The Tentacle Awakens

by J. J. Pavlov

  "Everything's alright now, Kamii..." I kiss her on her scarred shoulder and begin to channel my emotions into healing magic. As Arcelia said when she gave me her holy scriptures, the proper mindset is required for light magic. And right now, I want to do something for this hurt girl before me. "Sano."

  Newer cuts begin to close up, but I can also see old scars fading away and disappearing altogether. Luckily, these are all rather small wounds, since this spell apparently doesn't work on big gashes or broken bones. I can feel relief and joy washing over me when I see her mauve purple skin regain its natural smoothness.

  The spell doesn't do anything for the dirt and dried blood on her body, though.

  "I will never let that happen to you again." I whisper into Kamii's long ear and squeeze her tight. "Now, let's get you dressed."

  She turns around and looks at me with upturned eyes, and then gives me a shy smile. It's the first smile she has given since I saw her, and I can feel a shot through my heart, causing me to forget breathing. It's the kind of expression that makes you think you have to protect it with your life.

  I've decided here and now that I'll be with her forever!

  The dress looks gorgeous on her, even though the dirt on her face and in her hair does diminish the natural beauty that all elves possess. But I'm sure that she's very charming underneath it all.

  Of course, she can't wear the same thing every day. Well, this is a world with a mostly medieval level of society and technology. So, even I only have one outfit for outdoors and one set of pajamas, which I switch to whenever I get to take a bath and wash my clothes.

  In the city, that's going to be pretty much every day, but when we were on the road, I didn't get to take a bath in three days. Not that I need it with my body since I can just decide not to sweat. But dust and dirt still gather on the surface, after all.

  We find underwear for Kamii, which is basically just old lady bloomers, and have the tailor cut down an adult-sized cloak that's long enough to cover her all the way down to her ankles. It's also made of thick and sturdy wool so that it doesn't rip from the spikes of her cursed arm, which she will hide underneath it. Also, we buy her long socks and a pair of leather boots, since she's been barefoot all this time.

  Yes, she walked through the streets barefoot. The only reason Gram could be persuaded not to carry her in his arms - aside from the fact that she still doesn't trust him - is because Luna explained that elves have an inborn light footprint and their feet are somehow magically protected from getting hurt. They can run through the forest without ever receiving cuts from rocks or broken branches.

  I still don't want her to walk around barefoot, though.

  In the end, the bard also shows his generous side and buys her something like a tabard, which she can wear by putting it over her head and then tying it together at the waist. Commonly, that's worn over other clothes or armor, but since Kamii can't put on shirts, it's going to serve as her undergarments now.

  With the shopping concluded, I pick Senka back up from the chair where I neglected her for a while. Then we finally make our way back to the guild hall.

  It's already about to get dark when we finally get back. The meeting between Ingrid and the team leaders seems to have concluded already, as we see Rolan, Luna and Lady Nightwane sitting at a table together, having drinks.

  Only when I see the other adventurers having dinner, do I remember that we skipped lunch today.

  "Welcome back. How'd it go?" Rolan stands up to greet us and asks about our shopping trip to find clothes for Kamii. He's looking to see her new outfit but may appear a little overeager.

  It makes her hide behind me because she doesn't trust him at all.

  "Come on; he's a good guy, Kamii." I put an arm around her shoulder and guide her forward, but she puts up some resistance to it. She clearly prefers to find proof for my statement first.

  "... huh?" I hear Lady Nightwane's surprised voice from behind Rolan and look up. She pushes past him frantically and looms over the little dark elf. "D-did you say... Kamii?"

  At the big dark elf's sudden appearance, Kamii instantly retreats behind me again; a new face just sprung up in front of her with a pretty intense expression, so I can fully understand her sentiment.

  But then it dawns on me. Lady Nightwane told me that someone very important to her had been taken away a long time ago and that she most likely ended up as a slave. The whole reason behind our contract was because she had somehow found that this person was in this city right now, and wanted help in finding her.

  Don't tell me, Kamii is her daughter or something?

  "Kamii? I-is that really you?" Rounding me, Lady Nightwane becomes desperate to catch a glimpse of the girl, who immediately moves in the other direction to hide again. With this, they begin a cat and mouse chase around me.

  "Alright." I grab Kamii as she's in front of me, and stop her from moving by squeezing her to my chest. If she's going to be traveling with me from now on, she needs to get used to the other dark elf's presence. Considering they're from the same people, they should be more friendly with each other anyway.

  And I want to know what kind of connection they have.

  "... it really is you, Kamii!" When she finally gets a good look at the little dark elf, Lady Nightwane falls to her knees and hugs her. Tears begin to roll down her cheeks as she squeezes Kamii, who tries to free herself. Apparently, she doesn't recognize her.

  "... who?" A mixture of fear and apprehension in her voice, she asks curtly, while trying to peel the bigger dark elf off of her.

  "D-don't you remember me?" Shocked, Lady Nightwane lets go and drops to her knees in dejection. Looking up like an abandoned puppy, she has the most pitiful appearance I've ever seen. "I'm your sister."

  Oh, so Kamii is her little sister, huh? I guess it makes sense for the older sister to do everything in her power to look for her. She even went so far as to let herself get captured on purpose, just to have a chance at seeing whether the information she got was accurate or not.

  "Who...?" But the little dark elf retreats behind me again and peeks out from her cover while beginning to sound a bit irritable.

  "I'm Daica..." Her voice takes on the tone of a desperate plea as if praying from the bottom of her heart that her opposite somehow remembers. She can't hold back her tears anymore, and they begin to roll down her face. "I-I'm...your little sister..."

  Wait, little sister?!

  I turn around and grab Kamii by her shoulders, before pushing her right next to the kneeling Lady Nightwane - whose actual name apparently is Daica. Since I'm the one doing it, she isn't struggling, but her expression is filled with unease.

  Their facial structures are quite similar. Then again, it's possible that all dark elves simply look alike, since the only two specimens of their kind I've ever seen are right before me. But I doubt Daica wouldn't be able to tell her own sister apart from some other dark elf.

  I pull Kamii's poncho aside, grab her crab claw and lift it up. The sounds of sharp breaths being sucked in can be heard all around us when they see the cursed arm. It's coming from the curious onlookers who have gathered due to the commotion, and some now pull away in apprehension and disgust.

  "The Kamii you know had this?" I bring the arm up in front of Daica and ask her. She looks at it, and I can see clear recognition in her eyes.

  "It's... become so big..." Muttering in a sad tone, she stares at it not with fear or even pity, but real empathy. After all, it's something only another cursed being could truly understand. Her wording also makes it clear that she's seen this arm before.

  "Kamii, I think this really is your sister." I look her in the eyes, and she glances at Daica with a flustered expression.

  "I... don't remember..." She says with her brows furrowed, and I can see the big dark elf's heart sink. But then she repeats herself and continues her sentence as if having difficulty speaking. "I don't remember... Daica having those..."

  With her normal hand, she points at the b
ig dark elf's voluptuous chest. I almost burst out laughing at the irritated tone she says this in.

  "... huh?" Blinking in surprise, Daica is rendered speechless.

  "How long ago did you say you two got separated?" I hug Kamii from behind to calm her down while asking the 'little' sister.

  "Eleven summers ago." Daica replies with a sniffle.

  Wow, leaving aside how long ago that was, it must mean Kamii is much older than she looks. Considering she's the older sister, and the younger sister can still remember what happened back then, she must be at least...

  I don't want to guess two ladies' ages like that.

  "Kamii, eleven summers is a long time. People change and grow up." Speaking into her ear in a soothing tone, I squeeze Kamii to me. Though I have to wonder, why didn't she grow up?

  Daica's strange line last night echoes in my head again: 'The curse made my body grow into this unsightly form.' Don't tell me dark elves normally don't grow up beyond Kamii's figure?!

  "Umm, that's not entirely true. Elves usually do not grow to be as big as humans, be it light or dark elves." Luna joins the conversation as if she just read my mind, although she's actually only answering to my earlier statement about people growing up. I have to suppress a snort when I find her glancing at Daica's breasts with a hint of envy.

  "Then..." Rolan actually has the audacity to stare at the same, while trying to speak up. Gram notices the leader's stupidity quickly enough and throws his arm around the latter's shoulders before Luna notices it.

  "Say, leader, let's not get in the way of this heartfelt reunion." Pulling him aside, he saves the whole party from having to witness an argument break out between the two lovebirds. "Come, let's celebrate."

  The bard takes the hint as well and joins the two men, leaving us girls to our talk.

  "Well..." I put a hand on Luna's shoulder and look at her with pity. She has a cute face and bigger breasts than the queen of the elves that Maou-mama transformed into, but it's nowhere near what I have. And I assume that she's reached her full potential by now. That's the limit of a half-elf, huh?

  "W-what is it?" She steps back from me in confusion.

  "In either case, I think there's no doubt about it. You're sisters." I turn to Kamii and speak warmly.

  "... really?" Looking between Daica and me, the little dark elf doesn't seem convinced. Their faces are quite similar, but the difference in body types - especially when considering the bigger one is actually the younger sister - doesn't give her any reason to believe it.

  "Well, your sister's name is Daica, right?" She already confirmed it herself, but I ask just to remind her of it. Nodding once, she answers in the affirmative. "And her name is Daica, too."

  I point at the big dark elf before us, who's still sitting on the floor and unsuccessfully trying to stop her sobbing. She looks up at the mention of her name, her tearful appearance causing my sadistic side to flare up.

  "And she knows you, Kamii." Suppressing the feeling, I continue. "Isn't that enough?"

  "Hmm..." Staring at Daica intently, the little dark elf falls into thought. Even if she's a lot older than her appearance suggests, her manners are still quite childlike. I guess, when you get kidnapped at a young age and remain locked in a cage like an animal for eleven years, you don't get to mature much. Her speech patterns reflect that, too. "Are you... really Daica?"

  "... yes... I am." With tears flowing down her face, she looks up and replies in a pleading tone. It seems that this appearance finally jogs Kamii's memory, as she goes quiet and scrutinizes her opposite's expression.

  "You really are... the crybaby Daica." Finally, it seems to sink in that the woman kneeling before her is the little sister she was separated from a long time ago. Stepping forward, Kamii places her left hand on Daica's head and pets her hair.

  "Waaahhh!!!" Throwing herself into her older sister's chest, the one who looks much more like an adult cries her heart out, while the childlike one comforts her with droplets silently falling from her cheeks.

  I hold my tears back as I watch them, and find that I'm smiling. Not only did I do a good deed in reuniting them, but I also got some good info without having to ask them directly. Because no matter how I think about it, both of them must be about as old as I am, if not older. At the same time, it doesn't feel wrong to treat Kamii like a child. That means I can do all sorts of things with her that I couldn't if she was just a child.

  I suppress the urge to lick my lips.

  All in due time.

  Chapter 16 - Looking Back And Ahead

  We soon return to the tavern and prepare to have a lavish dinner in celebration of the successful raid and the two dark elves' reunion. Gram instantly orders massive jugs of ale for to start the evening off.

  During dinner, Rolan chats me up in regards to the room distribution of our party. After all, since it's clear that Lady Nightwane - as he still calls her - and Kamii are both staying together no matter what, and the latter is never leaving my side, it'll be difficult. Apparently, there are no rooms with three beds in this inn.

  "Don't worry about it. Kamii will sleep in bed with me." The girl in question is leaning against me, while I pet her head. Daica is sitting next to her and has been unexpectedly quiet after everything that happened. One would think that the two sisters should have a lot to talk about, but the younger one is brooding over something, while the older one seems to be content with leaning on me silently.

  It's not like she lost her apprehension before strangers and her cursed arm hasn't miraculously reverted to a normal one. People still give her looks of fear and sometimes even hostility, so she prefers to remain close to me.

  During the meal, I help Kamii with cutting things up so that she can eat with just a fork. From her initial response of resorting to using her still dirty hands, I can imagine that while they kept her in that cage, she was made to eat like an animal. I'll make sure to give her ample time to return to a human - or dark elf - life.

  I should have given her a bath before dinner, though. Nobody mentioned it since people in this world don't seem to be as conscious about cleanliness as I'm used to in modern society. I'll make sure to give her a good scrubbing before we head to bed.

  Since everybody is exhausted after this long day, we don't linger after dinner and retreat to our rooms. Even Rolan and Luna don't seem like they would go at it tonight, but you never know.

  Daica has always been quite shy, and I think she's simply embarrassed over her earlier breakdown in front of everyone. She has her gaze lowered as we walk up the stairs and enter our room, and even when inside, she still doesn't say a word. Maybe she's in shock over the fact that her long search has come to a close so quickly.

  When we get back to the room, I place Senka on her usual chair, before heading into the bathroom with Kamii. Maybe Daica and the doll girl will hold a conversation, but I'll focus on the little dark elf.

  Once again, I'm reminded of the fact that this city seems to have a much higher technological standard than the surrounding villages. There's running hot water, which may come from some kind of magical technology. While the comfort is nowhere near the same level as that of the demon castle, it's still good enough for me, who grew up in a modern world.

  Taking off the little dark elf's clothes, I look her up and down once more. Her proportions are those of a girl still in the process of maturing, with a small but noticeable chest, a narrowing waist, and shapely buttocks that can't be found in children. According to Luna, what I see before me is a fully grown member of her race.

  Of course, she can still fill out a bit when she gets to eat properly from now on, but there won't be many more changes to her physique. Basically, she won't grow up to become like Daica, who only turned out that way because of her curse. Not like I have anything to complain about her body, though.

  Variety is the spice of life, after all.

  I open the faucet and let in hot water, so that I can give her the bath she so needs. It's not that she smells, but
I feel my skin crawling when I see the dirt on her body. I'm not a clean-freak, or I wouldn't have been able to do outdoor sports, but this is beyond my tolerance level.

  Starting on Kamii's hair, which the slavers have been keeping short, I pour warm water over her head and use a wooden brush to straighten the strands. As the dirt is washed away, the color of the starry night sky is revealed underneath, just like Daica's hair.

  Then I move on to Kamii's body, which I scrub with a wet towel. The cuts and bruises from the slavers' lashings have already been healed, so when the grime disappears, mauve purple skin surfaces. If she were a human, I would think that she looks like a younger Daica - even if the latter is the younger sister.

  Once she's mostly cleaned up, I let her settle down in the bathtub first, before washing down myself and joining her. The tub that's barely big enough to hold us both, but I want to share this moment with her.

  Soaking in the water, I feel the warmth seep into my limbs. Even though this body never tires, I guess I was quite stressed over everything that happened today. Hugging the little dark elf from behind, I sigh in satisfaction and recharge my mental energy.

  After our bath, Daica takes hers, before we all directly go to sleep. Kamii and I share my bed together, while Daica is lying in hers from last night. It's quite cramped, even with the two of us spooning; her cursed arm is really big, and she has to place it away from us because of the spikes.

  "Good night, Kamii." I whisper into her long ear and squeeze her a little. She makes a content sound at the sensation and nuzzles into me with her back.

  I look across the room and find that Daica is staring at us with a strange expression. It's a mix of envy and restlessness. I'm sure she wanted to be in my position after being reunited with her older sister after such a long time. But at the same time, I can feel that she wouldn't mind being in Kamii's position, either.

  Maybe she's thinking about the fact that she has to fulfill her part of the contract now since I fulfilled mine. I helped her find her important person again, even though it happened without me even trying. In reality, it was a chance meeting, but more than one good thing came out of it.