Chapter 120 - Two Blades and a Tail

A small, satisfied smile on her face, Claire hummed a tune as she swam up out of the depths. Her eyes were fixed on her logs. She had already gone through them once, but once was hardly enough. The kill had filled her chest with pride; she had single-handedly taken down a unique monster roughly twice her level, and without any cheap tricks at that. It was an achievement that even her father’s elites would have struggled to complete.

Log Entry 3024
You have slain a unique level 161 Llystletein Enormonopus, titled “The Lord of the Chasm.”

This feat has earned you the following bonuses:
- 9 points of agility
- 2 points of dexterity
- 15 points of strength
- 32 (16x2) points of vitality
- 15 points of wisdom

She disliked the label that came with her vitality boost, but the bonus itself was more than welcome. Sixteen extra points was nothing to scoff at, and frankly she felt like she deserved each and every last one. Prolonged exposure had caused the monster’s poison to drain her health at an alarming rate. It had grown potent enough to kill her twice over, and the effect on her body was worrying to say the least. She had been made to feel like a prisoner in her own flesh, and that was precisely why she was so excited.

Envenom had registered it as an option. She would be able to do to others exactly as the kraken had done to her. The possibilities were endless, and she was confident that many of her closest fights would have ended in just a few quick seconds, had she had access to it any earlier. But I wouldn’t have my shard if I killed that one borrok any faster…

Log Entry 3025
One of your spawnable food items has been upgraded.

Log Entry 3026
You have leveled up. Your health and mana have been restored and all harmful status effects have been cleansed.

Your racial class, Frostblight Lyrkress, has reached level 90.

Your primary class, Llystletein Bloodthief, has reached level 86.

Your secondary class, Llysteltein Vector Mage, has reached level 88.

You have gained 87 ability score points.

Like her last noteworthy kill, it provided an almost obscene number of levels. In total, there were nine, the majority of which were concentrated in her secondary class. The sheer amount of experience she gained was a volume she would have thought unthinkable just a few weeks prior. But having felt the giant monopus’ power for herself, she knew that the reward was not disproportionate to the risk. The vortex would have ended her without the imaginary pony.

She was almost tempted to praise the deformed horse, but dismissed the poor judgement call before she accidentally followed through. The battlemage was in a good mood and she didn’t need the imaginary shoulder beast to ruin it.

Log Entry 3027
You have completed one of “The Lords’ Last Regards'” objectives.

The following objectives will remain active for the next 22 days:
- The Lord of the Holt is slain
- The Lord of the Slough is slain

Only two targets remained. As far as the schedule went, it looked like she was making decent time. Though she thought of mirewulves as easy prey, she was beginning to think that the lord would prove tricky beyond her expectations. All the other lords had been far more powerful than their regular counterparts, and each had an unpredictable ace up its sleeve. What does the frog have in store?

Log Entry 3028
Axe Mastery has reached level 12.

Log Entry 3029
Digging has reached level 14.

Log Entry 3030
Envenom has reached level 20.

She had already tested her new poison. The unlucky fish she had captured and repeatedly stabbed had collapsed soon after she flooded its veins with the foreign substance, and not because it was bloodied. Applying an equal dose of rocket fuel to an identical looking fish did nothing to impede it from swimming off into the depths.

Though the venom was incredibly potent, the rogue was almost certain that it would accomplish very little if she was to be pitted against the frog. Like the enormonopus, the anuran was of an obscene scale. She didn’t think it was possible for her to produce enough poison to impede it.

“I need a better way to kill things bigger than me,” she muttered.

The axe trick she had used on the kraken was effective, but also completely out of the question. It had a large body of water as a strict requirement. The marsh was vast, but it wasn’t deep enough to provide the conditions she needed.

Log Entry 3031
Frostblight Lyrkrian Martial Arts has reached level 22.

Log Entry 3032
Spirit Sorcery has reached level 31.

Log Entry 3033
Thermodynamic Regulation has reached level 11.

Log Entry 3034
True Ice Manipulation has reached level 16.

Coming to the conclusion that she didn’t have anything apt in her toolkit, Claire heaved a small sigh and scanned her surroundings. There were a large number of foxes swimming about, but the one she was looking for was nowhere to be seen. Catgirl detector yielded no results, and she couldn’t hear her, even with her ears strained. A minute or so of looking around later, the lyrkress scrunched up her face, shrugged, and gave up.

It almost seemed out of character for the fox to not suddenly show up out of nowhere, but she figured that the four-legged elf likely had her own business to sort. Even Alice, who often stuck to her like a second head, had wanted the occasional bit of time to herself.

Casting one last glance at her surroundings, and concluding that she wasn’t just being made the victim of some sort of prank, Claire beat her tail against the water and accelerated towards the surface. The urge to burst up above the waves welled up from within as she closed in on the glimmering morning light, the bits and pieces that glimmered through the sea. She followed the sunbeams, burst through the surface, and arced through the air like a dolphin, but rather than returning to the water, as would a bottle-nosed swimmer, she chose instead to point her tail at her back and take to the skies.

The lord of the chasm was dead. She only needed two more of its compatriots to fill her quota and claim the reward that awaited her. It was only a matter of time, and she saw no reason to avoid a celebratory frolick.

___

“What do you want, Al?”

Letting the fish turtle in her jaws run free, Sylvia climbed a nearby rock, got up on her hind legs, and placed her hands on her hips. Her gaze was cast directly in front of her, at the old disembodied face that had appeared out of thin air. It came alongside a pipe and a hat, the former of which was still lit, despite its submarine location.

The old celestial had sent her a magical signal as Claire had descended into the depths. Not knowing the precise range of the lyrkress’ ears, she had only answered after a few minutes of travelling. She was near the surface, a league and a half away from the chasm.

“I need a moment of your time,” said the old man, as the rest of his body appeared beneath his hat.

“I thought I told you already!” barked Sylvia with a frown. “I’m not doing any more proctor stuff.”

“Don’t worry, child. I’m not here to chide you.” He spoke with a low chuckle before lightly tapping his staff against the ground and dragging her to his laboratory.

It looked almost as would any other part of the library. An endless shelf lined the walls, his research materials catalogued therein. A quick glance at the various titles revealed tens of thousands of years of research, the grand majority of which was focused on the morphology of catgirls. But unlike the reading room, whose walls were lined with material, the laboratory had only one infinite bookcase. The rest of the enclosure was covered instead with magic circles, runic inscriptions arranged to better direct and optimise the flow of mana.

At the center of the room was a stone slab marked with three kinds of magical lettering. Its glyphs were glowing, active, and keeping the objects atop them afloat. There were saws, daggers, and blades, all of which were operating on what was once a familiar rodent. Though its head was cut open and its body devoid of organs, its limbs were still tied down with glowing metal chains, restrained, to keep it from rising from the dead.

“First, take a look. I’ve managed to capture something… strange,” said the old celestial. “I believe you’ve already been in contact with this thing before?”

Sylvia nodded. “Umm… kinda I guess.”

“Then I’m surprised you didn’t notice everything wrong with it.”

“You mean how he’s a weirdo? It’s kinda hard not to notice,” said the fox.

“Look at his soul, dear child.”

One of the blades beheaded the squirrel. But its flesh continued to regenerate.

“Wow ummm… how’s he still alive?” Sylvia’s eyes glowed as she cocked her head. “Oh, and I can’t! I junked my warden class a while ago, so I can’t see souls anymore.”

Alfred scrunched up his face. “That is… unfortunate.” He heaved a sigh as he took off his hat and set it aside. “And there go my plans to ask for a second opinion. I’ve been a little busy lately, and I’m not quite confident in my own.”

Sylvia laughed awkwardly. “Sorry Al. Well, on the bright side, Grant still has his, and I’m sure he’ll help if you bug him enough.”

“I doubt that will prove very beneficial, as he and I share lines of thought,” said the old man. “But I suppose it is worth a try, at least.” He took a long drag from his pipe before sitting down in front of an ancient tome. “As I’m sure you can see, I’ve quarantined the singularity. I’ll be personally keeping an eye on him, and ensuring that he stays in stasis while I’m too busy to experiment. Still, I’ll need you to be on high alert. All of you. Someone placed him here, and evidently for a purpose that they’d prefer I remain unaware.”

“Huh? What’s the point in that? You’re just gonna notice everything before me anyway,” said the fox.

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she watched the man for a response. Though she had nothing against doing him the occasional favour, she wasn’t inclined to step in if he didn’t have a good excuse for slacking off. She knew just as well as everyone else that the old man was lazy, and that he was the type to enjoy a nap over whatever task he was assigned.

“Normally, I would, yes,” he put his hat back on his head and squished it against his hair, “but I’ve had a lot on my plate lately. I suspect the catgirls are at war again, or experiencing some sort of duress. Many are gaining levels at an abnormal rate, and I have my hands full just managing all of their logs.”

Sylvia flopped onto the floor like a deflated dog. “Why don’t you just let the system handle that like a normal person? Errmmm… demigod or celestial thingy or whatever.”

“Absolutely not,” he slammed his fist on an invisible table made of vectors as he shouted. “Catgirls are the embodiment of perfection, and each deserves my personal care and attention. How else will they know how much they’re loved, if I refrain from filling their logs with praise?”

“They’ll be fine.”

“Nonsense. They’re needy, and many are anxious if not reaffirmed of their decisions. You should know that. Your mind is configured to be the same way.”

“Yes, Al. I know I have a problem,” griped the fed-up fox. “Thanks for reminding me that it’s all your fault.”

“Trust me, Sylvia. It’s better this way, fetishes or not. You’ll understand, one day.”

“Stop being cryptic and explain already!” she snarled. “You know I hate it when you do that!”

Blowing from his pipe, he chuckled again, slowly, deliberately. “I was alluding to romance, dear child. The traits I’ve bestowed will serve you greatly, when you finally feel the need to find yourself a mate.”

“Oh…” Sylvia deflated again, collapsing with her limbs sprawled. “That’s what you meant. Of course it was.”

Though the man often insisted that reproduction was a key part of the circle of life, Sylvia had never quite felt the urges that plagued most Llystletein foxes. Her half-elven instincts dulled and desynced her heat cycles. She hardly even noticed them, regardless of how the others behaved. Still, Alfred often tried to push the idea on her. Supposedly, it was because he wanted her to live a normal, healthy life, but she found that hard to believe. She was ultimately the product of a union he had permitted as an experiment, and she saw no reason for him to think of her as an extension thereof.

“If you’re having trouble, I’d be glad to offer my assistance. I can bless you with any number of fetishes, and as you happen to be of the fairer sex, I’ll even be kind enough to let you choose.”

“No thanks.” The vixen got up on all fours and stretched like a cat. “So is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about? Or can I go now? I was really looking forward to eating that turtle fish.”

Alfred stroked his beard with each hand in turn. “I think that should be it. You’re free to go, so long as you remember to keep up your guard.”

“Don’t worry, Al. I got it.” Sylvia bid him farewell with a wave of the tail before closing her eyes, humming a tune, and returning to the ocean. After checking on Claire with the terminal strapped to her wrist, and confirming that she had already killed the lord, she quickly chased down the nearest turtle, consumed it in one bite, and made her way up towards the surface.

If Alfred was worried, then she doubted she would hold any agency in the events soon to unfold. Still, she would do as asked and keep an eye out. A hostile god was exactly what she needed, assuming it was truly in the cards.