Meet up with the party.

You stroll back through the grounds of the academy, and up head near where you first arrived, you see Eva standing with her hands behind her back. She bobs her body forward and back and whistles a tune as she waits. Upon closer inspection, her outfit is different, though not vastly. It reminds you of Niki's shiny new set of armour that was mostly similar to her last--like in a video game, when you make equipment using a higher crafting level.

It consists of a blouse the same shade of blue, which is dropped to end just below her bust. It's kept together in the middle by only two buttons, still being very generous with her perky cleavage. However, it's trimmed with thin lines of frilly silver, and the sleeves end in pale purple frills at her wrists with ribbons that hang a couple inches down. The biggest difference you notice is a short cape covering her back. It's a royal, dark blue that's nearly black, and reaches from her neck down her back--cut just enough not to cover up her cotton tail. It looks rather fancy. She turns to you as you approach, and your eyes trail down her bare stomach, and to her new skirt. It's short, and end in the same silver frills. Beneath that are thigh-high striped stockings--blue and purple--that lead down into a pair of matching shoes. On the back of each shoe is a tiny purple fluff ball as decoration. Just like when you were on a date together, she has a clip parting her hair, but now it's in the shape of a tiny white star.

She looks to you bashfully. Her fingers pinch the hem of her skirt, and she curtsies politely. She then raises up her arms, and does a spin, nearly causing her skirt to fly up too far. She finishes with a pose of her hands together over her mouth as she looks to you impatiently waiting a response.

"It looks amazing," you say.

"Hurray!" she cheers. "I thought so too. Did you manage to get the thing from Lady Sulta?"

You nod. "It's right here. But she gave me this Arcane Eye thing as well, but was too busy to explain it. Do you know anything about it?"

"Hmm. Let me see it."

She takes the marble and looks it over. Then she suddenly reaches out, and pushes it up against your eye. Your body shudders, and you feel an intense heat in your face. The vision in that eye becomes a blinding white. You panic and swat her hand away, causing the orb to fall into the grass. After you recover and blink a few times, it seems like you can see again.

"What was that for?!" you ask.

"I think I was right! I've heard about this time. Now try to focus on it."

"Focus on it?"

Unsure of what that means, you do your best to try. Suddenly, a pair of tiny bat wings sprout from the side of the orb, and it lifts up into the air. All the while, it turns from black to white, and has both a bright blue iris and a pupil right in the center. It's a flying eyeball. Not only that, but you can see right through it! Your other eye is normal, but the one she pushes the item against can see through this flying eye as if it were your own. It's a little disorienting. You close your other eye to make things easier, and when you focus more, you discover that you can actually move it around.

"That's so cool!" she shouts. "And your eye looks different too. One of them anyway."

"This is wild. I feel bad that I didn't get to thank Vazeela for this."

"Vazeela, huh? Well, we can thank her next time we run into her."

You sever the connection, and the orb falls into your hand while the wings disappear. Your eye returns to normal as well. It's a little sore, but you blink a few times again, and your senses slowly stabalize. "Well, I guess we should find the others."

"Lead the way~!" She looks incredibly happy with her new dress. Her joy is infectious.

At the southern gates of Tolis, you find your companions sitting around, though as you walk, you flip through the pages of the book. You try not to spend too much time being distracted by it, as you wouldn't want someone to recognize it, or try to steal it. When you walk up to the others, you take a seat on a wooden crate, and really buckle down to study Lady Sulta's notes.

"You've returned," Snow says. She walks up behind you, bends down, and peeks over your shoulder. Her hair tickles the side of your head. "Is that what you were seeking?"

Eva grabs the top of it and leans over to attempt reading the pages upside down. You look forwards and get a bountiful view of her breasts barely contained within her hanging blouse. "Let me see it. I was the first one to see you with it, and you still haven't showed me!"

"Then move to the side, you goof!" you reply.

She huddles up beside you. Meanwhile, Niki crosses her arms and watches. Books aren't really her thing. Amara lurks behind the other two girls and peeks over your head, while Alice stands next to her. Together, you all flip through the pages one by one, and try to make sense of it all.

"An arrow," Alice speaks up from behind. "I see."

"And it requires certain reagents to make," Eva says.

Amara takes a deep breath. "Then all we must do is collect them as quickly as possible, and we may have the Demon King's weakness without him ever knowing. I admit, I am getting nervous."

Niki wraps her arm around her. "Don't worry. I'll keep you safe."

"Hmm?" Jelly peeks out from inside her backpack and looks around.

"Did you just wake up?" Alice asks.

Jelly nods.

You stand up and shut the book, and then you pull out your map, roll it open, and look it over along with the others. "She gave me this other item as well. An Arcane Eye that lets me see through it."

"So you can keep an eye on us if we split up again!" Eva says proudly.

"Yes... That's right. And it looks like we need four things. Both eyes of a wyvern, the venom glands of violet spider, and two plants. One is called a frost lotus, and the other is called a gloom daisy. It then explains how to utilize them to craft the head, shaft, and fletching of the Projectile: Eradicator Gold, a divine weapon designed to eliminate the Amulet of Stupendous Strength. But if it still exists, I guess this weapon is just theoretical... If it was made, there's no mention of where one would be, so we'll just have to make our own and hope for the best."

Snow holds out her hand. "May I?"

You reach out and give her the book.

She flips through it. "I think this is the fabled weapon that was used to defeat his father, Demon King Mas'och, two centuries ago."

"Sa'dis is his son?!" Eva shouts.

Snow reaches out with one hand and covers the rabbit's mouth. "We've all heard the legends of this Demon King. An actual demon, unlike many of the others. His strength was unparalleled, but I've never heard anything of him having a son."

"If the arrow was used, why is the amulet still around?" you ask.

"It's difficult to tell, but it makes it sound like the amulet can regenerate somehow." She hands the book back to you. "There is a lot of guessing, even with Lady Sulta's notes."

You take it and stow it away into your backpack.

Niki looks over the map. "I don't know much about plants, and I'm afraid I've never run into a wyvern or a violet spider."

"So no leads at all, huh?" you ask.

Amara raises her hand. "Actually, I do know of where we might be able to find some frost lotuses. The elven village of Morniwo, down in Aralaia... or I should say, Silverleaf, as everybody else calls it. I have been there before, and many different plants grow in that forest. It is a ways away, but if we split up, there will not be much danger there. The residents keep the forest safe from evil creatures." She pokes her finger down on the southern part of the map.

"I see. Well, we know a lot of people in Avana now. We might as well head back home, and ask around for the rest. Someone has to know. We just gotta keep things on the down low. Did you guys find any caravans heading out soon?"

"Yeah," Niki speaks up. "In less than an hour, one just outside the gates should get going. They said we could ride for free."

"Really?" you ask.

Snow groans. She crosses her arms, and glances away. "The leader of the caravan said, and I quote... I would love to have a bunch of pretty girls on board to liven things up."

"I don't know how I feel about that." Is it just this empire where everyone is a pervert? Actually maybe that's just life in general. Just the people around here have less of a filter about it. In a world of attractive people, fantastical races, magic, and other things like that, I guess I can't blame them. This is a world where you don't even need a condom.

"I like your skirt," Alice says timidly.

"Thank you~!" Eva giggles and gives the golem a hug. "When we get back home, I'm gonna show Luna, just in case I need another one made."

"Did you get anything else?" Niki asks.

"Actually, yeah!"

You stand back and watch them bicker. Even with dangers on the horizon, they can chat like it's nothing. That's something you need to see right now.