Chapter 208 - Vol. 4 - 7

Sometime later, by the time the night had come, Metsumi and Ash walked back up to the camp. Ash's hands were full with the things the older woman had bought, but she didn't mind it at all. The entire time they were heading out of the city, Ash felt like she had eyes on her. 

But, now that they were here, that feeling had passed. 

"I brought us some goodies, everyone!" Metsumi let them know as Ash carefully let the bags down. "Fish, eggs, milk, even bought some wine for one of these nights, in case we're here for longer than we think we'll be." 

"Well... That definitely sounds like it'll taste better than what we've been eating so far," Satsuhiro responded. 

"Shut your mouth, everything I make is golden." 

As Metsumi took everything out, Ash sat down next to Keiko, near the fire. She didn't say anything though, as, in her mind, she was still seeing that half-demon she'd met earlier, that woman and their child. 

The image that came to her mind made Ash sigh, hunching over a little. 

"How'd it go?" Keiko asked her. 

"It was fine..." Ash mumbled. "Just... got in, got some stuff, got out." 

"No one gave you any trouble?" Keiko asked. 

"A bit, but nothing serious," Ash shrugged. She looked up at Satsuhiro though. "By the way, the whole, 'laying low' thing isn't gonna work. One look at my level and everyone there knew who I was." 

"... Crap," Satsuhiro said. "Well, at least we tried that for a little while." 

"So, change of plans?" 

"If everyone knows who you are then there's no reason to play it so safe. In that case, we may as well try the other option." 

"And, that is...?" 

"Taking full advantage of our Savior status," Satsuhiro replied. "We head for the Arcane's manor, and we see if he'll let us stay there for a while, at least, until you're ready to do whatever it is Lumina wants to do." 

"Is that any safer than being out here?" Ash asked. 

"Of course. These people are opportunists, but none of them will mess with the Arcane. That's basically the unspoken rule of Amber, last I checked. Everyone is fair game except for him. He's the only mark that's off-limits." 

"Hm... Alright," Ash nodded. "So, tomorrow then?" 

"That works. For now, let's just get some rest though. After we eat whatever my dear wife's got planned, of course." 

"You won't be disappointed, hun," Metsumi laughed as she organized her things. 

However, while she prepared that night's dinner, Ash's mind wouldn't stop wandering. She wondered how things would have turned out if she'd been born here, instead of back at Jade. She wondered what kind of family she would have had if the woman who'd birthed her had been from Amber. Things might have been the same, but the questions still circulated in Ash's mind. 

At least, until Keiko put her head on Ash's shoulder and for a brief moment, the half-demons mind went blank. 

"Is it weird that I was kind of getting used to sleeping out here?" Keiko asked. "The crickets, the moonlight and all. I might not be able to sleep well again for a bit without them." 

"Did you get used to the terrible monsters too?" Ash asked. 

"No, but..." Keiko said lowly. "That's what I've got you here for, right?" 

"... So," Ash smirked, "I'm just a good fuck and a monster hunter, is that all I am to you?" 

"Ugh, you..." Keiko smacked Ash's shoulder lightly. "I believe we were having a moment, Ash." 

"We still are," Ash shrugged. "I don't mind if that's what you want me to be." 

"No! You know you mean more to me than that..." 

"I was joking, I was joking, I know," Ash said, feeling her chest almost tighten a little as the words came out. 

They remained like that for a long time, afterward. Eventually, they all had dinner and before long, Satsuhiro said that it would be a good idea if they all went to sleep, so they could wake up early the next morning and head out to the city. 

It was fairly convenient as well since that half-demon had given Ash the tip to go to the Arcane's Manor anyway and check if she could learn anything about magic there. All in all, it seemed like things were heading in the right direction. 

However, as the group began to settle and Yumi decided to keep watch first tonight, Ash made a small choice. She got out of the tent she, Kaori, and Keiko were sharing and she walked out, getting her armor. 

Right in front of the Zayama, Ash took her clothes off and geared up.

"Hm?" Yumi asked as she watched her, her cheeks a little red. "Is something wrong?" 

"Nah," Ash shook her head. "I just... Figured I'd do a little hunting," Ash replied. "Before we leave." 

"I see... Are you sure you shouldn't be taking this time to sleep?" 

"I've gone through plenty of sleepless nights," Ash shrugged. "I'll be fine." 

"Very well, go ahead then." 

"Okay." 

With that, she stealthily exited the camp and began walking straight ahead, to where she saw a small mountain, glowing like a beacon in the distance. This spot had quickly become one of her favorites for hunting monsters, as she felt like she could find some relatively quickly. 

She moved through the dirt and sand, arriving at the mountain maybe an hour later. Here, the land changed just a little, containing more vegetation than just about anywhere else, with large glowing blue grass, spread all around her. The leaves on the trees, the bushes, everything else also helped illuminate the area. 

Which, of course, meant monsters were attracted to this place, just like Ash was. 

It didn't take long to find her first target. She crouched down behind a bush as she heard a clicking noise up ahead. 

She didn't know what these things were called, but she'd seen a couple of them before. They had no eyes, a smooth, long body, and had two thin, almost branch-like arms with claws at the end. As thin as they looked though, Ash had taken a couple of hits from them and knew they hurt like hell. 

They reminded her of the reavers she fought at Sapphire, but far less ferocious, and far smaller. 

Level 48

MP: 100/100

"Bow," Ash muttered and her Savior's Weapon transformed, a golden arrow already nocked onto it. 

One arrow wouldn't kill this creature, but Ash could finish it off soon after. 

So, she pulled the arrow back, and let it go, striking through its smooth torso. The creature screeched. Multiple birds flew away, alerted. Ash quickly changed her weapon. 

"Spear," she said, already running towards it. The creature leaped up into the air, above her. Ash wasn't about to wait for it to come back down. "Corruption spread, corruption launch!" 

She propelled a black sphere, invisible in the night, towards it and it struck the monster's body. This threw it off balance, and it fell gracelessly onto the floor behind Ash. 

Instantly, Ash raised her spear, its blade aimed at the monster's eyeless head, and with as much strength as she could put into it, she pushed it down, stabbing through the monster. 

EXP Gained: 80

EXP: 180/700

And then, something tried to slash her from behind. 

Ash gasped, feeling her armor being scratched, and she looked back and saw that there'd been another of these things that she hadn't noticed.  Fuck, fuck! 

The creature realized its attack had been ineffective and it tackled Ash, mounting her. Ash dropped her spear, as it was still embedded in the other creature, so she had nothing but her bare hands. 

Still, she could make that work. 

The creature tried to scratch her face multiple times, rapidly. It managed to do so, but eventually, Ash caught its hands, squeezing them so hard, she felt them break under her grip. 

That wasn't her goal though. 

"Lesser being, give me your life!" 

Black tendrils emerged from the creature and began pouring into Ash as she siphoned its life force into herself, using the spell Vermia had taught her. The creature tried as hard as it could to remove itself, but Ash wouldn't let go. 

Eventually, screeching, it pulled itself back so harshly that its arms were ripped off and it fell back. A spurt of its blood fell on Ash's face and chest, and even in her mouth. 

"Agh," she spat it out as she stood up. 

Then, she walked over to it and stomped down on its head, twice, earning an EXP message. 

EXP Gained: 90

EXP: 270/700

Ash's spine shivered as she felt the blood slide down her body. 

Nope, break, break. She called as she began taking her armor off.  I need to get this shit off my tits, fuck, this is gross, Ash thought as she began cleaning herself up.

---

Multiple hours later, Ash was walking back to the camp with even more blood on her than before. At a point, she'd given up and just let the blood accumulate on her skin. 

But, on the bright side, she got a level for it and put both points into her Con. 

Level 71

MP: 330/330

EXP: 40/710

---

STR: 50

DEX: 30

CON: 34

INT: 20

WIS: 33

L: 100

Yumi saw her approaching and stood up, reaching for her weapon, only to sigh when she realized it was Ash. 

"... You certainly had an exciting time," Yumi said as Ash wiped away some blood from her face. 

"Kinda." 

With that being their only exchange, Ash took everything off and ventured out again, this time, to bathe in a nearby lake. 

The body of water was not too sizeable, but it was more than enough for a few people to freshen themselves up in. Of course, this spot would serve as a lure for monsters as well, so Ash brought her Savior's Weapon with her. 

As she descended into the ice-cold waters, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

... Why the fuck are things so awkward between us?  Ash wondered as she thought back to Yumi's face, looking at her with half-lidded eyes as she had changed into her armor.  I mean,  she understands that we were just doing a job... Right? 

Ash stretched her arms and spread her legs just a little bit, to get comfortable. Her body, from the neck down, was submerged. 

She began to wipe the stains off of her skin then, spending some time swiping away at her chest, which had the unfortunate side-effect of making her heart beat just a little faster. Her thighs, her calves, her ankles, as she made sure all the blood had been wiped off of her, Ash felt her thoughts wandering again. 

She remembered what that moment had been like when she and Yumi had been sitting in that small oasis in the middle of a horrid, poisonous swamp. However, even though the place they were in was so terrible, Ash couldn't deny that Yumi's beauty still shined through. 

Something had changed at that moment. Before, she was just a good-looking woman like any other, but when she gave herself up to Ash like that, the half-demon felt like something had clicked inside of her and now, just the memory of her bashful look as Ash's tongue tasted her was enough to make her hand roam now. 

... Well, if any monster tries to kill me right now, I'm just about fucked, aren't I? 

Ash thought as she put one hand up to her breasts and the other between her legs. She closed her eyes and breathed in as she figured she'd let herself enjoy this for a moment. 

And then, a voice spoke. 

It said something so quietly that Ash would have missed it if her thoughts hadn't been empty at this moment.

"Oh my gosh, Ash..." 

The half-demon's eyes opened and she quickly stood up, turning to look for whatever was there. 

But, there was nothing nearby. Absolutely nothing. No one. 

"I... What?" Ash scratched her head as the water dripped down from her body. "I swear..." 

The strangest thing wasn't even that Ash had heard someone, it was that she swore she felt like she recognized the voice. 

Taking deep breaths though, Ash calmed down. She made sure to check multiple times, but no. There was no one around.

Then, casually, she went right back to what she'd been doing. 

Just get it over with, go back, and... whatever. 

---

"Ash? Are you okay?" Keiko asked as the sun shined down on the group's camp. 

"Never better," Ash said, yawning. 

She had been in the pond for far longer than she'd planned to be. 

"Are you ready?" Satsuhiro asked. 

"Yep," Ash said, picking Kaori up and placing her on her back, her arms wrapped around her neck. "I'm good." 

"Alright then, everyone," Satsuhiro called out. "Let's hope for the best then." 

And, with that, after packing everything up, the group began walking towards Amber.