The technical difference between sentient monsters and people sums up to two characteristics. First and foremost is the ability to condense a core. Cores are organs made of crystallized mana that can store energy and power the monster's magical abilities. People races like humans, elves, beast-kin, or dwarves can never create a core of their own while retaining their race. The second characteristic is the ability to evolve into a stronger, better mutation of the monster's race. The lowly goblin, for example, can evolve into a hobgoblin, goblin shaman, goblin champion, goblin lord, or even a goblin king. The difference in strength and power between an ordinary goblin and a goblin king are bigger than between a housecat and a tiger.

Excerpt from the Great Compendium of the Races, vol 1.

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They looked at the scene in front of them. Several goblins laid around the rocky landscape between them and the cavern, most of them dead.

"Sora. I am not taking any risks anymore. I will use everything in my arsenal now." Aidan said with finality.

"And it probably means doing something that will raise eyebrows if word gets out that you did it, right?" Sora knew him too well. She even had a hunch on what he was going to do.

"Yes. The Headmaster claims there is no evil magic, just evil mages. It is all in the intent."

Sora had her own thoughts on what was evil and what was not, but she knew that she would lose to Astromelicus in the debate. The headmaster has probably considered the points she would raise. Yes, there should be a good explanation.

"If I tell you to stop because it is evil, will you stop?"

"Yes."

"Then go for it. If it will spare our blood from spilling, I'm not against it."

Aidan swapped Ash Suppression and Explosive Fireball in his staff. He attuned the diagram for the basic firebolt and another spell of the Underworld tri-element.

"Animate Dead."

Six corpses of goblins rose, the burnt skin and flesh crumbling to dust and falling off, revealing their skeletons. They picked the weapons they used in life and stood there, like statues. A faint red flame in their eye sockets. These skeletons had no core, the mana invested in the spell sustaining them. Aidan could keep supplying his mana to the skeletons to keep them going, but they would become normal bones sooner or later.

"Never do that to people," Sora warned him.

"Of course. Only on monsters."

Aidan turned to address his skeletons. "Kill all goblins."

There were a few wounded and dying goblins agonizing on the ground. The skeletons moved and finished them. Aidan rose the new corpses and added to his new undead army.

"If anyone from the academy hears that you did this, your career is ruined." Sora pondered and Aidan grimaced.

"Too late. Lumina knows. Forward, skeletons. Go in that cave. Kill any goblins you find."

The skeletons droned forward, followed by Aidan and Sora. Any goblin that could be a problem was firebolted into oblivion while Sora kept wary for ambushes.

They reached the room they used for two days to gather mana for Dawn. Inside several goblins and hobgoblins wearing their clothes. The academy uniforms were ruined, ripped and torn. Several pieces of clothing were stitched together to make outfits for these goblins.

It was not a fair fight. Almost all skeletons perished fighting the stronger and heavier hobgoblins but with the long-range support of Aidan and Sora, they were defeated.

"Sora, we would be screwed if we met these hobs without the skeletons."

"Yes, good call. We are using skeletons again in the future."

There was nothing salvageable in their luggage. In hindsight, Aidan should have buried the bags in the stone. But he had other worries and was not in complete control of himself. Herself. Checking the hearts of the hobgoblins, they found two small cores, smaller than a pea. Maybe worth two silver coins each.

"Move all the goblin bodies outside where the firepit was." He ordered the few functioning skeletons."

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While the restless dead were doing the menial job of dragging corpses to the soon-to-be pyre, Sora sat next to Aidan.

"Did Lumina talk to you?"

"She is getting stronger and coming to the surface more often. But it is not like she talks. I get these thoughts, these ideas, the knowledge of her intent. Not with words. And it is not her whole consciousness. The problem is that it hurts me every time she fights to surface. I need to solve this fast. Either cut her off, finish merging with her or find a way to put her in another body."

"You say another body, but what about her body? I mean, Dawn's body."

"It might be impossible or even we might be killing her. My soul inside Dawn's body is completely and perfectly fused to it. For weal or woe, I stole Lumina's body. One choice would be to give this body here to her and live my life as a woman. But I don't know if Lumina will accept the change and live as a man."

"It would be very hard on both of you. I doubt the world would be convinced that you switched. Probably you would be forced to take on the princess' duties."

"And there is also you."

Sora ears twitched, perked, turned and her whole fur stood up. She focused on not raising her breathing rate but her heart just felt like a saber tiger was after her.

"Me?" She asked, very afraid of where this conversation was going.

"Yes. If I become a woman, what would happen to us?"

'Us? Is there an us? What is Aidan trying to say?' She was trembling. Aidan didn't notice only because he was concentrating on controlling the skeletons.

"I don't mind being a woman, it is different but nice. But I don't want to lose you."

"Why would you lose me?" Sora was not sexually attracted to females, but if...

"If I become the princess, then Lumina will become the 'Scion of the godslayer'. And then I'll lose you."

Skippy immediately took wing and flew away from Aidan's shoulder. He really wished he had palms. Because the dragon knew that his master had stepped on the pressure plate of a pit trap. A spiked pit trap, with rotating adamantite saws and magma at the bottom. And probably some sharks swimming in the magma.

"Jerk!" Sora punched him hard in the wounded shoulder and walked away.

Is that what she meant to him? That she was with him because of some old stupid tribal duty? Maybe that was true when she participated in the selection over a decade ago. The honor of being this generation's companion to the scion of the godslayer. But now? Fuck duty. Fuck tradition. Fuck that bitch Pearl and her needy vulnerable act. Fuck that bitch Lumina and her manipulative passive-aggressive queen-bitchness. She was not with Aidan because of some tribal elder told her so. She was not with Aidan because of his station or birthright or some fucking rank. She was with him because...

A vampire bat flew too close to the raging squirrel-kin, interrupted her thoughts with an ultrasonic screech she was perfectly capable of hearing and got an arrow in the groin. Another in the heart and it fell down, dead.

Sora sat on a rock and Skippy landed next to her. Skippy could see she was crying.

"Did he send you?" She asked. The dragon scoffed and shook his head.

Skippy pointed at the bat with a claw.

"Go ahead. I don't want it."

Skippy started to devour the bat with glee.

"Your master is an idiot."

Skippy stopped feasting on bat flesh and turned his neck to look at Sora. He slowly tilted his head to a side and then to the other.

"Not sometimes. Most of the time."

Skippy removed the arrow from the bat's groin and stabbed it again. He kept stabbing until he cut off the bat's genitals. It was a male.

"It makes things even worse. He is part girl. Why can't he get a clue?"

Skippy screeched, bat blood dripping down his snout. He opened his mouth, showing his gory teeth, but he then growled, roared, and then clamped his snout with both front claws. He released one claw from the snout and pointed an accusing finger at Sora.

"Sorry. I lost you back at the bat sinew stuck in your front fangs. What were you trying to tell me?"

Skippy sighed, shrugged and returned to finish his bat-meal.

They eventually returned to where Aidan was still commanding skeletons to drag corpses. Sora wondered why he didn't make more undead to help carry, but then she thought he was refraining from raising more undead than the necessary.

She sat next to him without saying anything.

"Sora, I am sorry for making you angry."

'It is a worthless apology if you don't know why I got angry.' She thought.

"I think this is a good time to tell you Cythrel figured me out. She knows that Dawn is not Lumina. She can be trusted."

"She is very smart for someone so young."

"She is thirty-two."

They let the conversation die. The sound of bodies being dragged filled the night. And then Skippy killed some giant owl that was coming to feast on the goblin buffet. The sound of the bird dying startled Sora and she spoke her mind.

"Aidan."

"Yes, Sora."

"If you become the princess, would you leave me behind?"

"Never!" He answered a bit too fast.

'Would he never become the princess or would he never leave me behind?' Sora mused.

Another period of awkward silence. Skippy brought Aidan some good feathers to make pens.

"Sora."

"Yes, Aidan."

"Maybe we should dismember the owl before Skippy ruins the meat. The breast and the thighs should be edible."

She drew her knife and handed it over to him. "Go ahead."

"Okay. It was my idea anyway. And one more thing."

"What?" She was tired and annoyed right now.

"You would make a terrible lady in waiting. But you would be my lady in waiting." He was grinning at her.

It took some time for the gears in Sora's head to click. She was tired and annoyed and emotionally exhausted. Aidan was already carving the bird when she figured out what he said.

Skippy brought Sora some good feathers to make arrows.

"I accept your peace offering." She told the dragon.

After dismissing the animated dead and incinerating the corpse pile, they returned to Gurf's cabin and slept through the rest of the night.