We sit down on a root as thick as a car and watch the goblins work. We spread out a large, thick blanket that's perfect for our picnic.

"Aside from the view of the ground, this is a really beautiful place," Ciel comments.

The most common color is obviously green, then dark brown from the bark of the trees, then gold and silver from the moss and other plants growing on the bark of those trees. The trees in the High Forest absorb all the nutrients from the ground, so most plants that thrive here are parasitic and grow on the bark of the gigantic trees or they try to rise above the canopies for some delicious sunlight.

I practice my [Grow] and try to flatten the root we're on. Without [Conjuring Magic] to replenish the nutrients, the bark will become weakened if I overdo it.

If an elf saw what I'm doing they would give me a slap in the face.

Alissa pulls out a tray with steaming hot tea while Ciel guides the smell of burnt meat away from us. Aoi looks a little dejected at all the burnt meat that she won't be able to eat.

 

The goblins bring the bones and line them up on the ground, then Ciel and I repeatedly cast [Clean] on them to remove the smell. The bones are black and porous, they can even bend a considerable amount. They're shaped into vertical rib cages that protects the Corpse Stealer better from slashing attacks.

The goblins tie the bones together with strings so that the parts from two different Corpse Stealers won't mix, then they all tie the bones together so I can store them in my "Item Box." If we didn't do that, then the monster appraiser would have to summon the spirit of every single bone to discern one from another. Lords don't like to be scammed when paying for the monster bounties, and the ones in the High Forest are even more stingy.

 

We return to the caravan and Alissa smiles smugly. "The commoners are happy to see us back, the elven ones sound a little relieved, too," she says.

I search for the elven elder and our eyes meet, he gives me a respectful nod and I return it.

No matter the place, they still respect power.

 

Soon after I spread my Hollys, we have to leave again as an Uspidor is approaching. A blobby monster that has 12 tentacles it uses to walk, with one extra protruding upwards that it uses as a mouth and as a way to spit acid. They are normally slightly bigger than a giraffe.

"Hana, use the axe," I say and pull it out for her.

"Well… prepare the bath for me, then," she says with a wry smile.

"Ohoh? You didn't seem to care about a little blood during your butchering of that Dragonoid some time ago," Roxanne says.

"You guys are a bad influence on me, staying clean just feels too good," she shrugs.

"'Bad influence,'" Roxanne turns away and snorts.

"Wolfy, give me [Mounted Archery]," Alissa asks.

"Oh, right, good idea," I say and put her six points into the skill.

 

We approach the location of the monster and look up. High above, too far for our [Spirit Lights] to reach, we can see the figure of something large moving between the trees when it passes near a hole in the thick canopy.

Alissa draws her warbow to its maximum pull and I feel a hint of mana come from the enchantment, then she releases the arrow and we hear a faint screech. Through Holly, I can see that Alissa hit her mark perfectly.

The monster stops moving and turns to intently observe us. It has six eyes spread around the blob of meat that is its main body and three of these eyes are locked onto us.

"Start moving, it's going to spit acid," I order and they obey. "Become Faster!" I yell in [Godly Language] and even the horses gain speed.

We spread out and the monster struggles to choose a target.

"I'll make meat rolls out of your tentacles!" Hana taunts and the Uspidor targets her.

She's just stating facts, though; Uspidor tentacles are a delicacy.

A liquid splashes near Hana and we hear the traditional sizzling of something melting away. We hide behind the trees while Hana plays around with the monster.

Through another Holly, I can see that there's a group of five Feral Goblins approaching the caravan. Like a Gatun, these goblins have large, curved claws that they use to climb trees.

"Ciel, Lina! Go back to the caravan! There are five Feral Goblins coming from the south!" I yell.

While still under the effect of my [Godly Language], their horses gallop away at incredible speeds and soon they disappear behind the trees.

Another minute passes with Alissa firing a few perfect arrows at the Uspidor. Then she finally hits an eye at a record distance for her and the monster becomes enraged.

"KIIIEEEH!" It shrieks as it drops to the ground. It crashes like a water balloon and its whole body shakes with the waves its internal fluids created from the impact. Its color is green and black as if it were wearing camouflage paint, and its skin is smooth and slippery.

Hana jumps off of her horse and summons her wings. She darts towards the Uspidor and dodges between the tentacles while leaving a long gash on its body. Blood gushes out like a fountain as the enchantment takes effect and the monster becomes even more enraged.

With [Animal Tongue], I call back the horse and keep it safe behind a tree.

As the monster's focus changes to Hana, its "back" (the monster doesn't really have a front or back to it) is turned to us and its tentacles grow dull in their movements. Alissa takes the opportunity and fires an arrow. It passes through the tentacles unimpeded and buries itself in another eye.

I summon a Kite Dragon and yell, "Become faster!" in [Godly Language].

"UROOO!" The flat dragon responds and bolts in a zigzag pattern towards the monster.

"[Water Blade]!" Roxanne releases a particularly long blade from the tip of her staff.

Suddenly surrounded on four sides, the monster struggles to decide on a course of action. It abruptly drops to the ground and surrounds itself with its thick tentacles.

Alissa's bodkin arrow buries itself deep into a tentacle; Roxanne's spell nearly severs another; the Kite Dragon cuts down a tentacle with its sharp side-flippers; and Hana buries her axe into the monster. I cast a [Lightning Bolt] on the Uspidor to make sure that Hana can safely pull out her axe.

The axe is pulled free and a thick gush of red blood erupts out of the wound, painting a large patch of moss red. Hana strikes again and uses her wings to fly away before it can counter-attack. The new wound is a shallow cut but it's still enough to create another temporary fountain of blood for a few seconds.

Roxanne fires several [Water Blades] in quick succession and the monster's mouth turns towards her.

"[Water Wall]!" She casts just as a squirt of acid flies out. It hits the magic water and gets diluted without affecting anything. Her horse barely flinches from all the magic flying around it, its training is perfect.

Hana appears from "behind" and severs the mouth of the monster with a perfect chop of her axe.

"KIIIIIIIIIIII!" Its screech makes my ears hurt. So much blood flows out of the wound that the monster visibly deflates and starts to wobble around due to the blood loss. The Kite Dragon strikes again and opens another large wound, it was so deep that its guts start to spill out.

We just wait for it to bleed out while hiding in safety behind the trees. I try to avoid looking at it because just the sight of it was making me feel sick.

Meanwhile, Ciel and Lina make short work of the goblins. A [Windstorm] is enough to even the numbers and then the girls finish them easily from horseback due to the length of their weapons.

Alissa guides her horse towards me. "It's dead," she says, once she's close enough.

"Right, now we just need to collect the disgusting corpse," I say and Alissa smiles wryly.

"Let me eat a tentacle!" Aoi says inside my mind.

"Okay. Just one, though."

Then we leave Hana standing naked in the open while we give her clothes a quick [Clean].

 

We gallop back and wait for the caravan a good distance ahead so that both we and the horses can rest for a bit.

"It's barely midday and we've already killed quite a lot," Alissa says.

"Yeah, the Lord isn't doing a proper culling," Hana says.

"Through the Hollys, I can see that there's even more, it's just that our anti-monster crystals are enough for most of them," I say.

As we wait, I notice that there are a few glowing plants appearing on the trunks of the trees. There's also a firefly-like large insect that seems to be flying between them. These plants are symbiotic with the trees and other plants. They give off light that's absorbed just like how plants would normally absorb sunlight, then they all help break down the bark of the tree and also serve as a home for other insects. They are somewhat like corals.

 

The caravan reaches us and we stop for lunch. Krista cooks a thick Giant Centipede soup. It has a faint minty flavor with a bit of a of chicken-like aftertaste.

Why am I suddenly thinking of Ciel's feet?

"You collected all the bones from the Corpse Stealers?" Anton asks us.

"I used [Summoning Magic] for that," I answer.

"Diamond dragon scales, that is too handy," he snorts and resumes eating.

"I could teach you a spell, if you wish," I say and smile innocently.

He stops eating and analyzes me with his eyes. "You are not getting yourself any favors," he answers flatly.

Klein groans softly and keeps her eyes on her food.

A soft voice caresses my ears, "How many Corpse Stealers did you kill?" Osaria asks.

"One hundred and thirty-seven."

The table turns to us in surprise and we show a mix of proud and embarrassed smiles. I select one set of the bones in my "Item Box" and touch the ground with my finger. With a *poof*, the large pile of black bones all tied together appears.

A long sigh escapes Laertes while the others go quiet.

"Did you even need our help?" Rande asks.

"Couldn't finish them all in one go," Hana says and gives Rande a fearsome smile.

"Are you paying them a fortune or something?" Krista asks Rande, incredulous.

Rande laughs oddly with a stupid smile on his face, "You didn't even see them stop a Grim Giant in its tracks basically by themselves."

Anton grunts a chuckle. "Well, I thought you were exaggerating a little," he says.

Klein pouts and playfully punches the log that is Anton's right arm, though, it might have hurt her more than him.

"To be honest, our strength is a little difficult to gauge. [Summoning Magic] is that useful," Alissa says.

Osaria smiles seductively at me and I get a little uncomfortable. She is too "stimulating."

 

We continue our trip and our peace lasts a short while before another Giant Centipede approaches. We only send Hana and Roxanne, and they [Explode] the head of the monster. Like last time, she stores it in her [Item Box] and we will transfer it later.

A small group of eight Woody Skritters approaches us and get used as target practice by Klein and Laertes. They have so little value that it's not even worth it to collect the Proofs of Extermination for them. However, we do burn their bodies so that there are no remains for Corpse Stealers to possess.

 

As we near Ostodos, the number of glowing plants explodes and the night nearly turns into day amidst their brightness. The bark disappears beneath the carnival of colors. Then the multi-colored lights all turn purple when the sun sets.

We then see the first patrol, a group of golden elves riding Gatuns, the long-armed panther-like feline. They wear cloaks with wooden armor underneath, they're yellow and glossy. Most of them wield bows while the rest use spears and one or two look like mages. They look at us with weary eyes and only give a curt nod to the other elves before moving on.

They climb a tree and disappear. I notice that the Gatuns leave marks in the bark and plants that appear to heal completely after only a few seconds.

The patrol gives the commoners new vigor and they walk faster. After a half-hour, we finally reach the huge ramp that is the entrance to Ostodos. It turns into a spiral around a pillar-like tree and disappears inside a huge ceiling made of bark. This is the underside of Ostodos, a shield to protect them from monsters, their equivalent of a "wall."

Thick bark covers the underside of most of the town. Only a few spots are open and that's where the monsters can invade through if they have no means of breaking the bark.

Below the city is a small lake where rainwater gathers and slowly trickles away into a river. That river eventually joins others and grows larger until it leaves the northwestern corner of the High Forest, pouring out into the sea.

Around the lake are the farms, though only a few are actually on the ground level. A single tree in the middle of the lake brings water upwards and it is then distributed among multiple levels of farms.

"Wow," Ciel lets out in wonder.

"I see a few camouflaged elves in wait behind windows," Alissa says.

"Really? I didn't notice anything," Hana says.

"They are known for being good at hiding," Lina says.

After a long and tiring climb for the commoners, we finally pass through the ceiling. We go through a long killing-corridor filled with murder holes before we finally reach the gate.

The guards wait for us anxiously. When we finally reach them, they crowd around us and hurriedly talk to the elven commoners. They also look a little weary, though their equipment is still in top shape.

I put on 10 points into [Ingua Language].

"You brought magic tools?"

"How did you survive?!"

"I told you not to try to come!"

"A HORDE?!"

Rande approach us. "We will leave after tomorrow, same time," he says and immediately leaves.

As we dismount and approach a guard for customs, we start to get glances from the commoners and other guards. Klein escapes her parents and joins us so we wait for her inspection before we finally cross the large wooden gate together and enter the city proper.

The whole city is divided into two levels. The lower level is where the commoners live and where the military buildings are located; they receive weak sunlight and supplement it with crystal lamps, so it has a rather gloomy atmosphere. The upper level is above the canopy and receives sunlight, so we would rather go there.

The streets are composed of grey wood. They look almost Earth-like with two lanes for the wagons like an Earth road and two other lanes for pedestrians on the sides. Where the traffic line should be is actually an empty spot where you can see the lower bark "shield wall." In that empty spot, there's an enchantment that prevents people from falling and it pushes you back onto the road. It's quite popular with children, though it's too late right now for them to be out playing.

Moonlight shines down through the same holes in the middle of the street on the level above us and we see people sitting along the border of the hole. They dangle their feet above us and drink while talking happily.

The buildings are simple in their shape, huddled together, and are all boxes made of differently colored wood. The amount of decorations on them, like glowing plants and statues grown out of the buildings, is the way they display their wealth.

This floor does not have a very inviting atmosphere. The streets are nearly empty and inns desperately announce their vacancies.

"Do you know of a good inn on the upper floor?" I ask Klein.

She smiles innocently and nods, "Follow me, then!"

 

We enter a thin tree trunk nearby and climb the stairs carved inside. We exit onto the second floor and have a very clear view of the night sky. We feel a soft, chilly breeze blow through with the faint smells of plants, perfume, and dinner coming from nearby businesses.

The streets are busier on this level but most of the people here are drunks, so it's not as pleasant as it could be. The buildings are more sparse but are taller and share room with the canopies of the trees.

"I could live here; it's so beautiful," Ciel comments.

Lina looks at her with her eyebrows knit in worry.

"What of your [Stonebody]? Can you still feel the mana?" I ask.

"Yes, but… I feel a little uncomfortable," Lina answers.

"It will pass, even I felt uncomfortable with heights when I was young," Klein says.

"But I'm a dwarf and you're a wereape."

"Pfft!" Klein flicks her hand at her, "Don't let your race get in the way of enjoying yourself!"

"Okay…"

Ciel pats Lina's head and she brightens up a bit. We each grab one of Lina's hands and swing them back and forth like you would with a child. We look like the oddest father-mother-daughter combination ever.

 

Klein stops in front of a three-story-high blue inn, The Red Leaf Inn; it's a blue cylinder with red leaves as the roof.

"The name is quite original," Roxanne comments flatly.

"At least it's in Andraste, the other upper-class inns aren't as fond of imperials as this one," Klein says.

The interior is quite comfy. It's got that weird plant-like fluffy carpet just like in the Tree of Mana. The walls and ceiling are light blue and quite easy on the eyes.

A plump golden elf woman waits behind the counter looking a little bored. The elven "curse" is so strong that I still find her quite attractive. She suddenly jumps when she notices us and smiles widely at Klein.

"Miss Klein! It's good to see you well!" The woman exclaims. She walks out of the balcony and scurries towards Klein.

"Flor!" She opens her arms wide and receives the plump woman in a tight hug.

They spend a few heartwarming moments trying to crush one another, and then break the hug.

"So, Rande decided to make the trip," Flor comments.

Klein nods and looks to us. "We found a very strong escort to keep us all safe. They are the fellowship Helios," she says.

Flor analyzes us all quickly and smiles warmly. "I can easily see you are all special," she says, then we share polite greetings.

"So, you are staying for the night?" Flor asks.

I nod and Klein answers for her parents.

"I would like to reserve a bath for six people plus my dragon," I say.

"Make it seven," Klein interrupts. She smiles innocently but her face cramps and she blushes slightly at her answer. Flor raises an eyebrow at her and looks at her oddly. "And don't tell Dad," Klein adds.

Flor raises her eyebrows in surprise and silently goes back behind the balcony to write in the ledger.

 

We casually start our routine and undress, though our eyes linger for a while on Klein, making her even more embarrassed.

"May I wash you?" Alissa offers with a wicked smile on her face.

"N-no need, hehe," Klein laughs nervously.

"I insist," she says softly.

Klein swallows her saliva and nods.

We quickly wash so we can watch Alissa molest, I mean, tenderly wash Klein. Her soft hand glides along Klein's body and always find a way to brush along an erogenous zone. We haven't even started yet and Klein is moaning as if she's getting fingered. Even Aoi stares at Klein, mesmerized.

Klein's soft monkey tail surprises Alissa for a second by brushing against her pussy's lips. Klein smiles mischievously and Alissa's switch gets flipped. Her fingers dive inside Klein's pussy and she makes the cute monkey orgasm almost instantly.

Not wanting to steal all the fun, Alissa releases Klein and we all enter the bath together. Then, the couples start their bonding: Ciel with Lina, and Hana with Roxanne; Aoi floats about with Gify on her head but stares at us intently. As Klein enters the bath, I slide in behind her, making her sit on my lap and feel my erection resting on her ass.

I turn her head towards me and shove my tongue inside her mouth. Her sweet little tongue is that of a little slut's like Lina: shy at first but quickly turning greedy in search of more stimulation.

I cup one of her perky breasts with one hand and search for her pussy with the other only to find Alissa's fingers already inside it. So, I move on to her ass instead and cast [Clean]. She immediately becomes greedier and tries to swallow my tongue.

She suddenly straddles me and my dick gets dangerously close to penetrating her. Disappointingly, she angles it down so it only rubs along her lips instead. She rubs herself on my head and shaft while Alissa works wonders with her tongue, rubbing it on my head while also licking Klein's pussy and ass.

I push my soul out of my dick and she suddenly stops, her whole body convulses and she orgasms again. Her pussy stops on top of my head and I grab her waist, forcing it down and spreading her lips. My head almost fully enters before I stop.

Klein looks at me wide-eyed in fear and I smile sadistically.

"The next time you come to us I will take your virginity whether you've talked to your father or not. I don't like indecisive people," I warn her.

Roxanne looks away from us and goes back to being used by Hana.

Klein nods glumly and shyly removes the head from inside her. She starts rubbing herself again and I force my tongue inside her mouth. Soon we are back to a passionate kiss and I shoot it inside Alissa's mouth.

After that, I grab Hana by the throat and force her to bend over. I grab her perfect, round ass and penetrate her pussy forcefully, she grunts in pain and pleasure. Klein masturbates with her eyes glued on us. Roxanne helps me out underwater and Hana seems to enjoy this so much that she quickly grows weak in the legs and orgasms.

"Pervert, depraved, slut!" I yell to Hana and she smiles fearsomely to Klein.

What would the mages who invented [Water Breathing] think if they knew we use it so we can give oral to each other while underwater? Knowing this world, they invented the spell just for this reason and then adapted it for everyday use.

I pound Hana's pussy raw with all my strength and anger. I cum inside her with a particularly thick load and push her off of me like a used condom.

Hana straightens herself as she gets up and approaches Klein. "You belong to me, now, so follow my orders," Hana growls to her threateningly, who nods nervously. Hana spreads her legs and shows Klein my cum inside her pussy, "Clean me."

Klein obeys like the good little slut she's quickly becoming.

 

We leave the bath while Klein stays inside to not arouse suspicion with her family. Once we pass Flor, she looks at us blankly then makes a visible effort to not laugh. Once she regains control over herself she suddenly pretends that there's work to be done in the ledger.

We sit down for dinner and are quickly served pasta with roasted duck. There's a purple sauce on the pasta so I eagerly taste it.

I drop my fork in surprise and anger, "Motherfucking pompous elves! This is tomato sauce!"