Why did I agree to do this again? Shouldn't I limit her contact with her?

The sting in my wrist persists as I walk around. A faint hammering resonates through the bond, scraping against the barrier I've erected. Certain human porters quickly steer clear whenever I approach.

Where is Mary anyway? I haven't seen her since this morning.

As I continue walking, I pass by a couple of Essevians. A sense of unease washes over me as I observe how some of them interact happily with their tentacles.

Borned Essevians. Stuck up, snobs. Why anyone would be happy about being a host is beyond me.

My tentacles wave at their counterparts, radiating happiness through the bond. Suppressing a shudder, I turn away and spot Travis carrying a stack of wood toward his tent.

Should I ask him for help? He wasn't hostile the last time we interacted.

As I approach him, the pit in my stomach grows.

Or I could have mistaken that during my haze state of mind. He's probably not too happy about his work being insulted, either. Then again, he doesn't look like he took offense to it. Travis is a snake. The most prideful reptilian species so why wouldn't he? Still, it doesn't bode well that he's associated with Matthew and Iss. I should get out of here before Travis notices me...Perhaps I should see him later, he seems busy.

Quickly turning around, I start to walk away, while the tentacles continue scratching through the bonds, their efforts somewhat muffled by the barrier.

"Hey, Beatrice!" Travis shouts behind me, making me cringe. "What the heck are you doing there, staring at me like a creep? Do you want something?"

I relax my hunched shoulders, straighten my back, and twist around.

"I'm looking for Mary," I say, marching toward Travis. "She asked me to give this to another Essevian." I unclench my palm, presenting a balm container. "Unfortunately, it didn't work out."

"Get away from me!" the Essevian shrieked, flinging mud right at me. "I knew you born and bred would try to control me!"

Biggest understatement of the year.

Brief flashes of agreement seep through the barrier as the pounding temporarily pauses.

"I haven't seen her either," Travis tilts his head to the side and shrugs. "I think she's with that weird guy with black hair who's been hanging around here." He narrows his eyes as his hood slightly puffs up. "He smells weird."

Didn't he complain about how every human or Essevians smelled weird and disgusting a few days ago?

Briefly looking to the side, I shake my head.

Let's not point that out and antagonize the giant cobra towering over me.

"I need to return this to her." I hold the container in my palm, keeping it away from me. "Do you have any idea where Mary might be?"

"Not that I can think of." Travis frowns, glancing behind me. "What have you been up to? You look like you're about to drop dead. Again."

"There's been hardly any time to rest ever since the expedition leader decided to load us with extra porter duties." I sigh, massaging my shoulders.

"They just added a few boxes to carry," Travis says with a questioning tone. "It's not that difficult."

Raising an eyebrow, I scrutinize Travis. His scales gleam, polished to perfection.

I would have thought he was slacking off if I hadn't seen him working earlier.

"You're a reptilian, a snake on the larger side," I say, frowning. "A hundred extra boxes probably seem like just a couple to you."

Even though Travis's species is much stronger than your average human, he should be feeling the strain after countless hours of packaging the monsters. Maybe he's bluffing to sound tougher.

Travis's eyes narrow, and he flicks his tongue. Turning to the side, he mutters something under his breath.

Did something I said offend him? Though it's true, a reptilian is indeed stronger than your average human.

With a sigh, he turns toward me. "Does that binding around those tentacles have anything to do with the bags under your eyes?"

"The parasites have been rather difficult lately." Narrowing my eyes, I glance behind me and glare at the tentacles. "I'll consider freeing them if they behave."

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As if to prove my point, the tentacles suddenly thrash around, tugging at my back.

"Which is not going to be anytime soon," I add, glaring at them before returning my attention to Travis.

"You could always use that gel,' Travis suggests, pointing at the container. "Those tentacles usually calm down when other Essevians apply it. I don't think Mary will mind if you take it yourself."

"No, that wouldn't be right," I reply with a shake of my head. "Thanks anyway."

That idea sounds terrible. I didn't wrap the thing in several layers of my containers to use it. I'm trying to prevent any influences the gel has on my mind. I would have loved to use it on the tentacles if it wouldn't affect me.

The tentacles suddenly fill the bond with protest and annoyance.

This was a waste of time. I need to find Mary and return the gel to her quickly. I don't want to risk the Silverbell having long-term effects from prolonged exposure.

"Hey!" Travis shouts from behind as I begin walking away.

"Yes?" I ask, not turning around.

What now?

"Well, if you're free, I would like your assistance on some projects," Travis says. "Not that I need it, of course. I just want a second opinion on certain things."

Stopping in place, I stare down at a patch of dirt.

It would be nice to do that again. To feel needed. But..

"Maybe," I say, continuing my walk. "We'll have to see."

I have other things to worry about. It won't help with my current situation or bring him back. Return to a time when I still have my main team.

After some time wandering around, I spot a crowd of porters forming in the distance. Closely watching my surroundings, I carefully wiggle my way to the front. Many quickly give me space, avoiding any contact.

"Don't lie!" one of the voices up front shrieks. "I know it was you who stole it! Who else would do such a thing?!"

"Oh, really?! How can you be so sure?" another voice counters. "It could have easily been anyone here!"

"Your scales color matched with the one I found!"

"Bah! You need your eyes fixed then! Most of the lizardmen here have those colors!"

Stepping out from behind someone, I glance at the scene ahead of me. A dark brownish lizardman and a tall human male are facing each other, with Mary standing between them, grasping their shoulders. She looks like a mouse caught between two giants.

"Why, you no-good lowlife!" The man pushes himself forward, but Mary holds him back. "It was a pendant from my late mother!"

"Good thing it's lost, then," the lizardman smirks, his tail lashing dangerously behind him. "If I had a son like you, I wouldn't want you to have it anyway."

"Now, now, gentlemen," Mary says, stepping between them, "I think we all need to take a breather before things get out of hand."

Both the man and the lizard glower at each other but remain in their positions.

How in the world did Mary manage to hold them back? She shouldn't have been able to, given her petite stature.

"Try searching your belongings again," Mary tells the man. "If it doesn't turn up, we may need to do a bag search."

She then turns to the lizardman, pointing at his claws. "You'd better get those cleaned up before they get infected. We'll discuss your conduct later."

The lizardman huffs, shoving people aside as he moves past them. Gradually, the crowd around me begins to disperse.

"Beatrice!" Mary exclaims as she approaches me. "I didn't see you there."

A lump suddenly forms in my throat.

Why is she always so eager to see me? Have we crossed paths before this expedition? And why does her joy bring a sudden wave of sadness? I must have eaten something bad.

"I'm here to give you this since the other Essevian didn't want it," I hand Mary the gel.

Mary rubs her eyes as she takes the gel, "I was hoping these would help soothe her." She sighs, shrugging her shoulders. "She's been recently turned and is not handling the change well. I'll have to check in on her later on."

Oh. That would explain the Essevian's behaviors toward me. But...

"You could leave her alone," I say, "She's not your responsibility."

Most Essevians wouldn't want to burden themselves with that, and I can't blame any of them. I already have enough problems, not to mention dealing with my transformation.

Mary smiles at me and says, "True, but shouldn't we help them, anyway? They deserve the same kind of compassion as everyone else.

Looking to the side, I shake my head.

That's certainly an optimistic view. Naive, even. How did she survive this long?

"You do realize that not every Essevian will appreciate your effort, right?" I ask her. "You'd be lucky if they remember to pay you back later."

Simple pity I could understand, but this doesn't make sense. I can't see the benefit of helping out some Essevians who were stupid enough to get turned.

"Why in the world would they pay me back? I'm only giving them the respect and care they deserve," Mary frowns. "It's the same as everyone else."

The same as everyone else? She must not be right in the head, then.

"If there's nothing else," I tell her, "I'll be turning in early."

Since I'm free right now, I might as well get some shut-eye. Something tells me the next several days will be even more draining.

Goosebumps erupt on my skin as I feel eyes piercing my core. An encompassing terror washes through the bond, threatening to pull me under.

"The day isn't even halfway done, and there's already so much that needs to be done," Mary mutters in a tired voice. "We'll just have to try—"

'Bang!'

Swiftly dodging to the right, I roll across the ground. A burning sensation lightly brushes one of the tentacles, and screams of agony radiate through the bond.

'Tuk!'

An arrow hits the tree trunk where I originally was. The overbearing sensation of light asuras flows freely from it.

What the hell was that?

"Beatrice?" Mary says, helping me up. "Are you alright?!"

I slowly nod, trying to push back the full-blown panic emanating from the tentacles.

"What were you trying to do, Hansel?!" Mary shrieks. "You could have killed someone!"

"Sorry!" a man yells from behind. "I don't know what happened! I just picked this up and it suddenly shot out an arrow!"

Ignoring the shouting match behind me, I slowly approach the arrow. As I get closer, the burning sensation becomes stronger, dancing across my skin. The tentacles push against the bond, urging me to stop.

This arrow is filled with light asura, almost as if it were made from it.

Clenching my fingers around the shaft, I grip it tightly. Light asura seeps through my gloves, making my palm throb. Using all of my strength, I yank the projectile out. A silver arrowhead gleams at me, its surface smooth and sharp enough to cut diamonds.

This doesn't look like the regular expendable arrows we have lying around. They certainly don't get infused with asura, let alone this much.

Turning around, I scan my surroundings with narrow eyes.

Before I dodged, this projectile was aimed at my core, infused with an absurd amount of light asura. It could have killed me.