The Truth Hurts

I sit alone on the bed. Everyone else went off to...contemplate things. Despite the initial reception, I can't help but feel...lighter. It's not much, but it's definitely enough to help me relax a bit. Kara's stuck with me, regardless... Bel and Eve, I could remove the Marks if they want... Diana and Rose, I'd be a fool to let go... Banta seemed mostly okay... That just leaves Camilla...

I sigh. She didn't even let me finish before walking out... "...shit..." Rubbing my face with my hands, I can't help but wonder what's going through her head...

Camilla

I slash into the dummy. ...was I wrong to trust him? Another slash. ...can I even trust myself, anymore? A spin and stab, before I feel a bit nauseous and need to pause. The father of my child...needs to kill my heroes... Angrily, I slash the dummy again, cleaving it in two as the top part bounces a few feet away.

"Defeat, not kill." A familiar voice in my head speaks up, for the first time in a few hours.

"...like it matters..."

"...my own master wasn't the most morally sound individual, but he rarely took a life if it wasn't necessary. Dusk is...quite similar, in many aspects..."

"Just..." I take a breath. "Please, I don't want to hear about a man that's been dead for thousands of years..."

"Then why not a man that's alive now?" I don't need to turn around to recognize her, her arms sneaking under my own, hands interlocking around my waist as she sets her head on my shoulder.

I'm happy at her touch, but...my head hangs. "...you knew, didn't you?"

Her grip tightens. "I did... I learned the night he first possessed me."

My own grip on my sword tightens. "...why didn't you say anything, then?"

"He's a good man, Cammy, just **** into a bad situation. He saved our lives...he saved our home..."

"And then he told us he wants to kill the Saintesses."

"...is that what you heard?"

"That's what he told us."

"I think you misunderstood, Cammy. When has Dusk ever given the impression he was a murderer?"

I purse my lips. "...no, but-"

"But nothing. You just need to trust him, Cammy."

"...I don't know if I can anymore..."

Terra

I sit at the back of my host's mind, watching her struggle. This candidate is getting on my nerves... I can't believe I got paired up with her... How Master did this, I'll never know. By all means, Lia and I should be dead. In a way, we are, but now we're here...possessing new candidates. I only ever had Master possessing me... Master, just what did you do?

Eve stares at an arrow in her hand, the other reaching under her dress and rubbing at scars on her stomach. Her grip is shaky, the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

Sighing, I finally speak up, not even bothering to keep up the ruse of a persona I've used. "You know that won't solve anything, right?"

She startles. "Terra?"

"Who else would it be? You came out to the middle of nowhere."

The goblin girl pauses. "...what do you think I should do?"

"About your master?"

She hesitates, before nodding. "I don't know what to think... He's the one...that told me it was okay to be me...but now...who even is that?"

"You are your master's consort. What you are beyond that is up to you."

Her grip tightens, and there's a pause.

"You were born an elf, raised in tune with nature, then died. After being raised as a goblin, you enjoyed the hedonistic life until your master aided in recovering your memory... Now, despite requesting a lack of sex, Syz has defined you as his personal courtesan."

"...is that all I am..."

I pause. No...no it's not... My mind goes back to my own life, my own time. I wasn't just a pretty face, but that's how everyone saw me. That's how every courtesan back then was treated...except Master...he didn't see me for my past or my profession... "No. Rinavahl is dead. Cocksleeve was a weak-minded goblin who only cared about sex. You are both, yet neither. Your fate may be tied to your master, but he's never limited you. He's never not trusted you. Whomever 'Eve' is...I know he'll be happy with her."

She sniffs. "Terra...thanks. You can be really smart sometimes..."

I can't help but giggle. "Like, everyone's kinda smart, right?"

Diana

I stare at my children, once more playing with the fox boy. I can't believe he dragged me into his war... Someone such as me shouldn't be brought so low as to fight meager gods...and of course I'll need to carry even more weight with that bastard crippled...

My gaze falls to my left arm, severed just below the elbow. And of course I'm not even at full strength... I can't even call upon my other hives to fight these battles because of his damned restrictions. All I have are these two...

Violet once more 'tags' the fox boy, and I pause. Moments later, the fox 'tags' Daisy.

...I only have these two...for now. All I need is to convince him to breed more, and once they mature, they'll be able to lay their own eggs... A smirk forms on my face. And even when the gods smite the bastard, I'll still have all the fruits of my labors... I idly rub my crotch, already burning from the mere concept of sex. And I'll even sate my hunger. It's been over a week since the last time...

Belinda

Looking at the villagers passing through the square, I can't help but wonder: Do they know their leader is plotting to kill their heroes? Some of them eye me with a bit of fear, some curiosity, but all are wary. They clearly don't trust monsters, yet they allow us to stay here. This doesn't even compare to other border villages I've been too; normally the anti-monster sentiment is enough to warrant killing one on sight...yet here...

A brazen child, maybe 10 years old, tugs on my leather skirt, stirring me from my train of thought. "Miss guard lady?"

Crouching down with my legs together, I set my hands on my knees. "What is it, young one?"

"Why's your skin so grey?"

Calmly, I pull my head off, once more feeling the strange disconnect I've gotten used to, before setting myself on my knee. "I'm actually an undead."

The boy is startled, but after the initial fright, he leans on his toes to get a better view of my neck-stump, his pointer reaching out to poke it. "Gross..." Entranced, he pokes at several parts of my neck, before hitting a more sensitive part.

Wincing, I grip his wrist, maybe a bit too forcefully, and pull his finger away. "Be careful where you touch."

"Oh, did that hurt?" He actually looks...concerned.

What is so different about these people that they treat monsters like this? Shaking myself of the thought, I return to the current conversation, downplaying the stinging sensation. "It's more uncomfortable than pai-."

"Gerald!" A man's voice pierces the square, and by the time I'm able to turn to look at him, my head is kicked from my grasp, rolling around in the dirt. It's not the first time it's happened, but still disorienting to have my head rolled around like a ball. The man grips the boy's wrist, wrenching him from my grasp. "I told you to stay away from these freaks!"

The pair quickly retreats as I go to retrieve my head. Now this is closer to my expectations... Reattaching my head, it only takes a moment for both perspectives to come together in my memory. It's much easier when it's only been a couple minutes, as opposed to longer stretches of time.

Looking around, I make eye contact with some villagers, before each of them turn away and pretend they weren't watching the scene unfold. They all just...stare... None of them joined in, waiting to pounce on me once caught off guard...

Not making any sense of the situation, I head north. _It would be one thing if they simply trusted me, but now I'm an accomplice to the destruction of the Saintesses, whether I participate or not...__ _My hand rubs over my stomach, a layer of leather between it and the tattoo etched on my skin. Walking into the Monsquad house, I see Demona, standing petrified. Closing the door behind me, I step closer. "Demona...you're always so sure of yourself. If this was Adalbaal...what would you do?"

Banta

It's just like Hali said... I roll across the forest floor, retracing my steps -metaphorically- from that first night with Dusk. Even with my now-innate ability to sense mana in the air, it's not easy; the forest hasn't changed, really, just that it's easier to sense 'fresh' mana than it is 'stale', the kind that's sat out for days.

Dusk is set to accomplish his mission, now. Against the Saintesses, he'll need all the help he can get. A lowly slime may not seem like much, but Hali's ideas seem worth exploring...

Which is why I'm out here right now, instead of back comforting Dusk. I need to get a huge amount of mana, and while Dusk's is delicious, I doubt I can get what I need from just him. Hali said the 'system' -whatever that is- requires too much to gain from just one person, but I remember from before I met Dusk that some stale mana pools just north of town.

When I brought the idea up to Hali, she said it might be enough, but even then, I might have to...to kill someone, to really get more powerful. Hopefully it doesn't come to that...hopefully Dusk agrees with me... I'd hate to have to kill the Saintesses, but Dusk has that 'mark' thing he can use instead.

I pause, a familiar 'scent' in the air. It's strange when I compare it to my human senses, since they're so different. Seeing and smelling are kind of the same for me, now; slimes are apparently able to sense mana in the air, but also in other beings, and we can use that to 'see' and 'smell', with different types of mana giving different 'scents'.

Eyeing the source of the 'scent', I shudder. I still can't believe I willingly ate animal poop...

I roll faster, away from the droppings, only to pause, smelling another familiar 'scent'. That's it! As fast as I can, I make my way closer, and a minute later, I've found it: the mana pond. The memories of this place aren't the best -Dusk actually tried to kill me here, when we first 'met'- but it's the best option I have.

Rolling off the edge, I sink to the bottom, letting the stale mana suffuse my being. I'll become strong...strong enough to help Dusk succeed...strong enough to help Hali...

Rose

A waste of a perfectly good vessel... Reaching out to Roger, I can't get any meaningful response. She's alive, but her brain has been ripped apart to the point where I doubt she'll have any meaningful life, assuming she wakes up at all.

I'm glad Dusk allowed me to send that letter. Without that, I'd be stuck with just the two servants, and that would be the most boring thing in the world. Moran's busy getting dicked by every goblinoid in town, and Rena has guard duty... Even including my captivity, this is the fewest thralls I've had since I reincarnated...

Mentally sighing, I probe at Dusk again, the faint feeling of anxiety and regret lingering. It's a shame he's not letting me make more thralls. I could easily deal with all his problems if he simply said I could... He's probably going to enslave them anyways, but at least my way makes them like following orders...and I can't deny having the most powerful women in the world under my control wouldn't be appealing in...multiple ways.

At least I should have more flowers in the next few days. At least then I'll have something to do... Although I wonder how Dusk will take me having my own little garden inside his village.

Dusk Blackwing

I doubt any of this is going to end well...but if I'm going to do anything, I need to make sure I can actually move around on my own. I'd hate to take over Kara for such long stretches of time... I ruffle my feathers. Wings still work, so long distances are fine...it's just getting around on foot that's the problem... I stare at the robot -the HL unit- that's stood in the corner of the room since I woke up.

"[D] HL, are you connected to the dungeon right now?"

"[D] Affirmative."

"[D] Do you have any ideas on things you could make to help me move around?"

"[D] Calculating... Approximately 37 solutions found."

I blink, lightly shaking my head. "[D] Too many. Narrow it down."

"[D] Calculating... The most optimal solution with the materials available is to construct an exoskeleton for your legs. In its current condition, the dungeon can construct such a device in approximately 8.6 days."

An exoskeleton...no, that's not a good idea. It makes me unapproachable... Pursing my lips, I stare at my legs. Most people in my position would just use a wheelchair, right? Probably better, too. It makes me seem weak, when most of my fighting can be done at range anyway... "[D] How long would it take to make a wheelchair?"

"[D] Calculating... Approximately 1.2 days. However, that solution is drastically inefficient for your primary objective, Lord Blackwing."

"[D] ...that's the point. Get it done, and bring it to me when it's ready."

"[D] ...affirmative. Manufacturing has begun."

Good. At least I won't be taking Kara's life away from her just so I can walk... "[D] As you were, HL." I lean back against the head of the bed. Now, I need to show actual progress... I guess I should start with Citrinas. She's the only one I've seen so far, and with her interest in monsters, it should be easier...but how do I go about it?...