Watching as Kat continued to dance through the diminishing horde, I shook my head to rid myself of my thoughts, focusing instead on utilizing more Discs.
I had three out as of current, and my control over them was still rather good, so I decided to add one more.
Retracing the runes again, I sent a fourth golden crescent hurtling towards the horde, willing it to slice through the bodies of the Ghouls surrounding Leone.
Pursing my lips, I sighed as I realized that four was my current max; I could barely control all four at the sa ti, needing to give one a broad command while specifically controlling three.
However, even three Discs were deadly enough, as the razor sharp edges sliced cleanly through most surfaces, even scouring deep grooves into the Obsidian Valley's floor as they bisected any Ghouls.
When we had reduced the large, stumbling horde to little more than piles of ash and loose Cores and Crystals, Anput and I moved forwards, joining up with Leone and Kat.
The Vampire gave an uninterested look, while the Dogkin was biting her lip slightly, an ambiguous gleam in her amber eyes.
Giving them nods, I set about to collecting the spoils, starting first at the small mountain of ash that stood as a morial to the Ghoul King.
Besides the giant chunk of a Core that it left behind, I grinned as I scooped up the long, slim talon, being careful to avoid the sharp edge and drops of venom as I wrapped it in a piece of cloth, guaranteeing that I could safely transport it back to the surface.
The others were also collecting the Cores and Crystals left behind, and my grin widened as I thought about the money we would make from these materials; my Request alone would give a boost of 6 Gold, which I already had plans for~
As for the others, I had briefly checked their rewards, and I held in a chuckle as I recalled each one.
Anput's Request for a Coal Serpent's ribs was odd, but the payout was 6 Gold as well.
Leone's Request for Obsidian Crab chitin was paying a decent amount as well, at 5 Gold and 75 Silvers.
anwhile, Kat had taken the lowest amount, with her herb gathering paying only 5 Gold; I had thought the prices weird, until Leone told us that the location of Magma Nettle was near Coal Serpent's dens, making it slightly difficult to harvest.
Admittedly, I was rather surprised that Kat was the one to take an herb gathering quest, as I thought that my Vampire was interested in alchemy, but...
Considering she was still pouting, I sighed and decided to ask about it later, when I had pampered her back to being normal.
Ah, what a hard job I have~
Chuckling slightly, I got up and tightened each pouch, making sure I couldn't lose anything.
Seeing my girls regroup around , I smiled warmly at each one, before reaching forwards and patting Kat's head.
"Good girl~! Thank you for helping , little puppy~!"
The Dogkin was still expressionless, even as my fingers itched behind her sensitive ears, but I could feel her happiness through the bond.
Besides that, her tail thumped slightly as I scratched a little more, forcing to hold in a chuckle.
However, as I continued to revel in the fluff of her ears, I felt Anput glaring at , while Leone pouted and looked away.
Frowning, I pulled Kat into my chest and swiftly dragged the other two into my arms as well, deciding that enough was enough.
All three stared up at ; Kat was still blank, Anput still glared, but her tail told she felt otherwise, and Leone was a deep crimson.
Probably because of my hand...
Anyways, I stared down at all three, smirking at them.
"Listen, I know you all don't exactly want to fight as you have been, but I think it's necessary to at least open your eyes and let you see your potential weakness..."
Holding them close, my smirk lted into a warm smile, and I looked each in the eye as I continued.
"It's just for today, so please deal with it for now. Do it for , please..."
Anput pursed her lips before nodding, while Leone blushed further, nodding as well.
Then we all turned to Kat, who remained stoic and silent.
Opening those plump lips of hers, I shivered slightly at her words.
"Of course Mistress."
Her flat voice and stare made sigh, and I leaned down, pressing my nose against hers.
"You know, if a certain puppy of mine didn't constantly hold back, I would know just how sharp her cute little claws and teeth were, now wouldn't I?"
I smirked at how a crack appeared in her stoic facade, a brief sliver of both mirth and annoyance entering her amber eyes.
"I believe that puppy has demonstrated how sharp she can be before, many tis."
Grinning at her, I nodded, recalling the most recent spar we had, but...
"Yeah, but who knows if that puppy thought she was just playing with her Mistress, hmm~? How was I supposed to know if she was ready for sothing real when-"
Kat sighed and gave a dry gaze, saying "Fine. I'll continue using only my dagger... Mistress."
Pulling away, my grin widened before I glanced at the other two, who were staring at Kat with mixed gazes.
Giving each a quick pat, I rolled out my shoulders and gestured towards the congested Valley, saying "Well, let's clear another horde or two before making our way onto the Plains."
~~~
Kat PoV
Standing beside Leone, I raised my dagger and stabbed it into the head of an approaching Ghoul, shattering its skull.
"Kat..."
Glancing briefly over at the Vampire, I saw her thin sword piercing towards a Ghouls chest, cleanly stabbing into its core.
Before she could continue, I said "Use a little less power and move a little faster. What?"
Jahi had asked to refrain from cutting down the hordes on my own, telling she wanted Leone to get more experience in close combat instead; while slightly annoying, I agreed with her, so here I was, teaching the Vampiric Princess how to better use her blade.
Pursing her lips, Leone blushed as her voice entered my ears, lower than normal.
"H-How... h-how do you n-not blush w-when J-Jahi... d-does that s-stuff?"
I stumbled slightly, resulting in my dagger missing its mark by a hairs breadth.
Not ideal, but the Ghoul still collapsed to the ground, dead.
"I..."
Frowning, I continued to put down the Ghouls that stumbled towards , using the weight of my blade to carry my arm down as I slashed into ones neck.
Taking a deep breath, I shrugged slightly as I said "I'm just... used to it at this point. Sure, so of the things she does sends my heart aflutter, but... well..."
Seeing Leone's crimson face again, I held in a chuckle, knowing that she was just that deeply in love with Jahi.
"There's nothing wrong with the little things she does making your heart race, Leone. I'm just used to it; I love her, and how she acts. It's just... we've shared all of our firsts together, and I've been by her side for years now. Maybe you'll get used to it, maybe you won't, but either way its fine; it just ans you love her a lot."
She nodded and said "I... I really do... Every small thing she does makes my heart pound, almost like it's trying to erupt from my chest. I thought that it might subside now that we've... we've... l-laid together, but..."
Shaking her head slightly, I let out a chuckle.
"It's only gotten worse huh~? Everything makes you rember how much she desired you?"
Leone nodded, her face still a deep crimson as she slit a Ghoul's throat.
Pushing it away, her shaky voice entered my ears again.
"Y-Yeah... w-whenever she's near, m-my heart races. When s-she whispers wonderful things to , I f-feel myself falling further for her... Wh-When she holds ... I... I..."
Smiling, I kicked the last Ghoul away and said "It'll only get 'worse' from here on out Leone~! When she gets money, she's going to spend it on us, taking us to lavish places, buying us opulent gifts... that's how Jahi wants to treat us, and it's her benchmark on how to show us she truly loves us..."
Giving the Vampire a pat on the shoulder, I smirked slightly at her as I added in a low voice "I do hope you know Anput and I feel the sa way; we all love you, and we all love each other. We're sisters now, all united under our love for a Demoness who stole our hearts. You might want to get used to those sweet words and gifts, because from here on out..."
Releasing her, I started collecting the loose materials, letting Jahi finish for ; she might not have heard, or even known what we were talking about, but the Demoness had a knack for teasing, which...
Draping her arm over Leone's shoulder, she stared down at the crimson Vampire and said "Whatcha talking about~? , maybe~?"
Seeing Leone blush more, Jahi grinned and poked her cheek, cooing "Aw, thanks love~! I was thinking about you too~!"
Anput crouched beside , smirking as she glanced back at the Demoness and Vampire.
"So?"
Hearing her question, I smirked back at her as I whispered "Leone wanted to know how I deal with Jahi's constant flirting, but..."
"She's not going to ever get used to it, is she~?"
I shook my head, whispering "Nope~! Which will only make Jahi tease her that much more~!"
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