Money Talks

The next morning, we were reviewing our plan for the last time before I, Xander, Casey, and Ian hit the hive. The hive was a mountain carved by demonic bees. Bees, each the size of an adult human's head, were coming in and out of countless holes on the mountain.

The buzz of thousands of them made it difficult for me to even hear Casey speaking right next to me. ''The hairy ones are worker bees, the warriors are a bit bigger and between their antennae there is a crown mark, just like the queen. The queen's chamber is typically in the deepest cave,'' Casey said.

Ian looked just as bored as I because of listening to the same thing over and over again, ''We'll just take down the bees attacking us and choose the path that descends at each intersection until we reach the queen's chamber, right?'' Ian said.

Casey nodded, ''Now drink the antidote,'' She got an orange liquid from her bag and took a sip, and handed it to Ian. Ian took a sip and handed the liquid to Xander. ''Don't forget, a sip provides protection for an hour. We'll take a sip every hour, so remind me if I forget,'' Casey said.

Xander handed the liquid to me, I shook my head, ''I don't need it. My skill protects me from the poison of low-level demonic creatures,'' I said.

Xander nodded, ''Let's get that pollen or whatever the shit,'' He put the liquid in his bag, and we approached one of the man-sized cave entrances.

Everyone on the team had ugly but useful leather bags, just like the one I obtained from the bandits. Casey was the heaviest armored of us, covered in metal from her feet to her helmet ever since we met. Her eyes were blue and her eyebrows were light in color, always frowned.

Ian, with his tall height and handsome face, was the perfect example of the fairy lineage. Of course, I wasn't sure since he didn't have the breed on his profile, but I guess he was a descendant of fairies mated with humans. Fairies were a rare neutral breed and they could look like humans, talk like humans, and mate with humans. However, they weren't humans. Fairies had no conscience or souls, unlike humans.

Hundreds of years later of age that fairies mated with humans, the lineage was quite weak, but sometimes still some children might be born with fairy skills. In fact, the most powerful sorcerers and mages among humans were the descendants of the fairies. Ian's appearance reminded me of fairy nobles, but why would he get training to be a warrior if he's from fairy lineage?

Xander was shorter than Ian, and he wasn't pretty as Ian. But unlike Ian's extraterrestrial beauty, there was something about him that appealed to me. Maybe the prank in his smile, maybe the sadness that never fades in his voice. Not that I felt anything for him, I was just finding him attractive. Unfortunately, when Casey was around, he had eyes only for her.

Well, I wasn't going to chase after anyone after all this shit. I was determined not to make the same mistake a second time. At first, I was afraid of the head-sized bees flying around, but they seemed to ignore us. It wasn't dark inside, the bees had carved many holes into the ceiling through which sunlight could penetrate. From time to time we were in the dark for a short while, but it didn't take long sunlight to find us again.

It took us half an hour to meet the first warrior bee. Xander shot the bee with a throwing knife, Ian crushed its head with a kick and brought his knife back to Xander. Its blood was black, like many other insects.

Then we began to meet a dozen warrior bees on every path we took. Ian and Casey lead the way, Xander watching my back. I and Xander basically were doing nothing, as no bees could get past Casey and Ian, and none of them were smart enough to attack behind us.

Then, I felt a gaze and turned around, ''What are you looking at?''

Xander smiled, ''At you, of course,'' he said.

''It's time to take the antidote. Xander and Ian, switch tasks,'' Casey said. Xander took a sip of the liquid he took from his bag and threw the liquid at Ian, who was walking towards him, and this was the moment three red bees chose to attack.

''Fuck!'' Casey shouted, ''Dodge! Those are intermediate level, we don't have antidotes for this,'' She said and dodge one of the bees. Sadly, Ian and Xander weren't able to do it in time.

One of the red bees passed away leaving its sting on Xander's shoulder. I've heard that bees do this sometimes, they could have left their sting in someone else's body with a deadly poison, but it was costing their lives. I ran to Xander while Ian tried to thwart the attack of the last red bee.

''Light, please help me, even if I have to take another one's life to pay for this favor,'' I called the light as pulling the sting from Xander's shoulder and started to sing an anthem. This was actually a much higher level anthem than my current level could allow me to do it, but all I could do was try.

As the high-language words poured out of my mouth, Xander's body began to shine with a golden light. This was a good sign, I hadn't given a life to the light lately so there is a possibility it to refuse my will. Luckily, it looked like it worked.

Still, I wasn't sure if I had enough mana to complete my anthem. I was feeling my mp dropping rapidly. Then something happened that I had never experienced before.

I felt the tattoo on my belly start to burn, and I have filled with energy again as if I had spent no mana. I felt the taste of the life energy of the nun, Miran, and the woman whom I got leather armor. Their heat filled my body. ''Well,'' I heard the fox's voice, ''Now you have to feed immediately.''

Someone put a hand on my hand, ''I'm okay now, go heal Ian,'' Xander said. I heard what he was saying, but I couldn't understand it, all I wanted was to lean my body against him and enjoy his lust, ride him until his body is no longer able to handle and give up. Then, to drink his life energy until I'm full again.

''Sora!'' I heard my new given name and turned to see who called me, ''Bee stung Ian, heal him!'' A woman was holding a man in her arms on the ground. Her voice was worried, but I didn't understand why. Did the man pass out before the woman being satisfied?

''No, idiot. They're your teammates,'' The disturbing voice of the fox reminded the situation I'm currently in. I felt someone put his hand on my arm, then heard a deep voice.

''Are you okay? Ian needs healing,'' Xander.

''I... I can't. I'm out of mana,'' I said. I saw pain in Xander's face that was not caused by physical suffering. Maybe I didn't see it on his face, I just felt it. I could actually feel the feelings of three people around me, without seeing them. Anger, sorrow, hope.

I heard another male voice, ''No, no. I'm okay. I only injured by the blow, not poisoned.'' It was... yes, it was Ian. I remembered his name, and I remembered my thoughts about him but I wasn't thinking he was fragile anymore, I was thinking he would be delicious.

''How that happened? That bee definitely stung you.'' I heard the female's, umm, Casey's voice. She was puzzled, yet happy.

''Ah, the bee stinger couldn't pierce my armor. Still, a hp pot won't hurt,'' Ian said.

Xander pulled a potion out of his bag and took it to Ian. ''Dude, it was an intermediate tier beast. Is your armor made of mythril or something?''

Ian laughed, ''No, not mytrhil. But you know, my family have got some gold to spare. So why wouldn't they spend some for their one and only son?''