《Reincarnated Into A Hell Hound》 Chapter 1 - One - Me, a Puppy?! I''m feeling extremely tired, my limbs are numb and I can''t see nor even open my eyes, only being able to hear some whimpering sounds and sometimes feeling someone lightly kicking me, oi! "Welcome, my child." Said a very feminine and soft voice. I try to move but my members felt like jelly, and all I manage to do was scratching the floor until something wet passed through my back and my eyes. It felt good, and just then I realize how filthy I was, as I got all the goop off of me. Once clean I was able to open my eyes, only to see a gigantic snout in front of me. I jumped in surprise and whined, earning a laugh from the big snout. Wait, what? I look up only to meet a pair of lovely brown eyes, earning another lick as, still very confused, I looked down and see a pair of tiny paws with little claws. What! I whimper again, and this time I received a poke from the snout. Then another. Then another. Ok, ok, what do you want! I''m having I crisis here! Pomp, pomp. "Stand up, time to eat" She was trying to make me stand? How with this tiny chubby members? She insisted, poking me again, helping me keep my balance, and once up in trembling limbs she guides me slowly to her belly where a tasty smell engulfed my senses, and before I realize I was drinking her milk. Wow, this couldn''t get stranger, could it? Piece by piece my brain tried to make sense of what was happening. Was Ia puppy? How? I wasn''t a puppy, I was what? No, I''m a puppy, but why I don''t feel like one? There is something strange, a sensation I yawn, suddenly very tired and with a light headache, licking my nose with my tiny tongue, as I crawled away to sleep, full and warm. ~~~~ Well, I figure out a few things out of this mess; first of all, we are actually not dogs, even though we have the appearance of one C a black Doberman with little stump tails C but in one month I was already big, like tiny horse size big, like not normal dog size big. Second of all, that this place was really, really dangerous; my brother C the guilty one from the tiny kicks earlier- and I watched mom hunt and well where should I begin? She exploded. Literally. She doubles her size then, her black fur changing into scales and having, below them, a red-orange fire burning inside her and escaping through the gaps, as if she was made of the flames on the inside. Plus the things she hunted cows with three horns and six legs, deer with razor sharp teeth, monkeys with four big arms Mom is amazing, definably going to give her that. Aaaand my baby brother is annoying. He wants to play allCthe-goddamnit-time. Like, is late, I''m trying to sleep, so don''t start chewing on my ears! That''s was when I learned that I could throw a fireball, as well as that we''re immune to fire, not that I tried to burn my brother or anything like that C cough cough. And the third thing well, I learned it in a stormy night, when we were hiding inside a cave; as creatures made of fire, we didn''t like been soaked, even more as pups; and being stuck for two days in a close in space, even worst without mother as she went out hunting, we had nothing to do, even my annoying brother ended all his plays and games and just went to sleep. I wasn''t tired so I went to the entrance of the cave, looking out at the storm, and took in my reflection on a puddle of water. Brown eyes like my mother, but not as warm and welcoming, black fur with some spots of brown on the chest and snout, very similar to my brother, as both our expressive faces were marked with eyebrow-like brown round spots, different more in the size, as I was bigger, and in the brown spots since I didn''t have brown like gloves upon my paws as him. Then, just by looking at myself, appraising my appearance, something strange popped out: -Appraisal completed- Name:??? Gender: Male Race: Hell Hound Age: 0 Level: 1 HP: 100-100 MP:15-15 SP:250-250 Attributes: Fire, Shadow Titles: The Wise, Angry One, Reincarnated Attacks: Claw, Bite, Fireball 1 Magic: Appraisal 1, Fire resistance 5, Hell Form 0 Status: Bored Wait, what?! Where is all this information coming from?! I look again at the puddle, but nothing happens. Weird Wait, it said appraisal, right? I looked at myself again and thought: appraisal. Then the same information appeared again. "Holly sh-" Ding C Hound language 1 W-wait, give me time to breathe here! Appraisal means to analyze something right? Then I ended up doing it to myself? It''s a type of magic as the fireball? And I won''t even start talking that I almost swore my first words, mother would have chewed my ears off, ugh. I stood up, clawing my way inside the howling cave, and sat straight beside my brother, feeling eager for a change. I looked at the floor. Maybe it will work on other things as well? Appraisal C Rock Just that? Appraisal C Rock Appraisal C Rock Appraisal C Rock Then how about I turned to my brother and said Appraisal C Dumb Brother. Well, I wouldn''t disagree I mean, oi! Don''t speak badly about my brother! Ding C Title earned C Doting Brother Sigh, I give up understanding it for now. I lay down, putting my head over my paws, having my brother rolling in his sleep beside me until he layed glued to my side. Sigh. Mother spoke little with us, I thought before closing my eyes, occupied as she was with hunting and producing milk in the past weeks, but now that I was able to speak I will ask her about the information the popped up, especially that reincarnated one. What does it mean? I thought as I fell asleep. ~~~~~ Hellou beautiful people!! ?(??) Sooo~~~ Welcome aboard~~~~ Just a heads up, only the chapters with titles are edited, so if you find any mistakes, especially in those, please let me know! ?f??)? Chapter 2 - Two - Unforgivable World Well, it ended up that I didn''t have the chance to ask her anymore as it has been 4 days since she left and didn''t come back; and now we were starting to starve and get really worried. "Come, brother" I said as I started to walk for the exit. My brother wasn''t able to talk yet, but dogs always had a way to communicate without words, so I could see in his eyes that he didn''t want to. Even been hungry as we were, even knowing that something was wrong, he didn''t want to leave, because by leaving we would be admitting. Admitting our fear. That mother would not come back. "We cannot stay here any longer, we need food, now, and I need your help to hunt little brother" A turmoil of emotions started to spin in my belly. Hunt. Kill something. Would I be able to? No, I needed to. But the preys were all bigger than I. I shook my head and stared back at my brother. I couldn''t afford to hesitate. "Let''s go" He dropped his ears but started walking, the only sound being our claws rasping the rock below. When we reach the end, however, strange sounds pick my attention. Talking. Humans. A growl wanted to grow in my throat, making me rise my lips, but no sound escaped as we moved to the shadows, listening. My brother whined, hiding behind me. The clamoring of metal and the smell of old blood didn''t help to make them look friendly. But of course, for our luck, they are right beside the entryway to our cave, and even a blind would be able to notice our scratch marks on the rock. Shit. I got a glimpse of one of them and immediately used appraisal, which, by the way, got to level 2 thanks to 2 days of boredom. -Appraisal completed- Name: Ryle %[email protected] Gender: Male Race: Human That''s all it gives for now, it seems to work fully only in myself, but at least gave me his name. The cave had only one direction to get out, but at least had many exits-holes like a hive, allowing me and my brother to stay against the wind and above them, hiding between the crevices and sneaking by in the many shadows, our black fur helping us camouflage. There were twelve of them, smelly humans. Many wore those loud metal armors, clacking about, the helmets hiding their faces and letting visible only a puff of beard. The bulky four with full armor were holding metal nettings and their intentions seemed clear to me as the others kneeled down and analyzed our marks. But how do they know where to find us or that we were even here? Unless them I shook my thoughts away, but they came nonetheless. Unless they found mother and tracked us down. But one thing for sure, I wasn''t going to wait to found out. The idea of attacking them passed my mind, more for the hunger then revenge even, but looking at my pitiful brother made me toughen inside. I''m the only family he has left. He is only one month old for god sake! So I am, but that''s not the point Ding C Title change C Doting brother to older brother Not the time little ding dong. Shit, they start moving again, the group separating inside as the bulky four waited outside, talking nonstop and not been very stealth for a group of hunters may I add. Ding C Common Language 1 Yes, finally something useful! Thanks ding, sorry for mistreating you before. Ding: "So do you really think they are in there?" "In there I dunno, but that the female had pups that''s for sure" "And how would you know? You''re no better than we are in the field" The other spit on the ground before replying: "Because it wasn''t me who said so d.i.c.khead. The boss saw, and he was really pissed that the other one died. Better have those pups or we are going to pay for sure." The other shuddered. "Hope that our tracker knows what he is doing then." I didn''t need to listen any more of that. I turned around, anger boiling up on my system as my clueless brother followed me around the humans and deep into the forest. We need food. We need shelter. But above all, we need to run. From those smelly humans. ~~~~ MC(Main Character) ML (Male Lead(couple)) ML: So we started the story, right? *Pulls a chair out of nowhere, pats evilly while grinning* Author: *Sits while gulping* ML: Then you wouldn''t be one of those authors that wait half the book to make me appear, would you now? Author: *Sweats profusely and nods negatively several times* ML: Good, good, I will be looking forward to it. Never forget. *Takes a dagger and starts sharpening it* MC: Oi! I don''t have a saying in this? Author/ML: No. ~~~ But seriously, he won''t take thaaaaat long to appear, only to have fun. Chapter 3 - Three - First Hunt The sun was setting by now as me and my brother stayed hours unmoving under the tree shadows, looking below us at the meadow filled with three-horned cows that mother used to hunt, however if we had the size of a horse they had double that. Even more, they had numbers. I was cracking my brain with plans on how to kill one of them, the hunger clouding my thoughts and weakling my limbs. One chance. Any wound, any mistake, and we would continue to hunger to death. I licked my upper lip, anticipating the taste of warm flesh blood, the sweet fat red meat. ~Growls My brother looks my way, a knowing smirk on his lips. Shut up. When some of them stopped eating and dozed off to sleep, I knew our chance arrived. As I saw once on TV, we should hunt the weaker one, the wounded or the child. Wait saw where? The thought escaped me as I find a calf beside its mother, sleeping holding his limbs. How cute. ~Growls. Now that it was dark me and my brother became one with the foliage, our dark fur covering our muscled bodies as we went downhill, slowly approaching. They were in a clearing surrounded by trees, but at least the grass was high enough for us to crouch down. The problem was afterward. How could we outrun then with a body? I decided middle way through, looking at my brother and whispering: "You go for the throat, quietly." He nods. Good boy. We approach the herd, circling the other sleeping bulls, our belly touching the ground slightly as mud dirty our fur. Good, that should lessen our smell. Stopping and looking over the grass we spotted our prey. With my eyes I commanded my brother to attack from behind, as I keep approaching from the front. My heart was beating so fast that I was scared they could hear it. The blood was pulsating strongly in my ears as I controlled my breath and kept my focus. Then I jumped. The only sound was the rustling of the grass with the bending of branches and the howling wind that spread all over the field. The calf didn''t even have time to welp as we attacked almost at the same time; my brother held it down by biting its neck from behind, and I hold him from the front, having my mouth over its snout preventing it from shouting and helping asphyxiate it. It struggle, but his fetal position from before ended up making his whole body been under our paws. In a few minutes it finally lay down, and I could feel my stomach arching backward, demanding food. Looking up I watch my brother go for the meat, but with a paw on the snout I make him look my way, nodding a no, eyeing the other cows. The smell of blood would be a beacon in this quiet night. I point my snout to the back of the calf, and we hold our prey off the ground by the paws, biting strongly at its legs. Returning was as "easy" as coming; a very slow advance, with adrenaline surging in our systems and the hunger compelling to go quicker. My brother was drooling so much that almost let the legs fall, right beside a huge bull. My heart wanted to jump out my throat, and I rolled my eyes as I look at him only to encounter his dumb apologetic expression, the tongue dripping sideways. His little stump tail was moving sideways, making me roll my eyes again and start walking. Only him to find something to be happy about in this situation. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as we got far away from the group. My brother walked beside me and gave a nibble at my ear, only to low his snout and start chewing the skin of the calf off. I wanted to have a better look at our meal, but I didn''t. For some reason, having to look at the little face of the calf brought sadness to me, which was odd for a hunter, a predator to feel. I wonder if mother often felt sad for her kills too. Once my brother broke the skin and the sweet smell of blood hit my wet nose I stooped overthinking and went to fill my belly. We eat as much as we could, swallowing big pieces of meat whole. The combination of a hard long day and with a full belly made me sleepy, very sleepy, but we couldn''t stop here, the humans tracking us would easily spot our path and our kill. We weren''t safe. "Brother, we need to keep going, those two legs creatures are hunting us down." My brother, who was already dozing off, almost asleep, whimpered at the information, looking at the meat and slowly yawning. "I know. I''m tired too. But we got to keep moving. We cannot be captured." He nodded, flexing his talons to wake up his body, shaking like a wet dog. The image brought a smile to my snout, flashing my white sharp teeth. Chapter 4 - Four - Predator to Prey Hey, finally my brother had a good idea, and of course food related; We left a good part of the body behind, but carried in our mouth the hind limbs to eat later. I got worried that we would leave a trail of blood, but it was impossible to go on without leaving any trace behind, so might as well have a snack for later to keep my strength. The woods were full of sounds and life. All around there were creatures going about their days, some as inoffensive as the fox that ate a chunk of meat that fell on the ground, others well, made me rethink my brother''s strategy. Drool was acc.u.mulating in my mouth as a sound perked my attention when it was already too late. A creature jumped out of nowhere on us, aiming for our faces, our snouts occupied with the meat and unable to react. Shit. I did the only thing I could: I throw the meat at the creatures face as it eats in one go, already coming for us as my brother did the same. With no time to whine about the loss we took a deep breath and aimed fireballs at it. It did nothing beyond irritating the creature, but that''s not possible, the creature was covered in fur! It should burn nicely. Going backward as it advanced, I use appraisal on it. -Appraisal completed- Name: H6%3F Gender: H$5#Y% Race: Rock Lion It was made of rock? No wonder it didn''t catch on fire. But it didn''t have the appearance of a rock So I couldn''t count in what I see then The brown lion growled and for a few seconds we were paralyzed. Shit, what is that? I watch in terror as it jumped on my brother, its big size overshadowing him. Nonononono No! Panic made me struggle as if my life depended on it. It was for mere seconds, only what it took for the lion to jump, but I watched as if in slow motion, many things passing through my mind, and none of them good. But one thing grows more than the others. Far beyond the thoughts of losing my last family member, my little brother, was the anger of being unable to protect them, anger against the destiny that made our young lives so miserable so soon, anger at those filthy humans for putting us in this situation to begin with. Anger for being so weak. Ding C Requirements for Unique ability from title Angry One met C Berserker mode Activated After that everything went red. I don''t remember clearly, my mind was fuzzy as my body only reacted. I could only see the lion closing its jaws over my brother''s shoulder, and a mix of growl and scream came to my lips as I quickly bit his ear off and hold my jaws close on the back of his neck. It screamed, but I could only smell the blood dripping from my brother''s shoulder as bloodl.u.s.t took over my senses and I scratched, clawed, bit until the thing stopped twitching and only an unrecognizable pile of meat stood below me, until meat and blood dropped of my chin and pilling it in puddles on the soil. Somewhere in the distance a ding sound reverbed. Ding C Level Up. Ding C Level Up Heavily breathing, I stood covered in blood on top of the body, suddenly feeling extremely tired and numb, as if I was hit by a truck. Hit byA what? Never mind I''m so sleepy No, brother, I need to help him. With my eyes half closed I turn my face, my vision misty as only an immobile shadow on the ground came to view. Oh no. C Berserker mode off C Side effects inbound C Unable to move for 2 hours C Counting start And then I pass out. ~~~~~ My body is stiff, my mouth dry and with a weird taste to it. My eyes were heavy, so heavy Voices, voices nearby. Brother. I open my eyes only to close them again at the blinding light of the rising sun. Shit, morning already? We lost our advantage. With trembling limbs I stand up, scaring the life out of the little scavengers and birds. Shh, shut up. I try to take a step but fall miserable and roll down the dirty ground. Taking a deep breath to calm down, I try again as the voices came closer, urging me to go quicker. "Brother. Brother wake up" My voice came low and dry. Never thought I could sound so beat and desperate. If if anything happened to him, I could, I couldn''t It would be better to deliver myself to the humans than have to live that fate. With trembling limbs I approach my brother only to see his muddled shoulder with an open wound covered in a bloody mess. A shallow breath coming from him gave me some relief, but the state of his wounds didn''t. I have to stop the bleeding somehow Fire, I can cauterize the wound. It won''t end pretty, probably will scar, will hurt like shit, but he should survive. I start a fire inside my belly, felling the warm go up my throat. Acc.u.mulating enough heat, I slowly start spitting fire on the base of my paw over my talons. Ding C Magic learned C Fire Breath 1 When my skin turned red I looked at my brother again. Coming closer I wrap a paw on his back, holding him in place, as I put my mouth over the wound to hold the skin close, starting to pass my blazing paw over the wound. Let just say it wasn''t pretty or easy, as I needed more than one go to make it work. At the end he was still unconscious and breathing heavily, a frown of pain formed on his face, but at least the wound had closed and cleaned with my saliva. The lively ambiance of the forests was a little annoying as the bird chirped and the squirrels climbed the trunks. The voices were getting closer, and I needed to act, now. But what to do I couldn''t outrun them, not while carrying my brother, nofight them? No, they were organized and prepared. I needed to distract them. And I knew exactly what to do. Chapter 5 - Five - Knowledge is power I was once again standing outside a clearing, looking upon the herd of cows. They were closer to us than before, which was perfect for me. Ugh, shit, everything hurts, like I overdid a workout. I let the growl rise this time, alerting them of my presence, and jumped out of the trees barking at them. Some started running, but not enough. That''s part two. Sorry forest. With my new magic I made a stream of fire go out like a fan, spreading through the grass and making the cows frightened. They started running like mad, stomping on whatever may be standing on their path. Which would be some noisy humans soon. After directing them I run back to my brother, sweat dripping off my tongue as my muscles complained about the lack of rest. Not yet. Without waiting to see if my plan worked I thanked that I was bigger than my brother and somehow manage to put him over my shoulders. Walking slowly, fatigue consumed my mind as I focused all my energy in each step. Paw paw, paw paw. To take myself off from the self-pity, I used appraisal on myself again and on my brother. -Appraisal completed- Name:??? Gender: Male Race: Hell Hound Age: 0 Level: 4 HP: 160-160 MP: 20-30 SP: 96-325 Attributes: Fire, Shadow Titles: The Wise, Angry One, Reincarnated, Older Brother Attacks: Claw 2, Bite 2, Fireball 2, Fire Breath 1, Sneak 1 Magic: Appraisal 2, Fire Resistance 5, Hell Form 0, Berserker Mode 1 Status: Extremely tired and fatigue I realized because of my low MP that fire magic does not consume it, probably because we are creatures made of fire, so breathing fire would be like biting or scratching someone. My brothers: -Appraisal completed- Name:??? Gender: Male Race: Hell Hound Age: 0 Level: 2 HP: 15-70 MP: 300-300 SP: 12-125 Attributes: Fire, Shadow Titles: Younger Brother, Good Boy Attacks: Claw 1, Bite 1, Fireball 3, Fire Breath 1, Fire Armor 1, Sneak 1 Magic: Fire Resistance 5, Hell Form 0, Bleed Resistance 1 Status: Unconscious, Lack of Blood. What the hell is that MP?! He had a lower level than I but his magic attack is stronger, how so? Maybe he is built more for a magic user, a druid or a mage, and I would be like the warrior or templar. I won''t even try to understand that one. Gibberish! But this time his information showed up too, I wonder why. I look at a rock again. -Appraisal C Still a Rock Someone is mocking me, I can feel it. Ding C Appraisal level up 3 C -Appraisal can now be used to clarified abilities- Oho, can it now? Most are self-explanatory, but these titles are bothering me. Least start with some of mine shall we? The Wise C Allows the holder to learn new abilities faster than normal, more useful in theory''s than practice, for example language, geography, history, philosophy, music, etc. -Does not work with cooking or household shores.- Angry One C One that you should not discuss with. Easily angered, losses it''s cool for little things. Doesn''t like to be questioned. Likes to be in control. -Earned berserker mode (1): raises the holder status, pain resistance, endurance and blood l.u.s.t by 3X for 1 minute. Side effects: can cloud the thoughts of the holder making him attack indiscriminately, unable to move for 2 hours and sore limbs afterward. Reincarnated C The one that was reborn, lived and died in another body and had the soul transferred. Comes with unique abilities: Appraisal, The Wise. Side effect: may have memories that do not belong to the present body. Older Brother C Creates a unique bound with the ~younger brother~, able to understand each other with one look. Side effects: As the older brother, you feel compelled to protect the ~younger brother~ with your life if needed. Wow, some are ok, exactly what I thought it would be, but first: Why not cooking? Are you kidding me? Second, don''t even need that title, of course I would protect my brother. Third cat''s out of the bag. Reincarnated? From where? Which means that I will remember my past life? That may be useful, but sad in a way. My head was hurting as much as my body once I arrive at a cave. Feeling that the next day would be harder than the present one; if that was even possible; I enter deep in the cave, without energy to search if it was safe or not and for any other exits. I didn''t even bother to take my brother off my shoulders, I just lay down to sleep, not before analyzing one more thing with appraisal: Good Boy C Who is the good boy? Who is it? Is you, awww, is you the good boy. Good job, good boy. That explained a lot. ~~~~ For those who care about the status, this is how much they evolve every level up: For the older brother: 20 HP - Life 5 MP - Magic 25 SP C Endurance For the younger brother: 10 HP C Life 30 MP C Magic 15 SP - Endurance Types of magic (usually passive abilities) and attack depend on use. Using calculator ~ ~ ~ Chapter 6 - Six I woke up with the chirping of the birds and a growl in my belly. The lack of weight on my back brought a quick panic attack as I look beside me to my dumb brother. The sound of his heartbeat was like music to my ears. My status went back to normal, only with a "slightly hungry and thirsty". His status were like this: HP: 30-70 MP: 300-300 SP: 85-125 Status: Tired, Lack of Blood, slightly hungry and thirsty. Ok, at least he didn''t get anything worst and was recovering. The problem is how am I supposed to hunt alone and bring water to him? Hell, I hadn''t left the cave that we were born before without mother, and now I was completely lost, alone, and in a strange place. No, I should focus on getting food, anxiety wouldn''t get me anywhere, and most importantly I needed to become strong. As clich as it sounds. What''s clich? Ugh. I stretch my sore limbs, feeling better then yesterday, and give a big yawn. Moving my brother into a crevice, hiding him in the shadows, I made sure that the cave was safe; no bones, no scratch marks, no signal of life or an occupant. Good. I didn''t even have time to grief for my mother. It may have been only for a month, but for that period she was our world; the food bringer, the shelter, the protector, and I could tell with one look how much she loved us. I''m sorry mother, sorry that we could not even take your body away from those creatures. Anger wanted to boil inside of me, and I let it. Better been angry then sad and depressed. At least it would help me keep yourselves alive. I reached the outside of the cave, the blinding light of the sun hitting me square in the face. Ugh. Yesterday we had a feast, but me alone wouldn''t be able to take something so big, so better try foxes and rabbits for now. One good thing at least is that I already know their smell. HmMaybe I could give blood for my brother, for his thirst, but how would I make him drink? I hope he wakes up soon A chilling void spiraled in my belly once I start walking away from him, letting him unconscious and defenseless in a strange cave. Shit, don''t start it now, get a hold of yourself. The quicker we are done here, the better. It took longer that I would like but I found three rabbits. The smell of blood would bring other predators - lesson learned -, but there was nothing I could do about it. A little voice emerged from the cave as I walk in. "B-brother?" An arrow of happiness pierced my hearth. His first word was brother? Aw "I''m here little one. Are you hungry?" "Very" I drooped the rabbits in front of him, siting with my back straight and my ears up. I overlook the entryways as he got out of the hole. "Here, eat it all." "But what about you?" "I ate a few outside, don''t worry about me. What you need to do right now is to regain your strength. Now hurry up" I said moving my paw up and down. He eats, content, and I needed to hold back the rumble growing in my belly. He needed the food more then I, to replace all the blood and energy he lost. I was lost in though when he finished his meal, a happy light filling his eyes. "Thank you brother, you are the best" I snore, looking away. "Now now, what would mother say about that appearance h?? She taught you better than that. Clean that face up, gosh." He smiled, liking off the blood dripping from his snout. "You are no better yourself brother." "Nothing I can do about it now. Now you go back to sleep, I will be gone for a little longer, ok? I will be back by night" He didn''t look happy but agreed, yawning as he disappeared in the hole. God, I needed sleep too so badly, but I haven''t eaten anything yet, but even beyond that, I needed to hunt, to become strong, yada yada. The humans weren''t going to wait for it. ~~~~ I had a fox after a little more than two hours searching and was ready to head back the cave when something caught my attention. The smell of fire and smoke, coming from the north. Mother? It wasn''t possible, but few creatures could make fire and one of them were the humans. Funny that they couldn''t even control the flames but would try noneless. It wasn''t far, so for our safety it was better to check it out; not only because I was curious, of course. Hiding in the shadows I got another level up in my stealth skills. Following the smell, I ended up with the vision of a circle of fire at the slop of the small hill. Some chant was been sang, something tribal and enchanting, while some creatures danced in circles around the fire, stomping their feet and making the ground shake. That got me in a trace. I have never seen or heard such a fine combination in my life. It was tribal, animalistic, filled with life and words that unfortunately I could not understand, like a calling to the forest. "Oh, is just a small pup" I paralyze in place. The voice came from behind, far too close for comfort. "Don''t need to be scared little one, we mean you no harm" I look behind me only to see an enormous white deer. His horns were huge, like the branches of a tree, growing all around. He flapped his ears at me, a friendly frown on his face. "Did you like our little dance, little hound?" "H-how can I understand you? Who are you?" Probably not the smarted questions to make, but were the first ones that came to my mind. He came closer, his blue sky eyes holding my attention. "I speak a little of your tongue, though some barks and shouts are hard to make. I''m Elfihe, leader of this humble deer herd." He walked beside me, laying down, and for the first time I saw that flocks of snow surrounded him like butterflies, soon covering the floor around him, but never reaching me, as if he knew that ice was deadly to me. "You seem quite lost, little pup. We heard from the forest that some turmoil happened down the hill, including some cows and humans. Wouldn''t be you''re doing now, would it?" Once he looked at my face a melodic giggle resonated from his snout. "Leader!" A two legged child came running up the hill, stopping to catch his breath. I gave him a look over, and he did the same with me, an eager curious childish light shining in his eyes. He wasn''t human though. He hard horns, still little and hiding in his nest brown hair. He had flecks, and deer ears standing low at the sides of his head. Once I look beside me my breath was caught; instead of a deer stood a man, white smooth skin, long white hair, and icy blue eyes. He smiled at me, making the earrings of his deer ear dance with the movement. "Don''t worry child, life can be hard sometimes, but you can get through it. I can see a fire in your eyes, and as long that that is there you have nothing to fear." He patted my head, and for some reason I let him. I watched as he walked away, still too astonish by the events to rationalize, like I''m going through a fairytale. "Wait!" He stopped, and curiosity got the best of me. Information could be vital for our survival, and he was the first creature that did not try to kill or capture us. "Yes?" "What was that singing for? What language was that? And how did the forest told you anything?" He smiled gently at me, like a parent having his child asking too many question. "Why don''t you accompany me then so I can show you?" My doubts passed quickly; If he could sneak at me like he did he could easily catch me, probably been far more strong than I, so no point in thinking that I could escape if he didn''t intend to let me go. He starts to walk in a leisure way, resting his hands inside the big round sleeves of his robe. "We were singing for the forest, for the Mother Nature." He starts as I accompany him, going down to the little hill with the campfire on in. " And in return it gives us advices, the Voice of Nature. You would be surprise of how much the trees and rocks know, old as the oldest of our kind to have ever existed." "I can do that too?" He looks at me sideways and shrugs. "You can only know your limits once you have tried them." He continuous, adding: "That language was our own, the same way you have yours little hound. There are many languages as many species, but of course you can use the common language to communicate, so best have that higher up." We were close enough now that I could see the deer and fawns standing in their humanoid form, some holding hands at the outer circle while others dancing in the inner circle, making a white path of snow behind them. "This is our goodbye to this forest. Tomorrow we will be heading to the colder parts up north, but will be back here when the winter comes. By them, I hope to see you doing well too." I nod, but when he turns his back on me, I mumble: "We probably won''t be were next year, but thanks for your kindness stranger." I went back to the cave, thoughts coming and going as the moon shone bright, having another headache, but I was more fired up than ever. I could become strong. I would become strong, to never, ever, have to run from any one again. For my brother. For my mother. And specially for myself. ~~~~ MC: *looks upon Elfihe* Are you the ML? ML: *Takes a sharp knife and starts reciting recipes with deer meat out loud* Elfihe: Wait, that''s it? I won''t be that type of character that appears only once to never be remember ever again am I? MC/ML/Elfihe: *looks at author* Author: *looks back* your name is difficult to write, you know? MC/ Elfihe: You are the one who chose it! ML: ~don''t worry, he won''t appear again, I will make sure that- cough, cough - *goes to back stage were Elfihe is* ~ ~But seriously, I dunno (أ) Chapter 7 - Seven "Attack me." "Brother, I don''t think" "Don''t make me repeated myself." My brother looked at me with puppy eyes, but I kept my eyes sharp and a scowl at my face. He came to me slowly and hesitant, and seen me not move or say anything he sighs and slashed the air with his paws. "What are you doing? Is that difficult to aim at an unmoving target?" This time he hit me, claw marks appearing on my shoulder, and starting to leak blood. Ding C Bleeding resistance 1 There! It worked! My brother closed his eyes and kept going for it now, so I had to put my paw on his forehead. "Ok, ok, enough, I don''t need you to kill me now." "Then why why did you ask me to attack you?" He asked with a sorry expression, holding of his whines and sobs. "I was testing a theory out, ok? So we can become stronger." "Is Is that so? How?" I lick my wounds before continuing. "Apparently we can gain abilities by pushing your limits." "How so?" He looked at me, confused, turning his face upwards. "Well, for example, we can only learn how to swim by going in the water and trying until we get it. The same way we can only learn how to speak by trying it out." "What does that have to do with me attacking you?" "Because my body learned that it needs to be sturdier. Now I have bleeding resistance, which means next time I won''t bleed as much or none at all." "Hm I think I understand." "Now, can you show me your Fire Armor? For some reason you have it and I don''t" Probably because he is more focused in magic, perhaps he will learn those easier then I. "Uhm." He nods. It has been three days since he got injured, and only sleeping and eating made great amends to his wounds. I was, on the contrary, very tired, having to hunt for the both of us, but gain Fatigue Resistance 1 and Hunger Resistance 1. That''s where my suspicions started to grow. My brother stood, and one moment there was only a black doberman standing, next was a dark silhouette on fire, burning up a red fire from the shoulder blades to the back. So he just puts himself on fire? Doesn''t seem like a proper armor to me, it may protect from some attacks and hurt back at the same time but there are other creatures immune to fire as well; I wouldn''t be na?ve in thinking that we are the only ones that can evolve by try and error. Ok, my turn. I try to visualize it, to copy, to light myself on the fire, but it didn''t work on me for some reason. "How do you do it? What do you think when you are casting it?" My brother, already back to normal, answers: "I just think that I need to protect myself, that''s all." "When did you learn that?" "After the attack." He completes, pointing at his shoulder, with some fur still missing from the bite. Form of protection? Maybe because for me it doesn''t look like an armor? Or doesn''t really make me feel protected Then what would make me feel like that? The scales that mother had? Sure, but only when we mature we can change into our Hell Form. So how Maybe I''m thinking wrongly about it. My brother went for the simplest way of protection, but fire had its flaws and other creatures could trespass it as well. Then how about shadow? Not been seen is far better protection then been a fire beacon. "Shadow Veil." The words came naturally as my shadow grow, literally, spiraling up my paws and legs, and then I was completely cover in blackness, a shadowy figure that absorbed the light and did not let an inch of my presence pass through. My brother jumped from the spot, trotting my way with a happy expression on his snout. "Oh my! That''s soooo cool brother!!! I cannot even see you! But you still smell." He put the paw over his nose. I snore at that, taking of the veil. That would be a problem, but seems like stealth would be the best suited for me. "Ha-ha. Just because you brought this up, today we are going to the river to wash away the mud and dry blood." "Then what brother? What are we going to do? Mother will never find us if we go too far." Walking out of the cave, I keep my pace, focus on the objective. I didn''t want to bring down his hopes, and call me a coward, but I just said: "Mother has a great sense of smell, she will be fine, but we need to keep moving, the humans know where we are and we need to become stronger quickly." He nods at that, lost in thought. I stop and look him in the eye. "We will be fine brother, as long we stick together. Didn''t we hunt a cow down on our own? We just need to keep training, than everything will became easier in the future, kay?" He doesn''t answer, but we resume walking. Until we arrive, I was thinking; we are made of fire and shadow, so probably we cannot learn magic oppose to those, such as light and water, but I wonder if we can increase the resistance to those? Furthermore, fire and shadow had their weakness; fire depends on its strength, otherwise even earth can win against it, but shadow has only two, fire and light, but for us only light, proving to be more useful, even though there will always be a shadow even in the brightest place hm... Hm So at least we can try to get the resistance up right? I don''t feel that it will be a pleasant experience, considering that to get resistance from bleeding you need to bleed We arrived at the river, a little waterfall smoothly going from rock to rock. My dumb brother runs and makes a cannon ball C more like a belly fall - and water goes all over my face. He starts biting the little waves from the water, patting his paws to stay floating. Sigh, such a child. (Author C But you have the same age though~ ~) I enter calmly, holding my pace to where I could keep standing, appearing to ignore my dumb brother, but once he gets close enough I burst fire on my paws and throw water at him, making him go under the wave my explosion and movement made. I start laughing at his expression that showed how he felt betrayed, but once he sees me snorting at him he slits his eyes in challenge. "You!" He starts swimming quicker in my direction, like a lizard trying to walk, and that makes me want to provoke him more. I let a stream of fire hit the water, making a fog cover all the surrounding. Once we cannot see anything I used my veil and sneak behind him, diving, and once I''m close enough of him I bite his paw and pull him inside the water. Surprised he almost swallows water from his mouth, but once he sees me he through a fire ball at me, underwater! Shit, his Fire Ball is stronger than mine, retreat! Once above water he keeps aiming at me, and I keep diving out of his reach. Once I''m far away from him, I let my head go out of the water only to show my tongue at him. This time he snored, follow by a laugh. "Big brother, you weren''t supposed to be the mature one here? You''re breaking my world view." "What, I can have fun to, and provoking you sounds like fun to me." We played a little longer, earning swimming skills, but once we were done, bathing under the sunlight, I started to think how we can get water resistance, or any elemental for that matter. Not swimming, or diving Maybe trying to keep a fire underwater? Like I said, the fire can be stronger than all other elements, if he is hot enough even ice would melt to lava them if I can keep a fire under those circ.u.mstances should increase both my attack and resistance, right? Now that I think about it, can we survive lava? I mean, our Fire Resistance is level 5, is not that high if you think about it should increase that to, thought that will be easy with my and brother concept of playing. Thinks to do and think another day, hm. Tonight, we hunt. Chapter 8 - Eight So, we decided to go easy this time, changing from animals to monsters. The difference? Monsters in general were stronger and higher level, and had attributes and abilities; animals were very low level, but far more in quantity, and did not have any magic or attributes whatsoever. Some monsters could have evolved from a normal animal though, but that was rare. Basically one was food resource and the other level resource. Anyway, guest which monster we were going to hunt today? Slimes What the hell that thing will taste like? Guess we will find out, but there is a good reason for hunting down those things, beyond only experience and whatever; I was using appraisal in everything to level it up, not that I could to it for very long with my low MP, and once we arrived at the flower field full of slimes I discovered that they all had different attributes and were very low level. Got the drift, right? First I found one of fire to test things out, and even with it been level one I used my sneak skill to level it up. By the way, they tasted like gummy but with the texture of a mochi, getting on the teeth in an endless chewing motion. I lessened their number down a bit, but once I found a water type one I let it attack me, as my brother hopefully did the same at his part of the field. It keep attacking me with Water Ball, and actually cause some damage; it didn''t hurt me because it was just a bubble of low level Water Ball attack, but got me numb and stiff. I killed it once I got what I needed, which took longer than the others. Now my appraisal was like this: Attacks: Claw 3, Bite 3, Swim 1, Fireball 2, Fire Breath 2, Sneak 3 Magic: Appraisal 2, Fire Resistance 5, Fatigue Resistance 2, Hunger Resistance 1, Water Resistance 1, Earth Resistance 1, Poison Resistance 1, Bleed Resistance 1, Hell Form 0, Berserker Mode 1, Shadow Veil 1. No level ups though, sigh. Guess we need to hunt bigger things. I went to my brother and looked at his status: Level: 3 HP: 70-80 MP: 266-330 SP: 100-140 Attributes: Fire, Shadow Titles: Younger Brother, Good Boy Attacks: Claw 2, Bite 2, Swim 1, Fireball 3, Fire Breath 2, Fire Armor 2, Explosive Ball 1, Sneak 2 Magic: Fire Resistance 5, Water Resistance 1, Earth Resistance 1, Poison Resistance 1, Illusion Resistance 1, Bleed Resistance 1, Hell Form 0. Hum he level up, that''s good, and another magic? Really he is very creative at that, though I think he doesn''t even realize that and does it naturally, after all he can''t even see the status. I lick my dry lips, tired of this mushy meal, and go close to him. "I think we should hunt others things now." "Finally!" He rolled his eyes, dramatically falling with his belly up and showing his tongue off sideways. I kick him, and motion him to follow me. "I think we should try some humanoid creatures as well, been follow by humans and all." "You mean hunt humans?" "Nah, we may take one down, even get away with it, but where is one there is always more. Today can be one; tomorrow can be an army. No, the best way is to avoid them and pretend they don''t exist. Even a glimpse of us can make them hunt us down for whatever sick reason they have." He swallows dry. "Sounds terrifying brother, are you sure they are that way?" "Positive." "Them I will take your word for it." I nod. That is not a lot we can do if humans decide to hunt us down; is simply a matter of numbers, if rabbits had the meanings of fighting back we would be outnumbered too, even if they were smaller and weaker them us. Which, to get worst, wasn''t the case. I would love to have a peek at the human''s status now that I evolved appraisal, but I wouldn''t risk it. Hell, I would at least like to know if they went away or not. That''s when it hit me. The Voice of Nature. I needed that. "Du- Brother" Shit, almost called him dumb. "Yes?" "It may sound weird, but I really need a skill called the Voice of Nature, it allows us to talk with the trees and plats so we can have information coming and going." "Ow, that''s sounds cool, can I try it too?" "Of course, of course, the problem is to get it I think we need to sing." "How so? I don''t get it." "Is actually talking and thanking Mother Nature in the form of a song, and in exchange we gain the ability." "Hm.. I see, but what is Mother Nature? We already have a mother." "Is like The spirit of the forest, the energy that keeps the woods alive like a God?" How could I explain that? It was just a feeling when you go to the woods is like a palpable existence, an energy, is not something you can teach your mind to perceive, only the hearth is aware. "We can try it later. For now, let''s hunt." ~~~~ After some debate we chose to hunt some goblins. We needed to get used to be outnumbered and to fight against weapon holders. Though I wasn''t very happy with the possibility of having to eat their flesh. Didn''t seem very sanitary. We were hiding in the bushes, watching a little camp with those creatures. And let me correct myself; the "smelly" humans were clean, sparkling even, those ones were the filthy ones, ugh, the smell, and I could see some suspicions stains on their underclothes, and some snot out of their.... Never mind, but I''m definitely not going to eat that, and for the frown on my brother face, neither him. There were three normal ones, level 2, two level 3, a shaman level 5 and a hobgoblin level 4. All had an ugly green face with long droopy ears, arched backs, and all used weapons, from clubs to staff. No bow. Good. The most dangerous one was the shaman. He could use magic and was the only with distance attacks. We were far faster than all of them, so I wasn''t worried. It would be a good training. "Don''t do anything stupid. They are training material, and hurting yourself will do far worst for your training than backing off, ok?" He licks his nose, nodding. "So, how are we going to do this?" "See the one with the staff? He is the most dangerous, he can use magic and poison. We need to take him down first. The second one is the tall one, but that''s mine, once we take care of the shaman you go for the little ones. Ok?" "Ok." We approach stealthy, against the wind, and circle around until we are closer to the shaman. I pat the ground slightly, urging him to stay behind in position, and use Shadow Veil to stay even more hidden, though that magic costed mana, meaning it was a race against the clock. The veil was still a simple one, covering only my figure, not the sound or smell of me, so once I was close enough the shaman started sniffing around with his enormous droopy nose. I jumped at him, without waiting any longer, and used Fire Breath to definitely reach him. He was stunned by the combo, his clothes started to catch on fire, which gave me an opening to bit down into his neck, easily cracking in sideways. The others reacted quickly, and one of the lowly ones jumped at me, receiving a Fire Ball from my brother. Without looking back I run upon the hobgoblin, who was already holding a blunt enormous sword. Once I got close he swings it at me, faster than I thought he could with such an enormous weapon, but not faster them I; I duck, lowering my belly and curving my hind legs to jump at his face, not before letting a stream of fire out on him. He screamed, but not for long. I looked behind me as my brother finished the last one, staying far and throwing Fire Ball at them. Well, it worked as well. It all goes well when it ends well. By the end of the day; or night, since we hunted at the beginning of it; all worked out just fine. I good change indeed for once. ~~~~ Older Brother -Appraisal completed- Name:??? Gender: Male Race: Hell Hound Age: 0 Level: 5 HP: 180-180 MP: 20-35 SP: 300-350 Attributes: Fire, Shadow Titles: The Wise, Angry One, Reincarnated, Older Brother Attacks: Claw 3, Bite 4, Swim 1, Fireball 2, Fire Breath 3, Sneak 4, Dodge 1, Dash 1 Magic: Appraisal 3, Fire Resistance 5, Fatigue Resistance 2, Hunger Resistance 1, Water Resistance 1, Earth Resistance 1, Poison Resistance 1, Bleed Resistance 1, Hell Form 0, Berserker Mode 1, Shadow Veil 1. Status: Ready to Roll Younger Brother -Appraisal completed- Name:??? Gender: Male Race: Hell Hound Age: 0 Level: 4 HP: 90-90 MP: 350-360 SP: 90-155 Attributes: Fire, Shadow Titles: Younger Brother, Good Boy, Magic Holder Attacks: Claw 2, Bite 2, Swim 1, Fireball 4, Fire Breath 3, Fire Armor 2, Explosive Ball 1, Sneak 2, Aim 1, Support 1 Magic: Fire Resistance 5, Water Resistance 1, Earth Resistance 1, Poison Resistance 1, Illusion Resistance 1, Bleed Resistance 1, Hell Form 0. Status: Not going to eat that ~~~~ Soo~~~ Still for those who care about status and whatnot, I won''t be putting all the level ups and whatever in the middle of the story because I know some of you don''t care about it, only the most important ones that I cannot let it pass. But I''ll still keep you up to date about their status at the end from time to time. Furthermore, don''t even try to make sense in the math up there. I will keep steady how much they evolve in number, but won''t be, like, using Shadow Veil, 4 Mana per second, because nobody cares about that, I''m right? Ha Ha-haha ~~Hate math ~~ Hope you guys are enjoing!! Kissus (???) Chapter 9 - Nine So, before I could even become c.o.c.ky C which I didn''t ok? C we were attacked my mocking monkeys that literally, LITERALLY, threw their shit at us, making me realize how weak we still were, been made fun of by freaking monkeys. However it was beneficial somehow: I saw a flaw at our strategy that we needed to fix, a way to locate enemies around us. The forest is an easy place to hide with its foliage, bushes and grass, as we prove countless times by using it ourselves, but been prey of it twice already wasn''t a great thing; and the first one almost got my brother killed. But that''s the problem, skills, magic, title, they appear out of nowhere because of something you have done. How I''m supposed to know how or what to do? That''s why we were going to try the Voice of Nature tonight. The Deer man did not explained to me how, but I could try to copy it. First, full moon, surrounded by trees C actually in the same place C second we needed to sing and/or dance, but I hadn''t had enough time to train that, so let''s try our luck I guess? (Elfihe: Did he already forget my name or is you author that is lazy enough to not even put it there? Author/MC: both?) And that fire I was thinking about it for a long time; why creatures of ice danced along the fire, the opposite element? Maybe we needed to use water? That''s why, at least, there was a river nearby. We would try there first, if it didn''t work than the easiest thing for us would be making a campfire, letting the wood already ready beforehand. We sat, brother chewing a branch he found, while I kept looking at the sky, waiting for the moon to be in its highest point. "Now little brother, let''s try it." "I don''t know brother, why don''t you try it first and see if it does anything?" "Oho, what, are you shy now?" " I just don''t sing well." He mumble. "Ok, ok, I will go first." I stand, for a moment lost in what to do, but them the lyrics come as if I had known them all along. I start humming the tune, the smoothing sound embracing the silent night, not breaking its spell but melting with it, carry by the wind like the sound of a flute. "We sing tonight ~ ~in this glorious night~~ For the roots and trees ~ ~for the night sky ~~ Hid our pleas ~ ~ For na?ve are we ~~ Guidance we seek ~~ as we thank thee ~~ " I keep singing, like a single howl in a windy night, ups and downs in a smoothing motion, thanking as much as asking, been honest with my desires for strength, as well as how ignorant and inexpedient we were about the world. I finish with a bow, done walking in circles on the river, and hear a melodic ding. Ding C Hiding ability discovered C Sing 65 Ding C Title Whispering Voice Ding C Ability learned C Voice of the Night I rub my paw over my eyes and look at my status again. LEVEL 65?! WHAT!!!! I don''t know if I feel happy for such a high level skill appearing out of nowhere or if sad that my highest level ability is singing! And it was hiding? Maybe a side effect of been reincarnated? I was a singer them in my other life? A bird maybe? Hm "Are you going to keep ignoring me little one?" The cold wind of the night brought a chilling voice with it. "W-who?" "What? You called for me did you not?" I look at my skills again. "Weren''t you supposed to be the Voice of Nature?" "Well, if you don''t want me here than that''s pity, I liked your singing." "No no no, I was just surprise, that''s all." My brother seemed confused with me, and I realize how dumb I looked, talking alone and all. "It worked brother, I can hear the Voice of the Night now!" He jumped, happy, and came close trotting. "Ok, ahm now is my turn? Uhm" "Try and sing as I did." "Ha, that''s impossible brother, I have never heard such a great voice before, why didn''t you tell me that you sang so well?" "I didn''t know" He turns his head sideways, and shrugs. "If you say so" He takes his time looking at the moon and taking deep breaths, calming himself. I was kidding before, but maybe he really was shy after all? How wrong I was. He starts singing, and immediately the birds that were around fly away as I cover my ears. He was just screaming nonsense, and when I realize that I was losing HP from it me and the Voice of the Night screamed together: "STOP!" He stops and I feel bad for him; but no more singing, definitely. "If you let him sing for a second time I will never ever talk with you ever again." Says the Voice of the Night. "Let''s pretend that never happened them C cough C so the almighty me will clarify some things for you them C I came when I heard your call because you are special little one. Hell Hound aren''t known to be the most intelligent species, and are usually easily domesticated by humans, though they are not that usual to find, making them very precious. But the domesticated ones aren''t as powerful as you and your brother may become. You have knowledge and wisdom and that will make you powerful one day" "But what about my brother? He doesn''t have any odd skills." "But he is already different the moment you shared your studies with him, or would you think that without you he would have realize how to increase and get better abilities?" "So tell me, little one, what would you like to know?" ~~~~ So, what did you guys of my "music"? Haha, first time writing lyrics, took longer the whole chapter... Chapter 10 - Ten It has been 2 months since I started using the Voice of the Night. It wasn''t as good as the Voice of Nature apparently C but don''t let him hear it otherwise he will complain nonstop C because it can only be used at night and, for been level one, at new moon and full moon. But he helped as he promised. He first made us train together a lot inside the cave, our stealth, sneak, and other thing as well; Presence Sense. We could sense a presence around us even in the dark or in our blind spot, it was amazing, even more if combined with my stealth. One thing though we learned with practice is that is far more difficult to evolve magic, and even more passing level 5. For the time been we kept hunting down slimes, more for the resistance increase than experience really, and goblins and small monsters as the cows from before. My brother got better and better at long raged attacks, and I as well got better at concealing my presence and making surprise attacks. That''s when it came. It camee!!! My first evolution!! No Hell Form yet though, sigh. It appears that; as far as everything in this world apparently; the evolutions that appear as an option depend on your status, abilities and some hidden requirements. They weren''t amazing yet, but as the first ones it would be the difference between heaven and hell for my future; feel like I''m choosing my course in college now. Here they are: Metal Hell Hound: Your basic appearance is changed, the fur modifies into a metal armor. Increases defense and resistance, as well the physical strength. Downside: Is more visible for it shines in the light, and is heavier and louder, making difficult to move without been notice. Swimming will be impossible. Ok, definitely not this one, is the total opposite of what I''m looking for, and another beacon type hey. Neeeext: Poison Hell Hound: Your basic appearance is changed, your fur will become purple or green. The fire produced by your body will eliminate deadly poison, as well your bite, fur and meat. Gains Poison Resistance and Elemental Poison. Downside: Unable to turn the poison off. What?! Hell no! It was good until the downside, but totally ruined for me as I would end up poisoning my brother. Beep, rejected. Next. Magical Hell Hound: Your basic appearance is changed, you will get smaller and weaker physically. However, your MP points will double, as well as your capacity to learn and evolve magic. Downside: Weaker body and less SP and HP. Hm this is somehow good for my brother, though is worrisome that his already small body would get even thinner, hm. Something to think about later. Next ~ ~ These two ones are the ones that I don''t know which one to choose from: Platinum Hell Hound: Your basic appearance will mostly stay the same, however your basic status will double, and unique evolves will be available in your next evolution. Downside: Your monster crystal will appear outside your body, exposing your weakness. Lighting Hell Hound: Your basic appearance is changed, you will grow horns and your fur will became sharp to the touch. Will add Lightning as an Element and Electric Resistance, and will increase one of your status. Downside: You may not chose which status it will increase, and your level will reset. I don''t feel very comfortable thinking that I could have a weak spot exposed, but going through my line of thought I did not intend to be even seen, so been hit whatsoever is outside my perspective. But both would be a gamble, hum And I don''t care a lot for the reset level, as low as we still are, but not choosing the status bothers me. If it goes to the MP it will be useless for my current build, and nonetheless, Lighting uses MP, and as low as it is is already used up for my skills with Shadow. So it you be incompatible anyway. I wanted to wait and ask the opinion of the Voice of the Night, but the moon was still far away from the right one and every day that I didn''t choose I started to get hypothermia C our version of fever if you will. So I needed to choose today, and now. My paw was scratching the floor while I was thinking the pros and cons. At the end I choose the Platinum one. With satisfaction I saw my status go up: HP: 280 -> 560 MP: 60 -> 120 SP: 475 -> 950 Hell yeah! I tried to stand to tell the good news to my brother, but the ground starts to spin and my vision blurs until I hit the ground, hearing his voice from what seemed to be very far away as I pass out. ~ ~ ~ ~ My mouth feels dry again. I try to lick my nose, but all my limbs seems to be numb and hot, to hot, with something heavy on me. "Get off" I whisper, coughing and repeating louder. "Get off you stupid mud!" My brother jumps out of me, and starts talking and sobbing nonstop, giving me a headache already, ugh. I open my eyes to see his face up close and tears coming in rivers. "Ok, ok, calm down, I''m fine." I say, softer. He sits and tries to calm down, wiping his face with his paw. "What happened? For how long was I out?" "Sob- hic-t-three days- hic." Three days?!? Wasn''t this supposed to be a simple evolution? That the hell! My brother keep staring at me, calming down, and I snore a "What?" "Y-your eyes, you are even cooler now brother!" I frown, but stand and go to a puddle to check it out. Wow, it was not a major chance, but wow. My eyes from brown changed to a sharp silver, brighter than the moon and with a light of their own. In my forehead a diamond shaped gem stood with the same colors, lines of black appearing in its silver structure, giving deep and movement to it, like melted liquid silver. I kept staring for a while, but my totally empty belly brought me back to reality as my brother laughed in the sideways. "Come brother, this time I brought food home." He seemed content on doing so, so I did not comment on the dangers that it behold; after all I couldn''t create him in a bubble. We ate and, satisfied, I sat next to him, answering all his questions until he calmed down to sleep. I was tired too, never though the distress that would be to evolve, how troublesome I stick snaps not too far from our cave. Shit, what now? We were tired, and I haven''t had time to keep a close look at the dangers outside for three days. No, no way, could it be? Shit, it has been months, give me a break! I bite my brother''s ear, keeping his mouth shut with my paw. He looks at me, confused, and I look outside worriedly. His eyes widen, and soon we are standing and sneaking out of the cave. But my physical and stealth abilities have always been better than my brothers, that''s why the metal net falls on him first. He tries to break free, but the net warps around closer and stronger until he even has difficulty to breath. You little shits! I catch him between my teeth, jumping around as humans appeared from the shadows. Some concealing magic? I couldn''t sense them at all! After running and hopping for a while I finally notice that we were trapped with no way out. The smelly humans stood surrounding us, a group of them holding metal nets, coming closer and trapping me against the wall. Shit, shit shit shit, how did things get this bad so quickly? "Brother, BROTHER! Just leave me, ok? I know you can get out of here without me." "Don''t even think that I will-" "You won''t, you won''t leave me, I know, I trust you brother, that''s why you need to go, having us both capture won''t do us any good." He keep talking while I tried to free him, biting, scratching, dripping fire on the chains, but nothing seemed to work. Bloody hell, this shitty chains! "Brother! Go now, they are close! They won''t kill me, you''ll have time to rescue me, now go! GO!" One of them throws a net at my direction as I dodge, growling at him, but it created enough space between me and my brother for them to grab him out of my hold. "You smelly humans, let go of him now!" They froze, perplexed that I could talk, and murmured between each other. "He speaks!" "No way! We got a rare one!" "Grab him, now! Don''t let him escape!" They keep throwing nets at me, some even trying some magic to make me slower, but they couldn''t even reach me. But as I was dodging one of the man took my brother away. "You humans! Give him back! NOW!!" It was dangerous to use Berserk Mode again, it only worked for a little while and afterwards I would be vulnerable and, with so many humans, I wouldn''t have time to run and help my brother. Shit, this is bullshit! I gave one last look at the direction that they took him away, wanting to tear each one of them apart. Instead, I used Shadow Merge, a new skill, and entered my shadow, quickly passing through between the humans legs and reaching outside. That magic used a lot of MP and tired my body for concealing it entirely, but on contrary to Shadow Veil that my body was clouded with shadow, the other made it into shadow on its on. With one last look behind me I enter the forest to lose them from my tracks. ~~~~ Who is angry at the smelly humans from separating the brothers ((#) But seriously I got so angry as I wrote down this part that I almost went out to scream "give him back you little shits!!" Ha, haha. Don''t worry I won''t kill anybody kay? Happy endings ~ happy endings~ so fans don''t came to my house to seek revenge ~ ~ ()V Chapter 11 - Eleven I was livid. I have been following them for a week already. I barely ate, I barely slept, and my endurance for those went sky-high. But I didn''t even look at them, my focus was on not losing their tracks, no matter what, even when it stormed, even when they set traps on their path, even if I knew that they were aware of me following them. I didn''t care. I was a pure pool of lava boiling and wanting to explode. I didn''t like needless killing, I really didn''t, but this humans were tempting fate. I talked with the Voice of the Night yesterday, and there was no time to learn new skills; so we review what I had, forming plans on what to do. We first watched the camp at night; and discovered that first, they had stopped to mount a trap for me, knowing that I would go save my brother. The few seconds I passed at their presence revealed more of my skills that I felt comfortable with, but no good would come from overthinking it. Second we discovered that they were drugging my brother meals, the bastards, but he wasn''t eating, the smart boy, though it was still bad since he will be weak from hunger Focus, focus. I have been cracking my brain up this past few days thinking how to get him out of there. I gathered information on the humans passing, and most of them wouldn''t be a problem, especially for my speed combine with my sneak. The biggest problem was if any of the humans were higher level than me, and stayed hidden inside the camp, and the other is if they found us out inside and my brother was too weak to move, and last but not least, how to open his cage, which seemed to be made from the same material than the net. Other thing to search about later. Bloody hell, there was only one way that I may have any chance in succeeding; and a very risky one at that. Trying to get in unnoticed, even if they were expecting me, and know some of my stealth skills. Great, just great. I hunted a little before tonight, staying in the same spot the rest of the day, watching once again the camp; the only good news is that they though I gave up, and weren''t exception me as much, after all, I tried my best to not let any tracks around by staying still a lot, and carcasses were few. When the almost all black moon appeared, I moved. With my belly down, ears to the back, I walked slowly and in synch with the wind. Step step, stop. Rustling, listen. No movement, paw paw. The encampment wasn''t too well prepared, apparently it wasn''t a permanent one, using tents and some rudimentary wooden structures, like towers and whatnot. It was well illuminated though, but there were some blind spots here and there that I already memorized. I didn''t use any of my magical abilities yet, with my MP and the numerous wrong things that could happen, I must be prepare to fight. Against the entire camp. Just great. There were people talking inside the little tents, some snoring while others were drinking around and eating their fill. My brother was right at the center, below the biggest wooden tower out of five, and the most illuminated one as well. It would be great if I could turn than off now wouldn''t it? Ding C Magic learned C Fire Manipulation 1 Well, some surprises come for good, I suppose. Staring at the flames I was able to low the torches into an almost nonexistence flame, good enough for me to quickly pass. When I arrived at the cage I used all my willpower to contain a growl. My brother was skin and bones, laying still in the middle of a bronze cage. There were other cages too, and other magical creatures, but most were sedated by whatever they putted on the food. "Pss. Brother" I said low, receiving a blinking gesture in return from his motionless body. Well, seems like it didn''t matter if he ate or not at the end; but why treat him like this? To attract me here? Wasn''t he valuable as well? I went close to the cage, but still far in the shadows. The only way to open it was using the padlock, but the same strange material was used in it. Of course it wouldn''t be that easy, otherwise my brother would have escaped on his on a long time ago. Keys, I need to find them. "Brother, brother, hey, I need your help little brother, were are the keys? Who has the things that open up the cage?" He slowly opened his eyes and with a distaff voice answered. "The guard, up here, but it''s dangerous, it''s a trap." "I know, I know, but I will get you out of here somehow. Do you think you can run while I distract them?" "I will try." "Good. Just a little longer little brother." Those humans they should pay with their lives for what they did. But I shouldn''t kill them they were trouble, they were needless killing I lick my fangs as bloodl.u.s.t starts to build up in me system. I start to climb the wooden stairs, swearing mentally at every creak and squeak of the wood. Once I reach the top there was only one guard with his back to me, the keys dangling on his h.i.p.s. This is too easy, there is something wrong. I received my answer once the guard turns around, as if already aware of my presence beforehand. "So you are the little hound they are talking about?" He says, slowly circling me. I learned my lesson, no more talking, so I didn''t say anything. "They said you could talk, but that''s so rare that makes me think if they didn''t make it up only to impress me because of their last mistakes." "But it seem I was wrong. You already evolved, and in a different kind than most." He was staring at my crystal, which was black as my eyes at the moment for stealth reasons. This guy smelled wrong. "You will be a fitting merchandise for the market, many will come with the expectation of a smart fire magical beast." He takes off a long whip made of some black leather out of his clothes, making the keys shake with the movement. The wooden platform wasn''t very big, but gave me enough space to circle around him as well one more time and use appraisal. -Appraisal completed- Name: Konrad Von Richthofen Gender: Male Race: Half Demon/Human Age: 31 Level: 45 Level 45?! That''s hardly fair! I couldn''t even see the rest of his skills. And I have never encountered a demon before so I don''t even know how that would affect his skills. He stops and for a second I see his eyes move to my back. Without thinking I dodge, rolling sideways, and were I have been seconds ago stood a metal magical net. That made me break in a nervous sweat, even more when two of the armored guys, full metal and helmet, climbed the outside of the tower. Level''s 31 and 34. Shit. I''m hunting in the wrong side of the map? Where is the noob area for the levels 10? They had the advantage in numbers, level, even geographic, what the hell I''m goi- Wait, we were standing on wood Each of them choose a corner, the armored to the left and right, and the demon in the middle. I knew these strategies, cornering the prey so it cannot escape. I''ve never felt so much like a prey before then I felt at that moment. Shit. ~~~~ Whip, whip it good, watching Castlevania while I was thinking of this part ~~ Wo,wo! Chapter 12 - Twelve The demon was the first one to attack. He moved the whip like a snake tongue, so fast that it almost hit me. My only advance is that they didn''t want to hurt or kill me; the same cannot be said for them. He keeps hitting the floor, making me hoop around nonstop. Trying to tire me out? No such lucky my friend. I pretend to play his game, but little by little I went closer to them, my eyes at the lower level one, one of the armored guys. It doesn''t matter their levels, I thought, they will burn nice nonetheless. The one on the left brought down a sword, trying to cut my escape from the whip , but from the beginning I was aiming to the one on the right, so I jumped over his swing and into the railing, using the impulse and surprising them by jumping right at the face of the guy from the right. He didn''t escape my surprise attack, shocked, since I stayed mostly at the left side and haven''t showed any signals of going for him, so I got a good grip of his helmet between my teeth. What happens when metal is overheated in your head? His screams told me that it wasn''t a pleasant experience. Once the metal went inwards his body gave in and I jumped before the whip manage to hit me. One down. Two to go. Ding C Level Up/ Level Up/ Level Up/ Level Up/ Level Up Good, 15 now. The half demon went more seriously, whiping nonstop and starting to really tire me out. Those two wouldn''t fall for the same trick twice, so this time I couldn''t even get closer to them, as the last armored picked up the net from the ground and waited for a chance to strike. That''s not going to happen buddy. I pretend to be more tired than I really was; which wasn''t very difficult really; and once my tongue was sticking out and they were prepared to launch an attack, I spit fire on the wood below us, which quickly caught on fire. It started crumbling, a beacon of fire in the middle of the night, but I wasn''t afraid of the fire or the fall, so when they needed to hold on the railing to steady themselves I jump right at the demon guy, as the armored guy quickly blocks my attack with a shield. But I wasn''t aiming at him. With the sets of keys dangling on my mouth I quickly descend, losing some health over it. Now every human around us was awake, but I didn''t care; I went straight to the cage, opening it up and pulling my brother out of there. "Hey, brother, little brother, wake up, please." I pawed his face down, waking him up as he slowly looked at me. "There is no time to waste little brother, you need to go, now, I''ll distract them." A cursing pain shot thought my leg once a whip curves around it. I just had time to think "Shit" as he dragged me out in the open and almost dislocated my ankle, a numb felling covering the area. Ding - Paralyze Resistance 1 I went straight at him since it was the only side which he couldn''t make me trip, but them the armored guy appeared and pushed me with his shield, at the same time that the demon pulled me, making me fall on my back. He doesn''t waste his time and throws the net on me, but I use my Shadow Merge and enter my shadow, going out free far from them. Ugh, that was close, really close, and now my foot hurts. I hear my brother walking slowly, but the sound is too far from my grasp as I completely focus on the fight ahead. But them many of them appear. Man, woman, ones with bows, wh.i.p.s, swords, armor, etc. All the camping was awake, and now aware of my presence. Shit. Double shit. I just need time, if my brother can keep going... I hear a plop at them same time that I was thinking that, as I look behind me only to see my brother lying flat on the ground, a rasped breath sounding thin coming out of him. I''ve never felt so desperate in my life. Letting them capture him was out of question, but I didn''t seem how we could escape together. Stealth has always been my best option, but maybe it was the only working one too begin with. Might as well take as many as I can down. If I could at least attack more them one at the same time... Ding C Magic learned - Shadow Manipulation 1 Without giving me time to think the whip went on again, but this time other humans joined him. I was trapped between dodging around and not letting anyone get closer to my brother. "Brother, little - brother, listen - to me." I said between jumps and heavy breathing in our Hound Language. "I''m going to - attack them - with all I got, but I won''t be - able to - take you away from here. I need you - to be strong now, so stand up!" "STAND UP BROTHER!! NOW!! Please..." His limbs were shaking, barely holding his weight up. It broke my heart, but sobbing and screaming the unfairness of the situation wouldn''t help, it wouldn''t make any difference. With Shadow and Fire Manipulation I made all the illumination disappear, letting us in complete darkness. They were only level 1 abilities, so they were very limited on what they could do. Then I went burning the whole camp up. I used all my Dash 7 up until it reached 8, running back and forth from my brother, biting ankles and burning everything up. Some panicked, trying to put out the fire, but the burning wasn''t as effective as I wanted with many Water Element users around. Once my brother was close to the border of the woods they made a barricade of shields on the outskirts of the camp, blocking us from the forest. "Brother, you are on your own now, enter the forest and don''t look back. Once I''m done here I will follow you." I bet he didn''t like my plan. Hell, even I didn''t like my plan, but his lack of energy and our lack of time didn''t gave us many choices. They stopped worrying so much in not harming me with their attacks, some gathering spikes and trying to close a circle around us, poking at our legs. And my foot was starting to hurt, baldly. Then I let the anger grow. The anger from the very start, from them murdering mother, hunting us down like animals, doing as they please, entering our homes, kidnaping and whipping out whoever and however they pleased. C Berserker mode Activated My vision turned red as my tongue licked my upper fangs in expectation for the warm blood and meat to follow. I didn''t know at the time but my eyes and crystal turned red, a bloody red, as the veins close to my eyes pulsated in a burning flame underneath my skin. Like an animal without fear I jumped and scratched and bitten until all I could hear were screams and all I could smell was blood. But it ended too soon. I knew there were still humans around; the demon included; and couldn''t even figure it out if my brother escaped, but time didn''t wait for no one. C Berserker mode off C Side effects inbound C Unable to move for 2 hours C Counting start... When the effects started to take their toll, all I could remember was the sound of hooves at the distance, horns been blown and other screams resonating around. Them I pass out. ~~~~ Wow, glad that ended. Poor baby Hell Hounds, already suffering so much, sob sob. MC/Brother: But you are the one who crea- Anyway! I cracked my brains with our MC in this one, I was all like: uhm, how can he rescue his brother? Because it doesn''t make any sense if the humans are weaker than him, and he was already outnumbered from the beginning. So yeah took some time to think of something, hehe. Update on status!!! The older brother changed a lot from this fight and the 2 months and evolution. The younger not sooo much, only the months change: Older Brother -Appraisal completed- Name:??? Gender: Male Race: Platinum Hell Hound Age: 0 Level: 18 HP: 530-720 MP: 32-160 SP: 300-1150 Attributes: Fire, Shadow Titles: The Wise, Angry One, Reincarnated, Older Brother, Whispering Voice Attacks: Claw 8, Bite 9, Swim 2, Fireball 8, Fire Breath 9, Sneak 10, Dodge 9, Dash 8, Sing 65 Magic: Appraisal 5, Fire Resistance 9, Fatigue Resistance 10, Hunger Resistance 9, Water Resistance 2, Earth Resistance 6, Poison Resistance 4, Bleed Resistance 7, Paralyze Resistance 1, Hell Form 0, Berserker Mode 1, Shadow Veil 6, Voice of the Night 1, Presence Sense 5, Healing Saliva 3, Shadow Merge 4, Fire Manipulation 1, Shadow Manipulation 1 Ineptitudes: None known yet Status: Livid Younger Brother -Appraisal completed- Name:??? Gender: Male Race: Hell Hound Age: 0 Level: 9 HP: 120-140 MP: 510-510 SP: 15-230 Attributes: Fire, Shadow Titles: Younger Brother, Good Boy, Magic Holder, Graspy Singer Attacks: Claw 5, Bite 4, Swim 3, Fireball 10, Fire Breath 9, Fire Armor 7, Explosive Ball 8, Sneak 5, Aim 8, Support 10 Magic: Fire Resistance 9, Water Resistance 2, Earth Resistance 5, Poison Resistance 3, Illusion Resistance 2, Bleed Resistance 2, Fatigue Resistance 5, Hunger Resistance 9, Hell Form 0, Presence Sense 4, Healing Saliva 1 Ineptitudes: Sing -73 Status: Very hungry, Very Thirsty, Very Tired, Scared. See ya (?<) Chapter 13 - Thirteen I woke up to the sound of a flute. It was a windy sound, like it came out of a piece of bamboo, the respiration of the caster joining the rhythm, forming a smoothing song. I open my eyes, feeling sore and numb, like if I had swam an entire day, all the muscles hurt, even from the back. The music stopped as I looked around at the cave we were in. Than all came at once; the battle, the rage, my brother. I tried to stand but my members gave out under my weight. " *****! ******,***?" Someone was talking, and I automatically raised my lips and showed my fangs at him. He stops, his back to the entrance of the cave and to the light, making me able to see only his silhouette. He then crouches down and lowers his hands to the ground. "Can understand now?" He says with a strange accent in the Common Language. "Not good with it, but can?" What? Is he trying to communicate with me? Does anyone in this world would try first things first speak to a dog when they see one? But it didn''t end well when I spoke to the humans before, so maybe "Nature and Night told, dangerous for magical creatures. We guardians. We save." "Guardians?" So the Voice of the Night asked for help? How? Maybe they can communicate with each other, like spirits perhaps? Then who is this in front of me? He nods, and continues: "We mean no harm. Cure, save." He points at my wounds, and just then I realize they are clean and bandaged. "What about my brother? And who are you?" He approaches slightly, and sits closer to me and in front of the fireplace. Wow, he is an angel or something? He has pointy long ears that bend a little at the end, flat white snowy hair that goes down like a waterfall, framing his face, the hair been pushed out with a bronze diadem on his forehead, full of leafs drawings and branch like design. He had a gentle smile and a pair of shiny green eyes. He speaks in that strange tongue again, sounding as musical as the flute he played before. Ding C Elven Tongue 1 "So sorry for my lack of manners, is just very unpleasant for my tongue to utter such barbaric language." Wait, this is the difference between mechanic translation and human translation? Totally the opposite! Some words I can''t even understand! "Answer my questions." I say in his tongue, which surprises him, but he continues: "Yes, of course, let me clarify then. We elven race are the Guardians of the Forest, at the a.d.u.l.t age we pass tests and rituals so that all our kind may hold such title. These days the Voice of Nature warned us about animal smugglers coming and going from this part of the woodlands. The night before one of our sears voiced that the Voice of the Night asked assistance from the Voice of Nature, as one of its child''s were in great danger, and we found you and the smugglers. However unfortunately I was accountable with the mission to rescue one of the creatures hold in captive as the others deal with the smugglers. I do not know any information of the others magical creatures, forgive me. So my brother was still missing? Alone in that state in the middle of the forest? No, I got to go, I have to find him. I try to stand again, but he stands first and says: "No, you must rest, you were under paralyze effects as well as blood lost, fatigue and hunger, Even if you wish to you won''t go far. And don''t burden yourself; I presume that one of the others must have already found your brother." "But you are not sure?" He looks at me and diverts the eye contact. "No" Ah, I think I''m going to puke from stress and worry. He should be fine right? He must be. "If" He starts, as if thinking carefully on what to say. "If I went out to search for him or any information, would you stay here?" Yes "No" Wait, what? He sighs. "It''s impossible to lie in our tongue, little hound." He smiles kindly them, and smoothly goes around the stone he was sitting on and brings me a pot of water and some food; no meat tough, just a strange fruit? "What is this?" I ask and start drinking. "Pepper, Red Chili Burning Pepper, to be more specific, a Hell Hound''s favorite." I raise my eyebrow at that, I mean, my brown spots above my eyes. I go a little closer, and take a sniff out of it. Wow, it smelled amazing! I take an eager bite, and it burns in my mouth. Delicious! And probably deadly for others! Licking my lips for the aftertaste I realize that he was staring at me with kind eyes. "We mean you no harm, really. I''m just preoccupied with your health, so forgive me, I promise that I''ll search for your brother as fast as I can." Forgive? Forgive for Oh, wait, I''m suddenly getting sleepy, and my limbs feel even more heavy. This time, however, I don''t pass out, I simply fall asleep. ~~~~ Next morning I wake up with a comforting height on my back. I open my eyes, happy for the familiar too hot sensation of my brothers body lying beside me, this legs wrapped around me in a tight hug as if I could disappear in his sleep. Someone poke the fire beside us, and I quickly find a pair of green leafy eyes in the darkness. "He was already taken care for once I found him, and I though better to bring him here. He hasn''t let go off you since the moment I brought him in." I look back to his sleepy face and almost cry myself to sleep here and there, but couldn''t stop myself from shivering slightly. He is alive, we are alive, unharmed, and together again. I bring him into a closer hug, burying my head on top of his, felling his hearth beat against mine, hearing his sleepy deep breath. I swallow dry when the thought of almost losing him forever passed my mind. "I suppose we own your kind a debt for saving us them." I say, not looking up at him and not liking how the words sounded out of my mouth. "Of course not, it was our mistake that lead to this situation. What guardians would we be if we cannot protect our on forest from intruders? We are the ones who own you an apologize. We are sorry. No I''m sorry." I look at him only to see him bowing, his forehead touching the ground and his long hair cascading sideways. "The image of a grown man like you bowing isn''t good for my conscious." He gives a little laugh and sit straight again. He puts his hands together in front of him intertwined, supporting his chin while he thought of something. "I would offer you a safe stay in our kingdom, little hound, but I know from your eyes that''s not what you would want." "We are not pets." He nods. "Have you looked at my status?" I frown at that. "Or maybe you aren''t able to I have appraisal too. I''m Reincarnated too." The shock makes my chin fall, and I probably had made a dumb face because he gives me another chuckle. "Don''t need to look so surprise now. Do youremember anything?" "Just a few things, nothing that makes any sense." "Hum, it starts like that, really, just be careful to not get lost in the memories, you see?" Yes. "So-so." "Another thing, as a fellow Reincarnated and a Guardian of the Forest, I must warn you to be careful. I know that is meaningless to say, but I will do nonetheless. You weren''t careful on your rescue attempt, and I understand your reasons and I do not question them, but as much as you worry about your brother he too does worry back. Do not treat your life as less important than his because some wounds can cut so deep that is beyond healing, hum?" It was too much to take at once, but somehow I understood what he meant and nodded with a scow in return. We spend the rest of the night without speaking again, and ate as my brother woke up. "Brother- snif- brother- sob- I was sooo worried- snif snif- and soo scared- I missed you brother~~" And sob sob all the time. But this time I wasn''t bothered by it, I missed him as well. "Stop been such a sissy, clean that face up." "Brother! You meany- sob- hic." I roll my eyes at him, and seem that he is a little far away from me I smirk with my fangs, and thrown a Fire Ball at his face. "Aght! Brother!" I throw another, laughing as I run against a pillar to hide. "What, one week away and already out of shape little brother?!" He looked shocked, putting a paw on his chest, as a smirk grown on his snout. He aims his fire at me but I dodge, and we tempt faith for a while, my dodge against his aim. He gets tired of missing and jump up at me, aiming at me ears. I play his game and roll on the ground as he chew my ear as he did when we were mere pups. It seems to always calm him down. I little laugh reminds us that we are not alone as we look embarrassed at the elf. "Brother, who is that?" He whispers, still on top of me. I push my paws up, taking him off of me, as he completes. "He is so pretty, how can you understand him?" "He is an elf, you can try and learn his language too." "Hum, I''ll try my best, but can you translate a little for me?" "Sure." He jumps, a happier pup than before, and trots closer to the elf that looks at him curiously and kindly. "Thanks for saving us! You are really pretty!" His stump tail is wiggling nonstop, as the elf stretches his hand and pat him on the head. "It was my pleasure little hound. You and your brother will always be welcome in our home, feel free to visit us. On the line, what''s your names? Mine generation name is Narwain, and means new sun, and my own name is Aeglos, and means snow. " "We actually don''t have names." My brother lowers his ears, sad. "Well" He stops, as if pondering something important, and asks as if talking with himself: "For elves names have power, plus are very important, and after an almost death experience, it would be like a baptized, seemly reasonablewould you give me the honor to name you both?" Names? I didn''t give so much importance to things like that, but my brother almost jumped on his lap from happiness And somehow it was like starting our lives anew from the nightmare that this person saved us from. He seemed fitting for our naming. I nod, and he stands, walking back and forth, looking at us and pondering. First he went to my brother. "Since you do not have a family name, I will bestow my on on you. Mnaothon, those whom are always ready for battle. For now on, you will be known as Hunthor, that who holds the hearth of an eagle, heart which can see far beyond what the eyes perceive." "Hunthor sounds cool." "Now you, older brother, protector, will been known as Thilgon, that one which holds the glow of silver in his eyes and soul. May they stay sharp as a swords blade. For your generation name you will be call Palarran, those who walk far." Thilgon Thilgon a name, I have a name! I didn''t feel the need of one until now, but the naming sounded more like a marking, a proof of our existence. It felt great. "Wait, what is this family and generation name you are talking about?" "Family name is the one passed down by generations, always the woman side. The generation is the line you are, to indicate you both have the same mother and father. Is a common name between brothers only. And your private name. It is written like this, first the generation name, than your name, than your family name: Palarran Hunthor Mnaothon Palarran Thilgon Mnaothon" What a way of complicating things, ugh. But "Thank you." He just nods and smiles, as my brother keeps hooping about like a bunny repeating his name over and over. I roll my eyes at that, smiling warmly. ~~~~~ Elfihe: and my name was supposed to be difficult? Author: La~la~laaaa~ Hope is not to confusing the making of the names, though at the moment I thought that was a good idea to give them elven names. Ha Haha~ I''ll have to write that down all the time you know! Elfihe: Humf, serves you right. Author: (?n?`?) Pss, how many of you can write down right now at comments their names without looking? Hihihi I can''t. ????? For those who thought the ML would save them... well, you are not totally wrong, just the MC isn''t right, *wink wink* Chapter 14 - Extra One Pov:??? I could understand the look in that creatures eyes while it''s gigantic and tight collar shone, as if a reminder of the contract that bounded it, and the control it had over the creature by squeezing its air pipe. A whip clicking on its back would fit the frame perfectly, but it wasn''t needed. The creature - half fox of the desert, and lower half lion - didn''t emit a sound; it''s pride wouldn''t allow it, even if he knew that freedom was now a mere dream. I could understand, that hopelessness. After all, I was here, at the window, watching one of my friends been strangled only for disobeying an order, unable to do nothing, yet again. It''s "owner" stopped once the creature passed out, than it went closer and kicked it. My hands were in a tight fist by now, but still, what could I do? "Young Master?" My maiden, and the only kind human soul in here, asked preoccupied as it has been a long time since I turned a page from the book in front of me. "Is there something wrong?" She them looks outside, spotting the scene, and murmurs. "Would Young Master like to change sits?" "No." I just answer. Kind woman, but stupid. How could I turn my eyes away to the suffering of my friend? She and the others leave me alone until nightfall, and after giving my goodnights to the servants I slip from my window to the stables. There is a stench in the air, one typical from animals and bad ventilation. I pass every single stall, giving quick pets here and there, preoccupied with my proud lion. The skin wounds are easier to heal them the ones of the hearth. I have already lost many of my friends for that. His was the last and most damp and dark one stall. His cage bars were made of a special metal, but after the collar it was a little redundant. I sit close to them, embracing the bars with my tiny hands, and, as the coward I''m, start crying, silently, always silently, without changing my expression. I feel I tick tongue pass my fingers behind the bars, coming from the dark space, making me giggle between my tears. "Sorry, for been such a coward." Another lick than I take my hands off. "No, don''t try to comfort me What did they do to you?" "I stole bread for you" He tends to forget to give him food, even more after a beating. I clean my tears quickly, reaching for the bread in my clothes. A soft paw comes forward, trembling and weak, and that almost brought me down to tears again as I clench my teeth. He ate silently and fell asleep, tired and bruised, I suppose. I stand, not wanting to go back, knowing that when I wake up all will repeat again; the beating, the mistreat, the scorn even from my servants, the "Have you heard? A Hound gave birth to two pups close to here" I hide in the shadows, closer to the others animals cages, receiving a lick on the shoulder that gained a stretch on the creature nose, as I listen. "Yeah, the first group wasn''t able to capture them, and even killed the mother, do you believe it? Master must be livid, I''m sure." "Yeah, even more pups, they are much more easier to tame, uhm." They stopped close and started whispering. "So, some of the hunters contracted a few adventures and, from what I know, it seems that they manage to capture one of them!" "But? That''s the face that there is more to it." "Of course! There seems that the other one is a rare! It can even speak! They are mounting a trap for it right now, using the other one as bait." "No shit! Finally Master will get off of our asses for a little them, that''s good news! They keep walking until I couldn''t hear them anymore, but what I got was enough. A trap? To pups? Why wasn''t I surprised? I was ready to go for bed, not before passing one more time in front of my proud lion cages, when his soft paw touched my hand, and our eyes meet. I knew the reason why he kept suffering this treatment, the order he refused to obey. Procreation. They order him to do a trap lioness so they could have more pups for their sick greed. But he refused. Every. Single. Painful. Time. He moved his eyes to his back, were two enormous scars stayed were once his beautiful wings were. He was born in a cage, created to serve, and he didn''t need wings that could easy his escape, or at least his master thought not. He was just a pup when they cut it. He never felt the wind with them. I knew what he was trying to say, but what could I do? They were groups of grown man going after them, I wouldn''t be able to even leave by the front gate. He touched my hand with his wet nose and blinked his brown eyes. I took a firm grip of his paw. "I don''t know what difference you think I can make but I will try. I will give my best." I swear I could see him smile, then he turned to sleep again. I quickly went to my room; from the looks of it they expected the other hound tonight. I needed to hurry. I put some things that I may need and soon I was fast passing in the woods. I wasn''t afraid of it; I''m used to escaping to the forest from time to time, feeling more at home here them there, for sure. It wasn''t that difficult to find them; they always made camp in the same spots, and the talk from minutes ago gave me enough information to pinpoint were. When I arrived there, sweaty, the fight had already break down. I changed places to see the Hounds; specially the one who fought so vigorously to protect his sibling, even if he was outnumbered, even if they were stronger, he kept evading the attacks, keep protecting his brother, kept his stance. I was enchanted. For what seems like hours I could only look at him, how his sharp silver eyes kept its focus, how he bend his muscled legs while thinking of his next move. When the shields barricade closed around them, I was as outraged by the situation as him; and once again, unable to do anything. My nails draw blood on my palm as I thought, together with the hound, ways of getting them off that situation. He said something to the other hound and them his features went wild. It was like the personification off all his hatred. Something I could connect somehow; our weakness, our limits, those red eyes and vicious attacks said one thing; Break them. Surpass them. Smash what is on you path to pieces. I gulped down, cheering silently, but soon, to soon, he passes out, at the same time as hordes of elves on deers appear from the woods bringing fear and despair to the humans around. Heads were cut from swords that came from above, arrows caught the cowards, chaos broke. I saw one of the elves carry him away, the Silver Hell Hound, the brave pup, as I went back to the foliage. I was still lightheaded when I found the other, the small hound, skin and bones laying still, heavily breathing. And I knew what I needed to do. To be brave. ~~~~ He woke up the next morning after I moved him to a safer place and healed him. One thing to be proud of, at least. He jumped when our eyes meet, looked allover and whimpered. "Shh. It''s alright." I said but sounded cold and harsh, and for a moment I feared he would back out even more, but he seemed to recognize the command tone and laid down. "You sound like brother now. Who are you? Where I''m? Where is brother?" He speaks! In broken sentences, but nonetheless it was a little weird to see words been formed from that snout full of fangs. "I''m no one, I just saw you on the woods and dragged you here to heal. Are you hungry?" Dumb question. "Yes, yes, very." He stayed in a half stand, his little stump tail moving around. I brought some bread and salted dry meat, the most dry and tasteless combination, but he didn''t seem to mind. Even I wouldn''t if he was as hungry as his appearance let it appear. "Hm what''s that thing?" "Bread." "It tasted good." That dry and tasteless bread good? What they have been eating until now? Ah, right, raw meat probably. Once he ate and settle down, I searched from wounds again with my hands, letting a light shine through them. He was still cautious, and a little scared, but didn''t react. "You should be scared. Why aren''t you?" He was a wild animal, after all. He bend his head sideways, licking his nose and trying to make a "thinking" face. "Why should I? You heal and saved. You not bad." "How do you know that? You don''t even know why I saved you." He looked confused. "Why heal then hurt? Don''t understand." He was too na?ve. Like a dog, indeed. "So, that one was your brother?" He half stands again to move his tail, and with a grin says: "Yes, yes! He amazing! Strong, brave, got us food without mom. Where he is?" "I don''t know." "You don''t seem worried." "I''m not. Brother is strong. Its fine." He had great faith is his brother hum. The image of him, fighting alone against so many humans, the appearance of his silver eyes shining in the night like a blade as his fags went from target to target, how the deeps of his throat were filled with fire, the whole image was so overbearing that I couldn''t fathom a doubt that his faith was misplaced. "You are human?" He hesitate in asking, and completed. "You don''t bad as others. You not scary. But all humans scary?" "I''m not totally human, but yes, I''m half human." And all humans been scary they always are, in some way. I wouldn''t teach him otherwise, though my mere presence and help already did that somehow. "Hm." He didn''t ask what other half I was as every other human would have, and the surprise lasted little as he fall asleep again, but with a full belly this time. My features didn''t change as I cleaned the place up and put some food for him. Hiding the entrance of the small crevice, I went back "home" before they notice I was gone. I hopped my window, and with a light conscience I went to bed. Far did I know that that would be last day for my na?ve childish self to exist. ~~~~ Yaay, big chapter! Who do you guys think this point of view is??? ML:. Anyway, it is to celebrate the huge amount of views this story is having, so thank you very much, *bow* WebNovel: 25k Wattpad: 2k Tapastic: 250 12/21/2018 By the way, I want you guys opinion It isn''t a surprise that the Hound will have human form - *gasp* - but should they : A- have normal human bodies B- have animal characteristics such as tails and ears on top of the head. Let me know what you guys think! ML: The tail will get in the way. MC: (? ? ?? ?)? Chapter 15 - Fourteen My brother has finally calmed down and was fast asleep on Aeglos lap. He was happy, truly happy with the name and, well, I wouldn''t admit it myself, but I was a little cheerful with it too. Thilgon My name was Thilgon It would take some time to remember the full name though. What the hell is wrong with the elves and their huge and full of meanings names? "Aeglos?" I call. His eyes meet mine as he keeps patting my brothers head. "Hum?" "Can I ask why why they were hunting us? They didn''t intend to kill us, but capture, even more when they notice I could talk. Why?" He gets more comfy, his back against the wall, as my sleepy brother gets closer to him, seeking his warm I need to teach him some manners later on it seems. "There are many thinkable reasons, but probably because of contracted beasts." "How so?" "Well, every magical being has an element, humans, elves, beasts, even some animals that may evolve. The point is, the humans may be able to train, but they have their weakness; they age far quicker them the elves to be able to evolve naturally nor the beasts facility to gain new skills, though they are the most insistent and hardworking group for the lack of natural talent. But still greed is in their nature, so they created a way to bound magical creatures to their wishes; and depending on the type of contract they can even order the death of it using mere words." "That sounds horrible." "Indeed." "But why I was more valuable to them? And us in general?" "Well, they prefer creatures that would obey naturally, and hounds, even more younger pups, are easier to train, as it seems. Well, of course you are an exception." "And been able to talk in such young age and having a unlike evolution shows how smart and unique you are going to be. It would be an investment, you may say." "And there is a way to fight back? To break the bound?" It gave me a twist on the stomach to even think about it, how we almost ended up as someone''s pet, without will, without freedom, our fates in the hands of someone else, like a mindless toy. "Not that I know off. But one thing I learned is that is there no magic that cannot be created, only the ones who await to be made. I''m sure you will find a way if you insist." Well, sure as hell that didn''t help with anything, but I could try, I would try, not even doing so would give the same results that I had now, so perhaps learning about the contracts could at least protect us against it, who knows. I kept chatting with him, a few things from the Reincarnation, others about this world, but eventually we fell asleep as well. ~~~~ I woke up to the sound of my brother playing with Aeglos, who throw a stick that my brother happily brought back. Well, at least he seemed better, stronger, and now I don''t even know if is a bad idea or not to pretend to be a normal hound like him. Well, technically he isn''t a normal hound anymore, but will always be a dog in my opinion, at least mentally. We ate breakfast and the elves companions of Aeglos appeared midmorning wanting to check on us. "We are doing fine, Aeglos, no need to hold you back anymore." He nods, still petting my brother that has been following him around, putting his snout on the curve off his palm. I want pats to I mean, I must say good bye to them, hum. "I know that you guys will be alright on your own, but at least let me present you with a safe heaven, a place with friends that will help you if you need anything. And of course you can visit us nonetheless." He touched my brother forehead for a few seconds and let go, going in my direction. Very smoothly and slow he touched my crystal with the tips of his long fingers and images overflowed my thoughts, of a beautiful place full of waterfalls and big trees and flowers, truly a heaven place indeed. "I passed the location in your mind, now you will be able to get there if you want too." Them, after briefs good byes and whining from my brother, they left, the cave suddenly appearing very quiet and empty. I still couldn''t believe when he said that elves are very cold and harsh creatures, only loving and caring for the forest and its creatures. How could that people full of warm smiles be cold? One of the few things I wish to never find out. I turned back only to see my brother looking down to the floor, ears dropped and a sad look in his eyes. "What is it? Do you miss them already?" He nods. Such a good boy. "We can visit them later." Much later. "But for now we need to leave and become strong, we already have big targets behind our backs. The news of smart pups hounds will travel far are you listening?" "We we could always stay with him them." "We are not pets, we won''t stay as someone dog... But we can visit?" I say the last part softer. "But why? Pass the danger of been alone again, having to hunt" "But you are not alone, I''m here, hum? Don''t you trust me? I''ll protect you." "I know brother, I''ve never doubted you, is just that they felt like family again." "I understand, and maybe in the future you can stay with them, but not until you can take care of yourself, kay? For now let''s head north." "What for?" "They wouldn''t expect us, fire creatures, to go to a place filled with snow, so it may lead them off ours track a little, and even more, our weakness is ice and water, if we don''t work it out and surpass it it will become something for our enemies to exploit." "I didn''t get half of that, but I heard of dungeons nearby, we could always go there, is hidden like a cave but with a lot of food and monsters to train." I nod no before answering. "It may be a good idea for later, but humans use them often to train themselves and gather materials and experience, so we would be found out sooner than later. Even more there are some strong creatures down there, and we may easily get lost. At least up here we can get around been lost, but without fresh air and sun for too long won''t be nice." He looks down again. "Or is there any reason why you don''t want to leave? We can always get back here later to our mother''s land." "Is just that are humans so bad? For us to run away like that?" What? He just got kidnapped and is still thinking about that? Got to be kidding me. "They kidnap you, put you in a cage, almost starve you to death, beaten me to a pup, and you still believe they are not up to no good? What are you not telling me?" "Not all of them are bad" He mumbles something I can''t understand, but when I ask to repeat he says: "Nothing brother! Let''s go, we are wasting our time, they might be coming this way in this instant." He trots to the exit, stopping in the front to motion me to follow, and disappears in the light. I sigh. He still has to tell me what happened to him, and how he survived, but, for now, I was just glad that he was alive. ~~~~ Sorry for those who want quicker updates, but I''m'' basically writing and posting, and my creativity doesn''t work under pressure, so~~~~ Better keep the quality then quantity. One of my mementos is that if I''m not having fun writing you will not have fun reading, hehe. So, see ya! ML: Wait. *Takes a chair out of nowhere, and pats for the author to sit* Author: Wait, this again?*sits down* Y-yes? ML: You made me appear. Author: Yeah? ML: And Aeglos too. ML: Why that bastard gets to meet the brothers but I don''t? Author: It''s something called plot and story building. ML: *Not listening* And he even gets to name them? To pat them? To touch what it''s mine? Author: Well, technically he still isn''t you- ML: And you haven''t even told them my name, and-*Whining, complaining, whining* Author: Awww, someone is jealous~~~ Wanna pet your lover?~~~~ ML: Yes. Wow, so direct. ML: And what about my past? Are you going to do the "suffering past of the character that explains why he acts like that" type? Author: Well, I need to explain your facial paralyze somehow. ML: How about open windows at cold nights? Author: What? Actually it makes more sense then mine Heheh. Now, really, see ya! (^)g Chapter 16 - Fifteen What are two little dots in a white surface?? Two misplaced Hell Hounds. Ha Ha-ha. Never mind thatI think my brain just froze. *Cough* We looked up to the moon to guide us up north. By now two weeks had passed until we reached the cold mountains; and by then we had embraced our nocturne nature, after all, sneaking in a prey when you are black and the environment is totally white? Not I easy task I tell ya, unless is nighttime. But there was something satisfying in looking at the horizon and simply choosing a path to go, with nothing holding us back, been able to go where our paws could carry us. It was amazing. Who said flying was freedom? Running around, going from field to field, up and down the mountains as we view the unique landscape, that was truly breathtaking and heartwarming. But I guess flying would be useful too I could use one of those, you know?... No? Nothing? Shit, it worked before. Ding: (that''s not how it works you lazy sh-) Anyway, as for now we had our bellies down, unmoving in the middle of the foliage. My brother stayed farther away to my right to catch any runaway preys, as I close in more and more. We were hunting rabbits, again, but these ones were chubby and bigger, and had wings on their backs and little horns on the forehead. At night they always went to their dens, and as they sleep we would go and close most of the entrances and holes with rocks and wood, letting only two entryways open. Them my brother would go to one of these and start spiting fire inside, making them scared and confused with all the smoke and heat, and with only one way out. Right into my claws. We hunted them mostly because it wasn''t difficult; troublesome, yes, but not difficult; and to quickly have our bellies filled for another endless walk to the north. Today, however, was probably the last day since we already were very far in the snow and cold. It was very harsh at the beginning. It was like trying to keep a fire using damp wood in a cold environment full of wetness (snow). But to my surprise, at least, we didn''t lose HP, only suffered a lot as it got harder and harder to move and our muscles got heavier and contracted. My brother didn''t mind though; the first signals of snow he started hopping around trying to catch its flocks with his tongue. I won''t denied that even I had some fun I love the crunching sound that my paws made on the snow. And my brother level up as well, level 10, but this time we were preparing to receive his evolution, finding a safe cave; we tried an igloo before, but it melted; and separating some food beforehand. Not much though, as to not attract other predators. He would do it today, that''s why I was closing in the entrance to the cave with some low branches, saying: "We have to choose wisely your evolution, it will completely change your affinity and abilities, so I was thinking we could analyze together what appears and see which one fits you better and Little brother? Hunthor? Are you listening?" Worried I went inside the cave only to find him passed out close to the food, his mouth open and droll coming out of it. He didn''t He didn''t just choose his evolution without thinking and talking with me now, did he? I put a paw on my face, frowning, taking deep breaths to calm down. He wouldn''t chose something stupid right? Like the poison one. No, he totally would. Ugh. ~~~~ After two days of his resting I was able to see his new status. I should have excepted that. A super-ultra-beacon evolution: -Appraisal completed- Name: Palarran Hunthor Mnaothon Gender: Male Race: Fire Hell Hound Age: 0 Level: 10 HP: 150-150 MP: 660-660 SP: 245-245 Attributes: Fire Titles: Younger Brother, Good Boy, Magic Holder, Graspy Singer, Fire Holder Attacks: Claw 5, Bite 4, Swim 3, Fireball 15, Fire Breath 15, Fire Armor 15, Explosive Ball 15, Tail Whip 1, Aim 11, Support 10 Magic: Fire Resistance 15, Water Resistance 2, Earth Resistance 6, Poison Resistance 4, Illusion Resistance 3, Bleed Resistance 4, Fatigue Resistance 5, Hunger Resistance 9, Cold Resistance 5, Fire Manipulation 15, Hell Form 0, Presence Sense 7, Healing Saliva 3 Language: Hound Language 8, Common Language 2, Elven Language 1 Ineptitudes: Sing -73, Stealth -5 Status: Cold but cozy, wanna pats Didn''t know we could lose elements and now he is a pure fire creature hum discreet as hell I may add. When I used appraisal on his evolution this popped up: Fire Hell Hound C Hidden Requirement C Have never used shadow abilities. The outer appearance is greatly changed. The brown spots of fur will turn reddish and will catch on fire while casting magic, as well the tip of a long tail that will grow. All Fire magic related will have 5 level''s more than the basic level. Adds 20 MP for each Fire Magic related. Downside: Will lose Shadow element, and will be more eye catching. His like a living torch walking around, how are we supposed to hunt now?! Sigh But now his Fire Ball is level 15 while mine is 8 I''m level 18! What''s up with the difference! Out of anger I spend the last day training my Fire Ball and Breath until a level up each one at least twice. Don''t care if anyone sees me! Need to train! Train train! When he woke up I was like this: -Appraisal completed- Name: Palarran Thilgon Mnaothon Gender: Male Race: Platinum Hell Hound Age: 0 Level: 18 HP: 720-720 MP: 35-160 SP: 1130-1150 Attributes: Fire, Shadow Titles: The Wise, Angry One, Reincarnated, Older Brother, Whispering Voice Attacks: Claw 12, Bite 15, Swim 3, Fireball 10, Fire Breath 15, Sneak 12, Dodge 15, Dash 13, Sing 65 Magic: Appraisal 12, Fire Resistance 15, Fatigue Resistance 17, Hunger Resistance 17, Water Resistance 4, Cold Resistance 5, Earth Resistance 6, Poison Resistance 4, Bleed Resistance 9, Paralyze Resistance 3, Hell Form 0, Berserker Mode 2, Shadow Veil 6, Voice of the Night 1, Presence Sense 10, Healing Saliva 5, Shadow Merge 11, Fire Manipulation 7, Shadow Manipulation 7 Language: Hound Language MAX, Common Language 5, Elven Language 4 Ineptitudes: None yet Status: Wanna pats too, but looks too scary to receive any ~ ~ We ate, my brother was still a little sleepy and hungry, so in the end we spend 4 days in that cave, ready to leave to hunt again. That''s when something happened. ~~~~ Happy late Christmas!! Hope you all have ate like pi- queens and kings! Ha-haha. Couldn''t write this past two days ((#) But got many ideas at least, hehe. Chapter 17 - Sixteen Something was following us, again, but this time they weren''t human. As we were minding our own business, moonbathing, while my brother rolled around in the snow, only stopping to ask for a scratch on the back, I spot in the corner of my vision a white blur pass. "Brother." Hunthor says, low so only I could hear him. I just nod while his new tail flickered, impassive. I lick my upper fangs. "Let''s see what it is. Can you hold on for a few seconds?" "Sure thing." He didn''t had the ability to go stealth anymore, making his strength by attacking from far away, casting spells, while I usually or defended him, or stayed hidden until the prey charged at him and I jumped on it. One more reason for me to go alone and check. We were trying to hunt new things to increase our abilities, but I would always use appraisal first. I reached close to a group of five white creatures And they looked very weird. They had dinosaur like bodies, with longs legs and tiny arms, but their heads they didn''t have eyes, not even a real head, only a big neck that ended up in a huge mouth full of teeth putted in a circular way. They clicked and clacked, using their talons and claws to communicate, as I used appraisal on them: Stalkers: Blind creatures with a high sense of smell, they are commonly known for hunting on packs. Their name comes from the fact that, once spotting their prey, they never let it go. Good thing they didn''t find us yet right? Of course that, as I was thinking that, out of nowhere they sprinted in the middle of the woods, right where I had left my brother. Shit. They caught our smell. I sprinted quicker in the woods, reaching my brother before them. He strained his ears, and without a word started running with me. Between breaths I quickly explained the situation. "There are five- of them that I know of- two level 12 and the other three level 17. In this Copen- space we are easy prey, we need a closed- in place so you can attract their- attention while I sneak at them." He just nods, already feeling his SP lowering. The trees pass hastily as we dash and dodge our way between them, going farther and farther away from the hunters. But the stalker thing bothered me. It would be troublesome if they kept chasing us, what''s worst, they could have more of them awaiting for us. Not good, hum. The trees started to lessen and more and more snow came to view, stretching on the horizon. A slight mist covers the field, until no trees could be seen, only the bare land and some silhouettes? It was difficult to see but they looked like rocks or something but as we couldn''t afford to stop we gamble our way towards them. Gravestones. Lots of them, laying around to be punished by the weather. A grunt made me look to a humanoid shape to our left, moving slowly through the rocky path. Oh god, it smelled awful. We didn''t slow down as we passed it but I could get a good look nonetheless. An undead, the eyeball hung on his face as his skinny body tried to turn around to follow us. Icky, disgusting. With this open space he could see some stalkers keeping their distance but circling around us to close in, as well as many slow silhouettes dragging themselves, mixing with the tall gravestones. Click clack behind us. Shit they are fast. We hooped around the undead, as it got harder and harder to avoid them. I was faster than my brother and had more stamina, but it didn''t mean they would wait it out; that''s why I slowed down enough to attack them. I used Fire Ball and none of them hit, but I was just trying to distract them as my brother went ahead. One of them jumped high and would have landed right on top of me if I didn''t merge with my shadow. Then we arrived at a castle. Ugh, it was that type with long towers and arcs everywhere, the type only evil people live in, *snickers*. It stood tall against the moonlight, as its windows shone a reddish light, casting an eerie image of an enormous beast lying in wait. The click clack sounded to close between the grunts of the undead that slowly turned their hands up, trying to reach us. I jumped up some falling structures, getting a better view of the stalkers moving in. There seemed to be someone inside the castle, and until I''m told otherwise I will label him as an enemy, so the front door wasn''t an option We circle around quickly, finding a hatch almost buried in the snow, probably for been fairly used as a path formed on the mud. My paws touched something stinky and fifth, and when I looked down and tock a sniff it was easy to recognize. Blood. Fresh blood. Of course, it would never be tomato sauce or something, even more close to an eerie castle. We didn''t have time to ponder as one of the stalkers jumped up on a stone wall beside us, ready to pounce as we pushed wide the little opening off the hatch and closed it behind us. It was pitch black, and any foul smell from before was much worst down here. They banged on the wood of the hatch, but were unable to understand how to open it, so we slowly made our way through the dark stone tunnel. The ground and wall were very uneven, making holes between the stones and slowing even more our advance. My brother suppressed the best he could his fire, but his tail was still dazzling a bit. There were metal bars letting in to what seems likecells? They were small, following the corridor we were walking in. Urgh, the people here must have frozen to death if they were kept in this conditions, some cells even hade tiny windows that let snow fall in, showing the outside in a mocking way. My brother looked at me, his ears low, feeling the odd aura around. I manipulated our shadows so our talons wouldn''t make a sound, until we reached some spiral stairs that led upstairs. We arrived at the upper part and inside the castle, pushing open massive wooden doors. There was a red old carpet going all around the place as the victorian windows were framed by ragged red curtains. As our paws passed, taking of some dust, I could see that one day they had golden drawings sewed on them. Must have been quite a sight to behold, with the tall windows and arced celling. We heard broken glass up front, and exchanging looks we trot silently, arriving at an open big space with a balcony above, and a pair of stairs circling around in symmetry. Two of the stalkers were shaking the glass off of them, making marks on the wooden floor with their talons. Perfect, only three of them in, easy to take out with all this shadows and hiding spots. But then I sensed a presence, a dark and strong one, and angry. "Such little insects making a mess of my floor! But no trouble, no, you will be fitting new subjects." Someone spoke from above, clicking its tongue in annoyance. A cane followed his steps, as he gradually descended the stairs, unaffected by the growling of the creatures below. He was wearing a long hooded cape, letting visible only long grey fingers. But when he stopped in front of the creatures, I could catch a glimpse of his face. ~~~~ Wayy, I''m not stuck anymore! Is terrible when you have many ideas but haven''t thought on what happens in the page you are in, sigh. What you guys think of the story until now? And yeah, ML is not here yet, but I want to develop their relationship before anything happens, not just s.e.x, you know? Like in Picked up by the Protagonist of a tormented! MC novel, or The founder of diabolism (which no one ever heard of right? Pff) so if you are looking for a quicky, you won''t have it here hehe. Chapter 18 - Seventeen He was Quiet normal, even plausible, taking off the fact that he his eyes were completely white, his teeth pointy and that his skin was marked with scars, deadly pale as if they have never been touched by the sun. He moved like an old man, a little humped, using the cane to support himself, as he made some sounds in a strange language that lead the cane to start shining, the crocked wood having green and yellow veils spiraling up like little snakes on the cracks of the wood. Them something was suck out of the Stalkers, a grey mass of energy, as if their souls were absorbed by the wood. I used Appraisal, still hiding in the shadows as my brother stayed farther back. Soul Eater C Necromancer ability, allows the caster to suck off the vital energy off its enemies, keeping in a receptacle and been able to use it afterwards. The three Stalkers felt down like a rock, unmoving, growing skinny as if sucked off their organs and blood. He limped closer as he moved his staff in circles and made a crystal float out off one of the creature''s bodies. Magical Crystal C Similar to a soul, the crystal holds the creatures power and element, as well as it''s experience. It can be absorbed and increase the consumer status C the more compatible the more it is absorbed C and it has a low chance of carrying unique abilities. The higher the level of the creature or its uniqueness, the higher the possibility of having a crystal. What, I could gain level by eating those things? But not all creatures had it uhm that explained why I haven''t seen one before. The hooded man turned around again, moving his staff up, and two creatures appeared from another room. One looked like some sort of panther, the other like a wolf, but they were rotting. They were just like the corpses of the undead outside, some parts of the bone visible as well as some muscle and veins. They carried the corpses of the stalkers, but one of them made eye contact with me. And it was shocking. His eyes, they were shining, full of life. I don''t know how, not even why, but these two creatures were very conscious and alive, inside a rotting body. His eyes shone a pained light, and I couldn''t look anymore. These eyes were asking for freedom, they were asking for death. We sneaked our way out without alerting or seen anyone; beyond the undead; going back to our cave with a restless mind. ~~~~ As we were trying to sleep those eyes kept bothering me enough that I was still on high alert, thinking of the events that passed through inside the castle. And, as I was lying with my belly up, thinking, my brother started running from inside the cave, screaming: "Cannon Ball!!!" He said as he jumped on me "Aght, what the hell!! Stop jumping on me you stupid mutt!" "Stop calling me stupid, you''re stupid!" "I will stop calling you stupid when you stop been stupid, you stupid mutt! Get. Off!" He tried to nimble my ear but I pushed him back, not in the mood to play and too tired to care. My brother tried to help me sleep, even told stories like I do to him sometimes to help him relax, but he was the one who ended up falling asleep telling them in the middle, ha. I was looking at the entrance of the cave, were the light sheds big shadows behind the rocks. I sigh, yet again. How would it be? Been caged inside your body as it rotted away; the mere thought send shivers down my spine. But this brought many questions forward; the first one was, should I help them? Or at least try? It would be dangerous, very dangerous, to me and my brother''s life, and was it even worth it? However the thought of simply moving on, living my life as if nothing happened brought stones to the pit of my stomach. But what them? Someone told me, I think, once that for evil to prevail, all that is needed is that the good people do nothing. That brought a bad taste to my mouth. But letting them in that state too. And then I started to think the humans, the necromancer, all of them used us, magical creatures. We were always the mistreated, the enslaved, and for what? Greed, from others, and why not? Nothing would stop them, nothing would stand in their way, they could do whatever they pleased and nothing would happen or change. I clenched my teeth. I wasn''t like my brother; and not in the Good Boy way or anything. I knew I wasn''t only an animal, not only from the fact that I was Reincarnated, but because I wasn''t satisfied. This type of life, sleep, hunt, repeat, was so meaningless that made me think that we should change the away things were, if somehow I haven''t been brought to this world to do something and that made me go back to the first question. Should I help them? Could I? What was the point them? Grow stronger, yes, protect my brother, yes, but what about the others? How could I ever think of protecting him in this type of world that couldn''t care less about magical creatures? There would always be someone stronger out there. And we were outnumbered That''s the problem, they are united; for money, for greed, for whatever reason; but that makes them stronger, not only on level, that we can and are changing, but in weapons, in numbers, in knowledge. That''s what made me decide. If we turn our back now, we would do again tomorrow, and the next day, until we were the ones cornered and become the next victims. We. Will. Not. Run. ~~~~ "You are just overthinking it, again, is actually very simple. To become stronger you need to hunt stronger things each time, that''s all. Or what, you think hunting rabbits will do you any good for fighting experience?" "But is dangerous nonetheless. I wouldn''t want to put my brother''s life at risk" "But there will always be a risk, kid. Every battle is to death, not only for the prey but for the hunter as well. The difference is, what are you going to do about it? Live in a cave for the rest of your life?" The Voice of the Night sighs. "For now you should sleep little hound. And don''t get used to this kay?" I haven''t sleep the entire day, and he knew it; more because of me yawing all the time; so he hummed me a lullaby, letting my heavy eyelids shut tight as my mind settle down. ~~~~ Hellou, I''m very proud of this one, guess you guys are already imagining what the protective brother will become in the future right? Huehuehue By the way I think I won''t be able to post/write the New Year days, so sorry (?n?) At least will eat a lot of meat, hehe (oo) ML: Happy New Year. *Monotone voice* MC:*One month after New Year ''s Eve* Wait, we changed years? How I''m supposed to know in the middle of the forest?! Does saying now gives bad luck? Brother: *Sleep through the entire thing* Aeglos: *Got too drunk to remember why he drank in the first place* Ding-Weakness found Author: Happy New Year!!~~ I hope that my story inspires you guys, that you realize how strong yourselves are the same way our brothers need to be in this unfair world! All: Thank you!! ~~ ('''')( : )(..)( :3 )('''')( : )(..)( :3 ) Chapter 19 - Eighteen We have been watching the castle since that day. The only advantage we have is the surprise; we could watch and plan carefully. The necromancer was level 38, while the creatures were only 15, as the levels decreased the more they rotted. It was doable. But with all of them together it could be quite troublesome, especially with that staff. So we studied his routine, mostly to know his abilities, after all if he could control all the undead around his castle at the same time we didn''t stand a chance. But we discovered that, in one or two weeks max, the two creatures would go out to hunt new subjects for the necromancer, which never left the castle. It would be easy them; we eliminate them, and the necromancer wouldn''t even notice until two or three days had passed. I licked my lips, feeling the adrenaline pump in my veins; we hunted some undead in the last weeks, not very close to the castle, and learned a few useful things, such as; Undead bodies burn really nice. They don''t die quickly. They smell horrible. When burning they smell even worst. And little things like that. As for now, we were tracking the two creatures through one of their hunts. My brother stayed far behind, enough to give me backup without spoiling my position. Oh, I forgot to mention, we kind of can communicate telepathically now. Apparently it does not work on others yet, been made by that special bond the brothers tittles give. And it was veeeery useful, even more now that my brother couldn''t accompany me sneaking around; we could coordinate our attacks flawlessly, cornering our prey without they even knowing what happened. I was closing in on the creatures by now, inside my shadow, watching as they fought a minotaur. Other thing to watch out for is their bite; by poison or acid, an undead bite and claw are always deadly. Our Poison Resistance would do nothing in our favor. So the best tactic was to burn them from far away, which gave my brother the upper hand. My thoughts were brought back to the present by a thunderous attack from the minotaur. He wasn''t very big yet, been level 24, but the hammer he was holding could do quite a mess. The wolf was in front of him, distracting it while the panther sneaked from behind and bit the back of his hull. It started melting, boiling and dripping pus. When it reached the skin the minotaur fell down screaming. That was the problem, even though they were low level undead, that bite was quite scary, even more when they didn''t die with your first attacks. The wolf didn''t waste his time and jumped up the minotaur''s throat, chewing and spilling acid until he reached the spine and broke it, making the spasming body of the bull stay still. This was our chance. Separate to conquer. ''Go'' I said to my brother through the mind link. Next a Fire Explosion went flying in their direction, exploding right at the minotaur''s body, making a mess. They both jumped out of the explosion rate, to two different sides. The panther was closer to me, so I sneaked closer to it; couldn''t use bite or scratch since their goopy blood had the same effect that their saliva, but hell I could give him a good Fire Breath at his face. And that''s what I did. Using Shadow Veil; which consumed less MP; the creature didn''t even notice where the fire came from, only felt his skin catching on fire. It would be an effective distraction if the creature felt pain; but no, it only turned my way, searching for the enemy. I was already hidden, but using Fire Manipulation I made the fire take my shape and growl at him. Now the clock is ticking; how long could I keep two of my Magic at once up. My fire form jumped away from the undead panther''s attacks, but it ended up bitten; just how I wanted. I manipulated once more, frowning at the effort, and made the fire go down his throat and all over his body. Burning him from both sides. When he became just charcoal, I went to see my brother battle. He wasn''t doing so good himself; the wolf manage to get closer to him, which made him lose some advantage. But I didn''t interfere. Not yet. I wouldn''t be there for him all the time; and I know that I promised to protect him; but any unnecessary interference in his fighting would only make him weaker. And that''s no way of keeping him safe. As the wolf ate one of his Fire Balls middle air, it jumped up to my brother face, as he stood there petrified. I was close enough to interfere, of course, so I used Shadow Manipulation to grab his ankle and pull him to the ground, making the wolf trip face first. ''Keep fighting brother!'' As if shake awake, my brother narrowed his eyes in challenge, and used his Tail Whip to push the wolf back to the ground. And then used his new skill, Lava Breath. It was very costly, he said, but worthy as a pool of lava fell down from his mouth making an instantaneous hole on the wolf''s body, consuming the rest like a hungry element. Breathing heavily, my brother fell to the ground, looking at the unmoving body of the wolf. I came closer, asking: "Are you hurt?" He shook his head. "Then let''s go." I had a satisfied smirk seen that he level up; I only level up once, after many undead, but he was catching up quickly, and those Magic Fire related always been five levels above the basic level; now level 22; were really scary. We hunted food for the night, planning what to do the next day, and almost getting to excited to sleep. The Voice of the Night; now able to talk to me all nights, even if I had to sing for it; didn''t say anything, as we already discussed many possible ways beforehand. Tomorrow, we will hunt a necromancer. ~~~~ The lights were on again, the little fires sparse around the rooms. Using Presence Sense; which worked like a warmth vision of a snake, without the need for temperature; we passed through the hatch again and went upstairs. It was very cold that day, even making me reconsidered our plan, but the longer it took us to end this, even more after taking care of the others, the less chances we had of succeeding. One would expect that in a necromancer lair undead would be roaming about, an awful stench would cover all the messy rooms, and yet it was somehow empty; not clean, just abandon. Beyond the dust only a few smells, however, stood up strong, some suffer and citric stuff. I scratch my nose, following the sense. It leads to a big room with two floors with a view to the upper floor. That would be a good place for my brother, so I point my nose for him to go upstairs to receive support from above. The view of the walls was blocked by many tall bookshelves, covered in layers of dust, just some, closer to the middle, seemed well cared for. Many places to hide, I thought as I went from shadow to shadow, and many knowledge to look for later on. I could hear my brother upstairs, as he got a good advantage point. I approach the middle where a few wooden tables stood, some full of pots and glass, but from below I couldn''t see very well; and didn''t care either. I was looking around for a good place to ambush him when I hear footsteps and doors opening. He is here, coming this way! I enter a shadow, as mine would show on the floor, and stay hiding there. He comes in quick footsteps, going directly to the table and putting something on, while the staff stayed beside him. I narrow my eyes at that. "Oh Faust, we are so close." He says. Faust? Who is that? Another creature? That could be troublesome. But nothing happens as he continues, as if someone had answered him. "Yes, they are late, perhaps a minotaur was too much for them, maybe we will need to make new ones. Even better, they are already too old, I should prepare to change them now." "Hm I think so too, his crystal would work better, earth element, strong build and energy, but we can test with this High Bird crystal first, pity that humans do not have crystals, it would cut in half all my work." Curious I look a little up, going to a shadow on the wall, only to see him talking to a skull? It was placed on a velvet pillow, and was very carefully handle. The necromancer takes off his hood and cape only to reveal a face full of scars, and a pair; yes, two sets; of arms, one on the normal place and the other coming from the back, but still managing to reach the front. Is that even human anymore? He passed his tongue on the base of his pointy teeth, patting slightly the skull, thinking. He starts messing with the things on the table, turning pages from some books, scrambling some notes on other, and in other he took off a rag that was covering a human body on one of the tables, the movement letting the stench of formalin come off. He starts opening up the body in the middle, passing the scalpel in a Y form. And still we waited, patiently. All this time his staff was on the other table, and as he brought the skull in one hand and a crystal on the other, to the body and away from the staff, we acted. ~~~~ Wow, 24.144 words and 180 pages approximately at this point, and only in a month (27 days to be precise), hehe, writing machine. It is 6,6 pages and 894 letters per day, cool. But nobody cares. Lol. (oo) Forgot the extra, shit. Not counting that again. And who ran away from the barbecue to write? Hehe And I don''t like fireworks, my dogs are scare of them, so nah Chapter 20 - Nineteen I go the closest I felt comfortable with to the staff. The farther away the worst it is to Manipulate the shadow, but I trained a lot this last days; is a very handy skill. I let the shadows go up the staff in the form of void-black snakes, but not touching or moving the staff until they reached to top. ''Now'' I pull the staff away, throwing it to the other side into another room, and before the necromancer could react my brother launches a Fire Ball at him. Without waiting I dash to him even before the flames start to dissipate and jump up the table right at the back of his neck, but surprisingly one of his back hands grabs me. Ugh, my neck. Before he could break it my brother throws an Explosive Ball that messes the whole room, but the necromancer still refuses to let go, only giving me space and room to breathe fire on his arm. Catching my breath I jump back, waiting the smoke to clean up to see the damage. His back arm fell down, burned and melted, to the ground, and half his grim and now livid face was all but bone. Still, for a surprise attack, it didn''t leave enough damage. Rolling the staff farther out of the room with my Shadow Manipulation, I start to growl at him, using Intimidation, to keep his focus on me. "You-little-rascals" He says, pausing, sounding even more angry then if he had shouted. "You shall pay by become my new servants. Come!" From his hands a green mist starts to form, taking the shape of a skull. Then another. Then another, until the air is filled with this flying skull-mist kind of creatures. They start laughing, banging their teeth in the other, making a clashing eerie sound. They quickly went flying in my direction, but I manage to dodge them while I extended my shadow until it reaches the Necromancer''s feet. He quickly speaks something and break the crystal in his hand before I lock his legs and pull him, distracting him and throwing a Fire Ball at his face, while my brother send another from his back. Unable to move, one was bound to reach. The Fire Ball in front; mine; was blocked by his back arm, rendering it useless as the other since both apparently were undead material, and burned really nice. But the one on the back; my brother''s; was blocked by a wind attack. That came from the body behind the necromancer. -Appraisal Completed C (Short version) Race: Lich (High Undead-commanded) Level: 30 Element: Wind, Dark, Undead Ineptitudes: Fire, Light, alive by command. Status: Freshly made Shit. Big Shit. We had cleaned up beforehand the parts around the cattle of the undead because he may be able to use them, but I never thought he could create one, a high level at that, so quickly. ''What should we do brother? Retreat?'' ''No, focus on the necromancer, the other is only a puppet, we only need to cut the strings, just try to block his attacks for me ok?'' ''Ok kind off'' Kind of what? No time to ponder, the Lich starts to stand as the necromancer tries to free his feet, invocating more of those skulls. It became more difficult to dodge as the Lich threw Wind Blades at me, but it didn''t seem to be familiarized with his new body and abilities. We should end this quick them. I thought of some possibilities beforehand, and as commanding undead was one of his abilities, I counted on some miscalculations of our part, though that level scared me. My brother used another Explosive Ball, barking and calling the Lich attention to himself; which was easy for his beacon type form. The necromancer wasn''t fooled, however, the mere second he wasted blocking his attacks was enough for me to stealth away; I used my Shadow Manipulation to make a silhouetted of me to look as if I had entered a shadow, deliberately letting him see a glisp of it as it entered another shadow from the opposite side. He sent the Lich up to my brother, but I wasn''t as worried as I normally would be; I have trained him this last few days to learn how to take care on his own, and today he will be put to test. Better get the necromancer then, even more now without support. So when he went and attacked the silhouette-lure, I didn''t waste time and jumped straight at him, breathing fire midair, but he was quick and sacrificed all his skulls to form a wall in front of him. Unable to reach him like I planned, I throw another Fire Ball at him to safely jump back. He was furious, I could see clearly in his face, but we planned well, taking any resource he could use. Ding C Title earned C Strategist Annoyed he attacked with a green mist, covering the room like a gigantic clawed hand, passing thought the objects like they weren''t there. Not trusting that my shadow would protect me I quickly retreat out of his reach, going back to zero. Attacking a few more times we walked all over the room, up against the shelves, close to the doors, back to the tables, until he reached some of the drawers and took three crystals off. "You little shit, making me use my resources, I will make you work like a slave!" Them he crunched them in his hands. Like the skulls, some smoke from the color of the crystals started to rise, taking shape and landing on the floor. Shit. They were probably the creatures that owned the crystals. They didn''t seemed very stable, coming and going from their form to mere strips of light and mist, but the claws that touched the ground let marks on them. Double Shit. I looked at them and used appraisal: Electric Snake: A big blue snake with horns running on the back until its tail, known to hunt in cold waters, using electricity to paralyze its prey. Snow Owl Bear: A huge bear with the face of an owl. Have massive paws and can easily break a spine in two. Can survive harsh cold environments, usually uses wind attacks and his massive size paws as weapons. Flying Manta Ray: Elemental creature, made of water, is almost impossible to see when mixed with its element. Tends to use it body as weapon, embracing the preys head and drowning them with its body. Well, isn''t that lovely? The impatient snake brings it''s body up, and like the tail of a rattlesnake it shakes his horns until bolts of energy pass through its back between the spikes. At least they weren''t poisonous . From its fangs lighting comes out, making me dodge backwards at it jumping from shelve to shelve. Oi, I want those books, stop burning them! The Owl didn''t advance, but I could sense the Manta closing in behind me. That one was the most worrisome and quicker of the bunch, flying above. I jump up to avoid been trapped in between them as the Owl jumps almost as high as the celling goes and starts bringing down his enormous paw. I throw a Fire Ball at his face, making him lose his impulse midair as I dodge sideways. When he falls, however, I can see that no damage was made while they circled around the bookshelf I stood on. They don''t give me a breather as they keep attacking nonstop, sometimes hitting their target as they tired me out, going around the top of the bookshelves until the second floor and back down at the tables. As soon as I stand on one of them the owl throws the snake like a spear, in a reckless way that definably wouldn''t have hurt me, but took me off the tables. I look at the Necromancer as he stood in place without moving, and ducking another wind blade mixed with lightning I''m able to see his hands shake and the frown on his face. So this magic was tiring him quickly hm So as the Lich, it must be a conscious effort if I kill him, the others might vanish. I attack one of them back as I did many times, but now I aimed slightly off, which lead the ball of fire straight at the necromancer, but the mantas quickly stood in the way and starts to spin, making a water barrier. After that the other two keep attacking me, while the mantas stood behind protecting him. Well, shit. Then an idea forms as I get closer to the tables once more. Looking to my side, it was easy to find what I was looking for; the skull kept in the velvet pillow. It was important to him, so much that he didn''t even think of using it as a weapon, rather using the precious crystals to deal with us, and even his experiment. He saw me looking, and understanding passed his eyes as I aimed at the skull and thrown a Fire Ball at it. "Faust!" As I thought he uses the mantas to protect the skull, but by the time he realizes his mistake I''ve already close in the distance and jumped up his face, breathing a stream of fire. I did not know at that moment that the magic that he was using did not allow him to move; if he did the creatures would dissipate like smoke; but by having attacked him and the skull at the same time, I put him in a corner; if he moved, the mantas would dissipate and the skull would be hit, but if he didn''t move he himself would be eliminated. He made his choice clear once my fire caught up his clothes and my teeth sink into his flesh. He could keep the creatures up only enough to protect the skull. Gurgling blood leap out of his throat as he held his neck, trying to stop the endless stream of blood. Still, his other hand rises as he lock eyes with the skull. "F-Faust" More blood gushes out, making him unable to speak, and victorious I stood there, watching him. And yet, even when realization that death came upon him to claim what was left of his soul, his eyes never wondered off the skull. My brother came from upstairs, gasping but unharmed, and sat down beside me, watching his final moments. With a grunt I stand and pawed my way to the skull. Yeah, I know, he doesn''t deserve it, I can''t even phantom how many people and creatures he killed, but I wouldn''t be any different once I went down the same hole as him and started to not care. Call it been a sissy, a wimp, and I could even agree; yet I gently put the skull beside him, and once a grin raised his limps, his eyes stopped moving, and he gave his last breath, eyes locked at the skull. Death always send shivers down my spine, even if from my enemy. I start to lick my wounds clean, now letting the adrenaline rush go down to savor the victory. It tasted bitter and sweet. ~~~~ It took me a long time to decide how this battle would unfold, ugh, though I think it ended up pretty nicely. ML: Then how about me appearing? Author: Calm down~~~ It won''t take long~~ ML: But? Author: *starts to whistle away as innocent as possible, taking a deep breath and saying in one go:* ButtheMCisstilladogsoyouwon''thaveyourwaywithhim, bye! *Hides behind a table, prepares for throwing battle* ~~While that battle goes up for the tenth time~~ MC: Yes, we won! We are getting stronger! *Sparkling eyes, ignoring the noise in the background* ML: I think you need to be punished. *close in on him* MC: Hm? Why? Do I even know you? ML: *Shocked, goes back to stare daggers on the author* Author: Let''s whistle away~~~~~ Chapter 21 - Twenty We took the castle to ourselves, a great improvement, I may add, from the gloomy caves we lived in so far, and cleaned up the place from any undead and smelly creatures. It didn''t took long either to discover who Faust, the skull, was as we found the necromancer old diary; he was the necromancer lover from back when he was still alive, but it seemed they weren''t receive well by their prestigious families as they weren''t satisfied in been mere lovers; as many other families had it seems; and tried to flee together. But their families were livid for the dishonoring act and chase them down, which ended up with his lover dying on his arms, never having the chance to live together as they wished. The necromancer, however, had already studied the basics of Soul Manipulation and some necromancer skills, and manage to take a branch off a fallen tree and trap his lover''s soul in it before it went away. He had his revenge then, but he still felt guilty off for what happened. Since then he has been trying to revive him. Hum, couldn''t blame him. Losing a love one is not easy, and I don''t even know what I would do if I ever lose my brother, probably would lose myself seeking revenge But enough of that, I had plenty of compassion for him to buried him with the skull, even though he didn''t deserved it; but my brother kept pestering me on how we needed to be different from them, to show compassion when they don''t, otherwise we could not complain of their treatment if we gave out the same, and blablabla. Honestly, I thought to be a na?ve line of thought, but did it anyway only to shut him up. We explored the castle too, finding the remaining books that survived the fight, and a lot of crystals hidden behind a locked room. My brother didn''t understand anything written on then, and neither did I at the beginning, but I learned how to read easily, turning the pages with my Shadow Manipulation, while my brother burned two books trying to read a line. Sigh. I studied geography, politics, music; Why not?; and some scattered information here and there, never having the continuation of the volumes, which was a little annoying but oh well. By then five years passed in a blink of an eye. We took that long to absorbed the crystals, but didn''t gain that much experience nor any special ability for most of them were snow and water creatures crystals, the totally opposite of us. Wouldn''t make sense to learn Water Ball now would it? But now I, proudly, present our hard work through all these years of hunting, absorbing crystals and training: Older Brother -Appraisal completed- Name: Palarran Thilgon Mnaothon Gender: Male Race: Platinum Hell Hound Age: 5 Level: 49 HP: 1340-1340 MP: 315-315 SP: 1975-1975 Attributes: Fire, Shadow Titles: The Wise, Angry One, Reincarnated, Older Brother, Whispering Voice, Strategist Attacks: Claw 48, Bite 49, Swim 10, Fireball 42, Fire Breath 47, Sneak 49, Dodge 52, Dash 48, Sing 72, Tail Whip 20 Magic: Appraisal 44, Berserker Mode 2, Voice of the Night MAX, Presence Sense 49, Healing Saliva 33, Telepathy (Young Brother), Intimidation 50 Fire Magic: Hell Form Bone, Fire Manipulation 44, Fire Jump 46, Fire Dash 48, Fire Shield 32 Shadow Magic: Shadow Veil 47, Shadow Merge 46, Shadow Manipulation 47, Shadow Pocket 30, Shadow Tentacles 37, Shadow Illusion 32, Shadow Slash 38, Shadow Spikes 48 Resistances: Fire 52, Fatigue 50, Hunger 47, Water 9, Cold 15, Earth 22, Poison 10, Bleed 46, Paralyze 5 Language: Hound Language MAX, Common Language MAX, Elven Language MAX Ineptitudes: None yet Status: Working out, showing those muscles ~ Younger Brother -Appraisal completed- Name: Palarran Hunthor Mnaothon Gender: Male Race: Fire Hell Hound Age: 5 Level: 47 HP: 520-520 MP: 1910-1910 SP: 800-800 Attributes: Fire Titles: Younger Brother, Good Boy, Magic Holder, Graspy Singer, Fire Holder Attacks: Claw 22, Bite 24, Swim 12, Tail Whip 33, Aim 53, Support 46 Magic: Presence Sense 35, Healing Saliva 33, Telepathy (Older Brother), Intimidation 5 Fire Magic: Hell Form Scaled, Fire Form 52, Fire Manipulation 52, Fire Barrier 52, Fire Arrow 52, Fire Whip 52, Heat Illusion 52, Laser Bean 52, Healing Heat 52, Fire Slash 52, Fireball 52, Fire Breath 52, Fire Armor 52, Lava Breath 52, Explosive Ball 52 Resistances: Fire 52, Water 7, Earth 12, Poison 9, Illusion 4, Bleed 47, Cold 13, Fatigue 45, Hunger 46 Language: Hound Language MAX, Common Language 3, Elven Language 5 Ineptitudes: Sing -73, Stealth -5 Status: Lazing around without letting my brother know~~~ Hell. Yeah. We have our Hell form now!! Wow ho! Though is funny, it can be different as well depending on our skills. Instead of level it only has the type, and it increases our abilities 5 levels above, as well as 100 basic points when in use. Not much if you think about it, but without costs nor disadvantage it was a great deal, plus we looked even cooler, if that''s even possible. My brother looked like mother; probably had the same line of evolution then her; with scales instead of fur, but a more reddish color then black when the light shone on his scales, as well as growing on size, tall as a horse. Now me well, I kind of looked even more terrifying. I didn''t have scales, grew even bigger then my brother, my fur turned pure black, and my face was covered by an outside skull, as well as some horns with the appearance of sharp bones going thought my back until the end of my long whip tail that ended in a pair of sharp bone-horns. Badass right? Though I only had the tail in this form, pity. We lived as peaceful we could muster in those five years, but didn''t evolve as much as I wanted too; even more magic, it''s has been months since the last new one. It was hardly enough, and I was already making up plans of leaving and what not when well, let''s get it quickly as a Band-Aid so it doesn''t hurt my pride. We kind of met our first dragon, and he was the first creature to have more than a pair of number on his level, though how much even I couldn''t know. And well, he kind of wanted our castle, so we politely run away with our tails between our legs without looking back to give it to him. All ended well in the end, but I like to think that we were already leaving, just got out earlier- cough. But really, I have been thinking about what to do next, since the snow creatures weren''t helping much anymore, and been hurt by fire; from the high level dragon, but by fire!; made me realize that we needed to focus on levels now, for our skills to the basic ones, as the snow environment improved us painfully slow. So we should go to a desert and hunt down fire creatures and increase our abilities and magic. But first "You promise that we would visit, brother~" Whined for the tenth time in the morning/night. "This way they will even forget who we are, and you said we could visit, and would visit, and" "Fine, fine, fine! If we pass there first will you stop pestering me?" I guess it was easy to know who he was talking about. For my lazy brother, the few things I saw him putting an effort in to learn something all this years were the Elf Language. Well, to get to the desert we needed to pass back through the forest, so I don''t see any harm done in passing to say hello. Though it took longer than that, of course. We wake up early, which means when the sun was still up and about to drop down, and the woods had a warm aura, the beans of light passing though the leaves with a warm orange glow. It was actually not that far from where we lived with mother, but getting there was not an easy feat. First the wood got so dense that even the sun was obscured, and someone not use to such uneven grounds would have fallen from the dark hidden steps and roots. And up the mountain we go! Just to go back down! Well, it was well located strategically speaking. But how any carriage and big goods passed to there? Scratch there, does they even receive merchants from the outside? Or outsiders for that matter? Aeglos said we were welcomed I hope so, otherwise my brother will be very sad, he waited a long time for it after all. My brother was very happy by my side, his new tail going all round and sometimes hitting me. You would think that after five years he would have learned how to kept it to himself, but nope, still clumsy hitting everything. But that was a little cute, I''ll admit. We arrived at a huge waterfall and knew we should stop there. It wasn''t the entrance as one might think, but were you asked for permission and was guided to there. I waited by a rock with my brother paddling in the water, trying to catch a fish; and falling miserably; when I finally heard the hooves of the deer coming from the woods. I sat down, with my back straight and ears up, while my brother got out of the water and wiggle himself dry, throwing water all over me. Earning a stare, he sits beside me with his tail wiggling, and the tongue out. Three of them come out of the woods, riding immense deer and wearing green and brown, nothing to fancy but very practical for the forest. "Who goes there?" I stand, give two steps forward and say: "My name is Palarran Thilgon Mnaothon, and this is my brother, Palarran Hunthor Mnaothon, we came in the name of Narwain Aeglos Mnaothon as his guests." They stare at me, petrified, and for a moment I think if I said something wrong, but no, all the time that I passed training and memorizing the names so much that even my brother remember then wouldn''t let me say anything wrong. Then I just wait, raising an eyebrow, questioning. "Minaothon you say? I see, you are the Hell Hounds pups that were saved from the smugglers five years ago?" "That is correct." He nods. "Then follow me, Palarran." That''s it? He will just take my word for it? Oh, right, I cannot lie in Elven Language, something to be aware of, hm. We walked more, following them as one stayed on the right, one up the front and the other to the right. I looked at them, a scold forming in my face from been cornered, but the elf on the right, a green haired one, just smiled at me and winked. "So you don''t get lost" He mouthed. The bushes and trees got thicker, and a white mist rose, making almost impossible to see. I see, is a camouflage spell hum, clever, but a little useless on us, after all, hounds use more their nose them eyes to guide them. Not that I would say anything at that, of course. My brother may want to visit them, but my job is to always stay alert, and trust no one. Well, except my brother I guess. The one in front stops and give passage, walking sideways, as he says, motioning for us to advance: "Welcome, Palarran, to Serie Sarnoron, your peace and free homeland." As he finishes I finally get to look at the place, the sun still shining, enable the glorious view to be even more breathtaking. ~~~~ MC: I took so long to remember all those names and say they out loud without misspelling ??n?? By the way, the next chapter will be ( ?~ ?? ?) Chapter 22 - Twenty-One And breathtaking it was. We weren''t inside of it yet, only in a stone path that went up to it. From here we could see an enormous construction right on top of a waterfall, and behind it, curving in arcs, gigantic trees with other contractions on them. As we start to walk again up the path I see wooden stairs leading up the trees, as well as many bridges above intertwine them, making the ground very inter-ligated with the sky up constructions, so much that you could turn a wrong street and end upstairs. But, even more, what surprise me the most were the quantity of magical creatures roaming around, and not only deer, but lioness, griffin, owls, unicorns, etc, in less number than the deer, of course, but there nonetheless. "They are not contracted beasts are they?" The one leading the group laughed, getting off his mount and taking off the reins, letting the deer simply walk away, since it was without a cell from the very beginning. "Is not in the way you may think it is." He answers, standing beside me, but he is not the one who completes it. "Every elf may have a companion in a.d.u.l.thood, some search for their entire lives without finding it, but don''t mistake it, it''s a companionship, both parts want and chose the bound. We do not force any magical creature to stay here, as we are the Guardians of the Forest, and it would be against everything we believe in to do such a thing." The person in question had white hair and deep blue sea eyes, his long ears had three pair of earrings, and his face was filled with tattoos, one cupping his chin and others going up his neck. "Elder" The one beside me bowed, smiling at him and going away, leaving us with this elf. He walks the last steps down, staying in front of us, giving my brother a small smile and a nod for me, to which I give one back. "My son talked about you two, and how a pup went against an entire camp of humans only to save his brother. I was impressed, even if it didn''t work." "You are Aeglos father them?" "Yes. Please, follow me, let us meet up with him." As we walk I could notice more tattoos going up his fingers to his hands. "It goes all over our body?" My brother asks, of course his curiosity winning against his good sense. "Is the mark of an Elder, given to us by the title. It''s an honor and a gift given to few." We walk farther and farther in, passing through white marble buildings that took full advantage of the moon light with many windows and crystals, and had few fire light sources, mostly inside rooms were people were reading or writing. At some point we went a little downwards, passing through more and more elves as we arrive at another marble building, mostly square, but with many details on the edges and entryways to compensate that. At the front, two big horse-sea statues were with their hooves up, curving their backs and standing on their fishtail, their snouts pointing to the sky and their mane made as if staying underwater. Cool. There were arcs upon arcs, framing beautifully the passageways, the layers giving a wave motion to the marble. A lot of crystals shaped like a drop were hanging around the celling, receiving the light of the moonlight and passing to the rest of the room, reflecting like platinum waves. At the main room we went left as the women went right, though there was a third straight option for mix. "A bathhouse?" Are you calling us dirty? Where is Aeglos? Wait. "Yes, sorry for this, we weren''t expecting your company, but he should be inside. Now, if you excuse me, I''m going to prepare the place for you two." He gave another little smile, and with the fl.u.s.tering of his clothes turned around and left us in front of the bathhouse. My brother, of course, without thinking twice went straight ahead. Wait, you little shit- I thought as I followed him. And Wow. Where should I start describing first? The bathhouse was like a lake, full of natural rocks and spring trees forming an arc on top and covering the water with their petals, letting the silver crystal liquid look even more celestial. There was a part of the room to leave the clothes on, other to take a quick shower or to clean ourselves before going in the bath. And the well, the many elven n.a.k.e.d torsos showing all around us, some talking and smiling, others relaxing and drinking something by the end of the bath. That much n.a.k.e.d skin was blinding me and turning my brain to puddle. Have I mentioned that I haven''t see one-single-ugly-elf this entire time? Oh gosh. One might think; but they are male, and so are you, so don''t worry about it, but the point is not if it''s a male, human or not, is just that beautiful things are beautiful, and gorgeous elves are much more than that. Is just appreciation for the handsome, ok? My brother goes trotting as if in his natural habitat, and when he find Aeglos he goes barking: "Aeglooos~~~~ Remember us?? I missed you~~~" Aeglos was inside the bath, wearing a high bun so not to wet his white hair and was talking to someone, but the moment he hears my brother''s voice he turns with a smile that reach his green eyes. He opened his arms and my brother jumped straight at him. "Hunthor! Thilgon! What have you two been up to?" I tried to ignore all the n.a.k.e.dness around me and went closer to him, sitting beside the bath while my brother was sitting on his lap inside the water and passing his snout on the curve of his neck. "Brother, you will dirty the water" And don''t sit on the lap of someone who is na- "Why you two don''t wash yourselves too?" Says Aeglos as he starts passing his nails on the back of my brother, taking the mud off. Hey, we are clean!... most of the time, is just that we have been travelling a lot to get here, and now that I mention it, my legs are tired from all the walking, soaking on a bath could do me good but not all this n.a.k.e.d bodies around me. Though it would give me a good excuse to stay longer to appreciate the view- I mean, the beautiful moonlight and trees, yes. My brother has fun in the bath, using as a pool and swimming back and forth from Aeglos, even warming the water with his tail for him. I put my paw in the water, feeling the temperature, and it was warm enough to be confortable. I wiggle my talons and put the other one, going for the shallow part so I could stand; without anyone''s lap. Getting confortable I lay down and support my snout out of the water on top of the rock, closing my eyes for a little and naturally warming the water around me; I''m filled with fire after all. So much skin on site elves don''t have much hair on their body, which gave me a clear view of those strong hill of abs, and those wide swimmer shoulders, the strong arms, not to mention the- I feel someone approaching as my brother goes receiving pats from the others elves, and I look beside me only to see a child with big blue eyes and bronze hair staring at me. "Can I touch you?" "No." "Can I clean you?" "No." "Can I help you bath?" "No." "Can I-" "No." I close my eyes then, but I still feel his eyes on me. Annoyed, I open one of my eyes only to see him staring at me without blinking. I take up the challenge and stare back. Annoyed that he won''t give up I scow and snort away, closing my eyes again. " and now, can I touch you?" Ahhhh-soooo-annoyiiiing! I look back at him with an eyebrow raised as he looks at me and smiles, showing his missing tooth. Damn it, even the kids are cute. "Does that work with your parents?" "Like a charm." Damn kid. "Only a little." I didn''t even finish talking when he comes closer, fighting against the water to go quicker, and sits right beside me. One of the elves; I think one of his parents, brings a bucket for him, smiling apologetically at me. The kid takes it and from inside brings off a soft brush, a metal brush, some shampoo and crmes? "Now, remember what I taught you?" Says his parent and the child nods. He starts reciting something and I look carefully at them, feeling the water move around me. "There! Now the shampoo won''t go to the rest of the water." The father says when I look down at the spiraling water that wasn''t mixing itself with the rest. The kid then takes the shampoo and starts to spread on my back. From now on I just doze off; never thought a bath/massage could be so relaxing. The kid is having fun, but couldn''t keep the water spell for long, as his father took his place on cleaning the water from the shampoo and putting on the bucket. It was late when they finish, and I''ve never felt so clean and fluffy, like a rich lady lap dog. My fur shinned on the moonlight, and I smelled of berries. Ugh, how I''m supposed to hunt like this? Going to rub myself in some soil later on. The kid had fallen asleep beside me, so his parent had taken him out long ago. When we got out; and my brother calmed down; the place was almost empty. I was relieved that I finally could look around without staring at someone''s abs. But of course I forgot Aeglos, right? He stands with my brother on his arms, asleep, and everything comes to view at once. Those abs, those toned legs and thighs, arms like hills, all in all in perfect synchrony and still not bulky, giving him a slim figure and "Thilgon?" "Yes?!" "Hum lets go back?" I nod quickly, getting off from the bath and drying myself, rising my body temperature, as Aeglos passes a towel over my brother and starts to get dress. Now that I can look without having a heart attack, we finally leave the bath house in the direction of his home. ~~~~ Author: *whispering* Hey girls and boys, did you like this chapter? *wiggles eyebrows* It was a surprise attack right? Author: What? Why I''m whispering? Well, you see, someone discovered that someone looked at other''s people abs and started to freak out andShhh. ML: Author-san~ Where are you~~Come out, come out~~ Wherever you are~~ Author: *still whispering* him playing the sweet one? OH NO, mayday, mayday, call the cops, reinforcements, someone, anyone, help-Aght- Big News! Big News! Fictional character threatens author for letting his wifey have contact with other man when he himself has-not-appear-yet! Chapter 23 - Twenty-Two Some elves guards were walking around on the ground while others passed above from time to time, flying on a griffin or a pegasus. I followed Aeglos up a wooden ramp that appeared to have simply grown out of the tree, the wood on the sideways of the ramp squirming themselves up, forming a railing with leaves growing off of it, as well with some circular support for vases, having almost all the path covered with fruitful plants. One of them had some kind of pepper, and Aeglos goes close and grabs a couple of them and throws my way. "Here" I catch them midair, turning my snout sideways so they don''t fall. Hm hm, tasty. We keep walking, going higher and higher, seen many other houses made of wood and hidden by leaves, like they were part of the trees and maybe they were, created by wood magic or something. The houses weren''t very big and all had mostly the same size, with diamond shaped windows that were covered by greeneries so the rain couldn''t enter. The constructions went on, spiraling up on the gigantic trunks, intertwine by wooden short bridges that swung with the wind. Good that I''m not afraid of high places, even more on these bridges that looked more like swings. Aeglos goes to one of the houses where a little board stood in front on a little balcony, beautifully carved with his family name, and some vases stood in the sideways of the entrance with white lilies, purple azaleas and some strawberries. The door had a little window on it, but nothing had glass, too expensive I suppose, and was painted white with a golden shield and two swords crossed behind it. "Blessing mother, father." Aeglos says as he enters. "We have guests." His father I already meet beforehand, and now I could see his mother as well, a salmon haired woman with long ears wearing big circler golden earrings, a long white tunic in a straight pose that gave a tied yet suave aura. She turns to me and smiles, her green eyes sparkling. "Welcome, dears, your father is finishing dinner," She looks at my brother, still asleep "Why don''t you put him on the bed? We ended up using your room, I hope you don''t mind" "Not at all." Said Aeglos. That was the first time in this life that ate only fruits and vegetables on a meal; well, actually most were pepper, rice and seasoning, with strawberry as dessert, and soon I discovered that consuming meat was forbidden for elves, and very well seen for others to eat, except for those few creatures that could only eat meat; but I doubt anyone could resist elven delicacies as they were very creative with their dishes. What other species would study what each magical creature likes to eat? That said a lot about them. We talked late at night, and I understood what my brother said back then; that Aeglos felt like family. I don''t know how long has it been since I talked to anyone outside my brother, really talked. I guess only with mother, way back. As for now I was laying down on my mat been surrounded my ferrets. "Haha, sorry about that." Aeglos said, covering my brother that was still asleep. "They tend to invade the houses and stick to something warm, and, well" He didn''t need to say anything as the energetic brown leave creatures rolled around me and my brother, going as close as they can, one was even on top of my head, oi! That''s a little too much! Squick squick my ass! Don''t look at me with those big black eyes, you won''t be sleeping with me! Oi! Sigh I was still in my little battle when someone knocked on the door strongly, urging to be answered quickly. "Coming." Said Aeglos father. Who could be this late at night? I stand up, making the ferrets roll down my back, and follow Aeglos to the door, were his father already stood talking with some guard, one of the border ones as he wearing green and brown. When he left, bowing, Aeglos father turned back and started to get dressed to leave. "What it is Father?" "The expedition to the dungeon, it seems something went wrong, I''m just going to check it out. Go to sleep, we can talk in the morning." Without further ado, he left, and we did as he told, Aeglos going to sleep late, worried, and me with a restless sleep with all those Leaf Ferrets closing in on me. But, well, I''m use to my brother, so it couldn''t be worst, right? ~~~~ The next day Aeglos was restlessly siting on the dining table; which, by the way, were the only few furniture around, difficult as it probably was to bring all of those up here; waiting for his father to come back. He only stayed still for as long as it took for him to eat, starting to pace back and forward around the house. "They are taking too long, I''m going to see what''s going on" He says to his mother, only for the door to open and his father enter. "What happened?" "The excursion to the dungeon went wrong." Shocked, Aeglos asked: "The one if the kids?" "Yes." "How so? It''s a low level dungeon We made sure that it was safe enough for the young ones Unless Oh no." "Yes, it was a trap dungeon." "Damnit! How can it be?!" "Wait, you lost me there." I said. Both look at me then, as if they had forgotten I was there. And probably had, for the guilty look on their faces. I turn my head sideways, waiting for the answer. "It is common to send expeditions to those low level dungeons so the young ones can train and harvest some treasures. There was a new one just outside our city, a low level one, and we had sent other groups beforehand, but" Aeglos father continued for him: "In very, very rare cases, the dungeon itself can be a monster too. They are usually cunning and smart, trapping the adventures in, even lowering the first floor level and it seems to be the case. There was a rock slide at the entrance, and we cannot open it without more rocks falling on us, we take some out, the dungeon drops more on us." "We have plants to open a secondary entrance, a hole on the ground with stairs, but we do not have any way of contacting the ones inside, and by the time they realize their situation they will be doomed Mother Nature, they are only kids" "My brother can enter." Says my dumb mutt brother. Of course he would throw that out without thinking. And as I expected, both elves turn to me with a glint in their eyes. "Can you?" I swallow dry, thinking. Is not as if I could lie in their language, and if I suddenly change to common language it would make it obvious. But answering would compromise me On helping them. Actually, the real question is, do I want to help them? "Yes, I think I can." I answered. If these elves had hesitated before, if they didn''t kept their vows, we would ended up in a very different way that what we are today. They were one of the few kinds that I still trusted, and I don''t want to ruin it. This world is a dangerous place for magical creatures as it is. No need to complicate things. And I wouldn''t sleep well at night if I distrusted even those who once saved me, even more betraying their trust. "Great, that way we can inform them." "I can carry food too, medicine and whatnot, just not living things." "That''s amazing news!" Aeglos says, clapping his hands and going to the door and outside to prepare the resources. His father goes as well, not before turning to me and saying: "I know what must cost you to get yourself involve in this, Palarran, and the only thing I have to say is that we, elves, never forget a good deed to our kind. You and your brother will always be welcome here." He bows and I repeat the gesture, following them. They quickly dash through the paths, giving orders and assembling the supplies. I use this opportunity to talk to my brother. ''Brother, I will go alone in there to help the caged elves, I need you to stay here and help with what you can, but nothing dangerous ok? Stay close to Aeglos and'' and if I don''t come out then stay with them I wanted but do not add. Is the second time we will be separated, and the first one was from the kidnapping I look at him worried, but shook the idea that this was the last time I would see him. Come on now, is just a dungeon, how hard can it be? My brother smiles, and passing his head on my side says: ''I believe in you brother, you will do just fine. Now, go there and make us proud kay?'' I push him back in a joking way, with a dumb smile on my face, and once we reach were the Elder and Aeglos were, I ask while we walk: "So, what are dungeons exactly? What should I expect?" "Dungeons are the veins of the world that dried out. They are full of energy, can be positive, negative, elemental, depends and can vary on the floor as well. As for been part of the veins of life that make the world, sometimes it can copy other places." "How so?" "Well, the dungeons are a way to refill the veins; the creatures that are born within give their energy back to the vein once they die, but it takes years, millenniums even, to refill it, as the dungeons gets smaller and smaller every century." "But the surging of the dungeon is almost instantaneous. That''s why, to fill the void, some parts of the dungeon are copies of places that are connected to that vein in particular. For example, there is a vein passing right in our city; can be on water, air, as well on earth; and that vein goes on and on through the world until it reaches a forming dungeon. The newborn dungeon then copies this place to replace its void, making a copy." "Hum" That''s quite interesting We walk farther and farther into the forest until we reach a tube like structure made of rocks. "This is it" Aeglos said, stopping in front of the entrance. I already had all the supplies in my Shadow Pocket as once more Aeglos touched my forehead and images passed behind my closed eyelids. "We don''t have much mapped out of the place yet, the maximum we reached was level 3, and not the entirety of the floors yet." He licks his lips them, eyeing the entrance, then looking back at me. "Thilgon come back safe ok? I think your brother would never forgive me if anything" He shakes his head without completing. "Words have power, just be careful." "From now on he cannot follow you, the dungeon will sense us and make rocks fall on top of our heads. We are making another entrance, should be done in two hours, and is far away and hidden so the dungeon won''t notice, hopefully." I look at him and nod, looking one more time to my brother. I wouldn''t say good bye, not hug or anything; wasn''t my style you know? "Hey, dump brother, don''t mess things up to much up here while I''m gone hey?" He grins, showing his fangs, and answers: "I''m not dumb, you are, and don''t get caught up on the fun to much kay?" I snort, turning my back and walking inside the damp tunnel. This was supposed to be a relaxing morning, eating pepper by the sunlight, and yet how it ended up like this so quickly? I conceal my presence with Shadow Veil, and even my footsteps are nonexistent as I enter the darkness. Unfortunately for some reason we Hell Hounds do not have night vision, but my Presence Sense combine with my Hound senses made up for it. The circular stone tunnel kept going, some muddy water covering his lower part, as up front round entrances appeared on it sides, circular holes that lead to the darkness behind metal bars. In one of them a deep low throat crackling sound resonated, as if the clicking of a bat. Nope, I''m fine in the main tunnel, thank you. Upfront some blue light shimmered, shyly showing the path. Up close, it turned out to be small puddles of glowing mushrooms. That''s one of the things my brother would probably try to eat, ugh. Some movement on the water caught my attention but they were just some rats, I thought but look again anyway only to see strange green eyes and white fat worms wiggling in and out of their nose and ears. Ewww They couldn''t see me as I dashed my way through the tunnel, walking for a long time until I reached somewhere different; the cave in. There were rocks everywhere closing in the path, but I simply enter my shadow and passed easily through the little holes. It lead to a gigantic hole, empty in the middle, with the stairs going via the outside of the circle in a spiral downwards, the water following down by a little ramp hole made between the steps. Well, I was a long way down, I think as I quickly go down, hopping the stairs. ~~~~ Well, I know nobody like to hear a writer say this, but I''m a little stuck in the next part, so forgive me if I take longer to post. And I''m thinking of going back and editing some things What you guys think? There are so many mistakes that I need to fix it now or it can wait until I finish the book? Thank you~~~ (b~_^) Chapter 24 - Twenty-Three I went down for, what, thirty minutes, one hour, two hours? It was difficult to tell down in a totally dark tunnel that kept going and going nonstop without anything changing. When I reached the end my legs hurt but still I felt relieved, almost kissing the floor; but I wasn''t that dramatic yet. I had caught the elves smell long ago, not been too hard in a close in place like this, even more a group of them. Apparently they were down there for three days already, as it was normal to stay for two to three days in for the young ones, but someone who was responsible to meet them at the entrance notice the cave in and reported immediately. The hope was that they just happen to notice the cave in yesterday, and would be close to the entrance and unharmed. But a monster dungeon wouldn''t let it go so simply. For what I could gather it was really like the dungeon itself was a monster, with conscious and hungry for energy; which only the dead could give. He could lock people in, change the level of a floor, and so on. I walked through a little cave entrance, with uneven stones, and it suddenly opened outwards to an enormous place, with a surprisingly high ceiling and stone bridges. The mushrooms were bigger here, illuminating even more in a blueish light, along with some plants falling from the ceiling like hair, shining too. I look down beside the bridges only to see a never-ending pit. Wonder where it leads, and how big this dungeon is. It there any limits at all? Hm But it is funny, strange even, been alone here, everything was to quiet. I''ve been always worried about protecting my brother that I never had time to realize how much his support meant to me. It was a little scary, I admit, been in a strange and dangerous place alone, totally alone for the first time since I was born. A noise caught my attention, making me perch my ears up. "For Nature! Why they don''t stop coming? Fall back kids! Stay behind me!" With the Shadow Veil covering my footsteps I run to were the sound came from, quickly arriving at a group of elves surrounded by big bats and rats. But the problem wasn''t there; but in the quantity of them, enough that the walls seemed to move, all covered up by little pairs of green mushy eyes. Well shit. I looked to the group once more and counted them; there were supposed to be 12 kids and 2 a.d.u.l.ts, but there were only 10 kids. The elves looked tired, even more the a.d.u.l.t ones, as one of them kept a wind shield around the kids and the other tried to open a path for them to pass. For how long have they been keeping this up? I jump in front of them, taking off my Shadow Veil and scaring everybody around; specially the mouse I crushed under my paws; and let a stream of fire cover all the rats and bats around, lighting the cave like little torches. The creatures were beyond scared by the bright and hot light, and soon enough were fleeing away while I chase them back. Once I got rid of them I had the full attention of the elves, with their weapons still up. I sigh. "Hello there, my name is Pallaran Thilgon Minaothon, and I came to rescue you." I said in Elven Language, and told them my full name since it seems to be a big deal around here. "Minaothon? The Minaothon?" I raise my eyebrow at that, annoyed, as he coughs and lowers his weapon. With his attention, I quickly explain the situation, distributing the supplies around. Apparently it would be easy since he already knows here the meeting point is. I was about to escort him, however, when one of the elven girls, a shy and petite one, comes closer to me and says: "There is one of us missing." She says, almost whispering. Missing? In not dead state? "Where?" "He felt through a hole on the floor, we couldn''t get him out" She looks over my shoulder and stops talking, but when I turn around none of the other elves were looking this way. I narrow my eyes at that. "Go." I say to the girl as she quickly joins back with the group. "I will have another round around this floor, see if I didn''t missed anything." Or anyone, since they didn''t mention the loss of two members. I trotted out before they could protest. Humf, what type of elf would they be if they can even find their way around hey? I''m not a babysitter. Once out of there I tracked down their last steps, finding soon enough a body half eaten by rats. I would have pitied him if it wasn''t so disgusting to see the little creatures and worms all around it, eww. And soon I found the hole. It looked like a well, made of stone and going deep, very deep, been the home of some flying buzzing monsters. I take another snif, still strongly feeling the smell. "Hello? Is there anyone down there?" I hear some shuffling, rustling, but no answer. Shit, how could they let the kid down there? I jump on the wall and pass to its shadow; one of the perks of all this darkness; and go down avoiding the gigantic wasps. I touch the ground silently, eyeing a puddle of clothes on the corner. "Hey." I said, going closer as the puddle moves, startling me. "My name is" I start, but once I get close I see his is not responding, unconscious. Shit. Running up to him I try to turn him, only to almost get stabbed by his quick hands. And there stood a little devilish angel; He was sweating, sick, but the light coming from the mushrooms above was enough to illuminate his face. He still had a childish face; probably 12 or 13 years old; with dry pink lips, long eyelashes curving up and framing his sharp glimmering golden eyes, his face was as if made of marble, white with an aloof expression, the pain apparent only a little in a slight curve of his eyebrows. His hair was long and sunshine blond, tamed in a high ponytail, and his ears were shorter than the other elves, been slightly pointy at the end. He brought me back to the present when he tries to move the sword up, but I raise my paw saying: "Wait, I came to help, my name is Palarran Thilgon Mnaothon, I brought supplies and" I explain the situation again, but after that he doesn''t even react, fixing his burning gaze at me. "You are the Hell Hound." Well, yeah, I''m a Hell Hound, so what? "Are you hurt?" He stares at me a little more until he lowers his sword, still lying down on the floor, and look at his leg. I take of some herbs, as he starts fixing his legs, which now I can see were dripping blood, full of scratches from the stone wall. It must have hurt, and yet, he didn''t said anything, nor did his expression change, as if he wasn''t affected by this mundane things. I look up, thinking of how I''m going to get him out of there, as I ask: "What is your name?" He was bandaging his leg, not even looking up at me, but when I thought he wouldn''t answer he says. "Calien or Leonel." "How so?" "Elf and human names." I look back at his ears as he gives me a side gaze, finishing with his leg. "Hungry?" I ask, already passing him some food. He only takes the bread and nibbles at it, straighten his back and looking as elegant as he can with a wounded leg and muddy from the dirt around the floor. " Sokid." I earn a twitch from his eyebrow, which very quickly fades to his aloof expression, making me want to test his limits. "We ar-" As I was about to provoke him further the walls start to shake and dust falls all around us, making me want to sneeze, but at I look up I''m only quick enough to see the hole; the hole we came in, our exit; close in like a gigantic mouth. What. The. Hell! I was petrified for a few moments, unable to do or say anything. There was a stone wall now were the hole was, and out of stubbornness I start to throw Fire Balls at it, even though I knew to be useless. "Shit, SHIT! God damnit!" When I tired myself I tried to calm down and think, taking deep breaths. Ok. We are closed inside the dungeons, in one of the many floors around, without knowing where we are, how to get out, and for how long we will stay here. That''s all? Oh no, there is the food, supplies, enemies, mapping sigh. Rubbing my paw against my forehead I just react once Leonel standup, not showing any discomfort on standing, which to me was obviously fake. What made him hold his reactions so much as to almost nullify them? "Come, I''ll help you." I said, staying beside him for support. "No need." Sigh "Listen up kid, is seems that we are in deep shit right now, I don''t know how long we will be locked in here, and we don''t know the dangers of this place, so I don''t need a stupid stubborn kid who doesn''t know his limits and is bound to force yourselves in a situation where you wouldn''t be able to react because you are too tired for it right now. Plus, I''m quicker, and you need to heal as fast as you can." So swallow your pride now and just do as I said will ya? He stares at me for a while and, without saying anything, hops on my back as I feel his muscles get tense when his legs touch my sides. I stand straight, waiting for him to adjust his weight on my back, feeling his warm body close to mine as his tiny hands hold firmly onto the fur around my neck. "Ok kid, let''s stick together and not lose hope, kay? We need a safe place for you to recover, information, awareness of any enemies, and" I went talking, felling the need to fill the empty silence with something, my eyes covering the stone walls all around. This place was very similar to the one above, the entrance-way, but instead of opening on the sideways it had holes upwards; which mostly just went a little up before closing in, having many crystal like things shining and illuminating the place. Leonel lay down quietly on my back, embracing me more strongly. I try to ignore, since talking about it would probably wound his pride, but he sticking like this to me reminded me of a little baby panda hugging his mother. That brought a smirk to my face. Really, the dumbness of my brother must be contagious, for me to be smiling in a situation like this. He will get worried, when I don''t show up with the others. But he will have faith in me, I believe that he will believe in me. So giving up or hesitating is not an option. "Don''t worry kid, I may not be able to promise you that we will get out of this alive, but I''ll promise that I''ll give my damn best for it to happen." He tenses again, but with a firm grip he says: "Uhm." ~~~~ Author: Wayyy! Congrats! You appeared!! ML: as a kid. U( ?? ?? ?? ) Chapter 25 - Twenty-Four After walking for a while and finding no monsters, we reach what looks like a jail, full of prison cells with metal bars closing them up, and many chains hanging around, some coming down from the ceiling and others on the wall. In some cells there were some strange blobs of meat, pulsating as if alive, like a heart. What the hell I soon find the stairs going up leading to a building, one with a very strange yet familiar setting; there were chairs with little wheels under them, tables with strange devices, glass windows and doors, and many metal furniture around, like tables, cabinets, etc, as well as some dried out plants and wasted food. We reach to a pair of glass doors, a little heavy and jammed, but I manage to open them sideways, exposing the outside for us. And what greeted us looked like a gigantic cemetery full of tall grey buildings close to the sky which, in this case, was the dungeon celling full of crystals shining like stars, the fake light giving more deep to the blackness of the cave. Far away a tower stood above all, a round clock amazingly still working, tick tacking his way around for all the ghost city to hear. Shit, this place is huge, how does it even fit down here? And how are we supposed to find an exit?! First things first, I thought, is that Leonel is hurt, hungry and tired, I need to find a safe place for him and start scouting the place up, even better if I find some food so we do not use our reserves. Oh, and clean water too. That''s all? That I can think of, yes, for now. As I walk Leonel''s face doesn''t react to anything, and he may control well his emotions and expressions however my senses capture more than that, feeling the distress of his muscles, his tired and hurt smell; which were apparent, believe me, is just hard to explain how smells work. "For how long were you down there? And how you got there kid?" Me calling him kid didn''t have any effect anymore, but the question bothers him. "Two days." Wait, what? How so? They should stay here for two to three days, as most excursions worked, but on day one they already messed things up? The cave in was the least of their problems, and how about those a.d.u.l.ts that were "responsible" for the kids? Humf. There were skeletons of trees all around, as a blueish moss took over the place with a few small mushrooms, illuminating only enough so that the shadows grow deeper and the corners were more hidden in the dark. Some excessively white lights stood high in some metal structure too, but most of them were flickering in and out, and many didn''t work at all. Leonel was with a high fever, so I couldn''t wait any longer, he needed to stop and rest in a dry and safe place. Without knowing what to expect of this place, I walked by the main road, hiding behind some metal structures with wheels below them, as I see some cabins made of glass and metal in the form of a square box. It didn''t appear to be really safe, but the visibility would allow me to oversee any danger, and the glass would cover us from any wind or cold temperature. Maybe bricks were better, I thought as I opened the glass door, but as I look over the few stairs that lead up inside a tall building, at its ominous quiet atmosphere, the mere possibility that anything could be inside there hiding in the shadows made me anxious; until further study about the creatures here and this dungeon I would not enter any of that; Hell, even those buildings could be the monsters for all I know! I close the door once we are inside, lying down and letting the boy slide to the ground. Shit, should have brought clothes or something, but it all went down so quickly and nobody would have thought that we would be stuck way down here. My attention goes to Leonel as he was looking pretty shady. Unconscious, giving shallow breaths, his hands clenching, but still his face didn''t change, even asleep. God damnit, what have you passed through kid? I put my paw on his forehead, trying to feel his temperature, but my fur got in the way, only his rosy cheeks let me know he wasn''t fine. I go to his legs only to see they are infected, with some yellow and red tissue around the wounds, scattered all around his skin. Ok, we need to properly treat that. I straight him on the floor and push his pants down with my teeth, slowly not to wake him up, and once I''m done I sit on top of him so he doesn''t move. By then he woke up. "What are you doing?" "Treating you." I start to peel off the bad skin with my talons, feeling him tense underneath me, but he simply says: "I can heal that." "Yeah, sure brat, stop whining and let me take care of you." I say as I keep peeling it off as quick as I can "Just focus on getting better ok? Your MP is almost out." He shut up at that. Yeah, appraisal doesn''t care about privacy, and now I know you have healing magic, your elements are light and wind, and you are level 34, 13 years old, and for what I saw back there very high level for your age; the a.d.u.l.ts were level 40. Which raises the question again of how he got in this predicament. Once I clean the wounds they start to bleed again, but with the bad skin off I start liking it clean, receiving a knee to the snout on the first lick. "Ahgt, what the hell! I''m cleaning it you brat!" "Sorry" It must have hurt so he simply reacted, and funny that this was the first normal reaction I got from him, I think as I go back to licking. After the cleaning he is heavily breathing, his uptight hair a little messed up, and his jaw clenched tight, which brought a smirk to my snout. "You did it on purpose." "Did what?" I raise my eyebrows at that, siting on his lap with a knowing face. "Made it hurt more." "Of course not, why would I? I was only cleaning it up, if you cannot take it is not my fault brat." "Stop that too" I sit beside him, taking a look at our silent surroundings, liking that he felt into my game. "Stop what?" "Calling me a brat." "I may stop once you stop being one." That brought a full fangs smile on my face as his hands clenched on the sides. Ha, don''t think your stone face can deceive me. I snort, looking outside. "Go to sleep kid, tomorrow will be a long day." He stops, thinks as he stares me down, but now I''m seriously looking for trouble outside, watching the glass windows around, thinking that it was best if we could quickly get out of this place full of hiding holes. I listen as he lays down again, and once his breath is deep and stable I look back at him, only to see him all cower up on the corner, hugging his own knees and trembling. Sighing, I stand and go to his side, bringing him closer and half hugging him with my paw. This will be a long mission. ~~~~ ML: *takes off a black notebook and starts scribbling in it* MC:*tries to peek only to fail miserably* Author: *peeks too* Oh boy, are you ML: *looks at MC and smirks* MC:*For some reason shivers and starts to sweat* Leonel Secret Notebook: What punish Wifey for: Calling me Kid: 6 times Calling me Brat: 3 times Holding me down Licking me "clean" Obs: Wifey likes to provoke. So do I. Chapter 26 - Twenty-Five My eyelids were heavy when Leonel woke up. By then I had manage to see some shadows going back and forth from the tall buildings; which was amazing considering the distance between them; as well as some creatures on the ground. Though nothing was worse than the horde that passed by us by the time Leonel woke. Those things were scary, and that statement said something on itself as I have seen some big boss monsters around before. They were like a dark mist, warped around something black and sticky, having a humanoid figure, with longer limbs that ended up in thin needle talons; but the face was the most disturbing part. Were their eyes should have been stood a flaming ball of green fiery mist, and their mouths were permanently stuck in a smiling motion, going upper that it should be possible, showing an all thin tusks smile, while their head spasmed around, like a bird movement, changing directions quickly in a sickly nonstop movement. I brought Leonel closer in a tighter hug, lowering ourselves as much as possible while covering us in Shadow Veil, waiting for them to pass. Dark Mummy: Nasty hunters, kill and torture their prey for pleasure. Their whole bodies are a weapon, and been made of mist and dark material they are not affected by physical attacks, yet are able to inflict such attacks. Usually walk in packs, have many variations. Once one spots a prey, they alert all others of their presence. Ha. Ha-haha. Good thing to know, hum While you are in the middle of a group of them! And no physical attacks? How so?! This is bad. Really bad. Just pass us without spotting us, please, please, pretty please They were some level 60 in the middle of them you know? Scary shit I tell ya! Some of them bump on the glass, others pass the claws on it, making a shrilling sound, and one even jumped up the glass and stood on our cabin. Leonel was calm in my arms, probably calmer than me since I could see the status and whatnot. Finally, as the last one passes, I let out the breath I was holding. "Morning kid." I say, still a little shaken. "" He sits up and starts to heal his legs, passing a warm light over them, as his golden eyes pass over the outside. "We need to go higher." I look up as well. The exit should probably be on top of one of those buildings, with a tunnel or structure to go up. Or at least I hope so; if it is a portal or something we would never be able to get out of here. "Not yet, we should look for water first, then scout the area and look for possible preys too." He stands up, brushing the dirt from his clothes off, which were ragged with holes by now, though his tied posture tried hard to make up for all the messy outfit. I stand too, staying by his side waiting for any support he may need, but he only takes a little too stable as he goes to the exit. I quickly open the door, smelling the remains of those creatures traces, marking them as dangerous beings in the back of my mind, and we go back to walking in this not-so-desert-anymore place. I keep sniffing, trying to find some source of water and even finding some inside those enormous structures, but I wasn''t keen enough to enter yet. We kept walking, passing through many strange metal vehicles, and more than once I catch Leonel looking at me. On the tenth time I ask: "What?" "Why are you helping me?" I shrug. "I''m not helping you specifically, I was just saved by the elves in the past and I''m helping them in return." "But I''m not only an elf. I''m human too." I stop at that and look him in the eye, snarling. "Putting some effort to make me hate you?" Leonel doesn''t answer or reacts, and for a moment I felt like I was talking with a statue. "Don''t be silly, I know what you are, and I don''t care." "Does it mean you don''t hate humans?" We go back to walking. "No, I do." "Then why don''t you care? I don''t understand." I shrug again. "Never said I was consistent." I said, flaring my nose up and finding a smaller building, probably made to live in, with water inside. "I just trying to learn to separate things." I say, this conversation been more serious that I thought it would end up in. "How so?" He asked, truly curious. "Trying not to generalize; in both ways, that not all humans are bad as well that not all elves are good. People are always unique. And trust comes with time and effort, individual effort And my brother kept talking about how not all humans were bad and blabbering about it, it just made me rethink it." "But is not easy, of course, hell, I''m still learning how to deal with these kinds of things, and I haven''t been doing a great job so far" Even more without been given reasons to believe that humans weren''t bad. But the more I think; and perhaps is my animal mind talking; the more I realize that I don''t understand the concept of white and black, good and evil, so well anymore. Can a predator be considerate evil for killing his prey to feed himself and his pups? Would mother nature be considerate evil for bringing storms and disasters over the world? I don''t know, I really don''t, I just think that there is no black and white anymore for me, it would be a simplistic way of thinking but instead there would be only shades of grey; some darker than others, some lighter. Aaaand. I''m overthinking. Again. "But why do you care?" "" "I admire you." He says as we reach the front door and try to open it, finding that it''s locked. "How can you admire me? You just met me." I said as I use my Shadow Manipulation to open the door on the other side. " I know enough." What''s up with that? Weird kid. The conversation stops once I perch my ears up, catching something inside the house. With one side look at Leonel I know he recognized my reaction, staying alert as we enter the dark house. It was actually a little apartment complex, so the first thing that greeted us was a long corridor without windows and completely dark. Lovely. "Put your hand on my back, I''ll guide you in the dark" He does as told, gripping the back of my neck; which felt very uncomfortable since it gave him some control over my body; as we entered the now silent complex. I try the door with the water inside, and had to unlock it too. We enter a very small apartment, the kitchen with a balcony serving as dining table, a two place sofa under the window and to the right were only two doors; one to the bathroom, other to the bedroom. Little claustrophobic, and not a good place for a battle to go down, but at least very hidden. Leonel goes to the kitchen and I follow, finding some kind of mechanism with a barrel of water on top. He pushes the lever below it and water comes out. He cup it with his hands, remanding me of a bird drinking from a little waterfall with his little sips, and once he was done he passes his tongue on his lips, some water still managing to drip from his chin. Looking down on me and to the water on top of the counter, he cups the water again with both hands, managing to push the lever with the tip of his finger, and knees down before me. "Here" Surprised I look at him, a little hesitant, but his cold and aloof face somehow calms me down. I move forward and start drinking from his hand, inevitably brushing my tongue on his palm. "Thanks" I say once I finish, and he simply nods as I, once more, hear a sound outside. Looking back at him, I say: "Is too dark for you to came. I will check things out, ok?" I can see his jaw clench slightly, but he simply agrees as I, once more, enter those dark corridors. ~~~~ Hey yo! This is me. The so hated end of the chapter, muahaha. Just kidding, lol, haven''t thought of a snarky comment for this one. Buhu. What do you guys think of their interactions so far? Chapter 27 - Twenty-Six One thing, at least, was comfortably the same in and outside the dungeon; the hunting, the sneaking, something I was very familiar with after doing it for almost every day in the past 5 years. Which gives 1675 tries out almost, taking off the first month. 1676 times now, hehe. I softly go paw paw over the corridor, sniffing my prey, knowing soon that is not one of those things out there, and that it is alone in here. Two great things to know. The sounds of something breaking comes from the last room were the door is ajar, passing some light to the corridor. The good part is, whatever was down there, it was trapped in the room; and if depended on me it wouldn''t get away. I sneak a peek inside once I reach the door, finding everything messed up, and part of the creature visible from the counter leading to the kitchen, his back arched and the butt to the exit, his long tail rolling in the air. He stops, sniffing, and looks back at me; and even with the Shadow Veil I don''t feel hidden. Teleporting Cat: A dark sneaky creature who can manipulate the space around, been able to teleport itself and sometime objects and enemies. Usually relays on its stealth to hunt, been able to hold his breath to avoid detection. Very similar to me in a way. And I. Want. Teleportation! Knowing that if I gave it time it would escape I jump out of my cover, at the same time trapping it with Shadow Tentacles coming up to his legs. But the cat cuts them easily with his claws! Face to face with him I could now see the creature hissing at me, two pair of long limbs growing off from its back and ending up in some sort of tentacle. He was all black, even the eyes, with a lizard long tail and a back with protuberant bones, the skin stretching in a way that it almost had horns on its back. The tentacles moved, trying to distract me when he jumps up to my face, the paws outstretched to hit my face. But instead of dodging back I go up to it, surprising the Cat, dodging down and entering my shadow at the almost same time that I go up, passing the line of his claws and bumping my head onto his belly, pushing him up in the air. He lost his balance momentarily, landing down on his legs, as we once again go back to staring at each other, but now he had a glim of fear in his eyes. Moving the tentacles on its back it tries to teleport out, moving them in a circle, but a quickly react and breath fire up his face, making him move back and all over the small room. Must be very scary for a creature of the dark to receive a bright and hot attack like this. It whimpered, trying to get away, but I made a Shadow of myself jump straight at him at the same time that the real me jumped up the counter and attacked from the side. Distracted with my shadow the Cat saw me too late, and once I had my fangs deeply craved in the skin of his neck, feeling the flood of blood go down my throat, I cover his body with mine and hold him down with my weight. It didn''t took very long for him to finally die, as I squished the veins on his neck and didn''t allow the blood and oxygen to flow to his brain. Just to make sure, once I can move without losing my grip on him I break his neck sideways. Wait, I suddenly remember. Elves don''t eat meat right? Shit, I hope the kid doesn''t have a tantrum and expects that I will plant something for him now. Snicker. I''ll just shove down his throat, yeah. I drag the cat with me by the neck, and once I arrive were I left Leonel at I find the place in a complete mess. "" He looks at me from the sofa, holding his sword which was dripping some black ooze, and his golden eyes lock in mine, like melted gold, shining with a light of their own in the dark room. I almost dropped the Cat under that intense stare, ops. "Honey, dinner is ready!" I joke, dropping the cat under his feet and looking around. "And what''s up with this mess?" He sheaths his sword, not before cleaning it up, and knees beside the Cat, checking the body as he simply points to a side of the room. I go there once Leonel takes off a knife and starts to skin off the Cat. At first I only see a puddle of black ooze and some rags in the middle, but as I get close I see that is actually a leather bag, but instead of contending something in it his opening had many sharp teeth like a mouth and a long tongue stretched out. What, the bag was a monster in disguise?! See, the buildings could be monsters too, I''m telling ya, frightening yo! Jokes aside I throw the bag away in one of the others rooms; with that black ooze I didn''t want to try and eat it; and when I came back Leonel had already separated the black pelt of the cat, and cut the meat in pieces. "You have practice." "" I take one of the pieces with my shadow, and thinking that he needs them cooked I start a flame inside my throat and try to cook it by spilling fire over it. With a big TRY in it. Ding C Hiding Ineptitude discovered C Cook C800 Ding C Title earned C Forbidden from the kitchen Forbidden from the kitchen C Once people see you TRY to cook once they have a HIGH tendency of forbidding you from: cooking, entering the kitchen, or anything related. The meat that I was holding didn''t even turn to charcoal, is went stray to ashes! "" "Do you eat ashes?" "No!" Leonel looks at me, then at the once meat, and for a slight moment I can see his lips curving and his jaw clenching. He is he is holding a laugh?! At me?! I snore, looking away, thinking to never, ever, attempt that again. Leonel checks the kitchen, taking some pots off and utensils, as I quickly gather some wood from the tables and chairs from the other room, breaking them up. Once I carry them back I see Leonel bringing his sleeves up to his elbows, as he starts to smash a little harmer he found on the meat. "Put all we have here." He says and I take off all the food I had. Opening the windows slightly, I start a small fire with the pile of wood on the metal sink we found, as it was very deep and could keep the warm of a small fire without burning the place up; at least I hoped so. Once I was done I had nothing to do, so I watched as Leonel cooked. We didn''t have spices or anything, only some vegetables, so he cut the carrots, took the leaves off the lettuce and cleaned them under the water, putting all in the pot with some of the water, cutting the meat in small cubes. Mixing them up it took a while to make the soup boil, but once he is done he covers the fire with another metal pot so it dies down and we go eat in silence at the living room. "Hm Is good" I genuinely answer in Elven Tongue, chewing on the meat. "Tastes like nothing. No salt." Well, sorry then, that I''m so used to raw meat that a small mixture like this already appeals to me. After the meal he insisted that we should go out and look for the exit, but I refused vehemently; with evil thoughts of going alone while Leonel slept; but in the end I had to cover him with my paw and hug him on the sofa so to make sure he wouldn''t run away and, in the end, we spend the rest of the day there, recovering with a full belly our tired body and mind. Chapter 28 - Twenty-Seven I woke up feeling very comfortable and warm, still half hugging Leonel. I would never admit out loud but, since I was born, I got too used to sleeping with my brother, and usually had insomnia if I did not had someone to hug to sleep. Yeah, yeah, I''m such a softy inside. Without opening my eyes, however, I can feel some movement around. Slowly clearing up my mind from the sleepiness I finally can discern what it is. It is Leonel and he, and he is touching my paw? I had covered his body with it, so it was right in front of him. One of his hands felt my paw up, massaging my black pads, passing from the big U curved one to the small ones on my fingers, tracing the ledge of my talons and tickling the fur around it, carefully drawing its shape back and forth, as if trying to fix the form of my paw in his mind using his hands to see. I let it be, for a while, but once I pretend to awake he stops his movements and goes out of my grasp. With still watery eyes, I yawn a full fangs wide open mouth yawn, stretching my body, scratching behind my ears with my hind legs, as Leonel watched me all the time. "Morning" I muster out of my mouth. "Uhm." Not very talkative hum? I lay down again, and if I had a tail it would be flickering back and forth as I thought a way to break that mask of his. Just to start the day, of course. Nothing like a good tease for breakfast am I right? "You should take a bath." He stops moving at that, as if frozen in place. "Even I smell better than you." Though I did take a bath before coming in here; but that''s not the point. He looks at his own clothes, full of holes and dirt, then up at me. I just smile innocently, feeling my stump tail wiggle. He starts to mess around the bedroom looking for clothes, and once he finds one he looks back at me, as if trying to figure it out some scamming plans I may have in mind. I''m innocent I swear! He goes to the water tank, take a cloth he found on the bathroom, and starts to strip. On that I look away, still hearing him fidget with his clothes until even that sound stopped, his lean body now in full display I assume. Did I mention he was tall for a kid? Already entering puberty, but still holding onto his baby face. I focus my attention elsewhere, finding the crystal of the cat laying on the table very interesting all of the sudden. I stand, looking on how small it was, the size of my paws when I was little, probably because of the level right? But who cares? Teleportation~~Here I come~~ I put the crystal between my teeth and swallow it hole. Aaand, level up. But no teleportation. Ding C Level 50 C Evolutions Available C Visualize Now? Wait a sec I''m having I breakdown here, I wanna to teleport! Teleport!!! Wait, evolution? I face paw myself. Ding C Requirements for Unique Evolutions from Platinum Hell Hound meet Elemental Hound - Your basic appearance is changed, you may choose one element and become it, not having a physical body anymore and not being affected by physical attacks, will be made of the chosen element. The magical attacks from the chosen element won''t cost MP. Downside: Able to have only one element So is like the Water Manta Ray? I would be made of shadows then pretty scary, but not very tempting as I can do that in battle already and keep my physical body. Next~ Dragon Hell Hound - Your basic appearance is greatly changed, you will grow a pair of bat wings on your back and the fur will become an armored scale. Your resistance to fire will increase greatly, as well as your physical attack. Downside: You will become heavier and slower. Looks cool, really badass, but I still don''t like the slow tanky kind idea, would rather be as fast as possible. So, between the last two again. Hell Bone Hound - Your basic appearance is greatly changed, you will be permanently in Hell Form, but not only the bones will show as well as the muscles, staying in plain site. Quick and deadly, your HP will triple and your resistances will double. Downside: Your intimidate ability will became a passive, and will gain the tittle of Scary Face. Scary!! Me liky like! And this one This one is temptiiiiiing~ Platinum King Hell Hound C Your basic appearance is changed, your fur will turn completely black with silver tattoo drawings, will grow a long whip tail, as well as a pair of horns on your head, one curving back and the other curving sideways to the front. One of yours status will be added half its points, and it will habilitate Legendary Evolutions. Downside: Will increase limbs value, such as for money, potions, etc. By the time I was done with my reading Leonel was done with his bath, wearing some strange clothing; a bluish pants and a long sleeve purple shirt, only savaging his bots from before. His hair was been rubbed with a towel by the time he sat by my side. "HmI think we got a little problem." He takes of the towel, letting his wet long hair fall down, staring me with his impressive golden eyes. "I kind of have to evolve" I explain the situation to him, like the last time we ended up staying 3 days unconscious and whatnot. To my surprise he was very interested in it, even asked what options I had and helped choosing them. Which just meant he nodded to all my comments. In the end I chose The Yeah, the Platinum again. What? Legendary Evolutions?! Sounds too cool to let it pass! The cat would suffice for him for the next 3 days, so I choose right away, laying down the sofa with him on the other side, staring me down as if not to lose one-single-detail. That intense gaze brought shivers down my spine, but I was far too cool to ask him to stop that. Them I chose my evolution, waiting for the blackness overtake my vision and my mind to become fuzzy and drowsy. But nothing happened. Confused I waited, and once I looked up to Leonel I felt a piercing pain on top of my head, followed by a very strong itch. Shit, I can''t reach that! The top of my head was like burning from the itching feeling, making me bang my head on the sofa trying to minimize the feeling; which didn''t work very well. I only notice him moving once he was standing right beside me, reaching for my head. I may add that, since the weak spot, the crystal, appeared on my forehead, I got oversensitive with any movement or contact with the area. But the itching it was too much! He went shyly first, passing the tips of his nails, but it was hardly enough so I passed my head harder on his fingers until he understood and with both hands starts to rub my itchy points. I don''t know how long it took to subside, but once it did it was like as if I woke up from a grumpy sleep, realizing that Leonel was now feeling my ears up. Shaking my head off, I open my eyes again. And somehow felt a new strange height on my body. ~~~~ Chapter 29 - Twenty-Eight This time, for some reason, I changed almost immediately. My head felt heavy with the pair of horns in it, one going up and slightly turning back, and the other curving sideways. I found really strange to see something in the corner of my eyes all the time, as the pointy horn that curved like a goat horn kept appearing. And my tail, my whip tail, was a little too long? It had the same size of my entire body and a little more, with a constant need to be curved in the air so not to be dragged on the ground, making noise and marking our path. My brother tail was better, a normal one at that, staying out off the ground by little. Well, at least my tail whip would be truly a whip, hehe. Ding C Requirements for Secret Unique ability met C Appraisal/Presence Sense Fused into Third Eye Oho, sounds cool, what''s that? I got my answer once my crystal starts to itch like hell, making me rub again against the sofa. It was fast though, and once it stopped I could I could see everything. It was really weird to suddenly have another eye, but even worst is that it showed a different image; everything was highlighted, as if in a dark blue background were the objects shone with a light of their own, and there was too some some things like rivers of light going about. Leonel, who was cooking again, goes to check on my ruckus, and all I can see from him is a bright light, a mix of white, yellow and blue, as well as some some lines going in and out of him. Narrowing my eyes, I try to see beyond that, and as I approach him I can feel him tense under my intense stare as I analyze him fully. There are a lot of tiny black lines going to him, trying to spread like petrol on water, and a few blue and yellow ones. But the one who stood out was a red yellowish one because well, because in the other end was me. That one was linked right to his hearth, forming a drop in his vast white ocean. I must have stared for far too long because even Leonel felt distressed. "Thilgon? Everything ok?" "Ah, yes, well, somehow, I mean I kind of seemed to gain a Third Eye that sees things differently and it is confusing me right now." Like, how my vision goes to him and his tall body with his long blond hair held in a high ponytail to a bright white silhouette. Back and forth. Back and forth. "Ugh, I think I have a headache." "You should lay down." I do as told, covering the crystal with my paws but to no use; if it could see through walls, what good my paws would do right? We ended up spending the rest of the day there as I tried to control and understand my new body; specially the eye thing. I kept myself low, observing Leonel as he put a responsible aura on and went preparing everything, for bottles to carry the rest of the water, to clothes, backpack, food, and sometimes even going out; which gave me a restless feeling, even though he just went to the others rooms; as I kept my ears up for any trouble. At dinner he was once more cooking, and since I learned how to "close" my eye and use it only when I needed it, I stood up for a better look, sitting on the other side of the balcony on top of the chairs, crossing my paws on the counter and resting my chin upon them, while I observed him. "Where did you learn how to cook?" He was stirring the pot again, happier that he found more mixtures on the others rooms, gladly not expired as the dungeon was still a young one. "In the kitchen." "" He is joking right? "Then why did you learn it?" "To cook better" Ok, slightly better answer this kid doesn''t know how to start a conversation does he? Sigh. "Why? Did you eat bad food before? Don''t you live with the elves?" With that his golden eyes go up and meet mine, while he keep stirring the wooden spoon, and a lot passes though those eyes yet at the same time nothing transpire out of it. Is a strange aloof yet deep stare that made me want to look away. "No, I have servants who cook for me." Before I could ask, though, he continues, looking back at the pot. "Some of my friends don''t have the same luck though." "Hm" We spend the rest of the day in silence, enjoying the last meat and water we had by sleeping one last time in the tiny apartment. ~~~~ We were back on the streets, still on the main one with the glass type structures and tall buildings. There was a line in the middle were dead trees stood, and a large area to walk and travel with the vehicles. I looked with the Ultra Vision, and could see some creatures around, but not all; guess it worked like the Presence Sense, for the enemy to appear it depends on the level of my ability against the level of stealth from the creature. But beyond that there were far more colors and movements that I still had to understand. For once, though, I saw that the basic lines of energy; which seemed like millions of rivers crossing each other, without the limitation of the ground, twisting and turning midair like Northern Lights, all were passing or coming from the main one of them, the biggest, at some point, and by its current there was an up and down from it. After hunting some Hounds; not Hell Hounds, just some weird dogs; with now the meat of two of them, I felt relieve enough to try and enter the buildings. With nowhere to start I decided to follow the big river, remembering what Aeglos told me about dungeons, up its stream; but of course after a turn it went straight to one of the big buildings, a black and tall silhouette, glasses like mirror reflecting its neighbors. Leonel walked beside me with light footsteps, but not as soundless as before because he changed to a pair of military heavy boots. Beyond another pair of glass doors that open sideways; with your little help of course; we enter the foyer, a large open area that went up until the end of the tall building, having balconies on all four sides, leading to many close doors through many floors. The floor shone and reflected the mushrooms light, and at the center stood a double pair of stairs that went up to the first floor, curving together in a U shape. Patterns were draw with the floor, a circle with an intricate design, inside a square one, all complementing the others parts; the sofas around the lounge room, the square pillars on the ground floor, the balcony on the entrance, and so on. My talons too made a lot of noise in here, even scratching the old yet polish floor, ops. I use Shadow Veil on our shadows, muffling the sound of our steps, enough so we didn''t ring a bell whenever we moved and didn''t bleed my MP out. My ears were perched up, attentive to any minimal sound, receiving back only the howling of the wind and some open widows squeaking with it. I have a bad feeling about this. Had from the first sight of this monstrosity of a building. I was already in fight or flee mode, the adrenaline making my heart pump faster, as my eyes darted to every corner and shadow, trying to see beyond the darkness, but even my Third Eye didn''t catch anything as we passed though the main hall and into one of the side rooms on the ground floor. As time passed I started to relax; no creatures around, just another Teleporting Cat that went away as soon as we passed by him. Smarter move than the other had for sure. We were passing though the kitchen area by now, moving double metal door inwards, when some drop of water started to fall on our shoulders. No thoughts passed through my mind trying to explain what was happening, I simply reacted like any normal person and looked up to where the water was coming from. Only to be greeted by a pair of flaming green eyes. Shocked I just realize the danger we were in once the creature jump straight at me, its four limbs stretched out and the belly, once warped in a strange clothe, was now open like a gigantic mouth, leading to a pitiless misty darkness. I couldn''t escape, he was already upon us and had the leverage to his advance, so I just panic reacted and exploded into my Hell Form, growing much bigger and using his movement in my favor, making him bump into my horns as I throw him away. I open my mouth, making my skull teeth look even bigger, watching the creature''s moves, my whip tail restless to attack, but Leonel was the one to react. By the time I looked back at him his sword was shining like a beam of light, so bright that appeared to be able to melt thought rocks. He stepped forward, not giving the creature space while he cut the air around the Mummy, which stood on four trying to dodge. All in mere secods. By the time the creature realize it, we had him trapped in a corner. From my mouth flames escaped to lick the air as my eyes focused on the creature every move. Leonel said something and a circle of light appeared on the ground around the creature, who tried to escape only to receive a mouthful of fire in the face. It didn''t had time to try again once the circle started to be filled with light, starting to melt away its limbs inside the beam of light. "Purification" Said Leonel once the ground shock slightly with the renew strength of the now blinding light. In a last attempt to win, the creature took air in and screamed as loudly as it could, a mixture of human voice with wild madness. The sound stopped once the light vanished, leaving nothing but black ashes behind, carried by the wind. Leonel was unaffected by the surprise attack as he sheathed his sword, only breathing slightly faster. Stone face, stone face, still gonna take that mask away. Any funny jokes I had, however, were kept for later once another scream resonated not too far from here, followed by another, then another, until my ears rang from all the noise. "Shit, we got to go, hop on!" I had to lay down for him so he could sit on my back, but this mere seconds brought the creatures to our doorstep; and they came like a furious wave, running on four with those smiles on their faces, some on the walls and ceiling, some even jumping on top of others trying to be faster but, in the end, it all looked like a gigantic black mass of worms moving in our direction. And fast. Really fast. "Shit!" I turn around and start to run, almost having my tail grasped by one of them. The space was small here, just some corridors and doors, but I couldn''t decrease my speed so I ended up skidding in every curve I had to make, my paws rasping the ground nonstop. I could hear windows breaking, doors been slammed, and when we finally went outside I hadn''t even had time to feel some relief; as I look up the buildings I could see that we woke up the whole neighborhood. "Bloody Hell!" I had to duck one of the creatures that jumped from a wall, and dodge many others on the ground, but the ones that jumped straight to my back from the buildings were attacked by Leonel''s light magic, making they twist in pain. Ok, just keep running, don''t stop, just don''t stop, focus. I had to go on full force; thanking the double SP points from the evolution; and I felt like a running dog, my body curving like a rod, trying to reach the farthest as possible. That teleportation would do me good now, just saying. I turn a street only to me greeted by a crowd of those creatures coming at me, having to quickly change directions, throwing my body back and running like my butt was on fire. But behind me stood the ones that were following us, having us trapped by the two groups; not that they waited to see the results, the two black masses running up to us. I use my Shadow Slash in the closest group while Leonel attacked the other, giving me enough time to jump up using Fire Jump, as flames erupted from my paws pushing my body up in the sky, as I passed the walls that enclosure us only to start running all over again. ~~~~ Author: I have the Third Eye ability too! MC: Oh, really? How so? Author: It''s called the Fujoshi Third Eye! It allows the user to see the stories on their true form and ship the true couples! MC: MC:I won''t even- Author: Muahaha! Bow to the Fujoshi/Fudashi power!! . Have been reading to many fanfics lately. They open my eyes to the unseen (???'') What about you guys? Any sinfu-I mean, fanfic reads recently? PS: My computer died on me this couple of days, so I''m late with the chapters and stuck with it since I don''t have money for a new one, sad ??_?? Chapter 30 - Twenty-nine The eternal black sky didn''t help when I tried to know for how long I ran; I just know that, now, finally been able to get rid of the Mummies, I stood hidden in a back alley, heavily breathing with my tongue out and my back arched, ears up and about hearing for trouble. We were close to the tower with the clock in it, the tick-tock of the gigantic pointer reverberating in the streets of this quiet city. I lick my nose, passing through the skull mask, and look back at Leonel, the little brat that looked untouched by the whole situation. "You ok?" "Hum." Hum my ass, how, after been hunted down by only all the creatures of this Goddamnit city, he was that unfazed? Sigh. He sees me looking at him and starts to stroke the fur on my neck, as his other hand grips one of my horns to stabilize himself, he says: "Shh, take it easy now." Oi! What the hell! I''m not a pup you little- ugh, I wished to face paw myself, but in the end was content to only receive the patting on my neck. Hum, it wasn''t that bad I mean, get off my back if you can walk! I shake myself, surprising Leonel and receiving a stunned reaction for once, but he doesn''t go down with only that, gripping strongly at the horn on my back as he sat between them. "Out" I stop and lay down, as he gets out of my back, changing back to my normal and more discrete form. Well not as discrete anymore with my new fluffy black fur with silver markings all over it. And the horns were still heavy. I once more catch Leonel staring at me, and annoyed I scow at him, asking: "What are to staring at me so much for?" He was thinking, about to respond, when I hear something different. It started low, just a whispering carried by the wind, joining the howling breeze, but slowly took shape into a lullaby, been hummed by a crystal clear voice. It sounded mesmerizing. "Thilgon?" I hear Leonel say something, but it sounded far away, as if said inside a tube, only vibrating through my skin without really reaching me. That music was so calming. I don''t know which language they were singing in, many voices in one, fusing together to make a choral, and before I realize it I was moving towards it, wanting to hear it more loudly, more clearly, until I could only hear them. "Is so beautiful, their voices" I couldn''t see clearly anymore, but their voices were enough to guide me through the obstacles, even if sometimes I had to push and force my way in as I kept bumping into something. And, out of nowhere there was silence, complete silence. With that, as a shock bolt, my vision cleared and Leonel''s face came to shape, for the first time with something beyond the aloof expression in it and a glint in his eyes. Worry. "Wha-what happened?" I said, but couldn''t hear my own voice. What? I see him sigh, not hearing anything at all, as he points to his ears, then to mine, and makes a bubble of air with his hands. Is he doing this? Tuning off my hearing? Why? Then I look around, confused. Where were we? We were now standing in front of the high tower with the clock in it and well, the tower was only the cherry on top of the cake, as the rest of the construction was as massive and impressive. First, there was a gigantic garden leading to it, all plants substituted for the moss and shining mushrooms, giving an almost ethereal aura to the place, with a bluish light covering it all. Some small insects carried pieces of the plants around, making it as if dust was coming up and tickling like glitter in the air. There was a stone path in the middle, the area with the plants been surrounded by a very low stone wall, as it leads directly to the entrance of the massive building; it had wooded double doors, arched in the shape of an arrowhead, and tall walls with skinny windows with colored glass in them, with the same shape as the door. On top they made the shape of the roof as an upside-down V, with some stone arcs on top making curves to sustain the other floor that rose from the middle pointy part of the V. That part had another gigantic slim window, and went up, forming the tower. Everything very symmetric, which was a plus. Leonel was still holding up my earing, as I see he do the same with his ears, a discrete bubble of air stopping any sound from entering. And, still, I could feel an enraged screamed that cut the cold air, shaking the floor beneath my paws and making my fur stand. I used my Third Eye and turned to Leonel. "UP! NOW!" I tried to show the words on my lips, pointing at my back, but I guess my panicked face showed more clearly what my intentions were. But before he could react; that we could react; I felt a gust of air pass me at the same second that an excruciating pain cracked my bones and send me flying, totally breaking some ribs and hurting my back badly once a bump into a tree like a ragdoll, curving my body in a C shape. My only reaction, laying on the ground, was to cough blood, knowing that it was a bad signal as one of my lungs probably got pierced by a bone. Shivering I look up, barely realizing that the sounds came back as I watched, unable to stand. There was a Mummy there, but it; she; was totally the opposite of the others. She didn''t wear any clothes, only some strips of cloth around her like spider webs all around, showing some of her face, fingers, arms and thighs. She slowly lowers the leg she used to kick me, her green eyes piercing me with so much killing intent that I really thought that I was doomed; that it was my end; and my first thought was that I wouldn''t see my brother ever again, leaving him all alone. That made me clench my teeth and concentrate on others things than my pain. Queen Dark Mummy- As a queen bee, is able to command her pack, specialize in controlling the mind of her target. If not, she still has her compelling looks at her favor, but be aware; if found alone the Queen is a low threat, but the size of her pack increases her power as she is able to devour her willingly subjects as well as command them. May mutate and give mutation. Mutation C Low chance to absorve others creatures power and appearance to itself, higher change to mutate others. Mutations depends on level and abilities of the caster. By now she had looked away from me, as my vision became blurry and my lungs filled with blood. "Ahhh So this is the little angel who felt in my web, yes?" She says, looking straight at Leonel, who kept his composure even though I saw him stealing a worried gaze at me. What, me, making the kid worried? Not cool, cough, and not my style. She approaches him, swinging her h.i.p.s and licking her pompous full lips, her eyes narrowing and her pupils moving to a diamond shape, like that of a snake. She passes her long fingers and nails on Leonel''s cheek, who seems unfazed by her actions. But I can see how, for a second, he wanted to clench his fists. I know I wanted to give her a good hit myself. "Such a beautiful specimen, indeed, and I heard you can use light magic, uhm? Yes, yes, such a blessing indeed." Her tongue stretches out in the air, forked like a snake long tongue, feeling the air right in front of Leonel''s face, who starts to sweat but still keeps the frozen expression on. From the shadows surrounding the garden other mummies appear, but not like the ones we saw before, they floated midair, more like ghosts than mummies. Clothed Mummy- Variation of Dark Mummy, is made of condensed dark substance, able to gain a Physical body, change, and morph it. They have a weak constitution, however are specialize in sound and charisma attacks. So they are a kind of different type of sneak attackers hey? I had a better look at them once they circulated around us, some very close to me, their long dresses moving with a non-existent wind, as well as a long untamed hair. One of them looked at me, and the only thing I saw was a skull underneath a transparent cloth, the eye holes holding green flames. Creepy. The Queen circulated around Leonel, with a mischievous look in her eyes and a smirk upon her lips, in the way a woman looks to a man, which send shivers of rage down my spine and a growl threatened to rise from my lips. "You, my boy, will be our way out of this floor, uhm" She passes her tongue over one of her eyes, going down with the tips of her long nails until it reaches Leonel''s neck. I stood up on shaky legs, my eyes focused on her as my brain starts to work. She was level 120, I was 50, the difference was too much to compensate, even worst is that she had an army and her kick already weakened me, getting it off right on my side. Things weren''t looking good for us, I thought as I coughed another mouthful of blood, tasting the iron. Shit. I was watching her moves, and she was so close to Leonel that I could watch his movements as well, which made me know that, even if his eyes didn''t leave her, that he was very aware of my situation, closing his fist hardily to every cough of mine. And I do the only thing that I could; I start breathing hard, 3 breaths, cough, 2 breaths, cough, 1 breath, cough, counting down for Leonel And I feel the rage surging through my veins, burning with the jolt of adrenaline, numbing my pain and making my mouth water with the oncoming battle. C Berserker mode Activated C Warning C C Side effects inbound C Shit! I didn''t even have time to react as my vision turned to a bloody red, and all I could sense were presences, shadows moving, in a darker shade of red, and a tickling feeling surges, like spiders crawling under my skin. I felt the power of my muscles, felt my strong big paws holding my body up, licked my huge tusks, eager for the warm taste of their blood. So that''s what I did. I attacked the closest shadow, my mind fuzzy with the need to attack, to swallow the creature whole once I got a good grip, tearing the cloth apart, opening it up and burning its body, swallowing what I could find. But still was not enough. I feel other surge of power as my body grown to my Hell Form, my tail gaining a pair of horns which I promptly hook on the other shadow who tried to escape, bringing it down and closer, as if it was a fishing rod, straight to my range and having it under me in seconds, scratching at it, biting, burning all together with the mere purpose of annihilating, destroying the creature. I run back and forth then, using walls to jump higher and reach the ones trying to run away, Slashing the ones behind the presence under my paws, nonstoping as if fatigue wouldn''t come, as if I couldn''t get tired, as I kept biting, attacking, running and jumping. I felt invincible. I sense a strong presence coming closer so I dodge sideways, almost receiving an attack right at my face. The attacker didn''t give me a warning, so I didn''t either, simply surprising it by throwing a mouthful of flames in her direction and making her jump backward, right into my Shadow Spikes. She escaped by throwing one of her straps of clothing at a dead tree, pulling herself out. The other presences were approaching, singing or trying to do something, but my mind only knew the thirst for their blood. Ding C Mind Manipulation fail It was an annoying sound nonetheless, so I use Intimidation and howl a high scream at them, opening my mouth fully and showing my line of fangs until the deeps of my throat and it''s pit of fire appeared, looking like the gates of hell. I can sense the annoying presences floating away, until, in the silence, only two remained. One stood away, alert, but the strong one bothers me, as to why wasn''t her blood down my throat yet? Queen, hum? Well, if she was a Queen, then I was a King. And what makes a King if not his subjects? Ding C Hidden Tittle discovered C King''s Might Ding C Ability learned C Hell Army Ding C Ability learned C Voice of command Oi oi oi shut up! Annoying, all annoying sounds, I''ll rip, scratch, bite until they stop! Without even thinking about what I was doing I simply use Voice of Command, making an army of shadow and fire Hounds rise, all smaller them I, circulating the Queen. I sneer. No Queen no more once I''m done with her. My army attacks, but they are like smoke to her, been driven away by the mere flicker of her fingers. I make more and more until the streets are filled with them, Hound shadows moving on walls and floors, fire hounds floating and showing their teeth at her, ready to pounce and strike, going in an endless wave, one after another. I stood on the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity, but once I start to run at her I suddenly feel my body stiffen, making me trip down to the ground. Wh-what was C Berserker mode off C Side effects inbound C Unable to move for 4 hours C Counting start I could only feel as my body shrunk more and more, until I was taken off the ground only so that all the pain returned at once, in one strong kick, and hearing my army fight I pass out. ~~~~ Berserker mode (2): raises the holder status, pain resistance, endurance and blood l.u.s.t by 3X for 2 minutes. Side effects: can cloud the thoughts of the holder making him attack indiscriminately, unable to move for 4 hours and sore limbs afterward. For those who didn''t realize that it is level 2 now~~ (was 1 minute/ 2 hours) Learned how to use Grammarly on Word, expect fewer mistakes now ;D Chapter 31 - Extra Two Pov: ????? They didn''t even let him scream, otherwise I would have heard it. No, they simply decided in the morning that he didn''t serve for their uses; so why kept it? Why feed and care for a disobeying creature? Is not like they respected them, and it wasn''t as if I have expectations that they would someday, but by the end of the morning, when I went out for a walk, I was received by the nightmarish view of my poor, proud lion body stretched in a metal structure and been skinned, while others took the talons and tail off to sell. The only appealing part is that he was already dead. My throat closed and I wanted to scream at them, kick them to death, or cry until everything was over, but nothing would change, nothing would bring him back from the dead. He had a shitty life and a terrible death, and for what? For been an animal? For the sake of humans? For their greed? I knew there were eyes watching me, that''s why I keep my face unchanged and passed the scene as if nothing happened. I wouldn''t give them the satisfaction, noI though clenching my jaw hard. ~~~~ From that day on I would run away hidden at night, trying the best way I could to help the magical creatures; stealing food for them, cleaning their wounds, even making a hole on a cage so the unbound ones could escape without anyone getting suspicious of me. Still, felt like it wasn''t enough. Every day creatures would come and go, some pulling carts, others used as pets, warriors, shields The mere thought made my hand clench. The mere memory of his body made my skin crawl and my mouth dry. That''s why I started to train alone in secret. The first time was scary; a gigantic spider attacked me, and I lost the sword running away, but slowly I started to get better, little by little, sluggish for having to learn alone and making many mistakes in my path. But still, I endured. I couldn''t fear, I couldn''t hesitate, otherwise this weakness would show in my eyes and actions and would be exploited by those who wanted to do me harm, and I wouldn''t be able to protect anyone. Which were plenty, from the moment of my birth, or rather, because of my birth. I was the son of the King himself so why, would you ask, was I mistreated, scorned? Is because I''m a half breed, hybrid, bastard, or whatever name some would like to come up with. Prince was only a title; a bad one for me, giving me this prison of a house and this foreman of servants; and for being a bastard coming out of the wedding, out from the Queen''s sons and daughters, I didn''t even get a chance to live in the palace; which at least I was thankful for; and either the throne for that matter. I was only a toy, discarded sideways in hopes that I would disappear on my on. I wouldn''t give them the pleasure though. One of these days, however, I was hunting goblins, training my archery and swordplay, when a thief-hobgoblin sneaked up behind me, making me use my bow as a shield, rendering it useless. Damn. I jump back, taking my short sword from the sheath, and paring another quick attack, clenching my teeth from the force of the impact, my hands shaking on the hilt. He put more strength into it, bringing me down to my knees, both hands firmly holding the sword in place, but to no use, as I knew I would lose this battle of strength. Sweat was covering my back, and, as I was thinking that I couldn''t see a way out of this situation, an arrow pierces the creature square in the eye, straight through the skull. Stunned I was almost covered by his falling corpse. Looking back I see that the others goblins had the same fate, and from the forest a huge deer comes out of, caring a man, no, an elf, his shoulder short white hair brought back in a little ponytail, his blue eyes looking straight at me. Others elves came from the woods, dismounting and retrieving the arrows, but once they notice that the one on the deer was looking out in the woods, they stop what they are doing and stay on guard, noticing me. "****! ***,****" The one on top of the deer stretches his hand sideways, stopping them on their tracks. He then dismounts his deer elegantly, letting me see, as he approaches, tattoos covering his chin, neck, and hands. He comes closer, so I stand on my feet and run as if my pants were on fire. I didn''t look back, but the elf didn''t try to reach or follow me, just looked as I disappeared in the distance. But that wasn''t the last time I saw him. Many times I would go out to hunt, and many others he would appear and intervene once the things got tricky, which were fewer and fewer. Just like that, two years had passed, and long ago I started to understand his language and costumes, one perk for having a huge free library at my disposal. "Elder." I bowed as he comes closer, getting acquainted with his culture, my culture, in these past years, as I retrieved an arrow from my prey. Forgot to add, hm, that I''m a half-elf. Probably the reason why the Elder elf felt obligated to help me all those years, because his kind; well, our kind; were thought to be devils that enslaved men with their beauty far before I was born, not that my elven mother helped with that image once she "conquered" even the heart of our mighty king. Thankfully he got away from her spell and gave her justice, unfortunately not before having an offspring. A fruit germinated in the devil''s w.o.m.b. Lovely for me, right? The situation between the races grown more and more unfriendly, even more because men insisted on invading the elven woods, worst so to explore and destroy the places. Some humans disagree with their actions, even supporting the elven opinion but, in the end, money talked louder to them. I didn''t care about those affairs though, and why should I? I would never be the king, nobody would want me for work, so why should I care about humans and their society? They would rather have me gone. With the elves it was different. Of course, there were still many who didn''t like my haft-human part, but most of them knew not to blame the kid for the sin of their parents. Better those who treat me with indifference but still teach me than the ones who despise me and would be glad to throw me to the wolves. Why then, would you ask, you still go back every night to the castle? Simple, to dry out the resources that my "father" had, too exhausted and use what I could, buying books, armors, swords, anything and everything I could to evolve faster. As I got training more and more, however, an uneasy feeling grow in me. It started with just a hunch, a gut feeling, like the one I felt that compelled me to stay in our summer castle instead of the main one, were, in the end, I could freely move and save more magical creatures. Including the little Hell Hound in the forest. But then it started to get stronger, sometimes I could felt the danger of big events before they happened, like the invasion of a city by demonic creatures, and avoid visiting there like I was supposed to. Strange was, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn''t. Not very reliable I would say. Fewer years passed that way, adding that the humans were glad to see me less and less, until the day I finally went to explore a dungeon. Most elves were just neutral, adding a few girls who tried to talk to me, but in the end they were scared away, remaning the one that hated me for no reason. Though if I knew that their neutral side would make me lower my guard and the dumb boys would have the guts to make me fall in one of the huge holes, I would have taught them a lesson beforehand instead of ignoring their simplistic swearing words. Now I paid my naivety with a broken leg and scratches all over my body. But the near death experience changed something in me from that day forward. Even though I stayed down there, alone, for two days, trying my best to fix my wounds, without water and with more and more monsters coming close, I didn''t feel despair, on the contrary, I was calmer than ever, even happy, eager. And I wasn''t surprise as I should once the Hell Hound appears. Thilgon. Thilgon. Sounded very familiar. I analyze him many times after that, with a nostalgic feeling to it, watching his strong muscles cover by short fur, his curious gaze, his smirk fangs smile, his silver eyes. But nothing, nothing could have prepared me for the fight with the Queen. I was so livid, so upset, and yet so calm, like a blade, cold for the killing. I watched him after I stopped the effects of their mind control been attacked, to attack, and once on the ground he changed, but not to his dog form. To his human form. And that was like a pin falling in the deeps of my mind. And I remembered. Everything. I remember my past life. I remember knowing Thilgon deeply, and yet never being able to reach him. He was far different from what he is now, and I remember he told me once, that''s why I was there, that''s why my instincts knew, they remembered before me. His brother was supposed to die the day I rescued him. Alone, hurt, hungry, he was easy prey for any creatures around, and unconscious he didn''t give much trouble for any hunter lurking around. I remember the rage that shone in Thilgon''s eyes the day he told me that, with so, so much grief and pain. And, after seeing him fight those humans at the camp, I could understand what it meant to him the loss of his brother. The past him was utterly consumed by revenge, by anger, so much that the only thing he cared about was to hunt them down, lever looking at me, even despising my human side, a killing machine he was. But that would change. I already changed that. And I wouldn''t give up this time. I look up to the Queen and smile, seing clearly a shiver run down her spine. "Begone, insect, before I rip your heart out and give it to the dogs." She was pulled back by my tone of voice, but that was hardly enough to make her fall back, even more coming from a "kid", so she laughs, a nervous laugh as to gain control of the situation. "You think you can-" Before she can continue I''m in front of her, a spear of light going through her body, the electric lightening''s in it moving in a wave motion all over the spear and into her body. She inflates as a puffer fish and explodes, making a mess of the floor, but not reaching me beyond my barrier. I move my spear fast, spilling the blood off from its tip, and making the weapon vanish. She wouldn''t die with just that but, for now, it was enough, as I had better things to do. I look at the small figure curled up in a ball, breathing hard and holding on his sides, and smile. And I wasn''t that weakling anymore, I would not let anything get you from me. That''s a promise. My little hound. ~~~~ Wait, what''s this?? A Double Update?! *Le Gasp* Well, big, the biggest, the ultimate biggest big thanks to all my readers!!! Never thought this story would grow so much, sob sob. WebNovel: 25k->176.7K Wattpad: 2k->45.8K Tapastic: 250->1.128 12/21/2018-> 02/02/2019 ??n?? . What are you still doing here? Go, go, the next chapter is already out. What? Waiting for the snarky comment? What you think I''m? A jester? Pushing The Next Chapter Button Down Muahahaa ((#) Chapter 32 - Thirty I was starting to get used to the feeling of having my eyelids glued heavily as bricks, making me unable to open them for a while now. This time, however, my whole body felt the same, everything hurt like I overdid a workout, rolled down the stairs and got hit by the hooves of a horse afterward. Even breathing hurt, but only when I tried to heavily breathe. I stood still for a moment, trying to sense my surroundings, hearing the constant drip of water somewhere, the smooth wind, but, otherwise, it was utterly quiet. I lick my dry lips, trying to move my paws but something something just felt wrong. I stretch my body, making it crack all over, and regretted immediately once a burning pain makes me double over my sides, feeling mine still sore side. Strangely enough though is that my lungs were healed, and my ribs put together, still bending like a loose limb. I put my hand over my side, trying to feel it for wounds. And froze in place. I look down, and what I saw was a human hand holding the side of a very humanoid body. Don''t panic. Don''t panic Don''t What the hell!! I jolt, passing the newfound fingers up my face, trying to find a mirror, only to hiss in pain. Ok, ok, steady now, no need to panic yet. I put my feet on the ground, and once I try to stand I find my first problem. Bloody two-legged creatures, how do you walk with these things? My legs were shaking, and my body wobbles about at the first steps, making me trip on the carpet, but proudly I manage to reach the bathroom, looking at myself in the mirror. I don''t know how to feel about this, or how it came to be, but now I had a humanoid form. And I was in it. I had a long, black hair, smooth as Indian hair, going past my h.i.p.s and shining like the feathers of a crow. My skin had a tanned color of honeyed caramel, shining in with a sinful glim. To contrast there were tribal tattoos all over my body in silver platinum color, to the tip of my toes until my neck and arms. My silver eyes stood out from it all, like when the light reflected on a mirror, making my gaze even more intense. On top of my hair was the only thing that gave me hope that I wasn''t crazy; my pointy hound black ears, coming from the straight waves of my black hair, as well as mine whip tail coming from my back, standing midair behind me, almost curving in a complete S. "Done looking?" I got startled by the voice, which made me lose my footing and land on my butt on the floor. Once I look up, hissing at the overall pain, however, I was even more surprised with the view then everything I saw until now. Leonel. He He smiled! And not just the curves from the lips, but with his eyes as well, bending them in a crescent moon shape! Urray! I feel like I should celebrate or something, felt like if I had won a hard fought battle! Crumble, stone face, crumble before me! "You are dozing off." "Wait- what, sorry, you lost me" I felt like my brain should be giving: warning- meltdown, total lost, readying up to evacuate, abandon the ship sort of warnings. I take some time to realize that Leonel was reaching his hand to me, as he helps me stand with those two legs, ugh. He helps me until we reach the sofa I was on before, keeping a strong grip on my hand. By now my mind was working again not in the highest speed yet though. "W-what happened? Where are the mummies? And how the hell I changed form?" "I brought you here in the middle of the confusion. Don''t know why you changed though." He pushes my legs up the sofa, forcing me to lay down, and sits on the sofa in front, smiling back and looking with a warm gaze at me. Something felt off. Like, really off. "Did you hit your head or something in the middle of the confusion?" He knits his eyebrow, an amused look in his eyes. "Or maybeAh! I know! Of course not, I must have hit my head hard, it would explain why I think I''m in a humanoid form now, ha, haha." I laugh nervously, not buying my own words. "If you want to think in that way, feel free to." Feel like his mocking me for some reason. "Sleep, you are still weak and used too much energy fighting off that Mummy. We are safe here." Well, I was really sleepy indeed, even more after running like I found a c.o.c.kroach on the bathroom stall, just to fight the Queen and ending up kicked, hard. Oh, and the side effects from berserk mode too, hm. But something feels reaaallyy off. Like, why he was still smiling at me, crossing his fingers together to support his chin? Definably hit my head somewhere, hope is not some permanent damage. "You don''t expect me to sleep while you stare at me now do you?" "Ah, sorry." He stands, humming to himself, going somewhere to cook, by the smell. I turn around but turn back as that side hurts, then take off the pillow from my head and start strangling it in my arms. I can''t sleep, ugh. Well, let''s close our eyes first maybe seeing my status will help? -Appraisal completed- Name: Palarran Thilgon Mnaothon Gender: Male Race: Platinum King Hell Hound Age: 5 Level: 50 HP: 750-1360 MP: 22-320 SP: 1500-4000 Attributes: Fire, Shadow Titles: The Wise, Angry One, Reincarnated, Older Brother, Whispering Voice, Strategist, Forbidden from the kitchen, King''s Might Attacks: Claw 48, Bite 49, Swim 10, Fireball 42, Fire Breath 47, Sneak 49, Dodge 52, Dash 48, Sing 72, Tail Whip 20 Magic: Third Eye 50, Appraisal 44, Berserker Mode 2, Voice of the Night MAX, Presence Sense 49, Healing Saliva 33, Telepathy (Young Brother), Intimidation 50, Hell Army 5, Voice of command 3, Humanoid Transformation MAX Fire Magic: Hell Form Bone, Fire Manipulation 44, Fire Jump 46, Fire Dash 48, Fire Shield 32 Shadow Magic: Shadow Veil 47, Shadow Merge 46, Shadow Manipulation 47, Shadow Pocket 30, Shadow Tentacles 37, Shadow Illusion 32, Shadow Slash 38, Shadow Spikes 48 Resistances: Fire 52, Fatigue 50, Hunger 47, Water 9, Cold 15, Earth 22, Poison 10, Bleed 46, Paralyze 5 Language: Hound Language MAX, Common Language MAX, Elven Language MAX Ineptitudes: Cook C 800, High Value Status: Moving his toes like a child with a new toy Uhm, let''s check the new things, shall we? King''s Might C The strong will of a king, this title brings confidence, willpower, and an outer aura of highness. Hell Army C Brings forth Hounds from the holder''s elements, the amount depends on the MP used and the level of the skill. Can make rare invocations who holds some abilities from the caster, the chance grows with the level. The creatures, however, do not have a mind of their own, holding into the last order the holder gave. Voice of command C An imposing voice used to give and maintain order, used right it compels the one hearing to obey, used wrong makes you a tyrant that cannot turn your back at your subjects or stop giving out orders. Works better in canine creatures. Humanoid Transformation C The caster is able to change to a humanoid form with similarities to his animal form. Does not bring down status, though may need some time to adapt to the new form. Does not change with objects, such as clothes. How the hell did I get that last one? I remember the others abilities from the battle, but I don''t remember hearing that wait, from the battle? Maybe I ate the crystals from the Clothed Mummy? It said that it could change appearance and whatnot, but still, why it was already at Max? Weird, really weird I yawn, seem the words fuse in front of me until I''m drifting into a restless sleep. ~~~~ We were once again in one of the many houses around, but this time in a more fancy one. I enter the kitchen, starving, following the smell like a fly, stopping in the entrance only to take in the vision. Somehow, Leonel felt different. More mature, calmhappy? Weird kid. And he was taller than I. Not happy about that. He was wearing an apron with two brown bear paws coming from the sides with "Free Bear Hugs" writing in the middle, and a fluffy bear face in the pocket. I muffle a laugh, at first, but seem his slim and compose and slim figure cooking, proving the food, his long fingers warped around the wooden spoon mixing with a calm expression made my cheeks heat up for some reason. I go forward only to trip on a small carpet and almost fall down, gripping the counter for my dear life. He looks at me then, pushing a hair behind his ear, as a mischievous smile crooks his lips sideways. He looks me up and down slowly, I glim coming over his golden eyes, and says: "Who is the brat now?" "W-Wh-" "Or a pup would be better?" " Oh, and I''m older too." "And taller then you." His eyebrows rise with every word, as if daring me to oppose the comments. "But I''m smarter." I puff my chest out, even though he still is taller and older than me. He crooks his head sideways, and with a laughing voice says: "Oh, really?" Why do I feel like the one been treated like a kid now, oi! We went to the table to eat, and it was the best food I have ever, ever ate; however, it would have tasted better if I wasn''t been stared down all the way through the meal. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He smiles. "Looking like what?" Like I''m the most precious thing you ever saw in the world. I swallow dry. "Never mind." I say, feeling my cheeks warm up. "That''s really cute you know?" "C-cute?!" How dare he!! "Cute my ass! I''m a ferocious Hell Hound! I''m made of fire! I can toast you to ashes! My fangs are bigger than your finger! I-" "Uhum, you what?" He says, that smirk curving up his lips while he supported his chin on his hands and observed me, intensely. Hell, what the- Hell, my brain doesn''t work well under that gaze. "Cough, anyway, where are we going now?" I try to change the subject, and he notices it by the way his eyebrows rise slightly. Where the hell that cold faced boy went? I think I''m harvesting off what I planted, right? Ha, haha. Oh god, Mother Nature, Voice of the Night, anyone really, have mercy on my poor soul, I think as I see him crocking his head sideways still-staring-at-me. Oh boy. ~~~~~ Oh, what''s this? This is really happening?! HIS TRANSFORMATION~~~~ *wiggles eyebrows* Liked the little surprises guys? He, hehe. (???) By the way, I''ll be doing a QnA, but in a different way; I will post the answers under every chapter along with the story, so feel free to ask anything that''s not a spoiler for me and the characters! Cheers! (???)? Had so much fun writing this chapter hehe Chapter 33 - Thirty-one I was back in my hound form. And don''t even start lecturing me for it, I was far more comfortable that way. Furthermore, what was worrying me more was Leonel. He was, in a way that how should I say it? He was too much for me to take on right now. Since the Queen fight he changed upside down with me, and a lot of theories surged up in my mind, like; did he hit his head hard during the fight? Or did I hit his head in the middle of my frenzy? Or even, maybe the Queen melted his mind to pudding, and now he was retarded?! Or he could be possessed by some evil spirit, no no, even worst, the evil spirit could have taken his form and have been pretending to be him all this time! Then maybe the real Leonel was in danger somewhere! Ok, maybe I went a little far on that one, but who knows? It was suspicious however Making me keep an eye on him, three eyes to be exact. At least his aura didn''t change, so he should be the real Leonel, right? So he was retarded? Ugh. Though it was not all bad; his cooking skills improved sky-high, always getting right the way I liked my food, and he would stay close without his guard up on me, looking for trouble with me, letting somehow his presence known, not trying to erase his presence, expression, feelings so much as before, as his face now would always gaze at me with a warm glim. The only- I mean, the biggest problem is that he became quite overprotective, fighting even before I could move, and very quickly finishing the job, bringing the food up with a proud look, but didn''t let me get mine fun and level, oi! So, hound form, that way I could ignore him as he pounded and toned down his himself down a little. Though he obligated me to stay in human form with him at meals, otherwise I could only have raw meat, his words. Damn him and his amazing cooking skills. And yes, I''ll ignore my -800 cooking skill until the day I die, nop, not going to acknowledge that. We were now following the other traces of energy I could see, as it appears that those big rivers ended up in the passages through floors, as we avoided the one with a Queen in it. We passed quite some time in this whole situation, but I couldn''t deal with it anymore; he acted like like I don''t know, is just that he changed so much all of a sudden that I starting to really think that someone possessed him. He seemed more mature sometimes, a sad gloom passing through his eyes when he thought I wasn''t looking, but then all was gone when he looked at me, as if I was the solution to all that sadness. Then it hit me; I couldn''t see his status anymore. And only one time that has happened before; when my level was too low in comparison. Not talking about that thieving dragon here, cough cough. So, in our next stop, while I went to change back to human and put some clothes on; that I now carried in a bag around my neck; I harden my resolve: I would ask, even if he didn''t want to answer. "Leonel, we need to talk." I said immediately once I reach our camping; which was now the inside of one vehicles, a square one with a metal door that still closed; and sat in front of him, one knee up supporting my arm. "Hm?" "You have been acting strange lately. Since the Queen attack." "Worried about me pup?" He smiles, as if happy that I was worried about him. "I''m been serious here, damnit! You have never smile before, never played around like that, and now you don''t even let me attack anymore! I need to evolve too you know?" "Is that was bothering you? Not evolving?" "A little, but not just that. The Queen had mind abilities, I''m just worried" At that word he raised his eyebrows " that she may have done something to you." At the end he had his eyebrows full risen, but I could tell he was stiffing a smile, looking at me as if he was about to make another joke but stopped, looking away, and sighed, passing his fingers through his blond hair. "Would you like to know?" So there was a reason for it after all! I wasn''t crazy to even consider that maybe he was just shy in the beginning but relaxed with me afterward- hich was my dumbest theory I assume. I eagerly nod. He looks down then, crossing his fingers together, pondering. "But first you have to promise something." "Y-yeah?" "That you will hear me out first, and will consider what I tell you without thinking that I''m crazy." "Hum ok?" He nods then, moving to a more comfortable position, starting with: "I have known you for a time now. For a very, very long time now. I" But I just met him I wanted to say, but didn''t. "But I just remembered it recently, I remembered everything like it happened just yesterday and perhaps that made me act a little too familiar with you, and I''m sorry I forgot to considerate that, for you, we just meet." "I- I don''t understand, what are you trying to say?" How can he know me for a long time when I just meet him? It doesn''t make any sense. "What I''m trying to say is-" His words, however, were cut off by a screeching scream. I perch my ears up, turning my hands into fists, and looking out in the distance with my third eye, which now appeared as a gem on my forehead. Something big was approaching, destroying everything in its path, with an army beside it. "Shit! Something big is coming!" I stand, going out of the truck so I don''t end up stuck there, while Leonel jumps out as well, his known cold face in place again, a serene warrior aura surrounding him while his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. He licks his dry lips, bringing my attention to the movement while he looks back at me, a determined look in his eyes. "Thilgon, my little hound, I know that what I have to tell you will sound crazy, and now we can''t talk, so I''ll give you proof that what I''m going to tell you is true first." "Do you trust me?" For some reason all this conversation seemed to mean a lot more to him that I thought first. And trusting him? Of course not, I don''t even know him andI know he cannot lie in Elven Language, but trust is in another level and "I-I don''t know." A sad smile curves his lips, but he seems even more fire up. "Then let me show you you can trust me, little hound. Let me prove you that I''m worthy of your trust and" The ground shakes once our enemy comes to view, cutting short our conversation, not before Leonel finish: "Let me handle her, so I can prove to you that I''m not lying. Oh, and you can you can take care of the others for me, how about that?" He doesn''t wait for my answer as he sprints forth. To fast! I lose sight of him, even when I stand on top of one of the vehicles, but I can see clearly the treat that''s coming our way. Holy cow. Holy shit. Holy cow shit. He wants to "take care" of that?! Is he crazy?! ~~~~ Let me tell you of a story~~ About a dog named July and Noah (that''s the end of my music lol) For real though, they are my dogs And they have psychic abilities; they always know when I''m about to write/ or writing. So one sits by one side asking for pets while his face covers half the screen looking with puppy eyes at me C Noah C and the other sits on the other side and bites my pinky finger, pulling my hand off the keyboard into her head C July. Sigh, I''m done for with those two Thought they are really cute. Yorkshires before anyone asks ;D ????? Btw you guys reached my last chapter, so slow updates for now on :C And have patience will ya? There is a reason for Leonel''s change of behavior, and it will be only with Thilgon, not others! >:C Chapter 34 - Thirty-Two The thing coming our way was big, strong, and pissed. It had the body of an albino snake, eyes of the bloodiest red, skating around the street and bumping everything out of the way in the most brutal fashion possible. At its back there were spider legs coming out of its column line, black and pointy, sometimes helping it move in a quick tap tap tap motion, others menacing opening like wings, making it look bigger and scarier. Not that it needed that though. Leonel was already standing there in the middle of the road, on top a big square vehicle, waiting for it to approach. "Ah, little brat angel, there you are! You and that sssstupid mutt will regret disssobeying me!" She said, and only then I realize who she was. The Queen in her mutated form. How did she found eyes? I receive my answer when many mummies got out of the buildings, some the "normal looking" ones, others like the Clothed ones, and many, many others, looking from behind the windows, but most following her like little ants, crawling like bugs all around as if the ground itself was moving. She stands with her white belly up as tall as the buildings, and when I thought it couldn''t get worst her lower part cracks and opens like a big mouth, where many hairy lack spider legs, like teeth, are scattered about trying to poke with their sharp ends to bring a victim inside into the dark void beyond. "You will come with me little angel, but not before I rip the houndssss throat!" Her eyes then locked on me, making me feel directly all her killing intention, knowing that if I was to fight her now I wouldn''t easily get away like before. "Leonel! She is level 120, let''s run!" He didn''t answer, so I look at him, screaming: "Leo!" Leonel, however, seems unfazed by it all and unsheathes his sword, evaluating his prey. That calmness brought shivers down my spine. He looked tall as a mountain looking down at ants that crawled his hills. Mere nothings. So untouchable, far and unshaken, the Leonel I knew from before, the cold face, and yet far more than that, with the calmness and confidence of a warrior that went through thousands of battles before, the certainty of a tiger upon a deer. Those golden eyes cut right through me with their intensity, and, even though I had all reasons to stop him, I didn''t. With that one look I knew he wouldn''t lose. He simply wouldn''t. Still, I was surprised next. Like, he asked my help, but soon I knew it was just so to be polite, as I ended up watching the entire fight from the distance, entranced by it. He stood tall as an object formed in his free hand, made of pure light, only making sense to me once he blew into it; a Blowing Horn, a huge one at that. I expected a high deep sound to resonate through the city halls, but, instead, all the sound seems to be captured by it, an eerie silence falling upon the battle scene as if a bomb had exploded right beside my ear. The instrument disappears as Leonel quickly rises up his sword, moving the blade in an arc as an arrow of light surges from the curve in part of the blade, shooting it up in the sky as the point the sword up. He keeps slicing the air as others arrows shot out of his sword, almost like a mechanic crossbow releasing its projectiles. The snake didn''t wait to see the result, pushing the mummies with her tail so they would start attacking; even if some were smashed by her movement. The arrows flow right at them, however none hit as I expected; instead, they stick themselves in the ground, falling like rain and starting to form a very complex pattern; the first looked like four circles stretched in the shape of petals crossing like an X sine. Then, crossing over it in a ? sine, there was a straight 5 point star, ending up with an inner circle closing in all the creatures that now dashed in for battle. All made in a blink of an eye, every swing of his wrist making more arrows fly that I could see. Once the Mummies are close, enough that I could smell the stench on their breaths, Leonel, as if with all the time in the world, lowers his sword until the tip touches the ground, his lips moving as the ground shines a bright light, crisscrossing like little lightning between the arrows. I have to close my eyes for a second as the light becomes too bright. And poof. All those Dark Mummies just disappeared, like the one from the building from before, but this time in a much faster and on a bigger scale than before. Only those outside the symbol remained, the Queen Snake been one of them, petrified in place as half of her army went down with only one attack. A challenging glim passed Leonel eyes as he focuses on the Queen. Putting an arm behind his back and positioning the sword up with the other, he motions for the Queen to come closer with the cold metal. The Queen hissed at the affront, a weird image since there is no sound. She advances in a flash, a white blur zigzagging between the vehicles, while Leonel follows her movements with his eyes. She goes down in an entrance that leads beneath the earth, and with a shake the Queen pops out right behind Leonel, her huge mouth opened showing off her little but numbered razor-sharp teeth, and strikes like a string been pulled and let go. Leonel sidesteps, dodging her attack while bringing the sword closer to his chest, at the same time turning completely and curving the sword up, using the momentum to bring more strength to his attack and cut down her in half. Holy shit! That looked cool! The head part starts to shake, convulsing, and like a fish out of the water she flops out of Leo''s reach, opening her mouth and gobbling up one of the Mummies that stayed close by. She eats a lot of them, and I can see her boding regrowing with dark smoke, the meat surging like bubbles of flesh popping up, her skin a pinkish white of a newborn. Leonel doesn''t wait up, and from where I''m I can see his sword shine, almost like melting metal, as it turns into a type of whip, the metal from the sword cut in pieces held together with a mass of light. He swings it like a fishing rod on top of his head, letting it stretch, and hits her square in the face. No permanent damage is made, but with blood covering one of her eyes she hisses, angered. With her full height up again she opens her belly, and from the darkness her humanoid hands stretch out, and hundreds of rags covered in dark mass come out, trying to bind Leo. He steps sideways again, turning and moving his sword with smooth movements that reminded me of dancer steps with one of his hands on his back, leaving him with a straight up figure as he blocks her attacks, cutting the rags when they warped around the blade, and once he sees an opening he changes it to the whip form and attacks her inside the opening. With that she closes it, recoiling her body in pain, but using the brute movements to attack with her tail, earning a cut and a roll from Leo. She backs off then, smacking the tip of her tail on the floor, and many, many mummies come out from the streets, some that I already saw before, others with long limbs walking on four, others with the same mouth on the belly, the spider''s paws moving like the legs of a centipede. Leonel seemed unfazed, his lips stayed in a straight line as he swung the sword to the side, making a mirror image of it, as if many copies swung together, surging a fan made of blades. He kept swinging the blade in circles, creating more clones of his blade, until the air was filled with swords flying beside him. They all pointed their sharp tips straight when he stops moving, rising the blade and making it shine with the green light of the mushrooms. And then he strikes, an air slice that cut the first part of the army in half, as well as the buildings and constructions close enough, making smoke rise and obscure our view, not for long since Leo keeps slicing with his air attacks and pushing the smoke out of the way, while the swords make lines of protections, circling like saws and cutting anything that got to close. It was a bloodshed. The Queen started to get worried. Her army has always been her backup plan; for healing, for fighting, or even fleeing. Every creature here bowed to her; and those who didn''t disappear, many of them been snakes and spiders monsters, the only one who manage to run from her talons where the annoying Teleporting Cats. But now she watched all her effort, all her subjects fall down by one single man. A child even! That infuriated her in a way she didn''t know too been even possible! Yet here she stood, watching her army fall, and looking up at the causer of it, not a single drop of blood had reached him, neither sweat came from his figure. This was bad, really bad. She underestimated him. And now she was paying the price. Chapter 35 - Thirty-Three Fleeing was not an option for her anymore, and I could almost see the gears move in her head as her eyes opened wide, looking around as the "fight" unfold. Leonel didn''t even move from the place he was on until now, only dodging on top of it. He stops then, letting the sound back, but nothing really changes as the silence covers the battlefield filled with corpses, no Clothed Mummy left to use their mind control abilities. He stays there, his golden eyes focusing on its prey, no emotions in display, only cold evaluation as if it was a mere daily event, unimportant. He slightly raises his chin, and a shadow covers his features, making a realization shot in my mind. He ended her army so easily. He was taking a 120 level creature attacks on. And he could as easily kill me. And here I thought I came to rescue him, just to end at the same level as the other''s creatures around here; only to end up with my head in a lions mouth. A mere squish and I was done for. The Queen seemed to realize that too, because she curled her body submissively, as a gigantic snake could. Then her white snout cracks open like a banana been peeled, and the humanoid Queen appears from the torso up, but instead of simply straps of rags she now wore them; they formed a white dress low on her bust, but tight enough so they would almost jump out of it, and curved cut sleeves falling off from her shoulders in a casual manner. "Oh my little angel, I haven''t realized before how strong you are." She said, in a velvet voice that made me want to puke. She fl.u.s.ters her eyelashes like a fly''s wings, moving one of her fingers to a loose hair, complementing by squishing her b.r.e.a.s.ts by closing in her arms a little, making they jump out even more if that was even possible. S.l.u.t. As Leo doesn''t react she takes that as a good response, sliding forward a little, her lower snake part moving like some type of medusa, half snake haft human. Leonel, however, only turns his head a little, and at the same time she shamelessly tries to attack him, her black hair turning grey and old as her skin aged in a mask of fury, her hands stretched for his neck, the nails bigger than the fingers. And yet she never reached him. He first kicks her hard on the side, making her curve up and cough out a mouthful of blood. Yet she still tries to act smug by curving her upper body in a very suggestive way; As if her attack right now never happened, dumbass. Leo, however, continued his actions, oblivious to her acting. With a slight move from the tip of his sword, Leonel created a vacuum of air and light, a black sphere that seemed odd coming from a light user. She was locked inside the black bubble without air or light, but Leo wasn''t patient enough to wait for her to die, he simply squished the bubble into a smaller form, tinier then tinier until it was the size of a fist. How could that even support the bones and flesh of her? Guess I would never know what became of her since Leo, with a swing from his fist, send the little ball flying across the city. Alone again with Leonel, in a far more desert city, watching as he circles around the corpses of his fallen enemies with firm footsteps, his up straight figure, his deep piercing gaze, holding the sword sideways, made my instincts screamed for me to run, to hide, that the child walking forward wasn''t what appeared to be. My hands shook, cold sweat dripped on my back. He was faster than I. He was stronger than I. No flight, no fight, I have never felt so impotent, not even when I fought a camp full of humans or when I battle a necromancer higher level than I, never. Petrified as I was I didn''t notice the final steps he gave to stay close to me, grabbing my hand in his. "Thilgon." "Thilgon, look at me." Who was I talking to right now? "Leonel?" I whisper, looking him in the eyes, only to find a sad glim in them. He squishes my hand a little and adds: "I know all this sounds weird, but trust me, you, of all people, should never, ever fear me. I would never hurt you." But his words land on deaf ears; my mind was in a turmoil, the beast in me very aware of the difference in forces, like a cat will always stay alert of a dog, even if raised together, or a knight will never go behind a horses hooves, even if he handles the horse for years. You just can''t simply turn it off. Is instinctive. I let him guide me by the hand, as he said something about not having to look for another exit anymore since the problem was dealt with. Just like that we were back at the massive building with a tower, no longer been bother by any creature, even when I was sure they saw us, as I''m sure I saw them; they were afraid of us. As if the building brought me back to my body I pull my hand off from his grip. Hell with it, he can kill me, he might as well do it, but I won''t cower from it; what my brother would say if he saw me that way? Submissive my ass. "A little show off back there weren''t you?" I ask as he turns, smiling softly, but somehow more contained, like he went from 0 degree to upside down 360 degrees, only to now stabilize in a 180 degrees. I was getting a headache from even thinking about that. How complex humans beings can be now? "I wanted to put up a display. I told you it was to show you can trust me, and that I''m not lying." Well, it only made me trust you even less. "And what about this: not lying, lying thing? You haven''t even told me anything." "Hm Indeed I haven''t" "And?" "And I won''t." Wait, what? You can do this! You already let me curious here! Is like telling you have a secret but you will only tell tomorrow! "What?! How so?!" "You are not ready for it yet, and I was to anxious to measure my actions. Just forget about it." "Oh, so now is my fault you don''t want to tell me?" "Little hound I-" "No, now, you listen to me, I''m done with you. You just suddenly changes the way you speak and treats me, starts talking gibberish, and even worst out of nowhere goes sky-high strong?! And stop-calling-me-little!" He has his calm expression in place, as if he was talking to a child, which pissed me off even more. "No, you know what? I don''t care anymore, do what you want, the only thing I care right now is to get out of this place." I stomp forward without even looking back to make sure he was following me and went straight to the little wooden door carved in the big double doors. I keep walking into the darkness, not bothered by it, hearing him close the door behind us. As I try to calm down; not forgiving him though; to be more aware of my surroundings. The place had a very high ceiling, the green light coming from the slim yet tall glass windows creating innumerous shadows behind the pillars, wooden bench, altars and what not, most turned sideways my their negligent users. At the center, on a pedestal and taller than the rest, stood a door with intricate patterns all over its surface, made of metal waves and tropical plants, showing a lonely island in the middle of the sea. Not ominous at all. I go up to it and pass the tip of my fingers over the projections, and as I hear his footsteps approaching I try to push the double metal door, but might as well been walls for their response. "So, any ideas how to open this stuff?" He gets closer, almost brushing me as I dodge him, staying to the side. If he notices me avoiding him he doesn''t say anything, only passing his own hand on the door. "The snake said that she needed a light user, maybe my magic can open it." As he finish his sentence light pours off from his palm and into the door, flowing like liquid light and filing in the shapes draw there, until the door started to shine so much that looked like the doors to heaven. And then, with a loud metal dragging sound, the doors open ajar a little I peer into it a little, only to be greated to a complete dark space, As we were looking, whoever, the doors suddenly are opened fully as if kicked open, and tons and tons of water pour out of it right on top of our heads, surrounding us before we could even react, embracing us and pulling us like a famine beastto it''s inside. As the door close in behind us only a few drops of water remain in the now so silent cathedral, the only remainder of our passage through the floor, never to go back to this Desert City. ~~~ He was faster than I. He was stronger than I. ML: He was taller than I. MC: *gives a flying kick at ML side* ML: Gahg, Hey! Weren''t you supposed to be scared of me here?! MC: Nah, I know you would never hurt me. ML: Owww, wifey, let''s get- MC: SCRAM! *Kick* ~~ Author: Hey, pss, if you like my book so far how about checking my new novel Surviving the Apocalypse; as a vampire? MC: How shameless, self-promoting yourself like that. Author: Wha- Why? The others characters need some love too! Don''t be selfish! Don''t you think ML? ML: MC: I heard that the other book is smaller and more fast paced and that the character may even "do it" before us. MC Vamp: *invading the studio* Yeah, and I even have two baby buns only-for-me. ML: *Death stare* Rejected. Author: . *So narrow minded* You know, I created you guys, you should show me some support you know? MC: *overthinking* Wait, if you created us and we are only parts of your subconscious doesn''t mean that every time we discuss in here is actually you talking with yourself? Author: Don''t take the fun out of it. See ya! Chapter 36 - Thirty-Four The only good part was that because of my swimming skill my first reaction was to close my mouth and hold my breath, otherwise I would have swallowed it all in a go right down my throat. But the sudden darkness and pressure from the water were unnerving, even more without knowing where I was and how deep; so before I started to panic for the lack of air I quickly searched my surroundings between half-open eyelashes, and saw I distant bluish light coming from above. I start pushing the water down with my hands, putting my muscles to work as I feel the air escaping from my nostrils faster than I would like. Once I reached my limits I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes, totally focusing in putting more strength in my movements, and finally broke the surface of the water while I took scr.a.p.es and uneven short yet deep breaths, swallowing some water in the process. While I was coughing it away, working myself off to keep floating, I looked around for Leonel only to see him emerge afterward, with no problems breathing as he held an air bubble on his face. I could have used one of that you know? Still mad at you though. Once I see he is ok, I turn around, taking in my surroundings. Dungeons don''t make any sense, now I''m sure of it. What-the-hell-is-a-freaking-tropical-island doing in the middle of the ocean underneath the earth?! Like, is night and all, without a moon, but there it is, a piece of land surrounded by water; not salty though, not that it matters. I won''t- I don''t even- sigh, I will just accept that we are now on an island surrounded by water and hope and pray deeply that the next door in on land. Though I doubt, with my luck, sigh. After my moment of self-doubt I start swimming to the island, getting more tired by the minute. I plop down the sand once I reach it, not very keen on moving right now. As I wait for my soul to return my body, Leonel simply walks off the water and goes into the palm forest, and says while he passes: "I will gather some wood, encounter me there" "Uhm" I responded faintly, shushing him away with my hand. I stay still for a while, hearing the sound of the waves shocking themselves against the shore, a constant sound yet different every wave, rocking back and forth, filled with the rustling of leaves and the nocturne animals, and if it wasn''t from the sand entering the crevices of my clothing''s and rasping annoyingly all over my skin I might as well had fallen asleep here and there. I stand, already feeling how swore my muscles will be tomorrow, and look around once more, taking in the details this time. The water was crystal clear, and I could see the coral underneath the shallow parts, some of its plants shining in a white-blue light, giving a very peaceful image. I could even see some fishes going around, some white like ghosts close to the surface, but some colored ones were hidden in the corals. It was quite the image. There was even some wood in the more shallow part holding up white hammocks that were slightly dipping into the water. Frowning I turn around to the tropical island, seen some green hills and a lot of foliage, palm trees, and plants everywhere; the only part without it opened to a path made of stones and wooden railing. There were some torches around, following the path, and it was tempting to lit them up as I pass; it would build a great pathway with the dancing flames; but as I didn''t know yet what kind of creatures were around here I hold myself off. I follow Leo''s smell, which goes up the wooden path, until I reach a two store wooden cabin, a mixture of wood with a thatch roof, palm trees and a sense of tropically unique and different from mountain cabins, with a lot vivid colored mixtures, especially green and yellow. The door was open and I could hear steps inside on the squeaky damp wood. I enter only to see Leo pushing two bamboo sofas with a cushion on top closer to the fireplace of the side room. There is already firewood inside, and while I''m dry from my own warm body Leonel is still dripping wet. Hump, serves you right, payment for the lack of help in the water. Not that I couldn''t take care of myself, of course. But I''m not thaaat bad, so a lit the fireplace with a simple breath, watching the flames crack and consume the wood. "I''m going to have a look around, why don''t you search this place up?" I do not wait for his answer, going around the front door; since I came from the back door; and into the main path. Then I stop in my tracks when I don''t hear him move and peek over the window, seing him staring out into nothing, deep in thought, yet somehow sad? Sigh, maybe I went a little too far, but totally his fault, he deserved it Ok, I''ll try not to be as meany, as my brother would say. I checked around the place in an efficient way, moving my ears as I looked for predators, claw marks, strange smells, until I found a swing close to a lagoon that stood actually in a type of backyard from the house, which would be perfect as a source of drinkable water. The swing hung from a tree that curved beautifully over the small lagoon, the big trunk giving away its age far before the height, though after the elven trees this was a mere baby in comparison. The blue light from the fake sky was reflected over the crystal clear water of the lagoon, so clear and steady that beyond that reflex of the light you almost couldn''t tell there was water there at all. I dip my little toes in the warm water, wiggling them underneath as I refused to wear shoes and didn''t need to take them off; they took away my feeling of the floor, it just felt weird, wrong somehow. I look at myself then, still in human form, those limbs, fingers, the hair, the lack of fur, and at the same time feeling strange yet nostalgic somehow. Leonel could be taller than I, and older as well; I think he said 13?; but even with my 5 hound years I looked almost the same age as him though not as tall. Guess animals grow faster than humans and elves hum I went a little deeper into the water, feeling the rocks from the deep rasp against my skin, the water rising almost nothing when I reached its middle only to discover that there were little fishes going about, nibbling at my feet and tickling, stealing some giggles from me as I splashed my feet around. I hear a sound than to my side, and I quickly turn only to see Leonel there, his angelical figure illuminated by the blue-silver light, his golden eyes warm as he smiled down at me, making me blush a little for my childish behavior. "I got a present for you." That got my attention, perching my ears up and making the tip of my long tail wiggle. He continues, showing a leather bag filled with something. "I was quick to collect, and after what you said about me not letting you attack I thought it would compensate a little. Sorry that I was so selfish and sorry for always apologizing." Well, at least he was sincere, I''ll give him that. I narrow my eyes and pout, thinking; is not like I can forget what I saw, like if a person just took of the "polite mask" off and showed what was behind it, but he didn''t want or made any harm to me, just acted weird. Well that''s something I can shrug it off, after all, I''m not very normal too, hehe. "Well, thanks." I walk up to him to grab the bag and see what was inside, but once I step closer I trip with those stupid two legs and as I curse under my breath I feel him move and stop my fall, staying on the side of the lagoon and holding my stretched hand. I look up to him, his face framed with a background of stars, and as quick as I decide a smirk grows on my lips, making him widen his eyes. And then I harden my grip of his arm and pull him in the water. With a loud splash we ended up with our buts underwater and wet clothes. His surprise face, however, was totally worth it. I look at him smugly, my eyebrows raised, as his brain is still trying to figure out what happened; and that was the part that was missing to bring a giggle out of me, which turned into a laugh and grow into a slapping my knee laugh. I hold my belly when tears misted my vision, almost out of breath from so much laughing. " It wasn''t even that funny" "Pff, it was, believe me." My laughter turns into a giggle, but then it builds up back gain and I start to laugh all out. " Really, it wasn''t that funny" "N-no, t-that''s not i-i-t, the fi-shes" I said between the laughs. I was to focus on laughing my tears off and holding my stomach to realize how fast he moved until he was bringing me up, out of the water, holding my armpits like a ragdoll. The fishes were still in my clothes though, so I was still holding my laugh and curving my legs, trying to get them out of my clothes, when Leo simply held me with one hand and with the other brought my pants all the way down. I froze in place as I felt the wind passing my private parts slightly covered by my shirt, and at the same time that a blush started to go up my neck into my cheeks, I reacted by slapping him in the face, and wiggling out of his grip while he was still stunned. I picked up my now totally wet pats and run behind a bush like a scared squirrel and quickly put them on. I hear his splashy footsteps get closer, but now I was madder them ever. "Thilgon, I" I get out of the bush and walk past him without looking or acknowledge him, stumping my feet and going inside the cabin, closing the wooden door loudly behind me. And you know the worst? My slap didn''t even faze him, not even reddened his face! He probably was just surprised that''s why I got out of his grip! I go to the sofa, not in the mood to chat or even eat, so I just pick the blanket up and make a cocoon out of it, strangling yet another pillow victim with both my arms and legs. He goes back up slowly, opening and closing the door as silently as possible with the creaking of the damp wood, and before sitting in his on sofa he puts the leather bag close to me, and says: "I gathered as many stones from the creatures of the last floor as possible, even more from the last fight. I forgot the snake one, I was mad at her so I simply" I can hear him passing his long fingers on his hair and signing. He mumbles something that probably I wasn''t supposed to hear, but did nonetheless. "I''m terrible at this Good night Thilgon." He lays down then, the only sound coming from the tropical woods and the cracking of the fire in the fireplace. I once again take a long time to sleep, this idiocy syndrome of always having to have company while falling asleep, which made my mind wander and overthink. Have I been too harsh on him? But he deserved didn''t he? Ok, least make a list of his sinful acts: He started to act weird, evolved fast, and didn''t tell me why. He dropped my pants. He stole my kills. He Now that I think about it, there are not many bad things if I consider the good ones, like, cooking, cleaning my clothes, finding me clothes, helping me in general So what was bothering me, really? I think the lack of trust. Yes, he didn''t want to tell me why, and for the way he acts is something important, that affects me, and yet he chooses not to share, why? It was a secret? I could keep a secret. He didn''t trust me then? No no, it wasn''t that either, after all I didn''t know him for that long as to expect him to trust me; hell, I shouldn''t trust him as much as I have until now. But there was a sense of familiarity That''s it, I thought, as my mind slipped into a deep sleep, making me almost forget my last thoughts and conclusion. I was bothered because he was a stranger, I was bothered because I wanted to know him more, but holding onto his secrets was a barrier that kept me from knowing who he was, who he really was, after all the change of masks he had until now. Leonel, Leonel, still holding onto your masks aren''t you? Have to do something about that ~~~ Appraisal Completed: White Perv Fishes: They may look innocent at first, but that''s all part of their illusion; once they bring you close enough they try to enter your clothes and make you giggle like a little girl. Heheh Author: Good one fishes *high five with his fin* MC: ML:Good One. *thumbs up* MC:*preparing another slap* ~~Updating once a week, feels like a healthy amount too me~~ Chapter 37 - Thirty-Five I was tired, my body felt heavy, and some part of me was conscious that I was starting to dream, as other part stood alert in some sort of half-awake half-asleep state. Been unable to move was unnerving, as if a great pressure pushed my body down. I frown, or tried to, I don''t know, but I felt my ears stirred as from my closed eyelids I grasped some sounds, strange sounds, as if I was far away from the woods, from the island, the comforting crash of waves disappearing and confusing me. Them another place erupted upon my senses; the greasy smell of oil, sweat, tobacco, alcohol and food, adding the loud sound of people clashing glasses, talking at the same time, some rock music and cars buzzing around. It was all too much, even without my eyesight, so much information at once that I did not know where I should focus on and what was happening. "So" Someone spoke beside me, their breath reeking of alcohol and cigarettes, making me consciously hold my nose in place so I wouldn''t grimace. "How many languages you speak again?" "Six." I answered for the third time. "Wow, still as impressive as the first time I heard it." I stop myself from rolling my eyes, sipping my acid drink and trying to ignore his annoying drunkenness by giving a small smile and a nod. He wasn''t my boss, at least, though as bad by been his son; and when your bosses son invites you out, well, you go out. At least by not been my boss I could ditch him and leave earlier. He always ended up so drunk that he wouldn''t even remember when I left anyway. That thought brought a slap to my face. Wait, what? Another slap blurs the sounds and smells, and suddenly I could feel something thin and fluffy hit me in the face again, but not strong, a simple brush. I open my eyes wide. And scream. I fell down backward from the sofa to the floor, with no time to rub my hurt bottom as the thing hides from view. I feel Leo come behind me, staring at the same mass that stood behind my pillow, hiding and cowering in fear. Leo, seen an unknown presence, comes with his sword by my side, ready to strike as the thing squeaks and hides further in the blankets. "Wait! Wait Leo!" I hold onto his hand, stopping him mid-motion. Gosh, you don''t simply attack what appears right in front of you, you brute! "Ok" Ops, did I said that out loud? Oh well. Once he calms down I turn my attention to the thing resting on my sofa. I haven''t sensed any evil intention, not even a presence from starts, so I use my third eye to see its status: Red Mushroom Kin C These are humanoid little mushrooms. Usually dormant in their plant state, they can transform and gain limbs and conscious by consuming great amounts of exp. This kind of mushroom can learn how to speak, shines in the dark, and are very docile. At that I relax; how docile a species needs to be to appear even in his status? I kneel down beside the sofa them, and with a soothing voice say: "Hey little buddy, no need to be afraid, we are not going to hurt you. You can come out now." The covers shuffle for a bit and a red top comes out of the blanket, some black little eyes peeking out underneath the red hat. I smile, reassuring, at the little creature, stretching my hand to it. "There''s nothing to be afraid of, you can come out." As he comes out of his cover I need to hold a not very manly owwww from coming out of my lips, but nothing stops me from owwing inside my head. He. Is. So. Cute!! He was holding his red hat in embarrassment, his tiny lower body covered by a grey fur, adding a small pink nose, tiny hands and feet, little pads covering the tip of the fingers making it all the more chubby. I want to squish it. Deep breaths now, don''t want the scare the little one. "What''s your name little one?" He peeks under the hat, and with great effort climbs up the blankets onto my hand, hugging my thumb, opening his little mouth and showing off his little canines as he says: "Moma!" Owwww, that''s soo cu- Wait, what? He looks at Leo then and says: "Papa!" Wait! Why I''m the mother? No, I mean, that''s not the matter here! "We are not your parents little on-" The moment I tried to say anything his eyes turn wide and his little snout start to tremble and sob, his little hands brushing his eyes. Shit, I don''t-I mean. "It''s ok, everything is ok little one, M-moma is here ok?" That hurt my pride. That really hurt it. But his bright little smile made me forget all about it. Ok, maybe, just maybe, I have a weakness against cute stuff. Just maybe. Slightly. I bring him closer to me as he rubs his little head on my palm, feeling a bubble of warm grow inside my chest and turn me into puddle. ~~~~ Pov: Leonel''s I watched the scene with a serene expression, but I was actually holding a strange expression from coming up; at the same time I wanted to frown from the sudden intimacy between the thing and Thilgon, but at the same time I wanted to smile at the warm scene, watching how delicately my little hound holds onto the fragile creature, his eyes warm and shining in a welcoming and warm way that I have never seen before. I wanted those eyes shining like that only to myself. I shook the selfish thought away; my little hound would be pissed if he knew that that thought has even crossed my mind; but how much I wanted to simply take him away, have those bright eyes only for myself. He would hate me for that, for sure, he took proud of his independence, on his strength, and who would I be to take away those important things from him? My conviction to go against my own desires for his was proof enough of how much he meant to me. He saved me when everybody trampled over me. He showed me a side of the world that I could have never imagine. And yet his anger prevented me from reaching out to him. I wasn''t able to save him from himself. But everything was different now. Though he wasn''t ready for the intensity of my feelings yet, I realized, thankfully before I scared him away from me. Which lead me to think what I could do different this time, even more because he was still a child, too young and innocent. So I concluded that I should conquer him, even if only as a friend at first, and make myself worthy, little by little. I watch him again, now sitting on the floor with one leg up and the other curved down, tail swinging behind him, as he patted the little guy''s head with a soft little smile, and even the silver diamond crystal on his forehead appeared to shine brilliantly. His black silky hair was a bird nest from sleeping, which gave him a casual look that fluttered my heart. "Did you like him?" I ask in a soft voice as he nods, not taking his eyes away from the creature. I search from where the creature came from, and my eyes fall upon the bag that I gave Thilgon. "I think he ate your crystals." At that he tenses, looks down at the little mushroom, who looks up with a guilty pleading face, as Thilgon pulls the bag closer to him. "There is only one left." The stays silent for a moment, weighing the bag in his hand, and sigh, letting his shadow swallow it. "I''ll give to my brother later." Probably to give him a human form too, I bet. "You should name him." "But I don''t even know if I''m going to keep him. He is a plant after all, and I''m made of fire, they don''t mix well together." "I can take care of him for you then." "Really?!" I nod. "Elves are naturally good with things related to nature. We should be fine." He nods then, passing his finger on the small back of the creature as he stands up and stretches his hands towards me, making the little face come closer to my own. Those little dark eyes watch me curiously, as he puts his little hands in the air, waiting for me to grab him. He fits perfectly in my hand, strongly holding onto my fingers when I move him closer. " I''m terrible with names" Thilgon says, making me look up only to find him very close, enough that I could draw his features with my eyes, his nose, his fluffy ears standing crooked and relaxed, his beautiful silver eyes, his full lips. My heart races at the sight. Sigh. This would be a long mission, but I''ll be sure to make the best of it. ~~~~ MC: So, what should we name him? ML:*Thinking* ML: D.i.c.khea- Author/MC: NO! ~~~~ Author: So who do you think is cuter? MC: Whom? *Author points at Hunthor and the mushroom* Younger B.: *Thinking: Need to be cute, the cutest~~sits down and with puppy eyes covers his snout with his paw, tail wiggling as he looks up shyly, only to open a full teeth smile and let his tongue hang sideways, flopping on his belly* Mush.Kin: *Everybody is looking at me~Nervous nervous~ hides underneath his hat, but feels his moma getting closer, so it jumps out with open arms, saying: Peek-a-boo! Author: Author: We lost the MC to blood loss. Chapter 38 - Thirty-Six We were outside now and, to my surprise, there was a day cycle in this floor; but with no sun, making the whole celling shine, which was very weird and bright. As I looked outside I was still cracking my head to find a name for the little guy while he played with my fingers on the palm of my hand, as well as keeping an eye out for danger. The good thing was that, at least, the massive river of energy from this floor lead deeper into the island, not in the middle of the ocean, thank God! "Ah I really want to get off this dungeon soon." I say, sighing. I was starting to get claustrophobic here, even if the place was big. And I missed my brother too. Leonel keeps walking beside me, not talking, as we follow the stone path up the hills inside the tropical forest, so it is a surprise once he starts speaking: "What are you going to do once we are out of here?" I look at him and almost trip on an exposed root, making the little one squeak and hop on top of my head, holding my ears for balance. Then I really think about what I was going to do, putting my plans into words: "Well, I intend to train more, so I''ll go to the desert with my brother so we can hunt down some fire creatures and consume their crystals. How about you?" "Hm" He seems to be thinking about it for the first time, as he says: "Probably go back to my castle and make a name for myself." "Hm I see, back to your castle?!" "Yes, I''m a prince on my human side, though it is just an empty title for now." And he never thought that that was somehow important to say to me? What the hell! That only proved my line of thinking, that I really didn''t know him in the least, and we have been together for days now! Fuming, I get distracted by some palm trees with coconuts high above them. Sharpening my claws I hug the trunk and push myself upwards until I reach the goodies. "Leo! Catch!" I start throwing them at him until he had 5, and while I went down the tree Leo cleaned the outside of the coconuts and made a hole on top for us to drink with a knife. We started walking again, still going up, once he cracks it open so we can eat the white stuff inside, wummy. "So Why did you come here then? I mean, to this dungeon." "For the experience." That''s it? Still not able to carry on a conversation now, is he? How I''m supposed to have this one sided conversation! Help me out here! "For the experience? Really? I don''t think you are getting that here, not after that display. Or perhaps it what something that happen here that made you overpowered?" Leo looks at me then, a calm expression in place as no answer comes from him, pissing me off slightly. "Come on! There must be something you can tell me! How do you want me to trust you when you clearly keep things from me?!" That took him off guard for once, and he diverted his eyes from me, thinking. I let it go so I wouldn''t get nervous, again, for the same thing since that wouldn''t make any difference beyond me getting a headache later after all. We hiked the rest of the path in silence that day, passing through breathtaking landscapes, been high enough on the track to see the sea and the top of the trees below as well as some little rivers and waterfalls. The silence was welcomed; at the same time that I wanted to know him better I regretted every futile attempt. But now I had another reason too. To analyze that dream. Of course I didn''t think it was but a mere dream, it was too real to be, and how could I dream with something so different from my reality? I haven''t smelled those odors before, and yet knew exactly what they were; and worst, I knew who I was speaking to There was more to it, I knew it. The night came abruptly, as if someone had turned off the lights, no orange in the sky nor the dark blue coming slowly, just pitch black and stars, making me think for a second that someone was attacking us and blinding us. "We should camp." "Agree." Caught by surprise we didn''t have time to prepare a camping place, so no cabins or caves for us tonight. Instead, we found a clearing with a beautiful view of the platinum sea, the little guy illuminating the place with his red head like a lamp. We took some clothes and blankets from my Shadow Pocket, cleaning the floor from leaves and making a semi-circle around the bonfire we lit. I made my cocoon of blankets/clothes while I waited for Leo to cook something for us, smelling great as always, accompanied by the little guy hugging my chest. "How about Shrum, Shu for short?" "" "I know that is like having a brown dog and naming it Brownie, but I told you I''m terrible with names!" He shrugged, starting to add the ingredients to yet another of his amazing soup; even if he still complained about the lack of salt, sugar and oil. I could only fathom the taste his food would have if he had all those ingredients. He puts sliced coconut, lemon juice, some mushrooms; don''t let Shrum see it; slices of carrot, a fish we caught on the river before, and other green plants that I didn''t recognize. All fresh to the oven! Never thought I would like so many dishes with less or even without meat as much as I did since Leo started cooking for me. My mouth started to water as I changed back to my hound form, already caring the clothes to the bag, stretching my long legs and feeling like I had put my pajamas on. Even more, it was safer to stay in my hound form in case we suffer an attack in the middle of the night. I go back to my nest of blankets, bringing Shrum closer with my paw, and resting my chin on the other. Leo finishes the dish, putting the bowl in front of me, as we ate in silence. Leo finishes first, straightening his posture, resting his hands on top of his lap. He looks at the fire, making the orange light reflect in his golden eyes, as he starts to talk: "There are things I can talk about now and others that I won''t. I don''t have any intentions of holding information from you, is just that now is not the right time. I can only promise you that one day in the future I''ll tell you everything." He didn''t seem to have finished so I wait patiently, licking the drops of soup from my snout. "My power from before came from a specific training that not many can or are allowed to learn. Is a type of magic that doesn''t need the experience or energy from other creatures to evolve. It absorbs from nature and the natural magic that''s around us, but it takes more time to level up." "Though his far greater in a long time project, since you do not stop at the level most do, some even reach the path of immortality. Another factor is that those techniques are well hidden in each clan, only taught to those with an affinity and who pass their requirements." "My master was the holder of the ancient relics techniques, though I cannot enter in many details, all I can say is that it is the hardest yet one of the strongest type of Qi refining." "Qi refining?" "Qi is the energy that exists all around us, commonly called by magic. Once inside, absorbed by the body and soul, it becomes Chi energy. The point is, it can be somewhat similar to what magic holders do, but is far more complex, with techniques that are not open to the public." "So they kind of use the same energy, the only difference is how they use them?" "Yes." "So How does yours differ from the rest? How is the most difficult yet stronger?" "Mine are the arts of the runes. They are like words, that once formed can bring forth the intend of the word. For example, the one I used before is Purified, a complex pattern with 3 layers." I waited for him to continue, eager for the knowledge, and even more because he was, finally, sharing something from himself with me. He looks up, seeing if I wasn''t bored by the explanation, and continues: "They make you as strong as you can remember their patterns and sequence, plus making them in a short amount of time; the more complex the symbol, the stronger and harder it gets. There is a basic vocabulary, like what we commonly use, but they are only able to make words with four letters, since you write the traces on top of each other, making unreadable with more than four." "Them there are the complex ones, one symbol meaning the entirety of the word; a petal symbol can mean Spring, but a petal-lotus symbol, plus the sun, and the stars becomes Purification. There are many other runes that weren''t discovered yet, and the strength of the caster depends on his memory of the runes and understanding of them." " Seems complex." "Is not that hard once you get used to it." "Uhum." He was covering himself for the night now, since I was already prepared for bed, as I ask: "How old are you again?" "Thirteen." Bullshit. How could he have learned such complex techniques if he was that young? He couldn''t be a reincarnated too, could he? Is not like I can ask him though, I think before yawing, not without giving myself away. Hell, even my brother didn''t know yet. My eyes were heavy yet I didn''t fall asleep as Shrum kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep. I raise my paw to look at him, curled in a ball by my side. "Unable to sleep?" He looks up with his little eyes, passing his hands over them as he nods. "Them how about a song?" He opens a wide smile, making his little teeth appear as he sits up. I hear some ruffle of clothes and know that Leo turned my way to listen as well. Getting up a little to give more space to my lungs I clean my throat and lick my black lips, letting soft musics come to mind, humming a lullaby as the lyrics take form: "Hush now my child, for the night has come~~ Your papa is home and your mama is close~~ With dark skies~~ the night has come~~ Hush now my child, it is time to dream~~ Hush, lovely child, for your parents are here~~ Do not worry now, for safe we will you keep~~ Hush now my child~~for we love thee~~" ~~ I kept humming between the lyrics, singing softly and slowly, dragging the words leisurely, until I could hear Shu deep breaths as he fell asleep. Satisfied I look down and bump my nose on the top of his hat, bring him closer with my paw. I look up and my vision encounters two warm melted-gold eyes illuminated by the light of the fire. He was resting his face on his hand, laying down on top of the clothes, a soft smile on his lips, but not softer than his eyes on me. That gaze sends shivers down my spine. That wasn''t the look a child should have. That was a gaze that held emotions that even I didn''t now how to decipher. "Good night, Thilgon" He said, dragging my name as if tasted like honey on his tongue. Then he turned his back, letting me stunned for a while before sleep came to me. If he was Reincarnated, that would have appeared in appraisal wouldn''t it? Good thing my fur wouldn''t let a blush appear ~~~ Let me clarify, for the sake of knowledge-wise, that the Qi-Chi idea brought in here does not correspond to those on religion/philosophy; but are inspired by then. (b^_^)b For those who found confusing the runes stuff, let be try to shine a light for you then: is like Japanese, were there is the easy vocabulary; katana and hiragana; with only 200 words (sort off) that are able to form words, and there is the kanji (2000 official plus 4000 readings (sort off)), that are far more complex traced and mean one entire thing by themselves, but can change meaning with other kanji or hiragana together. Did I complicated things? Hehe ~~~~ So some of you are asking and I thought to give you guys a change on choosing this So, let''s open the Pandora box now shall we?! Should Thilgon: Be bottom/uke/the receiver Or They should fight who gets to top who, changing the seme/top/giver Let the war begin, muahaha! And yes, Thilgon will be bottom no matter what. (?f???) Chapter 39 - Thirty-Seven When I woke up early them the rest I used the extra time to try and settle my mind because, mind you, I didn''t need much to overthink; my thoughts alone were enough; and now with all the information that Leo gave me and the possibility of him being a reincarnated, well let just say that distracted would be an underestimated for my state right now. Once the sun was up, however, we cleaned up the place and ate breakfast as Leo started: "You want to keep this one then?" He said, pointing at Shrum as he nimble one of the coconuts in my bowl. I nod, filling up my own cheek with a full spoon. "So we will need to make a contract." I perched my ears, not liking the sound of that. "What type of contract?" I cross my arms over my chest, looking at him across the campfire. "Partnership. We will exchange experience and energy, the only downside being that we must stay together." "Is that really necessary?" "He needs exp. to maintain his humanoid form, and as he is unable to fight on his own, so yes." "We could feed him the crystals." "Indeed we could, but not all creatures have them, and it wouldn''t be easy to maintain him like that." Still I didn''t like the idea but the benefits seemed to surpass the detriments, even more if he needed the exp. so much as to maintain his form I look at Shrum then, who was filling his cheeks like a hamster, and ask: "Would you like to stay and make a contract with Leo?" He looks at me, then to Leonel, and when his mouth is free he says: "Papa!" Leo nods. "Great. Once we get out of here I will bring him with me them." A little sad I enjoy the moment I have with the little one and play with him on my palm until we head on our way. We had a very calm walk, side by side as we watched the island from high up. Some leaves were falling, the stone path becoming more sparse and difficult to walk in, becoming more and more uncared and wild. I walked a little slower than Leonel because I was still getting used to walking in two legs and there were a lot of holes and uneven stones around, that''s why I had a great view of his back. He was tall for a human, a little higher than an elf from his age, and if I remember correctly elves, on contrary of their a.d.u.l.thood, aged pretty quickly on childhood, making them grownups at the age of 15. He was 13 then which meant he was 2 years from being an a.d.u.l.t, been so close that his body was already very well formed beyond his childish face. But mostly his eyes, they already held something different. More mature, more aware. Maybe the possibility of been a Reincarnated made me more attentive of him, more alert, made meenvision him more as an a.d.u.l.t than the child he still is. Leo stops then and turns towards me, suddenly reaching out and pushing my hair off of my face as the tip of his fingers brush against my cheeks, making my face heat up as his palm brings forth strands of my hair, letting a leave fall down as he says: "It was stuck in your hair for a while now." His voice sounded normal but I could see some mischievous glint in his eyes and a small smirk curving his lips as he turns and start to walk away slowly. Wait his surprise attack stunned me, oi! That should be illegal Did I blush? Did I? Yeah, yeah, definitely blushed... That requires a revenge. With a smirk of my own I trot forward, passing him while my arms were on my back, and slap his butt with my whiptail. I see him jump, as stunned as I had been, and I give back the same cheeky remark: "There was a bug on your butt for quite some time now, it was starting to bother me" Before, however, I could walk away victorious, he seems to recover rather fast and makes my own smirk die out when one of his own grow on his face: "Then you should just have stopped starting at it " "Wh-! I wasn''t checking it out!" He crooks his head a little, raising both eyebrows questionably. He walks a little close, for some reason making my heart race, never taking off his eyes from mine, but when I was expecting something to happen, been so close to him, he passes me with a smile on his eyes. You cheeky bastard Wait! What was I expecting to happen?! Yo-you stupid, shitty stupid mutt! Get a hold of yourself Thilgon for God''s sake! I clean my throat before fixing my hair and following him up the path. Walking until we reached the end of the energy river that lead us to be standing on top of the highest hill overlooking the entire island. The place didn''t look any different from the rest of the island until we reached its center. Inside there was a circle of water hidden by rocks on the sides and a single pillar appearing from the middle. I looked inside the crystal clear water and almost thought to be at the end of a cliff; I could see how deep it was, possibly reaching until the end of the mountain and connecting into the sea. I won''t even question that. Wasn''t the worst thing I saw around here for sure. The only problem was that, of course, the door wasn''t on land but deep inside that circular whole filled with water for who knows how long and deep. Just great. "Great, now what do we do Leo, the door is aght-!" I turn to talk to him but I''m surprised by him lifting me off the ground and carrying me in a princess-carry, as I immediately get fl.u.s.tered and start yelling: "Leonel! What the hell are you doing! Let-me-down-now! He doesn''t listen to me and walks closer to the water, simply jumping off the edge into the circular hole filled with water. I close my eyes and harden my grip of his neck, waiting for the cold and choking sensation, but after some time without any of those I risk half opening one of my eyes. There there was a bubble of air around us, keeping the water off and the air in. Then Leo starts laughing at me. Angry I hit him on the shoulder, making him let go of me while I give another punch just to make sure. "You could have warned me Goddamnit!" "Ouch, I could, ouch, but wouldn''t be as nearly as fun." Trying to push my upkeep hair off my face I huffed at him, crossing my arms and turning my back at him, my tail high while I tried not to blush by pouting. Not a good improvement I may add. "Don''t be mad Thil, it was only a joke" Happy that I was bothering by ignoring him and giving my back, I stood my ground as we descend into the water. Then, of course, he makes me taste my own venom by coming closer and hugging my shoulders from behind, making even more clear our height difference, as he rests his head on the curve of my neck and with a warm breath tickles my skin saying: "Please don''t be mad at me" "Ok! Fine! Now back off!" I say a little too quick and high, blushing at the weird sensation of his body pressing against my back, his warmth passing beyond my clothes "Only if you said you are not mad at me." He says, a little higher, making his breath tickle my ears, instantaneously flatting then on top of my head. Bodydon''t you dare shiver! "Fine! I don''t hate you! Now let me go!" Before I start hating you! He did, making me take two steps back and look at his smug face as he crossed his arms and rested his back on the edge of the spell. I was thinking a way to retort when he finally reach the end, our feet touching the sandy raspy ground. Been surrounded by darkness, the pressure of tons of water over our heads is a dangerous presence that makes me gulp anxiously. Just because I liked swimming doesn''t mean I enjoy diving this deep. Ding C Ineptitudes acquired C Fear of the deeps My, thank you mister ding dong, you have been gone for a very long time and comes back only to give the bad news now?! Ding: -that''s unfair buhu But really, this place gave me the creeps, we couldn''t see anything, the sound was too stuffy to make sense of anything, and this was the perfect setting to be sneaked by something, even worst was that most of my attacks didn''t work underwater. As I was looking out some sand drifted of in the water, as if something had moved not too far away. Once I look up, however, my fears come true as I encounter a pair of yellow-green eyes staring me down, the rest of the creature obscured by the darkness, only the pair of orbs shining menacing. Well shit. ~~~~ MC.Vamp.: Well, look at that, finally taking the initiative I see ML: What are you doing here? What do you want? Invading other''s people stories MC.Vamp.: What, me?! Nothing really, just having some fun and passing to say that I already had a taste of mycompanions. ML: *Death stare at him, fist his hands hard* MC.Vamp.: And in, what, five, six chapters? What about you? Oh, yeah, thirty-seven for a hug? Pff ML: YOU SHIT! COME HERE! *fight breaks in the studio* Author: Hey guys, wait! Stop fighting! ML: *Stops, turns slowly in author direction, and narrow his eyes* Author Darling We need to talk Author: Oh no, we do- ML: NOW. (???'') MC.Vamp.: *Alone now, comes closer to the readers, grabbing your hand and stroking your palm with his long fingers* So do you enjoy some fun between s.e.xy, hot and steamy man I assume then I would love your presence in my book *bend down and kisses the top of your knuckles, looking up and smirking mischievously, showing the tip of his incisors* I''ll be waiting Author: *coming out of the private room* Don''t flirt with the readers! Bad vamp! Bad! MC: And they are not even YOUR readers! *Fights break out again while you could still hear a laughing vamp over the chaos* Chapter 40 - Thirty-Eight The ground shook as the thing moved, his massive body coming to view piece by piece, it''s gigantic arrow-shaped head with red and greenhorns almost formed a coral on his back, contrasting with his blue and white scales on the rest of the body. He had gigantic talons too, rasping deep inside the sand with membranes between the fingers, his body ending in a long tail with a red coral-plant covering it and moving with the current like hair would do. And even with the lack of wings I could easily tell what the thing was. DRAGON! I start snarling at him, not before having one last good look at the creature: Coral Water Dragon C This type of dragon has immense power and agility underwater. Is an expert in magical attacks, sneak attacks underwater, and is very territorial. Like many dragons is a collector of shiny objects. I don''t care! Kill the dragon! Death to all the dragons! Smug bastards! Home stealers! I really don''t like them Already alert and prepared to battle we could see when the Coral Dragon started to use his magic, turmoils of water spiraling and trying to suck us in and out of the bubble. Well, let just say that for a water user this place was heaven, and for a fire/air user Not so much. The pressure started to build up, clouding our vision from the outside even more as the sand raised with the water, so this time when Leonel comes closer and wraps an arm around my waist I don''t even protest. I could use half of my magic attacks here without consuming our air, so I use my Shadow Illusion together with my Shadow Veil once Leo uses the air to hop us up and farther away from the attacks. The dragon was still focused on the illusion, closing in with tornados of water unto our illusion, and when he reaches it he sucks the illusion right into his mouth, making good use of his water manipulation. "Let''s back up, for now." Says Leonel. And as far as I want to deal with this dragon, I agree that it was impossible to win against it underwater. So, for now, we flee- I mean, strategically fall back. ~~~~ In the end we spend one more night there, thinking and planning; and I hadn''t received my title of Strategist for naught. One thing for sure that we easily agree on was that we needed to change the battle to our favor by taking the dragon off the water. We first thought to annoyed it in a way that it would follow us out, but it was too dangerous to go underwater as I wouldn''t be able to dodge and dash and my fire attacks wouldn''t reach him, as well as Leo''s attacks, since light could blind it but we didn''t know how effective that would even be And we needed to think of a way to improve our chances of winning on land as well, after all, once out of the water it was our only chance; the creature woulnd''t fall for the same trick twice. So we thought carefully that night, barely talking, eating mechanically. And then, of course, I had the brilliant idea that would get us to pass the creature and into the door beyond him. That''s how, now, I ended up acting as bait; You see, dragons love shining things, and I just have the right thing right on my forehead and changing into my Hell Form made it quite sizable. We waited for the night to come so that my crystal would appear more as I approach the water, pretending to go for a drink while Leo stayed hidden, giving a little more light for my crystal to reflect into the water. Then we waited. I was suddenly getting anxious, looking at the undisturbed water, waiting for a gigantic head to pop up, his snout filled with sharp teeth coming right at me and chewing me down. I had to contain a shiver at the idea. Even more because it wasn''t that impossible to happen. Great, now I''m jinxing myself. And I kind of did when he had to keep this plan up for 2 days without results. After that long I thought to be even silly how I was scared once; now I was just bored and irritated, thinking about other plans, some pretty absurd as trying to boil all the water so the dragon would cook inside. As tempting as it was to try, it would have been futile, and stupid, to do as my MP would dried out before I even reached the deeps. As I was lost in thoughts it was a surprise when the water started to move and my plan started to work, and damn the creature was massive, even in my Hell Form I was just the size of its head. Our eyes met when he started to get out of the water, his colossal clawed paws touching the land and making the ground shake. He opens his mouth, letting visible the three layers of sharp-curved teeth, the long tongue coming out to lick his eye as he kept staring me down, or rather, kept starring my crystal down. "Sorry pal, but I need this thing to keep myself alive, so see ya!" I breathe a fan of flames on his face and start dashing back, feeling the ground shake as the creature ran in pursuit, very very close to me. Hell, shit, I don''t think this was a good idea anymore! I go to the side where there were the rocks that hide the circle of water, bringing him to a more enclosure place where we prepared a trap. I stop when I reach a wall, the circle of rocks opening enough that the dragon could come closer and stand on his hind legs, gurgling a grow at me. I step back until my butt touches the stone and the dragon closes in, a smug expression over his eyes and a snarl showing off his massive teeth, while his long red tail stood over the entrance and blocked my path. I grow back at him, looking up the hills and waiting to see Leonel there, but once I don''t see him and the dragon tries to close in more, I go to "the hell with it" mode and attack it. From his shadows many Shadow Tentacles go up as if a marine monster himself was resting just below the Coral Dragon, the huge arms curving around the dragon''s body and restraining his movements. Yes! I try to bring his head down to the ground but he keeps his standing position against the firm grip of my tentacles, forcing his mouth open against the moorings. Shit, he was strong, I couldn''t keep this much longer. I try to use the Shadow Spikes, but even when I combined with the tentacles and pierced very close to the skin the scales deflected, unscratched, my attacks. Pissed I go all out, breath fire at his face, try to concentrate the flame in one part, even manipulate fire to cover all of his body, which only leads for it to get very, very pissed at me. Once I tired myself out his escape against the tentacles was bound to happen. And he knows it. With a smile showing off his back teeth he gurgles again, bringing his enormous paw closer. "LeoLEO! This would be a good time for, you know, a little help?!" He did not left me behind now did he? The mere thought made me look back at the enormous creature in front of me, the colossal scaled paw coming closer. I dodge as long as I can, which is not much now since I brought it to a tight place. Seriously Leonel, now would be a good time as ever you know I started to get really worried when suddenly his figure appears over the peak, as he screams: "Close your eyes!" I do as he says, waiting to be hit by the enormous paw any second, but time passes with nothing happening so I slowly open my eyes to see the dragon paralyzed mid-motion, his paw stuck midair, his eyes black as if dozed off or something. Standing on my hind legs I look him up, seemly completely ignoring me. What the hell Then I look around us and the wall turned into mirrors? They were reflecting us, making a circle around the dragon and taking in all his angles. In one of them there was a gigantic rune so, so complex that I couldn''t even make out how many layers of runes it was made off. "Thilgon, let''s go!" Leo comes down from the rock and walks in my direction, but I answer: "Wait, just go? We can kill it right now!" "Kill him when we do not need to? You were the one who said yesterday that you didn''t like meaningless killing, weren''t you?" He says, raising an eyebrow. Me and my big snout. "But it wouldn''t be meaningless, we could get levels and experience" "You had your chance to battle against it, and finishing him off now wouldn''t be right or recommended as a slight touch will awake him from this state. Let''s go, your brother is waiting for you." Damn, using the brother card now, aren''t we? "I just wanted to kill the dragon they are up to no good I tell ya!" "Talking from experience I assume?" He says when we start to walk again. I said nothing at that, but a mumble escapes me: "It was scary back then" "What?" "Hum? Nothing, but hey you took your pretty ass time going out to help me now didn''t you?" He stops them as we reached the edge of the circular lake again, looking deep into my eyes, having it a little higher now because of my Hell Form; and if wasn''t from his serious expression I would have made a remark about it. "You know, there is nothing wrong on be scared sometimes" But I wasn''t scared! "I wasn''t " Damn this elf language! His gaze turns gentle as his eyes drift over the water as he says: "You know what I''m scared of?" I nod a no, suddenly very curious. What could make him nervous? "I fear failing. Of not been enough, of making mistakes, the cost of those mistakes Is a very poisonous self-destructive fear, always present, making me work harder, better, never resting, in fear that I''m not strong enough. Does that make sense?" It did, kind off, but I never thought that he, being strong as he was, would fear such a normal thing. "No one is perfect, mistakes are part of lifeand even if is just trying you always gain something out of it, even if is just experience, so don''t be too hard on yourself ok?" He smiles, nodding. "Easier said and done, but I''m up to the challenge, if you promise to stop that." "That what?" "Keeping the strong face around me. Nobody is strong all the time, and I would rather have you-" He is cut off by a gurgling roar coming from behind us. We exchanged looks before jumping in the water together, accelerating and focusing on reaching the door before its gatekeeper was back. As we shared the bubble of air again we struggle to make it go faster, me using my fire magic while Leo''s uses his wind magic, creating almost a vortex of fire underwater, which looked pretty cool. We reach the deeps at the same time that a pressure came down the water as an enormous shadow grows over us. I grab Leo with my teeth and start running in the direction of the door. Mid-run Leo manages to hop on my back instead of staying like a puppy on my fangs. It was difficult to see underwater so I blindly follow my third eyes energy view, reaching the middle and the pillar rock structure, almost hitting my head into it. I had no time to wonder why the energy went inside as the ground trembles behind us and sand is raised from the Coral Dragon landing. Maybe the door is on one of the sides of the pillar I quickly think without stopping to look back, circulating around the structure. I don''t think our plan of distraction worked very well, but if we didn''t get to the door now we will need to make a new plan, or even have to train to try and kill this thing. It was a strange sensation, to say the least, running underwater without been able to see anything as the sand crunched underneath my paw pads. We only found the door because we got sucked in an enormous hole that lead inside the pillar, going up into the structure until we found a place with land and air. We walk out of the hole with water that we came in, and looking around us it became clear why the dragon didn''t want us anywhere near here; and why it was so mad right now. This was his treasure room, with many things made of gold, silver, raw minerals and crystals, to even shining plants that somehow survived down here laying around. It was an amazing sight that we did not have enough time to appreciate as an explosion of water came from the hole behind us, giving space to an enormous arrow shaped head to appear, a pair of glazing eyes staring us down. Shit. He throws a strangely green stream of water at us, making me dodge between the treasures, until, behind the immense piles, we spotted a grey stone door standing alone in the middle of the circular space, a drawing of a mushroom in it. But how do we open this?! Well Let just say that a few days''s acting as bait gave me enough time to think about it. For instance, why the doors have a mechanism like this to begging with? That is explained by the dungeon been a monster; it doesn''t want that the creature inside it leaves, so it does its best to have then die inside to harvest their energy. And what best way than making the doors have an opposite element mechanism in it? For example, on the last floor all creatures had dark physical to them, so the door would only open with light magic; and as all creatures had the opposite element, it was almost impossible for them to escape, me included. Now, this one is very simple; which element is the opposite of water? I answer that with a fireball at the door, still running at full speed into it and praying that it really opens quickly enough that I wouldn''t bash my face against it. I receive my answer once the mushroom drawing catches on fire, slowly making an opening to the black void beyond. Angered for losing its prey the dragon roars, not before trying to attack once more. I can still feel the air shake with its screams even after the door closes behind us. Tired from the experience I let Leo hop off as I revert back at my normal hound form, flopping on the floor. "Ah that was close, let''s not do that again." "Uhm." Leonel stays tall beside me, alert, and for once draws my attention to the place we were in. Wait, I know those green shining mushrooms, those high ceiling cave systems, those rats and bats scooting away. We were on the first floor! "Yes, finally we can leave!" I said, excited for some fresh air but once I try to stand I flop back on the floor, legs weak for some reason. Leo notices immediately, wide eyes as he looks me up and down as I start to feel a numbness grow over my body. I look back at my tail then only to see it starting to grow green and dry as black spots start to blur my vision. Shit. That''s why I really hate dragons, I think before passing out. Again. ~~~~ Ugh, this one was a big one ( ? ? ? ) ?-(===> For those who are as eager as I for the OP MC You won''t have to wait long ;D Chapter 41 - Thirty-Nine I woke up feeling groggy, heavy and numb, with a weird taste in my mouth, but mostly just glad for waking up at all. I try to move, feeling too hot, and ended up bumping onto something. I hear voices after my movement, and some weight over me as I try to open my eyes, only to encounter Leo''s face very, very close. I try to jump back but I hit something again, the sudden movement making me dizzy so I flop back down again. Someone lift the weight out of me, making it easier to breathe as I frown in concentration, trying to clean my mind. I pass my tongue over my dry snout and someone brings fresh water for me, pouring it down slowly, even if I was so thirsty that I wanted to gobble it up in one go, having it off of me every time I went to fast. Satisfied I tried once more to open my eyes, encountering a pair of golden ones staring me down. "How are you feeling?" "Heavy, numb, tired, but no pain." I said in a raspy voice, looking eagerly to the rest of the water, which Leo''s bring closer yet again to my lips. I stand in a half-sit half-laying position, my long black legs stretched in front of me, slowly taking the place we were in. We were at Aeglos room, the wooden walls and view from the forest a great indicator, not more than the elf himself behind me, holding my brother in his arms. When my eyes encounter his I can already see the tears wanting to roll out of his eyes. "Hey little brother." I say in a tired voice, which makes the river of tears overflow as he escapes from Aeglos grips and jumps right at me, crying with his snout on my neck, taking in my smell and my presence. "Ohh, brother C sob- I was soo C sob- worried C sob- we all were C sob- when you wouldn''t wake up C sob sob." He hugged me with his paws, staying as close as he could, making me lick his face clean of tears. "You silly, I wouldn''t leave you here alone uhm? I did promise, didn''t I?" "No Csob- actually you didn''t" I laugh weakly at him, feeling my head heavy and laying down again as he kept passing his tongue over my fur, as if confirming that I was really there. "What happened?" I ask Leo, looking in his direction and trying to ignore the fact that we four apparently shared Aeglos bed. "You were poisoned by the Dragon on our way out, probably one of his attacks hit you." Poisoned? The descriptions didn''t say anything about poison though? Maybe it was concealed? Or the level difference made that it didn''t show all the information about it? I don''t know, I just know that I''m too tired to think about it right now. "And" Leo continues, having one of his rare moments where he struggles to say something. "And?" "The damage was too severe, and it was going to the rest of your body, so I had to take drastic measures and cut our tail off." I was almost asleep again when I heard that, my ears perching up and my eyes wide, going straight to where my tail should have been. My lower part is covered by blankets, so Aeglos takes them off so I can look at it. Nooo, by prideful whip tail! I didn''t even have a chance to show it to my brother! I felt like a peac.o.c.k who had their feathers plucked out!! Before I could despair, however, I was just thankful that it didn''t hit a leg or something, otherwise that would have been a real issue. I didn''t have a stump tail like before, having some of it left; not the full ledge, not even haft of it, but enough that it reached to 2/3 of my leg. "Sigh, well, it had to be done." I said, trying to adjust to the fact, still feeling like I had the long tail as I moved it around. Couldn''t use this one in battle anymore "Brother!!!" Hunthor says, jumping up on me and biting my ear like the old times. Oi, that''s not how you treat a sick person now, is it! I grab my chance and bite his snout, pushing him over me and pinning him down on Leo''s lap, licking his face up and then pushing him over, making him roll off the bed and on the floor; lucky him that the bed was only a cushion over the ground. "Brother! That was meany!! I was just so worried about you!!" "Oh yeah?! And that''s how you treat a sick person?! Stay there and think about what you did!" He whimpers, flopping his ears down, but as he looks up a smile grows from his snout. "I missed you brother." I snorted, laying down again. "I missed you too, dumb brother." I was getting sleepy again. "Just one question though." I say as my eyelids start to feel heavy. "Why the hell are we all sharing a bed?" "I was curing you, your temperature could drop drastically in the middle of the night, so I watched over that." Leo said. Ok, reasonable. "I didn''t want to leave you brother! I was so worried!" Says my brother. As expected I guess " This is actually my bed you know?" Says Aeglos. Just because of that?? Sleep on the sofa or something! I didn''t respond, however, as the tiredness starts to claim me once more into a deep sleep. ~~~~ After a week today was finally our last day with the elves and Leo as I finally recovered from the poison and shock of losing my beautiful tail. I haven''t shown my human form to anyone yet, only to Hunthor once I gave him the crystal but different from me he did not have the transformation maxed out, which made a quite strange image as the changed into a dog humanoid hybrid. Need to train him on that One of these days that I was still in bed, however, with our four group still laying together for some reason, my brother thought to be interesting, just then, and only then, to share that Leonel was the one who saved him in the woods. I still ask myself why Leo didn''t tell me anything, and why my brother took that long to tell me; is a really important thing for me you know? So once we were saying our goodbyes I went to him, trotting my way over, snoozing Shrum a little and making the words come out of my mouth before I regretted them: "You know, we never talked about you saving my brother and all" He tries to stop me, but I raise my paw at that, continuing: "No, I went there inside the dungeon, risking my life to save the others elves only because they saved me, and as of now you saved my brother, so that makes me own you one." He stops at that, thinking, and, with a smug smile, he hands me a stone with a rune in it besides a silver chain over it, closing it over my neck. "Then how about this? One day, in a few years, I will need you by my side to fight with me. At that time I''ll use this stone to let you know I need your help. How about it?" "It depends. What are you going to fight for?" "Freedom and respect, for the elves and magical creatures alike." I look him deep in the eyes, his golden eyeing holding his gaze against my silver ones and I knew that he really mean it, so I nod. "Then you can count me in, Prince Leonel." At that he laughs, and me and my brother leave the woods behind to fight our way to our own freedom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ta~~daaa~~~ This is the end of arc 1!!! It had more than 484 pages with 67.851 words! Banzai!! ?*?(???)?*? MC: So... does it change anything? Author: Now you will be an a.d.u.l.t? MC: So what? I was already an a.d.u.l.t mentally. It doesn''t change anything. ML: I would like to disagree on that, my little hound. ~~~~ Hey, don''t go yet!!! If you like this story so far and want to help it grow, but you are broke (I feel ya!) you can! I have an account on Tapastic as well, and with 100 subscriber per book I gain over add, and 250 I''m able to gain their digital money, which you can earn by watching free adds! But the subscriber only already helps a lot! tapas.io/Vivi_Mayaa At last but not least important, a BIG thank you for the AMAZING feedback from you guys, and I hope I can keep making interesting books for you all! And don''t be shy! I like talking with you readers, as I did with @Sin-ah who gave me great ideas for the story! And how many of you knew that English is not my native language?? Huehuehue. See ya in arc 2!! b(*)g* Things will get interesting from now on. And M for mature. Hehe (???) Chapter 42 - Forty - Second Arc ~~Second ARC begins~~ There was a mixture of stinks in the air, from the wet soil, pigs and cows, to the omnipresent stank of human waste, rotten teeth, lack of bath and some disease that was eating off the old and young, leaving only the broken a.d.u.l.ts behind. It wasn''t a pleasant place to be, not even for those who lived there. Good thing we were only passing by. I look behind me to make sure that the clothed figure followed me close, all his body covered by a gigantic cape, same as I. "We are going to sleep in the woods again." "Ok." Better than here for sure, cleaner even. We walked now on what looked like the main road, a little bigger and more crowded than the rest, only slightly better because of the few stones paving it here and there for the carriages to pass. One of those was parked right beside the exit of the village, as the gloomy humans passed by quickly and avoided eye contact, especially there, so close to a slave carriage. But what caught my attention weren''t the humans slaves inside the cages, but the animals that wearied heavy chains on then so they could pull those forward. They were a hybrid of a bird with a lizard, walking on two strong legs and having little arms with feathers in then, as well as a beak filled with teeth. But mostly what caught my attention was the red spots around their necks and their tired features for the obvious too heavy carriage. There were humans messing around with stuff over those carriages, preparing to leave and keeping an eye on the prisoners, but I bypassed all that, ignoring them as they took some time to realize that one of the "humans" did not pass quickly with its head down, instead even approached one of the animals. "Do you want to be freed?" I asked, making the image of a mysterious figured covered from head to toe talking in an enigmatic language that only animals or ancient elves could understand. The bird-lizard thing looked me in the eyes, his own shining with what I said, looking back and forth between me and the humans that now approached mad with cleavers and swords. "They won''t be able to control you, none of you anymore. So I ask again, do you want to be free?" A surprisingly very feminine voice came from the animal, which said: "Please do, thank you, thank you!" I smiled at the now vivid animals, laying my hand softly on top of her head as my third eye clearly saw the chains connecting her to one of the bulky humans. That made me snort in disgust as I locked my eyes on the light coming from the bird, where right in the center stood a symbol that warped around like worms as the chains came out. "Break the contract, bear the price that who held it ill." The chains break at the same time that the human spews a mouthful of blood and falls on the ground. Without the contract holding her anymore, the bird-lizard creature easily breaks free from the material chains, charging over the remaining humans as I free the other ones. One of the humans approach me, a cleaver at hand midair, ready to strike, but one look at my silver eyes shining underneath the hood is enough to make him shake and drop the weapon, running away as he babbled: "Terror! Th-the Terror is here!" Once I''m done, however, I turn my back to the cages and start walking away, not before the bird-lizard eatures turn on their feet, head high in the air, and screak: "All hail the savior! May he live long and prosper!" "All hail!!" The others say in unison. A small smile makes its way to my lips as I hear them stomp away to freedom, while my brother follow close by. Once the other humans here deal with, from the shadows came others to free the slaves in the cages, many being kin of some, probably waiting for the opportunity to do something stupid as to attempt freeing them. One of these humans, however, runs in my direction, stopping in front of me and panting his way to words, gesturing me to wait. Oh, sorry, it wasn''t a human, it was a dwarf. "HH-hey pal, thanks for saving us, name is Ragnur, at your service." "You''re welcome." I said, trying to pass him and continue walking, but he stays in my path. "Hey, hey, not so fast ya, you save me for a destiny worse than death, I can''t just let you leave like that!" For the first time I really take him in, the red copper hair with braids all over, even in the enormous beard, and brown smart eyes with wrinkles on the sides. He''s well built too, all muscle and no fat, with tattoos covering part of his torso. He raises his hand and I shake it, followed by my brother, who goes too long on the shaking part, almost breaking the man apart. "So, how should I address to you two pals?" "My name is Thilgon, and this is my brother Hunthor." "Nice to meet you!" Hunthor says in common language with a big smile. The dwarf comes closer, bending a little, and whisper: "Then you are the one known as the Terror?" I let my eyes shine with their platinum silver glint, making the dwarf step back, and with a smirk I say: "Yes, I am." ~~~~ In the end, Ragnur joined us, a little terrified at first; and who wouldn''t? I haven''t earn that title for nothing; but when he got confortable he started babbling all the way to the next city, which he apparently was trying to go before being ambush at night by those slave traders. Nothing better than a traveler to sell, no questions asked, no suspicious raised, so many possible ways that they could disappeared that they would simply vanish. Once we were camping, however, was when he finally stopped talking, not before been joined by my brother in the babbling, of course, almost overwhelming my own thoughts with all the chitchat. He sat down close to the fire pit, the shadows and light playing with his features. Of course I didn''t trust him, but he was not even in a level to be feared. Been only level 60 he would need a big group of warriors to even try to take us down. Humf, I remember when I feared even levels 40 or so Not anymore, not ever even. We trained, we trained hard, for 13 years, a good part in the desert, consuming the crystal of fire creatures, exploring dungeons and ancient structures so much had changed since then. Especially us. My brother had learned and trained his human transformation by now, showing it as he took off the hood and cape to change for the night; he was mostly completely human, except for the tail and ears that seemed to stay no matter what. He was very similar to me in some aspects; the caramel color of his skin, his black Egyptian hair that was cut short on the shoulder and straight, as well as his bangs. He was smaller than I by one head, had a more slim body made for being a magic caster, not a weightlifter, and his brown eyes turned dark red over the years. I, however, changed even more; I was taller, manlier, with a slim yet well build body of a runner, my thighs firm to the touch with my hard-trained muscles, long black hair wrapped around in a high ponytail, as well as my silver eyes, tattoos and the crystal on my forehead. All in all, I looked like an Egyptian God, even more with the tattoos covering all of my body, even my toes and fingers. Let''s just say we were very eye-catching, even more with the straight ears on top of our heads. ~~~~ Sorry that some chapters are short right now, is that I''m creating a lot of things right now; countries, character, background, religions, costumes, and so on and on hehe. BTW, I made a map! (image only on wattpad) See ya next Friday! Chapter 43 - Forty-One We were heading to the main city of Tregaron which belonged to humans; well, at least that''s what the humans say. One thing to be thankful for was at least is that the main city, or capital, was always named after the country, as a customary human tradition, so they wouldn''t get confused. And the capital, home of nobles and the king, couldn''t be more different than the other cities we had passed by; filled with famine and diseases, as to expect from an uneducated plebe and not maintained villages, where something stayed where it died most of the time, and the filth right beside their doorsteps when it didn''t come from the horses passing by, acc.u.mulating on the streets. It was disgusting, to say the least, home to white fat worms. E We were now staying in line to pass the outer walls gates of the city, having gone through the poor neighborhoods and farms unprotected by it. As one of the few countries who had mountains, access to the sea, warm climate and tropical weather to the south, even having frontier to the dwarfs and elves countries, this place should be a lot wealthier. I guess I know now where all that wealth went, I think once we finally pay the entry fee and pass the metal gates. First off, instead of the mutt filled streets, there were clean smooth stones covering all the passageways. Then the buildings, made of brown bricks, stood in two to three floors, even more, with glass windows and flower pots underneath! Only fancy stuff I tell ya, that''s why it cost 2 silver per head only to enter, ouch. We go with the flow, Ragnur and my brother talking nonstop behind me like two children at a candy store; seemed like, for what I could catch, Ragnur wasn''t used to the human big cities, usually in the mines or mountains with his people, as apparently he had started his first travel alone, which almost ended pretty badly. There were some trees well-kept and placed to give us some shade as we passed the main street, carriages coming and going with their pure breeds, but no monsters in view. Too gruesome to the pampered nobles? Right at the main street the carriages went to a separate space while the middle was taken over by pedestrians and shops in tents or in the buildings on the sides, the enlarged street making a circular compound around a huge statue of a woman cupping her big belly and holding a basket of fruits beside her h.i.p.s with the other hand. Behind her, taller than any of the other buildings, farther away yet visible nonetheless, stood a castle, presumably where the royal family lived and were the pampered nobles passed their royal time doing nothing. But at least it was a respectful structure, made of heavy stone for what I could they from this far away, some small slim windows and high towers, probably staying over a hill or something as the structure was visible through all the city and even before, out in the open field. I was walking with my cape covering me head to toe in the crowd, blending in with the anonymous, but I could; different from my brother; hide most of my abnormal features from sight, letting only the crystal in sight, probably because the evolution told that it should stay that way as a downside, not really sure, but I didn''t keep it up all the time, it cost MP after all. So I was somewhat grateful to Ragnur for the gift he presented me for saving his life; he, as a blacksmith, got a way with the metal, so he made me a diadem to cover up my crystal, making a diamond-shaped hole in it to look like the crystal was actually from the diadem, not stuck in my forehead. It looked cool though. It had a delicate yet strong feel to it, the metals curving around and ending in spirals, but as the male version the metal was thicker and had some strong triangle stars symbols draw in the metal and with the metal, making a very complex piece, more surprisingly even from coming from rough dwarf hands. My brother was looking over the shops, some selling slime jelly candy, roasted beef in sticks, strange purple eggs inside buns; while I mostly only noticed the exotic foods around; when I got distracted by a group that formed a semicircle in one of the sides, watching a bard playing a lute and singing, his fingers quickly passing through the strings: "Hear me ya! Hear me! ~~ For his shadow covers the skies, it does, yes it does! For the war wasn''t fair, it wasn''t! No, it wasn''t!~~ Icemeet doesn''t play fair; grim is seems for Forstlord! It does! Yes it does!~~ But hear me all! Hear me! For his shadow cover the field! For his cunning eyes cut the battlefield! Tall as mountains! Grim as the reaper, I tell ya, tell ya!~~ For that which kills and slaves innocent creatures shall hide in fear! Cower away! Cuss hear me! Hear me ya!~~ For the Terror is here! For his silver eyes are sharper than blades! For his fangs shall cut thee~~" That brought a cunning smile to my lips; news travel fast it seems. I stay until the end, keeping an eye out for my brother looking at the shops with Ragnur, and an ear out for the rest of the song. Once is done, however, the bard passes his hat upside-down, receiving some coins in return. I go forward, placing a golden coin on top, receiving an enormous grim for him, to which his complements with a half-bow. "Thank ya mister! "It was my pleasure." I say, making eye contact for the first time, earning a gasp from him in return. "Y-y-y-!" I turn and mix myself in the crowd, hearing him call out for me in the distance. I ignored though; the last thing I needed was a human following me around. Even more now that, finally, after 13 years, the runes started to shine and point away, indicating that Leo summoned me. Not that I have been waiting or anything, of course. I was occupied with my own things, as freeing a literal army of magical beasts from the humans who used and abuse them. That, of sure, made a name for myself. The Terror. And, yet, for some I was also known as The Savior. And I may add both seemed very fitting, it just depended on who was speaking then; if the victim, or my prey. ~~~~ For those who are waiting for the vampire book, sorry, I''m late~~~ I will try to write it this weekend ;D Oh, and my sis is helping me edit and stuff, so the chapters with a title are the ones we had a look over If you guys find any mistakes, especially on those chapters, please let me know!!! Chapter 44 - Forty-Two After buying some useless things; like masks, candies, toys and whatnot; for my baby brother we finally went on our way, separating from Ragnur, and out of the main road to a more secluded part of the city. There were still stones paving the roads, but they were now thinner and shabbier than before, covered in moss and with some cracks here and there as well as a small depression inwards were dirty water flowed freely. The rune brought us to a crowded tavern, one of the few buildings that weren''t stuck between two others, the dark alley beside allowing it to have a stair going up the second floor where an inn board stood in display, yet it had the same name as the building on the first floor, changing only what they were for. Wacky Rats Tavern/Inn, such a lovely name. Yet it wasn''t as shabby as one may think, it had glass windows, stone and wood structures mixed together in a very rustic way, with some metal hooks, horseshoes and miscellaneous covering the walls, as well as many candles, some even in lamps, giving an eerie illumination with enough shadows so the corners could hold "private" talks. Well, as for tonight, the place was packed, full of humans and dwarfs competing in a drinking contest, music playing somewhere, high enough to be barely audible over the chitchat. There were a lot of hooded figures as well, and as the rune stopped shimmering I tried to find someone familiar around, but with so many people, sounds and smells, it was quite difficult. "May I help you?" Once I turn to see who was talking I receive the stink of wet dog and slums right at my face, and not for less since the one who asked was a bipedal rat, or wererat for that matter, wearing an apron and holding some mugs and dirty plates. I don''t know how to feel about a rat serving me, but I shrugged the thought off. "I would like a table for two please." "We don''t have more tables available, can it be the counter?" "Sure." He spoke in a funny way with his tongue passing behind his big front teeth. I follow him until we reached a stool in front of the caretaker, who was occupied selling out rooms, making drinks and taking requests. It takes a while for him to reach us, and even more so that our meals were in front of us; a good roasted piece of pork beef, seasoned with wine overnight, salt, pepper, ginger and cloves, ending in a succulent dripping red meat that the knife had no difficulty in cutting through. Never judge a book by its cover I supposed, that explained now why this place was packed. My brother couldn''t resist good food so without wasting time he digs in, hand and all, making scrubs fall on the counter and grease fall in his fingers and chin, earning him a slap in the back of the head. Looking betrayed, he rubbed the back of his head, looking at me: "I thought I taught you better than that." I said, pointing out at the utensils. "Knife. Fork. The mugs go up, not your face down." Grimacing for the millennium time that I had to repeat that to him, he lookes at the table beside us were a group of dwarfs and humans; drunk, from the smell and look of it; were singing together with the music, dropping ale everywhere and eating with their hands, the leftover getting stuck on their bears and clothes. "Do you want to make as your older brother taught you or how those drunken strangers do?" I thought the choice was obvious Until I see my brother extending his hand to the plate, opening his mouth sideways, making me narrow my eyes at him as he let a short nervous giggle, taking the fork in a clumsy way. Sigh, if I knew that one day his dog days would bring so much trouble to his humanoid appearance I would have taught him beforehand. Though it wouldn''t make much of a difference with him, as he does how he wants anyway. Not gonna blame him though, as I do the same. I''m just older them him, and stronger too, and especially smarter, so I get to tell him what to do. Cough cough. After some ale; we couldn''t get drunk, it ended up burned inside us, so might as well fit in; I finally got the bartender attention again, but this time with a different type of request. "Hey fella, have you seen a half-elf around here?" "Well, we see a lot of people in these parts I tell ya!" After some copper coins and a smile on his face I started describing Leonel and he started talking. Humf, greedy humans. "Yeah, yeah, actually we have one in our inn, the fourth door on the left side, can''t miss it!" I was getting tired of having to fit in for so long, hiding my tail, ears and the color of my eyes, the waste of MP weighing more in my conscious than my body, so after finishing the meal and having one more look over the tavern I go up the inner stairs hiding by the side to the second floor, Hunthor right beside me, enchanted by everything in this crowded big city. The upper part of the building was made mostly of wood, the stairs squeaking under my weight, leading to a corridor with doors on both sides, ending with another door going to the outside and the dark alley that we saw earlier. I counted the doors, and just like that was already in front of the right one, my hands strangely sweaty when I was about to nock. 13 years I wonder how much has changed, hell, he wasn''t that brat anymore Would he still be after the freedom as he said so? Will he still remember me? And if yes how so? As the creature who saved him? As a pawn to be used who was in debt to him? As a friend? I knocked. Twice, my mouth suddenly dries from the expectation of what? The wooden door open slowly and a girl appears in front of me. She had only her purple eyes and face showing, as her head and body were cover as a nun, the white vest very clean in contrast to the environment around her. She had armor over her clothing, and just a little part of her blond-white hair peeks off over her hood. "Brother." At Hunthor''s call I turn to see that, at the end of the corridor, coming from the outside and outlined by the moonlight, was a man wearing full armor from head to toe, his broad shoulders even more prominent because of the silver plate over then, sharp eyes pecking from the opening of the helmet. "What is it?" The woman said in an irritated and dismissive tone, gaining my immediate dislike. "Sorry lady, we are looking for a half-elf, but it seems we went to the wrong door." We didn''t, but might as well be the bartender''s fault. Copper coins to waste. She was about to complain, an attitude very divergent from her attire and doll face, when a strong husky voice came from inside the room, bringing a strange feeling upon my body. "Let him in." She scuffs, but steps aside, my brother and the knight following close as we enter the room, closing the door behind us. And there he was, comfy in a chair under the window, the moon rays bringing his features to light. Leonel. And none of the babyface remained in him. He had a strong build now, broad shoulders, strong thighs visible by his thigh black pants, and big hands with long fingers crossed in front of him. When he caught me checking him out a smirk curved his lips up, bringing my attention to his face. Oh goody. He had cut his hair shorter, bringing the blond flock back, shaved on the sides, letting his face in plain view with his now strong jawline, his piercing golden gaze, his pointy ears. "Thilgon it has been quite some time, hasn''t it? thirteen years did you miss me?" "Humf, as if, thought that you were making fun of me with this thing." I said, throwing the rune back at him. He stands then, making a vein pop on my forehead. Shit, he was even taller now, a head taller to be more precise. I cross my arms at that, but I couldn''t contain a smile from growing on my face from the fact that after so long we were seeing each other again. This bulky man- I mean, Leonel comes closer and hugs me, spreading a strangely warm sensation over me, as I debated if I should hug him back or not; to which I did, in the end. "Sorry that it took so long, did I keep you waiting?" He whispered so only both of us could hear. "Humf, of course not, I had better things to do." "So I heard." He says with a chuckle, still not letting go. "I missed you, have you missed me?" "Of course not." "Haven''t you now?" He asks again, but this time in elven language, letting go only enough that he could look me close up in the eyes. "Of course-" I start, but remember that I couldn''t lie in elven language. Damn you sneaky bastard. He raises his eyebrows, a playful smile on his lips, and finally let''s go. Before I could say anything though something moves inside his clothes and a redhead pops out of his t-shirt, followed by a pair of little black eyes. "Shrum!" He jumps out, making me lean forward to catch him, receiving a hug on the face from his little arms. "How are you? How have you been doing? Have you been eating well? Did Leo treat you right?" "Moma! Moma, moma moma! Papa!" I think we communicated... somehow. Giving him back to Leo after some hugs and kisses I think I could almost make out a sulking expression in Leo''s face. Was he pouting? Was he jealous? "Hey, we are still here, care to explain?" Said the lady, who was now sitting on the bed, while the armored guy stood beside her. "They are our fifth and six members." Said Leonel after only shaking hands with my brother; why the huge difference oi?! The woman, crossing her arms, walked over me and around in circles, looking me up and down, then my brother. "We don''t need these two wimps." That made me throw my head back and laugh, my incisors showing off. "Really, a nun chick trying to measure my strength? You haven''t even seen my face." "As if it would change anything." I smirk, my silver eyes shining like the moon as I pull my cape off of my body, my brother following me. Our caramel skin came to view, even more since we didn''t wear any shirt on, only a sleeveless jacket opened in the front, with puffy pants that ended in a tight line on our ankles, our feet covered by black sneakers. It was the way they dressed in the desert, much more refreshing. Now it was Leo''s time to check me out, which brought me pride and embarrassment in the same amount, to which I turned to the girl, flapping my free ears around and moving my now fluffy tail to the sides. "Still think I''m a wimp, little girl?" The initial shock passes at the commentary, her purple eyes trying to burn a hole in me, which made me cross my arms and support my weight on one of my legs in a smug way. "Leonel! What''s the meaning of this?! You never told us you would bring monsters with us!" Ok, this chick was starting to really piss me off. Before I could give her an amiable lecture Leo intervened: "Then let me clarify; what we are trying to achieve here is equality for all, including magical creatures, so if you disagree with this mentality, as you have viciously told otherwise, you may as well leave now." He said with a cold face and harsh voice that I have never heard him use, almost making me feel bad for her. Almost. Before we could talk anymore though Ragnur bursts open the front door, a huge mug in his hand filled to the top, his cheeks red as his beard. "Hey, wa-what a lovely-lo reunion, yeha, yeah." He stumbles in, flopping down on the bed as one of his hands held a rune like the one I had, his presence making the girl jump out of the bed, straightening her clothes and posture as the beer almost spits on her. "Hey, Ragnur is here too?" Asks my brother, who was now poking the dwarf on the belly, who apparently passed out without a care in the world. "You know him?" Asks Leo, which makes me realize that the knight hasn''t spoken a word since we arrived. I told them briefly about how we rescue him and whatnot, and once I was done Leo comes close, taping my shoulder, saying: "We need to talk. In private." I nod. He had a lot of explaining to do, though I looked back at my brother who now stole the other side of the bed, apparently infuriating, even more, the girl; and probably the owner of the room. Nice one baby brother, hehe. ~~~~ Chapter 45 - Forty-Three We don''t walk far, just to the door beside that room, the woman and the knight following us out and into yet another room. I wasn''t too worried with my brother as he was still close by, already sleeping back in the middle room; just too carefree I tell ya; and with the only other member of the group that I knew at least. Even more, my brother wasn''t a weakling, on the contrary, I trained him well. So I went inside Leo''s room without a worry, looking at a copy of the other room, the only difference been a lit candle over the table where a single chair stood, promptly taken by Leo. I sit on the bed, finishing my inspection and suddenly not knowing where to begin, I mean, 13 years apart makes people unrecognizable. "Man, you have grown uhm." I wanted to facepalm myself for saying such an obvious line. Well, at least it was a start. "Almost didn''t recognize you back there." He shrugs, leaning back and getting comfortable, while I tried to stop any nervousness from showing on my body. "Yeah, so what have you been up to?" Shit, even after training so hard, after staying away for 13 years, his presence still messed my capability to think. "Fighting for a good cause, I suppose, making my name, my riches, nothing that big yet. I heard you fought in a war though." My time to shrug. "Not at the war, I just discovered that magical creatures were used to fight there, so I just free them. What changed beyond that is none of my concern." "You know that the countries now fear using magical creatures in their wars because of it." I smirk. "That I know. But quit the chitchat, what have you call me here for? Not just to update on my status now is it?" He stands, strolling over and sitting beside me on the bed, making me bring a little distance between us so we could stay face to face, which accidentally brought our knees closer. Not that it matters, not that it should matter Shit, stop that. "What, you dislike my presence so much?" "Is not that." He smirks. "Then you like me?" "What?! No! I mean, is not Look, I''m just curious, that''s all, you have been so ambiguous with so many things that I don''t even know where to start asking." He raises his hands, then leans back on the bed, saying: "Then how about one question at a time? Let''s see" He seemed very comfortable there, all lax and damn he looked a lot more Shit, I don''t know, distracting? "Straight to the point them. I was deposed from my title as prince and I do not belong to the nobility anymore, nor I''m bound to the throne or this country." I stare at him for a while, my mouth wide open. How can he say that so carefreely?! "What? How? Why? Did they do that to you?" "As the "spawn of the devil" or "germinated in the devil''s w.o.m.b" I didn''t stand a chance to begin with, so it was no surprise to me, but that''s not the point as the fact that they stole all my belongings. We need that money now, and you are going to help me get it back." "So, we are stealing it?" "Well, they stole it first, so just getting it back I supposed." I stay in silence for a little, letting it sink in, narrowing my eyes and moving my mouth sideways, thinking as my hand support my chin and my leg came up to support it. "Ok so I get that you want your money back, but you said we need it for something? As far as I know I only owe you one." And that''s it, after we were done with what we came here for we would leave, parting ways in this big world. That made me look back at him as if wanting to engrave his face in my mind. He looked back at me seriously, as if he could tell what I was thinking about, then came up closer, making me arc an eyebrow as I held my ground, not backing off with the proximity. He took my hands in his, stopping a little as if thinking, then our eyes met up close, the orange light of the candle illuminating half of his face and making his golden eyes shine as if made of flames themselves. "I want to build a safe haven for all creatures to coexist. A city, a country, a place where there is no label, where all races can live together. I know a place that we can build it up, I just need good and efficient people for it to happen. Thilgon, I need you to help me build it up, a place where there would be no slaves, no superior or lesser race, no demon spawns, no monsters, just living beings coexisting." He serious tone made me realize how important this was for him. "That sounds like a great fairytale Leonel. You know that it''s impossible." "As impossible as breaking bound contracts? As impossible as creating a new magic altogether?" He remembered the conversation we had long ago, when I told him my dreams, my aspirations And how impossible they should have been. Shit, that''s not fair. "Ok, let just say, as impossible as it sounds, that we would be doing this Hell, I don''t even know where to start, a country?! How do you make one simply appear? There are so many things to think about" "Yes, that''s why I need your help." "That''s why that girl and that knight were here?" "What, jealous?" His voice deepened a second there, making me realize that he didn''t let go of my hands, instead, he had started to massage them softly. I try to take them away, but he held them in place, a little smirk curving his lips as he tries to divert my attention back to the conversation at hand. "Well, I''m not as good as you in planning and thinking so far away, but for now I decided to increase the capable people around me as much as possible, and for the bases make as much money as I could using my position." Is my time to lean back, thinking seriously this time, making him let go of my hands because of the angle. Instead, he pulls my legs on his lap, starting to massage my feet. "Hey, what the hell do you think you are doing?!" "Helping you relax so you can think." He says, innocently, making me now very aware that we were alone, in his room, on his bed. I cough, trying to focus on the problem at hand, not at his fingers pressing down my swore points, making me hold in a giggle. Shit, yeah, right, were was I? I close my eyes a little, enjoying the moment- I mean, thinking of answers, planning. "Well, the first problem is that we cannot save them all, there is space, food, shelter to consider, and I doubt you have another continent at your disposal. But hell, we might as well try." "Uhum." "Then is this place safe?" He nods. "Ok, so we we should have two groups to start with, those who would bring people in, and those who would stay and build the foundation." "Uhum." "And then" Shit, this dim light plus the massage is not helping my mind to stay sharp and awake. "We will need a lot of people." "Hum?" "And and money" "Uhum" "And" And I don''t remember what I was thinking back then since I relaxed I little bit too much and fell asleep. But hold on! In my defense I had traveled for a long time to get here, which made me really tired, plus the combination of a full belly and the dim light ok?! Not that his presence comforted and calmed me in a weird contrasting way of, at the same time, making me nervous and very aware of his presence. No, not at all, of course not. Ha, haha. ~~~~ ML: Keep telling yourself that. Author: Making moves already, you don''t waste time, I''m proud of ya! *Tapping his shoulder and wiping an invisible tear* ML: If I''m not direct we would never get anywhere. Author: Author: True Annnnd a little extra for you guys, enjoy!! Extra Three ~~Hobbies~~ Author: Welcome, welcome! Today, on our first edition of Extras on Friday''s! Today we have some special guests, welcome aboard the crew from the novel Reincarnated into a Hell Hound! *Applauds on the background while the crew enters the studio, sitting down on a round sofa in front of the interviewer* Author: So, so, how are you guys doing? Hunthor: Pretty fine. Leonel: Hum. Aeglos: I''m fine, thanks for asking. Thilgon: I think the author went co-co at once. Author: Author: That''s great! So, today we are going to ask some behind the scenes stuff *whispers* That nobody asked but my brain made up anyway* Today we are going to have the same theme for all of you, which is *Drumming sounds in the background while the Author gets a paper off a box (which only has one paper, but still did it, for drama reasons). Author: Tada~~~ We want to know: What you guys like to do in your free time?! What are your hobbies? How about starting with you Aeglos? Aeglos: *cough cough* Well, first of all, is a pleasure to be where. Author: Owww, thank you. *Thilgon scuffs and roll his eyes* Aeglos: But uhm unfortunately I don''t have a lot of free time, I like to keep myself very busy training and hunting and stuff, but I enjoy gardening. Author: Oh really? Aeglos: Yes, we have a lot of plants to take care of, and it is important to have their fruits for the winter. Author: So you are basically just working then? So sad How about you Hunthor? Hunthor: Uh, me? Oh, I like to swim, I like to run, I like to run with my brother, oh oh, I reeeealy like to eat and and Author: Ok ok, enough, otherwise you will never stop. And you Thilgon? Thilgon: Uhm, I like to read mostly, in silence. *Which was pretty rare his look said while he stared Hunthor down* and I like singing as well. Author: Good, good! And finally Leonel! *Looks at Thilgon who shivers in a cold sweat, smirking as he starts to answer without breaking eye contact* Leonel: Well I like to do that a lot, but once I''m not doing it I like to think I''m doing, and when I''m not thinking of doing it I like to read about it, so I can think of new ways of doing it. Author: All: Author: Ha, haha, w-what a great hobby, hahaha Anyway, that''s all for today, thank you all for your presence here and until the next edition of Extras on Friday''s! By-bye! ~~*Closing in for the day*~~ Aeglos: *thinking* Shit, I should have said that! Author: Nah, to OCC (out of character) Aeglos: Oi! Get out of my mind! Author: Never never never never never neve Chapter 46 - Forty-Four I woke up with the sun shining on my face, the light passing through the cracks on the window. Yawing I stretch, feeling good for finally having slept in a bed. Then I froze mid-movement as I blink awake and look beside me. Why-Was-I-Sleeping-Beside-Leonel?! I looked over my shoulder again, feeling the weight of his loose arm over my waist in a casual manner, his face so close that I could feel his breath tickling the back of my neck. Shit. Damn, I Brain, start working will ya? Nothing wrong here, just, I must have fallen asleep and he thought better to keep me here, really, nothing much. Sensing my movement his hand hardens his grip, bringing my back closer to him, my body been cupped by his. Ok Don''t panic He must think I''m a pillow or something, yeah Just take deep breaths His lips brush the tip of my ears on top of my head, as his sleepy husky voice resonates very close: "Good morning my little hound." At that I shiver. Ohh shit, mayday, mayday, exerting escape plan, escape plan at hand! I jump up, standing quickly as lighting, babbling : "G-good morning! Why was I sleeping with you?" With a smirk he rested his head on his hand, very casually and comfortable, his golden eyes turned in a crescent moon shape. "We got the last three rooms from this place yesterday, so we need to share some of it." Oh, I see, a reasonable explanation. What was I thinking? Ha, ha-ha "Came back is cold here" Leo says, patting the side of the bed. Back? Cold? "Hell no you lazy elf! Get your noble ass up right now!" To make my point known I kick the side of the bed, moving it a little. He sits up, a smug smirk in his face, and I quickly learn why. Shit, he had taken his shirt off. I blink in surprise, as if taking a photograph in my mind for posterity, and turn away in the most awkward way possible; even if I wanted to lie to myself and say I looked casual and normal avoiding the sight. Sigh. But those ripped abs damn, they look like they could take a sword slice and break the metal. Damn. And worst, that did not have an understandable explanation. "Why the hell you don''t have your shirt on?!" "Be thankful, I usually sleep n.a.k.e.d." N-n-n-n-n-n.a.k.e.d? "If you want to use the bathroom first I already left a water crystal there." He says, avoiding the long silence I would give to recover and say anything. I just go for the knob and once I find it I lock myself inside the bathroom. And sigh. Bloody hell, I shouldn''t let him have this effect on me, even more with all his teasing. Hell, I was a creature to be feared, The Terror! Not some damsel in distress! I just take my clothes off and have a quick shower, pouring mana inside the crystal that stood on top of a metal structure as water started dripping from it. That''s the way rich people take their baths, most ask for water downstairs and pay for the extra service. I change to another outfit, puffy pants with straps in the end and an opening following the side and showing my legs underneath, as well as a half shirt that showed my belly and arms, only covering my n.i.p.p.l.es, going high in the neck. Once I get out, however, I immediately feel Leo''s eyes piercing me, especially the parts were the skin was showing, such as my bellybutton and legs. "Are you trying to say something?" He says, his voice getting deeper as I still avoided looking at his abs- at him, at him. "Like what?" He stares in silence for a moment, his gaze intense without blinking. "Forget about it, but you don''t intend to get out of here looking like that do you?" Raising an eyebrow I answer: "If I do or don''t is none of your businesses, I can wear whatever I want." Is his time to raise both eyebrows, a smirk curving his lips. "Oh really? Then I should stay like this a little longer." I snort at that, flapping my ears to make the water dry, going to the bed were some extra towels stood, bringing it straight for my hair. I stop, however, when I listen from behind the sound of clothes hitting the floor and leather slithering away. I shouldn''t have looked back, I had a bad premonition, but of course I couldn''t hold myself back as I look, only to find Leo with his wide back turned to me, looking back as he deliberately walks slowly to the bathroom, his pants gone, only a towel in place. My eyes widen as a mischievous smile curves his lips as he lets the towel fall, staying totally-completely-entirely n.a.k.e.d, his torn thighs and butt coming to view and blanking my mind. He stops at the door and looks sideways towards me, a wicked glint on his eyes, saying before closing the door behind him: "I really missed you little hound." Aghhrrgfdgfhdd! My poor heart! My brain broke! Is that even possible?! Ugh! ~~~~ I went down to the lower floor automatically, my mind in a state of frenzy that made me think a billion things at the same time and, yet, no real thought was formed. And I did put my cape over my body before going out, just for the record. And to help my situation my brother had woke up full of energy, talking about how we should sleep more in beds, that the food was tasty, that the smells here intrigue him, and so on and on. At least it was only the two of us now, Ragnur surviving from a hangover and Leo still bathing, even better was that in the morning this place looked much more cleaner and quiet. We sat down and ate some salted eggs with cheese and fresh bread, passing the soft loaf over the plate when we were done with to which had granted us with Leo''s company. Unfortunately, with that, the girl and the knight came down as well, her small, petite figure been shadowed by the moving silver figure. She looked at me and snickered. Geez, what a great mood to start your day with, though I have a feeling that she is like that all the time. "Good morning to you too." She didn''t say anything, looking with an annoyed expression to everything and anyone until her food arrived, together with some coffee. "So you two are part of Leo''s "master plan?" I make quotation marks with my fingers, sipping my drink. She takes a napkin and cleans her lips first before answering. "Yes, we are. I''m specialized in healing magic, my name is Isa Outlawe, and this is Nacon Ceinogoc, my Templar." "Nice to meet you." Not really. "My name is Palarran Thilgon Mnaothon, and this is my younger brother Palarran Hunthor Mnaothon , but just call us Thilgon and Hunthor if you will." "Say" She asks, leaning forward over the table, whispering some as Leo was away close to the bartender, asking for something. "How did you meet Prince Leonel? I mean, I''ve never seen him so carefree before, hell, I haven''t seen him smile before yesterday!" "Well, I don''t" The answer was cut short once Leo comes back. I was about to say that I didn''t know that she was talking about, like, different how? He had his mood swings, sure, and was really annoying sometimes, sure, but nothing out of the ordinary. "So" I say, trying to change the subject. "Isa, right? Are you part of Leo''s crazy plan?" She scowls. "Is not crazy, difficult, yes, but not totally impossible. What about you? What are you doing here?" I shrug. "That doesn''t matter." Didn''t feel like giving he personal answers. I was just professionally enduring her presence. "But do you guys even have a plan? A country is not build up with only good intentions you know? And what part you take in this little miss? Why do you even care?" That seemed to piss her off, not sure exactly which part though. "Well, at least I believe and I am committed to the cause." I snort at that. "Cause? What cause? This is no charity, this must but seem like a project, planned and elaborated, not some little girls dream." She stands, slamming her hands on the table, pointing at my face. I look her straight in the eyes, and say: "If you are trying to look scary, you will need far more than a little tantrum show to even faze me little-girl." "You freaking shitting eating monster who do you think-!" "Yeah, yeah, kids, time to stop your little fight for Papa Ragnur is here." The dwarf voice from the stairs cut the fight short as he comes closer and hammers his body down the chair, a groggy look on his face. "You are hardly old enough to be my father dwarf." She says. "Yeah yeah, but thankfully I look older than I''m, so no harm done." "That hardly something to be proud of either." I roll my eyes at that. Geez, she cannot let it go, always having to have the last word. Humf, why this pampered little girl is in this group to start with? "No but, seriously, do you guys have a plan, like, any plan at all?" This time everybody stays quieted, my gaze ending on Leonel, who simply stares back. "Humf, what would be of you guys without me, you would never even come close to making it." "I would never even dream of it." Says Leo, narrowing his eyes slightly as he gaze goes a little down to the visible skin in the curves of the cape. "Pampering me will not help you." "Not even a little bit?" His eyes go up again, a little smirk on his lips, making Isa look shocked for some reason. And it did help, a little bit. Not that I would admit it to him, like, ever. ~~~~~ Oh ho hoh, things are heating up!! Btw, I feel like it has been a long time since you guys participated on something here, so how about this: I need 3 male names for three demons, though I won''t give more details about them heuheuheu. See ya! Chapter 47 - Forty-Five I lean back on my chair, now really thinking seriously, passing my fingers between my eyebrows. "You are really serious about this?" I ask Leo, who with an intense gaze, says: "Never been so serious in my entire life." I lick my dry lips, his eyes accompanying the movement, making me once more very aware of his presence, of his muscular body in a tied sitting position, making him even taller and bigger than before. "Uhm, ok, so, this place that you said you have to make this city is outside the main continent I presume" "Yes, no map has its location." Then how does he know that is there at all? Another question for another day, as always. "Ok, so first things first, we need your money back to establish the bases of the city, and we will need more people to help in it, as well some population to live in it in the future. For now I think we should separate in two, no, three types of groups; the defenders, to keep the order inside the city as well as defend it against attackers, the builders, which would be those who to stay building the city up literally, but not only the wall and buildings but the commerce, health care, wood source, economics, politics and law, and so on and on." I say, gesturing with my hands in the air. "Continue." Says Leonel, the table having a first in staying silence and serious, attentive to the conversation at hand. "The third one would be the attack one. It may have more hierarchy, of course, and more than one group, but anyway they would be those who secretly act in the main continent, gathering people to live in our city. They would be the ones to free slaves and save magical creatures, the ones who would gather new citizens." "But for now we need the money." Says the girl. I nod. "Yes, for the sh.i.p.s, tools, clothes, complicated things that, in the beginning, won''t be produced there yet. We should aim that the city doesn''t need products from other places as not to compromise its secrecy in the future." "Secrecy? I don''t think we should be so radical, after all, if the city is well known a lot of citizens will come on their own." "And we would lose control over it, even more, how can you be so sure that they would respect the others creatures? We aim to make a different type of city, of civilization, a place for all, so we should be very careful on who can live there and which rules to make them follow." "Even more, the other nations are greedy. If they know there is a place where no one conquered yet, with only an emerging city, wars are bound to happen, and we can''t afford that, especially in the beginning." She frowns, deep in thought, as other conversations start at the table, her with the knight, and my brother chitchatting with Ragnur. "You said it." I turn to Leo who has a kind warm expression in place, which stuns me a little for the admiration I can see in his gaze. "Said what?" "We, you said we will." Did I? Maybe someplace in my brain my mind had already accepted the crazy task of building a heaven place? Sigh. "I think the worst is not building it up though." "How so?" "The worst is maintain the order, the idea we want to build is a matter that putting a demon and a human side by side will end in a battle. We cannot simply change the way people think, so how can we make and maintain a place with those ideas in mind?" "You will think of something." I snort at that. "Of course, of course I will think of something, right?" "Wow, my little hound is so smart." He says with a smug on his face, making a vein pop on my forehead and a sigh to escape my lips. "Yeah yeah, and our elf is very cunning." He just smiles at that, holding his chin up with his hand, leaning forward. "Yes, your elf can be very cunning" He says, dragging the words with a mischievous glint in his golden eyes. Images of him laying down with his body stretched out on the bed upstairs, the torso exposed without a shirt, his abs and chest in plain sight, having that same look came to mind very vivid, making me swallow dry and try to hold in a blush. Freaking elf, why do you have such an effect on me? Sigh, I''m starting to think that coming here was a big mistake Lost in thought; as usual; I just realize what was happening once it went for a few seconds straight. L-Leo was brushing his legs on mine from underneath the table! None seemed too realized beyond us, all having their own conversations. I look at him, fuming, but all my anger escapes me once I''m see myself been stared down my a pair of golden eyes, the playful smile gone from his lips substituted by something more intense, an hungry desire... He maintain my gaze, going up with his leg and taking my cape out of the way, brushing, firstly, my calf with his feet, then going up and touching slightly my thighs, making a warm sensation build up in my lower abdomen. Damn this small table and his long legs, he could almost I blush at the thought, earning a chuckle from him, which makes me pound in anger for been so easily affected, and once his legs comes back I stomp on his feet, holding it down on the ground, giving him a cheeky smile once he flinches in pain, holding off his reaction. I held my wish to show him my tongue like my brother would. I let go once he raises his hands in defeat, leaning back down on his chair as I do the same. Sneaky bastard, I''m watching ya! Getting back to business, from my shadows a notebook appears midair, quickly been caught by my skillful hands. If I''m going to be surrounded by incompetents, might as well start working, sigh. Why do I feel like this will be a pain in my ass? I start scribbling with unkempt handwriting, tapping the pen on the paper, thinking, finally setting to three sets of words while Leo tries to have a sneak peak on what I''m writing: Economy - Law/Govern - Culture/Religious I think is a good start for a country right? The economy is obvious, we need money, food, wood, resources in general to keep functioning, though I don''t know about commerce since we will stay hidden from plain sight hum Law is basic, though which ones was the hard part, keeping police, prisons, a system to keep them in order, even worst the govern. "Say, any of you thought which govern we would use?" "Like what?" The girl asks as if I''m crazy or something. "Like, will it be a monarchy, democracy, will we have a royal family or" "No royal family, they just feast on the money of the poor, no nobility either." She quickly says, fuming. "Geez, come down little girl, if you keep that up no one will want to marry you." "You little-!" She said, red, but I just ignore her, cutting her tantrum before even starting; though this time I provoke her, hehe. Anyway, what type of governing uhm, that would be a problem, they are not used to democracy, and if it leaks out that that we are using it the other royal families will feel threatened by it and may attack. And socialism would work even less. Let just go to culture then, that one will build itself up, though we need to keep the idea of all equal in all of it, that''s why a new religion would be good, or some who fits our new city. Ahhhh, so many things, why did I agree on doing this?... Wait I didn''t agree at all, did I?! Leo! We need to talk about your cunning manners! How the hell I ended up in situation?! I''m just sure of one thing; is Leo''s fault! ~~~~~ Heheh, Leo starting to get really impatient isn''t him? ML: Impatient? I waited for how many chapters already and I didn''t even- Alright, alright, this is my place to blabber, so get lost! *cough cough* Anywayy~~~My cousin is travelling these days, so I''m taking care of his dog for him C a Siberian husky C the only problem is that my dog C a Yorkshire terrier C doesn''t know his size and tries to fight it all the time. Reminds me of someone *coughThilgoncough* MC: *sneezes* someone is talking badly of me See ya next week! U^?^U Btw I draw Thilgon! deviantart.com/vivimayaa/art/Thilgon-from-Reincarnated-into-a-Hell-Hound-796226562?ga_submit_new=10%3A1556891011 The map is there as well~~ Chapter 48 - Forty-Six At the end there were so many things to think about that I focused on planning the first part of it all; the robbery of the royal family. Sounds easy enoughha, ha ha. "So, Leo, I supposed that you, at least, know where the gold is at right? And how to get there since you lived in it the castle right?" He nods. "Hm still we need a plan" And when it comes to plans nothing better than gathering information beforehand uhm. One thing, however, was important to do right away. "But first let''s change inns." "What for?" "This one is not secure, a few coins can make the innkeeper lose his mouth." "Agreed." Said the woman, agreeing for once! But who invited you in the conversation? Anyway, that''s what we did that day, unaware of the two figures that surged moments later searching for a person covered by a cape, while themselves weren''t very different having big hats instead of hoods, as well as sleeves on their shorter capes. "Sorry, I would have remembered someone with silver eyes." Answered the innkeeper while he cleaned up the counter. With a sad look the other two thanked the man, but even with a sulking expression the figure still had some glint of determination in his eyes. "Come on now brother, is not worth it, and you are not even sure." "But I saw it, I''m sure! Can you image how many stories, how many musics''s I would be able to make first hand if I stuck with him? No more love songs that no one wants to hear anymore, or silly gossips about the nobles, but stories about war, about fights, about a creature as strong as a dragon! Do you know how much I have made since I started singing about him? And I wasn''t even there!" "Yes, yes, but I only see more reason not to go find such a dangerous creature, even more if even half of what you sing is correct." "What, you, scared now brother? That''s soo not like you." He flicks his finger on the other''s forehead suddenly, making the other massage the area while he says: "Of course, someone has to have some sense of danger here." "Ha! And that would be you now?" "Hm not really" "Haha, so we are going to kept searching?" "Yes, yes, we are, we are brother." He said, smirking. ~~~~ We changed inns fairly easy, but for some reason I was the one paying for Leo''s and Ragnur parts; and how the hell Leo knew that I had any money with me to start with? Wasn''t worst than my brother though, that halfway in the first week searching for information and elaborating a plan, turned to me and asked what we were doing. I won''t- I don''t- I don''t even know what to say to that. And it wasn''t like, oh, the first day, nooo, he took four days to realize that we were up to something. Brother, brother, baby brother, sometimes I wonder if I stole some of your brain cells in the w.o.m.b, sigh When I explained to him though, he was pure joy: "Oh boy, a city, a country! That''s sooo cool, we can build a castle with, with lava fountains! Yeah, and we can have big statues of us there making pose, and a tower, oh I always wanted to sleep in a tower, overlooking the sea or the woods, that would be so cool!" " Do you think this is a field trip or something?" I give up, really, but still I think I can include the making of a tower somewhere in our plan for him Anyway, after some search; with the help of Leo, who proved to have far more influence in name than in title, in a interesting way to deal with things. "Well, at least it seems like you worked something out in the end." He just gave me a smirk, saying: "I just thought what you would do in this kind of situation." Sneaky bastard, trying to flatter me? But it was quite clever indeed. He made an undercover agency inside a guild, one of the few neutral entities that weren''t bound by country, nobles, and still could make some money while finding new recruits for the cause, many working in gathering information, freeing slaves and taking down shabby business. It was a very interesting idea, but I wonder how efficient it would be; the bigger it is, the more difficult it would be to control. That''s why, now, we were talking about the pros and cons, how it would be easy to infiltrate a spy in the middle of our business, and how just some qualified members should know about the new city. To which, by the way, did not have a name yet. That would eat my sleep away for sure. At least the guild had a name: The Roar of the Innocent, very fitting. And guess who Leonel left in charge of his first and still only guild building? Just let me say that, upon knowing, my brother wanted to meet the individual and kept nagging nonstop about it, with the help of Leo who wanted to show me the place. Aeglos How did I get so many elves in my life? Not that I''m complaining Oh, and I did not forget about how Leo promised to clarify everything once we saw each other again, a promise I kept at heart for 13 years, but time and time again when I tried to ask he would change the subject or found something urgent to do. One day though, when I put him against the wall and demanded an answer, he just said: "I''m just do not wish to scare you away from me with the truth" That slight moment of weakness and fear made me flabbergasted and stunned; how I''m supposed to answer that? Shit. So I didn''t and we just got ourselves busy with the plan, going to the guild to receive information from Aeglos, to which my brother was eager for and aware for once. I scow at that. On the contrary to Leo, in the past years we visit Aeglos quite a lot; all because my brother insisted on it; especially once Hunthor could fully change into humanoid form without carrying a furry snout around. I never liked the excessive attention Aeglos gave to my brother, which got worse once we came to age. And since my dumb brother was well, dumb he did not realize the change, heck, I don''t think he even realized how his grow up body affected the others to begin with. That''s why, since then, I have kept a very close eye on Aeglos, growling at him for no reason, until my brother understood that I did not want them meeting anymore, well, at least until now it seemed so, adding the awkward bee''s talk that I had with him, to which he made me explain in a very detailed way, sigh. So that explains the "happy" face I had while we walked around the city until we reached the guild, looking at my bunny brother who did not stop jumping, his tail escaping his pants all the time, earning him a slap on the back of the head. Anyway, the guild from the outside seemed like a normal building, made of wood and having some dirty windows, staying somewhat close to the main part of the city, which made for the lack of outdoors improvement beyond the guild board on wood on the front door, sometimes jiggling with the wind. The symbol imprinted was well made and carved, a pair of wings circling around the roaring face of a fox, draw in substitution of the shield we normally see in the center, plus the name engraved underneath, Guild the Roar of the Innocent. We walk inside into a cozy yet stuffy air, having too many smelly people in and out all the time and not enough air circulating around. But beyond that the place was actually warm and inviting; there was a fire-place on the wall, made of red bricks with benches circulating the warm light and taking the majority of the space, a cozy enviroment for a chat and a hot drink. The place where people moved the most had a red long carpet, as well as some red banners with the guild symbol hanging from the high circular wooden roof, letting visible the pillars as well as the structure of the roof. There was a second floor visible in one side, the balcony and rails giving view to the main area, as below it stood a counter were attendants stood, with a board to the side throughout the entire wall filled with quests and adventures looking it up. "On the other side" Said Leo, pointing to a corridor on the side of the balcony. "There are bunk beds for the desperate adventures as a last resource to pass the night, plus a guarded warehouse behind the counter were the good are kept. Now follow me." We go upstairs, overlooking the entire place as torches stood on the pillars and walls. Overall, the decoration was simple, having some shields and weapons in display with a very functional structure. We stop in front of the last door, making me focus more at the task at hand, though I roll my eyes when my brother overreacts once he hears a voice say: "Come in" To which my brother breaks in without ceremony, running in before I could even look inside, already hugging Aeglos who stood beside a bookshelf, as he said: "Aeeeegloos! It''s me!! Did you miss me?!" They hug strongly, a smile curving Aeglos lips as he realizes that it is my brother who is hugging him, making him hug back harder. Once finally free, however, he comes to my side, shaking hands with me, saying: "Thilgon." And nodding. Wait, it seems like a dejavu somehow in an inverted way. Aeglos pointed beside him to a pair of sofas and sat in one of them, followed suit by my brother all over him; I was about to sit between them but Leo softly puts his hand over my lower back and before I could protest we ended up sited next to each other on the other sofa. I scowl at him, but he just smiles innocently, turning to Aeglos with a neutral expression that I notice that he commonly uses with others, his back straight and an aloof air around him. Thats when the a.d.u.l.t talk started. ~~~~ Author: And not thaaat kind of a.d.u.l.t talk kay? But how was it Thilgon? MC: What was what? Author: Oh, you knooow, the bees talk, give us the juicy details! MC: Sigh, well, we were far in a human city, I think we had what, 15, 16? Already a.d.u.l.ts for some, anyway, we were going to an inn and unfortunately passed through a red district and it was already night, so the streets were full of boys and girls trying to sell themselves. Author: Uhum, and then? MC: Well, it happens what one would expect from my brother. They asked if he wanted to have fun and he almost went with them, and every time some approached he started talking with them, really, I don''t think that even the people there knew what the hell he was doing, so I had to drag him out. MC: Realizing that I could not leave him in such a na?ve state, before we went to bed I started explaining "So, brother, do you realize why you should not follow any of them?" "Because I shouldn''t trust strangers?" "Well, that as well but you realize what they were offering?" "Oh, yes, they wanted to play!" I facepalm myself. "I''m wrong?" He asks pitifully, crooking his face sideways, letting his ears fall to the side with the movement. "N-not exactly. Do you know what kind of play they were offering?" He nods a no, now suddenly curious. "They were a.d.u.l.ts play, and, pay attention, you should only do it when you are older and with someone you love very very much." "Oh, so I could play with you once we are a.d.u.l.ts?!" That almost made me choke with air, and cleaning my throat I said: "Is not that type of love, is it is someone you want to form a family with, uhm, or bring to the family, not someone that is already a family member." "Uhm Ok." "Ok, so for example, our mother loved our father very, very much so they played the a.d.u.l.t game and she got pregnant with us." "Ah! So if I love someone very very much and we play I can have pups?!" "N-no, only the female can, you can make a female pregnant." He looked at me, confused, so I needed to get more direct with him. Oh boy, here we go. "So do you know how down there it sometimes stands?" He nods, ignoring my embarrassment. "So, the woman doesn''t have that, she has a-a hole, so when you play with her yours will stand so you can put inside her and make babies grow in her belly." He nods, thinking and a little confused, when a sad look passes his eyes. "So I can''t play the a.d.u.l.t game with a man?" I think he must be trying to find a way to make this conversation even more awkward than it already is. "Y-you can, but you won''t have pups." "Oh, I see, but men don''t have a hole, how can they play?" "You can play by touching each other too, but men have a hole behind them, as well as the women." "We do?!" "Yeah." "Oh, never realized that." "Is because you cannot see it." "HmAnd where exactly is it? And woman can play with each other too?" ~~~~ Author: Author: You had it hard, didn''t you? MC: MC:*sigh* ~~~~ Hellou beautiful people! How are you all doing?? I''m so glad that I had this chapter made beforehand because my week was terrible; some of you already know, but my dog had a surgery, nothing to big, but still needed to sedate and such, and yesterday the opened the wound up with five seconds off the cone of shame. Now he condemned himself to stay with it for 10 days straight. Water in the cup! To help out I''m sick since Sunday but well, now everything is settling down, pity that I couldn''t write more though... See ya next Friday!! Chapter 49 - Forty-Seven "So, tell me Aeglos, as the only one with a functioning brain in this room, do you have a plan?" My brother pouts at me, but I ignore him, as I feel Leo resting his arm behind my back on the sofa. Aeglos just smiles weakly, saying: "Yes, actually, I have." I turn to Leo then, realizing that he is a little too close for comfort, but I don''t let it get under my skin as I make a smug remark by raising my eyebrows as if saying: See Leo how is done, you plaaaan first, you use your braaaain first. He just smirks again, a mischievous glint in his eyes, probably thinking how to get back at me for it. I gave back one of my own then, saying with my eyes: Didn''t like it? And what are you going to do about it? Our mute conversation was interrupted by Aeglos, who gave a dry cough to get our attention back to the task at hand. "There is a way to enter the castle as, in the next few weeks, they will be holding a Masquerade, one of the many parties they give for the nobles. My contacts were able to find employment inside the party, and once inside the castle we would be able to reach the treasure. For that, Thilgon, I think you are the most suited one, being able to enter your shadow and all." I nod. "I agree, though I would need a map or something to find the right place, and if there is a special lock, a safe or something there." "Yes, for that you have Prince Leonel, I mean, Leonel to guide you. The only problem is how he will get inside as his face is well known in the court." Leo keeps his face neutral, almost aloof, the kind he used to show me when he had just met me. "I can carry him in my shadow dimension, no worries." "Oh, that''s a relief. Me and Thor will take care of the escape then, we will make a distraction by attacking another area of the castle, and in the confusing you two can escape." "You and Thor?" "Yes, Hunthor." What''s up with the nicknames now oi?! I fume at that, literally, narrowing my eyes, but before I can complain Leo intervenes, talking about the layout of the castle, and time passes as we discuss the plan, looking at a map, with the castle addend, handmade, by Leo, covering any problems that may happen, as well as the meeting place after the attack. ~~~~ Well, the plan seemed perfect with a slight problem, one small detail The staff for the party there was only vacancy for women. "No-way that I''m going to wear that!" "Come on, you don''t care on wearing those almost n.a.k.e.d desert clothes and now you don''t want to wear a simple servant dress?!" I was discussing with Aeglos on the change room since I only discovered this simple fact once we were at the employment agency, going to a private chamber where they would show the ways of the job, our accomplice sweating on the corner as we fight. "Really? Just a dress?! Then why don''t you wear it?!" "And how could why? It would look very weird because of my broad shoulders and my heigh-" He stops in the middle of the word, a little too late, when my gaze tries to make holes in his pretty freaking elf face. "What? Because I''m not tall? Because I have the height of a woman?! You little bastard!" "No, that''s not what I-" I kept venting my anger on him as he kept trying to make me wear the servant women clothes, but once my anger was fumed out Aeglos tried to reason with me, and damn he had a lot of patience and time to do so; and to many good arguments too. So yeah I ended up having a brilliant afternoon wearing woman clothes; nothing too shabby though, just a skirt that went all the way down, and some undergarments to hide my lack of b.r.e.a.s.t. Worst was the high-heels. God I hate them, even more than dragons; something I never thought that would be beaten in my rank of worst things; as I had to walk straight while holding a tray and serving fake consumers here and there, not looking in the eyes, head down, blablabla. This was worse than working out; women earned my respect after that, geez. Aeglos ran away once the training started, what a good friend he was really letting me on my own to go back to the new inn, a nice house with a winter garden right in the middle, having, instead of walls in the corridors, an open space to it. Tired I went to my room to call my brother for dinner, but when I was about to enter Leo appears beside me, saying: "Your brother is not there, he went out with Aeglos." That popped a vein on my forehead. Sneaky bastard, taking advantage of the time I wasn''t home uhm Tsk tsk tsk. "Let''s dinner together." Leo said, turning and walking away without giving me a chance to protest. Sighing I went after him, I was really hungry after all. We settle down in the dining hall that the inn had, exclusive for users, making it very empty and private. We asked for your dishes when an unsettling silence felt down over our table, making me think on how to start a conversation. Out of nowhere, Leo breaks the ice with a serious topic: "You don''t believe we can make it, do you? The city" Leo asks me, his face serene. I sigh, looking outside once it starts raining, chilling the night, and saying without sugar coating: "No, I don''t. Really, Leo, a country? And even if we make one physically, the mind and thinking of people are the real problems, and thinking we can stop all the anger between species and keep it as a safe heaven and an equal place for all is a childish illusion. The moment we put people in, they will bring their hatred with them." "And yet, you stayed here, helping, giving ideas. Why?" Yeah, why really? I have been asking myself the same question, over and over, feeding the illusion that once we were done with this robbery I would simply move on. But I know I won''t. I sigh again. "Uhm, I wonder myself But we share the same ideal, with different methods, and no harm is done in joining with people with the same ambitious I suppose." He leans back, absorbing what I just said as our food arrives. This time I didn''t even pay attention to the meal, tired as I was, but once again Leo catches my attention by saying, after we were done: " Do you want to know what happened at that dungeon?" Many things happened at the dungeon, but I was almost sure what he meant by that. "You mean your change of personality and strength?" He nods. "Hell yeah I do!" He gives a small smile, looking down, as if thinking or pondering if this was the right choice, but then he gives a dry cough, saying: "Well, II did not change my personality back there, I actually just took my indifferent mask off in front of you, I couldn''t hold it any longer, though my treatment with others did not change, only with you." He takes a sip of the wine to clear his throat, licking the red liquid off his lips and attracting my attention towards the action. "I remember of a time that is not like this one, and it is all the same, like if I already lived through this all and was rebirth upon my death to my very birth" He gives me time to process the new information, but since, shocked, I didn''t say nor did anything, he continues: "In that life I took things much worst; I was still a child, and as such did not understand the hatred throw towards me, eager for my father''s love and approval. Different from now, I chose to stay in the castle with the royal family, only to suffer greatly, but I won''t deepen into that any further, I don''t want any pity, I only want to make you understand." He eyes soften, a distant look to them, as if reminiscence of those lost forgotten times. "I learned too late that I was prey under their eyes, and any apparent weakness would be and was explored by them, so I hid it all under a mask, like a statue, as if nothing could reach me, making me indifferent and cold in the eyes of others." "This is when I met you back then, and you were very, very different from what you are right now. I wasn''t there to save your brother that day, so he did not make it, which made you bitter in early ages, fuelling your hatred for humans. And yet, despised all of that anger in you, you still found mercy enough to save me once my family tried to dispose of me in the forest." "You save me in many ways more than just that day in the forest, you showed me what path to follow, and guided me but your heart never had space for me, filled with all that hate you held in But I didn''t remember all of it until later, only having feelings, instincts upon it, and once I saw your human face in the dungeon all those dormant memories surfaced, making me unable to hide myself from you any longer, it felt like I was lying to you, betraying youThat''s why, Thilgon." At that he reaches over the table and laid his hand over mine, cupping it as his golden eyes seemed to melt with emotion. "That''s why I hold you very dear to me, even if you don''t remember, and was scared that, if I told you the truth, you would run away." How much cost him to admit that he was scared? It was not an easy feat and yet I was too bewildered by the information and by the intensity of his gaze when I ended up asking: "What made you change your mind?" He smiles and looks down at your intertwined fingers. "It wasn''t fair not telling you, you had the right to know... Plus I feel like you are not running away anymore, because you are not denying, because I believe that, now, I may have a chance and that''s all I ask for, little hound." I blink at that, lost at words. "I-" At that my noisy brother appears, making me withdraw my hand quickly as they approach, sitting down beside us. They started talking but I didn''t pay them any attention, the conversation we just had replaying over and over in my head, making me question was I really getting used to his presence? I''m really not running away from him anymore? And more importantly, denied, run, from what really? Is that all for what I really think it is? Is golden eyes, always staring me down, confirmed my suspicions, but that could be... right? And, worst of all, I didn''t know how to react to that, neither how I felt about him, about all of it. In the end, I had a restless night with my head filled with thoughts that night, but I couldn''t find a solution, not understand my own feelings for him. I woke as confused as I was the night before, with a slight guilt of not opening up either about my reincarnation. But that could wait another day. ~~~~ Ohhh, how many of you guessed Leo''s story??? BTW, many of you complained about the dungeon when he changed, but now, knowing the reason, does that part makes more sense? Seriously, give me your constructive opinions, I may change once I edit (and spare us all of the "is trash" comments because, seriously, no one wants or cares to know.) And my dog is doing fine, biggest thanks for all the support and kind words!! See ya on Friday!! Chapter 50 - Forty-Eight The next days after that talk I ended up avoiding Leonel, especially staying alone with him, and every time that happened he would look down, knowing what I was doing and looking sad for it, but thankfully he respected my actions and didn''t force the situation, even though I felt bad for doing it, is just that it was too much. Even worst, I didn''t know how I would react if he didn''t gave me space and I really needed some time to organize the chaos that my heart and mind were, so I kept myself busy, training for the plan, ignoring the fact that Leo had just somewhat confessed to me right? And not with a simple I love you, but in an even deeper level that I didn''t know to be possible, like lovers from past lives or something, though he didn''t came from another world like me apparently, just stayed in this realm. So this mean that technically I''m here for a second time? Or even more that we weren''t aware of? Ugh, my brain. In the end his words kept repeated in my mind, especially this part: Because you are not running away anymore, because you are not denying, because I believe that, now, I may have a chance. Was I doing that? Giving him a chance without realizing it? Or he had his hopes up because of is rebirth? Because he could try again with a different me and a different him? Worst of all, did I want to give him a chance? Us a chance? There was even a us? God I don''t even I never thought of relationsh.i.p.s, really. Firstly when I was a hound I didn''t feel attraction to others of my species; I think?; but as I never found one I don''t really know for sure, though since my human memories started to appear more often I started to be more attracted humans. But to have a relationship? When I wasn''t even human? Geez, that didn''t even pass my mind! "Pay attention number 13!" I straighten my back at the same moment, holding in the wish to snap back at the instructor, looking aloof yet submissive as it was required to serve the nobles; to which she suggested were more than mere classes to behold. She put them on a pedestal. Bleh. Today was the last day before we would attend the party finally! Only problem is that everybody was twice stressed and a pain in the ass for it. Freaking nobles who had so many requisites as "everything need to be perfect". But, well, what did I expect from those who lived in abundance while their people died of hunger and sickness outside these walls? A dangerous mixture I tell ya! Many crowns had fallen for similar reasons. Now, to end our clothes, and as a masquerade required, we choose the masks we were going to wear; animal themed; as the rest of the outfit was the same for everyone, consisting of black high heels with ribbons, a long silky skirt and a red tunic on the upper body, with cut sleeves to show off the shoulders, adding a golden line on the edges, making complex patterns like two snakes intertwined. It was actually really pretty and contain, glad it wasn''t something out of some old man kinks, like a sailor moon uniform or a bunny playboy vest. That would kill the pride that I had left, uhm. At least I got a cool mask; I choose C cough stole C the wolf mask. They were all in the same style, dark lines with a silver metallic shine to them, very cool. When the night of the masquerade arrived, however, I could not avoid Leonel anymore, which made me more nervous and on edge than the plan itself for some reason. We still haven''t discussed about the conversation, nothing, we acted like that talk never happened, which helped and not at the same time; one part of me wasn''t ready nor had even processed what he implied that night, but the other was always on edge waiting for him to bring the subject up. Let just say that my nerves were a mess. Now, with him by my side, silently waiting for the time of the party to come, I was nervous, and still I tried to focus on the task at hand, all the things I should keep an eye out and have learned beforehand. Of course, however, that didn''t work and my mind started overworking itself by overthinking. Gosh, give me a break will ya? But still something was bothering me, well, actually a lot of things in that conversation were bothering me; the rebirth wasn''t that difficult to accept being a reincarnated myself; but the part that he didn''t say, that he only implied. Did he liked me? Did he loved me? Admired? I don''t know, I don''t know how your relationship was before, so how could I know? That lack of information was eating me alive; and maybe I was worried for nothing, right? I needed to know. "Leo" I started, unsure, fixing my skirt and clothes, looking at myself in the mirror as I tried to fix my hair up so it wouldn''t get stuck on the wolf mask. "I want to ask you something." I didn''t see him reacted as I had my back towards him, who stood by the window, but I could tell he heard me. "The other night What did you mean by that? I I understand what you said about being reborn and we knowing each other before and all but what, what was our relationship like? And what do you want it to be like?" There, I said it. The relief I felt for finally getting the questions out in the air was soon substituted my anxiety and nervousness; Why the heck did I ask that? I shouldn''t have been so direct, it gave the wrong impression that I wanted it to be something else. "You know what, never mind, it was a dumb question, you don''t need to-" My brain froze once I hear him step closer, stopping right behind me, his heart beat so close, his smell clouding my other senses as it envelops me, his hands reaching out and passing over my shoulders in a rather smooth way, brushing up my neck until he started messing with my long black hair. I held my breath once he starts talking: "What I want you ask What I want, my little hound, is to stand by your side, to share a blanket on the cold nights, to make breakfast for you and bring it to bed, only to find you with a messy hair smiling at me, I want to share my thoughts and dreams with you, to stay together lazing around on a sunny day. What I want, my little hound, is you, all of you." With that he gives an almost chaste kiss on the crook between my neck and shoulder, brushing his lips softly and walking away, leaving me bewildered by what he said, the blushing coming a little too late. W-w-what was that. I think the-there is no more doubt about his intentions I supposed I looked myself in the mirror, my hair held in a high ponytail, some strands of hair falling down lazily, giving me an untied yet casual look, s.e.xy in its own way. Only to find you with a messy hair smiling at me His words weren''t honey letters of love, but yet by talking about such trivial things, plus his deep tone of voice and the closeness made it all a lot more intimate. Licking my dry lips I focused on moving my hands, finishing up my preparations and going down with my wolf mask in hand. Going down I avoid eye contact, only answering a hum when he asked if I was ready. Aeglos and my brother go out then, as Leo comes closer for me to touch his wrist so that my shadows swallow him, leaving him in the complete darkness of my shadow dimension. The streets were full of people tonight, many who wouldn''t participate in the masquerade, but enjoyed the festivity by wearing masks on the streets and playing games over the tents in the center of the city, as well as buying some miscellaneous and lots of food. It was a very vivid night, with some people carrying poles that ended up in lanterns to illuminate the dark night. They didn''t seem to need a reason to celebrate, parties been very common in this capital city; which proves the contrast with the other cities. Here, the more you showed off, the more status you had, so parties were actually a show of power towards the other nobles, to promote yourself. And starve the rest of the population. Who are they to cost some noble parties right? Putting my mask on I mix myself with the crowd, slowly speeding my pace to not be late, reaching the castle gates, standing in line with the other female workers. We knew some of the castle layouts as we trained beforehand there once, though I knew much more thanks to Leo. We were actually an extra group hired to serve in the gardens, the main hall and ballroom had their own staff, hired and maintained as fixed servants of the castle. We lower our heads, none speaking as we were trained to do so; nobles didn''t like to hear plebeians talking, as "we don''t have anything interesting to say" they condemned before even letting us talk. So why talk at all right? I only got glimpses of the place as we walked in line, eyes down, feeling distress build up as we enter enemy territory and I had to keep my tattoos, ears, tail and color of my eyes hidden. We were stopped in the gardens were most would stay in this hot night, minutes before the party started to receive the last briefings, been reminded were to take the food from, how to serve, wada wada. Biting my lower lip I held down the action of rolling my eyes. God how many times will they repeat that? With my mask hiding my third eye I can at least use it to look farther than I''m allowed, seeing the gardens beyond the hall we were in, and where the guests would be soon. They had a huge and tide garden, with stone paths going everywhere, in circles, around flowers, statutes, arcs of stone, all with torches to light the way, while round bushes covered the walls in a methodic way, some almost drawing figures on the grass paths. This was the lower part of the castle, where the nobles had access, another wall still dividing where the royal family lived, like a enormous living room for visits. And damn this garden was huge, almost couldn''t see the end of it. Most, however, would stay closer to the tables and the doors of the ballroom, where they could be safer from the elements. Or drink in a more private area, dunno, and it doesn''t matter really, the only thing that all this space made me think of is how long it would take for them to realize that one of the servants was gone? Hopefully enough. Passing through an azalea path, where spring trees curved up and made arcs of flowers on top, I took a deep breath and ready myself for the task at hand. The party started slow, many nobles coming at the same time, officially late of course, making the boring service into a chaotic one in seconds. I almost got caught up on serving that I just realized how long had passed once the royal family came. I snicker on the inside, feeling Leo''s distress in my shadow for staying in the dark for too long, making us more than ready to leave and put our plan in action. But before I could do that I had my arm grabbed by someone. ~~~~ Do you guys realize that high heels is one word apart from high hells? Coincidence?! I think not! Lol. Chapter 51 - Forty-Nine Out of nowhere someone grabbed my arm, spinning me and almost making me lose my balance, instead twisting my feet and making me turn towards the holder. What the heck! What now! "Wow, such a beauty like you shouldn''t be serving ugly men like this how about becoming my servant instead little one?" Little? Freaking little?! And serve you?! And I doubt you can see much of my face with the mask on, I think as I almost glare back at the person, forgetting all the training and plan from before. Hold on, deep breaths now I look down and don''t respond, as instructed, feeling anger boil up from my apparent submissive behavior. The other doesn''t let go of my wrist, instead his other hand cups my chin and raises my head until our eyes met. I have to seriously restrain myself not to kick him in the balls, probably fisting my hands hard on my side, letting my gaze drop to his jawline. "You can look at me beauty." I clench my teeth but I don''t look up; even though I already had seen his features. He had a misbehaved short red hair, a beautiful face with a smirk, but his eyes, his green eyes, held something to them, a c.o.c.kiness, a look some would give to people who they thought to be below them, like trash, like a toy to be played with. And I was disgusted by the l.u.s.tful glint in his eyes. Looking down I stared at this different clothes, different from the overcoat, boots and such as he wore something that resemble a kimono, large sleeves going with the wind, the layers making a V neck opening in the middle been tied up by a tick clothe belt, the only basic thing been the black pants below as the print over the robe was very colorful and bright, with stylized fire going up his sleeves. "Hum Truly beautiful, I think I will ask you as a bonus for my father uhmAt least something good can be made out of from this shitty party" He hardness his grip on my wrist, and for a moment I think; well, at least he will be a good excuse to get out of this main area without raising suspicious; but something felt off about him, like I shouldn''t be having any contact at all with him, like who knows where those hands were before touching me right? Not in a good place for sure. "Dearil, father wants us inside." Says someone, making me look up only to see a giant of a man with black wavy hair and dark sharp cold eyes, a calculating icy gaze that stared me down, his own clothes been something similar to what the other wore, but using only plain black. "Oh no Seth, now that things are getting interesting" He says as he draws circles with his thumb on my wrist. Eck, disgusting, freaking pervert. I just clench my teeth. "And I don''t care. Come, we didn''t came were to play." "Oh, come on, going out is always to play! There is no better time than all the time!" He says cheerfully, without letting me go. "You play too much, focus on the mission." The other say, unimpressed, a monotone in his voice that made him sound emotionless. "And you play to less, should learn how to have fun! I can even lend this beauty here if it would get rid of your unfazed face for me for a second." Oi! I''m not a sack of potato to be thrown around like that! I thought but they didn''t gave me any attention what so ever, making my eye twitch. "I have fun just not in the same way." I feel his cold gaze moving up and down my body, almost bringing a shiver out of me, making me gulp dry. The other oneSeth was definitely worst then this one, shit. He had an aura, a smell even of death. "Ha, and I''m supposed to be the bad one here? At least she will like it too yours however I don''t think there would be much left of her" This is the first time his face reacts, and only by a dark glim passing through his eyes, confirming the other ones words. Great, a pervert noble and a psychopath noble are bothering me in the middle of the easy part of the mission. Could always count on my luck to do that, sigh. "Enough." Says another voice in the distance, pass the empty part of the garden, a figure wearing a very detailed white kimono type vest with golden and white lotus patterns and feathers draw here and there. Great, another one, so much to escape incognito. And yet the one who came seemed totally the opposite of these two, wearing white and with a pleasant smile on his face, bringing up his very bright blue eyes, almost baby blue, and his blond hair with a darker base beneath, his golden strands falling messily to the side. He comes closer, looking me directly in the eyes, and suddenly the situation didn''t seem so bad after all. "Sorry for their behavior miss, they tend to misbehave in front of such a beauty as yourself." He says, giving a soft laugh, which brings a smile to my face. God, his voice sounded like music to my ears, I wouldn''t mind hearing him talk all day long He comes closer, a bright expression on his face as he takes my hand with a smooth movement and presses his lips against my knuckles, giving it a slight kiss before whispering. "But I agree with Dearil such beauty is wasted in a place like this specially those silver eyes of yours, they really look good on you." He looks up, smiling at me, and complements: "My name is Cain, King of a faraway land, would you bestow your name to me beauty?" "Thilgon" "Thilgon I''ll keep your name at heart. Now if you excuse us." With that he gives another kiss on hand and turns around, putting an arm over the red-haired shoulders and dragging him away, the cold eyed one following beside them. Wow, I thought watching them leave, that last one had such a refreshing aura around him, so invigorating that Wait. Did he Did he just said silver eyes? I walk away and take one of the silver trays to look at my reflection; there, brown eyes, as I intended to make them. So how did he know? About my silver eyes? Looking at his back dimming far away into the gardens a shiver makes his way through my body. What the hell did I get myself into? Who the hell were they? And why the hell did I tell him my name? Ugh Hopefully I wouldn''t find out, something''s were better off untouched, I thought, unaware of the continuation of that conversation that went on between the three. "Aren''t you going to punish him tonight?" Said Seth, his black hair curving sideways on his face as a sadistic glint brought life to his icy cold eyes. "Oh, no, not tonight, actually Dearil found quite the treasure." "I did?!" He asks, his l.u.s.tfully gaze becoming even more mischievous. "Yes, you did You may have found what I was missing to go with our plans Thilgon I will make you mine." ~~~~ Ohhhh boyyy who are they???? Things are getting spicy, huehuehue Chapter 52 - Fifty After that encounter at the begging of the night the rest was actually very uneventful, filled with high pitch laughter and small talk all night long, and only far in the party I finally manage to escape to "go to the bathroom". The side corridors; especially the ones in the back for the servants; were quite empty, probably because they weren''t the luxury part of the castle, made of wood and stone structures without much of a furniture around. Once I made sure we were alone I bring Leo out of my Shadow Dimension, his figure forming as if my shadow was bubbling up and foaming. He was sitting, meditating with his eyes closed, so I gave him little slaps on the shoulder to catch his attention. Once he opens his eyes, getting used to the light once more after been in the dark for so long, I point with my chin to the corridor, convening that we needed to move on, in silence. These corridors weren''t large, tall, and not even ventilated, the lights dim with a few torches here and there, not having fire crystals as the main area that held the party had. The servants got the short side of the stick uhm With Leo guiding we enter another place where the clothes were sent to be washed, hearing a few servants chattering here and there as they scrubbed the dirt off. No slaking off even in party day uhm, why I''m not surprised? Leo was already dressed for the occasion, with guard clothes on, starting with an iron mesh under a light silver armor, with square divisions painted over the metal in red and blue, a total of four put together on the front, forming a plus sine in between, as well as the helmet that hide his face, adding a trail of red hair to it on the back like a high ponytail. I, however, had to improvise since I couldn''t find a good enough clothe in time, only a so-so black simple mask, as most were already sold out to, quote, the "real people who needed it, not some plebes". No remorse from stealing their clothes anymore, humf not, not that I had it in the first place. I found some good clothes already washed and went out of there, Leo right beside me until we found somewhere where I could change. Closing the door behind me I start to pull the tunic off when I realized something was off, and quickly learned what by looking beside me. "Oi, what are you still doing here, go wait outside or something." "That would be suspicious, even more if I want to act as your guard." That that made some sense, but still I needed to make up something to take him off from here, ho-how could I simply change in front of him?! "O-Ok, but you need to turn around then." A moment of tense silence follows as he looks at me in the dim light of this private room, his golden eyes glinting like cat eyes between the opening of his helmet, the intensity of his look making me almost shiver, licking my dry lips. "I swear you will be the death of me" He whispers, smirking before turning his back to me, facing the wall. I start to loosen my clothes off, the silence making every sound ten times louder. "You know that this way is far worst than simply looking right? It gives space to my imagination" I gulp at that and hurry up. "Well, you can keep that imagination all to yourself." I said, trying to sound mad but been more fl.u.s.tered. He chuckles. "Oh no, that would be a waste, I want to share all I have in mind with you" I almost trip on the skirt I was taking off. This-This guy! He was getting a little bold now wasn''t he?! Just because I didn''t run away the moment he confessed to me doesn''t mean I gave him the liberty! But well, two can play this game. I take the skirt I just took off and throw it on the wall beside the door, a place that he clearly can see, and move my tunic up ever so slowly, making as much sound as possible with the cloth, and doing the same over the wall, hearing his heartbeat speed up as I kept throwing the pieces of clothing over, clearly showing my state of undress. I take my mask off and discard it, the clangoring resonating in the empty room as I lower my voice, getting closer to his broad back, saying: "You can turn back now." His back visibly tenses as he turns, scowling once he finds out that I''m already totally dressed. I arch an eyebrow at that, saying: "Perk of having control over my shadows, I can dress up very quickly" He narrows his eyes, disappointed with the blocked view, making me giggle on the inside but staying unfazed by it as I c.o.c.kily ask, making pose: "How do I look?" I choose well, considering the seconds I had to; a white shirt bellow with the collar running in waves until the middle, a black pants and a black overcoat that curved over my butt with details made in silver; or maybe with silver? I think I did a really good match. "Wait." Leo''s reaches for my back, turning me to mess around with my hair; again; making a loose ribbon with a silver lace over my high ponytail. "There. Let''s go." We walk out into the halls, quickly passing the servants area, entering my shadow every time we encounter someone as we went straight to the "not allow strangers" area, and once we were close to the main hall of the royal castle I pull us in one last time as some guards pass by, holding Leo''s hand in the completely dark environment of my Shadow Dimension. In the end I have to slowly move my shadow away, entering other things/people shadows to camouflage as the guards stood close and didn''t leave. As someone with higher presence detection could sense me I needed to go slowly and smoothly, avoiding these stronger individuals. The more time I passed inside, however, the more I got anxious; and surprisingly, not from the fact that I was moving my hound shadow form around a castle full of people, nor even because I was using up my mana; but from the fact that I could feel Leo so close, in this private, quiet, and dark place, his breath tickling my perched up ears on top of my head, his hand getting warmer by the second. Goddamnit brain, give me a break! He wasn''t doing anything odd, he was just standing there! Standing very, very close but still! I feel him lean forward, just to help out my inner turmoil, his lips slightly touching my ear. "Oh, sorry, I can see where I am very well here." He whispers, but doesn''t step back, instead inclining his head further down and breathing in my scent, his partially parted lips touching the top of my head and brushing my hair slowly. Oh, oh boy, oh shit someone almost saw us! Sensing my momentary state of panic he says: "Focus on the mission" He dares to say it, the prick, being the guilty one for distracting me! I was about to retort when I have to stop my shadow from a surprise patrol, standing curled up in a small vase shadow. Leo takes this opportunity to slowly wrap his arms over my waist, his hands sliding over my clothes and far too close to my skin for comfort, bringing heat upon my cheeks and warming up my lower belly. My heart sounded like a solo musician as it beat faster and faster, my sanity slipping away with the feeling of Leo''s back cupping mine as his strong arms embraced me, his mouth and nose still stroking the top of my head, sending shivers down my spine every time he took a deep breath. Holding in any reaction I stood there like a statue, licking my lips nervously as we finally arrived, making me sigh in relief. "W-we arrived, can you let go now?" He chuckles in the darkness, for a moment hardening his grip as if hesitant to let go, making me considerate crushing his feet with mine, but does as told as we appear out in the open. I take a deep breath, sighing, and only then I have the capability to look around at the fancy inner palace, area exclusive for the Royals, like a second castle inside another. The hall was made of a complex architecture, with oval doves made with five layers, starting from a square form and opening up to the walls, all with images carved over them, plus the red and gold paints and made by hand carpet. Personally it was too much to take all at once, almost blurring my vision with too much gold and white mixed together, taking me a full minute to take in all the details; and probably still missing some. "Well, this is a fancy place uhm." We walk up to an inner winter garden, symmetrically separated into two pathways with two high dove made of glass meeting in the middle, filled with low flamboyant trees with red flowers curving as an open umbrella, the beautiful image completed with the sound of many water fountains, the small ones staying on the side over the pillars, their water falling down in small waterfalls. Those small ones all had different patterns; some formed a lion head with the water falling down from the mouth, others were vases of marble tilted sideways so the water would fall, and there was the sun, the moon, numerous and pretty, but even more was the main statue placed right in the middle of the garden, one more time being a woman holding a vase were the water fell, but this time she was accompanied by many children statues who were stopped forever in the motion of passing a vase towards each other, some having reached the fountain and having the same effect as the lady, tilting their vases and making their own smaller waterfalls. Ok, I have to admit, this place was gorgeous and very calming, the sounds of water plus the vision of the flowers being basket on the moonlight was simply breathtaking, adding the carpet of red petals we walked on top of. Leo doesn''t pay attention to the place; probably he has been here before; as he goes behind the woman statue were, behind a thick wall, another little waterfall was hidden, strangely dry, were two lion heads stood facing each other. To my surprise he takes his sword out, making a little wound on the tip of his finger, and pressing it down right at the middle the heads, making a rune symbol appear as the wall startes to shake, revealing a small opening to the darkness beyond, dust rising and making me twist my nose. "Let''s go." Says Leonel, before walking forward into the dark place. I soon follow. ~~~~ Thilgon: Leo We got a situation. Leo: *Already undressing* Thilgon: What the hell are you doing? I''m talking about the author! Leo: *pouting starts dressing back up* What? Thilgon: Not what! I think so many weeks writing two books nonstop melted her brain up! Leo: *takes off glasses and white coat, clicking a pen* What are the symptoms? Thilgon: Well, first she doesn''t get out of bed anymore, she is walking like a zombie, and is always tired! Leo: What''s new? Thilgon: Leo! This is serious! If she doesn''t get out of it she won''t write and the story won''t progress! Leo: *Thinking: no writing, no story, no fap fap fap* This is an emergency, where is she? *Going were the author is, a cocoon of blankets with her dogs and cats on top* Leo: How are you feeling? Author: *eyes poking out*ok? Leo: Why are you not writing? Author: But I''m wr- Thilgon: Then why you won''t get out of bed? Author: But I do- Wait, is just because is cold, and I love staying in bed when is co- Leo: We have to do something about it. Thilgon: Indeed we have. Author: Are you two even listening to me?! *Ignored, they keep whispering to each other* Thilgon: I don''t know what can we do Leo: *panicking, wants the D, thinks harder, haves an idea* I know! Let''s dump enough coffee on her so that she starts working again! Author: *appears with blankets over her shoulders, all messed up* What are you two planning there? Thilgon: Ah! A ghost! A zombie! A vampire! Run!! Author: Author: You know you could just have said that I started a Ko-fi donation right? You didn''t need to you know what, never mind, I''m going back to bed, under warm blankets, with my pets, and hopefully a good hot mug of coffee~~paradise~~ Hehe, all the jokes aside, if you would like to invest/donate it would be really appreciated since unlike youtubers/streamers writers do not earn anything from the platforms they post their books in! Plus I already received 2 proposes to make my books payable content and I declined in hopes that I could maintain it being free by earning enough on future sales and donations. So here it goes: Ta-da~~ ?(?)? ko-fi.com/E1E2WH13 Or you could always wait for the book to go on sale, as it will have extra chapters ( ?~ ?? ?) Chapter 53 - Fifty-One "So, care to explain?" He takes a torch made of wood with a shining stone at the tip, illumination the dark corridor as we walk one at a time, his back turned towards me. Before he could explain anything, however, the place shock again, making the opening we came in close and locking us inside. "This is a safe passage I discovered without their knowledge, preparing for the possibility of needing a way in without their permission. That rune back there was made before my time, when the castle was built I supposed, when the runes knowledge wasn''t so far and scarce as it is now. The only thing I did was reactivated it, being the only one able to even recognize it in here." "If it was that used in the past how it ended up as a rarity?" He gives me a side look over his shoulder, his golden eyes framed by the darkness beyond. "It has too much information, too much to learn, and most aren''t even able to make sense of it at all, nor have the patience to cultivate it. Furthermore, it is a long term investment, and many are not willing to learn it with so many other quicker ways to cultivate." "What is it used for then?" I ask after a while, since it seemed we would walk quite some time inside the walls and into these hidden dusty halls. "Many things, depends on what you specialize in, but mostly protection or passive effects. The stronger the rune, the more mana it would cost though." Well, forget it then, didn''t want to learn it anyway. After more turns, ups and downs; can we travel through the entire castle like this?; we finally reach the end were another rune is activated, leading us into the fancy part of the castle once more. I blink a few times, letting my eyes adjust to the sudden bright environment, but once it does I take my time looking the place up, and knowing for sure that this opulence wasn''t me style at all. First of there was a red and gold carpet stretching out all around, the floor beneath made of monogamy wood, polished until it shone. Then there were the walls that were divided in the middle; the lower part was made with white wood squares, and the upper part had a red and golden wallpaper, both holding detailed drawings made by hand with gold, making every inch of wall a masterpiece to be appreciated. Those, however, were the outer walls, the inner part of this grand chamber held pillars made of marble but in the form of statues; some were made resembling a very toned man holding the ceiling with his back and strong arms, other had a woman with a delicate veil over her features, seemly smoothly supporting the ceiling up with the palm of her hand. There was even two strong horses in the back, their hooves high in the air. Cool. Beyond this open space, however, were the mountains of golden coins, chains, jewels, cups and all stretching out in front of us in an almost uninterested and carefree way. Never thought it to be a very organized way to keep your treasures, laying around like that, but who I''m to judge right? We advance into it and look at the same time as one of the mountains starts to move, coins rolling down like waves, giving passage for a creature to emerge. "The Guardian." Says Leo, going for his weapon, but I hold it down, inside the holster, and with a c.o.c.ky look I say: "Hey, that''s my prey, why don''t you stay and watch the a.d.u.l.ts fight?" He raises an eyebrow at that, but with a smirk he says: "Do you realize that I''m older than you right?" I ignore his commentary and walk down the final steps inside the chamber, a golden, red and white palace filled with opened arcs and domes, the high curved celling''s made of golden glass, letting the moonlight shine throughout the treasures, all the gold making it look like it was bright outside, not in the middle of the night; though a silver glint still made its way through the golden glass. Glass on top of your treasure room? Maybe it was enchanted or something I looked down at the moment the Guardian surged, and it wasn''t something I would expect protecting a treasure; like, usually is dragons, gnomes, stuff like that right? So why there was a freaking moving tree there? He had a humanoid form, except he was taller and had longer members. His whole body was made of wood, branches growing here and there, especially on his head like horns, with some leaves covering him like fur. But instead of eyes on his face there were holes in it with a bright green light shining inside, some of it escaping through the gaps on his face. With a raspy voice, as if it had a sore throat or an elder voice, the thing spoke with unmoving lips: "My name is Oakspur, little thief who dare to come, you shall now face my wrath!" Really? A wooden creature? Against a fire creature like me? Pff, to easy, come on, you shouldn''t have! But instead of coming close to fight, the creature steps back, making me aware of the environment we were in beyond the golden treasure; plants and vines that grow all around, but mostly over the pillars and the walls on the far corner, as well as some metal armors hidden behind bushes. The creature catches my attention once more as its feet turn into roots, or rather, it dismantles the format of a feet as the long tiny roots had intertwined themselves to make his form. As a pond of water his roots expand over the floor until he reaches the plants around, and once he does the strong and thick trees start to stretch and crack their limbs out of the ground and wall they were attached to. They were hollow shells of the creature before me, attached by his roots like marionettes. I stood with my hands on my h.i.p.s, looking kind of bored by the display, waiting for them to come closer. It would be very easy I thought, but I should put up a little show for my watcher now, shouldn''t why? It was my turn to make him watch on the sidelines. I pull my sleeves up, crooking my face sideways, smiling as I analyze my enemy, starting to focus on the fight. The closest tree throws itself on me, so slow that I had enough time to step back when it hit the floor face first. Poor thing, almost made me laugh Until I throw a Black Fire Ball at it, the wood burning quickly and nicely, especially with my Black Shadow Fire. A mix of elements if you may. How they hell a fire can be black is beyond me though. The Oaksomething? Stays behind his little army, unsure what to do as I start burning up his trees while avoiding their attacks; because, let''s be frank here, how hard is it to step aside a slow tree? Though if it falls on someone is another story Anyway, for me it was very easy, and one hit was enough against them. Unable to move from his spot, the Oak makes his roots grow larger until they reach the ends of the room, making me realize, as the last tree burned, what he was reaching for. The armors. Instead of controlling them as he made with the trees, however, he activates something on them as they start to move on their own. Different from the trees, however, they were pretty fast, enough so that I could only have a good look at them once I jump out of a lance way and duck below a dagger slash. The armors were pure white on the metal, looking as if made of marble, with some golden cloth sticking out between the joints, as a shirt would do. They, however, did not have humans inside them, their hollow helmets staring me down with a strong grip on their weapons. There was 12 of them, 6 in each side, made in pairs so there was always one equal to another, meaning that there were two lancers, two dagger/sword holders; the fast freaks; and two shield holders. Lovely. I steal a side glace at Leonel just to see him watching the fight closely on the sidelines, eyes focused on me with a knowing smile on his lips, almost making me lose focus. I turn back around only to see that the armors were closing in upon me on the hall, the shields up and at the front as the lancers held their weapons high behind it, obscuring my vision of the other two. That''s actually a little better, I was starting to think that this place had no defenses at all. I lick my dry lips, a smirk curving my lips as my blood boiled with adrenaline. I wasn''t going to wait here for them to trap me against a wall or something, so I quickly change into my hound form and throw myself as a cannonball on one of the shields, faster than their lances, making the armored fall back, bringing the lancer with him. I immediately burn both on the ground, the Black Flames coming quicker than the sword that passed over my head a second later. I jump back, watching the melted metal make a puddle on the side as the others lost their formation from before. I stand tall, stealing a look at the tree thing, and he doens''t seem happy. And he shouldn''t be. A.d.u.l.ts Hell Hounds were a thing to behold. We were bigger, stronger, in my case carrying a dark fluffy fur all over with enormous paws and fangs the pecked out from my lips like a sabertooth. I discovered that male a.d.u.l.ts hounds had something similar to the lion''s mane, our short Doberman fur grow into a fluffy one, similar to a wolf, and thick over the throat to protect the area, making us look bigger and to impress the ladies with our cuddle potential. Cough cough. With no time to show off I duck as the armors seemed unfazed by the loss of two members, the dagger holders coming forth and striking with speed and coordination, giving me no break nor room to run. They really seemed like decent foes, deadly even for most but not for me. Once one of them advance again, trapping me against a pillar, I change back to my human form and teleport to a shadow higher than where I was, making me appear over them as I kick the head of an armor off, only to see it empty insides. Not questioning I simply throw a Fire Ball inside, making a blast of metal that took the limbs of the other with it. Only a shield and a spear left. I turn to them, playfully enjoying this exercise, and mocking them to come closer. Of course, as mere magical puppets, there was no reaction from the armors, but I wasn''t putting a show for them. With their fast attackers gone the two remaining were fair easy to take out; as they tried again the combination shield/spear, I got closer enough for an attempt attack from the lance, dodging it sideways as I grabbed it''s ledge and pulled, making both stumble before the armor let go, enough time for me to kick the shield back. Bending the metal inwards I kick again, this time making on fall over the other, at the same time that my fist when down on top of them covered by black snake-like flames, making a hole in their middle as if cutting through butter. I smirk, stainding up and dusting my clothes off, locking eyes with the tree-thing. "That''s all you got?" ~~~~ Author: Bad Thilgon, getting too c.o.c.ky for your own good. Thilgon: Is not c.o.c.ky if is the truth, I''m far stronger than them, that''s all. Author: Is that so? *wiggles eyebrow* Thilgon: *thinking* I have a bad feeling about this Heyo! I have a quick question this week, hehe: Would you guys want a heteros.e.x.u.a.l/GL story in the future? Or pure BL for life? See ya you know! Chapter 54 - Fifty-Two I had trained a lot to change back and forth easily from my human and hound forms, enough that I could exploit it in battle; After all, just because I am a hound doesn''t mean I need to keep my training in hound form only, which made me search for some human styles of fighting and, well, when I first tried I saw an opportunity there as the hound form is really good at chasing or attacking with a pack but the humanoid form is better in a one versus one scenario. Even worst would be leaving such apparent weakness in place to be exploitable, being unable to fight in my human form. I look up once more, taking in the environment I was in; lacking some trees and armors now, those been replaced by charcoal and melted puddles of metal, the only remaining now was the Oak tree thing. He looks at me, his green now yellowish light glimmering strangely, especially were his eyes would be, narrowing. "Then let''s see what you fear the most, Hound." I did not like the sound of that. The creature starts to back down, suddenly disappearing between the foliage and before I could even follow it some purple flower buds expanded into purple-green flowers, pollen escaping their petals all at once, bringing forth a purple stinky mist that for a few seconds covered all my vision. Coughing and brushing the mist off my eyes; without much success; I look once more to a now very foggy treasure room, strangely not sensing any presence around me, not finding Leo up the stairs behind me nor the creature on the foliage. What the hell? "B-brother!" My head snaps to the side once I hear my brother''s voice, and even though I could not smell him over the foggy purple mist I could pinpoint where he was by the sound. A few branches and coin mountains away I found him, curled up in a ball right in the middle of a bed of those purple flowers, holding his side as blood dripped off between his finger in an alarming amount, making a red blanket around him. "B-Brother, P-please, h-help" cough "m-me." I was shocked for a second with the vision of him bathed on his own blood, one hand holding his guts that spilled out like noodles, worsening his condition as he coughed a mouthful of blood over his extended hand, making me pale with the image, almost giving up to the impulse of going to his aid. But. You know I wasn''t thaaat stupid I knew he was not there, even though I could not deny that his dying image affected me but maybe not in the way the creature wished it would. Even more when my surprise boiled up into range, making me clench my fists harder, narrowing my eyes. "Do you know the phrase that some things are too serious to even joke about? Well, yeah, you have crossed that line my friend." I snarled at the empty place, knowing that the creature would have heard me. I activate my third eye, making the exposed silver crystal in my forehead shimmer as if giving it deep outlines, breaking my brother dying image into pieces as, instead, a circle of roots and thorns appears in his place. With my third eye activated I could see all the magic in this place, almost making me dizzy with the amount of colorful waves rolling up and down and intertwining themselves, mostly coming from the plants of the place with a purplish glow. He asked what I feared the most maybe this magic activated something to do with that? Like, an illusion or something for what I fear the most Well, the image of my brother dying definitively matched that uhm I went further in the chamber, tripping over golden objects like goblets, passing by jewelry; mostly on velvet red pillows to the side; as well as pieces of golden armor, shields, all sort of stuff. Maybe they left like that so it made it harder to steal something? Or they simply didn''t care? I was getting off track, again. I used my third eye once more to locate the tree-thing and started heading his way. Another fl.u.s.ter of leaves warns me of a presence, only to reveal a Leo passing through, making me sigh, but then scowl in annoyance as I said to him that I would handle this. "I told to wait upstairs Leo, I can handle this by myself just fine." He, however, doesn''t say anything, a strange glint covering his golden eyes as he kept approaching more and more and more, and once I realize what that expression was I was backed on the corner. L.u.s.t, pure and intense l.u.s.t. His arms trapped me on the pillar, letting very clear our height difference as he towers over me, his face close, to close, making his breath tickle my face. "L-Leo?!" "Uhm?" I was petrified in place at the intensity of his gaze, unable to look away as I shivered, clenching my teeth then biting my lower lip, moving my hair out of my face, unable to stay still. "W-what are you doing?" "What does it seem that I''m doing?" He brushes his face on mine, our cheeks brushing as his start to give small kisses on my jawline. I could almost hear sirens going off in my head, alerting that my brain was about to meltdown. "Now is not right the time for this!" He comes forward, his touch lingering as he never went too far off, his lips dangerously close to my own. "For what?" He stays in front of me then, so close that my vision blurred if I tried to focus on him, making me close my eyes, our warm breaths meddling together. "If it was somewhere else you would let me?" I''m unable to answer as he closes the distance between us, his moisty lips clasping mine, taking me by surprise as he invades my mouth with his tongue, exploring my insides and brushing my tongue with his, melting the rest of my brain cells away. But really, now was not the time for this, what was wrong with him? I try to pry out of his embrace, his lips furiously devouring mine until I finally detach myself from him, saying: "Stop, we need to complete the mission, this is not the pl-" He cups my face with his big hands, making my cheeks puff more, looking intensely into my eyes. "I love you." "Wha-" "I love you so much that I would die for you. Would you stay with me forever? Would you love me? Would you be happy with me?" There was something wrong with him, his golden eyes making hard to focus on what exactly, even more when he kept moving closer and closer, making my heart beat faster and faster. With one last attempt I open my third eye, and his image dissipates in front of me, making me look around, confused, as I tried to settle my breathing. Bloody illusions. Shaking like a wet dog I leave my third eye open this time, one part of me confused, other mad and other embarrassed, my head a mess as I tried to focus. It was supposed to be what I feared the most right? So what the hell was that? I lick my lips once more as I think, trying to calm down my heart, but already knowing that the image of Leo so close, the taste of his mouth, of his touch, would haunt me later. Freaking bloody illusions. Oh, I found him the sneaky Oak guy. Let''s blame this on him, I thought, I didn''t like been confused, I didn''t like to have my emotions played like a fool, up and down like this, and that made me furious. I disperse my magic, not carrying the amount of mana it took to get rid of all the mist, as well as cutting off all the buds around, leaving the tree-thing right in the open, exposed without leaves, trees, armors or spells to hide it. I locked eyes with it, and for the looks of it it understood his predicament as well. Growling I step closer, my shadows deforming and twisting like it had a form of its own behind me, making the creature shiver as he stepped back. "You know, at first I was only going to knock you down, play with you for a little and be done with, but you manage to piss me off so much that I changed my mind." I stop midway as the creature tremble, trying to block me with his tiny arms at the front, but he was at my mercy the second he wished to fight me. And I wanted not just kill it, but frighten it to death. So I changed. Not to my hound form. To my Terror form. ~~~~ ?*?(???)?*? Big thanks for @Gryphi!! For helping out with the editing!! ?*?(???)?*? (I may not change here because I''m lazy but I change in my computer hehe) Ps: Did you guys watch "I''m gay" by the Try Guys on youtube? Totally recommend it, is a masterpiece for the lgbta+ community (RبQ)g Seee yaaa next fridayyy!! Sorry if it''s too slow, when the vampire one ends I''ll try to do an especial double updated month c(o?o)/ Chapter 55 - Fifty-Three It was as if I was submerged on black goopy ink as my shadow propagates over my form and overtakes it, the blackness growing bigger and bigger, a mixture of solid and formless, parts of me stretching out over the walls, pillars, floor and ceilings as my face contrasted with my shadow parts, the white skull surface opening up to rows of sharp teeth''s in a sinister grim, horns turning their sharp edges up, making my figure even bigger; if that was possible since I already took over the entire chamber with my body. A low growl gurgles up my throat as my silver platinum eyes stared the creature down, my form taking shape of a nightmarish creature as I bring my black lips up to show teeth the size of an arm. A deadly smile indeed. "Any last words, Oak?" I growled more then said to him, a mischievous glint passing through my eyes as I let my murderous aura overcame me, the edged of my body turning into snaky shadowy limbs that contorted sideways as if eager for the hunt. I got closer to him, my steps soundless as my figure went back and forth from being a shadow to a solid figure, the blackness of my fur seeming like it was made of black liquid ink being stirred in a constant movement. Oak limbs seemed to shirk, the roots recoiling back until he was standing thin as a twig, a submissive stance far too different from the battle mode that the creature had before; but now it knew that had lost. And I was eager to prove him that. "No more tricks up your sleeve, twig?" I growl grows between my gigantic teeth, making the thing step back, only to find it surrounded by my gigantic Shadow Body. He tries to sidestep me, but I kick hard the mountain of gold by the side, my claws digging deep on the metal, making it hit were he intended to go. Now I was just playing with my food. The creature starts to tremble, his leaves falling down as he tries to look even smaller, wintering away, his hands together at the front as he closes his eyes with a frown. "Then burn." I open my mouth, being able to swallow him whole with one bite, however before I attack I hear Leo scream from somewhere behind me. "Wait!" I, however, had already started a fire deep in my belly, ready to strike; and intending too; the flames already licking the deeps of my throat when I see Shrum right up the creatures shoulder, saying: "Mama, brotha! Mama, moma!" Panicking I close by mouth shut, feeling the fire go up my throat and exploding in my mouth, making me a little dizzy as smoke comes out from my nose and ears. And what the hell? Shrum wasn''t even supposed to be here at all! Sneaky little bun! I look behind as Leonel comes closer, not even a little afraid of the creature to give it my attention anymore, as Leo''s eyes lock on mine. Once close his hand brushes against my side, as if testing my inky fur, making me shiver. "He is trapped here as your magical creatures are to their owners. He means you no harm." I close my big mouth again as I see Shrum back to Leo''s shoulder, my sharp silver eyes scanning the Oak creature down, who did not say anything. Frowning I look at it once more with my third eye, focusing in its energy and founding, surprisingly, in its green mass a ball of yellow light being squished down by many tiny chains, a type that I haven''t seen before, but could recognize anywhere; a forced contract. "Is that so? Since when?" Oak, surprised by the question, turns his face up, confusion showing as much as his wood face would allow him to. Joining his fingers at the front the creature starts to speak: "For far too long, Hound. Since this place was built, I guess, forced to stay in this place and protect its gold, generation after generation." So he was a victim too? Like all the others I have freed before? From above I look down to the tiny creature, now resented from his fate being under my paws. "Do you want to be free?" Once more surprised he seemed to frown beyond all the freckles and wrinkles that the wood already had, and said: "I''m not sure anymore, it has been so long that I don''t even know what exists beyond this chambersPlus my kind is bond to gold, like dragons and gnomes. Soon enough I would be trapped in this vicious cycle again." "Is that so? So you will give up before even trying?" "I" "Uhm. Then tell me: Do you wish to die here, in this place?" He seems to think, as I continue: "Because I''ll probably be your only chance of getting out of this place, or at least for a very, very long time. So I''ll ask again: Do you want to be free?" We stay still for a while, but no answer comes from him, leading me to snort fire out of my nostrils, walking further in the chamber. "Suit yourself then." Leo follows close, taking the lead at one point to guide me through the chambers. We stop at yet another tall metal double door, but not tall enough for me to fit in. But of course, before going back to my humanoid form, I stop in front of the place, beside Leonel, and lower my face right beside him. "So who is the little one now eh?" I say, a full sharp teeth smirk curving my black lips up. He only raises one eyebrow, rolling his eyes afterward and snikering as a thundering laugh resonates from me, tunning down as I go back to my human form. Ahh I remember when I chose this evolution back then How many times I played this same phrase over and over in my head, waiting to rub at his face not that I chose this evolution for the line "tall as mountains" one, of course, cough cough. Sighting and nodding his head sideways, he ignores my still present smile, my fluffy tail wiggling back and forth as he goes to the door and open it up. Another part of the treasure chamber unfolds and a very tidy one at that. For what I could tell everything was separated in labels, the gold coins together in bags, separated from the golden/silver chains, jewels stored away in chests, as well as the golden jewelry and miscellaneous, a remarkable contrast from the others rooms. "This is your part?" "Yes." Figures. "Hm so you want me to take only this part?" "Yes" "Why not all the rest?" "It would break the royal family, they would increase the taxes to make up for it, the people would suffer a lot, then it would lead to a civil war." Wow, he already thought so far ahead uhm, though I didn''t intend to take all of it, just asked out of curiosity. "Well, with things going the way they are now that civil war will come sooner than later." "Why do you say that?" Well, because I liked to study history back in my past life and knew the symptoms of a sick country? I think while I start to swallow up all the gold with my shadow. "Uhm there is a limit of pain a person can take until not even death scares them anymore. The nobles here are already killing off their people bit by bit, until they will reach a point where either way the population will die; from starvation, from sickness, so they will have nothing to lose in a war." "A trapped wounded animal is the most dangerous type there is." He stays silent as I start to babble my mouth out, remembering all the books I read, all the stories it had, far off in the subject to realize that maybe; probably; they did not exist in here so nothing would make sense to him. "Sun Tzu said in his book about war that you should never trap an army entirely, even when flanking, because a trapped army will fight with all his might in the face of certain death." "Uhm, sounds interesting. You like war books?" "Uhum, I do not enjoy war mind you, but I like to learn the strategies, and history as well. They are very connected." He chuckles, making me stop on my heels and look at him with an eyebrow raised. "Ha, ah, no, that is something you haven''t changed. You never liked leaving apparent weakness, you always needed to learn everything, know everything, because the thing you didn''t expertise in would be exploited by others." That shocked me at how accurate it was. I shrug. "Well, Da Vinci said that it doesn''t makes sense being a genius in one thing and an ignorant on other." "Do you agree with that?" "Uhm So-so, because that is a very self-destructive line of thought don''t you think? Never satisfied, never enough" "Well, that''s a part that you have changed a lot, made you a lot more carefree." "Is that so? How?" "Back then you were full of rage, the only thing you thought of was revenge, so you lived your life for it; to the point of obsessive sickness." That reminds me, I haven''t put too much thought in the us from back then that he talked about before. I wonder if that''s true, not that he is lying, but the fact that I would have changed so much with the death of my brother, with the loss of my family so early on in my life, all by the hands of the humans. I wonder how much these things mold us? "And the creatures that you freed joined you against mankind, to the point of war. You were truly known as the Terror then." "What about you? How do you know so much?" "I followed you, helped even." "Why?" It must had been hard for him, mistreated by all for being half human, only to not be accepted by the one he loved I can imagine all the pain and lowliness, so why? " You are not the only one that changed" I stopped, looking at him and his golden eyes, knowing that I hit the mark. "It wasn''t easy, but I was too na?ve, and still hoped, all those years That''s why I choose to live this life to the fullest, without attachments to this nobility, without waiting a lifetime to conquer you" With a small smile he shrugs, looking away. "What if I had said no?" I go back to messing around with the gold, and once I finally finish I realize he didn''t answer, making me look up to a very quirky Leo. The moment he smirked, his melted golden eyes filling with l.u.s.t, I knew I had said something wrong. "Why? Because you said yes?" "N-no, that''s not what I m-meant-!" He stares me down even more, the shadows of the helmet covering his features, making his eyes shine even more. "Tsk, you! Goddamnit stop messing around with me!" Not knowing what to say I just pout and fume, resisting the urge to stomp my feet on the ground like a little kid. The prick just smiles, the laughs, making me even more angry and fl.u.s.tered. "Why should I? It''s too much fun" Suddenly he is close to me, brushing a loose hair and playing with it with his long fingers, his warm body that close adding to the intimate contact makes me blush even more, closing my arms at my front. "And I finally learned something you did not train yourself for" Could I get even redder? I think he was trying to find out ~~~~ Heyo! Guys! Beautiful, amazing readers! I have a new project! It''s called: +.(*''v`*)+ Share the love! LGBTA +.(*''v`*)+ So, I was thinking these days; damn, is hard to find good BL/GL content, but once I find it I don''t have anyone to fangirl about! Sooo~~~ I''m opening a discord channel/chat to Yaoi/Yuri fans! There we can talk, share, and ask for indications in one go! Plus I intend to have more authors/translators there in the future so they can promote their works as well! So come join the fun! discord.gg/VtxN6Bt Ps. If you are an author/translator yourself and wants to join as such, don''t be shy and ask it away! See ya~~ EDIT: Guys!! A author friend of mine already has a discord, so I''m changing from making one to joining hers!!! If you like Yaoi/Yuri, come hang out!! discord.gg/krZm7hE Chapter 56 - Fifty-Four Our talk is cut short by an explosion that makes the castle shake, though we were too far in for it to affect us. "Let''s go, my brother already started" They were attacking a part of the castle; not the part where the party was being held mind you; as a distraction for us to flee, so we rush back to the first chamber we were before as I give a side look towards the Oak who stood there, looking at nothing, appearing like the tree he was. He says nothing as we walk to the hidden exit, but as Leo''s opens the secret entrance I stop, biting the inside of my cheeks as Shrum, standing on top of Leo''s shoulder, looks back at Oak with a sad expression in place, hiding underneath his mushroom hat, and letting me know what I should do. I go back with wide strong steps and stop right in front of Oak, looking deep in his hole-eyes, and say: "You know what, I''m a very selfish hound, did you know?" I put a hand over his chest, bringing my energy towards his core and paralyzing him. "Because I know that me walking away will be the same as leaving you to rot here for eternity, so even if in ten, five, two years you change your mind it won''t matter because I will be far gone, so it''s actually very simple." My black and red energy intertwine like snakes over the tiny long chains that embraced his core energy, breaking every fiber of it. "I just need to free you now and, if you still want to stay here, then stay, if you don''t, then don''t, I just know that I, for that matter, will walk away with a clean consciousness." I force the energy free, needing more than one try until I finally set it loose, a bust of pulsating green energy making me give a few steps back, fl.u.s.tering some leaves and coins away. The creature was looking at his hands, at lost, and I say, before walking away: "About time you take your own life in your hands, don''t you think? Even if is just to stay here, stay because you want to." At that I didn''t look back again, going towards Leo who was holding the passage open for us. We moved fast back to the garden, first using my shadows, but as soon as we got to the party we mix ourselves in the crowd, not something difficult I may add since the nobles were panicking here and there, some even running in their pompous clothes, tripping over themselves. At that Leo, as my guard, held me close to him, one hand over my shoulder as his body shielded my other side, holding his cape over to cover my figure; though the only thing I saw was him showing off our difference in height by passing his arm over my back. Prick. The party was a mess by now; tables turned, broken glass and food on the ground, some plants tramped over as the nobles shouted in a chaos of sounds, some grabbing the guards by the clothes and demanding an explanation, other crying on the sides, and others talking nonsense together. Typical. We were calmly waiting on the messy queue that formed as nobles tried to flee to their carriages when I see something that makes me grip Leo''s sleeve to move quicker in the crowd. The cold tall man from before. For a millisecond I could see surprised mixed with realization as our eyes met, a cold hungry gaze grimacing his features into that of an emotionless murder who found his next prey. My initial shock was gone as he started to walk towards me, opening a path through the crowd. Shit. Me and Leo did something similar, trying to move forward faster beyond many nobles, but most were trying to do the same in panic, which leads on a claustrophobic amount of people together trying to move forward; but at least he was stuck in it as well. We almost fell once we popped out of the main gates and out of the crowd towards a black hidden carriage, going straight in only to sigh deeply as the door was closed and we stood out of that mess. From the front of the carriage the woman and her Templar stood, starting the horses without command and guiding us far from there. Just then I allowed myself to relax; for some reason I thought everything would go down badly in the end, pew. We ride to the other side of town where we sell the carriages and buy four horses, two big ones with fur over their massive paws for the two armored men of the group. Mine looked almost like a pony because of that. Double prick in a stick! I dunno, I''m just mad ok? No need to rub on my face that I''m not that tall, I already know that ok? Anyway~~ By the time we were ready to leave the fear and confusion of the party passed through the city and made to the people''s mouth, many running toward their houses, others whispering on the corners, words like "attack on the castle", "scary" and "a Cerberus and a man" being repeated constantly. I smirked. I trained my brother well didn''t I? I mentally pat myself on the shoulder, cough cough. I change my clothes too, simply going to a corner and letting my shadows surround me, walking out with my average outfit; and by that I meant the long-ass cape covering my desert clothes style. As always the pants were the puffy type, but the opening was at the front this time, making a diamond-shaped whole over my knees. Second there were two layers of clothing over my shoulders, one covering my n.i.p.p.l.es as a short top, and the other falling down over my shoulders and tying over my arm until my wrist and middle finger. To finish the outfit I put a big oval collar that covered my collarbone, made from the same metal of my diadem. Leo, looking sideways towards me and catching a glimpse of the outfit as I hopped up the horse, stirred his own closer only to whisper: "We have to do some talking about those outfits." I scowl at that. "What''s wrong with them? He just stares me down for a while, his eyes narrowing as if asserting my answer. "You really don''t know?" I shrug, making he come closer, our legs pumping as our horses almost touched each other, the woman and the Templar at the front, unable to hear or see us. "The problem is that they show too much skin, and I don''t like others looking over what is mine." There were so many things wrong with that sentence that I did not know where to begin complaining, so I just snicker at first. "Look, hear me out, you do not tell me what to wear, if I want to walk butt n.a.k.e.d on the street I may as well do it! And second, yours? Freaking yours? Where did you get that idea?!" I look at him, angry, only to see him smiling. "You are so cute angry." C-c-c-cute?! Cute?! I open my mouth to answer but nothing comes out of it as my tail and ears stay on edge. I grit my teeth, knowing that any answer I could give him would only make him happier. Angry I look back at the streets we were passing through, ignoring his presence and how he kept pumping our legs. Once we were out of the city, however, after finding my brother and Aeglos already mounted on their horses, Leonel starts again: "That reminds me." Says Leo, a mischievous glint shining in his eyes as he tries to muffle a smirk, already making me regret looking over at him." I haven''t got back on you for calling me a brat yet, did I?" "Humf, you were a little brat back then." "And yet I''m taller than you, and older even." That makes a vein pop on my forehead, as usual. "But it is unfair to not compare to my true form, and I''m far far taller than you will ever be." "So what, are you telling me that this form of you now is fake? And yet, if I reach toward you right now you would feel me touching you, wouldn''t you?" The way he deepens his voice in the end made me contain a shiver, avoiding his eyes by the innuendo. Geez, what''s wrong with me. "But of course I would." I answer weakly, cursing him in my heart. He just answers a simple: "Good then." His short answer only made things far worst since he gave a lot of space for my brain to fill the blanks. Shit. "You are still a brat though a sneaky one at that." At that he let''s go of his smirk, setting an intense gaze in my direction. "Brats don''t think the things I do" Ahhh, I made it worst. Let''s stop there, yeah, for the sake of my little heart; I mean, big, strong heart, uhm. ~~~~ Sorry if it''s short, but I run out of chapters last time and I still have to write the vampire one, once it ends I will give my all to this one! BTW ii''m late with the vampire one, and I don''t know if I''ll manage to post next week (many tests at once geez but I''ll try my best! So See ya~~ Chapter 57 - Fifty-Five The castle security took their time figuring out that we stole their money; for a while they thought that the attack was only meant to scare the nobility, or even target the royal family, but in the end, as we only stole part of the gold and the not often used part at that, they only discovered hours later and more because of disappearance of the Oak creature than because of the missing gold itself. Now I realize that it was kind of obvious that the Terror was the one who stole from them right? Since I freed the creature, and was the only one capable of doing that But oh well, it doesn''t matter anymore, and even that knowledge wouldn''t have changed my mind at all, would have helped him out anyway. Still the last part of our plan is to lay low for a little, hide close to the city; as it was the last place they would look into, thinking that we were far gone; and wait until the news died down a little and they loosen their guards, not that they had much to go for, but better safe than sorry right? And if, in the end, they found out we were the thieves I had never thought that I would free magical creatures without making any enemies; and I frankly did not care. "SoThis place we are going to" I start after a long ride, were, of course, my brother fell asleep and ended up on Aeglos horse, laying down on his lap, making me fume in anger as Leo makes his horse come closer again, covering the view every time I tried to move him out of the way. "Some friends of mine arranged it for me." Said the woman from the front, guiding us through the middle of the forest and the dirt street. "Is it safe though? And where is it?" "Humf, of course is safe, are you stupid?" My eye twitch in annoyance but before I could retort Leo says: "The place belonged to an ancient one, made by the bringers of magic, bless them, so only the invited can enter, however I do not know how it looks like." "Hum" The ancient ones that sounds interesting. Well, for the amount of trees and turns this place had it was at least well hidden all right. I hear something up front, my ears flinching as two figures mounted on horses stood on the street, waiting for us. "Why no one told me there would be more people involved?" I did not like that, not at all, it was a possible danger of trusting those strangers that no one cared to share with me as part of the plan. "We need them to guide us in the safe place. Only the invited ones, remember?" Isa said. We get closer, the wind bringing their smells up to my nose, showing their good faith in not trying to sneak upon us; not that it would work; and making me recognize one of the smells from somewhere Ah! The bard! From the city, the one I saw when we had just arrived singing about me! What is he doing here? "Gentleman; and hounds; these are Seiroe and Eyope, they are twin brothesr and are my trusty colleagues who will kindly guide us to our hideout." It was undeniable that they were brothers; they were identical twins, the only visible difference being in a scar on the eyebrow that Eyope had. He straights himself up, nodding at us, and says: "Hi, I''m Eyope, and this is my younger brother, Seiroe, nice to meet you." He sounded like a more serious type, I analyzed while we all introduced ourselves, as to the contra part his younger brother had a beaming smile on his face, his eyes glued on me from the moment he could see me from afar. What the hell that''s a little creepy, you know? At least blink, geez Anyway, both had very tanned skin, their black hair shaved on the sides as, in the middle, stood thick dreadlocks falling slightly to the side. Their ears were very pierced with many golden earrings, especially hoops, and wore other many rings, bracelets, and such in gold, adorned with little seeds, claws and cocoanuts as well. By the time we finish introducing ourselves I ended staring back at the pair of caramel eyes from the youngest brother who seemed about to explode from happiness. "You." He finally says, ignoring that the others were still talking. "Are. The. Terror. OHMYGOD! PLEASE PLEASE LET ME SHAKE YOUR HAND!" Without my consent he was already there shaking my hand with so much strength that I had to hold myself up the horse. His brother Eyope sighs by the side, looking at me guiltily as Seiroe keeps talking nonstop: "Oh my! I can''t believe it! I''m touching the famous Terror in person! Tell me, tell me, you are really tall as a mountain? No, no, even better, that story about the war, is it true? Did you really face an army only to rescue the magical creatures being used as slaves?" "Well, I-" "So, how about it? And-" Oh my god he does stop talking! "Brother, brother, brother Sei, give him time to answer uhm? You can''t just talk nonstop and think he will manage to answer." "Oh! Oh, sorry, I just got too excited" "Oh no, is alright I guess" Aaaand silence. Well, now that''s awkward, uhm. "So, uhm, how about you guys lead the way then?" "Sure!" They turn their horses around as we go back to hiking up the mountain, Leo speeding his horse up to stay slightly closer to me as I look back only to see that my brother was still asleep; no surprise, actually; through all that noise and that the woman Isa and Ragnur were talking in the back. "So, so!" I hear from the front, knowing that this situation would repeat many times as I lock eyes with a very excited Seiroe. "Are you really a hound? How did you get your human form? Oh, no, even better, how did you get the power to free magical creatures? Or how about" "You know Seiroe, right?" His white teeth shine against his darker skin color, beaming with excitement as I remembered his name. "So, before anything else, how about you tell me about yourself first?" So I can know if I can trust them and if they are faking their excitement or not. The older brother, Eyope, turns toward me, probably aware of my reasoning, as they slow their horses down a little so we can talk without shouting. "We came from an island the south-west from here, from a country called Dragontail. The reason we came to the main island is that-" "Is my fault actually." The twin brother continues, scratching the back of his neck. "I''m a bard and I wanted to explore the world, you know, live a little, create better songs, live for my art, but I couldn''t do that stuck in an island with the rest of my kind now could I? There is only so much that my mind can make up from seeing the same things over and over and-" "Wait, your kind? What kind?" They seemed pretty human to me at first. A closer look, however, made me aware that most parts of their bodies were cover-up by a very colored cape, the only skin visible being their arms filled with golden bracelets. They exchanged looks, one calm and assertive and the other pleading and hopeful, until the older brother sighs. For some reason I sympathized with Eyope, the older brother; maybe because we have something in common like a dumb younger brother for instance. They waited for the curve to pass, and once the horses were walking in a straight line they both took off their capes. And me and Leo just stared. "We are Antshiva. Our people usually live only on the island, not having many reasons to travel through the main island, so many of you do not even know we exist." They had very humanoid bodies for what I could tell overall, except for the fact that they had three pair of arms. Not one. Not two. But three, a total of six limbs coming of as spider legs, all bulging with muscles and coming out from their sides. My mind, however, quickly went to how fighting they wouldn''t be pleasant; they could hold you down and still have limbs to beat you up. Hopefully I wouldn''t have to test it first hand; but knowing me I was already preparing myself for it. They do not cover themselves anymore as Seiroe starts questioning me again: "Where were you born Thilgon? Can I call you Thilgon, Terror?" "Oh, yes you may, and I don''t know exactly where, for a baby hound countries weren''t part of my daily life, but I think somewhere between here, Tregaron, and Airedale, before the elven forest starts, or were they collided, I don''t know, I just know that I had contact with both, humans and elves back them Wait Aeglos!" I call back, making him look up with a questioning look in his eyes. "Where did you found us the first time? That cave, back then" He stopped to think, first to understand the question, as he says: "It was in Airedale towards the north, but closer to the border." "Thanks!" I turn back around towards the twins, saying: "Well, yeah, that''s that." "Oh, so Aeglos knew you as a pup? How does that work and" He kept talking, the only thing missing is a notebook and a pen because, damn, he simply wanted to ask me about everything! I answered most of it, trying not to give many details as he would listen attentively, sometimes stopping to stare into space only to come with other many questions. I think he is trying to write a book about me at this point and I must add, I would make a goddamn badass hero I say, ha! Cough cough. ~~~~~ Author: Hold it! Hold it up! MC: What are you doing? Author: Holding the fourth wall you tried to break! MC: Author: Pew, anyway, how are you guys doing? It has being a long time since we were able to stop and speak like this right? Enjoying were the story is going? Too many characters at once? MC: I- ML: I''m enjoying so far feels like it''s getting closer Author: Yeah, I know right? Building up the tension and all that *whispers* only makes it more special and better with all the expectation don''t you think? ML: I would rather have it now. MC: Have what? What you are guys talking about? Stop leaving me out of it! Both keep leaving him out of it. ML: There is only one thing I want to complain about, beyond the time is taking me to have some fun. Author: What is it? ML: Why the hell there are so many new hot characters appearing one after the other?! Are you trying to tempt someone? *Brings MC into a hug, closing his eyes while MC complains and tries to wiggle away* There is the annoying Aeglos who is too close to them for comfort, the dwarf Ragnur who is too carefree and cheerful towards them for my taste, the annoying woman and her Templar, Isa and Nacon, those three at the party, Cain, Seth and Dearil, who I did not see unfortunately but did not like their auras at all, and now these twins, Eyope and Seiroe! Did you even realized that you did not make a single ugly character until now?! What for?! Author: W-what do you mean? *acts innocently until gets stared down by the ML* Ok, ok! But is not my fault ok?! The readers asked for it! They said I was going to easy and you needed rivals! ML: Oh is that so *stares you down* Author: Ok, Ok! I''m joking, joking! *fears for readers life* ML: *gets annoyed, stares Author down again* Then tell me the truth! Author: The truth? ML: Yes! Author: WellI''m stalling you so the readers can run away. ML: Author:. Run! LOL Chapter 58 - Fifty-Six My brother wakes up only when we are far off in the forest, close to the hideout. Lazy dumb dumb. He carefreely stretch out, almost hitting Aeglos face who looks down with an amused look, and then he realizes where he is and gives a toothy smile at Aeglos. "M~orning." "Morning Thor, did you sleep well?" "Uhum." Feeling me staring holes at his back Aeglos shifts on his horse uncomfortably as my too unaware brother rubs the sleep out of his eyes, for the first time looking around him. And staring impolitely at the twins up front, opening his mouth like a fish and pointing at them. "Oh my god they are identical! That''s, like, so~cool! How did you do that? Is there a magic? Are you clones? Shadow clones? That would be awesome and-" It was my turn to sigh, and a side look at Eyope makes me exchange a knowing look with him. Dumb young brothers am I right? After a small smile we turn back to my brother, who got his answer from Seiroe, who now started to talk nonstop with him, until Ragnur came out of nowhere and joined the talk. Let''s just say that my calm and peace were gone. Already resigned to my fate I simply stare at the path, trying to ignore all the noise around me, until Eyope came close; or run away from the sound as well; and starts talking with Leo, making me perch my ears to eardrop. "So how you two met Isa?" Isa? Isa who? Oh, right, the annoying woman, already forgot her name; annoying little thing was a better name than she was worth for. Sorry, I''m sleepy, hungry, and still annoyed by the illusions the Oak thing made; thought her mere presence annoyed me, the way she breathed, her voice, her presence Oh I lost track and didn''t hear his answer shot! "And how can you two know about this place if you are not even from here?" That''s actually a good question. I look towards Eyope, who stood tall with a calm demeanor so opposite from his brother upfront. "Well, you know the story about the ancient ones, the bringers of magic, differs from place to place; how many religious surged discussing small details. As our island is very isolated from the rest we did not have so much interference, and I dare to say we are one of the closest to truly know about the bringers of magic." "But more than that our ancestors helped the bringers out, some even say that they felt in love with each other, but that''s hard to know for sure after so many years. One thing for sure is that by kind has many exclusive information''s of it, such as the locations of the hideouts and exclusive passages and such that they made, as well as how to access them." "They must have really trusted your kind to give such important information." He nods. "Indeed, that''s why some say they were lovers, but some say that these hideouts were created for our kind, back in the day we did not have our own place and were mistreated here." He shrugs. "One thing''s for sure though; we have exclusive information, and we are forbidden to share with others beyond our own, so I may let you stay here, but I won''t give out this place secrets." "Fair enough." I say. If I had that kind of information I would not give it out that easily, it could save their lives if things went south; and definitely better safer than sorry. Suddenly all our talks were cut short by a misty fog, making our horses neigh and shake their heads back, wanting nothing of that misty dark part of the forest. The twin''s horses, however, seemed used to this as the older brother Eyope goes to the back, ordering us to make a line, as the younger Seiroe stays at the front, guiding the line. I was too far away to see clearly, only seeing Leo''s horse and back right in front of me, so unfortunately I did not see the magic that would allow us in the hideout, instead we just trotted in silence, wary of our surroundings as the fog thickens, one misstep could have us away from the group and lost in the jungle. Not a happy prospect. Beyond the lack of vision was the lack of animal life too; no bugs, no birds, and with that no sound, just an eerie silence that made everything creepier. If this didn''t say "Don''t dare approach" I don''t know was else will. Like a veil being taken off of your faces the mist went by revealing the place all at once, a large area staying in what seemed like a clearing in the middle of the forest, the sunlight reaching it and giving it a warm feeling that we lacked until know in the mist. Like an oasis in the desert I would say. The first thing that I notice was the Zen atmosphere, the white muddy sad in need of a cleaning covering the garden as well as the well-placed trees and bushes that needed to be trimmed, followed by a path made of grey stones with moss that leads towards the entry. The building itself, however, was astonishing; the W shaped roofs with wooden pillars that, as trees, had branches and leaves over the top, the white walls, the framed sides, the balcony, a very traditional Asian house that I thought impossible to exist in this world. We walk up the little stairs, my brother hoping over, tail wiggling as he tries to push then pull the door open until I stop by his side, pulling the door sideways as I wiggle my eyebrows at him. His answer was a childish pouting followed by him showing his tongue at me, which made me roll my eyes. We step inside, only to have a cough fit as our steps bring dust up. The air was heavy here, stagnate and dusty, in an urgent need of changing the airs. Leo stops beside me, looking the place over and deeping his scowl, ending with a very serious expression as he says: "How do you intend for us to use this place in this state?" The younger twin looks up guiltily, fidgeting with his thumbs as he said: "Well, is not like we had time to came here beforehand to prepare everything, but there must be things in the back to clean this place up, r-right? And we have rooms, garden, living room, kitchen, all in this place, so is not so bad right?!" Who he was trying to convince, us or himself? Anyway, I dust the air in front of my face, but the still straight face on Leonel''s face makes me stare at him again. "That is That is unacceptable. Nobody will rest until this place his dust-free!" He says, earning an "Ehhhh" from all of us. "No excuses! Me and Thilgon will clean the rooms, Isa and the Templar will clean the living room and kitchens, Aeglos and Eyope will clean the garden. Ragnur, make sure that the building doesn''t have wholes on the roof or compromised structures. " "What about us?" Asks Huntor and Seiroe at the same time, and I think Leo thought the same as us for he took his time choosing a task that they could not mess up. Which was doubtful to exist, but oh well he could at least try I guess "You two Will take care of the horses." "Yay! Horsies!" Everybody went to go as told, the last one being Isa, who seemed about to complain but was dragged by her Templar, who by the way did not take off his armor until now. That perched my curiosity as to who stood behind all that metal. Taking me off my thoughts Leo grabs my hand and, with wide strides, walks to the back were supposedly the rooms stood, not before searching for cleaning tools and opening up every window we passed by, methodical and efficient. "" "Leo, you" I start, still walking with him pulling my hand as his efficiency made me unable to do anything to really help. "Oh my, you are a clean freak aren''t you?" I wiggle my tail to the sides, a smirk on my lips, happy as if catching him red-handed. He scowls, looking back at me, saying: "I''m not a cleaning freak." He says confident, looking to the path once more, but I can barely hear when he continues: "I just like when things are tidy" "Uhum." I say, not convinced. He finally arrive in the corridor were the rooms were, the left side had huge windows covered by wooden squares, as on the other side the doors stood. This place was far in the building, far enough so that it was completely silent, making realize something that made my heart skip a beat. I was alone. With Leonel. Just about to enter a bedroom. Alone. With. Him. I stare down at his hands, his long fingers embracing my own, the contrast of his white skin with my caramel one making me pay attention to the warmth of his body so close to my own. He was saying something, moving his lips, those lips that I blush. Goddamnit you Oak tree! H-how dare you make that illusion of all things?! Now I''m too aware of him, of his lips, and how they tasted Would be the same of the illusion? "Little hound?" His velvet voice sounds, bringing me out of my thoughts only to encounter a pair of golden eyes smirking at me, totally aware of my blushing. "Y-yeah?" "Let''s start cleaning the first room shall we?" I just nod, not trusting my voice at the moment. That''s silly, I kept thinking while automatically cleaning the place up with Leo, I was not scare of a mere kiss, that just plain dumb right? Though I stopped the illusion after the kiss, so perhaps perhaps if I didn''t it would have gone farther?! W-what the hell am I thinking?! I could not stop myself from thinking those silly thoughts, even more when every time I looks to the side I could see the cause of it, the way he frowned slightly focusing at the task at hand, the way his muscles bend underneath his clothes when he pushed something heavy out of the way, or the way his lips moved when he was talking Wait, talking? What did he say? Before I could redeem myself, again, for not listening he drops his tools, straight his back, all of his figure coming to view as with wide steps he approaches me, to quickly and sudden for me to react, but when I do is just to take a step back and trap me on the wall as he puts his hand on the side. Dejavu?! B-but this time it was true, for-for sure. "If you keep giving me those looks I may think you are inviting me in." "N-no, of course not!" I say, trying to contain a blush looking up at his face so close up to mine. His godly looks weren''t fair, shit. "Uhm Is that so?" He crooks his face sideways, a playful glint on his eyes as he continues: "But I have a question." "Y-yeah?" "Why did you call my name when you were under the Purple Buds Illusion?" ~~~~ Oh boy is getting hot in here or is just me? By the way they will be stating there for some time I wonder what may happen, hehe. Oh, and I''m about to finish my other book, Surviving the Apocalypse as a Vampire! So make sure to check it out! (lots of smut, just saying ~~ ~~) See ya next Friday!! Chapter 59 - Fifty-Seven ~~WARNING~~ LIGHT SMUT ~~ENJOY~~ (AUTHOR: I CAN PHYSICALLY HEAR THE READERS SCREAMING IN THE BACKGROUND LOL) "W-what? Wait, you knew about those plants? And you didn''t tell me?!" "You didn''t look like you wanted any help" Before I could get mad at him, his intense gaze so close to my face holds my reaction down as he continues: "Plus they weren''t very dangerous, I knew you could take care of them, but you can image my surprise when I hear you call my name there" I start to panic a little, fl.u.s.tered; don''t know if because of the memory, of his proximity, of the prospect of him knowing, or all at the same time; my ears go down, then up, then sideways, unable to stay still as I look sideways, avoiding his gaze. "Tha-that''s all you heard?" "Why, should I have heard more than that?" "N-no! Of course not! Ha, haha." I nervously laugh, looking down as his lips again. Goddamnit Thilgon control yourself! As I was panicking, however, Leo strokes my cheek smoothly with the back of his fingers, bringing my attention back to him as a small warm smile curves his lips up, his hand still over my face as he says: "Little hound If you just let me show you how much I love you" His raspy deep voice sends shivers down my spine as he slowly made his way with the words. "But I want you to trust that I will go on your pace, just give me a chance, uhm?" He closes the distance between us, making me close my eyes and stiffen, only for him to put his forehead on mine. "Do you trust me?" He said, so close, so warm, I could feel his breath on my skin. "I-I don''t know" "Can you trust that I won''t hurt you at least?" I swallow dry; I don''t know! He sighs. "Sorry." "For what?" "For not corresponding the way you wished me too" "Is ok, I didn''t think you would, but I know you tend to do everything on your own, so at least talk to me, ok?" "Well, I think I can do that" I can tell he smiles even with my eyes closed, my heartbeat steadying as I calmed down with his smooth voice and slow caress of my cheek. Until he asks: "Can I kiss you?" Aaaand my heartbeat speeds up again. I bit my lower lip, quickly thinking; well, I know that I don''t love Leo, but I don''t dislike him, I mean, he is pretty attractive and all, there a few flaws, and I believe that he truly loves me as deep as he makes it sound. Which only made things scarier. Everything was full of meanings, and even a simple kiss would weight a lot for him. And the perspective of loving him was the scariest of all. Yet what type of coward would I be to give up before even trying it? Did I want to give up? I had many chances to simply walk away, or even a simple no would do. And yet again I keep giving him hope, I keep giving him space in my life as pity? No It was because I did not want to? Did I in the end, wanted to give this a chance? Us a chance? " You saw it didn''t you?" "Uhm?" He says, acting clueless. "What happened in the illusion because you are making it happen all over again." He chuckles, the prick. "I may have, I may not" I snort at that, making him chuckle again as I wet my lips, and he asks: "I was just curious why this appeared as one of your fears And wanted to change that." I sigh. "I well" I look away as he steps back and stares at me, patient and eager. "I don''t love you but I don''t dislike you either But I''m scared of this." "Scared? Why? Of what?" "Scared of loving you back." He looks at me puzzled as I explain: "Love can be a good feeling but is a scary one too. Is like giving a piece of yourself to the other, as if your pain is my pain, I- how can I explain thisI don''t live with shallow feelings, I go head deep in all, that''s why I need to choose wisely who I trust, I- God, I-uhm For example, I love my brother so much that I would die for him, so much that if one day something bad happens to him, I don''t know if I would be able to keep going, it would be a stab in the heart, I-, damn, I''m just making it worse aren''t'' I?" He nods a no, suddenly very happy, which makes me look, my time to be puzzled. "I''m happy that you shared it with me. Is not easy to admit that you are scared. You were very brave, so thank you." He smiles again, curving his cheeks up and showing his teeth, such an uncommon bright smile coming from him that stuns me for a few seconds. I don''t react until he falls back, giving a step back, as I quickly add, looking away and lowering my ears: "And I might not mind a kiss" Plus to all I said maybe, just maybe, I was a little curious and I simply wanted to know if his lips really tasted the way they did in the illusion With full force the l.u.s.tful glint comes back to his features as he cups my chin with one of his hands and turns my face towards him. I close my eyes again, holding my breath, but he doesn''t close the distance, teasing me with a chuckle. "If you are going to take that long I''m going t-" He muffles my voice with his lips, the sneaky bastard using the opportunity to pry my lips open and invade my mouth with his tongue, sucking at my mouth as he explored my insides in a very lewd way. And I simply melted under his touch, giving small growls and m.o.a.ns muffled by the deep hungry kiss. He brought my waist closer to him, his hand embracing it and burning all the way, his fingers holding my side in a half hug as his mouth ravage mine. Caught up in the moment all I could feel was his warm breath against mine, his body glued to mine, a warm sensation forming on my lower abdomen as my heart sounded fast, even more when his fingers traced my spine, making me shiver in his arms. Then that''s when it happened, making me fl.u.s.tered and feeling stupid for letting it happen, knowing that it had been weeks since I had time and space to deal with it, cursing me for letting it happen now, and too quickly at that. I was hard. We were hard. And it was quite easy to feel with our bodies so close to each other. I pull back to breathe but try to detach me from him, ashamed of my arousal as I go for the door, but he holds my arm back and embraces me from behind. "Shh, is alright, there is no shame in getting excited, in fact, it makes me really happy to know I have such an effect on you... Shhh" I try to calm down but his member poking my back is not helping me. "Shh Calm down I told you I wouldn''t do anything you didn''t want me too, ok? You have no idea for how long I''ve been holding back, but be sure that I would wait far longer if you asked me too; even though it would drive me crazy" He says that but his hands keep making their way towards me, his long fingers brushing over my tummy and taunting my bellybutton as his moisty hot lips start kissing my neck and shoulder, nibbling the skin as his breath tickles my skin and brings goosebumps all over me. "So let me help you" And I don''t know what happened next, I should be, no, I was definitely out of my mind; though I totally blame his constant caress for it; because before I could stop myself I actually say: "Y-yeah" And let me tell you, he did not hold back. Like a hungry mountain lion, he pounced to strike. With one of his hands holding my waist in place the other went to my pants, unmaking the knot and bringing my pants down together with my loincloth making me gasp as the cold air hit my private parts, my d.i.c.k proudly standing up for all to see. Before I could cover myself, red as a tomato, his hands cupped the tip and put a little pressure on it. And I forgot about everything else. I pushed my body back against his as his hands starts to play with my member, one hand still on the tip and squishing a little as the other went to the rest and starts stroking it, going forth, then back, making his grip stronger then lighter, as if he was trying to milk me out, making me gasp and cover my mouth so I could keep the m.o.a.ns in. He lets go of the tip as his other hand increases the speed and strength put into it, making me glue my body on his and throw my head back, his bigger figure embracing mine with ease as my head laid on his shoulder. Once he increases the pace and grips my balls, squishing them, the pleasure is too much and makes me wiggle in his grip, unconsciously trying to lessen the pressure his hands were giving, only to grid against his body and, mostly, his erect member, who spurned to life by the friction. That made Leo grunt, stroking me with more strength as the sensation build-up to the point that I didn''t even hear my m.o.a.ns anymore, my hand going up and holding Leo''s hair with a strong grip, which made our eyes met for a split second, his golden eyes shining with l.u.s.t as his forehead was brimmed with sweat, his face scowling up in concentration. That view, along with his movements, made the hot pressure around my belly spur as my c.u.m comes out in a gust, covering Leo''s hands with my warm seed and making me tremble all over, weak on the legs until my climax slowed down and I could see again. We stay there for a while, out of breath, in a comfortable silence that made my body hot for more; A very, very dangerous thought, even more when Leo''s did not let go of me, his hand once more over my h.i.p.s as he pushed me back over his body, as if trying to find comfort for his own member by gridding against my bare ass. And I almost let him have his way all to the end, if in that exact moment my brother did not call me from outside, screaming my name: "Brother!! Where are you?!! I don''t want to play with the horsies anymore!!! They are meanys!!" Caught by surprise Leo loosen his grip, which gives me enough space to walk forward and bring my pants up, not saying anything as I walk forward to the door. I bolt faster than ever out of the room, almost forgetting to tie the knot of my pants back up as I answered back to my brother, so fast that I didn''t even look back to the tall figure that had held me just a few seconds ago. That''s why, once Leo starts talking again, I was already far and didn''t hear him. "You are so evil, my little hound, after all the trouble I went through to help you out you leave me here like this" He says, his harsh words being betrayed by the satisfied look on his face as he brought his long finger to his face, licking them clean of the white substance that soaked them. His chuckle resonated in the empty room as he gave a scheming smile that no one saw, the l.u.s.tful glint of his eyes a private message that only one person would see close and personal. And soon His smile widens. **** Author: *Sips coffee* Uhm I just wrote 4 chapters this week *another sip* and they were all smutsSigh. On that note, My other book Surviving the Apocalypse as a Vampire! Has ended!!! Yaaay! So feel free to check it out, or even better support it by buying on KOBO! (they have an app too) kobo.com/br/en/ebook/surviving-the-apocalypse-as-a-vampire A little synopses for ya: -As you may guess, a vampire has no problems surviving an apocalypse zombie, even more when he has a city as his disposal. If it wasn''t for the total boredom of it all, topped with the solitude at that, all would be great. Better yet was when I hear, far off in my city, the sound of gunshots. And that brought a fangs showing smirk on my lips.- Oh, and I have something important next Friday, so I will probably update on the weekend (Saturday hopefully) See ya~~~ Chapter 60 - Fifty-Eight Before I got closer to my brother I stopped behind a pillar being covered by its branches, trying to catch my breath and get back to my normal color, brushing my hair back up and fixing my clothes. What What just happened? Did did I just As the very vivid fresh memories flooded my mind quickly I blushed once more, having to hold it down as to not have another problem down there. I put my hands on my face, trying to stop myself from blushing, so embarrassed yet so light. My thoughts did not go further down the rabbit hole as my brother appears down the hall, with a pouting expression and teary eyes. "Broother! The horsies are meany! They-they bite my ears and hair like they were grass! Is all nasty and smelly now! And, and they started pooping out of nowher- wait, you smell funny." At that my ears stand on alert and my eyes widen, but I caught myself fast and try to relax my expression. "Well, you don''t smell like flowers either." "Tsk, meany, that''s not what I meant!" He says, bumping my shoulder with his hand. "Still, are you ok? You are all red and sweaty, are you overheating or something?" "What? No! I just-" "Oh, there you two were! We were looking for you!" I stay still at that, tensing up as Aeglos voice sounds from behind me. We? I have no courage to look back as Aeglos passes me and goes to Hunthor at the same time that I feel a presence behind me, so close that I could feel the warmth of his body engulfing mine. I didn''t turn; and didn''t need too to know who it was, his smell was engraved in my mind. "So, what were you two up too?" "Oh, Agy, I was telling that my brother doesn''t look so well." Agy? "Oh, right, he looks a little red, and is sweating-" "Yeah, and he smells funny! Actually" He sniffs the air, coming closer with his arms behind his back and his tail wiggling. "Leo is smelling the same way too" Ahhh! What do I do, what do I do? "It must have been the products we used." Nice save Leo! "UhmBut why is the smell coming from your c-" "You-Just! Just shut up! Just stop talking will ya?!" "No! You don''t tell me what to do!" He says, showing his tongue to me. Oh no he didn''t just do that. I narrow my eyes at him and he knows that he is in trouble. "Oh really? What made you suddenly be this bold uhm?" "Oh, no, is just that, is a joke, a joke right? Ha, haha." We stare at each other down. Then I jump up at him, screaming: "Attack!" My hands in claws form as I start tickling him as he tried to wiggle away, out of breath, ending with him kicking me back and jumping at Aeglos, hiding behind him. "Agy! Save me!" "Oh no, there is no salvation for you now!" I say, circling around Aeglos to catch him, until he sees that he wouldn''t be able to escape like this so he runs away. And hides behind Leo. I wasn''t prepare to have his presence so soon, so close to to that, so I stop once his eyes lock on mine, a mischievous look on them. I would have stayed stuck there for eternity; and ran away from any movement he could have done forward; if my brother didn''t choose that moment to come out from his back and throw a fireball at my face. The nerve that one had! Coughing the smoke away, with my tail and ears high up in the air I close my hands into fists, ready for a good chase. "Now, now, you two, please don''t burn the place down will you?" Say Aeglos, trying to calm us down, going sideways and waving Hunthor towards him. We keep staring each other down, tails wiggling, but he ended up beside Aeglos again as he passes his arm over my brother''s shoulder and start stroking his neck. What the heck! I was about to protest; and separate them not so nicely; when Leo stood by my side and did the same. Hell, his touch, is just heck, I couldn''t think straight like this, with his body so close to mine and his long fingers tracing my neck like this. There is another someone who is getting bold now isn''t he? Even worst is that he was so close that any movement from my tail was bound to touch him, and not in the friendly of places So behave tail! "How about a bath then? We could all use one" The hidden meaning behind his words almost made me shiver, but made me lose the knowing look that was exchanged between Aeglos and him "Yay, swimming! I really need to get this horse smell out of my hair too!" Says my brother, all cherry and merry, unaware of the second meaning that their words were starting to care. Quick to recover from anything he steps up and grabs my hand, giddy saying: "Let''s go brother! Bath time~~ warm water~~" He starts to point out all the good point of a bath in a sing-song voice; thankfully not singing, ugh; as he hopped around the halls while dragging me with him. Then he stops, making me bump on his back as he turns around, lowers his ears and looks away, shyling saying: "Whe-where is the bath?" I almost snort at that, if only I knew where the baths were; we had walked all the front part of the building to get here to the quarter rooms part, so probably on the back? Makes sense to be closer to the rooms for sure. "Probably on the back I think." I look back too only to have both nodding at me, my eyes quickly passing towards Leo''s figure. My heart just skipped a beat there. Dumb heart, getting all giddy for nothing. I let a smile appear on my face as we start to walk again, my brother humming all happy and still pulling me. Dumb dumb he is. My smile widens. We start to smell water at the back, increasing our speed as we reach what seems to be the end of the building, a double white door that slides sideways standing in front as finally my brother let''s go of my hand and opens it up. And well We both stood there, looking, as Aeglos and Leonel finally approach and do the same, looking inside the room And I should have known that it would be like that right? After all, if we needed to clean the place all up, the showers wouldn''t be different right? Right. It was similar to the one the elves had, thought smaller; it had a smaller place to clean yourself with buckets before entering the bath itself, like a lagoon with some human touches. There was a wooden surface that led towards it, plus covering the front, and the back had big stones with big bamboos covering the place up from prying eyes and encaging the water in, water that came from a bamboo piece. But The water was all muddy, green and brown, somewhat tick and gross, probably from staying still for so long without care, plus all the muss on the rocks, though the building itself stayed intact beyond a layer of dust, no rotten places visible. Maybe some kind of spell? Uhm The biggest difference between this one and the elves is that it was technically inside the building, having a roof almost to the end and bamboo walls behind it all, enclosures it in and giving a more cozy atmosphere, plus being smaller. Once we all look the place up I can feel the others are holding their breaths, waiting for someone to say something, knowing who and what they would say, but disliking it nonetheless. "We need to clean this up." Says Leonel, earning growls and complains from us. "Now." Unable to say otherwise; because this time I totally agree and really really wanted a warm bath in some clean water; it took us quite some time to get all in place, mostly because we needed to take the water off to clean the hole, and just then allow the water to come back in, which thankfully was clean after some jolts of dirty mud. By now I was hungry, very tired and sleepy; since I was awake for, what, 32 hours? Don''t even know anymore. But, most of all, I was hangry, so much that is worth to say twice, and mixed together even. Ugh. At least the place was clean right? We all stay standing, waiting for the water to fill up, and it gives a good feeling of accomplishment for having this place sparkling clean. We all look up towards Leo, who with a serious face, analyzing the place, passing his finger here and there, finally nods, earning cheers from us as me and my brother high five each other. All happy and merry. Until I see Leo smirking on the side, and amused look on his face, as his hands reach down and he starts to undress, giving me a full view of his toned abs and muscular chest. Uhm I think taking a bath all together in this small place wasn''t a good idea? Ha. Haha Too late nowShit. Chapter 61 - Fifty-Nine Of course Leonel did not waste his time and starts to undress immediately, firstly opening his shirt sideways and allow my eyes to roam around his hard chest and toned abs. I felt his gaze on me, making me look away and bite my lower lip. Prick, he is doing that on purposes isn''t him? Behind him my brother shamelessly took his clothes off as he walked, jumping up and landing inside the water, as Aeglos sighed behind him and went to grab his clothes to put inside the basket on the side. At that I was kind of obligated to share a bath with all of them and, well I quickly enter the water to avoid any incidentsin my hound form. Yeah, yeah, sue me, call me coward, I don''t care, don''t care at all! I could hear Leo chuckling as he follows soon after, staying close to me in the bath and sitting beside me, always looking amused and almost laughing at me for my way with dealing with this situation. The only problem was that, because I was in my hound form, I had to stay in the more shallow part of the bath which meant that I could basically see everything, I only needed to lower my eyes a little and then Oh, no no no, I meanI rested my head over the rock on the side, letting my body soak in the hot water; thanks to us I may add, me and my brother that is; when he rested his back on the edge, very comfortably, putting his elbows up and showing off the muscles of his arms, flexing them. Once he caught me looking I quickly averted my gaze, finding something very interesting in the bamboos on the back. He chuckles, the prick. Of course my brother, however, was unaware of anything at all in this world, swimming completely n.a.k.e.d in the middle, his tail is the only cover he has as I caught Aeglos ogling him more than once, making me growl and snarl at him more than once. That''s when the two exchanged that knowing look once more, an almost silence conversation that makes me curious as much as furious, when Leo starts pestering me and staying in my line of sight. Not that his mere presence wasn''t enough to make me look his way, he had to stay so close, n-n.a.k.e.d and with a s.e.xy intense look on his face as water dripped down his chest and brought his golden hair down. Oh boy. That was the look of someone who knew his own appearance and had no shame in showing it off. I accompany a sneaky drop of water that went down from his neck, passing his collarbone, traveling between his hard chest and swiftly going up and down on those hills over his belly, until it reaches the water, far too close to the dangerous zone. Too intrigued by the view I was once more caught staring, making me look away as if uninterested. "Don''t be shy little hound, you can stare all you want, this is all yours after all" He says, giving a killing smile in the end, making me puff and look away, ears straight as my traitorous tail wiggles underwater. I have to admit, the way he says it makes me almost satisfied, or proud even, to have him, like, look at him, who wouldn''t want that right? But then I shake my head to clean up my thoughts, in a not very discreet way. "But is quite interesting how you fur changed from back then" He says, looking up my body and making me raise my chin. "Indeed, it was a surprise for me too, didn''t know the males got so much fur afterward, is actually too hot sometimes, so bothersome." "I quite enjoyed it." "Humf, who cares" My tail wiggles again. His long fingers reach out for my back and start stroking ever so smoothly. "Is so soft to the touch too" His words and movements were only making me more self-aware. And the way his muscles bends as he stretches towards me, having to stand a little as his n.a.k.e.d torso hovered over mine Is it me or this water is getting a little bit too hot? "You know, since you want to stay in that form, I think I will need to help you out a little" He says, making me dread his next words. "After all, how can you clean yourself with your paws?" "There is no need for you to worry about that." "Don''t worry, is not a bother, I can help you out." Is he even listening to me? The answer is no as he suddenly stands casually to grab some things on the side, but staying so close to me I could- I did- I was face first too-Ugh! His male parts were right up on my face ok! I looked away, of course, but my traitorous brain seemed to be mesmerized by it, taking a mental picture for posterity; which meant that, the more I wanted to erase what just happened, my brain already engraved the image in my mind. Goddamnit, he was huge! I mean- I was so caught up in my own thoughts, my loud heartbeat pounding in my ears as if wanting to come out of my throat, that I only notice that he was back once the water moved beside me. Looking back at him I immediately start fuming, the look on his face making me know for sure that he did that on purpose. The. Prick. Ok, I don''t think I can keep calling him that without bringing some very detail image to mind now, of his-of his prick. Like, I knew he is tall, but I have never stopped to think about how it would affect his ledge, I mean Elves are knowing to be tall and cold to other humanoid species, so I don''t think that outsiders know a lot about their intimacy. "No need to daydream my little hound, what you saw is very real" That left me speechless, how bold, how how infuriating! I didn''t have time, however, to respond as he took out what he had brought in his little adventure, making me have a sense of dj vu once I see the soap in his hands. "No, Leo, seriously you don''t need to-" I say, motioning with my paw, but he simply comes forward and starts cleaning my fur up, passing the block of soap over it and scratching my back with his nails the clean in the base as well. I didn''t want to admit but that made me close my eyes and relax even more in the bath, his hands cleaning at the same time than stroking my fur. He even stroke behind my ear! That makes me rest my head on his palm, earning a chuckle from him and more pets. Yes, yes, pets are good, stroke me more, over there, yes I-I mean! No, stop it, I don''t need you cleaning me up, oi! My mind could think that, but my body only inclined closer to Leo''s caress, my brain going empty when he went for my ears, saying something about "weak spot" that I did not pay attention to. By the end of his treatment I was full of bubbles, as well as the water around me, and I was about to get out to have it removed when my dumb brother jumped on the water again close to me, making a wave that caught me by surprise and went right at my face, bringing water and bobbles with it and entering my eyes. "Aght! Bother! You little shit! Look at what you did!" I scream in pain, trying to clean my eyes with my paws but only making it worse as they were underwater and came up full of soap. "Ahh, frick, this hurts, I can''t open my eyes!" My brother starts wailing in the background, saying sorry many times and coming closer; I think, by the movement of the water; as Leonel brought the pot on the side up with clean water and slowly poured over my eyes. It helped a little, but every time I try to open my eyes they sting with the light and the soap, making me keep them firmly closed. "Shit, I can''t open them, it hurts." "Shhh, it will pass." "Don''t sugarcoat me!" I say to Leo, who chuckles, pouring more water. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say my cute angry hound." I growl, earning another chuckle. This pri-Individual! How dare he say that I''m cute! Again! It took some time but I finally was able to open them, still stinging and hurting but at least I could see, which makes me search for my brother, who stood not too far on the side, a worried look on his face. Our eyes meet. He gulps down and turns around and starts running, changing to his smaller hound form. And of course I gave chase. "Brother- bark- YOU!-bark stupid-bark bark!" He runs in circles around the bathhouse, sometimes jumping in the water, sometimes jumping over the rock, but so enthusiastic that I even forgot how to speak and started only barking at him, almost biting his hind legs once and pinning him down twice since I was quicker than him. He was getting tired quickly, his tongue out while he jumped back in the water, which caused me to jump in too very close to Leo, who took this opportunity to grasp me midair and bring in the water, sitting right on his lap. "Behave." He says, making me freeze in place; and not because of what he said, of course, especially being an order, but for the fact that I was sitting on his lap. His n.a.k.e.d lap. He feels my tension as I stay still as a statue, afraid of reaching dangerous places if I moved, so he starts to stroke my head and the back of my ears, making me relax a little and wiggle my tail unconsciously. "Haha, that tickles." He chuckles as my tail keeps brushing over his stomach, teasing him. I let myself relax under his caresses, letting my guard down; which went back up once he stands, bringing me up with him. "I can walk." "Uhum." He doesn''t put me down until we are beside his clothes, my brother and Aeglos being quick at running away, making me speed up too not to be left behind alone with Leo again. That went well the last time right? Well, this time I had a very good excuse, which was my rumbling stomach. It was loud in that small place, and as I use my shadows do change forms already dressed, I look behind me to see if anyone had noticed. For the fact that they were all smiling I guess they did. "I''m starving too~~ What are we going to eat?" Says my brother, wailing. "Uhm How about getting out of here first and see what we can do in the kitchen?" Says Aeglos, earning a nod from Leo. "Finally we can agree on something." I say, already close to the door. "So, what are you guys waiting for? Come on!" I say before turning around and walking the halls alone, all this time avoiding to look at Leo''s n.a.k.e.d body dressing up on the side. One time was more than enough of seeing his d.i.c.k, especially so close and personal. Chapter 62 - Sixty I somehow escape Leonel''s grasp, finally walking out of the bathing area and outside for some fresh air. This high s.e.x.u.a.l tension is no good for my heart, ugh. It was already noon and we had worked like slaves since yesterday; me even before that since I had to wear dresses and pretend to be a lady servant; so the pause was very welcome. I could hear them inside preparing dinner, the ingredients collected from a garden in the backyard, so I went out to think. I keep walking in the garden basking in its unique beauty even if it still needed some cleaning, the floor filled with little white stones and big ones making paths here and there, passing beside a lagoon filled with colored fishes and carps swimming comfortably over the crystal clear water, some flowers and leaves floating on top falling from the bended trees on top, some filled with flowers and dark green leaves, other filled with red leaves and white wood. I took the vision in slowly, enjoying the fresh humid air, watching the fishes for a while and how they smoothly mover around. There was even a red bridge up front so I could look down better, finding out some turtles as well in the water, their little heads popping out from time to time. It was getting dark so I turned on the lanterns from outside, the little square things looking like a mini house with the light on on the inside, their little roofs forming the same shape as the house, as a curvy upsidedown V. It was a beautiful place indeed, very calm and relaxing. I stay over the bridge, resting my arms on the railing and looking down, finally in peace and alone to think of everything that has been happening until now, with Leo and all. I mean, he has been very clear in what his intentions are towards me But everything happened so fast that I didn''t have time to think To overthink again probably, but nonetheless, I needed time to settle my thoughts straight. And all of that made me think of my past a lot, and not the Hound one. I knew that it was in a place very different from the one we are in right now; for example, there was no magic or talking magical creatures, but machines and technology. Though most still remained a mystery to me; especially my death; some parts of my memory came back to me once I started to use more of my humanoid form, not just the instinctive bits as before. My name was Ryan, one of the lucky ones to get out of the adoption system and still manage to get a decent job, even when I was throw in the streets as a kid because, let''s face the facts, I still was a kid when time came for me to face life alone. But that''s a talk for another day. I remember being a divorced father of a little boy, who was taken away from my life because of the "perfect life" my ex got with her new husband. It hurt. It still does. Until 32 years; for all I can remember; I was an English teacher, teaching French and other languages as well later on just for fun, and being the cool type of teacher, that type that was very liked by the teenagers, had some tribal tattoos and a short black hair, was a singer on a rock band on the weekends, but had glasses on just to look more professional. And because I needed them too All in all, what Leo, the the situation brought forth weren''t those parts, no, but but the years I spend not knowing, not believing, denying so much that my subconscious took its tool and even I couldn''t believe once I found out. That I was gay. Pff, like, seriously? I had married a woman before for 2 years, I was a father, I was old enough to know things like this and yet and yet for years I didn''t realize, didn''t understand, didn''t want to believe, to the point of the mere thought not even crossing my mind anymore. And that hurt too. The weight I carried without noticing, the pain of not giving myself the freedom I deserved, of never feeling complete as if something was always missing, an strange emptiness of denying myself for what? Acceptance? From who? Society? They didn''t give a shit about me. Family? Didn''t have one. My career? I could always sue them if they try to fire me for being homos.e.x.u.a.l. So why? It seems stupid now, that I suffered alone through all those years, trying to be trying to fit in, and for nothing; and the realization at the same time frighten and relief me. Life is too short to waste trying to fit in, trying to please others. Love and happiness are too precious to be denied because of others. In the end, the only thing, the only one, that accompany you until the end is ourselves. And that was the most I made from my past life; and knowing that I already wasted one lifetime made me cherish this one even more. I would live as I wanted to. As I wish too. I would dive myself head in and live to the fullest. I would not push my happiness back anymore. I would give me and Leo a chance. And maybe I could finally let myself be happy and free. One lifetime being wasted alone was enough. An old companion, seemed aware of the thoughts coming and going in my mind, speaks to me: "Do you want to give him a chance?" Says the ancient voice, the one and only that stayed with me far in my journey, who always stayed by my side no matter what, guiding me, teaching me. Never thought however that I would ask the voice of the night for love advice. "Well, I-I think I do, I mean, he is handsome and all, and kind, he never treated me badly, on the contrary Really, I keep trying to find a reason to love him, at the same time I keep thinking why I shouldn''t, it is just, confusing I mean, I don''t even know how to act, how to react! Even worse when I think of-of you know that, I mean, what should I do? What if I make any weird sounds? What if I act weird? What if he is disgusted by me? By the things I want to do with him" "Wow, wow, come down Uhm let me think Well, just be yourself, he already loves you, and by what he says he might know you even better than you think, so nothing to fear there right?" "" "Plus how to react in cough cough those moments you don''t need to fear anything right? You said so yourself that you can''t think straight once he touches you, so in the end you will only react to his advances right? Unless you are the top one" "The top? Of what?" "Oh, come on, you are not that innocent right?" "" "" "Cough cough, anyway~, relax a bit. Why don''t you enjoy his company instead? You are so worried about what he may think, what you must do, that you don''t even enjoy his company. Just, try for once to let your guard down uhm? Shouldn''t be that difficult?" I sigh. "Is that too. Let him in my life like that, let him be such an important part of my life I always did everything by myself, you know and I just can''t seem to get my head over it, I guess I think I''m scared of it all" "Is alright You just need to relax a bit Thilgon, I consider you my child at this point, even though I''m just an entity, and I really wish you could enjoy life a little more, relax a little, being so serious about everything, trying to be prepared to all, won''t do you good. Just learn to live a little more, to love life, to be happy." "I''m happy." Aren''t I? "Are you?" Silence follows, and he sighs. "Goodnight, my child." "Night." I said, distracted, with a lot to think about. I stayed put after our conversation, simply watching the passing of time as the moon shone brightly over the Japanese garden, the image is worthy of a picture or a painting, the lack of the warm sun made the night chilly, the best type to have a cozy gathering over a fire. "Thil, dinner is ready." I hear from behind as Leo figure appears between the foliage, his hand brushing the branches away to get to me. After putting some thought to it I did not feel like panicking anymore in his presence, actually now that I was really taking him in I could really see him, how his calming golden eyes were always focusing on me, watching my every move in an almost predatory way, but somehow comforting too as he was looking after me, trying to find out if anything was wrong. How his blond hair was gently being blown by the wind, how his slightly pointy ears give him a sharper look, how his gaze only soften when his eyes meet mine, how he unconsciously smiles when hearing my name. Ok, maybe I had paid some attention to him before, but now it seems different. Like, the acceptance made me more confortable, lighter even. He must have noticed something was off because he stops once he sees me, frowning a little as I look him up. "What are you up to?" He asks, raising a questioning eyebrow as I stride closer to him, going down the bridge and following the stones paths towards him. I say nothing, raising my own eyebrows and giving wide steps as I approach, circling him around with a little smile, making him even more stun and confuse. "Nothing really" I said, a smug smile on my face, my tail wiggling behind me. "Is that so? How about going in to eat them?" He says, about to turn, when I approach quickly and stay on tiptoes to give him a peek on the lips. Caught by surprise he doesn''t react, giving me time to laugh at his expression, running towards the building, only stopping once I was close to look back at him with a smug smile on my face and butterflies in my tummy. "Aren''t you coming?" I say, embarrassed yet giddy, an electric sensation tingling my body surging from my lips. Never being so excited yet hesitant before, it was a weird sensation. He held his finger over his lips, as if mesmerized, but once the effect passes and the fact dooms on him, a big goofy smile curves his lips, his golden eyes shining like never before under the moonlight. I just tilt my head sideways, flapping my ears, hiding a giggle and turning around, tail high, and walking inside the room to eat. It was fun to tease him back too, feed him the same poison, I''m just mindful that it won''t backfire. But for the first time, I did not mind if it did I just hope that I made the right decision. ***** Author: Voice of the night are you sick? You haven''t stopped coughing V.N.: Author: Good advices though, hehe. V.N.: *thumbs up* ( ???)? ?(???)? Donations: KO-FI Ko-fi.com/vivicris Books on sale at: KOBO kobo.com/ Oh, and how about some recomandations from time to time? This week I recommend Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death (BL translated, vid novelupdates) for more tsundere love~ If you read it tell us what you think! See ya Friday!~~~ Chapter 63 - Sixty-one The moment I open the door sideways I''m engulfed by the delicious smell of freshly made food. Already salivating I walk in slowly, waiting for Leo to catch up with me as I open yet another door to the main room where everybody was chitchatting, already sitting on the ground at the small table, their legs crossed underneath it or to the side with the food already served. To the side there was a hole on the wooden floor made of stones with a fire in it illuminating and warming the place up, a pot hanging on top of it where the food had been made. I was about to enter when someone grabs my hand and pulls me back in the hall, away from peering eyes. There was only one person who could have pulled me back so I wasn''t surprised when I meet a pair of golden eyes. "Y-yes?" I say, already aware of what might be bugging him, acting all innocent with a smile on my face, though his body so close to mine made my heart accelerate and my brain lose some of its functionality. Leo just stares me down for a while, as if searching for something in my face, especially between the curve of my lips He starts to ever so softly rub his thumb on my hand when he chuckles, his bright smile stunning me as he brushes his hair back, giving me a full view of his arm flexing up with the movement, only to bring more of his godly face to view. "I was just curious about what made you change your mind that quickly." I shrug, giving to temptation and brushing a loose lock of his hair over his pointy ear, feeling like I''m holding a piece of sunray between my fingers. "Maybe I just thought that if someone was up to endure my stubbornness for so long and still want to be by my side I might as well give that someone a chance" "Oh, is that so What a lucky person that one must be" "Uhum, indeed, after all I''m very, very difficult to get." "I can image" He says, slowly approaching inch by inch with every word he says, to the point where our noses were touching and our warm breaths mixing midair. "Once more thing though" I hum at that, not trusting my voice right now. "How about a real sealing kiss and not a teasing one?" "Oh, so y-you are not up to teasing?" I say, embarrass by this flirting, but stubbornly wanting to retort his advances, unstably teasing back and flirting to being fl.u.s.tered and embarrassed. Oh God I felt like an unstable puddle of nerves with an electric current passing through. This was a dangerous game I was playing. But I''m used to danger. He smirks, so close to my face that I could almost feel the muscles of his face moving. "So that''s a yes?" He starts closing in, but I stop him by putting one finger over his lips, not wanting him to have things so easily. "Haven''t you have enough kisses for today? I think you may overdose if I give you any more" "Never, I would never have enough of you" "Oh really?" I said, happily teasing him, realizing how fun it was to poke the lion wich a short stick. My turn. "But I don''t know, I think is too quick, don''t you think? You said so yourself, that you would follow my pace" He narrows his eyes, aware of my teasing as I use his words against him, but I knew by the glint of his eyes that all this situation amused him, in a good way. "But" I trace my finger down his face, drawing his jawline and neck, his smooth warm skin giving me a peaceful wholehearted sensation at the same time that it intensified the electric current that seemed shudder in me with his mere presence. "God you smell so nice" I unconsciously say, earning a low chuckle from him. "But?" He reminds me, his velvet voice elongating the words, as I continue: "But if you insisted, let''s say, a lot, I may or may not give inor ask very, very nicely or even-" I say but all my confident teasing fades into fl.u.s.tering as his gaze turns intense, full of l.u.s.t, making my heart skip a beat and my body shiver, clenching my teeth as my mind went blank. "You look so s.e.xily cute flirting with me" He says, making me frown my forehead with the use of "cute" to define me;again"; but relax next as he approaches, his breath tickling my face, his low voice resonating far, far to close: "It''s making me want you so much right now" I gulp down, biting my lips as my body starts to warm up over my lower abdomen, and somehow I find my voice to say: "Soare you insisting?" I didn''t need to ask twice as he gets to work, his body covering mine in a protective way that I somehow found very comfortable as his soft lips have their way with mine, his fingers cupping my chin and bringing my face up and closer. Oh my what was I thinking when I allowed myself to have this relationship? Worst even, to provoke this beast? Definitely was not thinking about it right now. I taste him vigorously, unable to do nothing beyond feeling and enjoying the moment, his warmth and taste, his musky smell so close to my nose, until our lips reluctantly separate when we run out of breath, panting as we stay close in an almost hug, a strange yet comfortable and intimate silence, like a place for only the two of us, where words were unnecessary and yet a lot was said. Leo, however, had to provoke me back for all the teasing by sneaking his hands on my exposed belly, his long fingers tracing hot tingling lines over my skin, making me clench my teeth as soon as I realize that I was about to react to it. One look at his face however tells me he is doing this on purpose, making me frown and bite my lips, slapping his hand away and giving him a playful punch on the shoulder as a low chuckle escape his lips, sending my body on fire and rising goosebumps all over. Oh my God what just happened? What we just did? I-I, we- And yet, beyond all I feel I can get used to this. Someone drops a cup inside the room, probably Ragnur with his beverage, bringing us back to reality; not before an exchange of knowing looks as he squishes my hand one more time before letting go and entering the room. I felt stupid for missing him already, the lack of the warm of his body, of his hand, of his breath, making me realize just how cold the night was. Stupid, silly me, don''t get all giddy now will ya? And yet I could not stop a goofy smile of my own to spread over my lips as I walked in to have dinner. My stomach made his opinion known by growling loudly, making me go to the table were my brother waved for me to sit beside him, my food already prepared for me. "Come on brother! The food will get cold, and they put so much effort into it to go to waste!" I sit down beside him, one leg up in a very comfy position as Leo sits in front of me, already nibbling his food with an innocent look on his face, faking interest in something the younger twin brother was saying, but his eyes were clearly on me. That widens my stupid goofy smile, adding a blush too, so for the sake of my sanity I turn towards my brother only to see a lot of drinks in front of him and a Ragnur on the side filling his mug. "What? You are drinking now? If I remember correctly you didn''t like the taste of alcohol" "Yeah I don''t, but Ragnur couldn''t get over the fact that we don''t get drunk so he challenged me to a duel." That''sstupid. And totally something Ragnur would do. "Who is winning?" "Well" He leans back to show me Ragnur''s state, and the ginger dwarf was almost missing his own mouth, smelling of alcohol and having it all over his beard. I turn my nose in disgust, but try to make it subtle by scratching it. I better focus on my food, I soon realize as my eyes go back to the bowl in front of me, only me and Leo hadn''t eaten yet. It was a stew with a brownish tick appearance, as well as some round big meats coated on celery, salt, pepper, onions and carrots, looking very tasty and smelling really great. I take the wooden spoon and have a sip of the broth, licking my lips for the aftertaste, just to munch down on the meat and have the pure bliss of a tender juicy meat melting in my mouth, bringing forth all the seasoning''s taste. "Did you like it?" Asks Leo in front of me as I cover my mouth to nod and say, still chewing: "You did this? Is amazing! Where did you find the ingredients?" I say, taking another bite of the divine meat with little to no taste of fat. "There is a garden in the back where most ingredients came from, though some I had on my own, plus there was a carrot garden with tons of rabbits roaming around already big and chubby as a pig, probably for years without predators around." "Uhm "I hummed, too enticed by the food to continue talking. Leo starts eating too, with the elegance that only a noble breed like him could muster, plus his tall and board back from his elven heritage makes him even more celestial. I eat another serving, and once I''m satisfied I feel drowsy and warm with the freshly made food, looking beside me only to see that the competition still went on. Ragnur Ragnur, are you stupid or are you just searching for excuses to drink more now? I think the latter as he drinks straight from the bottle, motioning my brother to do the same. Is a trick of the light or my brother seems a little bit red on the cheeks? Nah, impossible, we don''t get drunk; I mean, how much alcohol would be needed for us to get drunk if we had furnaces in our bellies? The drink just turns into vapor, literally, which usually makes the other around us drunk from it. "Brother, don''t you think is enough?" I ask, more worried about the surrounding people than the prospect of him getting drunk as a thin mist could already be seeing from him drinking so much until now. "Nah, I''-m I''m goodOh, brother, can you do that?" "That?" "Yeah, that! We even have a fireplace here! Is just perfect! And with a good meal will only make it better" "Well" "Please~" "Sure, sure, I''ll do it." I say, stealing a glance to the confused others and seeing the effects of the drink already taking its tool. That will end badly **** Hey yo! So, I was in doubt for a while if this chapter was out for character for Thilgon, so I analyzed him and I hope you guys agree that it isn''t; how? Well, Thilgon is stubborn and a sore loser, doesn''t step back from a challenge, so when Leo keeps teasing him his first instinct is to tease harder (like, if you push me I will push you harder). But, well, if you poke a lion with a short stick So when things get serious his tsudere side comes to life and he tries to run away or starts to get fl.u.s.tered. That''s what I think at least hehe (أ) So enjoying the story so far? Oh, and a new story next week! From the surviving series! B-bye~~ Ps. Fighting against a writer''s block that I feel want''s to come, fight on, fight on! Well, after 9 months writing one chap per week nonstop it took some time to appear :C Chapter 64 - Sixty-Two "Yay! Hurry up then! Please~" I sigh. Indeed it has being a long time since I did it, but is not like he run out of entertaining these days, is just that he enjoyed the way I told stories, an idea that came from my previous life and their movies. But it was understandable that my brother enjoyed this unique way that, as far as I know of, I''m the only one using. "Which story do you want?" "Yeah! Brother, you are the best!" I roll my eyes at that. Of course I''m. "But I don''t know uhm how about something new?" "Oh, just like that, totally new uhm? Anything else mister demanding?" But of course he didn''t catch on the sarcasm as he really thought about it, a bright smile spreading as he turns to Seiroe, the younger twin, and says: "You could play some music on the background! Like, some drums to set up the mood?" Seiroe did not know what we were talking about so my brother just confused him more by throwing information and demands. So once I stand to prepare a few things, motioning for the bard to follow me and explain what I was about to do, he kept nodding from time to time, enjoying the idea with a bright smile curving his lips, making his white teeth shine in contrast to his darker skin. "Oh, yeah, let''s do this!" I just roll my eyes. Another kid to take care of now, sigh. But I wouldn''t deny that the perspective of doing it with a bard as well looked very interesting, more theater-like. I wasn''t doing anything incredible or outstanding mind you, I''m just going to tell a story in a different fancy way, something I created first to train my fire control and evolved to something a lot more refined after my brother got the first taste of it. "Come, come, let''s sit beside the fire." I motion to them, walking over it and taking the pot out of the fire, leaving the square made of stones and sand clear of anything beyond the fire cracking about. The first to come is my brother, followed soon by the rest as Aeglos brought some snacks from the table, and Ragnur embraced the drinks as half were empty and rolled out and down from his drunky grasp. They are still going with this silly competition? I already can tell that the ones weak to alcohol are starting to flush and laugh a little out of contest; looking at you two Seiroe and Isa. The Templar beside her was a wall of metal, so it was hard to tell anything from him really. Anyway, I put myself to work, quickly talking it over with Seiroe as we sat behind the fire on the opposite side of them. I shush them, and once there was silence I begin to work, making the small shy fire burst to life vividly in a tall wide flame, instantaneously making my public stay alert to what I was up to, even the woman. The fire bends and turns like a living thing, moving in symphony with my finger, like a conductor, as the strong almost white flame takes shape as my mind choose what story to tell, some determination covering my features as I knew what I had to do. So I began, making the shape of a moon, the flames round and very white, the red on top as if the shaped moon was on fire. Like a camera going away, the moon got smaller and smaller as tall buildings came to shape, standing tall above all, traced by a darker red. "This story of a faraway land, another realm that no magic could reach, no monster existed, nor races, only humans and animals. As such, to survive, the humans evolved their tools, their technology, until they could make themselves fly" I say, showing airplanes, cars, guns, as I explained examples for them. I glance over the flames showed me how attentive all were, as Seiro slowly hammered a drum on the site, only to set up the mood. I start to describe the place and, on the contrary to what I thought, they are very intrigued by it, as a world without magic is their description of fantasy, technology seemly alien to them. It was quite interesting to see, being somehow opposite from the majority back in my world; or at least I thought so; who loved fantasy movies, especially with elves and magic. Now that''s ironic, I think as I glance to the two very alive elves in front of me. "One may think, in a place where no monsters exist, that life was fairly easy for humans, but the lack of magic and their greed makes them hungry for more, more profits, money, and to survive in this metal juggle one need to fit in, to work, to submit. So, for our hero." Cheesy calling it a hero, but my brother liked the term, so I always made sure to put it on my storytelling. "It was quite difficult. He already started as an oddity, having no parents nor being adopted." I continue to tell my story in the form of a fairy tale, thinking too late that they would get bored by it; after all it was nothing thriller worth; but once I start to talk about the place, about cars, internet, cellphones, they get more and more into it, though probably more interested in the world than the story itself. I look over them as the flames change again to a crowded street with cars moving about like, as my brother said, a "pack of metal monsters", meeting with Leo''s eyes and soon realizing that they were on me from beginning to end, as if he knew what I was up to. Knowing him, might as well. So I tell them about the woman the hero didn''t love, but forced himself to stay with just to fit in, just not to be the one without a relationship with 26 years, of how from a loveless life a beautiful child was born, and how could so much love be felt for such a little thing like that. Only for our hero to lose the child too. Born alone in the world only to be left alone once more. Hopefully not dying alone I did not mention being gay, nor when I discovered it; that was something that only meant for me and Leo to talk about; but as I kept talking, moving the flames in some sort of television substitute, I thought how all made sense now why I could not love her, the mother of my child, how I could not find anyone for the prime years of my life, how I felt suffocated. It was silly even thinking I was the one suffocating myself. By the time I was talking about the latest memory Isa and the younger twin had fallen asleep; him on top of the drum; part caused by the alcohol in the air, as the Templar and the older twin took them to their rooms and stayed there, leaving only a drunk Ragnur, an attentive Leo and a sleepy Hunthor to watch as Aeglos worked as a sofa for him, his back straight as his hand patting my brother''s ears and head. I finish the show without telling the end; which was handy since it did not have one; for almost all were already asleep, except Aeglos and Leo, of course. Seeing that Aeglos was occupied with my brother, I take the time, and the courage that I still had, and called Leo out quietly, saying: "We we need to talk." "Agree." I lower the flames to give a darker look to the place, managing to have Ragnur in a deeper sleep, but my brother was still stirring uncomfortably on Aeglos lap. I stare at him, stopping the flames, and dash forward, grabbing Hunthor arms and taking him off Aeglos lap before anyone could react; But before I could do anything more my brother vomits all over me throwing up lava. At least it doesn''t affect me as it would with the house and Aeglos lap, so I sigh that the outcome was the one with less damage until I fill some breeze brush over my lower parts. Lava is very corrosive on clothes isn''t it? I put my bother over my shoulder and bolted to the door, which was thankfully still open, and run straight to the pond just in time for him to throw up again. Pew, I think, cleaning the sweat from my forehead as my brother was still asleep with half his body underwater, unaware of the danger he just put the others through. I stay still, taking deep breaths and controlling my boiling anger from surfacing as I watch the sky and stars passing by so I would not focus on the fact that I was n.a.k.e.d covered in lava; now rock, mind you, which will prove to be hard to take off and clean myself from; and that my brother almost put our hideout on fire. Or Aeglos even, though I could not care less about him; he really needed something to cool of down there Sigh That''s all I have to say, really, too tired to even bother anymore. Aeglos and Leo follow us quickly, walking beside the pond and kneeling down. "Are you guys ok?" Asks Aeglos quickly, looking for any signs of injury, but I just wave him off, still holding my brother above the water. "I''m fine, we are fine, don''t worry, probably all that alcohol did not go well in his stomach, sometimes it can combust inside us and is really uncomfortable, sigh, he knew that and yet went on with the game until this point silly him." "Ah, thanks to Mother Nature. Here, let me help you." Before I could decline Aeglos surprises me by simply entering the pond, carrying less about getting wet and simply moving up and taking Hunthor from my embrace, making me frown and narrow my eyes as he gets out of the pond, glancing quickly over Leo who kneels by my side and extends his hand to help me out of there. "There is no need." I say to Leo, slapping his hand away, my eyes ruminating in search of Aeglos over the foliage covering the pond "And hey! Aeglos! Wait up, I''m going to make sure he is alright and-" "He is already gone." Sneaky fox! Cheater Elf! Little brother thief! Inconsiderate prick! And I can''t walk! Wait, I can''t walk? I look down over my body and see that the lava, in contact with the water, became as hard as a rock, hugging my body as if wanting to make a statue out of me. And that included my legs. "Uhm" I was looking down, about to break it with pure force, until I remembered that I was n.a.k.e.d under it; and Leo was beside me just staring me down. "Can you just turn around and give me some ti-"Before I could continue Leo scoops me out of the water, his arms dripping water as he ignores my protests and carries me back inside on his arms as I feel my behinds being a little to airy. "Put me down! Just turn around! Go away! I can take care of this myself!" "I bet you can." "Yo-you!" "You said you wanted to talk. So let''s talk." "Not like this!" Not while I''m at this pitiful state only because you can''t avert your eyes for a second yo-you brute! "Alright, alright, we will talk, just put me down on the bathtub, leave, and find me on the balcony where we were, ok?" He stops, looking at me with raised eyebrows, as if amused by my extreme reaction to the situation we were in, making me puff in annoyance. "You don''t expect me to beg now do you?" At that he laughed. "Why? Are you that scared staying alone with me?" I could almost read the n.a.k.e.d part under his lines. "Scared? Me?! Never!" He hums a response, not buying it. "Just wary." Of course I was, after all, it was too soon to let him have his way physically. Wait Was I already considering a when? I was so baffle at my own thoughts that I did not realized that he had already arrived at the bathhouse, only aware once Leo opens the door and walks in. *** Hey yo! New book with the first chapter available to read! Surviving the Apocalypse as a Werewolf! It can be read as a stand-alone! And don''t worry, after this part on the hideout there will be a lot of action and skill showing of, and some cringe too, hehe. B-bye! Chapter 65 - Sixty-Three Beyond all the joking and teasing I could feel that Leo was somewhat nervous, holding me tight and walking quickly with wide steps. I sigh at that, making he look down at me, so I just simply ask: "What is it? What is bothering you?" "Who said something is bothering me?" "Your face is enough." For me at least. "Uhm, good to know that you pay so much attention to it." I roll my eyes at that. He could not lose an opportunity to tease me now, could he? After a strange silence, however, he speaks as we get closer to the bathroom door. "Is stupid, is just that for a second I forgot that you were immune to fire, and seeing all that lava pour down on you it was just a silly worry." "Is not silly if affected you. But don''t worry, it takes far more than that to take me down; especially coming from my brother, uhm?" I smile up at him as he opens the door, a small smile covering his lips as he nods. "And it makes me glad to know you worry about me so much, but seriously can you at least let me clean myself in peace? I just need you to turn around" He stops, still holding on to me as a precious teddy bear, thinking about what I said, and grumbling back: "If it is what you want then I''ll be a gentleman This time." I huff in response as he opens the door sideways to the bath, making me stop talking as I catch a trance of a smell that indicated that someone was inside; but who? All the others went to sleep Seeing my alert behavior Leo steps in with me, still carrying me as we got closer, hearing the sound of water moving as a black bareback comes to view from the person who was submerged in the water. I narrow my eyes. It wasn''t someone that I knew, for sure, as the man turns his face towards us, barely moving his stiff and straight body. Was he bathing or playing statue? His eyes passed by us, uninterested, as he simply turns back as if nothing had happened, but I was left to be mesmerized by his odd yet enchanting appearance. What was he? He had a black coal skin that shined like petrol on the light, dark short blue hair combed back and white petrifying eyes, with only a black circular halo right in the middle, having an almost death ghostly gaze. And yet his oddity had some charm, a brutal charm added by the scars on his body, on his eyebrow and lip. One more look, however, gave away as I stared down at his pointy ears. A dark elf! Beyond only hearing bad about his kind, Leo reaction was as bad as one would expect, opening his leg and ready to strike a good kick at his face with his powerful legs if the other one tried anything funny. We stood there for a while, nobody moving nor saying anything, until he stands, letting the water run down his body and shamelessly climbing out of the bath. That''s all I saw before Leo covered my eyes with his hand. "Oi!" I could hear the other one moving, making me have a closer sniff over the damp humid place, and the usually metallic smell that covered his. "No, Leo, wait! Is the Templar!" "What?" The stoic behavior of the dark elf only makes me more sure that is him as I hear him shuffling in his clothes and simply leaving the place without uttering a word. "" Just then Leo finally releases me from his grip, putting me down on a stool at the cleaning area, in front of some soap and a bucket that he filled for me. I wait for him to leave as he promised only that he didn''t, he just sat there on another stool beside me, a sharp gaze on me as his arm supported his chin up. "One: What the hell? And two: Weren''t you going to be a gentleman and let me clean up alone?" Big emphasis on the alone there. "You you don''t even notice do you?" "Uhm?" "How can you make me so crazy for you and yet you don''t even realize the effect that you have on me" "What the hell are you talking about?" "You, in the same day we start going out you simply ogle the first man you see right in front of me, top to the bottom, and still act like is nothing?" Wait he was jealous? That that''s new, I mean, with him saying as such, so directly and the open like this. Of course I needed to make things worse for me by taunting him. "Oh I see, well, he had a fine body alright, and exquisite features, how could I not look?" I smile up at him, giving back my own foxy smirk as his surprise turned to amus.e.m.e.nt and a glint of challenge turned his features into a predatory one as I could almost see the cogs in his head spinning, formulating his next schemes. His gaze was so intense that I blushed and gulped under it, suddenly regretting my taunting. He comes closer, his body covering mine and his face up close as I could not move back for my legs were still stuck on the rock. He doesn''t say anything, which is more unnerving, as his face comes closer but instead of my lips he goes for my neck, firstly breathing his warm air over my skin making me have goosebumps all over as a wet sensation makes me jump and shiver at the same time, making him chuckle as he does that again. H-he was licking me? I clench my teeth at the foreigner sensation of his affectionate actions, my breathing racing up with my heartbeat as his hands went to my waist and pulled me closer to him, locking our bodies together as he keeps licking his way on my neck, nibbling and kissing here and there, making me worry that he would leave a mark. But Leo''s sneaky predatory side was on as he kept my full attention to his kisses, making me gasp in surprise as his hand reached over my lower back and pulled on my tail ever so softly, making me lose my shit. "Another weak spot hey? I love how sensitive you are to my caresses" If I trusted my voice right now I would have told him to shut up, but he did not stop caressing my tail as he speaks, scrapping the top with his nails, then the bottom, making me grip his back firmly as he started pulling and stroking in an up and down motion, as he had done with my member before. The memory only makes me blush harder, feeling constricted under this rock. I was a melting mess under his touch and the nibbling on my neck and shoulder as he gives little bites on the soft skin, going further down to my collar bone only to find out that my left n.i.p.p.l.e was exposed; but not for long as he covers it with his mouth. "Ah! L-Leo, wh-what-! He hugs me closer, bringing me to his lap only to feel his hard member being constricted by his pants poking my lower region as he kept caressing my tail and back. All I could feel was his wet tongue passing over and over the tip of my sensitive n.i.p.p.l.e, and when I thought that it could not get better he starts sucking it, giving little bites and pulling it only to lick some more, as if kissing it. I could not think straight as he keeps caressing me, but I was wakened up when his sneaky hands went further down my back to a very sensitive area. "No, w-wait up Leo I-I have something that I w-want to talk first." He was so caught up in what the was doing that he did not even look up at me, making me bite my lower lip and somewhat say in a louder voice of what I intended to: " I-I too have memories of my past life!" At that he stops, a frown of curiosity on his features as I went on blabbering nonstop, not giving him a chance to meddle in or continue his caresses: "I remember when I was not a hound, a time when a was a human, but not in this world, in the one I told in the fire, it was all real, but some parts are still fuzzy for me and some I could not make sense of but I- I just thought that I should let you know, that that, especially after you open up for me, that you told me that you had rebirth, that you never backed down from telling me the truth, that I knew I had to tell you, that you had the right to know, that-that I should not start this relationship with lies and-" "Shh, is alright, I get it" He says after I run out of breath, hugging me and patting my back in smooth circular movements that made me relax under his touch. "You know, I really, really want us to work out." I say, thinking I''m being too cringe and needy, but giving no f.u.c.ks to it as I wanted to be transparent for him, for the most part. "So I feel that we should talk get to know each other, I don''t know, is just that I once went on with a quick relationship and it all ended pretty bad, is just I want to take this slow, ok? To to enjoy it to the fullest" I lower my ears at that, thinking of how much of a nuisance I''m being for him, how I''m not taking into consideration his feelings, how silly of me was to avoid this. Shit, I knew a relationship would only end in troublesome thoughts and worries. He talks very close to my ears, his warm breath making me shudder. "Is alright, I understand, I want to enjoy every moment too, is just that I want you so much and I mean it, not only with your body, but I want to mark your mind with my smell, I want you to only have eyes for me, to only want my touch, to enjoy it I guess you can say we are both very selfish of our wants and needs But we can make this work, we will make this work." He says, pulling back and looking me in the eyes, his golden ones shining with determination. "Because you know what? Problems, discussions, different interests and needs may arise, but in the end is part of what love is, is to forgive, is to understand, to respect each other and yourselves. No one is perfect so no relationship will be perfect too, but beyond all that one thing for sure is that I''ll never leave you, I''ll never betray you, because I love you very, very much." I''m left stunned by his words as his thumb caresses my lower lips and jaw, making me lean on his warm palm and resting my face there, humming in response. After a comfortable silence that he starts petting my hair and ears, he gives me a peck on the lips and stands, walking with small steps toward the exit, hesitant to leave, as he turns around one last time to say: "I will be waiting for you at the veranda, we can chat there my little hound." He turns and leaves me to clean myself, for the first time making me agree, thinking that his words were true that I was his hound as much as he was my elf. But not little though. **** Oh ho! Things are getting interesting uhm, should I put a warning of light smut in this chapter? I think it takes off the surprise a little And owwww, they are bounding, how sweet! See ya next Friday! Chapter 66 - Sixty-Four Just a few seconds away and I already felt at lost for not feeling his warm body against mine, dummy me. Sigh, like this I won''t be able to hold on much longer But is that a bad thing? We were, after all, going out dating wait, we were dating? That means, like, that Leo is my boyfriend? Boyfriend I tasted the word in my mouth, and suddenly felt very giddy for some reason. Ereinion Calien Leonel, my boyfriend. I liked the sound of that. I felt like a messy puddle of nerves; some part of me wanted him so bad that scared me, of how quickly it was to give him all of me, but the other part still believe this was a mistake, that it wouldn''t work out, that he would leave me, that I don''t know, that I did not trust him? Deep down I think I don''t trust anyone not even my brother, that''s why I study so much, that I work hard so much, so I can take charge of things, that I do what needs to be done, not needing help of anyone It that it? What was bothering me so much? No I shook my head to the sides as I start to melt the rock out of me, no relationship will work without trust, that''s why a betrayal from their part hurts so much, like an open wound right to the heart. But I promised myself I would give us a chance, so I would have to risk opening my heart to him and letting him make a nest in it, and if he betrayed me like her Well, I was not the same person as before, nor as innocent, nor as weak. I was the Terror for a reason, he should know better than mess up with me. So we would talk and I would let myself enjoy my boyfriend as I let him enjoy me. I thought about doing what he did to me, nibbling his soft long white neck, his tender skin, biting lower and in places far more sensitive than the neck having me pleasure him. That would be a bliss. Oh God please don''t leave us alone for long again, otherwise I don''t know what will happen next, without an excuse, without a rock in the middle, with me wanting it. Oh yeah I wanted him alright. Ok, ok, that''s enough otherwise I will have to deal with another problem in the water before going out, and I''m too tired for it. In the end I took a quick bath, not even entering the little pool, only pouring water from the bucket, using my shadow tentacles to bring it back and forth, and I put my pajamas on, a single long light baby blue tunic with a thin cloth that left my legs exposed and my lower part free to catch a wind. Rubbing my eyes I go to the balcony only to see Leonel sitting there, looking at the starts, two warm mugs beside him. I stop for a second to appreciate his wide back and golden hair, biting my lower lip slightly and walking towards his side, sitting down beside him as he gives me a warm smile, watching outside as a soft rain starts to pour down and bring forth the smell of wet soil and leaves that makes me take a deep breath. We stay like that for a while beside each other on the balcony, legs stretched out hanging over the railing as a soft rain dribbles over the rooftops, the drops of clear water rolling down in front of us and giving the garden an even more surreal look. I think back on what I wanted to talk about, something that was related to the story I told back at the fire, the fact that that story was true, and a lot more than that, the fact that I Well, I should just open my mouth and say it, right? I turn my face towards Leo after a long time in silence, thinking, mouth open, about to speak, only to receive a kiss on the lips. Different from the other times, even being caught by surprise, I do not flinch back, which brings a smile on his lips as I start to kiss him back, somehow needy without being forced, paced slowly yet surely. "Don''t talk about it tonight." He says after our lips part. "You don''t seem ready. And I prefer to enjoy the moment, this beautiful night, and the day that you said yes to me." I chuckle. " You make it sound like we are marring or something." "Is as important to me." "Oh, is that so? What that would do to your reputation uhm? Being married to a man; rather, to a male beast even." "Reputation? Is that what worries you? You amaze me, my little hound." He says, biting on my lower lip and giving little pecks before continuing. "I''m known as an ex-royal, ex-prince, spawn of the devil, half-elf half-human, beyond many more, and yet you worry about my reputation? That''s sweet of you." I puff my cheeks at that, turning my face away. "Well, sorry if my worries seemed little to you, childish even, you almighty high royal ass." I say, trying to sound mad but my smirk gave away as Leo raises his eyebrow and passes me the mug. I look down into the mug only to see a golden honey drink that smelled nice and set cozily in my hands. I see Leo blowing the steam off from the hot beverage, but I could simply sip the hot drink as a spicy flavor hit my tongue together with the warmth, plus truly some sweet honey flavor with lemon and Earl grey tea, a mixture that I would never come up with but ended up pretty well. It may be strange to put spicy in this drink for others though, but for my palate it was as if putting the secret ingredient that always worked out for me. Just wonderful. "Yours is spicy too?" "No." "Did you come up with these recipes?" "I asked around, you would be surprised on how people from different places have such different yet delightful cuisine." "You really enjoy cooking don''t you?" "Uhm it was a necessity at one point, but I grow found of it." I did not push his buttons, wanting for the conversation to stay light thought my dumb brain came with the weirdest subjects to fill the silence. "Tell me what made you like me?" "Uhm I wonder?" I scowl at him as he chuckles, coming closer and hugging my shoulder with one arm, bringing my body closer to his. Even if he didn''t do anything, his warmth on my side and back made my heart race. "Well, how about that? I will answer you if tell me your answer." "What? What I like on myself? Well, for starts, I-" "Oi." He says, poking me on the side, making me giggle. "You are too sensitive for your own good." "T-that we can agree on." I don''t say anything as he turns and looks at me. "So?" "So what?" "Your answer" I stop teasing him to really think on what to say as his fingers trace my shoulder, and it doesn''t take long for the words to come naturally; after all it was something I had been wondering myself for the last few days. "Well, you are charming, gentle, caring, but can be a brute when needed, you respect me and my decisions, you don''t force your will on others, and yet carry the weight of all with upmost strength and-" I stop at that before he changes his mind about respecting my pace, making me pout my answer in. "Y-you know, t-that kind of stuff, though don''t start thinking to full of yourself alright?" "Hahah, no, of course not. My turn right?" "Well, you don''t need to answer if you don''t wa-" "There are many things that I love about you. Your smile, your laugh, the way your eyes shine under the moonlight, the way you are compassionate towards those you care, how you-" "Ok, ok, that''s enough." I say, looking out in the rain trying to hide my smile. We stay in a comfortable silence once more, watching the rainfall, making me very sleepy, especially after such a warm drink. "You know" Leo starts, making me hum for him to continue. "Should I give you a ring?" I almost choke my drink up with that statement. "W-what? W-why? We are not marring." "Is not that; though I wouldn''t mind it; but a ring on the right-hand means compromise, not marriage, just a way to say we are dating." The last word, rolling down his lips, making me hold down a goofy smile that wanted to show on my face, though my tail wiggled a little. "I don''t know" "Well, I''m not a prince anymore, so I can''t make you my queen but I can still give you a fitting ring." "Oi oi, who said I would be a queen uh?" He just chuckles. "I''m just teasing you." "I know, dummy dum." "And we still kind of look like royals we are just building our own empire from the ground right?" He shrugs. "Don''t know, but you will still be the queen, you are already wearing a dress." "Oh, shut up" I say, punching him on the shoulder loosely. "And this is a tunic, a tu-ni-ccc" "Uhum, if you say so" I stayed longer in his embrace, almost falling asleep, as I hear his husky voice say: "Thilgon can I ask you a favor?" "Uhm? Right now?" "Uhum, can you can you sing for me? You did it all the time on the other time, and it has been so long since I heard you Please?" At this point I was far more asleep then aware of what was happening around me, so I simply hear the word sing and let my mind flow at ease, my voice coming low and sleepy, singing in a way one would do to coax a child to sleep, slowly and lowly: "A prince, a demon, a man, a beast~ Many titles, many names Try to weight you down beneath dignity~ And yet you stood above, never loaded out Chose your name, chose your path Never let them tell you how to act now In a river full of sharks, you stood as a dragon~ So no little sharp teeth could do you harm So that your neck above the water stood As those that try to drown you down soon learn that you were born in the water And yet your jaws were gentle And yet with your claws you could support For your kind soul could not be hindered by others That love was stronger than hate in your heart That you chose the path of light instead of darkness That you chose to be grateful instead of complaint That you chose the path of love" ~And me; My mind finishes the song, but no final words came out of my mouth as my eyes shut and my breath even as I fell asleep beside his comfortable warm body, feeling secured and cared for, feeling that I was where I belonged to. In his arms. **** They are so sweet together aren''t they? I wonder how I can mess things up Heheh. BTW, today is 13 on a Friday with a full moon in sight, which dance are we going to perform tonight to celebrate at midnight? Haha, just joking. ?(???)? See ya next Friday! Chapter 67 - Sixty-Five I felt light and well-rested by the time I woke up again, too lazy to open my eyes as I roll around the sheets, the sunlight passing through the cracks on the window as birds chirped their lullaby, giving me no reason to stand, on the contrary, just helping in my rest. So I didn''t, I enjoyed the well-deserved rest that I lacked from the last weeks and when the light turns out to be too much I simple went underneath the covers. WaitCovers? Bed? How did I get here? Where is here? That makes me open my eyes only to see that I was inside one of the room that Leo and I had cleaned before, but exactly in which one was impossible to tell since they all looked the same, not that it would matter anyway. I sigh, pushing the blankets slightly out of me and covering my eyes with my arm, trying to prepare myself to mentally start the day and stand up as I feel movement beside me. Wait, it couldn''t beLeo, right? I turn around and pull the blanket all out only to see a dog? I take a sniff, but it was obvious that it wasn''t my brother since the dog was white, with only his back turned towards me as he tries to retain the warmth of the blankets my pulling it with his paw, only for it to find nothing and wiggle around midair. I scowl as I stare at his back, knowing by the smell that Leo was here too, making me search for him first before confronting the dog, only to find him on the floor, his tick arm under his head as he sleeps deeply. Oh, I must have fallen asleep yesterday, and yet, instead of using this perfect opportunity to sleep with me, instead he kept his promise and has been a gentleman and respected me and my pace and space. And that, somehow, was far more effective for me than having him sleeping in the same bed for it went straight to my heart, making a fire stir there and warm my face up, making me bite my lip as my tail wiggle behind me. Th-that was so sweet of him! I mean. Wait, we still have a white dog problem oi! "Leo, oi, Leo, wake up!" His golden eyes look misty as he yawns, rubbing his face and waking up, making the warmth inside me intensify by his messy look as his eyes lock on mine. "" "What?" "Oh, right, there is a dog in my bed?" "There is or there is not?" At this point I forgot even my name. I look back towards the bed and, sure enough the dog is there, now with his belly up and tongue out. Leo half stands enough to see him, and say a simple: "Uhm." "Uhm my ass, who is it?" He keeps staring at it, but it seemed that his mind was still hazy from sleep. Really, that was too cute to see, the all-mighty royal elf slowly blinking his sleep away. Focus now Thilgon, there is a strange creature beside you Oh, dumb me, I could appraisal it. Can I mentally facepaw myself? Once I use appraisal, however, I was shocked by the information that surges: Name: Shrum, Shu for short Gender: Male Race: Puppy Earth Mushroom Hound And unusual evolution for a mushroom, this kind is not known for being strong nor bright, instead they are usually kept as pets as they are very attached to their owners and are very docile. What?! SHRUM?! "Wait, is that Shrum? But-how? He evolved? Into a hound?" "Maybe, he helped with the rabbits yesterday." "But he is a mushroom! How did he become a hound?" "Maybe he wanted to be like you." I turn towards him. "You think so?" He nods. If that is the case then it would be so Goddamnit cute! Because of our ruckus Shu turns towards us yawning, his little body coming to view as he stretched his paws out. He wasn''t totally white as I first thought him to be, his head, tail and the sides of his body where green with a consistence that looked like leaves, a pair of big pointy fox ears on top of his white face and a fluffy tail that have some long black feathers as well as a pair of those falling alongside his face, close to his ears and framing his snout. With big white pair paws he paw paw over me, nestling on my lap, not before whining and licking my fingers with his tiny tongue. I start petting him without noticing, still to stun think clearly, but once I look one more I notice that he is now level 50, one of the thresholds for evolving, and that he had red spots on his head and a pair on top of his eyes, like eyebrows, making me sure that he was, indeed, Shu. I stopped trying to understand how evolving worked a long time ago, but I noticed that not every aware creatures receives information''s nor choice on their evolution, simply evolving to the most fitting one with their character, their will and their most-used skills and element, like my brother went all fire on his evolutions, almost instinctive, that''s why those who change away from pattern are so rare. And that meant that, really, somewhere deep inside Shu he really wanted to be like us, to look like us, to change himself to a hound. And, to be frank, I didn''t even know it was possible until now, it was almost as if change his race altogether. Leo stands then, gives me a peck on the forehead, a pet on Shu''s had, who rubs his face on his palm, and goes to grab some clothes and change, making me focus on Shu as not to see him changing But, well, I mean, a little peek can do no harm right? I look up only to see him turned towards me and looking me dead in the eyes. "" "" He smirks, having caught me red-handed, and starts opening his shirt on the front and giving me a very good view of his collarbone before I look down again towards Shu. T-That was dangerous, he was trying to seduce me again I mean, trying would not be the word I would choose to use but Well, I can enjoy this cat and mouse play He finishes soon after and goes for the door. "I''m going to make breakfast, anything you want in particular?" "Uhm not really, everything you do is great so" "Glad you enjoy it. Meet you at the dining room?" "Sure elfy." He gives me a crooked smile before he turns and walks away. I smile at the lasting image of him in my mind, absently stroking Shu until he had been lazy for long enough on my lap and stretches up, tail high and with a big yawn, showing his little teeth. Oh my, what an overload of cuteness! He looks up at me with big black eyes shining like a night sky full of stars as his little pink tongue licks my chin by surprise. "Haha, good morning to you too Shu." He bumps his nose on my palm, as if responding, some squeaking sounding like moma coming from his little mouth until he stands and branches grow out from his back and help him to get on the floor, as he trots out of the room to do who knows what. Sigh, so cute, but I can see myself having troubles with his new form in the future. Wait. Could he learn how to take a human form too? He would be soo cute! Ok, as his mom- I mean, as the one who made him this way I should take responsibility, right? So how about setting it as my personal goal? Need to keep an eye out for any shape-shifting creatures who could help out on that regard, pity that the ones we got from before were locked down in a dungeon. With those thoughts in mind I change my clothes and go out, following the smell I soon arrive at the already set table, ogling down the food with my eyes even before saying hi to the twins who were talking to the side drinking some wine. Uf, never got why some people drank ale or wine for breakfast, would it not be a bad way to start the day? Or rather, those usually drank it no matter the time, for lunch and dinner included, so it should taste almost like water at this point right? Anyway, I look down at the contents being put on the stone plates, feeling my mouth water before even tasting it, knowing that, coming from Leo, it would taste wonderful. There was a fresh bread cut in half with some sort of sauce on it and melted cheese, with a cooked egg on the side accompanied by a salted fish with green leaves and oregano, and from the smell a drip of lemon too, lovely. Hm I wonder where that fish come from To top it all a cup of warm tea, still steaming. "Sit down, I''m almost done." Says Leo as I hum in response. I look at him towards the kitchen beside the little campfire that was out now, having the bread and boiled water made at the little furnace on the back where another fire stood, hidden behind piles of wood, a stone cover and a metal door. Leo was cleaning and organizing his tools, his back towards me, but as if feeling my eyes on his figure he looks back at me, our eyes meeting as a warm smile spreads on my lips, making him smile back. My eyes go back to the hall when I hear my brother grumbling, his hand covering his eyes and massaging his forehead, arching forward as if with a stomach ache. "Oh God why is the world so bright?" "Pff, I told you not to drink." "But I thought it was ok since we don''t get drunk!" He says, sitting beside me and laying his face down on the table, covering his face with his arms. "Silly you, what happens when you put alcohol in a fire?" "I don''t know, but I bet I''m feeling it right now, ugh." I chuckle, petting him on the back as he kept grumbling as his stomach rumbled together. I wonder if medicine would help since it would be melted away in our stomachs Oh, I know something, or rather, someone who can help. "Can you call the others for breakfast?" Asks Leo as I nod. Perfect excuse to go and bring that annoying woman in and finally have some use for her. I mean cough cough, try to be nice, try to be nice, I''m going to ask for a favor, be nice Nah, I can just force her right? If she refuses to heal him I would rather have her out of the group, it would be pointless to have such an annoying useless creature around in this dangerous adventure. See? It makes sense! Shit, I''m almost wishing that she denies it now, damn. I pat my brother one last time, giving a peck on top of his head as he grumbles again, making me unable to give him the scowling that I had prepared for him, the sickness being punishment enough. Now if he will learn with that or will repeat the mistake that''s another story. "Drink some tea, I will be right back." "Uhum" I walk in the halls, looking out at the garden with my ears up and tail high, taking in the smells and feeling very relax today. I follow her smell until the last room, and knowing that the others were not there I simply knock and turn the knob of the door, distracted with my thoughts enough to not realize something was amiss. And that I would soon learn that, when you knock, you should wait for the person to answer back. **** I''m not late because I totally forgot to finish the chapter and had to write the end down minutes before publishing it, noooo, not at all, lol. I did. BTW next week is full of surprises, the Vampire book is launching(25) and I have a Halloween surprise for ya! See ya next Friday! Chapter 68 - Sixty-Six I open the door, already speaking up and not even waiting to hear them out, wanting to get this over with quickly for my food was getting cold: "Oi woman breakfast is ready and I need you to-" Then I stop, my gaze scanning the inside and just stand there, staring down that was in front of me. Isa had her leg up, putting in a long to the knee white sock, her foot on the bed as she was already with her skirt on. Yet the problem wasn''t there but at the expose upper body with the soft skin visible, but even worst then having it expose was the lack of woman b.r.e.a.s.ts. "" "" We froze in place staring each other down until I open my mouth to say something, having Isa babbling up first, totally out of it: "Is not what you think! I-I!" I think Isa was just as shocked and confused as I. "Look, is alright, I''m not here to judge your hobbies or anything" "Hobbies? Hobbies?! Do you really think I like dressing up as a woman? I''m a man for God sake!" I just shrug. "Like I said, I''m not here to judge" That''s right, it seemed like our annoying woman was actually an annoying brat. We are silent again, which makes me think if I should just turn around and leave; I mean, it''s none of my business, and I already told he-him what I needed to, and Isa could always check on my brother after breakfast. But as I turn around to leave I''m surprised by the dark elf, who must have stood hidden in the darkness and, shocking me, had been able to hide his presence completely until he went and closed the door right on my face. Uhm ok? "Y-you can''t tell anybody, ok?" Isa says, for the first time sounding not so sure of himself, and I would even go as far as to say terrified by the matter. That makes me curious I frown. "Why not?" I would never do such a thing, but I thought better to press him a little so I could have my answers. I turn around only to see that he had dressed a shirt quickly over his body, hidden his small feminine frame, but still more casual and exposed than normal as I could see his long silver hair loose, his intense purple eyes staring into my soul. "Stop that hound, this is very serious, you must not tell anyone." "Not even Leonel?" "H-he already presumes that I hide something, but no, not even for him." "Why?" "Is none of your concern." "Oh, really, you simple ask me to forget then? Or rather, to hide your secret even if you are not willing to tell me why, even though it seems to be a rather "important matter", isn''t it?" That''s when he gets angry, dropping stuff on the floor and screaming at me, but I could feel it was out of despair. "If I said drop it you just drop it Goddamnit hound!" I stand tall them, getting angry at his attitude as I have for a long time, receiving this anger and scorn and for no reason, for the mere switch of moods from this brat. "Listen now boy, I don''t have a lot of patience with spoiled kids like yourself, and I was already thinking of asking Leo to take you out of this group but every word coming out from your mouth right now is only proving my point." "Shut up! I don''t need your approval, I can take care of myself!" "Oh, I wouldn''t be so sure, this world swallows little brats like you for breakfast, and they don''t even leave the bones behind. You wouldn''t stand a chance alone out there, so cut the crap of brave boy and show some respect kid." I was so done with him that I did not even remember what had started this discussion anymore. "Look, I don''t know what you are passing through, and I may have cared about it seconds before you started talking shit back at me, but nothing, and I repeat, nothing gives you the f.u.c.k.i.n.g right to talk to me like that, you hear me brat?" "I-I''m not a brat!" He says, hesitant to my now seemly calm behavior and lower voice, which was far from being calmer, but in the edge of exploding on him. "And I don''t care what you think! Just shut up and go away! You should have never entered this room uninvited!" "You know what." I add, gritting my teeth and closing my hands into fists. "I don''t even know why you are in this group. Or rather, still is, but don''t worry, I will take that responsibility out of your shoulders. We don''t need people like you in this group." He tries to talk back, but a talk louder and keep my words on top of his. "This group fights equality, respect and freedom, and if you don''t know the basic of none of them then you are not fit to be in this group." "Shut up hound you do not decide what I can nor will do!" He screams, red from anger as his purple eyes stared me down. "You know that I could rip your throat out easily, don''t you brat?" I try reasoning with him; don''t even know why I still bother at this point; when he says: "You wouldn''t be able to even scratch my ankle, even less to bite me you prick." That''s it. "LEARN SOME RESPECT BRAT OR I WILL MAKE YOU SWALLOW YOUR OWN GODDAMNIT WORDS!" A very loud growl escapes my lips, my silver eyes glinting with a sharp light as my shadow grows behind me taking my Terror form, a black spiral eye staring back as it raised its lips with me, showing the rolls of sharp teeth as we were eager for a bite. I can hear footsteps on the hallways as the others had heard the commotion, but I''m livid with this creature in front of me to the point of seeing red. I had tasted human flesh before. And I wasn''t joking when I said I could kill him. Because God knew that I was seriously considering it at this point. I only got out of the trance of seeing red when I felt a hand on my shoulder, making me turn with baring teeth only to see Leo''s face up close, a serene neutral expression that made me mesmerized by his almost celestial figure and peacefully aura, his golden eyes staring steadily into mine as, before I knew it, I had calmed down by his mere calm presence and soft touch, steadily massaging my shoulder. Damn if he did not know me so well. For the first time, a little calmer, I could see that Isa had fallen down to the side, eyes wide staring terrified at me, curved in a ball as the dark elf stood between us; not that it would make a difference if I really had dashed forward; for I had trapped them down to the corner of the room without meanings of escape. I had been hunting them down, and if it wasn''t for Leo stopping me Thought, yet, I did not feel guilty, but with a calmer mind I did not find reason to attack anymore, so I just puff out a black smoke, scowling and annoyed as I turn and leave, regretting the bad way this day has started, opening a path from the curious that came to see; or rather, everybody beyond us three back in there. Knowing myself I realized that I needed something to burn the steam off otherwise I would slash out at her-him again for stupid little things, like breathing a little too loudly beside me. I don''t need his death on my tab, it was already very filled up. In the end I skipped breakfast and went straight out, finding a little annoying about the happy aura that this perfect garden with the sunrays had in the morning. As I keep walking away my mind starts to get distracted, little by little making me physically and mentally away from the situation that just happened. I look for a good pot to burn so me steam up, remembering how I had discovered one thing after leveling up and hunting for so long, as it got harder and harder to evolve: that experience does not come only for killing things, is not like we absorbed their level or something, no, experience is gain from doing and learning, so after a battle, even if both got out alive, you would still get experience for it and would be able to evolve. But, of course, for lower levels and weaker creatures is faster to kill, as Shu ended up doing beyond eating my crystals. That''s why, after learning that fact and gaining a humanoid body, I started training in martial arts because beyond learning it I also gain experience from it. Just perfect. The only bad thing is that, like work out, this type works better when continually done, otherwise once you go back to it you will have to start from the beginning, meaning less experience as killing a level 1 creature when you are level 100. It was a respectable method but a very tiresome one; perfect right now for my state of mind though. Once I find I good spot, under the shadow of a big tree, I start to stretch, cracking my backbones and putting my foot on the trunk. I start with simple moves then, using the Katis I learned, moving my arms with slow movements, like flowing water or a soft breeze, but still quick and deadly as a snake bite, the movements of my arms flowing in one pace, melting together all the attacks as I bend my knee and step forward, crossing the legs as my hands point to the opposite side so that soon my legs follow their direction by bringing it up in the air and stretching it out for the next step. All was done in an almost lazy casual speed, at a steady pace as if following the song played by the wind ruffling the leaves beside me. Kicks, higher kick, even jumping ones, palms aimed for the head, throat, to defend, to attack, all against an invisible enemy, all to keep my balance and concentration in check, my body moving in a sure way as it has many times before. I keep it for a while, feeling refresh and alive as adrenaline pumped into my veins, until I feel a presence far to close and ended up with my feet right up at the creatures face; who stood unfazed by it. "Shu, what are you doing here?" Ignoring the fact that he was almost kicked in the face; not really, I had enough control so I would not harm him, but wanted to give a scare nonetheless; I soon realize that I would not be able to continue exercising as he starts wiggling his fluffy green whitetail, his tongue out as the sunlight shines right back from his bright black eyes. Sigh. "Come here." He does so, wiggling his butt from side to side as he trots with his chubby body and tiny white paws, his little pink tongue making it all the more chubby. I take him off the ground, holding by the armpits as he uses that to his advantages and licks my face up, making me laugh as I bring him farther away from my face. "Silly Shu, let''s go back ok?" Feeling as I had literally sweated the tension and stress out from my pores I go back inside, feeling the price of skipping breakfast as my stomach starts to rumble. "Uhm, I wonder if is there anything left for us" Shu barks; or rather, squeaks a bark; as he follows me, giving little jumps here and there, swinging his fluffy butt and tail as if owning the place. How cute. **** What? A double update?! What is this witchcraft? Hehe, is that, and much more I humbly ask for you to read the author comments on the next chapter. Thank you! And no woman allowed in my BL story! Muahaha! :P (PS. We reached the 1 million reads marks overall! Bazai!) C 09/2019 Chapter 69 - Sixty-Seven As I keep walking I can see the house coming to view, the beautiful structure with sharp yet curvy roofs, and the gorgeous way it intertwined with the nature around it as the sun shined bright over it all. I get closer only to see Leo standing beside the wall, his back on it with his legs stretched out and arms curved in front of him. I approach, hesitant, thinking if he was mad at me for being impulsive and almost fighting for real with Isa, if he was about to scowl me, making me a little guilty inside, even though Isa provoked me, I should not have exploded that way. All was for naught, I soon realize, as I get close to him, Shu by my feet, only to see that Leo''s eyes were closed and his breath even. Wait, what? He, did he fell asleep standing like this. Has he been waiting for me? The same sensation that I had this morning after seeing him waking up returned, the image of his serene relaxed expression, with his head slightly turned, his blond hair falling sideways, his strong jaw, his eyelashes, thin lips, pointy ears. I wanted to touch it, touch it all, to engrave it in my memory, had almost the urge to do it, I realized gulping down, and with a frown I realized, why should I not cave in? We were a couple now, so I did, hesitantly at first; started with the tip of the finger over his eyes, still slowly as not to wake him up, then to his lips, pushing slightly and feeling the plumps parts of it. He shudders awake when I reach for his pointy ear, staring at me as I, caught by surprise, take my hand off and hide it behind me, stuttering an answer: "T-there as a l-leaf there, y-yeah, hi." He gives me a crooked smile. "Hi." "So, uhm What were you doing out here?" "Saving your breakfast from the hungry beasts inside." He says, taking a packaged out from his bag on the ground and giving it to me. I look at it, stunned for a second. I-is not like that makes me happy or anything you know"Though it should be cold now, at least I have some warm tea with me. How about eating here, outside?" "Oh, s-sure." I said, hiding my smile and grabbing the food, unaware of my tail wiggling behind me and the blush creeping over my cheeks. We don''t go far, following a stone path over a calmer part of the garden, overlooking an open green area with a bamboo fountain on the side, hitting down rhythmically as it got filled with water over and over again, giving the place a rather calming ambiance. We ate in silence as the morning went by, enjoying the moment only until Leo has to stand to go to the bathroom, leaving me alone to watch out the greenery. I quickly got bored though. I lay back, watching the clouds pass by as I see my brother, in his hound form, hopping and jumping over the grass and hunting some insects and butterflies, but not catching any as they pass right in front of his snout, making him bite air. Haha, silly him. Shu, who had gone inside, came back out and immediately saw Hunthor, raising his little butt and jumping on him, just forgetting how tiny he was as he simply head-butts him, falling back down with his belly up and wiggling up his paws, looking like a turtle trying to raise. My brother poked him, helping him out, and was very happy to have a new playmate, enjoying the sunny day by barking and playing with the little white-green fluffy thing. I was watching them on the shadow of a tree by now, grabbing a book to read from my Shadow Dimension, something talking about the bringers of magic, on how they were all woman, and how that affected the ideology of perfection being the image of a woman, on how many contradictory understandings rouse, and blab bla bla. Just a bunch of people fighting for something that happened so long ago that nobody knows what really happened anymore. Geez, what''s the point in that? The interesting part was talking about the creatures they fought back in the day, that no physical attack could harm them, only magic, especially elemental. Well, these types of creatures would bring hell on earth to those unable to use magic uhm As I was getting very into the reading and enjoying the so hard to get yet so worthy rest when both hounds start to roll around the grass and jump on muddy water puddles. Wait. "Oi, you two! You will dirty the place all up! And I''m not going to clean it up for you you hear me?!" "Oh, come on brother, don''t be such a dork, come play with us too!" He says, lowering his front and wiggling his tail high in the air in a playful manner. "Humf, as if, I''m not a kid any-aght!" My brother comes closer with his muddy filled body and starts to shake like a wet dog, almost dirtying my book! "Goddamnit it almost went to my mouth!" He laughs, hopping back. "You little" I secure my book in my Shadow Dimension only to quickly change to my hound form and run towards both as my brother speeds up and Shu trips, falling behind, making me jump up on him and nuzzle his neck, having him squeak and wiggle his way out of my embrace. We play like that for a while until Shu is kidnaped by Leo to take a bath as he yawned on his arms, blinking slowly and sleepily. That was the cue I needed to speed run at my brother, bringing dirt and grass up with the strength of my paws while we tired ourselves in a playful manner like in the old days, pulling each other''s tail only to run in the other direction, rolling on the grass and paw pawing each other, bumping together and only stopping to drink some water from the pond. Tired, with our tongues hanging out, we go back to the house and towards the shadow that it provided only to find Leo and Aeglos chatting while watching us play. My brother trots to Aeglos and rubs his head on his side, bringing their attention back to us as Aeglos chuckles and strokes my brother''s ears and face, making him lay his head down on his lap. I scowl and look away only for my eyes to fall on a pair of golden orbs, making me raise my chin and say: "What?" He smirks then, moving a little only to pet his lap. "Come here." "Pff, dream on brat." "Back with the brat I see I wonder for how long you can keep that facade on" I snort at that, my tail slightly wiggling behind me. I go up towards them only to find that Shu was sleeping on Leo''s lap, so tiny that I almost could not see him over Leo''s strong big thighs. Oww, he looked so cute sleeping, his little pinky nose twitching on his sleep as he curved his paws in front of his body. "Keep looking too much at my crotch that I may think you are interested in it." "I''m not looking at your crotch!" He chuckles, knowingly teasing me back for the brat I said before. In the end I simply lay down beside him, no before he asking if I need him to bath me too, earning him a tongue out as now I was really feeling the amount of exercise taking their toll on my body, making me tired as well as heaving down my muscles. We end up just like that for the rest of the day, nothing going on as we were only waiting for time to pass by so we could leave this place; what sounded like a great idea back when I wasn''t stuck in this place with nothing to do. Beyond the boredom, and the task of searching something useful to do; or just anything really; the foxy Leo used every opportunity he had to do just what he promised he would, to make me easy up around him, something that at first did not occur to me as being his touch. So every opportunity he had he would come close to me, lingering his finger over my hand, brushing pass too close to me in the halls, probably doing this as his own way to get rid of the boredom that this place brought forward, definitely having a lot of time in his hands to plan his next attack. I roll my eyes at that, though I won''t deny that the attention was welcomed with a fuzzy warm sensation in my chest. So, after friendly talks, meals, plays and the like, we close up for the night, all of that without Isa who apparently was avoiding me, or just too scared to get out of his room. Humf, I don''t care, still back up my opinion on having him leave the group, no point in keeping him around. But that was a talk for later, when I wasn''t so annoyed by him, though if it would depend on me not being annoyed by his presence then we would never talk about it. At the table, as we were talking, the younger twin, Seiroe, finally wasn''t able to contain his excitement as he fidgets with all his hands, hoping to my side without standing up, sitting directly beside as I was drinking a cup of tea, making me raised an eyebrow over the tea-cup. "So, so, Terror~~" He starts, making me put down the cup, turning slowly in his direction and catching a glimpse of the older brother sighing to the side, a piece of wood in one hand and a knife on the other. Was he crafting something? "What?" "Oh, you were going to tell me about yourself right? Your adventures? For for my music?" "Was I now?" "Yes!" Something told me it was beyond professional bard interest But I found it interesting, to have some kind of fan. "Well, if you want so much it can''t be helped thenWhat do you want to know?" A bright smile spreads over his face as he claps his three pair of hands together, startling Rangur who almost dropped his mug. Was he always drunk or about to? "And don''t you dare say everything." His smiles drop into a pout as the higher pair of hands hold his chin up and the others close in front of him. "Hm Oh! How about how are you able to break the contract between magical creatures and humans? It was said to be impossible before you started doing it left and right!" "Haha, that? Well I cannot tell you that." "Ehhh, how so? You said you would answer my questions" "Never said all of them. Plus everybody needs some cards up their sleeves" "Oh, I see! As expected from the Terror, so cleaver!" Oh boy this kid makes wonder to my prideful self. "Uhm uhm, of course of course." But I really could not say some parts of it As even Leo told me before that he did not know, it made me more certain to retain this information to myself. After all, is not every day that you find a hidden temple underneath the desert filled with the knowledge and riches of the ancients elves; beyond containing dangerous detailed information over magic and the creation of some even, including the bounding magic which ironically the "protectors of magical creatures and nature" created for some unknown reason; plus there was a lot more written in different languages, so much knowledge that it was impossible to know everything in one go. And for now, this dangerous knowledge is safely kept in my Shadow Dimension, and behind my closed lips. Hopefully my brother would do the same We chatted until sunset as the chilly breeze of the night made its way throughout the halls, giving the place a cozy sleepy atmosphere, bringing yawns to our faces as we stand to get ready to sleep. We just had one problem before wrapping the day up "No, Leo, you can keep the room, I will stay here in the leaving room. And you too brother!" I say as I catch him fleeing away with Aelgos, making me puff and grab his arm, pulling him to the place around the fireplace. Because you seeThere were fewer rooms than people, so some would have to share and, as nobody wanted to share with a snoring Ragnur, the twins and Isa already took two more, we were obligated to share with these two elves. But not on my watch. "No, is alright, we are used to sleeping like this, is fine, right brother?" I say, hardening my grip on his arm, staring Aeglos down as he gives me an innocent smile. Now we''re is all that "we are from the same place we should help each other" went uhm? You are just a prying fox waiting to steal my chicks right? Not on my watch I said! And just like that I forced my brother- I mean, I kept my brother under my watchful eye and made him sleep with me on the living room. Thought that proved not to be enough **** Hey oh Beautiful people! I have a special Halloween event going on for the next three weeks! It is Merch! ??+.(???)?+.? That''s right, I made three badasses (humble me) T-shirts stamps that will be up for selling for 3 weeks on Bonfire! But of course, that''s not all of it if we reach the mark of selling 50 T-shirts I will post an extra hallowed chapter with a lot of action! (if you know what I mean.*wink wink*) Well not enough convincing? How about this, *cough cough*, I''m actually doing this to help out my nephew (as half the gains will go for him) for he has Autism, has being going to doctors nonstop since he was 4 months old and next year he will start school, and fearing that he doesn''t like it or gets bully we want to have him on a good school, which of course requires a little more money than the rest. So really, any buy or even donation would be really, really appreciated. I wanted to make a surprise for my sister, but as I''m kind of exposing him I thought better to ask for permission, but it still a surprise for her husband! And at the end who gains with all of this is actually you guys! By having a badass T-shirt, and kinky extra chapter, and some double updates! (Which I won''t promise to keep up for three weeks, but will promise to try my best to do so) Anyway, thank you in advance q( ???)? And see ya~~~ PS. They will only deliver the T-shirts once the campaign finishes, which means that they will ship only three weeks from now (October 18), plus minium of 5 sells to print. Chapter 70 - Sixty-Eight I slept fine for some time, the chilly wind brushing comfortably against my hot skin, relaxing my body as a cold drink in the summer. However something disturbed my sleep in the middle of night, making me feel bothered, turning and rolling, in a half-awake haft-asleep state that made me take my time to finally open my eyes, brushing the sleep from them and yawning, only to notice two things: that it was still dark outside, and that my brother was nowhere to be seen. What the I half-sit in place supporting myself on my elbows, frowning as I turn my head around and don''t find him anywhere, including his makeshift bed on the floor beside me. He wouldn''t have defied me, would he? But he has never disobeyed me before not this way, only fighting to get what he wants sometimes, but not hidden, notin secrecy. No, no, maybe I''m just overthinking, he could have just gone to the bathroom, that''s all, right? Yet I could not shake off the dreading feeling growing inside me I stop speculating, however, once I smell a strange yet familiar scent in the air. I look towards the dark hall, my eyes narrowing as I felt unease, watched. I was not alone. A scratching sound against the wood resonates in the silent night, very vague, difficult to pinpoint, like a single nail slowly brushing against the lumber. That''s when I realized I could not move. With my eyes open wide I stare down the dark, my night vision oddly inexistent as the door from the outside opens to the hall, still out of sight but close enough so I could almost feel the presence behind the second door, waiting in the hall where the noises stop. I gulp down, feeling my heart race as I shudder, almost incapable of controlling my body at this point as the door finally opens sideways but nothing comes out of it, instead the hall was covered by a blackness that spread like a black hole, swallowing all the objects, walls and ceiling like a living thing, slowing growing as it moves closer, a massive black mass disseminating. Still somewhat calm I manage to remember using appraisal on the thing, but the information that came seemed to be corrupted? %$F234o%$U$6n12$*d^}@Y%&(o-09%[email protected] It expanded once it gets out of the hall and enters the room I''m in, making it impossible to see the walls anymore, taking away my bearings as the only thing that kept me grounded was the still visible floor that I laid on. I start to hyperventilate once it reaches my feet, consuming them into its massive void of nothingness as it went up and up, my paralyzed body unable to resist as a black goopy hand came out of it, reaching out for my head, a pair of shining white eyes appearing amidst the darkness and sucking me in, his hand going to cover my vision as blackness overtook everything and I pass out. And then I shot out of my makeshift bed on the floor, sweating and panting, eyes wide scanning the place up, moving to the walls, windows, and staying over the hall where the door stood open sideways, making the presence of the creature still vivid in my eyes. The only thing that took me out of it was the fact that it was starting to get bright outside, with chirping birds singing about. Was that a dream? And yet the door remained open I think, passing my hand over my hair, trying to calm down. Wait, I look beside me and find out that my brother was not there, and not even in this room, which makes me shudder as the nightmare came back stronger, making that I could still feel the coldness of the creature''s presence spreading. I jump up when I feel some movement beside me, oddly scared until I see a white-green face pop up from the blankets, looking at me with sleepy eyes as if asking what was wrong. "Oh, h-hey Shu, sorry, go back to sleep, sorry to have wakened you" I say, stroking his fur as he puts his belly up for me to scratch, making me notice his plump tummy. "You ate well last night uhm? Haha, I know the feeling, Leo will get us fat that way" The moment the words come out of my mouth my expression freezes when a chuckle sounds beside us from the hall, making me look up only to see Leo standing there. "Well, glad to hear you like my food that much, though I can argue that it is hardly my fault if you eat too much. Up so early?" "I could ask you the same." "Well, I need to make food for the starved ones here." He says, moving his chin in our direction and going to the kitchen, starting a fire and separating the tools he needed. I stay down on my bed, enjoying Shu''s company by stroking behind his ear, finding oddly pleasing the texture of the green leafy fur. "What''s up for lunch today?" "Uhm, I''m thinking of something sweet because we found a beehive in the back, just not sure which drink to put together with honey" If he doesn''t know I''m even more clueless. In the end he makes a mixture of cheese, honey and black and red berries, more like a dessert than a breakfast; but I definitely wasn''t complaining, anything he makes is divine, even soup goddamnit. It ended being a warm plate so I drank some water afterwards as I sat on the hall, looking outside towards the garden as finally the slowpokes start to arrive. Did I really wake up that early? Hm Worse even, does Leo wakes this early every day? Uf, definitely not a morning person, actually most of my kind hunts at night, so My brother is one of the last to appear, and immediately I could tell that something was different, he had a bright glint in his eyes and a goofy smile on his face as he came trotting beside me. "Brother, brother! I got something to tell you~~!" Sigh. "What is it? Is not like last time that you got all excited about how the flour grows into bread right?" "No! And stop bringing that up all the time, ok? "As if, it was too funny to tease him with it all the time." Is about that! The the a.d.u.l.t game we talked about! I played it last night and it was so-" Wait the what? My eyes twitch for a second as he finishes talking, but before I jump to any conclusions I keep a stiff smile on my face and ask: "What a.d.u.l.t game, Hunthor?" He, who was blabbering by now, stops once he hears his name. I never called him by his name, only once, and in just one type of occasion only. When I was livid with him. "T-that is" "Is not that a.d.u.l.t game I told you when we meet the red streets of the human''s city right? Not that one that I told to be very, very careful and play only with someone you loved very very much, right? Not that one that I told you we should talk before you tried with anyone, right?" I wanted to keep going, but I could feel the fury boiling up when he did not deny, instead his fear only increased as he starts backing up, making me stand and take two steps closer. "It is not, is it?" He doesn''t answer, his eyes wide and bulging out, for the first time really fearing me. "ANSWER ME!" I say, taking my anger on the wall and punching a hole in it, the impact shaking the building up. "I-I-" "Who was it? Who was the f.u.c.k.i.n.g bastard that dared to touch you? TELL ME!" At that I hear another set of footsteps coming closer, hearing the commotion, as Aeglos comes to view with a messy hair from someone that came rushing in from the bed. Then it dawned on me. It''s him. My eyes narrow dangerously, focusing on him as I bared my teeth, growling his name and my fists close on my sides: "A-E-GLOS you dirty, sneaky f.u.c.k.i.n.g pervert" My anger was consuming me, making me unable to speak as all I could see was red. My hair gains life, becoming a black fire and burning with fury on top of my head as my shadow did the same, like an entity of its own, twisting and biting on his own accord. Aeglos froze in place, giving me enough time to spread my legs apart so I could jump up right at his face... Only that Leo had run beside me and acted fast, aware of my intention as he hooks his arms on my armpits from the back, immobilizing me for enough time to turn to Aeglos and scream: "Run!" My brother gets out of his stunned state as he turns and grabs Aeglos''s hand and turns him around to sprint for the back and out of sight. That was the last drop of water to make me overflow with anger. I simply change back and forth from my shadow form to escape Leo''s grasp only to sprint forward, the path they took far to clear for my nose as I went banging the doors open only to find an empty hall. I growl lowly, annoyed that my prey was not on sight, but soon enough start tracking them down, Leo beside me ready to intervene again, making me give him a nasty look as if saying: Don''t you dare interfere. He only looked at me blankly, no emotion escaping his features, which made me lose interest as I take a sniff of their smell close enough. My silver eyes scanned the place as I could not see the dup, but pity for them I specialized on stealth and tracking, so once I use my third eye is was a piece of cake to locate their magic in that river of color, making me dash forward and break the wall with my body in a surprise attack that ended with my hand on Aeglos''s neck as I push him all the way into the next room, banging him on the wall. It did not matter that he was taller than me, or older than me, because, in the end, I was a magical creature, a beast in human skin. And my eyes were locked on him like the blade of a knife on his neck. "Brother, STOP! YOU ARE HURTING HIM!" My brother screams on the side, trying to pull my hand off from Aeglos, but I had always been the stronger one of the pair. That when things go down even further, when Aeglos starts wheezing for air, turning purple as his body loses strength, aimlessly hitting my arm without any power anymore. Its when my brother does something unspeakable, is when he bites my hand hard until it bleeds. *** Just to remind you that the T-shirts are still on, and looking pretty neat! So make sure to check it out! bonfire.com/hell-hound-novel-autist-school-fees-1/ See ya~~ Chapter 71 - Sixty-Nine By reflex I take my hand off, that second being enough for Aeglos to escape my grasp, jumping back towards my brother, massaging his neck; he will definitely have a mark later. "Came back here you coward and fight me!" "No! I don''t want to fight you! You just have to calm down and-" "Oh, calm down, CALM DOWN?! Not when you f.u.c.k.i.e.d my brother behind my back you sly fox!" "Brother, stop!" My brother says, standing in front of him. "Hunthor, get the f.u.c.k away from him, right now!" "No! You don''t tell me what to do!" I bare my teeth at him, but on the contrary of what I expected and what he used to do my brother bares his fangs back, not cowering even though I''ve always won against him. By instinct we curve our backs and spread your legs, ready to pounce at each other, feeling the adrenaline pulsate hard in my veins and a fierce fire burn in both our gazes, my shadows curving and turning as if eager to leap out and attack, at the same time that balls of fire erupted around my brother and hovered around him like little living things, the usual invisible markings shinning a bright red against his skin as if he had tattoos of his own. I could feel myself salivate in expectation of a good fight as I did before every chase, my anger threatening to overtake my senses. And yet some not as animalistic part of me was still aware enough to not let me hurt my own brother, my own flesh and blood, the one I would risk my life for without hesitation, the one I cared for so much which led us to this stalemate where none attacked neither backed off. "Brother, back off, let me teach this sly fox some manners." "No! You are just going to hurt him, I won''t allow it!" "Allow it? He just used you!" "I did not." Aeglos answers for him. "Shut up, you will have enough time to grunt in pain later, so save your breath." "He did not use me, who do you take me for?!" Says my brother, getting annoyed and angry as well. "Of course he did, you are too na?ve for your own good." "Pff, oh, come on, seriously? That bullshit needs to stop." "Language." "No, don''t give me that, now you listen to me, I''m not na?ve, I''m not a child anymore, can''t you see?!"He opens his arms, as to make his point clear, but I could see his eyes watering, which did not help his cause. "You are far too young to understand such things! Can''t you see that he used that against you?!" "No! Stop! J-just stop, ok?! Can''t you trust me a little bit more? You have always been like this, always thought low of me, as if I could not even decide when to play with someone!" "That''s what I''m saying, is not a pla-" "No! Even if it was you who trained me, who taught me, doesn''t it show how little trust you have in me and in your own teachings?!" "And it is wrong to worry about you?" "Is that you worry too much, is suffocating, and for what? You don''t even trust me." At that some sneaky tears manage to roll down his cheeks, being angrily wiped out from his face. "Is just that you don''t know what the a.d.u.l.t game implies, and don''t even know love-" "Don''t know love?" He cuts me short, angrier than before. "Then tell me, do you know about it? Or rather, no, never mind, I''m done, there is no point in talking with you if you don''t want to listen, let''s gone Aeglos." He says, pulling him by the arm. "You are not going anywhere with him!" My brother turns as we growl at each other again. "I am, you are not my freaking owner to tell me what to do! I hate you!" He turns, ignoring my protests, sulking like a scowled child and disappearing from my sight, making me want to punch something at the same time that cry rivers on the side. Leo was beside methe whole time, giving me space but close enough to let me know that he was there; probably to stop me from making a grave mistake I bet; as I mumble under my breath. "T-that is the first we fight, that we seriously fight" Now that my anger was starting to subside a little I could properly discern the situation with a strange sensation growing in me, and it was not a good feeling, like I lost something that, for sure, I would not be able to get back, I just wasn''t so sure of what that thing was. "I I need some time to think, alone." I barely see him nod as I walk outside, my mind full as I keep shaking my head in negation, but worst then knowing that my brother had taken part in such lewd acts behind my back was the words he threw at me. Never knew he thought of me in such a way was I such a nuisance? It was all too much. I wasn''t sure what really bothered me the most, in the end, and maybe he was right, maybe I still saw him as a child, maybe I still thought that I needed to protect him for the world, that he was not ready to choose someone, to have s.e.x even. When did he grow up I wonder My day was lost as I spend it entirely thinking about what just happen, a heavyweight on my chest as I walk around the house and garden. Today was hot and promising for some rain in the afternoon, but I could not care less as my eyes kept staring at the view, unfocused as my mind seemed to buzz with too many thoughts. I end up on top of a tall tree on the back that had the side glued to the end of the house, curved a little sideways and making it easier to hop on and have a nice view of the clearing. The whole place looked like it was amidst in the sky with the mist surrounded it as thick as clouds, hidden even more with the tall old trees around, their tops poking out of the white fog. At the center of it all stood our little hidden base, the lights being turned on little by little through all the house, shinning from the windows and illuminating the garden as the sky darkened, making me look up at the palette of magical colors standing on top of my head. The blue and purple were mixing together with the dark orange-red as the ball of flame turned white and disappeared on the horizon behind the trees, only to increase the shadow on the clouds, making it all worthy of a photograph; no, only a painting would be able to engrave such great mixture of colors. Now I''m just avoiding the subject, aren''t I? I sigh, looking down, wiggling my legs on the air and feeling my head and shoulders heavy. With my arms close in front of me and supporting my chin I fell depressed all of sudden. I mean, since I have been reborn in this strange world I have always stayed with my brother, almost every second of the day. Not having him around, beside me, was weird, like losing a limb; even if you knew it was not there, you could still feel it, enough to be reminded every time that you looked beside you that he was not there. I guess I never thought that way every time so worried about my brother, about how to keep him safe, that I never thought, I never imagined How depended of him I was, if, in the end, I was not the one who needed him all this time, that clung to him Was I that scared? Of being alone? No It was not that either, but Sigh, I don''t know, and I''m tired of thinking about it right now, is only feeding the anguish in my heart that''s wants to spread. At that I hear a rustle of leaves under me, making me look down only to see the one I expected to; Leonel. "" "" We only look at each other for some time until he says: "Can I come up?" I look for a little longer then nod, sitting more to the side as he goes and climbs the tree too from the back. He sits beside me as we stay in a comfortable silence for a while, the cold night breeze brushing the hair out of our faces, the moon illuminating the garden in front of us as our gaze wandered. I, however, notice that he had his hands tight together at the front, and he looked a little uncomfortable. I sigh, and ask: "Aren''t you cold?" "Yes." Of course, up here, in the middle of the night, with his night garments, he would end up with a cold. Sighing again I grab his arm, surprising him, and intertwine our fingers in a strong grip, our arms touching until the shoulder, warming his already cold skin quickly with my hot body. "Thanks." He says, and I just hum back. "Want to tell me why did you run all the way up here?" I move in place, getting closer as his company helped out to easy out the sadness that wanted to grow on me, feeling embarrassed as I answer: "My brother is terrible at climbing" He gives a soft chuckle "Hum I see" "Do you do you want to talk about it?" He asks after a while. I look down, thinking: "I don''t even know what to say." "Hm Then I will talk." That makes me look at him, only to see his unfocused gaze, an empty expression covering his face, making the anguish that I felt before take a chunk of my core. I waited for him to speak, a frown on my face and afraid of what I would hear. He took a deep breath, then looked straight into my eyes, a strange dull glint at his usually vivid golden gaze: "I won''t tell you what to do or how to act butI I was scared." That makes me blink quickly a few times, doubting my ears for a second as I turn towards him and take his hands on mine. "Scared? You? Of what?" Never thought I would hear such words coming from Leonel''s mouth. "Of finding myself in the past. Of having lost you again to your anger." Only when he speaks the last part I understand which past he was referring too; about his other life, before he was reborn, with the other me. "I have seen that expression too many times to count, but not in this life, and that got my worried and well, I have decided that I will help you manage our anger." "Oi, don''t you think I should have a saying on that? What if I don'' want nor think I needed such a thing uhm? I can control my anger just fine." He raises an eyebrow, looking straight at me, making me fidget, uncomfortable under his intense gaze. He smiles, teasing: "Is that so? "What? Don''t you think I can''t?" He doesn''t make a very trusting expression, making my puff some smoke out of my nose. "If I didn''t I would have shredded my brother to pieces." "And how far were you from that?" That shuts my mouth. "Is very simple my little hound" He says, passing the tip of his fingers on the side of my face. "If you think you don''t need it, then my help will pass quickly as you will pass everything with high scores. You got nothing to lose." "Still I don''t like it." Is like admitting I have a problem with it; which I don''t; and worst that I cannot deal with it on my own. Plus is giving him some control over my life, over my actions, and I don''t know if I was ready for that. "Please Thilgon." He says then, almost pleading, joining our foreheads together and closing his eyes. "Even if you think you don''t need it please let me do it, it would make me more at easy." Now now, throwing the "if not for you do it for me" at me Leonel? Do you think that will work at your favor now do you? Because damn You are totally right. "Humf, do what you need too, I don''t care." At that he chuckles. ***** Last week to get your badass T-shirt!! (and now with a store!) bonfire.com/store/writers-store/ And many of you asked for the, *cough cough*, details about Hunthor and Aeglos relationship, and let me tell ya it was supposed to be an exclusive extra for the payable version. BUT! Since I have a kind soul MC:*cough* Were? *cough* Shut up, I mean- as I was saying, I will put those extras chapters exclusively on Tapas and some more! Can we reach 300 subscribers?! (and is all for FREE) ?(?)? (though the extras are not completed yet :P ) Sooo see ya Friday!! Resume: For Exclusive content read it on TAPAS for Free! tapas.io/Vivi_Mayaa Oh, and the Halloween special is turning out to be uhm uhm of nhami hehe! Will post it as soon as it is done on TAPAS too! (??) Chapter 72 - Seventy At that I see my brother downstairs, looking side to side with a heavy expression on his face, ears down and a hand on the chest. "He is probably looking for you." "Pff, is alright, he never looks u-" "Oi, in here." Leo says, catching my brother''s immediate attention, not before earning a glare from my part. My brother trots closer, then as if hesitating goes back to a slow walk, opening and closing his mouth like a fish as he tries to find the better way to say what he wanted to say. I felt tired of all the sudden and sigh. I had always been the best one with words and languages from the two of us, guess one more thing I may as well help him out with. "Brother, we need to talk." I say, making him surprise as he nods at me when I jump down my hiding place and walk towards him, feeling Leo''s gaze on my back, somehow managing to take off a little of the pressure as his serene aura always manages to calm me down for some reason. We walk further away from the buildings until no light could be seen, making sure that we were alone so we could talk in private. I look the place over and find a good spot to sit down on the grass, watching the light pas by the tree leaves as I pet the ground beside me, motioning for Hulthor to sit beside me. We stay in an awkward silence for a while, pulling grass from the ground or throwing some small stones away, a strange tension between us as none knew what to do, uncomfortable with the situation as both try to think of something to break the ice. We have never fought before, well, not like this at least, not this seriously, so that was a first I wished we never had. "I''m sorry" My brother starts, but I just nod my head sideways. "No, I''m sorry, I lost my cool there and I should not have slashed out as I did, I could have hurt someone seriously." "Uhm." He mumbles, and we are back to the awkward silence. "But" I start before I have no more courage to do so, and continue, feeling a weight on my chest: "What I tried to say was that I don''t want you to give yourself away like that" "I know, I know, but I really like him" "I bet you do, but you should have told me before, we should have talked about it, about safety and stuff, and is just Look, I just don''t like you doing things behind my back and have you simply going on with the flow just because it feels nice or because you like the" "S.e.x, yeah, I know, I''m an a.d.u.l.t now ok?" "Pff, I doubt that." I say, making him puff his cheeks as he gets ready to retaliate, only so see a smirk on my face as my tail wiggled slightly behind me. "Hey." He says, bumping my shoulder lightly as I continue, looking him in the eyes, serious again. "I just want you to know that being in a relationship is far more than just skin deep and touches. What keeps you both together no matter what is love, and I want you to stay with Aeglos because of it, not just because you experience something new and thought that that passion and pleasure was love. Can you understand?" "Uhm So-so, but I understand that I should not have my relationship based on what we do but in what we feel for each other, right? "Y-yes, geez, that''s hard to explain." "Haha So, what about you and Leo?" What! So direct! "What about it?" I say, looking out in the woods. "Are you two going out?" Wait, my over the clouds brother noticed something? He actually noticed it? What now? We will see flying cows? Ok that''s totally possible here and I''m exaggerating a bit, my brother used to notice things I do not, so we are even in that area. Still. I thought we were being discreet. Well, better say it now than ever, right? " Yes, but I wanted to tell you about it, we just got together not long ago." "Uhm did you do it?" If I was drinking I would have choked to death. "Oi, you, that''s not something you ask!" At my fl.u.s.tered face he laughs, and soon after I laugh as well, like two dumb brothers enjoying a not so funny joke. I put my arm over his shoulder, bringing him into a half hug, shaking my head sideways, very happy yet very sad. How was that even possible? I see Aeglos and Leo perching in the corner, far away not to hear us, only looking at us, making my brother instantaneous happy as his tails wiggle furiously behind him. "One last thing..." I say before he goes running about like he always does. "II do accept and support your relationship." I say, making him look back at me. "I may not look like that right now, but I want you to be happy and what is best for you, I''m just very worried" "You always are, especially since mother died." He gives me a small smile, joining our hands together. "Haha, that''s true. I just want you to know that Love is a very complicated thing Is like giving the other person a knife for him to hold right against your chest, and the only thing stopping him for piercing the skin is his will and his alone." "I don'' understand" "Is like Giving them the power to hurt you deeply because of how much they matter to you." " I don''t think that''s true." I frown. "Why?" "In that case I would have a knife too, wouldn''t I? That''s just stupid, why not just let go of the knife? And how the hell do you hug someone with a knife between the two?" "But what if the other doesn''t let go of the knife?" "Uhm Well, you can always dodge, but even if it hits you I don''t think you would die from one stab, so I would just let it heal on its own. Why? Do you have a wound in your heart?" "I-I" I''m left speechless as I stay shocked by his words, not even knowing if my brother knew the deep mean his words carried. At that Aeglos and Leo had come closer, making my brother stand and hop towards him, leaving me with his words and a heavyweight in my heart as I look at both of them chatting up close,together, their eyes shining with the sigh of each other. My brother doesn''t know how to be subtle, and had always been very direct and honest, like a child almost. No no a child, not anymore. Leo stops beside me, look at the two walking away, smiling, laughing, holding hands even. "Leo" I say, almost inaudible as I avoid eye contact. "I could really use a hug right now." I didn''t need to ask twice as I was engulfed by his warm embrace, my face right on his chest, his heartbeat sounding like a lullaby to me, his strong arms making me feel safe and secured. But, above all, it made me feel like I was home, that this is where I belonged, on his arms. "They grow too fast, don''t they?" He hums a response as I hug him tighter, wanting to hide the tears that wanted escape my eyes. I think it was time to let the bird out of the nest. That night I went to bed with a heavy heart, using the bed in Leo''s room as my brother went for Aeglos room. I had my head on the pillow, looking at the wall, my mind too active for sleep to come, making me sigh. "Cannot sleep?" Leo head appears on the side of the bed, his chin on the palm of his hand as he looks at me, probably aware that I would not be able to sleep tonight as he had no trace of sleep on his face. "None of your business." He laughs, making me smile as I cover half my face with the blanket, appearing to be in a cocoon. Leo stands then, making me look out from my covers only to see him getting comfortable beside me, laying on top of the covers since I stole all of it to make my cocoon. "Oi, what do you think you are doing now?" "Sleeping with you?" "Ha, don''t play dumb!" I say, kicking him slightly on the leg, receiving an ouch in return as he turns towards me, bring his arms over my shoulder and pulling me closer. "What? Was wrong with hugging my boyfriend?" Damn he knew I had a weak spot for that word. "Humf, none I think." I say, but I could hear the tap tap of my tail hitting the bed. He gives me a low chuckle, making his golden eyes upturn like crescent moons as his face comes closer and met in a soft kiss, our lips exploring each other as he licks mine, asking for entrance that I give, feeling his moisty tongue exploring my mouth, our lips smacking together as our tongues brushed and rasped at each other. We separate to breath, looking with l.u.s.tful eyes at each other as he says: "Cannot have the older brother being left behind like that can we?" I almost purr at his words, answering with my hands as I explore his abs, pulling his shirt up to trace the muscles there. And yet Before anything could escalate any further I freeze, frowning as my ears turn as antennas, searching for the something that caught my attention. "What is it?" Says Leo, but before I could answer I stare at him with widen eyes as an explosion of magic makes the house tremble and dust fall upon our heads, making me close my ears with my hands, screaming at Leo over the ruble and explosions: "We are under attack!" **** Author Note~~~ Yes I''m holding the D hostage until the end of the book! Muahhah! Ok, not until the eeend but not now lol. And thank you for those who bought the T-shirt!! Christopher~?(?n??) Gabriella~(.Ŧ?). Michael~(???)?* You guys are awesome!!! ?(?)? Oh, and 3 Halloween especial chapters will be available on TAPAS until next Friday, so make sure to check it out! I''m very proud of the smut part in therehehe. (oo) PS. Please turn off your add blocks while reading there! Thank you! d()b See ya~~ Chapter 73 - Seventy-One We jump out of bed and run towards the hall, the others doing the same with messy clothes and hair but sharp eyes as no words were needed to pass the seriousness of the situation. "Where are the twins?!"I scream over the sound of explosions, my palm on the wall for support as the place keeps shaking. "Here!" One of them screams from the end of the hall, running up to us. "What the hell is going on?!" "Yeah, wasn''t the place supposed to be safe and hidden?!" Says Isa, the ex-woman. "It was! You guys saw it yourselves! They shouldn''t have been able to found us, unless no, no, I''m not sure" The older brother starts, but at that a bigger explosion seems to finally break through the magical barrier as waves after waves of aftershock hit us, the colorful invisible magic seeming like a string that has been let loose after being stretched to the max, making uncomfortable to keep looking at the rapid color changes with my third eye. Fortunately I insisted in keeping it open by instinct, the crystal shinning with a deeper light on my forehead as I saw a quick flicker of a black line strike like a whip on the corner of my vision, only giving me enough time to pull Leo out of the way as something exploded the side of the house, breaking wood and incantations with the same facility and making debris fly in our direction. I let a growl escape my lips as the rubble fall in front of us, the smoke hiding any creature or being that could be there. Well, hiding from most but not from me. The creature jumps towards us, using the camouflage to its advance, but I stay in between and, seeing the stretched out hands coming closer I lock its fingers with mine in a strong grip that holds the creature mid-air, only truly seeing what was attacking us when Leonel uses his wind magic and makes the smoke disappear. I should have guessed by the size of the hands, but in front of us was a small girl, her whole body warped around in bandages so that no skin was left visible, her head and back cover by long coat with hood. But what gave her oddity away were the eyes, staring dead into mine, two all-white orbs widened in a permanent crazy look as her lips seemed to curve up under the bandage. As her eyes curved up in a crescent moon shape my third eye captured a message, a corrupted one that seemed oddly familiar %$F234o%$U$6n12$*d^}@Y%&(o-09%[email protected] Wait F-o-u-n-d-y-o-u? That sends a shiver down my spine stronger than the creepy smile on her face. So had she being really there last night? And who was she? What did she want? How could she have broken so many spells to get here? All of that happened in mere seconds, but it gave enough time for Leo to bring his sword up as I held her, a silver glint speeding up towards her side, faster than my reaction to her. And yet it hit the air. As the tip was about to strike her side, it simply passed her, opening her bandages on the side but not leaving any traces of blood or wound behind. I had no time to analyze any further as her fingers seem to turn into mist and materialize centimeters farther back, only enough to let her free from my grasp as she jumps back, or rather, flows back. The odd movement, starting from her back, makes it appear as she has strings attached to her, like a puppet would, and sure enough with my third eye I can clearly see the black lines seemly almost goopy with a weird substance being pumped in the girl, like tubes. She cracks her neck sideways, in a complete uncomfortable and odd angle, eyes staring, never lingering. "We need to get out of here, now!" I hear Eyope say from behind me, but Leo and I were occupied with the creature in front of us. I faintly could hear fighting breaking in behind us as other parts of the wall gave in and other creatures intruded on the hall, but the girl did not waste her time and attacked us again. It would do me good to have information about her, but the odd corruption keeps happening, mere letters threw around symbols and numbers. How could this be possible? My appraisal seemed flawless to this point, it may have blocked information because of level differences, but never corrupted data, never like this! Thoughts for later though, now dodge! I step to the side as her sharp long black claws pass right beside me, and seeing that the sword did not harm her I went with another type of attack: I breathe fire at her. My now black flames seemed to mix with her body as they consumed her bandages with hunger, only to reveal what was inside as she simply kept moving, as if unaware of the fire or the pain. And it was difficult to describe with one word, but if I had to choose I would say creepy. As she keeps fighting the fire consumed what was last of the bandages, revealing her black goopy skin, as if made of condensed darkness or countless black worms wiggling about, and that made it very different from mine form; I had a silky smooth type of shadow, as she had a goopy wax one. When she finally steps back from slashing her claws at me and only hitting air I could see her small body better as she turns her face to stare me down with countless of eyes blinking their white orbs, some in her face, sideways or accompanying the forehead like spider eyes, one right where her mouth should be, a white oval globe that seemed to want to suck me in, all with a livid shot out glint to them. 5%#B-o%w!?/@t$23o*9m!$^>a}s! :t;>e^?:r!!/~; Like an automatic appraisal the information simply popped on my mind, but there was no time to think as her belly suddenly swollen, growing big as if with worms in it until it cracks right in the middle and opens up like a flower bud, but instead of colorful the thing was full of tiny horns resembling sharp teeth pointing inwards, as if hold whatever felt victims to her embrace inside. I haven''t been wondering, and really didn''t want to know, where her mouth was. Guess is one of these impossible to unseen things now, ugh. As if not enough a long black tongue falls out of her belly, almost touching the ground between her legs, eek. "Attack with magic!" Someone says from behind between blows, and while I was tempted to look back I needed to trust that they would cover it for me for now, the need for finishing this fight quickly growing. Her tongue shouts out to get me, quick as a snake, but we dash sideways as Leo tries to stab it on the ground only for the sword to pass thought it like if made of smoke. But this time he was prepared, and once the sword is all in with the tip on the ground a rune appears as if made of light on the metal, his patterns growing like veins all over the blade and making it somehow tangible while inside the goopy flesh of the thing, holding the tongue in place. I don''t stop to ponder though, the creature, with the tongue stuck, was an easy target, but as Leonel I test my own attacks against the thing to understand it''s weakness better. Needless to say that no bites nor strikes could harm her, unless embedded with magic, so that what I just did; I used my shadow claws and got a satisfactory slash right across her body, but eerily she did not react to it, as if I had just hit a doll, even if her anger seemed to increase with the successful blow. Seeing that my attack wasn''t as effective as I hoped at first I soon realize that only a deadly blow could stop the creature, so, with my shadows moving as if alive, I swiftly use my Shadow Slash right at her neck, parting that round full of eyes thing from the rest of it. And yet she still moved, her body still trying to free her tongue as the head rolled around with her eyes scanning the place with a creepy vigor, her gaze never losing her targets from sight as it kept rolling about. I frown at that, but for the first time hearing a scream from behind us, I simply chose to not hold back anymore as I keep my attacks into a continuous flow, the slashes swiftly cutting the air and hitting her goopy skin, making puddles of puddles ooze out of her. She may still move, but there will be no limbs to attack us with anymore. It was eerie to see pieces of cut meat still twisting and wobbling about, the now unrecognizable pile of minced goop twisting and spasming, making me wanting to puck. With a last slash, however, I hit one of the strings behind her, and a noticeable change happens; part of the goopy body stops moving and starts bubbling up as if warming up, until they get too hot and start evaporating, leaving the rest behind to twist about. Then it downs me. The strings! I hit the other one without thinking twice, and the same effect happens to the rest until all of her body had disappeared into mist, but I did not have enough time to feel relieved nor share my knowledge with the others as more explosive sounds resonate behind me, making me finally turn around to see the fights breaking loose behind us. And what I saw wasn''t pretty. *** Author note: Yay, I manage to write a chapter, uhuu! I have being sick since last Friday, can you believe that? Ugh, hopefully this cough will move on from me, I don''t want him anymore! I think the flu melted my brain(?V?) Thanks to the awesome people that donated ink this month! Xxknight ~(???)?* Stella Moon~?(???) laceydrace135~(*RHQ) Butterfly~(ţ) Unoriginal Artist~(?????) ??+.(???)?+.? And you can do it too for FREE on Tapas! See ya ~~ Chapter 74 - Seventy-Two Is easy to see that their situation is not as favorable as ours; having not so many fighting members in our group they ended up having to protect the others, but in such a crowded small space with an odd enemy to top that they all seemed to be trapped against a wall, literally. Worst of all, none of them could see the black strings attached to the back of the floating creatures, attacking endlessly their bodies, only to make minor injuries that were easily ignored by the floating masses of goop. I was going to help out, however one quick look outside changed my plans as I clenched my hands. There were hundreds of them, rippers floating in the sky, all appearing to have come out of a contest of creepiest creature of all. I could not fight them all, not with so many people to protect behind me. "Hunthor! Change into our hound form and carry them out of here, I will buy you some time!" "Sure brother!" I hear him shout after a bright fire explosion, not questioning my decision as he knew that there was no time for it, trusting that I knew what I was talking about and that I could take care of myself. I jump up at the strongest creature who was blocking their way, a misty creature with a pair of shining eyes and small deer horns to the sides, accompanied by deer long floppy ears, which could be cute if it did not belong to such creature, its legs cracked in the middle and opening to the sides, making four limbs instead of two, staying in an odd angle like a weird crab, as the once deer appearance was ruined by horns like branches growing all over the misty goopy creature. He had only one string attached to him as he attacked with his legs, using them like long claws for they ended in some type of sharp hooves, pinching forward like sabers. As I run my shadow slides with me, my hound form taking shape in it, my hand clasping in the form of claws as I bring them up, slashing the air with them but having my shadow move as an extension of my own body, the talons forming from darkness and dropping down on the creature, but not with the size of my hand, but the full size of my gigantic hound form, the paw slashing the floating creature in half without even trying. It was enough to open a path out for my brother to burst in flames as his Hound Form came to view; or rather, his Cerberus form. And it is massive. His skin looks like rock with a tougher aspect to it, like lava solidified, with lines of red appearing here and there as if his own veins were on fire. I wouldn''t be surprised if they were. His three heads stood up with sharp eyes and razor teeth in his big mouths, and if he were to open then you could see a pit of fire inside his throats, a deadly cauldron for anyone who felt victim of his bite. He had trained well, I will admit, and evolved quite nicely, even if in a somewhat normal build for Hell Hounds to follow, since most went like him to a fire only elemental type. Yet his level overcame most. I give a last good at his status, as it has been a long time since I did, proud of how far he came to. Name: Palarran Hunthor Mnaothon Gender: Male Race: Cerberus Hell Hound Age: 18 Level: 150 HP1620 MP: 5210 SP: 2450 Attributes: Pure Fire Titles: Younger Brother, Good Boy, Magic Holder, Graspy Singer, Fire Holder, Multi-Caster, Three-Headed Beast Attacks: Claw 122, Bite 124, Swim 112, Tail Whip 133, Aim 253, Support 246 Magic: Presence Sense 135, Healing Saliva 133, Telepathy (Older Brother), Intimidation 65, Multi-cast 600 Fire Magic: Hell Cerberus Form, Fire Form 152, Fire Manipulation 152, Fire Barrier 152, Fire Arrow 152, Fire Whip 152, Heat Illusion 52, Laser Bean 152, Healing Heat 152, Fire Slash 152, Fireball 152, Fire Breath 152, Fire Armor 152, Lava Breath 152, Explosive Ball 152, Fire Invocation 152, Fire Levitation 152, Resistances: Fire 302, Water 17, Earth 112, Poison 39, Illusion 4, Bleed 47, Cold 19, Fatigue 145, Hunger 146 Language: Hound Language MAX, Common Language MAX, Elven Language MAX Ineptitudes: Sing -83, Stealth -89, Too good for this world Status: Alert I remember when I went to human society, trying to learn their ways, that one of the things I wanted to know about is how they saw and classified magical creatures, and one of these places was the guilds. Each level up corresponds to a letter or classification, most meeting the same levels that were required to level up, which means that under level 5 you have the category of D class, level 15 is class C, and so on and on, making us class S, me class S+ since I was a unique kind of evolution. Funny how most creatures didn''t even pass level 100, and most strong humans reached only 60; though elves reached level 120 for living much longer. The last hero that I know of was level 150, and we already surpassed that; that just how strong we are. "Up you all, now!" My brother lays down as I use my Shadow Tentacles to pull them up and on his back as his three heads keep conjuring fireballs at any incoming goopy monsters, destroying the strings together in the explosive process without even realizing it. I try to put Leo too, but he dodges my shadows and gets closer to me. "I''m staying with you and that is not up to discussion!" I wanted to argue with him but I see the deer-like shadow that I slashed before starting to mend together, his parts all outside after the blow of my gigantic paw. I only have enough time to take Shu out of the ground and throw him to one of the twins as my brother bend his hind legs and jumps farther away into the back, running towards the woods as his body disappears between the foliage. Relief that I did not have to worry about them anymore I turn towards the entrance, the garden being overtaken by those creatures, on the roofs, on the floor dragging themselves, over the sky and everywhere I looked. The flying ones, as if being swinged midair by the string, where threw towards my brother, trying to give chase. "No gonna happen buddy!" Since my hound form would be an easy target against so many enemies I use my humanoid form, however using a trick that I learned from years of fighting; a half form between my shadow form and my humanoid form. It was as if I was wearing my shadow like a cloak as the black mass followed my movements and stretched over my arms and legs, increasing the ledge of my limbs and making me jump higher as if my big hound legs where boosting me up. As I''m in the air I pull my arm back and swing it forward with all my strength, my shadow stretching more and more as my clawed paw cut the air in their direction, so fast that a swooshing sound accompany the movement, cutting the creatures in half as the pressure of the movement pushed them backward, out of the garden. I drop on the floor and see Leo carving with expertise runes over the trees, his dagger moving with the skill of a master cooker as, in a blink of an eye, a barrier was raised behind us, enough to stall these creatures. But I trusted my brother would not need that, even more with us stalling them. A fangs full smile curves my lips up; it has being a long time since I had a good fight like this, the excitement making my heart speed up and a slight tremble runs through my body, my eyes scanning the battlefield as I raised my lip in a snarl. For a second it is as everything had stopped, the adrenaline rush making me aware of the sound of our breathing, a last deep breath being take as my fingers get rigid and, as a string being released hell breaks loose all at once; All the closer creatures jump at me, no one on one politics as the puppets attacked me from the ground, the sky, both sides. Bring it on. With a quick smooth move my hand goes up, bringing the shadow from the ground with it and crushing its victim as the other hand punched outwards the next, ending with me breathing black fire up close the face of the goopy creatures, no screams of pain nor rolling around to extinguish the flames as they were simply get consumed by it, melting into a puddle of goop as the strings were burned to a crisp with it. All attacks from both sides go so fast that is almost impossible to see me between the body of the creatures jumping and attacking, covering my field of vision as I slashed, dodged, attacked and burned them up without mercy, covering the once pristine garden in black goop in no time. As if aware that throwing those low-level creatures at me and Leo would not work they start to retreat, but only a few steps, as if waiting for something. That''s when, from the back of the group, more creatures surge, black misty ones with a powerful look to them. But that''s not all. I recognized one of those. And that made me widen my eyes in horror. **** Author Note: The classification: SSS; SS; S; A; B; C; D; E (( * level''s up )) 5* E // 15* D // 50* C // 70 B // 100 A // 150* S // 300 SS // 400 SSS // 500* Unique Author: *walks in the studio* Oi have you finish recording the extra yet? We are already late for Halloween! Author stops, looking at the scene unfold in front of her as someone screamed: "Oh, no no no, it won''t fit, I can''t take anymore, let me c.u.m ahhh!" Author closes the door slowly and retreats, glad that nobody noticed her. A life crisis passes her mind and she sighs; what have I done?! Leo: Art. Oh boy. Halloween special out exclusively on TAPAS! See ya~~~~ =(f?)/ Chapter 75 - Seventy-Three As I look up towards the most prominent creature floating above, I give a quick glance back to the one laying on the floor, looking at the individual that I had slashed before so that my brother could escape, with his upper body and little horns still intact, reality downing on me fast. My mind was trying to deny it, but it was crystal clear to me what was happening here. All because of that pair of horns on the head of the creature floating above us. I could recognize those anywhere, anytime; the ones from my childhood, the one belonging to the first kind creature I met beyond my own family, the one that taught me one of the most important skills, the one who presented me to my mentor, the one who lead me to learn the voice of the night. The white kind snow deer, Elfihe. And now the only trace of him left was the gigantic branch white horns growing on his head; the rest was deformed beyond recognition. Over his black complexion a pair of shining circular orbs glinted in replacement of his kind eyes, resembling a black hole, sucking all the light around it and making difficult to look away from those white orbs shinning against a dark background. Yet I could still see far more from his body than needed to make me distress with the vision. It was as if he had stayed in a half middle form, looking like a deer centaur, only that the lower animal part wasn''t fused like a centaur, but instead there was a deer head in front the front, the humanoid torso erupting from the middle of the deer''s back. But worst of all was that, looking more carefully into the mass, one could see faces, horrified expressions that eerily disappeared into the black mass only to come back out once more, like a black river of vines stretching into faces and forming the body, adding that his deer face was stretched backward in a way that fused it with its neck and the faces surrounding it, one single eye wide in my direction, locked in that position. That sends a shiver down my spine, even worst at the perspective that that those faces could really belong to someone. And I had my doubts about who they were for the quantity and for the other deer horned creature that I had faced before I feel a bitter taste in my mouth, a heavyweight in my heart that makes me uncomfortable with the current predicament. In front of Leo a similar menacing creature appears, overall with a rather humanoid body if it wasn''t from how tall it was, the clawed shadow hands and the armor that seemed to be fused in its body, only a pair of bright white eyes shining through the M shaped opening of the helmet. The silver plates shone amidst his dark misty body, making him have a rather intimidating aura surrounding him. They advanced with confident steps, clearly in another level from those we fought until now, even more when I look behind them, expecting to see the same string types attached to their backs, only to find a single one connecting each, but so thick and tough that it looked like an artery pumping is goopy essence into both. Elfihe once-majestic figure looked corrupted and instead of the purity and celestial aura he had, now he seems to bring catastrophe and pain with him, the once white pure snowflakes that followed his moves now black and goopy like slime, and instead of falling from the sky it actually came from the ground, up like an upside-down drip of water, defying gravity by floating midair around him. His clawed hoof stops moving, craving in the soil as those black spots stop their smooth movements in a rigid manner, somehow pointing at me and shooting out in my direction like bullets, barely giving me enough time to dodge. The small dots that resemble sharp snowflakes changes into spikes, some still small attacking together, combining the shapes and speeds, making it rain projects in my direction. I avoid using my MP and magic yet, all too aware from fighting for so long with my psyches that any magical attack was my last resort against a real treat, wanting to learn his patterns first before tiring myself out. So I twisted, crouched, sidestepped all his rage attacks, sometimes letting a fan of black fire out, covering a big part of the garden and making any of the weaker sneaky enemies fall back or end burning up, as well as melting the projectiles that the deer threw at me, proving that, at least, his element was still the same, ice. I manage to have a glimpse of Leonel''s fight, seeing that the knight had pulled out a long sword that seemed to have a green aura over it, like the vapor coming from something hot. But green? Better not have that touching you, not worth knowing what it does first hand like that. Leo, smartly, was keeping his distance, seemly that the knight was specialized in close-in combat. With his light and wind elements, plus his knowledge about runes, Leonel could attack him with Wind Blades and blind the knight with a Ball of Light if he got too close and tried to attack. I scream at Leonel, barely able to see his sharp gaze and cold expression as he focused on the battle as I dodge to the side and land on the back of one of the lower creatures, smashing its strings with my claws. "Weak spot over the back!" I wish I could say more but these creatures, in an undead way, did not tire themselves and keep coming with their attacks, making me only hope that he understood as I focus my attention on the deer once more, seeing a goopy long lace grown on his hand. He hardens his grip on the lance and dashes forward, his massive deer-human body having the speed and strength on his side, definitely deadly blow on the tip of the sharp crystal-ice black lance. But Unfortunately for him, I was the one specialized in close combat here. Because of his speed his blow wasn''t very accurate and his path predictable, making it easy for me to dodge and roll, putting my claws out and hitting his front deer legs in the process, not enough to severe the limb but enough to make him lose the momentum, tripping and falling on the ground, his knees digging into the soil. And, with him behind me, his body ended up covered in my own shadow, which was a big, big mistake on his part; and a calculated one from my part. Like a marine monster emerging from my shadow long black tentacles rise from the ground, making him lower his body even more into other tentacles, all coiling over him like snakes and trapping him in a deadly embrace. A confident smile curves my lips up, but is soon replaced with a scoff as the dead white eyes from the creature stared unblinking at me, a dreadful sensation growing within me for seeing such a longtime friend lost in that state. I could clearly see his suffering, even if his eyes were hollow, even if the vine faces could only silently scream, I could feel his distress, almost like something palpable in the air. ~]2s9]O8R[@r%#y&[email protected]$v6&e!2rY%[email protected]#o)(d{^Y{ I barely have enough time to discern some words between the corrupted information when a stronger pulse comes from the thick string on his back, making his body twitch and trash hard against the bindings, almost like an electric shock as he, unconcerned with matters of pain, twists and turns in odd angles, hooves high in the air. Somehow he manages to escape by freezing my Shadow Tentacles with the glassy-black ice covering them and breaking into pieces, almost mixing with my shadows and only appearing when the light hits it, making it glint. How the heck did he freeze my shadows?! Though I won''t question the logic behind my shadows being able to hold him down or anything Once he frees himself he starts wiggling, trying to stand once more with its deformed body, his full height surpassing mine with more than 3 heads worth. Seeing him use magic in such a way, and being that close to me, I start to get a little more serious as I make two Bolo Machetes appear in my hands, their blades and handle completely black with only a silver line on the edge of the blade, shining like obsidian, made from my own shadow, using my claws as blades. They were not long yet had a wider blade on the tip, making it perfect for quick slashes and moves, even more when I had two blades at my disposal. That''s why I turn my body backward in a twisting motion, making my blade gain velocity as it cut the humanoid torso that, as if being held by vines, had the back part still attached to the rest of the body with barely any strings-black vines holding it in place. I take the opportunity at hand and dash forward, and as he continues to stand I put both blades together, the knife-edge parallel to each other and, like twin blades they swing together with my arms, my body working together to hit with maximum cutting power, both sharp blades wounding with easy the black vine misty substance, destroying the deer neck and making some goop fly up my face and glue on my hair. All in a matter of seconds. As if unaffected by the loss of a limb his hand swings midair, at the same time that a black crystal-like ice appears like a blade on his hand, making me move my torso back as the blade make a clear shallow cut on my cheek since I turned my face to protect the crystal in my forehead, the cut barely deep enough to draw blood, not going further only because the creature did not have enough time to make the blade bigger. I jump backward, giving me time to assert the situation as my machete twist and swings in the air for the creatures that were waiting for me to dodge back, adding to the carpet of goop that was forming on the garden. I silver afterimage followed my blade movements as it twisted and turned midair, is deadly edge cutting and slashing, until they realize that the plan of trying to tire me out wasn''t working since I had a very high SP, in contrast to my MP, only making their number dwelled as they finally fall back. With quick breathing I look back to the deer only in time to see him throwing his spear at me, but even amidst the chaos of the other creatures attacking I manage to block it with my machete, which seems to infuriate whatever was commanding these creatures. At this point I knew I had learned and understood enough of our current predicament to end the fight, of how someone must be controlling them all at once to have them attack in such a coordinated way, and how it cost for him to move and use the magic of his stronger puppets. Of how he seemed to corrupt creatures into his mindless puppets, of how he used them as paws on his sick chest game. I had learned enough of the puppeteer at this point enough to be really, really angry at him and his ways. It was time to get a little more serious. ~~~~ Author Note: Best melee WEAPON to use with SUPER SPEED? FANTASY RE-ARMED - Shadiversity youtube.com/watch?v=pnm6iOqTfjY Helped me decide which blade type to give him, plus I love his channel, from a writer to another! TAPAS is going to have an Inks giving event 11/22- 11/24, so make sure to have your inks prepared! I''m acc.u.mulating as well to participate and give to other authors, and in reward for you guys I''ll probably have a double update ready if we reach the milestone! (You can earn ink by watching adds on the app for free!) See ya next Friday! =(f?)/ Chapter 76 - Seventy-Four I can feel my blood boiling with the perspective of how much pain this puppeteer had inflicted on others, on my friend, of how he uses and abuses other living beings in the same way a contractor does to the magical creature, on how all of this always seemed to resolve in the stronger eating the weak. It infuriated me. Instead of the fortunate ones sharing their blessing they eagerly ate the most unfortunate; and that is a cycle I''m going to break, and it may sound follish, childish, I may not reach all, and it may never end even, but every single one I take care of is one less to have his ways with the weaker, and in numbers it may sound meaniless and small but will affect the entire life of that magical creature you save. And this type of person who destroys everyone around him for his own gain makes me really angry. I let a growl escape my lips as my shadow twists and turns under me, but this time two hound forms grow from it, similar to my normal form without a crystal, their red intelligent eyes glinting with malice and the same anger I felt, their rows of sharp teeth appearing in the darkness of my shadow as they growl. This was one of the things that I learned over the years, with two magic working at once I''m able to make them, almost two completely separated beings, the fruits of mixing my Clone Shadow with Sentient Shadow. They were very similar to each other, but as one walked on four legs and had the upper part of his face covered by a white skull, the other had a hound furry form, very normal if it wasn''t for the fact that he walked on two limbs; these were my clones, Darkjaw and Deadbite, two little rascals that were quite costly MP wise; and sometimes patient wise too. "Oya oya boss, Ya ''s dis you have for us today?" Says Deadbite as Darkjaw growls in approval. "I have prepared a feast for you guys." " ''s that so?" He says, earning an eager grow from Darkjaw. "Then how about we have some fun?!" He jumps and mounts the other shadow, Darkjaw, a spear of his own appears in his pawed hand as he licks his black lips, his eyes shining a bright red as the texture of his fur seemed to move like black flames. "Take care of the others, the deer one is mine!" "Y''s boss!" At that they run straight to the annoying ones that were sneak-attacking me all this time, the trees and grass on the way cover them as the only thing I see is the spear rotating mid-air in his hand in a swooshing motion that, combined with their speed, was opening a path of cut limbs around them. With that taken care of I look once more to the deer, his neck sliced up and gushing goop, looking into his blank eyes, and saying: "I know you can hear me you freaking bastard, and I don''t know what you are planning nor do I care, but you just messed up with one of my friends and I will make sure to hunt you down like the coward you are and end your miserable life!" I can sense that the string on the back trembled with my words, reacting to what I said, which was my intention, to have his attention on me; for you see, those two were my clones, my shadows, and myself in a way, so I did not need words to tell them what to do, in fact, our exchange of words was a mere show for the puppeteer to see. They actually had another mission beyond taking care of the lowly shadows that matter not to us; they were going to follow the strings to their source, and give me the location and identity of the coward puppeteer. With my vengeful spirit ignited I can feel my blood boiling, but looking at Elfihe a heavyweight pushed my anger down, a sadness that overtook my wish to lash out. It was strange, to feel so much anger yet so much sadness, like a fire burning on ice. As if unaffected by gravity my long hair starts to stand, swinging up in a wavy motion as it speeds up until it burst into dark flames, showing off the anger that wanted to erupt out of me and burn everything down to ashes. The deer, impatiently moving his hooves in place, starts preparing others sharp black ice in my direction, intending to use rage attacks once more to his benefit. They shot out as if gunpowder exploded behind them, swooshing in my direction as quick as a diving bird, the sharp spear head dangerously sharp as it approached, leaving an afterimage with dark glint as it passed. And yet, I did not move, from beginning to end my eyes were focused on my lost friend as all emotions boiled inside me and wanted to burst; and yet like all colors together turned white, all those strong emotions together made me cold and silent on the outside, like the string of the bow ready to be resealed and strike, yet silently waiting for the target to appear. I clench my teeth with what I was about to do. The ice flies in my direction, but they do not reach me, and before they could even come close enough to cause any harm they simply melt. I can sense the surprise on the other party, even the deer widen his hollow eyes a little, unaware of the difference in levels; on how my fire burned far stronger than is ice could freeze, even more in that corrupted state. He is so stunned that he stops moving for a second, attacking me once more when I start walking forward, slow confident steps as my eyes never leave his, taking my time to shorten the distance between us. He keeps attaching, increasing the strength and number, trying to compensate even with size, but none of that matter as it all melted, some not even forming anymore as I was too close, my hot aura reaching far enough to affect his attack in the source. Then I stop. I was up close to him, enough to engrave his figure in my memory, enough to carve the current state of his figure in my burning soul, to never forget how badly hurt he had been, of how were once there was a sweet smile and a pair of gentle eyes were now voided of emotion, a mere empty shell to be used around. I blink slowly, a rare sad yet gentle smile curving my lips as I say: "Come now my friend, is time for you to rest." As I open my arms sideways I leave my guard wide open, tempting him into a battle stance, the lance forming on his hand in constant need of magical refilling as it dripped black water in his grip, melting with my heat. With his hooves in the air he jumps forward, dashing in my direction, making soil fly up with the strength of his dash as he takes aim with the tip of the spear, eyes locked in his target as he gets closer and closer. And yet I never moved, I didn''t even blink anymore, it would appear as if I had embraced death at that moment and I may have, but not my own. "Terror Mountain Bone Form" The moment his weapon would have made contact with me it only hits air as I take my full form, darkness overtaking the senses of anyone too close from the attack. Once it disperses I appear once more; and where once stood my humanoid body now my hound form stood, its mouth wide open in a way that the deer, caught up in the momentum of his attack could not escape nor turn back as in a quick snap he ends inside my mouth. As I raise my head to its full height I fill my mouth with my black flame, feeling the trashing body inside try his best to set himself free, hooves and hands kicking and slashing to naught, until it simply stops, the weight on my tongue dwindles until there was not even a puddle of goop anymore. I breathe out the fire through my mouth, seeing the smoke rise in the sky, a feeling of emptiness making me stand and watch as the wind took it away until that smoke was lost in the air and back to the cosmos. "Sleep well, my friend." My voice is so rough and powerful that even my whisper is carried far away; I just hope that it is far enough for Elfihe to hear it. Sighing I look down, my full height allowing me to see far and beyond, but not enough as other mountains and trees cover my view. Careful not to destroy the house by moving my huge body around I give one last look on the direction my Clones went, returning back to my normal size and approaching the other horned shadow, probably someone belonging to his herd, harvest as him into this mad play, already recovering his parts from my attack as they start to mend together, far from being something natural. I cut his strings and burn him too, a little more satisfied for giving them a somewhat proper burial; after all in some places having our ashes dispersed by a dear friend is the last wish of many. I narrow my eyes towards the cloudy sky; this fight was not over yet. On cue with my line of thought I feel a ping of pain from the two Clones, warning me that they arrived at their destination. But, as we start to share eyesight''s, my third eye open to look thought their eyes and see the puppeteer, a sudden gush of wind, movement, and pain explode and makes me squish my eyes and cough out blood, my hand shooting out to support the rest of my body until the pain subsided and I spit the blood on the ground, the taste not leaving my mouth as I pondered. What the hell happen? As I try to reach out I''m surprised by the lack of response from both of them, as their energy had forcefully cut out from me, the stretching magic slashing back out and causing the damage and pain that I felt. Nothing major, however, what really bothered me was that the two of them had barely reached their destination, using my own stealth magic to conceal themselves, and yet were discovered almost immediately. Even if they only had one-third of my level, it was already enough to deal with most creatures around here. So this puppeteer doesn''t seem like he is a simple creature either. But no matter, I caught the sense of his magic, and would be able to recognize him in the future; now it was only a matter of time until he fall under my bite. And I wouldn''t hold back. **** Author note: Who the hell forgets of a trip? Me So, since I will be out until Sunday, have an early post! See ya~~~! Chapter 77 - Seventy-Five POV: Leonel I see the two creatures emerge from the crowd of misty black creatures and immediately knew they held another level of danger; as Thilgon did, exchanging a quick glance at me. In an unspoken truce we each take one to deal with, spreading a little more apart as my golden eyes focus on the creature in front of me. I analyze him, the way he walked to the way his clawed hand went to the side to unsheath his sword, his movements wide and firm, smooth yet not slow. From being so tall he was bound to have a very long reach, which only gets worse when the point a long big sword at me, the menacing blade covered in a green aura that swirled like smoke around the silver edge. With white eyes were partially covered by the helmet, giving him a threatening look as the sharp edge framed his eyes into an angry expression. Out of nowhere he starts swinging the blade as if weighted nothing, the speed and reach surprising me as I dodge back, only to have to sidestep him. I was trying to keep my distance by using some range attacks when I hear Thilgon scream at me: "Weak spot over the back!" I use a bright ball of light to blind the knight as I step back, his blade almost reaching, passing beside me. I narrow my eyes at that and with a flick of my wrist a golden arrow formed on the curve of my sword and shot out from my blade, but on contrary of my expectations the knight didn''t dodge nor slashed at my attack, he simply received it head-on as if it was nothing, the arrow piercing deep into his shoulder right between the armor plates, however ending being melted away by the goopy black substance as it consumed it like acid. He advances again, his sword held high as he swings it down while running, the long big blade carrying the destructive power of a mace under the strength of his movements as he swung it around, and out of options since my arrows had no effect nor stunned him as I hoped for, I blocked his blade with mine, a contrasting blow between a silver blade against a goopy long mass. One of the runes that I had imprinted along the sword starts to shine and burn with a shisshing sound, making the edges of the blade shine with a golden glint, only for my eyes to go up were the blades touched and see why the rune reacted; his sword was melting mine! Not wanting to test my fate and have that weapon touching my body I swing the blade sideways, taking it away from an attacking pose and managing to back off. Only for him to follow in persuade. I suppress the annoyance I felt as I block another strike, deepening the damage on my blade. Knowing that in close combat I was bound to lose, not wanting to risk touching him if the same substance that the blade was on his body, I once more drive him away, but this time I pull the blade up and make it shine blindingly in front of him, giving me enough time to widen the space between us, going up the wooden balcony and sheathing my sword, no point it keeping it up only to be further damaged than it was already. I take out my new weapon, still unsure if it would work, but finding the opportunity to test it out in the current predicament; even more because it was a ranged weapon. I take it out from under my tunic; a long, whip silver chain. It was difficult to maneuver like any whip, worsening with its ledge and weight, but this weapon didn''t need to be as accurate as my arrows; its ledge and material were the important points. Simply because, in every metal hoop, there was a rune engraved in each one of it, the strongest the higher it went. As the knight once more rushed forward, clattering metal and bringing an acrid smell with him, and was about to reach the first step up to the balcony I rotate my wrist in a circular motion, bringing the entire whip-chain in the air over my head, a silver line chasing after oneself like a serpent going after her own tail, spinning as a hurricane as the speed increases, joining with my air maneuvering, the strong wind holding him back and locking him in place, unable to advance. Only those attentive and observant enough would be able to see that, from time to time, the tip of the whip would slash out, but not eager for blood, it would actually hit the wood and the ground, seemingly rather clumsily, perhaps the effect of being spin too fast, slashing out from time to time with the strength of the movement. And yet, on the contrary, every move was deliberate and intended for every place it hit the chain left an imprint behind, almost unseeing by those involved in the battle, the shape of the rune imprinted on where it touched. I stop rotating the chain suddenly, but I do not give the knight enough time to move further than one step as, with both my hands, I stretch the ledge of the whip in front of me, the last hoop being firmly gripped under my palm as I infuse it with my energy. "Bloom of One Hundred Hits!" The places I hit before and had a rune imprinted on them now shone a bright golden light, looking as if a bud had bloomed with pure sunlit as from its center hundreds of golden arrow shootout and flow like sparrows into his direction to sink in deep in the knight, coming from above, bellow, surrounding him, having his figure covered from head to toe in no time, damaging his armor along the way. And yet, with a furious impulse, he melted the arrows once more, leaving a scar-less body in front of me; but that was to be expected, I wasn''t worried about doing meaningless damage to him, but finding his weak spot on the back, that''s why I attacked using a magic with such a widespread. And that area was duly noted and noticed by my elven eyes, a circular zone on his back, the only place that truly suffered some damage from the arrows, letting me know where the invisible hitting spot was. I narrow my eyes in a confident way, sending my mind in a calm yet attentive state as adrenaline pulsed inside my veins, making all seem relatively slower. The creature shakes its body before locking eyes with me once more, that many arrows bothering him as it hit almost every inch of skin exposed; and damage the armor to the point of bending inwards, so the knight reaches out and with brute force pulls the metal plates off of him, then the helmet, having it role and meltdown to the side as his body came to view. At first I''m forced back by the strong putrid smell that are freed in the air, covering my face with the sleeve of my tunic, but as he starts to advance I have a quick look at his appearance. And it is even worse than before. His face has a pair of white sideways eyes blinking separately that resembled a spider, his mouth a mere oval hole with tiny teeth that went all the way in, and on his cheeks there were claw-fangs things that clicked and clacked like crab claws, all covered before by the metal plates that weirdly seemed to be assembled into his goopy skin. But the rest of his body was truly weird, and explained why the armor was needed in the first place. It was as if his blood was made of corrosive acid and in a constant state of consuming itself up, making so the regenerative abilities of the body could not fully keep up; so that all of the skin and part of the muscles were consumed, leaving some bones visible and organs exposed, the heart clearly evident in the center as it shisshed while bumping, being the most damaged one for bringing and carrying the acid blood, looking like a mass of meat and goop desperately trying to keep up. That was not a chance in this world that his creature was still alive; I just hoped it had no conscious and could not feel any pain, for I could not even imagine that level of suffering and pain. He starts climbing the steps with a brutal swag on his body, ready to pounce and strike, oozing even more of that green aura mixed with melting goop dripping off of him and hitting the wooden boards. Having seen his style of fighting and knowing where to hit and what to use, I was ready to try and bait him into a more close-in environment where his bigger long sword will get stuck, so once he moves closer I try not to let any explicit evidence of my intentions as I back of slowly, furthermore because, as far as I understood, these creatures lacked intelligence and complex moving patterns were beyond their reach, most dodging and dashing appearing as the result of a more extreme attack from my part. Which means, something or someone was making that, sometimes, they would quickly react in a safer way; if not they would simply advance and attack, unconcerned by any damage they could receive. Being far more aware that it was meaningless to attack the main body I spin around, my tunic moving with the wind as my other hand holds the ledge of the chain at the same time that the last hoop starts cracking and breaking up into tiny pieces, until only a silver powder was left behind and carried away with the wind. So it couldn''t take the input of magic more than once A pity, I had paid a good penny in these chains, though they are test projects so every failing gives space to learn more. He finally reaches the balcony I was in, going straight to attacking once more as I start blocking his attacks with my chain, holding it with both hands and stretching it in front of me, and once I found an opportunity I would use a kicking motion to thrust air forward and stun him, only to have him advancing once more in no time and lunging his sword forward like a spear, the ledge worrisome as I dodged pass the rooms and into the living room, doors and woods being cut along the way. As I had no place to run to he thinks he has the advance, starting to swing his sword around as I crouched and dodged to the side. Until, that is, his sword hit a stone wall and got stuck there for mere seconds. But it was enough for me, even more because I was waiting for it. I saw my opportunity there, so I grabbed it; literally. While his blade was still stretched out I quickly lock it in place by circulating it with my chain, one of the runes in the middle shinning as the whole silver line seemed to twist and turn until it was covered by a blue-white aura with the form of a serpent, locking the blade on it''s embraced as it was melted away with it, both fusing into a mess of metal and goop. But I did not stay to watch until the end, I quickly bounced forward and took my sword out, using the still shocked state of the creature in my favor to slash his weak spot on the back with an unsheathing quick movement, increasing the damage of the blade by using an Air Slash. And just like that, with a single mistake from his part, the fight was over; but that is what true fighting is, one misstep can lead you to your death. I sheat my sword once more, watching as his body melted away and the goop stained the wooden boards, cracking my neck sideways, letting the tension out of my shoulders, but not my focus as I look outside. The fight isn''t over yet. **** Author Note: Husbando is sooo cool!! o( ) Chapter 78 - Seventy-Six POV: Back to Thilgon After I was done with my goodbyes and recover from the attack on my Shadows Clones I took my revenge upon the sneaky little ones, and being low-level as they were they posed no threat to me until, finally, there was none of them left, some having fled long before, but most met their end here. The only thing left was a battlefield with no corpses, the black substance a remanence of the creatures that once stood before us. I look around only to reaffirm that the battles had really happened and were done with, no creatures left behind to threaten us. And yet I could not seem to calm down, as if I was still being watched, preyed upon, like we were not alone just yet. I had a bad feeling about this. I turn around towards where Leo is, a background of destruction framing his silhouette over the balcony only to perceive the same concerned expression on his face, a frown covering our foreheads. "Should we chase them?" He says, looking at the clear path that the few who got away left behind. As much as I wanted to know who the puppeteer behind this bizarre play was I had to set my priorities straight. "No, let''s go met the others, I have a bad feeling about this." He nods, no longer wasting time as we turn and dash forward into the woods, a clear path opening in front of us with trees bend and the grass crunched under my brother''s big paws. Told him to invest in stealth, even a blind could follow his trail like this, sigh. With the help of my nose we track them in a rather precise way, but my brother''s full speed in his Cerberus form had been way faster than our two-legged was now, so without asking I embrace our bodies in my shadow, having it take my hound form and dash forward so quickly that one would think it was just the shadow of a leaf passing by, but in fact was I jumping from shadow to shadow, dashing forward fast. That had been the closest thing I got to teleportation, working very similar to it as long as the place had shadows for me to dash on from shadow to shadow. As I was moving us my mind starts to wander and think about what had just happened; who could this puppeteer be? What were his intentions? He was not a simple individual, after all beyond finding where we were he managed to break the seals protecting the place made with strong magic brought by the bringers of magic; though part of me questions now if the magic had not aged badly and lost its strength, it would explain why he manage to enter. But even more to defeat Elfihe, the herd leader, the snow bringer, and to have such strong creatures under his control. It makes me wonder what else he has under his sleeves And his intentions were even more obscure than his identity, after all what were his reasons to simply attack us? It seemed coordinated and planned, but for what reason? To steal the money back? It didn''t seem that simple either I had the feeling that this was not the last time we will hear from this puppeteer But no matter his reasoning right now, what I should focus on is what are we going to do for now on; with our "safe" place destroyed and the country looking for us, our options seemed rather dull We should stick with the part where we would leave this place to let things cool down, but this soon will make things rather troublesome. Well let just say that me and my brother stand out a little too much especially my brother who could not hide his ears or tail for a second, sigh. What to do, what to do However, as soon as I got farther into the woods and closer to the group all these thoughts slipped away from me, unimportant. The first sign that something was wrong was the strong smell of blood that hit my nose, carried by the wind between the foliage. With my nostrils flaring I speed up even more, the trees passing by as mere blurs. Until we reached a clearing. It was not a natural one, I first realize while looking at the cut trees that were threw far away, soil messed around as if a huge dog had rolled over the entire place and, oddly enough, here and there, there were some handprints on the floor, as if someone was making a handstand; but they were so far apart and numerous that it was impossible, plus they were repeated in the same format, as footsteps, but instead there were four, five, seven handprints scattered around over and over again. I have a really bad feeling about this. I run and dash, seeing signs of fighting all over the place, trunks and twigs broke and some still slightly attached to the trees, swinging with the wind, some black fur stuck on the woods and some of that goopy substance stuck on the soil, almost covered by the shadows of the growing night. Without further ado my shadow form solidifies even more, embracing us like a cocoon and jumping as quick as it could, sometimes not even touching the floor before teleporting once more, going into the woods only to end in yet another clearing, a bigger one this time. But my eyes did not land on the trees this time; but on the bodies lying around on the floor. For a second I stood there, in shock, only staring at them, not knowing what to do, where to being, when Leonel runs forward and reaches the first body he finds. It was Ragnur lying unconscious, a bloody smear on his forehead, but for what I could hear from here his heart was still beating, proving that his wound was somewhat minor; at least not in immediate great need as he was not bleeding much anymore. The others, however did not have such luck. The twins were on the side, and a quick survey showed me that one of them had lost one of the arms, his heartbeat weak as a lot of blood had already flooded out of him. Isa and the knight, the only ones still moving and conscious, were beside the both of them, Isa healing the severe wound as both his hands where with the palms open and turned towards the twin''s skin, a bright light flying from it like little rays of sunshine being absorbed by the twin. They both looked tired, mud covering their bodies, having gone through hell and back. But I was not worried about them no, there was only one person, one creature that I had been searching for all this time. "Where is my brother?" I ask Isa in an ice-cold tone, my heart racing in my chest, refusing to feel anything yet, almost in a state of shock and adrenaline high. "He went up ahead with Aeglos to drive the creatures away." Without another word I turn and start to walk with wide steps towards where he pointed, going uphill without distracting myself, my focus completely in finding my brother, his smell everywhere mixed with mud and blood and that black goop. Stupid me, stupid! In what world should separating like this be a good idea?! Stupid! The farther I went, the faster my steps were as I my mind barely registers another pair of footsteps following me in persuade; I just got to go up, to follow the trail, and find my brother. As I went up and up, passing trees and rocks without a second look, I could feel my panic raising, a pressure growing in my heart as the adrenaline rush makes my limbs tremble slightly, but from anger, fear, for all of that, I did not know each. Just please, please let him be ok, let him be safe. Don''t let him get hurt because of me, of my decision to split, of my blind trust in his strength, on that nothing bad would ever happen to him Really stupid! No, no, don''t panic now, everything is ok, you are just going to follow this path and find him safe and sound, not a starch on his body and his usual goofy smile on his face. Only that I didn''t. I first found the place in the same turmoil as the other places, trees were broken and mud turned about, but then my eyes find Aeglos amidst the chaos, lying flat on floor, his clothes torn to shreds and the tip of one of his long elf ear missing, blood covering his face, an expression of pain twisting his features as a whizzing sound came from his breathing, indicating that his internal organs where damage. But there was no sign of my brother beyond the smell and the fading paw prints. My head turned like a bird looking all over the place, double-checking as if unable to accept the situation, to accept the fact. That my brother was nowhere to be found. Leonel goes straight to Aeglos and starts treating him, but sorry I don''t care, I just want to find my brother. I''m selfish like that, I''m the worst. No, stop, I think, closing my hands into fists. You are not like this, get a hold of yourself. That''s when something glints on the side, standing alone on top of a stone, making me approach to have a better look at it. It was a black letter with silver lines on it. Feeling that I was about to burst I reach out with trembling hands, quickly glancing at the back only to see my name written in pretty cursive handwriting. On the other side there was a seal imprinted over the envelop, a pair of wings on a red stamp as it''s symbol, ungluing when I open the letter and peek inside, only for my eyes to travel quickly over the words more than one, two, three times, my mind going blank for a second as if refusing to understand what was writing there. "Nice to meet you Terror Let''s play a little game Of hide and seek How about you come and find us? But don''t take long For I get bored quite easiy And your brother could prove to be quite entertaining" My hands shake even more as I keep holding the paper between my fingers, the letter kneading under the pressure and strength that increases as my hands stiffly close into fists, my eyes locked over the words until they were mere silver blurs in front of me. Then I scream at the top of my lungs, a visceral roar that shook the woods and the very earth beneath my feet, my bloodshot eyes staring into the woods as range consumed my mind. Who was this creature who dared to kidnap my brother and play mind games with me?! HOW DARE HE?! But fear not I think while a guttural growl raises my lips and shows my growing fangs. For he had woke the beast inside me. And it was hungry for his blood. ~~~~~ End of arc/Volume 2 Chapter 79 - Things will change for better! Hi! So, I have a few things to say and one of that the third arc/ volume (which I''m changing to volumes because it sounds cooler) will only be posted on But wait! Wait! (;) Don''t panic! (?n?) This is great news; I have been given the opportunity to work with a big Chinese enterprise called !d(^^g) Beyond many things, such as having more publicity and support from their part, they even offer the possibility of making anime, paper-back, audiobook, and more! Isn''t that neat? Would be a dream come true! ??n?? From now own there will be premium exclusive chapters on their website that you can read by paying or for free. I hope you guys are as happy as I for this great opportunity! Getting professional here now aren''t we? Hehe! See you guys on ! ?????)??*??? And thank you very much for all the support until now, you guys are awesome! (*)g*b+ Plus~~ I did that smut you guys wanted so badly between the younger brother and Aeglos Just saying??? dynamic./fanficapp/12442416605461305 Chapter 80 - EXTRA – Playing the A.d.u.l.t Game POV: Hunthor (younger brother) I had a lot of fun playing around with Shu, even though I was surprised by his new form, I was glad to have a pup to play with; not that I was trying to make less of my brother, but he had always been the more serious type, even more as he grew up, and after our mother''s death I think is understandable, even more as the older brother, that he felt obligated to look after me as we were thrown into this world without proper treatment and knowledge; some could even call it a miracle that we manage to survive, especially after we encounter the first humans. Well, at least I manage to change his mind about that, don''t know what would have happened if he kept being stubborn about hating humans and feeding this anger inside him. I never let him notice, but I was pretty scared when he did showed that anger, how his eyes would turn dark, a determined glint to them that indicated that he was capable of the most unspeakable things if provoked enough. And yet I had always trusted him, I knew that what he did was for my well-being, but as we grow up, the more I felt suffocated. I know, is bad, I should be thankful for having him in my life, and I''m, is just I don''t have freedom, and I know that is because he is scared of me getting hurt, but sometimes that is necessary for me to learn, being dependent of him is not good. He understood some of that but with limitations. He let me train, attack, fight, but not go in the city on my own, not have my own bedroom in an inn, not being able to decide what to do or where to go next. I don''t think he even realizes it, how all just suffocated me, dragged me down especially with Aeglos. I''ve always enjoyed his company, and always had to beg for my brother so we could meet with the elves, but as I growl up so did my attachment to him. I did not know what to name it, but more and more I caught myself thinking about him, wanting to spend my time with Aeglos, and noticing little details that I did not before; of how his different diadems framed his face nicely and brought up the beauty of his white hair even more, sometimes changing the hairstyle and letting it fall in waves, of how I enjoyed hearing him talk in elven tongue, of how his eyes would shine I little brighter when he saw me, or how his long elves ears would move ever so slightly in accordance with his expressions and mood. The tip of the iceberg was when Aeglos told me he felt the same, that he thought of me all the time, and that what I was feeling is called love. Words still felt weird to meLove how could they fit all these sensations I felt in so little syllables? Yet I knew with the touch of our fingertips that he was right, that we were bound like this, though it took some time; and some explanation of his part; for me to understand that there were different types of love, brotherly love is one of them. But what kind of love did we feel for each other? "It is a couple love." He says, hesitantly. "Couple?" "Yes, like the birds I told you about that take years to find their partner that will last to the end of their lives." "Oh, I see, but how is different from the other types of love?" "Well, for starters, this is different." He says, bringing our intertwined hands up close so I could see. "And, well, this too." He caught me by surprise by kissing me, soft and slow, the first intimate contact I had with anyone my entire life. And I have to admit It made me eager for more when he stops, a strange needy warm growing in me. After that, well We start kissing quite more often while holding hands, mostly when we were alone, Aeglos request as he said that we should not do it in front of others. I did not understand, but choose to trust him on that. But yet, something grew inside me, something greedy, eager, but what for exactly I did not know; I just knew I wanted more, and insisted on that with Aeglos. Until he agree to show me, but at a slow pace. I remember him talking about how we should enjoy it slowly or how I was too young to perceive some things or even how it seemed like he was taking advantage of me in some way; though when I confronted him about it he brushed the subject aside. Uhm I wonder how old Aeglos is? So that night, after my brother''s weird story, when I got everyone drunk; by mistake mind you; I planned to meet him to ask for details about it because the last time we talked he had been really vague about it, hesitant even, and I had put my big-boy pants on and was going to confront him just as my big brother would. Uhum, that''s right. So, when my brother forces me to sleep in the living room with him I wasn''t really surprised, already planning my escaped beforehand. But for nowI lay down like a good obedient brother, putting a lot of effort into keeping my breathing steady and at the same time staying awake, pinching my arm under the blanket from time to time so the jolt of pain would bring my conscious back from the fogginess of sleep. Since I was slightly mad at my brother he knew that I would not be up to chat, so I had the perfect excuse to simply lay down and pretend to sleep while turned around, that is, until I heard his breath steady and his heartbeat slow down. After a few minutes waiting a big smile appears on my face as I slowly turn around, having his sleeping face turned towards me, confirming my assumptions that he had fallen asleep, his ears flopped to the side and one in front of his face. I quickly take the blanket off of me, suddenly very excited, but he mumbles at the sound, making me stop stupidly making sounds. That''s one of the few times that I agree with my brother on having to invest a little on stealth; though I don''t think he would like it if I used it against him. Oh well. After countless attempts and a slow advance I somehow manage to escape, tiptoeing my way towards Aeglos room. Receiving no answer I whisper his name, turning the nob and entering his room, only to find nothing. The bed was empty and organized, as if no one had slept there. That is, until I feel his strong arms embracing my shoulders as he hugs me from behind, his long hair brushing against my skin as his chin lays down on my shoulder, his warm breath making me shudder, even more when he speaks so close in a low voice: "I missed you" He spoke in elven language, but not because he could not lie while using it, no, but because he knew how he turned me on when he did that. My tail starts wiggling on its own as my heart speeds up, my body reacting in a weird way even though he had done nothing at all; and yet I start getting hot in expectation. "Did you missed me too?" This time his lips brushed against my ears, his warm breath tickling me and make me squeak a yes that was a little too loud, earning a chuckle from him. With his breath so close to me I could clearly smell alcohol in it. "Are you drunk Agy?" I ask, giddy, aware that he must have been affected by the alcohol I drunk as the others were to some extent. "You are too sweet Thor" He says, ignoring my statement and stroking the tip of his nose up and down my neck. And yet I did not mind this bold Aeglos at all. His body, far bigger than mine, cupped mine from behind, covering my vision as I could only hear the click of the door being locked behind us. He starts kissing a path on my neck and shoulder, his wet soft lips making a smooshing sound that makes me sigh in extasy. "Are you sure of this?" He pauses to ask, somewhat still sober enough to care and cherish my wishes, but I only nod vigorously, not wanting him to stop nor wanting to speak so I won''t break my focus on his caresses. His hands that were patiently resting on my hip now brush their way up, and even the cloth between could not keep a fire from spreading inside of me. I won''t deny, I''m a little scared with the many new sensations and reactions that my body was having, but the thought of stopping seemed distant and misplaced, being easily covered by his touch. He finally reaches down toward my n.i.p.p.l.es, making me gasp and sign with the slightest brush, my hands grabbing his hands for support but not moving them away from me as his fingers start to trace circles around my n.i.p.p.l.es, brushing the tip from time to time and making my body glue even more to his behind me. Then he starts to give all his attention to the tip, the cloth creating more friction as he twisted the tip slightly, pulled, and moved his finger on the tip rapidly, making the pressure and fire inside me grew on my lower region as an electric numbing current made my body involuntarily tremble. "Do you like having your n.i.p.p.l.es teased that much?" "Ah, a-aham" I barely manage to answer when one of his hands go down and undo my thin robe, leaving my skin exposed to his other hand that keeps teasing my n.i.p.p.l.e. His other hand, however, traces my body with the tip of his fingers, going lower and lower and making my body burn up when he reached under my bellybutton. "W-what are you doing?" "Weren''t you curious? I''m teaching you every-single-reaction your body can have, in the smallest details" At that he suddenly pulls me closer and with long steps brings me to the bed, and having his intense gaze staring me down suddenly makes me shudder again, even more when his gaze went hungrily down, making me want to cover myself up as I blushed like a tomato. He brings my attention to him again when he brushes my hair out of my face and kisses me, a soft slow kiss that makes me enjoy the texture and taste of his mouth to the fullest, and distracts me enough so he manages to take my underwear off. "A-Aeglos, I-I" "Shh, is alright, can you help me too?" He asks with a warm smile on his lips, thankfully ignoring the fact that I was already hard down there as he points to his elven clothes. I reach out to the shirt and pull it up, only to reveal a perfect body packed with hard mountains over the abs and well draw arms, all pulling me in and making my mind go blank of thoughts. "You can touch me if you want." Oh hell yeah I want! With my tail moving up and down I hesitantly start feeling his skin under my fingers, of how warm his body was, of how strong the muscles were under the skin, of how smooth his skin is. "With you looking at me like that I won''t be able to hold back much longer" He says in a husky voice, making me blush and try to fish an answer up, only to blush even more when no answer came to mind. "Are you scared?" He asks before continuing, even though I could see the need in his eyes, and with that I knew that if I wished for he would stop there, even if it was against his wishes. But I didn''t want him to stop. "I was, but not anymore I-I want this." Whatever it is. He goes up then, his whole body over mine as the shirt was lost somewhere in the process, nothing mattering anymore as his eyes lock with mine and a smile spread over his beautiful face, making his green eyes shine even more. "You are so beautiful" I blurb out, only to have him chuckling at me as he goes down for another kiss. But his sneaky hand grabs something from the side and, while I wasn''t looking, his other hand bring my h.i.p.s up and glue our bodies together, making my already hot body catch on fire. In contrast to my burning body I feel his cold fingers brush over my back, only to go down and down. I try to speak but he intensifies the kiss, hungrily eating me up when is hand finally passes by my tail and reaches my cheeks, his other hand going down to pull them apart slightly as the other start going up and down in between, brushing my entrance from time to time only to tease me and dip to tip ever so slightly without stopping, continuing to go down and brush again. Finally I''m able to break away from the kiss only to see that that intense look was back on Aeglos eyes, making me shudder when I''m about to burst. "Aeglos" "Yes?" "Stop teasing me" I plea. "Are you really ok with this?" I look up with a fire in my eyes, which makes him widen his eyes and a big smile shows me his white teeth as he chuckles. "Of course my sweet Thor." He hugs me only to give all his attention to my back, his other hand firmly gripping as feeling my butt up, the other going back to passing through my hole, only that this time it stayed there and put some pressure at my fleshy entrance, only enough stretch it a little. I have never even touched there, so it was a rather odd feeling as he pushed in a little deeper, the tip in as I felt it brushed my insides in a weird way. "Shh, Thor, you have to relax otherwise it will hurt you, uhm?" He says in a sweet voice, tracing kissed over my body and helping me relax, but not taking off his finger as he starts to wiggle the tip inside me. I felt uncomfortable yet giddy as his finger brushed my insides as if feeling my inner walls, and as his kisses went lower and lower, brushing over my abdomen now, he deepens his finger in while wiggling to give it some space, stopping only when his archer long finger was knuckles deep inside me. I start melting under his caresses unaware of the sounds of pleasure that I was making, gasping and sighing. "Shh Thor, we don''t want the others hearing you do we?" As if shocked awake I put both my hands over my mouth, trying to keep the sound in And of course that went downhill the next second he gave a kiss at the tip of my member. "Aah! A-Aeglos!" I start calling his name as his long finger starts moving up and down inside me in circular moves to stretch me up while his mouth starts playing with the tip of my member, blowing the tip and making me gasp and arc my back upwards, but he did not wait for my reaction to pass as he starts to lick the sensitive tip, cupping it with his tongue and giving quick rapid licks to the head, driving me crazy. His concentration slips a little when he starts to stretch my entrance and push the second finger in, having to be patient and wiggle his way in slowly. "Sorry." "For what?" "Giving you so much work t-to, you know" At that he smiles as comes up only to whisper in my ear: "Don''t worry, I will enjoy just how tight you are in a second" I shudder from head to toe and have to bite my lower lip not to yet a shameful m.o.a.n escape my lips. But of course he did not stop there, no he went far, far deeper. Once he deemed that I was stretched out enough he stops licking my member, leaving me on edge yet not satisfied, right where he wanted me. He keeps moving his fingers inside me and stretching me as he half-sits up and brings both my legs up and over his shoulder, making me blush from being in such a revealing position. "I going in ok?" He asks softly, and I can only nod pass my embarrassment. I barely manage to register what he said when I feel the tip of his member nudging at my entrance, his fingers still in going almost out to stretch my hole for his d.i.c.k to go in. My heartbeat was racing with the mere expectation, my mind losing all control over my body as I could only react to his teasing and touches. When the tip of his member is finally in I was already holding the sheets and biting my lip, all my focus at the sensation of his d.i.c.k opening a path inside me. With patience he forces his member in slowly, making small circular moves to ease his way in, making me feel his skin brushing at my sensitive inner walls as a tingling sensation makes my body shudder again. He only stops when he is resting deep inside me, giving me only enough time so see his all so well-kept figure now messily sweating on top of me, his hair falling like a waterfall to the side and his well-build body glimmering with sweat, but nothing could compare to the light that shone from his green eyes, his hungry look staring at my face all the time as my eyes went down only to see where our bodies connected, where his member was buried deep inside me. I see and feel when he starts to move, his d.i.c.k making fapping noises as skin hit skin, his patience growing thin as he increases the speed and the deepness with each thurst, until his balls were hitting me with each strike of his. And when I thought it could not escalate any further than that he starts stroking my member with one of his hands in pace with his thrusts, managing my hard member like a flute, milking it up and down only to tease the tip. As he goes and speeds up, going faster and faster and harder and deeper, with a grunt I feel all the hot pressure on my underbelly cave in as I came all over his hand, and as I rode my climax and arched my body back I tensed up the muscles on my butt, making them squish his member inside me and pressuring him to come too inside. When it is over he flops down over me as we chacth our breaths, his now flaccid member still inside holding the squishy liquid in deep inside me. He hugs my waist in a tender way, kissing my hand between the knuckles as I start stroking his hair. That that was amazing, I could not wait to tell my brother about it, maybe this way I can prove to him that I''m an a.d.u.l.t too now. Yes I just have to keep proving to him that I can take care of myself, I think at last before both of us, tired, fall into a deep pleasant slumber, a goofy smile on our faces. Chapter 81 - Seventy-Seven I wish I could have said that, as a mature a.d.u.l.t, as an older brother, as a calm hunter, I had reacted well to the news, that I stayed calm and asserted the situation in a very mature way. But I didn''t. I got so angry that I lashed out on everybody, on everything, so furious that my blood seemed to be as thick as ink and my muscles tensed up, and yet at the same time my mind was blank of thoughts, as if so overtaken by my anger that all I could do was feel, react and let that livid boiling feeling control my actions. Because God knew that I could not afford to think, I could not stop to ponder and wonder what could be happening to my brother right at this moment, the fear, the anguish, what they could be doing to him, or already done even; or rather, if he was still even alive at this point. So better get angry and only react, be lead only my instincts like a wild animal, unaware of the passage of time, of how I got back to the now broken house after staying in the woods trying to track them down in vain for I don''t know how long, to see all the others there, being treated by Isa, because I just-I don''t- I couldn''t On that third day was when I finally calmed down enough to stop in place, enough so that my eyes would not have only a glint of killing intent against everything and everyone, nor would I be pacing about and breaking trees just for the sake of it, upturning stones and leaving a path of destruction behind. Yet, while sitting on the balcony, my legs could not stop moving, and my eyes, behind my folded hands, were still staring at the horizon, unblinking, like a tiger lying in wait and ready to pounce at the sight of any disturbance. I did not react when someone sits beside me though, all too aware of who it was before even taking a whiff of his smell; the only one who dares, or had the courage to, approach me in these last days. Leonel says nothing, knowing better than try and reason with me at this point, only reaching out with his hand and intertwining our fingers in a strong reassuring grip. And that small kind gesture seemed to be the last drip of water needed to make me overflow. Before I could hold myself back my emotions seem to sink in all at once, spilling over, all the sadness and panic that my anger held inside me for the last days bubbling up and trying to suffocate me, making it hard to breathe as choked sobs try to leave my throat, getting stuck in between. "I I-!" I don''t need to say anything as Leo turns me around and hugs me tight, burying my head on his chest and engulfing my body with his warm and strong arms, his smell surrounding me. I couldn''t think, I couldn''t breathe, I could only panic. "I-I so scared Of losing him." "Uhm." He mumbles, agreeing and rocking me ever so slowly on his lap as I keep mumbling my worries at him, so out of it that I didn''t even understand the meaning, the trust, that I had put on Leonel for opening up like this, nor could I keep track of what I was saying anymore. "I don''t God, what could they be doing with him now, he must be so scared and lonely, he must be waiting for me to save him but I don''t even know where he went! I don''t even know where to start searching for him! I-I''m so lost" At this point tears were already streaming down my face, but I was so close to Leo that they didn''t even get the chance to reach my chin as they got caught up in Leonel''s tunic, wetting it. "I-I''m sorry, y-your tunic" "It doesn''t matter, everything will be alright." He says, stroking my back slowly and smoothly, as if coaxing a child. "How can you be so sure? How can you be so calm?" "I''m not as calm as I appear." He says, backing off a little so that our eyes could meet, his golden orbs burning with hidden anger that doesn''t make me question his words in the slightest. "But, as you said, your brother needs us, and we need to think and plan now, not be reckless and lose our calm. Why did you think he sends us such a vague message on that letter? Why do you think he left people alive behind to tell us what happened? " I frown at that; I had not put any thought into that until now and why indeed? It could not be done without any reason behind it now could it? Not when he had all the trouble to bait us and make such a well-made trap, using our lack of knowledge about their existence to mount an attack in a place that seemly totally safe, which made us lower our guards. Indeed, it had been the perfect place to attack us however why? What could he want that was worth all this trouble? And who was him? "I don''t understand, how could we work with what we have?" I say, cleaning my cheeks and eyes from the tears. "Oh but he has given us plenty of information, all-mighty mister strategist." "Now you are just making fun of me." "Of course not my angry little hound" I narrow my eyes dangerously at him when he says little, only making him smirk as he gives my forehead a peck. "I just know that you can do it because I have faith in you uhm." At that he pinches my nose, making me look at his hand and regret immediately as my eyes try to focus on a point away from him too up-to-close face. Even though this interaction was supposed to be happy and warm, I could not shake away the dreadful feeling sensation, no such good emotion could find home in my heart for the worry for my brother overtook all the space there it was inside me. I sigh, looking down as he says in a smooth voice: "You just need to calm down and think ok?" I nod, embracing him once more, looking out at the destroyed garden, black goop covering it all over as even the clean little lagoon seemed to be a thick pool of petrol, the fishes inside adding to the goopy mass as their dead bodies flopped sideways, drifting like black masses of meat in a strange soup. The trees were affected too even if most of the goop did not reach their leaves or upperparts, seemingly scattered around enough so that the goop affected the soil enough to reach their roots. All in all, the once pristine garden was utterly destroyed to the very last bit, and as I stare it down I truly start to think about our situation. What could we scavenge from this situation? What was the information he gave us that Leonel was talking about? Chapter 82 - Seventy-Eight I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and sit sideways, more comfortably on Leo''s lap, and start to ponder. This creature, whoever it was, had a lot of information on his hands; very few knew where we had gone, and even less the exact location, furthermore to know that the Terror was here and was responsible for the stolen items maybe he already knew that I was the one responsible for it right from the start? But how so, it should take them longer than a few days to figure things out, at least from my side since nobody saw us go in nor out of the castle. That''s when it hit me; my brother, his Cerberus form, it should not be difficult to narrow down to us from there if you had enough information about us, which this creature seemly did. But why us? Such specific attack towards me in particular, all planned so he would conquer nothing? What could his objective be, kidnapping my brother like this? Not asking for money, not asking for a meeting, simply leaving a vague reply It could be just as Leo said; he was playing with us, trying to manipulate us in playing his weird game for even more obscure reasons. Uhm There should be more to that but what? One thing for sure, few creatures had the power; level and information-wise; to come up with such a feat, so that could work in our favor to eliminate possibilities, until we find the guilty one. Most humans were out of the list, that black magic was considerate a taboo for them and punished very harshly; which reminds me of the necromancer we fought a long time ago, he had similar control over his puppets, but with some strange differences such as the level of power and the level of consciousness that the creatures had. Plus his puppets rotted and decayed, not lasting long Could this be an advanced type of necromancy? Then that narrows the search down even more; what kind could have such control over the dead? One that did not penalize its practice most likely But that was as far as I went with that kind of thought, so I tried to change my view of the subject by looking the black envelope over, the only interesting thing being the wings symbol Though I have never seen it before, it was a start, we could inquire about it. The only problem is the others. I finally calmed down enough now to inquire about the health of the others as Leo''s calmly answered me, but I could see he was worried. "Ragnur is fine, he bumped his head right at the start and passed out, but Aeglos and Eyope are still unconscious. Eyope lost one of his arms for good, and will take some time until he recovers from the blood loss, thankfully Isaac closed the wound quickly." "Isaac?" "Oh, yeah, is Isa''s real name, or full name." "And went the hell did you learn that?" "Jealous?" I roll my eyes. "When you were rampaging about." Of course, should have known. "Anyway, Seiroe is doing fine physically, but doesn''t leave his brother''s side. Isaac is resting now and the Templar is helping out with the food for the sick." Well, now I feel like a d.i.c.k for not staying and helping out, so much had been done and still even more need to that I could not have afforded the three days lost. But what is done is done, no point in dwelling with the past now, is there? I click my tongue over my palate before asking: "And Aeglos? And Shu?" "" His hesitation makes me once more get farther from him so I could look him in the eyes as he takes a deep breath and says: "Aeglos body took the worse of them all, it seems like he had his lungs pierced and the blood started to overflow and drown him so Isa had to mend him all night long to at least close the surface of the wounds and clean the lungs. But that''s not the worst, he he doesn''t respond to anything, something must have affected his mind, or at least Isa says." "Can''t he do something about it?" He nods no. "Apparently there is some sort of magic interfering with it, is not just a physical condition." Magic? That''s different, did the puppeteer do it? Did that mean that Aeglos saw the puppeteer in person? Even more reason to wake him up. But how? "And what about Shu?" I didn''t even know if I wanted to hear the answer anymore at this point. "Missing." Missing? Impossible, I would have seeing him in my frenzy, I have walked back and forth all there was to in this woods. And that can only mean one thing. "They took him too? Is he with my brother?" Though the letter did not say anything, I bet it had been made beforehand, so perhaps they had no time to add kidnapping Shu in it; or didn''t care enough to do it. Or perhaps, with luck, they didn''t notice him When I was wondering that the younger Antshiva twin, Seiroe, walks in, eyes and nose red from all the crying, but looking at his eyes told me that he was done crying. "I want to help." He says deadpan, clearly having heard part of our talk before walking in, and not carrying about chitchat, going straight to the point. I look up at him as he holds my stare with one of his own, a lot of him reminding of my brother at that moment; even more that both were young, inexperienced, and na?ve. But he was up to prove me wrong. "Sorry Seiroe but What can you do to help?" He seems a little angry and caught back with my lack of faith in him, but let''s be honest, I barely knew him, and up to this point all his actions did not prove his value to me at all. He clenches his teeth and I can see him tense up, all his three pairs of arms curving as if ready to strike, but he calms down first before talking, knowing that the last thing he wanted to do was to vent his anger on me. That would be a big mistake, even more now. "I may I may not be good at fighting but I''m not useless!" "Then tell me, what can you do?" "I I can I know! I can go to the city and gather information for us! Nobody is looking for me, they don''t know my face, and people are very chatty with bards!" That truly could be useful, and I was wondering how could I gather such information, but leaving such an important role to him I wasn''t so sure about that. It didn''t hurt to try though. "Ok, you have two days to go to the closest city and gather as much information as possible. Any ideas in what to ask?" "I, well, some" I internally sigh as I tell him about the basic information I wanted to learn, such as the state of the search for us, the state from the outside and if anyone has ever heard of such strange creatures. I bet he would not have come here only to attack us, there must be something more to it Seiroe, satisfied and excited, goes out to get ready and leave as soon as possible, alone so he wouldn''t raise suspicions, a glint of life back to his eyes and a flame burning with rage and revenge. At least that I could respect And even though I wasn''t putting a lot of faith in Seiroe at least he brought a few things to my attention; that is, who I could count on and was willing to help out, and who I could bring to my side. Because there was just so much I could do own my own, and if more people meant a quicker way to retaliate, so be it. I would hunt this kidnapper down like prey. Chapter 83 - Seventy-Nine After Seiroe left us alone once more I sit beside Leonel, receiving an inquisitive look from him. "What?" "What was that? You were fine with the kid before" "You mean Seiroe?" He nods. I quickly look behind me, giving a little peek at my surroundings with my third eyes, and making sure we were all alone as I whisper to Leonel: "I don''t trust him. Actually, I don''t trust any of them except maybe Aeglos and Ragnur." "Why so?" "Don''t you find it strange? The so-called safe hidden place, with such powerful magic protecting it, to be discovered and break down so easily?" "Wait, don''t you mean that" I nod, both of us carrying a very heavy serious expression. "Yes, there is a traitor among us." When you think about it, it makes sense, otherwise how could they have planned such a trap and kidnapping plan with such a high degree of success? How did they know where to attack, and who to kidnap? That seemed slightest suspicious to say the least At that Leonel narrows his eyes, the same line of thought passing through his mind as he looks at me than towards the building. "And yet you send him to such an important mission. Why?" "Because I''m not sure who betrayed us." Nor if there was really a betrayed at all, but I did not live for this long trusting strangers blindly. "Plus if they really are a spy they will want to keep us believing in their facade, so they are due to go out and "help" us, and right now we can''t afford to refuse it." That''s right, what we need is to get moving and get information out of this mysterious puppeteer, we could not fight against someone we did not even know of. And those creatures that he used were quite peculiar, similar in some way to the ones the necromancer used, and yet no usual or common so there was bound to have some information about it too. And I knew the best place to look for that. Since Isaac and the Templar were already looking after the sick and had their hands full I pull Leonel up by the hand and bring him to a more secluded place. He follows without asking, making me a little happy that we were getting this close, not needing words to convey that we wanted. I liked that. I just could not enjoy it at the moment. After we get into the woods and farther from the house I see that there are signs of destruction everywhere, including my own scratch marks. We will need to leave this place soon. "Ok so" I start to put my thoughts in order while speaking. "Let''s see what we need to do search who attacked us, of course, find out why Aeglos is not waking up, find out why they attacked us, and keep up with building our free nation too." Leonel frowns, not understanding the last part, saying: "We can continue it later on, right now we have more important matters to attend to." "I understand, but if this turns out to be bigger than we think we might want to have a safe place to return to when this is over." He seems to think my words over, but I continue thinking out loud: "So what we need the most is information And Leo, you are far better in that area than me, so I''ll leave it up to you." He nods, probably with some ideas already in mind. Even though Aeglos situation bothers me there was nothing I could do right now, I needed to search for some healing magic or mind magic But where? Both were super rare treats. Something I could ask Isa later, I suddenly think, since he is able to use healing light magic he may know more about the subjects then I. I could only hope. "Ok, Leo, I''m going to take us into my Shadow Dimension now. There you are unable to see, but I can, so stay close ok?" Since it was a Shadow Dimension no light was able to reach there no matter how much it evolved, and even I could not perceive the surroundings, not with normal means; only with my Third Eye I could see there. "What for?" I explain to him that, inside there, is an ancient library; though I do not say the exact contents, only that it has a lot of historic ancient books talking about the past that could contain information about the magic and creatures used to attack us. And you may ask weren''t you up to keep it a secret from everyone? And I would not answer that it was because I trusted Leonel with my soul and heart. No. I would say that it is to test him. Tempt him. See his reaction when receiving such golden information, if his mind would perceive the potential this place held. I would love to say that I did not take him into account, but Someone may have betrayed us. And anyone could be that someone. And who''s best than the one trying to gain your trust and love? Even though I wanted to believe him, and knowing that if he was the one who betrayed me it would create a void inside the deepest part of my heart, my instincts were sharper and better than my human mind, and now they were screaming at everyone. And it would stay that way. Until I have my brother back. "Shall we go?" I ask, moving my hand sideways, but my eyes were glued on his face to see which kind of expression he would show in front of such an invaluable source of information. Nations would rage war for this. And yet he doesn''t seem any different, only nodding and tightening the grip over our hands as I move us inside, disappearing on the outer world, only a deep shadow remaining eerie were we stood before. And I was glad for the darkness, because it hid the satisfied smile that I had on my face. Chapter 84 - Eighty Inside I guide us for what could be taken as a dragon''s lair; and not only because of all the gold and miscellaneous that were around, but because of the unorganized way they were put, reminding me of how Leonel''s treasure had been neatly kept and separated, now threw around with my piles, still in chests and bags, but lost over the mountains. Good thing he could not see anything right now I think he would start complaining about having it clean up, and not only his things I bet; he would make me organize this whole place up. The mere thought already made my back hurt; let''s avoid touching anything so he doesn''t realize that there is anything out of place, yeah, let''s do that. Guiding Leonel by the hand I pass over the messy chamber were everything felt down when I put it inside this dimension, waiting for the day I would find use to them, simply laying like a pile of clothes. We go to the side where many doors stood in both sides of a narrow hall, my silver eye glinting while I could see all the energy veins of this place making a robust layout, enough to guide our steps as we walk until we reach the door I was looking for, a big stone door with strange drawings, not only standing out with those intrigue ill.u.s.trations but for being so out of place with its unique style, reminding me of the stones doors we had found inside the dungeon years ago separating the floors. It wasn''t the first time I realized that, having looked at this door many times before, nor questioned if they may have come from the same source. Perhaps it came from a dungeon, a dead one now, and as, if I remember correctly, dungeons like to replace the void inside them with replicas of other parts of the universe, who can tell from when and where this came from, this untouched gem underneath the sand, hidden away from centuries? It makes one wonder indeed But enough of that, I think as I reach out and have to force the stone out of the way, sand quickly falling over us as we enter a place which should seem impossible in such a small hall. That was, of course, because it did not belong to where initially. That''s why an enormous place unfold before us with stone structures, high ceilings and huge pillars with statues sculpted all over their extension, resembling flora with trees, smooth curves that looked like rivers of water, as well as fruits and some animals, mostly desert foxes and lizards, all seemly out of place yet well fit in the structured, so well carved that if painted one may forget that they were right in the middle of the desert, especially the mural on the walls. They have a few humanoid sculptures as well, mostly amidst the nature over the wall to the side, showing who this place belonged to. And making me shocked in the process when I first saw this place; After all beyond the magnitude of all these structures, who could imagine elves living in the desert? I''ve always thought; and saw; elves among nature, to see them right in the middle of the desert was at least very odd, yet one thing both carried deeply, ancient or not, is the love for nature, even though this one had different creatures that belonged to the hot weather of the desert, and plants from this place. Ancient elf language was very hard to learn I soon realized when I found this place, and even with my Wisdom ability it took me years to reach the level I was today, and yet, like any language, there were words that I did not know; more then I wished for unfortunately; more so due to the lack of a proper dictionary than study really, many words being hardly understandable by context. That''s something I was working on a well, a dictionary, but more to keep track of the meaning of the words than to try and teach anyone. For what I could tell from this long tedious study however was that the fact that they cherish and loved nature stayed only increased, but from bits of old books plus my own understanding I could figure that they thought nature to be so precious because they lived in the desert, the lack of it in here only made it more important and valuable. Like how divine one would see if, beyond all this sand, an oasis turned up on the horizon. A sign of the divine indeed. Though some interpretations changed and I could not figure out what part seems more important for, sometimes, it was clear that the trees were the source of life for them, but then others would tell that it was actually water, and both had important roles in elven culture, at least agreeing in the importance of each, just discussing the most vital one. But small details like that did not lower the value of these books; for the ancient elves were known for their great affinity with magic. The only ones comparable are the cultivators and high devils, all of them having something in common that made them great at magic. Time. As cultivators chased after immortality, and devils were complicated, elves where naturally a very old race, and after you train and do the same thing over and over, for so many years, no one could match it. I remember when Aeglos showed us the training of their troops before, as they used drums to keep the pace for the younger ones. I thought to be impressive, the way the moved synchronized with the sound, maintaining the concentration. That is until we saw the older one''s training. It looked like a synchronized dance, the constant drum substituted by a single thump or flags to give instructions, the moves or sounds appearing the same to me but somehow giving different orders as they would put an arrow in the air with smooth and graceful moves, their eyes staring straight ahead without watching their own moves, and without a need to, only aiming at the target and attacking all at once, making a deadly rainfall down the enemy. They could hit the same spot a thousand times if needed. Such a great yet fearful sight could be seen nowadays; so one can only wonder what the great ancestors of such formidable kin could be capable of. Well, most could only wonder; I could search about it, as I have done for years, learning, translating, reading. They were knowledge keepers, so it would take me more than a lifetime to read all of these, especially the ones that were written in other odd languages, but the elves books were already enough to keep me busy. But none of that was important right now beyond one single information; is that their kind lived, and meet, the bringers of magic, which means that they, too, had contact with the dark Dusk of Mankind Era, and that''s what I was, a few days back, reading about. The book I read, underneath that tree, as I watched my brother play with Shu. It seemed to be such a distant past now. That book mentioned creatures raised from hell; or so they claimed; that could not be harmed by normal attacks and were purged by the bringers of magic. Sounds familiar doesn''t it? Thought that one had been a book full of holes; not only in the writing but from missing pages as well; there are bound to have more books about the subject in here as well, especially since the ancient elves had a close contact with the bringers of magic and, probably, with those creatures as well. And maybe magic wasn''t the only thing brought from that time to us; or maybe, not only good magic, that is. Chapter 85 - Eighty-One Unfortunately, however, there was a slight problem that slowed my research down, two actually; I was the only one who could search and read that information, upon hundreds of books scattered around and without order. It would take longer then I wished for like this, so in the end we left the place without a concrete finding and a pile of books to read; and at this point I was as tired as hell, without proper sleep for three days, the worry for my brother giving me a constant headache and making my heart heavy. So I dragged my steps until we reached the house, passing through all the destruction again on the woods making me say: "We need to leave this place soon, is not hidden anymore." I point with my chin for Leonel to see the destruction around as he agrees. "I''ll have a look over the map tonight." "I''ll leave that to you then." I was definitely done for the day. But, well, the day wasn''t done with me just yet. When I pass over the halls I almost forget about the wounded ones, the pained m.o.a.n of one of them catching my attention and bringing my gaze towards the half-open door. Isa was inside, looking over what was left of the arm of the older twin, the skin scaring up nicely, but the arm was lost forever. At least the slice did not go further in, for what I could see it had been far too close to his chest for comfort, the arm probably had saved his life by staying in the way. I realize then that the only place left to sleep was occupied with them, and the sky was starting to get cloudy on the horizon, telling me that or I had to sleep in here or out there in the rain. I know that I''m an animal and all, but that doesn''t mean I like getting soaked from head to toe, especially as a Fire creature; And getting soaked was only fun when I was swimming in hot days, not underneath a rainstorm, especially to sleep. That''s how I ended up entering the already overcrowded room where the sick were and stopping over the door to look inside. The Templar was to the side, standing like and armor in display while Isa, looking tired and lacking sleep, only glance at my direction, not stopping what he was doing as he said: "What?" "There is nowhere else to sleep." "Uhm." He goes back to what he was doing, and as I look down and see Ragnur plump form rounding the blanket beside the twin, my mind going back to Aeglos who was on the second room, connected to this one by a hole on the wall that the goopy creatures created without care with their attacks. I was tired, and he was too, but it would be useless to wait for a better time to ask for it may never come, plus I wanted to know as soon as possible. "About Aeglos" I start to speak but I''m interrupted by Leonel entering the room with food, a dish more simple than he is used to doing, but still smelled wonderful so I take one as well, only then realizing than beyond lacking sleep I had negligence food as well. As Leonel sits to the side and eats while rummaging the map, putting some stones and pieces of wood on the edges to keep the paper in place, I start eating, but oddly not paying attention to the taste as I use to do, instead trying not to lose track of the subject at hand. "Leo said that he is not waking up." "Yeah." Even Isaac''s answers are shorter than they usually are for how tired he is, which was oddly well behaved. " He also said that you believe that it was some kind of magic perhaps mind magic?" He stops moving then, signing tiredly as his downturned eyes focus on me. "Look, I know we are not in the best terms. " You bet. "But it is my duty as a healer to look after the health of others, and one thing for sure is that you need to eat, to rest, and now." "But I-" "Now. No discussion." At that he stands to gather more water for the wounded, allowing me to see Ragnur''s face and realize that he was actually awake as he says: "You heard the nun, time to rest." He says, munching on some leftovers of the food in his teeth, sleepy from finish to start, probably under some medicine effects. "If you are good they can even give you the good stuff" He mumbles. Do I even want to know what he is talking about? Or rather, does he even realize that I''m here or is he just daydreaming? I have no time to ask as he simply falls asleep, surprising me of how carefree he manages to be; in all situations even, I remember I saw him talking with some slaves on the cage before we save him. Too carefree in the border of being stupid. Though I had to admit that, by now, my mind was slow and foggy, and since Isaac wasn''t here anymore I was not up to chase him for answers today, at least, so I''m finally go find a place to rest down after this nightmare came to be, finding a corner where I would not get in the way and covering myself with a blanket from my space, pushing my head against the wall and covering my head to try and keep the light away, even though the place kept being quite loud with everyone moving about. Though I was in no position to complain. My mind was tired from all the information and things that keep happening one after the other so the only smart thing to do right now was to rest and talk later. Tomorrow would be a long day. And yet before I fell asleep, I got an idea that finally manages to calm my nerves down a little; and as Leonel had said, I truly had given Seiroe a too big of a burden, but thinking I was out of choices I send him out. But now I realized I had a way to gather information on my own, a way no one was aware of. Have you two rascals recovered yet? I receive a deep grow in the deepest part of my mind, followed by a sneer. ''f course we are, boss took his time calling for y''! Them you already know what to do, stop bothering me and go to work! So meanie boss! I painful howl follows, making me roll my eyes underneath the blanket. Come on, is not like you haven''t been waiting for it, just don''t cause too much trouble you hear me? You hear me? Are they already gone? But even so they would be able to hear me just fine. Those two How did I manage to have those two trouble makers as my Sentient Shadows? I swallowed my prejudice against my will, knowing that even though they were rascals they were somehow part of me, and more trustworthy than anyone could ever be. At least in the matter of not being able to hide or lie to me, because doing what they were asked for was another matter completely different Don''t worry boss, we won''t mess ''t up, for our little pup. Pup, they liked to call Hunthor like that Uhm, I understand. And I really do now. I understand that, as part of me, their worry was as big as mine and that, for them, my brother was as important as he was to me; and that they would not mess things up if my brother''s life was on the line. They slipped out without anyone noticing, and as Deadbite used Darkjaw as a mount once more as they trotted out and into another city where they could gather information for us. Though as they did not have a humanoid form, with their snouts very apparent, they would stand out between the crowd, making that they need to be smart on how they will gather information out of people. With that settled, and nothing more I could do now beyond wait for them to call back, I''m finally able to relax enough to sleep, light and unstable sleep, but better than no sleep at all. I just hope that our efforts are not in vain. Chapter 86 - Eighty-Two When I woke up the next morning I realize that I overslept, but even though I slept like a log I still felt tired somehow, as if in need of a longer rest; or a more calm one at that, worsening from the fact that my back was now sore from sleeping in the corner without moving. Beyond having my heart and mind heavy I was still supplying my shadows with mana, in a way that I was almost breathing and eating for them, so I can understand why that happened; and why I was so hungry too. So I stand, stretching my arms, passing the back of my hand over my mouth as I look around me, seeing that the place was mostly empty, only Aeglos and Eyope laying, and for the smell of food I had a good guest where they all went. I blink the sleep away as I follow the smell of food, finding Leonel and the others on the porch, eating outside while sitting on the edge, looking over the destroyed garden. Well, I guess that is better than the destroyed living room thanks to Leonel and that knight Speaking of the devil he is standing on the side stirring a pot of warm tasty food; and I knew that without even looking nor tasting, which brought my stomach to life. Hell, I didn''t even need to see it, saying that Leonel cooked it was already enough proof of how yummy it would be. "Want some?" "Hell yeah, I''m starving. What is it?" "Chicken soup." Wait, I understand if you do that for the sick, but why us as well? Guess I have no place to complain though; so I only say: "Can I have extra meat?" Or maybe only meat? Not a fan of soups; thought his were as great as soup could ever be. Leonel raises his eyebrow, as if aware of my line of thought, and smile. "Sure, if you behave today." I raise an eyebrow at that, a playful smile on my face. "What, I always am." Behaving like I want to that is. I was already with a bowl in hand when he said that, and even though I played with him I already had a bad feeling that I wasn''t going to like what he would say next; but, well, it wasn''t as bad as he made it sound. "I spoke with the others while you were asleep and already planned some things." I figure he would not be waiting without doing anything, and I bet he had something planned even before today while I rampage through the woods, but I tried to ignore my pride in having to do everything on my own for the sake of knowing he was doing it for mine and my brothers own good. It was good to count on others from time to time; it wasn''t on my nature to do so though. I sigh heavily as he puts a hand on my back and guides me towards the others, sitting down on the edge as well and bringing me with him as I munched a piece of tender extra chicken. I guess he knew I would listen better with a full belly and something occupying my mouth so I would not complain; though I can say that, right now, I only cared about having some food to replace what those two rascals were sucking out of me. And something tells me I''ll have to use those two shadows a lot more from now on, ugh. "First things first, one of the few things that are less important is the original plan of making that safe heaven." Funny how quickly it turned from the main objective to we will do if we have time. "So I was speaking with Ragnur." Hearing his name Ragnur shouts from the back, making food fly out his mouth and on his bear as I scowl with the image. "And he was explaining a few things for me; first that dwarves have three main kingdoms: Ironforge, Firebend and Lockinge. Thankfully he is from the closest to us, Lockinge, and even better is that, as the other two specialize in forging jewelry, weapons, and things with metal and ore from the mountains inside their territory, his place has more merchant view, as they have lagoons and rivers that connect then quickly towards big human cities, plus are located along three humans kingdom." "Four!" Ragnur corrects. "Plus the two dwarves kingdoms." "So" Leonel continues. "They are specialized in building things to sell, such as wooden furniture, houses, you name it. My idea was that he could go back there ahead of us and have them make some houses, that way you could put them in your space and take them off when we are ready to start and settle in. What do you think?" I occupied my mouth so I can have more time to think, making a clear satisfying slurping sound, as I say: " I think is a great idea." Taking off the fact that I will need to find space down there for a bunch of houses and probably have it all organized by the time we go there, then yes is a great idea. In the end, even without knowing, Leonel manages to make me have to organize that place. How bad my luck could be? Ugh. Well, if Leo notices my distress he ignores it as he continues. "As for Isaac" "Isa please, don''t want you messing my name in the wrong places with the wrong people." Still a jerk I see. "We were about to discuss when you arrive." "Good, I have many questions as well." I can see an unsatisfied look on his face as he politely brought the wooden spoon to his mouth. We wait for him to start speaking, but he takes his sweet time to say anything, bringing a cup of warm tea and sipping while looking out over the destroyed garden. "I''m part of the Church of the Goddess of Magic, and part of the group called Light Sisters. We are trained from a young age to become healing nuns and take our caring touch towards the people." I can''t stop myself from snorting at that; and I did not know which one was more absurd, the caring touch or the part where they were a group made to assist the people. Yeah, the "people" who paid better for their services, that is. Healing magic is an expensive type of treatment that most could not afford. And, beyond the fact that it is a rare type of magic, one could say that this church was the other reason for being so exclusive. "We are known for our healing powers, and I believe that we may have something in our archives that may assist with healing Aeglos mind. Mind magic is as rare as healing magic, and few know how to deal with it. The plan was to go back to the temple and find out a cure." Well, so far so good, only that I bet they would not lend us that information willingly. "But there is a problem." Of course there is, there is always a problem. "Well, a few actually." Even better! Note the sarcasm. "What it is?" I ask, not amused. "First, before we continue with any of this, you have to promise to do as I say and accept my commands." Yeaahh, sureee, why not? "If I don''t?" "Then this plan is doom from the beginning." Hell if I would accept any orders from him, even more with such a vague response. "How about you tell me more about this plan before anything else uhm? And what about the other problems?" "Is thatThey don''t accept men inside." Chapter 87 - Eighty-Three Somehow, after all the suspense, I thought it would be something worse than that; not that it was a good thing, I was just thinking that such "notorious" church would require a "selling our soul" type of contract to enter. Ok, I''m exaggerating a little, but still "Well, that means we can''t go inside, so how about you go in and search for us?" I say to Isa as he nods negatively. "No can do, just because I have the pass of a nun doesn''t mean I can enter wherever I want, and is actually even worse since they will have me working for them while I''m there. Plus" At that Isaac exchange glances with the Templar, and somehow gets some type of answer out of that walking armor to continue. "And is far too dangerous if I get caught." I frown at that. "What do you mean?" "I mean that they do not know that I''m a man, and that we are not allowed as nuns, nor inside the church." Well, it seemed rather odd but I feel like there is more into it. "And what happens if they figure it out? If they discover you?" "Well, let''s just say that there are no men known in history to have the power of healing light." "Which means?" "Think a little hound, why do you think is that?" "Because only woman have it?" As soon as the words get out of my mouth I frown once more; how could that be, if Isaac was standing right in front of me, a living proof of the right opposite? He nods after seeing me think about it. "That''s right, is rare, but it happens, but the church doesn''t like it very much; after all, is an "element bestowed by the goodness to her fellow sisters", a gift from the heavens, a proof of the value of women, a way to show and hold the power of cure by the churches hands. If a man appears to defy it, they vanish with him." "Wait, so if they realize that you are a man, they will kill you?! That''s absurd!" "Now you understand why is so important for you, for all of you, to keep your mouth shut?" Well, it is not like I was going to tell anybody, but now that I knew the weight of this information I kind of felt sorry for Isa, just a very tiny bit; almost none existing, really. "Ok, so what''s your plan?" I ask, even if against my will, knowing it was best to hear him first even if I didn''t like him; being professional here. "Well, for starts someone has to stay to take care of the wounded, and as Ragnur will go out and Seiroe already did, so Nacon is the best choice to stay behind." "Nacon who?" Isaac looks at me if I was too dumb to understand proper language, raising an annoying eyebrow as he says: "My Templar?" Wait, was this the first time I heard his name after all this time? After staying together for days? How did I not notice it before? Maybe because I thought that he was part of the furniture sometimesLike an armor in display or something "That leave us with you and Leonel. He obviously cannot go, so the only one allowed to go with me is you." "I don''t follow, I mean, I am a man too you know." Better have it clear out, who knows what passes in Isa''s mind. "You don''t say?" He mocks me, the prick. "You will go as a hound, a dog and bodyguard of mine, many nuns have it as pets too, so it won''t be suspicious." A pet? A freaking pet? Even worst, Isaac''s pet?! Oh hell n- "Otherwise you won''t be able to enter and save Aeglos mind. I wonder what your brother would think of you if you don''t go" Prick. "Ok, ok, I''ll go, I''ll go, but don''t you dare try to put a collar in me." I barely hear Leo say behind me, with his breathing tickling the back of my neck: "I think it would look good on you. Especially right now." I''m not blushing, is just too hot in here. "Shut up." I say back, elbowing behind me and earning a playful grunt when I hit him. "Without a collar it will be impossible." Issac continues. "Well, then we have a problem in our hands." I say, crossing my arms, not liking this one bit. "I have an idea." Says Leonel. "One that we used before and worked out." I don''t like where this is going. "Thilgon even had training for it." "Which is?" Asks Isa as I get paler by the second. "He could get in dressed as a woman, he did it before at the salon." "Not again" I whine, my tail flopping up and down, unsatisfied. Leonel, sitting behind me, starts to play with a strand of my long black raven hair, saying so only I could hear: "Is that or not save Aeglos, and I know you are not the type to leave Aeglos in that state for, what, pride? Plus you would do that for me if I was the one laying on that bed?" I look behind him, the subject turning too serious all of the sudden, my tail calming down with his gestures as I say: "You don''t even need to ask that." He smiles, bringing my hair towards his face and giving it a slight kiss, murmuring a "I know" with a husky voice. Stop moving freaking tail, you are giving us out like that. "Well, let''s just think about the details later on ok?" I say to Isa, who was once more drinking his tea, not bothered by my little outburst, as if too annoyed to even acknowledge it. "So, that way." Continues Isaac, ignoring us as if nothing happened. "Both can stay and wait for Seiroe to come back as well as take care of Aeglos and-" "I disagree." I say, interrupting him, which did not please Isa. Even better for me. "We don''t need so many people idle in here." "What is your propose then?" I intertwine my fingers in front of me, resting my hands over my knee as I say: "I think we need to consider the possibility that we won''t be able to cure Aeglos." At that Isa and Leo talk at the same time, something about being pessimist or not giving up, I just raise my hand as I continue: "I''m not saying we will stop looking and will leave him like that, I''m saying that we cannot afford to carry him around us in that state, is dangerous for him and will only drag us down." "Then what do you have in mind?" I''m surprise that we have being able to hold an amiable conversation until this point. I look back, finding a pair of golden melted eyes, as I complete my line of thought: "I think we should take him to the elves." Chapter 88 - Eighty-Four "What? Are you crazy? We would lose too much time and have unnecessary contact and-" "Oh shut up, stop complaining and hear me out for a second." I say, and continue without giving Isaac enough time to keep complaining. "It will be far more dangerous to have Aeglos along with us, he is a full elf, which already attracts attention, and unstable as he is will make us easy to recognize and to counter." "But there" I continue." He will be protected by his people and family, and Leonel can carry him there without a problem, and even knows them enough to enter without notice. I bet they will understand our situation if we explain it, plus Leonel and your Templar would be doing nothing here anyway, better use their time more wisely." I say in almost one breath. "Wait, you have access to the elven kingdom?" "Of course, on the contrary of humans magical creatures are welcomed there." Before we could start another discussion, however, my ears pick up a sound from the rooms, where we left the wounded to rest, which makes me look back at Leonel who understands without the need of words and nods. We stand and walk out without saying anything, leaving a stunned Isaac behind, only to find something really odd inside the rooms. Eyope was still sleeping, and nothing seemed to be out of place, but once we get to Aeglos we find what had caught my attention. That is it was Aeglos himself. He had woken up! But my happiness was short-lived because we soon found out that something was very wrong with him. I kneel beside him as Isa comes rushing from the outside, his hands already shining as he starts to pass his palms over Aeglos forehead. "Oi, oi Aeglos, can you hear me?" His eyes were staring forward, glassy, looking like dead fish eyes with a mere reflex of the light, no awareness nor life appearing in them. That image, of a comrade, broken from inside out, makes me at the same time petrified and angry, the first for existing such unusual and strange magic, and the second for, well, for having Aeglos being used and played like this by the puppeteer. How many victims had he made? How many more will he make? I keep looking, unable to do much more, watching Isa make the little snake-like lighting enter his skin and shine shyly underneath wherever Isa touched him. That''s when my black pointy ears perched up, catching something else from him, a sound I see then, his lips move ever so slightly, making me approach to listen better. "A A angel, I saw I saw an angel" After many incoherent words threw about I finally manage to put his words together to make a phrase, repeating it for the others who were waiting on the side. "An angel? What is that?" I haven''t even realized that such word would sound foreigner for then, sounding so familiar to me; which only makes me even more aware that my fellow reincarnated friend was far gone into this state to not even realize what he was saying. "Is a winged creature, usually representing something divine." "Wait, that doesn''t make sense, there are so few Alars left that none of that kin would venture far on this lands, even more to hurt someone." An Ala-what? Nevermind that, we keep trying to make Aeglos talk, catch his attention, but beyond talking about how the angel was divine, beautiful or whatever, he would not talk nor respond, as if the only thing his brain could process was the image of an angel. That makes me think had the puppeteer changed his mind to the point where he thought he saw an angel? Or perhaps the puppeteer managed to change his memory completely, imputing whatever it wanted inside? Or perhaps had Aeglos truly seen an angel? It was a piece of small odd information, but still possible one more evidence thrown with the many others we manage to find until now. "Aeglos, tell me, do you remember what you saw? Can you describe him? How many were there? Where did they take Hunthor?" I keep asking all the questions that were deeply bothering me, even going as far as to hold his face towards me, but all for naught; there was no reaction at all, as if he was stuck in some kind of dimension or illusion. The only thing left for me to do is to stand and walk out of the room, more annoyed than angry, and more alert than ever, my mind bursting ideas and plans but, without much to go on from the start, all ended up hitting a wall. I look up at Leonel, who exchanges a glance at me as I motion for him to follow me with my chin, walking out and farther into the building so we could talk, letting Isaac do his job. "So What do you think?" I say, crossing my arms and leaning on a tree, swinging my tail back and forth. "About what?" "Well, everything, my plan, the attacks, the puppeteer we haven''t had much chance to talk these past days so" "Oh, so you are asking my opinion? That''s new." "Shut up." "Haha." He chuckles, approaching me with his slim yet strong form, making me very aware of how much his wide shoulders complemented his carved muscles. But nothing could compare to his eyes, now so close to my, a melted caramel-gold that looked like a pool of golden lava being mix in a cauldron. There were so many layers of colors molding together, so many shades of golden, that it would take me an entire day to capture those shinning orbs in a painting. Nothing could compare to the light in those eyes as his lips touches mine, perhaps only the sensation his touch could give me, even more under such deep sight, such a tender look with the soft touch of his lips makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and in a good way, as if, even that for only a second, even if only as this kiss lasted, I was at peace, I was safe, all my worries vanishing away. This was the embrace of a loved one, so caring and lovable that it almost hurt. We dreadfully have to part our lips at some point, our bodies hidden under the trees shade, our heavy breaths mixing together as, with our eyes closed, our noses and forehead were resting against each other, his hand on the back of my neck as if wanting to get even closer. I couldn''t help but let a soft smile curve my lips up, a heavy sigh escaping me as I only focus on his breathing, on his warmth, on his smell. He always had a strangely calming effect on me, keeping a cool mind even in the most stressful situations and managing to bring me into his energy instead of getting affected by my own or the situation''s energy. And he always knew what to do to calm me down too; when to advance and when to fall back. Well, certainly he knew that I needed this right now. "Thanks." "Uhm." We stay like that for a little longer, until he locks eye with me and says: "I think is a good idea to take Aegloes to the elves; they may not like other people but they truly care for their own no matter what, I bet he will be safe there until we resolve all this mess." "But" He says, playing with my hair once more. "I''ll be back as soon as I explain the situation there. You are not getting rid of me that easily." I smirk at that, taking his hand on mine and pressing it against my cheek. "I wouldn''t have it any other way Just be careful ok?" "Of course, I always am. Pity that I won''t see your performance this time as a woman." I bump him in the shoulder, playfully. "Oh shut it." We keep talking all merry and happy, but, even though the idea was mine and that he agreed to it, an unsettling feeling crept inside me, of us parting once more, of being alone for the first time, not knowing what could be happening to both of them. Just please please let them come back to me safe and sound, both of them. Otherwise I may lose it. As if noticing my line of thought Leo brings my face up and, with a small smile, says: "Would you sing for me?" I chuckle. "Really? Again? What''s up with our obsession with me singing?" "I just like our voice." "Is that so?" "Well, and I may or may not miss it in the next days so I thought to keep it at heart with our singing." "Oh, so you will only miss my voice, is that it?" At that he smiles with mischief, a playful glint shining in his eyes as he says: "You know that I would miss far more than that. Should I list them to you?" "N-no no no, I''m good." It never ends well when he starts speaking that way. In the end we settle down under the tree, his head on my lap as I stroke his blond hair, a lullaby flowing softly over the chilly approaching night, this calm, peaceful day coming to an end before we part ways tomorrow morning. But as one says It is the calming before the storm. Chapter 89 - Eighty-Five POV:Leonel That night we sleep on the same bed, hugging, knowing that we would not see the other for a while, enjoying each other''s company, the unspeakable danger we were under not coming to words but in a caring act that I don''t think my little hound even realized it. I watch him sleep before relaxing myself, his caramel sunburned skin, his long black eyelashes, the way his chest rises softly with every breath, how his ears would move at the smallest breeze, how his body fits mine perfectly, how warm is to hug him. Goodness, how much I love him. As I close my eyes that night, I think how ironic it is that most of my memories with him where lost in the echo of time; all equally precious to me as the ones right now. If only he knew how much I know him, about him and even though they were about the time we meet, I would rather keep these memories where they belong; in a forgotten past, buried underneath the mystery of the cosmos, and those were the last thoughts I had before falling asleep. So I shouldn''t be surprised with what I dream that night; or rather, the memories that replay in my mind. A slash, followed by a gurgling sound splashing my face with red as, with a sword in hand, I pass my fingers over my eyelids to clean them up. Around me there were other humanoids fighting, but most had their beast side out and where painted in red as they fought with their claws and fangs, piercing bloodshot eyes induced to a state of frenzy by our leader, making them even more fearful and overtaken by anger and the need to kill. An army of death, the bringer of the scythe down on out opponents, unstoppable warriors that were bound to one wish; to kill, to destroy. And they were left amok, tonight, one last time. I was one of the few left out of that state so I could have a clear mind and bring back information if needed; I was left to be his eyes and ears, to bring back information on the other sides of the war. And I was trusted, yes, but not enough to be his right arm or something that high up, I was too human for that, even though I suffered as well at that hands of that kind; but that only brought me this high in his army. As I kill the last human guard worth fighting here I look over the battlefield, the houses burning wild and a trail of blood and bodies being left behind by us, the only thing left is the matriarch stone house on top of the hill. It was done, we made it. We chased the humans down to the corners of this earth and it finally ends here. Our job was done. I sheath my sword, not before slashing the blood away, knowing that it was time to report to our leader. On the contrary of the many other attacks we had, this time he stayed out of the action as, in his words, he wanted to watch it burn. We made that, quite literally. I start walking back, against the flow of warriors and beast dashing around, the second line of the army trying to find any survivors that may have run away or try to hide. No one was to be left alive. No one. I swallow dry. There is no point in brooding about it now, it is done. I walk past all the rubble and signs of war into the woods outside the settlement. The contrast was like the opposite sides of a coin; like hell and heaven, with the sound of a river running by, shuffling of leaves as the fresh autumn wind blows and the moonlight shines between the greeneries, like blades cutting through the foliage and leaving a silver glint behind. And there he was, on top of a stone, sitting with one leg curved, an arm on top of it, his eyes far and staring at the horizon, the ablaze flames shinning and dancing against the silver of his eyes, his serene face making his figure look like a stone statue carved to perfection, the only thing betraying his ethereal figure being his clothes fluttering in the wind, as well as his long black hair. My heart skipped a beat, a mix of warmth and sadness raising inside, the so odd yet familiar mixture that always came when I see him. If his image alone wasn''t enough to mesmerize someone his deep smooth voice resonated in a song, the melody being sung for no ears beyond his own, the words unimportant before his figure. I have learned, long ago, that, only when alone, singing, that I could see his true self; only then I could see beyond all the anger, all the hate, all the bloodl.u.s.t. Only then could I see the real Thilgon. And all the sadness and loneliness that his hate hid. For a while I just watch him there, even after his song ended, wondering what is passing through his head as he watches the last human settlement burn down to the ground; does he feel satisfaction, the peace of mind he had been searching for all this time? Did he feel regret? Guilt? Was all that anger still inside him? Or "For how long are you going to keep staring at me Ereinion?" He had never used my human name, and even when calling me by my elven name it wasn''t by my first name. That put a great distance between us, between him and anybody, even more when I was asked to do the same. "Sorry Palarran, I just came to let you know that we have sized the city and barricaded the exits. There is nowhere for them to go sir." "Good that''s good. All will end tonight my friend." His hand, as it was his usual, went without thinking towards the collar ever so present on his neck, where a small hound tooth could be seeing being stroke by the tip of his fingers. Some say he took from his brother''s dead corpse, but only a few knew that, even worse than that, was that he found it being sound as a necklace for only 5 coopers by some human merchant. It had haunted him for a while, the knowledge that pieces of his family were out there, being sold like mere jewelry or even worse. That only made him even angrier, but at that point, anything was fuel to his anger. But maybe now maybe now he would finally be let free from this cursed cycle of hate, of endless killing, of lost friends, family, kin. It was over now. "Yes, Palarran, is all over now." So would you please give the world a chance to brighten you? He looks down over the burning flames extinguishing the last of humankind, the moon behind his figure giving his already mysterious expression the cover of the darkness, making it difficult to decipher what was going on in his mind. "What should we do with the ones that run away from previous battles?" This may be the last settlement, but a few humans manage to escape and hide in caves and out of sight. "Kill them all. If even one is left behind they may plague this land again. Destroy every single one of them." I bow and turn to prepare things as he said, giving orders and sending small troops to all corners of the continent, making small hunting parties even before we were done for the day. If only I had known I would have never left you alone that night. The sun was rising by the time we finish the place up with already plans for the final touches, so I was finally free after an exhausting day; and yet something was bugging me since I saw him there, alone, singing in a mournful tune, almost nostalgic, with very complex feelings flowing. That may be why I didn''t notice all the sadness in his words. Or it may be just me trying to find excuses as to why I didn''t notice. That we lost him too, that night. We never found a body; the others responsible for the army would rather keep him alive, even if as a legend, and made him a martyr, hero, the one that came to set them free and, once he was done, went back the plane he came from. Almost like a god. Maybe that''s what they intended, to make him a god. But I knew that he was made from flesh and bones just like us, and could suffer just like us. But I knew, too, that he was gone I didn''t interfere in their plans; I had no reason to; but when I went to look for Thilgon, to the places I knew he liked to go to think, I found something, something that, beyond my wish to not believe, to deny that he was gone, confirmed my expectations. A silver crystal glinting alone in the darkness. His silver crystal. The one he couldn''t survive without. I felt so empty inside, not even sad, the blankness surpassing that in a way to the point that only a pressure in my chest let me know that this was not a dream, that he was truly gone. Then I woke up. It was still dark outside, which makes me blink a few times and look down at the warm body in my arms, only to hug him tighter. "Hm What is it?" Thilgon says, sleepy, so low that I almost lose what he said. "Nothing, is still late, go back to sleep." "Uhum." Is so cute how obedient he is when he is sleepy. I clench my teeth, taking in his smell, his warm, chasing the memories away. He was here, right now, with me, safe and sound. There is no point in wondering about things that will not be anymore; I''ve decided a long time ago to abdicate my anger for you, for you had it overflowing in you, I decided to be what you need me to be, your safe port, your home to come back too. I would never let you fall down that pit ever again, I would neutralize all my own anger just for you, if that brings the peace of mind you were searching for. I wonder how good I''m in doing that I brush his hair out of his face and give a soft kiss on his temple, my mind too active to sleep so soon, thinking on how Thilgon wouldn''t like to know why I liked to hear him singing, why I ask him, from time to time, to do it to me; because it was the only time, even then, when his face only knew how to express anger or indifference, that he was truly honest, probably without even noticing it. And because, if I had paid more attention to his singing, I would have known and maybe managed to stop him stop him from leaving us. But this time it would be different, I will keep my hawks eyes on him, this time, even if he is more honest, I''ll pay double the attention. For destiny gave me a second chance. And I was not going to waste it this time. Chapter 90 - Eighty-Six The next day we finally put our plan to work; as the Templar stays behind to take care of the older twin, Leonel has a hard time trying to make Aeglos move. In the end Leo decided to buy a horse for them; and actually had to ask the Templar to go buy one so he wouldn''t be recognized, by his royal or elven blood; otherwise his travel would take far too long, and even though his plans were delayed a little my weren''t; that''s why now, after the excruciating shore of organizing my bags and choosing my woman clothes, me and Isa hit the road. And I know it sounds hypocrite of me to say this; even more after being the one responsible for elaborating this plan, but... I didn''t like this plan a bit, and for many reasons; for having as sole companion Isaac, the one I disliked the most and the one I was more suspicious about, guiding me out here into a place where he held control over and knew people, plus the fact that Aeglos and Leonel would be out there alone, not that I did not trust Leonel to take care of him or anything like that, it just that it worried me nonetheless. That''s why, since both my rascal shadows had finally reached the city, I, without telling anyone about their existence, bring back Darkjaw to keep a close eye on Leonel and Aeglos as Deadbite stays behind and gathers information for me since he was the one who could speak. From outside, looking at my figure walking alongside Isa on this path, it may seem that I was simply hiking, leisurely watching over the trail, but instead I was very attentive to any traps up ahead, to anything that could give Isa away, and to what both where doing; by now Leonel had taken Aeglos out with the horse so Darkjaw was now walking beside them with the cover of the woods, looking over as Leonel advanced slowly with Aeglos on the animal, sometimes swinging dangerously out of the saddle, making their advance rather slow. They needed to be careful though; for being elves on human territory, for starts, and so no one would recognize Leonel because it would be obvious he had something to do with the missing gold, his missing gold, though, by his words, he said that he knew well his allies from his enemies. Well, I could only count on his discretion to manage to get to the elves; it would be safer for him too. I sigh when I think about how this could be a waste of time; time that I definitely do not have the luxury to waste. A heavy sigh escapes my lips do not think about your brother now, on how he must me fairing, no good will come from that The only thing I can do right now is trying to help Aeglos and search for my brother at the same time. "Are you sure we will find the cure there?" I ask Isa, who simple looks over his shoulder, wearing all his nun attired with plates of armor on top, only his face and purple eyes visible as he says: "How should I be sure of it? I''m not allowed there." "There where?" "Well, there are a lot of different roles inside the church; some, like me, are trained to give first care to the population, which means we are not very well regarded inside the church since we are the ones that truly want to help, not stay inside playing politics." Uff, someone seems salty. "However for that we have only training and access to the more basic magic and skills; and only the higher researching members of the church would have the knowledge or access, with their higher credentials." He starts explaining the hierarchy, the layout, but I''m half-listening to him complaining about how they are unfairly treated and separated and blablabla. Yeah, right, you don''t have the biggest room for yourself, but at least you have food and shelter; and that is far more than many others have in this country. Guess someone needs to travel a lot more to really understand and help out the ones in "need". We stop talking after a while, trying to keep appearances up as well as be attentive to the road and any bandits that may want to jump on us. It would be their last mistake though, haha. Now I was paying attention to Deadtbite He had reached the city, the problem now was his face, or more precisely, his snout; it was hard as it is to make others speak, even more when you clearly weren''t human. ''Found anything yet?'' ''Actually, a''ot boss.'' ''How so?'' ''Well, there is a''ot of commotions going on, some very hot debates if yo feel me.'' It was already hard as it is to understand him with his lisping, I didn''t need any riddles. ''Speak already.'' ''You see, boss, it ain''t good. It seems this country pleaded alliance to another out of nowhere, and many other ''id the same.'' ''What?! Alliance? With whom? And out of nowhere like this?'' Could help but frown. ''Ya see, the weird thing is not even that, ''s that no one knew of the place until now! And this alliance ''s more like servant contract, they totally lay down to them!'' ''What? Explain better.'' ''It seems that this country and others are totally under the control of that one!'' ''The name, tell me the name of the country.'' ''''s Rotherhithe boss.'' I can physically feel the blood draining from my face. Rotherhithe, the most distant country down south, staying at the outline of an island where the Antshiva live, so far from here and so uninteresting politically speaking that anyone could see that there it was something fishy about it. And a human country giving powers to them? To a non-human country at that?! I swallow dry. This is starting to sound far bigger and worse than it was a few days before. ''''s starting to get lot of trouble here too boss. The humans are unhappy with it and are demanding some explanation, and there are other countries who did the same.'' If our enemy is the one responsible for this then killing him just got a lot more troublesome. And that means that this country is now under his power, his command, which included everything in it; as well as the church. I stop when that thought hits me, looking up as Isa''s back, and saying: "Stop, Isa, we need to get back, now." He turns, a frown on his face replaced soon by a sneer. "What? Giving up so soon? Are you that afraid of people seeing you like this?" I, unfortunately, had to choose, in the end, if I was going with a collar or a dress; and, well, I may even argue that it wasn''t a choice at all given the options, but it didn''t make me any happier with the state I was on. This dress was a lot better to hide myself under than the one I used before; it went all the way down, covering my feet and tail easily, two layers thick plus an apron knotted on my waist, leaving my fake bust more apparent, plus a red-wine dress with puffed sleeves. Beyond all that there was a hat that covered all my hair and only let my face visible, going back like a bowl, making that the only things left for me to hide were my silver eyes and crystal, which was covered by another layer of clothing over my head, making me almost a nun. A hot nun and not in that way; in the way that it was really hot with all these layers of cloth, though for me it was still a pleasant temperature, with me as a furnace in the middle. "That''s not it-" I start to answer, annoyed that such important fact was passed by him as a mere pride thing, when my ears catch something not far out in the road. "Seems like our ride has arrived." Isa says, already staying on the side and looking for the carriage. As I turn to look at the carriage approaching us, I have the strange feeling of walking right up into a lion''s den, but I may have realized it too late to go back now. Isa waves as the carriage stop, and I try to stop myself from swearing. I have such bad luck sometimes. Chapter 91 - CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN Ahh... I want to go back to being just an average hound in the woods, only worried about what my next meal would be, were to sleep next, and how to annoy my brother. Because if I had remembered how annoying human interaction could be I may have changed my mind before coming "back" to society, even more now, looking from the outside, with the perspective of an animal; which makes me realized that, damn, humans like to complicate things, even the simplest ones. Like greeting, for example. "Good evening Sister Isa, is being a while hasn''t it? What a lovely day for a walk isn''t it? If you like I wouldn''t mind if you want a ride" The man says with a smile, but that grin looks more like a distortion of his face than a kind gesture, like a fox smiling before stealing your chicks; showing its teeth for the excitement of the hunt. Yeah, something like that "It is quite a beautiful day indeed, and if it won''t trouble you I will accept your kind offer." Isa says in a soft polite tone that makes me sick of the stomach from only hearing it, the fakeness dripping like venom from each sweet word he articulates from there on. "Of course not Sister Isa, it will be a ''pleasure'' to have you with us. Please come on in." The one driving the carriage was actually a man, and that makes me stare a little too long at him, earning a smile as our eyes meet and I look down as I was supposed to do as a ''servant''. "Don''t worry milady, no men are allowed in here." He says, making me want to check him out once to look for a pair of b.r.e.a.s.ts; which of course I already knew weren''t there. "But you are" I say, lowing my voice so I would sound shy and fragile, not as if I was trying to hide my male voice away. "I''m a eunuch, milady, all men are alow to enter there are." My face pales as I say an "oh" that he takes for being embarrassed, and not from thinking about the pain it would have been to have to have that fella simply, simply cut out You know what, better not even think about it. The ride goes smooth for a while, the only sound being the rocking of the carriage, the hooves of the horse hitting the ground at a steady pace, beyond the wooden wheels hitting the ground. As the carriage is open at the front, meant to carry baggage instead of people, we could see the back of the eunuch''s head as he guides the horse up the hill. "I heard you were traveling. " He starts, almost sounding curious. " I bet you saved a lot of people." His voice was steady, but somehow it made me think that he was mocking Isa. " You even managed to find someone to serve you. Reckon it must have been a profiting journey." "It has been inspiring, for sure." Isa replies in a vague way. " But there are still many others out there in need of help, I''m just sad that I''m an unable help all of them, I''m only one person after all..." It almost seems like a pre-made answer, as if Isa had been asked that many times before. "I see..." The eunuch says, not amused by the answer. "But I''m glad now that this meeting can bring us all together again like this, so you''ll have all the time in the world to tell me more about your adventures later on." Is it me or this guy is trying too hard to get information out of Isa? Uhm... And one more thing "Meeting you say?" Asks Isa in an almost naive tone of voice, but I could see him clenching his hands on his lap, not happy for being baited like this; and for not knowing about this meeting. All could turn into a battle of wits in the world of men. Sigh, you know when I find something that annoys me in the woods there are usually two ways to deal with it; by killing or avoiding. I guess humans are one of the few creatures who would force themselves to have such rascals in their lives and live alongside such annoying things. Well humanoids in general, but humans were worst, because they weren''t honest. It is funny how I used to be a human, but now as a hound I struggle to comprehend how humans think; or rather, now that I''m going into search "pristine" church I''m starting to realize how incompatible I have become too human logic. Before I could even notice I overthink my way through this journey, letting them talk about whatever until we finally reach the place, to annoyed to pay any more attention to what they were saying. As we were getting closer the number of people around us increase, the only men around having the same weird smile on their faces, always present, sending shivers down my back, their heads and whole body shaved until there was no hair left on their bodies; and that included the eyebrows. Guess that was part of what intrigued me about them, how I could not read their expressions correctly. Oh well. Beyond them wearing white vests, the women were a total contrast; at least the few I saw outside, wearing different clothes for different categories and hierarchy levels, or so says Isa beside me. The carriage stops under a wide stone stair that goes up into the woods, surrounded by the forest and covered from the sun by an arch of spring trees that embraced each other''s branches, making a green and flourish tunnel. Beyond the many flowers over our heads with different colors, from white to yellow and purple, there was a carpet of petals over the steps, making that I did not even feel the time pass, distracted as I was, as we kept climbing up until we finally reach the top. The place was astonishing, and it was impossible not to look. The first thing we see come to view, framed by the sun, was a huge statue of a woman, but this one did not seem like the ones in the city; fist, it had a lot more details, the clothes fl.u.s.tering on the wind as if not made of stone but from a thin layer of cloth. Beyond that was the long hair in the wind, each strand seemly made with care by skillful hands, so much that I could almost make out thin strands of hair in between. But the most different part, beyond all that care, were the clothes that this woman is using; some type of Asian vest, similar to a kimono with long sleeves as well as a strap of cloth continuing in the middle until the knee, having underneath puffy pants on. And, on her hands, is a long lance pointing down, the tip almost making me believe the sharpness of the rock. I barely managed to read a few words that are written underneath the statue before we finish climbing up the stairs. ''A tribute for the Goddess of Magic, the first to enlighten humankind.'' Well, that doesn''t seem ominous at all I think before dreading what awaits me on top of these stairs. I could only hope that it would be a very quick visit to this place. Chapter 92 - Eighty-Eight Even though I had had contact with humans before, lived among them even, it has never been like this, so into their society and costumes, always somewhat detached to them; and even my past memories seem so distant now, more like a book I''ve read than my own memories. It was a strange feeling of detachment to humankind, of being yet knowing you do not belong here... What I''m trying to say is that I''m a hound, a magical creature, and my humanoid form may confuse some, but my soul, my mind is that of a hound, an animal. A beast, a predator. So it was against my nature to bow down and pretend to by a mere maid, a servant, which is bad enough to give me an itching sensation that makes me want to simply kick someone for no good reason. To make things worse, I''m with Isaac, of all people, and we have just got ourselves into a pit of snakes. Let just say that the eunuch was only the first one togreet us so "kindly". "Oh, Isa, long time no see, I bet you missed the palace, please ''enjoy'' to the fullest our warm meals, hot baths, you may even find some perfume if you ask nicely" Says a propitious woman with a strong smell of flowers, not stronger though than the colorful impact her image gives to my eyes. I want to sneeze so badly right now shit. "Thank you for such worries Sister, I''ll gladly enjoy the ''hospitality'' the palace gives to us wanderers." Isa answers with a smile that does not reach his eyes, emphasizing the hospitality word. Oh, so that''s what he meant when he said about the difference between the inner sisters and out sisters; while the latter was the one that, according to him, really tried to help and went out to save people, the inner sisters, beyond having all the comfort of the palace and not having the distress of the travel and have to deal with the poor, had enough time on their hands to plot and conquer and drink tea. Bureaucrats, to summarize. Another, one of the followers of that woman, even said before leaving: "Is a pity, so out and about, must be hard to come back and be unaware of what happens inside the church must be confusing to come back to it unaware like that..." And a bunch of gibberish that I rather pretend to be deaf to. Well, I''ve never been happier that servants don''t need to talk. However, even though the inhabitants of the palace were that ugly, the temple itself was marvelous; beyond the statue at the entrance even the walls of this place where pieces of art, crafted not only on the wall, but shaping it as well, ''making'' the wall. There are layers of flames crafted together on the white stone in a wild dance, their sharp edges bringing to life the beauty and danger that a flame contains. There were smooth waves too, crashing against each other and making foam form between; and bringing them all together was the wind and the earth, plants that reached the sky''s growing from the Earth, some real, some crafted, bringing it all together in a complex yet harmonic picture. And as if that on itself wasn''t it enough the whole place was pure white, the type you only get with constant care and paint, fresh and pure, the blinding color of the snow. However if it seems dull or uninteresting by the lack of colors it would soon be proven wrong for that was only the entrance, the real beauty was hidden in the central hall, an open space embraced by the temple''s walls in all sides, forming a square right in the middle. And if the rest was pure white that place was the total opposite; it was a winter garden with smooth grey and white stones covering the ground that only brought up even more the colorful flowers that swung with the wind; chrysanthemums, tulips, some bamboo and other plants I couldn''t recognize, going from red to yellow and purple, and that made me realize that''s something already so beautiful could be highlighted up even more by being framed in such way. It was difficult to tear my eyes away, but curiosity won after all as I turn around to ask Isa about this place, even though I was so uninterested in it until now. "Why is this place so white?" "It is said that the Goodness of Magic would only use white, so it became a symbol of our church to use it as color base for everything." "But I saw so many people using different colorful clothes" "Yes, it is the same reason that we have so many flowers; for the only thing that would change in her clothes is that colorful flowers would appear, and their colors would change with her mood, shining against the white cloth." I look at Isa, all white with only armor in place, and I don''t even need to ask him as he says: "Mine is metal, silver, the blade color, the strong yet flexible elemental, and it represents when one is willing to fight, but not consumed by the wish to do so. Is the ones that have the patience and willingness to go out there and work to the bones for what they believe is right." "Uhm" High words coming from someone who wanted to beat me before for only being a magical creature. He quickly explains to me some of the meanings, and that the color usually represents; red for the ones who assist in the war, tough women who are not scared to get a little dirty, even though usually they all stay only close to the nobles and wealthy to heal them up, and not on the front lines. Putting price and value on lives now uhm? But I guess we all to that to some degree. Then the golden-yellow were quite obvious; the ones responsible for the economics of the church, which was quite a lot since they bought and earned a lot of lands which they then lend to others to plant and use for a price. It is actually quite profitable to have a church, even more when you are mostly omnipotent in the continent; with some diversities up north apparently. Purple was the ones that I would be looking for; the ones responsible for research, for the creation of new magic and for teaching new nuns as well, having a quite neutral yet respectable rank. Then there were the green and turquoise-blue, the first took care of the plants and cleaning, and the other coping books or doc.u.ments, dealing with the more administrative part of it all. And the eunuchs helped them all, mostly staying with the same person, almost like a personal servant, though were they worked and who they worked for was totally up to contacts and charisma. We walk around for a while, me, for the first time, very content in following behind since I knew nothing of this place, but it wasn''t long before I saw how crowded and busy this place is, which makes me more. And how, sooner than I thought, I would realize that my stay would be shorter than I believed at first. And more endangering. Chapter 93 - Eighty-Nine "There it is." Says Isa, pointing up with his chin and quickly looking away so no one would get suspicious as we keep walking. "The research center towards that area. Since they, sometimes, deal with rare diseases, and have exclusive VIP areas, their central is separated from the common area, so this is as close as I got to it." Still following behind him I ask: " Who is allowed to enter?" "The researchers, of course, some healers who assist them, mostly novices that are training; which means, mostly the elite; and the ones who compile the books for them." "Uhm" I answer, slightly narrowing my eyes towards my target, the building hidden behind the trees with only the top visible where they held the cure for Aeglos, hopefully. Now now, how should I do this? Hopefully the place was better organized than my own library, it would really make my life easier than having to search every sector to know where any information regarding Aeglos problem was. Hell now that I think about it what type should I search for? It would be probably a book, but under what sector? Mental control? Puppet magic? Black goopy disease? Well, all of that if possible, but I doubt it; so let''s stick with Aeglos little mental problem shall we? The temptation of going there right away and dealing with all of this in one blow was real, but even I knew that it would be a really bad idea, so I look away and follow Isa for now. We did not get close enough for me to assert the place up this time, especially because it was still day and out of the path we normally would take, so to avoid suspicious Isa only showed me the building from afar, indicating the direction I should take to get there. "So what is the plan now?" "Stay low and play our parts." Isa says before a young eunuch comes rushing, stopping in front of Isa to catch his breath and say: "Sister Isa, welcome back, is good to see that you received our request and came back in time." I can see in the corner of my eye how Isa scowls a little before smiling: "Letter? I didn''t receive any." "What? How so?" The little eunuch seems to be taken back a little, but soon realizes it and coughs to hide it. "I see, then it is even more fortunate that you made in time." He says, his clean face giving more emphasis to his puffy cheeks as he smiles. "In time for what?" "The High Priestess sent a message requesting that all the High Sisters should be present tomorrow night for a reunion at dinner." "A dinner? And with all of us? That''s unusual, any idea the reason for it?" "Ah eh, only that she will announce something important Sister." "I see thank you for letting me know." Isa says, and was about to leave, when the eunuch reaches for him. "Ah, wait! Sorry, but that''s not all, we will need you to fill the reports about your adventures as well and" He keeps talking about a bunch of things Isa needed to do, mostly bureaucratic, and all probably delayed because Isa never stayed long in here, being outside all the time. Probably the safest way to keep his identity hidden and keep himself alive. I''m brought back from my thoughts to their talk when Isa hands his bag to be, swinging it back and almost hitting me, as he says: "Seems like I have a lot to do, take our things to our room and prepare the place for me. Little brother, may I ask you to guide her there? Is her first time in this place so I fear she will get lost" "Oh, no problem Sister Isa, is my pleasure." At that Isa turns around and leaves me with this young eunuch which oddly enough seems to be the first honest one in here; though I know better than to let my guard down. "So, uhm follow me?" He says, making me nod and start to really pay attention to him. I don''t know if is the eunuch thing, but he looks rather young, small and with a babyface, appearing even more without any hair, letting his smooth skin very visible as well as his big round eyes. We stay in awkward silence, and even though I''m acting as a servant I bet he could feel my oppressive hound aura, in a way that made him nervous and constantly rubbing his hands together. Or maybe he is shy, that''s always a possibility. "So, uhm how did you meet Sister Isa?" I just look at him, already very aware of how things worked around these parts, and pretending to be shy I simply try to hide my face. "Oh, uhm, if you don''t want to talk about it that''s fine, I won''t force you, I just got curious since is difficult to see Sister Isa companied." I nod faintly, but he doesn''t stop talking. "I remember when I meet her, I was still very new to this place and costumes, but she was very kind to me and help me out. " He chuckles. "Though I bet she doesn''t even remember it." He keeps talking and I keep half listening, paying attention to the paths we were taking so I would remember how to get back, making a mental map fo the place, until we finally reach the dormitories. "Here it is. The front room belongs to your master, and the one behind is ours so you can attend her whenever time you are needed. Well, I have to go now, have a nice evening." I stand still as I watch him walk away, a bitter taste left behind with the use of the ''master'' word. Isa my master? Not even in my worst nightmares. Finally alone I let out a sigh as I look back at the place; For the lack of color on the walls each dormitory is surrounded by flowers and plants with the same color for each place, making very clear that there was a color division there, like the red dormitory or the yellow and green, probably indicating from whom they belonged to with their color hierarchy, the only not colorful one being the one with white and grey plants; ours. And is clear that this place is very fancy and unique, having one building for each color plus being separated from each other by a path of stones and a white wooden fence, the different treatment bringing a specific part of the conversation to my mind. The Highest Priestess called back the High Sisters so that means Isaac is a High Sister? What does that mean exactly? Is his position in this place more important than what he is letting out? Isa, Isa, these little lies keep piling up and they are doing you no good And that is, this constant lack of trust on and from him, that makes me decide there that it would be the best for us all if we parted ways; so after this mission is over I intend to leave them and run back to the elves to better plan this without having to look over my shoulder all the time. Plus there was no reason for him to help us out from the very beginning; and even though he entered this quest to help out with the injustice against the non-human creatures, his ''morale'' wasn''t enough to convince me that he only wanted to help out, and if he had any utter reason to why he wishes to help but doesn''t talk about it is just more reason for me not to trust him, it was just too risky and unstable. After all, moral is such a light thing and very easy to change, like a bamboo fl.u.s.tering in the wind, it will bend and adapt to what is best suited for at the moment. And since Isaac already showed his aversion to me and magical creatures I don''t see any reason to keep him around. But, well, for now I will do as said and clean the place up; which meant take our bags in more than anything else since the place was already well kept; and pretend to be a little good servant. Because when the night comes the hunt will begin. And soon I will find what mysteries this place has in stock for me Chapter 94 - Ninety The only problem I encounter after entering the room and putting our bags on the side is that There is nothing for me to do until night comes! What the heck prepare the place up, even if there was something to clean or arrange, I wouldn''t do it because I''m not really his servant! In the end I did what I could and checked the dormitory up to the smallest details, to the fireplace and the framed map to the question of why there were so many chairs on the sides of the room for a one-person place; beyond that there were many places to put incense in, colorful pillows over smooth sofas, a bed with covers on the back, separated by a screen made of wood, the dark brown lumber being shaped like a phoenix mid-fly, leaves fl.u.s.tering around and feathers dropping gracefully, a stunning moment captured with expertise by the crafter. But, well, there was only so long that my mind could be captured by these petty things, and soon I found myself laying on the couch on the side, one arm resting over my eyes, bored and considering to invade the place when it was still bright outside. I wasn''t dumb enough to risk myself like that, but every minute doing nothing there felt wrong, even more when my brother could be suffering out there. That''s when I thought to make better use of this free time, and beyond reading part of the books that I took from my space and trying to discern if they were of any relevance to our quest, I started talking with my Shadows. ''Deadbite, any news from your side?'' I ask through my link and wait for his answer. ''Yo, boss, ahm not really, ''t hasn''t been long since we talked soo Only that the king came out to confirm, is legit, they really are on a treaty ya see'' ''Tell me more. What did the king say?'' ''Only that the union of so many countries ''s a blessed thing brought by the representatives, as he calls the ones from the Rotherhithe, and he says this alliance ''s for the greater good and to bring peace to all, unite and ''stuff. He seemed oddly eager, enthusiastic even'' ''Anything else?'' ''Uhm only that he named the alliance The Enlightening.'' That makes me raise an eyebrow. ''Is that so?'' ''Aye boss, ''s dis.'' ''Ok, thank you, you have been very useful so far, keep me updated to anything odd you may find there.'' We chat a little more about his plans for the next few hours but, after a while, with nothing more to say I stop talking with him, passing some time with the pages, getting tired of having to scan the letters with my eyes over and over again, but without that the situation goes back to what it was before and with nothing more to do I would only have the raising boredom and anxiety as company. Uhm I wonder how Leonel is doing Not that I''m worried or anything, is just a thought brought by boredom I bet. Yes yes, how about I check on them as well? No harm done there. As Darkjaw cannot speak our link works more in sharing images and thoughts, so I reach out for his mind and see through his eyes, watching as the woods unfold before me as he growls, acknowledging my presence. ''What are you up to buddy?'' He turns his face around, as if to show me the place up, and right beside him Leonel''s face comes to view, his eyes looking down, reacting to Darkjaw moves, and staring deep into his eyes. Darkjaw! You were supposed to stay hidden! What the heck are you doing walking beside them oi! I can hear a whimper at the back of my mind as flashes of his memories rush in my mind, the smell of food and the cold woods, the temptation and the loneliness. So they conquered you with food? What are you, a beast? And do not dare to whimper a yes! Though, well I can''t blame you for that, is Leonel''s food we are talking about after all. As I''m still connected to him Leo reaches out and scratches the back of his ear, which makes him incline towards him even more. Oi oi oi don''t start getting too familiar with him now hey! "Seems like you are a lot more honest than your owner, aren''t you" Leonel says, mischievously, and I bet that at that moment he knew I was looking at him using Darkjaw''s eyes for the way he smiled at my shadow, in a mischievous way that he always did when he was about to provoke me. "And your fur is so smooth too, only if your master would let me touch his" He says with a predatory grin on his face as he reaches out and pets Deadbite''s neck where the fur was ticker. I''m unable to control the growl that passes through our link, something that should have resonated as Deadbite''s name came as a low, grinding growl that grows the pitch up and down to improve the intensity. That made Deadbite, in surprise, jump away from Leonel and tuck his tail between his legs as he runs back to the woods, not fast enough so I could not hear Leo laughing his lungs out from behind. Prick- I mean dumbass. After that I could easily say that he seems fine, making me turn around on the sofa as I had enough of that, I think as I go back to staring at the ceiling and sighing. Since I got nothing more to do or to entertain me until night comes I, as the logical individual that I am, think that is best if I sleep now since I won''t be doing that this night but my body, as the rebel it is, told me that it wasn''t tired and it was still daytime, refusing to relax no matter for how long I lay there. In the middle of that is my confused bored mind. So I end with the conclusion that simply laying there wasn''t helping, deciding to do things to help me sleep as I prepare a hot bath for myself, using the water and fire stones prepared over the bathtub; with of course wasn''t in my room so I had to kindly ''borrow'' from Isaac. More than happy to get rid of those woman clothes I soak myself in the hot water, having my hair up in a high bum, my neck and shoulder appearing slightly over the edge of the water. Satisfied I close my eyes, letting my tail free under the water, my mind empty yet restless, making lines appear on my forehead without me even noticing. And at times like this that I start to wonder The reason why I ended up here of all places, why did I reincarnated to begin with, and moreover if I was supposed to remember my past life, if this was just a greater plan created by a sadistic mind trying to to what? Is there any meaning to it all, and after my memories started to come back I don''t know, is just that things like this, this big, should have a meaning behind them right? And I wonder sometimes what would have had happened if I did not come here What my presence at this place accomplishes by its own Maybe mother would not have to hunt so much to feed only one pup, and maybe the hunter would not have found her to begin with. Maybe she could still be alive. I open my eyes. Yes, it is a useless line of thought, but is just bizarre to image that, without me, so much would have changed, with my single meaningless life gone, so many things would have changed, so many lives would have been affected, on how the story would have been rewritten. It is funny, really, when we only start to give value to ourselves for how much we affect others and the world But I chuckle with a thought; that even if I was not there mother would have a lot of trouble feeding my dumb always-hungry brother and, what a thing, he probably would not have meet Aeglos that way, living only as a wild beast. Such a weird line of thought indeed Like the same way that, if Leonel did not save my brother, I would be a lot different than I''m now So small, these actions such trivial matters and that''s how life knits our destiny, one line at a time. And that how, overthinking like that, I end up falling asleep on the bathtub, chin on my hand and my hot body keeping the water warm. Chapter 95 - Ninety-One "Oi mutt! What the hell are you chilling all cozy in my bathtub?" I hear a grumpy familiar voice say angrily at the same time that the bathtub shakes as it gets kicked by him. "Oh, shush it, you were the one who took so long and left me here doing nothing at all, so I just took the liberty to make myself at home." I answer back grumpy, annoyed that my cozy nap was interrupted. "Can you behave yourself for a second here? We have a guest." At that I open my eyes and look around, sniffing the air to confirm it, thankful that the bath area is covered by a gazebo so the stranger could not see me n.a.k.e.d, but the cover only allowed me to see a silhouette on the other room, which makes me dress up quickly for only a woman could be waiting on the other room, which I confirm with my nose and the smell of some sweet perfume. "Why didn''t you say before?" I angrily retort back at Isa who only shrugs. "How I''m supposed to know you would ''make yourself at home'' so quickly?" He says, looking me up and down ina mocking way before turning around and making company to the other person. I brush my hair back and start to fasten it on a messy ponytail when I walk around the blockage and see the person for the first time. It was an elderly woman sitting on the sofa with grace, her hands resting over each other on her lap, only her face and wrinkles visible under the full cover that the nun clothes gave. Her eyes were a little white, but she still carried a loving gaze on her. "Hello, I''m Sister Isa servant and it is my pleasure to meet you?" "Eanna, darling, my name is Eanna and I''m a retired nun, had my share of adventures back in the day. Hope you are treating Isaac well." She says while brushing the air with her hand, as if brushing the past behind. "Of course I am ma''am, I Wait, Issac?" At that both look at each other, exchanging expressions and looks, making me even more confused. "Don''t worry Thilgon, I know about you and Isaac, and why you are here." "Wait, what?" I say, dropping my facade of little good servant and staring wholes at Isaac. He should not have done that, spilling the beans for who knows whom like this, without even consulting me! "Don''t worry Thilgon, I won''t talk about it to anybody. "Says every person who ends up telling everyone about it." I have been Isa confident for many years, he can assure you of that. Ugh." "What is it Eanna?" Asks Isa quickly, so worried and caring that has me taken back for a second, and once I think is another faceted of him I brush the thought aside; is more like this is finally his true self, genuinely worried about another person, which makes my eyes hurt with the image. "Ah, don''t worry hon, is just this old bones of mine creaking again." She says, rubbing her back. "Wait here, I''ll get some medicine to pass on your back, this is the minimum this place should afford for you. I''ll be right back." At that Isa stands and rushes out of here, leaving me with this strange woman and an awkward silence without even explaining why she was here to begin with! Eanna stays looking over the exit for a while, but once satisfied with the distance between Isa and us, takes her hand off her back and looks at me. "So you are the infamous Hound uhm" I say nothing under her intense gaze, just staring back and trying to scan her the same as she was doing with me. "And you have become Isa companion Bet it wasn''t easy for what I heard back there" She says, pointing at where the bathtub was, hidden. She bends forward as her gaze softens and she smiles: "Image my surprise to know that Isa is working with a magical creature of all things, haha, surprises don''t do well for someone of my age" "Why magical creatures of all things? And, sorry for being blunt, but who are you?" She couldn''t be a nobody since she knew Isaac''s secret for a long time and, well, kept it. "Could you be so kind hon and fetch me some water?" She says, her hands motioning to the side where a jar and some cups stood. I turn around to do so and, once with the cup of water in hands she starts talking, stopping from time to time to sip the water. "I''m glad to see him doing so well with others, because of his condition he has always had trust issues." Understandable since if anyone found out he would end up dead; a little bit too much at stake. " So he ended up being a traveling nun to avoid other people and healing the poor, of his adventures, he has seen a lot of the bad side of the magical creatures They are animals after all, only that they are even stronger than that Is the natural cycle of life, but it''s hard to understand that when the only part you see is the obliterated bodies you need to mend and the broken family members left behind" Well, it is understandable that he has that type of opinion about us, but just because is Isaac we are talking about I''ll have to disagree. "It doesn''t matter, his misconception is still prejudice no matter if he had some reason for it, is still unacceptable. Even more, many humans have killed magical creatures too and you don''t see me killing yours indiscriminately. " In this lifetime at least, but she doesn''t need to know that. "What makes you think this behavior is excusable?" "I don''t. Just thought you should know." She says simply, not giving space for the subject to continue as she sips her water. If her intention was to make things easier for us, she thought it wrong. "And I was actually the one responsible for recruiting Isaac. You see, the church keeps an ear and eye out for any light healing magic users out there so they can bring them here to train as quickly as possible, and since he always had such a baby face I was able to keep his secret hidden and thankfully I was the one sent to find him, otherwise" She lets the silence drag out, taking her time to finish the water and hand me the cup, only to gaze at me and say: "Thilgon, I know I''m not in position to ask you anything, but I''ll do it anyway, so please grant me my request. I want you to take Isaac with you on your journey." I- what? I''m about to answer a big and round no when she starts coughing, signaling for me to wait with her hand, talking once she calmed down. "He has feared for his life day and night for years now, that''s not a way to live and I fear that things will change for worse from now on and I won''t be able to protect him. After you are done with your mission, please, please take him with you." With that she stands only to, with visible difficulty, kneel down on the ground and bow down to me, but right down the ground, her forehead touching the floor. "I beg of you, please keep that child safe." "Wait, no that''s a little too-" Before I can say anything Isa arrives and, seeing Eanna on the ground, rushes to her side and quickly helps her up to her feet. Not before staring at me with eyes full of hate. Wait, what did I do this time?! "What were you thinking Eanna? At your age, kneeling down like that. " He sighs. " Just what are you two up too?" He says, but his eyes were clearly staring at me. "Oh we were just having a nice chat and I tried to stand but tripped, you don''t need to worry about it hon, but can you bring me to my room? I''m feeling quite tired now, and I''m sure your friend here has a lot to do tonight, I won''t stand in your way." She says, and with a final look at me leaves the room, followed by Isa, who turns around on the door and says, narrowing his purple eyes: "We will talk about this later." He says and leaves, making me shuffle. As if I''m going to wait for him, I have an important mission for tonight, and I''m not going to waste my time haring him complain. And I still intend to leave behind you hear me? I''m no nanny! Just you watch! Hum! Chapter 96 - Ninety-Two I do not wait for Isaac to come back as I go out on my night hunt, walking out in the garden until I find a secluded area to change forms without being seen, feeling slightly annoyed and thinking about Eanna words, on the heavyweight she put on my back. Truly selfish of her, trying to push such big responsibility on someone''s life; though I understand why she did that, we can do crazy things for those we love, especially if their life, of all things, is at stake. And I still wonder what did she meant by ''things will change'', about her urgency to take Isa out of here; after all she has hidden him for many years already, to simply chose a stranger to help her now, out of nowhere? Unlikely. Unless I was her only choice. Well, f.u.c.k me, thanks for the doubt granny, even more when I need to focus on my mission, really well-timed of her. When I finally ready to start I take a deep breath to clear my mind and focus on the task at hand, shaking my head to the sides. For this nocturnal mission I wouldn''t use my human form most of the time, not that it matters when I wouldn''t be seen, but rather be safe than sorry I think as I change to my most comfortable form while keeping my servant clothes in my hidden dimension. And even though I had not settled my mind on what to do with Isa after this mission was over I could not afford to waste more time any longer, nor start this important mission unfocused, so I brush those thoughts aside and have a look around me. Thankfully tonight the moon was only half full so the path was dark enough for my black hound body to be covered even without entering my shadow, I just needed to be careful so my crystal wouldn''t shine in the darkness. With my long legs I give wide smooth hoping steps that had all sound covered by the grass and my shadows as I keep myself to the side of the path, walking over the many plants the place had to make up for the lack of color on the walls. And for such an important place there was a rather lack of guards walking around, even more competent fighters for what I could see, probably for the fact that men were not allow here, which left the job to the eunuchs who mostly did the work of servants, not guards. Beyond that the women here were too prideful to work with such labors, which left only the guards over the hill to keep this place safe; I guess they never expected someone to pass the front gates and try to attack them here. Very na?ve of them. Though I have to give them that, probably noticing some lack of security, they cast a lot of invisible magical traps and barriers that could recognize who was passing through and if they had the authorization to do so and the user would not even perceive that there was a barrier there to begin with of how discreet they made it. I guess is like invading a normal building, there is some level of security, but not on the level a bank would have; so much as to that parts of it have little to no security at all once you are inside. That''s how I manage to pitter-patter my way closer to the strict area, where finally the security starts to get a little better; I was starting to get suspicious about it; though I will at least give them that the magical invisible barries would be enough to keep most people outside. Pity for them, I wasn''t one of them. I find flaws on the barriers with my third eye, watch out for magical traps, walking slowly but surely upwards, the only disconcerting fact being the creatures that I found being handle my the eunuchs, the only true ''guards'' around here. Other Hell Hounds. It what strange to see my own kind like that, for the first time even; but it makes sense since they are very requested for such purposes, mostly like watchdogs in my previous life, only adding the fact that they could spit fire and sometimes explode in an armored fire creature. You know, minor details. I did not bother trying to free them for, one, they did not have a contract forced upon them, and two, were there because they wanted too, probably being trained since youth for such tasks. And even though they should prove to be more difficult to pass by, once I was inside my shadow even my smell was covered, as if my whole body was put in standby in another dimension, leaving only my shadow behind, so they, too, were unaware of my presence. And in the dark it was basically impossible to see me. So that''s how I easily bypass them until I reach the last steps to the forbidden area, where two eunuchs were standing with the two bigger hounds on a leash, seemly bored out of their minds, which made them lower their guards as they were simply talking with each other. I had no doubt that I could easily pass by them, but what they were talking about caught my attention and made me eardrop on the side. "Never seen this place so packed before, even the Wandering Sisters came back." "I know right? But tell me, did you hear anything about this meeting?" The other one shrugs, changing his footing, probably tired from standing for so long. "I mean, beyond the calling of the Higher Sister and all, not much." "Ah, is that so, everybody is being so se-, Hey, where are you going in such a hurry?" He stops his sentence only to address another eunuch who came passing by carrying things and almost tripping for the speed and amount he was carrying. "Good night brothers, sorry I need to fetch things for the banquet and I''m very busy tonight." "Wait, but it is only tomorrow night, why are you preparing things now in such a hurry?" "Didn''t you hear? They changed the banquet for today since everybody is already here, so I have to prepare the place and the food and even if the Sister servants are there they won''t help with a thing!" "Oh, must be harsh brother, you will be attending the banquet then? Then please let us know how it goes! We are worried about the subject at hand, of course." The guard says at the other eunuch who kept walking all throughout the conversation, only to go back at gossiping with the other guard on what this banquet may be about. But one thing caught my attention the most in the conversation; the fact that the dinner would be tonight and that the servants would attend too, not as guests I bet but surely in presence. And that Isa might be going alone there right now. I stop at my tracks, still willing to go up and be done with my plan, but, maybe because of the weight that Eanna put on my shoulders, or just because of my tendency to overthink, I start to worry about Isaac. Yeah, I haven''t seen that coming, but I was worried about him; he could be a jerk, but he helped us out, in a way. So almost like an encaged tiger I keep pacing back and forth, unsure what to do; many people had seen me with Isa, and some would be there attending the service, and my disappearance would be very apparent. And when some books go missing as well as a certain servant from someone who had never had one before well, is easy to figure some things out. F.u.c.k.i.n.g horse shit, I have to go back, don''t I? Ugh, nooo, why, I couldn''t be this unlucky could I? But when I think about how my actions could cost Isaac''s life, who trusted us to keep his secret, and for some reason help us out even if at the cost of his identity being exposed well, I wouldn''t go as far as to say that it make me hate him less, but at least made me respect him in some weird way. Plus, what type of person, or animal, would I be if I turned my back to him, or even worse, caused his downfall? No better than the ones who kidnapped my brother, nor the humans in the past, not the puppeteer from now for sure. With my decision made I turn around and run back to the common area, sniffing the air to find out if they were already out and about; which they were; and tracking down Isaac, only to find him standing straight in the middle of a group of Sister''s, and from the fact that some were the ones from this morning who politely mocked us, I bet he wanted to be there as much as I. Oh joy, looking forward to a night with the ladies Note the sarcasm. But I won''t deny I''m a little curious about the subject of this reunion for how unique it seemed to be. If only I knew what awaited us inside Chapter 97 - Ninety-Three I watch from the sidelines for a while, seeing how they talked and laughed, smiling for too long and all the time in a way that makes their expression fake, and with my sharper senses is even clarer for me the fakeness since I could hear their heart skip a beat when they lied, could smell the distress of being in each other''s company, and could identify each high sisters by their smell, not even in need to look at the color of their clothing; dust, blood, perfume, soil, plants, medicine, it almost makes me sneeze. With them so close together I could not get in unnoticed, so I wait for them to start walking once the dinner is ready, which doesn''t take long fortunately. They start walking up, always up in this mountain full of stairs, and without being able to communicate with Isa to say that he should stay behind I take the liberty to hold him back a little, controlling his shadow so his legs would feel heavy and make him walk slower than the others and increase the distance between them enough so I could sneak in. Part of me hopes he doesn''t scream and alert the others about the sudden shadow grabbing his ankles, but the other part wants to fuss him about the probably not very manly scream he would make. The hilarious image almost makes it worth the explanation I would have to come up with to why I was late and why he screamed, but he doesn''t scream in the end, only looks down with widen eyes, then realizes that his shadow was moving ever so slightly, making him walk slower than the others as I sneak in behind him and lower my face as a little good servant. As I''m finally by his side we start to walk normally again, now at the end of the group and looking at the back of many women in white, almost like a ghost parade with their fl.u.s.tering cloths and the night sky on the front with bright starts shinning on us. "Why the hell are you here?" I hear Isa ask under his breath, knowing I would be able to hear him. "I''m keeping your ass safe from being so unlucky." "What?" We stop talking once we reach the end of the stairs were eunuchs were waiting to guide us inside, and I immediately feel the difference and how opulent this night was about to get; for this eunuchs, wearing all white, had pattern and drawings mended in gold in their clothes. And if the other rooms looked exotic and expensive this only simply spit luxury. There was a grand entrance at the front, all white, but I''m unable to have a good look since I have to keep up with the pace of the group while looking unfazed by it all; since it would be impolite for a servant to keep starting at things like this. I''m only able to look a little when we enter the dining room since it had been made to impress even the Sisters who were used to this prosperous lifestyle. There were a few similarities in the style of this place from the rest, all the rooms seemed to have walls with pillars and carvings on them, but instead of the pure white from outside here there was a mix of golden smooth rocks on the floor, shinning with the red flames of the many fires illuminating the place, creating an almost mirage reflection on the stones. Beyond that there were long flags on the walls with different colors, and it took me a second to realize that they, too, representative the hierarchy of this place; which meant that we went to the side were a silver-grey flag was, and a single wooden carved chair stood over the long dinner table. Isa went straight for it, sitting down, while the others did the same with their own chairs, ours being at the end of the table where a throne; no better way to describe it; stood with a high back and a mural crafted in it, painted in white and golden. As the last one to arrive I can observe better their manners and watch people move around, even more when the servants; many more to the other nuns; do not sit beside the Sister and instead walk to the wall were the banners stood and stay standing there, with their backs to the wall. I take my place with the other servants to the side, the only one under the grey-silver one, trying to conceal my presence as much as possible. The dining hall was filled with people, but only the ones sitting at the table talked as the rest keep their backs straight against the wall, eyes firmly staring at the back of whom they served, probably waiting for a command. And that makes it very clear who are the pampered Sisters; the ones who had many servants staying behind their backs, even having to dismiss some away as they did not fit in the space under their banner. Even though we were inside, this place, with high ceiling and roofs made of windows; a luxury item made of sand, even more at that size; it gives off a feeling of a picnic on the inside, plus because of the plants growing around, perfectly trimmed and kept, having a deep healthy green on their leaves framed by the blinding white walls of this place. Even Isa was talking with someone at this point, the table empty waiting for the High Priestess to appear, but once she does everybody goes silent; other women and eunuchs enter first, probably her servants, but once the High Priestess enters is easy to find her beyond the others. It was an older woman with a starting-to-white hair, but it did her good as she looked even more graceful than he young Sisters around, especially with a high braided bun on the back of her head, a straight stern pose and the walk of a woman who knew who was in charge and knew that she didn''t need to prove herself to anyone in the room. It showed in the mere way she walked the power she had in her hands and it sends shivers down my spine. Beyond her stern pose was the corset that made her look even stiffer, and making her stand out from the others with her unique outfit. Everybody stands when she enters, and the servants bow down on the side, making me do the same while clenching my teeth. As I keep an eye out, whoever, I can see that, as the ones at the table bow as well in a shorter way, an exchange of looks makes me realize that one of the sisters was wearing a white corset, and with a mocking smile stared daggers on the one on the opposite side who did not have it. Maybe there was some sort of fashion here, and for what it seems the Higher Priestess had a strong hand in it. "You may sit. For now, let''s eat." The priestess says simply, sitting down and looking straight forwards as the eunuchs hurried to bring the food to the table. But none of it matters to me as an odd creeping sensation crawls its way at the back of my neck, my instincts telling me something was off And I find out what once I take a good look at the Higher Priestess eyesInto her dead, foggy, and so familiar gaze, a stare that I saw somewhere else before, and only in one placeAnd as I remember where, I can feel myself sweating cold. On Aeglos''s eyes, on the time he was under the effects of the psychic magic. The exactly same gaze that I see now in her eyes. Chapter 98 - Ninety-Four I''m unable to stop my eyes from widening so I quickly look down. The puppeteer has her already under his control! For a moment my mind is a mumble jumble of thoughts put together, giving me a slight headache on my forehead and temper as try to figure out what is going on. And just how much power we were truly up against. I don''t like this, I don''t like this at all, is like every step we take the puppeteer is two, three steps ahead of us, always already there, with plans upon plans up from his sleeve. It makes me wonder for how long has he been planning this, or putting it to practice even. "Let''s eat." The Priestess says when I''m distracted while all the food starts to come from the side doors, quickly filling the place with the delicious smell of their cuisine. The smell was good, and even the looks were quite appetizing but I could tell, or rather, I just knew, that Leonel''s food would taste better than that, and knowing that I could have better food then they made standing there watching they eat while I didn''t have dinner a little better. But never say that to Leonel otherwise he won''t stop pestering me about it. Plus who leaves their servants watching while they eat? This should be some kind of torture, or a patience test. An entire pig is stretched out right in the middle of the table, with slices already cut on the side so the ladies could reach and serve themselves without much effort, as well as fresh fruits and bread, beyond many more plates that I didn''t bother looking at because I woulnd''t be eating anyway. They eat in an eerie silence were only the clashing of tableware could be heard, probably afraid to disturb the High Priestess, but did not bother hiding how they keep sharing looks, mostly mocking or narrowing their eyes in a silence chat that I was unable to keep up. Even though some of them haven''t finished with their plates yet once the High Priestess lays her fork and knife down to the side all do the same, some faster than the others, and look attentively at her. Never saw such a messy group behave in such a well-mannered way, the High Priestess must be really fierce. She stops for a while, as if letting the suspense set as she looks at each and every single one on the table in the eye before she starts talking: "A man, literate in writing, if put in a village of common folks, will think himself a smart man. However, if same person is put in a house full of writers and poets, his intelligence will be harshly criticized and a fool he will be." "If one of you here think you are the smartest, wisest person in the room, then you should first change rooms to say as such until there are no rooms left, until you are truly capable." "And tonight, Sisters, I''m here to tell you how I, for years, thought that there were no more rooms left for me to go to; and how wrong I was." "Tonight, Sisters, we will make history as the ones guided by the Goodness herself into the righteous path, and the ones who brought true enlightenment to the church." At that she stands, making everyone around suddenly follow her steps into standing as well; even though there was quite the amount of food left on the table, though food seems to be the least of our problems right now. The High Priestess starts walking out, leaving all Sisters bewildered behind, looking at each other without being certain about what to do, until one went and follow behind, making that all the others did the same and having the big group march out once more. I quickly arrive at my place beside Isa, and with an exchange of looks I can tell he is as worried as I am. We don''t walk much, just to the back where stood a very high building, and even though it was full of windows the glass keeps the mystery of the insides to themselves as I could not see anything with the pattern crafted on them. Even though I had to be objective and aware of my surroundings I could not ignore the beauty of this place; encaged by glass and walls, this place was untouched by the wind and weather, a bubble of stillness, unaffected by the outside. It has the same characteristics from the garden outside, however since it was more reserved and untouched it had more details and care put into it; from the double stone path, where a line of round stones followed the smooth path on the sides in parallel, to the white sand covering the ground, allowing only some well put plants to sprout out of them. And the pure white sand itself was put here like a piece of art; there were lines drawn on it, circular shapes with three lines curving around plants and stones, some intricate shapes in the form of leaves and stars. It was almost a pity that it wasn''t made with paint, otherwise it would have survived for longer like this it is almost as if it could vanish if I blink too fast or walked too close to it. It added some sadness to it, like it would last a mere second, and made me want to look at it longer to engrave it in my mind, and all seemed to think the same as we carefully advance our way through this mystical still garden. Beyond the rails of moonlight passing through the windows, there were candles rested inside some round stones, letting the red flame add to the atmosphere of the place, giving an even more beautiful and Zen atmosphere. With a flicker of my ear I hear something out of place, a very smooth sound, and curiosity attracts me to the source. Against the silver moonlight shining through the glass was a figure wearing all white, many layers of clothing hiding its image from view, the back of the head facing me, letting visible some blond wild locks of hair stretching out from the clothing that hid the rest of the head. We stop in front of that person, all waiting in silence, all questioning who they were and why had the High Priestess brought us here, watching as the mesmerizing figure moved. Observing closely I could see that the person had a big brush being held by both his hands, the white wood contracting a lot with the black brush that draws precise lines on the sand as if it was embedded in ink. There was something eerie calming about that image the way it moved, its posture, even the smell. The smell this smell have I felt it before? I have my answer not to after, when the figure stops moving, turning around and smiling at us before saying. "Welcome chosen ones, to the new illuminated world." Chapter 99 - Ninety-Five I knew that face, those bright blue eyes that shone like two pair of glass globes put against the sunny sky, that smooth white skin and slim tall body, and the blond hair that gets brighter at the tips, falling in small waves as if they were threads of gold. And it takes me only a few seconds to remember where I remember him from. The castle, the party, when I was still acting as a servant and serving the nobles; dj vu on that part, ironically. What was his name again? I forget that line of thought once he opens his bright plump lips to speak in a soft voice: "My name is Cain, your humble guide, and I''m delighted to finally meet you all." He says while intertwining his fingers at his front around the wooden cable of the big brush, a soft smile playing on his lips and curving his bright eyes in crescent moons. He seemed genially happy to see us, without a doubt, and for some reason a man''s presence here is not questioned by anyone, or rather, was accepted rather calmly, but I could understand why; he was very welcoming, very charming, his presence was very bright, who would want to cast him away? He extends his hand while his white teeth appear between each word spoken, and all the Sisters watch in silent awe as he speaks: "Thank you for bringing them in Sister." He says in a rather casual way, and even more abnormal it is once I realize that he is actually talking with the High Priestess. And worse of it all, she gets closer to him with a bright smile and kisses the back of his hand. What?! Her expression wrinkles weirdly with a smile that hasn''t reached her face for many past years. But weirdly enough the other sisters weren''t shocked by the act, they were more flabbergasted, or rather, transfixed by him. No one could take their eyes away from him, or rather, no one wanted to tear their eyes away afraid that they would miss something, even the smallest movement or word he would say and do. He pulls a blond lock of hair back with smooth actions, and all eyes accompany his movements, mine included, his long fingers stopping at the side of his face, a gentle look in his eyes. "I know that all of this most sound weird and surprising for you all, but worry not, I''m here to ease your minds." "For the last years these lands have suffered a lot, ''you'' have suffered a lot, from the war, from famine, innocent lives lost and what for?" He says, looking at each other''s eyes and holding their gaze at each word spoken, bringing them in and sometimes even getting closer and touching their faces ever so slightly as he talks. "The Goodness has bestowed upon me the greatest honor of reuniting the nations once more, like the time when she walked these lands, to end all suffering." He sounded so genuinely concerned his words really resonated with me, and he sounds very reasonable, in fact, all he said is true, no doubt about that. As he continues to speak my mind wonders to the glory of a wonderful peaceful place, a place where me and my brother could live at harmony, a place were no harm would be done to us, a beautiful land with only laugh and joy. Such a place that I wanted to build on my own our objectives were the same after all, weren''t they? A place where I did not have to fear for my life, neither would my brother a place where we could finally settle in. "You have been running for so long, scared and alone, but now you are not alone anymore, we are in this together, I''m here together with you to put an end to it." Yes, we have been running our entire lives, from humans, from magical creatures, from them all, and I was tired of it, really done with this unforgiving world. "Together, we can unite our hands in such a strong bond that none will be able to tear us apart. Together we are stronger; together we can put an end to this. We can make the world a better place for our children to live in, without fear, without suffering, we only have to believe." Everybody was ecstasy, smiling from ear to ear and eyes glimmering at his words, almost as if we could all see that world in front of us, all believing in this, together. That''s when, in my wondering daydreaming mind, an annoying sound resonates at the back of my mind. Ding C$7%M48&in$#d(*C&%*[email protected]!$n4%8tr&*[email protected] R2$%e&@s%[email protected]%*$t#$!a%&n8&ce level up C That sound is far off and about, and even though it ended a long time ago it keeps ringing in my mind, like a buzzing sound inside my brain. Ding, ding, ding. I blink a few times, my vision a little turvy and Cain''s voice being muffled by my confusion, and as I put my hand over my eyes, closing them, and focus my drunken mind I finally notice why. That sound it has being a while since I heard it, but there was a time that I was thrilled by the upcoming skills that it brought with it. I evolved, gain another skill, but what? And why? I was only hearing him talk wait for how long was I here, watching him? And what was he talking about anyway? Is is confusing as if I had dozed off for a little while Blinking, confused, I open my eyes and look beyond my hand but I could only see a blur of a massive creature in front of me, a white no, black? A void-less figure that was all eyes and locked gaze with all creatures beside it, pairs of black holes that sucked the others in. One of them focuses on me as I quickly rise my hand again, the mere millisecond that took me to close my eyes again was enough to make me sweat, my heartbeat pumping inside my chest loudly enough to ring in my ears. Ding. Once more I hear the sound, but now, a little away from the stupor, I manage to identify what it was. That''s when I check my own status: -Appraisal completed- Name: Palarran Thilgon Mnaothon Gender: Male Race: Terror Hell Hound Age: 18 Level: 160--160 HP: 35603560 MP: 870--870 SP: 6750--6750 Attributes: Fire, Shadow Titles: The Wise, Angry One, Reincarnated, Older Brother, Divine Voice, Strategist, Definitely Forbidden from the Kitchen, King''s Might, The Terror, Feared One, Savior, Avenger Corporeal: Claw 161, Bite 162, Swim 110, Sneak 172, Dodge 182, Dash 198, Sing 280, Tail Whip 80, Mix Martial Arts 143 Magic: Third Eye 300(Appraisal), Possessed Mode 5, Voice of the Night MAX, Healing Saliva 133, Telepathy (Younger Brother), Intimidation 340, Hell Army 115, Voice of command 123, Humanoid Transformation MAX, Rage Fuel 220 Fire Magic: Terror Mountain Bone Form, Fire Manipulation 144, Fire Jump 146, Fire Dash 148, Fire Shield 132, Black Flame 154, Lava Breath 120, Fire Personification 85, Fireball 150, Fire Breath 147, Shadow Magic: Shadow Veil 197, Shadow Merge 186, Shadow Manipulation 167, Shadow Pocket 130, Shadow Tentacles 137, Shadow Illusion 132, Shadow Slash 148, Shadow Spikes 158, Shadow Intimidation 200, Clone Shadow 120, Sentient Shadow 133(Darkjaw, Deadbite), Shadow Arrow 100, Sense Robber 130, Shadow Dash 135, Shadow Blade(Bolo Machete) 110 Resistances: Fire 202, Fatigue 150, Hunger 147, Water 20, Cold 30, Earth 122, Poison 110, Bleed 246, Paralyze 85, Mind Control 5 Language: Hound Language MAX, Common Language MAX, Elven Language MAX, Ancient Elf Language MAX, Devil Language 4, Dwarves Language 5 Ineptitudes: Cook C 1000, High Value, Fear of the deeps, Too scary to be pet Status: Confusedly thrilled? I quickly cover those so familiar lines until I find something new, something out of place; and when I find I feel a shiver run down my spine as if my heart had turned into ice. That one, over the resistance line Mind Control Resistance! My brain works quickly; I have never encountered such magic before, and to create resistance to something you have to put up with it over and over again, like resistance to hunger where you have to stay long periods of time without eating, or the pain that I trained with my brother before. Which means that he was trying to mind control us all! And I don''t know how yet I was able to escape his grasp, perhaps the resistance helped in some sort of way as it increased as he speaks, but I know that closing my eyes had some effect over it as well But what to do now! I could always enter my shadow, but Isa was there under his powers! That''s when it hit me; you cannot mind control something that does not have a mind, can you? That''s when I use one of my favorite abilities, one that I don''t use very often for it brings a lot of destruction upon its path and costs me a lot of magic. I call upon my fire army. Chapter 100 - Ninety-Six Or should I say that I ''try'' to call upon my fire army. But he acts first. Not with a physical attack like one would expect, but with a smooth casual mannerism that I, with my eyes closed and still confused mind, am unaware that his attention was on me nor do I notice when he walks up closer until it was too late. And that''s when, at the same time that I decided to call upon my army, that he takes off the cloth over my head, revealing my ears and hair and exposing my crystal, who was directly stared at by him. "''Lower your hands''" The effect was immediate as my hands drop from my eyes and I''m unable to move, to react, to gaze away from his pure blue-sky eyes. He smiles then, crooking his head to the side in a cute way, bringing forth his plump lips even more. "Ahh, The Terror is here, is such a great surprise to meet you once more so soon, I did not think that we would meet again so quicky But don''t misunderstand, it is my greatest delight to see you once more, though I have to say I''m questioning some circ.u.mstances of it" He says after a quick look at my outfit. "Haha, I''m kidding, I''m kidding, ''you can relax''." I immediately feel my body relax, my shoulders drop and the tension on the muscles of my back leave as I simply ''obey''. And I''m left conflicted by liking and hating the sensation of it. Tthe worst part is that I knew it was forced, that I knew that this liking and relaxing sensations were involuntary, comanded upon me by his magic. Yet like alcohol it didn''t matter that I knew, as long as I keep consuming, being overcome by it, it kept having an effect over me, almost like a physical reaction. "How about a little walk Thilgon? This place is a little too crowded" He says after enlacing my arm with his, guiding me out and leaving all the others behind without a care, for he knew it wouldn''t matter. They were under his charms the moment he wanted it to be that way. He starts walking under the moonlight and fresh air of the night, passing over the many gardens this place held. "I knew I was certain about you, you know? I have conquered many kingdoms and kings already, many important people, and yet you are the first one to notice what I''m up to, and that quickly even! I''m impressed!" For a moment only the sound of our steps could be heard as I tried none stop to break free; but it was a subtle, small part of me that manage to try, almost as if he took away the basic wish to break free, almost as if he tried to make me ''want'' to be under his command. "But tell me more about you, I''m curious to hear more''You can speak freely.''" We pass under an arch of leaves, walking over the stone path and not being questioned by anyone, or rather, there was no one on this side of the temple, like they were deliberately told not to meddle here. "Speak freely? Then how about you stop with your little act of good guy and stop trying to control my mind?" I say, annoyed by his little act, trying to look all kind and gentle while keeping an invisible hand over my mind, trying to control it as if managing invisible strings. The only good part about that is that my resistance keeps increasing, though there was a limit to how much it could grow all at once. For a second I can see his eye twitch at my blunt answer, but he is quick to overcome it with a smile and say: "Alright, it is indeed an impolite thing to do, but I only ask that you stay and talk with me. How does that sound?" "Alright." I say, knowing that it would give me a chance to escape if needed be, though I cannot deny that I was rather curious about his intentions and what he had to say. I need to learn more about my enemy. He lets go of my arm and walks over to a tree with a thick trunk bent over the path, looking like a big bonsai, and sits down on a bench under it and crosses his legs, suddenly letting go of his control and making me dizzy, almost longing for it? The sensation of having him in my mind was somewhat addictive which was really dangerous, like a drug, like a forbidden fruit that calls to you in an almost painful need. "Let''s start this again then Terror, my name is Cain and I''m the king of Rotherhithe, an island southwest from here." He waits, as if wanting me to say something, but I only shrug. "You already know who I''m, so cut the bullshit and answer me, are you the one who kidnapped my brother? Where is he?" I ask, clenching my teeth and hand, feeling all the anger I suppressed these pass days wanting to surge back up. He keeps smiling, patiently, looking over the plants surrounding us as he stands, talking while he walks back and forth in an elegant manner. "It wasn''t me, but it was under my orders, yes and he is not here." "Where is he then?" I ask over his words, not giving him time to say anything anymore. And of course, he doesn''t like my tone of voice. "You are in no position to threaten me, Terror." "And you are in no position to tell me what to do." He stares me down for a while, analyzing me with his big eyes, as if trying to read me like a book, as he smiles once more, a plan probably formed in his mind. "Such strong-willed you are, troublesome indeed but I''ve always liked a challenge" He says under his breath, looking around then back to me as he continues: "That''s where you are wrong Terror, I hold something very dear to you and I can and will, if need be, control you. ButI think we do not need to reach such measures." He says while approaching me and reaching up to touch my hair, making me take a step back and growl. "Such a beautiful crystal you have there" He says, going back and forth in his analyses and words, as if separated parts of his mind were doing both at the same time; watching me and trying to convince me. But convincing me of what I was still unaware of. "We don''t need to be enemies, Thilgon, I know and apologize for the fact that I had to take your brother away, but what other way would I have to have your attention?" "Maybe you should have tried talking first." I say, ironically. "Yes but now I am, and I''m here to fix that mistake. I want us to work together. We ''want'' the same thing. Peace. For our kin." Our kin? I frown, and he truly smiles now, knowing that he had my attention if that. He nods, continuing: "I''m not human, as you may have noticed. I''m a demon Lord and King to my kind. And you are a magical creature." He states, looking at my ears that were exposed together with my crystal. "A powerful one at that. Together we would be invincible, nobody would be able to question us." "Is that what you want? Control? Power? You said so yourself, you already have kingdoms under your command, what more would you want?" "There is never too much of both." He simply says, but I feel that there was more to it than he was letting me know. That time I was the one to confront him, getting closer and staring him down. "What are you up to Cain? What do you really want? You wouldn''t go to such measures for only peace. Is it power? Money? To do what?" "I want everything." He says as if is normal, natural even, and it makes me realize how crazy he truly is, to think that he could have everything; no, that he deserved it all, as if it was totally natural for him to have it all, like the day cycles, something unquestionable, something bound to happen. "You are crazy." "Am I? And how else would we achieve peace, my dear Terror? You yourself are no better than I, you put the need of your kind first, even if it means changing the ties of a war, because you know that that is the only way. Have you ever thought of talking with the humans about it? Laws, freedom, none would matter, the only way was by imposing yourself, your wish, upon them. Tell me, Thilgon, how different are you really from me to call me crazy? I am, at least, very clear about my wants, and prepared for what I need to do to achieve that. What about you?" That comparison takes me off guard and I don''t know what to answer; but disagree with him only out of anger, only because I knew he wanted to convince me, which simply created an aversion to anything he said, even if it sounded remotely reasonable. "So that''s it? You simply want to control everybody?" "Not everybody, the leaders is already enough. But how about it Terror? How about joining me? Not under me, but at my side? We could achieve so much more! Imagine! We could keep our kind safe, all of it, from the humans! No more wars, no more enslaved creatures, can you imagine that?" He says as his eyes truly glim with passion, a feverish light that makes me back out. "That is a na?ve dream." "Is it?" "Then tell me, if I say no, if anyone disagrees, what are you going to do? You cannot think that everybody will be ok with that." "Oh, of course that will be resistance, I''m sure of it, but I have ways to deal with that" We stare each other down, knowing that this conversation was turning less friendly by the second as I ask: "Even for myself?" "Well, why do you think I have your brother now? But seems like that alone wasn''t enough was it? Perhaps I will need more to convince you" He says, and for the first time lets his annoyance show, with something else enjoyment? This was all a game to him, I finally realize, and he was certain that he would win. The only question it was how much fun was he having; how challenging it was, as he said. That cold vision makes me suppress a shiver that wanted to run down my spine for how little consideration he had for others lives. We were all paws under his fingertips. "No." "What?" "I will not serve you, never, not in this life, nor any other that may come, and I would rather die than have you as a companion!" I see for the first time a scowl rise on his beautiful face, giving him an ugly expression as he says: "Very well, then you don''t give me another choice; you will serve me, even if it''s the hard way." As the words come out of his mouth I can feel he is about to take over my mind so I quickly close my eyes. That''s when the shadows around us move and suddenly two erupt of the ground and attack him. Chapter 101 - Ninety-Seven What Cain did not know is that, when I tried to call my fire army before I had to cut my magic from the two rascals that liked to suck it dry out of me; and because of that they were teleported right back to my side, quickly aware of the situation at hand, only waiting for the opportunity to attack give me an opening to escape his grasp. That''s why, when the conversation went down south, the two were right beside him and jumped out from the shadows, Darkjaw going for his back while Deadbite attacked from the front. I back off from his range of attack, already depleted of my magic by having those two rascals working full time, plus the fact that I did not have a lot of mana to begin with; even more now because I tried to call the fire army which uses a lot of it only even though it was denied. I use the opportunity to quickly enter my shadow and hide under the tree, any vision contact blocked by my stealth and the veil of darkness, adding to the fact that he would not be able to find me either. I quickly think about the situation and if I should rush back to Isa and to Leonel; even more after he hinted what his intention was and his next plans; but a look over the situation makes me realize that if I don''t end this right now things will only escalate out of control or, as they say, if I don''t cut the weed from the start it will take over the garden. So it would be best to just end him. And I would love to vent some pin-up anger at him too as a bonus. A crooked fangs smile raises my lip up as I go back to my hound form to preserve more energy and to better fight against him. However, when I look back at him he doesn''t seem amused with our attack, or rather, he seems rather bored and somewhat out of patient, as if dealing with a disobedient child, almost annoyed even. And he sights, even though Darkjaw was bitting on his leg, and Deadbite had a knife sunk on his back. "This is how you want to play then very well, I shall indulge you in this dance for a while, but know this I always get what I want, in the end." At that a strong force, like pure magic, emanated out of him as if a force-field exploded and the two Rascals were simply disintegrated while the force pushes forward harder, bringing the leaves back with branches and stone, cracking the structure of the constructions around. I wasn''t worried about those two, after all they would be ok as long as I lived, but what worried me the most was what Cain was up to. I stay alert, and yet he does not attack me, instead he reaches out for his own face. At first I could not discern what he was doing as his fingers pressed down on his skin with strength. Then I understood it. He was pulling the skin off! Petrified about what I was looking at I watch as the skin on his face comes out like wax, as if he was taking off a mask, a mask pretty much glued to his face, but that somehow was his face. It was underrated to say that I was horrified yet amused with the scene that played in front of me. I could not make out what was underneath the wax as he pulled out, only seeing the pieces of skin that fell down and how pulling at his skin started to feel like it consisted of a weird mixture of flesh, goo and wax, all into a slimy substance that gave way to his fingers as he carved his nails into his own flesh. Thankfully I could not see well otherwise I may only phantom how his eyes and teeth looked like as he pulled their cover out, and seconds later I couldn''t see anything anymore as the pieces of skin that fell down before start to crumble and disintegrate into smaller and smaller pieces as they became smoke and cover my vision of Cain. Strangely enough it did not produce a lot of smoke, but the white fleeing substance seemed to be attracted by Cain, becoming very dense around him, enough that even his silhouette disappeared amidst the smoke. I stay alert, waiting for him to attack, ambush me, trying to figure out what he was up to, but my curiosity takes the best of me when it takes far too long for me to see anything. So I peek with my third eye. And the only I see a wild river of energy slashing out and about, like an immense bomb ready to explode, and it was so bright and full that it was like looking at the sun; and blinding as much, I could hardly make out his shape against the energy circulating in and around him, as if he had too much inside him to be contained by his fleshy body. When the smoke starts to fade away, however, what I find standing in his place isn''t the soft face and blond looks of a boy, but a sharp-eyed man with black eyes and a long black hair with an intricate silver hair crown in Chinese style holding part of it high up in a long curved ponytail, giving him an even more powerful image, completed with embroiled clothes with long sleeves and cloth with lines in silver. Who the hell is he? What a fancy and exaggerated person, there was even silver fur over one shoulder falling onto the back, plus garments on the wrists, belts and boots made of plates of silver, and strangely enough beyond all that what gave him the most arrogant look is his sharp upturned eyebrows. "My name is Mao Zexian, I''m the Roaring Dragon! Come forth Terror! Fight me head-on!" He says, unsheathing two swords at the same time, making an arch in front of him as they were on opposite sides for a better draw. What? What is going on? Is that another person? Did Cain change places with someone? Maybe teleportation? And yet, when I take a good sniff of the air I receive the same smell from before. That''s him, Cain, in flesh and bones right? Then why is he so different? And changing his name even At that he jumps, fl.u.s.tering his clothes like the feathers of a raven, but instead of a small, normal jump, it was like gravity did not work on him, and for a moment I thought he could even fly, having his long legs stretched out in the air. Out of nowhere, with a shushing sound, something flies my way, making me dodge to the side, still inside my shadow. When I look back at him I can see that Mao Zexian, the man he claimed to be, had a wide silver sword in one side, and a small, glassy dagger in the other, holding it back like he was about to throw it. I had only a second to wonder where the second sword had gone too when he throws the dagger. This time he hit where I''m, but I dodge quickly to the side, teleporting to another shadow for at least this place had an abundance of them with so many trees around, and once I start to wonder how he intended to hit me with such small blade as I was hidden inside a shadow the glass dagger shimmers and suddenly there is lightning coming from the transparent blade, like thousands of snakes lunging chaotically in all directions, circling around as if trying to find some prey. A shushing sound passes close to my ear, and when I look over I realize what it was with a grave expression; his other sword had just flown over my head and almost hit me! How the hell does he know where am I? Can he see me? That''s impossible! But even worst is to think that he is only attacking by mere instinct for it had been almost too precise and accurate! That would be impossible right? And yet, once Mao Zexian comes down and I can have a look over the man once more I realize what he was; someone from a rare and strong breed, the type of creature whispered in the alleys and not seen by most, respected and feared by many, bordering the divine. A cultivator. This fight may have just got a lot harder. And that brought a full fangs smile to my black lips. Chapter 102 - Ninety-Eight As the flying sword comes back he simply reaches out without even looking and catches it midair with expertise, making me realize that he himself was actually really flying too in that weird way humans; or rather cultivators; do, without wings and only with their strange power. Would be safe to say that his element is wind or air then? I have not fought a cultivator before, so it is difficult to know for sure perhaps all of them were able to do it, to fly like that. It is rather strange, really, and unusual for myself to fight like this, without any knowledgement about the enemy. I have appraisal with me since the moment of my birth in this world, it was actually one of the first abilities of mine and has never failed me and yet, here, every time I try to look at him with my third eye that blinding light prevents me as before, not being a trick of his transformation as I thought at first. Is not possible that it was some kind of appraisal blocking magic right? Appraisal was rare on itself, I have never seen nor heard of this type of magic from others before, so how rare would it be to have a magic that blocks it? But the blocking would be somewhat useless to most of the time if you think about it, like having the cure of a rare disease that is so rare that is almost extinct However the unlucky me is one of the affected by such ability, which keeps the mystery of what just happened to him stay that way. It was not the ideal situation for this battle to start but I would have to make do with what I have; so I start to attack him. I use Shadow Slash to attack from afar, mixing it with Shadow Dash in a way that every time I attacked I would jump out into another shadow, changing positions and attacking so fast that it was impossible for him to tell where I was and where I had been so in this way I did not give my position away and could keep a steady wave of attacks with claw slashes. He, however, as expected, proves to be a worthy opponent, dual-wielding both swords and turning and slashing with both weapons at the same time, a deadly dance of fl.u.s.tering sleeves and sidestepping moves, silver glints flying from the blades being hit one after the other as he manages to block all my attacks in a clutter of shadow and sword attacks and defenses. Many branches and leaves suffer from the impacts as both our forces clash against each other, and for a few moments we appear to be in a stalemate as no opening shows up for the other to attack. Which only means that I have to make an opening myself. I stay for a little too long in the same place after an attack, which gives away my position without compromising my plan as I see his eyes glint when he joins the blades together in parallel and turns around in full speed, turning like a deadly tornado as he cuts the wind and makes it into his blade, the shushing air flying quick and deadly into my direction, cutting what stood in their way. Only that I wasn''t there anymore, only an ilusion. With this attack he opens his guard for a second when his body i still recovering from the turn, enough so that I launch an attack at his front, making Shadow Tentacles emerge from his own shadow like a dormant marine beast awakened from their slumber wanting to swallow him whole. The goopy long shadows reach out without mercy and quick as the string of a bow being released, warping around the tip of his sword and arms, reaching out for his legs and neck. He in response firms his arm and doesn''t let go of the sword, and with the free one starts to slash any tentacle that came too close to him, more annoyed than preoccupied with them, giving them no importance what so ever. But I expected him to defend against that. As he quickly manages to free his other arm when I jump out of the shadow on his back and extend my claws and fangs in a deadly hug, and with the tentacles keeping him occupied I gain a bit of time until he realizes my attack. Or so I thought. What gave his intentions away was the small smirk that appeared on his face as he looks over his shoulder, and with only a second to react I pull myself away from him with my own Shadow Tentacle as I see something reflecting on his back; and only up close like this could I identify the object, another crystal blade, almost invisible to the eye, even more at night, but this one was no dagger, no, it was actually a sword attached to the back of the others visible swords, which actually made then into dual blades. It wasn''t surprising that he was able to defend against my speed, he actually had four blades with him that could be swing over and over into an arc move that would look like two fan turbines covering his sides, too fast for the eye to see, especially with invisible blades attached to the back. I jump back once more the moment he was able to get rid of my Shadows, and as he flies down I start to growl, making that even my fur would stand up to make myself bigger and deadlier. He looks at me with amus.e.m.e.nt in his eyes and a smirk on his face, finding my aggressive behavior charming, like one would do when a small puppy growls at them. That makes me even angrier. "You know what is the most ironic thing here ''Hound''?" He starts talking, emphasizing the hound as if it was an insult. "That my style of fighting is the same used and brought by the mighty Goodness! Don''t you think it is funny? How I will make them obey me as her and at her image? Is ironic, really, amusing, like taking the image of their beloved heroes and heroines at account to get inside only to blow everything up later from the core! Ha! Quite the humorous image, don''t you think?". I only growl louder as I prepare to fight head-on with him, a little something that I learned from the Teleporting Cat back in the day; I make two tentacles grow on my back, and with them my two Black Obsidian Machetes, this trick serving well to substitute my arms and give me the speed and dexterity of a four-legged creature. Plus in the body that I was used to fighting in. He smiles then, a predatory show of teeth as he says: "So eager to fight I see, fine by me!" He says after he dashes forward with his swords which are promptly blocked by me. I keep my eyes open and alert to every move as I dash and dodge, blocking and attacking with the tentacles with more flexibility and range than him, managing to keep a good distance from his deadly blades and tricks. While at it, between defenses and cuts that did not hit, he throws a crystal dagger or two, but with this distance between us I have more than enough time and visual to evade his attacks. And yet, once more, none of us manage to break through the others'' defense. I dash up with my fangs only for him to sidestep me as I block his sword that was coming down over me, he turns around into a deadly spiral of winds only for me to dodge back and block with my Shadow Claws midair. This was starting to get frustrating annoyingly as I push hard only for him to push back harder without gaining any results. So I try to distract him once more, but not in the usual way; in a way that I would benefit in double if everything worked out well. This man, whoever he was, at least seemed more talkative than Cain; maybe I could get something out of him, make him split some details and secrets as well as stall him. "Where the hell is Cain? What did you do to him?" I ask as I dodge one of his attacks, questioning him midbattle. "Why? Are you that worried about him hound?" I chuckle a little, my growly low voice mixing it with a roar as I answer: "Oh no, I''m just missing his pretty face, your ugly one is starting to get on my nerves. And that fur? Really, who dresses up like that? Was that supposed to be fancy?" "Is style!" "Really? Style? When did man start wearing a dress like yours then?" "Is a tunic!" I can see the immediate result that my words have as a scowl appears on his face and his eyes darken as he narrows them. And I grab my chance. Using Shadow Illusion I make so that it looks like two of me split apart and dash forward to the right and to the left, pinching him at the front and giving him only time to attack one of us. And he chooses the wrong one. Amidst his fury and my attack a smirk curves my black lips sideways as my blades come up towards him, but the damn man was quick and even if he had to turn because of his wronged choice he manages to back step my attack, only receiving a graze at his face. And yet that has the perfect effect when he feels the warm blood hit his mouth, making him reach out with his long fingers only for them to come back crimson red. But not redder than the fury that embeds his eyes when he looks at me. "My face! MY FACE! How dare you!" He answers screaming while he cleans the excess of blood with his sleeve only to stand in position once more, fury n his eyes. "Come here and face me Terror!" Well, if you ask so nicely like that it would be impolite of me to refuse right? Chapter 103 - Ninety-Nine And face me he did. He slashed out, literally, and for the look on his eyes he was done playing, his footwork increases and his slashes became a constant torrent of attacks and blades shushing in my direction, aiming for my heart and face; especially my face; with all moves smoothly integrating after each other and paring my own attacks, his eyes following my every move and reacting to a mere flinch of my paw. Can he please stop aiming at my face about now? So childish, holding a grudge like that Though it makes me quite content to have affected him in such way hehe. His attacks grow faster and stronger as there is no point in trying to hide his crystal blades anymore, making him use then to the fullest, increasing his reach and dividing the speed of his defenses and attacks as he could bring another blade in with only the twist of his wrist. Oh, so speed is what he wants? How about I give him some taste of mine then? As my paws use all their might to keep the pace with him I, too, start to use my powers to the fullest and even if there were no trees around us anymore, all destroyed in the battle, the night itself still provided enough darkness for me to fight with more proficiency. That''s when my Shadow Tentacles come to play once more, and funny how, when I gained this ability, I frowned upon the name and thought it to be quite useless. And yet they proved to be quite the ability to combination with myself. I make another pair of tentacles surface on my back as the weapons keep hitting each other and glinting through the night, and as the new pair surges many others appear on the floor, waiting over the surface. That''s when I start to play around with him. Using the two tentacles on my back I impeller myself sideways, away from his attacks, only to be grabbed by a waiting tentacle that would throw me to the other side, making me dash around him quicker than any steps would be able to, flying around while keeping my direction controlled by the second pair of tentacles while the first keeps attacking as steady as my gaze upon my enemy. I need to increase the number of weapons I have, I think mid-battle, how deadly would it be to have more than just two swords, increase the tentacles on my back, a devastating speed devil with hundreds of deadly blades slashing from its back? Oh, he almost hit me there, I should focus a little more now, could apply these ideas later on for sure. As the battles unfold and only his clothes take the hit I try to grasp more about his planes once more, so as I jump around searching for an opening I ask: "But tell me, why conquer humans? Why have all the trouble? It has something to do with the countries from the south?" After all as far as I know he had only united places from the south, did it have something to do with being closer to his island and main base, or it was something more, something special? I was genuinely curious about his plans. The south always had some disputes with the north part of the continent, especially because of the weather being the total opposite from each other, which made the south triumph in riches and food, having rivers and the sea to transport their goods, while the north had to survive the hunger and winter year after year. But that only made then a tough bunch as far as I know, and is funny how much of this continent I still have to discover considering that I did not meet them much before only to crash their war and free the magical creatures, but well, if you think about it, with 18 years old I had explored more than most would do in a lifetime in this world so I can''t complain. "The south you say? Is just because it is an easy place to take over." "How so? I don''t understand" I ask, feeling that inflating his ego and importance will make him talk more, so making myself ignorant and dumber would make him look even smarter. Even though he is the fool here, of course. "Ha! Isn''t it obvious? Do I have to draw it for you? Is simply a matter that their kings are too weak; and fat in greed, a bunch of bloodsucking that could care less for their country. Can you believe that they do not even train their own soldiers? They buy from others places like mercenaries! Ha! Too easy, too dependent, they have been asking to be attacked for a long time now!" "But what about the north and middle countries? You don''t expect to-" "Silence! Enough talking, fight me!" He says and rushes forward, the blade missing me by a fur ledge, glimmering beside my face. "Could you stop aiming at my face? Is really annoying!" I say, now slightly worried that he may be aiming at my crystal, my weak exposed point, as I almost grab his leg with my teeth, biting the air and dashing forward to bump my head on his chin, having his stagger backward. And hitting his face again. "You! You are the one to say that!" Well is not like I''m aiming at your face though, I only happen to find an opening to hit it all the time you know? But at that he smiles, brushing his sore chin. "Oh but don''t you worry, I''ll have your little brother pay in your place by tenfold!" I knew what he was trying to do, the same I did with him before, to provoke him, to destabilize, to infuriate. But knowing that did not stop me from getting furious at him. My ears fold back as my lips rise up to show my rows of big sharp teeth as I growl and bark at him, the wild sound resonating like a powerful engine coming to life from my chest. He smiles in a creepy way, amused, his eyes opening wide as his lips curve upwards. "That''s more like it." He says as he gets in position to slash at me. Only that something unexpected happens. Chapter 104 - One-Hundred A growl resonates from the side, followed by another, then another, and when I look back I only have enough time to see dark shadows dashing forward, passing over me as I jump up and backward, avoiding whatever could be rushing our way from the darkness. But that precaution was unnecessary. Because soon after Mao Zexian is attacked by all directions by hounds! It takes me a few seconds to realize that those were the Hell Hounds I saw before patrolling the place, and some had high levels themselves, nothing compared to myself and probably Cain of course, but so many at once made a formidable foe to most. Some of them were only in their Doberman form and looking like mere bigger dogs, but some had the same explosive appearance my mother had back in the day, with dark red scales all over their bodies and strong jaws snaring at him and snapping in the air, a banging sound coming from their sturdy muscles demonstrating just how strong that bite is. With a quick look over I can count 4 of them, 2 being level 30 and without a hell form, one being level 45 burning to the side, and the biggest one being level 52 with a bull of a body full of muscle and scales, horns growing on his back and making him look even bigger. They were rather weak compared to us individually, but to common folk they were very deadly, especially like this, together as a pack, only that as a normal hound; just like my dumb brother; all of them chose the fire path, getting rid of the shadow element and focusing on being a beacon of blazing flames. What''s up with their d.o.g.g.y brains and fire anyway? Am I the only one who sees the glory of having the Shadow element and not making myself a walking torch? Plus what the hell were they doing here? Ding C Voice of command level up 124 C Wait, how that evolved my voice of Command? I have trained that magic while using my shadows and fire army, transforming it into a link to clearly give out orders, but I have never tried in living things Ok, I''m lying, I tried, but it didn''t work until now. Why is that? Is it because we are from the same species? But if I remember right the description has never mentioned something like that, right? Or perhaps is another reason? No time to figure it out now, if they are fighting against Cain, then they are fighting on my side; and I with them. That''s why I jump beside them, not stealthy so they don''t mistake me for an enemy; and because that way I can really check if they are on my side; as the smaller weaker ones step aside and tuck their stump tails between their legs, scared of such a high-level creature as myself, but the strongest one of them only gazes at me for a second, enough for our eyes to meet as he makes the group focus once more on Cain while growling. "Well well, if things didn''t get troublesome" Mao Zexian says, but his words are not portrayed on his carefree expression. I watch as he stands straight and, suddenly, hits the crystal blades on each other, shattering them as if they were made of glass even though they felt solid and sharp as metal before. Without the invisible blades he puts the swords together back to back, and with a click they attach to each other, explaining why one was longer than the other, making it look like a long lance with a very wide blade at the front and another at the back. At that he separates his legs and half crouches, leaving the blade down and back while the hand in the front was at the form of a palm, all fingers together in a tight embrace as they point upwards. As he stood there, ready for battle, his eyes never left mine, and with a smile and a sharp gaze his fingers move and bend up and down, taunting us to step forward. With a growl we attack. The low levels reach first and are wiped out by his first attack, a wide arch from the blade that covers all his front and back as he moves his feet to the side, twisting his body with the movement while being able to reach all around him. The other two surround him from opposites sides while I do the same, circulating and boxing him up, so when his first move was used up we jump towards him. Only that he wasn''t done with his attack yet. I''m only able to take the other hounds out of there with my Shadow Tentacles when my fur stands on edge and a blue-white lighting starts to creep up on his lance-sword. And it makes me realize that his name, The Roaring Dragon, was not for naught. "Soaring Dragon Slash!" He screams when he finally stops rotating his body, bringing the blade further forward while the lightening increases in quantity and speed, like a nest of snakes going wild. At some point the wind joins in, and both unite in a turmoil that takes the shape of a snake dragon with a pair of white bright eyes and a mouth full of teeth that opens up to let a defying growl out as it shakes the fallen trees and stones surrounding us, the mere force of that roar squishes my racing heart and creates pressure on my chest. "Fire Shield!" I say as I''m unable to escape the attack just for how quick and sudden it surged, plus having used my ways of escape to help the others out. As weird as it sounds, however, I had learned a few things from my brother too, especially what concerns fire magic since he, somehow, was good at it. From my mouth a fan of fire spills out and quickly covers the floor, rising up high above and curving into a half-circle, the orange-red flames shining in the night like an astral image, the lines shinning like veins as it burned vividly. But fire is not a very good thing to make a shield out of, especially since is not even solid, so while the dragon collided with it in a bright shocking explosion I dash back until I was far enough from the rage of damage created by our magic''s impact collision to watch it unfold. Like a thunderstorm it feels like two massive clouds had just collided, the fire and the lighting mixing together and getting more volatile by the second, until the white-blue and orange-red fuse together and expand, exploding and making me look away from the too-bright light. Once I look back, however, Mao Zexian is flying once more, his clothes fluttering wildly with the force of the explosion, and only adding to his already astonishing figure is the moon and the full of stars sky framing him from behind making his ornaments glint and his eyes shine as he looked down at me. He sheaths his swords with a single swing of his arms and body with the confidence of someone who had done it many times before, and says: "Well, it seems like our playtime is over, but don''t worry, I felt like we will meet each other soon, very soon, and by then you will have changed your mindI will make sure you do." At that he throws something at me, onde of his crystal transparent daggers, but his aim is off and it hits the floor in front of me, and when I see that there is something warped around the weapon and look up only to discover that he is already gone. And the night doesn''t stay quiet for long. Chapter 105 - One-Hundred-One I let out an angry roar as I realize that he had escaped, and not even traces of his magic were left behind. And even though I know that now is not the best time to track him down and fight him, especially after what he said, I still feel damn frustrated that I had not at least sunk my teeth in him at least once, tasted the blood of my enemy after piercing his flesh. How dares this devil play with us like mere dolls at the palm of his hands? Come and leave like this, as he pleases Does he really think karma will leave him be? Oh but I''ll make sure that his retribution comes and hits him like a lightning strike, even if I''ve to become karma itself for it. Without realizing I start to pace back and forth like an encaged tiger to vent my anger away, and only after a few moments I''m able to calm down enough to assert my surroundings once more. And to find out that I had just gained a new title amidst the battle, when I saved the hound if I remember right. I need a second to find it when many known words pop up in front of my eyes; and what I see makes me frown. Ding C Title earned C King of Hounds Ding C Title change C The Wise Leader Wait what? How did it change to that, from Wise to Wise Leader? And King of Hounds? How so? I did nothing more than use the hounds to battle for me, and saving their lives means little when I was the one who put them in danger in the first place. Though putting like that it is exactly what most kings do, so I pick the dagger up and hide in my space when I hear people coming closer, but stop close by with the intention of reading the letter very quickly, the curiosity raising, only to be stopped by a voice that resonates behind me. "Young king" Says someone beside me, bringing me out of my thoughts and my curiosity as I look over only to see the biggest hound looking at me, while the scaled one; the only female for what I could see; stood beside him with the other two hiding themselves behind her. Without nothing to say to them we stay in an awkward silence, but only for a few moments as the commotion from this size wouldn''t pass unnoticed. As I turn around to go back and take Isa out of this place; no chance now of getting in the library anymore nor reading any letters; those hounds ears perch up as they look at me with awe and logging. I simply turn around and walk away, but as I reach the end of the steps I can still hear they tip pawing behind me, their forms back to normal and more hidden in the dark with their black short fur like mine. I growl back into a half snarl: "What? Stop following me will ya?" I do not wait for their answer as I keep walking back to Isa, hiding myself in the shadows when guards pass by, all going to see what the confusion was all about, especially after that not-so-discreet explosion. I keep pawing my way without meeting trouble, the plants plus the night working well to hide my black body in the shadows, mostly without even have to use my shadows. Better save some magic for later, we may encounter resistance in the way out. As I look back, however, I can see the hounds shadows quickly going into hiding, with a small delay from the younger ones that tripped on a root for trying to turn too quickly when I turn around, going behind the trees as if I had not just seen both trip and fall. " Didn''t you hear me? Buzz off." At that the older one comes out of hiding, now with his normal Doberman form, some silver fur growing on his snout and face revealing that he may be older than I thought at first. "Sorry young king, but we wish to follow you." "And do what? Stay in my way? I''m not playing around you know, you better off here in the humans care like the pampered dogs you are." After all, I had already checked and none of them were under a contract, so they could easily get out of this place if they wished for it. The female didn''t seem to like my tone as she growls at me, but I don''t even give her the satisfaction of turning my gaze towards her. If she is dissatisfied then prove me wrong; which she wouldn''t be able to, of course, we both knew that I was right, they were cared by humans all their lives, how can they compare to us wild hounds who had to hunt and survive on our own? Is like a wolf gazing down on a pet dog. "If you keep following me you will only be seeking your own death. Go back to your owners." The female growled loudly, but a mere gaze from my part lets her know that picking a fight with me will be the last mistake she will do in this life. Unsatisfied she stops, glazing daggers at me. "We know we are not at par with your strength young king." Put difference on that old hound. " But we still wish to accompany you." "Old hound, the places I''ll travel to are no paradise, I will go face first against danger. Go back while you can." "But we want to follow you King!" Says one of the younger ones from behind, saying that only to quickly go back behind a tree. "We want to learn." Says the female finally, her gaze steady as she looks at me. "We indeed have stayed under humans care for our entire lives. We always thought to be strong, they had always feared us you see, but that is" "Until you saw me?" "Yes. We want to get stronger, strong like you." At that her eyes shine with determination, a gaze that could pierce someone''s soul. I liked that determinate look in her eyes, but still it wasn''t enough to convince me. "I understand what you are saying, is just that the path I walk will be full of hardsh.i.p.s, I don''t want any of you risking your lives only to stay by my side, and if you think of that as a form of gratitude stop because having you free and well is more than I can ask for." "But King" Says the older one. "Danger will meet us anywhere we go, we are magical creatures, we are bound to danger, and we will only be safer by your side, learning from you." "Yes, and I would rather risk dying than letting my life be determinate by others any longer." Says the female, making me frown. "I thought the humans treated you well?" I ask. If they were mistreated here than that''s another story; one were some heads will roll and places will burn; but they weren''t even under a contract, they could leave if they truly wished for it. "Well they do, but" At that the older one intervened: "They chose when we feed, when we sleep, were we go, how we train, who and when we must mate" Oh, I see I get it now. "But why didn''t you leave before if you wanted so much?" "Well, we may not have any magical barrier like a contract, but there were still chains, gates, guards, and where would we go? How would we survive? We only escaped because the guards were on a trance or something" Probably Cain''s doing. Well, I understand that feeling, is the same that I had back in the cave, when my mother didn''t come back, having to face a strange and scary world out of nowhere, but the difference is that I did not have a choice as they do. I sigh. Why do things keep falling on my lap like this? More and more responsibilities. "Alright, you may come with me, but don''t think I''ll protect you, you have to protect yourselves, otherwise you will be only dead weight and trouble; that''s the first step to become strong alright?" "Yes King!!" All of them scream, barks and howls resonating in your hound tongue as they celebrate. "Shhh!" Me and the old hound say, briefly looking at each other with mutual understanding when another Ding resonates at the back of my mind. Sigh, what is it now? I think I have new skills to check out once more, but this time in a deeper level. Chapter 106 - One-Hundred-Two Ding C Servants added C Von, Vok, Lightfang, Demonpaw CChoose and share your abilities now? What? Wait wait wait, hold on for a second, all this information pops up out of nowhere, let me have a better look at it before anything else alright? I analyze my status and the only skils that were changed that could have led to this situation, asserting it more thoroughly. The Wise Leader- Title modified from The Wise. Only gained when those under your leadership trust and respect you. It may be altered by how you act with your subjects and how they see you. Uhm Interesting. There are some titles that are merely stating the facts, like gaining the title of savior after saiving a lot of creatures, so that small change in nomenclature did not alter much practically speaking. So the cause of all this must be the next one: King of Hounds- Only hound may be added to your servant list and be under your command, and only those that directly pleaded under your name will be affected by this ability and experience sharing. Ability sharing: you may choose two abilities to share with each servant, and those will always have the same level as yours, the ''King''. Experience sharing: only crystal experience will be divided. While consuming crystals from magical creatures or any source of outer magic input, the titleholder ''King'' will have to choose if he shares or not half of the experience earned with its servants, being able to divide that 50% between them, and only receiving the other 50% for himself. Restrains: If betrayed by their servants, those will lose all abilities and experience gained by this mean, plus receive the title of Betrayer, which will make them unable to cooperate and work in groups/packs anymore since none will trust them, as well as not being able to enter a sharing ability similar to this anymore. Same goes if the creature who pleas alliance is already holder of this title, they won''t be able to become the ''King'' servant. That''s quite the ability there, so I can make them, ''my servants'', evolve with me? Plus giving them my abilities in my own level would make a huge difference in battle since my abilities are quite high-level ones. However I wouldn''t be able to share my favorites and strongest one; in my not humble opinion; since they were from the Shadow Element which none of these d.o.g.g.y brains kept. Or so I thought. "How cold, love, are you leaving without me?" A shadow jumps down behind the group, not trying to hide her body as she simple walks as if owning the place towards us, swinging her tail sideways as she slowly walks with an attitude, eyes glazing at us at the front. "That was the idea Swiftpaw." Says Lightfang, the red female, with a hint of a growl on her words as she looks back at the newcomer, making me realize that I recognize them by name now without being even introduced to; probably some weird effect of the title for sure. The newcomer had dark long fur with some red strips here and there, but her physical looked more like a wolf than a dog, with a wild appearance that was improved by the many scars present on her body and snout. "Ouch, that hurts love. But I know you don''t mean it so I''ll let it slide."At that she stops in front of us, snarling to my side as she says, staring me down and narrowing her eyes. "And who is this one?" Oh no you don''t, don''t come putting the blade on my alright? I''m just a passerby! I check her very quickly, and I''m surprised not only for her to have Shadow element on her, but because her level was the highest one of them all, level 70! Oh ho! Things may start to get a little interesting here And I love to put more wood on the fire, especially when someone is trying to overcome me like this, arrogantly. "Me? I''m their King, they are now going on a journey with me. Got a problem with that?" She gives me a full fang smile that screams deadly fangs for all to see. "Oh I have. You won''t take what is mine!" She screams and her eyes shine red, making me realize that I may have made fun of a not so nice subject, not that I would have it done any other way. She dashes forward, but on the contrary of the other hounds she seems to know her way in battle, strong muscles bulging under the fur, exploding into a shadow misty figure that could have come from a nightmare or a foggy night. Pity that her adversary was me. And I was out of time to play with her. I use my Shadow to overcome my small stump tail as it grows momentary into my long gone whip tail, making me able to use my Tail Whip at her so she would step back where I wanted her. Sorry hon, is just that our level difference is way too high for you to have even the smallest chance of scratching me. The next moment that her paws touch the floor the shadow seems to glue her to the floor, sticking her as my tentacles roll around like snakes and up her legs, binding her. She tries to break free, pulling and biting, but what can you do when it is shadows that are locking you in place? And between my command and hers, it was very clear who the shadow would follow. I approach, seeing the others look while Lightfang has an apprehensive look on her face; it seems like some cared after all; when I stop right in front of the wolf-hound, silencing looking at her and, in a few seconds, showing who was in command here. "I do not have time for your pity brawl wolf-hound. Her choice was made, now do not get in our way." I add a hoarse tone to my voice so that my words would sound very clear, but she doesn''t back off even after being bonded in mere seconds after starting the fight. "To the hell with you! King my ass! Give her back! Lightfang, don''t worry, I''ll save you!" She says between biting the tentacles, who only hardened their grips. "Oi, why are you portraying me as the villain here? Have you considered that maybe she wants to go with us uhm?" "Liar! She would never submit to you! Right Lightfang?" At that she looks at the other hound, waiting for her answer, but the red female just looks away. "Is none of your business." She answers while looking away. The wolf-hound seems shocked, but then she stares at me as if about to blame me again when I release her, almost making her trip for how sudden it was. "I really don''t have time for this." I say annoyed, and quickly add to all: "Seems like you are now my servants, and as such I can share with each one of you two abilities of mine as well as in the same level that I have them. Since we don''t have time now I''ll choose them later, but please think about what you want to have so we can talk later. As for you. "I say back to the wolf-hound. " They chose to follow me to get out of here and get stronger, and I do not intend to make it easy for them, so if you are here only to make things troublesome for me than leave, if not than stay quiet and follow us." Without giving them time to answer I trot forward, having the two younger ones trip once more when they try to follow too quickly. What''s up with those two big pups? I roll my eyes at them. Never thought that mere walking could be so difficult to some Oh wait, I have a dumb brother, never mind, I believe, I truly believe in the capability of the clumsy ones! Sigh Feeling more and more like an old man for sighing this much Just hope that I don''t lose any fur because of these hounds. Because I would look ugly as hell. Chapter 107 - One-Hundred-Three We somehow manage to finally go back to the building with all the plants were I first met Cain, but for some reason it was on fire! I sniff out the place while hearing shouts and seeing buckets of water been brought back and forth to appease the fire as the big flames shiny up the sky, dancing like little devils as they consume with hunger a place full of wood and plants. I start getting worried that, amidst the flames, some bodies could be found, especially of the person that I was looking for. Well, how much value my word would have if I get Isa killed not even a day after promising to take this annoying brat away safely? My already sour mood was going down south quickly. The once immaculate white walls were now black and threatening to fall as they were savagely consumed, and as my eyes pass over the chaos of the once immaculate pristine environment, I cannot stop myself from thinking how that seemed like a bad omen; how it was just the beginning of the corruption that was bound to grow inside this place. With a frown I finally find Isaac''s smell over the dust and soot, having a hard time making sense of the scents as my nose is constantly attacked by the black smoke. As I walk over, sniffing the air and following his trace, guiding this little pack around, I pass by the other nuns and eunuchs as they- or rather, some of them- work hard to stop the fire, while others gossip. And of course I perch my ears to hear it better, especially when our name comes out of their mouths. "No way, why would the Terror be here? Is a joke right?" One of the nuns ask, but by the looks of it that one was not present when the fire began, her clothes still pristine and very clean, while the other coughed as she spoke: "Are you questioning this sister''s words? How dare you!" Still coughing and trying to clean her dirty clothes, the already angry woman seemed even more displeased by the lack of respect showed by the other. "Know your place!" "S-sorry high sister, I didn''t mean it that way, is just that is hard to believe what does a beast like that has to do with us? How it entered the place without being seen? Is it big as a mountain as they say?" "Silence! Your voice annoys me!" She says after sitting on the side while making the other fan her as she continues: "And how am I supposed to know how a beast''s mind works?! The only thing I saw- and I did saw alright- is that that good for nothing Isa brought him in! That I''m sure of! And I told you all from the beginning that that woman wasn''t worth the air she breaths! Should have got rid of her sooner, now look at what she has done!" I finally reach a point on the road where I''m unable to hear more of her words, but before that I''m able to see a crowd gather around her as she keeps complaining. Well if that gossip wouldn''t spread quicker than the fire behind them. But what the hell was that about the Terror? I did not show up there! Though I can say I left a mark on the battlefield, none had gone there yet for that being the cause of this talk! How quick could that information go? Not faster than myself walking up to this place! And as I feared, Isa was being framed, or at least put to questioning it was only a matter of time before they realize his secret, and if so not only a traitor, but a sinner and liar. I cannot even phantom what punishments await him, and even though it was not my problem it doesn''t mean I''ll be a cold-hearted creature and leave him to die here after helping us out. Though it doesn''t mean that I will babysit him either nor trust him. One problem at a time, first find him, get out, save Leo, save my brother. Suddenly his smells drift away from the main path, turning towards the woods that surround the place, and narrowing my eyes I can see that there was a hole on the barrier right there, a place where they linked together, barely able to fit a person in. I could clearly see it with my third eye, but normal people could not, so it wasn''t a surprise to see some problems with big barriers like this, is like trying to draw with your eyes close; who could blame the magicians for such flaws? Even more when more than one person was involved in such big project. But still, how could Isa know of such thing? Could he see it too? Or perhaps It wouldn''t surprise me if he had a few plans for running away up his sleeve, he was basically living under his enemies nose, this sort of thing was bound to happen one day. No doubt, I finally manage to find him down the mountain, stumbling over, but sure of which direction to take, already away from the others, the darkness probably making things hard for him as his feet keeps getting stuck on roots and bumping unto rocks. I stop, and suddenly an idea comes to mind that makes me smile and wiggle my tail in the air as I half-crouch in a playful manner that makes the others frown. Then I jump right in front of Isa. His eye widens and his mouths opens, about to scream, when his hands move fast and close it before any sound could come out. However when he calms down he doesn''t hold back. "What the f.u.c.k hound? Are you freaking crazy?! What stupid idea, do you even have-"And blablabla. I yawn, amused by his reaction and the slight improvement that scaring him brought to my mood, and when he finally stops complaining, stumping his feet as he walks away, I hear people shouting from above. I have no time to ponder how they may have found us; though I''m extremely doubtful of my new lackey''s stealth skills; when I turn and bite Isaac on the waist. Bite gently alright? Not cut down in half, only carrying him in my mouth. He doesn''t seem pleased, which only improves my mood more, hehe. "Wait! W-what are you doing hound? Let go of me!" He says while I keep walking with him and maybe purposely trotting a little so he would shake like a bag of potatoes, which only makes it rather difficult for him to keep talking normally and not biting his tongue. "What does is seems like? Saving you, dumbass." I somehow manage to say it with his body on my mouth since in this form I could not close my jaw around him, but rather carry him like a kitten. "D-dumbass?! Oi, you know that I didn''t need you to take me away, people will get suspicious of me if they find me with you!" "They already are dumbass! And even more it won''t make a difference since someone like you, who never had a servant before, turns up with one that disappears amidst the confusion, so yeah, double dumbass!" Though I''m sure Cain had a hand on this situation and in how quickly people got to the conclusion that I had been there and, even more, that I was somehow responsible for the fire. Taking resources away from me I see not like I was expecting him to play fair. "Y-you! Who the hell asked you to save me? I could have lied my way back there somehow, I-I can still make some excuse up, I just have to clear my thoughts a bit! So let go of me, I won''t be able to go back, after disappearing like this after that commotion!" "Well, actually, that old lady asked you know, to save you that is." Plus Cain already knows that you are on my side, who knows what he may do to you once he takes control of the church too? "You are not safe there anymore, trust me on this." Maybe she knew about this too, that''s why she asked; though I can''t be sure "Wait, Eanna? Why would she do that?" "Who knows." I simply say. "She was just worried about you having to stay there and be discovered someday." "But why now? I have stayed there for so long, sacrificed so much, all to naught now unless unless she knew something more? Something is amiss, I have to go back and ask her hound!" "Nope." "Thilgon!" "If you have a death wish you might as well, but I wonder how Eanna will feel knowing that all her efforts to keep you alive where wasted for lack of trust on her and mere curiosity. But go ahead." I say after stopping, releasing him on the ground and making the hounds almost trip to a full stop. "But go knowing that I will not turn back and save you again. If you go there, go on your own two feet." We stay still for a while, staring each other down, being overlapped by the deep shadows cast by the tall fire burning on the mountain, an orange light sometimes flicking over our faces and reflecting in our eyes. I see his hands clench beside his body as he says: "Let''s go." "Uhm." I do not waste any more time there as he jumps on my back, rushing away as Isa turns around one last time to watch the church fade away, deep emotions burning in his gaze as he stays still, silently watching, thoughts haunting his mind as he finally casts his eyes down and turns around. "Yes, let go" He whispers for himself as we finally resume our journey. Chapter 108 - One-Hundred-Four We were able to travel back quite swiftly. None of our persecutors could keep up with our four legs, and after I put all of the hound and Isa inside my shadow, well we were literally leaps ahead of them as I dashed from shadow to shadow. But even my sturdy self gets tired at some point, especially using my magic like this, and with the possibility of finding trouble in the near future makes me slow down to stop and rest, letting everybody out of my shadow as I go under a tree shade, this being the first moment where we were all able to talk without shouts chasing us out behind us. "Who are they?" Isaac asks as he settles on the opposite side of me, looking wary at the hounds, presumably his lack of trust in magical creatures kicking in once more. "It''s a long story." I simply say, not in the mood to explain. "But they are trustworthy, don''t worry. Well, most except those two." I say, pointing at the girls who were not paying attention to us, instead having their own quarrel. We did not intend to stay still for long, our one secret place wasn''t that far, so no fire or accommodations were made as we simply sat down and take a breather. "Never thought complete darkness like this for so long could be so tiresome" The red female says, only for the wolfhound to say: "Were you scared? Want me to comfort you?" She says, brushing her furry body on the red side. "Scram!" The other said, earning a laugh from the wolfhound. Why does this scene seems so familiar? They were speaking in hound tongue, so for outsiders like Isaac it only sounded like barks and shuffles and an occasional strange barky laugh. As I rest and the younger hounds play and the females fought; or flirted?; Isaac sat in complete silence and I knew not to disturb by merely taking a glance at the gloomy glint over his eyes, his mind somewhere else. But still I curiously wondered Was he worried? If so, about what? For the life he left behind, or for the uncertainty that the future holds for him? Either way I had no intention of comforting him, even more because he wasn''t the type who would like such action, it would be like brushing against his face his own flaws and weakness. Pressing the weak spot I would say. So I simply say nothing, enjoying my little break since I was, in the end, the only one really working and running here. As I was enjoying a bit of morning sunlight passing through the leaves and painting the floor with wavy shadows and forms, however, I hear paws approaching. "King" The old hound calls me with a hoarse voice from the side, making me look over my shoulder as he comes closer and sits down in front of me so we could have a smother talk. "Thank you for this, young king." He says as his eyes quickly pass over the others. "How impolite of me, let me present myself. My name is Demonpaw and I will do my best to help you deal with these young bloods. They may be difficult to deal with sometimes, but they are good kids, I hope you have the heart to understand them. Come and introduce yourselves!" He says back to the other hounds, unaware that I already knew their names because of the pop up from before. Well, no harm done in getting to know them a little better right? "I''m Lightfang. "Says the red female while escaping from the grasp of the wolfhound by kicking her. "And those two are Von and Vok." "Hm. I''m Palarran Thilgon Mnaothon, but you can call me Thilgon." "Hey, what about me?" We all ignore the wolfhound, Swiftpaw. "Is that an elven name?" Aks the old hound as I nod. After that we chitchat for a while, talking about how I grow on the woods, and how they were raised by humans; except for the wolfhound that, without being asked, told that she felt in love with the red female so that''s why she ended up there, not serving any humans, but trying to help her escape, or rather, taking her away against her will. With all said and done I thought to be a good opportunity to bring a subject to light. "Well, since we are here already, how about we decide the abilities that you will receive uhm?" I say, crossing my low front legs and looking at them. "Might as well get that out of the way now than later." They stay silent, as if thinking, but say nothing in the end, probably unable to decide since they could not tell my skills apart; and since I had no intention of reading my status out loud, I end up deciding for them. I start with the easier ones. "Vok and Von." They look at me, two almost identical Dobermans that, if not for my status ability, could pass as mere dogs. Von, the one with the dropped ears, seemed to be the shyest of them, always hiding behind his brother, but since his brother hid as well they end up looking like a pile of fur. "Since you two are so low level." And na?ve. " I will give you my Fire Dash so you can run and escape faster if trouble comes, and how about Fire Jump too?" A good run away with your tails tuck combo. "Yeah!" "Cool!" Both say, eager to try, but I wish to end this quick so I already turn around and continue speaking. "As for you two" I look over the old hound and the red female, passing my eyes over the wolfhound and smirking, as if making sure that she knew that I was not including her in because, well, she was not one of my servants. She only raises her eyebrows, fidgeting amus.e.m.e.nt, sitting tall even though I won against her in mere seconds, her pride stronger than a little beating could teach otherwise. Not complaining though, who am I to question after all "I think you should have the Dash as well, old hound, and together with that that''s it, Fire Shield!" So you can keep those two out of trouble if need it be. "Thank you young king???" He says, polite as always. "As for you" I look, standing and coming closer, staring her down and narrowing my eyes- but internally happy that I finally could look down on someone because, you know, I''m as big as a mountain in my true form, so why the hell I was looking up all the time because there were so many tall guys around me oi?! "I don''t want it!" She says, not once pull back by my stare, but I could hear her heart racing faster behind that strong facade. "Hm why is that?" "I came here to become strong on my own. Wasn''t you who said that you wouldn''t protect us? I don''t want your powers, I want to grow with my own strength!" She says, firmly printing her paw on the floor. "Oh, such noble words" I say sarcastically. I stay still in front of her, staring for a while, and smack her face with my paw with only enough strength that she falls flat on the ground. Everybody is shocked, some even gasping as the wolfhound starts to growl, looking at the red female that was still paralyzed on the ground, too surprised to stand up as I say: "And do you think that your enemies will give a damn about where your power comes from? You wanted to learn the ways of the world young lady, so here is your first lesson; in a battle there are only two results, you win, you live, you lose, you die, no in between, and if one day you need the power I can give you but you don''t have it it will be too late for regrets. Your death to maintain your pride will achieve nothing, only prove your stupidity. If you have any chance to get stronger, don''t be na?ve and pass the opportunity." I say, letting my word sink in, harsh and sore like the world she wanted to learn and live on, but after the blow was made I softer my voice to say:" But, in the end, using it or not is your own choice, but have it as trump card anyway in desperate situations. Now Have I made myself clear?" "Yes" She says, clenching her teeth, not wanting to admit it, but even the wolfhound stopped to hear my words. "Good. Then I''ll give you" I look over my abilities once more, but there was not a lot I could give her since I have always focused more on the shadow skills and the really good ones would use too much mana that she did not have; like the Fire Army; and some other have special requirements, like the Voice of the Night and such. An attack would do her good, and it should be different from the others as well so they would complete each other in battle, but the second ability in special makes me ponder for a while. "I''m going to give you the Lava Breath." Mostly just because you don''t have that one yet. " And Humanoid Transformation!" Once again she is shocked, but before she could even complain I hear a ding informing that the skills shared had been chosen and were being transferred at this moment. They all crouch at the same moment, turning into a ball and grunting, and I quickly assert the situation with my third eye, and strangely enough my own magic was reaching out for them! Like red and black veins mixed together they reach out like vines and warped around the hounds, finding ways to get in and mix with their own magic, but only the red was being absorbed as the black veins were left to simply wrap around their bodies. I was a little worried that something was going wrong there and that I had just killed innocent hounds by mistake, but as I watch I do not let my worry show on my face, simply snorting when the process is over, playing it cool but sighing internally, relieved. "What the hell?!" Says Isaac after witnessing their struggle, especially without contest nor explanation, all just barks and grunts, and yet amongst all the weird things his eyes where fixed on something behind me, and only by looking behind me myself I understand why that place was the one that shocked him the most. Uhm, let''s just say that the skill-sharing worked pretty well, well, better than well I would say. Chapter 109 - One-Hundred-Five The sharing ability skill worked for sure, because behind me, laying on the floor half-sitting, is a red-haired lady with brown widen eyes staring at her own fingers, her wavy long hair having just enough ledge to cover her n.a.k.e.d body. A dead giveaway of the identity of this strange woman was the pair of ears on top of her head, flickering back, somewhat socked. While most of us here surprised by the change, staring at the woman as she moves her fingers and toes with an odd expression on her face, I was unmoved and rather calm by it as I hear the wolfhound on the side say: "Wait, Lightfang? How did you W-we can change forms like that?!?" Well, I wouldn''t say that it was common but just now I realize that, for others, it must be rather unthinkable to be able to change forms like this. "I-I can change like that too?" This time I don''t ignore the wolf-hound, seeing the desire burning in her sight, but look down on her, provoking her just for the fun of it, adding a sneer as I say: "You are not part of my pack, so you don''t get to have that." Growling she says: "I can always get that myself!" "Good luck with that" I say, not amused, looking rather bored. After me reaction her gaze goes back to the red lady, and for the first time she seems to really think about the pack thing, her tail wagging behind her like a crocked cat''s tail, showing irritation, but her eyes never left Lightfang, her stare going up and down and staying for a long time on her face. "Thilgon!" Says the red hound out of nowhere, her full lips barking and growling in Hound Language, giving her an even more wild look than her unkept appearance gave already. "What the hell?! I wanted to be able to at least chose the abilities! Why the hell did you give me this form?" "Are you that honored that your brain turned to goop?" She snarls a half growl that looks oddly animalistic in her humanoid face. "I just gave you one of the most important and hard to come by abilities, you should be honored." I say seriously, would I really need to explain it to her? How a humanoid form makes her able to pass by human society, how she learning how to read and talk and acc.u.mulate knowledge and experience would benefit her, how I just gave her one of the safest ways to travel this land and learn about many things?! "How can this be useful?! I can even stand right! Look at this weird limbs!" She keeps complaining after trying to stand and failing miserably, remembering me of my own first time trying humanoid legs, so long ago, inside a dungeon, on a small house, little Leonel beside me, supporting me. He was so different back then such a mysterious kid, but somehow cute, how did he become this pervert straightforward man? Sigh, even my brother now has has already grown up. I''m getting old and grumpy aren''t I? Well, at least grumpy for sure. Remembering of both of them now when they were so far away from me makes me uncomfortable and a little sad. And that feeling only gets worse as after the red-hound keeps complaining and barking, acc.u.mulating with the fact that this little trip resulted in failure, joining with the fact that I still don''t have Aeglos cure or my brother''s location, my mood turns downhill quite fast. "What is the point of telling you, figure it out yourself! And you can change back!" I say before standing and walking away before I hit her again only to shut her up. Remember me why I thought it was a good idea to bring these hounds along?! Waste of time, waste of time! All this search, all this talk, and for nothing! Urg! I just want to bite something off! All comes crashing down once more, the reality that my brother was still out there, but now ten times worse since I have the clear image of the captor. Cain. That little prick He thinks is funny uhm? Like a little game and we are mere pawns I''ll show him that the biggest mistake of his life was getting on my bad side and making me his enemy. I will show him just how big the rage that once made me hunt down humankind is I can feel my fur stand and ignite into my Black Flame, giving an even more wild look to my hound black form as I try to calm down amidst the increasing anger that curses my veins, making me crack my bones and growl at nothing. That was the bad part about one of my abilities that has grow with me it was already bad from the beginning I supposed, but since it evolved it turned to worse. My Berserker Mode. Now, named Possessed Mode, it was far stronger yet far more uncontrollable than before, with 100% chance of me losing control. To keep some sort of balance it needs, however, that I fill up a rage meter, named Rage Fuel; the more it acc.u.mulated, the stronger the ability would be. And the hardest it would be to control my own temperament and not slash out. And let just say that the last week has being a very, very productive in regards to filling it up to the brim. I could feel it boiling inside. And I just knew the right person to receive it head on once it explodes. I only had to rescue my brother before that But now I had a more urgent problem at hand, so that it doesn''t end spilling out on others beside me I hit some trees out and slash and bite, breathing fire on the floor while rolling over it to stop it from spreading, aiming at rocks instead of trunks that were hit by my paws instead, at the same time attacking and trying to minimalize the damage in a weird combination. At least the group was wise enough to leave me be, even if I was being this loud. Some time passes before I calm down, breathing between snarls and growls, passing my paw over my eyes and cleaning my face up, sitting down and looking at the bright sky when suddenly something comes to my mind. I remember that I still haven''t seen the contents of the letter Cain left for me. I turn back from my hound form, my shadow growing like a puddle of lava only to reveal my humanoid form inside, already dressed as my caramel skin is being framed by my red desert clothes, this time made from a thin veil that covered my n.i.p.p.l.es with twin parallel clothe and warping around my waist over my puffy pants, leaving the upper body slightly exposed and the tip of the veil free in the air like a red flame. If it wasn''t enough my hair was tightened up in a high ponytail by the same bright red veil, embroidered by golden metal, as well as circular golden necklaces over my shoulders and upper chest. Crossing my long legs in front of me I reach for the letter on my shadow, the black paper now unkempt by being tighten on an arrow, unfolding it and taking out the contents. And what I read makes me frown. What was he planning with this? Inside there were two beautiful big leaves painted in white, the little markings shining like veins and; I take a sniff; embedded with magic to conserve them. Such fancy items, what for? I turn them around, only to raise my eyebrow in surprise. They were tickets, and for what the fancy elven words written on them said it seemed to be some sort of party, but not the type humans had with drinks and s.e.x, but a diplomatic one. Was he showing me his next target? Why would he do such a thing? Tired of trying to guess Cain''s brain I narrow my eyes, thinking. I already planned to go there anyway, so no harm done in attending such party. Plus it would be interesting to warn the elves about his existence and power too, maybe this party was his debut in trying to conquer the elves as he did with the humans. There was only one minor problem that the party was already tomorrow, which means less than a day to go all the way there. Shit. What should I do? It would be good to have some time beforehand to prepare myself, and join in with Leonel too But what would I do with the hounds and Isa? Take them along? Some of the hounds perhaps, but no humans are allowed in there, and I''m not taking Isa with me, even more because I would have to vow on his behalf and pay for anything bad he may do. And he definitely did not have that level of trust on my part for me to vouch his way in into elven territory, even more because I still have some doubts about his loyalty after all I remain not knowing how Cain found us in the first place. Just as I was thinking what to do with so many people around me, and how should I divide the group; and especially get rid of Isaac for the time being; I hear someone shouting for me, and it was easy to guess who by the spoken words: "Thilgon! You dumb hound, come here for a second!" I tsk again, feeling the calmness slipping from my grasp once more, but even annoyed I went back only to find a magical paper dove standing on Isaac''s arm as he read something. He looks up, about to say something, but before he could I hear a swishing sound of the air being cut that makes me dodge to the side, only for a huge double edge ax to stick on the tree right beside where I had been seconds before. Alert I look inside the forest, black flames already slipping past my lips as I snarled to the unknown treat. Chapter 110 - One-Hundred-Six My gaze is fixated on the woods where the attack came from, attentive to any movement, but I still could sense when the red hound changes back to her canine form and all of the hounds make a semi-circle over me, surrounding the woods where the attack came from, snarling and growling. "Who is there?" I ask, the only answer being the rustling of leaves. "I think you lost something here pal, let me give it back to you!" I say, taking the gigantic double-edge silver ax out from the tree and leaving a dent half the size of the trunk behind only to launch the ax back into the woods with force, making it fly with satisfactory crashes and hits along the way. When it finally stops everything turns silent once more, even the birds were scared by the sudden attack and flew away, the remaining wind rustling the leaves in an attempt to cover the defying silence. I try to sniff them out but discovered that they were against the wind, and that as such their approach was planned. Hunting us down uhm I think, narrowing my eyes. Got your eyes on the wrong ''prey'' there pal. As I was about to show just how wrong they were for trying to hunt us they take the initiative and advance, light footsteps mixed with heavy ones, trained and untrained paired together. And I wasn''t expecting the faces that come out of the leaves first. "Seiroe? Eyope? What the hell are you two doing here?" I ask the antshiva twins, but before I could ask about the ax and Eyope''s health the Templar comes shimmering of the woods, followed by other strange people. People from the North. And only one of them I recognized, not because he was a friend of mine, no, on the contrary, the situation that made us meet was the type that ends with us furiously staring each other down. Well, down for me, but very, very up for him. Because the last time I saw him was on the battlefield, when I, in my Terror form, freed all the magical creatures owned and forced to battle by the northern people. Which made them lose that battle. Just what I need, a resentful barbarian from the north chasing me down. I didn''t even need to look at his hands to confirm that the ax belonged to him, and beyond the always present wolf cape he wears over his shoulder with the snout turned to the side and the claws swinging freely with his moves over his shoulder, there is the characteristic qualities of the people from the north; the shaved hair on the sides while the middle grow into a long brand, complete with a beard that made his already strong jaw look even more protuberant, and that permanent frown. Wow, I''m impressed, so scary~, note the sarcasm. We stare each other down, my heart pumping fast, ready to react, the blood flow sounding raspy up close to my face. And out of nowhereHe laughs, a full throw the head back laugh. I just raise an eyebrow. What the hell is wrong with this guy? The guy sneer, raising his lips and showing his teeth between his stick beard, frowning at the same time and making quite the intimidating face, almost predatory. "So this is the so terrifying Terror? Uhm, I''m not impressed." "Thought he would be taller." The guy on his side says. Wait, wait, say what? Say that again! Y-you fat bear man! The younger twin, however, comes in between and intervenes before I could say anything; or maybe do anything: "Thilgon, meet Wolfhammer and his group. They are messengers from the North and they want to speak with the elves." "Well, good luck with that." I say, still staring them down. "They want an alliance with the elves against the humans and demons from the south, and I thought that-" "That what?" I say, now looking at him, not satisfied with how things were turning up to be. "I send you to search for information and you came back with a bunch of useless people." One of them tries to speak but I only raise my voice louder. "From the North of all places and, beyond that, you expect me to help them, is that it?" At this point my voice starts to grow dangerously grave and my hands clench into fists, but the twin does not back down. "The demons have slaved my people! I just discovered that they have control of the entire island and that it is only a matter of time before the antshivas country, ''my'' country, disappears of the map! The fellow here, the ''people from the north'', are the only ones that had been rescuing my kind, so yeah I''m up to give them a hand." " Is that it? But it surprises me that your kind wants to work with mine, especially me." I say, this time looking at the bear looking guy in front. "Who would want to have anything to do with a beast like you? You are only good as food and battles." "And some times a good show." One of them say, moving as if imitating a fight. They sicken me. I mark in the back of my mind: Need to go there after everything is done and free all creatures from their grasp. "That''s not the kind of tone someone who is asking a favor should use." I say smirking." And my answer is no. Go back to the iceberg you belong to." "You!" They seemed irritated by my answer. Good. "Come on, let''s go." I say to the hounds as we turn around to leave; and I wasn''t worried about a sneak attack, after all, not even the strongest human would have haft of my level, not even them. Maybe my human conscious, or even appraisal, made this level difference possible, but I could not care less about the humans being so low level like this; Only the cultivators and some elves worried me, but one were hidden in the mountains, and the other blessed me with my sir name. Now let''s just teach the demons a lesson so we can go back to bullying the people from the North. That brought a smile to my face. Isa and the Templar follow us as the hounds depart with me, leaving the group of burly men and women with a stupid face behind. Really now did they think they could come here, treat me that way, and get anything from me? I bet they would try to threaten me next. Seriously? You go to a dragon''s nest to threatened them? You are only seeking death like this, by being burned into a crisp that is. With a few moments of delay the twins follow us but do not join the group, instead to talk a lot and beg mostly. "Thilgon, please, I beg of you, my people are out there being slaved and hunted down like animals! Women, children, people who have nothing to do with your dispute, innocent people! They are in changes, with f.u.c.k.i.n.g chains on their neck like freaking beasts! Being used like they are nothing more than animals! Please Thilgon! " "Well, let''s see how you feel being treated like an ''animal'' now then." I say without looking back nor stopping with an ice-cold tone; hasn''t he just described how my kind is treated for years without anyone carrying about them? He stops walking then, watching our backs as we keep moving, only to say in a low voice. "How disappointing." I stop. "I thought so highly of you, was a fan even. I was so excited when we meet, but I guess I expected too much of you" With those words I turn back around, stare him deep into his eyes in such an unfriendly way that his brother tensed on the side, hand ready to draw his dagger. I walk back towards the younger twin in slow deliberate steps, my face stiff and unmoved like their faces are when they treat my kind badly. I stop right in front of him, letting the silence sink in and make him uncomfortable as I say, very slowly and deliberate: "You would do anything to save your people would you not?" He nods." And yet, what your kind is passing through now is what mine has suffered and still does for centuries. Chains, cages, slavery All of that is nothing new to us, but I never saw anyone trying to rescue my kind...how odd And yet you plea and cry, and yet you ask me to help out the northern people, who were the ones responsible for ''my'' kind suffering, one of many. And yet, poor you, such disappointment because I do not help the people who kill mine to save yours from the ones that kill them, really, a shame indeed But please, continue, talk about how disappointed you are, how disgraceful it is, how ''I'' am the heartless one that does not care about others, but let me just tell you how disappointed I''m of ''you''" He lowers his head, unable to keep his eyes still with my increasing angry gaze, and just noticing how taken by his own people''s problems he was to realize what he just did, what he has truly asked of me to do. And too ashamed to even apologize. No worries though, I''m used to it by now. "Would you do anything to save them?" I ask again. "O-of course." He says. "Then go back to your friends and take them to Edovine, I''ll talk to the elves to send someone there to talk with them, though if they are going or not is none of my businesses." He smiles, but before any words can leave his mouth I add: "And after that, do not come looking for me anymore ever again. We are even now. Goodbye." That just shows how loyalty worth''s little nowadays. And that makes me realize how tempting it was to go back to the old me; on how it would be easier to just erase it all. Tempting indeed Chapter 111 - One-Hundred-Seven After that I once more run towards elven territory, but this time without looking back; and of course I wasn''t happy with the things I had to say to the twins and how we cut relationship just like that, especially knowing how bad their situation was, but they did not understand what they were asking of me, on who they were affiliating themselves with, and I really don''t care what reasons do the people from the north have to help the antshiva out, but certainly it wasn''t for good reasons, especially if they claimed it was for free, just like that. They were a warrior tribe, where food was scarce under unmerciful weather and, as such, a lot of barbaric ways grow deep roots into their culture. I can only phantom what will be of the antshiva. I can just hope they don''t have the same destiny as my kind has there, because the little I saw and hear from themit was enough to say that the north didn''t deserve my help, no one''s help. No humans were saint in this country, especially in the way they deal with magical creatures, but at least the others could be scared by me into good behavior; the people on the north, however, were stubborn as mules. Is that it? The way I did in the path was the only way to get things right? Would I have to become the greatest monster of all to scare the smaller one into obeying my wishes and command? That brings me back to the matter with the twins, on how they thought that I would help them out just like that, simply from the kindness of my heart, that I would be glad to be of use, but how wrong they were Because I wasn''t as good as I seemed to beAfter all, I was the type that was capable of annihilating an entire specie for revenge, fueled by anger. Did they really think I would simply brush our differences aside? For the greater good? Greater good for them that is, only for them. But no worries, I would get rid of Cain sooner than later, and they could fight as much as they wanted for their territory and whatever. Ugh, all that talk and overthinking left me with a permanent frown by now. It takes a few hours to get to the elves but speed wasn''t a problem when I could dash between shadows, it was more about my magic depleting too quickly and the annoying baggage that I was carrying complaining all the time in my shadow. When we reach the border of elven territory, however, I stop. I take them all out from my shadow quickly since I still had to keep an eye on the clock. "Isa, how about you go ahead and reunite in Edovine? The elves don''t allow humans in their territory so it would be good for you to stay behind, and we will go back to there after this mess is over." We could use some safe hidden place to go back to, even more if we could keep our healer safe; his value was far greater behind the scenes than on the battlefield itself. I just hope that we have no use for his abilities in the future. "And miss all the fun?" He says sarcastically, making me raise an eyebrow at that and continue talking as nothing happened. "I need you to prepare a safe place for us to go back to, we may need it. Plus things may get ugly and I rather have my healer far away from trouble." "Isn''t just a way of saying that I would get in the way?" "Oh, good that you understand." At that is his turn to raise an eyebrow, annoyed, and then roll his eyes. "Fine." "What, no arguing, fighting, nor disagreement only for you to realize in the end that I was right and apologize?" "Ha-ha, you couldn''t let it go could you? Shouldn''t you just accept it and not complain?" "And what is the fun in that?" He sighs. "Is just that I agree this time, ok?" I feel a victorious smile spreading on my face, but it disappears when he completes his phrase. "Plus I was the one who warned the twins about our whereabouts though I may add I did not know about the other guys from the north." I brush it aside. "Its alright Isaac, you had good intentionsLet''s leave it at that alright?" It feels like I''m warming up as a team with him not that I will ever tell him that of course. "Well, all good when it ends well." I say to finish our talk, still on the clock, just hoping that I''m not too late and they are all safe, Aeglos, my brother, Leonel... Plus I had a few plans cooking up in my mind, so even if danger doesn''t meet with us we would walk in it; for the possibility of my brother being at least around there was huge. And I wasn''t going to waste the opportunity of saving him anymore. "Take some hounds with you just in case." I add. "So they can keep the perimeter safe, they are already trained for that." "Ok." Says Isaac without paying much attention. "I''m not staying behind! I did not get out of that place to do the exact same thing outside!" Says the red female, eavesdropping our conversation, of course, and being annoying as usual. "Yeah yeah, I thought so." I turn towards the old hound. "I''m counting on you to keep those two out of trouble than." "Of course." He says, trotting closer to Isa, the only problem being that they would not be able to communicate, but my patience was long gone and I did not intend to convince the only one with a human body to go with them, especially since she would have to learn Common Language; and I don''t think anyone was up to the challenge of teaching her annoying shelf that. Plus I''m starting to question her intelligence for some time, but what can you expect from a hound right? Me being the obvious exception of course. Before Isaac turns around to leave, however, he comes back to have a final saying, a mischievous look on his face that promised trouble as he whispers: "If you ever start missing wearing some woman clothes again I can always lend you some of mine you know Bet Leonel will like the surprise" I cannot stop myself from blushing f-from anger of course! "As if! Go already! Scram!" I scream back only to see his back turning as he laughed. Prick. "Who wants to wear woman clothes?" I start to mumble. "I''m a man you know? Prick" But of course the mind has a power of its own and I cannot stop thinking does Leonel really enjoy those types of clothes? W-would he be surprised if I you know No no no, what the hell am I thinking? I''m a man, a very manly man alright! Shaking my head I turn around towards the two female hounds; of course the wolf-hound would follow us around; as we go deeper and deeper into the woods as I already start to feel comfortable with my surroundings, with their roots and declines for how long I lived and experience the wilderness, and yet a strange uncomfortable feeling grown amidst my thoughts, poking into my mind no, the strangest thing for me to marvel about was that it was the first time that I was traveling alone. Those two female hounds won''t count, even more when they just nag at each other all the time; and why the hell the wolf-hound is still following us?! Scram you too! But still they do little to suppress the solitude I''m feeling, such strange loneliness; I have never traveled alone, without my brother or Leonel or anyone that I truly knew But especially my brother, we have walked together for so long Since birth, sharing grief, sharing happiness, experience and Sigh. These woods that we walked together so many times remind me of my brother, of his silly goofy face, on him tripping over all the time, of his annoying play of biting my ears, on how he always made me laugh and how I had been incapable of protecting him, on how, in the end, even with all my worries and hard work, he still got into trouble. But don''t worry brother, still will all end soon because I''m coming for you. And heads of those who stay in my way will roll on my path. Chapter 112 - Extra - Isaa Part I POV:Isaac Von and Vok were loud enough that I didn''t even need to look back to know that they were following close behind. On the contrary, the bigger hound was staying by my side, quietly watching over the woods, and the similarity of such animal to the Templar on my side did not pass unnoticed by me. Sigh, I''m surrounded by beasts, well, better than treacherous snakes right? I''m still somewhat shocked from the fact that I am, now, truly unable to go back to the church and that, somehow, the titles, the deeds, all I did to build my reputation so no one would get suspicious of me and find out that I''m a man went downhill so quickly; years and years of hard work destroyed in a single day. Part of me was still wishful, hopeful that I would be able to go back there, but the other part was relieved, light, finally free. So that''s why, when we arrive at Edovine, the first thing I do in this elven-human city is to buy men''s clothes; I''m done for life wearing skirts and boots with high-heels for sure. As I''m choosing I think, with a mischievous smile on my face, that I could warp my old clothes and give them as present to Thilgon or even Leonel so he could force him to wear it, that would be fun to watch. I chuckle. Both options seem quite interesting and the clueless Thilgon would discover how Leonel''s eyes always deepen when he wears a skirt, probably because of him showing his legs around hehe. In the end I settle for a green shirt with knots and crisscrossed strings on the sleeves and necktie, black pants; oh glory!; and boots, normal men boots. Since it was still chilly this time of the year in such up north parts of the continent I bought a long cape with a hood too just in case. We walk around a little to find a safe place to stay, thinking that an inn should better than a hidden place this time; since we already saw how that worked out for us right?; but as we walked around on the paved stoned streets I could not take away my eyes from this city. I had visited many places in my life, some good, some terrible but none like this. Edovine had elven and human traces all over it. It could be truly said that it receives any kind well, as long as they paid the bill, that is. Such a rich city, full of people looking for elven goods while elves brought souvenirs to resell for the humans, it was a charming place perfect for those looking for unique things; so it wasn''t a surprise that such place had even cultivators roaming about, dressed in those long sleeve clothes that rustled with the wind, truly celestial figures walking among mortals. Beyond all that were the super-high buildings with big windows on them, almost like towers growing among normal stone and wooden buildings, but they were there for a reason; to accommodate an even more intriguing device, the floating sh.i.p.s. Without rivers close by the city counted on huge ox creatures to care things far, from heavy to numerous, and the sh.i.p.s were for those who could not wait and could afford a faster way around. How much did those cost? I could not even imagine how many Wind Stones it would have to have, hell, I didn''t even know how it works, never having seen one this close, not even at the church; though I bet we had some flying around from the prestigious Sisters of mine to use Funny how, at first, I thought that me, a shining Templar, and three hounds would stand out in this city but I guess this is one of the only places where we would blend in easily. Things go smooth, and craving for a hot bath as I was, I quickly decide on where to stay for the night, pay in advance, eat on the room and soak in warm clear water, happy that this place even has special rooms to accommodate animal and magical creatures, things made to receive the many cultivators that come here, and the traders who had magical creatures as bodyguards. Finally taking a bath and managing to calm down I stare at the wall in front of me, a blank expression in my face. What was I to do now? I had no place to return to, no name to keep, no source of money, nothing I could not make lenient use of this power otherwise the church would easily find me, so, in the end, what was left for me to do? The life of Isa was gone only Isaac was left now, but who was he? A no-one, a human, a weakling, someone who knew nothing about life and how to make a living. I sigh. I haven''t realized until now how dependent I had become of the church more than afraid of being found out, I was afraid of losing my life; but I guess that happened anyway in some sort of way in the end did it not? I close my eyes, take a deep breath, give two good slaps on my cheeks and smile. Yes, smile, because another part of me was happy, of being alive, of breaking free, of finally wearing pants. I could be however I wanted to be, Isa could not, but Isaac he could conquer the world if he wanted too. Being able to choose whatever I wanted?? is one of the scariest yet most delightful things that has ever happened to me. With higher spirits I leave the bathtub and go to my room to rest for the night, body and soul cleaned from worries at least for now. Plus I wasn''t alone. I open the door and see him cleaning his sword, sitting on a wooden chair, always so diligent and stiff, always aware for our sake. I stop at the door, watching him for a while as he uses a stone to sharpen the blade, cleaning it with a rag, and finally sheathing it to the side, raising its eyes to look at me. He stands once I start to move closer, already aware from the way I moved that I was up to something, the door closing behind me with a small click as I raise my hands to his helmet and simply look him in the eyes for a while, staring at those white globes covered by the shadow of the helmet. My elf, my dark elf, my Templar, my Nacon, nobody else''s. I narrow my eyes at the thought, feeling a hot sensation grown inside me and burn hot, wanting some kind of release. And I was up to having it. Chapter 113 - Extra - Isaa Part II Tiptoeing I take his helmet off, letting it hit the floor with a loud bang, and the always neutral, hard face of a dark elf comes to view. As I watch him as I pass my fingers over is black-ebony ink skin, drawing the lines of his body with my eyes and hands, his strong jaw, the always present frown that gives him an even scarier aura that his massive body full of scars already gave. And yet like a trained hunting dog I knew that I could trust him with my life, even with the looks of a stalking predator that he had. His white eyes look down towards me, shinning against his black skin, as he lets me do as I please when I start to go to his side and unbuckle his armor. Piece. By. Piece. Until there was only the thin clothing underneath, unable to hide the thick muscles that were the result of years of hard work and discipline, almost too perfect to be true, like a sculpture made by hand. It was not the first time that I have tasted him like this, and it would not be the last. And I remember how intrigued I was in the beginning, how all started just like a little game A curiosity even, a way to get a reaction out of him. "Do you remember our first time?" I say when his eyes shine and a small smile curves his lips, which could be considered a full smile from his part in his frozen face. I chuckle. "Yeah, better keeping it on the past, that much we can agree on haha." I look up at him, the smile still on my face as my hands trace down his body over the cloth that only brought more friction on his skin until they stop over his waist. I harden my grip on his waist then and use his body to keep my balance as I start to slowly move my waist in a slow provocative dance, keeping my gaze steady on his face and reaction as his eyes immediately were sucked in with every move. Afraid of being found out as a man I had always done a lot of feminine things to keep my moves and body like that of a woman, making my already narrow waist and wider h.i.p.s stand up more with dancing and stretching. So keeping myself on tiptoe I could move my knees and swing my h.i.p.s around; the true wiggle was made with the legs and knees, not the butt; making an 8 shape with my body, going slow then fast, slow then fast, locking my abdomen in place and bringing all the attention to my moves and h.i.p.s. And I could see how that was affecting him as his eyes darken. "Am I exciting you?" I ask, closing the small gap I had left between our bodies with every twist and turn of my h.i.p.s until I was brushing my body on his, still dancing slowly. His answer was that small smile and the narrowing of his eyes. "Is that so? And what are you going to do about it uhm?" It was his turn to cup my h.i.p.s with his big hands, forcing them in place and pressing strongly against his body in extremely close contact, enough so that I could just fell how excited my little show had made him. With easy he pulls me up and I hug him with my legs, getting on the perfect height to kiss him deeply, feeling his manly smell up close and tasting his warm mouth and lips. It has been so long since our last time together like this that we let out all our frustrations in one go, our lips smacking together, hungry for each other, making me realize we were moving only when we reach the bed. He sits down with me still on his lap and this position already makes me hot with expectation as my insides seem to clench in anticipation. Without wasting more time we clumsy take the shirts off each other without breaking the kiss for long, his big hands making a burning warm path were they pressed, massaging my back and going steadily lower and lower until the made their way into my pants and groped my ass. "UhmNnAh!" I m.o.a.n pleasantly while kissing him, feeling him caress my lower cheeks as he starts to rotate them around, stretching my hole in the middle while at it. "Nnn.. Ugh, j-just finish it already, I want you in, ''now''." He makes a sound, almost like growling, but doesn''t stick it directly in, no, he teases me a little beforehand, passing the tip of his long finger in between while still massaging my cheeks and kissing me. I push him down, unable to wait any longer, and stay on top of him. "If you wanted to watch me stretch you could have said so" I say, my knees on his sides and my hands gripping the sheets, but he nods while his legs open more under me, taking my own knees with the movement and making me open my legs even more while I stayed in four over his body, this position making me even more exposed. That was enough to make my heart race. And he knows that. So that''s why, when he kisses my neck, he pulls my pants down as I reach out for his belt as well, only managing to unbuckle it when my lower body is exposed. At that his hand finally descents to start preparing me, his tick finger pushing his way in slowly, the tip twisting and turning, making all his moves very known to my insides. I sigh in pleasure, bending forward to give him better access but that still wasn''t enough so I do my part and start preparing him too, opening the last knot and pushing his pant out of the way, letting into view a semi-erect big thick black d.i.c.k, the veins already pulsating on his member from expectation. I warp both my hands around it, having to somehow keep my balance on my knees while he touched me there only to grip his d.i.c.k strongly and stroke it up and down, bringing mine in between my fingers too and rasping our skin together, making slopping sounds and trying my best to stroke us both with only my small hands, pressing my thumb stronger than weaker, provoking him and getting his member fully erect in no time, leaving the monstrosity ledge in full display. I bite my lips, my breathing speeding up as I could already feel him entering me by only imagining it, especially when he forces the second thick finger in until the knuckles, making me lose my balance for a second and stay in all four, enjoying the sensation and going back to stroking our d.i.c.ks. The pressure behind my balls was growing with each movement of my hands and exploration of his fingers, but once he starts scissoring and opening me enough his other hand comes over mine and stop my stroke right when I was about to climax. Feeling neglected I try to reach again but his other hand lets go of my ass and hold my wrists together, and once he is satisfied that he has a good grip over my hands and that I could not go back to stroking my d.i.c.k he reaches out and brings my body up and forward, only to slowly descend it. Right on top of his member. Knowing what type of music he wanted to dance to I move my hands over his chest to support myself, his hand following and still holding my wrist, and together we start to push my h.i.p.s down, his other hand cupping my thigh as I feel the tip of his big member at my entrance. As always, at this moment, I doubt that such a big thing could fit in, always thinking about how it will rip me apart, but as always the dark s.e.xy elf came prepared with some lube and coated my hole and his member in the slimy substance. Still, when the tip pressures my hole and I automatically bend a little, my ass needs time to adjust as my insides embrace his tip that slowly enters me, making him grow for how tight it was. I stop to take a breather, and move inch by inch with the patience of a lover, feeling him fill me up to the brick, reach far in and rasping my insides, stretching me out more and more. Once he could not move anymore and was balls deep we stop once more, already breathing short and sweating. And that''s when he starts to move. First it was only a few centimeters, up and down slowly so my body could get used to it, only to go back in, every time going further out to quickly go in. We had already reached the limit of our patience at this point, my strokes had driven us to an almost climax to only leave us hanging there, and since I could not touch myself I had to provoke him into moving faster to satisfy me, so I clench the muscles of my ass hard against his member, earning a grunt as he narrows his eyes at me, receiving a mischievous smile in return. Which was a big mistake. Suddenly our positions switch and I find myself looking up at him, my back on the bed, but I have no time to question nor react as my hands were being held tight over my head when he simply takes his member all the way to my entrance, the tip almost leaving me, only to hammer it back balls deep with full strength. "Aah!" But he doesn''t stop in one, like a beast awaken from his slumber he speeds up, forgetting about my hands and cupping my waist so I wouldn''t escape his assault nor move with the hammering strong moves of his h.i.p.s going in then out then in then out so fast that the bed starts to creek with the intensity of the movements and my mouth is unable to contain the m.o.a.ns in as my head rolls back and I arch my body with the building sensation of being roughly f.u.c.k.i.e.d. "Ugh, ah! F.u.c.k, faster! Deeper! Yes, ah!" Compelled by my words he sits on his knees, bringing my h.i.p.s up with him only to reach deeper and faster with all the strength of his wide strong thighs and h.i.p.s. "I-I can''t!" I''m unable to speak at this point but he understands as he somehow manages to reach out for my member and stroke it in the rhythm of his hammering, both sensations sending me over my limit and blanking my mind as I reach my climax and c.u.m all over myself, my muscles spasming and clenching his member still inside me, making him c.u.m together, grunting with a frown, sweat shinning against his black coal skin. We hold each other with strength, but when the climax is over we fall on each other, trying to calm our breathing and caressing each other''s, missing staying like this, so close together, reminiscing the curves of each other''s bodies, patting the hair and back. And such strong need wasn''t satisfied with just one round, and as our hands roam about we start to get warmed up again, his member growing inside me, giving me a clear sensation of his d.i.c.k inflating against my inner warm walls, filling me up more and more, stretching me, rubbing against my insides. This time he doesn''t wait long to move again as he brings me up to his lap, making me sit with his member fully inside me, and with easy he controlled my body into going up and down, his big hands and strong arms taking my full weight with easy, barely moving his h.i.p.s and without a need to. I was unable to help at this point, my knees wobbling like gelly as I hug his neck, the pleasure overtaking my senses as I could only feel his hot member going in and out, so close, too tight, so together like this that it almost looked like we were trying to become one. As I climax once more I sink my nails on his back, m.o.a.ning loudly as he pressed me down, not stopping his thrust even though I had just come, moving and taking me past my limits, so rough, so gentle, so deliciously mine. After a few more rounds; two? Four? Who is counting?; we finally lay down on bed, breathing heavily, tired from the amount we came and f.u.c.k.i.e.d together. Satisfied and happy, that night I close my eyes with a light mind and a weight off my chest, knowing now how foolish I was for being so preoccupied with the church and not having a place to belong to. Because I''m reminded now by you that the place I belong to is by your side, nowhere else, and there was nothing to fear as long as we stayed together. A home is where the heart is, and you had taken mine a long time ago. "My Templar, my dark elf, my lover, ''Nacon''." I say, kissing him on the cheek and embracing him fall into a deep sleep, a silly smile playing on my face. Chapter 114 - Extra - Isaa part III That night I dreamed about us, about our past, about how we meet it could be said that I remembered more than ''dreamed'' about it, even more because when the next day came the images were still strong and vivid in my mind, making me think of all the things that happened until now, of how life has a strange way of binding people together, of how destiny is full of ups and downs. And as I stroked your hair and watched your sleeping face, bitter memories came back to me, as if to say goodbye, in a way toto let it go, to leave the past where it belongs, far back. It all began when I was still a little boy, so young and innocent that I didn''t realize how my actions would affect me in the future. I lived in a small village with my father where we planted what we ate and hunted for fur and meat, a place where everybody knew each other by name. And that''s not always a good thing. We were foreigners, outsiders, or at least the villagers thought so just because we did not grow and lived our entire lives there like most, but came later one, me still a toddler on my father''s arms. Beyond that I had unusual features: smooth white skin, blond-platinum wavy hair and purple big shiny eyes, I would hardly be left out on the neighbor''s talk, and words could turn even beauty into ugliness by the mere jealousy of the talker. It didn''t help that my mother was nowhere to be found, and as a single child of an average looking father, many gossiped about my origins. Hell, even my race was questioned by those with plain-looking children. So even though many praised my good looks, others would sneer and question where my father could have taken me from; where is the mother? Does the sun never touch this child skin? So skinny, do you even feed that child of ours? In a boring stale village, the neighbors would seek anything to distract themselves, and what better than to kick someone who is down and get your ego higher for not being the lowest for a change? Overall, however, I had a good home, a good father. Even though some would talk behind our backs and we had to work hard to sustain ourselves, I can''t complain because the few happy memories with overflowing freeness that I had were from that time, images of an open field of grass around the village and small talks in our small shack at night, the face of a laughing man fading away as fleeing memories. I remember a kind face, a gentle smile indeed the best times. Until, that is, the day that I turn out to be as exceptional as the gossips speculated. It was the week that I found out about my powers in such a silly, such a na?ve way but only now I realize it, older, and I have always wondered if that day had never came, or rather, if this power had never surged, how my life would be so so different. As most little villages ours was surrounded by grasslands and forests, the perfect playground for any kid, and even if warned over and over about the dangers of these places well, kids would be kids and one day even I ended up deep in the woods. Funny I don''t even remember how anymore maybe playing tag? Or someone challenged me into going into the lake? The point is, I was there, alone, admiring nature without a worry, walking as if in the middle of the town, when I found a wounded animal. It was a bird the size of a fat goose, but even though he was somewhat big in comparison with my child''s body it still wasn''t enough to raise my very low guard. The rest was obvious enchanted by such pitiful creature I approach without taking care, and with a strong wish to help it a warm feeling surges from inside and runs down my limbs into the tip of my fingers, making them shine towards the bird. I reach out, my eyes full of shining stairs while I admired the fainted bird, a four-legged peac.o.c.k with long yellow-green-blue wings and a tail bigger than his whole body, the beauty tainted by a smeared of blood on its chest that shallowed the creature''s breath. I watch in fascination as, when I reach to touch it, the light crisscrossed midair from my fingers like little snakes and started mending the wound from inside-out, healing it until the animal opens its eyes and tried to stand. I was really happy, not only for helping the creature but from finding out such beautiful magic could be made from my hands; that''s right, the only thing I thought about it at the time it was how beautiful the lights were. Silly me. After I helped the creature out, however, it looked terrified at me, so up close to it, and fled in panic, scratching my arm accidently on the way as it flow away. Holding my arm and feeling the blood flow out from the scratches I held my tears in, unable to avoid that my eyes misted, my head down as I walked back home, unaware of the light shining between my hand and my arm, curing it and leaving only a phantom pain in place. I cried once I found my father in the kitchen, and even though I was not hurt anymore the blood was still there, and one thing lead to another, until he made me show this power to him. He was fascinated too But in a different way. I don''t blame him anymore for having that line of thought, my resentment for how careless he had been, his acts leading to the life I lived afterward, for how it changed everything What could a poor father think when their child gained such powers? That it was something divide? A gift from heavens? A little pure creature? A monster? Well, he thought all that and he thought of how he could make a lot of money out of it. The first thing we did was leaving that stinky village and its gossipers behind, going where the money flowed, the cities. He then would take me to the streets and open a wound on his hand to show off my powers then make me heal people after people on a small stall. Not long after we were in big cities, with fancy clothes and good rooms, always running out of money, always spending on expensive food and paying beer for his friends. He was blinded by the luxury, by the money and I quickly became the chicken of the golden eggs. And of course, as such, I was fancied by others. We were in a good inn the day that happened, one of the windows open to the plaza right at the center, it was a big room separated in the middle by a folding screen, two beds put in opposites sides, the big one having most of the space while mine stood almost hidden amongst the bags he had bought. I had already fallen asleep after a hot bath when a sound wakes me and a strange smell hits my nose. When I open my eyes to the pitch-black room I can barely make out silhouettes of people in, and for a second I think that my eyes are tricking me for how silent and still their presence was, until I see one of them retreat with a sword to the side, the silver glinting, shining when the moonlight hit it, giving me a clear vision of the blood dripping slowly from the sharp edge. My eyes widen with the view. That''s when I take in air to scream but only felt pain, no sounding coming from my mouth as my vision blurred and I passed out. Chapter 115 - Extra - Isaa part IV Next time I woke up I was dizzy, sick and with an upset belly that the up and down of the carriage worsen by the second. It took me all my will power to calm down and not throw up, taking a deep breath and trying not to cry or scream simply break down here and there, and all of that before even opening my heavy glued eyes. With my face on the ground I can directly feel the wooden floor shaking against my cheek, the rattling of the wheels and the neighing of the horses filling my ears along with low soft sobs and whispers. Only then I manage to open my eyes, dreading what I was about to see and with reason. The first thing I notice is that I''m inside a cage, right at the middle-back of the carriage, and all the other free space was taken by other kidnapped people. Overwhelmed by such view I craw to the side and hug my knees, wide eyes looking over and shining in the dark, looking at the bruises, the sad faces hidden by messy hairs, at the chains around the necks and wrists that the other sobbing children carried, thin fingers embracing themselves, and the last children of the row caught my attention as he laid there, unmoving, being hold in an awkward position by the chain around his neck; and something told me that he would not stand anymore. I feel a sob growing at the back of my throat as my insides seem to twist, tears acc.u.mulating on my purple eyes right at the moment when a hoarse voice sounds beside me. "Don''t." Someone says, and I search around the sobbing kids for the carrier of such deep voice. "They don''t noise." I finally find who has spoken sitting right beside me, at the back, hidden in the shadows, only a pair of white eyes glimmering and telling me that there was someone there. "W-who?" He doesn''t have time to answer as suddenly the carriage stops, all too sudden, all too overwhelming, not giving me enough time to adapt to the strange situation I was flung in when I hear voices outside. "We will camp here, get a move on! Any smart asses will get a beating!" A man says from the outside, his face hidden from me with so many people in between, but I can barely make out him kicking the first kid of the line, the one laying down, and when the kid did not react he screamed back to his colleagues: "One more dead here!" Saying that I was terrified was an understatement. I try to fuse my back with the iron bars of the cage, but of course all was useless and I can only watch in silence as the kids start to stand and walk out, having a clear vision of the chains linking their necks together with short chains. The guy that screamed stays at the front, watching the kids move while another one, with a fancier garment, comes by only to take the chain off the dead kid''s neck, turning the key and detaching the body from the chain link to the other children. Locked how I was I could only stare outside, not other places open nor windows to let the light in or give any view from the side, only to discover that the there was a way to worsen even more my situation at the moment, and it was by being left alone with one of these guys as I was right now. P-please don''t leave me alone! I wanted to scream at the other kids, but the last one, the child who warned me beforehand, only gave me a deep side-glance sharp enough to make me shut my mouth. And just like that I''m alone with my captors. I-I don''t want to be in here.I clench my teeth, holding the tears in. One of the captors go in and whistle. "We got a little fairy in our hands this time hey, she will fetch a good penny." "Hands of the merch!" The other said. The first one didn''t dare to respond since the one holding the keys seemed to be of some importance, gritting his teeth as his big hands reach out for my cage and pulled it with no regards, making me bang my hand on the iron bars a couple of times. I''m blinded by daylight and my new reality hits me in the face. After blinking a few times unshed tears acc.u.mulate on my eyes from the abrupt light and from the terrible situation I was in, making my purple eyes even brighter. And the first thing my eyes meet after getting out of the dark was a pair of cold dark voidness eyes evaluating me on the fancy man''s face. A shiver runs down my spine, making me hug my legs even closer to my body. I really don''t want to be in here. "Well well, at least we can agree in the quality of the merchandise this time." He says with a chilling smile that showed all his teeth and did not reach his unnerving eyes. I look away, terrified, and even though I could still feel his piercing gaze on me I try to ignore it by observing my surroundings. It was what one should expect from a bandit camp; lots of tends, lots of unfriendly men walking around with weapons ready to be drawn, and the goods piled up right in the center, close to the fire but not out of kindness, but so that the light would reach all the kids laying around on the ground, and so that anyone, anywhere, could keep a watchful eye at them if they tried to escape. Any warm the fire could give was frozen up by the predatory watchful eyes that prevented us from leaving. The other kids were bound up at each other in a long chain, but at least they were able to stretch and sometimes stand; my little cage barely fit me curled inside, standing was a feeble dream and I could only endure in silence. I could only silently shiver, wide eyes observing everything like a small animal encaged, my mind blank at the unnerving situation, my emotions frozen as if in an act of self-defense otherwise I may break under the enormous pressure. That night was one of the longest ones in my life, and worst of all is that I didn''t need to sleep for my nightmare to come to life. Chapter 116 - Extra - Isaa part V My first mistake came that same night, and the one to pay the price wouldn''t be me, but rather, the child who one day would be my Templar. As they prepare the camping around us, carrying water for the horses, cooking, talking and so on and on, we are left there in the middle for all to see, like part of the luggage. So I''m not really surprised when one pair of eyes is still creepily staring at me. I feel a chill run down my spine and, before I look back I already had a faint idea what my eyes would encounter, but even that did not prepare me for the sight, no child would be able to, to be under such intense gaze, a l.u.s.tful predatory glint that made me shiver and cower even more, the man unmoving, focused, only his hands were playing with a knife as his eyes did not even blink while staring me down. My shivering self only fuels his hunger. I did not understand, in such tender age, what the creepy man wanted from me, but I was sure that it would be something I was whiling to give, nor it would me do any good. Nothing in this place would, and such an eager look in one of them; especially being the fancy man that the others feared; only makes everything worse. I go back to ignoring him, ignoring it all, and as time passes I''m not even aware of where he is anymore, closing myself in, eyes opening but not seeing, and with no way of escaping from inside my cage there was no point in looking around me. There was nothing good to see anyway. As time passes I start to think, at first, that the men would leave us be as long as we were quiet and obedient, so I didn''t say nor tried anything, just kept still as if I could blend in with the ground. When the ''food'' came, don''t talk about eating, it was impressive enough that I had kept my stomach intact until this moment and one look over the soup gave me more than enough reasons to avoid it. If one put water and soil it would get the same color and texture of that soup I''m sure. Even more, after looking over and seeing that some kids did not touch the food, I grow bold enough as to simply ignore the bowl. But I should have guessed that, by the mere fact that I was in a cage and in a cleaner place, that I wasn''t like the rest of them. "Oi, the fairy is not eating." One of them says, calling them guards would be giving them too much credit, so just ugly bandit and stinky would do. They came closer, complaining all the way, making me tremble on the side and try to get as small as possible, only for them to kick the cage and make me squeak before I could hold the little scream in. But of course those predatory eyes would not have left me unattended for long, so with the sound the creepy fancy man came forth, making me dread even more what was about to come. "What''s wrong?" He asks making so that both stinky and ugly fight for being the one to tell him, and somehow the creepy man makes do with the thrown words and understands the situation. "This is indeed not goodWe can''t have that, can we?" "Yeah, yeah, do you want to starve yourself and make us lose money uh?!" "Yeah, high merch has to eat!" I simply did not have an appetite, and if I knew they would react so badly I would have eaten in silence, but I don''t have enough time to amend the situation when the creepy man finds it amusing and joins in. "That asks for punishment, doesn''t it?" The creepy man says, making my widen eyes immediately lower down to the whip on his waist. That makes me tighten my hug on my legs and tremble, after all as a kid I did not know how to hide my feelings nor how bad would it be to display my emotions like that. Na?ve, just too na?ve but I could not hide behind that excuse for long could I? "B-but Konrad-I-I mean boss!" Ugly says, changing the naming for boss after receiving a piercing cold gaze. "We can''t damage a high quality good like her!" "Indeed but there are ways of harming others without leaving visible scars" The way he said it intoned that he had quite the experience in doing as such. "Demons are specialized in such methods after allHow about using a traditional one of my kin then?" It is just a freaking soup guys! There is no need to overreact like this there is? Look, I can just eat it now can''t I? All will be fixed right? Right?! All that seemed like a coherent line of thought, however the point was not what made then angry; or rather, they were not even angry, they just wanted an excuse to play around and abuse others. And I had just given them that, even if with such a small matter like this. At that I''m already preparing myself to receive my punishment, resenting my destiny, but he proves to me that demons and men can be quite crafty. Because he doesn''t reach out towards me but grabs the little boy who had helped me out earlier from the line. His only reaction was to narrow his eyes and grab the hands holding his hair as he was dragged by the creepy man to kneel in front of my cage, giving me the perfect view of his body brighten up by the light of the fire. I''m a little surprised to see that his skin was totally black, the color of obsidian, and the totally white eyes that my mumbled mind had not questioned beforehand were actually the natural color for his kind. This position makes me stare him in the eye, and I could not blame him for the scowl on his face as he keeps his passive-aggressive behavior, not whiling to look weak but not wanting to dig his grave deeper by reacting. At that the creepy man reaches out for his side, skipping the leather whip and going for the knife, unsheathing it. I could only watch in dreadful silence, feeling as if my throat was closing in as a scream wanted to leave my lungs, the tormenting pressure growing with each step, with each word, with each action, and my mind could only recite the same words over and over again in my mind. Is my fault. It is my fault. "Hold him." The fancy man said and the other two quickly did as told, a smile on their faces as the small fists of the boy could not prevent them from moving his head up. My fault. "Now open your mouth wide fifty elf." The creepy man says, pushing his fingers on the sides and forcing his mouth to open as the other hand swung the blade in the air, waiting for his turn. It wasn''t a clean cut. Nor a fast one. All my fault. I lose all control when blood gushes out and a tongue is thrown in front of me, screaming at the top of my lungs as all acc.u.mulated tears fall down at once, making me unable to see as I reach out for the boy, but laughing the other men simply thrown him back at his place and lock the chain around his neck, separating us for the entire night as he lay there, limp, bleeding his life away. And all I could do was cry, but even that was denied from me when the creepy man kneels down beside my cage and puts a finger on his lips. "There are more low merch we can play with, but you don''t want that do you?" I quickly nod a no, putting both hands in front of my mouth to prevent the screams and sobs from coming out, all tension swiping to my limbs, making my body tremble instead. "Good girl." He says, finally leaving me alone. I want to puke. Chapter 117 - Extra - Isaa part VI After that we were on the road again the next morning. It may not seem like much time to stay in that kind of situation but for us every second dragged slowly, every breath taken filled with fear that it would be our last. I stared at the boy''s back that entire night. The rattling of the carriage, the stomping of the horses, the chains, any high sound would make us jump, especially if there were voices in the mix. All kids had watched what happened yesterday. All avoided me like the plague. Could not blame them. I look beside me to the almost invisible dark elf boy thrown in the corner, his face covered not only by the darkness but for the total lack of expression on his face, his breathing steady and calm, but since my eyes did not leave him for a second I still saw the sweat that coated his body beforehand, and I knew he wasn''t doing as well as he wanted to portray. "How can you do that?" How can you be so calm? I want to ask but caught myself before doing so, covering my mouth soon after as he only glances at me with his white eyes. I wait for a reaction, but to be fair I guess he could do nothing more than stare at me now I sulk even more with that line of thought. I couldn''t even apologize properlyno, how could I ever apologized properly forfor having him hurt and permanently mute? Nothing in the world to be enough to make up for that, even if it wasn''t totally my fault Plus now I was scared that if I went any further with my words I would only make things worse for us both. At that an idea surges as I go to the edge of the cage and reach out, making him back off further into the darkness, but since my cage was right in the middle and this carriage wasn''t big to begin with I manage to get close enough so my hand was inches away from his face. At that a golden light starts to emanate from my hand, illuminating his face and the brief surprise expression that manages to move his frozen features. The light crisscrossed into his mouth, mending the severed wound opened in a painfully hard-to-treat area, and I could feel that it had already started to go bad, the moist area acting against the closing of the wound. I could only imagine how bad it was, how painful, and how deadly it would become without proper treatment. "I-I''m sorry" I whisper, holding the tears in; they would do me no good here, anywhere for that matter, and if he could be brave after what he being though I should at least be able to hold the tears in. The elf looks at me, his jaw clenching, staring into my purple eyes. He reaches his hand out and I close my eyes, waiting for the hit that was sure to come and letting it come; I deserved it; only that I felt no pain, instead only a light touch on my head. H-he was patting my head! I look at him, surprised, watching his face as he turns it away, as if to hide it, and moves his hand stiffly on my hair, somewhat unable to meet my eyes. W-was he trying to comfort me? That makes me blush, and when I finish mending his wound I go back to my place at the back of the small cage, my eyes still on his figure. Pity that I could not regrow limbs or a tongue. I could only heal what was there, I could not create matter But soon after my mind goes back to the situation at hand as there were too many things to worry about at the same time, for example, where we were going, when we would finally reach there, what would be of us once we finally get there. Not like I could ask these men, one kid cried for her parents and got a kick on the face. No, not going to push my luck, they even gave me clean clothes to wear and let me clean up my face and arms; to sell better, for a higher price they said. Who was I going to be sold to? If it was because of my power it would be better because I could only tremble with the possibility of being for my body. ButFor good or bad, in the end I did not need to worry about such details... because we never reached the end of the line. "Watch out!" There was no time to react when something hits the side of the carriage while we were still moving and flips it over, the horses crying out loud as they were dragged along when another hit comes, a huge horn sticking in, piercing the wood and one of the kids, then backing off again, moving and stomping, making the carriage flip over again two, three times, until all seemed to stop, screams and blood everywhere. I cough a couple of times as smoke rises and the wood cracks, the chaos surrounding us as we stayed upside-down, the roof breaking under our weight. I finally manage to see when the debris finally starts to settle, watching the chaos unfold and a whip slash in the air. I look around me, seeing most kids badly hurt or dead, and something makes me stop and gasp. The cage it, it had broken open! I could not celebrate too much since all that shaking that had freed me gave me lots of wounds too, but I don''t waste my time and push my way out of the cage. I look around and back, as if that mere step would send high pitch alarms for all to hear, but before I could do anything I quickly find a problem with my escape plan and that was around the elf boy''s neck. Of course I would not be leaving him there, none of than for that matter. The boy looks at me, hurt but stubborn, and brushes the air in front of him, a scowl on his face as he points for me to leave. "No" I say, making him angry, but I was, for the first time in my life, dead serious about saving him. So once I go out the first thing I do is search for the creepy man, the key holder, taking in the many flipped carriages, bloodstains, corpses of horses and man alike, all goods thrown around, the pure chaos this palce was in. In the middle of all that was the one I had been searching for, a whip at hand as he fought with something, and soon all pieces fit in my mind like a jigsaw as I discovered what had happened and why we were attacked. Because I had seen, amongst the good and cages, magical creatures being held captive too, and one of them looked exactly like the small version of the one attacking us right now. A horned horse-lion! As the name implies the creature had a huge horn on its forehead, the face a mix of the snout of a horse and the ferocity of a lion, a huge mane that went down from the neck to its back, and long strong legs that ended in sharp hooves sinking on the ground as it attacked the creepy man. I take my time watching the situation unfold as the whip manages to prevent the creature from closing in on this side, but I soon found out that something was lacking The muddle of keys to be precise. I could clearly see the creepy man moving about, but did not see any keys on his waist like they usually are, so in a panic I start to look around only to find them, minutes later, in the soil close to the normal-looking carriage that he must have being ridding when all this started. Sneaking my way around I could only count that the creature would stay here long enough to cover my tracks, but I did not count that, in a fit of anger, it throws a wooden box away, right on top of my former carriage! In a panic I quickly dash forward, bending down to enter the crushed upsidedown carriage, worry for the boy''s well-being, but soon finding out that my cage had protected him by staying in between the hit, denting deep on the floor and taking the other kids with the hit. I did not have time to pity their lack of luck. Because we did not have such thing either. "The kids! They are escaping, grab them!" The creepy man manages to say in the middle of the fight as the other low brain bandits finally look in our direction, all pair of eyes focus on us and making me shiver. At that we do not think and only react by holding each other hands, turning around, and running deeper into the forest without looking back! Chapter 118 - Extra - Isaa part VII - Final In mere seconds we are engulfed in the shadows of the thick trees canopies, the few rails of light that manage to pass the leaves barely being able to brighten the way, and even though it helps us hide yourselves from the others it too obscure most of the path ahead of us, making that our crazy blind dash resulted in many unpleasant bumps and scratches from hidden branches and stones. At that point onwards our hands stayed glued together so much that I could almost feel his heartbeat through the touch. With our weak thin bodies we had to push ourselves forwards just to keep moving, the adrenaline easing the pain and trying to overcome the numbness that I had for staying sitting for far too long, which lead to the elf guiding me and pulling me non-stop through the uneven path of this remote forest. We could still hear shouts from behind us but not many made this far, or rather, not many even manage to get into the woods as the creature, livid as it was, thought they were trying to escape it, making exploding sounds resonates with screams behind us, but I could not turn around to see what had happened as we keep running for our lives, left only to wonder what end they got back there. I don''t remember for how long we run, I just know that when we finally stop my legs seemed to have been cut by small needle knives and my heart was overtaking all sounds in its mad quick beat. It took me some time to calm down, bending over and gasping for air, afraid that if I sat down I would not have the strength to stand up again, and only after a while I was able to assert our surroundings. The elf-boy was already looking around, pilling some wood on the side and binding them with some roots. I still remember how capable you here and how out of place I was too. You find a cave, taught me how to make a fire, how to put traps for small animals, soo many little things "Do you remember when we were at the river?" I ask you, now, on bed, while your sluggish eyes look at me as if asking what was passing in my mind to go as far as to remember such a thing of the past. Your smile tells me yes and I cannot help but feel embarrassed by it, even if I found it funny too. "Well, I could not help it you know, who would have thought that wet fish can be so slippery?" I say, wanting to add blame to the moss all over the stones too for all the embarrassment I had there, but my Templar kisses the back of my hand, making me smile and forget about the embarrassment as I keep looking at him and speaking about the past, chitchatting and lazing around. Since that incident I had always felt that it laid on me the responsibility of speaking for him, so everytime I''m alone with my elf I turn into a chatterbox. So the words flow now like a river, mere thoughts turning into sound now since he was awake, reminiscing about when we were kids, and how, starving in the wilderness, the loss of a fish wasn''t so funny at the time It was strange, really, because in one side everything seemed bright, the freedom, the excitement, like when you are about to move to live alone, a mix of fear and enjoyment, and even if we went though bad things we were still kids and the world still seemed like a magical place, and we truly had fun there, in the woods, in the wilderness. But the problem lay in the fact that we were still kids, how could we survive on our own in the wilderness? How could we hunt with magical beast around and our little arms? How could we live without a knife to cut wood and clean the fish? How could we live without warm clothes to pass the winter? But I rather hold into the good memories that the harsh reality; that, in the end, we were two lone kids in an unforgiving world that had to fetch for themselves in the wilderness. There were bad days with no food, and with only one set of clothes winter was bound to be unmerciful. Those were valid worries we had back in the day, especially since those woods were full of magical beasts, which made even harder for us to hunt anything for the fur; not that there was much two kids could do. But I guess it is in my human nature too somehow to want to go back to the city, to a village, to civilization, to find other humans, logging for some normal food, soup, bread, a cozy bed, not a cold place on the floor and a flavorless dish after the other; or no dish at all. I wonder if my life before had spoiled me somehow we enjoyed only the best without holding back in the end. Perhaps that too made me go aghast to the luxury that some high priests enjoyBecause I lived two opposite lives back then. But no matter the true reason for because, months later, I had the idea of going to the villages and try to earn money. I knew the risks, so at first I thought that by not using my powers it would be enough to keep us safe, that we could find easy jobs to do and buy some clothes, that we would be able to get by. Only that my appearance was too out of place, even if my body was dirty and my hair darker with grime, a child coming from the woods carrying a pair of purple eyes, only to be followed by a dark elf, made rumors upon rumors. I remember that, in the end, we decide to walk separately so we wouldn''t bring so much attention to us, you would stay in the woods and find resources there, while I would stay in the cities asking for money and food. And that''s how the church found me, how Eanna found me. I''m thankful for all she did to me, for even though she had no choice but to take me with her, to take me away from you right in front of your eyes, she still gave hopes, ways, means to find you. I still remember how you promised to wait for me that day, among the guards who held you down as I was dragged away, your hand closing into a fist and bumping against your chest, our little sign to meet up back at this point. ''Meet again.'' After thatwas the life inside the church, a lonely life fearing that everyday guards would knock at my door to take me in front of The High Priestess for judgment. And for what crime even? That was the worst part, I think, what made me into some kind of rebel of sorts, on how I was punished by destiny into this kind of life and for something that I had no control of. I learned a lot of the harsh world we live in in those days, saw the worst of many, inside and outside of the church, not only by the tracking of slave-children with Eanna, but from those who had the power to change that and chose not to. And for what? A life of luxury? That made me remember my own father with mixed feelings Of love and hatred, all strong emotions that did nothing for me beyond leaving me exposed to the ridicule of the other sisters. So, in the end, I chose what to feel, what to think, I chose myself first, I was the only one who would do such a thing after all, I had only myself to count for that. And I''m ashamed to say that, for many years, we stayed far apart, not only because I could not get out, but because I did not want to leave. Childhood memories are so easy to escape our grasp, like sand in the palm of our hands. Still, I think part of me still remembered it somehow, but in the form of logging that, in the end, I strived to be a wandering sister, to help others, to get out, explore. To make a difference; to be different from all of them. What sent me off was when, following Eanna steps, I rescued children from slavery and brought them for treatment, because that day, as I looked at their bruised necks and fearful shy glances, I saw a dark elf among them, small, frail, white eyes, black skin, and all hit me at once. Humans are quick to adapt and my way of dealing with the environment that I grow on was to angrily discard my own feelings, but no creature alive could do that, which only made me even angrier, turning into an endless stream of torment with no one to vent about, only Eanna would hear my worries, but even her had work to do and could not babysit me all the time. But stillHow could I have forgotten you? That only added to my shame, and I even thought of not searching for you, I could already guess how angry you would be Or was I scared of not finding you there? In the end it took me years to be able to get out again on my own, to finally ascend into a Traveling Silver Sister, and after asking Eanna in which city she had found me I set on a journey, back to you. Only to find you there, waiting for me, at our little cave. We were both so different then, grow, taller, nothing left from the children from back then, and still, when our eyes meet, the only thing we wanted to do was to hug each other and never let go. So that''s just what I did. I will never let go, not anymore. "You are stuck with me now big boy." I say, and you smile at me, the rare sight of your upturning eyes staring at me. And I wouldn''t have it any other way. Chapter 119 - One-Hundred-Eight It doesn''t take us long to reach the elven city, Airedale. This was not the one located on the north in Serie Sarnoron and the main ones, but the one with the most prominent trade and human good''s; but no humans, they were only allowed until Edovine, and from there the elves could buy and sell things and bring them back here to resell it once more, back and forth. Airedale main city, like any other elven town, had trees and plants mixed together with the architecture, but two reasons made this city very different from the northern counterparts; the fact that it was still located in a tropical area, much hotter than the north, and that, because of the trade, most buildings were built on the ground with large streets to let the carriages pass side by side and even easily park around. One may even think that some buildings were abandoned with how plants took over the walls and roofs, things that would only happen with unkempt places, but here they were built so that every place the buildings took from nature could be neutralized to the max, so the roofs and walls were covered in plants. Only the streets were made of stones and kept without grass from the constant hit of hooves and shoes. And frankly, it was easy to tell why humans were so envious of the elves to the point of considering them devils; and why no human was allowed inside such perfect city. All the elves here seemed to carry an aloof, untouchable beauty, almost like a star or a clear waterfall would have, a fleeing beauty, unreachable, barely able to be contained in one''s mind as a memory. Everywhere I looked my eyes were greeted by such beauty, and as I freely walked with my tail and ears out I had the sensation of coming back home. And yet something was still amiss, even amongst the elves, who greeted politely and kindly helped giving directions out And I learn what the sensation was soon enough. We finally reach the main building were accommodations for visitors were made and where the elves responsible for the city debated; it could be said that it was the main hall of the city. And the building that came to view was very stunning and fitting of such title. It was made from the same white material that the others buildings from the north, but instead of small this one is beyond being just a detailed structured, it was too incredibly high, with sharp roof with grey tiles, like an upside-down V, and beyond the tall glasses windows all around even in between tiles there were some walls made of transparent material, letting a lot of light in and shinning against the sunlight, blindly so. It was impressive how little wall the place had however, all seemed to be taken by some sort of window, small ones to very high, following the same pattern and somehow harmonically placed around even more as, like a cake, the building had many floors laying on top o each other but growing smaller and smaller, forming a strange and big tower. As we get closer and enter the gardens surrounding the place we have the view obstructed for a few moments as we pass over a tunnel of trees, the oval structure letting flowers drip over our heads like gr.a.p.es, most purples and whites, but not even the delicate beauty of the flowers could overcome the majesty of the big building once we are able to look at it up close, towering over us. We reach the big wooden double door at the front that was already open, some silver adorning white stairs leading up, but before moving further my eyes were caught by the garden surrounding the place, but this time not because of their beauty, nor the serenity, but because of the magical creatures that were there, lazing around, drinking water, totally at easy amongst the elves. There was a green horned wolf to the side being pet by an elf, a white snake chilling on the sun with her tail in the water, an earth brown horse eating on the side, and even a single-horned golden leopard grooming its fur. It moved me, this scene, it was like a small piece of paradise, the little heaven I strive to make for my kind, a place where we can live at peace, and the elves were the closest to achieve that. And the only other race I would fight to the death to defend. A deer with four huge horns and striped fur walks beside us, his snout far to close as his mouth moved, chewing something, and I can barely dodge when he goes for my hair. "Oi, oi, calm down there fella." I say, chuckling, reaching out to pet him. "Seems like you meet Amra." A familiar voice says. "Careful with your ears, she loves chewing fluffy stuff." At that I hide my pointy ears with my hands, flattening them, and look in the direction of the door, finding a familiar figure descending with small steps. My heart skips a beat at the view. Leonel. He sees me looking at him and stops at the end of the stairs, that little smile of his plastered on his face. Since this area was hotter than other elven cities the clothes were bound to be different too. Instead of long sleeves and boots like usual, he was only wearing a blue tunic with a V collar that gave me a good view of his collar bone and the beginning of his chest. His arms were exposed but wearing long bracelets that matched his strong big hands, finishing with some puffy pants and sandals. But beyond that was his marvelous face, his short; yet growing; blond hair, his golden shinning mischievous eyes, his long half-elven ears with round golden earrings at the tip. He didn''t need any of those fancy items to look marvelous, nor the embroiled attires. "Are you done drooling, or do you want me to turn around to give you a better look?" At that he starts walking again in our direction. Wait I wasn''t done dro-I mean. "O-of course not. Who is drooling? W-hy would I-I, you just look, look very average you know." What the hell was I saying? Stupid mouth, stop blabbering. That only makes his smile winder as he gets very close to me, raising an eyebrow while looking me up and down slowly, making me straight my back and stare back. "Well, you look stunning." He says in a velvet low voice that only I could hear, at the same time passing a sneaky hand on my back and caressing it, giving me goosebumps. "Humf, I look like always alright." "Uhm, indeed you do." He says, making me frown. "Stunning as usual, indeed." At that I roll my eyes to hide the fact I''m blushing. How does he make me blush more in five seconds of his company then days without him? Sigh Chapter 120 - One-Hundred-Nine My stupid brain has already given up on me, meddling words together and not thinking straight while he keeps caressing my back with his hand in smooth motions. I try to come with something to talk about, or something to do, to-I don''t know, get away from that situation b-because, because it is embarrassing, yeah, that! We were out here in the open, it was impolite to simply start hugging you know? Getting so lovey-dovey all of the sudden. And yet, when I finally open my mouth to say something, my eyes meet Leonel''s and he smiles, as if knowing what was going on in my mind, a comfortable and at ease expression that affects me in the spot. And suddenly I don''t feel the need to say anything anymore, my racing heartbeat seems to slower until it settles and my anxiety fades away. That is just how powerful your smile is to me. "I missed you." "Hm" "I was worried about you." "Hum" "I thought of you all the time." "Uhm." "Can I kiss you?" "MaybeI don''t know, let me think" At that he raises his eyebrow in an amused expression as a cheeky smile covers my lips. "Are you acting coy now my little hound?" "Coy, oh no, I wouldn''t dare, just a little hard to get" "Ah, I see, maybe next time I shouldn''t be this polite and ask before uhm" "Oh, so harsh of you, you wild beast." He laughs at my sarcasm and closes the gap between us, his warm lips covering mine in a soft yet long kiss. "Eww, get a room you two." I hear suddenly from below, the red hound looking at our direction. "Get one for us too." Says the wolfhound, smirking to the side, only to be glared at by the red hound. "Oh, does watching us bother you?" I ask, as she looks at me and Leonel. "If I say yes you will keep going won''t you?"I just narrow my eyes, my smile growing bigger. " Then, no, not at all, please continue! Go ahead! There is even a good spot on the floor over there!" I cannot stop myself from laughing until I realize that Leonel did not understand a word she said beyond barks and growls. Oh well. "Who are they?" Leonel asks, but I simply say: "Oh, them? Don''t worry about them, ignoring is enough, don''t bother yourself with them." ''Oi!'' Both say, making me raise my eyebrow in challenge, as if saying didn''t like it? What are you going to do about it? Nothing? Nothing I see! Of course is nothing! I''ve always had very expressive eyes I may add. But we soon part from our little catch-up reunion when a woman elf approaches, I little shy at first, but once Leonel turns towards her she smiles, pulling her hair behind her ear. Oi, bitch, who the hell are you? Why are you looking at my elf! When she starts opening her mouth slowly, with that freaking shining eyes, she suddenly turns towards me, and seeing me stare her down makes her widen her eyes and stutter. I pull Leonel closer, looking pass him towards her; and making sure his face was turned to the other side, coldly asking: "What is it?" "A-ah, wha-, is just that Helraya has finally arrived and is waiting to meet you" Oh, alright, I see, they are waiting wait, who? And waiting for whom? Leonel I think, turning slowly towards him. "Is an informer. " He quickly says, swallowing dry. "Uhm, an informer, I see explain!" "Of course, of course, but can you stop trying to break me in half first?" At that I realized that my arms around his waist were using a little bit too much force, so I let go, only for him to grab my hand in his and intertwine our fingers. I''m trying not to blush from this little cute gesture when he turns towards the elf girl, thanks for her warning, and starts walking into the building, leaving the two hounds at the garden as they were having another quarrel. Sigh, those two, they will never learn??? As we walk, together, inside the building, for a moment I stop to look at our surroundings before continuing the subject, staring at the strange crystal yet white structures, somehow transparent but only enough so the light would pass through but would not take away the privacy of each room, blurring the images in between. And that only meant that there was enough light to the interior, too, be filled with plats of all sorts, but not in a jungle wild manner, but in a harmonious manner, as if the building had been made to accommodate the plants, not the other way around. Well, no one can oversleep inside such bright place like this "So" I start as we leisurely walk through those amazing halls, not in a hurry, enjoying strolling side by side, hands tight as he starts to caress the back of my hand. "Well" He continues without waiting for me to ask. "While you were away I took the liberty to make some searches in my end." For a moment I thought: What he could do? But then I quickly remembered that he owned that guild right? Roar of the innocent or something, a growing expanding guild at that, so he was bound to have his ways. Not really interested in the details though, probably a lot of economics, politics, and many other boring things, my interest was picked by what information he managed to gather. "What did you find?" I ask. "Not much yet, you haven''t been out for long after all. But I found a traitor, a demon traitor, and offer them exile here with the elves if they help us defend against their Demon Lord." "Do you know about the Demon Lord?" I ask, since I only just discovered that fact; and from the Demon Lord himself. "Only that only a creature with such strength could take an entire island for the demonkind and launch an attack towards the main continent. Why? Do you know more?" At that is my time to talk, filling him in what happened while we were separated, and how Cain specifically invited me to that elven event. "Odd, to say the least Thil, I don''t think you should go." I frown at that, stopping to turn towards him. "Why?" "He wants something from you, and it can''t be a good thing." "Wants something?" "Of course, or else why would he take you, and only you, away for a private chat like that? And ending in an invitation even wait, should I be jealous now?" Realizing just how ''intimate'' our encounter sounded, the angry feeling that was growing in me for him wanting me away from the party turned into a more playful type of anger when I see him all bothered by that. "Well I can''t deny that he is quite handsome." "Thilgon" He says, angry. "And his second form was quite fierce too" I say, playing with fire. But even I wasn''t ready to be burned by this flame. So when I realize I''m pushed back by Leonel, his arms coming up around me, caging me up against the wall, all made in vicious moves, but not as much to be rude, only surprisingly fierce and cunning. And somehow s.e.xy. "Are you trying to make me jealous little hound?" He says, his words sounding rash but a little smile threaded to upturn his lips anytime. Suddenly feeling bold, probably something to do with staying apart for so long, I brush my finger over his jawline, drawing his face, and stopping on his chin, pushing it up a little. "And what if I am? What are you going to do about it?" At that he cannot contain his smile anymore, adding a mischievous glint to his eyes as he says, dragging the words. "Oh, I have many things in mind But they are best explained in practice" I can feel a warm sensation rushing though my neck and probably making me blush, but this time I contain the first instinct of trying to run from his advances and, to my surprise, am eager to see the results. To see if it was all just barking, or if he truly had some bite Chapter 121 - One-Hundred-Ten As we are out of the public area we start to get a little more comfortable, closing in once more for a kiss, but, of course, I suddenly realize that we are not truly alone, so with an angry tsk, slightly annoyed at the constant interruptions at this point, I start to look around, alert, knowing that it was an unknown creature, or rather, that they were not elf nor human by how their steps did not make a sound, which only doubles the anger I feel at the creature, especially when I find it watching us on the side. Like, seriously dude? Shush, shush, private matters will ya? "Oh, did I interrupt something? Please don''t mind me, go on." They say, motioning with his hand ina carefree way, innocently, as if it didn''t sound odd at all. Of course we didn''t continue with our private chat, especially with him standing there, intending to watch us on the side. Creep. "Oh, come on! Now that things were getting spicy! Tsk, have to practice my stealth skills!" The intruder says, annoyed. You, my good sir, have no right to be annoyed! You just ruined our little moment! We stay days apart for you to intrude and have the face to get annoyed by it? Deep breaths now, deep breaths. As I calm down I soon realize that the creature was, in the end, just a pervert, and intruding one. Still, his abilities to sneak up on others were quite good; just not better than my own, of course. That realization makes me look at him with a hint of disgust but even after that I start to truly look at him, pass the layer of revulsion that has raised between us, taking his appearance in detail for the first time. He had a very red fierce hair, cut short but with volume, and an inviting olive skin, very exposed as his abs and arms were out in the open, his curves well defined, not a hint of fat on his body, as if carved by hand out of a l.u.s.tful dream. And worst of all is that, to complete the image, was his naughty expression, inviting forward to have a taste of him, with no shame at all. Oh, and of course, before I forget to mention, there is a pair of red bat wings on his back too, as well as a long red tail that ended in a spiky arrowhead. "Helraya, I presume?" "In the flesh." He says, mockingly bowing down. "Oh, so you are the demon traitor?" He doesn''t seem to like the tone of voice I use, nor the choice of words, but instead of confronting me he decides to change the subject and ignore what I just said. "No, but, seriously, you can continue, I can sense the s.e.x.u.a.l frustration from this far, please let it lose a little, I can even give some tips along the way" He says, raising his eyebrows. "A-th-what?" I ask, too embarrasse- I mean, too angry to form words. How dare he to be this-this impolite?! "S-shut up! What are you saying? Don''t be silly! What s.e.x.u.a.l frustration are you talking about?! We are totally not- frustrated you know!" "Yeah right" He says, not believing me. "You know,?" "Thilgon." "You know, Thilgon, I''m the kind of demon that you cannot hide that type of stuff from, if you feel me" I look at him, not understanding, turning my head sideways and letting my ear fall with the movement. He opens his mouth to speak, but before he does so he takes my appearance in and says: "Ok, that was actually quite cute." I frown. Wait, cute? What is he calling cute, me?! Before I could say anything, however, Leonel pulls me behind him and covers my line of sight with his broad-back and his tall ass doesn''t leave me any space to peek, oi! "Don''t look at him for too long, I may get the urge to poke your eyes out." "Oh wow hold there tiger, I''m just being nice ok? Not poking any nails in that nest of bees if you feel me." He jokes, but even though I''m unable to see his face I can discern by the mere sound of his voice that his promise was not really trustworthy. Not that if he changed the way he says things would make me trust him, a traitor to begin with, but let just say he wasn''t helping his own cause. "Anyway~~"He says, dragging the words. Sounds like someone is having fun. "Thanks for securing me a safe place among the elves." "Is only if you prove to be worth it." Leonel says, his voice was turning colder by the second. "I know, I know, don''t need to be so stiff, geez, so different from how you are with him. Anyway!" He claps his hands, as if trying to change the subject, or rather, trying to easy up the heavy atmosphere he created by joking around with Leo, and continues: "Let''s find a place to chat more privately shall we?" At least on that we could agree on. We find a private room to have our little reunion, guided by Leonel of course because I had no clue about the layout of this place. For such a big residence it was bound to have many rooms, and plenty of space for meeting rooms, even more when it was made for the purpose of accommodating guests and for reuniting the elves. I look over as Leonel opens the door for me, his icy gaze always staring daggers at the demon, and enter as I glace around the wide room, plants growing on the ceiling and some thin green branches swinging downwards, but since the ceiling was so high up none reached the top of our heads, falling with grace and giving an outdoors look to the room, the light united with it as little balls shone amidst the little branches, sometimes hanging too. The furniture was made of gold, but not in a clunky way, but harmonically, with thin bent metal that draws leaves and branches like of a small tree on the gold, spreading like an antler. The demon strolls in as if owning the place; making me think that such bold trait must be common to his kind; and sits in one of the chairs, resting his two feet on top of a small stool. "So let''s cut the chase, shall we?" He says, as if we were the ones who owed him a favor, motioning towards the chairs around with his hand for us to take a sit. "Ask away, I''m all ears." He finishes, spreading his arms and crossing them at the back of his head, very at ease. I don''t know, but that is something on that face of his that makes me want to smack him. Hard. At that, as we sat for this long talk, Leonel looks at me, wisely giving me control over the situation, entrusting the questioning to me. "How about we start talking about what the hell are you?" "Ah, that a good one!" He says, suddenly excited and going to the edge of his sit. "How about a little guessing game Thilgon~?" Of course it was a rhetorical question and, without waiting for my response, he suddenly turns serious, his wings founding back and his tail gone, eyes fixed on mine and holding hiss gaze in place, eyes shining andshaping? I blink twice and, widening my eyes, watch a strange figure standing before me, a very handsome elf with bright blue eyes, long pointy ears and long blond hair pulled back to show even more of the perfect features he had. Confused I frown, then raise an eyebrow when I recognize the voice that''s speaking from the strange elf. "How cute, I look like an elf." He says ironically, his eyes going from me to Leonel on the side. I was still watching as my eyes go down a little only for me to realize that he was still without a shirt, the long blond hair falling over his white skin, barely managing to cover some special spots, but leaving plenty on sight, especially the abs and I look up, clenching my teeth, suddenly angrily embarrassed. W-what?! If someone walked at you with no shirt on his just natural to have a peek right? Especially when it is worth it "Wait are you Helraya?" "Bingo!" "B-But how?" I look, stupefied with the view of such handsome elf. "I''m a succubus, I can change forms towards what appeals to you the most. Well, at least we, high-level ones can." Before I could inquire more, however, I can hear wood cracking on the side and, looking towards the sound, find that Leonel was looking at him with a very intense gaze, his features frozen but not fooling me once for I could see how livid he was beneath, especially when his hand holding the wooden table had just cracked it and a cold smile spreads on his lips, promising hell later. "Helraya" He stretches out his name, as if speaking slowly was the only way he could manage some words out. "Change back, please?" "O-of course!" Says the demon, not even daring to look in my direction as he changes back to his other form, but this time as a woman demon. "S-see? All better now, r-right?" I think Leonel has just scared this demon stiff. Chapter 122 - One-Hundred-Eleven Before that wild Leonel could munch this devil to pieces I think better to interfere, so I go back to the subject at hand as if nothing has ever happened. Yeah let just ignore that from now because I''m sure it might as well go back later to bite me in the ass; Especially for how bold Leonel seemed to be after we got separated for some time and how I''m starting to reciproce such advances too. "Yeah, I know what a succubus is but not on details, your kind feeds off of s.e.x.u.a.l desire right?" I ask, not liking that this conversation is turning towards that type of subject again. If it had ever left that kind of mindset to begin with as if seeing Leonel had turned a switch on and stucked it there, making my heart beat a little faster than usual by merely being close to him. "Succubus for female, incubus for male, though we can transcend that gender issue." The demon continues explaining. "How do you know what a succubus is? You haven''t had any close experience with my kind now did you?" She asks with a mischievous look in her face that made her eyes shine, raising her eyebrows twice quickly. Actually I dressed up as an incubus once in a Hallowen party, way back when I was still human, but of course I could not say that because beyond having to explain a lot of weird facts well, let just say it wasn''t the most prideful moment of my life. What the hell was I thinking of, dressing up like that? Teenagers, sigh but never mind that, never mind!Let''s bury it deep down and totally repress it, yeah right! Let just leave it at that ok? Ok. "Can we just focus on the task at hand? What were you saying again?" "Right" She says, smelling something that was worth digging but not probing any further, however my ambiguous answer makes Leo narrow his eyes on the side and raise one eyebrow. And that''s never a good combination. We stay quiet for a little, both looking at me as if waiting for my questions to come, but they were so many that it was hard to choose which one I should begin with. So first and foremost I decided to ask some important trustworthy related questions. "So, Helraya" "Please, call me Hel." She says, all flirty, but one glance to the side and a pair of cold eyes makes her lay back down and add shyly an: "S-sir." Let just ignore these two full of testosterone bulls and focus on the important information. "Why are you here? Why did you betray your kind, your King?" Why should we trust you? Was the true question I''m asking here, and when I say the last words I can see her playful manner drop for the first time, substituted by a scorn and a sneer, pure disgust and hate on her eyes. Seems like some Demon King is not as popular as he thinks uhm "Do you know why demons and magical creatures do not have a proper country or civilization like the humans and elves, Terror of mine?" She says, crossing her arms at the front and making me realize that her bat wings had twisted forward and blended in front of her, becoming a red-scaled cloth that hid her boson once Hel changed form. "Because is in our nature to not tamable, to not bow down, we are forced to do so by creatures stronger than us. It is rare to see loyalty among our kin, because most are forced to serve. You know very well what I''m talking aboutAs the same applies to magical creatures." Of course I did, how many have I freed from such destiny? "Cain" She says, as if his name tasted bad in her mouth. "Is a Demon King and, by definition, uses force to subdued others. Any army, any fight for his kind, is just an excuse to have him in power, with power. But he is dangerous, much more than his predecessors, and I''m sure you know why" "Because." She continues. "Different from them, he doesn''t need to whip people into obedience he can break creatures from inside out and mold as he seems fit. The higher the level, the harder it gets, but for most he can have utter control of their mind, even worst is that none fight back, because he is able to take away even that, he makes them love him and serve him as if by their own will" "But that doesn''t explain why you left, and why are you risking your life to give us information like this." I say, still drilling into the question at hand. This time she sighs, crossing her long legs in front of her, munching her plump lips, and finally saying: "Because my kind cannot survive in that kind of world." "What do you mean?" "Well remember when I said loyalty is rare? Bounds are hardly made between devils and demons, unless you are the same kind as them. Demon is a very wide term, as magical creatures is you see, so succubus and incubus, for example, tend to stay together and protect each other, create communities, blend in society Cain will destroy all of that." "Not only he is bringing attention to us, he does not treat my kind fairly because he cannot control us. We are specialized in mind control, manipulation spells, he is just a newborn of the arts with some good native skills." "But worst of all, he is manipulative, obsessed with control, and we are a wild piece on his board that does not obey blindly like he wishes" "So I came to represent my kind to ask for exile." Wow, hold on, that''s far bigger than I had anticipated, I thought Hel had just messed with someone she should not have or something, but this I can respect that, however the repercussions are far bigger than anticipated. We are not that different in that regard if her words are true that is. I look at Leonel then, knowing that such request if far from my league, but he just shrugs, after all he did not have that power either; some influence earned with hard work and sweat, but that respect could only get him so far. "Sorry but that is not something I can give you. That is up to the elves to decide." "I know, I know." She says, nodding, but I could see some of her thrilling energy fading. "Well, beyond all that too What will of us if the control everybody? We will lose powerBut enough of that!" Hel continues, clapping her hands as if trying to change the subject and not deepened our understanding of her kind especially regarding that control she mentioned. However, even if all she says is true, even if her kind is just a victim, hell, even if all demons have been compelled to obey, one thing did not change. That she was willing to betray all of them of the sake of her kind, for them, she would go as far as getting on Cain''s bad side. And if she deemed fitting, she would do it once more, over and over again, and it was only a matter of convenience for her to betray us now or later. But I couldn''t blame her after all I was the same. I would do anything for those dear to me, and for the sake of my brother I start to ask the truly important questions; and even if they are all lies I could always force the truth out later. Because nothing is going to stay in my way too missy only that I have the strength to support that mentality. Chapter 123 - One-Hundred-Twelve I swallow dry at the next question, dreading the answer but knowing that I could not avoid any longer, so I let the words slip out between clenched teeth. "My brother do you know where he is? Have you seen him? He-he looks a lot like me, is a hound too of course, black hair, dark skin, a little smaller and cheerful all the time" Though I bet even my brother would not be able to smile at his current situation. The demon looks away, as if thinking, and nods while saying: "I have seen a hound there, yeah and now that you said so he does resembles you a little, yeah" "Really?! Where is he?! Is he, is he hurt?!" I say, barely holding myself from shaking the answer out of this demon, only standing and gripping the poor table. "Oi oi, calm down, calm down! I''ll answer all right? He was doing fine the last time I saw him" She says, but the tone of voice and the choice of words makes me think there is more to that storyeven more when a ''but?? follows. "ButHe is a frenzy one, that one, he wasn''t behaving so he was bound to suffer some consequences." My first line of is to be proud of him and think: That''s my boy! Never bow down to anyone! But the other part the other part wished that he would act differently, more careful and less like I taught him to. "Such as?" I ask, feeling the boiling anger wanting to surface once more and the excruciating thought of him being hurt. But not now we still don''t have the right prey at bay, nowhere to slash out but soon "Answer me!" I say when Hel hesitates to answer, sick of this way they are acting, avoiding the question and straight answers as if steeping on eggs, better not waste time with silly empty comforting words and tell me already what I need to know! I need no one''s pity, I need nothing from them beyond information to save my brother! I''m done with this sneaking feeling of guilty crawling in my veins "Well, his sons, the Demon''s King have him, and they can be as sick as the father, worsen some may day, and last time I saw Dearil had taken a fancy on your brother and he has been preparing him." "Preparing? For what?" I hold my breath at that dreadful question. "For a binding contract." I growl without noticing, showing teeth, bloodshed eyes narrowing, ears and tail standing. They dare try to enslave my brother?! Those demons. Death is a too lenient penance for them! I shall crush their bones with my teeth, rip their will to live from their minds, rip and slash until there is nothing left beyond a pile of flesh! Dearilyou have your name marked to death now! "You know where he is? Where this Dearil has taken him?!" "I know somewhere he has a high chance to be in, but" "Then what are we waiting for?!" A mix of thrill and anger makes adrenaline rush in my body, prompting me to rush out in this instant. However, at that point we are interrupted by light footsteps approaching, and by the fragrance and behavior I could guess that it was an elf as the intruder approaches and knocks on the door. "Please enter." Leonel says as the door opens and reveals that I was right, an elf stood at the door frame, a tall figure well dressed and manner, greeting us while pulling the edge of his vest with his long fingers adorned with rings. Beyond the characteristic high cheekbones and blond hair, however, this elf had many tattoos adorning his body, from leaves to thin lines that resemble branches, coating the edge of his face to the back of his hand, proving that he was an elder. And yet different from the elders I have encountered so far, this one had an arrogant air around him, raising his nose and walking with the back straight and arms folded behind his back, the hands sometimes directing the clothes around. "Elder Othorion." Leonel says, giving him a small bow while the other answers with only a nod. I try to contain my annoyance from being interrupted, but even though my words were somewhat polite my tone was far from it as I say: "Sorry elder, but what brings you here? Where are in the middle of something important." So would you kindly piss off? "Oh, I''m aware, that''s why I''m here, after all miss. Helraya agreed to share information with us, ''elves''." He says, enforcing the last word, as if say that I was the one meddling in other''s people business. The hell with that. "Oh yeah? Then you will have to wait your turn, ''after'' we ask our questions, then Miss Helraya is all yours." "That won''t do Mister Hound, Helraya agreed with other urgent affairs that require an immediate response. Further wait will aggravate the matter at hand." "Oh really? How bad, because we too have a situation that only gets worse and worse with time and you, mister, is making us take longer in that matter by interfering, so would you kindly wait until we are done?" "That I cannot do, is a matter of life and death." "What a coincidence, ours too. And guess who came here first?" Seems like I manage to annoy this elder. Good. "You don''t comprehend Hound, so let me clarify the importance of this task for you." Were did the Mister Hound go now elder? So impolite of you "We need her to take away the control the Demon King has upon some of my kind. Some of ours has been put into a comatose state by his control. We need to test if her powers are true and if she can cure them, otherwise no deal will be made." "Hey, I''m very capable alright, and I''m pretty confident in my skills." Says Helraya on the side, eager to please. "Shut up." "Silence." Me and the elder say at the same time, making Hel, who was enthusiastic to sell herself out for a high price lower back down unto her chair. "Even so, they are not in imminent danger are they? Your elves can wait, but my brother can''t! He has been captive by the demons for far too long, going through who knows what kind of treatment, and you want me to wait it out because you have to save sleeping elves who are under this city''s protection? Is that it?! Do you really think your case is worse than mine?!" "However Hound ''we'', elves, are the ones who made a deal with the demon." I sneer at that, losing the bit of patience I still had, and consecutively going farther and farther away from a polite behavior, or rather, from a human behavior at all. "And my brother is one of the few in this world that I would kill for without thinking twice, so don''t get in my way elf." I grow the name of his kind at the end, staring him in the eyes without blinking. "A-are you threatening me?!" He asks, stupefied, starting to get red from anger. "Oh, and here I thought elves were supposed to be smart" "You dare!" "Alright, alright, you two, settle down, I''ll answer both, just, just calm down ok? How about this elf, I''ll answer a bit about what you want for you, but then you will have to wait until I''m done with the hound, how about that? Is a good deal right? Right?!" "How can you prioritize him?! We are the ones giving you shelter!" "Well, is actually very simple can you stop him from chewing our bones for lunch right now? Can ''you'' protect me from him uhm?" She asks, a knowing look at her face, already aware of his answer. "T-that''s is-." I growl loudly, making him jump, and cutting his complains short. Seems like this demon is not that stupid after all, understood very quickly the situation she is in, and that no elf will get in my way; or rather, nothing will keep me from having the information I need from her. She claps her hand. "So that''s settled! Ask away elf! Come on, hurry up, hurry up, there is a lot to talk about is it not?" "I- Well." He gives a dry cough, trying to gain some face back, with his nose always risen up a little bit too much. "Very well then. We have known that your Demon King has been taking control of some people''s minds, mostly noteworthy humans, so of course we studied his methods and effects, however what we are still unable to discern is how, or rather, why the effect is different in elves. Why our kind simply is unable to cope with his control and enter comatose?" Well, I won''t deny, even if I''m angry at him, part of me was curious too as to why such thing happened, since Aeglos is suffering for such conditions too, and also to know more about Cain''s power, of course. Any weakness I could spot of his is very welcomed. "Is actually because of your elven magic. Is incompatible with ours, humans and demons absorbed the external energy and keep it inside them; some like cultivators can even store it in large amounts with cores and all that, but elvesthey have a magic of their own, is not like they have an individual source, but as if they act like a beehive, all in one, all your magic comes from the earth, and I''m sure you know far more about that then I, but it seems that, since your kind receives external constant aid from the magic that binds you all, it kind of blocks his mind control, but not completely, as if the two forces are battling for control inside the host, none giving up, none winning" "So have you seen this phenomenon before? Can you cure it? Have you done it before? How can we prevent this? Would you demonstrate for us? And how about-" "Oi oi, wait there elf, now is my turn, remember?" I interrupt, already aware that this elf would take the opportunity to get carried away. "Now sit tight and wait your turn only after I''m done." I say, not letting all this talk take me away from my main focus, my brother''s safety, even though I was curious to know more. So I ask one more time. "Helraya, no more vague answers, no more cutting through the edges, tell me how to save my brother now!" Chapter 124 - One-Hundred-Thirteen The elder elf seemed displeased with this back and forth conversation, but I could not care less about his opinion, already at the edge of my seat and ready to make my point known by force if needed. "Alright, alright, we will talk about that brother of yours but wait a little! Calm down first and hear me out alright?" Helraya suddenly says, making us all look at her with displeasure in your eyes as we question why in the world would she see fit to interrupt us right now. "I-I think we should not go after him right now." She starts blabbering out before we can interrupt, and I''m about to slash out at her when she raises her arms and speaks even quicker: "If the Demon King is there when we invade he will take your brother far away, he has some very annoying skills that are capable of such things and he knows that you can''t act harshly while he has your brother with him." If smoke could raise from my ears I think I would be steaming right now, but for the sake of my brother I take a deep breath, even if against my will, and say: "Explain." I barely manage to speak between growls, hoping that this little plan of hers is worth the patience I''m having with all of them right now. "The Demon King is interested in you, right? He even sent you an invitation, what I think we should do is to bait him out of there while another team goes and rescue your brother!" "So you want me to sit and wait even knowing where he may be only so that I have a cup of tea with Cain?!" I ask, my mind turning blank with rage. "Wait, Thil, what she says makes sense." Says Leonel from behind me, reaching out for my arm and bringing me closer to him, turning me around while giving me a slight squish and rubbing his toe on my skin, trying to calm me down and bring my attention towards him. "It does make sense." He says lower so only the two of us could hear our little talk. "We cannot afford to lose him again, and for what you have told me he really seems to have some strange skills, is possible that he can run away with your brother, then who knows how long it will take us to find him again. Let''s do this with caution, alright?" I clench my teeth, looking away, too stubborn to give up but aware that we should choose the best option to save my brother. If we lose him again I cannot even think how long it will take us to find him again Leonel, aware of my behavior, takes my silence for compliance and turns to talk with the others, and for a few moments I avoid the subject, focusing my mind in calming down, focusing on slowing down, but since my heart had speed up my breathing staying still like such only makes me want to run out more, the adrenaline rushing inside, so instead I start to focus on him, Ereinion Calien, known to me as Leonel; and, strangely enough, the effect is almost immediate while I hear Leo''s calm heartbeat, taste his fresh familiar odor up close, feeling his warmth palm against my skin, and look as his serious face while he handles the others. I end up holding the hand that was on my arm, cupping his palm on mine, finding comfort it that small act, embracing the warmth of his body and taking one last deep breath before looking back at the others, trying to listen in the conversation that did not wait for me. "Well, I''m pretty confident about the information I have gathered from them, but I cannot guarantee it for sure, so be aware that there are little things that even I would want to know all right? So." She claps her hands, making me frown and try to understand where this conversation has migrated to. "Those three in charge of the devil kingdom are the Demon Lord Demon King Cain, the First Demon Prince, Seth, and Dearil as the Second Demon Prince." "Aren''t Demon King and Demon Lord the same?" Leonel asks. "Oh no, they are quite similar but very different. Demon Lord is the title given to the strongest demon of each kin, and more than one demon can have that. Demon King, however, is literally a king, the governor, and as such there is only one." "Oh, I see" "Anyway, as I said before, there are many kins inside the demon category, most are put together by convenience by humans, and even elves are called that in some places." "Indeed we are." Says the elder, but my eyes cannot stop from glancing at Leonel, who suffered such reality up close and personal. "And as such there are many types of demons who, being so outnumbered, have to stay together to survive, and others, like my kind, are capable of blending in with human society. However, what demons have in common is their unusual magic, or unique magic as some may say, and some are passed by kin, like mine, but others are simply born with it; we even had humans as Demon Lords before, consumed by their dark magic enough so to be categorized as one of us. The unique always suffer in face of others for their differences." As she keeps talking I''m reminded of a creature I fought a long, long time ago, that started using necromancy after the loss of his lover, and I''m sure he must have been viewed as a demon at some point too; only that I''m left to wonder if it had been for liking a man or for dealing with necromancy. Everything Hel says is very interesting but doesn''t help me much, especially when she starts to list demons, names and characteristics at an overwhelming speed, making the elder take notes on the side. "There are the Mamon, low greedy demons that are good spies, but have no loyalty except for money. Asmodeus, a medium to high demon, is a nasty beast, very rare to find but veryeasy to notice, he is a l.u.s.tful devil, strong body, more beast than man, not very intelligent, but very ugly. "Aquiel, low demon, a pestering demon, good spy too, but annoying to deal with since he has a childish behavior and likes to annoy, making it easy to bait. Agares, medium to high, strong opponent, one of the few demons that are intelligent, used to command and-" That''s the point where I stop paying attention for the lack of memory space, only the name of those creatures is already enough to overwhelm me, so no point in trying to keep all that information in, learning only about their general behavior pattern; but even that has its limits in usefulness since they were as different as people, or rather, even more if you think about how many species were mixed together in the same category. My attention, however, is caught again once she mentions something that sounds quite familiar. "There are things called Nevlar, translated as the Call of Death, that lingers under. If you think our reality is a thin layer, then they lay under that, waiting to be invited in, with not enough strength to stay on their own. They need someone to feed them, to keep them corporeal, and many times are used topossess bodies, so that way they can stay in our reality for longer." Those sounded much like the puppets we saw before, the ones that took the lives of many, including my dear deer friend, Elfihe. "They are common weapons for the dark practitioners such as dark elves and demons, so it would be advisable to use magic or have some magical weapon to deal with them since corporeal attacks will only damage the holster of the dark energy, not the Nevlar themselves." She opens her mouth to keep going, adding questions upon questions in my mind, but the elder suddenly closes his little notebook, bringing the attention to his stiff face. "That''s enough for now Miss. Helraya. We can continue later if you will, for now you have to deal with the situation you promise us." We give each other a quick glance, all sharing dislike towards this arrogant elder, but I cannot start another argument since we decided to plan this rescue better before doing anything harsh, so no harm is done in having her work on Aeglos and the elves before that. I just hope we are not late yet again Chapter 125 - One-Hundred-Fourteen I feel exhausted after that conversation, so many ups and downs that the only thing I wish now it to sleep the rest of the day in and ignore all these emotions causing havoc inside my chest. As we watch both the elder and Hel walk out the room the demon, before leaving, says she will give us all the information we need later that day. A part of me still wanted that information now, demanded even, after all who knew where she could sneak out to if we don''t watch her closely, but after all that anger and outburst my energy seems to have flipped upside down, a dreadful sensation crushing my heart, a depressing hollowness filled with the inability of doing nothing more, of having tried all I could and still not managing to accomplish it, not being able to save my brother until now and yet unable to take that out of my mind. We stay behind in that now suddenly very quiet room as I sit back down, putting a hand on my forehead, overwhelmed by such stressful energy that I just have to lay down for a second. "Sigh" Leonel takes a seat beside me, passing his arm over my shoulder and making me lean on him, but instead of saying any comforting words he actually says: "So Seems like someone likes long hair uhm?" That question earns him a hit on the ribs and a small smile from my part as I roll my eyes. "Ouch. I deserve it." "You always deserve a few punches here and there." "Wow, how brute of you, I do not deserve such harsh treatment." He says, but no serious tone was used as we played around a little. "Oh you do, otherwise you will get to comfortable and it will be a nightmare to deal with." "Haha, well, is not like little punches will change anything you know" "I know, but at least I get the satisfaction of punching you." I say, looking up with a crooked smile, only for my silver eyes to meet his golden ones and immediately make him lean down for a kiss. But this time, as our lips meet, it wasn''t full of hunger nor passion, but instead somewhat comforting, more familiar, warm. When our lips part I bury my face on the crook of his neck, and without containing myself I take a deep breath of his musky smell, and pass my arms over his waist as I say: "Is just stupid, you know? I understand our plan, on how we can keep Cain away and safely rescue my brother, but at the same time that I''m desperate to take him out of there I I don''t want you to go. Hell, you are the only one I trust with the important mission of rescuing my brother, but the mere thought of something going wrong, of me- of losing you both-I, is suffocating to even think about it." "And-and my mind just keeps going in circles, you know, of how I don''t want you to go, of how I need you to go, so much that I I don''t know anymore" At that I stop talking, hardening my grip on him and burring my head on his chest, wanting that this calmness, this moment could last forever. We stay like this for a while, his big hands patting my back and adding to the warmth, and even though my face was hidden in his embrace I still I could hear him clearly since my ears were on top of my head. "Have some faith, my little hound. I won''t have you mourning for me nor your brother in this lifetime. I swear." " That''s not a light promise you know?" "I know." "If you die I''m going to kill you." "Uhum." "And revive you again only to kill you again." "Uhum." " Be careful." "I will, always. You too, facing that demon King." "Cain? I will be chewing him for dinner by the time you are back." He chuckles. "I bet you will, but for now let''s recover our strength, ease our minds, and prepare for the big day tomorrow, alright?" "Sure." In the end he guides me around once more, this time to his guest room and, well, what to expect of a room without owner that was supposed to be as neutral as possible only for guests to stay from time to time? Of course not an ornamented room with a door only at the entrance and arches to separate the many chambers, nor plants growing over one of the walls and making it all green and flush, giving a good room temperature, plus a soft humid smell too it. Beyond that there are some banners around with a white tree sewed on, well crafter furniture, and a bed at the end with white cloth falling in waves and looking like butterfly wings, all to hide a very fluff big mattress full of pillows, the type that asks you to bury inside and never leave. Is funny how elves are all humble when it comes to taking things from nature, the harvest and intake of food and objects, but when it comes to doing the best with that they have they always go all out, perhaps for the fact that they did not turn consuming goods into something pleasurable like humans did but instead harmful, so they choose the appreciation of arts, crafts and overall culture in place. Well, that explains why they think so low of other humanoids then, especially humans, I think, recalling the junkyards their villages were, and the opulence the big cities have in contrast. Hm I have to start taking notes on these things, after all I want to build a city too, so might as well learn what to do and what not, though it will be more of a sanctuary for magical beasts than I proper society, so it is hard to compare. Yeah, a safe haven that dream seemed so far away now "Thilgon" Leonel says behind me. "You can feel at home here, use the bed and bathroom over there and-" "Wait, are you leaving?" I didn''t want to sound needy but asked anyway before I could think otherwise and control my tone of voice. He looks at me, golden eyes shining as his hand brushes the side of my face, making me lean on his touch. "Don''t worry, I will be back with dinner, I just want to make sure the preparations for tomorrow are going well, will be back before you notice. Rest up." At that he kisses my forehead and turns around to leave. I protest, wanting to participate; after all I was one most interested that things go as planned tomorrow, but in the end he goes alone anyway, saying that I would already play the biggest part by ending the Demon King; and for that I should get rested and in a good mindset to fight him to death, his death of course. Plus it was all a bunch of elven business and not really interesting he ends up saying. And I could not deny that I was, indeed, tired, so I end up throwing myself on that spacious bed after a warm bath and to take a long-deserved nap to ease the stress away and have a good rest. But of course that that long nap was cut short by a knock on the door. Chapter 126 - One-Hundred-Fifteen I roll on the bed, put a pillow over my ears and face in a vain attempt to pretend that no one was there interrupting my sleep, but the knock persisted and grow louder and stronger, the type of move that lets you know that the other was determined enough to stick around and wait it up. Knowing that it could not be Leo since this was his room I do not pretend to be polite as I walk sturdy towards the door and barge it open, fuming ears and red eyes. "What?! People are trying to sleep here!" "Ah sorry, but, I mean it still day" The intruder says, and the strange voice makes me look down at a boy with long white hair, two pair of purple horns sprouting from his head as well as small bat wings, making me take a step back on the aggressive behavior and only scorn at him. "So what? What do you need?" "S-sorry, I-I, uhm" He starts fidgeting with his fingers, nervous, so I take a deep breath, brush the sleep away by blinking a few times, and try to be a little more gentle towards the kid. "Is ok, I''m not mad, just tell me why are you here." So I can go back to sleep already. "Oh, yeah, Helraya send me, she wants me to explain some things to you And since she is occupied I came in her stead." Well, it makes sense that she did not come alone, and it was very clear what he was by his appearance; such a young incubus, but I guess is one of those situations that you cannot judge a book by its cover by the way they can manipulate their appearances and gender even. " Is that so? Well then, say it." "Oh no no, not here, a safe place, there are a lot of things to talk about after all." I raise my eyebrow at that, not happy with this strange outcome. Well, I did not feel comfortable with inviting him in in a room that wasn''t even mine, so after saying that I needed a few minutes to get ready I end up following the demon around. "Why didn''t you went to explain whatever it is that you want to say to me to the elves? "I start asking, wondering what these devils were planning at. "They are even preparing an attack plan and all." I say, somewhat not trusting this creature, but curious and bold enough to keep following behind. Hel wouldn''t put her plan at risk only to annoy me now, she had a lot to lose if this transaction goes wrong. " Want me to go there instead then?" The little demon asks, not turning his back as I follow close behind. "No." I say, not happy with his answer, knowing that if he wished to he could have me hanging there without knowing what Hel wanted me to learn about, so I wisely shut up until we arrive. "We are here." He says, stopping in front of a door and entering without waiting for me, knowing I was right behind. I hear some noise coming from the devil''s room and a strange smell that makes me wary of entering, and my already high level of suspicious grows even more; after all it was never a good thing to be invited into a devil''s room, especially a succubus-incubus type. And yet I did not fear him, nor Helraya, all her schemes would be for naught for I did not see either of them as a threat, but I can''t deny that the invitation to ''talk'' got my interest and curiosity. What is the worst it could happen? If any I would have only to kill him, or turn around and leave, no harm done there. And I bet he knew I was capable of such. I should not be surprised that, after I enter and the door closes behind me, I find him sitting on top of the furniture, longs legs crossed in front of him and exposed by the sunlight as his gaze shone like a cat''s eye. And the light illuminated the rest of the room, too, such as the elf tied up on the bed to the side. Dreading the waste of time the situation was turning out to be, I ask: "What is it that you wanted to talk about?" "Ow, straight to the point I see, and please, call me Ylannil " He says, flipping his shy behavior and personality upside down, talking in a deep velvet voice that instead of pleading to my eyes sounds rather disgusting, perhaps for knowing what he was, and that all his actions were mere acts on how manipulative he was with his expressions and the way his body moved and behave, the little confused kid gone from his fa?ade. I was not surprised but I should give the kid credit for his acting skills. "Answer me." "Oh my, so fierce, and here I''m in good faith to help you out" My eyebrow raises at that. "Help?" I don''t hide the sarcasm, my eyes going from the elf to him. He jumps down from the furniture, his slim body swinging with every step, bringing forth his slim waist and chubby thighs. He tries to reach out for my cheek but I brush his arm aside, a threatening glint shining in my eyes that were ignored by him as he keeps talking, wetting his lips with his tongue. "You know what my kin can do, and how we can sense some things and I already know that you haven''t slept with Leonel from Hel too" Seriously? Why are they all so worried about my private affairs? F.u.c.k off! "So?" I try to play it cool, but these devils were starting to piss me off, shoving their noses were they weren''t invited. "Oh, is simple really, Helraya saw how inexperience you are, and how that bothers you, that lack of knowledge, so she thought I should give you a class." "Really? Without gaining anything in return?" I was playing along so far, but I had an increasing desire to rip his wings out to get rid of that smug on his face. "Not gaining? Sweetie, please, we live from s.e.x.u.a.l desire." He says while sitting on the bed and putting his hands slightly over the elf''s body, making him flinch for his eyes were blindfolded and the touch surprised him. "And that back and forth game you two are playing bores us and makes me uncomfortable, like bringing you close to orgasm only to leave the room without giving it to me." "So you want to feed on our s.e.x.u.a.l desire?" "Well, when you put it that way" "Hell no." I turn around to leave, angry for this bold creature to wish for such a thing, and yet part of me was still intrigued; the part that makes me stop at the door, hand on the knob, when I heard a muffled gasp from behind. "What a pity, Leonel would be so, so surprised when you showed him his skills I guess I''ll have to play with this one alone then" He was talking with the elf at the end, but his eyes were on me as the devil raises his h.i.p.s up and crawl on top of the elf. Still holding the knob I could not tear my eyes away from the scene, something drawing me in, a tingling sensation growing on my cheeks and neck, an expectation that made me forget to blink so I would not lose any detail. I knew that this is what he wanted, and playing his game did not please me. And yet my heart-beat was racing as he chuckles, his hand going down the elf''s chest and forcing his shirt open. "Let the class begin." Chapter 127 - One-Hundred-Sixteen Ylannil moves up, as if to show off the toy he had prepared beforehand to play with, making me start to truly observe the state the elf is in which, of course, ends being a very detailed analyzes since the demons seems fit to point every part out. "First, the handcuff and the blind-fold." The devil says, brushing the tip of his fingers over the blindfold that already covered the elf''s eyes as Ylannil sits more comfortably on the man''s body. "They will give you control over him, make you the only pleasure giver in here, and that will drive him nuts, this little power play then the blindfold, ahh, my favorite, will make him feel even more your caress, the other senses will be sharpened to compensate for the lack of vision, all to increase even more the expectations, right uhm?" At that he goes and licks the elf ear very slowly, earning a shudder and m.o.a.n in response. "There are many sensitive places all over the body, but learning which one fits you two better can only be discovered by testing out and touching but some are quite obvious, as others are fascinating to be discovered." He says while playing with the elf''s ear and neck, brushing the skin with a soft yet burning touch. "Now, let me give you some attention yes my love?" He says to the elf underneath him, his mere velvet voice making the other hold his breath. He approaches his body to the elf, raising his butt up in the air, cutting quite the image as his hands cup the man''s chin, bending down into a deep passionate kiss as he nibbles the lip with little bites only to continue assaulting the elf with his tongue until he was exploring the insides of the other mouth, their tongues brushing and twisting into an impious scene. Watching them makes me feel really uncomfortable, but of course an incubus, a creature made for s.e.x, he notices every small change in my behavior, making him turn his head to my side, breaking the kiss and showing off his swollen red lips, eyes misting with l.u.s.t looking even deeper and more charming than usual. "Don''t worry love, you just have to imagine that you are doing this with Leonel, having him like this, at your total disposal uhm" He says, smirking and going back to kissing; and my treacherous mind did as it was told, unable to stop myself from thinking of something when someone says so, even worst with that strong smell fogging my mind and making the image of a sweaty Leonel appear quite easily in my brain, squirming underneath me, eyes foggy and lips partially open, breath quick and shallow, which makes me take a deep breath and feel butterflies in my belly. F.u.c.k, that would be hot, very hot... I did not even realize that my hand had left the knob at this point as the smell of excitement fills my nostrils, watching the elf pant and realize that the choice, the setting, had not been for granted, all had been done so I could easily change that bound blinded man into Leonel. It did not help that, the past hours we stayed together had more tension between us than ever before, the time we stayed separated increased the lodging and I don''t know, is just that part of the relationship that you realize that perhaps just talking, just staying together is not enough anymore, you maybe want more, you want it all. The devil keeps talking and explaining, stretching this and that, but I can only swallow dry as a numbing sensation zigzags up and down my body and makes me feel hot and uncomfortable, more from my own imagination than what I was watching unfold, and that smell... Without breaking the kiss at first he reaches out and brushes his fingers over the elf''s abdomen, bringing up the shirt with his moves and revealing skin in a slow pace, taking his time to trace all the strong muscles and abs, like a blind person trying to read his body, attentive at the elf''s reactions, his speeding breath as the devil keeps going up and up, leaving the elf only partially covered at this point. But Ylannil keeps teasing, drawing circles around the elf''s n.i.p.p.l.es without touching then, making the man move in discontent, trying to get the friction he lodged for only for the devil to take his hands off from him. "Ah, so eager, but no hurry love, let''s enjoy every single step of this roller coaster together uhm Up and up we goonly to slow back down" Ylannil says, and with his words he supports his body up with his hands to be able to move his hip with freedom, and even with the clothes still on and in between he starts to brush his lower region with the elf, going up and down and rasping the fabric together, looking a lot like they were already having s.e.x, even more when he puts pressure and almost sits down on the elf''s member, making the man groan and m.o.a.n but still try to wiggle his way into moving faster and deeper, only for the devil to stop at the highest point and move out of reach, only to go down again and build the pressure in, faster and faster only to move away again. Making up for his name truly the devil. I was feeling a pressure grown on my own too, making me fan myself with my shirt by bringing it forward rapidly, but it didn''t do much to calm the blazing fire that burned inside me and propagate over my lower region. However I reach my limit when the devil starts to undress himself and take the belt off the elf in a very loud manner, awakening me from my stupor as to what the hell I was looking at and how the hell has all of this gone this far? I mean I almost watch them have s.e.x! What the f.u.c.k! Trying to avoid the scene unfolding on the bed I close my eyes and hold my breath, but the lewd wet sounds were enough to raise the hair on my arms and make me want to peek again, however I hold that desire off knowing that if I turned to look once more I would only make myself go down deeper into the rabbit hole. And suddenly I''m hit with the urge, with the need to get out of there, thinking that if this continues it could be seeing as cheating Leonel, of betraying trust. Because I''m very aware of how I would react if I knew he saw two other men n.a.k.e.d, and even more if he watched them have s.e.x. Livid would be a light word to be used in that case. "Wait! A gift, before you go!" The devil says, aware that he could not keep me here any longer, throwing a bag in my direction that I catch out of reflex and with my eyes still close. And bolt out of there as if my tail was on fire before I can regret following this demon more than I already have. So of course I miss when the demon watches me go with a soft yet growing smile on his face as he chuckles, a satisfied glint in his eyes as he says to no one in particular: "You were right Hel, so much pinned desire, it was fun playing with it now I wonder how things are going to unfold over there, haha, plus I''ll love the look on Cain''s face when he finds out Stirring chaos is so much fun ha! But pity, I would love to watch the results of my hard work myself, but I have more pertinent matters to attend to right love? Sorry for all of that, let me properly take care of your big problem now, uhm? Perhaps with a little more teasing, yes? Not like you have a saying on this, hahaAh, so much fun" Chapter 128 - One-Hundred-Seventeen I almost get lost on the way back, and not because I was in an unstable mood, of course, of course, is just that this place is goddamn big and has the layout of a glass labyrinth. But that doesn''t matter right now, the important part is that I somehow managed to find my way back and was now alone in Leonel''s room with my back on the door and finally able to digest what just happened. I mean is not like I''m some kind of saint of purity or anything, but in that regard I did not know much, hell, this body of mine is totally v.i.r.g.i.n in both ways, so even though I knew about s.e.x and had some experience with it, beyond being only heteros.e.x.u.a.l intercourse I did not have even that in practical experience with this specific body. That''s why all sensations hit fastand hard. So I should not be surprised when I find myself with a slight problem down there which makes me swallow dry and ponder if I should go to the bathroom and take care of it very quickly to calm things down. Only that, this time, I wasn''t feverish only down there and that makes me realize that a quickie would do me no good in regards of calming my horny mind down. F.u.c.k me. So what should I do? Maybe a really cold bath will help out, I mean, there is no way that- I stop suddenly as my mind sends an alert and rushes adrenaline in my veins, and I quickly discover why; because in the next moment I hear familiar footsteps approaching from the hallways, and when they stop in front of the door as he starts to reach for the knob I panic. Are you kidding me?! "O-one second!" I say before dashing forward and going under the bed-sheets, right on time to cover myself and pretend to have just woken up, the gifted bag threw to the side somewhere of the living room to be forgotten, not even giving me enough time to check its content. "C-come in!" At that the owner of the room opens the door slowly, peeking inside while opening the rest of the door with his shoulder for his hands were occupied with a tray. "Already awake? Did you sleep well? Good, good, then how about we have some dinner together." He says while smiling, closing the door with his feet and approaching the table. "Wait! Uhm" He stops, taken by surprise looking at me as I try to calm myself down from giving anything away; I already knew what would happen if he discovers what kind of problem I''m having first hand. But would it be that bad if he discovers? I try to brush that thought aside, but the memory of his touch does not help. "H-how about eating on the bed?" "Uhm, sure, of course, that would be nice." He says, approaching and sitting down beside me, putting the tray over the sheets. "Made something special to cheer you up." "Oh really?" Freak, this will take some time it seems. He starts showing off and pointing while talking, thankfully so into what he is showing that he does not realize my strange behavior. "I figure we could have something to eat while talking and catching up so I made some nachos with some cheese, garlic, salt, oregano and a special sauce for you with a lot of chili powder and pepper on the mix, separated from the normal one since I want to keep my life intact you see." He laughs at his own joke, I smile but my mind is at the problem of how I can evade Leonel without looking too suspicious before he discovers my problem! But is it so bad if he discovers? A part of me could not stop asking that, and the mere thought of him touching me again, over even going further beyond Makes me clench my teeth and twist my toes to converge up that pinning energy into some sort of movement, trying to conceal my speeding heart. F.u.c.k those devils, they really played me didn''t they I look at the well-set dish while Leonel takes a nacho from the circle made off with the triangular orange meal and dip it in the sauce put right at the center, the red slightly transparent substance that has some ruddiness when hit by the light as it comes closer to my face. "Say ah." Leonel says, making me blush when I realize he wanted to feed me, and looking away I open my mouth, too embarrassed to even respond, and too worried to come up with an argument to avoid the situation. He does that a few more times, apparently very happy with it as I munched the nachos down, my tail swinging every time my taste buds are hit with that well-seasoned mixture, the spice burning down my throat while the crunchiness is still in my mouth, moreover with the cheese to bring texture and a more neutral taste to balance all off. It was a bliss one that could make me forget all the pertinent troubles but thankfully not for long. "You are acting quite obedient today something wrong?" Leonel asks, even though he doesn''t stop giving me food, making me quickly respond in between bites and with a hand in front of my mouth as I answer and eat at the same time: "J-just anxious about tomorrow, after all it will be a very important mission" "Yes, it will" He doesn''t seem very convinced, but he does not point anything out as we eat, or rather, I eat while he keeps giving the nachos to me, waiting patiently as I chew. "Eat too, it feels weird to eat alone like this" He looks at me and smiles, putting the nacho that was already in his hands down and bringing the other less spicy sauce he made for himself to eat out, while saying: "Sure, I''ll eat too." And just like that we pass our time while peacefully eating, but not really, or rather we pass our time eating while my anxiety grows and my ''problem'' doesn''t go away on its own, making me beyond uncomfortable, but more aware, yeah, that''s the word, aware Of how I enjoyed Leonel''s smell, of how s.e.xy it is when he licks the sauce from his lips, of how his gaze deepens when he looks down and his long eyelashes shade his eyes "Thilgon, are you ok? You keep staring at-" "I need to use the toilet!" I suddenly say too loud and fast, standing and moving too quickly to avoid any more eye contact, dashing my way into the other room and closing the door behind me. Only then I sigh in relief, looking down at the problem at hand and deciding that a cold shower would have to do; Leonel predatory senses would pick up if I tried any form of direct relief per say, so that would have to do. I barely manage to take my clothes off when the water hits me, and wanting to make full use of it I go head deep into that freezing water, hissing as my muscles tremble from the shock. Biting my lips so I would stop making sounds I stay a good couple of minutes under the shower, and only when the problem is resolved I step back. Talk about dealing with your problems with brute force. But if only I knew that all my efforts would be in vain because of one small, slightly detail that I forgot outside. And that meets me headfirst once I get out of the bathroom. "My little naughty hound, where have you being to while I was out uhm?" Leonel asks while holding a bag in his hands, a mischievous smile on his face. That''s when I remember of the f.u.c.k.i.n.g bag that the devil gave me, and that I silly threw to the side in a panic in hopes that it would be ignored and forgotten. But of course it wouldn''t. F.u.c.k me, just my luck. Chapter 129 - One-Hundred-Eighteen "W-Wait Leonel, I can explain, just calm down ok?" "Oh, but I am calm" He says with a creepy smile. He is not calm, not calm at all, shit! "It was one of those devils, believe me, I have nothing to do with it!" "Is that so" He says, stepping closer by the second, and something on the way he is moving gives me the impression that he is out on a hunt. And tonight I''m his prey. "So what, the devil just came here to drop this one off and leave without saying a word?" "O-of course?" "Out of nowhere, just like that? And what, you just took it for no reason?" "N-no, of course, he threw the bag at me, the prick, and I didn''t even have the change to look inside before you came in!" "Oh, so you don''t know what''s inside? Intriguing hmBut still, tell me, why did you pretend to be asleep?" At this point he had already reached me, standing up close. "I-I wasn''t, I was going back to sleep before you came in." "Hm is it? Then why weren''t you wearing your pajamas?" Oh f.u.c.k, I forgot about my clothes! "B-because" I say, but he was so close that my mind went blank. "Uhum" Only for him to come closer. "T-that''s" And closer. "Yes?" So close that I give up trying to make this excuse work as his warm breath brushes against my skin and raises the hair on my arms, his musky smell filling my nostrils. As my eyes go down towards his lips my heartbeat accelerates in anticipation as I shallow dry and leave my lips slightly open without even noticing. But of course Leonel does, and that not only deepens his smile but makes him bring an arm up and cage me against the wall. "Well, you can say it was very kind of him to give us these presents" He says, and that makes me dread the contents of that bag. What could have been in there to have such an effect on his mood? And do I really want to know? I soon discover that is not a matter of wanting to know, but to when I would "Thilgon?" He says in a low voice, eye full with l.u.s.t and hungry desire that makes my heart skip a beat. "Y-yes?!" "Relax." At that he leans down for a kiss, not asking permission as he said he would do from now on, and because I had been caught by surprise he easily takes charge, invading my mouth with his tongue in a hungry need to explore my insides, twisting and brushing our tongues together in a moist mess, melting my insides into a numbing electric sensation. When he parts I''m left in a dazed state, barely keeping my balance as he gives my neck a good sniff. "You smell so good but I bet you taste better." He leans closer and gives my neck a small bite that makes me flinch, only to lick the skin red next, going down and sucking at the right curves and spots. Reacting to his touch I let my head fall back, exposing even more of my neck to him, feeling the strength leave my legs as I pass my arms around his shoulders to keep my balance. And good thing I did, because his next words almost make me fall down. "Thilgon, my wild savage hound Tonight I''m going to f.u.c.k you all night long until you can''t even stand anymore." I hold my breath at his words, and I know now for sure that I will not be able to pass this night avoiding him like the others. He kisses me again, giving me enough time but totally not enough brain to think things through, and when the realization hits me one certainty came upon me, something planted by the devil. So be it then If this is how things are going to be, then I''ll be taking charge and be the one on top! But, of course that soon proves to be wishful thinking of mine Because the calm demeanor he usually has seems to have hidden a beast inside. And I had just woken it up, freed it from its chains. Only for it to leap right at my neck. "Do you know how many times I have thought of f.u.c.k.i.n.g you? For years I watched you from afar and could only do it alone while thinking of penetrating you." "T-that''s!" How should I react to such sudden boldness?! "I was so happy when you accepted me, when I was given a second chance with you, but yet you made me wait, hours, days, you made me sleep by your side without letting me touch you, tempting me so much and yet not even noticing Thilgon, Thilgon, you have being a naughty, naughty hound." He stops talking for a while because he occupies his mouth with my skin, going slightly down towards my collarbone. "Naughty Thilgondo you like me?" He says while brushing his nose and cheek on my skin. "O-of course!" It takes me a few moments to notice he had asked me a question, but he doesn''t seem bothered, or rather, he actually continues: "And do you like what I do to you?" He lowers his voice even more, and for some reason that is enough to make me shiver. "Do you like when I lick you? Nimble at you?" This time he doesn''t wait for an answer, but actually describes what he is doing, licking my skin again and making my body burn up. At that he goes up to my ears, only to say: "Because I''m going to do far more tonight" I didn''t know that his touch could make me so weak on the knees, but my clouded mind soon realizes it, especially when he brings me up and slams me against the wall, legs around his waist and letting our eyes on the same level. I''m left speechless and in a daze at his image, his blond hair, pointy ears, golden eyes ablaze, his pointy nose, his kissable lips, and the way he looked at me as if seeing something precious, with no judgment in his eyes beyond pure lodging and love, and that, that light in his eyes, for some reason makes me realize that he is dead serious, that he truly loves me to his core. I know he said before, that we were already dating and all, but for some reason it hasn''t down on me until now. I reach out and brush his hair that had grown since the first time I saw him, then traced his face with the back of my fingers, somehow only seeing him now. To realize only now how head over heels I was for him too, this silly elf of mine. That acceptance, not only of loving him back but that we will have s.e.x tonight makes a pit of fire light up in my lower belly as I bit my lips and, for some reason, grow bold enough to say: "Yeah, I did all that, so what? Are you going to do something about it?" I crook my head to the side, letting my ears fall with the movement, showing more of my neck as I tease him. At that he smiles. "Don''t mind if I take responsibility then." Already being held by his embrace he easily takes me away from the wall, breathing over my neck and giving it small kisses until I''m put on top of the bed, being slowly dragged upwards until he was completely on top of me. I remember what the devil showed before, and with some ideas flashing in my mind I think of interesting ways to bend Leo to my will and take action as he showed me, only that the only part that I forgot is in what position I''m in at the devil''s play and of the gifts the demon gave us. So I let my guard down as we deepen into a kiss and only look up after I hear a clack, and the image I see makes me blink twice before I can understand that one of my hands had been cuffed to the bed to hold me in place. I''m about to complain but before I can my eyes go back to Leonel in time to see him taking his shirt off, revealing all the muscles beneath, the slim waist yet wide shoulders, all the hills of his abs, his firm chest, and I can fell the remaining self-control flying away and having him, there, semi-nude on top of me while I''m set something ablaze inside of me. And I have never been this eager in my life. Chapter 130 - One-Hundred-Nineteen With my free hand I intensely grab the blankets in anticipation, somehow turned on by this sudden show of power of his, not really minding the consequences and only going with the flow, even more when my high bonded hand prevents me from doing much anyway; nor that I couldn''t break such weak chain, but rather if I wanted to... And yet when I look at Leonel he seems to hesitate, looking up over the shackle. "Do you dislike it?I mean, I can always take it off" W-what! Why is he asking that?! I mean, I know is out of consideration, but this is just so embarrassing on its own and now he wants, he really wants to hear me say it out loud?! If I had a problem I would have said so already! Why do you need me to put to words that I-I may kind of enjoy this power play?! Instead of answering with words I grab him by the back of the neck and pull him closer, looking up at him as best as I can when I say: "You know you can do better things with that mouth of yours then ask stupid questions" I immediately get self-conscious of my own words but I keep playing cool, even though I''m clearly blushing. With a smug smirk he says: "Oh really?" And leans down for a kiss but, this time, he goes further in for his sneaky hands start brushing the tip of his fingers over my skin downwards towards my belly and bring apart my desert clothes, and having my torso exposed for him he starts playing around my body, firstly brushing my sides with a soft touch that makes me hold my breath and clutch my toes, even more when he reaches my belly and makes me want to giggle. "Oh, so someone is ticklish." "No-ha-y-you-haha-stop you!" I kick him for making me laugh and he makes a fake painful expression. "Ouch, how brutal." He says but, for the first time, looks down over my body, laying there, mostly bare, at his mercy, and as he takes a deep breath and narrows his eyes I can see how increasingly l.u.s.tful he is. And out of nowhere he bends down and gives a long lick over the middle of my chest, making me flinch upwards as my arm embraces him for support. "These two buds here have been teasing me for a while now I think I''m going to have a taste of them" "Hm" Can he stop describing every single action of his?! This is already embarrassing enough you know! I stop thinking about it, however, when he turns his words into action and his warm breath rasps again my skin, sending goosebumps down my spine, and with only a slight kiss he already manages so set me on fire, and I can tell he is very aware of that for the stupid smile plastered on his face. My mind goes totally blank, completely filled with his touch, when he starts kissing around my n.i.p.p.l.es, avoiding them on purpose and making me move about in discomfort for having them teased but not satisfied as his tongue lick all around but not there. Only for him to suddenly nimble at one, pulling it up and making a jolt of pain and pleasure make me gasp and grab at his back with my free hand. He chuckles at my reaction but his play if far from over as his hand brushes up my body and reaches the other bud, while his lips start giving my n.i.p.p.l.e proper attention by giving it a lick, then taking it into his mouth and sucking at it, only to increase the tension my licking it wet and twisting and turning the other one with his long fingers, increasing the speed and intensity of his moves only to make me lose myself in his touches with an increasing unsteady inhalation. "Ah! Uhm, ugh, mn!" He keeps with his restless attacks even when I start twisting and m.o.a.ning under him, even when the buds were swollen and red, almost ready to ripe, sensible and full after who knows how long of his teasing, the tips as hard as something that had been awakened on the lower region. That''s when Leonel, still sucking and giving small bites and twists on my n.i.p.p.l.es, starts to explore my body with his hands with no shame, going up and down and brushing a path of fire on my skin, especially when he would go down and down on the middle, touching my lower belly and almost reaching my member only to go back up, then down again, an inch closer every time, but still too far for comfort. "Y-you! Leo, stop t-teasing!" "Uhm." He says, his mouth too occupied to give a proper answer, but the fact that he doesn''t stop his moves is enough to tell me what I''m up against tonight. A very ruthless horny Leonel. His mouth only stops when his hands reach down and hover on top of my cloth belt with a light pressure that makes me very aware of his touch. Then he starts undoing it, throwing it aside and leaving the pants free to be pulled down, and that''s what he does with my help, but before he can come closer I grab the edge of his pants and start pulling down with one hand, eyes glued on his as I say: "You too naughty elf." He grins as he says: "Of course, whatever you say" Then he finishes taking it off and getting rid of it, our skins exposed to each other as our eyes feast on the images revealed, even though there was still the underwear in the way, somehow it added to the picture, with his strong muscled legs bringing all my attention downwards towards his thighs. I swallow dry, unable to calm my speeding heart as blood races in my veins and makes me warm and redden. With my legs exposed and slightly bend I expected him to move a few steps downwards, all the teasing making a hot warm mess burn on my lower abdomen and behind my balls, but instead his hand brushes my belly and go sideways towards my back, pulling me closer to him and joining our bodies together until I could feel his heartbeat against my chest and his warm breath against my skin. He plays with the soft skin of my back, rasping his nails slightly on the skin and definitely leaving more marks on my body, taste-testing all my curves, making me shiver when he brushes his fingers between my scapula but reaching its pinnacle when he takes my sensitive tail in his big hands, rasping the base with his nails and stroking it up and down, light and tight, enjoying the soft fur as I twisted under his fondling, but since our bodies were glued together the only thing I did is rasping our bodies together, clenching my toes and legs to avoid the overwhelming touch only to bond our waists closer, the only cloth left adding to the friction as he speeds his moves up and leaves no route of escape for me. "Ah, uhm, mn hmm" I can physically tell, however, when he reaches his limit for his harder member starts poking at my thighs and his body starts moving up and down to create more friction, pinning my down on the bed as he speeds up, his wide shoulders and hot body covering mine as the only thing I call do is be at the mercy of his touches and the overgrowing pleasure, the pressure on my lower abdomen growing hotter and thicker by the second as he starts to hit my d.i.c.k with his, while his hand was still stroking my tail and lower back without mercy. When I''m about to reach climax, however, he stops and let''s go, stopping his moves but still pinning me down with his larger body, only for his wet lips to whisper in my ears: "Not yet, my little hound I told you I would be tasting all of you tonight and I meant it." That''s when he finally gives attention to my lower region Chapter 131 - One-Hundred-Twenty I expected him to go straight for my hardening member, but instead he gives me a little show before he digs deeper, bringing some distance between us as he kneels on top of me, only to take his underwear off, giving me the sudden view of his completely n.a.k.e.d body, his member displaying its full ledge right in front of me, making me stare at his figure without realizing it. He makes me blush even further when he touches himself on top of me, giving his d.i.c.k a few long strokes and making the veins bulge his member further up, frowning in concentration with his eyes half-closed until he lets go, only for his eyes to meet mine and the intensity of his gaze makes me avoid his eyes out of reflex. "Do you like what you see?" He asks, of course he does, and not satisfied he continues, bending closer to my head and saying right at my furry ears. "Because I''ll be opening you up and exploring your insides soon enough with it." I have no answer for that beyond widening my eyes and goofily staring as he moves down again, and when he reaches the edge of my underwear he stops, looks up towards me, and keeping a steady gaze on me and starting to smugly smile he slowly brings the cloth down. And there is something on having us both n.a.k.e.d and exposed like that that makes my heart beat frenetically and my muscles tremble with a current electric sensation going up and down my spine. He rests his hand on the inner sensible part of my thighs on purpose, his finger moving slowly there and stroking the sensitive skin as his eye goes down my hard member, making me too embarrassed to keep looking, even more with him staring at me so up close like that! That''s why I''m taken by surprise when his hot breath tickles the tip of my d.i.c.k, making my surprise face look down only in time to see his yet moist tongue reach out and give a quick lick at the tip, making me gasp at the jolt of pleasure that bolted its way up my body. At that his hand goes up to steady my member, and as his big hand embraces the soft skin of my d.i.c.k and his lips stay so close to the tip, he once more looks up and gives me a c.o.c.ky smile that almost makes me c.u.m on the spot. But of course nothing could have prepared me for all the sensations I''m about to feel; and that he wasn''t kidding when he said he was going to taste all of me. So as his thumb teases the base of my d.i.c.k by stroking in circular small moves his mouth goes down, first giving a few licks on the sensible tip that makes me m.o.a.n out loud, all restrains broken under the damp treatment of his pink tongue, teasing the little hole on the tip of my member, then licking it up like an ice-cream, all wet and soggy. Once he brings my d.i.c.k inside his mouth, at the same time increasing the strength and speed of his hand, until where the size of his mouth allowed him to he gives my member all of his attention. The insides of his mouth are hot and wet and every time my tip touched the back of his throat I would arch my back from ecstasy, and I''m about to c.u.m when he starts sucking the tip at the same time he licks it in a rapid manner that gives me no rest only for him to, again, stop when I''m about to reach the limit of my control and scream while c.u.m.m.i.n.g. Once again I''m left unsatisfied as his mouths leaves my d.i.c.k and his hands start to slow down. "Ah! Y-you prick! S-stop that!" "Stop what? Don''t you want to have s.e.x anymore? I can always leave things as they are" And leaving me hanging on the edge to deal with the aftermath alone? Hell no! "No! Is that" He speeds his hand a little at that, making me lose my words. "Then what? What do you want? If you don''t say it clearly I''m won''t be able to tell" He doesn''t wait for me to answer however, clearly teasing me with his words too, knowing that I would definitely not embarrass myself at the point of begging, going down once more but this time using both his hands in coordination with his mouth, licking the top in quick and short strokes as his thumb starts pressing the lower curve of the tip of my d.i.c.k, the head being merciless touched and stroked to the point of making my mind go blank and my body tremble as if spasming from the waves of pleasure. He brings the other fingers up too, and cups the tip with them, gripping at the head of my d.i.c.k and leaving only the very tip exposed so that he could lick it up, and the short quick moves of his tongue give no time in between for the pleasure to settle in, only building it up and up and up as if a pit of boiling lava is forming behind my balls. "I-I''m c.u.m.m.i.n.g! Ah!" But of course he stops again. "Leonel!" This time he only chuckles and, without giving me proper release I''m only left dissatisfied hanging on the edge, and when I try to reach out with my own hand to get rid of this increasing pressure that had not been unconstrained once he grabs my hand and pulls it up. "Behave or I''ll chain this one too." He says with a smug smile while looking me in the eyes as I stare right back at him. "Then stop teasing me, weren''t you the one who said you were going to take responsibility for it? Then do something about it or I''ll break these chains and do it myself." He raises his eyebrow, pretending to be amused by my outburst. "Oh really? But don''t worry I will properly take''responsibility''." At that he reaches out for something on the side that I could not see, and brings it back with him, giving me a clear awareness of what his idea of ''taking responsibility'' is at the moment. And why he has me holding on for so long. Chapter 132 - One-Hundred-Twenty-One On the next moment a bottle with a transparent liquid is brought to view, and for my past life I knew, by watching some types of videos that shall not be mentioned ever again, the necessary preparations to engage in homos.e.x.u.a.l s.e.x. And seems like someone had done his reacher too. That bottle was probably something that came out of the bag the devil gave me, which I wish I had taken a proper look on the contents beforehand now, that Leonel seems to have separated on the side for the occasion, taking the bottle and putting a lot of the thick liquid on his fingers without restrain, only for his clean hand to pull my leg up and pass it over his shoulder, the other naturally bending a little to accompany the movement. "I''m going to stretch you out, let me know if it hurts ok?" "U-uhm." I say, blushing but still very eager, especially after all the buildup and no release for the past minutes. I look away when he starts preparing me for proper s.e.x, but he, of course, doesn''t go directly to my hole, instead he starts passing his finger in between my cheeks, the cold liquid making me shiver, but nor more than his fingers teasing me by going up and down my crack, putting a light pressure at my entrance only to slide down again. But I guess even Leonel has his limits and that he was very close to reaching his. So this time it doesn''t take long for his reasoning to crumble and his finger to stop at my hole and start putting more pressure in, the small untouched entrance resisting the pressure until the tip of his finger finally gets in, but before he tries to go any further he forces the entrance open, wiggling the tip of his finger and making me take a deep breath as I enjoy the soft touches. Slowly but surely the starts going deeper, the lube helping easy his way in as his finger curves inside in small moves, all very smooth until he is knuckles deep and has reached as far as his fingers allow him to, the sensation of having something foreigner inside my back hole being weird yet amusing and hot at the same time. He rasps my inner walls with his finger, giving me a comfortable sensation that makes me sigh as he keeps exploring, twisting and turning inside and starting to take it in and almost out of my hole, making it get used to the spreading moves and widening up. At some point he puts more lube in, the cold liquid freezing in my warm insides, and after a little bit of that, with him patiently kissing my belly to keep his member in control and not f.u.c.k me without preparations he starts to pull the edges of my hole sideways, at the same time that his other long finger starts joining up with the other, going back to forcing only the tip in until the hole gave way for them. Two fingers in have me fuller, hotter, than ever, and I start feeling my insides were more cramped than before with two fingers making their way in, the comfortable sensation being replaced by something else as more of my inner walls were touched at once, two long fingers feeling their way in. Still he doesn''t stop there, and after he moves in and out of my hole with two fingers the starts to pressure a third one at my entrance. "N-no, it won''t f-fit, L-Leo!" He keeps giving his soft kisses at my belly and, ignoring my pleas, starts twisting his wrist to make the three fingers force their way in, and my unprepared hole resists the pushes, but not more than his stubbornness as he insists until the tips finally manage to get in, this time making me uncomfortable for how stretched and full three fingers made me. "Shh, is alright, we will go slow." He says against the skin of my belly, entering only the tips and moving it in circles to make me get used to it before going any further. At the point when he once more manages to put all fingers knuckle deep we are both at our limits, my unrestraint m.o.a.ns and sweating skin having him l.u.s.ting for me even more, an animalistic instinct taking over us as he goes back to stroking his member while fingering my hole. "I can''t take anymore more, I''m going to put it in so we can c.u.m together." At that point I had lost the ability to speak as his hard d.i.c.k is aimed at my entrance, the fingers leaving an empty space that soon starts to be filled up with the tip of his d.i.c.k, the head being far larger and more fulfilling than his fingers were before, hitting at my hole and trying to force its way in like a mad dog trying to get his release and humping at me, all self-control crumbling away. With a sucking wet sound his d.i.c.k finally gets in, but even if only the tip manages to enter Leonel doesn''t wait any longer, or rather, is incapable of waiting any longer and starts thrusting, going in and out, the small ledge that my hole gave not being enough for him as he grunted on top of me, sweat dripping over his exposed chest as he hammers his way deeper inside, the preparations for naught as his d.i.c.k fills me up to the brick. Of course, with such slow advance and yet increasable hammering motions, he is bound to find my sweet spot, and having my prostate receive a strong thrusting attack out of nowhere by his d.i.c.k makes me scream out loud and arch my back fully while grabbing at his back. "Leonel! Ah, ah!" Me, screaming his name, sends him over the edge as a wild animal he starts grunting while holding my waist in place, the force of his moves making the bed move and squeak as I''m left to be mercilessly hammered inside, the bundle of nerves being hit over and over and over again and with his hands holding my waist I could not even try to wiggle away as he hits it precisely until I could only scream his name and hug him tight with my nails digging on his back. "Leo! I''m about to-! Ah!" "M-Me too." He grunts without slowing down, standing more straight so that he could hit deeper and harder, bringing my leg on his shoulder with him and making so that my butt was completely out of the bed as his hands hold my body in place. As the climax finally hits me tonight it''s almost like all that hot boiling lava growing behind my balls exploded at once, my hard member gushing c.u.m out as my muscles spams and tremble, including my insides which makes that my butt and inner walls tight around Leo''s d.i.c.k and the already narrow passage gets even moister and cramped, pressing hard again his unstoppable member. And that''s what brings him over the edge too and, bending forward on top of me he grunts into pleasure, shooting his hot s.e.m.e.n inside me and reaching even deeper than before, the already hot sensation spreading even further. We fall on the bed like two heavy rocks when the climax is finally over, our ragged breathing mixing in the air and our bodies coated in sweat laying side by side as I close my eyes, trying to calm my body from the intense shivering and adrenaline. With my vision dark I feel a smooch on my lips and, when I open then up, I very unkempt sweaty elf is staring back at me, and somehow, seeing the always calm and controlled Leonel in such a disheveled state because of me makes me proud and warm inside. He releases my shackle and brings me into a tight embrace, our n.a.k.e.d bodies glued together as our smells mixed with each other, and with my head on his chest I can hear his heart lullabying me to sleep. With his strong arms around me and his chin on top of my head I go into a deep sleep, but not before he fondly says: "Good night my little hound, sweet dreams." "NmNight." I manage to mumble while I''m thinking of how could I dream of anything sweeter than reality right now? but I say nothing more as my eyes close and a goofy smile stays plastered at my face through the night. Chapter 133 - One-Hundred-Twenty-Two Next morning I have no intention of waking up that soon, the bed too comfortable and my body too tired from all the, y-you know, after the merciless treatment that the beast Leonel gave me. "Good Morning." I hear him say, already up and about, as always, and even if I had been taken back a little by his bold behavior I could not stop the smile from spreading on my sleeping face at the sound of his voice. "Uhmnm" I manage to answer back, trying to hide my face in the pillows for how bright this elven construction is. Leonel, however, has other ideas as he keeps talking about how he did not have time to make a fancy breakfast so he went with something simple, eggs and bacon on a toast, and that I was asleep throughout all the time it took for him to go, prepare the food, and bring it back in. At this point I give up going back to sleep and take one of the pillows surrounding me to throw at him, not really hitting him with my already poor aim plus my sleepy mind, but the move is enough to convey my feelings as I say: "You beast! Wasn''t I suppose to be ''well-rested'' for the important mission later tonight? What was that all about?" The prick just shrugs with a smirk on his face. "Someone woke up full of energy today uhm." I narrow my eyes dangerously at him. " But what could I do when you keep provoking me like that?" "Provoking? How so, I did nothing at all!" I didn''t, did I? I don''t recall "Of course you did, with the way you smile, the way you look at me, the way you get out of the bath with still wet spots over your skin" I blush at that, sure I should have known he would go further into embarrassing me like this. "Humf, fine then, next time I''ll do nothing, I will stand like a statue at the corner." "Oh, but even that wouldn''t do my little hound, as long as we are together like this in this lifetime I''ll be longing for you, no matter the occasion." Sigh, I guess this is my life now, a bold Leonel wanting to get laid all the time. The idea makes me hot inside again. No no no, not now, not again! Control yourself Thilgon! "Oi, behave yourself Leonel!" He laughs at that, and I soon follow suit, grinning from ear to ear. Such a boyfriend I got to myself uhm, wouldn''t have it any other way. "Geez, haven''t you have enough for today? After what we did tonight I would have you were a little more satisfied." As I was speaking he had already set the dishes on the bed, to tray dangerously supporting two cups full of juice as we each reach for our cups to sip on then and empty it up a little for safety reasons. "Satisfied? Oh no, I think I''ll never feel quite done, after all I have so many ways that I still want to rock you up with, so many places that I haven''t explored to the full potential yet and others that I want to repeat." "Oh really? Which ones?" Why do I doom myself down with such stupid questions all the time? I knew the effect my words had on him in the second they came out of my lips for his eyes deepen and he takes a deep breath, followed by putting the cup aside and bending over me. "Well, the first part I would like to taste again are those lips of yours that have been teasing me for a while now." He says just before leaning down into a kiss, the sweet taste of the juice mixing up inside our mouths as our tongues rubbed on each other. He lets go then and, I, with my arms around his shoulders, hear him say: "Then I would like to go down, and deeper again" He says in a husky voice, looking at me while his hand goes down along my body and my bent leg, only for him to surprisingly grab my feet and make me laugh from tickling their sole. I just react out of reflex and kick him back, and with tears in my eyes kick him again from making that joke on me. "You-!" He just chuckles while laying down on the bed, pretending to be defeated. "What can I say? You have beautiful feet." "Oh, never took you for this type of perv." I say while hiding my feet under the blankets to keep them away from this ruthless predator. "And don''t you even dare to say that my feet were teasing you too." I was right on saying so because the moment I do his mouth closes up again, a ''you caught me'' expression on his face that makes me want to kick him again, but this time I only smile while rolling my eyes and going back to the food. Our happy little reunion, however, is interrupted by someone approaching the door, and with a sniff I confirm my suspicions of who I thought it was by the pitter-patter I''m hearing. I sigh when Leonel''s attention is brought to the door too by the time a rasping sound comes from it, first only one or two, then the creature on the other side grows restless and starts banging on the door. "Yes, yes, I''m coming." Says Leonel while standing up and answering the door, only of the wolf-hound, Swiftpaw, to jump straight ahead without ceremony, barging in, and saying: "What took you so long? Humf." She seems rather annoyed and restless, but her next words almost make me choke on my food and stopped my following complains for I could only stare at her dumbly as she says: "Oi, you, hound King or whatever, give me a human form so I can f.u.c.k Lightfang!" Excuse me? Chapter 134 - One-Hundred-Twenty-Three Do I even want to know what the hell this wolf-hound is up to? Well, I guess since she barged in my room demanding stuff I have no choice anymore at this point. "Yes Swiftpaw? What is this urgent matter you have to attend to with me that is important enough for you to come barging in my room asking for stuff." Let''s ignore the exact words she used shall we? "Are you deaf or something?" I feel a vein popping on my forehead already, these hounds have a unique talent of annoying me left and right. "I want a human form, just like you gave Lightfang so I can f.u.c.k her!" The desire to facepalm is great with this one. "Surealright, but why now, out of nowhere? And you know what you are implying right?" I ask with my eyebrow raised and feeling that this conversation would be quite interesting and fun for me at least. "Of course I know!" She growls-shouts her words. "And I had a nice talk with one of those horned creatures, what is called devil? Anyway, he explained to me how to do some things and you cannot imagine the possibilities that a humanoid body gives, especially between same-gender s.e.x, and I immediately thought of what you did to her and how I could nimble at he-" "Wow there, you can stop talking now, I don''t need the details." Especially after last night, having experienced such details first hand. "So the demon convinced youand even when I tried to reason with you, offer power and skills, the only thing you want and that ended up convincing you is s.e.x?" "Hell yeah!" Oi, you should not be proud of it, look you are even drooling. Sigh, I don''t even know if I should be amused at it anymore, though I''ll light a candle for Lightfang. "Is that so" I look down at Swiftpaw, the wolf-hound now so excited, and my tail starts moving when I decide what to do of this situation. "Well, you know what to do then, go ahead, say the words." She seems taken back by my agreement, probably ready to force me into giving her the ability, but as soon as she sees the smug look on my face she growls, but then stops, as if reminding why she was here to begin with. I got to say, she really wants the action, reminds me of someone, I think when my eyes go to Leonel out of reflex, and his smirk makes me question if he is a telepath or something as I roll my eyes back to Swiftpaw. "So?" "Tsk." Swiftpaw says, annoyed and reluctant, but sure of her objectives. "This hound pleas alliance to the K-King." She chews the words out, almost as if the last word got stuck in her throat. I look at her but, of course, could not lose this opportunity to poke at her once more. "Uhm Nah, I''m not satisfied, didn''t seem genuine, right Leonel? And even more, who said I wanted your services?" I say, completely forgetting that Leonel could not understand her as he observed the situation unfold. "Y-you!" If it wasn''t for her fur I would guess that she is about to turn purple from range when I cannot hold myself any longer and laugh out loud. She bumps on the bed, annoyed, but I only brush it aside. "What?! Who told you to be so fun to tease with!" She growls. "Watch yourself hound, there will come a day when I''ll be far stronger than you, then I will teach you a lesson!" Well, at least in intimidation skills she was really good at, especially with her wild looks and her wolfish full of scars body and the glint of malice in her eyes. Not that I would admit to her, plus me being scared of her would never happen. "Ohhh, I''m so scared now please don''t bite me." I say, mocking her, only for her to jump up and bite my leg, the f.u.c.k! "Oi, you! That''s the way you treat your King?!" "You started it!" She says, then snorts. "Plus King? What an empty title you have there, I''m only using you to have certain abilities that interest me, so might as well be you serving me!" "Ha! In your dreams! And this is how you ask for something? I should have guessed coming from a wild beast like you, you have no manners!" "You-!" "Alright alright, that''s enough, stop fighting kids!" Says Leonel, getting our attention at the same second as we say together: "Kid?! Who is the kid here?!" "Kid my ass!" "You both, whatever it is you two are arguing about get this over with already so we can get prepared for later." At that he looks seriously at me, reminding me of the important mission we have later today. Leonel, Leonel, always the voice of reason except when it comes to certain specific lewd things I''m once more reminded how I was able to take that calm fa?ade away and drive him nuts, me and only me, and my tail starts swinging without my consent again when I mutter an ''Ok'' Back. Tsk, I''m not even allowed to have some fun around here, how boring I think with my tail wiggling. "Ok, alright, I accept you as my follower lost soul." I say sarcastically, making her roll her eyes before snorting and staring me down as if waiting for something. " Are you sure? I don''t feel any different." "Of course you don''t, I still haven''t added your abilities." "And what are you waiting for? Human form it is!" " You know there are two skills that I can share right?" She snorts again, looking away, tail hitting the floor as she sits impatiently. "Well, I want something useful, don''t even think of giving me crap." "Me, doing that? Never" I say, making her rise her eyebrows in disbelief. But truly, what should I give her Something Shadow related for sure since she is the only one with that element about now, all doggies brains who go all ''we liky fire, oragen flame goes fuu'', ugh "Done." I say after pondering for a while, knowing that one of the shadows skills I have stands out from the others, and thinking it could be of use later in other matters I decide to give her that ability. "You have now Shadow Dash, you can ''jump'' from shadow to shadow, almost like a teleport, is very useful in battle and while traveling." Before she could retort, however, her body starts to change shape and just like my shadows hers embraces her wolf-hound form, and a second later a n.a.k.e.d woman is sitting on the floor of our room. And I need to say that her human form is as scary as the wolf one; she has wavy wild black hair that is shaved on one side, scars on her lip, eyebrow and side of the chin, plus many other along the body, and a strong full of muscles body that screamed savage to anyone who saw it, not more however than her eyes full of vigor as she smiled and barked in Hound Language: "Hell yeah! The lack of fur is weird, and these two legs too, but hell yeah!" At that she stands and, surprisingly without falling down and merely wobble a little until she is already dashing out of the room while sniffing and screaming: "Lightfang! Where are you! We need to have a little chat!" At that point Leonel turns towards me, confused, and asks: "Shouldn''t we warn her that she is still n.a.k.e.d?" "Nah, the elves can take her, I don''t care." Sounds like fund after all. Let''s just say that it was a very lively morning for the elves that day Chapter 135 - One-Hundred-Twenty-Four After that strange encounter we finally manage to eat our breakfast in peace and walk out of Leonel''s room, already hearing the elves and magical creatures come and go, awake and going about their days. Before we go, however, we have cleaned the room up a little, and with that the subject of our next conversation came to be. "I told you not to look, you are too na?ve for that." Leonel says, mocking me. "Ah, really, talking like that you really thought you were convincing me not to look? It was almost a challenge!" "Just don''t blame me." "Humf, I blame you as much as I want." He chuckles. "Sure. Then?" "Then what?" "Want to try the others?" I give him a low kick on the leg. "Ouch, a no would be enough!" "No way! You pervert!" Only then we leave as I try to control my flushed cheeks, because indeed I had regretted a little looking at the rest of the contents inside the bag the devil gave me, and, uhm, well some I manage to recognize, some others I could only try and guess what they were for, and let''s just say my mind is very creative and all Seems like the s.e.x industry is very profitable around these parts too Never mind, never mind that at all, I don''t want to know! For a while after that we just walk, enjoying the easy-going environment and each other''s company, but even the amount of happiness last night gave me and with his calming company around, nothing in this world would be able to distract me from what we were about to do. And even I, always so confident and strong, am anxious right now, nervous about the outcome of this mission. Will I be together with my brother the next morning? Or will I be mourning them both? These thoughts did not help my cause, and without permission they keep replaying in my mind over and over, all the worst possible outcomes coming to mind, both dying, both being captured, of me never seeing them ever again, of this being the last time I see Leonel in front of me, or hear his voice and taste his smell. I clench my jaw hard, and I do not even realize when I reach out for Leonel, simply squishing his hand with mine as I keep worrying sick about them both. He looks at me but this time he doesn''t try to say anything, aware that no words would be able to comfort me now, aware that his pity and concern would only make things worse. But of course when your mood is already bad you can be certain that things will try to make it worsen even more So as we go meet the elves that were going to stay on guard and the elder elves responsible for the party; seemly an annual important one at that to celebrate, commune and discuss matters of state; we are stopped by someone in between out way there. And for a few seconds I think my mind is playing tricks on me as I recognize the voice and turn around with a frown. But there he was. Aeglos. My frowns deepens. ???Thilgon, wait up!" I''m tempted to ignore him, but seeing the situation Leonel takes the lead and intervenes, saying: "Aeglos, good to see you in good health, what happened to you?" "The Devil, she broke the enchantment in my mind." He says, out of breath and supporting himself with his hand on the wall. "Should you be walking around like that? You don''t look so good, let''s go back to the infirmary and-" "Hell no." Seeing such unusual words leave Aeglos lips makes me look at him in surprise and see that he really did seem odd, angry, furious even. Aeglos fuming, that''s new. "I am not going back there, chilling out on the bed and waiting while you two do all the work, no way." He says pausing at every word to give more strength to what he is saying. "What do you mean?" I finally open my mouth to say, and as his gaze turns towards me I can tell how affected he is by the situation, the pain, the anger; with himself?; the loss, the shame but, most of all, the determination. "I know what you guys are planning, and I won''t let you keep me out of this, no way, I''m going to help too. I''m going to make up for this, I swear, I-I need to save Hunthor." He almost runs out of voice at the end, and something tells me is not because he hasn''t been using his throat for a long time. I look at him, really look at him, staring intensely at his resolve, right at his green eyes as his long elf ears sat straight, obstinate and not falling back at my intense stare. I had no reason to trust this mission to him, but still I do, and I even may try to convince myself later that it is for the fact that my brother trusts him and, therefore, so do I, but in the end I know that I let him in the plan because like this I could have Leonel close by and not have them both at the same place, taking risks beyond my reach and protection. In the end it was just a selfish reason like that, not only because I could avoid losing Leonel in the worst-case scenario, but because I did not mind losing Aeglos as much. He is a disposable pawn. Some situations bring the worse of us to light. So I say, slowly and keeping a steady gaze, a fake calmness emanating from my voice: "Fail me again, Aeglos, and I''ll make you wish you were dead." I say, staring at his eyes closely and I can see the tension on his body as he answers, gulping down and avoiding my eyes, giving a weak smile as he answers, looking back: "If I fail again you won''t need to go far for me to feel that way." We stay in silence after that, our words sinking in in each other minds, tension rising at the promise and compromise, until, that is, someone interrupts us. It was an elf in the end, as expected from an elven city, and like any proper elf he tries to look aloof and composed, but my nose caught some anxiety and nervousness that he attempts to hide, making me even more suspicious of him. "Mister Palarran?" "Yes?" "A delivery just arrived in your name, Mister Palarran, since it did not have identification we opened it up to check for dangerous artifacts." I have a feeling I won''t like where this is going. "Well, and what is it?" "Well, I think you should check for yourself Mister Palarran." Yup, definitely not going to enjoy it. Chapter 136 - One-Hundred-Twenty-Five "So, mind telling me a little about what this reunion is all about and what have you talked out with the elves already?" I ask Leonel while we follow the elf, a short talk about politics and the part that matters to me the most: "I tried talking with the elders around here but, since I''m a halfling I''m not really taken seriously, and my connections are with mostly northern elves." Well, with all this build-up I already know that the news won''t be good. "Just tell me already, you know that I won''t blame you for it." Probably. "Well, for good or worst, elves are neutral in terms of war affairs since the Bringers of Magic came, and they intend to keep it that way until the demons are at their doorstep. If you think humans are stubborn try talking with an ancient five hundred years old elf." Well but that''s just stupid, neutral until we have no other choice, that''s just inviting disaster. " So they have decided to talk first with the Demon Lord Cain and have him agree to keep them alone and get rid of his controls on the remaining elves, in a way that you don''t get in my way I won''t get in yours deal. That''s why he will be there tonight, because he was actually invited." So they are giving no f.u.c.ks to the humans or other races beyond their own? I am reminded of the treatment Leonel received for being a half by the humans and I can understand their hatred, but still they were no better when they act almost the same with him too, only in a more ''polite behind the back'' way. "No shit. But why there are elves that will help save my brother?" "Because I asked for it, and because they have hunting parties already for this kind of mistreating magical creatures thing, Aeglos is part of it too." He hesitates a little, but continues. "And because I paid them to." "Well, great, they are mercenaries now." He shrugs. "Is easier to think that way. Private manners, private pay, no risk in bringing war to their people, though I bet Cain won''t think that way, there is so much they can let it go before looking like they are giving in too much. They can''t afford to look weak." "Well, doing their work well all the rest doesn''t matter to me." Look out for yours first, that is something I can respect, but they cannot blame me for doing the same. "I should have known that I would need to expand my connections with the elves, but they are so closed up for anything coming from outside and I haven''t had time to expand enough with the humans and my guild to have a solid relationship with them and" "Hey, hold on, I''m sure you did everything you could, don''t blame yourself. And I kind of understand them, I want nothing with this upcoming war either, Cain dragged me into this mess and the only thing I want is for him to pay and my brother back of course." We walk a little more. "So in the party what will they be up to?" "Stay on guard if things go south." "That''s it?" "Not much to be done beyond that." Well sure I supposed We follow the elf for a while after that, the idea of him being a traitor and this being a trap coming to mind, but vanishing after he, in the end, takes us where we were going to in the first place, to reunite with the mission center. "What is it?" I was growing impatient with this suspense, and I''ve never been a fan of surprises; even more with bad surprises. "Well" "No need to bark at the poor boy." I hear a voice from the inside and, as I turn around, the doors open up to reveal Hel coming out, in his man form again, and the moment I see him I already get annoyed for what is about to come. And that is accompanied by a wide grin on his smug face. "Oh ho, seems like you two enjoyed my gift" "F.u.c.k off." "Oh, don''t be that mean, I''m happy for you two, we should celebrate, I have many more of those if you want to have a private party." "Seriously?" He shrugs. "Was worth the try." He smiles, but coughs one he looks to the side were Leonel stood. "Aaaanyway as much as I would enjoy hearing all the details I still have many elves to help out, but our welcomed for the gift." He gives a nauseating giggle as he walks off, waving goodbye. Not going to miss that devil, though something tells me that he won''t let me go that easily, like any other of his kin for some reason. I roll my eyes at the thought. Focusing back at the room I can hear the chitchatted and discussing before even getting in, and once I step inside the room all the elven faces turn towards me, silence fallsing upon the room and, straightening their backs, most leave the place in a hurry, as if they were running away for what is about to come. A good omen I supposed I understand why after my eyes land at the open box on the long table, and as, for a few seconds, I only stare at it blankly, other elves, this time some elders, leaving too. But I understand their fear, because inside, in plain sight, is a shirt, my brother''s shirt, coated in blood and ragged into pieces, and at the top over the open lid of the chest there is a familiar black letter with big writing, simply saying: ''A small reminder to make sure you will be there. C.'' These words, that irony smell of blood, and the assumption of who it belonged to it is enough to make my blood boil inside my veins, but not in the bursting out kind of anger as the other times, but in a silent, bottle up kind of lividness. The type of anger that makes one''s body shiver for the killing intend is far too strong to be contained. The type of anger that makes one dead serious about killing someone. The type that makes me crack my neck and knuckles, ready to rip him apart. Because now I''m far more than ready to teach this Demon Lord a lesson he will never forget. Chapter 137 - 126 I look up, and the glint on my eyes scares the remaining elves out of the room, plus the enormous shadow that cames to life and twists and turns behind me over the back wall, giving away the anger boiling inside that my face tries to keep hidden which only sharpens my fa?ade, the remaining elf, the messenger from before, is the only one who has to take a direct order of mine to leave the room and to go on his way as well, having only me, Leonel and Aeglos behind. Aeglos quickly reaches for the box and looks at the contents closely, reading the words multiple times, with his breathing speeding up at each turn, and as he grabs the letter and rips it in half and closes the box with a loud bang, he turns towards us and starts ranting: "Who does this demon think he is! Outrageous! Repulsive! I''ll make him pay for this! " Seriously? Outrageous? Who swears like that? "I think the words you are looking for are ''mother f.u.c.ker you son of a bitch I''m going to drag you straight to hell you piece of shit''." I say, pulling a chair and sitting down, making both look at me with a strange expression on their faces. "What? Learn how to swear elves." "No, is not that, is just that" "Hm?" "You are strangely calm now." I lean back on the chair and put my feet on the table, no pointing in keeping this up now that we are alone. "Am I? Well, perhaps because that blood doesn''t belong to my brother." Both look at me in shock, and the first to question is Aeglos. "It isn''t? How can you tell?" "It doesn''t smell like him." I say, even if it actually does smell like him, they did a great job in masquerading his odor all over this piece of cloth, but one thing they do not know; and most do not for that matter; is the fact that I can see the energy, magic, around us with my third eye, and there are no traces of his energy in those clothes and blood, which would be impossible for blood is embedded with our essence. Which leaves us with only one option; that is not his blood. Even if I knew that from the start I put a little show for the elves to see and spread, of how ''angry'' that made me feel, because someone managed to sneak in to put this package here, and that someone would probably stay to check the results of its work Aeglos doesn''t believe me at first, but I insist without caving in and giving information that I wasn''t willing to share with him, and after some talking him in we are left with a very important question Cain wanted me to believe that he had hurt my brother, bad, and even send me this to prove it and make it known, and that would only make me even more furious at him Why? What does he gain in making me even angrier? ~~~~ Later that day we are finally heading out to the party, however before I can choose my own clothing from my pile of desert ones Leonel forces one of his on me, saying how improper it would be and how I should not show my belly so much from now on and other things I did not pay attention to. Of course I got mad at him for wanting to order what I should wear, but the other part of me found it funny; charming even; how increasingly possessive and jealously he is turning out to be, especially since we s-slept together. I only cave in in the end, however, because it was elven clothing for an elven party, and I did not intend to call attention to myself tonight, well, at least not for improper clothing or manner that is. So that''s why, in the end, I''m dressed in blue to, I quote, match the color of my crystal and frame my grey eyes, embroidered in silver with many curved lines and spirals, a simple dressing overall with pants and tunic but that only makes it look even more charming with the attention to small details. I finish it with my raven hair in a high long ponytail, and all put together like this somehow gave a refined look that is excruciatingly the opposite of my normal desert-wild look; but at this point I''m just glad that I''m not wearing women clothes for a change. Leonel, this time, stole the red from me, but when he gets dressed and is giving the final touches I''m not mad anymore; just let me tell you that blond elves really fit in well with red, it gave him a very s.e.xy look. "Shall we go?" Yeah, buddy, almost distracted me from the mission there, almost. Even before arriving at the party I could already tell how majestic it would be because, after presenting our invitations, I could already hear what sounded like fairies singing softly, only a harp accompanying here and there at first, the sounds of the forest mixing together as if part of the song, the water dripping from the small rivers crisscrossing the area, the fluid sound embracing the voice as two lovers humming together. And, well, what to expect from such ancient civilization, of such refined kin that has thousands of years of knowledge to build the most spectacular things? Of course my simple mind could not imagine it all, but my expectations were far surpassed, and that mere melody is enough to bring a calmness to the place, and all the elves that soon came to join us and walk upwards towards it in a line seemed to add to the ambience, most aloof and tall, a kin that cared about harmony so much that even the footsteps were light, and the voices low, as such so it won''t break the spell of serenity brought by the music of the forest. As a procession of divine creatures we all walked up closer to the music, the place coming to view with each step we take up the stairs. It was clearly a place made for reunions as even the city has a center to receive the guests; and had me shocked for not having any inns in it; it was made to look the most beautiful and in tune with nature as possible, filled mostly with open spaces, pillars with plants hugging then, barely any roofing beyond the main path and some round places put around to reunite elves under it with tables holding food on top of them, but the most intriguing is the work with the water itself, streaming around the pillars inside stone crevices made for it, falling down the round constructions as small waterfalls, making blinds of transparent water all around. All my attention, however, is captivated by a figure half emerged in the water on the side, framed by elves playing instruments, harps and flutes, a clear pool of water with colorful plants growing around it, some twisting grass too, and the torches surrounding the players were obscured by the shining image of what, at first, seems to be a mermaid, but with a closer look at the lack of a tail underwater I realize that it was, in fact, another magical creature. As it sang strikingly I can have a good look at her, the white-blue skin, the pointy webbed ears, but mostly at the very long hair that hid her body, with long strands that somewhat looked transparent and yet reflected the light enough not to be, with tones of blue and some stronger red mixed in between, and when I look at it overflowing the water and framing her body I realize that the n.a.k.e.d creature had no gender to speak of, the skin down there smooth like the rest of its body. As I pass it briefly opens its eyes and looks at me, white empty orbs gazing back as it nods in knowledgment, making me nod back as I pass. Really now the elves know how to make their party rather fancy. I wonder that waits for us tonight. Chapter 138 - 127 After that unique encounter with the water creature and the strong first impact from all this beauty surrounding me I''m left to stand awkwardly at the party, feeling that I did not fit in at all with all this luxury and high stander elves. What now? Should I wait for Cain to show up? Look for him? It is too soon I think, the party hasn''t even properly started, so he might not be in here yet. What was I expecting, to arrive here and see everything up in flames? Well, he did that once, but still So of course, when you are at a party that you don''t know anyone; and have no intention of knowing for the record; and yet for some reason needs to stay what is the normal thing to do? Look really busy and entertained in the food''s table. So that''s what we do, searching for the area where the food''s at, which isn''t hard with this nose of mine, and find it further in under a wide roofed circular area, where a line of elves took turns at serving themselves a plate at the very long table in the center, while others stood on the sides talking and waiting for the waitress to bring something towards their group. That''s what ends up happening to me as one of them approach, one arm at the back and the other keeping the tray steady with mastery. "Would you like to try some mister?" He offers me, and I take one without giving much thought, thanking him while my eyes go down to whatever I had picked up, a thin orange layer rolled around with some maple syrup at the top and a mix of ingredients filling it up. I bite the top, and as I chew I try not to offend anyone by keeping a straight face but this this taste like fruit with sugar and something too healthy and vegan for my taste. Oh, that''s it! It is vegan food, elves rarely eat meat, how could I forget? Covering my mouth while I try to chew this thing barely enough to swallow it down I look around for a place to hide the remaining piece, a garbage can or something, but as I look around and find none I start considering throwing it behind a bush, I mean, nobody will check right? Plus is fertilizer, no harm done there Before I can turn my plan into practice, however, a hand reaches out and scoops up the remaining food from my hands, and when I look back Leonel has a smirk on his face as he chews the food down. Something tells me by the way he is looking at me that he had some idea of what I had in mind for that thing, however with the crisis averted like that he points out at another long table to the side, far emptier than the other, and says: "I think you might enjoy those more." I sniff it up and agree when the odor of meat reaches my nose, and as I start walking towards there someone calls out to Leonel, an elf that I do not know but seemly from the north, and as they start chatting about I shrug and keep walking towards the table, no point in staying still there while the food is just a few steps away, though I keep hearing them talk while at it. "Mister Ereinion, long time no see, how have you being? Last time I heard from you you were going to make a guild down south in human territory, how did that go?" "Please, no need for formalities, call me Calien by all means. And all seem well, is just a matter of time for it to grow even further and choosing the next cities to expand to, I can only hope that one day I manage to reach the elven cities as well." "But truly it was a great idea to expand the services far beyond hunting and chasing bandits around, you manage to communicate the needed with the one to service it in a way that makes the community communicate between themselves and grow together, really fascinating!" "Haha, you give me too much credit." They keep talking about things that do not interest me, such as money and the market, and while I''m circling the table and looking at the steaming pieces of meat arranged around it with a great variety of jerky sticks, meatballs, beef egg rolls, juicy meats and so on and on that almost takes me away from ear dropping once more. "So how is your family doing? None of your daughters came today?" "Ah, no, they rather stay away from reunions of old people like us, too young those two, still a couple of centuries to go, though I think they may have changed their mind if they knew you would be coming." That picks my interest, making my ears turn around as I glace at them over my shoulder, but seeing Leonel eyes laying on me I dodge a bullet and look down at the food again and pick something at random to chew on. "It would be a pleasure to see them again." Wait, say that again? " But I must decline any further invitation." "Sigh, I know, and here I was hoping you would have changed your mind. Is hard to find elves with a keen eye for money like yourself, most or fight or play, especially as young as you are." "It is a pity really, but I''m already with someone else, and I have no intention of changing partners." "Is that so, I would love to meet the lucky one." I try to ignore them both and their conversation, but turning my back towards them only makes my wangling tail more visible. Time passes by as the place gets crowded and the tables are refilled a couple of times, and since I have far more than enough time to keep an eye out and watch for anything odd I take in this main area to the smallest detail, preparing for the upcoming battle too. On the contrary to the other open areas this one is bigger and has a very high curved ceiling that joints together in pointy ends, with a second open floor to hold even more people in, the railing resembling crooked branches made of bronze. It was quite impressive, as they always manage to make, pity that such seemly perfect kin is full of prejudice inside At the same time that an elder elf starts talking to all present, thanking for their presence, I''m brought back from these thoughts of mine and from the food when a familiar smell stands out from the many elves filling the place up, an odor that makes all my calmness go away as I clench my fists and feel the boiling flames burn inside. Cain. I found you. Chapter 139 - 128 As I search for him, this self-proclaimed Demon King, pinpointing that drifting smell among the crowd things starts changing around me, the food is taken away and the tables cleaned, chairs and flowers put across it while many elves start filling the already full place in even more. I keep looking around, inhaling the air, but no matter how much I strained my head there is no use in trying to find a single person among so many elves, and eventually I get stuck in between the crowd, having to push elves away from my path wich makes advancing a very slow process. "Thank you all for coming to our annual gathering." I barely hear an elf talk, but at this point everybody seems to get in position to watch the center where the tables are now and silence any murmurs to hear him talk, all rooted in place and making it almost impossible to move, so without even wanting to I hear them talk I end up doing so as he continues: "This year, above all the ones before, has many subjects that need to be attended to. There is chaos among the other races, and some conflict within ours. So please join our discussion, elders from within family names, as we shall decide how to protect our children once more." At that the crown starts shifting once more, but this time to allow the elders to step forward, many elderly elves that, for humans, would appear to have forty years of age, but probably were even older than the trees in this forest, all with those characteristic tattoos covering their entire bodies, some more, some less, and even among the elder elves there seems to be some sort of hierarchy for the ones with an older aura to them and the ones with more tattoos, even along the knuckles, fingers and long ears, for they sat closer to the first elf that was talking at the edge of the table. At that point they start talking about the demons, the human war that the south has with the north, and how things have not escalated between both sides since the demons started stretching their paws in the continent. The tone of voices raises when they start discussing about their reaction against it all, how they should not care about the demons or humans, and even if some try to say how is unavoidable that the other races affect the elven kin somehow the majority still believes in neutrality, or lack of interest in anyone beyond their own rather. "It has been like this for years, is what has protected us against the ravaging anger of the other youngling races, and we are not to change it now." Or so they told. I cannot say that I am surprised by the outcome of their conversation, having contact with the elven kin for so many years already that I almost thought the way they act with us, magical creatures, is the way they behave with anyone. One of the few places that been a magical creature has some benefits I supposed However, even if most kept to themselves as the elders talked, with minimal murmur around so they could hear them better, someone, a known voice, resonates in this chamber, bringing silence soon afterward as the crowd shifted to reveal his form at the sound of his words, all bodies turning and tiptoeing to see better. "I have a solution to your problems elders." At that all sight falls upon him, and I knew before his smug smile turns his lips up who that voice belonged to. How could I ever forget? My brother''s kidnapper voice. Cain. I should have expected that he would be so bold and confident as to speak up in the middle of a discussion with the elders, and as, growling, I start trying to approach, I consider that there is no proper place to fight him on and there are many innocent elves around, so I end up going against the flow and climbing upstairs to watch him better from the balcony, ready to pounce down at any given opportunity. After all I do not want to hurt nor be as impolite as to start burning everything up with one of the few kind kin towards myself. So I wait for the opportunity to fish him out of there, eyes glued on his figure as he comes closer to the long tables. He is dressed in some sort of armor, the silver plate mixed with some red cloth crisscrossing his body, as well as a metal rose on the side of his chest, a mix of formal attire and battle armor. "Interrupting our meeting like this, who is this impolite youngling?!" One of the older elders says, hitting the table with his fists in a loud bang, and with that heated conversations seem to burst out of everyone around. The elder who spoke first and sat at the end of the table raises the palm of his hand, asking for silence without saying a word, and in a few seconds all the murmurs die out again. "Mister Demon Lord, a pleasure to meet you, glad you could make to our meeting." "The pleasure is mine elders." He says with a quick bow that makes me want to puke, all this fake respect with clear mockery in his eyes. Proving to have a lot of self-control the leading elder says: "Sorry for this, Mister Demon Lord, however only elders can speak up at the table of discussion, and is even more restricted for outsiders to speak, so would you please refrain from speak out until called?" "An elder you say? Well, I''m old enough to talk with the a.d.u.l.ts." "Y-you!" The same one from before seems to be turning red as his fists hit the table once more, proving that even among elves there are those that are different from the most, and this one seems to be the fiery head leading kind, with battle scars and muscled arms to wield the slightly curved sword lying beside his chair. "Only an elder can make another on into an elder, and above it is a gift only given to those of our kin." "Is that so what a pity. Well, but since you so politely asked of me to respect your costumes, perhaps you may respect mine as well." "Very well." "Is that, really, I don''t care about all this bullshit, because with my kin is not the elders that are respected, but the strongest of us all, and guess what? I''m their king, so what that makes me? Don''t you think I have the same level, no no, an even higher level of importance than just simple elves that the only thing they did up this far is not dying of old age?" I don''t even need to say that the room irrupts in flames at his disrespectful words, and this time it took far longer for the leading elder to make all chatter cease, especially since the elders, too, are talking loudly at this point. "It seems debating is not an option for us anymore. I guess it was a mistake to have you with us Demon Lord, I must ask you to leave us be then." "Oh, but I haven''t even said what I came here to say. It is very simple, really, the solution to all your troubles." At that he is smiling from ear to ear, a full innocent smile that did not fit in with his words and character as he stares each and every elder in the eye, only to say simply: "You just have to bound down to me." That''s when the true chaos interrupted. Chapter 140 - 129 For a second all goes quiet, so much so that I think that I''ve become deaf for a moment, and I can almost hear the elves thinking, their brain cells absorbing what they just heard, confirming it, and as a bomb about to explode their wick burns down, setting them ablaze. And they exploded alright. Many shouts grow from the crowd, but even those who did not say anything and try to keep a elven befitting posture are red on the face and clench their jaws while gazing daggers at Cain. The Demon King sighs, moving his head back and forth in disapproval. "You know, is not like I''m asking really, I''m just informing in a matter of respect." He lets out a smile at the end, which completely obliterates his attempt of being respectful, if you even could call that an attempt. "I guess you all leave me no choice." He keeps talking as if any would hear him among the boiling crowd and pointing fingers, and I can only understand him because of my hearing and for the fact that I''m focusing on his words, trying to ignore the clamor below. "Though at first I intended to be friendly since the humans proved to be so kind to me." Kind? More like controllable is what you mean right? I think as he keeps talking: "And yet your kin is so unapproachable. I guess if you are not joining forces with me then you are against me." And that is the moment, the micro-second, that his mind seems to come to a conclusion, that he decides on what to do with them, and it feels like he is a judge sentencing them to their doom, a death angel positioning its scythe on the soft skin of their necks. Because the moment he gives out his judgment all the pleasantries cease and the change is visible in his face, how his muscles tense up, how the smile leaves his lips, and how his eyes glance up with a deadly shadow to them. Then his eyes widen and all seem to brighten up into a blinding light, and as I feel it burning my eyes, into my eyes, trespassing the soft meat and piercing deep within as if trying to reach my brain. I duck out of pain but soon hide away from the drilling light, flashes of it still blinking against my closed eyelids as if it can still reach me up here, an afterimage that chases away the darkness all around even under my eyelids or when I try to cover my eyes up with my hands. I just crouch over and coil, waiting for it to go away, and as if countless needles are poking without resistance inside my brain I can''t even muster coordination enough to scream, leaving my mouth wide open and my eyes close shut. And even without looking at the light I knew when he is done with whatever this attack is, as if taking the choking hand away from my neck for I gasp for breath, not even knowing when I had stopped breathing, coughing up until my mind can set still and easy down enough to think again. And my first reaction is to turn around and look at the scene below me. And stare in shock at what I see. Because the salon, so full of life, joy and chattering a few moments ago is now is dead silent, like a tomb, filled with soon to be corpses, elven convulsing, choking, as if their brains have been shut down, no screams or shouts or tears as the pile of corpses grow all around by the second, simply stopping all together. All dead. All of them, every single one of them, dropping to the ground from where they stood, piling up like sacks of meat, eyes rolled back with red tears smearing down their cheeks and agonizing expressions imprinted in all of them. "If I cannot control them, then I''ll just need to destroy them all." Someone says, and with a chill down my spine I look to the side, only to see Cain staring expressionless straight at me. When your eyes meet he smiles, ignoring the many bodies framing his figure. "And there he is, the star of the night, good thing I didn''t kill you by mistake, that would be awful from my part, even more after all the trouble I had to bring you here" I swallow dry, still a little shocked by his actions, and a little fearful for his reasoning for wanting me alive so badly. If he could kill so many so easily why not me, or my brother? So many times have I asked myself that but no more, no more for I will have my answer tonight. I''ll make him talk. "What do you want?" I manage out while clenching my teeth, standing up once he jumps on the railing, his feet curving along with it and keeping his body up in perfect balance. "Silly hound, isn''t that obvious? I want you." He says, the smile dropping from his face at the next words. "So, will you bound down to me, or" His eyes glance down to the side, but I don''t need to look to know what he is implying at. That''s when it hits me. This, all of this, is just a little play from his part, is all just a game, a show, all of it is staged so I could watch, all planned so he could show me what happens if I answer his demand wrong. For those who go against him, only death awaits. And that, how he wants to control me, plus the fact that he killed so many only to prove his point, feeds the flame burning inside me, and the shock, the fear, becomes anger. Ding C Warning, Rage Fuel at a dangerous level, Possessed Mode is about to activate, Warning But it all sounds at the back of my head. This man, these demons, I need him gone, now. Is my time to look up with my sharp silver eyes and say: "You will die tonight, demon." His eye twitches at that, and trying to compose himself he licks his dry lips and smiles. But that all I get to see from him losing his temper because the next second he is sighing, disapproving as he says: "Ah, little hound little hound, very well, I will indulge you a little once more. Come, let''s dance." At that I growl out in annoyance, sharp teeth in full disclosure, a grey tick smoky mist coming out from my nose and mouth as if to show how literally burning with rage inside I am. Chapter 141 - 130 I cannot contain myself inside this human skin, my shadow body overflowing over my limbs, sharp teeth and claws breaching forward as I change back to my hound form, already in a battle stance as I launch at him with my mouth wide open and stretching out my claws, but the moment I close in for a bite he steps to the side with a grin on his face, and as I touch the ground and launch straight back at him he dodges once more, and not satisfied in simply doing so he sidesteps with grace, almost as if he is literally dancing around with me, making a scene out of it. Making a fool of meLet''s see for how long you can keep that stupid grin on your face. Already aware that we have danced to this tune before I do not try to fight with my swords, but instead, already seeing red, I growl strongly and let my shadow run havoc, expanding its limbs like a formless monster, and with a last glance at Cain and a wild grin on my snout I step back into the darkness. This is the first time the Demon King frowns, for instead of blindly attacking him I fall back, not caving in to the madness of overflowing anger, but calmly stepping into my shadows until it swallows my figure, and yet it kept expanding, growing and escalating until it swallows it all, robbing Cain of his eyesight as, like a hungry beast, darkness stops the light from reaching his eyes, any form obscured by true darkness the place is in. You wanna play? Then I think I can work something out to entertain you to death. The darkness is almost palpable, thick like petrol, revolving on its own and giving the impression of movement, only voidness blackness around it. Out of nowhere ripples of movement appear on the shadow Veil and Cain is attacked by a hound, making him dodge to the side, but he barely takes a step back before another one leaps right at him, making him drawn his weapon for the first time to defend himself from the sharp teeth that embrace the blade. He pushes the hound back, making it fall down back into the darkness that surrounds him, the form being swallow hole as if vanishing in thin air, only for another growl to sound to the side as the is attacked from the opposite side. He swings the blade in the air with expertise, cutting the air in arches, however once he realizes that those were mere illusions as the blade hits only air, the real attack comes from below where Darkjaw launches forward and attacks with his skull long teeth deep into his skin, piercing Cain''s leg. He doesn''t scream in pain as I would have wished, only seems annoyed by it when he tries to pierce Darkjaw head down with the sword, only for my hound to jump back into the blinding darkness. Only to be stopped before he can go far. " '' Stay '' " I can feel the same burning sensation from before as Cain focuses his eyesight at Darkjaw, barely catching him up on his line of sight and not hidden inside my Shadow Veil, but even that doesn''t seem able to stop Cain from mind attacking once he meets your eyes and captures your attention, which is what ends up happening with Darkjaw as he starts howling and coiling up but submitting in the end. I suddenly realize at that moment that because Darkjaw has a conscious that Cain is able to control and take over like he does with humans, however there is a even bigger problem with this as I start feeling a weird creeping sensation at the back of my head, and once I realize the danger I forcibly cut my link with Darkjaw, making him disappear as I cough out blood for the backslash of forcibly cutting off the magic like this. I arf, but that was close; Darkjaw and Deadbite may have conscious and a rebelling nature, but they are still me, so Cain almost had a direct connection to my brain with my shadow hound. And that means I cannot use them and have to be extra careful about him taking control of my mind as well. I can only hope that I was quick enough on the draw to cut the link before he could enter my mind, but is hard to say when the Demon King keeps smiling innocently as if he did not just tried to brainwash me. "What? Changed your mind now? Why only try to control me this far in?" I growly say, hidden by the veil of darkness, fairly safe from his mind attacks since, somewhat, it seems to be connected to his sight. "What a curious hound you are, but you have only noticed tonight? My my, should I tell you why? Or should I not? Uhm" Little f.u.c.ker! I growl, making the building shake in the darkness, and angrily reach out with my now huge paw to hit him, a big shadow surging among the darkness, but one thing this prick is good at is running around and dodging like a f.u.c.k.i.n.g c.o.c.kroach. I growl in annoyance, which only makes him smile more. "Now now, shall we get rid of this annoying cover you have, shouldn''t we?" At that he swings his arms sideways, as if trying to get rid of a bug, and just like that he manages to dissipate the shadows overlapping over him, making a circle of blinding light that turns into a light shield around him. My shadows fight back, and in the end half the place is still covered in darkness as the other half that Cain is in is untouched by it. But the brighter the light, the bigger is the shadow that follows it. So I keep my shadow veil up and since I''ve never been good at range attacks I approach myself, dashing from shadow to shadow until I''m hidden behind him as I make Shadow Tentacles out of the massive black void of my Shadow Veil, slashing over his light shield and resembling a monstrous gigantic sea monster. He doesn''t seem worried, but that isn''t a surprise, and while spikes and slashes attack him from within the darkness they are barely able to reach him, most melting up as if burned down by the light and the other counter to the side with the tip of his blade, effortlessly moved aside. Freaking Demon Lord, how am I supposed to fight off a mind-controlling creature when I have no resistance at all against it?! This type of ability is rare for a reason, because is overly powering! He yawns then, saying: "I''m growing bored of this little game, hound, shall we finish this once and for all? You know, I''m a very busy demon after all, have places to be, people to control, you know" I snarl at that. Such a c.o.c.ky bastard. However, when I ready myself to launch a full out attack, covering him and his little bubble of light in darkness as I attack from behind, I start hearing people approach, firstly merely footsteps, then voices. "We are going to be late! The elders with have us skinned!" "Is not so bad, don''t worry, they won''t even notice that we were late, there are so many elves inside that our faces will blend in and Wait, why is so quiet? And what the hell is that?" Others to start appearing, and as I focus I can tell that there are still many elves around coming this way, unaware of the situation they are putting themselves in. I look over, only to see Cain looking in their direction, crocking his head and smiling, his eyes curving up in crescent moons, and I know after that that he heard them as well, and I can only guess what plans he has for them. Though I''m sure that they won''t be good ones ate least for the elves. And that I need to do something about it, and stop this mad Demon Lord from killing any more than he already has tonight. Chapter 142 - 131 I cannot give him time to think and act, especially since his attacks are one-hit kill on the elves because of how trying to mind control them makes their magic go havoc for incompatibility. So knowing that, even if I did not have resistance against his mind-controlling magic, I''m, at least, able to hide in the shadows and attack stealthily, away from his eyesight and mind attacks otherwise this fight would have ended far earlier. That''s why I quickly come to the conclusion that is best for them to stay far away and, as my growl resonates in the darkness and ricochets in the open halls of the otherwise silent tomb, I set outside ablaze by making the biggest Fire Shield I have ever done, feeling the price of such magic soon after and knowing that this low magic input will be the end of me. So I chose to rely on my immense resilience as my SP has yet to decreased at this point. As the fires burns high outside, crackling and reflecting the orange and red flames on the people''s eyes, I growl and sprint forward, using my Shadow Dash to make myself unpredictable and attack Cain. Because I''m starting to understand some things about how Cain fights and if it''s true then close in combat may prove to be useful now. With the pitter-patter of my paws against the floor moving from side to side as I barely touch the ground I manage to confuse Cain, making him stand still and try to guess my next move, however once I attack I use my Shadow Veil to suppress my sounds and, launching an all-out attack by using the monstrous-like shadow plus my illusions I pull out my shadow limbs with my shadow blades at the end and increase the reach of my attack, enough so that I manage to cut his face up, blending the real attack in between the illusions. A sneer of satisfaction reaches my snout as he howls in pain, however as he covers his face with one hand the other aims a beacon of light at me, and with widening eyes I dash back into my shadow the moment that bean of light focus its energy and obliterates the pillar where I stood moments before. It seems like I made someone angry. "Y-you little shit! H-how dare you!" He stutters out of anger, shaking from suppressed anger as his face turns towards me, a crazy look on his eyes as the other comes to view, a satisfactory cut running along it and covering his vision with blood. "YOU SC.U.M! You dare hit this face?! Don''t you care about what happens to your brother anymore?! I guess my warning was too light then! Maybe I should have sent you a tongue, perhaps an ear?! How dare you!" Seems like someone is losing it, though some words hit hard as I think of him torturing my brother like this, making me really hope Aeglos did not disappoint us this time around, otherwise I can imagine what you be of my brother then I shake my head. No, it won''t be an after this after all, we will end this, tonight. "No, I know what I should do My sons have peculiar tastes, perhaps I can let them have their way with him before cutting some limbs off, so I can give you the ragged remains of that shitty brother of yours!" Ok, that''s it, I think my last coherent thought as I growl in anger and dash forward, only to meet a new blade in front of my eyes. I manipulate my gigantic Shadow Veil to pull me back from the sword reaching slash, feeling the tip close up to my nose as I land down a few steps distant from the Demon King, only to look up and see the man with long black hair and armor standing straight up once more where before the boy Cain was. "I''m Mao Zexian, the Roaring Dragon, fight me hound!" At that, on a completely different level from before, he starts moving the sword and slashing the air so quickly that I can only see the afterimage, dodging by looking at his posture and steps more than the sword itself, and still being scratched from time to time. But that''s when my assumptions are proven to be correct. That Cain can change his appearance and somehow have another name I''m very aware of, but now I almost certain that, with that, his abilities change, almost like he turns into another person altogether, which only makes me think that, in this form that excels in martial arts, he is incapable of using his mind control ability. Which is what I''m looking for. "Now!" I shout as, at my command, a whip slashes out as if out of nowhere, aiming towards the Demon''s Lord face, but instead rolling around like a snake as the silver''s sharp blade of the sword used to block his attack. The other end of the chain whip pulls back, but the sword wielder maintains his posture and hardens his grip, none caving in under the strength and pressure of the others pull. However I do not give the Demon King time to recover from the sneak attack and jump up at him, pushing myself sideways in a circular motion that makes the two shadow limbs swing together, their sharp bland ends following the movement and spinning into a deadly hurricane of dark shadows and the glint of the sword-edge. With that he is forced to back up and step back, letting go of his sword that is taken away by the silver chain whip. With a slash to the side the weapon is thrown far and away from the Demon King''s reach, and growling I stare him down as Leonel, the culprit on this endeavor, comes out of hiding. "Such a sneaky c.o.c.kroach you are elf" The Demon Lord says, not happy with the outcome. "Took your sweet time there uhm?" I say to Leonel, who only shrugs and grabs the whip with his other hand, steading the weapon and ready to pounce back at the Demon King. "What? Five seconds away and you are already missing me?" I snore at that. "As if, I knew you would be ok." I say, but then ask: "You are alright, right?" He raises his eyebrow at that, too full of himself and his own handsome looks, which makes me roll my eyes at him. "Oi, are you two done being lovey-dovey?" The Demon Lord say, the known arrogant tone on his voice coming from that strange face. "What? Jealous?" I joke, irritated by his being, as he jokes back only to irritate Leonel as well: "What if I am? Will you serve me too?" The demon plays around, but his words do not match the angry glint his eyes have as he watched us. I guess I hit him where it hurts. Good. With that a silver whip slashes out in the air, shinning against the moonlight, forcing the Demon to back up even further, and even without a sword his footwork is still splendid. "Haha, so hasty, don''t worry elf, I will kill you too I''ll make sure of that." Chapter 143 - 132 As I used my trump card the relief that I thought I would feel didn''t come, instead a worry and a frown for how calm the Demon seems to be even after realizing we outnumber him and have just disarmed him. It wouldn''t be a situation where one would be calm and carefree like this, but here he is. As we stop to breathe, a graveyard for a battlefield, I end up asking: "Why did you do this?" Even though I knew these lives meant nothing to him, not the dare consequences of his actions, I still ask: "Why did you have to kill them all? They got nothing to do with you, they didn''t even intend to interfere with your plans, so why?!" The moment I ask he seems a little bit uninterested, kicking the hand of a body that had landed on his fit in the commotion, as one would do to a meaningless object. Without a single care or respect. "Is very simple, they did not play a major part in my plans so to avoid any trouble in the future I decided to strike while they are with their guards lowered and not have troubles with them in the future. Plus their lands interest me, so I''m thinking of putting trustworthy humans in care of them." You mean to control them to take care of it for you don''t you? "Really how important can your plans be for you to get this far?" He stops and looks at me then, moving his head to the side as if pondering about it as he says: "Curious aren''t we? Very well, since we will end this tonight, why not tell you? I bet you are curious as to how I managed to grow so fast and how I got to you so easily" That makes me really curious indeed, and I cannot stop my ears from perching up and my eyes to stare attentively, which earns a chuckle from his part. "So eager, very well, let me tell you" "Let''s just say that your friend Leonel wasn''t the only that came back in time with those little tricks of his" "What?!" I say in shock, not believing it for a second, so I stay in silence to hear him as he continues: "Yeah, I know all about it, how you lost your precious brother back then, how you massacred an entire race for that, how the continent burned with your rage, so you can imagine my surprise when I came back and not only that but your brother, your precious little brother was safe and sound And I know of things that even you do not know aboutAll my memories were intact from the beginning." "I know a lot about the future, so I prepared myself for it and well, changed it, just like you did to your brother, and know my kin is prospering, is alive and growing stronger by the day." I frown at that, attentive at the words he used. Prospering, stronger, alive? And the hesitation when he said he changed the now there is more to it than he is telling me I''m sure. "Indeed" He says, looking down. "My kin suffered many loss in the other past, and in the hands of those filthy cultivators who dare think themselves gods among sheep and harvest my kin like cattle in the pasture!" For the first time I do not doubt his words, the anger and sorrow visible in him, but he composes himself before losing all calm. "There is where you come in, my little hound, you, my friend, massacred them in the other life, I don''t know how you did it, but you just wiped them off the map like any other humans around. And I want, no, I''ll have your powers in my hands to end them, turn the humans who once idolatrized them and wanted to be like them against them, and squish the cultivators like the c.o.c.kroaches they are!" "I know, I know, you want to ask how I, magnificence Demon King, in all my glory, did not put an end to them already with my own hands, but you see, for some reason they are able to resist my powers, and I cannot control them like other kinds, and as my lackeys proved to be the weakest of them all I have to do all by myself. And that''s why I''ll use you, and you shall do as told, otherwise who knows what may happen to your brother But fear not, he won''t be needed after tonight, so at least you can find comfort in that." "Ha! As if you are going to let him free after tonight." At that the prick smiles mischievously, making me growl at him. "Well, he will find the same calling that you will in helping our noble cause. You two should be thrilled with the honor of serving me directly." He smiles, but something is odd about the way he does it, a slight curve that almost makes it look forced and sad as he says: "But hound, round and round we go, you keep asking me this and that when I have always been very clear of what I wanted from the very beginning. I want you, and I''ll have you tonight for dinner." I growl at that. "As if." That strange smile stays as he says: "Very well, how about we play seriously a bit then hey? Take off thisweak form of mine and let you know what I''m truly capable of uhm?" At that a blinding light shines not behind but from within his body, making us narrow our eyelids to avoid the burning sensation as, even if I still had many questions to ask, many loopholes of information to fill in, I''m left stunned with this new form that unfolds before me, and clenching my jaw I realize that things may be starting to get serious now, wondering if, finally, we are to see the Demon''s King true form. And his true powers too at that. Chapter 144 - 133 At that the blinding light engulfs his form once more, leaving barely the dark silhouette visible to those who dared stare straight into the light, and the form that unfolds before my eyes is as familiar as it is different. It is humanoid, but something in the aura tells that is far from it, weirdly enough having the same face as his ''Cain'' form, but only those similarities remain for the skin is a few tones paler, the hair oddly cut so that the upper part gives the complete impression of being cut short by the shoulders, only for a long hair to make its way at the back, hiding depending on the angle you looked at him. Oh, and of course, I can''t forget to mention the huge pair of white, fluttering in the wind wings, which prompts him upward as he hovers mid-air, giving even more of an impact as those huge wings move in the air, gushing the air into our faces. Before he or us say anything, however, those bright eyes, now the color of obsidian black that creates a sharp contrast to his pale white figure, making the eyes shine even more, like puppy eyes, let''s escape a single tear on the right eye that slowly draws down Cain''s cheek and chin and when he finally reacts and reaches up to it, looking at the hand and the teardrop on it like he has seen a ghost, the first genuine reaction appears on his face since we have met for what I can tell. A deep expression appears on his face, a mix of anger, confusion, sadness even, making him clench his fist with strength and his jawline to tense up. And yet such odd scene does not stop there, for the lonely tear changes color and does not stop falling, as if that single one has open up space for a flow to follow, but beyond that is the fact that is it not water anymore but a tick red blood that smears his white milky face, which only intensifies the tension on the Demon Lord''s body as he tries to clean it up in a feverish way that only redness his appearance and hands more. "You what have you made me do?!" He starts mumbling, closing his fist over his eyes, and the one pure image of an angel that he had at first starts to crumble as the wings start bleeding too, the thick substance flowing in between the feathers and soaking them into it so the once white wings are now completely red and dripping blood, giving the illusion of increasing its already big size even further. "If you had just obeyed like the rest but no, you had to face me, be so f.u.c.k.i.n.g stubborn, if you had bond down I wouldn''t have to I wouldn''t dare to how-how DARE YOU!" Suddenly the Demon King stops mumbling and screams, taking his hands away from his face and opening his wings fully, a crazy look in his eyes that tells me that all his restrain and self-control have crumbled under this form, which intrigues and worries me in the same level. "You hound, you of all people should know how I feel, you should understand! So why, even if you have done it once, even if you yourself had been a True Terror among the other races, why do you fight against me now?! Is that it? Is this some kind of sick joke? Does my suffering amuse you? So how can you have changed this much? How can you be on the other side? HOW?! I have come to admire you once, you know, how against all odds you still fought for what you thought was right, on how you won against all odds, and yet this intrusive elf managed to change that, managed to change you, but what about me? What am I left with? How can you have all this and I, I am no, I see, you, I hate you, despise you, how can you have what I don''t have anymore? I see, I need to change that, I will change that, I will destroy everything you love until you are at the deepest parts of hell with me again. I may have lost everything, but I''ll not lose to you! I will bring you down with me, we will continue your work, yes, I will make you continue your work, no, we will go further beyond, yes! Why stop on humans, why stop at all?" At that he is shaking, talking nonstop in a sick rumbling of loose words and thoughts, and once he looks down at us with livid eyes and a creepy smile on his face he suddenly seems to come to a conclusion, talking as if tasting each and every word: "I will destroy everything." At that the blood on his wings simply shotts out like a mix of spears and wh.i.p.s, so many and with such disparity in behavior that makes it hard to dodge. The only problem is thatthey are not aiming at me, but at Leonel! All these attacks at once, not even his chain or wind counter will manage to get rid of it all, so out of instinct I jump up in front of him and face the attack head-on, my bigger body protecting him from any attack that manages to trespass as I breath a fan of bright fire right in front of me, the very high temperature dissolving some of the blood but not all as they crisscross my skin with wounds. At the endless attack I start to run out of air to feed the flame, but knowing that it is the only defense we have against the many sharp red arrowheads aiming at us I close my eyes and tension my body to keep going as much as I can, but sooner than later I have to let go. And I do. Waiting for the sharp pain to hit me I close my eyes and finally breathe in, but the only thing I feel is the wind by my side and a slashing motion while it hits flesh, and a howl of pain at the front. When I open my eyes I receive the image of the Demon King with a hand on his cheek, blood smearing out, and a livid building up rage that visibly increases in his eyes. "H-H-HOW DARE YOU HURT THIS FACE! I WILL KILL YOU KILL KILL KILL! AUGHT!" Only at that point I finally see the Demon King live up to his name, truly looking like the devil himself as he howls an animalistic scream. Chapter 145 - 134 We have no time to react to his behavior change when the blood starts trailing its way down his arm towards the palm of his hand here it simply seems to condense in the form of a spear, and barely giving time to the liquid to solidify he flies down at us, dashing at incredible high speed that makes the tip of his weapon reach my cheek and graze my face even after I dodge to the side, separating me from Leonel. There is no pain yet from all the scratches with adrenaline pumping high in my veins, but I can still feel the warm blood trailing over my cheeks towards my jaw and chin, dripping from the tip of my fur. The Demon Kind soon proves that the spear is not his only form of attack, so when he passes by me next his wings fl.u.s.ter and reach out, the blood flowing from them shaping and solidifying into big curved claws that caught me by surprise and hit me square in the face, not only drawing blood but knocking me out of balance to the side. "Thilgon!" I hear Leonel scream, but I have no time to check on him as I stand, shaking the dizziness away only for another attack to follow. Shit he is fast, way too fast. Not taken by surprise anymore I manage to dodge the upcoming attacks by using my shadows pulling tentacles and my Shadow Dash too to overcome my physical limitations. However this cat and mouse chase only serves to infuriate him even more, baring his teeth as with livid eyes he stares me down. This time, when he screams, instead of flying down again and attacking us head-on, however, he takes the spear in his hands and motions it mid-air while flying, slashing the air in an apparent useless move but, to my surprise, his attacks manage to cut the air open as if it had some sort of matter for him to hit! Like an open wound it bleeds, the interior red and fleshy, almost as if it had muscles underneath, however there it stood, midair, with nothing around it, almost like a cut in space and matter itself, blood oozing out from underneath and hitting the floor. And yet it doesn''t stop there for soon after I see some movement from within the fleshy interior, cracking knuckles and long fingers coming out from a long wrinkled hand that reaches out and grabs the edges, then another, and another, and soon the edges of the hole are filled with grabbing fingers and poking heads, and the situation downs at me as those creatures start crawling their way out of there. Only to increase the number of legs and limbs that start appearing from the cut in the air, for the demons that surge have the appearance of spiders, some fairly normal-looking ones; if you don''t count being huge hairy spiders as odd; others with hands and fingers at the end of their limbs and abdomen looking like humanly face shape, and others, Arachne, have the upper body of a human and the lower one of a spider, the humanoid body sprouting up from where the spider head should have been. As their long hairy paws move them forward I meet the soulless black round eyes of them, animalistic and cruel in a way no normal animal could be. Of course not, after all, these must be part of his demon army, devilish souls filled those. They make their way around with ease, shooting webs and clawing at the ceiling and floor, and not long after the place is full of them, giving the impression that the walls are moving. I fall back to Leonel''s side at the overwhelming amount of creatures that start pouring out, more wounds being cut open by the Demon King as he flies around slashing and cutting, and at the bad tides of fate I''m left with some troublesome choices. How one stops and demon army and its King by himself? "Leonel, I''ll need you to fall back for a second." He frowns, ready to protest, until I explain my reasoning and plan. "There are elves outside still, we cannot let Cain bring all his army here, it would be the end of them. Let''s separate, I will deal with Cain." "Got it." He simply says, no need to discuss further when we are in such situation, surrounded by an army of demons that keeps growing by the second. Leonel goes to the border of the place to keep them from reaching the flames, but of course him alone is not enough to contain such horde, so while I dash to stop the Demon King from opening more portals I, too, call upon my on army, dreading how costly it is going to be but having no other choice in the matter. "Hell Army!" If the Demon King wants to bring me down to hell with him so badly I might as well bring hell up to face him! I feel my energy be drained by this magic the moment I use it, almost like losing too much blood at once, and I have to clench my jaw and shake my head to get the dizziness away as roars and scratches resonate from around us, bringing my eyes towards it to appreciate the magic that I''ve never used before, only to be stunned by the results. Well, one may figure that, with King''s Might and the King of Hounds titles, that I was bound to have an army at some point I just didn''t expect them to be made of my own magic. And they definitely ignored my Shadow element at that point for as they step out of the wall of fire that surrounded the place, silhouettes taking form from the dancing flame, they bared their teeth and clawed their way forward, no body to speak of beyond the orange bright flames that could barely be contained in the shape of hounds, from big to small, of all kinds. And that bring a howl of satisfaction out of me as they attack the demons all at once. Bodies clash below the balcony as I jump up to the balcony in search of their Demon Lord, screams and howls of pain from those being burned alive by my own army, however even if their body made of flames have immunity to physical attacks and have mostly come up with the upper hand in the battles that unfold, the nonstop stream of demons is too numerous to be contained by us two merely, still outnumbering us. With left us with only one option; to deal and end with the source of all of this, the Demon King, Cain, before is too late for the elves, and maybe for ourselves. One can imagine, however, when, to my surprise, his own magic backfires at him, on how what I see, moments later, brings a howl of joy out of my throat. Chapter 146 - 135 At first, as I keep searching for the Demon King among the chaos of the battlefield, my nostrils just catch some odd burning smell, and fearing that there may be some fire demons among his army; which would render my army and Fire Shield useless; I look over and try to find the source of it. Is not hard to find the source however when I glance backward for I see that one of the wounds in the sky is brighter than the others, the shadows deeper, and the contrast only increases as time goes and suddenly is turn out very bright and orange, almost as it set ablaze. Then a creature starts to take form, stepping out of it, fangs in display, eyes ablaze as its insides, almost as if made of pure flames under that scaled skin, and a huge paw opening the wound in the air more so the rest of its body could step forward. Then our eyes meet, my three versus his six eyes, and a full fang smile reaches our lips. Well, I didn''t expect our meeting to go like this, but I could not care less about the circ.u.mstances. "Hunthor!!" "Brother!!" We scream over the chaos at the same time, and for a moment I hesitate, wondering if this could not be a trick from the Demon King, until Hunthor, stretching his three big heads and showing off his Cerberus form, bites one of the spiders at one side and set a fan of fire with the other, only the head in the middle keeping a steady gaze at me as he gets closer. And of course, beyond all the other ''unimportant'' things happening around us, he jumps up at me, tongue out of his ablaze mouth, only to fall down right on top of me. I mean at least try to fall on top of me for he would always be miles away from catching up with my speed, so I manage to simply dodge his attack with ease by sidestepping to the side. I look over to him, raising my eyebrow, only to see his three heads pouting, ears down, with a look that a stray dog would have in the rain. I roll my eyes at that, then laugh and jump up right at him, bumping our shoulders and pulling at his ears, rolling him down like we used to do when we were pups. Of course, however, that the demons around us do not find our scene moving, and instead used our distraction as an opportunity to attack, only to be slashed by my shadow without much of a thought from my part. I have an all-seeing eye that gives me such advantage without giving away its abilities after all. Plus I wouldn''t just let these low life get in the way of my family again. Once I''m done bullyin-I mean, saying hi to my brother I step aside only for him to paw his way up and stand one more. But I cannot overlook the fact that one of the heads has a chain around the neck and others around the paws, still hanging, with bruises around it from pulling at the chain for days, with enough strength to make it bleed. I frown, anger building up even more in my core, but my brother bumps at my shoulder and brings my attention back up to his eyes once more. We say nothing this time, taking in the presence of each other, and smile. "How the hell did you get here? Are you hurt? Did they beat you? Are you hungry? Where you-" As the questions start boiling up and out of my mouth my worry increases with each word, only to be his time to roll his eyes at me. "I''m fine, don''t worry about it." He says, trying to calm me down, but before I could keep worrying myself sick about him and asking a million questions I hear something coming out from the same wound as him, and as I look over I''m left in shock to see all the people who came to our aid; and I would even say a little emotional about it, but good thing hound faces are hard to read. "Yo" Say Aeglos, a glint in his eyes that wasn''t there before, bruises and blood smears ignored for how proud and relieved he feels by finally rescuing my brother and having him here, safe and sound, and alive I may add. "For how long do we have to keep cleaning up your mess hound? Geez look at this place, wasn''t supposed to be a party?" Isaac says, complaining, but I could tell it was just an act to look tough in front of me as he is soon followed by that Templar of his, who quietly nods in acknowledgment at me as I do the same. A green dashing figure surges too, jumping right at me, and with queu queu sounds keeps brushing its face on mine, hugging me in a small bear hug. "Shu, so glad you are ok. Calm down buddy, haha, is alright, I''m not going anywhere, I''m not leaving you, shh." "That one is a brave pup." Says Aeglos. "Once I reached their cage he had already gotten Thor out." "Yeah, he kept me company too I''m sure they regret ignoring him" Says my brother, looking fondly at the small creature plastered against my face to never let go. I could not help but have a silly smile on my face at this point, and not even the ones that appear after my hounds manage to take that away, though I frown a little. "We are sorry, we did not mean for things to go that way, we never intended to offend you and-" I stop the antshiva twin brothers from going on, raising my paw for silence, and look over the guilty party. " Well, it was me who brought them up, so what? You didn''t really think that I would just simply sit still like a good little doll and wait for you all to die on me now do you? Anyway, anyhow, keep your complaints for later and we can have an hour-long discussion about it." Says Isaac, raising his chin and crossing his arm at the front, making me realize for the first time that he is dressing up as a man. "Glad to see with have come to terms with it." I say, pointing with my snout, and as he looks down he shrugs, out of words; and that''s a given. I wanted to talk more, to question more, to have more time for their presence to sink in, but clashes underneath reminds me of the dire situation we are in as Leonel makes his way up towards us, battling against the demons until he is right beside me, sweating and slightly out of breath, pulling his growing hair back and away from his eyes as he says: "We have a problem, Cain is going out of the circle. He wants to open his portals all around the land." And what he doesn''t need to say is that with his army free to advance outside, countless of demons, would surely devastate the elven lands and people more than he already has. I look at Leonel, and we exchange knowing glances when Aeglos, catching up with the situation rather quickly, says: "Go after him, we can deal with the situation here." I hesitate, not wanting to part ways with my brother so soon, if ever, not after what we''ve been through, not after knowing, after watching it unfold, on just how easily he was taken away from me once, but my silly brother says: "If we do not deal with him this nightmare won''t end. Just go and teach him a lesson! You are a good professor after all." He complements with a cheeky smile. "We can handle things here, now go!" " '' I''ll be alright.'' " He says in my mind once more, reassuring, calm. So that''s what I do, leaving with a heavier burden than I have from coming in, not only to end this quickly for the safety of all my companions and my brother, but for the safety of the only race that has taken us in and cared for us for many years. I set my gaze to the horizon, and narrow my eyes for the challenge that is up to come. Chapter 147 - 136 I lick my nose as the wind hits my face and brushes against my fur, ready to jump out in pursuit when I feel someone jumping up and landing on my back, and as I hide a small smile I look back only to see Leonel ready to jump into action with me, the sweat glistening against his skin has his hair moves with the wind, looking strong and beyond s.e.xy as he joins forces with me. We lock eyes for a moment, no mockery, no hesitation, only determination glinting in our eyes as we nood to each other. Then I jump out, leaping over trees and my own Fire Shield with one single leap from my enormous form, a white skull taking form over the darkness of the night. Gripping at my fur and steadying himself on my back Leonel, with a sword in hand, keeps a watchful gaze at the sky. "There." He says as my huge paws touch the floor and I look over the trees, hearing the beating of wings and fl.u.s.tering of clothes on the wind from the blood angel up above and seeing a white dot in the distance. "He is about to open another one! Get us closer now!" I hear Leonel say, and without question I answer by quickly bending my hind legs and jumping up in the air, the moon framing us from behind as we surprise the Demon Lord who, with his sword at hand, does not react fast enough to dodge when Leonel uses his chains to coil around the sharp blade and pull it out of his hand forcibly. "You!" The demon says, but Leonel doesn''t waste his time and throws the weapon far away, and I use the opportunity to attack the Demon King as well, however without the surprise element this time he dodges to the side so I only scrap his right-wing, which is enough to at least bring him down with us. Dust comes up when we land on a part of greenery on the side of the elves building that still burns bright in the night, but only because of my protective Fire Shield gave the illusion that the building itself is on fire. "Give up Cain! Stop this madness at once!" "Madness?! You think my mad? No, no, I''ve never had a clearer mind then now! But my words do not reach you it seems, not with this ''you'' from now, so I won''t waste them anymore. Is that saying, right? Do not waste a good seed in a poor soil so let''s enrich that mind of yours, shall we?" I don''t like the way he is sounding, like he already won, as if we are no threat against him at all. "After all is about time for my special attack to start working on you after all" He says, and I only have time to frown at his words when, almost as if my body is played around by strings attached to his fingertips, a sensation starts crawling from inside, a tingling that goes up my neck and behind my eyes, making me close my eyelids, reaching my brain and putting pressure similar to a hand closing in on it when I hear Leonel''s worried voice fading away as I try to resist and throw my head back, but the effect of such attack is almost like it turns my muscles into steel, and my mind seems to detach from my own body as it gets harder and harder to move. "Ah, ah, silly hound, preposterous elf, did you really think that I had only one way to take over other''s mind? Such a blunt weakness, have to look someone in the eye but is funny how, letting that weakness out in the open, made you lower your guard down just like the rest" He nods sideways, and with a victorious smile says: "Is in my blood, you see, the very on that I use to attack and the very one you dashed head first to protect your elf lover from so silly, just what I wanted, an easy way in, and those wounds I made on you were the perfect entryway, pity that it takes some time to settle in, especially so far away from the head, but fear not, there was nothing you could have done, is destiny that, tonight, you would be mine." I start shaking against his attack, but I can do nothing against the increasing detachment effect that his blood working in my insides and mind has. "Now is time, little hound, for your mind to take a nap." At the snap of his fingers his dormant blood attacks all at once and, as I start to pass out, my eyes being overwhelmed by a voidless black crawling from the sides and taking over my vision, my mind goes blank and sunk into nothingness. There is no resistance, no reaction, just as no matter how much you wish to be cured from a disease you still get sick. Is beyond my control, is physical, is magic, and is already inside me. Taking control over everything. At the long lasting chilly night the gigantic black hound visibly stiffens when those words reach his ears, and the elf on top of him, with crescent worry appearing in his eyes and face, finally looks down, and with a soft voice calls: "Thilgon, are you ok?... Little hound?" He says a few times, no response coming from the furry creature underneath. At that, to his surprise, the big hound face shots back, as if electrocuted to life, and as the snout turns back and the eyes come to view the elf has a creeping sensation that starts a cold sweet from running down his back, for these eyes are not the ones of his lover, but from an empty vessel moving by command. And snapping its jaws backward, trying to grasp at him with his big sharp teeth. The elf jumps backwards and dodges the awkward attack, the chain he whipped before coming together to form a long sword, the silver glinting against the moonlight as it stayed between him and the gigantic hound. "Thilgon! Snap out of it!" As the other simply stays quiet, not even a growl of anger out of its lips nor the slightest expression of alertness that the one attacking should have, the elf turns his attention to the flying angel, who hovers closer to the big shadow and pats it on the skull''s head. "You know, I have you to thank for the opportunity too, you may have played your part in ruining everything, but at least now I have the chance to make things right." "And how does killing everyone makes things right?! You are just crazy!" At that the Demon''s King jaw tenses up, but he smiles as his hands creeps up and down the rocky skull. "You know, the more desperate, anguish, and out of control they are, the easier it gets for me to control them, so that''s why I always put a lot of effort in being calm and untouched by others opinions, but you two have the gift to piss me off!" The hound, as if driven by his emotions, leaps forward and attacks with its claws extended, but the mindless being has no wish or impulse, so the speed and strength are meager in comparison to the hound before. Still with such a big body the elf has some trouble in defending himself, one step of the other counting as a hundred of his, and by using his whip to pull him back he manages to escape by only a little. "Ah, I see, I know, how about this, I will give you two another chance to see each other before I kill you and consume Thilgon''s mind, just when he is about to kill you by my orders!" At that the hound attacks again and again, and in the middle of it all the bleeding angel manages to sit on top of the skull head, somehow having perfect balance as the creature leaps and attack, his hands going down and touching the skull, only for a pool of blood to form under his palm and trespass the skull barrier underneath, which absorbs the liquid like a sponge. "Now is time, Thilgon, silly hound, time for you to became mine. Is a pity though, I actually liked you, it will be a shame to destroy your mind." "The last thing I can do is to promise you that I will take good care of your body for you, though no such thing can be said about your lover I fear " "But for now" "Goodbye." Chapter 148 - 137 I can hear the flow of water gently dripping outside, the wind softly whooshing and brushing leaves and the creaking wood, complemented by the sound of birds and small animals that make themselves known from time to time. My eyelids have never been this heavy, and as I slowly manage to open them I have to wait for my vision to adjust to the light coming from outside, and the first image that reaches my eyes is that of a wooden ceiling with small crevices that let the light in over my head. I sit, and the quick movement makes me close my eyes again and wait for my head to stop spinning and my stomach to stay in place. I''m in a familiar room, with its wooden walls and double paper doors, and I''m certain of it when I walk out and find the living room, with its fire on an opening on the floor, and the corridors that lead to outside. It cannot be, this place was destroyed by those shadow figures not too long ago! And still here I''m, at our hidden place, and yet something seems off about it, like it is not the place itself, but only an image of it, as it just resembles the place and I''m not truly there even though there is nothing out of place to give me such strange and strong impression. But I comprehend that I''m far from understanding this place, wherever the hell this is, when I open the doors that lead to the outside For what meets my eyes is not the lake with fishes and a path among the trees, but a full out overlooking landscape with a moving carpet of clouds down below covering the ground floor until where the eyes can reach as the building stands at the top of a mountain. Where am I? I frown as I overlook the place, finding a path on the side along the edge of this mountain, and as I glance once more towards the clouds below illuminated by the morning sun I make my way down and about the place. Waterfalls are crisscrossing down from the peak of the mountains, some trees here and there crooking their branches and hugging the walls with their roots, and the wind brings the leaves from the floor up to add to the majestic scenery. Yet as I walk I never go down enough to touch the clouds, nor to see what is down below, a beautiful yet isolated place this is as the only unnatural made part that I can see thus far is the building from where I came from, standing tall and overlooking the scenario. I''ve never felt this calm, and yet this empty, as if all my emotions were taken out by hand, a fake construction of serenity. I pass by a river interweaving the grassy lands, seeing and recognizing the stone along its path as the river from my childhood, where I played as a young hound with my brother, and behind it stood the cave where we were born, not shallow or deep, but with a sense of lodging familiarity Even the smell is comforting, and adding the wet smell of the earth and the soothing sound of the river, it almost seems like paradise. Is that is? Is this heaven? Have I died? I should feel sad, anger, anything, and yet nothing but forced emptiness eats its way inside my heart. No that not right, something is not right. As the sun shines up above it rays seem to guide my vision forward on the path, and as its blinding reflex fades I see a lone tree on top of a hill up front overlooking the cloud river down below, and as I approach, passing over other trees that have a familiar construction on top of them, made of wood and filled with plants, I can see a figure take form, a silhouette of a person under the cover of the red leaves. I narrow my eyes but stop to watch from a safe distance when I reach the overlooking area as the person rests his hands on the white branch, the wind shushing the red leaves and his blond hair in a smooth motion. ...Leonel? Is that you? Are you dead as well? No that''s not it I''m soon proven wrong when, giving a few more steps closer, I warn the person of my presence by stepping on a twig, who turns his face to the side and says in a soft voice: "Hello Thilgon, did you sleep well?" "Cain." I say, a feeble of my anger managing to make its way towards my voice. "Why are you here? What have you done to me? Where are we?" "So many questions, I guess even now I cannot control that temperament of yours" "Control?" Then it downs me. "You did it, you managed to take control of me." "Yes." He says, but there is no satisfaction in his voice, no sarcasm, to happiness upon winning, just stating facts. "And now what?" " You die." "But how can I be of any service dead? You already in control, what is left to lose?" "I don''t intend to just control you, plus it takes a lot more effort to keep such strong-minded creatures at bay. I have other plans for you." "Such as?" " I will absorb you. Everything you have, your memories, your feelings, your powers, forms, everything. We will become one, so you will live, in a way" "Why? Why would do that? Are you only after power, is that it? Why go this far too" He shakes his head, never looking me in the eyes, or rather, not even turning around to face me as we talk. "I tried to make you understand, I tried to convince you to join me without the need of" He opens his arms then, palm upwards as if showing the place. "This. And yet the only part of you that did not change is your stubbornness." "Really? Is that your excuse to take my life?" He nods again to the sides, and that empty hole keeps sucking my emotions off, even though I''m still angry at the situation, at him, is almost as I''m too tired to even react. "I think you at least owe me an explanation. What is this place?" "Your mind." He starts pointing with his chins." Up here is the good part of it, the memories, the ones that keep you afloat. Down there" He says, turning his eyes down and making me walk towards the edge and manage to look down for the first time. "Is the repressed ones that you want to forget." Well, that much I quickly figure it out. On the contrary of up here down there is dark, midnight dark, some tall metal buildings creepily hovering in the darkness, yellow light coming from inside those empty places. But the most eye-catching is that, beyond that, I can not tell the details of anything for the ground floor is completely ablaze, a red and orange flame covering all the ground and only being hidden by the thick clouds up above. I see, so this is my mind "There is a way for you to see the truth, however." Cain says, a glint of hope in his eyes that brings a frown to my face; such happiness for the possibility of not having to kill me, why does he intend to do it in the first place then if it hurts him so much? And why does he care to begin with? "There is nothing to lose anymore?? I may as well show it to you, perhaps then you will understand, will remember." "What are you talking about?" He looks over then, and I understand what I''m felling off about him in this mind place, is that, in this mental representation, his fake fa?ade cannot reach, here his heart is wide open and bleeding for anyone to see. "I will make you understand why am I doing this, why I must take revenge, why you must if not you, then no one will understand, no one will no one will truly join me." He gets closer to me, but I do not see him walk, and as he puts both his hands on the side of my face, covering my cheeks, he says. "Yes, you will understand I''ll make you understand." Chapter 149 - 138 ''I was born in one of the fiercest and scorching places inside demon territory. Rotherhithe, the edge part of the island, surrounded by water, southwest from the main continent, and, as the place is already tropical and hot as is, beyond that the Demon''s territory seems to have been blessed with even more heat, volcanoes and Fire Dungeons commonly found across the land, rivers of lava here and there. In the heart of such blazing place is where I came to be, inside one of the many labyrinths underneath the earth, lava pools and rivers crisscrossing the rock stones of the dungeon, a mere monster upon millions born from the thick magic present in such places, another creature to feed the cycle of energy exchange upon death.'' As the explanation goes on the Demon King''s voice sounds in my head describing, wistfully, his past, our eyes open as one to reveal the place he just told us about, our eyes glancing at the burning heat and closed in walls surrounding the place, truly seeing thought his eyes as his memories seemly play in front of us. ''And as you may know, felt yourself, the most dangerous and difficult part of our lives as non-human creatures, wild beings, is always the beginning, when we don''t know, when we are left alone to fend for ourselves, when we fear the most and are met with our weak state time and time again.'' As he says it, like a speeding up movie, flashes of his life pass in front of our eyes, creatures far stronger than him crawling over the walls, chasing him down, hurting him, not carrying about his age nor his inexperience, in fact, taking advantage over it, focusing on the easy meal laying in front of them. I can understand that, can relate, I had the same situation happen to me, being hunted by humans, lions, all sorts of creatures for all sorts of reasons, the only difference being that I was not alone through that journey, and for better or for worse had my dumb brother in my side, always. And yet, worst of it all, from the very start Cain was alone, scared, and locked inside this maze dungeon with creatures far stronger than him. He had only two options left for him; run away, or die under the paws of the stronger creatures. Still there may be many injustices in this world, especially in such barbaric way the wildlife has, but none of it excuses him to act the way the Demon King has! He has no moral to say and complain if, in the end, when he is at the top and has the power however ends up doing just the same as the strong creatures from his past! That is just repeating the cycle! With our minds bounded like this none of my thoughts escape his grasp, and neither does his from me as I can hear his voice echoing with the words: ''such grand words coming from the Terror hound who decimated a race out of anger. You have grown weak, a mere shadow of your true former self. We are here to fix that.'' Are we? I think back. Or are we here just to feed your ego? You want to prove your point, you want to make yourself the victim here, but I''m not buying it. I can feel the annoyance through our link, but as always he swallows his emotions down before they can flourish. ''Let''s see about that'' is the last of his thoughts when I''m swallowed by his memories again, almost like he pushed me towards the front seat, and gave me no time to adjust as emotions that are not mine threatened to sweep me away. The Demon King continues: ''I learned from a young age how the world works, the weak are to bow at the will of the strong, and yet I survived, day after day after day in such dangerous place made to kill its residents, even the walls were predators at that point, however I soon realize that there was another choice for me to make, that I did not have to run or die, because I could become the one chasing, I could be strong, I had to to survive.'' ''It took me years of hard work, such as you have too, battles to the death, all at stake always, the flip of a coin where I could as easily take a life or have mine taken until, there is, I found it.'' ''The exit.'' When he says it stone stairs leading towards the bright outside appear in front of us, hurting the eyes with how bright that small sunshine is for the eyes adjusted to the darkness of the caves for their entire lives. ''I made it out, out of that shifting maze, out of that death trap, and lived for a few years above ground, and there were not as strong creatures up above, something to do with the thick magic dungeons have, and yet, when I found peace as I stood on top of the food chain none of that satisfaction I eagerly wanted came, instead only a sense of emptiness, of not knowing what to expect now, of being done with everything, of reaching the end, somehow.'' ''I remember thinking, is that it? This is all my life came to be? Like a wild beast I only here to hunt and be hunted? Like the trees my only reason for existing is to one day go back to the earth that made me? To feed the cycle once more?'' ''I don''t want that, never did.'' As his words sink in my own mind starts to wonder, my resistance feeble against the avalanche of emotions, but my eyes widen once his memory goes to him in the forest, looking down at a pool of water, at himself, for what is reflected there is not the Demon King I know, but a monster. I try to free my mind for that line of thought, but I realize soon that these are not my thoughts, but the Demon Lord himself as he stares at his own reflection, the hundreds of pairs of eyes staring back at the monster. ''You understand now, don''t you? Like this I''m but a mere beast in the eyes of all I did not have what you have, a disguise, a human body, I''ve always been this.'' ''And yet'' ''And yet, to my surprise, even after years of solitude, even after years of emptiness, someone accepted me, someone saw me for who I truly was only to be taken away from me.'' At that our eyes focus on the scene at hand, of our presence at the lack, on how a bush moves to the side catching our attention and making us stand in guard for the upcoming attack that surely was about to unfold like it has many times before, only to meet the eyes of a scared boy wide openly staring at us, but as silence sets and none attack his surprise is substituted by a smile as the boy puts the basket down to the side and tries to approach, bare feet digging in the earth. However the same cannot say about me, for as closer the boy gets, the more shocked and surprised I get with what I''m seeing, because I recognize that kind bright smile, that blond hair moving with the air, the only different part being the not blue but dark pair of eyes curving up at us. And how could I now recognize him? After so many encounters, so many fights, after staring at such smile with boiling anger burning inside, for this strange boy that approaches simply has the same appearance Cain has! Chapter 151 - 140 ''HOW DARE YOU!'' ''I just stated the truth.'' I say, managing to separated my own thoughts from his as he loses control of himself. ''HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF SUCH THING! H-HOW CAN YOU.!'' I close my eyes at that point, feeling overwhelmed by his screams and thoughts, his mind attacks piercing my skull with long metal needles. ''How are you allowed a different ending?! HOW?! After all these years, waiting, searching, I still could not see him! No vengeance brought peace to my heart, even this rebirth did not bring him back, and WHY?! Why are you the only one allowed to have a different ending?! HOW?! This is unacceptable, unforgivable '' ''It is all his fault'' He says, rambling in a mad dash of words. ''That elf of yours, is his fault! If he did not used that magic, if he did not used that rune and brought us back, I may had a chance! But now is gone, is all gone, he doesn''t exist in this world, in this reality, all gone gone gone!'' ''I won''t allow it, I won''t. I won''t have happy endings here, if he is not back, if I''m the only one left to suffer, then I''ll destroy you all! None of you will be allowed happiness, none of you will live! I will destroy this world, let the void consume it, there will only be nothingness left!'' This is the point where I discover that Cain, the Demon King, is truly mad. ''And I will start with you two.'' I cannot digest his words in time when the once turbulent view comes back on, but what I see makes me freeze in place as cold sweat coats my back and a crushing terror coils its way around my heart, suffocating. For I''m not looking through the Demon Lord''s eyes anymore, nor I''m seeing his memories, but I''m gazing with my own eyes up above in my Terror form, staring down at something under my paw. And as the paw is lifted, his image comes to view. Crushed, ragged, coated in so much blood that is hard to tell how many injures he has at this point, on how his silhouetted, plastered on the floor, doesn''t seem quite right, on how I can tell that he maybe be injured pass the point of... recovering from it On how even his blond hair is coated in red, and how his golden eyes are filled with pain as my paw crushes his insides. Leonel! He moves to look at me, as if hearing my voice, but the Demon King does not allow it and kicks him to the side with my own paw, only to stop him from rolling away with my other paw. ''No eye contact! No goodbyes! You are not allowed to say goodbye, just like it has been denied for me!'' The sadness and pain cave a hole inside, but that pool of emotions soon starts to stir, and the more it filled up, the faster it seems to move inside, all set ablaze as pure fury is fuelled by such emotions. But time seems to stop when, beyond what Cain had in mind, Leonel still musters the strength to look up at me and, as if looking pass Cain''s control his gaze pierces my eyes, and no sadness, no fury, no judgment obscuring the light shining from his golden orbs as he weakly raises his hand, only to rest it on my snout and brush it ever so softly. "Shh, is alright, don''t be sad, it is not your fault, my little hound, I will-" I was mesmerized by his actions and words, too scared to miss then to even breath, but the Demon King on the other hand though that his actions were atrocious and pushed my paw down even more, taking the air out of his lungs until he could speak no more. As Leonel eyes close and his hand hits the floor, his like time has slowed down to this moment, all the chaos around blocked as I watch Leonel, Leo, my lover, my love, die under my paw. "Don''t worry Thilgon, there is no reason to be sad, you will be joining him soon." Says the Demon King on top of my head. And that''s when I lose it. Ding C Warning, Rage Fuel pass limit, Possessed Mode is being activated, Warning All I see is red. Like a wild mindless beast I growl as I have never before, making earthquakes out of my howl as I set my own body on fire, making the Demon Lord fall back while hissing in pain. "How is this possible! You should be under my power, under my command, so how are you fighting back?!" He says while holding his burned hands in front of him. His words reach deaf ears for I have no mind left to understand him, and he soon discovers that when I rush up and claw the air, his dodge being on point to avoid bigger damage than the scratches on his arm. But he watches with widening eyes when I do not stop there. Unstoppable, unreasonable, I slash and slash and slash to destroy it all, setting the mountain ablaze as my hellish figure rises above the smoke and flame, a white skull staring amidst the red dancing flames. My own army is strengthening, attacking with fury and fierceness, looking more than ever as if coming out from hell itself. Chaos all around as the true Terror unfolds.z Then elven mountain set ablaze, hungry flames licking the skies. However I do not pay attention to anything beyond my target bleeding out in front of me, changing forms back and forth, a desperate attempt to fight me back, sword flashing, blood reaching, but it does not matter, the faster he can get does not outrun me, his mind powers can''t reach me, his blood attacks left only skin wounds along my side. And I feasted on his despair. I slash him up again and again and again in a mad sequence of attacks that give him no breather, no stop, only claws flying over and over until he can''t move anymore, from blood loss at first, then I crush his legs down with my paws, and as he screams and tries to get away I puff out smoke on his face, putting weight on my paw the way he just did with Leonel. "P-please stop! Argh, it hurts, it hurts!" It hurts? Good. Knowing that it would take too long for him to die just by crushing some bones I go down and chop his arm off, spitting it out into the flames and watching it burn nicely as the Demon King uses his other hand to try and stop the bleeding, dropping the sword he was using down in a terrorized hurt state. I watch closely as he dies on the floor, blood gurgling out his wound and mouth, his scared gaze drifting to the side only to watch his on reflection at the forgotten blade, his hand weakly reaching up towards it as I single clear tear manages to run down his face. "I''m sorry love, I''m sorry, I just wanted to see you one more time. I hope we will be together in the end" His head falls to the side as his lungs empty up of air and his heart gives in, the remaining blood still dripping off, still warm and fresh. But this isn''t enough. His death isn''t enough. I want to destroy, I need to destroy, I will crush everything until there is nothing left! Chapter 152 - 141 The younger brother, Hunthor, notices that something is wrong even before a terrifying roar cuts the night as the army of fire brought up by his older brother starts acting weird. At first some just stood in place, as if lost in what to do, the fire that formed their bodies flaming up in a brighter color, only for them to start attacking indiscriminately, breaking structures and jumping against one another, the flames barely managing to keep some sort of form at this point, almost consuming their own beings by the orange blazes. The three heads from the Cerberus Hound look in the distance, a bad feeling taking root in his heart when, as if to make clear that things are not right, the once Fire Shield that protected the outside from the crawling demons inside is now burning extensively, consuming whatever it reaches and turning this safe heaven into a Fire Cage, caving in everything that is inside. "Hop on my back!" Screams Hunthor to his companions as he sees the situation turn bad fast, and the others seemly aware quickly do as told, especially after watching just how fast the flames are advancing. "Now!" With one last warning the remaining people manage to climb on his back with barely in time for the Cerberus to jump over the wall of flames as they lick its belly, hotter than ever before. Like a beast with a mind of its own the fire advances over everything as its incorporeal body consumes all, no barrier strong enough to withhold such destroying force. Hunthor leaps over rocks and falling debris as the fire follows right behind him, taking the lives of the unlucky ones, and as the buildings start collapsing around him and dust and smoke join the chaos Hunthor manages to find an opening and jump blindly out of the flames, somehow safely landing back on the ground, but just to be safe the Cerberus Hound puts more distance between him and the building set in flames before letting everybody off his shoulders. Overlooking the scenario the young brother has a bad premonition as everything burns around him, the trees, the elves buildings, and even the ponds of water are being dried out but such extreme heat. It is almost bright as day as the mountain is set ablaze. Hunthor sees it all with his three heads, so while he searches for his brother among the flames he notices a place where the blaze does not reach, and crooking one of his heads another one turns to talk with Aeglos: "There is something wrong there, Aeglos lets check it out. You all stay close to the river, if things go south don''t think twice about diving away." "Humph, is that a family trait? What makes you think you can order us around?" Says Isaac while crossing his arms, but the rest of the group ignores him while keeping a watchful eye at any creature that may be lying in wait, the only one supporting him being the Templar that puts a hand on his shoulder. At that Aeglos climbs Hunthor''s back again, having a hard time at finding a foothold against such scaled body, but some wads of fur give him enough support to reach the top, also helping so he doesn''t fall back down when Hunthor starts running over the flames. They pass shadows being burned, unlucky demons abandon by their master to die among the flames, inhuman howls rising with the flames; and yet the three-headed beast does not fall back and advances among the chaos, until what he sees confirms his worries. "Shit, Leonel! Isaac, we need you here! Shit, should have brought him here." With that Aeglos jumps down, safe from the flames as they do not reach this place, the eye of the storm, however as he checks the bloody body of Leonel the tension in his body grows, and when questioned about it the silence only worsen the situation. "Aeglos, how is Leonel? Is he ok?" Asks Hunthor another time, only to see Aeglos hardening his fist while avoiding to look at Hunthor, not even standing, just staring down at the bloody image of Leo. "Oh noShitMy brother, we have to find my brother, now! Aeglos, carry him to Isa, see if if there is anything that can be done." "You can''t go there Thor, if your brother is the responsible for all of this you will-" "He would never hurt me." Says Hunthor with a rare fierciness in his voice. "No, Hunthor, I just got you back, I''m not up to lose you aga-" "Aeglos, please, I need to do this, I need to help him. Go now, go, Leonel needs your help, we all need your help, please go, and be careful." Aeglos swallows dry, aware that he could not win him over in this discussion, and beyond his worries and disagreement, says: "You too love." Taking a deep breath Hunthor gives a good look at his lover''s figure, as if engraving in his memory the very well known very long pointy ears that bend down a little at the end, the long silk white hair and the worried green eyes that stared back at him. "Don''t worry, you still have many songs left to play for me don''t you? When we get back be sure to ready your flute for us." At that Hunthor leaves Aeglos behind, knowing how all this sounded like a goodbye and feeling a weight grown inside his heart at that thought, and trying to brush these worries away he starts sniffing the air with his three snouts to easily pin point the path his brother took, plus the destruction that followed his tracks could not be obscured by the flames. And that destruction is a bad omen that follows his tracks. The Cerberus Hound heartbeat skips a beat when he finally reaches him, the strong reliable brother that he knew his entire life now looked as if possessed by something, the dark silhouette of his big body overcame by firestorms that gave the impression that the skull face and horns were floating among the sea of flames, the white teeth protuberant against the orange as his paw would came out and hit the trees beside him, the floor, rocks, everything is being turned upside down by his brute force as his figure burns against the night sky. "Brother stop!" Hunthor screams, but as that crazy aflame eyes set their gaze towards him, he starts to feel unsure about his confident statement at Aeglos before. And yet he does not back down, and instead moves forward, putting himself in danger as his older brother has done for him many times before. "Brother, listen to me, you have to calm down, stop destroying every-" However his words are cut short when, with a single leap, his brother launches an attack at him, which makes Hunthor dash backwards. But of course his older brother has always bested him in combat, especially when it tested out their speed and strength, so as Hunthor tries to back off he barely manages to move out of a killing blood, his body bleeding with scratches all over only a few moments later. "Shit. Wake up you dumb brother!" He says, but he is unable to convey the worry he felt for the other. Without much of a choice he fights back, backing up from the close in combat barely enough so he could shot a three casting of explosive balls that stun his brother for a moment, however he soon discovers that, after many attempts, all his fire related attacks are promptly ignored by the ablaze beast that keeps advancing, relentlessly. And for a Pure Fire Hound to fight against a fire immune creature, is easy to say that the situation is really, really bad for him, and by the second he loses ground and gains more stretches. And is only a matter of time before one hits deep enough to incapacitate him. And that would be it for him. Chapter 153 - 142 The younger brother soon finds himself in a very dangerous dilemma; he is unable to land a physical attack for his brother is quicker than him, and he can''t escape the grasp of the other for he has better stamina even after battling for so long. The only thing Huthor has on his side is his huge magic gauge, and the ability to multicast in his form. So while one would strikes a mad dash of claws and fangs, the other would blast the ground to get his feet stuck, and use the distraction to use Fire Levitation and Heat Ilusion in unison to keep the other''s attack at bay and away from his already mangled throat, the ablaze forest serving as a screen for Hunthor to keep making illusions appear and, with the state of mind that his brother is in, he manages to maintain Thilgon in a fake battle against deceptions. And yet even if he had just bought some time for himself his older brother did not show signs of stopping, in fact the more enemies he defeated the more he seemed eager for the next prey. Like a tireless hunting machine. Hunthor could not deny that he is scared; not only for himself, but for his brother as he has never seen him in a state like this. So out of it. "Brother, you always told me I was the dumb in the family, I know that was a joke but I''m feeling like that right brother, come back to us, otherwise I don''t know what to do" Dejected he is left to watch as his brother goes on a rampage, wondering if he could get him to snap out of it; wondering if would ever get out of it. That when something, or rather, someone unexpected appears a small figure that should have been long burned among the flames, and yet its green body stood out from the orange background, a firm and yet terrified look in its eyes as it approaches the ravaging hound. "Momma" A small voice comes out from its small snout, big eyes looking up innocently as if unaware of the danger he was putting himself into. Hunthor feels his heart freeze at such image, especially when his older brother attention shifts to the small creature. "Shu, no! Get away from him, is dangerous! Shit! Brother stop!" And yet his pleads do not reach either of them as the distance between them diminishes, one going for the kill, and the other idle staring, unable to move. Until a gigantic paw comes crashing down on him. "No!" Hunthor screams, but is already too late, the soil cracking under such force as the gigantic hound responsible for it howl in joy at the new kill, unaware that he has just murdered his little friend. "Brother, you!" That is one of the few times that Hunthor truly gets angry at his older brother, for even him, such carefree creature, could not overlook what just unfolded before his eyes. And yet before he can do something as stupid as launch a straight forward attack at his stronger brother, the unexpected surprises have not ceased yet and shocks him once more when, with a bright light shining under the big paw something pushes its way out from the crushing force and shots out roots that are quick to intertwine themselves with the paw, so fast that the big Terror hound has no time to react and, before it can set the roots on fire the wood seems to glow once more, green veins popping in between the wrinkles on the lumber, reaching out to the trampling creature and pulsating, almost as if extracting something out of the hound. And not doubt that proves to be the case when the fire that started to crisscross the hound''s skin to reach the wood diminish as if lacking fuel, and little by little an exchange is made; in one side the roots start growing thicker and bigger, and on the other the hound seems to have its paw stuck and, unable to pull it off, starts losing force, its limbs shaking and the fire flickering back to life, on and off, on and off. Hunthor watches in silence, not only observing with extreme caution but uncertain of what he could do in this situation, or if he should try at all. In the end, he only watched, and when the older brother hits the ground, only the paw up in the air, heavy breathing, the plant has grown so strongly that now beyond the roots stood a mushroom shaped big tree. It is long, white wooded, and even if it has branches growing out of it the top ends with a big red mushroom cap as well as small ones along the wood in replacement for the leaves, a mixture of a tree with a mushroom. And yet it wasn''t done, for with a caress of the wind it caps launches a white golden spore that seem to mingle with the orange flames, and yet when it reaches the soil an akin effect from the roots before happens when small mushrooms start growing all over, red and white and sucking the force of the flames and combusting themselves to a quick grown, soon enough taking over the forest and land and stopping the firestorm while crisscrossing the entire land with its presence. When things settle down the younger brother straights up, baffled, and only comes back to his senses when Aeglos, followed by Isaac and the others, carrying Leonel on his arms, stops on his side. "What just happened?" "I I''m not sure." Even with all his pair of eyes he could not believe what he just saw. Aeglos settles Leonel on the floor while Isaac keeps pouring energy into him and braves forward towards the fallen hound, the black gigantic figure laying down with its paw stretched out, until the roots crack and set the limb free in a loud bang. "Thilgon?" A twitch in response sends all of them back a step, but Aeglos does not give up and calls out once more: "Thilgon? Is that you? Are you ok?" Another twitch, this time longer as the limbs start moving, but as if too stiff and heavy they keep getting themselves glued to the ground. Approaching even more Aeglos can see the eyelids twitching, and once they open up once more the eyes below only stare at the front blindly. -Warning Possessed Mode off, commencing side effects, warning No, no, not yet, just a little longer, I have to hold on a little longer " Is it over?" I ask, feeling my throat dry from all the howling and screaming, fade memories of what I just did playing in my mind and making my head hurt, especially as the after effect of not only activating Possessed Mode starts, but worsen for having it stopped so suddenly and forcibly. Aeglos doesn''t answer me, probably wondering what I may be referring to, and which part of this mess could I hope to have ended. Swallowing dry I feel a weight in my paw, and as I open it up a cry gets stuck in my throat, for inside there is a small mushroom, low level and small just the way I first saw him. "Shu, I''m sorry I promise to get you back in shape alright? Sorry Sorry that you had to fix my mess" In this form he could not answer, and that lack of life almost made me howl in pain. But I had other urgent matters to attend to. " And Leonel?" Aeglos turns his face away, unable to say the words. "Brother, he" Hunthor says with one of his head while the others try to hide the sadness in their eyes, but I know what he means, I know what I saw. I couldn''t accept it I couldn''t accept that I would never see his golden kind eyes look at me ever again, nor would I feel his warm touch, see his gullible smile, he has been gone for minutes and the logging I feel already threatens to crush my heart. I cannot have that I would not survive that, I''m weak like that. And I know the price that I have to pay to make things right. And I''m willing to pay it. "Bring him to me." "But-" "Bring him." They put him down in front of me and I have to use a lot of strength to get my neck to straight up but I manage to have a good look at his face, dreadfully noticing the many broken bones and cuts his body is crisscrossed with, side gazing at those as I try to focus my eyes on the closed eyelids that hid the golden orbs bound to never shine again. And I knew what I had to do no matter the price. Chapter 154 - 143 The air has come to life around us, shushing with strength and a sharp coolness boosted by the speed as it rushes at us, bringing all sorts of smells with it. The ropes and metal parts that keep the structure we are on from falling into pieces clicked and clacked into each other, joining the wind as the cables move like flags in the breeze. "Is our turn brother." I say to Hunthor, making him stop playing with the hounds and come closer to take my place. "Already? Oh, man, ok, I''m going." He says as I stretch my paws in front of me and finally move from that place, only for my brother to sit there and immediately light his fur ablaze. "And don''t sleep in service this time." "Alright alright!" All of that this is to keep filling the balloon on top of our heads with hot air, as if we are some kind of fuel, the kind of bargain you would expect Isaac to get I supposed, keep the thing afloat to get a ride, what does he think we are? I''m not surprised though But, well, I cannot complain much because, in the end, he found us a flying ship to use, a very practical and fast way of transport if you ignore that we are the ones filling the only thing keeping this wooden ship afloat and the fact that there are too many poor renovations along the ship, wooden cracks, stitched cloths up above, and some missing railings then yeah, is a good exchange. "Good job out there!" Says the captain of the one man ship as he pulls the rope that keeps the stretched out wings from closing on the sides, making rounds and testing that everything is just almost falling apart, emphasis on the almost not on the falling. "Are you going back in?" "Yeah, I am." "Don''t tired yourself to death, we need you up there alright?" "Yeah yeah." "Are you going to see him again?" Says Hunthor behind me, but I just give him a nod without turning as I advance over the lower parts of the ship, my claws rasping the wood, passing my companions that stay on top at the open area of the ship, going down only to sleep because of the claustrophobic small space this small ship has in its interior. Plus is a unique opportunity to watch the clouds from above too. Even if I was up to mock Isaac along the way and ask if he is doing fine while I knew that he hasn''t left the railing since this thing started moving because of his sick stomach, once I get deep into the dark quiet place where we let him rest my face stiffens as I approach to sit beside him, resting my snout on his arm to watch him while he sleep. Sleep can it be considered that when he doesn''t wake up? I''ve been sitting like this for the past days, close enough to him and yet in an angle that I can watch his face while I try to sleep and end up doing so only from extreme tiredness, every night, every day, over and over again. I did what I had to, I gave away everything, did everything right, so why aren''t you waking up? Was I too late? I am now cursed to have you so close to me, and yet so far from reach? Will you really leave me behind? Leonel please come back to me don''t be gone because of my stupid problems, don''t be gone because of me. By my own paw, by my own weak mind, weak heart. Please come back I miss you. I don''t want to say goodbye, I-I can''t say it Is this my destiny? In the end, to be unable to save those I love, to be fated into losing one of you Is not fair, it is not On that night, as many others before, with a foggy vision I end up falling into a restless sleep, and I knew I would wake as tired as I was before going to bed, sometimes even worse. But this night, it was different. I woke up with the creaking of the wood surrounding us, and unsurprised by the lack of proper sleep I instinctively turned my gaze towards your sleeping face. Only to notice in shock that your eyes are open, that you are awake. Your hand on my fur, your touch on my ears. Your warm gaze shining in the dim light. My heart speeds up and I fight to keep the sobs at bay, but in the end with tearing eyes I jump up towards Leonel''s face as I start brushing my cheek and licking him awake with enthusiasm while he starts chuckling. "C-Calm down love, haha, I''m here, I''m alright, slow down a second, I''m not going anywhere, shhh, that right, I''m here, with you, shhh" At some point he hugs me back as I start crying nonstop, all the sadness, all the happiness, everything medley into an incoherent mumbling of cries and sobs as I have no shame to show. "Y-you, I thought y-you, that I would n-never see you again, I-I" I try to say in between the sobs, but only manage to throw some words out. "I know, I know, shhh." He says, hugging me strongly until I calm down enough to at least speak a phrase without crying. "As happy as I''m to see you too my little hound I still don''t understand what happened here? Wasn''t I dead?" I burry my head on his chest, filling my lungs with his smell, hearing his heartbeat sound pass the monotone it had, almost like a clock, and let myself sink in his presence, ignoring his question as I did not want to break this moment, I wanted to savor it, to enjoy it. But of course Leonel had other plans. "Thilgon" He says while pushing me back to look me in the eyes. "What did you do?" I look away, but as his steady gaze does not cave in under the silence and only inquires further I sigh and sit back. " It is something that I learned from the Ancient Elven Library, on the same book that taught me how to break the contract between magical creatures and casters" "Thilgon, you didn''t?" "Form a contract with you? No, no, what I did is much worst, much deeper, I-I bond us together." "Bond us?" "It can be considered a type of contract, an unbreakable one because our life forces are mingled now, like one. As long as I live, you live, and the other way around, truly like one." "That explains why I''m not hungry butWhat if one of us die?" "" "The other dies too" Silence befalls and I''m scared that he will reject me now that, somehow, I overstepped the bonders for my own selfish wish to have him back to me, for my fear of losing him, of perhaps simply needing him my life. I''m a messy confusion right now, have been since I made this bond. "Are you mad?" Leonel gets out of thinking to look at me and, as if surprised by my reaction, says: "Oh no love, of course I''m not, how could I be?" "But now we are stuck together. Truly together. We cannot live without each other, live apart" He calmly looks into my eyes, understanding that I meat that now there is no turning back from this, not if he wants to live, that is. However my worries turn out to be in vain when he smiles at me, saying: "And I would not have any other way, love, I went back in time for you, I changed history just for the opportunity to spend more time with you, to have a chance for us to stay like this, together. Believe me, I know how it feels to lose your loved one, of the despair, that is not what worries me, is just that is something against your nature, to be bond like this, you have fought to free so many magical creatures from this type of contract only to end up in one to lose your precious freedom for me that is what bothers me." "It shouldn''t though. I did it because I wanted to, to save you." "Because of guilty?" "Because I love you and could not stand a second more without you." I love how that makes his heart skip a beat while he holds his breath. And that only makes me want to get even closer to him, as if to rub on my face that this is it, this is real and he is here to stay, forever with me, until death tears us apart. How poetic it sounds and quite hot. I stand at that point, feeling my heart speed up too as all the lodging that has built up and happiness that I''m feeling now overwhelm the sadness in a way that makes me want to do more of the a.d.u.l.t stuff. So I crawl on top of him while he stares at me in confusion, and change back to my humanoid form, letting my long black hair drop over my back and frame my face as I look at him with a smile and a sparkle in my silver eyes. He looks at me, surprised, and as his gaze goes up and down he says: "Ahm, Thilgon, you are n.a.k.e.d." I crook my head to the side, giving him a better view as I say: " I know." And that makes another type of smile to spread on his face. Chapter 155 - 144 ~~Warning~Mature content "So" He says, stretching the word out while his sneaky hands rest on my hip. "Did you miss me this much?" "Much, much more." He raises his eyebrow, amused. "Oh really? Did I miss something while I was napping? Where did that coy shy hound went to?" I do not answer as he puts some weight on his touch, bringing my body down on top of his, gluing us together as I could feel his hot build exchanging heat all over my bare skin. "Did you think of myself like this while I was gone? Did you touch these parts thinking of me while I was gone?" He whispers in my ears as his hands go a little up and squish my lower cheeks, the combo making me quicken my breathe and shiver a little. "O-Of course not, how could I? I was worried about you" "And yet came looking for me now how kinky of you." I''m not up to discuss with him tonight even if he provokes me like this for I''ve turned into mush and just want him to put me back in place, to mold me back with these hands. "What about you? Are you all talk tonight?" I''ve not even finished my sentence when he turns us around, my back to the bed and his growing blond hair falls to the side, but not enough to get in the way of his intense golden eyes. Instead of coiling at such intense gaze, however, I''m overwhelmed to be stared back by those beautiful orbs that I thought I would never see again. "You are so beautiful How did I end up with such a man like yourself?" He kisses my cheek, only giving me enough time to talk before he goes to my lips: "We will have an entire life to figure things out now love." This time, as we close in for a kiss, we do not rush it, we take our time tasting each other, wet noises and moistly lips as our tongues touch one another and explore the others mouth, running out of air only to join back in into another deep kiss. But that calmness doesn''t last long as our bodies grow hot and impatient, my toes curling in expectation as my hands travel his body and start forcibly pulling his buttons open, and he only puts distance between us for a second to take the sleeves off, showing a lean yet muscular body underneath, broad shoulders holding such well sculptured body that I manage to draw his muscles lines with the tip of my fingers, tracing his chest and abs as I could never have enough of him. I can''t wait to see him all covered in sweat, all n.a.k.e.d for me. Go slow? Be damn with that! To provoke him into action I go for a bite at his neck, sucking at his adam''s apple while giving his skin small fast licks meant to drive him crazy. And it does alright, once I reach his shoulder join with the neck he is already taking the remaining clothes off his body, and the knowledge that we are both now completely n.a.k.e.d sends a hot shiver down my spine. I lick my lips for his aftertaste while he traces down my body, further and further down as his mouth stops on my chest and his hands at my h.i.p.s, alarmingly close yet far from my manhood. "You forgot to bring lube did you not?" "Uhm" What can I say? I didn''t even expect you to have woken up, even more that this is how I would be ending my day. Not complaining though far from it. He does not let me wait for long as, while he grabs my n.i.p.p.l.es with his teeth and captures my mind with his licking tongue, his hands stop going up and down and reach the place they have been teasing at, making me gasp as his hands embrace my d.i.c.k and start moving up and down ever so slowly. I start wiggling in place, uncomfortable at such slow pace, so he starts teasing me more by pressing the head of my d.i.c.k and giving it exclusive attention while the other hands speeds up on the stroking. "Y-you, ah! L-Leo, if you keep this up, I-I!" He ignores my pleas and actually speeds up his strokes, spreading warmth from my lower abdomen and increasing the pressure behind my balls, only for him to let go right when I was about to reach my climax. "Leo! That''s mean!" He only chuckles while he stretches to the side where I''ve somehow managed to bring his bags back after the incident as lots of things happened even after the Demon''s King death. Like me be the one countable for the death of the elves and elders and how now the elves hate me. But I don''t want to think about that right now, or ever really, for I finally have Leonel in my arms again. Knowing what he was looking for I''m not surprised when his moistly cold fingers start probing my ass, one finger wiggling its way in while as I embrace his shoulders, making him lean down for another kiss. He doesn''t take long to put his second finger in, especially since I start taking my butt off the bed to brush my body against his, our n.a.k.e.d skin rasping on each other making his manhood stand up more than my own. I cannot be the only one at his limit now can I? So while he opens me up to receive him I bring him closer to me and start going up and down, my already hard d.i.c.k getting the friction it wanted but not the relief that was denied, so I try to get a hold of it myself, only for Leonel to grab my hand and push it on top of my head. "What a sneaky little hound you are." He says, a crooked smile plastered at his hot face, but I can see he is impatient too. "Ok, two will have to do." He says before straightening his position and pulling my legs over his shoulders, stretching me to the limit as he starts poking at my entrance. But I guess I was not the only one eager for him to fill me up, for he does not slow down and even with just the tip in he starts going in and out, every thrust managing to go a little deeper at the not so stretched out hole, making me feel him even more, my inner walls swallowing him whole, eager to be filled by his man hood. "F-F.u.c.k.i.n.g hell! Um" Without words to describe the sensations I''m feeling I end up swearing, holding off on his shoulders and marking his skin with my claws, but he does not seem to mind nor feel it as all his effort is in tearing me apart from the inside, constantly thrusting, opening me up more until he manages to brush at my sweet spot, making me gasp for air and close my eyes, instinctively arching my back as he, mercilessly, smiles further as he increases the speed and strength, somehow always managing to tease that spot. After that all coherent thoughts are gone as he grunts on top of me while I m.o.a.n in pleasure for his merciless attacks, feeling my member respond to these attacks as my already full balls are hammered from behind. "Y-you! L-Leo, I-I''m going to-!" "Me too." He manages to say between thrusts but does not stop and actually manages to find enough space to increases the speed even more, and with our skin coated in sweat and his balls hitting my ass I come here and there, closing my inner walls further as I shiver over my climax, making so that the already tight space squishes Leonel''s climax out of him, filling me up with his warm juice and making me even more dirty for his manhood. That repeats every time we do it, he would drive me insane, touching my d.i.c.k and squishing my balls, and when he pushes me over my limits I would do the same by crushing in with my insides, in a way that we always end up coming together. After a few rounds we are left dead tired, but still we do not want to tear apart, so we just fall back in bed and rest at each other''s embrace, his warm smell filling my nostrils and making me finally relax after days of pure anguished and fear. " I hope no one heard us. We got quite carried away I would say" Leonel says, making me chuckle. "Oh, don''t worry, my brother doesn''t know when to stop talking, they won''t have heard anything" Before sweet slumber in my lover''s arms can take me into a sweet sleep, however, Leonel cannot help but say: "I still think I should buy you a ring." I turn towards him in a sluggish state, blinking slowly as I say with a silly smile on my face: "Perhaps that is not a bad idea after all." He only smiles. ~~The End