Ilis munched on her egg and toast, listening as Juliet talked about business and plans for the future. She mostly just nodded and grunted, not really having much to contribute. She thought about her plans for the day. Doing alright for money right now. Maybe I’ll just hang around? She liked that idea. “Ilis? Are you listening?”

She jumped. “Oh, sorry no, I wasn’t. What were you saying?”

The woman sighed and tilted her head. “Hmm, well apologies for boring you, it doesn’t matter. What are you planning for today?”

She sighed. “Come on, I’m sorry. I got a bit distracted, please go on?”

Juliet smiled. “It really is fine. I’m the one hogging the conversation. Tell me your plans.”

Her mouth twisted, but she relented. “Fine. It’s nothing special. Thinking I’d hang around, help out. I might go for a walk around town, if you’d like to come?”

She perked up. “That would be lovely. Maybe we could have a picnic?”

She shrugged slightly. “Sure, works for me.”

They spent the morning getting organised, with Juliet leaving instructions for her employees, and her washing the remaining dishes from last night. After she’d done that, she’d started making their picnic, since Juliet was finishing up some papers of some sort. When they were finally ready, the woman was looking a bit flushed, but otherwise ready for their stroll.

They started off in the town square. Like Danist, it too had its own [Town Heart]. However, it was a much lower level. Looking around, she saw that there weren’t many people out today; it was quiet. The guards looked lost in their thoughts, some staring idly at the clouds. She was pulled out of her observations when Juliet paused in front of a florist. “What do you think, Ilis? Should I put a few plants in the Inn? They could give it a nice feel.”

She eyed the delicate red flowers. “Maybe some roses? They’d work well, I think”

The lady blinked at her. “Yes, I think you're quite right. Didn't realise you had an eye for decoration.”

Ilis shrugged in response, and her attention drifted while the innkeeper started haggling. Once she had bought the flowers, they asked them to be set aside for collection later. As their walk continued, they passed by the Adventurers guild, or rather their office. She managed to pick up snippets of conversation. “...Good hunting at the moment. Got a Cave bear’s hide that I’m turning into a cloak. The thing was just wandering…” That sounded interesting to her. Good hunting hmm? Maybe I’ll go after this.

They walked together out of town, finding themselves in an elevated position with a view across the plains, and to the trees close to Danist. They talked more with each other, enjoying their food; it wasn’t the best, but she’d never boasted about being a good cook. At one point, when the sun was at its highest, she leaned close and kissed the other woman lightly on the lips. Juliet pressed in, deepening the contact. They didn’t go further than that, neither of them were stupid enough to do stuff like that outside of a settlement. They did cuddle though, and watch the grass wave in the sunlight.

She peered as she suddenly saw shapes emerging from the long grass. She poked Juliet and the woman opened her eyes, startled. “Monsters. We better go back in.”

The lady looked across the fields and spotted the shapes. She nodded and they packed up before hurrying back. She knew Juliet could defend herself relatively well, but she’d never spent much time in the wilds; she didn’t have a lot of experience. They made it back, and both of them climbed up the steps to have a look at the beasts again. She frowned as she saw what seemed like a herd of buffalo-like creatures. There were quite a lot of them, which was concerning as they usually wouldn’t come this close to the town. She raised her eyebrow when more shapes came out of the woods. Well, the two groups should fight each other. She watched expectantly, but something else happened instead. The monsters weren’t attacking each other. It didn’t sound bad at face value, but when monsters aren't territorial it meant that they were intelligent. Two monster groups not fighting? Could only mean they had a plan of sorts, and this close to the city, she had a very bad feeling on what that could be. Her mind raced and she thought of all the things she’d noticed that morning: The lazy guards, the low levelled [Town Heart], the lack of people. If Grenion was attacked then… things wouldn’t end well.

She looked at Juliet seriously. “Try to see if you can get passage out of town. They might be coming from Danist’s direction, so don’t go there. Okay?”

The lady didn’t even turn to her, her eyes had just gone wide. She followed her gaze and stiffened when she saw even more monsters emerge. “Fuck… it’s already too late.” She rubbed her eyes with her fingers. When she opened them, she said, “Stay inside the city. I’m going to try and whittle them down.” She then jumped with an explosion of flame, landing on the now scorched grass. With the burnt smell filling her nose, she started humming her [Flickering Tune], using it to focus and protect her mind for battle. With a spreading grin, and a heartbeat that matched her tempo, She blasted off towards the growing crowd.

—----

Jason was starting to become a bit worried. It had been a day and the amount of monsters he’d been fighting was growing. When they had met the first herd of monsters, the wolves had tried to explain something to them. That had surprised him, and made him feel like he was on the right track for the mountain being the source of their problems. Unfortunately, the other monsters would always treat the wolves disdainfully, causing them to lose their minds. The first time it happened the wolf Alpha had looked shocked, before snarling and ripping the other boar monster’s head off. He had just gaped as a fight suddenly broke out, but was eventually dragged into it. When they had finished, he had demanded why they had fought all of a sudden, and the Alpha had snorted before looking away – he had to wonder if the wolves were too prideful? Either way it had led to lots of conflicts, slowing their progress immensely. He sighed, as the wolves started fighting another herd of monsters. He joined in, knowing that he would end up fighting anyway, and that he might as well get the experience.

After they’d finished, he mentally went over the levels he’d gained.

‘Ding’ You have levelled up. [Phantom Swordsman Lv 82 – Lv 85]

15 Stat points gained.

‘Ding’ You have levelled up. [Bone Manipulator Lv 46 – 51]

15 Stat points gained.

‘Ding’ [Spacial Strike 2nd Tier Lv 17 – Lv 20]

‘Ding’ [Bone Manipulation Lv 17 – 2nd Tier Lv 1]

Spend Mana to control your bones at will.

2nd Tier: Vastly improves your control, and can now claim bones outside of the body, by reserving Mana.

‘Ding’ [Dense Bones Lv 14 – Lv 16]

He had finally unlocked the 2nd Tier, and it was…disappointing. He’d been hoping for bone armour, and while the improved control would help with that, he didn’t have enough bone in his body to form it. The Mana reservation was useless to him, as he needed all the Mana he could get to fuel [Phantom State]. It was the first time the two Classes hadn’t really synergised with each other. The dream of armour wasn’t over though, thanks to [Dense Bones]; If he levelled it up enough, maybe to 2nd Tier.

He spent his Stat points a little in all areas, except Vitality. He spent some on strength too, even though it was arguably worthless to him. It’s just that, it looks so low… What if I need strength one day? He shook his head and continued walking with the wolves.

He heard a drumming sound. He frowned, and peered through the trees. He couldn’t see anything that could be causing it. It grew louder. He glanced at the wolves, and saw that they were crouched, ready to move. “What's happening?” They ignored him and leapt into running. His forehead furrowed. Now they’re scared? He sprinted after them, struggling to keep up with their speed. They slowly left him behind, and before long he was left in the woods, alone. Well shit. He glanced up at the trees and started to climb. He wasn’t going to take a risk in this situation. He waited for a bit, and he finally began to hear different noises, a cacophony of braying, squealing and crying. He blinked as a tide of animals ran by him. He stared in shock, but was brought out of it by some flying mud. The monsters looked haggard, and had eyes wide with fear. Bloody hell. This was actually a bit terrifying. He shifted a bit higher up the tree, feeling a little overwhelmed by the rush of creatures. What could do this? He was sure the others would know, but he hadn’t stayed in this world long enough to understand. Are they going to head to Danist? He frowned. He hoped it wouldn’t matter; Danist had a large number of adventurers and the [Town Heart]. He wavered. I don’t know for sure though, but I don’t think anyone else is out here; what if this is just the beginning? Someone is going to have to find the source of the problem. Feeling unhappy with the situation, he wriggled further into the groove of the tree, settling in for a long wait.

When the noise finally stopped, he peeked over the branches to see if it was safe. It practically was, there were a few monsters that limped along; the sickest and weakest of them all. He winced as one of them toppled over, and dragged itself along, trying to keep going. He dropped down, and sank into the tracked up mud. They didn’t even look at him, so focused on moving forward. He felt reluctant to attack them. It was the way they kept pushing forward, with so much determination that he couldn’t help but sympathise. He sighed and started walking towards the mountains again. He called for the wolves while walking, and was a little surprised when they actually appeared. He had expected them to have completely run away from the horde. “Well, you guys survived then.”

The Alpha snorted, and shook himself, shaking a few bits of mud off. “So, were they also running away from the death on the mountain?” He asked while pointing around him and then at the jagged peaks. The Alpha nodded, and gestured to the other members of the pack. Soon, they were continuing, even slower than before due to the thick mud that was now everywhere.

He grunted in annoyance as he wrenched his foot with a big slurp. The wolves were having less trouble, their presence naturally freezing the ground around them. It didn’t seem to help him though; it was almost like they were purposefully avoiding him. He gritted his teeth. “I don’t suppose you could freeze some of the dirt for me?” He asked a nearby wolf while pointing at the ice and then at him. The little animal just gave him a confused head tilt. He hesitated, were they mocking him? He sighed, and continued, only to twist when he heard a huff. The wolf gave him another confused head tilt. “This is going to take so long…” he grumbled.

—----

Ilis smacked a stone buffalo into its herd, and blasted after it, not giving it a moment of respite. She was grinning still. This is how you do it, unrelenting force, overwhelming them until they’re ash. Her fists were pummelling it, leaving molten marks on its hide. She had struck them so hard that the other members of the leader’s pack had no idea what was happening, just that there were suddenly explosions and humming filling the air. She finishes it off with a final resounding CRACK, as her fist rocketed through its skull. She rose, laughing with exhilaration, and then she began to sing.

At the rise of dawn, there lies a hut by a creek.

At the rise of dawn, there lies a woman.

At the rise of dawn, she prepares for the day.

Strapping her armour, wrapping her knuckles, and letting loose a tune.

At the peak of the sun, a woman runs into battle.

At the peak of the sun, her enemies laugh at her, all alone.

At the peak of the sun, they begin to fight, and remember her name.

Blood, fire and ash. They finally recall Yernester.

At the fall of dusk, there is no one left.

At the fall of dusk, the woman doesn’t come back.

At the fall of dusk, the house by the creek awaits.

Night came for Yernester, AND MAY HER GLORY BE REMEMBERED!

She finished off the last verse with a roar, and jumped into action again, this time just killing indiscriminately. The [Flickering Tune] had taken her simple old song, and turned it into power, strength and drive. She growled and snapped just like the monsters around her, with arms and fists wrenching them apart, now with ease. Time started to blur, everything becoming repetitive motions: rip, tear and punch.

Eventually, she came to, her fist blasting the final note of the fight. She stood there, leaning on her fist while covered in guts and blood. Slowly, achingly, she stood up, wiping her face while looking around. The grass was red. The healthy green fields she had enjoyed this morning were now drenched in viscera. She inhaled deeply, uncaring of the disgusting taste the air now had. I did it.

‘Ding’ [Fiery Enhancer Lv 95 – 102]

35 Stat points gained.

‘Ding’ [Burning Singstress Lv 49 – 54]

15 Stat points gained

‘Ding’ [Flickering Tune Lv 19 – 2nd Tier Lv 3]

Sing with the passion of fire. Allows you to focus, protect and energise minds.

2nd Tier: The music grows hotter. Use its power to greater effect.

‘Ding’ [Body of flame 2nd Tier Lv 14 – Lv 19]

‘Ding’ [Explosive Movements 2nd Tier Lv 19 – Lv 20]

‘Ding’ [Intense Flames 2nd Tier Lv 17 – Lv 20]

She swayed, almost toppling. She started humming a [Flickering Tune] again, her mind instantly sharpening, and her body’s aches and pains faded into the background. She started to breathe a little easier, when she felt her [Body of Flame] sucking in air to fuel and heal her.

She started stumbling back to the town, but her neck prickled and she instantly looked up. Always trust your instincts dear. She couldn’t see anyone, but she didn’t trust that. “Show yourself!” She called out authoritatively. Everything stayed silent, until grass shifted, and she immediately bursted with [Explosive Movements] over to it, swinging her fist down to unleash a ring of fire. She blinked when there was no one revealed, and looked up just in time to see a black writhing chains fling themselves at her. Thanks to [Flickering Tune], she reacted instantly and began to jump out of the way. However, her leg crumpled, and she gasped as the cold iron snaked itself around her tightly. People emerged from the grass, and moved towards her. She grimaced as the chains started sucking the heat from her body, and experienced a further drop in her stomach, when she realised she couldn’t use her music, it was the only thing keeping her awake. The group came closer, and she snarled at them. They were all dressed the same in camouflage, meaning she couldn’t even make out their faces.

“I’ll ki-” A rag was shoved into her mouth and they picked her up. She struggled, but her body was too cold, and tired; she couldn’t resist. The group paused, and she glanced at them in confusion until she realised why. She could hear drumming, a quick frantic tempo that seemed to be coming from the woods in the distance. Her captures started running, and her eyes widened as she watched creatures barreled out from the trees, the numbers growing larger by the second.

A horde.

She glanced behind her, and saw they were heading to Grenion, and she laughed. Saved by monsters.

—----

Jason finally escaped the woods, and its fucking mud. He was sticky with sweat, and panting with exhaustion. Fighting is easier than wading through wet dirt? He shook his head and took another grateful step on solid ground. The mountain was close now, they’d arrive in about an hour, at a guess. The wolves were looking wary though, he supposed being this close to whatever drove all the monsters away was something to keep an eye out for. He took another step, expecting a lovely hard floor, but instead, got an uneven crunch. The sound sent shivers down his spine, and the wolves’ heads jumped towards him. He slowly looked down and lifted his foot to reveal…barnacles.