Chapter 4 – Merazooma
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Ciel was curled up into a ball, her tail tucked in. She woke up with a slight jolt, in the elf’s warm hug.

“Good morning little one”

“Good.. good morning”, answered Ciel. She was groggy. She didn’t remember falling asleep when she cried through the night.

“Do you have a name?”, the elf asked.

“Ciel, my name is Ciel. May I know yours?”

“I’m Emica. I’m an adventurer. It is a pleasure to meet you” she answered, surprising herself with the way in which she answered. The way the child spoke reminded her of the nobility that would sometimes procure the services of adventurers, and she automatically switched to a more formal manner of speech without thinking about it.

“You’re an adventurer?! I want to become an adventurer, just like Mana and Papa!”, Ciel’s eyes widened.

“Where are your parents?” asked Emica. She dreaded asking, but she had to.

“Dead.”

“Do you have any family? A tribe? Anywhere to go to?”

Emica knew the beast girl had to have come from somewhere.

“No.”

“What happened to you?”

“…”

Ciel’s face went flat, but then brightened again when she saw something glimmering around Emica’s neck.

“What is that?” Ciel asked, pointing at the shiny thing.

“The necklace? This is proof that I am a B-class adventurer in the Adventurer’s Guild” said Emica, tilting the thumb-sized silver tag in her long fingers, as she let it catch the sunlight.

“Are you certain you have nowhere…”

“What is that?!”

Another question from Ciel, with no regard for Emica’s predicament.

“Those are the Twin Suns. They bathe all of Onszeria in light and bring life to the forests.”

The suns did look like twins. They were probably very similar in size and mass, thought Ciel. Though peering in their direction, to verify that, felt particularly unpleasant for Ciel, beyond the discomfort of staring into a blinding light.

“You must be hungry”, Emica said as she reached for her knapsack. She pulled out a pink fruit, the size of Ciel’s fist.

It looks like a gigantic raspberry!

Ciel wasn’t hungry, but she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to taste the fruit of this other world. Especially after having spent most of her new life in a cramped dungeon, and the rest of it in just a larger dungeon. Also, it looked like a gigantic raspberry, and Ciel had always loved berries in her previous life. Yes, this huge fruit would be her first victim outside of the dungeon. She bit into it, holding it with both her hands, crouching like a racoon.

“Ish deshishiush! Whaish ish?” She asked, surprised.

It tasted sweet, fluffy and light, but not at all unsatisfying.

“This is a blood berry” explained Emica.

Oh no, did I unwittingly fall into a stereotype…?

“They grow only here, in Wyn Tower Forest. They’re called blood berries because monsters smother their mouths in red juice as they feed on them. Many a novice adventurer have been startled by a harmless unirabbit because it looked like blood-thirsty monster after snacking on one”, Emica giggled behind her palm, as she watched Ciel enthusiastically make meal of the berry. “They’re highly nutritious.”

They’re highly delicious! I need to find more!

Emica had decided she could take a small detour from her quest.

The two of them casually walked through the forest, in the direction of a river Emica had drawn water from a day ago. The forest was lush and rich in life, and as they walked, Ciel continued to ask questions about everything which caught her eye.

“What’s that? It is different from the others.”

“Oh, you can tell them apart? You have very good eyes, or rather sense of smell”, Emica answered, picking a mushroom out of their troop. “They’re all highly poisonous, but that one is not. It fetches a steep price from the nobles at the capital. Zale has been trying to get his hands on one for quite some time now.”

Zale was one of Emica’s party members. He was a dwarf who had made a name for himself, not as much through adventuring as through his appetite. Just like his strength in battle, his lust for a fine meal did not match his size. 

“This is something that could be said of the dwarven race in general…” mused Emica.

It was not unusual for Zale to order too much food for the group at a tavern not familiar with his antics, only to be the one to undertake the ‘heroic task’ of having to finish it all off.

“We’re getting close to the river now”, said Emica as they climbed over a tremendous fallen, moss-covered tree. Ciel had heard the stream in the distance for some time now. She could also smell the fresh water in the breeze. She had no problem scaling the crumbling trunk together with Emica.

The section of the river they had made their way to was shallow and calm. The water was knee-deep and clear enough that you could see the many pebbles lining the riverbed. They both stood at the river bank, shrouded by thick bushes. Emica removed her knapsack and belt and placed them at her feet. She removed one arrow before resting her quiver on the knapsack.

“What are you doing Emica?”

“I’m tying up my hair”, she said as she gathered her straight blonde hair at the back of her head, twisted it into a bun and threaded the arrow through it. Her hair was blonde like Ciel’s, but a more typical colour. Ciel’s slightly wavy hair tended toward the platinum blonde end of the colour. But you couldn’t really tell this was the case, because it was covered in all manner of filth.

“We’re going to take a bath”, said Emica in a matter-of-fact way, undressing herself.

Ciel just stood there staring, frozen, with a very red, blushed face.

Hold on a moment! I was not informed of this! I thought we were just getting drinking water. Also, aren’t elves supposed to be known for their modesty?!

Elves weren’t particularly known for their modesty among all the races, but Ciel needed some questions to occupy her mind. She had, after all, been a guy for longer than she had been a girl. A guy who had never seen or touched the body of a naked woman. Never mind an elf, a very well endowed elf.

They’re huge!! And perky!! How are they so perky?!

Ciel was for the large part embarrassed at the completely new type of situation she found herself in. In her previous life she had never found the female body particularly appealing in itself. She could appreciate the beauty and form, but the ultimate still resided in the realm of the 2D. Here, something transcended the limitations of the real world by dropping a dimension, ironically one could say.

Still, her body looks strong and impossibly beautiful. Her skin is flawless. I guess she looks a lot like a CGI character from a fighting game. Or maybe a 3D anime game?

As Ciel searched for some sort of reference point from her previous life for the elf’s body, Emica slung her bow over he shoulder, nestling the wooden grip between her breasts. She would never be far from her bow and at least one arrow. Even when sleeping. Then she pulled out a bar of soap from her knapsack.

“This is soap. It will help us clean ourselves. It won’t hurt you. See?”, she rubbed the soap on her neck. “It is made from the oil of samri fruit and the ashes of laurel leaves native to my homeland…”

Ciel, still constantly blushing, turned even redder as another layer of embarrassment was stacked upon her. She had always been a stickler for personal hygiene. When she was working as a PhD student in a very cramped office at Tokyo U, her officemate did not shower regularly, and probably not at all when writing his thesis. It was hell, but no amount of subtle suggestion worked. It was around that time that Ciel took up smoking as human, to kill her olfactory senses. Now, even with her super-human sense of smell, she had somehow let herself fall to an even lower state than her officemate. And here she was now, being introduced to the concept of soap.

“… this is a brush …”

Ciel was being particularly hard on herself. She didn’t allow herself to take into account the events which led up to this moment. As she was mumbling to herself and staring off to nowhere, in her usual way, she was led by Emica into the river.

Emica kneed and Ciel stood in front of her as she was carefully soaped and washed. Neither said a word as the water and the leaves played their melodies. It was a strange sensation for Ciel, the sensation of being tended to by another person.

Emica has a really serious face but she’s being gentle.

Emica had made it her mission free Ciel from dirt and whatever dead things were now trying to make Ciel’s hair their final resting place. She had even used the soap she had carried with her on particularly long quests. It was not intended for baths, most of the time there was hardly time or opportunity. She kept it in her knapsack because the smell reminded her of home.

After Emica had slowly and methodically undone the knots in Ciel’s tangled hair she washed her own body and they returned to the bank, where they dried off in the shade.

“Th.. thank you Emica”, said Ciel, still slightly overwhelmed.

“You’re welcome Ciel. I know this isn’t much, but if you like, you can wear this.” Emica was holding her capelet. Ciel bowed as she received it it on her outstretched palms.

It wasn’t very long. In fact it only draped over her upper body, but given the circumstances it was a lot to Ciel.

Yes! Dignity 50% restored!

The two of then then sat for a while longer, while Emica brushed Ciel’s drying hair.

“Ciel, I need to keep moving. You too. This part of the forest is safe right now. But with time monster activity will shift. It is as hard to predict as the dance of a flame”, said Emica.

“So I’d like you to come with me. I saw how you move. I know you have a keen senses. I know you can survive on your own. But the forest tells me I shouldn’t let you go. And something inside me tells me I need to stay with you.”

“Do you pity me?” Ciel had turned around and looked at Emica with saddened eyes.

“No!”, Emica hugged Ciel. “I don’t pity you Ciel. But… I do care about you. Life is more than just survival.”

———

The Twin Suns sank deeper toward the horizon. An elf and a vampire girl made their passage through the flatlands, hills and valleys of the Wyn Tower Forest. They were now back on track of Emica’s original heading. Both were sprinting and bounding over obstacles. Not because they were being pursued. It was simply the best pace for travel given the distance which needed to be covered. Many elves could run like this for up to three or four days without stopping. Ciel could travel even much, much faster if she wanted to, seemingly indefinitely, if she fed while running.

Ciel had noticed Emica making small detours as she ran, sometimes bending and scratching at something on the ground or pulling at the leaves. She had been doing this ever since they left the river.

“Are you leaving a trail?”, asked Ciel as a row of twisting branches passed rapidly between them.

“Observant as always Ciel! Let’s rest for a short while” replied Emica, looking strangely relieved at the question.

I like these compliments! Please keep them coming!

They stopped in a thicket of screaming thorn clonnes, which resembled Earth’s maple trees, though perhaps a more evil-looking version of them. Both the leaves and the metre-long thorns which decorated the warped trunks were highly poisonous. But if one took care it was a good hiding spot for the smaller creatures of the forest. Emica and Ciel fit into that category given the average size of the monsters there. The monsters Ciel sensed didn’t seem particularly intimidating, but Emica had skilfully guided them to avoid any possible confrontation.

“I’m indeed leaving a trail, one that my party members would understand if they were to come by it. It is very simple as not to allow someone else to track us” explained Emica. She was looking at one of the lower hanging branches. She would not use it to demonstrate her party’s methods. She had methods of dealing with the poison, but they were not pleasant methods.

Emica and her party trained themselves to recognise certain patterns in the land, and when they would notice these patterns they would try to leave a marker by changing that environment slightly. A single marker was not enough for a clear message, so one would have to run into multiple markers for confirmation. The message could only be one of three things: “I’m doing well”, “I’m fine, but seek me out if you can”, “I urgently need help”.

The party had agreed upon all of their general course of travel when they had split up. There was also often a best way to traverse something, such a less steep climb over rocky terrain, and it would be those places or paths where markers were best placed. Sometimes natural landmarks visible from a distance would be used for this purpose, though it would be some area away from the actual landmark. Unnatural rock formations, unusually large trees, crevices in the ground and other such things almost always attracted monsters for some reason. And where monsters gathered in large numbers, natural dungeons would form. These dungeons were different from the ancient dungeons, which were believed to have been created by some powerful being or beings in the forgotten past. Both types of dungeons attracted adventurers seeking treasure, fame and glory, though it was the ancient dungeons which claimed the most lives.

“Some adventurers specialise in clearing ancient dungeons. They are an endless source of monster materials if you’re willing to take the risk, because they are also an endless source of danger. If you clear a natural dungeon it will fall to ruin. But an ancient dungeon will not only repair itself and its traps, but the monsters will reappear as if out of nowhere over time. Also, I’m sorry to change the subject, but I can’t be the only one who needs to… go”, Emica was standing with her thighs pressed against one another.

“Go?”, Ciel tilted her head.

“Yes. Go… pee.”

Oh! I haven’t had to go… ever in this new life yet.

“Ok, let us pee” replied Ciel robotically. She begun to walk away from Emica to give her some privacy.

“No, don’t head off too far Ciel” called out Emica.

Damn it. I don’t need to go. Will it be too strange if I don’t? I’ll pretend to behind these dried thorns here.

“Oh I forgot to mention it. Dig out a small hole and cover up the soil afterward, otherwise it can attract monsters!” Emica called out once more.

Ok, digging a small hole for symbolic reasons. And yup nothing is coming out.

I can hear Emica peeing… sounds like she really needed to go.

Ciel had turned her head reflexively at the sound and caught a glimpse of Emica squatting, holding her shorts in her hand. She was blushing in relief.

What… what are you doing Ciel? Don’t be a pervert and instead use this opportunity to check your status!

LEVEL UP!

Name: Ciel

Race: Noble Vampire

Level: 99,999

Experience: 62,105,043,292 (next level at 1,004,717,973)

HP: 1 / 1

Mana: 956,240 / 956,240

Strength: 6,992,410

Intelligence: 5,094,181

Agility: 6,206,801

Titles:

  • God Slayer (Mythical)
  • Mass Murderer (Mythical)
  • City Destroyer (Mythical)
  • Nation Killer (Mythical)
  • Bringer of Calamity (Mythical)
  • Betrayer of Light: Foundry of Curses (Legendary, Inherited)
  • Conquerer of the Six Great Lords (Legendary NEW)
  • Conquerer of the Three Catastrophes (Legendary NEW)
  • Bloodlust: Endless Night (Legendary NEW)
  • Fallen to Gluttony (Legendary NEW)
  • Fallen to Wrath (Legendary NEW)
  • Origin of Mastery: Unarmed Dreadnought Style (Legendary NEW)
  • Monster Slayer (Legendary NEW)
  • Merciless Killer (Legendary NEW)
  • Sadistic Rose (Epic NEW)
  • Petite Butcher (Epic NEW)
  • Might of the Unflinching (Greater NEW)
  • Skill Limit Breaker

Passive skills: undeath (level 10), dark vision (level 10), enhanced hearing (level 10), enhanced smell (level 10), enhanced sight (level 10), enhanced taste (level 10), enhanced touch (level 10), accelerated perception (level 10), enhanced reflexes, (level 10), silent movement (level 10), health regeneration (level 10), accelerated health regeneration (level 10), body regeneration (level 10), accelerated body regeneration (level 10), accelerated mana regeneration (level 10), enhanced mana efficiency (level 10), all status effect resistance (level 10), poison immunity (level 10)

Skills:

  • Dungeon Creator (level 20) - allows user to create and manipulate their dungeons. Limit break warning: dungeon creation and manipulation mana efficiency increased x6. Limit break warning: creation of monster spawn locations available. Limit break warning: dungeon creation and manipulation mana efficiency increased x66 (stacks). Limit break warning: monster spawning mana efficiency increased x6. Limit break warning: dungeon creation and manipulation mana efficiency increased x665 (stacks). Limit break warning: monster spawning mana efficiency increased x66 (stacks). Limit break warning: monster spawning mana efficiency increased x665 (stacks). Limit break warning: allows the manipulation of all dungeons accessible to user. Limit break warning: monster spawning restrictions lifted. Limit break warning: internal spatial geometry restrictions of dungeons lifted.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Meteoric Jump (level 10 NEW) - user launches herself in a chosen direction with great speed. Causes shockwaves and devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Angular Body Slam (level 10 NEW) - user launches her body with great speed at the target while rapidly rotating causing a powerful blast upon impact. Causes shockwaves and devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Planet Fall (level 10 NEW) - user falls with great speed causing a powerful blast upon impact. Causes shockwaves and devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Extinction Comet (level 10 NEW) - user throws a projectile with great speed. Causes shockwaves and devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Electron Capture (level 10 NEW) - allows the user to more easily catch projectiles travelling with great speed with minimal damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Strong Force Grapple (level 10 NEW) - user grapples her target with great strength.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Atomic Prison (level 10 NEW) - user travels in a slicing path around the target at great speed, shredding at the target. Causes shockwaves and devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Ultimate Accelerator (level 10 NEW) - user launches herself in her chosen direction from standing position. Causes shockwaves and devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Galactic Jet Strike (level 10 NEW) - user strikes with such force and speed she may instantly vaporise the target. Causes shockwaves and devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Big Bang Thunderclap (level 10 NEW) - user strikes her palms together with great force, causing a massive pressure wave. Causes devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Schrödinger's Beast (level 10 NEW) - user claws at her target, rapidly shifting position and creating multiple after-images.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Accretion Disk Evisceration (level 10 NEW) - user performs a single, slicing strike which may cut everything in its path for a great distance. Causes shockwaves and devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Black Hole Gourmand (level 10 NEW) - allows the user to consume their target whole after rapidly crushing it with multiple surrounding blows. Causes shockwaves and devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Jester’s Magnetic Trap (level 10 NEW) - user moves at great speed, creating multiple after-images which entrap her target, taunting them. Causes shockwaves and devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Quasar Flash (level 10 NEW) - User strikes at her surroundings with such speed and force that they explosively ignite, also creating an electrical storm. Those in the vicinity may vaporise, burn, be electrically shocked or blinded. Causes shockwaves and devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Savage Terabite (level 10 NEW) - User bites her target with great explosive force. Causes shockwaves and devastating area of effect damage.
  • Unarmed Dreadnought Style: Blood Laser (level 10 NEW) - user shoots an invisible stream of high pressure collimated blood from a cut anywhere on her body, finely slicing everything in its path. Can be used from multiple locations on the body at once.
  • Coagulation (level 8 up) - allows the user to change non-solid states of matter to semi-solid states temporarily.
  • Slime lover ♥ (level 2) - Slime skills submenu ♥ (UNLOCKED): Paralysis (level 1), Shape-shifter (level 1), Levitation (level 1)

Ciel immediately closed the status screen. But it was too late, the absurdity of the information before her had already started to permeate her mind.

Keep calm. Keep calm. Keep calm.

WHAT THE FUCK IS ALL THAT?!!

It was as if the world was spinning around Ciel. She was on the ground on all fours, clinging onto it as if it would fling her right out into the depths of space. She was clenching at the soil so hard it begun to pop and melt in her fists.

Ciel had apparently reached this world’s level cap sometime while she was rampaging in the dungeon. Just how many did she kill? She also obtained a number of new skills. But more importantly…

My HP is only 1?! WITH A MAXIMUM OF 1?! I cursed myself. I cursed myself so I could die! Is that why?!

Ciel didn’t want to think back to what happened in the dungeon. Even though she fell to her rage, she remembered everything with vivd perfection. Her parents. The World End Boss. Every terrible thing which she had done. The excruciating pain of the curse and of being slowly eaten alive by a slime. She just decided not to think about it, to work to forget it, make it all a bad dream. But here it all was, etched into her status screen.

“Ciel what’s wrong?” asked Emica who had slowly walked over the moment she heard the earth shaking from where Ciel was.

Ciel’s head snapped in Emica’s direction. She looked right in the elf’s eyes and snarled, baring her teeth. The ruby parts of Ciel’s irises, appeared to be glowing, pushing back against the purple colour they blended into. That moment Emica felt the paralysing fear of one coming face to face with their certain death. Yet, she stood her ground.

“Ciel, I’m here.”, she said as firmly, calmly and gently as she could, without averting her eyes from Ciel’s.

Ciel blinked.

What… am I doing?

Ciel looked down and began to hyper-ventilate her chest.

I need to calm down.

Emica stood there quietly as Ciel’s breathing steadily slowed down.

“I’m… I’m sorry. Emica. I just remembered something… I don’t want to…” There were wet patches of soil beneath Ciel. Her vision blurred.

“It’s ok Ciel. I’m here to listen, but don’t force yourself to talk”, said Emica.

“Thank you Emica.” Ciel wiped her wet eyes with her wrist as she got up.

Their journey through the forest continued. Emica didn’t act any differently than she had before. It was as if nothing had happened. She had decided that whatever was haunting Ciel was very painful, so she would give her the space she needed. She couldn’t let go of the aura of death emanating from Ciel entirely though. No one could. Ciel was a beast girl, and therefore not considered a ‘person’ by the kingdoms of Onszeria. Many would say that this is something to be expected of one of the monster races. But this didn’t matter to Emica. She had seen ‘people’ do much worse things, even to their own kind, out of simple greed or spite. Ciel was very young, and had lost her parents, likely recently. Her anger had a just source, and it could be healed much easier than the twisted minds and corrupted hearts of many in the kingdoms.

When the Twin Suns begun to set, they stopped at a patch of woods atop a hill. Emica checked every tree as if looking for something, then she found it.

“Here. We’ll sleep here tonight”, she said and then she nimbly jumped between two adjacent tree trunks, until she was making her way through the branches. A loud squawk was heard from between the dense foliage. A whistle sounded and the noises stopped. “Come up!”

Ciel followed without problem. She was somewhat hesitant given her newfound knowledge of her practically non-existent vitality.

Just standing here is a near-death experience… but I guess I’ll be fine given my other stats and my vampiric regeneration. I’ve had no problems so far, but I really should be careful until I can safely test my limits.

Ciel followed Emica’s vertical zig-zag path and perched herself next to the smiling elf. She was gently rubbing the head of what looked like a very large, blue parrot, with stripes of shining gold plumage on its feathery wing tips. It was a beautiful creature, with formidable-looking grey beak. It was sitting in the middle of its large nest made of dry tree branches.

“Ciel, this is a himly. She’s very protective of her eggs. She won’t leave them until they hatch, even if she was to starve to death”, explained Emica.

“Hello mama himly”, Ciel waved at the bird. It tilted its head in response.

“How did you get her to calm down? Was it that whistling sound?” asked Ciel.

“Yes, I used this”, Emica handed Ciel a carrot-shaped stone, previously attached to her necklace. “You put one of these stones in your cupped hands and blow air into them and the stone rings out with a melody all himlies recognise from birth. It puts them at ease.”

It was one of a number of different call stones Emica had hanging on her neck. Apparently even the decorative items Emica had on her body were of some practical purpose.

“She now knows that neither of us will do her harm. And as a bonus she will call out if danger approaches” said Emica, winking, still lightly stroking the plumage of the himly.

“And this, this is where we will sleep”, she added as she pulled out a ball of fine netting from a side-pocket of her knapsack. “They’re really meant for one person, but you’re pretty small so we’ll be alright!”

———

Ciel and Emica had just shared a meal of the remaining blood berries together in the tight, but cosy netting of what Ciel dubbed the “tree cocoon”. It was more like a hammock really, but it was enclosed all around except for small, stretchy entry and exit hole above their heads. At their feet were all of Emica’s things, except, of course, for her bow and quiver of arrows. These were hanging, tied to the branch, near the exit hole. Ciel had taken off her caplet before sleep. She was pressed against Emica’s warm body, their legs entwined, with the elf’s breasts resting atop Ciel’s head. They were swaying in the calm breeze.

I understand why it turned out like this, but did it really have to turn out like this?

You could easily see through the netting. If one was afraid of heights, they would probably not find in it a very comfortable night’s rest. It wasn’t going to be a problem for Ciel, who for one, didn’t need to rest, but could even sleep while standing up. She got used to seeing the distant forest floor beneath her.

My HP is 1. I don’t yet know if I would survive a fall like this. But I trust Emica. The material this tree cocoon is made from looks strong and Emica knows her way around trees.

As night fell, Ciel saw for the first time, from between the leaves, the night sky of a different world. Neither of the Twin Moons were up that night, and there were no sources of light in the pitch darkness as far as Ciel’s sensitive eyes could see. Thanks to this countless pinpricks of light flickered in the heavens. A whole new sky, new stars, and a new galaxy. In her previous life, Ciel used to sometimes sneak out onto the balcony of her adoptive family’s apartment in the middle of the night to watch the stars. She would just stare at them, not thinking anything, her mind elsewhere. In another world.

The peaceful moments gave Ciel the opportunity to reflect upon the many things which happened that day. She was grateful she had met Emica.

She taught me so much about this world in a single day. She is so gentle and smart.

Somehow, what she saw on her status screen no longer made her as sad. Yes she was probably the world’s most broken glass cannon. But she had incredible strength and agility to sustain her, along with the rapid healing powers of a Noble Vampire. She just couldn’t be reckless. Yes, there were more titles too. They sounded as ominous as the others, but they were Legendary or lower tier, which probably meant whatever divine powers wanted her gone wouldn’t want her gone even more. Hopefully in this world an appraisal skill was rare, otherwise she’d have to hide them or explain them away somehow. There was a bunch of new skills that seemed to have some relationship to one of her titles. The names had a theme to them, a little too familiar of a theme in fact. Did Erwin Schrödinger exist in this world? Finally, it seemed the slime lover skill, heart icons and all, wasn’t entirely useless. She gained new skills through it too, and although they were only level one, she probably could level them up. Gaining new skills likely meant getting eaten by another slime though. The thought made her shudder.

Emica felt Ciel twitch.

“Everything alright?” She said half-asleep.

“Yes, everything’s alright.”

“Good.”

Softly rocked by Emica’s undulating breath, Ciel drifted off to sleep. She dreamt of story time with her Mama and Papa.

———

Ciel awoke to the piercing squawking of the himly. Emica, who was already awake placed her finger on Ciel’s lips.

Be quiet. Danger.

“We will pack up as if nothing was the matter Ciel”. Whispered Emica. “We will then jump from tree top to tree top as far as we can, to drive the enemy away from mother himly and her eggs. Stay close, and if we can’t escape I will fight. Whatever you do, don’t fight and stay safe. Run the moment you see me losing.”

“But..”

“Not buts. I’m an adventurer, I know what I signed up for. Ciel, don’t hesitate. Run, survive if you need to” said Emica, her eyes communicating the seriousness of the situation.

“At least let me tell you where the enemy are” said Ciel. She could sense and especially smell their would-be assailants.

“There are two nearby in that direction where the hill slopes down, upwind. Another two are positioned in the opposite direction over there, at the base of the hill. There’s a big one to the side, I think he is their leader.”

“It’s a trap”, said Emica. “They will charge at us the moment we go down the tree and lead us to the other two. The big one will engage if the other four fail to catch or kill us.”

“Can you tell what they smell like?” asked Emica as she made her way out of the tree cocoon and collected her bow and quiver. Ciel followed.

“Yes, I know what they are. They’re called minotaurs. I’m not sure what elves call them”, Ciel answered.

“Yes, we also call them minotaurs.”

“Emica, please be careful.”

“Of course. I’m a B-ranked adventurer, Ciel. Let’s make our way now. We’ll head in the direction away from the big one”, Emica said as they finished packing up. She then turned toward the panicked himly.

“Don’t worry mother, your eggs will be safe once we leave your tree. We are grateful for having us in your home”, Emica bowed toward the large bird. Amazingly, it calmed somewhat, as if it could understand Emica’s words.

“Now!” Emica announced the start of this pursuit.

They jumped from tree top to tree top as was their plan. The smaller minotaurs immediately realised they were spotted and all four burst from their cover, taking up chase. Ciel could see them as they made their way down the hill. They each were over four metres tall, holding massive iron battle axes. Their hooves caused the soil to reverberate with increasing pace as they sped their heavy bodies up. The ones initially hiding closest to them were already at their backs as Ciel and Emica landed on the forest floor to gain speed on foot. The other two were flashing in and out of sight between the tree trunks and foliage at their left side, keeping some distance. The big one could be heard running some distance away, keeping steady pace.

This is like a forest car case! And those guys are in heavily armoured vehicles and we’re on motor bikes.

Indeed, they were all travelling as fast as Earth’s cars or motorbikes, and Ciel’s and Emica’s manoeuvrability was superior to that of the minotaurs. The minotaurs had much longer strides however, making them faster. They would also smash right through smaller obstacles or cut down bigger ones.

“We need to escape toward a thicker part of the woods Ciel”, called out Emica as they both vaulted over a boulder in their path. They needed every advantage they could get. They previously gained some distance once they landed at the base of the hill, but the minotaurs were steadily gaining speed.

Emica guided them to the right, through a meadow. Their pursuers were now in clear view, kicking up clouds of dust behind them. Their long tongues, dripped in slobber and swing at the sides of their mouths as they ran. The incline didn’t snow them down at all. And now without obstacles the minotaurs were rapidly closing in. In front of them was the familiar thicket of screaming thorn clonnes. Emica had deiced to risk running through the meadow, knowing that the thorn clonnes would offer their best chances at losing the minotaurs.

As they approached the safety of the dense thicket, flames billowed out from high above it, followed by smoke.

“This was a trap too!” called out Emica. “We’ll have to make our way back into the woods!”

But it was too late, the four minotaurs had fanned out in anticipation of the chase ending and were now surrounding Ciel and Emica on all sides.

“That won’t do! Then there’s nothing left to do but fight! Remember what I told you Ciel”, Emica said as she turned away from Ciel and faced the minotaurs. Her expression turned to that of a seasoned warrior.

She sprinted toward the one closest to the woods, drawing her bow. Seeing this, the minotaur puffed through his flared nostrils and called out with a powerful battle cry, holding his battle axe up toward the skies. He was ready.

Emica flew toward the minotaur and was now within striking distance. The minotaur swung his battle axe in a wide horizontal axe. If Emica got hit by that she would have been surely cut in half. But at the last moment she slid onto on her back, passing right below the arc of the axe edge, then used her momentum to push herself forward and upward. She grabbed onto the fur of the minotaur’s trunk-sized arm as it was making a returning swing. She pulled herself up and around to the minotaur’s shoulders, where she grabbed the arrow she was holding and thrust it through the minotaur’s ear. As it fell, she backflipped to a crouched position behind it.

“One down”, Emica said to herself.

Seeing their comrade so ingloriously fall in battle, the three remaining minotaurs decided to attack in unison.

They rushed at Emica from three directions. She was waiting for them, not moving from her crouched position where she landed. The closest of the minotaurs was going to slam his body into her and then the others would turn her into mincemeat with their axes.

Just as one of the minotaurs threw himself at Emica she launched herself well above all of their heads. Distracted by the spectacle of her acrobatics two of the minotaurs slammed into one another, while one landed on the ground. As Emica reached the apex of the jump, her body upside-down, she drew her bow. Wind swirled around her like a tornado and she spun as she fell, launching a dozen arrows at the three minotaurs with super-human speed. The arrows found their targets, piercing the thick fur and hides of the minotaurs’ necks. She landed in between them. And as they stumbled, attempting to remove the arrows, they fell one by one.

So cool!!

“That was amazing Emica!” shouted Ciel, delighted.

But just as she said this, the minotaur leader broke forth from the burning thicket. A number of thorns pierced his left side. They were aflame. He didn’t care. This minotaur was at least twice as tall as the other minotaurs and looked considerably stronger. His right side was armoured and he held a gigantic battle axe his left hand. Its polished iron was decorated in tribal patterns. He did not break pace as his thundering steps kicked up soil and shook the ground.

Emica was already facing him. The air around her bow flowed toward the three arrows she had ready at her bow, her hair was whirling in the current.

In the slowed motion of conflict, she let go of the bowstring and it pushed the arrows forward. They spun through the air, cutting the tops of the tall grass as they flew toward their target, each curving on a different path. The minotaur leader lifted his armoured arm to protect his head. Each of the arrows pierced the armour, drawing blood. His other arm swung upward as he launched himself above Emica, bringing down a tonne of sharpened iron in a powerful downward swing. Emica dug her feet into the soil and pushed herself sideways, barely dodging the strike, which split the earth as it landed. As if ready for this, the minotaur let out a torrent of fire emanating from his armoured hand.

“A dual user!” Emica exclaimed in surprise. “Ciel, run!!”

The minotaur redirected the blue flames of the fire toward Ciel, who was standing behind Emica. Given how huge the minotaur leader was he could target Ciel directly from where he stood. Emica dropped her bow, raising both hands forward and upward. A vertical stream of water surrounded her, and shot up into the path of fire torrent. The impact of the two blew up into a cloud of steam and mist, which filled the meadow. The fire was quenched and Ciel was saved. However, this was all still well within the minotaur’s plans. A huge, beastly hand swung from beyond the mist and caught Emica in its grasp.

Ciel used her night vision, which allowed her to see the mana in objects and people directly, to peer through the mist. She saw the minotaur holding Emica high above the ground. His grasp surrounded all of Emica’s body, only her legs were visible out from the bottom of his closed fist. The fire had engulfed the clonne thicket and was raging behind him.

As the mist dissipated in the wind somewhat, the minotaur was surprised to see Ciel still standing exactly where she had stood before. He let loose of all his fingers but the pointer and thumb, which were wound around Emica’s head. Her body hung limp.

“This elven slut killed my hunting guard. Even a turdling like you can understand that I require compensation?”, the beast spoke, his voice booming.

The minotaur grasped at Emica’s clothing and stripped it all off in one violent tear. He gazed at her naked body with his large, black, beady eyes as bucket-fulls of saliva escaped from his muzzle.

“She must be strong. So I will enjoy her for a while. Afterward, I will split your body and use it as my plaything”. He stuck out his long, pointed, steaming tongue and forced it between Emica’s legs, licking her body up to between her breasts.

Ciel had done nothing so far, and if she was to follow Emica’s instructions this was the time to run. It wasn’t a bad idea. She could surely defeat the minotaur, but could she survive with her 1 HP? She could probably outrun any creature in this world with her stats. To save Emica would be to risk her life for someone she had just met two days ago. This world was full of people. Emica wouldn’t be the only one who could teach her about how it works. The correct choice was to run, and to evaluate the 1 HP problem properly. But…

FUCK. THAT.

Ciel slowly moved her hands outward as if balancing. The nails of her spread fingers became pointed like claws and her eyes fixed themselves on the minotaur. As she partly crouched and lowered her torso, a gust of wind began to violently circulate around her, clearing the mist in a vortex and stripping her of her capelet. Her hair, carried by the wind, danced around her head as if celebrating. Her tail lashed in anticipation. She smiled, revealing her sharp fangs.

“Know your place, trash mob.”

The voice of certain death.

“Trash mo–”

Before the minotaur could finish, a thunderclap. A blast? The sonic boom of a gunshot.

Ciel had launched herself right from where she was standing, leaving a tilted crater behind her. All of the mist was blown away in a second.

As she flew at incredible velocity, she adjusted her trajectory at the last moment and blasted through the minotaur’s left eyeball into his brain, where she ricocheted inside his skull case. Blood and brains came gushing out from the minotaur’s ears, eyes and nose as it collapsed backward like a demolished building. He let go of Emica as he fell, dropping her onto the flattened grass of the meadow.

She was bruised, covered in minotaur saliva, but none of her bones were broken and she was alive. As she kneeled on the ground, staring at the minotaur in shock, something lifted out from the exploded eyehole.

That something looked like a person. Or was it a monster? Its slender figure was covered entirely in blood.

“Who.. what.. are you?”

Oh, it is one of those moments! I better say something cool!

“I’m Ciel. A Noble Vampire”, the figure replied in a familiar voice.

“And I won’t ever let you die!”, it added suddenly, pointing a finger at Emica, one hand on its hip. The motion flung some blood onto Emica’s face.

Wait, that last part could be taken as a threat coming from a vampire…

“So let’s be friends!”, further added Ciel, grinning.

Argh… that was so lame, and I think I came on too strong! I should– oh.

As Ciel cringed and thought of some way of recovering her first reveal in this world, her head swayed, she fainted and fell back into the pool of minotaur blood and brains.

———

End of Chapter 4

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