Chapter 26: Fox Eyes: Speedrun (1)

I shall begin my writings by explaining two things. I will not go into full detail since this is not a research journal.

(1) E’er Absorption.

(2) E’er Affinity.

E’er absorption takes place when a person assimilates E’er into themselves. This can happen through two (2) means: Ambient E’er, and E’er from other beings.

Absorbing Ambient E’er is the slower of the two. E’er has to be compressed and then enter the body. This does not happen when killing a living being since E’er is released in its compressed state.

E’er affinity is how efficient the absorption is, and, by extension, the efficiency of its expenditure. Items that increase efficiency do not increase affinity, unfortunately.

Let’s take two (2) individuals as examples.

Individual A; Natasha Novak, a Halve.

Individual B; Alyssa Pruvik, a Luzo.

The two individuals have one hundred (100) cubic meters of E’er for them to absorb.

Individual A has the innate quality to absorb the one hundred (100) cubic meters in their totality. This would then be split between body and pool. The ratio would vary depending on how depleted the pool is, at a maximum of 50-50 with an empty pool.

Individual B is able to absorb ten percent of the available one hundred (100) cubic meters without prior training. This would then be split as mentioned above.

Naturally, Individual B has the capacity to improve said Affinity by training body and mind in various ways. The time it would take to achieve the same results as Individual A would depend on how long and hard they have trained. Results have shown at least a thousand years of training are needed to reach eighty percent of affinity.

I aim to change this by studying Halves and how they absorb E’er.

18th day of the third month. Fifth week of Spring. 1980. Yiama’s Era.

A gentle caress woke me up.

“Hey, you. You’re finally awake!”

The first thing I heard was Natasha’s sexy voice. That smoky yet silvery sound that both relaxed and excited me.

While it was unfairly early to wake up at that hour even when considering we’d go back into the dungeon, the words of complaint I was about to say vanished the moment I opened my eyes.

“You were trying to cross the border, right?”

The Halve was wearing tight clothes that accentuated her figure. A black top of some unknown material covered her chest, and a pair of short shorts that ended right where her thighs began. And nothing else. Her golden skin shined with sweat, probably from exercising with Yolin. The muscles under her skin were defined and so very enticing. The lack of a belly button had at first confused me, but it stands to reason considering she’s not born of flesh. Her golden hair was done in her signature braid, incredibly complex yet quick to do by her deft hands, leaving her face clear and unobstructed.

“What are you talking about?” I asked while yawning.

My eyes met the suns that were her own, golden – as was almost everything about her – with a line across them. Her platinum silver teeth peeked between her dull golden lips as she gave me a shy smile, almost as if she felt bad she woke me up so early while spewing nonsense.

“You walked right into that imperial ambush. Same as us, and that Luzo over there.”

I wondered how can a someone sleep so little yet have that much energy to start saying bullshit so early. Truly, a being of E’er. While in the dungeon I managed to time her sleep, though only once. Five hours were enough to leave her completely rested. Adding to that the fact she could spend E’er to forgo the most basic need was beyond my understanding. I’d need to collect more data.

I had yet to ask her if she’d let me study her in depth, but had the feeling she wouldn’t refuse me.

Lifting my body to a sitting position on the bed, I rubbed my eyes to chase the sleepiness away.

“Do you know what time it is?”

I couldn’t help asking her, not as a complaint. More of a genuine question. The room was illuminated by her glow, which made guessing the time a difficult task.

“Uh… five… no, six thirty. I guess. Yeah, six thirty.”

She looked at a black pocket watch and spent a few seconds staring at it with a silly face. A smile broke my lips at that. Even the most powerful beings have a weakness or two.

A yawn left me as I got out of bed and cleaned my teeth with E’er. I went for a faint Oloya taste. Not too sweet, but not too weak.

[Natasha Novak – Bonded Partner – Forest Halve, Lvl 450 Dragoon]

“Good morning, sunshine.”

I hugged her neck and gave her a soft kiss, sneaking my tongue in her mouth and licking hers as her lips reciprocated the affection. The delightful taste of pure E’er that was her saliva woke me up more efficiently than any concoction could.

“Good morning, Lala.”

A sigh escaped me at her calling me that way. She hugged me with her powerful arms and lifted me as if I was no more than a piece of paper. I glanced towards the bed and saw Alyssa still sleeping, her tail had gathered the covers around her on the other side of the bed. Natasha then brought me to the living room, where she sat us on a sofa.

After covering my body with an everyday Ezh’de, I straddled her waist and brought our bodies closer, relishing in the heat her body produced. I hugged her neck and stared into her eyes.

“Good morning, Lapia,” a soothing voice said from behind me.

I turned to the source and saw Yolin getting out of the bathroom, freshly showered and naked. Steam left her red body as she walked over to us, then gave me a kiss. I put a hand on her nape and made the kiss last a little longer.

“Good morning, Yolin.”

“Did you sleep well?” she asked with a wide smile.

“I did. And thanks to Alyssa healing us, there is no hangover,” I responded with a nod.

I turned to Natasha, who was smiling at us while listening to our short exchange. Compersion written all over her face.

“So what made you wake me up so damn early?”

Yolin chuckled as I released her and got dressed. Her new chest wrap and pants covered her body, accentuating her athletic figure. Although it was early, arousal was getting a hold of me already. She sat down next to Natasha on the sofa.

“I was thinking about my journal,” Natasha said while staring at my right ear. “I thought you could write on it for a while. You’re free to read it, of course.”

The white book she showed me the day before materialized in her hands, which she offered. I took it and leafed through it, noticing a little over half was used.

“Sure. I can do that,” I said with a nod, then stored the book.

She smiled and gave me a quick kiss, then hugged me for a while.

After leaving the life of an Advisor, time came aplenty so it wouldn’t be much of an issue even when adding my own studies. Considering how our following weeks would be spent, I would have even more free time.

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“Also,” Natasha said, lifting my body like a feather. “I bought some things last night with Yolin, and I was wondering if you could hold onto the result. I can’t store it since it won’t ferment if I do.”

She sat me back down on the sofa and I had to suppress a whimper at her display of strength.

“Ferment?” I asked after processing her words. “It’s illegal to brew alcoholic beverages without a license.”

Yolin laughed and put an arm around my shoulders.

“I told you it was illegal,” Yolin said after pinching my cheek.

“It’s only illegal if they catch you,” Natasha said with a smile while tapping her right temple with a golden digit. “Besides, it’s not that strong. It’s a very necessary ingredient for a soup I have in mind.”

“What is it made of?” I asked, letting the comment about the legality of the subject go.

I was honestly interested. This could very well be something from her previous world, never before heard or seen on Galeia.

“Rye bread, which was a bitch to find... you call it Koli bread here. Honey and sugar, which were a little more expensive than I expected. Yeast, it’s a crime how cheap that one is. Raisins, and lemons.”

I blinked a few times, trying to remember anything made that way. Nothing came to mind.

“And you use this to make soup?” I asked.

Alcohol and soup didn’t mix well in my opinion, and the ingredients she mentioned made it sound a little too sweet.

“I know, right?” Yolin said, getting up and stretching her muscular body. “She woke me up to go shopping, too.”

“It needed to boil and rest through the night,” Natasha said with a shrug. “Good thing Dasiso lent me the kitchen.”

I covered my face with a hand. I hadn’t felt them leave or return.

“Where did you buy all this?”

“A few taverns,” Yolin answered, then laughed. “Good thing they work all night.”

“Right?” Natasha agreed.

The two laughed and shared a high five. A chuckle escaped me followed by a yawn.

“So, where is this mystical drink?” I asked. “And what’s the name?”

Natasha went behind the sofa and lifted two 2lt hermetically sealed glass bottles with a dark yellow liquid in them. I saw a good amount of raisins floating in the murky contents.

“Kvass!” she sang with a wide smile as she presented the items.

We woke Alyssa up and had a group shower. Then, we had breakfast in the mess hall. I enjoyed a fruit salad, Alyssa had vegetables and meat, Yolin a bomb of proteins, and Natasha ate an aberration of bread, butter, sausage, tomato, cucumber, and a Dwarvish sauce made of eggs and oil. Bromisnar and Bonte ate colorful salads.

After that, we all headed to the dungeon after buying umbrellas to avoid the rain and Natasha had to pay the tax. When we visit the King I’ll make sure to let him know how unfair it is to tax Halves separately. No wonder none have visited Lumin Kingdom in the last thousand years. Overcharging an entire species is clear discrimination.

Once inside the dungeon, Natasha produced a number of items, handing each of us an elixir, a scroll, a ring, and a necklace.

“Here, use these to speed up the leveling process,” Natasha said as she distributed them.

I appraised mine and felt my heart stop for a moment.

[Draught of E’er Assimilation (30 days)]

[Ring of E’er Assimilation (Unique)]

(+250% Affinity with E’er) (500 levels usage)

[Necklace of E’er Assimilation (Unique)]

(+250% Affinity with E’er) (500 levels usage)

[Writings of E’er Assimilation (30 days)]

My mind swam in shock for a while, then I calmed down when I realized the effects would not be permanent. It would do wonders for my research in any case. I’d have to be mindful of the brew and focus on the flow of E’er.

We all drank the concoction and then activated the scroll. A little injection of E’er and it lit up, releasing the enchantments and fusing with us. After wearing the accessories, we moved on.

It became clear to us how much of a mad woman Natasha truly is. She ran around the dungeon killing everything with her spear. Not a single Walas was left standing on the first nine floors. Sonya and Pochi kept up with her, and I had to hold the Kvass with space spells. Naturally, I kept them at 25ºY as instructed by Natasha.

The dungeon floors are pretty wide, yet it took her no more than an hour to clear each.

As we followed her around the dungeon at speeds the likes of which I had never experienced before and Alyssa was holding onto me for dear life, I was focused on one thing and one thing only.

E’er.

Locking the bottles in position relative to my body, and keeping the temperature around them constant, I focused on the absurd amount of E’er that was flowing into me.

As beings born of flesh, E’er compatibility is something everyone strove to improve.

It felt as if I had breathed smoke for the last eighty years and now I was out in the open for the first time. It was no longer odorless, but had a strong clean scent.

It became clear to me now why Halves grow so quickly in power while killing so little. If I had to kill one hundred beings on my own power range to gain a single level, a Halve would need to slay a single one. If I had to kill a million beings half my level, a halve would naturally need less.

That was the most glaring difference between those born of E’er and those born of flesh. Not even taking into account the might they have since birth, or the many items they hold.

Is this intentional? Is Galeia herself creating them? How are they created in the first place? The lack of a belly button is not enough information to arrive at a concise conclusion. Do they come out of the ground? Emerge from water? Are they formed inside trees, rocks, etc?

How is a Halve created? Are they really created in the first place? If so, who or what begins the process? What is the purpose of a Halve? Is it purely to protect us beings of flesh? Then why have a mind of their own? Why not be like a Golem? Why have individuality? Why feel pain, anger, and sadness?

Why reincarnate into one?

There is no logic to it. No Law of E’er that I know can answer this.

Do Halves really not know? Natasha doesn’t, and I believe her.

Do the Gods know, then?

Which came first? Halves or Gods?

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