall, I sucked in a deep breath and then bellowed out, "EVERYONE, COME OUTSIDE, NOW! THE DEMON LORD OF THE ISLAND COMMANDS YOU!" To my surprise, doors around me flew open with cheers and a much smaller group of orange and red Gogs. This was a lot worse than I had expected, but it was the reason that I couldn''t leave them. "KAZZ!" Voices cried up to me as everyone crowded around me. There were a lot fewer orange Gogs now and very few small ones. Whatever was in theke was doing a number on them, and they didn''t seem to be able to keep reproducing. "What happened? Why are there so few of you now?" I asked. "The new monster has been dragging people into theke to kill them! We have no way to get them back or their Death Blood!" A red female Gog cried out, but I didn''t recognize her. "Well, I am sorry it took me so long to get back, but now it is time for you all toe with me. I will keep you safe the best I can, so get everyone together, and we will get going," I told the group, and the small burning-eyed creatures cheered, but none of them went to get the others. "We are ready to go. This is all that is left; the Smander killed the rest," another woman told me as I looked around, making me sigh, putting a hand to cover my face. I was frustrated because I could have prevented this if I had taken them before. There was no point in crying over spilled milk, but it was a lesson for the future. Never put off what can be done today for tomorrow. I couldn''t have predicted this, but I knew something like this could happen. "Okay. Can you all make it up the side of the crater?" I asked, and the group nodded. Some of them looked a bit daunted by it, but that was fine. I could try out my new Pact and give them a lift to the beach. "Don''t worry, I just thought of an idea. Just get everyone over by the side of the crater. I am going to give a little payback for the trouble you have endured," I told the group, and the few males that were left cheered, but the red females exchanged worried looks. "Are you sure, Mr. Kazz? This monster is much worse than the women!" A female called up to me, but I just grinned and motioned to the side of the crater. "The name is Zack now, and don''t you worry about me. Just get everyone ready," I told everyone, and they all nodded and started to make their way to where I had directed. I turned back where I could feel the eyes on me and started to walk. The sun was almost at its peak, and I was starting to get hungry. Theva ahead of me started to move and slowly bulged up as a massive lizard made of fire crawled out of theva. At six feet tall and about thirty long, this monster would have been pretty daunting. Now I was the monster. Chapter 340 To Dust, Keeping Level-Headed The giant Smander eyed me as I walked towards it, raising my hand. The creature took this as a threat and started to spit chunks ofva at me. [Pact Aspect: Churn The Storm Within!] Activated! My body became water, and Wataluga became one with me as the first shot ofva passed through a hole in my body. I continued my walk forwards, and the creature stopped, backing up to theke, but I wasn''t going to let it retreat. A massive wall of water arose from seemingly nowhere as I turned my palm to the sky and lifted my hand. The creature tried to turn and run, but it was already toote as I rolled my hand gently and pushed my palm forward. All the water rushed forward and over the fire beast, and the creature crumbled as steam rose from the remaining water. It was rolling over theva, turning the surface from orangish-red to solid ck. I released the Pact Aspect, and Wataluga and I separated to stand beside each other. The fight had been anti-climatic, but I hadn''t really expected much. "You know, you can''t save everyone, and the entire world is not your child to watch over," Wataluga said to me, and I nodded. He was right, and I couldn''t keep them all safe, but creatures like that were a pure menace. There were going to be things like this in the future, and I would remove them. "True, but my job is to remove the demons of this world, and I think I just did that. I know that I did this out of anger, but that doesn''t change the fact that this was a mindless creature that could prove to be a danger if left unchecked. I can''t protect the people here while I am gone, and I am taking the creatures'' new food sources," I replied as I turned and waved for him to follow. "I guess you are right, but just make sure you don''t let your anger rule your choices. I am d that you are starting to think about things more. You havee along since we first trained, and I sometimes feel like I am the one that is learning from you," Wataluga told me as we headed over to join the Gogs, who all looked very happy to see use back. "I will try to keep more level-headed in the future, but now let''s get everyone to the boat. I can''t call it the name they gave it; we are going to have toe up with something other than the Underwear Boat!" I said with a chuckle, and Wataluga joined me, nodding. p "That is true, but I am sure you will think of something catchy to call it," Wataluga said and touched a hand to my shoulder, absorbing back into me. That Pact Aspect took a lot out of me, but I still had lots more in the tank. Kubrick had been overflowing with energy, but back here on Hydrous, I was limited to what I could draw in. I hoped that was just a result of the bubble. [Yes, and no. The reason you can''t use it for long is that you are only level ten, and the Pact Aspects are like level fifty spells. Even after leaving, you still won''t master it right away.] *Wataluga: There is a very long road to reach Elemental Sage of The Nine Rings, but it will allow you to wield special types of energy unknown to us. If you can make a contract with Elementari, you will be a master of all things that exist, and your control will be unrivaled.* I had just reached the group of cheering Gogs, and I smiled at them, but inside I was wondering if any person should be allowed to hold that power. The way it sounded, I would be a god, but is that what I needed to do to defeat Helsin Zero? *Wataluga: Know this, if there is any darkness or ill will in your soul, Elementari will reject you. You are right that this power is not something that anyone should have, but I think that you might need it and more. I do not know much about the Demon King, but as a person who can control multiple universes at once, I would assume he would have the same powers.* *za: Phenox has a Pact with the Demon King; this is why we follow his orders to take the world. I think that things were different at one time, but I have lost many memories over the millennia.* That made it clear that this was the path I would have to follow. What I would be when this was all over didn''t really matter, I just needed to stop all of this, but first, I needed answers. "Zack? You don''t have to grow big this time," Kali said from my shoulder, making me jump. "What is wrong with the chat?!" I growled, but the Kali burst from my chest and grabbed me by my cheeks. "Don''t growl at me, Mr! Now, activate the Pact!" Kali ordered me as she used vines to fight my arms off as I tried to get her to stop pulling my damn cheeks. I red at Kali, and she grinned at me, letting go of my cheeks. Looks like some parts of her were still the same, and Kali still liked to y. If there were no people around and we had more time, I would teach this brat a lesson, but that would have to be put off to another time. I closed my eyes and activated the Pact, and I felt Kali suck back inside of me. Suddenly the world became a brighter ce, and I felt like I was slowly gaining back strength. I could feel the roots of the trees that Kali was calling down from far beyond the edge of the crater. These powers were so hard toprehend sometimes, but the majesty of them was without fail every time I witnessed them. Besides now being fully aware of almost everything on this ind, I now could make things grow! Put that in your pipe and smoke it! Chapter 341 Getting Closer To Leaving, I Had To See *Kali: This is so much different than I am used to! I can feel the entire ind!* It was true; I could also feel the roots and nts all over the ind as the Gogs were each gently wrapped in roots and pulled back up the slope. Roots came over and created a basket for me to stand in, and I was lifted up with everyone else. I looked around, and a few of the Gogs were cheering, many with scared looks, but most were looking back at the ce they had lived their entire lives. This might or might not be the best for them, but they were doomed if they stayed, but damned if they came with me. [I think that you made the best decision, even if I don''t think it matters. Sometimes it''s better to go with what you feel, but don''t ignore cold hard facts when theye your way.] ''I know, but I won''t leave people to their fates if I can do something about it. This is partially my fault, so I am responsible for this mess, and these are the victims.'' It didn''t take long to get everyone up, thanks to the roots, and once we were up, Kali helped me create a raft with railings, so no one fell off. Working with Kali was different than the others, and I kind of liked it, but that could be because of the connection that we shared. As soon as we had everyone on board, Kali used the root system to roll underneath us, sending us sailing forward at a decent speed. It might be faster to have just grown big and run there with everyone, but this was fine. Kali had half her body out again, and she was cuddling into my chest as we sped along. I had my arms wrapped around her, and I was watching all the Gog''s looking around. They all had amazement written all over their faces, and their fire eyes were now bright with excitement. Thankfully, most had stayed seated, but there were a couple that I used the roots of the raft to lightly strap down. "What do you think we are going to do when we leave the ind? I mean, I know that we are going to the biggest ind, but isn''t that far away?" Kali asked me as we got closer to the vige. There were a great number of things that I had in mind, but I wasn''t really sure where to start. "I have ns, but nothing that we are rushing towards. If I know Trouble like I do, it will have no problem finding me. I am a bit of a ma for that stuff!" I said with a chuckle but then sighed. There were many things I needed to do, but there were also a ton of things that I just wanted to do and explore. I was in this world, and I would have to leave at some point, very likely to never return. While I was here, I wanted to explore and see all that this world had to offer for sights. These worlds were once-in-a-lifetime kinds of ces, and The Demon King wasn''t going anywhere. "We will take our time and explore the world and get to Gardania when we do. I am sure there are many more friends to discover and people that need our help," I said as we started to slow down; we had arrived back at the South Vige, where Lani, Mex''s daughter, was the leader. I still remember the fight that we had gotten into when I had firste to this vige. That was just a couple days ago, but a lot has happened since then. "That sounds really good. I was hoping that you weren''t going to sail us directly into danger after all the crazy stuff we have been through already," Kali said, and then merged back into me as we stopped and the raft was set down, and the sides folded, but they did that on their own. ''Did you just do that, Kali?'' I asked. *Kali: No, the ind wants to thank you by giving you a small part of it to help you on your journey. I was confused by what that meant, but after the Gogs and I got off the raft, it started to change. The roots pulled together and made the shape of a man about my size, and then it bowed to me. *Kali: the ind says that this can take on most shapes or be split up for smaller tasks. You just have to send it thoughts, and it will obey yourmand, but it can not talk; just follow orders. The inds thank you again for fixing the Demons and wish you safe travels.* I felt what Kali said from below me, and it was a surreal feeling having something like an entire ind of trees and nts thanking me. Next thing, it was going to be the ocean or something wild like that! "Well, let''s get going, and we will get you all settled. We are getting closer to leaving, and we still have lots to do!" I told the Gogs and my new walking furniture, and I headed into the vige that was looking very busy with the following. There was a steady stream of people heading to the beach, and seeing them all got me pumped up. There was much more than I had thought there would be, but this was still great. We all would be leaving soon and setting off to explore the world. I would be lying if I said that I was starting to get pumped up. There was a fight waiting for me out there, and then I would take this world by storm! Then I saw something I had heard about but had yet to see. I was also surprised at how much it looked like the ones I had seen in games. It was an Orc, big and muscly withrge tusks and dark blue skin. I had to go talk to him! Chapter 342 New King, The Great Demon Lord I jogged over to the massive man-shaped creature walking with the other more minor Demons. The other demons were average-sizedpared to me, but the Orc looked to be almost right feet tall. "Hey, you! Big guy!" I called out, and the massive creature slowed down, turningrge yellow eyes on me. "Hello," was all the big guy said, but he gave me a smile about a foot wide. "Well, you are quite the impressive-looking guy! Are there other Orcs that will being? I asked the monster of a man, but he shook his head. "Only me. The others stay. This is home, but there is a new king, and he is strong! Grak is strong, so I want to fight him!" "So, you like to fight, hey? But what if you lose?" I asked but then remembered what I was doing. Before the big guy could answer, I turned back to my followers. I told the Gogs following me to get into the line of people and start heading to the beach. The group shook their heads no, and I rolled my eyes but asked them to wait for a moment as I turned back around. I didn''t think that this guy would be a problem, but he was big and wanted a fight. "If I lose, I will be happy. If he loses, Grak king!" The Orc told me, flexing his arms as he did, and I nodded. "Well, I am the new Demon Lord, but we don''t have time to fight. I am sure that we will have plenty of time in the future for that. My name is Zack," I told the Orc, offering him my hand. "You are a little man? I Grak, and I am bigger than you! Roaaar!!" Grak bellowed, tipping his head back, but I was already growing. By the time the Orc brought his head back down, it was level with my waist. To his credit, Grak didn''t step back, but he did look up at me with awe. "Woah! You are a tricky little that uses magic!" Grak roared up at me and then tried to grab me by my leg. It was less sessful than if a child had tried to move me. I was about to scoop the Orc up, but both of us stopped at the sound of Nushi''s voice yelling at me. "Zack! This is not the time for messing around! You are blocking the path!" Nushi yelled up at me, and I grinned with a sigh and struck back down. "You little man or big man?" Grak asked me as I shrunk back to my original size. "I am the boss, man," I said with a grin as Nushi ran over to hug me. The Demons we''re starting to move again, but the Gogs we''re still waiting behind me. I guess I would have to take them directly myself, but they all had to feel pretty lost. "Grak, go to the beach, and the girls will find a ce for you if you still want to join us," told the big guy that was still standing in front of us. "Okay, Bossman!" Grak shouted, making passing Demons jump, and then the Orc started back to the beach where he had been heading. Once he was gone, Nushi red at me. "I thought that you were going to mess around?!" Nushi scolded me, making me smile with an apologetic look. "Sorry, I had never seen an Orc before, and it was a lot bigger than I assumed it would be. Then he called me a little man and said he wanted to fight me. I got big to prove a fast point, and then you showed up!" I exined, trying to soothe my beautiful Demoness. "I see that you have the Gogs, but did you finish the rest of your business here?" Nushi questioned me, but I answered with a hail of kisses. She tried to fight me off, but I already had my arms wrapped around her. Nushi finally stopped resisting and kissed me back, melting into my arms. Once we finished, I set her down and nodded. "Everything is done. The Sahuagin and Barracuda are doing well, and I have the Gogs. All that is left is getting everyone loaded up. How is that going? There seems to be an extremelyrge number of people heading to the beach," I said to Nushi. "Most of them are justing to say goodbyes or to see us off. The number of people that are actually joining us so far is less than twenty," Nushi exined, and I waved for the Gogs to follow us. That surprised me, but I wasn''t disappointed. I really didn''t want to take the whole ind, but I had thought that there would be more. "I guess that it''s a good thing that most of them are staying. Have all your grandmothers returned yet?" I asked Nushi as we walked towards the beach with the steady stream of Demons. "Most of them are happy now that Doa is gone, and they don''t want to go through any more strife. I can''t me them," Nushi said, and I agreed. This trip would not be safe, and when we got to Gardania, things were only to worsen. It was best for most of them to stay, but I still wanted to give everyone a choice. The Demons that walked with us all looked happy. I had a couplee up to me as we made our way to the beach. "Thank you for getting rid of Doa!" "Thanks to you, my daughter and I cane out of hiding!" "Praise the Great Demon Lord, Zack!" The praises and thanks picked up as we got closer to the beach, but people were starting to crowd around my group. I got worried that the Gogs were going to get trampled if people got any more excited, so I asked everyone to back up. Everyone did as asked, and Nushi, Grak, and the Gogs followed me through the separating crowds. I was d that the big guy followed us; I wanted to ask Grak why the other Orcs had chosen to stay behind. Chapter 343 Fantastic Four, Loaded Question Up ahead, a row of people all lined up to a door built into the side of the massive silver ship sitting on the shore. There were only about ten people in line at the moment, but I recognized three of them. "Well, looks like you didn''t scare them away!" I said, leaning over to Nushi as I pointed at the three women from Crater City. "Yes, I saw that, but you will have to watch out for that group. That is the Women''s Circle, a group that stayed hidden during Doa''s reign and hid as many women as they could after they had children. Machariel is their leader, and she has a severe distaste for men in general. They agreed toe and said they would behave, but I would still keep an eye on them," Nushi exined to me as I watched the line file into the ship. "Did you hear something from their thoughts that might cause you to worry about this?" I asked Nushi as she turned back to the Gogs, and I received a hand up to my face. "All of youe with me, and I will help you all get inside. Zack, I will talk to you more when we are out on open water and away from the ind. You have more than enough on your te right now to worry about, and there is arge group of people here to see us all off. I think that it would be good if you said some parting words," Nushi all but ordered me as she took the group of Gogs and Grak over to the ship. I groaned and put a hand up to my face in frustration as I started to rack my brain. I had no idea what I was supposed to say to these people! I had already given the ind a speech before, but I had some time to think about what I was going to say. This was sprung on me in thest moments, but I guess that I should have seen iting. All these people hade here under the rule of an asshole ruler, but now they were freer than they had ever been. Sure they were stuck on this ind, but they were also safe here from most of the outside world. Anything that did make it inside wouldn''t be strong enough to defeat the people of the ind. On top of that, I could feel reassurance from the ind that it would also protect the inhabitants as well. [You have done well for everyone on this ind. I don''t think that you need to really say that much.] Harold was right, but even though I helped everyone on the ind, it was thanks to all my interactions that I was able to grow. Not all of them had been good ones, but I had taken lessons from each one. I had been facing the water as I thought, but I noticed that the sound behind me had almostpletely ceased. That made me turn around to see that the entire group that had gathered was looking at me, waiting for something. I looked over all the blue faces that had shown up, and everyone looked happy. I really hoped that this ind could stay this way while I was gone; these people had been through enough. "Well, this is the end of my time on this ind, but I have learned a lot sinceing here. When I started this journey, I thought that everyone was a monster, but it turned out that you were all just like me. I hope that you can all start to work together and thrive on this ind while I am away!" I shouted, and the crowd cheered. And then they broke up and started to head back to the ind. It wasn''t much of a speech, but the way they all just left afterward made me feel like they all just came out of an obligatory sense of duty to me. Well, I just did an obligatory speech that really didn''t say much, so go figure. I could feel Windorf and Firedening up from behind, and Grogvel wasn''t far behind them. I turned around to see all three of my elementals walking towards me, looking like a twisted version of three of the Fantastic Four. "So, are you ready to explore the rest of the world?" Fireden asked as he walked over to my side. I smiled and turned to the ocean. That was a loaded question. "Yeah, I am excited to get off this ind, but I have no clue what is going to be waiting for me when I get out there. We know there is an army waiting for us, but I am not really worried about them. What I am worried about is all the things that we still don''t know," I said, running my left hand through my hair. As I did, Wataluga and Kali unmerged from me to join the others as we stood in a line overlooking the ocean. It was only the beginning of a very long journey that was far from over. It was mid-day now, and I was starting to get hungry, but that would have to wait. I could feel something pushing me to leave the ind. I wasn''t sure if it was the ind, the bubble, or just my own senses, but something was telling me that I didn''t have much more time on this ind. I stepped forward and turned to the five elements that were under my control. "Thank you all for helping me get this far, but I think our time here is done. I can feel something pushing me away from the ind, so we should probably get going. I will head inside quickly and thene back out the top after making sure everyone is ready to go," I told them all, and all Five nodded at me. "Don''t worry. Wataluga and I will get the ship out; the rest can join you," Grogvel told me, and I nodded at the other three merged back into me. Chapter 344 Glass Dome, Knew You Could Do It! I turned to the ship and headed over to where Noel was waiting for me. She had been directing everyone into the ship, but now she was just waiting for me. She was wearing a white and yellow summer dress that flowed over the curves of her body nicely, and I waved to her. I got a small wave back, and I thought back to when I had been spit into Nixi''s roof for the first time. The women had all been trying to help me, but they also tried to molest me, which I had fought. Looking at Noel now, maybe I shouldn''t have fought as hard, hehe. "Is that everyone?" I asked with a smile as I walked up to Noel, slowly slipping an arm around her to pull her closer to me. Noel nodded and leaned into me, resting her head on my chest as I wrapped my other arm around her. I kissed her blonde hair and then let her go, and Noel looked up at me with a small smile. "When we were all brought here, and even before, I had always thought that I was going to just be just another piece in arger game. You changed all of that, and now we are leaving here," Noel said to me as we entered the ship together. "We will keep on changing and growing, but I am d that you have all gotten out from under Nixi''s control. I n on spending a lot of time with you all, so maybe you should suggest to the others to think of some things that you always wanted to do," I told Noel as the massive door closed behind us. We were in the living room, but the whole ce was empty. It was hard to believe that we just packed a bunch more people in here, and now there wasn''t a soul in sight. "Where did everyone go?" I asked as I looked around the room. "Everyone had ced, but I think that most of the girls are in the front section of the ship," Noel exined to me, pointing to the kitchen. "Oh? What is up there?" I asked curiously. Instead of answering, Noel stepped into me, leaning up for a kiss, to my surprise. I took her into my arms again as our lips pressed together, enjoying the taste of her tender lips. This was much more than the first kiss that I had received from Noel, and I could tell that she was starting to see me in a different light. The kiss wasn''t rushed, but we soon broke apart, both of us knowing I had much to do. "Get us off the ind," Noel told me as she turned to walk up the stairs. I stood for a moment, watching her leave, and then started walking towards the kitchen. Lidy was in there, and I smiled at her as she looked up from some food she was cutting up. "Most of the women are upfront, so it might be pretty packed. Most of the Demons have been on boats before, but the front part of the ship is something that Fireden helped with. Almost everyone is glued to the ss," Lidy exined to me as I walked over to give her a kiss. "I haven''t had a chance to check anything out yet, so I don''t really know what you mean," I said to Lidy, and she pointed over to a door at the back of the kitchen that was new. "You will see. Good luck out there, and remember that we are all here for you," Lidy said and then kissed me again before getting back to the meal she was prepping. I grinned and headed over to the back of the kitchen, where there was a normal door that looked like every other one in the ce. I opened it up and froze at the sight on the other side of the door. The room was filled with women that were all pressed up against the giant ss sphere. The moment I stepped inside, I could feel we were moving forward, but there was no rocking like in a boat that sat on top of the water. "Zack! You have finallye to see!" Kieta called over to me from where she was standing with Kerri. Lizy, Veronica, Nushi, Hydie covering Missy, Jilly, Tiga, Jessabell, Mary, and the Cerberus girls were all waiting for me inside the room. I smiled at them all as I walked over to join them while looking at the underwater scene. There was nothing in the room but the girls, some furniture, and an amazing view. I had kind of thought that this would be the control room or something, but that must be in another part of the ship. "Well, this is a pretty nice little area! I am guessing that the ss was Firden''s idea?" I asked, and Jilly nodded. "Yes, I asked him if he could make some windows for the room, but this is what he did. I think it looks nice, and it will be a good ce to rx," Jilly exined, and I nodded, walking to put a hand on the ss and put my face close to it. *Fireden: The ss is over two feet this and magically reinforced, just like the rest of the ship. There is no worry of it breaking. That was good, but now it was time to get this show on the road. I turned around to face my girls with a big smile on my face. "It has been one hell of a week, but we made it here, and like I said, we are leaving!" I said to everyone as the door at the back of the room to the kitchen opened up. "I never doubted you in the least bit!" Mex said as he strode into the ss-domed room, and I believed him. Mex had been in my corner since I met him, and the person in front of me was mostly the same, just apletely new look. I had thought that he was just useless, but he was just a man tired of trying. "Good, then that means everyone is ready to go?" I asked, and Lizy Rolled all her eyes at me. "We have been waiting for you!" Chapter 345 Old Gods, What Tales Tell "Yes, and I am sorry, I had to stop and seal up some loose ends and make a new connection with Kali. Now it is time to leave; I can feel the ind pushing me. I want everyone to stay inside because I don''tpletely know what will happen when we cross the barrier. I am going to go stand on the top of the ship so I can deal with the other problem waiting for us," I exined to everyone, but some people didn''t wholly agree with me. "Are you sure that is a good idea? That is probably exactly what the witch wants!" Jilly told me as she walked over to me in her human form. "It''s not that I don''t believe that you are all strong or that you won''t be able to hold your own. I just don''t want to have to worry about any of you when I should be concentrating. Once you all have a chance to figure out the changes you are about to go through, we will start working on team strategies," I told Jilly, but she still approached me and then put her arms around me. "You had bettere back here, or I wille out there and get you myself!" Jilly whispered harshly in my ear before kissing my cheek. Jilly let go of me and turned away, but all the girls flooded right after her. I told them all that I wasn''t going to lose, but I knew that they could feel the overwhelming force, and most of them were worried. I didn''t have that fear because I had no doubt about me winning. This was not a fight that I could or would lose. The girls broke away from me, and I nodded to them all as I walked to the end of the room where Mex was waiting for me. His arms were crossed, and he looked like he was looking at his star pupil. "Let''s go; I want you toe up to the top floor with me," I told Mex as we left the domed room and went back into the kitchen. I didn''t look back, nor did I look at Lidy; I just headed for my target. I woulde back here after this was all over and really start this adventure. "You look like you are ready," Mex said to me as we headed through the living room, and I nodded, but Mex stopped me at the door under the stairs. Mex reached forwards and opened the door, but the staircase was gone now. There was a metal elevator waiting for us in ce, and I followed Mex into it. "This is new," I said as I looked over the buttons for fifteen different floors. "Yes, I added a few new floors that are not like the rest and some for the new people," Mex told me as he pressed the button for the top floor. "I still can''t believe you hid this from me! This is pretty damn cool if you ask me!" I told Mex, and he looked away bashfully, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, not that I hid it from you, just never properly exined the extent to what I could do with it. Not that it''s important, the most I can do for battle is summon weapons that only I can use. There are ways I could allow you to use it, but that would mean creating a Spatial Construct like Noel does," Mex exined as we rose, and I nodded. p "That makes sense; the weapons are your constructs. Still, not everything is about the battle. I had no idea that you were responsible for the Keep! Look at what you have done here? I couldn''t wrap my head around something like that!" I cheered, pping Mex on the back. "You really are something else, but let''s talk about Thesta before you go out there," Mex told me, and I nodded, then blinked. "Who?" I asked, not familiar with the name. "Tiga''s mother and the Sea Witch. Her given name is Thesta, but that is not her true name. Only those with contracts to the Old Gods can no that name. You be equal once the name is given, and the contract gives you half of their power. The problem is that all tales of this happening are the same. Too much power, and they die, giving all their energy to the Old God," Mex exined, and I nodded and knew that I could be a but to that. "So if I could learn Thesta''s true name, I could essentially tame her?" I asked, a bit curious, and Mex''s eyes shot wide. "That is not what I said, boy! What did I just say?!" Mex barked at me, but I grinned. "Look, you are right, and I can''t handle it now, but I was able to tap into much more of my power on Kubrick. I think there is a possibility that I might have the capacity in the future," I exined to Mex, and he calmed down as we reached the top floor. "You make a fair point, but the chances of you getting the names are not likely. The tales of the few Heroes and Demons that have tried took on long quests in order to gain favor. Remember, in the god''s eyes, we are nothing but passing fools to be used for their enjoyment," Mex said as the metal doors slid open to another wooden door, and we walked out of the elevator. "True, but we are in no hurry, and there are enough of us here. I am sure that we will be able to outwit a god if we all work together. Just rx, though. I am going to delete this copy of the Sea Witch, don''t worry. I was just curious and am just tossing ideas," I told Mex, and he seemed to rx, but it was time. I could feel the barrier getting closer as my arms'' hair started to raise. I was ignoring the biggest thing that wasing, but talking about it would change nothing. The memories were where the true battle would happen. [Check out P at re on.co m/Magic_ remove the spaces, for NSFW art work, Merch, and to read ahead!] Chapter 346 Memories Pt1 Mex nodded to me and then offered me his hand. I grinned and took it. Both of us looked at each other, and finally, Mex grinned back. "The girls have told you this more times than you care to hear, but don''t you leave me here all alone with these women!" Mex told me, and I rolled my eyes but smiled. "Don''t worry; this fight will be nothing," I told Mex, but he shook his head. "You know what I am talking about. I know that you are about to get your memories back, and that is never easy. Memories can be painful, but just remember that you are going to make so many more great ones here," Mex told me as he let go of my hand and then turned back to the elevator. "Where are you heading?" I asked Mex. "To go help steer this thing. Kieta is down there right now, but I will need to collect Hydie to get us really moving. Once you engage, we will start heading further out to sea, and you can catch up, okay?" Mex asked, and I nodded as I turned to thedder. I started crawling up fast and made it to the hatch easily, opening it up. There was an immediate smell of saltwater, and I could feel the wind blow down on me, but the air was electric. As I pulled myself up, Wataluga and Grogvel were there waiting for me. The two merged with me without saying a word, but the barrier was very close. I dropped the hatch, and it closed, bing one with the ship''s surface like it was never there. That was a nifty trick and good to keep others out, but now was not the time for admiring the craftsmanship. The barrier was invisible, but we were less than thirty feet from it, and I walked to the front of our massive Silver Submarine. [I don''t know what is going to happen, but just know that I am your friend, no matter how jaded of a past we have had. Mark, on the other hand, is a different story. You will see him for the rat that he has always been. I don''t know what the rest will be, but just remember that you will being back to fight. Everyone here, including myself, needs you toe back from this.] Harold''s words were thest thing I heard as I crashed into the wall that I couldn''t. The world went dark. [Memories Of Zacks Life- Childhood] I opened my eyes and stretched my arms, letting out a long yawn. It was Saturday, and time to go see what was for breakfast. I had stayed upte ying Dragon Age, almost beating it for the second time. The game interested me because of how your choices affect the game. If I kept up like this all weekend, I would be tired for school, but it didn''t matter. The work they gave me was too easy, and I finished it long before any of the other students did. I got dressed and headed to my kitchen. I needed something easy to eat so I could go back to working on my own project. I was sixteen, but I had been living alone for thest year. I didn''t think about it that much, plus aunt Pa owned the shop below me, and I didn''t have to pay rent. My parents were killeding back from a trip while I had been staying with my aunt. I had been a mess for thest year and rarely went out besides school and basic needs. I did have a friend that visited, but Mark was a bit of a loner. Still, it was nice to talk to someone outside of school. Most kids didn''t like me, but I gave none of them any thought. I wanted to work towards a future where people didn''t need to die, but there was so much that I didn''t know yet. I walked into my kitchen and headed to the fridge. There was some milk and a bowl of fruit that I hadn''t put there. Pa must have stopped by and dropped off some groceries, something she did more often or not. I was told I wouldn''t grow strong without proper meals, but I wasn''t really concerned. The project that I was working on would hopefully remove the need for most human needs. I didn''t know if it was possible now, but one day when I got older, I would figure a way to see them again. I grabbed an apple, headed back to my room, and turned myptop on as I took a bite out of it. I sat down as theputer started up and looked at the mess of papers on my desk. There were numerous references notes I had taken about the study of vibrations, Energy, and how humans are made up of vibratingyers of energy. Inside of this mind, I was watching myself, and I could hardly believe what I was seeing. How was I so damn smart, and why did I feel like a moron most of the time? I was floating above myself, but I had a limited view. I couldn''t leave my body nor look around outside of the child version of myself. Then there were my parents, but I seemed to have gotten through it, maybe. I still didn''t understand the point of me seeing this now, but then there was a knock at my door. The younger me got up, headed through the kitchen, and opened the door to Mark and a much younger-looking Helsin Zero. Both my younger self and I were confused as to why this person was there, but Mark spoke up. "Zack! I talked my dad into getting a hold of Mr. Zero! I told him all about what you had told me, and he is very interested in what you are working on!" Mark told me, and the younger me got very excited and big-eyed as the young man walked into my apartment without being invited. So this is where it all started. Chapter 347 Memories Pt2 Mark stood in the corner of my kitchen, with short brown hair and ss. He had on a bright orange shirt and jeans, but he looked nervous. Helsin Zero had ck hair and was wearing a suit that more than likely cost more than everything in my apartment. He wasn''t much older than me, but he gave off the vibe of being older. "So, your friend here talks highly of you, and so does Mr. Trenton. I would like to offer you a position at mypany. We work with games, but that is only a small part of what thepany is trying to achieve. I think that your studies are the future of gaming, and maybe the future for all humans," Helsin told me, and the younger me lit up with excitement. "Really? Do youDo you think that we will be able to achieve an energy state one day? I mean, we should bepatible with the change, but I am not sure how we could obtain it¡­." The younger me said with a voice trailing off. "I think with the help of others we collect for your team, anything is possible. Money is no option, only the end results! I want to create a truly interactive game that the yer can actually experience. I have looked into many ideas, but we are a long way away from being even close to achieving anything like a true VR experience," Helsin exined, but the younger me didn''t really seem to understand and wasn''t confident. "Are you sure that you are looking for the right guy? I am only sixteen right now! I don''t even have my license!" I argued, but Helsin justughed my worries off. "Don''t you get tired of the easy work that you are given at school? Don''t you want to be doing more with your life? I can help you achieve your dreams if you help further mine! This about it, Zack, you would be the first to try our games, and you would move into the building with the others I have collected!" Helsin questioned me, offering me things that I knew my young mind couldn''t resist. I was starting to get a picture of Helsin, but he didn''t seem evil, just driven. I had no idea what was driving him, but that was why I was here. I needed to know what caused it all. Suddenly the room with the three of us blurred, and I was walking into a new room. I was in control of my body this time, but memories were flooding into me. This was my room at the O, Helsin Zero''s massive researchb. I had just moved in after arge fight with my aunt. Pa had wanted me to finish school and then go, but I had it in my head that school was just a waste of my talents at this point. Worse was that I was moving out and away from her, but I was old enough to make my own choices at my age. Pa had to ept my choice, but she didn''t like it. Now I was getting myself settled in, but all of my stuff had been moved for me, so there wasn''t much for me to do now. Knock, Knock I turned to my open door, and Mark was there with a grin. I still didn''t know how Mark fit into all this or how he had betrayed me, but this was when my body started to take control. "Hey, thanks for getting me hooked up!" I told Mark, and he shrugged. "Don''t worry about it! I was just d that my dad was able to get through to Mr. Zero. I knew that he would be interested in you! Dad is one of the main people that invest in Mr. Zero, and you''re my best friend, so it was the least I could do," Mark told me as he walked into my room, looking around. "Still, I am very excited to meet these others," I said, but then there was another voice at the door. "Don''t get too excited. Most of the people here don''t have the time they want to waste," a girl with blue hair said to me with a re from my doorway. Nushi? The face was right, but there were no horns or blue skin, and her hair was clearly dyed. "Zack, this is Suzzy, and she is a bit of a pain, but she is very good at character Mapping. She does all the base coding for the yers in the game, but your line of work might rece hers," Mark exined, but that just pissed Suzzy off more. "This pathetic excuse of a human is going to rece me? Ha! I think not! Don''t get in my way, you hear me?!" Suzzy dered but left before I could say anything. Well, that was not what I expected, and I looked down at my body. I was not really much to look at, but I could see why Suzzy might hold some resentment toward me. If I could make the Energon Pulse work, then we would be able to be transported into the games and design them how we wanted. This included our own bodies, but it was all just circumstantial. I had yet to even discover how I was to create this pulse, but that was why I was here. Helsin told me that I would have ess to whatever I needed, and there would be others to help me. I had to assume that Suzzy wasn''t going to be one of them, but there might be a way to include her. The human mind was limited to what It had seen or heard, so having more options that were at your own disposal wasn''t a bad thing. "Yeah, you are going to get that a lot. Most people think that with youing here, their work is going to be all for nothing, and I don''t disagree, but this is the future. I can''t even really do anything, but Helsin said I can stay here to help you out with whatever I can, even if it''s just being a friend," Mark told me, and I felt sick from it. Chapter 348 Memories Pt 3 Mark smiled at me and then gave me a wave as he left my room. Knowing what I did now, I wanted to hate Mark, but I couldn''t. Yet. I needed to see why he betrayed me, but my memories were limited still to what I was shown. It was like something was forcing me to see all the pieces before I could be sure of what really happened. My body was about to turn back from the door, but then another person appeared at my door with a snide look. I knew right away who this guy was, Harold. "So, you are the new child that Mr. Zero brought in to help with the project, hmm? You don''t look like much, but you had better not get in my way! The boss might have told me I have to show you around, but that doesn''t mean I need to like you!" Shouted Harlod at me. Slowly, I felt myself sink into my body, and my thoughts started to get blurry. I shook my head and looked at the strange kid in my doorway that was yelling at me. I had just gotten here, and this was the second person to give me a hard time. I wasn''t really sure what was up with everyone, but I wasn''t trying to cause trouble. "Hey, I am Zack. I won''t get in your way, don''t worry, but I just met you. What is with the hostels?" I asked, trying to be nice, but this guy wasn''t having it. "Name is Harold, and I am your superior. If I tell you to get something, you get it. I will decide when you are ready to work on the project!" Harold yelled at me, and I nodded. I was starting to get fed up with this guy, and I had just met him. What was his problem anyway? If we were going to be working together, then there was no reason for him to not like me. Whatever it was, I was starting to regreting here, but I didn''te here for any of these people. I had a purpose for being here and a goal, so I wasn''t going to let anyone else''s bad mood change that. These people were just going to have to learn to get used to me. "Okay, Harold. You said that it was your job to show me around? Then why don''t we do that?" I asked with a bit of an edge in my voice, but it flew over Harold''s head. "Yes, I guess that I have to! Follow me, and don''t fall behind! I won''t be repeating myself!" Harold told me as he turned and started to walk away from my room. I could see that the two of us weren''t going to get along very well, but at least I would have Mark. I was worried abouting here, but I hadn''t expected my arrival to be taken with such hostilities. I shook my head and jogged out of my room and into the silver hallway that was filled with doors. Some of them were open, and I could hear many people talking, but I ignored them, jogging after Harold. "This is obviously the dorms. The showers and bathrooms are at the end of the hall, but you had better stay out of the girl''s washroom!" Harold growled at me like I was likely to do that. I was really starting to not like this guy, but starting a fight as soon as I got here was not a good way to get to know people. Maybe. "Don''t worry about me; I am not here for the women; I am here to work on my project. I don''t know what your problem is, but I didn''te here with the intention of taking anyone''s job! I would appreciate it if you could just show me around the ce and drop the attitude," I growled, giving a re as we reached the end of the hall. "Oh? Well, I didn''t ask to be put in a babysitting position with a child like you!" Harold shouted, turning to face me. "I might be you, but the only person acting like a spoiled child is you!" I shouted back, feeling my anger starting to rise up. "Really? You are just some low-life that probably has no talent! Maybe living on your own made you think that you were hot shit, but that won''t fly around here, orphan!" Harold shouted, and I saw red. My fist flew up and smashed into Harold''s face before I knew what I had done. The loudmouth crumpled to the ground as ice flooded through my veins. What did I just do? This was not the way things were supposed to go, but I hated being reminded of what had happened. "You son of a bitch! I am going to," Harold started to say as he picked himself up, looking like he was about to charge me. "Enough!" A female voice barked from so close behind me; I jumped into the air in surprise. "Jill, did you see what this barbarian just did to me?! This program has no ce for the likes of him!" Harold shouted as he held a hand over his bleeding mouth. I turned around to find a tall, well-built, red-headed woman who towered over me. Yup, this was the end for me. It looked like I was about to get my ass beaten to death by an amazon, but the woman winked at me. I called her a woman, but she seemed to be closer to my age than I had assumed after looking. "I was listening to the two of you from my room. If this is too much trouble for you, then I will act as a guide for the new member of your team. I will also be reporting EXACTLY what I heard and was said here today. You should know better, Harold," Jill said, and she sounded like she meant it, but Harold brushed it off. Chapter 349 Memories Pt 4 "What? Do you think I can be reced by this useless brat?! I don''t have time to be wasting here! I am going to myb!" Harold said, storming off, and I let out a sigh, rubbing my hand. I wasn''t big on fighting, and that was the first time that I had really hit someone out of nowhere. I would get into scuffles before in school, but the only things that got hurt then were pride. "You have quite the punch! Maybe I will have to get you toe to motion tracking sometime, and we can suit you up! My name is Jilly, and I work on the NPCs and monsters that are in the game we are working on. I am guessing you are Zack? Mr. Zero said you might be joining us," Jill exined to me but then gestured to an open doorway. "Uh, yeah, that''s me. Can I ask you something?" I asked Jill as I followed her into another silver hallway, but there were no doors this time. "Your question is to ask why everyone is so hostile to you?" I nodded. "Well, everything here is verypetitive, but you will find that there are a few nice people that are just here to work. For the rest, they have been working on this project for a while already before you showed up," Jill exined, and I nodded, but I was still lost. "Well, I don''t n on messing up any of their work," I told Jill. "You will. In fact, if everything goes as Helsin predicts, your studies will change everything that we have done so far. As it stands, we were creating a game meant to be yed from a console, but Mr. Zero thinks that you will be able to put people inside of the game," Jilly exined, and I finally started to get it. "So you are saying that just me being here is going to upset everyone?" I asked, starting to feel like I really had made the wrong choice, but Jill stopped and turned on me. "What everyone else thinks doesn''t matter. You are going to change everything, and we are all going to get on board or be left behind. Some of the people just can''t handle not being in control of everything, so they take it out on others. Even if it''s not their fault, which this isn''t your fault," Jill told me, but that wasn''t going to make it any easier. "I guess I just didn''t think that I woulde to a ce where everyone was going to hate me right off the bat," I said, hanging my head, but Jill gave me a push that surprised me. I almost tripped over my feet, but when I got my bnce, I gave Jill a strained look. For her part, Jill started tough, and for some reason, I joined her. It had been a long time since I had been able tough, and I didn''t even know what was funny. Still, this was nice. "Look, there are going to be some people that don''t really like you at first, but I am not one of them, and there will be more. You are going to have to show people that what you are doing is for the best and that we all will benefit from your research," Jill exined to me with a smile. The girl, who was a bit taller than me, turned and then headed back down the hallway, but I was stuck in ce for a moment. Jill was pretty, but something about her made me feel better, and that smile had helped. I ran to catch back up, and Jill started to point out the differentbs and offices. There were too many names for me to remember, and by the time we were finished, my head was spinning. "Well, that about wraps it up, except for one thing, and I think you will like it," Jilly told me as she led me to an elevator. The two of us got in, and Jill pressed a button that had nobel at the bottom. As she did, the entire panel opened up to some sort of camera. I watched as Jill leaned down in front of me, putting her face up to the camera. I wasn''t sure, but I thought that I saw her looking back at me in the reflection, but I wasn''t sure. [Team Member: Jill, Clearance confirmed.] The voice sounded female, but I could tell that it was some kind of automated voice. Jill turned around once the elevator started to move, but she was giving me a scrutinous look. "Did I do something wrong?" I asked Jill, but she didn''t answer me. That was strange, but maybe I had gotten too close to here? Thest thing I wanted to do was piss off the one person that seemed to like me. The two of us stood silently as the elevator continued down. I had no idea just how far we were going down, but I was too shaken up from Jill''s stare to ask her. When we finally reached the bottom, the door opened to another silver hall with a massive metal door. The thing looked like it was meant to hold some kind of monster back, and part of me started to get worried. Jill had not started moving, so I just stood there in silence, waiting. After about five minutes or so, Jill turned to me. "Why didn''t you look?" Jill asked me, but in an aggressive tone. This question surprised me, and before I spoke to ask what she was talking about, I scanned over everything that had happened so far. Everything that Jill had pointed out I had looked at, so I wasn''t really sure what I missed. "Did I miss something? Sorry, I am not sure what you are talking about," I exined in a level voice, but Jill just stared at me for a moment longer. "When I bent over, why didn''t you look?!" Jill demanded, and my eyes went big. Chapter 350 Memories Pt 5 Was I supposed to be watching her when she used the elevator?! I guess that could be it, but I had assumed she would have told me to look if she wanted me to. "Oh, um, sorry, I guess I should havee around beside you when you were using the elevator! I will make sure to pay better attention next time!" I blurted out, trying to straighten my posture, but that made Jill throw her hands into the air. "What?! No! Why didn''t you try to look at my ass! You''re a man, aren''t you?!" Jill yelled at me. I just stood there blinking. Was this really what she was getting all upset for? "Uh, sorry. That isn''t really something that I do. I mean, I like girls, but that isn''t really my thing. Plus, there is a lot going on right now, and I didn''te here to meet girls. I came here because I want to make a ce where people don''t die forever or ever. I am sorry if I didn''t notice," I exined to Jill, and she put a hand to her chin. "Hmm, well, you are not like the rest of the pigs here, but you are good-looking. I bet you already have a girl!" Jill dered, pointing the finger at me like she had me all figured out, but I justughed. "Yes, I do have a girl back at home, and she didn''t want me toe," I said, deciding that I might as well y along for a bit. "Oh?! See, I knew it! That is why you could resist my juicy hips!" Jill dered with augh that said she had it all figured out, and I grinned. "Yes, my Aunt Pa really didn''t want me toe here, but I told them it was the best thing for my future," I exined. "Aha! So this Pa¡­ wait, you said that she is your aunt?!" Jill asked, and I burst outughing. "Yeah, I wasn''t very popr in school because of my grades and my attitude. People don''t really like you if you beat them in almost everything you do without trying. Not like I want to be good at everything, but hard not to. Would it really make sense for me not to give it my all with each thing I do?" I asked, and Jill seemed to rx. "So you lived with your aunt before this? What happened to your parents, if you don''t mind me asking?" Jill asked me, and I felt a tightness in my chest startup. I didn''t talk about my parents that much because as much as I tried to tell myself I was fine, it still hurt. They had gone on what should have been a normal trip but never returned. "I lived above my aunt''s store alone, and my parents diedst year in a ne crash," I said, but my words were hollow. This was why I had decided toe here. I wasn''t stupid, and I didn''t think that I could bring them back to life like they were, but maybe I could prevent others from having to go through the same pains that I did and are going through. Suddenly, Jill came forward and wrapped me in a hug before I could say anything, pressing my face into her well-rounded plush breasts. Part of me was embarrassed, but most of me just rxed. This was different than when my aunt had hugged me or my parents, but it was still nice. Then I started to be aware of where my face was pressed into, and my heart started racing. This was the first real hug that I had gotten from a girl, and I had never touched a girl''s breasts on purpose. I could feel my cheeks starting to get hot, and I started to squirm as other parts of me were heating up. Jill let go of me, and I backed away from her as she chuckled. I knew my face was beet red now, but there was nothing for it. "Looks like you are more of a boy than you give yourself credit for, but in a good way. You are a strong person, Zack, but just don''t be too hard on yourself. I don''t know what you have been through, but if you ever need a hug or someone to talk to,e see me, okay?" Jilly told me, and I nodded, taking a deep breath. "Thanks," I said, rubbing the back of my head, and Jill turned back around, waving for me to follow. I was thankful that she didn''t try to jump me again, but I couldn''t say that I didn''t like it. I was not used to having a woman that wasn''t rted to me try to hug me or even get close to me. School was just people calling me weird or a nerd all the time, so I just ignored people. Then my parents¡­ and things only got worse for me from there. Now I was, who knew how far underground, walking towards a door that looked built to withstand a nuclear st. On top of that, when we got to the massive door, there was a tablet and another eye scanner. Finally, I had to ask, "What is up with all the security? It is like we are trying to get into the pentagon!" I eximed, but Jill only gave a halfugh and then turned back to me. "What you are going to see in the next room is top secret, okay? Remember the paper that you signed when you first came into the building?" Jill asked me, giving me a serious look, and I thought back. "Yeah, there was a non-disclosure agreement, right?" I asked, and Jill nodded. "We all have signed it, but what we are doing here is important, but it is also dangerous. The thing on the other side of this door is top secret, but it is the key to what you are working on. If you can figure out how to use this, then all of our dreams cane true," Jill said to me with a small smile, but the hairs on my arms started to raise in a warning. Chapter 351 Memories Pt 6 There was something about this that sounded like what we were doing wasn''t quite legal, but my interest was piqued. Whatever was on the other side of this door was important, and now I just had to see it. "I want to see it, whatever it is," I told Jill, and she nodded solemnly. "Just know there is no turning back after this. You will be part of the team, no matter what happens," Jill told me and then turned around to press a button that made the doors start moving. I really wasn¡¯t too sure what I was going to see on the other side of the door, but I knew that it had to be something to do with the Megatron Pulses. What was on the other side of the massive st door confirmed my greatest fear. The concept that I had been working on was a theoretical pulse that would roll across the, touch all humans. When contacted, if the pulse was charged enough and in perfect sync with all humans, it would give us the boost to reach an energy state. With this idea came many problems, and even more dangers. The main one is that it would be done without the consensus of everyone that would be touched. The thing was, if we could make it safe, it would only serve to make everything better, but that was only my opinion. In order to do something like this we would have to hold a world council, and everyone would have to decide. That was a minor problem though. Even with how impossible that task seemed, that actual danger of what was before me in this gargantuan room was immeasurable. The destructive power of this machine was enough to wipe us off earth, and not in a pretty way. ¡°This is your Megatron Pulse, well it¡¯s your concept. What do you think?¡± Jill asked as she turned around, but got a shocked look on her face when she saw the horror on mine. ¡°What have you guys done?!¡± I asked in horror. ¡°I didn¡¯t do this. Mr. Zero had a specialized team build this four months ago! What is wrong?!¡± Jill asked me, but another voice spoke up from inside the chamber. ¡°That is good, thank you Jill for showing our nice young guest around, but I will take things from here. I''ll bring him back up after, and you can show him to his new office area,¡± Helsin Zero said as he walked from behind one of the six massive capacitors. ¡°Oh, umm, okay! I will see you up top! Come find me in my room, number three!¡± Jilly called as she jogged back to the elevator. Once the door closed, I turned back to the room where Helsin was standing on the walkway. As much as I didn¡¯t want to get near the machine, if this was real, then there wasn¡¯t a safe ce to hide if this malfunctioned. I still couldn''t wrap my head around the fact that this was actually real. The room was arge open cavern that had six giant capacitors to hold power, and in the center of the room was a massive cylinder. I knew that the actual area inside of there was mostly a control room that would surround the core. ¡°Why did you build it?¡± I asked tly. I was still a kid, so there might be reasons that I just didn¡¯t get yet, but this was very premature. All I could do was think about what might happen to everyone if this ran short of power. ¡°I know, this is dangerous, but we need time to feed the Pulse more energy. It will take ten years, maybe less to acquire even close to what you estimate it will take, and you need to study it. Would you like to go closer? Or are you worried about it?¡± Zero asked as I walked over to join him. I looked over to the side of the walkway, but I couldn¡¯t see the bottom, just darkness. This ce did look very well set up, and the titan capacitors should be able to hold the stream at the same speed. ¡°Sure, I want to see. You and I both know that if there was a leak, or this does explode, there isn¡¯t anywhere to go. I have one question, how were you able to take my crude drawings, and turn them into a working model?!¡± I asked, and Helsinughed as we started walking to the center. ¡°Well, you are very smart, but I have a lot of money. Once I saw your design, I had some specialists look at your work, and they said it was possible. So I hired some toe help me build this in a short amount of time. Don¡¯t worry, nothing was skipped on. I made it very clear money was no object, but safety was. I know what kind of radioactive death I could subject to us all, and so does the government,¡± Helsin exined as we approached a door in the side of the massive cylinder in the center. ¡°You have approval from the government for something like this?! Is everyone starking mad?!¡± I eximed, but Helsin justughed as he ced his hand on a print scanner, and then his eye. ¡°Well I can honestly say that I do agree with you on how crazy this is, but what it will do for us when you discover the God Frequency out weighs it all. Think about it Zack, no more hunger, death, or anything like that! Wars and fighting will be a thing of the past, and people will be free!¡± Helsin dered dramatically as the door to therge control room was opened. Inside was filled withputer stations I would have thought to see inside a NASAunch center. There were also some men and women sitting at the stations, but I couldn''t tell what they were doing. Helsin seemed to know what he was doing, and he was right. This was a great chance for me to learn about this, and hopefully unlock the secret of the God Frequency. I still couldn¡¯t shake that this was a bad idea though, but that ship was long gone. Chapter 352 Memories Pt 7 Helsin showed me around, letting me look at the monitors that the people were watching, and each of them was monitoring different things. I guess this was to help put my mind at rest, and it did for the most part. Regardless of my worries, this is what I had wanted but never dreamed that it could be done yet. I had written down my idea, but I was just a kid, and yet, here it was. I really wasn''t sure what the future has in store for humankind, but I knew the world that I wanted to work towards creating. The thing that I didn''t know was what use Helsin had for my research. Sure he could use it to put us in a game, but that meant that someone had to be in control, and that wasn''t what I wanted. "Mr. Zero, can I ask you what you n on doing with this?" I asked as we left the chamber, and the st doors were closed behind us. "What do I n on doing with this? Well, I am not really sure yet. There is a n for the game, but it is really just a cover for our true intentions. I, like you, want to create a world where no one has to die," Helsin said, but I was sted out of my body, and my memories came back. I didn''t understand what was going on, and before I could blink, the scene changed. Suddenly I was in Helsin Zero''s office looking in, but my body wasn''t there. Mark was there, with Helsin talking about me. I knew something like this would show up, but this was far sooner than I had expected. "Tell me about your friend; he seems guarded. And not about his stupid parents, I already know that! I want to know his worries abouting here," Helsin asked. So this was the moment that my friend first betrayed me. I had thought that it would have taken time, but I should have known when Helsin conveniently told me what I wanted to hear. I was forced to listen to my best friend spill all my secrets to this man that only wanted to use me for his gain. While the pain of the betrayal was lessened by knowing it was going to happen, it still stung. I had been trying to hold out hope that Mark had been forced to tell him, but this proved he gave all the info up for his own gains. Suddenly, years started to fly by me in memories but then stopped at the moment that Harold and I had discovered the God Frequency. I was in theb with him, but things were different now. Over the years, we had worked together and slowly formed a strained partnership. I was forced back inside my body again, and my mind flipped. "What are the chances?!" Harold eximed as his eyes lit up. Both of us watched as the simtion ran its full course, converting every living soul on this into energy-based lifeforms. All of our hard work was finallyplete. "I told you that just going with it would work!" I cheered, and Harold rolled his eyes at me. "Don''t get too excited yet. This was our first test run and-," Harold started to say but was cut off as Helsin and Mark came marching into theb without knocking. I had started to be more uneasy about Helsintely with the massive increase in workers that had been hiredtely. I would understand if they were to help with the project, but they were all game designers and coders. If Helsin was going to stay true to his word, then what was with all the rush to finish the game? I had tried asking Mark about it, but he said that they were already behind on the game. Helsin said that the government was worried about the bacsh and how the world would react. The excuse was that having a game that they could enter right after release right after the Megatron Pulse would end that. I didn''t believe Helsin, but I trusted Mark, so I wasn''t sure what to think. Harold was always in my ear about Mark being a worm, but I didn''t believe him. Thest ten eight years had been really hard, and Harold and the others hadn''t made it much easier. Thankfully, everyone was starting to treat me more like family, but too many girls were here. "So, you boys have finallypleted it! How invigorating! The rush is on! Please run some more tests, and when you are satisfied it will work, let me know!" Helsin said in an excited voice. "Why? I am sure that you already have up-to-date copies of our work, right? We never called up to say we hadpleted anything," Harold said in a t voice as he red at Helsin. If there was one thing we could agree on, it is that Helsin was not to be trusted, but there wasn''t much either of us could do. It was to the point where no one had left the building in thest two years. "Oh, you are a sharp one, but of course, I would be watching my two start pupils! Your work is the most important of all things at this facility! The future is bright, my boys! Relish in your achievements! You have earned it! Tonight I will be throwing a little party in your honor, but sadly, I will not be in attendance," Helsin told us, but not seeing him there would probably make it better. "I can''t believe that you actually did it, Zack! I mean, I knew that you would, but it is still amazing!" Mark told me as Helsin left the room. "Yeah, well, I wasn''t the one that discovered it. That was Hero over here! I actually think that we should change your name to this. Honestly, I never really liked Harold, and you might even be friendlier!" I joked, poking Harold, but he still had a serious look on his face, but he was ring at Mark. "Oh, Mr. Scary Face is ring at me, so I guess it''s my time to go and let you both get back to work!" Mark said and walked out of the room. Chapter 353 Memories Pt 8 Harold followed him over and closed the door to theb, and then turned back to me. He was still wearing the same serious look, making me frown at him. "Really? How long are you gonna keep scowling? The Demon King is gone now; you can rx," I joked, but that didn''t budge the expression on Harold''s face. "You know that he is lying to us about what he is going to do with this, right?" Harold demanded, but I didn''t answer right away. I had my suspicions, but I had no way to prove it, and Mark told me to have faith. He said Helsin was a trustable guy, but there were things that he couldn''t say because of the government. I never had a reason to doubt Mark, but Harold was right, and I was worried. "I still don''t know, but Mark says-," I started to say but was cut off. "You are not that snake! You need to think for yourself on this one! You are not as stupid as you look, so stop trying to act that way!" Harold dered, but I threw it back at him. "Oh? Then fine, let''s say that I believe you about Helsin wanting to use the Megatron Pulse for his own good. What the fuck are we supposed to do about it?! You just said that he already has our work!" I shouted back, and Harold pped his hand to his face. "I know! Here,e over here and look at this. Before we knew how to create the beam, we understood how it was supposed to work, right?" Harold asked me as he went back over to where we had been working and sat down. "Sure, we used to model, so we knew what we would be looking for. What about it?" I asked as I walked over to join him, standing behind my chair. "So, I have been suspicious about Helsin for a very long time. I decided to see what would happen if someone tried to use his game after we had changed. The first person I tried could not enter the game," Harold said as he pulled up the same simtion that we had just witnessed. "What is that supposed to mean? No one can y the game?" I asked. "Shut the fuck up for a moment, and let me exin before you question!" Harold growled. I really didn''t like when he acted like this, and I was close to backhanding this idiot out of his chair. That is what would happen right now if this wasn''t so damn important. "Fine, tell me then, Smartass," I growled. Both of us had gotten into a few fistfights over our work in thest ten years but now was not the time. Whatever the know-it-all had figured out, it wasn''t good. "I had to try five signatures before one work and after doing a study," Harold exined, and a map of the world appeared on the screen. There were a lot of red dots on the map, but from what I could see, a third of them were blue. "Only one-third of the poption will actually be able to y the game. It looks like it was too much to add all humans, so they restricted it to thergest portion of people with the same frequency. Now, look at this," Harold instructed me, pointing at the same screen as all the red dots vanished. I waited, but it seemed to be my turn to speak. "Okay, but what does this have to do with us. What does it matter if he fucks over one-thirdone-third of the world from this game? Won''t someone else just make a game after that is far superior? We will have limitless potential, right?" I asked, feeling my chest get heavy. "This is the same simtion that we just ran, Zack! This is what will happen if Helsin uses this with his game, but that isn''t the only thing. If he does do this, I am sure that he will make it, so he is in control! Do you think that son of a bitch is going to let us do what we want?!" Harold shouted as he jumped up from his chair. The implications of what had just happened started to be all too apparent as the ice started to run through my veins. As I nced at Harold, I broke out in a cold sweat, and he nodded in agreement. "Now you seem to get a glimpse of what is actually going on here. To trust one of the richest men in the world that can see nothing but his own ambitions is foolish," Harold told me as we stared eye to eye. "What can we do?" I asked, not really sure what we would do from this point, but Harold didn''t have a good answer. "To that, I don''t know. It''s not like we can tell anyone, and now that he has what he wants, we don''t have many choices. Tomorrow both of us are going to look into this and try to figure out some way to stop him from doing this. For now, we have tests to run," Harold said after a long sigh. "What do you mean, tests?! After everything, you just told me, and now we are going to perfect it?!" I stammered, not sure what this Looney Tune was up to. "What choice do we have? Even if we can''t stop him, at least some will survive. We can try to fight him after that, but if the Megatron Pulse fails, then we are all gone. No matter how much we hate him, there is the rest of the world to think about," Harold exined, but that didn''t make me feel better. This was worse than I could have ever imagined, and if it was true, I wasn''t sure I could stop him, but we had to try. I did not want to be responsible for the demise of all humanity. Chapter 354 Memories Pt 9 Harold and I spent the rest of the day running tests until the evening, but they all returned the same. No matter how many times we ran the God Frequency, the results returned with two-thirds of the earth''s poption being deleted. There was no better term for what would happen to the people. The frequency would tear them apart at the atomic level, causing their bodies to explode in particles, but there was something. ¡°The only thing that might be our saving grace are the ghosts that will be left. From what the tests show, there will be something left of each person who is deleted. I don¡¯t know what we can do with that information since we only just discovered what this even is. There are too many unknowns and not enough time to test them!¡± Haroldined as I leaned back in my chair, scrubbing my hands over my face. ¡°We just need to postpone whatever he is trying to do. There has to be a way that we can do something about the Ghosts they will leave. I will confront Helsin about this and beg that he give us some more time. I am sure I can convince Mark to talk to him,¡± I said, but Harold threw up his hands. ¡°Harold is part of the problem! That snake has been feeding information to Helsin since you got here! Why can¡¯t you see this?!¡± Harold growled. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on what is important right now. You and I have a job, and we will fix this. We have to,¡± I said, staring at the screen with the test results on it. ¡°What did you break this time?¡± ¡°Probably a keyboard that he used to hit Harold with.¡± ¡°Does that mean that we missed the action?¡± I turned to see a group of girls I hade to know very well. Jilly, Mary, Lizy, Veronica, and Katie were all standing outside the doorway to ourb. ¡°How long do you n on hiding in here? You know that we are having a party, right?¡± Jilly asked, walking in toe and sit on myp. ¡°No fraternizing in the work areas!¡± Haroldined, and Jillyughed. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a prude. Trinity is waiting for you, so leave Zack with us, and go get presentable,¡± Veronica said with a grin, making Harold blush. ¡°Well, I guess I sound, umm, get going,¡± Harold said but then turned to look at me seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t forget what I told you.¡± ¡°Like I could forget,¡± I said as Harold left the room, and the other four girls came in. ¡°What is wrong?¡± Mary asked as she came over to me. ¡°Hard to exin, and it would just kill the mood. We will deal with it. So, what is this about a party?¡± I asked to get off the topic, but Jilly gave me a look. ¡°Are you sure? You two looked a lot more gloomy than normal. Is this to do with what you are working on? I heard there was major progress made in your department, and that is why we are having a party. We thought we woulde and congratte you two, but you both looked like someone had run over your dog,¡± Jilly said, and I nodded. ¡°There is a lot I don¡¯t know yet, but all of you will be safe. You girls and the others were the first ones I ran through the simtion,¡± I said, and Lizy stepped forward. ¡°Is that what is on your screen right now?! You have to tell me this is a failed test, right?!¡± Lizy eximed. Lizy was in charge of the integration software that would link us to the game. I don¡¯t think she quite understands what her program was meant to honestly do, but now she was getting a glimpse. ¡°That is what will happen if the Megatron Pulse is turned on with our God Frequency plugged into it. We have based our calctions on your software that Helsin has been rushing. The nature of your software has been kept from us until Harold, and I discovered the right frequency. Only now can we actually see what it is going to do. In order to change that, you would need to build new software, and we would have to find the frequency to match it,¡± I exined, and Lizy sank down into Harold¡¯s chair. ¡°Can¡¯t you just delete your work?!¡± Jilly asked, but I gave her a look. ¡°What good would that do? He already has all of it. Nothing we can do at this point is going to stop him. Harold and I are now focused on damage control since the deleted ones will leave a Ghost behind. That is what I am calling it, but I don¡¯t know what they are exactly. There will be something like an after image of the people killed, so we are trying to figure out how we can save them,¡± I exined, rubbing both hands over my face in frustration. The room went silent, and I couldn¡¯t me them. I had just exined how our boss was about to kill two-thirds of the world''s poption. On top of that, we were the tools that Helsin would use to achieve this. ¡°What can we do?¡± Mary asked, and I tapped Jilly¡¯s ass for her to get up. ¡°For now, go to this party, and try to act normal. Tomorrow, Harold and I are going to go into overdrive to find a solution to this,¡± I said, but then the lights turned off, and red lights started shing as a siren started to re through the entire facility. ¡°You don¡¯t think that he is going to do it already?! The game isn¡¯t even finished yet!¡± Lizy eximed as she jumped out of her seat, but I was already running out the door. There wasn¡¯t a single part of me that didn¡¯t think that was precisely what he was doing, but I wasn¡¯t going to let this happen. I created this, not him, and I wasn¡¯t going to let him kill all those people! Chapter 355 Memories Pt 10 I ran down the hallway from the research center and through the dorms with the girls running behind me. I ran as fast as I could and almost ran straight into Harold, who was stumbling out of his room. ¡°What is going on?!¡± Harold asked as he pulled on his dress pants. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I don¡¯t think the shing red lights are a good sign! What do you think would cause this, dumbass?! Come on!¡± I yelled and kept running to the main elevator. I was trying to run every situation I could think of through my head, but I wasn¡¯ting up with any solutions. I really had no idea how I was supposed to stop this from happening. ¡°Do you think that we can even get down there?¡± Jilly asked, and I nodded, pulling out mynyard with the ck card hanging from it. ¡°This is the same one that Helsin uses. I got it from himst month, so I could study how the Megatron Pulse activation would work. That was the final piece of the puzzle we needed, so I hope it still works. We literally justpleted the God Frequency, so I doubt he has had them changed yet,¡± I said as we reached the elevator. I put my ck card up to the door, and the elevator opened, and we all got in. The door closed as the lights continued to sh, and I pressed the button for the bottom floor. ¡°Do you have any kind of n?¡± Jilly asked, and I shook my head. ¡°I have no idea what I will do to stop him. This is all happening too fast, and the Megatron Pulse has been a ticking time bomb that has been waiting to go off. If we are wrong, and this doesn''t work, everyone dies,¡± I said, and the elevator went quiet except for the hum of our descent. ¡°If this does go off, what then? We have never looked at what we could do yet, and I am worried about the other two-thirds of the poption that aren''t included. There has to be something that we can do, right?¡± Harold asked, but I didn¡¯t get why he was looking to me for the answer to that question. ¡°You are the brains! I need you toe up with some, and fast! We have about thirty seconds until that door opens, and I run to open the st doors. You need to have a n by then!¡± I yelled at Harold. ¡°Zack, give him a break. We are all under stress here,¡± Lizy said, but Harold put a hand up. ¡°No, he is right. I am a thinker, and I need toe up with an idea. From what I understand about the game, it will be linked to Helsin¡¯s frequency, so he will have full control over everything inside the reality he creates. You need to disrupt that reality somehow before it can form! If you can do that, you will gain partial control of the game or whatever is left of it,¡± Harold exined after shaking his head. ¡°Disrupt him? Do you mean like I do to you when you piss me off? And I need to do that right after the wave is activated?¡± I asked, and Harold got an unsure look on his face. ¡°Not really sure about that part. I know it will be a bad idea to do it after, or it could be like stars colliding. That is a very low estimate of what it would probably be like. We have no idea what the oue of such a thing would be because we have no reference points,¡± Harold exined, and the elevator dinged. ¡°That is better than nothing. I suggest that you all go back up top, but it¡¯s not like there is anywhere that will be safe,¡± I said and then turned and ran to the st doors as the elevator door opened. It was a short jog, and I had my keychain ready when I reached the massive doors. I pressed my card into it, and the system confirmed as the doors started to open painfully slowly. I could hear the othersing up behind me, but I dropped when the door was over a foot off the ground. I pushed myself under the door and then back up to my feet, starting to run to the center. The colossal batteries had sparks bouncing off them, which wasn¡¯t a good sign. The Megatron Pulse was gathering up energy to activate the God Frequency. I ran as hard as possible and could see Helsin inside, pointing and shouting. The door I was running to was starting to close, but I wasn¡¯t going to let that happen. I threw myself at the gap, just barely able to catch the door, pushing myself inside. The door slid closed behind me, and I looked up at a smiling Helsin. ¡°You might have made it this far, but even you must know that we are far past the point of no return!¡± Helsinughed. ¡°Zack, we are going to have the perfect world! We will be able to do anything we want! Helsin is going to make us gods!¡± Mark eximed with a big smile from beside him, and I blinked at Mark. ¡°You know that over six billion people are about to die when he presses that button, right?¡± I asked, expecting to see shock on Mark¡¯s face, but all I saw was shame as he looked away. ¡°That is just something that had to happen. We were running out of money, and the government would shut the whole project down. When they found out that not everyone would make it, they would try to stop the pulse! Everyone would have died then!¡± Mark exined, but I could finally see what Harold had always said. ¡°You don¡¯t get it. We could have tried to fix things long ago, but this was always Zero¡¯s n! This bastard has always wanted to have control of everything, and you gave it to him by lying to me!¡± I shouted and advanced on Helsin. Chapter 356 What I Needed To Do, Learn The Hard Way Mark tried to get between us, but I shoved him out of the way like a sack of potatoes. I was going to stop this, but I had to time it just right, and the Megatron Pulse wasn¡¯t ready yet. ¡°What are you going to do? The game is programmed to me, so there is nothing you can do to stop this, no matter how violent you get,¡± Helsin said with a snide look that I wanted to punch off his face. ¡°You think you can just toy with the lives of billions of people? Is this all you ever wanted?¡± I asked, trying to stall time. I needed to stay close to him and the button that was dark for now. When the system was ready, the button would light up. ¡°You think I have always wanted to kill most of the world''s poption? This is something that has to be done! They were going to shut the project down, and the government funding the project made it this way! The funding has continued to get less and less over the years, and there is nowhere left to draw money from. The funding is why we had to push the project forward! You can see me as evil, but I am just making the best of the worst situation!¡± Helsin told me, and I growled. ¡°You could have made it so we all could survive from the start like we had nned! That was what we have always talked about! You both told me and lied to my face this entire time! You used us to get what you wanted, and now you n on taking everyone with you, whether they want it or not!¡± I shouted, grabbing Helsin by the shoulders. The system was nearly at capacity, and the button was about to light up any second. I needed to be prepared for what I needed to do. Time started to slow down as I focused on my breathing, speeding my heart rate up. I need to be in fifth gear for this, no holds barred, and ready to act. I couldn¡¯t stop what was about to happen, but I could try to get a hold of whatever came after. If there was some way that I could takeplete control of the game, I might be able to change things back to the way they were supposed to be. The light lit up, and Helsin smiled at me. ¡°This moment will go down in history, and in time, I am sure that we will be good friends. We will have time to work our differences out,¡± Helsin said to me, but I shook my head slowly. ¡°I will be your greatest foe. No matter where you are, no matter what you do in this game, I will be there to stand in your way. There is no way that I will ever rest until I can fix the mess that you are about to create. The universe isn¡¯t big enough for you to hide from me,¡± I said, but Helsin hit the button as I finished. I snapped my head forward and pulled Helsin Zero into me as I tried to head-butt him. I was toote; the wave crashed over us the moment before my head connected with his nose. Then we connected, and everything blew apart, sting my consciousness across the universe, but I had already seen this. I was no longer in that body, but I watched as the universe tried to put itself together. The shattered pieces tried to form, but they all pulled together like a ball of crystal spikes, starting to melt into a liquid with a purple light in the center. Then the orb ttened and spread out over the ck canvas, the light still at the center. Two objects rose off the surface to float over the purple light, and I recognized the two faces. Then they smashed together in brilliant light as I stood on the underwear boat''s top. I still didn¡¯t like the name, but now I understood what I was doing here, but there were still questions. The main one was the same one I had before this all happened, How do I fix this all? The water was sshing around me, and the smell of the sea was refreshing after spending all that time in a stuffy building. I had a big fight that was in front of me, but pulling up my system quickly told me that it was going to be interesting. I was now level thirty-five, and my abilities had changed dramatically. I was excited to test them out, but I needed to ask Octo-mom some questions before I tore her apart along with the rest of the Demons in the water below me. ¡°Slimy witch! Come up here so you can talk with me, but leave the ugly mass below!¡± I called out, and the water started to froth and boil as the entire Kraken lifted herself up to the surface. ¡°What did you just call me, you useless hero!¡± Thesta, the Sea Witch, screamed at me, but I just rolled my eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t act like you didn¡¯t hear me. I know what you want, but you can¡¯t have Tiga; she is mine. I also am not going to let you get out of here alive. You aren¡¯t even a Demon, so I could have ignored you, but you attacked me when I was weak and have done several other scummy things. To say I don¡¯t like you would be an understatement, but I am not here to threaten you. I am here to tell you that I will being for you, so I will go back to hide in whatever hold you crawled out of,¡± I warned. ¡°You think someone like an Old God like me would be scared of a little creature such as yourself? I will kill you here and now, along with that stupid child of mine and her father!¡± Thesta screamed, and tentacles sprung from the water and wrapped around me. I sighed. Some people were just destined to always learn the hard way. Chapter 357 Miss Her So Much I was lifted in the air as the tentacles tried to crush me, but they had almost no effect on me as I scrolled through a list of the girls I had given Systems to. I had a new ability that I wanted to try out, but there were so many exciting choices. ¡°If I can¡¯t crush you, I will just devour you!¡± Thesta screamed, tipping her body to reveal a fleshy pit filled with pointy teeth. No part of me wanted to get tossed into this thing¡¯s mouth. So, I decided that I would fight fire with a methrower and selected Tiga from my list, and my body started to grow and change rapidly. Thesta screamed as her tentacles were torn apart as I became a monstrous twenty-foot-tall male Mantiken. My hands were massive paws with razor-sharp ws four feet long, legs a mass of my tentacles that moved on their own but at mymand. Massive wings sprouted from my back as my hair grew longer, and I could feel my scorpion''s tail as well. ¡°What?! Impossible! How is it possible that you can change your body like that?! Get him, you useless Demon!¡± Thesta screamed as she retreated back from me, but she wasn¡¯t getting away that fast. My tentacles shot me into the air, flinging Mutalisks everywhere that was ineffectually trying to attack me. I fell down on top of the Sea Witch, and our bodies locked together with tentacles thrashing, but Thesta had already lost. I stabbed Thesta multiple times with my tail, injecting her with a poison that would liquefy her insides in a matter of moments. My acid was also the same as what had messed me up from Tiga¡¯s tentacles that were soaking into the Sea Witch. I wasn¡¯t sure if that would be good or bad for her, but her reactions said it was terrible. ¡°Get off of me¡­ You¡­ what¡­ happening¡­ melting¡­ AHHH!¡± Thesta tried to yell, but the acid from my tails started to take effect, and Thesta started to thrash again, but she was already dead. I released the Sea witch and watched as she sank, her body starting to pull apart. I stretched my senses, but Barbarous, the Demon King of the Sea, was gone, along with all his Mutalisk. [I don¡¯t really me him. You are quite an ugly site. You don''t really seem that different, so I can assume things went well?] I looked down at myself and smiled at my strange-looking body but frowned when I thought of the memories. That had been a lot to take in, but things were starting to make more sense, sort of. ¡®I get why I am here, and I know what I need to do, just no more of a clue how to solve it than I did in the elevator. I don¡¯t know how we will save all those people,¡¯ I sent to Harold. [I still don¡¯t have an answer after all this time, but we have nothing but time. You sped through everything thest time you tried to get to him. I think that you must have missed somethingst time. I can only suggest now to take your time and go over each world with a fine-toothb.] ¡®Yeah, not like we have any information to go off, but there is something. The girls will all have their memories back, but Mary and her team, who are her sisters, are the ones I need. They were in charge of all easter eggs and treasures that were written into the game. I feel they will be the only ones that still don''t have their memories back,¡¯ I exined as I turned back to the ship, my body shrinking back down. I crawled back on top of the ship andid down. That was the first time using my new Monstrous Growth ability, and it really took it out of me. If I had stayed in the form any longer, I probably would have been forced out, but that was pretty cool. [That is true, but it is just another thing you can work on. For now, I think you should let everyone else direct things for a while. I think you could use some rest; you have earned it.] ¡®Rest? Can you not count how many women there are down there that are interested in spending time with me? I think fighting monsters is the only real off time I get!¡¯ I sent it back, and that made Haroldugh. [Possibly, but just remember. Nothing is forcing you to rush things, and it is in your best efforts to take your time. You have more than enough things to take care of inside this ship before stepping outside it. The world''s problems can wait; they aren''t going anywhere.] I peeled myself off the smooth hull of the submarine; funny how that word had escaped me until now. I guess it was one of the significant advantages of getting my memories back; I knew what things were called again. Still, thisst week had been one hell of a trial, but it was over now, and it was time to kick things in slow-mo for a while. I had been going too fast for two long, and I didn¡¯t just mean this lifetime. I could remember pushing myself to near death with almost everything I did, fighting to get to the end. The problem was that I never took the time to make a n; I was just angry and pissed off. ¡°Zack!¡± Jilly called, and my heart skipped a beat as I turned around to see her crawling out of the hatch in her human form. I turned, but tears suddenly filled my eyes, and I got a lump in my throat. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, or you will make me cry!¡± Jilly cried as she ran into my open arms. Even though I had just seen her in my memories and before I left the ship, I missed her so much. [Dear Readers! This is the end of the first book!! Finally made it! I know that it took a long time, and thank you for sticking with it the entire time. The next book will start right away, but this is the offical end of Monster Girl Ranching In Another World! The next books is called, Monster Girl Ranching at the Bottom of the Sea!] Chapter 358 Picture This Jilly and I took the elevator back down to the bottom level of the ship, and I held her hand the entire way down. I was feeling a bit strange, but it was hard to just get used to having a straight head. ¡°Are you okay, Zack?¡± Jilly asked me. ¡°You seem like something is bothering you.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it bothering me. It is just nice to have all my thoughts free, and now I am trying to figure out where we should go first. We don¡¯t have to go anywhere first, so I am just trying to figure that out,¡± I said, but the truth was I didn¡¯t have a clue where I was going. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Mex will be the one piloting us. Do you remember who he is?¡± Jilly asked, but I shook my head. ¡°Not anyone that we knew. There aren¡¯t going to be many people that we know. I think you will all be close to me because I was close to you girls in the development teams for the game. I am going to have to talk to everyone because many of them will be just getting some of their memories back,¡± I said, and Jilly leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder. ¡°You have more than enough time to take care of things now. Mex said it would take a couple of days to reach the first ind. You can go around and visit with everyone and rx. You have earned it,¡± Jilly said, squeezing the hand she was holding and my upper arm. The elevator stopped, and we got out and headed to the front dome of the ship. Lidy was in the kitchen, and I waved to her, getting a smile back as she prepped food. It was weird toe to the bottom of the ship down a long elevator but end up in the front top half of the submarine. I knew this was all because it was a broken version of Helsin¡¯s game. It was easier to make some kind of sense of the oddities and impossibilities now, but it still was weird. ¡°So, that was anticlimactic, but that is what we like! How are you feeling now? Brain all in working order?¡± Mex asked, standing in a pirates costume, or maybe they were his everyday clothing; it was hard to tell. ¡°I feel good, just not really sure where we are headed from here,¡± I said as Jilly and I walked into the big open room. Mex was the only person in the room, which surprised me. I had thought that some of the girls would be down here, but only my multi-jointed friend was waiting for me. ¡°I am going to see the girls. Take some time to yourself, but then go see how everyone is doing,¡± Jilly said and then gave me a kiss before leaving me alone in the room with Mex. ¡°So, picture this,¡± Mex said when the door closed. ¡°I am getting flown up to Sunshine in the Rockies up near Banff to get dropped on the top of some mountain. I paid for this trip, but I hade alone after getting ditched by my friends. Anyways, I was about to drop out of the side of my helicopter, and BAM! I was getting ripped apart, and then I was stuck in ckness, but there were thousands of others! Then I was ripped out of the ckness as ink that my mother pissed out!¡± ¡°Is this your origin story? How did it feel to be pissed out? I have never been curious to know how that would feel, but since you have some experience. Not like I could ask the women this, but you must know, right?¡± I asked with a grin. ¡°Ha, ha, jackass. Speaking of women, you should watch out for Machariel. She hates men, but she has had some rather bad experiences. I suggest that you deal with her, or she will sour the fruit if you know what I mean,¡± Mex said, and I nodded. ¡°I will see what I can do. More importantly, right now, where are we headed. I know that I should be rxing about that, but this is bugging me. I will feel better when I know the direction we are going to go,¡± I said, and Mex nodded with a smile. ¡°Sure, let''s head down to the lower level. We just have to head out the front door, which is connected to the control room and Kieta¡¯s shop. There are other things down there, but you can check them out for yourself in your spare time,¡± Mex exined, and I nodded. ¡°Sure, I will meet you down there, but I want to stop and talk to Lidy for a bit,¡± I said, and Mex nodded. ¡°Take your time. There is no rush now that we are off the ind. I will be waiting down there with Keita and the others,¡± Mex said and left the room. I turned back to the ss dome and walked over to put my hand on the ss, looking out at the endless blue. [We finally made it, and now you have the direction that you need to travel in. I was able to transfer all the elements into Libra¡¯s ring, but you still have full ess to them. I will need you and Mex to link at some point. After that, we can take Marley and za out of him and transfer them to you.] ¡®There are a ton of things that we have to do, but I will get on that as soon as possible. Are you able to enter Libra¡¯s World?¡¯ I asked. [Yes, I have been there a couple times already. Time moves slower there, so I have made a couple trips to get a ce set up. Been a long time since I had to walk anywhere!] ¡®I will get Mex to link with me after I am done talking with Lidy, and then you can take some time off to spend with Marley. I think that I should be able to manage for a couple days without you,¡¯ Iughed. [Thank you.] [Chapters are slowing down right now to get ready to drop 20 on Aug 1st 2022!] Chapter 359 Lidy Forester I focused back on the vast Hydrous ocean before me. I started thinking about how I could fix the problem that was central to all of this but gave my head a shake. ¡°I have time,¡± I said with a sigh, but then I turned to the sound of the door sliding open. ¡°Yes, you do. I am sure that you are probably trying to solve all the problems that you have in your head right now, but you should stop,¡± Lidy said as she walked into the room. ¡°I know I should, and I am trying,¡± I said with a weak smile as Lidy walked over with her horns swaying back and forth. ¡°You know, things haven¡¯t really changed much since then. I am still preparing your meals, and you are still making me eggs,¡± Lidy said with a smile as she slipped her hands around my waist. Lidy Forester, my favorite cafeteria worker, always gave me extra servings in the back room. She was a relief from the constant stress I had been under while working on the God Frequency, but I have been intimate with many of the girls. Still, Lidy and I had spent a lot of time over the ten years that I had worked for Helsin. Her temper had gotten worse, but besides that, she was still the same beautiful woman that I remembered. ¡°I am just d to be able to finally remember who you and all the girls are to me. We had a connection from the beginning, but now I can remember why,¡± I said with a smile, wrapping my arms around Lidy. ¡°So, captain? What is your n now?¡± Lidy giggled, and I kissed her with a smile. ¡°Well, tonight we are going to find out what is hiding under those horns, but for now, I need to see where we are heading. I haven¡¯t had a chance to see the control room, and I want to check out what Kieta has been working ontely. The fight with Thesta was pretty anti-climatic,¡± I said, and Lidy grinned up at me. ¡°I like the sound of that tonight. I also coulde down with you, and we can test out some of her new weapons. I promise to go easy on you,¡± Lidy said to me, and Iughed. ¡°Sure, but I am the one that is supposed to be saying that to you, right?¡± Iughed as we broke apart. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember me kicking you through the walls?¡± Lidy asked, giving me a sideways look. ¡°Not an easy thing to forget, but I am a bit different now. I am curious to see what I can do now if I really cut loose,¡± Iughed and then gave Lidy a smug smile. ¡°Give me the best you have, and then we will have some fun. I feel like you are going to lose some of your heat when you change, so you might as well go all out while you still can!¡± ¡°You had better remember that you asked for it! If you think that you can fight me now, then I won''t hold anything back,¡± Lidy grinned as we walked through the kitchen to the front of the house. I opened the door for Lidy, but there was just a tiny metal room on the other side with one door and a kiosk window. ¡°Zack! You are back!¡± Keri cried out, and the door opened up as the short red skinned girl with burning eyes came running over. I scooped Keri up and kissed her neck and face until she squealed for me to stop. ¡°What are you doing back there?¡± I asked, and Kerri gave me a serious look as I held her. ¡°I am keeping the people out that don¡¯t belong! Mex said that there are some people that don¡¯t belong past this point, so I am the guard!¡± Keri exined, putting her hand in a salute to her forehead. p I kissed her again and then set Keri down, and she went back to her room and then shut the door on Lidy and me. We waited as Keri climbed back up on her stool, but when she was there, Keri gave us a serious look. ¡°State your¡­ bussy-ness!¡± Keri dered, and I smiled. ¡°Our bussy-ness is to see where we are headed next. So, can wee in?¡± I asked, but then I heard Mex yell from the other side. ¡°Keri! That¡¯s Zack! You don''t have to ask him!¡± ¡°But you told me to ask everyone!¡± Keri yelled back but then opened the door for us. Lidy giggled as we walked through into another hall that opened up to the Control Room. There was a sunken area around a massive raised section that had a massive table in the center of it. A number of the girls worked behind consoles in lower areas, but Lidy and I walked up to the upper section first. Mex was up there with Nushi, Nixi, and Beeno, who all smiled at me as Lidy and I walked up, except for Nixi. ¡°Why do you look so grumpy? I mean, besides all the normal reasons?¡± I asked, looking right at Nixi. ¡°This idiot wants to head to Death Summit Ind! What reason should we be going to bother that creature for?!¡± Nixi dered. ¡°If we are going to defeat the Demons, Zack is going to need more help. Getting the Old Gods of this world on our side is in his best interests!¡± Mex dered, and Nixi tossed her hands up in the air. ¡°Are you really sure about this, father? From what I know about Fearcania, she was once kind, but from what I saw in Lizy¡¯s memories, that is not the case now. Do you think that it is worth the risk?¡± Nushi asked, and Mex looked at me. ¡°What do you think? If you can bind them, you will gain power from them. You are a Sage, so if you can get to level fifty, you will be able to bind them to you. That is a long way away, I know, but you aren¡¯t going to want toe back to get her, right?¡± Mex asked. Chapter 360 Show Me What You Look Like ¡°I agree with that, but I would like to talk to Lizy about this first. She deserves a choice in this, but I will also exin to her that it is essential. How long will it take for us to get there, and is there anything that is closer that we can go to in the meantime? I asked, and the table lit up before me, and a map appeared on the top of it. ¡°Hey! This is pretty cool! Did you make this?¡± I asked, looking at Mex, but he shook his head. ¡°No, this is Keita¡¯s rendition of a map that I had saved. It is prettyprehensive, but it¡¯s nearly impossible to find a map that has every ind on it,¡± Mex exined as he gestured to the map disyed on the table like it was on a ssputer screen. ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t wait to go see what she has been working on!¡± Iughed as I looked over the map that was spotted with inds. ¡°We are down in the corner where you are, and Gardaina is this massivend mass on the other side of the world. I wish that we could lift the map up and put it on a sphere, but we are basically as far as you can get from Gardaina, so we don¡¯t need to worry about them. I think we head to Death¡¯s summit, and from there is an archipgo of inds we can explore that I never got a chance to when I was on my way here. Dao wasn¡¯t much for sightseeing,¡± Mexughed. ¡°Let me talk to Lizy first. Point us at the archipgo, and we can go explore that. I would like to get used to my power first before confronting any Gods,¡± I said, and Mex grinned at me. ¡°You took down Thesta pretty easily,¡± Mex replied, and I put one hand in the air with a ¡°so what¡± look on my face. ¡°That was a shell of what Thesta¡¯s actual body is, you know that, right? I am guessing that Thesta had many copies of herself out there, and this is not thest time that we will run into her. If Fearcania is anything like that, she is not going to be someone I want to approach half-hearted,¡± I exined, and Nushi nodded along with me. ¡°Zack is right. The creature that I saw was a massive, thirty-foot-tall spider woman, and I am sure she could probably get bigger. I watched her crush and kill her own children as a lesson to make them not trust anyone. I think it is a good n to prepare for an encounter like this,¡± Nushi added, and I smiled at her. ¡°Fine, I see no problem with hitting the inds up first! This is an uncharted area for me, so I am excited to see what the inds have in store!¡± Mexughed, and Nixi groaned, pointing. ¡°You know there are reasons why we have no information about ces, right? Demons were sent out to map all the inds, but the ones that have no information are because no one ever returned. Do you notice that there arerge Xs on the shorelines on the outer inds? Those are shipwrecks that were spotted from a distance. There are other creatures in the ocean that are stronger than the Demons, and that is why they can¡¯t get a firm grip on the world,¡± Nixi exined, but I didn¡¯t think that sounded too bad. ¡°Well, that means that there won¡¯t be any Demons there, so I think that it would be a good ce for a vacation. I don¡¯t mind if we have to clear a ce off, but I think we are all due for some beach time,¡± Iughed, squeezing Lidy¡¯s hand. ¡°That sounds like a good n, and we could set up a big barbecue. I am sure that the inds will have something that we can use for meat, and we can stock up. Food is something that we can¡¯t create that easily,¡± Lidy said, and Beeno nodded. ¡°We could make apetition and get all the girls in on it! I would like to get in on something like that!¡± Beeno said with her red tails swishing in excitement. ¡°Are none of you listening to what I just said?! The ind is going to have natives on it that will probably try to kill us!¡± Nixi eximed, and I nodded. ¡°I assume the same, so we will have to meet the locals ande to some sort of understanding. We aren¡¯t Demons that areing to take the ce over,¡± I said. ¡°Speak for yourself! I am still very much a Demon!¡± Nixi retorted, and I gave her a knowing look. ¡°You are like Mex¡¯s daughter, aren¡¯t you? You don¡¯t actually look like that, do you?¡± I asked, letting go of Lidy¡¯s hand to walk around the table to Nixi. ¡°What does that have anything to do with anything?¡± Nixi eximed as the girls backed away from her with smiles. ¡°I suggest that everyone clears the room. I need to have a conversation with Nixi. Close the room off on your way out, Mex,¡± I said and then looked back to Lidy. ¡°I will meet you in Keita¡¯s shop after I am done here.¡± ¡°Wait! What is going on here?!¡± Nixi eximed as everyone left the area. I smiled at the old woman''s panicked look, taking pleasure in it, considering the headaches Nixi had caused me. Metal shutters slid up, sealing the room off from all sound, just leaving the two of us in the room. ¡°Show me what you look like,¡± I said, and Nixi flinched back. p ¡°Why do you want to see it so bad?!¡± Nixi asked, looking uncertain. ¡°Do you really not know? Do you want to be a Demon, or do you want to be something different? I mean, I can leave you the way you are, but if you want to change, it will be better for both of us if you return to your original body, right¡± I asked, and Nixi¡¯s eyes almost fell out of her head. Chapter 361 Onion Layered Like Lettuce ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, Zack. Think about what you are doing slowly for a moment. You have no idea what I could look like underneath all of this,¡± Nixi said as she motioned down to her gremlin-Yoda body, and Iughed. ¡°Not to poke fun, but I really can imagine you bing anything worse than this. You are four and a half feet tall, and your head is football-shaped,¡± I said, and Nixi narrowed her beady eyes on me. ¡°You think this is going to swoon me? My looks aren¡¯t even the point! I am an old woman! You have all my descents to enjoy!¡± Nixiined. I sat the corner of my ass on the table and grinned down at Nixi. She had something I wanted, and it would be worth it to do this to get it. ¡°You have an ability that I want to be able to use more reliably. Your ability to transport people instantly is powerful and will be really useful in the near future and going forward. We have no lifeboats to get to the inds. We aren¡¯t going to want to pull the submarine up on every beach. You are going to be the way that we can get on and off inds,¡± I exined, and Nixi narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°You want to just my body just so you can get a more reliable ability? So you are just using me?¡± Nixi asked, and I burst outughing. ¡°I really wondered how that would sounding from you! Ha! Real riching from someone that has been using people for most of her life!¡± Iughed. ¡°You know nothing! I have been alive through the taking of five worlds! You have no idea what I have done to survive, and I have no regrets! I was a corporate office worker when it all happened. I had just finished myst day in my position before I was moving up floors. Then, boom! I am being pissed out of my mother, Dentia!¡± Nixi shouted at me, and I pinched my chin, looking up thoughtfully. ¡°What did that feel like? I mean, that has to be a unique experience, right?¡± I asked as I looked back down at Nixi, who looked like she was about to pull her hair out. ¡°Are you even listening to me?!¡± Nixi screamed, and I waved her off. ¡°Yes, stop acting so grouchy. I get it, you had it all, and now you have spent countless lifetimes in a struggle. You, me, and the rest of the people, and I get that it sucks, but do you thinkining about it is going to change anything?¡± I asked, then stuck my hand in the air, snapping my finger. ¡°I know! I could have killed everyone, and that would have put everyone out of my hair somewhere else. Do you have any idea how much easier myst week would have been?¡± ¡°You needed us to¡­.¡± Nixi started to say but trailed off, and I nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t need you all for anything, but that didn¡¯t change me wanting to help you all out. Comining about how long it took to get here. Cry about how hard it was another time; it is over now,¡± I said, and Nixi looked away. ¡°Why do you hold everything on your shoulders? You are right, and you should have just killed us all. Now you have a bunch of Demons in your ship. The ones you are fighting to remove from the world, right?¡± Nixi asked, and I frowned. ¡°A bunch of Demons? Last time I checked, you were all my Demons, and I am your leader. In time, I will figure out how to do these things without having to sleep with everyone. I think that my Orgasmoura is like my version of the God Frequency, but I have to figure out how to use it better. So far, I have been able to sterilize the male Demons and repair the damage done to the women,¡± I exined, and Nixi sighed. ¡°Can we at least go somewhere else? If this is really what you want to do, then at least have the decency to let me have a bed. I haven¡¯t done anything like this since Frieda¡¯s father forced himself on me. I ate him after, but that was over a thousand years ago,¡± Nixi exined, and I nodded. ¡°Sure, but change into your normal form. I know you are hiding something under all that wrinkly goblin body!¡± Iughed, and Nixi scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t look like the other women, so you might not even want to do this with me,¡± Nixi said, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°What is the worst you could be? What, are you seven feet tall and built like a Slender Man?¡± I asked, and Nixi pped a hand to her face, but her body started to change. I watched as her small, frail-looking body started to fill out, but she didn¡¯t get much taller. Nixi''s hips and tits filled out dramatically, and even though they were half the size of Libra, Nixi¡¯s breasts looked massive on her small body. ¡°What is the big deal? You look beautiful? What is with the shyness? Considering how aggressive you are, I assume that you would be the type that wanted to get roughed up in bed like Nushi,¡± I said as I got off the table. I walked over to Nixi, whose four-inch red horns thatid back on her head were glowing. She seemed to be at a loss for words now that she was in her own body, and I was looking her over like a scanner. ¡°What is with your horn?¡± I asked as I scooped her up, making Nixi protest, but she gave up once I was standing. ¡°If you must know! I am embarrassed, and my horns light up like stop signs! The stupidest thing I have ever heard of, and another reason why I never use this form! My hips are toorge, and my breasts too heavy! You have no idea what it is like!¡± Nixiined, and I nodded. Chapter 362 How Does That Work? ¡°Sure, I get it, but I think that you look good. Once we have some fun, we can see what is hiding under that phat ass!¡± Iughed, and Nixi red at me. ¡°That was rude. I am not fat!¡± Nixi growled, and Iughed. ¡°Nah, P H A T, like the kids say it,¡± Iughed, and Nixi rolled her eyes. ¡°That wasn¡¯t funny even when I was a kid,¡± Nixiined as I opened the door to leave but stopped in shock. The door had opened fast, and everyone that had been inside the room before had their ears pressed to the door that no longer existed. I had to step back and out of the way as the girls all fell over. ¡°Really? What are all of you doing?¡± I asked as Beeno, Jilly, Lizy, and all the grandmothers, including Clesh, tried to untangle themselves and get off the floor. ¡°I was just curious if you were actually going to do it. Lizy and I made bets about it, so we were just trying to hear the results, but I lost. For now at least,¡± Jillyughed as she looked at Nixi, who had her face buried in my chest. ¡°I just saw the other girls getting in on it, so I joined,¡± Beeno said with a shrug. ¡°We, umm, heard that you might, umm, be, you know,¡± Freida fumbled, but Noel shoved her out of the way. ¡°We heard that you were about to have sex with Nixi, and we were all surprised, so we came down. I am sure that you know that we all want the same thing, and we know that you said you would, but hearing and seeing is believing,¡± Noel said, making Nixi pull from my chest. ¡°Hey! I never said that I was going to let him between my legs!¡± Nixiined. ¡°No, but you are excited about it. I can tell from your thoughts¡­ Oh dear, is that what you want to do to him? And while he does that to you? Grandmother, I never knew that you were so perverse! I think that I might want to try that out as well!¡± Nushiughed as he and Lidy stood smiling together. Those two had not been near the door, but I was sure that Nushi had already known the oue of this from the moment I asked. While she couldn¡¯t read my mind, she could read Nixi¡¯s and everyone else that was around me. ¡°Hey! You have better keep your mouth shut about that! I should be allowed to keep some things secret. Some power shoulde with some discretion!¡± Nixi snapped, and Nushiughed. ¡°Well, maybe you should give grandmother some time. I think she is a bit nervous right now. I am sure that you thought it was going to be a quick task, but you might want to take a bit more time,¡± Nushi said as she and Lidy walked over to me, and I nodded but then looked down at Nixi. ¡°I will give you some time, but my only stiption is that you have to stay in this form,¡± I said, and Nixi looked away from me. ¡°Why do I have to stay like this? I look ridiculous!¡± Nixiined, and Frieda came over and kissed her mother''s cheek. ¡°You look good like this, mother, and I can take you more seriously now. I have gotten used to seeing you as a little old scarydy, buttely, it has been hard to take you seriously. You don¡¯t act like you did before, so I think that this look suits your new personality,¡± Frieda said with a smile that made Nixi scowl as I put her down. I had been looking forward to getting some frustration out with that woman, but I guess I read the y wrong. I had assumed that Nixi would have just wanted to get it over with or even been a bit of a freak. The truth seemed to be that Nixi was an onion with moreyers on the head of lettuce. I still needed her powers, or we were going to have to fly over. ? Flying up to random inds that were marked as hostile would not be a good idea, so I would have to work on Nixi. I wasn¡¯t really sure what I was supposed to do, but I could always ask Nushiter. ¡°Well, I guess I will leave you women; Lidy and I are going to go see Kieta. Nushi, do you want to join us?¡± I asked as I walked over to Lidy, who took my hand as soon as I was next to her. ¡°Sure. There are some things that I want to talk to you about as well,¡± Nushi said as she left her mother and Grandmothers toe to my other side. The three of us headed back out, and I was about to leave the small room, but Nushi stopped me. ¡°We don¡¯t have to leave. Just wait,¡± Nushi said and then walked over to the window where Keri was on the other side spinning around on her chair. ¡°Can you let us into Kieta¡¯s workshop?¡± ¡°Sure! Can Ie with you?!¡± Keri asked, and Nushi looked back at me. ¡°Of course, she cane with us, but who is going to watch the window?¡± I asked, and Keri shrugged. ¡°If they want to get in, they will yell loud enough for me to hear,¡± Keri said with a smile as she pressed a button, and the same door opened, but it waspletely different now. ¡°How does that work?¡± I asked as I looked around the massive shop that had all sorts of equipment that I had never seen before. ¡°My father created a switchboard for some of the hidden floors that are more important. Without someone to open the door, none of these ces exist, even if there are people in them,¡± Nushi exined as we walked inside. ¡°That makes sense, and it keeps people safe here. That is something that is good to know,¡± I said as I looked around the room, but I couldn¡¯t spot Keita. ¡°What is this thinger?!¡± I heard Keri ask and I looked over as she pressed a button on the handle of arge ax. [20 chapters iing tomorrow! Don''t for get to vote with stones and golden tickets! They help out a lot! Love you all!~Magic_] Chapter 363 Cute? A fire roared from the back of the ax head, and I dashed forward to grab the handle before it smashed back into Keri''s mid-section. I tossed Keri back to Nushi, andtched onto the handle of the gigantic jet-ax with both hands. The damn thing nearly ripped my arms off as my Earth and Fire Pacts both kicked in to weld me to the ground. The force it had could have cleaved through the floor, and then ripped me down into it. Finally, the ax ran out of juice, and I let out a long sigh as I rxed my arms. This was one hell of a weapon, and there was no doubt that it worked the way it was intended. ¡°Sorry!¡± Keri squeaked, running over to hug my side as I put the massive jet-ax down. I looked down at her and picked her up, sitting Keri on my shoulders. This was the best ce for her in a shop filled with this many dangerous things. ¡°What is all the noise out here?! We are trying to test weapons, and I can hear you over the explosions!¡± Keitained but then stopped when I turned to look at her with Keri on my shoulders. ¡°We came to see what you have been working on, but Keri touched the jet-ax thing here. That is one intense weapon! I could cut any tree in half with that!¡± Iughed, and Keita sighed. ¡°Keri, how many times do I have to tell you not to touch the stuff in here?¡± Kietained. ¡°Every time. I think you should mention it more than once because I will probably forget,¡± Keri said inly, and I could feel her nod her head as she talked. Kieta pped her hand to her face, dragging it down in frustration, but then she looked up at me. ¡°It is good that you came right now. There are a few weapons that I can¡¯t use, so it would be good if I could get your help testing them out,¡± Kieta exined, and I nodded with a grin. ¡°You don''t have to twist my rubber arm for that! It is the reason why we came down here! Do you have anything that you can give Keri that might interest her? Or a room without a door handle to put her in? I am sure that she will sink the ship if I put her down again!¡± Iughed, and Kieta sighed, but Nushi spoke up. ¡°Keri can sit with me, and we can talk. You and Lidy can test out the stuff,¡± Nushi offered, and I nodded. ¡°Hey! I am not a child that needs to be watched!¡± Keriined but went quiet as the three girls red at her. ¡°Fine! I will y with Auntie Nushi, but Kieta has toe to y with me after!¡± ¡°I will do no such thing! I have too much work to do!¡± Kietained, but I shook my head. ¡°Nope, I am kicking you out of the shop for the rest of the day. You are going to go take some time off whether you want to or not,¡± I said as I took Keri off my shoulders, setting her on the ground. ¡°What? Why?!¡± Kieta eximed. ¡°Because it isn¡¯t good for you to lock yourself up in here all the time. We are doing some exercises with Beeno this afternoon, and then you can y with Keri after,¡± Nushi exined, and both Keri and Kieta both flinched back. ¡°No!¡± Both girlsined, but Nushi shook her head. ¡°Mandatory, so you don¡¯t have a choice in the matter. Beeno wille and hunt you both down, and things will only worsen for you. All the women on the ship have to do it. You two aren¡¯t the only onesining, but it is good for us to all stay in shape!¡± Nushi dered, but she seemed excited about it. ¡°Fine! I still don¡¯t get why I need to be in shape? I have looked this way my entire life!¡± Kietained. ¡°Cute?¡± Keri asked. ¡°No! Thin!¡± Keita snapped, and Keri giggled. ¡°Okay, Keri, you go with Nushi, and Keita will join you after,¡± I said and walked over to kiss Nushi. ¡°Love you. See you both after.¡± I turned and grinned at Lidy. ¡°Are you ready to do this?¡± I asked, and Lidy grinned back. ¡°You mean, am I ready to kick you through another wall?¡± Lidy retorted, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°You are talking a lot of shit before we hit the field, woman! I am not going to be holding anything back!¡± I dered, and Lidy tossed her hair back. ¡°That is good. At least then, I shouldn¡¯t beat you quite as bad this time,¡± Lidy returned, and my grin broadened. I was having a hard time not walking over to her to take her into my arms and tear off all her clothes. This kind of banter with a beautiful woman was the type of thing that got my blood boiling in a good way. ¡°Alright, you two! Let¡¯s go test these weapons out before you start tearing each other''s clothes off!¡± Keitained as she waved for us to follow. ¡°Hey, we are keeping things civil! I have no idea what you are talking about!¡± Iughed, but Lidy came up behind me and grabbed my ass, making a hoot like an owl. ¡°Really, so I am the only one that wants you to climb on that water bike and fuck me over the handlebars?¡± Lidy asked in my ear as she leaned in to nip my earlobe, sending a shock through my body. ¡°I mean, we are supposed to be doing something, but I am sure that Keita won¡¯t mind,'''' I whispered, but Keita heard me. ¡°Yes, I would mind! I am not listening to the pair of you have sex! Come on! We have weapons to test!¡± Keita ordered. ¡°You can join us, Kitten. I don¡¯t mind sharing!¡± Lidy giggled as she dragged me along. ¡°Now!¡± Keita yelled as she stormed off to the back of her shop. Chapter 364 Testing It Out ¡°She seems excited,¡± Lidy giggled as we walked over to the door that Kieta had just walked through. ¡°Leave her be. Keita wille to me in her own time, not like I don¡¯t have enough else to do right now,¡± I said as I pushed the door open to find a small room filled with monitors and panels with more disys. ¡°Wow, You really spiffed this ce up!¡± ¡°I worked for a privately contracted weapons research facility before you blew up the known universe. Once you got up top to deal with the sea witch, I got all my memories back of who I was then. Now I can create some pretty wild things thanks to this thing that you gave me,¡± Kieta said, pointing to her eyes that were a series of moving cogs like the inside of a watch. ¡°I guess makingputers and things like that aren¡¯t really much of a problem for you then,¡± Iughed, and Kieta¡¯s cogs rolled around in her head. ¡°I could build aputer from scratch before I left grade school when I was fourteen. I didn¡¯t need these eyes for that. These things let me control the idea¡¯s as I create them, allowing me to add strange and unique features. Mind you, what I was doing before was just ying aroundpared to what I have made in the past hour,¡± Kieta exined, and I nodded. ¡°So, you need us to test out how the features and abilities will work out in a realbat situation?¡± I asked, and Kieta nodded. ¡°Yes, a lot of the ideas looked good on paper and in my mind, but there might be better ways to execute them or better weapon designs. Lidy, I am going to have you using all my newer weapons and Zack using the ones I made before I got my memories back, okay?¡± Kieta asked, and I put up my hands to protest. ¡°Hey! I don''t think that this is okay!¡± I said, but Kieta gave me a look. ¡°Good thing I didn¡¯t ask you,¡± Kieta said, and Liddy giggled. ¡°Looks like you are going to have to try a lot harder,¡± Lidy said with a devilish smile as she turned to look at me, and I groaned, but I was secretly happy. No point inining about evening the odds. I knew how strong Lidy had been before; I don''t think she had progressed since then. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s get to this then, since all I have been hearing today is shit talk. Time to put your money where your mouth is, Cafeteria Lady!¡± Iughed, and Lidy¡¯s eyes snapped to a re, and her expression became that of one severely pissed off. ¡°You know how much I hate when you call me that!¡± Lidy said in a deeper and more demonic voice as her body grew, but I was already running for the door. ¡°How do you open this thing?!¡± I asked as I tried to find a button for the door as Lidy started to stop over to me, twice her average size and looking slightly pissed off. ¡°What is the magic word?¡± Keita asked with a chuckle. ¡°Please open the door, or I will not survive to test the damn weapons!¡± I roared, and then the door opened. I stumbled inside as staff pushed out of the wall on the far side of the hundred-foot room. I burst across the metal floor as I heard Lidy getting closer to me. I grabbed the staff, whirling it as I spun around, and connected with one of Lidy¡¯s massive shoulders. The weapon activated, and a pulse of purple light sent Lidy into a wall like a pinball, bouncing off it andnding on the far side of the room. A sword with intricate glowing purple designs appeared from the wall beside when Lidynded. The enraged Demon woman looked over at it as she stood back up and then took it with a smile as she turned to face me. I whirled my staff with my own smile, creating a purple halo surrounding me, and I prepared for Lidy¡¯s attack. She raised the sword, pushed a button, and then I was lying on the ground gasping for air; the staff broke into three pieces. ¡°Ow!¡± I said as I got off the ground, slowly catching my breath as a shield pushed out of the wall. I grabbed it and put it up in front of me. I did not like that sword, and I wasn¡¯t sure that this shield would make much of a difference. ¡°Ready for round two?¡± Lidy yelled across. ¡°No!¡± Shouted as I activated my Earth and Fire pact. As I drew in elemental energies, my skin turned ck with cracks in it, but my feet wouldn¡¯t weld to the metal below my feet. It was almost like the floor wasn¡¯t even there; nothing I tried with my Pacts was having any effect. ¡°The room that you are in is a spatial area that can''t be broken or changed. The metal around you is just a picture to define the area,¡± Kieta called out over an inte, and I growled as Lidy raised her Gravity Sword to point at me. I braced myself, but when Lidy fired the st of energy at me into my shield, it reflected back, knocking Lidy off her feet. I watched as she flew back into the wall, but she flipped, nting her feet on the wall as a red chain whip came out of the wall. Lidy grabbed it andunched it at me as a blue sword with a wave-like ss de pushed out of the wall. I turned back to grab it and then jumped out of the way from a m from Lidy¡¯s whip. I had to watch out for defecting the chain in the wrong ce, or I could bring the tip back to myself. I rolled and came up, but Lidy burst forward before I could get it up, and she kicked it out of my hand as I brought my blue sword up to block. Chapter 365 Damn, Shes Fine! The de of my blue sword bent and twisted around the chain, hissing as I was forced to duck. The chain hissed over me, and I switched to my Water Pact, activating the Force and Sphinx Totem. I spun and ripped the whip out of Lidy¡¯s hand, but a Greatsword appeared from the wall beside her. The moment that she gripped it, electricity flowed over the de in sparks. ¡°Oh,e on, Kieta! Give me a greatsword too!¡± I roared, and a in greatsword spat out of the wall. I picked it up as Lidyughed at me, dropping my wave sword. I had nned to one-hand it, but the sword was remarkably heavy. I switched to Earth Pact and swung the sword quickly. I activated the Gog Totem, and mes ran up the de, but now Lidy had a second greatsword. This one had water running around the de like a chainsaw, and I growled as I looked at my sword and then my other arm. ¡°Monsterize!¡± I roared, and my body turned blue, expanding like Lidy¡¯s but bigger. Lidy dropped her swords, turned purple, and then looked away from me. ¡°Umm, you look really nice like that,¡± Lidy said shyly and shrunk back down. ¡°Huh?¡± I said in a confused voice. Lidy had justpletely done a night and day flip on her mood, and now she seemed shy and coquettish. I guess she had a thing for buff guys, but we were in the middle of a fight! ¡°What are you doing, Lidy?!¡± Kieta called over the inte. ¡°Umm, do you think we can leave now? I suddenly am feeling very tired, and I think you shoulde for a nap with me if you know what I mean,¡± Lidy said, giving me a prating look that sucked the monster right out of me, and I shrunk back down. ¡°Sure, I mean, I kind of wanted to keep going with this, but I can¡¯t say no when you ask me like that. It would probably be bad for my health,¡± Iughed, and Lidy nodded with a smile. ¡°That it would be, nowe. I feel the desire creeping up on me, and I am going to start tearing both our clothes off right away,¡± Lidy said as she came over and took me by the hand, pulling me to the door. ,m It slid open, and Lidy pulled me through to where Kieta was waiting with arms crossed. ¡°We hardly even got started! I have many more weapons for you both to try out!¡± Kietained, and I shrugged. ¡°We will have toe back another time, and that should have given you enough data to make improvements. I am sure you also had more than your fair share of fun as well,¡± I grinned. Kieta rolled her eyes, but I could tell that she had enjoyed herself, even if it was at my expense. She was the shy type, but it seemed that she had some strange guilty pleasures. I was pulled from the room and back out into the vast shop where Nushi and Keri were talking over by the exit. Nushi rushed Keri up to open the door, her face getting purple with blush as the door opened and I was dragged through. ¡°Umm, I guess that I will see youter after your nap? I want to talk about Nixi and the other women, but that can obviously wait,¡± Nushiughed nervously as Lidy tapped the elevator button. ¡°Pressing the button a bunch of times won¡¯t make ite any faster! Mex told me that!¡± Keri said, and Lidy turned a death re on her that made Keri hide behind Nushi. ¡°Or maybe he didn¡¯t know what he was talking about!¡± The door opened, and I was tossed in with lidy following pressing the button for the top floor. I really wasn¡¯t she if I should be ready forbat or sex at thing point, but Lidy practically jumped on me. I was pressed into the corner as she began to savagely kiss me, but this was getting to be a bit much. I focused and prepared a direct shot of Orgasmoura that I mmed directly into Lidy. ¡°Oh, fuck! My pussy is twitching and leaking like a tap! More please!¡± Lidy begged as her body went limp in my arms. I could feel the orgasms hit her in waves, but I intensified the Orgasmoura. Lidy¡¯s eyes rolled back as I felt her pussy spray hot juice all down the front of my shorts, and I stopped my aura. Lidy gasped for breath and then squirted again as her body trembled in my arm. I reached down between her legs and slid my fingers over her soaking wet mess of a pussy. ¡°I have nevere so hard before! Give me more! I want that big dick this time when you hit me with that. I want you to make me explode all over your cock after you fill my pussy with your hot cum,¡± Lidy moaned and then kissed me as I yed with her pussy, waiting for the elevator to get to the top floor. By the time the elevator made it to the top floor, my hand was soaked from two more guessing squirts. I had to lift Lidy up and carry her into my room because her legs barely worked at the moment. Once inside the room and the drop was closed, I took Lidy over to the bed and set her down. I stripped my shorts that were already soaked off and pulled off my shirt. Lidy was already lying at the edge of the bed, waiting for me with her legs spread apart. Each of her hands was on the back of her knees, pulling them back. ¡°I am ready for your cock now; give it all to me. I want you to make me scream out your name like I used to do in the freezer room!¡± Lidy moaned as I approached her with my cock in hand. Chapter 366 Lidy Pt1 I leaned down, looking into Lidy¡¯s blue eyes, and little tiny pink hearts were pulsing where her pupils should be. Above her dripping hole, the ck tribal-like tattoo that prevented her from having more than one child sat. I wasn¡¯t sure if that also locked her as a Demon, but that was something to ponder another time. I leaned the rest of the way down and kissed Lidy softly as I pushed my cock into her wet hole. The feeling of her tight pussy, and passionate kisses greeted me like an old friend as Lidy moaned into my mouth. I pulled Lidy¡¯s arms from her legs and pushed them down on the bed above her head, pinning them down. ¡°Mmm, that big cock feels so good inside of me,¡± Lidy moaned as I started to kiss down her neck. ¡°I missed filling your holes, and this is much better than the freezer room. Wrap your legs around me,¡± I instructed, and Lidy smiled and did as I said. Once her legs were tight around me, I let go of her hands and then wrapped my arms around her. I picked Lidy off the bed and turned to walk over and press her into the wall as we started to kiss again. My cock pumped into Lidy, and she wrapped her arms around my neck as we kissed, but I could tell she wanted more. I focused again, but this time I slowly released my Orgasmoura into her. ¡°Mmm, this feeling again! Give me more so my pussy can strangle your big cock! I love the way it feels when you rub my insides!¡± Lidy moaned, and I increased the intensity of my aura. Lidy started to kiss my neck as her body began to tremble, and I turned from the wall and back to the bed. Iid her back down, but Lidy pushed me off her and then rolled over. ¡°Fuck me from behind, and drive your big rod in my soaking wet pussy! Grab my horns, and make me squirt out a river!¡± Lidy ordered, shaking her ass at me as her long skinny tail swished around. I pushed my cock deep into her, and Lidy grabbed at the bed sheets as I sunk as far as I could go. I reach forward as Lidy let out a long moan, grabbing her horns and then pounding her with my Orgasmoura. Lidy cried out as her body started to shake, which was my signal to go as I started to drive my cock into her. Lidy¡¯s pussy started to squirt her hot juices out as she tried to crawl forward weakly, her body starting to shake violently. ¡°Cumming! I¡¯m cumming! I want you toe with me!¡± Lidy cried, and her pussy started to get tighter. Lidy screamed out as I sshed into her hips, my cock starting to swell, my load building up as her pussy gripped me. I groaned and sted them inside of her twitching hole with my hot batter. She cried out, and Lidy¡¯s pussy sprayed all over me as her body vibrated. Lidy slid off my cock and rolled over to look up at me with loving eyes and a bright pink tattoo that was getting brighter. [Demon Exercised] p The message popped up, but before I could react, Lidy exploded with smoke. I waved in front of me, coughing at the ridiculous amount of smoke that had been produced. ¡°Lidy?!¡± I called, covering my mouth. ¡°Umm, I am still here, but I think something happened. My hands look different, and I don¡¯t have any horns anymore,¡± Lidy said as I tried to wave the smoke away, but I stopped in shock when it cleared. ¡°Oh? That is different!¡± Iughed as Lidy looked at pawed hands. ¡°Am I like Beeno now?¡± Lidy asked as she felt her soft gray cat ears. ¡°Stand up so I can see you,¡± I said as I stepped back from the bed, but Lidy gave me a look. Her body was still shaking, and I could still see her legs twitching. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will be able to stand for another five minutes or after a nap. I think I am going to need one after this,¡± Lidy said as she rolled over, and five bushy gray tails popped up from the base of her ass. ¡°Well, those weren¡¯t there before,¡± I said, reaching forward and stroking each of them. ¡°Mmm, I think these are better than the big horns, and it feels good when you stroke them like that!¡± Lidy purred, turning back to pull me into a kiss and onto the soaking wet bed. I didn¡¯t care that the bed was wet; Lidy¡¯s new form was enough to make me ignore if the building was on fire. I stroked her ears, and Lidy slowly started to vibrate with a purring sound emitting from her chest. ¡°I still want you toe and sleep with me tonight, so don¡¯t go making other ns! Do who you want for the rest of the day, but I want you to fill my hole while rubbing my tails!¡± Lidy said, pushing my back and crawling around to face my cock, which was slowly losing strength. Lidy licked it and then took it into her mouth and cleaned all our juices off it. I groaned from the over-sensitivity until she was done, and then she turned back to look at me with a smile. ¡°There, now you are all cleaned up, but I am going for a nap now. I have to change the bed before I can do that, so go find something to do until bedtime. I will be waiting for you,¡± Lidy said with a sexy smile as her cat ears twitched. ¡°I thought that you were too tired to even move?¡± I teased, and Lidy rolled her eyes. ¡°I think that you, of all people, should know that it takes a lot of effort to bezy!¡± Lidy giggled and then pushed me out of bed. ¡°Fine, but you might want to find something to cover the bed for tonight, or we won''t be able to sleep in the bed after!¡± Iughed. ¡°Who says you were going to sleep?¡± Chapter 367 Irritable Bitch After getting on new shorts and a t-shirt on, helped Lidy dry off the bed and change the sheets, I left her to nap. I gave her a kiss before leaving and a promise of moreter. Once I was outside the room, I paused for a moment and closed my eyes. Lidy had changed, but there was no change in her status card other than her race. That was now a Five-Tailed Shadow Cat, but nothing was disying what kind of abilities she had. I was curious what that meant, but I had told Harold that I would leave him alone for a few days. I searched out the different girls through my senses, but all of them were gathered in one ce that I couldn¡¯t put my finger on. That must mean they were in one of Mex¡¯s areas and would all be with Beeno. I headed downstairs, but a door opened when I got to the first floor below me. The leader of the women''s circle stepped out with a scowl on her face. Machariel had short blue hair that almost looked like she had a bowl cut and four-inch horns protruding from her forehead. She was wearing a ck skirt with a white shirt and a ck shawl hanging over her shoulder. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Machariel asked me as she walked out of what I assumed to be her room. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. The better question is how you were able to get out of Beeno¡¯s training?¡± I asked, and Machariel put her close hand up to her mouth and coughed. ¡°I am deathly ill, if you can''t tell,¡± Machariel said with an attitude. ¡°Really? I think you might need to join them if you n on acting like this the entire trip. I already put up with a week of Nixi. My patience is running very thin when ites to women that want to give me attitude constantly,¡± I said, crossing my arms. ¡°What are you going to do? Drop me off on a deserted ind?¡± Machariel snapped at me, and I scoffed. ¡°Like I would waste the time. I would just kick you out into the water or through you into one of my astral rings, and you could be food for my pet SkinWalkers. I could just give you to one of the girls to eat as well, but I wouldn¡¯t want to make them sick,¡± I said. ¡°You seem like the type that would do that!¡± Machariel snapped, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°Of course I am! Do you think I became you Demon Lord because I hugged the other ones to death? If you cause me problems, I will get rid of you. One rotten apple ruins the bunch,¡± I growled and then sighed. ¡°You know what really bothers me about your attitude? It¡¯s that you have no idea who I am. You just decided to not like me because I am a man.¡± ¡°Of course, I hate you because you are a man! A man is the reason why my sisters and I are all barren!¡± Machariel snapped as she lifted her white shirt to reveal a still ck tattoo. ¡°Why weren¡¯t you at the pit when I called for everyone?¡± I asked, frowning. ¡°Like I would do something that a man asked!¡± Machariel dered, and I rolled my eyes, pping my hand to my face. I took a deep breath, focused a full st of Orgasmoura, and mmed it into the short-haired Demon. I moved quickly and caught Machariel as her body tried to crumple to the floor. ¡°W-What, ahh! My insides a-a-are, ahh, s-so hot! W-w-what are y-you, ahhhhh! I am going to cum! Ahh! I¡¯m cumming!¡± Machariel cried out in my arms as her body shook and her tattoo lit up bright pink. Unlike Lidy, Machariel would have to wait a week before her body would go back to whatever she was before bing Demonized. I released my aura, hoping this might curve her attitude. I was wrong. ¡°Let go of me!¡± Machariel growled, pushing off me, but then fell because her legs still had the strength of Jello tubes. I could have helped her up, but the dirty look I received pushed that thought away. This nasty woman could stay lying on the floor for all I cared. ¡°There. In a week, you will change forms back to whatever you were before this. After that, you can have as many children as you want,¡± I said as I started walking away. ¡°You are just going to leave me on the floor like this after you have had your way with me?!¡± Machariel screeched, and I whirled around. ¡°Would you prefer I roll you down this flight of stairs? You clearly don¡¯t want me to touch you, and you are an irritable bitch. Why the hell would I go out of my way to offer help that would just be refused? You act like I don¡¯t have other things that I could be doing, but instead, I took some time to do what I already did once!¡± I shouted, but Machariel still red at me. ¡°How do you know if you don¡¯t ask?!¡± Machariel snapped, and I red at her. Every part of me wanted to turn around and forget that this witch even existed! I had been in such a good mood, but this sow seems to think it is her life''s purpose to piss me off! ¡°Fine! Here!¡± I growled and offered my hand, but Machariel turned her head from me and turned up her nose. ¡°Is that how you ask a woman? Or have the years of living inside a game robbed you of all your manners?¡± Machariel demanded. ¡°If you had any to begin with!¡± ¡°You know? I really didn¡¯t like you before this, but now, I still really don''t like you,¡± I said, pulling my hand back. ¡°Pick your own ass off the floor.¡± I turned and walked away, leaving Machariel on the ground yelling at me. Chapter 368 Responsibility I marched down the stairs till I got to the bottom, trying not to stomp my feet as I went. I turned and headed to the kitchen and another to the ss-domed area. I closed the door behind myself and went to sit down in front of the ss, crossing my legs. I had really let that woman get to me, but Machariel¡¯s attitude was out of line. *Wataluga: Do you mind if we join you, or would you prefer to be alone right now?* ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said out loud, and all four of my elementals emerged from the Totem Tattoos on my body. ¡°Well, that bird is a hard one to swallow!¡± Grogvelughed, making Wataluga vibrate, but the rumble felt normal now. ¡°You can say that again,¡± I groaned, staring out into the blue. ¡°You can¡¯t fix them all, but I think each of the women has their own degree of trauma. This Machariel seems to have the same story as most Demon women. Taken advantage of by a stronger male. It can¡¯t be easy for them to live knowing that and then be hunted after for something you didn¡¯t choose,¡± Fireden exined as she sat beside me. Wataluga came and sat on my other side, and the other two sat further down. ¡°I am sure that with time, you wille to some sort of understanding with her. There are very few men in this ship, so you might be able to show her that not all men are the same,¡± Wataluga said, but I gave him a sideways look. ¡°What do I care? She clearly is just going to keep pushing me away or expecting me to grovel for her. I am not that person, and I don¡¯t really see the point in it,¡± I said, turning back to stare forward into the blue. ¡°Didn¡¯t you invite them? You told everyone toe if they wanted, so they are your responsibility. If you didn¡¯t want to deal with these problems, you should have kept your mouth shut. That is better than offering something that you don''t n to follow up on,¡± Windorf stated, and I winced. That was true, and I had invited them on this ship, but was I really responsible for a person''s mental state? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was actually my job partially to keep everyone sane. If Machariel started to go off the deep end, that would affect the other girls. As much as I said that I would just jettison her ass, I really wasn¡¯t that type of person. I had just been made and said some things I didn¡¯t mean. ¡°You are right, but that still doesn''t help me figure out what to do about Machariel. She hates men, and I am one, so that inherently makes this harder than it should be,¡± Iined. ¡°I think that you might want to ask Nushi about that. I think she can give you a rundown of why Machariel is the way she is,¡± Fireden offered, but I wasn¡¯t sure about that. Nushi¡¯s powers were so strong that she had been able to step inside Tiga¡¯s memories and then remove Mark from Cbro, the Manticore. I was leery about asking her to look for my own reasons. ¡°While I approve of Nushi having her powers, I have a hard time asking her to look into specific people''s minds for my own reasons. Her power is so incredibly strong that I am almost scared of its potential,¡± I exined, and all four elementals nodded their heads. ¡°I can agree with you on that, but that power has to be one of the biggest burdens in its current form. Nushi can hear all our thoughts all the time right now, as far as I know, yet she is able to hold herself together inrge groups,¡± Fireden exined. ¡°Think about how loud it must be for her training with the other girls right now? Most of them don¡¯t want to be there, and they will beining openly, but most of it will be unspoken,¡± Wataluga said, and I nodded with a sigh. ¡°Hey, I said I approve of her having it; I just think there must be a better way,¡± I exined. ¡°What is the point of you giving her the System if you are not going to make use of it? Do you know how many times you are going to need her help in the future? You should ask my daughter to stick close to her, and I don¡¯t suggest that you put her in any danger. She is going to be the key to peacefully dealing with people that don¡¯t want peace,¡± Windorf exined. ¡°I suppose you are right, and I will talk to Hydie and Nushi about them sticking together. I need to go talk to Nushi after this, but she is still with the other girls for now. I am just going to rx here for a while. I would like to try and figure out how to deal with Machariel, but I will just have to ask Nushi to do some digging like you suggested,¡± I said with a sigh, then looked up at a strange-looking shark or something swimming past the front of the ship. I had seen a few things out in the blue, but none of them had breasts or arms, making this creature stand out. The creature had been ck and white like a killer whale, but a much thinner shark-like body with a long tail. ¡°Did you just see that creature?¡± I asked out loud as I looked around for where the girl had gone. ¡°I am pretty sure that is Mati. She is Mary and Missy¡¯s sister,¡± Fireden said, and the other nodded, and I joined them. Then there was a thump and the squeaking noise of rubber on ss, and I looked up. Mati, the Killer Whale/Mermaid, had her face and naked body pressed into the ss dome. She was also waving at us. Chapter 369 Uncanny I remember Mex telling me about Mati, but seeing her now was a bit surreal pressed up on the ss. She was Kieta¡¯s friend, so it might be nice to get her toe to join us, but getting to her was a problem. ¡°That is quite the sight,¡± Fireden said thoughtfully, but I sucked all four back inside of me at once. ¡°Hello? Can you hear me?¡± Mati called from the other side of the ss, but I could barely hear her. ¡°Yes! Give me a minute, and I wille out there!¡± I shouted, and Mati gave me a webbed thumbs up. I turned, jogged out of the room, and headed straight for the front of the house to get to the control room. The moment I entered the small room, the door opened, but Keri wasn''t in the booth. ¡°I anticipated that you would being to see me. We really need to get an inte set up. I was going toe to talk to you about her, but I assumed you woulde to find me first,¡± Mex said as I walked up to the map area I had been in before. ¡°So this is the Mati that you were talking about? How did you know that I would see her?¡± I asked as I walked up to join Mex. ¡°I can tell wherever you are inside the house since the inside is my creation. Jilly might have built it, but I stored it using my spatial magic to rece the inside of the submarine. Since I knew that you were in the Viewing Dome, I was sure that you would see Mati,¡± Mex exined. ¡°Well, how do I get out to go see her? If she is one of Mary¡¯s sisters, then I am going to want to keep her close,¡± I said, and Mex nodded, but he had an uneasy look on his face. ¡°You know how Mary and Missy have an uncanny ability to avoid all danger?¡± Mex asked, and I nodded. ¡°Yes, I have had more than enough experiences with it; why?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, unlike the other two, Mati makes excellent use of her ability. Each girl has a fault. Mary is blind, and her mind is that of a child most of the time. Missy is an airhead that constantly asks benign questions. Mati has no sense of fear, which makes her dangerous. She also likes to pick fights with creatures much stronger than herself, meaning that she has many enemies,¡± Mex exined, and I tried not to smile. Compared to the other two, this hardly seemed like a problem. I already seemed to make friends or foes with everyone I met, no in between. ¡°Sure, I get it. So, how do I get out? I don''t think opening the hatch up top is the best way out unless that somehow leads to the bottom of the ship. Does it?¡± I asked, but Mex narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°Did you hear anything I just said?¡± Mex asked me, and I nodded. The two of us seemed to have different views on what was exciting and fun. I didn¡¯t see anything wrong with what he had just told me. ¡°Yup, no fear, lots of enemies, likes to get into bar fights. Did I miss anything?¡± I asked, and Mex pped his hand to his face. ¡°If you understand all that, then why are you smiling?! This woman is not something you should be grinning about!¡± Mex dered, but I waved my hand at him. ¡°All a matter of perspective. You might think those things are bad, but they smell like an adventure to me! Plus, she is Mary¡¯s sister, and that is something that I am working on right now. Not like I can just not help her,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Fine, but remember that I did warn you. Also, the top hatch does lead to the bottom, so you will have to head back up to the top. Just be careful with her. You are strong, but both of us know that there is nothing you can do against the girl''s powers. If she decides that she doesn''t like you, that could be deadly for you,¡± Mex warned, and I nodded. ¡°Sure, but you know that almost every one of the women has tried to kill me in some way, shape, or form. It would be going against the grain if she didn¡¯t. Stop worrying and make sure that we are headed to the archipgo,¡± I said, and Mex nodded with a sigh. ¡°Yes, I have us in line for the closest ind here,¡± Mex said, pointing to the map at the ind southwest of our current location. ¡°How long will it take before we reach the ind?¡± I asked. ¡°Two days, possibly three depending on the currents. We don''t really know much about how the water moves under the surface in this world. There is a chance that we even get there faster if we luck upon an underwater current heading the same direction as us,¡± Mex exined, and I nodded, walking back around the table to leave. ¡°I will go see what she wants, and see if I can convince her to join us. Not sure how long I will be but make sure that the girls don''te out after me. Thest thing I want to do is chase them around,¡± I exined, and Mex nodded. ¡°I understand, but try not to get roped into something overlyplicated. You might end up a good ways away from us,¡± Mex warned, and I nodded. ¡°Yes, I will try to stay close, but I can always find my way back to you all. I can sense everyone connected to me. So, you will all be like a bright beacon that will guide me if I get lost,¡± I said as I left the control room, heading back out to the living room and over to the elevator entrance on the side of the staircase. Chapter 370 Spun Out Once inside, I pressed the button, and the elevator started to take me up to the top floor, where Lidy was sleeping in my room. I looked around and sniffed, but all signs of our fun were gone; all evidence cleaned. I was curious if that happened on its own or if someone was cleaning up after me as I went? That would not be likely, but I never knew. A good number of people had nothing to do, but I wasn¡¯t giving them orders. Hell, I didn¡¯t even know where half the people that had joined us were. Numerous Demons hade with us, men and women, but I hadn¡¯t ced them. There was a ding as I reached the top floor, and the door opened. I headed out and turned right to thedder that went up to the hatch, but it was different now. I climbed up and had to spin the wheel that was on top of the hatch to get it opened. When I opened it, I half expected the water to rush out and then sink the ship. What was on the other side of the hatch was hard to look at without wondering what the fuck was going on. Game or not, the water rippling in the hatch made me feel like I was the one standing on the roof. Then Mati popped her head in. ¡°There you are! I was worried that you weren¡¯t going toe, but why are you crawling down thedder like that?¡± Mati asked me, and I grinned. ¡°And miss the chance to meet Mary and Missy¡¯s sister? Hardly!¡± Iughed, and Mati gave me a strange look. ¡°How do you know my sisters?¡± Mati asked curiously. ¡°Mex and Kieta are here as well. If you want, you cane in, and I can show you to them,¡± I offered, but Mati shook her head. ¡°My sisters are boring, and we just end up fighting because Mary drools, and Missy is an idiot. No, I saw you, but you were sitting with Mex¡¯s elementals, so I thought you killed him and were running from the ind. I was going to fight you, but now I am just curious about what type of person you are. Maybe after we can go see Kieta; I do miss her,¡± Mati exined, and I nodded. ¡°Sure, I wille out, but I will have to change my body,¡± I exined, and Mati nodded, backing out of the hole. I climbed up, but gravity unexpectedly flipped on me when my head touched the water. My body weight ripped me off thedder and the rest of the way into the water. Suddenly my body was weightless, but something pulled me. Instantly, I was sucked into something that tossed me like I was in a washing machine. I fought the urge to il as my body spun into a fit of bubbles. I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but I didn''t like it, and I quickly picked Mary from my list and Monsterized. My legs fused, and my feet became a board fin that fluttered to swim out of the jet stream I had been sucked into. Once I was out of the sting water, I could see the submarine a good ways away from me. ¡°Well, that looked fun, but it is tough to get out when you get sted into it! I thought you might want to try it, but I lost you,¡± Mati said as she swam around me, looking over my body. ¡°You look like my sister, but your eyes look normal. That is a good thing, or you might be dead now. Thest time a Gorgon tried to stare me down, they looked at their own reflection. Put him in a bit of a hard spot!¡± ¡°You are the reason that I just got power washed? Do you mind asking me before you toss me into what should have been certain death?!¡± I asked, but Mati frowned at me. ¡°If I asked you, you would have said no,¡± Mati said inly. ¡°That is very likely,¡± I agreed, nodding as one of my snakes slithered into my sight. ¡°Exactly! You can''t say no if I just get you to do it! People have more fun when they don''t get a choice in the matter!¡± Mati eximed, and I gave her a horrified look. ¡°So you would be fine¡­ never mind, that is a pointless question for someone like you. Whatever. Not like I am going to change you this fast,¡± I groaned. ¡°Still, can you please at least tell me before you do something like that in the future?¡± ¡°Possibly. If I remember, I will, but you seem pretty tough. Most people would have died from that, but you only look shaken! I think that we are going to have a lot of fun! Do you want toe with me to get into trouble?¡± Mati asked. ¡°I know a great ce that serves some high-quality Puff. We can have a couple pokes of that and see what kind of trouble we can find!¡± ¡°Puff? Like puffer fish poison?¡± I asked, and Mati nodded. ¡°Yeah! Makes you feel good, but there are things that you can mix with it, like Dreamfish and a bunch of others! What do you think?!¡± Mati asked, but red gs were starting to go up. I had smoked the asional joint with Harold back in the day, but my experience with Tiga had been the closest thing that I had evere to. I just wasn¡¯t big on drug use, but there was something I was curious about. ¡°Sure, why not? I have about two days before my ship reaches the first ind, so I am fine withing for a swim,¡± I said, breathing through gills that had grown on my neck. The truth was that there was something itching at me about the way that I had talked before. I assume that when I was talking to Harold, it would have been just gibberish when I was high, but there was a code to it. This was probably not important, but I hadn''t gone out in¡­ yeah, no point in calcting how long it was since I had a life. That was too sad. Chapter 371 Start Growing Coral ¡°Let me go back and let someone know where I am going, or they will alle looking for me,¡± I said, trying not to stare at Mati''s breasts that seemed to have a mind of their own. ¡°Sure, and they are pretty entertaining, aren¡¯t they? I get lost sometimes watching them flop around when I swim!¡± Matiughed as she grabbed her breasts and jiggled them around, and I nodded. ¡°Can¡¯t me you for that. They are a nice pair, but you are pretty good-looking yourself,¡± Iughed as we swam to catch up to the front of the ship. ¡°Sounds like you are hitting on me,¡± Mati said, giving me a sideways look that I returned. ¡°d to see that your ears work,¡± I chuckled as I swam to the dome and then pped myself on it like Mati did before. Mati joined me, and Mex was down there waving to us with Nushi, Jilly, and Lizy. I was surprised that Kieta wasn¡¯t with them, but she might be nervous after all this time. ¡°Where is my kitten? Did you leave her behind?¡± Mati asked from beside me. ¡°Kieta? I expect she is down in her shop. I was just down there with her testing out some weapons,¡± I said, then focused on Mex and yelled. ¡°Can you hear me?!¡± ¡°Yes! Since you are talking to me like this, I assume you n on going off with her?¡± Mex called, and I nodded. ¡°Yes! I will be back before we get to the first ind. I think that I can leave Nushi and you in charge, right? Jilly and Lizy can help you, but watch out for Lidy. I told her that I was going to sleep with her tonight, but we already had some fun, so I will have to postpone our sleep,¡± I called, and everyone, including Mati, flinched. ¡°Are you sure that is a good idea?! I haven¡¯t been around in a while, but even I know that Lidy is one to steer clear of! And you are sticking your dick in that? Well, I can see why you are hitting on me. You are crazy; that is the only possible exnation!¡± Matiughed, and I stuck my tongue out at her. ¡°Lidy isn¡¯t a Demon anymore. She is a Five Tailed Shadow Cat, so she shouldn¡¯t be as crazy about her desires,¡± I called down after turning back to the ss. Everyone seemed to rx, but Nushi lifted up her shirt to show her pink tattoo, and I frowned. I had forgotten that she had the same mark as Lidy, but Nushi still had a few more days before she changed. ¡°When I get back, we will figure it out, or I cane in right now if you are worried about it,¡± I offered, but Nushi shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine; I was just reminding you. I know I have to wait the full week, but I would like to spend some time with you when I do. Also, can you start calling me by my real name? I don¡¯t know what my father was thinking,¡± Suzzy said, and I grinned. ¡°Hey! I thought that was a nice name! What is with all the hostility towards me?!¡± Mexined. ¡°Do you want to argue about character concepts when I get back, Suzzy?¡± I asked, and she rolled her eyes. ¡°Go enjoy yourself, but try not to get into too much trouble! You have a way of attracting unwanted attention!¡± Suzzy warned, her horns crackling with electricity as she red up at me. ¡°Me?¡± I asked, pointing at myself. ¡°Get into trouble? Better than trouble getting into me, I say!¡± ¡°I have never heard you say that in any lifetime,¡± Jilly said, shaking her head, but Mati started to shake me. ¡°Come on! Let''s get going before we start growing coral on us!¡± Matiined. ¡°Okay, haha! Love you all; I will see you in a day or two!¡± I called, pushed myself off the ss, and swam away from the eighty-foot submarine. ¡°Finally! I thought I was going to die of old age waiting for you! You are going to being back today, hopefully!¡± Mati said and then started to swim down to the north. I followed behind her as I took a look at some things with my new levels. I just wanted to make sure that I knew if there was anything else new in case we ran into something. A couple of nice new things about my System menu now was that there was a small map that could be disyed. It was kind of useless in open water since the range was only five hundred feet. There was also a much more usefulpass and a world clock that told me the current time. [14:18] ¡°Don¡¯t fall behind, slow poke, or I will have a hard time finding you!¡± Mati called, swimming around me. I hadn¡¯t realized I had stopped. ¡°Sorry, I was just checking out something,¡± I said, but Mati looked around and then gave me a funny look, tipping her head to the side. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Mati asked. ¡°It is blue everywhere. The bottom is really far down from here, and the ce we are going is not close yet.¡± ¡°I have special abilities that disy screens for my skill and the girls connected to me. I can also see those that serve me, but a bunch of the things just became avable for me to look at. I haven¡¯t got a chance to see them all, so I was just looking at some things,¡± I exined, and Mati nodded. ¡°I thought that you were a super strong Demon. Are you?¡± Mati asked, but I shook my head. ¡°I am a human, but as you can see, I can take on the forms of the girls connected to me,¡± I exined. ¡°So if I let you pound me, you could turn into me? Or at least to look like me?¡± Mati asked, and Iughed hard. Chapter 372 Carnivore Mode ¡°No, sex isn¡¯t needed, I don''t think, but I won¡¯t turn you down if that¡¯s what you want,¡± I chuckled, and Mati rolled her eyes. ¡°I was just asking a question, pervert. Let¡¯s get going before something biges and-¡± ¡°...Tells you that you are in their territory?¡± A deep and rumbling voice asked from behind, finishing Mati¡¯s sentence. Both of us turned around to see the biggest sea turtle I had ever seen. Its skin was jade green, but its shell was covered with colorful coral that had arge number of different colorful fish swimming around it. The fish looked pretty tasty. ¡°It¡¯s a turtle!¡± I eximed with delight. ¡°This is The Jade Reef of Death. He really doesn¡¯t like me, but his fish are really tasty! Want to get a snack?¡± Mati asked, and I looked between her and the big friendly-looking turtle. Then it opened its mouth to reveal point jade teeth, and my eyes went big. ¡°You think that I am going to let you?!¡± The jade turtle roared and dove at us, but I had already selected a new form. ¡°Mega Monsterize!¡± I roared as the giant turtle charged both of us. My body exploded with growth as I became a monstrous version of Jilly. My body became longer as the turtle tried to bite me, but I snapped my body around its neck the moment it did. [Carnivore Mode Activated: Gain experience for specific monster form for consuming strong foes.] That was disgusting, but I couldn¡¯t help that I actually wanted to eat this monster. In fact, I was starving like I hadn¡¯t eaten in a week. ¡°Get off me, you vile impossible creature!¡± The jade turtle roared, but my mind turned feral, and another part of me took over. Suddenly, I was in a dimly lit cave filled withrge jade bones, and I was still an Oomukade, but I was no longer monstrous. I looked around, and as my eyes quickly adjusted, I realized where I was. ¡°Are you all done eating? You didn¡¯t even want to share! I had to kick you off so I could at least get a bite! I never thought that you would kill this thing!¡± Mati eximed as she swam over to me. ¡°You look like a lobster now. Kinda gross.¡± Mati made a puking motion, and I looked down at my body and felt ill. God, I hated shelled fish. Loved to eat them, just not to mess with them. Still, I opened my menu and looked at my status screen, and I was now in a second form, Aquakade, but there was andform. I had increased speed and armor, plus my hands had be lobster ws. ¡°Yeah, I don''t think this is the nicest looking form, that is for sure, but it is stronger and faster than my other form, so I will use it for now. Before we leave, I want to collect the teeth and bones, and I will put them into my new inventory. I also want to clean the shell off and take that,¡± I exined, and Mati gawked at me. ¡°And where are you putting all of this? Inventory? What is that?¡± Mati asked in confusion, and I grinned. ¡°Just another part of my fancy System. It doesn''t really give me a physical boost, but it helps out the girls and gives me ways to help them,¡± I exined. ¡°Interesting, but if it doesn¡¯t give you a boost, then how did you kill the turtle with skin as tough as jade?¡± Mati asked. ¡°I am a Sage, level thirty-five, so that is one of my abilities. I can change my body dramatically, even more then, so maybe I might have to fuck you to change into you? Not really sure how that works. Like I said, this is all pretty new to me,¡± I exined, and Mati nodded. ¡°I might just let you mount me yet to find out what this boost is, but not if you look like that!¡± Matiughed, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°I want to see you store the entire turtle¡­ wherever you n on putting it!¡± Iughed and nodded, opening up my inventory. All the bones lit up, and I mentally selected each one, and they disappeared, one by one. ¡°Woah! Where did they go?!¡± Mati asked with cute confusion, spinning around. ¡°I picked them up. Come, let''s go out so I can st the coral reef of this bad boy!¡± Iughed and swam out of the shell with great speed. I swam out of the shell, and we were in an open sand area with nothing else around us. The coral was now a ghost town, and all the fish were gone. ¡°What are you going to do now? Don¡¯t tell me you can fit that thing in your belly as well?! How did you get all those bones inside of you?!¡± Mati asked, poking my shelled body. ¡°We are going to give it a wash,¡± I said, and Mati pulled back as blue, glowing wavy lines covered my body as my Water Force Pact activated. I swam down, and twin fanning jet streams burst from my w at ridiculously high pressures. The streams started to strip the coral off like I was using a pressure washer at a car wash. Under the coral, bright green and almost glowing jade was revealed. I grinned at the size of the massive tes that covered the turtle''s shell. ¡°What are you going to do with this big thing?!¡± Mati asked loudly over the sounds of me pressure washing. ¡°Not sure yet, but the jade can be used to make idols and other magical items. The shell can make some decent soup, but who knows. Feels like a waste to just leave something so beautiful to go to waste, right?¡± I asked as I finished cleaning the shell off. The two of us swam back some to get a better look at the shell, and I was impressed with how beautiful it was. I was going to get many good pieces from this bad boy! I opened my inventory and picked up the Giant Jade Sea Turtle shell, making it disappear. ¡°Wait! It¡¯s gone?! How do you keep doing this?!¡± Mati asked, clearly starting to look stressed, and I was all too familiar with it. ¡°Just try to suspend your disbelief, and try not to think too much about more of the things that I can do. I am not normal,¡± Iughed, and Mati nodded. ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree with you more!¡± Chapter 373 Try To Mount Me Once we were on our way again, Mati became more talkative. ¡°So, you are a human? What kind of monster is that?¡± Mati asked. ¡°The worst kind, honestly. We destroyed our own race and locked them in this world and many others. You don¡¯t know it yet, but you are also a human, and you should have gotten your memories back,¡± I exined as we started to swim on an upwards angle, still heading north. ¡°What do you mean, should? Why don¡¯t I if I am one of you? I don''t see how that is possible because I have always been me,¡± Mati stated, and I nodded. ¡°Do you know your other sisters?¡± I asked. ¡°That could be the key to unlocking that secret. If you know where they are, we are one step closer to finding the truth.¡± ¡°Nope, I know where they were, but they are like me and move around. I could tell you where they were, but that was a really long time ago,¡± Mati said, and I nodded but then gave her a look. ¡°You know, you didn¡¯t go very far,¡± I mentioned, and Mati shrugged. ¡°I was waiting for Kieta. I mean, I wasn¡¯t sure if she would ever get off that ind, but something told me that she would. I can¡¯t really ce my finger on it. It was just a feeling, but now I feel better just being around you. I don''t know if that means I was supposed to meet Kieta so I could meet you or not,¡± Mati said, and I nodded. ¡°Well, since you are one of the seven sisters that I am looking for, it would make sense that you would want to be close to me. I am trying to figure out why your father, a mermaid, would go and have children of multiple races. On top of that, all of you have an uncanny ability to avoid danger like the gue,¡± I exined, and Mati thumbed her lip. ¡°I have always wondered about that, but it always helps me get out of tough situations, and I can always back up my mouth! There are a lot of jerks in the sea that wants to try and eat me or just kill me because I have caused a lot of trouble,¡± Mati exined, and Iughed. ¡°Well, I hope we don¡¯t get into too much trouble. I would hate for half the ocean to be following us around in the submarine,¡± Iughed, and Mati gave me a strange look, so I exined. ¡°That is what you call the underwater boat I was in.¡± ¡°Oh! I see, but is there water inside?¡± Mati asked, and I nodded. ¡°Yes, if you came on board, I would get you a room made with water in it. If you join me and be one of my girls, you will also be able to walk on drynd. You could feel the sand between your toes,¡± Iughed, and Mati nodded. ¡°Does sound interesting, but I don''t feel like spreading my lower lips for you just yet. You still are incredibly ugly, and we are also getting close to the town,¡± Mati exined, and I frowned at her. ¡°Town? In the water?¡± I asked, and Mati nodded. ¡°The ce is called Rock Bottom, but it is a long way from the bottom. We were actually pretty close to it before you decided to eat an entire giant sea turtle! Shell and all! No one is going to believe me!¡± Matiughed, and I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s because you''re full of shit. I never ate the shell, and I will drop it on anyone who thinks I did!¡± I warned, and Matiughed harder. ? ¡°Of course, I am full of shit! I don''t think it is very polite to empty myself while I am swimming around you,¡± Matiughed, and I rolled my eyes, but I could see arge rock wall with a massive t shelf with dome-shaped buildings on it. Many strange creatures wereing to and from the ce, but there were only four domes. One of them was much bigger than the others, and that was what Mati pointed to. ¡°That is the Seeing Eye Bar, and then other ces are some shops if you want to check them out first. They might even buy some of that jade from you since I will assume that you don''t have any dors. Or do you have some hidden in your belly?¡± Mati asked, and I rolled my eyes, changing my form back to Gorgon-Mermaid form. ¡°Why, you aren¡¯t going to treat me?¡± I asked, and Mati grinned at me. ¡°I don''t stuff things in my holes very often, unlike some people. I am what I like to refer to as chronically broke. Never really had a problem getting what I want, but you don''t have the same fun bags as me, so I don''t really think that you will get free things,¡± Mati said, jiggling her half-ck and white breasts. ¡°This is true. I wouldn¡¯t mind checking out the shops before we get messed up,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Good, then you can pay for my drinks and fight anyone that tries to mount me!¡± Mati cheered. ¡°Is that a constant problem?¡± I asked Mati as we started to get closer. ¡°Problem? Not for me! Though, I do sometimes feel bad when they die. Not like I want to kill them, but they end up doing it themself. I am surprised that Sebastian the card even lets mee back. He says that it is for entertainment value, but he is a weird one,¡± Mati exined as we swan down to one of the first shops. ¡°Well, I suppose that is a good thing. At least you haven''t gotten abused or anything like that,¡± I said as Mati opened the shop door that was more like a hatch. ¡°Do I get abused? More like I am the abuser!¡± Matiughed, and we went inside. Chapter 374 Sex Driver The inside of the shop was filled with bottles of strange-colored sand. Each one of the bottles had multiple colors, but some had many more than others. ¡°Philly! How are you doing?¡± Mati asked, and a snug with a small shell on his head turned around from behind his counter. ¡°Mati, what brings you into my shop? I can see that you are as broke as ever, but who is this strange creature that you have with you? He also looks broke but interesting. Didn¡¯t you tell me your sister looked like this? Is this her kid?¡± Philly the snail¡­man, asked. ¡°I am here to see if you are interested in any Giant Jade Sea Turtle bones? Or teeth?¡± I asked, and the snail''s eyes almost popped out of his head. ¡°You had to be there to really appreciate it. It was pretty creepy to see, even for me! He ate that crusty old turtle that hunted in these waters,¡± Mati said, and the slug wiped a greasy hand across his forehead. Philly looked kind of like a human without legs that was slightly translucent with a shell on his head. He also seemed to have some mucus covering him, but it stayed on him and was not floating around. ¡°Really, well, I, umm, am not really equipped to go out and harvest that much. I would only be able to buy a few of the smallest bones unless you were also thinking of trading,¡± Philly exined, and I expected that. ¡°Sure, give me a minute, and I will get some out,¡± I said as I opened my system menu and moved over to my inventory. ¡°Oh boy, Philly! You thought that was crazy before; wait until you see what he does next! You didn¡¯t see the fight, so it might be easy to think this guy is talking crap, but this will be all the proof you need!¡± Mati cheered as she moved behind me. Putting her arms around my neck, Mati made my snakes all go haywire, but I was the one that got hit three times. The feeling of her squishy jiggly bits pressing me and her hanging on me was rpense enough for the couple of stinging nips I got. My snakes felt back about it, but I knew it wasn¡¯t their fault. Mati startled them, and they tried attacking her, but the uncanny avoidance caused them to get me instead. ¡°Sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to frighten your snakes; they are like my sisters, but yours are longer. I forget that they get excited if they don''t know you!¡± Matiughed and kissed my cheek as I selected some of the smallest bones. Instantly, there was arge pile of small jade bones on the ground, and I looked up at Philly, but he was gone. ¡°Where did he go?¡± I asked. ¡°I think that he passed out from shock. I can¡¯t really me him. Philly is a pretty docile type, but he is good at bargaining. This puts him in an awkward position now, though, right, Mr. Philly?¡± Mati asked, still hanging on to me from behind. ¡°This is true. I truly believe a salesman should never show his shock to a customer, but you aren¡¯t a normal person, and that is a lot of bones! I hope you don¡¯t expect me to pay you for all of them! I only have about one hundred or so Sand Dors, but I can trade you for the rest!¡± Philly offered, but Mati leaned over my shoulder and stabbed a finger at Philly. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it, you greasy slug! I know you have over a thousand! Don¡¯t you try to jip us! Zack is going to be buying my poisons, so pay him properly, or you don¡¯t get none!¡± Mati snapped, almost growling in my ear with teeth bare. ¡°Hey! No need to call names! I was just testing you. I will give you two thousand for the pile, and fourrge vials and two small of my Enchant-Sands!¡± Philly offered again. ¡°The money is good, but give him four small and four big and one small for me! I shouldn¡¯t have to twist your arm like this, so you are paying for making me work!¡± Mati dered, and Philly flinched but nodded. ¡°Fine! These bones are worth that much to me at least,¡± Philly said and came around to collect them. ¡°There! Now you can buy us lots of stuff! We don¡¯t even have to go into any more shops! Good thing you had me around!¡± Mati cheered in my ear, and I got bit again. ¡°Yes, so thankful every time I get a bite. You know I wouldn¡¯t need this money if I didn¡¯te here with you, right?¡± I teased, and Mati pushed off me. ¡°Maybe, but I am sure you will need money at some point, so this was a good experience, right?¡± Mati said as she swam around to the front of me. ¡°Yes, you are right. Now, help me pick out whatever this sand is. How does this stuff eleven work?¡± I asked. ¡°Philly makes special sand that casts an enchantment spell when you open the jar. Each of the jars has the spell name on top, so you should be able to figure out what they do. I suggest getting two of the Steel Skins in the big jars and a Detox in the small vials. The rest is up to you,¡± Mati exined. I nodded and turned around to start looking around the shop at all the big and small jars. There were many different things, but some names caught my eye as I started to look. Fire Breather came in a big jar, along with something called sand shackles, and I got the two jars of Stone Skin like Mati had suggested. I got two vials of Detox and one vial called Speed. Thest one that I got, Mati grabbed at the same time, and I gave her a look. ¡°What do you want with this one?¡± I asked curiously as I picked up a vialbeled ¡°Sex Driver.¡± Chapter 375 Monster Rancher ¡°I might want to use it! What¡¯s it to you, buddy?!¡± Mati asked me with a grin and then pointed to my hand. ¡°What are you going to use yours for?¡± ¡°I have seen magic like this before, so I wanted to grab some in case I meet someone that wants to have a little fun,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Oh, well, I guess that makes sense. Do you have sex with a lot of women?¡± Mati asked me curiously, and I nodded. ¡°Yeah, never been one to settle down, but I try not to have that many random encounters. That doesn''t mean that they don''t happen; I just don¡¯t go looking around for them. The women seem to fall into myp or try to eat or kill me. I tend to meet all sorts,¡± I exined and then turned back to Philly. ¡°How do you make these? Are they something that you only make?¡± ¡°The sand? I can make it because of a strange ss that I have. Not everyone gets a fighting ss. I was given a ss called Granr Arcane Alchemy, and over time I was able to figure out how to create these spells in a jar. My biggest problem is consistency,¡± Philly exined, and I nodded appreciatively. ¡°Very interesting. So you are saying that some of the spells may be stronger or weaker?¡± I asked, but Mati piped up. ¡°Ha! They either hit like a megalodon or like krill. There is no in between with Philly¡¯s spells!¡± Matiughed, and Philly winced. ¡°Hey now! He is likely to eat me if he gets mad!¡± Philly eximed, but I shook my head. ¡°No, but you shouldn¡¯t try to trick people; I don¡¯t allow that kind of thing on my¡­ Ranch¡­ Yeah,¡± I said, thinking about that, and then I remembered something when I looked at my hand. ¡°Ha! Oh, this is too good!¡± ¡°What are youughing like a maniac for?!¡± Mati asked me with a furrowed brow. I had Libra¡¯s ring still on, which meant that I still had ess to her world, and I could get this ranch business up and going. If I was going to be a True Monster Rancher, I would have to get the actual ranch going, which meant finding monsters to help run it. ¡°Philly, how do you like your life here? Would you like toe work for me?¡± I asked. ¡°You don¡¯t like the type that is doing this for the money. If that is the case, I would like you toe work on my ranch that I am building.¡± ¡°Huh? Ranch? What is that? Like where you keep animals? I think there are some fish farms like that run by Lobster Inders,¡± Mati asked, and I wiggled my hand. ¡°Sort of, but I am a Monster Rancher. That means I collect monsters, take care of them, and give them special abilities if they are girls close to me. I also enhance the abilities of the rest that I watch over; men and women. Your sister, Mary, has a survival system that gives her basically anything she needs to survive,¡± I exined. ¡°So you have an underwater ranch somewhere in this ocean, and you want me toe there?¡± Philly asked. I shook my head and showed him my hand with Libra''s ring. ¡°In this ring is another world, but you would have to give me some time to set it up. After I am done at the bar, I should have a ce ready for you,¡± I exined, but Philly put up his hands. ¡°Wait! I can''t just leave my shop and all my stuff! I have been here for a long time! I have memories here!¡± Philly eximed, and I nodded. ¡°I assumed you would say that, but if you do join, I will be bringing the shop as it is and everything inside of it. I will also give you free ess to every material I have. I might have to clear some of it with the other girls if they are making things. That isn¡¯t a problem, and I can get you whatever you need. Thest thing is that I can fix your problem with inconsistency,¡± I exined, and Philly rubbed a slimy hand on his chin. ¡°I do like the sound of not having to worry about dying all the time, and the unlimited ingredients are too good to be true! I can¡¯t figure out what you would want with me? You just want my spell to be used whenever you want?¡± Philly asked, and I wiggled my hand. ¡°I have a bunch of reasons. One, I have never seen this before. Two, I like to collect interesting people. Three, you can make things that could be useful for all the members of my ranch, not just me,¡± I exined, and Philly nodded. ¡°That sounds good, but if you don¡¯t mind, I would like some time to think about things,¡± Philly said, and I nodded. ¡°Sure, I will be back after my bar trip, but then I will leave. If you want to join me, you need to have your choice made up by then,¡± I exined, and Philly nodded. ¡°Thank you,¡± Philly said, but then Mati turned back to me from the shelves she was looking over. ¡°Howe you never asked me to join your ranch?!¡± Mati asked, grabbing my arm and pulling. ¡°Because I would wait until we got back to the ship. Do you want to join?¡± I asked with a grin. Mati let go of my arm and crossed hers over her autonomous breasts, that was in constant motion. ¡°No! Not yet, at least!¡± Mati dered and then grabbed my hand with Libra¡¯s ring on it. ¡°Is there really a world on your finger?¡± ¡°When we are done with our adventure, I will show you, but just give me a minute. I need to talk with the voice in my head,¡± I said with a grin, and Mati¡¯s eyes bugged out as her one hairless eyebrow rose. Chapter 376 Easy Enough To Say ¡°Now you are talking to voices in your head?!¡± Mati eximed, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°I am talking to my friend, Harold,¡± I groaned, and Mati crossed her arms again. ¡°Giving the voice in your head a name does not make it better!¡± Mati said with a frown, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°Just give me a minute,¡± I chuckled, but Mati was still giving me a look like I was nuts. She might not bepletely wrong. ¡®Harold? Sorry to bug you, but we need to talk,¡¯ I sent into my head, making me feel slightly crazy after Mati¡¯sments. There was also the fact that she was watching me like a hawk now. I guess she was waiting for me to start muttering to myself like a crazy person might do. I closed my eyes and stepped into the center of my mind where Fireden and Windorf were talking. ¡°Since when does she like sweets?¡± Windorf asked with narrowing eyes that I could see through the back of his head. ¡°How am I supposed to know when our Goddess started liking sugar?! I just know what Marly told Harold when he washed her¡­ Oh, Zack! Fancy seeing you here!¡± Fireden eximed, and suddenly, Grogvel and Wataluga formed in chairs at the table. ¡°Well, this is my head. Where is Harold? Still hiding out with Marly?¡± I asked, and Wataluga nodded. ¡°He won¡¯t hear you, I don¡¯t think. He is in Libra¡¯s Astral ne. You are linked to it, so we can all go back and forth quite easily,¡± Wataluga exined. ¡°Good, then maybe you can all help me. I need you to create a ce where I can put underwater creatures. It will be temporary until I can unlock Pisces or another Water-based Astral ne. If one of the four rings I had now worked, I would unlock it, but they are still under SkinWalkers control,¡± I exined. ¡°Oh? I think that we can probably do that? I assume that you need it sooner thanter?¡± Wataluga asked, and I nodded. ¡°Since time moves differently here, you should have more than enough time for me to go out. I am going to check out a local bar,¡± I said but then remembered something. ¡°Speaking of locals, did you all figure out who you were before this?¡± ¡°Before? As far as I know, we have always just been what we are. I am sure there was something before we existed, but I have always been an Earth Elemental,¡± Grogvel exined. ¡°Is this the same for all of you?¡± I asked, and the other three nodded. ¡°I think we only exist in this reality, not the one you came from. I am not sure what will happen to us if you go back,¡± Fireden said, and I finally sat down. I hadn¡¯t nned on staying for long, but this was troubling. There were a good number of people pulled into this. Not enough to popte the countless worlds that had been created, though. There would be many that would have been generated on the creation; NPC: non-yer-characters. The problem was that they were all alive and had real thoughts and feelings. If I brought everything back to how it was, that meant deleting all the people here. Now I was stuck in between a rock and a hard ce. On one side were all the humans that had been deleted. The other side had all the ones that were created in the making of this universe. Who knew just how many other races out in the cosmos had been deleted with us? How was I ever going to pick which side to save? ¡°You look like your head is about to explode,¡± Fireden said, pulling me out of my thoughts. ¡°You all just gave me a lot to think about. Only now are Zero Helsin¡¯s words starting to make sense. While I am trying to save all the people we killed, he wants to save the ones we created. How am I supposed to choose between the two?¡± I asked. ¡°Why are you so focused on one or the other?¡± Windorf asked. ¡°You should be looking for a solution that fixes all of your problems, not one or the other.¡± ¡°Easy enough to say, but how am I supposed to achieve something like that?¡± I asked, and Windorf shrugged. ¡°How am I supposed to know? You have time to figure it out. No one is holding a de to your throat to rush to the end,¡± Windorf said, and I nodded. I had been getting myself worked up again, and I would be headed on another path like on the ind. Nothing but constant pushing to the next goal, but I told myself I would rx and take things as they came. ¡°You are right, and I will put this on the back burner for now. Who knows, the answer might be somewhere waiting for me, and I just have to find it. To do that, I will just have to keep adventuring until this world has nothing more for me. I will just have to keep pushing forward,¡± I sighed. ¡°Yup, and as for what you asked for with Libra¡¯s ring, the rest of us will get on it,¡± Fireden exined, and I nodded. ¡°Hey, where is za? Shouldn¡¯t he be here?¡± I asked, but Wataluga shook his head. ¡°Harold is purifying him just like with Marley. Harold told me that you can absorb Marly and him after. That will increase the power of your Fire and Water Pacts,¡± Wataluga exined. ¡°Well, that is a good thing. I am interested to see what za is like after hees back. I wonder if he will have a different name?¡± I asked. ¡°Hard to say. Marley is different from za. She is whole but very young. za is much older, but only one-third of his full form, simr to us. We are all one-third of our former forms. There are two more parts of each of us that you need to find to increase your power to the max,¡± Fireden exined. Chapter 377 If I Had Toes ¡°Hmm, well, I will get back to rxing and try to put this out of my head for now,¡± I said, standing up from my chair. I opened my eyes, and Mati was still looking at me. ¡°There, done,¡± I said, and Mati frowned. ¡°Done what?¡± Mati asked. ¡°You only blinked.¡± ¡°That was all the time I needed to get things going. I have the four elementals working on creating a ce to store the people I find now. Are you ready to go?¡± I asked, and Mati nodded, but she looked uneasy. ¡°You are more than not normal. I have never met anyone like you, which worries me. I am actually worried that you might be crazier than I am!¡± ¡°I am crazier than you, so don¡¯t try to top it. If there is a good fight to be had or a fun time, I am on it like dirt on a shirt!¡± Iughed. I turned and nodded to Philly, and he waved back. ¡°I will see you when you return. I am sure that I will be ready when you get back,¡± Philly exined, and I nodded, turning to leave with Mati. ¡°I guess, but try not to destroy the bar. Sebastien doesn''t like having to rebuild his bar,¡± Mati told me as we left the shop. ¡°I won¡¯t destroy the bar, but I can¡¯t promise I would get into trouble. Always better to get into trouble than let trouble get into you!¡± Iughed, and Mati shook her head. ¡°Why does this feel like I am doing something wrong? Normally I am the one that everyone else has to look out for. I have never been around someone more dangerous than me,¡± Matiined as we started to head for the giant gray dome, but I stopped. ¡°What about the other two shops?¡± I asked, but Mati shook her head. ¡°Nope, you have more than enough for us to have a good time. I already had to wait for you at thest shop, so you can go do that after! One sells food, and the other is a smith, but you don¡¯t need either right now!¡± Mati stated, pinning her breasts down that were floating up into her face. ¡°Yes, Yes, Yes. We can go do what you want, but you are pretty bossy for someone with no money,¡± I teased. Mati grinned back at me, letting go of her breasts, and came over to wrap arms around my neck. Her breast squished between us, and she looked up at me with ck pupils that filled almost both eyes. ¡°I mean, if you want to do it, we can, but I want to ensure that you know what you are getting into. I told you that I don¡¯t need money, but I am not offering myself for your money. You will pay for me; I am not worried about that. I just told myself that I wouldn¡¯t leave the person I did it with,¡± Mati exined, and I nodded. I could understand where Mati wasing from. The reason that I was trying to get her to join us was to deal with the reason why she was alone. ¡°No need to rush it. I understand why you want to make sure; I was just teasing you,¡± I smiled, and Mati nodded. ¡°I want to have a child one day, you know. My parents were never there, so I don¡¯t want to leave my child to wander all alone. If you want to do this thing with me, you''re stuck with me for the rest of your life. I don¡¯t care about other women, but I need to make sure that you are not just going to leave me alone,¡± Mati said, and I wrapped my arms around her, resting my arms on her fin. ¡°I get it, and I am not going to leave you. You will be with the other girls and me. Mary is already pregnant,¡± I said, and Mati¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really?! You already slept with my sister and got her pregnant? How many times have you guys done it?!¡± Mati asked with surprise, and I looked up for a moment. ¡°Only two times, but I can ensure you get pregnant the first time. Still, if you get pregnant, you won''t be able toe out to the bars until your child is born,¡± I exined, and Mati pulled back in shock. ¡°Why not?!¡± ¡°Whatever you put in, you will also go to your baby. I suppose you don¡¯t know this stuff, but if you want to have a child, you need to make sure that it stays healthy, even before it¡¯s born,¡± I exined, and Mati put a hand to her chin thoughtfully. ¡°You seem to know a lot about babies,¡± Mati said, looking at me more appreciatively. ¡°Just what I have learned through many lifetimes,¡± I said. Mati nodded and swam over to take my arm. ¡°I think I like you a bit more now, not that I didn¡¯t before, but you really are not normal,¡± Mati said and kissed my cheek. ¡°You keep saying that,¡± Iughed, and she nodded. ¡°The other times were because you are strange, but this time is because you aren¡¯t like other men. Let¡¯s get going, and we can talk more at the bar,¡± Mati said and pulled me along with her. I suppose I wasn¡¯t like most men, but I was still a man. I just had a good amount of mistakes under my belt and have seen enough other people make them learn from them. ¡°Being normal isn¡¯t really any fun, and it¡¯s predictable. I never want to be predictable. I want to always keep everyone on their toes around me,¡± Iughed, and Mati nodded. ¡°If I had toes, I am sure I would be on them now!¡± Mati giggled as we reached the bar. ¡°Is there anything that I should know before we head in?¡± I asked as I pulled open the hatch for the Seeing Eye Bar. Chapter 378 Turn You Into Boots ¡°Umm, don¡¯t stare at anyone. Most people around here are pretty high-strung, and fights break out pretty often. The ce gets messy until the blood and guts get filtered out,¡± Mati exined as we went inside. The ce was filled with creatures of all sorts, and I even saw a pair of Green Mutalisks. Everyone was floating at tables with no seats, but since everyone swam, that made sense. ¡°They allow Demons here? I asked, pointing at the two Mutalisks, and Mati nodded as we swam over to an open table at the far side of the bar. ¡°Yeah, no one really cares, but there are many ces they are not allowed to go to. This ce is not really for those types. The Seeing Eye Bar caters to the more backwater types if you know what I mean,¡± Mati exined as we¡­ floated. I wanted to think seated, but there was nothing to sit on, so floating was the best I coulde up with. Funny to think of a waiter asking to float us at our table, but my eyes were going all over therge dome. The ce was much more than just a simple bar, and three other floors above us ringed the dome. There were no stairs to any of the levels, making them look like private areas to me. ¡°You really need to stop looking around like that, or we will get into trouble before Sebastien sees us!¡± Mati warned, and I looked back at her. ¡°Is it really that bad here? I am not looking at anyone; I am concerned about the levels above us. Are they for anyone to go up to?¡± I asked, and Mati nodded. ¡°Well, make sure not to make eye contact until we get our stuff first. Sebastien saw using in, so he will be over soon. Once we figure out what we are going to do, that will tell us which floor to go on,¡± Mati exined, and I frowned. ¡°Hmm? What we take is what picks what floor we are on? How does that work?¡± I asked, a bit confused. ¡°This floor is for those that want to drink poison that makes them think they are tougher and funnier than they are,¡± Mati exined. ¡°So alcohol?¡± I asked, and Mati nodded. ¡°Yeah, I think that is what they call it. I don¡¯t like the stuff, and it makes people smell gross. The next floor is for the ones that like to use the slowdowns. They make you really tired andzy, but you feel terrific. The floor after is the part floor for all those that like the things that fill you full of energy! That ce is fun, but we are going to thest floor since you are paying!¡± Mati exined with excitement. ¡°How do they keep everyone safe when they are doing this stuff?¡± I asked, and Mati gave me a funny look. ¡°Safe? The best way to stay safe is not toe to a ce like this. Some spells prevent you from going ces you don¡¯t belong to, but the best option is to get a top-floor themed suite! They are the best!¡± Mati eximed. ¡°Theme? You mean that they are all special bedrooms with decorations?¡± I asked, but Mati gave me a funny look. ¡°Bed? What is that?¡± Mati asked. ¡°Where you sleep. You do sleep, don¡¯t you?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°Sleep? What is sleep?¡± Mati asked back, and I blinked but thought about it. ¡°Hmm, I guess that you probably can¡¯t sleep normally. It is a period when you close your eyes, and your body rests for six to eight hours on average. Since you need oxygen to breathe, I assume you would only be able to ¡°rest¡± near the surface of the water. That is probably dangerous, right?¡± I asked, but Mati shook her head. ¡°There are resting areas you can go to that are safe. I don¡¯t have to get air cause I have these!¡± Mati said and lifted her arms above her head to reveal gills below her armpits. At the same time, her breast flew up, and a couple men at the table beside us started to makements. ¡°Wow, look at those floppers! Could make quite the meal out of that one,¡± a shark-like man sneered, and I turned around. ¡°Unless you want to be turned into boots, I would turn back around and keep your eyes on your drink,¡± I warned, and the gray shark-man bared his teeth at me. ¡°You wanna fight, freak?¡± ¡°You want to die?¡± I growled as red lines started to cover my blue skin like veins as my Fire Force Pact activated in response to my anger. ¡°Hey! Let''s leave the fighting for another time, gentlemen! Hank, I think that you should do as the man says. You don¡¯t want to mess around with anyone crazy enough to hang around Mati!¡± A giant crab man said as he walked up to our table with a menu. ¡°Sebastien! You came just in time!¡± Mati eximed as I turned around to face the massive seven-foot-tall crab-man. ¡°That is what it looks like! We try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum when we can here!¡± Sebastienughed, setting a strange-looking stone tablet. ¡°So, who is your friend here, Mati? Never seen you bring anyone in here before, and you have beening here for a very long time!¡± ¡°This is Zack, and he is crazier than I am!¡± Matiughed, and Sebastien gave me a look. ¡°What is it that you havee here for?¡± Sebastien asked, then added, ¡°Besides my fine products, of course.¡± ¡°I am just here to rx and try out some of these fine products you have,¡± I said with a smile, but the crab looked over me. ¡°You look like you are about as well off as this one. I like Mati, but I am not the type just to give things away,¡± Sebastien said, and I nodded. Chapter 379 I Had Remained Calm ¡°Tell me the price for your best room and what you need to start a tab,¡± I said, and the crab narrowed his eyes. ¡°Three hundred, and you can do what you like,¡± Sebastien said, and I nodded, making three white sand dors appear on the table of the twenty I was given. ¡°We are good, right? If I owe you more, I can square up with you after,¡± I exined, but Sebastien was still staring at the money. ¡°Don¡¯t ask. I watched Zack put a Giant Jade Sea Turtle shell in his belly, and I still can¡¯t figure out how he got it in there,¡± Mati said with a tired-sounding voice. ¡°Well, I like this one, Mati!¡± ¡°You had better if you took that much money! You also better give us the best service you have. I want at least two guides!¡± Mati dered, and Sebastien winced, but I was curious about what it meant to have a guide. ¡°Where are we going that we need guides?!¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°I have a demon that works for me, and each room is a different ce she makes,¡± Sebastien exined. What room do you want?¡± ¡°What do you have? I have never been here before, so I don''t really know what there is,¡± I said, and Mati grabbed my hand. ¡°It¡¯s better if we don¡¯t know! Always more fun if we don¡¯t know what kind of trouble we are getting into!¡± Mati cheered, but I narrowed my eyes. ¡°What kind of rooms are these? What should I expect to be on the other side of whatever we go through?¡± I asked with growing suspicion. ¡°Depends on what room you go in. Each one is stranger than anything you have seen, so we just have the rooms numbered. You can get hurt inside of the rooms, but only if you do something to hurt yourself. Nothing in there will try to attack or hurt you, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± Sebastien exined, and I nodded slowly. ¡°Oh,e on, Zack! You wanted to get out and have some fun, so rx, and let the current pick your path!¡± Mati cheered, and I sighed. ¡°Fine, but what are we going to be taking? I am starting to feel more apprehensive about this as the seconds go on. Maybe this wasn¡¯t as good of an idea as I originally thought it was,¡± I said, but Mati grabbed my arm and pressed into me, mping my shoulder with her ck and white bazookas. ¡°But, we can have some fun in there,¡± Mati whispered and then slowly licked up the side of my neck. The feeling sent electricity running through my body, but I wasn¡¯t going to be persuaded so easily. ¡°I can have some fun if I go home to my submarine. Going into a ce, I don¡¯t know while taking drugs is akin to walking into the mouth of a megalodon. I just want to know what we are getting into, or I am more than willing to go check out the other two shops and then go home,¡± I exined. While I was interested in seeing what these rooms were, I was less interested in getting drugged up with some random cocktail. I wasn¡¯t sure what I had been expecting here, but the ce had many more people than I thought. ¡°Wait! You don¡¯t want to go in?! Where did the adventurous guy go from before?!¡± Matiined, still pressed into my shoulder. ¡°I am adventurous, not stupid. Not everyone has a clear path to the avoidance of all danger. Some of us have to think about the things we do a couple of times before we decide to do them. I am very familiar with Demon Spatial Rooms, but I also know that the Demon that controls the room can make it, so I can¡¯t leave. I was fine with this until I heard that part,¡± I exined, and Sebastien put his w-like hands up. ¡°Woah woah woah there, chief! We are doing nothing like that to our patrons here! We wouldn¡¯t have this many people in here all the time if the ce was known for that!¡± Sebastian quickly exined, but I still wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°Let me talk with this demon then, and Purify her if she lets me. She can still do what you need if she wants. I am inquisitive as to why a Demon woman would be hanging around in a ce like this,¡± I said, looking at Sebastien. ¡°Can¡¯t do that. Xeno is too important, and she belongs to me,¡± Sebastien said, and my blood started to boil. I had remained calm up until this point, but I had almost expected this. Now, there would be no drugs or silly fucking rooms. ¡°I don¡¯t think that you heard me properly. I didn¡¯t ask. Now, if you value your life or your little shit hole of a bar, show me to the Demon,¡± I growled, but Sebastien started to back up, getting a nasty look on his face. I would have killed him on the spot, but I needed to find the demon first. Each one of the Demons was a human underneath it all, subconsciously, and I was the reason they were like this. ¡°Zack, what are you doing? I thought that we were going to have fun! We can get into a fight anywhere! Is the Demon really that important?! I thought that you didn¡¯t like them?¡± Mati asked me, and I nodded as the entire bar started to turn to stare at me. ¡°Everyone of them,¡± I said as Sebastien floated up above the heads of everyone around him. ¡°We got someone that wanted to take our room girl away! Are you boys going to let that happen? Free drinks for the first one that takes him down, and I will let you have a round with Xeno as a reward!¡± Sebastien roared, and everyone rose up to float above their tables, but I raised a hand. Chapter 380 Something Huge The monsters started to cheer and bang cups as others pulled out weapons. The ones without crafted one brandished ws, spikes, and teeth. This creature was disgusting, and I wasn¡¯t going to let him off easily. I didn¡¯t like the idea of eating monsters, but I would make an exception this time. ¡°Everyone gets one chance now to leave the bar. If you choose to stay, you are all going into my stomach as XP,¡± I growled, and Mati let go of my arm as I started to get bigger, and my shape started to get bigger and change form back into my Aquakade Lobster form. No one left, but that was fine with me. ¡°And all I wanted was to do some drugs and have a good time,¡± Mati sighed from beside me. ¡°I can have a good time wherever I go, but I don¡¯t approve of very,¡± I growled as the creature started to rush me. The shark beside meshed out to bite my arm, and I let him, cutting him in half with my other w. The water filled with blood, and the shark let go of my arm to fall lifelessly as more creatures rushed me. My Water Force Pact activated with my Sphinx and Tsunalily Totems and Vines with a blue water coating. Time slowed down as Veronica¡¯s bond allowed me to precisely control all the vines. The creatures tried to get to me, but almost instantly, everyone in the bar was headless or bisected. The only people left alive in sight were Mati, Sebastien, and something else that didn¡¯t die when I tried to cut his head off. ¡°Woah! That was pretty cool! You didn¡¯t even need to change into that ugly look to kill them all!¡± Mati cheered beside me, but my eyes were on the armored creature moving toward me. ¡°So, you are pretty tough. Never seen someone kill this many that fast. Looks like it was a good day to stop into this little shit hole. I normally like to try and fight Mati, but something always happens to get in the way, hehe,¡± an armored squid-like creature said, pulling out two long curved knives. ¡°I will pay you one thousand dors to get rid of this thing!¡± Sebastien cried. ¡°Oh! This guy is Torkle; he is a battle junkie, always looking for a fight. He is pretty strong, so I would watch out for him. Maybe it was a good thing that you got ugly!¡± Matiughed as I focused on the multiple-armed creature. The Squid creature reached under its armor and pulled out multiple des. The arms of the creature started to whirl around as it approached me, my water de vines not being able tond a direct hit before getting sliced or deflected. I shrunk down to Mary¡¯s Mermaid form, dropping the Water Force Pact and my Tsunalily totem, switching over to Earth. I raised my hand, which had be rock-like, and pointed my finger at the creature. ¡°Bang,¡± I said, dropping my thumb like a firing hammer on a revolver. A rock shot from the tip of my finger, visibly cutting through the water and through Torkle¡¯s head, making it explode. The whirling arms stopped, and the stone des fell to the ground as I looked around to see who else wanted to fight, but they were all dead. All but Mati and the owner of this cesspool, Sebastien. Now we were going to have a little talk. ¡°Fine! I will give you her, but then you leave!¡± Sebastien ordered, stabbing a finger at the door. Before he could react, I changed my tail to be snake-like and shot forward to bind and constrict the Crab Man. I was going to be taking more than the Demon with me. ¡°You sssee, this is how you ssshould have ssspoken to me, to begin with, but you didn¡¯t. Tell me where ssshe isss¡­ s-ssso I don¡¯t have to pump you full of poison and ruin the meatsss!¡± I hissed, nearlyughing out loud at how much I sounded like Mary. Going full snake made my tongue and tail length and my s sounds stretch out. I could see why Mary had issues talking like this sometimes, but that didn¡¯t make it any less cute! ¡°You want to know where Xeno is? She is in the back room, under the floor! You should have just asked me!¡± Mati dered, and Sebastien froze in my grip. ¡°Really? Now you tell me? I could have killed a lot lessss people if you had told me at the ssstart!¡± I hissed, trying not tough as I did. ¡°You sound tongue-tied like my sister! Can you say this? She sells seashells by the seashore?¡± Mati giggled. ¡°Ssshad up!¡± I snapped, breaking Sebastien''s neck in frustration and then putting the body into my inventory. ¡°What are you going to do with his body?!¡± Mati asked as she swam over to me with excitement. There was still noiseing from up top, but I was sure that everyone was too messed up to even notice or care what had just happened here. At some point, people would notice, and then all hell would break loose again. ¡°I am going to see what I can get the girls to cook up with it,¡± I said. ¡°Cook? What does that mean?¡± Mati asked. I was going to frown at her, but then I remembered Mary and Jilly. When I met them, neither had eaten cooked meat. ¡°When we return to the ship, I will show you what I mean. Now, where is this back room you were talking about?¡± I asked, looking over to the hallway that was behind the bar counter. ¡°Follow me!¡± Mati called but then stopped, looking around. I felt something huge and powerful on a much different scale than the turtleing towards us from a reasonable distance, but it wasing fast. Whatever this was, it was much stronger than Thesta, the Sea Witch, meaning I probably shouldn¡¯t be messing with it. ¡°We should hurry. I forgot to tell you that Sebastian is a Demi-Craboid, and I think that you just pissed off his mother, Urs. She is an Old God and a bit Krabby, if you know what I mean,¡± Mati giggled, but what wasing closer was noughing matter. ¡°Move!¡± I shouted, and Mati darted down the hall after nodding. Chapter 381 Crab Attack Mati raced forward and stopped in front of a backroom door near the end of the hallway. I wasted no time opening the door, but the room was nothing more than a storage room. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t she here?!¡± I asked in frustration as I could feel the overwhelming presence that was getting closer. ¡°Here!¡± Mati said, swimming forward and grabbing at the floor that was covered in smooth, almost white sand. Mati grabbed atch, and I rushed over to help her lift it up. The hatch wasn¡¯t that heavy, but a blue female Demon was looking up at me when we got it open. Xeno¡¯s body was like Mati''s, but I suspected she was more like a dolphin than a whale or shark. She wore a red sexy shell set over her tiny chest, and Xeno had some kind of blue flowing grass skirt on. If we were in another ce and not about to be attacked, I might take more time to appreciate her, but we had no time. ¡°Who are you?¡± The woman asked, looking up into my eyes in fear. ¡°This is Zack! Come on, Xeno, Urs ising!¡± Mati eximed, pulling at the Demon¡¯s hand, but Xeno pulled back in fear. ¡°Urs?! Why is sheing?! Where is Sebastien?!¡± Xeno asked in confusion, but we didn¡¯t have time for this. ¡°Libra, my Astral Goddess of Bnce, open the Gateway to your domain!¡± I called out, punching out to the side. A light burst from Libra¡¯s Astral Ring on my hand, and a tear in reality opened to more water. Libra was on the other side, looking at me with a smile. ¡°You seem to get yourself into trouble with minimal effort,¡± Libra said, her basketball breast floating in the air unnaturally. I reached down and grabbed Xeno by the wrist before she could react and then tossed her at Libra, and then I grabbed Mati and tossed her in as well. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to exin; just be ready to take at least three more!¡± I shouted, and Libra nodded. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Mati screamed at me. ¡°Stay in here with Xeno, I don¡¯t have time to exin, but you are just as likely to get me killed in this situation,¡± I shouted and then closed the rip before she couldin. ¡°COME OUT HERE!¡± The voice vibrated me even inside of the building and almost rendered me unable to move. Whatever this creature was, it was much stronger than Testa, the Kraken, had been, but she had only been a small portion of her real power. The thing screaming at me now felt a lot more like what the real thing should feel. I wasn¡¯t going to back down from this fight, but I had to make sure that others didn¡¯t get dragged into the mess I was making. I activated my Monsterize ability, selected the Aquakade again, and then smashed through the wall. I turned to Philly¡¯s sand shop, but it had gotten eerily dark for the middle of the day. Then a massive pir smashed down on the round shop right before my eyes. I was shocked in ce for an entire second that seemed tost forever, and then I looked up. The pir had been a massive crab leg, and above me, the monster''s underside, was the size of a football field. My blood was on fire, but there was nothing I could do for Philly now. I couldn¡¯t leave now, but I hadn¡¯t nned on it from the first moment that I had felt this monster. ¡°You!¡± The Crab Goddess roared, vibrating me, but I ignored it, swimming out in the open water. ¡°So, you are that shitty crab''s mother? Is that why you came? Because I killed your child? Your ving child willing to give a demon to be abused by his patrons?¡± I asked. ¡°What of it? It is one Demon of many, and they are a stain on the world. The disgusting little child should be grateful that my son took her in. The same one that you killed!¡± Urs roared. ¡°That same one and I would kill him again, but luckily, you are here, so I will take it out on you! Mega Monsterize!¡± I roared back, and my body started to expand rapidly as my single fin tail became eight tentacles. My tail with a massive stinger and wings grew from my back as I transformed into a monstrous Matiken. The massive Old God was still much bigger than me, but now I could try to fight on a more even ying field. ¡°You think getting bigger is going to help you? Is this the first time that you have met a real Old God? I will make sure that I take my time to tear you apart and then put you back together for the rest of your waking life, Krill!¡± Urs snapped, and I rolled my eyes and then burst forward. Urs snapped a thirty-foot w at me, but the w was forty feet away. Unfortunately, that was more than close enough for her, and I was sted back like I had just been hit by a bus. I spun back through the water, but the massive crab surged forward with impossible speed. A w snapped forward and grabbed my body, but I activated my Earth Pact and stopped the w from crushing me. ¡°Stupid creature. You know nothing of the power of the Old Gods! You are nothing before the might of us!¡± Urs roared, bringing me up to her mouth that revealed a massive dark hole. I was not about to be seafood. I transformed into my Gorgon/Mermaid form, slipping out of the ws and slithering up the arm. The Old God tried to attack me with the other w, but I swerved in time, and Urs smashed into her own arm, cracking her shell. ¡°You slippery freak! Why can you change your form?! Get off of me, you disgusting creature!¡± Urs screamed at me, but I ignored her. I wrapped back around to the crack in Urs¡¯s arm and transformed back to my puny human form, letting go of my Earth Pact. I could sense the wing at me, and I crawled into the crack in the shell just as the w smashed down, but the creature''s white meat absorbed most of the shock. ¡°GET OUT OF MY BODY!¡± Urs screamed, but I ignored her and activated my Fire Force Pact. ¡°AHHH!¡± The screams were soon drowned out by the boiling of crab meat, and the water around me drowned her out. I changed into the Aquakade and began to devour the cooking crab meat, the tasty meat filling me with energy. Suddenly, I felt my body and the arm start to fall. I looked back up through the crack, but I was falling away from Urs. She had cut her arm off, but I could see a new one growing. As much as I was pissed off and angry, my monster brain told me that I had just found an excellent food supply, and that was all that was on my mind. I tried to eat more, but the w was smashed with me still inside of it, but the strike couldn¡¯t crack my body, so I kept eating. ¡°Get out here, you disgusting creature! I am going to tear you to pieces!¡± Urs screamed down as she smashed at the w. ¡°You keep saying that,¡± I said, poking my head out of a broken part of her w. ¡°You can¡¯t beat me! I am an Old God! No matter how many limbs I lose, I will always grow them back!¡± Urs roared, and I nodded as she smashed me with one of her ws. ¡°So, what you are saying is that you are an unlimited food source for me? You are stronger than me, no doubt about it, but where is your magic? Can¡¯t you use it?¡± I asked after Urs pulled her w back from me. ¡°Unlimited food? Who do you think that you are?! I can use magic if I want, but I don¡¯t need it to kill you!¡± Urs screamed, mming her w down again. The w missed as I burst into another part of the shell, digging into the meat. I needed to eat more. ¡°Sounds like you can¡¯t use magic. Really, what kind of useless God are you? I am going to eat through your body until you can¡¯t regenerate. You are going to make me stronger until I can kill you or force you to submit to me,¡± I said after cleaning out another section of the broken w. The Old God actually took a step back, but there was no running from me now. This thing had killed Philly, and her son had used and abused Xeno. I had no care for what happened to this beast. ¡°I hope you had a good life because your time as an Old God ends now!¡± I roared as a new System message popped up. [Consume: 100%] [Evolution activated!] [Aquakade -> Armorkade] [Carnivore Mode Activated!] Chapter 382 What Can I Do For You? My body was different now, and I could feel the power coursing through my new form. My tes became much thicker, and my body extended longer and wider than it had before, returning me to my long centipede body. A w snapped around, but my armored body stopped and then cracked it. Urs screamed a horrible noise, trying to let go of me, but Itched on and started climbing up the creature''s arm. ¡°Get off me, you creep creature!¡± Urs screamed, trying to shake me off, but there was no getting rid of me now. I crawled up to her arm joint and then sliced it off with a razor whip made from water. The creature screamed and iled, but I just ignored her and moved on to her legs. ¡°Stop! What do you want, mortal?! Let me do whatever it is you want, and I will leave you be!¡± Urs screamed, and I stopped just before I was about to cut off another leg. ¡°What could you possibly do for me?¡± I asked after switching to Mary¡¯s form and swimming out in front of the stupidly giant crab. ¡°I¡­ umm, can¡­ well, what is it you want? I suppose if you want, you can take my arm you just cut off?¡± Urs asked, but her body was starting to shrink. ¡°Your arm?¡± I asked, and then swam over to the forty-foot-long arm and then put it into my inventory, making it disappear. ¡°That was already mine, and your meat isn¡¯t anything special. I think the Giant Jade Sea Turtle was better. You are going to have to do much better than that.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what it is that you want from me. Whatever you are, you are much stronger than I am, even if you don¡¯t look it,¡± Urs said, her body one-fifth its normal size, but her face was starting to change. To say it was changing might have been an inapt description of what was actually happening. The face stretched out into a bright pink-skinned body with an extremely modest chest. Urs¡¯s chest was so small to the point that I could only tell that she was a woman due to the fact that her vagina hadn¡¯t fallen out into a penis. Everything from her hips down was crab, but this did make her a bit easier on the eyes, but none of that mattered. What I needed to figure out was what to do with this strange creature. Urs had crushed Philly¡¯s sand shop, but I still wasn¡¯t sure if he was dead. I had just assumed from the way that she hadnded. The thing was, this was kind of lucky in a way if you discounted all the people I killed and Philly getting squished. I was looking for Old Gods, even if this one seemed pretty weak, but I needed to know how to bind her. ¡°What kind of powers do you have? I mean, you have to be more than just a giant crab, right?¡± I asked as I waved for her to follow me. We had fallen to the sea floor, so there were at least a hundred feet between us and the shelf. It was easy to discount distance when you were fighting a monster that was as wide as that was tall. ¡°Where are we going? Is this it? You are going to let me live?!¡± Urs asked as she stopped on the rock face she was climbing up, and I stopped swimming, turning around. Before answering, I used my Water Force Pact to create a blue band of water around Urs¡¯s neck. I still wasn¡¯t sure what I was going to do, but this would prevent her from messing with me. That was what I assumed, but for all I knew, this human body that was sticking up was just like another arm. Cutting her head off could be no worse than a hand, which she would grow back right away. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided what I am going to do with you yet. I don¡¯t trust you, so I ced that band around your neck if it will even do any good. You haven¡¯t done anything that terribly wrong in the bigger picture, other than letting your son use Xeno, but that is kind of a gray area. I know that you all hate Demons, and many wouldn¡¯t think twice about doing the same to others, so I kind of get it,¡± I exined, and Urs put her hands to her neck. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to let me go?¡± Urs asked in confusion. ¡°Nope. Not a chance. You either die here, or youe with me. You tried to kill me, and now you have submitted to me, so like the Demon, your life is now forfeit. Unlike Xeno, I am not going to lock you into a small room and let men take advantage of you,¡± I said and then stretched out a hand to Urs. ¡°Take it so I can swim us back up to the ledge faster.¡± Urs took my hand, albeit hesitant, and I dragged her along. ¡°I can¡¯t use magic because it was sealed away by Thesta long ago. I can create things, though, so that might be of use to you. I would prefer not to be used as a food source,¡± Urs said as we rose higher. ¡°Oh? What can you build?¡± I asked as our speed slowly picked up. ¡°I was the one that made the domes up on the ledge for my son and the others. I am normally not as nasty, but you killed my son. I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised that it happened, but I am still upset that you killed him,¡± Urs exined, and I nodded. ¡°I understand that, and that is why I didn¡¯t kill you. Your son tried to kill me because he would not give me Xeno, one of my people. Even though many Demons are bad, they are still my people underneath that. I need to purify them all before I can leave this, but I will not have people treating them like ves. I am sure they do that, but that is why I am out here in the ocean right now,¡± I replied, and Urs became silent. I did understand where she wasing from, and I sorta felt bad for what I did. I possibly could have spared Sebastien, but he had told the bar to kill me, so I remained silent as well. I kept going, but it was still slow. I should have just got Urs to grow big again and climb up, but I could see the ledge now getting closer. The crab body wasn''t as heavy as it was a drag making it a bit harder to swim but not impossible. It was like trying to swim with something like a parachute attached to me. Once we reached the ledge, I set Urs down and then swam around the big dome that had no noisesing from it. I guess that everyone was either being very quiet now, or they had just left altogether. On the other side of the bigger dome, I could see the crushed remains of Philly¡¯s shop, and I let out a sigh. ¡°You are still alive?!¡± Philly asked me, and I smirked. ¡°I feel like I should be asking you that! You are the one that got stepped on!¡± I eximed as I swam over. ¡°Me? I am pretty hard to kill, and I was in the far back of my store working on the Jade you had given me. I had just crushed it all up, and now it is all gone,¡± Philly said with a sigh. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry about it. Have you decided if you want toe and work for me? Because I will just give you more and whatever else that you need. I have to retrieve the girls from my ring,¡± I exined, and Philly sighed. ¡°I was going to say yes anyways. This ce has always been nice to stay, but we live under the rule of that ter-¡± ¡°You think that I am terrible?! I gave you a shop and let you live under my protection!¡± Ursined as she walked over to where I was floating just off the ledge. ¡°I am sorry! I just mean that you are always angry! I know that you are not really terrible, or you wouldn¡¯t protect all of us, but you do have a very bad temper,¡± Philly exined, flinching back. ¡°Well, I am no longer looking after this area, so you and the others should go with this one if he is offering you protection,¡± Urs said, crossing her arms over her mosquito bites. ¡°I suppose that you are right, and that is a good idea, but I don¡¯t know how the other two feel,¡± Philly said. ¡°Good, let''s go talk to them, and then I will load everyone up and head back to my ship. If you would, Philly, do you mind introducing me to them?¡± I asked. Chapter 383 Eelyasha ¡°I will just wait outside,¡± Urs said as we got to the front of one of the uncrushed shops. ? ¡°And you are just going to wait here for me?¡± I asked, a bit suspicious. ¡°I have submitted to you. This news has already reached most of the other Old Gods right now, so I have no choice but to stay with you. If I don¡¯t, the others will just hunt me down and then use me as ritualistic offerings for the rest of my eternal life. So, yes, I will wait here for you,¡± Urs exined, and I nodded. ¡°Now, that is an interesting tidbit of information. I want to ask you more about the others, which can be useful to me for getting rid of some of them,¡± I said, and Urs nodded. ¡°I can, but not all of them are bad, but the ones that are, are much more powerful than the good ones, unfortunately. There are some that I don¡¯t even know the true names of, and those are the scary ones,¡± Urs exined, hugging herself. Now we were getting somewhere. Capturing this crab Goddess was a good bit of luck, but I would have to assume that the one I was looking for would be unnamed. ¡°Good, keep watch out here, and if somethinges, let me know. I wille out and try to take care of it,¡± I said, about to turn to the entrance of the cksmith, which I was more than curious to find out how that worked. ¡°Just don¡¯t spend too much time. I am sure that¡­ no, I don¡¯t think we have time. Can you feel that? It''s far off, but it¡¯s getting closer, faster!¡± Urs said as she looked to the north. I groaned and looked at the two shops. I suppose I could just stuff them in the ring for now, but that was kind of rude. But so was leaving them to die. ¡°Sorry, Philly, you will have to get in there, and I will send you both into the ring. More bad stuff, much worse than Urs, ising, so we don¡¯t have time. Shut the door, and hold on!¡± I called, and Philly mmed the hatch without reply. ¡°Libra, my Astral Goddess of Bnce, open the Gateway to your domain!¡± I called out, punching out to the side. I grabbed Urs and threw her into the tear as fast as I could, activating my Earth Pact. I needed to get everyone out of here. I lifted up the two huts and floated them into the tear, and I could see Libra with the girls on the other side that looked confused. The tear snapped shut before Urs, or any of them could say anything, and I turned towards the north. Whatever wasing, I figured it would be a God or a bunch of Gods. This was not good. If I had to face a bunch of Gods, I was going to be in a lot of trouble. I may have just bitten off more than I could chew at this point, so I activated my Sphinx Totem to slow things down. Then I closed my eyes, stepping into my mind. ¡°You seem to have got yourself into a pickle,¡± Fireden said, and I nodded as I sat down at the table. ¡°You could say that again,¡± I sighed. ¡°Really? Do you think it is necessary? I mean, I think the point was made the first time,¡± Firdenughed, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°Okay, so what I know is very little. It could be many small ones or just one strong one. Big is subjective at this point because I can¡¯t see it. Also, I don¡¯t think that I can outright beat this. I am getting a bit of an itchy feeling about this,¡± I said, meaning I was actually worried about what wasing for me. ¡°Well, if you are worried about this, then I don¡¯t think running is a good idea. If it sees you run now, it will most likely chase you. Thest thing you want is to bring something home that you can¡¯t kill,¡± Windorf exined, and I nodded. ¡°I agree with that, but what am I going to do? I could try to disappear with my Water Force Pact, but I don¡¯t have any idea what a real Old God is like,¡± I said. ¡°Possibly give up without a fight, and y the weakling. You might be able to learn more about them. I think some of them like to keep pets to feed off of, so there is that option,¡± Grogvel exined, and I nodded. ¡°That isn¡¯t a bad idea. I mean, I really don''t want to be eaten or anything like that, but I don''t have to show all my cards at once. Hopefully, this one doesn''t just try to eat more, or worse, there are a bunch of them. If that happens, I might just have to fight,¡± I said, and my elementals nodded. ¡°If you need us, just call. We can always help you if you need but don¡¯t actually call me. I am made out of fire after all,¡± Firedenughed, and I shook my head and closed my eyes. I opened them again to water and the encroaching feeling of something terribleing. I didn¡¯t like this feeling. As it got closer, I became more sure that it was just one thing and not a group of them. That was the better of the two options, but it wasing in fast. Then I got eyes on the creature that was wiping back and forth through the water. Long tendrils were flowing behind the thing like hair. I could see the way that it was moving, and I could feel its presence in the water, unlike anything I had encountered. I had fought things like this in my other life, but I couldn¡¯tpare them. This God was moving at a speed that I could only dream of. I started to swim as fast as I could, but I wasn¡¯t fast enough. I saw a blur of darkness and then felt something hit me in the back, sending me flying into the ruins of the shop Urs had crushed. I hit the wall and felt the wind get knocked out of me, and I slid down the wall as I gasped for breath. I looked up to see a figure floating in front of me, looming over me. A pair of eyes that were glowing red stared at me, and a mouth that was filled with teeth. The tendrils were actually eels, and they were circling around me. This was a real Old God, and it was looking at me with hunger in its eyes. ¡°You, mortal, are mine!¡± ¡°Wait! Maybe don¡¯t eat me?¡± I asked, putting up my hands at the ck alien-looking God who loomed over me. ¡°Eat? No¡­ not yet. You are pretty! I will drink you slowly and put you with my other pretties!¡± The God cackled. ¡°Not bad! As long as you are going to take your time with me, lead the way!¡± I offered as I picked myself up off the broken shop floor. ¡°What? You want toe with me?¡± The God asked curiously. ¡°No, but I think you might make me a deal that I can¡¯t refuse. Like, you die, ore with me, right?¡± I asked, and the creature nodded. ¡°This is true. You are smart then, that is interesting. Most of the pretties I find don¡¯t want toe quietly, and I end up killing them. That would make a terrible mess, and I have no pretty. What is your name, snake fish?¡± The Old God asked. ¡°Kazz, and I am part Gorgon and Mermaid, thank you very much,¡± I said, and the creature frowned at me. ¡°You have a flippant tongue, I advise you to still it, or I will have one of my children eat it out of your mouth. My name is Eelyasha, Queen of Eels. Now take my hand and close your eyes. We are going home.¡± I assumed that she would drag me along, so I took her hand, but I didn¡¯t fully close my eyes. Her hand was cool to the touch and a bit slimy, with only three fingers, but I ignored that when I saw a purple light. Then there was a sh, and we moved over five hundred miles south of where we had just been, ording to the map. Now that was some powerful magic, but this also put me a very long way from my group, but that might be for the best for now. ¡°Now, I have a cage for you, and you can visit with all the other pretties! I am actually quite nice after you get to know me,¡± Eelyasha said. Before I could open my eyes, I was tossed roughly into something, and a door closed. I opened my eyes and found myself in a coral cage, but I wasn¡¯t the only one. ¡°Look what the Old God just dragged in. More food,¡± Someone called, and I flopped back into the sand, making my snakes hiss. What had I gotten myself into this time? Chapter 384 Locked Up I had gotten myself captured by an Old God, who wanted to make me into one of her pets. This was not a good situation to be in, but I was d I would not be eaten. Yet. I sat up and looked around at the other people in the cages with me. There were all kinds of people, not all of them humanoid, and some of them looked to be in bad shape. I didn¡¯t want to be here, so I needed to find a way out. ¡°Hey, what is your name?¡± I asked the person in the cage next to me. ¡°I am Sarah,¡± The girl said, and I could see that she was shaking. I couldn''t really tell what she was at this point, but if I had to guess, I would say something rted to an oyster. She was attached to a shell, but there was no top on it, just one half. ¡°Okay, Sarah, my name is Kazz, and I am going to get us out of here. I promise,¡± I said, and Sarah just stared at me. "No one gets out of here," Sarah said and then looked away from me to stare at the wall. I looked around and saw that there were all kinds of cages, some with creatures more like people and some with animals. I could see a few that had both people and animals in them, and that was not a good sign. I needed to find a way out of here, but I didn¡¯t want to leave anyone behind. Looking around, though, their cave was literally only filled with cages and nothing else but some sand. I could break out, possibly, but I needed to learn more before I made any rash decisions. I had to believe that this Old God had been keeping people prisoner for a reasonable amount of time, so breaking the bars might not be as easy as I think. I sat down and started to try and think of what I could do. I could always close my eyes and talk to my elementals about this, but I wanted to get more information first. I also didn¡¯t want to anger Eelyasha because if she got angry, I was sure that she would kill me. The woman seems to be quite mentally unstable and not very good control of her emotions. No, I needed to find a way out that didn¡¯t involve angering the witch that held us captive. ¡°Kazzzz,¡± I heard someone hiss from another cage next to me, and I turned to see a girl with red eyes and ck hair. ¡°Yes?¡± I asked, and the Snake girl motioned for me toe closer. I got up and went to the bars of her cage, and the girl grabbed my hand. ¡°I am called Lilith, and I can help you get usss all out of here. I have been nning my escape for a long time, but I need your help,¡± Lilith whispered, and I nodded. ¡°Okay, I am in. What do you need me to do?¡± I asked, and Lilith smiled. ¡°Firssst, we need to find the key to these cagesss. I have a feeling that it is in the Old God¡¯s chamber, ssso we need to find a way to get there. Then, we need to find a way to kill her after!" Lilith eximed in a fury of hisses. "Slow down. This all seems like a very well-thought-out n, but it seems like you don''t really have much past the idea of breaking out. Still, knowledge of a key is good, but then how do we get out of here without it?" I asked, and Lilith nodded. "I have been working on that part too. I have a friend on the outside that can help us, but we need to find a way to get a message to him," Lilith exined, and I nodded. "That is a good start. I will help you with whatever I can, but we need to be careful. If we anger the Old God, she will kill us," I said, and Lilith nodded. "I know, which is why I need you. I can''t do this alone, and I need someone that can think on their feet. Will you help me?" Lilith asked, and I nodded. "Of course, now let''s figure out how to get out of here," I said, and Lilith smiled. "I have been here for about ten years, give or take, and I have been nning, but I have never gotten any further than this n. I don''t know if you can help me, but you are new, and it is worth trying," Lilith exined, and I nodded. "You are never going to get out, and Hoodum isn''t going to help you. The creature has no mind and only listens to Eelyasha. You should work on getting used to the idea of being a blood bag," Sarah called, and I turned around to face her. "What is a Hoodum, and why would I want to get used to being a blood bag?" I asked, and Sarah just stared at me. "You think you are different. I can see it in your eyes. You are not like the others that have been here. You are going to try to escape, and you are going to fail. Just give up now, and it will be less painful," Sarah said, and I shook my head. "I am not going to give up, and I am going to get us all out of here. I promise you that," I said, and Sarah just stared at me. "We will see," Sarah said and then turned away from me. I turned back to Lilith and saw that she was watching me with a curious expression. "What?" I asked, and Lilith shook her head. "You are different. I can''t exin it, but I think you might be able to do this. I hope you can because I don''t want to die here," Lilith said, and I nodded. "I am not going to die here," I said, and Lilith smiled, but it looked sad. "I hope what you say is true, but like Sarah says, many have tried, and none have escaped. You will notice that most of the people here won''t talk to you even if they could. They just lie and wait for their turn," Lilith exined. "What do you mean their turn?" I asked, and Lilith''s smile dropped. "Eelyashaes in every few daysss and takesss¡­ sssomeone out. SSShe drains their blood and uses it to ssstay young. The Old Gods don''t age like we do, but they can die. Eelyasha is paranoid that sssomeone is going to kill her and take her ce, ssso... ssshe killsss anyone that ssshe thinks might be a threat. That is why most of usss don''t talk. We don''t want to give her a reason to kill us," Lilith exined, and I felt sick. "SSSorry for my ssspeach." "Don''t worry, I am used to it. That is horrible, but it makes sense. I had just taken one of the weaker Old Gods out and made her submit to me; next thing I knew, this one wasing for me," I said, and Lilith nodded. "It is, but it is our reality. Who wasss it that you forced to sssubmit?" Lilith asked curiously. "Urs, a Crab Old God. Why? Do you know her?" I asked, and Lilith nodded. "Ssshe wasss a friend long ago. Ssshe wasss an excellent fighter, but Eelyasha stole her magic but was not able to beat her. I am not sure how you managed to make her submit, but it is impressive," Lilith said, and I shrugged. "Luck, I guess. I don''t really know. I just know that I need to get out of here, and I am not going to let Eelyasha kill anyone else," I said, and Lilith nodded. I didn''t want to reveal just how strong I was, and even talking about Urs might be a bad idea. I should try to move away from this topic for now. "I hope you can do it, Kazzz. I really do," Lilith said, and I nodded. "I am going to try my best," I said, and Lilith smiled. "That is all I can ask for," Lilith said, and then her eyes started to close. "Are you okay?" I asked, and Lilith nodded. "I am just tired. I will be fine. I just need to rest for a bit," Lilith said, and then her eyes closed all the way. I sat down and leaned against the bars of my cage and tried to think of a way out. I needed to find the key and then find a way to get out of this ce, but that might be harder than it seemed. I looked around, but all the dwellers of the cages had turned their backs to me or lied back down. Looks like I wasn¡¯t going to get anything else out of anyone here. I might as well go see what my elementals thought of my current situation. I might even have to disturb Harold. You would think after all the people that I sent to him in Libra¡¯s ring that he mighte and see what was going on. [Oh, I have been, but I have about as much clue as you do at this point. How did you get yourself in this mess?] Harold asked me, and I grinned to myself. ¡®I was trying to take a vacation.¡¯ [I think that you should stick to your route. The women should have let you go out on your own. They should all know better.] Harold sighed, and I stretched out on the ground and closed my eyes. Chapter 385 Fear I opened them back up, and I was in the center of my mind, but the table was full. ¡°Jeez, I am surprised that there is even a seat for me at my own table!¡± Iughed as I took the single open chair and sat down. There were the four elementals, Harold, Marley, Libra, and Kali, all looking worried, staring back at me. I could understand their worries, but this was far from the end of the world. ¡°You have yourself in a bad spot,¡± Grogvel said. I gave him a look with one eyebrow raised and the other eye squinting. ¡°Let''s stop talking about things we can¡¯t change. I get it, this is bad, but there is a way out. I am sure that this Eelyasha doesn''t think that I am some weakling, but I also don¡¯t think that she knows my abilities. This is an advantage that can only be used once, but if I be a Matiken when I am close to her, I can fuck her up with my drugs. Then I stab her with my stinger,¡± I exined, but Libra shook her head. ¡°I already talked to Urs, and she is immune to all poisons and toxins. You should be more concerned about getting poisoned by her. Eelyasha is going to be sucking out your Magic and injecting you with some kind of toxin to make you weaker,¡± Libra said, her massive breasts pinned into the table. ¡°Not only that, but that Hoodum is an Octopus, and I don¡¯t think he is as stupid as they think he is. I noticed in your peripheral view one watching, and Urs told me that he was the henchman. I think that Eelyasha might already know about your n,¡± Harold exined, and I groaned, putting my head down on the table. This was a real fuck up on my part, and now I was stuck without a n. What Lilian had suggested was all good, but I needed to know where the room was and then the key. It might even just be better to worry about dealing with the Old God first and then worry about the rest of the people. Trying to find the key first would just end up getting me killed when my back was turned. ¡°What do we know about this Old God? I know that she is fast and can use teleportation magic, but what else?¡± I asked, lifting my head from the table. ¡°Eelyasha can use multiple poisons. The variety could be as diverse as the number of eels that are around her; Urs wasn¡¯t sure. Next is what the Crab girl described as unfair regenerative abilities. This means that even cutting her head off isn¡¯t guaranteed to kill her,¡± Harold exined, and I groaned again. ¡°God dammit! How am I supposed to kill something that can regrow its head?!¡± Iined. ¡°You could try cutting it up into smaller pieces?¡± Windorf suggested. ¡°You seem to like eating things, so you could always go for that option, right?¡± Fireden asked. ¡°Both are valid suggestions. Alright, still something to worry about, but there are some options. I just have to make one of them work,¡± I said with a sigh and then looked at Harold. ¡°What else do you have for me?¡± ¡°Well, for Magic, that is the reason why she drinks blood. Eelyasha uses it inside of herself as an offering to one of the unnamed Old Gods that grants Dark Magic. What the extent of it is, I am not sure, and neither is Urs. The Crab Goddess had her power taken and given to the Dark Old God, forck of a better name. That, paired with the poisons, makes her more unpredictable than you are,¡± Harold exined, and I pounded my fist on the table and then stood up. This was frustrating. The memory of me running from the ogre and leaving Mex behind was ying through my head on repeat. I had run not only because I was told to but because I had been genuinely worried. I had felt that fear when I saw her, and it was still in the back of my mind. That was my body telling me that this foe was too strong for me, and it made me feel sick. I should be able to deal with whateveres my way, yet I was stuck inside of a feeling of real fear of what was going to happen next. This was stifling, and I was having a hard time processing everything; then, hands slipped around my waist. ¡°You will figure this out. You have all of us, and you are not someone that gives up, right?¡± Kali asked me and then kissed the back of my neck. I let out a long sigh and turned in Kali¡¯s green arms to face her. She smiled at me mischievously and then kissed me, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile a little. ¡°Don¡¯t be glum. Everyone has been pointing out things that can go wrong, and I know this is hard for you. I can feel the feeling gnawing at your heart even now, and I understand that you are not used to it. It¡¯s okay to be scared, but you can¡¯t let the fear consume you,¡± Kali exined, and I nodded. ¡°I am trying, but I have felt this before, with the ogre, and I had to leave Mex behind while I ran away. I was able to get strong, and I went back and killed it, but this is different,¡± I said. ¡°You''re right; this is a lot different. You can¡¯t run away and can¡¯t go train to get strong. That means that we are all going to have toe up with a better n than what you had before. Come back and sit down so we can try to figure this out. There are other options that you can consider,¡± Kali said, and I nodded but frowned as I was led back to my chair. ¡°What other options?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, there is Mati. Her uncanny ability is a shield for you if you can keep her close,¡± Firden suggested, but I didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°That is putting her in a lot of danger,¡± I said. ¡°And what happens if you die? What happens to all of us? You don''t think that we all aren''t ready to put our lives on the line?¡± Wataluga asked, and I nodded. ¡°I guess you are right, but what other ideas do you have rather than using people as shields?¡± I asked. ¡°There is the option of just making a solution, and you have two options for that. There is no guarantee that it will give you what you need, but it might work. If you give the girls close to you upgrades and try forming bonds with them, you could have some real help. If you do the same for Mati, then you will have a team. Hell, even throw Urs with them, and you might have a fighting chance,¡± Harold exined, and I nodded. It was easy to forget that I had other abilities like my Ranching System. I was out of Systems, but I could increase the powers of the girls and increase the potency skills they had. ¡°That is a good idea, but the second part might be a little harder. Maybe not with Lilian, but Sarah already seemed broken,¡± I said, and Libra smiled. ¡°I think that you will be able to make her warm up to you, but do not rush things, and I don¡¯t mean with the girls. You are in real danger here, and we all know it. I know that you like to power through things; it is almost like your signature. I know that you can feel that this is different, but you need to control your emotions. People are going to get taken to be fed on. There is nothing you can do about that, and don¡¯t try. Bide your time,¡± Libra told me, and I nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything that can get me in trouble, but I am not going to stand by and let her feed on people. I will figure something out, and like Kali said, I have all of you to help me out with this. That means that you all need to start thinking of ways that I can prevent this bitch from getting what she wants!¡± I growled. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash!¡± Harold snapped, and I waved at him. ¡°I am hard-headed, not stupid. I can tell when I am outmatched, so I am not going to do anything that will get me killed. I just am going to at least try to protect the girls that are close to me. I can do little things to divert the attention from them to me or to the others, as much as I don¡¯t want to. Whatever it takes to get us out of this ce, I am going to do it, short of sacrificing people. I am bringing everyone out of this ce. Alive. I won¡¯t ept less, nor will I leave if this bitch isn¡¯t dead!¡± I growled and then closed my eyes. Chapter 386 Darker Than Midnight I opened my eyes back up and looked up at my coral prison. I closed my eyes again and shook my head in frustration since that was about all I could do. I looked over, and Sarah was curled up in her half-m shell, looking cute andfy. Looking to my other side Lilian was curled up as well, but I could see scars from bites. I just couldn''t imagine, nor did I want to know what it must have been like this entire time. It really boiled my blood that there were creatures like this, but I had to wait. I sat up, curling my tail that was in snake form underneath me. I had a fishtail before, but I could easily pass it off as a race trait, and I want to do some mental training if I couldn''t do anything else. It was less training and more preparation for an attack that woulde on my body or mind. As a level thirty-five Sage, I was no wimp, and I had a number of abilities that would work in conjunction with my primary elemental abilities. Getting a hold of Dark and Light would make them even stronger, but I had to use what I had. With the fire pact, I activated Burning Will to increase my ability to resist attempts to control me or get into my head. Next was Earth, and Earthly Shell activated, boosting my skin''s toughness without activating the Earth Pact to harden my skin to rock. I was about to move to my Water Pact, but I could hear Eelyashaing, so I opened my eye and shifted back to my fishtail. She didn''t seem to be in a hurry, and there was no point in making her ask questions if I could avoid it. I just had to keep a low profile until I at least got myself properly buffed and ready to block whatever this witch was going to do. "Hello, my pretties! It is time for me to talk to my mother, and I need a volunteer! I am just joking! Sarah, it is time to rise and shine!" Eelyasha cackled as she came into the room. "What?! You just took mest time!" Sarah screamed, and then she flinched and then looked back, beginning to cry. Eelyasha pulled out arge key, but I was already using my Earth Pact to jam the lock. I also pulled earth up off the inside of the cage in the front, where the witch couldn''t see to brace the cage. [What are you doing?! Did we just not talk about keeping a low profile?! What part of this is low profile?!] Harold shouted. ''Zip it! I am trying to act normal while ensuring this creature doesn''t have to be a snack! Do you actually think that I could just let this happen?!'' [Don''t get caught!] I didn''t need Harold to tell me that, but I also couldn''t stand by and watch this happen; that just wasn''t me. A person changes when they have to protect something. And I really hated to see a girl cry like that. Eelyasha approached the cage of coral with the key out, but she struggled to even get it in the lock. When she did "What is wrong with this lock?! It is like it is frozen!" Eelyasha eximed as she tried to turn the key, but it wouldn''t budge. I smirked a little, knowing that I had at least bought us some time, but I had to be careful not to let the Old god know that I was behind it. "Sarah, I will be back for you! I just need to go talk to my mother for a bit!" Eelyasha said as she turned and left the room in a huff. I released the Earth Pact, and the cage I had made fell back into the ground like it had never happened. I turned to Sarah and Lilian, and they both looked terrified. "It''s okay; I won''t let her hurt you," I said as I shifted back to my humanoid form. "W-who are you?" Sarah asked, her voice shaking. "I am a friend, I promise," I said as I moved closer to the cage. "Don''te any closer! She will kill you if she finds out!" Sarah said as she backed away from me. "I can handle myself, trust me," I said as I put my hand out for her to take. "I need your help if you want to have a chance of getting out of here. " "What are you? A Demon?" Lilian asked, but I shook my head. "Not a Demon. What I am doesn''t matter, but what I can do does. I need to know what makes you two girls special. Even if it was something taken from you. I need to know what that was in order to protect you. what are you best at?" I asked, shifting back into gorgon-maid form, Gormaid! "Best at? What does that matter?" Sarah asked. "No! That is not what I asked, dammit! Tell me what you do best, don''t ask questions! She is going toe back and take me, but I need to know these answers so I can make a n, got it?" I snapped, and Sarah flinched back. "I can fight with obsidian des, and I had the ability to cloak myself and be invisible to all senses, but that''s gone," Lilian said, and I nodded. "Good! I can work with that!" I said and then looked at Sarah. "I could heal almost any wound, but that was stolen from me, just like the other half of my shell!" Sarah said spitefully and turned away from me, but that put a big smile on my face. ''Am I like right out of Systems to give?'' [Yup, but you can do like you did with Kieta and really put some emotion into it! I know I can''t stop you, but I think this is good. You might stand a chance if she can keep healing you, then you might stand a chance. But there is her magic we don''t know about.] Harold exined, and I sighed, but this was still good. "That is good, and I will need your help in the future. If I am to kill the unkible, then I am going to get marked up, and I will need you to heal me," I said, and Sarah turned to me with an angry look. "Why should I help you? You are just some random person who showed up and is going to get us all killed!" Sarah shouted, and I sighed. "I am not going to get us killed, I promise. But I need your help, and I need you to trust me," I said, and Sarah just looked at me skeptically. "And how am I supposed to do that?" Sarah asked, and I shrugged. "I don''t know; you will just have to trust me," I said, and Sarah sighed. "Fine, I will help you, but you have to help us get out of here," Sarah said, and I nodded. "I will, I promise," I said, and then I turned to Lilian. "What about you? Will you help me?" I asked, and Lilian nodded. "Of course, anything to get out of here," Lilian said, and I smiled. "Good, then we are going to need a n," I said, and then I heard Eelyashaing back. I quickly shifted back into my fishtail form, and Eelyasha came back into the room with a look of anger on her face. "Looks like ns have changed, and mother wants to see my newest pretty! She thinks that you might be interesting!" Eelyasha said as she came to my cage and stuck her key in. I didn''t resist as the Eel Goddess grabbed my arm and dragged me out of my cage. There was no point yet. I needed to concentrate and pay attention to my surroundings. I was being dragged through the water through a stone tunnel, but this area had no lighting, but my eyes adjusted right away. I looked over at Eelyasha, and she looked like she was in a hurry, and I could feel her anxiety in the water. "What is wrong?" I asked, and Eelyasha looked at me with a start. "Nothing, just hurry up!" Eelyasha said as she pulled me along, and I could feel the tension in her body. I wasn''t sure what was going on, but I had a feeling that something terrible was about to happen as I looked around for this bedroom Lilian had mentioned. It wasn''t until we reached a lit room that I finally saw what must be her bedroom, but there was no bed; it was just the only other room. The room I was dragged into wasrge, with an altar in the center of it. The other thing that caught my eye was a throne with a humanoid form but darker than midnight. *All Elementals: Dank, The Dark Elemental!* I didna€?t share their excitement because I could see strange chains binding it to the throne. Chapter 387 The Lunch Lady I closed my eyes, and the world outside of them stopped as I snapped into ce inside my mind. This has to be one of my handiest tricks, but it wasn¡¯t going to get me out of this mess. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect to see Dank here of all ces! This is good for you!¡± Fireden eximed, but I shook my head. ¡°He is chained down, and he doesn''t know me, so what good is the Dark elemental going to do? I am sure if it was easy for him to get away, he would have done so already, I exined. ¡°That is a good point, but if you can create a bond with him, there are no chains that can hold us!¡± Fireden dered, but Wataluga shook his head. ¡°Zack is right, and there could be a chance that he is already bonded with Eelyasha. She can use Dark Magic, so she must get it from him. If he is bonded, then you have to get her to give up the bond, or she has to die,¡± Wataluga exined, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°It is just one thing after another this time! You would think that something would go right for me!¡± Iined as I paced around the table; only the four elementals and Harold sat. He was being too quiet. ¡°What is it, Harold? What is going on in that skull of yours?¡± I asked as I could almost see the cogs moving inside of his head. ¡°Just trying to puzzle everything out with the pieces that we have. So far, you were captured by Eelyasha, and she is connected to an unnamed Old God much stronger than her. She is using blood as a medium to contact this Old God. There is something missing," Harold exined, and I nodded. ¡°The Dark Elemental, Dank,¡± I interjected, and Harold nodded. ¡°Yes, I am sure he is the missing piece,¡± Harold said, and I was sure he was right. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t exin why she is in contact with this Old God. I don¡¯t see why she would want to bring an Old God back,¡± I said, and Harold nodded. ¡°That is what I have been trying to figure out. The only link is that Eelyasha is calling her mother,¡± Harold confessed, and I frowned. ¡°Yes, but that might just be something she is saying like a crazy person. If we can figure out what the blood is for, we might be able to stop her before anything happens,¡± I said, and Harold nodded. ¡°Yes, if she is collecting blood for an Old God, she is going to need a lot of it. There is no way that we can let her have it. If we don¡¯t figure this out before she does, then we might not be able to stop her,¡± Harold said, and I nodded. I had to figure this out. I sat at the table and tried to think of what I could do. There was something that I was missing: how the two Old Gods were connected with the Dark Elemental. I felt like it was more than just her being bonded to it, or it wouldn¡¯t be chained down. ¡°I am just going to have to let things y out as they are for right now. I can¡¯t act until I know just what we are dealing with regarding the other Old God,¡± I exined as I stopped to look at everyone at the table. ¡°That is all you can do at this point, but I am sure Dank will help us when we free him. If it was Lyon, the Light elemental, I would say we might be in for some trouble, but Dank was always very friendly,¡± Fireden exined, and I narrowed my eyes on him. ¡°The Dark elemental is friendlier than the Light? That sounds a bit ass-backward to me,¡± I said. ¡°Lyon is an arrogant prick and will expect you to grovel at his feet before he joins you! That bright asshole also would kill these things if they tried to take him. Lyon is a loose cannon and the most powerful of the six elements,¡± Windorf exined, but he didn¡¯t sound happy to admit it. ¡°Well, I guess that I have to count my blessings there. Okay, I am going back, wish me luck. Fireden, be ready to burn out anything she puts in my system if I can¡¯t, got it?¡± I asked, and Fireden nodded. I closed and opened my eyes again, and I was back inside the room with Dank and Eelyasha. I was being dragged over to the altar in the center of the room, but I was concentrated on Dank. The chains that were binding him looked like standard cuffs, but that didn¡¯t make sense. I didn¡¯t get how they could hold something like energy that could change its form at will and could be held by something so mundane. ¡°I see you like my dark pretty, Dank! He is my Elemental! He is not a very good listener, but my mother gave me this throne to keep him from running away! It isn''t easy to make him work, but he is a bit of a softy and does what I ask if I make the other pretties scream!¡± Eelyasha cackled, and I groaned. ¡°Who is this mother you keep talking about?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone here but you and the shadow.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, mother just stepped away to check on her own pretties, but she will be back! In the meantime, I need some of your blood!¡± Eelyasha exined as she forced me to lie on the altar top. ¡°I would just like to warn you that I have thick skin and down taste very good,¡± I said with a grin, and Eelyasha frowned at me. ¡°Why are you not terrified and screaming like the others? You know that takes some of the fun away from this for me, so I would appreciate it if you could scream a bit more!¡± Eelyasha snapped, and I had to keep myself fromughing. ¡°Ahhh, I am terrified for my life!¡± I called out, but that didn¡¯t seem to impress the Eel Goddess. ¡°Fine! I will make you scream!¡± Eelyasha raged at me, and then her eels streaked at me. I felt the small teeth trying to tear into my skin, but not a single one of them was able to. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good thing or not, but I was d that it was stopping the eels. ¡°What?! Why can¡¯t I bite through your skin?!¡± Eelyasha screamed, and I shrugged. ¡°I told you that I have thick skin. What reason do I have to lie?¡± I asked, and Eelyasha red at me. ¡°You must think you are so smart! You must think that my mother doesn''t already know who you are, Zack!¡± Eelyashaughed at me, and my blood went cold. ¡°Yes, it seems that you are starting to understand the position that you are in. My mother is very interested in you and the creatures that you are looking after!¡± My mind started to race, but there was a dark cloud in the corner of the room that had just appeared, and it was starting to get bigger. ¡°Zack Foreman, Sage and Rancher, and holder of four elementals. How lucky am I that my daughter would find and capture you so easily! You know, I have been waiting for you to leave that ind!¡± My eyes snapped shut, but nothing happened; and I tried to pull myself into my mind, but still nothing. This was not good, and this was thest person that I wanted to see. ¡°You look a bit tongue-tied. Did you not expect to find me here?¡± The face that was in front of me was distorted and disfigured, but I knew who it was without even seeing it. I could never forget that bitchy voice that I had dealt with in the cafeteria almost every day for ten years. ¡°Delores, you look better than usual! You are right; I never expected that you would be here! So, what do you want? Don¡¯t tell me you are still sore over Lidy?¡± I asked, but I already knew the answer. ¡°That tramp was nothingpared to me! Yet, I had to listen to her scream your name almost every second day!¡± Delores screamed at me, and Eelyasha¡¯s Eels let go of me. ¡°Hey! You could have told me, and I would have asked her to scream someone else''s name!¡± I snapped back, and the ugly witch-like face screamed at me. ¡°You always think that you are so funny! Yet, here you are! On the altar as an offering for me! Not such a big shot now, are you? Can¡¯t talk to your friends either! Now, you are going to be put to sleep, and Eelyasha is going to go kill everyone on that stupid submarine that you build!¡± Delores snarled, and I sighed, but my blood was on fire. ¡°You should know, Delores, I take my family very seriously, and you just threatened them. I was actually just going to let you have some of my blood, but as usual, you said something stupid. The difference this time is that Lidy isn¡¯t going to be the one to kick your ass for talking shit. I am going to kill you,¡± I growled, and my body Activated all four Pacts at once. Chapter 388 Count On One Finger ? Elemental Fury was building up inside of me as pure rage filled my veins. This was no longer about me, and any fear that I had was burned away with the mention of them attacking my family. There was no way that Eelyasha was getting out of this cave. ¡°That is mighty talk,ing from you! My daughter is more than enough to tear your body to shreds!¡± the massive ugly gray face of Doloresughed at me but then stopped. My body started to change and be rock-like, with blue and red lines of power covering me. A sphere of wind formed around me, pushing the water out as I became human in shape. ¡°My talk is only as mighty as I am. Threaten me, fine. My family? There isn¡¯t a ce that you can hide, Delores, and when I am done with your daughter here, I will find you.¡± My body dried off, but I could see Eelyasha out of the corner of my eye, trying to get out of the room. I turned, and rock closed off the only exit to the room. ¡°And where do you think that you are going? Where is that excitement from before? Come, show me what you are made out of!¡± I roared, spitting rocks out of my mouth as I did. Eelyasha screamed as the small rocks tore through her eels that surrounded her, but they grew back almost instantly. That was some serious regeneration, but I had figured out how I could deal with it; I just needed to get closer. ¡°Do not let him get close to you!¡± Delores screamed, and I narrowed my eyes and then closed them quickly. ¡°That was strange,¡± Harold said as soon as I appeared in the center of my mind. ¡°How was she able to block me froming in here?¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t think that she did it on purpose, but wow, of all the women that you could have run into!¡± Haroldughed, and I scowled at him. ¡°This is not funny! How does this bitch know so much?¡± I asked, frustrated. Hearing Delores talk about the boat had put me on edge, and now I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the girls. ¡°That, I am not sure, but I think that she might be the one connected to the girls. Maybe try asking her about them. If she already knows about everything, then you are not giving anything away. If she reacts to it, then she is more than likely the one we are after, but this is no guarantee. I am just assuming it is Delores because she is the type to do something like this. Look at how many times she tried to get you and Lidy in trouble. Didn¡¯t she even lock you two in the freezer?¡± Harold asked, and I nodded. ¡°More than one time! I actually forced them to change the door and remove the lock!¡± I eximed, tossing my hands into the air. ¡°Who are we talking about?¡± Grogvel asked. ¡°You two seem to know this woman very well.¡± ¡°She was the head cafeteriady in the ce that Zack and I worked before you existed. Zack slept with her a couple times, but then Lidy was hired,¡± Harold exined, and Firedenughed. ¡°Wow, no wonder she hates you so much! Dumped her for the new girl!¡± Fireden chuckled, but I shook my head. ¡°That isn¡¯t what happened at all! Of course, you would leave all the important bits out!¡± I growled, and Harold chuckled more. ¡°Yes, that is right. There is a lot more to the story. Delores was extremely rude and mean to Lidy, forcing her to do everything that she didn¡¯t want to. Lidy, being the wonderful person she is, did everything withoutint,¡± Harold exined. ¡°That was until Lidy was almost hurt badly because Delores pushed her into a hot oven! I was justing around the corner when it happened and saw it happen! I have never hit a woman so damn hard in my life! After that, I stopped seeing her, and she stopped talking to me, and Lidy and I spent more time together. Then she started to harass Lidy more but got shit kicked by Lidy for it,¡± I exined, and Firedenughed. ¡°Wow! That is one that I will remember! So, Delores hates you because you don¡¯t want to be with her?¡± Fireden asked, and I nodded. ¡°To a degree, I think it is more because I choose Lidy over her. I had tried to talk to her about things after I had hit her, but she just said that I was a woman abuser. I can count on one finger the number of women that I had hit at that point, so herment didn¡¯t bother me. I just left her be and let Lidy deal with her whenever she tried to cause problems,¡± I exined. ¡°Woman abuser? What does that make her?¡± Wataluga asked, and I grinned. ¡°In the world that I am from, it is seen as wrong for a man to hit a woman. We are taught that we are stronger and we should only protect them, but I only have so much patience for people. Man or Woman, if you are trying to hurt others, you have to expect it back,¡± I exined. ¡°I never heard about you punching her, so she must not have said anything about it,¡± Harold said, and I nodded. ¡°That would mean exining why she got hit, and there were cameras everywhere. If Delores had said anything about it, she would have been the one to lose her job. As much as I don¡¯t like to talk like this, I was worth more than she was, but she was also in the wrong. Regardless, none of this helps me. Even if I kill this one, Eelyasha, Delores is still out there,¡± I exined, but Harold put his finger up. ¡°While killing the Eel Goddess might be easier, we have a box ready and filled with sand and salt. Both things should dry out Eelyasha, and we can keep her trapped in Libra''s Astral Ring. I think that we are going to need her to find Delores,¡± Harold exined, and I groaned. ¡°Because just outright killing her wasn¡¯t hard enough! I only have a limited amount of time that I can stay like this with all four Pacts active! I can feel my energy getting leached faster than I can pull in!¡± Iined, and Harold nodded. ¡°Yes, I know it is going to be a pain in the ass, but this will give us something to bargain with, at least. If we keep her daughter imprisoned, then she might stay away from us,¡± Harold suggested. ¡°What makes you think that Delores cares about her child?! Look at Thesta! She was willing to eat her own child to get more power!¡± I snapped, but Harold shook his head. ¡°I think that Delores is different. Thesta is a created intelligence, just like the elementals, so they will act how they are intended to, but Delores is still human. I think that she cares about her child, even if it is just because she needs her. If she didn¡¯t need her, then I don¡¯t think that she would have kept her around for so long,¡± Harold exined, but I felt like this was stretching. The chances of this witch actually caring about other people were very slim, but I didn¡¯t have many other options. I could just burn Eelyasha and be done with it. That was the best way to deal with something like here that could regenerate so fast; just burn it till there was nothing left. Yet, I had no other way to keep Delores from attacking my ship. Even if it didn¡¯t work, it was worth taking the chance that it might. If it didn¡¯t work, then I would just get Nushi to pull everything I could out of Eelyasha about Delores. There was a good chance that she knew where she was hiding and what she was capable of. ¡°Fine, but you had better be ready on the other side when I open up the gate to toss her in. I don¡¯t think that she will take long to regenerate, but I will do my best to tire her out before sending her in,¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°Good. We are ready, and Marly is there to help me keep her locked up. Once we have her, we will start running tests on her and find out how she heals so fast. Even though she is a monster by all rights, you could use an ability like that,¡± Harold suggested. ¡°Can we just worry about capturing her first before you ask me to fuck that ugly thing!¡± Iined. ¡°You have to y a few dragons to reach the princess, right? That is what you told me what I asked you about why you were fucking Delores, right?¡± Harold asked, and I rolled my eyes before closing them. Chapter 389 How Mad Would You Be? ? ¡°Alright, Delores, I have a question,¡± I said as I opened my eyes. ¡°Oh? You have a question for me? I suppose I can hear it out before my daughter drains you of all your blood!¡± The ugly face snapped. ¡°How do you feel about your daughter?¡± I asked, and the face blinked at me. ¡°What does she have to do with anything?!¡± Delores asked, and I nodded, liking the reaction so far. ¡°Well, If I killed her, how mad would you be? Like, oh darn, or I will chase you to the ends of this world kind of mad?¡± I asked, and Therge eyes narrowed on me. ¡°If youy a hand on my daughter, I will make sure that I kill you one thousand times before I let you die!¡± Delores screamed, and I nodded, putting a hand up to stop her. ¡°Good, good. I was just curious. Don¡¯t worry, I am not going to kill her,¡± I said, and Eelyasha piped up. ¡°Don¡¯t talk like you are in control!¡± Eelyasha snapped, her eels going wild around her body. ¡°Sssh! The big people are talking right now. I will get to you in a moment, now-¡± I started to say, but Eelyasha dove at me. I punched her with a rock fist the moment her head popped into my bubble. The Eel Goddess was sent tumbling into the wall and smacked into it, but it did no damage to her. ¡°Wait! I need to know what he is saying!¡± Delores screamed as her image started to waver. When Eelyasha got herself righted, the image became clear again. That told me she was linked to Eelyasha, and I could use her as a telephone in the future. ¡°What are you going to do with my daughter, you pig?¡± Delores asked in a condescending voice. ¡°Take her home and fuck her, just like mom. Even better, I won''t force her or ckmail her like you tried to do to me! This is really karmic retribution for what you did to Lidy, and I am going to enjoy every minute of training your daughter to be mine!¡± Iughed, but Eelyasha was the one to scream. ¡°I would sooner die than give my body to you! Dank! Kill him!¡± Eelyasha screamed, but the shadow figure didn¡¯t move. ¡°I refuse to fight him. I will take whatever punishment after this if you survive, but I don¡¯t think that is the case,¡± Dank dered and then looked at me. ¡°You are a Sage, right? You don''t happen to know Fireden, Wataluga, Windorf, and Grogvel, do you?¡± ¡°It is a small world, Dank,¡± Fireden said, pressing his face out of my shoulder since there was no water around me. ¡°Wait! Mother, how can he do that?! I told him to attack!¡± Eelyasha screamed, but Delores had a worried look on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t think that you are going to be able to fight your way out of this one, my precious. I rmend you give up unless you think you can win. If he does anything to you, I will kill everyone that he loves,¡± Delores said, ring at me, and I nodded. ¡°You know me better than that, Delores. I won¡¯t do anything to your daughter that she doesn''t want, but you have to stay away from me. If you don¡¯t, it will be your daughter that pays for your mistakes. Now, before I go, I want to know what you have done with the mothers of the seven girls that were taken,¡± I demanded, but Delores gave me a funny look. ¡°Girls? I only keep men to feed off, so I would have no use for women. Though, I am sure that I have a few fathers. Why are you so curious about this?¡± Delores asked. ¡°Trying to find someone. An Old God that forced a merman to have a bunch of kids. The mothers all disappeared, and now the daughters have an uncanny ability to avoid danger. Does that ring any bells?¡± I asked. ¡°I might know something about that, but I am not involved in that one scheming. I am a small fish in the pondpared to that one, and crossing them would not be wise. Fine, I admit defeat for now, but I expect you to talk to me and let me see her when I want!¡± Delores snapped at me. ¡°Excuse me?! I am not going with him! I am stronger than him, and I will not be some toys for him to use! I am a GOD!¡± Eelyasha screamed. Eelyasha dove at me and tried to bite the side of my neck as she grabbed onto me, but she only got a mouth full of rock. I grabbed her and pumped out heat, making the eel woman scream as I started to cook her alive. ¡°Stop it! You''re killing her!¡± Delores'' barely visible face screamed at me as she faded away, but I didn¡¯t stop. The healing was starting to slow, but she was still regenerating pretty fast. I wanted to exhaust her, but the screams were starting to hurt my ears. I stopped, and the smoking corpse flopped forward on my shoulder, all her eels burned off and not regrowing. Eelyasha was still alive but in very bad condition; I might have gone a bit too far, but Harold could fix her up. I held Eelyasha with one arm against me as she cried in pain and stabbed my arm out to the side. ¡°Libra, my Astral Goddess of Bnce, open the Gateway to your domain!¡± I called out. A tear in reality ripped open with Harold on the other side with the group of people I had tossed in. ¡°Well, that turned out different than I assumed that it would,¡± Harold said as I stepped into the rift. ¡°Yes, but Delores isn¡¯t the one that we are looking for. Still, like you said, this will keep us safe from her. We might be able to get more info from Both Eelyasha and Delores if I can win them over,¡± I said, using my other arm to pick up Eelyasha into my arms. ¡°W-Where are y-you taking me?!¡± Eelyasha cried in my arms. ¡°To heal and get fixed up. I seemed to have done more damage than I had intended, but you had iting,¡± I exined as Harold reached forward and seemingly grabbed the air to open the door to theboratory I had been in before. ¡°Why are you healing me?! I just tried to kill you numerous times! I was going to drink your blood until you were nothing but a husk!¡± Eelyasha cried, and I nodded. ¡°Yes, I agree. You are a real bitch, and I didn¡¯t like when you tried to bite me, but I told your mother that I would take care of you. As much as I don''t like her, and you seem like a chip off the old block, I will keep my word for as long as she does. If you try to hurt anyone, I will throw you into a world that only has sand, and you can deal with a bitchy Zodiac, got it?¡± I asked. Eelyasha when quiet as I walked over to a table and gently set her down. She winced as I did but didn¡¯tin. ¡°Do I need to strap you down? Or are you going to act good? You are no longer in the world you were before, and I control this one, even when I am not in it. If you think that I am being weak or too nice, just test my patience. I will have you ced inside an Iron Maiden, and you will have spikes piercing every part of your body for endless pain,¡± I threatened, and Eelyasha looked away. ¡°I will listen, but please let me talk to my mother!¡± Eelyasha begged, but I shook my head. This was about making sure that Delores kept up her end of the bargain. I could let her see her daughter, but I wanted to see if she actually cared. If she didn¡¯t, she wouldn¡¯t wait, but if she cared about Eelyasha, she would not attack until I confirm she is dead. That was my assumption, at least. ¡°Possibly tomorrow or the next day. I need to test to see if Delores is going to keep her end of the bargain. For all I know, she could have been waiting to get rid of you, and I just happened to be the one that could do it,¡± I exined. ¡°No! My mother isn¡¯t like that! She made sure that I was strong before she let me go on my own and always protected me! My mother won''t do anything, but she needs to know that I am alright!¡± Eelyasha cried, but I shook my head. ¡°Personally, I think that the woman deserves to squirm, and you don¡¯t get a choice in this. Delores has to prove herself to me, or I will just kill you both. If she thinks that she will be able to attack and kill my family, she has another thinging. You were just lucky enough to catch me along, and I wanted to get captured by you,¡± I exined. ¡°What do you mean that you meant to get captured?!¡± Eelyasha asked through her tears, and I grinned. ¡°This was all a setup. I needed info, and you happened to be the first toe and get me. Truthfully, I didn¡¯t expect to have anyonee, but when I sensed you, I decided to let you take me and hide my powers. You are strong, and I was actually worried at one point, but then you dumbass of a mother opened her mouth. Threatening my family is the worst thing that anyone could do,¡± I exined, and Eelyasha looked away from me. Chapter 390 Great Sage ? ¡°What do you n to do now?¡± Harold asked as he stabbed a needle into Eelyasha¡¯s arm. The needle was filled with a blue fluid, but I really wasn¡¯t sure what it was. ¡°Go collect the people in cages, and then head back home. It is going to take me all of today and most of tomorrow to get back, and that¡¯s only if I don¡¯t make any stops on the way,¡± I exined, and Harold nodded. ¡°Well, there are two inds on your way. ording to the map you looked at, and I recorded, they are both marks with Xs. Since you are alone, I think that it might be best for you to deal with them. If I remember right, there are a lot of X¡¯s surrounding the first one, meaning they are attacking before anyone can get close to talk to them,¡± Harold exined as he withdrew the needle. ¡°What is in there?¡± I asked, pointing at the needle, making Eelyasha whip her head around at me. ¡°You don¡¯t know what he is injecting into me?!¡± Eelyasha eximed, and I shook my head. ¡°Why do you think I asked?¡± ¡°After he injected it into me?!¡± Eelyasha cried, and I sighed. ¡°Harold isn¡¯t going to do anything that will hurt you,¡± I said, but Harold shrugged. ¡°I don''t think it is going to hurt her. I just put part of Marley into the needle, and she is going to go in and heal the serious damage. It is only a small part of her, and Marley will just wait until she is excreated, so it doesn''t hurt Eelyasha. Not sure why you are so concerned about a person that tried to kill you,¡± Harold said, and I gave him a look. ¡°This is how all my best rtionships start! Look at Jilly! And Mary! Both of them tried to kill me multiple times! Anyways, she is a horrible witch that very likely should be burned at the stake, but-¡± ¡°What?! Burned again?!¡± Eelyasha cried. ¡°But I will give you a chance to redeem yourself. We all make horrible mistakes, and I am no exception. This fucked up world is my fault, along with the rest. Look at Marley; she was once a Dark Water Elemental that swallowed a world with her waves. Not the same, but both women will have to live with what they have done, just like we do. None of us are faultless,¡± I said, and Harold nodded. ¡°I see. We already have her under control, so what is the point of antagonizing things?¡± Harold asked. ¡°Exactly. You catch more flies with sugar than shit, and if we treat these creatures well, then we can add more to the ranch. I need their power, right? Do we know how I am supposed to get it out of them? Is it a gem inside, or how do I get it from each of the Old Gods?¡± I asked. ¡°Inside me?! There is no gem inside me! I will not be dissected for parts!¡± Eelyasha screamed. ¡°Not sure about that yet. You might have to ask an older Old God about it, but I am knocking this one out for now. Marley says that she is moving around too much,¡± Harold exined, and I frowned, but then Marley''s face appeared on his shoulder. ¡°Since when did you be a Sage?¡± I asked, and Haroldughed. ¡°This is your mind, so I can be whatever I want, and this works best for what we are doing right now. Deal with everyone, and then head south, and I will ce markers on the map for you,¡± Harold said as he grabbed a cart with a tank on it. There was a hose going from the tank, and there was a clear respirator at the end of it. It was the type you would see in a surgery room and probably had some kind of sleeping gas in it. ¡°What are you going to do with that mask?! I am not wearing that!¡± Eelyasha screeched, and Harold and I winced. ¡°If you want to be awake for the surgery, then you can, but I promise it won¡¯t be fun,¡± Harold said as he ced the mask over her face, and she started to struggle. ¡°No! Get this off of me!¡± Eelyasha cried, but then she started to calm down, and her eyes fluttered shut. ¡°What did you do to her?¡± I asked as Harold started to wheel her away. ¡°Gave her a little bit of Marley so she could heal, and then I knocked her out. I don¡¯t think she will be happy when she wakes up, but it can¡¯t be helped,¡± Harold exined, and I sighed. ¡°I just hope this works,¡± I said, and then I turned and headed back out to Libra''s Astral Ring of Bnce. The ce had changed a lot since I was herest, and the ce was no longer ck and white but more of a bnce of colors. I could even see a big water dome that had the two round huts I had saved before, and Philly''s shack was rebuilt. "What do you think of everything?" Libra asked as I walked over to press into her bazooka boobs to give her a kiss. "I like it. You have been busy," I said, and she nodded. "I have been trying to keep everything in bnce, but it is hard with all of the Old Gods running around. I am surprised that you were able to capture one," Libra said, and I shrugged. "I had help, but I am going to need more if I want to capture the rest. Do you know where I can find them?" I asked, and she shook her head. "I am sorry, but I don''t. I can try to find out, but it might take me some time. In the meantime, you should head back home. I am sure that your women are worried about you," Libra said, and I nodded. "I will, but I need to make a few stops first. I wille back as soon as I can," I said, and then I turned and headed back to the tear in reality, but Urs and Mati were yelling at me from the dome. As much as I didn''t want to bring them with me, I felt bad for leaving Mati behind, so I turned and ran over to the dome. "You are not leaving without me!" Mati yelled as she floated in front of me at the edge of the sphere. I reached forward and grabbed her thin body and long tail, pulling her into my arms. Mati squirmed briefly but settled into my arms as I looked at Urs. "You are going to have to wait here for now, but I wille back tonight so we can talk, okay?" I asked Urs, and she sighed. "Fine, but I don''t want to be trapped in here forever!" Ursined, and I nodded. "You aren''t going to be, but until I get back, you are going to have to stay here. If you need anything like food, Libra will help you all," I exined, and Urs nodded sadly, but she was slow, and couldn''t move fast, so taking her along was a bad idea. I turned and ran to the rift, jumping through and hitting the water again, but I was back in the closed-off cave. Dank the Dark Elemental was still seated, but I walked over and broke his chains. They had been made with Dark Energy, but they weren''t strong, nor did they need to be. "Thank you for freeing me, Great Sage," Dank said, rubbing his wrists. "You are wee, but I need to know where the other Old Gods are. I also would like to form a bond with you. Can you help me?" I asked, and Dank nodded. "I can, but it might take some time. I have some knowledge of Delores and some of the other ones that she knows. I have been chained up for a while, so my power is weak. You will have to wait before I can form a bond with you," Dank said, and I nodded. "Good, but then you are going to have to Get in the rift for now, so I can close it up. There are other people I have to save as well," I said, and Dank nodded. Dank turned into a ck liquid, and I scooped him into my hand that he wrapped around before I flicked him into the rift and closed it. I turned back to find Mati looking around the room, assumedly for the exit. "Where is the way out?" Mati asked, and I walked over to a small hole in the wall that copsed in on itself, revealing a long dark tunnel. "This way," I said, and then I turned and started to make my way through the tunnel. The tunnel was dark, but I could see just fine, and after a few minutes, we made it to the end, where there was a door. I opened the door, and the next room was the one filled with cages, and I smacked my head, just remembering where the key was back in Eelyasha''s room. Chapter 391 Clamgasm ? I headed back to Eelyasha¡¯s room with Mati close behind me. ¡°What are we doing?¡± Mati asked. ¡°Looking for a key so we can let everyone out. I should have asked her before Harold put her to sleep, but it¡¯s toote for that now. It is a fairly big key, and I am assuming that she has an extra somewhere in here. Do you mind helping me look?¡± I asked, and Mati nodded. ¡°Sure, now that I know what we are doing. You think more than you talk, you know?¡± Mati said, and I nodded. ¡°People could learn something from that. If more people thought about what they said first, there would be a lot less fighting. I am sorry if I am boring sometimes, but when we get everyone out of here, it will be more fun. At least, I will try to have more fun. Speaking of fun, we have two inds to check out,¡± I said as I started to open the drawer of the dresser. ¡°Oh? You are going to go check them out?¡± Mati asked, but she made a noise, ¡°I think this is it!¡± I turned and saw the key in her hand. ¡°Great! Let''s go and get the girls out, and you will being with me!¡± I said as I transformed into pure water with the help of the Force Pact. Then we heard a distant scream, and I zipped out of the room and back to where the cages were. I sted the door open with a high-pressure st, and an octopus was trying to get at Sarah. I surged forward, and des of water sliced the octopus into small rings. I put them in my inventory just as fast as I cut them up, and I passed around the bars of the cage that Sarah was in. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked as I returned to looking at my normal human form. ¡°Kazz?! You are alive?! Where is Eelyasha?!¡± Sarah cried, and I walked forward and reached over to pull her into a hug. ¡°You are safe now. Eelyasha is under watch, and everything is fine, mostly. I have a truce with her mother for now, but we will see how that goes. Are you ready to join my ranch now? I treat my girls pretty well,¡± I smiled and let out a long sigh. ¡°I just want to be anywhere but here,¡± Sarah said, and I nodded. ¡°Sure, but there is something we need to do first. I need an answer from you before I can do anything. Do you want to be one of my monster girls and join my ranch?¡± I asked, and Sarah pulled back and looked at me. ¡°Are you sure that you want someone like me? I only have half a shell and no magic. There is nothing that makes me special,¡± Sarah said, looking away from me. ¡°Zack seems to like all girls, so I wouldn¡¯t worry about what his reason is. My sisters live with him, and I am pretty sure they are happy,¡± Mati said as she opened the cage door from behind me. ¡°You are still special, even without any of that stuff, but I am going to get it back for you. I just need you to trust and believe in me. I already did exactly what I said and made sure that you didn¡¯t get hurt anymore. I just want to help you like all my girls,¡± I said, and Sarah nodded. Then I moved in slowly to kiss her, and she didn¡¯t pull back. I wanted to make sure that this one was a full st, and I put everything into it. Our lips met, and they were almost like jello, but something in her taste drove me wild. It seemed to activate something inside of Sarah, and she returned the kiss just as passionately. I wrapped my arms around her as we kissed. Sarah¡¯s body was soft and squishy like her lips, and I enjoyed squeezing her ass. This was starting to get more intense, so I created a cloudy sphere of water close around us. I could hear that Mati was helping the other get free, so I concentrated on Sarah. I was already naked, and my erection was poking into her soft front. Sarah wrapped her soft arms around my neck, lifted her body slightly, and then I pierced the softness. I groaned as Sarah pushed her hips into me, taking all my cock deep inside of her. Sarah moaned into my mouth and then started to move her hips back and forth. I was surprised at how aggressive she was, but I wasn¡¯tining; I was turned up to ten right now! I gripped her ass and pounded her calm shell like it was the best pussy I had ever had. ¡°You make my pussy feel so good! I have never felt anything like this thing! There is so much texture! Ahhh!¡± ¡°You little pussy is the best thing that I have ever fucked, and you taste amazing!¡± I said, and we started to kiss passionately. I still hadn¡¯t activated the Rancher System, but I wanted to dump my load into her jelly pussy. ¡°My pussy is on fire!¡± I felt iting as Sarah moved faster, and her eyes rolled back, and her tongue stuck out as she squealed. I mmed my cock into her, activated the Ranch System, and sprayed her insides with my hot cock juice. Sarah burst with light, and her pussy got tighter, squeezing everyst drop out of me like her pussy was sucking me off. The light cleared, and Sarah now had legs that were wrapped around me, and her body was much firmer. I canceled the baby-making option right away and looked into her back eyes with a smile. ¡°So, how do you feel?¡± I asked, but she kept fucking me. ¡°Your dick feels so good inside of me! I have these funny things that you have too! Now I can fuck you even harder!¡± Sarah squealed, making my hard-one back like a vengeance. Sarah smashed her soft face into mine, and she started to kiss me as her pussy sucked on my dick. It was like her pussy was a mouth, and I could barely control myself as I mmed her back into the bars of the cage. I grabbed the bars and drilled my cock into her as hard as I could, and she begged me to pound her even harder. My cock swelled up, and Sarah broke the kiss to make gargled squeals with her tongue out. ¡°Pussy! Your dick is fucking it so hard. Cumming! Ahhh!¡± Sarah squealed, and her eyes crossed, and I sted her inside again. Sarah''s body shook, and I groaned loudly as her pussy sucked everyst drop I had, drinking my cock dry. Her body was something that I had never experienced before, but I would be getting more of this in the future! ¡°I¡­ never have¡­ you made me feel good, and my body feels so good! My magic is back! Your big dick tore my soft pussy up, but it healed just as fast as you tore it! You can fuck me any time you want to, and I will always drink your cock milk!¡± Sarah said, and she kissed me again, her pussy still sucking on my dick. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get off of each other for now. There are a bunch of other people I have to help,¡± I said, and Sarah looked around me at the milky white bubble around us. ¡°No one could see us?!¡± Sarah asked in confusion. ¡°No,¡± I said, lifting an eyebrow at the way she had said it. ¡°Why not? I wanted everyone to see you vite my soft little pussy. I like when people watch me, but I have been trapped in here for so long that I forgot what sex was even like!¡± Sarah eximed, and I blinked in surprise. ¡°Really? Why? I mean, everyone has a kink, but I just don''t get it,¡± I said. ¡°It just really turns me on when people are watching me do dirty things. I am a mgasm, and I love sex! You liked it, right? That''s because my juices turn people on! You are going to want to have more sex with me, but I want people to watch or catch us! I like the thrill of it!¡± Sarah eximed, and I blinked more. ¡°I mean, I guess we can figure out something when we get to the ind. For now, you are going to have to go into the ranch with some of the other girls, okay?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure, if it is safe there, that I will wait for you toe and fuck me in front of everyone!¡± Sarah said as she pulled off my cock with a suction cup sound, making me groan. This one was pretty strange, and I would have to find out a bit more about this mgasm. I wasn¡¯t sure if I would fuck her in front of the others, but I might be able to use her in the future to cleanse Demons. Every kink has its ce under the sun. Chapter 392 Packing Up ? When I turned around with Sarah jumping on my back, all the denizens of the cages were out in the center area. Mati and Lillian were at the head of them all. ¡°So, you two seemed to be having some fun over there while I did all the hard work!¡± Mati dered, but Lillianughed. ¡°You mean that you opened my cage and asssked me to open the ressst while you tried to peak on them?¡± Lillian giggled, and Mati turned on her. ¡°Listen here, new girl. This isn¡¯t how we do things around here! You aren''t supposed to tell him things like that!¡± Mati growled, and Lillian put her hands up defensively. ¡°You like to watch?! See! She will watch us! We can do it again now!¡± Sarah cheered from behind me as she tried to rub my cock with her soft feet. Not going to lie, I am not a feet person, but I could fuck those feet¡­ man, this woman was trouble. My mind seemed to get muddled with sexual thoughts when I was around her. That was all good and well, but there was a time and a ce, and that had just happened. ¡°Libra, my Astral Goddess of Bnce, open the Gateway to your domain!¡± I called out, punching out to the side. ¡°Eek!¡± Sarah squealed, and I reached around to grab her behind me, pulling her off my back. ¡°We can y another time,¡± I said as I tossed her into the rift and then looked at all the other sad-looking monsters. ¡°You all get inside, and you will be taken care of. Once I have time, I wille and talk to you all about who I am and what I do. For now, you are all safe, and that is all that matters.¡± Everyone looked tired and scared, but they all headed into the portal withoutint. That I was thankful for, but when they were all in, Lillian didn¡¯t want to get in, and I knew that Mati wouldn¡¯t. ¡°I want to ssstay with you. You sssaid that you were going to help fix me like you just did for Sssarah. I don¡¯t need all that physical contact ssstuff, if we don¡¯t have to, and I can be a big help if you get into a fight,¡± Lillian exined, and I nodded. ¡°Sure, if that is what you want. Mati, are you ready to be one of my girls as well? If you want toe exploring the inds with me, you are going to have to get legs,¡± I exined, and Mati nodded. ¡°I might want to do that with youter than that horny mshell, but I will take an improvement from you. I see what you did for that girl, and now you have got me curious,¡± Mati said, and I nodded, confirming both of them into my System. Both girls shed, but only one of them got legs. That was fair since Mary didn¡¯t get legs either. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I get legs?¡± Lillian asked, but without hissing as she looked at her now purple and green snake body. ¡°You don''t need them and probably can move faster without them onnd, depending on the terrain. You look good now, though; I really like the colors,¡± I said and then turned to Mati, who was spinning in circles. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Trying to figure out why my tail doesn''t work anymore. The thing is like a decoration now!¡± Mati eximed, and Iughed. ¡°It will be more like a cat or dog''s tail now and move with your emotions. The legs look good on you,¡± I said, and Mati stopped, turned, and looked down at them. ¡°Oh yeah, I guess I have some of these things now. They are pretty easy to use but not as good as my tail!¡± Matiined, and I nodded. ¡°Just close your eyes, and think of how you looked before. They should change you back to your old body,¡± I exined, and Mati did as I said and changed back. ¡°Oh! Wow, now that''s what I call useful! I guess that means that we can leave now? This cave is stuffy, and I am starting to get stir crazy!¡± Matiined. ¡°Yes, but first,¡± I said, turning back to Lillian. ¡°How are you feeling? Can you use your abilities?¡± In response, Lillian disappeared, and I couldn¡¯t even see an outline of her body. I reached forward and grabbed at where her breast should be and was rewarded with softness and a giggle as Mati swam around where Lillian was standing. ¡°I can hear her, but I can''t see or smell her anymore! That is a pretty good ability!¡± Mati exined, and Lillian reappeared. ¡°Thank you! This wouldn¡¯t be possible without Kazz,¡± Lillian said. ¡°You mean Zack. That is his real name, I think,¡± Mati said, and I nodded. ¡°Yup, my name is Zack Foreman, and I am the leader of this ranch,¡± I said with augh as I started to look around. ¡°Anyone know how to get out of here?¡± ¡°We just have to keep swimming up, and then we wille out near the surface,¡± Lillian exined, and I nodded. ¡°Good, good. Follow me up, and we will get out of here. I am tired of being in this cave, and I want to go back to natural light!¡± I cheered, and both girls nodded as we started to swim up. The way narrowed, but it was more than wide enough for us to all make it through as we swam in a single file line with me at the front. There were a few twists and turns, but after about fifteen minutes of swinging, we burst out into open water. ¡°Yes! We made it!¡± Mati cheered as I started to look around. I wanted to make sure there wasn¡¯t anything around to try and eat us, but after a short look, the area seemed deserted. That did make sense, considering who left here until about an hour ago. ¡°Alright, stay close, and don¡¯t wander off,¡± I ordered, and we started to head to the first ind that was on my map. Chapter 393 Not Foolproof ? The trip through the water with the girls was pretty quiet, thankfully. After everything had just happened, and with what was sure to being in the future, I felt like I deserved some rxation. ¡°So what are we going to this ind for?¡± Mati asked curiously as she swam circles around Lillian and me as we both swam in snake bodies. ¡°It was marked as dangerous. I want to go see why,¡± I said. ¡°Isn¡¯t knowing that whoever lives there does want to see you enough?¡± What is the point of making them mad for no reason,¡± Mati asked curiously. ¡°No, I have a job, and that is to cleanse all Demons. If I don¡¯t stop and check this ind now, I am going to have toe back to it in the future,¡± I exined. ¡°What do you mean by cleansing them?¡± Lillian asked from beside me. ¡°That is a bit harder to exin. In short, I have an aura that can give orgasms. After that, my system does the rest of the work. I have arge group of people working on the problem right now, but I have no way to hit all the Demons at the same time,¡± I said, and Lillian gave me a look. ¡°You can give an orgasm to a woman without touching her? This I would like to see!¡± Lillian said with a smile that looked like it wanted more than that. ¡°After we clear this ind, we will spend some time together if you want, but I am not doing anything like that in the open waters. We have already run into enough problems along the way. We don''t need to be asking for trouble now,¡± I said as we continued to swim. It was a really nice swim this time, and I could feel the warmth of the sun above. We were only about ten feet from the surface of the water, and there wasn¡¯t a cloud in the sky. ¡°Zack! There are some creaturesing towards us!¡± Mati called from below where she was swimming. I looked on my map, and we were getting pretty close to the ind now. I scanned around and located the creatures that Mati was talking about. ¡°Slow down, and we will wait for them. I can¡¯t get a lock on them to see what they are, so we will just wait and see what they want,¡± I exined, and Mati swam over to give me a strange look. ¡°What if they want to kill us?¡± Mati asked. ¡°Unless they are secretly Old Gods, I really don''t think that there would be many problems. I have already dealt with two using my bare hands. If these people are more dangerous to them, I will be very surprised,¡± I exined. ¡°Oh, I forgot about that! I guess we really don''t have to worry about anything then!¡± Matiughed as we stopped to float in the water. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. There are things that are not alive that are much more dangerous. I was tossed into a crystal recently and sent to a world where I almost died. This ring I am wearing right now held a monster that nearly killed me,¡± I exined, but Matiughed. ¡°I don''t have to worry about that kind of thing! Nothing can hurt me!¡± Matiughed, but I shook my finger at her as we waited. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You just haven¡¯t gotten yourself into something you can get out of. Do you remember when I put you in my ring? I could have just left you in there, and your abilities would not have been able to help you. I have spent some time with Mary and Missy, so I know how your power works. If you are not directly threatened, your uncanny ability to avoid danger won''t work. There won''t be any clear danger for your ability to try and get out of,¡± I exined, and Mati blinked at me. ¡°What do you mean? I have been captured before! And I got away!¡± ¡°How? Did they trick you into a cage and leave you there?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, but they tried to hurt me after, and all died horrible deaths from a group of passing sharks that killed them all,¡± Mati said. ¡°Exactly, if they would have just left you there to die, you would have just died. Your ability only works with direct threats,¡± I exined, but the creatures that I could now see through the water were getting closer. ¡°Hmm, I never thought about it this way. I guess I will have to watch out,¡± Mati said as two male fish-like men swam up to us, covered in weapons and holding a spear in each hand. It was hard to tell what race of creature these were. The best I coulde up with was Fishmen, but they were less fishy than the Sahuagin. I also didn¡¯t see gills on them, which meant they werend creatures. ¡°Halt!¡± ¡°Jeff, they aren¡¯t moving. They can¡¯t halt anymore than they already are!¡± ¡°Shut up! You aren¡¯t supposed to tell them our names!¡± ¡°Why not? They don¡¯t look like Demons¡­ Are you Demons?¡± The unnamed Fishman asked, and I shook my head with a smile. ¡°My name is Zack, and I am human. I am the one and only in this world of my kind, and definitely not a Demon. I havee with my girls toe and visit your ind to check if there are any Demons on it. If there are, I will be taking them with me to clean,¡± I exined. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have any Demons, so you might as well just turn around and leave to go back to wherever you came from!¡± Jeff demanded, but the other threatened him with a spear. ¡°Jeff, if you don''t take that pole out of your ass, I am going to add another one!¡± The other threatened and then turned to me with a smile. ¡°Sorry, Jeff doesn''t do good with new people, but we also haven¡¯t had good experiences with demons. We tend to be one edge, but I feel like I can trust you. My name is Steve, and we are from the ind of Fishbar. Like Jeff said, we don¡¯t have any Demons here, but you are more than wee toe to check out the ind!" Chapter 394 James ? I was surprised that they were being so hospitable, but I guess it made sense. If they didn''t have anything to hide, they wouldn''t have anything to worry about. "Thank you, Steve. I appreciate your hospitality," I said before the girls and followed them to the surface. The ind was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. It was easily twice the size of the ind I had been on and was lush with vegetation. It looked like a paradise; I could see why they called it Fishbar. There were huts scattered around the facing beach of the ind, and I could see peopleing out of them to greet us. They all looked friendly, and I didn''t sense any hostility from them. The rest of the ind was cliffs, which looked to be one of the only essible ces on this side. "Wee to our home!" Steve said as he tried to lead us out of the water, but I had to wave him forward. "These legs are ridiculous! And now I am heavy! Gah! Can''t you just carry me?!" Matiined as I walked beside her with an arm around her waist. "You are going to have to get used to them. I think that we are going to be here for the day. There might not be any outward danger yet, but we have no idea what is going on up top. Keep your ears open, but don''t be suspicious," I exined, and both girls nodded. "You don''t have to worry about me. If you are suspicious of someone, let me know, and I will cloak myself," Lillia said quietly, and I nodded as we slowly caught back up with the Fishman guards. "We will show you to our leader. He might have some questions for you," Jeff said, and I nodded. I had a feeling that this was going to be a long day. I didn''t know what it exactly was, but something felt off, and that feeling wasing from up top. The guards led us to a sizable tented hut, but I stopped when I saw what the guards at the door were holding. Pistols, but some strange futuristic-looking thing had a teal glowing crystal in it. "What is that?" I asked, pointing to the teal crystal. "This? This is our weapon of choice. It is called a ster and can shoot a bolt of energy. It is very effective against Demons," he exined, and I nodded. I had never seen anything like it before, but it made no sense for them to have technologically advanced weapons. These were Fishmen with spears, yet these ones had ster pistols?! Possibly Jeff and Steve might have had something simr, but they wouldn''t want to outright say they had such tech. "I see. Well, can we go meet your leader now? We don''t want to keep him waiting," I said, and the guards nodded before leading us inside. The hut was much more prominent on the inside than it looked outside. It was easily three times the size of the others and was very well decorated. There were tapestries on the walls and arge rug in the center of the room. Seated at the table was an older-looking Fishman, but he didn''t look as old as some of the Elders back home. He had to be at least in histe fifties or early sixties, but he still had all his teeth and didn''t look like he was sickly. He looked up when we walked in and smiled when he saw us. "Wee to my ind! I am d that you have decided to visit us!" He said warmly, getting up from his seat to greet us. "It is our pleasure to be here," I said with a smile before making introductions. "These are my girls, Mati and Lillia." "And I am Zack," I added when he looked at me expectantly. "Well then, Zack! It is a pleasure to meet you! My name is James, and I am the leader of this vige," he said before gesturing for us to take a seat at the table with him." "So, what brings you to our ind?" He asked, and I shrugged. "We were just passing by and thought we would check and see if there were any Demons on the ind," I exined, and he nodded. "I see. Well, we haven''t had any problems with Demons here, but we have been having some trouble with piratestely," he said with a sigh, and I raised an eyebrow. "Pirates? Here? In the middle of nowhere?" I asked skeptically, and he nodded. "Yes, they have been attacking our ships and taking our fish. We have tried to fight back, but they are too strong for us," he exined, and I frowned. "I see. Do you know where they are based out of?" I asked, and he shook his head. "No, we have no idea where they areing from or going. They just appear out of nowhere and attack us," he said with a frustrated sigh."But enough about that! What brings you to our ind? What do you do for fun?" He asked curiously. "We hunt Demons," Lillia answered before I could say anything. Going with a bit of a cover story would be good, so I would just have to go with the flow, but this Fishman bothered me. There was something about the leader, James, that kind of set off my senses and set me on edge around him. "Wow! That sounds like it would be a lot of fun!" James said with wide eyes. "It has its moments," Mati said with a shrug. "I bet! So, how many Demons have you killed?" He asked eagerly, and I tried not to narrow my eyes. "A lot," I answered evasively. "I bet! It must be exciting to go out there and kill those monsters!" He eximed enthusiastically. Lillia reached over and took my hand, and I silently sighed. She must have noticed that I was getting uneasy. "It can be," Lillia agreed cautiously. "So what do you guys do for fun when you''re not hunting Demons?" James asked curiously. "We don''t really do much for fun¡­ We just kind of train or work on our skills when we''re not hunting," I said, trying to figure a way to get out of this conversation, but I also wanted to know about the rest of this ind. Chapter 395 Not To Be Underestimated ? "That doesn''t sound like much fun at all! You shoulde to hang out with us! We''ll show you a good time!" James said enthusiastically. "That sounds great!" Mati said with a smile before elbowing me in the side. "Ow! What was that for?!" I whispered angrily. "You were being rude! Lighten up!" She whispered back. ¡°It is fine. I can be a bit exuberant sometimes, so pardon me, sir, but I am sure that you are interested in the inner workings of the ind?" James asked, looking directly with a smile. I realized he was right, and I wanted to know more about the ind. "Yes, actually, I am inquisitive about your ind," I said with a smile. "Great! We can show you around if you''d like!" James said eagerly. "That would be wonderful," Lillia said with a smile. I could tell she was just as interested in this ind as I was. It seemed like a nice ce, but there was something off about it that I couldn''t quite put my finger on. Getting on people''s wrong side was not an excellent way to get things going, and James had said the inner workings of the ind. That was interesting. Pairing that with the crystal sters gave me the lost city of Antis vibes. This made it more important to make a good impression because I had no idea what they were capable of. I needed more information, and then I would step into my head to ry everything to Harold, who was supposed to be on vacation. No wonder he hates me. "Well,e this way back to the wall," James said and then turned around. Suddenly, the tent sucked from around us, and I turned back to see all the red cloth sucked into a single golden ball. All around us, the other tents were being sucked up into the same golden balls. I turned back to the chief and stepped back in surprise as I looked into a much more human face. Then his face became a fish again after touching an amulet around his neck that wasn''t visible after the fish was back. "As you can see, we are a pretty secretive race, but I assure you that it is all for good reasons. I can feel the sagely spirits in you, so you might be interested in someone that works for us. She is a misfit, but she is a spirited hunter and an Elemental," James said after changing back to the more humanoid face. "Elemental?" I asked curiously. "Yes, she is of the water type, but not purely. One could say that she is trapped here after arriving on an empty floating barge," he said with a smile. "I see, so she is a captive?" I asked, trying to figure out what was going on. "Oh no! We offered her a ce here after shepleted a series of tasks for us. It was the only way that we could allow her to stay," he said with a smile. I realized that this ce must be some sort of secret society or something simr. They were definitely not what they seemed on the surface. I wondered if Lillia and Mati were aware of this, but I doubted it. This was something that I would have to look into further when I had the chance. For now, it seemed like we were being given a tour of the ind, so I followed James as he led us to the back of the beach to the rock wall. I was curious to see how he was going to open a door because I didn''t see anything that indicated a door. He ced his hand on the wall and muttered something that I couldn''t understand before the wall slid to the side, revealing a dark tunnel. He motioned for us to follow him as he stepped into the darkness. I hesitated for a moment before following him with Lillia and Mati close behind me. The tunnel was short, and we soon came to another door that opened into arge room that was dimly lit by crystals on the walls. The room was empty except for a few tables and chairs and a staircase in the back corner of the room. James led us over to the staircase and started walking down, and we followed closely behind him. The staircase went down quite a ways before it opened up into anotherrge room that appeared to be some sort of control center. There were people working at various stations around the room, and they all stopped what they were doing when we entered. "This is ourmand center," James said proudly. "From here, we keep track of all activity on the ind, as well as monitor any possible Demon activity." "That''s amazing," I said, genuinely impressed by their setup. "I can see why you''re so secretive about this ce." "Yes, it is very important that we keep our existence hidden from the outside world," James said seriously. "If word got out about this ce, it would be disastrous." I nodded in agreement as I looked around the room, taking everything in. This ce was definitely not what it seemed on the surface, and I had a feeling that there was much more to it than meets the eye." James led us out of themand center and through a maze of corridors until we came to a door marked ''Restricted Area.'' He ced his hand on a panel next to the door, and it slid open, revealing arge room with a pool in the center. "This is our training room," James said as we stepped into the room. "It is where we train our hunters." "It''s amazing," I said, looking around at the different workout equipment and weapons that were lining the walls. The ce had arge sparring mat, and there were some men in ck fighting with crystal sabers and what looked like energy shield bucklers. They were going at it pretty hard, and it might be fun to spar with them. "Yes, it is very important that our hunters are in top physical condition," James said seriously. "We can''t afford to have them getting injured out in the field." I nodded in agreement as I continued to look around the room. This ce was definitely more than just a simple training area, and I was starting to get a better idea of what they were capable of. They were definitely not to be underestimated. Chapter 396 Fishbar, Heart Of The Island ? I still had no idea if they could use magic or what this crystal energy was. I decided that I would see if I could get any information about them. Worst thing that would happen would be just getting t out denied, and I was really interested in it. Depending how they got it, I might want to use this power for the boat, or other things. ¡°Where do you get these crystals?¡± I asked as we were led back out. ¡°There is a ce where they grow. They have to use special suites to harvest the Aqua Gem, so that cave is restricted to everyone that doesn''t work there,¡± James exined as we were led back down the hall, but we turned a corner, and I started to hear the sounds of people, water and birds. ¡°Can you hear that? Where are we going?¡± Mati asked with excitement, almost tripping over her own feet. "This is the real hidden beauty of Fishbar! Wee to the City in the Heart of the Ind!" James cheered as we were led out into an amazing world of waterfalls, walkways, and golden buildings. I was absolutely speechless as I looked around in wonder. This ce was like something out of a dream, and it was hard to believe that it was real. The air here was thick with moisture, and the sound of the waterfalls was deafening. "This is incredible," I said, finally finding my voice. "I had no idea this ce existed." "Yes, we like to keep it hidden from the outside world," James said with a wink. "It''s our little secret." I nodded in agreement as I continued to look around. This ce was definitely worth hiding, and I could see why they were so careful about who knew about it. It would be easy for someone to misuse the power here if they weren''t careful. *Zooom!* A flying golden bike zipped by, and both girls grabbed onto me as I watched it cut behind a waterfall. ¡°Did you see that?¡± Mati asked with wide eyes. "Yeah, what the hell was that?" I asked, equally as confused. "That was one of our Guardians," James said with a proud smile. "They are our first line of defense against any outside threats." "They''re amazing," I said, still trying to wrap my head around what I had just seen. "I had no idea that such a thing existed." "Yes, we are very proud of our Guardians," James said as he led us away from the City in the Heart of the Ind and back towards the main part of Fishbar. "They are some of the best fighters in the world, and they have saved this ind on more than one asion." I nodded in agreement as I looked back over my shoulder at the City in the Heart of the Ind. This ce was definitely more than meets the eye, and I was eager to learn more about it. There was definitely much more to Fishbar than I had originally thought, but I still have a strange foreboding feeling about this ce. That crystal mine was a ce that I was curious about. As far as I know, crystals don''t grow fast enough normally to harvest in a week or two. Especially not without some kind of magical intervention. I was not sure of what would have to be done to do it, but it must not be easy. This might be worth getting Lillia to look into it, but I needed to get a better feel of this ce first before I sent her off. Whether she was capable or not, I didn''t know what these people were capable of. "King James!" A fish woman called,ing over with a handful of papers. "Ah! Gloria! just the person that I was looking for!" Jamesughed, and I nodded to the girl. She was in a blue dress that went nicely with her teal skin; it also opened up at the chest rather nicely. She also wore pentagon-shaped sses, making her quite the cute little nerd. "I also was looking for you," Gloria said as she handed the King the papers that she was holding. "What is it?" He asked as he took the papers from her. "These are the papers that you wanted on the condition of the barrier," Gloria said, and I perked up a little at that. This was something that I wanted to look into as well; how does this ce keep out unwanted people? It was probably some kind of magical barrier like on the ind I was on before, but different. That was something that I wouldn''t mind learning about for the Underwear Boat. "Ah, yes! Thank you, Gloria, you''re a lifesaver." James said as he looked over the papers. "I''ll just need to go over this with the council, and then we can discuss it in more detail." "I understand," Gloria said with a nod before she turned to leave. As she did, I couldn''t help but wonder what her story was. From the looks of it, she was some kind of secretary or assistant, but I doubted that was all that she was. There was definitely more to her than meets the eye, and I intended to find out what that was. "Wait!" James called out, and Gloria turned back around. "We don''t get guests often, so how about you show them around? This is a pretty good-looking creature, is it not? Show him all our city has to offer! We shall have a grand party this evening, so I hope that you will join us, Zack?" The King seemed pretty excited about having a party, and I wasn''t one to turn down a good time. It would be a good opportunity to gather more information about this ce and maybe even find out more about Gloria. "I would love to," I said with a smile. "Thank you for the invitation." "Of course! Now enjoy your day!" James said as he turned and walked away. "Follow me," Gloria said as she started to walk away, and I followed after her with Mati and Lillia in tow. Chapter 397 Getting Looks ? "This vige is beautiful," Lillia said as we walked through the streets. "I can''t believe that such a ce exists." "Yes, it''s pretty amazing," Gloria said with a smile. "We like to keep it hidden from the outside world, though; it''s our little secret." "And I intend to keep it that way," I said, and Gloria looked at me with a quizzical expression. "No offense, but this ce is pretty special, and I wouldn''t want peopleing here and ruining it." Gloria nodded her head in agreement before she led us into arge building. As we walked in, I could see that it was some kind of marketce with all sorts of stalls set up. There were fish swimming around in tanks, and there was even an area where they appeared to be auctioning off some kind of sea creature. "Wee to the marketce!" Gloria said cheerfully as she led us around. "This is where you can find anything that you need." As we continued to walk around, I couldn''t help but notice how everyone seemed to be staring at me. It was starting to make me feel a bit uneasy, so I asked Gloria about it. ¡°Um¡­ why are people staring at Zack?¡± Mati whispered from behind me as if she had read my mind. Gloria looked flustered for a moment before she regained herposure and cleared her throat softly. ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s new,¡± She exined awkwardly. That was reasonable in a world filled with Demons and humanoid monsters. I was a pink-skinned human and one of a kind as far as I knew. There were definitely some exotic-looking creatures here, so I guess I could understand why they were staring. "Is there anything in particr that you are looking for?" Gloria asked as we continued to walk around. "Not really," I said with a shake of my head. "I''m just curious about everything." Gloria nodded her head in understanding before she led us over to a stall that was selling what appeared to be weapons. The man behind the counter had all sorts of knives and daggers on disy, and he even had a few swords hanging up on the wall. "This is Zack," Gloria said as she gestured toward me. "He''s from the surface world, and he''s never seen our market before." The man behind the counter looked at me with wide eyes before he started to babble excitedly. ¡°Oh! Where are my manners? Forgive me!¡± He eximed as he came out from behind his counter and held out his hand for me to shake. ¡°My name is Harry; it¡¯s nice to meet you !¡± His grip was firm but not too tight as we shook hands. His skin was green, simr to James, but his hair was orange. His eyes were also blue like his; however, they didn¡¯t have any pupils. It made him look a bit odd, but not in a bad way. In fact, he seemed quite friendly. ¡°What can I help you find today? Perhaps something sharp? Or maybe something with a little more¡­ boom?¡± Harry asked eagerly as he motioned towards his wares. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at his enthusiasm before I shook my head and replied," No, thank you, though." Harry deted slightly at my response before perking up again almost immediately. "Are you sure? Maybe something for yourdy friends, then? " He suggested as he gestured towards Lillia and Mati, who were standing behind me, both of them blushing brightly at being calleddies by this stranger. "Um ¡­ no, thank you," I answered after a moment of hesitation." We don''t really need anything right now." "Ah well," Harry said with a disappointed sigh ." If you change your mind, let me know ." With that finalment, Harry went back behind his counter and started puttering around with some of his things, leaving us alone once again. After saying goodbye to Harry, Gloria led us away from the marketce and towards what appeared to be the residential area of this vige, which wasn''t hard considering how small it actually waspared to most human cities. There were houses and buildings made from all sorts of materials, including stone, wood, and even what appeared to be coral. It was an interesting sight to behold; and one that I would definitely have to explore more in-depth at ater date. For now, however, we had other ces to be. "So, where are we going now?" I asked as Gloria led us down a path that was lined with houses on either side. "I thought that you might want to see the library," Gloria replied with a smile. " It''s one of my favorite ces here in Fishbar." "A library? That sounds amazing! " Lillia eximed, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of books. Mati also seemed excited at the prospect, but not quite to the same degree as Lillia. For her, it appeared to be more of a curiosity than anything else, which was perfectly fine. I doubted that she would find many books that were actually interesting to her since most of them would probably be written in English. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go check it out,¡± I said with a nod, and with that final decision made, we followed after Gloria towards the library. The building was made out of stone, and it was quiterge, easily twice the size of any building in the marketce. There were several windows lining the sides, and I could see people inside moving around, probably looking for books. "This is it," Gloria said as she pushed open the door and gestured for us to go inside. "Let me know if you need any help finding anything." The interior of the library was just as impressive as the exterior. There were shelves upon shelves of books, and there were even somedders that led up to a second level where more books appeared to be stored. It looked like a paradise for bookworms such as myself, and I couldn''t wait to start exploring. Chapter 398 Weak Or Wet Spot? ? ¡°Wow¡­¡± Lillia breathed, her eyes wide with wonder as she took in her surroundings. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen so many books in one ce before ¡­.¡± Mati also seemed impressed by the sheer number of volumes that were contained within this room, but she didn¡¯t say anything, opting instead to simply follow after us as we started browsing through some of the titles. After spending a couple hours in the library, we managed to find quite a few interesting books, including a map of Fishbar vige, which would certainlye in handyter on. Once we were done there, Gloria took us to an inn. It was a small building with a sign that read "The Watering Hole." "This is where you will be staying while you''re in Fishbar," Gloria said as she led us inside. The interior of the inn was cozy, and there was a fire burning in the firece. There were a few people sitting at the bar, and they all turned to look at us as we walked in. "Gloria, who''s your friend?" one of them called out and we looked over. "This is Zack," Gloria said as she gestured toward me. "He''s from the surface world." The man at the bar whistled softly before he took a swig from his mug. ¡°A surface dweller, eh? What brings you down here? ¡± He asked curiously. I considered my answer for a moment before replying, "I''m just curious about this ce. I''ve never seen anything like it before." The man seemed to ept that exnation; because he nodded his head and went back to drinking his ale. However, the other people in the inn didn''t seem so easily convinced. "I don''t believe you," a woman said as she stood up from her seat and walked over to me. "What are you really doing here?" "I told you; I''m just curious," I said with a shrug. "There''s no need to be so hostile." The woman narrowed her eyes at me before she turned to Gloria and asked, "You''re sure about this? He doesn''t seem like he''s telling the truth." ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure,¡± Gloria replied, sounding offended that the woman would even suggest such a thing. ¡°He was brought to me by King James himself; why would he lie about something like that?¡± The other people in the inn seemed to take this information into consideration before they finally relented and went back to their own business. The woman who had been interrogating me also sat back down, although she continued to give me suspicious looks every now and then. After we had settled into our room, Lillia immediately started going through all of the books we had borrowed from the library. Mati, on the other hand, appeared to be more interested in exploring our new surroundings. Thus far, she hadn¡¯t found anything too interesting; but I was confident that would change given enough time. As for myself? Well ¡­ there was something that I wanted to do, but it wasn¡¯t something that either of them could help me with. And so, after making up someme excuse about needing fresh air, I slipped out of the inn without being noticed and made my way towards where Harry¡¯s stall was located in the marketce. When I got there, Harry was nowhere to be seen; however, his assistant Jesse was manning (or should I say mermaiding?) The counter in his stead. I had been curious about a sword on the wall, and it was still there. "Boss said you were here before this, but you didn''t buy anything. Whatcha doing back here now, stranger?" The sexy Mermaid said with a slight attitude. "I wanted to take a closer look at that sword," I said as I pointed toward the weapon in question. "How much is it?" ¡°Hmmm ¡­¡± Jesse mused as she tapped her chin thoughtfully with one finger. ¡°It¡¯s not for sale, but if you can beat me in a duel, then I¡¯ll let you have it .¡± I was a bit surprised by her offer, but I didn''t see any reason to decline. After all, how hard could it be to defeat a girl? She was floating, but I assumed that would be something to do with her belt that was glowing. I could see the same teal crystal in the belt as that I had seen in the ster. It had to be the source of their power. I agreed, and we stepped into an open area where people were already gathering around to watch. I wasn''t sure if this was amon thing or if they were just curious about me. "So, how do we do this? " I asked, my eyes never leaving Jesse¡¯s as she floated in front of me. "Simple," she replied with a smirk. "First one to hit the ground loses." With that final deration, the duel began. Jesse immediately moved towards me, her arms outstretched as if she was going to hug me. I jumped backward just in time to avoid her embrace and then countered with a punch of my own. I didn''t want to hurt her or reveal myself too much, so I just gave it normal power. My fist connected with her stomach, but it didn''t seem to faze her at all. In fact, she simply wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tightly, cutting off my breathing in the process. ¡°Time for n B,¡± I thought desperately as I tried futilely to pry Jesse¡¯s arms off of me. However, no matter how much I struggled, I couldn¡¯t break free from her grip. It was like being hugged by an anaconda. "Do you give up yet?" Jesse hissed as she tried to smother me, but I really didn''t need to breathe. I just needed to figure out her weak spot...or wet spot? I concentrated and pressed my Orgamsmoura into the Mermaid''s hips as she suddenly started to shake. Jesse let out a long cry of pleasure that made everyone step back. Chapter 399 Sword Of Neptune ? "Wh-what did you do to me? " She gasped out between moans as she let go of me and floated backward, her hands going to her hips as if she was trying to rub the sensation away. I moved in on her and wrapped my arms around her before she could stop me, and pulsed her again. Jesse''s body started to shake violently, but she couldn''t break my gentle embrace. "Ohhh...ohhh ... please stop, " she begged as tears started to stream down her face, but I ignored her pleas and continued until she finally passed out from the pleasure. After Jesse was taken away by some of the vigers, Harry came up to me with a look of awe on his face. ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe it¡­ ¡± He stuttered in disbelief. ¡° You actually defeated Jesse ¡­ no one has ever been able to do that before ¡­ let alone a surface dweller! How did you do it? What is your secret? Please tell me !¡± I shook my head and said, "It''s nothing, really. I just got lucky." Harry didn''t seem to believe me, but he didn''t press the issue any further. Instead, he simply handed me the sword that I had won fair and square. ¡°Here you are, Zack," He said as he presented the weapon to me with both hands. " The Sword of Neptune; forged by the greatest cksmith in all of Fishbar. I hope that you will put it to good use.¡± After saying goodbye to Harry, I made my way back to the inn, where Lillia and Mati were waiting for me. When they saw the sword, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. "Wow ¡­ where did you get that?" Lillia asked in amazement as she reached out to touch the de, only stopping when I gave her a look that said, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it .¡± "I won it in a duel," I replied with a shrug, not really feeling like going into detail about what had happened. In truth, I wasn''t sure if I wanted anyone else to know about my Orgamsoura just yet. If word got out, then who knows what would happen? "That''s so cool!" Lillia eximed as she turned to look at Mati. "Isn''t it?" Mati simply nodded her head in response, although she didn''t look nearly as excited as Lillia did. I supposed that it really wasn''t her thing. Still, she had been unusually quiet since we got here. "Lillia?" I asked, and she looked at me. "We have this map now. Do you mind using your abilities to go check out the cave that has the gems in it?" I asked, and Lillia nodded, rising up on her tail. "Finally, something to do!" she eximed as she floated out of the window and then down into the vige. "Are you sure it''s a good idea to let her go off on her own like that?" Mati asked with a worried look, but I just shrugged. "She can take care of herself," I replied, although I wasn''t entirely convinced by my own words. Lillia was powerful, yes, but there was no telling what sort of danger might be lurking in this cave. Not to mention the fact that we really didn¡¯t know all that much about this ce ¡­ However, since Lillia had already left, there really wasn¡¯t anything else we could do at the moment besides wait for her return. "What''s bugging you?" I asked as Mati looked out the window. "Do you really think this ce is safe?" She asked after a moment of hesitation. "I mean, it''s not like we know anything about these people." ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure Lillia will be fine," I said with a shrug, although I didn¡¯t quite believe my own words. "As for the rest of us? I guess only time will tell ¡­ but either way, there¡¯s nothing we can do right now except wait. So let¡¯s just try to enjoy ourselves in the meantime, okay? " Mati nodded her head, although she still looked a bit worried. However, she didn''t say anything else on the subject and instead changed the topic to something else entirely. "So, what do you think our next move should be ?" She asked as she turned away from the window and sat down on the bed opposite me. "I''m not sure," I replied after giving it some thought. "We need to find out more about this ce before we can make any sort of n." Mati nodded her head in agreement; and then flopped back onto the bed with a sigh. Since we had some time, I decided to move over to the other bed where Mati was lying back. Her ck and white breasts were slumped to the side, and when I sat down, she looked over at me with a curious but yful look. "Zack, " She said as she put her hands behind her head. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a mermaid''s tail?" I was caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, but I quickly recovered and shook my head. "No, can''t say that I have," I replied with a shrug, although I was definitely curious now. Mati sat up and turned around so that she was facing me, her long ck hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. Then, with a flick of her hips, she transformed into her Killer Whale form. Her glossy ck tail glimmered in the light as it swayed from side to side, hypnotizing me with its beauty. I reached out without thinking and ran my fingers along the smooth surface, feeling the silky scales brush against my skin. It felt amazing, like nothing I had ever experienced before ¡­ but then again, what did I really know about tails? ¡°Does it feel as good as it looks? " Mati asked with a mischievous smile on her face, interrupting my thoughts and causing me to blush slightly in embarrassment. ¡° Umm ¡­ yeah," I replied after clearing my throat awkwardly. "It feels really good, actually." Oh boy! Chapter 400 Shiny Things For Help ? With that said, Mati scooted closer to me on the bed until our bodies were pressed firmly together from chest to hip. Her eyes locked onto mine as she slowly ran her hands up and down my arms in a sensual manner, sending shivers down my spine at the unexpected contact. My heart started to race in anticipation as Mati licked her lips suggestively before leaning forwards lightly to press them softly against mine... There was a knock at our door. I let out a growl that made Mati giggle, and then I got up and opened it to find Gloria standing there with an excited look on her face. ¡°Zack! You won¡¯t believe what happened! King James has summoned you!¡± She eximed breathlessly, obviously trying to contain her excitement long enough to deliver this news. "What? Why?" I asked in confusion as Gloria grabbed my hand and began tugging me towards where ever it was that James wanted me. "I''ll stay here!" Mati called as I was dragged away with my raging hard-on. "He said he needs your help with something important," Gloria exined hurriedly as she continued leading me through the vige streets. " He seemed quite upset about whatever it was." "I will tell you who is upset right now!" I growled as I was practically dragged by the little woman. "Hurry up, Zack!" Gloria called over her shoulder as she quickened the pace. "He''s waiting for you!" I really didn''t see what was so urgent that James couldn''t just tell me himself, but I supposed it must have been something important if he needed my help specifically. Finally, we arrived at arge building that appeared to be some sort of pce or castle. There were two guards standing at the entrance who immediately stepped aside when they saw using. Then, without even knocking, Gloria opened the door and pulled me inside. The first thing I noticed was how dark it was insidepared to outside. It took my eyes a moment to adjust, but when they did, I let out a low whistle in appreciation. The room we were currently in appeared to be some sort of grand hall with marble floors and pirs adorned with golden vines winding their way upwards toward the high ceiling. A chandelier made entirely of crystals hung down from the center of the room, casting an eerie glow throughout the space. But despite its beauty, there was something about this ce that made me feel uneasy ¡­ like there was a storm brewing on the horizon. "This way," Gloria said as she pulled me towards a set of double doors at the far end of the hall. "He''s waiting for you in his study." I was about to ask why he couldn''t juste out here and talk to me like a normal person, but I decided against it. Instead, I simply allowed Gloria to lead me through the door and into what appeared to be some sort of library. The walls were lined with shelves upon shelves of old books, many of which looked like they hadn''t been touched in centuries. Arge desk made from some dark wood sat in front of a window that overlooked the vige below, and behind it, perched atop a throne-like chair, was King James himself. The Fishman King looked more opulent this time, and he sat on the throne well with his hands on the armrests. His long white hair was pulled back into a ponytail that hung down his back, and he was wearing a robe made from some sort of shimmering blue fabric. Arge golden crown adorned with jewels sat upon his head, further adding to his regal appearance. "Ah, Zackary," He said as I approached and then gestured for me to have a seat in one of the chairs in front of him. "It is good to see you again." I did as he asked, although I couldn''t help but feel a bit uneasy being in such close proximity to this man. There was something about him that just didn''t sit right with me ¡­ "So what can I do for you?" I asked after making myselffortable. King James leaned forwards in his chair and steepled his fingers beneath his chin as he regarded me intently with those cold silver eyes. "I need your help," He began slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Someone has stolen something very important from me ¡­ something that belongs to my people ." ¡°And what exactly did they steal? ¡± I inquired curiously. "The Hurricane spear of Fishbar," He replied gravely. I raised an eyebrow in confusion. " The what now?" "It is a sacred artifact that has been passed down through my family for generations," King James exined. " Whoever took it not only stole from me but from my people as well ." ¡°And you want me to help you find it? ¡± I asked; still not entirely sure why he had summoned me specifically for this task. After all, there were plenty of other people who could probably do a better job than me¡­ ¡°I would, but the thief knows magic,¡± King James said with a shake of his head. "They have hidden the sword using some sort of spell so that I cannot sense its location." That did exin why he needed my help specifically then, but this all sounded highly suspect. ¡°So let me get this straight,¡± I began slowly, trying to wrap my mind around this whole situation. "Someone has stolen your sword and used magic to hide it, so you can''t find it yourself. Is that correct?" "Yes," James replied with a nod of his head. ¡°And you just want me to go and find it for you? " I asked; still not entirely convinced by this story. It all sounded a bit too convenient if you ask me ¡­ ¡°I will pay you handsomely for your trouble," King James said; as if reading my thoughts. " One hundred gold coins should suffice ." "Magical items, and I have still not met this elemental you told me about," I said, and the King nodded. Chapter 401 The Mermaid Came ? "Yes, I think I can let you choose some things from the Vault. As for the elemental, Gloria will take you to see her now if you would like?" King James said, but I put up a hand. "Hold on. What about this thief? What do we know about them? Where was it stolen from? Were there any clues left behind? I think that figuring out this shoulde first, right?" I asked, and the King cleared his throat ufortably. "Gloria can fill you in on everything, but there is no need to rush into this! You only just arrived! Would it not be better to pick this up in the morning?" King James asked me, but I shook my head. This fish was suspect, but I had no proof, but I also didn''t n on staying that long. The sooner I could get this done, the better. I just needed to look at the crystal cave, but I needed to wait for Lillia to get back with the information. I also wanted to spend more time with Mati, but not in this ce. She could also sense the wrongness here, but I couldn''t put my finger on it. "No, I would like to start now if possible," I said, and King James nodded before waving his hand. Gloria came over and took me by the arm, leading me out of the room and down the hall. We went down a few flights of stairs beforeing to a stop in front of a door. Gloria took out a key and unlocked it before motioning for me to go inside. The room wasrge, and there was gold and numerous magical items. This must be the Vault that the King had spoken of. "This is where the Spear was stolen from," Gloria exined and gestured to an ornate stand that was empty. "It was taken in the middle of the night, and we have no idea how they got in or out. We''ve tried scrying for it, but it''s like it doesn''t exist." I frowned as I looked around the room. There were no windows and only one door. It would be hard to get in or out of here without being seen. "What about security? Are there cameras or anything?" I asked, and Gloria shook her head. "No, we don''t use those things here," she said, and I frowned. That made this even harder then. "Did anyone see anything? Hear anything?" I asked, but Gloria shook her head again. "No, it''s like they just vanished into thin air," she said, and I sighed as I rubbed my temples. This was going to be a pain to figure out. "Is there anything else you can tell me?" I asked, and Gloria thought for a moment before shrugging. "That''s all I know. The King is offering arge reward for its return, so if you could find it, it would be greatly appreciated," she said, and I nodded. "I''ll see what I can do," I said, and Gloria smiled before leading me back out into the hall. "I''ll have someone show you to your room so you can rest for the night. Tomorrow we can start looking for the thief," she said, and I nodded as we made our way back upstairs. Gloria led me back to the inn, and I said my goodbyes, but I noticed there was someone in the corner at one of the booths. I was almost positive that it was Jess from earlier. I had hit her with my Orgasmoura presence and probably made her cum more times than she ever had in her life. I woulde back to see her, but I wanted to check on the girls upstairs in our room first. Lillia wasn''t back yet, Mati already had the covers pulled up, and she was snoring softly. As a Killer whale girl, she probably never slept, so this would be something new for her. I closed the door quietly and then headed back downstairs. I would wait for a bit more and y with this mermaid for a bit, but if Lillia didn''te back soon, I was going to have to go find her. For now, I walked over to the booth where I had seen Jess, the mermaid who was still there. She looked up at me and then flinched. "Fancy seeing you here," I said as I sat down, and Jess gave me a nervous look. "How did you do... that thing?" Jess asked, looking away from me, and I sent a small pulse to her, making Jess bite her lip as she moaned softly. "I have my ways," I said with a smirk, and Jess looked back at me with an excited look. "Can you do it again?" Jess asked, and I chuckled as I sent another pulse her way. Jess gasped as she felt the pleasure course through her body, and she grabbed onto the table to keep from falling over. Her eyes were foggy with lust, and her breathing wasing in short pants. "P-Please," Jess begged, and I sent another pulse her way. This one was stronger than thest, and Jess screamed out as she came hard on the table. I stopped after that, not wanting to push my luck too far, but Jess was still trembling with pleasure. Her eyes were ssy as she looked at me in awe, and her body was covered in a thinyer of sweat. "That... was amazing," Jess breathed, and I nodded as I looked around. Thankfully the bar seemed to have emptied out just before I came in. "It''s a special talent of mine," I said with a smirk, and Jess nodded as she tried to catch her breath. "I can see that," Jess said, and I stood up. "Do you want toe and find out what else I can do? If you get us a room, that is?" I asked, and Jess nodded eagerly as she floated up. "Yes, please," Jess said, and I chuckled as I took her by the hand and led her to the front desk. Chapter 402 Hot Sauce ? Jess got us a room and then led Jess up the stairs. It was a good thing that there were so many rooms in this inn, and she was able to get us one at the far end. When we got to the room, I wasted no time pushing Jess up against the door and thought it, kissing her deeply. Jess moaned into my mouth as her tail flicked between my legs. I scooped her up and carried her over to the bed. I gentlyid Jess down before crawling on top of her, and we kissed passionately as I gently pulsed her body, our hands roaming each other''s bodies. We stripped each other down, exploring every inch of each other''s bodies, and Jess moaned softly as I nibbled on her neck and then moved to her wetness. "Ohhh... yes," Jess moaned as she felt my tongue swirl around her hard clit. Jess tasted sweet, like the ocean, and Ipped at her like a thirsty dog. Her pussy juices were flowing freely now, coating my face and chin in their sticky goodness. Jess''s body was writhing on the bed, and she grabbed onto my hair tightly as she came hard on my tongue. I licked up everyst drop of her juices before standing up and kissing my way up her body. I settled myself over her tail again, but this time it was my cock that pushed its way inside of her tightness. "Ahhh!" Jess cried as I slid inside her deep wet pussy. Jess arched her back as she felt me fill her up, and we began to move together. Our bodies were slick with sweat as we moved faster and faster, chasing that ever-elusive orgasm. Finally, we reached it at the same time, crying out in ecstasy as we were consumed by pleasure, but I didn''t stop. Jess''s eyes rolled back, and her screams became more intense as I sted her with my Orgasmoura, and she trembled and convulsed beneath me as she was wracked with pleasure. Finally, I let her go, and Jessy there panting and trembling with pleasure. "That... was amazing," Jess breathed, and I chuckled as I rolled off of her. "I told you that you would like it," I said, and Jess nodded as she cuddled up to me. "I didn''t know that was possible. I have nevere so much!" Jess eximed, and I chuckled as I wrapped my arms around her. "Well, now you know," I said, and Jess nodded as she drifted off to sleep. Iy there awake for a while, thinking about what I had learned today. There was definitely something going on here in Fishbar, but I wasn''t sure what it was yet. I would have to be careful, but I would also need to find out what was going on. For now, I needed to sneak out of this room. I had some things that I needed to take care of, and I didn''t want Jess to wake up and ask me to stay for more because I might not refuse, and I needed to see if Lillia was back. I slipped out of bed quietly, getting dressed quickly before slipping out the door. I went and checked my room, but Mati was the only one there. I was really starting to get worried, but something bumped into me and then into my room. Suddenly, Lillia appeared out of thin air, but it just must be how good her camouge was. That was a pretty nifty ability. "What the hell, Lillia! You scared me half to death," I said as I put a hand over my heart. "I''m sorry, Zack. I didn''t mean to startle you," Lillia said and then nced at Mati, who was still snoring gently on the bed. "How did it go with Gloria?" "It was... enlightening," I said as I sat down on the bed, and Lillia sat down next to me. "I need to find someone that stole a weapon from the Vault. The whole thing is suspicious as hell. What did you find in the crystal caves?" "Demons," Lillia said, and I closed the door. "What?! Where were they?" I asked in shock. "Buried in the ground at the bottom of the cave. There are only four of them, but they look to be in rough shape," Lillia exined, and I gritted my teeth. "What are they doing here?" I asked, and Lillia shrugged. "I don''t know. They were in a deep sleep, but I was able to wake one of them up. It wasn''t happy to see me, but it did tell me something," Lillia said, and I frowned. "What was that?" I asked. "They are being drained of magical power. He didn''t look like he was in pain, but they were still prisoners. What do you want to do?" Lillia asked, and I groaned. This was a problem, but I couldn''t very well leave them here. "We''ll have to take them with us," I said, and Lillia nodded. "But first, I need to find out who stole the weapon from the Vault." "I can help with that," Lillia said, and I nodded as I stood up, looking over at Mati, who was dead to the world, still snoring. "Okay, let''s go see what we can find out," I said, and Lillia nodded as she followed me out of the room. We made our way back down to the bar, and Jess was still passed out in our room. I left her a note telling Mati that we would be back soon, and then Lillia and I headed back to the castle. We snuck in through a side door that Lillia had found and made our way through the castle quietly. We came to a stop outside of the Vault door, and I frowned as I looked at it. There was no sign of forced entry, but the door was locked now. I didn''t want to break it, so I looked to Lillia; this seemed to be her line of work. Lillia pulled out a few tools and then got to work on the lock. It only took her a minute, but she finally got it open, and we slipped inside. I looked around, trying to see if there was anything out of ce, but everything looked the same as before. "What are we looking for?" Lillia asked, and I shrugged. "I''m not sure. Some kind of clue as to who did this," I said, but Lillia shook her head. "There''s nothing here," she said after a thorough search of the room. "Whoever did this was very careful." I sighed as I rubbed my temples. This was all just a distraction, I was sure of it, but I would find this damn weapon, then free the Demons, and possibly add a mermaid to my collection. I didn¡¯t have any pure breeds, and I was trying to get a ranch going! Chapter 403 Drinks ? "How many guards were there at the cave?" I asked after we locked the Vault door and were clear of the castle. "Three," Lillia said, and I nodded. "I can take care of them." "No, that can wait until morning. Today has had enough crazy things happen. I think it is time that we rx and take the night off. We aren''t going to get anywhere like this today. I think that we are going to have to split up and talk to people around the city to get a better feel for the ce and what the people think. There is also the Elemental that I want to meet and, hopefully, convince her to join us," I exined, and Lillia nodded, linking her arm with mine. "Since we are headed back to the same ce, do you want to grab a drink in the inn before we go upstairs to bed?" Lillia asked, and I nodded with a grin. "I think that is a great idea," I said, and we headed back to the inn. The ce had more people in it now, but it was still early in the night. We made our way to the bar, and I ordered a couple of drinks before we found a couple of seats. I leaned back in my chair with a sigh as I took a drink of my ale. "This town is moreplicated than I thought," I said, and Lillia nodded. "I know what you mean," she said, taking a drink of her own. "But we will figure it out." "I know we will," I said with a smile, but I was still troubled about this task that the King had set me on. "I have never seen anyone like you, but I haven''t spent that much time onnd," Lillia said as she took a sip of her drink, and I sat back in my chair. I could give her the long version, but there was no point. That was something she would learn with time. For now, I just gave the simple answer. "I lived on an ind like this one, but it was covered in firekes and filled with Demons and other monsters. The whole thing was challenging, but I made some good friends and met some really amazing girls that are all waiting for us on a boat. After we are done checking out these inds, we will be joining them and exploring more," I exined. "It sounds like you have had quite the life," Lillia said, and I nodded. "I have, but it is nothingpared to what is ahead of us," I said, and Lillia smiled. "I am looking forward to it," she said, and we drank in silence for a while, lost in our own thoughts. "What about you? You never really talked about yourself," I said, and Lillia shrugged. "There isn''t much to say. I was born a ve and spent my whole life working for other people. I never really had any friends or any family that I could rely on. When the opportunity came to escape, I took it and never looked back," she said, and I nodded. "I can understand that," I said, and Lillia sighed as she leaned back in her chair. "I just wish that things could have been different," she said, and I reached over, taking her hand in mine. "Things will be different from now on," I said, and Lillia smiled as she squeezed my hand. "I promise. How did you end up in the cage that I found you in? How did Old Goddess, Eelyasha catch you?" I asked, and Lillia shrugged. "I was stupid," she said, and I frowned. "What do you mean?" I asked, and Lillia sighed as she took a drink of her ale. "I was on my own for a while after I escaped, just trying to find a ce to belong. I met some people along the way that told me about this group of girls that were looking for someone with my skills. They said that they would take me in, no questions asked," she exined, and I nodded. "That sounds like a pretty good deal," I said, and Lillia nodded. "I know, but I should have known that it was too good to be true. When I met them, they seemed nice enough, but they were just using me. They had me stealing things for them, and when I tried to leave, they caught me and sold me to Eelyasha," she said, and my heart ached for her. So much of this bull shit went on under the sea and onnd, but no one seemed to care about it. I was here now, but one day I would have to leave after the world was purged. When I did, I would make this world into something less twisted before leaving. "I''m sorry," I said, and Lillia shrugged. "It''s not your fault. I should have been more careful," she said, and we were quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "But thank you for rescuing me." "You don''t have to thank me," I said as I squeezed her hand. "I''m just d that you are safe now." We sat there in silence for a while longer before we finally decided to call it a night and head upstairs to bed. We made our way up the stairs quietly, not wanting to wake Mati up; She looked like she needed the sleep anyway. Both of us started to get undressed. "Do you want to sleep in here with me tonight?" Lillia asked, and I nodded as I slipped into bed with her. She pulled me close, and I wrapped my arms around her tightly as she rested her head on my chest. Wey there in silence for a while before Lillia spoke up quietly. "Thank you for everything," she said, and I hugged her tighter. "I''m just d that you are safe," I said, and Lillia nodded as she drifted off to sleep. I followed shortly after, pulled into the darkness by exhaustion. Chapter 404 Getting A Feel ? The following day, I was woken up by the sound of Mati moving around in the room. I groaned as I sat up, rubbing my eyes as I tried to wake myself up. "What time is it?" I asked, and Mati nced over at me. "It''s still early. I was just going to head down to get some breakfast. Do you want me to bring you something up?" she asked, and I shook my head. "I''lle down with you," I said, and Lillia started to walk up in my arms. She made several moaning noises as I kissed her awake. "Come on,zy bones," I said, and Lillia groaned as she slowly sat up. "I don''t want to get up," she said, and I chuckled as I pulled her out of bed. "Too bad. We have things to do today," I said as I started to get dressed. Lillia did the same, and we made our way down to the inn''s dining area, where we found Mati already sitting with a te of food in front of her. We sat down and filled our tes before starting to eat quietly. There wasn''t much conversation until we finished our meal, and Mati finally spoke up. "So, what is the n for today, and what did you guys do after I passed out? Did you figure anything out?" Mati asked, but I grabbed a cloth and wiped her face. "We have a shitstorm of things to do, the first is to talk to people about the stolen spear, but I want to use this time to also get a feel for how the people are and what they think of the life they have. I think we should meet back here at lunch and discuss what we have learned," I exined, and then the girls nodded. "That sounds like a good n," Mati said as she stood up and grabbed her bag before she headed towards the door. Lillia did the same, but she paused when she got to me and looked at me for a moment. "What?" I asked, and Lillia shrugged. "Nothing," she said with a smile before she leaned in and kissed me gently on the cheek. "I just wanted to say thank you." "For what?" I asked, but Lillia just shook her head. "For everything," she said before she turned and walked out of the inn. I watched her go for a moment before I turned and headed out as well, my mind already running through everything we had to do. Once outside, I walked down the marble path but was stopped right away by Gloria, who seemed to be waiting for me. The King''s assistant was dressed less formally this time, wearing a cream-colored summer dress that flowed down to her feet with a matching parasol. "I see you''re up early," Gloria said as she fell into step beside me, and I nodded. "I have a lot to do today," I said, and Gloria chuckled. "That you do. If you don''t mind, I would like to tag along with you today. We rarely get peopleing into Fishbar, and you are even rarer than that. I looked, and our records do not have your species in them," Gloria said, and I frowned as I looked over at her. "What do you mean?" I asked, but Gloria just shrugged. "I''m not entirely sure. All I know is that our records are not asplete as they should be," Gloria said, and I frowned as we continued down the path. We made our way into the town square, where a few people were milling about, going about their daily business. It was still early enough that the stores had not opened yet, but a few people were setting up stalls for the market that I supposed would be heldter in the day. Gloria and I made our way over to one of the stalls, where an older woman was setting out some fresh fruits and vegetables. Gloria greeted her brightly, and the woman smiled back at her before she turned her attention to me. Her smile faltered a bit when she saw me, but she quickly recovered and offered me a basket of fruit. "Thank you, but I just ate," I said, and the woman smiled, but it didn''t reach her eyes. "I see. My apologies; I did not know you had already eaten," she said, and I nodded before turning away from the stall. Gloria and I made our way down the row of stalls before stopping at one where a man was selling various trinkets and novelties. Gloria greeted him as well, but he barely spared her a nce as he looked me up and down. "And what can I help you with?" he asked, his voice dripping with grease. "We''re just looking," Gloria said, but the man''s eyes were still on me. "I''m sure you are, but what is it that you''re looking for? Maybe I can help you find it," he said as he took a step closer to me, and I could smell his rancid breath. I took a step back from him and shook my head before turning away from the stall. "Let''s go," I said to Gloria, who was watching the exchange with a bemused expression on her face. "Are you alright?" she asked as we started to walk away, and I nodded. "I''m fine. He just made me a little ufortable," I said, and Gloria chuckled. "He does that to everyone. Don''t worry about him; he''s harmless," she said, but I still didn''t like the way he had looked at me. We continued down the row of stalls before pausing at one where a woman was selling various baked goods. The smell of fresh bread and pastries wafted through the air, and my stomach grumbled in response. Again, Gloria greeted the woman warmly, but she barely spared her a nce as her eyes fell on me. "What can I get for you?" she asked, and I could see the greed in her eyes. Chapter 405 Bastards Angle Chapter 405 Bastard''s Angle It was hard to ask these people what they thought of their King, with Gloria being his assistant right here, but I saw what I needed to do. This ce and many of the people were starting to wear thin on me. Knowing that they were using Demons to power, everything didn''t make it anything better. I turned away from the stall and continued walking, not wanting to buy anything from her. Gloria fell into step beside me, and we were silent for a few moments before she finally spoke up. "You didn''t have to be so rude," she said, and I shrugged. "I didn''t like the way she was looking at me," I said, and Gloria chuckled. "She was just trying to make a sale," she said, but I shook my head. "No, it was more than that. She was looking at me like I was a piece of meat," I said, and Gloria''s amusement faded as she looked at me in understanding. "I see what you mean now. Yes, some of the people here can be quite... forward with strangers," she said ufortably, and I nodded in agreement. "Have you ever had someone look at you and feel that stare of theirs bore into your soul, wanting to take even that?" I asked, and Gloria shuddered. "Yes, actually. It''s quite an unpleasant experience," she said, and I nodded in agreement. We made our way out of the market square and back onto the main path that led through the town. We passed by several people, but no one stopped us or tried to speak to us. Everyone we passed just gave us a wide berth as if they were afraid of us. It was starting to get on my nerves. Finally, we came to a stop in front of arge building that stood out among the others with its grandiose design. "This is the town hall," Gloria exined as she started to walk inside, and I followed her. The inside of the building was just as grand as the outside, with arge marble staircase that led up to the second floor, where several offices were located. We made our way up the stairs, and Gloria led me down a long hallway before stopping in front of one of the doors near the end. She knocked before opening it and stepping inside, and I followed her into what appeared to be some kind of meeting room with a long table in the center surrounded by chairs on all sides. "So you were able to bring him! So good of you, Gloria!" One of three wizened old men said that was sitting at the table. "I guess I should have asked why you were leading me here, but who are these men?" I asked, and Gloria nodded. "Sorry, I needed to keep this quiet; there are ears everywhere. These three men are the people that ran Fishbar before King James took over," Gloria exined. "Took over? What do you mean?" I asked, and one of the old men, who was sitting at the head of the table, spoke up. "What she means to say is that we were forced out of our positions by that power-hungry man," he said, and I frowned. "Why would he do that?" I asked, and the man shrugged. "For many reasons. He''s paranoid and doesn''t trust anyone, so he got rid of anyone who could potentially challenge his authority," he exined, and I frowned. "That sounds like a dictatorship more than anything," I said, and the man nodded in agreement before continuing. "He''s also greedy and wants everything for himself. He''s been draining this town dry ever since he took over," he said, and my frown deepened. "What do you mean by ''draining the town dry''?" I asked curiously, but before the man could answer, Gloria spoke up. "He''s been taxing the people heavily to fund his own personal projects as well as taking arge portion of all businesses'' profits for himself," she exined heatedly, and I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How have the people been taking it?" I asked, but both Gloria and the old man just shook their heads sadly. It seemed like not good from their reactions, and the greed I had seen made more sense now. "The people here are scared to death of him," The old man said after a long moment of silence. "They''re too afraid to stand up against him or even talk badly about behind his back." That didn''t sound good at all if they were too scared to even talk bad about him behind his back. It made me wonder just how bad things really were around here if they were that scared. "Does this have anything to do with the demons that are in that crystal cavern?" I asked, and everyone looked up at me in shock. "How do you know about that?" Gloria asked in a hushed voice, and I shrugged. "Not important," I said, and the old man shook his head. "It''s not safe to go down there. King James has been using them to power the town, but no one knows where he''s getting them from," he exined, and I frowned. Of course, he wasn''t going to tell people where he was getting them from if they were already scared of him. "Do you have any idea where he could be getting them from?" I asked curiously, but all three of them just shook their heads in confusion. "No, we''ve been trying to figure that out for years now with no luck," Gloria said with a sigh, and I frowned as I crossed my arms over my chest in thought. "What about this Spear? Do you know anything about it?" I asked after a long moment of silence between us all as we were each lost in our own thoughts. Everyone looked up at me again in surprise before anyone answered my question, though. "What do you know about the Hurricane Spear?" The old man at the head of the table finally asked after a long moment had passed between us all once more as we each got lost back into our own thoughts, trying to figure out what we each knew that might help solve this mystery somehow. "Only that it was stolen not too long ago," I answered honestly, hoping they would be able to fill in some nks for me since Lillia and Mati hadn''t really known much either when we had tried asking around town yesterday for information on it. Everyone was quiet again for several moments before anyone spoke up though once more; each person, deep in their own thoughts, still seemingly; lost on how to answer my question or which questions they should ask next even. The old man at the head of the table finally spoke up again, finally thought breaking through. "We really don''t know anything about it either. Honestly, I have never heard of the thing, didn''t even know we had it," one of the men said, and the other two nodded. I pped my hand to my face. I was being yed, but what was this bastard''s angle keeping me here? Chapter 406 My Pet Rock Chapter 406 My Pet Rock "What do you know about the caves?" I asked, and Gloria spoke up but wasn''t helpful. "They are off limits. King James has been using them to power the town, but no one knows where he''s getting them from," she said, and I frowned. So, they didn''t know anything about the caves? I sighed and rubbed my temples; this was getting me nowhere. I needed to talk to someone who knew something about what was going on, and it didn''t seem like these three were going to be any help at all. "Do you have any idea where I could find someone who would know more about the caves?" I asked, and they all looked at each other before shaking their heads. "No, sorry," Gloria said with a shake of her head, and I sighed again before standing up. "I''ll just have to figure it out on my own then," I muttered before turning and walking away from them, leaving the room without another word as frustration bubbled up inside of me once more. I needed to find the girls and see if they had heard anything. I headed back down the hall, but the door that I had just left opened behind me, so I stopped and looked back. "I still need to take you to go see Chana, the Mud Elemental!" Gloria said as she came running to catch up to me. "Mud Elemental? Now that sounds dirty," I said with a small huff of augh, still pretty frustrated, but this was interesting. "Sure, lead the way, but I want you to start telling me about what you know that might be of importance." "The King is a lot stronger than he looks, and he is covered in magical items and weapons. Three summon monstrous serpents, and the other gives him control over the elements. You look pretty strong, but I would not try to attack him. At least not until you learn a bit more about him," Gloria exined as we started walking again and headed down the stairs and out of the town hall. I was starting to think that I wasn''t going to get out of there anytime soon, so I closed my eyes. I opened them again inside my head, but only Harold was there pacing, but he looked up at me in surprise. "About goddamn time you came and checked in! What the hell happened to you?!" Harold nearly shouted at me as he rushed over to shake me by the shoulders. "Chill out, Spaz. Nothing is wrong other than some stupid fucking king wasting my time. That is what I came in here to talk to you about," I said, but Harold shook me again. "What, King? Where are you?! I was busy healing that crabby eel, and then I tried to check on you, but I got nothing. I thought something bad had happened, shit heat!" Harold growled, but I shoved him away to stop him from rattling my brain around. "How the fuck was I supposed to know. Anyways, I am at Fishbar. It''s kind of like Antis, but with semi-human blueish fish people. The problem is the king is pretty strong, but the main problem is that he is nting demons to grow crystals. They are using them not only to power their city but also for weapons and vehicles. Pretty much Antis with fish people, but I think the king is up to something. I came here to tell you that I was going to be a bit," I exined, and Harold sighed. "That is fine, just as long as you are okay. Should I expect any more guests?" Harold asked as he sat down at the table, and I joined him. The girls force Mex to stop at an ind of snake people to explore, but they are all really friendly, and they know Mex." "I am going to pick up a Mud Elemental right now. I don''t know if she is going toe, but I am pretty sure she will. She has a pretty name; Chana. Anyways, I just wanted to let you know where I was and what was going on. Hopefully, I will be able to find out more about these crystals and figure out what is going on," I said as I stood up again. "Be careful," Harold warned me before fading away, and my eyes opened back up in the real world to see Gloria staring at me with a weird look on her face. "You were talking to someone just now, weren''t you?" She asked me curiously as we started walking again towards who knows where. "No, I just blinked," I said casually, but Gloria narrowed her eyes at me and then pushed me into a back alley. "I know that is what it looked like, but you instantly rx when you open your eyes. Blinking does not do that, so my only guess is that you were talking to someone!" Gloria almost hissed at me. This woman was far too perceptive for her own good, but she had shared something with me. I could do the same. "Alright, I will share with you if you do the same," I finally relented, and Gloria frowned at me for a second before sighing and nodding her head. "I was talking to Harold, my pet rock that has been following me since I woke up on this beach." Gloria''s eyes went wide at that, but then she regained herposure before speaking again. "You are bonded with a rock¡­ that can talk?" Gloria asked skeptically as we started walking again, but slower this time, as we both fell into step beside each other. "Yeah, it''s pretty crazy when you think about it too much," I lied as we turned a corner and started heading down another street of shops. This one seemed more like a market street than anything else, as people were haggling over prices left and right while others just walked around looking at stuff. There was even someone ying music off to the side of the road with some strange instrument; it looked like two long tubes connected together somehow, and they were blowing air into them from their mouths while running their fingers down them in different patterns to make different notese out. Chapter 407 Real Scary 407 Real Scary "What about you? Why are you ying cloak and dagger?" I asked, as we walked and Gloria looked down. "We had five council members. My father was one of them, but he tried to stand up to James, but now he is locked up, along with my mother. I was able to stay free as long as I did my job, so that is what I am doing. Thest council member was killed trying to escape. No one knows who did it, but we all have our suspicions," Gloria said, and her voice was full of pain and anger as she spoke about her parents being locked up, but I didn''t say anything; I just kept walking until we turned down another street that led us away from the market area and towards a more residential area with houses built close together; each one unique in design. "This is my home," Gloria said after a few minutes as she came to a stop in front of arge two-story house that looked like it was carved out of stone with different symbols covering the front door. "Come on inside." I followed her inside, feeling like I had been here before somehow, as everything looked really familiar, even though I knew for sure that this was not my old room back on earth or anything close to it either, for that matter. It probably had something to do with the fact that this ce even smelled familiar. We walked into what must have been the living room where there were three other people sitting around drinking tea from strange-looking cups while chatting idly amongst themselves; their eyes all snapped over onto me when I entered through. They all stood up at once, which caused Gloria to step in front of me defensively while putting a hand on my chest to push me back slightly behind her body while still keeping an eye over her shoulder at them defensively, which told me everything about how these people felt about intruders into their home without having any words spoken between any of us yet. The man who must be Gloria''s husband stepped forward first after ring daggers at me as I watched them all cautiously; he pushed right past his wife without sparing her so much as a single nce which told volumes itself, even if nothing else did. He stopped right in front of me while continuing to re, trying his best to intimidate me despite being shorter than myself by several inches though his bodynguage screamed aggression more than anything else. He raised his chin defiantly as if daring either of me to do something before finally speaking in a surprisingly nice tone, considering how he was acting. "Who are you?" He asked politely enough despite still trying scare tactics which weren''t going to work no matter how hard he tried. I pushed Gloria''s hand away before stepping around her to stand up in front of the man with a smirk on my face, one that just seemed to infuriate him even more, but I didn''t care in the slightest. "A friend of Gloria''s," I replied nonchntly as if his behavior was nothing out of the ordinary, which only seemed to piss him off more from how he started gritting his teeth. "What are you doing here? We don''t want any trouble," he said through clenched teeth, and I had to resist rolling my eyes at his attempts; it was pretty weak if he thought something like that would work on me when I could just squish him like a bug no matter how hard he tried to intimidate me. Instead, though, I decided to just ignore what was happening as much as possible while still maintaining eye contact, so they knew that their attempts weren''t having any effect while mentally shrugging off everything else. I casually leaned back against the wall behind me with crossed arms over my chest, waiting for someone else to say or do something since it looked like no one else wanted to say anything yet besides this angry husband guy who still hadn''t taken his eyes off me. He looked ready to explode at any second now, which wouldn''t be good for anyone involved since this whole house probably wouldn''t survive such an explosion, considering how old and brittle everything appeared to be. Instead, I did everyone a favor by lightly pushing him aside without much effort and got past into the next room without being hindered by further foolishness. These people really needed to learn how to rx more if they wanted to live their lives without constantly being worried about something happening to them; it would do everyone some good, actually! If nothing else, then they could at least try not to make such fools themselves so often! The little girl was holding onto her dolly for dear life while burying her face into her father''s back while he held onto his son, who looked only slightly less scared than she did right now, even though he wasn''t shaking nearly as much either. He also had a sword strapped across his back over one shoulder like he apparently thought that might actually stop someone like me. It would be just nice for everyone to just stay calm and actually listen to what I was going to say before making any foolish assumptions! "First off, you can rx," I said in the most reassuring tone possible. "Now, I understand you may be scared right now, but let me exin what going on before making any stupid decisions that won''t end well for anybody! I am here because Gloria asked me toe to speak to Chana about something! That is all there is to it," I said with a groan, and the husband rxed slightly. "Why didn''t you say that?" The husband demanded, and I used all of my willpower not to reach out and p him. This ce was right full of winner, I just hoped that Chana wasn¡¯t part of the same group. Chapter 408 Here We Go Again!

Chapter 408 Here We Go Again!

I was led to a back room, but on the way Gloria apologized. "I am really sorry about my husband. He normally does not act like that, but when he does, there is really nothing I can do to stop him. Thank you for not hurting him," Gloria said, and I nodded as I followed her. "I am sorry that I scared your kids, but your husband should really learn to think before he speaks. I could have just blown him away with a breath of air, but I didn''te here from that. I never expected that you would be taking care of the Elemental, and it would have been nice to have a warning, but it is all said and done now," I said, rubbing my head. "No one likes her because she makes a mess everywhere that she goes, but Chana is a Mud Elemental, so that is to be expected," Gloria exined and then stopped at the end of the hallway, knocking on the door. "Chana, dear, there is someone special here to see you. Do you might if hee in?" Gloria asked, putting the question to whatever was on the other side of the door. "Who is it?" A cute voice asked from the other side of the door. "He is a visitor that has agreed to help you get off the ind," Gloria called, and there was a brief silence before the girl spoke up again. "He told you that? Well I don''t know what to say. Yes,e in," there was grumbling from the other side of the door as it opened and a small person came out part way. "Hi, I am Chana." There was a brief pause before she looked up at me with her blue eyes and ruined my life. She was absolutely beautiful and so fucking cute even if she was brown and melting!! As a Mud Elemental, she looked more like a slime girl than the Elementals I had collected, but this one was just too cute with her big blue eyes, and cute shapely body. There really wasn''t much there to work with, but I would figure something out. She was so cute that it hurt to look at her, and I felt like my heart was melting a little as well. This girl just did not know what she had done or whom she ruined by appearing in front of me and introducing herself! "This is Zack," Gloria finally said as we stood there looking at each other without saying anything, while the girl just stared up at me with a half melted look on her face and eyes wide open in shock; "He has agreed to help you get off the ind if you want." "You''re really cute," I said and Gloria and Chana looked at me with surprise. "What? Look at her! friggin adorable! anyways, can Ie in, this is awkward, and I think that you can stay out here for this, Gloria. Let us have some alone time so we can talk, okay?" I asked Gloria, and then looked at Chana. "Can Ie in? I promise I won''t bite!" I said and Chana nodded. I walked past Gloria in a daze, as if Chana had a spell over me that was making me act abnormal. "He is pretty cute too," Gloria muttered as she turned back around to head down the hallway. "I will leave you two alone, but if you need me, I will be in the living room with my husband and children." "Okay," Chana said as she turned to lead me into her small bedroom. It was a typical girl''s bedroom with pink walls, and a poster of some band on one wall. On another wall was a poster of some cute cartoon animal that I didn''t know what it was; "So what can I do for you?" She asked turning to face me after she closed the door behind us. "Well since I am going to take over caring for you from now on, there is something that we need to talk about," I said looking at her cute little brown body melting in front of me. "I am a Sage, so I can not only take you with me, but I can also absorb you into my body by forming a bond with you. you can also be one of my girls, and I think I can help you with your melting body." "You can? Wow, that is really awesome! I have seen some Sages before, but they never mentioned anything about this. So what do you need to form a bond with me?" Chana asked as her blue eyes looked up at me. Normally, I would just confirm that she was one of my girls, but for some reason, I was feeling horny. not just horny, but that I wanted to fuck this puddles brains out. I was almost like Sarah, the mgasm, but this wasn''t nearly as intense, but I still wanted to make a mess of this girl. "Well, we need to have sex and then I will absorb your body into mine. From there on out you will be a part of me and I can help you with your body. There are some things that I can do for you, but it is up to you if you want this or not." "Of course I want it! This is an amazing offer, so let''s get started," Chana said as she began to take off her muddy clothes. "So how does this work?" She asked as she stood there naked in front of me; her small brown body melted slightly in the heat of the room while a cute little puddle formed around her feet. I began to undress as well, and then walked over to her. "Well, we just kiss and then have sex like normal, but when we cum, I will absorb your body into mine." I said as I wrapped my arms around her melting body. "This is so exciting!" Chana squealed as she hugged me back; her brown body smearing all over my naked chest. "Let''s get started!" She said as she pulled me down onto the bed with her. Chapter 409 What Just Happened?!

Chapter 409 What Just Happened?!

We kissed passionately as our bodies intertwined with each other. Our hands roamed all over each other''s bodies, exploring every inch of each other. Her small brown body felt warm and slimy as it melted into mine, and the sensation was unbelievable. I could feel her heartbeat racing as we kissed, and then she pulled me on top of her. "I want you now," Chana said breathlessly, so I obliged and entered her without hesitation; both of our bodies were slick with mud from her melting body. We began to move together in perfect synchronization; both of us knew exactly what the other wanted without even having to say a word. The feeling was intense as we moved faster and faster until finally, we both reached our climax at the same time, yelling out in pleasure as our bodies were wracked with ecstasy. As we orgasmed, I could feel her small body melting into mine until she was fully absorbed, leaving behind nothing but a muddy mess on the bed sheets, which quickly began to evaporate in the heat of the room. Her blue eyes were still wide open in shock even though she was now part of me; "Wow! That was amazing!" She eximed inside my mind before giving me a mental hug. "Thank you so much for doing this!" "You''re wee," I replied mentally, but then blinked. What the hell just happened?! There was no reason why I just had to get this muddy! I could have just done the bonding and smoothed her out! "Sorry! I knew you wereing, and I mixed a bunch of love potions and sprays into my body! I wanted to make sure that you sealed me into you!" Chana cried out in my mind, so I closed my eyes, stepping into the center court of my mind where my roundtable was. "So, you got yourself with a good old love potion! You had better watch yourself in the future!" Firedenughed as the rest of the Elementals started to appear to take seats around the table, along with Harold with Marley at his side. "Fireden is right. one of these times, they are just going to eat you, and this all ends. You would think that you would have learned to step back from a situation like that after the mgasm incident," Harold warned, making me let out a groan as we all sat down, but I had to create another chair for thest one that was hiding behind Kali. "Come out already ande sit down," I said and then looked over to the shadowy figure across the table. "Dak, how are you feeling? Sorry that I haven''t been able to properly introduce myself, but I am sure the others have done a well enough job." "I am fine, Sage. It is good to finally meet you! You have been busy as ofte," Dak said as he stepped out from the shadows and took a seat. "I see that you have imed another one." "I did, but it was not by choice. I had to, or I mean, I still would have, but I got drugged. I am in the business of building a ranch, but for now, it is more of an ark. Anyways! This is Chana! Yay, everyone cheers for the newest bond and Jazz," I said with mute excitement and then turned to Wataluga. "I am going to need a wash after this." "What are you going to do about this ind? I think you should just get rid of the king and let them go back to normal," Grogvel said in a grinding gravelly voice. "I don''t think that is a good idea," Harold spoke up for the first time. "You might be strong, but we should heed Sarah''s warning." "What do you propose then?" I asked as I looked at Kali. "Love potion might not work on everyone here." "I say we let Sage handle this one alone," Kali said while smiling evilly at me and then leaning back in her chair. "He has been handling things pretty well so far." "What she said," Marley added while nodding her head in agreement. So that was it! They were all ganging up on me again! Ughhh!!! "Come on! I have some of the oldest minds that exist on this! Fireden! Give me something!" I growled, slumping forward on the table with my arms out. "You could always kill him," Fireden said while shrugging his shoulders. "That would fix the problem." "Fine! But youzy bastards better be ready to pump up the jam if shit goes south... wait! Harold!" I roared, and my friend winced. "I am across the table! What do you want?!" Harold snapped, making Marley giggle. "Don''t I have a scanner like Vegeta or something?! This is like a game, so I should be able to see what level of person I am facing if I can see my own, right?" I asked, the light bulb flickering on. "Oh! You want the scouter!" Harold said while smacking his forehead. "I forgot that you don''t know how to use it yet." "Then why the fuck did you give it to me in the first ce?!" I roared, jumping up from my chair and ring at him. "Oh! Because.....," Harold trailed off as he looked at Marley for help, but she just shrugged her shoulders. "I am not sure?" I sighed and then plopped back down into my chair with a huff, mentally kicking myself for not thinking of that sooner as Grogvel startedughing hysterically next to me. After a few minutes, Harold finally pulled out a small red crystal from his pocket before sitting on the table in front of me, pushing it toward me with one finger. "It is actually really easy to use. All you have to do is point it at the person and then think about what you want to know. The scouter will do the rest," Harold said before taking his seat again as I picked up the small red crystal, holding it up to my eye. "How do I wear this thing?!" I asked, but Windorf, who was sitting beside me, pped my hand into my face, and I was about to lose my shit, but the crystal absorbed into my eye, and I felt no different. "You are a dick." "Faster than watching you trying to get the balls up to stick it in your eyes. You should be thanking me for saving you the time, but you are still young and ungrateful," Windorf said, and I pushed him off his chair and into Fireden. "Alright, loser. I got my scouter, so I am gonna blow this popsicle stand and go all Namek on their ass and scan the shit out of things!" Iughed and opened my eyes to my mud and semen-covered body and groaned. "Can someone please pass me a towel?" I called out, and I heard Sarahughing on the other side of the door. "I think you should take a shower first," Sarah suggested, and I sighed. "Wataluga!" I called out and activated my Water Force Pact and became a hurricane, cleaning all traces of Chana from the room. Chapter 410 Scouting Strategy

Chapter 410 Scouting Strategy

I took a moment to catch my breath after I washed the mess in the room with my Water Force Pact. I stood in the center of the room, soaking wet and naked. The sudden chill of the room brought me back to reality. I quickly got dressed and headed outside the house. I looked around, observing the town. It was time to put my Scouter and strategy to work. As I sauntered down the town''s center, my surroundings seemed eerily quiet. The hushed whispers ceased as I passed by and I felt the locals'' eyes drilling into me. The fear was tangible; King James'' dictatorship had instilled an atmosphere of fear deeply in these people. Remembering Harold''s advice, I held up the Scouter up to my eye and pointed it at an elderly woman bustling down thene with a basket full of firewood. It immediately buzzed to life, disying a series of numbers. "Level 3," it read. I let out a breath I didn''t know I was holding. Small-town residents, ordinary people who were forced under the tyranny of King James. It was a sight that tugged at my heartstrings. Next, I pointed it towards a burly fish-faced guard stationed near the town''s entrance gate. My heart thundered in my chest as the Scouter whizzed for a few seconds before it shed a bright red "Level 25". So, this was the kind of power that King James had under his rule - a formidable adversary, but I''d seen and dealt with worse. I decided to continue exploring, nning to keep my Scouter ready at all times. I was met with a series of different power levels as I ventured the town''s stone-paved streets, with most of them revealing rtively mundane levels. However, the Scouter was knocked haywire when I aimlessly pointed it towards the Town Hall at the edge of the ind. The Scouter made a cacophony of strange noises before smoking briefly and disying a level beyond its normal range - a massive "Level 99". My blood turned frigid in my veins. Was King James that powerful? Or was the Scouter reacting to something else? I couldn''t fathom fighting someone that strong. I shook my head and decided not to lose my nerve. While I stood there engrossed in my thoughts, a tap on my shoulder broke my reverie. I turned around to see Gloria approach me with a nervous nce. Her captivating eyes wore a worried look. "Is something the matter, Gloria?" I asked, seeing her pale and nervous state. "Zack, they''re watching you," she whispered, her gaze cautiously scanning the surroundings. It was apparent that King James'' people were onto me. I had to be careful. But even more so, I realized that my newfound Scouter was a powerful tool, but it also added an unexpected element of risk. With the information I''d gathered, I pondered on how to confront King James. Killing him, as Fireden had suggested, didn''t seem particrly wise, not with the dictator''s seemingly overwhelming power level. I had toe up with a tactic to outmaneuver him and bring him down without causing unnecessary Bloodshed. "How did these people end up under such a monster''s rule?" I mused aloud, unintentionally. Gloria, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. "King James wasn''t always like this. Once, he was a benevolent ruler. But, his thirst for power turned him into this ruthless dictator." That revtion added another facet to theplexity. I knew then that I had to strategize my moves carefully. Confronting King James head-on would be a death sentence. I needed to y smart and be cautious. I parted ways with Gloria, with the both of us deciding toy low for a while. I returned to my house, thete afternoon sun casting elongated shadows on the cobblestone streets. The town seemed much grimmer now that I was aware of the dark cloud of fear that hung over it. When I arrived there, the girls were waiting for me. "What took you so long?!" Mati demanded as Lillia gave me a warm smile. Rolling my eyes at Mati, I clutched the Scouter in my hand and sank down onto the couch. "I''ve been scouting," I grumbled, feeling a weight of tension settle on my shoulders. Mati snorted. "Scouting? Is that what they call it these days?" She shot me an all-knowing smirk, and I was briefly taken aback by how much she sounded like my best friend, Harold, in that moment. Before I could respond, Lillia interjected, her soft tone a balm to my nerves. "Let him be, Mati. Look at him - he''s exhausted. Would you like some tea, Zack?" "Yeah, real exhausted. What opened their legs to you this time? Was it that Gloria? She is pretty cute, but you have us!" Mati continued grinning devilishly at me while I shot her a disapproving look. "Girls," I began, rubbing my temples, "King James... he''s more powerful than we thought. This," I gestured with the Scouter still in my grasp, "lists him as a Level 99." Both girls fell silent at that. Lillia looked at me worriedly, while Mati was processing this new information. "What is your power level?" Lillia asked, and I shrugged. I hadn''t even thought to check. "I really don''t know. I just got this thing," I said, and then handed the device over to the snake-like woman. Jestingly, Mati pointed the Scouter at me after consulting the instructions inscribed on it. "Seriously Zack, if this thing is correct, then you are...you bloody bastard! You are so freaking powerful!" Mati yelled in her edgy voice while Lillia jerked her head towards me with astonishment. "You are at Level 70!" Mati squeaked, looking at me as if I were a monster. "Right arm, but that is still a far cry from level 99. Also, just to be clear, the scouter seemed to bug out when I used it on him, so maybe it can''t read his level?" I said dubiously, but I didn''t like that thought. "Then let''s hope it was only a bug," Lillia''s soft voice seemed to echo my dread. "Whatever strategy wee up with, we must ount for a Level 99 King James." She paused, looking at each of us, "Even if there is a sliver of a chance that he''s that powerful." "That and if he is that strong, then what about his guards?" Mati asked, and then pointed to the Scouter. "What is our power level?! We must be nearly as powerful as you, right?!" Mati dered, pumping her arms, but I lifted an eyebrow as I took the Scouter back from Lillia. Maybe Lillia might be strong, but I assume Mati has been just avoiding things her entire life with her curse that makes danger avoid her like the gue. Still, I think that Mary, her sister that I missed dearly, was pretty strong when I met her, even with the same condition of danger avoidance. With Mati¡¯s insisting gaze, I pointed the Scouter at her, the anticipation built up as the Scouter started to whiz. The device showed "Level 35". I looked keenly at Mati and said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s a decent power level.¡± Mati seemed disappointed at her power level, but I reassured her, ¡°Mati, remember, what you have is a unique curse, one that most people won''t have. You¡¯re innately predisposed to staying unscathed. That¡¯s your power.¡± Wearing a pleasant smile, Lillia handed me my tea. The warmth of the mug in my hand wasforting after the eventful day. Pouring the remaining courage I had, I pointed the Scouter towards Lillia. An apprehensive look was painted on her beautiful face as she awaited her result. "Level 60," I read out, stunned. Mati was not. "What do you mean level 60?! How is she almost as strong as you?!" Mati demanded, grabbing the Scouter from my hands and then pointing it at Lillia. As soon as it registered, Mati screamed, threw the Scouter back at me, and then stormed out of the room. "Level 60?" Lillia echoed, her voice barely a whisper as we were left alone. I sighed, looking down at the Scouter in my hand as I tried to piece everything together. Understanding mypanions'' power levels was somefort, but the disparity between us and King James''s rumored strength was daunting. ¡°Yes, Lillia, and that is extraordinary. Don''t let your head hang low. It¡¯s not about power levels. It¡¯s how well you use your abilities to leverage your power,¡± I consoled her, sipping my tea and feeling the warmth spread through my body. Themotion of the day had worn me out, so I ended my day right there. As I tucked myself into the bed, I knew the following day would bring its own set of challenges. Of course, none of us mentioned it, but I knew Mati and Lillia were just as worried as I was. We had to stay strong, stick together, and keep pushing forward. There was a lot at stake, and we were the only hope that this oppressed town had. Mastering these power levels anding up with a strategy seemed like a distant dream, but I knew we had to try. Tomorrow, I reminded myself, we would figure it all out. For now, sleep. Chapter 411 Discreet Encounters

Chapter 411 Discreet Encounters

Blinking my eyes open, I stared at the ceiling tossed in my mind the daunting task thaty ahead - the quest to beat King James, who was seemingly powerful beyond measure. Not having any reassurance that the Scouter hadn''t failed during the measurement of the King''s power level was nerve-wracking. Once my sleepden eyes picked up the first rays, I had thepulsive need to go back to the pce. I surreptitiously slipped out of the room, leaving Lillia and Mati - both of them in deep slumber without the slightest consciousness of my absence. Sliding into my shoes, with the Scouter handy, I approached the pce, driven by an intense curiosity and unease. Halfway through, I stumbled upon an assembly of vigers, their murmurs hushed and faces pallid under the cloak of starlight. A ndestine meeting, by the looks of it. Blending with the shadows, I positioned myself behind a giant willow, peering at the assembly. A sense of urgency tinged their hushed voices. The distinctive face of a burly man, whom I recognized as one of the ousted council members Gloria had introduced me to, caught my attention. The stoic expression on his face betrayed his words, his tone severe. A spark of intense resistance red within his weather-beaten features, striking a pattern of simrity with the king''s royal council. Through the snippets of conversation I caught, it became evident that this was a rebel group, plotting against the King. They were desperate and sensed my echo in the wind, hoping, praying I might possess the solution to their predicament. But first, I needed to get to grips with the scathing reality of King James'' might. I could sense it, a fretful underpinning in their conversation. King James was no mere ruler to them, but a strong, fortified, and ruthless despot. In the disarray of revolt and rebellion against the king''s horrid rule, a spark of hope arose, hope that I could help them. I quietly pulled back and made my way towards the pce. The Scouter''s power and my current guise would act as the perfect shield for my endeavors. Basking in the flicker of the first light, the pce radiated a majestic aura, resonating with unworldly power. Stealthily, I entered the castle, the Scouter in my possession guiding my way, beeping irregrly. Murmuring a silent appreciation for the castle''s grandeur, I slipped into the vast corridors. As I probed further, the Scouter initiated an onught of alerts. The energy reading buzzed erratically, signaling substantial power levels. A reminiscent knot tightened across my chest. I almost had to grasp my breath having maneuvered my way into the living quarters when, surprisingly, an unexpected number shed within the Scouter - a substantial ''Level 75''. Tension prickled through me. For once, King James'' minions were more powerful than me if the Scouter proved correct. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, I peered into the room. There he was, in an imposing storm of intensity and authority, the general of King James'' army. upying the spacious chamber and carrying an aura of arrogance I was all too familiar with. His broad shoulders and stiff posture, even in sleep, unveiled the reason he was chosen as King¡¯s right-hand man. A demonic-looking stone, with its menacing royal blue glow,y by his bed. A surge of adrenaline jolted through me. something about that stone bothered me, but I couldn''t put my finger on it. I could feel a demonic presenceing from inside of it, but I had never seen anything like it. It made me wonder if it was linked to the demons that were powering this ind. Caught in a moment of unfortunate imprudence, my Scouter red, brightly illuminating the general''s chamber. For a horrifying moment, it felt as though time had stood still. But the General stirred, and panic wed at me, demanding immediate action. I retreated hastily from the window, stering myself onto the cold stone wall right outside. The seconds stretched agonizingly as I waited, listening for the sound of waking guards. My mind raced, images of drawn swords and heated questioning shed across my mind. But moments passed, and nothing happened. I let out a sigh of relief. Stealing one final nce at the general''s room, my eyesnded on the glowing demonic stone once more. A sense of dread lingered ominously. This had to be King James''s source of power, and it was fortified within his trusted general. Digging my nails into my palms, I took off silently, the predawn wind whipping across my face and chilling me to the bone. My return to the inn was uneventful, and both Lillia and Mati were still fast asleep, utterly oblivious to what I had just uncovered. I sank onto my bed gratefully after making sure that my Scouter was turned off and safely hidden in my pocket. After this dawn''s discovery, my mind was abuzz with newfound knowledge and the realization of what I was indeed facing. King James''s army was formidable, and he wasn''t one to be underestimated. The pce''s discreet encounters revealed much more than expected, a deadly power harbored in the image of the fearsome general and an equally awful power source glowing eerily by his side. I tried to close my eyes to get a bit more rest, but each time I did, the stone would appear. Finally, I gave up, and closed my eyes the other way, appearing in Harold''sb where he was alone. "Where have you been?" Harold asked as I looked around the room. "Oh you know, risking my life so I can save everyone. The usual," I said, then frowned at him. "Where is Marly? You too are usually glued to the hip?" "She is with Kali and the new girl, Chana. Quit diverging from the question! You know I can''t see what is going on out there, right?" Harold growled, but I shrugged. "Don''t get your panties in a bunch. I was checking on the king''s guards with this loud ass thing you gave me! Does it really have to beep all the time?!" I demanded, and Harold gave me a look as though I was stupid. "Did you even look at the buttons on it?" He sighed, and I looked away. "You are worse than a child, you know that?" "Or, my best friend could have told me how to use the damn thing! I was almost caught! And why am I so weak?! Level 70 after all of that?!" "You are not that high. This Scouterbines a numerous amount of data to give you an average, but it also is a level¡­¡± Harold said, pausing to squint at me, reading something I couldn¡¯t see. ¡°2 magical item. You need to use it more to get better readings that are more urate. Right now it is only taking all of your attributes and putting them as one number, and it also doesn''t ount for the elementals you have inside of you. They technically are their own power, but they will always help you. that makes them an extension of your power, but scouter only sees your power," Harold exined, but that just made my brain hurt. "I''m not sure I grasp all of that, Harold," I admitted, rubbing a hand over my eyes. "Can you dumb it down for ay person like me?" Harold sighed, but he seemed patient enough to exin the concepts in simpler terms. "Alright, the power the Scouter is disying is not an absolute value. It doesn''t ount for the unique abilities of magic users, including those from the Elementals inside you. It''s also a magical device. It gets stronger the more you use it, like leveling up in a game, which gradually leads to more urate readings." It made more sense now, but I was still dissatisfied. "But I don''t want it to beep," Iined. I couldn''t afford the Scouter drawing attention when I was sneaking about. Harold showed me the silence function on the Scouter. I felt like an idiot for not figuring it out myself - it was clearly marked and very intuitive. "Well, that is extremely important. I probably should have led with that instruction," I admitted. "Now, if you don''t mind, I''m going to get some sleep." "Sleep? You should be training or studying, Zack. Or do something productive with the Elementals maybe. You know, the basics that help you get stronger. Not everything''s about strength numbers from a Scouter," he reminded me with a stern look. "Probably, but there was another thing. There was a demonic stone in the general''s room. I have never seen one before, but it feels like it is connected to the demons powering the ind. Do you know anything about this?" I asked. Harold''s stern look softened, reced with concern. "Demonic stone? That sounds strange... I don''t know enough about it to say for sure. Maybe you should--" I had had enough. "It''s alright, Harold," I sighed. "I''ll figure it out eventually, somehow." Harold crossed his arms over his chest, sending me an unimpressed look. "Zack, you can''t just ''figure it out''. This isn''t some trivial matter. We''re talking about demonic forces here. They''re not something to meddle with lightly." I raised my eyebrows at him. "Who said anything about meddling? I''m here to help these people, not cause more damage." He seemed to contemte my response before sighing and waving his hand dismissively. "If you''re so keen on doing this, just be careful. You know more than anyone how dangerous getting involved with things you don''tpletely understand can be." Nodding at his words, I assured him. "I will, Harold." Our conversation ended, and I retreated into theforting darkness within my inner world. Harold''s words echoed in my mind, coupled with the worries of the day, leaving me in a pensive mood. Demonic forces... If there really were such things involved, this situation was much moreplicated than I had initially assumed. King James, his overpowered army general, the peculiar demonic stone...too many unanswered questions lingered. Considering things from that perspective, my Scouter rating became irrelevant. Chapter 412 Betrayal

Chapter 412 Betrayal

The monochrome world spun around me, and I found myself in a sprawling desert. I was searching for a lost artifact called the "Eye of Horus". The artifact was rumored to give the wielder immense power and control over aspects beyond humanprehension. Looking around, I spotted a massive structure rising from the desert sands. It was unmistakably a pyramid, the eternal resting ce of pharaohs, and richlyden with riddles and traps designed to ward off grave robbers. Intricate hieroglyphs adorned the entrance, providing clues or deterrents ¡ª I knew not which. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eyes, I saw movement. Approaching me were three women; each wore gold and fabric in intricate designs, their headdresses crowned with an Ankh, the symbol of life. Their smoky kohl-lined eyes focused on me. Cleopatra, Nefertiti, and Hatshepsut, queens from different Egyptian dynasties, renowned for their beauty and intellect. "Wee to our realm, brave traveler," Cleopatra greeted, her eyes mysterious and inviting. "A hero''s worth is defined by his ability to solve riddles," Nefertiti continued, giving me a knowing look. Hatshepsut finally spoke up, "If you solve the riddle hidden within our chambers, we shall reward you greatly," she concluded, adding a suggestive wink. "Oh? You wouldn''t happen to know where the Eye of Horus is, do you?" I asked curiously since that seemed to be what I was here for. I knew these women, but not as people, but as historical figures in books. Even though my mind had been fogged by Dank, I was getting used to being able to push through the imnted memories. One thing that had beenmon among each training scenario was they were my girls from the real world. These women were not, so I kept my guard up. Their smiles widened, full of secrets untold and promises yet to be delivered. "The Eye of Horusys within thebyrinth troves of this pyramid. To reach it, you shall need to unravel the riddles that lie on our path and in our chambers," Cleopatra responded. "The first riddle is this: I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I''m never released, and yet I am used by almost everyone. What am I?" Nefertiti said smirking, clearly expecting me to fail. I thought for a moment, thanking my brain''s peculiar habit of storing random trivia. I recalled the arcane conventions of ancient Egyptian riddle craft. "A pencil," I answered confidently, seeing their surprise as the sand beneath our feet shifted and solidified into a narrow path leading directly to the pyramid''s entrance. "Indeed," Hatshepsut conceded before adding with a sultry edge to her voice, "but the next riddles won''t be as easy." She gently took my hand, leading me toward the pyramid while Cleopatra and Nefertiti walked ahead of us. The sight was both unnerving and wildly exciting at the same time. Here I was, surrounded by three legendary queens who held my fate in their hands. Still, I had another type of training in mind, wanting so much more than just riddles. If Dank mirrored his world-like reality these legendary queens would be no different. A heavy gulp swallows my mouth and throat; my heart hammered against my chest. That single nce stirred a growing hunger within me. My breathing grewbored as the gaps in their shawls revealed far too much alluring skin. Both my brains were having a hard time deciding where to look as Hatshepsut¡¯s breasts bounced from the rhythm of her walking. To top it off, Cleopatra marked her steps by swinging her hips. Meanwhile, Nefertiti looked back to catch my wandering gaze, signaling they knew what they were doing. It was obvious the queens had agreed to tease me, but I was the first yer in this game! As we ventured deeper into the pyramid, the atmosphere grew thicker with sexual tension. Each step down the dark corridors was fraught with suggestive remarks from the queens and double entendres that began as veiled riddles now unraveled into open flirtations. Every riddle solved came with its own reward; fleeting but heated touches werevished on me by the trio. A stolen kiss here, a wandering hand there. The tantalization was bing unbearable. Finally, we arrived at a grand chamber, ornately decorated and dimly lit by flickering torches. In the centery an borate golden sarcophagus encrusted with jewels. "This is your final riddle", Hatshepsut dered, her voice echoing off the stone walls, but something had changed about her voice, making her sound more sinister. Before I could react, the three queens left the room, closing the door behind them as another muchrger door opened. I could see massive blue lion''s feet being revealed and I sighed with relief. I should have known that the women were leading me into a trap, but I would be lying if I said I still didn''t want to fuck them all! "So, the wretched queens have brought me another snack?" Veronica, the Sphinx asked with a dangerous purr, her massive form stepping out from the shadows. "Very well, let''s y by their rules." Despite my predicament, I swallowed my fear and prepared myself for whatever riddle Veronica was about to present. I had defeated her sister long ago but fell in love with Veronica after bringing them from the cave that Mex had ced them in. That reminded me of Clesh and Mex cheating on her with Veronica''s sister. Bah! I had to get my head in the game! "I suppose that you can''t give me an easy riddle, right?" I asked, looking around the room to see if there might be traps anywhere. Veronica, the Sphinx, snorted. "I''d almost feel insulted, except..." She trailed off suggestively as my eyes met hers over her protruding sphinx breasts. "But s, I must quench my master." She smiled, rubbing her hand through the sand erotically. "Take heed brave one, for you embark on a perilous journey where even the smallest misstep could lead to your demise," she said while fluttering her longshes at me over her golden eyes, adding an alluring heat under the danger. "She lives in the house that light built, guided by tides yet knows no seasons. What is she?" The Sphinx threw out the final riddle, the intensity of her gaze boring into me like a heated brand. I knew that look in Veronica''s vibrant gold cat-like eyes. We faced monsters and battles that would make even Heracles quake. Sand molded to her legs revealing tiny gold panties that did nothing to hide her pussy from my view and a matching bra working its best to hold her massive gazongas. Her tail flicked about behind her as she watched me think with glee. "She has made kings rise and fall, and empires crumble. People are drawn to her like moths to a me but it''s not her beauty, but rather what she embodies ¡ª change, mystery, power. She''s seen ups and downs, waxing and waning over centuries," I dispatched the line of thought as my own memories were spiked-striking up an image of how wonderful they felt. "And yet when people see her, they''reforted knowing that some things don''t quite change. A constant among constants, even in shadow." A pause as I gathered myself. Pause wasn''t necessary, I snapped my fingers with realization. Gazing up at Veronica, I dered, "The Moon." Upon hearing the correct answer, Veronica gave a satisfying purr. She rose, standing tall and graceful before shrinking down to human size as she walked towards me acknowledging my victory. With the door to freedom wide open, and Vermillion waiting for me home, Zack realized his next task was going to be anything but simple. "What do you think you notice first: my moons or yours?" She purred, signaling the beginning of the fourth round of best training ever! Chapter 413 The Evil Inside

Chapter 413 The Evil Inside

If I were to describe a day that turned my world upside down, it would be this one. The morning had started pretty ordinary; if you could call waking up amidst two smoking-hot girls ordinary. An exquisite breakfastter, and an animated banter about everything from the Demon Stones to the curious local cuisine, our merry troop set upon the town in the bright sunlight. Our n was simple; storm our brains and survey the town to gain some insight into who could be puppeteering Gloria. But fate isn''t too kind to those who n, is it? Our first unexpected hit came in the form of a perturbed local who informed us that the ndestine group of rebels had been locked up by King James. The news hit us hard. Our next vital source of information ripped away from us. However, my stubborn nature propelled me to find a way to establish contact with them nevertheless. I could sense my girls'' cautious eyes on me, but I brushed away their concern with a light jest. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? Famousst words. Trying to sneak into the guard-ridden prison felt like sneaking into an open bear trap; oblivion to the immediate danger but with a foresight of an inevitable catastrophe. The guards were thick as thieves themselves, almost anticipating our every move. I was weaving through them, making sure not to utter a breath louder than a whisper, when I felt a familiar but unanticipated presence approaching us. Gloria. I could only gawk as she walked towards us, a smirk climbing up her face. Her eyes sparkled with a perverse delight that made my skin crawl. Roses are red, violets are blue, honey is sweet but not as sweet as the treachery brewing inside her- that''s all I could think of. Before any of us could react, her resonatingugh filled the air. The guards were upon us in an instant. "Well well. If it isn''t the mighty Zack and his charmed maidens. King James will be pleased to hear you''vee to pay him a visit," she taunted. Next thing, we were being hauled off to the prison where the rebels were being held. My shock was hard to conceal. A spy she was, and an actor of the highest order, too. But my instincts had been right. I just hoped it was not toote to turn things around. Inside the prison cell, Gloria, in all her newfound confidence, taunted us further, showering in our disbelief. "You fools have no idea what you''ve walked into, do you? King James'' ns were never just about control. It''s much, much more!" she cackled. When I shot her an inquisitive look, she continued. "Fusing the citizens with the Demonic Energies won''t just allow control, it would create an unstoppable army, all thanks to your glorious arrival!" After watching her walk away, I turned to the girls. "Well, that could have gone better, but I can''t say that I expected much different. Still, I am curious to know what it was that I did to activate the Demon Energy?" "One thing is for sure, that bitch needs to die!" Mati growled, baring her sharp razor-pointed teeth, but I patted her head. "Yes, it seems that Gloria turned on us, but I still think someone is controlling her. Either that, or she is the best actor that I have ever met," I said with a sigh, and Lillia nodded. "I agree with you. This all seems too convenient, and if the king knows how to control people with the Demon Energy already, it is likely that Gloria is being controlled," Lillia exined, and I smiled. "Exactly," I said, but Mati just got more frustrated. "Great... So what?! Even if you know she is being controlled, you let us get caught!" Mati snapped, but I put my hands up. "No, I wanted for us to get caught. This is the best ce for us to be right now," I exined, and Mati just crossed her arms and gave me a look. "So it was your n to get captured? Would have been nice if you would have told us! How are you supposed to fix things from here?!" She demanded, but as she did, I closed my eyes. "I can''t see out, but from the range of emotions you just went through, I would have to assume you have been had?" Harold asked, and I shrugged. "Matter of perspective, but yeah, I was scooped up. Seems that King James is trying to use the Demonic Energies he has been collecting to do a lot more than power the ind," I exined, and Harold nodded. "It must have something to do with the Demon''s blood. We know how vile it can be with its desterilization of women and its ability to infect normal creatures, turning them into Demons. Still, there is much we don''t know, and even I, with my memories, have no idea how they are harvesting this power from the Demons... If you do find anything out, please let me know. This might actually work in our favor, and there is a possibility that we could use the information to convert more demons back without you having to always do it," Harold said, his voice turning into a low murmur, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I grinned widely, a newfound determination seeping into me, then Harold put up a hand. "What? Do you have something to spoil this?" I asked, but Harold snorted. "No, but I think you are forgetting that even if you know everything, the king and all of his men are still going to beat you so bad that you will never get put back together again," Harold recited, sounding like a much darker version of Humpty Dumpty. "Yeah, Yeah. I know I need to get stronger, but I don''t really have the time right now. We are captured, so things are going to move a lot faster," I exined, but Harold just leveled his stare at me. "Really? And how much time has passed in here? Are you not also wearing Libra''s ring? You are not just of one world Zack, you are of many, and those worlds all run on their own time. You have a bad habit of getting caught up in whatever world you are in, forgetting the abilities that you have. Do like I told you and go train with the Fireden and the rest. Chana has also been on that ind for a while, so you should be probing her about the Demonic Energy and about the ind," Harold exined in a scolding tone, making me groan, but I knew he was right. "Fine! It''s not like I didn''t have enough going on! Training montage time! Fuck!" I growled, but it was more out of frustration. Was it so much to ask to just find a vacation ind that I could rx on for a bit and have fun with the girls? Why did every encounter I have had have to end up with someone trying to kill me or take over the world, OR SOME DAMNED COMBINATION OF THE TWO?! I let out a long wind sigh, making Harold grin. "You know, I actually think you are starting to mature. I am sure we could have argued about this for an hour a couple weeks ago, but something is changing. A good change," Harold smirked, and I rolled my eyes, giving him the finger. "I have more people to take care of, just like you, idiot! It''s just weird trying to remember that I have ess to all these crazy things and powers, but I am still just a drop in the bucket in this ocean. I destroyed Testa without breaking a sweat, and then kicked the crap out of Eelyasha!" "Portion of a god, and a low-rank demigod at best is what you defeated, but you have done nothing since. You heard Delores, she is a small frypared to what we are chasing, so probably even stronger than Thesta," Harold told me as his face became more serious. "You are still at the very beginning of your journey, and many more foes that will be much tougher are in your path. You have not even spent any time with Dank, or the newest elemental, Chana. You just dumped both of them here and went back to that world. Time freezes there when you are here, but it does not work in reverse in your mind or in the Astral Rings. Remember that going forward and that you can use your ring to rescue people and get them to a safe ce. Libra has space for a few cities worth of people ready, and will have more in the future." "Well Harold, don''t you worry. I''ll ''carpe diem'' or whatever, you''ll see," I retorted with dry sarcasm, but even I knew, he had a point. Everything was spiraling out of control, the stakes were getting higher. Just when I wished things to be simple, fate was ying a macabre game with us. King James'' n was a disaster waiting to happen, ticking closer to the hour with each passing second. Gloria''s grand betrayal was another fresh wound, and the thought of her being controlled was a dreadful idea I wished not to consider, but it was a possibility I couldn''t ignore. Saving the people here would mean getting stronger, and fast before confrontations be inevitable. As I opened my eyes and looked at my girls, their faces shrouded with concern and a tinge of fear, I realized that defeat or retreat was not an option. We had to win, for us and for the people of Fishbar. We hade here to liberate and save, and that''s what we were going to do. Rolling up my proverbial sleeves and closing my eyes one more time, I got myself ready to face the oing storm. It was training time. For, after every nightes the dawn. After every storm,es the calm. So too shalle our redemption, rising from the ashes of treachery and power games to save the beautiful,plicated mess that was Fishbar. Bring it on. Chapter 414 The Elemental Training Chronicles

Chapter 414 The Elemental Training Chronicles

As I opened my eyes back up, I stood on an open in with a sea of grass around me, but Libra''s ring had shifted from its bnce of ck and white. Now the ce looked almost Technicolored as if she was trying to bnce all colors that ever existed at once! "So, I assume that you have note to spend your time with me?" Libra asked from behind me, and I turned around with a smile. She was smiling at me as I turned, but I couldn''t help my eyes from being drawn to her basketball-sized breasts. They just floated like they were being held up by some imaginary force, but that was not what I was here for. Still, I would not be leaving this ce without spending a little bit of time with her after the training was done. "Oh, don''t worry, my love. I will be making time before I go back to spend some time with you, and a few others. I just get so caught up in the main world that I forget that time doesn''t move when I am here," Iughed, and Libra smiled warmly. "That is mostly true, but time does still move while you are in here, but just at an extremely slow pace. Almost four times as slow as before. I am not sure what the trantion is between them, but I think you should be able to spend about a year here for each hour out there. Mind you, if you were standing before, you might want to move your main body so you don''t look so suspicious. Harold did say that you were caught, right?" "She did correct. I really hope they''re not watching us right now because that would be awkward,¡± I responded, trying to shake off the thought. "Well, in that case, it''s time to kick-start your training. Who will be up first?" Libra asked, her eyes glittering with curiosity. "Shall we start with Chana?" I suggested, remembering the recent bond we had formed and the need to strengthen it further. "Sounds like a n," Libra responded, summoning Chana who emerged in a wave of mud, her enchanting eyes meeting mine. The in I had justnded in transformed into a muddy terrain, a thick, gloopy swamp recing the sea of grass. It dripped and oozed, studded with undting pits of quicksand and sudden mudslides. The unpredictability of thend created the perfect setting for training my reaction time. "Literally stuck between a rock and a squishy ce," I muttered, as Chana smirked, her form quaking withughter. "What can I say, Zack? When ites to mud, it''s always sink or swim," she stated, her voice filled with mischief. "Well, let''s hope we don''t get sucked in too deep, yeah?" I replied, squinting at the lurking threat of quicksand at my feet. As I carefully navigated through the mud-slick ins, we talked about the love potion. It was an awkward conversation, but once I assured her that I held no ill will, she seemed relieved, her form less dense and pulsating with a newfound optimism. After sinking, slipping, sliding, and sometimes just falling face-first into the mud, which sent Chana into a fit of chuckles, I finally felt a bit of progress. My reflexes were sharpening, my footsteps more adaptable to the fluid, ever-changing earth beneath me. "Oh, you think that you are getting the hang of this?" Chana called out, and before I could react, everything around me changed. Suddenly, the terrain began sinking beneath me, swallowed up by the widening pits of quicksand which were forming randomly. I struggled, thrashing my arms as I tried to maintain bnce. Each step I took threatened to plunge me deeper into the waiting maw of the earth. The quicksand sucked at my feet with a force that made me give a shout of surprise. Chana wasughing through it all, her form vibrating with mirth. "Dodge this!" she taunted, causing another mudslide to ripple through the terrain, directed straight at me. It was a deluge of mud, viscous and relentless. I made a split-second decision, channeling magic to conjure a force push. It barely saved me, the pressure throwing me clear as the mudslide washed over the spot I''d been standing on. Inded a short distance away, panting, a fresh wave of exhration shooting through me. Giving Chana a smirk, I got up. The session turned out to be more intense than I anticipated, but I took it in stride. Finally, after multiple attempts to tackle the varying challenges thrown my way, it was time to take a break. "Alright, Chana. I get the gist. Never let your guard down on the battlefield. Let''s call it a day. I don''t think I can take another face full of mud." Chuckling, she graciously gave in. I sighed with relief as I felt the terrain solidify under me. Stepping out of the muddy surroundings, I managed to catch my breath. Well, one elemental down. Several more to go. "What was it like? You know, before I came to the ind? I still don''t really know how you got there, but I can''t imagine it was a happy story, considering how everyone treated you, even there, right?" I questioned as I washed off with my Water Pact. Chana fell silent, staring down at her, well, body I supposed. The way she hesitated made me realize I had perhaps asked a loaded question. "It''s..plicated," she began, her voice sounding distant. "I was not ''sent'' to the ind per se but rather happened tond there after a violent storm. It was unexpected and frightening, but at least I was away from that war-ridden world I had previously dwelled in, a world that neither respected nor understood my element. It was...harsh. The townsfolk treated me as an abomination. Some did not hesitate to take advantage, seeing my condition as an opportunity." Her words carried a sadness that made me rethink my opinions of the townsfolk. She was a rare gem that deserved better. Understanding her backstory made our bond feel stronger, confirming that she was more than a mere elemental to me. As the silence between us grew, I turned to Libra, the time hade to shift my focus to the next training. Suddenly, a critical realization hit me. "I don''t suppose you''ve had time to analyze the fighting style of King James?" Chana blinked, taken aback by the sudden change in topic. "I...No, Zack. I have not had the opportunity. But I can tell you he is immensely powerful, much more than you''d anticipate. His offense is unnerving. So, prepare for the worst." Despite the ominous warning, I couldn''t dampen my resolve. Fixing my gaze at Libra, I prepped up for the next grind. "Alright then, Libra. Let''s summon Fireden and get this training underway." As the fire elemental appeared, I could feel the heat wave rolling in, the mes promising harsher training ahead. The endurance round had begun. "So, we are back to train, are we? I was hoping Harold would be able to convince you! You have a hard head my boy, but this is good. You need more power, or you are going to end up losing what you treasure most!" Firedenughed, but I knew he was serious. "Yeah, I know, I am being a bullhead, but lest skip past the rhetoric and get to the heat and story I know that you are dying to tell me," I sighed with a smile that Firedon returned fiercely. "Yes!" Firedenughed, and suddenly the muddy ins erupted all around us, causing the ground to crack and break apart. Lava filled the cracks, but now the terrain was a patchwork of rocks in molten magma. "Don''t you think this is a bit much for a story?!" I demanded, but Fireden only smirked at me. "This? Oh, there is more!" Firedenughed as burning dragon heads appeared from theva. "No, this time will not be likest time! This time you will have to run and dodge, while also listening to my story of a man that took his power for granted, and paid the ultimate price! You had better be listening! There will be a test at the end with an even more intense obstacle, me!" Chapter 415 The Heat of the Story

Chapter 415 The Heat of the Story

"Well then! If you are ready, then let me tell you the burning tale of Pyrrhus, the me Guardian!" Fireden bellowed, transforming theva field into a fiery stage. With each word from Fireden, the fire seemed to intensify, reflecting off my wide-eyed gaze as Fireden began his narrative. "Pyrrhus was a creature like none other, born from the heart of a dying star, he was fire incarnate. His aura was so intense that everything around him would wither and burn, reducing the strongest of metals to molten g. So imagine what fire could do to the flesh! But even with this power, Pyrrhus harbored a heart as warm as his mes." Leaping from one rock to another, I strained my ears to hear the story while staying focused on not plunging into the moltenva below. "Pyrrhus had a great love, a beautiful Phoenix named Seraphina. She was his everything, his sun. Unlike Pyrrhus, Seraphina was a me of life, her fire gave birth to nature and life. Her light was as healing as Pyrrhus''s was destructive. Her presence alone could tame Pyrrhus''s violent mes, and in each other, they found bnce." Fireden''s words echoed around the magma field, breathing life into his tale. Theva''s heat and the fear of slipping up only amplified the story''s intensity. "But peace was not tost. A threat from the jaws of the underworld, a demon of ice came to their realm. Borias, the Frost Tyrant. Together Pyrrhus and Seraphina fought this chilling menace, but Borias was relentless, his icy touch as deadly as Pyrrhus''s me. Despite their relentless efforts, they found Borias''s power to be overwhelming." I took a leap over a gushingva spurt, catching my breath as Inded on a burning rock, my heartbeat elerating with the escting tension Fireden''s tale spun. "Desperate, Pyrrhus made a decision. He offered Seraphina protection, a dome of his fiercest me, and went solo against Borias, aiming to shield her from the Frost Tyrant''s wrath. Though Seraphina protested, Pyrrhus remained resolute, blinded by his determination." Another sharp jump, this time through a ze of me sted at me, my eyes stinging with the smoke. Fireden watched me, continuing his tale with a knowing smile. "But Pyrrhus''s mes could not deter the Frost Tyrant, and he fell to the icy touch of Borias, leaving him lifeless and cold. In his false belief of having enough power and choosing to face the enemy alone, he not just lost his life but left Seraphina unprotected." Fireden''s voice softened, seeming to mourn the me Guardian''s defeat, "Devastated by Pyrrhus''s death, Seraphina emerged from the me to confront Borias, anger fueling her soul. With her healing mes, she attacked, melting the Frost Tyrant, avenging Pyrrhus." Stopping briefly, I nced back at Fireden, his eyes serious as they met mine. "In the end, Pyrrhus lost his life, and his love, and left his realm defenseless. Not because he was not strong, but because he overestimated his power, underestimating the enemy, and chose to battle alone when he could have fought alongside Seraphina." As thest word rolled off Fireden''s tongue, the heat seemed to withdraw, and a deafening silence spread across theva field. Breathing heavily, clothes smeared with sweat and grime, I realized the weight of Fireden''s tale. A humble reminder wrapped in a tale of fire, love, and sacrifice. The strength was not just the raw power one possessed but also in unity, understanding, and the will to protect. I made a mental note never to be overconfident and to trust my family. After all, the true essence of power was not in destruction but in shielding the ones who mattered. A soft rumble from the volcano marked the end of the story, and the heat of it served as a stark reminder of the tale''s essence. "So? How do you feel?" Fireden asked, some of the heat began to dissipate, but not all of it. "Baked... Maybe fried?" I said as I hopped back to the center where there was nova, and Firedenughed. "Good, but we are not finished. Normally, I would just make you run and tell you tales until your skin was charred, but I think what you need is a battle!" Fireden roared, and fiery monsters started to rise from the magma around us. "For this battle, I shall tell the tale of another great battle! This will be a long one, so you had better conserve your power!" I was already feeling it from Chana''s training and the running and hopping I had just done, but finally being able to use my elemental Pacts brought some life back into me. I summoned my Water Pact, but nothing happened. "Oh, that is the other thing I forgot to mention. No help from the others. This is your fight, and as much as you need to learn to work with us, you need to strengthen your own self. I will grant you the use of my basic Fire Pact, but nothing more than to wreath your fist and feet with fire so you can fight my creations!" Firedenughed, blowing the wind out of my sails. My nerves hummed with trepidation, but the surge of adrenaline overtook the worry, heating my blood to match the bubblingva around me. The multi-headed fire dragons loomed in front of me while I steadied my breath, one fist clenched in front of me, my feet shifting into a ready stance. My body erupted in crimson mes, searing but not painful, a testament to my Pact with Fireden. All the while, Fireden gave the ount of the great battle, an ancient tale of bravery and courage involving armies of mighty monsters, hundreds of soldiers, and one brave knight with his majestic dragon steed. Their journey had peril at every turn but stood triumphant in the face of adversity as they protected their kingdom. As his booming voice echoed in my ears, I began, dancing between those fiery jaws with the grace of a dancer, despite the oppressive heat. The fire dragons lunged, fired a zing breath, andshed out, but their might met only air. I was swift, my dodges timed just right, my blowsnding true. Every tale of courage Fireden narrated, every wise lessonced within, spurred me on. My fists, wreathed in a zing fire,nded powerful hits, each blow causing the fire dragons to dissolve into sparks, their roars dying out in short-lived bursts. Waves after waves of these monstrous creations fell to debris under my barrage of attacks. As the adrenaline high washed over me, I felt my strength wavering, but that didn''t deter me. Not when victory was so close. Fireden beamed a bright grin as Inded thest punch, my fiery fist dissolving the final monster to nothingness, winning my battle. Panting heavily, I raised my fist in triumph, Fireden''spliments washing over me, instilling a sense of pride. Barely on my feet, I realized the power and potential I carried, maybe not as much as King James. But strength wasn''t just about raw power but also the courage to face the adversary without fear. I nodded at Fireden, mustering a thankful smile as I braced myself for the next training, convinced more than ever about our victory against King James. "Who''s next, Libra?" I called out confidently, anticipation jolting energy into my veins. Chapter 416 420-Jutsu

Chapter 416 420-Jutsu

I didn''t wait more than a moment before my big-titted astral goddess of Bnce showed up, looking radiant as always. Before she could speak, I took her into my arms and pulled her in a passionate kiss. Thisst training session really reminded me of what I had, and how little time and effort I had been putting into all these women. The least I could do was show them just how much they meant to me each time I was with them. It was hard to keep everyone happy, but I had to at least try. "Mmm, this is nice. Maybe you might want to have a break before your next training session? I know a ce where we can go and rx," Libra said after she rest her head on my shoulder, still in my arms. "That does sound like fun, but I think that it would be better to have fun after the training," I said with a smile at her, then kiss Libra''s cheek. "I would like to fully enjoy you, and that will be very hard when I know I have to get back to training after. You can be my reward for finishing, and then after we can go and see the other girls. I would really like to see have Eelyasha is doing. I want to probe that Eel Goddess about her mother. while I know a lot about her mother, Delores. I am sure that she knows something I don''t. and if I could I would like to get her on our side," I exined, and Libra pulled away, not giving me an overly hopeful look. "Good luck with her. I think that you are going to have to put your charm on overdrive or give her a love potion before that happens. The only thing that creature does is walk around talking about how she is going to get revenge for burning her alive," Libra exined, and then put a finger to her lips. "I can''t say that I really me her for being mad, but I also know that she is a horrible person that looked others up to feed off of," she sighed and then looked me in the eye. "All I know is that you are going to have some trouble with that one." I rubbed the back of my head, letting out my own sigh. "Yeah, I kind of figured as much, and I should have been in here sooner to deal with her." "Well, on the other hand, Sarah talks about you non-stop to the point. It really drives Eelyasha crazy, but I restricted her power to be the same as Sarah''s," Libra giggled, and that made me burst outughing. "Did you really lock the two together?" Iughed, and she shrugged. "They are in arge house confined in a water prison, so I guess you could say that. I thought that she could use thepany, and Sarah was the only one that offered, though, this might count as torture for her," Libra giggled. I had to agree with her but it made me wonder what would happen if Sarah''s mgasm secretions got on the Eel woman. The stuff had made me go sex crazy and fuck Sarah''s brains out in Eelyasha''sir after defeating her, but I wasn''t sure if it was the same as the love potion that Chana had used. I would have to have Harold look into it. There could be a chance that it just amplified feelings that were already there, rather than overwriting them like a love potion did. If that were the case, it could help turn enemies into friends, if not lovers without turning them into mindless sex dolls. "Well, I will go deal with them after training is done, and we have had some more time together, okay?" I asked, and Libra smiled at me warmly, giving me a kiss and waving her hand. As she did, Dank, my Dark Elemental appeared. "I will leave you to your training, but I will be waiting for you when this is all over," Libra said as she faded away to another part of her ring. "So," I said, turning back to Dank. "we haven''t really introduced ourselves properly yet. My name is Zack Foreman, and I am a Sage, obviously, or you wouldn''t be here," I chuckled, and the shaded outline of a man nodded. "I will start my introduction off with another thank you for freeing me. My name is just Dank, and I have been waiting since creation to find you, or someone with your power. Eelyasha just used me to control her pets, but nothing more, barely ever using our Pact," Dank exined, and I nodded. "Don''t worry! I will get you out and about! We have a big fighting up, and I know that I am going to need all your help, so anything you can train me in now will help me out in this fight andter ones toe," I said, and Dank smiled, though I could barely tell. "I have no doubt about that, Zack," Dank replied, his voice resonating with a smoothness that softened the intense feeling in the air. "May I offer you something to ease the uing training?" Quirking an amused eyebrow, I curiously awaited his offer, "Sure, what is it?" Behold, Dank summoned a scroll of paper and a substance which on closer inspection, turned out to be well-crafted herbs. His fingers weaving around swiftly, Dank skillfully crafted an elegantly rolled joint and held it towards me. "Just something to lighten the mood and the mind," he said, a smirk hidden in his voice as my eyes widened at his unconventional suggestion. ¡°Is this¡­ weed?¡± I asked, bemused, holding the joint Dank had passed to me. ¡°Why, yes. It is a 420-Jitsu Scroll that we will use for today''s training. It will help attune your mind to the pathways of precognition." A chuckle escaped my lips, the number 420 making the Earthman in me chuckle, "4...20, huh? Are you aware of the meaning of 420 on Earth?" Dank looked a bit taken aback, but then he seemed genuinely interested, silently urging me to continue. "420 is a code word used to refer to the consumption of cannabis. It''s celebrated annually on April 20th, where folks would light up a joint at 4:20 PM," I exined, receiving a vibrantugh from Dank. ¡°Then let¡¯s honor that tradition, shall we?¡± Dank suggested, offering a ck me from his fingertip to light the joint. Inhaling the smoke, the world around seemed to shift, morphing into an extraordinary dark realm. Dank, once a shadowy figure, was now a towering figure with rippling muscles d in dark armor, a fierce warrior from the realm of shadows. "Woah, you are like some anime character!" Iughed, the warm buzz from the joint making my body tingle pleasantly. Dank merely smirked, his figure sturdy against the void of the dark realm around us. ¡°Wee to my realm, Zack. I call this ce, The Dark Pages. Let the training begin.¡± The scenario started shifting, Dank¡¯s voice echoing in the ethereal expanse. I refocused, my mirthfulughter fading, reced by an exhrated grin. This was more than I signed up for, but it was a fun twist. Suddenly, I felt my form begin to tten, and the color literally drained away from me until I waspletely ck and white. The world around me started to fill with white and gray, giving detail to what I saw, but there was no mistaking, I was in aic book or something like it. "The Dark Pages ce you in my repository for Adult Manga that are released to me as my power grows. The stronger I am the more dirty stories that I acquire," Dank exined, and my eyes almost fell out. "You mean that these worlds are all... Hentia worlds?! Where do theye from?" I demanded... for scientific purposes. "Umm, To tell you the truth, I only had like three before, but when I moved into your head I got over three hundred more," Dank said, and I looked away. "Wow, now isn''t that something. Good enough, no need to look into this problem anymore. What kind of training do you have nned for us today?" I asked, diverting the subject, but it was cool that Dank seemed to be just as degenerate as I was. "It is simple, but it won''t be easy," Dank said, somehow managing to smirk in his warrior state. "This training mainly focuses on improving your precognition. You need to anticipate your opponent''s movements inbat and predict their strategies. The better you are at it, the higher your chance to outmaneuver them... I also added win conditions to make you more eager..." Dank''s words trained off, but I didn''t need a supeputer, or an IQ of 10,000 to figure out what he meant. If this was a Hentia World, the rewards would be ...more than satisfying. The potential of my training suddenly took on a captivating allure. "A more... ''personal touch'' to the training, huh?" I chuckled at the slyness of Dank''s method. It''s safe to say, precognition had never seemed more interesting. ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± Dank retorted with a hint of mischief in his voice. ¡°Remember your objective here amidst... everything else. You''re here to improve your anticipatory skills, Zack. Keep your mind sharp, even in the face of distraction... lots and lots of distraction." ¡°Got it,¡± I responded, though I couldn¡¯t keep the grin off my face. This was going to be an interesting training session, that''s for sure. Chapter 417 XXX Manga training comes to life!

Chapter 417 XXX Manga traininges to life!

"I will be leaving this world, but you will have toplete five scenes. Each of them will be with women that you know, and powers that you have. Your job is to use your senses to defeat the girls without hurting them since you tend to collect many," Dank exined with a grin, but I just shrugged. "Women need saving, and they are sexy women! Monster girls to boot! Don''t you worry, Dank! I will find you someone that will be perfect just for you! This world we are in is massive and filled with all sorts of strange and amazing creatures. There is no shortage of elementals either!" Iughed, and Dank perked up some in his massive ck knight form. "Interesting. I guess there might be someone out there¡­¡± "Absolutely," I reassured him, my grin reappearing. "Your perfect match might be just around the corner." ¡°Your optimism is truly unmatchable, Zack,¡± Dank said, now appearing thoughtful. "Alright, enough chatting! Let''s get this crazy, hentai-filled training session started!" I hollered, excitement reverberating in my voice. With a nod, Dank waved his hand, and theic-like environment suddenly swung into motion. As if by magic, the static ck ink lines took the form of animated figures, the environments and characters popping off the panels, turning into a fully immersive world around me. My mind went nk briefly, and I was just walking into a dimly lit tavern bustling with chatter andughter, patrons swaying to the rhythm of the tune a group of bards were ying. My eyes scanned the room and fell upon a familiar face. It was Mary, the Elven/gorgon/mermaid blind sorceress, seated by the bar, her tail wrapped around the chair as she coyly sipped her drink. A pair of men approached her, their intentions clear by their predatory grins and lecherous eyes. I knew this woman, but I couldn''t put my finger on where. One thing that I did know, these men were up to no good. A familiar surge of protectiveness rushed through me and with a determined stride, I walked towards the scene ying out. Mary quickly got rid of the men with a simple flick of her powerful tail, leaving them astonished and slightly terrified. Grinning, I slid next to her at the bar counter. ¡°Having trouble already, Mary?¡± I asked yfully, my gaze on the casually retreating men. She turned her head towards my direction, her face a picture of rxed contentment. ¡°Nothing I can¡¯t handle, Zack,¡± she hissed, recognizing my voice. ¡°What bringsss you to this neck of the woodsss?¡± I was about to say training, but I couldn''t remember what I was training for. Why was I here? "I heard the elven wine in this ce was unmatched," I responded, my eyes wide with earnest curiosity. Her lips curled up into a knowing smirk, her tongue darting out to lick the corner of her lip. "Perhapsss... but the enjoyment dependsss on thepany one keepsss while drinking it," she replied, her hand reaching out to trace the rim of the empty ss on the bar counter. Raising an eyebrow, an idea sprouted into my mind, "Why not grant me the pleasure and share a drink together?" Mary only took a slight pause, deliberating, before breaking into a mischievous grin. "A tempting offer, Zack. How could I resist?" She motioned to the bartender, ordering two sses of the famed elven wine. The night was just beginning. We spent hours chatting andughing, discussing myriad topics from magical artifacts to thetest gossips around the magical realm. Somewhere down the line, the empty sses piled up, Mary''s flirtatious demeanor growing more prominent. It was easy - too easy, uncannily so. "How about we continue this conversation somewhere more¡­ private?" Mary suggested, her tripled sibnce more pronounced. I should have found it odd but my mind oddly agreed with her, the alcohol and warmth washing any rm bells away. We ended up in avishly decorated suite on the inn''s upper level. Seating myself on the plush bed sheets, I watched Mary move around the room gracefully, each movement serpentine and calcted. Without a warning, Mary lunged towards me with a startling speed. With a agility that I didn''t know I possessed, I rolled out of the bed. Mary''s attack missing its mark by an inch. Suddenly, I could predict her every move, my senses heightened in the apprehensive atmosphere. Every lunge, every swipe, I dodged with surprising ease. "Mary, stop this," Imanded palms glowing with an unmistakable aquatic blue hue - my pact with Wataluga ready to deploy. However, she smiled eerily and lunged for another attack. I had no choice but to use my water force pact. "Water st!" I yelled, a powerful torrent of water sting Mary in her serpentine form, the force enough to pin her against the wall. Her eyes blinked open, genuine surprise written all over her face. Her tail ceased its movement and she slumped -- defeated. The moment stretched into a minute before Mary sighed. "I sssurrender, Zack... I thought I could beat you, but..." she started, her eyes fluttering down to the floor in defeat. Releasing the water force, I approached Mary cautiously. She still had a dangerous look in her eyes, but she had admitted defeat. "Does this mean..." I began. Mary raised her gaze to mine, an unusual softness hinting in her eyes, "Yes... I ssubmit myssself to you, Zack..." I didn''t have to be told twice, and I climbed on top of her snake-like body, pinning her hands down. I pulled her breast band off to expose her bountiful breasts. Her multiple pair of eyes widened as they followed my hands. I traced their curves with my rough hands, each squeeze making Mary hiss out in pleasure. We locked eyes, both of us losing ourselves in the path this eldritch intimacy was going down. But I knew something. I could feel the power coursing through me - not just as a result of our proximity but something deeper. Dank''s words echoed in my mind; intuition, foresight... precognition. A sigh brushed across my face, Mary''s chest against mine, her breath hitched slightly as a soft moan left her parted lips. Mary pulled my cock out as I straddled her tail and guided it into her silky warm lips, and I pressed inside of her with a long groan. I knew this was all in my head, but considering how manyyers deep I was in my own mind, and how messed up the real world was, it was hard to tell the differences anymore. All I cared about was just being able to spend time with my girls so this training was almost like a break from everything. But just before we went over that edge, things began to blur before me, sounds drowned out and the sensations numbed. The room spun rapidly, smearing into a whirlwind of abstract colors, and when everything came to a halt, the chaos faded. I was alone in a different scenario, no longer inside the luxurious inn room with Mary... What had just happened? Chapter 418 School girl Oomukade

Chapter 418 School girl Oomukade

I was in a ssroom, but I was alone. I was holding on to my memory of who I was so I didn''t get sucked into the storyline of the Manga, but Dank''s power invaded my mind and ced memories. I was a teacher of monster girls, but I had an especially bratty one named Jilly. She was a bright, but violent student, but for some reason, she only directed her anger at me. She was actually very protective of the other students. I had trouble making heads or tails of her. "Look who it is? Our pathetically weak homeroom teacher!" The ck spike barely missed my face as I just barely moved my head out of the way. That was right. Jilly also tried to kill me daily... What?! "Jilly!" I eximed, spinning around to face the owner of the voice. She was a punk-style girl, clearly a mix of both Oomukade, judging by her venomous ck spikes, and subus, given her fiery eyes and devilish horns. "That''s not an eptable way to greet your teacher." She pouted and crossed her arms, drumming her fingers on her ck-spike studded leather armband. "So? What are you gonna do about it?" Her hostility was getting out of hand, but I needed to deal with her strategically rather than directly confront her. The scenario felt vaguely familiar. If this training followed the same general principles as the previous one, it meant that I¡¯d have to apply precognition and observe Jilly''s actions, predicting them well in advance. Hopefully, this would also allow me to figure out a peaceful solution to her rebellious behavior. The smile on my face was particrly serene as I addressed Jilly, "Well for starters, how about a one-on-one discussion after ss?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Why? So you can lecture me some more?" "Actually, I was hoping we could have a friendly chat. I''d love to know more about you, Jilly. Understanding each other better might help us work together more effectively," I suggested warmly. Jilly hesitated, eyeballing me suspiciously, but she eventually grumbled a reluctant, "Fine." Our after-ss, Jilly waited till everyone left, and then closed the door. Then she locked it. I felt the danger even before it happened, and dodged out of the way as Jilly turned, her centipede legs firing ck spikes where I stood before. She was also now wearing a yellow construction helmet, but for some reason that just made sense. The woman trying to kill me did not. "Jilly! Stop this!" I yelled and had to use my Water Pact to create whips to deflect the attack, but that didn''t stop her. "You think that you are so hot, and all the girls love you, but I won''t let you abuse them!" Jilly roared, and a ballista started to build itself rapidly right before my eyes. For my part, I had nothing but question marks floating above my head. I was a sage and teacher at this university! Even though these girls were all of legal age I surely, probably, most likely wouldn''t... yeah, I probably deserved this... But I didn''t want to die! The Ballista was finished with Jilly aiming it directly at me, but it was a single-fire device, so I only had to block or dodge the bolt. Ibined Earth and Water Pacts summoning a brick wall, but then Jilly pulled the trigger with a smile. The first spike blew through my wall like it was made of sand, but the massive ck bolts didn''t stop as I was forced to narrowly dodge each one, with the spikes embedding themselves into the walls and ground around me. "Jilly stop this! We can talk about your concerns, but trying to kill me is not the way to do it!" I yelled, moving behind the lectern in a desperate attempt to shield myself. She did not stop, so I had to get creative, or I was going to die! Thinking quickly, I decided to use my Earth Pact to sink into the ground just as another bolt tore through the lectern, splinters flying everywhere. I popped up on the other side of the room and resumed my plea. ¡°Jilly, please! There¡¯s been a misunderstanding! I care about your well-being and all of our students. Thest thing I want is to take advantage of anyone!¡± Jilly just snorted, her hands nimbly preparing another spikeden bolt. She whipped around, no sign of wavering on her face. But this tiny moment of distraction gave me an idea. Drawing on my Water pact, I created a series of small, slippery puddles directly at Jilly''s feet. The next moment, feeling the wetness, Jilly nced down in confusion, her concentration breaking, just enough for me to charge my Earth pact energy. With a swift motion, I directed a path of earth upwards, aiming to trap Jilly''s centipede legs. The sudden movement caught her by surprise as the wet floor beneath her made her lose her bnce, the unexpected trap working in my favor, the weapons on her legs entangled in the rocky grips. Jilly tumbled to the ground with a loud thud, the additional bolts scattering across the floor. The ballistay broken by her side, her attack thwarted. Now that the imminent threat was dealt with, I pulled down the earth, releasing her. "Jilly..." I started, panting heavily from the unexpected exertion, and moved towards her. "No, don''t... you''ve won. Just do whatever you want, I submit myself to you, Zack," she coyly, pulling me into a passionate kiss that brought all my memories back to me. I had defeated School Girl Jilly, and now it was time for my reward! Jilly slid down my chest and then opened my pants to reveal my throbbing erection. A seductive smile yed on her lips as she got to work, her hands working magic as she teased and stroked me expertly. As I watched the slithering girl pleasure me, the realization of Dank¡¯s weird and wonderful training method made meugh. I had no idea how this crazy, hentai-loaded training was actually supposed to help me, but I wasn''t going to question it while Jilly was working me over so enthusiastically. After reaching my high, I pulled back and drew Jilly into an intimate embrace. "You should have just talked to me, Jilly. I''d never abuse anyone." "I know that now, Zack. I am sorry for my overreaction," she said in a whisper, pulling me in for a long, searing kiss. As I pulled away, I said, "Remember,munication is the key." Just as Jilly was responding, the scene paused, the monochrome rity of a Manga panel illustrating the scene. The panel started to dissolve, and then a wave of dizziness hit, throwing the surroundings out of sync. Momentster, the figures reshaped, the setting morphing rapidly around me. I was plunged into yet another scenario... I was quite liking the direction this training was taking. Chapter 419 Legend of Cerberus’s Heat

Chapter 419 Legend of Cerberus''s Heat

After my whirlwind experience with School Girl Jilly, I braced myself for yet another unconventional training scenario, but this time, it was set in the mysticalnds of Heracles. I found myself as the legendary hero, Heracles, in the story of capturing Cerberus, the monstrous multi-headed dog guarding the gates of the Underworld. "Huh?" I asked as I looked down at my body, but a loud booming voice brought my view up to a resplendent god-like figure draped in golden robes. "Heracles," the figuremanded, his voice echoing with authority and power, "you are tasked with retrieving the three-headed beast, Cerberus, without using any weapons." I nced at the retreating back of the figure who had assigned me this task, realizing who the apparition was. "Hermes," I murmured, recognizing the messenger of the gods from Greek mythology. ording to the myth, Hermes had been sent to guide Heracles in the Underworld. A resigned sigh left me as I trudged towards the path leading to the Underworld. The task was clear - defeat Cerberus using only my bare hands and bring him to the surface. The Underworld was a furnace, scalding heat nearly suffocating me, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of burning sulfur. As I journeyed deeper into the zing realm, I could hear a ferocious growling in the distance. Soon, I found myself standing at the mouth of a giant cave, the source of the beast''s roars. Cerberus stood guard, a gigantic three-headed dog with gnashing teeth and glowing eyes, but something was different about the heads. Each had different colored hair and they were clearly female. On the right, a searing red hair, the middle head, a cool icy blue, and to the left, an electric green. Each pair of eyes that locked onto me, bore bottomless pools of heat I could feel seeping into my bones. A knowing smirk graced my lips as I understood the situation. Each of Cerberus''s heads was a manifestation of an Elemental. Fire, Water, and Earth. No doubt, each one embodied a different aspect of my training. The challengeid before me was a trial of endurance, resistance, and handling reactions. "Alright, Heracles. Time to tame the beast," I muttered to myself, surreptitiously using Fireden''s Pact to protect myself against the scorching heat and biting cold of the elemental heads. Getting closer to Cerberus, the heads reared back, preparing to strike. Their eyes glowed brighter, focusing intensely on me. I met their gazes head-on without flinching, my body tensing and preparing for the first move. The fire head lunged first, expelling a breath of pure, molten me toward me. Using Grogvel''s Pact, I forced myself to endure the onught of heat, feeling my skin prickling but not blistering. In rapid session, the water head swooped forward, following the fire head''s attack with an icy st of freezing liquid. Despite the drastic shift in temperature, I stood firm, channeling Wataluga''s Resistance Pact and letting the water flow harmlessly down my body. Finally, the earth headunched herself at me, a maelstrom of soil and rock swirling in her wake. Relying on Chana''s Reaction Pact, I moved almost instinctively, sidestepping the spurts of soil and narrowly avoiding therger rocks. Defending myself against the elemental onughts was a demanding task, the sweat pouring down my face a testament to the strain. But beneath the fatigue, a sense of victory was building. With each evasion and each resistance, I was drawing closer to taming Cerberus. Keeping my precognitive abilities honed, Iunched my counterattack. Sculpting my own fire with Fireden''s pact, I molded it into a tranquil hearth fire and reached out to the fire-headed Cerberus. Her snarls subsided as she leaned into theforting warmth, her body rxing. The fire-head was tamed. Next, using the coolness learnt during my Water Pact training, I controlled my body temperature to match the water-headed Cerberus. She stopped her attack, tilting her head quizzically at theck of difference in warmth between us. The water-head was tamed. Lastly, came the earth head. Like a stubborn boulder refusing to budge, she continued her attack vehemently. Mimicking the Yield attribute from the Earth pact, I allowed Mother Nature to take its course, letting the earth-attacks pass through me without resistance. After a prolonged silence, the earth-head too, calmed down, her scowl easing into a look of confusion. With the three Cerberus heads tamed, I let out a breath I didn''t realize I was holding, my exhaustion seeping back into my bones. But I didn''t have time to rest. I still had to bring Cerberus to the surface. I eased myself in front of the tamed beast, gently patting each head and whispering words offort. Their growls subsided, and then suddenly the massive hound shrunk down to a three-headed girl dark tan-skinned girl. My mind immediately recognizes my girls, Cera, Bera, and Reiz as my eyes locked onto her three naked breasts. "You win, master! Now breed us!" Cera with her red hair cheered. "We did give up, and our body is so hot. I think it is best to mate with us," Reiz admitted as she pulled her long green hair out of her face. "I really want you inside of me, master..." Bera said, using the other free hand to cover her face. With a shake of my head and an incredulous smile, I approached the three heads and hooked an arm around each of them. "Well, I guess it''s part of the training," I said, believing wholeheartedly in Dank''s methods. Then, I bent down to fulfill their shared request, not once forgetting my ultimate mission to bring Cerberus to the surface. After all, what is training without a good reward at the end? As my hands roamed over their bodies, and their coordinated moans filled the air, I could only agree with myself. This was indeed quite the unusual training, but I was not going to startining as the girls got on all for their three tails on their singr ass wagging excitedly. I took my pants off and plunged my manhood deep into the aphrodisiac-filled bodies of the trio of Cerberus''s heat. "Master! Fuck us harder!" Cera cried out as the other two heads joined in with her shouted pleas. I rammed my member into thedies, fiercely pushing against their curves as pleasure swept through my veins. I came once, making the girls howl out, but then they pulled off my cock and rolled onto their back, spreading their legs for me. "Master", Bera began as she adjusted the grip of her hands. "Let us show you how much pleasure we can give you." I found myself being driven to further heights of pleasure as Cera, Bera, and Reiz rolled and writhed their bodies beneath mine. They rotated me between the three of them, providing me with an overwhelming sensation every time. The heavenly softness of theirbined skin, the sulent warmth inside of them, and the way that each girl skillfully adjusted her movements in perfect unisonbined together to create a perfect storm of pleasure. My body bounced off theirs with powerful reverberations as I felt my orgasm rise up within me. My grip tightened around them as they urged me on, calling out for me to take advantage of theirbined heat and passion. With a deep groan, I surrendered to the sensations they were creating and let my seed burst free, coating their bellies with my essence. As I unraveled, they slowly sank down onto the ground alongside me, wrapping me in a tight hug as we basked in the aftermath of our lovemaking. "Amazing," I murmured, giving them all ast kiss before standing up. As I did, I started to fade away, but it was worth it. On to the 4th round of Best. Training. Ever! Chapter 420 Sexy Egyptian Riddles

Chapter 420 Sexy Egyptian Riddles

The monochrome world spun around me, and I found myself in a sprawling desert. I was searching for a lost artifact called the "Eye of Horus". The artifact was rumored to give the wielder immense power and control over aspects beyond humanprehension. Looking around, I spotted a massive structure rising from the desert sands. It was unmistakably a pyramid, the eternal resting ce of pharaohs, and richlyden with riddles and traps designed to ward off grave robbers. Intricate hieroglyphs adorned the entrance, providing clues or deterrents ¡ª I knew not which. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eyes, I saw movement. Approaching me were three women; each wore gold and fabric in intricate designs, their headdresses crowned with an Ankh, the symbol of life. Their smoky kohl-lined eyes focused on me. Cleopatra, Nefertiti, and Hatshepsut, queens from different Egyptian dynasties, renowned for their beauty and intellect. "Wee to our realm, brave traveler," Cleopatra greeted, her eyes mysterious and inviting. "A hero''s worth is defined by his ability to solve riddles," Nefertiti continued, giving me a knowing look. Hatshepsut finally spoke up, "If you solve the riddle hidden within our chambers, we shall reward you greatly," she concluded, adding a suggestive wink. "Oh? You wouldn''t happen to know where the Eye of Horus is, do you?" I asked curiously since that seemed to be what I was here for. I knew these women, but not as people, but as historical figures in books. Even though my mind had been fogged by Dank, I was getting used to being able to push through the imnted memories. One thing that had beenmon among each training scenario was they were my girls from the real world. These women were not, so I kept my guard up. Their smiles widened, full of secrets untold and promises yet to be delivered. "The Eye of Horusys within thebyrinth troves of this pyramid. To reach it, you shall need to unravel the riddles that lie on our path and in our chambers," Cleopatra responded. "The first riddle is this: I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I''m never released, and yet I am used by almost everyone. What am I?" Nefertiti said smirking, clearly expecting me to fail. I thought for a moment, thanking my brain''s peculiar habit of storing random trivia. I recalled the arcane conventions of ancient Egyptian riddle craft. "A pencil," I answered confidently, seeing their surprise as the sand beneath our feet shifted and solidified into a narrow path leading directly to the pyramid''s entrance. "Indeed," Hatshepsut conceded before adding with a sultry edge to her voice, "but the next riddles won''t be as easy." She gently took my hand, leading me toward the pyramid while Cleopatra and Nefertiti walked ahead of us. The sight was both unnerving and wildly exciting at the same time. Here I was, surrounded by three legendary queens who held my fate in their hands. Still, I had another type of training in mind, wanting so much more than just riddles. If Dank mirrored his world-like reality these legendary queens would be no different. A heavy gulp swallows my mouth and throat; my heart hammered against my chest. That single nce stirred a growing hunger within me. My breathing grewbored as the gaps in their shawls revealed far too much alluring skin. Both my brains were having a hard time deciding where to look as Hatshepsut¡¯s breasts bounced from the rhythm of her walking. To top it off, Cleopatra marked her steps by swinging her hips. Meanwhile, Nefertiti looked back to catch my wandering gaze, signaling they knew what they were doing. It was obvious the queens had agreed to tease me, but I was the first yer in this game! As we ventured deeper into the pyramid, the atmosphere grew thicker with sexual tension. Each step down the dark corridors was fraught with suggestive remarks from the queens and double entendres that began as veiled riddles now unraveled into open flirtations. Every riddle solved came with its own reward; fleeting but heated touches werevished on me by the trio. A stolen kiss here, a wandering hand there. The tantalization was bing unbearable. Finally, we arrived at a grand chamber, ornately decorated and dimly lit by flickering torches. In the centery an borate golden sarcophagus encrusted with jewels. "This is your final riddle", Hatshepsut dered, her voice echoing off the stone walls, but something had changed about her voice, making her sound more sinister. Before I could react, the three queens left the room, closing the door behind them as another muchrger door opened. I could see massive blue lion''s feet being revealed and I sighed with relief. I should have known that the women were leading me into a trap, but I would be lying if I said I still didn''t want to fuck them all! "So, the wretched queens have brought me another snack?" Veronica, the Sphinx asked with a dangerous purr, her massive form stepping out from the shadows. "Very well, let''s y by their rules." Despite my predicament, I swallowed my fear and prepared myself for whatever riddle Veronica was about to present. I had defeated her sister long ago but fell in love with Veronica after bringing them from the cave that Mex had ced them in. That reminded me of Clesh and Mex cheating on her with Veronica''s sister. Bah! I had to get my head in the game! "I suppose that you can''t give me an easy riddle, right?" I asked, looking around the room to see if there might be traps anywhere. Veronica, the Sphinx, snorted. "I''d almost feel insulted, except..." She trailed off suggestively as my eyes met hers over her protruding sphinx breasts. "But s, I must quench my master." She smiled, rubbing her hand through the sand erotically. "Take heed brave one, for you embark on a perilous journey where even the smallest misstep could lead to your demise," she said while fluttering her longshes at me over her golden eyes, adding an alluring heat under the danger. "She lives in the house that light built, guided by tides yet knows no seasons. What is she?" The Sphinx threw out the final riddle, the intensity of her gaze boring into me like a heated brand. I knew that look in Veronica''s vibrant gold cat-like eyes. We faced monsters and battles that would make even Heracles quake. Sand molded to her legs revealing tiny gold panties that did nothing to hide her pussy from my view and a matching bra working its best to hold her massive gazongas. Her tail flicked about behind her as she watched me think with glee. "She has made kings rise and fall, and empires crumble. People are drawn to her like moths to a me but it''s not her beauty, but rather what she embodies ¡ª change, mystery, power. She''s seen ups and downs, waxing and waning over centuries," I dispatched the line of thought as my own memories were spiked-striking up an image of how wonderful they felt. "And yet when people see her, they''reforted knowing that some things don''t quite change. A constant among constants, even in shadow." A pause as I gathered myself. Pause wasn''t necessary, I snapped my fingers with realization. Gazing up at Veronica, I dered, "The Moon." Upon hearing the correct answer, Veronica gave a satisfying purr. She rose, standing tall and graceful before shrinking down to human size as she walked towards me acknowledging my victory. With the door to freedom wide open, and Vermillion waiting for me home, Zack realized his next task was going to be anything but simple. "What do you think you notice first: my moons or yours?" She purred, signaling the beginning of the fourth round of best training ever! Chapter 421 Siren’s Seductive Oasis

Chapter 421 Siren''s Seductive Oasis

As I reveled in my riddle-solving victory, the room rapidly transformed before my eyes under Veronica''s magical spell. The sarcophagus and depictions on the walls faded away into an oasis,plete with lush palm trees and a seductively inviting pool of water. All around, ambient glowing orbs illuminated the scene with their ethereal light, creating an oasis that looked too perfect to be real. The scorching Egyptian atmosphere dissipated, reced by the vibrant freshness of an oasis. The room was permeated with the sound of water and whispering winds carrying the faint melodic voices of presumably invisible sirens, echoing in perfect acoustics. "And now, brave warrior, it''s time for you to reap your rewards," Veronica purred, her voice silky and inviting as she swayed towards me. Her transformation to human size entuated her alluring curves, her glowing orbs lighting up her sky-blue flesh in the intimate oasis inviting my eyes to drink in every ounce of the cat-woman''s body. "Bask in my glory. Allow my body to be your oasis - an escape from the trials and tribtions of this harsh world. Sumb to my charms, let go," she beckoned, her translucent golden garment flowing around her, clinging to her voluptuous figure. "I did win, didn''t I?" I mused, feeling a certain tension coil within me. I''d longed to see what Veronica looked like under her Sphinx guise. It was impossible to deny the electric chemistry sparking between us as she slowly made her way towards me. I decided to surrender to the enchanting atmosphere, the harrowing battles and tireless journey seemed so far back and insignificant. This was supposed to be all part of the training, and it had been a while since I had some alone time with Ver¨®nica in the real world. "Yes, you did. And a reward awaits," Veronica purred, her golden eyes gleaming in anticipation. Before I could make my move, she led me toward the pool, her fingers wrapping securely around my wrist,pelling me to follow. We left a trail of clothes behind us, arriving at the pool in our bare skin. The water appeared calm, and tranquil, inviting us into its depths. As if on cue, Veronica slipped into the pool, her voluptuous form diving and resurfacing like a seasoned mermaid. "Come on," she invited, sshing water in my direction. Obliging to Veronica''s tantalizing invitation, I slipped into the pool. The water felt heavenly against my heated skin, almost distracting me from Veronica''s sensuous body swimming effortlessly around me. She appeared to be luring me towards the pool''s center, her mesmerizing gaze never leaving mine. As I reached the pool''s center, an unexpected jolt of energy surged through me. Distracted by Veronica''s allure, I realized toote that I''d entered a magical trap. Veronica''s tranquil fa?ade gave way to a wicked smirk, confirming my suspicion. "You''ve walked right into my paws," she purred, swimming towards me with newfound vigor, her eyes gleaming with predatory hunger. Suddenly thrown into chaos, I fought through the confusion. Was this a test of my irvoyance, or was it another challenge? Despite the water currents working against me, I fought back, calling upon the gifts endowed by the elementals. Summoning Grogvel''s strength, I managed to steady myself against the opposing forces and ground myself amidst the aquatic turmoil. My sight fixed on Veronica, who was bearing down on me with her feline agility, ws unsheathing slowly but surely. Summoning my abilities, I prepared to engage her in this unforeseen aquatic duel. A wild melee ensued, both of us using our abilities and cunning to outwit each other. However, having undergone rigorous training with the elementals, I had the upper hand. Seizing an opportune moment, I used Wataluga''s-water maniption, creating a whirlpool around Veronica. The rapid water vortex pushed her away and disoriented her. Within seconds, I was behind her, holding her secure in a firm hold. "Did you have enough fun, Veronica?" I whispered, allowing a hint of a smirk to cross my lips. Her sudden betrayal had caught me off guard, but I had ovee her. Being caught off-guard rattled the sphinx, her golden eyes shing with surprise and a hint of respect. "I concede. I didn¡¯t expect you to retaliate so decisively, Zack," she admitted, her voice echoed defeat but held an underlying tone of admiration. I released her from my grip lightly. "Just because I let my guard down doesn''t mean I don''t know when to bring it back up," I retorted good-naturedly, sshing some water at her. "But I''ll admit, you did catch me off guard." "I change forms and behaviors as does the moon in the sky," Veronica smiled, "You should know this, Zack." Little did Veronica know, the lesson was engraved in my heart. Her beauty had almost made me fall into her trap, but my experiences and pieces of training had taught me to remain collected amidst chaos. Sheughed while sshing water back at me, easing the tense atmosphere as we resumed our previously intimate yfulness. "Now, I think it is time for that reward you were talking about, yes?" I teased, and Veronica smiled seductively as she pressed her naked body into mine. "Yes, your reward awaits," she purred, her lips seeking mine as her hands trailed down my body. Veronica''s paw-like hands drug her ws lightly down my chest and then into the water. I groaned into her mouth as her hand found my swollen shaft, making me increase the intensity of our kiss. Her other hand clutched my lower back, steadying me as she rhythmically stroke me. Slowly, we began to sink into the depths of the pool as she stroked and yfully teased every inch of my body, each touch carrying a hint of electricity. The water itself seemed toe alive, rippling and swirling around us. Each movement over my body felt like it was going to send me over the edge, and then she lifted her body up. Guiding my shaft, Veronica slid her warm lips over my cock, slowly pressing it inside of her. The pleasure turned my slow and patient embrace into a more animalistic urge as I wrapped myself around her body, lifting her out of the water and over to the grass. Veronica gasped as I mirrored her movements, her tight wet walls gripping me as I sunk deep and explored every inch of her. Part of me wanted to go slow and enjoy every inch of her, but Veronica''s ws digging into my back pushed me into a beast-like state. Veronica cried out as my hips mmed my cock deep inside of her, causing her to squirt out more than water with each stroke. Our bodies were slick with sweat and she released her grip on me as she felt me exploding, sending my internal liquid filling her empty core. Weyed there for what seemed like an eternity, reveling in the afterglow of the magical moment. "My beautiful sphinx, what will you have me do next?" I asked, melting further into her embrace. "With you, I know only pleasure awaits," she purred, her golden eyes inviting me into a blissful peace. Veronica''s powerful magic had created a Siren¡¯s seductive oasis, and I was calm. "Thank you for a wonderful experience," I whispered as I drifted off to sleep in Veronica''s arms, a smile on my face. Then I woke up in a world of chaos with everyone screaming. Chapter 422 Immortal Desires: Seducing the Nine Generations of 422 Immortal Desires: Seducing the Nine Generations of Demonic Sovereigns pt1 As my eyes adjusted to the darkness and fire all around me, I started to get a better picture of where I was. At the same time, Dank''s power pressed in memories of this made-up monochrome world I had been flung into. By now I had a good enough understanding of Dank''s powers, and I was able to keep my normal memories, and the imnted ones separate. This world was Earth or something in the splitting image of it, and I was in the middle of a burning city that was being attacked. The invaders were nine summoned Demoness, each more powerful than the next. When this first happened, I had been hit with a beam of radiant light, and a voice told me that I was the only one that could save this world. In my normal thoughts, the plot sounded cheesy, but something told me that I was going to like thisst round of training even more than thest four! All I had to do now was... "You! Puny mortal! Bow to your new ruler!" A familiar voice demanded from behind me, and I turned around with a smirk. "Nushi, First Sovereign and Last Daughter! I bow to no demon! Now, prepare to be sent back to the Shadow Realm!" My voice said on its own with the intensity of every protagonist with a heroplex. It looked like I didn''t get to make my own lines up this time, but my body was still mine, and it was time to fuck, I mean to fight this demon! I lunged forward, summoning Grogvel''s strength to greet Nushi with a powerful punch. Instead of a hit connecting, I found myself stumbling through smoke, only to emerge on the other side without connecting with anything. Before I could react, lightning hit me, coursing through every cell in my body, sending me flying. I caught myself before hitting the ground,nding on my feet, but my body twitched as I slid back. Looks like I was going to have to put in some extra effort if I wanted to get my rewards! Summoning the force of Wataluga, I called upon a surge of water which rushed forward and extinguished the fires around me. If I was going to battle in this city-turned-battlefield, the least I could do was minimize the damage. But even as I prepared my counterattack, I had a gut feeling that going all out would not resolve this sh. After all, this was Dank''s world, and his understanding of conflict resolution was skewed toward... unconventional methods. Remembering that sexual endurance training with Kali, an idea sprang to mind. If Nushi was a lover of being tied up and having rough sex, there might be a chance at persuasion or distraction; an original way to ''conquer'' her. Just as I nned my new tactics, a cyclone crackling with electricity sprung up, heading directly for me. In the face of the surging cyclone, I cast Wataluga''s water wall in front of me, hoping to diffuse the electrical attack. As the cyclone hit the wall, steam filled the air around me, creating a dense fog that blocked my view. Through the thick steam, I heard Nushi¡¯s voice ring out once again. "You dare to defy me? You puny mortal!" I braced myself for her next attack but instead felt a wave of heat roll over me. The temperature within the smoke-ridden space had increased drastically, and sweat began to trickle down my forehead. It was almost as if¡ª There was a sound like crackling fire, and then a figure emerged from the thick fog. Nushi, First Sovereign, and Last Daughter floated before me, her body radiating heat strong enough to vaporize the mist surrounding her. "Would you like to... feel the heat?" She asked, stretching one hand towards me. A small ring of yellow me sprung to life in her palm, growing rapidly into a spiraling hurricane of fire. Sheunched it toward me with a malevolent smirk on her face. With no option left, I braced myself. But just as the inferno was about to engulf me, something else took over. Fireden''s Pact had activated, seeming to sense my dire predicament. My own fires coursed through me, strengthening my endurance against the extreme heat as I drew the heat into me. Nushi looked surprised for a moment as the inferno around me dissipated, her attackpletely nullified. I stood amidst the steaming fog, untouched and defiant. "Didn''t expect that, did you?" I taunted with a smirk. Now it was time to shift from defense to offense. While my elemental powers were proving effective in defending against Nushi, I knew my next move would require abination of more...lustful tactics. I almost felt like cheating using this power, but it had been so long since I had really let myself go. With a great sigh, I let go of my presence that I always kept hidden inside of me, and directed it directly at Nushi''s Pelvis. She stood no chance. The moment that my Orgasmora hit her, Nushi''s body seized up and started to shake as her body was hit with orgasm after orgasm. Her surprise was cut off as a loud, erotic cry rang out in the eerie silence that followed her failed attack. Her body suddenly convulsed, seemed to freeze in ce, eyes wide and mouth partly open as an incredibly powerful energy wave hit her. To my surprise, she didn''t fall or attempt any countermove, but instead, her body began to tremble wildly, transcending into some hypnosis-like state. The fact that she managed to stay conscious, though her body obviously seized up with multiple orgasms, only reinforced how strong Nushi''s physical constitution was. "I... I had not..." her words trembled out between heavy pants and low whimpers of pleasure, "...expected this.. either." The ruthless and near-indomitable demon leader was gasping for breath, shaking from 14:03 head to toe due to the effects of Orgasmora. The sight was somewhat shocking, but it also caused me to chuckle quietly, lending some rxation to my tense muscles. Moving past my initial surprise, I stepped forward, my every action exuding dominance. "Nushi...you underestimate the powers vested in me," I dered, trying my best not tough as I watched her struggle, "I too can make you fall on your knees." Seizing this moment, I moved ahead, drawing closer to her. Now would be the time to strike - although with a different form of ''attack''. "First Sovereign and Last Daughter," I called out to her, "allow me to introduce myself properly." With that, I reached out toward her, the stark anticipation of what woulde next paused the world around us. As soon as my hand grazed her arm, she winced a little but made no resistance. It appears that perhaps forcefully conquering her ¨C with pleasure rather than might¨C was indeed the correct approach. As I gradually leaned close and pressed my lips against hers, breaking the hypnotic silent tension between us, Nushi let out a soft moan. One soft push and she was on the ground again, unable to support herself while experiencing a rush of sexual pleasure like never before. As my hand slid up her quivering thighs towards her core, Nushi gasped beneath me. But she didn''t object or push me away; in fact, the moan that escaped her seemed more of a plea for more. I took that as my cue to deepen the kiss and continue exploring her body. I was taken by surprise at how well her body responded to mine despite the unexpected circumstances. The raw desire between us sparked hotter than any fire magic she could summon, and I found myself getting lost in pleasuring the powerful demoness underneath me. Attentive to each twinge against my touch, I carefully explored her delectable curves while managing to keep the pleasure coursing through her with my Orgasmora ability. My hands roamed her boiling skin, feeling the scorching heat beneath her blue glowing flesh, until atst, they reached their destination. Maintaining eye contact, I slipped past her wet folds and immediately started working on her core with skilled precision, eliciting deep throaty moans that had the satisfaction of victory woven within them. Nushi''s muscr back curled upwards, pressing her body and breasts closer to me as she submitted to her overwhelming pleasure. Lost in our passionate encounter, I worked on her sultry frame relentlessly, orchestrating a symphony of touches and kisses that made her buck under me. The soft, wet squelching filled the air and amplified the intensity of our union. As I finally mounted her and was pressing my shaft into her wet lips, a new Demoness formed around us. Clesh, Nushi¡¯s mother! Chapter 423 Immortal Desires: Seducing the Nine Generations of Demonic Sovereigns Pt 2 423 Immortal Desires: Seducing the Nine Generations of Demonic Sovereigns Pt 2 Standing in stark contrast to the zing inferno that Nushi represented, Clesh seemed to embody nature''s serenity and abundance. Vines as thick as tree trunks surged from all sides with swift agility, targeting me from different directions simultaneously. I quickly jumped into action, calling upon Chana¡¯s pact to navigate through the relentless barrage ofshing nt life. Even as I dodged her initial wave of attacks, my mind was already strategizing a means to conquer Clesh without resorting to direct physical confrontation. Given that Kali assisted me with stamina training, it seemed she may hold the key to oveing Clesh''s defenses. Approaching this as a tactical lecherous trap instead, Kali would be a perfect cocktail of mental strategy and carnal distraction. Just when I had managed to ready myself for another attack, there was a deafening roar, and another towering figure loomed before me¡ªNoels. She stood on two legs, her massive demon form casting an ominous shadow over us. It seemed I now had two formidable opponents to deal with. Despite the imposing sight of Noels, I couldn''t shake off my intuition about Clesh¡ªthe vines now told a story of erotic entanglement rather than just an offensive attack. Amidst the heightened tension, a flood of ideas began to surge within me. A bold proposition ignited into life, urging me to seize control of Clesh¡¯s own weapon to bind her. Summoning up all my courage, I started to channel Kali''s Pact, preparing to link myself to the problem. With increased intensity, I focused on connecting with Clesh''s lively vines, seeking the desire pulsating within them. Then, in one unexpected surge of maniption, I yanked at the invisible thread connecting Clesh to her vines. With a bewildered yell, Clesh stumbled back, her connection with her vines breaking. Before she could regain her footing, I redirected control towards myself. The lush green vines writhed, then stilled under mymand. Slowly, they slid away from me, retreating to surround a confused and frightened Clesh. Satisfaction coursed through me as her once-threatening weapons of war started to gently wind around her. Like slithering snakes, the vines began their entrapping dance, coiling expertly around Clesh''s limbs and rendering her immobilized. The sudden shift in control clearly shocked Clesh, her eyes wide with surprise and growing apprehension blending with disguised anticipation. In the ensuing stunned silence, Noels roared but paused, gauging the rapidly evolving situation. I kept my focus split between Clesh''s vengeful gaze and Noels, anticipating an imminent attack from her. Her confusion wasn''t enough to hinder my anticipated advancement. Seizing the momentary advantage, with a new ability pushed into my mind, called out the ability. "Dark Chains!" The ability sent ck smokey chains from my cock to enter the waiting hole as her own vines held her legs open. Clesh''s eyes bulged as waves of deep arousal mmed. Clesh''s juices poured down my chains as she bit her lip to keep from screaming out until finally, she could bear it no longer. I pulled my Dark Chains out and cried out as her pussy sprayed her cum and her body shook. Noel was also frozen now on the ground in a seized-up position as my Orgasmora pounded orgasm after orgasm into the massive demon woman. While she was frozen and trembling, her body was also shrinking. While I knew the women were getting stronger, their resistance was weakening. They had all been training the wrong kind of defense. Now I used the vines to lift Noels into the air, her form returning to her beautiful figure with conch shell horns and blonde hair. Both women were now my marite''s under the sway of a puppeteer. Clesh''s body had now been tamed and responded willingly as tendrils explored her bound figure, caressing and enticing stifled gasps out of her. My vines wandered their captives wordlessly, eliciting fervent moans reverberating through the sultry air as their master watched each woman sumb with sardonic pleasure. "Now, where are the rest of the mothers?" I asked, and then Noels was pulled forward by the vines till the tip of my cock pressed into her folds, and I added. "If you girls tell me what I want to know, I will give you even more pleasure. This time I will use my own body, rather than the vines if that is what you want?" Noels bit her lip as I rubbed my cock up and down her pussy lips, and I could tell she didn''t want to give up the information. Though, it was clear that she wanted my cock to stir up her inside, and I kind of felt the same way as I looked down at her pleading face and body. "She doesn''t need to tell you!" "We recognize your threat to our rule." "So we havee to face you as one in battle!" "You know I have just been dying to eat you!" While I hadn''t spent enough time with the other grandmothers, I knew the voice that wanted to eat me, and I shivered slightly. While I had seen every other demon woman in their beautiful forms, Nixi had always stayed in her little old nasty-ass grandma form. That was one reward I would be skipping over, but these other demonesses were interrupting my rewards! Instead of paying attention to them, I plunged my cock into Noels, making her eyes roll back as I pulled her into a kiss. I wrapped my arms around her as I started to move, and the blue-skinned demon woman''s lips and tongue responded with fire and excitement. "Is he really having sex with my great great great granddaughter right in front of us?!" Nixi growled, but I just picked up my pace, making Noels cry into my mouth. "Don''t just stand there! Stop him!" "But she looks like she is enjoying it!" "Shut up! Even if it feels good, we will be turned into his sex ves if we don''t stop him!" Nixi screamed. "Is that really that bad? That cock looks rather pleasurable, and it had been thousands of years since I had a good man!" "Shut up, Shut up, Shut up! I will stop him myself!" Nixi growled as I brought Noels to her climax. I could sense hering up behind me to attack me, but I used my precognition to predict her attack, side-stepping her. Nixi stumbled past us, but as she did, Noels screamed out as her orgasm hit her. Right as it did, Nixi turned around, and I pulled out at the exact same time, pointing my throbbing and veiny cock directly at her face. undisguised desire. 14:04 Noticing that the pleasure-filled haze was starting to clear ¡ª though only marginally ¡ª With so much excitement and arousal built up, I just had to let myself go. As I did, a massive milky white stream sted out of the tip of my cock. The hot cock milk caught Nixi off guard so well that she was knocked her feet, and hit the ground. Nixi actually looked more beautiful this time, and I started to reconsider my previous thought as Noels rested her head on my shoulder. The demoness slowly kissed my neck as I fully took her into my arms, retracting my vines. Reveling in the post-coital bliss, I admired the two spent goddesses in front of me. Noels clung to me sweetly in post-orgasmguor, while Nixiy spread-eagled on the ground, her white-streaked face wearing a look of bewildered satisfaction as her eyes stared nkly at my slowly retracting length. Suddenly, a sh of movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention - the remaining seven demonesses were swiftly approaching us! Their sexual tension was palpable¡ªeach of them aroused and yearning whilst maintaining a facade ofposed determination. It looked like the real challenge had just begun. "Enough frivolous pleasure! The time for lust is over, now it''s the era of a real challenge!" dered Perita, advancing toward me confidently amidst the titan demonesses. Just as the demonesses prepared to pounce, I utilized the pact of Wataluga. Sensing imminent danger from their power levels, I quickly erected a vast wall of water epassing us. Each in-rushing demoness collided into the barrier, halted in their aggressive advance, their angry yet tantalized expressions peering at me through the translucent shimmer. "What''s this? Our grandson-inw thinks he can buy time by hiding behind some water shield?" Kimera chuckled, her bewitching eyes glinting with amusement and undisguised desire. Noticing that the pleasure-filled haze was starting to clear ¡ª though only marginally ¡ª in Nushi and Clesh''s eyes, I winked at them before letting my hands roam over Noels again. Her body jerked responsively under my ministrations, signaling her readiness for another round. A round that would expose the awaiting women to an alluring live disy. Nixi finally stood up, her tousled hair giving her an oddly sexy yful air. She sauntered over to men and then dropped to her knees without a word. I was about to say something, but she wordlessly took my cock into her mouth. At first, it seemed fine, but it seemed that Nixi seemed to have been hiding not only this cute and adorable form but also her ability to seemingly suck the cum right of my dick from my nuts! Suddenly, she was sucking me so hard that I could barely even keep my legs from buckling. That was when the other woman attacked. Chapter 424 Immortal Desires: Seducing the Nine Generations of 424 Immortal Desires: Seducing the Nine Generations of Demonic Sovereigns Pt 3 The sulent sensations from Nixi''s mouth on me proved quite the distraction, but my heightened senses picked up the change in movements amongst the demonesses just fast enough. The momentary hesitation gave way to overwhelming energy waves as they lunged straight at the water shield with unified power. Theirbined attacks shattered through the wall, causing tidal waves to surge in every direction. As the water sshed onto us, I summoned Grogvel¡¯s pact to manipte the excess water and mud, creating a protective barrier around Noels, Nushi, Clesh, and me. "I told you this won''t hold us back for long!" Kimera retorted triumphantly, her sapphire eyes little more than slits of determination and lustful eagerness. She was first to reach me,unching herself gracefully into the air. "Real challenge awaits you," she dered, followed by Frieda who chuckled, "And it includes bing our toy." Their words held an unexpected hint of anticipation which made meugh nervously ¡ª realizing that this ''conquest'' game was not going to be as straightforward as I had earlier thought. Meanwhile, my hands continued exploring Noels'' voluptuous body, stirring her pleasure while keeping our observers enchanted. While Nixi expertly sucked off the aftershocks of myst orgasm, each maneuver and lingering tease only amped up the intensity of the situation. I knew she was trying to distract me, but I was stronger than her vacuum cleaner of a mouth! However, as Frieda, Fairilese, and Perita followed Kimera''s lead, converging onto me simultaneously, I recognized the urgency to recalibrate my strategy. Instead of merely defending, I would need to carry out my own offensive measures with pleasure as a weapon. My eyes locked on Kimera first, the raven-haired powerhouse leading the charge. I let vines pull Noels back and then spun the red-skinned Nixi around with my cock still in her mouth. If she wanted to try to give me an overload of pleasure, then I would return the favor! I plunged my face into Nixi''s leaking mess of a hole and did a backflip at the same time to avoid Kimera''s sharp talons. As I rotated mid-air, my tongue traced up Nixi''s wet folds, making her body squirm and her mouth vibrate around my cock. Catching a brief nce at the bewildered fascination in Kimera''s eyes, I smirked beforending agilely on my feet. I barely had the time to brace myself for Frieda''s attack when vines around me reacted on their own. Shards of ice flew towards me with lightning speed, filling the air with an ominous hum. As they neared, the ice shattered, taking the form of razors as they surrounded my body. Utilizing Wataluga¡¯s pact again, I erected a repellent water shield around us while refocusing my attention back on Nixi. She wrapped her legs around my head to pull my face deeper between my legs, so I decided to ramp up the pleasure. My tongue started an intensified assault on her sensitive core, making her leak down her own body to drip down to her face. Her moans, now muted with my cock still in her mouth, sent shuddering vibrations along my length that rendered me almost senseless. But I held my ground and simultaneously countered Fairilese''s fire whipshes using Fireden¡¯s Pact. Made immune to the heat by quick activation of Fireden¡¯s block, the force of my countering move took Fairilese by surprise. Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from behind me. Turning around, I found myself facing Perita who had started chanting some ancient spell. My gut sensed that her spell was a major threat, especially now when my focus was divided. As my mind raced to find a solution, an idea popped up. I turned to the willing - and waiting - women, Noels, Nushi, and Clesh. Each bore a familiar glimmer in their eyes. A spark of shared kinkiness and insatiable lust. These were women molded by the intoxicating power I held over them ¨C they were fully drowning in the aphrodisiac atmosphere now. Before Perita could release her spell, Imanded the vines around us to rise up. Then, slowly but surely, the vines began moving towards the climaxing trio. The teasing tendrils roamed their enchanted bodies, stroking and caressing alluring curves and hidden folds, leaving no bare inch untouched. Quickly adjusting based on their reactions, the vines soon had each woman squirming and writhing. The cries of pleasure made Perita falter, so I pulled Nixi off me and tossed her into the air to be caught by my vines. I turned and blotted at the stunned red-headed Demon with a feral grin. "Embrace the pleasure, Perita, just like yourrades," I taunted. With that, Iunched myself towards her, using Windorf¡¯s pact to bolster my speed. As I swooped forth, she attempted to cast her spell again, but it was already toote. My body arrived before her in an instant. She gasped out, surprised as desire-glistening eyes bored into hers, and my lips crashed against hers. In contrast to the rough attack previously, this time, my lips explored hers hungrily yet delicately. A soft groan rumbled through Pearita''s chest as I deepened the kiss, letting my tongue explore every corner of her mouth while I pressed my aroused body fully against hers. A low moan stumbled from her lips, vibrating through my own with sweet satisfaction. Wasting no more time, I triggered deep wave after wave of orgasms to ripple through Perita - breaking her focus entirely over her spell. Just when I thought I had gained the upper hand, I sensed another movement. Fairilese, Kimera, and now Frieda were back on their feet, their resolve hardened. My mind was spinning, calcting my next move even as my body worked like a sexual machine. Considering the many distractions I had to manage - pacifying Perita and maintaining control over Nushi, Noels, Clesh, and Nixi; I found myself strategically cornered. However, amid these desires, the tantalizing advances blurred the battling lines- turning the whole situation into an ecstatic, erotic warfare nobody wanted to end. Then something unexpected happened... Looking past eager Perita - helplessly mewling under my continued maniption - I stared, wide-eyed at thest three demi-demons standing. They had stopped in mid-advance, panting heavily with red cheeks and eyes reflecting raw lust. Agonizing seconds passed, anticipation growing amidst us all. Then... the unforeseen urred: they slowly got down onto their knees, surrendering. epting their defeat? "We bow to you." Fairilese finally muttered, her words barely audible among the ongoing symphony of sexual delight, ringing with sated satisfaction and uncontroble desire. Indeed, this was an erotic victory - the most fulfilling conquest they had ever indulged in! "So, you have forced all my family to bend to your twisted games?" A voice that I did not recognize asked me, and for the first time in all the training I had done, I felt pure wickedness emanating from the direction of that voice. Turning, I came face to face with the most beautiful demoness among them all - Detia. Her ethereal beauty was breathtaking. Her pink wings spread wide, an aura of mysterious allure wrapping around her like a shroud. While my mind was fixated on the story of this training, I still was keeping a small part of myself conscious. I had never met Detia before, but she had pink skin, and that was bad news. Demons were ranked from blue F rank to gctic colored Emphryal rank, but pink was a C rank demon. Her golden eyes that glimmered with an untamed wildness held me transfixed. For once, I felt a flicker of uncertainty. Could I handle this goddess? The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!