On [Floor] 76, Thesa nearly died (again).

Having run into another party of six adventurers, Merijest sent Thesa in for another try at proselytizing. The [Floor] had no discernable theme except that the walls were covered in wallpaper with strange patterns.

“Hey, I'm Thesa. Who are you?”

The party's foxfolk [Bard] looked Thesa up and down with a concerned look. “Do you need something?”

Thesa felt her cheeks flush. “Um, I just wanted to get to know you guys…and um…see if…” She ran a hand through her blonde hair.

A human [Summoner] in the group said, “Guys, do you think this is one of those illusions that distracts you while a monster sneaks up from behind?”

With that, the party's cephalopoid [Rogue] leapt at Thesa while the other members of the party stood up and looked around.

Thesa found herself once again pinned to the ground, although the [Rogue] didn't seem keen on actually hurting her. Until, that is, one of the party members shrieked “HUNDRED-LEGGED SNAKE!” Sure enough, it had found the time to scuttle around to the other side of the party, confirming their presuppositions. The whole party went on the offensive.

A Thunder Frog was summoned, a [Song of Greatness] was strummed on a lute, and a [Wizard] Thesa hadn't gotten a good look at cast [Magic Missile] on the Hundred-Legged Snake. Like the previous encounter with sapients, Merijest emerged from darkness and started magically beating the shit out of everyone.

Thesa figured she would fare better this time. As soon as she had gone down, she transformed her non-dominant hand into a temporary claw and was quickly able to take the bird-kin [Fighter]’s sword from her side. However, the [Rogue] had other ideas. In no time at all, the sword was out of her hand and her claw was pinned to the ground. Before anything else could happen, the Chimerblin and Cow-Dog pounced the [Rogue] in tandem and began tearing into their squid-like flesh. The Chimerblin’s tail was low to the ground while the Cow-Dogs wagged up in the air.

Then a living-stone [Barbarian] among the enemy party nodded at the [Wizard] (who turned out to be a kobold). Soon, the [Barbarian] was being swung around the dungeon chamber like a boulder. First, they knocked the Chimerblin and Cow-Dog off the injured [Rogue], then the living-stone opponent was torpedoing towards Thesa's head.

Still laying on the ground, she tried to roll out of the way, but the [Wizard]’s spell was locked-on. Before the [Barbarian] could crush Thesa's brain, however, Merijest appeared in a flash to take the hit. Curled over Thesa's prone body, she was hit several times in the back and collapsed on Thesa's chest. Inches from Thesa's ear, Merijest cursed again in that mysterious language. She whispered to Thesa, “close your eyes and cover your ears. Don't stop until you feel my hand on your skin.”

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When Thesa felt the demoness's hand (claws retracted) touch the nape of her neck, she opened her eyes. The entire adventuring party was gone.

“What did you do to them?” Thesa asked, a little afraid.

Merijest, who was still atop Thesa’s chest, managed something like a shrug. “I gave them what they expected,” she pointed behind Thesa at the Hundred-Legged Snake. Even craning her neck with the bad angle, Thesa could see it now that the creature had clearly had [Embiggen] cast on it and was also blatantly digesting six adventurers.

“Wait, I thought you were casting some terrible dark spell that caused anyone who heard it to, I don't know, get eaten by the walls or dragged to a [Hell Domain]. Why did I need to close my eyes and cover my ears?” Thesa asked. She had to actively stop her mind from wandering to the tickle of Merijest’s plumage against her neck and the soft look of the demoness’s blue cheeks.

“I just thought it would gross you out,” Merijest smirked. But Merijest's demeanor faltered as she started to pull herself up. She yelped in pain and fell back onto Thesa's chest.

“Are you ok?” Thesa asked. Repressing however the…impact made her feel, she suddenly remembered the hit Merijest had taken for her. She leaned forward enough to see heavy bruising under the skin and scales of the demoness’s back as well as some on the base of her wings.

“I'm fine,” Merijest said weakly. “I'll need to cast a healing hex on it. But I guess I can just stay where I am until that's done.” Merijest made a gesture with her hand and a purple glow emerged on the top of her spine where the largest bruise began, slowly but surely, to shrink.

“We keep killing people,” Thesa said, frowning.

“People die,” Merijest said. Her voice was strained through winces of pain as the contusions continued to heal. “As my [Familiar], I have a responsibility to manage your safety whenever possible.”

Thesa looked at the demoness laying on her chest. This was the second time her life had been saved by Merijest. Not only that, Thesa was realizing more and more of the things she thought she knew about Merijest were more fiction than anything.

“What exactly is your goal?” Thesa asked. “What’s your army for?”

Merijest considered the question. “The plan is to break into Beautuk’s realm and liberate those trapped within.” She sounded genuine at least. “Including, of course, your mother.”

Thesa nodded solemnly. Still some incredulity crept into her next question “Does that include challenging him directly?” As far as Thesa had been taught, Beautuk was unkillable and unbeatable. Even if his might had been exaggerated, it was nothing to scoff at.

“Beautuk has had hundreds of years to grow in power,” Merijest said. She started to shrug, but stopped with a wince. “A direct challenge in the near future would be suicide.”

Satisfied with the demoness’s reasonable-sounding goals, Thesa thought about how much she had struggled in the past two battles without a real Class.

Leveling up as a [Fighter] would be a slow process with eventual gains in combat prowess, but there was always another option to get a few basic abilities right now.

“Merijest,” Thesa said, swallowing her trepidation. “I think I would like to become your [Witch].”

Merijest smiled. “I was hoping you'd ask.”