Chapter 73: Chapter Fifty-Five: Taking Flight

To make this whole looting thing more manageable, I asked the AI to mark waypoints over what we considered important. In terms of money, we found 34 gold, 22 silver, and 67 copper. For materials? A handful of iron and steel ore acquired from a couple of metal golems Oswell had killed a few weeks ago.   

When we got to the wagon carrying the enchanting table, I just stashed that in my storage since I had the space for it, and we moved on to the fantastic equipment they had.   

• Kronto (4/4) 
  • Lighting Teleport (Lv. 3) 
  • Lightning Jump (Lv. 2) 
  • Lightning Dive (Lv. 4) 
  • Lightning Thrust (Lv. 6) 

I took the obsidian-colored spear for myself. This thing was powerful. With the ability to teleport and leave behind a localized lightning bolt, someone experienced could wreak a shit load of havoc.  

But that wasn’t all.  

• Mad Hatter (1/1) 
  • Berserk (Lv. 7) 

Oswell’s warhammer weighed about forty pounds. It was hefty, and I could barely wield it with one hand with my newfound strength. The enchantment on it would, on demand, add the berserk status effect to the user, drastically increasing their physical damage while lowering their defense. And it often made the user unable to discern friend from foe. Risky but also very powerful. That went into my storage.   

Disappointingly, Kvree’s shields were just regular shields. They were just heavily reinforced with steel and polished to an exceptional sheen.   

We found a horned helmet hidden in Oswell’s tent. Made from steel and ivory, a red ruby sat in the middle. The helmet itself, not the ruby, was enchanted with {Physical Resistance (Lv. 4)} and {Physical Damage (Lv. 4)}. I threw it to Sekh, but it was too big. Fighting with it on would be too dangerous. She liked the style, though. If I could resize it, I would. Perhaps I could make that a goal?  

We also found a lot of semi-powerful cores in Kvree’s tent. Didn’t have time to go through them, but after we had thoroughly searched, Sekh and I packed up our tent and walked to the wagon. We’d emptied it earlier to have enough space.   

Primrose was still silent with Niva’s head in her lap. She softly rubbed her hair and, even now, continued to whimper slightly. She refused to meet my gaze, but that was fine. After assimilating the horses, I made a clone and ordered it to take the shape of a black horse. A series of vines connected it to the wagon.  

And then?   

There was just one more thing to do.   

Burn the evidence.   

Tivid knew [Fire Rain]. And since I had [Fire Magic], I could use the spell outright. Pulling out Reina’s gun, the firearm transformed almost into a living, breathing flame elemental. I held the trigger as it built up power and drained my mana, aimed up, and combined the targeting interface the skill provided with [Map] to increase its accuracy.   

Releasing it caused a tremendous bolt of crimson to shoot high in the air. After reaching the apex, it exploded like a firework, sending down a torrential downpour of flaming rain. It was like watching an inferno monsoon sweep sweet destruction over the camp, burning memories and proof they were ever here away.   

The glaring glow of crimson felt like it was still staring at us, even as the Clone!Horse started moving. The wagon itself was covered with a white tarp around it, but Primrose was probably staring with a heavy heart at the destruction.   

Meanwhile, Sekh just sat beside me after she was finished looking. Her hands fished for mine, and we remained silent for a bit. No doubt she knew I was thinking everything over.   

“Talk to me,” she whispered. Tilde flew from the back and landed on my shoulder.   

“I…feel numb again. But it’s different… I don’t know how to explain it. I got a title called [Mass Murderer], and I just… I’m just fine with it. Guess I’m still broken, huh?”  

“I told you before. Broken things can be fixed. We’ll get there together, okay? Hey, I love you, Master,” Tilde whispered, kissing me on the cheek. I told her I loved her, and she flew to check on Erin.   

“I’ll always be with you, my liege. Through it all, I’ll never leave your side,” Sekh said.   

“Can you do something…for me?” Sekh nodded, and I indulged my selfishness by simply asking for her love.  

In seconds, she straddled my waist and wrapped her hands around my neck. Sekh’s soft lips blessed my forehead, and she held my head between her boobs and lovingly stroked my head.  

“I’ll love you until the end,” she whispered. I hugged her back and just...let myself fall asleep with her love and sweet scent to guide me. 

---

I woke up about four hours later in the same position, yet Sekh was topless, and my lips were wrapped around a nipple. When she felt me moving, she greeted me with a cute smile and a simple explanation. Apparently, I started to lick her through her tunic, and since we were alone, she just removed her clothes and allowed me to indulge myself with her sweet breasts.  

“Are you feeling better, my liege?” she asked, her face slightly red from three hours of my sucking. The target of my tongue switched to her lips, and that answered her question more than any words could do. She hopped off my lap to sit beside me while putting her clothes back on. “I’m glad. I was getting worried.”  

I gently held her hand with mine, then apologized for worrying her and the, you know, nipple-sucking. “Mmn, I don’t mind it, you know. It’s an intimate thing, so I do feel closer to you. Besides, you let me suck yours all the time.” We looked up at the night sky and talked for a while until she brought up the whole SP issue.   

First, I spent 146 SP to get [Mitosis] to Lv. 5, which allowed me to summon 10 clones. Each still divided my overall strength, but that was fine if it was for stealth. And oddly enough, one of the slaves also knew something called [Song Magic]. Instead of simply chanting in the language of mana, those with this skill could sing or use an instrument to cast magic, so it was more like an alternative casting skill.  

It was an easy buy, but I knew nothing about casting spells. I purchased it because it could be used as a proxy. I could play a song on my flute, and it would be a distraction to use my innate ability to cast via thought. But it could also work another way, and I was going to test it out.  

“Sekh, tell me what you think,” I told her upon placing the flute to my lips and becoming topless.  

“They’re beautiful,” she said, poking my breasts with a finger. She held them in her hands and thumbed my nipples. She had fun playing with them. 

“No, not that. I took it off because I didn’t want to rip it.” I played a quick little tune and transfigured a pair of bat wings I’d gotten from the Batfolk. In terms of appearance, they were velvety and all black, but with the AI's help, I altered them at the cost of more biomass.  

In the end, I decided to make them larger until they were queenly looking, then made them the color of darkness while adding glowing red lines that were supposed to mimic pulsing arteries. It wasn’t until Sekh said something that I unintentionally copied Tilde’s wings.  

“Easy, my liege. You’ve never flown before, right?” Sekh said, holding my hand as I stood up.  

“I’ve been on a plane once, and you know how that turned out.” It was a good thing it was still night. I doubt we'd run into anyone, but I still had the AI tell me if anyone was heading this way.  

I hopped from the wagon and kept speed with Clone!Horse, then used the instinctual knowledge that came with assimilating Battr and Abaddan to flap my wings. A few seconds later, I felt my feet leave the ground, but I panicked in my excitement and flapped too hard. One crash later, I ignored the dirt on my nipples and tried again. This time, flying up to the top of the wagon's white tarp. 

And. It. Felt. So. Exhilarating!   

I was flying... I was flying! My beautiful wings flapped with near-perfect rhythm. I soared through the skies as Sekh cheered me on from below, feeling the wind rush against my face as I eventually became adept enough to flip and perform aileron rolls, though my penis slipped out the side of my panties. It was... ‘interesting’ to pack everything back into place while airborne. 

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What if Sekh and I did it while flying...? Is that a thing...? 

I had fun, though, but I soon gracefully landed beside Sekh. She watched my face, but her gaze descended to a pair of slightly bouncing breasts. I remained topless while we discussed efficient wing placement. Having them sprout from my shoulders felt fine. It was almost empowering, but what if they came from my hips? Would I get more control? Sekh and I talked about it, then I played the flute again while altering my wings. It wasn’t necessary, but the flute was about to become a big part of my life. 

Once again, I hopped down and spread my hip wings. Appearance-wise, they were smaller but identical. Oddly enough, I felt more comfortable when I took off. The extrasensory ability to ‘flap’ them came quicker, but I didn’t know if it was experience or if hip wings were easier to control. Or maybe it had something to do with the shape? They were honestly kinda big, but they still reminded me of what a Queen of Batfolk would have.  

Strong. Dominant. Regal. Beautiful. Powerful.  

I danced around with the sky as my playground, trying to test my speed and expert control. Abaddan and Battr were adept at aerial combat, but I didn’t think I could do that as a beginner. I continued to fly for another 20 minutes before realizing my biomass was about 40%. The AI stated that increasing the size of something meant more biomass would have to be used to sustain the larger transfiguration.  

I searched for some boars, found them, covered them with my slime, and watched as they dissolved into nothing when [Drain] sucked them dry. Then I returned to Sekh, canceled my wings, and redressed.  

While I was gone, Sekh said she spent some SP buying more shield-related abilities like [Shield Throw], which was basically a boomerang skill. [Shield Prison], which enclosed her target in a sizeable cube with four shields, each with the properties of the shield she held. [Shield Wall], which caused a wall of shields to rise from the ground, which mimicked the power of the one she had equipped. And finally [Shield Elemental Deflection], allowing her to deflect magic. That last one was expensive, costing her 59 SP to obtain it at Lv. 1. Then she used what she had left to get [One-Handed Mace] and [Shield] to Lv. 5, which dropped her back down to zero SP. Sure, she could’ve saved the SP. But even if she leveled her skills faster than most others, it took time. Time she didn’t want to risk, especially since she had trouble with Vamire earlier. If it was a battle to the death, I had faith in her victory. But with Oswell and Kvree? Not to mention the others?  

Yeah, we couldn’t take all of them in an outright fight. 

Since I decided on hip wings, I had the AI highlight my top where the wings would appear from, then cut openings for them before getting dressed again. 

After that, I spent some more SP on acquiring [Danger Sense (Lv. 3)], [Mana Armor (Lv. 3)], [Flight (Lv. 4)], which all winged beastfolk were born with, and spent 200 to get [Spear] to Lv. 6.  

With all of that spent, I was left with about 900 SP. But before I could use it... 

SP gifting is now available. 

The AI materialized as a rainbow-colored stone pillar that loved to jiggle, then explained that it was my right as the Transcendent Dark Lord to share SP with those that had pledged their loyalty to me. A new menu to help me with this option appeared in my Status Menu. Since that was the case, I decided to spend 400 SP so I could be left with an even 250 to go to Sekh and Niva when she woke up.  

So, for me, I had to make an important decision. Increasing [Mana Regeneration] or [Photosynthesis] would allow me to fight longer with more powerful skills. I couldn’t upgrade my shapeshifting skill because it was considered a Divine Armament since it was a part of [Chimeric Mastery]. I desperately needed a gun and ammo—preferably making one of my own. And with this steel ore, I could craft a better mace and shield for Sekh.  

So, it was easy. [Weapon Creation] and [Ammo Creation] went to Lv. 4, [Blacksmith] to Lv. 6, and since I wanted another loincloth, [Nature’s Workshop] to Lv. 6 as well, which brought me to 505 SP. Even if it made more sense to acquire more offensive skills, I had Kronto and the two-dozen new water and fire spells. With [Mana Language], I was a step closer to making my own, so that was good. With how much mana I had, I could probably handle the additional cost of using spells belonging to elements I didn’t know. The remaining problem was learning to cast and chant, which was a hurdle. 

But Sekh and Niva came first. They were allies that needed all the SP they could, especially Niva.  

A quick use of the Status Menu later, I distributed the SP as I said I would, leaving me with 1, then took a restful breath. “If it took days for my body to adapt to 100 SP, then shit... This might take a few weeks.”  

“Hopefully, it won’t take that long, my liege.”  

“Maybe. But the next time we spar, I’ll definitely be a match for you. I might even win this time.” Sekh just lightly laughed and kissed me.   

About thirty minutes later, Erin woke up and poked her head out. She was confused about everything, so I had to explain her freedom. She wasn’t a slave any longer.  

“But I will have your mother’s safe. All I need from you is the combination, and your debt to me will have been paid.”  

“If...she hadn’t changed it, it’s 1738,” Erin said, giving the info without a struggle.  

I asked if she had any questions about what I had to do to free her, but she seemed like a bright kid. She just shook her head. It felt like she wanted to ask if those people had to die. So, I answered her unasked question and tried to talk her through the emotions she was feeling.   

"Speaking of killing,” I added. “Your mother is horrible. If you want her dead, I’ll do it after I plunder the safe.”  

“NO!” she said, slightly shouting, which jutted Niva awake in a panic. She screamed and cried before remembering she was safe. Lei was nearby. The slime was shell-shocked and never once left its friend's side.  

“Why not?” I asked, continuing the conversation as Sekh talked with Prim and Niva. She went to the back while Erin slid over. “She’s a dirty bitch who blamed you for my actions. And yes, I’ve been robbing your store for weeks. And no, I don’t feel bad. I only saved you because I need your help. If your mother was poor, I guess we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But what can you do? She sold her daughter into slavery, unable to believe her innocence, and now you want her to live? Sorry, but if I decide she has to die, she must die.”  

“But she’s my mom! She’s the only one I have since I don’t have a dad!”  

“That’s not my problem.”  

“But... But... How am I going to survive? The shop and my mom are the only things I know. Without them, I... I... Hic...  Wahhhh!!!” Erin started the waterworks again while I sighed.  

“You won’t be alone. I know someone that can get you back on your feet. You don’t have to go back to that place. Now, go get some rest or sleep. We still have a few hours before reaching Ria.”  

Silently, Erin returned to the back of the wagon and remained silent.  

Tilde soon popped out and landed on my back, and I pulled out my flute and showed her my wings. “What???? They’re the same color as mine!!! Master, we match!!!” she said, flying all around.  

“I’m glad you like it. Once I’m better at flying and [Song Magic], maybe we can have a race or something.” At [Song Magic] she caught onto what I was planning and winked, then said it was sure amazing [Song Magic] could do all that. Of course, the one problem was that I didn’t have anything other than [Flight], but maybe that was enough. Perhaps I could say I made a version of [Flight] that allowed me to store wings inside them?  

Upon asking Tilde and Sekh if that was possible, I found delight when they nodded. 

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