Ciel starts talking to one of the soldiers about his wound. He took a spear to the belly and there's still some side-effects from the [Heal] going on. Hana joins in and soon they're having a casual conversation about their adventures.

Aoi plays around with her [Item Box], trying to fit in random pebbles and increase its capacity. Gify observes her with amusement because what Aoi is doing is not the right way to expand your [Item Box].

"You are uncharacteristically quiet," I say to Gify.

"Gih."

"I agree," Lina says.

"Hm, I don't think this place is that bad," Roxanne says.

"How ironic that a nature's spirit dislikes a forest, of all things," I say with a cheeky smile.

"Gih!" He clicks his beak near my ear lobe, threateningly.

"Well, there's still 'nature' inside a town, so Gify is very far from his preferred landscape right now," Alissa says and Gify nods.

I chuckle and things become quiet again.

"Wolfy, hug me," Alissa says inside my head.

"How…?"

"I don't know, just find a way to do it. You managed to 'poke' somehow, right?"

"Right…"

I pull on Alissa's string and her mind floods inside my "mind space." I remind myself of our boundaries and differences, then I envelop her with myself and squeeze until I feel some resistance.

"Ah… that feels good," Alissa says.

The desire to "merge" with her grows stronger the more relaxed she feels.

"Help me out with this, try to, uh, not merge with me," I say.

"What?"

"It feels like our minds want to mix and become one. Try to not wish for that, otherwise, I can't maintain this for long."

"Hm…"

I do not love myself. I love Alissa and Alissa loves me. I do not love myself.

I want her to be happy, but I do not want to feel her happiness.

Her presence inside my mind becomes odd, "foreign," separate. The desire to "merge" decreases and becomes "unpleasant," although it's still a desire.

"That helped," I say.

"Reduced my pleasure, though," I feel Alissa's pout inside my mind.

"Can't have everything."

"But I'm sure you would bring me the sun if I asked," she says with a cheeky tone.

"If there was a possibility… and it wouldn't kill us from being too close…"

Alissa giggles inside my head and I see her tail wag.

 

Our morning is quiet and calm. We are still close enough to the town that there are hardly any monsters and there aren't any here that can bypass our anti-monster crystals.

Lunch comes and we get to eat roasted cow ribs and sirloin again. This time we also have some veggies, so it isn't too heavy of a meal. We might want energy-rich food so that we can fight, but we must still be careful to not overeat.

Klein sits at our corner of the table. Due to the size of our group, we take up a large part of it by ourselves. The cute monkey-girl hand-feeds Aoi and hums quite happily. The tails of both of them sway happily like a cat's.

"Ask Oura what kinds of books she likes to read," I tell Alissa.

"Why?"

"For Lina."

"Hmm! How thoughtful!"

Klein tosses a piece of meat up in the air and Aoi catches it with a snap.

"What books do you read, Oura?" Alissa asks.

Oura smiles warmly and says, "Ah, I love mysteries. Always trying to guess who's the enemy and who's the ally, trying to read between the lines of every conversation." Her voice sounds excited, for once.

"That doesn't mean that she's actually a shrewd person. She's fairly absentminded, most of the time," Osaria says with a wry smile.

"Well…" -Roxanne pouts angrily- "maybe she just doesn't want to play those kinds of games."

Oura chuckles and nods.

"Could someone truly be considered 'wise' if they refuse to think about their actions?" Osaria sends a questioning stare to Roxanne.

"Could someone truly be considered 'wise' if they keep wasting their time with petty games?" Roxanne sends back her own questioning stare with an over-the-top pretentious tone.

"Wouldn't a 'wise' person make the most of their life and achieve all that they can?" Osaria continues and her tone remains serious.

"Wouldn't a 'wise' person live the way they prefer and accept the consequences?" Roxanne's tone turns serious.

"Do you consider a beggar to be wise?" Osaria raises an eyebrow.

"Well, if I need knowledge about how to live on the streets, then asking a beggar would be helpful, wouldn't it?" Roxanne shrugs.

Klein's tail sneaks around Hana and finds my waist. She rubs my belly affectionately and giggles girlishly while playing with Aoi. I pat her tail in return and apply a little bit of [Massage].

"But surely you don't approve of their lifestyle?" Osaria narrows her eyes disapprovingly.

"A beggar is a person who didn't receive fortune through the Threads of Fate. He is neither good nor bad," Roxanne states matter-of-factly.

"But a beggar who is not trying to improve their situation is someone who's denying the wishes of the God of Creation."

Roxanne pouts slightly, unconvinced. "Do we really need to search for riches to follow Gods' Wish?"

"We have to search for something."

"If we benefit others with our actions, aren't we still following the Wish?"

"Depends on how efficient that may be. Aiding a farmer to make him richer won't make him a good merchant or business owner. Someone who knows how to make riches is more likely to have the skill to properly handle those riches."

Both of them turn to Ciel, who gives a strained smile and says, "The Gods do not get involved in petty matters, but you will be judged by the result of all of your contributions."

"That didn't go as planned," I say to Alissa through [Bind] and hear a chuckle in response.

The two continue arguing for a little while longer but neither gives up their position.

We continue our trip and I notice that the number of monsters is starting to sharply rise.

The faint crying of the Weepers increases again and becomes perceptible when there's nobody talking. This means that the elves start talking about anything just to help with our "Sanity." The cries sound humanoid, but they vary with time, both the sex and age of the supposed crying person slowly morphing at random. The chatter of the elves turns their cries into just background noise.

Eventually, I see that a Holly finds a thick fog in the way. Through her sense, I know it smells sweet like a flower and has a calming effect. A Watchman Ton is coming. A cute, squishy green monster with yellow glowing balls for eyes. It wears a robe and holds a lantern that jingles as it walks. Its stubby little legs contribute to its slow walking speed, but the monster itself isn't that dangerous, the fog is. It has a strong soporific effect, which allows the Ton to leisurely cast a spell to finish off its prey.

"I think only me, Alissa, and Ciel should go," I say.

"I won't be of much use there," Hana says with a wry smile.

"Stay safe," Lina says and Roxanne nods.

"Kweh!" Aoi agrees.

We reach the border of the fog and dismount from our horses. There's a very clear border where the fog starts, like a fog wall from a certain game. The smell reminds me of hibiscus with a hint of Cinnamon.

I summon an Arachne. "Can you dissipate this fog?" I ask the monster and it nods in response, so I summon four more.

We now have Ciel's Holy Spirit, one light elemental, and the Arachnes. The power of the spider monster is in manipulating poisons in the air and ambushing its prey. This thick fog should be easily unwoven by the number of Arachnes that I have.

The Arachnes whisper an odd and chilling chant and I don't recognize the language it's in. They pull their silk up to their hands and "crochet" a spell while chanting. The silk turns into a small piece of cloth that disperses into smoke and mixes with the Ton's fog.

The fog fades the more it mixes with the Arachne's "smoke web."

"You know, they look really cute," Alissa says while staring deeply at the Arachnes. "Their faces, I mean. Not the spider body," she adds.

"I kind of agree. If they brushed their hair they would look like normal girls, kind of," Ciel says.

I have read far too much monster girl hentai to have an unbiased opinion about this.

"The question is, would Wolfy have sex with one?"

I shrug. "If she looks cute enough, I guess it could work out."

"Where's their vagina even located?" Ciel asks and squints her eyes.

"Above the spider eyes, hidden in the fur," Alissa says.

Ciel leans back and chuckles. "Okay, that's weird."

"I think the humanoid Arachnes don't have extra eyes there," I say.

"Much better," Ciel says with a nod.

"Why do you care? It would be Wolfy that would have sex with her," Alissa says.

"Or would it…?" I add.

"We are supposed to be sharing, right…?" Ciel asks a little shy.

"Everything."

The Arachnes pick up the pace and they start to carve a tunnel into the fog.

"I'll periodically cast [Purify Body] with my [Holy Spirit]," Ciel says.

We enter the odd, milky tunnel and I feel the horses are amused at the sight. They get bored of the forest easily and not much scares them, so they seem to enjoy the occasional break from the routine.

Soon, we see a faint yellow light coming out of the fog. The light is oddly alluring, like a moth seeing a flame.

Alissa draws her warbow and fires an arrow towards the light. We hear a cute, comical "QUEH!" and the jingle of metal clacking and glass breaking. Moments later, the yellow light fades and we move on.

I start to feel fatigued due to the fog and instead of casting another [Purify Body], this time I sink my nails into Alissa's [Bind] and feel her whole body shiver. She suddenly becomes very aware and alert, and I allow that to bleed over through the [Bind] to me, making me alert again, too.

"Hah, good idea," Alissa says.

"This spell is so useful."

Suddenly, I feel mana coming from the front and we raise our shields. An Arachne yells a warning as a [Wind Blade] opens a wound in her shoulder. Ciel casts a [Wind Wall] in front of the wounded Arachne, preventing any further spells from reaching us.

The [Holy Spirit] jumps onto the Arachne's spider body and starts tap dancing. While it dances, mana leaves its body and heals the Arachne.

"Does it have to dance?" I ask Ciel.

"No, but the dancing helps ease the mind and it's good practice for me," she answers with a shrug.

Alissa fires a few arrows into the fog but doesn't look satisfied. "They are hard to sense," she says.

We start to see a faint yellow light and Alissa smiles evilly. She fires an arrow and a "QUEH!" from a dying Ton is heard, then the pale yellow light dissipates.

 

Suddenly, we feel mana coming from our flank. Alissa reflexively fires an arrow, I cast a [Lightning Bolt] at the source, and Ciel moves her [Wind Wall] to protect us from that direction. A faint yellow light suddenly appears from where the mana came from and something tries to pierce Ciel's [Wind Wall].

"I missed?" Alissa thinks out loud and tilts her head cutely.

She fires another arrow and we finally hear the "QUEH!" of a dying Ton again.

"Not dead yet," she says and fires another arrow.

The monster yells another "QUEH!" of an, apparently, not-dying Ton and I feel mana come from his direction again.

Spears made of fog extend out from the fog and become "solid."

I cast [Telekinesis] on a spear that is aiming for Alissa, making it fall on the ground like a noodle, and block another with my shield. Their tips are as sharp as a needle, but they carry little momentum, making them very easy to block. Ciel moves her [Wind Wall] and the spear dissipates as it touches the spell. The Arachnes aim their "webs" at the spears and they become fog again.

The Arachnes create a wider tunnel to give us more breathing room and change direction towards the annoying Ton. They manage to dissipate any further "fog spears" before they can threaten us.

Ciel casts a [Wind Blade] into the fog wall and frowns. "My spell dissipated," she says.

As we make our way towards the Ton, we hear the pitter-patter of the monster trying to run away.

"Put the [Holy Spirit] on me and I'll go get it," Alissa says.

With a cute, feminine "Hup!", the spirit jumps onto Alissa's horse and she gallops forward. Once she crosses the fog, I immediately feel through her [Bind] that the fatigue increasing at a very fast rate. The spirit goes to work and clears her fatigue, only for it to soon start building up again.

"Ciel, help the Arachnes, this is stressing Alissa's body," I say.

She nods and starts making a small tornado with [Wind Storm] that pushes the fog upwards and away from us.

Alissa comes back and yawns. I guide my horse close to hers and [Massage] her fox ears. "Good job," I say and see her tail wag. "You too," I add while looking at Ciel and she tries to hide her smile.

We continue further and see another faint yellow light. Alissa fires an arrow but no scream of pain comes.

Her cute fox ears flicker and she frowns. "I think he's hiding behind a root," she says.

"Let's get closer, then."

As we slowly make our way further, the yellow light becomes stronger and more calming. We huddle up and the light elemental turns into a literal blanket, the softest blanket I have ever touched. The calmness dissipates from our minds and I feel slightly disappointed. Though, I feel a chill as I realize that I had been thinking quite favorably about being eaten by the monster.

The Arachnes start giggling and swaying around as they walk.

"It even affects summons," Ciel says, a little impressed.

We get closer and Alissa cutely tilts her head. "I think the monster is shivering," she says.

"Because of us?" Ciel asks.

"I only fired a single arrow, I don't understand."

A minute later we finally reach the Watchman Ton and see it for the first time. It is a green Moomin with glowing yellow eyes and a brown robe. It just looks so cute that I almost feel sorry for killing it, almost.

It's sitting on the ground, hiding its head in its knees and covers its ears with its cute chubby hands. It shivers uncontrollably and when it notices us, it cries cutely and lays down on the ground in a fetal position.

"Damn, that's certainly not our fault," I say.

"Yeah, something traumatized it," Ciel says.

"Should I kill it?" Alissa asks.

"Yeah, I guess," I say with a shrug.

An arrow through the eye and it stops shivering. Its golden lantern, which is on the ground in front of it, slowly loses color and the yellow light fades away, then it rusts over and turns to dust along with its robe.

"I see its tracks; it came running from over there," Alissa says and points north.

"I'm a little curious, let's follow them," I say.

The girls agree and we move on again.

The mist loses a lot of its opacity, allowing us to see much further and making it easier for the Arachnes to dissipate it.

"Wait!" Alissa warns and we all stop our horses. "Something big is over there!"

"Recognize what it is?" I ask.

"No."

I point to one of the Arachnes. "You, continue forward and meet the beast." It nods and obeys.

I receive the Arachne's sight and share it with Alissa. It's rather straining to do this so I won't be able to keep it up for long.

"Woow~… that's a little confusing," she says.

"You want me to stop?"

"No, I'll get used to it," she says with a confident smile.

Ciel pouts, feeling a little left out.

"Want me to try to use [Bind] on you?" I ask her.

"Not now, better not risk it," she answers.

"I smell blood," Alissa says.

I receive the Arachne's sense of smell. "The monster can smell it too," I say.

"Not good."

Soon, her words ring true as we find a monstrosity. Three meters tall; four huge, muscular limbs like logs that keep its long body high above the ground; curved claws for grasping onto wood; stone slabs that look like scales; a vertical, rectangular stone "mask" that has square, glowing eyes and a square, glowing mouth; and a long, dexterous tail with sharp-looking metal scales protruding out of it.

"The fuck is that?" I mutter.

"No idea," Alissa answers.

The mouth of the monster glows, then the Arachne dies.

"Fuck! That! It's an Aberrant, I'm not fighting that without Roxanne to blow it up," I say and turn my horse. "Let's run through the fog! It could try to follow the tunnel we made!"

Lina's Trivia: an Aberrant is any monster that is not documented and or doesn't spawn regularly in a region. They are very rare and are generally very valuable.

The girls nod and I unsummon the remaining Arachnes. The light elemental and the Holy Spirit work overdrive to keep the soporific fog out of our bodies.

"Aoi, we found an Aberrant. Bring the girls to us," I say through [Bind].

"Yes, Sir!" She answers playfully.

I summon two Hollys to keep watch over the caravan. The commoners become tense now that we've all left and Rande wakes up the soldiers so they get more alert again.

"So, what is it?" Hana asks as we meet up outside the fog.

I describe what we saw to the rest of the girls.

Hana looks at Lina and asks, "How's your [Earth Magic]? Can you fuse yourself with the ground?"

"I didn't practice it that much. I can do it in five seconds," Lina answers, crestfallen.

"I'll stay with you. Anything happens and I carry you away, ok?"

"Okay," Lina answers with a confident nod.

"I'll stay on my horse, then," Roxanne says.

"Me too," Ciel says. "With a body made of stone, my glaive won't be very useful."

I summon a Destruction and a Metal Dragonoid and say, "You, Metal, your job is to distract the monster when it endangers someone. You, Destruction, your job is to weaken the stone scales. Try to find a balance between offense and defense so you don't waste your life. Only do a suicide attack when it's to save one of us." Both of the summons nod.

"Let's try to make a trap, weaken the ground and we can bury it in mud," Lina says.

I summon another Holly and send it to scout the Aberrant.

Two Hollys and one light elemental at the caravan, two Dragonoids and one Holly with us. My mana reserves are low, so when the fight starts, I will unsummon our Holly to get some mana back.

I drop a [Gate] coordinate far away from the fight zone so we have an escape route. Lina and Hana dismount, and their horses gallop back to the caravan on their own.

Lina and the Destruction Dragonoid create a large hole and Roxanne fills it with water, creating a mud pit. Then they cover the hole with a thin layer of solidified earth. If the monster touches it, it will notice that there's something wrong with the earth, but by then it will be too late, or so we hope.

The trap is near the entrance we made in the fog, so if the monster is following our tunnel, it will find us, eventually.

I start to get the shivers of anxiety and excitement. This is the first monster we'll fight that I don't have much of an idea of its power. I know it can use magic, which makes its true power hard to guess.

Gify pops onto my shoulder and gives us all a massage that calms our nerves.

"Gih."

"Thanks, Gify," Alissa says.

"Gihm goht guhgleghs."

"Yes, you are very useful," Alissa agrees with a wide smile.

Gify snorts and sends me a side glare, then he pops out of existence.

"With any luck, it won't try to follow our tunnel," I say.

But unfortunately, either the God of Luck is messing with me, or the Gods want to test us repeatedly: Holly found the Aberrant.

"Well, shit. It's coming through our tunnel," I say.