Ranking Up! (2)

PREVIOUSLY

I decided to give her a pretty big hint. "For, everything you touch shall turn into the sharpest steel."

I could smell her hesitation, before her obedience to me won over. Or maybe it was her curiosity? For a split second there, I felt her aura spike towards me. Ah, she was probably going to lose all trust for me if my little gamble didn't pay off.

With her other hand, she picked up a branch, the biggest and longest one. Studying it around, I could tell that she was trying to discern if it was some sort of magical weapon. I felt sorry for her.

"I'm going to take a nap. Finish them off, or at least scare them away before moonrise." My nose crinkled at the smell of confusion. "Remember what I said!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"!!!"

I awoke from the sudden spike in aura, immediately checking my surroundings before noticing that the slimes didn't jiggle anymore. No, it was too quiet now. I looked down and saw why.

Raegis stood atop of a mountain of monster cores, drenched in filthy green fluids and riddled with dark spots and torn skin all over her body. But more importantly, she looked absolutely maniacal, heaving and puffing like a monster with bloodshot eyes staring at the little branch doused in a very potent aura, aura that was set to cut and slice anything apart.

For a moment there, I thought I saw what appeared to be wolf ears and a tail disappearing into her body.

"You did it."

I hopped down, landing gracefully from a height that would kill most people, even without the use of chi.

Before I got any closer, Raegis stopped me with a glare, eyes that looked similar to the other Raegis that had nearly raped me. A shiver ran through my spine, but before I could get horny again, I bit my lips and tried to force a smile.

"Hey there. Don't tell me you're going feral again," I muttered. "Have you already forgotten who I am, Raegis?"

That got her out of her daze. "I. . .What happened?" She took a look at her branch and her eyes grew wide when she saw the aura that was encasing her branch. She opened her mouth to say something but then she stopped, eyes darting back and forth like she was holding a conversation with someone in her head.

I wanted to say hi to her Fluffy, but decided to let her process through this first shock first. While she was talking with her inner wolf, I was busy studying the absolute carnage she brought forward onto the slimes.

All in all, I counted a hundred slime monster cores, and wondered if that would somehow screw the anima-monster kingdom. I prayed to my beloved that it wouldn't, even though the sun was still high up in the sky. Now that I think about it, would Ivanka get pissed if I prayed to a god other than her? What if I prayed to Solaris, the one and only Sun deity believed even across all races, and the eternal hatred of Ivanka?

The moon hated the sun, yeah, what an absolutely original idea, I know. But, what if I actually did that? An image of an enraged/jealous Ivanka pounding me from behind, forcing me ass up, heads down, came into mind and I dispelled the thought before I grew any more aroused.

But looking at the hundred slime cores, I knew this would be more than enough to at least get us a few more weeks at the tavern, and a better set of clothes, along with warm food.

Oh, looks like Raegis was finishing up the talk with her inner wolf.

"So, you awakened a skill," I cut in, hoping I was acting natural. "A perfect foundational aura skill for someone so attack-focused like you."

"You know what it can do?" Raegis tilted her head, confused. After all, wasn't the owner the only one supposed to know what their skill can do?

"I do," I said. What I was doing was a little risky but I would eventually need to explain how and why I knew so much about her sooner or later. For me, it was better sooner than later. I didn't want an adult, powered up version of her walking out on me after the many years I spent raising her, simply because I didn't tell her the truth after all.

But then again, I wasn't inclined to tell her the full truth yet. Bits by bit, I'll slowly reprogram her mind into one that never doubts nor questions me ever again. One such method was to give her a half-truth, one that made me look good and served as the truth for a specific situation.

I enhanced my eyes with chi, and to Raegis, it must appear as if my eyes had sharpened in focus and glowing in color.

"With these eyes, I can see and feel the energies around me. They whisper to me what my enemies or allies can do, where they have been, mostly," I told her. "But remember, this is an important skill of mine that cannot be disclosed to the public. That means you can't tell this to anyone, okay, Raegis? Promise?"

"It's just between you and me?" Raegis asked, looking up at me. Why did I just imagine a dog tail wagging excitedly behind her?

I raised an eyebrow. "Sure, I guess."

"Then, I promise to you."

"Thank you, Raegis," I smiled at her. "That really means a lot to me."

If I had paid more attention to her at that moment, I would have seen the little wave of pink across her face but I needed to see what she could do with that new skill of yours.

"Alright," I walked over to a nearby tree. It was pretty thick, thick enough that even Raegis might not have been able to cut it with her previous sword. But a branch doused in steel aura (that's what I was calling it) should be able to do it with ease.

I patted the sturdy, thick trunk of the tree. "Cut this down."

Raegis held up her branch. "With this?"

"Yup," I nodded, and saw the look on her face. "Why do you doubt yourself so? If I'm telling you to cut something down, it means I know you can cut it down."

"You do believe me right?"

Raeigs only nodded her head, standing before the imposing tree. In her mind, she wondered why a simple, immobile tree looked more daunting than being alive by a hundred slimes.

"You can do it!" I cheered her on from the sidelines.

Raegis just sighed. If anyone other than the beautiful maiden had asked her, she would have sliced them apart for mocking her. But then again, the beautiful maiden must know something about her that she or Fluffy didn't know. After all, Raeigs had never felt so right holding a branch doused in her aura after all.