The Mook Maker (LitRPG / Isekai / Original / May Contain Furries)

[beast_regards]

The morning was icy.



It was my first instinct to search for the soothing, pleasant warmth of the bodies I was snuggled against in the reaction to the chilly air, basking in their fluffy softness.



Without even opening my eyes, I buried myself in the furry, welcoming embrace, finding it more comfortable than any blanket would be, and the soft, gentle touches beckoned me even closer.



I pressed myself against the sensations of close, receptive femininity, exploring it with my hands, rubbing my face against a neck, my dreary waking mind entirely ignoring the fact those curves were covered by velvety fur that smelled like aromatic wood. Without thinking, I leaned in for the kiss. I received one. It was also warm, accompanied with the soft purr, a slightly rough tongue, and the face I touched that was a little too different, too non-human…



It woke me up. My eyes opened, and my body jerked in surprise.



I was staring into those yellow, inhuman eyes.



"Master? You didn't have to stop." Tama teased with a vulpine grin, "I am quite willing."



Even though kissing an anthropomorphic fox wasn't as unpleasant as I would have thought, it was fairly unusual to say, at the very least, if not alien. While it was certainly an awkward moment, it didn't weird me out nearly enough. It should have, but it did not.



I discovered I was sandwiched between Miwah and Tama. Cuddling with them was calming, even pleasurable, and without a doubt better than facing the cold air.



To break away from the embarrassing stare into Tama's shiny eyes, I raised my head to glance around the room. I felt a soft lick on my neck. This time it was Miwah, beckoning me back for more intimacy with either of my very affectionate 'alphas', and I reached back to give her a gentle rub. Then I stopped. I couldn't bring myself to do it. It just wasn't right.



The room was quite crowded with my monsters, too.



Even Narita and Mai were there.



This might have been the largest building in this once abandoned hamlet, but it barely had the space to house even the chosen few.



None of them seemed alerted by my waking.



The small 'Purifiers' were poking the still burning fire in the central pit, while Narita struggled to position a pot atop the blaze with no supporting construction, only to drop it with a resigned sigh. Wood cracked, the fire burst out, and some spilled water sizzled away without putting down the flame.



A few 'Eviscerators' dozing nearby flinched awake with the noise, the closest one only two steps away. They didn't seem to object to me receiving the gentle attention of their larger kin, instead it almost seemed they were glad someone kept me warm, and cared for.



Neither of them blamed me. I, however, blamed myself.



Mai was equally unconcerned. She was calmly cleaning her scaly skin with a wet piece of cloth, paying little attention to what was happening. My reptilian monster still noticed my gaze and smiled a toothy equivalent of a smile, almost as if she asked for her turn to keep me warm.



It was quite off-putting for me. Unsure how to react, or how to even feel about the situation, I opted to remain silent.



"Yes-yes. I am sorry, Master." Narita spoke out first. "We should give you some privacy."



There wasn't a single sign of blame in her expression either. The rat-like monster sounded apologetic instead, almost like she was ruining the moment, an invasion of privacy in a very wrong moment from her side.



Tama, being herself, immediately chimed in, with the sultry tone in her voice growing. "Yes, I very much want some private time with you, Master."



"No. Sorry, not now." I blurted out quickly, trying to free myself from both Miwah's and Tama's embrace. They let me out of their grasp. It visibly disappointed the fiery vixen, at least a little, but she said nothing in protest.



The entire situation made me seriously confused, as I didn't experience any kind of revulsion from the closeness to my monsters, and became used to it, even seeking it out at an increasingly common rate despite the brief time we had together, and their brutal lack of empathy towards any other life. Even if all were decidedly feminine, none of my monsters were normal women by any stretch of imagination, and I wasn't quite ready to come to terms with that.



The worst thing was, I actually came to like them in that way.



Still, it was probably for the best that we had this communal arrangement where I wasn't truly alone, just with the most caring, if not lovey-dovey monsters, as otherwise, I would …



I shook my head, almost as I was banishing the thought with it.



"We probably have other things to worry about…" I said, hesitated for the moment, and then added: "I… I am sorry, I was so tired last night. Did anything happen?"



It would probably be best to move this conversation towards more conventional topics, I thought.



"No, my Master." Mai answered, "But I took the liberties with the plant growth, and I believe we can keep the humans out well for the time being. We also figured out the latrines, just a little digging required. Accelerating or alternating plant cycles requires fertiliser anyway, and the sufficiently quickened processes are so demanding it doesn't give disease any chance to even spread."



She seemed quite satisfied with herself for figuring it out.



"Good thinking," I nodded. The sewerage was probably required considering our numbers, and it was something I didn't think about until now. There were quite a few other things I didn't consider either, from housing to tools, and many more.



I found it a little ironic that in order to not think of my monsters as women; I was thinking of them as my people, which needed to be provided for.



"There were only a few berry bushes, though we found some mushrooms. Fruits are not common in this area." The lizard woman continued, "We need to obtain more diverse plants from human farmland, my Master."



She shuddered noticeably and wrapped herself up in her assorted drapery. Mai was peculiar like that. It wasn't me staring at her that upset her, she just visibly thought humans as disgusting.



I shivered too, for a different reason.



Chill in the air quickly brought my attention back to something quite different, the cold. Although there was the blazing campfire to keep us comfortably warm, the walls of this communal house, or whatever it was, didn't provide that much insulation with how many holes the otherwise sturdy looking construction had.



My answer to feeling cold wasn't to cuddle with my huge werewolf, even if it crossed my mind. I rather moved close to the fire. It helped, even though I would prefer something better.



"Did we find any better clothes?" I asked.



"Oh, yes-yes. Master!" Narita said enthusiastically, "Some human-things had spare clothes. Not good. Though we distributed them. Found some better ones for you in the cart!"



The rodent monster spaced out briefly after that word, which I already recognised as the common sign of 'alphas' communicating with the other monsters which weren't in her line of sight, an ability they had that was never truly addressed. I became too reliant on it, without even properly weighing the implications of the telepathic communication. If only we had the same option for speaking with natives.



Soon, two smaller 'Defilers' barged in, carrying the outfit they looted, presenting it to me proudly with their usual chant. "For Master!"



I inspected it quickly as they held it up for me. Tama toyed with the cloak that was the part of the set, posing for me.



That outfit was certainly better than what I was wearing at the moment. The fact it has been embroidered and dyed suggested it was far from cheap, and the fact it came in what I thought were the different layers made it warmer to wear too. Cotton or linen, I assumed. Just as many other things in this strange land, it had a distinctly Eastern Asian style to it, if recognisably different from what I'd seen from the locals wearing.



"Perhaps it's what the merchant class wears?" I mused, while deciding to don it immediately, quickly replacing my current clothes with the new ones. Perhaps humans would look at me more favourably if I looked like a respected trader, I pondered.



I dismissed the thought immediately. The language barrier remained the pressing issue I couldn't overcome. Clothes perhaps made the man, but they couldn't make me a native.



Still, I changed to it, with my underwear remaining as the only reminder of what I'd lost awakening in this damned forest. I felt slightly better and warmer. However, it made me feel bad for my monsters, thinking that I'd have to obtain clothes for them too.



"Thank you!"



I made an exception in not getting close to my monsters immediately and opted to hug a few of them. They welcomed it. Miwah, taking the last piece of the outfit, the cloak, from Tama, wrapped it around my shoulder, while holding me close for a while.



"Now…" I said, trailing off as I didn't have any proper plan for the day, and most of my actions so far were rather a gawky distraction from playing along with the flirty parts of my menagerie, or receiving more special attention from them.



"We should…"



I considered trying to travel to the settlements down the road to get the agricultural products we needed, but without a way to communicate with them, it would likely be more of a raid rather than an exchange of goods. I would not order that right now, not with how my own human identity was already impugned.



"Master?" Miwah asked.



I should probably work on the whole understanding of the local speech problem then.



My rumbling stomach brought me a different idea, though.



"Hmmm. I am thinking…" I said, pondering aloud, while enjoying the closeness with Miwah, "What if we prepared the breakfast both we and that captured human can eat, and try if we can eat together to gain trust?"



"My Master!" Mai exclaimed, "You don't have to! Humans are so..."



"Disgusting?" I guessed.



While she didn't explicitly say that, it wasn't hard to guess she was notably appalled by dining close to the creature that was the human. Mai was probably thinking of them as either dirty or otherwise repulsive. Although the dislike of humans among my monsters was apparent, her reaction, or rather that of all 'Corruptors', was the most extreme so far. Almost like some people dislike snakes, I realised.



"Yes-yes. We can do it." Narita agreed, however. "We have meat, human-thing eats that. Rice basket from another place. Mushrooms. Some unbroken pottery."



"Do we have the gold or valuables from the shrine?" I asked a second question.



"Yes-yes, Master. It was carried here." She confirmed again.



"Could you prepare the food, then?" I asked. "I also want to offer some coins ceremonially to the merchant as compensation for the clothes."



It was pointless, as I kept him as the prisoner, however I hoped that showing that exchange was possible was important as a gesture a trader would appreciate. At least, I guessed, proving we understood the concept of trade was as important as learning the local tongue. A positive impression of sorts. Or it was me desperately trying to prove something to myself. I didn't know, to be honest.



"Yes-yes, already working on it, Master." The rat-woman nodded while I was still finishing my own little introspection. Her two smaller tagalong kin darted out to fulfil the task, while she followed them more gracefully.



Then I looked at my reptilian companion. Before Mai spoke out, I grabbed her arm. She was the most vocal of my monsters, speaking out objections, and other things on her mind the most. Getting on good terms with her was probably the most pressing.



"Now, Mai, could you please show me what you did with the camp?" I asked.



She beamed out. I quickly tried to come up with a bearing that would help with getting on the locals' good side. I tried to act out a little; it was all supposed to lead to us showing more civilised manners to the only human who didn't attempt to kill us yet.



"Miwah, Tama?" I glanced towards the duo. "My Ladies. You are always the most beautiful to me, but could you please dress up a little for the occasion?"



I immediately regretted it. With me desperately trying to convince myself I was not thinking of my monsters as women literally a few minutes ago, complimenting the beauty of the anthropomorphic vulpine and the wolf respectively as beautiful was a very definition of insanity. I shook my head again, trying to tell myself I didn't mean it.



Tama and Miwah, however, were pleased, and answered with the resolute: "Yes, Master."



"Now, Mai, if you will?"



It was almost shocking how quickly Mai got into the role of a lady escorting a gentleman as she clung to my arm.



"My Master!" She gestured, and the other monsters even opened the door for us.



It was strange, almost intriguing, how quickly they sometimes got a context for something they shouldn't logically know, while being clueless about the world we found ourselves in just as I was. They never truly wondered about anything I knew, suggesting they operated from a relatively modern pool of knowledge.



I didn't ponder about it for too long as I was immediately shocked by the alien landscape they left outside, after merely a single night. The fact I slept through all of this was the most unbelievable for it all.



Mai, proud of her works, led me through.



"Master! Master!" My monsters, interrupted in what they were currently doing, chanted as we passed through the camp. I was even thinking about welcoming the crowd, despite all my previous thoughts. I didn't in the end - it was Mai's moment now.



The fact 'Purifiers' couldn't hold themselves from making pyres off of the carved tree trunks was almost tame compared to what the other monsters did with the once turfy clearing, draining it out of all the natural life, and replacing the natural grass with the creep of the blackened wines. It didn't burn though, and they didn't turn the clearing into a mud pool either. It was just the pervasive denial of the local ecosystem.



It was, however, not all the creep and ash. There was green.



A pool of leathery leaves in an unnatural and varying colour served as a resting place for exhausted monsters. Interlocking branches sprouted from the ground to resemble unfinished structures, some decorated with attempts at unearthly flowers to break the monotony of the bleak colour palette of unusual, almost sickly green.



They found practical applications, too. Abandoning the idea of the racks made of sticks tied together, they grew the twisted shapes of barbs and spikes used to hide and hang the hunted game in one gruesome display.



And that was just the original clearing. Their work didn't end here, as my companion gestured around, describing her attempts to change our surroundings in our image. I, once again, took it without a reply.



On the one side, the ravine's stone face was overtaken by sinewy climbing plants, with strange undertones of green, brown, or even purple, almost creepily out of the usual tones seen in nature.



On the opposite end of the camp, empty husks of dead vegetation were mixed with the new plants, lush, yet with clearly unnatural shades of sickly green, threateningly looming at the treeline.



She led me further. After some more blackened, drained, dead vegetation, mutated bushes claimed the land and trees alike to form a literal wall of thorns, suffocating the other, original vegetation under it. They didn't even forget to decorate it along the road with scorched skulls of animals. Not human ones, yet, luckily.



Though it was unfinished, as likely didn't make the full circle around our proto-settlement, it was positively menacing, a barrier between the two worlds, firmly separating 'us' from 'them'.



I briefly glared at the normal part of the forest, still unspoiled by the touch of Mai's magic.



There were a lot of applications to this power, I was certain, but I couldn't consider them right now. I was entirely preoccupied with the idea of whether I belonged here, with my monsters, or on the other side of that corrupted, spiky, mutated hedge .



I didn't know the answer, and briefly, I just gazed at Mai.



She responded in kind.



"Did you have something different in mind, my Master?" she asked.



"No." I said, raising a hand to touch her face. "You did an excellent job."



Here, standing at the border in between the monstrous and normal, I realised I didn't mind her scaly features or even the inhuman slit pupils at all.



"I just…" I whispered, and then, turned it into the question which had nothing to do with the impact her magic had on the environment: "Don't I look similar to humans, feel similar to them?"



My lizard-like companion wasn't any less willing to interact with me than Miwah or Tama were.



"No!" Mai denied resolutely, and actually raised her own clawed hand to touch my face, "My Master, you aren't slimy like humans at all! How can you say that?"



She was gentle and sounded as honest as the others were, all of them convinced I belonged with them. I didn't have a response to that.



Luckily for me, I didn't have to, as Tama interrupted us.



"Master?" the vixen announced. "I think we are ready, if you want to speak with human,"



She changed little about herself, of course, aside from putting on that dress she wore in order. Miwah, standing at her side without the word this time, dressed herself in the armour, the gold and red one which they once gave me.



They were my furry beast women, tied to me by the force I didn't quite understand. Just like the rest, always in sight, my menagerie, my horde.



"Thank you, Tama. I will be there at the moment." I said, "Mai, you don't have to be there if you don't want to. We will deal with the man."



Then I headed towards camp. All the monsters made the way for me.



"My Master!" Mai, just like the other monsters, refused to abandon me, and followed along.



I said nothing. I had something to prove - not to them, but to myself. Successfully dealing with the merchant and learning the language were the last lifelines of me belonging to the world of humans somewhere behind the border, an intangible multiversal one between me and my old home, or merely behind this wall of thorns.



Or, if I was always meant to be here - with my monsters.

 

[beast_regards]

Hae Narim, the Crown Princess of Hanulbeol-guk, didn't have any tangible solution to the problems that plagued the war-torn kingdom.

She had once thought she had one, but her foolish attempt to use the poorly understood powers of the ancient scroll to challenge fate itself was turned against her.

Now, alone, in the privacy of her chambers, she had the chance to meditate on decisions she had made. She sat silently, gazing into the flickering flame of the oil lamp, letting her mind wander.

As much as she despised the inaction, especially in the face of danger the kingdom faced, her options to influence the course of the war were very limited, if not completely nonexistent.

She hadn't had the chance to change anything when she escaped the royal capital with the ancient scroll she had taken from the vaults buried deep under the palace, though back in that day, she had believed that the twisted, unnatural power of the mystical relic would save the day, that it would gift Hanulbeol-guk with the hero to drive the barbaric Jin invaders from the kingdom.

Sages back in the capital had told her that the scrolls of the Forbidden Library were too dangerous, and far too unpredictable, but she hadn't listened. Narim had wanted the scroll, and they had given it to her, albeit hesitantly, for she was the Crown Princess Cheonchong, beloved by the gods. Her title and royal lineage gave her the right to access the most guarded secrets within the kingdom, and very few ever dared to defy her. She didn't need to pay heed to the wisemen that advised her against toying with the dangerous powers they themselves couldn't control.

She had abused her influence at that very moment, because she believed her actions were fully justified, and for the good of the entire kingdom.

The princess has been more than able to handle the ritual; at least that has been what she had thought back then.

How could she have thought that the power of the scrolls of Pho-us-kah would bow to her will?

Such hubris; she thought now.

Her mistake led to the tragic loss of life among the brave men who followed her here, and many others, bringing no single benefit to her father's domains and its people.

Hae Narim regretted her foolishness right now.

Now all the princess could do was pray for the capital as the Jin armies descended upon it. Was there still a siege in progress, or had the city to the attackers fallen already?

She wanted to know what happened to her father.

Was he even alive?

She trained her mind harder, focusing more on the little dancing flame on the artistically shaped lamp. Narim was pleading heavens for help, but none came.

Gods didn't grant her the vision. Neither of the city, nor of her father.

Perhaps her mind had lost discipline due to doubt, or perhaps the gods exacted punishment for her actions. Or maybe it was the malevolent, dark presence that grew stronger in the mountains to the east, as alien as it was ominous, that distributed her focus.

She knew The Stranger was out there, with his entourage of the equally strange beast women.

The fact she could sense the foreboding aura of threat here spoke volumes of the danger the mysterious man possessed, growing stronger with each passing moment.

Previously, she could only feel his unnatural aura when he was standing in front of her, in that single fateful moment, with the sinister feeling all but disappeared with growing distance.

Now, be it through the growth of mystical power, or through the will of the gods, the sensation came to her even in the chamber's privacy within the Viceroy's fortress. She wasn't able to, however, tell whether the Stranger was getting closer, or farther away from her, crossing the Surao mountains at the moment. But he was, without the sliver of doubt, there.

The disturbance she felt wasn't providing her with any answers, nor meaningful warnings about more impending dangers, almost like it was nothing more than a trace of blame for going through the ritual. Uncertainty in its meaning filled Narim with worry.

At least, she wasn't completely deprived of information about the man from nowhere, with the abilities that reached to the Spirit Realm to call for monsters to do his bidding.

The Viceroy had sent his men after the stranger.

Viceroy Gam Youngjae wouldn't have told her he did, she realised, at least not under the normal circumstances, but even he quickly realised that the enemy wasn't like the Jin invaders, or bandits, or even the rogue Sword Adept. It forced his hand; she had assumed.

The princess was very suspicious of her host, but her unfavourable position kept silent, putting her court training to good use by pretending she didn't notice his duplicitous nature and questionable competencies. Narim needed Youngjae in those dire times. Being stranded here gave the princess a long due lesson about the fragile royal authority in difficult times.

The Viceroy acted against the Stranger, at the very least, even if with little effect.

His men, sent out into the woods, already returned before the skies darkened, bearing news about a trap the beast women laid for them, killing a few and forcing the rest to flee.

It seemed like the captain of the cavalry believed that there would be significantly fewer enemies than he encountered, though the princess didn't blame him for sounding the retreat when outnumbered by stronger foes.

Whether it was a good choice, it would remain to be seen. The princess wouldn't be accusing anyone of cowardice, regardless. She had taken this without the word then - now, when she meditated upon it, it just added to the suspicion she already had of the possibly foul play involved.

The point was that aside from the soldiers, there was one unlikely victim too.

The old Sage, the man viceroy summoned to advise, was separated from the group during their retreat, and was killed, supposedly.

Why Youngjae sent him with his riders, Narim didn't know.

Yes, the old man nearly attacked her when she told him about the scroll, in an act of panic or madness, which would normally be a grave offence, but the princess was determined to be merciful, pleading for the man to be pardoned. Her father would have the man beheaded immediately. She knew that very well. However, Narim blamed herself for the insensibility of performing the ritual, and grew a strange sympathy for fools.

Besides, the Sage was the only person outside of the wise men back in the capital who knew more about the origin of the ancient relic. He possessed wisdom she couldn't seek elsewhere, as the very few could teach her about Pho-us-kah, the supposedly mad author of the scrolls in question.

She had to know if she should ever hope to undo it or to control it.

But Gam Youngjae sent the old Sage away with his cavalrymen.

Though she hadn't protested against such a decision, it troubled her.

None of it explained the viceroy's actions - he couldn't reasonably expect the old Sage to pay back for the crime through service on the battlefield, nor think that one man would be the decisive factor in the skirmish.

Viceroy sent a very few men too - as much as he scoffed at the idea of the suicidal march on the capital, and as much unprepared he was for the Jin armies, he certainly had more than the thirty cavalrymen at his disposal. Narim assumed he had more than a few hundred men in the column she saw, perhaps more, the people who now guarded the fortress.

It wasn't a veritable army, and perhaps it wouldn't win the war with the Jin invaders being ten times, twenty times as many, perhaps more than they swept through the mighty Hanulbeol-guk with such ease. Viceroy had the force to maintain the rule of law within this province, at the very least.

Why not use it, if the Stranger was the threat?

Unless the Viceroy was more interested in finding the scroll than he was in fighting the enemy, the princess realised. Then the most trusted few would make the most sense. Those men were Youngjae's personal guards, after all.

She, ultimately, didn't know.

Her contemplations were, however, soon interrupted by a commotion within the fortress, demanding her attention. The raised voices, the sound of footsteps, the soldiers rushing down the corridors, shouting for alarm in the darkness. There was, however, no sound of battle.

Unexpected visitors at the gates, interlopers perhaps, she gathered as much from the echoing voices of men rushing through the fort. It wasn't the attack, though; it didn't sound like one, though her experience of such were limited at best.

She rose immediately.

Narim's first thoughts, and biggest hope, were messages from the capital, bearing news that the battle was won.

It was this hope that truly made her jump out and make her way into the courtyard, despite it not being the expected behaviour from a person of her station - messages were supposed to be delivered to her, with the proper decorum, not the other way around. It was improper, but the princess didn't care at the moment. If they were news, she wanted to hear them as soon as possible, not through some orchestrated ceremony.

She could almost hear the advisors scolding her for breaking the precious protocol, demanding her to act more reserved, but she refused the thought. While protocol was everything in the court, and the princess used to adhere to it without question, those advisors weren't there right here, right now. She could forgive herself for acting improper, she would even forgive others.

Ceremonies could wait for more peaceful times.

Soldiers were quite confused by her presence too. Only the ones that stood guard at her chambers saluted her as she rushed by, trying to keep pace as a proper escort would. She almost ran. It wasn't the trot she would normally maintain for leisurely walking toward the royal palace - she wasn't in the palace, anyway.

Narim didn't feel offended at the moment.

Maybe they didn't even see her properly. In the light of dozens of torches, even on the unusually bright night under the growing moon, the fortress going through this rude awakening was still drowning in shadows.

"What happened?" She asked the first soldier at hand. He didn't reply.

She continued further.

The soldiers exchanged shouts with someone down the gate, refusing to let just anyone into the castle at this late hour - which was reasonable considering the circumstances. It was very unusual for anyone wandering through the land at night. The officer shouted again, and finally, the princess caught the answer.

"San Hyun-Ki, The Viceroy Advisor!" sounded down at the gate, "I am with the people formerly imprisoned by the Dark one! They need help! Call the Viceroy, I beg you!"

It was the Sage, the princess realised, he was alive. It was quite shocking he found his way back here in the night, in the darkness, especially so if one was considering his age - travelling in the night was as unsafe as if it was difficult, but she could imagine someone in dire need or under threat would do so anyway.

"Call the Viceroy." One soldier hollered,

"Don't open the gate. What if there are evil spirits out there?" answered someone from the crowd.

"No! Call the Viceroy right now! It is his advisor!" echoed among the soldiers when they scrambled to search for their lord.

There seems to be a discord about the soldiers, some fearful, or at least nervous about the late visit. The tension in the air was noticeable, and worries on the faces of some men real, noticeable even in the gloomy, quivering light of all the torches they have lit.

The princess tried to speak to them, though they just ran past her, raising alarm until their superior, and lord of this fortress, Viceroy Gam Youngjae, appeared in person, demanding them to restore order at once. It worked. Despite the princess wasn't quite trusting Youngjae, he had some authority among his soldiers.

"You there, don't stand around! I want archers on the walls!" He ordered, and seeing the lingering confusion among the fighters, he added: "Open the gates!"

"Shields and spears in front of the gate! Be prepared to push them back if they prove hostile! Then open the gate!" He adjusted the orders.

His men obeyed, reading their weapons, drawn swords, or readied their shields and spears, not in the slightly more organised and disciplined way than they did before.

As fighters formed a defensive line between them, and the confused crowd poured into the fort through the now opened gate, then stopped in front of the spear points and shield wall, someone finally noticed Narim's presence.

There were still a few shouts, some in a dialect she couldn't understand, among the visitors, which only increased the suspicion from the defenders. However, the Viceroy once again yelled at his men, demanding the order and silence.

Only then did Youngjae bow to the princess politely, being the first person who truly acknowledged her amid the chaos, but not before he finally got his guards acting the way they should.

"Your Highness, I suggest you go back inside." The Viceroy said, and even in the dim light, the princess could notice he silently hesitated to order his soldier to lead her away, but opted against it, satisfied with the polite suggestion. He was visibly agitated by the whole affair and it was obvious he didn't want to deal with the royal guest in the middle of the serious problem of managing his erratic men.

"No. I want to hear what happened!" She decided, though it was hard to hold any conversation in the circumstances, since the shouting once again began, with soldiers once again shouting something about "evil spirits" again.

"It's San Hyun-Ki, your advisor, lord!" The captain shouted from the crowd, perhaps unhelpfully confirming the identity of the visitor, and leading the old man, though it was hard to blame them. Men were visibly nervous, but led the old man through in front of the two officials while pushing away the rest of the crowd.

The Sage fell on his knee immediately upon seeing the princess and the viceroy.

"Your royal highness! My lord!" He exclaimed, his head lowered. This confused or even startled the nearby soldiers some more. They barely noticed Hae Narim standing amid all this commotion until someone else, other than the Viceroy himself, had addressed her directly. A few men took the step back.

The princess, aware that her presence here‌ was highly unusual, said nothing and kept her composure, while Youngjae opted to solve the issue with the visitors first before he had to worry about the protocol or politeness.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are those people?" Viceroy boomed, demanding answers with an authoritative tone, more fitting of this role, while the princess merely watched the event, or rather the explanation, unfold.

"My lord! Those are refugees from a different province. They were captured and then released by the Dark One! I found them in the forest when I separated from your men and led them there!"

There were a few more shouts from the crowd, with "Evil Spirits" being the most common.

"Dark One?"

"The Stranger, the being called by the Scroll of Pho-us-kah. He is out there! There are hundreds of the creatures called from beyond in the forest, they saw them. Hundreds."

Hyun-Ki continued, frantically: "There aren't any accounts of such a thing, it must be the relic working! And those poor people were captured by them. But then, Evil Spirits let them go after one of them got possessed! I want to tell you more, but I can't find anything just by myself!"

It was apparent that the old Sage found the prospect more exciting than terrifying, and his manner of speech suggested he was proud to inform the Viceroy about the recent development, instead of warning him of the dangers. Same couldn't be said of the rest of the men, the lost peasants and soldiers alike, which were both driven on the verge of panic.

"Evil Spirits!" someone protested, once again, and the princess finally understood how scared those men truly were, by the force they could not comprehend. And the Sage, the only wise man able to advise her to understand, and possibly control or revert the ritual, was making the whole situation worse.

"Silence!" Youngjae screamed, "Silence, at once!"

It helped only a little.

"Arrest those people!" The Viceroy ordered immediately afterward, "Close the gates, now! Watch will be up the entire night!"

This, ironically, had a much greater effect as the men shouted out in affirmation, pushing the gate close hastily while seizing the few exhausted peasants the Sage led in there.

"Have mercy upon those people, my lord, I beg you!" Hyun-Ki pleaded. "They were gravely indebted to the merchant that led them here. They have nothing but clothes on their back!"

"Enough!" The Viceroy cut the plea short. "Captain! All people who were brought in by the advisor will be placed under guard. Give them food and water, but keep a constant watch over them!"

There was rumbling among the crowd, but no one spoke up this time. There was some pushing between a soldier and one scared peasant.

"That's an order!" Youngjae screamed, his patience gone, gesturing wildly: "By my order, as a Viceroy of Surao, I order those people won't be harmed! But they will be under guard until…"

Though the Viceroy sounded almost hysteric, it paradoxically has some soothing effect on the crowd, allowing them to gather their wits, preventing the complete chaos, confusion and fear reigning. People in charge needed to step up, and Gam Youngjae did so when needed.

"Go, now! You too, Advisor! I will hear no more right now."

"Yes, my Lord!" The soldiers finally moved in the flurry of activity.

Youngjae, still sounding quite livid, grabbed the arm of the cavalry captain and ordered aloud, for everyone to hear:

"Send for the priestess. At night, in the morning, I don't care. No one else leaves. I want an exorcism done!"

 

[beast_regards]

My attempt to interact with our captive was, so far, quite unfruitful.



Our biggest, most substantial achievement was sharing food with him, which we both ate.



Once we convinced the merchant we would not poison him, he proved to be the most cooperative human we met so far, at least comparatively to his extremely aggressive countrymen.



Unlike them, he actually tried to communicate with us.



Sadly, it didn't account for much.



After the two or three hours of intensive, and increasingly desperate, attempts, I wasn't any closer to understanding the basics of their language any more than I was yesterday.



The method with the pointing and gestures felt easy and straight-forward in theory. It didn't work nearly as well when applied in practice. At the very least, it didn't work as fast as the movies lead one to believe. It was slow, irksome, and almost felt like running in circles, with no tangible benefit to it in the short term. It became increasingly clear that I wouldn't be able to communicate any complex concepts at this pace, further sealing my fate of being trapped in this world.



I won't be able to say a simple "hello" it seems.



Even the basics like "me" or "you" or "here" or "there" eluded me. Either there were several ways to say something, each time with a slightly different meaning, or I was so horrible with the pronunciation, which confused the other side of the conversation greatly, or the mix of both.



The words like "sky", "fire" or "tree" were even worse. It was possible we shocked the man, or confused him with the 'improvements' Mai did to our surroundings. There was the possibility that several expressions for what I thought would be the same thing existed with the speech, which depended on circumstances and rules I didn't know.



I planned to not use my monsters' abilities as the reference to avoid scaring the man.



Tama, however, couldn't help herself and showed her magic when I tried to figure out the word for "fire". We learned nothing from that. I guessed he understood it as the threat.



Then the most popular word ever, and probably the only one I truly learned through this tedious endeavour, the "ah-ma", whatever it meant, I assumed to be the equivalent to "monster", still seemed to have unknown variations, making me feel quite helpless.



Maybe there was some obscure rule about how they combined words, or their speech was indeed that rich and colourful in descriptions, or I made a terrible linguist.



Either way, I still didn't know how to say anything.



It was possible that we left at least some impression, as all my monsters played along, even if it was mostly for my sake rather than for the human they despised. Perhaps the trader understood there was hierarchy, and thought the titles were in order, but it just muddled an already non-existing conversation.



My patience was running thin, and so was that of my monsters. They were all quite misanthropic in their nature and this was, specifically, an interaction they didn't like.



We were back in the hut that now made the merchant's prison. Though he was noticeably wary of us, he seemed to understand the whole situation with armed guards and with him being taken prisoner on fairly human terms. I had no way of knowing if handling captives was traditionally worse or better than we did it.



Language barrier was still insurmountable, it seemed.



However, before I was going to decide to call it a day, being forced to rethink the strategy, I was going to try one more thing I already thought of, and didn't try yet.



"Narita," I briefly turned to one of my 'Alphas' and added: "Would you bring me the money we got from the shrine? If nothing else helps, we can still play at trade."



"Yes-yes, Master." The rodent-monster replied enthusiastically, although I assumed it rather came from a willingness to follow my orders than having any liking in humankind.



Her smaller kin, though the weakest of my monsters, were soon back with one of the smaller chests I originally wanted to be left behind, but was eventually brought to our current camp.



The two 'Defilers', one of the first of her kind after Narita herself, judging from the fact they had outfits, positioned the treasury case so I could see the content. It was full of coins, predominantly silver ones, though some gold was also included.



I wasn't sure if the trader could guess what I wanted to say, but I had to try - I took the cloak we had from his very stash, placed it in the ground, then pulled it toward myself while placing the ten silver coins in front of the man.



"Ten silver," I said. While I wasn't certain all coins had the same denomination, they had some writing on it along with having the hole in the centre, I could at very least guess they were made from the same precious metal and assume it was what really made the basis of their value. Even if they used silver instead of gold, it was still precious metal, and made the logical sense.



He reached for the cloak, though he stopped mid movement, looking somewhere behind me, either at Tama or Miwah, and withdrew his hand.



"Ten silver." I pointed at the coins. "Ten."



Money seemed to spark his interest.



After trying a few expressions in their language, he tried to speak "Ten."



Since it wasn't hard to pronounce, he managed it without issue, followed by the gesture with the swinging motion of the palm, with one finger raised, which I could only guess stood for "No." followed by the three fingers raised.



Either it was worth three coins, or he understood multiplications and wanted three times the sum.



I nodded.



Coins I had were essentially worthless if I couldn't spend them while surrounded by the violent and hostile natives, which made the prize acceptable even if massively overshoot. At this moment, it wasn't about what the money would buy, but more about the chance to turn the tide of bad luck.



I added ten more same looking coins.



"Twenty!" I gestured towards the coins with the open palm.



"Tee-wan-tee" The man couldn't pronounce it, but he tried, and unlike in the previous situations, he seems to understand the situation.



He gestured with the fist. I blinked in surprise, but figured out this wasn't a threat.



"Ten," the merchant insisted, with a few finger gestures: "Ten tee-wen-tee"



I got it. They had hand expressions for numerals.



He understands both summation and multiplication then. If he is indeed a merchant, it was to be expected that he understood basic maths even in situations where the commoners might struggle. He just didn't know how to say "thirty" and wanted to insist on the full price, I guessed.



I added ten more.



"Thirty"



"Tee-tee." The merchant agreed, once again unable to pronounce the word, but evidently trying to use the English expressions instead of his native ones, which signalled the massive progress compared to the pointless exchanges we had just several minutes ago.



Undoubtedly satisfied with the transaction, the merchant gathered the money and tried to weigh every single piece in his hand, examine it against the light seeping in through the shoddy walls of the hut, polish it with the cloth he produced from his sleeve. With every single one, he seemed meticulous and visibly had some experience in that regard.



"Human-thing doesn't trust the money isn't counterfeit, Master." Narita said, with notable scorn in her voice. She considered it offensive, I guessed. I considered it progress.



"Fairy gold." I remarked, "Let him. If greed works, we have to use it."



"Yes-yes, Master." She nodded. Despite everything, she was the one of mine that was the most open to having any ceremony at all, with others getting more restless or bored. Human merchant, however, looked satisfied - he determined the coins were real.



I considered delegating the learning of communication to Narita later.



Mai had to be excused. Her disposition towards humans was so far the most extreme, and I was too used to keeping Miwah and Tama on my side.



Miwah came over, took the cloak I bought, sort of, and put it over my shoulders. It was surprising, but this didn't alarm the guy as much. She was the large werewolf, after all. I assumed the merchant had some hierarchy or custom in mind, and we did it right by pure accident.



Pleased with the fact I was making progress, I proceeded to 'buy' the new clothes we, in fact, looted from the merchant wagon for forty more coins.



While seemingly pointless, since I technically could have the goods for free, it taught an important lesson. It was how I thought of the entire thing after this, as very expensive tutoring.



I confirmed the man could count, and actively try to learn English much easier than I could learn their own tongue, at least when properly motivated, likely by greed.



Even if we didn't get too far in the whole endeavour, I think we both got a grasp of numerals, which came with some basic expressions.



It was an unusual approach, however, there were results. Shame we didn't have any writing supplies, no paper, no chalk to write, no suitable surfaces to write on with ash. The merchant in our custody seemed educated, which would have helped, but there was no guarantee that their script was any easier to figure out than their speech. It may also have limited use - in ancient times, very few people could read and write.



Still, we have to stop eventually, not to strain the humans too much. At this point, I was more trying to teach him English than learning their tongue myself, hoping I would train the translator, but there was a limit to how far this could go.



I ordered my monsters to carry away the chest, and leave the man alone with the coins he earned. He couldn't spend them anywhere, being confined to the single hut we designated to be a prison of sorts.



Looking around, my monsters didn't take the security lightly, several equipped, and probably named monsters played at guards, while 'Corruptors' brought the briars from the forest, likely intending to encase the building to prevent the prisoner slipping away.



Question was, could I assign other tasks to them?



"Do you think you can handle communication with humans?" I asked my 'Alphas'.



"We can't trust them. They have already tried to harm you several times. We must protect you, Master." Miwah said, hugging me protectively from behind. I was getting used to it. What I was not getting used to was expecting them to sacrifice themselves. I didn't want them to, even if they came back from the dead.



"Another reason I should rely on you. We speak the same language, anyway." I answered, "Theirs is gibberish to me, and we might need someone like this guy as the translator."



"Human-thing will run away with money once he can, Master." Narita pointed out.



I had to agree with that assessment.



"It's still better than nothing." I replied and hesitantly admitted: "I overestimated my ability to learn the local language. I have to rely on others. I need to rely on you…"



"You can rely on us, always, Master." Tama added, stepping closer to me, leaning on my side. I was, once again, between her and Miwah, another thing I should probably get used to.



A look at Tama, an almost automatic reaction to the closeness of my vulpine monster. I wanted to reach for her. Or for Miwah. It was bringing my thoughts to something else than the whole language barrier problem.



I was tense. Somewhere inside, I thought I longed for attention from my monsters. I was, however, quite unprepared to accept it. Not now. I shouldn't, it was...



Focus, I reminded myself. There were other, more important issues to address.



It inadvertently made me think about the other items we would need, the plants, the tools, and many others, all being something we needed sooner than the communication with the locals could be reliably established with a translator capable of speaking the local tongue, be it the human, or one of my monsters.



My experience with the merchant still led me to believe it would take us several days, or rather a few weeks, before we could express what we needed and wanted, leaving us stranded here for the entire time.



There was the risk that the only 'translator' we had would run away the moment we got closer to any local settlement.



"Miwah?" I said, still thinking.



"Yes, Master?" The female werewolf purred into my ear. I thought I liked her. It still didn't feel quite right.



"Do we have any of the Eviscerators close to human settlement?"



"Yes, Brave, along with the group of ten, is in that pagoda. They will warn us if anyone approaches or deals with attackers. We will keep you safe, Master." She said, I almost forgot about the little 'Eviscerator' named Brave.



"Brave, I name thee the protector of the eastern mark!" I said jokingly. It wasn't, in fact, funny. At least, the system that previously reacted to naming monsters didn't consider this a valid command.



"It's southwest, Master." Narita corrected me, pointing towards the place on the horizon: "Sun sets in this direction."



"Sorry…" I said, "Still, could you send some Eviscerators to the human settlement, snatching the plants or seeds Mia wants? Perhaps take some metal tools too?"



"Yes, Master!" was the immediate answer.



"Don't attack anyone. You can go invisible.You can sneak in with no one noticing you." I instructed. Aware that it was, in the way, the raid I opted against earlier, I quickly added: "Take some coins from here, and leave them behind for humans to find as compensation"



"Yes, Master. It may take less than a day."



"Excellent." I said, almost automatically. We weren't that far away from where the humans lived. After all, we would inevitably run into each other, I said to myself, justifying my decision to poke the natives just a mere day later after we had a rundown with their soldiers.



Perhaps they would abandon their feud with us with the prospect of money, if our captive behaviour was any indicator, but it may be as well that our relationships were forever stained with blood. It would never end.



The thought made me shiver.



"At least we will find out if humans sent more soldiers." I murmured, then realised that the same trader that became so interested in the silver came to this area from a different side of the mountains than the others came from, including the soldiers.



Even the ones we released went in the direction the armed men came from.



We were sitting on the road, so important that they even paved it, despite the scarcity of resources in pre-modern societies, and around us was, in fact, a natural border. Dense forests, mountain slopes, a stream feeding into the river.



Maybe I was trying to talk to the wrong natives! The people on the other side of that mountain didn't know we were here.



"What is in that direction?" I pointed in the ravine's direction, toward the stream.



"Wilderness, Master. Runners haven't run into humans yet. But they smelled the fire, so it isn't entirely devoid of habitation." Miwah explained. 'Alphas' ability to sense their smaller kin over enormous distances was extremely useful, even if it made me doubt my usefulness in the whole arrangement.



"Helmy and the small group went that way, too. They may catch up with the runners." Tama added.



"They will want to show their love for you too, Master." The vixen teased.



"Perhaps they can bring you something from the humans there, too?"

 

[beast_regards]

Burn!



Helmy was the Purifier, a creature of fire.



Somewhere inside the small Purifier, hidden under her fluffy, red, vulpine exterior, the small conflagration burned with the desire to put this accursed world to the torch for offending the Master she adored.



She hated the world.



Her Master did as well.



Helmy remembered how she had been welcomed to it by the hail of arrows.



She didn't have her name back then.



What she had, however, was the sense of identity, and her purpose - to protect her Master and to bring death to all his enemies.



Helmy never faltered in her mission.



It didn't matter if she was pierced, stabbed or cut, she went down with a laugh, knowing that as long as her Master existed, she would come back with a vengeance.



With the Master, there was no death.



For her, Master was the beginning, and he was the end.



Then, one of those wretched, disgusting humans wounded her Master.



How dare they?



She would kill every single one of them!



Scratch out their eyes with her own claws!



Burn them to ashes with the power that boiled within her!



Cut them with the weapons she took from them!



Until none of those abominable monsters remained, so they wouldn't hurt her Master ever again.



It was after that battle when her Master called her Helmy.



She knew it was a silly name, but she loved it.



With the damaged suit of armour taken from the human she killed, with the helmet which gave her the name, she swore to herself to become a steadfast protector of her Master.



Her Master, however, didn't always need just her protection.



Thanks to him, their numbers grew quickly and steadily, along with the variety of powers as more of her cousins came into existence, and sometimes, the exhaustion was threatening their Master as much as the humans would.



Right now, she was resting in the arms of her Master, giving him her love and her warmth to ease his agitation, the support she would gladly, even eagerly, give. His scent was so alluring, his skin and touch so soft. Being there with him, being there for him, it was so right.



The decision of her Alpha to hush her away from this privileged position near the Master annoyed Helmy a little, though. None of her sisters truly minded that, as long as the Master was happy, the constant dribble of Purifier voices reverberating through the back of her mind confirmed as much.



Her Alpha shouldn't have teased the Master with jealousy. There was no need for it.



Helmy withdrew, letting Alphas cuddle her Master. Despite her flames, all that fire raging within, she still desired to bring her Master the happiness, to make him safe, and comfortable.



She didn't need the subtle, wordless mental push from her Alpha to know what to do next.



Once the Master fell asleep, she put on her ill-fitting armour and helmet, took the sword she claimed from one of those accursed humans, and slipped out of the hut to perform her most important duty - to be the protector she was as their male she adored rested within the safety of the warm embrace.



He needed to be protected and cared for.



Purifiers couldn't be without him, and he couldn't be without his Purifiers, for they were one, bound at the very soul, inseparable, destined to stay together forever.



Even as the night fell, many of her cousins couldn't rest, and the camp was still in a flurry of activity, just as was the cacophony of whispers in the back of Purifier's mind.



Hundred voices joined, they all had their mission, their tasks.



This place, this den, this dwelling wasn't completely safe. They were still dangers that lurked beyond this forest, conspiring to harm them, and more importantly, their Master. It was a hostile, alien land they struggled to understand.


This would not stand.



They would make it safe.



Together, they would bring this world to heel.



Burn!



It would be a better world for the Master, where he would be properly cared for, with no humans that could defy and endanger him.



They all strove together.



Helmy, however, wanted to do a little more for her maker, and wanted to do it now rather than later. Patience wasn't her strongest side, or her sisters'. Purifiers were creatures of passion and fire, and couldn't sit idly when their enemies still plagued the land while their maker and their cousins lacked what they needed.



She and seven of her sisters slipped out into the night to catch up with the Eviscerator-cousins that scouted the path ahead.



The Corruptor and Defiler cousins were reluctant to go with them, though. They had their tasks back in the camp, in the great work their Master had planned. A few of them still came forward, and together they departed to face the dangers that might approach from the direction of the hills, to establish a forward post in case enemies try to approach from the other side.



The forest was dark, devoid of any light other than the full moon on the clear, starry skies.



Darkness was no obstacle for Helmy, for her sister or her cousins. They could see in the dim light without issue.



The wildlife fled as they dashed through the woods along the road, and her sisters resisted the urge to fling the fire after the prey ran away from them.



Burn!



Eventually, catching up to the Eviscerator scouts feasting on the downed buck, they stopped and rested. Their stamina was great, but it wasn't endless.



Their cousins shared their catch with them so they could replenish their strength quickly.



It wasn't ideal, but she was grateful for the convenience. Helmy, just as any other Purifier, could eat the meat raw with no adverse effects, yet they preferred to use the fire gifted to them to cook it first. It improved the taste greatly, and dancing flames were very pleasant to watch, not to mention the warmth it radiated. Only the closeness of their Master felt better than all the blaze they could make.



Burn!



The symphony of voices at the back of her mind, a wordless, or rather soundless connection to her kin, agreed they wouldn't make the campfire here, to not alert humans to their presence, fully using the advantage their sharper senses gave to them over their enemies.



There, however, weren't any humans nearby, and the animals soon retreated to the safer distance, leaving them alone.



So they rested, and once the sun rose, they set out once again.



They still didn't find any humans.



Far in the distance, the beautiful, warm, pulsing beacon of her Master's presence, the light guiding and teaching them.



Then there was the echo of her sisters' minds, and ones of her cousins too, which would always guide her back.



Humans, however, were too different, too alien, too treacherous for this. Maybe it was why they didn't understand them.



As sharp as her sight was, it was just trees, and grass, and bushes, and a single, cobbled road snaking towards the mountains. A smell of the woods, or puny animals scuffling around away and away from them, her keen hearing registering the rustling in the leaves as the breeze played with them, but no sign of human presence.



Just the road.



If they followed that route, they would find the humans who built it.



There was nothing for a few more hours.



Back in the camp, her Master futilely tried to learn the way to communicate with the one they held captive. She sensed it through the link she shared with her Alpha and all the sisters.



Her Master was too kind. He still tried to talk even with such a despicable creature as a human. Although Alpha and her sisters would keep their beloved Master safe and shower him with the attention he deserved, Helmy regretted not being there to protect him.



He was safe; she assured herself.



No threat could have slipped past Helmy, and her sisters, and her cousins. They were better prepared now than they were back then when she almost gave into desperation when their Master had been wounded.



Then she noticed it, a smell, faint and distant, but familiar, brought in by the soft wind coming from the hills. Smoke and a fire. It wasn't theirs.



They all followed it immediately.



It was still distant, but it was, unmistakably, there. Helmy's group spread to further the search. The whispers of her kin at the back of her mind kept her close to them perfectly well, as did their sharp senses.



And then, movement up ahead, scuffling of leaves.



Helmy noticed the human before he noticed her. A human man in simple clothes, bleak and washed out. A hunter, armed with a bow and arrow, stood in the middle of the forest, surely able to hear the movement of her kind through the forest around, yet still failing to discover them quickly enough.



It made Helmy's blood boil. She had no fear for herself, but she had plenty of anger at those disgusting monsters that shoot arrows at her Master. And here it was, another one of them, sneaking through the woods, a living proof that sending the party to sweep the woods was the right call.



Human raised his bow, preparing to draw the string once he located the target, but froze in apparent shock once he noticed the slight form of Helmy. Obviously, she wasn't the prey he expected. It did not matter. He wouldn't have the chance to sneak closer to fire at Helmy's Master.



For all the fire she had, she didn't use her power. Instead, she grabbed the blade and leaped forward.



"For Master!"



Weighted by the armour she wore, she couldn't jump as far, or as high, but it was enough for her to reach her enemy, knocking the human backward. Helmy hit the man with the hilt and then slashed with the blade itself. A warm blood splashed around.



"For Master! For Master! For Master!



Helmy kept hacking, filled with rage, even after the target stopped moving. Disgusting monsters that tried to harm her Master - she would kill every one of them!



She would bring Master their heads as the proof of her undying love. She giggled inadvertently.



The outburst quickly quelled her emotions, and the voices of her sisters murmuring at the back of her brain told her they took down the other ones. It wasn't the last of them; they were certain of it. Neither of those made the fire. It was further away.



From the back of their dwelling, the Alpha relayed the orders. The Master, as caring as he always was, wished to have the plants to feed her sister and her cousins, and tools and outfits for all of them. No humans should be killed. No further humans.



Her kind Master was forgiving. Helmy was not. She would never forgive those monsters, repaying the pain they had caused him a thousand times over.



Yet the direction would be obeyed. The Purifiers' love was as pure and hot as were their fires.



She left the body behind and ran, guided by the whispers of their kin, as they congregated in the single spot where they would hide under the lush greenery, observing their target before they would approach.



On the slope of the mountain, behind the terraced fields, was another village, and in it, dozens more of those humans, still unaware her kin were around, despite the noise.



The cobbled road, however, continued further. Human infestation didn't end there.



Their maker would deal with it in due time. Didn't matter, Helmy would bring the Master what he desired, one way or another.



Burn!



"For Master!"

 

[beast_regards]

Hearing about the deaths of another two random human beings should have upset me, but it didn't. Not as much as it should, at very least.



Being informed by Tama post-fact differed from witnessing it myself.



It was regrettable, tragic even, but with little of the immediate trauma as the previous encounters had been. It was much more impersonal this way, akin to watching the television or reading the newspaper, or the past events quickly dulled me to this to a certain extent.



I wasn't even angry at Helmy.



I was, however, quite agitated, knowing that all the effort I made would likely come in vain. At the very least, it created another problem. One I would be forced to work on, and keep constantly in mind. Instead of grief, or shock, it created this feeling of a tide of unceasing amounts of tasks put in front of me, and what was once a traumatic event turned more into the stress of overwork. It certainly felt this way.



"Could you order Helmy and the group with her to stay back and not attack more humans?" I said to nobody in particular, "I need to think it through."



"Yes, Master." Was the answer. It didn't matter that much who responded. As far as I understood, it was a mixed group out there anyway, and considering how I thought they communicated, it was rather unimportant who received the message as long as they got it.



With no more words, I quickly retreated to the hut we used as the home for the night, and sat down on the bedroll spread here, massaging my temples and thinking.



The prospect of making peace with the natives was slipping away from my grasp, and the lack of control over the events was suddenly more important than mourning senseless deaths and violence.



Once again, I felt I should come up with an immediate, thorough solution.



I didn't have one.



My monsters despised humans and were never hesitant to kill anyone and everyone they perceived as a threat. The potent emotions, like the such hate likely was, were bound to linger, and trying to order the feelings itself away would be foolish, if not straight away absurd.



I never expected them to be truly slaved to my will either, so it wasn't like I could consider it betrayal or insubordination. A small group simply departed to establish the watch post in the direction I overlooked, ran into humans, and killed them before I even asked them to snatch the tools and seeds we needed from outlying villages without slaughtering everyone inside.



Rather than acting on technicality, and deliberately twisting the command, I assumed it was their natural misanthropy mixed with the lack of empathy towards humankind.



Which means they would do it again, without even realising it might be wrong. They didn't consider it such, and eventually, it would turn into something so meaningless it wasn't worthwhile to inform me.



If I wanted to stop them, I would have to keep a close watch. It was impossible to keep track of where my monsters were, and what they were doing, considering their rapidly rising numbers, and the growing distances involved.



"Overview." I whispered.



The screen came up, as always.

The Master
<The Root of All Evil, level 4>
Skills	<Scorched Earth lvl.22>
	<Slayer of Men lvl.23>
	<Great Devourer lvl.12>
	<Green Hell lvl. 37>
Units (Active)	Tama, The Purifier Alpha
	Miwah, The Eviscerator Alpha
	Narita, The Defiler Alpha
	Mai, The Corruptor Alpha
	144 * Purifiers
	28 * Named Purifiers
	140* Eviscerators
	40* Named Eviscerators
	45 * Defilers
	8* Named Defilers
	37* Named Corruptors
	141* Corruptors
Units (In queue)	<None>

"Unit tracking?" I tried.



Unsurprisingly, there was no reaction. The system reacted to only a handful of words, and wasn't exactly clandestine in what was done. I kept trying.



"Map? Strategic overlay? Locate units? Strategic view?"



Still zero effect. The status, or rather overview, screen cared only about the numbers of the unit, not about tasks they were assigned, or where they were doing at the moment.



"Locate Helmy? Message Helmy? E-mail?" I tried increasingly random keywords that might help me interact with this nebulous system, provide me with answers or solutions I needed, but no joy. I was about to give up, but then I got a rather silly idea.



"Ping Helmy." I murmured, almost certain it would be equally useless, but this time, something changed.



The screen flickered. Only slightly, with no additional information being displayed. It was the same status screen, with its monochromatic dullness, but this time, there was a reaction, albeit a slightly unusual one from what I would expect from something that normally manifested in terms of stats and skills.



Instead of some useful arrow, a compass, a mini-map, there was this strange sensation I couldn't even describe, yet was very much there. It was a longing that drew me to a single place.



It was shocking, as it was abrupt, and then, before I tried to speak, or think of the message, it was gone as quickly as it appeared.



What remained was this strange psychic afterglow, an urge, a compulsion, and perhaps an alien idea creeping into my brain - there were so few of us, they were so alone out there, more of us should be made, it insisted.



I shook it off.



Still, with mild curiosity, I tried the logical next step.



"Ping Purifiers."



I came to regret it immediately. The feedback was no longer subtle, but magnified proportionally to the number of monsters present, and as the screen helpfully suggested, there were more than a hundred of them. Many of them were close, and as with any other signal, it was stronger, closer than one was to the transmitter. Being surrounded by a relevant type of monster meant the intensity of the sensation was something akin to standing next to the gong being hit.



Albeit briefly, recovering was notably more difficult, especially if the reply led to a lot of foreign ideas swarming my brain.



Trying to direct my attention to something else helped - and amid the struggle to get my thoughts straight, I picked out the fact that numbers on the screen were wrong. I had far too many 'Purifiers', if there was an upper limit, I should hit it already. If I recall correctly, the limit used to be 40 when I was last time hit with the naming spree. Following this logic, I should be stuck with 80, yet...



There were also more 'Corruptors' too.



If I name one more 'Purifier', I shouldn't be getting any more of them.



Spawning more monsters, it was exactly what this invasive compulsion wanted, to drown any opposition in the flood of fur, claws, and exotic powers.



I rocked my head to get rid of the thought.



Whatever the strange 'ping' should be for, it obviously served no purpose in communication. Perhaps it wasn't supposed to.



I could assume it was what 'Alphas' were better at handling, as despite me not knowing the details, it was apparent that they could communicate much better than the 'ping'.



Although it might help should we ever be separated, managing the growing menagerie of monsters would have to be delegated. They could communicate more complex concepts. It didn't really help to mitigate what happened with the random group encountering the perceived enemy.



Even in the times of radio, skirmishes happened between the opposing forces even after armistices were signed, and in the best-case scenario, Tama's ability to relay orders to Helmy was roughly the equivalent.



It didn't matter that much, there was no treaty to violate here. There might never be one, considering the language barrier.



As much as it seemed they were undermining my attempts to make peace with the natives, it was just likely that the locals would fight us, even without these two killings. The memory of me being attacked by those five men, even as my creatures stayed hidden, came back, reminding me that not making aggressive moves wasn't a guarantee of success.



I wasn't very confident in my diplomatic skills, either.



And then, there was this underlying, treacherous idea in the back of the mind that said that maybe, only maybe, the humans were at fault. Perhaps they attacked first and were to blame.



I shook my head, trying to remind myself I shouldn't think the way my monsters did. Or should I?



Or maybe it was the other way around - who wants to be with wolves, has to howl together with them, after all.



My introspection about metaphorical wolves was interrupted by the embrace of Miwah, a more literal wolf, albeit anthropomorphic and feminine. I wanted to shake it away, in my frustration, but I didn't. It helped to calm me down, even if she still wore her armour.



I was so submerged in thoughts I didn't notice that my 'Alphas' gathered around, all four of them.



Tama leaned close once again.



"You called, Master?" she said in a flirty tone.



"You felt that?" I queried.



"Yes. It seemed you were lonely, Master.." She added, her muzzle close to my face, her clawed fingers gently touching my face. I let her, initially, but in the end I turned her down.



"Please sit down. I want to talk about our plans." I said.



She did. Though both she and Miwah remained affectionately close to me, which used to make me feel slightly awkward. I was quickly getting used to it as one of their many distractive quirks now.



Mai and Narita didn't pay much attention to it, and simply sat down too, but at least those two kept a more friendly level of distance.



"I wanted to make peace with the locals." I said in all honesty, there was no point in not being blunt with them. "But Helmy's killing another two of them didn't quite help…"



I paused, "...we still don't have any other choice than trying to steal tools, seeds, and plants from them to set ourselves up here. Which would count as an attack, anyway. But we have to reason with them…"



It was probably best to break it down for them.



"You can't trust humans, my Master!" Mai protested.



"No, I don't. I do not know how to deal with them." I admitted. Without even the basis of the language, no vocabulary, or relevant information, and without truly understanding the very basics of their culture, it was just a guessing game. A deadly guessing game at that.



"Kill all the human-things!" Narita offered.



"We can't do that. We only fought small groups of them. Should they muster a larger force, we will be overwhelmed." I tried to reason. Somewhere deep inside my brain, the nagging after-effect of the 'ping' brought the desire to expand the army of monsters, to spread and multiply.



Attack them before they attack us, it whispered.



I tried to ignore it, trying to be mechanically rational in my approach.



"That's the problem." I said, "We have to agree with one plan, and stick to it, as I rely on you to take care of the execution, as I can't be there. You can guide your kin out there, and convince them to minimise the killings if there is still a hope for peace. Or at least, there won't be a knee-jerk reaction from them."



"Yes, Master." They acknowledged with a nod.



"Is the village Helmy found even worth saving reputation with?" I asked. It was a rather rhetorical question, as I was almost certain what their answer would be, and continued, rephrasing the query:



"Does it look important? Valuable? Is it where the road heads to?"



They couldn't understand the value of human life, but they were intelligent, and could calculate what was beneficial for us. This was likely how they thought, and it was how I should present it to them.



"No, Master." Tama replied, "It is on the mountain slope off the main paved road. It is certainly larger than this place. Its buildings are much better, and they are established fields with the crops you wanted."



"It is on the river spring?"



There was a stream nearby, and water had to come from somewhere. If locals attempted to dam the river upstream, they would either deprive us of water if we stayed here, or cause flooding.



"We are not sure, Master."



"And no other people defending it?"



"No, Master. We didn't see any armed guards." The vixen shook her head.



I regretted asking.



It meant that it was a potentially vulnerable target, and she wordlessly suggested we should press the attack on it while my monsters were at their doorstep. I was very hesitant to change my previous decision.



"If we set out right now, could we reach it before sunset?" I asked. I was almost tempted to talk with them in person even if I was still far from understanding, let alone mastering, the local tongue. Then, I wasn't sure what I would do afterwards, as the more conventional methods of communication failed consistently so far.



Although, should they prove hostile, it would motivate my monsters to torch the place, so walking up there with hands in the air wasn't exactly a clever plan either.



"It would take at least a day to reach it if we travelled in a large group. Helmy ran through the night to get there." Tama explained, and then, being herself, added in a slightly sultry and suggestive tone: "And that would take valuable time off other things."



I overlooked that later part of the answer and focused on the former.



"And the settlements on the other side of the forest?" I gestured mildly in the direction from where we originally came from.



"A group has already set out, and will reach it early at dusk tomorrow. The necessity to take the money along is the source of the delay." Miwah answered.



"No humans encountered and killed yet?"



"No, Master." She confirmed.



I muttered in acknowledgement and thought that at the very least, this part of the plan could be salvaged. Since we sat, both literally and figuratively, on the only line of communication between two places. While it meant that we were surrounded by potential enemies, it suggested that Helmy's actions against one settlement had little to no effect on others.



"So, I would like to have 'Eviscerators' carry out the raid without showing themselves, then retreating with the goods, leaving the money as we originally planned. If Eviscerators can see in darkness, and are invisible, locals will be none wiser. Can you make sure they don't kill anyone?"



"Yes, Master." The werewolf answered.



"I trust you." I said and petted the canine monster lovingly, almost forgetting I was dealing with the serious matters here. She welcomed it.



However, I was still not ready to howl with my wolves in that capacity.



"Helmy would like to prove her love for you too, Master." Tama interrupted and pulled herself closer. Flirty as always, she added: "So do I."



"There are Corruptors with that group?"



"Yes, my Master." Mai answered



"Defilers?"



"Yes-yes, Master. One." Narita said, with a hasty nod.



"Pull out and make a hideout in the forest, dispose of the bodies. If humans don't know we are here, hide if they search for their missing people. Don't kill anyone else."



"Yes, Master."



Their acknowledgement might not extend to the last part, though.



"Do you think you can do it? The fewer humans know we are there, the better."



"Yes, Master." Tama confirmed, and true to her usual self, added: "For you, anything."



I glanced quickly at Narita and Mai. They both agreed too.



"Very well then." I said and was almost tempted to steal from the village immediately, but opted against it, knowing I could do it almost any time as long as they lurked nearby, preferably at night. Of course, at the risk that my monsters wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity to pick a fight with the locals.



"We will wait for tomorrow there, or at least for the night." I said, "Mai can instruct both groups what to snatch from the fields too."



"Yes, Master."



"I can try to talk with the prisoner again…" I mused, and was almost going to jump up, rush to facilitate another disorganised attempt to get the grasp of the local language, then stopped myself. If I was considering all the delegation, the 'Alphas' were as capable as I was in that regard.



"No." I said, mostly to myself, and then added: "Narita, would you be willing to talk with the prisoner yourself and try to learn their speech?"



"Yes-yes, Master." She agreed, perhaps a little too easily.



"You don't have to deal with human-thing if you don't want to. Just tell me. Mai wouldn't enjoy interacting with slimy humans at all," I said. Although she was obviously capable of doing this, and seemed to have the patience required, as I already left her in charge of the merchant when I was too tired, I didn't want her to kill the captive in frustration.



Then it came to me that I used the same expression as she did.



"I will do it. For you. Master." Narita replied. She got up quickly, full of energy to fulfil her task.



"Does it mean I receive special attention from you?" Tama pressed on.



I, however, as much as I wasn't quite ready for this, even if I subconsciously pulled her close without even thinking.



Torn by the unnaturally growing sense of kinship between me and my monsters, I was still not going to give up on the original plan, or rather a wish, to return home.



Whether it was for the sake of convenience or the desperate attempt to hold on to some sense of old identity, I didn't know myself.



Unable to simply ask someone for directions, or a transport, I direly needed a magical solution to the magical problem. While my monsters all had their own touch of the supernatural, true magic was beyond my grasp, and the only resemblance of it lay in this strange window that still floated at the edge of my view.



I needed to figure out this would-be system.

 

[beast_regards]

Figuring out the ins and outs of the system, restricted seemingly to only a very few vague messages, and next to no helpful descriptions, wasn't an exactly simple task.



It said very little, be it numbers or ominously named skills, and explained nothing, unwilling to give me any clue how I should solve my situation. It also didn't come with any ability useful to gathering the information we needed, or translating the particular language locally spoken.



Yet, with a continuation of the conflict with natives growing on the horizon, and no simple way out, it seemed like a good idea to focus on. At the very least, it provided the instant force multiplier we could use should it, once again, come to blows.



Instead of trying the random keywords to spark a reaction, I focused on the only part of the system which demonstratively had an observable effect.



The naming.


It was the numbers which got my attention, and it always gave results.



I instructed Mai to call me four still unnamed 'Corruptors' from her flock. She did, assembling her smaller, cuter variants for inspection, and I briefly thought of sufficiently unique ways to call them.



Naming the first three - unimaginatively called Fleur, Leilani and Cassia - caused the level of the associated skill to go up to 38, then 39, and finally 40. In each case, the red fog spit out the new reptilian monsters crowding the longhouse we lived in. Twelve more joined our ranks.



"Master! Master!" They cried out, while I was satisfied with the predictable reaction from the only consistent and replicable part of my ability.



First though, I welcomed all of them, something I didn't always do previously, but came to make a habit of as I grew accustomed to my monsters. Strange, considering how little time had passed, but I refused to think about it. They were my monsters, and I cared for them.



I also felt less guilty about the reckless expansion, as those little lizards were necessary for handling the food production by twisting the plants with their magic, while probably being indispensable for defence. It would be harder for enemies to jump us if we turned the forest against them.



They wouldn't go hungry either. Once we picked some seeds and sprouts from the local fields, or some village granaries, we would have a wide selection of crops to work with soon.



All possibly with immediate results once the 'Corruptors' got their hands, or rather claws, on it..



With them capable of cranking up the maturation rate of the plants, and possibly exceeding their production, I didn't have to be worried about the unsustainable growth.



It felt good to have them around, and it filled me with the certain hope this would bring me close to understanding what was going on.



I picked the final one of their kin, thinking briefly to make up something, hoping it wasn't duplicate among the countless other ones. My memory was seriously strained by now, unable to think of anything unique.



"I should name you Lotus." I said. It had to do.



A screen immediately popped up.

Unit named! Lotus, The Named Corruptor

This time, it was only a notification, with no skill level rising, without the usual ruby mist spitting more monsters into the world. It just spoke of the name.



I hit the skill cap, no surprise. I already knew it existed. What I wanted to confirm was the suspicion there was something wrong about the numbers themselves, a discrepancy between the upper limit of monsters I would have available.



None of my cute little lizards got into a fight yet. All of them being children to foolish attempts to twist the mechanic, and this was as far as it would take me.



Newly named Lotus knew she was special in the way, and held on for the hug. I gave her one, ruffling the feathers all of her kind had in the place of hair.



"Master!" She approved of it.



"Master! Master!" echoed others.



Without paying much attention to them now, I murmured: "Overview"



The previously dismissed system screen came back. Luckily, my little kobold-like creature didn't mind being held the slightest, since I was too focused on doing the maths in my head.



"You were indeed a little special, last for today, Lotus." I whispered.



"Master!" she, once again, agreed excitedly, with her girlish voice.



"Would you mind if you handled the food production and the home improvement? Do fungi count as plants for your power?" I asked, more focused on sending them off.



"Master!" they all agreed, scrambling away to their task I didn't properly plan, likely being fed the instruction by their larger 'Alpha' who got to answer the actual question.



"Yes, my Master." Mai confirmed. "I tried them, and they are safe. We can test it on the human prisoner to be doubly certain."



I nodded, somewhat absent-mindedly.



"Thank you."



Preoccupied with the window still floating in front of my eyes, I entirely overlooked her suggestion to feed possibly poisonous mushrooms on our captive, my attention elsewhere.



I sat down on the bedroll, reading and thinking.

The Master
<The Root of All Evil, level 4>
Skills	<Scorched Earth lvl.22>
	<Slayer of Men lvl.23>
	<Great Devourer lvl.12)
	<Green Hell lvl. 40>
Units (Active)	Tama, The Purifier Alpha
	Miwah, The Eviscerator Alpha
	Narita, The Defiler Alpha
	Mai, The Corruptor Alpha
	144 * Purifiers
	28 * Named Purifiers
	140* Eviscerators
	40* Named Eviscerators
	45 * Defilers
	8* Named Defilers
	41* Named Corruptors
	150* Corruptors
Units (In queue)	<None>

The numbers didn't match.



Now, I was completely certain the system wasn't really as systematic as one would think, with the monster count being wildly off. If I understood the logic behind it, there should be around one hundred and sixty members of Mai's kind running around, give or take, depending on whether the 'Alpha' leader variant counted towards their maximum population.



There were about thirty more.



My fluffy, both vulpine-like and canine-like followers were also far too many, with associated skill having a lower value, with the promise that more of them would appear before the only apparent limit, the so-called skill, hit their cap.



With my memories fuzzy because of exhaustion back when I tried to hold the ceremony to abuse this very mechanic, I couldn't even confirm if the spawning process was indeed following any logic when the horde of my lizard-like monsters entered the world. I wasn't able to tell where, and when, were additional monsters created. System abusing the loss of focus was the only explanation.



As far I could tell, the more recent changes behaved in quite the logical way. Three names raised the number of 'Corruptors' by twelve, while subtracting three from unnamed categories, moving them to name. Perfectly logical.



It was the rest that was wrong, confirming my suspicion, throwing all predictions out of the window.



Almost like the system bothered to count only if I paid attention.



The system was placing arbitrary limitations that existed only by its own decree, taunting me by offsetting the numbers from the apparent mathematical formula, almost like it consciously attempted to foil my attempts to understand it.



As much as I tried to be analytical about it, or maybe perhaps because of it, it just upset and frustrated me, and slowly allowed the emotion to boil back to the surface.



It, once again, felt like that stress from overwork faced with an increasing amount of impossible tasks. It was like the issue with language, with me being put in front of something I couldn't understand, stressing me in the process.



If it randomly added more monsters, would it take away my monsters from me just to spite me?



It was strange how I refused to part with them.



More I thought about it, the more agitated I became.



Unwittingly, I leaned against Tama, and even pulled her closer. She positioned herself on my lap, and I brushed my vixen a little, which she eagerly welcomed.



My mind was on something else. The annoying system.



I had to confirm whether the screen was lying. It wasn't like Tama was cooperative in such a thing at the moment. Even if her affectionate and overly receptive behaviour helped to rein in another spark of emotion, I thought I needed someone else to assist with more serious questions.



Narita was out on her duties. Mai led the newly spawned mini-versions out. Miwah was getting rid of her armour with the help of two of her smaller 'Eviscerators'.



"Do you see this too?" I queried, gesturing towards the floaty window with a nod.



"Yes, Master." Both 'Alphas' confirmed, even if my vulpine companion had their focus more on me than anything else.



I noticed earlier that they were at the very least capable of seeing the same window as I did, but I never tried to confirm that. Now I did.



"Do you have the same, or something similar?"



"No, Master. It is a part of you, as all of us are."



"Do you know how it works?"



"No idea, Master." Tama shook her head. "But it makes me feel I should protect and care for you even more. That it is here only because our power is still growing, otherwise it wouldn't be needed."



Being a spawn of that same system gave her belief of it disappearing at some arbitrary later point a frustrating credibility. Yet another thing it might whimsically decide for me. I tried to push down my recurring bad mood.



Tama's flirting had included other nonchalant oddities before, so I settled on putting the matter aside. Not that I'd be able to do much either way.



I turned my attention towards Miwah. The werewolf had been much more helpful.



"Are each one of you able to tell how many of your kind are around without reading this?" I asked, aiming to confirm whether the numbers I was fed were correct. An actual census would be a nightmare. I couldn't imagine herding them to the single place to check the headcount manually.



Luckily, 'Alphas' were better equipped for this.



"Yes, Master." Miwah said, pausing briefly to space out, a typical sign of her telepathic conversation with her smaller kin, though longer, and her expression betrayed higher concentration than was usual.



"A forty on guard here… a thirty working on the camp tasks… a sixty dispatched on the raid, twelve on the advanced post with Brave… sixteen for Helmy's group… and twenty raking the forest. "She continued. It was obvious she also tried to do the counting in her head, just as I did as she spoke. Then looked at her two attendants, finalising the summary: "And two."



It wasn't immediate, but it was fast, and quite an achievement. In fact, I couldn't imagine doing so without mustering them like a military unit in neat formation.



"One hundred and eighty," my werewolf said. Not only was she better than I was, Miwah could tell with certainty where the individual monsters were, albeit at the cost of spacing out for a few brief moments.



They could easily do the very thing that the system didn't allow me to do, but maybe it was the point.



Either way, her report matched what the overview screen was telling me, too.



I checked with Tama. She was less direct about it, but confirmed the same. The system fed me with the very same information the 'Alphas' could confirm, but it was where all consistency ended. The formula behind the actual numbers was wrong, if it existed.



I was tempted to test it again by attempting to get more 'Purifiers' or 'Eviscerators' to appear, as by the logic of things, the system shouldn't allow me to get more. Assuming it didn't play fast and loose with the upper limits, which I guess it did.



There was seemingly an exploit, or intentional flaw, depending on the point of view, that would allow them to increase their already exponentially rising numbers even faster. Though maybe their natural growth through combat was one that gave real gain, the attempt to bypass it by abusing the naming mechanic broke it.



It just wouldn't help me as they didn't solve the biggest problem I had.



"Select Skill?" I hummed, more to myself, or the floaty screen, rather than anyone else. I was sure Tama heard, as did Miwah, as they both were now close. The werewolf, positioning herself behind me, looked over my shoulder, while the fiery vixen still held on my lap.



I rested against the large, furry body of Miwah.



It was almost strange how I became accustomed to them; I thought, but I wasn't allowed to be distracted by it at this very moment. Not by awkwardness or acceptance. I wanted to figure out this system curse, and my faithful monsters helped a little, at least as emotional support.



"Language settings? Help? Manual? Settings?"



There was no reaction. I was about to be frustrated.



Randomly, I tried to poke the screen with my finger. I almost jerked when it actually did something.

"Slayer of Men, skill level 23 out of 40"
Unit count: 140	Limit Until Root Expands: 208	Unit Type: Eviscerator	]Element: Shadow

My eyes widened.



It actually did something. Damned be the logic behind the unmatching numbers. There was the first reaction after the countless vain attempts, and after all that anxiety, and had all my attention. I actually kissed both Miwah and Tama out of that enthusiasm, the weirdness of which completely escaped me in the heat of the moment.



Mai and the bunch of smaller monsters returned with a bolt of looted cloth and attempted to hang the improvised curtains out of the ceiling, but I paid them no mind. There were more important things to focus on.



I tried, once again, to play with the interface, full of expectation, and it actually did something once again.

"Green Hell, skill level 40 out of 40"
Unit count: 191	Limit Until Root Expands: 191	Unit Type: Corruptor	Element: Wood

It wasn't quite helpful, considering it was something as I already knew, and the clearly stated limit showed the discrepancies in what should normally be a mathematically simple formula, but the promise of tangible progress was very exciting.



There was a resemblance, or perhaps an illusion, of interaction and control. It outweighed the errors in calculations, at least at the moment.



I was about to believe I was on the right path, and everything would soon sort itself out, almost like the pieces of the metaphorical puzzle were falling into place, forming a picture. I didn't see it yet, but I was about to assemble the pieces.



Then, something happened. Perhaps fate struck, or maybe the spiteful force behind the system tried to strike me down. I didn't know.



A sudden, and equally unexplainable, rush of energy, sudden, like the lighting from the clear sky, incredibly powerful, but not as deadly, several times stronger than the rush of power from the 'Defiler' boost.



Immediately, everything turned red as the wave of the mist swept the camp, a batch of new monsters materialising, with an excited chant:



"For Master! For Master! For Master!"



My mind scrambled to understand what had just happened.



For the first time, the bland, monochromatic window displayed something different from the rising numbers and suspiciously named skills. It showed a message, and it was just as worrying, if not more.

The Second Scroll Has Been Read! We are rushing towards the end of days! Level 5 achieved. Unit cap doubles.​

I blinked again, struggling to comprehend what triggered this sudden change, and what the mysterious message wanted to say, however before I could gather my bearings, I was assaulted by another prompt, forcing the skill selection.



It was a familiar sight. I was forced to make this kind of selection twice already, but this time, there was a strange sense of urgency in it.

Select your fifth element
Skill: "Slayer of Champions"	Element: Steel
Skill: "Mind Over Matter"	Element: Force
Skill: "Terror From Above"	Element: Air
Skill: "Stalker on the Boundary"	Element: Space
Skill: "Sovereign of Blood"	Element: Flesh

It was almost like the will behind the bland screens wanted to dumbfound me with the wide selection of increasingly more exotic skills, some of which were defying the logic behind the already extremely loose definition of elements.



I was confused, but before I could have my answers, I would have to make a choice.

 

[beast_regards]

Hae Maru, His Royal Majesty, the King Hae of Great Hanulbeol-guk, felt desperate.



He maintained a cold, stoic expression during the hearing, as it was expected from the ruler, but deep inside, he was certain that his reign was soon to meet a violent end. Even if his subjects remained loyal to him, which was questionable considering the dire circumstances added to the usual court intrigue, the Jin barbarians laying siege to his city wouldn't be so merciful.



There was nowhere to run.



Death, however, did not terrify him as much as the fact he would be all but forgotten.



He gave up his identity when he was crowned, being referred to by title rather than by name as the customs demanded, but now he was certain that the very memory of him would be lost to history as well once he would be gone.



Breaking out of the siege now would be a miraculous deed, and Maru had already put his fate into the hands of forces beyond the human ken. He had to set the earthly matters before he ceased.



Maru wasn't like his ancestor, Great King Mujong, renowned for his martial prowess, who had never lost in battle, who had beaten the Jin armies many times, and had expanded his realm beyond what their dynasty ever ruled. He was the man who would have won here. He was the one that sealed the worst relics that ever existed under the royal palace.



Those relics, known as the scrolls of Pho-us-kah, waited here to be used, only to be accessed by those most trustworthy.



The king, in the meantime, issued edicts, which he knew would be his last. However, the sacrifice was needed.



Hae Maru's entire rule was marked by the struggle to keep up with the example set by his forebears.



He had tried, though, and he allowed himself to indulge in sweeter memory for a moment as his orders were ceremonially handed out. It was the tradition which the court indulged in to give them the illusion of control in the city besieged by the enemies.



The same decorum had accompanied decrees to plaster roads and build granaries, ease trade and to restore the capital fortress to its full glory.



His actions drained the treasury, but an age of peace and prosperity felt like a fitting legacy for one of his standing.



In the end, the roads carried the Jin armies to feast on what they didn't burn. The invaders were met with a people of craft and trade, not the unbending warriors who had carved the realm, crushing his armies, and his generals, and all but imprisoning him within the capital, closing off all the options to flee.



He hesitated to escape until the very last moment.



His mighty fortress couldn't possibly fall. It was foolish; the king realised.



As his subjects fled the countryside to hide behind the city walls, the capital became increasingly crowded, and food supplies were turning scarce, while the Jin attempts to scale or breach the walls were becoming slightly more successful each time, killing more of the city's brave defenders.



To make matters worse, the number of enemies grew. Now, Jin had thirty thousand men behind the gates, double what they started with, while the city defenders' numbers were thinner, and hungrier. The Jin held back from full scale assault. With their advantage, it would be a matter of time before they could storm still unbroken walls.



They were still building the siege towers at this moment.



The other night, a group of Jin's Sword Adepts scaled the walls, and though Hanulbeol-guk killed a few, and drove back the rest, someone still set one granary on fire, destroying vital supplies the defenders needed. In time, the accursed Jin wouldn't even have to fight.



The defenders would have to surrender at this rate, at the mercy of the Jin invaders.



Maru stared absentmindedly as they reached the last part of the hearing.



He was ready to announce the decision that would shake the kingdom.



The kingdom was already crumbling, and perhaps, he thought, the king of which truly lost the mandate of Heavens.



Only a very few rulers would admit their mistakes, and certainly none he had heard of, but Hae Maru saw the enemy army at the gates as his own personal failure he had to atone for. He would make the sacrifice. His throne, however, needed to pass to someone more favoured by the gods once he did. Worse choices would see to their own rise.



He watched in silence. His most faithful general, Ri Jung, accompanied by the city's highest ranker priestess, kneeled before the king, their heads lowered.



"Tell me, priestess, is our daughter blessed by the gods?" He asked.



"Yes, your majesty, without a doubt. Her royal highness, the crown princess, holds powers given by the gods!" the priestess answered without hesitation. While many officials were very hesitant, there wasn't anyone in the clergy that denied this.



Even if the gods turned away from the king of Hanulbeol-guk they didn't turn away from his daughter, the king thought.



"Yes. She is." The king paused, and then announced: "We thus declare the Crown Princess Cheonchong, Hae Narim, our successor, who shall rule after our death, for she has been chosen by the Gods. General Ri Jung shall see to her instigation with royal decree!. From this point henceforth, the succession shall be possible to the daughters of the king as it would be to his sons!"



The general maintained the calm expression as the envoy placed the official document written on yellow silk in his hands. The king had faith in this man,he even originally planned to wed his own daughter to Ri Jung as the greatest honour the king could give. This changed.



If the kingdom's misfortune meant that gods didn't look at Hae Maru rule favourably anymore, then he would deliver the person beloved by them to the throne, so his subjects wouldn't suffer from his failure. If his daughter was chosen, so be it. She would hold the position that women never did before.



It couldn't be said about the rest of the court that they shared the sentiment.



The king could hear the whispers among the gathered officials. They were expected to remain silent. They didn't. Each one of these murmuring voices would be considered the worst breach of the court etiquette, if not pure insolence, worthy of punishment, or shame, but the king didn't care.



"He can't do it."



"Impossible."



"This is not how…"



The reaction, however, was understandable.



If they weren't in a besieged city, facing the crisis that was already shaking the throne of Hanulbeol-guk, such a decision would warrant a massive uproar, without doubt triggering an open rebellion leading to the king being deposed in favour of a better, more sane, ruler. One which wouldn't challenge the succession laws, and traditions that the kingdom was built upon.



Hae Maru had no sons. His younger brother was dead, slain in battle, which he shouldn't be, even out of foolish heroism. In such a case, the title was supposed to pass to his uncle, a duplicitous, untrustworthy man who already ran and would surrender to the Jin.



Maru was determined to not let that happen.



If he lost the favour of the Heavens, he would pass the throne to the only person which every member of the clergy believed to be loved by the Gods, and then Hanulbeol-guk would prevail. He repeated that to himself.



Hae Maru tightened his grip on the armrests of his throne and raised his voice.



"We shall lead the charge to break the siege on the royal city!"



He began explaining his plan. The court listened. No one protested when the king declared his intention to use an ancient relic to break the siege, with the king leading the charge personally afterwards.



A very few kings led the army from the front.



But between preventing surrender and his disregard for sacred tradition, he had to fear turncoats and loyalists alike in the rear.



His own officials, offended by the daring edict, and the complete disregard of the succession law, the nobles striving to take the power - they all knew, if the relic wouldn't kill him, the Jin would. Then the royal decree would be disregarded.



He could feel it in the very air.



The plan was the suicide. Albeit it would save his opponents the trouble with hiring the assassins.



"This hearing is over."



He said. It was almost eerie when they all bowed respectfully, as if nothing had happened, their heads lowered in respect as the monarch left the room. They all, without exception, accepted the choice he made. Hae Maru just would have to die.



The king had no illusions about what would happen once he would be gone, if the ritual went as everyone expected, but prayed they would change their mind should it succeed.



It would be the will of the gods.



He ordered his personal guards to prepare for this departure and went down deep into the bowels of the royal palace where the vault holding the secrets was situated.



With every step he took, his mind was racing, entirely overtook by his determination to make his mark in history.



As the men guarding the doors opened the doors for him, the sages and two priestesses immediately bowed down before the ruler.



"Rise and speak freely." He ordered, "Did you find the scroll I requested?"



"Yes, your royal majesty." the court sage answered, his head still lowered as the protocol demanded, "This one identified the scroll that would destroy the Jin army, only…"



"Speak!"



"Your royal majesty! Only a chosen few are protected against such power. Others pay the price. Your royal majesty will… may… die." The sage stammered. This wasn't something one would say to the king.



"Yes, we are aware of the danger, and we will take the risk to ourselves for the sake of the kingdom." Maru said calmly.



"But… who?" the sage protested, dropping the title. Maru didn't think of it as insolence, though.



"Our daughter shall succeed us. If she has been chosen by the gods, it is the will of the Heavens she shall rule! She left for safety before Jin armies arrived."



No one replied to that. Then, without being asked, one priestess spoke.



"Yes, your majesty, her Highness the Crown Princess took one scroll too when she left." She said, hesitantly, aware that she did so out of turn.



Though speaking like this might have been ultimately impolite, if not offensive, the king wasn't upset as his mind was engaged with the sacrifices that needed to be made when facing the foreign barbarians invading his domain, killing his subjects.



Hae Maru was the king, and he felt he had the duty.



He still listened to the erratic explanation.



"The scrolls of Pho-us-kah foretold when they would be used. When the chosen of the royal blood invoke their power, a crack in the truth shall emerge, and the chain cannot be broken until the ultimate tribulations are undertaken. We feel it. She used the other scroll."



"But she is protected from the scroll's power! You said so before!" He protested.



"Yes, your majesty, but we are afraid of what started. Not all sense it, but there is great evil to the south."



The blessings that were bestowed upon his daughter meant she was fated for great things. Her journey wouldn't be without peril, however, if the gods meant anything, she would overcome them. The king refused to think otherwise. Now there was no stepping back.



The words were interrupted by the sound of alarm from the guards outside echoing through the palace halls. There was the 'great evil' at the gates of his city, he thought.



"Give me the scroll I asked for." He commanded.



Hae Maru, the king of Hanulbeol-guk, didn't pay any attention to anything else until the relic he demanded was placed in his hands.



It hummed with unseen energies which he could not explain, proving without the doubt this wasn't an ordinary piece of the parchment, but something imbued with a power that wanted to be released into the world.



Though his palace was vast, he paid no attention to the distance as he rushed outside, ignoring anyone who would cross his way. No one dared, not even those that would plot against him, not even after he did the unthinkable.



It was almost as if the scroll he held aided his will to use it, pushing everyone aside.



On the stairs of the palace, even if there was another set of the walls further separating them for the rest of the city proper, he could hear the fighting carried through the capital, smell the smoke from the fires. There was no time to lose.



His soldiers stared at him, unsure how to act, dazed by the relic.



And the scroll hummed.



He opened it, his eyes drawn to the symbols of where the ritual words began.



"Repeat the words and a crack in the truth shall emerge." was the instruction that echoed through his mind.



He did. As he spoke the words of power, he could feel his life fleeing out of his body, into the relic, fuelling the ritual which he wasn't able to stop anymore, possessing a mind of its own.



Even as life force escaped the ruler, the mystical forces flowing through felt incredible, out of this world.



It granted him vision of the Jin armies storming the walls, exactly as he feared they soon would, and the brave defenders still trying to drive them away.



His last wish, sent through the forbidden scroll to the world at large, was to break the attackers that assaulted his city, and his kingdom.



Then Hae Maru, His Royal Majesty, the King Hae of Great Hanulbeol-guk, fell.

 

[beast_regards]

Something was wrong.



I was certain of it. I just didn't know what that something was.



Not only that, the nebulous system granted me another level with no tangible reason behind it, immediately doubling our current numbers, with a strange message about the upcoming end.



It felt strange too. Never had the skill selection been associated with this unexplainable feeling of urgency demanding attention before.



Did it mean we were in danger?



It couldn't be ruled out.



"Did you feel it too?" I asked.



"Yes, Master." Tama answered in confirmation. She nudged herself close. But I was preoccupied with other matters to mind or enjoy that, as this strange sensation prompting action was all I could think of.



"We will keep you safe, Master." Miwah added.



"Could you please put everyone on a lookout?" I ordered and returned my attention to the floating window nudging for selection.



As my 'Alphas' hushed the few recent additions that spawned nearby out of the hut, I hastily considered my options.



The 'Sovereign of Blood' didn't seem to be a good option.



It was almost impossible to tell what kind of power was associated with 'flesh' or 'blood', but the wording reminded me of vampires. Having the monsters that actively preyed on humans would just invite more conflict I was so desperately trying to avoid. Though it was also possible it meant something different, that 'flesh' represented another form of healing powers, if I was going to choose something to defend us from the surrounding threats, I didn't feel I had time to take the risk with power with unknown and potentially duplicate applications.



The 'Space' associated skill was equally exotic. Though potentially powerful and with many implications ranging from teleportation to portals, I simply couldn't rely on it at the moment where I didn't know where the danger came from. Or if it even existed.



I was, however, much inclined to pick the 'Mind Over Matter' with the promise of telepathy, which would cast all my communication issues away.

It was something one would associate with the strength of the mind and considering what I've seen so far psychic powers wouldn't be entirely unbelievable under my unique circumstances. When I noticed it was associated with 'Force' not 'Mind' or 'Communication', it somewhat crushed my expectations about talking without words and I rejected it right after.



If we were indeed going to be attacked, I needed the more straightforward combat oriented minions. It was exactly the opposite of what I wanted, however nagging inside my brain begged to differ.



As much as I didn't want to continue the fighting, I came to care about the wellbeing of my monsters. I held Tama close, her affection more welcomed when I faced this unexplainable sensation of unknown origin.



Torn between the last two remaining options, which would surely boost our ability to fight, I finally made my choice.



"Select skill Slayer of Champions" I said aloud, hoping I wasn't wrong in my assumptions that it was going to come with the most durable monsters yet, saving my other followers to undergo the painful death and resurrections, or necessity to rely on nothing but their sheer numbers in battle.



As the fresh addition to the growing horde materialised out of red fog erupting from the ground, I silently hoped postponing the idea of flying creatures in favour of durability was the right call. The sense of urgency was replaced with the inner tension finally easing up, almost like a weight came off my chest. It didn't mean that danger disappeared with it, though; I reminded myself.

Skill "Slayer of Champions lvl.1" gained.

An overlay announced as the new monster towered over me.



She was, just as the others before her, an anthropomorphic animal, this time resembling a huge humanoid bear with black-grey fur of uneven pattern resembling unpolished steel.


I had to briefly wonder whether the power behind my monster's creation would ever break the habit of providing me with all-female company.



This time, no half measures were taken regarding womanly shape. Not only was she big, probably taller than Miwah, her noticeably plump, buxom figure, her rather broad and bulky features made her look more like a wrestler than actually fat.



She kneeled to get more on my eye level and looked at me. I was sitting, and she was kneeling, and I still had to look up to meet her eyes. They were black, and quite calm.



"Master?" she said in a deep, tired, though still feminine, voice. My new ursine monster probably noticed I was staring. She said nothing else, just looked at me expectedly, almost like she didn't want to exhaust herself by speaking.



Her face was typically ursine shaped, though discernibly feminine, as it was typical for all my monsters, with a short snout and rounded features framed by a short, but rich mane of spiky ashen hair.



"Oh, sorry." I said and tapped Tama, suggesting that the cuddling session was over. She seemed to enjoy bossing around her kin without leaving my lap, but there was no time for this now.


I stood up once I could.



"Do I get a hug?" The new ursine monster said with a weary smile, her face showing quite human-like expressions when she did so, as usual for my creatures. She looked at Tama, then back at me.



I accepted. She was one of mine, and I was glad she was around. It felt safer.



She stood up too, and I hugged her, and she held me in the tight grip. I quickly freed myself from it though, as it was quite a weird moment, considering the height difference between her and me - my head was as high as her chest after all.



"I didn't mind, Master." She said, calmly, "Quite enjoy hugging."



"Do I have competition?" Tama teased, just as she always did. I ignored the vixen.



"Would you mind if I call you Kuma?" I asked the newest monster.



"Not very imaginative. But I like it." she said, sounding nearly sleepy, then added in confirmation and the smile: "I am Kuma, Master."



At the very least, she radiated calm, which was much welcomed now. The absence of alarming noise outside the usual busy ambience of our overcrowded encampment offered the opportunity to indulge in it more. There were quite a few giggles outside too, which all 'Purifiers' liked to do as they fooled around, further ensuring there wasn't an immediate danger.



I still had to check out on them.



The notification started me a little, despite it being something I was supposed to expect.

Unit named! Kuma, The Ravager Alpha Skill "Slayer of Champions lvl. 2" gained.

The new window popped out of nothingness, as the system sealed the deal, and the new manifestation of the ruby haze materialised Kuma's smaller kin into the world.



Though in their case, the 'smaller' wasn't exactly a right description, as even the 'mini' versions of Kuma were as big as Miwah, showing they were the muscle of the team even if their stocky, plump features showed little actual muscles.



"Master." They yawned and stretched, almost looking like they had just woken up.



Their 'Alpha' in the meantime, inspected the ceiling of the house, likely because her head nearly hit it with how tall she was.



"This doesn't look sturdy, Master." She remarked, "Or warm."



It was true this building looked a little crowded, even if it was the largest one in this once abandoned hamlet, at least with the hulking figures of 'Ravagers' as the system referred to the bear like monsters. They didn't look like the bringers of ruin, I also didn't see them angry.



"Would you mind if we go outside?"



"Of course not, Master." Kuma said and pushed the door open, keen to leave the confines of the room, which didn't quite fit their size. All others followed suit, including me, though only after the big ones cleared the way.



As much as I felt pressed to make a choice leading to Kuma's creation, there wasn't any disaster that awaited me outside.



Although I was still out for a surprise, since I grossly underestimated what doubling our previous numbers meant,‌ and the fog was kind enough to put most of those somewhere outside the abode I was resting in. They wouldn't fit in the shoddy longhouse. This small forgotten settlement had probably never housed even a tenth of their numbers.



The crowd of monsters grew more dense than ever before, and I immediately knew that previous plans to feed my growing horde would be seriously challenged with this rate.



It was almost eerie, considering it was merely my third day here.



It made me forget about testing what the newest type of monsters could do.



"For Master! Master! Master!" The thousand headed mob cheered as I stepped outside and made the way, while I, still a little confused, looked around. They were still fairly orderly and didn't need the imposing bear-like 'Ravagers' to push them away. Dozens, hundreds, of 'Purifiers', 'Eviscerators' and 'Corruptors' jumped, and waved, and chanted joyfully, almost like I was some celebrity.



I didn't feel like being one.



What I felt was the weight of responsibility.



I waved at them. Although it was a bit of a surreal experience for me, they seem to like it.



Then I gestured for Narita, who appeared among the crowd, to come , and called the other 'Alphas' closer. It wasn't exactly the right place to have any kind of discussion, but I indeed underestimated how large the growth was going to be.



As I leaned forward so she could hear me when she came close.



"Narita, did you feel what we felt?" I asked.



It was quite a vague question, but she understood practically immediately.



"Yes-yes, Master." She answered in her irregular speech patterns, "Something wrong. Maybe human-things. Did something. It is now gone."



"Did the merchant know?" I followed up. Our captive was the only sample from the local community we have right now.



"Prisoner is startled." Narita replied, "He didn't do it."



I signalled others to come close to. Luckily for us, the crowd went quieter too, probably owing to the link the 'Alphas' had with their smaller kin calming them down. At least we could talk.



"Are there any humans nearby?" I queried, then added, "Did groups of Helmy and Brave find something odd?"



"We didn't run into anyone, Master." Miwah answered.



"No stinky humans nearby." Mia added, showing her typical disgust towards humankind most of my monsters shared.



"Kill all humans so we can have some peace and quiet." Kuma remarked in an almost indifferent tone.



I opted to ignore both.



Looking around, our numbers were both our largest weakness and biggest strength. If we relied on altering the agricultural plants with magic, we would need those fast enough, and doing all that without knowing where the threat came from.



I didn't even know whether the sudden infusion of power combined with the ominous sense of urgency was an attack, ‌a prelude to one, or the work of something beyond our knowledge and understanding.



Defence still seemed to be our best option, for now.



"Narita, Mia, please use your powers to make sure everyone is fed. The rest would be taken care of by our hunters. We need to hurry with those seeds, Miwah."


It wouldn't last, I was certain of it. With our current population, overhunting would soon become a major issue, and in the most extreme case, almost overnight.



"Yes, Master." They answered in unison, and I watched them briefly space out as they redistributed the orders to their smaller kin. They soon jumped into action, though with their current numbers, order was hard to tell from chaos.



It also made me wonder if I made the right choice. Our numbers made us slower and forced us to spread, inhibiting defensibility. Perhaps we should have pushed away from our current place to give the potential enemies more obstacles to contend with, maybe spread through the entire forest to make the use of its resources, making it difficult for others to enter.



"Kuma?" I addressed the most recent addition to our team: "I suppose you can help the most with keeping us safe."



It was what I originally thought about when I selected the skill associated with her, though they undoubtedly could apply their power to something else than fighting. I just needed to find out what it was.



"Hmmm." she pondered, almost lazily "Hunting. Fishing. Logging. Clear out the woods to make fields."



"We will need to get some tools for that." I said. Despite the creative use of fire, the monsters were mostly reliant on using the salvaged weapons for purposes they weren't intended for, or had to attempt making the stone axes in the absence of sufficient quantities of iron tools.



They did a good job. However, if I wanted axes or saws, I would have to steal them from locals. I didn't even know the right word for that to try with the captive merchant.



"No need." Kuma answered, "Just metal."



Without the further explanation, she grabbed one weapon my self-appointed bodyguards equipped themselves with, yanking it off the 'Purifier'. The long curved sword disappeared - no, melted - into Kuma's huge hand, dissolving completely, with only the leather stripes that made the sword helplessly falling down on the ground.



I looked at my other 'Alphas'. They didn't look surprised.



"I'll show." Kuma proclaimed and without the further ado made her way through the camp towards the forest, with its greenery already assaulted by the mass application of my monsters' magic.



The green horizon heaved as the glow reshaped the plants, only to be drained to make sustenance for my furry horde, reminding me how destructive the monstrous abilities were to the surrounding environment. Perhaps it was for the best that I didn't select 'Flesh' as my next skill. It would certainly result in magical cancer.



However, it was all necessary; I told myself.



I pondered, but Kuma was entirely apathetic about it. Instead, the huge ursine picked the first tree still untouched by my 'Corruptors'.



The blade, previously absorbed into Kuma's large hand, formed anew, almost as it was melted and freshly cast into the invisible mould, cooling and hardening instantly.



My bear monster swung the weapon at the tree with her strength, which seems considerable, leaving the small wedge only after a couple of cuts, though it visibly angered the 'Ravager'.



After the fourth hit, the blade broke, its shattered part flying into the air wedging itself into another trunk.



"I am sorry, Master." Kuma said, for the first time, her sleepy voice showing regret. She recovered the broken blade with a bare hand, looking almost careless, reabsorbing the metal piece in the process.



She tried to hack the tree with ferocity, readjusting the magically formed weapon, or as currently used as a tool.



I was going to point out that the different shape of the blade would probably do the better job, but before the words left my mouth, another cut drove the newly formed weapon halfway into the trunk with a single blow, much to my surprise.



The steel was molten, then solid again, and with the fresh cut, a sufficient part of the tree trunk was removed, almost like they cut much softer material than hardwood.



I started from surprise when Kuma simply put all her strength into it, and with the loud, deafening thud; the tree fell over, leaving only the splintered stump behind. If I ignored the zero safety approach - it could have easily crushed someone - it was quite impressive, and done in record time considering almost zero skill.



"I hope it didn't fall on someone's head." I still had to remark.



"I wouldn't let it fall on you, Master." Kuma answered, with the exhausted tone that might be the defining part of quirky personality. The blade she had was, once again, taken in, disappearing into her huge, furry hand.



"I suppose you can help with tree cutting then…" I suggested, and looked around. Before I could query whether she could part with the weapon or be consumed this way, or it was simply a part of her forever, I realised the distinct problem altogether, entirely made by me, even if unintentionally.



Letting a huge number of 'Corruptors' and 'Defilers' loose in the forest with the explosive interaction their power had was the mistake, and by the few minutes I focused on something else a visible chuck of twisted greenery was essentially turned to ash though unrestrained draining.



They did it before, but their numbers pushed the scale at which they impacted the environment way too high.



My monsters had a blast considering the intoxicating effects draining of life-force had, but for me, it meant trouble. If the cooperative effort of my undoubtedly magical rat and lizard-like creatures allowed them to skip one big meal, even the vast forest we had wouldn't be enough, eventually.



"Miwah? Tama? Ask our scouts to note where locals have their granaries, if they have any."

 

[beast_regards]

My monster giggled giddily as the surrounding forest died.



The plants swollen from explosive, unnatural growth under the influence of one magical ability, only to be turned to ash the moment after by another, with nothing but lifeless, blackened earth remaining.



It wasn't anything new.



While I knew perfectly that a single 'Defiler' could drain life from a small area around her, Narita and her smaller kin pushed beyond what I'd expected. I underestimated what a hundred of them could do when they put their powers to work in order to feed the thousand-headed horde.



As the life force redistributed by their abilities washed over me, it was rather my thoughts than my actions that went into overdrive .



I looked briefly at Tama, Miwah, Narita, Mai and Kuma - five of my 'Alphas' with a gleam in their eyes as it filled them with more vitality than usual, way more. They were beautiful, and they were mine. A strange notion from my side, my previous emotions considered.



Tama winked at me.



Shaking my head, I returned my attention back to the devastation.



It wasn't nature that I was worried about; it was the well-being of my many monsters.



Only seeing this at work made me realise the scale at which I would have to process the surrounding woods in order to bypass the need for conventional food through the use of their powers.



It merely ate through a few metres of forest now, which didn't seem like a lot at first glance, but I could clearly imagine going through the same process three times a day, every day, relying on the sustenance the 'Defiler' powers could provide.



With each day, my monsters would have to travel increasingly larger distances to get a replacement for a normal meal, leaving a noticeable dent in the plant life.



It was an approach that was best to be used on the move.



'Corruptors' drove the creep forward, preventing ground from turning into a sea of mud, twisting the landscape in an image that did their name justice, with the blackened vines and thorns, along with other nightmarish parodies to a natural order left in their wake. It pushed the border where our little world collided with the original, native one, even further.



This could, eventually, include the edible produce, even if tailored to suit my monsters rather than any of the native species, but it didn't change it wasn't, in fact, free.



I even had ordered the 'Defilers' to fuel their lizard-like cousins in their job to create our not so little settlement, manipulating one plant at the time.



Said fuel, however, didn't come from nowhere. It was a conversion of energy, expecting us to move forward until a sizable chunk of the land was converted.



Unless we had some central store, a granary, with a decent storage of food to overcome the time necessary for setting up the farming infrastructure, our settlement would stretch with time. Though some tasks were significantly easier with magic involved than it would be without, the endeavour wasn't completely devoid of costs.



We had neither the time nor the spare supplies - we had to move. It wouldn't happen today, but it would come eventually.



At least, something in that energy I received urged me to, to lead my creatures to a more suitable place where they could prosper.



I was still against raiding the local settlements for supplies or assaulting them to take over what they already set up.



Doing so would ruin any future prospect of peace with the natives completely, or at the very least, make it more difficult to achieve, increasing the number of grievances we had with each other.



It, however, seemed I would be forced to do so anyway. I just would not be today.



"How difficult would it be to build something to store the food?" I asked, considering the options we had.



It was something we needed if we established any permanent settlement, as long as we didn't take the pre-existing structures from locals, and we needed it before we had the foodstuff to fill it with.



"A root cellar, Master?" Kuma suggested, her tone once again sounding slightly bored. "We can dig under the tree for roots to provide support."



She didn't sound too excited about the prospect.



I couldn't tell whether it was a quirk she had, along with the other 'Ravagers', or if she was genuinely disinterested in the subject. Her only marginally smaller kin had very similar expressions, too.



"Won't the roots grow into it?" I tried to approach it logically, though I had very little practical experience.



"I wouldn't let them, my Master." Mai interrupted, sounding noticeably more excited about the prospect.

I would have to think about it later. I recalled it would have to be at least several Metres deep. They could not dig it with their bare claws. I wouldn't ask them to, which brought my attention back to something I should've checked earlier.



I thanked her and continued to question my metal-shaping bear.



"Can you shape the steel into tools? Picks? Axes?" I queried.



She answered only with the long, deep "hmmm" in agreement. Kuma once again called her weapon, shaping the metal to resemble a pickaxe, albeit a tiny, and entirely made of the single material.



"Do you have to hold on to the metal you reshape for it to maintain the current form?" I tried to confirm..



"No, Master." A bear-like monster confirmed, driving it into the fallen tree, then letting it go.



"Could you make it bigger?" was my next question. A miniature pick she made wasn't that good for digging if it was essentially a one handed tool.



"No, Master." she said, the tone of her voice unchanged. "Not enough metal."



"No matter ex nihilo." I pondered. While it made little sense why, their magic followed some laws of physics, while ignoring others, and the only thing I could do about it was accept it with a shrug.



It placed yet another restriction on me - the only place I could get metal was from the natives, just like cloth, and trading won't be possible in quite a time. Only wood was reasonably plentiful, although not entirely unlimited, as my little lizards could only exert their botanokinesis to a certain point before they exhausted themselves.



"Very well then. If we have any spare weapons, they will go to Ravagers." I continued, though the way the monsters were called still felt strange. "Purifiers would use their fire should there be a fight, anyway. Rest would need them. Maybe 'Eviscerators' would not. They had their claws.



I could almost feel the disappointment in my little foxes when they had to part with their trophies, but they did so anyway. The rest of my furry menagerie didn't primarily rely on their powers as offensive weapons, only perhaps 'Defilers' would.



"I am sorry." I murmured, even patted one of the small vulpines on the head. Even with the area literally swarming with them, they were always a couple of them, acting like some self-appointed security detail.



I found out that the not-so-little versions of Kuma had a somewhat weaker variant of the ability, making the entire process slightly slower. With a low quantity of iron or steel, there was a little need to push it out fully.



The few suits of scale armour we had were too valuable to keep my companions alive, and the thin sword blades or spear tips could only make so many axe heads. There simply weren't enough things to recycle.



At least something was done, though.



"Thank you." I expressed my gratitude to all of them.



"For you, anything, Master." Tama said, assuredly.



"That's…" I was hesitant to make my ursine companions only workers just because they could shape the tools, and without finishing my sentence, I made a few steps forward my 'Alphas' and back towards the few houses of our camp.



"Nothing. There isn't a pressing need to dig while we still wait for the expedition to bring us the seeds." I explained to no one in particular.



As much as I felt restless, filled with the energy to do something, an urge I visibly shared with the rest of my furry menagerie, there was a very little we could do at this very moment.



My monsters needed the tools, or seeds, or metal, or other resources to work with.



They, however, wanted to do something. The part of the surrounding greenery was sacrificed to that goal.



It made me itch almost.



The presence and closeness of my monsters gave me a certain reassurance. It was strange how fast the thing changed.



Though, I still feel the urge to at least walk around our settlement when I look around.



"Right now, the priority is security, shelters, and food." I mused, "Mai, do you think you can have the shelters created with your powers? And could you find something for Kuma to wear?"



It would be a shame to not use the easiest option we had.



"Certainly, my Master." Mai confirmed and with the usual cries, they set out to work. Unlike any conventional building process, there was no middle step, and the improvised shelters could be grown literally from the ground.



It was still at the cost of original vegetation, though.



Still, the settlement was an ant nest of activity, with the sea of fluff and scale, teeth and claws, and I couldn't help but to be proud of my monsters for being this productive. There were so many of them right now.



Whether they ran around exercising their magic, or to do menial things like collecting firewood, attempting to cut trees with the few tools they had, or gathering food, they had so much energy.



"Master! Master!" They chanted, occasionally.



I socialised with my monsters a little, with every little one wanting a bit of personal attention, which they obviously enjoyed. They seemed tireless, with seemingly endless vitality, probably by the sudden boost the life-drain provided, but enjoyed fooling around occasionally - and I was more than willing to let them.



The 'Alphas' weren't strict with them, either. Although monsters always knew what to do without words spoken by them, I wasn't entirely certain what they communicated and how.



In the end, I retreated to the central longhouse, not to rest, but to hold a council on what we do next.



Then, looking at the rocky cliffs with the remnants of degraded scaffolding, all covered by weirdly coloured climbing plants, I realised something.



This place was an abandoned quarry, a tiny one in the middle of nowhere, most likely considered not worthwhile to work anymore. All the material needed for the road we followed the entire time couldn't have come from there. It was obvious, but it didn't matter as much now. It was the only site with the barred rock close by.



It was possible there was iron ore, or copper, or other minerals in there.



Except I just didn't know how to tell them apart.



"Kuma, could you look at the rocks around here to check if there is ore in it?" I asked, "It counts as metal, doesn't it?"



Smelting iron may not require advanced technology on paper, but it wasn't easy to figure it out without prior experience. Finding large quantities of iron ore would be a serious challenge for a person without substantial knowledge of geology.



Luckily for me, I didn't have to tell what the iron ore looked like. Kuma would, and with her abilities, we might not even need a furnace.


She pondered it almost as long as I spent the time thinking about any guidance I wasn't entirely sure I could give, but when I almost considered this a failed idea, she said.



"I will try, Master." My bear-like follower answered, wandering off.



I considered asking Mai to use her plants to grow between the cracks, finding the metal deposits, but I opted against it.



Not only was she busy getting her kin to shape the greenery into the shelters, I wasn't certain the plants would know what the metal tasted like, even if driven by magic.



Experimenting with this could wait until some preliminary survey.



Until then, I had no proper plan, and no task I could occupy myself with.



As long as we stayed away from the natives and avoided the conflict, there was no need to actually map the area, through the saving grace of being secluded in the hard to access location. It was the only intellectual pursuit I thought I could contribute to, especially after I proved myself to be quite useless with languages, but there was no pressing need to focus on it.



The ancient maps, predating the age of discovery, were mostly the question of directions and guessed instances, made by people who never had the chance to see the world from a bird's perspective.



Without creatures that could fly, we were in a similar position.



There were only the two directions enemies could come at us, and we had those covered.

At least, I thought.



For a while, I watched the settlement and the hectic activity there. I felt guilty for letting my girls do all the work. We almost got through the day without me doing anything that felt productive.



I paused at the realisation that I, for the first time, thought of my monsters as girls, though they were evidently all-female.



Tama, true to her flirty nature, pushed herself closer, evidently didn't mind making advances in front of everyone.



I wasn't disturbed by it as much as I should've.



"Why do you like me so much?" I wondered, questioning her affection.



"You hold a special place in our hearts, Master." She answered ambiguously.



However, before I could try to escape it, or indulge, or even before the vixen provided any kind of answer, I noticed Miwah staring absentmindedly into the horizon, which usually signalled she was preoccupied guiding her smaller kin.



"Miwah?" I asked, worried.



The werewolf twitched and growled at an invisible enemy. They never did that before.



Only once, I recalled, back in the ruined shrine, with that strange woman we released. My monsters had a special dislike towards her, above the misanthropy common in them, and her presence felt weird even to me.



Perhaps it was what happened there.



It got attention from the others 'Alphas' as well.



This time, however, it sparked something within me as well.



This time, I also felt something was wrong.



"Master!"



I looked around.



There was no sign of disturbance within our settlement, though there was, unmistakably, something wrong within me.



Never have I received feedback from my monsters, not even if they were born, fought, died or were respawned, but now it was there.



A brief thought that the last free power-up changed something shot through my mind. I never had the chance to ponder on it.



A red fog unmistakably heralding the spawning of my monsters being formed appeared, as suddenly as before, however this time, they sizzled back into nothingness, leaving nothing behind except a sharp piercing pain in my skull, followed by the feeling of loss, almost like something dear was stolen from me.



Both Tama and Narita quickly caught me before my sudden dizziness hit me.



I blinked.



Sudden vertigo was gone as quickly as it appeared. However, this time, one of those floating windows invaded my field of view, with yet another notification I never saw before.

15 units sealed until the caster is dead.

 

[Ziel]

Like nothing else that has come before, these are fighting words. He's going to wish he'd made the flying units just so he can get to whoever did this faster.

Unrelated and just put of curiosity, but for the units the Master isn't going to end up getting, what animals would they have been?

 

[beast_regards]

Whatever it was, it hit with intensity.



Confusion.



Shock.



And the worst of it: a sense of loss.



I looked around.



There was no one, at least as far as I could tell.



My monsters were nervous, though.



I just couldn't shake the feeling, the distress, the loss, unexplainable, and sudden.



An attack. Somewhere not here.



I had to struggle to calm myself.



My monsters, however, stayed alert, listening, stiffing the air.



Narita desperately tried to examine me for what had forced me down to my knees, worried expression in her red eyes.



"Master? Master!" she tried.



I wasn't hurt, at least not physically.



"It's not… me…" was the only response I managed.



Narita had nothing of it.



The sudden jolt of energy from her life-transference kicked my consciousness back to reality, overriding whatever clutched my brain, and putting my mind on overdrive.



In slow motion, I watched as the small circle of corrupted plantlife in my immediate vicinity turned to dust scattering in the wind.



There was a certain level of control because my monsters weren't currently rushing to meet the assailants. They were, however, strongly agitated. Looking around, snarling, their ears moved to trace the sounds, while the 'Corruptors' frantically moved the greenery forward for the alpha 'Defiler' to process.



I didn't need it.



A sudden infusion of power only helped in bringing more focus to the emotional distress I experienced and couldn't properly explain, let alone process.



My attention was elsewhere, entirely fixated on the strange, pervasive sensation that never gripped me before with such a force, or rather, never happened before at all, but now it felt something, or rather someone, ripped out the very part of me.



I could only guess that last, sudden, unexplained power-up did more than grant me with the new skill or new type of monster to fill my ranks. It was almost like it changed something else within me, deepening the connection I felt with my monsters.



Only one thing was certain: it didn't dispel any of my confusion and I struggled with not the sudden weakness, but also getting in the situation's grasp.



Miwah growled, staring at the horizon.



She was directing some fights happening elsewhere.



My werewolf showed that ability before when calling and dispatching scouts or reporting what they saw, with the perfect clarity without necessity to exchange words with their smaller kin.



She, however, wasn't as distressed or angered back then as she was now. Only moment which sent them over the edge was the proximity of that one strange woman.



Although, no matter the changes, I still couldn't see what she was experiencing.



"Miwah?" I asked softly, worried.



No response.



Then the feedback I never received kicked in once more, flooding me once more with the unpleasant sensation of loss, almost like I was robbed by the part of me once more. It was indescribable, almost like it beckoned me to make action.



It was the urge to flinch in metaphorical pain before more damage occurs.


Realisation was worse with Narita's help than it would be without it.



Her power may mend flesh and bone in seconds, but in my state, it did more harm than good, as there wasn't a wound to fix. The physical vitality only allowed me to concentrate on the horrible sensation the feedback provided in greater detail.



All the attention which contradicted the overbearing sense of urgency - there simply was no shock to shut me down.

13 units sealed until the caster is dead.

The notification was back.



And with it, more puffs of red fog that heralded monsters before dying off, producing nothing but fear and anger in me. Thirteen more of my creatures weren't able to return to me, and combined with the unnatural vitae given, it only infuriated me.



Never I felt the link between me and all the monsters as I did in that very moment.



In fact, I never felt one earlier at all,



"Miwah!" I said, and getting no response, I almost yelled out: "Miwah, whatever you are fighting, have everyone pull back! Retreat, now!"



I scrambled back on my feet and rushed towards Miwah.



The canine monster regained her focus as I reached for her face, gently touching her under her muzzle. It was rather awkward, since my werewolf was taller than me and I was reaching up, but I didn't care. None of my furry menagerie interrupted us.



"Master?" she said, looking at me for the first time with a mix of sadness and anger in her blue eyes. "My kin are banished. Over twenty, gone."



"Tell me, what happened?" I urged.



"There were two women in the village with abilities we didn't see before." Miwah answered, sounding upset: "We tried to flank them. They could sense invisibility."



She wasn't the only one that felt that way. I was disquieted by this as well, a sensation I wasn't quite able to come to terms with, and something within me forced me to take action immediately, rather than later, all despite my previous vow to stop the fighting.



"We will get them back. It said sealed until the caster was dead." I answered, giving a warm hug to my furry, anthropomorphic wolf, and without further thought, and added, "I'll kill that bitch."



I surprised myself more than it surprised my companions. With their strong, natural hatred of humans, it was hardly striking.



Misanthropy, however, wasn't a natural part of me, but I couldn't help myself.



"Tama, Narita." I glanced back at the others. "Grab what we need for the journey and the fight. We are leaving immediately."



"You too, Kuma. And half of the Corruptors, Mai stays with the prisoner." I raised my voice, though it was obviously unneeded. The entirety of my monster horde was already whipped to a frenzy. Even Tama didn't follow with her usual teasing and flirting about my closeness to Miwah.



Then, after giving my werewolf a few affectionate touches, I stepped back from Miwah and added, "Hide the remaining Eviscerators out there in the forest until the rest of us arrive. Retreat if they come close. We must rush them together."



I might be short of merely twenty monsters, a miniscule number compared to the veritable force a constant spawning created, but it was twenty more than I would part with, a strange, if not outright invasive sensation filled me with rage against the people who dared to harm my little canines.



Miwah understood we were leaving and stepped out to make sure it would happen as I ordered, though I wasn't entirely left alone in the crowd. Narita and two of her rat-girls stayed around in case I needed the healing.



I didn't - the overdrive probably did more harm with me obsessing over things in excruciating detail.



"Master?" Narita asked to assure herself that I was fine, but I didn't reply.



Whispering "Overview" I tried to divert my urgency by inspecting the damage.

The Master
<The Root of All Evil, level 5>
Skills	<Scorched Earth lvl.22>
	<Slayer of Men lvl.23>
	<Great Devourer lvl.12>
	<Green Hell lvl. 40>
	<Slayer of Champions lvl. 2>
Units (Active)	Tama, The Purifier Alpha
	Miwah, The Eviscerator Alpha
	Narita, The Defiler Alpha
	Mai, The Corruptor Alpha
	Kuma, The Ravager Alpha
	316 * Purifiers
	28 * Named Purifiers
	292 * Eviscerators
	40* Named Eviscerators
	98 * Defilers
	8* Named Defilers
	341* Corruptors
	14* Named Corruptors
	4* Ravagers
Units (In queue)	<None>
Sealed (per caster)	15* Eviscerators
	13* Eviscerators

The status screen was updated to our recently doubled numbers, and the addition of my bear-like followers, but it was the new category of sealed monsters that got my attention. It wasn't there before, and the losses we suffered were divided into groups despite comprising one type of creature.



Maybe there was a limit on how many monsters they could affect, which made my thoughtless and rushed idea to overwhelm them with sheer numbers a valid strategy.



The fact there wasn't any timer made attrition a worse strategy in either case, though.



A permanent loss.



Death, in all but the name.



I was, once again, upset, sending the overlay window away with a swipe of my hand.



I had to act.



"My Master, I don't want to stay with the slimy human." Mai suggested softly as she appeared on my side when I was preoccupied studying the window.



"Cut that crap." I retorted sharply at first, turning my head towards my lizard-like follower, but I gained my composure quickly after.



She didn't deserve my outburst.



It was my fault my girls were taken, sealed, and I was going to make that right.



We were going to make that right.



"I am sorry." I said before she could reply and made a few steps closer to her to hold her, first by her waist, then gently caressing her reptilian facial features. She, unlike most women, didn't consider this invasion of personal space.



"I don't enjoy moving around, my Master." said Mai, "But the human…"



"I am sorry, Mai, but please, bear with the filthy human." I said, "Do it for me. Someone who can talk to him is what I need, but I can't ask this from Narita, or others. I need their powers with me.



"Yes, my Master." She answered, looking at me with understanding.



"I will get my girls back and then get back to you." I assured her, planting the small kiss on the tip of her jaw.



"Yes, my Master." Mai said, pleased with the promise.



Though it wasn't hard to convince her to do something she obviously disliked, it was my own words that surprised me more in hindsight, immediately after I spoke them. Twitching with the energy, and pushed by the compulsion to free my monsters from the 'seal' to reunite them with me.



Even if mere seconds ticked away, I dwelled on implications less and less.



A mere few steps forward made me realise that the day was probably heading towards its end.



Journey might take more than the couple of hours of daylight we had left. But with the influences of the vitality transfer mixed with the feedback I never felt before, I opted to ignore it all completely.



There was a part of us missing.



I would get that back.



Something within me screamed again: this would not stand.



I would not drive my furry menagerie to the ground, though. We didn't have dinner, even, and despite all the pressure, I didn't want to make them travel on an empty stomach. Still, time was at the essence.



"Narita?" I said, quickly planning the plan with little thought. "Can you drain the energy for us to force march though this?"



"Yes-yes, Master." She said energetically, evidently capable of what I was asking her to, without the hint of objection. It provided me with assurance I was making the right call, whether it was true.



"Thank you." I replied.



"Ready when you are, Master." Miwah and Tama added, "If we don't have to move the little goods we have stored, we can go."



They did little with that regard, grabbing a few items they could carry, mostly what could be used as the weapon, or the remaining bits and pieces of armour no one wore yet.



Kuma didn't look any less bored, even with the armload of assorted junk she took to carry, with the rest most likely ready to dash away to catch with the enemies that took their kindred away.



The same drive made me twitch as well, nervously scratching my hands.



I had to act.



"Lead the way, Miwah." I replied, raising my voice and gesturing forward to the gathered crowd. "Forward!"



Despite the experiences, and my monsters rarely disputing my rash ideas, I was still somewhat surprised by the immediate, intense reaction they had.



"For Master! For Master!" The crowd erupted in cheer.



With a little to no care for the day fading away, nonexistent preparations for our departure, or the absence of the plan, the thousand-headed horde of fur, scales, and teeth spilled forward as a one destructive wave, washed in the sickly emerald glow of 'Defiler' powers.



I was swept with enthusiasm, and the life-eating glow, as we rushed towards the aim with the destructiveness of the locust swarm, wanting to bring our entire might against the people who disturbed the connection I never thought I had



Still, I couldn't help myself but to think about the loss, the pervasive, unnatural feeling, the so-called 'sealing' left upon me, entirely unprepared for the response my power fed me after the last, entirely undeserved infusion of skill.



I would get my girls back.



I couldn't stop.



When the sensation that lashed me towards the action finally ceased, forcing me to stay down, the night had already fallen over the forest. Nothing but the dim, menacing light of the unnaturally red moon shining down on the lifeless husk of the trees left in our wake.



Changes I endured since the sinister message weren't reflected only in my turbulent, raging interior, or the relation I had with my horde. It was echoed in the world itself.



We were back to our old camp, staying in place in the looted pagoda, still too far from the supposed human settlements where the confrontation triggering this madness began.



Perhaps there was a time to rethink this.



I was, for once, finally able to stop, forcing us to make camp for the rest of the night. The shrine, and the couple of houses surrounding it, were still around.



Despite the throbbing sensation given by the continuous infusions of vitality, there was one limitation of the human body even the endless stamina couldn't overcome - unlike my monsters, I wasn't able to see in the dark, even the ominous glow of the changed sky.



There was still very little rational thinking to be had.



Forced to cling to Miwah for the last hour or two, relying on her guidance through the gloomy forest shadows, I was happy to crash under the roof of the same house we spent the first night in this forsaken world in, even though it was frustration, anger and sadness, rather than fatigue, that gripped my mind.



I had to think about those encounters in just three days. I only narrowly survived thanks to the devoted protection of my monsters, defending me from the hostility of natives and the lands that surrounded us - I wouldn't be alive without them, as much as they wouldn't exist without this glitched system behind ruby glow.



Being bombarded with the alien sensations I could neither explain nor come to terms with only made my inner turmoil worse.



Here in relative privacy, I snuggled to Miwah, finding her warmth and soft fur soothing, sinking into a most welcoming embrace. Reaching up, I leaned for a kiss, which she eagerly accepted, our tongues joining.



It was weird kissing the werewolf taller than me, all muzzle and teeth, the fur and claws, the true she-beast, though quickly my mind pushed those thoughts about the anatomical differences, and came to touch her smooth furry body with much more eagerness.



She accepted it, hungrily and impatiently, bringing us down to the floor of the house we found shelter in, to let through the sudden allure driven by the overall uncertainty.



Miwah was a werewolf, but I refused to accept the unnatural weirdness of it. She was my beautiful werewolf, and at that moment, I loved her as one.



It was just like those dubious decisions that drove me here.



I wasn't able to stop myself in that either.

 

[beast_regards]

Unrelated and just put of curiosity, but for the units the Master isn't going to end up getting, what animals would they have been?

Click to shrink...

It would vary. Cats, buzzards, bears etc.

For example, initial selection of skills was a semi-interactive event on the other site this is posted on, and if readers picked a stone element, it would also be a bear, but they wouldn't get the steel choice later.

 

[beast_regards]

I dashed through the forest.

Hidden in the shadow roof of dense foliage, I quickly zoomed past the trees, dodging the lashing branches and leaping over old, moss-covered, overturned trunks. Quickly alternating between running on two legs, and on all fours whether the terrain demanded it, in fluid motion, never losing my footing, never slowing down.

It was a frantic experience, but it was also completely silent, like an old movie on fast forward.

Finally, the lush greenery gave way to the blackened wasteland of the dead, scorched husks slowly consumed by twisted thorny creepers with violet leaves, hungrily devouring old to make the place for the new.

There, in the shadow of the looming pagoda covered by the same twisted vegetation without order, fires burned, and the army of creatures camped, some roaming around vigilant while others napped under the cover of unnatural, corrupted flora.

They were paying little mind to my passing, though a few giggled in the soundless grimaces I could merely see, and not hear, or waved as I slowed down to walk in the front of the decrepit house.

Two anthropomorphic rat-girls, dressed in the makeshift scaled hauberks and armed with the polearms, stood guard, red eyes flashing under their helmets. Wordlessly, they let me pass as I pushed the door open.

I jolted awake.



Startled and disoriented by the sudden transition, suddenly made aware I wasn't, in fact, running.

It was all but a strange dream, less graphic than the nightmares that woke me the past two nights.

I was lying down in the warm, fluffy embrace of Miwah, her furry body tightly pressed against my naked skin. It was almost equally pleasant and alluring as it was alien and unnatural, leaving me torn with a paradoxical sensation immediately upon returning to the waking world.

A realisation of what I'd done yesterday was, however, immediately overshadowed by the bleak, monochromatic window intruding on my field of view, already being there as my eyes slowly gained their focus from the initial blur.

I blinked

Unit evolved! Mate gained! Miwah, The Bride of Shadows. New unit was promoted to Alpha Eviscerator.

I squinted my eyes, touching my face almost as I tried to assume I was still me. The notification disappeared, waved away by the movement.

This was the moment I realised not only I was tightly held by Miwah, both of us devoid of clothes and only covered by that old cloak against the morning cold, but my werewolf's fur bleached almost ghastly white over the night of unnatural passion. I wasn't sure whether I should push myself even closer, welcoming the intimate companionship of my werewolf's mate, or try frantically to free myself from the soft snuggle, rejecting the weirdness of it all.

The voice saved my brain from the struggle with the apparent contradiction.

"I am sorry for waking you up, Master. You called?" The soft, feminine voice announced, its tone only slightly different from my other speaking monsters, yet sufficiently distinctive.

Instead of trying to flee the shame, I just pushed on top of my wolf-woman to look up toward the unfamiliar voice.

Miwah embraced me once more, and I gave in.

"Master…" she purred lovingly, but I wasn't paying attention to her at this very moment.

There, towering above us, was another Miwah.

The same anthropomorphic canine-like features, same gleaming black fur with the well-defined muscles standing on the digitigrade legs, same bushy tail weaving around, only this one was already wrapped in the ill-fitted scale armour suit, scavenged belt holding the outfit tight.

"Master. One woman that sealed my sisters broke away, heading for the fortress. Other one stayed in the village, with only two soldiers. We didn't attack or pursue her as you ordered." She reported.

The not-Miwah kneeled, lowering themselves to us. Quite disoriented by the information, I looked down on the beast-woman that the system had already announced as my partner.

Miwah, still affectionately holding me, now indeed had fur turned to ivory, if not eternal white, though her loving blue eyes remained. Still larger than me, she didn't mind being my body pillow I currently lay on. She gently scratched my head with her claw.

Looked up again.

New 'Eviscerator' was only slightly different from the way Miwah was before… this.

Her eyes had a slightly different, darker shade, along with a much blacker mane of hair, though now I finally recognised the slightly distinct features of her canine-like face, something which I never assumed I would pick on, and something in the back of my mind clicked.

"Brave. You have grown." I said, quite distracted.

My dumb statement put my mind away from feeling ashamed for my intimate moments I had with my Miwah, or just lying with her there.

Brave, as I uncreatively named my second canine monster, now larger and more mature looking, and more definitely capable of speech, didn't seem like she was even slightly judgemental about it.

"Yes, I suspected you would want to have me at your side now, Master." She answered.

"Yes…" I stammered out nervously, trying to find the correct words, or merely trying to come to terms with myself, but the alien, nudging sensation that guided my actions previously reared its ugly head up.

My monsters, my people, had to be freed, and humans who sealed them away punished for this transgression.

The strange feedback, the compulsion even, was clear on that. Strangely enough, my werewolf bedmate reacted to this without me even muttering a word.

"Yes, Master." Miwah added, tightening her hold over me with the sadness in her voice, and added: "It pains me when our kin are sealed away too. We can enjoy each other later once our kin are safe."

It was creepy on its own. As much as the human sensibilities still dwelling inside me tried to push me away from her, the other growing part within me pulled me closer, further contributing to the inner turmoil which I wanted to soothe in my werewolf's embrace.

"We will, my dear." I said, assuring Miwah, but trying to stop myself from the other displays of affection, I almost immediately queried Brave for information. "Is everyone ready to move again?"

"Yes. Should we eat or rely on the Defilers for energy?" Brave answered. It would seem with her promotion, or evolution, she naturally acted the way her new role demanded her, though, and appeared to be even more practical about it.

"Do we have food, even?" We departed our previous camp so hastily we didn't take any supplies with us.

"We brought down some prey while you relaxed with Miwah." New 'Alpha' said, "But there will be next to no game left in this corner of the woods. We overhunted."

It was inevitable, considering the exponential growth in numbers, and further pushed my original decision to seek more scalable sustenance in the local farmlands.

"Very well then. Let's not have the food go to waste. We will move out immediately after." I decided.

"Yes, Master." Brave confirmed and stood up. Miwah echoed this, though in a much more subtle, loving tone. This, along with the mirrored roles, would certainly be the source of much embarrassment or distraction.

I, despite the certain underlying guilt about this aberrant, still gave Miwah the kiss before I finally got up and tried to locate my clothes still scattered around this humble abode, while an unexpected werewolf partner did the same.

Brave, however, didn't seem opinionated about it and even helped Miwah to get to her own armour.

"Where is Tama, anyway?" I asked. Despite the mixed feelings, it was fairly unusual the flirty vixen wasn't around to comment on the situation.

"Still sulking because you didn't mate with her first, Master." Brave said bluntly, though with a sly smile on her canine face, combined with a teasing glance which I wouldn't have expected from her.

Although, it was impossible to tell which kind of personality the evolving 'Eviscerator' would have, as earlier, I wasn't even aware it could happen. Earlier, I wouldn't believe I would…

I banished my thoughts in favour of getting dressed while combating the disconcerting amount of foreign sentiments the link pushed into my confused brain.

Unsure, and feeling awkward, I opted to remain silent about it. It helped a little.

In fact, not saying anything was probably making it worse, much faster, as the subconscious connection that was forced on me yesterday tried to connect the dots without the necessity of speaking, furthering my increasingly paradoxical emotions on the matter.

At the very least, they helped me to dress, adjusting and grooming me briefly, much to my predicament. My werewolves were pretty, after all. Being touched by charming women wasn't truly the problem. The realisation that my treacherous mind formed the definition of how attractive anthropomorphic canines should look was so much more disturbing. This, also, wasn't even remotely normal.

Rushing outside, tailed by both Brave and Miwah, didn't help in that regard, it just made it worse.

Shock at the surroundings completely devastated just as I saw in my dream slowly subsided in favour of another, equally overwhelming experience.

After all, it wasn't just two 'Eviscerators', I had an entire horde of such creatures, all of them female, all of them quite appealing through the insistence of the silent link forming between us, all of them being the most welcoming to my presence, many of them waving and cheering.

It was true they did so before, but now it was entirely different. Somehow even warmer, even more real.

The 'Corruptors', outfitting themselves with the grass skirts and floral wreaths like small, humanoid lizard Hawaiian dancers, looked equally silly as cute.

It wasn't what worried me, though. I was terrified by the prospect that the feedback would force the hostility towards humans most of my monsters, my people, had on me as well, and the underlying notion that my quest to find a way back home would be made moot, if not entirely invalid.

However, as much as I thought about it, I wasn't letting the entire issue with sealing slide. Its result might not be damaging, but the impact it had on me emotionally was quite unpleasant. I cursed the undoubtedly supernatural bond.

At least Tama was almost unusually distant, almost as she gave me a bit of silent treatment while using her power to manipulate the blazing flame of the campfire, much to the amusement of her smaller, though equally pyromaniacal, kin who joined her in this form of entertainment.

Kuma dozed away, uncaring for interaction at the moment

Brave and Narita bossed their smaller kin, and shooed others who tried to bother me. I had more than enough problems with myself as it was.

And Miwah - she remained by my side, with her now white fur she gave a more otherworldly presence, tall, muscular, with alabaster claws, but also eternal, and beautiful, with her blue eyes shining even more brightly. Only that shoddy salvaged armour didn't fit her now more elegant form, but I didn't mind.

There was enough of a struggle with not feeling the stronger kinship with that furry and scaly madness revolving around than other humans.

At least, trying to not think about it brought moderate results, and allowed me to eat the improvised meal - the grilled, tasteless meat - in silence.

Not in peace, however, not with that inner turmoil strengthening within me.

It didn't take long until I welcomed the supporting embrace Miwah, while still cursing myself for enjoying it.

We were‌ soon forced to depart, leaving the devastation that was our camp behind.

Silence of the past hour or two, however, soon became overbearing, with the only sound being the constant ruckus the horde on the move caused, swarming around, or rushing ahead as lookouts reporting no dangers ahead for the time being.

I was certain I couldn't rely on the sensations provided by the link I couldn't quite understand, driving me further apart from what I once was, but I couldn't bring myself to speak up, with the blame boiling inside. But I let it run its course, as suddenly, I was less and less certain of what I wanted to do.

Constrained by the guilt for getting intimate with Miwah, yet enjoying it, and even keeping her close by my side while we walked, I had a prick of conscience to last for a lifetime.

Less for the lives my people took, and more for becoming a part of them.

How the insane monsters became my monsters, and my monsters turned to be my people. I almost wanted to die for this travesty.

Yet, I liked them, my protectors, my monsters, my girls, and despite all that blame that accumulated within me.

I didn't speak with them for the entire journey.

What woke me from my trance filled with self-blame was the strange, indescribable, but inherently unsettling sensation that hit me as the tidal wave, upsetting not only my tired mind, but all of my monsters around me.

I did not know how far we walked.

I was so preoccupied with my introspection; I didn't quite know.

But we were at the edge of the forest, and further down on the decaying road, currently more mud than stone, among the vast green fields of some bushy grains, was the village, with the same vaguely Eastern Asian aesthetics to its various scattered buildings, with mostly thatched roofs and only occasional hip-and-gamble ones in the middle.

Among the buildings, the villagers ran around in panic, looking for a place to hide, while few gathered to mount the defence, holding onto whatever they grabbed to be used as weapons, but neither of them were the source of this unpleasant, offensive vibe that I was sure it originated from somewhere far ahead, from middle of the settlement.

I paused.

My monsters growled angrily at this strange feeling as well, and didn't like it any more than me, their powers flashing, calling to be released upon this offender we couldn't quite see.

There was something out there.

I kept scanning for it though, my inner conflict entirely forgotten in the face of this wrongness that was somewhere ahead among all those huts, fields, and a few shouting peasants.

"Hold." I ordered when the few nervous monsters stepped up ready to attack.

From under the overturned tree on the side of the road at the edge of the settlement, dirty and in rags, one human, maybe a girl, crawled out, shocked, dizzy, muddied. Unlike the rest of the natives, she looked around and didn't run, or join the group of defenders.

She shouted something in their tongue I wasn't able to comprehend, feminine voice betraying her gender more among the dirt and tattered clothes. This likely homeless person laughed madly, then shouted some more to the other villagers, and fell on her knees, bowing her head to the ground. No one paid her attention, though.

It was eerie.

And the strange sensation only grew stronger. It didn't come from the crowd of peasants, but from behind them.

"No!" I ordered, walking away from my stupor. "Don't attack."

This was stupid - my repeated attempts for this very approach taught me so several times already, yet I would not give up now. Not now, if somewhere ahead of us lurked the danger that unsettled every one of my monsters, one I couldn't even describe.

Although, it wasn't really the caution that motivated the decision, but regret.

Last night didn't help either. My journey here, filled with doubts on my past actions, I desperately wanted to convince myself I wasn't the person who preferred the monsters over humans.

That I wasn't the monster myself.

Yet, I had no tangible plan to achieve this.

I looked at Miwah, and then, at the village.

Tension was in the air.

Weighted by the guilt that I perhaps became too close to my monsters, I was determined to fight the rush that, even now, urged me to free my followers from the poorly explained seal, supposedly by killing the caster who caused it.

"Perhaps I should try to talk with… whoever caused this. We don't know how their power scales." I suggested a thinly veiled excuse to not do something I was driven to do for hours now.

I tried to locate the source of that strange sensation, and finally, it showed itself.

A woman among the crowd, flanked by two of the human soldiers, only one armoured, and equipped to look professional among the crowd.

She stood apart from others, dressed in the same colourful robe Tama stole from the shrine, which I could guess signify some or position rank within the culture I wasn't familiar with, though I could only guess. Priestess, sorceress, noble, who would know.

It wasn't the same woman I released from the cage in that looted shrine, yet she emitted the same irritating, irksome aura that drove me and all my monsters crazy.

"I'll speak for you, Master!" Tama suddenly suggested. It wasn't quite like her, though before I could answer that her foolishness exceeded mine, she stepped forward with the more believable, teasing remark: "So make sure to prepare a reward for me."

"Master?" Other 'Alphas' questioned the decision, yet, after the confusion and inner turmoil, wasn't quite willing to make the call. Miwah stepped in front of me.

"Wait, please." I whispered.

The fiery vixen strode forward, swinging her and lashing her tail. Likely more for my sake than the humans.

And the robed woman among the villages made a few sweeping motions opening the traditionally Asian fan she held in her hand, starting a high-pitched chant accompanied with further moves that certainly weren't an attempt to start a communication, yet they were not an attack in conventional sense.

"My beloved Master wants to resolve this peacefully. Release our people, and you shall all live." Tama announced aloud to the crowd, raising her hands above her head in the surrendering gesture. It sounded ‌theatrical, and though the tone was certainly serious, it wasn't quite like her.

Still, I hesitated.

The answer was more chanting from the robed woman.

"No!"

I was going to shout something…

It was too late. With the blast of energy, a gust of wind coming from nowhere, Tama, my flirty vixen, disappeared almost like the flame blown out by the wind.

There was no blood, only the familiar mist dissolving her as the clothes she wore fell slowly to the ground.

And the pain.

All the pain, all the loss, a memory of Tama, the very first of my monsters, my girls, who died and lived again to protect me from the very first minutes in this accursed world. Now she, my fiery vixen, was gone.

It hurt.

The loss was even stronger than one experiencing the first time, a very part of my soul being torn away.

Whether the thing I felt was the network of sorts, or a mere sense of kinship with my furry menagerie, it was hit hard.

It hurt, and it was my fault.

1 unit sealed until the caster is dead.

I swept the offending notification away and pointed towards the native woman.

Whoever she was, the caster stepped back, now visibly surprised, almost like she expected the much greater impact. Her guards prepared their weapons and put the shields up. Peasants look around a slightly more panicked.

Monsters roared.

While I didn't know what she expected to happen, I didn't quite care anymore.

I pointed at the robed woman.

"Kill that bitch!"

Her attempts to start the chant again were drowned in flames and screams as my girls charged forward in the wake of the initial flame strike.

"For Master!"

 

[beast_regards]

Another notification invaded my view, all monochromatic and bland as the many before it.



This time, I didn't bother to read it.



With the feedback so intense, so distressing, so harmful, that there wasn't even a sliver of doubt that the window I've ignored informed me of another 'sealing'. While some natives I encountered had already shown abilities that were clearly above and beyond one of the normal humans, none of them felt like it directly opposed me and mine.



This one did. My power hated it, and it made me hate it too.



A sudden vertigo drove me down on my knees, and I could barely catch a blurry image of the wave of monsters dissolving in the red mist that signalled their demise.



I sensed all the loss, small parts of our being‌ violently separated from the greater whole.



More of my creatures charged through, with a horde of them rolling over the humans who attempted to hold the line, to strike down the caster beyond the attack, more furious than ever.



"For Master! Master! Master!"



All the movement in front of me turned into the smudgy mess of colours mixing with the flashes of flaring powers, while the furry hands and bodies lifted me, shielding me from the carnage, along with the potential attacks.



A few more monsters materialised from the puff of red mist, erupting from the ground, replacing the fallen, while others just disappeared into the nothingness, with an agony of the sealing worse when I was in the middle of it..



Humans, however, suffered for it too.



I heard their screams.



And then, out of nowhere, it was over. A sense of relief washed over me, equally abrupt in its timing and indescribable in its nature as its negative counterpart, and freed me from the grip of dizziness and unnatural sadness.



With the help of Miwah, I climbed back on my feet, paying only a cursory glance at the message, this time announcing our victory, with the usual red mist brining an entire batch of new creatures into this world, all of them giddy, excited, and with the usual chant drowning over the cries from the village.



Tama was among them. It was over.

Skill "Scorched Earth lvl.23" gained.

Skill "Slayer of Men" Lvl. 24" gained.

Skill "Great Devourer" Lvl. 13" gained.

Skill "Slayer of Champions lvl. 3" gained.

Major Enemy killed. Five more to advance the General level.

I dismissed the window.



A fight was over, it seemed, with the remaining humans fleeing.



I didn't care, as long as there weren't more enemies attempting to kill us, or worse, and it seems we dealt with the local opposition for the time being.



At this moment, I couldn't bring myself to care what was happening to them. I was concerned about my monsters - my girls - more than I logically should.



"Drive the remaining humans out of this place, or round those who don't run. Don't kill any of them if they don't fight." I commanded, almost absent-mindedly, too concerned about Tama.



"Yes, Master." Miwah answered, but it was others who actually got to execute the order. Some spread out between the buildings and the fields to rake through the both hiding adversaries, while others formed a body wall between me and our surroundings.



Narita and Kuma, along with most of their respective kin, were the most useful in that regard, taking to the role naturally, giving me at least some time and meagre space to check on the girls freshly freed from so-called 'sealing'.



Tama, along with the group of 'Eviscerators' that fell victim to the caster, were looking noticeably more confused than the rest of their kin around them, but to my relief, they were not showing any sign of injury or other damage.



Physically, it didn't seem to have any noticeably worse impact than their conventional respawn would have on them.



I rushed to hug the vixen and the smaller werewolf-like girls gathered around us for the group's embrace, visibly overjoyed to return to the world after the imprisonment, almost desperately so.



The poorly explained link between us flared with now positive feedback from the tearful reunion. Significantly stronger than merely a few hours of separation should reasonably cause, making me wonder how bad the entire experience was for them and if it left any yet unseen marks on their psyche other than merely a couple of missing hours.



Way they behaved suggested it could have hurt them more than injury would.



The accursed connection between us made me shake a little.



An 'Alpha' vulpine embrace wasn't as intense and over-the-top as the joy of the smaller canine ones vying for attention.



"Master?" Tama whispered in my ear. She sounded somewhat disoriented, her prompt mild and weak compared to her usual flirty tone, which immediately made me worried.



"Don't tell me you remember nothing." I said, silently, for the moment worrying the sealing left a lasting scarring on anthropomorphic vulpine.



The 'Eviscerators' certainly didn't take it well, and every second Tama missed her usually quick and suggestive replies made me more worried about the consequences.



"I missed you." She replied, pressing herself closer and tightening her embrace, even looping one leg behind me, and added: "I remember you promised to reward me thoroughly though."



It was strange, as we were, at least from my perspective, separated for merely a couple of minutes, while there was something in Tama's way of speech and other behaviour that suggested a much longer time period was involved.



I hesitated to speak about it, though. Instead, with a sigh of relief, I replied. "I will."



However, despite this triumph, and Tama's return to me, it still felt that there was a small piece missing, still nudging me to take more action.



Whatever caused this strange sensation driving me to this time and place, it acknowledged the process, but wasn't completely satisfied with it, though spending the brief seconds enjoying my vixen's warmth and fluffiness helped to ease his sensation.



A sharp, terrified shriek interrupted at the same moment, forcing me to deal with reality.



I left Tama alone for the time being. Judging from the expression in those yellow eyes of hers, she understood.



There were still a handful of humans left, surrounded by or being corralled by my monsters, none of which accepted their current situation in silence and at the very least cried or screamed as my monsters dragged them around.



This was a village filled‌ with people of all ages, something I didn't fully consider when I committed to this attack, and now I was forced to deal with repercussions.



I stepped towards the settlement, now completely overrun by my creatures.



When I went past the torn, scorched remains of the robed woman, now broken and burned beyond recognition, I felt nothing. What was left of the men that defended her, mauled to death lying in the pool of their blood, didn't spark any response, even if they should.



She refused to release my girls and paid the price.



The small pack of 'Eviscerators' around me, most likely the same that took the 'sealing' as the system referred to that badly, formed a crowd around me as I walked through the village, inspecting my surroundings.



Architecture here, though distinctively Eastern Asian as the others I've seen in around this strange land, was quite unimpressive, something I could attribute to the fact it was a typical rural settlement. It seemed relatively poor, and though mostly undamaged despite the literally fiery zeal of 'Purifiers', it already took a toll from my monsters rifling through it, driving or dragging the peasants out.



A few villagers still struggled with my monsters, but just as it was in the case of the caravan members earlier, they were soon overrun, thrown, or dragged together on a single spot in the centre of the village where I could inspect them.



Most of them were angry, or terrified, or anything in between. As expected from any kind of village, there were children among them, which gave me the fair amount of guilt for putting them through this, but the distress my 'Eviscerators' expressed for being 'sealed' almost convinced me that the suffering inflicted was mutual, as in all wars in history.



It made me pause, as I realised how treacherous my own thoughts on the matter were, and a brief flicker of conscience reminded me that the damage inflicted upon them by my furry menagerie was, undoubtedly, greater.



This was the point where I started experiencing remorse over the damage we have caused.



Then I noticed the weird, dirty, ragged, homeless girl among the crowd of the locals.



Among the crying, and shouting, and scornful looks, she was the only one who looked almost apathetic to everything around her, not even attempting to keep any distance between her and the nearest monsters.



She slightly dangled from side to side, with an almost distant smile on her face, mumbling to herself, almost like she was on drugs.



When she noticed my gaze, she bowed down once again.



It was off. Weird, to say the very least. No human behaved this way. But for what I knew, she could indeed be insane by the local standards. She could be insane by my standards, even.



Whatever her motives were, it upset the other natives greatly. One man kicked her.



"Take her away." I ordered, pointing at the weird, dirty girl.



Sudden movement of my monsters startled the crowd, but the crazy girl didn't put up any resistance, completely indifferent.



She was the only one with this sentiment.



Her human folk weren't happy about it at all, however, at this very moment I was utterly disgusted with the humankind I could sympathetic to the level of misanthropy Mai had shown earlier, though I couldn't entirely be certain whether that was something the power put into my head, or was merely a reaction to circumstances.



Looking at the bitter and scared faces, I wonder what I should feel.



At least there was some guilt on my side for doing this.



A few in the crowd made a step forward, without thinking, and a few humans moved while my monsters growled threateningly at them.



"Rest of you, get out of my sight! This village is ours for now." I declared and pointed out once again, gesturing something towards the horizon, towards the other lands they inhabited.



I knew natives didn't understand me, and speaking to them was slightly pointless until I figured out how to communicate in the local tongue, but my monsters certainly did, stepping back to form a row the villagers could use to flee.



A few took the opportunity immediately and ran.



Others hesitated, possibly objecting, but their language was as incomprehensible to me as it was before, although it wasn't quite hard to figure out they didn't like being driven out of their homes. More shouts came, but without context for their native speech, it still sounded like gibberish.



There was still something that ticked me off, incomprehensibly so, almost as if there was a piece of me I was missing, and I shouldn't stop until I get that part back.



"Go." I insisted, and seeing no reaction I added: "We could have sorted it out without bloodshed, but you didn't even try…"



Of course, they didn't understand me any more than I understood them. I was very well aware of that, yet my frustration over failed attempts got the better of me, and I was tired of bypassing all the complications the absence of common language brought.



From speaking and gestures to sneaking in coins as compensation for good, nothing seemed to work, and the superficially successful attempts like the merchant captive brought only superficial results.



Faced with this helplessness, throwing the local farmers out of their homes didn't register as a sufficiently heinous crime, though by the sensibilities of my home they certainly were.



Home we were robbed of. I was robbed off.



I twitched slightly, wondering whether those feelings were my own, especially when I felt considerably more sympathy towards my girls - my monsters, as the definition became increasingly muddled - than I felt for the random humans.



My monsters needed me, something deep within me reminded itself, for we were one.



Soon introspection on the dubious morality was interrupted when one local, a young man, stabbed one of the 'Eviscerator' between him and me with the dagger he took from nowhere, while a few more jumped me, too, or at very least, a few nearby monsters.



Before the perished canine respawned, Miwah nearly decapitated the attacker with her own sharp claws. Blood splashed everywhere, staining the white werewolf with pure white fur, while the rest of my monsters brutally pacified the last piece of resistance.



Then the blast of fire finally forced the remnants of the crowd to flee for their lives, this time with pure panic.



I was, once again, left with the presence of my monsters, puzzled by what forced the natives to take these desperate, or entirely suicidal, attempts on my life with such a frequency.



There was someone, or something, that motivated them to this kind of erratic behaviour, I just didn't know what that something was.



I would find out, eventually.



Yet the victory, or conquest of sorts, didn't bring me much satisfaction, even if it fulfilled some kind of urge that came with that accursed, newly found feedback.



There was something I had to do.



I was about to order the search of this place, to figure out whether it has the larger storage of crops we would need, or attempt to interact with the only human that had a counterintuitive reaction compared to her peers, but something stopped me.



A piece of the puzzle was missing.



I knew the general direction where I should go to reclaim the said piece, yet I didn't quite know what it even was.



"Overview."



A familiar screen came into view, and the numbers it presented spoke volume about the number of lives I needed to care for.

The Master
<The Root of All Evil, level 5>
Skills	<Scorched Earth lvl.23>
	<Slayer of Men lvl.24>
	<Great Devourer lvl.13>
	<Green Hell lvl. 40>
	<Slayer of Champions lvl. 3>
Mates	Miwah, The Bride of Shadows
Units (Active)	Tama, The Purifier Alpha
	Brave, The Eviscerator Alpha
	Narita, The Defiler Alpha
	Mai, The Corruptor Alpha
	Kuma, The Ravager Alpha
	321 * Purifiers
	28 * Named Purifiers
	310 * Eviscerators
	40* Named Eviscerators
	103 * Defilers
	8* Named Defilers
	341* Corruptors
	14* Named Corruptors
	9* Ravagers
Units (In queue)	<None>
Sealed (per caster)	15* Eviscerators

The numbers were, as it was a customary, slightly off, as even my distracted, and unfocused mind caught the incorrect count behind the number of the bear-like 'Ravagers', yet there was something else that held much greater weight to me than right now.



Some of my girls were still 'sealed' - the ability to do so didn't die with the lone magically gifted human in this village - and my power wanted me to reclaim them.



The threat it possessed still loomed over us, and I recollected some words that had been said.



Tama hugged me tightly from behind, and I leaned to her for support, while Miwah was merely satisfied with taking the place of my side, inspecting the stains of blood on her armour, and perfectly white fur.



"Brave?" I called for her newly ascended sister instead.



"Yes, Master?" She answered immediately, like the other 'Alphas' she quickly learned to be within the earshot, and came close.



"You said there was a second woman with this sealing ability?" I asked, recalling something she had mentioned before.



"Yes, Master." She confirmed, "She rode with the direction of the fortress there, in the company of more soldiers."



"Soldiers?" I said, though my tone betrayed it was rhetorical as by this point, I come to realise something else.



I once again scanned my surroundings, as from where I stood, and from where I came, I didn't recall seeing any castle or fort, though it was not indicative of anything.

Historically, not all fortifications were placed on the highest mountains and the hard-to-access cliffs, though many of them were.



"When you returned to the pagoda for the stash yesterday, you ran into a few soldiers as well" I asked, and before she replied I followed my query: "Did they look the same as the ones accompanying the… caster… woman… sorceress?"



It was failing to find the proper expression to describe the woman in the colourful robe which the system vaguely described as 'caster', but could, in fact, range between the actual magician to the local equivalent of clergy. Everything was possible.



Be as it may, it at the very least gave the impression of a more organised action against us.



Brave, the black werewolf, didn't hesitate with an answer.



"Yes, Master. They wear similar styles of armour, the same colour as this one." She confirmed, pointing at her outfit. Same bleak, mostly grey scale coat.



I've seen more colours among the pieces we salvaged, which could be anything between the coat of arms, or sign of ranks, I couldn't be sure. Whoever commanded those fighters, however, was one to blame.



After briefly looking at my monsters, and at the settlement we just took control of, I quickly decided.



"I think we need to pay the local lord a visit."

 

[beast_regards]

Would you be interested in some artwork of dubious quality?

 

[beast_regards]

Despite what I'd done, or ordered to be done, some of my monsters were still 'sealed'.



I found it unacceptable. Or at the very least, the power behind their creation did, urging me to correct this injustice, to respond to this attack. In hindsight, it made sense that something that threatened the cycle of respawns the power replied on would be considered an existential threat.



However, the situation wasn't that simple.



Between a trace of guilt for the deaths we caused, and the strange subconscious drive to free my imprisoned girls, it was the realisation that I didn't have any meaningful information about this area that stopped me from rushing forward.



I should be wary of the unknown. The very ability that brought me there was one, one I hadn't expected to be met with, and had blindly rushed to solve, leading me to yet another fight I wasn't really planning to take on.



Aside from the general direction, I simply wouldn't know where we would be going.



Impulse that guided me towards the caster didn't really reveal anything about the dangers lurking ahead, and I couldn't rule out the possibility that chasing after her would only lure my monsters into another, even deadlier, trap.



I cared about them, as strange as it was.



Looking around, I wasn't even certain where the village we took was in relation to the only landmark I was familiar with: the pagoda in the forest. It wasn't visible from there, and neither was the castle I had heard about.



I made a couple of steps forward through the settlement, with Miwah and Tama flanking me, and a small retinue of the devoted 'Eviscerators' along with their recently evolved 'Alpha' following a few steps behind. Then I stopped and glanced back, trying to not pay attention to the chaos that was my hyperactive furry horde.



Instead of focusing on them turning this place upside down, I focused on combating my mild disorientation. In the end, it was what prevented me from continuing the chase, along with determination to not subject my monsters - my girls - to more suffering.



"Could you please dispatch scouts to give us the layout of the land?" I asked, "Make sure all 'Eviscerators' remain unseen, and don't take any chances. I don't want to lose more girls."



"Yes, Master." Miwah and Brave answered in unison, with the latter taking turns to explain quickly easing in her commanding role.



"There is a river running through there." She said, gesturing somewhere in front of us, and then at both sides. "It's wide and seems difficult to swim across. So humans will probably come from the direction of the fortress, or from behind us. But besides that, we don't know."



"Thank you. Continue and let me know." I nodded, and once again checked my surroundings. My monstrous menagerie rummaged through the buildings, without the single hesitation to loot, and few already found the clothes they wanted to keep, or tools we needed.



One Purifier even showed up to me with the blouse she stole, almost like she was trying a new outfit at the store asking for her opinion, not showing any care where it came from.



"Nice. Suits you." I replied automatically, without putting much thought into what I was encouraging. A little vulpine seems pleased by the praise, happily yipping "Master!" in response. The little one ran off to cause more mayhem.



"Tama," I said. "Make sure we have guards around so humans won't jump on us again. No pit traps."



"Yes, Master." She replied immediately, still looking suspiciously alert. It seemed the experience of 'sealing' left some mark upon them.



The rest of the monster horde wasn't overly upset, at least.



It would be for the best if they didn't overindulge in pillaging the place, at least before we could assure it was indeed safe. Though it seemed I successfully drove most humans out, my monsters still made far too much noise, and I couldn't be quite certain what was going on. Only thing I could do was to trust them with handling it.



"Make sure we cleaned out everything, too. I don't want anyone to catch any disease…" I said, "We might have to stay for the night."



My monsters didn't need a reminder, though. They already started working on it, anyway. The stench of blood and burning in the air was still quite pervasive, but I attempted to pay it no mind as much as I could. It wasn't easy, but it was terrifyingly easier than it used to be.



"Yes, Master." The fiery vixen replied, and after looking around once again, it didn't take long until she returned to her flirty nature and added: "I'll find us a bed for three too. I still wait for the reward."



Even exposure to something clearly unpleasant didn't suppress that part of her. I wanted to see it as a good sign. Bad side was the 'me' part.



I paused. Tama pushed herself close, and Miwah didn't exactly stay behind either.

The most terrifying part of this was that I didn't find them, or even their average kin, exactly unattractive now, creating a certain sense of paradoxical alienation between the current and past me I didn't exactly know how to react to. I wasn't sure how to come to terms with that.



Luckily for me, I didn't have to deal with it for too long.



What saved me from further internal conflict was the interruption from the three small 'Corruptors' carrying the big jar made of pottery, visibly struggling with its weight, and attempting to not break it. They put the container down when I noticed them, cheerfully announcing themselves with the typical "For Master!" cry.



Soon, two rat-like 'Defilers' appeared carrying a sack. Narita followed them, proud looking, carrying her polearm as it was the staff of the office.



It was at least a distraction from sorting the relationship part with Miwah, and possibly Tama, or even my budding identity crisis.



"Master!" Narita announced, "We found human-things' food storage."



"Oh." I said, freeing myself from the close embrace of Tama and Miwah, and aimed to inspect the large piece of pottery as the 'Corruptors' removed the lid, and I leaned forward. An unpleasant, yet unmistakable aroma of its content hit my nose. The odour was strong enough to beat the smell in the air, which, after the fight, wasn't the softest either. It made me cough.



"Fermented vegetables?" I guessed, quickly put the lid back on. "Can you even eat that?"



It certainly was a way of preserving food, but I knew only a little about it, and whether such a product would be edible for my monsters remained a question.



"Yes-yes. Master." Narita confirmed and pointed out towards the sack, continuing in her usual, fragmented manner of speech that made part of her identity by now: "There are unprocessed grains too. They had storage! Plants in the fields left too!"



This forced me to once again pay attention to the surroundings, then back to my small humanoid lizards. Finding the local food stores offered a certain promise, and our current surroundings with unharvested crops offered much more to us in the long term. Now it came to distributing them.



"Could you find some wheel carts?" I asked, "Some of it has to go to our mountain camp, too."



"Yes-yes, Master." Narita confirmed, directing her little kin to move. She, herself, stayed close.



"Corruptors take care of gathering some plants from the fields, and some logistics of it." I added, briefly regretting the number of names I gave to my humanoid-lizard followers and being unable to remember all of them. While certain I could call some of them by name, as I knew that the named ones were those that took the journey with me instead of watching over our mountain campsite. I wasn't still certain which one was which, embarrassingly enough, as over thirty of them were named by me.



"Could I rely on you?" I asked the little reptilians. The small, kobold-like 'Corruptors' were quite cute too, with their manes of feathers and scaly bodies. The trio of them, ones that brought me the jar to inspect, looked at me, nodded, and answered in the excited tone,



"For Master!"



They ran away, leaving the enormous piece of pottery behind.



"I wish Mai was there." I sighed. She would be much better in dealing with the whole question of agriculture after all, along with her smaller folk. Though they understood me, it was much better to have someone to talk with ‌, discussing the details instead of guessing the answers. Despite the obfuscated, and often wilful, nature of the system, there was a certain logic behind the 'Alpha' variant being the coordinators.



"I can get Mai here later." Miwah offered, looking up at the sun still high in the sky, "Just need the right spot to start when shadows draw darker."



Unsure what she meant, it confused me even so slightly, though I quickly dismissed it thinking that it may be safer for them to travel under the cover of night. They could see in darkness, after all.



On the other hand I felt I would prefer Miwah at my side in the evening, a treacherous idea I pushed to dismiss as my relationship with her was tearing me inside. Part of me wanted to stay away from now white werewolf, while another portion of me sensed it as me being among my own.



It made me feel horrible again.



Luckily for me, I had something else to grab my attention.



Creepiest part of it was the only human in our midst, a dirty, homeless and probably slightly deranged girl sitting in a house's entrance, guarded by a few of my monsters. They probably didn't like it, but since she didn't bother to resist, they didn't handle her roughly either.



The human girl found the body disposal procedure quite funny for some unfathomable reason, though I had to admit 'Purifiers' also enjoyed any excuse to start a fire so it was probably unfair to call one crazier than other.



"Narita." I said. The rat-girl stood at attention.



"I'll have to leave the disinfecting of this place to you. Just burning the bodies probably won't do. Take care of it more thoroughly. We don't want to be hit by the plague."



In a world like this, the illness would be likely to be the number one cause of death, if one avoided a violent end with natives as aggressive as the locals were. It wouldn't hurt to be certain.



"Yes-yes, Master." She answered, once again in her typical fashion: "I know. Know what to do."



She spaced out briefly, ordering around her scattered people without the need to bark the orders, while I silently thought of the irony of asking a rat to prevent the plague. However, it may as well be that my monsters were actually more clean than the natives.



"Oh. Can you take care of the human?" I added, pointing at the crazy villager, "Make sure she's cleans, and give her some clothes found in the houses, but keep her under guard."



"You can't trust a human." Tama said, predictably, to which Brave and Miwah nodded sagely, though saying nothing.



By now, I was already quite familiar with their general misanthropic attitude towards the natives, and before they protested against it, I added.



"Please, do it for me." I quickly continued, "We need to find out why that one isn't completely hostile to us."



While I had to ponder why it was the case, my monsters may not really put much consideration into it. Luckily for me, the cute rodent-girl understood.



"Yes-yes, Master." Narita replied, "Will take care of it. Personally."



She stepped out, and I watched her as she, along with the two of her aides she telepathically, called to herself, led the girl away.



The only captive which didn't struggle might be as well be half-insane, although seeing her made me wonder whether I wasn't too ruthless with the locals.



I wasn't so sure myself.



After all, they didn't release my monsters. They imprisoned nearly as easily as I released the humans we have caught, a consideration of which led me to the original plan to break the accursed 'sealing', ending this whole charade once again, freeing me to search for the way home.



Although I might kill the two birds with one stone here, metaphorically speaking. There might be an answer in that castle, or fort - in a world like this, educated people would likely stay at the court of the nobles, if there was any usual feudal order around here, as I imagined.



And people with education might speak several languages, but the sceptical part of me doubted they would be of much more use than the merchant was. Only well-travelled people experienced other cultures, so the caravan trader would be the best choice for this world. If the long distance communication was only possible by the couriers, well-travelled and knowledgeable people would be a rarity. How many scholars with the rich patron allowing for this lifestyle would I find in a place like this?



First, however, I had to determine what I was standing against.

"Brave, you saw the fortress, at least from a distance…" I said, briefly pausing. "Can you lead me to a place from where I can look?"



Miwah, protectively hugging me from behind, saying nothing, made me add,



"At least, at a distance in which archers can't hit us."



"This shouldn't be a problem." Both Miwah and Brave agreed.



"Let's go then, only a couple of us. Then Ravagers. And the Defiler, who can heal them." I said.



"Yes, Master." They confirmed immediately, while I came to regret my rushed decision quickly, as it actually relied on my ursine monsters shielding us with their own bodies. Even if I wanted to imagine them as our defenders, I found it cruel.



I silently hoped it would not be required as the handful of 'Ravagers' I had didn't have any protection aside from cloth and shields they picked. We didn't head into the unknown, but up the road we followed to reach this place, which made me optimistic. Tracing our steps back a little should be safe.



In between thirty assorted monsters which 'Alphas' deemed as the minimal security detail, nine of which were hulking ursine girls, not counting Miwah, Brave and Tama themselves, there wasn't much of danger unless the locals came back with a real host of warriors, and even then we could retreat to the rest of my creatures swarming the village.



"Where is Kuma, anyway?" I asked halfway up the small hill that obscure our view in one direction and looked over my shoulder.



"Coming, Master, coming."



The large bear-woman was puffing a few steps behind the group, with all her muscles she didn't seem as much of a runner, though her expression could be attributed to the ill-fitted suit of armour she, as the only of 'Ravagers' wore, as much as her lazy demeanour.



However, as I considered the source of her outfit fitting her considerable size, a small pinch in my brain interrupted me, with the usual red fog bursting out of the ground, materialising an 'Eviscerator'.



"Master!" A smaller werewolf cried.



Startled, I glanced around.



Then another 'Eviscerator' formed, reborn, agitated.



When I noticed the few figures uphill, Tama already lobbed a fireball after the enemies, with my smaller guards charging in the blast's wake.



Miwah quickly shielded me with her body, blocking my view of the entire situation.



"They are running away again." I heard Tama saying, and I also took a glimpse of the more of my monsters rushing by, in pursuit of the attackers.



"Let them. It's a trap!" I exclaimed. It must be. It was my first thought - lure the couple of girls away from the greater group and seal them, depriving me of their company step by step.



"Yes, Master." She replied.



Overprotective Miwah stopped holding me so tightly and allowed me to stand up.



"Sweep the treeline nearby for ambushers. Burn if you have to!" I commanded, gesturing around, without really thinking about the order, only to be reminded that 'Purifiers' never hesitated to burn things.



Relying on the fact that more monsters arrived to reinforce us, I rushed up the hill by the road, where Brave along with a group of her smaller werewolf kin awaited, quickly rushing past another dead soldier on the ground, killed along with his horse.



Another corpse awaited at the top of the hill, stomped by Brave.



I, however, focused on something different. Down the road, cutting through the fields, a lone rider galloped towards the large, stone fortress at the riverbank in the distance, and further away on the horizon, a city.



If we decide to approach the castle, we would be expected.

 

[beast_regards]

Artworks, brought to you by your AI overlords.
Many mistakes were made.

Spoiler

I thought it was funny:

Old Cover:

 

[beast_regards]

"Impossible."



Viceroy Gam Youngjae couldn't help himself but to exclaim.



Though Youngjae would hesitate to admit it publicly, at least if it didn't serve his interest to do so, he knew he was far from being infallible, and could be eventually fooled or caught unprepared by events beyond his control.



For all his thoughts and plans, he knew very well that there always were events, situations and circumstances his sharp intellect couldn't predict. Something that would ruin his plots in the instant in some cruel, unexpected twist of fate.



Jin's invasion‌ was just one.



As much as it surprised him, the war was within the realm of possibility, with the foreseeable outcomes he could plan around, allowing him to gain from it, or in the worst case, at least emerge from the conflict unscathed. Jin barbarians were‌ human, albeit uncultured ones. It was possible to broker a peaceful arrangement with them, even if they conquered the capital.



An army of evil spirits, on the other hand, was truly impossible.



Yet, there was one rampaging through his lands!



This contradicted everything that he had been told so far.



It was not one evil spirit he could easily ignore, nor it was a few he had seen in his own eyes chasing after the wounded Sword Adept, nor even a dozen as the Princess had claimed. There was a large host of them, killing his subjects and his soldiers, threatening to assault his very home!



"Impossible!" He repeated, quietly, but not any less irritated.



"It is as I reported, Lord." A captain kneeling next to him, his head lowered, insisted.



"I believe you, Captain." Youngjae said, truthfully. He had carefully chosen men he could trust, after all.



It still didn't mean he expected an accursed army of spirits!



No amount of handpicking the best, most reliable and trustworthy soldiers could prepare him for this kind of enemy.



It wasn't about appeasing a crowd of commoners or preventing a riot.



It wasn't something that could be cast away by the ritual the Priestess he summoned performed right now, somewhere behind his back, in the fortress's courtyard. He never thought of it as a solution. That one was purely to ease the minds of the people.



Viceroy Gam Youngjae stood on the battlements of his fortress, staring into the distance, trying to catch a glance at the strange monsters.



He didn't see any, at this moment at the very least, but it didn't mean the situation had been resolved. It was quite the opposite.



This was a disaster!



One that ruined everything he had strived for!



He knew he could likely strike a deal with the Jin if their armies came south.



But an evil spirit?



How could he deal with one?



He didn't know. He, however, knew he couldn't ask the Priestess he had sent for either. They wouldn't appreciate the very idea of parlaying with the evil spirits, let alone cooperating in doing so. A crowd of superstitious commoners along with the Crown Princess herself would make this situation considerably more difficult.



Disaster, indeed.



It, together, created a deadly cocktail no amount of time spent at royal court could prepare him for.



"Where is the army now?" He asked, again.



"They plundered one of the surrounding villages, killing everyone. The men I sent to guard the Apprentice Priestess, and the scouts I returned with to check on them, are all dead. I barely escaped with my life for the second time!" the captain answered. The monsters upset the man more than the whole prospect of war itself. That much was obvious.



Viceroy knew that the Jin barbarians weren't above plundering entire villages. The difference was that Youngjae could imagine the mind of a marauder, a bandit, or a warlord. He, however, couldn't fathom the mind of the evil spirit.



"You did well." Youngjae said. Any lesser leader would yell at the cavalryman captain for cowardice, but Viceroy knew that truly valiant warriors would only die in pursuing glory, a sacrifice which would in the end serve no one.



"First. We need to prepare." He continued, "Once the ritual is finished, all men should prepare for the imminent siege. Be on the lookout for the approaching enemy. Burn the torches through the entire night if need be."

Although he tried to keep up the dignified, calm expression, completing the image of a wise strategist, he was far from it on the inside. The whole situation infuriated him.



"Tell the soldiers to not hesitate to sound the alarm. I will not punish a false alarm." He added, "We don't know what the enemy can do."



"As you command, Lord." The captain answered. Viceroy briefly considered abandoning the fortress and retreating to the city.



He rejected it immediately. That would be foolish.



Chunnan, the heart of Surao province, wasn't as backward as the rest of the lands he gained, and while it was far from being richest city in Hanulbeol-guk, it offered many comforts, including but not limited to the palace intended for the Viceroy to live in.



Defences were, however, lacking. There were guards nominally subjected to him, along with the rest of the population, who might help defend their homes, but that was about it.



The city was surrounded by walls on all sides, although those were more of an afterthought than the actual obstacle raised to repel the invaders. The laughable walls of Chunnan wouldn't stop the Jin if they came down there, and they wouldn't stop the evil spirits. Viceroy Gam Youngjae could imagine himself climbing those walls. It would be undignified for a man of his standing, but it wouldn't be even remotely difficult.



The current king had been spending a lot of the treasury on buildings, including the fortifications, but he didn't even invest a single coin in Surao.



Staying in the fortress, which itself was much older and better defended than the city, was much safer for him, even if it meant facing enemies. Fortress was old, but tall and sturdy, and even with the deaths among his riders, Viceroy had enough soldiers to hold the walls.



"Another thing…" Youngjae added with another pause dedicated to the silent consideration. The captain of the cavalry still patiently waited for orders.



"Did you say that Priestess' powers work against the monsters?" He asked.



"Yes, Lord! I saw it with my own eyes!" The soldier confirmed, sounding hopeful.



As much as he disliked owing the clergy anything, Gam Youngjae knew had to use this to his advantage. There was, however, a problem.



"Select a few reliable men from your unit, ready to ride out as soon as possible.." The Viceroy said, grimacing at the sentence being said as it meant his most trustworthy unit would also be the most likely to be decimated with the clashes with the monstrous enemies. From now on, the more common soldiers had to do.



He still continued quickly: "They will escort the Princess, and all those commoners that arrived last night in the city. Priestess will stay, tell her she will be rewarded handsomely for aiding in defence!."



"As you command, Lord." The soldier answered with the hand on chest in salute, and left.



He presumed that monsters, the evil spirits, were after the Princess, and would blindly chase after her instead of trying to storm the fortress, making the defence much easier. They arrived at the same time as she did and the Viceroy couldn't shake the lingering suspicion that the princess purposefully lied about the numbers of those spirit-beasts lurking in the forest.



To what end, he didn't know.



He still had to wonder: Did she try to hide how many monsters lurked in the woods, or desperately try to hide the whereabouts of the scroll, or had other hidden motives?



Youngjae cursed his decision to send his riders out after the relic. The mind of a spirit was beyond his comprehension, but a scheming royal shouldn't be. Yet he made a mistake, Viceroy had to admit.



But the connection between her, the now mysteriously missing relic, and the host of evil spirits, was undeniable, and he fully intended to use it to his advantage.



The fortress was built on a riverbank overseeing the shallow ford ideal for crossing the otherwise wide river with many strong currents, and the bridge which has been built over this strategic location. Despite standing on the wrong side of the river, the error attributed to Viceroy's predecessors, it also made the fort more suitable for suppressing the rebellion within the city than the invaders from outside. It served men like Gam Youngjae well, even in dire times like this.



Despite the unfortunate positioning, it wasn't possible to cross the bridge without being peppered with arrows, and the Crown Princess would make an excellent bait to trap the monsters between the city's walls, the river, and his fort. It wasn't perfect, considering the abysmal state of the city's defences, but a lot of desperate townsfolk might overwhelm the monsters.



Either way. monsters chasing after the Princess would pose a much easier target, while the Viceroy could easily claim he did this in order to protect the members of the Royal family. Provided there even would be a royal lineage left to question him by the end of the war.



Leaving the members of the royal family to take part in the battle was heavily frowned upon, and two warrior-kings posthumously praised for their battle proves were an exception rather than a norm in the tradition that spanned centuries.



Even if the monsters went after the fortress, sensing the trap, he could at very least separate the Crown Princess Cheonchong, supposedly chosen by the gods, from the members of the clergy and the scared crowd ready to listen, giving him larger leeway in his decisions.



The powers of the Priestess he now commanded might serve him well, but only as long as she knew her place. With the Crown Princess Cheonchong around, a woman chosen by the gods, this was no longer certain. Though her authority in matters of war was dubious at best, one in the matter of faith which the presence of the evil spirits suggested was something very different.



But now, one would be mostly alone in the palace that Youngjae didn't use, while others would be employed in combating the threat. Though it was possible to slowly poison the minds of the townsfolk against him, it would happen only after the battle was decided.



Still, Gam Youngjae would prefer if there was a more elegant, more profitable solution.



Briefly, he considered approaching the Princess with all the proper protocol, attempting to justify the decision, but he decided against it.



Youngjae was sure that guards hurrying the princess to safety wouldn't raise any suspicion from her side. After all, the Royal Guard would do the same if they were present.



Only should she refuse, Viceroy would appeal to her as the official that had her best interest in mind, but until that, he would stay away from his important quest. He needed her for what she represented, after all. However, with the royalty and clergy out of the picture, he would have to seek counsel on spiritual matters elsewhere.



"Find my advisor." He shouted at one of his guards, "I will speak with him in private!"



A man saluted him, and ran off, while the Viceroy headed straight into his chambers, avoiding the gathering of people in the courtyard, and the overly theatrical ritual the Priestess performed.



The crown Princess herself attended the ritual, much to the shock of everyone, intermingling on this level was extremely unlikely, though not entirely impossible: who else would ply for Heaven favour than the very person the gods supposedly loved. Youngjae thought that even the uptight royal court back in the capital would stop moaning and allow such a thing if it benefited them.



He groaned.



For Viceroy Gam Youngjae, it spelled trouble either way, and getting the Princess away for the time being was the best option he had.



He quickly rushed through his stronghold and prepared to receive the sage, this advisor, in his quarters, for a private conversation.



Viceroy didn't have a reason to speak with the sage when he had arrived in this province.



He couldn't even remember San Hyun-Ki's name. He remembered it now.

The old fool almost got himself executed for improper conduct, or treason as the zealous officials would call it, which would ruin the Viceroy's reputation in the process, but now, it had changed. The Hyun-Ki's value had risen significantly.



Viceroy quickly hurried his guards away when they finally took the Sage in.



"Guards. Leave us alone."



His soldiers were hesitant, but did as they were ordered, and the old man bowed appropriately this time, showing no sign of disrespect for the time being.



"My Lord."



"San Hyun-Ki, I seek your knowledge about the relic scrolls and the evil spirits. Speak freely." Youngjae said, officially. He knew very well that the Sage could be insolent and rude even towards the highest ranking people if his most favourite subject was involved, though permission was more for Youngjae's sake than for Hyun-Ki's.



"Yes. Yes, my Lord. The Lost Library of Pho-us-kah!" The man was excited, but the Viceroy stopped him before it became a rant.



"Could relics create an army of spirits?" He asked. It was an obvious question, after all.



"I don't know, my Lord, but it must be possible! I saw the beast-women of the forest, they are real! And they are since the scroll appeared! It must be it! Breaking into the Spirit Realm -it must be it. Phrase 'Repeat the words until the crack in the truth shall emerge' is rumoured to be on every scroll."



"Meaning?" Viceroy interrupted when he felt the Sage was going to continue in the endless tirade, wasting his time.



"Not all scholars agreed what it meant, and when we assume it is a universal truth, that one can't break into the Spirit Realm. And the Scrolls of Pho-us-kah are powerful. Beyond what anyone dreamed of. Few used them to full potential. Many who tried died. There might be people chosen to use them without reprisal though…" The Sage continued, spitting words without taking a breath despite his age. And with little structure to his words, too, it appeared. Something about the relics put new life into these veins.



The Viceroy could forgive the man not addressing him by the title, as long as he learned something worthwhile.



"People like who?" Youngjae asked carefully. The logical conclusion was that the Crown Princess was indeed chosen. It, however, also enforced the decision to send her away to not to influence or be influenced by a priestess. Or vice versa. Spirits were bad enough. Inviting other forces into it only made his plots endlessly more complicated.



Perhaps this San Hyun-Ki could be more helpful than Viceroy ever imagined.



"I … I don't know." Hyun-Ki lowered his eyes, "I heard it was prophesied who can use them, but I was exiled before allowed access to the royal library."



"What could you say about evil spirits?" Youngjae tried.



"I don't know. Sealing the spirits plaguing the people is Priestess' job, but…" Sage said, and soon continued his outburst: "...but I saw them! Beast-women, more beast than women, but more woman than a beast! They control fire and appear from the thin air! They can kill a Sword Adept with their magic, and possess people!"



"Did you see them possessing people?" Viceroy asked carefully. It was a very reason he called for the help from the clergy, even if he himself didn't believe in the possession as it was. From his experience, men could do cruel things without the spectres whispering into their ears, or puppeteering their bodies.



"No…" The Sage admitted, sounding disappointed, "But the travellers I brought here saw it after they were captured and released by the beast-women. A boy attacked the Dark One, and the beast-women possessed him!"



"Dark One?" Viceroy clearly recalled the Princess describing the foreigner she summoned with the ritual. It was just one man, though. He, however, very much doubted that things would escalate that fast, resulting in the mighty horde of monsters in three nights. There must be something else to it, that's why the Princess lied about the numbers.



A plot he foolishly fell into by sending his riders forward to search for the scroll, maybe.



Youngjae couldn't help himself growl once again, which unintentionally urged Hyun-Ki with an answer.



"Yes, they saw the stranger. He looks like a man, but speaks as an evil spirit. His eyes burn in black! And beast-women obey him! There are taller monsters that follow him around, and smaller ones that do their bidding."



"He has the scroll?" Was the next question.



"I don't know, my Lord. The travellers spoke nothing about the scroll." The sage admitted.



Viceroy Gam Youngjae was disappointed that the powerful relic slipped away. If it was in Surao in the first place, but if the horde of the Evil Spirits didn't disrupt his plan, he wouldn't need the mystical object, anyway.



"But he, the Dark One, can command the beast-women?" He asked, carefully.



"Yes. The commoners didn't understand him, but the beast-women guarded him, and when he spoke…" Sage split a few more excited words, but the Viceroy didn't listen to him at that moment.



Despite the supposedly incomprehensible nature of the otherworldly beings, this sounded surprisingly familiar. A warlord and his lieutenants, Youngjae pondered, stroking his chin. Jin commanders wouldn't fall for the trap he had thought of, but the Viceroy never intended to fight the Jin either.



His mind formed another plan. One that didn't require the Princess he couldn't trust anymore. She misled him once and could have misled him again. Perhaps she had an arrangement with the monsters herself. She admitted she was responsible for their appearance. However, if that was true, the evil spirits might not be that different after all, he thought - or at least, he could pray they wouldn't be.



Though it was risky, there was a way to make the sacrifice bearable in the case he was mistaken, or misled again. This time, he wouldn't send his soldiers.



"Tell me, Sage, are you familiar with the language of the foreigners?"



"Jin?" Hyun-Ki swallowed loudly, visibly nervous, and answered a question: "Do you have Jin prisoner to interrogate?"



Understanding the language of the invaders could be as much a boon as a curse due to the fear of spies, Viceroy understood, but it wasn't what he had in mind.



"No. Not the Jin. Could you talk with Evil Spirits?"

 

[beast_regards]

Assaults on castles were difficult.



That was the whole point behind fortifications, after all.



Defending them was easier than taking them.



I wasn't even entirely certain I wanted to take the castle.



Only motivation behind attempting to do so was to free my monsters, my girls, still held within what the system called 'sealing', the perpetrator of which hid behind the fort's walls.



Horse rider had long disappeared from my sight, likely warning the humans living within, informing the local authorities about our presence, while my furry horde combed through the woods or prowled the area ahead and around scouting for dangers.



I was worried there were more of those black robbed assassins which we barely defended against with our numbers.



Miwah, Brave, Tama, Narita and Kuma, all four stood here with me, with their smaller kin spreading out to cover more ground, and snoop out more humans that might sneak in on us.



Our most obvious, if not the only advantage, was sheer attrition when we overwhelmed the enemy in the open. Strikes from shadows, especially from those humans with nearly supernatural fighting skills, were a genuine threat.



I expected another assault, another ambush, but none came, not yet, and my 'Purifiers' didn't have to torch the surroundings to flush out the hiding enemies, either. Yet.



For a moment, I thought about my situation. It was a strange feeling, that unspoken expectations placed upon me, deciding on what I wouldn't imagine to really make actual choices about attack and defence, in a constant cycle of violence.



The benefit of the loyal followers was a valuable one indeed, but it didn't compensate for all the discomfort and stress it brought, with no end in sight. Escape from the stress in one life to the stress in another wasn't escape at all, especially with no choice on my side. It brought me a good deal of anger and angst, almost as if the subconscious nudging that drove the aggressive towards the 'caster' wasn't enough.



Miwah protectively looped her hands around me, and I leaned towards her. She didn't mind at all.



I took a deep breath and forced myself back to reality.



"If we spread in this direction…." I said, pointing somewhere to our right, "We would reach the river, and we would cut the route through the fields and woods to the village, right?"



We stood on the small hill that obscured the field of view from the village on the castle, or from the castle to the village. In front of us were mostly fields, meadows, or small groupings of trees, interrupted by occasional scattered huts that likely belonged to the local farmers.



It felt calm and silent, peaceful - abandoned.



I, however, doubted all those homes were abandoned completely.



While it made sense for them to do so, to hide from monsters, though at this moment I was paradoxically more worried about them harming my monsters than the other way around.



I forced myself to think logically; it was practically impossible to approach the fortification without being spotted. Rushing the walls blindly as a single mob was stupid, and most likely pointless. My introspection on the matter was, however, quickly interrupted by a readily available report from 'Alpha'



"Yes, Master. We haven't run into more humans yet, at least between us and the river to your right. They are hiding." Brave confirmed, staring at the horizon, likely directing the 'Eviscerators' on their scouting duties. She didn't gesture towards the place she meant, but I understood what she was referring to.



Miwah, instead, remained more focused on emotional support. I was grateful for that as well.



"Scatter a few girls in good hiding places from where they can observe their surroundings and warn us." I ordered, hesitantly, and mused: "A few Eviscerators, or Purifiers if they can resist making fire, or Corruptors would do too."



"Yes-yes, Master." Answered Narita, every single bit being the commander I was not. She was always the least affectionate one, and the most practical.



"Include Defilers too." I added, reminding myself they worked the best if they combined their power. The rodent-like monsters weren't the most numerous, but their abilities to heal were beyond useful.



"Yes-yes, Master." The rat-woman confirmed.



"Corruptors can make their own cover if they are careful and let us know…" I mused, then realising I have to way of interpreting their output I let out a resigned sigh, adding: "It won't work, I need Mai to speak for them. Nevermind. They will go in a team of four, one of each kind, so at least one of you can inform you of any situation."



My intention was to form only a handful of those small squads that would serve as forward scouts and the early warning system, relying on their ability to communicate instantly over long distances, then dispatch the larger force wherever was needed. Whether it was a viable strategy, that remained to be seen.



Only Kuma and her kin wouldn't get involved. They weren't the sneaky types, with even smaller ursine monsters still towering over me, and likely, through most ordinary humans too, making them too easy to be spotted.



"We can have Mai here tonight." Miwah offered, "I can only go to the places I've seen."



"Thank you." I said, without thinking much of it, instead focusing on the fact of how to handle the siege. Of course, the first thing that came to mind were catapults, which I would struggle to build as I very least required timber, rope, gears and all the tools I didn't have.



I had neither of those materials.



Siege, foremost, meant encircling.



"What's through here?" I asked, pointing in a direction which was still obscured by trees, as I assumed that trek in that direction would take us through the forest, around the fort, emerging on their other flank, which wasn't blocked by water.



Essentially, I assumed the river formed a sort of wedge of land limiting the access to the fortified location from the specific direction and we, as attackers, would have to cover it entirely. Holding a village, currently somewhere behind us, didn't mean we controlled the area.



A hint of smoke rising above the treeline gave me a hint that I wouldn't like the answer to my query.



"Another hamlet, Master.." was the answer from Brave, entirely predictable: "I think they are processing wood there."



"A sawmill?" I asked automatically, looking around.



"Yes, Master." Brave answered, with her 'Eviscerators' being my eyes and ears in the field.



I didn't know why there was another settlement dedicated to woodworks in the proximity to the one we had already passed through. They would have easily had their own sawyer and carpenter too, especially if they were both in the forest's proximity, but if their sawmill was water-wheel powered, it made sense. I was hardly an expert in that, but I assumed not all parts of the river would be suitable.



Ultimately, my pondering didn't matter. Moving there would mean the attack on yet another village, causing more deaths, and possibly more casualties on our side as even more exotic abilities locals may possess would enter the equation.



"Can we be certain there isn't another caster that can seal away my girls out there?" I said, carefully.



"We didn't sense anyone, Master." Brave confirmed.



I looked at her, then at the barrier of trees, and then, the fortress. There, in the distance, laid the source of one anxiety, a power that still held fifteen of my monsters - my girls - captive, protected by all that stone masonry and the whatever armed guards the local authorities could muster.



It made me scowl.



Laying siege with my level of experience promised to be a nightmare. If superhumans like the brute in the temple or the assassins roamed the forest, just what would the first actual military fortification I came across hold? Winning would just put a bigger target on our backs and going by the plethora of banners, the tatters of which now adorned my 'guard', there was definite interest in the area.



I regretted the fact there wasn't a peaceful resolution to all of this, but it seemed that the brute force was the most, if not only, reliable method to achieve anything in those strange, and overly hostile lands. So, fighting it was.



Only, did I actually have to take the castle? All I needed was for a single one of its inhabitants to die.



"Please prepare a group we can send there, but don't attack them yet." I decided and waved away the whole affair by staring downhill at the scenery in the distance. "I think I've seen enough."



My priority was the so-called 'caster' with her 'sealing'.



I freed myself from the supportive embrace of my Miwah and started my way back to the village, where the rest of my horde still lingered, rampaging through its houses. My little, lizard-like monsters were already giving it their personal, customising touch, while the pyromaniacal 'Purifiers' already gathered material for a fire. Since there were more of us than there were houses, some would camp outside.



Then I paused and looked at Tama, my fiery vixen who always stayed close, loyal as she was flirty and, more importantly, for our current situation, perfectly capable of throwing fireballs from a distance.



She corrected the dress she had to put back on since she was, once again, reborn, after the experience, in a slightly teasing way, and looked back.



"Tama." I said, "Could you please get me volunteers who would risk being sealed away?"



I think Tama shivered at that.



There wasn't a single doubt that the experience was unpleasant to them, which only enforced my convention that disposing of the person behind it was the good way of repaying them for all the companionship and protection they provided. However, despite everything, she still answered with the usual, affirmative:



"Yes, Master."



I continued back to the village.



It didn't take long before I had several especially ecstatic volunteers, a good deal of which were the 'Purifiers' whose personality was by far the most distinctive, not to mention they were the kind with abilities especially suited for the job



A few vulpine ones were most keen for the attention, though others came out as well, not less excited than the former. In fact, an entire furry menagerie was there, but at this moment, I only required a daring few. A special unit of sorts.



I could only hope that this approach would endanger fewer of them than the full scale assault would.



"Girls." I announced, speaking directly to them, and not to the 'Alphas' on my side: "I need a few - and only a few - Purifiers to sneak near the castle, use houses, trees, grass or fields as a cover, and try if they can spot the person who did the 'sealing' on its battlements. Then blast her."



General idea was that the woman with its rich robes and the oppressive aura wouldn't be difficult to spot. Still, I gestured with my hands to stress the idea behind my plan, and though it would seem strange to the outside view, I was certain they got it, as I both saw the comprehension in their eyes, and the positive vibe through the still incomprehensible feedback shared by my power.



"For Master!"



"Perhaps it would be best to wait until the evening, but then I am uncertain if someone important would hold the watch somewhere where you can hit her." I said, "Either way, it's a hit and run. I don't want to lose any of you. "



"For Master!" They acknowledged, all with their girlish voices.



"If you get sealed, we won't stop trying to free you." I added, as my final assurance. Even if the whole impact was technically only temporary, a previous reaction from my canine monsters that fell victim to it, along with Tama's nervousness, suggested it was more threatening to them than the death would.



"I am so glad to have you." I said, not entirely sure if it was the shaky encouragement after growing unsure what to say, or the expression of my own feelings on the matter.



When they turned overly affectionate, I was more than happy to give the small but brave foxy monsters a hug, holding each of them close for a while, each of them fluffy and warm, and very glad to be there.



They absolutely loved it, and I didn't mind that a few others joined in at the moment.



Luckily for me, not all thousand of them wanted their share of personal attention at that moment, at least if I wanted to take action in the next couple of days, but I could give the daring few their farewells before the task.



And with the last cry of the chosen few, or the courageous ones, left, while the rest resumed their duties, or rather the frantic, inexplicably productive chaos that was their original means of operations.



The 'Alphas', as always, stayed on my side, with the closest of them being, of course, Miwah and Tama. I, as per growing habit, leaned towards my werewolf.



However, among the few other monsters which dutifully guard me, all nine of the 'Ravagers' along with their leader, Kuma, absolutely towered. Even with their bored expressions, they didn't walk away to doze off somewhere, and stood on guard, roughly in a circle. They were my wall of sorts, though of fur, muscle and flesh rather than stone.



This association served as a sort of reminder that I couldn't rely on the single bolt of fire to resolve the entire issue, and might be eventually forced to commit to a more conventional assault, making all my monsters an easy target for archers.



Only Kuma had any sort of armour, probably a single suit of the typical scale hauberk that fit her truly massive frame, likely fit for the giant among humans, though the small, normally overlapping pieces of metal showed traces of being reshaped by the bear monster's power.



The rest were resigned to outstretched outfits of cloth, which provided no real protection against piercing weapons.



I looked around.



It was doubtful there was enough metal in this village that, polled together, would make a full plate of armour, and what was under the assumption Kuma had this level of precision with her metal-shaping ability.



However, there was something else I could do in order to prepare for the future battle, and it didn't require creating an equivalent to a fully armed knight.



"Kuma?" I asked.



"Master?" the bear-like monster replied, sounding tired, however showing no actual sign of exhaustion.



"How many shields do you think we have?" It was a rhetorical question of sorts while I was submerged in thoughts as I formed the alternative plan should the circumstances force me to take a more aggressive stance.



"Only a couple here." She said, without even checking. I remembered there certainly were a few, however they were a rare occurrence among the soldiers I encountered so far. This didn't mean that the locals eschewed the protection a shield would provide to infantrymen, as aggressive as the natives were none of them would be a representative of their total armed forces.



"Do you think we can cobble together shields and wooden barriers we can carry that can stop arrows?" I asked, once again scanning the village for the potential materials we could use.



I imagined a barrier or roofed structure my monsters could carry while advancing towards the wall, protecting themselves from the hail of arrows, and the battering ram to break through the gates, or even the walls.



While the battering ram was nothing more than a heavy log, a mobile cover would require some work.



Creative control of plants was out of the question unless, or until, I got Mai here, and brute force might be the only way forward.



"Yes-yes, easy. Planks and hide. Ropes, if nails aren't an option." Narita said, energetically, as always. She visibly understood what I had in mind, easing me away from the necessity of explaining it.



Though the material was not rare in our environment, significantly easier to obtain than the sheer amount of metal to abuse the magical abilities my monsters had, cutting the wood to planks wasn't exactly easy or fast, and would at very least require dedicated workers with saws and axes.



Which brought me back to the idea of visiting the other settlement I was told about, and pushing this conflict even further.



And with it came the necessity of having the muscles that would do all the heavy lifting, and carry the weight of combat in both metaphorical and the literal way, capable of breaking through the castle gates if it came to it.



Even with Miwah, and Brave being taller than me, and likely stronger as well, they weren't ones for the job.



As much as I despised the idea of using the bear-like 'Ravagers' as living shields, they were the defenders and the muscle of our group.



I approached one of my bear-like followers and looked up.



"Master?" she called out. For some reason, all 'Ravagers' sounded sleepy, regardless of their actual energy, perhaps as a strange quirk of their personalities.



The nameless anthropomorphic bear kneeled to get in a comfortable position so our eyes could meet. Though she was, in a way, the smaller version of Kuma, the word didn't serve her justice. All of her kin were large, plump, and absolutely bigger than an adult human.



Despite how exhausted her voice sounded, her eyes didn't reflect on it. I put my hand on her shoulder.



She wouldn't be nameless for much longer, as I opted for abusing the only mechanic I was certain it worked. It was almost criminally easy, but I was certain there was a cost to pay somewhere down the line. I still did it, anyway.



"I shall name you… Natasha." I said.



The usual bland notification, as well as the outburst of the red fog forming the newest additions to our horde, came out immediately.

Unit named! Natasha, The Named Ravager Skill "Slayer of Champions lvl. 4" gained.

Our numbers were about to go out of control once more.

 

[beast_regards]

Names.


Coming up with more got difficult.



At first glance, naming seemed to be a quick and easy way to increase the number of my followers with little effort, and ‌without the necessity for them to take part in any fighting and killing.



It was free, albeit deceptively so.



Not only could it easily backfire in the increased difficulty to feed the grown army, the glitched, unpredictable system disliked the practice despite supporting it, decreasing the maximum number of creatures in the long run.



I figured this much out already.



However, with the prospect of yet another fight, I felt pressured to use this very feature, if it could be called that way.



My imagination was strained to its limit, and my memory wasn't getting any better either, unsure if I could tell them apart later on, and they would inevitably multiply further.



This time, I named only a few. After Natasha, there was Alina, then Mischa, and finally…



"I should name you Ekaterina." I said to one of my randomly selected ursine monsters.



The system reacted immediately, with yet another announcement invading my line of sight.

Unit named! Ekaterina, The Named Ravager Skill "Slayer of Champions lvl. 8" gained.

Five more hulking, the bear beast-women appeared, materialising from another eruption of the thick, ruby fog, and greeted me with their stereotypical expressions of constant tiredness, yet not entirely devoid of warm disposition.



"For Master!" The newly named Ekaterina yawned almost comically. She still gave me a hug, very fitting her form of anthropomorphic bear, which was quite awkward considering how big the supposedly 'little versions' of the so-called "Ravagers" were, easily towering over any adult man.



While the excessive abuse of the entire mechanic could theoretically produce significantly more monsters in a single session - easily reaching maybe two hundred according to my fast calculations - I wasn't entirely adamant about expanding my furry horde this time. This time, I arbitrarily decided that the twenty would be enough.



If we achieved our goals in freeing the 'sealed' ones with other means, a whole full-scale assault against the well-prepared fortress could be called off, or postponed, maybe even indefinitely as long as we could avoid the escalation of hostilities.



Even after everything that transpired, there was a small part of me which wanted to cling to the dream, no matter how naive it was.



Besides, facing their exotic powers, a sheer quantity of monsters may not be enough to win the fight, anyway



For now, a handful of 'Ravagers' felt like enough to serve as shield-bearers and the battering ram crew should the more creative applications of their power fail, as well as metalworkers, during times of peace.



"That's all for today. I am sorry." I said quickly, which visibly disappointed the rest of my fluffy menagerie a little, as they seem to love those moments of special, personalised attention.



They, however, didn't protest against cutting this short.



"Now, find yourself a little protection if you can, please." I added, clapping my hands.



"For Master!" They replied in confirmation and slowly went after their new goals.



I found out that the bear-like monsters didn't act with this boundless energy of others, and took the slower, energy conserving attitude instead, similar to the animals they resembled.



In fact, more active individuals in our small horde already defaulted to bringing a few remaining useful items to the fresh members, as an attempt not to waste any time.



Problem was that there was a serious shortage in all the material I would need to equip a conventional, albeit mediaeval styled, army, and the list of things we required would only grow. What we had was salvaged or looted and repurposed, and it wasn't available in sufficient quantities. Our enemies, however, were likely much better equipped.



The more weapon reliant monster types went with farming tools, staves, or whatever else was readily available. Others would have to go in head on, with claws and magic against the tall walls of solid stone masonry.



With this in mind, it became painfully obvious that the twenty 'Ravagers' won't be a miraculous solution for my problems. I was torn between the commitment to not let my monsters, my girls, sealed away longer than it was necessary, and the hesitation to command the meaningful assault against the fort.



"Tama?" I asked, "How are the volunteers I've sent faring?"



"We are running as far as we can, Master." she said. Her normal, teasing tone attached to it assured me she wasn't offended by the pressure I've put on her, or her kin.



Still, I should continue with putting at least some effort into preparation, if not to help, then to honour the dedication of my monsters.



"Thank you." I said, reminding myself I should be patient.



"Kuma." I called out, "General plan is to have your kin to wield shields to close the distance, and attempt to break down the castle gates."



I wasn't entirely certain if I explained that plan already or not, but I didn't see any harm in repeating myself.



"Yes, Master." Kuma replied. Immediately, I noticed one of 'Ravagers' tearing out the door of the hut.



Admittedly, this was an option I didn't consider, but I wasn't exactly keen on disassembling housing for materials. I didn't want to rely on 'Corruptors' tree shaping powers as the only source of shelter, even if they could be grown on demand.



"Without breaking this settlement further, please." I specified.



"Yes. Master." She confirmed, with her typical expression, as she made the other ursine monster drop the dislodged door with a loud thud.



I sighed. This would require a little micromanagement, but I felt I was getting accustomed to the role, comfortable with my company, as weird or even impossible as it seemed a few days ago.



I looked at my immediate companions. Tama looked ‌preoccupied, diverting her attention elsewhere. Wait, I reminded myself, wait.



"Miwah, Brave. Could you show me other useful things around the village?" I asked in a hopeful tone.



"Yes, Master." They answered immediately, with Miwah offering her hand as the guide. I took it, however, before we set out I had to make sure there weren't any more disasters waiting to happen.



"Any problems, Tama?" I asked my vulpine companion.



"I will try to get this finished quickly so we can focus on more important and more pleasant activities." The vixen replied, smirking, her tone once again flirty, with her gaze fixated on the horizon. I learned to recognise the telltale sights where the 'Alpha' monsters directed the actions of others through the obviously telepathic, but otherwise poorly understood, link. The fact she wasn't visibly distressed calmed me down - ‌the 'Purifiers' didn't get into any fights just yet, it seemed.



"I will leave it up to you." I said. The coordination she could provide was much better than the directions I could give.



"Yes, Master." She said, her voice turning slightly sultry again. "I am looking forward to our time when pesky humans are dealt with."



I didn't answer, cautious about being receptive to the advances, and instead looked at Miwah. Not only do I have other problems to deal with, the system already sealed my partnership with another beast-woman.



The now white werewolf didn't show any sign of jealousy, though she positioned herself at my side as a lady would. It felt weird, as it felt natural at the same time. My life has been filled with contradictory emotions since I came to this world.



"Lead on, Miwah." I said, silently, to start the inspection of the village.



It was significantly larger than that abandoned hamlet in the mountains, its houses slightly larger and move liven in, with the signs of the previous occupation scattered everywhere from the unrestrained looting. Most, if not all, clothes, outfits, and tools were already put to good use, with very few things left behind to be piled in the corner for later use or dragged into the street by an overzealous furry menagerie.



My monsters, my girls, cheered as I walked around the village, and many tried to show off their findings, even if some of those were nothing more than trophies they loved to collect.



Among all that chaos, there was still that single, lone human girl they tried to wash and put into clean clothes. While she was positively the least combative native I'd encountered so far, with a disposition which ranged between erratic, to straight away apathetic, almost like a living doll with her slightly demented smile.



Considering the many bruises revealed by the quick wash, she was likely hit to the head multiple times, both figuratively and literally, a long time before my monsters showed up.



Still, my monsters weren't willing to risk letting her anywhere close to me. Considering how things went so far, I couldn't blame them.



"For Master!" argued two of my anthropomorphic rats when she tried to move closer, determined to keep her away at the spear length from me.



"Fo-mas-te." The girl repeated, almost idiotically, rocking back and forth: "Fo-mas-te."



She still bowed to me, though. After several encounters with the overly aggressive natives, and failure to make a significant success in communicating with the captured merchant, it was almost ironic that the only human that didn't kill me was likely seriously mentally impaired.



I was ready to wave this away, however then something occurred to me - she was alone and isolated, we could heal her and her countrymen wouldn't be any wiser. The previous situation with the murder among the captives wouldn't, and couldn't, happen.



"Narita?" I asked. "Could you please take her to the forest and try to use your power to heal her? Then have her rest somewhere."



Here goes nothing, I silently thought to myself.



"Yes-yes, Master." Narita answered, "Better to lock human-thing somewhere."



"Yes, please do so afterwards." I agreed with the overall misanthropy of my monsters. It was quite an achievement.



"Yes-yes, Master."



The human girl didn't resist when Narita, and her two tagalongs, dragged away like the doll indifferent to her fate. Curing her seemed like a step in the right direction.



I returned my attention back to the settlement.



The fires were lit; the pots set with the water boiling, while my monsters prepared to camp for the night here cooking the meals from comparatively abundant stores.



Or, possibly, meagre ones, as I had no measure how large a quantity of foodstuffs would be required for the village as this to go through the year, or through winter when nothing grew. Spoiled by modern civilization, I had no sense of scale in that regard.



The mere fact they had food storages was an improvement. One of the huts was a partial cellar instead of the conventional flooring, lined with stones and dug to the ground to store large pottery, while another was risen on stilts with rugged sacks filled with grain.



They weren't doing that bad considering there could have been bandits lurking in the forest, but I hardly knew anything about the local societal dynamics, or the scale of how much grain you needed for a certain amount of people.



I could only be satisfied with the moderate improvement over our previous situation. Enthusiastic 'Corruptors' even found the cart I was asking for, ready to send the share to the rest of us still left in the hills.



At least my monsters wouldn't go hungry for now.



Not everything was undamaged, though. One building half collapsed, half burned, probably during the fighting, and a couple of my monsters already tried to gut the dead oxen found nearby.



I tried to ignore the visceral image it produced.



A very few farm animals were found, though. I could assume they were scared and scattered when we took this place over, or someone took all the cattle away, but it mattered very little. My monsters would certainly try to expand their hunting, especially during more peaceful times, catching up to whatever was surviving in the area.



I wasn't sure how animal husbandry would work if managed by species considered predatory by nature, though.



Pushing the consideration for longer-term plans, I continued further, but found very little spare materials we could use, which made sense in the hindsight considering the general level of development.



This used to be a farming community offering very little besides the food we seized.



No leftover planks or woodwork.



The only building with better construction, with roofing tiles instead of the simple thatch, proved to be yet another shrine, albeit tiny compared to the pagoda in the forest.



It was nothing more than shelter for a statue, likely representing a local deity - a carved statue of the Chinese-styled dragon.



It was made of nothing more than wood and a generous application of red paint. A few offerings were left under it, but I very much doubted this shrine had actual attendants.



Or it had, and I wasn't able to tell their houses from the peasant.



It didn't matter and was entirely useless for my purposes, too.



With Miwah close to me, and Brave a step behind us, I stared at this small place of worship, considering whether there ever was a way to resolve this madness in a non-violent way. It seemed they were fated to fail.



"I guess you will not give me my girls back, dragon?" I asked for the statue for no particular reason.



Predictably, the carved piece of wood didn't reply. If the deity it was supposed to represent was real, it didn't seem to be sympathetic to my plight.



"I guess not." I said.



Then I looked away.



Suddenly, with a puff of the red smoke, as many times before, a 'Purifier' materialised.



"Master!" she cried, announcing her arrival, though the backslash I usually felt from the more threatening 'sealing' didn't strike me as hard, and without the notification invading my view it was apparent that this one fell in combat only to be reborn near me, as the many times before.



I quickly scanned my surroundings, just as Miwah and Brave did, as the small retinue of the monsters that had never left my shadow formed a protective circle around us.



"What happened?" I barked out.



"It's not our patrols." Miwah and Brave confirmed in unison.



Before I got my answer, another of her kind formed out of the same haze.



Then another popped up.



"You attacked the castle?" I asked.



"For Master!" They exclaimed in response.



I knew they were fighting something, or someone, so much was clear, but I didn't have a slightest idea who, or what, as the little ones weren't exactly the most talkative girls.



"Tama!" I called out, as their 'Alpha' was the only way to get the tentative understanding of this mess.



The vixen seemed preoccupied. It has happened before, just with a different girl. The similarity was distressing.



"The volunteer group reached the fort." Miwah said instead, though she remained alert.



Before, however, I got an answer from Tama, a large outburst of the ruby fog that accompanied all the spawning spat out the several more, this time with a triumphant notification announcing:

Skill "Scorched Earth lvl.24" gained.

Five fiery fox-monsters once again cried in unison.



"For Master!"



Then a few 'Purifiers' spawned, joining the quickly growing crowd, ecstatic to join the surrounding madness, with yet another message hitting me.

Skill "Scorched Earth lvl.25" gained.

A success, perhaps, flashed through my mind, as without loss, our number expanded.



I was proven wrong once again by the abrupt, sharp pain that brought me down to my knees, and sent all the surrounding monsters to rush towards me, worried.



The same crushing sense of loss, a part of me being ripped away, the same puffs of the bloody gaze dispersing into nothingness without returning the members of my furry menagerie to my embrace where they belonged.

6 units sealed until the caster is dead.

Forced on my knees, I cradled the headache the forced feedback caused, only to be hit by another wave of the agony associated with this cursed phenomenon exploding in my brain, worse than even before.

3 units sealed until the caster is dead.

My vision was too blurry to see the dying whiffs of the smoke of the disrupted spawning, but even that didn't prevent me from perceiving the bland, almost taunting window.

1 unit sealed until the caster is dead.

"Tama!" I howled. "Tama, retreat the rest! Now! Now!"



I don't know if she did, but when my vision returned to normal, I found the vixen, along with my faithful white werewolf, holding me.



"Master?" They asked, in distress in her voice, "Master!?"



"I will…be…fine." I said, struggling as the echo of the unexpected sensation receded. There was, however, one more feeling I couldn't blame on the link between me and my monsters - guilt.



It was my fault that they were put under the 'seal'. It was because I hesitated, and pushed Tama for the quick solution without committing to the battle.



I had to make it better. I would not trade the new 'Purifiers' for ones held who knows where, under some spell that caused them so much distress.



"Brave! Gather a group, and go to secure that other village! I want a castle surrounded by this side of the river!" I ordered, hastily, driven by the recollection of my old plans rather than the entire process.



"Yes, Master."



I was so tired of this. Tired and angry. As I got back on my feet, with heavy support from Miwah and Tama, I looked at the dragon statue of the local mini-shrine. The gaze from the painted eyes of the carving felt like they were mocking me.



Loses and gains. They were almost the same, but I didn't care - I am not trading losses here, not if I could help it. That sorceress, or whoever the woman performing this magic, was, she would pay.



My girls suffered, just as I did. Our unity was torn apart, and I found that unacceptable, an insult, a provocation which had to be answered as the compass within my brain pinged me furiously towards the source of the 'sealing'.



I gestured towards the statue with the raised finger almost as it wasn't the coloured piece of wood, and growled,



"I don't know who the woman is, but I will kill that bitch."

 

[beast_regards]

I didn't truly understand the connection between me and my monsters.



Existence of such a link was, however, undeniable.



It was bringing me down to my knees every time one or more of them were 'sealed' - an effect that had some special meaning, and with how extreme the reaction was compared to injury, or even death.



Considering their cyclic, respawning nature of their existence, they perhaps considered it a fate worse than death, despite it being technically reversible.



Backlash I've suffered convinced me it may be the case.



I felt it myself.



It wasn't entirely rational, but it was a sad, disheartening experience - it had forced my hand the first time, and it was forcing my hand now, even if something at the back of my mind screamed it wasn't an entirely normal human thinking pattern



Not only was it an unpleasant experience, it made me furious as well, yet with no one to lash against.



There wasn't anyone else around but me, and my monsters, my girls.



Pent up anger made the shake. It made me scratch myself nervously while still struggling to stand. I simply held Miwah, embracing her.



With her armour on, my werewolf wasn't as soft and fluffy as she was before, yet her closeness provided me with the both physical and emotional support I needed in a hard moment.



The others were equally supportive, swarming around us, showing concern for my well-being, with a handful of them joining for a group hug.



Their affectionate behaviour was very heartwarming, and this strange, symbiotic link I was developing strengthened it further. Maybe it was an aftereffect of life-energy channelled by the 'Defilers' to combat the suspected injury that didn't really happen, but my rat-like healers didn't leave this to chance.



The grass and greenery within range was turned to dust for the infusion of energy.



I realised that I never experienced this level of solicitude about my health, mood, safety or anything else in my life, which further increased the anxiety from the drive to free those who were imprisoned within that spell.



If my monsters cared for me, I should care for them.



"Master? Master!"



Remaining the hold around the werewolf waist, I turned to rest of my furry menagerie



"I am all right." I assured them, patting and scratching the few of the most caring girls nearby, not only traditionally over-affectionate 'Purifiers' but also a smaller crowd from the other little ones showing their care.



Only the largest of them, the bear-like 'Ravagers' were a little left out, all of them being simply too big and bulky, but even then showed a certain level of fondness from the distance while a handful of small monsters huddled nearby.



"You need to rest, Master." Miwah said, half asking, half stating.



"I am not hurt or tired." I added, the life-force channelling 'Defilers' made sure of that.



Slowly letting go of Miwah, I made a few steps through the small crowd to Tama.



"Master?" the vixen asked, her tone of voice betraying concern.



Whatever this link, this feedback did, it didn't leave any long-lasting physical after-effect, and even the temporary weakness waned away during mere few steps.



Psychologically, though, it was different.



The nudging, the compulsion, to act towards the person the system considered an enemy - the unexplained and mysterious 'caster' and the 'sealing' - was more lasting, and a much more pressing experience.



I could feel the pulsing sensation in the distance, roughly in the direction where I knew the castle was.



There was no reason to rush there though - my current predicament resulted from me rushing there, pushing the handful of 'Purifiers' to make a hastily mounted assault in order to avoid the larger, more drawn out battle ahead.



They suffered for that, as was the one who actually guided them.



I gave Tama a hug, and she accepted it with the passion that was typical for her, which I didn't give up to.



"Did the others get away?" I asked, still holding the fluffy vixen close.



"Yes. We almost got her, but the human woman could use her ability in a much faster manner than the previous one…" She said and even through her usual demeanour, I was certain that she experienced the same loss that was gripping me at the moment.

Miwah had likely experienced something similar when the smaller 'Eviscerators' had been targeted, though the white werewolf was much better at not showing it in the same manner.



I felt it was my fault.



"No. It is too much of a risk. We lost too many." I objected. While holding my fluffy vixen in my arms, I continued: "If we try this again, we need a diversion…"



"Yes, Master." She replied, quietly.



Not letting Tama go, I turned my head to others.



"We need to sit down and figure out what to do next." I said, "Miwah, Kuma… get Narita too."



"Yes, Master."



Brave, however, was already on her route towards the other settlement, and the only saving grace was the fact they were all, in fact, able to communicate over longer distances with little of a problem and the decision could reach her as it was being made.



"Some place private?" I asked, realising we probably just shouldn't stay here in the open.



There was no reason to go uphill from where I could see the castle. Not right now, I thought to myself.



"This house is almost empty, Master." Kuma suggested, pointing towards one of the many village huts, indistinguishable from others with the same woodwork and thatched roof as the others. My monsters already went through the contents during their pillaging spree, judging from the couple of items they dragged outside.



I accepted it wordlessly and headed inside, seating myself on the wooden floor, feeling exhausted. Mentally, not physically, the 'Defiler' magic worked its charm after all.



Miwah took her position at my side, scanning the empty, gloomy room, and Tama did the same, while Kuma simply crashed in the corner, looking somewhat weary or bored.



Only Narita stood up, arriving last, but not before the two of her smaller kin took position behind my back as guards - or emergency medics, perhaps. With each fit of weakness this weird connection brought, and after several attacks, my monsters became even more insistent that I should be guarded at all times.



One of the kobold-like 'Corruptors' was also there. I suspected one of those I named, but I was at the point where I was struggling with names, and sadly, Mai wasn't around to speak for them.



"What happened out there, Tama?" I asked, trying to sound every bit analytic about the issue we faced.



"A group of people tried to escape, headed by that weird woman from before. They went for the bridge over the river."



"A weird woman?" I queried.



With no knowledge of the local language, culture, and without the clear idea of how their own commanding structure worked, aside from a few assumptions based on the attire, I wasn't able to tell who was who with any sense of reliability. The 'woman' was a very vague description.



"We should've killed her when we had the chance, Master.." Tama declared, and despite my continuous attempts to avoid bloodshed so far, I sympathised with my fiery vulpine's anger. After all, things had a tendency to spiral out of control the very moment I mistakenly thought I had them figured out, the latest of which was caused by enemy action with more grave consequences than before.



"Humans. They will not let us have our peace and quiet," Kuma remarked. I ignored her, albeit she was, in the way, right - natives were an unceasing source of trouble and hostility, without rhyme or reason to it.



I looked intently at my fiery fixed waiting for her to elaborate, rather than giving up to this urge to act rashly against the unspecified enemy.



"One you freed from the cage back in that shrine was there." Tama explained, without being prompted, likely after my very brief silence.



"There was something wrong about that woman." Miwah added. Werewolf eyes were still scanning the shadows of the room, almost as if she was searching for something.



I turned my attention back to the matter of conversation - I remembered the woman they referred to. Long black hair, mystical green eyes, and a very unsettling presence, along with quite the attitude.



"She is the one doing the sealing? I asked carefully, regretting releasing the women I found locked in the cage.



"No, Master.. Another woman in the castle did it after we took down a few soldiers to draw attention." The vixen explained. "But both of them feel weird."



So she wasn't the cause of all this, at least not directly. I however, felt they must be interconnected somehow. She might be in charge around here, even. I remember her clothes looking quite expensive, although finding her in the dirty cage imprisoned by a local armed mob didn't add up. There was a part of the story I was missing, I was certain, but that one was to be explored afterwards, once I worked out the solution to the dangers threatening my monsters.



"Then there was an old human male leaving by another gate." Vixen continued, "He tried to run when we attacked the walls, but the humans shut down the gate for him, so he ran away in the other direction."



"Where is he now?" I asked, still unable to form any unified theory about what was happening in those lands. "You let him go?"



"Somewhere in the fields." Tama said, and quickly shifted her gaze towards the unseen horizon, probably trying to contact her smaller kin in the field, continuing with a slight growl: "I am sorry, Master. We will get him soon enough!"


While it was certainly plausible, or understandable, that the many people would try to flee the castle before the enemy could lay the siege, I still wasn't even remotely close to understanding the situation at hand.



I assumed refugees would flee in large groups comprising entire families, while the leaders would be surrounded by their bodyguards, with lone escapees being a kind of rarity. As rare as those who would try to talk, despite the huge language barrier involved.



"Capture him if you can." I quickly decided, before realising that without the ability to communicate, another captive would be next to useless, but before I recalled the order, my mind re-focused on something else.



"Don't go in range of the castle!" I quickly added, "The caster is still in there?"



"Yes, she was there, Master. We lured her out, but she was more capable than I thought." Tama confirmed, her attention occupied by the certainly telepathic connection she had with my smaller vulpine monsters.



I nodded. There were individuals with extraordinary powers among the natives. It made sense to those who would vary in rank and skill. I just couldn't tell them apart with any measure of certainty until it was too late.



Nevertheless, the plan remained the same then, to assault the fortress, take down the threat to my monsters, and free those under this curse, this 'seal'.



"We will need a distraction if we try again." I repeated my previous thought.



My mind raced. First, I had to take care of those heading towards the inevitable fight, and have them not suffer for it.



The urge created by the link nearly dispelled the inhibitions towards ordering the assault on the settlement with possibly unarmed people: my people suffered, too, after all, and only because of the human's stubbornness to refuse all attempts to communicate.



The anger, briefly quelled by the questioning, resurfaced again.



"If you can contact Brave, remind her to not take any risks." I said, churning out orders, or rather ideas: "Make sure there are Defilers to cure our wounded. Try to use Corruptors to immobilise the enemies. And Kuma, make sure there are Ravagers in Brave's group. You will bash together the cover for the siege there."



"Yes-yes, Master." Narita confirmed more enthusiastically, while Kuma acknowledged with the drawn yawn: "Will do, Master."



"Have more scattered and hiding through places between us and the castle, like groups of trees, or some huts, and so on." I continued. Unless our enemy possessed some extrasensory perception, they couldn't attack what they couldn't see, though I put little faith in that tactic.



Very reason we were in this mess was that this 'caster' could apparently see through 'Eviscerators' cloak of invisibility.



"Work all together." I said, though I felt it was entirely arbitrary. They were accustomed to close communication, after all.



"And you…" I pointed towards the Corruptor in the room, stopping myself when I realised I didn't actually remember the name of the small, scaly lizard-girl.



She blinked at me with serpentine eyes, reminding me that 'Corruptors' had the third eyelid, an anatomical fact useless for the situation.



There were far too many like her, all of them similarly fond of the same improvised outfits, with scavenged cloth, and grass skirts, and the twisted flowers for decoration. Perhaps their naturally feathery manes had some patterns I should remember, but I, honestly, didn't know.



"Lily." I breathed out as something within my brain clicked.



"For Master!" The small, cute kobold-like monsters replied, overjoyed that I remembered her among dozens of her sisters.



My brain, however, quickly switched towards the plan. As poorly planned as it was, it could work assuming the grinding, endless nature of the historical sieges, sometimes lasting a few seasons.



I would rather not make plans for such long periods of time - my power was impatient, and my planning skills questionable.



"I want a few of you to sneak to the fort by the river." I said, carefully. However, something about her readable expression told me she didn't like the idea of swimming. Despite the eyes reminding me of alligators, the 'Corruptors' didn't have the webbed fingers on their clawed hands. They were more likely climbers, likely not swimmers.



Not to mention that our scouts mentioned the river was wild and wide.



"No, don't swim if you don't want to." I said, gesturing with my hands to express more of what I had in mind, "Work plants near the river to sneak near the castle from the riverside, slowly, day by day, in secret, possibly night, so we can get there unnoticed."



I hoped she understood what I had in mind. This wasn't a strategy that relied on haste, albeit still being admittedly poorly thought through. While slow, with the speed 'Corruptors' magic worked, it would be considerably faster than work sappers would have to do, digging under the walls for entire days, even months, with primitive tools.



"For Master!" She said, her voice more excited now, and rushed out of the hut immediately.



I thought I finally understood the importance of 'Alphas' in the management of my furry and scaly menagerie. They understood me, and likely comprehended the commands perfectly fine, but her eagerness to obey often sent them dashing out quickly, leaving the potential line of communication interrupted without someone to distribute the tasks efficiently.



Leaving Mai in charge of the remote location seemed more like a mistake in the hindsight.



I doubt she even talked to that captive merchant.



"I wish I had Mai here." I sighed.



"We will catch the human in a moment, Master. We could corner him soon." Tama announced, her focus still out there, with the sly grin across her vulpine features.



"Master, I think I have the idea." Miwah said, standing up almost as if hit by the sudden inspiration, or realisation, and slowly walking towards one corner of the poorly lit room.



With glass being very rare, almost non-existent in those lands, local houses were doomed to have rather sombre interiors, and the dark corners where the light didn't reach joining the myriad of other inconveniences.



There was a large basket in here, one of the few pieces which wasn't turned upside down, or dragged out to the street when my horde went through the buildings.



My first thought was that the basket was the problem, hiding something, or possibly someone. It was not.



My werewolf didn't reach for the item. She reached for the shadow in the empty corner; her clawed hand dissolving in the black, vanishing hue as it touched the least illuminated space. It created a strange, otherworldly contrast, as her fur was pure white since our last light, and not black as it was before.



Miwah's canine face expressed pure concentration.



It left me confused. Miwah, along with her shadowy kin, could become invisible on demand - it was frequently used, and abused ability, but it hardly helped in our current situation.



Especially if it didn't prevent the initial expedition from being 'sealed' in the first place, despite being composed of monsters with invisibility as their major power.



I still said nothing as Miwah pushed the basket away and stepped into the corner, her large furry body completely dissolving into this black, shadowy aspect, and then into nothingness.



"Why?" I whispered, utterly lost by the display. I suspected Miwah, and her 'Eviscerators' could lurk unseen behind the mirage for hours. It just didn't explain why to do it now.



A brief glance at Tama and Narita revealed they weren't any less confused than I was.



Then my white werewolf reappeared, pushing Mai with her from the shadowy haze into the room.



My mind took a second to catch up. The last time I saw my lizard-woman was likely a few kilometres away in our improvised camp on the hill, a distance that couldn't be crossed in such a moment, shorter than a minute. Yet, there she was.



"Master! Please, let's not do that again!" Mai protested as she regained balance, giving the impression of being slightly drunk.



I still saw the power for what it was - a teleport. It flashed through my mind that such power would certainly solve our current problem with ease. There were myriads of possibilities.



Before I could question Miwah about the ability she definitely didn't have before, my werewolf collapsed to the ground, like a marionette with its strings cut, almost as from truly the severe exhaustion I never saw her experiencing.



I rushed to check on her, only to find my beast-woman was unconscious, and I could only yell for the closest equivalent of the medic we had.



"Narita!"

 

[beast_regards]

I immediately tried to roll Miwah over.



Unconscious and unresponsive, my werewolf was significantly heavier than I felt she would be, her body further weighted down by the suit of armour she wore, and the first thought that flashed through my mind at that very moment was one of fear or worry she may not come back to me as she did more than once already.



Fortunately, I had no time to ponder this.



'Defilers' didn't hesitate. They quickly helped me in laying Miwah on her back, and bathed the room with emerald glow as their power manifested, filling me with a sudden spark of energy, yet it quickly waned away. I wasn't the major recipient of it, and I didn't want to be.



I wanted my Miwah to get better.



She opened her eyes, and I breathed a sigh of relief.



Apparently, her strength returned to her almost immediately, and it didn't seem like she was experiencing any notable discomfort, or dizziness, as she tried to rise almost immediately, once again full of vitality, and more concerned about me than she was about herself.



Miwah would probably be ready to run if I hadn't stopped to show her how much I was needlessly worried about her.



I kissed her.



There was a part of me that acknowledged that there was something inherently weird about kissing the anthropomorphic wolf, at least to a human it would be, even I thought so before, but that portion of me was growing weaker and weaker with each moment I spent entirely isolated from the sensible human company, and tied closer and closer with my monsters. My girls.



I shared my moment with Miwah, caressing her soft fur around her neck.



She didn't mind. Quite the contrary, she reciprocated my closeness.



I would forget about myself completely if Tama didn't use the opportunity to tease me about it



"Would you do this if I fainted too, Master?" The vixen remarked, with the usual, sultry tone very typical of her.



I didn't answer. Truth was, I would be similarly distressed if something brought her harm, or discomfort, and I would be prone to similar, if not same, rash emotional acts should something threaten to separate us.



Although, I just wasn't sure how Miwah would react to me, showing a similar amount of tenderness to the vixen. My werewolf didn't show a single ounce of jealousy, but it ultimately didn't mean she was not experiencing it.



It made me pause. Not only I didn't want our group to be brought apart by my envy, I was becoming increasingly conscious of my behaviour, and it was very unlike my old self.



The experience was changing me.



Tama took my silence as the answer and said with an equally flirty tone: "I must work to impress you otherwise."



Her gaze turned towards the unseen horizon again, usually an unmistakable sign of her trying to manage her unruly kin across the larger distances, abusing their abilities to communicate without words I didn't quite get as yet.



Does she actually talk to them in her mind, or puppeteer them, or was the process entirely different?



I didn't know.



But it wasn't the time and place to query about it.



Something told me I should focus on it, cold and practical applications, instead of romantic feelings towards my anthropomorphic female monsters, but I failed myself almost immediately. I couldn't quite separate my monsters from my girls - those two terms meant the same.



I gave my werewolf another brief kiss, the strangeness of which utterly escaped me until moments later. A glance in her bright blue eyes promised I would get back to it later, though.



My monsters didn't seem judgemental about it even the slightest. While Tama spaced out after a quick moment of, well, being herself, Kuma looked positively bored.



Miwah rose from the floor from the position on her knees, where I held her for that short intimate moment, and gave me a few supportive touches, while in fact it was me who was supposed to be doting on her after she fell unconscious, and was brought back.



Narita, and her two smaller attendants, gave us some space right away, though they seemed quite agitated sniffing the air.



Mai‌, however, seemed disoriented from the teleport, or whatever Miwah's new found power actually did to her.



"Mai?" I asked, feeling somewhat guilty for not paying attention to her state.



She registered me, but didn't answer, once again giving the impression of being sedated, or drunk, something I never saw before in the ranks of my monsters. Narita seemed nervous about it, too.



"Something wrong, Narita?" I asked.



"Unexpected. Sense. Residue." Narita answered. With her unusual speech pattern breaking the sentence into words, mixed with the fact she was genuinely surprised by something, it was next to impossible to understand what she actually wanted to say.



"What?" I said, then looking at the still fairly dizzy looking lizard-woman I understood. Or I thought I did - unforeseen side effects were the best explanation. Logical too. Miwah was knocked out by her own ability, after all. Unintended targets would likely get the worse end of it.



"From Mai?" I queried.



"Yes-yes, Master."



"It did something to Mai?" I followed up with the obvious. I made a step towards Mai, placing my hand gently at the side of her beaky snout.



The lizard woman looked at me and babbled: "I don't want to do this again, my Master."



"Narita, could you please heal her?" I asked - what helped Miwah could help Mai.



"Yes-yes. Master. Need to get energy." Narita replied, this time with more certainty in her voice. She had to lead Mai outside, though two of her smaller kin were once again behind my back.



Side effects, I said to myself. Either way, it seemed more and more useful to have them around for emergencies, especially now, when I was slowly learning that all those exotic powers did have their cost when pushed to the limit.



Perhaps it was a time to express gratitude to my ever present healers. In contrast to the occasional energetic behaviour, my anthropomorphic rats were possibly the most level-headed and collected individuals I had in my company.



And they were becoming more indispensable to the group, each of them fulfilling the niche the others could not.



Realising that I should show them more appreciation, I gave the little two rat-girls a hug. I was sure they were two of the named ones, but ‌I couldn't remember.



"Thank you, you two. We will need you more than ever!"



They reacted with a cheerful tone in their high-pitched voices: "For Master!"



Today I found out that 'Defiler' powers apparently worked without a direct line of sight, through walls, which I didn't know, but had limited range, which was something I already saw in practice.



They were also absolutely critical to have around, because of the wide, healing and empowering application of their ability, perhaps even reaching the point I had too few of them to balance the higher number of other monster kinds.



Part of me wanted to rush outside to figure out how far it could go, but my werewolf spoke before I became too distracted.



"I am sorry, Master." Miwah apologised. "I didn't expect to be this exhausting."



"It's fine. It's not your fault. Sorry for spacing out." I replied, waving it away and returning my attention back to her. "Are you feeling fine?"



As much grateful I was for 'Defilers' help, I didn't want Miwah to feel guilty that someone had to fix her up.



"Perfectly, Master." She said, and I was tempted to go much closer to her again, but I worked my mind towards the current goal of beating the 'caster', or whoever the human woman was, and overcoming the defenders of the castle. It should have priority over personal relations.



Perhaps I should work to make use of the newfound power - it was a gift, not a burden, even with the apparent side effect.



"Can you sneak to the fortress this way?" I asked immediately, but before she could even muster an answer, I cast it away.



Miwah was special, both to me and to the logic of the system, perhaps no longer the subject of the poorly defined rules that governed my monsters, and I would not risk losing her.



"Forget that. Bad idea." I waved it away almost right after I spoke it. "Risk is far too great."



Sending her out there was unacceptable, risky, possibly fatal.



She would not only have to fight off the entire garrison of soldiers, but would have to face the most dangerous enemy yet in the term of this 'caster' who threatened to chip away my numbers from the growing menagerie of followers, one by one, making each subsequent attempt more difficult than the previous one.



I would not send my precious white wolf there. Not alone, not if I didn't make a plan that had at least a slight chance of working.



Miwah still pondered it before she answered,



"I don't think I can go to the places I haven't seen."



Strangely enough, I was pleased to hear this. I would not sacrifice my finest, dearest companions. I would sacrifice no one. By avoiding the daring, if not suicidal attack, wasn't even theoretically possible to perform, I wouldn't have to.



"Thank you." I said. Despite my conscious attempt not to, I still came closer to show my werewolf more tenderness.



I was still disappointed with myself, pressured to think of the strategy, or plan, that provided tangible results which my monsters expected, and I wouldn't get them by sitting idle. Problem was, there was very little to do here.



It made me feel a little inadequate



"Oh, Master. I think I have a plan." Tama interrupted, almost as she caught up on my introspection instinctively.



"No sacrificing our little foxies." I said, with little thought. I had enough contemplation of unnecessary sacrifices: "I don't want them to charge to their death."



Death had a very ambiguous meaning for my monsters. Many of them came back to life, no worse to wear despite their apparent demise, reformed from the ruby mist after suffering mortal injuries, sometimes fast enough to rejoin the battle that caused them.



I still refused to have them senselessly suffer, and I trusted Tama understood what I wanted to say - after all, 'sealing' wore on her badly. I saw it and sensed it as well.



"We won't be charging to our death, Master." Vixen assured me, sly smiling. "We chase the human you wanted captured. Besides, I have the idea of how to avoid the bitch sealing us."



"I trust you." I said. Tama had eyes in the field, and could coordinate the monsters better than I did. The only option I had was to trust my 'alphas'.



I however, didn't think of anything I could do - just sit there, until Brave's group arrived at their destination. But then, what?



"Come with me again, please?" I said, and after affirmation from my companions, I walked out of the house. They followed me.



Stepping outside, I didn't quite realise how much greenery was in an average rural village in times before widespread urbanisation until I noticed the patch of dead vegetation surrounding the hut, all sacrificed just to wake Miwah after over-exerting her powers.



'Corruptors' were already working on it, and were even more noticeably drowning the settlement in unnatural plant life, encroaching on every structure, on every patch of grass or lone tree.



It, once again, twisted the original flora to something more unearthly, almost as if I taint was following us where we went.



Sadly, I needed it. Under logic of healing based on draining the very life-essence, those were the equivalent of emergency services coverage.



It was random, though with Mai back, controlling the chaos was hopefully more feasible.



The lizard woman seemed more lively now too, waiting outside with Narita, which filled me with hope.



"Are you feeling better, Mai?" I asked



"Yes, my Master." My scaly companion answered, "I would rather not do this again. It is not pleasant in between there, my Master."



I looked at Miwah. She had quite a guilty expression in her deep blue eyes when she looked back at me, but I held her hand and returned my attention back to Mai.



"You don't have to. That would be for emergencies only, I think." I replied, unsure of what to say. My reptilian monster was, however, satisfied with the answer.



"Thank you, my Master."



"Care to accompany me to the top of this hill?" I said, pointing towards the point from where I observed the fortress. There was little practical reasoning behind this, other than hoping for inspiration once I'd seen the layout of the land with my own eyes once again.



"Yes, my Master."



Actually, I considered walking to the sawmill my scouts reported, but briefly checking the position of the sun, nearly completing its journey across the sky, revealed that the day would end soon.



And I was without a proper strategy.



"Master." Kuma yawned in what clearly was a 'do I have to' gesture, though it didn't prevent her, and a couple of her hulking lookalikes to accompany us.



I started my walk with Miwah hand in hand. Almost as I was afraid she would drop once again. She held close. Tama did as well, though unusually spacy this time. Kuma was bored, though within the earshot, and Narita shadowed me dutifully.



Even with many monsters sent to various tasks, it was still fairly lively around here.



"Did you know about the grain we found there?" I asked Mai, which I immediately realised as something very redundant. If her connection with the small, rank-and-file 'Corruptors' was as half as good as Tama and Miwah showed with their kin, she was already listening to the conversation before she was dragged through the shadows.



"Yes. My Master." She answered, as she visibly got more comfortable as we walked. "We are taking care of it. Many of them will require reseeding after harvest if we don't alter them."



"Alter?" I asked, even though it was painfully obvious that most plants affected by her power suffered from uncontrolled growth.



"Yes, I have so many ideas now!" Mai continued, looking slightly more excited and feeling more in her element, both in literal and figurative sense, "There aren't many fruit trees nearby. But humans have some fruits stored, thus seeds, which means we can grow them as long as …"



Despite their enthusiasm, my little, cute, kobold-like gardeners operated from a limited pool of energy. The powers at work violated laws of physics as I knew them, but that alone didn't mean they were entirely without costs.



"...there is energy." I summarised, looking at Narita, "We will need to focus on getting dealing with humans in the castle first."



"Yes-yes, Master." The rat-like monsters answered faster than the other one. Still, we reached the point where I could see the castle in the distance once more.



"Mai." I spoke to get the attention of one of my companions.



"First." I decided, "We need to encroach on the fortress with Mai's plants. Don't rush it, just do a little, then rest to recuperate normally."



I gestured towards the grouping of trees that dotted the fields which wouldn't really provide any cover for the approaching army, being too far between, then towards the snaking river that divided the land.



There was also the bridge Tama mentioned. It was just impossible to cross without approaching the fortress.



It was the path locals wanted to protect, and their way to escape, or to get reinforcements.



"...around the river." Mai finished, proving she indeed knew what her smaller kin had heard.



"You seem to spread the creep on the ground, and there are mostly fields there, or pastures. As long as you aren't seen, you can do it." I said, commenting on the scenery spread in front of us. While the grass wasn't exactly high, it also didn't look like it was constantly grazed upon by the large herds of cattle or other animals.



"Yes, my Master." The lizard-woman confirmed.



There was more agriculture than pasturage in this area, I suspected, and sneaking close with our control of local flora could be potentially more effective than assembling battering rams with movable cover. Though I should probably have them work on both.



"We have to take the slower path before we attack…" I said, however, I however didn't finish my sentence before I was interrupted by the sudden burst of the familiar red mist that formed a Purifier.



"Master!"



I looked around, as I knew the implications.



There was a blast at the castle's gate.



"For Master!" Freshly respawned vulpine announced proudly, with her girlish voice.



Still, I didn't notice the commotion until the small fires bursted out somewhere else, at the other wall.



One of the lone huts still left in the fields caught fire, with the few small figures sprinting away from the spreading conflagration.



I tried to squint my eyes, only to be startled by the notification, and the five more materialised.

Skill "Scorched Earth lvl.26" gained.

"For Master!"



They cheered, but I ignored them. I realised all the commotion was somewhere at that accursed castle, but I couldn't make out any details from the distance, however I noticed the. flashes as the few more 'Purifiers' out there must have hurled their flaming attacks at the walls.



Among the blasts, a distant gong could be heard, as inhabitants of the fortress raised alarm, along with the notion of motion down on the fort's battlements.



Another small, fiery vulpine was re-birthed into the world from the ruby haze, announcing her presence with their usual cry.



"For Master!"



Then another.



"For Master!"



And another.


"For Master!"



I said nothing and did nothing..



Terrified.



Not scared of the enemies, or counter-attack, but of losing my precious monsters, however, I could only watch, too afraid to interrupt Tama and sounding retreat.



A quick glance at the vixen caught her vicious smile and the soft cackle.



Then more fire at the other wall from the other direction, and another batch of monsters spawning, excited and full of enthusiasm, while the usual window announced the further expansion of our numbers.

Skill "Scorched Earth lvl.27" gained.

A few more blasts, and then, the silence, or at least, no further explosions, though the humans back in the fortress may be in quite the disarray, or rather, preparing themselves for the inevitable charge.



There wasn't one.



A few minutes of silence, I queried carefully when I saw nothing was forthcoming, my sight still fixated on a stretch of land along with the riverside's castle.



"Tama?"



"I think I deserve my reward now, Master." She said flirtatiously, "There are fewer humans, and your captive is only… slightly battered."

 

[beast_regards]

It wasn't an attack.



More precisely, it wasn't the enemy's assault against us, though the fires far away spoke volumes that there was indeed a fight.



However, it didn't seem like one we were losing.



Even despite Tama's confident words, I expected the sudden assault of pain and loss, caused by yet another 'sealing' as the punishment for my inability to keep my girls safe, along with one of those bland overlays encouraging me to solve the problem. In violent fashion.



None of it came, which lulled me to a certain sense of calmness and relief that my furry menagerie emerged victorious from whatever happened to them. .



The newly spawned 'Purifiers' cheered happily, demanding their share of attention, hugs, or at least pats on their heads. They were entirely unconcerned, and without thinking, I obliged them.



"Tama, what did you do?"



I asked, carefully, once my brain settled up on what probably happened - if humans didn't strike first, then the group of my little fiery vulpine monsters did.



"Payback, Master." The vixen answered, with a truly vulpine smirk, looking very satisfied with herself: "The one that seals us couldn't be everywhere at once, and we could chip away the number of humans between us and her."



In hindsight, it was painfully obvious things would head toward indiscriminate violence towards all the humans in the vicinity, but I have been too preoccupied with futile attempts to communicate and getting beaten. I hadn't seen it.



Attacks inspired counter-attacks, and the cycle continued.



"We will get our little ones back, Master." Tama added, but I didn't look at her..



In the middle of fields and pastures separating our grounds from the local fortress, a lone homestead burned.



The sound of the gong echoed in the distance as the defenders of the castle likely raised the alarm, though the fortifications were too far away to discern any particular details other than the basic sense of frantic movement on its battlements.



They put down the fires there too.



On the open land between us and them, the only figures I noticed were a few of my monsters dashing into cover.



No soldiers tried to pursue them.



If someone lived in that house among the fields, they would be dead now. I couldn't quite decide whether I should regret the death of innocent people caught in the crossfire, or shrug it off saying that they deserved it.



It was hard. On one hand, it felt distant, and the deepening connection between me and my monsters made it difficult to sympathise with the natives, among which even the normal peasants didn't show any significant deal of understanding, or attempts at reason, let alone their fighters.



They attacked us all the same.



On the other, there were always those who differed from their peers. There were certainly those like that girl still left in the village we took over, apathetic and cast out by her own people, or the captured merchant simply too afraid to fight.



Logically, I should experience guilt, but my actual emotions right now weren't so clear cut on the matter - as long as I didn't commit to the siege, I could tell myself I was trying to postpone the onslaught, I was sending the right signals.



I wasn't.



Instead, I was settling on being glad that none of my monsters, little and big, were harmed and didn't have to suffer being sealed away by some poorly understood magic.



Now, I was certain the trend would, without the doubt, continue. I lent them my trust to handle the situation how they saw fit, and this was the result.



I still said nothing until Tama came closer, affectionately pressing herself closer and running her muzzle down my neck seductively. I automatically placed my hand on my vixen's hip, even if Miwah loomed over just behind me so close I could lean on her and place her clawed hand over mine, almost as she approved of it.



"I think I deserve a special reward for the plan, Master." Tama whispered suggestively.



My thoughts, however, were elsewhere. Finally, I glanced back away from my vixen in the castle's direction.



"Withdraw everyone again, Tama." I said. I almost expected her to protest against my decision, but she didn't.



Instead, she just purred: "Yes, Master."



Kuma yawned, bored by the proposal, but none of my companions were vocally against it.



If only there was a way to tell the locals I wasn't interested in fighting and only wanted my monsters - my girls - back, alive and well. There wasn't any need to kill more of the humans if they were reasonable.



They were not, so far.



"They will expect an attack now." I said, or rather thought aloud, "There is no point in fighting them now. They would be on edge through the night. We can wait until the caster woman comes out. If she comes out, then…"



I paused. It sounded more rather like the plan to continue the assaults against the castle, and not a route towards the negotiation.



"Precisely, Master." Tama confirmed, without stepping away from me.



It was quite distracting, even if none of my monsters questioned the behaviour. My white werewolf, always supportive of me, didn't mind the vixen making advances.



"Miwah, could you pass instructions to Brave?"



"Yes, Master."



"Please, remind her I don't want unnecessary killing at that other village - that sawmill place." I said, "If they don't fight, send them running towards the castle."



"Yes, Master."



I considered what else I could do to actually limit the casualties and to salvage the situation.



There doesn't seem to be any easy way, and my hesitation, oscillating between commitment and non-commitment to the siege, was making things worse. I could hardly blame Tama for coming up with the ideas while I wasn't able to decide.



Without the knowledge of the language, I wasn't sure how to send a message - any message - to the people in the besieged castle. The reminder of my failed attempts to negotiate came back to me, and I suddenly had doubts that universal gestures worked around here.



"Mia?" I asked, carefully.



"For Master!" The answer came from one of the small, rat-like 'Defilers' and I realised I was, once again, confusing the names of my own followers, making me feel inadequate to deal with anything - how could I broker peace, if I can't remember names I have given. Mia and Mai were two different people.



I closed my eyes, pausing for a second, and enjoyed the closeness Miwah with Tama provided for mental support.



Small rat-girl even stepped close, brimming with enthusiasm. I gave her an affectionate scratch, while throwing Narita a quick glance. She didn't seem to be judgmental about my mistake, and her kin received some attention.



It seemed it was never wrong to show them appreciation. Even my flirty vixen wasn't against it, and she, along with my werewolf, already usurped the large portion of my personal space.



"Thank you… Sorry…" I corrected myself, "I meant, Mai!"



"My Master?" The correct girl, the lizard-like Mai, replied. If she thought I was hard to be around with the errors like this, she didn't show it.



"I want you to transfer the captured merchant here, along with the leftover money." I said, "He can say we didn't hurt him, and that we tried to communicate, even if he doesn't understand why."



"Yes, my Master." Mai answered, though it came with the first expression of protest: "Hope we will get rid of him soon. I don't think I like how they speak. Humans are so disgusting."



This time, it was she who almost shivered, and judging from her blinking, it irritated her as well. I could only hope it expressed her misanthropy rather than being annoyed by my incompetence.



"Yes, we will." I answered, with visibly pleased my scaly companion.



My actions regarding taking prisoners and subsequently releasing them weren't exactly thought through. One might say they were haphazard, based on my turbulent emotions, but this time I told myself there was a reason for it, albeit a flimsy one.



I couldn't learn the language fast enough to end this fight - and no amount of waving white flags would help here.



So, I considered sending the merchant to the castle, hoping he would tell them the right message - though it was just as likely he would tell the very wrong message, too. I would not only lose the only captive, which learned a couple of words, but also make myself look stupid as well.



"Just bring him here. Alive and unharmed." I repeated to Mai.



"Yes, my Master."



It was rolling a die here, metaphorically, and odds weren't particularly favourable.



However, there wasn't much of an alternative.



When I took the merchant prisoner, I grossly underestimated how difficult the language was.



When I understood the difficulty of learning the local tongue, the circumstances forced my hand and spiralled beyond my control, with no meaningful ways to deescalate conflict.



I looked at Tama, into her magically yellow eyes - she was beautiful as she was terrible.



She figured out how to wage a war. I just couldn't accept it, not yet, so I would bet the outcome on this last, last attempt to change the direction of the conflict.



Ironically, there was some slight consolation in the fact I didn't need the merchant spinning tales about me for further escalation. With our relations with the human being as catastrophic, or rather non-existent, it felt more and more like inevitability, and there was very little to lose, and more to gain, in the gamble.



My 'Purifiers' would be forced to torch down this entire valley long before I figured out how to say 'we came in peace' - and by time, it would be too late for words.



Besides, it made Mai happy for not having to babysit the prisoner she hated anymore.



If it failed, I would be forced to draw the line in the sand trying to force a human behind the natural border made by the snaking river, slightly more dissuading than the wall of thorns.



But before it came to that, I would have to rely on the single, confused captive to deliver a message he wasn't even told about



I even considered hastening it using Miwah's newfound ability, but the threat of side effects of her power dissuaded me from using it as the first default choice for transportation - I needed to hand the humans their merchant reasonably unhurt.



It wasn't necessary to deliver him by sunset, either. This night wouldn't see the conflict resolved, no matter what I would do.



"Oh, Master. You tease." Tama interrupted my thoughts after I silently stared at her for several long seconds. Minutes, perhaps.



"But there is another thing you can reward me for, Master." She added, her tone sultry. "I would still prefer you would play with me rather than humans."



"Humans. Disgusting." Mai added.



Tama pushed herself away and walked forward, swinging her tail as she went, gesturing for something down the road.



I briefly glanced at Miwah before I went after her.



The pale werewolf didn't show a single sign of objection against Tama's behaviour towards me, her deep blue gaze showing serene support.



Then I went to see what Tama wanted to show me.



A couple of 'Purifiers' dragged in a body, hopefully an unconscious and not a dead one, the little vulpine monsters struggling with the fact they would now have to get it up the slope.



I went to meet them, instead of waiting, with the portion of my retinue rushing forward to secure the captive, likely to put themselves between me and the potential avenue of attack, as unlikely as it would be. The man was obviously fighting for his life, or perhaps, lost that very final battle already.



Seeing I was coming, monsters left him on the road. There wasn't a need for them to carry their burden further.



"It is safe. Human-thing is nearly dead, Master." Narita announced as I walked in.



Her two smaller kin still went to poke the body with spears.



Tama's expression of 'slightly battered' was a gross exaggeration.



The human was an old man, and considering the state he was in, his survival was unlikely. Although there were no large, open wounds, he received a beating and sustained several burns, neither of which were fatal alone, but combined, I suspected quite a trauma.



"Humans didn't like this one too, it seems, Master." Tama snickered. "They tried to shoot him when he yelled at them. Excellent bait."



I spared her a quick glance, and even though I couldn't help myself think she was indeed taking this too far, I also recalled the pain and loss I've felt through that cursed link, an experience intense enough it had brought me down to my knees.



She was perhaps a little vengeful.



Though, even now, in this very moment, I couldn't help myself to truly judge my devoted protector that suffered through so much.



I shocked my head violently as I tried to get rid of the conflicting thoughts in this critical moment.



Then I kneeled next to the man, and some of my monsters, ever protective, looked like they would jump on should he prove to pose any kind of threat, with others visibly readying themselves to pull me away to safety.



He wasn't in the state to do so - though he wasn't dead. At least, not yet.



Even opened his eyes.



The old man tried to speak, his voice shockingly peaceful, considering his sorry state. Sadly, I didn't understand him, but he obviously tried to say something.



I've seen natives being hateful or angry, or terrified even, but here it sounded almost as if he wanted to tell me his last wish. Although, it might be because of the shock too.



Not only I couldn't comprehend the words, I couldn't guess who the dying man was. Judging from his damaged clothes, he wasn't an ordinary peasant. Not a very wealthy individual, but certainly above the commoner. I would bet him to be another trader lost on the road.



Still, it didn't matter.



He could serve as a replacement for the captive I planned to release.



"Could you please try to heal him?" I asked, carefully, knowing perfectly well that my monsters weren't exactly thrilled by the prospect of helping a human, the enemies they hated with passion.



"Yes-yes, Master." Narita said immediately, and one of her kin put their powers to work.



It was the first time I've paid attention to how their power worked on a human.



So far, I'd tried, or at least, ordered to try, to use the 'Defilers' healing power of captives twice, yet I never actually witnessed it in effect, assuming it worked for humans in the way it did for us.



So far, it was beneficial - at the cost of the local greenery, in most cases, or even the human - but still beneficial for the recipients.



I also saw the person healed by it - weakened, but his injuries removed.



So it didn't kill other species by default.



However, it doesn't make it pretty.



Instead of the infusion of energy that we experienced, the human shook, his muscles convulsing wildly, the scars and wounds the emerald glow tried to correct developed disgusting blisters and cracked just to be sealed over, bruises wandered the skin and scars appeared only to be seared again. Only unconsciousness saved the man from undoubtable agony.



I had to look around to confirm they were channelling the life-energy from the environment, and they did - the leaves at the few trees withered and fell off, though the process was much slower than when it worked for us.



Perhaps Narita - or rather her little kin, a misnamed and forgotten Mia - didn't put her everything into it, but maybe it was for the best. It didn't expect this to happen.



The rat-girl didn't seem like she was enjoying inflicting torment, at least not at the moment. I could almost sense her focus. She was trying to make this work.



A tree died, its life-force fed to the process, but the effect wasn't quite as I imagined it to be.


The attempt to heal the injured bone two days ago has been an immediate relief for me, quick and nearly painless.



For the human, I could almost swear I heard the bones snapping back into place, his body arching as power tried to put it into better shape, almost as my 'Defiler' tried to cycle the states repeatedly until it gave the desired, undamaged result.



Then it was over.



The man was healed, his wounds removed, alive, breathing heavily.



The captive opened his eyes - they were visibly glazed over - then he fainted, unconscious once more from an ordeal visibly worse than the injuries we were trying to fix.



Though the result was indeed a person recovering from the injuries, the process was different, less pleasant, more tortuous.



For humans.



It wasn't meant to be used on them.



The power worked flawlessly for us, on me, fast and convenient. My conviction that I was human in unfortunate circumstances led me to the decision I could use this ability to lessen the divide, to show good will.



This was an opposite result.



Almost like the magic my monsters wielded tried to convince me there were more differences between me and the natives of this world than the confused tongue.



"For Master!" The 'Defiler' said, proudly.



I could almost sense her trying to say, 'I did my best'



She did.



"You did well. Thank you." I said and gave my little rodent girl a hug.



Not only as a sign of gratitude.



But companionship - since perhaps I indeed belonged with my monsters than I did with humans after all.



Even the magic thought so.

 

[beast_regards]

I didn't quite belong to this world.



It was as foreign as it was, harsh, and completely hostile.



I had been brought here against my will, with no explanation or guidance, and been thrown into life-threatening events again and again for reasons I wasn't quite able to understand, surviving though no skill on my own, but through a power as alien as the land I was thrown into.



Wanting to go back to my old life was initially the most sensible goal I had thought of, considering the unfortunate circumstances, even if it hadn't been an easily achievable one.



Not only hadn't I known what happened, there had been no one I could ask for guidance or answers. My attempts to solve this reasonably, seeking the way home, had been met with hostility.



My inability to communicate with locals turned into an insurmountable obstacle, as frustrating as it was depressing, and made me suffer constant pushbacks.



But at no point until now, even after my monsters repeatedly insisted that I wasn't a human, did I quite believe them and instead clung to the memories I had, merely learning to not press the topic anymore.



Then, even as the connection between me and my monsters grew stronger and felt almost supernaturally enforced through the intense, violent feedback, even as my mind slowly grew on them as being mine - my monsters, my girls - I never truly gave up on this personal identity as the human being even if doing so provided me with the endless source of the internal conflict, and the discordant sense of weirdness.



After all, there weren't any discernible physical changes to my body I was aware of, and so far I merely thought the time was the only serious problem for me to overcome. I tried not to think how many days, months, or even years it might take to uncover the reason behind my arrival to these accursed lands, and with it, a way back home, but reassured myself that the matter would resolve, eventually.



I was drawn to my female monsters, but deep inside, I convinced myself I was still myself.



Until now.



Ironically, there still weren't any physical changes, at least not noticeable ones I was aware of.



It was the seemingly unrelated mechanic behind the power my monsters wielded that gave out the final, crushing truth that I might indeed be a different man than I once was. Their magic never thought of me as a human, just as they weren't.



The power behind my monsters showed no more tolerance than the natives of this land showed to us, and was as inimical towards the humans as their land was to us, but for some reasons, it never considered me part of humanity.



To it, I was the one with the furry and scaly menagerie it created.



Although I didn't speak with my retinue much until we returned to the village, I couldn't help but to keep Miwah and Tama close to my side, as my ever faithful, beautiful companions, the loyal guardians against this world I didn't belong to.



For a while, the only thing I did was command my monsters to carry the new captive in, too preoccupied with my introspection, triggered by the seemingly unrelated event.



I let my monster do the work.



No longer relying on the work of smaller 'Purifiers', it turned into an effortless task for Kuma's considerable size and strength. She simply handled the man as the sack of grain, and a small one at that.



In the meantime, I spent the time thinking.



Back in our new home, a crowd of monsters were still continuing in their effort to change the village to their image, magically charging plants quickly spreading over as the ever present creepers and other twisted, outlandishly shaped vegetation.



A scent of smoke, and likely, cooked meals was in the air, as my monsters still had to eat, and were making a good use of the appropriated local stores.



Despite the group dispatched towards the other village, there was still a sizable force around, most of which opted to stay on guard, aware of the potential danger, and many greeted us back from my short trek to the hill. They were lively as always.



"Master! Master!" They cheered enthusiastically.



I waved at them, learning to appreciate the company my monsters, big or small, provided, making me feel welcomed among them, just as they always did. This time, however, with me fully realising the sharp divide between us and the human natives, it held a special, unspoken meaning for me at the moment.



"We should convert one building into a prison." I blurted abruptly, "Probably with Mai's power."



"Yes, my Master." was the immediate reply.



"Kuma, could you carry the prisoner to the… whatever keeping area Mai prepares?" I asked.



"Yes, Master." The ursine answered, ever slightly sounding annoyed by the entire affair. I understood her perfectly.



She was about to leave when I realised my past failures in managing the captured humans, which led to the pointless prisoner of death for reasons I quite didn't understand yet. Though, I was certain I wouldn't repeat the same mistake now, not if I could help it.



"Actually, it's better to keep the old guy and the girl separated!" I added as she left, effortlessly dragging the still unconscious body of the man over her shoulder.



"Yes, Master." She confirmed, with a brief glance at me, then carried on with the order I gave her, with no complaint.



I was going to leave it at that. There wasn't any need to rush the matter with the captive humans, but I still couldn't allow myself to go idle without making at least one nominal attempt at communication.



"Did the other human, that girl, wake up?" I directed my next question towards Narita.



"Yes-yes, Master." Narita confirmed.



"Lead me to her." I decided.



"Yes-yes, Master."



The chance that the girl would be suddenly capable of speaking the same language as we did was practically zero, though. Despite my surprise over the general mechanic changing whether it was used on the human, or one of mine, there was no reason to believe it would suddenly start blessing the affected with the knowledge they never had before.



If there was any power that allowed exactly this, or employed even more exotic means to facilitate communications, it wasn't the one of the 'Defilers' or any other monsters I have at my disposal at the moment.



I still wanted to see the girl.



They led me to one house. Originally a simple, unassuming building with the thatched roof, similar to the many others in this settlement, it was already showing the signs of the 'Corruptors' work, with the unnaturally coloured wines slowly, but noticeably, creeping up its walls to the roof, and misshapen thorny patchwork of plants blocking its windows.



A handful of the little reptilian monsters, facilitating this magical transformation just before my eyes, greeted me, while one of the rat-like monsters opened the door to let me in.



"For Master!"



I entered, followed by Tama, Miwah and Narita. Mai stayed outside, visibly unappealed by getting to see another human once again.



The room was dark and mostly empty, with most of the content looted and carried somewhere else, or perhaps never being present in the first place, with only a sleeping rug left on the floor for the captive human girl to lie on, with the new captive nowhere to be seen.



They‌ kept them separate, as I ordered, though they hardly left them alone, with two 'Purifiers' and two 'Eviscerator' maintaining the constant oversight to prevent any potential problems.



The human girl didn't seem to be in the shape to cause any.



Though she was unharmed, and seemingly in better shape than when we found her, her previous vitality associated with her dubious, erratic behaviour I originally attempted to cure was also completely absent. She looked completely plain and uninteresting, with the usual dark hair and eyes the most locals sported.



Although she was conscious, and aware of our presence, her eyes were also completely glassed over, almost as she was drunk, or heavily drugged, visibly struggling to maintain any resemblance of focus. It was apparent we wouldn't have much of the conversation, even without the language barrier I struggled with so far.



However, I certainly saw the pattern - the symptoms were, I assumed, similar to the other humans we attempted to heal, alive, but brought in this strange, almost hypnotised state, or possibly shock, due to sheer ordeal caused by the incompatibility of the physiology I didn't previously know it was there.



It was strangely similar to the side effects caused by the overextension of Miwah's new found power too. Except, in her case, the infusion of energy was the cure, not the cause.



"How long has it been since she was healed?" I asked, looking at Narita, who took the guarding stance nearby.



"Several hours." She replied.



"I see." I said, looking back at the girl, "If she comes back to her senses, let me know. Or if anything else changes."



"Yes-yes. Master."



There weren't any reasons to attempt any serious conversation with someone who barely knew where she was. At the level of apparent disorientation, she would blabber nonsense even if she spoke English. I felt bad for her becoming a lab animal of sorts to test out the permanent effects our seemingly beneficial power had on humans, but there was no going back.



Even thinking so made me feel a certain level of alienation between me and my past.



Then the human girl finally mustered a reaction to our presence, almost like something within her brain clicked in place after a few moments she spent staring. The girl tried to straighten her sitting position, move to her knees, and bowed.



"Fo-mas-te." she said, sounding exhausted.



"For Master!" The one of the 'Eviscerator' added, almost as she tried to correct the girl.



"For-mas-te." The human repeated, and I finally understood she was trying to speak the same phrase my monsters constantly used, just unable to pronounce it correctly because of the differences between our languages.



This was strange, considering the default violence on sight approach her countrymen opted for when encountering us, but it was hardly a major development - the previously homeless girl simply didn't lose her apparent craziness that caused her to behave differently. Perhaps she didn't know where she was. Perhaps our powers didn't really help humans. They, however, also didn't make her friendly, since she showed the same tendencies since the very first moment she saw us.



I was back at the start.



Gently, I pushed her to raise her head.



She looked at me, confused. I patted her shoulder and said.



"It's unnecessary to bow. Rest now."



"For-mas-te!" she acknowledged and collapsed to the ground. I had no way of knowing whether she actually understood me, or her body gave up at the right moment, but there was no point in pushing for answers. I wouldn't get any.



"Just let her rest. Same with the other prisoner." I waved it away, gesturing to my monsters away, then left the improvised cell.



It would not be easy, I thought to myself, and sighed.



"I am slightly ever more jealous now, Master. You didn't pay attention to me, and then you went to see the human…" Tama broke the moment of silence.



The teasing tone of her voice betrayed that she wasn't this angry at the time being. I looked at her. She was beautiful, at least my treacherous mind insisted, another aspect of the influence this power had on me that went deeper than the effect of the healing abilities. It was alarming how fast I became unused to humans, and instead, was being drawn to my monsters instead.



Unnatural, even, another sign of the divide between me and my past, another sign of not belonging on the other side of the metaphorical face.



I was, however, not in the mood to entertain Tama.



Still, I did nothing when Miwah gently hugged me from behind. 'Alphas' seemed to demand their share of attention, at least, those two were. Mai stayed silent this time. Narita and Kuma seem to prioritise their duties elsewhere.



"At least buy me dinner first." I said, tired of all of this, including my conflicting predispositions.



"It's already being prepared." Tama replied, playing along with the suggestion.



I went with the flow. There was a very little I could do, other than witness the organised chaos.



Though they converted one house into a field kitchen of sorts, utilising all the cookware left behind by the original inhabitants, they still preferred to eat their meals together gathered around the blazing campfire where I could join them.



Even with the contents of the village's granary, we were short on many things, including cooking utensils, though my monsters were doing a relatively good job with what they found - the close attempt at soup wasn't that good though, though lack of spices was probably to be blamed. That we somewhat tackled the food issue calmed me down.



Tama, despite her usual attitude, didn't seem to be all that isolating, and many common monsters simply used this as an excuse to gain my attention, while others amused themselves through various means as the sky above us slowly grew darker. 'Purifiers' usual pyromania, accompanied by giggling, served as an excellent distraction from even the day coming to the end.



Despite all my focus so far was to leave this strange world, for the moment, it felt like home.



It didn't last long, though.



Watching my monsters fooling around almost made me forget we had a fight on our hands.



"Master. Brave and her group reached the other village." Miwah whispered in my ear. The surrounding crowd went much quieter, too.



I froze, realising I almost forgot. With my monsters being so many, it was easy to miss that there were still more of them roaming the land.



The previous moment of relaxation was suddenly replaced by tension.



"Any sign of anyone like that… sorceress?" I asked, carefully, not entirely sure what I should call the 'caster' woman with the ability to 'seal' away my monsters.



"No, Master. They didn't notice us yet." Miwah reported, her eyes fixated on the unseen horizon as she focused on her communication with the group. Despite my previous decision, I was tempted to call it off. The sun was already setting down.



"Overview" I subvocalized, calling the system screen, even if it was unlikely to help in my decision.

The Master
<The Root of All Evil, level 5>
Skills	<Scorched Earth lvl.27>
	<Slayer of Men lvl.24>
	<Great Devourer lvl.13>
	<Green Hell lvl. 40>
	<Slayer of Champions lvl. 8>
Mates	Miwah, The Bride of Shadows
Units (Active)	Tama, The Purifier Alpha
	Brave, The Eviscerator Alpha
	Narita, The Defiler Alpha
	Mai, The Corruptor Alpha
	Kuma, The Ravager Alpha
	332 * Purifiers
	28 * Named Purifiers
	310 * Eviscerators
	40* Named Eviscerators
	103 * Defilers
	8* Named Defilers
	341* Corruptors
	14* Named Corruptors
	24* Ravagers
	5* Named Ravagers
Units (In queue)	<None>
Sealed (per caster)	15* Eviscerators
	6* Purifiers
	3* Purifiers
	1* Purifier

It didn't help.



There simply wasn't any organisational aspect to that power.



I was entirely reliant on 'Alphas' to manage their respective types, or even the execution of any tasks.



Looking around, they all seemed to do the same, with each one of them having their kind present in the force I didn't even know the composition of.

There could be easily a few hundred monsters in the task force and I wouldn't notice from the crowd that kept me company.



"Disgusting humans." Mai commented, never too shy to voice her misanthropy.



"Attack them before they attack us." Kuma yawned, impatient for my decision.



Only Narita stayed silent, though even her attention was elsewhere.



"They noticed us, Master." Tama remarked.



I felt the weight of the seconds passing.



It wasn't a dilemma of doing the right thing, or minimising the suffering caused through my futile search for home anymore.



What I felt was more helplessness over my situation, where a rational approach didn't work, and the life I once remembered already slipped past my grasp.



"Begin the assault." I ordered.



There wasn't a single moment of hesitation in their reply, and it scared me.



"Yes, Master."



Although, this time, I was spared of the mayhem they caused, only the relative silence followed, interrupted only by the occasional, silly giggle from the bored 'Purifier' in the still very many crowds that remained with me in the village.



It felt cold, even as the smaller monsters tried to attend me as their 'Alphas' managed the battle I didn't get to see.



There was combat.



The red mist, an ever-present source of my monsters, was back, occasionally spitting reformed monsters into the world after they perished somewhere else in the unseen struggle



One. Two. Five. An 'Eviscerator' or two, a 'Purifier' and a 'Defiler' even.



The overlay screen flickered each time, but the unbearable agony of the 'sealing' feedback didn't appear, yet no new notification invaded my sight, almost making me hope it could turn into a victimless fight because of my monsters respawning, almost forgetting on the loses the other side may suffer.



They all felt too distant.



I could only hope villagers ran away.



It wasn't the case.

Skill "Slayer of Men" Lvl. 25" gained.

A fresh group of my werewolves were formed, all filled with excitement, just slightly less vocal than their pyromaniacal cousins usually had been, all ready to be welcomed into our fold.



Another few puffs of red smoke, with more monsters formed from them, another push towards me, losing the track of what might be actually happening, a screen flickering before a new blank window announced the expanding base numbers.

Skill "Slayer of Champions lvl. 9" gained. Skill "Great Devourer lvl.14" gained.

Then, another notification, another fresh spawn of the many new monsters, a sense of achievement, a triumph through our expansion flooded my mind, almost intoxicating, encouraging, even in the achievement's face as impersonal as this one.



A reward for the action I originally didn't want to make.



"Yes. Drive the humans away."



I almost desired to make more of our kind.

Skill "Great Devourer lvl.15" gained.

It took another notification to snap me out of it, realising that it was the feedback, an unexplainable urge associated with the certain effects of my power. This time, however, it didn't push me to act in retaliation; it wanted to continue the offensive.



"Human-things are fleeing. Master." Narita reported, her ruby eyes still fixated on the sky, her snout twitching.



"We squash those who don't run." Kuma added. I said nothing, with my mind falling back on the events I didn't quite get to witness in my own eyes, but would probably turn back to haunt me.



This fight, this assault, could have been a mistake, even if we were gaining from it.



It was wrong.



But the treacherous mind was with my monsters instead of the humans that certainly died there as well. I couldn't help it. We were trying to tighter the noose around the castle where the true enemy lied.



The power feedback insisted I should, I must.



"We are letting them escape, as you ordered, Master." Miwah said, more conscious of my own plans than I was momentarily.



"Thank you." I answered, staring at the darkening horizon, though it wasn't any connection my 'Alphas' had. It was me wondering if this should ever end.



Still, I absent-mindedly welcomed the fresh additions to the ever growing furry horde.



There was another report from Mai, but I didn't pay attention to it, only vaguely reminding them that there wasn't any need for further violence, and to let the humans who didn't fight back to escape.



At that point, I wasn't certain if I was reminding them, or myself.



I spent minutes, maybe even longer, until I shook this over, and by that time, the skies above us turned even darker, with the buzz by the restless, now less agitated monsters more relaxed, as their kin were no longer stuck in the unseen battle.



But, I wasn't able to feel the peace.



The entangling feedback was replaced by lingering guilt, eased by the assuring hug from the ever mindful Miwah, yet somehow still not sufficiently soothing, though she wasn't the only one that tried to ease my sudden change in the mood she perhaps didn't even understand.



And she wasn't the only one.



This was the time where I gave in to Tama's advances.

 

[beast_regards]

It was, once again, like a movie without the sound, a dreamlike sequence playing on without my input or will, ever so distant while remaining eerily real at the same time.

I saw our old camp within the small abandoned quarry completely overrun with the twisted, alien vegetation, from sinewy creep covering the ground and purple vines snaking up the rocky cliffs of its small ravine to the overgrown bramble with the dagger-sized thorns encroaching its perimeter. In the grim light of the early dawn, it looked terrifying.

A few reptilian 'Corruptors' rested under the canopies of their living dens decorated with unearthly flowers, satisfied with the work they had done by bending nature to their power's whim.

Only a small group of the little, scaled monsters struggled with the terrified merchant, unable to explain to him where he was supposed to go in the world that changed beyond the confines of the hut he used to be imprisoned in.

I pushed him with a furry, clawed hand, and gestured with the longsword in the other, then glanced at the small mixed group of other vulpine, canine and rodent-like monsters following in my footsteps. The confused man didn't listen.

Monsters soon gave up the persuasion and opted to drag him down wrapped in lianas the 'Corruptors' produced until they rendezvoused with another group pulling the hand-drawn cart ferrying the looted supplies. With the prisoner ready for transport, I was free to dash down the cobbled road towards the greater goal down in the valley.

Then I jolted awake.

Gone was the old camp, and the forest, and the road.

Once again, it has been just an unusually lively, realistic dream.

It was almost ironic that my welcome to the waking real world was another of those not-quite tangible floating windows invading my field of view, all dull and monochromatic, and entirely pointless with its message.

Unit evolved! Mate gained! Tama, The Bride of Flames. New unit was promoted to Alpha Purifier!

More irritated rather than shocked, I blinked it away and buried myself in the velvety fluff.

I laid on the layered bedrolls held in the tight, loving embrace of both Miwah and Tama, their soft fur pleasant and warm against my naked skin.
Though the shade of guilt and sense of weirdness lingered somewhere deep down at the back of my mind, it wasn't as alienating an experience as it once was, not anymore.

I accepted the womanhood of my anthropomorphic beast-women and put away all those conflicting feelings in their affection last night in favour of passionate acceptance. My monsters, my companions, my mates.

Without them, I was lonely.

Without them, I had no place to go.

It saddened me greatly.

I pulled myself even closer to Miwah, looking for the quick smooch from my very feminine werewolf, caressing her smooth, furry curves.

My good morning kiss wasn't as awkward as it was previously, with less hesitation and more instinct in making out with Miwah, only to turn around and do the same with Tama, doubts about our anatomical differences were a thing of the past.

Still, there was something that made me stop, something I couldn't quite name or identity.

"What's wrong, Master?" Vixen purred silently, moving her muzzle to my ear, teasing me with her tongue. I didn't move away from her, or from Miwah who only pressed closer, their fluff and body heat bringing much needed comfort. I didn't fear their sharp claws, they didn't even scratch me in the moments of passion, less in their gentle assuring touches.

"Master?" Miwah asked softly too.

"Can you refuse me?"

"I don't want to." Tama said, softly, but decisively.

I looked at her. She was very different now. Tama's fur turned silver, accentuated with darker highlights and shimmering, magically golden eyes. Even her hair was argent as the shining moon.

Her transformation, her ascension to the new form, didn't feel as important as the moment.

It felt merely how the power manifested the deepened bond between us, working on the mechanisms beyond my understanding. It was yet another reminder of the things I lost, and things I gained.

I gently touched her vulpine features, returning her golden gaze. She was beautiful, silvery and elegant. Miwah was beautiful too, a pale shadow with deep azure eyes. All my monsters were, in their own, truly exotic way.

This was the core of the problem.

It brought an even stronger divide between my past and my present as things I didn't think possible merely a few days ago were quickly becoming a new reality, and my own old identity was quickly slipping out of my grasp.

"We want to be with you, always, Master." Miwah added, her voice expressing the same, if not greater, devotion as the vixen. I said nothing, unsure what I should say or do, just pushed myself into an even tighter, welcoming embrace.

It was yet another day I spent lost in this world, with no means to escape, without a place I would truly belong to.

The futility of my struggle to find the way home was getting to me.

When I finally accepted and embraced the weirdness, and despite me always choosing what was least stressful at the time, the depression had set in, making me feel sadder. Although I should cherish some aspects of this change, the positives were still outweighed by the negatives.

However, it wasn't as simple as saying I prefer to stay here with my girls. Emotions were never simple, they were always this confusing, contradicting mess one would have to find the way to come to terms with, slowly. Short, rash decisions always burned me in the past, and I doubted this time it would be any different.

Perhaps it wasn't a change itself that scared me, but the speed at which it was happening.

Worse even, there wasn't any alternative.

"Wouldn't you want to go home?" It was a nonsensical question, one they couldn't properly answer by the grace of their connection with the power closely tied to this world, and no recollections of my past. I still asked.

They weren't confused by the query, though. The way they both answered reflected the certainty that I never felt.

"Our home is where you are, Master."

"And where is my home?"

Honestly, I wasn't sure of the answer myself anymore. They, however, replied without hesitation.

"With us."

Once again, I said nothing, and luckily for me, they weren't expecting it.

Both Tama and Miwah were completely content with simply enjoying their closeness with me with a little teasing here and there to ease my morning sadness, and keep me warm against the usual morning breeze while I spent my time submerged in thoughts.

I didn't escape their affection; this time, I welcomed it as a bulwark against this strange fit of melancholy.

It felt peaceful.

Albeit merely being a bandaid to the crushing reality that would soon follow, just as it had happened several times already during my brief stay in those foreign lands.

Who knew how long it would last?

Perhaps I could believe, for this brief, peaceful moment, but deep inside I knew very well that it wouldn't last, and I would soon be thrown back into the never-ending spiral of violence.

This world didn't revolve around my acceptance of my furry menagerie, and my problems weren't simply resolved by enjoying their company.

It revolved around the constant conflict between them and the local, hostile humans, for reasons I could only guess, fuelled by the power beyond my understanding. The power that gave me my girls. The power that might take them away.

I didn't want to be separated from them anymore.

Not from Miwah, not from Tama, not even from the last of my little 'Purifiers' and 'Eviscerators' trapped under the hostile spell.

It was almost paradoxical how the monsters I feared not that long ago had become my people I wanted to care about.

Despite everything, I should still keep searching for a way to return home.

It didn't matter whether I truly wanted to turn back time, or whether I would wish to spend the rest of days enjoying the unearned affection of my furry menagerie, it had to be done, regardless of the choice I would have made in the end.

Since it wasn't about home anymore, a place lost in space and time, it was about understanding the power that brought me there, gave me this, and why it had to be brought with so much hostility.

I looked into Miwah's deep blue eyes, still thinking.

I was brought here, by design, mysterious and unfathomable, but entirely conscious. I was certain of it.

It wasn't a fulfilment of any unspoken wish.

It wasn't a reward for some deed I didn't understand.

I didn't know why, or how, but it wasn't a crazy universal coincidence that I one day woke up under the alien sky.

Even if my involvement in particular, out of the billions of people on earth, was some freak chance, the particular sequence of events that followed certainly wasn't.

A sudden transmigration didn't quite explain the strange nature of my powers, or the random, finicky system, almost taunting my struggle to find the logic within. Although I could, in theory, attribute all of this to be the universe's gift to start a new life, the strange occurrences didn't end with it.

It didn't explain the soldiers appearing in the same spot, at the same moment, back in those stone ruins I had awoken in.

It felt nonsensical to consider chances in a context I didn't even begin to understand, but too many things aligned in one way or another for me to accept them as coincidence.

There wasn't any reason the soldiers should be there unless they knew I would appear as well.

They might have miscalculated what my monsters could be capable of. Perhaps they had thought they could take me in before Tama had been called, but they certainly weren't here though a random twist of fate.

This land was filled with enemies, hellbent on fighting me, even if I didn't quite understand why.

Why would I be so unwelcomed if I had been called on purpose?

If I should even gain any resemblance of control over my life, if I should ever decide to stay, or move, or do anything on my volition, I had to figure out what really caused all of this.

"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is a pattern." I murmured, then added: "Or enemy action."

I just didn't know who the enemy was.

Let it be the mysterious woman imprisoned in the looted temple I could sense from a distance, or whoever those soldiers swore allegiance to, or the power working through the nebulous system, or the scroll mentioned within the cryptic message I now recalled, it was much more than a mere twist of fate at works.

"The second scroll has been read." I said, repeating the system message that resulted not only in the sudden infusion of power but also deepening the connection between me and my monsters on all levels.

That message had implied there had been a first scroll.

I just didn't remember seeing any scrolls.

As unnatural, and out of place, as the system notifications were, they weren't particularly themed. They were monochromatic, simple, almost as if they were created as an afterthought, and didn't resemble scrolls in any shape and form.

I sat up.

Miwah and Tama rose too, not giving up on the closeness they earned.

"Master?"

"Tama, Miwah. Did you find any scroll among the dead humans back in the forest? The soldiers at the ruins, on the stash in the looted pagoda? Books, pieces of paper, anything?"

I certainly didn't recall any. Locals certainly had writing, but so far, I didn't encounter any of their sacred texts, though I saw their places of worship.

"No, Master. There weren't any books, scrolls, or even papers," Miwah answered with a brief pause for thought, and Tama nodded in acknowledgement as well.

If there were any texts, sacred or otherwise, they would be safely locked within the castle we could not access, or in other key areas where the educated would live. Cities, or monasteries, if they had any.

Question was whether I was supposed to actually look for the scroll I wouldn't be able to read, considering the insurmountable language barrier, or look for the person responsible with no real understanding who was or wasn't important.

That castle, however, still looked like a good place to start.

They just wouldn't let me walk in.

I was still adamant about freeing the monsters that had been 'sealed' as well. The woman behind it posed a threat to us. Considering the armed men I encountered so far, I was certain that lord of the land wouldn't be willing to divulge any information either. I, in fact, didn't know if there wasn't a lady of the land instead.

"Did something happen at the castle in the meantime?" I asked.

"Humans didn't leave, or breakthrough, Master." Miwah answered, "It was a peaceful night."

I nodded.

"There was quite a scuffle when those from the other villages attempted to get inside. I think a few of them died." Tama remarked, with a devilish grin: "If they are fighting each other, this gives me ideas, Master."

"No…" I said. I didn't want to trigger yet another risky raid until we knew we could handle it perfectly, without the threat of yet another 'sealing' threatening to cut down our numbers.

It was almost horrifying that the implication of the humans dying came more than an afterthought.

"Then I would like to wait until Helmy arrives so I can keep paying you may undivided, special attention, Master." Tama teased.

My thoughts on the matter, or a potential reply, were interrupted by Narita entering the room.

"Good Morning. Master." She said, as always acting somewhat professionally.

My monsters didn't seem to have a tendency to knock, but I didn't feel ashamed at the moment, I was briefly distracted by the fact when I realised that the new, silvery furred Tama, had two bushy tails instead of just one, both shiny and tipped with patches of dark brush. Vixen, perfectly aware of the fact was staring at her, made a suggestive posture.

"Sorry to interrupt, Master." Narita apologised for her sudden entry. I looked at her.

"Don't apologise." I waved it away, "I am glad to have you around."

I was. I couldn't help myself but to feel the sense of comradery with all of my monsters, if not some unexplained, deeper connection, not to mention that I increasingly found all of my monsters quite cute. Narita wasn't an exception, not to mention her attitude combined with the useful powers made her irreplaceable part of our group.

"Master." Vixen remarked teasingly, though she didn't seem to put any special meaning to it. In fact, she wasn't showing even the single ounce of jealousy towards Miwah despite her mostly flirty comments suggesting otherwise.

"What's the matter, Narita?" I asked.

She straightened herself a little.

"Both prisoners had seemed to. Regain their consciousness, Master."

I nodded once again. My search for answers would have to begin here once again.