The Hunt 7

It was just the dress. No boots, underwear or gloves attached. Quality-wise, there was very little to complain about, it was as soft as spider silk and was easy to put on. It was, however, utterly lacking in any useful enchantments. “Why is this even here?” Aclysia wondered.

“Sometimes dungeons drop items for non-combat Classes or just general items of fine quality,” Reysha explained, continuing even as the metal fairy shot her a glance that the question had been meant in an unserious fashion, “That is perhaps one of the rarest outcomes of a treasure chest period.”

“I suppose that is true,” Aclysia admitted and stripped of her robe. It was hard for her to get into that piece. Between the somewhat wet skin and having to squeeze her wings through, pulling the cloth over her head seemed almost painful. Like Reysha’s bodysuit, it had an open back, so there was at least one convenient design decision, allowing the metal fairy to spread her moth-like wings once she had freed them from confinement.

Quickly, Aclysia figured the thing out. A couple of corset cords kept the cloth secure and tight around the waist, with a few more strings that went around the back of the neck providing extra support. The skirt almost reached her ankles, her naked feet still visible, its frilly, folded design allowing for quite easy movement.

Softly, her petite bosom stretched the white chest segment once she was done adjusting the corset via with the strings. “It looks good on you,” Apexus commented when she was done. He wasn’t lying, the colour scheme was the same and such a proper dress did fit her personality quite nicely. The slime also much appreciated that, legs aside, he could still make out her curves. If she had to wear clothes, clothes like this were the optimal choice.

“You think so, darling?” Aclysia asked with a slight smile on her lips, grabbing her skirt and doing a diligent little bow. “That does please me.”

“Fits with your character too,” Reysha stated, bluntly but not in a mean way. “Oddly so. Think your daddy pulled some strings?”

“I do doubt that,” Aclysia shook her head. “Aside, with the amount of chests we have opened down here. Pertaining to your initial comment…” her wings folded and added the effect of a neat little cape to the servant’s outfit, “…I feel that you are correct. Attending to my darling’s needs is indeed my highest priority.”

“Dawww, can you be any more precious you black-white-green muffin?” Reysha giggled and swallowed what remained of the boss pearl. At the same time, Apexus took the more direct approach of wordlessly coming over and full-body hugging his beloved fairy.

Since their way back was sealed now, they had to exit through the roaring stream that endlessly catapulted water upwards. Their plan to simply re-enter the dungeon and stay there hadn’t changed. At least for another month, that was their current idea. Less time would likely be necessary if they could get out the news that Aclysia’s quest was completed. That should have removed a considerable amount of interest of hunting Apexus, money was to be had elsewhere but a divine quest was too rare for many to pass up on.

However, they had no means of getting those news out there bar catching some adventurers and telling them, or going to some gathering. Both had a considerable risk of getting them caught, not to mention that adventurers were unlikely to believe their target that there was no reason to hunt it.

Remaining still was, therefore, the smartest decision.

At least that was what Apexus thought until he was ejected from the fountain to the greeting of an arrow barely missing him. ‘Oooooh nooooo…’ the slime thought, immediately having all alarm fluids rippling. Didn’t take more than a second for him to find the source of the arrow too. It was a man with a hat the shape of a triangle. That was about all the slime needed to know.

Reysha was laughing when she was ejected from the water stream, she was laughing less when Apexus quickly caught her by swooping by underneath her. Heavily, she landed on the ragged surface of his wooden back, knocking the air out of her lungs. The impact almost ruined Apexus’ balance, slanting him dangerously. Between Reysha’s first reflex in this situation, being to hold onto the slime’s back and evenly distribute her weight, and him flapping desperately, they somehow stabilized.

“What’s your proble- FUCKING DEEP ROOTS!” her question became moot when her left arm was suddenly penetrated by another arrow. The tri-forked tip burrowed down to the base into her flesh. Hurting like absolute hell, she had just unwittingly saved Apexus himself from getting skewered. “THAT’S THAT FUCKER!”

Moment’s after that shout, Aclysia was on the surface as well, spreading her wings in a shower of drops that would have been impressive to behold normally. Hovering over the endless fountain, she looked around, to find Apexus and Reysha storming away.

Reacting nowhere as quick as the two more spontaneous members of the group, she hung in the air confused for more than a few seconds, analysing the situation and only slowly formulating an intricate response that in the end had to be tossed for the thing that Apexus was already doing. Simply getting away without looking back.

On the ground, the hunter was nocking a third arrow, but only kept aiming at Apexus as the slime tried to stay in the air as best he could. Flying with someone more than the weight of a feather on his back was still difficult, much more so when the start had been to barely fish the tiger girl out of the air.

It had been the correct thing to do, at least as far as Apexus’ consciousness was concerned. From a raw survival instinct, it would have been wiser to ditch the earthbound Reysha and flap away as quickly as he could. Finally, Aclysia managed to combine her darling’s erratic flight with the person on the ground and the arrow sticking from Reysha’s arm, the redhead pressing her body tightly onto Apexus, hoping that this time they wouldn’t enter a terrible dive.

They might have, if the metal fairy didn’t catch up to them as quickly as she could and added what little strength she had to carrying Reysha. As her flight was more akin to hovering and immensely stable, syncing it up to Apexus pace was surprisingly easy.

The hunter quickly stowed his weaponry and began running after them. Granted, Apexus wasn’t flying as fast as he possibly could, but to see a human storm over the rocky landscape after them at a speed that more than kept up with them was dangerous nonetheless. The question rose why he never stopped to take another shot, but the slime really wasn’t about to question that blessing.

“What are we doing, awakener?” Aclysia asked, falling back into her old titling from the panic she felt. All she could do was follow his lead, she needed time to formulate a proper response, time she didn’t have in on-going situations like this.

“Water!” Apexus answered a single word as they kept heading south. As quick as that human was, there was no way he could cross the ocean after them, not without losing his equipment. Unless that immense speed somehow allowed him to run on water. The slime sure hoped not.

It was a straining chase, not because of any more arrows, but because the hunter simply remained present and kept throwing up the same question: How was he here? The Inquisition was nowhere to be seen, how did he already know where they were and managed to get here?

Once the open sea came close, the man suddenly stopped running under them and turned west, towards the port city. The good news being that he could not follow them over the water, the bad that he knew exactly what Apexus was planning. Not daring to turn around, risking to open himself to another attack, the slime only concentrated on reaching the other shore as quickly as possible.