Placing Clouded Fang back into its sheath, it tries to break free for a few seconds, though then stops and remains static in its sheath.
"You can come out now. I'm done with the ogres."
As I spoke, I began to address the pile of flesh previously labeled as a blue ogre. Its situation was frightening from so much regenerating and decomposing, it had already even lost its humanoid head form, until it was now merely a ball of flesh with a mouth.
"I've seen it all since Clouded Fang. You've used its power and not been swayed by its words, well done."
"This causes me to shudder, Saya, I want this wise old man phase of yours to be over soon. But taking advantage of the fact that it's active, why don't you tell me what that is?"
Saya emerges from Clouded Fang, first in his small sphere form, then taking his old man form and starting to rub his beard while talking like a wise hermit.
He quickly pointed out the strangeness of the situation, though he used this strange moment of lucidity on his part to get me to give me information about that pink gem.
"Mmm... I don't know, but I can assure you that it is a source of energy and great power. I also feel a mixture of both negative and positive energy, both of which are in perfect balance."
He said something quite obvious like that it is a source of energy, although also something extremely interesting about a perfect harmony between opposing energies.
With the explanations done and that not without wanting to stay longer than necessary, due to the whining of the piece of meat called an ogre, I reach out my arm to pick up the pink colored gem from its fleshy head.
"Nothing happened..."
"Was something supposed to happen? Anyway, I'm off to rest. Keeping Clouded Fang sealed requires quite a bit of my energy, even with your help."
Lifting the gem, no, maybe it's a fragment of something even bigger, at least that's what its characteristics suggest. I begin to move it in my palm, feeling the differences between its jagged and pointed sides.
Erasing my thoughts about the fragment, I stop the movement of my hand when I hear Saya's words, to see how he enters inside the sheath, without uttering a sound.
"Decay overcame its regeneration within seconds after I removed the shard. Does that mean it amplifies a trait unique to the user? Hmm... Well, I'm not going to get the answers by staying here, but these tails certainly are quite useful."
The queues apparently move autonomously, while also being able to understand my subconscious thoughts. At least that's what I'm left to see in this situation, as I feel uncomfortable from the strong smell of decay and one of them automatically plugs my nose.
Ordering my thoughts aloud and others in my mind, I take a look at the situation in the surroundings, before moving towards the cave entrance. I didn't think something as naive as Izayoi's son still staying alive, but better to be safe, at the same time I get something to confirm his death.
"When you think there are no worse things and still manage to surprise you."
Inside the cave the atmosphere could be summarized as bestial and dark. Bones of different living beings are preserved in the corners as trophies, in the background you can see some branches from which hang animal and even human skins. Farther away from everything, there is a large smooth stone which is full of dried blood and a sharp stone rests in the center.
"Is it even possible to find anything halfway recognizable? Maybe the best option is to take the ogre's head as a token of his elimination and tell him about this situation?"
I had doubts and this is evidenced by the tip of one of my tails slowly stroking my chin, luckily I'm not ticklish. No!!!, that's not important, the thing is what should I do in this situation and fixing my ideas out loud didn't do any good.
"It will be the first plan and if he doesn't like it let him settle."
Deciding on that plan of action, I retreated in disgust from the cave and began to search for the corpse of the red ogre. This one was difficult to locate, all due to the color the earth is painted with after the Clouded fang attack.
With this finished and securing the severed head, I leave the place to look for a place to spend the night, as well as something to eat, not that I feel the physical need, but my mind desires it.
...Hours later…