Not even five minutes had passed since the Headmaster left us to our own devices, and we were already arguing.
“But she's the most experienced among us,” Bella says, clearly miffed.
“Is she? Didn’t you grow up delving the Chasm?” Cari retaliates. “The royalty of Bysmara are expected to be exceptional Delvers by the time they come of age.”
Bella scowls at her. “Just because I have training doesn’t mean—”
“And,” Cari interrupts, “that’s not even including all the education in actual leadership you’ve no doubt been through. Or tactics. Hells, probably even monster types.”
Bella snaps her mouth shut and glowers at Cari, clearly hoping to bore a hole through her skull with her glare alone.
I release an obnoxiously loud groan, and both turn their glares on me.
There are about five ways this could go, and almost none of them end well. But I really, really want them to like each other.
I can figure out why I want that so badly... later.
“Bella, why are you so against leading?”
My question seems to give her pause, her face softening slightly as she works up to an answer.
Then she sighs, all of her previous annoyance seeming to drain from her in one go.
“I don’t want to be shoved into a leadership role just because I’m a Princess,” she says, her voice low.
I quirk a brow at her. “Is that what she’s doing?”
While I hadn’t verbally picked a side yet, I absolutely agree with Cari here.
I was more than eager to take on a leading role in the last delve, but it brought to light several major flaws. Like the fact that, as a front liner, I almost never have a birds-eye-view on what’s going on to direct my party with.
Or the fact that I’m less a planner and more a... aggressive improviser.
Bella doesn’t answer right away. Instead, she goes quiet, her gaze drifting slightly as she turns the question over.
I wait.
Cari, surprisingly, does too.
Eventually, Bella exhales softly, folding her arms under her chest.
“...No,” she admits, her voice quieter than before.
Cari visibly relaxes, some of the tension bleeding from her shoulders.
“Great,” she says. “So we agree you’re objectively the best suited to lead, right?”
Bella’s eyes narrow.
“That wasn’t what I said.”
Cari shrugs, utterly unbothered. “You didn’t have to. You’ve got more training, better tactical knowledge, and you actually know how to manage a group without it devolving into chaos.”
She flicks a glance my way, and I give her my best exaggerated huff.
“It worked out,” I object.
Cari gives me an incredulous side-eye.
“...Mostly,” I amend, refusing to meet either of their gazes.
“...And,” Cari continues, “you’ve got actual experience making decisions that affect more than just yourself.”
Bella hesitates again.
I can practically see the argument forming in her head. The strange instinct to push back and reject it on principle.
Then it stalls.
“Objectively,” she says slowly, like the word itself tastes unpleasant, “I am likely the most qualified among us, yes.”
Cari beams.
“Perfect!”
Bella flinches at the enthusiasm.
I don’t.
“Great!” I chirp, grinning wide as I lunge forward and wrap my arms around both of them before either can react. “See? That wasn’t so hard!”
Cari laughs immediately, returning the hug without hesitation.
Bella freezes in place, so I squeeze them both just a bit tighter.
My ears flick with delight, my tail swishing behind me as she finally—hesitantly—returns the hug.
“Now we can stop arguing and actually get moving,” I add happily. “Teamwork, communication, and... all that good stuff.”
I pull back then, and instantly realize what I just did.
Bella stands there, posture rigid, her face just a touch warmer than it was mere seconds ago.
I clear my throat, very suddenly interested in literally anything else.
“Anyway!” I say a little too loudly. “We should, uh, get going!”
I spin on my heel before either of them can say anything, making a beeline for the platform.
Behind me, Cari snorts, failing to restrain herself.
I make it three steps before Bella calls out.
“Wait!”
My entire body stiffens.
“If I’m leading us, then there are some preparations to make first,” she says.
I slowly turn to face her, finding her cheeks quickly recovering from their previous flush. My own are remarkably stubborn, but at I can tell that the new medicine is doing wonders.
This whole situation helped me realize that it is, in fact, working. Really well, at that.
But even with that clarity, I don’t want to admit to—much less act on—any of it.
At least not until after my estrus.
Or maybe never.
Never’s probably easier, right?
Blessedly, Bella interrupts my train of thought before I can start spiraling.
“Emilia, may I have a private word?” she says.
For a moment, my heart nearly stops.
Then Cari smirks at me, and I stick my tongue out at her. She chuckles as she skips toward the dais, stopping just before the bottom step.
When she’s far enough away, Bella steps in close enough to whisper directly into an ear, and I desperately lean on my Charisma stat to remain calm.
Still, my heart tries to hammer its way out of my ribcage when her breath tickles the sensitive fur of my ear, making it flick.
“Careful,” I murmur, voice just a touch too soft. “If you get any closer, I might start getting the wrong idea.”
Her cheeks flush a pretty pink while I reconsider my life choices.
Gods, just kill me now please. I can’t handle this.
She opens her mouth as if to retort, then thinks better of it. Instead, she leans in just a fraction closer, and I forget how to breathe.
Wait, is she—was that just—
“I need a steady supply of mana during the delve,” she says, calm and measured despite the obvious blush. “Could you share some of yours again?”
I stare at her, momentarily stunned by her boldness. Then Fae Ferocity takes hold—eager, and far, far too willing.
Play.
I tilt my face up to hers and grin.
“You are playing a dangerous game, dear Princess,” I purr. “You didn’t say how much.”
Her eyes widen at my words, and her blush takes on a new level of intensity.
She caves immediately.
“Just the usual one and a half percent!” she hisses quickly, as if worried I might actually send too much.
My grin widens. “Are you sure?”
She pauses for a moment, her eyes flicking away as she no doubt tries to recall my shared Status from earlier.
With my mana no longer restricted, that much would be right at the limit of what she could handle.
Just as I have that thought, she seems to realize it, her mouth going slightly agape with surprise.
“No, just one percent,” she says.
I hum, letting my eyes wander over her face as I pretend to consider it.
Then I send the mana through the rings.
The effect is immediate.
Bella inhales sharply, the sound soft but unmistakable, and for a brief moment her composure slips.
The sigh that follows is quieter, controlled... but no less telling.
Then the realization hits.
She looks away, clearing her throat like she can redirect the moment by force.
“Thank you,” she says. “It will be safer now that I needn’t worry about running out of mana.”
Even as the embarrassment starts creeping in at the edges thanks to my blatant flirting, I don’t want to stop.
I know I’m going to regret every second of this the moment Fae Ferocity fades, but it’s just so... cute? Fun?
No... intoxicating. Addictive.
Bringing her out of her shell is dangerously satisfying.
The way she reacts—how that perfect composure slips just enough...
I could get used to that.
Way, way too easily.
I can’t tell if that’s good or bad, so I settle on ‘probably both’.
“Will that be all?” I ask, my tail swishing lazily behind me.
Bella’s crimson gaze returns to mine and seems to get stuck.
She opens her mouth. Closes it.
Then tries again.
Finally, after nearly a full five seconds, she very deliberately straightens, her composure snapping back into place.
“That will suffice,” she says, voice carefully even despite the lingering color at the tips of her ears.
For a moment, it looks like she might say something else... but then it’s gone. Instead, she turns with practiced grace and starts towards Cari and the platform.
I watch her go for half a heartbeat longer.
Then Fae Ferocity fades, and with it my own composure.
I scrub a hand over my face, slow and deliberate, trying not to scream.
Gods, I’m an idiot.
But when I reach my jaw, a memory hits me, rattling my mind with a terrifying idea.
“If I had objections, I would have voiced them then.”
That’s what Bella said to the Headmistress herself.
But... she didn’t object.
Not then.
Not now.
I try to banish the thought, but it refuses to go away. So instead, I crank up my pain tolerance and smack both cheeks at once, squishing my face between my hands.
The sting snaps me back into focus.
...Mostly.
The thought lingers, stubborn and unwelcome. I ignore it and quickly follow after her.
By the time we’re situated atop the platform, a new question comes to mind.
“How does this thing even work—” Cari begins, only to be interrupted.
Like last time, there’s suddenly a blinding flash of light as we are blanketed with mana.
Unlike last time, however, we appear right in front of a dungeon entrance.
Dungeon Discovered!Mountains of IgoraciaDifficulty: ModerateParticipants: 2 to 4Restrictions: Level 50+ (Overridden)
“Oh,” I murmur.
I glance around and find... nothing. Just the Tunnels, with a few dim passages of stone branching off from where we stand, and my party members.
Bella looks equally perplexed, and we share a confused look. Cari, though, seems completely unfazed.
Then she notices us and immediately goes on full alert, lowering into a defensive stance.
“What’s wrong?” she whispers.
Her eyes scan the space methodically, finding nothing, just as I had.
“When you were transported from the dais last time, did you appear in front of the Dungeon entrance just like this?” Bella asks.
Cari frowns.
“Yes, why?” she says—then realization dawns on her face. “Oh, you guys didn’t?”
I shake my head.
“No, we were placed outside of... actually, it doesn’t matter. I’ll tell you all about our delve some other time.”
Bella nods my way, her earlier fluster nowhere to be seen, then steps toward the entrance.
“If we’re ready, we should go in before something surprises us. Emilia, be ready to engage the moment we enter.”
Enter the Dungeon?Y / N
I nod along, activating All For One at maximum power, dropping my mana regen another seventy-five percent.
Cari activates her own boosting Skills, clear as day to me by the countless purple and black ethereal tentacles that phase into existence before slithering under her skin.
I suppress a shudder at the sight and select ‘yes’.
The moment I do, the world changes.
Cold air slams into me like a wall.
Not the damp chill of the tunnels, but something sharper.
Wind howls across a vast expanse of jagged mountains, their peaks swallowed by thick, rolling clouds. The ground beneath our feet is stone and frost, uneven and treacherous.
With my first breath in, the air burns in my lungs.
...And then it doesn’t.
My tail flicks as my body settles into the cold like I belong here, shifting the icy chill into a cool breeze.
I grin.
So my evolution improved more than just my stats and senses.
Many beastkin are known to be well suited for wintry weathers, but foxkin and bearkin were the champions of that category. Even still, before my evolution I could get cold.
I handled it better than humans even then, but it wasn’t like... this.
Now, I simply shrug off a breeze cold enough to freeze sweat on skin as if it were nothing.
Damn, I wasted money on getting a winter wardrobe...
Behind me, Cari shivers violently.
“Gods, that’s—” she cuts herself off with a gasp, then immediately presses into my side. “Okay, yeah, nope, you’re warm now. I’m staying here.”
I huff, but don’t push her away, instead wrapping my tail around her to offer some extra insulation.
Bella, meanwhile, steps forward into the wind as if she doesn’t feel it at all.
Then the Notice appears.
Quest AlertYou have found yourselves trapped atop a perilous mountain.Make your way to safety on the plains below.
Objectives:1. Survive for one week.2. (Optional) Slay the mountain guardian.
Rewards:Level up x2One enchanted item of rare rarity for each surviving party member.Note: Rewards doubled if all optional objectives are completed.
NoticeDue to your level greatly exceeding that of this dungeon, level up rewards have been drastically reduced.
I sigh, disappointed.
Bella’s eyes narrow slightly, taking in the terrain around us.
“Form up,” she says calmly. “Cari, do you have winter gear?”
Cari whimpers, but nods.
“Good. Get changed, quickly. Emilia, do you need to change as well?”
I give it a moment’s thought.
While my body is clearly able to handle the cold, will I be able to handle it indefinitely?
...Yes, I decide.
I can tell it’s cold, but it’s not actually cold to me. Strangely, it feels more like a summer breeze. Just... stronger.
I shake my head. “No, I should be fine. But I have winter clothes as well, if things change.”
She nods. “I will also be fine, thanks to my ice affinity.”
Then she pulls out a long length of rope from her storage.
She begins looping it around herself with quick, practiced motions. Around her legs, her hips, across her torso.
Her fingers move with quiet precision, tightening, adjusting, pulling just enough to secure without restricting. Every knot ending up exactly where it needs to be, like she’s done this a hundred times before.
It’s... oddly efficient.
She doesn’t fumble once. Doesn’t hesitate. Just works, calm and focused, the rope sliding into place as if it belongs there.
Then, after letting out a long length, she presses the bundle into my hands and gives me an expectant look.
I stare at her, suddenly at a loss for words.
Her cheeks take on a tinge of pink once more, though for an entirely different reason this time.
“I don’t have your level of Dexterity, and I don’t intend to test gravity today,” she says.
Realization slams into me then, and my grip tightens on the rope.
Too tight.
The rope creaks in my hands, the fibers straining under the force.
She nods. “Good, you understand. That said, neither of you are permitted to drop your boosting Skills while we are on this mountain. Is that understood?”
Her tone brooks no argument, so I just nod. Cari—now bundled in half a dozen extra layers—nods as well, then gives a sarcastic salute.
“Good. I’ll take up the rear,” she says, head bobbing as she thinks. “Cari, you have enough Strength while boosted to save me if I fall, so you’ll hold the rope and be in the middle. Emilia, you’ll lead the way.”
Then she pauses, as if only now remembering something.
“Are you able to see well enough to plot a path?”
I glance behind me, spotting a few possible routes and tracing them until they vanish into the mist.
“Yep, no problems there,” I say, passing the rope to Cari.
Bella's gaze follows it, then settles on Cari.
“Keep the rope taut, not tight,” she says. “If I slip, you anchor yourself immediately and buy time for Emilia to help. Even if you don’t think you need it.”
This time, Cari nods sharply, hugging the rope to her chest.
“I’m not too embarrassed to scream if I need to,” she says. “Emi’ll come running.”
Bella’s shoulders drop ever so slightly, as though some unseen tension just eased.
“Now then,” she continues, “we move carefully. The goal is down whenever possible, but safety first. If the only path we have leads further up, that will be the path we take.”
Both Cari and I shuffle in place, listening attentively. Secretly, I find myself incredibly glad that she’s the leader for this particular delve.
“Visibility is limited, and terrain like this favors ambush predators. It’s possible this ‘guardian’ is one such predator, so be ready for anything. Understood?”
We both nod.
“And Emilia,” she says, her gaze sharpening as it lands on me.
“Yeah?”
“No explosions.”
My ears droop even as I try to hide my disappointment.
Well that’s just no fun.