Chapter 35

Who are you?

I am Kodori.

You are a name?

I am a protector.

Defender of those weaker than yourself?

I protect those close to me, even if they are stronger than myself.

Is that all?

I am a teacher.

You share your knowledge freely?

I give them a piece of knowledge, so they might find there own answer.

Is that all?

I am a leader.

You stand behind and push them forward?

I stand where I am needed, and help others do the same.

Is that all?

I am a follower.

Are your eyes open? Or are you blind to your direction?

I follow the example of those I respect, in turn, hoping others do the same.

Is that all?

I am emotion.

Controlled, or contained by your desires?"

I am only mortal, after all.

Is that all?

I woke with my eyes feeling like some one had poured rock salt into them made worse by the magic stone lamp we had left on feeling like a spotlight. I'd rolled over slightly onto my side, one hand on the book, the other stretched over my head. Haruhime was in the exact mirror of my position, her eyes still closed but with faint dark circles around them, as if sleep deprived. Stiffly, I reached out my hand and brushed a strand of hair from her face.

I ran my experience through my mind as I admired her face. Who am I? Over and over that dry misty voice asked that question. Asking me to summarize myself. To put myself into an exact box. Like some sort of factory worker who was only allowed to do exactly one thing, lest they risk being noticed and dealt with like a nail that hadn't been hammered down properly.

But, I answered all of the questions. Some of them were simple, others so abstract that it felt like hours before I could come up with an answer that wasn't a single word. I was Kodori, and Kodori was many things. A legion of facets that made up the encapsulated whole that was me. Regardless of what I started my existence as, I would always be myself.

Stupid philosophical magically induced dream sequences. I could feel the tip of my tail raise itself off the floor and make 'tap' noise as it mirrored my sleepy annoyance, as well as tighten around my leg... and curl over Haruhime's hip...

"What the hell?" I said in English as I lifted the blankets off of myself and looked under the covers.

Haruhime had remained sleeping while I had a very quiet freakout and tried to figure out what had happened. First, I had more tails. Five of them now. Each one was as long as my original, with its usual soft jet black fur. Second, they each seemed to have the same penchant to just not listen to my mental commands. If it weren't for my unbreakable grip, I'd have never managed to count all of them as fast as I did. And last, they all seemed to have a different personality. One was somewhat lazy, another didn't like me holding it in place, a third was quite content to be held...

They all seemed to agree however, that Haruhime was adorable, and as soon as I let them go to try and get a feel for them in my mind, as I'd done when I first arrived, they all migrated over to her and curled up around her body.

Like sleepy cats... Or foxes.

"Because I am Kodori, and I am many things." I mumbled to myself, looking over my shoulder at Haruhime and the collection of curled up tails. "Move over I want to hug her too." It hardly felt like I'd slept at all, so I just set my current problem aside in favour of more Haruhime cuddles.

I was woken again by my opposite stirring in my arms. This was quickly followed by a more panicked motion, then a pause, then a gentle shake of my shoulder. "Ko-san... Ko-san! I can't move!"

This was followed by another wiggle, prompting me to open my eyes. "Oh... Yeah... Um..." I tried to exert my will over my new collection of appendages. Slowly, almost grudgingly, with a pleasant tingle of my fur sliding over Haruhime's warm body, my tails fell into line behind me. It was then I sat up and reached out to her. "Sorry... The book seems to have done something."

"Me as well... But it only taught me a spell... I think. I feel the words in my head..." She seemed unsure, her face twisting up slightly as if she thought she might sneeze. "But..." She sat up as well, rubbing the corner of her eye and yawning, "You have... five tails now?"

"And I haven't even managed to get my first one to listen to me, this is going to be such a bother..."

I'm still never going to tease a woman about her clothing. After getting dressed, an epic level project when you have to put five tails through a hole in the back of your pants, and then get ready for the day, I managed to get to the practice field where the bulk of Takemikazuchi Familia was already waiting. The new collective sprouting from my spine was making my balance feel a little off, and they all wanted to compensate for it at a slightly different speed.

Mikoto and Takemikazuchi didn't comment on my discomfort, while the rest seemed to go through several versions of 'jaw drop'. Marius gave me a raised eyebrow, checked his pulse and forehead, then raised the other eyebrow, and Lilly...

Was mobbed my them when she reached a sleepy hand out to pat my tail in the usual way she greeted me every morning. "Lilly is trapped! Lilly is trapped!"

I'd never tried to see how strong my tail was. It was fluffy, sleek, and... expressive, but only when I had a savage manifestation of anger jumping out of it, had I ever used it in any offensive capacity. Lilly struggled as my tails seemed to try and cuddle her to death. "Sorry... Let me... And you... and you... and you... no you can't stay..." I had to grab each one individually again. "I will braid you all together if you don't behave." I threatened them/myself. Together, they seemed to be quite capable of holding onto Lilly, who weighed about as much as a young teenager.

It was about then that Welf arrived, holding a bundle under one arm and scrubbing his eyes with the other, "Whoa sister... What... Five? But... what..." He mimicked Marius's check for a fever. "Um... You know, I'm just going to make my delivery and not ask."

With that, he turned to Haruhime to chat.

"Well..." I said, holding all my tails in a mostly subdued bundle, "Let's begin shall we?"

I was pleased (read: so thankful I'd set up a small shrine to Hestia if I didn't talk to her in person all the time) that my tails seemed to understand the importance of staying out of the way in combat. Aside from learning to balance myself just a little differently, they didn't interfere. Being fuzzy, and sensitive, would qualify them as a liability if they got grabbed or stepped on while I fought. Aside from apparently being highly magic resistant, conductive and more or less fireproof, that is.

Welf's delivery was a new shirt and pants for Haruhime. My design was basically what you could buy in a fitness section at a department store, a weighted shirt, with pants to match. Little pockets held flat weights, and were distributed evenly around the body. I'm wasn't sure how much extra weight Welf had put in them, but poor Haruhime was sweating more than I'd ever seen her sweat. But she had a determined look on her face that reminded me of Bell so much I could feel my heart hurt. Takemikazuchi was kind enough as well, to keep his Tai-Chi lesson to something basic at first.

Thanks to our ability as adventurers, I knew that with every status update she got from this point on, her strength would rise, her body would retain the muscle memory, and it wouldn't be long until she could keep up with the rest of us on a more physical level. I just hoped she stayed as soft skinned as she was.

"As much as I don't want to do this without Bell." I said after our morning exercises, "I have a favour to repay to the innkeeper on the eighteenth floor." I held up a hand before anyone could ask, "Just a simple delivery of food. An 'on the house' basic cargo delivery." All but Ouka lowered their hand, "Yes?"

"This has to do with your return from that week?" I nodded, "Oh, you did come home in someone else's clothes. Right... yeah..." Most of the women were giving him the 'look', so he shut up.

"As well, aside from my um, new look." I looked over my shoulder a moment, then back to the assembled adventurers. "Haruhime has a new spell. As usual, something new means we have to make sure we know how it works before trying it in a real fight. So some of our trip will be working on that."

"What about the armour you want us to wear?" Chigusa asked, looking at Asuka and Ouka who were the only two we'd managed to outfit.

"After training, the rest of you, will be coming back up. Ouka, Asuka, Marius, Lilly and myself will be doing the rest of the trip down. I 'plan' on it being a there, and back. Avoid what we can, make a delivery, and then back up."

I had trained them well it seemed. Every single one of them gave me a raised eyebrow at the word 'plan'.

"We'll be taking the usual survival gear, but we should be back by dinner. It's my turn to cook, and I know you all love pasta night." One of the things I'd learned at the Hostess of Fertility was how to make their famous pasta dish. "Any questions? Good. Lets get packed."

Haruhime's new spell, after a slightly longer string of words I only half understood, was that she too, grew more tails.

Except, unlike mine, they were only glowing constructs of golden light. I felt disappointed about that for some reason too. But, with her second, and third tail, she was able to give her enhancement magic, her first spell, to two extra people.

This gave us no end of ideas. Her boosting magic already made a level two into something close to level three, but now she could do it to more people at once? Going past level eighteen seemed a lot closer this time.

But, in the time we, that is, Welf, Mikoto and I, started talking about it, Haruhime passed out, fast on the way to mind down. Her new spell was amazing, but there didn't seem to be any 'discount' on the effort she needed to sustain the magic. Unlike me, who had the Mage skill, and used magic almost every waking moment, she lacked the stats for it.

"Lilly thinks we should let them go up now." She had Haruhime's head in her lap, and was gently petting her ears, "We could give Miss Haru a potion, but it would only wake her up at this point."

"Yeah, we can spend the rest of the day doing odd jobs. We're getting pretty popular with that, actually." Ouka said, "Remember that house we helped rebuild?"

Welf laughed, "Hell yeah. With you guys acting as my hands, we had that house up in record time and looking better than it was the first time it was built!"

"Well, I'll leave the rest of the day up to you guys. Mikoto? I leave her in your care." I said seriously, though my tails were all in agreement, and swishing back and forth in amusement.

"Hai. I will take her to safety, Kodori-dono." Her smile told me I was just as transparent as I'd hoped.

"Thank you. Lilly, Ouka, Asuka, Marius? Down we go."

Even with me as a young level four, the experienced Ouka with his new spear and armour, Asuka with her gloves, bow and armour, Lilly with her crossbow, and Marius with Chigusa's shield and razor sharp gladius, we took no chances on what would be considered 'the level two' zone of the dungeon.

Mostly, because we had Marius. He was brave, and surprise didn't make him flinch, but he hadn't had to deal with hell hounds or killer ants yet. Sheer number, or fire breathing dogs the size of small horses were something far outside his experience. I also didn't want to get bogged down on something I wanted to finish quickly.

"I must ask Welf to make me a shield of my own." Marius commented after a brief encounter with a hard armour. "This one is good. But not quite right for me."

Ouka raised an eyebrow, "You seem to do well with it, what's wrong? Is it the shape? Weight?"

"I am much taller than Chigusa." Marius started, holding the shield tight to his side, "A proper tower shield should cover from ankle to chin." His current shield covered him from only mid shin to shoulder. "It should be slightly wider, almost shoulder to shoulder." Again, he moved the shield, the front of it covering only his chest, leaving both his shoulders exposed. "And, the curve of this one is meant more for bracing, not deflecting. An arrow or bolt might pass through if it hit flat."

I nodded. Each point was quite valid. Chigusa herself carried the shield for Ouka, but the Takemikazuchi supporter was a slight girl. When she carried it on her back, it covered her almost too much to walk at full stride. Marius on the other hand, was nearly twice as broad of shoulder, much taller too. "Welf and I can work on something, or you can work with us if you don't want any of our artistic flair stuck on it."

"Yes Ma'am." The others chuckled at Marius and my reaction to him calling me 'ma'am'.

"Lilly thinks we are almost to the tenth floor. It should be just over here." Our supporter said, "Unless the dungeon moved it again."

"Moved it again?" Marius asked, his face a little shocked.

"Orcs." Marius started, "I do not like them."

"Bah, you handled yourself well for a rookie!" Ouka said with a laugh, "Welf and Kodori-san will make you something better."

"Yes! They are very good at making armour. And with the leather we got from them?" Asuka put in, looking at me with a question.

"I'd say we could make at least two more sets with what we got. Maybe. But since Lilly is the best supporter, I'm sure it won't be her skill at cutting up monsters that will be a problem if the leather is bad." I gave Lilly's head a pat, making her smile up at me.

"Lilly has a lot of practise! Kodori and Master Bell are good at getting monster drops."

"When we get back then, I suppose." Marius grunted, stretching out his shoulder. The biggest problem with the roman segmentata armour was that the wider plates were easier to dent. He'd taken a land form weapon, one of level ten's petrified trees, to the back of his shoulder. He was fine, being level two and a career soldier, but his armour had practically come apart on that side, most of the rivets popping out of socket. With no way to fix it without tools, we had a very quick, very serious burial for it.

Lilly had even written a little note. 'Adventurer not dead, armour just broken.' Just in case anyone felt like doing charity work and finding a dead body to bring back up for proper service.

Despite all his serious soldier demeanour, Marius was... awestruck at the eighteenth floor. I would have been too, had my first visit not started by almost getting killed a dozen times and wanting nothing more than to find a bed the instant we had some sort of safety. Ouka and Asuka assured me they would keep watch while he played tourist, leaving Lilly and I to make our delivery.

The dwarf greeted us after a moment of 'who was this person, oh yeah!' passing over his face. The rest of the patrons, a small group who had that 'tired but satisfied' look of a successful trip look on them sat around two of the small tables. A few of them seemed to know me and Lilly, raising a mug at our entrance then explaining to the ones who didn't know us who we were.

"Ah! Miss Fox came back. I'd wondered if something happened or you forgot about me." The dwarf started, filling up a couple of simple wooden mugs with something that smelled only mildly alcoholic. "Heard some whispers you were involved in the war up top."

"You could say that. If you haven't heard, Rakia lost badly." He chuckled and shrugged, but I continued, "I mean, Ares was captured and about ten thousand of his troops were sent home without falna, badly." That got a gasp from around the room. The party behind Lilly and I must have been in the dungeon a while to not have heard. "Yes. That was part of the punishment, to not get sent back up."

"Harsh. Who brought Ares back then?" The dwarf asked, rubbing his bare arm to try and hide the chill he felt from the thought of being 'normal' like that. "That Loki bunch I'd bet. Being second gets them the dirty jobs."

"Heehee." Lilly smiled, sipping her drink and giving it a look, "Miss Kodori caught him." She said proudly.

"Really? How did you manage that?" The bartender asked.

"Well..." I gave Lilly's head a pat, two of my tails wandering over and finding bits of her to perch on, "If my supporter will unpack your delivery, I'll tell you the story."

By the time I'd finished telling the story, Lilly had unpacked everything, the Dwarf had shelved it appropriately, and my three party members had returned. "And this," I stopped in mid sentence, "Is Marius. Part of Ares's punishment is that he sticks with Takemikazuchi Familia for a year."

Not even close to a full explanation, Marius took a look around the room, saw the look in my eye and picked up the ball I'd left him, so to speak, "Yes. I am here to both keep Rakia in line, as my Father would be hesitant to put me in danger by starting another war. But also to be strong enough to fix Rakia's problems when I return." His usual voice, hardened by his life as a soldier, held a strong conviction. "To me, this is an opportunity, not punishment, even if it might look like it."

This got him a round of cheers. All at once, he had given praise to Takemikazuchi for accepting him, and dispelled any thought that he was here for any other reason than to be the best adventurer he could be, even if he was an 'enemy'. "I'll drink to that... What even IS this?" I asked making a face at the bartender.

"Told you I was low on some things." He said a little embarrassed, "There is no substitute for some things when you make beer."

"So bitter..."

"We are making good time." Asuka commented after we got to the tenth floor again, our spirits fairly high even though we were running a little later than we'd planned. The group that we met at the tavern declined to travel back up with us, saying they were going to stay the night. The dwarf, with his new supplies laughed and said he might need another delivery soon if they decided to party all night.

"The eighteenth floor..." Marius drifted, "It's... I'd never imagined something like that might exist underground."

"None of us have been much further." Ouka said, "But from what Loki Familia say, there's some really strange stuff down further. A water zone where you might freeze if you stand still too long. A fire zone with dragons who can kill you by melting the ground under your feet, from the floor below. A zone of total darkness... Poisonous air, nearly invisible monsters, harpies, spiders, snakes, jungles..." The big man shivered, "I want to see it, but..."

"Kind of don't." I finished, "I've heard all of that as well, and very soon, after Bell returns, and Welf and I make proper armour for all of us, we are going to try going past level eighteen again."

"Miss Kodori sounds determined!" Lilly said, "Even after what happened."

"If we stop just because we were defeated, then we will never grow. Right Marius?" I grinned at the soldier.

"Indeed..." He trailed off squinting suddenly through the heavy fog of the tenth.

My eyes widened as I followed his gaze and spotted six red stripes that seemed to hover in the air. "Drake!"

Marius looked at me with wide eyes, the very first time I'd ever seen him look truly worried about something. "Orders?" His voice was as close to pleading as I could imagine him getting.

"Lilly, spare cloak! Ouka, left side! Marius, stay behind your shield and cover Lilly! Lilly! Watch for bats too! Asuka too!" I hoped I was ready for this. I'd only been joking when I told Welf that I could go kill another drake for more scales. But with less than half our fighting strength on the floor, I wasn't sure we could do it without getting hurt.

And as if on cue, the bats showed up, along with a few orcs, their heavy feet along with the drake's lumbering slither sent little shocks through the leather of my boots. "Change! Ouka, orcs!" I called out, "Delay them! Marius, you too! Lilly! Cover and bats! Asuka! Help with Orcs!" Simple instructions, set up from our long hours of practise. Ouka and Marius would cautiously fight the orcs, and keep distance from the drake. Lilly and Asuka would find a tree or rock or a bit of wall to shoot from safely. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Marius, wearing an undersized but mostly useful cape of salamander wool as he followed Ouka towards the half dozen orcs. Lilly was out of sight, but I heard the distinctive click of her crossbow just as the bats started screeching that sonic garbage that made my ears flatten to my head instinctively.

That left me with the drake. Knowing where my party was, I ran towards it, diving forward and to the left as it let out a blast of flame. Its head followed me as I got closer, its leftward motion moving its head away from where Marius and Ouka were dealing with the orcs. Already however, it was breathing in again. I couldn't so much hear it, but actually feel the air in front of me get thinner as its great lungs devoured air for its next blast of fire.

I could almost count the bats die as the sounds around me changed. The excitement of knowing that the party, my close friends, were supporting me set my nerves on fire. Everything became sharper, my vision started detailing every single scale on the drakes body, my mind even started to count how many were fully red(37). My skin felt the wind and heat, my body following by sending me into a short jump over its lashing tail without even having to look. With the bats quickly vanishing from the air, my ears started to pick up the low rumble of the drake's breathing, and the gurgle of what ever it used to breath fire.

"I will not bend." I started, the words just falling from my mouth before I even thought of them. "I will not break." Its ribs, where the thinner scales lit up, glowed almost white hot, "I will be a wall for the home my Goddess has given me." It was an old spell, my first, hardly used now that my level and basic magic use had made me tough enough that the situation never got dangerous enough to use it, but, "I guard its gardens!" I wasn't done, "With a wall of thorns and TEETH!"

It was as if some giant hand had passed through me, taking that ethereal feeling of my magic with it. Pushed from my heart backwards, it flowed down my back and into my tails. I felt my skin hardening, the first part of the spell working as it should, but as the drake turned its head towards me, throat and mouth glowing white hot, I took a step forward, my tails coming alive with a madness of noise and snarls. I kicked the drake right in the chin, its mouth opening and bellowing out a burst of flame toward the ceiling.

Leaving its soft throat open for five very angry sets of teeth that were very real despite the black inky smoke that made up the rest of their vulpine bodies.

I closed my eyes and covered my face quickly as the throat opened and what was left of the blast of fire, a liquid, half molten gunk, sprayed then gushed from the ripped open throat. But I could see through all five sets of 'eyes' as my tails snapped like whips back and forth, ripping bits of flesh away before lashing back behind me to repeat.

I think I screamed. Or roared. Or howled. Maybe all of it. The molten gunk felt like a spark of metal from Welf's forge, except over most of my legs, my arms, and one of my ears. The stuff was thick too, my legs and feet feeling like I was backing up through the mud from the storm I'd given up on running through. I fell onto my rear, the sound of bacon on a pan following.

"Kodori! Hold on!" I heard six versions of the same voice shout, feeling the pounding of feet through twenty sensitive paws. "Lilly! Potions! Whoa!" Ten eyes focused on a face I dimly remembered, five throats growling at it.

"Friend." I said to myself with a single voice. My eyes still firmly closed, some of the molten gunk burning its way past one of them, I reached out and pet the closest of the five fox heads. "I'm safe." I reassured myself, the double sensation of patting my own head winking out as I felt the magic of the five foxes soak back into my tails and settle back into my core someplace. "I can't..." I felt my chest, feeling my hand pat bare skin that felt somewhat slimy. "Lilly?"

A pair of small hands gripped my hand carefully, one of them withdrawing with a hiss of pain from Lilly. "Miss Kodori's armour is hot!"

A bigger hand gripped my elbow, past the metal of my bracer, while another gripped my the other arm and my hand. My legs felt like they were buried in hot mud, but with a grunt the hands pulled me free. My eyes still closed, I was almost tempted to try and summon a fox to see with, but for all the magic that went into the spell, I had almost nothing left. "Can you feel your legs?" Marius asked, "How are they even still there..."

"Miss Kodori has been burned many times. She doesn't have eyebrows again though..." Lilly said. I felt little hands brush cloth over my face, once twice, and I felt like I could open my eyes again.

My body felt encased in grit, almost like getting glue on your hand, only over my entire body. My armour still radiated heat though I could tell it was cooling. One of my ears felt cold, and parts of my face felt like I'd scrubbed too hard while bathing. "Marius? Don't suppose I can borrow your tabard again?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"If salamander wool didn't itch so much on bare skin..." I mumbled, putting a hand carefully on Lilly's shoulder and grabbing Ouka's arm for support, "I'd just make my clothes of it. How many times is this? Look I'm naked again in the dungeon!" I sighed as I talked, my front turned away from the two men. I didn't care if they saw, but I'd rather not give them ideas. "And once again, I smell like burnt fox... Thank you." I accepted the tabard, putting my head through the top and letting the flaps fall down to my knees. "Lilly? Bit of rope? Thank you." I belted it with a rope and looked to the dead drake.

"Lilly will get to work!" She said with a grin, handing me a potion. "Lilly needs help though."

Much better off than the last time I'd done this, I downed the potion, a dual one from Lilly's emergency pouch, and kept watch with Asuka as the minty rush and cherry warmth flushed through my body.

I still cooked dinner that night. Just to prove that I wasn't actually that hurt. Just partially bald and without eyebrows. And after the day I just had, I wanted pasta.

Haruhime, in a show of unusual assertiveness, demanded to join me in the bath after dinner. To make myself presentable, after politely brushing off everybody in favour of a quick shower to wash the dungeon off me, I'd then went to make dinner. As we ate, the five of us retold the story of 'The Hestia and Takemikazuchi Famlia slay the drake', while trying not to laugh about my lack of eyebrows. It was an instant after I'd put my fork down and said 'I'm full', that Haruhime all but jumped to her feet and dragged me towards the bath again.

"Sorry." I said as she dumped a bucket of cold water over my back as I sat in front of her on a little stool. "Brr..." I could feel the chill of the water soak into my tails as they lay subdued on the tile floor. "Wow..." I looked in the mirror at myself and the teary eyes of Haruhime behind me as she grabbed a cloth. "Want to help me put on some hair grow stuff later?"

"Yes." She pouted, "Why did you fight it? Why didn't you run?" Her usual gentleness was gone as she scrubbed my back with twice her usual force. "You didn't have to fight it."

"No, I didn't." I replied, wincing but not complaining about her treatment, I figured I'd earned it. "We could have gotten away, probably. It was far enough, and not in the way of the way up, maybe." I turned my head to get a look at all the little bald spots I had. After Zanis and the magic sword incident, I'd abandoned my hope for long hair, and kept it around shoulder length and short up front, to keep it out of my eyes. Now I'd have to start all over again.

"Then why?" She asked, grabbing the shower head and sprinkling me with warm water. "You always say to never take unnecessary risks, yet..."

"It might have chased us to a higher floor. Or grown bigger and more dangerous. Or maybe we couldn't all outrun it." I reached for a pair of scissors, and handed them back to her.

"So...?" She looked into the eyes of my reflection, taking the scissors and snipping at my hair, "You could have tried."

"Yes. I considered all of those." For about a tenth of a second each, honest, "But I chose to fight. Not because I knew we could win," I really was only about 95% sure we could, "But because if we didn't, it might have come across a group who couldn't. I trusted Lilly, Ouka, Asuka and even Marius to trust me in return, and together, we survived." I put my hand over hers as it rested on my shoulder, "I am a leader, who stands where I am needed, and helps others do the same." I felt the echo of the book's inquisition run through my mind. "As close to my skin as you can please?" I leaned back a little to rest my back and head against her front.

"Okay." She sniffled and pushed me forward again, getting to work on my hair.

"Big sis big sis!" One of the orphans ambushed Haruhime and I after our bath. He had a little folded envelope in his hand and was waving it over his head to get my attention.

"Thank you. Shouldn't you be going to bed soon?" I asked, accepting the letter, one of my tails moving around and patting him on the head. "If you wake up early enough you can watch us train tomorrow you know."

"Yes ma'am." He pouted, trying to catch my tail but failing.

"Good boy." I waved him off and Haruhime and I looked at the letter. Simple, plain paper envelope. Red wax seal with the guild emblem pressed into it. "Oh... This might be bad." I mumbled.

"What's wrong Ko-san?" she asked, "Why would the guild want to contact you?"

"I can honestly think of a half dozen things. Only... Two of them might be good." I replied, opening the door to our room. I sat down at the low desk and ran my thumb under the wax. Haruhime sat behind me brush in hand, but seemingly at a loss for where to start. "Never had so many choices, I guess?" I commented, closing my eyes and letting out a slow breath.

"Oh!" she squeaked as one of my tails suddenly had a small fox form on the end. "This one first then. Yes you are a good fox."

I kept one eye closed and felt my scalp tingle as she pet the misty fox. My closed eye contained Haruhime's gentle face as she got to work on that tail, and I read the letter slowly and out loud for her to hear as well.

To Kodori, Hestia Familia.

It has come to our attention that something is drastically out of the norm for you, and your Familia. You, Kodori, and Bell Cranel, have ...

"Exhibited."

"Thank you."

have exhibited ...

"Radically."

"Best girl."

"Heehee."

Radically different growth. As well, your Familia has been the constant focus for many of the recent troubles in the city.

As such, this letter is to demand you, Kodori, Captain of Hestia Familia, to appear for a formal...

"Inquisition."

"Fuck."

"Ko-san, don't swear."

"Sorry."

Inquisition.

Please arrive, tomorrow, at the Guild Hall. You will be expected.

What followed was a flowery signature that was SO flowery, I couldn't read it. Nor could Haruhime.

"So much for a relaxing day in." I sighed, opening my other eye and dispelling the fox that had been chasing Haruhime's brush. "This is bad news."

"Why? You haven't done anything wrong, you and Bell-san."

"The letter is basically right however. Bell and I have broken the levelling records by a very wide span. Level one in a month, two in two months, and me hitting level four in three months. Give or take a few days." I turned around and took the brush from her, "Not just that, but the incident with Soma Familia, the war game, Ishtar, Welf's father and grandfather, Ares capturing Lady Hestia, Ares coming back with me, and me taking in Marius."

"I never really... Put them all in a line like that." she admitted, her back to me, though her ears had turned to face me.

"There is also me personally. Killing another adventurer. Inventing something like the glider. The level eighteen incident..." I could feel my tails ALL doing the irritated 'tap tap' of tail tips patting the floor, "Justified or not, I'm going to have to try and explain it all."

The conversation dried up as I finished brushing her tail. I couldn't stop myself there however, and soon my hands were wandering over her back...

NOTES!

There we go. I think next chapter I'll have Bell and Hestia come back. Maybe. I hope I'm not boring too many people with my wandering plot line.

After reading books 9 and 10, I have what feels like a huge metal door in the way of the next step in the main plot. For those not in the know, the next two books ALSO start with a sort of 'some time passes' feeling, where our hero Bell is just... suddenly down on level 25 helping another Familia do a thing.

As well, the plot itself is DARK. It's a very graphic demonstration of the question 'who are the real monsters?' I won't give away any more for those not in the know, but those who DO know, should know what I'm talking about. You know?

But as a writer, who is trying to keep to the plot, its like... very intimidating.

I will however, keep going. :) With so many fans, (I have 100 follows! Holy crackers!) I just have to keep going now. :)

Until next time, dear readers.