There you go guys, the promsied chapter of today.
Next chapter might come out a bit later as I am visiting my Dad's place this weekend and have no real access to internet there for now so just a heads up for you guys, will try my best to make it but just letting you know if I don't deilver on time ^^.
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Chapter 67: Surprising Transformation
Wiping a strand of red hair out of her eye Sharon stared out of the restaurant window while her parents kept asking her sister question after question like how her kids were doing and if their son in law was treating her alright.
It was a bit tiring for her to listen to all of it especially when her thoughts lied with someone else, a certain crimson eyed man that held an important place in her heart.
Completely blocking out the chatter she couldn't help but remember how Lilly had kissed him not too long ago and once again a strange mix of emotions surged up inside of her.
Jealousy and hate being a part of it but at the same time she also remembered how the look in his eyes towards her had not changed in any way and it gave her a sense of security and warmth.
"It really isn't easy to get used to."
She mumbled, more to herself than anyone else.
"What did you say sweetheart?"
Her mother asked with an inquisitive look.
"Nothing, I was just talking to myself."
Her sister seemed to have remembered something after listening to her and a strange smile appeared on her face.
"I heard from Mark that you asked him to track someone down for you, does this guy have something to do with why you seem so lost in thought Shary?"
Hearing those words her parents instantly perked up their ears as they were well aware of their own daughter's previous experience with men and years of not getting close to anyone had passed since then.
"What is this? A guy in your life and you haven't talked to us about him, who is he? Where does he live?"
Sharon could clearly see how her sister seemed to enjoy the unhappy expression on her face as she talked for her instead.
"I heard from Mark that he is called Makoto, not sure about his last name as that is something he wouldn't even tell me but apparently Shary and this guy met Ingame."
Showing a stern expression for the first time her father now stared coldly towards her and Sharon couldn't help but instinctively flinch.
She always remembered him to be a gentle and kind Dad but after what happened with her stalker his entire mannerism towards the male population of this world took a big dive and even Mark had to argue with him many times to get her sister's hand in marriage.
"Talk to me Shary, who is this guy to you?"
His voice was low as his eyes seemed to hold a dark kind of promise.
Being stared at by 3 different people and knowing what she was going to say she couldn't help but slightly blush and lower her head as a whisper escaped her mouth.
"He is my new boyfriend."
It seemed nobody had expected this answer as even her sister that had previously teased her was shocked.
"No way, I don't believe it he actually is? I was just messing with you, you know, please don't lie about stuff like that."
"There is nothing to lie about Caroline... Makoto is my boyfriend and we have been together for more than a week now, at least I think so. It is kind of hard to keep track of the days with my job, you know that."
Silence filled the table as each and every member of her family were deep in thought.
Finally her father was the first to speak and his voice was chillingly cold.
"Have you met him in Real Life before to make sure that he is just like he is in that game? Can't have you be with a dishonest bastard now, can I?"
"Yes we have met and he didn't even change his character Ingame which 99% of all people do so you tell me if he is honest or not?
Even though we haven't been together for long I just..."
Unable to hide the smile that formed on her face as scene after scene with him floated before her eyes.
The way he smiled at her as if he was looking at the most beautiful artwork or scenery, his eyes that seemed to stare at her innermost core and showed warmth, love as well as comfort.
His embrace that made her feel safe and at home.
All of her feelings for him started to bubble up in her chest like a warm cloud that radiated heat to every inch of her body.
"… I just feel happier than I ever have before."
Unbeknownst to her as Sharon was still in her own little Makoto world, her parents exchanged a glance of astonishment.
This was the first time after and even before the incident that they had seen their daughter lost in bliss and happiness like she was right now.
Seemingly making a decision her mother looked at her with a loving smile.
"Does he feel like the right one?"
Without even needing to think about it Sharon immediately nodded her head instinctively before realizing what she had just done.
Seeing the surprised look on his own daughter's face her father couldn't help but chuckle as he patted her head.
"If it is like that then next time bring him with you so that we can get to know this Makoto a bit better too. I would like to see the man that could break through to my little Shary with my own eyes, I hope you understand that?"
As she nodded once again a gentle smile formed on his face and the 3 of them asked her nearly everything they could think of, most of these questions were naturally concerning Makoto.
The entire afternoon quickly disappeared in a flash and with a dry mouth and somewhat itchy throat after talking so much Sharon said her goodbyes to her parents as well as sister before hurrying home.
The only thing she could think about at this point was being with him once again Ingame and a little bit of excitement filled her heart as she reminded herself that she would also see him in Real Life tomorrow again.
If this was not bliss what was?
…..
With a ray of light Makoto returned to Azalon and soon enough spotted his party that was only waiting for him now.
"Did the Soldiers already depart?"
He asked after joining them with a quick look around the empty hill they were standing on.
Lilliana answered his question as she pointed to her best friend.
"Sanja here was the first to log back in and told the man in charge that we would not return any time soon so they should just continue without us for now, we aren't that far away from the capital anyways so he reluctantly agreed but the men of your squad nearly started a riot, which was also the time I logged back in."
Sighing deeply after remembering the scene her hazelnut brown eyes met his own and he could see the faint blush that appeared on her face.
With two quick steps she appeared beside him and hugged his left arm while putting her face against his shoulder.
It was clear that after the kiss something had changed in her behavior as she seemed to be quite unwilling to let go of his limb even when he told her it would make walking quite the hassle.
Giving a pleading look to Sharon his hope that she would resolve this situation was quickly shattered, noticing the strange smile on her face he couldn't help but sigh as she took a hold of his other arm in the same manner as Lilliana.
Both girls started to giggle when they saw his expression and he could already feel the headache as they made their way to the capital once again.
Sanja, who was currently walking behind them had a rather lonely look on her face as she watched her party members entering their own little world.
Glancing into the nearby woods an empty smile formed on her lips, only she knew what she was thinking at the moment.
…..
Makoto felt like what he was doing was just plain wrong, it was something he had silently dreamed about for a while now but actually doing it felt like he was committing a serious crime.
His left hand was currently fondling Lilliana's full behind for the first time while they walked on a remote road leading west and the response he got from his sense of touch was just absolutely amazing.
Judging by her red face, parted lips and dreamy expression he wasn't the only one enjoying the moment.
Turning his head the other way he could see a similar expression on Sharon's face as his right hand was currently busy exploring every nook and cranny of her behind too.
This was the reason he felt so bad.
Was this even morally acceptable and just why the hell couldn't he bring his hands to stop?!
Sanja who was currently walking up front naturally had no idea what was going on so without anyone disturbing or judging him his hands slowly but surely traveled from their respective behinds to a rather sensitive area.
Both girls flinched at the same time as a heated expression and a hungry look appeared on their faces and they turned their heads towards him.
It was also at this moment that they noticed the same expression on the others face and it didn't take long for them to connect the dots.
He could see their faces going through a number of changes and with a shudder Makoto noticed a deep anger that once again quickly disappeared on Sharon's face.
Lilliana on the other hand seemed to be quite flustered and embarrassed, she broke away from his embrace hurrying to Sanja's side up front.
It wasn't even necessary to turn his head to know that his angel was currently staring daggers at him.
Both girls had agreed on this situation but they behaved quite shily and he couldn't really blame them as this was a new kind of experience after all.
"You are playing a very dangerous game here Makoto."
Sharon whispered into his ear with a low voice and for the first time since Lilliana left his head turned towards her.
He knew what he was going to say as the apology was already on the tip of his tongue together with an excuse but before Makoto had a chance to voice it he could feel the presence of the other.
The struggle in his mind only lasted for a split second but it was enough to let some of the presence and emotions that followed the beast influence him.
"But isn't that exactly the reason why you love me?"
Unable to help it he showed Sharon a beastial smile before abruptly kissing her.
He could feel her trying to resist him for the first few seconds but as the other grew stronger so did the intensity with which he dominated her body and soon enough she gave up struggling and returned his advances with rather expectant movements of her lower abdomenal area.
Breaking away from his girl he could clearly see the disappointed expression on her face as he turned around with a chuckle and continued to follow Lilliana and Sanja, leaving a rather perplexed Sharon with disheveled hair behind.
…..
It took them all afternoon to reach the city gate.
Just seeing the absolutely monstrously tall walls and chaotic, labyrinth structured layers once again filled Makoto and his party with a sense of awe.
This environment really did feel like the capital as they tried their best to squeeze past the abundant masses that filled the ground and lower layers of Elisante.
After finally reaching some stairs leading up they climbed for quite a while before reaching the upper layers where there was quite a lot less traffic, this was after all an area not meant for commerce but instead a layer for nobles and their families.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Because of the sheer size of Elisante it still took them nearly 2 hours to reach House Forrowfell even while traveling on the higher floors.
His Uncle was naturally very delighted to see Makoto again as word of his deeds had already reached his ears.
Narkas demanded a detailed explanation of the entire siege and sent the rest of his party away so that they could rest but also so that he himself wouldn't be disturbed as he listened to his nephew's report.
It took nearly an hour to explain everything and he hesitated for a second before continuing.
"There is something else Uncle."
"Hm? What it is it? Come tell me you know there is no need to hide anything between us at this point and time."
Showing a reassuring smile on his already withering face Narkas encouraged him to speak openly so Makoto began explaining as to how and why the king was probably behind the entire thing.
It was quite disturbing for him that his Uncle only furrowed his brow but didn't really seem to be surprised as he stood up and looked outside of a nearby window, seemingly deep in thought.
"I already kind of expected something like this but that the King of Asuria is really behaving the way I feared is rather... unsettling."
Pausing for a moment Narkas turned around and looked at him before speaking once again.
"What do you intend to do, now that you know the facts and reason as to why good men had to die?"
Clenching his hands into fists Makoto once again felt waves of rage burning through him when he remembered Farabello and all the others from his Squad that died a meaningless death, just because someone in power was bored and decided that he needed a reason to justify a war.
"I want to kill the King and put someone in charge that cares about the people and not about more power."
Narkas showed him a face full of smiles and nodded.
"It is good to see that we share the same views, you know that I am from a land where the people in charge act in a very similar manner and treat their citizens like cattle so I detest such behavior and see it as the disease of a nation. I think we should work out a plan and include some other noble families that have the same idea so that the Spider of Forrowfell can help rid this country of this sickness."
Seeing the dangerous glint in his Uncle's eyes Makoto couldn't help but smile.
"But for this to work you will have to be a lot stronger than you are right now as in the end strength is a big deciding factor in winning a rebellion.
If you really support this idea Makoto you will need to increase your level by quite a bit while I will do my best to find others that share our views, we will need a lot of money and manpower that our House currently doesn't possess.
If you know any other foreigners that are of the same mind and might join us I implore you to invite them as we are going to need all the help we can get."
Narkas discussed a few more things with Makoto as Baltas the Butler of House Forrowfell did his best to supply the demand of food and drink necessary for a long conversation like this.
His Uncle quickly bade him farewell after they finished their talk and even though it was already dark outside he didn't dare waste any time to meet up with a few old friends that could support their bold idea of changing the King.
Thinking that things were proceeding in a good direction, Makoto decided that it was time to see how both Sharon and Lilliana were doing upstairs.
A thought that occurred to him while he was walking up the stairs was that they might talk about what happened on the way to Elisante and a guilty kind of weight pressed down on his shoulders, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.
It was still a mystery to him as to why he had done it to begin with, at least his... reply to Sharon was something influenced by the beast so it made sense but it couldn't be that the previous action was also from the other... right?
Still somewhat contemplating these things he opened the door and immediately something landed on his chest and clawed itself into his armor with force.
Stunned he looked back into 8 different glimmering eyes and a smile couldn't help but form on his face when he noticed the spider rubbing its head against him, similar to how a cat would normally behave.
His pet seemed to have grown a bit and Makoto was surprised to see that the pattern on its back from the previous crimson spider that was also the emblem of House Forrowfell, had slightly changed as on it a black skull was now present too.
Before he had time to even catch his breath a system window jumped up, blocking out most of his vision.
Your pet 'Acerbus' has learned the Skill 'Mending Thread'
Mending Thread:Even though Spiders are always famous for creating webs that are used to trap their prey, only few know of their expert craftsmanship and ability to mend even completely destroyed webs in a matter of minutes.Skill Type:activeSkill LevelLvl 1 (0%)Skill Effects:Able to restore 5 Durability to an Item.Uses:50 Mana per second.
Acerbus:Pet spider of Makoto Forrowfell, blessed with the Crest of his house.
Its name alone can mean 'dark' 'bitter' and 'cruel' at the same time.Owner:Makoto ForrowfellLoyalty:74%Skills:Mending Thread.
"You gotta be kidding me..."
Unable to believe his eyes he looked at the inconspicuous pet spider still stuck to his chest.
The Skill this little guy learned was borderline broken, even if it only was 5 Durability as its level was still low and at the cost of a lot of Mana but the usefulness of this one Skill was equal to an extra party member.
It had to be made clear that just like every time when Makoto and his party returned to a town or city, the first thing they did like any other player was to pay a blacksmith to repair their equipment as it would naturally degrade after some use and would lose its effects when the durability was 0.
It clearly stated in the Skill description that it would 'restore 5 durability to an Item' which meant that it included weapons, armor and even some rather powerful artifacts that could only be used a few times before their durability hit 0, no blacksmith could repair them again but this little spider... could.
"What's wrong Makoto? You look like you have seen a ghost."
Sharon asked with an inquisitive glance as she noticed that her boyfriend had been standing at the same spot and staring into nothingness for a while now.
After explaining what kind of Skill his spider had learned while he was away he wasn't the only one anymore that was shocked beyond belief.
"I heard before that pets are a treasure guarded more strictly by NPC's than any money or weapon and if they can all learn Skills like that then it doesn't surprise me anymore."
Sharon whispered while dreamily looking at the Spider.
Both of them knew what it meant to have this little critter with them now as he would be able to repair all of their gear without having to worry about visiting a town which was one of the only reasons players couldn't explore too far into the unknown as their entire gear would slowly but surely turn useless.
That on top of every decent item available for players being insanely expensive made it practically impossible to wander off into unexplored regions if there was no known town nearby.
Many players wanted to visit other countries but no town would ever be built at the border as it was just considered too unsafe for most NPCs and no Stronghold would just allow their already overworked blacksmiths to also help foreigners that had done them or their respective country any service.
It plagued many players that they would have to slowly work their way up in the political world of their nation or find a way to be a blacksmith's apprentice and quite a few discussions as well as angry a comments had been made on the online forums about it.
"Can you get Lilliana and Sanja quickly?"
Sharon nodded and after only a minute she returned with both girls as Makoto explained the new situation.
Both had the same expected reaction and a rather dangerous expression of greed seemed to form on Sanja's face but after looking at Makoto she seemed to throw whatever idea she had away with a sigh.
"I don't think I have to mention this to you but tell not a single soul that we have found a way to repair equipment outside of going to a blacksmith. If this becomes known to the public we will be top priority for nearly all players and definitely all guilds.
They will use any and I say any means to get their hands on Acerbus and if you ever want to play in peace and without having to constantly worry about other players I beg you to be smart about it and keep quiet."
Makoto said while mostly looking into Sanja's direction as he had not missed her recent episode of 'how to get rich quick'.
Noticing the way he looked at her she showed him a dry smile.
"Don't worry Makoto I am not just some dumb slut that only can see as far as her boobs are big, I already got the message and even if you didn't tell us I wouldn't try anything against a friend."
Unable to voice the inner question as to what she would try if he wasn't her friend he decided to just forget about it and not judge her for a single selfish idea.
Remembering something else he looked at Lilliana and then at Sharon before glancing once again at the brown haired priestess.
Without even having to say anything she rolled her eyes as she got the hidden message and stood up to leave the room.
Lilliana was about to do the same but Makoto held her back by grabbing her hand.
"There is something I need to talk about with you two..."
Petting over the shiny and smooth back of Acerbus he managed to finally pry his pet off his chest and put him on the ground before sitting down and pointing next to him so Lilly would do the same.
He was well aware that this was going to be a long and awkward night but it had to be done...
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Hope you enjoyed the chapter and let me know if you have any questions or find a mistake!
Here is a little throwback to the past and one of my all time favorite songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFS4zYWxzNA
Abbadon out!