Another part of the omake! Like I mentioned in one of my ANs once, I guess you can call this a separation point between arcs, though I prefer to have them meld as smoothly as possible. Unlike the previous chapter, though, this is in-line with the chronological order of the main story. Glad you guys liked the previous one; here's hoping you love this one, too.
A small shout-out to the new followers and commenters. Your patronage is most welcome.
Not going to ramble on for too long, now; here's the almost-equally short mailbag:
superpierce: Like I said in the AN, this chapter occurs throughout the previous chapters, meaning its timeline is inconsistent with the flow we've been going so far.
Stratos263: They always know better, don't they?
Anon A: Thanks for the review. As to your dose of fluff, I think I have some in this chapter...
"You know what; fuck your mother, Andromeda!" Erytheia screamed, dodging yet another large piece of reef, before sprinting away, her silver hair sticky and wet. "Fuck her and her big mouth!"
Andromeda wanted to retaliate immediately, but a large wave of seawater slammed onto her inadvertently from their trashing opponent, leading her to choke from the fluid entering her nose. It's thankfully small and non-lethal, more of an annoyance than anything else – but small distractions like this were what prevented them from finishing up this sudden task.
Atypical of her personality, it's the usually quiet Hespeira who shouted back, "You can't blame that bi- individual! We don't have proof, Sister!"
That led to Aigle chuckling, despite her desperate need to perform a similar panicked maneuver to Erytheia. "Hesperia can call someone a 'bitch' now! Yahoo! Let's celebrate after this!" She excitedly yelled, flailing her arms in celebration, completely oblivious to the obvious danger of doing so while skipping over moist seaside cliff stones.
"Shut it and concentrate, you drunkard!" Perseus desperately warned, his polished sword hacking at the stray tentacle creatures which followed the summoning of their largest brethren. The constant foolishness from the three nymphs was really nagging on him now, as even Hesperia – a source of quiet and peace in the group – was dragged into her siblings' antics. "Fuck her after we kill these little shits!"
Right now, all manners of pretense and rational language went out of the window, leading them to curse all over the place after being influenced by the panicking civilians who're fleeing behind them.
Why wouldn't they? A gigantic sea monster was attacking them, after all.
Cetus, the fated monster to signal the first meeting of Perseus and Andromeda… was here.
Like most sea monsters, because their weight was supported by the ocean, they could grow much bigger than their terrestrial counterparts. Additionally, with the lack of gravity's strength constraining them, they were able to hunt in three dimensions – a realm only flying beasts were able to exploit away from the seas. The Authorities blessing them should be similar if their 'distances' from their patron deities were around the same, so physics were usually the main differentiator.
And Cetus clearly was close to the biggest among them all.
Of course, size didn't mean a being's combat strength was proportional to it. More often than not, the most intelligent and skilled beasts attained enough conscience to concentrate their existence into a more manageable size, increasing both efficiency and effectiveness. And because these two categories increased through multiplication and division, not addition and subtraction, an improvement in both aspects would compound and elevated one's strength several levels over.
This was why Herakles was so impressive. He had immensely dense Divine Blessings and a trained body… and his body still grew to the size of a near-giant. It only showed how much power was packed inside his frame, and made Jason's achievement in besting him in outright combat even more impressive. Typically, warriors at their level maintained a size closer to the redhead or Chiron's human form.
However, given how much Andromeda's team was struggling against it, now they're experienced adventurers, showed how dangerous this one-of-a-kind monster was.
After the destruction of Atlantis, much of the fears regarding the incoming natural disasters were alleviated in the first few weeks, when Poseidon's priests and priestesses clearly felt the [Ocean] Authority under control of someone else. Who, they didn't know yet – but it's clear it's neutral towards humanity, and only sook to do its job in maintaining the seas.
However, for Poseidon's reared creatures, they now roamed in the wild, bereft of a master.
It's not as bad as people think – they were beasts, however powerful, and remained true to their instinctual desires. Usually, they steered clear of human population, much like ordinary animals, and people starting to think they're quite intelligent in that way. After all, why should the two parties look to harm one another when the only thing at stake was pride? Monstrous Beasts or not, they generally swam peacefully in the deep seas, continuing their habitual presence across a wider area.
It should be that simple.
So why was Cetus here?
Once again, the more things change, the more they stayed the same.
Researchers attributed this eternally-true adage to the universe trying to correct aberrations in Quantum Time Locks, as well as those which happened in between them. While [Fate] was flexible, it's not infinite to the point of unaccountability. Even Parallel World Operation utilized the Quantum Time Locks as checkpoints for ease of use – else all users would've sublimated into non-existence due to the sheer scale of information available to them.
Once again… Andromeda's mother boasted to the gods of her daughter's beauty.
Oh, the contents of her sentences were different, sure – but the end result was the same.
Perhaps she'd think twice before blabbering like that towards the ocean, while also defecating right above Cetus's temporary lair.
This time, no gods heard her – certainly not Poseidon – but the beast did.
It didn't grow to this size without possessing more-than-adequate intelligence. It understood her words, but failed to ascertain their fated true impact towards the world. All it knew was this pooping auntie was badmouthing the memories of its former chief feeding officer – Poseidon – and felt an obligation to teach this one a lesson.
First, it rocked the cruise boat the queen was on, before chasing it back to the port it came from.
After that, it intended to sink it right in front of as many witnesses as possible, as a way to show off its true strength – now independent, and all the better for it!
Whether it had any true affection for Poseidon was debatable – all it knew was…
'This is fun!'
However, that final act had to be delayed, because five small ants had suddenly appeared and decided to play with it instead.
At first, the engagement was quite entertaining. The five of them had different ways they're trying to hinder him, so it's always an entertaining guessing game as to what came next, and which one it should pay attention to. Not to dodge or block – its Conceptual Weight was far too high for anything they did to have a permanent effect – but a test it had personally and suddenly decided it had to score perfectly in.
But, after several minutes, when it's clear that shitting broad was nowhere to be seen, it decided to get serious. Lightly berating itself for letting its true prey escape because of this blatant attempt of buying time, it roared and slammed its entire frame into the sea bed directly adjacent to the city's coastal bedrocks, causing a medium-sized earthquake to occur and blasting the five ants into different directions.
Oops, careful, careful. Don't want to cause a cave-in, now…
While settlements built on solid marine bedrock were usually resistant to earthquakes, a large enough force wouldn't just crack their foundation, but also summon a tsunami large enough to outright drown them without waiting for the cities to collapse.
And that's not what Cetus wanted.
It wanted to play for longer…
Aethiopia was not particularly extreme, environment-wise. Despite being located around an arid region, unlike modern times, Northern Africa was still quite lush, with temperate climates year-round and civilization centered around the mighty Nile. While the kingdom itself might not boast the same cultural and historical depth as its close neighbor Egypt, it's still quite a bit richer than most city-states in Mycenaean Greece.
Its people lived by manipulating nature to their advantage, careful not to break the balance between upcoming technology and traditional methods. Sun-kissed, they had darker skin than their Greek counterparts, though they worshipped the same pantheon and participated in roughly the same festivals across the year. Seen this way, it's Egypt who's an outlier – with its own established pantheon and religion – and Aethiopia could be considered an extension of Greek influence.
Still, given the geographical conditions, not everything could be just replicated easily. As was always the case, many customs were adapted according to whatever's convenient at the time, with regular trips by high priests and priestesses their sole baseline to 'straighten' any blasphemy.
Over time, relationships between it and the Greek city-states grew stronger as maritime technology moved on, as well as advancement in long-distance Thaumaturgical communication. The high levels of Mystery in this era had its particular interference when researchers attempted what amounted to the concept of a smartphone into a roll of papyrus, but with more diligent studies, they found a closer relationship to the deities who're the source of these disturbances made the connection more efficient and effective.
To put it simply, they had to pay a hefty long-distance call fee – either through sacrifices or festivals – to maintain a reasonable information traffic, which should be beneficial for both parties.
Because Olympians were hedonistic by nature – even reclusive ones like Hecate and Persephone, though the latter wasn't by choice – this method required great sponsorship commitments from major powers, such as Athens, Thebes, and Sparta. This was one of the reasons why communication technology didn't advance as fast as it should be, given what Thaumaturgy could provide and become… if it truly focused on advancing humanity as a whole.
Unfortunately, the Aethiopian royal family wasn't talented in Magecraft; therefore, their letter to invite Andromeda back home after she'd made a name for herself took quite a long time to be delivered, read, replied, and sent back.
When she arrived with her team, the coastline was in complete chaos.
A large… something was wreaking havoc, wildly swinging its massive body and appendages to damage everything in sight. The only thing missing from the picture was the roaring flames, usually caused by an errant spark igniting flammable materials amidst the chaos… or from the beast itself spouting out flames.
Fortunately, this one didn't seem to fire-breathe.
Fat lot did the fact do to reassure the panicking civilians.
Instantly, without any form of verbal communication, Hesperia froze a small section of the sea – as they're still on the ship trapped among the traffic jam caused by the monster – enabling them to walk on the newly-created bridge of ice towards the large monster. They had to be quick, as the red-haired timid nymph was struggling – [Water] wasn't her strongest suit, despite her race's natural habitat. Additionally, creating an ice platform for anyone to move quickly on was difficult in the details, because a flat sheet would just cause anyone who stepped on it to slip off into the sea.
Instead, unlike the phantasmal legends of entire landmasses made out of ice, where people could cross oceans as easily as they walked the plains, the ice created from [Water] Magecraft needed to be mixed with many other Elements in smaller amounts, creating a primordial pykrete. Accomplished practitioners could make it indistinguishable from pure white snow, leading amateurs to believe all they had to do was master the [Water] Element.
Hesperia clearly wasn't among their numbers, as all she could do was create a dull brown bridge with [Wood] Element clearly showing on its surface. Additionally, she had to create them around the confused traffic of ships, as well as away from the rampaging beast. For her, who was neither specialized nor purely strong enough for this feat, ensuring safe passage for her and her team alone was an arduous task.
Plus, with the strength and speed Perseus's physical style required, it's paramount the redhead produce a textured surface, instead of a completely smooth one – which was much simpler in terms of effort and calculations. The lighter women struggled even more so, with their lack of weight meant they couldn't create enough contact pressure to elicit sufficient grip from their soles.
Fortunately, all the 'ice' she had to create was just for them to be able to reach the monster. There's no need to waste the effort of evacuating civilians; distracting the beast would help much more.
"Hah!" With a shout, Hesperia heaved mentally and elevated the pykrete platform diagonally into the air, creating a launch platform for her sprinting sisters and teammates. After she too had jumped, she threw the slab at the monster…
…which Cetus promptly ignored like a swat from a thin blanket.
It was huge.
Well, besides stating the obvious… it's even larger than that word – 'huge' – implied. Clearly the biggest thing they'd faced by far, since it hadn't been long since they're promoted to C-Rank, and well into the category of opponents A-Rankers faced regularly. In a time where even appropriate-ranked quests could easily maim or kill, a difference in two whole steps was certain death.
However, adventurers wouldn't be themselves if they weren't challenging the impossible. How could they improve otherwise? Wasn't this why they chose or was forced into this occupation?
Timidity was a virtue, not a hindrance. Caution was a blessing, not a curse.
Hesperia drew her strength from knowing those facts, enough to look at Cetus right in the eyes.
"Hiiiiiiii!"
She's still a work in progress.
"Haa… Haa… Haa…"
Soon, though, the name-calling of Andromeda's mother stopped, mainly because most of them were too out of breath to do anything else.
Some reinforcements had arrived, mostly from military ships passing through. However, their enchanted arrows were a far cry from Atalanta's, as legions of them were barely able to pierce the thick, slimy skin of this oceanic creature. Flaming catapults were too much of a risk – much too slow a firing rate, immobile targets, and shorter range from mobile platforms – so all they had on top of that were javelin throwers gathered from the volunteers and the available military.
It's tight… because only a few minutes had passed. Aethiopia couldn't gather serious firepower in that space of time, even when their crown princess was battling with her life on the line. That was the amount of time required for a beast reared by Poseidon himself to corner a group of relatively average adventurers, even while playing around.
- BOOM!
"Ugh…!" Perseus groaned as his body was flung backwards from the mini-shockwave caused from Cetus ramming its side into the rocks, slamming him hard. "Argh…"
"Kyah!" Andromeda slipped from the wet surface, stumbling forwards right into Cetus's welcoming maw.
It's getting bored of playing now. Perhaps it's time to finish things up…
"Andromeda!" Aigle screamed, scrambling to reach her with something… anything! "Take this!"
A solid beam of light formed from her palm, creating a rope which flung itself towards one of Andromeda's legs. However, a jet from one of the orifices on Cetus's long body cut it short, leaving the Aethiopian princess to continue her slippage.
Now, her foot had left solid ground and began its descent through the air.
- Splash!
Before Hesperia and Erytheia could do anything, the sea had claimed their team leader.
"ANDROMEDA!"
Using a tone of voice he rarely used, Perseus shouted and dived to follow her without further thought.
- Splash!
Before he could reach her, however, his body met the tip of Cetus's tail, flicking him up onto the surface with a "BAM!", tossing him back to where he came from. He could feel the instant his entire ribcage shattered and digestive tract bruised, but the seawater suffocated his mouth the instant he decided to scream, filling it with a mixture of salty liquid and the metallic tang of his own blood.
Still groggy, he wiped the water from his eyes, but his vision was filled by the side-view of Aigle checking on his vitals. Knowing they didn't have much time to spare, he grunted, trying to raise one hand to form the 'OK' sign, but Erytheia held him down from behind, out of sight.
"A-Andromeda… G-Get her first…" he managed to cough out, but the faces of his beautiful party members were grave. "D-Don't give u-up on her l-like that…! Shit…"
"It's not like that!"
Hesperia's voice answered from somewhere out of his field of vision, but somehow, there was a certain confidence in it.
"…what?" He hoarsely whispered, to which Aigle beamed with a smile, dispersing his earlier worries as if it's just a dream.
"Reinforcement's arrived."
His eyes painfully followed where her finger was pointing… to a silhouette of a small person riding a winged and horned horse, and Cetus turning into stone.
A crimson array appeared before Medusa's face, forming a ritual circle larger than her body, with which she could focus Cybele's powers into a hyper-destructive beam.
It impacted the trashing sea monster dead-on, having been blindsided by Medusa's flight pattern backing the sun's rays. Right now, this wasn't taxing on her body, unlike her previous out-of-control transformation, and the crimson-violet beam was more focused and efficient.
Alicorn neighed softly from underneath her, the mare's soft bone-white mane dancing in the wind, asking for her attention as the battle had finished in a split second. Stroking the Monstrous Beast's fur with her tiny hand, she yawned, slightly bored due to the sheer weak abilities of the Cetus, when compared to her. However, the winged and horned horse seemed to be indicating something else, pointing to a spot near the devastated port, where the bare shoreline beneath it was revealed.
Noticing some familiar faces, she maneuvered Alicorn using Bellerophon to land gently near the crowded Perseus. "Are you alright?"
Of course, the tone was filled with venom enough to kill Cetus several times over, as was the rhetorical question. Anyone with eyes could see he's far from alright: the copious amount of coagulated blood coughed out with every other breath, the clear indentation on his thorax from the broken ribcage, the sizzling lacerations from the salt of the seawater…
Instinctively, Hesperia moved to shield the weakened man from Medusa's scathing gaze, but Erytheia immediately took control of the situation. "Our leader, Andromeda, was pulled into the sea! Young miss, please, save her!"
The desperate plea from the usually-arrogant nymph seemed to have pleased Medusa, as she grunted and nodded, allowing her oversized hood to cover her face. Tapping Alicorn's side, she muttered, "Stay here and guard them. Use Bellerophon as you wish."
Without waiting for anyone's reply, her form blurred from her speed, as the spot where she stood previously burst into a small crater from her legs' exertion. Faster than anyone could perceive, her tiny body glowed faintly as a long serpentine limb formed out of her lower ones. Her streamlined form meant she slipped into the ocean depths without a sound, and she swum quickly to the flailing Andromeda – who's struggling to remove her heavy armor and weapons underwater – wrapping her up with Medusa's golden-scaled snake body.
- Plop!
Athena's daughter internally calculated how much strength she should use, before lobbing the Aethiopian princess onto the surface, right next where Perseus was lying. The impact allowed the seawater in Andromeda's stomach to expel itself out, leaving her coughing and vomiting the rest of the invading materials to the ground… right at Erytheia's feet.
"Eeeewwwwwww…!" The white-haired nymph screamed, shooting forwards with her hands and cupped her team leader's face, twisting it to the side to prevent any additional torrents of stomach acid to fall near her. "Y-You're despicable…!"
Aigle gently patted Andromeda's upper back, while Hesperia already had her arms wrapped around her stomach to put more pressure on it. "Now, now, you're being unfair…" The oldest sibling cooed to Erytheia, while eyeing Medusa's transformation at one side.
- Pitter, patter…
The serpentine form quickly reverted back into her normal, stubby legs, as she walked childishly towards her mount.
"Miss Medusa, are you leaving so soon?" Hesperia quietly uttered, as she was the closest to the young girl. "We… W-We should show you o-our gratitude with a treat!"
"No need. I was just passing by, and helped out of curiosity. A chance meeting, you can say," she coldly brushed the nymph's invitation off. "I still need to complete this shopping list…"
She then wordlessly gazed into the empty air, as if viewing said list in her mind, before snapping back after a few seconds, "In any case, I'm busy. Goodbye."
- Nom!
"Dis is dhelishous!"
At the Aethiopian royal castle, Medusa was busy stuffing herself full of sweet treats and juicy, fatty meat.
Compared to Arcadia, the building was low-slung, though occupying roughly the same area. It showed it's less powerful and wealthy than the kingdom with famous natural reserves, especially now with Lord Jason as the king consort, but the royal family did its best to design and decorate it tastefully. As the weather was quite a bit hotter than their northern neighbors, the angles of the roof and walls were shaped to maximize the amount of shade available while still maintaining a good vertical air circulation. Aethiopia didn't lack natural sunlight, so there's no need for excessive opening for sky-gazers and astronomers to utilize at night.
It was simply too hot and humid during the day, though it paled when compared to its modern-day counterpart.
- Nom!
"Mmmnnn…!" Medusa involuntarily cupped one of her cheek as she scooped fall-off-the-bone brisket meat topped with savory fruit cream into her small mouth. "Exshkuishite! Bery ghooodd…!"
She wiggled her legs about at the taste on top of Andromeda's lap, who's playing host today. While the depth of flavor was clearly inferior to her husband's orgasmic dishes – quite literally, as she had physically climaxed several times during their meals – it's very decent indeed, comparable to the best dishes she'd eaten outside of Arcadia's now-homely private royal dining room.
Silently, the dark-skinned princess being used as a couch was giving Hesperia a silent approving smile, for managing to keep an honored guest from leaving just like that. Aethiopia could only benefit from hosting this seemingly powerless little girl, even when one only viewed it from a purely political point of view. If word got out the kingdom treated this lovely girl well, wouldn't Arcadia look upon kindly on them? Even if it's an invisible benefit, it's still beneficial.
Oh, and she'd definitely get some words out regarding this.
Additionally, that thoughts about this 'powerless little girl'? Medusa could very well flatten the entire kingdom by herself if she wanted to.
That's what made Arcadia's sharp rise both alarming and understandable. The king consort himself was equal to legions of armies from multiple city-states by himself, and the tales of reigning queen's powerful arrows in the Calydonian Boar Hunt – with a great assistance of this very girl sitting on Andromeda's lap – had spread far and wide. Princess Medea of Colchis's skill with Magecraft needed no explanation, and some expert scholars believed Arcadia's sudden advance in usable technology was due to her.
Also, the fact her parents were unable to tear Medusa away from her lap was another bonus, strengthening her position in the royal court. At the very least, it'd allow her more freedom in her adventuring, instead of being forced to marry.
Besides, the guy her parents were fancying was kinda…
Well, it's Perseus.
Discounting the fact Medusa outright refused to come along if his presence was around, Andromeda herself didn't know what to feel about this. For sure, he wouldn't easily go along with it anyway – their professional relationship had gotten along for quite some time that inserting anything more intimate would only be detrimental in the short term.
She owed it to the three nymph sisters to see through their adventure to the end, and that's if she chose to settle down and marry, just like her parents wanted. She might not do that at all, if she could have her way with it.
Therefore, she'd do her utmost to stuff Medusa's mouth with as many delicious things as possible, to cement their relationship as faux-confidants.
To be honest, Andromeda wasn't sure Medusa even remembered her name, much less being friends with her. Perhaps, in the latter's mind, she was labeled as 'the girl besides Perseus'… which made her stomach upset. She's the team leader, alright?! He's the one who should be described like that! 'The guy besides Princess Andromeda'… didn't that sound a lot better?!
Though, thankfully, the violet-haired girl was cut from a reasonable cloth, as she didn't categorize Andromeda under the same antagonistic behavior as her male partner.
'No, stop calling him a 'partner' in your head! He's an underling! Not equal to you!' She berated herself, maintaining a kind façade out front.
In fact, her acting seemed to be too successful, as Erytheia's face paled whenever their gazes met. Aigle and Hesperia were shivering at the changes she exhibited today – all made in the name of "Freedom!" – compared to her usual strict commanding style.
"Mmmmmhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooorrrrrrrreeeeeeee!" Medusa bellowed, summoning another rush of panicking servants.
Truly, the lifestyle of a hero felt good…
"Oh, you're here, Alicorn? Then… Medusa's having fun inside, wasn't she?"
Pressured by Medea's cold smile and squinted eyes, the Monstrous Beast shivered and whimpered, lowering its head towards the magus's feet. Its master had told it to 'hide well', so people wouldn't necessarily know she's there, but… the girls outside looked so delicious…
So, when the estimated time for Medusa to return had elapsed, Medea immediately teleported towards her vicinity, eager to see whether the little girl had hit trouble or not.
However, it seemed like she's making trouble, not befallen by it.
Sighing, Medea waved her long staff and teleported Alicorn back to its stable in Arcadia, where various magic circles were located to prevent it running wild without Medusa's presence. Then, she flicked her long robe backwards, allowing it to flutter in the warm winds of Aethiopia, before making her way inside the royal palace.
Of course, entering grandly would only give Medusa time to escape. So, Medea silently uttered a concealment charm, making her completely undetectable to every mortal senses. The thing was… Medusa had many, many more sensitive senses when compared to the normal human being, so this would only help the magus so much to close onto the little girl's location.
'Really, how old does she think she is? Still playing around at this time…' she grumbled internally, before levitating her now-invisible self towards where she perceived Medusa's magical signature was.
This daughter of Athena didn't even bother to hide it! Any self-respecting magus or those with Thaumaturgical affinity could've sensed her from miles out, completely negating the order she gave her mount. The horse's Conceptual Weight, too, was at the level of holy beasts – those too precious to use as even a sacrifice to the gods, and the pride of nations – and Medusa failed to conceal that as well.
As expected, Medea could see Medusa's overflowing violet hair splayed onto the floor, a sign she's completely relaxed and having lowered her guard. The delectable scent of a feast wafted over the floating magus, though her spell meant it's difficult for her to recognize every individual element, for fear of allowing her own scent to spread around. Magecraft had always been about Equivalent Exchange, and if she wished to be undetectable, she herself needed to suppress her own senses against unnecessary information to do so.
'This should be as close as I can get,' she thought, before teleporting right beside Andromeda.
- Beep! Beep! Beep!
As expected, the entire royal complex was equipped with anti-teleportation measures, and alarms immediately blared as soon as the process was completed. Medusa, too, realized something was wrong an instant before it went off… but it was too late.
…because Medea's vice-like grip had encased the top of her head like a deadly claw, complete with a beautiful and lethal smile.
"A-Ah… A-Ahahahaha…" Medusa sweat-dropped, her jaws chattering gently together. "…want some?"
Of course, their physical strength differed significantly – as far as heaven and earth. However, what the magus exerted was mental pressure, especially her anger, though she silently Reinforced this emotional concept, [Anger], into [Fear] against everyone present.
"…please?"
No one could hear Medusa's pitiful whisper, as the two of them instantly teleported away without so much a greeting from the Colchian Princess.
- Knock. Knock.
"Come on in," Perseus calmly answered.
The door clicked open to a rather incredulous sight: his own team leader… bringing him food. His surprise was apparently showing through his face, as Andromeda immediately clicked her tongue and berated, "What? Do you think I'm some kind of demon?"
"…well, yes?"
"Screw you."
Oh, she wanted to curse at him using a far coarser language, but palace workers loved nothing more than gossip. The chance of one of them overhearing snippets of her conversation and blowing it out of proportion wasn't worth the satisfaction of freely cursing someone else's out, because it didn't suit how a princess should behave. Even those Amazons expect their diplomats to be as respectful as they're martially able, so there's no reason why Andromeda shouldn't restrain her own mouth in her own house.
- Clack.
She didn't-quite-slammed the food tray at the low table in the guest room, as the ground was cooler at this time of the day due to conductive temperature differences in Aethiopia. That's why the bed Perseus was sitting on was considerably lower to the ground than the inns they frequented in Greece, far up north, where the climate was more temperate.
Still glaring at his stupefied face, she calmed her tone down and continued, "I won't apologize for placing you here. But it's my duty as your party leader to make sure you're healthy and well-fed, so here you are."
Perseus silently nodded, sliding down to observe the tray of food closer. It's nothing incredibly extravagant – just simple, piping-hot, seductive bowls of various stew meats and burnt root vegetables. It's a set meal he wouldn't usually be able to eat during his adventuring, because they needed to be spendthrift. Additionally, the occasions they could splurge were populated by Aigle's alcoholic drinks and complex, whole-animal main dishes. Homey dishes like this were rare.
Huffing away, Andromeda muttered as soon as Perseus began eating, "…thanks."
"…hm?" The maroon-haired man mumbled with a full mouth.
Before he could process her word even further, she slammed her palms onto the table and declared, "There's my gratitude! I'm leaving!"
Coming like a storm, and leaving like a storm.
Perseus was left there alone, in a room doubling as a cage to prevent Medusa from seeing him, still confused to whatever's going on.
Glossary Update!
A
Alicorn: Forbidden Union
Rank: A~EX
Type: Anti-Army
Range: 100~?
Max. Targets: 500~?
Medusa's favored mount, found while grazing in the lush natural forests of arcadia. A rare form of hybrid, even among Phantasmal Species, it's somewhat different than a modern interpretation of a normal Pegasus, because it's a crossbreed between a bicorn and a Pegasus. As a result, it's considerably bulkier and muscular than a normal member of either species, with its own head as large as a hippopotamus's.
Because it's descended from a bicorn, a race famous for its impure preferences, it only allowed non-virgins to ride them. This particular one was attracted to Medusa's scent, both as a potential mating partner and as a worthy rider. Unfortunately, the former thought was quickly squashed when it met the girl's husband… And thus the memories of 'that day' was permanently sealed voluntarily inside its own mind.
Like most Phantasmal Species, it held the potential to continuously grow with age. This particular one was young, still at the rank of a Monstrous Beast, though it expected to 'fill in', so to speak, once it bonded with a powerful enough tamer-slash-rider. Via a strong blood ritual, it's able to impose itself on anyone it found worthy, regardless of sex – as it's hermaphrodite, befitting of a mutated hybrid – but it's more from a desire to have a companion, as its species was unbelievably rare, leaving it lonely more often than not.
Aside from its supernaturally high physical ability, it hadn't developed any other abilities yet.
B
Bellerophon: Gilded Motor
Rank: A++
Type: Support
Range: 1
Max. Targets: 1
Medusa's bridle-and-whip set to complement her partnership with Alicorn, crafted by her beloved husband himself. Using the shed skin of her serpentine form, left over after several transformations – aging and de-aging did that – as well as other mystical materials from the wastes of mythical beings, it in itself was near-indestructible, perfect to be paired with Phantasmal Species with great power but risky collateral damage. It improved Medusa's [Riding] skills beyond its limits, allowing her somewhat partial control to even the Dragon Kind, provided they had prior mutual understanding.
Simply shaped and without any other decorations, apart from its naturally golden color, it boosted the physical and magical characteristics of any living being it's placed on. While enforced control was possible with enough pressure, Medusa disliked using this ability, holding on to the philosophy of mutual partnership, instead of slavery. However, a similar passive ability remained constantly active, subtly enhancing her image in front of any being she wished to tame and ride.
The level of parameter increase depended on Medusa's familiarity with her mounts, as well as the cooperation – or undying loyalty – of the latter. When equipped to a Phantasmal Species, it would directly rank up by one level – for instance, a Monstrous Species would transform into its equivalent evolution as a Phantasmal Beast – excluding any support from Medusa herself. Its strongest usage was usually in the form of an all-out charge, when the mount raged to the utmost and transformed into a mighty comet, decimating enemies over a wide area. Its charge was near-unstoppable, barring special defensive circumstances. Medusa was nigh-invulnerable in this position.
C
Chrysaor: Golden Man-Sword
Rank: C
Type: Anti-Unit; Anti-Monster
Range: 10
Max. Targets: 5
Perseus's main sword. Forged after splurging whatever allowance was granted to him by Andromeda, it's a bronze-steel-brass alloy which shone like gold under the sunlight. Its steel core and cutting edge was supplemented by the softer brass and bronze at its core with Thaumaturgical Blacksmithing, creating an alloy bond unusual to be replicated by modern techniques. Because of its unique electromagnetic properties, the sword wouldn't rust even without specific enchantments, allowing it to be imbued with other blessings without fear of complications.
Shaped like a single-edged saber, but also with a significant length of its spine being a cutting edge, it's general form was commonly used among Greek military. Its [Anti-Monster] attribute was born from quenching it in the blood of various Monstrous Beasts, as well as the engravings written by the priestesses of Artemis. Due to its ease of use, it's a very popular weapon among Perseus's colleagues, and they often 'borrowed' it without permission.
