As Lima approached the massive marble golem, she walked between the two elves nonchalantly. Her tails fluttered behind as if she was telling them to relax. Arianna and Tipha watched in confusion and curiosity as Lima swayed past them, seemingly oblivious to their surprised stares.
"Tipha…is that?" Arianna said quietly.
"Y-yeah." Tipha replied, lowering her grimoire.
The golem, still looming ominously in the throne room, turned its glowing blue eyes towards Lima as she neared. The stone on the golem was burnt and battered from the fire. Without hesitation, Lima raised her hands, and a shimmering blue energy swirled around them. She summoned a barrage of sharp icicles that flew through the air with deadly precision. They rained down upon the golem, striking it with a series of piercing hits. The golem staggered under the relentless assault, which was actually able to pierce deep into the rock.
Lima's next move was swift and powerful. Her arms glowed with an intense blue light as ice began to encase them, forming ice gauntlets with claws extending from her fingers. Her gaze was fixed on the golem, and without a moment's hesitation, she dashed forward. The golem, now battered and weakened from the icicle barrage, and the various magic used by the elves, attempted to retaliate. This time however, Lima was ready. She surged through the golem's chest with her ice-clad claws extended, slicing through the marble with incredible force.. The ice claws cut through the golem's core with precision, leaving a gaping wound in its chest.
"DIE!" she yelled. With one final, decisive swipe, Lima struck the blue crystal embedded in the golem's chest. The crystal shattered into a million pieces, its light flickering out as the golem let out a shuddering groan. The giant marble construct crumbled and fell apart, its enormous frame collapsing into a pile of rubble.
As the dust settled, Lima triumphantly stood amidst the debris. As her gauntlets broke off, she looked back at Arianna and Tipha, who were now staring at her with a mix of admiration and disbelief. Clive, watching from the backline, couldn't help but smile. Without a second thought, Lima bounded over to him with a sultry walk.
Clive barely had time to react before Lima reached him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Her voluptuous form pressed against him, and he found himself comically smothered by her breasts. The softness and warmth of her body enveloped him completely, and he felt a slight blush creep up his cheeks as he struggled to maintain his composure. "Did I do a good job, Master?" she cooed into his ear.
Clive's face was partially buried in her embrace, his words muffled but sincere. "Y-You did great~" Clive smiled, "You can let go of me now…"
Lima giggled, "But I want to be with the master a little longer~" Lima's tails wagged happily, and she squeezed him tighter in her embrace.
Both Arianna and Tipha walked up to the embracing master and subordinate duo. "Seems like your little friend got an upgrade." Arianna giggled.
"How did this even happen, seventh prince?" Tipha asked.
Clive looked down in thought for a second, trying to recall what had happened. "My wrist…the emblem." he said.
"What about the emblem?"
"It glowed the first time I met Lima…and it did it again now." Clive explained, showing Tipha the mark on his wrist.
"The Emblem of Oshoen?" Tipha placed a hand on her chin, "I don't recall anyone with the mark of a royal having these powers…"
"Maybe Lima here is the answer?" Arianna added, "she might not be an ordinary demi-human."
"That could be a possibility." Tipha continued, eyeing Lima. The fox woman replied with a nice little smile. "We can look into this at our next stop. The Golem opened up the exit for us" Tipha then pointed over to the throne, where a new opening to a regal staircase going upwards could be seen.
"Miss Tipha…" Clive said, confused, "What even is the next stop?"
"It's the Great Mystic Forest, Remember?" Tipha sighed, "I was thinking that the Elven Lands would have an idea on her."
"Are you sure about going back there, Tipha?" Arianna asked, nudging her friend's shoulder.
"It's better to get an idea on Lima if we're going to bring her with us." Tipha added, "I guess going back once in a while would not hurt."
"I see."
Clive could sense that there was something off with Tipha whenever she mentioned the Elven Lands. Hopefully he wouldn't intrude in whatever it was. Regardless, he had bigger problems to deal with. "Lima…." he struggled to make out. "Can you let go now? I can't breathe."
"Only if you call me Miss Lima, like you do with the elves," Lima replied.
"H-HUH?!" Clive, caught between amusement and a hint of exasperation, could only stammer as he looked up at her. The situation was undeniably awkward, but Lima's genuine warmth in her eyes made it hard to resist. That, and he was losing air fast. He had to accept! "F-Fine…!" he blushed. "M-Miss Lima…"
"Good Master~" Lima said with a little laugh. She then turned to Tipha and Arianna and smiled. "Shall we continue, friends?"
Both of the elves looked at each other, unaware how to process the new mature Lima. "Sure…" Tipha said.
"Isn't this great Tipha?" Arianna then grabbed Lima's hands. "Little Clive now has another pair of hands to protect him on his journey." Hearing this, Lima felt resolved. She has gotten the respect of the elves, and is her Master's right hand woman. As the four members made their way towards the staircase, Lima was glad that she had met the bastard Seventh Prince of Oshoen.