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Gods of Tartarus: Melody of Wrath
Chapter 28: Pfft! The Crimson Goddess

Chapter 28: Pfft! The Crimson Goddess

The following day, Melody stopped by the adventurers' guild to accept the reward for helping the investigation into the group sabotaging the Cambel's business. Sammy finished updating Melody's guild tag.

"There you are, Melody. You are now up to date on the kilns and the emergent investigation missions."

"Thank you, Sammy. Are there any new requests for me?"

"Not at this time. I have a few gathering quests and a goblin extermination quest. Wait, that one would not work for you as it is in a cave."

"Sammy! Give us that one!" Violet called up from the ground floor.

"But she won't be able to help," Sammy replied downward.

"It'll be fine!" Violet yelled.

Sammy shook her head. "Um, Melody, I have to ask, due to guild rules, how would you contribute to the mission?"

"I have these guys." Reaching into her pack, Melody pulled out a giant rat.

“EEEEEYAAAAAH!!!!” Sammy screamed and fell back.

The rat looked down at her curiously.

"W-W-W-What is that?! A giant rat?!" Sammy yelled.

"This is a Lin, a Wolf Rat." Melody casually replied.

Race: Wolf Rat. Name: Lin. Age: Seven Days. Level: 1. Danger Level: Small.

A Wolf Rat. Larger and faster than normal rats. Key feature differences: Longer fur, fur-covered tail, long legs, sharp claws, heightened senses, and strong maws.

Health: 120. Stamina: 240. Magic: 50. Strength: 50. Endurance: 40. Dexterity: 100. Intelligence: 20. Wisdom: 10. Charisma: 60.

Skills: Dark Vision (7), Stealth (6), Pounce (6), Bite (5), Claw (5), Jump (4), Intimidate (2).

"I currently have two of these. I will send them into the cave with my party to help. Since they are my familiars, I can share their senses. Violet also has a spell that will allow us to stay connected."

Sammy finished collecting herself and stepped up cautiously.

"Lin is fine. You can pet her. Her fur is super soft." Melody held the calm Lin forward.

Sammy was hesitant to reach out until Lin huffed, closed her eyes, and offered her head.

Sammy reached out and touched Lin's head. "Wow, that is soft…." She continued to pet Lin, becoming more relaxed.

Once satisfied, Sammy pulled her hand back. "Okay. I will admit it, she is cute." Sammy said, to which Lin responded with a happy squeak.

Melody returned Lin to her bag, Sammy assigned the mission to Violet, Annabelle, and Melody. Melody was excited to do her first mission with them and see what they could do.

Annabelle and Violet were riding on the carrier pack that Melody would wear to carry people along with her. They left the city a couple of hours ago and quickly approached the location.

"You always impress me with quiet your steps are," Annabelle commented as their ride continued smoothly.

"The town that commissioned the mission should be coming into sight soon. You may want to slow down and let us down." Violet said.

Melody came to a stop and let them down. Twenty minutes later, they could see the town. The walls were made of wood, and several people marched out with long spears. An older but sturdy-looking man approached them.

"Who are you people, and why are you with a giant?!" He demanded to know.

"Greetings. I am Violet, this is Annabelle, and the pretty one here is Melody. We are adventurers from Hallfen, here to deal with a nest of goblins." Violet answered.

"You expect us to believe that that giant is trustworthy!?" He responded.

"She has a guild tag. Melody, did you also not get a marker from the Duke?"

"Oh, right!" Melody pulled a steel marker with the Duke's House symbol on it, along with a message carved onto the back mentioning Melody was trusted by their household.

"How do we know this ain't fake!?" The man tossed the marker back at them.

Annabelle was getting to the end of her patience at the man's rudeness when a man rushed forward.

"Princess Melody! I am so terribly sorry for this fool's rudeness!"

"What?! Chie-?"

"Shut up! Shut up right now! Do you have any idea who you are insulting?! She saved my life months ago! All of you, stand down right now! I will not let you disrespect my savior!" The town chief was furious. His balding head was beet red.

The several people with spears calmed down, some of them mentioning the rumors they heard about a friendly female giant with crimson hair.

"Please, Princess Melody, we will welcome you to our humble town."

The spearmen headed back into the town, followed by the town chief and Melody's party. The older man was the only one left behind, watching Melody's back bitterly.

In the town circle, many of the townsfolk gathered to see Melody, who was sitting down with her legs crossed, Violet and Annabelle on one leg each. The town chief was standing before them.

"We thank you for coming out here to assist us." He bowed his head.

"Do you know which direction their nest is?" Violet asked.

"All we know is that they attack from the southeast." The town chief replied.

"I will check with Fenny," Melody replied, sending her request to him.

"What of numbers and equipment?" Violet continued.

"No steel or armor. They are mostly in ragged hide-armor, wielding clubs. As for numbers, we only see signs of a single scout every few days."

After thinking for a moment, Violet spoke up. "Okay. It sounds like it is a fairly new nest. I would estimate anywhere from ten to fifteen goblins. It should not be an issue for us. Melody, have you found it yet?" Violet looked up to her closed-eyed friend.

"Yep. Not very far from here. I see a couple of goblins at the entrance with clubs and loincloths." Melody observed the cave entrance through Fenny.

"Alright. We will head there now to deal with the goblins." Violet and Annabelle hopped off Melody's legs and climbed into her carrier pack.

"We should be back before sundown!" Violet called out to the town chief, who said they would watch them. With that, their party of three headed to the goblin cave.

They arrived at the cave entrance only to find two burnt goblin corpses.

"What happened to them?" Annabelle asked.

"I asked Fenny to take care of them." Fenny, who was nearby, whistled proudly.

Melody set them down and pulled Lin and Lou out of her magic pack. Melody sat down and crossed her legs.

"Alright, I am linked up with Lin and Lou. We are ready when you two are." Violet pulled out some solid, heavy-looking armor for Annabelle, who began to don it. Once she was finished, the priestess looked like she could take a truck hitting her head-on, and she would merely dust herself off without even falling over.

"Armaments?" Violet asked.

"Short ridge and small shield, please." Annabelle's cheery voice echoed in her helmet.

"Okay." Violet pulled out a mace with a slightly shortened shaft, and the ball on top had several ridged fins on it.

Once Annabelle had her small shield on, she hopped up and down a few times and tested her movements would not be hindered.

How in the world can she move like? Just how strong is she? Melody used her identify skill on Annabelle while Violet swapped her staff for a scepter and small shield.

Race: Human. Name: Annabelle. Age: 17. Level: 36. Danger Level: Medium.

Humans are the most common race in the world. Industrious, intelligent, and capable. Single. Annabelle was blessed with super strength, endurance, and stamina. Tends to be cheery and kind. Loves to take care of children. Loves her friends Violet and Melody like family.

Health: 800. Stamina: 1200. Magic: 220. Strength: 400. Endurance: 400. Dexterity: 100. Intelligence: 100. Wisdom: 120. Charisma: 90.

Skills: Strength Boost (10), Endurance Boost (10), Heavy Armor (7), Shields (6), Melee Weapons (6), Light Magic (5), Baking (5), Cooking (5), Sense Danger (4), Everyday Magic (4)

Melody was stunned by Annabelle's stats.

Well, that explains her strength…

"Melody, did you just use your identify skill on Anna?" Violet asked.

"Um, sorry. I got really curious as to how she was so strong." Melody apologized.

"That's okay, Melody. I don't mind." The talking fridge replied cheerily.

"Use it on me too, so you can know what I am capable of, too," Violet said.

Race: Human. Name: Violet Cambel. Age: 17. Level: 38. Danger Level: Medium.

Humans are the most common race in the world. Industrious, intelligent, and capable. Single. Violet was blessed with high growth and strength of magic. Tends to be calm and collected. Loves to tease her friends and family. Loves her friends Annabelle and Melody like family.

Health: 300. Stamina: 160. Magic: 2320. Strength: 90. Endurance: 70. Dexterity: 80. Intelligence: 730. Wisdom: 840. Charisma: 160.

Skills: Magus (10), Elemental Magic (7), Arcane Magic (7), Everyday Magic (7), Arithmetic (6), Etiquette (5), Business (5), Sense Danger (4)

"Uwah… Your stats are just as crazy as Anna's." Melody commented.

"What are your stats like Melody?" Annabelle asked.

Do I tell them…? When Melody finished going over her stats, Violet's eyes looked empty while Annabelle's laugh sounded hollow.

"If I had known you two would react this way, I would have kept it to myself!" Melody protested.

"Come, Anna, we have goblins to struggle against…."

"Yes, let us continue our futile struggle…." The two ladies turned and headed toward the cave.

"Lin, Lou, please look after them…." The two wolf rats followed after.

Lou took the lead while Lin covered behind the two ladies. Violet cast a night-vision spell on the two of them so they could see where they were going.

"Be careful. Lou smells something on your left." Melody notified them.

Lin watched behind them while Lou fell back to just behind Annabelle and in front of Violet.

"Sonar." Violet cast her spell. "Three up on the left. Six coming up from the front. There seems to be a bigger one in the group of six. None behind us."

"Roger."

"Understood."

They edged up until the cave on the left appeared.

"Lin! Lou!" Melody gave out her order, and the two wolf rats dashed forward.

The three goblins who were waiting to ambush panicked and swung wildly at the nimble wolf rats. Lin bit onto one of their arms, opening its neck for Lou to tear it out.

Violet began charging up her magic to cast a significant spell for the group of six that had just arrived.

Among them was a hobgoblin, a larger goblin with leather armor and an iron sword.

The goblins rushed forward only to slam into the wall with Annabelle's wrecking ball force of a strike, sending them flying.

"Wow, Anna, you are powerful!"

"Anna!"

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Annabelle moved to the side, and Violet unleashed her spell.

"Freeze Wave!" The remaining of the group froze solid.

Lin and Lou stepped out into the main tunnel after finishing off the remaining two in the side tunnel.

"Lin and Lou are excellent," Annabelle commented.

"I checked the side tunnel with my nature magic. It only goes a short distance before ending. There are no life signs there. There seem to be six more life signs deeper inside."

"Thanks, Melody… Sorry for getting jealous." Violet replied.

"It's okay."

Annabelle apologized, too, and the party of four continued on their mission.

They arrived at the main cave entrance, where the remaining six goblins were.

"I sense a bit of magic from one in the back. Melody, could you have Lin and Lou target that one? Most likely, it is a shaman." Violet asked.

"Hold on, I want to try something. Dig."

The ceiling above the shaman dropped and crushed the shaman instantly.

"What?!" The two ladies were so shocked they shouted out.

The other goblins were so shocked that two of their remaining five had their throats torn out by Lin and Lou.

After Annabelle and Violet got over their shock, they entered the room and helped finish off the remaining three.

"Um, Melody, what did you do?" Violet asked.

"I used a skill called Dig. It allows me to move the ground within my range of senses. I tried using Lin and Lou's senses and was happy to see I could use it this way."

Both Annabelle and Violet could feel Melody smiling happily through their connection.

Violet had Melody remove the makeshift dungeon trap to get the left ear of the shaman.

After double-checking the area for any treasure or anything of value, the cave team returned to the surface.

"Welcome back!" Melody smiled at their return.

"Feel like you could have soloed this mission with just Lin and Lou," Annabelle said, taking off her helmet.

"Actually, Melody, could you use that Dig skill and collapse the whole thing?" Violet asked.

"I should be able to, but why?" Melody asked out of curiosity.

"If we leave the cave, who knows what else might move in later." Melody nodded at Violet's answer and began charging her magic into the land in preparation.

Annabelle removed her armor, and Violet stored it away.

"Okay, brace yourselves. Dig!" The ground rumbled, and sections of the land shifted down, creating an odd-shaped trough, sending a bit of dust and dirt into the air. "All done. Ready to head back?"

Annabelle and Violet climbed into the transport pack while Lin and Lou went back into the magic pack to rest.

Since they finished the mission so quickly, Melody suggested taking a leisure pace back, to which her friends agreed. During their walk back, Melody pointed out any useful herbs or trees while occasionally collecting some.

"Oh right, Violet, could you tell me more about goblins? Are they really dangerous?" Melody asked.

"They can be. What we dealt with is allowed for Bronze and above. There was a legend of a high-ranking adventurer who focused entirely on slaying goblins a long time ago, but it was thanks to him that we have a firm understanding of them. Goblins are cruel, violent, learn quickly, fight well in groups, level quickly, and worst of all, they procreate rapidly. If we left this nest for another week, we might have been facing three times the amount as well as more hobs."

"What are the evolutions of them?"

"They have two trees, like most humanoid monsters. Magic and Warrior. Magic doesn't have many types, but they grow very powerful. First is shaman, then Summoner, last is Demon Acolyte. There have only been two instances of them getting to the top evolution. Warrior has several forms. Hob or Rider is the first, then Berserker or Knight, next is the Champion or Hero, and the last one is Goblin King. Comparing the king to the Demon Acolyte, the king is far more intelligent while building massive armies of goblins. They can be quite dangerous. The Demon Acolyte typically creates and controls a lot of demon monsters since he can produce miasma." Violet finished her explanation.

"Oh, what about giants?" Annabelle asked.

"Giants normally never make it beyond their adult form. The most we ever see are High Giants. On rare occasions, there have been shamans. The most dangerous legend was that of a Titan. They are towering monsters of insane strength and near invulnerability. It was said that it took the combined efforts of humans, a few dragons, and great sacrifice to defeat it." Violet finished once more.

"Are you going to become one, Melody?" Annabelle asked.

"Nope. It was a part of my evolution tree, but I chose against it because I don't want to become bigger than I am."

"What is your last one?"

"I only have one more listed. Daughter of Artemis. I remember the description saying that I would not change height by more than a few feet. Oh, and I would become a demi-god."

Both Violet and Annabelle looked at Melody, flabbergasted over their friend's nonchalant attitude with what she just said. Melody continued prodding Violet and Annabelle's knowledge of various things about the world until they arrived at the town.

The town held a small celebration after updating the people on both the goblins and the cave.

"I am so glad that we won't have to worry about anything else moving into it. Thank you all for that." The town chief bowed his head to them.

Annabelle and Violet enjoyed their bowls of stew while a group brought over a tray of food for Melody. She thanked them and began digging in. After looking at the food questioningly, she shrugged her shoulders and continued.

Violet decided to sneak a few berries from Melody's tray but was stopped. "Don't eat that, Violet."

"Oh, come on, it's just one."

"It's poisoned."

"WHAT?!" Violet tossed the berry from her hand and drank an antidote.

"What do you mean it is poisoned!? Ah! Stop eating it, Princess!" The town chief was panicking.

"It's okay, sir. She is immune to poisons." Annabelle answered.

"I like the spicy sweetness. It has been a long time since I have eaten these."

The town chief was still furious that someone tried to poison Melody and sent a few people to bring the ones who prepared her meal. Among the group that was brought was the sturdy-looking old man.

"Who was it that tried to poison the Princess!? Your plan failed."

"I'll give the culprit one chance to make yourself known and be punished by your town chief. If I expose you, you will be arrested and taken back to Hallfen to be punished for an attempted assassination of royalty." Violet said, stepping forward.

She had already figured out who the culprit was.

The old man stepped forward. "It was me."

"Why?!" The town chief demanded to know.

"I heard... She was a part of the clan that killed my brother almost five years ago."

The memory of the caravan came to her mind.

"Oh really?" Annabelle got up and walked up to the man; she was angry, no longer having her usual cheery demeanor.

She punched the man in the gut and then in the face. She held back as to not break anything.

"Stupid girl! What would you-!?" The man complained.

"I was there." She cut him off.

"W-What?" He stammered.

"I was there. Hiding beneath a cart. With three children. I remember your coward of a brother. He abandoned us, taking his horse with him when we were not looking. I guess when he heard that we survived, he never returned here." Annabelle recognized the man's similar features.

The old man was stunned at what she said, not wanting to believe it. "No! You lie! There is no way he woul-!"

"It's true." The town chief spoke up.

The town chief continued, saying how the village chose to keep quiet about his brother and just tell him that his brother died during the attack.

"Why? Why would you lie to me?" He asked.

"We knew how proud of him you were. We felt that it would have crushed your heart if you heard he abandoned his companions to their death." The town chief finished.

"Melody saved several of us while dealing with abusive people. She has suffered so much and has to continually deal with the stigma of giants. Apologize." Annabelle seemed to be on the verge of punching the man again.

"I..." His shoulders slumped, and he shifted onto his hands and knees. "I am sorry, Princess Melody. I made a terrible mistake and will do whatever you wish to make up for this."

He bowed his head to her.

"It is okay. I forgive you." She said, eating the last of the poison berries.

"Are you sure, Melody?" Annabelle asked, her demeanor softening.

"Yup. It was just a big misunderstanding. I am fine. He apologized and truly regrets what he did. He is not a bad person." At Melody's words, the celebration slowly returned to a party atmosphere.

The three girls arrived at the main gate of Hallfen just before noon the next day, where they were welcomed by Sam, the guard. "Hello, you all. Welcome back. How did the mission go?"

"It went really well. It was a nest of fifteen with one hob and one shaman."

Sam asked which one of them took out the shaman, to which both girls pointed at their giant friend. After getting the details of how she did it, the three-headed into the city to return to the guild.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sammy was standing at the regular counter on the ground floor, where a somewhat handsome man was actively flirting.

"Come on, Sammy, I will treat you really well."

"No, Nicolas. For the last time, I have no interest in being your latest conquest."

Realizing that he would not have any luck, he changed targets and asked her about the newest addition to the team.

"So, I heard that a new bronze was commissioned."

A mischievous smirk came to Sammy's face. "Ah, you heard about her?"

"Of course. I heard she is quite the beauty."

Sammy was struggling to keep herself from laughing out loud. "I think... she would be too much woman for you to handle."

Nicolas, of course, laughed at her comment. "No woman is too much to handle."

Gona wandered up out of curiosity. "What's this about?"

"Oh, Nicolas here thinks he has a chance with Melody."

"PFFT!" Gona covered his mouth with both his hands, his face becoming red.

After a minute of staring at Gona in confusion, the dwarf calmed down and took a deep breath.

"So uh, I guess ye haven't been in town recently?" Gona stifled another bout of laughter.

"Um, no. I just got back from being away for almost a year." Nicolas replied.

"So ye be into bigger ladies?" Gona asked.

Sammy then covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking from laughter.

"You two are acting weird. Which is she? Heavy or tall?"

Both Gona and Sammy struggled to answer his question.

"Oh, she be tall," Gona answered.

It was then that Violet walked in with Annabelle.

"Oh, you're back. Where is Melody?" Sammy asked.

"Hmm? She is going around to the back door. Hi Nicolas, it has been a year, has it?" Violet asked, walking up.

Sammy pulled Annabelle to the side and whispered something to her before heading upstairs.

"Hey, Violet! So, you two are working with the new girl, Melody? Is she the beauty they say she is?" He asked.

Violet quickly caught onto the situation, and her sly smile came out. "Yes, more than you can imagine. Those who see her smile often pass out."

Nicolas was getting excited at her comment as Gona moved to the corner that would allow him to see the back door.

"Hello, Melody! Welcome back. How did ye mission go?" Gona asked.

"Quite well! Thanks for asking."

Nicolas blushed a little at her melodic voice.

"So was the cave too small for ye?"

"It was, but I was still able to help with my familiars and magic."

"That is good to know."

Gona kept his sight low the entire time like he was talking to a normal-sized person.

"Melody! I am ready to accept your completion when you are ready!" Sammy called out from her raised podium upstairs.

"Why is Sammy…?" Nicolas started.

It was then that Melody came into sight. Nicolas slowly raised his eyes all the way up to the top of her fifteen-foot height.

"She, she, she, she…." The man kept muttering.

"She is a giant, yes." Violet finished for him, a teasing grin on her face.

Annabelle quietly stood by, enjoying the scene.

"Like Sammy said, she is too much woman for ye to handle. Wahahahahah!" Gona burst out laughing, as well as several other adventurers who were quietly watching the scene unfold.

Melody looked down at them with a slight smile on her face.

"Hmm? What's going on?" She asked innocently.

"Go on, Nicolas. Just try, but let me introduce her to you. This is Princess Melody of the North Gaian Forest. Melody, this is Nicolas, a well-known… gentlemen to ladies."

"Oh, hello, Mr. Nicolas, nice to meet you!" Melody smiled brightly at meeting someone new.

His face turned red at her beauty. "She, she, she, she…?"

"Is royalty, yes." Violet finished once more.

"Your, hehe, your tag, please Melody," Sammy asked while trying to stifle her laughter, to which Melody handed it over for Sammy to update.

On the ground floor, another guild worker updated Annabelle's and Violet's guild tags.

"Another thing ye should know. Melody doesn't get drunk. She is immune to poison. So, she would drink your bank dry. Gahahaha!" Gona mentioned.

Everyone who knew Nicolas knew he may have been a playboy, but they knew he would never take a woman against her will. He would invite them out for drinks to help loosen them up, but if they got too drunk, he would abandon anything further and just see them home or to an inn safely. After realizing he got played, Nicolas decided just to join in with the merriment with everyone else.

"Oh… I see…" Melody replied to Violet after she had whispered to her about what kind of man Nicolas was. They were all hanging out in the guild tavern.

"Not that he had any chance anyway, since you have someone else in your heart." A mischievous smile came to the raven-haired girl.

"W-What do you mean?!" Melody shifted away from her friend while blushing, trying, and failing, to hide the conversation they had a few days ago.

"What's this now?" Gona and others were curious about Violet's statement.

"Violet, you really shouldn't." Annabelle tried to stop her, but her comment only made the girl's amethyst eyes sparkle.

"You have a crush on Lord Tulsen!" Violet triumphantly pointed at Melody, bringing the subject from earlier in the week.

"WHY ARE YOU-?! I mean, I don't know what you are talking about…."

"Mel, you are still a terrible liar." Violet continued.

"Really, lass? You do know the kind of man he is, right?" Gona asked worriedly.

"He is a good man!" Melody protested.

"Yup, I never had a chance if that is the man you are interested in." Nicolas shook his head.

"Come now, even though he is terrifying, he is quite handsome," Ellen added.

"So that's the kind of man you like?" The guild master who arrived on the scene commented with a teasing smile.

Many of the adventurers decided to jump in and tease her as well, while a few tried to stop them.

Why do they have to tease me!? Melody's face changed from embarrassment to a frown.

Annabelle moved away to where Sammy was and whispered something to her as Melody stood up. Her face showed she was not happy.

"Uh, did we go too far?" Gona asked.

Melody mumbled something as Sammy, Annabelle, and a few not involved stepped out of the building.

"W-What did you say?" Violet asked worriedly.

"Punish…"

Blood began to drain from their faces.

"Um, Melo-!" Violet started, but Melody cut in.

"Release restraint. Level… zero."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a spice shop across the street from the Adventurers Guild, Chip and Sarah just finished opening up their shop.

"Huagh?!" Chip shot up straight as an arrow, his head turning redder than a strawberry.

"What is it now, Chip?" Sarah asked.

"I… I don't know. I just felt like... something really sexy passed by." He said, looking over at the guild, seeing several people standing outside of it, also looking a bit red in the face.

"Normally, I would be mad at you for saying that, but I felt it too," Sarah said, walking up to the door.

Melody came out from behind the building, looking like she was stomping her feet but not making a sound.

"Oh, it's Melody, she looks upset…" Chip observed, a concerned look coming to his face.

"Hmm. Melody! Would you like a cup of tea? I have a nice herbal one!" Sarah offered.

"Oh. Hello Miss Sarah, Mr. Chip. Nice to see you two again. What did you ask?" Melody calmed down a bit, seeing a friendly face.

Sarah made her offer once more, which Melody accepted.

Annabelle, Sammy, Sarah, and a few small children who were sitting on Melody's lap were out front of the spice shop enjoying some tea. Melody used a small pot while the other used proper teacups.

"So, what happened over there?" Sarah asked, now that Melody had calmed down.

"Those idiots took their teasing too far and got properly punished for it," Sammy commented, taking a sip.

"Did you have to hit them with no restraint at all, though, Melody?" Annabelle asked.

"They deserved it…." Melody pouted.

"I was surprised that your skill affected females so well this time, Melody. Did you charm increase?" Annabelle asked.

"N-No. I used another skill…." She mumbled, looking away, embarrassed.

"You used seduction, didn't you?" Sammy asked.

The other ladies asked what the skill was, and she explained that it was a skill that not only boosted one's charm but also affected all who gazed upon the person using it.

"So, what rank is yours?" Sammy asked Melody, who mumbled her response.

After some light prodding, she answered. "Three… It was at one last time I checked months ago, but now…."

"""Now?"""

"It went up to six…."

"That is a thirty percent increase, Melody," Sammy commented.

"With your Charisma stat, that is a huge boost. You are now forbidden from using that Melody." Annabelle lectured, which got a sincere nod from Melody.

It was then that both Ellen and Violet stepped out of the guild, weakly supporting each other, their cheeks red and breathing a bit lewd.

"M-Me-Melo-dy. I'm... sorry." Violet struggled.

Seeing her friend and Ellen in the state they were in, Melody felt regret and helped her two friends over to enjoy a cup of tea Sarah made. Sarah said it was a good tea for calming one's mind and nerves.

"If her charm is weaker on ladies, would that mean that the men might be dead in there?" Chip asked.

"N-no. But it will be, sometime, before they wake." Ellen replied, graciously sipping her cup of tea.

That day went down in the city's history as the Red-Hot Massacre. It was because blood rushed to all the men's heads, causing severe nosebleeds, which made the area look like a slaughter had occurred. Each one of their faces was red, with their eyes rolled back. When they came too, they could not remember much beyond Melody's words before she activated her skill and released the suppression of her charm. The men said they felt like their brains had melted, and the incident caused their sex drives to become non-existent for weeks. Word spread quickly that if one was to tease Melody, they must never go too far or face the wrath of the newly dubbed Crimson Goddess.