Civilization

"30 beasts? Celine, I'm sorry, but I'll need you to sacrifice 30 of your tamed monsters to Selino." - Nina

Turning toward the crying Celine, I tell her the one and only solution to our current problem. Slamming the ground with her fists, she looks at me angrily, leaping up from her curled up position and grabbing onto my robe.

"ARE YOU JOKING ME RIGHT NOW, NINA?!" - Celine

"No, I'm not. I can see that a lot of them have died to this unfortunately attack but-" - Nina

"BUT WHAT? JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T CARE FOR MY BEASTS, DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN SHOVE THEM INTO SOME SPIDER'S MOUTH!"- Celine

"Oh~ Deary me. Someone has a feisty tongue." - Selino

"CELINE! LOOK AT THE SITUATION! WE MIGHT ALL BURN TO DEATH! WHAT IS 30 BEASTS FOR OUR LIVES AS WELL AS THE LIVES BACK AT THE KREPOST!" - Nina

"But… But… NO!" - Celine

"YOR! Get Celine away from here. I'm sorry, Celine, but we have no choice. I don't want the forest to burn down, and we lose our only source of lumber as well as one of our natural protections. I'm sorry, but you will just have to tame more monsters later to fill the void with losing them today." - Nina

"NO! YOU CAN'! YOU-" - Celine

Grabbing onto Celine, Yor covers her mouth and restrains her hands by holding her wrists together. Sylvia, clenches her fists as she looks to the side, unable to acknowledge the situation as it unfolds. Turning back to Selino, I let out a short sigh.

"30 beasts. I will get them to you from the Krepost once we are done here." - Nina

"Mmmm…. Good job, deary. Don't worry, I'll handle this little camp fire for us." - Selino

"Camp fire, huh?" - Nina

Moving away from me, Selino casually strolls near the burning village, while Yor tries his best to calm Celine down off to the side. Gritting my teeth, I could only watch powerlessly as Selino's eyes flash red and a grin creeps along her face. Dyed in orange light, she flips her head upward, thrusting her arms to the side as a slight tremor could be felt below our feet. Scanning the ground, I start to see small cracks appear around Selino as large spikes stab out of the ground.

Stepping back in alarm, I notice these spikes were still moving, tilting to the side as another spike pierces from under it. However, it wasn't a spike made out of earth, as a large oval body appears from the ground as well, revealing 8 amber spheres that glisten in the light. Stones and dirt drop to the side as it moves its gigantic body next to Selino, towering over her figure, as 3 more similar monsters emerge from the ground.

Brushes the side of its head, looking deep into its eyes, Selino whispers her commands as the monster trembles slightly, further tossing the excess dirt that had piled on top of its body. 3 of the monsters separate from Selino, moving into the forest, while pushing the trees to the side, breaking some and simply stepping on others. Turning toward me, Selino's grin widens as she sees my surprised face.

"Don't worry, deary, my Earthen Huntsman Spiders will make short work of this campfire. It will be gone before you know it." - Selino

Just as Selino finishes her sentence, the Earthen Huntsman Spider that was patiently waiting beside her, suddenly slams its front two legs into the ground, as two large golden brown magic circles appear around its legs. Its eyes flash the color of apricots as the magic circles start to shine the same color. Sensing a low vibration in the ground, I reach out to Sylvia, who grabs my arm, stabilizing the both of us as the vibrations start to become stronger.

Glancing upward, I notice a thin layer of dirt spinning around the spider, move along the ground ever so slowly, disappearing into the forest, before another layer comes from the other side. Slowly but surely, this thin layer of dirt collects more and more dirt, becomes a small wall that spans from one edge of the clearing to the other, separating the spider and us.

Lifting its back two legs, it slams it down into the ground creating another two golden brown magic circles, and much like before it flashes momentarily before the wall of dirt rises higher. Within seconds, it towers over us, and even the spiders as if it was a giant tsunami of dirt, rising toward the sky. At the top of the wall of dirt, I can see the orange light coming from the burning village, and just like Selino said before, it really did feel like a campfire.

Maybe not a campfire for humans, but maybe for giants or other monsters that are as tall as skyscrapers and mountains. Gulping down my saliva, I step back in awe as I scan from one side to the other. Below, I see Selino raise her right hand, before snapping her fingers and like a tsunami, the dirt wall rushes forward, collapsing on top of the village. As if thunderstruck in front of us, the sheer sound of all the dirt falling onto the ground disables my hearing.

Collapsing to the ground, I cover my ears desperately, but all was for naught, as I couldn't hear anything than the thunderous roar in front of me. After the sound came the shockwave, blasting into us and lifting us off our feet. Peeking through my eyelids, I see Yor and Celine tumbling off to the side, hitting into a tree and separating, while Sylvia grabs onto my robe, doing her best to not let go, as a wave of dirt washes over us.

Pebbles, sticks, dirt, sand, leaves, everything that could be in this environment hits into me, tearing at my skin and clothes, like tiny knives. Unfortunately, Sylvia's hand couldn't hold on as I see my body moving along with the dirt, as if I was swimming in the earth. Tossing my body around like a toy, I feel several impact along my back and legs before I eventually stopped.

Bruised and battered, I couldn't move a single muscle in my body, just a numbing and aching sensation. Laying there, I feel like I had made a terrible mistake relying on Selino but at the same time, part of me knew in order to stop the situation from getting out of hand as quickly as possible, I had no choice but to rely on her.

Even if Celine might hate her along the way, even if Ian or Kingston condemns me for my choice, even if Yor's look of disgrace haunts me and even if Sylvia has no choice but to accept my actions. I will do what I believe is the most logical and optimal path for us. With just a bit of sacrifice, there will be so much more advantages in the future. Whether it is the continued use of the forest, or a glimpse at Selino's power, we… No, I can use that all in the future.

"Well, well, well. I didn't think you or the others would survive that. Especially that girl that was sobbing like a child. I'm quite surprised, deary. Oh! Do you need a hand? Hmm…? You can't hear me? Well, that isn't much of a surprise. You didn't even create a barrier. Oh! Wait, you can't. My, oh, my, what ever will we do with you deary. Here, let me help you out, just this one time, okay? Dark Restore." - Selino

Enveloping my body, a dark aura seeps into my skin as I feel my heart pumping my blood stronger, bones creaking together and ligaments attaching to bones. Coughing out a dark red liquid, I check my status, only to see my HP rising from single digits to max, as my body recovers from some sort of healing spell cast by Selino. Lifting my body up slowly with my arms, I see her looking down on my, with her head resting on top of her hand as she smiles in my direction.

Her white skin, untouched even with all the dirt and dust floating around in the air, causing me to cough up my saliva every time I breathe. Reaching out to grab my chin, Selino's grin widens as she draws her lips close to my ear. Whispering ever so softly, she reminds of me the price I need to pay.

"Remember, deary, 30 beasts. Honestly, I could have asked for more, but I have good news coming, so I decided to be more… Generous. I also could have left the fire to burn out of control but thinking about all my little babies having to find another home, oh… It broke my tiny heart.

So, I will be expecting you to deliver what I asked for shortly. I understand deary, you aren't in the best condition right now, so I will happily wait. But… I will always be watching you and

not just you." - Selino

Letting my chin drop, Selino laughs haughtily as she disappears into the forest, her eyes flashing scarlet right before she fades away. Quickly, I try to follow her, as I climb out of the sea of dirt, only to finally see the damage from Selino's 'help'. As if a landslide had occurred in this location, piles upon piles of dirt, dust, rocks, branches, leaves cover the once flat land, reaching almost halfway up some larger trees.

Other trees, were broken and pushed to the ground, with some uprooted in the chaotic dirt tsunami. The village had disappeared, buried under the dirt, not a single orange light could be seen. Just the light from the moon and stars, illuminating this wasteland. Letting my hands drop to my sides, I stare blankly at the scene.

"Where do I even begin to start looking for Sylvia and the others…?" - Nina