112 42.2ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ.ᴄᴏᴍ/sᴛʀᴀᴛᴏᴛʜʀᴀx

She drew in a breath, readying herself, then brought the Skill to the forefront of her mind and triggered it. Energy flooded through her body and she leapt at the tree, her hooves digging into the bark with ease, her fingers somehow finding unnoticeable crevices that gave just enough grip to let her swiftly ascend the tree. She popped up on top of one of the larger branches sticking from the trunk, wobbling from a moment before getting her balance. She looked down smugly at the Goblin who was staring up at her in disbelief. Then she noticed just how far from the ground she was. She gripped the tree trunk extra hard as blood drained from her face.

"S-s-s-see! It-It's a g-great S-Skill!"

"Interesting," said Rain looking up at her. "And you can use this often?"

"W-well until my mana runs out, and I can't use it consecutively lots of times or I'll get exhausted."

"Goddam levelers have it so good…" grumbled Opal.

Lyra turned and shakily activated the Skill again, she climbed down from the tree, this time significantly more slowly.

Her hooves touched down on the icy grass and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Levelers get stronger as they level right?" said Rain.

"Yes! Whenever a leveler levels up it improves them physically and makes their existing skills slightly better."

"And when you get a Class or an advanced Class it comes with key skills…Too bad the secrets to acquiring good classes are hoarded by family dynasties."

Lyra blinked at him. "How did you know that?"

Opal opened her mouth to say something but Rain suddenly plugged it with a paw pad. Her teeth bit down on him harmlessly and she glared up at Rain.

"It's just something I heard somewhere," graveled Rain.

Lyra narrowed her eyes at him. She couldn't say what it was but Rain was… different from other monsters. Not just that he was scary and growing larger but the way his mind worked, it didn't quite seem… She wasn't sure how to explain it, it was like he wasn't all monster.

"We should move, sitting out in the open like this is inviting trouble."

Lyra was jerked from her pondering and looked up to see Rain standing, the Goblin girl in his arms.

"Er, right. I am looking forward to getting out of this dungeon. If that's really possible as Opal says."

"Course it is, you'll learn, Gobbo scouts know the way."

As Rain stepped toward Lyra, his heavy feet crunching the icy grass underneath, Lyra was taken aback by his significantly more bloody state after eating the boars.

"W-wait! Wait a second!"

Rain paused. "You're going to get carried whether you like it or not."

"G-gods, okay fine! Just let me… let me get on your shoulders myself!"

Rain gave her a puzzled look.

"If you think it helps, okay, we can do that."

He turned around and sat down on the ground cross-legged, his back facing Lyra, Opal in his lap.

"Climb up."

Lyra stared at his broad back. She really hadn't thought this far ahead.

"O-ok-kay I'm g-gonna climb up."

She remained standing where she was.

Rain looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

Lyra screwed her face up and slapped her pink cheeks, drawing in big breaths as though readying herself for something impossibly hard. She was ready. She was really ready.

She took a step forward. And immediately fell over. But she caught herself! But now she was stumbling toward Rain out of control! She squeaked as she fell against his back, her hands pressed against his fur, she could feel his powerful muscles shifting beneath her palms. Her legs shook wildly, knees turned inward, barely holding her up, her breath coming in desperate gasps. She- She could still do this! Probably.

She set her jaw and activated her new climbing Skill. Her hands slid up him, her fingers curling into his fur. With a yell she launched herself upward, slamming her body into his unyielding back, her fear weakened legs kicking, her hooves pawing at him, slipping and sliding. She clambered up his back shakily, until she was awkwardly holding his head. Rain didn't make comment as she clumsily shifted her body, her large breasts pressing up against the back of his head as she lifted her leg, missed, slipped back, managed to recover, then slipped one leg over his shoulder and then the other. She leaned over his head breathing hard, her hand hanging off the bridge of his snout, her head hanging over his, her chest tight against his head.

She opened her eyes to see Rain's yellow looking up at her. She squeaked and snatched her hand away.

"I- I did it!"

"Congratulations." deadpanned Rain. "Hold my ears so you don't fall."

He shifted his legs and stood up, Lyra letting out a little whimper as the ground dropped beneath her.

To his right something rattled and Rain turned his head to see Red. Opal had decided she didn't want to carry the second rucksack anymore and had spent time while Rain was busy eating fixing her rucksack to the overburdened Kobold. The Kobold's torso was now comically sandwiched between two over stuffed packs, his arms sticking out to either side and his head resting atop the pack attached to his front. He gave Rain a confused and concerned look.

"I'm not sure about this!"

"You'll be fine," said Opal lazily from Rain's arms.

"I will?"

"Yes, those packs are full of metal things, It's like really good armour!"

Red gave the Goblin a 'you can't be serious' look.

"Let's go, Lyra, make us invisible."

The sheep girl twitched at his voice but gathered herself and Rain sensed shadow falling over them. The Kobold looked around, suddenly alone.

His chain shifted across the ground and he hurried to follow it, uninterested in being jerked off his feet while his body was surrounded by bags full of sharp pointy things.

He waddled furiously forward, the packs clanking around him obnoxiously. Soon they had made it to the edge of the cavern and the chain started shifting toward a nearby cave entrance. They were about to enter it when a huge paw suddenly came down on the pack on Red's back and lifted him into the air. He was whisked away behind a massive boulder to one side of the cave entrance.

Red looked at his arms to either side of him. They were unnaturally shadowed. He looked up at Rain who was holding him up.

"What's going on?"

"There are levelers coming."