Babel

Though he would have liked to take Eliza's advice and relax for a bit, Linnaeus was still wide awake by the time darkness had fallen over the small forest settlement. This was what he had been waiting for so, after extricating himself from Eliza's clutches and signaling to Emilia to stay back, he departed the Inn in the middle of the night.Nothing had happened in the last couple of days so Linnaeus took a gamble by assuming that their enemies were trying to avoid damaging any of the businesses. If they were an operation supported by the Hunting Guild, it would significantly reduce the prestige of the latter if they were to damage the property of the various business owners. Some of these individuals were extremely powerful so, while they obviously wanted to put pressure on new faces, they seemed to be avoiding causing too big a scene...Hoping that his deduction struck at the heart of the matter, Linnaeus did his best to muster up his confidence as he ventured out under the cover of night.Unlike Central City, the Southern Forest Settlement wasn't particularly well lit so it was easy to move, mostly, unseen. Linnaeus couldn't really pretend that he had gone completely unnoticed as, despite there being a number of people out and about, there would be long periods of time where he didn't acquire any experience in his [Stealth] and [Presence Concealment].When you managed to evade detection from higher-level individuals, the system rewarded you with drastically increased experience. Thus, long periods where he gained no experience whatsoever were a dead giveaway that 'someone' had noticed him.Without being dishearted by this fact, Linnaeus did his best to move with purpose, believing most of the people that had taken note of him were just curious individuals wondering what he was up to. So long as he continued on his way without causing any trouble, they would quickly lose interest since most people couldn't really be bothered to poke their nose into other people's business.This was something Linnaeus was banking on as, if someone continued to tail him after others had lost interest, their intentions could be assumed. They were either someone who had been assigned to watch him or someone that had taken notice of him and decided to seek trouble. In either case, both were people Linnaeus would have to deal with so he moved closer to the outskirts while trying to drop the tail.It was unfortunate that the settlement was distinctly different from the slums he was used to as, even if he wanted to be sneaky, the distance between buildings made it very difficult. This was one of the reasons behind why he drew so much attention as, in some cases, the distance between buildings could have easily fit another building in between...it was very annoying.Despite this, Linnaeus eventually dropped all his tails after about an hour of traveling by essentially pretending he was just training his Skills and Abilities without any actual purpose. Since being a Thief was one of the primary Classes, at least according to the information he had obtained, it wouldn't be difficult to convince people he was just trying to polish his techniques even if they stopped him.Unfortunately, other than brief periods where he would get a decent chunk of experience, Linnaeus was still being followed by at least one person. He could deduce this from the fact that, when he did get experience, it was usually the same exact value. Since this was determined by the level difference and other factors, the likelihood that two people gave the same exact amount was relatively slim.With the intent of luring his pursuers out, Linnaeus began to follow a complex route that, if you knew the layout of the settlement, clearly indicated his intent to return. If they had any intention beyond simply observing him, they would be compelled to act before he could reunite with his allies so this was the best way to bait them out after leading them around for more than an hour.Though he didn't doubt there were people as, or even more, cautious than himself, Linnaeus quickly learned that his degree of caution was abnormal. People weren't nearly as patient as he could be at times, something he had cultivated due to his weakness and the fact that everyone around him, for a period of time, could have been considered an enemy.Meeting his expectations, Linnaeus found his way blocked by a petite figure wearing a black cloak. It was a little silly to see her hiding her identity, especially considering the two holes that had been cut in the hood to allow for her horns to protrude freely...Seeing that Linnaeus wasn't even startled by her arrival, the girl giggled playfully as she mused, "You aren't half bad, are you? The real question is, what are your intentions in luring me out like this~? Do you really intend to fight me...?"At the moment she finished her words, the hooded-girl pulled out a set of six throwing knives, each held between her fingers in a fan shape. As for Linnaeus, he tensed up considerably but managed to appear calm as he adopted a half-battle stance and asked, "What are your intentions? Why is your group interested in my Party...?"In truth, Linnaeus had already done a bit of information gathering so he had a decent understanding of the group's purpose. Still, he wanted to know how the girl would respond as information could be manipulated freely, especially in an area where one organization had most of the power.With a pretend pout, the girl pursed her lips before placing her throwing knives away and answering, "It's simple, really. Our group is one of the more powerful forces in this region. We may not be that strong compared to foreign organizations but we work hard to keep order within our territory. You really don't have to worry all that much as, when you leave the settlement behind, our forces will no longer target you."Hearing the girl's response, Linnaeus was actually a little surprised, even if it didn't show on his face. This caused the girl to nod in approval, apparently mistaking his silence as comprehension since she turned away moments later and disappeared into the shadows.Though it was possible there was some elaborate scheme going on, the girl's departure seemed to indicate that her words were the truth. This left Linnaeus at a loss as, while it wasn't that far from his initial speculation, it was so much 'tamer' than he expected...Linnaeus had assumed the girl's organization worked with the Hunting Guild and, while this was still very likely, their purpose seemed to be pressuring outsiders. If his Party decided to stay and settle in the area, they would undoubtedly try to pull him into their fold. If they only stayed for a few weeks, however, it didn't seem like the group would try to stop them at all. Rather, their actions seemed to be measured in order to gather information and keep outsiders from causing trouble by pressuring them during their stay...Realizing he may have genuinely been stressing over nothing, Linnaeus rested with his back against a nearby building as he slouched to the ground. He suddenly felt extremely fatigued and, while he still kept his guard up, it suddenly felt as if all his previous actions were driven by paranoia.If he really thought about it, there would be no way to keep actual order in such a distant settlement if there was some evil power machinating behind the scenes. Though there was undoubtedly a fair amount of corruption in the upper echelons of the organization, they would have been eliminated by stronger powers if they truly acted with impunity.Now that he looked back on the past few days, Linnaeus noticed that most of the actual residents were rather lackadaisical regarding the very obvious actions of the secretive organization. Just the fact that the Proprieter gave them a discount and a free meal indicated that he was very used to such incidents taking place. Otherwise, he would have been a lot angrier as the Inn was his primary source of income, not some roughshod shack that could be found within the overpopulated slums...After sitting in silence for the better part of half an hour, Linnaeus finally pulled himself to his feet and began making his way back to the Inn. Along the way, he thought about how Eliza, Krone, and even Emilia had reacted upon first entering the Fifth Floor. They behaved as if the sight of thousands of people living alongside each other without conflict was completely normal and, while he had been doing his best to accept this inherent truth, Linnaeus' past experiences made it difficult to change his behavior in a short period of time.During the relatively short walk, Linnaeus observed his surroundings from a different perspective than the one he generally used. He tried to view the people going about their business, not as future enemies, but people that simply wanted to live a life without hardship. Some of them had immense power at their disposal but, instead of using it to suppress others, they became business owners who happily served their customers with smiles on their faces, the complete opposite of expectations.Though it would take him a long time to truly understand the thought process of such individuals, Linnaeus was beginning to understand how people like Rebecca, and the various other elders in the slums, came to live there. They would have easily found a place for themselves within the Megacity yet, as if power and authority were completely meaningless to them, they chose to live the final few decades of their lives helping others.Linnaeus was beginning to realize that he had always viewed the world from the perspective of a Street Urchin, someone constantly looking to escape a terrible situation. He realized that there had actually been a number of people throughout his journey that harbored no ill will towards him but, as a result of his anti-social nature and over-cautious mentality, he had never even given them the chance to help him. The only exceptions to this were people like Rebecca but, at the time, he didn't really have a choice in the matter...Before he realized it, Linnaeus found himself back at the Inn and, as a result of his dazed state, he nearly bumped into a middle-aged drunkard with a wiry red beard. This startled the man and, for a brief moment, it seemed like he was about to explode in a drunken tirade. Instead, immediately after he saw Linnaeus cautiously standing a few meters away from him, the old man actually apologized before laughing as he walked off, accompanied by a few of his friends as the night was still young.Seeing a drunkard showing simple courtesy was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, at least within Linnaeus' mind. He dragged his feet up the stairs, each step heavier than the ones that came before. Then, after entering his room, Linnaeus made brief eye contact with Emilia, giving her a simple shake of the head to indicate there were no issues before ultimately plopping down face-first onto the bed. Afterward, for the first time in a long while, complete darkness claimed his mind as he slipped off into a deep state of unconsciousness...albeit only for an hour...

After having stayed out pretty late, Linnaeus didn't have much time remaining until he was supposed to wake. Thus, despite falling into the deepest state of unconsciousness he had ever experienced, his internal clock stirred him awake at precisely 0500. This wasn't an exaggeration either as, due to only ever sleeping peacefully when he was knocked unconscious, Linnaeus awoke with a start, his body jerking upright in an instant as he quickly took in his surroundings.Remembering what had happened previously, Linnaeus was eventually able to calm down but, for a brief moment, cold sweat had covered his brow as his quick movement nearly sent Eliza tumbling from the bed.Being violently moved was never a pleasant way to wake up so Eliza had a grimace on her face after sitting up on the bed and asking, "What's the big idea, Lin? Is there an enemy...?"Though it was possible her senses hadn't detected anything, Eliza noticed that neither Linnaeus or Emilia were in a tense state. Rather, the latter seemed amused by what had happened while Linnaeus had turned statuesque, his mind clearly working in overdrive to come up with an explanation.Ultimately, Linnaeus decided to just be honest about what had happened so he explained, "I fell into a deep slumber so my body reacted negatively when it realized the time. Sorry, Eliza, I didn't mean to startle you like that..."Hearing the sincerity in Linnaeus's tone, Eliza felt that pressing the issue would be petty. Instead, she keyed in on his actual words and, realizing what he had said, a smile bloomed on her face. Then, as it was a matter of utmost importance, at least to her, Eliza had Linnaeus explain exactly what happened the previous night and subsequent morning.Since it would only strengthen their bond further, Linnaeus relented to Eliza's pestering and, while they all prepared for their day, he explained his stealth activities, his encounter with the same girl that had attacked them, and his speculation following the encounter.As if to punctuate the realization he had made the previous night, Eliza gave an understanding nod alongside Emilia, despite the latter having lived in a nomadic community.While they both knew how vicious some people could be, neither of them had the same mentality as Linnaeus, one which treated every unknown factor as a danger. It was honestly a point of concern for them as, while caution wasn't a bad character trait, it became a very big issue when it developed to a point where it was indistinguishable from paranoia.Realizing she needed to enforce this change in Linnaeus' perspective, Eliza patiently explained her own views on society and the inherent 'trust' required to be a functional member. Though her own perspective was obviously skewed due to her upbringing, one of the most important things she had been taught was how to read, understand, and empathize with people. These were important traits for anyone that was expected to lead others and, while ruthlessness was sometimes required during periods of conflict, it could not be the base state of a structured society.Though it would take a long time for him to truly understand what Eliza was trying to convey to him, the most important thing, at least from Linnaeus' perspective, was that the world wasn't the evil and vicious place he expected. He knew he would eventually meet corrupt, power-hungry, and outright vile individuals but, in the grand scheme of things, people seemed drawn towards a simpler way of life. They just wanted to be happy and, unless the situation drove them to fight for that happiness, they largely kept to themselves...---After a rather awkward morning, Linnaeus and co set out for another day of material gathering, now without the tense atmosphere that had been present during their previous excursions.Compared to the past few days, hunting in the Southern Forests was actually a little fun as, without having to worry about enemies attacking them, the Party was able to focus on the hunt itself. This was something noted by Linnaeus and, while he didn't particularly regret his past actions, he could tell that his behavior had been a detrimental factor to his Party's development.Rather than apologize for his faults, Linnaeus decided to take Eliza's and Emilia's words to heart and, while Krone obviously wanted to inquire about what had changed, he ultimately kept silent. After all, Linnaeus was acting like a proper leader and, rather than the mask of confidence he wore to conceal his fear and paranoia, he now seemed a lot more relaxed and focused.With this newfound focus, Linnaeus fell into a more supportive role in the Party, replacing Emilia and allowing her to become the group's Scout. This put him in a position to protect Eliza and, when the situation called for his intervention, he could easily move to support Krone.In this manner, the Party was able to clear out large sections of the forest and, after eleven hours of hunting, they had acquired more materials than their previous three days combined. Not only that, but everyone was in high spirits compared to the past few days, something Linnaeus took personally since he had been the source of the unrest.Still, he decided not to let it get to him as worrying unnecessarily would just be repeating the same mistakes as before. Instead, he would try to cultivate actual confidence and, while he couldn't really do anything about his cautious nature, changing his perspective of the world made a big difference.Now, instead of radiating a cold and detached aura to outsiders, Linnaeus casually glanced in their direction and, after confirming they harbored no ill will, he simply ignored them. He noticed that, as a result of his shift in mentality, the surroundings seemed significantly less dangerous than before. It no longer felt like everyone was machinating and scheming against him, rather, so long as he didn't do anything to draw their attention, most people simply ignored their group...By the time the Party returned to the Inn, Linnaeus felt as if his entire world view had been flipped on top of its head. Despite this, his mood had improved considerably and, though he couldn't willingly drop his guard, he didn't react adversely just because someone got near him. He even returned the greetings of a few patrons that crossed his path, people Linnaeus would have outright ignored in the past.Seeing how quickly he was improving, Eliza had a perpetual smile on her face as, more than Linnaeus himself, she felt gratified by his changes. She had been more than a little bothered by his recounting of the past and, knowing of the events that had shaped Linnaeus' character, Eliza had made it one of her missions to open his heart, at least to her.Linnaeus had been paying close attention to all of his companions so he had, obviously, seen the change in Eliza's mood. She was clearly happier than before, to the point she didn't even use harsh words when Krone or Emilia did something to annoy her. Instead, she just shook her head and, as if she was afraid to ruin the mood, she ignored their small slights.Because of these changes, the Party dynamic had improved considerably in a single day. This was further emphasized by the fact that, prior to going to bed, Krone gave a few parting words to the group. He would normally just walk off after they were done discussing the day's hunt and their future plans so it was a marked improvement, one which they discussed upon returning to their shared room...As the person with the weakest filter on her words and actions, Emilia was the first to directly state, "This is good. Compared to before, the Party is working a lot better. Keep doing your best and you'll become an even better leader in the future, Lin."Now that they were in the privacy of their own room, Eliza stopped holding herself back for the sake of the Party, immediately rebuffing Emilia by saying, "Don't be rude, Emilia. Linnaeus has been doing his best from the very beginning. He just lacks experience and perspective. Once he matures a bit, he will become a great Party Leader by default."Rather than refute her words, Emilia answered Eliza's remark with an affirmative nod, adding, "Yeah, he really isn't bad for someone his age. I can remember what I was like three years ago...really, it is amazing how much people can change, isn't it~?"By the time she finished her words, Emilia had approached Linnaeus's side and, using her hand, she tried to measure the difference in their heights. This caused the latter's brow to twitch slightly as his height was quickly becoming a sore spot that he couldn't really do anything about...Realizing she might have overstepped her bounds a bit, Emilia poked her tongue out at Linnaeus before asking, "Should I apologize~?" in a cutesy tone.Remembering Emilia's previous display, where she laid on her back and presented her stomach, Linnaeus ultimately shook his head in exasperation, saying, "We should prepare for bed. There is no way of knowing the future so it is important to rest when we can..."Hearing Linnaeus' response, Emilia brought her face a little closer to his and, a serious look on her face as she said, "You should be bolder, Lin. Not many men get the chance to share a room with two girls like this. You won't have this opportunity forever so make the most of it while you can, okay...?"Before Linnaeus was able to respond to her words, Emilia felt her head being jerked back, courtesy of Eliza pulling her ponytail. At the same time, the latter stated in a cold tone, "Don't put any weird ideas into Lin's head. I swear, if you try to corrupt him..."As Eliza was still pulling on her ponytail, Emilia could only offer a pained smile in response as she answered, "I'm only playing around, you don't have to be so serious, Liz~!"Sensing that things were becoming chaotic, Linnaeus shook his head and simply turned away from the duo. Curiously, this was enough to stop them from fighting and, after an awkward period of silence, they too began preparing for bed. This involved taking a bath, changing clothes, and tying up their hair.Refusing to share the bath with Emilia, Eliza quickly took over the bathroom for herself, albeit after giving the increasingly mischevious Vanargandr a starn warning.Though she was tempted to ignore Eliza's remarks, Emilia ultimately nodded her head since she didn't want to offend the former. Rather, her teasing of Linnaeus was the result of their increased familiarity and, while she didn't mind laying a claim to the white-haired youth, she wasn't serious.Back in her tribe, the girls enjoyed teasing the weaker males as it was just a way of fostering positive rapport with their future mates. She honestly didn't understand why Eliza behaved as she did toward Linnaeus so she just treated it as a cultural difference. Still, unless Linnaeus himself told her to stop doing it, Emilia wasn't going to stop teasing him when the opportunity presented itself. After all, he was supposed to be the Party leader and, while Eliza was still the strongest in the group, Emilia cared more about the established hierarchy than presumed structure of the group...With this in mind, Emilia waited until she heard the sound of water being moved about before she turned toward Linnaeus with a smile. He was an extremely perceptive boy so he immediately noticed her gaze, turning his head to meet her. This caused Emilia to smile mischievously and, knowing he wouldn't say anything about it, she bounced over to him before laying on her back and apologizing for her earlier behavior, tummy exposed and tail curled up between her legs in a pitiable manner...

As the 'weakest' region on the Fifth Floor, the Southern Forests were relatively safe, regardless of the nature of your Blessing.So long as you avoided venturing too far South, traveling for well over three days, there weren't any particularly dangerous enemies. Rather, there was an overabundance of Slime-Type monsters, to the point it was nearly impossible to find an area without at least one Slime present.Other than the Blue, Green, Rock, and Metal Slimes he had previously encountered, Linnaeus quickly came to learn that there were a variety of Slimes outside his existing knowledge. This included types with light purple skin, capable of producing electrical impulses, a type with dark purple skin, capable of spitting corrosive venom, and various elemental Slimes capable of using very basic Magic spells.Linnaeus was honestly a little surprised at the variety of the creatures and, if time allowed, he would have liked to better understand the nature of their existence. Instead, his main focus was harvesting the coveted Slime Gels, a stable source of income due to the constant demand. They were used in everything from Alchemy to Blacksmithing so there was never enough to flood the market.The only gripe Linnaeus had about the current situation was the fact many of the elemental Slimes looked almost indiscernible from their much weaker counterparts. Water Slimes looked like Common Mountain Slimes while Windswept Slimes looked indistinguishable from Green Slimes. If you weren't on your toes at every moment, there was a non-negligible chance you would eat a Water Bullet or an Air Blade, each capable of causing extreme damage depending on the area hit.Fortunately, after absorbing the properties of the metal in his gauntlets, Krone was largely immune to weaker Magic spells. He also had extreme resistance to physical attacks, albeit at the cost of more than half his total Agility.With Krone acting as the Vanguard, the Party only needed to be cautious of the dark purple variety known as Toxic Slime. Its corrosive venom had the ability to melt minerals so, with his body being comprised mostly of refined steel, Krone was extremely susceptible to this particular variety. In fact, he had half his left arm melted after crushing a Toxic Slime with his bare fist, something he quickly learned was a bad idea.If not for the inherent ability of everyone to heal from wounds, so long as they were not in a Critical Health state, Krone may have actually lost his arm to a Slime. This seemed to prick his pride a bit so, from that moment onward, he focused on being reactive and observing his opponents rather than charging them directly. Had he stayed within the effective range of Linnaeus' [Barrier Aura], the Toxic Slime's venom wouldn't have been able to affect him in the slightest...In this manner, the Party continued to refine its cooperation while simultaneously building trust in each other. They spent much of the daylight hours gathering materials and exchanging them at the Hunting Guild while, in the evenings, Linnaeus would gather information.Since the preliminary attack, three days had passed without incident but, from experience, Linnaeus knew this was likely the enemy's attempt to lull them into a false sense of security. There was a good chance they were still being 'tested', likely to determine how patient or paranoid they were, so there was no way Linnaeus would drop his guard. If they thought he would become a soft target due to complacency, they severely underestimated him, a person who had lived for years without dropping his guard for more than a few minutes at a time...The downside to this kind of mentality, however, was that Linnaeus became increasingly silent and anti-social. He was always tensed so, when Eliza would try to get in his personal space, he wouldn't allow her to hold him for more than a few seconds.As a result of Linnaeus' behavior, Eliza was already pushing to have the Party to leave the Southern Forests. She, like everyone else, was in a tensed state but, seeing how 'serious' Linnaeus was, it was beginning to stress her out.Unlike Linnaeus, she had learned the importance of relaxing your mind and body when given the opportunity to do so. It was impossible to stay in a reactive and alert state forever and, the longer you tried, the more unhinged you would become. While this may not be a big issue when you were alone, or perhaps with one other person, it wasn't behavior suitable for a Party Leader.Ultimately, Eliza pulled Linnaeus aside when they retired to their room, explaining in a stern yet guiding tone, "I'm not telling you to drop your guard but your tension is affecting everyone else in a negative way, Lin. A Party Leader needs to be calm and confident at all times in order to ensure that the Party's morale is in high form. Seeing you become this...machine-like creature...none of us are able to relax..."Having seen the changes in his Party members, Linnaeus knew there was some truth behind Eliza's words. In fact, their change had been weighing heavily on his heart and mind but, with the enemy having someone that could literally move through shadows, he couldn't relax. He would even stab his own shadow periodically as, even with [Shadow Step], a person could be injured if you hit the shadow they currently inhabited.Since he couldn't ignore her advice, Linnaeus answered Eliza's words with a curt nod before relaxing his shoulders a bit and saying, "It's just...I would never forgive myself if something happened due to my own complacency. I'm not trying to stress the three of you out...I just want to protect the things I want to protect..."Hearing Linnaeus' words, Eliza turned her eyes up at him with a slight smile on her face. She reached her hand out to gently stroke his head, saying in a light murmur, "That is very good, Lin. Wanting to protect things is a commendable trait to possess. Just remind yourself that there is more to protect than just the physical body...if the mind breaks, it doesn't matter how a person appears to viewers. In many cases, the thing you should do your best to safeguard is the person's mentality...wounds heal and scars fade...remember that, okay...?"Linnaeus blinked in surprise after hearing Eliza's words. He could understand the truth contained in them as, during his time as a Street Urchin, the thing he focused on preserving, more than anything else, was his sense of self and his desire to protect. This hadn't changed even after he obtained his Blessing, rather, even after being separated from his sister, the one thing that kept him from straying onto a much darker path was imagining how she would react upon their reunion...No matter how much physical torture he experienced, regardless of how much mental anguish he had to go through, Linnaeus was determined to keep the seedling Rebecca had placed in him from being crushed by the immense darkness he was exposed to. He desperately wanted to be a good person, someone that broke free from the cycle that was endlessly perpetuated within the Slums...Without realizing it, a gap had formed in Linnaeus thought processes but, rather than harm, he came back to his senses when Eliza hugged him tightly, his face smothered by her disproportionately large breasts. It was only then that he realized his vision had become a little blurry as, for a brief moment, Linnaeus felt as if he had failed to preserve himself. He had killed so many people and, even though he tried to help people when the occasion arose, he couldn't help feeling like a hypocrite that just took advantage of the situation.Realizing Eliza was yet another person he was taking advantage of for his own ends, Linnaeus felt an extreme amount of guilt. Despite this, he didn't vocalize his thoughts and, though it made him feel even worse, he ultimately returned her hug in silence. He was too weak to stand on his own and, as she had put herself in a position to prop him up and support him, Linnaeus couldn't be completely honest with Eliza just yet...What Linnaeus didn't realize was that Eliza was having similar thoughts as, from the moment they began to interact with each other, she decided to make herself into an irreplaceable existence to the young boy. She would do her best to be everything he needed, not because she outright wanted to manipulate him, but because she feared the loneliness that had eaten away at her mind during that month of solitude.When she was at her darkest moments, Linnaeus had appeared like a gentle ray of moonlight. He didn't put on pretenses, acting like some 'holier than thou' person who was incapable of admitting wrongdoing. Instead, he simply existed as he was, a boy who experienced the darkness of the world at a very early age without being completely consumed by it...While Linnaeus and Eliza were having their moment, Emilia was sitting cross-legged on the bed with a meat skewer in hand, her eyes curiously watching their interaction. With her enhanced hearing, she could easily hear everything they were saying but, as it didn't really matter all that much, Emilia only listened out of general curiosity.As could be expected, Emilia had her own thoughts about the current situation and, though it was a little awkward, she was happy to see the bonds between everyone strengthening. In her mind, those who fought alongside each other were comrades while those unhesitantly risked their life for each other were family.Linnaeus gave her the impression of someone who would go to any lengths to protect the things he had sworn to protect so, while she felt he had a long way to go as a Leader, she already considered him family. If she wasn't willing to protect the people that would risk life and limb to protect her, the spirits of her Ancestors would scorn and admonish her.Prior to being thrown into the Crucible of Souls, Emilia believed she had failed her tribe and unborn descendants by losing her life in such an unceremonious manner. Now, however, she had a unique opportunity to prove herself, not once, but twice over. She would fight to regain her life and, with a few trustworthy allies at her side, fight to reclaim her honor and become a proper adult.The Vanargandr were a tribe enamored with fate, family, and food so Emilia didn't believe it was a coincidence she had met Linnaeus, Eliza, and Krone. They all had their quirks but, deep down, she could tell they were the type that would fight for others. The past few weeks had been a testament to this as, despite ongoing tensions, they had quickly familiarized themselves with each other.Emilia's only real complaint was that Linnaeus was still a little weak, despite having proven himself as a capable leader in his own way. She felt he was someone that needed to be protected, not a leader who could protect others and inspire confidence in his pack. He didn't give off the impression of an Alpha in the slightest, something that made Emilia feel uncomfortable at times.Despite this, she had come to trust Linnaeus' judgment and potential as, while he seemed weak and frail at times, there were certain moments when his aura alone would trigger her instincts. When he wanted to protect something, he gave off an aura that could rival even the strongest warriors from her tribe. During those moments, Emilia would feel very excited and, if not for Eliza's presence, she would have tried to secure Linnaeus as her mate. Her people believed that the will of the parents was transferred to their children so, with his strong desire to protect others, Emilia believed Linnaeus was a suitable father for at least one batch of cubs...

Chapter 66: Tail : Fatigue