There are ten million roads to walk and ten million more to avoid.

  I vow to only ever walk one.

  Mine.

  -Inscription on the doors of the Hall of Vows.

  ******

  "...Neron," Jorry's voice quivered slightly as he hissed out a whisper into Neron's ear, trying to sound strong and failing. "I feel unsafe."

  "You will be fine," Neron reassured the tiny serpent peaking its small head out from behind his hair. "Optim's harmless."

  "She hasn't blinked in a minute."

  "Harmless."

  "Her hands are doing... things."

  "Harmless."

  As amusing as Jorry's wariness of Optim was, Neron was slightly concerned for the woman. The grasping hand motions weren't as worrisome to him as the twitching of her tail.

  After Medea had pointed out what type of therianthrope she was, Neron had investigated what type of animal a skink was. Skinks were small lizards and, while a shingleback skink like Optim were bigger than most, they were still prey to larger lizards and snakes.

  With Optim's usual anxiety, combined with her therianthrope instincts, Neron was worried that the single mother was in the midst of some sort of fight or flight response.

  "Optim," said Neron gently, a concerned look plastered on his face, careful not to spook the younger woman. He had no desire to see her tail fall off as she ran out of her store screaming. Not that he thought she could do such a thing, but he saw weirder things in Calderine all the time. "Are you alright? Do you need me to leave Jorry outside?"

  "No!" shouted Optim a bit too loudly as she was torn from her mono-focus. She flushed red and took a step back. Looking down and fiddling with her hands, her next words came out barely above a whisper. "No. It's... He's fine. Cute even. Just a surprise, that's all."

  "Are you sure? We don't mind. This is your store after all."

  "It's fine," she mumbled again, peeking up at him.

  "...Would you like to hold him? He is well behaved."

  "Partner," hissed Jorry.

  "...Can I," asked Optim softly.

  Without another word, and with the same gentle smile, Neron reached behind him to grab Jorry. The small snake tried to slither into his tunic to escape, but Neron had expected it and caught the little guy before holding him out to the bookstore owner.

  Despite squirming in Neron's grasp, Jorry had frozen in place once out in the open, his eyes locked onto the lizard woman.

  With a few looks at Neron to double and triple check that this was okay, Optim hesitantly reached out and took the tiny serpent into her hand and held it close to her face.

  "... so cute."

  That seemed to snap Jorry out of his fear, because he started wiggling in her hands.

  "Don't get the wrong idea because you are bigger than me now, woman," said Jorry, his voice taking on a haughty sort of tone. He tried to squiggle free. He failed. "I am not cute. I am Jorry! Though I may be small now, one day I shall be a dragon large enough to swallow this whole city! You'd do well to rem- What are you doing!?"

  Optim, of course, couldn't hear any of the snake’s words and merely saw it wriggle in her grasp, tongue flicking in and out. Since it wasn't biting her, she seemed to gather her courage and started to scratch Jorry's head.

  "This..." Jorry's voice lost its haughty edge and mellowed slightly. "I shall tolerate this. Continue to worship your future dragon overlord."

  Maybe Neron shouldn't have spent the night answering the snake's questions about J?rmungandr and dragons of myth. Jorry seemed to believe dragons were creatures that conquered the sky. Since he would do so, that naturally meant he'd become a dragon.

  Which seemed to have gone to his head rather quickly.

  "He's very cute," Optim repeated, continuing to scratch Jorry's scalp as she looked up at Neron. "Where'd you find him? Faubiene’s? Are you keeping him?"

  There was a hint of something in her words, but Neron ignored it in favor of answering her questions.

  "Last night in the park six blocks west of here. And Jorry and I will be working together for a while, I think."

  "Working together?" Optim looked from the itsy-bitsy snake in her hands to the man who towered over her, and Neron could practically read the question on her face.

  Which was exactly why he was here.

  "You mentioned a rat problem," said Neron.

  "Yes..." Optim said hesitantly, not understanding the digression. "They've been chewing on the books when I close the shop."

  "I was thinking Jorry, and I could be of aid," suggested Neron. "He can chase them out of their holes while I deal with them."

  "Really?" asked the shop owner eagerly. "Do you think it will work?"

  "We will not know if we don't try," Neron shrugged his shoulders with an easy-going smile.

  This was the idea he'd had which had progressed him on Medea's quest. He'd never in his wildest imagination considered partnering up with an animal to make money before. He hadn't even had a pet.

  It helped that, even with magic, vermin were always a problem in any civilized world. The sheer amount of food needed to support a large population attracted them like… Well, like rats. The byproduct of having so much food and resources in one place meant that empty spaces tended to be filled by creatures that could take advantage of the natural clutter of a city.

  His original idea of suggesting getting her a cat went out the window once he did a bit more research. In a world where any animal could evolve into a monster, people were much more hesitant about pets than they were outside the game. Cats and other felines were especially dangerous due to their high hunt success rate, leading to a higher evolution rate.

  "Can you show me where they have been," asked Neron.

  "Um... Over here. I think." Optim, still holding and petting Jorry, led him toward the section of the bookstore that focused on magic and magical theory. "They've knocked over a few of the books here last night."

  Looking closely, Neron could see a few books that had small marks in their binding and vellum.

  "Jorry?"

  "Wuzzat?"

  Facing away from Optim, Neron rolled his eyes at the serpent's slurring.

  "Can you tell if there are mice or rats nearby?"

  "Huh?" There was a small moment as the snake processed the question. Then he came back to himself. "Of course I can! Put me down, woman. I have work to do."

  "Can you put him down," Neron asked Optim, who couldn't hear the serpent's words.

  "Okay."

  The skink therianthrope put the serpent on the ground near the wall, stepping back and watching it lay down on the ground, tasting the air.

  "They were here alright," smugly hissed Jorry. "This place is covered in their stink."

  "Are there any nearby? Can you find their hiding place?"

  "Give me a few minutes. It'll be easy."

  The snake began to slither its way up and down the rows of bookshelves, pausing every now and then to taste the air once more.

  "Are you controlling him with a spell," asked Optim quietly as they watched the serpent move.

  "No," Neron denied, giving the therianthrope an odd look. "I can talk to him."

  "You weren't just being kind?" Optim had a look of surprise on her face, as if Neron speaking to a snake was normal. Then she paled. "He... can talk back?"

  "Yes," Neron nodded. "I can understand him as well."

  "But... but..." Optim started to wring her hands nervously, shooting nervous glances at the snake still searching the bookshelves. "That makes him a... a monster." She hissed the last word as if afraid the miniscule snake would hear it.

  By strict definition, no it did not.

  According to Neron's studies, a monster was a creature with magic. A beast was an animal that did not need magic to support its existence. Both could have a Self, which came with intelligence and the ability to reason, to varying degrees. Unfortunately, intelligence did not inherently come with any sort of knowledge of civilization, cooperation, morality or even a desire to be accepted by other sapient beings.

  What intelligence did provide was the ability to acknowledge and plan around certain facts. One such fact was that killing other beings with a Self allowed for faster growth than those without. And what did you know, there were millions of beings with Selves running around.

  To any beast or monster that developed a Self, any member of the Blessed races was a juicier target than most other beasts or monsters. Thus, Optim's fear of Jorry as soon as she learned he wasn't just a well-trained pet or magically controlled familiar.

  Perfectly understandable and an opportunity Neron had anticipated.

  "You do not have to worry," he reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder in comfort. He stepped closer, towering over her and giving her his most confident smile. "I am here. I will not let anything happen to you. Or anyone else."

  Optim was red faced and her tail quivered behind her in agitation.

  While he had no need to seduce her, increasing her dependence on him during their time together would only benefit him. Especially since he had use of her soon.

  "Uuuu- I- um- you- that- we," stammered Optim and Neron's smile deepened.

  He was about to continue but the ringing of the bell over the door gave the shopkeeper the chance to escape, words tumbling out of her mouth in a rush.

  "Ishouldgothankyoubye."

  Neron let her go without issue, knowing that he'd at least laid the groundwork and she shouldn't have too much issue with Jorry going forward. It was better this way than trying to deceive her about the snake's nature and being caught in the lie later. Now it would just depend on Jorry's ability to track down the vermin and their ability to deal with it.

  "Find anything yet?"

  "Give me a moment," whispered the snake from under a bookshelf, sounding more confident than Neron had heard him yet. That confidence needed to be nurtured if he was to be of use.

  So long as it did not grow too out of control.

  "By the way, you should keep talking to me to a minimum while I am with other people."

  "Why?"

  "It is rude to have a discussion one party can not hear or understand." It also prevented Neron from being distracted and kept Jorry's interfacing ability with others except for Neron to a minimum.

  "So what?"

  "Getting on people's good side allows for greater opportunities. Opportunities to grow stronger." Not strictly wrong, but that was just how it needed to be framed for Jorry to understand the benefits of a network.

  "Fine.” He sounded put out but not actively against it. Neron would take it. “Anyways, I have their hole and I can fit. I'll chase them out. There are at least two of them in there. Be ready to pounce. You have to move slowly and quietly before the prey is within striking range."

  In this aspect, Neron was certain the small serpent was the expert and so he approached as instructed, trying to remain silent and without any sudden movements.

  As he did so, he activated his singular skill for the first time.

  "The Nest: Serpent's muscle control." He verbalized the activation quietly, knowing the pod wouldn't be able to recognize mental commands until he used them enough.

  Unfortunately, he got a disappointing response.

  Neron frowned. He hadn't tested it last night while talking to Jorry and had held off this morning out of fear that there would be a long cool down for such a useful ability.

  Almost every Nature skill he'd found online was vague to one degree or another, especially the first one, but The Nest was one of the worst he'd seen. He had no idea about how it worked except that it allowed him to gain the traits of beasts that joined him and speak to them. Things like what counted as joining, how far apart they could be, what sort of traits could be gained, how long they'd last, how many traits he could have, what the limits were, and dozens of other queries were all things he needed to test out.

  Still, he wasn't without backup plans just because his first failed.

  "The Nest: Snake scales."

  "The Nest: Snake tail."

  "The Nest: Snake senses."

  Neron paused. That last message told him a lot.

  So, testing his next hypothesis, he became much more specific.

  "The Nest: Proportional snake tongue without extra senses."

  No screen appeared in front of Nero this time as his mouth started to sting.

  No, not his mouth.

  His tongue.

  Nero pushed out his tongue as far as he could between his teeth, barely able to see it past his nose, as he ignored the slight sting of muted pain.

  He could feel it as it happened but seeing it was a whole other experience. It took less than a second but was such an odd sensation that he remembered every part.

  The tip of his tongue split, forking at roughly a forty-five-degree angle, into two paths, each only a few centimeters long. Those tips, and the rest of his tongue with them, flattened and narrowed. Neron had the very weird sensation of his mouth emptying more than it had ever before as a part of the space that his tongue usually occupied was freed up. It wasn't like he lost mass though, as his newly forked tongue extended further and further beyond his lips until it was protruding at least a decimeter from his mouth in a straight line.

  The process done in an instant, Neron relaxed his new tongue.

  It dangled slightly below his chin.

  Well... This was sub-optimal.

  "Here they come." Jorry's voice was muffled but Neron heard it.

  Heard it and realized his skill wouldn't be helpful to him right now.

  Retracting his tongue was easy enough, no different than it usually would be, and it occupied the same amount of space in his mouth as before, but trying to get it arranged in a way that didn't feel weird was harder than expected. He was essentially trying to fold his tongue a few times over itself since he lacked the supplementary structures snakes had where it would naturally fold into.

  As the first rodent emerged from under the bookshelf, Neron was forced to ignore the lump of flesh in his mouth and refocus while trying to breathe through his nose.

  That first rat was unlucky.

  "Runrunrunrunrunrunrun."

  Fleeing from Jorry, it dashed from its hiding place into the open area of the bookstore in a panic, its high-pitched voice barely audible to Neron as it appeared right in front of him.

  He stomped on it.

  It didn't even have time to squeak in pain as the top third of its body was crushed into the wood floor under Neron's boot.

  It had been fast, faster than Neron had expected, and he'd only managed to get its front half because he'd been ready for it. He didn't have that advantage with the other rodents that scurried from their hole.

  "Danger!"

  "Rundangerrundangerrundanger."

  Two more rats of a size with the first escaped from under the bookshelf, splitting up and running by Neron.

  One ran under another bookshelf, disappearing from view, while the other ran behind Neron toward the back of the shop.

  "'ory," Neron tried to call out to the serpent but couldn't get his tongue to work right to form the appropriate syllables.

  He must have been heard, if not understood, because he heard a muffled response in turn.

  "Mrrmph."

  Neron had the distinct impression of the snake trying to speak with its mouth full.

  Not helpful.

  Running after the second mouse as it fled deeper into the store, Neron quickly caught up as it ducked back under the bookshelf against the wall. He might have lost it entirely if it weren't for its constant chattering of "runrunrunrunrunrun."

  Crouching down to his knees, Neron peered under the row of books, vaguely able to make out the small shape against the wall in the dim light.

  Reaching under the shelf, he tried to grasp the rat, but it scurried away faster than he expected.

  Except it was a dumb rat and scurried toward the back wall.

  Neron lunged along the ground, scraping his chest across the floor to slide forward to cut off the rat with his lunge.

  The rat, seeing his arm appear in front of it, tried to turn around and flee. Neron's arm swept up, trapping it between both limbs as Neron lay prone on the floor.

  It perhaps could have escaped had it scurried over his limbs or jumped over them to squeeze between his arms and the bookshelf, but it wasn't calm enough or smart enough to make such a calculation. Wasting time searching for an avenue of escape by running back and forth, Neron was able to close his hands around the creature.

  "Rundangerbitekilldierunhidebite."

  It bit and squeaked and clawed at his hand, but Neron held fast as he sat up, pulling the rat from the dark underside of the bookshelf.

  Neron squeezed.

  There was no fountain of blood or even much of an outward show of what was happening except for the rat's voice becoming louder as Neron applied as much pressure as he could.

  Neron could feel it though.

  The cracking of small bones. The shifting of flesh. The rupture of internal organs.

  One did not need to be reduced to pulp to be crushed to death. A simple bone fracture piercing the wrong place was enough. And Neron was pushing a lot of bones inward.

  With a final high-pitched squeak, the rat died frothing at the mouth. Its empty beady eyes staring up at Neron in a mask of animal terror.

  His most recent victim in hand, Neron returned to where the first rat still lay, dropping the second body beside it for cleaning up later.

  Looking around, Neron didn't see any sign of the rat that had escaped. It was probably too much to hope that it would be saying 'hidehidehidehidehidehidehide' for him to conveniently track.

  "ory," Neron tried to call out to the still absent serpent but his tongue was just as unwieldy as before.

  "One, urp, second." Despite still sounding like he was talking with his mouth full, at least Neron could understand his words now.

  With a sigh that had his tongue flopping out of his mouth again, Neron started to pat himself down from the dust and dirt that had accumulated from his time on the ground, careful to use his left hand as his right was lightly bleeding from where the rat had bit and clawed it.

  "'te 'es: 'uman 'ongu."

  "'eth.'"

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  There was no second of transition this time. One eyeblink, Neron's mouth was filled with a long but thin tongue forked at the end and the next it was back to how it had been his entire life.

  Neron felt much better now that he wasn't at risk of choking on his tongue. He'd also learned a lot from this brief experiment.

  The most important lesson being that experimenting in the middle of a fight or right before one was a bad idea. A new skill, ability, or trait he didn't know how to use was worse than useless. It was a detriment.

  Second most important was that, because Neron was a Beast himself, he could always return to his base state by 'assimilating' his own traits. He'd expected as much but it was better to know for sure.

  Finally, he learned that his plan to use Jorry to make some money was viable once he ironed out a few details.

  Case in point.

  "How'd it, urp, go?" Jorry slithered his way out from under the bookshelf where he'd found the rat's hole. He caught sight of the two bodies and looked up at Neron in question. "Where's the third?"

  There was a noticeable bulge in Jorry stomach, a bit below his head.

  Should he be mad that Jorry had focused on eating instead of helping or impressed that he managed to swallow so fast? Snakes usually take much longer, right?

  "It got away," Neron said easily. "We will try and find it again. Why did you eat instead of coming out to help?"

  The bulge in Jorry's body was noticeably smaller than the rats Neron had killed by at least half. An infant perhaps? Unless the snake managed to somehow cut one of the rats, it was the only one it could have eaten without help.

  "You needed help?" Jorry asked incredulously. "But you're big! And have hands!"

  "My size means they can not hurt me, but it also prevents me from getting into small spaces," Neron sighed, rubbing his eyes. Then realized his hand wasn’t the cleanest. Oh well. Not like it mattered. "Also, smaller creatures tend to be more agile than large ones. That is just physics."

  "What's that?"

  "Just... look for the other rat. I will explain it later."

  "Alright," agreed Jorry. Though he did grumble quietly as he started looking. “I'd have gotten all three if I had hands.”

  Neron didn't dignify that with a response, keeping an eye on the snake as it wove its way along the ground, continuing to taste the air. It was slower with that bulge in its throat, but not to a significant degree.

  Overall, Neron was pretty satisfied with the last twelve hours or so. Despite being set up for failure, Jorry was proving to be usable and malleable. Neron had a semi-decent grasp on his character already and felt they could work well together without the need for a long-term facade.

  There was also his Nature, his first skill, and its implications. Neron was interested in testing various hypotheses around it.

  It also accidentally opened an area of study he hadn't focused on before. Learning about biology, animals, and possibly finding desirable traits would be a worthwhile endeavor. At least while he was playing God’s Nature.

  For now, it was time to take the next step on his plan.

  "Optim? Do you have cleaning supplies I can use," asked Neron, waiting till she was finished with the customer before emerging from the rows of books. "There is a bit of a mess."

  "Were any of the books damaged?" Optim asked, stepping beyond the desk and walking toward where she'd heard the commotion.

  "No, they are fine," answered Neron, stepping in front of her to prevent the store owner from advancing. Whatever image she’d conjure in her head would be more effective than the truth of two dead rats. "It is a bit gruesome. I do not want you to have to see it, let me handle-."

  "Are you alright!?" Optim exclaimed, rushing to grab the bloody right hand he'd deliberately waved in front of her. "What happened?" Even as she asked, she was already casting Scab on the appendage.

  "Just a few scratches," Neron gave her a reassuring look. "They struggled a bit more than expected. Thank you for this."

  "...It's the least I could do," muttered Optim, focusing on her magic. "You're helping me, after all."

  "I am glad I could help," Neron reassured. "Unfortunately, one got away. Sorry. Jorry is still looking."

  "That's fine," Optim waved off his apology with a fluster, releasing his hand once the spell was cast. "One rat can't do anything. Really."

  "Still," Neron pressed. "I do not like leaving anything like that in your store. I know how much you love your books."

  "Well..." muttered Optim, unsure what to say.

  "Even if we can not get it today, I will make sure to bring Jorry every time I come by. He can keep your shop safe while I read. That is... if you are alright with that?"

  "Nonononono, I have no problems with that. I just... don't want to cause you more trouble."

  "You would actually be doing me a big favor," reassured Neron once more, laying out his last trap.

  "...Really?" The naked hope on her face was unmistakable.

  Hook.

  "If I am going to be working with Jorry, I will need to take care of him from now on. It is a lot of responsibility." Play on her maternal instincts. Most snakes only needed to eat once every few weeks and took a long time to digest their food. "Giving him the chance to hunt and eat in a safe environment would be a huge help."

  "Really?"

  Line.

  "Of course." Neron gave her his warmest smile of thanks.

  She beamed at him.

  He paused, head tilting as if a thought had just occurred to him.

  "Actually..." Neron dragged the word out, like he was mulling over something.

  "What?" There was worry in her now, as if he'd take back what he said before.

  "Oh, I just realized that it might not work. I mean, ideally, you will not have any rats after this."

  "Right..."

  "How about this instead," Neron proposed. "Do you have any friends who might need help with rats or mice? If so, we can help. I will still bring Jorry by when I come here, just to make sure your books are safe, but this way I can take care of Jorry and help your friends. Maybe even make some money to take care of Jorry during winter."

  He vaguely remembered snakes entering a type of sleep during winter, like other reptiles.

  Brumation! That was it.

  "That's a great idea!" Optim's smile was excited, proud, and genuinely loving as she looked up at him. "Idra's bakery always needs help, and I'm sure others do too. I'll ask around."

  And sinker.

  "Would you?" Neron asked with a frown. "I do not want to cause you any extra trouble."

  "It's no trouble," Optim said warmly, genuinely glad to help. "I'll just ask when I see them and tell them how you helped me. And most can't afford a mage to come by and clean their place more than once a year."

  "I promise Jorry, and I will do our best to repay your trust."

  That little tidbit about mages was important. Even though most buildings out of the inner city weren't enchanted, with the lack of cats kept as pets the society would have had to find alternative methods of dealing with vermin. Still, Neron didn't intend to charge a lot for his rat catching service, so it shouldn’t matter.

  "I know you will, Neron." Optim unconsciously took a step closer to hold Neron's hand again. "I know I can trust you."

  "Then can you point me towards your cleaning supplies," Neron asked again. "I should deal with the mess before checking up on Jorry."

  "Ah!" Optim stepped back, flustered. "Of course. Of course. I keep them in this cabinet over here."

  Jorry, it turned out, didn't manage to find the last rat that day. Whether it had fled the building somehow or was well hidden, it didn't matter too much to Neron. He hadn't lied to Optim, as he really would have Jorry with him when he came back.

  It was just that getting her connections and words of recommendation to allow a stranger and their pet snake into your back rooms was more important than a single rogue rat.

  Neron spent the rest of the day, and the next, testing out his skill and what nuances he could discover. There wasn't much he could do at this low level, but it gave him a place to start.

  In the end, due to the limits of his low ability, both in stat and skill, the best trait he could start with was still the first he got working.

  Neron needed to learn to speak with a serpent's tongue.

  ******

  "Ha!" Shejou laughed loudly as Neron bit his tongue.

  For the fifth time.

  In a minute.

  "It isss 'arder, um... It is harder than it looks," Neron defended himself lightly, using a cloth to dab at the blood on his tongue.

  "It's still funny though," chuckled Medea as she held her glass of wine in one hand and used the other to scratch Jorry.

  "Yesssss," hissed the garter snake. His lisp was less because he was a snake and more because he'd demanded sips of Neron's own drink. "Gooood. Limbs are not wasted on you. I, Jorry, future dragon, shall grant you the highest possible honor! You may scratch me more! ...If you go a bit lower."

  Medea obliged, her hand shifting further down the tiny serpent's body.

  "Can you undershtand him?" Neron asked lightly, words lisping slightly.

  "Not in words like you," Medea shook her head. "His body language is very obvious though."

  "I, Jorry, Bane of the Sky, am not obvious! I am a shadow in the grass. I am the fangs in the dark."

  "What's he saying," Shejou asked, leaning forward to poke the snake.

  "Cease that! If you cannot be trusted with limbs, I shall remove them for you."

  "Nothing important," Neron said airily, making a mental note to not let the serpent have alcohol again.

  It had only dipped its tongue into his drink a few times and was already like this. Was it a size issue? Perhaps a reaction due to its species?

  "You know we can't hear anything, right?" Shejou smirked as she took a sip of her own drink. "Not even hissing. It looks like you’re talking to nothing."

  "Don't thethrianthrope’s," Neron's tongue stumbled on the word but he pushed through. "Have the ability to speak to animals as well? And there should be spells to do so?"

  "It's a rare trait among that race, but it does happen. Though it's limited to their own animal family. A panther therianthrope might be able to talk to felines, for example, but not to canines." Medea put down her wine and scooped up Jorry when he tried to noodle his way over. "As for spells, they exist. Familiars can talk with their masters, but a general 'talk to animals' spell doesn't use words, just impressions. Enough for communication, but nothing specific. And it is a very complex and difficult spell to learn, so most never do. That area of spell craft is underdeveloped because, well, most animals are just trying to kill you to evolve. Not much to say really."

  "Yeah. Any animal that does not have a Self just 'says' whatever instinct it is following."

  "I'm jealous," Shejou pouted, but her lips were tugging upward. "My first skill was just a 'get better with weapons' type. It's boring."

  "As far as Nature skills go, it’s an interesting one," Medea agreed. "It could be strong or weak, depending on how you look at it. Almost pure utility but that utility is so ubiquitous that it can apply almost anywhere."

  "It is limited by stats," Neron pointed out.

  "Probably more than you expect," Medea nodded. "Jorry is a basic snake, so his traits are based on Body and Control. If he had more esoteric abilities, like venom or something magical, The Nest would probably let you assimilate them as well, but you'd need Spirit instead."

  "Yikes," Shejou downed the rest of her drink. Without an ounce of care for the high-class nature of the restaurant, she boldly waved over at the waiter for another. "If you need to spread your stats out evenly, by level a hundred you'll be a third as strong as someone who mono focuses. It will only get worse as you get to a higher level."

  "Most people do a four-one or three-one split between either Body or Spirit with Control," Medea corrected but agreed with the gist of Neron's current lover. "You said the Beast is a generic Nature and this is a reflection of that. A jack of all, master of none type skill."

  Neron shrugged. He didn't particularly care about losing efficiency in stats. He wasn't planning on staying in God’s Nature long enough for it to really affect him. The skill was enough to keep him occupied till he left, so he was satisfied with it.

  "Don't worry about it too much," Shejou laughed at his blase attitude, taking the new drink from the waiter without a look. "Natures change with their users. Your second Step Curse will almost certainly cut off one of your options. And if you want to narrow your focus further, your third Step will probably give you a more dedicated skill."

  "Like yours did?"

  Shejou paused mid-sip at Medea's question.

  Then she laughed.

  "I'm not level one hundred."

  "No, I'd expect you to be around level forty or so. Maybe more, since you made the trip from Leidon."

  "Fourty nine," Shejou nodded, and Neron raised a brow.

  He'd thought she was a low-level newbie like him.

  "And already on your Third step? That's impressive."

  "... How could you tell?"

  "You were a minor celebrity a few years ago," Medea shrugged. It was only Neron's familiarity with her that let him notice the tenseness in her shoulders. "A woman who spends years in the training fields? Not too many of those. There's so little experience to be gained there that most leave as soon as they finish one."

  "I could have created a new character when Calderine was unlocked as a starting location."

  "There'd be no point if you're just going to keep doing what you were doing before."

  "You're not wrong," Shejou imitated Medea’s shrug while taking a sip of her drink. "And here I thought I'd left those rumors behind in Leidon. Maybe I should have created a new character after all."

  "Is that why you left? Didn't like the attention?"

  "I left because Leidon didn't have anything I wanted anymore. Even if Calderine hadn't been discovered, I'd still have left."

  "You're trying to advance your Nature, aren't you?"

  Shejou threw back her head and laughed. It was loud and barking, a full body laugh that was as bombastic as she was. Even with the privacy enchantments around their table other patrons at the restaurant looked over at her.

  "Oh, whew, that's a good one." Finally calmed down, Shejou wiped a bit of wetness from her eyes. "There was that fad, wasn't there? What was it? 'It's easier to advance your Nature if you are at a low level.' Something like that, right?"

  "A popular, but disproven, theory."

  "I suppose that is what it looks like from the outside. But no, I'm not trying to advance my Nature. To be honest, taking my third Step was a surprise to me."

  "So, what is it you are trying to accomplish?"

  Neron, who had watched this exchange from the sidelines without comment, caught Medea's eyes as she looked over at him.

  Ah. So that was what was happening. Medea, with her Knowledge stat, had found out Shejou wasn't a low-level newbie but a veteran from the early days of Gods' Nature. One who was slumming it with Neron and who had approached him out of nowhere. She was suspicious.

  Normally, there’d be no reason to be suspicious. Neron, a low-level player. didn’t have anything worth taking advantage of.

  Unless, of course, his own suspicions were true. If that were the case, then everyone who ever approached him in the game would have more than enough motivation to get on his good side. That was probably the entire reason she'd agreed to go along with Shejou's idea of buying them dinner.

  While some might feel grateful for the care or might take exception to the idea that she didn't trust him to take care of himself, Neron just decided to sit back and watch.

  No matter what happened, he'd be the one to benefit so he might as well let this little interrogation continue.

  Shejou, it seemed, also understood Medea's concern.

  "Ahah!" Shejou snapped her fingers in realization. "Don't worry about snakeboi. I just found him sleeping in the park and had a room I only use every other day. Pure coincidence."

  "You'll forgive me if I don't believe in such a coincidence."

  "Well, it was," Shejou shrugged, unconcerned by the clear suspicion. "He's not even the first I've shared my room with. Training fees are expensive. It just happened that we were compatible... And he's good in bed. Better than the last guy at least. Selfish lover that one."

  There was the wrinkle of distaste that always scrunched Medea's nose when sex was brought up casually, but she plowed on.

  "That's it? Sharing a bed because he helps pay rent?"

  "Do I need a better reason?"

  "...I suppose not."

  Despite seeming to concede the argument, it was clear that Medea wasn't satisfied. She had no way to get any other answer out of Shejou, however, and was choosing to back down for now.

  Neron could understand her worry, its source, and why she felt the need to dig into Shejou's situation in search of ulterior motives.

  She was just doing it wrong.

  Well, this was closer to Neron's cup of tea than hers, so he supposed he'd investigate it too. He doubted there was anything there, as Shejou was very much a 'what you see is what you get' type, but if it'd reassure his friend, he'd make the effort.

  Besides, people were always at their most open during pillow talk.

  "You look like someone spit in your drink," Shejou laughed. "Taking care of your friend is great but I really don't have any other answer for Neron. One time, one meeting."

  "Be careful with idioms like that," Medea sighed, seeming in resignation, as she leaned back in her chair. "The translation function works differently on those. It uses literal words for set phrases."

  "Really?" Shejou tilted her head in thought. "I hadn't noticed. Now that you mention it though, there was this french player a few years ago... What was it? Something about grains and bread? Whatever. Anyway, my point is, don't worry. We ran into each other, spent a few months together, and we'll go our separate ways."

  "You can't deny that concealing your level raises suspicion."

  "I didn't conceal it. He never asked."

  Neron, sensing that there was a temporary ceasefire at the moment, decided to step in and lay the groundwork for peace.

  "I do not see how level really matters, but I will trust you two that it is important," he shrugged. "Speaking of trust, how about this? Since Medea is paying for our meal, can you tell us why you are in Calderine? If it is not a secret, it will reassure her that you are not after my soul or something. If you do not feel like sharing, that is no issue either."

  "Not your soul, just your body," Shejou laughed lightly but she nodded. Her eyes had shifted from Medea to Neron. The look she was giving wasn’t necessarily suspicious, but it was evaluating. "What do you two know of Japanese history and culture?"

  "How specific do you want me to be?" Neron asked, tilting his head to the side.

  "Just give me a quick summary of what you know."

  At her words, Medea smirked, picking up her glass and leaned back to watch the show.

  "Alright," Neron nodded before drawing in breath. "The Nest: Human tongue."

  Neron waived away the message that popped up absentmindedly as his tongue returned to normal. He'd need to be able to talk at length without stumbling over his words.

  "Originally an east Asian country, its historical identity was largely defined by its island nature and relationship to neighboring countries, particularly China. There is some record of early civilization there, and even a semi-mythical queen in contact with the Wei dynasty but that is it regarding written records and most of our knowledge of the Jomon and Kofun periods in its history are archeological.

  Relatively young as a unified polity in the region, its indigenous peoples only really started developing their own identity around the eight hundreds of the Gregorian calendar with its unification instead of being groups of disparate clans. Its founding mythology is a mixture of hundreds clans' own myths woven together, with the unifiers obviously placing their patron deity at the head, and some factual history blended foundational story in the Kojiki, their national ‘history’ book, though how much is still up for debate to this day.

  From there, its relative isolation kept it insular but never far from Chinese and Korean cultures. Chinese writing and language dominated the court while local language developed, eventually splitting off into separate writing systems, still heavily influenced by Chinese pictography. After that, it went through numerous separate periods where centralized power in Japan, usually concentrated in the imperial court, waxed and waned. The emperor would eventually become nothing more than a figurehead for the military dictator, the shogun. The warrior caste, samurai, eventually descended into a period of warfare that split the country along clan and geographical lines in a civil war of sorts. It eventually ended with unification under another shogun, the Tokugawa.

  In doing so, the Tokugawa limited the external influence of other countries to certain ports of entry. While this did protect them a bit during the colonial era, it left them completely unprepared when American warships forced their way past their isolation and, essentially at canon point, forced them to trade with them. After this, the shogun was overthrown and power nominally reinvested in the imperial family and the country narrowly avoided becoming a colony by modernizing in a short period of time. So short in fact that it is considered a modern miracle.

  This let them defeat Russia in a war, shocking most of the ‘western’ powers who still held the common racial theories of the period. Japan had a similar such view, with their own national twist, and they expanded into a colonial force of their own, invading occupying nearby islands and the Korean peninsula. Not the first time they'd done so, but the most successful and devastating. Their invasion of China over, probably staged, incidents and their surprise attack on the, at the time, American occupied Hawaii, led to their eventual defeat in World War II. Despite their numerous documented atrocities both before and during the war, the American victors kept their institutions, including the imperial family, largely intact to let them act as a bulwark against communism during the first Cold War.

  Like before, Japan modernized quickly and under a capitalist market grew to the point that people believed it would become the economic superpower. That did not happen, and it stagnated around the turn of the millennia, remaining that way for decades. When the Collapse began, they attempted to retake their former colonial holdings, seeing it as an opportunity to not only secure much needed food, but to also regain their economic growth and national pride. Despite some victories in the Starvation Wars, during those years much of the landmass of Japan was submerged in a series of natural disasters and rising sea levels, leaving their large population to migrate out or build their lives on large vessels and floating cities."

  By the time Neron had finished his 'quick summary,' Medea had stopped watching him and focused on Shejou whose eyebrows had steadily risen as Neron talked and talked and talked. She was taking the woman’s surprise as entertainment.

  "I am afraid I know little of Japanese culture, beyond that it is still considered conservative by international standards," Neron sighed as he finished. "Japan is not my main area of focus."

  "Where's this been?" Shejou muttered, seeming to reevaluate Neron. "And if Japan isn't your focus, what is?"

  "I decided to compartmentalize and focus on the Ancient period first and work my way forward before returning to tackle pre-history in a century or two," Neron explained easily. "And you never asked."

  Shejou's laughter was loud and long as Neron threw her words right back at her.

  "You got me." Still laughing, Shejou took another sip of her drink. "And you knew more than I expected. Still not what I was getting at, but more than most if that's your quick summary."

  "That was quick?" Jorry slurred.

  The serpent's comment reminded Neron to use The Nest again. Which he did, tongue lengthening and splitting.

  "To make a long story short, and ignoring things like anime, games, and other entertainment areas," Shejou started, staring into her drink as she swirled it in her glass. "Japan's culture is a conservative one based on ego and lies."

  Neron and Medea tilted their heads in question at the same time. The mirror image brought a smile out of Shejou as she continued.

  "Basically, it’s a culture stuck in the past. A past that never existed."

  "Isn't... Isn't that all cultures?" Medea asked. "I know Asian cultures tend to stand out in that regard, but inherently culture is something that is built on traditions. Something that accumulates over time."

  "And humanity is a race that romantisissied..." Neron's tongue stumbled over the word. "Humanity likes to lie to itself about 'better times.'"

  "Maybe you're right," Shejou took another sip from her glass. "But I grew up on stories of those 'better times.' Stories of samurai and ninjas. Stories of feudal lords, loyalty, and great men. Stories of a nation that was so strong, it took nuclear weapons to beat them. Stories of unity and dignity and a country that stood as the example of what it meant to overcome unfair treatment from the rest of the world. I grew up in a house where those stories were more important than the present or the future."

  Neron felt the urge to point out that, from a historical standpoint, Japan's history could be boiled down to 'I'm either in the midst of a civil war or I'm invading someone.' That'd be reductive and skip periods of peace, on top of some truly amazing accomplishments.

  Still, from a global perspective, most of Japan's issues were self-made thanks to their relative protection as an island nation. It wasn't perfect. But it turned events like the Mongol invasions, which rewrote maps elsewhere, into little more than a footnote.

  Shejou wasn't talking about history, but culture. One Neron wasn't familiar with. So, he sat and listened.

  "And, when I got older, when my brothers were learning the ways of the sword and I was learning everything I needed to know to be a proper Japanese wife and mother, I decided I'd look into the stories. It was a hobby, you see. Between lessons in tea ceremonies and dance, I would read tales of battle and blood. Not the most desired hobby for a young woman of my station but compared to girls my age it was much better than the alternative. Or at least so my family thought."

  Shejou's smile was fond and amused as she thought back.

  "And, as I learned, I realized something. I realized that those stories were all based on lies." Shejou downed the last of her glass before slamming it on the table. Her smile was wide as she swept from Medea to Neron. "All of it. Oh, the historical facts were true enough. This event happened at this time and place. These people were involved. So on and so on. But the stories? The foundation of our identity? Those were lies. The reasons were lies. Justifications created after the fact."

  "Isn't that normal," Medea asked again. There wasn't judgement in her voice, just curiosity. "History is written by the victors and they can say whatever they want."

  "Are you familiar with the term 'Bushido?'"

  "A type of samurai code of conduct, right?" Neron asked. "Like the codes of chivalry and such."

  "Literally 'Warrior's Way,' it is something every Japanese child learns. While the exact contents will vary, the core theme of loyalty, duty, and honor remain the same. And it was created in 1899 by a man trying to explain Japan to the world. He thought he invented the term and was disappointed when it was also used in a handful of older documents and writings."

  Shejou's smile was all teeth.

  "But not once, in all of Japanese history, was it ever used by samurai. A samurai's loyalty could be bought. A samurai's duty was whatever they wanted it to be. And a samurai's honor was whatever least offended them. There was no unified code. A samurai could die for his lord... Or he could stab him in the back to steal his property. It could go either way. It did go either way. Samurai weren't warrior poets, the vast majority in history couldn't even read. A samurai wasn't a deadly instrument of war, most were simply better armed than the local bandit. Depending on the time or place, a samurai was no different than a high paid mercenary."

  So exactly like codes of chivalry then.

  Neron did not say that aloud, however.

  "Samurai weren't the only things covered in glittering gold." Shejou stole Neron's drink and downed it too. "Did you know that ninjas don't exist? They never existed. There has not been one single piece of evidence to prove their existence. The famous ninja clans? Samurai. Just more duplicitous than others. Their weapons and techniques? Made up. All of it, made up."

  "One could argue that the hallmark of a good ninja is that there is never proof of their existence," Medea tried to lighten the mood with a joke.

  "Then why do we know about them at all if they are so good at covering their tracks," Shejou deadpanned. "No, samurai were little more than trained mercenaries and ninjas completely make believe. The less said about Japan's actions between the Meiji Restoration and the end of The Collapse, the better. The more I dug into the stories I'd been told about honor and pride, the more it became obvious that they were all lies we'd told ourselves to feel good."

  "I do think you are being too hard," Neron consoled. Less out of any kindness and more to put things in a different perspective. "Not that you are wrong, but every culture does that. They have foundation myths, local military traditions they venerate, and almost all of it is based on inaccurate history. It is not right or wrong. That is just humanity."

  "It is wrong," Shejou denied forcefully, leaning over the table.

  The alcohol was getting to her now, Neron could tell. To what degree he couldn't say. She was still coherent and even on her calmest days she could be mercurial, so this wasn't out of character for her. Still better to ensure she didn't have too much more.

  "It's wrong because everyone is buying the lies and not doing something about it. It's wrong because they're all so wrapped up in the past that they are projecting anachronistic rules on the present that weren't ever real and using the past as an excuse. It's a problem because I refuse to live my life in a cage of lies!"

  Ah. So, it was less of a moral issue than a personal one.

  Shejou felt betrayed by reality.

  As fascinating as this all was, and Neron did appreciate a peek into a culture he was unfamiliar with even if he'd have to verify everything she said, it still didn't answer Medea's concern.

  "Admirable," Neron nodded amiably. "How did that lead you to Calderine?"

  "I've lived my life my way for decades, no matter what anyone else thinks," Shejou grinned as she leaned back in her chair once more. "But the myths I really wanted to live? They were impossible. The world was at peace. And if it wasn’t? A gun from an untrained child will kill me before I can fire a bow I’ve practiced all my life with. The world has no need for samurai, so my way has had nothing to do with violence or skill with the blade. But in God’s Nature? My Way is my Nature. And my Way demands that I don't live a lie. So, to become that idealized lie, the one I’d been told we always were, I need to learn everything a samurai could do. Should be able to do!"

  "So, you take courses at every training hall that can teach you to be a samurai?"

  "But there are no samurai in this world," Neron nodded, also putting the pieces together. "You are patch-working skills before you do anything with them."

  "Leidon helped me learn the basics of weapon craft, and general tactics,” Shejou nodded vigorously, a flush on her cheeks. “But Calderine is much better at training for individual strength."

  "It's already been years," Medea pointed out the problem easily. "If you’ve been playing since the start then it’s been nearly a decade. Chasing a myth is impossible. That’s what makes them myth. When will you be done?"

  "Whenever I can look in the mirror and see a warrior and not a trainee," Shejou answered easily. "Only then will I go out and experience God’s Nature. Only then will I not be living a lie."

  Neron thought he understood, at least intellectually. Shejou was just doing a more extreme version of Medea's Knowledge acquisition. Only, she was looking for personal growth, rather than that of a stat, so it took even longer. Reality had betrayed her so she'd sought to create a fragment of that desired reality in this game using the only thing she could.

  Herself.

  It was an absurd and egocentric way to live one's life, wrapped up in her own mysticism and certainty of her ability to accomplish her goal.

  How admirable.

  "Now," Shejou said as she stood up from her chair, tearing Neron from his thoughts. "My little story is done, I've paid my part for the meal. You satisfied?"

  "I am," Medea nodded graciously. "Thank you for sharing."

  "Good, then I'll let you pay the rest while Neron and I take our leave."

  "Where are we going?" Neron asked with a frown, trying to remember if they had anything planned.

  "To bed!" Shejou declared shamelessly. "She might be satisfied, but I am not. I am well fed, drunk, and horny. And you, snakeboi, have a tongue that could use some practice. One I am eager to help you train with."

  Neron tilted his head in thought. He hadn't really considered such esoteric uses of animal traits before, but they could be advantageous if applied properly.

  The exotic was always an aphrodisiac.

  "Must you give me that image?" Medea wrinkled her nose again.

  "It's been in my head all night," Shejou laughed. "Now it’s going to be in my pants. Come Neron! I am going to have my Way with you!” She laughed at her own joke, dragging him from his seat and he stumbled.

  At least now he understood why she was so much stronger than him. On her third Step, even if she was only level forty she’d still have ten times his stats.

  Giving Medea an amused and helpless look, Neron quickly scooped up Jorry as he was bodily dragged from the restaurant under the disdainful gazes of the diners.

  Jorry was sleeping and did not care to move.

  Medea was exasperated and did not care to get involved.

  Shejou was amused and did not care for any judgment.

  And Neron?

  Neron just did not care.

  A special thanks to my supporters. They're the ones who help push me forward.

  They who've taken their first Step:

  They who've found a path to tread and taken a second Step: Allyouknow, HeavenlyReader23, Jarod

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