----------------- Marcy's POV ---------------------------

Night. Unlike the silent nights where everyone is sleeping in preparation for another day of hard work, this night everyone is wide awake. Dogs bark in the distance, shouting, people running around. Children crying, everyone is scared. Smoke rises from outside the city walls, in our precious fields. There is an orc horde pillaging everything outside. Our unharvested winter provisions. We worked our butts out in those fields since late spring, and now it will all become orc fooder. From all the shouting around it seems they are not even trying to invade or breach the walls. JUST steal our food.

And orcs are not even edible.

I am angry at that, and angry at the weak me that could not avoid such a tragedy befalling my hometown. But the weak me has too many loose ends to tie up before dawn that I'll have to skip on fighting the orc horde. I'll hold onto the belief that giving an early warning was my part in this. People had the time to evacuate the fields. To fortify the walls. Fight bravely for your town, those that will remain behind.

I have a friend to rescue, and we will skip town for good anyway. I hang my rucksack on my shoulders, and move out.

Outside my home, in the backyard. It is all dark, now that the smoke is clouding the dim moonlight of this equinox midnight. I check for any presences, there are none on the roofs around us. But there are two people at my mom's door. Mom is inside, talking to them. Up we go, my little rodent guide. Atop the roof, I move slowly to the next one along the street, avoiding being seen by anyone down there.

After putting enough distance between me and my would-be pickup Guild members, I allow a bit more speed, and do some uneventful roof crossings. I reach a safe back alley. It would be bad if someone sees me on the roof. I would draw less attention moving in the streets. I dirt my face with some fireplace soot and tie a bandana to cover most of my red hair, then don a hooded cloak dyed dark gray, and get out into the streets. I need to go near the north wall, where the garrison is. Where Helen is.

Everyone in the streets is so busy they don't mind a hunch girl. I make sure not to draw attention to myself. I could not explain why I am not fighting the horde since I am the Guild Master's pupil. It is the very first time that I loathe being that. And what makes me even more irritated is that I don't understand everything. Monster bride. Harvest girl. Winter child. What other mysteries are you hiding, Helen. Are you the same Helen that grew up hiding behind me as I covered you from the boys' teasing? Who is Grendel?

Passing next to a well, I pick up a water bucket. I crossed several people fetching water and this can be an excuse as to why I am going around. I arrive at the garrison complex wall. The garrison is built next to the city walls so the guards have an easy access up the walls, but is walled on the city side too, to avoid compromising the facility in case invaders get into the town. The city wall next to the garrison is also thicker and taller. There are just a few guards posted at the gatehouse, the porticullis is all the way down. Makes sense, as most of the guards and knights were sent to fight outside.

The rat in my bosom squeaks and points to a side. I'll just follow. It leads me to a section of the wall that has nobody around. There is a street going around the garrison wall, but this part is almost next to the city walls, Some old crates are piled up leaning on the city wall, and there is room between them to hide in. I loiter around for a bit, then let go of my bucket next to a house's door and enter the crate dump. The wood of the crates is broken and moldy, and these will probably just become a makeshift firewood depot when winter comes. Wood is precious. Nobody would throw away some wood just because it is broken and moldy. Checking the walls, I think I can climb them, but when I test some hand and footholds, the rat complains.

"What is it, Helen?" The rat climbs out with some difficulty, and jumps on a crate then to the ground. It beckons me to go to a spot next to the wall, then to stop once I seem to be close enough. Then it sheds a light brown glow, and the ground next to it crumbles and falls down. I draw near to look into, there is a tunnel going below the walls. I pick up the rat.

"This rat can use magic? Is this a monster?" The rat says no to the first question, but nods at the second. "Is it Helen that is using magic through the rat?" Nods. "Am I supposed to go through this tunnel?" Nods.

With a sigh, I crawl into the tunnel. It is too narrow and tight, I had to remove my bag and weapons to get through. It is not dark though. The ribbon rat is making a small flame at the tip of its tail. It is like an oil lamp but it is a rat. I proceed slowly. I have to push my gear forward, then squeeze my body. I hear some rats squeaking ahead, and more faint glows. After a few more yards, the tunnel wides enough for me to crawl without scraping the walls all the time. I can just go forward.

After several more yards, roots entwine in the tunnel walls. Tree roots. I follow the tunnel until the air becomes fresher, and the walls unworked wood.

"Welcome, Marcy." Helen greets me as I climb the tree. Am I inside a tree?

"Helen!!" I rush to hug her.

"Shhh. Don't raise your voice!!!!" She scolds me, but returns the hug. I smell blood, then remember Helen's newfound condition.

I take out a towel and some amenities from my bag. "Is this your first?" She blushes, turns her face and nods. I pat her head. Her usual silky hair is all messed up and dirty.

Helping her put everything in place, I finish tying her borrowed underwear straps, then I clean her thighs with a damp rag.

"Mmmm Ah! Where are you touching, Marcy!" She raises a cute startled voice. Oh, blushing Helen is so cute!!!

--------------------- Helen's POV ------------------------

I complain to Marcy about doing unnecesary teasing, but the feeling of a person's gentle caress after so long was too much and overwhelmed me. I let such a funny voice out. Unfair! Don't tease people like that!

Now that she is here, we can make our escape. It is not before the equinox anymore, so my promise to Alvus was fulfilled.I summon all my rats back into the tree hollow.

"It is cramped here, right? How did you sleep inside this?"

"This is a 'gold-coin-a-day-inn' compared to the prison below." I sneer at her. Don't change the subject, you sexually harassing big busted... I am going crazy, am I not?

"Don't make those puppy eyes. It makes me want to hug and kiss you. Oh, there is blood on the floor."

Marcy was about to clean the blood pooled in the hollow's floor, but I stop her. "Marcy, don't. Let this blood pool remain untouched. Did you bring the cores?"

I asked Marcy in a note my rat wrote before she left home to bring the strongest monster cores she could get.

"Yes. It is just one F rank orc core and a dozen G rank wolf ones." She shows me a bunch of monster cores in a leather pouch.

"That will do. It is more than enough. Thanks, Marcy. With this, I can get us out of here." I take the pouch and carefully place the round crystals in the blood pool. My own.

"Isn't this too much blood for one night? It was a heavy first day, wasn't it?"

"Shut up!"

While having mixed feelings regarding these womanly mysteries I was just forcibly introduced to by the equinox advent added to the actual physical feelings of my body churning my insides around and then squeezing my belly so hard I want to just curl and cry, I focus on the right arrangement of the monster cores. Marcy is laughing.

"Now you understand me, don't you brat Helen?" Don't give me that smug smile. I hate you Marcy.

"Yes, I do and I am sorry. Now give me my childhood back." I make my best serious face.

"No way. Welcome to our club. Stop pouting and become an adult already." She gently pats my head. I love you Marcy.

I finish placing the smaller cores in a round pattern around the big one, all of them over my blood. Closing my eyes, I reach out for Nature. Give me the chant I need. One to create a guardian to take us out of this town.

"Arise and awaken, ye who slumbered for centuries in the Earth. Make feet out of your roots, limbs out of our branches, and rise as my guardian. Take my maiden blood, take my magical power. Take these monster cores and let it become a vessel to your soul. Let my name be engraved upon it. Helen shall be your master, and henceforth and forevermore thou shall heed my commands." this tiring and long incantation almost robs me of my consciousness before I utter the final words... "[WOOD GOLEM ARISE]!!!"

Skill Druid Magic level 5 acquired.

Skill Max MP Increase level 4 acquired.