"Nakatei, what happened you look like a mess." Shiro turned around and stood up worried upon seeing the running fox. "Is something chasing you?"

'N-no," The panting beast woman ran into the nekos' arms. "I-I don't really know what h-happened."

"Your safe now just calm down."

The fox woman grabbed Shiro's arms digging her nails into the fabric. Iris watched from the side not wanting to interrupt the two, the younger demi-human was clearly under the influence of a mind-altering effect possibly fear as her pupils darted uncontrollably across Shiro's face. The fear wasn't enough to drive her mad but it was enough to cause the fox's mind to be fogged by it.

"See, nothing to worry about." Shiro spoke to her ward in a calm, reassuring voice.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." The older woman replied as the fox stepped back revealing the holes she made in Shiro's shirt.

"I-I think I attracted the attention of a Spirit Guardian."

"WHAT!" Shiro shrieked in surprise causing Kia to press her hands against her ears. "You haven't even got into Nishimine and you got invited to a Spiritpool? Kill me if I had ever heard that before. Can you see the route?"

"Yea, it is like a blue cloud hovering in a line above the ground."

"Fascinating."

"Could I ask what are you two talking about?" Iris asked the two demis to Kia's enjoyment.

"Shamans are sometimes invited by powerful spirits into the lower stratum through a special route they imprint on them. This happens extremely rarely though, there was a rumour going on when I was young that a shaman from another nekos tribe might have been called by a Guardian Spirit. Basically, getting invited never happens." Shiro explained.

"And what happens after getting invited?"

"Ehh..." Both of the women stopped and looked to be in deep thought.

"I heard Spirit Guardians call shamans to bring their chiefs to be blessed." The fox's green eyes furrowed in confusion as none of the four women was a chief of a tribe.

"My tribe's storyteller never really said what happens after but there is usually a reason for a spirit to call a shaman. He told us that the pool which the Guardian Spirit guards can perform miracles." The warrior turned to the shaman. "Did you get a vision with the invitation?"

"Y-yes."

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"What did it say, then?" Shiro looked extremely.

"I wasn't really thinking about it." The fox with fiery fur began to draw circles in the rock floor with her foot.

"Then tell us what you saw then."

"Okay, I was... let's skip that. I was suddenly surrounded by darkness and Guardian Spirit grabbed me and showed me a vision of myself bringing a black cat with golden and blue eyes into a pool, the cat was so weak it couldn't move from under a blue and black flower but when I lowered the cat down into the pool it seemed to bring new life to it."

Iris's hand touched Kia's gift embroidered in her hair as she tighten her hold on the girl. Before she could touch the flower's ethereal blue petals she could sense Shiro's crimson eyes watching her from a distance.

"Wait, the cat is Kia!" Nakatei's emerald eyes gleamed with realisation.

"I think we can divert our course to where the spirit is leading you." Shiro suggested.

"The spirit also said that only I and another can come."

"Well then, we can stop in front of the entrance to the Spiritpool and you two can go."

"I'm feeling like I and Kia should make that decision." Iris remained the excited warrior.

"Oh no, no," Shiro smirked as she waggled her finger at the undead. "You don't want to piss off a being older than my race, her race and your race also I doubt you will find anyone who can fix her in our lands, shamans are the only ones who can use magic in demi-human tribes and if health potions can not heal that girl then nothing will. This genuinely is like a miracle for you that a Guardian Spirit invited her. Nakatei is not great at combat but we will be going with them."

*Sigh* "Kia?"

"I think we should go." The necromancer cooed.

"Alright, then," The elf handed all of their belongings to Kia before standing up. "But I swear I will murder that spirit if it tries anything."

"If you manage? I couldn't argue against it." Shiro commented.

In barely anytime the group's camp disappeared and they waited for Nakatei to lead them. They walked forward the same way they did before until they entered another cave.

"Rain?" Iris held up her hand in front of her as from the cave's ceiling water dripped like in storm concealing the cave's other side.

"We are going down while the river stays above us for quite a while before it becomes a giant waterfall in front of the gates to the lower stratum.

The group tried to quickly reach the other side of the rain cave but the slippery rocks slowed their speed considerably. The ground also appeared to shake occasionally for some unknown reason. The dark outline of a tunnel got near and upon entering the tunnel they entered another cave in the shape of a circle with three branching tunnels going further down.

"Nakatei?" Shiro twisted her soaked tail causing a pool of water to appear under her feet. "Why did you stop."

"The... the path disappeared," The shaman said as she stared at the ground before she grabbed her head with both hands. "The number two is glowing."

"What do you mean?" The tall elf asked.

"I received a new tab in my system called Invitations and it says the number of invitations is two."

"Those this mean you two have to go alone?" The albino nekos said.

"I think so."

"Iris-" Kia tried to speak to the elf carrying her before getting interrupted by her.

"I don't want to hear it."

The girl turned around in Iris's hands, she raised her arm toward the risen's chest before stopping leaving her hand in the air. Her arm began to shake and the elf grabbed it and lowered it.

"Are you serious?" Shiro stormed over to the elf. "A shaman got invited and gained the attention of an ancient spirit and you are about to ruin it all for everyone here because you are afraid of letting go of this girl off your short leash. We both see she is in pain and you will be happy to extend it for how long?"

"I'm not happy about it."

"Then why won't you let her go to be healed by an ancient and wise being!" The nekos' emotions seem to overflow as she raised her voice accordingly.

"Because of that precise reason."

"Huh?" Shiro suddenly stopped as she heard the risen's words.

"Kia, what do you think?" The shaman suddenly spoke out.

"Don't involve her in this." The undead hoplite moved her body between the two beast women and her mistress.

"Iris?"

"Don't you remember when you-"

"Iris, we have to find a solution in here, the winds of magic on the surface are too unpredictable," The petite girl talked with the risen while her loyal risen used her hand to keep the shy necromancer's eyes on her." If she is right there is no one near enough for us to reach before the annoying life wind hits us again."

Iris's amethyst eyes scanned her precious porcelain doll's face for any hint the girl was mixing truth with lies to fool her but through their link, a calming coldness flowed into the risen's body as it usually did.

"Why am I always losing arguments with you?" The elf pressed her forehead against Kia's forehead.

"Experience." The showoff kitten bragged before lifting her head as high as she could.

"Let me help you." The elf raised the undead mage higher letting her kiss her. "Are you sure about this?" She tried to restart the conversation ignoring the two talking demi-humans.

"I will be careful, I promise." The elf didn't hear what she wanted but her mistress's promise will have to suffice.