The Apprentice of Ouroboros [Monster Evo LitRPG Adventure]

“Hey, stop slithering so fast! I'm gonna have Brent use you for a fetch toy, lizard noodle!”

Neska was already bee-lining toward the library, late as it was in the day. The arcane lights had flickered on across the campus, painting the pathways with low-glare lighting. Small firebugs flickered across the open spaces in between the groves of trees planted throughout, their lighting almost as bright as the arcane lanterns.

Neska called out over her shoulder, determined to get more answers. "I have things to finish–”

Juni hopped in front of Neska, forcing her to stop. The mouse had a stern look about her, ears flattened. “No. You’re taking a break. We are all taking a break tonight, and the next few days. You haven’t stopped since you got back to campus, other than a brief stay at the medical center. You need to just…turn off that machine of a mind inside your skull!”

Neska flicked her tongue in annoyance. Now was the best time to go to the library, with the crowds departed and fewer distractions! “Juni, I’m at my best when I’m solving–”

The mouse wagged her finger, just as Brent and Syra caught up. “No. Neska, I don’t think you’re aware of this? But you’ve been so focused on this lately, it’s starting to scare me. You’ve been tense ever since we returned from destroying the hive Instance.”

Of course she was tense. This Radiant King wanted them all dead, and was fixated on destroying every single one of her friends to drive home the point he would be cruel and malicious at every turn, until she killed him. “Juni, if you had the power to stop the Radiant King–”

“No. We’re not posing what-ifs. We’re worried about you,” Syra interjected. “I know we all got split up in the mine, but that thing rattled you all the way down to your soul, down in the queen’s chamber. I think you’re burying yourself in work as distractions and coping methods, and that’s not healthy in the slightest.”

“I don’t like agreeing with these two, seeing as everyone has their own ways of letting off pressure, but…” Brent’s eyes were down turned, as if he were worried. “Maybe, just maybe, the world will continue as-is tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe, your friends want you to take a break, a real one. Not buried in books and witchy rituals.”

Neska raised a brow. “I could try a ritual to relieve mental burdens. It’s in the books, you know, for mental warding techniques.”

“Neska,” Brent sighed, “That means nothing you and I would construe as work. Something fun. Something to do together with your friends.”

“Like…what?” That annoyed her. Now that they’d posed the idea, she had no clue what people did for recreation on campus, or even, as an Awakened monster. Snugs with benefits was one activity she’d sort of heard discretely in the dorm behind closed doors that sounded almost ritualistic, even if the means were different. Was Brent offering that?

Probably not. She was ninety-five percent sure about that. This one might be too weird to ask in front of Juni and Syra.

She clicked her tongue. “Okay, I’ll bite.”

“Uh, no. No biting friends,” he chuckled.

“It was a figure of speech, mister floofy.” Syrona flapped her wings in agitation and hopped over from Neska's shoulder to Brent’s shoulder, who looked at her in surprise. “Oh, are you playing favorites now, Syrona?”

“Maybe you should take that as your sign,” Brent chuckled, stroking the familiar’s head gently. Neska found it perplexing how much that coatyl tried to get his attention. “Now, Syra and I have been here a while, and we have more memories of pastimes intact. Juni, did you ever do anything recreational?”

“I played Board and Conquest with Jurik. He’s really good at it, and I wouldn’t normally associate such a skill with a warrior,” Juni answered. “Do you have a copy?”

“Nah, wish I did, though. The recreation center might have a couple copies, and they’re open late. I got a couple of ideas though. You play music, Juni?”

She waved her paws, glaring at Brent. “You know, I’ll probably have more dexterity in my next form in a few levels, but these are not instruments of extreme precision, unlike you. I’ve seen you cut your steak with your claws like an arcane surgeon.”

“Eh, half me, half my sonic sub-abilities,” he shrugged. “I can play a stringed instrument if I’m careful, no pick required.”

“Neska’s dorm is really nice. I think we should hang out there. I can go to the dining hall and get some late-night food,” Syra proposed. “You bring the entertainment, I’ll bring a meal. Juni, anything special?”

“If they have it, the fruit bowl with the chilled cream on top.” Juni’s paws shook with excitement at the mention of the request. “It is summer fresh, and you can’t get better than right now.”

“I guess you guys aren’t going to let me work myself to exhaustion, are you?” Neska asked, hands on her flanks and sighing contentedly. “Alright, one night.”

“One weekend,” Brent emphasized. “Selkie and everyone else told us to rest up, and we’re going to take that to the max. You know things are only going to get harder from here, right? That hive isn’t the worst thing we’ll face out there. For me, it was certainly one of the creepiest places I’ve fought in so far. Those damn instances area have earned their reputation as incredibly lethal to all but seasoned Awakened and specialized military members.”

Neska glanced at the three of them. “Are we allowed to talk about…well, the whole thing where the Radiant King may have played a role in me becoming who I am?”

“Nope. No theorizing, no worrying, no chasing down clues,” Juni affirmed, emboldened by Syra and Brent’s pushback against Neska’s efforts. “This is sort of a preview of what life could be like, when all the monsters are gone, and we get to go home someday.”

But, where is home? Isn’t it here, at campus? She almost broke the rule set for her in five seconds. Well, maybe that rhetorical question could wait for a day. “Okay, deal. But only under one condition: let’s invite Trevor, too.”

Brent grinned proudly. “Now you’re leaning into it! Alright, let’s all meet at Neska’s place in half an hour.”

Sleep-overs.

It had occurred to her that she never had a sleepover, or at least, not that she could remember. Juni explained the concept to her, with her coil gently on the bed, and Juni sitting on the edge, with Syra, Brent and Trevor laughing softly.

“You're serious now? You've never gone through this?”

“Well, I suppose I have, sort of. I do know I was staying with somebody named Vivi for a long time. At least that's my guess based on the memories I can remember,” she admitted. She peered at Brent, cooking something on the stove, with savory and salty scents drifting through the air. "Remember, don't use any of the pans or cookware from the alchemy station. You would not like that.”

“Relax, this isn't my first time cooking. Actually, I remember this recipe. My mom and dad were with me; it's called… What's the word for it? Eggs cooked in a little bit of vinegar, with a little bit of lemon sauce reduction. It's actually really good.”

“How much do you remember, Brent?” Neska asked.

“My past life? Almost all of it. Except for the part where I died, but that part got filled in for me later. They asked me a dozen times if I was sure I wanted to know. I said hell, yes.” He continued cooking, his voice sounding confident.

“I was a front-line scout sniffing out an ambush. I was able to warn a column of about 300 men of an impending attack, but I didn't make it out alive. They still won't tell me where they buried my body. I suppose that's a little morbid; I guess nobody needs to know that part, ya know?”

“Given what I’ve heard,” Neska said, giving a sidelong glance to Syra, twirling her pendant again, “Maybe it’s better to let it be. I certainly hope they properly buried our bodies. I mean how weird would that be, presiding over your own tombstone?”

“Pretty weird,” Brent answered, one ear cocked in curiosity. “Okay then, I have a little something for each of us. Juni, I have some rice rolls with a bit of cooked fish and lakeweed wrap.”

The mouse looked at the small roll of lakeweed bearing a dark olive color, wrapped around the rice and fish. She sniffed it, then her eyes brightened. “Oh, that does look fascinating. I don’t normally do anything with protein like animals, but we also don’t have quite the same diet as our non-monster counterparts.”

“True. For some of us it’s pretty easy. I’m still a meat and tubers kind of guy, but the tubers are a little tougher on the stomach,” Brent chuckled. “Neska, I know you like all things egg-shaped, so I have a little something. Poached egg with a lemon sauce. I know you said you can’t taste much, but…give it a try?”

“That’s very kind of you, Brent. I appreciate the effort you’re putting into this.” She forked one of the eggs and maneuvered it into her snout. It wasn’t very often she chewed food, and even then, only very soft things. Her instinct was still to swallow things whole; it was one quirky behavior that wasn’t going away, regardless of whatever evolution she took next.

Salt, vinegar, and a slight spice hit her tongue as she tried the egg. It very much reminded her of Risha’s cooking, making meals for herself in the isolation of the cabin they shared. She couldn’t remember what these things tasted like until her lamia form. In a small way, she’d recovered a bit of herself, a way to feel and sense all the things she used to from before.

Several bites later, she was impressed. “Oh, that was good, Brent. Where’d you learn?”

“Ah, my mother, actually. She cooked like a dream. She’s still alive, thank the Divines, working on meal preparation for the Valos military–mostly officers and in positions deep behind our holding line. Though for obvious reasons, they generally try to discourage the Awakened from seeing their still-living family members.”

“Have you seen her?”

“Once,” he conceded. “Bawling her eyes out, but also happy that I survived, in a way. I always wonder how much of us is lost when we make the transition. For me, not much. I can't say the same for others, and I count myself lucky.”

“Kasfew still sees his family.” Trevor’s comment caught Neska by surprise, and she arched a brow and gestured for him to continue. “It’s a little strange, though. Can you imagine that? Seeing your own son dead, and then, there’s this fiery murder chicken that has taken his place?”

“Not sure if it's an improvement or not,” Juni muttered.

“Be nice. He had my back in the hive. He also doesn’t downright hate me on principle, so any progress is huge.” Neska pushed back, surprising the mouse.

“Ugh. I feel like this is temporary; just wait until he has something we need, then see if that holds,” Juni said, scrunching her snout. “But, I guess any progress is good.”

“Agreed. So, what do you know of the Stoltz family, Trevor?”

“Curiosity, or angling on something?” he asked.

“I…I guess I’m just curious for the sake of it,” she admitted. “I don’t know if I descended from privileged or impoverished. I wish…I wish Risha had made it easier to reclaim my knowledge of myself. Hopefully, I’ll be able to recall more. But I am curious about others’ experiences.”

“So…” Trevor rubbed his hands together in anticipation of the roast chicken and mashed tubers Brent had prepared, along with Syra. “It’s a little bit strange. They still want him to exert the Stoltz family influence, even though, well, I suppose it’s not important, really.”

"What isn't important?"

"Ah, forget it. I was thinking about, you know, lineage. I don't think monsters and humanoids are...well. You know what i mean."

Brent cleared his throat, surprising since he was the first to bring up the topic some time ago. “I heard he died from a fall. Ironic, kind of, that he falls to his death, and now has wings,” he said deadpan, no smirk or smile on his face. “That’s generally not something I ask of people. It can be a bit insensitive. Anyway, you were saying, Trevor? What makes the family so important, for the uninitiated?"

“The Stoltz family still has massive material influence. They produce steel, textiles, armor and equipment. There isn’t an armory in Valos and Juiken that doesn't get supplies from them. Hell, even Arivol imported some of their goods before the schism. And it was top-notch quality, too,” Trevor said proudly. “High-quality steel can resist the intensity of rune-crafting. The runic process can ruin lesser materials, owing to the temperatures required, or the corrosive materials involved. A few also have to use some tricky methods to protect the material, such as zinc or oxide layers.”

“That’s impressive. I have no idea what those mean,” Syra giggled. “So our not-so-shitbird’s family does something important, do they?”

“They do. Just like mine with the magical tech applications,” Trevor said, bouncing his hand up and down as if to signal them to keep the volume down. “Speaking of which, I forgot to mention–”

“Oh no, no work or crafting from you, either,” Juni scolded, tapping his hat brim with a coy smile on her snout. “If the lamia can’t work, you can’t work.”

“But the subject of crafting and using dissected monster carapace to make cutting-edge equipment and fashion accessories fascinates me! It’s a passion, not a craft!”

He glared at the mouse, laughing contentedly. “I see, now, who has to rein in the lamia. Must fall to you, then.”

“I’m the encyclopedia on alchemy. She’s got the power to make higher-tier formulas,” Juni answered. “We’d have fried the snake a half-dozen times by now, if not for my timely intervention.”

“I’d probably survive," Neska hissed. “So, how did you get into making hats, of all things?”

He fiddled with his hat before showing it to the assembled group. “Mom used to love making hats and other magically crafted items as a hobby. I guess this is my tribute to her. My father said only girls would wear a wizard or witch hat. But I just fell in love with the concept of taking raw material and making items that would empower others with either style or special abilities.”

“Sounds like win-win to me,” Neska said with a soft cackle. Trevor’s cheeks grew a little rosy, and he sat stiffly in his chair. “Though, the one hat I have is kind of special. It was my–”

My mother’s? Where did that idea come from? “My witch’s hat,” she corrected before she said something reflexive. “Tell me, can you see anything from the Interface when you wear it?”

She offered it to him, and he gasped in surprise. “I mean, I guess I could try.” He put it on his head, but it was a bit big for him, and it flopped down over his face, drawing laughs from the others. “Neska, I think your proportions are a bit bigger than mine. Please don’t take offense to that.”

“What can I say? I'm a big girl,” she said, drawing a few laughs from the others.

“So, anything?”

“What does it do? I saw something about an ‘incompatibility,’ but there is a Runic Barrier ability baked in, and a specialized divination ability, too. And some other stuff that seems obstructed. But why?”

“Curiosity.” She considered this further proof the hat hid far more secrets.

The conversation drifted for a bit. Brent reached out for his instrument, a stringed device with a semi-hourglass shape, with a strut extending from the elongated base, and several strings were tightened with screws driven into an embedded metal plate. "Guys, mind if I play a little something?" he asked.

"Nah, go ahead," Juni said, snuggling up next to Syra. "Goodness, do you have any bones in your body? You're so...squishy."

"Like a slime, I suppose, but with a more humanoid appearance," Syra giggled. "I do have a solid substance when I'm not activating my powers. It doesn't take any mana to shift to the fluid form. But sometimes...I worry what each evolution costs. What little piece of me I remember that stayed the same won't be me anymore?"

"Gurigea said it best: 'What matters most is as long as we have song and poetry, we'll never be monsters.' Well, I suppose for the few that can't really speak," Brent shrugged. He tapped his claws on his left hand; Neska heard a soft ringing sound, the strings of the guitar faintly vibrating as he ran his claws gently over the metal stands, driving a rich, wooden echo across the room.

"Did you know music...before?" Neska asked.

Brent's eyes were closed in concentration, playing a slow, rhythmic song that he played as if he'd done so many times. "Yeah. Once upon a time. My buddies in the unit I was part of, they went through some rough stuff. I was the music guy in the tent. It helped soothe the mood."

He ran his fingers higher, alternating the pitch to something a little faster, something more upbeat. "I grew up near Narshtal. It's a little hill town north and east of here. I'm probably about...oh, Hadley's age, maybe a little older? We had a lot of hardwood trees that made for good instruments. I had a little instrument like this since I was a kid."

The song slowed down, more somber. "When I didn't make it back, and they sent the little puppy version of me here...they were kind enough to send this little dur'ichkin along. Mine. They even kept it tuned." A soft smile crept along his muzzle. "I can't sing to save my life, but...sometimes, all you need is the instrument. We may be different, but I'll never forget who I was, and I'll never lose who I am."

"Here, here," Neska said, the music calming the room. It had been such a long day, and fatigue was creeping in for her as she stretched her arms and let out a hissing yawn. “Well, I don't know about you guys, but I am ready to crash.”

“Hopefully you don't mean to crash out, right?” Juni asked, looking concerned.

Neska chuckled contentedly. “Nah. Just the normal kind of sleep. I can probably get some rest if you guys want to be up for a little bit longer."

Brent tapped one of the foldable cots tucked under the bed with his paw. “Figured as much. But Syra makes a small bubbling sound when she sleeps. Just a courtesy of mine that I'd give you a heads up."

“I do not!” Syra fumed, even as Brent laughed. “Better watch out, Brent. There is no better way to wake someone out of bed than a bucket of cold water.”

Nothing of the sort happened. Eventually everyone prepared for bed, and Neska was fast asleep inside a minute.

Snugs did make for the best sleeping conditions.