Chapter Fifty-Two: Murderous Options

Chapter Fifty-Two: Murderous Options

“Lady Springfield, do you really have to leave?!” cried the Dryad as she hugged my leg. Her vines wrapped around my leg as she looked up with a saddened expression and eyes full of clear tears.

We were standing in front of the bridge leading to the village. Primrose didn’t want to come out from her crystal, so Sekh oversaw Niva’s wheelchair. Oswell, his men, the horses, and wagons were already across it, and they were waiting on me.

“I must,” I replied, petting her head. “I’ve got business to attend to.”

Aello walked forward, but I put a hand up to stop her. “But... But... But will I see you again?”

“Yes, you will. I promise I’ll come back. Here, do you want to hear another song?” The little spirit nodded, so I pulled out the songleaf and played the best tune of my chimeric life. Beautiful melodies swam through the many vines of the Eagle Yew, causing scattering leaves to dance atop the entire village. The whimsy highs and deep lows preceded the fatal fate of my instrument, which faded away into mana once I had played the last note.

“The Eagle Yew is happy,” Aello said, flapping her wings. “When a songleaf is at the end of its life, it returns to where it whence came. However, should it be played with honor...”

A striking light flashed from above, and down came a flute created out of nothing but songleaf. Aello stated that Elven children were often tasked to make their own flutes in training. Yet being granted a flute by something like the Eagle Yew was another option, albeit very rare. And almost an impossibility, in my case.

[Analysis] says Susize made this made 1,152 years ago. Why would Aetos give it to me? I don’t understand that eagle.

I grasped it with both hands, and I let the memories of Susize Vredi grant me the knowledge to play one last little song called Vredi’s Lullaby.

The resounding lows were slow and docile, clashing with the tinge of airy highs to create a soliloquy of love handed down from Susize’s ancestor—the one who discovered and planted the seed that ended up becoming Vredi Forest. The song carried the hopes and dreams of all elves born within its nurturing bosom—the acoustic symbol of their livelihood. Something played before every parade or festival. It wasn’t rare for the whole forest to sing their hearts out to pay respect to their caregiver.

And then it burned down... From the memories I saw flash through my mind, the world seemed to stop turning when it happened. The flames were raging out of control, leading to a worldwide hunt for the one responsible.

I didn’t know if they were caught. If a Holy or Dark Lord was responsible, there was a chance they were alive. How ironic would it be if we came across the culprit? What would I do? Kill them? Thank them? Did it matter? I was a High Elf, but only via chimerism. But I couldn’t deny Susize’s feelings for this forest. There was a dull ache in my heart from where we had to leave.

No, I don’t have to think about that now. Just play the song, Mila.

Once finished, a little green flower blossomed on the Dryad’s head.

“It isn’t my blooming season, though,” noted the Dryad. She looked at me, plucked the flower, and gave it to me with a smile while I ignored my thoughts.

A Dryad only gives their flowers to someone they trust, my lord, said the AI. That was mentioned in Murag’s journals.

“Do you trust me that much?” I mean, I hadn’t done much. Sure, I spent time with her, but... She nodded, and I really had no choice but to accept it with a smile. Crouching down, she placed it in my hair and rubbed it, then skipped back to stand by Aello. A few moments later, a collection of sparkling mana accumulated nearby, which soon gave birth to a striking banana yellow-like slime. It was about the same size as I was in my slime form, and it wiggled and jiggled like gelatin. Aello believed the Eagle Yew wanted to send another gift, so it used its power to create life.

The question was thus: did I want to bring it? As I was thinking that, the wiggling thing bounced over to Niva and sat right in her lap, eliciting a cute yelp. Sekh quickly bent down to tell her it wasn’t me.

“Mistress, can we keep it?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not. You want to name it?”

“Is that fine? Can I take some time to think of one?”

“Yep.”

We waved goodbye and turned around to join Oswell and his group.

“That flower looks good on you, my liege.”

“Big Tits is right. A Dryad’s flower is special, so take care of it.”

“It does feel kinda good,” I confessed.

I called for Niva and Primrose, and the spirit wheeled the chair with a venomous expression. When she saw the dentures, she almost snatched them from my hand and said she would be the one to put them in. That got some attention, and I quickly reminded her with glowing, floating waypoints that she had to watch her attitude.

Don’t bring undue attention to ourselves. Remember that.

She glared at me but managed to fit those teeth in Niva’s mouth using her sticky sap as glue. There shouldn’t be any soreness because the elixir healed any remaining pain, but I still told her to tell me if there was any discomfort.

Around 10 PM, Oswell called it a night and pulled the caravan over to a nearby plain of flat grassland. He let the slaves out to stretch their legs and eat a cup of soup with a piece of hard bread, then ordered them back into the caged wagons after they put up the heavy-duty tents. Erin looked that way to her former fate before turning around and finishing up her stew. We all sat around the giant campfire. It was here that I got more acquainted with the rest of Oswell’s group.

Tactile and Deimpse were two scrawny humans that treated Vamire like an older brother. He’d told those two to stay back during the boar attack earlier out of their safety, but the Dark Elf was being lightly chastised by Oswell. “I know you care for them, but they can’t get stronger if they don’t fight. Those boars weren’t even Lv. 10.”

“I know, man, but come on,” Vamire whined. His younger ‘brothers’ sat beside him, and a small argument—no, it wasn’t an argument, but maybe a vocal discussion was the right word—broke out. “Fiiiine... Okay, you got me. Tact, Deim, we’re gonna train like hell tomorrow. Promise me you won’t get too hurt, okay?”

The two underweight humans smiled, and the attention turned to Battr and Abaddan, two Batfolk fighting about thirty feet away. Thanks to their velvety wings, they soared through the air. Batfolk only required about three hours of sleep to last the whole day. They both had red eyes and dark hair. From what I saw, they were the definition of introverts.

The more I watched them, the more I perceived their movements. Sekh was doing the same, staring and observing if I fucked up and turned this into a battle royale.

Once their sparing ended, they joined the rest of us around the campfire. Marcey asked for a song, but I didn’t know Dreams of Style. However, I just played my flute with whatever came to mind, and it really felt like I could do no wrong. Before long, Vamire rushed to his tent and returned with liquor he'd been stashing away for the right occasion. It was the color of lightened wood with a smell like dirt, but some of the group cheered on the Dark Elf and quickly filled their glass.

Not long after, while a drunken Vamire rubbed and fluffed Banda’s exceptionally soft fur, Domi and Bella asked if we wanted to wash up at the river we passed about 20 minutes ago. The offer was extended to Marcey, but she said she was tired. And I suppose I didn’t mind bathing with them.

I knew how that made me sound when I avoided Irisa, but I think I was ready for the next step. When we returned home... when the time was right, I’d asked Irisa to join Sekh, Niva, and me in the tub. There was enough room, and I really liked her.

If I think of this as practice, then yeah...

“Okay, great. Let’s meet up in about ten minutes,” Domi said as she and Bella returned to their tents to get some bathing supplies. I returned to mine with my group. It wasn’t just a normal tent, however. It was large enough to comfortably fit six people. Oswell said Aello had given it to him exclusively for my use after learning I was leaving with him. And I’d asked for it to be set up farther away from the others, and Oswell granted my selfish request.

“Look at you... Only a twisted pervert buys a little girl,” Primrose spat. I laid out a simple shirt and skirt for Niva, and she snatched it away. Niva still wore the robe over her clothes, though. She'd have to wear it for the foreseeable future. I chose traditional Elven attire. It was a green corset dress with loose sleeves with a black waist girdle to keep a slim profile. It was made from dyed spider silk. A pair of over-the-knee green stockings hugged my legs and showed off my curves. They were cute, so I was happy to pair them with brown heels. From Susize’s memories, she always wore this when she went on dates with Reina.

I love the black outfit I have on. The golden highlights are cute and make me look powerful, but that’s a special outfit. My very first one. Besides, I’ve got all these clothes. Might as well put them to use.

“Quiet, Primrose,” I told the spirit. “Erin, believe me when I say I’m not doing this to be mean. There are whims beyond your belief at work here, and they require total concentration so as to not fuck up. The floating words you saw speak the truth. Believe in them, remain quiet, and you will get what you seek. Understood?” Erin nodded once more, but she still looked deathly afraid. I just handed her the first shirt and shorts that came to mind as I browsed my storage. “I don’t have anything in your size. Sorry, but you’ll have to make do with that.”

“That’s not nice. Why not let the girl—” Primrose clamped her mouth shut once she read a violent threat written out in rainbow dots that only she could see. I also warned her she was not to impede me in any case, and that earned me another scowl. Niva remained as she held the slime, who she named Lei. It only took a few hours, but a friendship was forming between the two. It was like a pet that didn’t need to be fed because it literally survived off the mana in the atmosphere.

“Primmy, darling, you gotta watch your mouth,” Tilde warned. “Remember what happened last time you pissed her off?”

“Enough. Let’s meet up with Domi and Bella and get clean.”

My lord, a moment of your time? asked the AI

I sent Sekh and the others ahead of me, but Primrose was not happy. The last thing she said while wheeling Niva out of the tent was that I better not do anything stupid, which earned a scolding from Sekh. That turned into another argument between the two. Tilde remained behind.

“Alright, AI. Tell me. What’s on your mind?” I sat and listened to a devious plan far better than what I had in mind.

“Once you do this, you can’t take it back,” Tilde said. “These people haven’t hurt you. They fed you. They helped you. They even like you. You impressed them, and that Dark Elf even wants to spar and train with you. You managed to convince him to wait, but he’s looking forward to it because he’s the type of guy who can be friends with anyone after a fight. Hell, you even played that flute for them out of the kindness of your heart.”

“And? They’re slavers, through and through.”

“So. Are. You.” Tilde tapped her head. “But I won’t stop you. I wouldn’t dream of it. My little ‘mera must leave the nest and go on her own, so put on your big girl panties. Do what you must do but remember just how dangerous it’s going to be. If you fuck up? Well, it’s going to be a major fuck up. Erin and Niva are likely to bite the dust. Big Tits would protect you above all else. And if our little cyclops dies, you can wave goodbye to Primmy. Considering the animosity between you two, perhaps the best situation is Niva living while Primmy dies.”

“I know, Tilde. I know. I'm a hypocrite of the highest degree, but they gotta die. And don’t think I’m going to gloat about this... Let’s go. I don’t want to keep them waiting.”