"I'm still not sure about this," Nero yelled to his companions.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Octavia yelled back. He would have taken more comfort in her words if he couldn't hear the humor in her voice. "The more eccentric the montage, the more powerful you will become. That is common sense."

"The how come my common sense is disagreeing?"

"Because you have none!" She outright laughed now, Medea joined in, and even Claudia was using a hand to cover her mouth and stifle chuckles.

"Fine! How is this going to work anyway?" He gave up on arguing, deciding that he wasn't going to win.

"These monsters are like flying fish in a way. Once we stir them up, they will jump out of the water to attack you. They are also pretty dumb, they'll keep at it till they die or you do. All you have to do is hit them out of the air while staying on the board. If you fall in we'll rescue you but to do that we'll have to kill them ourselves and it would defeat our purpose. At most, they should be level ten, and there shouldn't be more than two dozen or so in this lake. Once you're done we can go swimming, the average respawn rate is a few days so we won't have to worry about getting attacked."

He eyed the platform on which he stood wearily. It wasn't very large, probably the size of two surfboards side to side, and it wobbled on the surface of the water. To be honest, Nero wasn't really confident in his ability to stay above the water. It was made by Medea, using her magic to shape an oval platform of wood. Looking towards the shore, he couldn't help but feel a little aggrieved. Nero had initially planned for the day to be relaxing and worry-free, just him, his sisters and his friend enjoying a calm afternoon.

Nero had succeeded, at least in part. While he was preparing to fight for his life, the girls were on the sandy bank, laying in lawn chairs Medea had conjured up, and basking in the sun. They were wearing bathing suits, also conjured, and drinking some sort of fruity beverages. While Medea and Octavia had decided to go with bikinis, Claudia was in a somewhat conservative one piece that flattered her figure, and Jorry was basking in the sun as well on her lap. While Nero knew that the twins were growing up, had already grown up, he didn't know how to feel about them going out in public wearing clothes like that. Intellectually he knew that he had no right to tell them what they could or could not wear, but his protective instincts were still balking at the idea. Fortunately, apart from the four of them, there was nobody around to see them.

The lake they had arrived at wasn't large, only a hundred meters or so in diameter. It was surrounded by a strip of sand and, further back, a host of pine trees that gave the area some privacy. The water wasn't entirely clear but rather a shade of emerald green that merged with a deep blue as it neared the center. It was in this blue circle at the center of the lake that Nero stood on his small wooden platform. Like the girls, he was wearing a conjured swim suite, just some lightweight shorts that wouldn't drag him down if he fell in.

There was one thing that stood out, to Nero at least, and that was his body. While he had ignored it for the majority of the time, he had been in the game due to the fact Nero was always wearing clothes, without a shirt on and only in shorts, he was confronted by the fact that this really wasn't his real body. Unlike other players who used a capsule, he was just using a helmet. The frame his avatar was using was generic, slightly shorter than he was in real life and the arms were longer. Looking down at himself he didn't see the muscle tones he had developed over the years of labor, he didn't the odd scar he had picked up or the butterfly-shaped birthmark on his chest. In many ways, he looked like a mannequin.

"You ready?" Medea asked.

"Give me a second." Nero took a deep breath. He gathered his willpower, felt for that wellspring of energy in his body, and coiled a snake in his mind. Nero held the image for a second, reaffirming his belief that what he was doing was going to work. Then Kaesar released it. The snake sprung, the energy pooling around his hands. "Evolve!"

With his declaration, the magic took shape. Nero didn't have to look to know it worked, but he did anyway. His fingers now looked like dinosaur claws, though separated at the finger joint to allow movement. Though the tips were curved, spikes were protruding where the phalanges of the fingers joined as well as on the knuckles. This way, whether slashing or smashing the magically shaped white cartilage would protect the hand. It looked like he was wearing some sort of monstrous glove made of bone.

"I'm ready." Medea looked over at him, interested.

"Did you create that spell? You'll have to teach it to me later."

"You could probably do the same thing but better. These claws take up over three-quarters of my MP." While he used them Nero's maximum MP was lowered from his, it's pitiful 100 to an even more pathetic 20.

"I have a few spells that are similar." She nodded in agreement. "But there is nothing wrong with learning another one. Anyway, here we go." She raised her had, and a bubble the size of her head appeared in it. The balloon slowly compressed itself till it was no bigger than a pill. She then threw the compressed pellet into the lake and, after a few seconds, the water shuddered as the air was released. The ripples on the water caused Nero's platform to wobble unsteadily, but he managed to keep his balance.

There was a moment of tense silence, Nero's eyes were darting around the area, alert for any change. He suddenly heard a splashing sound from behind him. He whirled, arms rising to fend off whatever attack was coming. As he turned, he saw a blur pass close to his face. It was moving too fast to get a good look, but it was colored white and brown. Another splash, this was right in front of him, so his hands were able to intercept it. With his fingers pressed straight into his palm so as not to perforate it with his new claws, the spikes on his knuckles rammed into the leaping monster, a little red number appearing briefly above its head. There was a satisfying thud, and it's small body shot back into the water from the blow.

Nero had no time to celebrate as another sound of water being displaced to his right caused him to turn once more. This time he was more prepared, however, and when the creature lunged at him, he managed to catch it. This was the first time Nero got a good look at his enemies. It looked like nothing he had ever seen before. Like somebody had decided to crossbreed a rattlesnake with a seagull. Its body was no more significant than the average gull and was also covered in white and gray feathers as usual. That is where the normality ended, however, instead of tail feathers, it sported the rattler's distinctive tail. Its beak also donned a pair of curved fangs that, even as Nero held it, tried to sink themselves into his hand. Its attack was blocked by the bone-like substance covering the back of his hand, but Nero still felt a stinging sensation from the blow.

He would have tried to choke the life out of it like he had to the rats before, but instead, Nero threw it back into the water as hard as he could. He wasn't sure these things even had lungs. Once more alerted by the sound of water, Nero tried to turn around again. This time, however, he was unsuccessful. As he twirled, the platform under him buckled from the continuous movement and wobbled unsteadily. He was forced to shift his feet and wave his arms to desperately keep his balance. This was all the opportunity the weird monsters needed, and two managed to sink their fangs into him, one on his shoulder and another in his leg. Nero roared, more from the shock of those needle-like fangs than from any real pain due to the setting of the game. A quick look at his health told him he had lost around a sixth of his total HP.

Nero crouched down on the platform, wary of another attack, and grabbed the two gull/snake things attached to him and yanked them away, an action which damaged him further. Another of the monsters shot over his head as he did. Deciding he didn't have time to choke the life out of them once more, Nero took a much more brutal path than merely throwing them back into the water. He squeezed, hard. His new claws barely felt resistance as they perforated the necks of the two, blood gurgled forth, dyeing the white cartilage of his claws red. They squeaked in pain, a sound which Beast Tongue translated to 'Argghhh.'

"Bite, bite, die." The voice of another monster alerted Nero to another attack. He rose to his feet once more and, using the bodies of the two creatures in his hands to smack away the third one. Nero decided he would rather have his hands free to ward off further attacks. It took a moment to shake off the two bird/serpent things, stuck as they were on his claws. While doing so, he has to sidestep two more lunges and bent out of the way of a third. Nero finally managed to dislodge the creatures, just in time to see another ripple in the water, indicating another lunge.

"Kill you, eat-" Whatever the weird gull thing was trying to say as it attacked him was cut off as Nero, using his claws to cut at its lunging form. The sharp appendages cut bloody groves into its body, blood showering down on Nero's face as the body tumbled back into the water. Another of the monsters lunged at his feet, and Nero kicked it away like a demented football.

There was a second of silence, no monsters lunging out of the water, before the telltale sound of displaced water indicated another bout was about to begin. Nero wasn't sure if it was coincidence or not, but the most recent attack was more coordinated than the others. He saw two monsters lunging at his head, three at his torso, one at his legs from his left and he heard another one behind him, though where that one was attacking he didn't know. Desperately crouching down and tilting to the side, Nero managed to avoid the those who were aiming for his head, as well as the one behind him, and one of the ones pointing for his torso.

Of course, he didn't manage to avoid all of them. The one aiming for his leg managed to sink its fangs right below his knee and other lodged itself on his left forearm. The final monster rammed its beak into his solar plexus, knocking the air from his lungs an causing him to stagger back a little. If his center of gravity hadn't been so low due to crouching, Nero would have ended up in the water. Luckily, due to its head-on collision, the monster was stunned for a second, allowing Nero to grab it with his unhindered arm and throw it into the water once more. Once that was done he grasped for the two still attached to his body and, using the same tactic as earlier, sunk his claws into their bodies at the base of their neck. Unlike the pair from earlier, however, when Nero was forced to release them to ward off further attacks, they did not dive under the water. Instead, their bodies floated up to the surface, dead.

It took another ten minutes of frantic struggle, with the number gull/snake bodies floating to the surface increasing, before Nero realized he wasn't being attacked anymore. Thankfully there was no other concerted attack. The adrenalin was still pumping in his veins, he eyes kept roaming around the lake, searching for more enemies. But none came. The waters settled down, the only ripples coming from his board and the bodies that floated on the surface.

"HeheheHAHAHAHAHA." It started as a chuckle before evolving into a full-blown laugh. His body was red with blood, his own flowed from the occasional puncture wound, but the vast majority belonged to his enemies. The water flying around had kept it from sticking too much, but that didn't prevent his claws from being dyed a vivid maroon color, nor his hair looking more like rust than its natural dark brown. Not caring about his appearance, Nero continued to laugh.

A quick look at his health showed he had only 56 HP left, two more attacks and he would have died. That just made him laugh harder. Quite frankly, Nero had never felt this rush before. Sparing wasn't lethal, and killing rats were never too dangerous, and the mice hadn't fought so much as slaughtered him. Even when fighting the ratman he had been at risk of death but, because of the nature of the fight as well as the presence of Jorry, he had felt in control. This battle had been chaotic and desperate. He had been forced to keep his senses peeled to their absolute limit to know when the next attack would come. Nero had made mistakes, yes, but more than that, he was sure that the Augustus of two months ago would have died in the first few attacks. Because of this sense of growth, this adrenaline-fueled joy, Nero felt good. Despite the stinging of his wound, he felt excellent.

Polite clapping shook him from his laughter. Looking towards the beach, he saw the girls watching him. Octavia and Medea were smiling at him while giving light applause. Jorry had opened his eyes long enough to see what the fuss was about before closing them once more. Claudia, though, was staring at him intently. There was a dangerous look in her eyes, one Nero did not recognize, as she gazed at his gore covered form, her hands gripping the sides of her lounge chair hard enough to turn her knuckles white. Then the moment passed, her eyes softened, and she released her chair to also clap.

"What the hell were those things?" Nero couldn't help but ask.

"Sullen," Medea answered simply. She waved her hand and the bodies of the weird rattlesnake/seagull hybrids, Sullen, flew out of the water and piled themselves up on the beach. She was forced to use an aria due to the complicated nature of the next part, with a cry of 'Cleanse!' all the blood in the area, both on Nero and the board as well as in the water separated itself into a floating ball of red liquid. Medea produced a small vial from somewhere, and the giant red blob somehow managed to squeeze itself in the tiny receptacle.

"The sullen constitute a significant danger in the waters of Gods' Nature," Medea explained once her task was done. "They are like piranhas, they'll swarm an enemy and eat it alive. They can also jump out of the water so, unless you have a large ship, you are not safe anywhere. These are only babies, once they reach level ten they develop a paralytic poison in their fangs and leave birthing lakes like these through underground waterways to head towards the sea. Once they reach level three hundred, they also get the ability to fly, though sullen prefer the water, so they return to these lakes to lay their eggs."

Nero shivered at the idea of a flying horde of those creatures, complete with poisonous fangs and all. "You sure we got all of them? I don't want to fight them underwater."

"Here," Medea said, her smile turning dangerous. "I'll prove it." Nero only had a moment to widen his eyes in fear and let out an inarticulate shout as the platform he had been standing on shot into the air. Nero landed in the water with a mighty splash.

"Hahaha, did you see his face," Octavia said between peals of laughter.

"The way his eyes went wide. Hahaha, oh god, my sides." Medea also collapsed into fits of mirth. Though she desperately tried to control it, Claudia couldn't help laughing as well.

"Very funny," Nero said good-naturedly as he rose to the surface, spitting out water. "Are you guys coming in or what? The water feels great."

"Sure, give us a second," Medea said standing up, desperately trying to stifle her giggles. She took off in a run towards the lake and eventually crashed into the water once the resistance became more than she could run through. Claudia was much calmer in her entrance, she merely waded into a deep enough part for her to dive under and emerged a few feet further in.

Octavia had perhaps the most spectacular entrance. Like Medea, she took off running towards the water, but once she reached the end of the beach, she jumped forward. In a display that would be impossible in real life, Octavia rose over ten feet into the air. With a cry of 'Cannon Ball,' she curled herself into a ball and plummeted into the water, sending massive waves of water everywhere.

The group spent the next hour or so playing in the lake. They dove to the bottom to see if they could find anything but got nothing but the occasional plants for their trouble. They also used the platform as a springboard for tricks. Nero had no idea before now that Medea could perform a double backflip like that. At one point a splash war had developed, Medea and Octavia against Nero and Claudia. The latter two lost when they were forced to surrender when Medea cut off the mana supply to their swimsuits, leaving them naked in the water. Eventually, the constant activity tired them out enough that they retired to the beach to have lunch and rest. Probably thanks to the magical carriage, the food was still fresh. After eating, lethargy set in for the group.

Medea had already fallen asleep in her chair, and Octavia was fiddling with something on her menu. Claudia was reading a book and Jorry, in a rare display of energy, was messing around in the waves of the lake. He kept trying to bite the white part of the water when it crashed on the shore. Nero chuckled to himself at the sight of the young snake, before letting out a sigh. He didn't want to get up from his position on the warm sand but now was the best time to have this conversation. Thus, with a herculean effort, Nero rose to his feet and walked to his sister's side. He tapped her on the shoulder to drag her attention away from her book.

"Let's take a walk." It was a part request and part order, so Claudia just nodded in acceptance and got up to follow him. As she followed him, he didn't say anything. Nero was unsure where to start. There was the possibility that the problem was all in his head and it was some big misunderstanding. Despite that, as their guardian and brother, he wanted them to be able to talk to him about their problems.

As they walked Claudia also didn't talk, seeming to be content to follow along in silence. Eventually, after over ten minutes of walking and nearing the halfway point around the lake, Nero decided to bite the bullet.

"Alright, what is going on with you?" He asked.

"Nothing?" Claudia blinked in confusion as she half answered, half asked.

"I know something is wrong." He pressed. "When you first arrived you were energetic and playful. Ever since then you've been quiet. You haven't made a joke or argued with your sister once. So, what is wrong?" The way her eyes widened with realization before looking away quickly told Nero that there really was something going on with her.

"You want me to get into arguments?"

"I want you to be happy, and I know you two like to argue. But don't change the topic. Even in real life, you aren't this quiet, and you love Gods' Nature. Is something going on at school? Is somebody giving you a hard time?"

"No, nothing like that," Claudia answered quickly, still not meeting his eyes.

"Look," Nero sighed, frustrated at getting anywhere. "If it's something private or embarrassing you don't have to tell me, but I wish you would talk to Sophia or your sister about whatever is bothering you. You know we'll always be here if you ever need anything."

"It's just," she said slowly, wringing her hand nervously. She finally looked Nero in the eyes, and he was surprised to see them wet with unshed tears. "I'm scared."

"What are you afraid of?" He asked softly, dragging her gently into a hug. Claudia didn't answer right away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and laying her head on his shoulder.

"I'm scared of letting you down, I don't want to disappoint you." She finally said, her voice choked with tears.

"There is nothing either of you two could do that would ever disappoint me," Nero said firmly, sure of that fact.

"But, you work so hard. You always take care of us. We were just a burden to you. Without us you could have stayed in school, gone to college and gotten a good job. Instead, you work all day and come home exhausted, and you still spend time with us." Nero made to speak up, to tell her that he did not regret any of those things, that he did not think of them as a burden at all. Claudia just kept going, her words spilling out like a dam bursting.

"So I thought, I thought I should help out more. I tried really, really hard to be a good girl. I didn't want to make it any worse for you, I wanted you to be proud of me. But then I started playing Gods' Nature. It was fun, you know. We got to see a lot of exciting things, and magic is really cool. We were some of the first players, we were always out in the wild, fighting people and monsters. Eventually, I started to fall in love with it. Not with the game, the world or adventure. I fell in love with fighting, with killing. I deleted my old character just so I could create another one that could fight and kill more. People started to fear me, they would run away whenever I came near. And I liked that too. I don't regret or feel sad for anything I did, I love the violence too much now to stop. But I feel regret that I do not regret my actions. I wanted to be a good girl, I didn't want to make you worry or be afraid of me as well."

Listening to his sister's ramblings, that were full of tears and yet sounded ecstatic at the thought of violence, Nero's eyes widened in surprise. Whatever he had thought the problem would be, this wasn't it. Even as he patted her back softly, Nero sighed in realization. It turned out to really be a simple misunderstanding in the end, though not one he had expected. Drawing himself away from her, Nero held Claudia's shoulders and stared at her. She wouldn't look meet his gaze.

"Look at me!" He said forcefully. She did so. "You are a very foolish girl. There is nothing you or your sister could ever do that would make me feel disappointed in you. You understand me?" She nodded dumbly, her face still wet with tears. "If you wanted to brutally murder everyone in this game, I would still be proud of you. If you become a serial killer in real life, I would help you dissolve the bodies. Does this make you think less of me?" Claudia shook her head in disagreement, eyes wide and mouth parted in surprise. "Then why would you think I think any less of you for the same?"

At the end of the day, the misunderstanding stemmed from the skewed perceptions the twins had of Augustus. In him, they only saw the caring older brother, the hard-working guardian. He was a paragon of virtue in their minds, placed on a pedestal that didn't really exist. The saying was right, admiration is the furthest thing from understanding. They did not see, not like his friend saw, his amoral, almost psychopathic tendencies. They did not see him twist his words to manipulate others for enjoyment, they did not know that there were precisely three people he cared about. He would gleefully and sadistically butcher anybody else with no moral qualms if it meant they were fine.

"Sorry," Claudia said softly, wiping her eyes and giving him a watery smile. "I didn't want to make you worry."

"That is fine, but I'll worry about you anyway. As your older brother, I'll worry about you till I die, whether you are a good girl or not. All you have to do is be happy, that is your one job." Claudia nodded in acceptance and the pair started walking again, Nero's arm around her shoulder as she leaned her head on his. "Besides, I think its funny. Imagine your friend's face when they see sweet Maude brutally mow down monsters."

Claudia chuckled for a moment at the image before suddenly stopping in her tracks. Nero looked at her to see her eyes wide open in surprise. Then, without any warning, her hand met her forehead with a loud 'SMACK.'

"Of course! Of course!" Claudia shouted in realization as she whirled to grab Nero's shoulders and gave them a good shape. "I forgot about the gap!"

"The gap? What gap?" Nero asked in confusion, unsure where this sudden burst of enthusiasm was coming from.

"Gap moe!" She shouted as if it should be obvious. The way she pronounced it, mo-eh, told Nero that it was probably a Japanese thing. Sometimes Nero did not understand his sister's mind at all. Looking at her though, as if she had just found the answer to the universe, Nero decided to just be happy that she was recovered from her bout of depression.

****

"Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."

Terry Pratchett