Not that I really mind, it's kind of fun having them mad at me. They will yell at me, maybe hit me, then it will all be fine again. Except for Ruby, that is going to be a mess and I don't really want to think about it.

When I get back will be soon enough to worry about it, she will definitely hit me. She is probably going to hit me a lot, but she has plenty of reason to, so I will let her. I will never admit it to her, but Ruby is totally cute when she is mad.

The silence is broken by the cook announcing that the food is ready, that wakes everyone from their thoughts. Suddenly everyone is up and moving towards the meat, but I don't have to. The bearman who was cooking brings me a decent sized portion and one ten times the size for Lizzy.

The bearman looks surprised when Lizzy gives a nod of thanks before taking the meat from him gently. He was probably expecting her to act like a wild beast and snatch the meat as soon as he got close enough. With her speed, no way would he have been able to react if she actually did that.

Tiger says "This has certainly turned out to be an eventful day."

"Not what you expected when your shaman told you to come back?"

Tiger says "No, not at all. I thought for sure you would have died on the mountain."

"The actual mountain wasn't so bad, what's inside is way worse."

Tiger says "Inside the mountain?"

"An ancient evil sleeps beneath the mountain, if it ever escapes it will be horrible."

Tiger says "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying the tribes need to keep an eye out for spider monsters around the mountain. If any are spotted get word to me in Illium and I will come deal with it."

Tiger says "You think the tribes can't handle it?"

"I think there are thousands of them and they summon undead. The tribes together could probably handle it, but they won't work together."

Tiger says "True enough. I will spread the word."

"They shouldn't be able to escape, but just in case the tribes should be warned. They will take the bodies of the slain and use them to make more undead."

Tiger says "That kind of threat might just unite the tribes."

"There are measures in place to prevent them from escaping, so it is unlikely. I want the tribes to be warned, just in case those measures fail."

Tiger says "You are not of the tribes, so why do you care?"

"I feel a kinship with the tribes, and your honorable nature appeals to me."

Tiger says "And for that alone you would risk your life?"

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"At this point I would risk my life for a pizza!"

Tiger says "A what?"

"Nevermind. Just wait and judge me by my actions. I want to get some sleep now, I am leaving early in the morning."

Tiger says "Alright, may our paths cross again!"

After Tiger leaves I lay back against Lizzy and out of curiosity I send a tiny thread of power into her. I want to get a look at her core, I am curious as to what rank she is. However, almost as soon as I do she turns her head to look at me.

Lizzy 'That feels weird! What are you doing?'

"Sorry, I was just checking your core."

Lizzy 'Why do you want to check my core? And you should ask first!'

"I told you how I helped Kechara and Asuna become sacred creatures, I am curious if I can do the same for you."

Lizzy 'Oh, well I guess that's okay. So, can you?'

"I'm not sure yet, you interrupted me before I could get a good look."

Lizzy 'Alright, you have permission to take a look.'

"Thank you."

When I turn back to try again she brings her head around and stares at me. Having a predator stare at you from inches away is very distracting and I end up having to push her head away. Once I can concentrate I take a good long look at her core.

Lizzy 'So, what did you find?'

"Your core is already at the max rank for a mana beast. In fact from what I can see you should have evolved already on your own."

Lizzy 'Then why haven't I?'

"Well, it seems there is something blocking you from evolving. What's weird is it feels artificial."

Lizzy 'You mean something was placed inside me to prevent me from becoming a sacred creature?'

"That is what it feels like, yeah."

Lizzy 'That sounds like something the mages would do. Can you break or remove it?'

"I don't know. I can try, but I have no idea what might happen."

Lizzy 'Please try. I want to evolve!'

"Okay, let me meditate for an hour or two so I have my full sacred power. Then I will try to break through it."

She instantly agrees and settles down to nap until I am done meditating. As she is, she is already terrifying in combat, I can understand the mages of old wanting to limit her growth. As for me, I am just curious about what she is going to be like after she evolves.

"Alright, I am ready. But be warned, I have no idea if this is going to hurt or not."

Lizzy 'It's fine. Just do it.'

With her consent I turn my full attention to her core and the wall I feel around it. Deciding not to play around I channel all of my sacred power into a blast at the wall. At first it holds strong but I can already feel it weakening under the onslaught.

Lizzy lets out a single hiss but doesn't tell me to stop or show other signs of discomfort. After a minute of throwing power against it I feel the wall start to crumble. Then all at once it shatters and all of my sacred power goes rushing into Lizzy's core.

Her core absorbs every last drop of sacred power that I have, leaving me feeling drained. When I open my eyes I find Lizzy already fast asleep, which sounds like a good idea to me. The last thing I see before closing my eyes is a soft golden glow surrounding her, it looks like it worked.

The first light of dawn wakes me up in the morning and I quickly turn to check on Lizzy. Or at least I try to, I find I can't move because at some point she grabbed one of my wings. She has it pinned under her head with her face buried in the feathers.

"Lizzy, wake up! I need you to let go of my wing!"

She snorts as she wakes up and then reluctantly moves so I can free my wing. Once I am free I turn to take a look at her, she looks quite a bit different. Her scales now look more like pebbles, in fact from a distance she probably just looks like a pile of rocks.

Her coloration has changed as well, now she is a mix of brown and gray. Her size doesn't seem to have changed any, but when she looks at me her eyes seem bigger. After asking permission I check her core, she is now a rank one sacred creature.

"Looks like it worked! How do you feel?"

Lizzy 'Very hungry! Other than that I feel great!'

Taking the hint I start pulling food out of my pouch and piling it up for her. She eats more than Kechara and Asuna combined before she is satisfied. I hope that is just because of the evolution and won't be a regular thing.

"Ready to get going?"

Lizzy 'Yes! I want to run!'

"Okay, let me say goodbye to the beastmen and then we will head for Illium."