The great moon tried its best to reflect off the river’s coursing flow, yet it was too quick to display something of great importance. Instead, it shone down on the most beautiful Lionfolk in the world. With her delicate hands that’d seen more bloodshed than anyone else, she took a pink cloth, wet it, and slid the soapy thing up between her marvelous breasts. She dipped her sensuous figure beneath the waters and emerged, breaking the surface and washing her body clean of any suds. Primrose was helping Niva walk while using the water’s flow as an aid, and Bella and Domi were relaxing. They were chatting up a storm with Erin. True to her word, she refused to open her mouth at all. Yet she nodded and shook her head to answer their questions. She was a slave with that collar clasped around her neck, but those two didn’t see her that way.  

Probably because of me. Yes. Erin couldn’t talk because of my orders, but they believed me when I said it wasn’t what they were thinking. Yes, it was weird, but I didn’t care if they really believed me. It wasn’t like it would matter 3 days from now.  

And even though Domi and Bella saw the seal tattooed on Sekh’s stomach, they didn’t give it a second thought after she told them it was nothing more than a tattoo. When it came to Niva, the two promised that what they saw wouldn’t leave their mouth. Not about her having a penis but her being a half-breed with her unique situation about her eye. 

Well, it was that. But the two mentioned seeing a poster with Niva's drawing a couple of days ago-- before arriving in Aetos Village. The eye looked slightly different, but it appeared the women knew that was supposed to be Niva.  

It’s a good thing she’s still going by Lola. 

“Hmm...” Sekh’s ears twitched as she turned to the apex of a small hill. Her eyes narrowed, but then she smiled and started to wag her tail as I reached the top.   

I’d been watching them with my map’s satellite mode, but I canceled it because I had direct visual contact on the cutest Lionfolk in the world.  

“My liege!” she said as she walked to greet me. I ran the rest of the way down and jumped into her arms, the force swinging us around until we nearly fell.   

“That was so cute!!!” exclaimed Domi, who covered her blushing face.  

“Mistress, are you joining us?” Niva asked.  

“Yeah, I am.” I stripped down and sat my clean clothes to the side on a rock because the small tree Primrose had made for everyone else’s clothes suddenly didn’t have room for mine. As I expected, Bella’s and Domi’s jaws almost dropped at the sleeping beast between my legs. I covered myself with a pink cloth because it didn’t feel right exposing something like that. Erin promptly turned around and covered her eyes, her cheeks as red as tomatoes.   

“Umm... W—wow...” Domi whispered after I’d gotten thigh-deep in the water. Sekh grabbed the cloth I used to make myself decent and washed my back, arms, and under my arms before moving to my chest and stomach.  

“It’s just a penis, girls. Half of the world has one,” I said, feeling oddly at ease at her washing me. I thought I’d be more self-conscious because they were staring at it, but I honestly didn’t mind it. Or if I did, it didn’t feel like it. But perhaps my comfortability with this situation meant I was ready to bathe with Irisa.  

Or maybe able to go a step further... 

“I’d heard the rumors of elves having them... But... You’re like way bigger than Oswell... Marcey said he was like a corn cob down there, but yours is huge. And your boobs are... You’re beautiful, Lady Springfield... Wait, does Lola have elf in her? She has one too...”  

“Yeah, you’re gorgeous...”  

"Hey, it’s like 13 inches when it’s hard. You guys wanna see it? Get your friend Tilde here some nice liquor and sweet snacks, and I’ll tell you what turns her on. Hehehe...” Tilde creepily said. She was sitting on Domi’s shoulder because the water flowed too fast for her tiny body.  

“Shut up, Tilde, and that’s enough, alright? I didn’t come here to talk about that. Let’s relax and wash up,” I said, taking the pink cloth from Sekh while I washed my cock. I slathered it up and down, then made sure my balls were soapy before dipping down under the flowing river to wash the suds away. It only occurred to me when I stood up that the tip was still in the water, which was cool but not cold. It felt kinda good. And perhaps a bit pleasurable, if I was being honest.  

“Ye--Yes, Lady Springfield!” the two Squirrelfolks said at once after a quick apology. They stood up and bowed just slightly. Honestly? They were kinda cute, yet they had this adorable innocence around them.  

For the next ten or so minutes, we casually had a small chat while enjoying the wonders of a night’s soak. To my surprise, Sekh and Primrose hadn’t argued a single bit. They weren’t speaking to the other, and Domi crept close to ask about that. I just said people had their differences, and it was impossible for everyone to get along. Of course, I was speaking whatever shit came to my mind that sounded decent because I was too busy composing a message to Sekh with my waypoints about the new plan the AI came up with. 

My closest companion only nodded, and that was the end of that. As much as I wanted to take her here and now—and why wouldn’t I when she looked so beautiful with the water dripping off her pretty nipples and tasty thighs, it would just be wrong. But I still had her walk over to me so I could clean her sexy back, fluffy tail, and soft butt.   

Since I was facing away from them all, no one was none the wiser as I created a clone from my back in the form of a tiny Lesser Araneae. It followed the coursing river downstream for about fifty feet. Once out of sight, it transformed into a Lesser Forest Boar, left the water, and began to follow a particular set of orders. My whole plan resided on the clone pulling through, but it also had the AI guiding and directing it, so I had the utmost faith. 

I asked why Marcey didn’t join them because it seemed like the three of them were close. And as expected, they said Marcey had a crush on the captain to the point that she often spied on him when he was taking a bath or changing.  

“But I know he knows she was watching,” Domi added. “Almost everyone in the camp knows besides her. But Sir Oswell is old enough to be our father. Some people are into that, I guess. It’s kinda gross since he has a wife and child, though. But I think the relationship between him and his wife isn’t the best. Like, they’re only together for their child, and it’s just barely the definition of ‘married.’ Marcey is probably rubbing out her frustrations in her tent. What about you, Lady Springfield?”  

I pointed to Sekh. “She ticks all my boxes, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.” Sekh looked so cute with those blushing cheeks, and she was even cuter when she kissed me on the cheek again.  

“Aww... That’s totally adorable!” Bella swooned. Then she sighed and slapped the water. “I wanna meet a guy like that. Or even a girl. There isn’t much of a difference.”  

“Uhh... There’s a major difference, girlie. And it’s about 13 inches long. Hahaha,” Tilde laughed.   

“But wait… Doesn’t that hurt? Lady Sekh, I… I don’t know if I should ask this,” whispered Domi.   

“At first, it did. It was unbearable, and I almost ruined something beautiful by not saying anything. But you don’t have to force it all in. It's about taking your time until you can accept more of it." 

“What about you, Primrose? Can spirits...have sex?” asked Bella.   

“They can,” replied the wooden annoyance. It looked odd to have what was basically a wood woman—even if she looked like a regular, brown-skinned woman-- bathe in a lake. Even if she was a giant pain in the ass, she had a refined look in how she held and conducted herself. “It’s easier for demons like succubae to reproduce, but a spirit and a mortal can procreate. It’s hard, though. Or at least that’s what I heard.” 

“You’ve never done it?” Niva asked. She looked up from her late-night waddle through the river to get more accustomed to her prosthetics. Lei was hanging out on her head. She’d bonded with the slime to the point where they were almost best friends.  

“I haven’t, Master. And I don’t know if I ever will. You’re more important to me than such frivolous behavior.”  

Out of curiosity, Domi asked Primrose what her ideal person was, and she said no one in the world met her strict standard. Truthfully, I believed it was a subtle dig towards me, but no one except Tilde caught on, and she and I shared a look and remained quiet. 

Soon enough, I said it was probably time for us to get going, and we all got out and dried off. I didn’t even mind sharing the brown towels with Domi and Bella.  

“Girls, my eyes are up here, not down there,” I said, drying my penis off. I just so happened to look at Sekh as I said this. The way her beautiful body was seemingly glowing from the moisturizing cloth almost put me over the edge, but I remained flaccid through sheer will.  

If I can get erect in this situation, it means I can get stiff for Irisa, right? That’s my biggest worry, but maybe I shouldn’t have to worry about that...  

They made sure their rounded tails were dry before putting on a nightgown. They complimented me on my new outfit, then asked a question.  

“Umm... Is...it all...stuffed in there? I think that’s the word I’m looking for... It looks like a tight fit,” they said, staring at my bulge as I put my panties on. It took some adjusting of my penis to get it feeling just right, and maybe it was the Murag in me, but now that I was thinking about it...  

Why did it not feel uncomfortable when they were staring at it? I know I said what I said, but Murag was an exhibitionist—kinda. At least when it came to Reina and the others. It wasn’t odd for them to stroll around the mansion naked and partake in impromptu fuck sessions if my glimpsing memories were correct. 

Why...did it feel kinda good when they were staring at it...? No, that’s not the right way to think about it. It definitely didn’t feel bad, though. Guess I’m okay with nudity. 

“It’s uncomfortable sometimes. I had this loincloth that was just about the most comfortable thing ever, but it tore apart on me.” I slipped the green corset dress over my body and attached the waist girdle. Then they asked me about my heels and if they were uncomfortable. “Not really. Once you get used to them, they won’t hurt.”  

“Prim, you wear heels, right? Isn’t that what you said to me?”  

“I do, Master. I can create clothing from my wood, and I prefer heels. It isn’t painful at all.”  

Niva hugged Lei against her chest and smiled, staring up at what she hoped was Primrose’s face while relaxing in the wheelchair. We all left the river to return to camp while talking about the slime. 

You could train them like dogs. And yes, they were monsters first and foremost, but like how chimera must devour to obtain sentience and conscious thought, slimes could do the same through experiencing the world. That was how they evolved from mere slimes to Slimefolk. Suppose when you thought about it, they were like chimera. Well, it required a bunch of leaps of logic, but if Lei ever evolved to that point, that’d be nice.  

But Slimefolk were tracked and registered with Bellerophon and the country they lived in. They were expected to check in on a regular schedule for an exam. If they didn't show up, a squad specializing in trapping slimes was dispatched to retrieve them, at which they would be imprisoned. It didn't matter how trustworthy you were as a Slimefolk. There were just no exceptions. It was like living with a guard holding a leash with very little slack since there were many rules and laws for one to follow. At that point, I'd take my chances on my own than live with restricted freedom that couldn't even be called that. I lived as a slave before. Like hell would I do it again. And if Lei evolved, I wouldn't dare register or allow it to register like some animal. As far as I was concerned, it was a part of our group, and it would stay that way. 

---

Back at camp, Vamire and Kvree were on night duty, and the two were sitting around the fire to welcome us back. We chatted for a few moments before saying goodnight and returning to our tents. I remained awake since sleep was no longer required for me. Sekh’s soft breathing filtered through to my ears and brought a loving smile to my face. I rubbed her ears a little bit, kissed her head, and waited until I saw something specific appear in my vision. 

You’ve assimilated the Heartbreak Sweet Skunk. 

New Skill: [Lavender Kiss] 

New Skill: [Wilted Rose] 

The mission is accomplished, my lord. 

Good work, AI. 

Thanks to the AI, who read about the Heartbreak Sweet Skunk, a rare spawn of the regular sweet skunk with a broken heart on its back, I had a far better plan to kill Oswell’s group. Even if its name suggested it was a huggable, cuddly animal that smelled like sweet lavender, it was anything but.  

It was a deadly beast that had earned the nickname ‘Couple Killer’ because of its unique ability. [Lavender Kiss] was as harmless as it could be. In fact, it smelled like lavender with a hint of delectable fruit, and it was possible to harvest the ‘poison’ and turn it into a perfume. Regular sweet skunks had this skill. In the bigger cities, the fragrance went for about 20 or 30 silver for a vial. Expensive? Yes, but not something that only nobles could afford.   

The problem came when the second skill, [Wilted Rose], was involved.   

You see, [Lavender Kiss] didn’t just emit any scent. The particles it released clung to the nostrils, and when they reached the alveoli in your lungs...  

They. Remained. Behind. 

But by itself, it was completely harmless. In fact, it was even beneficial to the point that it was considered a buff because it enhanced your physical attack. Someone could huff [Lavender Kiss] day and night for a thousand years without any harmful effect.   

Only the Heartbreak Sweet Skunk knew [Wilted Rose], which, when activated, forced every spore of [Lavender Kiss] to turn into a deadly, deadly poison.  

But the two poison skills smelled the same. It was virtually impossible to tell the difference. But the Heartbreak Sweet Skunk was very rare, and it took my clone transforming into a scatter bat and soaring across the forest that Aetos Village was hidden within. Whenever my mana ran low, it would switch into Glog or a boar and eat what it could, then continue. The AI would constantly do a search for the monster every few seconds. So yeah, it took a while, but at least my map got filled.  

But now that I had everything ready, it was time to put this lengthy plan into action. I created a clone of a spider about the size of my thumbnail, then sent it out to the various tents. I assimilated dozens of them before finding the target, so the skill was mastered—able to be used without taking the skunk’s form. Once inside, the spider clone was ordered to release [Lavender Kiss] while skittering around the camp.  

[Analysis] proved it was working. 

It took forty minutes to finish up, but I had to wait for the shift change to affect Kvree and Vamire. And it was frightening. Kvree knew [Danger Sense], a skill that warned him of hostile intention, yet it turned out that [Lavender Kiss] wasn’t really regarded as a dangerous skill. It was a supportive skill that could be turned into a perfume with an accompanying skill to turn it deadly. The world registered it as a beneficial effect. As for whether or not that was a loophole? I didn't know. But I wasn't going to complain.  

But now that the plan was set, I had two more days to fill more of their lungs up. I’d have to do it at night. And away from Sekh and the others. If they didn’t have a single bit of [Lavender Kiss] in their system, [Wilted Rose] would be inert and useless.  

---

“Good! Keep it up! Go faster!!” Vamire shouted as he ducked underneath Tactile’s sword swipe. A flash of light later, Deimpse used [Flash Bang] to temporarily blind Vamire. The skillful Dark Elf saw without sight by reading the wind's movements. He flurried his spear like an expert and parried the incoming slice as if it was a leaf, then used the momentum to spin it around his body until the point was touching Deimpse’s neck. Behind, Tactile tried to get the advantage, but his training opponent used {Lightning Teleport}, an enchantment on his spear, to daze, stun, and appear behind him.  

“And that’s it. It was a good job. Seriously, I just feel so pumped today! I gotta thank that sweet skunk when I see ‘em!” Vamire hopped up and down like he was loosening up, then helped Tactile and Deimpse to their feet so they could start again.   

“That’s his strongest technique. You get to move anywhere within fifteen feet. The sudden lightning strike isn’t especially damaging, but it’s enough to jolt you. It has a lengthy cooldown to compensate for how effective it is. It was a pain in the ass to take out that lightning elemental to get its core,” Oswell said during breakfast. He’d woken everyone else up about forty minutes ago, and it wasn’t even 6:30 AM. 

Good to know cores can have abilities like that. 

But the talk of the morning was the fact that no one sensed a ‘sweet skunk’ venturing into camp. Oswell argued it was a harmless animal, but he also chastised Shink and Abaddan because they were supposed to take the last guard. Battr spoke up for his fellow Batfolk, but Abaddan could do nothing but apologize. But Oswell wasn’t too hard on him because he couldn't sense the skunk. He also knew the [Danger Sense] skill, so part of the blame was on him. 

Primrose wasn’t that suspicious, which was a good thing. And neither was Niva or Erin. Only Sekh and Tilde knew about my plan. And apparently, I was doing well because Tilde patted my head this morning and said to keep it up.  

And I did keep it up. Later that night, after about another 14 hours of walking.   

But before we packed up camp to start the day, Vamire finally got the fight he wanted, and I was definitely not a match. He counteracted nearly every move I made. If I went high, he went low. I went low, and he went high or used that bullshit {Lightning Teleport} to put me on my ass before pressing the point of his black spear against my throat. He was a fellow practitioner of the Iron Tree Stance, but he was at the point where he could start carving his own branch. He was a master of the fundamentals and incorporated his lighting skills into them. Everything about his movements was sharper and quicker. No matter how I tried to get the advantage, he'd combo the different strikes and dodge before I was even a quarter of the way finished. 

His ability to read the flow of wind—predicting what I was going to do based on how the wind wrapped around my muscles and arms-- was astonishingly impressive.  

I took a lot of beatings. Tilde knew what was coming, so she split early and found a secluded spot to shout and curse at the pain I sent her way. 

But Vamire had [Spear (Lv. 6)] without spending any SP. He said he found his grandfather’s spear and swung it around from the day he could walk. And every day henceforth, for about 49 years, he practiced every morning without breaking his streak.   

He’s only 49? I thought as I picked myself up from the ground and wiped the blood from my lips. He doesn’t look older than 15, really. He’s really youthful... 

Sekh tapped in once I was battered, and Primrose snickered like no tomorrow, which earned her a scolding from Niva. It was a timid one-- with stuttering words and a quiet voice, but it was something. Perhaps Niva realized she couldn't remain passive. In her words, I was her Mistress, and maybe she thought it wouldn't be right to have her spirit openly disrespect me, a High Elf. 

Primrose was taken aback by the sudden words, and a quick, sudden apology left her mouth. The spirit looked like she wanted to cast scorn my way, but she bit her lip and remained focused on the exhibition match. 

My darling Dark Lord of Tyranny fared far better than I did. She wasted no time in going on the offense, and she didn’t allow {Lightning Teleport} to catch her off guard. She predicted it in one of their fights and swung her shield at just the right speed and angle to bash him in the face, which knocked him away. He tumbled a few feet before using {Lightning Jump} to soar fifteen feet in the air. Yellow sparks crackled around him as Kvree stood up. His aloof eyes carefully watched as the mana surrounding Vamire turned into {Lightning Dive}. It was like a light show was dancing around his very being.  

The air sounded like it was being split into two, and one moment he was there, and after another sharp crackle of thunder, he was no longer in the sky.  

And Kvree was no longer next to me. He stood standing in front of Sekh with his shield aimed towards the sky, a tumultuous amount of lightning dancing around the three of them. It lashed out and destroyed the ground, leaving a dozen craters about a foot deep.  

Vamire’s tenacious expression suddenly softened, and Kvree used [Shield Deflect] to aim all of that energy towards the empty plains. Vamire went shooting off like a rocket, and he tumbled at least forty or fifty feet, coming to a sudden halt when he smacked his head into a tree.  

“Sekh!!!” I cried her name and ran over to her. She still held her shield up, and her face... Her expression almost reminded me of the Sekh I saw in that memory. She had this fighting grin and despicable look in her eyes like she thought Vamire was just another sacrifice on her way to ultimate power. The flames that sent so many to the afterlife crackled around her shield. It wasn’t until I grabbed her cheeks that her expression reverted to normal, and the flames died out.  

“Lady Springfield, I am terribly sorry for this,” Oswell said, standing beside us.  

“I expected better from him.” 

“I know. I...” He was at a loss for words. Even after Kvree returned with Vamire’s unconscious body and handed him off to Tactile and Deimpse, who didn’t know how to react, Oswell said very little. In fact, the whole camp was almost deathly silent as the slaves packed up camp. Still, very little was said when we finally hit the road.  

I talked to Sekh about it, and she swore she could have endured it. She wanted the attack to connect because she finally felt alive and in a real fight. 

Yeah. She told me that she wished she could’ve tested her strength against a Soul Warrior. Suppose Vamire’s the next best thing. 

I told her I’d one day be a match for her. She realized the seriousness of her words, then said she didn’t mean to imply that I was weak. I wasn’t mad or upset—not at all. But I teased her about it until she grabbed my hand and laid her head on my shoulder. Then after a quiet and lovely ‘I love you,’ everything was normal.  

Vamire didn’t wake up until after camp was set up for the night. He apologized, rubbed his head, and laughed it off before explaining his love for fighting. He thought there was nothing better than two warriors going at it until one fell of death or exhaustion, and in most cases, it was the latter.   

“I suppose you could call it a personality quirk, hahaha!” he said, laughing it off as the campfire's light was absorbed into Kronto, his obsidian-colored spear. As an added apology, he whispered to us that his spear was about half his power. It was enchanted with lightning skills that helped him conquer the battlefield with the speed of lightning.   

I knew that, though, since Oswell told us about that lightning elemental they killed. Guess it had more than I expected. 

We weren’t near a lake or pond, so there would be no late-night bathing with a pair of Squirrelfolks. While Marcey was probably flicking the bean to the thought of Oswell’s strong arms pressing her against the wall, Bella and Domi sat in our tent to talk about the day. They also apologized on Vamire’s behalf, but I told them it was no sweat. Sekh did the same, especially since she knew about the plan.   

When those two finally returned to their tents, I did what I did the previous night. It was easier, and I was done in about half the time. Especially since Banda was on guard duty with Vamire, and he was drunk out of his mind. He cried to his best buddy in the world about how sorry he was about the earlier incident.  

However, things were not as they seemed. I spied on the rest of the group and discovered something that boiled my blood. 

The curse of greed is too difficult for them to ignore. Those traitorous bastards... After they brought up Niva’s wanted poster, I should’ve realized they were going to pull a fast one on us. 

If I had any reservations-- any at all-- about killing this damn group... 

I didn't have them anymore. This group was going to die, and they were going to deserve it. I was looking forward to hearing their death gurgles.