Aftermath

"So… The path to your town is..." You've taken a moment to get yourself cleaned up. Tracy has, at least... Put 'it' away. For the moment.

"If we go into the mist, we'll end up in a mystery forest. We need to look for a circle on the ground. It'll be easy to spot." Tracy explains, looking incredibly mellow. You almost want to ask her to return the favor, but....

"And that'll take us to Pigment Town?" You guess.

"Hmm… No, that'll take us to another section of forest. We need to go through three levels to reach Pigment Town. If you're trying to get somewhere else, it could take a lot more levels." She nods. "The Mirages around here aren't that tough, so we aren't in any real danger."

"Are we in danger if they are tough?" You wonder out loud.

"Well… Not really. I mean, they'll fight you until you can't anymore, and then…" Tracy trails off, looking away with a faint dusting of pink on her cheeks. "Well… Once you pass out, you'll wind up somewhere stable, like this clearing or in Pigment Town."

"So if we lose, it's gang-bang city, huh?" You slump. "And when we beat them?"

"They vanish. Like I said, they're not really people." Tracy smiles. "So don't worry too much, we'll be fine."

"Alright then... Lead the way." You finish washing down the 'flavor' with berry juice, stuffing your pockets with what other berries you can. You'll let Tracy take the lead, but you're going to fight as well, supporting her as best you can.

If you remember right, one of the weakest psychic moves is Confusion, so maybe you can figure that out? Otherwise... Pound. Punching things tends to be effective.

Speaking of, Tracy pulls out a pair of knuckle-like weapons, which seem to be made out of something like turtle shells. Fitting. She bobs back and forth a bit in a ready stance, as if preparing herself for the journey to come. You'd do the same, but...

"Hold on." You turn, reaching up into the berry tree and pulling down a good-sized branch. Enough to function as a make-shift staff at least. You give it a few test swings, putting some energy into it, and get a satisfying swishing noise as it passes through the air. "Alright. Lead on."

The forest in the Mist is... Confusing. The trees all look the same, the paths twist and turn, the clearings don't particularly seem to line up. "So what's the secret?"

"Just keep walking." Tracy shrugs, striding along at a sedate pace. "It's mostly a function of distance. If you know where you want to get to, you'll wind up there. If not... Just go far enough and you'll wind up somewhere interesting. There are a couple of other Towns you can reach from Pigment Town, but I haven't been."

"Alright, so just keep-" You freeze, looking over towards where Tracy's attention is focused. "That's-" A girl. A girl in a green onesie, with yellow circles, and a tuft of red hair poking out of the front. "A Caterpie?"

"Yep! Try to dodge the silk, otherwise it should be easy." Tracy explains, before rushing straight in to fight the Mirage. It's... Surprisingly one-sided, the Caterpie trying to tackle Tracy to the ground, while Tracy slams into her over and over with her fists.

Just when you feel like you should step in, to avoid bloodshed if possible, the Mirage flickers out of existence instead. "We got it?" You call, as Tracy dusts herself off.

"Yes! There shouldn't be too many more along the way. But keep an eye out." She gestures for you to follow, and you fall in step behind her. From there, it's a rather long and boring walk, with you practicing your psychic abilities on whatever you stumble across. It seems particularly effective against two Weedles you encounter, which suggests you're doing it right.

About an hour in to your journey, you find the first circle. Like Tracy said, they're fairly obvious. This one is a circle of waist high stones, with every inch covered in moss. Stepping into it is surreal, as the moment you cross the threshold the world outside spins about, becoming a wholly different forest.

"Floor two." Tracy smiles, waving you forward. "Pretty neat, right?"

"Why do people come in here?" Honestly, you're a bit unnerved, but you should probably get used to it.

"A variety of reasons. There are resources here that we can't get anywhere else. Some kinds of stone or lumber, or fuel sources. Even some vegetables and herbs that won't grow outside the mist." Tracy explains as she picks her way over a tangle of roots. "There's also the fact that the only safe places to live can only be found by exploring the Mist."

"Right... Sanctuaries like that clearing with the berry tree." You nod in understanding.

"It'll be interesting to see if it expands over time." Tracy agrees. "Other than that... Travelling between settlements, especially as merchants, is a big deal."

"That makes sense." What a crazy world you've wound up in. You still haven't really wrapped your head around it.

"What do you think?" Tracy interrupts your thoughts. "Any idea what you want to do? I mostly just venture into the mist to gather things we can't get in town."

"I don't know." You admit. Before all of this, you'd sort of planned to travel about, find your chosen soul mates, whoever they are, and... Become all powerful. Now? Knowing they all have... That they're all...

"No need to rush a decision, right?" Tracy smiles. "You're welcome to stay in Pigment Town as long as you like. We can get you your own place, or... Or you could... Stay with me?"

"That's..." Is she doing it for more sex? Because she's attracted to you? Because you put out? What a weird thing to worry about. And yet... "That's really kind of you. Thank you."

"Of course." She replies, casting a smile over her shoulder. "I um... That is to say, if you want to stay... We could maybe…"

"Do that again?" You guess, raising an eyebrow.

"W-well… Yes." She admits, face going bright as a tomato again. Honestly, it's kind of sweet getting her to blush like that. Adorable, really. "I've never done that before."

"So you've said." You chuckle. Your stomach gurgles again at the thought, reminding you of what's sitting in it. Blech. This is… Going to be a thing, isn't it? You're really going to have to… "Can… Can we do it the other way, next time?"

"Y-you mean it?" Tracy gasps, turning to stare at you in surprise. "You really want me to…"

"W-what?" You don't understand what-Oh. Oh! "N-no! I mean… I mean, maybe you could be the… Bottom?"

"Oh..." Tracy makes a long, drawn out noise of understanding. "Oh. That's…"

"Is that a problem?" You venture, watching her chew it over.

"No… It's... I mean, it's not what I'd prefer, but… From time to time, I guess." She shrugs. "You're just so cute though…"

"So you want to put it in me, as often as you can." You sigh, thinking it over. You get power from sex… Is it only from bottoming? Would this mess up world do something like that?

"I should have taken care of you back there, huh?" Tracy sighs, moping slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm a terrible girlfriend."

"No! Don't be like that. You got caught up in the heat of the moment. It was kind of… Cute." You venture. "Next time."

"Yeah! Next time!" Ah, she seems so excited about it. Cute indeed.

"Hey, it looks like we're almost there! Come on!" And with that, you're dragged through another circle, suddenly finding yourself at the edge of another wide field. Various buildings stand in the distance, old-fashioned and wooden, looking like a picturesque village.

"Wow… This is…" Pretty much exactly what you expected, if you're being honest.

"Mhmm?" You give a small jolt of surprise as Tracy embraces you from behind, her chest pressing into your back and face nuzzling in the crook of your neck. You also feel a suspicious something pressing up against your rear. "Wanna come see my house?"

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