"You can create a mount out of it! Finally, an undead mount!" Helena suggested.

Her enthusiasm was interrupted by a crunching sound. Nyx kept eating the leg.

"I am not sure about a three legged mount…" I replied.

"Nyx seems to enjoy it…" Hatsumi pointed out.

"She enjoys eating most dead things." I replied.

"I think devouring more things will be good for her!" Hatsumi said.

"What does that bear taste like? I suppose we could eat it too." Cassie suggested.

"I… I might have put a lot of necrotic mana in it. I am afraid this corpse is no longer safe for consumption." Hatsumi apologized.

"So, we killed it simply to feed Nyx?" Skadi wondered.

Hatsumi looked apologetic. Nyx kept eating.

"Well, if Nyx can grow stronger like that..." There was still a lot of uncertainty about Nyx and her powers. She had certainly grown, she could do magic now. Would devouring help her evolve?

"Hm. Maybe we can collect some parts for alchemy. I am not sure what it might be used for but I am sure there is something I could do with it." Cassie suggested.

"I will gladly help you collect things!" Hatsumi said.

"Me too." Skadi added.

The three of them started butchering the bear while Nyx kept eating parts of it. Ivy and Yoru joined her.

"I wonder if Nyx told them to eat it or if it's an instinct." I mused.

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"Tier two undead have some instincts left, right? They were street cats. Eating anything they can find might be an instinct." Helena offered.

I shrugged. "Probably. But I do find it curious that the cats are… more active than Frank or Chariot. Maybe it's just Nyx commanding them."

"Anyway, that water freeze combination worked pretty well. We need to try a proper joint casting during combat some time." Helena suggested.

I nodded. "As long as our tanks have the situation under control. If we focus on a joint casting we won't be able to dodge, or react very quickly. Especially if we are holding hands…"

"I could just grab your tail. Surely that would work for a connection, right?" Helena said with a grin.

I blushed and my tail started swishing nervously "Um… um… sure!"

Thankfully Helena could not see my face in the dark cave. I had thought about our relationship quite a bit in the last few days. I was still not entirely certain what I was feeling. But somehow I enjoyed the thought of my tail in her hands.

My thoughts were interrupted by a squelch. Skadi had just cut the heart out of the bear. Then she held it towards Cassie. "I have a heart for you!"

"Awww, that is so sweet! I am sure I can make something with it." Cassie looked at the organ. "Do we have something to store this?"

"I will go fetch something!" I offered, then I returned to the cave entrance.

Bernd was the first to see me emerge.

"Everything alright? Where are the others?" He asked.

"Butchering the bear we killed. I am just here to grab some containers. Most of the bear will be cat food but we are going to harvest a few things." I replied.

"Cat food? What a waste. Rock bear can be good if you cook it long enough." Bernd replied.

"We used too much necrotic mana. The flesh is tainted. But we are collecting a few things for alchemy." I replied as I grabbed a bag from the mule. It even had some jars and other containers in it. I guess Cassie came prepared.

"I can help you with the hide. If you haven't destroyed it too much." Bernd offered.

"Sure." I accepted.

We returned inside and looked at the remaining bear.

"You sure did a number on it…" Bernd noted.

Between the organ harvest and the cats eating everything the remaining corpse was a mess.

"I am not sure how much is salvageable…" Bernd said, still staring at the spectacle.

I shrugged. "Just take what you can. If nothing is useful that is fine too."

I handed the containers to Cassie, who started packing up her prizes. Besides the heart she also collected teeth and some claws. I think I saw a different organ as well. Maybe even some blood?

Bernd got some part of the skin but it was not very big. I had no idea what you could do with it. Overall, our first encounter was a success. Sadly the cave held no further treasure. We made sure that we did not miss anything, then we returned outside. In the daylight I realised how bloody Cassie and Skadi were.

Skadi looked at her clothes, then she started to concentrate. Slowly the blood started to flow from her body towards her hand. It formed a gauntlet.

"Neat." She said, looking at it. Afterwards she cleaned Cassie as well and formed a second gauntlet.

"How long do they stay active?" I wondered.

"Hm. Not sure how long I can keep them working. I will drop them if I get too tired. But I will see if I can make use of the blood in the next fight. Maybe I will coat my axe." She mused.

"There is plenty of daylight left, let's look for more prey!" Helena suggested.

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