After ensuring the two unconscious women weren't harmed, Sam started to think about what she had just witnessed. “Has Nara always known? Is that why she was cry—”

“I want to fuck a queen,” Lupie interrupted Sam’s thoughts in the calm voice she always used when she was in her beast form, “Do queens taste good?”

Sam couldn't help but laugh, finally answering, "Yes, they do, but not in the way you are thinking." She tapped her chin in thought, "Well, maybe that way too…I don't know…" Then, looking at Lupie's expressive yellow eyes, Sam asked, "What exactly do you think it means?"

“To ravage,” Lupie stated simply.

Sam burst out laughing again, slapping her thigh. "I guess my Linguistics ability wasn't too far off this time," Sam said as she choked between breaths. She then spent a few minutes explaining to Lupie what she had meant and was surprised at how well the Bloodmorph took the information.

Lupie was much older than Sam realized. To Sam's horror, she discovered that some of Lupie's children had been in the clearing the night Sam defeated her forcing her to become a summon token.

“Lupie…I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” Sam was crestfallen and mentally kicked herself, “She was a freaking wolf and the leader of her pack. Of course, she would have had children there! Children I killed!”

"Sorry for what?" Lupie asked, noticing Sam's sudden emotional distress and affectionately nuzzling her giant snout against Sam's chest.

Sam didn’t know how else to say it, so she just came out and said it honestly, “For killing your children. Lupie, I—”

Lupie chuffed to silence her and said, "They were tools, Sam. I may have been sentient when you defeated me, but I was not sapient. I don't know exactly when my ability to reason began, but I think it was while I was in the other place. I assumed you noticed the difference between our fight and when you summoned me but chose not to discuss it."

"I did, but that doesn't matter. Are you sure you're okay? I don't want to let this fester. If it is something that we need to clear up now, then let's do it. I'll understand if you don't want to stay with me."

"I would rather die than be separated from you," Lupie purred the following words from deep in her throat, "My Summoner, my mistress, my friend."

The way the Bloodmorph said it sent chills down Sam's spine. It felt like a cross between adoration, love, and worship. So, she responded by wrapping her arms around Lupie's massive neck and squeezing tight, saying in a voice muffled by fur, "Aww! How about some ear scratches and belly rubs while we wait until the two sleepyheads wake up and tell us exactly what the hell just happened?"

Lupie responded by flopping over on her side with Sam still attached. Who in their right mind would ever turn down a belly rub?

***

"No!" Nara screamed as a man in white robes thrust his spear into her mother's chest, and a woman wearing the same garments stabbed her neck with a glowing sword.

Still, her mother fought. Grabbing the spear, she pulled the robed man to her and struck forward with her claws when he was in range, ignoring the fountain of blood pouring from her throat. Her claws sank deep into the man's eyes, and he cried out in pain as she fed. The wound in her throat began to close as the blue rune on her chest flared! The woman with the sword tried to stab her mother again, but this time, she caught the sword by the blade and yanked the woman toward her, clamping her mouth onto the soft throat of her prey.

A birdman landed next to Nara and grabbed her in his arms. He was gentle, but still, she tried to free herself, pounding her tiny hands into his armor-plated chest. The desire to help her mother intensified as more robed people ran for her. She wanted to cry out, to warn her mother to turn around! But as Nara opened her mouth, a booming voice cut her off, "Trinta, get the child to safety! Go now! We will clear you a path!

With a mighty flap of his wings, the man holding Nara lifted off the ground, dodging fireballs, arrows, and beams of light, twisting this way and that as he climbed higher until the people on the ground were nothing more than a speck and the sounds of battle a distant memory. Nara was cold, and it was hard to breathe as she still cried for her mother, her tears freezing in the brutal cold of the wind. Feeling her shivering, the birdman summoned a blanket and wrapped her in it with deft aerial maneuvering as they flew. They flew like this for what felt like hours to Nara, and she dozed off in the man's arms, the stress of what she had witnessed leaving her exhausted. She was startled awake when the man grunted, whispering, "No, please…just a little longer…I cannot fail…"

He trailed off, and they started plummeting from the sky; Nara screamed in terror when she saw the ground rushing up to meet them—”

***

Nara sat up screaming! Only to be wrapped up in a tight embrace with someone cooing in her ear, “Hey, I’m here, we’re all here. It’s okay. You’re safe. Nothing is going to hurt you.”

Nara clung to Sam, sobbing, “I remember…her,” was all she could say through her tears as her friend hugged her tightly.

Looking at the now conscious Parish over Nara's shoulder, Sam's eyes narrowed. She said nothing, but the look on Parish's face told Sam she understood, there would be a reckoning soon, and she had better explain what she had done.

Sam held Nara until her sobs quieted into sniffles. Nara gently pushed herself away with a quietly spoken, "Thank you."

Sam sat back and smiled at her friend, but before she could speak, Naris appeared and lunged into Parish, where she was seated, knocking her onto her back, where he straddled her, holding his claws to her throat. Sam didn't stop him; she would interfere if he went too far, but she wanted to see how this played out for now. She didn't like not knowing what was going on, but this wasn't about her, so she would let the three of them hash this out amongst themselves, only planning to step in if they outright tried to kill each other.

Naris growled, "How dare you do such a thing without at least asking her!" Parish's eyes were wide, but she didn't flinch, even when one of his mana cutters slid into her neck, drawing a small trickle of blood. "She will be hunted now! We will be hunted! Everyone who has accepted that quest will now bear the mark of the Blue Star!" Naris was now yelling into Parish's face, spittle flying out with each word. Parish only stared at him, unblinking.

They stayed like that for a moment, staring defiantly at each other. Then, just as fast as it had started, the anger disappeared from Naris's eyes, and his shoulders slumped. Mumbling, he said, "Yes…I know. But she—okay, fine!" Retracting his claws, he got off of Parish and stood up. Extending a hand to Parish, which she took tentatively, he helped her to her feet, switching with Nara as soon as she stood.

Nara stared at the Battle Healer and then, with a "humph," walked over to Lupie, who was lying down near the sparkling pool in her beast form. Plopping down and relaxing back into the Bloodmorph's expansive chest, Nara patted the moss beside her, looking at Parish, saying, "Come sit; we have much to discuss." Then, looking down at her exposed chest and burned shirt, she sighed and looked at Sam with the barest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. Gesturing to the burned shirt, she said, "Now I know how you must feel all the time."

"Hey, no fair! You know I can repair my clothes now!" Sam said with a wide grin. Walking over and plopping down next to Lupie's head. She wasn't good with consoling people; hugging Nara was about the extent of her abilities, but it seemed enough, at least for now. "Gimme," Sam gestured to Nara's shirt.

Slipping out of the burned shirt, Nara tossed it to Sam, who, taking the shirt, said, "You too, healer girl," she held her hand out to Parish as she walked over. Parish handed her shirt over without a word before dropping to her knees in front of Nara, her head bowed. Sam watched the interaction with fascination. The suspense of what was going on was driving her nuts, but she was determined to let it play out organically. She wondered why Nara hid her mark with glamor when other people were around and if Parish had known it was there only because of her high magic perception.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Parish spoke first, "I beg your forgiveness, Queen Nara. I was rash and acted without knowing the extent of what would occur." She didn't raise her head.

Nara stared at the kneeling woman for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Finally, she sighed, "It was inevitable, I suppose, but you definitely went about it the wrong way!"

Sam couldn't take it any longer, "Wait! You really are a queen? Whatever happened to full transparency?" She tossed Nara's fully repaired shirt back to her. Thankfully, this planet hadn't developed polyester or nylon, so all clothing was either made of leather or cloth similar to cotton, which meant it all fell under the 'organic material' umbrella of her repair skill's description.

"I honestly had no idea until I read the quest description," Nara said, "That is when the memories started coming back..." Her expression went dark, and then she gasped, whipping her head to Parish, "Did Chad know? He and I…we…oh, that bastard! I am going to kill him!"

“Chad did not know until I sent him a message at the exit gate, and even then, I told him I was not sure,” Parish said quickly.

“So, that explains why he was willing to help us,” Sam thought.

Nara relaxed slightly at Parish's words, then asked, "Why did you not ask me before accepting the quest?"

"I thought your tears were those of joy, and I did not want to make you wait any longer to begin your quest to reclaim your throne." Parish was still kneeling, but she was looking at Nara now, "It was a horrible miscalculation on my part, one of many I seem to be making lately…" she ducked her head again, finishing with a whisper, "I assumed you knew and were only waiting for someone brave enough to assist you. I promise I never meant you any harm."

The silence dragged on until Lupie started snoring loudly. That lightened the tense mood considerably, so Sam asked, "What now? I know we are fleeing to the Beastlands for Nul and me. Still, it sounds like that may be counterproductive to your new priorities now…uh, what exactly are your priorities now anyway?"

"Nothing as of yet, other than to protect the queen," Parish said, looking at Nara with reverence.

"I still don't get it," Sam said, "Why accept a quest to restore a queen to a throne that isn't even on your planet?" She shook her head, confusion evident on her face.

"It is not only about me, Sam." Nara said, "It is about the end goal," she absently scratched Lupie as she spoke, the resounding snores turning into purrs of pleasure, "Think of it; as a level two planet with a System shop and a level cap of five hundred! It would give Tenaris the power to finally defeat the Church of the Light."

"What's the level cap here on Hallista? And how would taking a moon away affect this planet? Wouldn't the gravitational distortion pretty much destroy your home world, Parish?" Sam was sure the System wouldn't allow it, but she still had doubts.

"It is two hundred fifty, and the last I heard, both Tenaris and Denaris had caps of three hundred." Parish said and cocked her head to the side, "As for the quest causing any danger to Hallista. I do not think so…" She didn't sound confident, though, and looked concerned. Then she asked, "What does gravity have to do with a moon being moved from its orbit?"

"Gravity keeps the moon in…you know what, never mind. Are you seriously telling me you accepted a quest that, if you complete it, could lead to the destruction of your entire planet?!?" Sam was incredulous. She knew she wasn't the poster child for intelligent decision-making lately. But at least planetary destruction hadn't been added to her list of possible outcomes…not yet, anyway. She could only shake her head. There was still so much about this world that escaped her understanding, and she could only assume the System would work its literal magic and protect Hallista. “Otherwise, I need to be long gone before this quest is completed,” she thought.

Sam liked Nara and considered her a true friend. In the short time they had known each other, they had adventured together, bled together, fought against impossible odds, and even been intimate. Nara was more than a friend already, and there was no doubt Sam would go out of her way to help her as much as she could. But Sam was aware she had not been offered this quest and was operating under the assumption that it was intentional by the System or whoever gave it.

"I truly cannot say what will happen to Hallista or Denaris should we succeed, but I have to trust the System would not condemn an entire planet with a quest to save another," Parish said after some thought.

"I agree with Parish," Nara added. "You are not from a System world, Sam, so I understand your concerns. But in most circumstances, the System tries to find balance and order out of chaos."

“Chaos, it creates,” Sam thought dryly, remembering that the System had given her an overpowered class and then tried to kill her when it was done playing. Which, to her, was a perfect example of creating chaos and restoring order. "Like some all-powerful gaslighting deity. Yeah, I will not trust the System to have my best interest in mind any time soon…or ever again, actually."

Nara looked at Sam seriously and stated, "You did not receive the quest." When Sam shook her head, Nara nodded, her expression neutral, "I understand. You are not of this verse and, as such, should not have to carry its responsibilities."

"It isn't that I don't want to help," Sam said, "In fact, I will if you need me to," She shook her head, "I just don't think my contribution will be beneficial to your quest. I mean, think about it: me being there and helping could prevent the party from gaining levels that they may need to complete the quest in the end."

“She speaks the truth,” Parish agreed.

Nara sighed and nodded, asking, "Will you at least allow us to travel with you until there comes a time when the quest has us part ways?"

"Of course!" Sam said without hesitation. "You aren't getting rid of me that easily my pretty little queenie, especially when you're sitting there with your tits out!"

Parish sucked in a breath, and Nara barked out a very unqueenly laugh waking Lupie, who snorted and kicked at the offending queen, pushing her away, obviously annoyed at the interruption of her beauty sleep.

“You two do your planning,” Sam said with a chuckle, “I’m going to check my notifications from the fight earlier.

At her words, Nara and Parish moved off to the back wall and sat with their heads together, whispering.

Sam stretched out, leaning her head against Lupie's throat, and opened her notifications, skipping to her kills.

Your party has defeated, Human Rogue [Tina]; Level 68. Bonus experience is awarded for defeating an enemy 20 or more levels above your own.

Your party has defeated, Human Hunter [Swent]; Level 70. Bonus experience is awarded for defeating an enemy 20 or more levels above your own.

Your party has defeated, Human Defender [Luci]; Level 76. Bonus experience is awarded for defeating an enemy 30 or more levels above your own.

Your party has defeated, Human Dark Knight [Reginald]; Level 77. Bonus experience is awarded for defeating an enemy 30 or more levels above your own.

"I wonder if I should reactivate the chime for level-ups?" Sam thought absently, seeing she had two level-up notifications. As soon as Nara told her how to modify her interface, the first thing Sam did was silence all her notifications. She had found them very distracting when she had first arrived in this world and nearly lost her concentration on more than one occasion because of them.

Race Human/Voidling Hybrid has leveled up to Level 41, 7 free stat points received.

Class Arcane Pathfinder has leveled up to Level 43, 10 free stat points received.

Sam decided to put all her free points into intelligence and wisdom. With the strength of her new void magic, it would be insane not to. She checked her status screen.

Samantha Alecto Moura [S.A.M.]

Race: Human/Voidling Hybrid; Mortal [Level 41]

Class: Arcane Pathfinder [Level 43]

Title(s): A Grade Above

Health: 3061

Stamina: 3078

Mana: 8953

Attributes:

STR – 105 [125]

VIT – 113 [146]

END – 111 [143]

AGL – 112 [133]

INT – 140 [167]

WIS – 174 [381]

Free Attribute Points 0.

Abilities:

Spatial Inventory

Loot

Linguistics

Cartography

Mana Manipulation

Void Manipulation

Mana Sight [Level 24]

Class Skills:

Mana Repair [Level 31]

Mana Caster [Level 23]

Racial/General Skills:

Identify [Level 23]

Rebuild [Level 3]

Meditation [Level 25]

Void Infusion [Level 4]

Class Spells:

Arcane Bolt [Level 27]

Kinetic Dampener [Level 12]

Racial/General Spells:

Void Bolt [Level 5]

Hybrid Skills:

Magismith [Level 3]

Hybrid Spells:

None

Resistance(s):

Pain [Level 50]

Heat [Level 19]

Poison [Level 48]

Cold [Level 25]

Mental [Level 6]

Void [Level 14]

Sam noted some of her skills and spells had gone up in level but was disappointed that her poison resistance hadn't gone up. “And it’s so close to an evolution! At least, I assume all skills and resistances evolve at level fifty. It looks like my Rebuild skill negates the poison before it can take effect…aww, that probably means I can’t get drunk anymore either.” She frowned until she remembered she could turn the skill off, then relaxed. All hope wasn't lost after all.