Chapter 2: Raven, A Tribute To The Departed.

*Ping Pong!*

The melodic sound of the magitek bell sounded as Alistair's muscular frame passed through the door with heavy and uncertain steps; he was met by the wondrous scent of lavender and citrus before his eyes looked around the room curiously.

'It's not like I imagined...' He thought, wondering where all the burly, sweaty men were hiding.

Alistair stepped further into the lobby, a warm sensation from the magical device that managed the room's temperature; taking a deep breath, he analysed how impressive this high-class building was.

The sweet scent of lavender assaulted him. To his left was a small room with beautiful dark wooden tables and groups of cute women in different clothes, from business suits to fantasy-style battle gear. They all giggled and laughed while drinking various cocktails and drinks.

No man was in sight in this strange world, like the paradise of eden awaiting his entrance.

But then he was awakened by the "Women's Day, no men allowed!" sign in neon pink above the door and could only click his tongue, wanting to grab a dragon stick, but the no smoking sign was visible too.

"What a wonderful world, so different from the dark and gloomy shithole I knew..." His gruff voice sounded, a light echo as a woman's cough sounded from a distance; slowly, his head looked towards the sound, curiosity filling his mind.

"Ahem..."

'Wow...!'

The grandeur of the reception desk immediately struck him. Made of gleaming white marble and accented with gold, it exuded an air of sophistication and elegance; like a country bumpkin, our half-orc hero stepped forwards towards the desk, his soft black hair swaying gracefully as the tips brushed passed his high-quality suit as he leaned forward onto the desk.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Emily wrote her green mana-like dancing leaves on her tablet as her silver-rimmed glasses slid down her nose, the stern look suiting her beautiful black suit with silver trimmings.

The desk itself was adorned with an intricate pattern of swirling vines, further adding to the fusion of modern technology and fantastical aesthetics.

"Change the meeting with Class D - Havok to Friday the 5th.... delete the Class G - Spiral's data subject deceased..." Her soft voice was like a melodic sound barely audible as she wrote on the pad with a sparking green light from her delicate fingers.

With a loud click, she placed the tablet on her desk, slowly looking up towards him, brilliant green eyes staring straight into Alistair's face; her emotionless face showed a faint smile before she fixed her posture and opened her soft green lips.

Alistair couldn't help but be impressed by the seamless integration of technology and artistry in the lobby, and the unique beauty of the monster girl only added to the overall ambience.

Emily looked up and down; her stare was professional before she nodded several times, whispering, 'Not here to post a request or job...' Before ticking something off on a floating panel with various boxes and questions.

"Good morning, sir. Welcome to our fine bureau. My name is Emily, and I'll be your receptionist for today. How may I assist you? Do you have an appointment, or are you here to join us?"

"Nice to meet you, Miss Emily; I am Alistair Granbell, and I wish to become a new and better me!"

Alistair was filled with strong enthusiasm. For a moment, he forgot the beautiful face of Philis, the pain of breaking up, and instead, a strange excitement filled him as he slammed the marble by accident with a loud thud filling the room; the three security guards quickly looked towards the desk, while Emily shook her head and smiled wryly as she waved them away.

'This guy, he's so intense! I can practically feel his powerful pheromones!"

"Very well, Mr. Granbell, would you please allow me to scan your body and create a magi profile of your current health, age and past? It's a routine exam that takes a few moments. You might feel slight discomfort, but it's to check you are not dying, a criminal or a former applicant."

With his current mindset, nothing could change him; even if she asked him to strip naked, he would, much less a mere magi-scan, which he'd been subject to at his old job countless times.

The cold receptionist narrowed her eyes when he nodded, smiling as she stood up, revealing her true form; this beautiful, busty lady was a dryad.

The thorns and vines along the sides of the desk were her own as she stepped forward, leaning over the desk with her heavy breasts squishing onto the marble, her fair-skinned cleavage that squashed together able to distract Alistair just enough that her smile became a sneer.

With the flick of her wrist, Alistair realised this was a more intrusive check than his former job; a strange jolt of electricity and burning fire began to swirl around his body, causing him to shudder and grasp onto the marble for dear life.

'Of course, it would be different, idiot~ fufu, what a cute little half-orc Emily thought, her eyes almost glowing with delight as she watched the handsome and rugged man fight the pain, his strong, bulging muscles, the thick veins popping out from his skin and those tight thighs causing her to lick her lips.

Her job was extremely dull, typically only recruiting the kids of influential businessmen who pre-checked their details and handed over a file.

Still, as a monster with a D-grade Danger Class, dryads needed to taste the exotic flavours of men's essence. Thus, those weak and immature kids did nothing for this 200-year-old woman, but this male, whose body stunk of the thick, astringent aroma of an irresistible odour, was naive enough to let her enjoy it.

"Are you alright, Mr Granbell? Should I stop the procedure?" A slight chirp in her tone as she twiddled with her long green hair, a contrast to her pale flesh.

Behind her, a large screen displayed a futuristic interface, allowing her to manage phone calls, appointments, and other tasks seamlessly; it currently showed the image of a naked Alistair, including his impressive member, as it detailed his heart rate, current muscle and fat mass, the scan so amazing it could even see the last meal he ate was a light bowl of oats with honey and raisin toppings.

"I...I'm fine... Fuck!" His powerful voice sounded once again as the ground below him almost cracked, the expensive tiles shuddering from his weight, as he tightly gripped the beautiful marble desk, his eyes bloodshot with his two large fangs on display as he refused to give up; this was his new chance at life!

"To become....a new me... I will... ENDURE!"

"Kya!?"

Alistair's shout was so loud, it caused a booming shock, forcing the cute dryad woman to fall onto her ass, the chair sliding backwards as she watched him with stunned eyes; usually, this procedure needed them to rest briefly. Yet, he stood there, his white shirt almost see-through from sweat, gasping and panting with his thick muscles as if to show his defiance and willpower.

The swirling green and blue mana that was boring through his body began to leave through his nostrils and lips, twisting like an autumn bonfire dance as it lifted into the air and vanished; only the light gasps of Emily and Alistairs grunting filled the room; if someone only heard the sounds it would lead to a very awkward misunderstand as she began to shift her body, reading through the screen to avoid showing how flustered she was at this moment.

"W-well... you sure did become a new you..." Emily whispered as she looked at the screen that showed the naked image of Alistair, her eyes fixated on his muscular body before looking towards him and finishing the final boxes that were crossed off with the flick of her wrists.

"Do you have any questions, Mr Granbell?"

Emily now fixed her messy hair, leaning forwards with two elbows on the cold marble as her vines seemed to be writing at her hidden feelings, slowly stroking along his legs and thighs as a harsh light filled her eyes.

The eyes of a monster eyeing her prey.

Alistair drew a deep breath, trying to calm his aching body that exerted itself to avoid collapsing.

'Calm down; you've worked 40 hours before; this pain is nothing! Your heart doesn't feel like it will explode... calm...think of Philis naked....calm..... Yes... Good!'

He touched his chest, feeling the soggy, wet sensation, wanting to go home quickly after finding something to eat while his skin was still warm beneath the cold sensation.

"I want to know, how do you judge an adventurer's level and 'attributes'? Also, can I have an alias, if possible? My name is a bit too hard on the tongue, haha!"

'Amazing, it only took him 2.04 seconds to completely adjust his breathing and heart rate to normal; how much physio and cardio does this man do!? Orcs are amazing... although why did his cock become half erect...'

"Mr. Granbell, of course, I can arrange that—in fact, this was the next question, fufu! As for the attributes you spoke of, do you mean this?"

Her fingers flicked across the screen, a green light flashing from her pink nails before the huge display she was watching swayed across the air with a slight howl, showing the entire thing to Alistair.

His height, weight, age, previous work, lovers, family and various information and boxes with ticks and crosses were visible to him before he turned to the second screen, which caused him almost to stumble.

The image of him naked, with the half-erect member pressing against the right leg of his pants.

'Oh fuck! This is so embarrassing; why did I think of Philis... her soft, elven body was bound to make this happen...'

"Ahem!"

Alistair cleared his throat before looking across the information.

He discovered things about his parents that he had no clue about, like how they met as adventurers and many other details of their past, which was exciting. 

The information in this thing was far too amazing; Raven saw that things about himself and his past were detailed more than he could remember... 'Sadly, the girl I lost my virginity to is now dead...' Raven thought, pressing her name when it popped up.

He took several steps forward, leaning close to see various stories as the receptionist just leaned on her palms and watched this man who would speak and narrate his thoughts about the various things written, like how it was wrong, he lost his first time to her bottom hole due to their youthful mistake and there was a lot of blood.

'What a silly man; why are you saying it out loud? Bragging? This old woman is still a damn dried-up flower, without any pollen or nectar to make her bloom!'

Emily felt a little bitter, taking this job years ago, thinking it would mean she would get herself a rich and talented man. Still, sadly, all the males who became adventurers chose women like elves or ethereal races over monster girls.

The last page was titled 'Status.'

o-- Alistair Granbell

o-- Human / High Orc

o-- Age 28

o-- Blood Type O-Z1

o-- Class N/A

Attributes (Average = 1)

Strength: 2.4

Agility: 1.1

Stamina: 2.5 (-1.9 Drained)

Vitality: 2.5 (-1.9 Drained)

Intellect: 1.2

Wisdom: 1.5

'Notes'

o-- A healthy Half-Orc with strong willpower and endurance seems to be drained daily by a high-class succubus or other creature. However, it seems this slowly increases his power daily rather than having negative effects. (The administrator will confirm; keep monitored!)

o-- Son of a former S-Rank Warrior. (Pass the trivial matters and grant his application; Administrator Flora)

-

Alistair noticed the 'skills' and 'Magic' tabs were grey; when he focused on them, a strange sensation formed, sending the information directly to his brain.

"Please attain a class and talent to view skills and magic!"

While reading the small information, Emily watched him with great amusement; the fact he could survive the draining of another monster and remain over 2.5 times more than the average of all creatures who registered with the guild she wanted to tame him, let him give her a small meal each time he visits.

'Just a little bit won't hurt him, right?'

"Mr Granbell... Mr Granbell!"

"Hmmm?"

Alistair lost his focus; seeing his attributes made sense as to why Philis always cried and complained when he got back from work in 'the mood', a wry smile on his face as he shook his head, trying to remove her memories from his mind again.

'Stop dwelling on the past, a good memory but nothing more!'

"What's the matter, Emily?"

Because he was a little frustrated with Philis's thoughts, he called the receptionist by her name, earning a smile and flutter of her long eyelashes, before her soft lips opened and reminded him of something that had left his mind.

"What name would you like me to use as your alias, Alistair?"

Emily, too, dropped the formalities as her vines became more animated, rustling around the marble as small flowers bloomed on her formerly dying branches, all from the small amount of essence that seeped from his body.

'I will make sure to repay you for this, Alistair Granbell... It might be a slightly tiresome feeling to you, for us monster girls... it's a matter of life and death.'

"Please call me Raven..."

Alistair's eyes moved to the passage about his mother and father; under their names were two titles...

Mor'Grana, the lady of the Raven Tempest

Sylvester Bellhume, the bird of prey.

Alistair decided to fuse these two titles, a homage to his parents and the names he had known all his life growing up, always admiring and loving them.

His fingers began hovering over the box that appeared when he spoke, asking him to confirm the name and add a note below, a public note to anyone who searched or saw his ID.

Raven, a tribute to the departed.