The Mook Maker

A screech pierced the air over the distant sounds of the city in chaos, a dire reminder that my choice of intervention would keep coming back to haunt me for days to come, even after the initial shock wore off. 

 

Three ‘Fleshspeakers’ flew overhead in a formation so sloppy it seemed unintentional. 

 

A brief glance over to Sora caught her gazing over to the horizon as the cacophony of whispers continued to brew somewhere at the back of my brain, like a dog of the old world scratching at the door to be let in. 

 

I had a lot of concerns, many long-term problems I would have to address, countless ideas which I could pursue, but very few things I could do at this very moment, as there simply was crisis after crisis requiring my attention. 

 

Creative applications of my girls’ powers, or even more lasting moments of intimacy, would have to wait for more peaceful times when we finally reined in the local human population or found a way to somehow coexist with them. 

 

Ironic, as all of our current problems were caused, directly or indirectly, by my attempts to find the footing in this world. 

 

At the moment, I couldn’t help but to think about what had happened at the coast, who knew how many kilometres away from where I currently stood, where my ‘Mutators’ tried to act on behalf of our strange ally. 

 

The ‘Lady’ would have to put on the show for the unruly fishers and farmers. Any song and dance was on her.

 

I was almost morbidly curious how well she, a self-professed goddess, seemingly immaterial, capable of manifesting herself at will, would perform when speaking to the natives. Humans were, after all, her people. Or rather, her worshippers. Not mine. She could understand what they were saying when we couldn’t. 

 

“Lady?” 

 

No reaction. I knew she was out there. We shared the link. The only time I couldn’t reach her was when I was asleep — and even that was no longer a guarantee of how the gestalt was changing my dreams.

 

She either opted to ignore us, or was preoccupied with explaining the humans. It made me wonder how it worked - she was the only living being who could understand us without an interpreter. Could I ever wield my leverage adroitly enough to force a change? 

 

When I thought a little about what had transpired, I realised that there was a possibility she was knowledgeable in other matters, too. 

 

Our own attempts to communicate have been abysmal, and our attempt to ‘bless’ the fields on her behalf led to a few new ‘Mutators’ spawning. I decided to welcome them to the host as I waited. A little handshake here and hug there. 

 

I noticed the moth girls weaving a plant around Narita’s wrists as a living bracelet. Some wove the plants into what would be their outfit, while others helped to feed Helmy’s horse - or whatever the equivalent of the creature was. I was not in the mood to find the appropriate name for the strange hybrid.   

 

I was, however, in need of more ‘Mutators’. If not for the future favours, then for the crafting purposes. I saw one willing the grass to weave itself to form cloth patterns. 

 

Their numbers would come at the cost though, either paid in the blood of humans, or in further abusing the strange mechanism where the name given resulted in a fresh addition to the Host, which was, in contrast, without any cost whatsoever. Or at least, had an effect I have yet to see beyond a literal headache and a metaphorical one of tracking all the names. 

 

I have to untangle the source of the moths that stirred the ruby fog this time.  

 

“Lady!” 

 

They appeared after I dispatched a few of the ‘Mutators’ I had to perform a blessing, how ‘Lady’ put it and she was not answering. Were they payment for service rendered? 

 

If the dragoness could somehow pay for our services through the ‘resource’, one I didn’t quite know where it came from, it would help. Or maybe help me with the peaceful way of expanding the host. 

 

The girls knew what the rest of their breed was doing. 

 

“Did she do anything to you, the dragon lady, or did some humans die?” I held the hands of one of the girls - the ‘Mutator’ had four arms, so it was more like she held mine. It seems the moth girl likes the personal attention.

 

If the ‘Lady’ could somehow cause the nebulous skill level up, without me or mine taking action, it meant that she also somehow knew how this worked - and I had questions she could answer. 

 

The system, the levels and skills, and the seemingly whimsical rules they followed, or even the red fog that gave birth to each of my girls. It was still all but a mystery. 

 

“For Master!” The small girl-moth answered in a happy, and quite proud sounding chirp. Her cute mandibles twitched, and I started to get used to how their jaws worked. They were still adorable. 

 

Her explanation, not so much. 

 

“Kirke killed a human that attacked her?” I questioned the explanation. I could understand the unspoken words, but still not understood.

 

“For Master!” She confirmed enthusiastically.

 

“With mushrooms?” 

 

It was puzzling, and I didn’t like the single bit that someone attacked my girls when they were performing their job the dragoness not only asked us to do, but even arranged for.

 

“Are humans still hostile?” 

 

There weren’t any re-spawns, at least. 

 

“For Master!” 

 

I still didn’t quite understand how they taught the humans a lesson by using mushrooms, but at the very least, they retreated.

 

Although it was reasonably possible, easy even, for a ‘Corruptor’ or ‘Mutator’ to create a poisonous plant - after all, they were capable of willing an entire new species of flora into existence at the cost of minor exhaustion - but I found it extremely unlikely they had a time to force feed some random farmer something clearly toxic. My moths weren’t physical and seemed fragile. Humans could seriously harm them. 

 

They were not like ‘Fleshspeakers’ and their puppets and roach-hounds. 

 

“How?” I paused. “What was the Lady doing?” 

 

“For …Master!” was a chirping, buzzing answer, as the little anthropomorphic moth shook her insectoid wings a little, in excitement rather than in an attempt to fly.

 

It was equally strange, as it was interesting. She was apparently not limited to visions for showing the mortals, or anyone else, her true form, but could appear in the physical world as well. Even if her powers to bless the fields were limited, she could still make an appeal to authority. Her assistance would be very welcomed when the city was tearing itself apart, not to mention it would dodge the inherent issues to run the settlements like cell blocks with “Overseers”.

 

Somewhere outside the perimeter of the garden, another shriek echoed. Otherwise, there wasn’t any reaction, which means our current activities in the city were, for now, without casualties on either side. 

 

“I hate when she ignores me…” 

 

The moth-girl I was speaking with gave me an understanding look. 

 

“Lady?” I called out, but my plea has been ignored once more. I was unsure whether I was supposed to address the annoying entity by her full title, to get her attention, but it seemed redundant. I knew she was there. It was getting on my nerves. 

 

“For Master.” The little moth‌ said. It was annoying her too. 

 

There was a need for more ‘Mutators’ to continue the work after those currently on the coast exhausted their magic, requiring a little rest before they could continue. 

 

While the one that held my hand, now trying to share the spot with the small version of the ‘Displacer’ doesn’t seem to mind standing there with me, her sisters needed help. 

 

There doesn’t seem to be a point in sending ‘Defilers’. 

 

The ‘Lady’ wouldn’t appreciate it if they tried to strip the coast of the life I was supposed to rejuvenate, even if it could be brought back up. 

 

“For Master?” 

 

“A moment. Stay around for a while, if there isn’t a danger.” I said and paused, considering it would be for the best if at least one or two of them stayed behind and tended the plants there.

 

The garden was completely ruined, but not lifeless. The plants were alive, and could fuel the ‘Defiler’ magic. 

 

“For Master,” she agreed 

 

I couldn’t afford to drain half of the city of their life energy to heal the other half. 

 

Especially if I didn’t know which half was the hostile one. This city, I didn’t want to bother remembering the name right now, was going to be a confusing mess. There must be wounded, the ‘Fleshspeakers’ probably handled the other scuffle. 

 

I looked at my companions. 

 

“Are we handing it here?” 

 

“Yes, Master.” Miwah answered, “My sisters are being transported to the city. We are much better at dealing with humans hiding in houses. Humans can’t fire up, and they don’t see us coming. Sora’s girls just need a little rest before they can bring more….” 

 

It was worrying. 

 

Was there a crossbow in every household, or something similar, even if the preferred ranged weapon for the human military was a bow? Maybe it was a cost saving measure. 

 

“Any serious resistance?” 

 

“No, Master.” Miwah said, her blue eyes locked on the unseen horizon as they focused on the remote portion of the horde. “Arke has the situation under control. We will keep you safe.” 

 

This intervention would be a disaster even if we win, another drain on my host's energy and overall focus, and another reason why to seek a better avenue. It wouldn’t hurt if the ‘Lady’ descended from the heavens that told the townsfolk to behave, yet she wasn’t answering after she vowed to deal with the troublesome population on the coast. 

 

“I see.” I said, “We might need a few on the beach. Perhaps a Purifier or two to scare the humans away” 

 

“Our very special time together, Master, on the beach…” Tama remarked with a sultry tone. 

 

She, unlike me, was not worried, and it doesn’t seem she needed to spend much time micromanaging the host. It seems Helmy did it for her, as ‘Alpha’ spaced out, and her special mount seemed to simply stand up without any involuntary movements. 

 

“For Master!” The little ‘Mutator’ added, wanting to share with me the improvements they made, while Tama understood it her own way, adding: “Oh, yes, they could watch, Master. After we get rid of humans.” 

 

I could divide our attention only so many ways.

 

I didn’t want to get rid of humans on the coast. In truth, I probably couldn’t - it was supposed to be Lady’s turf.

 

“Lady?” I spoke tentatively, addressing the sky once again. It became awkward and annoying. A thousand voices, lingering at the edge of my mind, but not the one I was looking for. Even the serpent, the invisible passenger inside Ari’s head, noticed. Something on this coast had sparkled the strange entity's curiosity. 

 

No answer. 

 

Whether I liked it or not, I might be forced to investigate, and do it now. Personally. It was more about me talking with ‘Lady’ rather than simply knowing what had happened. 

 

All of it would be much easier if the damn dragoness was simply answering. 

 

I looked at the little ‘Displacer’ and stopped myself from cursing. It wasn’t my girl's fault. 

 

“Take me to the coast, some place safe where I could see what was done, without the humans.” I ordered. 

 

“For … Master!” The anthropomorphic cat meowed, and before I could specify the important part of the desired destination - an important part of some place that wouldn’t trigger my phobia of heights - I was falling through the endlessly shifting void beyond, away from the thousands of voices, and towards only a couple. 

 

Up was down, far was close, entropy was offensive and nature should be dethroned. The ‘Displacers’ were slower than ‘Warpstalkers’ with the way they transitioned through the nameless space between their rifts, allowing me to fully experience the alien, dizzying expanse that lay beyond the veil of the rift. 

 

Was it seconds? Or an entire minute? 

 

I came among the fields swept by the soft breeze and the humid, salty smell of the sea. 

 

For the time being, there was only me and the anthropomorphic kitten that hugged me tightly. This time, I didn’t stumble. I was getting used to those rifts.

 

“For Master!” The cat-girl announced our arrival at our destination. 

 

“Thank you.” I patted her soft hair while looking around.

 

“For … Master!” 

 

As she said, we were alone, with no humans in sight. It was on the dirt road. Coastal terrace paddies of rice and the vast expanse of the ocean on the horizon. 

 

Then I noticed there was a settlement. The coastal village with its wooden huts on stilts and rickety wharf now seemed almost lost between the colliding waves - the blue sea on the one side, and the yellow and greed tide of the vegetation on the other. Green was swallowing the fishing boats marooned on the beaches.

 

I could sense Ari's mind serpent - it recognized the place - which urged me to investigate further. Did Ari come from this place? Or was there something else out there? 

 

The magical scroll buried in the sea which drew our attention? 

 

The ‘Lady’ did speak about it before.

 

It was silent, almost peaceful out there, away from the crowds and panic, feeling nearly abandoned. Only the past vision had proven that there have been native humans around before. 

 

“Which direction to the city?” 

 

“For Master!” The ‘Displacer’ still affectionately holding to me pointed in the general direction. 

 

Overgrown terrace fields blocked the view. Terrified of heights, I did not dare to ask to be teleported into a more elevated spot.

 

Not everything looked completely natural there. . 

 

I was not completely certain how‌ the ripe, ready to harvest rice should appear, assuming it looked somewhat yellowish, which was true here, but something was wrong

 

The plants looked far too large to my untrained eye, and even though the terrace field architecture has somewhat interfered with my perception of how tall something was supposed to be, reaching far over my height, far too bushy and laden with grain.

 

It rustled as the wind blew. 

 

I, once again, checked my surroundings, letting the ‘Displacer’ girl hang onto me. She could teleport me away, should there be danger, but for the time being she rather seemed to be enjoying it as a precious time alone with me. 

 

On the first glance, it was only us two, without any discernible threats or even a random onlooker.

 

I was almost expecting the ‘Lady’ levitating above in the clouds, but no. The dragoness wasn’t around. The skies were clear. Aside from a couple of dots I recognized as the flying ‘Mutators’ in the distance, which means we were in the right spot, but so far, no luck in finding the answer to what had transpired. 

 

More rustling came from behind. 

 

I turned, worried about the ambush, but it was one of my girls I sent there, a ‘Mutator’, hidden among the unnaturally oversized plants. Her small and tiny statue made her very difficult to be spotted among the overgrown vegetation, and the green colour allowed her to blend in, along with her rather yellowish outfit. 

 

“Master!” she cried, revealing she wasn’t as much hiding there as she was inspecting the results of her own work. I couldn’t tell her apart from the one I spoke to just moments ago. 

 

She presented me with a few small, rough fruits, along with the proud chirp: 

 

“For Master!” 

 

“What do you mean, the largest you could make them?” 

 

It took a closer inspection to find out those weren’t technically the ‘fruits’, at least not of the ordinary variety, but rice, prior to being de-husked, grown to the obscene sizes where they rival the small apples. 

 

I looked around. The rest of the harvest wasn’t so heavily mutated for sheer size, suggesting that the changes forced on one weren’t universal, but the strange, branching nature of the plants may not inspire much confidence from the human part. 

 

“Where are the humans?” I asked and the ‘Mutator’ answered. 

 

“For Master!” 

 

“They ran except one?” I asked, only to realise I probably shouldn’t be surprised with the reaction, especially after their crops began to spontaneously glow and grow after my girls flew over. 

 

The air split open with another portal, a swirling mass of otherworldly energies suggesting that this time, the bigger ‘Warpstalker’ got themselves involved over her smaller kin instead of her smaller kin simply pulling the others through the void beyond. 

 

Other parts of our horde were arriving.

 

Tama stepped through, her tails fanning behind her, looking almost regal. 

 

Then Miwah, followed by Narita, Kuma and Ekaterina. 

 

A couple of ‘Purifiers’ and ‘Eviscerators’ poured through, but only about the ten each, two ‘Devourers’ in place of the smaller ‘Defilers’ as representatives of her breed, then about the four ‘Mutators’ and ‌then a single ‘Corruptor’. 

 

Finally, Sora stepped through, closing the procession and the portal itself. 

 

It was for the best to keep the group relatively small. There doesn’t seem to be any enemies around as far as I could tell.

 

An ‘Eviscerator’ rushed forward, disappearing into the thin air as their invisibility activated, only shifting mirage left behind in the sun, until it was also gone. 

 

The ‘Purifier’ giggled and stayed close. 

 

And a single ‘Corruptor’ disappeared into the field with the cry “For Master!” 

 

I didn’t understand the part about finding a spot for egg laying, but since the petite lizard was already gone, I opted to ask later. Nothing good comes from interrupting ‘lady matters’.

 

There were more pressing matters to attend to. 

 

Unlike our pile-up back in the city, our presence here, on the coast, was far more for the favour for our dragoness ally rather than any meaningful expansion towards the region itself, and there was no reason to call in more. 

 

Tama proudly took the position at my side, but when the ‘Displacer’ refused to get away, she simply accepted it as fact, even caressing the anthropomorphic cat a little. For all her previous words about jealousy, neither she nor any other of my girls seem to genuinely mind each other.  

 

“Did we share a bed with her today, Master?” The vixen teased instead. 

 

“For Master!” The ‘Displacer’ concurred. Sora, however, didn’t say anything, and idly stared at the sky. It was, however, not disinterested this time, since I did notice the wound against the wholeness of the sky as another rift had opened and closed. 

 

I would like to remind the kitties to not do this with me holding them. 

 

“Where are we in relation to the city? Mountains? What do humans call it?” I queried

 

“We are much further south, Master.” Sora said. The feline expression betrayed a serious focus, “South-south-west, perhaps.” 

 

“How far?” 

 

“Mountains are about…” the feline continued, while her smaller sister decided to simply cuddle with me a little while her ‘Alpha’ considered her words before answering,

 

 “Fifty kilometres away? Sixty kilometres away, perhaps, Master.” 

 

“You can tell?” I asked. Even though their method of transport wasn’t instantaneous over the longer distances, it was still extremely fast considering that I merely spent less than an entire minute away in that shifting nothingness they jumped through. The little one even looked like she had the energy to jump back if she needed to! 

 

“Yes, Master.” Feline confirmed - her ability to orient herself was also nothing less than impressive. 

 

“Oh….” I managed to say, “Did we head away from the sea earlier? Or nearer?” 

 

What I meant to say was whether the direction Angela had to fly to give her a nice incursion to the enemy territory, one where we conveniently stashed the runaway people ‘Lady’ dumped on us, but I didn’t have the chance to rephrase.

 

“Away, Master.” Sora caught my meaning and answered. 

 

“We would have to go all the way back if we wanted both scrolls.” I said, “Where the hell is the dragon?” 

 

This was the question my followers weren't able to answer. The ‘Lady’ seemed to be, for the time being, outside of their influence. However, our connection between us and our only friendly human woke the serpent again. It never happened before, there was something special out there. We just have to find it.

 

“Lady!” I called out. 

 

No discernable reaction.

 

My annoyance was quite palpable now. 

 

“Where is the one human who did not run?” I asked, determined to get my answers elsewhere. 

 

“Further down this road, Master.” Miwah answered

 

“Take us there, Sora.” 

 

The black feline gestured with her clawed hand, and the portal opened. 

 

I didn’t hesitate to step through. 

 

The scenery was similar on the other side, the same dirt road crossing the coastal fields, all equally overflowing with the unusually dense vegetation, with supposedly the same crops set in overdrive. 

 

This time, however, there was a body lying in the dirt of the road.

 

A human one. At least, I could assume it was once a human, judging from the overall body shape, along with the simple, grey tunic of the local farmers from the vision, now turned into the grotesque, misshaped corpse with the bulbous overgrowths of oddly growing fungus. Strangely enough, it didn’t smell, among all that air bursting with life. And likely, spores. 

 

I finally understood what they meant by killing a man with mushrooms and stepped away, even if the rest of my company weren’t worried about the effects.

 

There would be a burning to do. A heavy burning.  Somewhere, a ‘Purifier’ giggled. An idea of a massive conflagration was lingering among the whispers that never get away, almost as they all the little fire foxies queued to cause the fire. 

 

I was interested in the answers. 

 

How would a body provide the answer, I did not know, however before I could ask, I was called out: 

 

“Master! Master!” 

 

A young, feminine voice, and another small ‘Mutator’ jumping up and down, waving her wings, pointing to the second body. Another human. 

 

I walked to it, even if the little ‘Displacer’ decided to grasp my arm, almost as she was ready to pull me through her rift. 

 

“Still, there doesn’t seem to be any danger.”  

 

That one was alive, and seemingly unharmed, without odd growths, or deformities. 

 

Although alive, even he wasn’t well.

 

I recognized the young priest from the vision, with typical native features, with pale skin and dark hair, a tone suggesting he wasn’t working the fields all day, but it was still his obnoxious robes of the office that gave away his identity. 

 

He laid in the dirt on the road, nearly catatonic, mumbling to himself in the native tongue I had yet had to learn, not reacting to the large anthropomorphic moth he had ever seen standing over him, shaking his body with her leg talons. The ordinary ‘Mutators’ weren’t as large, at least as I could tell, but must be larger than what the humans around here normally encounter.

 

His voice reached the up and low, as he continued his babbling, but he didn’t seem all that scared of us. Assuming he even knew we were here. 

 

If he still prayed for divine intervention, it was quite apparent the ‘Lady’ wasn’t reacting to him either. 

 

Perhaps she was unreachable with all her followers. 

 

“Narita, could you please heal him?” I asked as the rat girl inspected her new living bracelet lodged within her already organic armour. “Use the energy from the mushrooms growing on the other one!” 

 

“Yes-yes, Master.” She replied, and in the instant, the bubbling under the infected corpse ceased as the very remains of what was left perished. It left it oddly charred, while the body of the other human began to convulse. 

 

It was faster compared to what the ‘Defilers’ were able to do before, but I suppose it still wasn’t painless. 

 

The human priest went silent. 

 

Though alive, he was unconscious, and was far from providing any answer. 

 

“Thank you, Narita.” I said, “I appreciate it.” 

 

“Yes-yes, Master.” She said, and I realised the bracelet of strange leaves the ‘Mutators’ made on a whim was to store the life energy. It was actually brilliant. 

 

I needed more of my moth-girls. 

 

But first, it seemed that there was more to do. 

 

There was something about this area though, I was now certain of it, except I didn’t have any guide, and the very dragoness that was supposed to provide the guidance was now silent. It could be said she was not answering calls. 

 

I didn’t want to disturb another settlement so far from our current position, but it seems I would need to. 

 

“Sora, bring us the Overseer. She could pick a puppet to speak though,” I ordered, “And send one of your sisters to find Kirke. Defiler would need to give her a shot of energy if she was too tired. I need her to make an appearance.” 

 

“Yes, Master.” 

 

I was deeply against this - but if the ‘Lady’ needed a prayer in the more literal sense, I was forced to deliver, perhaps informing the seaside natives that we were very real, and Kirke was going to show them her untold arcane skills. 

 

“And pick one priest she left us with from the walled off village, and deliver him to the fisher one.” I said, “I want them to know that their fields have been blessed, and we and … the Viridian High Lady send her regards.” 

 

Whether the ‘Lady’ needed to bolster their ego, or simply recharge her batteries, we needed to get her attention once more, and I might be forced to use ‘Lady’s’ ridiculous title to remind the natives. I hated it. However, there doesn’t seem to be any other way. 

 

There was a pull out there.

 

And I could see yet another rift opening above, sending the ‘Overseer’ - an upgraded ‘Fleshspeaker’ - through. They were big girls. They could leave an impression. The bat girl swooped above us. 

 

“Is Kirke coming too?” 

 

“Yes, Master.” 

 

I let the precious time pass. It didn’t take all that long, a few minutes even, and Tama decided to take the position around my arm, her fluffy tails brushing my back. For a change, the other side was occupied by Narita, Miwah letting go for the time being. 

 

“More of our sisters, Master?” Ekaterina and Kuma asked in unison.

 

“No need.” I replied. Ekaterina and Kuma were, I think, menacing enough. I thought of my bear ladies as gorgeous, but her overall size and bulk may scare away any humans. 

 

“This village doesn’t have a priestess, does it?” I verified,

 

“We got one right here, Master.” Sora replied, pointing at the still unconscious man. I was yet to understand why ‘Lady’ - a self professed goddess - had all-male clergy, while the other dragons had the female ones instead.   

 

“So there is no barrier. And no other wards or traps.” I summarised. Those were the greatest dangers right now, and even though both were used only once, it was only a matter of fact the natives found out how reliably they work.  

 

“A few of my sisters slipped in, Master.” Miwah confirmed, the pale wolf lady sniffing the air. I could nearly hear the whispers of her smaller canine kin snooping around, lurking in the shadows out there, reporting their findings. 

 

“Gate, Sora.” 

 

“If anyone asks you if you are a god, say yes, Master.” Tama reminded me playfully as the gate formed, a swirling vortex of shifting space, overlaid on each other. 

 

“We aren’t gods, Tama.” I said, 

 

“No, Master. We don’t need gods…” The vixen admitted, as I let the portal hang there. 

 

“...we have only one Master. You.” Narita added, surprisingly for her, but I didn’t reply. 

 

Sora doesn’t seem exhausted by holding it open, and we weren’t going far. There was no attempt to shut it down, to attempt to block it with the barrier that had once been in the castle, and no sign of resistance. 

 

The little ‘Displacer’ that handed me to this point decided to jump through to further test the waters. 

 

Then Kuma and Ekaterina. 

 

I stepped through with the rest of my retinue. 

 

The reception we received out there was in stark contrast to everything we experienced so far. This village didn’t welcome us with the fanatical, suicidal hostility, but everyone bowing down, heads to the ground, not daring to stare up at us. 

 

I didn’t like it and didn’t demand it. Not from Ari, who helped us willingly, not from the other humans. 

 

The ‘Overseer’ sat atop the puppeteer's abomination, overseeing the village, but there was something else, something unseen that demanded my attention, now closer than before. 

 

Kirke buzzed atop of us. 

 

“Root…” The voice of the ‘Lady’ rose, sleepy, exhausted, like never before, like we awoke the dragoness from the deep slumber, however for this very moment, the question I originally had dissipated as there was suddenly something there. 

 

“Root…please…my might…drained…” she said, very unlike the booming voice she once had. 

 

However, there was something else too. I walked forward; the girls maintained my security. 

 

There was something out there. 

 

It wasn’t the dragoness; It wasn’t the serpent lurking among our whispers. 

 

It was … indescribable. 

 

Straight in front of me, buried deep under the waves of the sea that washed this coast, lies something very powerful, very alien, yet somehow very familiar at the same time. 

 

Like the power that arrived when Kuma was born, however, this time, I couldn’t get anything to reach for it. 

 

Answers the ‘Lady’ not able or willing to give, separated by the metric tons of the seawater. 

 

However, my girls couldn’t swim that deep, and I wasn’t going to ask my precious, beloved ones to dive, to drown. 

 

I need the ones more accustomed to the waters. 

 

But, with the price paid for in blood, continuing the very conflict I strived to avoid, would it be worth it to get it?