'Thoughts'
"Journal"
"Talking"
[Skills/Spells]
{Special moves/arts}
Words of the World
'Greatsage/Raphael'
"Enough shut-eye Ryuu it's time to get up!" The voice of Saria was followed by the sound of the heavy wooden door being opened with a crash. Saria stepped into the room I was sharing with Ivy, a huge mischievous grin on her face. She was wearing a simple brown shirt over brown trousers, along with her sword she also had a leather bag at her side and something long wrapped in a large cloth strapped to her back. Her expression switched into a look of disappointment when her eyes landed on me.
I was already awake and sitting on the floor writing in two of my journals. The new entries in my personal journal were my usual update on current events. While in the other one, I was writing down theories and ideas for skill combinations as well as notes about the new sword that was laying next to me. I had been running an analysis trying to learn all that I could, already I had noticed the core beginning to slowly affect more of the sword as it absorbed magicules in [Converter].
I glanced up at the energetic elven woman and gave her a pleasant smile, "Good morning Saria, you should keep it down you know. You'll wake up Ivy and the others if you're not careful." I tilted my head to gesture to Ivy who was sound asleep on the only bed in the room. "Luckily I used one of my skills to keep all that noise from waking her."
I could tell my calm response flustered her if only a little, considering how much she had been teasing me in the short time we had known each other, it felt good to see her on the back foot. "So what brought you to give me such a…boisterous wake up?"
She was already bouncing back from her disappointment and smiling as she spoke at a lower volume. "Morning training, of course, thanks to our adventurer license we can leave before they officially open the gates to the general public. Trust me it's better if we hitch a ride with your friends to get some privacy."
I quickly put all my items away into [Converter] and followed her out of the room. I wondered out loud if we should let the others know but Saria waved away the concern. "I told Enri last night so she'll let them know if we don't make it back before they all wake up. They usually tend to sleep in when we're back from a long job. Sleeping on the ground even under the stars isn't as nice as a good bed." Though I couldn't see her face I could hear the grin she no doubt had, knowing full well I had slept on the stone floor.
Not that I minded, I had used [Voice of Change] to create a modern sleeping bag for myself, I had refrained from making one on the road to keep my skills hidden. The house the group lived in was a bit small, there were three bedrooms each one just big enough for one bed and a dresser, and a desk. The desk had been taken out of the room I shared with Ivy to make room for me.
There was a living room that was attached to a kitchen area. Overall the place was scarcely furnished, with the most prominent item being the table in the middle of the common area big enough to fit six people. Despite having little furniture the area was still rather cramped, the group claimed they didn't need anything bigger since they were often gone for long periods of time and it would be a waste of funds.
So we all had roommates, the twins shared a room and a bed, and Saria and Enri shared the last room. Speaking of which, just as we were about to leave the door to said room opened. Enri stepped out of the room barefooted in a long sleeping gown. Her blonde hair was messy and her eyes were barely open.
She gave a slight nod when I greeted her though that might have just been her almost nodding off. She stumbled into Saria's arms which steadied the sleepy elf, she glanced up at the dark-skinned elf and muttered quietly so only Saria should have heard her. But with my hearing, I was able to overhear but I had no intention of letting them know so I just politely looked away.
Though from the edge of my vision, I could see Saria giving her companion a warm smile as she rested her forehead against Enri's head. I looked away and focused my hearing elsewhere so as to not overhear what they might be talking but I did pick up a soft slightly wet sound. I ignored the possible sound I might be familiar with if it was what I was thinking it was.
When we left the house I didn't mention what had just happened and neither did Saria but she did seem to have a bit of a glow and a little extra energy in her steps. I had a few questions now but chose not to ask them, whatever was going on was none of my business. Though I couldn't help smiling a little, regardless of where it was found I could recognize the signs of those feelings, and seeing it brought a warmth to my chest that overwhelmed the ache those feelings also brought.
—
After leaving the gates we traveled at a running pace until we were out of sight of the gates and the main road. My two dragon companions met us then in a small clearing, I barely had time to greet them both before they had me on my back. I tried to hold them back but they nuzzled my sides and the joy I felt from both of them forced me to break out into laughter. Even the male dragon who was the calmer of the two couldn't hold back his joy at seeing me again.
Saria just stood there grinning, after a few minutes I managed to break free of their clutches, they calmed down quickly after that. A short flight later we found a wide open area far from the main road. A careful inspection with my enhanced sight and [Magic Sense] confirmed there was no one around for some distance.
When we landed I asked the pair to fly around and keep an eye out for anyone or anything that might disturb the training session. After they took off I turned to face Saria only to see her pulling off her shirt to reveal she had a leather vest underneath, under that it was easy to see the bandages wrapped tightly around her ample chest. Like the armor she had been wearing the day before, the leather hugged her slim stomach and accentuated her curves and it was a wonder that the leather and simple strips of fabric were enough to contain her generous bust.
Perhaps some part of me had already begun to adjust to her more flippant behavior to modesty or my growing dragon nature was helping me to take the surprises this world threw at me in stride. Whatever the case I didn't feel as flustered as I had the time I woke up in the same tent as her the first morning after we met.
With the sun rising the rays of light it cast illuminated Saria, her flawless dusky seemed to glow, and her platinum blonde hair shone brilliantly almost blinding. I felt my cheeks grow warm but I couldn't look away, there was no denying Saria was a gorgeous woman any man would desire. But aside from some small physical attraction, I felt only the closeness of a friend. Also, her overtly flirtatious nature was quite frankly too much for me, even if I had not married my late wife I doubt I would want to try to pursue any romantic relationship with Saria.
That realization along with recent events helped me to push through the initial embarrassment and focus my mind on the task at hand. I blinked when I noticed Saria was staring at me straight in the eyes, once again I felt as if she was trying to peer into my soul. Without breaking eye contact she dropped everything she had brought along aside from the sword strapped to her waist.
The sound of the items hitting the ground produced a soft thud that was loud enough to make my eyes flicker to the spot on the ground for a moment, that was a mistake.
Faster than I could activate [Thought Acceleration] or [Parallel Process] could warn me, Saria's fist passed through the exact spot my head had been. I felt the gust of air brush against my left cheek and ear, the only reason I had avoided the attack was my [Dragon Warrior Fury] skill. It had felt like a natural reaction rather than one made of conscious thought, like when you touch a hot stove and pull your hand back before even your brain can process the heat.
I felt my skill react again, forcing me to throw my right hand down in an attempt to block her knee that seemed to be aimed at my stomach but I was panicking and moved too fast. My hand slipped past the spot I had thought I could intercept, but I didn't feel the impact of her knee.
Instead, she slammed her foot back down, and her other fist, the one on my right side where I was currently defenseless slammed into my side. I faintly heard a soft thud and felt her fist impact my side right where my kidney is but I felt no pain. And aside from the initial feeling of her fist touching my side, I felt no more force pushing me giving me a second to think and activate my skills.
In a fraction of a second [Thought Acceleration], [Draconic Knight], and [Dragon Warrior Fury] were all activated and running at full power, I could feel all three skills linking within me like puzzle pieces falling into place. My head cleared and I activated [Ground Shockwave] through my feet, and thanks to a boost from [Mystic Hydra] the shockwave was far more violent.
The ground under our feet shook for half a second before shards of earth erupted as if a bomb had gone off just under our feet. The both of us used the force of the eruption to gain several meters of distance, before I landed I had switched into my hybrid form, my jacket and boots both vanishing into my pocket dimension.
The claws on my feet dug into the ground slowing me to a stop, my wings beating slightly to help bring me to a stop. Saria had managed to stop herself just as easily, her face was neutral and serious like when she had discovered what I was. I had already forgotten just how intimidating she had been that night, this was the other side of Saria I had only caught a glimpse of once.
She never broke eye contact or her silence as she stood up straight and unstrapped her sheathed sword, allowing it to hit the ground. Taking up a fighting stance with one arm in front and the other at her side ready to strike, one of her legs bent in front of her.
With the new combination of skills I was using, the short time that passed since I activated my skills allowed me to see what was rather obvious. It seemed this training session would be a trial by fire, and my inner dragon was roaring with approval. Just as the natural instincts of my species flared within me I felt a ping in the back of my head. [Parallel Process] was alerting me to the completion of organizing and most of the analysis of the Fire dragon's memories.
My recent evolution and new skills had allowed the {Multi-process} to run through most of the memories, specifically the memories pertaining to battle experience and the recent events that caused the problems at Dragon's Peak. While it was good news I didn't think it was the time to look through the past but as several of the {Multi-process} had completed their job they poured the memories back into my mind.
The sudden rush wasn't nearly as bad as before, I only felt a soft throbbing in the back of my head like a mild headache that was quickly fading. That's when my inner dragon reacted, the natural instincts that had awakened in me with my evolution began to mix with centuries of combat instincts forged from centuries of experience. The result felt almost like a secondary awakening of my dragon side, and I swear I felt as if a snake was slithering around my back. Wrapped so tightly that I couldn't even begin to think of a way to resist it.
As unpleasant as the feeling should have been I felt reassured by it, I now had centuries of combat experience at my disposal. Though it was mostly against weaker monsters and other dragons, it was still something I could use given my lack of experience. While I had skills on my side it would be difficult to keep my skills from going overboard, my full power was still unknown to me and I would need to find a strong monster to test out the full extent of my evolution.
I took a deep breath and released [Thought Acceleration], that was when Saria completed her shift into her fighting stance. My skills had grown stronger and if I had to guess my [Thought Acceleration] had to have grown, comparing how slow time had gone would have made me realize my mind was running now at around 10,000 seconds for every second outside my mind.
An advantage in most cases but I had learned my lesson the first time, I would need time to adjust to the new speed at which I processed the world and I doubted Saria would just give me the time I needed. So I restrained myself from using my skills aside from the skills that seemed to be a part of some dragon branch of skills.
I took up a defensive stance with my head between my raised arms much like a boxer's stance, it was the main stance I had learned in my past life. As soon as I had taken my stance I locked eyes with Saria, wordlessly the fight began with Saria charging straight at me. She covered the distance between us in seconds while I focused on trying to keep myself from being taken by surprise. She was fast but not as fast as I had expected, even without my skills I could still follow her movements.
Her straight charge and the way she kept her fist low made it seem like she intended to just throw a rather straightforward punch. But my instincts were telling me there was more to her first attack. That was when a flash of memory hit me when she had seemed to vanish and appear, that might have been a skill that let her boost her speed temporarily or even a form of short-range teleportation.
Realizing the danger I jumped back just as she began to move her fist, my idea had been correct but I severely underestimated just how much distance she could cover with whatever ability she had. I used my wings to jump back a few meters but just as I hit the ground Saria appeared in front of me, her fist was already less than an inch from my stomach before I could register where she had been aiming to strike.
The next thing I felt was an explosion of pain from my stomach that knocked all the air out of my lungs. It felt as if a ball of molten magma had gone straight through me, and that was just the first blow. With the sudden explosion of pain, I could barely try to swing at her head, she easily dodged my fist and proceeded to land another blow this time under my chin that I had exposed in my wild swing.
The impact must have sent me flying because I recalled feeling wind passing by for a few seconds before I felt myself impacting the ground on my back. I had barely hit the ground, still dazed when a shadow fell over me and the last thing I saw was Saria flying down towards me with her fist aimed at me. I threw up my arms activating [Body Armor] to add more protection all over my body.
I held that position for a few seconds waiting for the impact, but it never came. I heard her land next to me but after nothing happened I slowly lowered my arms to see her standing above me with an amused look on her face. At least I thought it was amusement, my vision was still a little blurry from the hit to my chin.
I closed my eyes and focused on taking deep breaths, I could feel every spot where she landed a hit burning with pain. Whatever she had done was taking longer to heal than I had thought it would take considering I possessed [Ultraspeed Regeneration]. I may not have had a need to test the limits of my healing abilities but given how quickly I had healed in the past when I possessed [Self Regeneration] I did expect better results.
So whatever she had done somehow weakened the effect of my skill by directly affecting my skill or diluting its effect, or it might have done more damage than I expected. But since I felt the pain focused on those spots she hit I felt it was the former over the latter. With that in mind, I set multiple [Parallel Processes] to analyze the effects on my body, how I was healing, and overall analyzing everything possible about the fight.
With that done I opened my eyes and forced myself to sit up, the pain was beginning to fade but I couldn't avoid letting out a pained grunt. "Well…I would say I did rather poorly given how my body is feeling."
Saria gave me a small smile and sat next to me, "Sorry I was so rough with you, I did hold back a little but I needed to see how you would handle a tough fight. Just without the threat of dying." She added that last part with a wide grin, and I just gave a small chuckle.
"Well given you managed to beat me rather soundly, what's your opinion on my fighting abilities?" I had no high hopes, aside from my fight with the sea monster and then the Earth dragon I had yet to have a severe battle with anyone or anything.
Saria didn't answer at first, instead, she proceeded to ask me several questions about my skills and previous combat experience. I gave her a mostly truthful response, I told her about my previous martial arts training, and the fights I had with all the monsters I faced so far, and I explained my combat skills such as my dragon-related skills.
When I was done she nodded her head, and being blunt she concluded I had no real combat experience. I was overly reliant on my skills and in her opinion, my biggest flaw was how I was treating my inner dragon as a separate part of myself instead of fully embracing all that I am.
I had been aware of most of those things so I didn't try to defend myself, I was arguably strong enough to topple a small kingdom. But as Saria had just proven, there was a lot more to being strong than having lots of power and skills. I had a lot to learn and she was eager to teach me, with all the skills I possessed she was sure I had a lot of potential. She already had a training regimen in mind and as soon as we were done talking we got straight to it.
The training had been intense and I was grateful I had the skills and body I did otherwise I doubt I would have been able to keep up otherwise. Saria had forced me to shut off all my resistance and she had forbidden me to use any skills aside from [Dragon Warrior Fury] and [Ultraspeed Regeneration]. Her reasoning was that those skills would allow me to train faster and harder with little need for rest.
She had been right but I had not been prepared for how much I would need those skills, we spent most of the training sparring at first in hand-to-hand combat. Then we moved on to sparing with dull wooden swords where she taught me the basics of handling a large blade and the appropriate stances to take when defending or attacking. She was a harsh and unyielding teacher, correcting the slightest mistake and making me practice the same strike or stance again and again until I got it right.
That's where [Muscle Memory] showed its worth, thanks to it every time I swung a sword or practiced a stance my body and mind would memorize the correct way to do so faster than an ordinary person. I would still need to work hard if I wanted to ever be on the same level as Saria but it was a start. And aside from a slightly tense moment when my dragon companions returned and growled at Saria we made it back with no problems, luckily I was able to calm both of them with a few pats and some calming emotions.
Before we left though I spent a little time with both of them, petting them and sharing a few of my memories. It was easy to tell they weren't that happy with having to stay outside of the city and away from me, but I gave them the promise to try to spend some time with them daily. That seemed to satisfy them and they flew back to their perch after dropping us off near the gate.
When we got back everyone was up and about having finished their breakfast and were busy cleaning much to Saria's horror. "Shit! I lost track of time!" She fell onto her knees and her shoulders slumped, I swear I saw tears starting to form in her eyes.
The twins seemed to be enjoying their leader's dramatic response, Ivy rolled her eyes and finished up her task. Enri seemed to be the only one to have any concern for Saria's plight though she did cover her mouth and I could hear her muffling a giggle.
"Don't worry Saria I thought you might be late so I made sure to prepare both your meals a little later than the rest of ours." She gestured to the kitchen where two plates sat covered by small cloths, she looked over at me and mouthed my thanks.
Saria's mood changed instantly, she jumped to her feet, wrapped her arms around Enri's waist, and easily lifted her in the air causing Enri to shout in surprise, "Saria! Put me down!"
But with Saria saying, "Thank you so much Enri!" much louder it took a few tries to get the elven warrior to listen.
Saria did lower her a little only to pull the healer into a tight embrace, ignoring how Enri was struggling to push her away as she had her face buried in her companion's larger chest. Enri pushed against her hugger, her face turning red and her voice becoming higher, "Saria let me go your filthy! At least get changed first or better yet go wash up!"
Saria seemed too lost in her joy to pay attention to what else Enri was saying but as she continued to hug the curvy elf I did catch a brief glimpse of a smirk on her face. Enri was flailing about looking at everyone else in the room, her eyes begging for some assistance.
Ivy had already disappeared to her room and when I glanced at the twins they both were starting to sneak to the door. They froze when they realized I was watching them, I raised an eyebrow at them.
Ely was the one to answer the unspoken question, "Trust me Ryuu when the boss starts one of those hugs, there is no getting out of it until she's satisfied." Despite seeming to be annoyed at her boss's antics there was a softness to her tone that didn't quite support any irritation she was trying to communicate.
Her twin, Val nodded in agreement, "It's true, the boss can be a bit clingy as you've experienced for yourself." And like her sister she also seemed to have some sense of fondness for their leader.
I had indeed experienced the crushing power of Saria's arms, and if I didn't have such a tough body I might have suffocated from the said hug. I looked back at the two who were still in struggle with Enri nearly in tears as her clothes were being covered in dirt. I could just walk past the two and let them settle this while I ate.
But come on, there was no way I could leave Enri on her own. Steeling my resolve, I walked up to the two and placed a hand on Saria's shoulder. Raising my voice so she couldn't pretend to not hear me I played my card. "Saria if you don't put Enri down I swear I will go into that kitchen, set up a barrier you will never be able to break through and I will eat your food."
The calm and even tone in my voice cut through the sound the two elves were making. Saria froze and turned to face me, her expression cold and fierce, and her tone matched her expression. "You wouldn't fucking dare."
I calmly met her glare with my own stare, I allowed a small confident grin to appear on my face. "I would, now if you don't want to go hungry this morning, set Enri down."
The staredown continued for another minute with Saria still clinging to Enri, the staredown momentarily interrupted as the healer breathed making her large breasts cover part of Saira's face. She buried her face between Enri's breasts and said something I couldn't hear, whatever it was I would guess it was some complaint. She finally set Enri down and crossed her arms pouting and looking away like a child.
"Thank you, Ryuu, honestly Saria can be quite stubborn sometimes and it's not just anyone who can get her to behave." Enri gave the twins a pointed look that made it clear she had not forgotten how they had abandoned her to her fate.
"You're welcome Enri, but I'm sure you can handle her quite well. I've gotten the feeling you have a lot of experience handling Saria. Oh, here let me clean that up." I glanced at her soiled clothes and snapped my fingers casting the [Clean Wash] spell I had learned from Ivy. A glow surrounded her clothes and after a second all traces of dirt were gone leaving her dress spotless. I didn't just cast it on her though, the same glow surrounded me and Saria leaving all of us looking fresh and clean without even a trace of dirt or any unpleasant scent on us.
"Oh my, you picked up on that spell quite well. Thank you, Ryuu." Enri walked up to me and leaned down pressing her lips to my cheek. I won't lie, my pulse picked up speed when I felt her soft lips. I couldn't imagine anyone not feeling a little flustered or pleased to receive such thanks from such a kind and beautiful woman.
The momentary thrill I felt passed when I felt Saria's eyes on me, though it was just a side glance it sent a shiver down my back. The glare reminded me that only a few hours ago she had proven she had a way to get past my magical defenses. Luckily I already had an effective peace offering, giving up half my food was a steep price but well worth it to restore peace between us.
After eating and cleaning everyone discussed their plans for the day. Saria was going with the twins to some of the shops to gather a few items the house needed. Ivy was going to be staying to do some house cleaning before going out to the local magic tome store with Enri. I thought about joining them but I needed to return to the gargoyle's shop we had visited the day before.
I headed off shortly after and thankfully I paid attention the day before and I found the shop without much difficulty. I entered the shop to find the blacksmith or G as Saria had called him, working next to the forge. I could feel the heat from the entrance and I could hear him cursing under his breath.
The stream of profanities many of which I had never heard before ended when I called out to get his attention. He turned around with a set of tongs in his hands and my knife at the end of it glowing orange with heat.
"Ah, good you remembered lad, get over here already." He sounded frustrated so I did as I was told and set my jacket on a hook next to the door. When I was next to the forge he pointed at the cooling blade of the knife. "I've been heating it as much as I can and it don't seem to make a lick of difference. These enchantments protect it from physical damage, right? So why the hell ain't it melted yet? I've even used some of my fire runes to get my furnace hotter than I normally do and still nothing."
I glanced at the flames and ran a [Analysis] to check the heat of the flames, then I realized I had forgotten to mention the ridiculous requirements it took to melt Tungsten. Back in my old world, Tungsten had to be extracted through a chemical process rather than just melting due to it needing heat reaching over 3,339 degrees celsius or 6,192 degrees Fahrenheit.
Not something that could be easily obtained under normal circumstances but it seemed even in the magical world reaching those temperatures wasn't so simple at least for the common people. Explaining it all to the blacksmith I was surprised by how easily he took in the information.
As it turned out his mentor was an otherworlder who died about fifteen years ago and had taught him all about metals and the periodic table. Or as much as he could, this led to his application of otherworld knowledge into his craft which allowed him to reach his level of skill. Even his forge was built differently from most as he used a design his mentor gave him to be able to melt and purify steel without having to spend so much time folding the metal.
That gave me an idea and taking my spare knife I asked him to stand back while I set up a barrier within his forge. Carefully I removed the spell I placed on the blade and remove it from the handle. Setting the blade down within the barrier I activated my skill [Plasma Control] and generated a weak ball of plasma within the barrier.
The blade quickly heated and I checked the temperature of the air in the barrier, the air within was quickly growing hotter. I could feel G's eyes on me and the ball of plasma, but I didn't let it distract me. I increased the power of the plasma ball to increase the heat and the metal was growing brighter and began to melt into a puddle of grey. I extinguished the plasma ball and using the power [Mystic Hydra] I drained some of the heat from the inside of the barrier to make it safe to release the barrier.
G broke the silence as he watched me work, "Alright lad what the hell was that? It looked like fire magic but I ain't ever seen a fire like that one."
I explained the concept of plasma to him which again he was able to understand quite well. He stepped closer and examined the melted metal grumbling to himself. "I wonder… could ya mix it with…but it could be risky…don't have much available…could be worth it…"
When I asked him what he was referring to he just shrugged and said he was just wondering about a few possibilities. He was curious about how I had mentioned how tungsten would be used as a replacement for gold in some items such as rings. Somewhere along our conversations, I had forgotten to keep my status as an otherworlder hidden.
When I did realize it, G just waved away my concern, "Don't worry lad, I suspected as much when we first met. Don't know why you're hiding it but it ain't my concern, but if you're worried you might get forced into the army then you got nothing to worry about. Some countries might try that shit but not here. Now tell me more…"
And we went back to discussing this and that, and the conversation moved along to the point G talked about rumors he had heard of how the Holy Kingdom would mix silver with magisteel to make anti-monster specialized weapons. He'd never been able to find out if it was true and with magisteel being so rare it wasn't something he could test out for himself.
The information piqued my interest and I asked more about magisteel, G was happy to discuss the whole process of refining magic ore into magic steel. It seemed like even for the best blacksmiths it could be a challenge to extract the metal without losing too much of the magical power within the ore.
Now I was even more interested in my ore experiment, if it worked I could produce magic ore whenever it was needed opening up the possibilities for more experiments. The thought of exploring new possibilities had my heart beating with excitement. I would have enjoyed discussing more with the gargoyle but we had already been talking for over two hours and I needed to get back to the others. I said my goodbyes and promised to return as soon as I had the time to continue our discussion.
The rest of the day passed by rather quickly for me, I made it in time for a quick lunch with the group before going with Ivy and Enri to visit the local magic guild. The building was certainly larger than most standard buildings I had seen and it was located closer to the edge of the cavern to help keep the magic and any potential fallout localized and to reduce collateral damage.
I simply had to show my adventurer's card to gain entry along with the others, the two gave me a small tour of the facility which wasn't too complicated of a layout. Apparently, though the one in the capital of Ingrassia was far larger. I certainly wanted to go see it for myself but for the time being, I enjoyed picking up and reading some of the public tomes of magic. I didn't have time to go through all of them but I did use [Parallel Process] to memorize and analyze every spell I read.
When we were done I had purchased tomes on magical theory, an appraisal on spirits and demons, and one that covered the complexities of inscription magic. I spent a few gold coins on those tomes which was quite a hefty price, considering I would be living among people now I would need to watch how much I spent.
We had one last stop to make before the evening and this one was a surprise to me, the pair led me to a clothing shop where Saria and the twins were also waiting. When I realized we had stopped I had a sinking feeling deep in my stomach and it was as I feared.
The group dragged me into the store despite my protests. After all, if I needed more clothes I could just create new ones for myself and with a bit of magic they would be more durable than anything a simple shop could make. But despite my protest, they insisted I needed more than just adventurer gear.
Seeing the determined look on their faces I decided to suck it up and just go along with it. I knew all too well there was little point in trying to argue with a determined woman on a subject like clothing. The experience was…not like my previous time shopping, I found myself being used like a dress-up doll. I tried on outfits that…well quite frankly were for women.
One example was a dark green dress that split along my left leg, the dress was loose along the chest for obvious reasons but to my discomfort, it was a bit snug around my waist and…well my ass. It seemed my new body had curves that were more befitting a woman than a man and I did not appreciate how I could see Saria staring at my butt with [Magic Sense].
I thanked whatever deity existed in this world when we finally finished, I didn't get any dresses despite my friends' insistence. No matter how much I seemed to fit into the trap troupe I had no intention of falling down that rabbit hole. I did have to settle for a soft green sleeveless blouse that didn't quite reach my belly button, and a pair of well-made trousers that were a little low but not enough to be concerning.
What was concerning was that the trousers clung too much to my body doing nothing to hide the curve of my lower body. A new set of boots with a little heel completed the look and as much as I would have liked to deny it, I did look good in them. The light colors go well with my darker hair and skin color.
"You all do realize I am a man right?" I asked dryly as we walked to wherever we would be going to drink tonight. We had stopped at the house for the group to get changed, and now they all wore dresses that accentuated their individual looks. I had been a little shocked by how the group went from the experienced adventurers' look to a group of beautiful women.
But now I was thinking it would have been better to stay in our adventurer's clothes, as I should have expected a group of beautiful elves to draw a lot of looks. And of course, that means I received my fair share of looks, and thanks to my strong hearing I picked up on a few comments aimed at me.
We arrived outside of the building with the words Butterflies of The Night over the door. I was glad to enter and get out of the general public's eye.
"Welcome to the Butterflies of The Night, we've been waiting for you!" Called out an elven woman walking out from behind a bar.
"Welcome!" Several other elven women echoed together, and once again I felt my heart race and my face flush a little. The group of women were all gorgeous and wore clothes that were certainly exposing. Some of them wearing fabric that was so sheer it was mostly see-through.
I had gone on occasion to similar establishments as an adult with friends but those times were rare and far between. So I was hesitant to step further into the establishment, the others were a different story. They happily approached and embraced their fellow elves, and an occasional kiss on the cheek would occur.
It was clear the two groups knew each other well and considered each other friends, after their initial greetings were done Saria introduced me as the newest member of the team. I could feel all of their eyes on me and I could guess they were wondering why the group of adventurers would accept me into the group.
With their eyes on me, I snapped out of my daze and gave a polite smile, and gave a small bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, as Saria said you can call me Ryuu and I'm the newest member of the Silver Azaleas. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
"Oh my, aren't you polite? And such a little cutie as well." The elven woman who had greeted us first walked up to me offering me a glass of some kind of alcoholic beverage that had a pleasantly sweet scent to it. "Well any friend of these girls is a friend of ours, please sit down and relax."
I nodded politely and joined the others in the biggest booth they had, taking a small sip of my drink. I was pleasantly surprised by the first taste of alcohol I had in several years including my past life. The night began to pass with lots of talk and laughter, I didn't have much to add but I was content to observe and listen. The two groups knew each other quite well and it showed with the elven women who were working acted more like a group of friends while still serving drinks.
I found myself talking to a pair of small petite elves that were quite cute. I learned a bit about the elves who lived in Dwargon and the history between the two groups. All in all, it was a fun time and after a few glasses I felt a little more relaxed, I had to lower my resistance to feel the effect of the drinks but even then I wasn't feeling very tipsy.
Despite being small my body was essentially a compact version of my full dragon form that included having the metabolism of a large dragon. I would probably need a couple of barrels worth of stronger drinks before I could become drunk. Still, it was a pleasant time, I took notice of how Saria acted a little differently when drinking, she seemed to mellow out a little though the same could not be said about how handsy she was.
She had her arm wrapped around one of her companion's waist, mainly Enri and the twins, but everyone acted so casually I supposed this was normal.
One of the elves, a dark-skinned elf wearing a revealing red outfit, called my attention to a crystal ball she had set on her lap. "Well Ryuu since your friend, would you like me to show you something special? I'm quite gifted in the art of clairvoyance. It can be pretty useful in seeing all kinds of things."
My interest was piqued by the possibilities, one of the elves suggested searching for my soulmate. I was curious but also apprehensive at the thought of having someone I was meant to be with. Or rather having someone else, I hadn't been able to move past Tora in my past life and even if remembering wasn't as painful as it had been in the past I wasn't sure if I was ready to move on.
With those thoughts, I was going to reject the offer when the dream I had flashed in my mind, silver blue hair, perfect pale skin, bright golden eyes, and a gentle smile that could melt anyone's heart, and even the feel and taste of her lips as the dream had ended were still imprinted into my memory.
'But that was just a dream, why would I think about that woman now of all times?' I had so much on my mind the past few days that I hadn't thought about either of the strange dreams I had. But both had felt too different from a dream, too realistic, and…there was something else about it that felt unusual but I couldn't describe it. My instincts were also telling me there was something else going on, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to see if either figure in my dreams would appear.
With my agreement the elf began to move her hands over the orb, her face showed how focused she was. I could feel everyone watching the orb with bated breaths, slowly a shadowy figure began to form but it was like trying to see a shadow that was constantly shifting through a thick vale of fog.
The elf narrowed her brows and continued to move her hands, the strain showing on her face as whatever she was doing seemed to take a lot more effort. The shadow began to take a more solid form, and for a brief moment, a petite shadow appeared, not much could be seen other than its vague outline but that changed with a flash of blue from the eyes of the form and the orb went black.
The elf laid back in her seat, she looked drained and a little pale. Everyone wanted to know if she was alright and what had happened.
She took a minute to collect herself before answering, "I'm not quite sure, I've had something similar happen before in the past. If an image is that unclear then it's usually because they have some kind of defensive magic around them that blocks clairvoyance. But I've never felt that level of defensive abilities, it took everything I had just to catch that momentary glimpse, and that's not all…"
She glanced at the other and gestured for me to sit next to her, she leaned closer so only I could hear her next words. The others took the hint and took up their cups and began to talk amongst themselves. She seemed uncertain but she explained it felt as if her vision was being pulled in different directions. As if there were multiple people trying to pull her attention yet none of them had a strong enough presence to connect. What that meant was something I hadn't expected.
"I can't be certain but it's possible you have multiple soulmates or rather you have the opportunity to choose who you're destined to be with." She gave me a weary smile that made it clear how much effort the session had cost her, but even still her voice was low and serious, this was a true warning.
"You are not the first to have such a choice but you should be careful in how you approach your options. Such a situation can easily lead to despair and tragedy if you're careless. And remember they will have the option to deny you, don't think you're entitled to them. Even the best clairvoyance doesn't guarantee the outcome will come true, in the end, it's up to you to make the right choices." With her warning completed her face softened, changing into a mischievous smile.
"But I have to say you're a very lucky fellow Ryuu, play your cards right and you might end up with a nice group of lovers. Just try not to get too greedy and remember to give each of them attention okay?" She winked at me before joining in on the conversation.
I was at a loss for words, 'Multiple soulmates, lovers? What the hell is going on? I couldn't possibly have multiple lovers. That would be so wrong! I mean, this isn't a freaking anime where the protagonist gets a harem!' I had long since found the concept an overused troupe that was rarely done in a way that was believable. It was just used as a comedic troupe to drum up interest and controversy.
The idea was so ridiculous I decided to just forget about it and enjoy what was left of the evening. But even after a few more drinks, in the back of my mind, I kept going over what the elven woman had said. 'You're not the first to have such a choice but you should be careful in how you approach your options. Such a situation can easily lead to despair and tragedy if you're careless.'
When it was time to go we all stood up, some on less stable feet than others. I felt a little tipsy but still perfectly in control of my body and mind. There were goodbyes and a few hugs, the two smaller elves I had spoken to even said they were looking forward to talking some more in the future. Saria stayed at the bar as we began to make our way to the door, she said she needed to cover the bill and I offered to help.
She took the offered coins but waved us away saying she'd catch up with us shortly. Nobody argued with her so we left, my head was buzzing the whole way home, and not with the drink. I made sure everyone had plenty of water when we got back and shortly after everyone went to their rooms to sleep. I laid in bed for a time wondering what did my future hold, could I really be destined to have multiple partners?
My mind was filled with the memories of my past life, of the society I lived in that would reject such a relationship. A society that was so filled with hate that wars broke out between countries because of such hatred and division. Memories I had tried to repress rose to the surface of my mind. Hunger, screaming, explosions all around, fire burning everything we had. The sports festivals that once would have been used to make us laugh and enjoy our school life were used to encourage the young to grow up and die with honor for their land.
For a few moments, I was lost in those memories, a dark void that threatened to swallow me up began to surround me. I could feel my pulse racing and my magic aura began to grow with the turmoil I was feeling. Then I felt two presences reach out and touch my mind, concern came from them along with several other emotions, comfort, and a sense of peace, they surrounded me in those emotions and together they pushed away the pain and fear.
My dragon companions wrapped me in a blanket of…love, there was no other word for it. These monstrous creatures that in this world were seen as nothing more than mindless beasts were using our bond to ease my mind. 'Heh, thank you, both of you. I'll be okay, you should get some rest as well. I'll go see you tomorrow morning I promise."
I felt their pleasure in knowing they helped me and in knowing we would spend time together the next day. But they didn't leave my mind just yet, they embraced me through our bond until my eyes began to close. As my mind faded into the deep peace of sleep I could have sworn I heard in the distance a soft pair of whispers.
'Rest master, all is well.' But I think I was just remembering a line from a book I read in the past, either way, I didn't think about it as my mind faded into the dark, a sense of peace filled me that night and I slept well.
Saria dropped the coins on the counter, and one of the elves set a sign saying they were closed at the glass on the door. The other employees got to work cleaning up, they hadn't had any planned clients that night and while normally that would be a bad night they didn't mind a quiet night. They were able to drink and have fun with friends, a rare commodity in their line of work.
Saria looked to the two elven women standing at the bar with her, the owner who had welcomed them when they first entered, and the elven seer with her crystal ball.
"So what do you think of him?" Saria asked the pair, she could guess their response but she would always take any chance she had to spend time with them.
"He's a good boy, though I suppose calling him a boy is a little disrespectful. Despite his youthful appearance, I have no doubt he is much older than he appears. Is he some kind of magic-born?" The owner's response was a result of her long years of seeing many types of people coming through her business. A business she had established over a hundred years ago with the assistance of Saria.
"It's a bit more complicated than that but yes he's a type of magic-born, and he is older than he seems, in mind and spirit if not in body." Saria could have told them the whole truth but she wouldn't betray the young man's trust. She saw the depth of experience in his eyes, in the way he was able to adapt to her flirtatious behavior and move on.
She respected the guy for not making any moves on her, plus his reactions were well worth the trouble even if they didn't last long. She was grateful she had been right about him, she had her unique skill [Intuition] and her centuries of experience in reading people to thank for her being able to make the right call.
If she had been wrong and Ryuu had been hostile she wasn't sure she could kill him or drive him away. Not without others becoming collateral, and she would rather use everything at her disposal to protect her team, even her own body. If things had gone wrong she was ready to wait until he had lowered his guard and used the hidden dagger she kept on her.
She had it on her that night they slept in the same tent, if she needed to she would have used the cursed blade with the art {Formhide} to slit his throat or stab him in the head or heart. The blade was cursed in a way it caused the magicules in one's body to destabilize if enough damage was done. Corrupting their bodies until it fell apart similar to the rot effect but this blade damage could even damage the soul.
But in the end, she had no need for it, and even to her surprise she along with the rest of her team was charmed by the young man's politeness and intelligence. Now she found herself caring for him almost as much as the rest of her team. She even considered propositioning him but again her instincts told her it would be a bad idea.
Not that she minded, losing out on a chance to have a cutie join her special group was a shame but she respected the young man and wouldn't be making any more moves on the guy unless he showed genuine interest, and she felt she could trust him enough to tell him the full story of the group.
"Oh, by the way, that prediction of yours was pretty interesting. How long has it been since you gave a similar one?" She grinned at the seer elf and edged closer, she wrapped her arm around the dark elf's waist and pulled her closer against her.
The seer smiled back and rested her head against the warrior's head, "Oh, the main one I remember was quite some time ago, about 130 years or so. To a rather hot-blooded elven warrior who had a tendency to seduce women where she went. If I recall she had a rather lovely elven priestess by her side at the time who wasn't too pleased her lover would be forming a harem."
Saria laughed and began to slide her hand upwards until it was just under the seer's barely covered mounds. "Oh? If I recall, didn't you end up spending the night with said, elven priestess and warrior?"
The seer giggled and her voice dropped, becoming a seductive purr as she leaned in closer to Saria. "Well, the pair were quite cute together and I just felt a certain pull to them. And who am I to deny fate?"
"Who indeed?' Saria answered back with just as much lust, the two pressed their lips together in a practiced dance, both moving in perfect synch, a result of two lovers knowing each other's habits and bodies.
The owner of the business rolled her eyes at the two and after a minute she snapped her fingers to get their attention. "Alright, that's enough you two, the past and new companions aside, we have some serious business to discuss Saria."
The two separated their lips but still remained close, that was enough for the owner and she got down to business. They had gotten a message from one of the elven villages in the Forest of Jura that some of their people had gone missing at the same time as some other monsters in the forest. Supposedly even some members of an ogre village had been taken as well during a hunt.
Tracks had been found and the elven rangers had an idea of where the victims could be and who had taken them. Both were very concerned, reports pointed to a subdivision of the Empire's monster capturing squads or at least a group associated with them was responsible and were moving the captives into the mountain range around Dragon's Peak.
This meant it could be considered an international dilemma if the free guild was directly involved even if they accepted jobs from the elves. Luckily the owner of the business had already set up a reward for the acquisition of some items that could be found in the area.
Some medicinal herbs and such could be found closer but if someone requesting a job knew of a specific location an item could be found it wasn't unusual for an adventurer party to go to said location rather than go wandering around in search of their target.
There was also concern about how strong the group could be if they were capturing such powerful monsters. They would need to be very careful in their approach if they ended up fighting they would need to wipe out the entire team and any witnesses. It was a grizzly job and Saria was worried about how Ryuu would react to killing humans.
If necessary she would have Ryuu hang back and provide support while she did most of the work. They could try to get help from the other elves but time was of the utmost importance and they needed to move as soon as possible.
Saria gave the seer and the owner a deep and passionate kiss before leaving, on a regular night she would have spent some time with her lovers. But she had a lot to think about, in the morning they would accept the job and she would have to explain the real purpose of the mission and also the reason the Silver Azaleas exist.
The reason was in the name, the Silver Azalea flower was a symbol of those who were lost and needed to be found. It was a team dedicated to protecting the divided elves in the hope they could unite and work together, from the old high elves to forest elves, to the dark elves. That was the reason Saria had set out to form her team but she hadn't expected the team would grow into her lovers nor did she expect she would welcome such an unusual outsider and a pair of arch dragons. But she had and she found she was growing to care for the young man like a member of her family.
She just hoped their mission wouldn't bring harm to the young man who had his own mission.
Hey everyone I hope you enjoyed chapter 7, it's one of the bigger chapters in the word count so it took a bit longer. Thanks again to Singular Ash for editing it for me.
The first thing, I realized I made a mistake in the last chapter in the Bio, I forgot to add Ultraspeed Regeneration so sorry about that.
Second, Thank you all so much! 73 followers and 53 favorites! Jeez man, I just...I just don't know what to say except thank you all for your support it means so much to me! I'll keep on working hard on bringing you more chapters that I hope you'll enjoy. If you do enjoy please consider leaving a review I always enjoy reading them.
Last but certainly not least, some of you have been hoping Rimuru will be a woman in this story. Well, I will now confirm that it is the case. Our cute slime boy will be a girl in this story. However, I do need your opinion on how he will be a girl. I will have a poll on my profile with two options.
1. When rimuru eats Shizu his human form is fully female. (Self-explanatory, mentally he would still be a male and would still be called lord rather than lady for the most part. This wouldn't change to much I think but it would make Rimuru a bit of tsundere oftentimes denying his new feminine side for a time including when it comes to his feeling for my oc.)
2. Rimuru was a virgin female woman when she died. Mostly same background as the male counterpart in the original story. (In this line Rimuru was a virgin female and acts pretty much the same as her male counterpart. This would have some changes in behavior though with Rimuru having some breast envy to women with larger chests, she would be more open to dressing up in the outfits Shion and Shuna often like to dress the original Rimuru in. And a few other small changes to her behavior but she would still act mostly like the original Rimuru.)
Well, that's about it, please vote on the polls they will be up for a while. Oh yeah, and as you read in the chapter there will be a harem the current girls that will be involved are as such.
Guaranteed: Rimuru(duh), Milim Nava
Possible: Ramiris(Shes one of my favorites so very likely), Shion, Shuna (I'm on the edge about these two, I would need a good reason for them to join most likely due to wanting to be with Rimuru so they would more likely be a part of Rimuru's relationships.), Demon Lord Frey (I feel as if she would probably be more of a casual participant that a full member of any harem.)
And that's about it, later on, I'll make the final decision but that's all the candidates for now. Well, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you all in the next one, bye!