Thankfully, tensions slowly died down after a couple of hours had passed.

However, it was apparent that the two women did not get along at all.

Salome seemed to be more at ease about the situation, constantly poking fun at the new girl and teasing Ximena for whatever incident they had gone through in the past; however, it was apparent that her current behavior was more of a front.

If Ximena started walking in the general vicinity of literally anyone, a Worker, Toy, or Vale, Salome would size her up and back her down with a lethal death stare.

As for Ximena, she was still very standoffish, but it seemed she was trying her best to adapt to the situation for Vale's sake.

Her deep attachment to him did strike Vale as kind of odd. But, in a way, maybe he understood it. It appeared he was the only person, being, in the world capable of freely interacting with her.

He was probably a salvation she'd long been seeking from the world. A world that had kicked her down and betrayed her a multitude of times.

As for her status…

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Name: [Ximena]

Title: [Icebound Soul]

Aspect: [Permafrost]

Class: [Anathema]

Core Rank: [Nascent] - (0/500)

Loyalty: [69/100]

Traits: [Absolute Zero] [Fabric Weaver] [Frostbite] [Crystal Prison]

♥︎♥︎♥︎

It seemed her Loyalty wasn't entirely perfect yet, but that was to be expected. She'd met him just earlier today.

The actual odd ones were Salome and Toy, whose Loyalty immediately ballooned to 100 and sat there ever since.

As for Ximena's Aspect and Traits…

Fabric Weaver was straightforward. It allowed her to control and manipulate the fabric she had claimed as hers.

Frostbite was also fairly simple, in theory at least. But its utility in practice might be more versatile than Vale thought. He only got the periphrastic description after all.

Frostbite allowed Ximena to harden a part of her body by freezing it, or she could radiate a cold wave. The lethality of this ability came from the fact that if she enhanced herself and made contact with another, she'd inflict them with frostbite. If she decided to use it as an outward force, then it would slow those around her.

Though it was tame when compared to Absolute Zero.

Absolute Zero was a terrifying ability, and seemed to be the reason for her dreadful aura. It made the area around her colder and colder relative to the location of her heart, which was utterly still, bereft of even vibration. While using it would typically mean instant death for her and those around, her other Trait, Crystal Prison, alongside her Aspect, Permafrost, seemed to be the things keeping everyone alive.

Permafrost was incredibly strong, but it wasn't entirely a blessing. In fact, it was the curse Vale thought was put on the poor girl.

It froze her Aether and forcefully kept all of her abilities activated. It seemed no matter how much she willed to turn off Absolute Zero, the cold field around her, Permafrost, would keep it going.

The significant upside was the fact that she didn't need to expend any Aether in her attacks and was effectively immortal; however, it was debatable if the cost was worth it.

As for Crystal Prison, it served more to protect those around her and contain her power.

She could produce and control special crystals. These crystals could reflect and direct her power.

Upon this discovery, the color and glow of the iridescent fabric flowing around her made sense. Once he looked closer, he saw the thousands of tiny crystals embedded in the fabric.

This entire time, it had been a barrier that kept her power in check, so as not to kill everyone she met, not some weird fashion choice.

There was also a secondary ability of Crystal Prison that allowed her to produce and trap herself in a gigantic crystal. But that ability seemed to be a last-ditch tool in a perilous situation. If she ever had to use it, it was likely they'd all be dead or dying soon anyway. She also had no way of freeing herself from her encapsulation, as stated in the last line.

Finally, her Core's Rank was Anathema, one lower than Demonic. When that was revealed to Vale after reading all of Ximena's Triats, he couldn't help but ask himself…

'How strong is Salome?'

Salome was apparently strong enough to take on Ximena and her army… And the demon's existence spooked the hell out of the poor bird. While Salome did seem a little cunning, her smile was enough to calm any fears in Vale's mind. Although…

'The devil does wear a smile…'

Well, at least she was on his side. Not to mention betrayal wasn't even an option for the succubus; it was literally suicide as far as they were both concerned. If Vale died, they all died.

In any case, the bottom line was the fact that Ximena was a powerful combatant and didn't need too many resources to be effective. While giving her Aether Shards would increase her power, it's not like it added to her reserves. Her reserves were already endless as of the current moment.

She was like a force of nature…

With Ximena's addition, it was time… Well, tomorrow would be the time. But they were going to challenge Level 1.

They spent the rest of the day preparing, installing the first fake stalagmites, and making a hideout pocket for Crow, the Worker, to trigger the trap. They also developed a plan of defense, as well as a theory-crafted approach to optimize their group's composition, maximizing their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses.

However, it quickly became apparent that the most optimal tactic would be for Vale and Toy to hide while Ximena and Salome decimate the attacking forces.

Yet, that wasn't something Vale, or any of them, really, were particularly fond of.

Vale and Toy were currently at their weakest and most vulnerable points. It seemed like that should be a reason to hide, but it was apparent their opponents would only get stronger. So, the group decided that they'd split the attacking forces as best they could and allow Vale and Toy real combat experience.

Once the 20 enemies were in. Ximena and Salome would engage first, routing them in a way where Toy had to face one or two, and Vale had to face two or three. From there, they'd all react according to the situation.

Finally, if their situation proved to be one where they couldn't hold back, Vale would fall back while Ximena and Salome unleashed their full power.

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