12

"What do you think, Ziggy?" Xuannu asks. "She'd be on your team, after all."

'Now you ask if I want someone on my team?' he thinks. "It's fine by me. I have a feeling she'll be helpful in getting Kaori over her trauma," Ziggy weighs the words he just said and shrugs. "Or at least she'll help her to cope with it. She needs someone she can relate with, and having a familiar and caring friend might help."

Xuannu nods. "Very well," she says and turns to Shizuku. "Strip out of your top, down to your skin, and turn around."

Shizuku's face flames. Ziggy pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. "Goddess, please don't scare her away before we even get to know her."

"Oh, please, with your plan for a harem, we'll soon be having orgies in the hallways. She'll need to get used to being nude," Xuannu scoffs, but Ziggy just shakes his head, Lei Zu rolls her eyes, and Huangdi looks wistful, earning an elbow from his very monogamous wife.

"There are so many assumptions there; I don't even know where to begin," Ziggy says. "Captain, why don't we leave and let the ladies take care of this. I'm sure Shizuku would like some privacy."

Tsk. "How are you supposed to have a harem of beauties if you are not bold," Xuannu says.

"By not scaring them away before I have time to woo them, for one," Ziggy replies, walking to the door.

.

.

"Are Skills cabbages that one can just pluck from the earth?" Xuannu says, staring at the Falna paper displaying Shizuku's status. "It's unbelievable how, in a week, I've found six children with Skills or magic or both upon initiation. It's unheard of."

Shizuku had manifested a Skill called Presence Sense, which, if the name didn't clue one in, would allow her to sense the presence of beings within a certain range, even hidden and invisible targets.

She shakes her head in disbelief and looks over at Ziggy. Dropping the page on the desk, she waves him over. "Ziggy, I want to see your Falna. Come here and strip."

Ziggy rolls his eyes but walks over and grabs the hem of his shirt. "I was planning on waiting until the end of the week to ask, but if you're offering," he says, pulling the shirt over his head.

Shizuku's eyes widen, and she lets out a small "Eep" when she sees his defined physique. Xuannu smirks at her reaction.

Ziggy sits on the stool in front of Xuannu. She leans in and purrs, "I didn't say you should stop."

Huangdi rolls his eyes, and Lei Zu giggles at her goddess' antics. "I believe I've made my stance clear on that Goddess," Ziggy says.

"Hmph," she pouts as she pricks her finger and a drop of blood touches Ziggy's Falna igniting it. "I still say it isn't fa-"

Xuannu falters in her speech and stares at Ziggy's Falna adjusting and readjusting, her eyes dancing over the twisting hieroglyphs. After staring for a moment, her countenance changes from playful to intense.

"Secure the room!" she says forcefully.

Huangdi and Lei Zu blink, caught off guard by the sudden command. "Do it," Xuannu says.

The two captains scramble around the room, closing doors, windows, and curtains. They check the hall for stragglers in the area. Once everything is secure, they return to Xuannu and nod.

Meanwhile, Shizuku is frozen as the atmosphere has shifted from welcoming to oppressive. She knows she's not the target, but it still feels like a weight is bearing down on her, locking her in place.

Ziggy, on the other hand, just sighs. 'I wonder if this is another Skill from a Soul Crystal? Probably. I wonder who it is?' he thinks.

The atmosphere eases as Xuannu takes a breath. "We'll be locking your Falna for sure now. You are far too abnormal."

"I prefer the term, one of a kind, Goddess," he says lightly.

"This isn't a joking matter, Seigfried," she says sternly. "Familia's would go to war over you."

"I'm surprised you're taking this so seriously, Goddess," Ziggy says. "This new Skill or spell must be quite a doozy. Care to share with the rest of the class?"

Tsk. "Fine," she says. "What I'm about to say, doesn't leave this room. Am I clear?"

A chorus of "Yes Goddess" sounds from the three other mortals in the room, while Ziggy just nods.

"Well, apparently, the desires of the soul can manifest in interesting ways, Ziggy," Xuannu says. "In your case, your desire for a harem has manifested into this Skill, Sanguis Cambionis."

Che. "How much blood can one man have?" he asks. "First, it's dragon blood, now this... whatever it is. So, what does it do?"

"In addition to further enhancing your abilities and longevity-" she says.

"Second verse same as the first," Ziggy mumbles.

"You also possess sexual abilities similar to a sex diety-" Xuannu says.

"Oh!" he says, getting excited. "Now we're talking."

"Though not as potent as our Arcanum-backed abilities, your charm should allow you to resist the charms of others," she says and pauses. "Try not to bring home too many strays."

"You make it sound like they're cats following me home," he says, and then his eyes brighten. "Oh, catgirls!"

Xuannu rolls her eyes. "With your new charm also comes two additional related abilities. The first is the ability to control your reproductive system. Allowing you to determine whether you want to impregnate your mate or not-"

"Oh, that's useful," Ziggy says, nodding appreciatively.

"The second absorbs the sexual energy of coitus and uses it to empower your body and soul," she says.

Ziggy.exe has glitched. He blinks at the goddess. "A-are you saying I gain Excelia from fucking?"

She rolls her eyes. "Effectively? Yes."

"Awesome!" he says. "Wait, does it only affect me, or do my partners gain from it as well?"

She frowns. "Only you."

"Aw, too bad. I was hoping to help my future lovers out some," he says, then notices the glares of the four other people in the room. "What? If you had an ability that required multiple people, wouldn't you want it to help everyone and not just yourself?"

Xuannu shakes her head. "There is one more ability tied to this, though I'm not sure how it is related. It allows you to enter a woman's dreams, though I don't know what you can do there other than see what she dreams. Perhaps you can use it to communicate across long distances. You'll have to experiment."

"Entering dreams? What the-" he starts, but his eyes go wide as saucers. "Oh! Now I get it."

"Care to share with the class?" Xuannu says, dripping with sarcasm.

"Nope," Ziggy says. "I don't think I will.

Xuannu raises an eyebrow, and Ziggy just shakes his head. She rolls her eyes. "Fine. Here," she says, handing him the Falna page. " You're growth is ridiculous. What has it been? Three days in the Dungeon, and you already have your dexterity to G-rank."

Ziggy takes the sheet and looks it over.

Name: Siegfried Solomon

Familia: Jiutian Zhanxie Huzheng Xuannü

Level: 1

Strength: I- 49 -> H- 157

Vitality: I- 42 -> H- 180

Dexterity: I-51 -> G- 211

Agility: I- 48 -> H- 149

Magic: I- 39 -> H- 135

Development Abilities

(Abnormal Resistance *Through Heart's Blood of the Dragon)

Spells

**Lemegeton-I

Skill

**Wisdom of Solomon

**Heart's Blood of the Dragon

**Sanguis Cambionis

"Hmm. So, are any of the ladies present feeling particularly charmed?" Ziggy asks.

Huangdi frowns and pulls Lei Zu closer. Ziggy rolls his eyes. "Relax, captain. Happy couples are off-limits. I have no interest in coming between a man and a woman... Two women?... maybe if they're into it."

"No need for concern Huangdi," Xuannu says. "I've been countering the effect of his charm with my own since I noticed it."

"Oh, so, it is there?" Ziggy asks. "I thought it might be defective."

Xuannu shakes her head. "Why don't the rest of you take your leave. Lei Zu, please show our newest child to a room. I'm going to try to help Ziggy get a handle on his new abilities, so he doesn't end up with a hoard of aroused women chasing him through the streets of Orario."

"Oh, you ruin all my fun," Ziggy says with a metric ton of snark.

.

.

Hours later, Ziggy opens the door of his bedroom and stumbles inside. He frowns with the effort it takes to simply walk to his bed and collapses on top once there. "I have such a fucking headache," he complains. The last several hours revolved around controlling his charm and was the mental equivalent of getting kicked in the crotch repeatedly by a vindictive horse.

A gentle touch glides over his head, fingers combing through his hair. The sensation repeats several times before Ziggy decides to look up. "That feels really nice," he says, looking at the crimson-eyed cutie sitting next to him. "Thanks, Yue."

"You're welcome," the petite blond says.

"May I ask what you're doing in my room?" he says.

"I wanted to talk to you," she says.

"Honestly, I'm pretty exhausted," he says, wincing. "Any chance we could talk in the morning?"

She nods and continues to comb her fingers through his hair. After a moment, he gets a distinct impression that she's not leaving.

He sighs and lays his head down. "Good night, Yue."

"Good night, Ziggy."

A few minutes later, he feels her press her petite body against his back in a strange inverted big spoon/little spoon thing. She wraps an arm mostly around him and buries her face against the crook of his neck.

Ziggy mentally shrugs. It is nice being cuddled when you feel like shit.

.

.

Morning comes, and Ziggy finds their positions somewhat reversed. He must have turned in the night and wrapped the little beauty in a teddy bear embrace with her face snuggled into his chest and a leg draped over his waist. The nearly half a meter height difference makes for strange bedfellows.

Remembering the night before, Ziggy returns the favor, lightly stroking her silky blond hair, hoping to gently pull her from sleep. After a couple of minutes, the golden-haired loli shifts her body, and her eyelids flutter open.

"Good morning, Yue," Ziggy says.

"Good morning," she says but seems to want to say more, so Ziggy waits until she's ready. "May I bite you?"

Ziggy blinks. "I beg your pardon?"

"May I bite you?" she repeats, her cheeks flushing pink.

"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about last night?" he asks.

Yue nods.

"Can I ask, why?" Ziggy says.

She considers what to say for a moment. "I need to drink a little bit of blood occasionally to stay healthy."

'Oh, yeah,' Ziggy thinks. 'I forgot she's like some kind of vampire species.'

"Why me?" he asks.

"You seem like you'd have strong blood. It might help me get stronger, or it might mean I need it less often."

"I'm guessing animal and monster blood is out?" he says.

She shakes her head. "Animal blood is too weak, and most monster blood is too impure."

"Well, it's not a request I get every day, that's for sure," he says with a chuckle. "You know, normally, I'd want to take a girl out on a few dates before we start swapping bodily fluids."

"We can do that," she mumbles.

"Oh?" he says. "You remember I'm trying to create my own harem, right?"

She nods. "I don't mind. My father had a harem before he died."

"Oh, really?" Ziggy says, surprised.

She nods. "Don't tell the others, please, but my father was the monarch of Avatarl, a small kingdom that was invaded and conquered by Rakia. During the assault, most of my family was killed in an explosion, including my father, the king. I survived and ran away, coming to Orario to get stronger."

"So, you want revenge," he says.

She tightens her jaw and nods.

He shrugs. "Okay, seems reasonable to me. Just try not to take it out on the innocent people that just try to live their lives. They don't really have any say in what their country does. The worst we can do to Ares is send his ass back to Tenkai... for now. Or maybe just take away his toys. We'll have to think about it. You're not in a rush, are you?"

Yue looks at him strangely. "We?"

He returns her look. "Well, you aren't planning on overthrowing an entire country alone, are you? You're going to need help."

"Why?"

"Not to be too cheesy, but we are Familia and teammates... and assuming the dates go well, we could become lovers."

Yue blushes again and snuggles into him once more. "So, can I?" she asks.

"Can you what?" Ziggy replies.

"Bite you."

Ziggy thinks for a moment. "Just so you know, I am not a masochist. If I do this, it's only to help you out."

She nods. "Un."

He leans his head back to let her have access. "Be careful of the important bits, please."

"Thank you," she whispers and slides up his body.

At that moment, he realizes there weren't any clothes providing a barrier between their bodies. He might know the fangy bleedy parts are coming, and he may not be a masochist, but there is also a sexy little loli rubbing her naughty bits up his body. A reaction is bound to happen, and that reaction causes Yue to pause a moment in her travels up his body when it slaps against her upper thigh.

Yue's eyes met Ziggy's. "Yue? Why are you naked?"

She purses her lips. "I'm more comfortable sleeping nude."

Ziggy nods. "And why am I naked?"

"You were tired, and I didn't want you to wake up because you were uncomfortable," she says.

"Oh. That's very thoughtful of you," he says and leans back, giving Yue access again and enjoying her warmth.

.

.

.

Kaori sits on her bed wrapped in her blanket with dried tear stains on her cheeks. She couldn't believe how pathetic she was. 'I thought I could get stronger here, but I'm pathetic. I can't even fight a low-level goblin without breaking down,' she thinks.

She had been repeating this to herself since she woke up earlier. The whole situation was even more embarrassing that Shizuku showed up. How will she even face her friend? She merely had to wait another moment to find that out as a knock sounded on her door.

"Kaori?" Shizuku calls through the door. "Are you awake? Can I come in?"

Kaori doesn't answer, instead choosing to wrap herself even more deeply into her blanket and hope the world would just go away. The door clicks open regardless of Kaori's wants, and Shizuku pokes her head into the room.

Seeing Kaori curled up in her blanket, Shizuku walks into the room and closes the door behind her. Crossing the room, she crawls up on the bed behind Kaori and adds a distinctly Shizuku-shaped layer to Kaori's blanket cocoon.

They sit there for a few minutes before either says anything, and it's Shizuku who speaks up first. "I like your new friends. I don't think you should go back to the village anymore."

Kaori blinks. "Why not?" she asks.

Shizuku peels herself away from Kaori and leans back against the pillows on the bed. "They treat you as a person. The village stopped doing that when you showed them your magic.

I'm sorry I didn't see that before. I just thought the Elders wanted to protect you, but what they wanted to do was lock you in a cage. I think you should stay here and get stronger. We should get stronger."

Kaori shifts, shaking off some of her blankets to look at Shizuku. "We?" she says.

Shizuku smiles. "Like I'm going to let my best friend wander off on an adventure without me."

They stare at each other for a moment. "So? Are you going to welcome me to the team or what?" Shizuku asks.

Kaori's eyes widen. "Shizuku, the Dungeon is dangerous. What if you get hurt?"

Shizuku shrugs. "Then you'll be there to heal me, right?"

Kaori's eyes dim. "I don't know. I don't think I can be an adventurer anymore."

"Why?" Shizuku asks.

"What do you mean, why?" Kaori says, exasperated. "You saw me. I completely froze in there. If it weren't for Ziggy, I might have died."

"It was your first time in the Dungeon, Ziggy said. A lot of people freeze up their first time," Shizuku says with a shrug.

"I'm scared," Kaori whispers.

They're quiet again. Eventually, Shizuku retakes her place on the Kaori cocoon and whispers back, "Me too, but that's why we go together. It's why we have a team. To help each other be brave."

Kaori squiggles out of her blankets and throws her arms around Shizuku. The girls hold each other and add more tear stains to their cheeks.