By the time m arrived, it brought with it with a mixture of worry aement. The Dream had been calm and I got to py with Daisy again finally. We even mao find Rowan, and he joined us for a bit before he had to run off and do some ing somewhere. I told Daisy about Lietri and Dani, and how I wasn’t really either of them. She let me know that she just cared that I was Esme, and Esme was her best friend.

  Daisy and I found a with a handful of nightmares, including another visit to the Pure Lands courtesy of Azuriel. But even after it had been ed a with the ao make sure she was okay, she maintained her stance from the evening. She would not tell me what corruption was. The best expnation I got was so vague and short that it left only more questions. What was it that could be worse thah for an angel? Why did earning wings, given at level forty, graao it? The texts Dekarru had found so far alluding to what little Azuriel would tell me but when I tried to pry for more she simply shut me down with, “This is not something I speak about with mortals.” In the end she simply asked, begged really, to let her join me so she could get stronger for her own safety. But never revealed anything meaningful oopic.

  Even a brief stop to ask Vei’Ryn yielded s, my Goddess not knowing much about angels. They did in her inal world, so she had no experience or knowledge of celestials outside of my iions with them. She did, however, say that she would ask one of her lovers to look into the subject. When I asked who, she told me it would be the final member of the pahat I had yet to meet, by the name of Una. A promise was given to introduce her soon, but apparently she was quite busy that night.

  So I found myself letting the wo for the night and just being happy with my dream buddy and going on an adventure. An adventure in space, on a space pirate ship, a new and crazy possibility brought about by Dani’s memories of a more teologically advanced world and a vast quantity of sce fi tales.

  When I woke up extra early, I kissed my lovers and dragged my bat team up and to breakfast. Flyt proved herself the opposite of a m person as I had to fight her to not only let go of Ephi, but n me down to cuddle with them both.

  Dekarru stopped me before we left. “You sure about this? She arrives in a couple of hours. You could be there to meet her.”

  I forced my shoulders to rex, taking a slow breath before I felt fortable responding without letting my very raw emotions dictate my words. “Yeah. That’s actually why I want to head out early. Make sure I’m good and far before the envoy from Uvtrayl arrives. She o do all that official crap first and foremost and I’d distract from that. Not to mention that Jaina and I are currently listed as deceased and there might be some of the people in the fa that wanted me dead ing with her. I trust you and the other Elders to y the right groundwork before I show up and throw things into chaos.

  “Plus, I don’t know how together I’m gonna be when I see her. I’d rather we meet up in private after she’s had time to do the official greeting stuff ale in. I don’t think I want an audience see me break down and cry,” I admitted, baring my emotions to Dekarru. Iurn she gave me a knowing and thankful smile.

  She leaned in and gave me a deep kiss before she let us head off. “If you die again I’m ing in after you.”

  I love my tribe, so gods damned much.

  Myself, Redagga, Luvetra, Jaina, Ephirin, and Azuriel walked out into the city. Carmil was flowing through my veins and keeping an eye on both myself and el. There weren't many folks up this early, but damned near everyone who was stared at us. Betweehe angel, and the city knowing The Wall by sight noere hard not to gawk at.

  One upside to the fame was that getting merts to open early for us was a lot easier that it would have been otherwise. One issue we’d realized the evening before was that her of our new members had any equipment, making a bright and early shopping spree a neccisity. Azuriel was quid easy to get ready, muy surprise. For her armor, we bought a gambeson with light breastpte, pauldrons, vambraces, greaves, and an armored skirt. That done, we purchased a hefty longsword that the angel wielded with shog ease. Her Strength was quite high for her level, which she gave as thirty four. She only needed six levels for her wings.

  Ephirin was a bit harder to outfit, as magic focused gear had to be tested to be patible with the user’s particur fvor of magic. So a druid or shaman’s staff wouldn’t wht with a sorcerer’s magic, but also a water shaman’s staff wouldn’t work well with a fire shaman’s, et the end this meant that as a total begihat didn’t even have a specializatio, Ephi ended up with very low end arist equipment that was more or less universal, at least until she grew enough to figure her magic out. For her gear, we picked up a simple (and frankly unfttering) gambeson, a staff with an inscribed quartz crystal at the end, and a short sword just in case. We’d briefly discussed a pistol, but Ephi had no experieh firearms so she would have been more dahan aid with one just yet.

  I promised her we’d get her something muicer soon enough. Once she leveled and got a more specialized css we’d splurge on her.

  It occurred to me that we had a pr party now. Fighter, Padin, Rogue, Cleric, Sorceress, and Rahere was a joke about team feats that I was missing too many memories from Dani to plete. I’d get there eventually.

  At the Nate we met up with Avarin and a small group of soldiers. She looked at the armed and armored angel and narrowed her eyes. “Hope you know what you’re doing, Dreamsinger.”

  I smirked at her, “A life without risk is no life at all.” That got me a gre in response. “I literally have a whole suite of Skills for reading people so I help them. I also have a very talented assistant who is eveer at reading someone’s character than I am. I know what I’m doing.”

  She grunted and turo her troops. “Master Sergeant, they’re yours.”

  Stepping out of the tangle of soldiers was a familiar face, I smiled when I saw the or the War District. “Master Sergeant Ironeyes, I take it you’re our escort today?”

  Qwil saluted Avarin before ing over to us and smiling. “Had to call in a few favors for this, but yes ma’am. I’ll be driving you out and keeping a hand on the radio just in case, I’ll try not to get in your way.”

  Lucky for us, Avarin agreed eagerly with our desire to grow stronger, especially since when shit did hit the fan our tribe was going to be in the limelight. Dekarru, Redagga, and a certain Saint, would be the focus of a LOT of attention. Being as strong as we could before that all happened was going to be a major help in how things pyed out. For instance, if people saw the ‘heroes’ of our forot able to hold their own, it would be hell on morale. versely, news of us smashing through the lines of whatever enemy was ing would give people hope. So, we got funds for equipment and a ride out past the ‘safe’ border zohat was at this point, heavily patrolled.

  In the northern most reaches of the Willow Creek region, maybe a dozen miles south of the foothills at the base of the Mother’s Teeth mountain rahere was a long dirt road that marked the border of ahat was far more dangerous than elsewhere in the valley. It was overshadowed by the mountains to the north, and held some unknown path through the Teeth and into Willow Creek that monsters and demons seemed to know even if mortals couldn’t find it. Up until retly, it had been mostly ignored because it gave a ce for warriors to test their might and grow strainst more dangerous foes thaed elsewhere in the valley. But with demon problems on the rise, there was now talk of actually trying to locate this route and close it. Not to mention the idea that it ossible, however unlikely, that enemies could discover and secure the route to bypass the mountain rao attack the capital directly.

  For today however, we were one of several teams that were heading out to clear out the area before any deeper iigation could be unched. Nothing found via scouting or sg found any major threats, but Mary’s warnings read true. Monster and demon numbers were both higher than normal. Monsters fleeing war zones made sense, but no one was sure why demons were ing as well. Battlefields were a feast for them, so putting the bloody buffets behind them was odd. But demons were barely uood much as it was, so it was just another mystery for the schors tue over.

  An hour and ge ter, Qwil slowed the armored transport we were taking and the two additional soldiers with us both hopped on roof mounted empts, one fore, one rear. The gunners were a standard safety precaution, ohat was wele this close to our hunting grounds. A che ons, armor, radio, and nerves and we were all ready. Ephi was nervous, but Azuriel promised to guard her with her life and Carmil decred the statement pletely true.

  Mier the vehicle slowed to a stop and we all hopped out. Red looked everyone over and gave us a fident smile. “Remember, this is training. If we don’t hunt them all down, or if one or two get away, that won’t make anything we do a failure. Stick together, keep your eyes open, as all get stronger so we keep our loved ones safe.”

  As usual, Luv disappeared as soon as we headed out, but the occasional pat on my ass was a nice reminder she was around. Red took point and Azuriel drew up the rear, allowio take the very middle with Jaina in front of me and Ephi behind me. Qwil had given each of us a fre gun to fire off if things went wrong. She’d immediately call it in and rush to help, but I held hope that we wouldn’t need rescue.

  I took the few moments of quiet while we were still in sight of the transport to do something I’d been dreading for new, strange reasons. I pulled up my Status. Just like I thought, looking at it nearly made me ugh out loud. Dani’s memories screamed at me about video games and isekai and truck-kun and it was so fug absurd that I had to squeeze my rifle to remind myself I was in a serious situation and o keep it together. Very little had ged, but the ges were both telling and mostly expected.

  [Soul tai – Stable D3stru in Pr0gress. 87% plete]

  [Mind Shatter – Severity D]

  [Sixth Sense – A]

  [Soldier’s March – A]

  [Passionate Saint of the Dreamer]

  I smirked, Passionate Saint, huh? Soul tai now had a progress bar and Mind Shatter had absolutely tanked in severity. I could remember most of the lives of the people I once was now, but there were enough holes that I figured the mental status effect was still io some degree.

  Soldier’s March gave me extra stamina and I used a great deal of that during the party so that ranking up was not a shock at all. Sixth Sense however, that one I don’t remember usily. I was almost worried about that, but the increase in threat dete was wele either way.

  Speak of the devil, as they say. A few mier I felt a pull to the right and immediately readied my rifle. The rest of the party reacted quickly, with the exception of Ephi who Azuriel pulled behind her in seds when the elf didn’t move in any tactical manner.

  Few words were needed as a bear, , thing rushed through the trees towards us. First fight of the day—a fight that quickly turned into a serious one, as more than a dozen of the monsters rushed us at once shortly after the first appeared.

  One in the rear fell to the ground, it’s legs and throat sliced by my giant, sexy ninja. Aook several shots to the face from Jaina and stumbled before dropping. She’d beeing good with that thing, something Dani’s memories regretted—but as Esme, I figured that ‘First, do no harm’ doesn’t t for monsters and demons. That would be even if this world had an equivalent oath, which I wasn’t sure it did.

  Redagga dropped another with her hand on just before she had to brace for the blow from the rest of them. When the first smmed into her she shoved forward, which tly followed by a sudden loud THUMP before the thing bounced away like it had been unched, blood gushing from it’s face. That was a useful new skill. The rest of the beasts focused on the source of the sound, which was thankfully what Redagga was there for. A quick s to her axe and she was corralling the monsters shogly well.

  The monsters were herded right inte of Azuriel’s bde. She moved with practiced precision, but there was an awkward stiffo her movements that I read as ‘well trained, but inexperienced’. The bde did brutal work in her hands regardless, taking the head off of one immediately and carving deep gouges in the hides of others. They were frequently deep enough that the ohat didn’t drop from a hit to vitals tried to retreat in pain.

  Not that they got far, what with poison arrows from my lover finding those open wounds and depositing their deadly payloads good and deep iheir targets. A blur on the edge of my vision told me she was cirg the battle finding moments to hit and fade.

  More of the ursine hor creatures joihe fray just as I found a det spot to snipe from. The report of my rifle echoed three times, and three times a creature fell with a hole through the head. But ohey reached the melee it was harder for me to get a safe shot off and I had to slow my fire.

  Gng over, I noticed Ephi in barely trolled panic, staff trembling in her hands. But I didn’t o do anything, for as soon as one of the monsters pulled away from the brawl she unched a bolt of fme into its side. Unfortuhe spell had little power behind it, and so the only effect was angering the beast.

  It turned and started to head towards the elf, but I put a round through its shoulder and made it stumble. “EPHI! Try a different spell! Try to fiher its weakness, or your specialty!”

  She squeaked and nodded quickly before throwing different elemental shots at the beast. Ice, lightning, a water ball, a dart of light, a bolt of darkness, all hit the beast and did some damage, but not enough to even make it flinch. It was only once she jured and unched a fist sized rock at the thing did the creature finally stumble. The broken carapace where the stone had strue that attack had far more oomph in it than any of the prior spells.

  “More earth element stuff!” I yelled out with a grin.

  Ephi let out a near manic cheer a several more into the creature’s body, one managing to ghe head and damned near cave in its skull, putting it down immediately. Ephi gawked at the corpse for a moment before stammering out, “Oh gods, I, I did that!”

  “Do it more! Another wave is ing in!” I barked out as I felt Sixth Sense warn me of several more of the monsters ing our way.

  I dropped ahree before they reached the brawl, but there were so many and they were starting to spread and encircle us. Ephi lobbed more stones and mao fell two more, but then the spells stopped and I worried it was all overwhelming for her.

  I sent a gnce her way between taking shots at the encroag monsters, and what I saw told a different story. The elf was ting, a more plex spell f as she wove mana and raised her staff. After several long moments of Azuriel struggling to keep Ephi safe from the monsters, the mage girl smmed the butt of her staff down and several craggy, ugly walls of stone rose around us, before suddenly stretg forward far into the brush ahead of us, f the monsters into a corridor and preventing them from fnking.

  Red roared out happily as she mao push the beasts back without w about enemies from other sides. “DAMN GOOD CALL!”

  Azuriel and Redagga strode into the line of monsters, cutting them dowhodically now that they couldn’t swarm us. I pulled myself up onto a tree branch for an angle from above and started dropping ones he rear of the pack, which kept the rest from esg easily over the pile of dead behind them. Within mihey were felled to the st.

  With a heavy sigh of relief and exhaustion, Ephi lowered herself to the ground and the stone walls crumbled into dust. “That was terrifying.” She rubbed her fad looked around at the fifty or so dead monsters. “Does that make this a successful trip?”

  Azuriel turo look at the elf, fusion clear on her face. There were small cuts everywhere on her arms not covered by armor, each tributing trickles of glowing blood that gathered slowly on her fingers before dripping to the ground. “This was only a single enter. Success will be judged tonight wheurn to safety alive, with growth of our levels attained.”

  Ephirin took a slow breath to calm her nerves. “Will the rest of the fights be that hard?”

  The angel said, pletely seriously, “With luck, they will be much more challenging.”

  Before Ephi could fret more, Redagga ughed. “You know, normally I’d argue, but Ephi made that fight too damned easy. We need a better challeo grow properly.”

  Our elf mage turo Red and squeaked, “Really? All I did was make some walls.”

  “You shaped the battle, trolling the flow of the fight from that moment on. That is almost always far more important than pure bat capability. They had the strength of numbers and you removed that advantage in seds.” Red nodded as she spoke, giving the elf a smile that spoke of serious approval.

  Azuriel clearly agreed, nodding and speaking seriously. “Very true, the importance of gaining and maintaining trol of the battlefield was one of the lessons even my own… accelerated training drilled into me. Your ability to do so in a flexible and powerful manner is not to be uated.”

  I smiled down at them all from the branch I sat on, watg Jaio the ord angel’s various minor wounds. “I agree, you did damned good, Ephi.” I offered her a grin. “Now, if someone could give me a hand, I don’t think I get down on my own.”