“Incoming,” Noa shouted. His body stiffened beside her. They leaned against these rock formations, weaving through them to get away from the Banshee’s wind wave magic. Reki, on the other hand, moved eagerly—he knew all Slea needed was an uninterrupted shot, and they had four people.

  Slea leaned above Noa’s shoulder, peering around to see anything. She pushed her brimhat high, but nothing was coming.

  “Well?” she asked.

  Soon, a figure of a woman, carrying a head, appeared. In Min’s hand was the frizzy green hair of the Banshee–her mouth gaped open, and her eyes filled with red spots.

  “The trap worked,” Min casually said, dropping the head to her feet.

  Slea blinked, almost laughing at the irony. They ran so far in because of these creatures, and now, just like that, they had killed all three of them. With Slea killing two and Min killing one through her trap.

  The key apparently was not to panic and send someone circling back, which Min did.

  “Bloody hell!” Reki shook his head. The [Paladin] walked to the shore and dipped his small, bloodied Warhammer down; blood seeped out from the beautiful golden weapon. “Noa, come on! Don’t keep that disgusting blood on your weapon!”

  “Right,” Noa stuttered, the [Warrior] had been on edge the entire time. Slea could tell this change in Noa came from desperation, from not wanting to be left alone.

  So, she tapped his huge shoulder, giving him a push.

  He turned and looked down at the Tiefling that lay against the stone.

  “I got him, go,” Slea said.

  Noa gave her an almost hesitant nod and joined Reki.

  Slea had doubted they would make it this far, in their condition, if not for Reki. He crushed through the undeads like they were ants; if they were unarmored, that's it.

  “Slea, are you sure he's okay?” Min asked, joining them by the stone formation, she looked down at the [Spear Bearer], crouching to touch his red head.

  Escanor—One of Floundea’s husbands, lay injured on the brink of death. They had used all their potions on him. They did so because he was a Runebearer and would no doubt be a great help to them so they could navigate this forsaken place.

  Slea knelt, checking the makeshift bandage, which was a ragged one the Flesh Soldier had used. She had cleaned it, and it was the best they had.

  “Just a bit more Escanor, if you're going to get better, now is the time.”

  “It’s not something I can decide on Slea,” Escanor groaned, the puncture wound on his neck had already closed, leaving a seared flesh behind. It was a miracle the Tiefling survived it.

  Slea tilted her head and made a mock gasp. “I recall someone bragging, how they will get healthy if Floundea is near.” Her Thiefmaster’s husband was always so… What should she dub it? A bit excessive?

  The Runebearer gave a wry grin. And in a small voice, he added, “If she's alive.”

  Slea nodded, not wanting to ensure her master's survival. Or someone else, for that matter. She did so before, to no avail.

  “Are you still going deep?” Escanor asked, his eyes passing between Slea and Min, the desperation behind them couldn’t be more obvious.

  He wanted us to.

  Min gave Slea a sidelong glance before continuing to explain. “Yes, we decided to rejoin the main group; they’re much closer than Suna.”

  “I thank you for that,” Escanor tried to bow, but he winced as his neck did not allow him to do so.

  Slea was not one to believe in empty fallacies, but she just knew that if someone were to be separated and survive, then Suna would be the one. If anything, he seemed to thrive on being alone. Slea sometimes wondered why he did not just leave them alone, when all they caused him was a headache.

  They would have found Suna had it not been for the attacking Banshee and the Gargoyle coming at them together, pushing them this far. Now it was decided their best option was to rejoin the Thiefmaster’s group and retreat. They would have more people to search for Suna that way.

  “We really need you to get better, Escanor,” Slea said.

  “We’re closing in on the battlefield,” Escanor said, sweat running down his stomach. “There ought to be dead Tiefling bodies, hopefully unclaimed. I will be better,” Escanor promised. “There will be potions.”

  “There will,” Min smiled and massaged Escanor’s shoulder reassuringly. “Speaking of potions…” Her hand went to her pocket and removed a blue vial. She handed it to Slea. “Here.”

  Slea took it and drank it.

  “We’re taking a couple of minutes to rest,” Min said, looking at Noa and Reki. The latter grumbled that the undead’s blood was diminishing his hammer quality.

  Slea went near them, and one rock was placed conveniently. She hopped on it, kicking her footwear off, and dipped her feet into the lake. A cold sensation chilled her toe, traveling up her body, and she winced. Like she had been stung.

  A couple of minutes later, they had plenty of time for another practice.

  “Noa, Reki!” Slea called, getting both shield users' attention. “Help me practice?” she asked. Her right hand went to her sleeve. She patted her left arm, and that scaly skin greeted her—her heartbeat thumped almost immediately, and cold sweat matting her neck; this skill had changed part of her body.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “I do not like this Slea,” Noa grimaced, but he picked up his sword anyway. And it was the perfect weapon for practice. Slea couldn’t imagine taking a hit from the dark sword of Suna.

  “I will help,” Reki called casually. The [Paladin] then picked up his mace, which he had carried across his shoulder. “You need it,” the man said.

  Slea smiled at him. They found a lot of understanding in the past week they spent cracking those bloody runes. She jumped down and almost slipped in her foolishness. Noa lurched to catch her, but she was fine.

  Slea closed her eyes, and the mist helped her focus. The others also went quiet, in consideration of her. She huffed, and the world morphed. Slea became a string, thin and elegant. She connected to a sphere of red, a scaly sphere that spoke of absolute defense that a [Mage] would love to have.

  Connecting to the sphere, a searing heat was sent through her. The power was flame-based, similar to hers. This sphere was pointed by her skills, Serpent’s Tail, and the passive she got from reaching twenty.

  Floundea theorized that skill options always allow for possibilities. But you need to crack open the wall that hides such possibilities first. Slea under Floundea had trained to shield herself with her flame, just like Floundea did. She had been coating herself in fire during their training, stripping herself bare. Floundea would cast her spell on her, and at times, Slea was able to not just resist but also absorb the flame as part of her magic.

  Which was why, when the skill Serpent Scale appeared, she was not that surprised. Bit by bit, her body gave way to this scale; as long as she kept consuming fire, it would keep happening. The skill said she would retain humanity, and the skill would not change the shape of her body, nor touch her head, so she would keep her mind.

  The other reason Slea picked this was the acting method Floundea taught. This was the perfect acting… she couldn't hide from it.

  Slea remembered a memory of the past. Her mother was so excited for her, she got scouted; it just happened as they walked down their usual streets. She had doubted herself at first, but things went smoothly, and her job became a bridge that healed their past conflict. They talked about new dresses and deals made with the sponsor. All of the normal stuff, her dad was also happy for her. But now, with this scaly skin of hers, any hope of going back to that was shattered. This forces Slea's mind to focus on her present, rejecting her past. This was why the string connected not long after her upgrade to [Flame Mage], too.

  Perhaps, she couldn’t call this ‘acting’.

  Suna's words resounded over her.

  Why call this acting?

  He was right, but wrong at the same time. Sure, these were not really acting, but to connect to greater power, you need to reach it first. Like throwing a rope hoping to land it on a horse's neck, it's almost impossible to do, so you shape a circle to make it easier.

  Or maybe if she were crazy like he was, then there’s no need for all of this self-manipulation.

  She let a grin tug her cheek and dived deep into her memory—a pastime book her parents used to read to her before she went to sleep. It was about a dragon that hoarded treasure. She always thought that the dragon was greedy, which it was.

  The author no doubt tried to portray that. But Slea picked that story apart, the dragon just protecting his treasure from unwelcome bandits. He had found it first after all-–under what obligation should he share it? The gold was important to him, so he protected it, keeping it close to him. Even if he was seen as an ugly reptile by the others, what mattered was what he wanted.

  What was important to her? Something she wanted to keep close badly enough that she accepted these scales? She wanted to make it back to her parents, to her friends back home. So many people, she loved. Which was why this power was necessary. She wanted to keep them close to her, yes, so the accident that happened to little Arwin, the sweet child Tiefling, would not happen again. It should not have happened, not to her loved ones, not to her new friend, absolutely not. Her mind went reeling, and her brain fogged. The dragon’s greatest power was its absolute defense and magic; it did not need to move, as it was the king of its own domain.

  “Hit me,” Slea said.

  Her eyes widened.

  Noa’s complaint, as he tried to reason his way out, was voided, and Reki, who asked over how hard he should hit her.

  Their voices morphed into an incoherent mess. This was a familiar feeling.

  The string grew stronger, piercing the veil of the sphere, and now she could peek inside.

  Slea raised her hand, signalling both Reki and Noa that she needed to sit. She walked back, her cloak swaying and lapping against the water. She sat on the rock formation, closing her eyes and focusing solely on her mind.

  Slea was inside a world of fire and fog. The ground around her was red, blazing with random infernos; the air was thick and unforgiving, and her skin burned just by being in this space.

  She bent down, and the searing heat pulsed deep inside of her. It was hurt… Beside her, the cave wall cracked, spewing lava at her. Slea rolled forward, narrowly dodging. One measly trickle of lava touched her skin, and she screamed, falling as her skin burned.

  She let out a soft laugh and peeked inside her shirt.

  Her eyes opened wide, and tears brimmed around their edge.

  The memory of her and her mother gushing about dresses and how they talked about some famous celebrity faded. It was replaced by the need to find her instead, and the thought of a dragon.

  She eyed the lava pooling around her.

  Slea ripped part of her clothes, and rough red scales greeted her. Trailing her hand down it, it felt so coarse and wrong. She formed a fist and tried to hit herself, but she could barely feel anything

  Why was she hurt when the lava touched her?

  Part of her still rejected it. She gave a mirthless laugh. This was the path she had to take. The new world would be unkind, she knew. And there was no guarantee she would make it. So for now, her goal will be to get them through, past this first stage, and onto the second, where hopefully they will still be together.

  The scales extended to her fingertips, as if answering her sudden conviction. Slea knelt and slowly dipped her hand into the lava. It was hot at first, but her scaly hand protected her. She scooped it up with both palms and splashed it on her body. The lava dripped down, burning her away. In her dream world, she finally took a step forward. Her second class evolution was coming. A word resounded in her mind. She opened her mouth and repeated it.

  [Serpentine Witch]

  She still needed to cross the threshold to reach it. Now she knew it was a class of defense and magic. What she needed to work on was her defensive capability. So Slea opened her eyes.

  “Slea? What happened…” Min exhaled, her gasp sending a chilling cold through Slea.

  Her hand was now covered with scales all the way to her nails, just like in her dream. Fire danced around her; which she controlled with her brimhat.

  Reki gave her a grin, knowing she had been working toward this for quite a time.

  “They don’t look that bad,” Noa added, just tilting his eyes on her scales.

  Slea looked down, examined them intently. Maybe she had been overreacting. “No, they’re not,” Slea whispered. She been overreacting. Yes, overreacting, like she did with Suna. Somewhere inside her, she blamed him for leaving Reki and her alone, as if it were not a group decision.

  It sure was strange now that she thought about it, what had happened the past week, the sudden betrayal by the second who had killed little Arwin. Why did she blame Suna? Was it because he was the highest level among them? It might be, but it was still a wrong placement of anger.

  At the very least, she was glad she never snapped at him; she did give him a couple of cold stares, which he probably did not notice.

  There was no need for an apology. But instead, she can let go now; the second’s warriors gone. The ones who were captured were all innocent.

  She hopped down, looking at both melee combatants. “Let’s start.”

  Her eyes saw Noa’s sword, reminding her of the other one he had given to Suna. Maybe she did subconsciously feel guilty about that, hence she gave it away.