Chapter 13 - Preparing for the Trial

Valena's Home

Valena's POV

Finally home. I thought I'd die from all the looks I received on the way here. I can't blame them though. I was carrying what looked like a small child in a far-too-big nightgown. I open the front door, and a familiar thud resounds as Meister launches herself from the stairs down to the floor to greet me.

She stops and sniff the air though, and her body puffs up. "Mroooooorw" A low growl wells from her throat as she postures at me, wings unfolded and tail in full poof. "Put down!" Millibelle orders. "I'm not too sure about that, Meister looks not too pleased with you." I try to get a better grasp on her as she starts to wiggle. "Put down! Say hi to kitty!" She insist. "No!" I try to hold her for dear life.

Suddenly, with a "shlorp" she slides through my grasp. I'm left holding the night gown. She activated Viscous Body to get free of me? "Millibelle, please, what if Meister hits you." I plead as I maneuver the gown back onto her. I don't know if it's because of the Zonked Out status or if this is how she usually is, but she certainly behaves like a little kid.

As she is once again immobilized by the night gown, she hold out her hand and looks away from Meister. Is she making a peace offering? As I watch in amazement, Meister cautiously makes her way over to Millibelle. She sniffs the hand before rubbing her head against it. Millibelle carefully looks at Meister before trying to stroke her cheek. One rub is all that is allowed before Meister retreats upstairs again.

"W- what did you just do?" I've never seen such an interaction between monsters. But it was a textbook example of introducing oneself to a Cat. "Say hi to kitty!" Millibelle cheerfully explains as she holds her hands up for me to pick her up again. "How did you learn that? How to greet Meister I mean." I ask as I pick her back up. "Had Cats once, befowe this." Millibelle responds.

Eh? Before this? "What do you mean, before this?" I start making my way upstairs. I'd much rather introduce her to mother after she is back to normal. She needs a good bath too...

"Befowe monster." She states, as if that made much more sense. I guess I'll ask Mina what that could mean tomorrow.

I put Millibelle on the bed as I start to prepare a bath. I take care to lock the bedroom door, just in case. She immediately changes back into her normal form, the nightgown disappearing as she does so. "Where do you put it? The nightgown I mean." I ask her through the open bathroom door.

"Hidden place!" She demonstratively makes a rock appear in her hand. "Is it a Skill?" I ask, checking the temperature of the water running from the faucet. "Uhuh!" She makes the rock vanish again. Never heard of a Skill like that. Gonna need to take a trip to the library and look it up I guess.

"Come now, time for a bath." I pick up her up. Her face lights up at the sight of the warm, bubble coated water. "Oooh" She coos as I lower her into the tub. She sinks into it, leaving her head the only thing above water. I leave her to soak for a bit before changing out of my clothes, leaving just my underwear on. That way, if she starts making a mess, my clothes wont be soaked.

When I return, she has started rubbing her arms and chest. "Should I get your back?" I ask. She nods, absentmindedly. I start rubbing her neck, working downwards around her wings. The fur is especially thick and long right where the wings join the body, so I spend some time on that. I admire the design of the wings. The tips where on a dragon or a wyvern there would be a pointy end or a vestigial claw, there was a round patch of skin that's thicker than the rest of the membrane, not unlike the toe-pads of an Amphiboid.

We finish rubbing her down, and the once white foam has turned a distinct shade of grey. The water has darkened as well. I drain the water whilst Millibelle is still in the tub. I grab the shower-head to rinse off the rest of the suds. Once that is done, I place a towel on the ground so she doesnt slip everywhere. Placing her on the towel, she gets down on all fours and shakes herself vigorously.

"Ah!" I cry out as most of the bathroom and I are drenched. Millibelle looks sheepishly at me with an apologetic grin on her face. "Sowwy!" She says as she waves her paws about. Slowly, the water drains and forms into a ball that hovers in midair above the tub. "Control: Water?" I ask as I look in amazement at the spectacle.

"Uhuh!" Millibelle says as the water is dropped into the tub. I retrieve another towel and dry her off properly. Once all that is finished, she toddles over to the bed and hops ontop of it before curling up by the foot end. "nite nite" She mumbles as she dozes off. I sigh with relief as I finish cleaning up and get ready for bed myself. After all the exitement today I dont mind an early night.

Valena's Room, Near dawn

Millibelle's POV

*Status Updated: All Cleared*

That notification woke me up. I stretch and look around. Where am I? Last I remember... A pink orb? And then I'm just getting fragments. I seem to be in a bedroom of sorts. I look at the person sleeping in the bed. It's! Valena! What?!

*Recap: After being hit by the Mesmerize spell, you were Zonked Out. In the time between then and now, you've managed these feats:

- Stopping a heist.

- Rejecting a stupid name.

- Accepting a good name.

- Taken a good bath.*

Wait. Hold up. I've been named? Let me check.

Millibelle

Species: Little Monarch (???) (Unique)

Gender: Female

HP: 1250/1250 *MAX*

MP: 1875/1857 *MAX*

SP: 1250/1250 *MAX*

Attack: 250

Armor: 350

M.Attack: 250

M.Armor: 350

Speed: 300

STR: 250 (+25%) (550) *MAX*

CON: 250 (+25%) (575) *MAX*

INT: 250 (+25%) *MAX*

WIL: 250 (+25%) (340) *MAX*

DEX: 250 (+25%) (300) *MAX*

Everything else is the same... What does the (+25%) mean?

*The (+25%) means your core stat maximum Is increased by 25%.*

Ah, so that's why my INT stat doesn't have the true stat in brackets anymore, its all there, free for the taking. Actually, how do I compare to a humanoid? Let's see. I inspect Valena.

Valena Argenfeather

Species: Ayvin (Humanoid) (Uncommon)

Gender: Female

Status: Diseased: Bloodlung (Normal - Suppressed) - Asleep (Grand)

HP: 150

MP: 100

SP: 100

Attack: 75

Armor: 80

M.Attack: 70

M.Armor: 85

Speed: 100

STR: 75

CON: 60

INT: 70

WIL: 65

DEX: 80

Skills:

Language Comprehension: Common (Great)  -  Language Comprehension: Ayvin (Normal)

Air's Blessing (Great - Unique (Ayvin))  -  Sword Proficiency (Normal)

Ambidextrous (Grand)  -  Whirlwind Blades (Great)

Social Titles:

Guild Master's Relative - Unlicensed Hunter

Aspirant  -  Monarch Namer

Oh! Her stats are higher than that of a goblin at least! But I don't really know if her stats are better or worse than that of any other humanoid...

*Humanoids tend to average out around 25-40 in Core Stats, with the highest recorded Core stat being 100. Although monsters are ranked with stars, humanoids follow a lettered ranking system from F to S.

- F: Common folk who've never seen combat and thus has had no need for their stats to increase through combat.

- E: Trained towns-guard or hunters who've recently started out. Most unlicensed Hunters are ranked E.

- D: Hunters who've just succeeded in their Trial and gotten official Guild approval are of this rank. At this point rank starts to influence what kind of missions the hunter is given.

- C: Hunters who've spent five or more years hunting are considered C rank. Most hunters in the guild are ranked C, as the individuals genetics starts playing a much larger role in whether or not their stats keep increasing along with their experiences.

- B: Each large city keeps a handful of B rank Hunters on standby at all times to handle imminent monster threats to the city. Very rarely seen in smaller towns as their services are made better use of in the larger cities.

- A: The peak a normal person not blessed by the Divine can hope to achieve. Only a handful exist in a kingdom at any time, and they often travel between kingdoms to offer their services where needed.

- S: The peak of Humanoid ability. Blessed by the gods, their core stats have reached the max of 100. Only one or two are born each generation, and they change the course of history with their strength.

Valena seems to lie somewhere in A or maybe even S rank possibility with her stats being this high at such a young age.*

Wow. She's far above the average with stats like those! I check the time, there's still a while before sunrise, but I'm not sleepy. Maybe I can do something with the nightgown I wear when in my humanoid form... Is there anything I can do with it though...

*Suggestion: Use Magic Tool Crafting to turn it into Octopus Cloth, a Magic Tool in the form of a length of cloth that can take any shape and color to form clothes.*

Oooh, that sounds perfect! I get to work on it immediately. Valena didn't stir for another few hours after sunrise, so I had plenty of time to make it.

*Magic Tool created: Octopus Cloth (Uncommon)*

The nightgown has gone from being, well, a nightgown with frills, to a soft and stretchy bolt of cloth. Now how to use it... I hop off the bed and change into my humanoid form. I then wrap the cloth around me and imagine an outfit. Something cute yet functional. The cloth shifts and twists around me as it takes the shape I imagined.

The result is a simple gray-green shirt with holes for my wings, pants that reach just below my knees, a simple, short frilly skirt above the pants, and durable shoes that guard my shins. Incredible! And this took just a few hours to make?

*Your aptitude with Magic is among the highest in the world. With time, only the Elder Dragons with their eons of practicing their single element will surpass you.*

Oh... So, for a normal humanoid this would have taken?

*Weeks or months.*

H-huh...

Turning my attention back to Valena, I decide to test something. Sharing my Status Resistance: Disease (Great) with her should make the Bloodlung be cured, right?

*Correct, as long as the Status is at or below the tier of the Skill it should be removed.*

Nice! I use Guard Share on Valena. She stirs slightly before turning over in her sleep. I check her status.

Status: Asleep (Normal)

Good, the disease is gone. Now I guess I'll just have to wait until she wakes up...

A knock on the door cuts my waiting time short. Valena wakes with a start. "Valena, honey, are you there? You didn't come for supper yesterday so I was worried." The voice of a lady comes through from the other side of the door.

"Ah- I um, ate with friends! So I wasn't hungry!" Valena hurriedly comes up with an excuse as she scrambles out of her bed. "It's breakfast now, I'd love to have your company." The lady informs before steps are heard leaving the door.

"This will get interesting." Valena mumbles as she wrestles her shirt over her head. As she pops out on the other side she takes in the sight before her. "You... are dressed." She states, dumbfounded. I show her that I'm wearing an Octopus Cloth. "Wh- WHERE did you get THAT? That's super expensive!" She exclaims. Is it? I could probably make a living selling these then.

I put the Cloth back on. "Made it." I inform. I can almost see her eye twitching. Valena stares at me for a bit, before continuing to get dressed. "You know what, just as well. Then I don't have to get clothes for you." She mutters as she finishes getting dressed. Is she upset? Did I do something wrong?

Seemingly sensing my distress, she pats my head gently. "Don't worry, I'm just a bit overwhelmed with all that has happened these few days." She smiles at me and offers me her hand. Unlocking the bedroom door and making our way downstairs, I can sense the discomfort radiating off of her. She's dreading whatever is waiting in the dining room.

"Good morning honey..." A middle aged woman, dressed in an elegant dress, sits at the table. Her voice trails off as she spots me. "What- Who? Who is this?" She asks, her tone shifting subtly towards annoyance. "Uh. This is Millibelle. She had nowhere to go, so Mina Bluspark asked me to look after her as a foster. She's a Changeling." Valena explains.

"You know full well how I feel about... her kind" A flash of disgust in her eyes as she says that last word. Are Changelings that bad? "Mother, please. It's only for a while. We'll mostly be out of the house anyways, so you wont even see her that often." Valena pleads.

"Knowing that she is here is bad enough." Valenas mother says as she rises from her seat, leaving her breakfast unfinished. "I'll be in the garden if you need me." She states as she leaves the room. An almost icy atmosphere is left in her wake. Valena sighs and relaxes the tension she seemingly had in her as her mother left.

"That's my mother. She's... Not the fondest of companion Monsters. She tolerates Meister only because she belonged to grandma." She explains as she usurps her mothers spot at the dining table. I hesitantly get onto a chair of my own. It's a bit tricky, as i'm so small. Valena hands me a glass of milk and some buttered bread. "Put whatever you like on it." She instructs.

Eyeing the table, I select some smoked sausage in slices and place it on my bread. My eyes almost water at the heavenly taste. It's been so long since I've had proper human food! I savor every bite, occasionally drinking some milk. Wait, where does the milk come from? I thought all monsters laid eggs?

*Mammaloid Class monsters carry their eggs internally until right before they hatch as a means to keep mobile during gestation. Afterwards a nutritious milk is fed to the hatchling for a few days after birth to stimulate rapid growth. Some monsters, such as the Bihorn have been bred to produce milk for longer, giving humanoids the possibility to harvest it for themselves. Even so it is considered a drink for the high class due to its price.*

Oh so them being mammaloid isn't just because they look like mammals from my old world, they actually have mammaries. Got it. I finish my breakfast, and me and Valena head outside. "Where?" I ask. "The guild. Mostly to check in on my grandfather, maybe pick up a mission." She explains. Hm, I hope her grandfather is nicer than her mother...

Making our way through the street, no-one takes any real note of me. Those that do quickly avert their eyes for some reason. I wonder why? The Guild Hall is rather close to Valenas home, so we don't spend too much time on the street. There is quite a few people inside, of all races and they're all wearing armor of some sort.

The bustle of close to a hundred people talking at once quiets down as we enter. All eyes are on us. I hide behind Valena, I suddenly feel very vulnerable. Valena seems to ignore the stares and heads towards a staircase on the right. I try my best to follow behind as close as possible.

Just as we get close to the staircase, our path is blocked. Two shady looking men, one with hair not unlike sea-grass; the other with flowing red locks that shifts shades like Minas stand before us. I can practically smell the malevolence coming from them. A third man with big boar tusks jutting out of his lower jaw comes up behind us.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" The flame-haired one asks. "And what is this?" The sea-grass one nods towards me. "Grandpa helping you out by giving you a companion monster?" "Widdle Valena can't pass her trial on her own so she needs help?" What's these guys problem?

"Why don-t you give it to one of us, so you can do your trial properly?" The boar-tusked man makes a grab for me. I really want to bite him, but that would just land Valena in more trouble... "Why don't you three fuck off and leave me alone for once? Or are your fragile masculinity so easily hurt by a girl being stronger than you?" Valena hisses. If words could carry poison, these would be toxic.

"Ooh, we're so scared, what're you gonna do? Tell on us to grandpa?" Sea-grass mockingly cowers before her. I can't stand these guys, if only I could do something without getting Valena in even more trouble... I can just imagine if I did something and they'd start crying about her needing me to do everything for her or something...

"No need for that, I already know. I don't need to remind you three that you're already in trouble. Defaulting on a mission, pestering female Hunters, and now threatening theft of someones companion monster?" A gruff male voice comes from the top of the stairs.

"I hardly see why we should bother keeping your lot around. Seems all you're doing is using your Guild membership as a shield against repercussions." An old man with silver feathers in his thinning hair walks down the staircase. I'm guessing this is Valenas grandfather?

"S-sir! We didn't-" The three men salute and frantically start trying to weasel out of the situation. "You three, your licences are hereby suspended until further notice." An icy cold glare silences the thugs. Valena pushes past them and joins her grandfather on the stairs. I hurry to follow after them.

Once we're inside an office, Valena sighs heavily and slumps down into a chair before the desk. "Ugh, why wont they just leave me alone? I don't remember brother having this much resistance to him becoming a Hunter..." She looks over to her grandfather. I pick up a chair and move it next to Valenas.

"Your brother spent relatively little time in this city before leaving for the Capital. One of the reasons was the negative pressure of everyone knowing who he was. Though I suppose it was in a way opposite of what you're experiencing." The old man settles down into the office chair and starts fishing out some papers.

"Changing the subject, I suppose this is the Little Monarch?" He finishes gathering papers before nodding towards me. "Yes, this is Millibelle. Millibelle, this is Brekiv Argenfeather, Guild Master, and my grandfather." Valena introduces us. Oh, now things make sense! They think she's getting special treatment because she's the granddaughter of the Guild Master!

"Hewwo" I cheerfully greet him. He startles, like he just got a shock of electricity. "It- er, she can talk?" He stammers. "Didn't Mina tell you? She knows a few words and phrases in Common, but seems to be fluent in Goblin and knows at least some Kobold." Valena explains.

"She did, I just- didn't think such a thing was possible." Brekiv seems lost in thought for a moment. "Ah, yes, I was to give you this. Mina came by with the paperwork for Millibelle this morning. Seems she pulled all sorts of strings to fast-track it." He hands Valena a thin stack of papers, on top of which is a brass colored card.

"Everything should be in order, you're now officially the owner of Millibelle the Changeling." Valena inspects the brass card. Not dissimilar to a credit card in shape and design, it has a small stylized depiction of me on it. "Is this okay though? I mean, Millibelle didn't really get to choose, did she?" Valena looks at me.

But I did though, didn't I? I chose the name she gave me... Does she regret my choice? "Don't worry, this is temporary until permanent arrangements can be made. Besides, a monster so intelligent as Millibelle is most likely able to choose their Namer for themselves, not accepting the first and best name offered to them." Brekiv retrieves a scroll. "From what Mina told me, one of the thieves tried to name her after subduing her with Mesmerize, but she retaliated against him, before choosing the name you gave her." He says as he reads the scroll. I guess that is Minas report?

"I guess you're right... Was there anything else?" Valena seems slightly relieved by her grandfathers reasoning. "Yes, actually. In lieu of a suitable Dungeon, I've decided to give you a pilgrimage type trial." Brekiv fetches a map from a case next to the desk. Rolling it out, he points to a round dot with some letters next to it. The subtitles show up again, translating the text as G'cal City. Near the dot is a large blob of dark green that takes up most of the east part of the map labeled Illomen Forest.

"You will travel through the Wilds to the capital of B'dur." He traces a line towards a larger dot in the north. "You are to avoid the roads and towns, living off the land until you reach your destination. Of course, you'll be accompanied by Lentil, Tersa and Safyr. They'll offer combat assistance, but otherwise you'll be on your own." He explains.

"You'll set out tomorrow, spend this day preparing what you need for the trial." He rolls the map back up and puts it back in its case. "I've already informed the others. They said to meet up by the west gate an hour after sunrise tomorrow. Good luck Valena."

I get the distinct feeling that there are ulterior motives to this sudden trial... Valena nods and rises from her chair. I follow suit, and together we leave the office. "So, now to figure out what we need..." Valena mumbles to herself as we go down the stairs. Actually, what do I have in storage?

*Current Inventory:

- 1 x Shortbow (Common)

- 20 x Arrow (Common)

- 1 x Sleeping Bag

- 1 x Razorback Dagger (Uncommon)

- 1 x Tear of Ashala (Legendary - Unique)

- 1 x Toxic Spear (Primitive - Twisted)

- 1 x Stone Saw (Rare)

- 2 x Stone Axe (Common)

- 6 x Toxic Mush

- 2 x Beelzetoad Eye

- 1 x Beelzetoad Tongue

- 2 x Long Bones

- 2 x Quartz Deer Antler

- 1 x Slime Core

- 100 liters of Water

- Ca. 100 Kg (~220 lbs) of Wood

- Ca. 50 Kg (~110 lbs) of Rock*

That's a decent amount of stuff! We'll have no problem making campfires at least... We make our way towards what seems to be a market. "Lets see how the repairs to my armor are going." Valena says as we enter what looks to be an equipment shop. "Can I help you with anything?" A cheerful girl asks.

"I'm here to check on my armor. Valena Argenfeather." The girl starts flicking through a massive book. "Hmm, yes, it's just finished! I'll go get it for you." She hops down from something and vanishes behind the counter. A door opens and closes in the back, before she returns, wheeling in an armature clad in what I assume is Valenas armor. It's the same armor she was wearing when I first met her.

"That will be five Silver, fifty Copper!" The girl pokes her head out from behind the armature. She can't be more than twelve, she's still got gaps where her milk teeth fell out. Valena rummages through her purse and fishes out the coins. "This should be enough?" She hands the coins over to the girl, who with the speed of a professional counts them over. "Yep, all here. Hope to see you again!" The girl salutes and heads back behind the counter.

"Ah, Millibelle, could you... Do that thing?" Valena gestures at the armor. Hmm? What thing?

*She is probably trying to ask you to use the Hidden Space Skill.*

Oh! Of course! I walk up and store the armor, leaving the armature barren. "Thank you. That Skill is going to make it much easier to prepare." Valena smiles at me. But when did I show her it?

*When you were Zonked Out.*

Oh. Oh well.

We spend most of the day visiting various shops and buying things that could be useful during the trial. Around halfway through the day I got this nasty feeling of being watched though. Just to confirm suspicions I started tracking the three troublemakers, and sure enough, they were following us around. Sticking close to corners or just far enough away that they could see us but not be noticed. What a bunch of creeps.

By the time we were done, Valena had spent most of her money, so it was time to head home. I am getting hungry too, so it's just as well. As we enter the manor, the three dots of the thugs disperse. Seems the stalking is over for today...

"Valena, you're home! Supper is just ready, so come take a seat." Valenas mother calls from the dining room door. Also, a large feline form approaches me. "Mrrrp" it slowly blinks at me. I slowly blink back by reflex, having owned cats in my previous life. "Seems Meister has warmed up to you. She was all hiss and spit yesterday." Oh right, I probably met her whilst I was Zonked Out and thus I don't remember it.

I offer my hand. Meister sniffs it before rubbing her head on it. Then she leaves for the dining room. Valena and I follow. Brekiv is sitting by the table along with Valenas mother. Seems they're eating stew?

Valena takes a seat, and I'm about to when her mother gives me a frigid glare. "Monsters dine on the floor." She commands.

"Mother, please." Valena pleads. Her mothers glacial stare moves to her. "I will not allow it at my table." She states simply. Valena looks to me, seems this is out of her hands. I sit down on the floor and accept a bowl of stew. It tastes amazing, but I can't help but feel that it'd taste even better if I was sitting at the table...

I finish my meal quickly, and wait for Valena to finish hers. Seems my presence is causing trouble in the family...

"Please forgive her. She's had this... Hatred for companion monster since father died." Valena explains as we're getting ready for bed. "How?" I ask.

"Some asshole was mistreating his companion monster. Hitting it, verbally abusing it, refusing to feed it properly if he felt it didn't deserve it. The monster became Hateful in the middle of the city, and father was killed in the resulting chaos. Since then, mother's been convinced that all monsters are well, monsters waiting for the opportunity to strike." Valena somberly tells.

"Sowwy..." I pat her knee as she's sitting on the bed. It's obvious this is difficult for her too. It also puts things into perspective. Why she's so hesitant about me being her companion monster. "It's okay. I've moved on as best I could. Mother however..." Valena slips under the covers as I clamber onto the bed. "Anyway, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow is the start of the trial after all." She says as she turns off the lights.

I slept fitfully that night, as if I was dreading whatever was going to happen tomorrow.