[KATHORIC_LICHBAE] Ey yo, wifey. My dad says you pulled a fast one on me.

[TokyoTwice] I don’t know what you mean.

[ZephyrDeity] @KATHORIC_LICHBAE and @SamIAm are scoundrels that kidnapped me! Tell Carm—

[SamIAm] *feelsbadman* Oh shit, this is the wife?

[KATHORIC_LICHBAE] Yes! She’s definitely playing hard to get.

[TokyoTwice] I’m right here…

[KATHORIC_LICHBAE] He didn’t even flinch, dear. You did some voodoo, yo. Says that you will do fine alive.

[TokyoTwice] Well that’s a relief… I think. Doesn’t mean I’ll marry you, though.

[StarlitSorceress] Some hot tea! @RuneMaster777, @DarkFrothConnoisseur, @ShadowWeaver

[RuneMaster777] I bet it’s the dragon. It’s a love triangle!

[ShadowWeaver] Poor Lichbae.

[DarknessDarkMaster] Such are the vicissitudes of life. Cultivate your cores instead and live forever.

[-RoseAlphaAngel-] DarknessDarkMaster is wise!

– The Immortal Record of The Heavenly Chakra Dragon Fighter Polity

Chapter 37 – Monkey See

[User has negotiated and signed a contract. Grade B – Toyko Twice; Grade C – Chad Velorum]

Toki kneaded a clay-aeso mixture, her hands coated in the gritty substance. The monkeys watched intently as she shaped the pliable material into a precise brick mold. She didn’t need to carve any intricate etchings onto the surface for them to work. Toki was sitting in a large clay housing complex in the underground city. This was to be her new forge.

"Pay attention, my furry apprentices," Toki said with a grin. "These bricks will be the heart of our new forge. With them, we can command the forge to do our bidding." The monkeys can help make the bricks, but I’ll have to be the one to operate it. At least for now. Programming the bricks required precise intent. Maybe the monkeys can learn eventually.

There were six monkeys in audience, and they howled excitedly to each other, their clever hands mimicking Toki's movements with their own clay and aeso. She guided them patiently, correcting their form and praising their progress. One forge would be the start. These monkeys would be in charge of preparing bricks for a dozen more.

"No more relying on that old Chamberscript Oven," she muttered to herself. "With these bricks and the shadowflame, I'll have complete control over the forging process."

Toki's mind wandered as she worked, recalling the recent meeting with Chad and Marsha. The memory of the Karma clause she had engineered into the contract with Chad brought a sly smile to her face.

[[Uninterrupted Recourse] – The system will not interfere in a proportionate response if the party seeks remuneration for failed compliance of designated contract.]

The system prompt echoed in her thoughts. When she used the skill alongside [Create Contract], it was as if she was weaving an enchantment into the contract. It was a strange, but deceptively simple interaction and hidden in plain sight. Toki knew it held immense power. If anyone dared to renege on their end of the bargain, Toki could extract her due without interference. That’s typically how it goes, but the system gets in the way.

If the dragons had the karma clause, [Uninterrupted Recourse], they could’ve already landed on Aris. If only they had a [Weaver]. Whatever that means. Toki was unsure and wary about her profession mutation, but not too much had changed. She was certain, though, that they could have bypassed the system and enacted their revenge unhindered. Seemingly, the only limit to the karma clause was that it had to be a proportionate response. You can’t kill off a planet if the other party only fail to give you an apple. I suppose that’s karma.

There were two questions that Toki wondered about. The first was whether the clause could be discovered or if it required a [Target] designation. Chad had messaged in the chatgroup that his father was able to see through the contract. Whether it was because he was a powerful lich or if he was also a [Target], she was uncertain. She was also unsure whether the clause applied to her as well if she reneged on a contract. In this case, Toki wasn’t afraid. Her situation was already quite dangerous and she had more to gain by adding it here.

As Toki placed the final brick on the forge, she stepped back to admire her handiwork. With a final nod of approval, Toki turned and made her way towards the shore, leaving the forge behind. She had instructed the monkeys to begin heating the forge with fire to burn the bricks to prepare them and to continue making them while she was away. I think they understood.

After her meeting with Chad, her mind had continued racing with possibilities, contemplating her next steps. Chad had agreed to her conditions. His team would arrive within the next few days and he would arrange for her bounty to be ‘Captured-Alive.’ Unfortunately, the supplies would arrive at a later date. The meeting had set things in motion, but Toki knew that the true challenges still lay ahead.

As Toki made her way towards the beachfront, Marsha's parting words replayed in her mind. Toki had stuck around after Chad had left the white room. The lawyer's accent had taken on a more serious tone as she delivered her warning.

"Listen up, dollface," Marsha had said, her eyes narrowing. "That [Chimeric Entanglement] of yers? Keep it under wraps, ya hear? I'll check some of my discrete channels and put out some feelers for that beast core, but it might paint a bigger target on yer back than the dragons."

Toki had nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. Marsha had continued, her voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "And lemme tell ya, Pendulum ain't the only one who's gonna want a piece of that action. Ya watch your back out there, kid. Careful which beasts you tell about it."

The mention of Pendulum had no impact on Toki. She knew Zeppo had mentioned the organization, but she had no concept of the organization’s scale or importance. Toki's thoughts instead drifted to the deal she had struck with Chad. When she had informed Marsha and asked if the coffee was Aris's secret, the lawyer had let out a hearty laugh.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Oh, honey," Marsha had said, wiping a tear from her eye. "You think coffee's the big secret? That's just the tip of the iceberg. The true secrets of Aris? They're hundreds of times grander than some fancy java. But…"

Toki had asked for the cost of M-Brew from Marsha and had done a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation. Even a small 100-acre farm was more crystals than she could even fathom. Fear gripped her at the thought of the real secret’s value.

Toki had leaned in, eager to learn more, but Marsha had held up a paw. "Listen, sugar. If word gets out about yer little coffee operation? It'll bring a whole new level of chaos to the mix. Ya keep that under your hat for now, ya dig?"

As Toki reached the shore, the weight of Marsha's words settled upon her shoulders. She knew that the path ahead would be fraught with danger and uncertainty. The undead wouldn’t reveal it either. For benefits. With her newfound ally, Toki felt a glimmer of hope. She would head towards the World Hub so she could advance. With a group of [Elites] it might be possible. Only then would she start the world trial. A ‘simple’ escort mission. Ha.

She gazed out at the endless fluorescent lake, the waves lapping at her feet. The world was changing, and Toki knew that she had a pivotal role to play. She took a deep breath, steeling herself. With a determined stride, Toki set off along the shore, her mind already racing with plans for her next move. She would engage with One and Four, gather their support by force if need be, and then head back to the surface to confront Golgheim. If they arrived by then, she would rendezvous with Chad's team. Easy-peasy.

Toki approached the slain cowcrab king, its carapace gleaming in the oceanglow. She knelt beside the massive creature, drawing her hammer. A new group of monkeys had followed her on the beach. They were always watching and learning from her actions.

With practiced precision, she broke into the shell, prying it apart to reveal the glistening innards. There, nestled among the organs, lay the beast core. Toki reached in, her fingers closing around the warm, pulsing sphere. As she pulled it free, the core seemed to throb with a life of its own, its surface shimmering with an iridescent sheen. It was a deep yellow and Toki could feel the latent mana inside.

The monkeys gathered around and their curious eyes fixed on Toki's prize.

She held up the beast core for them to see. “These are always important. If you find them, keep them for me.” It was the size of a small melon, its exterior a swirl of yellow. Thin, luminescent veins crisscrossed its surface, pulsing with an otherworldly energy.

Toki turned her attention to the cowcrab meat, sorting through the flesh to find the choicest morsels. She beckoned the monkeys closer, demonstrating which parts were ideal to eat. But as she worked, a pungent odor assaulted her nostrils. To her dismay, the king's meat had already begun to spoil.

Undeterred, gestured to the monkeys, using simple signs to convey her message. "Gather crabs," she motioned, pointing to the shoreline. "Smaller ones, like this." The monkeys chittered excitedly, scampering off to begin their hunt.

As Toki waited for their return, she found herself drawn back to the beast core. She turned it over in her hands, marveling at its weight and the way it seemed to pulse in sync with her own heartbeat. If I kill enough cowcrabs, I might be able to do what Dutch did. [Carapace Art], had already partially been completed in her last fight with the cowcrabs, and was specifically derived from them. There has to be a link.

With a sigh, Toki set about preparing a fire pit. She gathered driftwood and dry seaweed, arranging them in a neat pile. Using her shadowflame, she ignited the kindling, watching as the flames danced and crackled. The events of the past few days had taken their toll, both physically and emotionally. She needed good food as much as the monkeys did.

As the fire grew, Toki settled herself beside it, gazing out at the fluorescent ocean. The waves lapped at the shore, their gentle rhythm a soothing balm to her troubled thoughts. She marveled at how much had changed in such a short time. It felt as though a lifetime had passed, and yet, in these singular moments, everything had been irrevocably altered.

Toki's next thoughts drifted to the impending meeting with the Primes. The change in the bounty would signal to One to hold another council meeting. She knew that she had to take control of the situation this time, to assert her newfound authority and influence. With two votes at her disposal, she wondered if the balance of power might shift in her favor.

The Primes had been scheming, preparing a trade agreement that would siphon off funds and monetize the coffee trade. Toki's brow furrowed as she pondered just how much they knew, and who stood to benefit from their machinations. She resolved to uncover their plans and reveal her own ideas for dealing with the Kathoric Dynasty. She could pressure both One and Four using her willingness to start the world trial.

As Toki lost herself in thought, the monkeys returned, bearing their quarry. Four of them carried incapacitated crabs, their howls filled with excitement. But the fifth monkey held something else, something that made Toki facepalm in exasperation. It was a bucket filled with shells. Empty shells.

With a flick of her wrist, Toki's shadows darted out, swiftly dispatching the crabs.

[[Dearly Departed] has pilfered Carapace Art (60/100)]

She selected the largest one and placed it in the fire pit, watching as the flames licked at its shell. The smell of cooking crab beef filled the air, mingling with the salty tang of the ocean.

When the shell turned a brilliant red, Toki grinned. She reached into the fire and cracked open one of the crab's legs. The meat inside was succulent and sweet, made all the more delectable by a sprinkle of a little salt.

Toki tore off a piece and offered it to the silly monkey, the one who had brought back the shells. The monkey's eyes widened in delight as it tasted the savory morsel, its excited howling drawing the attention of its companions.

"Enjoy it while you can, little one. Teach this to your friends. When I come back, I’ll teach you some more tricks." Toki murmured, a wry smile tugging at her lips.

A movement caught her eye, and Toki turned to see a couple of the monkeys gathering sticks and stones, their nimble fingers arranging them in a familiar pattern. She raised an eyebrow, impressed by their ingenuity.

"Well, would you look at that," she mused aloud. The monkeys were constructing their own fire pit, mimicking the one Toki had built earlier.

As the monkeys feasted on the crab, Toki's thoughts returned to the challenges that lay before her. The Primes, the Kathoric Dynasty, the secrets of Aris—they all loomed large on the horizon. But for now, in this moment of respite, she allowed herself to savor the simple pleasures of good food and unlikely companionship. Tomorrow would begin the storm.

Toki watched the monkeys call their brothers and sisters, teach them the art of cooking crab. They set up a feast. Toki had taken the life of 6 more cowcrabs and her [Dearly Departed] had pilfered six more parts of the [Carapace Art]. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and despite the weight of her responsibilities, she found herself smiling. It was a rare moment of peace in a world that seemed determined to keep her on her toes.

She briefly thought about Edgar. He showed no signs of waking up. The Elder had agreed to watch over him while meditating. When she returned to the surface, she would ask Edgar’s father Eisel for help. It was the right choice. Eisel was a good father.

With a deep breath, Toki pushed herself to her feet. The monkeys looked up at her, their eyes bright and curious. She smiled at them, a genuine smile that reached her eyes. Bone boy pulled through. Looks like it’s time for my call.

[Aris planet-wide announcement: A 258 luck bounty has been placed on Toyko Twice [mortal]. Captured alive.]