Melody was still a little surprised with the impact of the gun, and admittedly, a bit intoxicated with the experience, but the transformation made her go numb.
"The one you just fired is a Tazerling" Shaun explained "It can produce electric waves that paralyze its enemies, using it too many time without a break can cause harm to the slinger, the one who own the blaster"
The woman walked over to catch the slug, who happily climbed her hand, but didn't dare to go to her shoulder, probably because of Diva and Mirage, who glared at it.
"This appearance is called Protoform" She said "And the other one is the Velocimorth, it can be achieved when a certain amount of speed is reached"
The woman patted the slug with her finger, making it churr loudly.
"I have to take several hours every day at least just to fire them to let them steam off" She admitted "I'm still a bit sore from shooting thousands of slugs for five hours straight."
Five hours!?
And she does this every day?
She looked at the woman in a new light, admitir her stamina and durability.
"But well"
Getting Melody's attention, Shaun got closer.
"Would you like to buy any of these little guys and a blaster?" She asked "Each one of the slugs is five low-grade cores, and the blaster is ten middle-grade core, and, to easy your mind, the cores are used to maintain this place's protection arrays and a few more things that slug energy can't cover, like electricity"
"Why not electricity?" Melody asked "These Tazerlings can produce electricity, why not use them?"
"Their ability is good for attacks" Shaun explained "Not for daily used, believe me, I'v tried, not a good experience"
Melody hesitated.
How could she not?
The experience of shooting was exaliating, the recoil was amazing even if unexpectedly strong and the transformation was a pleasant and surprisingly amazing sight.
If it was true that they produced energy capable of restoring nature and charging the mecha, she had no reason to not buy them.
Even the price of monster cores didn't seem that much now that she saw what they could do.
She thought for a long moment.
If she buyed all of it, she could go back to the city without worrying, and maybe sooner than she expected, not just that, but she could also make a report to the guild.
A way to preserve nature was most needed right now since the presence of more Demonic Beasts around the city was causing big damage to the flora.
With that in mind, she decided.
"I'll buy everything"
She saw Shaun let out a sigh of relief, body relaxed, and just then Melody noticed how nervous she looked, along with her slugs, while the trio of slugs cheered happily.
Seems like she wasn't the only one nervous with the situation.
"Since you'll take everything" Shaun said "What about we get your blaster and Mecha customized? And the customers first purchase will have a few benefits"
That brought her attention.
"What benefits?" She asked curiously.
She soon received the answer while Shaun started to walk
"The benefits include: Three packages of food for the slugs, a pack of cylinders and one repairment and extra customization for both Blaster and Mecha if anything happen to them in the span of three months, all free of charge, the customization of a new blaster and Mecha are a service on the house for all customers, along with free treatment for injured or sick slugs and a manual about blasters, mechas and slugs"
Nodding, Melody followed the woman.
She was actually happy with these benefits, as she completely forgot about the food for the little creatures.
___
Melody was now in front of the entrance, riding on her new sky blue mecha panter, her also sky blue sharpslinger attached to her back with a belt, her gun was in her spacial beg with the rest of the supplies and books, and her slugs secured on the belt in her waist, along with her sword.
She felt a bit insecure in letting them there, but Shaun said it was safer for them that way, as the belt would keep them in place and that they could fall from her soldier during the ride.
She imagined that happening and was quick to agree with her.
Her mecha and blaster had been customized to something she was more comfortable with, like a better grip, a weight adjustment or size change.
She could now say that she was fully comfortable with her mecha and blaster.
With a polite nod, Melody bid farewell to the woman and then started to move.
"Until next time!" She heard Shaun shout.
And then she officially left the Ninety Nine Caverns, not entirely ready to return to the dying forest full of beasts.
***
Nolan was worried.
He had just returned from a mission when he heard that his sister had been kicked out of her party, joined another party and went on a mission.
He had gone to ask Nike, his best friend and guild master, how could he let something like that happen.
But he knew that Nike wasn't at fault, as the man was in a mandatory reunion with the guild master of other guilds.
All he could do was wait for his sister to come back and offer a place in his party.
But then her new party came back.
Without her.
He saw red, and he held the team leader by the throat when he said that she was killed by monsters, only letting him go at Nike's and his party mates' command.
There was no way Melody would just die.
Not when her level was much higher than this party.
But he held back.
For now.
___
It had been hours, and Melody didn't appear.
He was seated, leg moving up and down in agitation while his party mates tried to calm him down.
He was so agitated that it took him a moment to register the piece of information that came from Nike, who came out of his office by kicking the poor door.
"The gate guards just reported Melody's return!"
He let out a sigh of relief, body relaxed while his sister's party members paled.
He noticed this, but didn't say anything, more preoccupied with the fact that his sister had returned.
A few moments later, there she was, a young human woman with blond hair and blue, tired eyes, with a few scratches and with clothes a bit torn, but nonoless well.
All he could do was dash to her.
***
She had barely walked past the door of the guild building when she crashed at a solid wall of muscles.
"Mel!"
She smiled while feeling her body being lifted from the ground.
A big male ogre with red skin, white hair and red eyes with black sclera hugged her with a gentleness that was uncanny to his size, but she was already used to it by now.
That was Nolan, her older brother.
Yeah, it was strange for a human and an ogre to be siblings.
She was adopted as a toddler, Nolan's family took her with open arms, he was the best brother one would want.
But sometimes he could be a bit overprotective.
"I'm fine brother!" She said.
Nolan had brought her to the guild master office, Nike was there, along with Nolan's party.
Nike
"Nonsense!" Said the ogre "How could you be fine!"
"She is fine"
Nike finally spoke, ears lowered in releath, he had been healing her wounds for a few moments, and now she was truly well.
Nike was an elf, his blond hair and handsome looks were just a bonus to his incredible healing and attack abilities.
"Yeah! Give her some space!"
At her brother's side was a woman with golden eyes, cat ears and tail, her hair and fur reminded one of a calico cat, with her was her twin brother, with the same color, he was nodding calmly at her side.
"She's stronger than she looks, no need to fret over her"
On her brother's shoulder was a little green man with short black messy hair and long pointy ears, not as long as Nike's, but still long.
Her brother party, Beast Tide, was a party composed by demihumans, Nolan the barbarian ogre, Cali and Collin, the twins swordsmen half beast folk, and Gideon, the goblin thief.
Decades ago, the same rifts that brought Demonic Beasts to this world also started to bring different races that look way too similar to the ones they were fighting.
So yeah, there was a good fight before the misunderstanding was solved, now the races are kind of more welcomed.
It was still a nightmare to walk in smaller towns, as all three races have their Demonic Beast versions.
Her brother was still fretting over her when she noticed Nike's gaze on her waist.
Right, the slugs!
"I'm really fine!" She said "But now that's not important, I have something to report!"
She immediately pulled the cylinders from her belt, revealing the three slugs (that she now knew were a Tazerling, an Arachnet and a Rammstone), to the group, Nike's gaze following her movements.
"On my way back" She said "I've found a place that sell this guys and a few more things, the owner said that they produce energy capable of helping nature to grow healthily, I brought some to confirm that with Nike"
Nike, as an elf, was well versed in life energy, as his race lived in areas full of nature, so he could feel air and judge its purity.
That was one of the reasons elven kind was the first race to be welcomed in society.
Nike stared at the slugs, who stared back at him, both sides were curious.
"Them the owner was telling the truth" He finally said "They're radianting life energy, and it's surprisingly pure, it's been a while since I've came in contact with such purity"
She smiled happily at that, after all, how could that not be good news?
"And these three don't even produce that much!" She said.
She quickly put the slugs on her belt, the Tazerling jumping from his (as Shaun informed her this one was a male) cylinder and climbing her hand to go to her shoulder.
She didn't reject him, as she was now getting used to their presence.
She also took one of the manuals from her bag, the one which talked about slugs, and searched for a specific one, turning the manual to Nike when she found it.
"This one is a Fandango" She said "Here is said they're are the one who really produce this energy, as it is the species biggest and only function"
She read a bit of the manuals as her mecha and blaster where being customized, there she learned about a few slugs and a few things about her mecha.
Such as the fact that, different from the semples, her's would have a personality on its own, and that it was projected like this for loyalty proproses.
It would be stupid if her mecha was stolen like her things were just because someone other than her decided to ride it, so she accepted the adicion.
Nike took the manual, reading carefully while Cali approached, curious.
"These little things produce life energy?" She said, dubious "How come?"
She then started to poke the Tazerling, who didn't sound at all pleased.
"Cali" Melody called, a bit worried "I don't think that's a good-"
Too late, the Tazerling did what it did the best.
Electrocuted her on the sport.
Cali was soon left stunned, a bit burned, her hair and fur puffed and with a few sparks still appearing here and there.
"This little guy is a Tazerling" Melody said "He produce electricity"
Cali opened her mouth, but didn't respond, only letting out a little cough with a smoke cloud.
The rest of Beast Tide was as surprised as Cali, but Nike only stared for a moment, a bit stunned, before quickly going through the manual pages, definitely looking for the page that talked about Tazerlings.
"I notice that this manual talks about shooting them and transformation" Nike said, not taking his eyes from the manual, but a bit of worry in his voice "How does it work?"
A question she could answer!
"I tested it myself, and it's pretty practical, and don't worry, it doesn't hurt them, they actually need speed to use these abilities to the fullest, and this thing"
She took her blaster from her back and put it on her lap.
"This is a blaster" She said "It use these guys energy to create the acceleration they need to transform and properly attack"
The Tazerling on her shoulder jumped on the Blaster, an expectant gaze in his eyes made Melody chuckle.
"What about we move to the training grounds?" She offered "I can show you much more"
Nike was quick to agree, and, while they moved to the training ground, Melody went to fetch her Mecha.
Nike would love this thing!
She stepped out of the guild building, where she left her mecha, when she saw a familiar face.
"Old Festus!"
A dwarf was running circles over her mecha, his beard and hair had a bit of gray, as the age was starting to get him, as much as he denied.
That was Festus, the best blacksmith of the kingdom.
When he saw her, he only grunted a greeting, not really giving her much attention before muttering assumption.
The old dwarf was, like the whole race, a fanatic when the subject was technology, so he most definitely would find the mecha interesting.
She watched the scene with an amused slime.
"Are you curious about the mecha?" She asked.
She never saw the old man move so fast, appearing in front of her in a second.
"You know that thing!?" He asked.
"Yeah?" She responded "It's mine"
"Yours!?"
The man seems to be this close to having a heart attack, hands moving wildly from the mecha to her and she could tell that he wanted to talk about something.
Until his eyes stopped in her blaster.
And she could feel the question starting to form on his head.
"How about you follow me?" She suggested "I was going to show this to the guild master"
The dwarf nodded furiously, and they soon were in the training grounds, her mecha rubbing its head at her side.
"So" Nolan started when he saw her "How did you get all this and how does it work?"
And so she started to explain everything, from the reason she lost herself and how she ended up in the Ninety Nine Caverns.
On the way she even demonstrated how to use blasters and the mecha, showing them the manuals, much to Festus' delight, and letting them shoot, much to the slugs delight.
Nike was the most interested among the group, having been amazed by the mecha.
The elven kind was originally a race that used beasts as mounts, but now tamable beasts were rare and hard to maintain, so the mecha seemed to be a good alternative.
"It feels like a real beast" He said, a childish smile on his face.
In fact he was so happy riding the mecha that he nearly didn't let the others try it out.
Her brother didn't try, scared of breaking it with his weight and the scolding he would receive from Festus if he did so, nor did Gideon, as he was too short, making him sulk a bit.
Goblins too, used to ride beasts, so he missed a good mount.
"The owner have other models" She comforted them "I've saw some I think you'll like"
They only smiled meekly at that.
It took a few more minutes for the group to calm down, Nike a bit reluctant to get down from the mecha and Festus nearly poking holes in the manuals as he read them.
"What do you think?" She asked.
There was a moment of silence, they' all thinking.
The first to speak was Collin.
"I honestly think the blasters and… slugs? Was it?" After receiving an affirmative nod from Melody and Nike, he continued "Are pretty useful, they don't seem be that dangerous-"
A scoff could be heard from Cali.
"-If not provoked" He added "But they are still unknown creatures, even if they produce life energy, they could still cause harm"
Her slugs, now on her shoulder, chirped and snarled in indignation, their tune showing their offense.
"I agree with Collin" Gideon said.
"Me too" Nolan and Cali said.
She did expect this, so she wasn't surprised.
"I have to disagree"
What surprised her was Nike, who normally agree with the others.
"I feel no Malice on them" He announced "They're not dangerous"
Right, Nike could identify malice.
Malice is how elves call the demonic energy and the things affected by it.
Things or people affected by Malice can't be hidden from an elf, no matter how much you try to disguise it with life energy.
If he said that there is no Malice, then there is nothing to fear.
And actually…
"Not even a little bit?" Gideon asked.
All creatures carried a bit of Malice, a side effect of the environment, it affected their mind and made them aggressive.
It would need a high priest to eliminate most of it from the body.
"Nada" Was the answer "Just pure life energy"
There was a bit of silence.
That was something to process.
A being of pure life energy was impossible to find nowadays, only beings less affected by Malice.
And these guys even radiate it…
Even Festus was paying attention now.
"How much did you pay for all of this?" Nike asked Melody.
"One high-grade core for the mecha, ten middle-grade cores for the blasters and five low-grade cores for each slug"
All eyes widened at the price and she could only show an awkward smile.
That's the moment a few stomachs started to show their displeasure.
"I should feed them" She said.
A few of them nodded.
***
Nike was back at his office, thinking.
He had let the rest go for the day, as Nolan was still worried for his sister.
He now was left to ponder.
Should he ho and see for himself the place?
By Melody's report, he could tell that the place was the old mine that was abandoned years ago because of the growth of Malice in the land.
But it was still suspicious that a place selling such a miraculous creature right when the levels were too high for comfort.
It was impossible to be just a coincidence.
He sighed, hand covering his face.
He needs to check this place.
___
"So it 's here?"
Nike, Beast Tide, Festus and Melody were in front of the Ninety Nine Caverns.
After a few days of preparation, they came here in a carriage pulled by Melody's mecha.
The place was huge, but what was more surprising was the amount of life energy around the place.
It nearly blinded him for how much this place shone with energy, and he had to admit that he got a little drunk when his body absorbed a bit of it.
It's been a while since he'd seen this much energy to spare, so he unconsciously took it.
Fortunately he recuperated without anyone noticing.
Melody's mecha stopped and she hopped out of its back before turning to them.
"This is the place where I've buyed everything"
She took them in, the sound of a bell announcing their arrival.
"Hello!" Melody called out "Is anyone there?"
At first, no one answered, but then a loud chirp came from the counter.
Nike turned to see a slug similar to one he saw in the book.
A Pieper slug.
But this one had a cobra-like hood, not a crest like the one in the book.
"Diva!"
Melody approached the counter, her slugs sitting proudly on her shoulder as Nike and the others followed the girl.
"I've brought some friends to look around" She said to the slug "Could you call Shaun?"
It seemed a bit strange to talk to the slugs at first, but everyone got used to it in the last few days.
Even Festus, who visited a lot to analyze the mecha, softened a little around them.
He watched as the little thing nodded before bouncing it's way to the other side of the counter, where a one of these strange tubes was.
It stopped in front of an open one, stared at it for some time and then jumped in, disappearing in the tube system that took it away.
They stared at the place where the slug was a few moments before.
So this whole system was there to help them move around?
Quite interesting, to be honest.
But how do they know where they'll end up?
Another thing to ask the owner when she arrives.
But now he was more interested in the large section of mechas.
He felt like a child in a candy store.
But little did he know what awaited him.