Brian launched himself into the water with a cannonball, hoping to wash away the lingering stench of rotten eggs and started rubbing the gunk off him while talking to Paul who sat by the shore and Aria settled down in his lap. "So who is this new friend of yours?"
"Her name's Aria."
"Not to be rude, but where did she come from and what species is she?"
"Ah, that's right, I never asked you what your species is," said Paul.
"I'm a Lamia."
"What's a Lamia," said Paul.
"I'm a snake-female from the Shadow Realm."
"What's the Shadow Realm?" said Brian.
"You know, Celestial Realm, Mortal Realm, Shadow Realm," Aria said.
"So you're from Hell?!" said Brian.
"What's land of tortuous burning? I've never heard of it before. I'm from a place with different shades of gray, white, and black. Even the trees, sky, and ground are those shades. There are creatures like gargoyles, trolls, and undead there."
"How did you get out?" said Paul.
"There was a patch of total darkness in the Mortal Realm and I chose to go through the black portal that appeared in my realm."
"So what are Lamia like?"
"We're moderately common in the Shadow Realm because we can choose to have young whenever we want and often have more than one egg at a time. We're mana beings who feed off life energy and seduce males for sustenance, but there are a lot of deadly monsters in the Shadow Realm and young usually move out of the nest after a few weeks, so survivability rates are fairly low."
"I guess I'm not too surprised, you did try to suck out my life energy when we first met and then found other methods," Paul said and smirked.
"She tried to kill you?!" said Brian.
"Yeah, but we worked everything out between us, she doesn't want to kill me anymore, do you Sweetums?"
"It would be more beneficial long-term for me to maintain our current arrangement for as long as I'm able, so I currently have no interest in terminating you," said Aria.
"What is your current arrangement?" said Brian.
"We're romantic partners," said Paul.
"I'm sorry? How did you go from her trying to murder you to being romantic partners?" said Brian.
"I switched my strategy to get my nourishment, it was a simple logical solution," said Aria.
"I don't want to know, but doesn't that mean that if he becomes unavailable for whatever you're doing with him, you will try to murder him again?"
"That would be the logical conclusion," said Aria.
"How would you like to join my harem," said Paul.
"Your harem?" Aria and Brian said.
"That's right! Every great fantasy hero should have his own monster girl harem," said Paul.
"But won't she eventually try to kill you?"
"She won't try to kill me as long as I keep her well-fed."
"Hmm...what would this arrangement entail?" said Aria.
"You would stay with me exclusively as your romantic partner and I provide you plenty of nourishment."
"If I decide that I want to have some eggs later would you be the father?"
"I would, but I hope that you aren't planning on having them anytime soon, but I would have other females in the harem," Paul said.
"It is normal for powerful males or females to have more than one partner, it is a sign of their strength," she said while waving her hand dismissively. "You would make an excellent biological contribution and the nourishment you provide would make it easier for me to raise my cultivation. I am also currently incapable of defeating you in battle, I see no downside to this arrangement for me," said Aria.
"Do you love him?" said Brian.
"I appreciate his ability to provide nourishment, excellent biological matter, strength, and an amiable personality, which are my main priorities when selecting a partner. This is essentially what most females are instinctively looking for in a partner, I'm just actively looking for what I desire. So in a way, I suppose you could say that I love him, although I do not have those fond feelings that are associated with such emotions. My species rarely experiences them, but I'm not opposed to attempting them. It would benefit my future offspring if my mate shared fond emotions with me."
"There you have it, she loves me," said Paul.
"Right...," said Brian.
He began to swim away, searching for a way to convince Paul against inviting a creature from a bizarre dimension that drains the life of its victims onto their expedition. As he paddled further, the murky water unexpectedly started to churn, sending large ripples across the surface. Something emerged behind him, giving him a gentle poke in the back. Startled, he spun around, but the mysterious creature quickly submerged, only to poke him again from behind. Panic set in as he scanned the water, anxious about what lurked beneath the surface, prompting him to swim back to shore. Just then, the creature surprised him by darting between his legs, lifting him effortlessly onto its back, and wrapping two tails around his waist to hold him steady. It was a magnificent creature, resembling a large fox with shimmering white and light blue fur. The tips of its ears and three tails appeared to be made of water, and its big, soulful blue eyes were utterly adorable. It emitted a playful purring sound before diving and splashing around like a dolphin with a new toy.
"What is this thing?! Brian yelled
Aria gasped in astonishment as she gazed at the creature before her. "A young storm fox is truly hard to find. They tend to inhabit locations that align with their elemental affinities of lightning or water, possess abundant mana, and are situated in secluded areas. This region seems to fulfill all of those criteria. It likely came here drawn by the significant mana you emit and the scent of eggs, which all fox species find irresistible."
"It's not going to try to eat me, is it?"
Aria chuckled. "The maximum outcome is that it may remove some of the odor from your body. It appears to be engaging with you and shows a preference for your presence. If I were in your position, I would appreciate the experience, as storm foxes are typically solitary creatures. It is essentially in its juvenile stage."
"This giant thing is a baby?!"
"The size observed is not typical; they have the ability to increase in size when channeling water or lightning. The uniformity of its tails indicates that it is a juvenile, as it has only recently begun to develop some of its abilities. It is unusual for storm fox kits to be solitary; it is plausible that its family was lost, leading it to seek companionship with you due to loneliness" said Aria.
~~~~~~~~~~
Olivia arrived at the carriage, and as soon as it detected the approaching watercraft, the hatch swung open on its own. She maneuvered the ramp, secured the craft, and removed her mask. Scanning her surroundings, she noticed no one in sight except for Pyr, who stood by the entrance, eagerly awaiting her.
"Did you find me a wisp?"
"We can't locate Paul and Brian; they vanished and aren't responding on their masks. Can you contact Elek and Fin? We need assistance in finding them," said Olivia.
A short while later, after Olivia had filled Elek and Fin in on what was happening, Elek approached Jayla's bedroom door, ready to knock. However, he was startled by a series of loud thuds echoing from within. Without hesitation, he flung the door open and was met with a shocking sight: Jayla was tumbling across her bedroom floor, engulfed in flames, crashing into the walls and furniture while letting out frantic yelps.
He blinked his eyes and calmly walked into the room. "Well it seems pretty apparent what your manifested superpower is."
"Help me! I can't get the fire to go out!"
He approached Jayla and bent down, placing his hand on her shoulder, and in that moment, the fire was extinguished.
She inhaled deeply and then coughed, her throat sore and muscles aching from all that wild flailing after waking up to the shocking realization that she was engulfed in flames. "How did you do that?"
"My manifested power allows me to absorb the energy that others emit when they utilize their powers, but this can only occur when I am in physical contact with them. I store the energy I collect and employ it to enhance the spells I have studied. While my ability may not be particularly formidable, as it requires direct touch with the source of the energy, it has proven beneficial in supporting my spellcasting," Elek said.
"Wow, that's awesome!"
A slight smile crossed his face. "I appreciate your thoughts. Many would consider it a pointless ability, but I like it. We need to use the carriage to locate the other heroes. It appears that Brian and Paul are missing, but there's no reason to worry; the beacons on their boats will lead us right to them.
~~~~~~~~~~
Brian began to stroke the top of the fox's head, realizing that the storm fox posed no threat to him. In fact, the little creature was quite adorable once you got over the initial surprise. It purred softly and leaned in to lick his hand affectionately. After some time spent playing with the fox, he suddenly sensed an unusual pressure in the atmosphere, accompanied by an unsettling feeling of being observed. In an instant, the fox emitted a sharp hiss and bolted toward the shore, swimming with all its might. Just as it neared the land, a colossal wave surged from the depths, bringing with it a swirling mass of water that resembled a spiked, wingless dragon.
Coming Next Time: Rescue Mission (part2)
Intense showdown unfolding in the depths of the water and where exactly do you want me to place my head?