An Unfit End

Sayuri steadied her stance, pulling the echoing pain into the back of her mind to focus on the confrontation ahead as the Lygerfang pulled away from its morbid meal, slowly circling the Little Fox, forcing the young woman to follow its trail with slow turns not willing to show the monster her back, or an ounce of weakness.

This continued for what seemed to be a number of long moments, before the Lygerfang came to a halt and stared at the injured adventurer before it. A being who had encroached upon its meal, smelling like a number of the predators that occupied its habitat… Yet, there was a scent among the others that stood out, an enthralling sweetness that compelled the Lygerfang to ignore its previous meal for the new one that had arrived.

Its skin was mottled, and melted showing the fibrous muscles that were normally hidden, the fats on the surface were partly rendered producing an enticing scent. Every movement was occupied by the plucking, writhing, and churning of the muscles exposed to the air, while the hair and fur that would normally prove a nuisance were nowhere present. It held a shiny stick much like the meal it was feasting upon had before it had fallen before the Lygerfang's claws.

It looked weak…

The circling came to a stop as the Lygerfang seemed to have understood something, it stalled fro a brief moment before leaping forward lashing out with its claws intent on hooking its prey and finishing the fight before it could even begin with a vicious chomp onto the weak prey's neck…

However, Sayuri tilted her spear upward, it's blade cutting through hide and flesh before sticking into bone, as the weight of the beast sent the hilt of the spear into the ground, robbing it from the Little Fox's grip. The impact forcing the spear through the whole of the monsters body's, it could only whimper and growl in pain as Sayuri forcibly pulled her spear the rest of the way through, with a faint flourish the Little Fox drove her spear into the back of the Lygerfang's head silencing it once and for all…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

[???]

"You have served me well…" A masked figure spoke walking down a dark passage next to an unkempt figure. As soon as his words fell upon the passage, so too did a blade.

The masked figure continued along alone…

"To think, the piece would fall into place by itself," a cackle rose into a villainous chuckle…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

[17th Floor —> 18th Floor]

Sayuri made her way halfway down one of the connecting stairways to the sole passageway to the 18th Floor. Leaning against the wall taking heavy breaths, allowing her body to ease just enough for her to sit on one of the stairs. Raising her head, tracing a dungeon fly with her eyes, Sayuri steadied her breathing forcing her body to decompress allowing the onslaught of echoing pain and exhaustion to touch her mind.

"Fuck…" Sayuri breathed out, wishing for fresh air, the warmth of the sun, to be rid of the scent of death that clung to her so tightly. Yet, she was to be stuck in the dungeon for days, perhaps weeks as she recovered from the consequences of her idiocy. The Little Fox chided herself for a few long minutes, before closing her eyes and focused on regaining at least a modicum of her Mind while focusing on the echoes of pain to stay awake.

Things would only get worse if she ended up falling asleep… The Dungeon wasn't the only source of 'monsters'…

Sayuri rested long enough that she was sure she could cast a strong enough [Death Imbuement] to kill an Adventurer without succumbing to Mind Down, before rising to her feet and continuing down the path to the 'Sub—Floor' that held the Goliath. The Monster Rex of the Upper Floors, the 18th Floor.

While many simply recognized it as an addition to the 17th Floor, the fact that there is a Monster-less passageway connecting to the Monster Rex Room, has led to the Guild giving it a 'Sub—Floor' classification…

It's Unique placement allowed expeditions to rest outside of the Wall of Grief, while the Main Party Adventurers dealt with the Monster Rex—

Shaking the irrelevant thoughts from her mind, Sayuri slowly stepped into the large passage that would lead to the 18th Floor. The closer she drew to the Wall of Grief, the heavier the dread in the back of her mind became, and as she crossed the threshold a familiar scent found her nose.

Sulfur… Monster Bait…

As her eyes shot to the side, to the origin of the scent, she caught a silhouette sprinting towards the far wall, where Ottar had explained the entrance to the 19th Floor lay… Yet, behind that silhouette, was a lingering light…

A light that was blatantly divine…

Sayuri's instincts screamed, while the remaining hairs coating her body stood on end, her furless ears folded back against her skull as a resounding sound akin to shattering glass sent fragments of the Wall of Grief launching across the room, followed by an air—trembling roar…

An uncontrollable tremble washed through Sayuri's body, as fear engulfed her mind. However, it was quickly cleansed as a cold reassuring sensation washed through behind it, though that did little to quell the trembling of her body. Her hands shook as they wrapped around her spear, while her knees grew weak before the Goliath that stepped out of the Wall of Grief.

Never before had she felt so small… Not even before Ottar had she felt so minuscule, as a darkness encroached upon the Goliath's skin…

A Juggernaut Monster Rex had been born…

Sayuri's body screamed at her to run, yet her mind informed her that it would be a useless endeavor, even with a use of her crude [Instant Movement Imbuement], Sayuri had no hope of out running the behemoth before her…

As Sayuri was drowning in her thoughts another roar shattered the relative silence, shaking the Little Fox to the bone and pulling her from her thoughts. There was only one thing she could do to survive the situation she had found herself in…

It may kill her, or it may reduce her to mere pickings for whomever laid the trap she had walked into…

"Imbue—Death."

A single chance… Sayuri could already feel her Mind churning the remnants of its energy, dragging the mana along in preparation. Ignoring the pain, and everything to come with it, Sayuri forced a chant, feeling her body and mind cry out as she yanked on her mana, "Imbue—Release."

Sayuri burst forward as the Goliath interlocked its fingers, bringing its humongous fist down with uncanny speed. The impact shattered the stone, sending fragmented projectiles in every direction, littering Sayuri with even more wound and locking her left arm in place as a fragment embedded itself into her raw, skinless shoulder. She suppressed the scream that nearly slipped from her lips as she stumbled from the quake that shot through the floor, drawing closer to the Goliath with every stumbling step before she managed to steady herself and lay her spear upon its flesh…

"*Keuk—!!*"

Blood exploded from every orifice, as her mind burned from the raw manipulation of Mana, her Mind immediately disappeared leaving no protection or channeling to the dense, unwieldy mana. It was pulled from the depths of her soul, as experiences were rapidly burned to create more of the mystical energy. The strain of such raw manipulation was placed upon her mind, the unbearable heat tore through her skull and a scream tore through her throat. Mana began to leak from her flesh, illuminating the large room in a brillant golden light—

[Status Updated! Title Activation! (Hero)]

The golden light suddenly intensified, pouring out of Sayuri's vessel in undulating waves of pure energy that damaged the surroundings with its sheer volume and density.

Unbeknownst to Sayuri… A tug of war ensued, between the Goliath's Fragmented Soul enriched by the Malevolent Energy of the Dungeon, and Sayuri's Semi—Divine Soul, enriched by the Mana Forge held within.

Every minute sense of pain, exhaustion, dread, sadness, fear that she felt bolstered the Mana Forge that lingered in her soul, as it burned away at those experiences leaving only their shadow to occupy and form around the edges of the formless collection of consciousness, experience, minuscule divinity, and memory…

Alongside those burning experiences, a foreign calm, yet volatile energy streamed through the unseen void bolstering the Mana to temporarily new heights, as the Mana Forge pulsated surging with unseen strength that didn't wholly feel of her own.

A silent shatter resounded, as the deathly tether Sayuri had created tore the fragmented soul from the Juggernaut Goliath, dragging it into the depth of the Mana Forge to be burnt away and repurposed…

Smoldering ashes engulfed the surroundings, as the Juggernaut Goliath succumbed to the Little Fox's [Death Imbuement], however despite Sayuri immediately collapsing due to Mind Down, there was no Monster Rex Crystal in sight…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

[????]

Sayuri stirred, engulfed in a darkness of unfathomable depths, her cerulean orbs groggily gained focus in the darkness spying naught but the seeming unending void. A cold chill permeated her being paired with the sharp pain of mind down, though dulled in her unfamiliar state, as she found herself neither floating nor grounded…

A familiar sensation of lacking concept touched upon the void in her mind sending a false realization through her mind, and for the briefest moments she assumed she had succumbed to her wounds or perhaps been killed by overdrawing her Mind…

Only for a malevolent incoherent whisper to reach out and attempt to forge a connection to her mind, spurring Sayuri into a state of full awakening and paranoia as formless shadows seem to condense dance in the edges of her vision. Overlapping the unfathomable darkness, as the chill deepened…

The connection turned forceful at its failed attempt, sharply grasping at the edges of Sayuri's consciousness a silent scream washing through the darkness, while lacking sound the scream had a physical sense that brushed against Sayuri leaving shallow cuts and scrapes against her skin. The pain seemed irrationally intense for such seemingly minor wounds, as it invaded I to the very depths of her being only to be washed away by a faint glow that beat away the darkness revealing the silhouette of a gargantuan writhing mass. Instinctually, Sayuri recoiled, 'something' informing her that whatever she had witnessed was not of natural creation… A truly vile thing—

A spontaneous anger roused from the depths of her mind only to be smothered as the attempted connection to her mind grew with a ravage intensity, instantly silencing any wayward thought or emotion whilst dampening the strength of her consciousness for the briefest moments; dimming the edges of her frame, before a indomitable rush of energy—Mana swelled—

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sayuri awoke with a gasp, finding herself engulfed with ash, only to choke as the ash that engulfed her filled her lungs. The vast majority of her major wounds seemed to have healed, yet her skin remained scarred and mottled, ash caked onto her figure sticking with yellowish dried pus, dried blood, or simply having melded into her wounds infusing into her mottled skin and muscles.

Slowly, Sayuri sat up her cerulean orbs gazing across the quiet empty room, from her place atop the still faintly warm ash; indicating that she hadn't been unconscious for long, her paranoia remaining from whatever she had experienced from before she had awoken.

Sayuri's exhaustion swiftly began to fade as she rose to her feet, her skin disgustingly thin, scarred from the burns, and terribly mottled revealing the twitching, pulling pink muscles underneath. They coiled as she quickly leaned forward laying her weight onto her heels, rolling to her feet only to be immediately distracted—

[Status Updated! Skill Gained! (Enhanced Mana Forge 5%)]

Sayuri blinked it away, a hint of curiosity washing through her eyes before she remembered where she was, and her situation. Hastily retrieving her spear, and crude untanned, bloody hide Sayuri covered herself and quickly made her way to the rear of the 18th Floor where she descended into the 19th Floor… The first true safezone of the Dungeon.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ottar sat on the couch, his hands steepled as he rested his chin unpun his thumbs, a sense of unease plucking the strings of his heart as he stared at Freya who sat across from him, a sleeping youth laid in her lap. As Freya's fingers ran through his white hair, the Goddess spoke, "You know how she is, Sayuri will return. She knows her limits the best."

Ottar frowned deeply, violently launching off his feet shattering the marble floor as he took off startling Bell awake, though he was quickly put back to sleep by the gentle care of his Goddess, and the soft tune she hummed; one she had learned from listening to Sayuri.

As the Boaz's heavy steps carried him through Freya's abode, literally barreling through the door reducing it to splinters, he sprinted through the streets intent on finding Sayuri, who hadn't returned since she had sent Bell off after dealing with a Minotaur a day prior…

Leaving Freya to pull out an orb and channel what minuscule amount of Divinity she could 'legally' manipulate on the lower plane, peering into the depths of a distant soul… One that burned its own existence in the creation of mana, only to find that it had explosively bloomed from the last she had seen it.

Freya's lips twisted upwards as an almost possessive glint shone in her eyes, a heat washed through her body as her Divine Soul trembled.

HER BEST FRIEND had grown stronger…

Her fingers ran through HER Bell's silky hair, as she tentatively chewed her bottom lip, her eyes slowly closing as she focused on the amplified Soul Vision the modified Scrying Orb allowed her…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sayuri's gaze stiffened as she descended upon the 19th Floor, spotting a small group of adventurers lingering just barely within her vision some distance away. Her ears fail to pick up their voices, nor do her senses pick up whomever had laid the trap she had stumbled upon.

A deep growl arose from her stomach, but Sayuri ignored it as she shifted off into the mess of cluttered trees occupying the Floor. Keeping enough distance that she can spy on the Floors entrance, yet remain out of sight of the lesser perceptive.

Crouching down, and resting against a sizable trunk. Sayuri allowed her body to rest, as she turned her focus inward feeling the powerful churning of her mana rolling through the center of her mass, seemingly infuseing her physique with an endless amount of energy.

It hadn't taken long for the group to draw close enough for Sayuri to recognize them, a group she had seen around the Loki Familia among the few times she had delivered food personally to the Twilight Manor. Against her better judgment, Sayuri gave a sharp whistle pulling their attention and they immediately went on guard, as Sayuri peered out from behind the large trunk. With their weapons at the ready they drew closer, but before they circled around the tree Sayuri sharply whispered, "I need one of your cloaks, and whatever food you can spare."

Her bald head, and fur less ears paired with her rather scarred and mottled face caused a few of them to flinch, however one of them recognized her voice… A you chienthrope woman, with a faintly waxed tail furrowed her brow, "Priestess…? Wait?! What happened?"

Sayuri's nose scrunched, in rememberence of the consequences of her idiocy, she went to speak but shook her heat with a short sigh, "I need a cloak, or some cloth."

The Little Fox's flat tone sounded out, the weight of her recent experiences showing through the bare Status on her back. The party immediately understood that the Dungeon had decided, and failed to kill the Priestess… Yet, not all were convinced.

A large human male spared his cloak with a gentle smile and closed eyes as Sayuri covered herself, pulling the hood far over her head, "Thank you, may your journey be fruitful, and your travels unhindered."

A faint unseen glow resonated in the back of Sayuri's throat as she spoke, the more Magic Intuned of those within the party of adventurers showed a faint reaction at the sheer density of Mana that had been channeled. As a physical and arcane sense fell upon their frames and sank deep into the middle of their chest.

A sense of reassurance gripped their minds, and Sayuri swiftly retreated into the trees. Intent on finding a place to recover her Mind, and allow her body to heal whatever damage it can. After some investigation, Sayuri found a sizable hollow under a fallen tree, perhaps the result of a former venting of an Adventurer's emotions.

Sitting down within the roots on her heels, Sayuri steadied her breath—

[Status Updated! Stats Gained! Skill Gained!]

[

Name: Sayuri Shizuka

Titles - Little Fox, Otherworldly Being, Priestess of Beauty & Blessings, Saintess, Hermes' Conqueror, Hero, Beast in the Sheets, Demon

Physical Vessel: {Expand}

Race: Chimeric Fox-Kin

Class: Heroic Saintess - Magic Stat Growth +800%

Familia: Loki (Partial)

Level: 2

Stats -

• Strength: D - 585 (SSS-3750)>

• Endurance: D - 585<(SSS-3750) >

• Dexterity: D - 585 <(SSS-3750) >

• Agility: D - 585 <(SSS-3750) >

• Magic: D - 586 (B - 888) <(SSS-3750) >

• Spirit Pleasure (Ignes Lumen) - H

• Hastened Regeneration (Ignes Lumen) - H

• Composure (Ignes Lumen) - H

• Spearmaiden (Vulpes Hasta) - G

• Hunter - I

Skills -

• Ignes Lumen

• Vulpes Hasta

• Vulpes Sacerdos

• Amare Libertas

• Magic Forge - 5% - A vessel forged in the Soul, to Reforge the Soul. Allows the distillation of Physical Experience to Arcane Energy and the Transmutation of Arcane Energy to Mana. Increases Mana Density. (Distilling World Enemy Soul Shard. Collection of World Enemy Soul - 5%)

Magic -

• Magic Bestowal

Traits - 50P

• Positive: Otherworldly Divine Sensual Soft Skin, Otherworldly Divine Sensual Pliant Flesh, Greater Athleticism, Otherworldly Vulpine Dexterity, Adaptive, Enticing Otherworldly Vulpine Ears, Elegantly Sensual Otherworldly Vulpine Tail, Fast Learner, Magically Gifted, Survivor, Otherworldly Vulpine Priestess' Grace, Otherworldly Vulpine Priestess' Deviant Charm, Otherworldly Natural-Born Divine Chef, Otherworldly Devout Priestess, Otherworldly, Divine Vessel (Sealed), Divine Beauty (Sealed), Productive Time Management, Greater Sexual Stamina, Natural-Born Divine Spearmaiden, Object of Divine Worship, Divine Sensuality (Sealed)

Add Positive Traits {Expand}

• Negative: Insensitive (5P), Infertile (120P), Former Slave (100P), Minor Exhibitionist (10P), Minor Masochist (10P)

Remove Negative Traits {Expand}

]

— and fell asleep.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ottar burst into the 18th Floor, having caught and followed the bloodied trail that his instincts urged him towards. Finding a massive pile of ash laying in the middle of the floor, the Dungeon having yet to reclaim its kin…

His brows furrowed as he gave a few faint sniffs, his hands tightly clutching his swords, as his nose caught the scent of Monster Bait. A deep frown washing across his face as a deep gravelly growl resonated from his throat, anger began to cloud his mind…

With his body tensed, and his muscles coiled, Ottar let out a guttural roar unleashing the full brunt of his swirling emotions. The full weight of his Level 8 presence falling upon the 18th Floor.

With a flurry of movement, he burst towards the passageway leading to the 19th Floor, nearly pummeling through a group of adventurers. Catching one by the scruff of his neck, Ottar raised the Loki Familia member to eye level, "O-Ottar?!"

"Have you seen her?!" Ottar roared, his voice forcing them to tremble as just his mere presence was intimidating enough to cause their legs to shake.

"W-Who…?!" The adventurer Ottar clutched fumbled out, and Ottar roared out once more…

"Sayuri!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Huh… You survived… This shall be fun…" A unkempt hooded figure crouched down next to a terribly scarred figure, his dirt stained finger tracing her mottled skin, as ominous whispers flowed from his lips eldritch sounds that grasp at the surrounding shadows, "— Limitless Berserk."

As his magic manifested as a sickly green mana, flowing into the space between Sayuri's brows he quickly retreated…

Though he didn't make it far…

[Status Updated! Temporary Positive Trait Added! (Limit Breaker) | Temporary Negative Trait Added! (Berserk)]

As the light sank into Sayuri, her eyes snapped open, missing the usual cerulean now replaced by a dull grayish blue, as her mana churned, moving unchanneled, unrestrained... Unrefined Arcane Energy leaking from her soul, mixing with the mana pooling in her body until her vessel could hold no more, and the power began to undulate off her body with vigorous waves of destructive might.

A mindless roar of anger tore through her throat intensifying the undulating waves of crudely blended Arcane Energy and Mana, the raw power tearing away at the surroundings scarring and charring the ground and the fallen tree as the area of effect expanded while Sayuri rose to her feet, the expanding until it met the back of the unknown figure sprinting away… Reducing him to ash as it washed over him…

Rapidly, the blend of surging energy coursing, and leaking from Sayuri's vessel found purpose where there were none, healing her body, regrowing her hair and fur. Until she returned to a pristine appearance, and her tail gave a tremble before splitting off into nine different, equal parts.

The undulating waves of power intensified for each tail, forcing Sayuri off the ground as it crumbled away under her, the dungeon fell silent—

[Status Updated! Temporary Negative Trait Removed! (Berserk)]

Sayuri's dull cerulean eyes brightened with the light of reason, as a coldness washed through her mind bringing it to the unfathomable level of pain that had been cut off to her…

Sayuri's body trembled as the pain branded itself upon her mind, and the Ma— Energy undulating from her vessel intensified as a heat rose from the very depths of her being. It felt completely out of her reach, it brought upon the sense that even the slightest attempt to control it with her 'Mind' would spell her death…

Yet, she had a sense—

[Status Updated! Divine Traits Added! (Creator Goddess of Arcana, Goddess of Magic) | The Will of the World has Sealed Divine Traits! The Will of the World offers an Apology, do you accept? (Y/N)]

Sayuri groaned out a reply as the pain began to dull in her senses, the heat growing within her becoming more intense as the pain waned. Until it leveled out, finding a balance and the undulations rolling off of her body slowed to a pulse. For the briefest of moments her eyes fell to her Magic Stat…

[

.

..

…

Magic: D - 586 (SSS - 585,999,414) {(SSS - 3,750)}

.

(A/N: A 999,999x increase… a 111,111 multiplier from Base Stat for each tail… Sayuri has been nerfed. Now, imagine how strong she would be unnerfed, without her Traits and Divine Traits sealed… Blame the Will of the World, it only wanted to keep its World in one piece… It makes sense, she's a Humelf from a High Dimension where such things as 'Perfect' can exist, that has become an imperfect being through the addition of a Lower Dimension 'Kitsune', which gains strength equal to its number of tails… As an Imperfect Being, she is no longer shackled by 'Perfection'… yadayadayadayada)

…

]

The Little Fox nearly choked when she saw the ridiculous number, it was far beyond her ability to count and the number of years it would take to even attempt to count that high was most probably the rest of her lifespan.

Not that she knew how long she'd live anyway…

A sigh slipped from her lips, as the flooding Arcana calmed with her emotions, no longer an object of destruction but one of calmness…

Until she saw a large figure looking up at her from the distance, where the edge of her destruction lay… The Arcana took a faint pinkish hue, as her emotions flowed through the unrestrained Arcana.

She moved. A single step brought her before the man she loved, her arms wrapping around his flesh as she let out a cry, "Ottar!"

The Boaz stumbled back from the sheer momentum her movement contained, his ribs shattered from withstanding the force and his bones creaked under her mighty hug… Yet, Ottar stood tall, unfazed by the sudden pain that assaulted his mind, like a reliable stone. Unmoved.

Tears pooled in his eyes for reasons he knew not, and his arms encased the woman he swore his heart to…

The Energy that permeated the surroundings closed in, wrapping around every infinitesimal of his being, soaked every fiber within with a warm, loving sensation. His wounds healed in an instant, and a flow of stamina struck his mind followed by that familiar heat…

Sayuri pulled along by her flooding emotions, and emboldened by her pinkish Arcana willed Ottar's clothes to be gone, and with the wind they faded as if never having existed.

[Status Updated! The Will of the World is Temporarily Sealed, Do you offer an Apology? (Y/N)]

[Status Updated! Negative Trait Temporarily Removed! (Infertile) | Uncategorized Trait Temporarily Added! (Destined For Pregnancy) | Divine Trait Added & Sealed! (Goddess of Sex)]

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ottar woke up with a familiar weight on his chest, and a familiar yet far more intense ache in his loins. Never before had he lasted so long, for so many rounds… 50? 100…? No, nearly 200 rounds…

He lost every one of them…

A sigh rolled off his tounge, as his hand softly kneaded Sayuri's tail, no longer was she in that Divine Form; Ottar refused to think of it as anything else, It fell after the 1… 198 round…

His brows furrowed as his eyes gleamed their surroundings? Everything for miles was destroyed, massive craters, fallen trees, ash, upturned soil…

Whether it was from their escapades, or Sayuri's Divine Form, a vast majority of this section of the 19th Floor was ruined, and from the looks of it, caused the arrival of quite the many Adventurers of the presences he felt building in the distance was anything of note…

"What a troublesome woman," the words rolled off his tongue in a sweet tone, a soft smile tugging at his lips as he rose to his feet, only to pause as he remembered Sayuri had dusted his clothes. His gaze fell to a Sayuri's nude, slumbering frame curled up into his chest.

Pulling her deep into his chest, and cradling her in his arms, Ottar turned his nude frame to the approaching Adventurers, using his love's hair to veil her body to the beat of his ability while her tail subconsciously draped between his legs, "What happened…?"

An aged Halfling spoke first, seeing the absolute destruction of the surroundings that Ottar and Sayuri rested on the edge of…

Though, a tall figure wearing a cerulean yukata and a white Fox Mask raised his staff among all his similarly dressed companions creating a boundary around the lovely duo, "The Saintess is preoccupied, and in no state to welcome visitors. Please return to what you were doing."

Dozens of these Fox Masked figure stood Ottar and Sayuri's slumbering form with a wide berth, their backs facing the duo as they held a line that allowed none to pass. Ottar watched with a curious, confused gaze but a faint remembrance allowed him to connect the dots as his gaze softened falling to Sayuri's who laid against his chest…

His love had a Cult…

He mulled over that thought, for many long moments…

"Well…" A chuckle slipped through his lips, "It could be worse."

As Ottar's words rolled off his tongue, a Fox Masked figure turned and spotted the large boaz standing there, immediately he turned to another figure with a pair of whiskers on his mask.

The whispered figure hurriedly produced a thick cloak, and a blanket from his cloak and swiftly moved forward. The figure's head was low as they offered the items to the 'King' of Oriaro…

Accepting the items, Ottar could only turn his gaze to the slumbering Little Fox.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hm.." Sayuri turned away from the bright light peeking through her closed eyes, disgruntled at having been pulled from such a deep sleep a frown slowly formed on her face as she pulled the blanket over her head.

Only to stop as she collected the clouded thoughts in her mind, shaking the tiredness that clouded them as she sat up hastily scrutinizing the familiar room then her own body as she began to internally recollect what had happened prior to waking up…

With shocked, and trembling eyes she gazed towards her Status, her eyes locking onto the [Uncategorized Trait (Pregnant)]. Her breath shook as she stared at them seemingly empty points in space, only realizing she had company a few moments later.

"Sayuri…" That deep worried voice caused Sayuri's heart to quicken, as her eyes became teary, blurring Ottar stalwart visage. "We need to talk…"

For some reason, Sayuri dreaded those words…

Ottar's gaze fell to the floor momentarily as if trying to find the words… "How—" He shook his head, "What was that…? How strong are you…?" He leaned in with a near silent whisper, "Are you truly a Goddess…?"

Sayuri's cerulean orbs turned to that empty point in space, briefly peering at her sealed traits…

All 'Divine' in nature…

Her cerulean orbs turned back to meet Ottar's gaze, and gave a soft nod her gaze falling once more as her soft voice brought a stillness to the boaz, "I'm pregnant…"

His eyes widened, "I thought—" Ottar shook his head, a smile coming to his voice as he cast the rest of his words to the depths of his mind, silencing his doubts as a smile rose to his face despite the faint panic in his eyes, "I— don't know what to say…"

A silence hung between the two as Sayuri's gaze drifted, her thoughts filled with the temporary strength she had held… Not even Sayuri knew the limits of that power, it felt as if a single thought could shatter the mind, a single step shatter the land, a simple touch shatter the body…

Yet, it paradoxically felt incredibly weak at the same time… It was difficult to gauge through her memories, as those hours felt like years—decades—centuries, as she tried to sparse through them, but that heat in the center of her being burned warmer with every passing moment she spent sifting through those memories.

Though there was also that uncomfortable—

"Sayuri?!"

The Little Fox startled from her thoughts to find Ottar crouched in front of her, worry drowning his eyes and panic strewn across his face.

"Are you okay…?"

Sayuri slowly nodded her head only then realizing that Ottar gently held her shoulders, and how close she was to the edge of the bed…

She felt… like she had eaten far too much and on the cusp of exploding, it led to a sharp cramp in her chest that clutched at her heart forcing her body to tense. A grunt of pain slipping from her lips, causing Ottar's worry to deepen…

[Status Updated! Stats Added! | Negative Trait Added! (Arcana Overflow) | Negative Trait (Arcana Overflow) Redirected to Uncategorized Trait (Pregnant)! | Negative Trait (Arcana Overflow) Removed! | Uncategorized Trait Evolved (Pregnant -> Arcana Infused Pregnancy)]

The feeling faded, only for her stomach to churn a change happening within… Though it lasted over for a moment, and brought Sayuri a feeling of warmth unlike any other… It felt akin to when she cast a [Warming Soul Imbuement]*, yet it was purely Concentrated on her lower abdomen…

No, the life that was budding inside her belly…

A warm smile rose to her face, as her gaze refocused onto Ottar, and before his worry could deepen any further her hand found his cheek while her lips pressed against his, a sultry whisper rolling off her tongue as their lips separated, "I love you."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The next few days consisted mainly of Sayuri lounging around the house, taking care of her garden, and selling meals at her gazebo. Not really interested in entering the dungeon, mostly due to the life that had bloomed in her belly and partly due to the fact that that momentary taste of power brought upon a realization that her strength was not reliant on the Physical Status bestowed upon her.

Sayuri's strength came from the seemingly endless well of Arcana* within her frame, which led to Sayuri using what free time she had since Adventuring was taken from her daily planning to experiment with her Magic, and how she can use that Magic to influence her daily life. She spent her time Imbuing different [Imbuements] into her food, testing how they are affected…

Eventually leading to an interest in the Alchemical side of things…

Like this Sayuri retired from the life of an Adventurer, allowing the world to return to its proper course… The Divine Fox sealed, allowing the Little Fox to play.

The world returned to its rhythm, and Bell claimed his place as the World's Chosen, delving deep into the dungeon and finding his place as a Hero. The one the populace of the world were waiting for, not the one that appeared from outside the reaches of the World—Galaxy—Universe.

This, one story comes to an end, allowing the blossoming of another.

(A/N: Never was supposed to be a long story, and the ending may seem rushed or forced, but this was merely a method to use my free time and to see if 'writing' was even something viable. This story had no plan, nor was it properly fleshed out, it was simply something to write/read when bored.

If you've enjoyed, that's good.

If not, you must have been starved of something to entertain yourself.

Anyways, I have some thoughts for another story, we'll see whether it ever finds this account.)