Chapter 19 - Acceptance (Patreon)

Echo had just begun cooking when Narya popped into existence next to him, making him jump. "Hey Narya, can you teleport?" he asked.

"No. What made you think that?"

"You didn't come in the door."

"Hmph! You're stupid. Pixies can return home in an instant, no matter where we are."

"...So you can do what Echo said," Fumi said as she walked into the room holding her katana and a whetstone, sitting at the table and sharpening the blade.

"Listen, you hanger-on random lady! I don't teleport."

"...Sounds like you can."

The two continued their tirade back and forth as Echo tried to ignore them. Eventually, Narya came over to help with the setting of the table. She glanced over at his cooking. "You're adding too much salt."

Echo pointed at her with a spoon, "You don't season food enough. Salt brings out the natural flavor."

Narya looked shocked, affronted, and completely, utterly pissed off. "How dare you insult a pixie's cooking!" She flew up and yanked on his ear, but Echo barely noticed. The pain was nothing compared to the torture he had gone through.

"It's just the truth."

"Hmph! You don't know what you're talking about."

He chuckled and finished cooking, handing Narya several bits of the food as she sat on his shoulder, fuming. But, as she nibbled the food, her demeanor changed.

“Okay…this is better.” She admitted in defeat.

Echo smirked, “Go get Fumi, please.”

They ate. Just as they were finishing the repast, reality split in twain next to the kitchen table, and the Guildmaster appeared. He dipped his head slightly, “Sorry for the interruption.” He immediately knelt in front of Fumi, bowing deeply to her. “Maven of the Blade. Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild.”

Fumi nodded tersely and tapped the table three times as Isaac stood up.

“Are you royalty?” Echo asked.

Fumi shook her head, “I was famous.”

Isaac turned to face Echo, his face barely concealing the glee he felt. “Fumi is the first Ogo warrior. She invented a school of swordsmanship. Rebuilt the Soju Great Clan from its destruction. She was my idol as a child.”

Echo stood up and pulled over another chair for the Guildmaster. “You want a plate?”

Isaac shook his head, “I spoke with Liam, and read Margrave’s letter. I truly apologize for what you two went through. Tell me everything that happened since we last spoke.”

Echo gave the full story, omitting no details save for his sexual encounters with Fumi. And as he continued, Isaac’s face grew more unreadable. Narya expressed shock and horror at the description of the events that the two went through.

Isaac stroked his small beard, “You attacked a cleric of Lux in her temple. Liam left out that part.”

Echo nodded, “Yeah. He deserved worse.”

I should have killed him.

Isaac sighed, “That explains the death mark.” He looked between the two monsters. “You both need to keep your guard up, followers of Lux – especially The Lightbringers – will try to kill you on sight.”

Fumi shrugged and cleared the table, “We’ll kill them if they try.”

Isaac chuckled, “I figured you’d respond in such a fashion.” He turned to Echo, “Do you mind us talking in private?”

Echo nodded, and Isaac raised his hand, his palm glowing green as a pulse of Heat spread out into the room.

In the blink of an eye, Echo was once more on the floating platform above purple clouds.

Isaac put a hand on his shoulder and stared him in the eyes, “I know it must have been difficult eating those people – former people.”

Echo felt the revulsion churn his stomach and he dashed to the ledge of the platform, losing his lunch over the side. “It was fucked up,” he muttered as he wiped his mouth.

I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.

Isaac knelt next to him and put a reassuring hand on his back. “I can bring you some peace of mind.” He met Echo’s gaze and continued, “I spoke with Malvir. He told me about The Mimic Cube. And what it is being used for.”

He explained that a person was composed of three parts. The body (the physical form), the mind (the thoughts and emotions), and the soul (which contained echoes of what the body experienced, and the mind knew). All three generated Quintessence, but The Mimic Cube changed the process: so that only the body would generate Quintessence. And it would be centralized to the heart. Hence why Echo and Fumi were drawn to eating that part more than any other. But, if they ate other parts, they could still gain benefits. Just not as much as eating the heart would give.

“Only entities like you two – who retained their form – have this Evolution Instinct. Those who didn’t retain their form through some means are trapped in their own flesh. So, killing them is a mercy. And, once they are dead, it’s just meat.

Echo breathed in deeply. “That…does help a bit.” He looked out into the purple, swirling vortices below. “I don’t like eating used-to-be people.”

“You’re a monster, kiddo.” Isaac clapped his hand on Echo’s shoulder, “Embrace being a monster. Gods know there’s worse things to be.”

It’s still cannibalism, though.

Isaac shook his head, “Malvir’s artifact was not intended to do such a thing. But Tiberius has infused it with a new purpose.” He stood up and offered Echo a hand. As he pulled the monster up, reality warped once more, and they were in the kitchen.

“Gyah!” The two had popped into existence right next to Narya, and the sudden appearance displaced the pixie as she was shunted aside without injury.

Isaac chuckled, “Sorry about that.” He turned to Fumi and bowed once more. “Thank you for your time. I sincerely hope that you two survive and thrive. I must depart – I’ve a guild to run.” He vanished once more in a surge of warmth and green light.

Fumi grabbed Echo, “Come on. Let’s unpack the shopping.”

As Fumi opened her many, many purchases, Echo set about to a new task – designing gear for the two of them. He reached into the pocket dimension and pulled out his sword, shield, and the suit of full plate.

Time to rework our gear.

Using his transmutation magic he reverted all three to a bunch of ingots.

“Hey Fumi, can you bring those bolts of silk I bought?” Fumi did as requested and he compressed the fabric until it resembled something akin to Kevlar.

He then sandwiched thin plates of the Brightsteel in between the layers, which he used his magic on to harden further, tightening the atomic bonds as best he could.

He was no tailor, but thankfully Narya was extremely skilled at that task, and she was into fashion.

By the end of that evening, they both had a complete set of attire suited to a variety of environments ranging from ice-capped peaks to the scorching desert. And the clothing was even stronger than the full plate he had come to Heimfold wearing.

For Echo: an adventuring trench coat, shirt, pants, and boots with Brightsteel soles. The coat had an elaborate pattern on the back; a trace of silver thread that created a geometric pattern from the shoulder blades to the mid-back and then down the sleeves. Along with a pair of gloves, he was fully armored save for his head.

Fumi wanted something akin to the armor that samurai would wear in Japan; but Echo talked her out of that, and she opted for a more streamlined modern take on the concept. She had leggings but there were cherry blossoms in pink thread embroidered along the legs. A knee-length skirt was embedded with the hidden armor. A similarly designed shirt with a thin blazer topped the whole ensemble off.

And now for weapons.

Echo transmuted the Tempeststeel into a new katana for Fumi and transmuted a bastard sword for himself. Lastly, he turned the Titansteel into a smaller sized shield – to take advantage of his higher agility stat.

Narya tapped him on the cheek as she alighted on his shoulder. “I…I’m sorry for what you went through.”

“Thanks for the sympathy.”

She gave his face an uncharacteristic hug as she retired early.

The two spent the evening exploring Saint's Hold, and both marveled at the architecture as they toured the city.

As night began to fall, they found a small café a few blocks away from The Guild Hall. They were enjoying a drink that Echo could only describe as a mix between lemon-lime soda and black tea.

Finally, a chance to relax and just take it all in.

He heard clinking and scraping down a nearby alley – wood on metal, swords drawn from scabbards.

Or not.

He stood up and drew his sword and shield from the pocket dimension, as Fumi drew her katana. The other patrons quickly went inside, and the street emptied. The two monsters walked to the center of the boulevard and waited patiently.

They were not waiting for long, as a group of five robed and armored figures emerged from the alleyway. Their armor and weapons were emblazoned with the holy symbol of Lux.

“Well?” Echo said, tapping his foot. “We’re waiting. If you think you stand a chance.”

The person in the lead – a hulking brute of a man, charge forward, an enormous cleaver raised overhead. “Death to monsters!” He began to swing the blade down toward Echo.

He smirked and lifted his shield, stopping the blade in its tracks. “Really? That’s it?” Echo shoved the man – hard – and he went flying backwards past his allies before crashing into a heap on the floor.

The remaining four all charged, and the battle was truly joined.

Echo expertly deflected and parried blows from their swords and knives, his lengthened blade flicking outwards with incredible speed and deftness and scoring major hits. The two attacking him had no chance of harming him, and whilst his own attacks were not elegant, they were effective and mighty.

“Oh, shit! Sorry!” His sword strikes shattered their blades and sent the shrapnel from the exploded metal into their faces, eliciting screams as they ran off.

Fumi showed an entirely different level of prowess. Even without Perfect Offense she would have dominated the fight. The two she fought were wielding maces, and she diverted each hit before walking right past their guard and performing nearly instant, lethal strikes. Both dropped to the ground with nary an effort wasted. She stalked towards the one whom Echo had flung and dispatched him with a swift stab.

She wiped her blade on his shirt and sheathed it, “That was pathetic.”

Echo followed suit and put his weapon and shield into the pocket dimension. “I agree.” But he was troubled. He hadn’t just maimed some monsters, or some animals…he had severely injured people.

Fumi seemed to recognize the inner turmoil and grabbed his hand with hers. “They’re clerics. They can get healed.”

This brought Echo a degree of relief. Magical healing existed here. They would probably be fine.

The two made their way back to the Guild Hall. Since it technically was not part of The Holy Empire, being an enormous extradimensional space under Isaac’s direct control, they were safe inside from random attacks.

Rickard labored in the bright, white fields of The Sun. His angelic protector watched him closely with stern, judging eyes.

He was tasked with a particularly difficult regimen to increase his stats in the shortest amount of time possible…but he was nearing his body’s natural limits.

It had been weeks of being pushed to the edge.

“You cannot progress further,” The protector said as Rickard fell to the group, heaving for breath.

“Then give me what I need!” Rickard shouted.

The protector went over and kicked him aside, then followed up by pushing him into the ground with their foot. “You show devotion to your goddess, but fanatical zeal.”

Rickard growled out from under the entity. “I’m. Hers. I. Serve.”

The angel pulled their foot back. “We shall see.”

They had unwittingly dipped into a pleasant routine - exploring the city in the morning, going home for lunch, and then spending the afternoon and evenings in the arena. There were no quest postings for the monsters Liam had described – yet – so they chose to practice as much as possible.

Their training sessions had drawn a decent crowd day after day, and there weren't many events this time of the year, so they were left to their own devices if they fixed the place afterward. The attendants weren't even charging the two anymore, as their training sessions were entertainment they profited from.

Every time Echo crossed blades with Fumi, he felt like he understood her more and more deeply. She truly expressed herself during a fight and it was as if her every movement was a sentence, her stances and swings a paragraph.

He had stopped using magic after she said she wouldn't use her Spatial Sever Ability; and so, they just practiced offense versus defense.

But even this simple exchange had such a deeper meaning to the two that they began to truly understand the other’s body language and every mood, even some of their thoughts. It was a deadly dance; a single misstep would mean death.

Fumi smiled constantly and would occasionally laugh; the sound enchanted Echo and he couldn't help but smile in return.

All his attention was on the gorgeous woman in front of him.

Through this training they also discovered the hidden flaw of their Alacrity Ability - it should not be used for extended periods. It drained Quintessence too quickly unless used in short bursts.

Unfortunately, this was discovered during a practice bout - but thankfully, it was Fumi who ran out first and fell unconscious. If it was Echo, he was sure he would have been injured. After all, she was a warrior through and through, and taking advantage of your opponent was vital to survival.

Whenever the Evolution Instinct pushed, they would abscond to some place out of sight, and indulge in their violent passion.

And they – surprisingly – were not attacked by Lux’s followers. Echo assumed that was due to their overwhelming stats, and word having spread of the last failed assault. But, the two monsters remained vigilant.

After a week had passed in this pleasant routine, the attendant rushed out shortly after the two began their daily workout and waved at them to stop. Echo did immediately and barely parried one of Fumi's strikes before he countered with a grapple.

"I'm sorry to interrupt! We need to clear the arena for the competitions this afternoon and evening."

"Why didn't you tell us before we got out here?" Fumi asked, upset at having her date/workout interrupted.

The attendant grinned nervously, "We had a special guest I was seeing to the needs of."

Echo stood up, letting Fumi go as he stored his sword in his pocket-dimension. "Come on Fumi." He helped her up and the two began to make their way to the tunnel, followed by the attendant.

The pair came to a stop in the exit tunnel as a portly man stepped in front of them. He had deep crimson scales and was several heads taller than Echo was.

Oh, an Axan! And he's a Crimson Scale…so that means he was in the military.

The Axan were the ruling class of the Kingdom of Cruxia, who were created by Lux. They were styled after dragons and had a similar appearance to Vythin; though they took fewer humanoid features and instead were more draconic. A true dragon person. Their scale color determined their role in the organization of that kingdom.

His voice rumbled out in a gravely bass, "So you two are the monsters of the Adventurer's Guild, eh?"

Echo nodded, "If that's what they're calling us."

The Axan chuckled, "I'm Pomentar of The Crimson Scale. I run the arena. I just wanted to say thank you for making us a tidy profit."

"Don't mention it," Fumi said.

Echo nodded, "It's fine, really."

"Well, that's no good! I feel like I owe a debt to you. Please, let me at least invite you to The Kingdom. I'm sure The Queen would be pleased to meet such powerful warriors."

"What do you really want?" Fumi asked.

He chuckled, "You're sharp." His shoulders drooped slightly but he drew them back and stood proudly, "The Queen is ailing in health. There's a cure for what she suffers from, but it is dangerous to acquire."

He looked up at the two of them, pleading, "I spoke with Master Isaac. He said I could ask you two directly or put it up as a quest. We’re desperate.” He lowered his voice, “He said that you two would be very interested…the item we need to cure The Queen is near where some of those black-eyed monsters were seen.”

Echo perked up and glanced at Fumi, who looked excited at the prospect of getting stronger.

"We'll be happy to help.”

The man bowed his head slightly, "I thank you. Are you able to be briefed and leave tomorrow?"

Echo nodded, "That shouldn't be a problem.”

Pomentar held out two slips of paper, "Here are some VIP tickets. I’d encourage you to stick around for the festivities. Malvir is going to be making an appearance."

Echo tensed, anger boiling up in his gut, roiling as a white-hot ball of hatred. He could tell from the way Fumi squeezed his hand, she felt it too.

“Oh, and here he is now! The man of the hour.”

A figure approached them.

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