Millibelle's POV
I sigh with relief. I was able to include the Harmekians in the Demigod talks. I absentmindedly attempt to pat the head of the Argos, unintentionally sinking my hand through the tear in space that it is. All at once, innumerable round, squishy shapes crowd my hand, rubbing themselves all over it.
Goosebumps cause my scales to bristle as I carefully retract my hand, the alien sensation of the space which the Argos' eyeballs inhabit lingering. "Oh, I'm sorry." I notice how dejected it looks at my reaction. Its twin, still an Evil Eye, expectantly moves in front of the Argos.
"Geez, who'd think Undead would be this cuddly?" I mutter as I gently rub its back. The Evil Eye joyfully wags its tail. Jealous, the Argos shoves their sibling away, exposing their back to me so that I may rub it as well. Actually, unless you pay attention to which way its feet point, it's impossible to tell if the Argos is facing you or not.
"We need more arms, so we can pet them all at once."
"S-Shadow! You're awake!" All at once, I split into two just before embracing myself in a hug.
"I'm so sorry I did that to you." I whisper, fighting back tears of joy as the gnawing worry that she'd never wake up again leaves me.
"It was my own fault. I should have taken a bit longer before finishing the Spring. Then I might have been strong enough to survive that hit." My other half whispers back. "Now I'm back, and I'll do my best to never end up like that again."
We recombine, once again becoming one. I'm then swarmed by lovesick Undead. Seems rumors of pets being distributed travel fast among them, even the Death Knight is here.
The Tongue Leech worms its way onto my shoulders whilst the Osseous Slime wedges its 'head' under my right arm. Somewhat hesitantly, the Death Knight kneels in front of me, lowering its head so that I may pat it.
Despite it being an odd scene, I'm thankful that they're like this and not cold, emotionless husks like most undead are portrayed. Perhaps their behavior is influenced by my wishes, but I wouldn't want it any other way. I smile warmly as I pat the bony helmet of the Death Knight.
A loud gasp shatters the mood, as all present look at the source. It's Sakaya, the Grand Priestess. She looks upset, and is running over to us.
"Me too! Don't give all your love to your servants!" She exclaims, somehow completely ignoring the fact that I'm surrounded by Undead. She sits down in front of me and closes her eyes expectantly.
"Oh no, I just caught up on your memories. Is this the 'eros delusion' lady?"
"Yes..." I reply to Shadow as I gently pat Sakaya's head, making sure my sharp nails don't rake her scalp.
"She's kind of cute though."
My entire face becomes hot, and I'm sure that if it wasn't for the velvety fur coating it, I'd be beet red as well. The Tongue Leech curiously nuzzles my cheek, sensitive to the flow of blood beneath. It's actually grown a bit since its birth, and shimmering patterns of azure now cover its skin, no doubt due to me feeding it small amounts of my own blood.
It's able to sustain itself for a week on just a few drops of it, so it's much more efficient than any other kind of blood available. I'm more or less the only one willing to donate anyway...
"Miss Sakaya, was there any specific reason for your visit, other than requesting pats on the head?" I ask sheepishly.
Her face lights up, no doubt remembering why she came here in the first place. "I want to request a date! Even though you're my special one, I don't know much about you, so I wish to go on a date so we can get to know each other better." She smiles sweetly.
"Oh boy, this will be interesting."
I hesitate for a moment, weighing my options. Outright rejection wouldn't do either of us any good, but I'm not even sure how a date between us would work. "W-were there any specific locations you'd like us to visit during our date?" I ask, sheepishly, desperately hoping she wouldn't want to go to a restaurant or somewhere similarly public.
Sakaya blushes slightly as she starts fiddling with the hem of her tunic. "I- I heard from some villager that there's an extensive network of caves stretching beneath the Domain, and that the Hunters think it might cover the entirety of your Domain..." She seems to gather some courage before continuing.
"I also heard that there was a large underground lake where there are Olms. O-Olms are my most favorite monster, but because they're so rare and live in such inaccessible areas I've only ever seen illustrations of them..." Her blush deepens, as if the Olm being her favorite monster was a closely guarded secret.
"So you want us to travel to this underground lake and meet the Olms living there?" I ask, trying to hide the relief in my voice. This should be simple. Bring the Death Knight and the Osseous Slime as protection for Sakaya...
"Yes! And on the way there, we could get to know each other!" I'm almost taken aback by the brilliance of her smile, she's so happy and excited by this.
Seeing her this happy... It makes me happy too...
"If you want, Sakaya, we can go this instant. I've got nothing planned at the moment." Indeed, I'm waiting for things to move along. The construction of the temple won't begin for another week, and it's unknown how long it will take for Dervix to plan out the meeting between the nations. Until then, I've got nothing better to do than lounge around or perhaps go hunting for the two final monsters I need for my Evolution.
Sakaya nods eagerly. "I've got the day free. Actually..." She hesitates for a moment. "I was planning on moving my main residence to Sern'in, so that... so that I may be closer to you." She resumes fidgeting with her hem. "I... I'm aware that my love for you is... It's unnatural... But I can't help it! Even thinking of you, my heart aches because I'm not with you at that moment!" She exclaims.
I suppose it is to be expected, that there is some awareness involved with the Eros Delusion. Even so, you can't fight the mind when it comes down to it. I wonder how she would have reacted if I was the sufferer...
I shove the thought from my head, and get up, gently removing the Tongue Leech from my shoulders. "I hope you'll like your new house, then. If you don't mind, I want to bring these two with us. They won't be able to tell anyone about the things we talk about, and they'll protect you in case we run into a monster that's not under my control." I gesture towards the Death Knight and the Osseous Slime, both straightening their posture in response.
"A-aren't all monsters here under your command?" Sakaya asks nervously.
"Most are, but those that are rated at Six Stars or higher have the freedom to choose. They aren't automatically put under my control." I explain.
"So, if we met a monster that's hostile..."
"These two and I would protect you. Between the three of us, your safety is assured." I reassure her. Sakaya nods before turning towards the two Undead and bowing.
"Please take good care of me." She straightens up and starts walking alongside me as we make our way towards the hole in the earth I made during the Tri-Ant invasion. Judging by my innate knowledge of the layout of my Domain, the underground lake should be about one and a half hour's walk from our current location.
Gently lowering Sakaya and her protectors down the hole via my silk before joining them by walking down the wall elicits a curious look from Sakaya.
"You certainly know many Skills." She comments, brushing off the remaining strands of webbing still stubbornly clinging to her. "I bet some were won from hard fought battles." She seems to expect me to regale her with a tale.
"Ah, well... The silk and wall-climbing I got from fighting a Grand Cave Whip Spider whilst exploring a cavern in the Lair of a Tri-Ant Queen." I begin telling her about the fight, and how I later fought the Tri-Ant Queen herself.
"Wow, to think they dug all the way from where their nest was originally to here." Sakaya muses when I finish. "So that's when you Evolved into a Death Knight, huh." She smiles at the Death Knight who is silently keeping pace with us, as expressionless as ever on account of their hidden face.
"They helped me keep my other servants healthy, so I'm glad I accidentally made them Evolve." I praise, smiling to myself as the Death Knight look off to the side in apparent embarrassment.
Our conversation comes to a halt as we enter a large chamber. The walls seem to have been gouged by something, and there's a pile of glimmering... something... in one corner. The one possibly responsible for this turns to face us as Sakaya lets out a frightened gasp.
The voice of the Rumble Dragon sounds delighted. They tilt their massive head like a curious puppy would.
"I'm just passing through. This human and I are searching for the Olms that live within the underground lake to the north-west of here." I say telepathically, as I gesture to Sakaya who is now almost huddled under my stomach in an attempt to hide from the Dragon.
The Rumble Dragon seems to give a disgusted huff, a puff of sand escaping their nostrils before slowly falling to the floor.
"I do. Mind telling me why you're so negative towards them?" I ask, genuinely curious as to why the most easygoing Dragon would put up a fuss regarding another species.
The Rumble Dragon shudders, a deep rumbling noise emanating from their throat.
"I see." I nod thoughtfully as Sakaya grabs my hand.
"Millibelle, i-is this Dragon a friend? You've been staring each other down for a minute now." She anxiously asks.
"It's fine. This Rumble Dragon was just telling me about the Olms. Let's keep moving, we're still a while away from the lake." I smile reassuringly. The Rumble Dragon steps out of the way, letting us pass the chamber and continue into the increasingly complex cave system.
Seems this part is home to monsters that make their own tunnels. We even catch a glimpse of what World Knowledge tells me is a Giant Mole. Other, smaller, monsters curiously peek out of their little holes that line the tunnel walls as we pass them by, their highly reflective eyes eerily glinting in the shine of my Light Spell.
The ground starts becoming slick with moisture and a thin carpet of luminous moss and lichen, whilst also sloping downwards at an ever increasing gradient. It isn't long before I have to carry the others on my back, as my Fey Step Skill lets me ignore the adverse terrain.
We walk in silence for half an hour or so, Sakaya leaning against my upper torso and just enjoying being carried. The Death Knight seems somewhat indignant of having to be carried by me, whilst the Osseous Slime is radiating joy at getting to perch on my back.
Finally, the tunnel, which has also become increasingly narrow as we've traversed it, opens up into a massive chamber. I can't see the other end of the lake which is taking up most of the room in the chamber, and massive pillars of conjoined stalagmites and stalactites support the ceiling of the room.
There's innumerable spots of light flitting about in the abyssal waters, making it look more like a starry sky come to life than an underground lake. Silver-carapaced Arachnoids seem to almost walk on the air as they move between the pillars jutting out of the water, tending to what seems to be fishing-lines suspended from their webs.
"It's amazing!" Sakaya gasps, her eyes twinkling in the light of my Spell. "Even if we don't see any Olms, I'm glad I got to see this place at least once." She hugs me tightly in gratitude.
"There's a few Olms nearby. Seems they're Minions, so I'll call them over."
Shadow commands the Olms she's sensed to come to us. Long, pale forms undulate towards us from the dark of the lake, growing larger as they near the surface. One by one, four Olms curiously peek out of the water.
Their broad, flat muzzles are covered in thick, fleshy whiskers like those of a catfish. Pinkish white, slightly translucent, scaleless skin covers their long, serpentine bodies. Using magic to retain a bubble of water on their feather-like gill-structures, all four hoist their upper bodies out of the water with surprisingly muscled forelimbs.
Their eyes are completely gone, but a large, pearl-like orb rests in their forehead, seeming to give them some way to discern light from dark.
"I've told them to be nice to Sakaya, so it should be safe for her to approach them."
I nod mentally. "They're under my control, Sayaka. If you want, you can approach them." I don't have to tell her twice, as she eagerly walks up to the quartet, being careful not to slip on the slick covering of algae that coats the shore of the lake. The Death Knight readies their shield and walks alongside her. Although I think it's unnecessary, they've been able to sense danger I couldn't, so I trust their judgement.
Sakaya giggles with delight as she ever so gently reaches out a hand towards one of the Olms. Seeming to sense her, it curiously moves its muzzle towards her palm as its numerous whiskers swivel forward. As the Olm pushes its muzzle into her hand, Sakaya shivers.
"Oh, it's cold, and slimy. But, but I touched it! It let me touch it!" she exclaims excitedly.
All of a sudden, the Olms seem panicked, and the one touching its muzzle to Sakayas hand jerks back. The three other flee into the water as a massive shadow causes all the small lights to scatter. Being a bit further onto land because it was interacting with Sakaya, the fourth Olm can't escape in time.
An acrid smell fills the area as the water around the shadow seems to boil. The unfortunate Olm starts spasming, as if electrocuted, before being yanked into the water. A thick, blueish cloud of blood spreads in the water before the monster responsible raises its massive head out of the water, issuing a roar of challenge to me.
*Grand Coppercoil Eel:
One of the final forms of a Glass Eel. This Ichtyo-oid monster is more than capable of boiling the water around it when using its signature Skill; Discharge. Its very movements cause a buildup of Lightning element, so the longer the fight lasts, the more potent its attacks become. Its skin contains high levels of various metals that easily conduct electricity, however, there's a layer of entirely non-conductive tissue between the skin and the rest of the body, preventing the Coppercoil from damaging itself with its own attacks as long as this layer remains undamaged. Therefore, a deep enough wound would allow a potential hunter to let the monster fry itself as the terrifying currents it wields arc to its insides.
The scaleless skin of all types of Coppercoil Eel are worth lots of money, able to be melted down to extract the precious metals inside. The non-conductive membrane is used to make Lightning Immune armor, or to insulate the handles of weapons that utilize the Lightning element. The flesh and guts are poisonous, and its bones are too thin and brittle to make use of.*
*Rank: 6 Stars*
*Entity is abnormal: It has Doom Resistance (Grand) as well as greatly heightened Core Stats. Revising... Entity is actually an Ancient Grand Coppercoil Eel. Estimated age: 1.500 years.*
The Death Knight quickly scoops up Sakaya and runs into the mouth of the tunnel we came from. It's too small for the Coppercoil to actually get into, and it should be easy to retreat further in to dodge stray spells.
"Seems this one is itching for a fight!"
Shadow cheers with her blood-lust on full display.