Ling Mei’er’s Bad Situation

"We are considered adults the moment we generate a self geno core. And once that happens, we are sent away from Dark Spirit Shelter in the expectation we will survive and thrive." There was a glimmer of sadness veiled behind the curtains of her speech, despite her attempt to put on a brave and proud face.

Han Sen thought to himself, "It looks like Dark Spirit controls most of the Underworld. If they didn't have a firm grip on the entire place, they wouldn't let their people come and go freely."

"Hmm... so, how can I lure her to the surface? They surely won't come after us up there, so getting her to go and leave this place is the only struggle." Han Sen wracked his brain for a solution.

And as Han Sen pondered this, his attention was drawn to a voice outside the cave.

"Ling Mei'er, are you in there?"

Ling Mei'er's face completely changed. She hopped onto King Snake's back and yelled at Han Sen, "Come on! We have to go."

"What are you afraid of?" Han Sen asked.

"I'm not afraid..." Before she finished speaking, a dark shadow began entering the cave.

It was a man with cat ears and a tail just like Ling Mei'er. It was clear that he was a family member of hers. He was riding atop a green bug that was the size of a bull.

"Where are you running off to this time? Come, quickly fight with me! And when you lose, come. You know what awaits. Don't try running off." The man's voice took on a threatening tone, and he didn't seem like a nice person at all.

"I'm not running." Ling Mei'er said this and scowled at Han Sen with her kitty fangs on full display. She wasn't happy Han Sen had been so slow.

"Bring forth one of your creatures so that it might fight against my green bug. If you lose, you come back with me, as was the deal." The man hopped off his mount and took a few intimidating steps forward.

The bug followed after its master, looking all smug, as well.

"Your bug is a gold geno core, whereas mine is not even silver! That's not even fair," Ling Mei'er protested.

"One year. That was the deal. You're the one who has wasted their time hiding in this dump for that duration. If you'd prefer, I could always go contact the elder and see what he has to say about this whole situation," the man said.

"Spirit Thirteen, don't be ridiculous!" Ling Mei'er said. She tried to put on a stout voice, but it trembled. She was squirming in her seat.

"Then how about I go and see the elder to ask what he considers to be ridiculous?" Spirit Thirteen turned to leave.

"Fine! We'll fight." Ling Mei'er stopped him from leaving, but she was falling right into his ploy. The saddest part was that she probably knew.

Spirit Thirteen, with the smuggest and most punchable face in the universe, turned back around and told Ling Mei'er, "Choose your best combatant. Any: the choice is yours."

Ling Mei'er looked at the only two mutant creatures she possessed and sighed. One of them was only a baby, after all. Times had indeed been tough for her.

The mutant Jade Rat already had a silver geno core, so that was her best bet. It wasn't much, but that was where her hope would have to lie, she thought. She was still willing to go forward with the proposed fight, but she already believed her fate to be sealed.

But then, Han Sen stepped forward and asked the two, "Hmm, and here I thought you two were related."

Ling Mei'er spoke with much regret, saying, "Yes, we are. But if I lose this fight, I need to return home and produce babies for him."

"What? How could a sick deal like this come about?!" A fire blazed through Han Sen's eyes, and he looked at Spirit Thirteen with much disgust.

The Dark Spirit geno core was able to tame creatures easily. And of course, their geno cores could still fight, as well. Regardless, it was something Han Sen fancied. He didn't want to lose it to that man.

Han Sen thought Ling Mei'er would make a fine secretary for him in the surface world, too. And she seemed to know a lot about the new realm he had just discovered. He wanted her to leave with him, not with Spirit Thirteen.

Now that Spirit Thirteen was taking her away, all for making babies, Han Sen was fuming mad.

The Jade Rat looked nervously at the bug it would soon have to fight. It was facing a gold geno core enemy and it knew it; it didn't fancy its chances, that was for sure.

Classes aside, the rat was tiny compared to the green bug, as well. It didn't stand a snowflake's chance, and everyone in the cave expected a brutal outcome to befall the poor squeaker.

"Come on; let's get this over with," Spirit Thirteen callously said, now with a raised voice.

The green bug summoned a scythe, and it leaped forward, ready to kill the rat within a moment's notice.

"You can do it!" Ling Mei'er hopelessly called out, as if a raised spirit was all the rat needed to even the odds.

The Jade Rat squealed and stood in place, frozen with terror. And just when Han Sen and Ling Mei'er thought the little critter was going to summon its geno core and fight back, it simply scurried away. It ran to the hills.

"Sh*t! Are you serious?" Han Sen shook his head.

Spirit Thirteen laughed out loud, asking her, "What sort of rubbish have you been collecting? The cave is one thing, but... Man, you're embarrassing to watch. Come home and make babies for me. You'll be good for one thing, that way."

"The only thing I'm going to make is a super geno core so I can rip your ears off!" Ling Mei'er rebuked with feistiness.

"Cool your temper. But honestly, I don't see a way out of your predicament. You know the agreement in place, and unless you can pull another creature out of your backside to fight me, you're either leaving here with me for a baby-making future, or you're leaving in a body bag. Do you have another creature that's ready to fight? Yes or no?" Spirit Thirteen gave her his ultimatum.

Jade Rat was her strongest creature, and she nothing else that was willing to fight.

"That's what I thought. Now come along, your daddio is getting impatient." Spirit Thirteen licked his lips with sickening lust.

Ling Mei'er was about to agree, but before she could open her mouth, someone else stepped forward.