James reached the farm as he felt the girls start to fight. Priest had stopped with Amber for a few minutes before moving on, and it was likely to chastise her. It didn't necessarily make him happy, knowing that Priest was doing it, but he couldn't change it now.

Instead, he focused his attention on the fields. The monsters that were inhabiting it a moment ago had fled as quickly as they could, leaving behind torn up fields and empty buildings. Every trace that something had been growing in the field before him was gone, as if the monsters had dug the plants out.

I want to know what they grew.

Grumbling, he started walking toward the barn. There was still a chance that something could be found inside, depending on how long ago the city was abandoned. Unlike the surface world, there were no apparent rot or discoloring of the caverns to differentiate the wastelands. In fact, it would be very easy to reclaim the city if he simply entered.

Turning his focusing back on the barn, he ran his hand along the broken door. What had once been a great sliding door was hardly more than splinters, clinging together with one last metal binding. Stepping inside, he was greeted with the stone interior and crumbling remains of the door. Something had clearly broken in and made a nest.

Piles of bones were spaced around the barn, creating what looked like sleeping spots for the creatures. The bones were all different sizes and shapes. Some were thick, showing dwarves. Some were tails of poor beast demi-humans. Others were thin, yet sturdy of the elves. Then there were the massive bones of the oni, and a myriad of other shapes from the different races.

How many died here? How many didn't make it out when the monsters overran to the city?

Shaking his head, he started moving to the ladder leading to a loft. The stone looked frail and he could easily jump up, but didn't find the need to do so.

The ladder held as he climbed to the top, bringing him to a stone platform with metal crates and chests. Claw marks marred each and every one, with nearly all of them broken open. Only two remained closed.

Moving to the first one, he ripped it open and found only dust and mold inside. Tutting, he moved to the second and found the same. His hopes of learning more were dashed as he pushed the crates and chests away from himself.

Should I really be learning about their culture? And why does Coral have so much fur? The demi-humans on the surface don't have any but their tails.

Climbing back down, he rested his hands on his hips. The search through the barn was a bust and the house was all but collapsed. The stone still glowed, but there was no point in searching through the debris.

Leaving the barn, he started walking toward the city when he felt a contingent of souls entering the cavern. Each and every one had barriers around their souls, protecting them as best they could. With a quick count, he found fifty Pact members walking toward the city.

Focusing his soul on the others, he tugged slightly, pulling them away from the city. Amber was the first to respond, jogging toward him as he walked toward the souls. Zenaria and Coral were a moment longer, hesitation and fear inside their newest member.

At least The Pact members came to me. This will be easy.

***

Coral felt her heart pound as she felt something tugging at her soul. It was urgent, yet warm, making Zenaria smile.

"What's happening?" Coral asked.

Zenaria took her arm and led her out of the building. "James is asking for us to join him. He tugs on us instead of hunting us down one by one."

Relaxing slightly, knowing that it was only James, she let Zenaria lead her out of the city. In the distance, she could make out a contingent of Pact members coming to a stop while James stood strong in their path.

Gulping, she picked up her pace as much as she could. Zenaria was frowning, but it was Amber that reached James first. Even from a distance, Coral could feel the rage and growls the nekorian was emitting.

As they got closer, she could hear James talking.

"You're interrupting my hunt," James stated.

"Who are you?" A man demanded, clearly the leader of the expedition.

Coral peered at the man and recognized him from the town over. His name was Marco, and he was an elf with a bad temper.

James glanced over his shoulder at her and Zenaria and waved for them to join him. That was when Zenaria picked her up and ran the last few hundred feet. Coral felt her eyes widen as she took in the fifty men and women that had come to fight the nest as best they could.

James had his arms crossed. "You aren't leaving here."

"You dare threaten us?" Marco snarled. Turning his attention to Coral, he frowned. "You are with this man?"

Coral nodded. "I am." Standing strong, she tapped her spear's butt on the ground. "He's my master."

"Master?" Marco's frown grew. "What the hell are you talking about."

James's good eye turned violet as he looked at her. A twitch in his brow was showing his agitation over the situation, and it was clear he was pissed as his soul exploded, flooding the entire cavern with a pressure that dropped everyone to their knees.

Coral struggled to look up as she watched Marco gasp for each breath.

"I do my best to hide my power," James stated. "But running into your kind has a way of bringing it out of me." Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he sighed. "You made it easy for me though. Coming here, I don't have to hunt you down."

"Valiant!" Marco spit.

"Got it in one," James said with a laugh. "Now that we know the pieces, it's time to play the game. How fast can you all run?"

Coral snapped her attention to him. "James?"

Shaking his head, he turned his violet eyes on her. "There's no need to worry, Coral. These people aren't your concern anymore. You are mine, and they will not hunt you."

Eyes widening, she staggered as the pressure from his soul disappeared. Amber climbed back to her feet and cracked her knuckles. "Let me at them!"

James held up his hand. "Not this time. I want Coral to see what happens when I'm truly angry."

Zenaria helped her to her feet and slightly covered her body with her own. "This is what awaits his enemies. Remember this when you think about your new life."

Marco climbed to his feet, snarling. "Kill him."

James kept his hand raised. Snapping his fingers, everyone watched as Marco started to glow violet before suddenly exploding. Her master only chuckled as the people behind him started to glow violet as well.

"Run!" someone screamed.

The first row exploded as the others scattered. Weapons and shields were dropped as a chain reaction of people turning violet spread through the cavern. All the while, James stood still, watching everyone run.

Coral covered her mouth as more explosions filled the area. Within seconds, only one man was left alive, and he slowly sank to his knees. James walked over, brushing a strip of flesh from his shoulder.

"How does it feel, knowing that your choice in profession was your doom?" James asked. "That you sacrificed your life to kill my kind?"

"It was only a job…"

Coral gulped as James raised his hand above the man. "And they were my people. My family. I lost everything because of your kind, and because of your greed, you doomed the world. It's time to make amends."

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"I-I don't want to die," the man pleaded.

"My people begged as well. Now they'll rest easier knowing that you begged, just like they did." Snapping his fingers, he exploded the man, and used his soul to push away the gore.

With a mask of disdain, James turned back to her. "This is what awaits my enemies, Coral. My people are gone because of The Pact. I've found hundreds of children locked in facilities only for the humans to experiment on them and then leave them for dead. I've saved the ones I could by taking them into my soul. The Pact was the one that captured those children and offered them up to the humans. We were nothing more than pests to you."

Coral sank to her knees. "I…"

"Didn't know?" he questioned. "History is written by the victors, Coral. How much of the past do we truly know what happened? A few men's greed will be the doom of thousands of lives. Just like my decisions got my family killed. I am the consequences of The Pacts greed. If you can't stand by my side, tell me now, and I'll make sure you don't suffer."

Zenaria kneeled by her side. "You can do this, Coral. He sees something in you. He kept you alive and doesn't want to let you go."

Swallowing the bile rising in her throat, Coral forced herself to her feet. "I'm going to go kill some monsters."

"I'll set up camp," James announced. "You know how to reach me if you need me."

Zenaria quickly started pulling her away. "Let's get you back to the city. We can talk about what you just saw if you need to."

Coral swallowed one last time before finding her footing. Kicking into a run, she shook of Zenaria and carried her spear and shield with purpose. She was starting to the learn the truth of the world.

***

James let out a slow breath, releasing his tension and anger. Before he could walk away, soft hands were rubbing his shoulders.

"Come to me," Amber whispered.

Turning, he rested his hands on her hips. "I need to set up camp."

Resting her hands on his cheeks, she shook her head. "Not just yet. I need to make sure you are okay. You've never killed people like that before. Are the voices back?"

Forcing a smile, he shook his head. "They aren't, but the anger is still there. A deep seated hatred to their kind."

Nodding, she pulled him into a kiss. "Let's go for a walk. I'll help you pick out a spot for our camp."

Before he could argue, she started pulling him away. She was supposed to be hunting, but he found he couldn't be mad at her.

"Why didn't you just pull their souls out?" Amber asked.

Wincing, James glanced back at the corpses. "I don't know. I was just so angry, I wanted them to fear me in their last moments."

"I understand." Slowing her pace, she rested her hand on his lower back and bumped her hip against his. "You scared Coral pretty bad."

"I'll talk to her." He didn't know if he could fix her fear, but he would at least mend the fences if he could.

Once they were nearly back at the city, Amber stopped them. "This should be a good spot. We don't need a large building. Just one for the baths, and two bedrooms. Zenaria and I'll sleep with you tonight."

"Are we only going to sleep?" he teased.

Smirking, she brushed her tail against him. "Are you thinking of taking both of us at once. Want me to show you that I can treat a lady well?"

"I do now," he chuckled.

"Get to work, mister. Leave your impure thoughts for tonight when I can make them reality."

Holding out his hands, he started summoning stone from the ground. After creating the dome and fort, it was simple to raise a small home for them. Starting with the main room, he made it large enough for the baths and a few stone chairs and couches. It wasn't much, but still plenty for their one night.

Moving onto the bedrooms, he made his extra large so they had plenty of space and put a big enough bed in it that they could cuddle, or lay apart from each other as needed.

Coral's bedroom was smaller, but still plenty comfortable. It wasn't until he put on the doors that he started enchanting. First he trailed his fingers across the outer walls, enhancing their durability so nothing could break in. Energy seeped from his body and melded with the building as the brownish stone turned gray with violet veins.

Amber whistled by his side. "That's amazing."

"Do you think Jamie will be jealous?"

With a small laugh, she laughed. "Oh yes!"

"Good." Moving into the building, he started with Coral's bed. Enchanting the stone bed to be softer and more cloud-like took more energy, but the moment he finished, Amber jumped on.

"Wow! I didn't know you could do this!"

Now it was his turn to laugh. After ensuring Coral's room had plenty of light, he moved to his bedroom. Softening his bed, he tossed the furs and blankets on before dragging Amber away. The woman was trying to pull him into bed with her.

Changing the chairs and couches were simple, and soon all of the furniture were soft and ready for them to relax. The baths were set up, giving all five of them their own tubs. That's when he realized he didn't make a bedroom for Priest.

Amber laughed at him, doubling over while holding her stomach. Rolling his eyes, he created a small bedroom for him and repeated his enchantments. Lastly, he created a storage ring for Priest and Coral. They wouldn't have much use for them yet, but it was better to have them and not need them, then need them and not have them.

"That took next to no time," Amber huffed.

"Go kill something," he ordered. Spreading out his soul, he found Priest near the center of the city, studying the nest. Leaving the man alone, he knew they would talk later about the killings.

"Can't we just take a short break," Amber asked while fluttering her lashes.

"No." Pushing on her back, he kicked her out of the house. "Get stronger first."

Grumbling, she marched away, stomping her feet. Chuckling, he turned back to their temporary house and moved to the living room. Pulling out the washbasin for clothes, he filled it with water before using an aspect of his magic he wasn't used to. Calling fire to his hands, he winced as the violet flame fought against him. After several minutes of battling, he pushed the heat toward the water and took the time to heat it properly. He had a lot of elements to get used to, and he knew they would come in handy at some point.

***

Zenaria wrapped the hounds in wires as Coral viciously stabbed them over and over. From on to the next, she Siphoned and tore out their throats. When her soul finally tipped over into level one, she gasped and sank to her knees.

"Took a bit," Zenaria commented.

Holding up her hand, Coral squeezed it into a first. "I feel stronger. My soul feels fuller."

Chuckling, Zenaria pulled the woman back to her feet. "Better get used to it. What did you gain for a skill?"

"Umm…" Coral's eyes grew vacant for a moment. "Crescent Moon."

"Okay?" Rolling her hand, she gestured for more information.

"It's like the attacks I released from my spear before my change," Coral explained. "I can send out crescent strikes at my targets to cut off limbs or simply cut them open."

"It'll also absorb Soul Energy," Zenaria assured her. "Let's keep moving, I want to get you to level two before stopping for the night. I'm sure James is waiting for us already."

"Why would he be waiting?" Coral questioned.

"Because he's a worry wort." Chuckling, Zenaria reached out with her soul and prodded her mate, finding him worrying over her safety like normal.

"I don't know how to feel about that." Coral stood and walked to the next building. "How is it possible to kill so easily, and yet show so much compassion?"

Shrugging, Zenaria started pulling all of the monsters in the area. "You'll just have to learn on your own. Also, you're about to be overrun."

"What? Why?"

Smirking, Zenaria watched over a dozen hounds rush out of buildings and into the streets. Even more were coming from the other blocks, crashing into one another as Coral started to shiver. "Better start fighting."

Roaring, Coral charged blindly into the fray. Zenaria felt her eyes widen as she quickly started wrapping the monsters in webs, slowing them down. She has a death wish! Who the hell charges that many monsters at level one?

Moving as quickly as she could, Zenaria held back most of the monsters so that Coral had some semblance of control. The woman struck like a viper with her spear, cutting throats and piercing hearts. With each sweep of her spear, she scent crescents of white energy into the hounds, cutting them as if they were paper.

She can fight, that's for sure. Rubbing her chin, Zenaria watched closely. I feel like she has fought against these kinds of numbers before. But, has she ever been up against a person before? Has she ever fought a Valiant?

The answer wouldn't be easy to come by, and it didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was ensuring Coral reached level two so they could go back and relax. James would likely want them to push for more, but Zenaria was tired. She had been fighting nonstop for what felt like weeks, if not months. A bath would be nice.

Pulling even more monsters over as Coral cleared the first batch, they repeated the act four times. With each wave defeated, the woman grew that much more, and within an hour, she reached level two. It was good progress and Zenaria quickly stopped the monsters from hunting them.

"Let's go!" Zenaria cheered. "It's bath time!"

"Bath time?" Coral asked while wiping blood from her face.

"You'll see. Don't be shy about undressing in front of James. We do mixed bathing in our group. You'll see him naked too."

Frowning, Coral covered her chest with her arm. "Umm…"

Waving her off, Zenaria put the woman's weapons into her ring before picking Coral up and jogging back to the base. Coral was simply too slow, and within a few seconds, they were pushing open the front door.

"Honey, I'm home!" Zenaria called out.

A light chuckle came from further into the main room. Peering around a couch, Zenaria found her mate washing clothes and setting them into a pile to be hung.

"Hurry and hand me your clothes," he ordered. "I want to finish while the water is warm."

Nudging, Coral, Zenaria started undressing. Clearing her throat, she urged the woman to join her. Slowly, Coral pulled off her shirt and undid her chest wrap. She was even slower to remove her pants and underwear, leaving her naked.

With a smile, Zenaria carried the clothes over to James before brushing her tails against his back. "I'll get Coral set up with a bath. Don't take too long, James, my tails await you."

"You are so spoiled," he mumbled.

Beaming, she waved Coral over and showed her how to operate the tub.

"We have hot water?" Coral asked.

"Thanks to James we do. Jamie helped him with the project and it turned out nicely." Slipping into her own bath, Zenaria groaned. "So amazing…"

The front door opened a moment later and Amber walked in already stripping off her clothes. Handing them to James, she took the tub on Coral's other side.

It wasn't long into their soaking that James joined them, fully clothed still.

"Done for now?" Amber asked.

"For now. Who am I doing first?" Pulling out soap, he dipped his hands into the water before lathering up.

"Me!" Zenaria chirped.

Rolling his eyes, he moved to Amber and started with her. "Give me your tail and I'll get your hair and back. I'll move down the line after that."

"Huh?" Coral questioned.

Giggling, Zenaria closed her eyes. Coral was about to learn one of the best perks about having James as their master. He cared for them, body and soul.

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