Sighing softly, Mina broke the kiss as the Black Steel shifted inside of her body. As the shard melted, the rest began to approach and enter. The Black Steel slowly disappeared inside of her, her body reverting to its original state. Her hair faded, becoming like starlight once more. The red of her eyes became a soft gray and her dress turned back white.
Mina blinked slowly, then jumped at Kat. The two of them fell to the ground, Kat flat on her back. Mina held her tight, trembling in Kat's arms.
"You big idiot!"
Kat just laid there, running her fingers through Mina's hair. She smiled softly, unable to release Mina.
"You don't need to protect me like that. You know I'd fight for you, no matter how strong the opponent!"
"But I didn't want you to die. I was willing to lose myself to him, just for you to live on."
Mina looked up, inching towards Kat's face. When she was nearly able to kiss her, she stuck her hands under Kat's robe.
"What the hell are you wearing?"
"What? You think I wanted that dip stick to see me in my bikini top and short shorts? Nah. That's for you."
She gave a playful wink, so Mina shoved her head inside the robe and bit down on Kat's cleavage.
"Ahn... hey! No biting!"
Mina giggled, crawling out from the robe. She straddled Kat and just stared down at her.
"I think I could get used to this sight."
It was her turn to give off a playful wink, then she blushed furiously. Her head popped up, realizing that all of her friends were still here. Every last one had turned away, obviously not wanting to interrupt.
Mina got off of Kat, leaning in to kiss her once more before she hopped to her feet. She couldn't get rid of the blush, nor the smile.
"So Mina, what do you want to do now?"
Kat was behind her, hugging her. Mina looked up, her eyes filled with determination.
"That's my completionist. I can't help you too much, but I'll do what I can. When my power on Arvor returns, I'll do something to keep another Vex from appearing."
Mina gave her a soft smile, pulling Kat's face to hers just as she began to vanish.
"I love you, Kat."
Kat couldn't respond, her body vanishing as her face turned scarlet.
"Teach you to fondle me while hugging. Jerk... not that I didn't like it."
Mina pouted a little, then turned her attention to her friends.
"Uh... think we should leave for now? The events were... hell, to say the least."
Melody turned on her heel, her own face still red.
"Of course, Master. Vex may not vanish from this spot, but I'll see what I can do to deal with his body. We don't want anyone to accidentally pull out the... wait, you absorbed the spikes. He's... dead, dead?"
Mina looked over, her eyes focusing on Vex's corpse.
"Well he is from another world. Better safe than sorry."
Inferna walked over, followed by Fubuki and Asahi, as well as Chisana and Suriza. In unison, flames, frost, lightning and acid began to annihilate his body. Mina watched in shock, realizing that Chisana couldn't use magic now. With a small pat on her head, a dark cloud engulfed another chunk of Vex's corpse.
"Well... I'll be damned. They were all pissed."
Mina stared down at her chest, her eyes narrowing as she stared through the neck hole and between her breasts. Though they had grown significantly since she arrived, she could still see a scar that would possibly mar her body forever.
Mina rolled her eyes, the group ready to leave the Smith's Dungeon. Although they only best the first boss, Mina knew everyone needed to take a break. A certain message told her so.
[Due to Hysteria Mode, you did not receive any experience from killing Vex. Your party members could not absorb the maximum experience, so they have reached level cap.]
Mina wiped her brow.
"Jeez. Hysteria Mode sucks."
Fubuki walked up close, Mina instinctively reaching out to pet her. When she felt the fur against her skin, Mina stopped moving entirely.
"Wait, I patted Chisana on the head. I didn't use [Coalesce], did I?"
Mina surprised everyone, walking towards them all and patting them. They enjoyed it, though some may not admit it. Mina even took the time to give Melody a hug.
"M-Master!"
Melody was overjoyed, so Mina delivered the finishing blow. One radiant smile and she could feel Melody lose her ability to stand properly.
"That was for fighting so hard for me."
Mina continued to lead the way out, though her calm expression didn't match her mind.
'I can pet them as much as I want! YAY! The paws and the noses... oh jeez I'm gonna go crazy. When they sleep... no, no, no. Calm down. Don't attack your friends just because they're soft and warm! Maybe a little?'
Mina was lost in her own mind, stumbling as she left the dungeon entrance. She fell to her hands, wincing. When she looked down all she did was sigh. Her skin had scuffed, though blood wasn't drawn.
'Tough enough to not bleed from that, but still weak enough to feel the pain. Just how strong is a Valkyrian?'
Mina got to her feet, her eyes locking on the man that had drawn near. He was handsome, though she felt nothing more than awareness.
'He's strong.'
The man had short dark hair and chiseled features with shining blue eyes. He seemed like a protagonist, but his eyes were too hard. Too serious. He looked down at Mina, then just pat her head.
"The. Fuck?!"
Mina shoved his hand away, her eyes narrowed.
"Hmm. My bad."
The man walked off, not saying anything more.
"Melody, him. Who?"
She pointed, though Melody seemed confused.
"I have no idea. He's not a member of my roster. I'd remember that kind of face."
Mina headed towards Melody's house, her face contorted with annoyance.
'Only Kat can pat my head! Not some random guy from the middle of nowhere! Ugh... I'll punch him if he tries again!'
Melody sat beside Mina, though they were sitting on the floor surrounded by sleeping beasties.
"Master, what would you have us do next? I can't travel too far from here, nor leave the human kingdom as is. If you want to go further, I'll have to stay behind."
Mina nodded, leaning on Melody's shoulder.
"Makes sense. For now, let everyone rest. We can actually look for that group of missing adventurer later on. After that, I'll need to find a way to fix Vex's mess for Kat. I want her to be able to spend more time here."
Mina had begun to doze off, her head falling onto Melody's thighs. Melody didn't mind, nor did she react heavily. Simply stroking Mina's head, she too began to fall asleep.
Before Mina fully passed out, one last thought arrived.
'Where is my Sword Body?'
--
Thank you,
JScott and croix!