In the end, after we had moved to a flat stretch of mud, I raised a tentacle and voiced my trembling doubt. “Uh, Sage. Can I ask a question? Will this dancing… involve fighting?”

Sage looked at me like I was the problem and sighed. “Brother Tallum, you are always so eager. Indeed, this is ultimately two bodies entwined in the shackles of physical struggle. But, until you understand the basics, such combat would be pointless. Consider this a diversion; a rare break for our very industrious brother.”

No, Sage, I take leisure very seriously-

My gaze swiveled sideways, rapidly heating up. I was tricked by Nightshade-!

“Anyway!” Sage clapped her tails together. “Enliven your ears, hear beyond the words. I will tell you the basic steps, but remember that the act of stepping is just the most trivial aspect of dance! The power and majesty of movement manifest in the space between the steps. How your body is articulated, how force flows along your musculature… only within those depths can true nirvana be achieved. Transcend your limits!”

I just looked at Sage as she worked herself up through her speech. Essentially, you could read Sage’s mood entirely by how lively her tails were. At the bottom, as she had been in the dark forest of Old Oak, her tails had dragged across the ground. Now, a poltergeist had taken up residence in her backside, whipping the flesh of her body back and forth.

If she grew any more excited, she might begin to rise off the ground, helicoptered up by her tails.

I tried to suppress a sinking sensation in my chest. How come I sense that this too will be less leisurely than advertised…?

“Listen, and admire, you supplicants to the god of motion,” Sage spun and then settled down on her legs. Her tails continued their wild undulations. “Allow me to demonstrate the ascension you are undertaking. You! Otter! Answer me this; how does every single journey begin?”

“By preparing provisions,” Takkle replied immediately.

There was a heartbeat of silence; I felt genuine surprise at this reasonable answer. Preparation! The foundation of leisure! Perhaps, of our Kami allies, I should associate more with the otters?

Sage, obviously, glowered. “Incorrect! A journey begins in a simple step. So, let’s take the common toad, for example. Such a base creature would step like so.”

Sage moved forward. Her current body was mostly tails with two frog legs at the body, so she used her froglegs to execute an exaggerated hop. Frankly, I watched her muscles shift, but couldn’t really understand what she was trying to demonstrate with the step. Afterward, Sage paused, stretched out a leg, then repeated the motion.

“Now, witness an altogether different phenomenon. I, a proud Skyrage, step like this,” Sage announced. Then she stepped.

I blinked.

Your Skill (Earned) Detection has grown to Level 25(+16).

Even I could see the difference. The second step wasn’t a matter of leg anymore. I could see the way the surrounding muscles of Sage’s body moved as she stepped. Even the undulations of her tails shifted. They became part of the flowing motion. And when she moved forward, it wasn’t just the front leg stretching forward; I could see how the back leg activated to push off.

She covered almost three times the distance with her movement, while not appearing to move any more quickly.

“Sister, you barely appear to touch the ground,” Nightshade complimented.

Sage whipped him with her slender tortoise tail. “Don’t attempt to sweet talk me. Focus on your own learning. If you have energy to admire the sublimity I demonstrated, learn to do it yourself. I will do it once more, then you shall have your first attempts at imitation.”

As promised, Sage stepped again. Now that my senses were keyed into her movements, I had an even better picture of how she executed the step. In terms of suddenness, distance covered, and grace, I could only feel admiration for the difference in the way she stepped.

During yesterday’s offensive into the forest, I experienced a few epiphanies regarding the importance of body structure. In the future, these concerns would affect how I developed and integrated body parts. Yet Sage took it one layer deeper; not only did she arrange her body, but then she utilized it so efficiently that even a step could be transformed.

Usually I’m too busy having my own life threatened to notice her methods, but if she can incorporate this much body articulation into her fighting… I hummed. Honestly, it felt reassuring to at least understand some of the distance between our relative combat capabilities.

“Understand? Alright, take your partner and try it. Tallum and Nightshade, you will be leading, so take your steps forward. Takkle and I will follow, and begin with a backstep.”

“Uh, Sage,” I tilted my head to the side. “You were just stepping alone. I get that we are ‘dancing’... but why are we using partners?”

“An excellent question! Well, to put it simply, when I step… the entire world is my partner?” Sage took several steps, much faster than her exaggerated demos. She literally began to flicker around as though she activated a Blink Skill. My energy sonar hummed, trying to capture her. “For those whose senses aren’t developed, or you, Brother Tallum, who doesn’t have much experience with dance, it is difficult to simply jump right into the process. So, we start with a physical partner.”

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Ah, fantasy settings. Sage, are you really just using your feet to move like that…?

And we get there… via dance…?

Definitely, just by accepting this ludicrous premise, aren’t I proving how leisurely my mindset has become?

I offered Takkle my squirrel hands. When the otter settled into the stance directed by Sage, its touch was surprisingly soft. Sage physically plucked Nightshade up and dragged him into position with her tails. From the looks of it… she intended to take the lead. Her other tails cracked back and forth, suspiciously similar to whips. “Let’s begin. Step and dance. Slow! Quick-quick, Slow~”

Rather stiffly, Tackle and I shifted together. We shifted again to try and match up to the counts that Sage shouted. From the slightly exasperated pulse from Nightshade’s jelly, I could tell that Sage essentially was just picking him up and dragging him around, not even giving him the chance to try and dance.

I ignored the plight of my brother and focused on my own steps.

“Is this the correct method?” Takkle asked after a few more steps.

“No!” Sage responded after watching us for a second. She wagged a tail at me. “Tallum, what sort of steps are those? Put more weight on the ball of your foot!”

I glanced down at my tortoise legs. The flat-bottomed limbs didn’t possess much finesse. “...perhaps these body parts aren’t suited for dance.”

“Nonsense, it is all about image,” Sage scoffed. “Control the shifting of your weight. Move through your feet slowly. Gradually feel the shift. And when you step… step completely! Shift to be entirely over the other leg, so you can pick up the others. Oy, Nightshade, what the hell are you doing?”

Nightshade shrugged. “Attempting to follow your advice.”

“How dare you lie to my face! Your graceless stomps spit in the face of-”

While Sage began to berate Nightshade, Takkle spoke quietly to me. “She is not an efficient teacher, but she is certainly powerful. And, I believe, her words are correct. There is just no translation to account for our lack of experience.”

I could only nod. For a few more seconds, the otter and I continued in silence, maintaining a certain cadence even without Sage shouting out the counts. The more we stepped, the more we became used to the somewhat awkward act of moving in concert with another body.

To my surprise, I started to enjoy the process.

The sensation was somewhat wondrous. I had experienced the implicit cooperation of fighting with my fellow Chimera Cores in the past, but this feeling wasn’t that. With Sage and Nightshade, I could move with the utmost confidence that I knew how they would move, and vice versa. We had an instinctual familiarity.

Meanwhile, I as squirrel and otter hands were joined in a frame, we discovered a different sort of interplay. Rather that just knowing… each shift of weight, each small adjustment became a sort of talking. We communicated every second about the movement we were about to make.

The feeling was a pleasant one.

Sage finished her tirade against Nightshade and pivoted her attention to Takkle and I. “Indeed! So you two had some talent after all! But keep your shoulders square to your partner, Tallum! And you, otter, keep your arms more rigid- no, not stiff! Movement needs to flow through the entire body. But engage your back. Attach your arms to something, don’t let them flop around.”

Sifting through Sage’s abrasive phrasing was a bit difficult, but we gradually understood her points. Our movements became cleaner. As we stepped with more confidence, barely approaching an activity it would be appropriate to call a ‘dance’, I could feel my Stats beginning to manifest themselves. Agility and Poise gifted me with the physical control I wanted, while Insight began to rapidly inform the way I moved.

Your Skill (Earned) Body Manipulation has grown to Level 25(+12).

We flowed together. When I stepped, I could allow the edge of my tortoise leg to touch first, before shifting the foot gradually. Stemming from my spine, the movement became more instinctual. The body structure assisted in the flow, giving me more grace. And one thought grew stronger and stronger.

“...this is actually a lot of fun,” I said out loud.

We continued to step, the moves becoming smoother and smoother. Opposite me, the serious-faced otter quirked up an eyebrow. “Is enjoyment with me that much of a surprise?”

I felt embarrassed for a second, but then felt Takkle wiggle her shoulders slightly during the next step. Belatedly, I realized she was teasing me.

Your Skill (Language) Bestial Comprehension has grown to Level MAX(+3).

Apparently, even physical movements could become communication.

During the next step, I moved with a little bit more aggression, pushing forward. Takkle received my movement with her engaged back, allowing me to carrying her a little bit of extra distance. When we moved to the side, we moved perfectly in sync. And on her step, she did the same, forcing me to retreat.

Your Skill (Earned) Body Manipulation has grown to Level 25(+13).

The moon rose higher and higher in the sky, a defiant and pale imitation of the sun. After commenting a few more times on our form, Sage sighed. “I overestimated my ability to handle Nightshade’s poor steps. On our next practice, Brother Tallum, you will be my partner.”

“It was good practice,” Nightshade rumbled, earning a tail slap from Sage.

Takkle and I let go of each other. Suddenly, I felt awkward. I might now be a body-part-gorging Chimera Core, but most of my personality still came from the shy human from another life. So I hesitated, unsure of how to break the silence.

“...you are different than I anticipated,” Takkle said. For several more seconds, the otter continued to study me. “I will be frank-- most of the reason I agreed to this activity was for the opportunity to examine you Chimera Cores. Your touch… is surprisingly pure. I will gladly participate again in the future.”

“Thank you,” I said. I couldn’t think of what else to say.

Further reflection ceased as the nearby reeds rustled. A drifting cloud passed in front of the moon and sent us into shadow. Simultaneously, I felt pings of alarm from my connection to the spiderlings. From their chaotic messages, I could just barely glean that their web zone was being invaded.

“What?” I muttered out loud. The others looked at me. Nightshade and Sage instantly stilled, sensing the tremors of my inner jelly. My mind whirled. Was one of the neighboring Kamis retaliating? Had that horrible Mookt attacked and been defeated?

To further complicate the situation, a scaled form burst out of the reeds. We all blinked in recognition.

The Princess Gecko, who had left me a turd when it escaped its cage, paused and looked around at the four of us. “Uh… greetings. I also want to stress that what’s about to happen isn’t my fault.”

Your Skill (Earned) Detection has grown to Level 25(+17).

With an audible groan, the first of several necrotic-rotted bodies shambled its way out of the reeds. The zombie corpse hopped forward, passing all the way out to stand in front of us. My face twitched as the hop was vigorous enough to shake its rotten flesh and cause one of its eyes to roll out.

Reanimated Four-Horned Bloat Toad Lvl 14

“An excellent opportunity!” Sage declared. She waved a tail imperiously. “But if only a solitary being arrives-”

On cue, the rest began to hop and shuffle through the reeds.

Reanimated Four-Horned Bloat Toad Lvl 15

Reanimated Four-Horned Bloat Toad Lvl 12

Reanimated Four-Horned Bloat Toad Lvl 13

“Partners enough for us all.” Sage nodded in satisfaction. Her eyes brightened as the reeds continued to rustle. “And more on the way? Okay, allies. Let us discuss the practical applications of dancing.”