Combat Healer Ch. 30 (Patreon)

January 15, 2023

NOTE: Oh the plans I have for this story! I usually put thought into the titles of my stories, so hopefully you notice them! Often the title is relevant to both the italicized part, as well as the main part.

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CHARACTER HEIGHT:

Okay, a quick note on character height, especially since Allister is now taller (so you guys can help ensure that I am consistent in the story).

Allister: baseline (he is tall for a human, so he's probably a good 6 feet, 2 inches, or something similar -- by the way, did you know that only 3% of adult males are 6 feet 3 inches, or taller? 3%! So if you are 6 feet, 3 inches, then you are in the top 3% of human height! And really, if including women, it's like the top 1.5% of human height. As in, 98.5% of people are shorter.)

Allister's height increase: 3 inches, or 6 feet 5 inches.

Mel: was same height, now 3 inches shorter than MC.

Val: was about 2 inches shorter, now 5 inches shorter than MC. I made a point to mention that she would be tall for a human, but normal height for a female Holstaur.

Sylvia: was 2 inches TALLER, now 1 inch shorter than MC.

Astaer: was 2 inches TALLER, now 1 inch shorter than MC (same height as Sylvia).

Celestine: was 1 inch TALLER, now 2 inches shorter than MC (1 inch shorter than Astaer/Sylvia). Remember that she is a tad bit shorter than Astaer, and also a tad bit thicker, especially in the bust. Also has a slightly more round face.

Eliza: as a teenager, she was about 2 inches shorter, but she grew taller as she became an adult, and the MC meets her to discover that she's the same height (also same height as Mel), but is now going to be 3 inches shorter.

Wren: was 2 inches shorter than MC, now 5 inches shorter. I double-checked and noted that I made a point in several locations to emphasize that Wren is a bit shorter than Eliza, so that's at least consistent.

Keep in mind that, while Wren is small compared to Allister, she's still 6 feet tall! Obviously, his frame of reference probably makes her feel shorter, just because he's so tall to begin with, and because Wren is very skinny, often crouches, etc.

When I bring more 'normal' humans into the story later, the height differences will probably start feeling more extreme, in the sense that the 'scale' of how tall everyone is will become more evident.

OTHER CHARACTERS:

Vildred: Just for reference here, this dude is TALL. He was 8 inches taller than Allister, and will now still be 5 inches taller.

Most Oni: 7 feet is very normal for Oni, especially the men. For them, 7 feet is like a humans 'average' of about 5 feet 10 inch, meaning taller isn't too uncommon.

<< Chapter 29 (Book 3) | Ch 1 (Book 1) | Ch 15 (Book 2)

- CHAPTER 30: Evil -

Present Day

An elf guard barged into the General’s office, his voice an explosion of noise as he yelled.

“Sir! Lord Vizen is dead!”

The tall muscular elf with graying hair and slate eyes…

ERUPTED out of his seat.

“WHAT?! WHAT OF THE GUARD?!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, knowing both candidates should have been heavily guarded, only their closest family and trusted friends allowed within their homes.

“The Plague, sir! Several in his household were found with the Plague!”

The Head of the Guard couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

After a moment of frozen silence…

He fell back down into his seat, disbelief clouding his mind for a few moments.

“How many?” he finally managed, struggling to speak, his voice barely a whisper.

“Sir! Four were found afflicted. Only Lord Vizen has died.”

Vildred could only think of one logical reason.

The man was more susceptible to the foul flesh-eating curse in his weakened state.

Because he was only now recovering from the Trials.

Fuck.

FUCK!

“What of Lord Sezra?!” he demanded.

“I believe he is fine.”

Vildred gritted his teeth, his jaw tense. “Ensure a healer is with him at all times! Better the rules be broken than he perish too!” He abruptly snapped his teeth together, before continuing. “And the Queen?”

“She’s still strong, sir!”

His slate eyes narrowed, his tone hard. “The moment she surpasses Lord Sezra’s time, we end the trials. I’ll make the announcement in the morning. Ensure everyone is gathered.”

“Sir?” he said in confusion.

“You heard me! This is an omen of what’s to come! This year’s Northern Invasion may be the worst yet! Especially if the fucking Plague is appearing out of nowhere! The moment she reclaims the throne, the trials end! We can’t afford to have our Queen incapacitated for months! Because it’ll fucking be months, when she fucking lasts nine days again!”

“Sir, yes sir!” he announced, abruptly turning to depart.

Vildred just stared at the wall, his jaw clenched hard.

“Fuck,” he hissed, only to aggressively swing his arm and toss everything off his desk. “FUCK!”

He abruptly stood then, clenching the sides of his desk as hard as he could, lifting it off the floor slightly as he tried to collect himself…

Dammit!

Fucking dammit!

He wanted to see her break!

He wanted to see her reclaim the throne the noble way!

Dammit!

But they couldn’t afford to play games.

Because this must be the year.

The year of the millennium.

The once in a thousand years…

With the last time being so long ago, that it was ‘speculative history’ at this point. And yet, the signs were undeniable.

This must be the year.

The once in a thousand years…

When the Northern Invasion would drench these lands in crimson.

Fertilizing their land with the blood of their people.

Except…

Vildred was determined that not a single drop of elven blood be lost.

No.

The rivers would run red with filthy blood.

The filthy blood of the impure races.

He would see to that.

And their strong resolved Queen…

Would be the one to lead them.

He would see to that.

* * *

Even as fast as Wren and I could run on foot, feeling like we would never tire, it was not nearly as fast as she could fly as a Balphor. By the time we got back to the Dungeon, which was still open even if conquered, the entrance now leading directly into the final room, the sun was already rising over the horizon.

It was morning.

And both Mel and Val were nowhere to be found.

I also had a bit of a problem.

Shifting back into my human form for the first time, I was glad to discover that I looked the same as I originally had, only larger in every way. Unlike Wren, who was a doppelganger monster mimicking an elf, it seemed as if my transformations were more like I was shifting between ‘races,’ between a real human and a doppelganger mimicking a human.

However, becoming truly human again, a taller more muscular human, also left me completely naked. At the very least, my skin didn’t peel this time, with that initial ‘molting’ process appearing to be a different thing entirely, my midnight skin instead turning pale as the differences in my body returned to how I’d been as a human.

Of course, I’d been naked the whole time, but only now did I truly feel like I was exposed.

But thankfully, Wren was able to solve that problem for me, though she did want something in return upon seeing my nudity.

There was an Oni village nearby, and finding clothing hanging out on a washing line was simple enough for her to do, especially since she had skills that I didn’t have, including Stealth, Stalker, and Escape. Certainly, while I was a couple of inches taller than I’d been, and also quite a bit thicker in the shoulders, chest, arms, and thighs, I still was not even close to being as large as a grown Oni man.

But as large as a younger one? Who had just reached his adolescent years?

I was about that size.

Wren was able to find me a pair of leather shorts and gray tunic that fit me fairly well.

I then gave her what she wanted in return.

It was a bit of an odd request, but I knew the reason why.

It was a show of trust.

Something she craved.

For me to trust her fully.

Wren knelt before me and wrapped her mouth around my soft cock, simply holding the position for a long few minutes. She covered my cock in her saliva as she tenderly ran her tongue along my swelling member in her mouth, accepting that I was keeping my mind mostly empty, not wanting to grow fully hard. A task which I surprisingly succeeded at, thickening in her mouth, but keeping myself mostly flaccid.

Finally satisfied after tasting me for a while, she kissed the tip a few times affectionately, and then disappeared in the forest after I pulled the leather shorts up, intending on taking a nap, knowing she couldn’t accompany me while I was around regular people.

In the meantime, with a heavy sigh, I made my way through a field, heading for the largest clusters of houses that marked the center of the Oni village…

The same location of my perceived failure, those couple of years ago.

The sun had risen fully now, and I could see mostly Green Oni moving about their morning chores, one large woman pulling down clothing from a washing line, not the one Wren had stolen from, while a couple of large children played by her feet, another large man walking with a shovel on his shoulder, tugging a goat behind him by a cord around its neck.

Another large Oni man was guiding a horse with a small wooden cart in my general direction.

I was surprised to be greeted right away.

“Fellow!” he cheered, steering the horse more toward me, while walking next to it. “Welcome to Aranthar. Are you a Scourge Suppressor? A Fighter perhaps? You’re no elf. Are humans usually so large?”

I was honestly surprised he noticed.

Just like most Oni claimed all elves looked the same to them, similarly Oni didn’t usually notice the differences in height, all humans just being ‘short’ to them. I knew because Turg and Dagru didn’t make a distinction between me and the healer bitch I hated, named Lyla, even though I was nearly a head taller than the entitled blonde slut.

I mean, it was possible it was another way they used to tease me, but I was almost a fucking head taller than her!

Dammit, now that I was thinking about it, maybe it was just them teasing me.

Fuck, I was an idiot.

Of course they were teasing me.

How could they not notice that Lyla was nearly a head shorter?

Not that it mattered now.

Even though my height was only a few inches increased, it was enough that I was probably at least as tall as Sylvia and Astaer now, Celestine being an inch shorter than the two of them, and I’d already been tall for a human. Which meant, Lyla’s face would probably only reach my chest. Even more extreme than Wren’s height compared to mine, with the demon elf girl’s eyes at least reaching chin-level.

Whereas the top of Lyla’s head probably wouldn’t even reach my chin now…

Unexpectedly, my jaw clenched briefly when I randomly visualized myself wrapping my arms around the blonde slut and squeezing her tightly…

A show of force…

Though not to hurt her.

Instead, a very different, extremely unanticipated, desire surfaced out of nowhere.

A desire to dominate.

It would be one thing to make her scared of me, something that would be very easy.

But it would be another thing entirely to make her want me.

Was it possible?

Was there any attraction there at all?

I’d heard her complain that she found Oni men ugly, and that she thought most elf men had faces far too angular for her tastes, even though she’d shown zero interest in me. I’d always assumed she was just a bitch who complained about everything, but maybe she found me appealing, having entirely different reasons for hating me. Perhaps even hating me more because she also found me attractive…

If true, then could I use that to my advantage?

Could I make her weak in the knees, and desperate for me to take her?

She was a complete slut after all, from what I’d heard at least, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get her to want me…

The thought would have been absurd to me before.

But suddenly, I had an aggressive desire to make the short human blonde wish she was mine. A craving to make the bitchy whore wish she was my slut. And then to refuse her what she longed for. To pull her in with hope, and repeatedly crush her with rejection.

My jaw was tight.

I wanted to shove her against a wall, make her hot and bothered with my physical presence, but refuse to give her what she desperately wanted.

I supposed I truly was a monster now.

This aggression within me didn’t feel like it came from my old self, even if I absolutely hadn’t been a pushover before. I was still the same man who stabbed a large Red Oni man with his own sword in front of the Queen to make a point. I was still the same man who wouldn’t hesitate to kill my assailants if I were attacked in a dark alleyway in the dead of night.

But this was something else.

Something more.

The man noticed my tension. “Please forgive me!” he exclaimed. “I meant no offense! If anything, it was a compliment!”

My expression relaxed, my tone reassuring. “None taken, my friend. Please instead forgive me. My mind was elsewhere for a moment. I’ve been awake all night and am perhaps delirious from my fatigue. I was with two others, a Red Oni woman and half-Holstaur. Did they stay here last night?”

The man frowned at that, finally stopping before me, towering over me to the point that I had to look up.

He seemed to be debating how to respond. Possibly not wanting to betray the whereabouts of their guests.

“A human, Oni, and Holstaur?” he repeated, almost sounding skeptical now.

“Part of my team,” I hedged, though it was technically true, since we also had Wren. “I am actually a healer. Their names are Melantha and Valshia, and yes they are my companions.”

The large man held out his large green hand, revealing a scabbed cut on it.

He actually had a lot of scratches here and there, but made a point to bring attention to this one…

A test.

Possibly because I was male, and basically all healers were female.

“Forgive my rudeness, but would you mind gracing me with your gift? This cut has been bothering me some mighty.”

I smiled warmly at him, amused that he was being so diligent to take good care of their guests, though I felt like he’d already given the truth away by this point. That Mel and Val were here…

Did that mean they didn’t want to see me though?

Or was he just being cautious?

“Heal,” I said simply, speaking out loud for his benefit, his entire body recovering.

His eyes widened in surprise. “Good fertile lands!” he said in disbelief, rolling his large green shoulders. “Mighty heavens,” he said more emphatically. “I haven’t felt this good in a couple of years now.”

My tone was amused. Friendly. “That long, huh?”

He smiled brightly as he focused back down at me. “Yes, though you’d never believe the reason why I once felt this great. Come,” he added warmly, beginning to tug on his steed to turn his cart around. “Allow me to introduce you to our Chief. I think she’ll be interested in meeting you.”

“I do really need to find my companions,” I emphasized.

“Of course, of course,” he agreed simply, saying nothing more.

As we walked, I expected everyone to mostly ignore us, since visitors shouldn’t be uncommon at all, especially when they had a Dungeon appearing so close, but quite a few people dropped what they were doing to follow at a distance.

Which…

Was bizarre.

I definitely knew that, based on how this man reacted to me, they should have no idea that I was anything other than a human man. And yet, they were all seeming to gather, as if wanting to see me be introduced to their Chief.

Maybe it was because one of them was leading me, and it caught their attention.

Possibly they only led certain kinds of people to meet the Chief.

Such as healers.

But on second thought, that was doubtful.

It must be something else. Mel did mention that they’d become a ‘fun group,’ as if they had a second life to enjoy, and maybe this was a part of that weird behavior. Their desire to celebrate guests.

To celebrate life itself.

Someone else must have assumed our destination, because I caught sight of Tukar just coming out of a pitched-roof building with several others accompanying her, a few visibly speaking in hushed whispers to her as she focused vaguely in this direction.

It was really her.

A bit older than I remembered, not at all attractive with her big blocky jaw and white hair, her heavily wrinkled skin an almost olive green like Muneg, even if she was fully Green Oni. Truly the embodiment of her Og’re race. And yet…

It was really her.

My throat felt tight when she met my gaze.

I hadn’t failed after all.

However, then something else caught my attention, a sound directly to my right near a stable.

“Master!” Val exclaimed.

I turned my head just as she was running to me at full speed, her leather top surprisingly holding her tits very well as she dashed for me, her strong muscular tan legs propelling her toward me. In the past, I would have braced myself, knowing that her weight might knock me over, despite her shorter stature, but now I simply held my arms out as she jumped against me, throwing her arms around my neck, her both thin and juicy body conforming to mine as I held her tightly.

As I held her nearly half a foot off her feet.

Her weight nothing to me.

Absolutely nothing to my new strength.

I couldn’t imagine a more loving, affectionate, loyal, patient, and understanding woman, my heart swelling at the knowledge that I was hers, and she was all mine. And more importantly, at the fact that out of all the possible emotions she could be feeling after last night, she only felt one.

Worry.

And now relief.

Relief that I’d returned to her.

The Green Oni guiding me spoke up in a deep voice, sounding like he meant his words only for himself.

“Master?” he mumbled behind me, likely being well aware of what that meant.

That I was her husband.

Or at least betrothed.

But then another voice chimed from my left, from behind Tukar.

“Allie?” Mel said in surprise, just now coming out of the same doorway. “Allie!” she repeated, slipping between the others and running for me too.

I held my left arm out toward her as she slammed into us, wrapping both her arms tightly around our waists, burying her rosy face against the side of mine…her small black horns rubbing against my cheek.

We’d been the same height before.

Now the top of her white hair was eye level for me.

Which meant I must be nearly three inches taller now, rather than only two as I’d initially suspected. Enough that I might actually be a bit taller than Sylvia and Astaer.

Tukar’s graveling voice echoed across the yard. “Well now,” she said in amusement, sounding extremely deep. “I wasn’t aware you had another companion, Melantha.”

Mel looked up at me urgently then, her gold eyes searching mine, clearly uncertain of what to say. Of course, now I realized they must have intentionally neglected to mention me, since they weren’t sure I would be coming back anytime soon. And I also realized that, truly, despite all the possible feelings they might have about the previous night, ‘concern’ for my well-being had been first and foremost.

Their sincere worry eclipsed everything else.

I focused on Tukar. “It’s nice to meet you,” I said politely. “I’m a healer from the capital. We got separated in the Dungeon. I’m sure they thought I might not have made it.”

“Ah, the apprehension,” Tukar commented, nodding to herself as if that suddenly explained everything.

Mel gave me another tight squeeze, and then let go to turn toward those who had gathered, remaining so close that her leather-clad ass was actually touching my hip as she spoke up.

“You’re such a friendly and cheerful people. I didn’t want to burden you with the distress of our potential loss. We were only mildly concerned though, as Allister is a competent healer.”

Tukar held up her large wrinkled hand as she shook her head. “Your business is your own.” She then focused on me. “A healer, you say? I’m not sure I’ve ever met a male healer.”

The guy who guided me lifted his hand, his fingers curled into a fist as if he was about to give a cheer, looking almost proud as he puffed out his broad chest. “He was kind enough to use his gift on me. Haven’t felt this great since our Great Revival.”

Tukar’s amber eyes widened quite a bit at that, as if she was truly opening her eyes for the first time, her wrinkled olive skin having prevented her from seeing fully until now.

And now, she really looked at me.

“Come,” she then said in her gravelly voice. “Allow me to entertain you for a time with an old woman’s tales. My dear Melantha here has already humored our stories, but we are always happy to share with all who will listen.”

“Umm,” Mel started saying.

I bumped her firm bubbly ass with my hip, concerned she was going to give the truth away.

Something I was reluctant to reveal, for a variety of reasons.

She looked back at me hesitantly.

“Sure,” I said warmly, readjusting my arm around Val’s shoulders as she clung to me. “I’d be happy to listen.”

Mel simply nodded in agreement, beginning to lead the way toward the Chief as Val and I followed. We were definitely getting some strange looks due to how the Holstaur girl was holding on to me, with them seeming a bit disbelieving that I might truly be ‘her master.’

Her husband.

But then again, she was technically half human, so they shouldn’t be that surprised.

Still, some of the men almost seemed…somber…to watch us go. As if they’d been hoping to snag Val for themselves, and realized now that was never going to happen. Which I supposed wasn’t too surprising given her beauty, but what made me confused was the sheer number of men who looked that way.

Like damn, I knew Val was something special, but I hadn’t expected to see basically every man I laid eyes upon seem so sullen to discover Val was taken.

The building Tukar had come out of with Mel clearly wasn’t where the old woman wanted to entertain us, so we followed her around the side and between a couple of houses, further away from the open courtyard. Further away from all the Green Oni who were now returning to their morning choirs, as if the initial excitement was over already.

Kind of weird behavior, but oh well.

Focusing on the tattooing on Mel’s rosy skin, I noticed she didn’t have her staff with her, realizing she must feel very secure here to leave it behind. But then again, with it being a bound weapon, with her being its Chosen, she might be able to sense its location no matter where it was.

After all, she did claim she’d been drawn to it initially.

That it had actually found her.

I’d have to ask her later, since now I was curious.

What did it feel like to be Chosen by a Legendary Weapon?

What did it feel like to have a Legendary Weapon call out to oneself? How would someone know if such a weapon was calling out to them?

Shifting my gaze from the dimples in her rosy lower back, down to her bubbly ass and thick strong thighs as she walked, her black leather pants creaking slightly from the strain as she moved, the relief of Mel and Val’s obvious acceptance and forgiveness finally swept over me.

There’d been no hesitation.

Despite seeing my skin peel off, despite watching me become a red-eyed gray-faced monster, with razor-sharp teeth and deadly claws…there’d still been no hesitation. No fear, no lack of love or trust.

I realized I still needed to apologize.

I focused down at Val, her face against my upper chest, her brown horn rubbing into my swollen muscles. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Her purple eyes focused up at me in shock. “Master?” she said just as quietly in confusion. As if there was truly no reason for me to say such things.

“Your head,” I clarified.

She automatically reached up with one hand to feel the spot where I’d hit her with that piece of bone. “Master, I was in a lot of pain. More pain than I think I’ve ever felt before. You have no reason to apologize. Thank you for healing me so quickly.”

I’d almost forgotten that Val grew up on a farm, no doubt having suffered very few injuries in comparison to what Scourge Suppressors suffered on a regular basis. Which kind of made me feel bad for pulling her into this life, even though it was what she wanted.

“Sorry,” Mel whispered, sounding like it wasn’t the first time she’d apologized for burning her friend, falling back a step to be closer on my other side, still about a step ahead.

“No, you saved my life,” Val countered. “If only I’d been able to learn a new spell.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” I chastised. “Learning new spells is very difficult. It was a lot to expect of you.”

She simply nodded, turning her face into me, trusting that I was sure enough of my steps that she could simply let me hold her as she walked at my side, her wide hip always pressed firmly against mine.

“You’re taller,” she whispered.

Mel focused at me too, her gold eyes looking like she wanted to mention it as well, the obvious difference in our heights now, but had been afraid to bring it up.

I was reminded about what she first told me.

That she preferred men smaller than her, or just her size…

Did this change anything between us?

“That okay?” I asked quietly.

Her gold eyes widened, only to look a little emotional as she nodded, reaching out as she pushed into me as well, wrapping her arms around my waist with Val, her head resting against the side of my face. They both felt so warm, our hug so tight.

She loosened her embrace to avoid us stumbling as we walked, but continued to remain in my embrace, my arm wrapped around her muscular shoulders.

“I love you,” she whispered.

I squeezed her tighter, focusing up at Tukar when she glanced back at us just as she stopped in front of one of the large wooden doors. Her wrinkled forehead creased briefly as she raised her eyebrows, before giving us a toothy grin.

“Well now, Melantha,” she said warmly in her gravelly voice. “I see you found yourself a man. You were so adamant about looking for someone in particular the last time you were here.”

My brow furrowed at that, because while I knew Mel had been looking for a healer, what she was implying was something different.

Mel laughed uneasily. “Oh, ha. Yeah…” she replied lamely.

I gave her a questioning look.

She shrugged. “A lot of the men here were interested,” she commented.

Oh.

Of course.

An excuse for why she didn’t want to fuck.

Made sense.

“Come on inside, and I’ll get a few lamps lit,” the large Green Oni woman gestured, only to speak directly to me. “Afraid we don’t use Light Crystals often. We’ve offered breakfast this morning, but Mel has declined. Perhaps you are of an appetite?”

I shook my head, definitely not hungry right now after the massive monster heart I’d dug into last night, never mind the fact that Val probably needed to be milked soon.

“I’m alright, but thank you,” I replied as I stepped through the doorway, seeing a round table we would probably sit at.

It was interesting because, even though I was objectively taller, I realized it probably wasn’t going to have much effect on my overall life. Not when Oni had such tall doorways themselves, and of course elves had high doors as well. It had been a while since I’d been around buildings designed for humans, roughly about three years actually, when I was eighteen, and I didn’t reach my full height until I was about nineteen.

Would I have to duck under a human doorway?

I wasn’t sure.

Perhaps not, but either way, I definitely didn’t have to duck under Tukar’s doorway.

Far from it.

As I sat down on the other side of the table, facing back toward the doorway, with both Mel and Val scooting their seats closer to mine before they sat down, I was pleased that I still had the Nocturnal Vision skill even though I was in my human transformation right now. And pleased that no one seemed to notice, implying that my eyes weren’t flashing silver like elves.

Perfectly concealed, I was a monster hiding in broad daylight.

Except, it wasn’t broad daylight…

The large old woman closed the door…only to brace it, as if for the night, putting a heavy wooden plank over it…

She then moved in the dark and seemed to search for something in the drawer of a cabinet only a few steps to the side.

Oni had some degree of capability to see in the dark, even if they usually didn’t have a skill associated with the better eyesight at night, but I was sure not even Mel could see in this darkness.

Was Tukar looking for a Light Crystal after all?

“Umm…” Mel said hesitantly. “Did you want me to light a lamp?” she wondered in confusion, reaching out for the one in the middle of the table.

“Go ahead,” the old woman replied in her deep gravelly voice.

Mel glanced at me in the darkness, and then carefully ignited the wick, barely using up any essence as she did so. The light illuminated the space, allowing us to see more clearly, even if I personally had been able to see just fine.

The old woman definitely seemed to be searching for something…

But in the dark?

Why?

She was making a lot of noise.

The large Green Oni remained turned away from us as she finally spoke up. “Where is it,” she mumbled loudly, only to sigh. “Forgive an old woman. You said you were a healer?” she commented.

I frowned, wondering if her age had finally gotten to her.

“Umm, yes,” I said hesitantly, my frown deepening as she grew still with her hand still in the drawer.

She then slowly withdrew her hand, having nothing in it, and placed it on the top of the cabinet, remaining turned away from us.

Mel spoke up in a whisper. “Allie, why don’t you just tell her?”

“Tell me what?” Tukar asked loudly.

I sighed heavily, focusing on my Red Oni girlfriend. Because she’d pretty much just made it difficult to avoid admitting the truth.

“Sorry,” she said apologetically, her expression sincere. “But I want what’s best for you, Allie. And I think they should know. You should be celebrated for your good deeds. You should be celebrated for the amazing person that you are, and it’s not like you can avoid being famous. Not after what’s happened in the capital. Not after you saved Celestine.”

I knew she was right.

Still…

I sighed heavily, focusing on the woman’s back. “Tukar, this isn’t the first time we’ve met,” I admitted.

The large woman began trembling at that, still facing away from us, her hands now tight on the cabinet. “Truly?” she asked seriously, her voice sounding off.

I realized this must be a bigger deal for her than I assumed.

I took a deep breath. “Yes. I tried to save this village a couple of years ago. I thought I failed. I woke up to decayed husks. But…I guess it worked after all.”

“You saved us?” she repeated in disbelief. “H-How? How so many?”

I hesitated. “Promise not to repeat it?”

“Never,” she said firmly.

Damn.

I decided to tell her. “It’s a skill I have. A unique one. A special one.”

“Show me,” she pleaded, still turned away, her entire body trembling.

I frowned at that, realizing she must want proof. And while I didn’t want to announce my presence to the entire village, I knew that I could show her by only activating my skill for a brief few seconds. Just long enough for her to experience the Domain of the Goddess before it reached too far beyond the walls of this house.

“Okay,” I finally whispered, beginning to activate the skill…

Domain of the Goddess.

However…

The moment that a pulse of blue light appeared at my feet…

FORESIGHT activated.

And instantly, everything changed.

Everything.

Instantly, my body shifted to a midnight monster, my face gray, my eyes bright red.

ADAPT activated.

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NEW SKILL: Forethought

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ADAPT.

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NEW SKILL: Reflexive Instinct

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ADAPT.

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NEW SKILL: Haste

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BERSERK activated.

My midnight body began glowing in a crimson light.

ADAPT.

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NEW SKILL: Berserk Haste

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Everything was moving in slow motion, slow enough that the conscious part of my brain was struggling to fully understand the actions my body was taking, struggling to comprehend why I was rising to my feet – practically exploding from my chair – except feeling like I was moving very slowly, compared to how fast I was thinking, seeing in my peripheral vision as my claws grew from my outstretched fingers, watching as something I didn’t fully understand came at me.

Attacking me.

A massive mouth, with massive teeth, a large green body that was split straight down the middle, from the top of the wrinkled face all the way down to the legs, two halves of a person completely split in two, the clothing shredded, rows and rows of bony daggers deep within, a bright red eyeball staring directly at me from the center of those bloody depths.

The table in front of my strong thighs was crunching as it slowly splintered between us, dozens of bloody tongues beginning to reach out for their prey, several of them starting to wind around my still-growing midnight claws, even as the widening jaws started to reverse their motion, moving to snap around the entire body of its target.

Me.

So fast.

It was moving so quickly.

The blink of an eye.

I would have been dead in the blink of an eye. Even before then.

ADAPT.

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NEW SKILL: Weak Point

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ADAPT.

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NEW SKILL: Instinctual Casting

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‘STUN.’

‘CHARM.’

ADAPT.

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NEW SPELL (UPGRADED): Charm Monster

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‘CHARM MONSTER.’

All at once, everything came to a halt even before the blink of an eye.

Jaws as large as an entire Oni’s body snapped around me, bony fangs sinking into my thick midnight flesh, bloody tentacles wrapping around my arm and torso, halting as my ‘Stun’ spell only now took effect…

PAIN IMMUNITY.

WEAK POINT.

My hand grasped firmly around a single crimson eye.

And then, everything was silent.

Everything was still. Motionless.

Charm Monster had taken over.

The crimson glow from Berserk, only just beginning to surround my body, was already diminishing again, the need for Berserk and Berserk Haste already over.

It felt like an infinitely long second before Mel and Val both screamed.

They both began casting spells.

My lips parted to speak.

“Stop!” I ordered.

They both hesitated.

Hesitated just long enough to realize that there was no movement.

No movement within these walls.

However, I could sense her coming. Feral.

Her massive form rapidly shrinking as she fell from the sky.

Mel and Val screamed as Wren exploded through the roof, landing on all fours and snarling like a cat from hell, her face still partially looking feline from having shifted back into an elf after being a Balphor briefly.

I parted my lips again, this time directing my attention to the creature wrapped around me. Surprisingly, I wasn’t in any pain. I knew I had a new ‘Pain Immunity’ skill, but the reason why it was different than ‘Pain Tolerance’ was because one was Passive, while the other was an ‘Active’ skill.

And Pain Immunity was definitely active right now.

“Can you speak?”

The abomination tried to resist my Charm Monster.

Tried to resist, because it was an intelligent monster.

The first ‘other’ one I’d ever met.

An intelligent monster…like Wren.

Like me.

But finally the Green Oni woman’s heavily wrinkled face began reforming, directly in front of my face, far too close for comfort, her gold eyes looking almost dazed and apathetic, yet staring directly into my eyes.

“Yes,” she finally managed, her insides moving around me as she spoke.

“Oh my God,” Mel exclaimed, beginning to truly panic now. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”

Val was trembling violently, her purple eyes wide, looking paralyzed in horror.

I was surprised that I didn’t hear anyone running in this direction after hearing the screams. Did the people know to stay away for some reason? Had they anticipated screams? Was there a different reason why they looked somber to watch Val go?

Why was no one coming to see what was going on?

“How long have you been impersonating this woman?” I demanded.

“About six years,” it replied in that deep gravelly voice. A perfect impersonation, or so I assumed.

My eyes widened in shock.

Because that meant…

I’d never met the real Tukar.

Not even once.

It had always been this abomination.

I tried to focus.

“Why did you try killing me?”

Its face contorted briefly in hatred, only for the features to smooth out again, looking me dead in the eye. “I was the one who cursed this village with Decay. And I kept cursing them even after they recovered, over and over, and over again. But my endless attempts ended in failure without fault.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

The reason why everyone’s curses were so advanced when I woke up…

Was because this creature had been trying to undo what I’d done.

And yet…

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SKILL: Domain of the Goddess

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DESCRIPTION

Level: 1/1

Type: Innate Active

Effect: Establish the DOMAIN of the Goddess of Life and receive blessings. Pure wishes will be granted to those who are Worthy. Healing Spells have all essence costs eliminated and have their potency strengthened. All mortal limitations are removed, allowing casting on multiple targets simultaneously (Mass Cast), and removing any distance limitations, so long as the target is also within the DOMAIN.

Focus Bonus: Always Worthy

Cast Time: Instant

Stamina Use: 5 Stamina per 1 second (Initial)

Range: Undefined (Infinitely Growing)

Limitation: Stamina cost increases at an accelerated rate as the Range of the DOMAIN grows larger. Inflicted with Fatigue (moderate) and Drowsiness (moderate) upon deactivation of Mass Cast if the combined total of Strength and Fortitude is under 60 (Strength: 25, Fortitude: 25, Total: 50)

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‘Pure wishes will be granted to those who are Worthy.’

My wish was that these people recover from their curse.

And I was Worthy.

This monster couldn’t kill them with the Decay curse. Even now, they probably couldn’t be killed with the Decay curse. Inflicted with it maybe, temporarily, but always revived to full health – a permanent blessing.

A permanent wish granted.

And so, now this creature had been waiting, spreading the news of my ‘great salvation,’ the greatness of the ‘Savior of the Forsaken,’ in hopes that it might lure me back and achieve its revenge.

But I still didn’t understand.

My claws tensed around the crimson eyeball deep within its body.

“Why didn’t you kill me back then?”

Hatred again flashed across its expression, only for those features to relax. “I was unable to locate the filth who thwarted my plans. Unable to remember what that filth even was. In the last two years, there is not a single healer who has passed through this village that hasn’t met a gruesome end. Not a single healer who I haven’t eaten, never to be seen again. I would have eaten you even if you were not the source of my hatred.”

My grip tightened on the eyeball, causing the entire body to shudder, loosening its grip on me, the bony daggers pulling out of my flesh slightly.

“How many of you are there?”

It laughed.

Wrinkled face grinning widely, it laughed.

And continued laughing.

Until I squeezed the eyeball more, causing it to stiffen and sound like it was choking.

Its bony fangs sank back into my flesh a little more.

I loosened my grip a little.

A temporary stalemate.

But I had its Weak Point.

It ultimately had nothing on me.

And I also had…

Charm Monster.

“How many of you are there?” I repeated firmly.

“I have never met another of my kind,” it admitted.

“But there are more?” I assumed.

It grinned widely. “Yes,” it said cheerfully.

“How can I identify your kind?” I demanded.

It grinned even wider, far wider than a normal person ever could, only to laugh again.

“You can’t!”

“What would make you expose yourself?”

“Nothing! Beyond feeding!”

“What do you fear?”

Hatred flashed over its face again, my spell Charm Monster causing its features to smooth after a few seconds. Yet, its voice was full of venom. “Divine Healing,” it snapped.

My brow furrowed. “Greater Healing?” I wondered.

“Divine Healing!” it repeated.

It was a risk, but I had to know.

I used my spell on the abomination.

‘Heal.’

Its insides tensed, bloody tongues tightening around my arm, and it glared at me with intense hatred.

I had to know.

I parted my gray lips to speak out loud this time.

“Greater Healing.”

Instantly, its entire body flew open wide, the face splitting in half again, as a piercing shriek nearly shattered my ears, coming from somewhere deep within its very core.

FORESIGHT activated.

The jaws were about to slam shut on me, the agonizing hatred created by my Greater Healing causing it to break free of my hold with Charm Monster.

FORETHOUGHT.

REFLEXIVE INSTINCT.

HASTE.

In one swift motion, I crushed the eyeball in my claws while jerking my hand back, the contracting jaws unexpectedly growing motionless as the connective tissue holding the eye in place was torn, like a nerve tearing from a normal eyeball being removed from the socket.

Everything was then still for a long second…

Only for the abomination to collapse to the ground in a heap on the broken pieces of the wooden table.

Lifeless.

Dead.

It’s mouth still open.

The entire body still split down the middle.

The insides were beginning to pool with slowly leaking blood.

Dozens of tongues twitching before finally growing completely still.

The crushed eyeball oozing in my grasp.

Mel abruptly collapsed to her knees, and then to her ass.

Val had slowly backed away to the far wall, and promptly slid down to her rear.

Both of them just staring.

Traumatized.

Thankfully, as a healer, I had a spell for that.

And they were both close enough.

I cast it without looking at either.

‘Heal Ailment, Trauma. Heal Ailment, Trauma.’

It worked…

Neither of them moved.

They just stared.

Stared…in shock and horror.

At the horrifying monster…

Hiding in plain sight.

FEEDBACK: Hopefully that was VERY unexpected.

Hopefully, I did a really good job at all the foreshadowing previously, all the way back in Book 1, as well as all the foreshadowing just in this chapter!

I have such fun plans for this story!

Being an epic fantasy kind of story, that has monsters, lends to lots of cool ideas.

So!

1. Were you surprised? Was the end an exciting (or perhaps anxious) scene?

2. What do you think this 'monster' is? (Allie will evaluate it next chapter, and 'divine' what kind of monster it is, and I'm sure you'll have lots of fun thinking about the implications.)

3. Going back to Mel and Val, do you understand why they are so forgiving? Allie will get a chance to talk to them more privately next chapter, but at the end of the day, they're just glad that he's okay.

4. Going back to Vildred's section, what do you think about the decisions being made? Such as the Trials ending the moment the Queen surpasses Lord Sezra's time, etc.

5. Other thoughts?

Chapter 31 >>

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LIST OF ARTWORK >>