For a while they just lay there, catching their breath. Omilaena had always been skeptical of the idea that emotion was essential for sex, but she was glad to be wrong. She hadn't just exorcised this old demon, she felt connected to Kai in a way she hadn't before. It was hard to know what to do with all those emotions, so...

"And now you know why they call me the Maneater," Omilaena said with an exaggerated wink.

Kai smiled lazily at her. "I'm pretty sure that was because you killed people while acting seductively."

"Hush! Don't bring logic into innuendo!" She couldn't play around for long, though, and ended up gently touching the side of his face. "Sorry about all the trouble. It was worth it, right?"

"Worth it, but... is this going to be a regular thing?"

"I would certainly hope so."

"Not sex, I mean all the yin and lingam and ritual stuff." He actually looked a little uncertain, despite everything. Omilaena leaned in to kiss him.

"No, don't worry," she said between kisses. "There are limits to the benefits of all these rituals, just like any other source of power. Counting from the first time we met, I've spent a lot of time teasing you, haven't I? Well, in the future, no more games."

"Some games are okay." Kai grabbed her ass and pulled her against him in a way that he never would have before. She laughed and cuddled in. So much of what was normal to her was uncomfortable or aggressive to him, but hopefully that would change.

She would have loved to stay there longer, if only the real world didn't exist. If Tyorcut came back to find them like this they'd have a whole mess of new complications, plus it was always possible that the demons would finally target this location. So Omilaena couldn't wait long before she propped herself up on his chest to speak.

"Are you going to go confront Gorutiel?" she asked. "There's no guarantee he'll honor the deal, so it might not be wise to even take the risk."

"I think I should." Kai sighed and draped an arm over his eyes. "But do you think I can? I've advanced a little, but is it enough?"

"Hey, it looks like I brought you to over 500 Power. Even if your monstrous side hasn't caught up, you've improved your claw technique, right? If he's really the way you think he is, then you don't have to win, you just have to prove yourself."

"Maybe you're right." He looked down at her and frowned. "How is your Physique D-8? That feels... just unfair."

"Remember that I was slacking on my physical training before we came back to Rosemount. I owe all that advancement to you... in this case, I absorbed it literally." She gave him a wink and finally pulled away to tug on her clothes.

There would hopefully be other relaxed moments like this, but she recognized that this one was over. If they'd chosen this path, they needed to make the attempt.

She left Kai to negotiate his departure with Tyorcut and the other Savage Creed followers. No doubt she would be pissed, but she only had herself to blame and she wasn't strong enough to take on Kai. Whether he could really fight Gorutiel, however, much less make it work out for them...

No sense not trusting him. Omilaena headed out into the wasteland to make her own preparations, since this could be a delicate operation. Gorutiel was ready to challenge Kai again, but Troulon and Lilaetiel were also surveilling the area. If they intervened then things were likely to go in the wrong direction.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Omilaena headed out over the hills, making no effort to hide her presence. If what she suspected about Troulon was right, he'd find her soon enough. Would she be ready? She examined her soul and the new progress she'd made.

<

Name: Omilaena

Total Power: 0993

Heart of Poison: Level 73 (292)

*Prana Jewels: Level +3 (12)

Lethal Artisan: Spinel Rank (250)

Path of Venomsteel: Step 5 (75)

Physique: D-8 (240)

Soul Level: 7 (49)

Azure Core (+75)

>

All of Kai's heroic suffering had been worth it, at least for her. His lingam energy didn't really support her primary poison and steel abilities, but it was exactly the rush of energy she needed to make her Azure Core evolve another step. Her Physique had also leapt more than she expected, from the combination of both Zae Zin Nim and Kai. She was close to 1000 Power and there was nothing stopping her from rolling directly past that threshold.

So in theory it was enough, she just had to wait for them to find her. It look over a day, during which she had many chances to regret her decisions and their strategy, but eventually she saw the golden platform sweeping down toward her.

Lilaetiel leapt down at her first, claws lashing. "I can smell her! You're keeping all that delicious qi from-"

Her poison breath took the demon in the face with so much force it made her head snap back. Omilaena wasn't naive enough to think that she could take out a demon that quickly, but Lilaetiel wasn't expecting someone who had the edge on her. Before she could recover from the poison, Omilaena kicked her in the stomach and sent her flying.

Which mean there was just Troulon left, staring at her from his ship. His arms were folded behind his back, tight with rage. "Omilaena. I understand why you did what you did, but I can't forgive it."

"Troulon." She dipped a shallow bow. "Are we going to talk, or are we going to fight?"

.

..

.

Part of Kai didn't want to let go of Omilaena, afraid that she would be injured and taken from him just like Zae Zin Nim. Of course, that part was naive: given the threats facing them, she could actually be killed. Any of them could, and the risk only increased the longer they stayed in the Commonwealth.

Which was why he was going out to confront Gorutiel, despite the fact that it might seem foolish. He needed to stop thinking about the conflict as good guys and bad guys - the demons might be predatory by nature, but Tyorcut had been just as manipulative and he didn't think there were any depths to human depravity in general. Gorutiel was only on the opposing side because it was expedient, not because they were permanently opposed.

Of course, his logic wouldn't do him any good if he wasn't actually powerful enough to follow it up. He was heavily relying on the recent boost in power to make up the difference, plus all of his recent combat had increased Thunderbird's Wings to Delta rank, and Tyrant's Claw had leapt two ranks all the way to Lambda. That would have to be enough.

After he wandered for a while, he finally spotted his opponent: Gorutiel bounded over the hills toward him, grinning.

"Holy shit, it's just been a month! How do you keep doing this?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Kai said.

"No, I insist." Gorutiel skidded to a halt and stood waiting.

"Well... I got one of the Savage Creed followers to feed me chakra, trying to take advantage of me via dual cultivation, and then I turned her down."

"Ha! You've got balls, kid. And they're actually relevant in this case, haha!" Abruptly the demon's laughter stopped. "But is it actually enough? Because I don't really care how tricky you are, the question is if you can back up what you said."

Instead of answering with words, Kai set his feet and raised his hand to one side. When his fingers formed into claws, they didn't flicker away this time, actually holding the transformation steady. Gorutiel grinned and prepared his blood scythe, taking his time to make it even larger than before.

Kai didn't let him take the initiative. Instead he focused on his speed half-phase and executed three maneuvers at nearly the same instant: he burst forward with Thunderbird's Wings, unleashed a Tyrant's Claw, and reversed his momentum with a second burst. His claw flew away from him surrounded by the shockwaves from the thunderclaps.

For a moment, fixed in his speed phase, Kai saw the forces flying toward one another, almost peaceful. Then they crashed together, his three waves striking in swift succession. The first shockwave was cut apart, and the two techniques blew each other apart, but the second shockwave sent the blood fragments flying backwards.

So it was over in an instant. Kai waited, catching his breath. Gorutiel couldn't deny that he'd matched him, but would he actually hold his end of the bargain?

"Damn." Gorutiel lowered his hand slowly and shook his head. "Even if I didn't like ya, it'd be wrong to kill you now when you're still growing this much. You want me to leave the Savage Creed followers alone? Done."

"Actually," Kai said, "I was hoping to suggest something different..."