Zyocuh sat by the edge of a blood-red pond. He was wearing a loose-fitting robe that revealed pale skin, so pale that blue veins showed through. Within the bloody pond, an image of a dining room was displayed just below the surface. A stranger was sitting on a woman, who had eyes as green as his. It was his niece, the vessel he had painstakingly cultivated for ten years, yet she had lost? Zyocuh’s expression darkened as his lips twisted into a sneer. “Gather round, my subjects.”

Hundreds of people made from bloody liquid emerged from the cracks in the walls of the cavern. Droplets of blood fell from the ceiling, forming creatures made of various animals. Zyocuh spun around. Wherever his gaze landed, the people and animals would shy away while averting their eyes towards the ground.

“Where is the queen?” Zyocuh asked and furrowed his brow. The chimera queen had only been given freedom for ten years, yet it dared to rebel? His body trembled, and the surrounding bloody creatures lowered their bodies to the ground. Zyocuh moved forward and stomped on the head of a chimera, bursting it like a bubble. Droplets of blood splattered against his face, and he glowered at his subjects. “I said, where is the queen?”

One chimera whimpered as it stepped forward and gestured with its front paws that resembled a bear’s. Zyocuh glared it at before his gaze softened. “It was killed?” he asked and gestured towards the pool. “By that man sitting on my neice?”

The chimera bobbed its head up and down and brought its paws to its lips, pantomiming a drinking motion. Its chest expanded as it swallowed, and it pointed at the pond before perfoming the gesture again.

“He absorbed the queen?” Zyocuh asked and raised an eyebrow. A wide smile split his face, showing his pearl-white teeth that had too little gum per tooth. “That’s perfect.”

The bloody creatures in the cavern exchanged glances with each other. Zyocuh ignored their puzzled gazes and chuckled as he swept his hand out over the pond. The bloody liquid within flew up and entered his hand, funneling in like a snake. Once the pond was dry, leaving a jagged crater in the center of the cavern, Zyocuh whirled around and spread his arms. “Come,” he said, his eyes glistening. The bloody people and creatures wailed as they shrank down into beads that flew towards Zyocuh’s body, sinking into his skin. “Let us conquer our new vessel!”

***

“Oh, this one’s turning out pretty well,” Sera said. She was holding a half-formed staff in her palm, squinting at it while turning it this way and that. “The mana veins are flowing perfectly.” She held the wooden piece out towards Vernon. “See?”

Vernon reached out to grab the staff, but Sera slapped his claw down. She glared at him. “You see with your eyes. You’ll ruin it if you touch it.”

Vernon cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, it looks very nice.” He rubbed his snout with his paw before scratching his cheek. “But don’t you think it looks … a little big?”

“Nonsense,” Sera said and snorted. “The perfect staff-to-height ratio is three to one. Everyone knows that.”

“Is…, is that so?” Vernon raised his brow. He rubbed his snout again before nodding. “Of course it is. How could I forget?”

“Is it really, Uncle Vernon?” Bonnie whispered from his side. The annoying trio was gathered around a few logs of wood, both burnt and unburnt.

Vernon’s head tremored as he shook his head with small motions to prevent Sera from noticing. With the tip of his tail, he scribbled on the ground by Bonnie’s face. “The staff should be one-and-a-half-humans long.”

The annoying trio exchange glances with each other. “How tall is Vur?” Eldest asked.

Sera grunted and lifted her tail a few feet off the ground. “About this tall.”

Eldest nodded. “I think I’ll make a staff out of this piece right here,” he said and grabbed a burnt log. “It’s perfect for fire spells.”

“Vur doesn’t know any fire spells,” Sera said. “He’s a blue mage.”

“Uh….” Vernon raised an eyebrow. “That’s not true? He knows quite a few fire-type spells.”

Sera’s claws stopped moving mid-carve. Her head rose as she arched her neck towards Vernon. “What?” she asked, her eyes narrowing into a glare. “Who set my precious child on fire?”

Vernon shrank back. “…Don’t you remember?”

***

Lindyss sneezed. Her hand stretched towards her head and sank into her hair. A moment later, a struggling fairy was pulled out. The cursed elf brought the fairy close to her face and blew her nose on the fairy’s dress.

“Eek! That is so gross!” Erin wailed and scooped globs of sticky goo away with her hands. She struggled free and flailed her arms up and down, flinging snot onto the walls and floor of the room. “Why did you do that?”

“It was all the fairy dust you keep leaving behind that made my nose itch” Lindyss said and turned a page of her book. “It’s only fair that you take responsibility for it.”

“It’s not like a leave fairy dust lying around on purpose!” Erin hmphed and flew to a nearby box filled with paper to wipe her hands. “It just falls off like your hair.”

Lindyss let out a low hum that signaled her acknowledgement but not agreement.

Erin sighed and placed her hands on her hips before shaking her head. “I don’t know why I’m friends with you.”

“Don’t ask me,” Lindyss said without taking her eyes off her book. “I have no clue either.”

Crack.

A massive black claw broke through the wall in front of Lindyss, showering her and her book with a layer of red and white dust. She coughed a few times and wiped at her eyes as a voice boomed out, “Hey, there’s something interesting moving around. Let’s go see it.”

Before Lindyss could even clear out the dust that had fallen into her mouth, she was lifted out of her seat by the claw, Erin flying after her. The fairy queen landed on Lindyss’ shoulder. “I don’t know why you’re friends with him.”

“Neither do I,” Lindyss said and shook her head, dust falling from her hair likes snow. She sighed and patted the black scales underneath her. “What is it this time? Another shiny rock?”

“No, it’s some sort of egg,” Grimmy said. “But it is shiny.”

“How does an egg move around?” Erin asked.

Grimmy snorted. “By rolling. Duh. How else?”

Erin shut her mouth and pursed her lips.

“Speaking of eggs,” Lindyss said, “weren’t you going to be a father soon? Is it really alright for you to not keep an eye on your and Leila’s egg?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah.” Grimmy nodded. “Don’t worry. I already placed dozens of protective features around it before picking you up to come here. If anyone even steps foot into the wilderness, they’ll deeply regret it.”

“…What about the elves already living inside the woods?”

“They’ve been relocated.”

Lindyss’ brow furrowed. “To the afterlife?”

“…What kind of person do you think I am?” Grimmy asked, staring down at the tiny elf in his palm.

“That question doesn’t justify an answer,” Lindyss said and snorted. The wind ruffled her hair, blowing it into her face.

Grimmy chuckled and placed the cursed elf onto his head. “Don’t worry. I’m sure the elves love their new home, and even if they don’t, it’s only temporary.”

“So…, where did you send them?” Erin asked.

“The desert.” Grimmy nodded. “I settled their village around a cactus. They loved it.” His eyes lit up, and he pointed at the ground before Lindyss or Erin could comment. “There it is. The rolling egg.”

Lindyss’ expression darkened. “That’s a baby turtle.”

“You sure?” Erin asked. “I’m pretty sure that’s a snake.”

Grimmy licked his lips. “Well, the easiest way to find out is to eat it.”

“…And why is that?” Erin asked.

“I’ve eaten eggs, turtles, and snakes,” Grimmy said. “Whichever one it tastes the most like will clear up what it is.”

“Huh. Weird.” Erin scratched her head. “That shouldn’t make as much sense as it does.”