The gargoyle turned into a wet lump in my grasp and the remaining goop and innards all got greedily sucked by the sands. The desert no longer had its original look. I was literally standing in an overgrown lawn. And the grass seriously needs a bit of work done. There was wild flower here and there. And sprouts also bloomed. If I kept feeding this region with life aura the desert will soon turn into a growing garden.

The life signatures that I could barely feel, was now too teeming with life. The remaining mole and scorpio, like demi-humans were all on their knees, and screaming on the top of their lungs.

Let me help you out of this misery, “Life Aura: Metastasis”. It started with the nearest mole. It exploded in bits and flesh, soon everything all around me followed the same fit. It was sickening. The stench of blood was overwhelmed with the sweet mirth of nature as it drained everything bare in its awake. I feel like a weapon of destruction. Woah, I don’t even need to do anything. Too much good is always bad, even life itself is cancerous. Sigh~

I was amazed seeing few aqrabuamels still resisting their inevitable death. I strolled through the now grass coated desert. I was now epicenter of an oasis. Wait, does having normal trees inside the desert out of nowhere considered oasis? I need to find out if there are date-palms in this world.

A freshly formed wind bladed whistled on my finger tip, ready to slice the withering aqrabuamels in half, just then I heard a dying whisper, “Mercy!”

I searched around to pinpoint the source, and my doubt was cleared when I heard it again, “Please, have...merrcyyy-“

This specific aqrabuamel was different by a lot. It had much smaller feature, but its very form radiated energy different from all others. And most importantly it’s trying to have a conversation with me by directly establishing link with my mind.

I gave sandy a narrow stare, why didn’t you interrupt the link. She whistled in response.

“We’re so not gonna get along!” I sighed in exasperation.

“Hmph! I only thought it might help you in the long run,” Sandy reverted back to her pixie form, pumping her cheeks. I really wanted to pinch her cheeks, ahem~

“Well, we’ll see that.” Seeing me approach it tried to raise it’s humanoid figure, which was distinctly female like, and yeah it was naked. Well, I’ve no idea if monsters or creatures like this wore clothing normally. But damn it got a nice pair of jugs.

I coughed in attempt to avoid any suspicion and tried my best to focus on its face, and there was another distinct feature, it had a very feminine face and no extra-eyes, and matted golden, rough hair accompanying its whole humanoid half. My voice cold as desert night, “Speak.”

“M..My Lord!” She grasped for air, “It was...”

I stopped aura of life, for the she-aqrabuamel to speak with much ease, “A lot of thanks, My Lord!” She slowly got up on her six pointy legs, and tried her best to make a bow, “It was the mole-folks. They tempte...”

I cut her off, mid-sentence, “I’m not fond of excuses!”

“Sorry, My Lord! The problem surely lies in me, as the newly crowned queen, I was too impulsive, and led all of my clan to their demise, so please, those who still survived let them live, just kill me.”

“Sorry, but that not how it works!”

“Please,” the she-aqrabuamel pleaded, “I’ll do anything for the surviving members. We’re the last of our clan...!”

“Come on! Another sob-story?”

“Forgive me, Lord! But I’m saying the truth, if you may, I’ll gladly explain the situation.”

“What’s there to understand? You guys attacked us, and I did what I was ought to do.” I stared at the she-aqrabuamels red eye, “Tell me, If I was not strong enough would you guys have not killed us and feasted on our belongings.”

She-aqrabuamel shifted her gaze uneasily, I could smell her fear, “That we’re guilty of, My Lord! But we only did it food?”

“Food you say?” I snapped my finger, and Megumi appeared beside me. Megumi looked at me with shocked expression, and was about to say something but before she started, she threw up, uhh... quite a lot.

“Need some water?” I held Megumi by her shoulder, as she was still retching a thin stream. I conjured a water ball, and let it burst on Megumi’s head, only to get a glare. “Uhh... do you need more?” I scratched my stubbles innocently.

Megumi used her sleeve to wipe her face. She checked her now wait hair, and threw me another glare, “I can dry you!”

Before Megumi could reply, I followed the same trick of mum, and dried her, and managed to keep the grin intact.

“Not funny,” Megumi rechecking her hair, “And you should have warned me before you teleported me here!”

“My bad,” I replied without expressing the least hint of guilt. “So, you told me they were bandits. Apparently, they’re claiming otherwise.”

“I don’t think peoples attack at night for any other reason than robbing.” Megumi replied.

“May get a say in this, My Lord?” The she-aqrabuamel spoke, voice oozing with respect.

I cut her off with a NO!

But Megumi on the other hand took a step back and then looked at me with horror. “What?” I asked Megumi.

“What’s a queen of the sand is doing here?” Megumi looked back and forth between us, she then whispered, “Something doesn’t seem right.”

“Queen of the sand, was it? Do you have a name?” I asked the she-aqrabuamel. She replied with utmost respect, “No, My Lord!”

“So, yeah! I’m sorry as of before. I should’ve at least listened to your reasoning.” I gave the she-aqrabuamel a quirky smile, “So how did you become a robber?”

“Don’t say sorry to this humble creature, My Lord! I should be killed for stooping this low, please sanctify my soul,” the she-aqrabuamel spoke politely.

“Oh, come on! We all have stories. Don’t be shy!” I said, showing all my teeth.

“But, My Lord!”

“Don’t test my patience!” I kept the poker face, “Please!”

“It was the mole-folks. The group of moles you wiped out. The mana has inflated lately, and it was very taxing for the normal inhabitants to survive here. So, the things we usually prey on fled.”

“Inflated, I don’t feel much ambient mana h...” Megumi elbowed me mid-sentence, “There’s no mana in the Edeneres desert.”

“Oh, hehe, its my first time here!” I gave an innocent smile to both of them. “So, what does that mean?”

She-aqrabuamel started explaining, “We starved for months and in desperation came the mole-folks. They promised us food if we provided them assistance. Since food was of greatest concern I decided without 2nd thought, though my general disagreed with the idea. I, alone am responsible for all these, so please let the remaining of my clan go, My Lord.” A breath later, she spoke hesitantly, “I’ll also ask of them to never do these sorts of things, My Lord!”

I looked at Megumi. Megumi shrugged, “At least I can vouch for her that mole-folks are assholes of highest grade. They would do anything, literally anything. I meant bad things!”

“Okay, that’s not what I meant, you know?”

“Oh, do whatever you see fit, I just need the sandworms alive,” Megumi took a peek around, then gave me a disappointed look, “I don’t think you can’t any alive!”

I had no energy left to reply, I looked back at the she-aqrabuamel, who looked back at me with big glistening eyes. I gave her a smile, “YeSs!?”

“My Lord, I can help you pet some sandworms, if you want. I’ll ask for nothing in exchange, rather it’ll be my honor.” She-aqrabuamel sounded excited.

“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary, I kept one alive for someone but she doesn’t know how to be grateful,” I returned a blank gaze to Megumi, who hurriedly shifted her gaze elsewhere.

“But...” the she-aqrabuamel stopped as I looked back at her, before she started apologizing again, I gave her encouraging smile, she continued, “My Lord, they are really unruly, and I can talk to it to be your pet, I think it will gladly oblige.”

“Uhh, I hate worms,” I pointed my finger toward Megumi, “And I don’t think she exactly wants it as a pet.” I looked dubiously at Megumi, she looked guilty.

“I... Uh... ummm.” Megumi after stammering for a while, “ineedmoney”

I couldn’t contain my laughter, and she grew red like a tomato. She aqrabuamel seemed not to mind, “O little one! May I ask what relation you have with My Lord!”

“She is my benefactor, treat her with respect,” I answered for Megumi.

“Very well then, My Lord!” She-aqrabuamel clasped her hands, eyes glowing in fiendish red, “If I may?”

“Sure.”

“I can gift you, my poison. Um, for your benefactor, My Lord!” She-aqrabuamel spoke with a pleasant smile on her face. It was hard not to admire her figure under the sunlight.

And by the moment I processed the information I hardly managed my jaw from dropping. If I remember correctly, scorpion venom is one of the expensive poisons in the whole world, and each gram costed around 8 grands.

My gaze drifted over the overly enthusiastic Megumi; I could almost hear her squeals inside.

Ahem, I cleared my throat, trying my best to maintain a dignified tone, “That will be very much appreciated. And don’t worry about today’s incidence.”

“Many thanks, My Lord!” she-aqrabuamel thanked bowing this time.

“Hey, get up, you’re embarrassing me,” I insisted, “But how are you going to give us the poison?”

“My Lord, I can condense my poisons into solids, just mix wit with any liquid and it’ll be as potent as it’s supposed to be.” She-aqrabuamel already set to work, the stinger at the end of her arthropodan body, started secreting drops of dark green liquid, which flowed in front of her in streams of miasma, leaking from it, and in a minute she conjured three beads of one of the deadliest poison. She-aqrabuamel approached me, and handed over the three of them, and then took three dignified steps back, and gave another slight bow.

“Thanks, I guess,” I returned her a toothy grin, “So, what now?”

She-aqrabuamel replied hesitantly, “We’ll leave this place for better chance of survival but rest assured, My Lord, I and my clan won’t be committing such atrocious work anymore.”

“Glad to hear that,” I waved my hand towards the she-aqrabuamel, “That’s it then?”

I could see waver in her sinister red eyes, “Umm...” She looked downward and shook her head, and then sighed most prolly.

I was about to turn around to leave, when Sandy’s voice rung in my mind, “Master! Don’t let her go. She is one of the rarest of her kind, if you nurture her properly, she’ll be a great asset!”

I halted, thinking on the matter. Not getting the most satisfying answer I asked Sandy, “How so?”

“From the memory shards of your mum, such intelligent aqrabuamels are rare and they are one of the strongest amanaic creatures, I mean they can’t use mana at all but can still be extremely powerful. Plus, as far as I deducted she can summon other lesser intelligent creatures or pet them, not sure on the specific though.”

“What are you spacing out for,” Megumi tugged my sleeve. I forgot for a moment that I was standing like a idiot, luckily I wasn’t talking aloud. “Oh, silly me! Wait few more minutes.”

I called the she-aqrabuamel, “Hey, umm… you guys can stay here and take care of this...” I looked around to discover rediscover myself in a verdant garden of colorful blooming, “Garden!?”

Getting no response from the she-aqrabuamel, “Umm, this place is going to bustle with life you can feast on. And you can just settle here, I mean the base of your clan.”

She-aqrabuamel was silent but tears rolled down her cheek. Oh fuck! I made another not-so-human-or-monster girl cry.

“I take your tears of joy as a yes?”

She-aqrabuamel nodded vigorously.

“And, I suck at naming but you still need a name.” I walked towards her, “You’ll be called ‘Scorpy’, I know it’s not the best but deal with it.”

Scorpy didn’t respond. Only tears rolled down her cheek, and soon she stated glowing in ominous dark red, with streaks of black sparks. I felt my mana drain, and almost all of it was gone at once. I even needed a bit of ambient mana. Okay! Naming is tough.

A pillar of red light, with black thunders ascended towards the sky.

“W-What are you?” Megumi stared at me dumfounded, “How are you still not exhausted?”

I shrugged in response. Well, in fact, I would’ve collapsed if not for the huge amount of mana it’s leaking and the dispersed ambient mana.

The pillar slowly faded, and instead of a horror of a gorgeous lady and a scorpion, there now stood a perfectly human looking creature. And yeah she was butt naked with voluptuous figure, and the most noticeable thing was her sinister red eyes, that shone in magical silver. Her hair was long, golden brown, with lustre of dull silver moonlight. It flowed like silk, the rough texture was gone, and, “You need cloth, Scorpy!” I threw a yukata, hoping it would do just fine.

Scorpy wore the yukata, which fitted just nice, not too loose, not too tight. She kowtowed, “My Lord! Thank you, thank...” and she started sobbing tirelessly.

“Scorpy, take care! I’m gonna take my leave first.” I took out the quad-bike and got on the passenger sit. Megumi stared at me for a second then rode on it.

Scorpy was still sobbing, “My..M. My Lord! Can I tag along?”

“NO!” I replied giving Scorpy a toothy grin, “Take care of this forest for me, will you?”

Scorpy nodded enthusiastically. I waved at her, “Don’t worry, I’ll be visiting soon. Just remember one thing. DON’T DIE!”

Scorpy waved goodbye, while wiping tears. Megumi picked up the pace of the quad-bike. The journey was uneventful but relaxing!