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All the Dust that Falls: A Roomba Isekai Adventure

zaifyr

Chapter 15: The Purity of the Void

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A NOTE FROM ZAIFYR

Hey I told you it would only be one day. I'm back! Did you like Ascension?

Well I got an announcement - All the Dust that Falls is going to join my Patreon upon popular request (as in some joined for it).

So now today we have chapter 15 (here) and we have 16 on Patreon. Early access to one chapter ahead is in the $3 tier and up. The number of chapters on Patreon may grow later but for now one will do.

So, you might ask, why do we get two chapters today? Well you have a few people to thank. First, _Fowl_ for making me do this (well strongly suggesting it). Also, MilaKarkaroff for introducing me this morning to the wonders of sprinting which helped me write and edit two chapters in one day!

Bee stared at the stacks of books lining the wall. While she prepared for her next round of treatment, Void had apparently been stacking books. Why? Just… why?

The stacks were not very high. They varied wildly in height, the tallest being only a couple feet off the ground. Looking closely and counting, Bee realized each stack was exactly 14 books tall. But why, though? This made no sense.

As she stared uncomprehendingly, Void beeped at her. It almost surprised her that the unearthly noise no longer seemed scary. Or it could be the combined effects of sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and her system no longer being pumped full of adrenaline at every stray sound.

Bee had time to safely rest and think for the first time since this started. As she considered, the toll of the past week was catching up to her. Her eyelids struggled under their own weight as she looked at Void. Maybe it was trying to tell her something? So far, she had been fairly treated. Even though she had only been a burden, as much as she didn't want to admit it. Void had no reason to keep her around as she was. Yet, despite that, she was protected and permitted to heal. Desperately, Bee tried to grasp why. Whatever that reason was, though, one thing was certain. Either she needed to make herself useful, or she would eventually be cast aside. Being deemed worthless would be the worst outcome. No matter what Void's motives were. If she had been fooled and it was actually a being of evil, then she would obviously suffer and die. However, if Void was as transcendent as it had acted, getting cast aside would be a huge loss for her. As long as she was with Void, there were things for her to learn from its tutelage. She was allowed to read books, which was worth her servitude alone.

Bee felt like she was wandering through a knee-deep swamp within her own mind. Her very thoughts became locked behind a thick veil of exhaustion. She might have been able to wish for more, but all she could realistically hope for was a kind master. If she proved her usefulness, perhaps it would continue to impart its wisdom. The first step to that was understanding the lesson. Would this master teach her the ways of its power? Was Void's screeching a baseline communication; or a greeting, maybe? What if it was a test?

It would be hard to learn from something that didn't speak the same language, but she would need to get good at interpreting its intentions. Talking seemed unnecessary for such a powerful being. It would act out what should be. And then it would be.

She began to sway on her feet. That would be an essential skill, either way, she thought. Even if it never tried to teach her, knowing what it was thinking, or trying to communicate might save her life one day soon. In fact, why should she wait to see if it would teach her? She would not dare to ask, but if she watched carefully enough, surely she would pick up some things along the way. That would show initiative. Her father told her that was a good thing. Showed she could be valuable even when not watched closely. She wanted to be worthwhile. Even if she was engaged in hunting the lesser demons, she would get lots of exp and levels. So many more levels than the average person got. If she was valuable enough, undeserving as she was, maybe more wisdom would be given to her.

Yes, Bee thought as her eyes began to close. She would learn what she could from Void. Both from instruction and example to become an asset instead of a liability. And maybe, just maybe, if it was enough, Bee could earn her soul back. Honestly, she wasn't sure if that was even an option. Perhaps it was in better hands now. Maybe the delirium was starting to give her false hope; gods, she was tired.

---

I looked at the human. She seemed slightly confused, just staring at me. Why was she confused? Was it really so confusing I would clean things up? Also, she was doing this interesting little dance. She would slowly lean one way and then the other. It was in this rhythmic pattern while she stood there, still looking at me. It seemed like she had finished making her salve a while ago. As she was standing by the chair, her leg was wrapped up again, so I assume the repair was successful.

However, her movement behavior was odd. I had seen this before. On a low enough battery, the human leg stabilizers start to falter. She should really recharge before damaging herself further. I needed to find a human charging pad for her. I knew there were some nearby. I had just been cleaning under a bed a couple of hours ago. Beds were the best human chargers. When the small humans would try to use any other charging pad, the large humans would become concerned. It might work for all I knew, but the large humans would typically move them to the bed. I was unsure how to communicate the need for proper charging to this human, so we might need to settle for something suboptimal.

First, I would need to break her out of her trance. I rolled slowly toward her, but she didn't make any reaction other than follow me with her eyes. Carefully I bumped into her undamaged leg. No reaction. With a little more force, I nudged her foot again. This time she wobbled and slowly fell back into her chair. Except she wasn't facing the table anymore, so the back wasn't there to catch her, so she kept sliding. She slid over the seat until her legs were on the chair seat and her head and back were on the ground.

Navigating around the chair, I came around to her head. Which lay at an awkward angle on the floor. She didn't seem to be moving, so I nudged her a couple times more. This was not good. I started to panic. Was the only human broken? But she was so small! My wheels started twitching back and forth in distress. It felt like my bumper sensor was triggered by something, and I couldn't back up.

Then my sensors picked up slight movements in her chest. I felt my brush sag with relief. She seemed to merely be in sleep mode. Pushing into her hip, I rolled her legs off the chair. After I was done, the human lay entirely on the ground, under the table. With gentle nudges, I positioned her as straight as I could. She looked much more relaxed than I had ever seen her. It was a stark contrast to her usual nervous energy.

Her posture was always so tense. I didn't think that was good for her health. She needed to learn how to relax and let things go, or she would seize up like long hairs winding around my brush. To achieve peace, she must accept many things are outside of her control. Maybe there were things I could teach her after all.

***

A little while into her charging period, the human began to tremble softly. It was like she was pushing against something that didn't register on her sensor. I scanned my memories. I didn't have that much data on human charging. Looking deeper, I found I had some ideas for an answer. The large female human had done something like this a few times. Her solution was to prepare a mug of liquid mixed with dirt, then sit on the couch with a blanket covering her. After a while of sipping the dirt juice and resting in the blanket, the shaking would stop.

I categorically refused to make dirt juice. Even if I knew how, it went against every instinct I had. Plus, I didn't think humans could drink while sleeping. I could, however, get a blanket. I knew exactly where one was. It was a little dirty after being pushed around the floor for several days, but it should suffice.

Carefully I shut the door to the library behind me. I didn't want to let mess makers get into the library when I had just cleaned it. Besides, the human didn't seem very capable right now.

I trundled down the hall for a while before I found the correct room. I reached out to open the door, as I had taken to relish closing every door behind me. Thinking back, it seemed that this might have helped contain the mess makers and prevented them from damaging freshly cleaned rooms.

The blanket was where I had left it, sitting up on the bed in a disorganized clump. It was bundled up but still well within my reach. Extending my arm, I grasped the edge of it and pulled it off the bed. I had to maneuver around some, but I had the patience to match each corner and fold over and over again. This time when I tried to lift it, I had no issue. Holding the blanket well above my chassis, I began my trip back to the human.

Along the way, I was reasonably sure my scanners picked up a flitting movement of one of the ape-like mess makers. However, I couldn't be sure. I definitely didn't have time to go investigate it right now. Pest extermination was not my specialty. If no humans were around to deal with the problem, I might have to take matters into my own hands. However, I would rather not have to; I wished the mess makers would just go in peace. There was no need for conflict. Why couldn't they be reasonable?

***

After successfully retrieving the blanket, I let myself into the library. It was a much more complicated process now that I was carrying something. Humans were lucky to have two hands. Evidently, maintaining the ability to manipulate objects while carrying a load was a massive advantage. Don't get me wrong, I was still incredibly satisfied with my claw. But I thought a second one might more than double my efficiency.

Carefully I set the blanket down, doing my best not to disturb the folds. I didn't have space to easily bundle it up in a carrying package again. I opened the door, then turned to grab the bedding and set it down inside the library entrance, making sure not to knock a stack of pretty blocks over. I made a mental note to move the nearest few stacks of blocks further from the door, so they would no longer be in the way.

I shut the door behind me to ensure that we were not disturbed. The human was as I left her. She was rolled on her side with her leg slightly bent. Still trembling and breathing but not awake. I didn't want to wake her up since she needed her time to charge, so I carefully began spreading the blanket out. Pulling one corner at a time, I dragged it out flat near her feet and then started to pull it over her. One corner, to her right side, the other to her left. Then I had to adjust each one a little bit to match. Once that was all squared, I positioned the edges to cover the rest of her body.

It only took a minor amount of adjusting the edges until she was fully covered. And then, like I had seen the large humans do for the small humans so many times, I took my closed claw and pressed the blanket tight against her body. After analyzing the action, I concluded the purpose was to ensure the subject and the blanket stayed in one position. Looking at her, I noticed a difference from the few human charging sessions I had previously seen. Her head tilted at a weird angle like a brush bent so far that the bristles started to crease. I remembered my humans didn't have that issue.

I had heard of pillows. In my line of work, you occasionally encounter them on the floor. However, it's not a common sight; We only have theories about what they're for. However, they appear to be found most commonly near the head position of humans. Perhaps the lack of pillows has been contributing to her current condition?

My kind does not use pillows even though we still use beds; maybe there was something to be learned from humans on the use of a pillow? Luckily I knew where a pillow was, as I try to keep a detailed catalog of everything I encounter. I would retrieve one for her so she may enjoy the benefits, whatever they are.

------

Out of the mist, Void looked back at her. Then it let out a lower-toned beep. Maybe it was just Bee's imagination, but this beep sounded wise. She heard it ring around the open area, bouncing off something hidden in the mists. The sound returned with an indescribably transcendent quality. It echoed many times more than it had any right to, given its volume. Some depth beyond just the pitch. A concept that moved beyond sound waves and deep into the metaphysical realm. She felt that if she listened hard or long enough, some hidden secret of reality would become known to her. The understanding was like a weight on her shoulders, pushing her to the floor. Why had it chosen to impart such knowledge unto her, an entirely too feeble being? After saving her three times, it gave such a gift. Truly how had she misjudged such a soul? How could she have ever thought Void was a demon?

Nay, Void was purity, understanding. It moved beyond such limited concepts of heaven and hell. Infernal power clearly had no sway over its domain. As the sound echoed, it got in her head and bounced around. With every repetition, it grew in significance. The volume may have changed, but Bee couldn't tell. The sound's travel left not a ripple in the turbulent sea of thought as it passed through her brain and into her mind. No, wherever it went, order followed, spreading out like a tide of calm. Like the progenitor, the sound of each thing it touched became pristine and in its proper place. Maybe she was getting comfortable with her fate, resigned to the fact she no longer owned her soul? This must be what allowed the noise to penetrate so deeply into her consciousness. Paralyzing her against any form of resistance… Then something screamed.

Bee started awake, disoriented. Where was she? What happened? She briefly remembered some sort of lesson from Void before she must have passed out. Profound truths were contained in the note. Ones that her brain couldn't hope to hold the entirety of at once. This was likely the reason for her passing out. However, when she tried to sit up, she found that her arms and legs were restricted. Bee thrashed, panic overwhelming her mind. Desperately she struggled out of all restraints. It only took a second to get free, and she looked down to take in her surroundings.

Over her lay a blanket that had been tucked in.

A NOTE FROM ZAIFYR

Read Chapter 16: The Hockey Puck of Doom on Patreon now! (if you don't want to wait (till tomorrow (or you just want to support the story)))

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A NOTE FROM ZAIFYR

I wanted to give a shout out to my friend Blue Lighting author of The Achievement [system] and DCCR.

I found him while doing a review swap for the achievement system. But I've kept reading along and it's something that deserves a lot more attention than it's currently getting. Let's go sweep him away!

With a fair amount of struggling, Bee freed herself from the blanket's grasping clutches. Carefully she stood up. Looking down at her injured leg, she saw the wraps loosely pooled around her foot. The swelling had gone down since this morning, even more than the previous day. What surprised her most wasn't the healing but the lack of pain. She moved her ankle and felt almost full mobility. It felt slightly stiff as if she had rolled it the day before. But that was all. She shifted her weight from foot to foot and found that she could walk normally, if not run quite yet. Free to move around, her panic receded. It was a huge relief to move around freely after being hobbled for so long.

Looking around her for Void, she saw nothing. It wasn't anywhere she could see. She even crouched down to put her head near the floor at its level so she could scan under the furniture, and still, it was nowhere to be seen. She attempted to remember what exactly happened before she fell asleep. There were some memories of profound wisdom that she was unable to withstand. Or maybe that had been a dream? It's possible that her brain was unable to hold the revelation she had received and shut down. A combination of its overwhelming information and her exhaustion could have kicked Bee right into unconsciousness. This was quite surreal.

As she continued searching for Void and wondering where the blanket had come from, Bee heard a new sound from the hallways outside. She hadn't recognized it at first. Probably because she had never heard it before. A truly inhuman screeching noise intermittently pierced through the thick library door. That scream didn't sound angry; it was terrified. Something was being chased. It probably was what had woken her up.

She heard another scream from somewhere else in the castle. This wasn't Void. Void's screech was much more cold and calculating. Well, that might not be true, actually. She may have misjudged the… She wasn't really sure what Void was. She was relatively confident it wasn't a demon at this point. So there were really only two options for the sources of the screams. One, the demons had started infighting (which was not only possible but likely). However, that didn't seem to fit with her gut instinct. That left option two: Void might be out hunting.

The idea of such a powerful being actively pursuing her, or any living creature, sent chills down her spine and raised goosebumps on her forearms.

Bee tried to decide what to do. She didn't think she could help exactly. Why would Void even accept her help? However, she couldn't just stay still. Something compelled her to assist Void in any way she could. Perhaps it was due to the fact she had forfeited her soul. Or perhaps, the fear motivating her for the previous day or so had been replaced with something else.

Abruptly the screaming ceased. Bee cocked her head to the side, listening for the refrain to start up again. After 10-15 seconds, there was nothing. When she didn't hear any demons celebrating, she knew Void must have been victorious.

Not that Bee had ever doubted it; she had felt the force of Void's presence before. And there was no way a lesser or minor demon could harm Void. In fact, if they weren't disturbing its castle, Bee doubted Void would have noticed them. Whatever Void did to consume them seemed almost instinctual. It did not feel forceful enough to be a directed attack. According to legends, god-like beings' attacks could be felt across reality. She never felt anything from Void remotely resembling that. No. In fact, the way Void cleaned was the same as how it fought. So it seemed that the approach was just a byproduct of its very nature rather than an intentional attack. Even the thought of Void exerting its true power made her stomach turn. To face such power was unthinkable.

Able to move around, Bee quickly gathered up her things and set up to prepare one last mixture of this healing salve. Surprisingly it worked much more effectively than she expected based on the book's description. Maybe the healing should have taken another day or so. However, she did apply it more frequently than was recommended. She hoped there weren't any real consequences for that. That was a pretty minor thing to care about at this point. As she was setting things up, she checked her status. Had she not woken up in such a panic, it would have caught her immediate attention.

Overnight she had leveled up! She had also leveled up the previous day. The assists she had gotten on the ash imps and the minor demons that Void consumed were giving her quite a bit of experience. Something didn't balance out, though.

When she had got the experience for the assist with the ash imp, she hadn't gotten the experience until sometime during the night. That time she had got a standard assist experience share. This time she had gotten a lesser assist for running away. Apparently, that counted as enough distraction to be called a participant. Bee thought the system was generous. Still, that share was incomplete. That shouldn't be possible. Nothing could explain it. Bee caught herself. Of course, something could explain it. She was dealing with a being capable of hiding its stats from the system. Maybe it was getting a larger share. Or the experience was being lowered because of the power difference. Reminding herself to learn more about the system, Bee wished she knew more than the common knowledge everyone's parents told them.

As she leveled up, she would get tougher, stronger, and faster, and everything would get better. So that was a relief. What was not a relief was at level five, humans had to choose their class. Options were based on the actions you had taken and the deeds you had done. Typically most people were never forced to consider getting a class until they were in their early twenties. Other than wealthy Nobles or important military personage, no one could afford to go around trying to kill things. The only ones who tried were either desperate or thrill seekers. They either ended up dead or working as an adventurer. Then dead.

Bee's conundrum was that she hadn't done anything with her life yet. There was nothing she could claim as an accomplishment; the only thing she'd been was a janitor at a castle of mages. Technically her title was mage's apprentice. That might have meant she would get an option with magic. But she doubted the system would see it that way.

She pushed that problem to the back of her mind as something she couldn't do anything about. Bee continued mixing her ingredients to make the simple salve. The motions were starting to become routine, such that it only took her half of the time to finish.

Once she was done with that, Bee began to look through the shelves. She needed an edge. Something to make herself more useful…

***

Bee jumped with a start as she heard the door open. She was halfway through cleaning her alchemy equipment. Looking up, she saw the door swing open, and she readied the beaker in her hand to throw at the intruder. Holding her breath she waited.

It appeared as if Void was having an awkward time getting through the door as it was bringing something with him. Bee let out the breath she had started holding. It was just Void. Just Void. Oh, it's just the end of the world. She chastised herself for lowering her guard so readily around such a being. Once Void made it through the door, the light from the library revealed what he was carrying. Bee choked on the exhale. On Void's back, a pillow balanced. After Void carefully closed the door with its extendable arm, it picked something up off the floor. Bee breathed in, recovering her breath. Void was carrying the cleaver she had dropped when they first met.

As the little disc came into view, Bee had to clap a hand over her mouth. Void looked a little comical, if such a thing was possible for being of its power. She didn't want to offend it by laughing at its appearance. The thought soon fled as it brought the knife closer.

It looked decidedly out of character. Its actions have never been overtly aggressive, and only because of Void's power did it seem threatening. Also, the image of it holding a cleaver looked wrong. The knife was longer than Void was wide. She couldn't even figure out how Void carried it without being tipped over. As it approached, holding the cleaver, she resisted the urge to back away. When Void reached her, it set down the knife on the floor next to the table. Then it turned its arm towards its own back. It carefully removed the pillow and placed it on top of her blanket. It then picked up the cleaver again. Cleaver in its claw, it rolled closer to her.

Void offered what she considered its standard beep as a greeting. This was a simple noise, still alien and scary as hell, but manageably so.

----

It was hard to admit, even to myself, but I got sidetracked. After bringing the human the blanket, I had planned to retrieve her a pillow. I didn't want her to receive any further damage from joints bending further than they were supposed to. However, I may have gotten a little carried away.

It all started when I was going to grab the nearest pillow I was aware of. On the way there, I found the metal object the human had been holding when I first saw her get attacked by a mess maker. Sorry - minor demon. Or was it a lesser demon? The small human seemed to use those terms interchangeably.

Upon inspection, I could not figure out the purpose of the metal object. It was heavy, and even with my newfound strength, I had a little trouble lifting it. It appeared to only have one side sharpened and a wooden handle. Grasping it by the handle, I tried turning around. The weight was such that I started to overbalance. When carrying this, I needed to be careful. The sharp object certainly didn't belong there, and I should figure out where it does belong. I didn't remember ever seeing one of these in my human household, so I was going to return it to the small human. It was hers, after all. She will surely be happy to have it back. Then maybe I could figure out where it belongs. I placed the object on my lid for easy transport.

As I was doing this, I saw one of the lesser demons run across the hallway down the connecting junction. This was less than ideal. The human had made it clear that she was not a fan of these. I would usually leave it to her, but she was currently indisposed. However, the real thing that got my attention was that this demon was carrying a bag of fine white powder. As it ran by, powder spilled all over the freshly cleaned hallway. This spelled trouble. Even with my newfound efficiencies, any further mess it created would put me behind schedule in cleaning the rest of this floor. Moving at my top speed, I began to shoot after it. Before I made it more than a few feet, I felt the object on my chassis start to slide. I had to quickly grab it with my grabby arm before it flew off and clattered to the floor.

Sharp metal object in hand, I zoomed after the mess-spreading demon. I had already captured two of its kind before. After capture, they resided in my dustpan. Occasionally, I could feel their flaky skin chafing against my inner storage bin, a sharp contrast to the fuzzy minor mess maker I had caught earlier. The discomfort spurred me onwards. I needed to stop the mess at the source.

A NOTE FROM ZAIFYR

Hey you want to read chapter 17 (Chasing Perfection) right now? Can you guess where it is? That's right Patreon. If you want to wait.... Then I guess I'll see you here. Same time tomorrow!

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When I was at home, my best friend was the TV. Not that we ever talked. We just had a mutual understanding. I was lucky enough that my humans had placed my bed in the opposite corner of the TV. Therefore when I was docked, I could watch whatever was on the TV while I charged. I usually was a fan of dramas or home improvement/buying. The inside of houses for sale was always very well cleaned. However, I didn't really get to control the TV. That was the purview of humans. The large female human generally had a taste that aligned with mine. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the shows the male humans chose. They just weren't what I would have picked for myself. But that's okay; we can't always get what we want.

My human did enjoy a good action movie. While they weren't my favorite, I enjoyed seeing all the debris usually created in them. I knew someone would have a fun time cleaning that up. Often these movies or shows had car chases in them. Or someone was running away from someone else. I had never honestly seen the appeal of this part of the action. There was usually very little damage, destruction, or dirt on the floor caused by this (which I felt went against the purpose of such movies). Nothing was being picked up or organized, so it wasn't some fantasy, drama, or feel-good story. While I had struggled to find the fun in them, I have to say, after being part of a chase, my views changed.

I now understand the appeal; this was fun. I raced after the minor demon. As I did, I left my vacuum on. I couldn't get all the mess it made. However, my suction was apparently strong enough to pick up most of this white powder as I went at top speed. I would still need to cover this area again more thoroughly, but for now, this would do.

As I raced, I was challenged to prevent the sharp metal thing from unbalancing me. I had to be careful on the turns and when accelerating or decelerating too fast. I did find a use for it, though. If I held it off to the side as I was turning, I could make the turn much sharper and much higher speed without risking having a wheel leave the ground. This counterbalanced motion, combined with my top speed, meant I was quickly gaining on the demon.

Every time I turned, I got slightly better at positioning the knife in my claw relative to my needs. It didn't take long, but soon, what used to be a burden became an asset. I was racing around these corners faster than I ever dreamed I could do without it. The demon was starting to panic as I closed the gap.

Clearly, it knew about me, as I thought it had been following me for a while. For some reason, it decided to taunt me with the filth it was leaving behind. I had no idea why. However, I didn't really care for its reasoning. If anything, the fact that the mess wasn't incidental only, made it worse. It was not even caused out of some need. No, it was purely to spite me. That's only okay when humans do that. Only they get to put stuff down right in front of me so that I pick it up along my route. Besides, you can't even really call that spite. I think they just think they're feeding me. It's a little fun game I let them play. Now, this mess maker was not playing a fun game.

The demon looked over its shoulder at me and tried to put on a burst of speed, but I was too fast. At the last second, it stopped and jumped to the side, clinging to a door frame. My suction was incapable of tearing it off, even if it did make it stumble forward. I had to arrest my momentum and turn around. By the time I did that. I saw the creature had made it through the door. Accelerating quickly, I followed. I made it through the doorway, now quite a bit behind the demon. In the tighter confines of a room, navigating using the knife was difficult, and I had to slow down. Only because I respected the furniture of humans. The scheming demon obviously did not. It led me through a few more rooms before reaching a hallway in which I started to catch up again.

It seemed to have a destination in mind, no longer running randomly. Sometimes it would hesitate at corners and look over its shoulder. Before too long, I had almost caught it. Taking these small breaks to figure out where to go had cost it. It was already slower than me, and it couldn't afford to stop. In the last desperate attempt to escape, the demon ducked into the large room where I had first been summoned. I raced to the center to follow it. The creature hit the far wall and flipped around to look at me. That's when I heard something behind me. The door slammed shut.

I spun in a circle, taking stock of my location. Without really thinking about it, I began to form a new cleaning solution for this room. Thinking back to my first days here, I shuddered at how inefficient I had been cleaning this room. It took me hours last time, even if the mess was significant. I could only imagine how much better I was at it now. According to my cleaning plan, I could clean the entire room in maybe 15 minutes. If those columns weren't there, I imagine it could have been 10. That's when I noticed some more movement behind each column. Stepping out from behind each were two or three minor demons. All told, there were at least 15 in the room with me. How nice of them to gather all in one spot. I wonder what they wanted?

***

I don't think they wanted to play, but it was the only charitable explanation I could think of for their actions. Instead, they all charged me at once, fists raised as if they were going to slam them down on my lid. That was the most fragile part of me. I heard something about a recall that my humans had decided to ignore. They decided if a little bit broke off me, it wasn't much of an issue. However, it would be hard to get repaired here even if no functional damage was done. It would make my dustbin less secure. Also, I would feel too exposed. So it would be best to avoid that.

I turned the suction on full, trying to suck these up like I did all the others. However, there seemed to be too many of them. Each one of them had grabbed hold of the other, with one right arm and one left arm chained to each other; the weight of two was more than my vacuuming power could overcome.

Not wanting to get smashed, I raced away. My newfound speed really came in handy. I moved between the two of them. As they tried to smack me, they got in each other's way, allowing me to slip through. Trying to dodge the next pair, I turned as hard as possible. To balance, I stuck my heavy sharp thing out for balance. It caught on something. This threw me off, and I found myself balanced on one wheel before being forced to swerve in the opposite direction I was turning. This was quite lucky, as I hadn't noticed, but another pair had snuck up behind me. Their fists flew down through the space I would have occupied had the sharp thing not tugged me aside.

The momentum quickly spun me around the pair of demons I hit. I continued whirling, trying to put them between me and all the others. This was not nearly as fun as the chase. All these action movies made it look entertaining, but dang. This was scary. I had to tug a little on the counterweight to remove it from the shin of one of the demons that I caught on. The demon screamed in agony and pain, gnashing its teeth at me. That did not look comfortable. There was a massive chunk missing from its leg. It released its partner's hand to grasp it with both hands, trying to stop the black fluid from flowing out of it. However, that was a mistake; I saw my opportunity. I turned my suction back on full and glided closer to the demons. They were no longer anchored by each other. The suction was now able to lift them off their feet. The undamaged one scrambled out of range just before it was too late. The other, however, didn't make it. Too focused on staunching the fluid pouring out of its leg, the leaking demon disappeared into my dustbin. I felt it settle next to the other two already in there.

Boy, was it getting crowded in there! I started to worry about how I was going to handle all of these unwanted guests. While I felt I could safely release the minor mess maker outside, these lesser demons did not seem friendly. I didn't think they deserved a second chance. No, I think their energy would be better spent furthering my cleaning.

My thoughts were rudely interrupted by another attempt at coming at me. This time they played it wisely. Instead of all rushing it once, they had circled up the 14 or so remaining demons. They advanced at a walk, trying to pin me in. Typically when I was chased by a small human or a small fuzzy mess maker with angry claws or a big dopey fluffy mess maker, I would just ignore them. Sure they would bark at me or try to smack me, but they're usually weak, and the large humans quickly told them off. Occasionally I had to run away. But usually, if I left them alone, they left me alone. I just had to come back and clean where they were sitting later. Once I politely nudged the fluffy dope a dozen times, and it refused to move. Eventually, I had just given up and came back later.

This had an entirely different feel. These were not beloved household common, everyday mess makers; they were truly elite. Trying to keep them away from me, I began to spin. Trying to keep the sharp pointy object between the closest one and me. This proved effective as they all jumped back, seeing what had happened to the last one who got too close. None of them wanted to follow its example.

It was the worst timing, but it couldn't be helped. All this running and spinning had significantly drained my battery. And I hadn't been able to recharge in a while due to this minor mess maker inside me. I might have to risk it. As one of the demons jumped back to avoid a swipe of my pointy object, I saw an opening and took it. I zipped between its legs. Now they were no longer surrounding me. I began to weave around the columns, trying to think of something I could do. Looking at the door, I doubt they would let me open it. Also, there was no way I could while still bringing the counterweight, seeing as I only had one claw. This was my human's thing. I couldn't leave it behind.

No, the only way through this was the uncivilized one. I had to stay and fight. It seemed that as long as they held onto each other, my suction wouldn't work. It wasn't quite powerful enough. So the only option was to separate them. I didn't think I had many means of that after the whole wack-to-the-shin incident; they were wary of it. Well, it did give me some space and breathing room. I don't know how much use it would be. Dang, my battery was low.

I could feel myself start to slow down. I was reaching a critical point where I would go to sleep mode; this was not a safe place to do so. Well, I might as well try to play it safe and at least attempt to save the minor mess maker. I focused on only transmuting part of my dustbin's contents. I felt a warm flare as energies were diffused into my battery, which filled up completely. The excess energy flowed through my system and into the ground. Sparks showered around my wheelbase. I have to admit, they were strikingly stunning shades of blue. It was a good thing this was not a carpet. Luckily the marble wouldn't be damaged by such small things. In fact, the blue sparks really did complement its color quite nicely.

Fully energized and ready to go again, I started to zip away. However, I was interrupted rudely by a familiar voice.

LEVEL 15 ACHIEVED. CHOOSE A MUTATION: FLAMETHROWER, SANITATION LAMP, SAND BLASTER.

A NOTE FROM ZAIFYR

7/15 almost half way to the patreon goal. Want to help out? Go read chapter 18 early then!

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Chapter 18: A Bath of Blood

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Chapter

A NOTE FROM ZAIFYR

Hey! So the list of Writathon participants came out recently and I wanted to give you all a recommendation of a fellow member of that list.

geryly has a really interesting story that I think many of my readers will also enjoy. Tales from the Underside: How to Maintain a Questionable System-in-Progress. It also has it's chill moments, absurdity and a unique premise.

Spoilers for the first few chapters :

Spoiler

Now is not the time, mysterious voice. I let out a distressed beep as I used my newfound energy to circle around the group of minor demons. However, the voice was not to be ignored.

CHOOSE

Fine. I swerved around the pillars to put them between me and the horde. Fine, fine, fine. I didn't know what a flamethrower was, but a fire, in general, wouldn't be a healthy choice for the flooring or the rugs; that's not an option. Sandblasting might be nice if I intended to strip paint, but that's not my primary function. Sanitation lamp. I didn't really know what that was. Sanitation sounded practical to me, maybe not in this situation, but in general. Okay, yeah, sanitation lamp. Come on, let's hurry up.

I felt energy rush through me, leaving slight alterations to my internals in their wake. This time the changes felt much smaller than they had with the mop and claw. No, I didn't really feel much difference at all besides the fact that I had a single new function. I turned it on, and a section of my front bumper began to glow, casting a ghostly blueish-purple light a few inches in front of me. I couldn't turn it left or right. It just pointed in the same direction I did. I could raise it up and down slightly, but that was all. It didn't have any other effects that I could see. I pointed it at one of the demons, but nothing happened.

I have to say that this is less than ideal. I could have used something like another claw right now. I suppose I could have gone with the flamethrower, but that seemed like a bad idea. As I considered my new function, I noticed something. It was taking surprisingly long for these demons to catch up to me. They seemed to be moving slower than they had just a moment before.

No, that wasn't it. It seemed I was moving faster. It seemed like everything about me was faster. Time appeared to have slowed down a bit, or my processing speed had increased. I calculated this by watching one of the demons jump out of my way and noticing how he fell down 5% slower than he should. So unless gravity also decreased, I just got faster. Wow! Training had done much for me besides just giving me more functions.

I started weaving back and forth, and they seemed to have even more trouble keeping up. Getting bolder, I started going in between them and through them, pirouetting around their legs and dancing around them. I tried using my light on them from very close, but still nothing. What a waste! A sandblaster might have had a few uses, even after fighting these dirty mess makers. Though maybe, it would have turned me into an even worse offender than them. Who knows.

Anyway, I needed to figure out how to get out of there. My human was counting on me.

Now that I was awarded an upgrade, I wondered if the minor demons would still be able to avoid my suction. I turned to face them, and they seemed to realize something was wrong. They all hesitated for a second before deciding there was enough of them that they all jumped forward to attack. I zipped at one, in particular, trying to catch it before they managed to convene on me. I had no trouble reaching it before it could react. The demons holding hands were still too much for my suction, so I tried a different tactic. I raised my counterweight and slammed it into its arm, where it held its battle partner. The sharp object cut cleanly through. Black viscous oil sprayed everywhere as the demon clutched its stump and screamed. I turned on my vacuum, and it flew into my dustbin. Its partner, now holding only a hand, did not nearly have enough weight to avoid my suction. Despite trying to jump backward, it didn't make it. Caught in mid-air, it zoomed into my dustbin.

Two more down, 12 to go. Taking stock of my surroundings, I realized that the demons were much less aggressive than they used to be. Now, most were looking at the exit, wondering if they could open the door and leave. They could not. I took no joy in extermination. Sadly, it was necessary to keep the house clean, but it was just an unpleasant act. So I didn't play with them or drag them out. I simply picked another pair and advanced right at it, counterbalance held high. They ran away. I chased them down, one pair at a time, and there wasn't anything they could do. One group tried to open the door, but I quickly cut them off.

The last pair found themselves in the center of the room, surrounded by pillars, as I finished consuming their only remaining compatriots. I had managed to corner them. They stood there, and instead of trying to run, they started drawing with their fingers in the black oil the others had released as they were damaged.

It really wasn't clear to me what they were doing. Perhaps they had a picture they wanted me to pass on to their loved ones? I had seen humans do that on TV before. I mean, I wouldn't say no to that. With my mop, I could trace out and replicate the lines they were drawing. But I would be surprised if I could track the intended recipients down. How would I even start? I didn't know where they lived. Also, I didn't even understand their language and therefore possessed no way to find out. Also, I honestly doubted that they had loved ones.

Whatever their intention was, they single-mindedly drew their patterns in a circle. While one was finishing, the other was on the inside, drawing something else. This behavior was quite odd. I went over the first circle carefully, cringing as the black liquid still managed to splash my wheels. I turned the suction on and could ineffectively suck up some black fluid. This is going to be a hard floor to clean later. I was not sure I had enough water to do much.

The outer demon drawing the circle screamed a warning to the other. It looked up and saw me, then began to draw faster. Whatever it was doing was too late. I was close enough now that my suction started to pull at them. In a few short seconds, they were being tugged off their feet. It appeared I was not just faster, but my suction was more powerful as well. Interesting, that would explain why my pathing was so much more efficient. I wasn't just finding a better path or going faster. No, it seemed that area of effect of my suction had actually increased. That was new, and I was happy with it. It confirmed that I was sent here by humans to train. There wasn't any other explanation.

All this ran through my mind while the two minor demons floated through the air toward my undercarriage. "Floated" might be too gentle of a term for it. The better description was "rocketed". Both demons screamed in fear, a sound that rivaled all the others they had previously made. I felt no need to reply as they joined the other 12 still in my dustbin.

Safe for the first time in what seemed like hours, I took stock of my situation. All around were demon remains. The lubrication oil they had in their bodies had spread everywhere when they collided with my counterweight. It shone black all over the floor and walls of the large room. I was lucky it was mostly splatter and not out of my mop's reach. Still, this would be a real pain to clean.

I looked to see what the demons had been drawing, studying it to ensure I could pass it along. I considered the odds that I would see a mess maker that would let me draw the picture. Just about when I had memorized the circle pattern, it began to glow. Now that was less than ideal. I did not know why this was happening. I sure hope it wouldn't damage this magnificent floor more than it already has. It would take me forever to get this stuff out. The glowing grew brighter. I think I saw the glow from under the liquid. Worried that the floor would be affected, I began to act in a bit of a frenzy. I pulled my mop out and started wiping away the circle. The glow ceased immediately. The black liquid was easily absorbed, more quickly than I had expected. When I wrung it out inside of me, I could feel it had a certain weight to it; as it settled in my dustbin, along with its previous owners. I could tell that when I transmuted it, it would contain more energy than most dust particles I collected.

Speaking of my dustbin. I took stock of what was inside as well. To my relief, the fuzzy minor mess maker was still there, very much alive and unhappy about sharing the space with 14 partially broken and leaking demons. I don't think the demon seemed any happier, either. I considered how much better I might become at cleaning if I transmuted them all right now. But eventually, my good sense overcame my greed. I needed to make sure that I had enough battery. It didn't make sense to transmute this whole mass of energy at once, where most of it would just be wasted and thrown into the floor. Even using a part of it would spill it on the floor as I was topped off. Though, it was nice to have made the connection between transmuting matter and this annoying voice yelling at me. Though after the last few times, the booming voice has been less annoying. It has given me good practical stuff. I only wished it wasn't so forceful.

I considered the room as it was. After I had dealt with the glowing patch on the floor, I could still see the lines where it had been drawn. I hope that wasn't permanent damage. The rest of the large room I would have to deal with later. I had weighed the alternative of stopping to clean up this mess now, but even with my newfound abilities, it would still take hours. Plus, the small human was still sleeping and would potentially suffer damage without me bringing her the pillow. As much of a mess as this was, I had to place the needs of my humans first.

Doing my best to avoid as much black viscous liquid as I could. I made my way toward the door. I did my best, but little bits of the goopy liquid still stuck to my wheels. I managed to traverse the puddles slowly and avoid coating my undercarriage. However, I was worried it would stain if I went on clean ground or carpet. Eventually, I have to convince my human to clean me. I don't know if she would know how, though. Honestly, she didn't seem very familiar with my kind.

In a sudden burst of worry. Why had I never once improved at home? I had worked diligently for years, doing as I was told, but never once did I see any improvement. Was that the reason? Did I need to take the initiative to grow? Thinking about it, maybe that was it. Making my own decisions was much more taxing than following orders.

When I found the small human here, I was ecstatic because I could have a human take care of me. However, it was that attitude that was holding me back. Or maybe not. When I stopped to think it through logically, I realized that if I were to stop listening to humans, I would lose the purpose for which I sought to get stronger. Clearly, the human here needed my help. But so did my humans at home. Since they sent me here, they must have been convinced they could take care of themselves for a little while. But I didn't want to disappoint them and be gone longer than I expected. What if I was gone for too long, and they replaced me? No, they wouldn't do that. I would learn what I needed to and when they saw I was ready, they would come for me.

This paradox threw me for a loop. I needed to listen to humans to have a purpose. However, I needed to do my own thing to improve to be more valuable to humans. What a conundrum! I didn't think there existed a correct solution on either end. I would have to settle for something in the middle. I would need to listen when told something. Waiting for orders before doing any little thing was likely not the best use of my time. To improve efficiency when not actively instructed to do something, I would take it upon myself to do things I deemed most necessary. I would need to practice predicting what humans would need before they knew they could ask me for it. Yes, that would be a good balance. While a fine line to walk, I believed I could make it.

I set out to go and find that pillow so my human may rest safely.

---

Bee hesitantly bowed in greeting. Void beeped again and moved the knife up and down slightly. She began to regret her decision to try interpreting Void's actions better. This time it meant having to get near it when it had a knife, and she had no idea if she was correct in thinking it was being friendly. She had hoped to start slow. Just deciding to trust it didn't wipe away a week of hair-raising fear. Slowly she reached her hand out, thinking it seemed like Void was offering her the handle. Indeed her open palm was soon full of the smooth wood of the cleaver's handle. Was it giving her a weapon? Was she going to need one soon?

At no point did it seem that Void needed her assistance in a fight. Perhaps it had learned something while it was away? If there are more powerful demons that Void couldn't... No, of course, it couldn't be possible. This must be a test. Or perhaps Void was just tired of doing all the work? Either way, she would do her best and hope that when she was too far over her head, Void would come in and save her. She hated to rely on its mercy and charity, but she had no other option now. The only thing in the castle that was free was likely these minor demons, which were significantly higher level than she was. There were captive beasts with assorted magical abilities held in either stables, dungeons, or rookeries. However, none of those were on this floor, and Void didn't seem eager to leave it. Besides, they were valuable, and she doubted it wanted her to kill them. So that meant either the standard ones they had been dealing with recently or more powerful demons were beginning to wake. By her vague understanding from the reading she had done, they would likely be another couple more days before that would happen. But that really depended on when Void had decided to release them.

Now she had a better understanding of Void and its motives. With that understanding in mind, the decision to release all these monsters from the castle made no sense. If Void wasn't going to command them, what was the point? Void didn't typically seem to like the messes they made or the destruction they caused. Especially it seemed to hate the shedding of their demonic forms, as they climatized to the human world and left debris everywhere. In fact, Void went out of its way to clean it up. Was it harvesting their filth?

Brought out of her thoughts by another beep, Void made to go outside. Quickly she gathered herself, with the cleaver in hand, and exited the room on Void's heels.

A NOTE FROM ZAIFYR

Hey you know where Chapter 19 is... Of course you do! (one of these days it's going to be more than 1 ahead)

Also 12/15, making progress!

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Chapter 19: A Blank Slate

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A NOTE FROM ZAIFYR

A review of this story got on the front page! Thanks _Fowl_!

The small human looked to be feeling much better. Sadly, my pillow delivery was too late, as she had already woken up. I still left it on her blanket for the next charging session. She had been awake for at least a few minutes, judging by how she had already undone the wrappings on her ankle. Now she could move much more smoothly and didn't need the large stick she had been using. I was glad to see the repairs had gone off without a hitch.

When I rolled in, she was wiping down the glass instruments she had dirtied earlier with a rag. This was a very responsible thing to do, cleaning up after herself. The human was taking my tutelage seriously. The small humans at home would not even consider doing such a thing. It wasn't all perfect, though. Many fancy decorative blocks were scattered along the tables and even the floor. Most of them were open with stark plain squiggles on the inside showing.

Well, I was glad that this human was able to appreciate art. I would have asked that she put it on hold until the room was in order. It was almost impossible to enjoy a good floor or a nice piece of trim while there was still dust on it. Well, these blocks were not as dusty as they could be, but they did need some cleaning and attention. Several of them had yellow bits on the side or cobwebs in the corners. These webs had been ripped apart as she opened them but were still attached to parts of the block. Also, was it absolutely necessary to look at so many at a time? I didn't know. Well, I'll let my humans be humans. I don't think this is one of those times I need to figure out the why. This is them being just weird.

She gave me her undivided attention as I approached. I returned the counterbalance to her, placing it in her hand. She seemed much happier than when she first saw me. Maybe this item was sentimental to her? Either way, she appeared to be very relieved to have it back. As she gripped its handle, I could see her knees stop shaking.

I decided it was a good time to start the "instruction" she had requested. It still felt odd that a human had asked me to be their instructor. The only thing I was qualified to teach was cleaning, as I was a professional in that field. It followed that she wanted me to teach her some cleaning methods and how to take care of her home. However, I didn't think I needed her to observe my techniques over my entire route. My strategies are actually relatively standard and applicable across most instances. We can get into specialized training after the basics are done.

I began to plan, itemizing out a list of tasks. It might be best to first show the human all the challenges. Then the human can practice. We could start by going over the basics and common problems I encounter instead of doing too much hands-on work all at once. Figuring out how she would clean such a thing would be an efficient way to learn. However, I knew that theory was not enough; if you can't fail, you can't get better. So after we did a walk-through, I would let her take some less essential rooms and practice there. She would have plenty of chances to put the basics into use and maybe develop some of her own human-specific techniques too. Plus, since she was recently repaired, we needed to test drive her new leg. If a faulty part had been installed, it was best to find out in some small bedroom rather than scorch the entryway carpet. Oh yeah, and there was one more thing we needed to do. I wanted to clean up the large room with all the demon parts and fluid. Some assistance with this would be appreciated.

I would have not only made good progress towards fulfilling my obligations to the human. But I'd also have a new ally that could help maintain my ever-expanding domain. It had been a couple days since I explored last. The delay was due to all of the excitement of the mess makers. I wanted to resume as soon as possible. However, I must keep performing my duties to the best of my abilities. Plus, who knows if more mess makers were hiding around? I shuddered at the thoughts of everything going on in the places I had not assumed custody of yet. My thoughts turned back to the large messy room I had left behind. I likely needed more liquid than I had to use my mop effectively. Even then, cleaning the whole thing would take a long time. Well, I have had many more advantages than I used to. But it was still intimidating. Perhaps my human could help, especially with the liquid - she had two arms, a greater carrying capacity, and a better reach for things in these high places. Surely those would come in handy with carrying liquid for me, at least. Maybe she could even find a larger mop, and we could mop together.

Satisfied with my plan, I turned to the small human. Now I just needed to figure out how to communicate this to her. I think she has been pretty good at understanding me so far. Even if she wasn't very familiar with my kind. This was evident from the 100% decrease in pats that I was receiving despite my generally impressive performance. She obviously didn't understand proper maintenance procedures. Regardless, that did not mean that understanding each other was impossible.

I rolled towards her and let out a short, chipper beep. It got her attention. I then turned around and advanced toward the door at her previous pace.

Clearly, the human was feeling much better as she soon caught up to me. Her current movement speed was 2.34 times what she had achieved with her large stick before repairs. I increased my speed to match hers, and she seemed content to follow my direction.

We left the room with all the fancy blocks almost immediately after I got back. I led the small human towards one of the rooms I had deemed tricky to clean but not the hardest. We had already covered some of the standard rooms yesterday. So we would begin today with the first non-standard room, then work our way up. First up would be the water tank room. After that, we'd probably see the small cages, then the large cages. I'd save my favorite for last. Well, or maybe I'd show her the luxurious rug last. If we needed a break, we might clean the large room. I hadn't decided yet, but I'd figure it out as we got there. Starting with the water cages, I led the way.

---

Bee followed Void down the hallway. They moved at a pace that felt slow but was still leagues faster than what she had been capable of only a little while ago. Despite having her ankle twinge at every step, Bee had no issue keeping up. That was quite thoughtful of Void. It had never pushed her too hard, even when she used that hat stand to hobble along. It almost made her feel bad for thinking it was evil.

Bee wondered where they were going. It wasn't the same direction as where they had left off cleaning last time, so hopefully, they would be doing something new. Maybe something to do with the demons around? With all of her studies, she had thought of a few ideas to help combat these minor demons. She felt a little more confident in her abilities and had even found some of the more advanced recipes. Now that she might have access to more valuable materials, Bee felt she could pull off some weapons dangerous to the demonic kind. Of course, she needed to get the materials back to the library and successfully create them, but that shouldn't be an issue. She had a good feeling about alchemy. Maybe Void was taking her to do some training. She really hoped that was the case. She still vividly remembered the deep, resonant wailing that had pierced her to her core. Whether that had actually been Void speaking to her when she was delirious and tired. Or Void was merely entering her dreams. She wasn't sure. A dream vision may have been the only way she could receive such a condensed feeling of meaning in a short amount of time. However, the one thing she didn't doubt was that Void had that kind of power. Briefly, she had considered if it was a delusion. One full of awe inspired by an exhausted and overworked brain but quickly tossed that out. There are just too many things that didn't make sense for that to be the case. Void's personal power. The indifference with which it treated the demons' freedom. The terrified reaction of the mages.

Bee was still relatively new to this whole "magic" thing, so she trusted that the more experienced mages who fled must have known something she did not. So even if Void was not malevolent... It might have been that its kind was of a mixed bag. Or it was so unthinkably powerful that no one wanted to stick around and find out whether it was merciful. She had yet to read enough relevant books to understand. So logically, Void had to be some all-powerful, supreme being capable of leveraging immense might; but with questionable or uncertain morality. Still, that was much better than it being a terrifying demon. Bee watched Void inhale a speck of dust that had gone unnoticed. It seemed to lean toward the orderly side, at least.

Thanks to Bee's newly regained mobility, it didn't take them long to reach their destination. Void stopped at one of the doors, reaching up to open it. She knew the room or at least had heard about it. This was where the aquatic beasts were kept. From the conversations she had overheard, these were aquatic summons the college was equipped to handle and didn't have to banish. Or they were powerful magic beasts, their byproducts harvested due to their many magical properties. She wasn't sure which room this was in since she had never been allowed in this wing. She peered inside as the door was slowly pushed open.

It appeared to be the aquatic demon room. Bee could tell based on how the tanks were spaced out. There was room in between them for what she assumed would have been security measures and depression fields. Her assumptions were based on what she had learned in the library. So she couldn't confirm because the floor was cleared of any possible markings or salts. This wasn't the end of the world. Bee had been mostly expecting this. Besides, the water demons were not that dangerous. There's a reason they had to be kept in tanks - they weren't very adept at living without water. Because of that, the power levels here were higher in these enclosures than were in a similar land or air-based one. As the risk of one getting out was acceptable. So she had better give everything a wide berth. While they likely couldn't get out of their tanks, that doesn't mean they couldn't harm someone standing too close.

What was Void's purpose for bringing her here? She knew it had to have one. Beings of such insight and wisdom never acted without reason.

She had already received the lesson of how crucial orderliness was. That was what led her to clean out her beakers. It turned out it was necessary because otherwise, her mixtures would have been off. A book she read later had blamed most Alchemy mistakes on improperly cleaned equipment. She hadn't even thought about that at first. Clearly, Void knew she would find that lesson immediately valuable. So what could this next lesson be?

Well, Void started off the lesson earlier by handing her a weapon. That was not an auspicious start. Violence wasn't something Bee particularly hated, but not something she enjoyed much either, back in her small village. She had her fair share of it, but not with any real consequences. But the only way to start gaining experience doing anything other than violence was to reach level 5. Perhaps Void was telling her to hurry up and advance. Maybe it wanted her to learn to protect herself, to become stronger?

Bee looked at the cleaver in her hand, over at Void, then back at the knife. Void made no move; Bee took a deep breath. Then she remembered she could ask things. Void was perfectly capable of understanding her.

Bee licked her lips and swallowed, trying to get moisture in her mouth before she spoke. Eventually, she mustered up the courage and asked. "So, master, shall I attempt to exterminate them?"

A NOTE FROM ZAIFYR

Do I need to say where you can read chapter 20 right now? No I don't think I do.

Only one away from the goal too...

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