Chapter 46

“What the fuck does she mean you used to be Human?!?!”

Rain scratched his jaw and shrugged, looking at the sheep girl coolly. “ ... I died at the bottom of the dungeon, when I woke I looked like this, a smaller version anyway. It ... wasn’t a kind death, I was killed by levelers ... I used to be a Human, now I am a monster, through and through.” A sense of long brewing acceptance filled Rain that he hadn’t known he had been holding onto. He was a monster now, it had been hard to truly accept that after a lifetime of being indoctrinated into fearing monsters.

“My gods, h-how?! Wait, wait, back then, when you somehow knew about family dynasties keeping the secrets of Classes, and- oh! You didn’t react anything like Red or Opal when we first came above ground, you’ve been outside of the dungeon before! You were a leveler!”

“Yes.”

“But- but how is this possible!”

“I don’t know. Where I died may have something to do with it, I died on a grave left undisturbed for ... a long time.”

Lyra stared at him and then blinked. This, this changed things. The monster in front of her wasn’t just a monster, he was a monster with the additional experience and knowledge of being a leveler. She didn’t know whether that made Rain more comfortable to be near or ten times more terrifying.

“I don’t understand this, this isn’t supposed to happen, levelers can’t become monsters. That just isn’t done!”

Rain reached out and grabbed her hips and the sheep girl froze up in fear. He picked her up and pulled her into his lap with her back facing toward him.

“Wh-what are you doing!” wailed the sheep girl as her body began trembling out of control.

Rain remained silent and ran a paw pad down her arm to where her wrists were bound in rope. Opal had gone a little overboard with the amount of rope used and she was tied several times over. He carefully used his claws to tug and tear apart the rope until she was freed.

Lyra snatched her hands away from him and rubbed at her wrists. She froze up again as Rain’s arms wrapped around her and he began plucking at the ropes tying her legs up.

“Y-you don’t have to do this I can take them off!” she whimpered as he made progress.

“It’s fine, it’s easier this way.”

Lyra made little helpless noises as his claws pulled at the knots, pulling and pushing her roughly in his lap. She couldn’t help it, she reached out her hands to steady herself against his arms before she realised what she was doing.

Soon enough Rain was done and Lyra was able to move her legs properly once more. She sighed in relief, stretching out her legs as far as she could in front of her, her hooves pointed outward, her legs crossing and uncrossing. The feeling of being free was wonderful.

It suddenly occurred to her that she was completely stark naked and sitting in a male monster’s lap while stretching her legs, her rear pressed up against his crotch, her hands resting on his forearms.

This, this was really not good! She squealed and jumped to her feet, her large chest bouncing up and down as she desperately tried to cover her nipples and privates with her hand and arm. She gave Rain one pink cheeked scandalised look before she dashed away and dived into her tent.

Opal watched her go, her arms crossed.

“I bet she would have been delicious and made you grow really big. Some nice tasty mutton walking around on two legs. Hmph!”

Rain gave her the side eye. “You make my appetite look mild sometimes you know. I’m not going to eat her, the least of which reason is because I want to go into Lynthia, the town. You know I want revenge on a certain group of levelers, I don’t think all of them will have joined the Inquisitor in the dungeon, in fact, I’m certain some of them will have remained in town.” Rain lifted his paw up in front of him and curled it into a fist. “This might be the perfect opportunity to get them, Lyra’s power will be essential for that.”

“Stillashittypower,” muttered Opal, but it was clear she was unwillingly coming around.

Rain watched as the huge many coloured moon dipped below the horizon and the sun began to rise sending golden rays across the glade, lighting up the grass and creating a faint mist as the night dew evaporated. Rain had Opal pack away their tent. Eventually, Lyra emerged from hers, this time fully clothed although a faint rosy blush remained on her cheeks.

Rain retrieved Red from where he was tied to the tree they had emerged from, curled up just inside the cave entrance. They put both the packs back onto the Kobold. Before long they were leaving the glade and passing into the forest proper. The light became dappled as they passed beneath the canopy, leafy shadows casting a pleasing patina across everything.

Rain eased his pace so the others didn’t have to rush to keep up with him and watched as Opal stared around in curiosity, occasionally darting aside to inspect a weird bug or tree or the way moss grew across a boulder, her natural instincts as a scout showing.

Red was more the sort to just wander around slack jawed, occasionally tilting his head to listen to bird song in the treetops.

A few hours into this and Opal, who was slightly ahead of the group, paused and furrowed her brow, staring into the distance through the gaps in the trees.