In the moonlight, the steel shone with a type of radiance that was natural in a manner that could not be replicated even with my swords.
It was without a doubt a beautiful creature.
...
The beast seemed to have read my thoughts as it paused in its grooming and looked at me straight in the eye. Its golden eyes seemed to burn with a dangerous light that was telling of its long years in the world and seemingly spoke of its confidence. That look and the posture it took was all I need to know that this was a creature who understood its strengths and its place in the world, and it seemingly commanded that respect from others around it naturally.
"Careful lad, this guy has a bit of a temper issue and..." Satooji-san started talking before the beast silenced him with a warning growl before looking back at me again. I merely maintained the eye contact and lowered my head slightly to show respect for its space. All my jobs dealing with magical beasts paid off beautifully, as the creature seemed content to let us be.
At least until it tried to move away and something on its back rattled loudly, causing it to growl in irritation and twist its head to try and bite something off.
"What's wrong with it?" I asked while watching its behavior.
"Ah it is those spikes on its back." The guide pointed to the unique features on the back. "Due to the mutation this creature has, it is growing those blades out of its back, but it seems to be growing them faster than it can lose them, so every so often it tends to get some stuck inside."
"Then why haven't they been removed?"
"I tried." Satooji-san shrugged in his defense. "But this fellow keeps on trying to bite my head off, and he gets wise on the sleeping potion I try to sleep him so that I can work uninterrupted. After six times of attacking me and the other visitors, I had to stop tending to him and leave him be."
I frowned deeply as I looked at him before turning back to the wolf who was now trying to snap at the loose blades. That was not right, it was still a benign creature if not short-tempered, and it really looked like it could use some help.
"Wait lad, what are you doing?!" The guide gasped as I stepped forward slowly towards the wolf while keeping my posture as loose as possible. The wolf stopped its movements and turned to me with narrowed eyes. I was invading its space and it clearly did not like it. I stopped near a lake and let the wolf come towards me with slow cautious steps.
It was only when it was right in front of me that I could appreciate the features of the creature in front of me. This fellow was as long as I was tall, and with it standing upright, it could easily reached my chest. From my angle, I marveled at the state of its back, where the spikes seemed to grow from it rather than them stuffed in it. There was the contradiction of it being unnatural and yet it was totally organic.
My thoughts were silenced when the wolf leaned forward to sniff at me and slowly walked around me, likely assessing whether I was a threat. After one full round, it gave me a scrutinizing glare before slowly lowering its body in a posture that was semi-relaxed, but at the time allow it to leap at me if I did something stupid.
"No need to be afraid, I will not hurt you." I raised my hand to show that I meant it no harm and slowly brought it forward despite it giving a warning growl as a bluff. I lightly touched one of the loose steel spikes and just as gently pulled it out and laid it out on the ground next to us, and repeating the process. It was surprisingly quick as the spikes in question did not need any force to pull them out, and before long all the loose spikes were removed. After that I took the pieces in my arms and moved back, placing them neatly at the side and returned to looking at the creature.
The beast got up and lightly shook its body, pausing for a moment to twist its head to check for loose spikes, before slowly looking back at me, its aggression seemingly dropped in place of curiosity. Well at least that went well.
"No way..." Satooji-san let out a voice of disbelief as he watched us. The wolf briefly switched its glance at the man before coming back to me. After a while it lowered it head briefly before raising it, then turned around and headed back to the cave. I waited until I cannot detect its scent, before releasing the breath I was holding on unconsciously.
"My word lad, you are one ballsy fellow!" Satooji-san came out of his cover and slap in the back. "I think you are the first one he does not try to maul to the ground."
"Lucky me." I snorted as I looked to the pile of spikes next to me, then creating a dimension pocket to hold them inside. I was going to need a list that tells me the number of portals I had made and the type of items I was carrying.
"KYYAAAA!"
I snapped my head in the direction where the scream came from, my heart almost stopping from the fear in that scream. Then other screams came along, and I was now rushing in the general direction. I had to hurry!
That first few screams belonged to Reya, Meguri and Mitelt.
...
Okay seriously, was the Root trying to destroy my faith in this world?
When I arrived at the spot where I heard the girls' screams, I had expected to find the mangled corpses of my classmates, or the groups fighting a giant monstrosity, or Mitelt taking on either Peerages, or even some raving lunatic like Regeis attacking them.
What I saw instead made me turn my head in utter embarrassment and cursing the Root for the absolute absurdity in front of me.
"NNNNNOOOO!"
"My clothes are melting!"
"Don't look at us!"
I was honestly perplexed at the scene unfolding before me. The only way I could describe it in words was that it resembled a B-Grade Horror/Monster Flick/Erotic cartoon where the monster would slowly feast on the flesh of its female victims in the most erotic manner.
Even then, I was not sure if that really describe it properly.
"Can someone tell me, what in the name of the Root is going on here?!" I yelled out while trying to avoid eye contact with the girls as I took a quick glance to find the source of the slime and tentacles that was currently violating the girls in a very unusual manner by dissolving their clothes and wrapping the tentacles in the wrong manner.
"I have no idea how to even start." Kiba replied to me while closing his eyes tightly and his back facing the girls. He was the only male aside from me trying to avert his sight from the girls, while Saji was apparently torn between not looking and being tempted by the scene before him. Ise on the other hand was ogling at the sight with a bloody nose. With an irritated twitch, I summoned the Torashinai and smacked him on the head with a little more force than required.
He better not looked at Reya, Meguri and Mitlet with those type of eyes. I have made a silent vow to at least watch over those three.
"Ah that would be the slime and tentacle duo of the forest." Satooji-san came along sporting a nosebleed as he looked on. "They are harmless to people, they just enjoy removing girl's clothes by using some sort of secretions and make a lot of trouble, no biggie."
Like hell it was no biggie! This is a very Bad Biggie! And stop staring at them!
"Less ogling and more action on trying to stop those creatures!" I yelled out in frustration as I tried to find the creatures' location, but instead got an eyeful of what many would call 'a slice of heaven'.
Think good thoughts, Emiya! Evil thoughts be gone! Be Gone!
"Emiya-kun, can you please help us out of this predicament?!" Sona uncharacteristically yelled as she tried to move her arms to cover her body and simultaneously escape from her current situation.
"KYAA! Emiya-kun, please don't look at us!" Meguri wailed as she tried to move her arms and cover her privates.
"Stop looking at us with those eyes you damn idiot!" Mitlelt yelled with her face turning as red as a tomato.
"I can't get married anymore!" Reya let out a wail as she tried to cover her face in shame and folded her limbs around her.
... That's it. Green Blob and Stupid Tentacles going down, BIG TIME.
I projected a few swords and sent them straight at the two creatures, piercing their bodies and setting them ablaze without hurting the girls. The blob squealed in pain and thrashed about crazily while its tentacle buddy went nuts before they released the girls one by one. Without taking a glance, I projected a few towels for them to cover themselves up before notching an arrow to fire at the creatures.
...
Hey guys If you want an extra chapter, you need to throw some power Stones ;)
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