Flow PoV

I woke up in the inn me and Lily slept in and find her already awake.

Lily: Oh finally awake?

Flow: Didn’t you sleep?

Lily: Yes but Lily woke up before the sun rose.

Flow: So you do like the night more.

Lily: All the demons like the night more. You probably never went through Galton at night have you.

I was a bit shocked. I normally can’t last that long after the sun set. Sleep takes over really fast. I don’t know if it’s just me but I’ve never seen an angel out of bed except those with very high Dark affinity, which only a few individuals have.

Lily: Should we get going?

Flow: Let’s eat first.

Following my suggestion we both head downstairs and order something to eat. There was a good variation between demon meat that is hunted in the dungeon and seafood from clams and fish.

We dined on some seafood because we can’t really get them to Galton without it going bad. We also got a taste of some dwarven Mead.

To say it didn’t affect us would be a lie. Neither I or Lily could handle more than half a cup. That stuff is too strong and we just left it and ordered some juice to push the alcohol out.

After we went outside to get some fresh air and let the effect of the drink pass. That stuff is strong and to think those midgets drink more than a cup of this stuff. I think even the smell that comes off it can make someone weak to alcohol drunk.

After a bit the effects pass and we can finally walk normally but we leave the town walking because we didn’t trust our senses to fly.

Leaving through the east gate closest to the shore we headed that way after hearing the guards warning about the disappearances. We just thank them for the warning and head off.

The town has a 20 minute walk from the shore. It helped us recover a bit as we walked. Halfway we take flight and finish the distance in a shorter time while looking down on the ocean from above.

Lily: WOW~~~~! The ocean is so beautiful.

Lily’s eyes were sparkling when she saw the ocean just beyond the trees. I had to agree with her. The rising sun made hundreds of different shades shine up from the water making it shine brightly.

Reaching the shore we saw quite a few buildings built off the sand and with wooden docks stretching far into the ocean. On large building was built near a cliff near the water’s edge. From the look it was probably a shipyard but it made only small and medium sized ships since not much was needed besides that. At the center of it all and what was what connected to the road was a large dock with quite a number of warehouses.

Lily: That must be the Docks where the fish are sold and then transported.

Flow: If there was a way besides having a mage shoot out ice ever so often on them the fish would cost much less and the villages inland could start having this delicacy.

Having eaten in the inn we knew the taste of fish and couldn’t help drool about it dreaming about the many types of fish in the sea.

We landed on the docks and started looking around.

There were quite a number of fishermen of many races. Humans and Elves helped quite a bit in managing while many demon minor lizard men were preparing to go out on boats. It seems the lizard kin are better fishermen. I wonder if this could make an interesting rank up.

Though we were curious we controlled ourselves and headed to the management building. They probably had more information about the location where the disappearances happened.

The building itself was a two story building. The first floor held much of the works that did the buying and selling of the fish brought in and sent out men to help pull them in. At the counter we asked to speak with the boss and like at the city we got a similar response though much less disrespectful.

Attendant: I’m sorry the boss is very busy at the moment. We have to deal with tons of fishermen wanting to know where the fish are today and we don’t know by what time we can get this done. What was it that you needed.

Flow: We were sent by the king and queen to investigate the disappearances that have been happening.

Attendant: The...king and queen…

The young man froze just like all the rest.

Attendant: Yes well what exactly was needed.

Lily: Just a map that shows the areas where the people were thought to have vanished.

The boy nodded and rummaged around a bit and pulled out a map. It showed the area around the docks going up and down shore at least 50 km and into the sea about 70 km

Pulling out a quill and ink well he began to look at some papers and making dots over the map. After a good 15 minutes he was done.

Attendant: Here, this is a map that shows where all the missing men were supposed to be fishing but never came back.

There were well over 50 dots on the map but it was interesting that besides a few stray dots there were about 4 bundles where the dots were in a general area.

Flow: Which is the place that had the last disappearance.

I lower the map onto the counter and the boy points to the one that is furthest north east and closest to the shore. It was also the one that held the most dots.

Attendant: Because of the number of disappearances we have advised many fishermen to not go there but some still do because the fish in that area are some of the more sought after.

Lily: Wow more than half the disappearances are here.

Flow: I think this would be enough. Thank you very much for the help and sorry for taking up your time.

Attendant: No it’s no problem if the king and queen personally sent someone, it's our job to help out as best as we can since we are facing a problem we can’t handle.

Lily: Let’s go.

I nod and we leave the house and take flight to the far north east area.

Ideo PoV

Something interesting joined our training regimen today. The great fire god Vulcan brought with him today a normal mortal Lizard man or woman in her case.

Vulcan: Hey Rachet we found this young one lost in the forest near the outpost. She was exiled from a group of lizard men to the north west on the other side of the great dragon lake.

Medusa: I want to grow sssstrong enough to beat my brother. He exiled me becausssse I was his family and had the ssssame potential to be leader.

Rachet: I see. Do you want to continue on the normal path of a lizard men. Your brother gained his divine protection correct.

I was looking from the side and saw Rachet’s eye go to Vulcan. He nodded as did the lizard.

Medusa: No, I want a power to fight him. Earth, if possssible.

Rachet: Ok then. First off let's get you physically fit. Join those other lizard men over there they are demon lizards and not like you so be careful as they are much stronger than normal lizard men.

She walks over and begins training with them. I was watching from one of the second floor windows and my eyes were fixed on the lizard woman. My reason for focusing on her was the fact that she gave off the same feeling as master and miss Lilian. The power of the curse as master called it. Crono’s curse of evolution. She had that feeling so my eyes stayed fixed on her.

In less than an hour of swinging a sword in a proper form with her skinny arms and she was nearly fainting from exhaustion. I walked up to her and put a tray with food and water that the angels made. One thing they do is add a small enchant to the pots and pans to give the food the effect to restore and heal those who eat it.

Ideo: eat up it will help out.

Even before I could finish she was gulping down the food and when she was done she finally noticed me. Her scales slightly paled seeing me.

Ideo: Calm down.

Medusa: …

She didn’t respond and only looked.

I could only sigh and just turned my back to her and sat on the wall and closed my eyes as if sleeping, but I started meditating. From this position I had a large amount of my body touching the ground and could more or less feel what others were doing near me. It’s thanks partially to my earth affinity that I could make out many people while mediating.

The vibrations from her heart pumping told me the lizard was just looking at me while tilting her head.

Ideo: If you’re just going to look, start training. You will start magic training with me later this afternoon.

I saw she was shocked that I knew she was looking at her, even without looking. She grabs her weapon again and dragging it back to the dummy she starts smacking it. I saw so many faults but I didn’t want to get up. I then thought of something fun. I make a pebble float and toss it at her leg with low power. The way she positioned her feet would make her fall easily with a simple hit, and just like I thought the pebble hit and tripped her.

Ideo: Fix that posture. Your back leg is to forward. It makes your stance weak.

She looked my way and got up before rushing with the weapon. She was using a halberd. An interesting choice like any other. It was a simple overhead swing which I stopped with one finger. It didn’t even draw blood.

Ideo: Like I said your posture is wrong. Any swing starts at the feet and rises up the legs then the waist before going to the chest then arms and finally reaching your weapon. You're too stiff.

She stiffened more and tried to push the weapon down but couldn’t do much.

Medusa: ...I’m weak. I wasss born weak and will live as such.

Ideo: Ah so it’s a question of lack of self-confidence. Well that changes everything Here I think I may have a better method to train you than Rachet’s basic stuff.

Not even opening my eyes the entire time I lightly hit the ground and a large boulder rises from the ground. The shape slowly compresses until it was a perfect copy of her. A long stone halberd shot out of the ground and the golem lizard grabbed it and took the proper form that the lizard was trying to take.

Medusa: What issss that?

Ideo: A stone golem. It’s your copy and I am leaving it on 80% automatic. I put it so it has the same strength and speed and all the same things you have only the 20% is me fixing its fighting forms to the proper ones you will be training.

Medusa: Sssso I need to learn the formsss to beat it.

Ideo: I see you catch on quick, well then get to it. I will tell you what you need to change otherwise I will stay quiet.

The now eager lizard woman takes her form but I quickly coach her and she fixes it before she runs at the golem. I had set it to defend as not to hurt her much but it will still attack when she gives an opening. As she reached it she attacked with an overhead attack like she did to me and got the blunt side of the golems halberd straight in the gut. I couldn’t help but face palm myself. Really did she think that an attack like that wouldn’t give an opening.

Ideo: Get up and don’t do such a stupid attack like that again.

She pushed herself up and tried to regain her normal breathing pattern. I had the Golem step back to let her rest and when she finally regained her senses she was pissed and rushed in without any form and was trashed again.

Ideo: I think instead of starting her with magic I should teach her common sense first. This will be a long training period.

Rachet: I leave her in your care.

Ideo: Yes yes, I will do my best.

The royal imp that appeared from nowhere vanished just like he appeared. Seems he was watching though nothing has ever escaped his eyes while it's within the castle grounds.

From there I continued for the rest of the day getting her to keep her cool while fighting.

Flow PoV

We were arriving at the spot. It's been about half an hour since we left and now we were over the ocean but we could still see the shore from far.

Arriving more or less near the space we hover in the air.

Lily: What now?

Flow: Do you have any sensory skills that work in the water?

Lily: ...Yes. As long as Lily is in the water she can feel the presence of anything within a 2 km radius.

Flow: Hm good enough. My skill allows me to momentarily become water and spread out over a large space before gathering back. The range is just a bit further. Let me just mark this area and then we split up. Every 10 minutes we meet up.

She nods and we descend to the water. I touch the water and stand on the surface as if it was solid ground for a moment. Slowly my body submerges completely. Looking around I see just empty ocean so I activate the skill. My body becomes water and mixes into the ocean water and spreads out far reaching all the way to the ground. A moment later my body forms again and I leave the ocean. The water remains and I appear dry even my clothes. A perk to being a water deity is that you can make the water stay off your clothes that aren’t water proof.

Lily: Nothing?

Flow: Besides a few large fish no.

Lily: Lily will go then.

Flow: Ok don’t forget to meet up.

She flies away and I go in another direction.

I fly for a minute and cover 4 km from where I was and I flew into the water activating the skill again.

Like last time I only found a few fish and nothing else. To save time I form my body near the edge of my search range and leave the ocean flying another 2 km before jumping in the ocean again.

I repeat this for 10 more times before I spot Lily flying back.

Flow: *sigh* I found nothing but fish, you?

Lily: I sensed some strange fish in several locations a bit to the south.

Flow: Really? Let’s go see, I want to see what it is.

Lily leads me more or less to where she saw it.

I jump in and activate the skill. What I find is strange. With a human torso but with fish scales all over, a long tail where the legs should be with two small fins that split at the waist.

(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/336/7/3/final_koi_mermaid_and_little_fish_by_driany-d6wk7zd.jpg)

I didn’t have time to see what its name was before my body gathered again but I quickly jumped out of the water.

Flow: It’s not a fish. I has a human torso.

Lily: Mermaid?

Flow: Maybe let's bring her up.

Lily: If she is near Lily can do that.

She lands on the water which freezes where she stands and sunk down a bit. letting her feet sink down half why up her knees.

She extended her right arm out and a small magic circle appeared under her. She flicked her finger up and said a single world.

[Geyser]

Nothing happened immediately but a after a moment a few hundred meter away the water surface began to swell until it exploded upwards in a huge pillar of water. It raised a good two hundred meters and maintained itself for about five seconds before dispersing. At the top was the figure I saw.

???: Kya~~~~~~~~~~~!!

She screamed as loud as possible and it let out a terrible screech that felt like a drill digging into my head. It quickly pissed me off so flying to the water under her I literally grabbed the water and pulled it up before throwing it at her and activating two spell in the water.

[Water prison][Sound Lock]

The water prison came first and the water that was rising as if gaining life fly with its own power and impacted the girl and formed a bubble of water in the air before the outer part of the bubble formed a thin filament which locked the girl inside. The sound lock spell came after and blocked the sound coming out of the bubble leaving her mute.

Seeing she was back in water she opened her eyes and looked around. She swam to the edge and tried to get out but hit head on against the steel hard filament.

She moved back to the center holding her head which was now throbbing. Seeing this we both couldn’t help chuckle at her. She noticed and stuck her tongue out before turning and pouting.

Lily: Lily seems to have caught a moody fish.

Flow: I think things are going to get real interesting when we start asking questions.

Lily: Yep Lily agrees.

We fly up and using magic we make water chains and pull the water prison back towards the docks where we can unlock her without her having a chance to escape.

Ideo PoV

I must say this lizard woman is quite persistent. She is more headstrong than most other people who have high earth affinity. She hasn’t even begun but I feel she could easily end up like me with two large affinities of earth and fire.

At the moment she is panting in pain after having continually done stupid attacks at the golem.

I keep trying to correct her but she always loses her cool and does stupid attacks.

Even still she has grown a bit because of her beatings. She got better endurance I can say that.

Watching her get up on shaky legs she finally gets into the proper form and slowly moves close to the golem which is ready for her.

As she gets into range the golem attacks but she remains in defense position and blocks the attacks. Blocking as many as possible without moving her pained body she starts to get used to the movements and finally counters.

Ideo: So headstrong while healthy but thinks properly when nearly beaten. I have to get rid of that

It would become a really troublesome habit that would kill her quickly.

Ideo: Girl starting tomorrow you either begin training properly and not let yourself get beaten to this point before starting to do things right or I will leave you like this from the start and you will train all day with injuries all over your body.

Her eyes widened and cold sweat covered her scales.

Medusa: I will ssssstart training ssssserioussssly tomorrow ssssir.

Ideo: Good now to into the castle and get someone to heal you and get some food. The guards barracks are over their find any empty bunk for yourself and get some sleep.

She nods and goes off leaving the pile of dirt that was the golem on the ground.

Ideo: Better head on her shoulders then a few demons here. Guess she values her life more than others.

As I thought this Aiden appeared.

Aiden: Hey brat master and Baal are calling for us.

My eyes snapped open and I stood up glaring at the flying red winged lesser god.

Ideo: What did you call me shorty.

I fly up and we glare at each other. If anyone saw us they would say sparks were flying between our eyes.

Aiden: I said “BRAT” master Lilian and Baal are calling for us.

Ideo: If I’m a brat what are you, a bitch.

Before we could continue a big red fist slammed into our faces and drove us head first into the ground.

Rachet: If you two idiots have time to fight get going and see Baal and Lilian already.

He pulled our heads out and glared at each other before flying up to the throne room while dusting off the dirt.

We enter through the window and land in front of master and miss Lilian. Kitsu, Kumi and the twins were there as well

Ideo: Did you call master?

Baal: Yes have you heard of the lizard kin that have been causing havoc on the other side of the great dragon lake?

Ideo: Yes a lizard woman that was exiled from that group is training with us to return and reclaim her people from her brother.

Aiden: You seem well informed. Where did you hear this from.

Ideo: I listened to Vulcan when he asked Rachet to train the lizard. I took her up because she wanted earth affinity and I was interesting in seeing what she would come out as because of that.

Lilian: Is that so. Well you will need to leave her to someone else. We want you two to go to the east and see if the lizard kin are friendly or foe because they have been getting closer to our territory recently.

Aiden: Wait! I have to go with this idiot!.

Baal: It’s this or you are on cleanup duty for the demon rabbit dungeon below the castle.

Aiden: They don’t need the place cleaned.

Kitsu: Oh yes they do. The place stinks like hell. Clean it and stay or go with us and pass the baton.

Aiden: Damn it. Fine.

Ideo: I already feel my head splitting from having to go with this fire head.

Aiden: WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!

Just like I said her hair rose and began shining and released a bit of heat.

Ideo: See fire head.

The two masters and the four foxes could barely hold their laughter in and looked down while covering their mouths. Aiden turned bright red with embarrassment and glared at me with glowing red eyes that said “I’ll get you for this” I grinned back which was like saying “Bring it”.

After splitting up to gather supplies we flew off towards the direction of the lizards territory with the foxes riding on Kitsu.

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