---Perrerian---
Monique's mood was improving. They had stayed at the college of magic for the past couple of days, which meant mostly one thing for her: boredom. What happened for her mood to suddenly improve after spending her days suffering in this temple of knowledge?
They were finally going back. She didn't even care anymore about the stupid demon business if that meant they could get home earlier. First back to Gula, the capital, but ultimately, Monique was returning to Urth, together with Jane and Jonah. Jane had already negotiated all the trade deals they wanted from the empire, so she was no longer needed here personally.
Leaving the rest of the team as diplomatic representatives, the three of them would be replaced by a new group of members, including a permanent ambassador and Joannia Taggart. The latter would be coming here as part of their deal to exchange their magitech knowledge.
As the one most outspoken about her opinion to return, she was in a very good mood as she packed her stuff. She was about to hum even when there was a knock on the door. Confused about who would be looking for her this late, she opened the door without worry. It wasn't like there was anyone here who posed a proper danger to her.
"H-hello, Lady Monique," she was greeted by an unexpected guest. It was the young man who had played the guide over the past few days. Apparently, he was a very talented magic engineer in the college, but he was also a little klutzy and awkward. What was his name again?
"...Joshua, right? What do you want?" the Chosen of Athena asked him bluntly, once she remembered his name.
"Ermm, actually... it's that... I love you!" he blurted out. "Since the day you stepped into the workshop, I fell in love at first glance and-" he stammered on, but was interrupted by Monique.
"Pfft, you don't even know me, how could you love me?" she asked derisively.
"Your golden locks enraptured me! I could drown in your deep blue eyes! How is this not love!" the young man argued back.
"You know how I look, good job using your eyes. You have no idea of who I am. It's the hormones talking out of you, because you don't get to see many girls around here," Monique countered with a snort.
They can spend some time traveling the towers, and she only said the truth when she said that female researchers and students were quite rare in this place. At least she had not seen many.
"That's why I would like to learn more about you! I'm sure that if we spent some time together and get to know each other, you also-" he said, desperately gesturing with his hands. Monique clicked her tongue.
"I will be blunt, I have no interest in investing that time in you. I don't share your feelings," she said dryly and simply closed the door with a sigh. Although Monique didn't have much experience with romantic relationships, she knew what she wanted, even if she spent most of her time practicing martial arts while others went on dates.
Joshua was far from what ignited a fire in her. Considering the situation at home, she was unsure whether she wanted a relationship, even if she came across someone of her type... She definitely wasn't interested in some child from another world who was barely of legal age.
Only slightly disturbed by the sudden love declaration, she finished packing her things and got ready for bed. In her dreams, there was another unexpected visitor. Even more unexpected than a surprise admirer.
"Monique," she said, sitting on a throne of marble, looking down at the tiny Monique who had suddenly appeared in a gigantic pantheon. Coal braziers were shining their ominous, flickering light, illuminating the giant seated lady from below.
"Athena?"
....
--- Sea of Treas---
"Oh, wow! " Jess exclaimed.
Reinforcements had arrived. Joining Alison's team, there was now a team made up of Mina, Fin, Lydia, Archer, Azul, Duhu, and Ferdinand, as well as Idyllon Mo, 100 Oathguards, and a contingent of golems, led by 3 named golem knights.
Apart from the players, Ceres and Puffles had joined the reinforcement at Thres and brought them here. Despite their combined power, they didn't directly set off to face the corruption of the forest. As the flying units, the parrot of doom and nightmare centipede went off to scout the expanse of the corruption.
Once they had better information, they would know the amount of materials needed to set up the seals to stop the corruption from spreading further. Idyllon Mo was here as a convenient teleportation device. He would be able to travel back and forth between their current location and Minas Mar to get said materials. Until then, they were idle until further notice. Fin used the chance to unleash her baby onto the forest.
"You didn't lie..." Jess exclaimed in awe when the Behemothling started grazing the forest away. Despite having only hatched a week ago and being technically malnourished, this was a beast the size of a three-story building, casually snacking on trees.
"Of course I didn't. My Okja is the best," the fairy said proudly, as the Behemothling was already feasting a wide swath into the green carpet of trees at the foot of the cliff. At this rate, they may have had a road by the time they actually got the chance to set off from their campsite.
" Look at him go, my poor baby was probably starving before!" Fin exclaimed at the sight of the voracious beast swallowing the massive trees in a couple of bites each. Minas only smiled awkwardly.
She remembered the Behemothling gnawing at the branches of the guardian tree quite well. Calling the amount it ate back then, starving seemed overboard. If anything, it was overeating now. However, she couldn't deny that Okja had doubled in size since they arrived a day ago.
Considering its rapid growth, once it could eat as much as it wanted, maybe the Behemothling did starve?
"But is it really okay for it to waltz through the forest like that?" Azul asked.
"Don't worry, my Okja is actually really strong already. Although it's only lv.60, it can already play tank in the Abyss," the Fairy bragged about her Pet.
"I wasn't worried for your Hippo. Wasn't part of the mission to find herbs and stuff? Won't it be a problem if the vacuum swallows anything green it can suck in its mouth?" the chimera corrected the misunderstanding.
"No need to worry, we already cleaned up the vicinity for anything worth harvesting," Alison answered her as she joined the group, watching Okja graze.
"Azul is a meanie," Fin felled her judgment, pouting. "My Okja would never do something wrong! He is such a gentle and kind soul. Sometimes I even..." as the fairy prattled on about how her baby was too tame and sweet for the world, the rest watched the scene below in stupor.
Okja had come across an ambush of lv.80 treants. It was not a fight, not even a flight. The gentle giant committed a one-sided massacre, as it viciously stomped down all 15 treants, breaking their branches and roots so they couldn't escape as the Behemothling ate them alive.
"I didn't even know treants could scream in pain..." Jess mumbled.
"..Or fear," James added.