Review Responses:
AscendedHumanity: I'll never tell~.
Guest: In this case, it was more Jaralis's fault, though she did approve it. Dante himself hasn't exactly been a model hero, not the least of which because he keeps doing things that'll piss of Melromarc and spark conflict. They still had enough room and food for everyone, even if they didn't all have their own homes. As for the pairing with Raphtalia, it was supposed to feel a little out of nowhere. I've loosely hinted at it here and there, what with both showing concern for the other's wellbeing when the other isn't around, even with other characters being with the missing person (like the Melromarc and Zeltoble waves). They've also spent a lot of time together without others right next to them, like when they were traveling. If it makes you feel better, the start of this chapter has something Eclair really won't be happy with.
Chapter 47 – Off by 16
It was a few days later. Dante walked through the village with Sadeena, Raphtalia, and Reiko in tow. As they headed toward the camping plant that was made into Rat's lab, they turned many heads. A few of Dante's party saw them and started following too, that being Eclair and Keel. Eclair's expression was rather distraught, but Keel seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.
When they entered the lab, Dante went to a large table that was set up. It had a few tools on it, but there was more than enough space.
Rat looked over at their approach. "Lord. I see you brought…back…"
She watched as Dante set a large egg on the table. That itself was noteworthy, but there was something more apparent about the four of them. Dante turned to her, a simple tunic covering his normally bare chest.
While still at a loss for words, Dante brought up his hands and placed them on his covered chest. They wrapped around two mounds that weren't there before.
"Rat, I grew tits. Can you fix this for me?" He asked in a higher pitched voice than normal.
It all started when he made it to Gaelion's new home. An alchemist had made his home in one of the nearby settlements. He'd heard that a dragon had come to one of the unoccupied islands and learned of the demi-human child he cared for. After learning Gaelion's movement pattern, the alchemist hired mercenaries to take Wyndia. In exchange for her survival, the alchemist used Gaelion for parts of his body. While a dead dragon could provide a large heap of magical components, a living one was better for a steady supply of blood.
Incidentally, while Gaelion wasn't exactly pleased to hear one of his more draconic children had died in his old home, it was still expected. That dragon opted to stay behind, so it was of no real consequence.
After hearing the situation, and getting a layout of the island the alchemist was on, Dante decided this would be a stealth mission with force. For that, he took with him Raphtalia for her illusions, Sadeena for her raw power and detection ability, and Reiko as a backup illusionist. Dio and JoJo could have used smaller forms and been made invisible, but neither one particularly wanted to help a dragon, even under these circumstances. Dante had enough strength with just the four of them anyway.
Raphtalia and Dante scouted the place the alchemist had set up in. The one guard they saw on watch wasn't particularly high leveled, but there were a number of foreign monsters that were active. Seeing how they seemed to be nocturnal creatures, a better time to move in would be during the day.
When it came to the attack, they first made sure Wyndia was safe. The alchemist hadn't bothered to get a slave seal on her, so that made things easier. Once Dante had Wyndia protected, the others set upon the guards. However, in addition to being crazy enough to steal from a dragon, he was also a collector of rare and obscure trinkets. One such item he boasted would cause confusion among his enemies, allowing his guards and monsters to finish them off.
When he activated the item, nothing seemed to happen. Dante's party was able to kill all the guards and monsters in short order and apprehend the alchemist. It was then that Dante realized he was made shorter. He thought his age had regressed again, until Sadeena changed back into her demi-human form and he saw how she had changed. Thankfully, Wyndia wasn't a target of the effect.
In the end, they brought the alchemist to Gaelion, bound and gagged. Not only did the alchemist learn that casting spells is impossibly difficult with his mouth gagged, but he also learned what the inside of a living dragon's stomach looked like. As a reward, Gaelion gave Dante one of his eggs the alchemist took, along with a number of jewels and accessories to use or sell.
That brought them to Rat's lab, who had a hand over her face after hearing the explanation.
"Why are heroes such a problem?" Rat lamented.
"You know, you're not wrong." Dante said in agreement. Since coming to this world, he's lost an arm, gotten cursed, killed a number of knights, accidentally made a village a target for attack, and has come close to sparking a war. "I'm sure my father would be rolling in his grave if he saw me now. So, is this fixable?"
"I don't know. Probably." Rat sighed, looking back up at him. "Do you have the object that the alchemist used on you?"
"Yeah, right here." Dante tossed over the item in question, or what remained of it. It was a small golden idol, like something belonging to the Aztecs or Mayans. Since the attack, it had broken in two.
Rat looked over the idol. "All I want is to experiment with monsters and make them more powerful, and you go and get yourself cursed again."
"In that case…" Dante looked over at Sadeena. She hefted to the floor the bodies of the mercenaries she'd been carrying. "I figured now would be a good time for Reiko to show off his monster making skills to you. Didn't want you to think I'm having you solve my problems for nothing."
"I'm your slave, Lord." Rat reminded him, bringing her examining tools to the idol.
"Well, yeah, but that doesn't have to be the extent of our relationship."
While Rat was looking over the idol, Eclair was frantically looking over Raphtalia.
"It's not so bad." Raphtalia tried to reassure Eclair, and herself. She'd opted for her demi-human form, now reaching a taller height than the swordswoman. "I'm sure Rat will be able to fix this."
"I should have come with you." Eclair bemoaned. "Maybe I could have done something."
"You probably would have gotten cursed too." Dante pointed out. "Whatever that curse is, my Shooting Star Shield wasn't able to block it."
Eclair gave him a glare before turning back to Raphtalia. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you did this on purpose to mess with us."
Dante put a hand to his now full chest. "What, you think I would intentionally turn myself into a woman and Raphtalia into a man as a joke?" Pausing for a moment, Dante placed a hand on his chin.
"Sir MacRory!"
"I'm thinking."
If not for this being a curse, that was something Dante could admittedly see himself doing. If it was temporary, that was.
"Anyway, Rat," Dante gazed back over at the alchemist, "any ideas?"
"I've heard of a few monsters that have an ability like this." Rat said. "From what I can tell, it's the same."
"Alright, good. So, how long does this last?" Dante asked.
"This type of curse, if left untreated, will become permanent once it festers."
Raphtalia and Eclair both looked like they were about to panic at Rat's words.
"Not to worry." She went on. "The effects usually take about a week to bake in. Until then, the final change won't occur."
"Final change?" Dante asked.
"Well, let's take you for example, Lord. Without knowing about the curse, no one would be able to tell you aren't a woman. Your body has nearly completely changed, but a few inner parts haven't yet. Specifically, you and Reiko can't be impregnated until the change is final, just like Raphtalia and Sadeena can't impregnate others."
"Oh my~." Sadeena wrapped her arms around Dante's stomach, holding him close. "Isn't that wonderful?"
At this point, their heights swapped, though not perfectly. Dante was a bit shorter than Sadeena was before, and she was taller than he was. As a result, she was easily able to rest her chin on his shoulder. He could feel her breath on his neck, making him shudder.
"And, uh, the…mental differences?" Dante breathed out. Sadeena seemed to be enjoying his reactions.
"Part of the curse is flipping your attraction." Rat said with a flick of her wrist. "It may also increase your libido. It can be dangerous, since people affected by this curse may fall victim to their new desires and fail to get treatment in time."
I'm glad I've got you here for this then.
Dante tried to speak the words, but Sadeena's hands found their way under his shirt.
"Sadeena, Lord, please don't make a mess of my lab." Rat sighed.
"Oh my~! That is quite strong." Sadeena separated herself from him.
"Yeah, that's…intense." Dante rubbed his arm. "Reiko, is this change similar to how you felt after growing up here?
Reiko shook his head. "Not this quickly, and not this much."
"I see." Dante turned back to Rat. "So, how about curing this? Do we need to visit the church, or…?"
"I have most of the ingredients I need, but I require a few more. You should be able to get them from the church and an apothecary." Rat explained. "Once I have them, it should be ready by tomorrow."
"Hm." On the one hand, Dante didn't want to go to the castle and worry Werner about this. On the other hand, he had been teleporting there at night already. He was expected to appear again tonight.
"A day!?" Raphtalia shouted. "I have to stay like…this! For a whole day!?" She gestured to her body, which was also taller than Dante at the moment.
"Relax, it's not that big of a deal." Dante said.
"How are you so calm about this!?" Raphtalia yelled. "All three of you are acting like it's nothing!"
Dante shrugged. "Our attitudes and experiences. I was regressed to a teenager and a child, so I'm used to dealing with hormone and mental changes. Reiko was a girl in his past life, and has recently gotten a jump on puberty here. And Sadeena…is Sadeena."
"Aw, you don't get to try and charm me while we're like this~." Sadeena waved her hand at him flirtatiously.
"See what I mean?" Dante jabbed a thumb in Sadeena's direction. "Really, it's just one day of not making out with your girlfriend."
"Dante!" Her blush was back again.
It was a little strange seeing it on her face as a man. Her features had become more masculine, of course, but they still retained some femininity. He wouldn't call her face handsome, but it was definitely still cute. Sadeena, on the other hand, was definitely quite handsome.
For his part, Reiko didn't change all that much, aside from the obvious parts. Instead of looking like a cute boy, he looked like a cute girl. His height was about the same too.
The magic clothes on the two transforming demi-humans still remained mostly the same. For Raphtalia, the clothes and armor simply moved to conform to her new body type. It was the same for Sadeena's chest wrap and vest, and her loincloth. While her recently acquired dangly bits were kept hidden, the rest of her was in full view. The muscles she had on her body before were nothing compared to what was there now. Her male body looked like it was chiseled out of marble.
"Hm? Is something wrong, little Dante?" Sadeena held her hand to her face, a sight that was a little strange to see. Not that Dante got a good look. He'd turned his face to the side, feeling it starting to warm up.
"Can you transform?" Dante murmured.
"Why's that?" Sadeena asked.
"…So I don't make a mess of Rat's lab." Dante admitted.
Sadeena laughed heartily. "Well, we wouldn't want that~." Acquiescing to his request, Sadeena changed her form.
It didn't look much different from before. She was still roughly the same height, though the proportions were slightly different. Now towering over him, Dante looked up at her.
…
…
…
"N-Never mind, change back!" Dante yelled. The pop and buff of smoke happened before he could finish speaking.
"A transformation might make the feelings stronger." Rat added.
"No shit!" Dante's mind had gone blank for a few seconds. For her part, Sadeena looked a bit embarrassed as well.
"Hahaha!" Keel's laughter echoed throughout the lab.
"Something you want to add?" Dante asked the dog boy, trying to regain his composure.
"Just think of it as payback for all the times you made fun of me." Keel held his sides as he continued to laugh.
"Quite the grudge you have there. It's not really good payback." Dante said. "Raphtalia's the only one that seems all that bothered by it."
"But you still want to change back." Keel pointed out. "That means you don't like it."
"I'm more used to being a man. Besides, being a woman isn't really offering me anything." His stats changed a little bit, but nothing worth mentioning. "I still have an obligation to Siltvelt. One that has grown significantly." He cast a glance at Eclair, but she'd already gone back to comforting Raphtalia.
"I guess it would be difficult." Keel continued to snicker. "I don't think a lot of women would want to sleep with you like this."
Dante held his hands behind his head, striking a pose. "Please. I'm gorgeous."
"Ah, little Dante." Sadeena took another step back. "Please stop. I'm having trouble controlling myself~."
Another short bout of laughter erupted, coupled with a bit of crying. Dante stood up straight again, readjusting his shirt to cover his toned stomach.
Keel wiped away a couple tears with his paw. "Just admit you're uncomfortable."
"Hmmm." Dante took a step closer to the dog boy. "Keel, would you transform for a moment?"
He did just that, appearing before Dante in his demi-human form. As things were, they both stood at about the same height, with Keel just slightly taller. A cocky grin showed on his face.
Dante lifted up his arms, palms facing the ceiling. "May I see your hands?"
He looked puzzled for a moment, but he put his hands on Dante's all the same. Though physically a year younger, Keel's hands were larger than Dante's were now.
In one swift motion, Dante grabbed Keel's wrists and pulled his hands forward. The came into contact with something soft. Two somethings. Keel's face instantly turned red.
"Still think I'm uncomfortable~?" Dante asked as seductively as he could.
"I, uh, buh…" Keel's stammering told Dante everything he needed to know.
"Really, Lord?" Rat sighed again, clearly done with his antics.
"Let me know what you need and I'll go get it." Dante told her. "I need to check in with Werner anyway and let him know I'm done. And to postpone bringing anyone to my room there tonight."
"Yes, yes." Rat took out a noted and started writing on it. "Once you're gone, I'll see what Reiko here can do."
"You'll love it. I haven't seen the process myself, but I'm sure with all the levels he gained, it'll be good." Dante looked over at the now fox girl, who nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! With all the stuff here, and all the MP I have now, it'll be easy!" Reiko enthused.
"I'm looking forward to it." Rat awkwardly handed the note to Dante before stepping back.
"Also, we'll need to go about registering this egg to me. I seem…to recall dragon eggs needing something special done with them." Dante said, his face starting to redden.
"Yes, Lord." Rat nodded. "You'll need to carry it until it hatches so the dragon inside will bond with you properly. You can also choose if it'll hatch as a male or a female."
"I'm thinking a girl. I remember dragons…tend to mate with whatever they can. I don't want…it to try procreating with everything in sight."
"A wise choice, Lord." Rat hummed. "I'll help you with that when you return."
"Good." Dante scrunched up his face before turning it back to Keel. "You can stop massaging my breasts whenever."
"Uh…" Keel didn't move his face from looking at Dante's chest. He'd let go of the dog boy a few seconds after starting his little joke.
"Keel?" Dante called out to him, gaining his attention.
Keel looked up, keeping his hands in place, his eyes swirling slightly. Taking a step forward, he closed the distance between them more. With half-lidded eyes, he brought his face close to Dante's.
A hand on Keel's head kept him back. "Down, boy." Dante smirked at him.
"Ah!" Regaining his senses, Keel jumped back. "I was…uh…"
"They're pretty impressive, aren't they?" Dante asked, fondling his own breasts. "They must have been for you to be so out of it~."
"I wasn't…" Keel stammered, looking down. "I was just messing with you…at first. And then…"
It was Dante's turn to laugh. "I'm not mad. I'm the one who put your hands there. Guess that means no noble daughters of Siltvelt had their way with you, huh?"
Keel's face continued to blush furiously. "S-Sorry. You're not uncomfortable. Sorry."
"Aw, it wasn't so bad." Dante set one hand on Keel's shoulder and ran the other through his hair, just reaching behind his ears. Keel shivered at the touch. "How about I make it up to you~?" He whispered softly, slowly bringing his face closer.
In a puff of smoke, Keel transformed and dropped down. "I have to go!" He yelled, running out of the building on all fours.
Dante simply laughed again.
"That was mean~." Sadeena said lightheartedly.
"It was funny." Dante looked over his shoulder. "But, yeah, I might have gone a bit too far on that one. I'll apologize later." Thinking about it, he turned back to Rat. "Say, Rat, am I giving off pheromones or something?"
Rat nodded. "Part of the curse is also affecting members of the opposite sex around you, though it isn't incredibly strong. With Keel…"
"He's a teenage boy, and I had him fondle the breasts of what looks like a teenage girl." Dante said. "I'm not that surprised, given what I started him on, but trying to kiss me was a bit much."
"It just shows how irresistible you are~." Sadeena made to wrap her arms around him, but he quickly backed up.
"One's enough for right now." Dante told her. With his joke going a little off the rails, he was worried he'd try to jump Sadeena right in Rat's lab. "Anyway, I got places to be. Reiko…"
When he looked around, he found the now fox girl behind one of Rat's tables.
"I'm going to stay back here so you don't mess with me too." He announced.
"Smart." Dante nodded.
~The Wrong Hero~
"So, that's the situation." Dante finished his explanation to Werner.
The shusaku held his gaze for the entire talk, but Dante could see more in his eyes. He had the look of a man who was doing everything in his power not to break down. Dante couldn't really blame him. If the positions were reversed and Dante had to basically be the spokesman to a god with so many problems, he'd probably want to cry too.
Werner took a deep breath. Then another. "Lord Shield, if you are going to continue transforming your body, you should consider having magic clothes made for you."
A pragmatic response. I bet he's holding on by a thread. Probably shouldn't put any more on his plate.
"I assumed magic clothes would fall apart, since they do change stats." Dante responded. Honestly, though, he was surprised his normal clothes weren't torn to shreds the first time he used Giant Size. That said, he was also happy his replacement arm changed with the rest of his body.
"That is true, Lord Shield, but they would be made out of your own magic." Werner reasoned. "If needed, I'll see if the tailor can remove any stat changes."
"I suppose it couldn't hurt to try." Dante said. To be fair, with his track record, he was likely to be morphed into something else while here. "Oh! I'll have the others in my party come back with me tomorrow to get some thread spun too." Magic clothes offered a decent defense, and they could be worn under armor. He still had a few people who didn't have any.
"As you wish, Lord Shield." Werner bowed.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to visit the church for those ingredients. And an apothecary." Dante went to leave, but Werner held out his hand.
"Please, Lord Shield, allow one of my men to see the apothecary. The healers at the church should try dispelling this curse on you while you're there."
"I guess I could. Rat made it sound like some special potion was required—"
Werner placed both his hands on Dante's shoulders. He stared down at the smaller Shield Hero with intense eyes.
"Lord Shield, please use every resource available to cure this curse as quickly as possible. You have appointments with numerous women here, and you were supposed to start parading in the villages and towns in Siltvelt soon."
Werner's words felt as cold as ice as he spoke them.
"Y-Yes. Okay." Dante agreed without a second thought.
Traveling throughout Siltvelt was something Werner had mentioned to him before. It had been pushed back due to the invitation and expectation of Faubrey's king.
"Thank you, Lord Shield." Werner said with a smile. "I'll have a carriage prepared to take you to the church. Please only show yourself to the necessary people."
"Got it." Dante acknowledged, leaving for where the carriage would arrive.
Well, that was mildly terrifying, and I have the power to kill him a hundred times over.
Handing part of the list to Werner's man, Dante set out for the church. Once he got there, he informed the healer about his condition. It seemed Rat was correct in needing a specific cure. Neither healing nor holy magic was capable of dispelling it, not even cast as cooperative magic.
Once he had everything he needed, Dante teleported back to the village. He brought the ingredients to Rat, who was busy listening to Reiko's explanation of how his power worked. It seemed pretty in depth and was supplemented by Rat's extrapolations on how it related to known alchemical processes. Seeing little to gain from hearing it, Dante left the lab. The dragon egg could wait until tomorrow.
With evening nearly over, Dante was headed to the manor. They'd all be staying there with Fiadia, now that Dante and Rat had prepared enough camping plants for everyone. He also stopped the flow of freed slaves for now, so that helped too. It was on his way that Dante was stopped by the hakuko sisters, though one was in her usual mood.
"So it's true!" Fohl confronted him, towering above him even more than before. "You transformed yourself into a cute girl to get closer to Atla!"
"Yeah, I didn't think we were past this either." Dante sighed to himself.
"Sister, be nice to Mister…Miss Dante." Atla said, fully serious.
"Mister is…never mind." On the one hand, he'd be returning to normal tomorrow, so the 'Mister' was fine. On the other, if he corrected her, he felt like that would be asking her to continue saying 'Mister', never dropping it.
"Come on, Atla!" Fohl continued. "Can't you see this guy is no good? He just does whatever he wants."
Well, that's not entirely true.
"What I want to do is continue treating Atla. Is that so bad?" Dante decided to mess with her a bit.
"That's different!" Fohl yelled. "Doing a couple good things doesn't make you good!"
"Sister!" Atla scolded.
No, that one's definitely true.
"Oh my~." Channeling Sadeena's energy, Dante spoke. "I guess you won't learn unless I give you a punishment~."
Fohl dropped down into a combat stance. "I'm not afraid of you!"
"Sister, stop this and take your punishment." Atla said, hands on her hips.
Man, now I feel bad for Fohl again. Just a little.
"Atla, would you come here a moment?" Dante turned to the younger tiger sister.
"Yes, Miss Dante?" Atla stood right in front of him, ready for anything. She stood just slightly shorter than him. "Do you want my help punishing my older sister?"
"Hey, get away from her!" Fohl shouted.
"Yes, but I have a special punishment in mind~." Dante placed his hands on either side of Atla's face. She looked confused, but still pleased. "This is your punishment, Fohl."
Dante leaned Atla's head down and brought his lips to her forehead. He gave her a light peck before releasing her. Atla's face was absolutely ecstatic as she looked up at him.
"Atla!" Fohl whined, falling to her knees.
Dante turned back to the older tiger sister. "If you keep this up, I'll kiss her on her cheek next, and then her lips."
Atla immediately faced Fohl. "Sister, please continue misbehaving!"
"No!" Fohl yelled.
Dante smiled in victory. I'm sure this will have consequences down the line, but this is fine for now.
With her hands in the dirt, Fohl shuddered. "How did my little sister's heart get taken so easily? After everything I did…"
Dante saw an opportunity he just couldn't ignore. "Yes, you did try your best. Especially at the North Ferret Forest."
Fohl's whole body flinched at the name.
"What she talking about, Sister?" Atla asked.
"N-Nothing…" Fohl muttered.
"Nothing? Is that what you call it? Do I mean so little to you~?" Dante teased.
"What did Sister do?" Atla turned back to Dante.
"Well, she—"
"Stop!" Fohl cried out.
"Sister, what did you do?" Atla looked at Fohl again.
"Yes, Fohl, what did you do~?" Dante asked as well.
"I…" Fohl looked between them, panic clearly settling in. "I have to go!"
She took off running, a trail of dust left in her wake.
"Wait, Sister! What did you do?" Atla called, chasing after her.
Dante laughed to himself as he continued on to the manor.
Something's wrong with me. I got way too much enjoyment out of that. Well, Fohl probably just got a wish granted with Atla chasing after her.
Once he arrived at the manor, he met with Fiadia. She showed him to the rooms he and his party were using. The room for him was a good size, with the bed able to fit multiple people. It was a donation from one of the tribes. The wood frame seemed a little out of place in a room made of plant matter, but it was still very comfortable as Dante lay down on it.
"…Why does this whole building smell like pine?" He thought aloud.
It wasn't a bad thing, just an observation.
He wasn't alone with his thoughts for along. A weight shifted the bed slightly, a shadow passing over him to block some of the fluorescent plants on the ceiling from his closed eyes. When he opened them, he saw Sadeena smiling down at him.
"Hello, little Dante~." Sadeena positioned herself on top of him, her hands next to either side of his head.
"Hey, Sadeena." Dante returned. He saw a hungry look in her eyes.
"You kept me waiting~." She whispered, lowering her head to his neck.
"Are you really—mm!" He was cut off when he felt her lips make contact.
"Let's have a little fun~." Sadeena weaved a hand through Dante's hair. "We won't get another chance for a while."
"What, like this?" Dante breathed out, his focus diminishing.
"I'm curious what it feels like." Sadeena already started removing her chest wrap and vest. Her large pecs were in full view. "Aren't you~?"
"Maybe a little…" He could already feel his face heating up. Mentally, having sex with a man wasn't all that appealing to him. His body, on the other hand, felt otherwise. He could already feel something stirring down below.
Sadeena held his hands against the bed, lowering herself to him again. Her lips assaulted his with a ferocity he hadn't expected. When she pulled back up, she left him panting.
"Take off your shirt." She all but commanded.
"Okay." With no sense of reason remaining, Dante did as he was told.
~The Wrong Hero~
The night passed in a blur. A happy, intoxicating blur. Dante was pretty sure Rat was mistaken when she said the curse didn't affect others to a large degree. Although, it was both him and Sadeena that were cursed, so it was both the curse affecting each other as well as increasing their own drives.
Stirring from his rest, Dante found himself positioned partially on top of Sadeena. His arm was draped over her chest as his breasts pressed against her side. Her arm was wrapped around him, resting in the small of his back.
Well, that's one way of sleeping through the night.
It had been a while since he started waking up part way through and had to find something else to do. It was a nice change of pace, soreness and all.
As he pushed himself up to get on with the day, he found himself pulled back down. Sadeena had her arms wrapped around him, pressing him fully against her chest.
"Good morning, little Dante~." She hummed out. "Doesn't this feel familiar?"
"I think our positions were reversed." Dante noted.
In a quick shift, Dante was pinned below Sadeena. "Better?"
"C-Come on, we have stuff to do." Dante turned his head to the side, only for Sadeena to turn it back.
"We have something to do here too." She whispered into his ear.
"Do we have to—ah!" Dante yelped, feeling Sadeena's tongue against his breast.
"You can always push me away~. You're much stronger than me." Sadeena moved back up and nipped at his ear. "Just once more."
"…Fine, you sexual deviant." Dante gave up resisting both Sadeena and his own betrayer-body's desires.
The experience wasn't bad, far from it. Dante just preferred not succumbing to what was basically a constant aphrodisiac.
Once Sadeena had her fill—or, rather, filling him—they washed up and left the room. Since he was away for a few days, Dante decided to make breakfast for his party. The kitchen had a simple wood burning stove, but that was more than enough. Dante had to give Rat credit for making the camping plants so resistant to fire.
Sadeena also aided in the cooking, bringing over whatever ingredients Dante needed. Mostly, she had her arms around Dante's hips as he cooked. More than once, he had to fend her off from starting something again.
Just before finishing, Sadeena went around and gathered everyone in the building. They sat themselves at the table as Dante brought out the food. Once it was all laid out, they dug in.
"Delicious!" Atla declared, taking bite after bite.
"Thanks." Dante looked around at the others. They were eating their food, but most of them kept their heads down. "How about the rest of you?"
"Tasty!" Dio was eating her food by the fistful. Table manners was something he didn't really instill in either of his kids, but they behaved themselves well enough in public.
"It's good…" He barely heard Raphtalia.
"Come on, cheer up!" Dante said happily. "After breakfast, Rat will get us all fixed up. Then we'll get some magic thread spun for everyone who doesn't have magic clothes and head over to Faubrey right after. We have a wave this evening, so eat up!"
Faubrey's wave was to take place the day after the North Ferret Forest ended its activation. It would be that nation's third wave, so nothing they hadn't fought in before.
"I'm not that hungry…" It was Fohl's turn to speak quietly.
"What's up with everyone?" Dante asked. Atla, Sadeena, and his kids were the only ones enjoying their food. Rifana had a red face, and even Fiadia was a little off.
"Dante, you…" Keel couldn't get his words out either.
"What? It's not like that gator meat, is it?" Dante looked at the dishes he prepared. While not strictly a breakfast item, it was griffin steak with what was basically squash from the modified bioplant. They'd eaten griffin meat before, though not prepared like this.
"They look tired, Mom." JoJo told him.
"Tired?" Dante ignored the change in title for him. "What, were the beds here not good? We can always get some better ones in town."
He was under the impression that was already taken care of, considering his room here. The camping plants could produce some rudimentary cots until proper bedding was brought in.
"It was really loud last night, but Joey and I slept fine." Dio said.
"Loud? From what?" Dante asked.
"From Mama and Sadie mating." Dio took another bite of food.
Dante could visibly see the mood shift at Dio's words. Those who were only somewhat looking up had their faces turned down even more. Sadeena covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
"How…How loud was it?" Dante looked between them. He was reminded that most of his party were demi-humans with better hearing than him.
"Lord Shield…" Fiadia spoke up. "You were quite…vocal about your pleasure. And this morning…"
Dante wasn't really sure how to respond to that. Aside from feeling really good, he couldn't remember much from last night. Even before breakfast was hazy.
"I'll…just go eat in the kitchen." Dante picked up his plate and left.
Guess I'm a sexual deviant, too. All previously given reasons aside, I really need to get this curse lifted.
After a rather awkward breakfast, the party left for Rat's lab, leaving Fiadia to continue her work. Once they got their cure, they'd go straight to the castle.
Just outside of the lab sat a monster Reiko made. This one didn't seem to resemble something from a game, at least not one Dante played. It looked like a bull with a single lightning bolt shaped horn on the front of its head.
Maybe it's a test monster.
"Right on time, everyone." Rat said as they entered, pouring a liquid into a potion bottle from a beaker.
"This is it?" Dante pointed to one of the bottles as they approached.
"Yes, Lord." Rat nodded, handing him one of them. "Now, this will be a little different from when you were first cursed. The change will happen over about a minute, and there will be a bit of pain."
Dante observed the murky liquid as Rat passed a bottle to Raphtalia and Sadeena. There wasn't much of a scent to it.
"Hey, Dante." Reiko spoke up. "Do you mind if I don't change back?"
"Why's that? Wait, never mind." Dante asked before stopping himself. Reiko had been a girl longer than a boy as Rolf, and going back to his old gender was probably quite appealing. "Rat, are there any other consequences of letting this curse fester? Healing reduction or anything like that?"
"There shouldn't be." Rat shook her head. "You just won't be able to change again, even with the same curse. Once it festers, the other effects should stop as well."
Reiko looked at Dante expectantly. He gave the soon-to-be permanent fox girl a nod.
"Yes!" Reiko pumped her fist, her tail swishing behind her.
Dante gave a light laugh at her reaction. He held up his bottle. "Cheers."
The three who would change back downed the potion. The sensation was immediate.
"Ooh, that's unpleasant…" Dante held his stomach with his hand. There was a prickly pain right at his center, slowly spreading out across his body.
"Miss Dante!" Atla grabbed his other arm, helping to keep him standing.
He looked at how the others were handling it. Raphtalia looked the worst off, having already fallen to her knees. Eclair kept a hand on her back, trying to ease her. Sadeena, of course, seemed completely fine. Even as her body began to shrink slightly and her proportions changed, she had that same easy-going smile on her face.
Just like Rat said, a minute passed and the pain ended. His two party members were back to how they were. Raphtalia was breathing deeply from the experience.
"I *cough* don't want to do that again." Raphtalia shakily got to her feet with Eclair's help.
"It wasn't such a bad experience." Sadeena looked over at Dante and gave him a wink. "Hm?"
"What?" Dante stood up straight, but he quickly realized a problem. Sadeena was still taller than him. He gazed down at his hands, finding them to be the smaller ones he'd been using the past day. "What the…"
"You didn't change back." Rifana stated.
"What happened?" Dante looked to Rat for answers.
"I'm not sure." She said, grabbing some of her tools. "May I examine you?"
"Please."
Dante let Rat search him all over. She poked around his body, checking everything she could. From his feet to his head, she looked him over, even lifting up his shirt at one point, to Keel's embarrassment.
Rat returned to her table, reading over her notes. Her eyes widened as she looked back over to him.
"Tell me, Lord, how have you been feeling recently?" She asked.
"Uh…horny." It was the first thing that came to mind, the breakfast revelation still fresh.
Rat waved her hand. "Aside from that. What other emotions have you felt? Have you noticed anything different since yesterday?"
"I don't think so…" Dante scratched his chin.
"You tried to kiss me." Keel deadpanned.
"You tried that first." Dante reminded him. "Also, sorry about taking that joke so far."
"Miss Dante kissed me on my forehead." Atla said dreamily. Fohl grumbled under her breath in response.
"Oh my~" Sadeena held a hand to her cheek.
"That was Fohl's punishment…okay, I guess that was a little strange." It made more sense at the time.
"Let me be more specific." Rat said. "Have you found your mood to be more positive?"
"I suppose so." Dante nodded.
Rat cleared her throat. "And how do you feel about…Korokan?"
"Still mad about it." Dante said flatly. "What's that got to do with this?"
"Hm." Rat looked at the rest of his party. Some of them seemed to understand whatever she was getting at. "Well, I'm not an expert on curses, even less so when it comes to heroes, but I do have a hypothesis. It could be the curse in your body is either competing or bonding with the curse that alchemist put on you."
"I'm not sure what you're saying. Or rather, I think I do, but I hope I'm wrong." He really hoped he was wrong.
Rat nodded. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Lord."
"Damn it." Dante sighed.
When he thought about it, it made a certain amount of sense. His stats were basically the same as before, but he didn't feel that anger he'd pushed down. In exchange, this second curse wasn't going to get cured.
"But wait, what about when I became younger?" Dante asked. "Why wasn't that curse stronger?"
"If I had to venture a guess, it's because that type of curse would only last a few days anyway before your body naturally recovered." Rat explained. "With your poison resistance, maybe it normally wouldn't have affected you at all. It might be that you're more susceptible to curses now."
Dante leaned over with his hands on his knees.
This is bad. Oh, this is bad. Werner is going to be so pissed with me. If he isn't angry, he'll probably snap and go over the deep end.
"Not to worry, Lord." Rat interrupted his train of thought. "From what I can tell, this curse hasn't progressed at all. I can check again tomorrow, but if I'm right, we'll have more time to cure it."
"Okay…okay." Dante relaxed a little. He'd just have to make it up to Werner and them later. Not a big deal. Probably. "Let's get going. I want this wave to start so I can face a problem I can actually do something about."
Dante activated his skill and teleported his party to Siltvelt's castle.
Author's Notes:
I've been waiting for this chapter for a long time. It started as just a one-off gag in my notes, then I jotted down a few lines, then a few more, and then I had over a page of dialogue and details in my notes for it. I'm not sure if this says something about me, but…eh. If anything, this chapter follows the path of Aneko's other works. Fun fact, apparently Kizuna in Dimension Wave is a boy using a girl character.
Hate me if you want. You'll never stop me!
Happy New Year!