As the two climbed back to the entrance of the cave, Isabel looked over her shoulder towards the camping grounds that seemed to be getting more busy with displays of swordsmanship from Krieg and magic from Leona. She then turned to Robert who was a few meters in front of her.
"Are they truly not your pupils?"
Without facing her, he asked.
"What are you implying?"
"Aside from your daughters, it's rare for you to show any sort of attention towards others."
"Are you calling me cold blooded now?"
"Haven't you always been?"
He didn't answer, instead he just kept walking forward.
Once they reached the entrance of his underground home he took half a step to the side and glanced over to her.
"Do try and keep it brief, I'd rather not have you interact too much with those two."
"Oho? Afraid I might steal them away from you?"
"Not me, from Leona."
She raised an eyebrow but decided not to speak further. As he opened the door, he revealed the way inside his home. The warm air from inside left Isabel feeling just like at home.
"We're here." He spoke out loud. "Phoebe, Kaeli, are you two in there?"
"We've been waiting for you." Kaeli answered as she appeared at the foot of the staircase. "I brought my sister here as you requested."
He turned to Isabel and nodded, which prompted her to enter the homestead. At first Kaeli was obviously surprised by the woman's height, but she soon recomposed herself as she stepped out of her way as Isabel climbed down the stairs.
"No need to work yourself up child." Isabel had a warm smile on her face. A sight that was both inspiring and mesmerizing perhaps because of her fierce eyes and tall stature contrasted so much with her kind attitude. "I'm here to help your sister properly use her new limbs."
The high elf bowed her head down. The tall woman made her way to the other high elf who was sitting on an armchair by the fireplace.
Phoebe had her makeshift crutches lying on the side of the armchair as her gaze wandered around aimlessly until her eyes finally met the woman walking in her direction.
"Hm?" She seemed obviously tired and dispirited. "Ah, lady Isabel, hello."
She lifted her right hand and waved a little bit before eventually letting it go limb and hit the side of the armchair.
"What's wrong dear?" Isabel knelt and leaned forward. Despite doing so she was still a tad bit taller than the sitting high elf. "You seem out of it."
"Ah… you know… I trained so much and now, well… I can't say it was for nothing but I just don't see any more reason to keep going."
"Why do you feel like that?"
"Well…" Her gaze wandered towards Kaeli, who was in the middle of speaking with Robert, then back to Isabel. "I dedicated my whole life to killing her and now that I know my mother is alive… well… there isn't much else for me to do, is there?"
"What are you talking about?" She reached for the high elf's slumped shoulder with her large hand covering all of it. "Weren't you going to become the best archer Nara ever knew? An archer can hardly train while cooped up inside the house like this."
"That… that was a childhood dream, I'm practically an adult now-"
"But wasn't it something you wanted to do? Instead of vengeance, you can choose another path. Something you actually want to enjoy."
"That…" She glanced downwards. "I don't know…"
"Hey."
Robert called which prompted Isabel to look over her shoulder. He motioned with his head to hurry up and she replied with a quick nod. Upon turning back to Phoebe, Isabel continued briefly.
"Listen, you don't need to rush things. Just take your time to find something else that holds meaning to you." She shifted her hand from the high elf's shoulder towards her knees. "But for now you at least need to get these back into shape. Regardless of what you'll do, you'll need these to move forward."
"...I suppose so."
"So let's get back into working on them. Can you stand?"
"If it's for a little bit…"
"Yeah, no need to overexert yourself."
At the same time, back in the capital city of Arcadia.
"More ale!"
A shout echoed from inside a tavern located in one of the busiest streets of the largest human kingdom.
Arcadia which was heading straight into economic recession had now been revitalized during the last few months after Alexander had taken the throne. The city was yet a far cry from the bustling commerce it was before the Great War, but steps were being taken to alleviate the population's ever growing demand for better lives.
Lowering taxes, investing in the growing industry and agriculture. Were the first big changes the so-called 'Wise King' would implement in his rule. In turn, in a matter of a few weeks the people had started to see change. But not all were impressed.
"This is ridiculous…" One fairly tall young man sat quietly at the corner of the tavern holding what seemed to be newspapers. Yet another invention of the king. "Wise king? All he did was dig into the royal family's coffers and spend everything."
His brown hair, hazel eyes and simple worker's outfit blended with the rest of the tavern's patrons and they didn't seem to mind him. His companion on the other hand, was a fair maiden of jet black hair expertly trimmed at shoulder's height that contrasted with her kind yet attentive amber eyes. Despite also wearing a relatively normal worker's attire, consisting of a white shirt, brown overalls and a baggy flat cap, she still drew unnecessary attention to herself.
"Master Luke, shouldn't we gather more information elsewhere? I can feel the other patron's eyes on me."
"Let me finish this first Sophie. We'll head out soon." He didn't take his eyes off the paper but he started to address her from behind it. "Besides, it would be better if you didn't call me 'Master' anymore. It warrants unwanted attention if someone else were to hear it."
"Understood."
"No need to be so formal either, we're here in the city for 'sightseeing'."
"Right… I mean, I got it."
"Hm. That's better."
Despite her early sentiment, Sophie's eyes wandered around the tavern. The tavern was filled with all manner of people, workers, mercenaries, men and ladies alike partook of the lively yet cozy atmosphere.
The myriad voices creating a messy cacophony of ideas, the different smell of roasted meat and spilt ale mingled with the tang of sweat and smoke coming from the ever working kitchen made it clear for Sophie, that place was much like its own universe brimming with new experiences.
Such sensory overload made her core quiver as she held her right hand on top of her breast.
"Is it tiring?"
Luke asked as he put the newspaper down.
"A little bit." She took a slow deep breath. "But this is more manageable compared to before."
"Good. But let's head out just in case." He stood up and passed by the front desk before leaving a few copper coins on the table. "Thanks for the meal."
"You are one lucky lad." The large tavern keeper gave them a big smile. "A lass like her brightens a place like this."
Sophie smiled as she followed behind Luke on their way out. The two discreetly made their way between the wide streets before they found a somewhat secluded alley free of prying eyes.
The moment they were alone, Sophie almost fell on the ground, panting.
"This was still…" She gasped for air between each of her sentences. "A bit too much, it seems…"
"I told you to wear actual clothing instead of using your shapeshifting."
The young woman's left arm quivered before eventually melting into a light blue viscous goop. Once she gritted her teeth, she forced the goo to coalesce into the semblance of a human arm.
"Yeah but…" She flicked her left arm again and in the blink of an eye it shifted to a liquid light blue metal before suddenly hardening into a large metallic curved blade. "New clothes can be torn off if I shapeshift. It's not like we can spend all the rest of the coin you're carrying either."
"I'd rather not need you to shapeshift like that…"
He gently lowered her bladed limb.
"Master Luke, you yourself proposed for me to train for combat."
"I know, I know…" He raised both of his hands. "But remember, blending in is far easier than cutting a dozen people down."
"Mmm…" She stared at the large bladed arm before folding it into itself as it grotesquely let out cracks of breaking bones before finally assuming the contour of a human arm once again. "I'm more or less recovered now, where to next?"
"Home." He lowered his hands while letting out a quiet sigh. "We got what we came here for."
She flexed her fingers as if testing if they were moving correctly.
"Understood."
They discreetly made their way out of the alley and started heading to the south district. Where they resided in the slums.
The streets there were narrower, rodents and roaches were a common sight in the alleys that served both as shortcuts and public restrooms for the homeless. The stench was nothing short of disease inducing. Thankfully, the inhabitants were more or less behaved thanks to the king's more 'direct' way to approach public displays of violence.
Luke and Sophie shared a run down hut in the outskirts of the slums, a place he was all too familiar with by now.
He glanced over at the forest in the distance as he was making his way inside the mud hut. It was small to the point he was forced to lower his head in order to fit inside the simple living space.
"Do you wish to live in the cave again?" Sophie asked as she also lowered her head and entered the hut. "It may not have been exactly comfortable but at least it was more spacious than this place."
"No, I would rather not have another run-in with geocytes again. Besides, Alexander could have plans to start mining there again since the Crossfords no longer have anyone there."
The hut had just enough space for one person and with only a mattress made out of straw, it could hardly be called a home.
"Will you rest until evening?"
Sophie asked as he laid on the straw bedding.
"Yes, I intend to go watch this night parade they are planning to perform on the main street."
"Got it." She crawled on top of him. "I'll rest as well then."
"Just don't get my clothes wet."
Once on top of him, Sophie's body started to lose its form as her limbs folded into themselves in a disturbing symphony of bones shattering before turning into a viscous light blue goo. Once her human silhouette was gone it revealed her true form, a light blue slime the size of a small pumpkin. Her human head was still poking from the very top of the gelatinous creature which was still unnerving but also endearing in a way.
She stared at him with a somewhat serious expression as she asked.
"Are you sure you want to go there? Chances are you'll see Alexander again."
"I need to. The more information we have the better we'll be able to help Leona when she comes back."
"I understand."
"What about you? Weren't you all about going to help her?
"I… their memories are the only reason I feel close to her. There is nothing deeper in my heart that I'd want to do. See her again, brush her hair, take care of her… I know that these feelings are not my own but I can't help but want to nurture them. Such love and kindness warms me from inside, even if I lack a heart."
He gently patted her head.
"What are you talking about? You do have a heart, silly. Otherwise you could just have left me to be eaten by your brethren that day." Sophie avoided his gaze as she frowned her brows before eventually submerging her entire human head inside her slime body. "Ah… rest well Sophie…"
He continued to stroke the top of the gelatinous slime before eventually closing his eyes to rest. Once he was asleep, Sophie rolled out of the top of his chest and slowly made her way out of the hut through the gap beneath the wooden door. After looking around and noticing no one nearby, she made her way towards the forest.
With a brisk walk, or one should say, writhe, Sophie reached the cave where she was born. The outskirts of the cavern had a few storehouses that were filled to the brim with frostburnt silver dust that, while highly poisonous to humans, was practically a meal for her. But she wasn't there to feast and instead she headed straight inside the cave.
She approached the spiraling ramp from the entrance and glanced down. Although her slime senses weren't exactly great for scouting, she was already somewhat used to using mana detection which functioned similarly to a bat's echolocation, but instead of sounds, she used a soft pulse of mana to map out the place.
Directly below her there were a few geocytes, scorpion like creatures that while they lacked a venomous stinger, they still had a pair of pincers powerful enough to snap a bone in half. Four of them were easting on loose rocks, seemingly unaware of her presence.
'Hmm…' She thought. 'I should get rid of those before going to the nest.'
She jumped down and in mid-air she unleashed multiple tendrils that latched onto the back of a geocyte. It started to thrash around trying to free itself from this sudden parasite that grabbed a hold of its chitin limbs.
Once on top of its cold carapace, her body started to seep in through the gaps of its chitinous armor and with a subtle sizzling sound, she ate the geocyte from inside out as it let out a faint clicking sound as it died. The other geocytes upon noticing the erratic behavior of a fellow brethren decided to approach it only to meet a swift demise as Sophie cut right through them with her blade-like appendages that shot out from within the empty shell of its prey.
'Hmmm…' She slowly made her way out of the geocyte from its mouth before extending a gelatinous appendage out as it contorted before spinning into place and turning into a human arm.
She grabbed the geocytes she had sliced in half and bundled them together before eventually turning her whole slime body back into her human form. She wore the exact same clothes from her excursion to the city with Luke, but unlike her petite appearance, she was able to lug the three bisected insects on her back.
"Ah…" She let out a sigh of satisfaction. "At least I'll be able to feed them."
With her left arm, she shifted it into a claw that she used to climb the steep incline before eventually coming across a narrow tunnel. As she carried her hunt with the right hand, she kept dragging her left fingers along the stone walls.
It had been a few months since she had fully taken control of her senses as an individual and those scrapped tunnel walls were the first few steps she had taken to become what she was today.
After a long walk, she reached the room where she had been born. A dome room filled with bits of frostburnt silver poking out of the walls in a soft light blue glow. A myriad of slimes covered the floor in a bulbous mound of gelatin. Once she approached, it felt like each and every single slime there reacted to her presence and surrounded her.
"I'm back. I'm sorry for leaving all of you unattended for so much time." She left the corpses on the ground and sat down on the uneven cave floor. "I learned a lot by just spending a little bit of time in the human world."
The slimes ever so slowly approached the meal as each just took a little bit of the geocyte's soft insides and left so others could partake in the gift of their queen.
"Ah… just being here makes me at peace…" She leaned her head against the stone wall and involuntarily smiled. "It brings me back…"
Upon closing her eyes she started to remember the day when she had met Leona in the flesh for the first time.