Hey everyone!
As the note in the previous chapter stated, this is my last chapter before the hiatus! Hopefully it won't be too long, but I can't really control the stupid hamster that is my inspiration.
IN WITH THI STIRI!
~~~
{The Next Day}
With the 13500 gold that he received from his [Miraculous Money] perk for the fights in the tournament (1000 from the two normal monsters, 2500 for Alma Elma, and 10000 for Draco), Kevin decided to spend a bit before leaving for Plansect Village. Since Alice had already purchased as much Colosseum food as she could without bankrupting herself the previous day and convinced the Spirits to put all of it in his Bag of Holding, the only things he could think of buying were clothes for Sylph and Gnome.
If he learned anything from his previous life, it was that 'retail therapy' was a girl's best friend. With them still being clingy with his soul and refusing to come out yet, he hoped that heading around to the various tailors and clothing shops would entice them out. With the way that the city catered to just about every species of monster in one way or another, there had to be something that would fit the two of them.
It took a bit of walking around, but he eventually managed to find a shop that catered to small and tiny monsters. Ten minutes of browsing through the various rows of clothes, and commenting on how they would look on the two Spirits, eventually prompted them to return to the outside world to see the clothes for themselves. They still refused to lose physical contact with him, going so far as to bring him into the changing rooms so they wouldn't be apart, but he bore with it.
Dresses, shoes, skirts, shirts, and accessories were all purchased and thrown into the Bag of Holding, only to be taken out for special occasions in the future. It was interesting to see his wives in different outfits than the ones they'd had since they were first born, and not entirely unpleasant to watch the girls change into and move around in them. Sylph even shapeshifted to her full size at one point, proving that the innate magic of the Spirits would make it so anything they wore would scale up or down with them. Kevin hummed in interest at that, having previously thought that the dress Sylph wore changed with her size because it was part of her body.
'You learn something new every day,' he mused.
By the time they left the store, three hours had passed and the girls had each stuffed three dozen sets of clothing into the Eevee's backpack. They didn't wear any of them out, though, because it was quickly decided that each outfit would be saved for a special occasion. Some were for lazy days when they'd just be laying around, while others were for potential dates Kevin may take them on in the future. There were even a few that would serve as pajamas for when they cuddled together at night.
In the end, the retail therapy seemed to work, with both Gnome and Sylph back to their usual selves. Whether that was a good thing for the latter, though, was really up in the air.
"Are you finally ready to leave?" Alice asked, her boredom from spending the last few hours waiting outside showing.
Kevin nodded. "Unless you want me to take YOU clothes shopping too, I'd say we're all set."
"I'll pass," she declined. "The ribbon you bought me was the only thing in this entire city that suited my tastes, anyway."
Gnome took the opportunity to raise an eyebrow at the Monster Lord, then looked down while sending a thought to Kevin. "..."
The boy chuckled. "Probably."
As expected, Alice didn't like being left out of the loop. "What did she say?"
"Oh, she just pointed out the fact that most of the clothes in most of the shops around here are probably too 'modest' for someone like you," he replied without hesitation.
A tick mark appeared above her eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean!?"
"It means you dress like an exotic stripper!" Sylph helpfully chirped, not even attempting to hide her own giggles.
Despite wanting to deny this fact, the lamia knew it was true. She had made that exact same observation in her earlier days of training, but her mentors had reassured her that it was 'traditional for the Monster Lord to display her superior sexual appeal to the world.' Eventually, she'd just stopped complaining and learned to enjoy the freedom of movement they provided.
"At least I've got enough goods to show off," she shot back, her retort obviously directed toward Gnome.
Contrary to her expectations, the Earth Spirit actually showed a slight smirk.
"What?"
Kevin, once again, answered for the mute Spirit on his shoulders. "Contrary to what most of the world believes, Gnome isn't actually a flat-chested loli like you think. She chooses to look like this because her actual body is so stacked that it draws everyone's attention and always gets in the way of her everyday activities."
"...what?"
"I don't know enough about cup sizes and BHW values to give you exact measurements, but from her memories I can tell you that she has bigger breasts than any minotauros, wider hips than the average harpy, and an ass that would make a centaur jealous."
Sylph nodded in agreement. Out of all of the original Six Spirits, Gnome was the winner for biggest assets. The First Monster Lord came in second, with Ilias following her, and the remaining three generally having similarly sized busts and rears. It was a sore spot for some of them at first, but after seeing how inconvenient it was to have such heavy curves, their jealousy was replaced with pity.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Alice could practically feel the smug aura radiating from the child sized Spirit. Said aura remained even after they left the city, only ceasing hours later when they stopped to make camp.
{Two Days Later}
As could probably be expected from a place inhabited entirely by monsters of the Plant and Insect variety, Plansect Village looked nothing like any of the villages the wandering group had come upon so far. There were no buildings, roads, or other signs of civilization that one would normally associate with the villages of this world. Instead, it was entirely made up of trees, tall grass, and other plants that made it look like a slightly more dense section of the surrounding forest. If it weren't for the slightly-overgrown dirt paths and the holes in some of the larger trees with doors and windows in them, it would be difficult to tell that this was where an entire community of monsters lived.
"So…who wants to bet that something ridiculous will happen the moment we step through that arch?" Kevin asked, gesturing to the arch that the words 'Plansect Village' spelled out in vines and flowers.
Alice scoffed. "With your luck? My money's on you not even getting a chance to walk through before the next bit of insanity drags you in."
"As much as I want to agree with Kevin, I think Alice is right," Sylph admitted, not sounding as guilty as she probably wanted to.
"..." Gnome nodded in agreement.
The Eevee didn't know whether to be proud that they were all finally acknowledging the narrative tropes the world ran on like him, or offended that they blamed it all on his shitty luck. Either way, he smirked. "Two hundred gold says I can make it through before the plot point."
"I'll take that action," Alice grinned back.
Neither Gnome nor Sylph bet, of course, because their money was Kevin's, and vice versa. It wouldn't do them any good to bet against him. Maybe next time, when there were non-monetary stakes on the line, but not now. They did disappear into his soul, though, so as not to get in the way.
Not wanting to leave things up to chance, Kevin channeled a combination of Electric Type and Flying Type into his body, giving him the speed boost he would need to cross the entrance to the village within seconds. Though he was sure that he could make it in time at a normal speed, he didn't want to leave it up to fate when money was on the line. Especially considering whose hands his fate was in.
It was just as he reached the archway that the cries of panic reached his ears, causing him to trip and faceplant on the other side. Looking up and spitting out a mouthful of dirt, was greeted by the sight of a small gathering of monsters in a standoff.
On one side were three insectoid monster girls, the first of which appeared to be a woman's armless torso sticking out of the body of a giant brown moth. Next to her was a girl with a large caterpillar in place of her legs, though she actually did have functioning arms, which made her easier to look at than her companion. Rounding out the trio was a woman with the lower half of a mosquito, though for some reason it was blue with black patterns that extended up the left side of her human half in the form of tattoos.
[Moth Girl]
[Type: Bug/Flying]
[Caterpillar Girl]
[Type: Bug]
[Mosquito Girl]
[Type: Bug/Flying]
On the other side of the conflict were a pair of plant monsters. One looked like a woman in a yellow and green dress; or at least, she did until Kevin looked closer to see that her arms ended in large flowers, and her legs were replaced by a spiral of vines. Beside her was a monster who couldn't be mistaken for a human, even if one tried. Hunched over with a large flower on her back, with four large legs composed entirely of brown roots, the only things she had in common with a normal woman were her head and breasts, and even those were colored in the same wooden hue as the rest of her.
[Alra Arum]
[Type: Grass]
[Alra Rooty]
[Type: Grass]
Just the fact that both sides had their designations and typings revealed to him by the System let Kevin know that neither side was the 'good' side. The plant girls may be the ones getting attacked, but they were by no means innocent in any way, shape, or form.
"Hehem" the moth girl chuckled maliciously. "Is that all monsters from the plant race have? If so, then you're all finished!"
The mosquito girl hummed in agreement. "Ahaha, I'll suck up all of your bodily fluids," she taunted.
"Ehehe. It's our victory," the caterpillar girl concluded smugly.
"Kuh," the Alra Arum grunted. "To think you all would corner us here."
The Rooty one glared. "If I wasn't injured, I'd deal with you damn insects!"
It should also be noted that the five of them were surrounded by wounded monsters. None of them were dead, but a few of them from both sides looked as if they were in dire need of medical attention. Even the defensive and regenerative capabilities of monsters had limits, after all.
"Where are our reinforcements?" the more humanoid alraune grunted, the desperation of her situation setting in.
She didn't get an answer before the caterpillar girl took the opportunity to shoot a wave of silk at the plant monsters, looking to bring the drawn-out conflict to its logical conclusion. As the two remaining Alraunes struggled against their stick prison, it appeared as though their fate was sealed –
–only for them and the insects to be interrupted by a loud groan of frustration.
All five monsters turned to see a body lying face down, a few yards away from all of them, that didn't belong to either side. It appeared to be the body of a kitsune, though the scent coming off of it was definitely male. Additionally, the boy wasn't unconscious, as was apparent by the way he was repeatedly slamming his head into the ground.
"Ugh," they heard him moan in exasperation. "Not only did I lose the bet, but now I have to deal with this crap? My luck really is shit."
Sylph suddenly appeared in the air next to him. "Come on, Kevin! It isn't that bad! Look at the bright side!"
"What bright side?" he asked, turning his head to give her a raised eyebrow.
"Well, if you want to take your anger out on someone, there are five monster girls right there," she pointed out. "Pick a side and have fun!
Gears started turning in the boy's head. He had been half tempted to just leave the two groups of monsters to their fight, and then try to talk things over with whoever won. The possibility that the winners would also attack him was there, but it would mean that he had less annoyances to deal with. However, with the new perspective given by his Wind Spirit companion, he determined that wiping out one on his own and indebting the other to him might be easier. Should the side he saved attack him anyway, then he would just put them down too.
Picking himself up off the dirt, the boy patted Sylph on the head. "Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely put it to good use."
The Wind Spirit visibly preened at the praise she was given, before once again returning to her spot inside his soul.
Turning to face the confused monsters, Kevin clapped his hands. "Alrighty then! I only have one question to ask all of you: who started it?"
Both sides were left speechless. It was one thing for a human to suddenly appear in their village, but for him to ask such a question out of the blue? In the middle of a battlefield, no less? Did he have a few screws loose or something?
"A human coming to the village? How unusual," the mosquito girl commented.
"I don't think he's their reinforcements," the moth girl commented. "He might just be an intruder."
It seemed that their bug brains weren't properly processing what he was asking, focusing more on the novelty of his sudden appearance instead. The plant girls, though, could feel some of the power rolling off of him, and the way he had a deep connection to the flora around him buried deep inside of him. They weren't going to let the chance to turn the tides slide.
"It was them!" the Alra Arum declared, pointing one of her flowers at the trio of bug girls. "They're the ones who attacked us first!"
The three insect monsters looked at each other in confusion. Technically, she was correct, as this particular offensive movement had been instigated by the insect races of the village, but that was mainly due to the ongoing war effort between the two sides. The plant races had originally started the war, they were just retaliating as could be expected.
Kevin could see the deception in the eyes of the Alra Arum, but he didn't really care. As far as he was concerned, the easiest way to beat up both the insect and plant leaders would be to pick a side, fight for that side, get betrayed, and then destroy the side that betrayed him. It was at least relatively easier than fighting both sides at the same time.
"Alright then," he nodded in understanding, facing the bugs. "I'll give you three one chance to leave without me kicking your faces into the dirt."
Unlike the alraunes, the insect monsters couldn't detect the well of power deep within him –mostly due to the fact that he didn't have his Bug Type form unlocked yet –so they assumed that he was just bluffing. After all, what could a male possibly do to stop them?
"If you're defending the plant monsters, then you're our enemy too!" the moth girl shouted, visibly preparing to fight.
"Haha! Today will be quite the feast!" the mosquito girl laughed as she, too, prepared for the coming action. "In addition to vegetable juice, I'll get to suck out some human semen!"
Contrary to her companions, the caterpillar girl's words were a lot less eloquent. "Enemy! Enemy! Get him!"
Now, under normal circumstances, Kevin would've immediately changed into his Flareon form and solved everything with a healthy dose of hellfire. However, there was a high probability that he'd need to be lucid enough to talk with the leader of the plants after this confrontation, and he didn't trust his Fire Type evolution to not just preemptively set her on fire just for the hell of it. When paired with the fact that changing back to his Eevee form would lock out his access to that evolution for the rest of the day, it was obvious that evolving right now wasn't the most optimal option.
So, instead, he used a few moves that had long since been made available to him, but had mostly been ignored in favor of direct evolution.
Taking a running start, the teenager first targeted the caterpillar girl. The sudden action may have surprised her, but it wasn't nearly as surprising as the fact that halfway to her, he was suddenly engulfed in flames. She only had enough time to widen her eyes in shock before he slammed into her, dealing enough damage to seal her into the form of a small bug in a single blow.
[Sizzly Slide – Fire Type Move]
[Description: The user cloaks themself in fire and charges at the target. This also leaves the target with a burn.]
With her down, he didn't give the two airborne monsters enough time to register what had just happened before he unleashed his next Move. Pointing one of his hands at each of them, he channeled an ungodly amount of Electric Type Energy into his palms. In the time it took for them to make eye contact with him and realize how screwed they were, the Move had been unleashed.
[Buzzy Buzz – Electric Type Move]
[Description: The user shoots a jolt of electricity to attack the target. This also leaves the target with paralysis.]
With the sudden paralysis immobilizing their wings, both dropped out of the sky like sacks of rocks. The Move hadn't done enough damage to seal them, but that was nothing a good curb stomping couldn't fix. It only took a few kicks and punches, which helped Kevin relieve some of the stress from losing his bet, for them to shrink down into their sealed forms.
"You saved us!" the Alra Rooty happily cheered. "But…who are you?"
"At first glance, I'd say you're a human. But…the natural aura you hold within you is almost as powerful as that of our priestess," the Alra Arum commented as well,
The boy shrugged. "Does it really matter? I saved you, so now you owe me some answers."
~~~
And that's a wrap! Wish me luck on getting inspiration back for MGQE, and look forward to other stories I might also be publishing in the near future!