by Neven Iliev
That said, even if they were technically naked, the statues were hardly defenceless. They were a type of golem, a magical construct of animated stone, which meant that their bodies were much tougher than the flesh of actual humans. They also carried enormous, body-covering shields and massive spears, all made from yet more stone. It was obvious that the things could both take and dish out ridiculous amounts of punishment, but there was an upside to the situation. Golems were simple, straightforward creatures that only engaged their enemies in direct close quarters combat. Granted, the stone soldiers seemed significantly more coordinated than one might expect from a bunch of brickheads, but they still lacked any form of magical or ranged support.
Boxxy determined that this would be a good place to check on the growth of its minions. It had been steadily gaining INT over these past three weeks by gaining Levels in its Mimic Job and various related Skills, and with its other Jobs restored it now had significantly more MP than when it had been captured. The extra juice meant that Xera was currently a Level 27 Succubus and Level 20 Pyromancer, while Kora was a Level 27 Fiend and Level 20 Berserker. At 2120, the latter’s HP had even slightly surpassed the Mimic’s, though her MP was as abysmally low as ever.
Regardless, both of them had a few new Skills each, not to mention that the Mimic had yet to see Valeria really get serious. They had run into a few attackers on their way to the dungeon, but they hadn’t even been a challenge for the travelling monster troupe. It was important that Boxxy know just how strong the minions it had at its disposal were, and this was as good a place as any to test things out.
After scoping out the area a little further, the Mimic returned to the dungeon’s outskirts, where its posse had been told to wait quietly for its return.
“U-uhm… B-B-B-Boxxy…”
The monster’s brief absence had given Fizzy the courage to speak up for the first time since she had been raped.
“What?”
“Th-th-the, uh, th-that…”
Then again, perhaps ‘speak’ was too strong a word. She was still simultaneously exhausted, traumatised, terrified, and furious, so she was having some trouble articulating her words. She couldn’t even look directly at the chest-shaped monster and instead stared intensely at her own feet while her tiny voice leaked from her dry throat.
“I n-n-n-need to get s-s-supplies… F-fresh food and wa- water… Since my old ones were ra- uh, Blighted…”
It had been more than twenty-four hours since she’d last had a solid meal. She’d managed to fill her canteen with water from a small stream they had passed on the way, but she had already drunk it all in an ultimately misguided attempt to fill her belly.
“Also… I need s-s-s-sleep… Like… a l-lot…”
There was also the matter of her depleted stamina. It was nearly evening, and they had perhaps two hours before the sun set completely. The group had been walking for most of the day, draining what little physical strength she had left. Her already sleep-deprived body had been running on empty in pretty much every sense of the word and would have already collapsed if not for the END holding her up. She was certainly in no condition to spend hours, maybe even days tackling a dungeon full of traps, monsters, and Jeramiah knew what else.
“C-c-can we r-rest? P-p-p-p-please?” she begged, barely holding back tears.
Boxxy was troubled by this. While it was true that they were in no particular rush, it didn’t feel like waiting around, either. If the gnome’s biological needs were going to keep getting in its way, then they would have a problem. She was the only one who needed to be pampered like this. Boxxy’s constitution was much stronger than the gnome’s, so it could last significantly longer without food or sleep. Admittedly, it also required an enormous amount of nutrition, but it was a far less picky eater than Fizzy. Xera and Kora were both demons, and as such didn’t need food or water at all. Or sleep, for that matter. Though they did get tired, they could just be re-summoned in order to instantly fix the problem. And Valeria was the least demanding of all. She was undead, meaning that she needed zero rest or sustenance. All her body required was that her phylactery be safe and relatively close by. Which, of course, it was, as it was currently tucked away in the fleshy sack at the base of Boxxy’s huge tongue.
However, it would seem the lich still had an opinion to offer on the matter of sleep.
“Boxxy, I think you should let the poor thing rest.”
Fizzy’s eyes widened in shock.
“She’s only a gnome,” Valeria continued. “If you don’t let creatures like her properly recover from their fatigue, then their performance will drop, and they can make crucial mistakes in combat.”
“Huh. I suppose that’s true, isn’t it?” the Mimic stated, as if only now realising what should have been common sense.
“It is. Besides,” she added, “I also need some time to hunt for fresh bodies and replenish my own minions. I can’t make undead out of rocks, twigs and dirt, you know. So how about you let her rest while I do that?”
“… Yeah, okay,” Boxxy finally gave in. “You and Fizzy go hunt, get meat and zombies.”
“Yes, my darling!” she chirped.
“Snack, go with them and guard the small one. Make sure she doesn’t die.”
“Understood, Master,” Xera gave a small bow.
“Arms, you’re with me. Let’s go see how strong those golems are.”
“You got it, boss!”
The five of them split up, with Xera, Valeria and Fizzy going away from the dungeon in search of prey while Boxxy and Kora prepared themselves for-
“Oh, crap!” the Mimic shouted suddenly.
“Hm? What’s wrong, boss?”
Boxxy had just realised: It had used one of its precious mithril daggers as a projectile weapon during its brief bout with Valeria. However, in all the excitement of completing the Quest, getting its Jobs restored and being reconnected with its familiars, it had completely forgotten to pick it up.
Meaning that it was currently laying on the fourth floor of the abandoned Arcaneum tower, at least half a day’s walk away.
Part Three
A lich, a Paladin and a succubus walked into a forest. Although it seemed like the beginning of a bad joke, it was currently Valeria, Fizzy and Xera’s reality. The gnome glanced up at the floating undead several times before screwing up the courage to speak.
“Uh… uhm… Valeria?”
“Hm? What is it, little one?”
“Why did you stand up for me back there?”
“Oh that? I was simply doing my duty.”
“What duty?”
“What sort of worthless woman would let her future husband’s precious little pet waste away like that? You’re so small and fragile that I couldn’t help myself.”
Anger flared once again in Fizzy’s eyes. The rage, which had been dulled somewhat by the Mimic’s ridiculously named ‘Operation,’ returned full force and then some. Not because Valeria had called her a pet. Though she likely intended it as an insult, it would probably be an upgrade from the position of ‘property’ that the gnome had reluctantly resigned herself to. What truly made her mad was that this incorrigible pervert had taken pity on her.
“No need to thank me,” Valeria grinned, inadvertently adding more fuel to the flame.
The gnome’s grip on her oversized wrench tightened, and she gritted her teeth angrily. Did this insufferable bint not realise just whose fault it was that she was so miserable? She wanted to take a swing at this piece of trash and smash her teeth in so badly that it almost overpowered her sense of reason. ‘Almost’ being the operative word. The difference in their Statuses and Levels meant that act would be equivalent to suicide. Even if Paladins were the natural enemy of undead, liches were their antithesis, and were well-equipped to fight the living. A fight between the two of them at this stage was sure to end in the gnome’s demise.
Not to mention that even if Fizzy pulled off a miracle and won, Boxxy would never let her off with just a
few little ‘love taps.’
“Sorry to break this up,” Xera butted in, “but the Master just informed me it has need of the lich.”
“Really?!” Valeria exclaimed, the yellow points of her otherwise-black eyes flaring dangerously.
“Yes. Something about having to go back to the white tower.”
“Then I shall return to my darling’s side immediately!”
The lich bolted back the way they’d come, twirling merrily through the air like a leaf on the wind.
The reason Boxxy had called her back was because it wanted to return to the tower to retrieve its forgotten dagger. Even though it wouldn’t be particularly useful against golems, that didn’t mean that it could just leave one of its most treasured shinies behind. Unfortunately, the Blight-infested stretch of land surrounding the tower was crawling with undead, which would make the trip much more annoying and time consuming than it had any right to be.
Which was where Valeria came in. The lich had bragged at length about her Skills shortly after she’d been recruited, and the Mimic was particularly interested in her Lord of the Dead Skill. According to Valeria, it was a lich-exclusive ability that no human Necromancer could ever hope to obtain. It not only strengthened all minions under her command, but also allowed her to dominate and control the feral undead that appeared naturally due to the Blight. Assuming she was telling the truth, she could direct all those rotting vermin away from Boxxy, allowing the Mimic to travel unhindered. This would not only give her the chance to rebuild her undead army, but would also allow Fizzy plenty of time to rest and recuperate.
The Mimic had decided on this course of action because it had determined it to be the most efficient. It was most assuredly not going to be the romantic moonlit walk that the delusional lich was likely imagining.
Now that it was just Fizzy and Xera, the gnome found herself temporarily at a loss.
“You should get busy,” the succubus suggested. “It would be quite troublesome if your pitiful performance were to become a burden to my Master.”
“Ah… Right. Th-then you will help me hunt, right? The f-faster I get what I need, the l-less of a burden I’ll be…”
“Ahhh, I suppose that’s true. Very well, I’ll back you up.”
The two of them roamed the sparsely forested area for a while before they ran across a large black bear, which was soon charred even blacker when Xera’s magic killed it instantly. While it may have been enormous, and certainly looked menacing, it was no match for a Spell-slinging demon that completely overwhelmed it in terms of Levels.
Fizzy took out her dagger and began to carve the meat into appropriately-sized steaks. She would grill them up, eat her fill, and preserve the rest with the salt she’d found in Boxxy’s Storage.
The succubus sat down on a nearby rock, watching her work with a vaguely dissatisfied look on her face. Her glare made the Paladin more than a little uneasy.
“D-Do you hate me?” she finally asked.
The gnome’s choice of conversation topic was perhaps a little weird, but the succubus was already feeling bored. Exciting and fun things happened all the time whenever her beloved Master was around, but that also meant that things were incredibly dull whenever it wasn’t. Therefore, she felt she might as well indulge Fizzy with a bit of idle chatter to kill time.
“I do.”
“Oh…”
“Don’t take it personally. I dislike all mortals that aren’t Master. Also most demons. And all but one god. I don’t really have a shit list so much as a not-shit list. And even that has only six names on it.”
“… I see.”
Silence once again reigned, broken only by the wet sound of the knife digging into flesh.
“… Can I ask what your real name is?”
“You know there’s no truth to the myth that you can control a demon if you know its name, right?” Xera rolled her eyes.
It wasn’t an entirely unfounded notion since names were incredibly important when it came to summoning contracts, but it was still a ridiculous idea.
“Th-that’s not it! It’s just that, your name isn’t actually Snack, is it?”
“Hmm… Actually, you’re right. It isn’t. I should see if I can get it changed.”
“… I’m sorry, what?”
“I am my master’s Snack. Is it really so wrong for my name to reflect that?”
“You… You like being eaten?!”
“Of course I don’t, you foolish creature. I love it. I adore it! I need it! Being devoured the instant I was back in the physical realm was the best welcome back gift I could’ve asked for! Hnnn! Just thinking about it is… Mmmmnn!”
Realization dawned as Fizzy watched the succubus’s expression contort with lust. Come to think of it, hadn’t this demon also eagerly shouted, ‘Do me! Do me!’ during this morning’s incident?
“That is why I’m sure I will never lose to that uppity ghost. Master likes my flavour the best!”
That’s not something to be proud of! Fizzy shrieked internally.
Still, that made it official: The number of incorrigible perverts around Boxxy was not one, but two. Actually, given this pattern, it was highly likely that the red demon was just as bad. How had they all managed to congregate around a creature with absolutely no sex drive!? The Mimic had made it clear that it did not enjoy the act and simply used it as ‘practise’ to increase its Skill. Which the gnome was inclined to believe, given that it hadn’t assaulted her in all this time. If it weren’t for Valeria, she wouldn’t be in this situation, where she felt disgusted to be inside her own body. Then again, making the pain stop would be so easy. All she had to do was take the knife in her hand and drag it across her –
Fizzy immediately shook away the dangerous thought that had crept into her skull. She decided that it would be best if she simply ignored the hopeless slut of a demon and focused herself entirely on preparing the bear’s meat. After separating what looked to be the best pieces, Fizzy fired up her mana-fuelled welding torch and grilled them thoroughly. She gorged herself on as much of the tough, bland meat as she could stomach, then packaged the rest for later. It could probably last her for a few more days before it went bad.
Once she was finished, she walked over to a soft-looking patch of grass and fell like a sack of turnips, slipping into a coma-like sleep the instant her head hit the ground. She was so tired that she couldn’t even dream, let alone have nightmares, though it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the real nightmare was when she was awake. But, at least for tonight, circumstances had conspired to allow her a proper rest for the first time since she’d been imprisoned. She slept from sundown until well after sunrise for a total of thirteen hours.
The gnome sprang to her feet the instant she regained consciousness and looked around in panic. She was so used to being woken up with violence that her subconscious mind had perceived her late, peaceful morning as a matter of concern. It took her several seconds before she had woken completely and several more before she reassured herself that she wouldn’t be beaten for oversleeping. It was only then that she managed to calm herself down.
Looking around, she saw that the succubus was exactly where she’d been when Fizzy had fallen asleep – sitting idly on a nearby stump and staring off into the distance. The entire area was covered in scorch marks, suggesting that the demoness had taken to flinging Fireballs at random to alleviate her boredom. There were also some charred lumps of meat here and there, presumably from monsters stupid enough to cross her line of sight.
She didn’t seem to notice that the gnome had woken up, so Fizzy decided to call out to get her attention.
“G-good morning.”
Xera’s eyes turned away from the horizon to stare contemptuously at the pint-sized Paladin.
“Oh, finally awake?”
“Y-yeah.”
“I hope you got plenty of rest and do not embarrass my Master.”
“I won’t. Trust me, upsetting Boxxy is the least- the last thing I want to
do,” she sheepishly twiddled her thumbs.
“Hmmm. Well, so long as you understand.”
“And uh, wh- where is-”
“On its way back,” the succubus interrupted her. “I think they’ll be here in about half an hour, so we’d better get back to the dungeon.”
“Alright. You, um, you didn’t do anything weird to me while I slept, right?”
This was an entirely valid concern. Xera had been the one who had manipulated Fizzy’s memory back in Erosa, and she always did it after putting the gnome to sleep with magic. There was no telling whether she might’ve done the same last night, especially considering her deceitful nature. The fact that the succubus didn’t answer with words but instead with a mischievous smile did little to reassure the gnome.
“Hey! You didn’t do anything, right?!”
The worried Paladin kept asking but received no response as the two of them walked towards the tall black spire in the distance. It was very possible that Xera hadn’t actually done anything and was simply stringing the poor girl along just for kicks, but Fizzy couldn’t simply accept such a naive answer. She searched her memory in an effort to spot anything out of place, any potential time she might have lost. Unfortunately, it was all there. The imprisonment, the abuse, the misery, the assault… all of it was there in such vivid detail that they made the gnome even more depressed when she dredged them up.
She kept worrying over what Xera might’ve done as they made their way back to the Spire of the Jade King, arriving at roughly the same spot where the group had split up the day before. Kora sat casually on the ground as if waiting for them.
“Yo!”
She greeted the pair with a wave of her hand.
Her only hand.
“Ack!”
Fizzy recoiled in horror as she realised that the mountain of muscle had been mutilated horribly. She was missing both left arms, half a right arm and most of her left leg. Large chunks of her left torso had been gouged out, and both of her magnificent metal horns had been broken off almost entirely.