After leaving Zangdar, Sofia had to put all of her plans on hold to deal with city issues that required her immediate attention. As it turned out, even with a few talented people helping out, dealing with a camp of several thousand people of different races and a constant stream of new arrivants, all without any proper infrastructure already in place, was quite the challenge. She had been dealing with it for almost two weeks without stopping to take a minute to rest and it seemed to never end.

She had just finished dealing with a group of dwarves asking for an extension of the bone foundations to start building a port, which had always been in the plans, but not too high in the priorities list. Someone else immediately walked into the ‘center of command’ and Sofia was about to lose it, but she realized it was not another group with some random impossible request, just Saria.

“You don’t look so good, lil’ sis.”

Sofia let herself fall forward on the table, creating a mess in the pile of papers that Crowie immediately started to fix, picking up the papers in his beak and stacking the back up in neat piles. “I’m in hell. I just got news from Kuli, she’s going through the same thing, apparently… Never thought we would miss being in the trial so much…”

Saria chuckled, “Got only yourself to blame. I think you’re doing great though, a city this scale getting built up so fast seems to be pretty unheard of. Here, eat up, and get your armor on, we’re going on a sisters’ trip,” she said, throwing a paper bag full of pastry buns at the table.

Righting herself up and immediately stuffing her face with the pastries, Sofia looked at Saria with a raised brow, and answered between each bite, “a sisters’ trip?” — “Not that I don’t want to but…” — “I’m kind of busy…”

“Don’t worry, I got that figured out for you!” Saria said, looking back at the door. On cue, Zephir entered the room with a sigh. “The Zeph-4000 robot city-planner from earth is going to deal with it while you’re gone!” Saria proudly announced.

“I appreciate the thought but the Zeph-4000 isn’t looking too enthusiastic,” Sofia noted with a smirk.

“It’s fine…” Zephir said, pushing up his glasses, “I’m used to this kind of work with the sect. I cannot make big decisions for you, but I can keep the place afloat for a week or two, if you would trust me to.”

Sofia nodded, “Sure? Why now, though? I really need a break but it feels a bit irresponsible to leave now…”

Saria laughed, “Ah! So you don’t know yet. You’ve got no real choice but to come with me, actually. You see, a certain Kleptra has been complaining about a closed door in the spirit forest, saying that it stinks ‘liiiIiike a roooOting soooUuul’, and that she can’t even go near it because it makes her sick.”

“Oh… Let me guess…”

“Yep,” Saria said right away, “Just like you told me, in a hole under a big tree. Pretty sure it’s that corrupted dead god you’re after that’s stinking up the forest. And nobody wants an annoyed Kleptra near their city, so… Let’s go on a trip?”

“You can leave the city to me,” Zephir said with a nod.

“We discussed it with Pareth and Bookie already, they’ll stay behind and keep working on the logistics, and they’ll come with reinforcements if we’re not enough to deal with whatever’s out there,” Saria added.

“Lots of things happening behind my back I see,” Sofia answered while still chewing on the pastries.

“You’re the one who’s been too busy to pay any attention. So, coming?”

“Sure… Sorry to impose, Zephir.”

“Don’t worry about it. This will benefit me as well, socially. Have a nice trip.”

The sisters’ trip turned into a women’s trip, as Pestle said she wanted to come along, and just an hour later, Sofia, Saria and Pestle were right on the border of the spirit forest. They walked along the woodland edge, to minimize the actual distance they would have to cross within the forest.

“I was surprised you know,” Saria said, “Even a Klep doesn’t want to get anywhere close to that thing.”

“Speed couldn’t get close to the one in his own domain either. You know it’s serious when the Lords personally step in to give mortals an item to clean this stuff up.”

Taken from NovelBin, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Serious,” Pestle agreed, sitting on Sofia’s shoulder, “Is danger leg. Very serious.”

Sofia looked at Pestle, “You’d call even that leg? You’re not going to eat it, you know?”

Pestle looked back at Sofia in incomprehension, “But ring is can leg? And Boki is can leg? Leg is leg, is not?”

“That’s… Yeah, no, you’re right. Hopefully this gets us another god skeleton for Bookie to eat.”

“Better to keep your expectations low, we might not even be able to get to the thing. Must’ve been sealed up for a reason,” Saria said.

“I mean… If things are really too much to deal with, we could probably ask Zoth to come with us? The ring’s protection extends to my ‘nearby allies’ so…”

“Danger idea,” Pestle said, shivering, “Klepra is Kleptra.”

“I’d tend to agree on that…” Saria said, “Even if she has not been any trouble yet. I’ve heard stories…”

“Well. Er’Gakk certainly was a bit… Special. But he seemed an exception more than the rule.”

“No, no,” Saria answered, “I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around. Everyone seems convinced of that.”

“Raria very understand,” Pestle confirmed.

“See?” Saria continued, “Hey Pestle, by the way, I have a question for you.”

“For Pesle?!”

“Hmmhmm. I got curious, why do you butcher every name except for Sofia’s?”

“Ack! Is Raria mad for Pesle name wrong?!” Pestle asked, hiding behind Sofia’s head.

“No? Again, just curious. Hell, it’s subtle but you don’t even get your own name right,” Saria pointed out.

“Pesle… Pesle very not good remember name. Only good remember if Pesle is give name!”

“So it’s a memory thing? I see… How do you get Sofia’s right, though?”

Pestle scratched her skull, looking a bit embarrassed, she flew up to Saria’s ear and whispered, “Pesle need Sofia correct. Not correct is Sofia give talking lesson… Sofia lesson is Levatan serious danger!!!”

“I heard that.”

“Agack!” Pestle stopped in place and fell to the ground as a bunch of rolling bones.

Sofia chuckled and used her aura to pull Pestle back together on her shoulder. “You love that playing-dead bit too much.”

“Well, she is dead,” Saria commented, “By the way, isn’t that thing going to be an issue?” she asked, stopping next to the Abereth that had just appeared behind Sofia.

“I don’t even know how it keeps appearing near me, but Asty said it doesn’t feel like space magic, so probably not? I guess we can carry it along just to be safe, it won’t move if it’s already close to me.”

“Freaky thing. Got potential at least.”

“Sure does, it’s going to be hard to get proper stones for it, though. We tested the aura of silence so far, works as advertised. Do you mind carrying it? I’m a bit too weak.”

Saria looked at the slowly spinning object, “I’ve been splitting my stats between Health and Aura. I don’t think I’m stronger than you anymore. Not without my dragon form at least.” She grabbed the squared black stone rod with both hands and pulled it up, her muscles flexing hard. It was a bit of a struggle, but she managed to lift it and rest it on her shoulder like a heavy club. “Whoo. That’s some serious damn weight for something so small. Would make a hell of a weapon.”

“Would it? I should be strong enough to wave it around like a stick in a filter or two I guess, but even then it’s just a heavy rod, rather short too.”

“Perfect to burst open a Mithril armor. Assuming it itself survives the blow,” Saria said, starting to walk again.

“I doubt it’d break so easily.”

“No think it break,” Pestle agreed.

“If it does, at least you’ll probably get your skill slot back. Oh, what’d you end up doing with the Philosopher’s by the way, it’s in your arm?” Saria asked.

“Yes, it’s in the slot under my armpit that was meant for my mana heart in the third trial. It’s fine there for now, but I discussed it with grandma, she thinks she can embed it in my glove.”

“That glove? Is that really a good idea?”

“Might be, might not. It’s hard to tell how it works, since it’s a present from Aphenoreth, but considering it’s completely protected my rings from any damage no matter how violently I’ve died, there’s no better place to keep the stone. It needs direct contact with my skin to work properly, so–”

“Ah, we’re here!” Saria cut Sofia, “Sorry, I almost missed the tree I marked, ahah. It’s a straight line into the forest from here.”

“Give me a second.”

Sofia assumed her Apostle form on the spot, her body morphing and growing a tail in under a second before the bone armor adapted and covered her properly once again. Her scepter appeared in her hand.

“Good to go. Pestle, stay on my shoulder and don’t talk loudly once we’re in there, alright? We can't let the monster above notice us,” Sofia explained pointing at the canopy.

“Pesle is understand!”

“Let’s go,” Saria said, putting on her dragon mask.