My tail swished back and forth behind me as I considered. Luckily, before I could even grapple with the moral implications of torture, a logical denial occurred to me.

“...we don’t have the time for something like that.” I raised myself to the fullness of my height and squinted up through the break in the treeline. My senses hummed. I pointed toward the most problematic area. “I can… vaguely feel a huge mass of Mana gathering in that direction. We might obtain a bit more information, but we will also give the fae squirrels time to regroup if we linger here. Let’s push forward now and break up any surprises before the ambush is complete.”

“Ah, Tallum,” Sage pouted for a second but shrugged. “Fine! Your dedication to the mission at the expense of a distraction… I wish I possessed your work ethic.”

“That lust for combat without pretenses, Tallum…!” Nightshade clenched one of his snake-head arms into an approximation of a fist. “This is why we were fated to meet. Only together can our crusade trample all the resistance of the world.”

…neither of you actually listen to what I say, do you?

Is this karma? In this life, I take on Mimi’s role, surrounded by two thoughtless and bloodthirsty Tallum-types…

Meanwhile, the restrained squirrel narrowed his eyes at me. Compared to the regular Bloodthirsty Fae Squirrels, this one’s fur was a little greyer, with wispy eyebrows. His lip curled. “Heh. Are you the type to make hasty decisions and justify them after the fact?”

Instantly, I straightened. Those eyebrows, the too-close-to accurate insight, that judgey tone…

Is it possible that my therapist also reincarnated into this life?

Then the Squirrel Shaman turned away and spat on the ground. “None of your efforts will matter when the savior arrives.”

Ah, no, my former therapist would never possess faith in anything but himself… he believed that the only ‘sin’ in existence was complaints combined with inaction…

“I’ll finish this pest off, then let’s move,” Sage chirped. The tail coiled around the squirrel shaman’s throat began to swell.

“Wait,” Violala waved an arm. “Although it carries a risk, I couldn’t help but notice that the Shamans’ Mana reacts to each other, when nearby. My senses might not be as attuned as Sir Tallum’s, yet the connection was obvious. It could provide an early warning of unexpected developments.”

“Oh, I did notice this twerp’s fingers making weird shapes when Mana filled the air,” Sage added.

“What?” I couldn’t help but blurt out the words. My own dainty digits fluttered. These stupid hand seals… were some sort of Fae Squirrel defect?

“Ah… yours are very cool, Tallum,” Sage said quickly.

No, it’s not about being cool-

“Tallum, the dark secrets contained in those blood-covered hands…” Nightshade slithered up to me. He patted me on the back with a serpent head. “Even I hesitate to stare into the abyss you demonstrate. Do not waver.”

Nightshade, not you too-

“You three will be the first to be annihilated when the savior arrives.” The Shaman sneered his little squirrel face. Those greying eyebrows wagged. “Do you think we are unaware that your Kami has whored out its life force to support you necrotic- urghk!”

Tiring of his talking, Sage used her powerful tails to slam the squirrel into the ground.

“Your come-uppance-!” The squirrel roared; Sage smirked.

She slammed him into the ground two more times. Only when the squirrel’s expression settled into a disoriented, mid-distance stare did I finally react. Ah… did I just stand by and watch while my monster-sister gave a captured enemy a concussion…?

Ah integrity. Blown away by a breath of wind.

“...let’s move,” I coughed lightly, worried about the fixation Sage had on the squirrel Shaman. Violala nodded and clambered onto my back again. The group proceeded deeper into the treeline. Occasionally I paused and checked the flow of Mana through the forest, but I think it was obvious to us all where we were going: the more we moved in the target direction, the older and taller the trees became. Less and less light filtered through to the forest floor, until we moved in a kind of dark-green twilight.

My thoughts turned to the future. Soon… I’ll need to decide how to proceed. We’ve fought thus far, but-

“Sir Tallum.” Violala’s words shocked me awake from a circular (and quite critical) train of thought about Kami’s in this world. I felt her lean forward on my back, pressing more closely against my armored spine. Despite the moniker of armored, I couldn’t help but tense. But Violala spoke in a surprisingly vulnerable tone of voice. “I… did not bring this up earlier, but… the Matriarch’s condition is only shortly improved by the holy liquid. I was wondering… if at all possible, can more be obtained? Perhaps, with a sufficient amount- if she were allowed to soak in the oils, perhaps…?”

Ah, someone wants to soak in my seeped fluids. If I were back on Earth, with my lavender color, I might be mistaken for a bath bomb… I joked to cope with how uncomfortable the thought made me, but at the same time, I felt my own stance softening. Because the quavering in Violala’s voice, even if she was a murderous Venom Mantis, brought me right back to memories from the hospital.

When I looked through the glass window at Mimi, hooked up to all those tubes and machines. Her face looked so small and pale. I would have done anything to help her, if someone had only told me how.

“...Definitely, it is possible,” I admitted. “But remember, you… will also need to bring back items valuable to the Kami, to obtain currency to exchange. Otherwise-”

“I understand,” Violala said. “I can compensate you for this boon.”

A few times the shaman began to mutter to himself, but Sage quickly persuaded him into silence with flexed from her tails. Mostly, we hurried through the twilight undergrowth in silence. But at some point, my Skill pinged; it wasn’t a lot, but I felt the presence of Mana nearby.

“Wait a second. Let’s check this very quickly.” I pointed with my bloodsoaked fang to the left.

Without responding verbally, Violala tapped her serrated foreleg against my armored spine. Despite the fact she had only been on my back for a short amount of time, I somehow understood her question perfectly: will investigating be worth giving the shamans more time to prepare?

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

After a hesitation, I nodded. The Mana I felt wasn’t as much as a Summoned Protector, but it was more than our captured Shaman possessed. And its feel… I couldn’t describe exactly why, but the texture of its energy was different. Without any further doubts, the group followed my direction.

They trusted me implicitly, even Violala. I felt strangely warm as we stomped over tree roots.

The Mana signatures were only a short distance away. After weaving through a few trunks, we could see the source. There was a small clearing, although the spreading branches of the nearby trees made sure no sky could poke through. But several massive trees were arranged in a rough circle, with luminous moss growing on their trunks.

My eyes shifted to four small saplings growing in the middle of the clearing. The soft light from the moss, combined with my energy sonar awareness, traced mesmerizing patterns up and down their pale and leafless branches. Immediately, my awareness sharpened, leaning on the System. But-

Unknown Tree: ???

“What are those?” Sage asked.

I opened my mouth to suggest that they were exactly the sort of rare treasure we looked for in another Kami’s domain, but then an idea struck me. I glanced sideways at the wrapped-up shaman. If this fool is like my former therapist…

“Oh those? Probably just adolescent oak trees. Nevermind, let’s go.” I said rather flippantly. I turned away and made to leave the obviously magical clearing.

Your Skill (Language) Bestial Comprehension has grown to Level 7.

“Oak trees?!” The eyes of the shaman began to bulge. “You ill-educated heretic! Just because they have not been able to absorb holy energy from the land due to the seal, that doesn’t change the fact that these are-”

Violala, Nightshade, and Sage pivoted and gave the shaman a pitying look. I couldn’t help but shake my head. When my two monster siblings are aware enough to notice you’ve been played, you’ve really earned your dunce cap. But yes, you are exactly like my therapist… when someone is obviously wrong, all sense is thrown out the window. A geas seizes you; you need to correct them.

Now, if only I could go back and prove to Mr. Gains that it’s impossible for my feelings to be wrong…

I allowed those bitter thoughts to fade; they were a remnant of a less leisurely life. Instead, I turned and considered the four saplings. Definitely, the lines I could see running through their trunks were intriguing; I could see the faintest shape of the sort of patterns I witnessed in my Chimera Core animating array. But these occurred naturally.

Plus, up close I could understand a bit more about what made those special. The energy the trees released sat between pure Mana and the raw life energy released by Kamis. In a way, it resembled the manufactured coins the spiderlings created; except whereas that energy was inert, this extra energy was perfectly integrated into the Mana. That rich empowerment settled throughout the wood.

So somehow, those naturally occurring arrays incorporate foreign energy directly into the Mana? Considering they are trees… something like life or ‘Wood’ type Mana?

I began to get a headache; the more I learned about the fantasy world, the more I wondered about what other secrets I would discover. Yet also, I couldn’t help but feel excited. These trees were definitely a worthy investment.

Luckily, I have recently found a very efficient sub-contracting group to excavate, transport, and replant these. Humming to myself, I released a burst of Mana from my core. Although they were distant, I could tell that the spiderlings sensed my actions. They would head in this direction and follow my instructions. Considering their efficiency… I also believed that the fae squirrels would be too distracted to notice the subtle actions of the spiderlings until it was too late.

I still had some of the previously created blessed oils tucked away in pockets of my flesh. Despite the small Health cost to retrieve them, I cut myself open and left some drops near the saplings as a reward.

Another day, another bit of self-mutilation. But don’t sweat the small stuff, Tallum.

“Alright, let’s continue,” I said.

“If you dare lay your cursed limbs upon the Kami’s holy trees-” The shaman began to speak, but Sage squeezed the air from his lungs so he couldn’t continue.

My eyes glazed over as I began to move. Don’t sweat… the small stuff… like basic human rights… protections against cruel and unusual punishments-

No, honestly!

“Sage, can you no tort-” I began, but I paused as I saw movement; the shaman’s fingers began to twitch and trace hand seals in the air.

“Luckily, this burden has proven useful,” Violala hummed. She tapped her leg against my back. “Sir Tallum, can you sense any movements from the surrounding Mana?”

Sage eased her grip on the Shaman allowing him to suck in a gasping breath. All the while, his fingers continued to dance. I raised my snake eyes and peered out through the darkened interior of the forest. After a few seconds of concentration, I could just barely sense clusters of Mana in the trees ahead of us.

Moving rapidly in our direction.

“...four chunks of Mana, heading straight for us.” I felt a shiver pass through my body. The prospect of fighting against four of those Protectors, none of which would provide Anima-

“Heh, do I get to fight them this time?” Sage seemed positively bursting with energy.

Yet Violala decisively shook her head. “No, your speed is required to break through their defenses and seek out the summoning circle. So long as they fuel Mana through the circle, the Protectors will not tire. The rituals are our target.”

From both of my siblings, I felt a tremor in their jelly. While I remained confused, both fixated on Violala.

“The Protectors might not tire, but the Shamans will,” Nightshade spoke in a quiet voice. “Violala, you do not possess Mana yes? Consider our situation carefully. Previously, the Shamans dispatched only a single Protector against us. Suddenly, after suffering losses, they send four. Now it is possible their numbers are much larger than anticipated-”

“...but if these truly possessed such a numerical advantage, our strategy wouldn’t matter.” Violala suddenly spoke in a very small voice. “And if that wasn’t the case… if they are struggling… the Shamans are probably using a show of force to trick us into splitting our group. An ambush will be waiting, either for those that remain or those that rush forward.”

Nightshade and Sage exchanged a knowing glance. Then they looked at me with respect and understanding in their eyes. As though, somehow, I had originally suggested that Violala be our leader just to lead to this point where she would falter and be humbled.

Okay, yes, I do have a clockwork calculation machine in my brain, but it isn’t that good.

…feels very nice to be included in this sibling smugness though, hehe.

Your Skill (Earned) Detection has grown to Level 24.

Your Skill (Earned) Short-Term Prediction has grown to Level 4.

“They are about to arrive,” I said.

Sage tossed the Shaman to the side. “Watch and wait. Let’s see how your faith fares when you see a Skyfire, rampant. Heh, siblings, it's been a while, hasn’t it? Since we have had the chance to fight together.”

“Indeed sister.” Nightshade moved forward to stand next to her, his heads beginning to swell. “That earlier skirmish was just a mad dash. But this…! Heh, I can demonstrate how much I’ve grown since the Crayfish Egg Defender.”

“Tch, don’t get your hopes up. I bet they won’t be able to maintain four Protectors for long.” Sage shook her head in sadness. Then she grinned over at me. “Brother Tallum, would you be willing to officiate a bet, between foolish Nightshade and I? Which of us can inflict more damage over the course of this fight, until we exhaust these petty Shamans.”

My mind whirled. I think maybe the aftermath of using Inferior Adrenaline Rush had a steeper mental cost than I realized because I felt like I was one step behind my companions this whole trip. They wanted me to officiate their bet… while also joining the fight?

I looked over my shoulder at Violala, intending to speak up, but Violala nodded her head in submission before I could begin. “Yes, Sir Tallum, I will not interfere. You three… please, enjoy yourselves.”

Enjoy?! My eyes bulged. Why does everyone suddenly read so deeply into my casual looks? Okay, I might have overestimated how well I was adapting to monster life-

Four leafy murder koalas burst through the foliage above us, pushing all the rest of my thoughts out of my head.