Monster Girl Saga

(Author’s Note: First off, I’d like to apologize for the enormous amount of time that has passed since my last update. There’s little justification for that other than I had a dry spell intermixed with periods of not feeling very well. This is all in the past now, though. I’m finally back to writing.

Secondly, I noticed some people on AFF.net ask questions in their reviews. I cannot answer them there, as it’d make my already long chapters even longer, but if you check my AFFN profile, you’ll find links to other places where I am active, and can go there to find me and ask me directly. Or just leave a return E-mail address.

Now, enjoy and I hope this chapter was worth the wait.)

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CHAPTER 13

Warm Heart, Cold Heart

--Somewhere in Central Sentora--

The creature rebounded against a large tree trunk and leapt away, propelling itself into the cold morning air with its powerful legs. Behind it, a sizzling sound filled the air as the tree it leapt away from began to burn, the fire slowly spreading from the clawed foot imprints the creature left on it.

It was a being unlike any other in the world, a massive, horned humanoid shape whose entire body was wreathed in flames. There was no trace of the soft, enticing female shape that monsters possessed: it was a hulking mass of fire, flesh and bone, devoid of any sexual characteristic. Its body wasn’t meant for pleasure - only for destruction. Every time the creature touched something, however briefly - be it with hands, feet or any other body part - it either ignited the surface it touched or left a scorched mark on it.

The creature suddenly changed direction. It had been wandering aimlessly, bound southwest towards the desert surrounding the Sabasa Kingdom, but now it pointed straight south, towards the San Irias area.

It had no mind of its own, but it did have a memory. And that memory now echoed within its being, giving it purpose. It told the creature where prey was.

And the creature began to hunt.

--Port Natalia, morning--

Luka awoke with a groan, feeling sore, tired and drained of strength. Slowly, he rolled over and shifted to his side, eyes still closed, reluctantly attempting to get up and out of the bed. As he did so, however, he bumped into something and paused as he heard a mumble of protest. Cracking his eyes open, he froze as he found himself face to face with Alice’s sleeping visage. After a few instants of confused panic, he remembered the previous night’s events and, more importantly, he realized that the room he and the Echidna had spent the night in only had one bed. Logically, Alice chose to sleep in the most comfortable spot.

What surprised him was the fact she didn’t force him out of the bed. In fact, she’d let him sleep, and didn’t even hog all the sheets, leaving him enough to be covered and warm.

Luka blushed slightly as he slowly and cautiously turned the other way and sat upright on the bedside, partly due to the soreness of his muscles, and partly because he didn’t want to wake Alice up. Sighing quietly, he began to rub his aching body, shaking his head.

“I don’t understand why I'm so sore,” he murmured quietly as he massaged his legs. “I feel worse than I did after spending the whole night with Sophie, and I didn’t nearly exert myself as much as I did then. So why…?”

“That’s because Alicefeeze’s power isn’t comparable with that of the Queen Harpy,” a familiar voice chimed in as Steelburn made her presence known within his mind. “It’s only natural that you’re so sore. As a matter of fact, I am surprised you can move at all. Lesser men would have died even from this much.”

Died?! Come on now, aren’t you exaggerating? Luka replied as he kept rubbing his limbs. I know that monsters find it hard to stop before fatally wearing a man out, but…

“I never cease to be amazed at how ignorant human Heroes can be about how exactly Critical Ecstasy works, seeing how likely they are to have to deal with it,” Steelburn commented in a somewhat amused tone. At Luka’s unspoken question, she continued. “Humans think that Critical Ecstasy happens because a monster takes advantage of a man’s moment of vulnerability during orgasm, and saps his strength. That is partly true; Succubi and other similar beings are just the ones most obviously capable of energy draining, but all monsters are inherently capable of it. Other monster races simply drain energy at a level too minimal to notice. And, I must add, the more powerful a monster is, the more noticeable the energy drain can be. But that’s not all there is to it.”

So then what else causes Critical Ecstasy, and what does that have to do with me feeling like I was trampled by an angry Behemoth? Luka asked as he slowly got up and headed for the bathroom, intending to take a hot bath to relax his aching muscles.

“Dark power,” Steelburn replied simply. Luka waited without speaking, and she continued. “Monsters are the children of the Dark God, Alicefeeze - the creator of monsterkind, and the founder of the Fateburn lineage. Because of this, they all possess a certain amount of Dark power - and the stronger a monster is, the more they possess. And - this is important, so don’t forget it - they also constantly radiate Dark power around them.”

Constantly? Luka murmured as he opened the bathroom door and walked in, thinking. Is that the reason why the continent of Hellgondo is said to have a different atmosphere than other parts of the world? Because it’s the home of the strongest monsters in the world, and their Dark power affects the air itself?

“Very good. You’re paying attention,” Steelburn confirmed, approval evident in her voice. “Now… the theory according to which monsters take advantage of a man’s orgasm to rob him of his strength isn’t entirely wrong, as I explained. Monsters do exploit the moment in which a man reaches climax. In that moment, a human body’s defenses temporarily shut down, and they are completely vulnerable to a number of things a monster can do to them. The biggest one, however - the one thing that happens every time - is that their body is suddenly unprotected from Dark power. And… the power of darkness isn’t compatible with a human male’s body under normal circumstances.”

Wait… you mean that the reason why Critical Ecstasy happens isn’t just because a monster sucks out a man’s strength, but because the monster’s own power enters the man’s body at the same time? Luka asked, pausing in surprise as he reached for the bathtub’s water faucet. And it causes a... bad reaction, of sorts?

“Precisely,” Steelburn replied, giving the mental equivalent of a nod. “And the stronger a monster is, the more Dark power they give off… which, in turn…”

...Explains why I was so exhausted when I had sex with Sophie, and why even the brief time with Alice last night wore me out so badly, the young Hero concluded, rubbing his chin. A Queen-level monster eclipses regular ones, and in turn, the Monster Lord eclipses a Queen. I’d probably be in even worse shape if we had gone further than we did.

“Indeed,” the spirit agreed. “Also, because the negative reaction weakens the man’s body, he will be more prone to dying from fatigue, should the monster’s passion prove too overwhelming. This makes it very difficult for high level monsters to find suitable mates. They can’t lavish the man they love with all the passion they are capable of, or he might die. So, alternative solutions must be sought out…”

Huh… I had no idea that being powerful could be so complicated, Luka commented as he opened the water faucet. He then paused in confusion, seeing no water coming out.

“Don’t waste your time,” a voice behind him spoke up. The young man turned around and spotted Alice, now under her human disguise, watching him from the door, tiredly rubbing her eyes. “The innkeeper dropped by this morning and informed us that the water supply was damaged in yesterday’s bombing. Most of town is without water.”

“...what?!” Luka asked incredulously. “The damage was that extensive?”

“It would seem so. I’m told that the town’s water supply was ensured by two water towers behind the school, and the explosion caused the largest one to collapse,” the Echidna nodded, shuffling up to him. “As a result, there’s no running water in the entire west side of town, and most of the center is also waterless.”

“Unbelievable… how can one man do this much damage?” Luka shook his head, bewildered. “I’ve read of monster raids with less severe results than this one…”

“You severely underestimate the power of a determined individual fighting for a cause, young Hero,” Steelburn chided him. “Well, it seems you have other things to worry about than my lessons. Perhaps you should explore town and assess the damage yourself?”

That’s a good idea, Steelburn. I’ll do that, Luka agreed with the spirit. I’ll be talking to you again later, though. You seem to be very knowledgeable, and I’d like to take advantage of your wisdom.

“Of course. Ask and I shall answer any questions you may have,” Steelburn replied. “Knowledge is always useful… of course, it has to be the right knowledge, so be sure to ask the right questions. Go now… experiencing the world is important, too.”

Before Luka could ask what she meant, the pressure in his head vanished, and Steelburn’s presence was gone.

“Well then… owww,” Luka groaned as he stretched, his muscles aching in protest. Alice peered at him, looking slightly concerned.

“...You look awfully tired. Did I overdo it last night?” she asked him as he walked up to her.

“Huh? Nah, it’s not your fault,” Luka reassured her, shaking his head before he left the bathroom and slowly approached the table. “Steelburn explained me a few things, and I can’t really blame you for being so powerful. If anything, I’m the one who has to get tougher. ...well, that does assume you’d want to repeat last night in the future. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself…?”

“Maybe just a little,” Alice scolded him, walking up to a chair and getting seated, but there was a smile on her lips. “Honestly, though, I enjoyed myself. I wouldn’t mind a repeat… but yes, you probably do have to toughen up a bit.” Her smile turned teasing as she licked her lips. “Maybe I should start giving you ‘special training’... that should be fun.”

“Please don’t. I’d like to be able to do something other than crawl out of bed moaning every morning,” Luka answered good-naturedly as he sat on a chair. He then grew a bit more serious. “That said, it’s good to know that you enjoyed yourself. The whole point of last night was that I wanted you to relax and forget bad things for a while, and if I’d failed even at that, well… some Hero I’d be.”

“I’m not sure a Hero’s job description includes relieving grieving damsels’ burdens with his manhood, you know,” the Echidna sniped cheekily. Luka blushed, glaring at her.

“Hey! Don’t make it sound like I’m some sort of sex crazed maniac!” he protested. He then paused, pondering. “...Is that really the impression I give?”

“Well… honestly? From a monster’s point of view, you’d be the ideal man. You freely offer her your tasty semen, don’t make a fuss, and let her enjoy herself,” she commented, crossing her arms and smirking. “From a faithful human’s point of view, however, the impression you give is probably more along the lines of ‘HERESY! BURN the INFIDEL at the STAKE!’. Or something equally melodramatic.”

“...what about humans who aren’t zealots?” Luka asked with a glare. “Monsters’ opinions are obvious, and I don’t really care about how much of a heretic I am and how much purging I need in the eyes of some wizened old codger of a priest who probably still thinks sex is evil and girls have cooties just because Ilias says so.”

Alice threw her head back and laughed out loud at that, amused by his remarks. Luka patiently waited for her fit of laughter to pass, then pointedly gave her an inquisitive look, demanding an answer. Alice wiped some tears of mirth from her eyes, still giggling.

“I’ll never get tired of the complete and open contempt you show for the Church,” she told him. “It’s a refreshing attitude to see in a human, even if it may cause you trouble.” Calming down, she pondered his last question. “Normal humans not obsessed by religion, eh… well, Happiness Village is a good example. You’re pretty much a local Hero to them now. That red-haired girl in particular - Silvina, was it? You could demand even the most demeaning action of her and she’d do it without complaining. She adores you, and I don’t think it’s a childish crush.”

“...I’m not asking how easily I could get laid, you know,” Luka pointed out. He then sighed. “Silvina… um, she really startled me. Keeping her virginity intact for me? That came out of left field. I wonder… Sophie seemed amused. Did she know about this?”

“I’m pretty sure she did. I saw the two of them talking, and I could swear she was encouraging her to throw herself at you,” Alice commented with a smug grin. Luka gave her a flat stare.

“What,” was all he said. Alice grinned.

“Harpies really like babies. Not necessarily their own,” the Echidna reminded the boy Hero. “And the Queen has a particularly strong motherly instinct. If you really think Sophie is going to settle for just three kids to spoil and raise, you’re deluding yourself. One way or another, she’s going to try and make that number rise, even if they aren’t her own.” She chuckled, hiding her mouth behind a slender hand. “I wouldn’t worry too much about having kids with other women, be they human or monsters. Sophie isn’t going to mind - on the contrary, she’s going to be ecstatic if you bring a whole lot of cute babies back home with you when your journey ends.”

“Gaaaah… what have I gotten myself into?” Luka muttered as he cupped his face in his hands. “I wanted a big family, not an army…”

“Should’ve thought about that before becoming a Harpy Queen’s mate~” Alice teased him in a singsong voice. The young man shot her a tired look.

“I’m too bushed to even get properly mad at your teasing,” he announced as he slowly picked himself up from the chair and trudged towards the room’s door. “I’m going to take a walk around the market, see how things are going after yesterday’s attack. And hopefully take my mind off the whole baby-making thing.”

With those words, Luka opened the door, stepped out and slammed it shut again. Alice smirked at his sudden departure.

“Still too easy. You need to grow a thicker skin, Luka~” she chuckled in amusement. Teasing the young Hero never got old.

----

A few minutes later, Luka slowly walked down Port Natalia’s main road and towards the port, taking in his surroundings. He grimaced as he noticed a number of people, both humans and mermaids, walking around carrying buckets and sometimes whole barrels, obviously full of pure water if the sloshing coming from them was any indication. The passersby barely glanced at him, going about their business with tired expressions on their faces. Luka shook his head as he kept walking. Lazarus’s attack hadn’t just caused physical damage: it also apparently lowered the town’s morale as a whole.

As he reached the port’s plaza, he glanced around and immediately saw the familiar figure of Mernel, the mermaid from the previous day. Her stand looked mostly repaired, although it was still visibly damaged here and there, and the mermaid was busy around her grill. Luka approached her, curious.

“Good morning, Mernel. I hope I didn’t cause too much damage yesterday?” he greeted her, causing her to yelp and jump in place in surprise. Turning around, she gave him a frightened look, which quickly turned to annoyance as she recognized him.

“You scared me!” she berated him. “You can’t sneak up on people at work like this! It’s impolite and even dangerous!”

“Sorry…” Luka replied, scratching his head sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m glad to see you’re getting back on your feet.”

“Yeah… this explosion was actually sort of a blessing to me,” Mernel commented as she calmed down. “The town hall refunded me far more than the value of my stand. I have some leftover money. I wanted to use it for a new dress, but… I decided to keep it for emergencies.” The mermaid then peered at Luka. “I’m glad to see you’re up, you know. I really thought you were going to die when you got thrown into my stand by that explosion. I’m impressed… you’re very tough.”

“Hmm. I had a good trainer,” he nodded. “She ensured I'd be fit, and taught me how to fight. I owe to her most of what I know. It’s thanks to her that I could become a wandering Hero.”

“Oh, you’re a Hero? That’s odd… normally, Heroes don’t associate with monsters,” she commented, giving him a calculating look. Seemingly reaching a decision, she nodded to herself. “Say… there’s a favor I’d like to ask. Someone like you is just what I needed. You see, a friend of mine is in need of a strong warrior to run a somewhat dangerous errand in her stead. Perhaps you would be willing to…?”

“So long as it’s nothing illegal, I don’t see why I should refuse,” Luka replied with a smile. “After all, a Hero’s duty is to help people, isn’t it? Give me the details.”

“I’ll just give you my friend’s address, so that you can ask her yourself,” Mernel replied as she grabbed a piece of paper from behind her stand and quickly scribbled a few directions on it. She gave him the paper with a smile. “It’s nothing dishonest, don’t worry. My friend’s name is Meia. Follow the directions I wrote here and you’ll find her house. Tell her I sent you. And… thank you for your help.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m always glad to help,” he told her, pocketing the piece of paper. He then glanced at her stand with interest. “Say… what do you sell exactly? I did promise to buy something…”

“Ah! That’s right!” Mernel exclaimed as she turned towards the grill and began removing pieces of food from it. Setting them on a tray, she placed it on her stand, and gave Luka an eager look. “See, it’s grilled seafood. I’ve got grilled starfish and grilled anemone…”

“Starfish… anemone…?” Luka asked, looking dubious. “Are those even edible when grilled?”

“Of course!” Mernel protested, before grabbing a stick and using it to skewer a grilled starfish. She offered it to Luka. “Here, try it yourself!”

The young Hero dubiously accepted the offered food, and cautiously sniffed it. The smell wasn’t properly pleasant, and it hardly looked inviting. He looked at Mernel again, and she shook her head.

“Don’t worry! This is a species that’s not poisonous and has few bones!” she reassured him. “Why, I hear humans from the tropical islands eat them! Granted, they deep-fry them, but…”

Peering at Mernel, he saw her stare at him expectantly. He sighed. This, too, is part of a Hero’s duty, he thought as he took a bite. As Mernel watched, he slowly chewed on the grilled starfish piece. It was stringy and difficult to chew, but surprisingly the taste wasn’t as terrible as he expected. It wasn’t especially good, either, but he could live with it. Steeling himself, he kept eating and eventually, after a lot of chewing and spitting out a few ossicles, he finished the grilled treat. He glanced at Mernel, who waited for his judgment, and sighed again, deciding to be honest. He’d probably disappoint her, but he didn’t want to lie.

“Well… if I have to be completely honest, it’s not a very good dish,” he told her. Mernel’s smile vanished and a depressed look replaced it. Luka grimaced, but nonetheless continued. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that it tasted bad - it actually was pretty good, given what it was… but starfish is really a bit too tough to chew for most people.” He then patted her on the shoulder. “That said, I can tell you put effort in trying to cook it. Still… if they’re normally sold deep-fried, why not cook them that way?”

“Oil is expensive… and it hurts when it sprays me,” Mernel commented dejectedly. “I was hoping I could sell them grilled…”

“You did mention you have leftover money. Why not invest it a little and get frying equipment?” Luka suggested. “I understand that you’re scared of getting burned, but just get some protective clothing to prevent that. It’s a bit of a gamble, but if sales pick up, you’ll recover the investment in no time at all.”

At that, the mermaid paused, thinking. She then looked up at him and nodded, smiling again. “You’re right!” she exclaimed. “If I don’t take a few chances, I’ll remain poor all my life. I’m going to do what you said, and try to make this a fried seafood stand.” She then paused, thinking again. “I’ll have to go back home and study that book of exotic recipes my grandfather left me. He was an islander, I’m told, and it has many recipes from his homeland.” Looking at Luka again, she nodded. “Thank you! I have a good feeling about this. And thanks for being honest about my food, too. I probably needed to be told that.”

“You’re welcome,” Luka smiled as he reached for his coin pouch. With a smooth move, he deposited a single coin in Mernel’s hand before snatching a piece of grilled anemone. “I’ll take this, as well. It may come in handy with cats.”

“Huh? Wait, are you sure? It’s bad food…” the mermaid protested. The boy waved his hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry about it. Consider it my encouragement to you,” he smiled gently. Mernel paused, blushing slightly, then appeared to remember something, and motioned for him to wait before diving under her stand in search of something. After a bit of rustling, she emerged with a small jar of odd-looking brilliant powder, and motioned for him to come closer as she opened it. Luka complied, and watched with curiosity as she sprinkled some of the strange powder on the anemone, before closing the jar again and offering it to him. He gave it a puzzled look, before looking at her questioningly.

“What is this? Some sort of seasoning?” he inquired as he took the jar. Mernel shook her head.

“No… it’s powdered mermaid scales,” she replied, causing the boy to freeze and stare at the jar incredulously. She continued quickly. “I, uh, I made them from my own scales. They aren’t as high quality as those of a more… well fed mermaid, but the powder still works. It has preservative properties… just a little pinch on any food will make it stay as good as fresh for at least six months. I’m not sure, but it may also have minor healing and anti-aging properties…” She blushed again. “It’s not much, but I’d like you to have it.”

“Wait, mermaid scales have to be very precious. I can’t take this,” the young man protested, looking at Mernel. “You should sell them to an apothecary…”

“They won’t take mine. They’re too low quality,” Mernel explained, shaking her head. “I was keeping this powder to preserve food, but now I want you to have it. I can always make more, and it won’t hurt me.” She gently but firmly pushed the hand holding the jar of mermaid powder back to Luka’s chest. “Please, take it. I insist.”

“...okay, but at least let me give you a few more coins,” he replied as he pocketed the jar in one of his belt’s pouches. At her attempt to protest, he held up a hand. “I don’t feel right taking something this precious. Low quality or not, it’s still mermaid scale powder. To someone not an apothecary, like me, it’s a very precious thing. So, let me pay a little for it…”

Without waiting for an answer, he fished two more coins out and pressed them in Mernel’s palm. The mermaid blushed again at the contact, nodding reluctantly. It was obvious to her that Luka wouldn’t be swayed.

Having handed over the coins, Luka then glanced around and quickly picked up some cooking paper, wrapping the grilled anemone he still had in hand in it. Putting that away as well, he gave the impoverished mermaid a courteous nod and a smile.

“I’ll be visiting your friend now, Mernel,” he told her. “I wish you the best of luck in your future business. May the Abyss Queen bless you.”

“Uh… and you too,” the mermaid stuttered back. Luka nodded one last time, then turned around and left, fishing the piece of paper with the directions to Meia’s house out of his pocket. Glancing at it, he quickly headed towards a side road and soon disappeared from view.

Mernel followed him with her gaze until he disappeared, then snapped out of her trance-like state and blushed once more, embarrassed. She hadn’t expected to end up fidgeting like a teenager girl, but the young human’s unexpected kindness had had struck a chord, and she reacted reflexively. Somewhat wistfully, she regretted not having insisted for “payment in nature” the previous evening. She wouldn’t have minded spending some quality time with him.

Turning around to return to her stand, she peered at her palm, and froze. Shining in her hand was the unmistakable gleam of three golden coins. Luka had paid her far more than her entire stand was currently worth, food and all, for just the two pieces of grilled seafood and the jar. Turning around again, she stared at the side road he’d disappeared into, and she felt her regret intensify a little. Sighing, she shook her head, then looked at her stand, and a determined expression set on her face.

She had work to do, a new business to open, and new recipes to learn. And perhaps, she’d have something left over for some nicer clothes.

And maybe, if she prettied herself up a little…

---

“Um, let’s see, it should be around here…” Luka muttered to himself, peering one last time at the directions Mernel gave him. “It says here, ‘a house with a blue-tiled roof’, but there are two of them…” He frowned as he looked up at the street he was standing in. There were indeed two houses with blue tiles, although one of them was two stories tall and looked fairly expensive.

“Well, doesn’t this just beat all. Did she forget about the second house?” Luka commented with a resigned shrug as he walked up the street. Pausing in front of the smaller house, he looked for some clue about the owners, but a cursory glance revealed nothing: it was a fairly common house like many others in Port Natalia.

Great, no clues. Then again… this is a normal house, Luka pondered as he peered at the large house further down. I haven’t seen any wealthy-looking Mermaids so far. They all seem to prefer a simple and comfortable lifestyle. Ah, well, I’ll just knock and apologize if I was wrong.

Having made his decision, he looked up at the small house, but before he could move, a voice came from behind him, startling him.

“Um… could you please move? I can’t enter my house…” the voice said in a quiet, gentle tone. Turning around, Luka was greeted with the sight of a pretty Mermaid carrying two heavy-looking bags full of food, appearing to be in her late twenties - or at least what Luka supposed was the Mermaid equivalent of that age. She had hair of an unusual silver color, blue eyes, and purple scales on her fish half, and wore an extremely see-through white vest that left fairly little to the imagination and barely managed to conceal her breasts. Luka blushed briefly and quickly directed his gaze elsewhere before being caught staring, leveling his eyes at her face.

“Ah… sorry about that,” he apologized, scratching his head as he stepped aside. He then took the chance and kept talking. ”Would you happen to be Meia? I was sent by Mernel, who said her friend was in need of help with a dangerous errand.” Fishing in his pocket, he fetched the paper with the other Mermaid’s directions, and presented it to the surprised woman before him. “She gave me these directions, but… there are two houses with blue-tiled roofs in this street, and I wasn’t sure which was the right one.”

“Oh, this is Mernel’s handwriting, yes. She shouldn’t have bothered you like this,” the Mermaid murmured with an apologetic look as she scanned the paper. “I’m really sorry. Mernel is a good friend of mine, but sometimes she gets overzealous. I’m Meia. ...um, are you sure you want to help me? The favor I need is a bit dangerous…”

“I don’t mind. I like helping people out, and even if I may not look like it, I have my fair share of experience with danger,” Luka reassured her with a smile. He then peered at the grocery bags in Meia’s hands. “These bags look a bit heavy. Shouldn’t you put them down before telling me what you need done?”

“Oh, right. Please, come in,” Meia nodded, moving past him and unlocking the door. Entering the house, she glanced at him and gave him a nod of invitation. Luka returned the gesture and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. As the Mermaid carried her bags of food in her kitchen, he glanced around, sneaking peeks at the unfamiliar house without staring rudely. Meia’s house was larger than Mernel’s, but other than that it was furnished in a similar fashion, eschewing fanciness in favor of plain-looking but comfortable and functional tables, chairs and furniture.

Turning around, Luka spotted Meia coming out of her kitchen and motioning for him to take a seat on a nearby chair. As he did, Meia herself sat down, and Luka couldn’t help but curiously glance at the peculiar way in which the Mermaid folded her tail to allow for it. He idly noted that different tail-halves apparently worked differently, because the way in which Alice and Meia sat wasn’t the same, probably owing to the former’s serpentine lower half being a lot more flexible.

A giggle caused Luka’s eyes to dart up, and he blushed as he realized Meia had caught him staring and was stifling her laughter. He scratched the back of his head as he apologized sheepishly and the Mermaid wordlessly waved away his concern, mirth still shining in her eyes. Her expression then became more serious, and she composed herself, causing Luka to straighten himself up and give her his full attention.

“Right, then,” she began without preamble, “I assume Mernel told you nothing of what I need?” At Luka’s negative headshake, she sighed. “I knew it. She must have figured it would be best to let me talk about it. Well, then. Are you familiar with Mermaid marriage ceremonies?”

“Uh… not at all. Why?” Luka asked, confused. Meia made a light gesture with her hand.

“Because my request has to do with it,” she replied. “You see, I’m about to get married, and traditionally, a Mermaid and her prospective husband must travel to the Temple of Kraken, on the bottom of the sea near here, and ask for her blessing, that the union may be happy and bring plenty of children. But… lately the waters around here have become very dangerous. I’m not a very good fighter, and can barely protect myself, and my darling can’t fight at all. I’d be crushed if something happened to him on the way to the Temple, and don’t want to risk it… but I do want that blessing. So, I have been looking for someone who is willing to do this errand for me.”

“Huh… I see,” Luka murmured, letting the information sink in. “I can certainly see why you’d want a strong fighter to do this in your place. If I were in your situation, I’d do the same. Risking my own life is one thing, but my lover’s? That’s a different matter.”

“Right? So you do understand,” Meia nodded with a smile. She then grew somber. “But as I said, the sea’s been dangerous lately. It’s not something I can ask just anyone. Are you sure you’re willing to--”

“You don’t need to say anything else. I’ll do it,” Luka interrupted her. “I’m aware of the danger in doing something like this. The sea, after all, isn’t nearly as harmless as some think. I’ve seen that firsthand. But I think I can make it there and back safely. There’s just one problem… I can’t breathe water, so how am I going to get there?”

“Ah, that’s easy. I have something that will help you,” Meia reassured him as she got up and moved to a nearby cupboard. Opening it, she retrieved a sealed tube and a strange-looking necklace with a spherical pendant hanging from it, and brought both back to the table. She offered the pendant to Luka with a smile.

“This is the Orb of Guidance, an ancient relic designed for just such cases,” she explained with a solemn air. “It protects the wearer from the depths, even allowing them to breathe water if need be, and shows the way to Kraken’s temple. I’ll lend it to you, so that you can perform this errand for me. It’s the least I can do. To use it, just go to the beach and hold it up high, and its magic will do the rest.” She then took the tube and handed it to him as well. “And this is the written pledge between my darling and I. You need to present this to Kraken so that she can bestow her blessing on our marriage. She’ll give you a ring in return.”

“Sounds simple enough. Then again, I’m wary of apparently simple tasks. They tend to get messy at a moment’s notice,” Luka commented with a nod, causing Meia to giggle. He pointedly raised an eyebrow. “What? It’s true. I visit a big town for the first time and run into a dragon swordswoman attacking it. I go check out a village that hasn’t delivered honey in a while and end up… well… basically married to a monster Queen. How is it that simple things always go weird for me?”

Meia’s eyes had gotten progressively larger at his complaining, and the Mermaid finally yielded to her curiosity about Luka’s complaints. “You’re married to a monster Queen? Really? You aren’t bragging or anything, right?” she asked, surprised. Luka paused, hesitating, then nodded slowly.

“...yeah, that’s pretty much how things between me and the Harpy Queen, Sophie, are,” he admitted. “She’s never said it out loud, or asked to make it official, but… I think that’s how she thinks of herself and me. I don’t really mind, though,” he added with a smile. “It’d be rude of me to reject the mother of my future children, now would it?”

“Oh?! That’s great news! I’m glad for you,” Meia replied with a smile. “You seem like a nice young man. I’m sure you’ll be a good father, too.”

“I really hope you’re right,” Luka murmured, his good mood dampened a bit. “That’s what worries me the most.”

“You’ll be fine!” Meia insisted. “There’s no way someone as considerate as you would be a bad father. ...although, uh, shouldn’t you be back home with your wife?” she added, a hint of scolding in her voice. Luka winced.

“You’re the second person to tell me that in a short while, and you aren’t wrong,” he admitted. “But I have something I need to do, and Sophie was kind enough to understand. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel right about this. I’ve been re-evaluating my own actions in light of this, too…”

“You seem like you have a lot to think about,” Meia commented kindly. “Do you want to talk about it a bit? Maybe I could give you some advice…”

“Well… wait, what am I doing, bothering someone I’ve only just met with my private woes?” Luka muttered, frowning in disapproval at his own behavior. Meia laughed again.

“Now, now, you’re helping me, so it’s only fair I help you,” she chided him with a smile. “I’ll admit I’m not the brightest person in the world, but maybe all you need is a different perspective? Come on, I’d like to try and help you…”

“Well, okay…” Luka agreed hesitantly, and then proceeded to tell the older Mermaid about how he’d been dealing with monsters so far, and the dilemma he was currently facing. After he was done talking, Meia looked at him thoughtfully for a while, then nodded.

“I… think I understand what’s worrying you,” she said slowly, mulling over his words. After a few brief moments of thought, she clapped her hands together and smiled happily. “I wouldn’t worry too much about this, you know. If a monster wants children from you, your wife won’t mind, being a Harpy, right? She’ll be ecstatic, even. Harpies love babies! So… when a monster asks, just say yes and make sure you can find her again, right? Then you can visit her and be there for your kids, and everyone’s happy!”

“Wha---?” Luka stared agape at Meia, trying to wrap his head around the incredible oversimplification of the issue she’d just performed. As he tried to find words to object to her logic, he realized that he actually couldn’t: while her approach to the problem was amazingly simple-minded, it was also valid, and he couldn’t find any fault in it other than his personal issues with the idea of having children so casually. Slowly, he closed his mouth, thinking about what she’d said. After a while, he looked up at her, a thoughtful look on his face.

“...well. There’s a certain logic in what you say,” he admitted with a sigh. “Maybe you’re right, I’m overthinking it and I should just take it easier. It’s just that…”

“You’re not the kind of man who can just do it and forget about it, right? You have to feel more involved or you feel like you’re doing the woman wrong,” Meia finished for him with a knowing smile. “And that’s fine. Great, even! A lot of girls will love that about you. But sometimes, the nicest thing you can do for a monster - no, for a woman, is to be willing to leave a piece of you with her, to warm her heart and help her soothe her needs.”

“Mmm, well, It just leaves me feeling like I’m the bad guy,” Luka muttered hesitantly. Meia shook her head.

“I really think that’s just you being too hard on yourself. It’ll be fine,” the Mermaid pressed on. “Most monsters will want just food or a little company from you, anyway. But some will be looking for more - we’re much like you humans from that point of view. And, if you can find them again, and offer care to any children you may have, what’s wrong with giving them what they want? It’s a Hero’s job to make people happy, and you’d make them happy, right? Even if it’s in a kind of unusual way...” she concluded awkwardly. She then sheepishly scratched her head, sticking her tongue out like a mischievous girl. “Ahahahaha… maybe that sounds a bit too brainy, coming from a simple Mermaid like me?”

“...No. It doesn’t. I think you helped me a lot just now,” Luka replied after a moment, giving the fish-woman a smile. “I think I have a clearer mind, now. I still need to work some issues out, but… I believe your advice’s sound. I really am overthinking it. I’d like to talk with Sophie about it, though… make sure she really wouldn’t mind. I’ll see what I can do about that.” Getting up from his chair, Luka collected the items Meia had entrusted him, slipping the Orb of Guidance around his neck. The stone glowed faintly, then became dull again. Luka looked at Meia once more. “Well, look at this… I came to help you, and instead ended up being the one helped. I better make sure I do my part and get you blessed and happily married in return!”

“Hehe… thank you. Just be careful,” Meia urged him with a half-worried smile. “I’d feel terrible if something happened to you because of my errand. You’ll be careful, right?”

“Of course! I have no intention of dying anytime soon,” Luka replied with another smile. “Right now, there’s too much I have to live for, you know?”

“Good, that’s the spirit!” she approved as she led the young Hero to the door. Letting him out, she stood on the entrance and waved at Luka as he left to return to the Strange Grey Cat Inn. As he disappeared past a corner, she lingered on the entrance for a while longer, then turned around and returned in her home, closing the door behind her.

She still had to stash away some of the food she’d bought. And then, once she was done, she’d pay Mernel a visit. She felt she needed to have a chat with her old friend.

----

“I’m back!” Luka called out as he entered his room in the inn a short while later, closing the door behind himself as he examined the Orb of Guidance with curiosity. “Sorry for taking this long. I ran into some minor problems and--” he continued, looking up into the room, but trailed off as he saw a familiar feathered figure in the room, sitting at the table with Alice and Thermidor. He peered at the cherry-haired Harpy, who waved at him with a smile. “Eh… Aren’t you Elyse? From Harpy Village?”

“Yup! Good to see you’re OK, Mr. Luka!” she cheerfully replied. “I was waiting for you, you know!”

“Did something happen in the village? Is Sophie all right?” Luka asked her, suddenly feeling anxious. The Harpy blinked, then giggled at his worried expression.

“Hahaha, no, nothing bad happened,” she told him with a dismissive wave of her wings. “I was just sent to bring you a gift from the Queen.” Her expression then softened. “That worried look on your face, though… I think I see why the Queen’s so fond of you. I’m a little envious.”

Getting up, the Harpy awkwardly grasped a small package set on the table before her, walked up to Luka and wordlessly offered it to him, a faint smile lingering on her lips. After a moment of hesitation, Luka accepted the gift, and Elyse returned to her seat at the table. The young man walked up to join the three women, taking a seat himself. At that point, Alice and Thermidor noticed the jewel around his neck.

“Hm? Is that an Orb of Guidance? Where did you get it?” Alice inquired, curious. “It’s usually a treasured property of Mermaids, and they don’t give them up easily. Did that Mermaid cook give it to you?”

“No, a friend of hers did,” Luka explained, proceeding to then recount his encounter with Meia, minus the personal part of their conversation. When he finished speaking, Thermidor gave him an odd look.

“Luka, I can’t help but think you’re not telling us everything. Did something else happen?” she asked, looking concerned. Luka smiled at her reassuringly, shaking his head.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad,” he told her. “I just had a brief chat with Meia about some personal matters, and she gave me some advice. I’m considering following it. It’s a little private, though, so I’d rather not talk about it just yet, if you don’t mind.”

“Fair enough, although I admit I’m curious,” Thermidor conceded. “But you seem more relaxed and serene than before. Whatever she told you, I’m grateful that it improved your mood.”

“I’ll tell you about it later on… just not yet,” Luka promised. “With that said, I should probably go deliver this letter to Kraken--”

“I advise against it,” Thermidor interrupted him. “Underwater combat isn’t the same as land-based battles, and you’re still obviously tired. Take the day off and wait until tomorrow.”

“Thermidor’s right,” Alice agreed. “I can plainly see you’re worn out. It’s a bad idea to go on difficult errands while not in top shape.”

“Hmm, you have a point…” Luka murmured, thinking. At this point Elyse chimed in.

“Hey, hey, you still haven’t looked at the Queen’s gift, you know!” she scolded him, waving her wings around. “She sent me all the way from Ilias Continent with it because she really wanted you to have it, so you better be grateful and look at it!”

“Elyse’s right too,” Alice commented with a mischievous grin. “You shouldn’t keep your lovely wife’s gift waiting, you bad, bad man~”

“...you were just waiting for the perfect moment to say that, weren’t you?” Luka accused her with a glare. Thermidor chuckled in spite of herself.

“I can’t help but notice you aren’t refuting the part about a wife, Luka,” she pointed out with a somewhat impish expression herself. “I’m a little surprised by that.”

“I’ve decided I don’t mind that role. Besides, for all intents and purposes, it’s the truth,” Luka replied matter-of-factly, shrugging. “It was something else that worried me. This was never an issue.”

“Then will you come back to Harpy Village soon?” Elyse jumped in, suddenly looking overeager. “I hear quite a few Harpies plan to throw you a welcome back party!”

“I can already imagine the type of party they have in mind,” Luka muttered with a theatrical eyeroll before finally opening the gift package the Harpy had delivered him. He blinked at what was inside - a beautiful crystal-like stone and a finely chiseled support base. He was then distracted by Alice’s sharp breath intake and Thermidor’s surprised noise, and looked up at his two companions with a questioning glance.

“She sent you a Jewel of Bond? She’s serious about this, then,” the Echidna commented somberly. Luka’s confused expression prompted her to continue. “Jewels of Bond are very rare magical items - a pair of gems that are enchanted to exclusively resonate with a specific pair of individuals. No one else can activate them, but when in the hands of their rightful owners, the gems allow them to see and hear each other even over enormous distances - and, some say, even past time and space. The gems used to make these Jewels are rare on their own, and the enchantment itself is both very difficult to perform and very taxing on the performer.” She leaned in, examining the gem with curiosity. “This Jewel carries a faint trace of Queen Sophie’s power. She enchanted it herself. It must’ve been exhausting for her.”

“There’s a similar item called a Jewel of Friendship, but its effects are a lot more limited. They project mere images, whereas a Jewel of Bond makes you feel as if you really are right next to the person you see,” Thermidor added, looking serious. “These Jewels aren’t given on a whim. That she’s giving you one at all carries a messages in and of itself, and the fact she made it herself, even more so.”

“I see…” Luka murmured as he carefully removed the gem and support base from the box and examined them. As he did so, something caught his attention and he pointed a spot on the base to Alice. “What’s this? Magical symbols?”

“Hm? Let me see…” Alice said, taking the base from him and giving it a closer look. She blinked a few times, then shook her head as she returned it to him. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m familiar with symbols like these. You should ask Sophie herself…” she told him with an apologetic look. Luka nodded and motioned to set the base down, but a familiar pressure in his mind caused him to stop as Steelburn made her presence known.

“It says ‘Luka’ in the Landbound Gods’ alphabet,” she informed him. “I have no idea where Queen Sophie learned this ancient alphabet, since even among monsters only a handful remain who know it, but I am impressed by the amount of detail that went into this personal touch. It shows care. Thermidor is right - this gift is a message in and of itself, and needs no words.”

“Ah… so that’s it,” Luka said quietly. Noticing his companions giving him puzzled looks, he glanced at the support base in his hand. “Steelburn says this is the Landbound Gods’ language. It spells my name.”

“It what…? She went that far to make it?” Alice asked incredulous. Thermidor’s eyebrows also rose in clear surprise.

“That’s what I’ve been told just now,” the young Hero confirmed, staring intently at the base’s etchings. Alice’s only answer was to wordlessly shake her head, while Thermidor steepled her fingers together thoughtfully.

“That’s an inordinate amount of detail to put in a simple gift,” she commented with a knowing look. “You do realize it’s her way of saying she deeply cares about you, don’t you, Luka?”

“...yeah,” he replied, still subdued by the discovery. Elyse, who’d been silent until then, chimed in at that point.

“Ah, yeah, the Queen’s been all fidgety since you left. She looks like she isn’t getting enough sleep at times, and asks people visiting Happiness Village for news about you whenever one shows up,” she commented. “She said this gift was also a way for her to feel better, and kept telling me not to lose or break it. I feel a little sorry for her.”

“If that’s how she felt, why in the Abyss did she let Luka leave?!” Alice muttered, cupping her face in her hand with an exasperated sigh. “I don’t understand this at all…”

“It’s a matter of respecting his own wishes, as well, Lady Alicefeeze,” Thermidor pointed out, causing the Echidna to blink at her. “People don’t necessarily do what they want all the time. Sometimes they do things they don’t really want to, because doing those things will make someone they care for happy.”

“I see. I’m not sure I’d be able to be this selfless, though,” Alice admitted with a frown. “It just feels like too much heartache.” She then looked at Luka and gestured at the Jewel. “Well, what’re you waiting for, you idiot? Next winter? Activate it and talk to Sophie. She’s obviously waiting for news from you, or she wouldn’t send one of her Harpies across the sea with such a gift for you like this!”

“R-right!” Luka nodded as he quickly set the base down and carefully propped the jewel on the support. As soon as the gem clicked into place, it began to glow, a gentle violet light filling the room. Luka gave the Jewel an uncertain look.

“Uhh… this is supposed to happen, right?” He asked to no one in particular. Before anyone could respond, however, the violet hue disappeared, and the gem began to shine white. At the same time, an image formed above it, confused at first, but then quickly clearing into an image of the Harpy Queen’s upper body. As the image cleared, the anxious expression present on her face was replaced by a relieved smile, and she raised a wing, waving at Luka.

“Luka! You received my gift!” she exclaimed, sounding overjoyed. “I was afraid Elyse would be unable to track you down, or worse, lose the Jewel!” A squawk of indignation followed that statement, and was promptly ignored by the Queen. She giggled slightly, then her expression softened. “...I wanted to talk to you,” she said simply.

“If you don’t mind, we’ll excuse ourselves for a while,” Alice announced with an unreadable expression, getting up and gently but firmly grasping both Thermidor and Elyse by their limbs. Catching the implicit message, both women also got up and headed for the room’s door, followed by Alice. As they left, the Echidna glanced back at Luka, who was staring at her. “Some things are best done in private. We’ll be in the other room if you need us. I’ll see you later,” she stated, before leaving and shutting the door behind her. Luka blinked, surprised by the thoughtfulness the snake monster demonstrated, then returned his attention to Sophie, who had started fidgeting at the lack of attention. He scratched his head awkwardly.

“Ah, I don’t know if you saw that, but Alice and the others just left the room,” he explained to her. “She said she was giving me privacy. Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you.” His expression then turned to worry as he noticed Sophie appeared to be tired. “You look worn out. Elyse mentioned you haven’t been able to rest well… were you really this worried about me?”

“Well… yes,” Sophie admitted after a pause, her smile faltering a bit. “I’ll be honest, I’ve been regretting letting you go back then. I know that’s the agreement we had, but… I am very fond of you, and can’t help but be afraid that something might happen to you.”

“Sophie…” Luka murmured, touched by her words. His mind went back to the discussion he had mere minutes earlier with Alice and Thermidor, and he finally reached a decision, a resolute expression setting on his face. “You know, I’ve been thinking, and… I know we have an agreement, but, let’s just forget about it, all right?.”

“W… what?” Sophie asked, suddenly anxious. Luka nodded firmly.

“I said, forget that agreement we made back then,” he repeated. His expression then softened. “You’re worrying too much about someone who was supposed to be a simple fling. I don’t think this is fair to you. And I can’t think of you as a simple fling either. So... “ he took a deep breath before saying the next words. “...would you mind if I cleared things up and officially called you my wife instead?”

“Eh… ah?” Sophie murmured in confusion. When Luka had mentioned forgetting about the agreement, a sudden feeling of dread had washed over her as she thought he was about to reject her. His next words had been completely unexpected, and threw her thoughts into chaos for a few instants as she processed them. Then, a solar smile bloomed on her lips as she nodded joyfully, temporarily losing her royal composure. “What- what are you asking that question for? Of course! I wouldn’t mind at all! I- are you sure? I mean…”

“I’m sure,” was Luka’s immediate answer. He then continued, more hesitantly. “I… well, I know I haven’t been in contact, we don’t know each other well, and I have been an overall terrible mate to you so far, but… I really do like you. You’re smart, powerful and beautiful, and… well, you gave me an even more priceless gift than this gem we’re talking through. I’ve been thinking, and I feel this is the right thing to do. And with this gift you gave me, we can be in contact more and - well, we can become closer, right? We had so little time to talk and enjoy each other’s company, after all.” He ruffled his hair in frustration. “Argh, I’m terrible at this. Am I even making sense? I don’t know how else to explain myself. I’m just saying whatever I’m thinking. So... if you don’t mind…”

“Hehe… of course I don’t mind! On the contrary, this makes me very happy. It’s what I had hoped for,” she assured him, stifling a giggle at his frantic attempts at explaining. Then, a mischievous smile crossed her face. “But, be honest now - you also like other women, don’t you? That ‘sister’ of yours, and perhaps even Lady Alice? Maybe a few more?”

“Ah, er, that’s--” Luka began, unsure of what to say, but the Queen Harpy cut him off with a wave of her wing and an impish grin that was very un-royal-like.

“Ufufu, don’t worry, I’m just teasing you,” she said, amused. She then relaxed. “I’m not worried about you loving other women. You can do as you see fit when you’re away. All I ask is that I have my place in your heart. Do I?”

“What kind of question is that?!” Luka spluttered in genuine outrage at the query. “Do you really think I wouldn’t have a place in my heart for the mother of my firstborns? You shouldn’t even be asking! Of course you do!”

“I knew it. I’m sorry for asking, but I needed to hear it from you,” she apologized with a gentle smile. “Well then, I have nothing to worry about. I think you have a big enough heart for me and anyone else you may fall in love with, and don’t think you’d be a hypocrite for loving others beside me.” She then jumped up, her royal countenance slipping again as she briefly showed girly excitement. “Ah, I need to finetune the Jewels. Then we’ll be able to properly enjoy each other’s company.”

“Finetune?” Luka asked, puzzled. “Does that mean this isn’t the best these gems have to offer?”

“Oh no, it gets much, much better,” she told him with a delighted expression of anticipation. “I still need to set the enchantment up to correctly resonate, but couldn’t do it without you activating your own Jewel first, so I had to wait. I’ll do so right away. Once that’s finished, we will be able to fully see, hear and even feel each other, as well as a bit of our surroundings, almost as if we were really there.”

“That… sounds pretty amazing. Even now it does feel like I’m seeing the real you, even if it’s just your face and upper body.” He scratched his cheek, looking unsure. “But, uh, isn’t this gift a bit too much? Alice told me that it’s a very expensive magical artifact--”

“Making sure you’re fine is worth the expense,” Sophie interrupted him with a wave of her wing and a smile. “Money and such - all are secondary concerns to your health. ...and, I can enjoy your company, too. Besides, are we not going to be husband and wife now?” she added after a moment of hesitation. Luka blushed. Even if he’d been the one to suggest it, it would take a while to get used to the concept.

“W-well, thank you. I must admit, it makes me happy that you’d go to such lengths for me,” he told her, his gaze shifting around in embarrassment. As his eyes fell on the base, he noticed the etchings, and looked up at her. “...is that really my name in an ancient language that you carved in the base?” he asked on impulse, unable to restrain his curiosity, and in part wanting confirmation from her. Sophie blinked.

“You know the Landbound Gods’ language? I didn’t think you’d find out,” she murmured, her turn now to awkwardly look away. “But yes… I carved your name in your Jewel’s base. Mine is carved in my own base, to make a matching pair.”

“Ah, I-I see,” was the young Hero’s slow reply as he suddenly felt very self-conscious for some reason. Sophie smiled again.

“I’m glad that the gift turned out to be appropriate, though. This may sound trite to you, but you made me very happy just now. It means a lot to me,” she told him. Her smile turned slightly guilty. “To be honest, this Jewel was a roundabout way of staking a claim of my own on you. I didn’t think you’d realize its significance, but I forgot you have knowledgeable companions with you. I should’ve imagined you would find out.”

“Yes, well, it’s hard to not find out about these things when traveling with the Monster Lord,” he commented, before catching himself. Looking up, he was surprised to see Sophie merely gave him a peaceful look at his tongue slip. “Uh… you knew who Alice was from the start, didn’t you?” he realized. Sophie nodded with a giggle.

“Why, yes, I did. She claimed she was a ‘traveling gourmet, seeking to sample the world’s delicacies,' but that’s not a very convincing excuse to anyone with common sense, and she knew it,” she confirmed, still giggling. “She had to keep appearances up, but her demeanor told me all I needed to know.” She composed herself into a serene smile again. “You have powerful traveling companions. The Monster Lord being by your side is the only reason why I was able to endure the time it took to craft this Jewel of Bond. I was confident she’d keep you safe. ...I couldn’t be sure, though.”

Luka wisely kept his mouth shut about the encounter with Alma Elma on the pirate ship upon hearing that. Even he could tell that Sophie had been under stress while unable to contact him, and he suspected if she caught wind of his battle with a Heavenly Knight, she’d abandon the village at once to fly over in person and drag him back whether he wanted to or not, and consequences be damned. He wasn’t sure it’d be the wrong thing to do, either. Privately, thought, he felt flattered and very happy that she turned out to care about him to this point in spite of the short time they’d known each other.

“...the Jewel?” Sophie’s voice reached him, interrupting his thoughts. He guiltily looked up at Sophie’s image, scratching his head sheepishly.

“Ah - sorry, I was lost in thought. Can you please repeat?” he apologized. Sophie sighed theatrically, though a smile lingered on her lips.

“Should I be worried my husband is already distracted away from my lovely self?” she teased him. She then grew a little more serious. “I said I will now finish tuning up the Jewel of Bond’s enchantment. Can you touch it and hold contact?”

“Sure, but before that… if you don’t mind, can I ask how the eggs are doing?” he asked, shifting uneasily with a worried expression. The Harpy Queen chuckled, holding a wing to her mouth to hide her mirth.

“Ufufu… I was wondering when you’d ask,” she said, looking pleased. She then gave him a reassuring look. “You don’t need to worry. I check on them daily. They’re very precious to me as well, after all. I won’t let anything happen to them, so rest easy.”

“Good, I was worried. There are days when I find myself wishing I was back in Harpy Village to check on them - and you,” Luka smiled, sighing in relief. He then looked at the Jewel. “Now then, back to the matter at hand. I just have to touch it and keep my hand there, right?” he asked. Sophie nodded, and Luka complied, following her instructions. Extending his hand, he placed his fingers on the gem’s smooth surface, finding it pleasantly warm, and kept them there.

Sophie hummed in approval, and then her image became unfocused as he heard her chant unfamiliar words. The gem under his fingers began shifting from its violet hue to a warm pink, and back again, over and over, and he curiously observed the constant, almost hypnotic shift. Then, it abruptly exploded in a kaleidoscope of colors, causing him to stumble back with an alarmed shout and fall on his backside, losing contact with the Jewel. He groaned and rubbed his eyes, which were aching from the sudden explosion of colored lights.

As he did, he suddenly felt a familiar presence, accompanied by a scent he knew very well. Blinking hard to readjust his sight, he opened his eyes - and was greeted by the sight of Sophie’s full figure, standing right before him and wearing very little beside a breezy see-through shirt and a necklace. He froze, incredulous, as the scent of her body which he remembered so well from their night together enveloped him, and the Harpy giggled at his stunned expression.

“Wondrous, isn’t it?” she told him, pride evident in her voice, which was now clearer than ever. “These Jewels were designed a long time ago in Remina, to allow distant lovers to enjoy each other’s company as closely as possible.” She leaned in with a seductive smile. “As you can see - and feel - they allow their users to experience each other’s presence as if they actually were standing next to the other person. Sight, scent and hearing are all involved to make for as realistic an experience as possible.” Her smile wavered a little. “Unfortunately, we cannot touch, but it is still more than we could have otherwise. Imperfect as it is, it will be satisfactory for the time being. ...I suppose I will just have to pay a lot of attention to you when you return to visit.”

“I, ah, this really is amazing,” Luka murmured, the sweet scent of the Harpy Queen enveloping him in a pleasant haze. “...I’m going to have trouble sleeping now…” he added, dazed, as a flash of the night they spent together - her feathers felt like velvet as she embraced him, squeezing all around his manhood as she slowly took him deep inside her - passed through his mind. Sophie laughed at the look on his face.

“Ufufu, I’m glad to know I have this effect on you,” she told him, the seductive look back in full force as she raised a phantasmal wing and motioned to brush his cheek, bending down until their faces were inches apart. Another flash of remembrance darted through Luka’s mind - her lips’ softness stunned him as they pressed against his own, her tongue coiling around his in a deep kiss - further muddling up his thoughts. Luka could tell she was well aware of the effect she was having on him, and thoroughly enjoying it.

Her expression then turned warmer as she backed away a bit, leaving him room to somewhat regain his composure, though a faint trace of a satisfied smile remained on her face. “Well, if you can’t stand the distance, I don’t mind if you seek other women out in the meanwhile. I’m sure you have needs, too,” she commented. Her smile turned impish. “But I expect you to bring back any lovely new wives you get, so I get to know them - and more importantly, any cute babies you have, for me to spoil! Ufufu...”

“Er - is this really what a wife should say? That she’s okay with her husband fooling around?” Luka asked, still stunned by the realism of the Jewel’s projection. “I mean… I actually wanted to talk to you about this, but… you aren’t even the slightest bit jealous?”

“Are you going to forget about me?” she asked him plainly in response. Luka gave her a disbelieving look, then vehemently shook his head in denial, and the Queen shrugged with a satisfied smile. “Then it’s not a problem. I have my own place in your heart, and that is all I need.”

“You…” Luka began, incredulous at the finality and simplicity of her statement, then he shook his head in amazement. “I have no words. I’m not sure I deserve someone like you.”

“That’s for me to decide, and I say you do,” she replied firmly, her regal presence flashing briefly in her words as she lightly chastised him. She then relaxed. “You really worry too much. I wouldn’t have picked you if I didn’t think you were a great match for me. Remember - I chose you out of personal desire, not obligation.”

“Right… sorry about that,” Luka apologized, feeling slightly guilty for questioning her. He then noticed Sophie’s eyelids droop and frowned. “You look awfully tired now. Come to think of it, Alice did mention the spell to enchant this gem is very taxing on the caster… I’d like to enjoy your company a bit longer, but - maybe you should rest?”

“Ah, yes, I am a little worn out from tuning it. Thank you for worrying… you’re right, I should lie down for a time,” Sophie admitted. She then looked around. “First, though, could I speak to Lady Alicefeeze? Alone? There are a few things I need to discuss with her before I rest for the day.”

“Ah, right… wait, how will that work? I thought these Jewels worked only for us…” the young Hero asked, puzzled. Sophie shook her head.

“They only grant the realism you experienced for their rightful owners, but as long as they are active, I can see and hear anyone and anything within a certain distance from it… they just look flat and dull compared to you.” She pointed to a phantasmal chair off to the side which Luka hadn’t noticed yet. “See, that’s one of the chairs in my home. Living people work the same way. It shows a fair bit of the surroundings.”

“I see, so I just leave it on and Alice can talk with you?” he asked for confirmation. Sophie nodded. “All right, then, wait a second while I call her in.” He motioned to turn around, then paused as something came to his mind. “Come to think of it, Thermidor is here, too. You never met her, right? I could call her, as well. I know you’re tired, but…”

“It sounds like it’s important to you, so I don’t mind,” Sophie readily agreed. “Do call her as well. I’m curious to meet her myself, to be honest. You seem to care about her a lot.”

“I do. Thank you,” the young Hero nodded, thankful. “I’ve been wanting you two to meet for a while now. This is the perfect chance. I’ll be going now…”

With that, Luka walked away from the gem. As he neared the door, he abruptly felt Sophie’s presence vanish and looked behind him, noticing that the purple light from the Jewel of Bond ended right at the point where he ceased to perceive the Queen Harpy. He nodded to himself, finally understanding how the jewel worked a bit better: obviously, the light wasn’t purely cosmetic and instead channeled the magic.

Satisfied with his conclusions, he left the room to call Alice and Thermidor. A few seconds later, he returned, with the Echidna and the Living Armor following behind, and all three stepped within the purple light. Luka was immediately assaulted by Sophie’s presence and scent again, and swayed heavily as another memory assaulted him - he helplessly laid on his back as she sat astride him, rocking her hips as slowly or quickly as she saw fit to dose the pleasure - and nearly bumped into the table, blinking to regain focus from the sudden disruption.

I’m definitely going to dream of her tonight, he thought, sighing inwardly. Looking up, he spotted Sophie and motioned to Alice and Thermidor, who moved to stand beside him and were giving him a curious look. “I brought them as you asked me. Now, uh, excuse me… I need to find some cold water. I’ll… see you next time?”

“Ufufu… yes, thank you. I look forward to next time,” Sophie replied with a stifled giggle, knowing exactly what was going on through his mind at the moment and relishing his reaction to her presence. With somewhat stiff movements, Luka turned around and promptly left the room, almost running. The Queen Harpy’s giggle became full-on laughter at that. Thermidor gave her a mildly disapproving stare.

“The way Luka was acting… seriously, Your Highness? Pheromones?” she commented with a raised eyebrow. “I had no idea the Jewels of Bond could also transmit the effects of such things… Well, it makes sense in hindsight, since it’s supposed to be an experience that involves sight, hearing and smell, but still! He’ll be restless for the rest of the day! Was it really necessary?”

“I’m sorry - I wanted to leave a lasting impression,” Sophie admitted with a guilty expression. “I’m a little anxious about being so far apart from him, and wanted to make sure I’d be on his mind for a while. Besides,” she added, casting a glance at Alice, “there’s no way I could compete with Milady under normal circumstances.”

“...I get it now,” Alice realized, her expression turning to light amusement. “You must’ve smelled me on him just now. He hasn’t been bathing in a while because there’s no water, after all, so my own scent should still be detectable on him.”

“Ah - yes, I’d noticed his scent was stronger than usual,” the Harpy admitted, a blush unexpectedly blooming on her face. “And I may indeed have... overreacted a little when I smelled you on him. My apologies...”

“Heh. How cute. He affected you as much as you affected him, didn’t he?” the snake monster chuckled, now clearly entertained. “And to think he’d been worried about not being able to bathe. It worked out well for him, after all. Then again, he hates it when he smells bad, from what I saw.”

“He does not smell bad!” Sophie protested almost immediately, before pausing as her blush intensified in the wake of her sudden outburst. She fidgeted awkwardly, drawing an amused look from Thermidor. “Well… I like how he smells, anyway. I think it’s a very manly scent. I don’t mind it at all…”

“You really are smitten with him,” the monster fencer observed, looking relieved. She gave the Queen Harpy an apologetic look. “Forgive me for my disbelief. I’m a little protective of Luka, and was understandably suspicious of a monster Queen showing interest in him. I meant no offense.”

“No offense taken,” Sophie replied, regaining her composure as her blush subsided. She then smiled at the other woman. “So you are Thermidor, then? I heard nothing but words of praise and affection for you from Luka. It is my understanding you’ve been intimate for a while now. I’m a little envious, to be honest.”

“You shouldn’t be. If anything, I’m envious of you,” the swordswoman replied, looking unhappy. “Luka’s been ecstatic at the idea of having children, even if he’s afraid of being a bad father. It’s something only you could do for him. I’m an undead monster - I couldn’t give him children even if I wanted to, so I’m content with being his adopted sister and looking out for his happiness.”

“Ah… I see. Um, I won’t say I know how you feel,” Sophie replied hesitantly as the mood darkened a little. “But you do have my sympathy. Frustration at being unable to do something is a feeling I can relate with.”

“Mmmm…” Thermidor hummed as she gazed at the Queen Harpy speculatively. After a few moments, she broke out into a smile. “It’s all right. I really am grateful that you made him happy. Even if it can’t be me, it’s still important to me.” She then sighed. “Although, I am a little concerned. I raised him best as I could after his mother died of the plague, but I may have instilled some odd values in him. He sometimes thinks more like a monster than a human. I hope it won’t cause him trouble in the future.”

“I think you did a great job,” the avian queen shook her head in reassurance. “If he hadn’t been able to sympathize with us, we might never have managed to reach an agreement with the humans of Happiness Village. I’m sure part of the credit for this is yours.” She then cocked her head in curiosity. “Still, even if you cannot bear his children, you obviously love him, and as more than just a brother. Why not be by his side anyway?”

“Honestly? I’m more comfortable being the loving, overprotective older sister by now,” the fencer explained, scratching her cheek a bit awkwardly as she glanced away. “It’s not like it will stop me from enjoying some quality time with him, and he seems happy that way. If he asked, now, it’d be different, but I don’t think he wants to change things between us. They work out, and we’re both fine with it.” She then looked at Sophie. “With respect, Your Highness, you seem terribly tired, and I was told you wanted to speak to Lady Alicefeeze as well. I shall leave you two alone so you can discuss anything you must. By your leave…?”

“Of course. It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Thermidor, and I hope we will speak again. You may go,” Sophie nodded with a smile. The undead monster bowed in respect, then turned around and quickly left the room. The remaining two women watched her until she disappeared, then looked at each other. Finally, Alice broke the silence.

“So then… is there any reason to want to talk to me, other than to rub it in my face that you snagged a fine young man from right under my nose?” she asked, somewhat crossly. “I’m not even sure why you want to talk to me. From that dazed expression on Luka’s face, you’ve clearly won this one, so there’s nothing else to say.”

“...Do we need losers to have winners? I don’t see this as a competition, even if I do admit I want him to think about me,” Sophie answered after a brief pause. She cocked her head, looking at the Monster Lord with a friendly expression. “I don’t mind sharing. I spoke with Luka, and I think he’d love me regardless of whether he finds himself falling for other women. If you - or anyone else - wish to enjoy his company, I won’t object. All I ask is that you treat him kindly - he’s worth it.” the Harpy spread her wings in an amicable gesture. “If you like, you can consider us friendly rivals. I don’t mind being second best to the Monster Lord, if it’s what it takes for things to smooth over between all of us.”

“Don’t be stupid. You’ll never be ‘second best’ for him, and you shouldn’t settle for it when you earned your position anyway,” the Echidna waved her words away, annoyed. “If anything, I’m the one who’d have to come to terms with that. But to be honest, I’m not even sure what I think about him right now. I mean, he’s nice, and he makes me feel at ease when I’m around him, but… I’m not sure I’d call that love. ‘Attraction’ is more like it at the moment.”

“That’s fine, too. We Harpies place an emphasis on family and child-making, but wanting to be with someone just because it feels nice is perfectly legitimate as well,” Sophie pointed out with another smile. “There’s no reason why we should be at odds, right? Especially when you’re with him and I’m not. I’m relying on you to keep him safe. I have to trust you.”

“So what do you want me to do about other monsters that may approach him?” Alice asked, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. “You’re obviously worried, but how worried?”

“That depends on what their intentions are,” the Harpy replied, looking thoughtful. “Generally speaking, he’s free to handle such encounters however he sees fit. All I ask is that you keep him from ending very badly. So long as nothing horrible happens to him, I’m fine with him using his body to avoid unnecessary fights with monsters.” She stifled a giggle with her wing. “Besides, that might result in more cute babies for me to spoil. I can’t wait for our eggs to hatch. It should be another three months before it happens. I wonder if they’ll look like me or him?”

“...you Harpies have a one-track mind when it comes to offspring,” Alice sighed in exasperation, shaking her head. She then looked up, frowning. “I can’t believe you’re so casual about him impregnating other monsters. Don’t you feel the least bit possessive?”

“Yes, but I have the right priorities. What’s more important, having a man’s body or his heart?” Sophie shot right back with a challenging stare. Alice paused, surprised by the other monster’s aggressive posture, then sighed, deflating in concession.

“That’s true. There’s no point to having Luka’s body all to yourself if his heart’s not into it,” she admitted. “I can see your viewpoint, now. It’s just… my kind are much more possessive than that. We prefer to have both. The mere idea of sharing is annoying to me, but I understand you’re making a big concession since you were first and could just as well say he’s off-limits. I suppose I should thank you.”

“There’s no need for that. After all, you’re also doing me a favor by keeping him safe,” Sophie smiled. “How do humans say… ‘scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’, I think? It seems fair to me.”

“Very well, if you’re comfortable with this arrangement, I will accept it, too,” Alice nodded in acceptance. “I still think you’re being far too open, but it’s your rules, and I won’t interfere. It suits me just fine. Will there be anything else?”

“Hmm… well, I may have teased Luka a bit too much. If you could help him unwind a bit…?” the Queen Harpy confessed. Alice stared, then palmed her face hard enough that an audible slapping sound echoed across the room.

“You didn’t think that one through at all, did you?” she muttered, glaring at the Harpy. “Fine, I’ll see what I can do. ...I can’t believe I’m promising a man’s wife I’ll help get him off. I’m the Monster Lord, why am I in this situation?”

“Because you’re a good person, Lady Alicefeeze,” Sophie giggled, smiling. She then straightened up, becoming serious, though still friendly. “I know you have had problems enforcing your authority due to your lenient views towards humans, but at the very least the Harpy tribes are fully behind you. If you are ever in need, just call for us, and we will come.”

“That’s comforting to know. Thank you,” Alice replied, a genuinely thankful smile spreading on her face. “I’d like to get all monsters to see things my way, but I hate the idea of forcing my opinion on others. It’s good to see some willingly embrace it.”

The avian Queen nodded, then suddenly yawned, rubbing her eyes tiredly. “Ah… I’m really tired, after all. Thank you for listening to me, but I think I'd best get some rest, now. If I may…?”

“Of course. I enjoyed our talk, too. Should I send Luka back in?” the snake monster asked. Sophie shook her head.

“No - he’s already bothered enough as it is. I will shut the jewels down myself,” she told her. “But do see what you can do to help, please. I didn’t mean to frustrate him…”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I doubt dreaming of you will be frustrating to him,” Alice commented with a smirk. She then nodded politely at the Harpy. “Well then, do take a good rest. You look very worn out, and Luka seemed worried about it.”

“Yes… thank you again, and good day to you, Milady,” Sophie bowed one last time. Then, she reached in front of her with a wing for something, and in the next instant all images disappeared, the Jewel of Bond powering down and going dark as the connection was dropped. Alice stared at the now-dormant Jewel for a brief time, then sighed and shook her head.

“Well… that went a bit differently from how I expected,” she murmured, still surprised by the direction the conversation between her and the Harpy queen had taken. She briefly looked around the room, then sighed again. “I better go find Luka. With the mood he was in, he could use a distraction--”

“Thanks for the concern, but I’m back already,” Luka’s voice interjected from behind her. Alice whirled around, startled: she hadn’t heard him come in at all. She inwardly berated herself for letting the talk distract her so much from her surroundings, then refocused on Luka and winced: he looked irritable, and it wasn’t hard to guess why. His next word confirmed her guess.

“Water’s rationed in all of Port Natalia until the new tower’s back up and operational, and that will take a while,” the young Hero said as he walked up to a chair and plopped down in it, his irritation seeping in his tone. “Remaining water is for important uses only, and naturally, a bath isn’t one of them. I was told if I feel dirty I’ll have to either take a dip in the ocean or live with it. This is just great…”

“I see,” Alice murmured, pondering. She then looked up. “You know, that’s actually not a bad idea. Taking a bath in the sea, I mean. There’s a beach right next to town, it’s mostly friendly Mermaids around here, and if you meet hostile monsters, you always have Angel Halo as backup. And the sea’s water is cool and refreshing. You may smell a bit of salt afterwards, but it beats not bathing at all for the Founder only knows how long, right?”

“That’s just…” Luka began angrily, then paused, blinking. After a few moments, he looked back at Alice. “...I hadn’t thought of it that way at all. I guess I was just too annoyed to take the suggestion to ‘bathe in the ocean’ as anything other than an insult. You’re right, I should take a quick trip down to the beach and see what I can do. I mean, even if I can’t bathe I will at least take a relaxing walk, right?”

“Right, that’s the spirit,” Alice nodded approvingly. She then smiled at him. “I’ll come with you, as well. That way, I’ll be on the lookout for monsters, and you can at least take your bath in peace. How does that sound?”

“That actually sounds nice. Thanks, Alice,” Luka replied, smiling for the first time since his return. He then got up, walked over to his bag and began to rummage through it for a change of clothes. “Just give me a second while I find a set of clean clothes, and I’ll be right with you. Where’s that spare Enrikan shirt Micaela gave me…”

“Take me with you, as well. I could use a bit of fresh air, too,” a familiar voice chimed in the young man’s mind. Luka blinked at the sudden intrusion, then glanced at the Dark Arm by his bedside with curiosity.

‘Fresh air’? What’s a sword need fresh air for? he asked, genuinely perplexed. A flash of annoyance came through the mind link he shared with the spirit.

“Do you think even a spirit like me enjoys being kept shut inside all day? Anyone appreciates seeing the sky every now and then,” she pointed out, sounding offended. Luka winced. It appeared he’d struck some sort of sore spot with the spirit.

Sorry. I spoke without thinking, he apologized. It’s just… well, I never figured sword spirits would care about such trivial things. I guess I was wrong.

“I suppose that’s justifiable,” Steelburn replied, sounding placated. “Truthfully, most sword spirits don’t especially care either way. I just happen to not be ‘most sword spirits’. If at all possible, take me with you when going for a stroll. It also lets me stay in contact with you more easily.”

Fair enough, Luka replied as he checked his belongings once more. Satisfied that he’d collected everything, he nodded to himself and looked up to Alice, who was patiently waiting for him next to the door.

“Well, then, shall we go?” he asked the Echidna with a smile. Alice smiled back and nodded.

“Of course. Although, I was wondering how much time you’d spend talking with Steelburn,” she chided him. Luka walked up to her, scratching his head.

“Ahahahaha… you noticed? Sorry for ignoring you,” he apologized sheepishly. Alice shook her head, chuckling.

“You kind of zone out whenever you speak to her. It’s brief, but noticeable enough when someone knows what to look for,” she replied. She then gestured towards the door. “Anyway, let’s go. We still have a bit of daytime before sundown, and should make the most of it.”

“Right. We should go back to where the Captain dropped us off,” Luka said. “It was a nice beach, and the rocks give privacy. I’d rather not put on a show for the entire female population of Port Natalia if I can help it.”

Alice’s answer to that was a long laugh, and some lewd comments about "dangling bait in the water." After she had regained her composure, she motioned for the door again, and the young Hero nodded. Together, they stepped out of the room and headed for the beaches near Port Natalia.

----

It didn’t take long at all for the two to reach the secluded beach where they bid their farewell to the pirate captain. Once they set foot in the location, Luka looked around, appearing satisfied.

“Perfect. There doesn’t seem to be anyone here,” the young Hero commented, setting down his bag. Looking out to sea, he took a deep breath and smiled. “Ah, I’m really growing to appreciate the smell of the sea breeze. Of all things that could rub off from the pirates on me, this is one I don’t mind.” Turning around, he began to take off his Enrikan shirt. “I should wash my shirt, as well. Better keep my clothes as clean as-- Alice?” he paused, noticing Alice, who had reverted to her snake form, look around with a frown on her face. “Is something wrong?”

“There’s a monster hiding nearby,” she replied, glancing at him. Luka immediately grasped Angel Halo at that statement, but Alice held up a placating hand. “I don’t think she’s hostile. I think I know what kind of monster she is. Stay there.” She then slithered up to a small rock formation and glared up at it. “I know you’re here! Come on out!” she called out.

A shuffling sound came from the rocks, and slowly a figure came into view. Luka blinked as the monster revealed herself: it was a huge figure, larger than he was, whose upper body was that of a fairly cute young woman with red hair and a shapely, very perky pair of breasts. From the waist down, however, her body changed into that of a giant crab, with six legs and two huge, threatening-looking pincers. More unusually, there were four pairs of human arms where her crab body reared up to join with her human half. A relaxed, somewhat curious expression was on her face, her reddish eyes fixated on the human boy, and in spite of the threatening appearance of her pincers, Luka was unable to feel any sort of hostility from her.

“A Crab Girl. I should have guessed,” Alice commented, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. “What brings you here?”

“Hi there. I heard you coming, and came to see what you were doing,” was the Crab Girl’s friendly reply, though she pointedly ignored Alice and spoke straight to Luka. The Echidna fumed slightly at being ignored, but Luka gave her an imperceptible headshake to calm her down.

“Hello to you, too. My companion and I were taking a walk on the beach and considering having a bath,” the young man told her, smiling back. “I didn’t know you lived here. Sorry if I disturbed you.”

“Oh, I don’t live here. I was looking for human men on the beach,” was the Crab Girl’s cheerful reply. Luka blinked, suddenly feeling alarmed.

“Wait, you were looking for men? What for?” he asked, his hand sliding imperceptibly towards Angel Halo. The Crab Girl cocked her head, as if hearing a silly question.

“Um… to wash them, of course?” she stated as if it was a fact. “Dirty men sometimes come here, and I wash them and make them all clean. What else?”

“Er… to wash them? That’s, uh, new,” Luka admitted, at a loss for words. “So why do you wash people?”

“Because they’re dirty and smell, of course,” she replied in a patient tone, as if explaining something obvious to a small child. “I thoroughly wash them and they go home smelling good and all better. Although,” she added, “the men I wash seem to have a tendency to come back to visit pretty often…”

“I think I’m starting to see what kind of washing we’re talking about here,” Luka muttered. At the Crab Girl’s curious look, he shook his head. “Nevermind, just talking to myself. Uh…”

“Luka, since she’s here, why don’t you let her wash you?” Alice, who had up until now been silent, chimed in with a smirk. “You do happen to be dirty and in need of a bath, right?”

“Wha--? Hold on a minute, now…” Luka said as he took an alarmed step back, the Crab Girl’s stare intensifying. As he tried to think of a reply, a faint pressure signaled Steelburn’s presence in his mind.

“Alicefeeze has a good idea. You should let this Crab Girl wash you,” she told him. At his incredulous reaction, she continued: “Crab Girls are neat freaks and their priority is to clean people they deem dirty, particularly men. But that’s generally all they want. You’ll be fine, and you’ll be refreshed and clean afterwards. Besides,” she added in a somewhat teasing fashion, “getting washed by a Crab Girl is an experience you should have at least once in your life. They’re single-minded, and that makes them really good at what they do.”

“Uhhh… this sounds like a terrible idea,” Luka murmured aloud. Glancing at the Crab Girl, who was now wearing an eager expression and inching closer to him, he addressed her warily. “Hey, you. Just what is it you want, exactly?”

“Why, to wash you! Didn’t you come here for a bath?” she pointed out matter-of-factly. “So come on, let me wash you! I promise you’ll be all good afterwards!” She smiled as she rubbed her hands together, and as if on cue, her lower crab section split open, revealing a cavity that began to form a bubbling foam. A whiff of the foam’s smell reached Luka, and he blinked as he took an involuntary step back: it smelled of cinnamon and spices. The boy gave Alice a worried look, but the Echidna shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile.

“Crab Girls just want to wash people,” she confirmed Steelburn’s words, waving her hands reassuringly. “You’ll be fine. I wouldn’t be suggesting it if it was dangerous. Although you just might start liking bubble baths a bit too much,” she added cheekily. She then grew more serious and motioned to her. “You should take her up on her offer. She’ll take care of all your needs. Just relax and let her do her thing. It’s fine, really.”

“...All right, if you say it’s fine, I’ll trust your judgment. Besides, Steelburn says the same thing,” Luka conceded with a sigh. Looking up at the Crab Girl, he nodded. “Okay, you can wash me. Just give me a minute to get out of my clothes, will you?” The Crab Girl nodded with a delighted squeal, clapping her hands as the bubbling in her crab half intensified. A strong smell of spices began to fill the area.

“I’ll go over there and be on the lookout for intruders,” Alice announced, pointing at a faraway rock formation. She then gave him a knowing smirk. “Well, enjoy your bath, and don’t say I never do anything for you.”

“I’ll refrain from answering that,” Luka muttered, glaring at her as he folded his used clothes and set them aside on a rock. He then refocused his attention on the Crab Girl, who had quietly shuffled up next to him and was giving him an expectant look. Sighing, he looked up at her, privately impressed with how she towered over him, then nodded at her. “Right, then… uh, say, what’s your name?”

“Hm? I’m Charal,” the crab monster replied with a happy smile. Luka shook his head. This Crab Girl was the first person he’d ever met who was happy about washing dirty people - although he had a sinking feeling her definition of ‘washing’ included things most humans would classify as something else entirely. Then again, he was also tired, he felt dirty and he was still very horny from the earlier chat with Sophie, and he found that at the moment he didn’t care where relief from any or all of those issues came from, only that it did come.

“Charal, eh? Well… nice to meet you, I guess. I’m Luka,” he told her, glancing at her enormous pincers with some alarm. “Um… please be careful what you grab with those, will you?”

“Right, don’t worry, leave it to me~” Charal replied in a singsong voice as she clapped her hands in delight. “Besides, I only use my pincers when people don’t cooperate while I wash them. You’re not going to do that, right? Although, that can be fun too,” she added, somewhat ominously. Luka winced.

That sounded suspiciously like ‘Your resistance only makes me hornier’, he thought, his worry intensifying. An exasperated sigh echoed in his mind.

“Just relax and let her wash you. You will be fine,” Steelburn repeated. “You worry too much. Both I and Alicefeeze reassured you it is safe, what more do you want?!”

Luka looked up at the Crab Girl’s face. While she was still smiling, she was also fidgeting, and clearly growing impatient. With a resigned sigh, he nodded at her.

“Very well, let’s do this,” he told her. “What do you want me to do?”

“Ah, finally!” the monster exclaimed, clearly relieved he’d made up his mind. After a quick glance, she motioned for a nearby rock. “Here, this one’s smooth. It should be comfortable. Just sit down and leave the rest to me.”

“Um, all right,” the young Hero nodded, walking up to the rock Charal had pointed at. Patting at its surface, he noted it was indeed smooth. He wiped the sand that had accumulated on its surface off, then sat down, quickly finding a comfortable position.

As soon as he was settled in, he felt a pair of warm hands on his shoulders, holding him in place. From behind him, he heard Charal begin to chatter as her hands lightly kneaded his upper back and the base of his neck.

“Hm? You’re pretty tense. How long has it been since you relaxed?” she asked, then without waiting for the answer she went on. “And I’d guess you’re a fighter, right? You look thin, but have a lot of muscle for your size. You must be pretty strong.”

“I had a good teacher, yeah-- ah, that felt nice,” Luka exhaled as Charal massaged a particularly sore spot on his shoulders. “You’re really good at this, aren’t you? You seem to know what you’re doing.”

“Hehe, I’ve had lo~ts of experience,” Charal boasted as she kept massaging his shoulders. Two more hands joined her first pair, massaging the center of his back. “Although, most men keep screaming and yelling at first when I wash them. How rude, it’s supposed to feel good and be fun, not like that…”

“Ahahahaha… I don’t think that’s why-- owow!” the young man groaned as a third set of hands joined the first two and began kneading his midsection. “Easy there! Gah, I hadn’t noticed how wound up I was. My whole body feels taut as a bow strut, now.”

“Mmmm… well, this should help, then,” the Crab Girl replied. Before Luka could ask what she meant, he heard a bubbling sound, and then gasped in surprise as something warm and wet covered his back. Glancing backward, he saw that she’d produced more of that odd bubbling foam from her crab half, and was now spreading it across his shoulders. He blinked: he expected it to feel slimy and weird, but it actually felt fairly pleasant - just like soapy foam from a warm bath.

The Crab Girl noticed his surprised expression, and giggled in amusement. “Told you it’d feel good!” she triumphantly announced. She then continued in a more subdued tone as she rubbed and massaged the bubbly foam into his back. “This is kind of nice for me, too. I don’t usually get people who just relax and let me wash them. They’re either struggling or too eager, and it makes it hard to do a proper scrubbing.”

“Er, I think I know why-- whoa, hey, what are you doing?!” Luka exclaimed in alarm, feeling Charal’s arms encircle his body and hold him tightly to her while she reached around and began rubbing her foam into his chest. He fidgeted, feeling the Crab Girl’s shapely breasts press and rub into his back, covered with foam, as she lathered him up on both sides. “Uh, not to sound ungrateful, but isn’t this… soaping up… a little…?”

“Hmm, you don’t like it?” the Crab Girl asked him, pausing with a puzzled expression. Luka shook his head with a blush.

“Uh, that’s not what I mean. It’s very pleasant, just... “ he began awkwardly, but Charal cut him off with a shrug and a dismissive tongue click.

“If it makes you feel all tingly and good then I’m doing it right,” she announced bluntly. She pouted cutely. “Just relax, it’s supposed to feel nice! Or are my breasts not soft enough?”

“Wha-- no, no, they’re plenty soft. It’s just, well...” Luka hastily explained - and truthfully, the sensation of the crab monster’s bosom rubbing against his back was absolutely pleasant and not at all something he disliked. He then sighed in resignation “Ah, what am I complaining for? I knew exactly where this was going. Just… do what you want.”

“That’s the spi~rit! You’re the most fun man I’ve washed lately,” the Crab Girl approved in a happy tone as she resumed producing more of her scented foam and pleasantly rubbing it in his skin. “Leave it to me. You’ll be nice, relaxed and happy in no time at all~!” She then began to hum an upbeat song, lathering and massaging him in tune to it. “Bubble~, bubble~, wash~, wash~”

With a last shake of his head, Luka shrugged and relaxed, allowing the Crab Girl to do as she pleased. Charal’s happy humming intensified as she gently but firmly lathered him up with her foam, using both her arms and her own body to spread it all over his back and torso. She then abruptly pulled him back, startling him, and made him lean against her, with his head nestled in-between her shapely breasts. Luka blushed involuntarily at the position, looking up at her, and she giggled in return. “Just making sure you’re comfortable,” she told him with an impish smile and an approving look, before taking hold of his left arm and proceeding to cover it in foam as well. She then repeated the process with his other arm, gently kneading and massaging with her fingers to ensure a proper lathering.

Luka sighed, feeling relaxed. While this “bath” was decidedly on the perverted side, the Crab Girl clearly knew what she was doing: her hands expertly tracked down his sorest spots and massaged them until the discomfort subsided, leaving him feeling refreshed and comfortable. He idly wondered if Charal’s foam had some pain-relief properties; the aches and soreness seemed to disappear much faster from spots she rubbed a lot of it on.

His idle thoughts and relaxation were derailed as Charal’s lower arms, which had until then mostly massaged his midsection and ribs, reached around his waist, with two pairs of them firmly grasping his manhood, which had grown hard and erected from the sensual massage without him noticing.

“Ah, hey, wait!” he began protesting, but paused as the Crab Girl gave him a friendly, reassuring smile while gently but firmly keeping him in place.

“Now, now, don’t twitch around like that. This part is especially dirty, I have to clean it very well,” she admonished him as another pair of her hands brought a large amount of her foam to his groin. “You’ve enjoyed it so far, right? So trust me, it’ll feel good.”

“Uh, I don’t doubt it. It’s just…” Luka began to protest, but Charal cut him off with a disapproving look.

“Why are you fidgeting around like a virgin?” she scolded him, wagging a finger before his face. “You have that other monster’s smell all over you, it’s obvious you’ve got experience. So having your penis touched shouldn’t be a problem, right? Come on, don’t be like those other men from town…”

“Uh, you noticed? Well… you’ve got a point. And, it’s not like I didn’t expect this... Fine, go ahead. Just, uh, be careful? I kind of value my privates,” he pleaded with her. Charal’s smile returned as she foamed up her lower hands, nodding.

“Hehe, don’t worry. You’ll really like this! Just lie back and enjoy my bath!” she promised. Luka glanced at her one more time, then sighed and shook his head, slowly returning to his previous position as she pulled him backwards, replacing his head between her breasts. A happy hum from the Crab Girl indicated her approval at his obedience.

The monster wasted no more time, focusing her attention on her ‘prize’ as she began to vigorously lather up Luka’s groin area with her lower hands, dedicating four of them to thoroughly and carefully scrubbing his erect penis while the remaining pairs ran up and down his thighs, spreading foam on his upper legs. Luka winced: while she was still being fairly gentle, she clearly was well aware of where a man’s most sensitive spots were, making sure to vary her pressure as she alternately rubbed foam on his glans, back muscle and shaft, all the way to the root. One of her hands eventually strayed to his balls, as well, and his initial alarm slowly dissipated as she proved she was well aware of how delicate that part was, employing exceptional caution as she handled them. Luka moaned in pleasure in spite of himself, feeling his excitement rise under the Crab Girl’s expert ministrations, and the sound caused her to laugh, clearly pleased with herself.

“Hehehe… I told you you’d like it! But this part’s still plenty dirty. I need to clean it re~ally thoroughly!” she exclaimed, her own eyes shining in excitement as her fingers’ movements around Luka’s dick became more forceful and she grasped it a little more firmly. Luka’s body jerked involuntarily at the increased stimulation, and he blinked, noticing for the first time that he was unusually sensitive. He looked up at Charal’s face with a questioning expression, and she returned a mischievous smile.

“Ah, you finally noticed? My foam has a special effect on men… it makes them feel really good after a while. Nice, isn’t it?” she said, beaming with pride. Luka hesitated, then nodded. Charal’s smile widened, her hands never stopping their movement on his hard shaft. “Hehe, you’re honest. I’m glad you like it. As thanks for being so cooperative, I’ll make sure to give you my best service~!”

“Ah, that’s not-- nnnnh!” Luka began, only to be cut off by a moan as Charal’s efforts became even more intense. The Crab Girl’s upper arms enveloped him again, pulling him tightly against her as her lower hands kept running up and down his erection in delicate yet rapid and firm strokes. Her movements no longer had anything to do with ‘bathing’, and were clearly intended to force a climax in short order. Luka felt his body respond, an orgasm approaching as the monster’s soft hands firmly gripped and stroked him. Charal, in turn, felt his body begin to tense up against hers and licked her lips, her movement suddenly slowing a bit. A noise of protest came from Luka’s lips before he could stop himself, and he glared up at her, causing her to laugh lightly.

“So impatient! A good bath needs to be savored, Luka,” she chided him teasingly, addressing him by name for the first time. “Relax, I’m not feeling mean or anything. Just… let me enjoy myself, too,” she continued as her hands’ movements picked up speed again, changing to a more gentle, but still firm stroking. Before long Luka, whose excitement had subsided slightly when the crab monster had slowed down, found himself nearing the brink again. This time, however, Charal didn’t slow down, and kept going, her own breathing accelerating a little as she licked her lips again in anticipation.

A few moments later, she felt him tense sharply and let out a deep groan, and his cock twitched as he exploded in her hands, thick strands of semen rising up in the air from his tip before falling back down and covering both his groin and the Crab Girl’s hands and arms. The monster slowed down a little, but didn’t let up, stroking Luka even as he came and drawing more and more semen out with her pumping motions, sending sharp jolts of pleasure through his body from the intense stimulation of his climaxing member.

Finally, his orgasm subsided and he lay back panting, the sides of his head still enveloped by the warm softness of Charal’s full breasts. The Crab Girl giggled with mirth, her movements slowing and then stopping as she let go of his softening dick and admired the young man’s semen glistening on her lower limbs. Then, she began to scoop it up with her upper hands, gathering it in her palms before bringing them to her lips and slowly licking the precious substance up, savoring the taste before gulping it down gratefully.

Before long, Charal had fully cleaned up all traces of semen from her arms, and her attention returned to Luka, still laying against her chest and catching his breath from the post-orgasmic afterglow and the weakness caused by Critical Ecstasy. Her eyes fell on his groin, now sticky with semen, and she clicked her tongue disapprovingly, fighting down a mischievous smirk as she began to bubble once more and produce more foam.

The sound roused Luka from his tired relaxation, and he looked up at her questioningly, then gasped with a sudden jerking motion as he felt her hands abruptly encircle his still-sensitive penis, once more rubbing foam into it. He blinked, then looked up at her again.

“Ah… wait - that’s enough! I just came! It’s really - ah! - sensitive right now!” he protested inbetween gasps caused by her touch. Charal merely smiled at him, pointing at the sticky mess on his groin.

“What are you talking about? Look at how dirty you are! Now I have to wash this part again… You’re a naughty boy, Luka!” she teasingly scolded him as she again began earnestly rubbing his cock. Luka gave her a horrified look.

“You can’t be serious… wait a minute!” he protested again, before looking around for Alice. “Hey? Alice? Anyone? Somebody help meeeeeeeee…”

----

Behind some rocks a little farther away, Alice scoffed. “Serves you right, damn pervert,” she muttered as she sat down and started playing with some seashells she’d gathered. She was feeling irritable, and she had no idea why. She had at first thought it would be perfectly normal - and highly entertaining to her - for Luka to get a bath from the Crab Girl, but as the ‘washing’ went on and he began to clearly enjoy himself, she’d found herself inexplicably growing more and more aggravated, and ultimately had moved a little farther away and begun to fiddle with whatever she could find lying around.

...not that she was jealous, of course. Not at all. What absurdity! She sagely nodded to herself as she returned her attention to the seashells before her, tuning out the gasps and moans from beyond the rock barrier.

This was, after all, just another learning experience for Luka.

----

“Agh, my legs feel like jelly,” Luka muttered as he slowly put fresh clothes on, trying to keep his balance on unstable, shaking knees as he breathed in the evening air. He’d passed out sometime after the fourth time Charal had vigorously rubbed him to a climax, and hadn’t recovered until sunset. Behind him, the Crab Girl giggled as she helped him slip his spare Enrikan shirt on.

“But you’re feeling a lot better, right? You’re just a little worn out,” she cheerfully reassured him. “A good meal and a night’s rest, and you’ll be better than ever tomorrow. I guarantee it!”

“Well… I can’t argue against that,” he admitted as he ran his hands on his arms, examining himself. “Loosened muscles… smooth skin… pleasant smell… no soreness left. There are clerics who would sell their souls to be this efficient at removing pain and discomfort. I haven’t felt this clean and comfortable since I left home. It’s certainly better than how I felt before running into you.” Glancing at her, he smiled. “Thanks. I think I really needed that.” His smile then turned to a frown. “Although, getting squeezed dry was something I was somewhat hoping to avoid...” he added disapprovingly. Charal cheekily stuck her tongue out.

“Phooey! Think of it as my reward for making you feel all better!” she shot back. She then shuffled to the rock she’d washed Luka on and picked up a strange bundle. Walking up to him, she handed it over. To Luka’s surprise, it was his used clothes - now wet, slowly drying and with a distinct scent of spices about them. He looked up to the monster girl, who smiled again.

“I took the liberty of washing your clothes after you passed out during your bath, as well,” she explained with a wink. “Consider it extra service… and maybe the scent will remind you of me, hmm?”

“Hahaha… ha…” Luka chuckled before letting his laughter trail off, quietly pondering as his gaze fell on the walls of Port Natalia in the distance - and beyond them, the lone water tower still standing. He glanced at the Crab Girl, and an idea began to form in his mind. It was admittedly crazy, even for him, but given the state Port Natalia was in, it just might work…

Sneaking another peek at Charal, he reached a decision and nodded to himself, then approached her, his suddenly serious expression drawing a curious look from her. He coughed slightly before he began to speak.

“Say, Charal? I’ve got an idea you may like,” he told her, catching her attention. With her listening, he continued. “You said you like washing men,” he stated. At her nod, he pressed on. “What about women? Ever tried it?”

“Um… well, women don’t have penises, so I think it’d be a lot less fun and tasty, but I have been curious about what it’d be like,” she admitted, thinking with a finger to her lips. “They all run away really fast when they see me or any other monster besides those Mermaids, though, so I never got to wash one. Why do you ask?”

“Because I just had an idea… and, if everything goes well, it’ll make both you and a lot of people in need very happy,” he replied. He then looked at the rocks he’d seen Alice move behind before the bath and took a deep breath before calling out to her. “Oi! Alice! Are you still here?!”

“What do you want?! I’m busy!” a snappy answer came back as Alice’s head popped up from behind the rocks, her eyes blazing as she glared at the young man with irritation. Luka blinked, confused by the reaction. Why is she so mad at me now? I haven’t done anything…

“Heh. She’s just being dishonest with herself,” Steelburn’s thoughts suddenly invaded his mind, a tint of amusement coloring them. “Don’t worry, just gift her some sweets later and she’ll be back to her pleasant self in a flash.”

Uh… okay, if you say so… Luka wondered, still confused by Alice’s behavior. He briefly considered the possibility that the Echidna was having a jealous fit, but discarded it right away: after all, she was the one who had suggested he get a bath from the Crab Girl, so why would she get jealous from that? Almost immediately after he had that thought, a light chuckle echoed in the back of his mind. He briefly waited, but Steelburn fell silent after that, and after a few fruitless moments of waiting, he gave up. Clearly, an explanation wouldn’t be forthcoming from the sword spirit. He shrugged and set his puzzlement aside for later pondering, returning his attention to Alice and Charal.

“Right, if you’re not too busy, come here for a moment,” he told the snake monster, motioning for her to come closer. “I had a sort of crazy idea just now, and would like your opinion on it. If nothing else, you’re sure to get a laugh out of it.”

“A crazy idea? You don’t say,” Alice commented sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she came out of hiding and slithered closer. “If anything, I have yet to see you have an idea that isn’t crazy… but let’s hear it. You got me curious now.”

“Well, it goes like this…”

----

The few seagulls on the beach scattered as a shrill voice echoed across the sands, heavy with incredulity and more than a bit of amusement.

“You want to what…?!”

----

The sun had almost set by the time Luka returned to Port Natalia’s gates, with both Alice and Charal in tow. The Echidna was once more in her human disguise, but kept having sudden giggling fits and clearly struggled very hard to not burst out laughing. Luka occasionally shot her a dirty look, which seemed to only increase her hilarity. For her part, the Crab Girl looked utterly confused by her companions’ behavior, but a hopeful light also shone in her eyes.

As the young Hero and the two monsters approached the gates, a guard spotted them and came forward, holding his spear in a threatening manner.

“Halt! Monsters other than Mermaids aren’t allowed in this town without clearance! Turn back or--” he began in an aggressive tone, but fell silent as the Crab Girl moved into the light of the lanterns surrounding the gate, his eyes widening in surprise. “Huh?! You’re that Crab Girl who jacked-- I mean, chatted with me on the beach the other day! What’re you doing here?!”

“Oh, I remember you! You’re that dirty soldier who often comes to--” Charal began with a friendly smile, but was cut off by a frantic waving and several hissing sounds from the guard.

“Shh! Shhh! Don’t speak so loudly!” he implored her in a panic. “I’m not supposed to be so friendly with monsters other than Mermaids! Just… keep it a secret, okay?!” He then turned to Luka, glaring. “What in the Abyss are you doing bringing her here of all places? Don’t you know our policy strictly forbids outside monsters’ presence?” he hissed angrily.

“Calm down. We’re here on business only,” Luka held his hand up in a placating manner. “We’d like to speak with the Mayor of Port Natalia, if possible. I hope it’s not too late?”

“Mayor Kirsche? Why would you want to see her, and more to the point, what makes you think anything you have to say would be important enough to bother her?” the guard asked brusquely. Luka smiled.

“How about a way to raise the low morale of townies while also providing a service and broadening friendly relations with other monster races?” he suggested. The guard blinked, then his eyes narrowed in disbelief.

“And how exactly would you accomplish that? Not to sound rude, but town’s morale is in the pits, no thanks to the lack of water,” he pointed out, skeptical. “Mayor Kirsche’s a local heroine of great reputation, and has tried repeatedly to raise people’s spirits after the attack, but so far all her attempts failed miserably. Even seeing her assisting the efforts to clear the rubble along with common folk and helping distribute emergency rations isn’t improving morale much.”

“I’m confident my solution will work,” Luka replied, appearing unconcerned. “But to go ahead with my plan, I need the Mayor’s permission, as well as use of one of the town’s abandoned buildings - the old bathhouse near the Strange Grey Cat Inn, specifically.”

“Bathhouse? That dusty old place? No one’s used it since the old owner, some batty old lady, passed away a few years ago. Why would you need--” the guard began before abruptly stopping, his head snapping towards Charal, then back to Luka. At the boy’s knowing smile, his eyes widened in disbelief. “Oh. Oh! No way. No how. That’ll never fly.”

“Now that’s defeatist attitude if I ever saw one. How do you know it won’t work if you don’t try?” Luka insisted. Seeing the guard hesitate with an uncertain expression, he pressed the assault. “Look, letting us talk with the Mayor will not hurt anyone, and in the best case scenario it’ll improve the mood of the townsfolk. Charal’s even agreed to offer her services to anyone who asks regardless of gender. Come on, man, it’s worth a try!”

“...seriously? No offense, but do you even know what one of her, ah, baths entails?” the guard replied, still dubious. Luka’s only response to that was an unamused, stony look, and he kept staring until the guard realized the stupidity of his question and blushed, embarrassed. “Um, okay, so you know what kinda services she offers,” he conceded. “Do you still think it’s a good idea?”

“All I know is I’ve never felt better and more relaxed than I do right now, and regardless of her uh, extra services, Charal is really good at what she does,” he argued, his arms crossed as he began to feel annoyed. “I’d be willing to bet that anyone who gets a good washing from her will feel much better and improve their morale in a flash. And if you make hers an official business, you can make sure she doesn’t misbehave either. It’s worth a try.” He then lowered his voice, his eyes narrowing. “I heard what Charal said, you know. You’ve gone back to her several times, eh? I wonder why…” he whispered in a knowing tone. The guard swallowed hard.

“Guh… are you blackmailing me?! What kind of Hero are you... Fine, you win,” he finally caved in, causing Luka to smile triumphantly. Behind him, Alice lost her battle with her hilarity and let out a short laugh, doubling over before managing to rein her amusement in again. The guard shot her a dirty look before returning his attention on Luka. “But I wash my hands of whatever mess you may cause with this crazy idea! If something goes wrong I never saw you, you snuck in. Got it?!” he added threateningly, glaring crossly at the young man for a few seconds before deflating in defeat. “Shit, I know I’m going to regret this…”

“You won’t. I promise,” Luka reassured him. He then winked. “Hey, once Charal’s settled in, why not pay her a visit? I’m sure being a guard is hard work…” Behind him, Alice let out another laugh.

“You’re a devil, you know that?! The Mayor’s near the school’s ruins, working to remove the leftover rubble,” the guard replied irritably. “You’ll know her when you see her, I bet - she really, ahem, stands out. Now scram! Damn kids and their lewd ideas…”

With a nod and a thankful smile, Luka motioned for his companions and moved past the guard, who signaled with a whistle to open the gates. Two more guards inside tensed up when they saw Charal, but a quick negative headshake from their comrade caused them to relax, letting their hands drop away from the pommels of their swords. Without further delay, the unlikely trio entered Port Natalia and hurried along the main road, headed for the town plaza.

“I can’t believe you blackmailed him with your knowledge of his escapades,” Alice commented with evident amusement in her voice after they were out of earshot. “The pirates rubbed off on you more than I thought if you’d just go and browbeat a guard into letting you break the rules so flagrantly…”

“Yes, well, we’d better make a beeline for the plaza and find the Mayor right away,” Luka interrupted her as he quickened his pace. “I don’t think I can blackmail other guards like that, and Charal is still not supposed to be here. Being stopped would be a problem at best, so let’s hurry.”

Nodding in agreement, Alice and Charal also quickened their pace to keep up with Luka, and a short while later, they emerged in the town plaza, having miraculously avoided any patrols on the way. There, they saw a number of soldiers working on the leftover rubble from the terrorist attack, along with a few civilians.

One in particular stood out: it was a tall pale-skinned woman with very long black hair, piercing grey eyes and incredibly long, slender legs, wearing an elegant, very form-fitting black dress that left essentially nothing to an onlooker’s imagination. A pair of simple black reading glasses adorned her face, which was currently scrunched up in a distinctly unhappy expression as she bent slightly over a table covered in papers. She seemed to be holding something in her mouth, as well, and after a few moments, she reached up with a delicate hand to grasp the item and pull it out of her mouth, revealing it to be a lollipop.

Luka paused for several long moments, finding himself mesmerized by the woman’s appearance in spite of himself, and in particular by the… interesting ways in which her bent over position affected her physique. Besides him, Alice gave him a half-amused, half-annoyed look, and slid next to him, whispering in his ear.

“Your tongue is this close to flapping in the breeze, idiot,” she informed him in a mocking tone, causing him to snap out of his entranced staring and hastily check his mouth for drool. Alice snickered at the sight, then her gaze turned on the woman and she shook her head. “I must admit, though, that I see why you were staring. That’s an exceptionally attractive woman however you look at it. But really, how horny are you? After all Charal did to you… pervert.”

“W-what?! I’m just having a healthy amount of appreciation for a beautiful body!” Luka protested under his breath. “Come on, I’d have to be dead to remain indifferent to someone who looked like that…”

“Fair enough, but keep in mind there’s a good chance that’s the Mayor we’re looking for,” Alice reminded him with a smirk. “The guard said we’d be able to tell who she was right away because she stood out, remember? Well, I don’t see any woman who stands out more than her - in every sense of the word.”

“Y-yeah, you’re right,” Luka murmured as he shook his head, trying to clear his mind of impure thoughts. Ahead of him, the woman straightened up and took a few steps around the table to fetch another pair of papers, her hips swaying visibly. Luka noticed he wasn’t the only one distracted by the sexy-looking woman - several workers frequently stole glances at her when they thought no one was looking. He grimaced: he could already tell that keeping his eyes away from sensitive parts and his thoughts coherent while talking to this woman would be a titanic effort. Shaking his head, he glanced at his companions and nodded towards the woman, then started walking in her direction, with Alice and Charal following right behind.

As they stepped forward, a couple guards loitering nearby spotted them, and shouted in alarm upon seeing Charal, rushing towards the trio with their hands on their swords’ handles. The commotion drew the woman’s attention, causing her to look up and watch the unfolding events with curiosity.

“Halt! Monsters other than Mermaids are not allowed in Port Natalia without permission!” one of the guards shouted, adopting a threatening stance with his hands pawing at his sword’s pommel. “Drop your weapons and surrender quietly!”

“Wait! We just want to speak with Mayor Kirsche!” Luka replied loudly, making sure to keep his hands up and visible. “We have a business proposal, but need her authorization to proceed--”

“A likely story! What would a ragtag gang of misfits like you have to offer to our Mayor?” the second guard sneered, advancing with his sword half-drawn. “Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way…”

“Stop. I will handle this. You boys go patrol the streets,” a soft, yet commanding voice interrupted, causing Luka to pause mid-movement as he began to reach for his own weapon. He felt his heartbeat briefly accelerate as he stared at the tall woman, who had walked up to the scene, and whose voice he’d just heard. Something in the way she spoke felt extremely sensual, and it vaguely reminded him of Alma Elma. He began to wonder if perhaps, the Mayor of Port Natalia wasn’t a Succubus in disguise.

The Mayor gestured dismissively towards the guards, who had also stopped and appeared flustered as well. One of the guards began to open his mouth to speak up in protest, but a glance from the tall woman silenced him before a single word escaped his mouth. Bowing their heads in obedience, both guards reluctantly turned around, glaring one last time at Luka before they walked off and disappeared into a nearby street. The young Hero followed their retreat, then turned to look at the woman, who was quietly observing him with an appreciative gaze in her eyes. He noticed she’d resumed sucking on her lollipop and had struck a rather seductive pose with a hand on her hip, shifting her slender body to emphasize her long legs and sexy physique, and blushed, finding her appearance rather arousing. Shaking his head, he focused, trying to tune out the incredibly attractive body standing before him.

“Um… Mayor Kirsche, I presume?” he asked. The tall woman merely nodded, smiling faintly as she looked at him with a slightly amused and somewhat predatory expression. He felt himself grow hot under his collar again as she slightly bent over forward, flashing the curve of her breasts before his eyes, and tried to shut out the sensations he was feeling: his suspicions about the woman would have to wait until a more private occasion. He cleared his throat, deciding that a polite approach was best, and began to talk. “Ah, my name is Luka, and I am a traveling Hero. I couldn’t help but notice how low this town’s morale has been in the wake of the other day’s attack, and I have been thinking of ways to improve it.”

“Really, now?” the Mayor murmured in a seductive tone as she peered at him from above the rim of her glasses. “Do go on…”

Luka sweated nervously at that. He wasn’t sure why, but he had the distinct impression that the Mayor was going out of her way to make him feel uncomfortable. Gathering his thoughts - and trying to ignore the beautiful woman’s provocations - he continued. “Well, I know that being unable to enjoy a nice bath and a feeling of cleanliness worsens people’s mood. That is where my friend here comes in.” Looking at the Mayor - and pretending not to notice yet another shift in her pose that temporarily drew his gaze on her lovely hips - Luka took a deep breath. “Charal is a Crab Girl, and they’re experts at washing people. I remembered there’s a closed down bathhouse near the Strange Grey Cat Inn, and was wondering if perhaps it couldn’t be rented to her in return for her services. I, ah, can vouch for her being amazingly talented at relieving fatigue and muscle pain and thoroughly cleaning the body. It did improve my mood and relieve my fatigue--”

“I've heard of you,” the Mayor interrupted Luka, still gazing intently at him with a sultry smile. “You were caught in the explosion’s shockwave and thrown through a vendor stand around here, weren’t you? It’s quite amazing that you’re still alive and on your feet.” Her smile turned lopsided as she shifted the lollipop in her mouth, causing Luka to get distracted following her full lips’s movement. “And as for your proposal, you’re basically suggesting I open a soapland, aren’t you? I’m surprised someone who fancies himself a Hero would suggest something like that, particularly involving a monster. You’re a naughty boy, eh? Ohohohoho...”

“Uh… what’s a soapland?” Luka cautiously asked, causing the Mayor to remove the lollipop from her mouth and erupt in laughter, throwing her head back in mirth. The hilarity fit lasted for a few seconds, after which it slowly wound down to a giggle. The tall woman gave him another amused look, covering her mouth with a slender hand as she chuckled one last time.

“A soapland is a Yamatai establishment which offers its clients a variety of… intimate baths,” she explained, struggling to rein in her laughter. “Let’s just say they’re morally dubious places, to put it mildly. Officially, they’re just bathhouses, but everyone knows what really goes on in there. Well, almost everyone,” she amended, giving him an amused glance.

“Oh. Uh… well, I didn’t mean to…” Luka began to mutter awkwardly, realizing what she was implying. Before he could apologize, however, Mayor Kirsche waved his concerns away with a dismissive gesture.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a prude,” she reassured him with wink and a seductive smile as she tapped her lollipop on her full lips in a teasing fashion. She then grew more serious and looked at Charal with interest. “As a matter of fact, yours might be a good idea. Water rationing and the unavailability of baths has been a problem for town morale, as you said, but it didn’t occur to me to ask for a Crab Girl’s help. That’s good thinking.”

“So you don’t mind a monster offering this kind of service?” Luka asked, surprised at the Mayor’s open-mindedness. Her answer was a positive nod.

“As long as she behaves herself, I think this experiment can be made,” she replied, thinking carefully. “A great many of Port Natalia’s men and women are married, so disruptive behavior is obviously discouraged. Also, she has to be willing to wash women, too. It won’t do to only offer this service to men.”

“That’s okay, I already spoke with Luka about it. I don’t mind,” Charal spoke up, smiling. “I’m actually kinda curious about it. I’ve never washed a woman before.”

“Heh. That can be a lot of fun, too,” Kirche replied with a lewd smile as she licked her lips. “Maybe I’ll pay you a visit sometime, as well…”

“Then does that mean…?” Luka spoke up at those words, looking hopeful. The tall woman nodded, smiling as she crossed her arms under her breasts.

“Sure, why not? I've tried everything else, might as well give sex a spin. At the very least, it might be exciting for a while,” she confirmed with a sultry expression, a lewd light in her eyes. She then turned serious again and gestured towards the table. “I will have all the necessary documents signed and delivered tomorrow morning. I’d do it now, but as you can see…” she explained apologetically. “In the meanwhile, though, feel free to make yourself at home at the old bathhouse. It’s rather dusty, and will need a good cleaning, but it’s nothing a Crab Girl can’t handle, I’m sure. I’ll see if I can have a couple of people help, too.”

Following that, she turned around and called a few men and women over. For a couple minutes, there was rapid chatter as she consulted with the assembled citizens, then a middle-aged man gave her a key, which she took with a nod and a few words of gratitude. The assembled people then dispersed, with the exception of a thin, quiet black-haired young boy with piercing grey eyes, an odd skin complexion he’d never seen before and a somewhat surly expression, wearing a beige shirt open on the front and black short pants. Luka idly noticed the boy’s thin physique was deceptive: he was visibly muscular under the clothes, with a body build similar to his own, suggesting some sort of constant, strenuous activity, likely fishing. His attention then returned to Kirsche, who approached Charal with the key she’d received in her hand.

“This is the key to the old bathhouse,” she told her with a smile as she placed the item in one of the Crab Girl’s hands. “It’s a bit of a mess, and you may want to give it a new name, since the old one was so boring - really, ‘Granny’s Hot Baths’?” she added with a theatrical eyeroll. Her smile then grew a little lewd and she winked at the Crab Girl, subtly motioning towards the young man waiting nearby as her voice dropped to a whisper. “This handsome young thing’s offered to help. He’s kind of reserved and rarely talks to or interacts with other people, so it’s unusual for him to volunteer. Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind if he became more… relaxed in his relationships with the opposite gender. And he’ll probably need a bath when you’re done cleaning the bathhouse… you know?”

Her voice then returned to a normal tone as she continued. “Anyway! That fine youth over there is Shin. He will help you overnight so that the bathhouse is at least inhabitable by tomorrow. The sooner you get your services going, the sooner we can see what effect it has on the town. So get going!” she finished with a dismissive hand-wave. As she turned to leave, Luka cleared his throat, attracting her attention once more. “Yes? Is there something else?” she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“Um… why are you so readily accepting an arrangement like this?” Luka asked, genuinely curious. He hadn’t expected the leader of a town so close to San Irias to be so accommodating. Kirsche peered at him with an odd expression, as if gauging his worth, then shrugged.

“Truth be told? I think we should get along with monsters more,” she replied matter-of-factly. “This town is proof that, in spite of what happened to Remina, humans and monsters can still coexist. All it takes is understanding on both sides.” She shook her head slowly. “But how can understanding bloom if no one makes the first move? This is as good a chance as any other to try and extend a friendly hand to more monster species than just Mermaids. Maybe we’ll have more Crab Girls in town over time, and eventually manage to be at peace with all monsters around here. It’s worth a try, at least.”

“I see… I’m impressed by your bravery in making such a decision, especially since the Church will likely disapprove,” he told her, admiration evident in his tone. Kirche scoffed.

“Pah, let the priests yell all they want. They’re just boring old men and women, anyway,” she commented. She then frowned. “Well, except the Grand Pope. Augustin is a genuinely good man, if misguided. Even a sinful Hero like you can trust him,” she continued, a hint of respect creeping in her voice. “He’s got a good word for everyone, and while he will obviously disapprove of your friendliness towards monsters,” she placed a special emphasis on friendliness, her lewd smile leaving no doubt as to what she meant, “he will also not condemn you. No one’s ever been executed by the Grand Pope’s order - it’s the other Ilias-huggers you need to watch out for. Although Augustin’s old rival for the position of Grand Pope, Archbishop Peter the Fourteenth, is also somewhat decent, if a bit too trusting in dogma, and ready to grandiosely declare every two-bit Hero who steps foot in town ‘the one fated to slay the Monster Lord’. They never are, of course.”

“Really? That’s surprising to hear,” Alice commented, genuinely perplexed. “I’d think the Church’s supreme leader would be the most stern of them all…”

“Augustin’s predecessor was, from what I heard,” Kirsche said, absentmindedly suckling her lollipop back in her mouth with a contemplative expression. “He ordered a boatload of floggings for even the most minor of offenses, and everyone was afraid of him even in the Church.” She then smirked contemptuously. “Must be coincidence that he was found dead, blue in the face and very obviously poisoned, on a beautiful spring morning, huh? Who could possibly hate such a charming, adorable lover of all living things?”

“I-I see,” Luka murmured, shocked by the revelations. He hadn’t expected to hear that a Pope was assassinated, much less in recent times. He then glanced at the young man, who was growing restless as he waited. “Um… how did you convince that boy’s parents to let him stay the night with a monster? It seems… strange to me that any parent would say yes like that.”

“Shin doesn’t have any parents, or even relatives,” Kirsche explained, sparing a gentle glance towards the boy. “He’s the son of a fisherman couple that came to live here from Yamatai. Both his parents were killed in a fishing accident a few years ago, and I’ve somewhat been taking care of him since then. It’s nice to have such a handsome man in my house, too,” she added with a slight blush as she rested her left hand on her cheek, shooting a rather inappropriate glance at the youth. She then looked at Charal, her expression becoming unusually stern. “I hope you understand that if you do anything bad to him, I’ll have to kill you, right?” she stated casually, though her eyes were now hard as flint. Charal swallowed nervously under the unflinching gaze.

“Uhh… yes, ma’am,” she answered weakly. Luka found himself stunned at how frigid Kirsche’s gaze had become, and privately admitted that had he been the subject of that cold glare, he’d have been unnerved as well.

“Good, I’m glad we understand each other,” the Mayor smiled warmly again, as if nothing had happened. “Now then, Shin is getting a bit antsy, and I’m buried in this boring work. Much as I’d love to keep chatting with you people, I’m afraid my duty as Mayor calls. So, get going. Time and tide wait for no one. Shoo!”

With a final dismissive gesture, she turned around and walked back to the paper-covered table, very purposely swaying her hips as she did so - an act that caused Luka to momentarily stare, entranced by the movement, and briefly fantasize about what the alluring Mayor looked like under her tight-fitting clothes. A loud cough from Alice caused him to regain his composure, and he wiped a sheen of sweat from his forehead, looking elsewhere to avoid being hypnotized by Kirsche’s seductive movements again. The Echidna smirked at his obvious discomfort.

“U-um, okay… let’s go see what state the bathhouse is in, shall we?” Luka proposed, talking just a little too quickly. Charal snickered at that, earning herself a dirty look from the annoyed young Hero. He then turned towards the other young man, and extended his hand with a friendly smile.

“Your name’s Shin, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he told him. The youth gave his outstretched hand a curious look, but made no motion to shake it. Luka looked at him, confused, then felt a tap on his shoulder and turned towards Alice, who shook her head.

“Luka, he’s from Yamatai,” she told him patiently in a low tone. “Over there, direct contact is reserved for family, close friends or lovers. You should bow to him instead.”

“Oh! Um, right,” Luka stuttered as he withdrew his hand, feeling foolish. He then bowed towards the other boy, as he remembered was the custom in Yamatai. The boy’s expression brightened, and he bowed back. Apparently, he’d been put off by the apparent lack of tact on Luka’s behalf. The young Hero awkwardly scratched his head with an apologetic look as he straightened up. “Sorry about that. I’m curious about Yamatai’s traditions, but don’t really know much about them. I hope you’ll forgive me in advance if I do something rude again.”

“It’s fine,” Shin spoke up for the first time, in a quiet, low voice. There was a very strong foreign accent in his words, which made it obvious he was not a local. “I was rude, too, for reacting like that to a friendly gesture, but… I’m not too comfortable touching strangers. Apologies.” he cocked his head to one side as he continued in a more friendly tone. “By the way, my full name is Sumeragi Shinjirō. ‘Shin’ is my nickname, and most locals find it easier to spell than my full name. You may use it, too, if you like. I honestly prefer it to hearing my name badly mispronounced… no offense meant.”

“It’s quite all right,” Luka replied with a smile, before motioning for the group to follow him as he began heading towards the Strange Grey Cat Inn. As they walked, he accosted the young man and began to chat with him. “Perhaps you could tell me something about Yamatai customs when we both have free time? I plan to visit, and would like to not make a fool of myself…”

“Being willing to learn another culture’s traditions is admirable,” the other youth commented, a pleased smile appearing on his face as he walked. “You’re the first in this town who expressed any interest in my heritage. Even Mayor Kirsche seems to be more interested in what I look like than who I am,” he added with a frown. “I’m grateful to her for taking care of me after my parents died, but sometimes I feel like she cares more about me being ‘cute’ than me being, well, me.” Sighing, Shin looked at Luka again, his smile returning. “I’ll tell you what I can, but I’m afraid you won’t learn much beyond the basics. Yamatai culture seems difficult for outsiders to grasp… you’d need decades to learn all the nuances.”

“Ah… that’s a little discouraging, but I should’ve expected it to be difficult,” the young Hero murmured, slightly dismayed by Shin’s words. He then raised a closed fist before him, looking determined. “But nothing worth learning is ever easy. I’ll do my best to learn as much as I can while I’m here. I just hope I have enough time to spend with you before I leave…”

“As long as you have that spirit, you’ll be fine,” Shin reassured him with another smile. The two young men then began to talk about Shin’s background and Yamatai, with Luka asking questions and Shin concisely answering them. Before long, the group was standing before the bathhouse, and Luka appeared annoyed that his time with his new friend was being cut short already. His frustration must have showed, because Shin shook his head and gave him a comforting smile.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll have more time to talk in the coming days,” he told him, looking pleased. “I enjoy speaking with you. I look forward to our next meeting. Although, so far I only spoke about myself. I’d like to know more about you, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure, I’ll tell you what I can. Although, there’s some information I cannot share…” Luka told him with an apologetic shrug. Shin nodded in understanding.

“Of course, some things are private and only meant for close friends and family, and right now we are only acquaintances,” he agreed. “I myself haven’t told you everything about me, only what I was comfortable with sharing. It’s a fair arrangement.”

“Yes, well--” Luka began to reply, but was cut off by a dismayed cry of horror. Turning around in a flash with his hand on Angel Halo’s handle, he began to scan the surroundings for any threat, but paused when he saw Charal frantically point at the old bathhouse’s inside, whose open doorway she was standing on after unlocking it while the two boys talked. Luka gave her a confused glance, and Charal returned a horrified, panicky look.

“D-dirt! So much dirt! It’s horrible!” she stammered, rolling her eyes in a way that would be almost comical if she didn’t look like she was on the verge of fainting. “Why would anyone let a building become this dirty? Uuuugh…!”

“Uh, well… Shin, just how long has that building been closed?” Luka asked the other youth, curious. Shin rubbed his chin, thinking.

“Hmm… I think it was already closed up when I and my family came to live here… five or six years ago?” he replied, eyeing the old building. “So I’m afraid I wouldn’t know for sure. But it must have been at least five years, this much I am certain of.”

“F-five years of dust?!” Luka croaked. He knew how fast his own house became dusty after just a week, and was now in no hurry to see the bathhouse’s inside. No wonder Charal’s freaking… is one night of work even going to be enough to fix such a mess?

“Oh, that’s going to be nothing compared to having to clean up the plaza,” Shin shrugged confidently, looking unconcerned at the idea. “I’m used to cleaning my own house and my parents’ boat all by myself, not to mention Mayor Kirsche’s mansion - she’s not the most tidy individual, I’m afraid. I couldn’t wait to get away from that horrible mess the bomb made. I’ll take intensive spring cleaning over that any day.”

“Well, if you’re that confident, stop standing there and let’s start working!” Charal interrupted the two, looking upset. She pointed a finger at Shin. “You better be prepared for an all-nighter! If I’m going to open up shop in there, I want it clean and spotless by tomorrow! Start by fetching as much seawater as you can. Maybe some of your human cleaning tools, too. Go on, hurry up!” the Crab Girl urged him, then turned back towards the bathhouse without waiting for an answer and began to mutter darkly. “I knew it was too easy. Should’ve asked for more assistance…” she grumbled, before eyeing Luka speculatively. The young Hero began sweating and glanced towards Shin, but the other youth had already left to fetch the items Charal had requested. Hastily, he held his hands up, shaking his head.

“Ah, ah, ah, I can’t help. I have my own errand to run, and it’s important - if I don’t, the person who asked me can’t get married,” he explained quickly to the irritable Crab Girl in an apologetic tone. “I’d help, but I really have to be in top shape tomorrow since I must go all the way to Kraken’s Shrine.”

“Kraken’s Shrine? You’re going there?” Charal asked, her demeanor suddenly changing as a worried expression appeared on her face. “That could be dangerous. Lots of hungry creatures around here lately...”

“I’m a pretty good fighter. I think I can handle myself if a monster attacks,” Luka reassured her with a smile. Charal, however, didn’t return the smile, and her frown intensified as she shook her head.

“No, I said creatures, not monsters,” she repeated. “There are other dangerous things in the sea besides some of us. I’ve seen a lot of sharks around here lately… more than usual. They even attacked and seriously wounded a few monsters. Be careful, okay?”

“Uh… thanks for the warning,” Luka replied, feeling alarmed. Sea beasts attacking monsters? I thought all beasts were instinctively scared of them. That’s odd… he thought, worry seeping in his mind. Looking up at Charal, he began to ask another question, but just then Shin returned, carrying a barrel of seawater far larger than someone his apparent size should have been able to carry. Charal’s attention was immediately drawn to him, and she began giving him directions quickly as both moved into the bathhouse and shut the door behind them, Luka and Alice’s presence forgotten.

Luka blinked, then shook his head. Apparently, both the Crab Girl and the Yamatai youth were fully focused on their task to the exclusion of everything else. I should probably learn from them and focus on my own task, Luka thought as he stifled a yawn and eyed the Inn. Looking up, he saw Thermidor appear on the balcony of their room and look down. Spotting him, the armored monster waved, smiling, and Luka waved back. He then looked at Alice.

“Well, let’s call it a day,” he told her as he began to head back towards the Inn. “I need a good night’s sleep if I want to be at my best tomorrow, and what Charal said vaguely worries me. I hope I’m just being paranoid…”

“Pfft. As if any base beast would dare approach when you’re in the Monster Lord’s company,” Alice scoffed, dismissing his concerns with a wave of her hand before following him. “Worry more about sea monsters. A lot of them like to eat humans. And then there’s the Mermaids who still follow the Queen…”

“Right, I’ll worry about that tomorrow,” Luka stated before stifling another yawn. “I’m sleepy now. Charal’s bath wore me out a bit, even if my soreness is now gone. I’ll just grab a quick bite and then hit the bed. Are you coming?”

“What kind of question is that?” the Echidna replied, quickening her pace and catching up to him. “When it comes to food, I’m always ready! I hope tonight’s dinner is as delicious as yesterday’s…”

----

The next morning, Luka was up and about before dawn, out on the balcony to enjoy the early morning air. He felt more energetic than usual after the Crab Girl’s bath and a good night’s rest, and stretched slowly as he breathed in deeply, shivering at the slight chill he felt from the breeze blowing around his room’s floor. He cracked his neck and massaged his right shoulder slightly, then leaned over the balcony’s railing to peer at the bathhouse and spotted Charal standing outside, looking slightly worn out but overall happy. He noticed with some surprise that she was wearing a white shirt, rather than going topless like she’d been the previous day. After a few moments of contemplation, he shrugged and headed back in to get dressed. He figured he could grab a bite and drop by Charal’s new place before he got ready to leave for Kraken’s temple.

“Going somewhere?” a voice spoke up as he bent to pick his clothes up from the couch. He glanced backwards at Alice, who was stretching luxuriously on the bed, and briefly paused to admire the admittedly lovely sight of her body under the sheets before nodding.

“Yes. I’m going downstairs to get something to eat and visit Charal. She’s hanging out outside her new bathhouse, and I’m curious to hear how the night cleaning went,” he told the Echidna before rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “She looked tired. Maybe I should get her something, too. What kind of food do Crab Girls like the most?”

“Semen,” was Alice’s immediate reply. Luka gave her a dry look, to which she replied with a raised eyebrow. “What? It’s true. As a matter of fact, there is no food more delicious to any monster than semen. We could live entirely off it and nothing else if we wanted to.”

“Wait… if that’s true, why do man-eating monsters eat people?” Luka asked, slightly confused. Alice shrugged.

“It varies on how smart they are,” she explained, idly twirling her hair. “The less intelligent, more primal monsters do it because they instinctively seek out high-energy sources of food, such as humans. Smarter monsters do it for amusement. But no monster actually needs to eat humans, though for some it’s very hard to not devour them anyway in the process of squeezing their semen out. For instance, Mimics and Blob Girls - particularly the latter, as their whole body is made of digestive fluids, so even being enveloped in it starts the digestion process…”

“I see…” Luka murmured as he slowly got dressed. “Then, ideally monsters should simply seek out sex with human men and they’d have no reason to eat them?”

“Yes, although actually getting them to do so isn’t that simple,” Alice commented, tilting her head to one side. “It’s relatively easy with lesser monsters - they can be controlled. But smarter ones… they’d need to change their entire set of morals. And that’s a good deal harder to accomplish. I could force the issue, but…”

“...that would defeat the purpose, and also cause resentment, right?” Luka guessed, wobbling on one leg as he slipped the other in his pants. Alice nodded, smiling with satisfaction at his quick thinking.

“Yes. What value would forced coexistence have? No, a change like this has to be at least partly willing,” she told him. “I’m considering several solutions, and may have found one…”

“Really? That’s good to know,” the young Hero commented as he slipped his Enrikan shirt on. “So what is it?”

“I’m not ready to discuss it yet,” she replied evasively, giving him a hooded gaze. “But I promise you’ll be the first to know once I iron all the details out.”

“Fair enough. With something this important, it’s best to take it slow and consider all the consequences,” Luka agreed. The Echidna nodded, smiling again.

“Precisely!” she confirmed, before yawning loudly as she stretched again. The shift in her position caused the sheet that had been covering her to fall off, and Luka froze as Alice’s naked breasts came into view, round and inviting as they heaved along with her yawning. The boy felt his cheeks heat up as he pointed at the snake monster.

“A-A-Alice! Why are you not wearing anything?!” he asked, choking on his words as he realized he’d slept the whole night right next to a completely naked Alice. She gave him an odd look, clearly thinking his question was dumb.

“What? Why would I wear clothes when sleeping in a bed? I always sleep naked when I have a room available to myself. Besides, haven’t you seen all of this already?” she replied matter of factly. Luka let out a low noise as his eyes further popped out at those words.

“T-that was different! And… a-always?!” he croaked, involuntarily letting his gaze roam on Alice’s body. The Echidna noticed the stare and snickered.

“O-ho! Was someone hoping for something to happen?” she playfully teased the young man, covering a smirk with a slender hand as Luka grew further agitated. “If you were still horny, you could just have told me…”

“Wh-- no, that’s not it at all!” Luka frantically replied, holding his hands up in denial. Alice smirked again, then gave him a mock-hurt look.

“Oh? So I’m not attractive enough for you?” she asked, pouting as she intentionally shifted to prominently emphasize her ample bosom. Luka predictably stared at the movement, before shaking his head in denial again.

“N-no! That’s not what I mean! You’re attractive, and beautiful, and have really nice, big, squeezable brea--” he stammered, before catching what he was saying and abruptly falling silent, now visibly blushing. Alice couldn’t contain her hilarity anymore at that point: she cracked up and began to laugh out loud, her head thrown back and the gale of laughter causing her generous breasts to jiggle along with her shaking form.

“Pffffft-- hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!” she howled merrily, a big smile on her face as she held her sides and thrashed on the bed. After a few moments of roaring laughter, struggling to regain her composure and short on breath, she looked at Luka and managed to get a few words out inbetween chuckling fits. “Don’t --snort-- worry, I’m not offended. --heehee-- I’m just teasing you --buuhuu-- is all. Your reactions are so cute.” Finally, she calmed down and wiped the tears from her eyes, managing to look at him without losing her composure. “I may have mentioned this before, but I’m quite proud of my breasts. I’m glad to hear they’re the part of my body you like best. Although,” she added, striking a sultry pose as she spread herself on the bed, “it’d be nice if you paid the rest of me as much attention... Say, around here?” she concluded, her left hand shifting near her groin area. Luka’s blush intensified and he took one step backwards, visibly sweating.

“Uh… I’vegottabesomewherebye!” he rapidly muttered before grabbing his shoes and practically flying out of the door. Alice giggled again as she relaxed on the pillows.

“Ufufufufu… seeing him get that flustered is worth having to wait for breakfast,” she commented with a half-lidded look at the door Luka had disappeared through. She then licked her lips, a peculiar light appearing in her eyes. “Hmmm… I really should seriously consider that ‘special training’ I joked about the other day. It would be real fun…”

----

Luka exhaled loudly upon reaching the street, wiping sweat from his forehead as he muttered under his breath. While Alice was most likely just provoking him, there had been a strange air about her lately, and that coupled with the intimate encounter he recently had with her made him more self-conscious than usual around her. And he would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t find her extremely attractive, as well.

Shaking his head, he inhaled the crisp morning air, relaxing a bit before heading over to the old bathhouse. Upon approaching it, he was spotted by Charal, who waved at him, smiling. He smiled back, returning the greeting, and picked up the pace, joining her in front of the bathhouse’s entrance. Peering inside, he let out a low whistle. The place was spotless and looked practically new, all the previously grimy windows crystal clear and all the pavements polished to a shine. He looked at the Crab Girl, who appeared pleased with the state of her new business location.

“You are really good at cleaning, Charal,” he told her, genuinely impressed. “I didn’t see much of the state this place was in yesterday, but I can see it’s completely different now. Whichever man you’re going to marry will be really lucky.”

“Hahaha, thank you!” the monster girl preened proudly. She then scratched her head awkwardly and looked away, embarrassed. “But uh, truth be told, Shin did most of the work. That boy’s incredible… he kept cleaning and working even when I decided to take a break, and by the time I started tidying up again, he’d cleaned most of the bathhouse by himself.”

“Seriously? That’s some endurance he’s got there...” Luka commented with a raised eyebrow. The slim Yamatai youth hadn’t looked like the type to be that tough, but apparently looks were deceiving in his case. Luka made a mental note to never underestimate other humans based on size again. He then looked at Charal again. “So where’s Shin? I don’t see him anywhere.”

“He’s sleeping in the back room,” Charal told him, a frown appearing on her face. “He was exhausted after cleaning everything up, and went to lie down for a while.” She shook her head again. “He’s also a mess, poor thing, but he’s too tired for me to wash him. I’ll have to wait until he’s recovered, and besides, we aren’t quite done yet,” she lamented. “The back rooms still need more cleaning, then we need to order supplies, then the plumbing needs to be connected to the sea, then--”

“Uh, I get it, you’re really busy...” Luka interrupted her while she enumerated the work that still needed doing. “So, any idea when you’ll be ready to open for business?”

“Shin says tomorrow at most we’ll all be set up,” Charal replied, her smile returning as she clapped her hands together. She then brought a finger to her lips, looking thoughtful. “I honestly didn’t believe it at first, but then again, I also didn’t believe him when he assured me we’d get the bathhouse mostly cleaned by this morning, and he was right. He’s really good at planning.” Her mouth curved upwards in a smile. “I wonder if he has a girlfriend. If not, hmmm…”

“Oi… I think the Mayor may have her eyes on him, too,” Luka reminded her with a warning look. Charal’s answer was to stick her tongue out.

“Phooey! If she hasn’t made a move yet, then I will!” she protested childishly. “What is it you humans say? ‘The early pussy catches the bird’?”

“...The early bird catches the worm. Where’d you get ‘pussy’ from…?” Luka muttered, palming his face with a sigh. “Nevermind, don’t answer that. It’s probably something lewd anyway.”

“Don’t worry about trivial details!” Charal protested again, planting her hands on her hips and striking a severe pose. In doing so, her breasts bounced underneath the fabric, a movement that drew Luka’s attention. The boy averted his eyes with a grimace: it seemed that Fate intended to make him as uncomfortably aroused as possible today.

As he looked to his right, he detected movement inside the bathhouse from a window, and noticed Shin was up and about, looking around the main room inside. When the Yamatai boy turned towards the window, he spotted Luka and Charal outside and hurried towards the entrance, joining them shortly. Luka raised a hand in greeting, and Shin returned a polite nod.

“Good morning, Luka! Have you come to see our progress?” he exclaimed with a tired, but happy smile. Looking back at the bathhouse, he continued. “This was rougher than I thought. A lot of dust and grime accumulated during the time the baths remained closed. Nothing a good amount of saltwater, some soap and honest effort could not fix, naturally, but there was enough that it took all night for us to tidy this place over.”

“Hold on. Saltwater?” Luka asked, puzzled. “Doesn’t that risk damaging some surfaces?”

“With a normal bath it could, but this bathhouse was seemingly designed for using seawater in the first place,” Shin replied, shaking his head. “This is convenient, too, since Miss Charal likes using seawater to, ah, wash her clients,” he added, blushing slightly as he spoke. The Crab Girl giggled.

“I still owe you a bath, you know!” she reminded him, giving him a meaningful glance and a sultry grin, and the youth blushed even harder at that. “Once we’re all done cleaning, I’ll be sure to polish you to a shine, too. It’ll even be free for you! Hehehe…”

“Don’t tease him, Charal. He’s helping out of the goodness of his heart, and you want to molest him in return? For shame…” Luka half-heartedly chastised her, smiling as he spoke. He then yawned, covering his mouth with a hand, and stretched backwards, causing several of his joints to pop loudly. The Crab Girl shivered.

“Ew, don’t make those noises. It’s creepy!” she scolded Luka with an unhappy scowl. The young Hero scratched his head sheepishly and muttered an apology, then looked up at his hotel room.

“Well, nice as it was to speak with you, I really have to go now,” he told them with an apologetic shrug. “I have an errand to run on behalf of a local Mermaid, and I’ve postponed it enough. Might as well get started…”

“An errand for a Mermaid? You mentioned something about a marriage and Kraken’s shrine yesterday. What exactly are you supposed to do?” Charal asked, curious. Shin drew a little closer as well, interested in the topic. Luka looked at the two for a few moments, then shrugged. He didn’t think there was a problem talking about his mission, so long as he kept private details to himself.

“There’s this couple in town that’s about to get married, and they want Kraken’s blessing,” he explained. “But the Mermaid is worried that her lover, who is very weak, could get hurt or worse while visiting Kraken, so… I offered to go in their behalf.”

“To Kraken’s shrine... That could be a problem. There are sharks everywhere lately,” Shin spoke up, earning Luka’s undivided attention. Seeing his expression, the other boy continued. “There have been a number of shark attacks - on both humans and monsters. It has quite a few people worried. Shark attacks on humans are normal enough, though usually not this frequent, but on monsters? That’s strange, however you look at it.”

“Charal mentioned something about it yesterday, yes. But, I thought wild beasts instinctively feared monsters?” Luka asked, puzzled. Shin nodded.

“They do. Which is why sharks attacking monsters - even if it’s just Mermaids - is so odd,” he confirmed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “They should avoid them, not try to eat them. So far there have been no casualties, but more than a few among both Mermaids and humans have been seriously wounded by these attacks. And the number of sharks itself is unusual…”

“Huh… I see. I’ll have to watch out,” Luka murmured, absorbing the information he’d just been given. He then looked up at them and smiled apologetically. “Even so, I have to do this errand. I promised, and I would be a very poor Hero if I took back my word at the first sign of danger.”

“Very well, but do be careful,” Shin cautioned him again. Charal nodded in agreement, and the Yamatai youth continued. “Try not to get wounded - if you start bleeding in the water, the sharks will frenzy, and evading their pursuit will be incredibly hard. Although, if you find a way to chum the water, it may distract them and let you get away. I will be praying for your safety.” He then bowed deeply, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “May the Royal Mother’s benevolent gaze shield you from harm and keep you safe.”

“Uh… thank you. I appreciate it,” Luka nodded, unsure. Mentally, he made a note to ask Shin about this ‘Royal Mother’ he had just mentioned later. It was the first time he’d heard that name, though it was not surprising, since Yamatai didn’t much share its culture and religious beliefs with outsiders. Setting aside his curiosity, he somewhat stiffly bowed back, acutely aware of how graceless his movement was compared to Shin’s own bow. However, the other youth didn’t seem to mind and smiled in return before turning around and reentering the bathhouse. Luka exhaled, relaxing a little, and turned to Charal. “Say, have you decided on a name for your bathhouse?”

“Hmm… Shin and I talked about it while working,” the Crab Girl replied, her brow furrowing in concentration. “I’m leaning towards calling it ‘White Foam Baths’. Catchy and easy to remember, right?” she concluded with a smile. Luka raised an eyebrow at the name.

“I think I see what you did there,” he commented, amused at Charal’s choice of name. Mulling it over, he decided he liked it. While it was somewhat suggestive, given the owner was a Crab Girl, it was also descriptive enough for the purpose of identifying the business, and had a certain charm to it. He nodded at Charal, smiling. “I think it’s great. I’m sure it’ll catch on.”

“Right?! I knew you’d like it!” Charal exclaimed, clapping her hands in delight. Glancing at the bathhouse, she pointed at a space above the entrance, which looked like it once housed a plaque of some sort. “I plan to hang a sign up there - something cute that attracts attention. Shin said he can make me a sign for free,” she continued, before frowning and fidgeting a bit, embarrassed. “He’s been incredibly helpful and I’d like to reward him somehow, but he insists he doesn’t mind and it’s all right. I feel a bit guilty taking advantage of his generosity, but without him I’m not sure I could get all this going…”

“Well, you can always offer him a lifetime entrance free of charge, right?” Luka pointed out. Charal paused, then brightened up, nodding.

“You’re right, that should please him,” she agreed, her good mood returning. She then glanced back and made a displeased noise. “Ah, he’s trying to do everything by himself again! Sorry, I have to go help him - it’s my bathhouse, after all, I should work on tidying it up as well.” Without waiting for an answer, Charal scampered off, disappearing inside the bathhouse and closing the door behind her. Luka blinked, a little stunned by the crab monster’s sudden departure, then shrugged and turned around to return to the Inn.

As he approached the Inn’s entrance, he spotted Thermidor and Elyse talking in front of the entrance and picked up his pace to catch up with them. The two women, who were chatting, stopped to wave at him, and Thermidor offered him a warm smile when he reached them.

“Good morning, Luka,” she greeted him. “I was waiting for you to return to say goodbye - I will likely have left for Sabasa by the time you come back from Kraken’s place.”

“Oh… you’re leaving already?” Luka murmured, looking crestfallen. He hadn’t spent as much time as he wanted with Thermidor in the past few days, and now he’d have to be apart from her for a long time. Truthfully, he was anxious about it as well. Acting on an impulse, he covered the ground between them and hugged her tightly, startling her with the sudden action.

After a few seconds, Thermidor awkwardly returned the hug, looking embarrassed. The two remained like that for a few more moments, then separated, smiling fondly at each other. Thermidor then motioned to the Harpy next to her, who smiled at him and waved a wing. “Elyse’s also leaving, as you can see. She feels rested and in top shape now, and wants to make it to the other side before nightfall.”

“That’s some real speed there… we took days to get from Ilias continent to Sentora, and she can do it in one day?” Luka commented, giving the brightly colored Harpy an impressed look. Elyse preened with pride, a pleased smile blooming on her face.

“Ehehe, I’m the fastest Harpy in the village,” she boasted. “Even Queen Sophie can’t keep up with me. No one else could make a trip like this as fast as I do.”

“It must be tiring to fly nonstop from here to the south, though,” Luka pointed out, sounding a little worried. Elyse waved a wing in a dismissive fashion.

“Ah, it’s fine. Besides there are a few small uninhabited islands between here and Poseidon’s Cave - well, they're more very large rocks than islands, but they're enough for me to rest on if I do get tired. I’ll be fine, though. See this?” she told him, pointing with a wingtip at her neck. Luka noticed for the first time she was wearing some sort of neckband with a gem embedded on it, and his eyes narrowed when a sudden glow emanated from it. He looked up at Elyse.

“Magical, right?” he asked. The Harpy nodded.

“Yup. Stamina belt. We Harpies usually keep them for our husbands,” she explained, her conspiratorial, somewhat lewd tone leaving no doubt as to the activities these belts were intended for. She then straightened up and struck a pose. “But as you can see, they can also be used to help in a trip like this. Not that I need the help,” she immediately added, sounding defensive. Luka chuckled at that.

“I believe you. Making it all the way here… your feats speak for you,” he reassured her with a smile. He then became serious. “With that said, do be careful. I’d feel terrible if you got hurt over delivering something for me. Are you sure you can’t arrange for passage on some ship?”

“Ew, no. I don’t want to be cooped up in a cabin for days,” she protested, shaking her head with a horrified expression at the thought. “I’ll be fine, I’m telling you. I’ll be on dry land way before getting tired.” She then smiled at him. “Thanks for the concern, though. But you really should be more worried about the Queen. Make sure to talk to her often!”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Luka assured her with a nod. The Harpy smiled at him again, then leaped up in the air and gained altitude, quickly clearing the rooftops. Looking back, she waved at him one last time, then took off for the south at incredible speed, soon becoming a moving dot in the distance.

Luka followed Elyse’s flight for a little while, then looked up at the sky. “Well, it seems that weather will be good, so I’ll go get ready for my own trip,” he commented. Glancing at Thermidor, he gave her a warm, affectionate smile. “Hey, I’ll be seeing you in Sabasa, right? I’ll get there as quickly as I can.”

“Just make sure you get there safely,” Thermidor replied, concern showing on her face for the first time. “I’m a little anxious about you going your own way, but now’s as good a time as any, and I trust Lady Alicefeeze will help you if things get bad. Just… stay safe, all right?”

“Same to you,” he reminded her with a frown. “Remember this is Church territory. Being a high-ranking officer in Sabasa won’t make much difference to the more overzealous Heroes around here.”

“It’ll be all right so long as I don’t head north. I plan to travel along the coast to the eastern Safina region,” she explained to him. “You may want to use the same route once you’re done with your business in San Irias. In fact, you may want to keep your time in San Irias to a minimum. You should be fine, but Lady Alicefeeze worries me… she has little patience for foolishness, in general.”

“Hmm, well, according to the Mayor, the current Grand Pope is a somewhat tolerant fellow…” Luka mentioned. Thermidor rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

“Augustin? I met him only once, when he wasn’t Grand Pope yet,” she commented. “He… was wary around me, but surprisingly civil and pleasant. He also explained his beliefs to me. He’s pious, and a bit too optimistic for his own good, but not bigoted - he believes there has to be a way for monsters to ‘embrace Ilias’s love’...”

“...seriously?” Luka asked, incredulous. At Thermidor’s nod, he sighed, shaking his head. “That’s ridiculous. Hasn’t he read his own Church’s dogma?”

“He thinks it should be interpreted, not taken literally,” Thermidor explained with a small headshake of her own. “He even tried to convert me to Ilias’ faith. I declined, but must commend him on the effort. He may be the only Church member who even bothered to try.”

“How did someone like this become Grand Pope…?” Luka wondered aloud. The monster fencer shrugged.

“Connections, I guess. I hear a number of the younger Church members were on his side when the votes were cast,” she replied. She then became thoughtful. “He doesn’t seem to have much control outside of San Irias, though. Hero attacks on monsters are on the rise, even though he gave specific orders that Heroes only engage monsters in combat to protect themselves or other humans…”

“Wait… he gave the same orders as Alice?” Luka blinked in confusion. Thermidor nodded.

“Yes, and with about the same success,” she remarked. “It seems that both sides have reasonable leaders and irresponsible followers. As things are, a conflict is destined to explode even if the leaders don’t want it to.”

“You’re probably right… but even so, this changes everything,” Luka argued, pacing back and forth before the Inn’s entrance. “Alice must be informed of this. There may yet be a way to broker some kind of truce if both leaders agree to it.”

“You’re being way too optimistic, Luka,” Thermidor sighed with a headshake. “Even if the leaders agree, the regional lords probably will not, on either side. They’d have to force the issue, and that won’t end well…”

“That is true, but Luka is nonetheless right,” Alice’s voice spoke up as the Echidna suddenly walked out of the inn, startling the pair who turned towards her. Approaching the two, she continued. “If what I heard is true, then I may have gravely misjudged the Grand Pope. I thought he was making the situation worse, but it seems he may be stuck in my same position - meaning well, but with everything conspiring to make him fail.”

She steepled her hands together and leaned against the Inn’s wall, looking unusually serious and thoughtful. “I doubt it would be as simple as sitting down and having a chat, but cautiously testing the waters for a possible agreement is a good idea. We’ll have to be careful not to reveal our hand all at once, though, in case we are wrong and he’s not reliable, but… I’m willing to give it a try.”

“Good, then we have a plan of action for when we get to San Irias,” Luka nodded. Alice glanced at him with a wry smile, relaxing.

“Sure we do, but shouldn’t you first run that errand of yours? It’s been nearly a hour since you woke up, and you’re still here…” she suggested teasingly. Luka paused and looked up at the morning sky, noticing the sun’s position with horror.

“Geh! You’re right! I have to go get my stuff ready…” he exclaimed as he began to move towards the Inn. Before reaching the entrance, however, he paused, looking back at the monster swordswoman with a wistful smile.

“I’ll miss you, Thermidor,” he murmured, sounding depressed. “Stay safe. I hope I’ll see you again soon.”

With those parting words, he turned around and quickly walked back in the inn, disappearing from the two women’s view. The fencer and the Echidna both remained motionless for a while, then Alice sighed and shook her head, looking at Thermidor.

“I think he’s just trying to not worry you, but he’s taking being separated from you rather badly after all,” she told her. She then smiled. “I guess he really does love you dearly, eh? I’m a little envious.”

Thermidor didn’t answer immediately, instead looking at where Luka had disappeared with an unreadable expression. After a few moments, she closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, then addressed Alice without looking at her.

“Lady Alicefeeze, if it’s not imposing too much, could you try to cheer him up later?” she asked the snake monster. “I feel a little guilty, seeing him like that…”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll look after him,” Alice reassured her. Then she added: “And don’t feel guilty. Considering he’s never left your side for a relevant length of time, he’s just nervous at the prospect of not seeing you for possibly weeks. He’ll get used to not always being with you, and if Happiness Village is any indication, finding something to do will distract him enough he won’t have time to brood.”

“Just so long as that ‘something’ doesn’t include getting engaged to more monster Queens,” Thermidor pointed out dryly. Alice shook her head, giving her an apologetic glance.

“Sorry, but I can’t promise anything on that end so long as he keeps being so nice to every monster he meets,” she pointed out, sounding slightly frustrated. “Practically any monster who doesn’t outright hate humans, and a good number of those who do as well, would find him a keeper just because of how willing to please he is. He’d have to stop being himself in order for monsters to stop wanting him. There’s no way I can keep them from taking interest.”

“I know, I know… just don’t let him get kidnapped,” the monster swordswoman conceded, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. Alice gave her an agreeing nod.

“That much, I can do,” she said, before wagging a finger before Thermidor’s nose with a severe expression. “That said, give him some credit. He may be too nice for his own good, but he's not stupid. He’ll be fine.”

“Right… I’ll go pack my belongings, then,” Thermidor replied in a dubious tone, before bowing deeply to Alice. “Thank you for everything, my Lady. I shan’t forget your kindness.”

“You’re one of my cute subjects, too. Of course I’d help you,” Alice replied dismissively, waving a hand at her. “Go now. We’ve all wasted enough time as it is. There’s work to do.”

Thermidor nodded and bowed again, then turned around and headed in the inn. Alice stood alone in the street for a bit, then sighed as she entered the inn as well. Things certainly were getting more interesting.

----

-Somewhere off the coast of Sentora-

“Have you found her?!” a Mermaid armed with a sword asked another similarly-equipped one as they frantically patrolled the streets of an underwater city. The second Mermaid shook her head.

“No - I can’t find her anywhere,” she replied, looking crestfallen. “The gate guards are sure they saw no one matching her description pass, but we’ve looked everywhere. She must’ve snuck outside the city.”

“Still no sign of Princess El?” a third voice interjected, deep and commanding. The two Mermaids froze, then turned around in unison and snapped at attention, saluting an extremely large and fierce-looking Mermaid with blue scales and hair, nearly twice their size and wielding a large trident as weapon. The newcomer’s face had piercing green eyes and was quite feminine, but her beauty was somewhat marred by the worried frown that twisted her features.

“N-no, General Frieda! We believe that she may have left town entirely, but we’ll keep looking regardless!” they responded at once. The Mermaid general nodded, sighing wearily.

“Do so, then. Thank you for your efforts,” Frieda murmured, tiredness evident in her voice as she dismissed her soldiers. After the two Mermaid warriors scurried off, she looked around, and gave another tired sigh before she slowly began to swim down the street, scanning for any sign of her quarry. The Mermaid Princess, El, had disappeared from the royal palace sometime earlier, either in the morning or during the night, and attempts to locate her had been unsuccessful. Her room was orderly and only her typical outdoors personal effects were missing, including the pouch she wore whenever she took a stroll, so a kidnapping was ruled out almost immediately. However, she hadn’t been found within the premises at all, and the Mermaid Queen, Laura, had ordered her army to spare no effort in locating her missing daughter.

“General Frieda.” a quiet, cold voice called out to the Mermaid general as she swam. Frieda froze instantly, recognizing it, and slowly turned around, lowering her head as she faced a much smaller, but somehow more regal and imposing-looking, mermaid with light blue scales and hair, wearing fashionable jewelry. The newcomer Mermaid had extremely pale skin with a light blue hue and large, expressionless blue eyes. Frieda bowed, her own eyes still downcast.

“Queen Laura. My apologies, but we haven’t found Princess El yet,” Frieda said in a neutral tone, trying to remain calm. The Queen didn’t appear hostile outwardly, but her aura was anything but friendly, and an occasional violent swish of her fishtail made her irritation evident to observant eyes. The Mermaid general continued speaking to her monarch. “We believe she may have left town to explore the surroundings, even though she was warned not to wander off alone. My soldiers are still patrolling to find her in case she is just hiding in--”

“She isn’t in town anymore,” Queen Laura interrupted her with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I explored it in search of her spiritual trace, and it’s nowhere within the walls. I found her trail, though - it leads outside, after which she hid traces of her passage.” She frowned. “I have no idea where she learned to be this crafty, but she is skilled at it.”

“Ah - then I’ll gather a search party immediately and head out at once, my Queen,” the General reassured her, clasping a hand to her heart in salute. “If you would just tell me which direction she went in…”

“North - towards Port Natalia,” was the Queen’s flat reply. Frieda’s expression clouded over.

“Towards those human-loving fools…? I hope she doesn’t go near them,” the larger Mermaid muttered. Bowing again, she looked at the Queen. “I will organize the search right away, then. Permission to leave…?”

“Granted,” Laura replied coldly. As Frieda turned around and swam away, however, she called out to her once more. “General.”

“Yes, my Queen?” Frieda asked, stopping and turning towards the Mermaid Queen. She then froze - Laura’s demeanor had changed, and her previously cold stare was now decidedly frigid and even more hostile than before.

“I want my daughter back, General,” the Queen enunciated, slowly and clearly. “I do not care what you have to do to accomplish this. Get it done.” Her eyes narrowed. “You will return with my daughter. Do not bother returning otherwise. Is that clear?”

“Y-yes, my Queen,” Frieda stammered, gulping loudly. Laura’s body language now transmitted more open anger, her aura had become so oppressive she could barely breathe, and her cold rage was evident. The Queen stared unmoving at her General for a few more seconds while she gasped under the weight of her monarch’s spiritual presence before nodding, apparently satisfied.

“Good. You are dismissed.” she stated simply, before turning around and swimming away without another word. Frieda remained still for a few more seconds, breathing harshly as she cast fearful glances at the direction Laura had disappeared in. They had known each other for a long time, and had their disagreements in the past, but this was the first time Queen Laura had lashed out at her with such anger. She found it terrifying.

As Frieda swam away, looking for some of her most trusted underlings to form the Princess’s search party, she took a long look at her surroundings. She feared this might just be the last day she would ever see her hometown.

----

-Port Natalia, Mernel’s House-

“...I wonder if this is good…” Mernel murmured, looking at herself in a mirror. She had decided to use part of her money for an impulse buy when she’d seen a particularly nice, vaporous dress designed to emphasize the wearer’s physique, leaving little to the imagination, but now that she was actually wearing it, she was having second thoughts. Was it really good for someone like her? She was acutely aware that she was slimmer than most Mermaids due to eating less, and her body wasn’t as voluptuous as, for instance, Meia’s. While her reflection in the mirror looked nice enough, she was afraid she wouldn’t hold up in comparison to anyone else.

As Mernel kept fidgeting before the mirror, a knock was heard at her door. The Mermaid blinked: she wasn’t expecting guests today, having taken the day off from her stand to allow for the new equipment to be installed. She headed for the door and paused before it, suddenly hopeful about the identity of her surprise visitor. I know it’s silly, but maybe it’s…, she thought as she reached for the handle and twisted it, opening the door.

Her hopeful expression melted to crestfallen disappointment when she was greeted by the familiar face of her friend Meia. The other Mermaid paused, noticing Mernel’s expression, then gave her a questioning look, cocking her head.

“Hi, Mernel. It’s been a while. May I come in?” she asked politely. Mernel blinked, shook out of her disappointment by the question, and nodded awkwardly, stepping aside to let the second Mermaid inside.

After she closed the door, the two friends relocated to the kitchen, and Meia sat down while Mernel got busy preparing a herbal infusion that she knew by experience they both liked. The second Mermaid observed her friend’s activities around the stove for a while, quietly noting her new dress and how she’d also combed her hair, and began to think as she remembered how she had looked disappointed at seeing her upon opening the door - as if she’d been hoping for someone else. She could think of a few reasons for her reaction, but one stood prominently out, and she was fairly sure she was correct in assuming it was the right one. I think I see how it is, she thought to herself, smiling inwardly. It seems I came at just the perfect time, too. If nothing else, I can finally help her.

“Here you go. You like lemon balm tea, right?” Mernel suddenly addressed her, startling her out of her thoughts. Looking down at the table, Meia saw a cup that her old friend had set down in front of her and leaned over to inhale the aroma of the infusion within, smiling at the familiar scent.

“You remembered. Thank you,” she said, happily taking the cup of hot liquid and lightly blowing on it to cool it down. Mernel smiled back and nodded.

“Of course. I wouldn’t forget my best friend’s favorite tea,” she pointed out as she also sat down and began blowing on her own tea.

For the next few minutes, the two Mermaids said nothing, quietly sipping their beverages and occasionally glancing at each other speculatively. Eventually, Meia set down her cup and crossed her hands, looking at Meia.

“That’s a nice dress. It’s new, right? It must be for a special occasion,” she commented casually, eyeing the other Mermaid for reactions. Her observation was rewarded when she caught Mernel briefly freeze and stiffen at her words, before setting her own cup down, trying to look as nonchalant as possible.

“Ah… not really, it was just an impulse buy,” Mernel quickly answered, evading her friend’s attempts to make eye contact. “I should actually return it…”

“Nonsense. It looks lovely on you. Feathery and vaporous, emphasizing your beauty,” she reassured her, before reaching up and squeezing her own breasts. “Believe it or not, I wouldn’t look as good in it as you. Some clothes only work on slender physiques, and this is one of them.”

“W-well… do you really think so?” Mernel asked, uncertain. At her friend’s nod, she paused, then quickly continued. “Do you think younger men would like it?”

I knew it, Meia thought to herself, smiling as she leaned back and gave her friend a calculated look. “Anyone in particular you have in mind? I may be able to help if I know who you’re interested in.”

Mernel visibly hesitated, and Meia sighed inwardly. Her friend was very outgoing when working, but in her private life, she became very awkward, partly owing to her lack of wealth making her self conscious when interacting with others. It seems I will need to prod her a bit, the silver haired Mermaid thought. Well, this is what friends are for…

“Let me take a guess. It wouldn’t happen to involve that handsome young man you sent to help me yesterday, would it?” Meia asked bluntly. When the other Mermaid froze, she smiled. “I figured as much. Your face says it all, and it was too much of a coincidence that you bought a new dress with your limited resources and prettied yourself up right after he showed up.”

“Um…” Mernel murmured, lowering her head as she blushed slightly. “I know I’m being foolish, but…”

“Actually, I think you’re on the right track,” Meia interrupted her. Mernel blinked, not expecting that answer, and Meia’s smile widened a bit.

“Wait… on the right track?” the second Mermaid asked, puzzled. “What do you mean? I mean, I think it’s pretty obvious that there’s something going on between him and those two women who travel with him…”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Meia told her, motioning for her to sit back and listen. Over the next few minutes, she recounted her meeting with Luka, their talk and particularly his current relationship situation, with Mernel’s eyes gradually getting wider as the full picture unveiled before her. At the end, she sat silent, mulling over what her friend told her. while Meia patiently waited for her to collect her thought. Finally, she looked up, a hopeful light in her eyes.

“So… his wife, being a Harpy, wouldn’t mind if I make a move?” she asked. Meia nodded.

“So long as you don’t outright try to keep him to yourself, it should be fine,” she told her. “Harpies can be fairly accommodating when it comes to these things.” Meia rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “The biggest problem is his own misgivings with, shall we say, hit-and-quit relationships, but you aren’t planning to move away from here, so I’m sure he can make a compromise. And, unless I was completely wrong in reading him,” she added, “he simply isn’t the type to reject a beautiful woman baring her heart to him. Though I imagine baring other things helps…” she remarked cheekily. Mernel blushed at the last remark - Meia had always been a bit more brazen than herself, and while she did joke with Luka about paying her in nature, she hadn’t been serious.

“I see… that’s good…” Mernel murmured, feeling elated for the first time in a long while. For once, things looked as if they were going her way, and while she was afraid her good luck would come to an abrupt end, right now she intended to seize on any opportunity that presented itself to her. And this particular opportunity was far too dear to her to let it slip, even if it meant risking making a fool of herself. She clenched her fist in determination, already making daring plans for the near future.

A coughing noise interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to see Meia faintly smiling at her with a knowing look in her eyes. Her confusion prompted Meia to speak up.

“I notice you didn’t deny my implication that you’re interested in children,” she pointed out, causing Mernel to pause and blush again. The silver-haired Mermaid chuckled, waving away her friend’s embarrassment. “Don’t worry, I’m not criticizing. I’m just surprised that you’d end up falling for a man so hard you’d want to bear his offspring within days of meeting him.” She chuckled again. “Then again, us Mermaids have always been overly romantic and quick to feel passion… kind of like Shellfish Girls. I myself fell hard for my darling when he carried me home in his arms and looked after me after I had a fainting spell from the summer heat.”

“Uhh, well, my first meeting with Luka was more… destructive than that,” Mernel pointed out meekly. Meia dismissed her protest with another handwave.

“Ah, don’t let minor details get in the way of love,” she chastised her. She then gave her a serious look. “Listen, if you want this to happen, you have to take matters into your own hands. When he comes back from Kraken’s Shrine, don’t wait around. Take him aside, lead him somewhere nice - for example, the beach - and just follow your heart.” Meia grasped her friend’s hands in her own. “Trust me, it’ll work. I may not know him well, but I can tell even now: he’s not like other humans. Show him how you feel and he will respond.”

Mernel remained motionless for a few moments after Meia finished speaking, looking down at their intertwined hands. Then, she looked up, a determined light shining in her eyes, and nodded fiercely.

“I understand. I’ll do my best, Meia. Just you watch!” she proclaimed, holding up a fist with confidence. Meia smiled as she let go of her friend’s other hand and moved back, observing her. She could feel a new determination radiating from Mernel, and quietly nodded to herself.

She’d come here wanting to thank her old friend for her help, and by a stroke of luck, had found out a way to help her in return. But this was all she could do. The rest was in Mernel’s hands.

----

A few minutes after the reunion between the two Mermaid friends, the object of Mernel’s affection stood on the shore near Port Natalia, casting dubious looks at the water. Fingering the Orb of Guidance that Meia entrusted to him, safely secured around his neck, Luka glanced at it, unsure about what he was supposed to do. Finally, he turned around to look at Alice, who sighed in exasperation.

“What are you doing fidgeting like that? Surely, that Mermaid told you how to use the Orb? Or

have you forgotten already?” she scolded him, wagging a finger before his nose. Luka blushed at that, averting his eyes, and Alice briefly stared at him before sighing again and shaking her head. “You actually forgot…? It’s a good thing I’m here, or you’d be lost without me.” She then pointed at the Orb. “Just hold it up, towards the sea. It’s really that simple. Its magic will do the rest.”

“Just hold it up? Oh, right… that’s what Meia said too,” Luka murmured, feeling silly for forgetting such simple instructions. Grasping the Orb firmly in his hand, he lifted it above his head, pointing towards the open sea, and waited.

He didn’t have to wait long. With a flash, a beam of light shot out of the Orb and pierced the waves, lingering for a few seconds before dissipating. In its wake, a luminescent trail remained in the water, disappearing in the depths a little off the shore. At the same time, a white glow surrounded his body, as well, shining brightly before receding and fading away. Immediately afterwards, Luka realized something had changed: he looked no different outwardly, but the sensations from his surroundings had changed, and the very air he breathed in felt different - drier and harsher, in a way. He glanced at Alice, who nodded with a small smile.

“Monster magic,” she explained. “It changed your body, allowing you to breathe air or water equally well and giving you some protection from the harsh conditions of the ocean’s depths.” She pointed at the globe hanging from his neck. “As long as you wear the Orb, the magic will persist, and even should you lose it, it’ll linger for at least a full day and night before fading away.” Her smile disappeared as she gave him a warning look. “You’d better get out of the water by then, though… if the spell fades while you’re still in too deep, you won’t survive.”

“Um… right,” Luka nodded quickly, swallowing nervously at the warning. He didn’t know all the details, of course, but he’d heard that the deepest depths of the sea were an inhospitable place even for the average sea monster. He heartily hoped Kraken’s shrine was not too far away. Looking up at the luminescent trail in the sea, he sighed, then clenched his fists, a determined expression on his face. “Well, no point worrying about what could go wrong. I’ll just have to be careful. Here goes nothing…”

“Are you sure you don’t want to take your clothes off?” Alice asked him, not for the first time. Luka glanced at her and shook his head negatively.

“No. I know that clothes will slow me down underwater, but this Enrikan shirt is the only protection I have, and I don’t feel confident enough to go in possibly hostile waters naked,” he patiently explained to her again. He then frowned. “Maybe I should take my short pants off and remain in my underwear, though…”

“That’d help a little, yes. Your shorts don’t really protect you all that much, unlike your shirt,” Alice agreed. She then made a quick motion with her hand in midair, abruptly producing a bundle of cloth from nowhere in a magical flash. Catching it as it fell into her hand, she deftly tossed it to Luka, who almost dropped it in surprise at her actions. The young man cast her a puzzled glance, but the Echidna’s only answer was to impatiently motion at the bundle in his hands. Curious, Luka unraveled it, revealing it to be a pair of purple swimming shorts. He blinked, looking up at her in surprise, and the snake monster shrugged in response.

“I thought you could use something more comfortable to swim in, since your normal clothes aren’t really made for this kind of activity,” she explained to him. “These caught my eye when I took a quick walk to the harbor’s open market, and I decided to buy them for you - a small gift, if you will. They’re your size, and the color suits you, if you ask me. They will make swimming and any possible fighting easier.” She then looked at him expectantly. “Well? Aren’t you going to put them on?”

Recovering from the surprise of having received a gift from Alice, Luka nodded, quickly took his pants and underwear off - drawing an appreciative noise from Alice as he did so which he did his best to ignore - and donned the swimming trunks, neatly folding his old clothes in a small pile. Patting at his new attire, he found that Alice had been right: the trunks fit him perfectly. Although, he had some doubts as to how well a shirt went with a pair of swimming shorts, but then again, he wasn’t looking to be stylish. He then paused, looking around with concern as he held his clothes in one hand. Alice eyed him, curious at his apparent hesitation. “What’s wrong now?”

“Well… where do I put my clothes? I can’t just leave them here…” the young Hero murmured, stumped. Alice rolled her eyes.

“Of course you can. No one’s going to come out here, and even if they do, who’s going to steal a pair of shorts of dubious origin?” she pointed out. She then looked around and spotted a rock formation resembling a leaning-over hourglass nearby. Pointing at it, she drew Luka’s attention. “Look, that rock over there has an odd shape. And we’re close enough to Port Natalia that we’ll be able to find it right away. Just hide your clothes near it, maybe under a rock.”

“Right… well, I guess that’ll work,” Luka agreed after a moment of hesitation. Wasting no time, he walked over to the rock formation, found an acceptable place to conceal his clothing in, and safely tucked it away, making sure to cover it with a few stones for good measure. He then returned to the spot Alice was waiting him at. Looking at the water, he frowned, shivering slightly, then secured both Angel Halo and Steelburn’s sword, which he’d brought along at her request, to his body. “...I feel a little uneasy with nothing but these shorts on under the waist, but my normal clothes would just hinder me without offering any protection, unlike the shirt… oh well, let’s go.”

Alice welcomed his words with a sigh of relief, having grown tired of the continued delays, and the pair waded in the water, beginning their trip towards Kraken’s abode. Before long, both were submerged by water to their necks. At this point, Luka gave Alice a concerned look, to which the Echidna responded with a commanding glare. Tightening his lips in tension, the young man took a deep breath, and then dived underwater.

As soon as the water covered Luka’s head, anxiety set in, and he looked around frantically, his alarmed eyes meeting Alice’s. The snake monster gave him another annoyed look.

“What are you doing, idiot? Just breathe in,” she scolded him. “You’re wearing the Orb, so you’ll be fine. What kind of Hero is scared of a little water?”

Luka would have liked to retort that the ocean was hardly ‘a little’ water, but he didn’t dare open his mouth, still holding his breath out of instinctive fear. Overcome by anxiety, he began to panic and attempted to swim back up to the surface, awkwardly flailing around in an uncoordinated fashion. Alice let out a frustrated hiss, and decided to take matters in her own hands. Abruptly, she lashed out at Luka’s belly with her tail, striking him right under the ribcage with enough force to drive all the air out of his lungs.

Startled by the sudden attack, the young Hero reflexively inhaled, seeking the air he’d lost, and his lungs immediately flooded with water. Feeling the cool liquid invade his chest, Luka panicked again, his fear of drowning intensifying, but just as suddenly as his anxiety came, it began to subside as he realized that, while feeling strange, the water wasn’t doing anything harmful to him. He blinked, his accelerated breathing slowly subsiding to a more normal rhythm, and after a while of getting used to the sensation of the cool seawater flowing in his lungs, he glanced at Alice, who gave him a shrug in response to his puzzled look.

“I told you it’d be fine, didn’t I? The Orb of Guidance is designed to allow humans who have a Mermaid’s favor to travel underwater along with them,” she chided him, her annoyance turning to pity as she recalled her similar reaction to the first time she’d gone underwater. As a Fateburn, she didn’t need magic to breathe water - she simply could - but it had been no less unnerving an experience for her, so she could relate with Luka’s reaction. She decided she’d been too harsh on him, and gave him a reassuring smile as an apology. “Don’t worry about your earlier panicking. I didn’t really do any better first time I breathed water in. I know it’s unnerving, but you’ll be fine. Just relax and get used to the sensation. Shall we stay close to shore until you feel safe?”

“Yeah… I’d like that,” he replied, watching with a mix of curiosity and alarm as air bubbles and a slight water current left his mouth with every word. He gave Alice another puzzled look. “Say, how come we can talk with each other underwater?”

“Water does carry sound, though not quite as well as air when it comes to the kind of sound humans - or land monsters - can hear. Your Orb allows your body to understand the sound waves carried by water, and my innate magic does something similar,” Alice explained patiently, taking advantage of the question to take his mind off the odd sensation of breathing water. “Most water monsters adapted to water communication, though, the same way fish and sea creatures did.” She placed a finger on her full lips. “Incidentally, you might be able to understand some sea animals’ speech. Whales and dolphins, primarily. I think that’s one of the Orb’s powers, though I’m not one hundred percent sure.”

“I see…” Luka murmured, taking all the information in. He then looked up at Alice. “This is all pretty convenient. The Mermaids have some pretty amazing magic.” Taking a few more deep breaths, the young man curiously examined the sensation of the chilly water traveling through his respiratory system, and decided it wasn’t wholly unpleasant, though it still felt vaguely alien. He looked back at Alice and gave her a short nod. “I think I’m starting to get used to this. Shall we move on?”

Alice nodded back and motioned for him to take the lead, following in his wake as he began to swim in the luminous water trail the Orb had created. Luka had learned how to swim in a pond near Ilias Village, supervised by his mother, and while his style was rough and more than a bit clumsy, he found himself moving at a decent pace, delving deeper and deeper underwater as he followed the magic light’s path.

As the two kept swimming deeper and farther from the coast, Luka looked around, fascinated by the undersea landscape before his eyes, faintly illuminated by the light trail. Rocks of all shapes dotted the ocean bottom, mixed with coral formations and algae. Here and there, he could see seashells on the ocean floor. It was quite a lovely picture, enough so that even Alice began to look around herself, distracted by the spectacle.

However, Luka also began to feel a growing sense of unease as he swam on. The sights were splendid, no doubt… but something was off. As if on cue, he felt a familiar pressure in his head, and Steelburn’s voice rang in his thoughts.

“Something’s not right,” she said, concern evident even in her voice. “These waters… they are too empty. It isn’t supposed to be this way…”

Luka blinked as he looked around once more, then the meaning of Steelburn’s words finally sank in and he abruptly realized what it was that had been bothering him since he’d started swimming deeper underwater.

Aside from the seashells he’d spotted on the floor, there were no fish, or any other animal undersea life, in sight.

“Uh… Alice?” he quietly called out to her, causing her to snap out of her own contemplation and give him a questioning look. He slowed to a stop and motioned around them. “I’m not an expert on marine life, but… isn’t this patch of sea a bit too… quiet? I have yet to see a single fish swimming around...”

“Hm? You’re right, that’s odd,” Alice murmured as she realized he was indeed correct. “This is strange, there should at least be moray eels hiding in the rocks around here, or anemones clinging to the rocks… but I can’t even see those.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Maybe they felt us coming and scattered? Or perhaps the light from the Orb frightened them. But that doesn’t explain the complete absence of anemones, who can’t move all that fast, or even the tiniest fish…”

“Well, I’m not sure--” Luka began, turning around to look at Alice. No sooner had her figure entered his field of vision that he saw an enormous shadow charging at her unaware form from behind. His eyes widened. “Alice! Look out!”

“Huh? Why are you shou-- ow!!” She cried out as a sharp pain in her tail cut her off. Turning around, her own eyes widened as she saw a very large shark - a Great White, by the size and looks - furiously chewing on her tail end. Fortunately, the beast hadn’t pierced the skin, but its large, sharp teeth were uncomfortable enough to make her wince. “What in the Abyss…? Why is a shark trying to eat me? Can’t it tell I’m a monster?” she growled as she reached for the shark in an attempt to pry its jaws open and free her tail. As soon as she turned around, another huge shadow barreled in and attacked her from below, biting her tail as well. “Owowow!! Wha--? Another shark?! This is nonsense!” she angrily exclaimed as she turned to deal with the new aggressor. She cast an angry glance at Luka. “Hey, come help me get this fish off-- Luka, behind you!!”

Later on, when thinking back on it with a clear mind, Luka would realize the only reason he survived the surprise attack was because he’d reacted on instinct, rather than stopping to think about what he was doing. As soon as Alice’s warning reached him, he twisted and dodged to the side. His reaction was just in the nick of time, too: as soon as he moved, he felt a heavy weight smash into him, and then a tremendous pain exploded at the base of his neck as he felt something extremely sharp rake across his unprotected skin.

Spinning in the water, he found himself surrounded in a thin red haze, which he quickly realized was his blood, and instinctively reached for Angel Halo as his eyes met the black iris of the shark that blindsided him. He idly remembered Shin’s advice as he grasped the enchanted blade in his hand: the youth had stressed the importance of not getting wounded if fighting a shark, as blood would just attract them more. Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself when he saw the shark veer towards him again. Alice called out to him again, but before she could move to help, the two sharks attacking her went after her tail again, forcing her to return her attention to them. Luka realized he was on his own. Well, that went to shit fast, he bitterly thought.

He didn’t have to wait long. The smell of blood had excited the shark, who made a beeline straight for him, hungrily lunging at his tender body with homicidal intentions. Luka waited until the beast was almost upon him, then he sharply twisted his body - letting out a pained grunt as the barely-closed wounds on his neck reopened under the stress of the sudden movement - and lashed out at the shark with Angel Halo, struggling to move it against the water’s resistance but still managing to cut deeply into the predator’s side, causing an explosion of energy to erupt from the cut instead of the blood one would expect. Luka nodded to himself. Good, seems like Angel Halo works on non-monsters too, he thought, finding a positive in an otherwise dire situation.

Unfortunately, his relief was short-lived. The shark briefly thrashed about, unsettled by the strange sensation from the magic blade’s wound as energy bled out of it, but then turned around and charged at Luka again, seemingly undeterred by the unpleasant experience. The young Hero braced himself for the next attack, and as he did he felt the familiar pressure of Steelburn’s presence in his mind, this time tinged with a sense of urgency.

“Be careful, there are more of them just out of sight,” she warned him, and right on cue, Luka spotted more streamlined forms at the edge of the magic trail’s luminous glow. He groaned, realizing the situation had just gotten worse.

What in the Abyss is this?, he thought angrily, not really expecting an answer. Sharks are supposed to be solitary, not go around in packs like damn wolves! Something’s not right here...

Before he could further think on the situation, the first shark was upon him again. This time, however, Luka took the offensive, realizing he could not afford to wait with more sharks waiting to strike. With a strong flutter kick, he propelled himself forward, putting all his strength into striking directly at the shark’s head. His attack was right on mark: Angel Halo bit deeply into the shark’s skull and went almost completely through it thanks to the momentum from both bodies. The normally lethal wound was sufficient to trigger the sword’s sealing power, and the shark began to shrink, diminishing in size until it was only about as long as Luka’s legs, its shape changing to a lean, compressed shape with small smooth scales. As Luka briefly glanced at it and then turned away to keep an eye on the other sharks, something about the sealed predator’s shape tugged at a memory from his mother’s books in his mind, but he set the sensation aside, more concerned with the danger at the edge of his vision.

That proved to be a mistake. Mere moments after he’d turned away, the sealed shark slammed into his right forearm, and a sharp pain exploded into Luka’s limb as the creature’s still incredibly sharp teeth tore into his flesh. The pain was sufficient to make Luka let go of Angel Halo, which slowly spiraled downwards towards the ocean floor several meters under. Luka cursed out loudly, causing Alice to look up at him with alarm from where she was struggling with the sharks.

“Luka?! What’s going on?!” she called out to him, alarmed at seeing a cloud of red surrounding his right arm. “Where did the shark go?! Wait… what’s that huge fish? Don’t tell me it’s the sealed shark?”

“Not now, Alice!” Luka shouted back, holding his aching wrist as he tried to meditate on the fly to staunch the flow of blood. He sighed with relief as the jagged, nasty looking wounds on his forearm began to close after a few seconds, then turned his gaze back to the sealed form the shark had taken, which was still aggressively circling him, and after a moment swore under his breath.

“A barracuda?! Angel Halo sealed the damn shark into a barracuda?!” he growled as he watched the huge streamlined fish circle him, seeking an opening. “I thought Angel Halo sealed its victims into a harmless form!”

“It does - into a form that is harmless compared to their original form,” Steelburn chimed in, drawing his attention. “In this case, a barracuda is much more innocuous when measured up against a shark… but that doesn’t make it entirely harmless. Lion monsters would probably turn into lion cubs, which although much less dangerous, can still inflict some severe scratch wounds--”

Her explanation was interrupted by the barracuda charging again, as well as the sharks lurking at the edge of the light coming into view, attracted by the scent of more blood. Luka swore again as he barely dodged the long, lean fish’s charge, then cast an alarmed look at the shark, counting at least seven. Three of them hesitated a bit before heading towards Alice, who had managed to kill one of her assailants and was now wrestling with the second. Unfortunately, the remaining four headed straight for Luka. The young Hero panicked, feeling around him for something to use as a weapon, and his hand came to rest on the hilt of Steelburn’s sword.

Luka hesitated. The Dark Arm was not a weapon of mercy like Angel Halo. Drawing it would mean being ready to kill. He glanced around and saw the sealed shark’s barracuda form turn to attack again, as well as the four sharks menacingly close in, and cursed under his breath, drawing his lips in a thin line as he made his decision. With a quick flip of his wrist, he drew the Dark Arm, ignoring the sharp pain the sudden movement caused in his wounded arm, and choosing to fight for his life. He felt an approving sensation in his mind.

“Good. I was worried that you were going to get yourself killed and eaten by sea beasts, but it seems you understand that when it comes to nature’s predators, it is kill or be killed,” she spoke in his mind. “Now, defend yourself. You will find this Dark Arm to be very different from other weapons you are used to.” With those words, her presence vanished from his mind, leaving him free to focus on the incoming threats.

A little farther away, Alice paused in her brawl with the sharks as she felt a sudden spike of dark power, and glanced to the side, blinking in surprise as she saw Luka holding Steelburn’s sword and ready to fight. She smiled slightly. Good for you, at least you’re willing to fight to the death when there’s no other choice, she thought as she swatted away the shark she was tangling with and viciously tail-whipped it, leaving a huge bleeding gash on its side. She frowned as the shark shook around for a bit and then resumed his attack, soon joined by three more coming from Luka’s direction. What’s with these base beasts, anyway? They don’t fear me at all, even though I’m a monster… hmm? What’s that?, her thoughts deviated as she felt a tiny prickling sensation at the edge of her consciousness. She swatted one more shark attacking her aside, then tried to reach out for the sensation, but before she could grasp on to it, it vanished.

However, she’d gotten close enough to recognize the feeling. She was sure it had been dark power - a monster’s presence. Someone had to have been watching them, and concealed themselves when they noticed Alice looking for them. She began to get a clearer view of the situation, and a suspicion formed in her mind: the sharks’ aggression and indiscriminate attacks might not have been just a byproduct of Alma Elma tampering with the weather, as she thought at first. Something more subtle and dangerous might have been going on.

As the sharks attacked her again, Alice filed her suspicions away for later contemplation and focused on disposing of the threats. These underwater predators were proving fiercer than she thought at first, but she was still the Monster Lord, and it was time to show them what that meant… and possibly rescue Luka before he got himself eaten.

Meanwhile, the object of her last thought steeled himself a little farther away as both a shark and the barracuda charged at him. With a sharp jerking motion, he managed to avoid the shark’s charge, and at the same time took advantage of the motion to line himself up with the barracuda. He needed to dispose of at least one attacker as quickly as possible before being overwhelmed. With that in mind, he waited for the large fish to be almost on him, and then slashed at it with all his strength.

The effect surprised him. He’d expected the Dark Arm to be slowed by water like Angel Halo, and thus only inflict a large wound on the fish, but instead the Monster Lord’s blade cut through the liquid like it were thin air, impacting with the fish dead on…

...and kept going, slicing through its flesh as easily as it sliced through the water and neatly bisecting it in a single stroke. Luka blinked, startled by the sudden, almost anticlimactic end of the killer fish, and the utter ease with which the monster blade had cut through flesh and bone alike, before shouting with pain as one of the sharks, smaller than the others, took advantage of his distraction to chomp down on his left thigh. Luka reflexively retaliated by slashing at the shark’s exposed body with Steelburn’s sword, and the blade once more effortlessly flew through water, flesh and cartilage with ease, inflicting a cut deep enough that it forced the shark to let go and thrash around in pain.

By now, there was a veritable cloud of blood surrounding Luka and his aggressors, and the sharks became visibly frenzied, snapping around in the water at both the barracuda’s remains and their injured companion. One, however, aimed straight for Luka at murderous speed.

That was when Luka himself lost his cool. The stress of the past few days, coupled with the current danger he was in and the pain of his wounds, finally broke down the remains of his self control, and he found himself snarling with bared teeth as he gripped the Dark Arm in both hands, a hot feeling welling from deep inside him and exploding in fury. Without waiting for the attack, the young Hero took the initiative and swam towards the shark head on, ignoring the pain from his bleeding leg and picking up speed until they were almost upon each other.

Then he struck.

True to its deadly performance so far, Steelburn’s sword arced through the water as Luka jerked downward and slashed at the shark’s exposed belly. The blade had no trouble cutting through the tough hide and flesh of the sea predator like a hot knife through butter, and as Luka swam past thanks to his momentum, a cloud of gore spread behind him, the gutted beast thrashing in agony as it began to sink to the bottom of the ocean. The large amounts of blood spilled drew the remaining sharks’ attention, and all three of them headed towards Luka, murderous hunger in their vacant eyes. A blazing glare from the infuriated human boy met their stares, and rather than assume a defensive stance, Luka attacked with unexpected ferocity, appearing to be in a frenzy of his own.

Farther away, Alice disposed of her last opponent by grabbing its gaping maw, dislodging its jaw with a brutal twist and then breaking its body in half against a coral formation nearby, then let go of the carcass, watching it spiral down to join the other four sharks she had killed, before turning around to go rescue Luka.

Or at least that was her intention - but as soon as she took the scene before in, she froze, incredulous. Before her was a cloud of blood and gore larger than even the one she’d caused in her fight with her aggressors, and the carcass of a partially eaten barracuda slowly floated downwards, along with a disemboweled shark in its death throes.

And right before her, Luka had just decapitated a second shark.

She watched with morbid fascination as her young traveling companion, seemingly in some sort of frenzied rage himself, ignored another shark grazing his left leg, already bleeding profusely from a huge bite on his thigh, and instead hacked away at the first shark’s decapitated corpse with fury. The resulting rain of body parts distracted the last beast left in the fray, which began snapping at the bloody scraps - a fatal mistake, as that made it wander within reach of Luka’s sword. Seeing movement in his line of sight, the boy’s reaction was immediate and extremely violent: he directed his swings at the new target, and before long, the careless predator was nothing more than a chopped-up carcass slowly sinking towards the ocean floor.

The remaining shark, who already had a bleeding cut on its head from earlier and sported several bites from its frenzied kin, seemed to hesitate, appearing confused and unsure about what to do. Finally, it decided to attack again, but it was anticipated by Luka, who shifted his hold on the Dark Arm to hold it like a javelin and threw it at the large form before him with all his strength. The sword flew through the water with surprising ease - it must be sharpened by magic, Alice idly thought as she watched it speed towards its target - and buried itself on the shark’s upper side almost to the hilt.

The sudden pain caused the beast to abort its charge and start thrashing about, trying to dislodge the weapon from its flesh. That was all the opening Luka needed to close the distance in a few strokes, and he was upon the shark in moments, grasping the sword’s hilt. With a brutal twist, he slashed upwards, and cut open the shark’s entire back, severing its spine in the movement. Then, he grasped his sword with both hands and brought it down with all his strength, chopping the dying beast in half and killing it. Not content, the furious young man hacked away at the dead shark some more, chopping it to pieces before finally seemingly calming down.

The whole battle, since Alice had finished her opponents off and turned around, had taken less than a minute.

Alice watched Luka warily as he panted harshly, the water before his mouth visibly churning with each great mouthful he breathed in and out, seemingly oblivious to the fact he was also breathing some of the bloody water in as well, and kept her distance to avoid provoking him into lashing out at her by instinct while still on an adrenaline high. The boy’s stare remained fixed for a while on the last shark’s mangled carcass, slowly sinking to join the others on the seafloor, before he finally shook his head and looked around in confusion, as if waking from a dream. Seeing her, he gave her a tired smile, then tried to swim up to her and winced in pain, his hand dropping to his heavily bleeding thigh. Seeing that, Alice swam up to him and kept him from moving any further.

“Don’t try to swim,” she scolded him, worried. “Focus on closing that wound, first. You lost a lot of blood, and will pass out if you don’t do something about it.” Looking around, she noticed a small rocky indentation - almost a cave - and decided it’d make for good temporary shelter while Luka worked on his wounds. Gently taking hold of him, she pointed at the refuge. “Let’s go over there. It’s better to have some kind of defense around us than to sit in the open while you meditate.”

“Right… let’s go,” Luka nodded, sounding very tired. Moving as little as possible, the young man let Alice carry him to the rocky cave, and leaned against its wall with a sigh. He then shut his eyes and began to focus, his breath slowing, and after a few moments, the ugly bite marks in his leg began to close. Looking over him, she deemed it best to let him work, and briefly stepped outside the sea cave to go look for Angel Halo, which she remembered him dropping earlier. It wouldn’t do to leave the enchanted blade lying on the ocean floor for just anyone to find.

Finding Angel Halo didn’t take long, although it proved to be an unpleasant task as it forced Alice to search blindly under the carcasses of the sharks Luka had slaughtered. Uttering cries of dismayed disgust several times, she finally managed to find the sealing blade, and hastily retreated from the pile of shark corpses, frantically scrubbing at herself. She’d rarely felt more unclean than she did now, and privately made note that Luka owed her a good, long pleasure session for this favor she did for him.

However, as she returned to Luka and looked his healing progress over, Alice noticed that the wounds weren’t being mended perfectly: the location on his thigh where he’d been bitten was still very visible, and the regenerated flesh looked rather pale and sickly. She frowned, noticing his other wounds looked equally unpleasant.

“Is something wrong, Luka? Your wounds don’t look very healthy at all…” she pointed out. Luka kept his eyes closed, focusing a bit longer, then reopened them and gave a pained groan, shaking his head.

“Something’s not right. I can’t heal myself as well as I’d like… it feels as if there is some kind of obstacle interfering…” he murmured, looking frustrated. Alice blinked, then began to examine him more closely, a suspicion sneaking in her mind. Soon enough, she found what she was looking for, and swore under her breath. Luka gave her a questioning glance, and the Echidna returned a tight lipped headshake.

“There’s a shark tooth embedded at the base of your neck, and I’m pretty sure there’s one in your thigh, too,” she told him. “You sealed them in when you closed your wounds, but they’re not supposed to be there, and they’re hindering your healing. I think other debris made its way in your other wounds, as well, and that’s why you can’t properly heal them.” She shook her head again. “I’m afraid you won’t be able to fully heal up as long as you’re underwater. And when you get out, you’ll need to reopen those wounds, clean them up and close them again… which is probably going to be as unpleasant as it sounds.”

“Well, fuck,” Luka growled in anger. “This day keeps getting better and better. First a pack of sharks - a pack of sharks - they aren’t even pack hunters, they’re solitary predators! Why were they even together like that? And now this… how far are we from Kraken’s shrine anyway?”

Wondering the same thing, Alice swam a little upwards and began to scan her surroundings, and almost immediately noticed a faint glow a ways off in the direction they’d been advancing towards before the shark attack. The remains of the light trail from the Orb of Guidance pointed straight towards it. Narrowing her eyes, Alice channeled some power through her sight, and the vague images were magnified, becoming clear in her mind. Surely enough, Kraken’s dwelling place was the source of the glow, and a quick estimate concluded it was only a few minutes of swimming away, and certainly closer to them than Port Natalia. Swimming back to Luka, Alice related to him what she’d seen, and he nodded wearily.

“Let’s continue, then. We’ve come this far and are this close to our destination,” he said, a determined light shining in his eyes in spite of his tiredness. “We might as well complete this errand before we head back.”

“Are you sure you can do it?” Alice objected, worry evident in her voice. Luka paused for a few moments, then nodded.

“Yeah… now that I’ve had a chance to meditate and tend to my wounds, I feel energized,” he told her with a smile, secretly touched by her concern. “My body still feel sore, but I can swim, and even fight if need be. Thanks for worrying, though.”

“Let’s avoid fighting if at all possible, all right? If we meet any monsters, let me handle it,” she told him in a tone that allowed no objection, before handing him Angel Halo. “Here, I got this back for you. Don’t lose it again, now. This is a little irregular, but just this once I’ll help you out with any battles you might get it, so just try not to get in the way. ...Besides, if I let you die, I’d have a Harpy rebellion on my hands...” she added in an inaudible whisper. Luka blinked.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite get that. Did you say something?” he asked, genuinely puzzled by her sudden murmuring. Alice shook her head, waving at him with a smile.

“No, nothing you should worry about,” she told him a little too quickly. “Focus on staying in one piece, now. Let’s go… the sooner we’re out of this oversized fish tank called ‘ocean’, the sooner I’ll feel better.” She gave a pondering glance to the dead sharks on the ocean’s bottom, then shrugged. “I’ll have shark fin soup another day. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Hahaha… I was wondering when you’d think about food. I was beginning to worry about you for a minute, there.” Luka teased her with a weary smile. Alice smiled back, but winced inwardly: the young hero truly looked terrible, and she found herself contemplating just how inherently fragile even a powerful human like Luka really was. She cast aside the unpleasant thoughts and focused on following the trail of light leading to Kraken, making sure to stay close to Luka and remain alert in case of further attacks.

The pair swam on for a few minutes, their travel uneventful, then Alice paused and held Luka back, her eyes narrowing in alarm as she peered ahead. Luka gave her a questioning glance before looking in the direction she was facing, and his own eyes narrowed as he saw yet another shark ahead, just visible in the glow. However, the predator seemed preoccupied: it was repeatedly charging at some rocks ahead of it with its snout, as if trying to break them.

“What’s that shark doing?” Luka wondered, whispering so as to reduce the noise he produced to a minimum and avoid attracting the beast’s attention. He wasn’t sure it’d be of use, but better safe than sorry. Alice gave a perplexed shrug in return.

“I have no idea, but it’s advantageous for us. We could sneak past it while it’s busy looking elsewhere,” she suggested hopefully. While a lone shark was something she and Luka could make short work of, avoiding it entirely seemed like the sensible thing to do in light of the young hero’s state. Glancing at him, she saw him nod.

Their decision made, the pair began to skirt the area, remaining close enough to the light trail to see where they were going while staying as far away from the shark as possible. However, as they drew closer, Luka began to detect what seemed like crying, and just as they were about to pass the shark, a distinct shout for help reached him as the shark charged the rocks again. He stopped, giving a wide-eyed look to Alice, who also seemed to have heard the plea for help and had paused herself, then turned around and looked more closely at the shark.

Almost immediately, he noticed it: a small blue figure was huddled between the rocks, just out of reach of the hungry beast’s maw, and as the shark reared back, he spotted a small arm and a frightened face.

“A Mermaid girl…?!” he breathed, realizing what was going on. The beast was attempting to devour the girl.

His following actions were more instinct than thought: he drew Steelburn’s sword and charged at the beast from behind with all the speed he could muster, ignoring the sharp pain from his wounds and Alice’s protest at his abrupt action. Pushed by his determination to help the distressed Mermaid, he closed the distance between him and the aquatic creature in a flash, and lashed out just as the sea predator took notice of him and turned around to face him, nearly slicing its head off and killing it instantly.

Panting, he paused as he watched the shark sink in the dark depths, his aching wounds painfully reminding him he was in no shape for this kind of effort, then his concerned gaze turned upwards, towards the crack and the young Mermaid hiding in it. It was a pretty girl with fair skin, light blue scales on her fish tail, pale azure hair, and very large blue eyes. She wore several pieces of jewelry made from pearls around her neck and head, and what appeared to be a starfish-shaped handbag was tied around her waist. She was small, only slightly bigger than Luka even counting her tail, and appeared to be about the same age as the Four Bandits back in Iliasburg.

The fish-girl whimpered, scared. Realizing he had to look about as terrifying as the shark with sword in hand and right next to a cloud of blood, he sheathed his weapon and slowly moved away from the red haze, getting closer to the rocks the girl was hiding in. Pausing a little bit away so as to not scare her even more, he smiled gently and slowly held a hand out.

“It’s safe now. I got rid of the shark. You can come out,” he invited her in a soothing tone. “I promise I won’t hurt you. Look, I even have a monster friend, see? I’m no enemy of yours,” he added, motioning towards Alice, who was approaching with a displeased expression. The Echidna swam up to him, smiled at the Mermaid girl, and then promptly whacked Luka in the back of the head, causing him to yelp in surprise and the girl to shrink back, startled.

“Are you daft?!” Alice chastised Luka in an angry scolding tone. “You’re wounded! You can’t just ‘heroically swim in’ to ‘rescue the maiden’ as if you were perfectly healthy! Start thinking about what you’re doing and take care of your body before you end up crippled!”

“But Alice--” Luka began, but a glare from the snake monster silenced him and he cowered before her evident anger.

“Don’t ‘But Alice’ me! You’re being irresponsible! Why didn’t you let me handle this?” she kept chastising him. “I could have handled that just fine, you know! I told you I’d help, didn’t I?” She gave him a stern look, crossing her arms under her breasts. “Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Luka remained silent for a few seconds, looking guilty, then timidly looked up. “Well… it worked, didn’t it?” he hazarded. A light tail whip to the head was his immediate reward.

“Wrong answer!” Alice replied, irate. She then sighed, cupping her face in her palm. “...you’re not sorry at all for what you did, are you?”

“I’ll never be sorry for saving someone,” Luka honestly replied. Alice looked at him for a few moments, and he defiantly looked back. Sighing again, the Echidna threw her hands up over her head.

“Fine, do as you like. Why do I even bother…?” she muttered angrily, giving up. It was evident Luka wouldn’t be swayed on this matter.

The two’s bickering was interrupted by a giggle, and they simultaneously looked towards the almost-forgotten Mermaid girl, who was glancing at them with an amused expression and unsuccessfully trying to hide her mirth behind a hand covering her mouth. The girl still looked shaken, but seemed to be recovering from her unpleasant experience, in no small part thanks to the brief argument between Luka and Alice, and the boy privately thanked her for scolding him. It was just what he needed to break the tension.

“Sorry about scaring you,” Luka told her with a friendly smile, making sure to move slowly and in a nonthreatening way. “We were going to Kraken’s shrine, and saw you being attacked by that shark. I decided to help… it’s kind of what I do.”

“Really? Like Princes in those fairy tales?” the Mermaid girl asked, curious. Luka blinked, confused.

“Uh. 'Princes'? I’m not sure I follow…” he asked, puzzled. Alice couldn’t help but stifle a laugh behind him, drawing an annoyed look from the boy. “You know, Alice, if you know something, you could explain…”

“Fairytales about Princes and Mermaids falling in love are pretty popular with them,” she explained, a hint of laughter in her voice. “Although, I must admit I’m surprised this is still the case, seeing how the Queen is not fond of humans. Still, you don’t look very princely at the moment, if you don’t mind me saying so…”

“I’m sorry if I don’t look regal after being nearly eaten by sharks,” Luka retorted acidly, before returning his attention to the girl. “Uh, not quite like a Prince, but sort of. I just… help people, you know?”

“But isn’t that the same thing?” the girl insisted. “The Prince rescues the maiden, and then they marry and live happily ever after, right?”

“Um, only half of that. And I don’t help only maidens, anyway,” he corrected her, feeling uneasy about the direction the talk was taking. Deciding a change of subject was in order, he quickly continued. “But never mind that! I’m Luka, and my friend over there is Alice. What’s your name?”

“I’m El!” the girl happily replied. “Nice to meet you, mister! And um, thanks for saving me just now. My mama says that humans are scary and I shouldn’t talk to them, but you’re nice! I wonder why she says that…”

“...she’s not all that wrong about that,” Luka muttered under his breath. El glanced at him with curiosity, and the young Hero smiled and waved his hand reassuringly. “Nothing. Just talking to myself. But you know, your mama’s right. I’m nice, but some humans are pretty scary. You should probably listen to her and be careful who you talk to. Anyway, what are you doing out here? It’s dangerous, as you saw. You could’ve gotten really hurt if I hadn’t come along.”

“W-well… My mama never lets me go out of town, so I… sort of snuck out and ran away,” she admitted, looking guilty. Luka made a noncommittal noise, though he was shaking his head inwardly. I’d figured that much. Kids will be kids. I, too tried to sneak away from home to explore when I was around her age, he thought. A sudden feeling of amusement surged within his mind at that thought, letting him know that although Steelburn hadn’t talked with him since the fighting began, she was present and currently listening in. He made a note of asking her a few questions later. Something about how the fight had gone disturbed him, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Pushing those thoughts aside, he returned his attention to the pretty Mermaid girl before him.

“I see. Well, I guess that’s something all kids tend to do. I myself tried to sneak out a few times,” he told her, chuckling to himself. “My mother always caught me and I ended up grounded, but she was really just trying to keep me safe, and I eventually understood that.” He reached out and rubbed the girl’s head, sighing inwardly with relief when she didn’t shrink back in fear. “Just ask your mama nicely if she’d perhaps let you tag along when she takes a walk outside. It may not be much, but it’s better than nothing, and you’ll be safe. Honestly, she’s probably worried sick about you right now.”

“Um, I didn’t mean to make everyone mad. I should go back and show her I’m all right,” El nodded slowly. She then brightened up. “You should come, too! I’m sure she’d want to thank you for saving me! And maybe she’ll forget to yell at me...” she added, almost as an afterthought. Luka rolled his eyes. She’s obviously just trying to find a distraction to avoid a spanking, he thought, amused.

“That’s not a good idea,” Alice spoke up, quickly intruding in Luka and El’s conversation before the Hero could say something he’d regret, and giving Luka a warning glance without El noticing. He caught her eyes and imperceptibly nodded. “Luka is a bit hurt himself, and Kraken could help him get better. Maybe we’ll visit another time, though.” She smiled at the girl. “For now, I’ll get you back home myself. You live in Thalas, right? The Mermaid capital?” she asked her, and the girl nodded quickly. Alice sighed in relief. “Good, you didn’t stray too far, then. Thalas shouldn’t be too far away - it was built in the vicinity of Kraken’s temple.”

Turning to Luka, she nodded at him. “Luka, you should go on ahead to Kraken’s place. It’s close by, right past the rocks that way,” she turned to point in the direction of the glowing trail. She looked at the young human. “I don’t feel any monsters nearby. Think you can make it on your own?”

“Yeah… it’s a short distance, and I doubt anything dangerous is this close to Kraken’s temple,” Luka replied with a cautious nod, eyeing the rocks. He then turned back to Alice. “Then, I’ll see you there. How long will you be gone?”

“Hmm. It may take a little while, so until then, wait for me there,” she told him. She then waved her hand before her, the water shimmering as her motion displaced it, and suddenly a small golden medal with a stylized carving of what appeared to be a peculiar looking Lamia appeared in the palm of her hand. She handed it to Luka. “If Kraken gives you trouble, just show her this and tell her you’re under the Monster Lord’s personal protection. Don’t waste time talking if she starts acting hostile. She has a habit of making wild assumptions and not listening to words, but she’ll recognize this item.”

“I see… here’s hoping she won’t do anything unpleasant,” Luka muttered as he accepted the medal and briefly examined it before tucking it away. “I had a bad enough day without getting in a fight with a monster Queen while wounded, especially one as famous as Kraken.”

“Just be polite and it’ll be fine,” Alice reassured him. “Kraken is an old-fashioned lady, and appreciated polite young people. Also, you’re wounded, and she has a soft spot for unfortunate underwater travelers.”

“Right. Well, it’s not like I’m in any shape to go all the way to wherever El lives in these conditions, so here goes nothing,” Luka nodded, his mind made up. He looked at Alice. “Good luck to you with her, too. See you at Kraken’s temple,” he said. Then he gave a friendly parting smile at El. “It was nice meeting you, El. I hope we’ll meet again, so we can talk a bit more. Go with Alice now, she’ll get you home safely.”

“Okay! You be careful too, mister!” El nodded with a smile, waving energetically at him. Luka waved back, then turned around and began to swim away, following the glow to the rock formation ahead and beyond. Soon, he disappeared from view, and Alice looked at El expectantly.

“Well, shall we go too? I’d rather get you home quickly and then get back to Luka,” she told the young Mermaid. “I’m a little worried about him. He doesn’t look like it, but he was attacked by a bunch of big nasty sharks earlier, and got hurt pretty bad. He has healing skills, but… he’s not well.”

“Oh. I see. Um, sorry about that,” El replied, looking mortified. “I didn’t want to make a mess...”

“Don’t worry about it. I wanted to visit Thalas for business anyway, so I might as well bring you home while I’m at it,” she replied.

“Um, okay. Do you know the way, lady?” El asked her with a questioning look. Alice paused, then shook her head, and the Mermaid girl smiled brightly. “Okie, then follow me! I remember which way I came from! Um, but if more sharks show up, I’ll hide, okay?”

“Right, leave them to me,” Alice promised, her mind returning to the weak presence she’d briefly felt during the short but intense fight. Her expression darkened a little. It’s too much of a coincidence that someone was watching our fight and made themselves scarce as soon as I noticed them, she thought, worried. I’d be willing to bet someone provoked those sharks into violence. They weren’t acting like sharks at all. If what I suspect is true, Queen Laura might be in for some rough times…

“Um, lady?” El called out to her, interrupting her thoughts. Alice glanced at the small Mermaid, who swam a bit ahead and was gesturing for her to follow. “Come on, it’s this way. Hurry!” she urged her before turning around and resuming her swim ahead. The Echidna shrugged and followed in her wake. I’ll think about things when we reach Thalas, she thought, focusing on not losing sight of El.

----

Meanwhile, Luka had moved on from the location of his encounter with the little Mermaid, and was slowly swimming along the luminous trail generated by the Orb of Guidance, keeping an eye on his surroundings for hostile beings. He’d started seeing fish again as he moved closer to the dwelling of the Queen of the Southern Sea, and upon clearing a rocky formation, finally caught sight of Kraken’s temple. He paused, breathless at the sight.

The temple was the largest structure he’d ever seen in his life, above or under sea level, larger than even Ilias’s temple. It appeared to be made of white marble, finely chiseled and polished. Huge pillars supported the roof, and imagery of various sea creatures, both monsters and animals, were sculpted on the surfaces. On the front of the triangular roof area was a bust of a beautiful female, seemingly a Mermaid, though her appearance was somewhat strange. Luka had seen images of temples like this one in some of her mother’s older books: it was a type of architecture that had gone out of style more than a thousand years ago. The structure he was looking at would have made some archaeologists and historians sell their souls and their firstborns simply for a quick look at it.

Luka slowly approached the temple, taking in the sight with an awestruck expression on his face. As he drew closer, he suddenly began to feel relaxed, his worries evaporating. He frowned slightly: obviously, this was not normal, and was likely some kind of magic at work, but his worry was being overpowered by how pleasant he felt. Then, a sudden, slight pressure in his mind made him aware of Steelburn’s presence, allowing him to regain some focus in the process.

“What you’re feeling is a pacifying field,” she informed him, anticipating his question. “Kraken’s temple is sacred ground, and this magical field relaxes one’s spirit and chases thoughts of violence away, preventing aggressive acts from being carried out by man and beast alike. It is not infallible - it can be resisted with enough focus, or even if someone is naturally and strongly predisposed to violence, but it’s generally too pleasant a sensation to effectively resist it.” Her thoughts’ tone then changed, sounding apologetic. “By the way, I am truly sorry for what happened during your fight with the sharks. I made a mistake, and your fit of rage was the result. I must be getting old…”

Luka blinked at that. He’d suspected that Steelburn might have been involved in his abrupt berserker rage, but didn’t expect her to come out and admit it candidly. His respect for the sword spirit increased: she had no reason to admit to any wrongdoings and could have hid the truth from him, but chose to be honest. Luka also detected a tinge of worry in her thoughts, however, and that made him nervous.

Is there something I should know? I get the feeling you’re worried, he asked her, pausing in his swimming and shivering involuntarily. The current was rather cold down there - cold enough that he could feel it even through the protection from the Orb of Guidance.

“Ah… it’s nothing you should concern yourself with,” she reassured him. Her thoughts then took on a displeased feel. “I merely am not used to making mistakes. Perhaps I am getting too old and distracted… what happened is, I attempted to discreetly feed some Dark power into your body to increase your physical prowess and make up for you being forced to fight in an unfamiliar environment.” She paused, sighing, then continued. “But I forgot that there was already a notable amount of Dark power in your body, and when I added my own, it caused an overload and magnified your aggression.”

So that’s why my thoughts were so... feral, huh, Luka mused. All that monster power made me think like a monster, right? He then paused, noticing something Steelburn had said earlier. Hold on, you said I had ‘a notable amount of Dark power’ in me already. Where did that come from?

“From Alicefeeze and that Crab Girl, of course,” Steelburn reminded him. “Do you recall what I told you about Critical Ecstasy earlier? Both made you climax, and Alicefeeze in particular infused a very large amount of Dark power in you, being the Monster Lord.” Her thoughts became intrigued “A normal man wouldn’t be able to stand yet, assuming he even survived, but you… it must be your Angel heritage somewhat countering the Dark power’s ill effects, even repressed as it is.”

I suppose it’s good for something, after all, Luka mused. He then shivered again, this time more violently. Ugh, the currents are really cold down here. I should hurry and see if I can get out of them and in the temple…

With that thought, Luka began to swim again, at a faster pace than before, though not without wincing from the pain the teeth embedded in his body caused him. Soon enough, he reached the temple’s entrance, but at this point he paused, hesitating. A questioning sensation came from within his mind, and he shook his head at Steelburn’s unspoken query.

I don’t feel right just walking in, even if I’m wounded, the young Hero explained, pondering his choices. I’m going to first shout and wait, see if someone hears me and grants me permission to enter. A flash of annoyance came to him, but he dismissed it with an annoyed frown of his own. Yes, I know you think I’m being dumb, but Alice did mention Kraken is old-fashioned, and unless that means something different, old-fashioned people hate it when some young whippersnappers like myself barge in unannounced and make themselves at home.

There was a brief emptiness in his mind, then a feeling of agreement came, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Even if he didn’t know her all that well just yet, Luka found himself wanting Steelburn’s approval when doing things, and it made him feel better to know she approved of his decision. Turning back to the temple, he walked closer to the entrance, then inhaled deeply, the cold water of the depths giving him a strange sensation as he prepared to shout.

“Hello! Is anyone here? I came to see Lady Kraken! May I come in?” he shouted at the top of his lungs. He then waited for an answer, not moving from his spot. After a couple minutes passed with no one appearing, he frowned. Perhaps they didn’t hear me the first time? Let’s try again, he thought, breathing in once more.

“Excuse me! Is Lady Kraken home? I have a message for her from a Mermaid!” he bellowed once more. He then set to waiting, shivering as a particularly cold current found its way to him and began to chill him to the bone. Still, he didn’t move, stubbornly refusing to enter without permission. Soon, he felt like he was being frozen to the bone, and his determination began to waver.

Just as Luka was about to give up and risk entering without permission, he spotted a massive form advance from the depths of the temple, and looked up, freezing as the unknown newcomer came into view. This… must be Kraken, he thought as a huge half-squid woman slowly moved to the temple’s entrance.

Huge grey tentacles, some of them thicker across than he was, carried her across the floor, their suction cups efficiently gripping the smooth marble and allowing easy advance. Her upper body was that of a very generously endowed mature woman, noticeably older than Alice but still undeniably beautiful, with pale skin and round, large breasts - which inevitably caught his attention for a few moments, bare as they were for all to see, before he wrenched his gaze away. A pair of golden armlets adorned her biceps, and a large golden necklace hung low between her breasts, drawing further attention to them and exalting their soft roundness.

Rather than hair, her face was topped by what appeared to be a squid-cap and several smaller tentacles, reaching down to her waist. Piercing grey eyes took him in as she stared at him, and he lowered his gaze, intimidated. As he did so, he idly noticed tentacle-shaped markings around her groin area, very similar to Alice’s own markings, though a bit more faded, and wondered if they had any significance: he’d seen them on Tamamo, Alma Elma and Granberia as well, though each had a different shape.

A humming sound drew his attention back up to the squid woman’s face, and he peered at her, unsure whether he should speak up first or not. The woman had an oppressive presence similar to what he felt from the Heavenly Knights, and he found himself cowed into reverence by that presence alone. Finally, he took his courage and decided to speak up first.

“Um. Lady Kraken, I presume?” he politely asked, remembering Alice’s comments on her personality. The monster blinked, then a small smile spread on her lips and the strong pressure coming from her relented a little. It seemed she’d approved of the way he’d addressed her.

“Indeed, I am,” she replied in a low, warm voice, studying him with interest. “And who might you be, hmm? It’s unusual for me to get guests, much less human ones.”

“Of course, I didn’t mean to be rude and withhold my name. I’m Luka,” he told her, choosing his words carefully. “I came here on an errand from Port Natalia, and was instructed to follow this Orb’s light and find you,” he continued, holding up Meia’s Orb of Guidance. Recognition sparked in Kraken’s eyes upon seeing the trinket, but she said nothing, and after a pause, Luka continued. “I came upon… a bit of trouble with some very aggressive sharks, but managed to make it here, though not without sustaining wounds,” he added, showing Kraken his arm and thigh. The older woman frowned.

“Those look like they have been hastily sealed with some kind of magic,” she commented, curious. “Who did this? It’s a rather sloppy job.”

“I did, actually. I have some minor healing abilities,” he admitted. “But I didn’t notice there were shark teeth embedded in two of my wounds, and the third wasn’t properly cleaned because I closed it on the fly in battle. As a result, they didn’t heal well.” He then winced, shaking his head. “It… does hurt a fair bit,” he admitted. At that, Kraken’s face softened a bit.

“I see. Wounded undersea travelers are welcome to my temple for rest and respite,” she told him. Her gaze then became stern. “But you will keep your hands to yourself. Understood? I have little love for thieves.”

“Of course, thank you! I’m grateful simply for being able to get out of this awful cold current,” he told her, shivering violently in spite of his attempts at composure. Noticing that, Kraken gave him a puzzled look.

“If you were feeling cold, why did you not move out of it?” she asked him. Luka paused, then shrugged.

“Coming in uninvited would have been terribly rude, and I promised I’d deliver the documents I was given. I could neither barge in nor give up and let the person who trusted me down,” he replied matter-of-factly. He then added, “Also, if I moved away from the entrance, I’d have run the risk of not seeing you, or being seen by you.”

“Mmmm. Polite and dedicated. You’re a fine young man,” the squid woman commented, her smile broadening into an expression of clear approval. “I wish more youth were as polite as you. Come in then, dear. Don’t worry about your mission for now - just rest.” Her expression then clouded over. “Attacked by sharks, eh? This is happening more and more often lately. I will have to have them exterminated, after all.”

“Ah, about that… Alice and I - Alice is my traveling companion, but had to go off on an errand of her own - we… killed quite a few of them when we were attacked,” Luka admitted with a guilty look on his face. “I hope you won’t hold it against us…”

“You may rest easy. I understand the necessity of killing in self-defense, and I would have had to destroy them anyway, since they attacked and wounded a great many of both humans and sea monsters,” she reassured him. She then sighed, crossing her arms below her ample breasts. “I wish there had been another way, but the situation was going out of control. You have my thanks for solving it in my stead. Tasks like these are very unpleasant.”

“You’re welcome, Lady Kraken,” he nodded with a smile, before suddenly rearing up and sneezing loudly. He sniffled a few times, then looked up at Kraken apologetically. “Um… not to sound impolite, but can I come in? I’m really starting to feel this cold...”

“Of course, do come in. Where are my manners, forcing you to stand around and listen to me?” the Queen of the Southern Seas apologized, reaching out with one of her tentacles and delicately urging him inside. Turning around, she began to walk back into the temple’s hall, and Luka obediently followed her. Along the way, he marveled at the temple’s interior, which was just as finely sculpted and decorated as the outside, and at one point paused in front of a very large statue, whose face he recognized as being the same sculpted in the face of the temple. Observing the statue, he finally realized what had seemed off with it: while the woman appeared to be a Mermaid, she had a very large reptile-like dorsal fin, visibly clawed hands, and strangely shaped ears strongly resembling those he’d seen on the Dragon Pup, Tyris.

His observation of the statue was interrupted by a gentle touch on his shoulder, and he turned to the side, seeing Kraken look up at the statue next to him. She glanced at him and smiled proudly.

“Impressive, isn’t it? This is the only known remaining statue of Typhonys, the Abyss Queen, Goddess of the Depths,” she proudly informed him. “All sea dwellers, particularly Mermaids, revere her as their patron, and even the human sailors above revere her and pray to her for safety, and comfort should they perish at sea.”

“‘May the Abyss Queen embrace you in your final day’, right?” Luka mentioned, recalling one of the many expressions the pirates used when invoking the sea deity. Kraken nodded, impressed.

“Indeed! So you are cultured, too. I am pleased you took the time to learn about our traditions,” the undersea monarch remarked with a smile. She then once more urged him forward with a tentacle. “But enough sightseeing. You look very worn out. Come, I’ll have a room prepared for you so you can rest.” Clapping her hands once sharply, Kraken let out a low sound. Moments later, it was answered by an octopus girl - a pretty, tiny thing shorter than even Luka, with solid black eyes, pale yellowish skin and odd black and blue ring patterns on her body. The tiny monstergirl approached her superior and Luka hesitantly, her ink-black eyes fixated on the human warily. Kraken tsk’ed at that, giving her a disapproving look.

“Now, now, this is no way to stare at a respected guest of mine, Chlaena,” she rebuked her. She pushed Luka towards her. “This young man was wounded while disposing of those aggressive sharks that have been causing trouble. He needs a room to get some rest, and something warm to eat, so he can recover his strength. Find him a lodging and let him make himself comfortable for the day.” She then wagged a finger at her admonishingly. “No poisoning the guest this time. I know you get startled easily, but this kind of behavior makes me look like I condone hurting my guests. I’m sure this fine young man will keep his hands to himself, anyway, so don’t bite.”

Turning to Luka, who looked a little tense after hearing the exchange, she smiled apologetically. “Don’t be alarmed by that. Chlaena is a good girl… she’s just easily startled and has a tendency to bite when that happens, which can be a problem since she has a powerful venom. But I’m sure you will be fine. Do run along now, and once you’re properly rested, come see me. I will hear your request then.”

As the monarch turned to leave, Luka remembered about Alice and raised his hand to get Kraken’s attention. The squid-woman gave him a perplexed look. “Yes? Is there anything else you need?”

“Ah… my traveling companion will also come here soon. She’s a surface monster - an Echidna - and has gone off to bring a lost Mermaid girl back to her mother,” he informed her. Kraken gave him a bemused look.

“An Echidna…? That’s a rare monster you’re traveling with, probably nobility. You’re aware of that, yes?” she asked him, curious. Luka nodded, and Kraken continued. “So you’re aware. I wonder, though… what is a young human like you doing in the company of such a high ranking monster?”

“Ah, that’s a long story, and I’d rather get permission from Alice before saying anything, if you don’t mind,” Luka explained apologetically. “Suffice it to say that she has her own personal reasons to travel with me, and I’m not at liberty to discuss them.”

“Fair enough. Everyone has the right to privacy,” Kraken agreed. “Then, I will be sure to let her in when she comes. Now, go take care of yourself,” she concluded with a dismissive wave of a tentacle before turning around and leaving, walking down the wall and disappearing in a side door. Luka watched her retreat, then glanced at his side to the octopus girl, who was still suspiciously glancing at him. Slowly turning around, he spread his arms and smiled at her.

“Relax, I won’t do anything strange,” he reassured her, taking care not to make any sudden movements. Kraken’s mentions of ‘easily startled’ and ‘powerful poison’ had alarmed him enough that he had no wish to test the truth behind her words. “I just want a room to lie down in for a while, and won’t bother you any further. I really am quite tired, and I lost a lot of blood,” he added, pointing at his poorly closed up wounds. A wince of sympathy crossed Chlaena’s face as she saw the ugly bite mark on his thigh, and she relaxed a little.

“That… does look like it hurts,” she admitted, glancing at him. “So you really did eliminate those sharks who were causing chaos in Lady Kraken’s domain?” she inquired, curious. At Luka’s nod, she finally smiled a little, though there was still a certain wariness in her eyes. “I see. You did Lady Kraken a great service. She was finding those attacks distressing. Well then, sir, please follow me,” she announced, before turning around and shuffling down the corridor in the opposite direction from where Kraken went.

“Thank you,” Luka replied gratefully as he began to follow her. “By the way, my name is Luka. I’d prefer if you called me that instead of ‘sir’. I haven’t done anything relevant enough to be called that, yet. Though some would disagree...”

“As you wish, si-- Luka,” Chlaena agreed obediently, casting a furtive, still-wary glance at him as she tried to gauge the intentions behind his request. Luka sighed inwardly. This octopus girl clearly was still cautious about him, though his sorry state seemed to at least have mollified her. Can’t be liked by everyone, he thought to himself. He’d gotten so used to quickly ingratiating himself to monsters he’d forgotten not all were open or friendly towards humans, and Chlaena served as a reminder that some simply did not trust his species.

Luckily for Luka’s aching body, the walk was very short, and Chlaena soon stopped before a stone door, pushing it open without hesitation. Luka walked in, making a mental note of how everything appeared to be made of stone in the temple, likely due to wood and metals deteriorating too fast underwater, then stepped in after her. As he entered the room, he couldn’t help but notice its extraordinarily luxurious appearance: the walls and corners of the room were all finely decorated with what appeared to be high quality coral, and a few gems could be seen embedded in the ceiling and glowing, probably acting as the room’s lighting, though he could not readily identify them. He involuntarily let out an impressed whistle upon taking in the opulence, and Chlaena shot him a disapproving look. Luka noticed the glare and sheepishly apologized, scratching his head.

“Uh, sorry, didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just… I’ve never seen anything like this,” he admitted to her, embarrassed. He then waved a hand at the room surrounding them, pausing to point at the fine decorations, and continued. “The most luxurious and expensive place I have been to was the Sutherland Hotel in Iliasburg, and even then I was a special guest, or I’d never have been able to afford it. But compared to this temple? It looked like a barn.” He shook his head and looked at the octopus girl again, a look of honest admiration in his eyes. “This is amazing. I can’t think of any better ways to describe it.”

“Hmm. My people helped build this,” Chlaena informed him, looking pleased by his comment. “It was hard work, I’m told, and took a few years to complete, but it was worth the effort.” She then walked to a small door in the wall, opened it and pulled out what appeared to be pillows, a thin mattress and some covers. Luka blinked: he hadn’t expected such surface commodities to exist underwater. Seeing his puzzled look, Chlaena couldn’t stifle a giggle.

“You look a bit confused,” she told him, amused. “Remember, this shrine is where Lady Kraken holds audience with supplicants - which sometimes include surface dwellers, usually ones who are looking to get married with undersea monsters.” Walking to a stone bed in the room, she began to prepare it for Luka to use, still speaking as she quickly and efficiently set it up with expert movements. “Because of this, we have to be ready to give shelter to these people, as well. That means there are a variety of rooms for surface guests in this temple, made to accommodate their needs. This is one of those for human use.”

Having finished preparing the bed as she talked, Chlaena set the pillow down, then straightened up and looked at him. “The mattress and pillow were made with soft sponge, and the covers are made from algae fibers. They would dry up and break apart on the surface, but here, thanks to a little bit of help from Lady Kraken’s magic, they can be conserved in perfect state for our guests.” She pointed to the bedside table, upon which a conch shell rested. A faint glow emanated from it, and Luka guessed it had to be magical. “If you need help, take this seashell and blow into it. I will come at once.” With that, she politely bowed. “Please enjoy your stay,” she concluded before briskly walking out of the room.

As the stone door closed behind the octopus girl, Luka sighed, relaxing for the first time since starting the underwater journey. Walking up to the bed, he tentatively touched it, and marveled at how soft both fabric and mattress were to the touch. Slowly, he sat on the bed and shifted his body fully on it, lying down with a pleased hum, letting his tired body go slack on the soft surface. He stared at the ceiling, where the gems kept glowing, then tentatively reached out to Steelburn with his mind. The sword spirit’s presence filled his thoughts immediately.

“Do you need me, Hero Luka?” her familiar words rang out to him. The young man sighed again, closing his eyes.

I’m going to lie down for a bit. Could you perhaps warn me if something happens? he asked her.

“Of course. Should anything be amiss, I shall awake you immediately,” she reassured him. Luka nodded with a smile and allowed his tired mind and body to drift off. As he slipped into a restful sleep, he sent one last thought to Steelburn.

When we get back to Port Natalia, let’s talk a bit. I think it’s time we got to know each other more, he thought drowsily. As he fell asleep, he missed Steelburn’s reply, which slipped away from his unconscious mind.

“Indeed, we should. After all, soon Fate’s cogs will begin to turn…”

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