[Closed] Track and Scout

[Deleted]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 3MP every 5s	Caerbannog :: Level 87 :: Samurai :: Aeryn Armor: Charcoal Ooyoroi with Pitch-black Yukata masked with Zankapfel Main Weapon: Nóttúlfr (Night Wolf) with Mitsuho and Black Star Quick Slot: Nótthrafn (Night Raven) Pet: Hyzenthlay
WC: 370	Tags: @dindeen Kumori	Skills: ---

Sarum, the new fronti- wait, no. It wasn’t the new frontier anymore. Caerbannog had gone to and fro between Londinium and Sarum so frequently that the long walk through the dusty roads were nothing but strolls for her. But today was different; today, they were going where they’d never gone before. A simple request had popped up for guild to investigate some unexplored areas of Sarum, specifically the Old Quarry Caverns. What were they in the past? Oh right, quarry. Beyond the man-made paths and structures though, the caverns supposedly led to a large cavern system that dug deep throughout the highlands.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” the samurai Caerbannog excitedly pointed at an entrance into the darkness, and Hyzenthlay quickly bounded after her tamer.

The wolf-hair samurai had also invited the guild leader Kumori to tag along. Or rather, she pestered and prodded him until the young man rolled out of bed on such a cool, relaxing day just so he could accompany her into the unknown. Every time the assassin stopped to look at his surroundings or just to perhaps yawn once or twice, the samurai ran over to him and either tugged his arm or pulled his hand until finally, they were right in front of the Old Quarry Caverns. Hyzenthlay’s ears perked up at the sounds which she heard coming from within the cave system, but the rabbit merely looked up her tamer and awaited further instructions.

“Just explore, don’t kill everything, okay?” the wolf-hair, garbed in her usual yoroi masked by Zankapfel, put her nagamaki by her side and her yumi on the quick slot.

Boy, the place was dark. She could see a few feet in front of her but the girl figured that the further they headed into the caves, the less they would be able to see. The pair would then have to rely on Hyzenthlay whose senses were sharper than theirs, and on Ryuu’s tracker skills. Caerbannog then took the first step into the darkness and Hyzenthlay walked beside her, alert and always on her toes. The samurai took a moment to look back at Kumori just to check if he was still behind her, and then she gestured for him to follow.

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 68 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 553	Tags: ?	Skills: Skill name

The assassin, tired as usual from his work as a guild leader had his sleep cut short by the samurai known as Kyuu. Others would know her as his sister, some as his girlfriend. Well girlfriend was correct, at least in Ryuu’s mind. She usually slept in her cave when they were asleep, which was all fine and dandy. They had only just recently started cuddling, and even then, it has been a rare occasion. Kyuu was still innocent in terms of having a relationship, but it didn’t matter. Ryuu wanted to take it slow anyways, and cuddling was one thing he thought was much more enjoyable when he couldn’t have it all the time. The assassin rolled in his bed pulling the covers back over his shoulder so that he could get more sleep. He was tired, and days like these he just wanted to sleep in. “Nggghhh… it’s only 8 o’clock,” he whined as he turned to face the other way. Bad idea, as that meant that Caerbannog had to resort to her failsafe way to wake up the assassin. She began jumping on top of the Assassin while he was in bed. “Ow, ow, aahhh okay, okay!” he exclaimed, “I’m up!” He threw off his covers and then grabbed the samurai around her waist and kissed her on her lips. “My prize for waking up so early in the morning,” he said as he smirked and snickered.

The assassin finally got up from his bed and donned his typical equipment. As he walked lazily behind the samurai, the samurai would pull him along after every yawn and every time he stopped to admire the surroundings. Well, I say admire, but he really was just dozing off. After a good journey on the typical road they took towards Sarum, the assassin looked into the cave system they were about to go spelunking in. He looked towards the samurai and then towards the dark cave inside. “You’re making me work today, aren’t you…” he asked rhetorically. “I get a kiss after this, right? And cuddling all night long?” he asked with a smile. He then stepped a bit closer to the mouth of the cave. “Is that don’t kill everything or don’t kill anything?” he said as he felt wind rush past his face from the cave. He was not liking the feel of what they were about to embark into.

The samurai passed him and went into the cave, with Hyzenthlay leading the charge. The assassin watched as she continued forward, but Ryuu still couldn’t help but feel a sense of danger in that cave. “Kyuu… are you sure?” he asked. She turned and motioned for him to follow. He sighed. Well, at least they were high level. The likelihood of death was extremely low, the two just had to make sure they didn’t kill each other, so in order to stop that from happening, Ryuu decided to make the best out of the situation. He ran towards the samurai and matched her pace as soon as he reached her right side. His left hand grabbed her right hand gently and then smiled widely. “Just in case… so we don’t hurt each other… and besides… we haven’t done anything like this as a couple… this is the first time,” he said.

[Deleted]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 3MP every 5s	Caerbannog :: Level 87 :: Samurai :: Aeryn Armor: Charcoal Ooyoroi with Pitch-black Yukata masked with Zankapfel Main Weapon: Nóttúlfr (Night Wolf) with Mitsuho and Black Star Quick Slot: Nótthrafn (Night Raven) Pet: Hyzenthlay
WC: 490	Tags: @dindeen Kumori	Skills: Tongue of Nature

When the wolf-hair felt something warm against her right hand, she looked over to that side and realized that it was just the assassin who seemed to have finally woken up. Caerbannog flashed a small smile at her boyfriend and let him take her hand, while her left hand remained on her saya. The girl then looked ahead into the darkness brought about by the diminishing amount of light as they walked farther into the unknown. She made sure to speak in a hushed little voice, even smaller than usual.

“We’ll follow Hyzenthlay.”

The enemic buster had her club at the ready but she would rather be safe than sorry, and so Hyzen used her skill [Rabbit Repopulation] and summoned two frenmic rabbits who would do her bidding. A summon that can summon... summonception! But anyway, the summoned rabbits identified Caerbannog as Hyzenthlay’s tamer, but the assassin did not register as an ally to them and so they were poised to jump at his face. Hyzen stomped on the ground and ordered them directly to move on ahead and clear the way, so the rabbits’ directive became just that. Kumori was spared a painful rabbit attack to his pretty face.

“Hyzen, don’t go too far. And be careful.”

Caerbannog reminded her pet using Tongue of Nature, and the rabbit responded with a nod and a thumbs up to her tamer. Hyzen’s minions hopped ahead of the group and turned their noses up at every rock in the way. One of the frenmic rabbits even kicked a poor defenseless stone that was minding its own business, and the displaced stone rolled away into the darkness. The sound of something scuttling in front of them made the rabbits stop whatever they were doing, and the creatures turned their ears towards the source of the sound.

“I wonder what’s in here... kobolds? Bats?”

The wolf-hair’s canine features began to become more prominent and her eyes became a golden color. Her right hand squeezed Kumori’s own hand tightly as she took a step forward, curious about what lay before them. The frenmic rabbits stood their ground and were ready to attack whatever came their way, but without much warning, something multi-legged and as large as a dog grabbed one of the rabbits into the dark. Only one squeak was heard from the creature, and its severed head soon rolled over to the group. The remaining frenmic rabbit ran back towards Hyzen; it cowered in fear and hid behind the enemic buster. Hyzenthlay did not like that.

“Buzz off, noob!”

And at that, silver-furred Hyzen threw her summon into the darkness from which a Level 21 Cavern Spider jumped out of. It caught the thrown rabbit with its maw and crushed the creature in half without breaking a sweat. It then eyed the enemic buster who waved her club at the larger beast before her, aware of the danger but not giving a care in the world.

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 68 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 605	Tags: @dindeen	Skills: Skill name

Did the summon just summon summons? Ryuu scratched his head and then flinched slightly as he wasn’t expecting the two Frenmic Rabbits attempt to jump at him, but Hyzen laid down the hammer and made sure they behaved. They looked back at their mother? Boss? Whatever she was, they looked at her and obeyed her. Hyzen followed after them. To Hyzen, they were simply meat shields and scouts, and while she was a scout, these were scouts for the scouts. Scoutception! In this case, it was very useful. The Frenmic Rabbits were sensing something was off. They looked up, pointed their noses towards what was ahead of them. They were like dogs, looking for something that may cause them bodily harm. While that was the intent, their noses did a piss poor job in doing so. The noise of scuttling was enough to make the assassin wary, however they weren’t in too much trouble. He and the person beside him were so high in level that they could probably run through the entirety of the cave unscathed. Or at least not even close to death. However, even so, his reactions were still human and still normal. The first of the Frenmic Rabbits ceased to exist as it disappeared from his view. Well, the best view he had in a pitch black cave. Well, good thing was, if he tracked the rabbits, he’d get a HUD light, which would light up some of the area a bit.

He couldn’t really make out the figure that had eaten the first of the summons. He gripped his right dagger’s hilt and then felt the squeeze of Kyuu’s hand on his own. He then squeezed back to acknowledge that he was still conscious and able. The second of the Frenmic Rabbit was thrown by its mother or master as tribute to the creature to make it show itself. It seemed to work, as this time the adventurers and the Enemic Buster were able to identify the creature. Cavern Spider, it said, and level 21 to boot. Ryuu shuttered as he hated spiders. He wasn’t in as much of fear as Kyuu was to slimes, but it was enough for him to lose his composure. His gripped tightened on what he was holding, which was Kyuu’s hands, slightly, and his dagger he gripped as if he wanted to choke it. He was always more uncomfortable around the arachnids, however, the darkness of the cave had exponentially raised his fear. “I hope we don’t see too many spiders…” he commented towards the samurai. He pulled out his dagger. He was not afraid to face the spider, but he still hated approaching it. Every time he did so in other situations, he breathed in deeply before every time he approached it. He hated it so much, he opted to stay out of areas where the spiders were numerous, but it seemed that the samurai had signed up for something he didn’t want to sign up for. He breathed heavily, bringing his breathing to calm and slow breathes. It was much different than he normally was when he fought, and Kyuu would know that it was different than normal. He did not usually breathe like this… it was too off, something was wrong.

Ryuu finally mustered the courage to attack. The assassin went forward after letting go of the samurai’s hand and stabbed the Spider with his dagger with as much might as possible, and then using his left hand to reach for the left dagger to bring it up and cut off any claw or leg that attempted to swipe at him.

[Deleted]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 3MP every 5s	Caerbannog :: Level 87 :: Samurai :: Aeryn Armor: Charcoal Ooyoroi with Pitch-black Yukata masked with Zankapfel Main Weapon (Accessory): Nótthöggr (Night Striker) Quick Slot: Nóttúlfr (Night Wolf) with Mitsuho and Black Star Pet: Hyzenthlay
WC: 650	Tags: @dindeen Kumori	Skills: Tongue of Nature

It was dangerous situations like this that made Caerbannog wish to find a way to level up her pet. She was Level 81 but her pet was stuck at the same level when it was caught... was there no way to break through that barrier? Once the spider emerged from darkness, Kyuu reached out with her left hand and grabbed Hyzenthlay by her scruff. No way she was letting the silver-furred bunny fight that! But it seemed that Hyzen was not the only one that she should worry about, for Ryuu’s uncharacteristically forceful grip made the samurai look at her partner so suddenly.

The assassin did not look well, or at least he seemed different from his normal appearance in front of enemies. The cavern spider had attacked first and already ate two frenmic rabbits, so there was no reason for them not to engage the beast. Kyuu let go of Ryuu’s hand when he dashed forward to slay the creature, and only then did the samurai realize that their situation was fairly dangerous even for their levels. It was not so much the creatures that lurked in the cave that posed the greatest danger, but the crossfire that could ensue. In that dark place, they could easily hit each other with their blades and even more so if Kyuu tried to use her bow in that place.

“Be the eyes that watch my back,” she said to Hyzenthlay as the tamer put the rabbit on her head.

The enemic buster complied and raised her club as she looked around and behind the wolf-hair. As for Kyuu, she brought up her interface and put her bow in her inventory, and then she put her nagamaki in the quick slot list. Instead of a conventional weapon, the samurai equipped an accessory, an iron chain that she wrapped around her right arm. As soon as Ryuu moved a little to his side in preparation for another attack to the weakened spider, Kyuu dashed towards the creature and punched its guts out. Fire and lightning crackled around the chain as her attack connected, but then the effect subsided shortly thereafter.

Hyzenthlay blinked at the cavern spider which laid in numerous pieces all over the cave floor. After emptying its gold and exp points storage for the adventurers to take, the spider vanished into the ether without as much as a leg left for them to find. Kyuu closed her eyes for a moment so that she could focus on her sense of hearing, but she heard no more scuttling nearby and so she assumed that they were safe- for now. The samurai opened her eyes; there was not much different for the cave was dark and light from the outside faded as they got further into that place, but she could still see where the assassin was.

“Ryuu-nii,” the wolf-hair put her right hand on the young man’s shoulder; the chain was cold but her hand was warm, “You’re not okay.”

It would have been stupid of her to ask if he was fine, for obviously he was not. And so the samurai just stated what she thought, and from there, Ryuu could take a moment to compose himself and reply. Kyuu waited for the young man to stand up straight, or at least to steady his feet and his body. Once he was righted, the samurai put her left hand right over his heart so that she could figure out if he was having a panic attack or something as dangerous. To comfort him, Kyuu kissed the assassin’s nose as gently as she could, though if he was standing up straight, it would have required her to stand on the tips of her toes.

“We can leave if you’re uncomfortable,” the samurai said as she backed away, her voice almost a whisper and so even Hyzenthlay knew not to disturb the adventurers’ moment.

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 68 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 257	Tags: ?	Skills: Skill name

The samurai was observant. She noticed that he was different, different than he normally was. The samurai spoke in something he could not understand, and the Enemic Buster was placed on her head and watched their back flank and the samurai watched ahead. After the assassin had finished his move, the samurai closed in and finished the spider. Both of them were silent, wondering if there were more that would attempt to destroy them, but instead, the deep silence was all there was save for the natural movement of the earth that made pebbles move and tumble. Ryuu sighed and sheathed his weapons as he knelt on the cold cave floor. The samurai put her right hand on the man’s shoulder. The reassurance had made Ryuu smile as he looked towards her. He stood up to face the samurai and smiled. If he was with her, he would be fine. Her left hand had moved towards his chest and she placed it gently where his heart was. The heart was beginning to go faster, but not because of panic, but because of the intimacy the two were having. As she moved up to his nose, she kissed him gently on the nose, but the assassin went one step further and kissed her on the lips right after.

“No… let’s continue… with you here, my strength will be overflowing.” he said to her.

The assassin turned towards the area where they would be heading towards. “I’m ready when you are… we’ll continue with the same plan,” he said.

[Deleted]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 3MP every 5s	Caerbannog :: Level 87 :: Samurai :: Aeryn Armor: Charcoal Ooyoroi with Pitch-black Yukata masked with Zankapfel Main Weapon (Accessory): Nótthöggr (Night Striker) Quick Slot: Nóttúlfr (Night Wolf) with Mitsuho and Black Star Pet: Hyzenthlay
WC: 320	Tags: @dindeen Kumori	Skills: Tongue of Nature

With no eyes on them and darkness all around, the unexpected kiss to her lips felt strangely reassuring. There was no need to be embarrassed for only Hyzenthlay could see them, and no one would chide them for such a display of affection. When Kumori pulled away, the samurai let out an unhappy sigh, but the enemic buster’s paws on her forehead reminded the girl of their reason for being in that dark cavern. Caerbannog huffed and puffed and exhaled loudly, and then she turned towards the direction where the summoned rabbits disappeared to.

If the spider which they encountered before was an indicator of what they would face from that point onwards, Caerbannog could only expect more of the creatures to pop out of the dark. At least it wasn’t a giant cockroach, right? The wolf-hair did feel sorry for the assassin who clearly was unnerved by the appearance of the massive spider, but he had not been paralyzed in fear and so Caer continued their journey farther into the cave. Upon the girl’s head, Hyzenthlay was alert; she noticed a few bats above them but the creatures were either fast asleep or just blinked at them, unmindful of the adventurers’ presence. As long as they stayed up there, the enemic buster would not wreck their faces.

Farther into the cavern, only the inner light of the girl’s eyes could see the figures before her. Hyzenthlay whispered to her tamer and pointed out that the path forked out to three paths. The leftmost and middle ones were endlessly dark, but the one to their right had a faint bluish light at what seemed to be the end of it. Caerbannog would have gone to the path with the light since it was the most logical option to take, what with them having no items to create light with; however, she walked up to her boyfriend and tugged at his sleeve.

“Three paths, which to take?” she asked.

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 71 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 319	Tags: ?	Skills: Skill name

He could tell that his dear Kyuu did not want the kiss to end when she let out an unhappy sigh as he pulled away. The sigh was cut short, but he was unsure as to why. He could not see her very well within the dark. He bent in for another peck on her lips, so that she’d be a bit more satisfied (or a bit more bothered) by him. Either way, it’d elicit a good reaction regardless. After their temporary pause in their journey, the samurai pulled on his hand and led them through the cave. The Enemic Buster was keeping her temper and wasn’t swinging at every little thing that they passed by. Ryuu realized that they had stopped as he gently bumped into his girlfriend who was leading them. She tugged at his sleeve and he looked up at where she was, her face being illuminated lightly by the light from the path on the right. The other two paths that were there were completely dark. It seemed that their best bet was to go towards the light, though thinking of an old Pixar movie… going towards the light wasn’t always a good thing. He scratched his head and thought hard. Any of the three paths, he was sure that the two could handle whatever was in there, but the most logical was still the place with the light. While he couldn’t shake the bad vibes he was feeling from that path, he decided that that was the best course of action.

He looked over to his girlfriend and nodded towards her. “Well… I think the best choice would be to go right, but be cautious… I have a bad feeling… We don’t know what else could be attracted to the light in such a dark place,” he said, as he kept his right dagger out and his left hand held onto the samurai’s hand.

[Deleted]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 3MP every 5s	Caerbannog :: Level 87 :: Samurai :: Aeryn Armor: Charcoal Ooyoroi with Pitch-black Yukata masked with Zankapfel Main Weapon (Accessory): Nótthöggr (Night Striker) Quick Slot: Nóttúlfr (Night Wolf) with Mitsuho and Black Star Pet: Hyzenthlay
WC: 545	Tags: @dindeen Kumori	Skills: Tongue of Nature

Even Hyzenthlay did not think that it was a good idea to move forward, but little Kyuu was curious about the light up ahead. It surely was not from the sun for the bluish hue was not sunlight-like. What could it be? With Ryuu still holding her hand, the samurai walked slightly ahead of him and towards the light. As they walked closer to the source, the girl’s eyes had to adjust to the change in lighting and before she could see what exactly was in front of her, Hyzenthlay shrieked and jumped off the tamer’s head and latched herself onto the assassin’s face. She stayed there, her grasp on his hair fairly tight as her furry little self shook in fear. So what was it exactly that made the enemic buster shake in fear?

In front of Caerbannog, there stood a towering creature with a brownish exoskeleton and four meters of fear in the flesh. Its antennae twitched towards the adventures, the ends obviously the ones which produced the bluish glow. The creature, though it was difficult to figure out which spots were its eyes, seemed to be looking directly at the vertically-challenged samurai. Kyuu blinked twice to make sure that she was not seeing things.

“Kill it!” shrieked Hyzenthlay, “Kill that ugly m*therf*cker!”

The rabbit yelled to her tamer but it was, of course, just a rabbity shriek to the assassin’s ears. Caerbannog could clearly understand her though, what with Tongue of Nature toggled on. However, unlike the spider from before, the massive centipede did not immediately attack them and so the samurai hesitated to lop its head off.

“Oh my. That is exactly what my mother said when I was born,” the elite centipede quipped.

Kyuu stared at the creature for a second. The words came to her rather fragmented, but she got the message. Did that centipede, Foreman Mukade, just try its appendages at a joke? As unexpected as it might be, Kyuu giggled at what the centipede said.

“You’re funny,” was the samurai’s reply using the Tongue of Nature.

“Ah! Finally! One who understands! Well, figuratively and literally,” the centipede raised its antennae higher to illuminate the whole cavern which was a dead end littered with many human skeletons- but all obviously for show since both landers and adventurers do not leave corpses, “Please, have a seat.”

As awkward as it might have seemed, Foreman Mukade turned over two large stones and motioned for the adventurers to sit upon them. He waited until they complied, or until they decided to try and wreck his face. At that point, Hyzenthlay was speechless; partially due to fear and partially due to disbelief that such an ugly thing could be so polite.

“I would offer you refreshments, but I’m not sure if you’re into spider gut smoothie,” the Foreman said in a rather gentlemanly tone, “Can the other one speak The Language too or is it as dumb as a rock?”

The elite centipede pointed to Kumori, though it was difficult to tell that he did because of the many appendages.

“He’s asking about you, and if you speak Tongue of Nature,” Kyuu asked Ryuu as she tugged his hand to lead him over to the upturned rocks, if he wasn’t already attacking the creature.

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 71 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 438	Tags: ?	Skills: Skill name

The samurai led them to the cavern with the blue light. As they walked into the cavern, the assassin was forced put his hand in front of his eyes to shield it from the light for a second before his eyes adjusted. Ryuu looked at the bottom of the cavern floor first, unsure of what he was looking at. There were several stick things protruding from a large log… but as his eyes began to adjust more, he realized it wasn’t a log and those weren’t sticks. They were legs of a scaly large insectoid thing that honestly, he didn’t want to go near. He knew of the Giant Centipedes and their destructive power in the real world… well this one was 1000x as big and looked viscious. It even had lights on its antennae’s. How the hell did that thing get so huge in such a dark place? Did it eat bats by the millions? Were there even enough bats in here that would make him into this massive size?

Ryuu immediately pulled out his dagger, readying himself to fight. The rabbit shrieked in horror, or at least he thought it was in horror. The samurai… giggled? Ryuu looked towards the samurai and tilted his head, thinking she was crazy. Why was she giggling? This was no time for giggles! Did the centipede cast a spell on his beloved? Did he need to fight this monstrosity alone? Ryuu was about to run in, but before he could, the samurai asked told him what the gianormous insect was saying. “Tongue of… N-nature?” he asked hesitantly, scared out of his wits. But instead of leading the fray, Kyuu lead him to upturned rocks… and then she sat down! He stared at the rock, then her, and then back at the centipede. “Are you out of your mind?!” he asked, but then he stopped to think. If the centipede really wanted him dead… well he’d have been eaten already. Ryuu looked at the centipede and then Kyuu. He alternated glances between the two and finally let out a sigh of surrender.

Ryuu sat down onto the rocks. His legs were shaking, still scared of what might happen to them. Bugs… BUGS! Why did it have to be bugs?! He wanted to cry, but he had to save face in front of Kyuu. How could he live with himself if his girlfriend was less afraid than he was when it came down to dungeoning. Ryuu slowed down his breath, but his right leg still shook nervously. He laid one of his daggers on his lap, just in case things went awry.

[Deleted]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 3MP every 5s	Caerbannog :: Level 87 :: Samurai :: Aeryn Armor: Charcoal Ooyoroi with Pitch-black Yukata masked with Zankapfel Main Weapon (Accessory): Nótthöggr (Night Striker) Quick Slot: Nóttúlfr (Night Wolf) with Mitsuho and Black Star Pet: Hyzenthlay
WC: 380	Tags: @dindeen Kumori	Skills: Tongue of Nature

“You’re acting funny...” Kyuu raised an eyebrow at Ryuu, “Are you scared of bugs?”

The samurai herself was not particularly afraid of all bugs, just a specific one: the cockroach. As far as she knew, in the real world, centipedes ate cockroaches so that was already a point for Foreman Mukade. The samurai looked over the assassin, from the hyperventilating hare on his head which seemed like a silver fluffy hat, to his shaking leg. Ryuu was being awfully fidgety, and so Kyuu thought to fix that- by sitting right on his lap.

“I think he’s scared of you,” the samurai continued her conversation with the Foreman as if Ryuu was just a warm chair, “I’m not!”

At that point, the centipede lowered its head and let out a kishi-kishi sound, as if it was laughing. It probably was laughing, but I’ve never heard a centipede laugh so I wouldn’t know.

“What an interesting few-legged one!” the elite centipede settled lower to the cavern floor but he held his antennae up so as to keep the illumination at an acceptable height, “Most of your kind want to either stab me or they just run away. Always no time for conversations...”

“Why are you so polite?” Caer asked the question without thinking twice about the backlash.

Foreman Mukade’s maxilliped, the pointy things beneath its maw, began to rub the underside of what seemed to be its chin as if the creature was lost in thought.

“Well... why not?” Mukade replied. He would have probably shrugged if he had shoulders, “Trying to eat everyone clearly does not work to improve the relations between the cave dwellers and outsiders, so why not try to speak coherently instead of all GRAAAAH and RAAAWR? Though I have found myself in a bit of a pickle when I realized that only a few of you understand what I am saying.”

The wolf-hair nodded at everything that the creature said. Once he was done talking, Kyuu leaned back against Ryuu’s chest and then, from below his chin, she looked up at the young man.

“I like him. Can we keep him?” she asked what was, of course, a rhetorical question. If Ryuu replied negatively, the samurai would just pout and well up some fake tears in her eyes until he conceded.

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 71 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 231	Tags: ?	Skills: Skill name

Kyuu asked him a strange question. Did he hate bugs? Yes, but usually not to this extent. Did he hate giant bugs? ABSOLUTELY! Ryuu nodded his head in reply, but instead of trying to comfort him with a pat on the shoulder or soothing words, she did something else that made him even more electrified. She climbed on his lap and sat on it. The assassin’s was sewn shut as he couldn’t even make a move, afraid that any little movement may trigger a reaction that was not appropriate for children under 13. The excitement of being in danger and the girl that you loved was on your lap… well we know that only spells disaster.

The samurai began speaking in… clicks.. and squeals? He didn’t even know, but it seemed like the centipede was conversing with her. The samurai leaned back and then looked up at him. Her body was right above the very thing he was trying to hold back. She asked him an interesting question, one he knew that only one answer would satisfy the samurai and get her off of her seat as soon as possible. Ryuu nodded and then procured one of his own ice cream cakes that he had somehow created without any cooking levels, and handed it to the wolf-hair. He nodded and hoped it would give him some relief from his lower regions.

[Deleted]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 3MP every 5s	Caerbannog :: Level 87 :: Samurai :: Aeryn Armor: Charcoal Ooyoroi with Pitch-black Yukata masked with Zankapfel Main Weapon (Accessory): Nótthöggr (Night Striker) Quick Slot: Nóttúlfr (Night Wolf) with Mitsuho and Black Star Pet: Hyzenthlay
WC: 820	Tags: @dindeen Kumori	Skills: Tongue of Nature | Pacify | Scout/Domesticize

How odd. Ryuu suddenly became rigid and barely moved. In the past, he did his best to push her off his lap or something, which resulted to the samurai’s more creative ways of clinging to him. Maybe the assassin had finally realized that she wasn’t going away no matter what? Until she got what she wanted, that is. All that while, Foreman Mukade IX just observed the adventurers thoughtfully, unable to understand their conversation. It really was bothersome that he could not understand their language, and if not for the samurai, they would have not understood a word that he said either. The predatory instinct that nagged at the back of his mind did not help either. Oh, that rabbit looked delicious. It would be nice if he could just flay it alive and- no. NO. The elite centipede shook its head gently. He wanted to communicate with those few-legged ones, and eating the samurai’s pet surely would not go well with her.

“Hmm?” the centipede’s maxillipeds twitched towards the ice cream cake which Ryuu handed over to Kyuu, and in turn was offered by the little samurai to the creature, “Something for me?”

As precisely as he could, and indeed he was very precise, Mukade used his maxillipeds to pick the cake up much like permanently attached chopsticks. Kyuu beamed joyfully at the creature as she fiddled with her own interface and ‘released’ Hrairoo. The male frenmic rabbit, in all his dirty brown glory, appeared on the girl’s lap and the odd family looked like a nesting doll: Roo on Kyuu on Ryuu. Hrairoo was about to greet Kyuu when he noticed that Hyzen was there, and he instantly froze up. He did not want a club to the face... but when he noticed that she was speechless, Roo looked over to what was in front of them and he almost died of a heart attack. The frenmic rabbit froze as he stared at the giant centipede. Even though he was ‘released’ by Kyuu though, Hrairoo had nowhere else to go to, what with being an orphan. His immediate reaction was to turn around, curl up to a ball and bury his face on Kyuu’s torso.

“Oho another furry few-legged one,” the elite centipede noted when he saw Hrairoo.

“Please try that cake. It’s food!” Kyuu pointed to the ice cream cake with one hand while the other patted Roo’s back gently.

“Is it? I’ve never seen anything like it,” Foreman Mukade IX quipped as he inspected the item and, after determining that it did not seem to be poisoned, soon ate it up in one bite.

The food item was too small for the elite centipede to chew much out of, and he did not have taste buds so he could not appreciate the taste. But as the item was digested by his body, a strange feeling welled up within the massive creature. He... felt... happy? HAPPY?!

“What- was that thing?! You called it CAKE?” Mukade stood up to his full height, taken aback by the feeling within him. He then zoomed down towards the adventurers and stopped right in front of Kyuu, his maxillipeds reaching out towards her face, “Do you have more? ANY MORE?!”

Ah, food. The tie that binds all creation.

“Yes, here!” Kyuu took out her own piece of ice cream cake and held it up for the centipede to take.

Foreman Mukade IX hurriedly swiped the food items with his appendages and swallowed it whole. His maxillipeds twitched and his antennae danced around, and then the creature coiled itself loosely around the few-legged creatures.

“Is there more of that outside? In the place where the massive ball of light shines?” came the creature’s questions as he rubbed his maxillipeds together, making it seem as if he was doing some awkward clap, “Will I get more if I go with you to The Outside? WILL I GET MORE CAKE?!”

Kyuu giggled at the sight of such a creature acting that way. Sweets do make some people act strangely, and apparently it has a similar effect on centipedes too. That, or Foreman Mukade IX was just a weirdo.

“I can make lots and lots of cake for you!” the samurai finally said, and at the moment that the centipede let out what seemed to be a very happy laugh, she toggled on her skill Pacify and used Scout on her current target Foreman Mukade, with Domesticize being used as well since there was an available monster slot.

The elite creature barely noticed the difference - that he was now Caerbannog’s ‘pet’, though when he did notice, he hardly cared. All he wanted was more cake. HE WANTS CAKE, DAMN IT!

“He’s a funny one. Tamed by cake,” the samurai said to Ryuu just as she finally stood up and unsummoned Hyzenthlay to allow her to rest. Hrairoo was still curled up in a ball as Caerbannog declared, “CENTIPEDE: GET!”

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 71 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 195	Tags: ?	Skills: Skill name

When the samurai mentioned that she had gotten the centipede as a pet, his soul cried. Of all things, why did it have to be a gianormous bug? He could deal with normal centipedes, but this giant one? HOW WAS IT EVEN POSSIBLE TO GET THIS BIG IN A CAVE?! He wanted answers! He wanted to know why! He cried… he literally cried… well no… he didn’t. There were no tears, but he really wanted to cry. He now had to deal with the centipede on a more regular basis. Well, there was one thing for sure, and that was that it would be less likely to eat him alive. He sighed and nodded in defeat. He looked over at the samurai and then pushed her gently off his lap, heading towards the entrance of the cave, his head sulking. He was not looking forward to the days ahead with the centipede… He assumed it was something he’d have to get used to eventually, but still… it was not fun to look at bugs… this bug… eugh… all day. Good luck Kumori! We all know you’ll need it, with the man-eating centipede at your side!

[Deleted]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 3MP every 5s	Caerbannog :: Level 87 :: Samurai :: Aeryn Armor: Charcoal Ooyoroi with Pitch-black Yukata masked with Zankapfel Main Weapon (Accessory): Nótthöggr (Night Striker) Quick Slot: Nóttúlfr (Night Wolf) with Mitsuho and Black Star Pet: Foreman Mukade IX
WC: 250	Tags: @dindeen Kumori	Skills: Tongue of Nature

What Caerbannog wants, Caerbannog gets! Kumori will just have to suck it up and deal with fighting alongside a four-meter long centipede for the rest of his life; or at least, for the rest of Mukade IX’s life. But who’s to say that Kyuu won’t tame Mukade X? Or Mukade XI? Or whoever succeeds the massive creature? And so the samurai remained oblivious to the assassin’s internal cries of terror as they marched out of the dark cave and into The Outside.

As they walked towards the entrance of the cave, with their path conveniently lit up by Mukade’s antennae and unobstructed due to the presence of the gigantic centipede, Kyuu conversed with the creature. They mostly talked about all the different kinds of sweets that the chef could make, though the centipede remained most interested in trying out many types of cake. Pie sounded good too, and so Mukade made a mental note to try out a piece of pie when he got to The Outside. He would probably get along nicely with a certain druid.

Before long, the odd little group who went in with a rabbit emerged with a centipede. Did Hyzenthlay evolved to the four-meter long beast? Nope. But they might as well let the readers and gossipers think of it that way. Why? Because a PMSing elite centipede sounds interesting, doesn’t it? All’s well that ends well... except for the poor assassin who would have to put up with his girlfriend’s new “pet”. Who knows what she’ll tame next?