Kerem hands me a small leather bag, and I grab it using my mandibles.

[How am I supposed to use this again?]

The dragon shrugs, the pile of gold shifting as he does. "Gold is more helpful than you might think, especially when it comes to the sentient races of Xanem. You never know how much a person will be affected by it."

[I'll take your word for it.]

Bubbles tries to eat Kerem's claw again, and he lifts the slime into the air, looking at it curiously. "It's been a long time since I've seen a Void Slime. They're not especially common, you know."

[Blame Noah.]

He chuckles. "Trust me, I blame everything on him."

Walking out of the cave, I pause and pin Bubbles to the ground with a leg.

[I know you can't hear me, Bubbles. But please don't run into scary caves anymore. We don't know who might be inside.]

The slime burbles loudly. I'm not totally sure it doesn't know what I'm saying, if I'm honest...

[Hey, Null.]

[Yes?]

[I know you've been doing a lot of self-reflection, but maaaybe you should do a little hunting every now and then? Your reserves haven't increased at all.]

My antennae lift in my surprise. Of course, she's right. I haven't eaten anything since Bubbles killed the Frost Hog with his water-move.

Actually, we should probably have him drink some more water - that was an incredibly powerful move. Even though it was just water, it carved through the monster's hide like a Void Bite through dirt.

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"WAIT, FOOLISH LEROY! I almost forgot!"

I turn to see Kerem's massive frame forcing his way through the stone, almost collapsing the cave.

[What is it?]

His head and long neck poke out, but his wings and body get caught on the edge.

"I have something else for you! I can't use it because it's Void-based, but it should work fine for you!"

I'm interested in spite of myself.

[What do you mean?]

He strains to move forward, but after he fails, he growls, backs up, then extends one claw outside. A fancy black chain with gemstones attached is hooked on it. There's a strange aura around it.

[What is this?]

"It's called an Enhancer. It's an item that you can use to improve the efficiency of your abilities!"

I grab it with my mandibles and immediately feel a difference. The amount of energy I'm passively absorbing increases significantly, and what energy I already have condenses into a more powerful form.

[Why are you giving me this?]

The dragon sniffed magnanimously. "Well, it's made of onyx and fissonite. Neither of those is especially difficult to find, so it adds almost no value to my hoard."

I wait for the rest of it.

Looking away, Kerem adds, "...And I'm hoping that if I give it to you, you won't mention the whole 'wanted to kill you' thing to Noah Cosmic. You, er... You won't, right?"

[No. I don't think he'd be interested, anyway.]

Clearly relieved, the dragon crawls back into his cave. "Have a good day, puny ant! I expect to see you again later!"

I wait for him to be out of sight before I say anything.

[Let's not come back here for some time. I'm worried he'd crush me on accident.]

[That honestly seems like a good idea. Ready to go home?]

[Of course.]

A few minutes later, as we approach my home, I can see several unusual creatures prowling around my hole, snarling.

[What are those?!]

[Mountain lions! They're earth-based, if I'm reading their basic entry correctly - shouldn't be too much of an issue for you if you play it safe.]

My mandibles light up with void.

[Apparently the hunting came to us.]

Bubbles rolls behind me, looking somewhat startled at the lions. They look intimidating, crags of rock sprouting from their furry shoulders and above their heads. It looks tough to break...

...if you weren't used to digging through solid stone, that is.

The moment they see me, one runs away, the other three snarling instead.

[Where's that one going?]

[Heck if I know. But you should definitely get ready to fight - this could end up getting difficult if it's fetching reinforcements.]

[Got it. How am I doing on energy right now?]

[You've got enough to keep the Bite going for quite some time, and your mana pool loaded up quite a bit just from being around Kerem. I'll prep Frost Bite and Flamethrower for whenever you need it.]

I crouch slightly, ready to fight.

[This is what happens when you get near my home!]