Natasha the Halve

I took a deep breath and let it out, then placed a hand on Yolin's shoulder.

The Oni turned her head my way, arching a questioning eyebrow.

“Yes, but,” I started.

My red-skinned girlfriend frowned at the words.

“She can't leave,” I stated, shifting my focus from Yolin to Elena. “She's in my care until Yulianna comes back, whether she likes it or not.”

The old cunt frowned and folded her arms across her chest. Her lips pursed in a pout that let an exasperated huff escape, blowing a lock of red hair off her face.

Yolin clicked her tongue, clearly displeased by what I said.

“Other than that I fully agree with you, Yolin,” I concluded, patting her shoulder and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Pop off, girl!”

The Oni looked at the Faeton Elf, then back at me. “You two need to have a serious conversation before this escalates any further,” she said, then looked back at the Entomancer. “I don't care if you're a billion Eras old, Elena... Natasha is a Halve. I would never dream of speaking to Yulianna like that, let alone touch a Divine the way you did.”

Alyssa, Lapia, and Pokora nodded at that, but didn't say anything.

Elena raised her eyebrows and let out a long hum.

I waited for Yolin to add anything.

She shook her head like she was scolding a child, then sighed and gestured for Pokora to take over.

The Archer gave me a sneaky glance.

I gave her a wink.

She nodded, looking around the Mind Flayer room. “Let's get out of here,” she announced and walked to the animals we previously left a short distance away. “I'm hungry and could use a nap.”

Yolin followed the Party Leader.

Alyssa and Lapia walked to me.

The Domi Elf hugged me tightly.

The Luzo placed a hand on my right cheek. “Are you okay now?”

I wrapped my arms around them. “I'm better now. Still high but I can ignore it. You?”

Lapia nodded. “The blasts hurt a bit...” she complained and pulled my ear a little. “But nothing a different kind of blast won't overwrite...” she added, giving me a seductive look.

I giggled and looked at the Healer.

Alyssa shrugged. “It's part of delving dungeons,” she offhandedly commented. “A warning would have been nice, but it's not a big deal.”

“My bad,” I apologized. “I got a bit too angry back then.”

Scaly hands caressed my cheek. “It's okay,” Alyssa forgave with a gentle smile. “I expect a different apology tonight,” she added, giving me a coy wink.

I smiled and nodded. “I'll do my best, then,” I promised and gave each a kiss on the cheek. “Also, congratulations on reaching level one thousand total.”

The two had surprised expressions, but eased after a moment.

“Doesn't surprise me at this point,” Lapia sighed, releasing the hug.

“Same here,” Alyssa giggled, pinching my cheek. “Can you see stats?”

I shook my head. “I can't. Not yet.”

“Can you appraise yourself now?” the Luzo inquried.

I nodded and did as suggested, looking into me.

 

I smiled. This looks much better, I thought while going over the information. Attributes are a new addition... and I seem to be preparing for Poko. Tryptomethylcybinamine? Is that the mushroom acid soup I drank? I wondered. Did skills change as well? I checked my Hoplite Class and found everything the exact same way, the information neatly arranged in a wall of text.

"Anything?" Alyssa asked.

"I can see more stuff now," I shared, looking at her. "It shows a percentage next to the Classes, which I assume is the progress to level them up. There's a section that shows the effects of skills and potions, and Tryptomethylcybinamine..."

"That's the drug, but I've never heard of it like that. It's usually Psilocybin," the Luzo concluded with an understanding nod. Her eyes flashed for a second. "What do you see now?"

I checked again, but found the Healer's [Archbishop's Clemency] missing. I focused on the E'er around her and noticed the same taste flowing out to the other party members, though. "You stopped using a skill on me," I muttered. "Arcbishop's Clemency."

Lapia looked at Alyssa. "Did you?"

Our girlfriend smiled. "I did," she confirmed. "Interesting..."

I hummed and focused on the information. "I can see attributes," I informed them, moving on. "Tenacity, Toughness, Perspicacity, Insight, and Alacrity. All at-"

"Don't say the numbers!" Both interrupted, covering my mouth with four hands.

I nodded in acceptance.

They removed their hands.

"You can see them..." Lapia muttered. "Interesting..."

Alyssa had a pensive look on her face.

"You can't?" I inquired.

Both shook their heads.

"I see the same thing you wrote down in your Journal," Lapia supplied. "Mine is in Elvish, though."

"Same, but Dragon Tongue," Alyssa confirmed.

"Interesting," both muttered, squinting their eyes in curiosity.

Lapia turned to Alyssa. "The Tulmi Elves gave Natasha poultry that had been fed with the same drug. We might be able to see what Natasha sees if we eat some."

The Luzo's scaly eyebrows knitted together. "I don't know if I want to get that high," she argued in concern, her tail swinging behind her.

"Go for a micro dose," I offered with a shrug. "Eat a tiny bit, wait a while, and check. If nothing changes eat more."

Both nodded slowly, considering my words.

"I'll seek Her Divinity Danuva's counsel," Alyssa proposed. "We can avoid the..." she eyed me and tightened her lips for a moment. "...unwanted side effects that way."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "Do that. Watching reality morph in geometric shapes was not fun at all."

"And trouble with time," Lapia added.

The Luzo nodded, an amused smile on her lips. "Let's go about it carefully, though."

The Elf hummed in agreement, nodding as well. "We could ask Their Divinities for information on Tribal Alchemy, too."

"Hey!" Pokora called from a distance away. She was riding her Dinosaur-looking mount. "Let's go already!" She urged.

"Going!" I told her and pinched my girlfriends' cheeks. "Come on, they're waiting for us."

Alyssa and Lapia shared a last look, held one of my hands each, and started walking, pulling me along.

I smiled and followed, more than ready to finally leave the dungeon and go back to the temple with good news about the tree.