Good evening~ I'm awake. I haven't awoken to an invading Rifaleesi, nor to anyone else for that matter. It's a good start to my evening. Getting up, I have decided to try something new tonight. I'm going to go about my night as a Cat. Whether I like it or not, I'm doing it. I want to get used to moving in my Cat body so that I can make better use of [Claw Fishing] being used against enemies unrelated to Fish. Who knows? Maybe I'll deal more damage if I'm trying to attack people with my claws? Maybe I'll just generally be more strong in my Cat form? I'll lose all of my resistances, but it's a risk worth testing. I feel as though I'm able to move faster in my Cat form, so it might just be the case.
It feels strange to have a lower point of view constantly, and I also feel somewhat unsafe without my Lantern and Broom. Be that as it may, it's also entirely possible for my Lantern or Broom to be taken from me in the future. I should feel mentally prepared for that scenario should it ever come. This is important! I was thinking over such things as I sprinted through the Throne Room. Weeping Angel was awaiting me as she sometimes does, and seemed particularly shocked to see me race out of my room as a Cat. It can't be helped. Me taking this form is rare.
When I arrived in the Foyeur, it appeared as though everyone else had already started eating. Everyone else is eating more towards the end of the table. It's making me somewhat uncomfortable, but I suppose that I'll just sit there. The master chair. I'm currently scampering across the table in my Cat form. Snatching a Fish from the platter, I continued to make my way towards my chair with it hanging from my mouth. I'm a Cat meow. I'm not actually sitting in my chair, I'm now just sitting where my plate would probably have been. It's fine. Everyone's looking at me strangely though.
"Good evening everyone, I'm trying something new tonight." [Nero] confessed after greeting everyone in a cheerful tone of voice before beginning to eat.
"I like Nero's Cat form!" [Budget Dragon] proclaimed after swallowing a bite of Fish.
"Yes, well; it's fine and all… But what about him?" [Cetilla] asked while gesturing to Elliot whom I had not noticed until now.
"Ah… Yes. Greetings Elliot, how goes it?" [Nero] casually asked.
"...T-T-The Council has agreed to meet with you. Tonight… At midnight an Elven Councilman will arrive on the border of our two territories." [Elliot] stammered.
"Why is an Elf going to meet with you?" [Vana] asked Nero.
"They wanted to." [Nero] replied flatly.
"What would an Elf possibly want with us?" [Rabbit] asked.
"They want to know what I am and what I intend." [Nero] answered frankly.
"I think you ssshould ignore the call." [Female Lamia] curtly chimed in.
"Be careful, Nero." [Mobbin Village Keef Sama] warned.
"Y-You can't just ignore the call!" [Elliot] restlessly yelled.
"Look around… Why would he not be able to ignore it?" [Cetilla] asked with a grin.
"Your power is impressive… But you lack the numbers to face the Elven Council! Only one of your three tables is even nearly half full!" [Elliot] brazenly shouted.
"Having full tables would be a problem, don't you think it's better to wait for them to be filled with capable comrades?" [Wolfenrine] barked.
"I agree." [Crowli] said with his skull held high.
"How are we doing on our war rations, then?" [Goblin Hunk] asked while looking at Nero.
"We're better than ever, but we'll be receiving much more in a few days." [Nero] admitted.
"Then why not just ignore them?" [Bear] asked in a gruff tone of voice.
"I would like to, but have we really done anything to warrant needing to? What is it exactly that the Elves don't want us to do? Why do they want to know our intentions in the first place? I was originally under the impression that the Demon Kingdom was the one who wanted the Lost Kingdom to remain lost. Did they come solely for me, or is it for the Lost Kingdom in general? I need to meet with them if I hope to learn the answers to my questions, I doubt any of you hold them." [Nero] explained his reasoning.
"It seems risky... You're betting it all on whether you can even get information out of them before giving up any of yours. Can I come?" [Cetilla] said with a smile before asking in a light tone of voice.
"Sure~" [Nero] replied in a similarly light tone of voice.
Caught you! Yay! Now I can fulfill Milton's unnecessary side quest!
"...So you'll do it?" [Elliot] asked with a shaky tone of voice.
"Yeah. Be that as it may, I'm keeping you until the meeting is over. I'll send you back unharmed alongside your Councilman when I'm finished. Crowli~ Take him to Halloween." [Nero] said with a smile before laughing as he called to Crowli.
"W-What?! Wait! Let me go! Please don't d-" [Elliot] screamed as Crowli swiftly captured and began to fly him away down past the Foyeur and into the Throne Room.
"Vana, I must apologize but entry to Halloween will be closed until some time after midnight." [Nero] said passionately before cancelling the Hallowed Gate a minute later.
And with that, Weeping Angel began to sing and we resumed our meal. I couldn't have Elliot going off to the Elves and letting them know that I sat in the master seat of this castle. Among other things. He can return after I've tried my best at gaining information. If I'm successful, then he's not helping them even if he rats on me. If I lose, then he's still not helping them because I already lost. I have war potential. It's what I do. This is what I was born for, okay?! I'm going to amasse a Clan, I might just take a hostage or two along the way. I might not even let the Elven Councilman go. It really depends, I guess. Should I play things nicely or just abduct him?
Finishing my meal, I went off to the Throne Room with Weeping Angel and added 11 new pieces of clothes to the pile while aiming at level 20. I have my shipment with Clive coming up tomorrow night, so I should really organize this stuff. I wanted to spend more Candy to help shorten the time required for the Monster Knights to get level 15 to 20 clothes, but if we need to fight an Elven army; I probably should just not. It isn't worth the trouble. Thinking such things, I asked Weeping Angel to block the route into the Throne Room. I need privacy to test all this stuff, and I'm not about to throw it all into my Treasure Room.
I know that I said I would be staying in Cat form throughout the night, but it can't be helped right meow. I need to be in a Human form if I want to test the clothes. Testing all of the clothes and sorting them in to separate piles took a while, but the stack wasn't as large as the previous shipments. It also includes all of the level 15 to 20 pieces from the last shipment as well. After I had finished, I still didn't think that I had obtained enough level 15 to 20 pieces to cloth the properly Monster Knights so I decided to spend some time relaxing by the fire to regenerate my MP. There's still around 4 and a half hours until midnight, so it's no big deal. I'm returning to my Cat form now.
Sitting by the fire alongside me are several of the others. I'm not really getting too involved with any of the conversations personally though. I'm trying to relax right now. Also, I'm in Cat form so that might have something to do with it. I'm probably intimidating or something. I feel like I rarely ever take time to just sit down and do nothing. I spent some time by the Lake to look at the stars last night, but Goblin Hunk came out of nowhere and interrupted me. I had a good time, but nyah! I've been beginning to feel accustomed to living in this world as a Halloween Cat. I'm probably past that, if I think about everything I've done since coming here. Maybe I should just try and be somewhat honest with the Elves? Try taking the humane approach? They might not be so bad if I try. I'll keep an open mind.
I've been seriously unimpressed with the other three territories that I've encountered, but maybe the Elves will be better. The Beastkin Kingdom is probably the best Kingdom so far. I've been able to join the economy there, as well as even gained some companions from among their people. Be that as it may, they have issues with treating lesser Tier monsters poorly. I'm not about that. The Witches Forest has a wondrous selection of Brooms to choose from, but just about everyone there is sexist against male Witches. Me. Apparently I'm a rarity, but I honestly don't understand what their issue is. Oh no, a male has taken the time to learn similar magic to us! What are we to do?! You would think that I might obtain a harem, but NOPE! Shun the male instead.
"Nero? May I have a word?" [Mobbin Village Keef Sama] asked as he sat down next to me.
"Eh? What's up?" [Nero] asked.
"It appears as though your Evolutions have bore some fruit." [Mobbin Village Keef Sama] said.
"What do you mean?" [Nero] asked.
"Your eyes. They have begun to emit Flames similar to Crowli." [Mobbin Village Keef Sama] replied as if shocked that I did not know.
"Really?" [Nero] asked while tilting his head.
"Yes... If I'm not mistaken, you should also be able to take on multiple forms at this point... Most monsters with [Shapeshift] have many forms." [Mobbin Village Keef Sama] replied slowly.
Woah. Hold on?! Hold on! Hold on! I remember checking my [Shapeshift] information when I Evolved, so this shouldn't be the case! I suppose it can't hurt to open my status and check… No! NO! I have forms. I have multiple forms. They probably weren't being displayed earlier because I was previously already using the ability to take on my Human form.
[Shapeshift: Halloween Cat XXS (Basic), Halloween Catkin S (Human), Halloween Catkin S (Cat), Halloween Cat XS (Two-Tailed), Halloween Cat S (Three-Tailed)]
Thankfully, I'm able to view how I attained each form. Halloween Cat XXS (Basic) was my original form. The one I'm currently wearing. Halloween Catkin S (Human) was obtained from [Shapeshift]. Halloween Catkin S (Cat) was obtained from [Shapeshift+1]. Halloween Cat XS (Two-Tailed) is the form that I would have attained from becoming a Tier 4 Halloween Cat had I not always used [Shapeshift] to keep my child body. Halloween Cat S (Three-Tailed) is the form that I would have attained from becoming a Tier 5 Halloween Cat. Interesting. It would appear as though I will gain a larger form from most of the Tiers that I become, and that I might even obtain more Catkin forms from [Shapeshift] proficiency itself.
It will probably help terrify my enemies if I'm a larger Cat, but I wonder if I'll become physically stronger due to it? I want to get a height comparison going. I'm now standing next to Cetilla who is originally around my human child height. In my original Cat form, I'm around the height of an average Cat. Let's try [Shapeshift: Halloween Cat S (Three-Tailed)]! My biggest form! While I transformed, a large orange flame surrounded me for a few moments. When it dissipated, my transformation had been complete. I'm meow currently large enough for Cetilla to ride. Interesting. It appears that I can transform into any of my regular forms as long as I'm currently already using one of them. If I'm using a Humanoid form, then I need to assume my smallest form before transforming back into a larger form or a different Humanoid form. Trying [Shapeshift: Halloween Cat XS (Two-Tailed)]... It appears as though I'm now half the size of my largest form. In other words, twice the size of the basic form. It's strange how I underwent no visual changes for my second and third Tier Evolutions but then suddenly got a double size form from my fourth Tier. Maybe I actually did have some sort of minor change, but I didn't notice it?
Moving around in the different forms doesn't feel like I'm moving much faster, and my status doesn't change at all. I don't really know if they'll come in very much use aside from terrifying my enemies. It's good to know about these kinds of things though, so I made sure to thank Mobbin Village Keef Sama for bringing it to my attention. He's a good guy. If I unlock even larger forms, then I might be able to start carrying more companions than it would have been plausible for a Broom. It's a potential trump card, but it won't do me much good at this current point in time.
I chose to remain in my largest Cat form until midnight. Mostly everyone is still enjoying themselves by the fire, so I decided to take this time to ask the Rifaleesi and Wolfenrine where they had originated. Once upon a time, Mobbin Village Keef Sama told me that the Rifa, Deer, and Wolves were not from around here. Their own answers were that the Rifa had come from the Forest of Fae, while the Wolves had originally inhabited an area east of the Lizardman Tribes but were chased out by invading monsters. When I noticed Milton returning from his Fishing, I decided to step out and continue it for him.
I only ended up going Fishing for around 30 minutes before it was time for me to head off towards the border and meet with the Elven Councilman. I didn't think things through very well, and I actually can't even take my Fish back with me. I don't have my Lantern with me, so I can't just open a Hallowed Gate and I also can't call on a Clansmen to carry them. I ended up needing to switch back to my Human form so that I could stab my Fish onto a kebab and carry it home. I need an ability for Telekinesis. If I could lift my Lantern and Broom without touching them, then I could handle being in a Cat form constantly. I don't want to run around carrying an old Poor Iron Lantern by mouth, after all. We haven't devolved that far into being a Cat just yet, my friends. We still have standards!
After arriving back at the Wailing Keep and adding my Kebab to one of our Freezers in the Kitchen, I made my way back to my Treasure Room to fetch the Broom and Lantern. I should bring a few buckets of Candy with me as well… Just in case. You can't be too safe around Elves. My MP was able to recover fully, so things should be fine. I'm bringing three buckets of Candy. I'm wearing my raincoat hood as well, so that I can avoid showing my ears until I know for a fact that the Elf possesses [Appraisal]. It probably won't help at all, but I'm hoping that he'll bring up my race while my hood and sunglasses would normally be concealing it; that way I'll know that he has the ability.
I'll need to determine if he has lie detection or thought reading abilities as well. I can try thinking about random evil things in front of him and look for any signs of him hearing them, and raising his guard to determine if he has thought reading abilities… If he fails to read my random evil thoughts, then I can just try blurting them out loud. If he tries to immediately provoke me, then I have discovered that he definitely did not have thought reading abilities; nor did he have lie detection abilities. He might have some kind of grudge against me for tricking him, but it's all fair in love and war. Fetching Cetilla and beginning to make our way off, I made sure to ask her about Rei.
"So, about Rei." [Nero] blurted out suddenly while the two were flying off on his Broom.
"...What about Rei?" [Cetilla] asked.
"I think Milton has a thing for her, and I also think that Milton needs to get to know her better." [Nero] explained.
"...Okay?" [Cetilla]
"You need to detach from Rei long enough for Milton to get to know her." [Nero] said bluntly.
"W-W-What?! Why?" [Cetilla] stammered while seemingly angry.
"You terrify Milton. It's something about your noble presence." [Nero] barked.
"...Wait. Don't tell me that the Elven Councilman meeting was all just some elaborate farce to get me away from Rei." [Cetilla] rebutted.
"Eh? No. The Elven Councilman meeting is indeed happening. This just so happened to be the best way to bring up the matter to you without Rei hearing." [Nero] explained.
"Fine. But I can't help it if Rei comes to spend time with me. We're very close friends, after all." [Cetilla] exclaimed.
"That's fair enough." [Nero] agreed as the two arrived at the border between the two Kingdoms.
Looking around, I don't see anyone here. Just like the border between the Beastkin Kingdom and the Elven City, there are also extremely tall trees blocking the entrance into the Elven territory on this side. There's room to walk between the trees to get through, and I could plausibly fly over them; but it's impossible to really see a far distance past a single tree at this current angle. The strange thing is that a normal forest would probably have these trees continuing to expand outward into other Kingdoms. That is not the case here. These trees don't ever seem to produce offspring to extend their domain. After waiting for around 15 minutes, a cloaked individual appeared from the Elven forest and was beginning to approach us.
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"Greetings, my name is Lemmispire. Hailing from the great Elven City of Vanheim, I come to speak with you on behalf of the Elven Council." [Lemmispire] greeted while taking off his hood to reveal tall ears, blue eyes, long blond hair, and a silver crown being worn on his forehead as a headband.
"I am called Nero." [Nero] introduced himself curtly without removing his hood.
"You can call me Cetilla." [Cetilla] curtsied as she introduced herself.
I want to take over the world and destroy the Elven capital city Vanheim. I want destruction to all Elves and I will stop at nothing to obtain it. Talking with this Elf is just one step on my path to greatness… No? Okay. I don't think he can read minds. We're safe.
"I want to take over the world and destroy the Elven capital city Vanheim. I want destruction to all Elves and I will stop at nothing to obtain it." [Nero] declared dramatically.
"...Eh?" [Cetilla] asked.
The Elf didn't move. This isn't good. He has a lie detection ability, or he called my bluff. I'd like to think it's the first and not the latter, though I'm ashamed to admit my own negligence to convince him more thoroughly.
"I was testing something." [Nero] confessed as he sighed.
Moments later, fire magic was cast on us from afar. I might not have even noticed it if it weren't for Cetilla cancelling the spell with her Wind Magic. After she did so, a group of armored individuals jumped out from the Elven forest and attacked us. I say us, but they're definitely aiming for the Elf. Like… They're completely ignoring us. I don't understand what's going on, but the Elf doesn't appear to be winning. I can tell that much for sure. The Elf pulled out a bow, but it's not really helpful considering his enemies are all right beside him. Every time that he draws back his arrow, one of the warriors has already closed the distance between them; forcing him to jump back instead of firing. It's starting to get embarrassing. You don't need a perfect shot every single time! It's okay to just barely hit him as long as you deal damage, sir!
Geez. This guy might just die to these Humans. I'm fairly certain that they're Human at this point anyways. I don't see a single one among them with furred or scaled skin peaking out from their armor. If they aren't Human, they're probably Beastkin hiding their ears or Elves also hiding their ears. I would like to think that the Elven Council didn't send this disposable Councilman to me as a rouse to assassinate their own weak link. Be that as it may, I can't dispel the possibility. He's not strong. He's so so... At best. It could also just be bandits though. Well, if the Elf dies while coming to meet with me then I'll probably take the blame. I'm the one who refused to meet with them in their precious Vanheim. If an Elven Councilman dies on the journey to literally just their own border on a mission that only two parties are supposed to be involved in... Then it's obvious that I'll be set up as the guilty party. There's no helping it. I simply must help this fool.
"Cetilla. Can you stop them without my needing to help?" [Nero] asked.
"I can handle the mage from afar, but handling all of the warriors without harming Lemmispire might be difficult." [Cetilla] boasted with a laugh.
"Fine. I'll take the warriors, you handle the mage. Mr Scarecrow~" [Nero] sighed before calling and raising his lantern.
Moments later, a familiar orange light emit from my Lantern before dissipating to reveal a large Scarecrow monster. I don't think that I'll need to call on Crowli for this one. I can't go showing all my cards until the meeting is over. It's bad enough that I'm showing this guy one of my Clansmen. Mr Scarecrow immediately began to chase after the warriors while Cetilla was casting numerous different buff abilities on herself. Mr Scarecrow made a startling entry into the battle as he roared and caused two of the unknown assailants to scream in horror. As one of them did so, Mr Scarecrow sent the man flying around 6 metres with just one thrash. Probably because the man was wearing heavy armor, he's not getting back up.
The other enemy who began to scream has now realized his fault, and immediately began to flee. He's not very fast. He must be a novice. He should try the Cat's Costumery Clothing Brand apparel if he's struggling with moving quickly in heavy armor. He clearly doesn't have the STR or AGI to manage that lofty iron properly. Even the 24 AGI Scarecrow can easily catch up. Instead of thrashing him, Mr Scarecrow shocked me and grabbed the man before throwing him a whopping 20 metres. He's definitely dead from the impact. I saw a lot of blood. There are 2 melee assailants left which are currently still chasing after Lemmispire. Meanwhile, Cetilla seems to have slain the mage with her fists. I suppose Wind Sorceresses can buff themselves to the point of being melee fighters if they desire. I don't understand the appeal of that over a tornado though.
Looking at the poor mage's face, it appears as though a mini tornado hit him directly in the face and nowhere else. His face looks mangled beyond recognition. He'll never breathe, smell, or see properly again. It would be a miracle if he even escaped here. I wonder if Healing Magic could even fix this? I shouldn't get on Cetilla's bad side... Glancing over at Mr Scarecrow's endeavor to save the Elf, it would appear as though the Elf finally managed to gain enough time to fire off an arrow. Sadly, it hit Mr Scarecrow. It's a Light Elemental attack. I'm pissed off.
Flying over on my Broom, I decided to snatch the Elf and remove him from the battle. The attackers don't know what to do, as they now lack a mage type to handle the issue. Sucks to suck, I guess. Mr Scarecrow caught up with them a few moments later and thrashed them both into each other at the same time using one arm on each. It reminded me of a monkey playing with a tambourine. I managed to level up to 42 from this endeavor. Taking off their helmets, it would appear as though they are all Human. Does killing Humans grant more experience? I don't understand why I would have climbed 3 levels from killing 4 weaklings, but I can't really complain. The Elf didn't appreciate me removing him from the battle, but he wasn't helping. I did what I needed to do. Looking over my status~
Name: Unnamed Monster (Nero Miki)
Race: Cat (Halloween)
Weapon: Lantern (Poor Iron Lantern)
Mount: Broom (Cerberus String Emberwood Broom)
Class: Halloween Cat (Sub Class: Witch/Tamer)
Level: 42
HP: 210/210
MP: 1220/1220(+380)
SP: 65/100
FP: 82/100
P. DEF: 157
M. DEF: 132
STR: 168
INT: 610(+190)
DEX: 126
LUK: 42
AGI: 360 (+108)
Titles:
[True Halloween Cat+1], [From Another World], [Fish Mongerer+1], [Master of Disguise+1]
Abilities Learned:
[Flying Broom+1], [Soul Merge], [Clansmen Capture], [Hallowed Gate+1], [This is Halloween], [Wailing Keep], [Language Comprehension+1], [Shapeshift+2], [Barrier+1], [Daily Candy+1], [Claw Fishing+2], [Disguise+3], [Recovery by Sleep+1], [Enhanced Meditating+2], [Swim+1], [10 Minute Makeover], [Pumpkin Bomb]
It would appear as though I did not Evolve. Shucks~ I wonder when my next Evolution will even be? I should ask someone.
"Can you please put me down now?" [Lemmispire] asked in an irritated tone of voice.
"Eh? Oh… Yeah. Mr Scarecrow~ You can return as well. Thank you." [Nero] replied before dropping the Elf.
"So, uhm… Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I think someone is trying to assassinate you." [Nero] said while looking down on the Elf.
"Hmph! They were clearly just bandits." [Lemmispire] rejected the notion while getting back up.
"...Okay but if that were the case, they would have had no reason to ignore us entirely. Look at Cetilla and I for just one moment. Do you see what we're wearing? We look just as wealthy as you, if not more." [Nero] barked back.
"He has a point, you know…" [Cetilla] said with a smile.
"Well where did you get them, then?" [Lemmispire] asked while raising his head high.
"Where did you get yours?" [Nero] shot back.
"I'll have you know that all of my clothes are crafted by highly skilled Elven Artisans." [Lemmispire] proclaimed.
"Mine are sold in a store at Reygid." [Nero] replied curtly.
"I've been to Reygid on many occasions, but have not encountered those styles at all." [Lemmispire] said.
"Try visiting during the night." [Nero] replied with a smile.
"Hmph! Well it would seem that you may be correct. Why don't we continue our meeting somewhere more safe? Vanheim, for example?" [Lemmispire] asked.
"I'll take my chances, thanks. If you're too terrified to continue here, how about we continue this chat where your messenger came to find me?" [Nero] replied while keeping his smile.
"The Lost Kingdom? I had heard of a castle deep within the woods, on the outskirts of a small Village." [Lemmispire] asked for clarification.
"Yes, that's the one." [Nero] admitted.
"Very well then. Please, lead the way." [Lemmispire] asked.
"Eh? No. Sorry. Cetilla, can you blind him?" [Nero] rejected flatly before turning to Cetilla.
"Uhm… Let me try this~" [Cetilla] said before she appeared as though she were about to cast some spell, but only ended up taking off her fur scarf and tying it around the Elf's eyes.
"...Works for me~" [Nero] said happily.
And with that, I cast my [Hallowed Gate] and shoved the Elf ahead of me before Cetilla and I both followed behind. Moving the Elf through Halloween, I decided to take a different approach. I left him with Cetilla for a moment and told him that I would be right back. I then went off and called on Crowli before asking him to take me to Elliot. Elliot was knocked out, presumably by Crowli. I then asked Crowli to go protect the Hallowed Gate near the Elven border. Elliot was stored in one of the houses of Halloween. The houses appear larger on the inside, and don't even appear twisted. It's strange. There are enough beds in each house to hold like 4 people. I say like, but you could probably fit 8 if you tried.
Grabbing Elliot, I returned to Cetilla and we continued to walk the two Elves along down to the basement of the Wailing Keep. We took them both to an empty room. Removing the blindfold and letting Elliot down onto a bed, Cetilla and I both sat at the tea table and glared at Lemmispire who was still standing for a few moments before the conversation began.
"What's wrong with him?" [Lemmispire] asked while pointing to the knocked out Elliot.
"He's asleep. He'll be fine." [Nero] declared.
"Okay, but how did we get here in such a short period of time?" [Lemmispire] continued to prod.
"That's none of your concern." [Cetilla] barked.
"Where did you learn of me?" [Nero] asked.
"You know, I'm supposed to be the one asking questions." [Lemmispire] exclaimed.
"Very well. I'll be back in a moment." [Nero] said as he began to take his leave.
"Wait! Where are you going?" [Lemmispire] yelled.
I continued to leave. I went to grab Mobbin Village Keef Sama and returned promptly. Just as I said. I flew the entire way back up the obnoxiously tall underground tower of spiral stairs which was stupidly difficult to achieve, but I managed. I feel like I got a headache from doing it twice to carry Mobbin Village Keef Sama who I found at the fireplace all the way back down to Lemmispire though. I don't think I ever want to fly back down the stairs leading to the basement again. It's not fun. You need to turn a lot and keep a seriously calculated angle of flight in order to achieve it while at a high speed. It takes a few minutes just to set it up right, and at that point… It's already way beyond just simply being frustrating. It's like this entire spiral staircase was just added to torment me and my residents. I doubt it's even this long. It's probably Spacial Magic making the staircase obnoxiously long just to mess with us! Even while flying at a high speed, I still more or less feel as though I didn't save any time at all!
When I returned back to the basement with Mobbin Village Keef Sama is where the real trouble began though. I didn't remember which door we originally opened, and so I needed to open them all. There are 50 doors in this hallway, and all I know is that it was on the left side. I ended up opening 13 doors before I found the right one. I had walked in on several different scenarios, and learned that Cyclozard enjoys dancing, the Kitsune enjoys yoga, and Weeping Angel has a room inside the Wailing Keep to practice opera sometimes during the night. Apparently the Wailing Keep has sound proof walls, and Cloaked Hunk #wassup has begun having his Goblina friend spend the night. I saw a little bit too much green on that last one though. Mobbin Village Keef Sama definitely saw that too. I should get room numbers installed. Better yet, labels… And neck ties. We need neck ties.
"Found you!" [Nero] declared loudly while looking somewhat hysterical and pointing at Lemmispire after slamming the door open.
"We've been here this entire time." [Cetilla] replied flatly.
"Moving on~ Mobbin Village Keef Sama! [Appraise] that man and tell me what matters!" [Nero] beckoned while still looking hysterical.
"That's what you were doing?!" [Lemmispire] asked while seeming exasperated.
"Ahem! Let me take a look…" [Mobbin Village Keef Sama] cleared his throat before squinting his eyes towards the Elf and continuing.
"...He possesses [Appraisal], [Lie Detection], and the [Speaker of Truth] title. He can't lie, nor can he be easily fooled. Aside from that, he has [Enhanced Hearing], [Light Arrow], [Nimble], [Enhanced Sight], [Light Arrow Volley], [Healing Hands], and the [Bearer of Light] title." [Mobbin Village Keef Sama] stated.
"Great, thank you." [Nero] said with a smile before turning to face Lemmispire and continuing. Mobbin Village Keef Sama rolled his eyes and began to leave.
"Alright, Lemmispire. I don't understand how you were failing so bad back there. Please explain yourself." [Nero] declared.
"Huh?" [Lemmispire]
"You have 8 Abilities. That's kind of high to be failing against low level Humans." [Nero] barked back.
"I agree. Moreover, two of those abilities are extremely proficient." [Cetilla] chimed in.
"...I haven't received very much combat experience. I was born with my Abilities and aged into gaining my stats." [Lemmispire] said softly while looking down.
"Who are your parents?" [Nero] asked.
"My mother is named Prescilla Vanheim, and my father is named Lemmispire Vanheim. They are the current King and Queen of Vanheim." [Lemmispire] admit with a look of pride.
"...Do you have siblings?" [Nero] asked after taking a brief moment to think.
"...No." [Lemmispire] declared.
"This is the problem. You're the crown Prince. You can't be going off on envoy missions with foreign lands. You're the sole heir to your throne. Why are you even here?! One of your fellow Council(wo)men tried to have you killed after you left. If you died, then the crown would eventually fall to a different bloodline and your Council would have reason to send an army into the Lost Kingdom!" [Nero] exasperatedly explained.
"Like I previously said, I lack experience. I need to take tasks like these if I wish to gain the faith needed from my people to properly lead them into the future." [Lemmispire] said admirably.
"That's stupid." [Cetilla] said.
"You wouldn't understand." [Lemmispire] shot back.
"You were born with abilities capable of leading your people. You don't need experience, you need to stay alive." [Cetilla] rebutted.
"Moreover, why did you go alone? You can't have a party as a Prince?" [Nero] chimed in.
"...He's my party member." [Lemmispire] said while pointing to the knocked out Elliot.
"...He's incompetent." [Nero] said flatly.
"He's a joke." [Cetilla] laughed while looking at the Elf.
"You need stronger comrades." [Nero] agreed while also still looking at the Elf.
"The strongest of Elves are all enlisted in the army, are Councilmen, Councilwomen, or in the parties of Councilmen and Councilwomen." [Lemmispire] admit.
"I would think that if you asked an Elf to leave the army and join you, they would probably accept the offer. It's to serve the crown Prince." [Cetilla] said while raising a finger to her cheek and looking away as if thinking.
"I require experience before they will recognize me as worth serving." [Lemmispire] replied with an unyielding perspective.
"So you say. Is the general view of the current crowned family truly so bad that no one will take your father's experience as a reason to accept you?" [Nero] asked while tilting his head with a smile.
"...My father is a well respected man among most all Elves." [Lemmispire] declared.
"Then it should be no problem. If you gained the abilities of your father, then you should be fine; no?" [Nero] prodded.
"..." [Lemmispire]
"Is it perhaps… You're simply self conscious?" [Nero] asked.
"The truth is, my parents continued to gain abilities after I had been born… The people believe that my parents chose to have me too soon." [Lemmispire] admit while looking defeated.
"So what is it that you as an Elf stand for? What do you want for the future of Vanheim?" [Nero] asked with a soft voice.
"I want Vanheim to be peaceful." [Lemmispire] declared with vigor.
"Then I will help you." [Nero] replied with a smile.
"...How?" [Lemmispire] asked while looking skeptical.
"I believe that we got off on the wrong paw. My name is Nero. Though you already know, I am the True Halloween Cat. I represent the Halloween Clan races. I lead a lot of powerful monsters, and can help you gain power as well." [Nero] proclaimed with a smile while taking off his hood and sunglasses.
"Does that mean that you'll tell me your intentions?" [Lemmispire] asked.
"Yes. I fully intend to create a sanctuary for monsters of all races within the Lost Kingdom. I have no intent to reclaim the Monster Kingdom, but I'll be helping to improve the living standards for the more intellectual monsters of the Lost Kingdom while keeping the remaining lesser monsters safe from outside forces. I have no intent whatsoever to become involved with Vanheim... But since you feel the need to gain more power in order to instill peace within the Elven City, I can help you with that." [Nero] declared with a smile.
"But how?" [Lemmispire] asked dumbfoundedly.
"By killing monsters... Duh?" [Nero] said casually.
"But you're trying to protect monsters?" [Lemmispire] repeated the question, to which Cetilla started to laugh.
"Son… You have much to learn." [Nero] said with a smile.
"NyuhahUHH?!" [Elliot] woke up and was surprised by his surroundings.
"Sleep well?" [Cetilla] asked, mockingly.
"My lord, Lemmispire! What are you doing here?!" [Elliot] screamed in dismay while ignoring Cetilla.
"Relax... You're both free to leave. Lemmispire, please do return when you decide that you're ready to grow. I would act as though you had never been attacked by anyone at all. Elliot can show you the way out of the Lost Kingdom with ease. Please, follow me to leave this place. Also, after you go... Please make a conscious effort to make use of your current abilities to the utmost of your capabilities. Be careful in Vanheim." [Nero] said while gesturing to leave the room.
"I will. Thank you." [Lemmispire]
And to that, we began to make our way towards the Throne Room. There's no point in hiding things from Lemmispire any longer as I'm giving Elliot back to him, and I know for a fact that he has good intentions. He can't lie. He really intends for peace in Vanheim. Peace means no launching armies which may or may not walk through the Lost Kingdom. I'm totally on board with that. I can drink to that. All that I need to do is ensure that Lemmispire here ascends to a higher Tier. I'm thinking about feeding him some Slime monsters. They have a high reproductive rate, and their main predator… The Rifa has recently been culled so it's worth slaying some of them off.
It's sad that the mutant Slime monsters in the swamp lands have such low numbers. They're probably the Evolved version of the prairie Slimes, so I doubt that I could force them into slaying each other. It would be nice if I could have at least one of them Evolve into something better. I feel like I'm starting to become a pok*monster trainer. I simply must catch them all. I gotta! With that in mind, what could I possibly feed to a swamp land Slime? I suppose that I could always try bringing one to a different territory... Incite a massacre by bringing an unknown variant invasive species into a foreign ecosystem where it might excel?! I don't care as much about foreign ecosystems because I don't know anything about them. Ignorance is bliss. As long as I don't purposely investigate them, I should be able to avoid catching feelings. Right? Yosh!
As I was thinking about such things, we made our way into the Throne Room. I think Lemmispire might have noticed that I produce clothing, or that I have an obsession for clothing and almost zero sense for properly organizing them. It couldn't be helped. The combo gate is how I'm going to get them out of here. He's become considerably shocked by my power at this point in time, after having come across several high Tier monsters and walking through a considerably extravagant and spacious home on the way here; but it's fine. It's only about to get worse as we traverse through a different world to arrive exactly where I had originally found him. Yep. I needed to shove him through the portals on both occasions, the first being due to fear and the second being due to wanting to catch a longer glimpse. We don't have time for this! Dawn is approaching, fool! My 12 hour nerf can't handle taking the scenic route!
After ditching the two Elves at the edge of their border and telling Crowli that he's done protecting the Gate, I quickly returned to my Wailing Keep alongside Cetilla before closing the Hallowed Gate and reopening it here. Whew~ Going back to the piles of clothes, I made a new one and added some new pieces of clothes to it. This time, I was aiming for level 3 pieces of clothes. I was able to make a considerable portion, and I bid Cetilla a good morning after I finished before heading off to my Treasure Room. Casting [Daily Candy], I now have 17 and a half buckets of Candy. It's an all time high. I'll add more last minute pieces to the pile tomorrow by eating some Candy.