This last piece of Aclysia was all that kept the trio interested in this leaf. Reysha had wanted to go somewhere else from the start, Apexus just wanted to be somewhere safe and the metal fairy was to follow him. Well, there was actually a slight difficulty in that plan, one that the white-haired woman was not aware off.

To the best of Aclysia’s knowledge, once they got the last piece, she would return to the realm of her creator. Her purposes on this leaf fulfilled, she would have to await further orders back at the place where she was created. This was her nature. Pride in her work and fear for Apexus’ life had kept her from speaking it out loud but she actually hoped they would hit some more roadblocks. Just so she could stay with her awakener and Reysha a little while longer.

Her personal feelings on the matter had to take a backseat. If their time was limited, then the metal fairy had to accept this. It was also best she already found out what her awakener desired, so the whole process would go over smoothly.

“What is your wish, awakener?” Aclysia asked in a hesitant tone, flying with him. Her increased size had, conversely, helped her flying ability. She still wasn’t as fast as him, but they weren’t going at maximum speed anyway, as they didn’t want to pull too far ahead of the earthbound Reysha. Just that she could follow him to that height was improvement.

Travelling would become a whole lot easier once Apexus got big enough to comfortably carry Reysha around. That would mean he would have to take a more horse-esque shape though. The slime still favoured eventually going on two legs. It just seemed more manoeuvrable and as long as he had wings, running really quickly to bridge long distances wasn’t a problem.

“Wish…? Ah, right,” Apexus had to think for a second, since he had made up his mind way back when he wasn’t able to communicate properly, he hadn’t thought of this topic in a while. Once Aclysia was completely put together, Hashahin would grant her awakener one wish of reasonable reward for such a low-level quest. Even if that quest happened to a divine one, asking for something like agelessness was a bit too much. “I am going to ask for you.”

“For me?” Aclysia stopped in the middle of that air for a moment, then remembered that Apexus couldn’t do that and hastily followed him as the confused slime was about to turn. This revelation put all of her doubts from the last few days into a new light. She had almost gotten the impression that the slime wanted to get rid of her as quick as possible. “You are going to waste your minor wish on… me?”

“How is waste… how is THAT a waste?” Apexus vibrated out his answer. “I love you, want you to stay with me. I don’t even know what else I could ask for…”

Aclysia felt a warmth deep inside her that she only ever felt when she was with him. A smile bloomed on her face, wider and more genuine than she had ever made. Speeding up as much as she could, she landed on Apexus back. The sudden motion caused the slime to struggle a bit in keeping his flight balanced.

“Thank you, Apexus,” the metal fairy whispered into his ear as she hugged him as much as her smaller body allowed her too. She had no idea if Hashahin would grant this wish, permanently binding one of his angels to someone perhaps extended outside the ‘minor’ boundaries. Alone the intention for this made her deeply happy, however.

“Hold on tight,” Apexus warned as he went into a sudden descent. They were too close to their target to approach further without being easily seen when they landed. Instead, they had decided to hide in the shadow of a particularly large tree they had spied the day before.

Although Apexus had realized that what he had said greatly pleased Aclysia by the hug she had given him, he didn’t expect to be showered in kisses the moment they were settled on the ground. It was one of the gestures of affection he didn’t really get, probably because he didn’t have lips yet, humanoid ones seemed particularly sensitive, but he couldn’t deny that feeling the pillowy pieces of her face pressed on his membrane felt pretty nice. Particularly so because he knew that it was gesture of affection.

“Thank you, Apexus,” she repeated, now hugging his front with her entire upper body. “I thought we were going to be separated. Thank you for trying to make me stay.”

Apexus was almost about to tell her that she could have just assumed that, but decided that interrupting the moment wouldn’t have been worth the conversation. What else would he have wished for after all? Something very nice to eat? Tempting, but not nearly as valuable as those moments he shared with her. Not that he would have minded being alone with Reysha, it just wouldn’t have been the same without Aclysia around.

Said tiger girl made her appearance from in between the bushes not five minutes later, with Aclysia still lovingly stroking Apexus side in a way that was more relaxing than sexual. “Should I come back in ten minutes or strip and join in?” she asked nevertheless. Her mood was pretty good, since the flesh of the toothed serpent had offset the numbing pretty well. It had already started affecting her again but it only made her senses a bit less sharp right now. Nothing to worry about, since they were generally above the average humanoid anyway.

“We are just having a sensual moment,” Aclysia retorted, staying her hand with a sigh. “However, we should discuss how we deal with this. I hoped it would be somewhere outside the village, but the closer we get, the more accurate is my perception that my last part is hidden somewhere inside its structures.”

“Well, that makes this entire thing tricky…” Reysha agreed.

Currently in the south-east of the leaf, their target was a notable village. Used regularly as a training camp for upcoming adventures as well as the a best place from where to launch expeditions into another nearby dungeon, the village was under heavy Guild influence. There was simply no way there weren’t people there that knew of Apexus, whether they actively hunted him or not.

Which put waltzing in there out of the list of available options. At least until they knew where Aclysia’s last part was located. Which meant they had to scout, something made much harder by Reysha being basically a known ‘criminal’ and Aclysia having reached an easily noticed size. What would have been the easiest find for any humanoid to have found her became immensely difficult for this group of monster and outcast.

“Ah, whatever, not like we have any other choice,” the redhead just shrugged it off. “I’ll do my best sneaking about the place.”