~Dreaming~

Rea was having a familiar dream, she'd seen this landscape once before, paradise.  She quickly spun around to find... the bad nurse.  "I knew it was you!"

Airi let out a resounding laugh, "Thanks for that as well..."

Rea was feeling like the smaller of two parties for once and bowed her head, "... anytime."

Airi gave Rea one of her own signature roguish grins, "Anytime?"

"If you really wan..."

*Snap*  The scenery became a different familiar place... her hospital room, down to the last detail.  Airi briskly approached Rea while dropping the white doctor's coat, revealing her scarlet red garters and exposed chest.  That had never failed to get Rea in the mood...

Much, much, much later...

Rea didn't bother getting back up as they both lie on a hospital bed gazing at the sky, "This is bizarre."

"Banging a goddess?" Airi was glaring at Rea.

Rea felt like she'd done something very bad, "I'm really sorry... didn't realize you were listening in."

Airi pinched a very sensitive part of Rea's anatomy, "What about the book?"

Rea chuckled then winced in pain when Airi started to pinch both of her sensitive lumps, "Sorry?"

Airi's expression turned vacant, "No you're not."

"Hahaha, I'm really not." *Snap!* *click*  Rea gaped wide-eyed at the goddess as she suddenly found herself in Lucatiel's cabin chained to the bed again.  The goddess was grinning and holding a steaming jug...  "I'm really, really sorry. I swear it won't happen again, I promise... we can talk this out can't we?"  Rea felt the familiar sensation of her legs being raised up, "No, no, no, no, no, no..."

*pssssssshhhh*  *UNIVERSE!!!*

A while later...

"Feeling better?"

Rea absently glanced at the goddess, "nnn."

Airi's expression turned jovial, "good."

*Sighhhh* "Why are we meeting?  Not that I don't want to meet you, it's mind blowing fun and all but why?"

"Oh... right, I came to tell you that you're going a little overboard.  You've got a few gods angry, but a good twenty something are already willing to grant you redemption."

Rea nearly jumped on top of her, "Seriously!?"

Airi absently apologized, "I probably should've mentioned first that we've been forbidden by the greater gods to do so..."

Rea slumped her shoulders and fell back on the bed... "Why can I see the sky through the roof?"

"I'm rather fond of the sky, anyways, you're doing good so far but there really isn't a need to pretend that everything's alright." Rea gave the goddess a coy smile, "It's as clear as day to any of us that you took what I told you as gospel.  We are gods, we can tell what you're hiding, getting into constant trouble, hitting on every woman that barely strikes your fancy...  I didn't tell you what I did to warp your personality or send you on a spree of constant humorous activity.  Don't get me wrong you have been very entertaining."  Rea shivered when she imagined a hundred gods watching her go down on Melody, "But that isn't who we picked, we chose to give you this chance because you suffered greatly.  Despite that suffering, despite becoming a monster, you never turned your rage against the innocent, you saved people while damning yourself, ...and with a little help from me you found some small comfort in others again, hell if your methods hadn't been so cruel you'd be welcome among us as a newborn goddess of vengeance or something.  What I'm trying to say is it's okay to be yourself, don't go out of your way for us anymore.  I know you regained some of your pep thanks to hearing about Elisabeth, and I know that it's my fault you turned into a pervert... but you were also a driven individual before, so quit acting so damn silly all of the time for us."

Rea sighed as she sat up next to Airi, "You told me that the gods enjoy watching an entertaining mortal, that most like my promiscuity and roguish behavior...  Now you're telling me that it doesn't matter what the gods think, they can't save my soul.  You even told me that doing good deeds probably wouldn't be enough to save me, that I may need the gods, but now they can't help me... am I truly that far gone?"

Airi pulled Rea back down to gaze at the open sky, "I saw everything you did as Noel, you are that far gone... but, just because we can't save you doesn't mean we can't give you a boon here or there.  Just because we can't save you doesn't mean the greater gods can't."  Rea's eyes shimmered with hope as she slid closer to Airi, "Live as you please, I know you like to have fun but this forced way that you've been going about taking every little opportunity to cause mayhem and lust is not you.  Seriously calm it down a notch."

Rea understood what Airi wanted to tell her but was still a bit perplexed, "... I made some god angry?"

Airi chuckled, "Let's see... you bent the loyal servant of Luthia over in public, stripped her, then saved her life in a very unconventional way."  Rea rolled off the bed laughing, "Then there was Thul... you may have slightly corrupted his chosen one by swallowing a dragon whole."  By now Rea was pounding on the ground and gasping for breathe with a huge smiled plastered across her face.  "Oh, let's not forget Aphrodite.  Not only did you take advantage of her blessing during your evolution to turn yourself into a beauty that paralleled herself, you called yourself Aphrodite when making a nude garb set... rather than angry I'd say she was just feeling a bit..."

*Boom!*

Rea quickly lurched over the bed and looked towards the source of that noise, standing there was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, "The Demigod of Beauty I presume?"

Aphrodite took a slight bow, "I'm pleased that you recognized me, when I gave you that blessing I hadn't expected you to turn out so... alluring," her accent was surprisingly British.

Rea grinned, "I find you much more easy on the eyes."

Airi smacked her head absently as Aphrodite spoke up again, "Fancy a fuck?"

*Cough cough* It's not often Rea is caught so brutally off guard, "Uhhhh..."

As Aphrodite approached she looked to Airi, "Care to join us?"

The goddess grinned, "Like I could pass up the chance to be with two Aphrodites."

Much, much, much, much, much...

...

...

much later...

Rea now laid in an open field of lush greenery, the sound of a nearby waterfall comforting her.  As she gazed skyward Rea absently remarked to herself that this really is paradise.  The goddess on her left arm, Aphrodite was still sleeping, her rose like scent or pheromones were driving Rea insane.  The goddess on her right arm was smirking at Rea, "What?"

"Nnnnn, you are a very gifted mortal."

Rea chuckled ruefully, "I'm glad all my abilities seem to work here."

Airi absently massaged her rear, "I wasn't expecting the water works... thanks for that."

"Anytime..." Rea absently rolled Aphrodite off and faced Airi, "about Elisabeth, how is she?"

Airi's expression softened, "Same as ever, a pain.  The deal was that she gets to watch you be reborn then goes about enjoying paradise, but every once in a while she shows up at my palace asking to look through the glass and watch you for a while."  Rea cringed, "Don't worry, I won't let her see any of your less... moral moments."

"Hahaha... thanks for that."

Airi grinned, "anytime."  The grin faded as Aphrodite's hands began to massage Rea's supple mountains from behind, Rea chuckled as Airi added, "you better get going before she decides we need to go another round, goodbye Noel."

Rea smiled as the goddess snapped her fingers one more time, being called by her old name had left a warm feeling.

Hearing herself suddenly get called She-Rea by Aphrodite caused her to mutter curses as the dream faded...

Day ~65~

Despite having spent days with the goddesses it would seem that Rea was waking up on the same night she'd left, fully rested.  When Sereda stirred she quickly laid back down, Rea had admittedly forgotten about the smitten bronze woman.  As she gazed at her roommate's visage Rea let out a sigh of relief, Airi had been right.  In those first days as a lizardling she had carefully gone over and dedicated their entire conversation to memory.  The moment she became human-like Rea had known exactly how to carry out the method to redemption as described by Airi.  When Nathan had died to save her she spent days drawing conclusions about the path she must walk.  It was simple, sleep around, have fun, cause chaos, and do the right thing.  Those notions had been guiding Rea in her every waking moment, being told to just be herself, after two months of pushing herself to please the gods had lifted a burden off her shoulders.

Sereda had awoken to find an entirely different woman staring back at her.  Rea had become... different, less jovial,  less carefree.  This woman that was looking back at her now had turned into someone with deep, meaningful features.  Rea had regained her sense of true self, sure she'd had a roguish nature as a mother and she had tried to act like that happy woman again.  But that wasn't her, that woman was dead and gone, the woman Sereda saw now was Noel.  The vigilante on a mission to be with her daughter again.  As Noel she had spent a lot of time jumping from one persons bed to the next, and she enjoyed the act, enjoyed waking up next to someone, but now that she had purpose again, and a working body that wasn't on the verge of death...  Rea was ready to fight for her daughter as herself again, she wouldn't be actively seeking pleasures of the flesh, but she wouldn't deny the chance when it offered itself.

"Loving me won't be easy.  You could ask that god to take away the job, I'm sure he'd do it..."

A forlorn smile graced Sereda's purple lips, "I didn't make the choice to love you, I fell in love with you.  Even if you walk through hell I'll be by your side."

Rea pushed herself up, lightly kissed Sereda on the lips, and got out of bed, "Then we've got a lot of work to do.  I'm not nearly strong enough as is, and this world is too dangerous.  I've a new goal, aside from my old ones... I'll tell you them sometime, but for now keep in mind that we're fighting to make this world a safer place.  For everyone."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Sereda gazed at Rea's new scales for the first time as her eyes glossed over, she knew that she'd made the right choice.  This was the beginning of something incredible... or something that goes down in flames.  Either way she'd enjoy every moment of it by Rea's side, and the object of her affections wasn't someone who would ignore her.  That was proven the moment she'd been given another kiss.

"What are we doing today?"

"We'll get breakfast, then stop by the library, and go training..." Rea peered at Sereda,  "Did you lose your mana control abilities when you accepted that job?" Sereda held up a hand covered in stone armor, "Good, that means you can still use magic, we need a book on earth magic.  I can't use it so that'll be what you work on while I train as a spearman."

Sereda raised an eyebrow, "Why don't I go train with the mages?"

Rea let off a smirk, "I won't benefit from it if I can't bond with you, and vise versa.  We'll form a hive with the only spearman I saw who had a mana threshold, luckily the teacher called him second best.  It'll be quicker for me to learn from him for now, and with you training your magic nearby I'll get a bonus."

The tall bronze woman stretched out her back happily, "Sounds fun."

Rea nodded in agreement while pulling out her old iron falchion, before she spoke Rea offered Nathan a silent prayer.  "Before that though... bond with me you'll want to feel this."

Rea was right, for the next half hour Sereda carefully observed as Rea continued to get better at what it was she was attempting.  Within the hour Rea had gone from making a mess to spraying water, mostly out the window and on the balcony.  In another ten minutes she changed targets to the wrecked wardrobe, water began to fly out fast enough to become blades.  Another five minutes after that Rea formed a block of ice on the blades fulcrum and absolutely destroyed the wardrobe.  When Sereda clapped Rea explained that it'd be a while before she could turn ice into a blade so blunt enhancements would have to do for now.  As Rea gazed at the dispelling block of ice on her blade she silently thanked Selene.  The girl had been right, there wasn't a need to over think it.  If she didn't want to use a hammer, she could just use a durable jagged block of ice attached to her spear or blade for shattering scales... Rea scoffed after a moment, she could further enhance the destructive power of an actual hammer with this, and she should learn a job that gets increased blunt damage or knockback.  Shortcuts would just get her killed.

Ability [Enwater Lv. 1] learned.

Ability [Enwater Rank Up].

Ability [Enfrost Lv. 1] learned.

Ability [Hero-Spellsword] learned.

Ability [Sustained Magic Lv. 1] learned.

While Rea sat down and started to withdraw her blood Sereda went to collect their breakfast.  When she returned pouting Rea was informed that everybody had assumed she was eating two meals at every breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Rea gave her a faint smile as they quietly ate together.  It was at this point that Rea also mentioned it may be for the best if Sereda leads them to the library, she does tend to get lost.

Sereda enthusiastically swung the door open, "Let's go to the library!"

Rea smirked again, the woman seemed determined to cheer her seemingly dampened spirit up, Sereda still had no idea that she was just seeing the real Rea for once.

It didn't take them long to stop by the library, it had actually been in the adjoining building connected to their dorm.  With a few beginner books on magic the pair left for felicity's spearman training field.  Upon arriving they were greeted by Felicity, the woman took slight offense when Rea asked to be trained by Dunwalt.  After Rea explained that it was only until she'd learned everything Dunwalt could teach her, well, Felicity scoffed.  Rea didn't bother explaining her hair color or introducing Sereda to her.  With Felicity's permission the pair approached Dunwalt, Rea spoke first, "Proper introductions first this time, Rea Ainsworth and Sereda Duranhold, you are?"

The platinum blonde elven man answered politely, "Dunwalt Grassear, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I'm assuming you're not from around here?"

Dunwalt wasn't sure what to make of her sudden interest in him but answered anyways, "No, I'm from the southern rockies, there's a small forest near the western mountain range.  My tribe called it home, you call it Kelaseran."

Rea was genuinely intrigued, "Kelaseran, no wonder you mentioned valthanas blossom as a delicacy.  I've heard the forests were dangerous in recent years?"

Dunwalt was honestly shocked that she knew of his home's current troubles, "I'm here to build relations with the humans, we know that holding out alone will no longer be possible in a few more decades.  We do not wish to lose our home."

"My grandfather seems to be a relatively well connected man, I'll introduce you sometime.  He isn't the sort to turn a blind eye on another's plight."

Dunwalt took both of Rea's hands, earning a glare from Sereda. "You are a curious woman..." as Dunwalt began to notice the other students current stares he realized that this entire time they had been speaking in elvish tongue, "You even know the elven language, I doubt you came to talk about my home, what do you require of me?"

"I wanted you to participate in our training, or rather I want you to train me."  Rea had returned to speaking in human language now.

"Not Mrs.Felvine?"

"She doesn't have something that you do, something that will make learning from you much easier."

That intrigued him, "What?"

"Mana, I want to form a hive.  Sereda, you, and I will form a hive and I'll learn through watching and feeling the way you move while executing techniques and forms."

Dunwalt let out a slight chuckle, "I've no mana, I'm no mage."

Rea sighed at his declaration, "I haven't formed a hive before, just lines.  I want you to trust me, even if only a little, so I'll give you one question, ask me anything and I swear to you I will tell the truth."

The elf was still feeling curious, "Where did you learn to speak elven?"

Sereda perked up, she obviously wanted to hear the answer as well. "After learning the basics of your language from a book I went to a brothel and hired an elven woman for her services," both went wide-eyed. "I only asked her to teach me the language, nothing else," both sighed outwardly. "After I had a moderate mastery of the language it became apparent that there was some mutual attraction... so the rest of my education involved large amounts of obscene phrases, grunting, and moaning.  I won't lie, I enjoyed it and payed her triple the agreed fee, she asked me to come back back often and I visited a total of three more times before enrolling here.  Two of those times I got a three women for the price of one deal, apparently if they actually enjoy your... technique, they offer it."  Rea decided to leave out that she had also learned from a rather attractive dwarven woman that first night as well.

Dunwalt was at a loss for words as Sereda took hold of her shoulders, "Do that often?"

"I spent more than half of my past thirty days in Vestlei on women's beds, floors, counters, even in their barns.  Yeah it happened often, but I only paid for it those four times."

Sereda wasn't sure what to think, Dunwalt spoke up again, "Why do you seek strength?"

"To become a hero, to live a long life, and attain the strength to protect those dear to me."

By now Sereda was nervously hugging Rea from behind, Dunwalt was trying to find fault in helping her but couldn't justify it.  If doing as she wants just helps good people... helps his people, then he should. "I'll train you... but I really don't have any magic."

Rea didn't hesitate to form a line with him, Dunwalt staggered onto his spear like a cane, "That's me connecting our mana threshold, bonding us."  The elf looked up at Rea and could tell just how overwhelming her own capacity is compared to his own, "Sereda."  Rea put a hand on Sereda's arm that was wrapped around her neck.

Ability [Hive Mastery Lv. 1] learned.

Things went off without a hitch, Rea had to use more mana than she thought to bond with Dunwalt.  Obviously he didn't trust her at all, that little confession had backfired poorly.

"Does this mean I can use magic?"

Rea tried not to scoff at him, "No, you're a lancer.  It just means you did have the potential to, who knows maybe you'll rank up to a job that can use magic... Sereda, the books?" Rea could see the insecurity in her expression and ignored the gasps of everybody around as she kissed Sereda again, "I'm not about to go sleeping with every woman I see, not anymore, we've got more important things to worry about now.  Besides I have a feeling we'll be joined at the hip for a long time now."

Rea nearly got choked unconscious for that last remark, Dunwalt helped the woman to her feet as Sereda walked away and sat beneath one of the forest course's trees.  Rea was quickly dismantling her perfect ideal love.  Finding out that she fell for someone with a raunchy past was a little shocking for the woman.  As Sereda started to read her books Rea watched Dunwalt go through the movements.

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