White Flower, Black Feather

Seen

I look at the scorpion closing the screens

‘Thanks you, I shall carry part of you going forwards. May the rest of you nourish this forest. I shall hunt for meaning and a long life…’ I extend its tail ‘Stiff… there… Ia Imbue Arms… Magic Slash!’ I break the stinger ‘Magic Slash!’ and cut part of the tail… ‘Ia Stop…’

My arms looks bigger…the scars are a bit faded, except for the big one… I look at my body, like my arm the big scar on my side is still there… I got longer, about four meters…? But the main thing that changed is…

‘Is this evolution making me look fat…?’ I’m wider than before…

-Miriam can you go a day, without saying something that makes me want to harm you…?-

‘It’s a valid concern! The only reason I survived getting out of the city, is because I was tiny and light!’ I start to eat the tail ‘I noticed that Launch hurts when I land, you should have noticed it too…’

-It’s hard not to… good to have you back, idiot…-

‘Glad to be back!’ tail in ‘Ia Imbue Eyes’ need to get the bird out… ‘Earth Shape… Ia Stop… did you saw my… nightmare…?’ I don’t want to say memory…

The whole “Roof” collapsed when I got out… the plants and moss got either damaged, or buried… even with me trying to fix it as I dug out the bird I have no idea if they are going to recover…

-I did… I have an idea of the answer to my question now-

‘Question…?’ that sounds familiar…

-Why are you doing this? She doesn’t even know your name…-

‘Ugh… that…’ deep breaths… ‘Yes, I remember now… that question would have Strained me for sure…’ I start to eat the bird… ‘I… cannot give you an answer…’

-Really…?-

‘I… they…’ I really want to sigh… ‘They kept yammering about how their way was the only way… about how if you help anyone, you are going to get crushed…’

Crunch!

‘Because you must crush other people first… or you would be a loser, or a freak, for the rest of your life… about how grateful we must be… of being theirs…’ food in… a bit thirsty now… ‘I don’t believe them… I refuse to believe anything they said…’

-You are doing ok alone… I mean, you are still alive…-

‘Please, you call this alone?’ I lie down ‘Without Mordauntless I would have been smacked to death, without teacher using magic for me to copy, on that side of the river, I wouldn’t be alive right now. Without you, the gods, and Diamond Volcano talking to me, I would be insane by now.… without my siblings… I wouldn’t have lasted for so long…’

-You are doing this, to prove them wrong?-

‘No. They are in another world, we can’t interact with each other… I’m doing this… because she died telling the world she was a girl… I don’t want her to be alone…’

-Are you sure “She” was a “Girl”? What if you are wrong?-

‘I don’t care if I’m wrong, besides… even if I could recognize her voice, she sounded feminine, that means: voice training. Cis people don’t do that, for a single song on their graduation day, while dressing like a hot winged girl… I think…’

But I did lost a great part of my memories…

‘Even if I’m wrong, I want to help Singer…’

-I have my answer, and you aren’t Strained. I’m satisfied… by the way…-

‘Yes?’

-This side of the river…-

…!

I get up looking around!

‘W-where…?!’ nononono

-You haven't seen the spider…-

‘Ok! Going east! Water, then north!’ move! Move! Move! ‘Aaahhh!!!’

-----

I don’t know if it’s because I just rushed here, but the water feels better than before…

‘Ah… how did I crossed the river?’ I don’t remember this place…? Is neither the waterfall, nor the shallower place…

-You have crossed it like it wasn't even there… about 20 times…? Just go…-

‘Ok… I’ll go north… from here… I hope I don’t need to be west…’ I move along the river… ‘But in that side to the north was… the city and… the cows, right?’

Rustling

‘Yes…?’ stopping… that is coming from a tree on the other side… ‘Ia Imbue Eyes…’ nothing happens… ‘You want me on that side…? Slide, Mold, Rise, Harden. Earth Shape!’ I’m going to make a bridge to cross… ‘Wait.’ the thing I was making reaches before the middle ‘Now from the other side… Earth Shape!’ move!

I have to cross this fast, I don’t want the water to weaken the base of either side…!

‘There!’ I could feel the middle sinking…! ‘Earth Shape!’ now the river looks normal… ‘Ia Imbue Arms’

-Remember Venom Control…-

‘Ah… Ia Stop…’ I gave some magic to the tree that called me ‘I should see the shop too… Status… EP Shop… eh?’

There isn't a cost on anything… just green circles or a red X…

-You must use the Upgrade you got first, before being able of buying anything…-

‘Ah…’ one of the things I can’t buy is the name changing item that I was warned about… ‘Wait… Senses- No~’ the big one has an X…

-It’s Upgrade. Not Purchase…-

‘Ugh…’ I close the store… ‘The only thing that makes sense to upgrade is you… but…’ the message closes… ‘How do I access Venom Control- ah!’

‘Really…? Wait, my paralyze can kill…?’

-Don’t ask me… this Thing doesn’t show the most important details… what you see here, isn't indicative of how venom should work… it also isn't showing the… “Boosts” your venom gets from poisons… and other things…-

‘Other things?’

-Two upgrades required…-

‘Ah… three is the one that is mixing two kinds… Load Five and Two… what should-?’

‘Hello…’ I nod to the message ‘Thanks for the warning… Five. don’t produce anything yet… Venom Control let’s design a custom venom for Five’

The 5 on the screen turns red…

‘Good… toxicity as high as it can go, please… seventy-five? And hunger is at three? Hmm…’ I look at the message that I got… ‘I shouldn’t touch the base venom… because what I can do with this, is dependent on the bases…?’

Then the Sleep Venom is ridiculous…?

‘Clear the toxicity… if the state is Sleep… raise special at max… ten…?’ the hunger go up to one too… ‘Ok… yes, the Sleep Venom is ridiculous… not touching it. How high can toxicity go now…? Seventy…’ hunger at four…

-Remember that you have a time limit… idiot…-

‘I just need one more test. Can we raise states now…?’ the screen shakes, but is still at zero ‘Then we are done with the Venom Five. Once I get an upgrade for the venom maximize toxicity for Five, don’t touch special’ the 5 turns black now…

‘Good… creating a custom venom for Six now’ the 6 turns red ‘States as high as it can go… sixty? and hunger two… sure, that’s good enough…’ the 6 is black now… I close the screen… ‘One through Four, keep as you are going. Five, produce custom venom Five. Six Produce custom venom Six…’

…

‘Hmm… production of Five and Six… is slow…?’ I open and close my mouth a few times… ‘Yes, very slow… odd. Any idea of what “Special 10” means?’

-Nope…-

‘Thanks you… EP Shop…’

…

-What now…?-

‘Should I upgrade something else…?’

-Damn it Miriam…-

‘After your last joke…?’

-It’s not a bad idea…-

‘Can I use this for that?’ there is the smell… of boar in this area… but it’s old…

-No, just for the EP Shop…-

‘Damn…’ I look to the river… I move closer… ‘I look… bigger…’ the scales around my right eye… are scarred… ‘My head is a bit longer too-?! Eh?!’ I have purple scales behind my head?! ‘What?!’

-Can you stop stalling?-

‘I’m not stalling! I already stand out-!’

Rustling!

‘Ah?’ the trees around… ‘Fine… I just don’t… want to be alone…’ nothing happens ‘Anything else you can tell me…?’

-Don’t die… I’m sick of seeing hosts dying…-

‘I’ll… do my best…’ I have a lot of questions… but I can guess the answers… ‘Use the Free Upgrade to acquire Uninterested Helper… ow… ow… this-!’

HISS!!!

‘AAAHHH!!!!’

…!

…

‘Ow…’ slightly… worse than… a nail… ‘Ow…’ it felt like something… expanded, before getting punched in the brain… ‘Helper…? Are you ok…?’

No answer…

‘Helper…?’ nothing… ‘Helper why should I upgrade Berserker?’

-To controlling it eventually…-

‘Ah! You are there! Good…! When will I be able to control it…?’ the window closes… nothing?

…

‘What do you suggest that I buy?’

-Too many viable options…-

I… think… that I made a mistake…

‘Thanks you… and sorry for upgrading you…’ all the windows closed with the upgrade… ‘Status, EP Shop’

‘Fuck!’ I’m only going to be able to get that, with another free thing… ‘But… I’ll upgrade you again…’ and… for some reason the costs of everything else feels a bit low…?

…

‘I’m already regretting this… I should buy the Strong Venom… then I should-’

‘Eh? Again…?’ not complaining, but… ‘What Deeds were these?’

-Unknown…-

‘Thanks you…’ the message closes… ‘Ah… I’m… Buy the Strong Venom… ow…’ it’s hot… feels different than the previous upgrades… ‘Ow… is this due to Venom Control-?! Ah!’

It appeared again… one is at sixty… the custom one is at…

‘Eighty…? Yeah, keep the upgraded production going…’ sadly hunger is at five now… I close that screen… production is still slow… ‘Advanced Venom… it cost two hundred and twenty… Buy… no, that’s it…’

I close the store… I move north…

‘Traits- Ah! What…?’ some of the things are glowing… ‘Upgrade Terrifying Presence!’ the mess closes ‘Ugh…’ I don’t feel any different… ‘Traits…? It doesn’t open…?’ one at the time then…

…

‘Should I upgrade the sneaking… at night…? Or when I’m awake…?’ I can think pros and cons for both options…

-----

The trees are stopping me… if I attempt to go forwards they rustle…

‘Well… I can see the plains…’ not in a good angle to see her grandma’s farm… I moved away from the river as I got here… ‘A few flowers, as an apologize, for screaming at her…? Maybe…?’ head on the ground…

…

‘Nothing…’ I look up… ‘I’m early…’

…

‘What I’m supposed to do… here…?! Grudge?!’

/////

Miriam rushed between the trees further east as quickly as her body could, once she felt the mixture of Human and Grudge in the air. But-

‘What…?!’ it suddenly went away ‘Where?!’

She kept moving, slowing down and considering upgrading her senses

‘Eh…?’ when she heard something nearby, and slowly inched closer. Focusing her whole body on not making any sound…

And saw a human covering himself with a gray powder from a pouch on his belt…

‘He is focusing on his right arm…’ Miriam was looking from behind a tree that was near a bush, unaware of how her Titles were subtly helping her ‘Sword… a dagger… mostly black clothes… and I can’t smell him…’

She moved carefully on her spot, prepared for either a fight, or fleeing

‘Did the trees called me for a stereotypical assassin…?’ the man looked west to the farm of the girl that had cut Miriam before, licking his lips ‘You dare to move that way, and I kill you…’

The ex-adventurer frowned as he felt a killing intent nearby, and looked around, as Miriam’s fingers trembled before she managed to restrain her Berserker Trait. He saw nothing, but assumed that it was just the trees again, and resumed waiting

He had been given three stolen Terror Stones, that he had hidden around. The trees themselves couldn't kill him, unless he attacked first…

As they were waiting, the roar of the Ruler was heard… he flinched but remained still. While Miriam didn’t even registered it

They stayed in that place for hours, he complaining in a low volume every few minutes, while Miriam just waited… the trees were still, so she knew this man was the reason she was there…

Only when a carriage was heard coming from the city, is that the man seemed to get serious. And Miriam started to feel unease…

…

The carriage was a small reinforced box with wheels, it had small holes for ventilation around, and small sliding doors for vision. Barely not too uncomfortable enough for a trip between the cities, but the lord inside it didn’t wanted to reach the next city

“Stop!” he opened a gap near the driver and barked his order. They were held at the gates for a few hours, due to a mistake of the guards, but he now saw the mistake as an opportunity

“But lord Justice! There is nothing around!” the out of shape driver, and only bodyguard, that Justice had selected was baffled at the order he was just given

“I said stop! Get closer to the forest! I don’t want to be seen!”

The driver, out of pure loyalty to the House Justice, did as he was instructed and guided the terrified horse, as close as it was willing to go near the trees, and the lord got out once the carriage stopped

“My lord!”

“Wait here!” the lord walked towards the trees

“But-!”

“Do I really need to explain what waiting for so long, caused?!” he glared at his bodyguard for a moment before continuing walking “Make sure no one sees me!”

‘You expendable ball of fat!’

“But…” the loyal man was torn, between following the order he was given, or following his lord as he got release in the woods

…

Miriam was confused at why the vehicle stopped so close to the trees… it was a dozen of meters away to the east from the assassin and hers position

The man took something on his hand, and Miriam saw that as he squeezed it, the object made a wooden sound that reminded her of the trees shaking for her attention. She also saw the man getting inside the forest looking in the direction of the noise and-

“-What are you looking at?!-” screaming something towards the carriage

‘Oh, no…’ Miriam realized that she had no idea of what the man said ‘Helper! Give me the local language!’

She knew something shady was going to happen… but she needed to know what

‘Fuck!’ the screen that appeared in front of her had over fifty items ‘Which one is it?!’

She got no answer to that question as the pompous looking passenger got close to the other man

“-Are you a Doll too?-”

The man in black laughed softly

‘Buy Almend!’ and Miriam decided to do it ‘AAAHHH!!!’ getting another Nail in the head, that got her by surprise and almost made her hiss

“-Not at all lord Justice-” Miriam forced herself to not miss what they were saying. Fighting both the pain and her hunger “-This meeting required a personal touch… is the driver expendable, as we indicated?-”

‘He… ow… has an accent… that I recognize as Almend… ow…’

The man with the cane looked intently at the assassin, knowing that he had seen him before

“-Of course he is… you… you are an adventurer…?-” he had made a habit of seeing some of the new recruits to, in his words, guide them away from some of the mistakes, of a certain fossil

“-That’s in the past, lord Justice-” he waved his hand as if he was sending what he said away

‘Buy…! Ow… Bori!’ Miriam not quite recovered from the first language, did it again ‘AAAHHH!!!’ doing her best to not make a sound

“-This is what matters now…-” he showed Justice something on his right arm. Miriam couldn't see what it was

‘NOT…! BORI! AAAHHH’ as she was dealing with the pain on her head

“-Then I suppose, you know what I want…-” the man stabbed his cane into the ground “It should be obvious” he was impatient about that

‘Buy…! Ow… buy…’ Miriam was trying to overcome the headache pounding on her brain

“-Killing a bastard…? That is easy…-” he shrugged his shoulders, not caring to thing more about the topic

He was doing this, just so he could be the one to speak with Maxwell, and make sure he couldn't see a single lie coming out of his mouth…

“-No. I want more…-” Justice used his more threatening tone “-You all took long enough to reach me for this!-”

“-Then, what do you want, lord?-” Miriam shook her head trying to recover

“-I want my wife and her personal toy, turned into the breeding stock they are…-”

‘Buy Cutil!’ the impact on her head nearly took her down

“Then you can kill those three babies and the whore that birthed them”

‘AAAHHH!!!’ but she still could hear what the man said. Making her arms tremble with wrath

A wrath the she used to stay awake

“All the babies…? I thought you only cared about the boy…?” the ex-adventurer spoke with curiosity

“Killing all of them, makes more sense that just killing that insignificant problem” he looked exasperated, as if mocking the assassin for not seeing his logic “And the two priest too, they must pay for-”

“We don’t get close to the temples” the assassin interrupted him instantly. Showing some anger at that “Too much attention, but the rest…? Yes… should be easy…” he smiled widely

‘Ia, Imbue Fangs…’ and Miriam heard enough

“That’ll do… for now. I still want those priests death…” he turned away from the other man and started to walk away

‘Ia! Gather! Aim! Motion! Piercing Speed! Narrow!’ she moved from behind the tree, on the blind spot of the pompous man, making the assassin flinch at her sudden appearance

To him, a snake moved inside the Terror Stones-

‘Venom Dart!!!’

And seeing the impossible in front of him, stopped him from reacting. Letting the rapid dart hit him in the eye and perforate to his brain…

“…!!!” with a lot of help, he might have survived that wound… if Miriam’s custom venom Five hadn't started to melt bone and brain…

Ding

“LORD JUSTICE!!!” seeing Miriam, the bodyguard came out from behind a tree and screamed

With the actions of his bodyguard and how it was planed, the lord turned on his spot, trying to use his cane to block a weapon. But his arrogance didn’t helped his lack of any training, against a real attack

He moved so slowly that Miriam, once she heard the notification, had time to dash close-

Crunch!

“AAAHHHH!!!” and bite his right shin, breaking the bone and delivering what remained of her fifth weapon. Making him fall, screaming in pain

“NO!” seeing his lord fall, made the bodyguard unsheathe his sword and charge to the scary snake-

‘Venom Dart!’ but Miriam swallowed the blood, and just fired her second venom to his neck

“URK!!!” barely hitting the side of it as he dodged, and making him fall to his knees due to the burning pain that assaulted him

HISS!!!

‘AAAHHH!!!’ Miriam screamed in her mind and looked down to the man she had bitten, trying to not go berserk, as he pushed himself away from her ‘You…! Why-?! Why would you-?!’

HISS!!!

-You are about to Start the Evil Deed: Innocent Killer…-

‘HOW IS HE AN INNOCENT?!’

As an answer, Miriam felt a pull on her head making her look at the man with metal and leather armor holding his neck, as it started to swell, and turn purple

‘IA! Venom of mine! Don’t kill! Return to me! Venom Control!’ she opened her mouth

“Urk!” and from the wound on the bodyguard’s neck, a yellow liquid, together with blood, started to bubble out. This foam jumped towards her, and she bit it, swallowing the bloody venom

‘Ia Imbue Eyes!’ the wound on the man’s neck now was bleeding faster, so she had to heal it ‘Regrow!’ but her spell didn’t seemed to help much

The man was coughing and was having problems breathing. He couldn't understand why, but the wound wasn't hurting as much anymore

‘Ia! Antidote! Decompress! Mend…! Purify!’ she felt her headache growing as her body trembled…

But it was working

The man coughed, now starting to breath easily and feeling his neck returning to normal, if a bit paler on the area were the wound was. He looked up and meet Miriam’s eyes, aware that the creature in front of him wasn't normal… but as he glanced at his lord, now having trouble breathing, he made his choice

‘Ia Imbue Arms’ Miriam placed her hands on the dirt, after seeing the resolution on his eyes, she understood what was going to happen ‘Earth Blade… why…?’ she pulled her weapons and stood as high as she could

“What…?” he grabbed his dropped sword and hesitated, as he stood up too

Lord Justice had pushed himself away from the ward made by the hidden Terror Stones, and saw the scene next to him with disbelief, anger, despair, and envy

‘The… snake… has… an absolute affinity… for swords…’ he could feel that in his blood ‘Why… couldn’t… it be… mine…?’

As Miriam glared at him, he died. Not realizing that he was envious of his eldest daughter, nor remembering the words of the old woman

Charles, the bodyguard, received a notification and checked it

‘Then… only one thing to do’ he meet the eyes of the snake again, and took his sword with both hands ‘I should have grabbed my shield…’ the sword he had, was to be used with one hand and a shield, like his training and affinity suggested ‘But… I don’t expect to survive…’

He didn’t knew why the odd snake healed him, but now it surely was trembling… because it wanted him death…

‘Why…?!’ even if she could see what he wanted, she didn’t understood why an “Innocent” would fight to the death, for someone that wanted to kill babies…

Miriam braced her body against the ground, and crossed her arms in front of her, as Charles moved closer, ready to do an overhead slash

‘No venom, no killing… break his sword and make him run…?’ most of her focus was being used to stay calm-

Clank!

Hiss!!!

Crack!

“Ugh!” as their weapon clashed Miriam forced a spear to break from the ground, it wasn't aimed to kill, but it made him jump back “What…?!”

And let her measure the damage on her weapons as he took a couple more steeps back, and made the ground go back to normal, ignoring the pain she felt on her muscles

The magic just kept the hardened blades together, even if both of them now had a chunk missing from the edges, and cracks spreading from the impacted area. Miriam touched the ground with her weapons

‘Reshape!’ and with a word she willed the ground to fix the blades on her arms ‘A magic slash for the next clash…’ she knew she could run… but… ‘That… was interesting…’ something, told her to keep fighting

“Tsk!” Charles held his sword pointing forwards and charged towards her

‘Earth Grip!’

“Ah!” but Miriam sunk one of his legs, stopping his attack as she sprung forwards to do one of her own

‘Magic Slash!’

Clank!

“Ugh!!!” the bodyguard blocked the two glowing blades with his sword, the attack broke both dirt weapons and pushed his sword to the side. Leaving him feeling his arms numb due to the impact “Ah?!” and the sudden release of his legs, made him trip backwards and away from Miriam

‘I see it!’ the girl on the other hand, moved backwards and away from the man, surprisingly happy ‘I was missing that!’ she placed her hands in the ground again

This time when they clashed, she saw how the metal reacted. It bend before returning to its shape, and as the sword moved away it was vibrating

‘Ia! Grip, Form, Harden, Mimic Temper, Mimic Flexibility, Sharpen!’ she pulled her arms again ‘Flowing Earth Blade!’ creating a new pair of weapons, that looked like the ones before…

But the amount of magic she had used for her improved weapons, was absurd. She knew it was inefficient-

‘Hahaha!’ and even if the things on her arms, were still draining a small amount of her magic ‘Get ready teacher!’ she was happy…

Charles on the other hand, wasn't. The armed snake in front of him barely reached the height of a child, but the strength of the attacks he was blocking was similar, or better, than the other guards he worked with

‘And I am the weakest… this snake must have maxed… no, it must have evolved its Strength Boost… and it uses magic…’ as he struggled to stand he saw his sword’s edge ‘Damn…! It’s a creature from behind The Line?!’ there were two nicks on the metallic edge of the weapon, and ignoring a notification he glanced at the snake

To him, the white creature was trembling with excitement…

‘Get ready~!’ and he was right

Hiss!

Miriam charged forwards after giving him a warning

Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!

And he struggled to block the rapid flurry of attacks coming from Miriam, this time her weapons held better their integrity, even if they drained more magic with each impact from her

Hiss!

She hissed again making the ground around her turn into small spikes, causing him to jump backwards to avoid an attack from the ground…

‘Good!’ an attack that wasn't going to happen ‘Earth Shape! Give me a moment teacher!’ Miriam flattened the ground again and looked at her weapons, as they repaired the damage they had received during the clash, under her sight and magic ‘Really good… but…’ she looked at Charles again ‘You are struggling… because your left arm…?’

Miriam could tell that the man’s skill was better than hers, on the use of their chosen weapon, and her Instinct made her feel how awkward her teacher was moving. Even if she was focusing into containing Berserker

“Come on!” he panted, feeling how his out of shape body was near his limit, he moved forwards “Time to- Ah!?” Miriam tripped him again by sinking his legs, and the ground raised to grip his left arm “Let me go-!!! AH!!!”

He was about to hit the dirt holding him with the pommel of his sword, when the ground pushed him out again, he almost fell to the ground again, but managed to stay up

“What?!” leaving a flat chunk of dirt attached to his arm “A… shield?” he looked back at the snake. Now pointing one of its trembling blades to the front… challenging him

‘You okay with that shield, teacher?’ Miriam wasn't sure if the size of the disk she made was good enough, but as he changed his posture, shield forwards with the tip of his sword resting on it, she nodded and prepared to receive his charge this time

“You…” he didn’t knew what to think, so he just took a deep breath and charged towards Miriam again

Thump!

Clank!

Miriam raised herself higher to hit the shield with one of her blades, and blocked the sword with the other

“Aaahhh!!!”

‘Hahaha!!!’

What followed were a few intense minutes in which Miriam was gleefully clashing strikes with Charles, moving back and forth. The poor man was slowly becoming aware of how strong she was…

‘The snake is learning?!’ and why she was fighting him

Clank!

“Ah?!” the poor physical condition of the man, marked his defeat. With an underside swing, Miriam sent his weapon flying and it fell behind her on the ground, the other blade now pointed at his neck “Do it…” he was barely standing, his arms felt heavy like lead, and he had failed his lord… he was ready to die, and made peace with the idea in his mind

But Miriam just moved backwards and shook her head, before pointing to the plains

“You…” he fell to his knees “You can understand-!”

SQUEAL!!!

From the south a boar saw them and charged, Miriam was near the corpse of the man she bit

‘Launch!’ she pushed her screaming teacher away-

HISS!!!

And challenged at the boar, that now focused on her. As the creature stomped over the legs of the pompous corpse, it hit the spot were Miriam bit, destroying the limb and separating that part from the rest

‘Launch!’

Charles stopped rolling, and saw how the snake did a stronger version of the same spell to the boar-

OINK?!

Sending it flying towards the other corpse, making it hit the ground hard…

SQUEAL!!!

And making it cross the Terror Stones. Making it go insane, and all the muscles on its body bulged as it stood up

‘SHIT!!!’ Miriam had seen that before. So she charged and grabbed the sword with her mouth

As the enraged evolving boar screamed and gored at the corpse nearby, destroying its head

‘MAGIC SLASH!!!’

Crackle!

And exposing its neck, making an easy target for Miriam, that beheaded him…

With the sword on her mouth, that now glowed white and sparkled as it cut the boar…

“An… absolute affinity for swords…?” Charles whispered, Miriam didn’t heard him due to the pain on her mouth, her tiredness, and growing hunger, but still looked at him, trembling due to how close she was to go berserk

Her eyes looked at the shield on his arm for a moment, before the dirt undid that shape and rejoined the ground

‘Ia Stop… I really wish I could keep this…’ she dropped the now bent sword, the edge that she had used to cut was blunt due to the tough creature, and threw the head of the boar on Charles’s direction ‘Good bye teacher’ she nodded at him again

The stunned human, saw how Miriam coiled around the inflated hind legs of the creature, and slowly dragged it away…

She still was watching him the whole time, but he was unable of doing anything… as some tears fell from his face, due to how impotent he was feeling

It took him some minutes to compose himself, before moving to reclaim his sword

“What do I do…?” he asked aloud, the absurdity of the situation just sinking in

His lord was meeting with someone in the forest (Something recklessly dangerous), a snake had killed both the mysterious man and his lord (Something that could have been avoided), then not only he wasn't killed by the snake, it had used him to spar (And healed him too…), before a boar appeared and started to Stress Evolve

‘Scary…!’ he looked at the direction the snake moved away, he couldn't see it, but the trail of blood was an obvious trail even for him… ‘This makes the snake… even more alarming…’ he tightened his grip on the weapon

Rustling

“Ah!” but as the trees around shook, he secured his weapon on his belt “Please, goddess Luyg Lues! Let this failed knight return the body of these men to the city! I am here, not to challenge your domain, nor to prove my strength to your sister!”

The trees shook for a few more moments, before stopping and returning to an eerie silence again…

Charles sighed with relief and moved closer to the unknown man. He would try to drag both of them at the same time, if he couldn't then he would prioritize the body of his lord, but he still would try-

“AH!!!” or at least that was his idea before he saw something that nearly made him puke with horror as he jumped backwards

Not the state of the skull, even if it losing the top half was very close to make him lose the contents of his stomach…

The corpse in front of him… had a tattoo of a Toad in its right bicep…

/////

‘Ugh…!’ this thing is heavy… ‘I’m surprised that I can move it at all… maybe I should evolve the Strength Boost…?’

If I want to be smart I need to evolve all of them…

‘I…’ looking at the boar I can see that its muscles tore the skin on some places… ‘I should have prayed, before dragging it all the way here…’

Pray and…

‘Do I bite chunks out of it…?’

…

‘Can I give you permission to talk like you did before…? Helper…? Helper I give you permission to talk like you did before…’

…

‘Why did I upgraded you…?’ I bite the boar- ‘Ow! This is tough…!’ I can’t bite it… ‘By the side of the cut…?’

Bite-!

‘Ow!’ what…? ‘Helper how did I ate one of these before…? The meat of the one from yesterday wasn't like this…’

-11 Notifications to be seen…-

‘I… how bad they are…?’ I killed… two humans…

No answer…

‘I… Status’

‘Ah…? Ah…?’

…?

‘Ah…? I…? AAAAHHHH!!!’

HISS!!! HISS!!!

/////

Miriam couldn't withstand what just happened to her, so her Berserker activated before she could get Strained…

HISS!!!

Her body was ill suited for dealing with strong emotions… and she mindlessly started to attack the beheaded boar, without closing the screens. She couldn't damage it and-

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

Squeak!!!

HISS!!!

Four War Chickens got attracted to the noise she was making, one of the migrating birds started to evolve as the other three charged at Miriam

HISS!!!

She glared at the approaching creatures and her aura expanded, clashing against the birds, and killing one of them instantly with fear. The others, even the evolving one, got paralyzed by it…

And Miriam charged at them, breaking the neck of the other two, before jumping at the last one and crushing it to death…

Ding

HISS!!!

But it would be a long time before she stopped attacking the bodies…

The trees seeing her, felt sorrow…