'Skree!' Phoenix checked her surroundings as she flapped above the forest region, noticing a single high cliff about her altitude near the edge of the sea to the west, landing on it and noticing that the only way for a normal human being to get there would be to climb a steep rocky wall upwards. 'Hehe, this seems like the perfect spot for the plant to flourish. It'll be hard for anyone to approach this place from the ground!' Pulling out the seed, she was proceeding to plant it, but she picked up some foul noise to the south of her. 'Harahorohirehareee!'

'Aaaek! My ears...' The high pitch of the singing made her cover her ears, and grunted in pain as the singing came closer to her vicinity, peeking her eyes open to notice something winged with pink hair coming her way. 'Haaraahooroo—'
'SKREEE!" Phoenix screamed in utter disgust as she planted the seed with immediate haste and flapped her arm-wings upward, approaching the creature, who was entirely absorbed in her own singing with her eyes closed to really notice her. 'Falalile, lalalaaaaaa-mmmph!' She was cut off by Phoenix's feet covering her mouth, and she screamed in disgust: 'STOP TORTURING ME, YOU FOUL DEMON!'

'What? B-but...I'm just practicing my singiiing!' She removed the claw from her mouth, and responded back, still singing slightly even when speaking normally. 'Skree! You call that singing?! It tortures my sensitive ears...' Harpy felt slightly sorry, though she couldn't help but continue to talk in her singing voice slightly. 'I-I'll go awaaay immediatelyyyy...' That broke Phoenix's nerves, and she whipped out a staff, proceeding to summon small bolts of lightning towards the singer, screeching in disgust. 'Skree! No mercy! I'll have you silenced!'
'Eeeek!' The winged human fled, flapping her wings as quickly as she could, flying lower towards the forest to try and shake her off...

'So...these plants are pouring strange purple smoke that will make people lose their mind?' Seriri reacted slightly shocked as she listened to Arle explain while they returned to shore to meet up with Rulue again. 'Uhuh, and it seems odd eyeball creatures are also causing that smoke. Rulue and I have been traveling around to try and do something about it, but so far we got few leads as to where the perpetrators like that weird crocodile creature would strike.'

'Hmm, sounds mighty serious there, Arle.' Suketoudara commented, as they approached the shore quickly enough, Rulue getting up from taking a brief pause to enjoy the sightseeing, and helped Arle up on the grass, though she looked at her with slight disdain. 'Well, was it worth getting your clothes wet like that?'
'Yes, it was. It was as we thought, another one of those plants, though this one was still in it's growing state, so we had little issues with that one as Carby took care of it easily.' 'Guu!'
Rulue patted him on the head. 'Good job, little guy.' Though Rulue could see that the sun was slowly setting beyond the horizon of the woods, the air giving off an orange tint. 'Hmm, it's about 17:46 PM on my watch...Arle, what would you say if we would retreat back to my mansion so I can prepare dinner, and get you some clean clothes so your normal ones can dry off for tomorrow?'

Seriri couldn't help with instinctively squirm at the sound of Rulue mentioning something to eat, and mumbled out: 'P-Please don't get the idea to eat me...' Arle giggled. 'Heehee, don't worry Seriri, we're not mermaid-eaters. Though that proposal does sound nice, Rulue.'
'Hey, hold up.' Suketoudara shouted with Rulue looking at him. 'Hm? Is there something?'
'Yeah, if it isn't too much trouble, would—huh?' He heard some faint yelling behind him close to the forest, causing him to turn around. 'You hear that?'

'Hmm...I hear nothing, you sure you aren't just imagining things?' Though Seriri twitched her ear fins as well, reassuring that something was indeed happening not far away from them. 'No, Mr. Suketoudara is right, I hear faint yelling of...Miss Harpy!' She pointed deeper in the forest. 'Miss Harpy's screaming's coming from the east side of the forest!' Arle squinted a bit. 'Um, Seriri, she's always usually screaming when she's sing-'
'No, it isn't like that, it sounds like she's in danger!' Seriri shouted.
'What?!' Arle and Rulue hurried towards where Seriri was pointing, though Arle had difficulty keeping up with Rulue because of her wet clothes weighing her down somewhat, and soon noticed the screaming becoming louder as they saw various lightning bolts strike the ground. 'Aiieee!' Harpy flew towards Rulue in a panic. 'H-help meeee!' Rulue noticed another winged creature resembling a bird approach them, casting another lightning bolt close to Rulue's feet, though upon spotting her, she backed off slightly, still in the air. 'Skree! Y-you!'

'What's your beef with this girl?!' Rulue shouted, shaking her fist at the creature, though she shrieked falsely in return. 'Girl?! You mean a foul demon who ruins my ears! If you're bend on protecting her, I'll just have to—SKREE!' Flinching in pain, she felt a rock hit her beak, and Rulue was ready to toss another one. 'That does it!' She pulled out her staff and was preparing to cast a stronger spell, but was intercepted by a bolt of lightning hitting her from another direction, forcing her down on the ground from the shock.

'Grrr...' Slowly getting up, she noticed that the blue-haired woman was aided by another girl with brown hair, though Rulue was looking oddly at her. 'Bah...this doesn't look good. I'll get you for this later, wenches!' She flapped her wings intensively to gain enough speed and hightail it out of there, the others sighing from relief.

'Are you okay, Harpy?' Arle approached the pink-haired girl with concern, though she smiled faintly. 'Yee-ess, thanks to you I'm alriiiight! But how did you know I was here?' The two flinched from hearing her sing slightly in her talking manner, and Arle quickly intervened. 'Ack! Uh, Seriri told us so, we helped her just now. Harpy, you mind telling me and Rulue just why exactly that bird creature was attacking you? And um, would you please try to not sing too much? We have kind of uh...sensitive hearing'

Harpy calmed down now, and started explaining, trying her best to not sing instinctively. 'I was just flying around looking for someplace quiet to practicing my singiiing for tomorrow's concert with the band, but that strange bird creature was doing something near a cliff, and got really annoyed for some reason...' Arle glanced aside. (Not that surprising...) She tought in herself. 'But she got really vicious and started chasing me down.'

'Miss Harpy!' Suketoudara came running towards the group. 'Are you alright?'
'Mr. Suketoudaraaa! I'm quite fine, thaaaanks.' She singed to Suketoudara, though Rulue tapped Arle on her shoulders. 'Yes?'

'Arle, that weird female bird creature...I'm sure that's the other one who grabbed me back in the caves.' Arle was slightly surprised, but should have expected it by now given their previous run-in with the other creature. 'Really?'
'Yes, no doubt that they're possibly working together to do something nasty in these woods...hey, maybe that Harpy girl saw that bird plant another one of those plants as well?'

Arle immediately pursued that idea, and interrupted Harpy and Suketoudara's conversation.
'Um, excuse me. I'd hate to cut in, but I need to ask you something urgent here, Harpy.' Harpy smiled to Arle. 'Sure, Arle!'
'Well, I was wondering if you saw that weird bird creature do anything...suspiciously at that cliff before she attacked you. If you can recall anything, please do. It's very crucial.' Harpy was thinking deeply. 'Hmm, I do recall her standing on a high cliff near the sea to the east, but I didn't get a good view at what she was doing.' Arle knew enough from what she was describing.
'A high cliff...would sound like the perfect spot to plant one of those horrible plants!' Harpy was confused. 'Plants? What's so horrible about that?'
'We don't have much time, but to sum it up, it seems there are weird plants popping up all over the place due to weird evildoers planting them around and causing some smoke to emit from them that makes you go crazy if you inhale too much of it.' Harpy gasped hearing that. 'T-Truly? Then I wish to help you ouuut!'

'Really?! That'd be deeply appreciated!' Arle smiled, though she noticed that it was slowly getting dark. 'Hmm, Harpy, could you please guide us to that cliff where you spotted her?' Though Harpy was kind of worried for Arle's wellbeing.
'Um, the cliff is rather high, Arle, and I doooon't think I'll be able to carry you with the weight from your soaked clothes like that.' Arle realized she was still pretty wet, and looked rather embarrassed. 'Oh, darn! What else...' Rulue had a idea. 'Arle, how about you borrow Carbuncle to me for a bit?'
'R-really? But why?' Arle picked him up from her shoulder.

'From what you describe, Carbuncle is the one capable of destroying those plants with ease, and I think Harpy can carry him with his light weight rather easily if the plant's on a high cliff. Don't worry, I'll guard them both for you, so you can just return to the mansion and change clothes before the night cold gets to you.'
Arle saw good logic in Rulue's suggestion, and handed over Carbuncle to her, him hopping on her shoulder in a instant. 'Guu!'
'Alright, that seems like a good plan. Carby, you behave yourself around Rulue and Harpy, right?'
"Guu!' He nodded. With that, Arle journeyed to Rulue's mansion, while Rulue and Carbuncle were being guided by Harpy towards the cliff, with Skuetoudara coming along for extra safekeeping, in case those weird creatures would strike again unexpectedly...

'Here it iiiis.' Harpy pointed towards a large cliff in a small opening at the edge of the forest with a beachside overlooking the area, water rushing against the tides. As it was now getting darker, Rulue and Suketoudara spotted something purple on the top of the cliff. 'Yep, that's pretty much like what Arle was describing. Looks like there's a plant on that cliff there too.'
Rulue hurried towards the cliff until she reached the steep rocky wall, giving Carbuncle to Harpy. 'Harpy, could you please hold Carbuncle here tight and lift him up to the plant so he can destroy it?'
She nodded, gently grabbing him between her arms. 'Suuuure, come on, little guy.'
'Guu!' Braving the slightly stronger gusts of wind, she easily carried him to the cliff, noticing that a small plant was already sprouting from the ground, and began to puff out some smoke. 'Yikes...it does look eerie. Is this distance good enough for you?'

'Guu!' He fired a laser from his head towards the plant, and it glowed red, Harpy immediately descending and returning to the ground as a small explosion occurred from the cliff. 'There you go, safe and soouund.' She put him back on Rulue's shoulder, Suketoudara looking at the cliff. 'Hmm, looks like it's gone, good job there.' Smiling to them both. 'Hehee, thanks!"

Rulue was slightly worried however. 'Hmm, we might have taken care of two of those plants here, but what if those creatures will try and pull something sneaky during nighttime? One of those plants could easily grow out of proportion the next morning!'
'Good point ya got there, missy...' Suketoudara was trying to come up with a solution, though Harpy had an idea. 'Oh, I know, Mr. Zombie might heeeelp!'
'Mr. Zombie?' Rulue inquired. 'Yes, he's one of our group's members, he's a undead person, but he's really friendly. He doesn't require sleep, so maybe I can politely ask him to patrol the area at niiight and warn us if something weird happeeens!'

Rulue was starting to get irritated slightly from her singing, but she endured it since Harpy was being friendly and helpful. 'R-right, sounds like a good plan. Suketoudara, you sure you and the others can handle yourself for the evening here? I'll be retreating back to my mansion for the night and return here tomorrow morning to see how you are all doing, that sound good?'

'Fiiish! Sounds good! Meet up at the great big tree not far from the lake, you should be able to easily spot it if you come walking here from the direction of the town to the lake.' She nodded, and departed with Carbuncle, Harpy and Suketoudara heading back in the forest, apparently discussing something amongst themselves.

'Grr...' Crocovile sat on a rock on a river a good distance away from the lake, thinking about what to do, when he heard familiar flapping in the distance, looking up and spotting his companion. 'Hey, Phoenix! Here!' 'Skree!' She descended, flapping her wings at a low altitude. 'How did it go?' She grunted in displeasure. 'I was planting one of those seeds, when a annoying singing wench came by and almost ruined my ears, tried to do something about it, but two girls intervened, so I had to retreat.' Crocovile got up hearing that.

'Hold up...was it that same blue-haired wench from before in the caves and a brown-haired girl with some yellow rabbit thing on her shoulder?' She nodded. 'Skree, they got you as well?'
'Not exactly, I bailed before they could act as they also backed up some mermaid who saw what I was doing, but this doesn't look good. I think they might have some of those idiots from that area informed on what we might be doing...I guess we should head back to the Mistress first and hear what she has to say on what we should do next.

Phoenix nodded, and grabbed him, flying off in the distance, trying to detect where their superior was hanging out...

'Hmm...this doesn't actually taste quite bad, Arle.' Rulue commented on a stew Arle prepared with some help from Rulue, as they were eating around a small dinner table. 'Thanks, it's a family recipe from my mother that she used to cook for me when I was younger.' 'Heh, I see. You should give me that recipe sometime, should give me something to practice on sometime, especially considering what's happened earlier...' Arle knew what she meant by that. 'That incident with Minotauros?'
'Uh-huh...look Arle, I'll be honest here with you, but as you most likely witnessed in the kitchen, I'm...not a very skilled cook. I usually depend on Mino to do the chores around the estate while I'm occupied with other stuff, and...I'm starting to think that maybe I've been mistreating him considering his loyal service to me for a long time...

(Wow...maybe Rulue isn't as demeaning as I thought she would often be...) Arle tought to herself, being baffled by this sudden side of Rulue, though she noticed. 'Arle...you look like you want to say something to me?' She gasped and swallowed a bit of her meal. 'Oh, uh, I was only thinking about how lucky Minotauros should be that you're so considerate of him now so suddenly. I think you should actually tell him that when he gets back here.'

She smiled a bit, finishing up her plate. ' You're right, I'll arrange a small vacation for him after this is all done and over with.' Standing up, they both took their dishes to the kitchen and retreated to the upper floors. 'Alright, we'll be heading out for the lake again tomorrow, Arle. Hopefully those oddballs at the area won't run into any trouble during the night.'

'Hmm, I sure do hope so...' Arle commented before retreating in the guest room, trying to get some sleep. 'I do wonder if Schezo's still alright, though, Carby...'
'Guu...'