Queen of the house no more

The world is wast and ever changing. For that reason, the goddess incarnate wanted to see everything with her own eyes, feel things that regular mortals do and face dangers that would never dare approach her in her own divine domain. It was the reason why she chose to be trapped in a mortal vessel made out of warm flesh and blood, capable of dying on a whim. With it, she grew up in her own tribe in Joya and eventually made her way through the mountains and into the outside world. That was her journey, her purpose in life right now. To explore and find that which she does not know. And to be fair, there was a whole lot for the girl to see, as pretty much everything that common men would consider completely normal was perfectly new for the goddess.

Even rules and opinions were fairly new concept for her, as she moved through different nations. Some were ruled by the wise and the citizens could not be more happy. Others were terrorized by power hungry monarchs that went crazy long past. But Noheme did not stay in any of these places for too long, albeit she wished to. It was hard living in a world where you knew no one and owned nothing at all. There was simply no way she could just stay somewhere, as people would demand payment from her and would promptly attempt to kick the fox girl out when they learn that she has nothing to give. Behaviour like that towards a higher being, it was completely unforgivable.

Which was precisely why she wasn't going through it. Because she was aware that she would not have any problems hurting those that would try to get their small, stinky, grabby hands on her. Yet, she wished not to leave a trail of dead behind her. So she just kept on going, from one place to another. Until she reached one rather peculiar nation, different from all the others. It appeared that magic was not welcomed here, which was odd to say the least. Fools that would distance themselves from magic to such extent, surely there was no limit to their idiocy. Magic was useful and seemingly infinite, unlike other sources of power that humans learned to use for their advantage.

Just refusing it without any proper reason other than thinking it's unnatural was just something that the goddess could not comprehend. But she still wished to explore this land and it's customs, for that was her quest, her journey and purpose. The very reason she decided to taint her godhood by a mortal vessel... simply because she wanted to learn about the world that they called Earthland. And now she was here, going through the streets with a heavy leather cloak hiding her figure beneath it. She had already ran into problems earlier where people simply attacked her because they saw her fox-like tail and ears.

Apparently a clear sign of witchcraft, they shouted. Apparently there were even uneducated fools in this nation. Noheme was from Joya, the land of cat folk! And she knew for a fact that even those with animalistic traits such as herself were sometimes incapable of using magic, or simply not interested in it. Or perhaps they just disliked a foreigner in their country, that was also a possibility. Whatever the case, it forced the girl into what seemed to be the part of town for the poor layer of community, people that were having problems even keeping themselves fed. Whatever could she learn in a place like this? Surely not much, nothing of any real use.

Though, there was a rather strange feeling in the air, one that made her ears twitch beneath the leather and the hair stand up slightly. Something quite sinister was going on nearby, and it piqued the girl's interested without fail. A small smirk appeared at her face as she looked around, spying not a single living soul that would lash out at her. And with this kind of privacy, she had no problem using her strong body to jump up from the cold cobblestones, only to land on the wooden roofs that were barely able to hold her wright. Nevertheless, she continued jumping from one home to another until she reached the end of the street, finally spotting it.

It was yet another household, only done in slightly different style. This part of the city, it wasn't anything fancy at all. But judging by the appearance of this mist-covered mansion, one could probably claim that it was rather pleasant to look at once and be correct. What was giving off the eerie feeling was definitely the dark aura that surrounded the house, completely claiming it as it's own. Some form of curse or powerful magic with darkness at it's origin. That much the goddess could deduce just from looking at it, having experience with the dark herself. Perhaps investigating it could prove useful, or at least fun to her. But before she decided to jump down back onto the street and in front of the main entrance, there was yet another feeling.

A magical energy that was surely separate from the decrepit mansion. A feeling like that, she did not feel it in this country yet. But she knew it from Joya, her home and the other nations that she managed to visit along her way to this place. It was another mage, a powerful one at that! And with a little bit of focus, it wasn't hard that the source was moving as well, approaching this place. Perhaps it was a wizard hired to take care of this cursed place? It would not be surprising, as it certainly didn't look natural, and there was very little contrast between it and the other houses. Jumping down onto the street, Noheme waited and look around for the unknown mage to show up. Perhaps they could have some fun together. Even better if it were to turn out that the source of this magical energy was a cute girl that would accompany the goddess inside of the mansion!

Word count - 1025 / 1025 total

It took a bit, but eventually the other mage in this place showed up. Tilting her head towards the source of power, Noheme honestly didn't quite know how to react. It was a girl, which was always good. However... well, how to put it other than completely blatantly? The girl suddenly standing in front of her was nothing more than a child. Yet, power was basically pouring from that tiny body of hers, which was something a little unusual. And what more, her words sounded like Noheme was actually supposed to be in this place. Oh no, she certainly wasn't meant to be here at all. She was not hired by anyone and the fact that she was standing where she was right now was a pure coincidence. Yet there was meant to be another mage helping this one clear up the mansion? The goddess was not exactly fond of bigger groups per say, unless they were made out of cute and obedient girls. But judging by the looks of this one, she should probably not expect much. In fact, this was a little bit weird. If she was to flirt with someone like this, she herself would feel weirded out and bad. And that would be a first.

"Huh? What are ya talking about? I just got into this nation and got chased by some idiots that couldn't bear the sight of a magical creature in front of their house. I was merely passing by and I most certainly was not hired by anybody. Though I did sense your power and decided to check it out, hoping that I would find an adorable young girl that could keep me company."

During her little speech, the tone of Noheme's words changed from annoyed to teasing and somewhat seducing as she leaned forward, getting her face closer to this girl's. Her name was apparently Sorano and the fluffy thing she was carrying around was Hoshi. Some sort of cat, as it appeared. Probably would only get in the way, but she had not the heart to tell this young lass off. She also just now noticed that her nature took over again and she was attempting to flirt with a young girl. This fox girl really was a lost cause, wasn't she?

"Anyway... you can call me Eris Sytry, mage and a traveler that hails from Joya, the land ruled by the jungle and protected by the mountains. The land of cat folk, though I am not one of them."

She was a fox, not cat after all. Important distinction if one wanted to get along with this goddess incarnate. A goddess that was not very fond of waiting, her body quickly turning to face the mansion, her big fluffy tail nearly sweeping Sorano as it waggled from one side to the other. And with a sigh, she started power walking towards the front gate.

"I don't care if I'm meant to be hired or whatever, I'm bored as all hell! This place looks like fun, so I'm going in and no one can stop me!"

Word Count - 515 / 1540

The healing spell had it's effect, but that was probably about it. The rest of her magic depended quite heavily on the physical world around and the fact her body was very solid and not... this. It was only natural that things were this way, even the Astral World that Noheme was from worked fairly normally and in similar fashion to Earthland. This place was what was abnormal and that quickly ruined a lot of plans. With a ghostly sight, the moon goddess became quickly helpless as none of her actual combat spells would take effect at all. Well, perhaps one would. But there was really no reason to test that now, especially since it was very much capable of harming both allies and enemies.

Not that the girl was too attached to this child who she had just met, but it would be still quite rude to sap away her life force right after healing her like that. Just one of those things you'e better off avoiding for the time being, if that made any sense. Well, it did to her, that was the main thing. Floating around, the moon goddess would soon find herself right next to the young girl, levitating above the ground in laying position with a bored look. She was taking this pretty well, at least on the outside. Not many of her age would be like that, especially after realizing that they were trapped in a hellish place like this one. And then she spoke words filled with sense. "Screw the way out, I want to find the one who did this to me and get them to revive the body! I worked... I mean, I had it for far too long to lose it just like this for no apparent reason. Ugh, this situation sucks..." No one was happy with this, that much was clear. So far it looked like this would be another one of those situation devoid of fun, becoming a drag and chore.

But Sorano would continue on anyway, which was to be expected. She wanted to get out and Noheme could not stop her from doing that. Though she had to stay behind a little bit, at least for few seconds as she realized something, screaming at the girl who marched forward in mild panic. "W..wait! Are you really gonna leave my body just laying here?! What if something happens to it, I need it back after this whole ordeal!" Not that a young girl could carry a heavy, adult body. But still, surely there was a way. They couldn't possibly just leave the lifeless chunk of meat lying behind. Whatever the girl would do or whatever choice she would make, the moon goddess could only follow her obediently. In her current state, she simply had to rely on someone who was actually capable of doing stuff like opening doors that she apparently couldn't just float through because logic of cursed houses.

It was feeling that the fox girl hated quite a bit, being completely helpless. But for now, she simply had to endure it as there was really not other option. Eventually, they would find themselves in yet another giant room, bigger than any they had seen so far. And one that was filled with strange, uncomfortable feeling. At least the source of that feeling didn't wait too long, revealing itself quite swiftly in the form three wolf-like ghosts that would start walking from the other three walls of the room. "Oh, grand. So... I can't really use any of my attacks, seeing how my hands just kinda go through stuff. What's the plan here, miss?" At least there was this strange air abut Sorano, making the girl look like she was some sort of leader or at least smart strategist. Perhaps they could even make it out if this situation alive...

Word Count - 644 / 3378 total

The moon goddess truly was in quite a peril. Incapable of even making sure her own body was taken care of and that it would eventually leave this place unharmed, she had to rely on the little witch that was with her. And while she did not even know this, it was actually good for her. A forced lesson in teamwork and communication if you will. And for now, she got her way as the girl turned around and was kind enough to lend her assistance in shape of growing mirror that swallowed the lifeless lump of cold meat and blood whole. It was mildly terrifying, watching something like that happen to your body. But at least the girl was save inside of that magical space for now, at least in that way. And it made the ghost Noheme sigh in relief. After the act was done and Sorano explained the fact that all that would be required was to break the mirror if things were to go awry, the pale fox girl would look to the side as almost a hint of red appeared on her cheeks. But ghosts were not exactly capable of really blushing without any skin or blood in the first place, so it all turned into a cold stare to the side. "Thanks." Or maybe a little bit more than just that, as the goddess probably uttered her very first thank you to someone outside of Joya. Progress! It felt good. Or maybe not all that good, as the ghost girl was slightly subjected to the humiliation of behind completely helpless and requiring another's help when she in fact was a mighty god that should be capable of doing everything by herself. Alas, this house said no to that, instead forcing her into this situation. For now, she would just flow behind her partner and follow her everywhere as they braved the mansion of horrors in search for the source of all this malice.

And as they were forced into rather unfortunate situation that required combat, both girls were more helpless than ever. At least that was a new experience for them, only they had to make sure it would not be their last as well. The moon goddess expected Sorano to be a great thinker with that calm and emotionless expression of hers, but it appeared that she was slightly wrong in that assumption. While the young girl certainly had at least some talent for tactics and such, she was slow acting. And that could end them in situation such as this, where every second mattered. Finally Noheme had her orders and while she wasn't all that happy with them, it would be at least something. And so, she quickly flew against the wolfs, only to find out a small flaw of their plan's design. Apparently she was in the same plain of existence as the hostile souls because she collided with the wolf just as much as Sorano would if she tried running into a wall. While that tumbled the poor beast, it also didn't exactly allow the fox girl to move any further and two of the wolfs managed to get past her partner's attack as a result. With their speed, they were quickly in distance close enough for them to attack as well. Was there anything she could do to save the young girl? Anything at all?! And the world almost slowed down as she realized something. A little, yet great thing that she did not try yet. And just as one of the wolves was about to bite down hard, a hard looking ball of magical energy slammed into it, as well as another into the second wolf. Just like that, the spirit animals were send flying in the same directions as the two balls split into four, each. And now, the eight beads were circling Sorano in protective manner as Noheme slowly made her way towards her. "Hah, I knew there was something..! I can help now!"

Word Count - 668 / 4046 total

Battle was something that the moon goddess enjoyed greatly. She was from a tribe that lived in the heart of unforgiving jungle of Joya, place where predators were aplenty and food scarce. Though visitors from other nations would never really get that impression, as the capital was something else entirely. It was the smaller villages and groups of individuals that had these problems. It was an environment that would naturally rise warriors. Well, Noheme already lived for many centuries before she would enter this place and gain her first followers nad worshipers. But even those nineteen years along with a mortal body made out of flesh and blood were enough to give the girl new instincts to follow. But it was different right now. She was incapable of fighting for the most part, but she finally managed to activate her lineage power, use it to fight back. Was it because of that?

Or was it maybe because there was another mortal her, an ally to herself? She already had an experience with that too, as she lead many hunting groups into the bowels of the jungle in order to obtain food. But back then, she was the leader. Now she was nothing more than an asset for another brain, a tool meant for distraction. That was the role assigned to her by Sorano before she was able to actually fight back. But now that she could, things would be different! The goddess disliked being looked down on, even if she was in rather dire situation without her physical body now. She would show off her powers and claim victory for herself, showing other that she was still supreme fighter that they had to treat equally at least. That was the arrogance for gods for you. Gaining people that would worship you can be a bad thing in many different situations.

But at least it brought in a new spark of determination and confidence. As Sorano regain control over the situation, the eight orbs would leave her body and start rotating in circular formation behind Noheme's back as she levitated above the battlefield. She kinda wanted to take on two of the wolves from group of three just to prove her power, but since it looked like the girl got things, she just sighed and accepted her fate of slaying only one ghostly wolf. Sending one of the orbs crashing into the ground, she grabbed it's attention and smirked. "Can't even reach me up here, can you? You're nothing, not even a good warm-up!" All of the orbs suddenly crashed around the beast as they started changing shape into a half bubble that completely covered the creature. And with a snap of her fingers, the fox girl would let the bubble form several rather large spikes on the inside.

Effect of that was probably quite obvious as the little trap changed back into orbs, only leaving a bit of blue light that disappeared into nothingness. Seeing as this was the only useful ability she had right now, she would leave the orbs freely floating behind her back as she levitated over to her young partner. "Sorry about that, this power of mine was always kinda finicky. I was never really properly able to control it, so I forgot all about it. Oh well, I think we're good now!" She wasn't really mad for being used as a distraction at first, which was pretty surprising all things considered. Looking around, she swiftly turned back to the other girl and blinked few times. "So... any idea where we should go next? Because I'm very lost without the enhanced senses my physical body had..." Being honest again, she just kinda had to give up her leadership like that. It was a shame, but also necessary if they wanted to make any real progress without walking in circles for god knows how long. And no, she did not know.

Word Count - 654 / 4700 total

Noheme was proud of her victory and she demanded attention? Or at least maybe few complimentary words? She received absolutely nothing which left her in rather annoyed state, floating above the ground as she pouted at the young girl. But something was wrong. Very wrong and she herself could feel it even from this distance by simply looking at the female in front of her. Her expression and posture, as well as actions and reactions. They were quite different from what she displayed before. And while it was rather soon to be saying that the moon goddess knew her partner for this job, she got enough to judge quite a bit of her character. That was what made this situation rather worrying. Even her companion appeared to be quite distressed by this whole ordeal, which made the ghostly fox girl float closer. And once again, her newly gained formed proved to be nothing but troublesome and in the way. Under normal circumstances, she would force the girl in front of her to remain standing still, checking her for anything that would appear wrong. Not that she was a doctor of any description, but she was highly ranked mage and a goddess on top of that! Maybe something like that would be enough for her to spot a magical mark or anything else that could be messing Sorano up. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite capable of that. And she wasn't all that interested in just floating about, trying to take a good look at that young body of hers in such a weird manner. Sighing, she would rub her head for a good moment before looking around. It looked like there was nothing at all that would help them in locating the enemy who was playing the master puppeteer. Even the moon goddess lost most of her enhances senses with this new form.

"Well, that's quite problematic, isn't it? But are you sure you're feeling up to it? I know my presence inspires others to do everything to the best of their abilities, but I'd prefer you don't strain yourself too much. Just looking at you makes me feel tired myself." Whatever the problem was, it was not small. And Sorano probably deserved to know that she did not look all that swell to outsiders as well. Feeling one way was something. But looking ill was something completely else and perhaps even more problematic. Suddenly, more howls and wails of agony echoed through the room and halls of this place. They haven't even left the ballroom yet! And more enemies were already catching up to them. So far, only two humanoid figures walked through the walls. They were slow, limping towards them with bags over their heads and nooses around their next. Talk about creepy and disturbing. All eight orbs started floating around the two girls again in defensive manner as Noheme turned to her partner with concerned look. "I can probably take them if you can't. I don't care what you decide to do, just make sure you're still by your senses  and standing by the end of it. While you can carry my body out of here, I'm not sure I could carry yours." It was actually a legitimate concern. And while it sounded brutal, the fox girl only meant carrying out the girl's body in case she would faint or something. No one would be dying today, no on her watch! Especially not someone as cute as that, that was for sure! But while she said that she can probably take them, those two were only the first ones. She had a feeling several more would soon float in through the walls, possibly looking even more terrible and creepy that these ones. It was almost hard to imagine, but this place was good at surprising them so far. At least one thing that it has going on for it, it seems...

Word Count - 652 / 5352 total

Yeah, just looking at the poor girl was enough to see everything rather clearly. Noheme was no doctor, but even to her it was obvious that Sorano wasn't exactly at her best, not by a long shot. Her face, her whole body and even her magical energy. Everything felt so... tired and pushed to the very limit of what is possible. But at the same time, it didn't even look like the girl was pushing herself like that either. Was this whole place really having such a bad effect on her? It was certainly possible, but hard to confirm with that stone mask she was wearing over her actual feelings. People like that... the moon goddess wouldn't say she hated them. But she certainly disliked that behaviour, as it made them hard to approach and protect. If there was no way of telling what the small letter mage was thinking, how could possibly someone else rush to her aid effectively if things were to go south? That was why she disliked people such as this. Although maybe that was the wrong word to use there. Being irritated by them was more like it. Somehow, the fox girl came to like this one, even though they barely knew one another. Maybe it was precisely because of that mask that she kinda wanted to get closer to her, help her. Was it foolish? Was it selfish? Was it simply ridiculous? Most likely yes, which was exactly why she wanted to do it. The goddess was always up for a challenge and making a friend like that would be for the very first time too. But not only would it be a feat to accomplish this, it could also serve as the girl's entrance to this brand new world of mortals where different bonds were always forged between individuals. Something that a goddess could not yet understand, yet wished to. A learning process that many would think completely natural and already finished at that age. But they did not know from where the goddess came, a place of great loneliness where she existed completely and utterly alone.

Sorano agreed that she probably needed at least some rest and wished for Noheme to take on the first two ghastly figures that appeared. They were unsightly and slowly shambling towards them, so they would probably not really pose a problem, even for a magician that currently couldn't use most of her powers. A smile grew wide on her face as she winged at the young girl and turned to face the enemies, one of the black balls taking a form of a dark long sword in the ghostly fox girl's hand. "Alright! You stay back and holler if anything goes wrong, okay? I'll make quick work of them!" Saying those words while filled with confidence, she would start charging at the enemies with her floating figure, the rest of her spell in form of seven more orbs following. The slowly moving ghost was no match for the girl that focused on speed as she zoomed past one, her weapon digging deep into it and slicing it's torse apart in one expert motion. It would most definitely be a fatal wound if performed on a regular human being, but this one just kinda stumbled to the side and turned around as if it was nothing at all. Clicking her tongue, the goddess would turn her gaze to the other one, only to find him swiping with his hands at her, managing to avoid them only narrowly and performing a counter strike that managed to separate one of those hands from the body. Though once again, she was merely rewarded by a bit of moaning and no real sign that these guys were anywhere near defeat. She probably had to change her strategy around a bit. As much as she liked the sword she was holding right now, it was not very effective. She had to hit them with everything she got in one quick motion and destroy them completely as quickly as possible to ensure victory. She was only against two weaklings, so prolonging this any further would be simply embarrassing.

The sword flew out of her hand and formed into a ball shape once more, joining the rest as she the girl scanned the two ghosts who were slowly walking towards her. With a sigh, all of the orbs around her formed into one again, though it stopped floating and instead landed in the goddess' hand. And with a smirk, she would target one of the unfortunate souls. "Alright, time to return back to your eternal slumber!" With those sharp words, she charged back at them, burying the orb into one's chest as a weapon and only watching as it slowly dissolved into the enemy, quickly forming into multiple strikes that tore the ghost apart from inside. Something like that would probably be rather gruesome if they were actually made out of flesh and blood, but like this, only strange ethereal materials would float in the air and slowly dissipate. But it was not the time to rest yet, as the other one was still around. Though she planned to deal with him just as quick, getting behind the mildly transparent body and grabbing the noose like it was some kind of lasso, essentially spinning the ghost in the air and then tossing it into the wall where her trusty orbs transformed into spikes and finished him off. Looking back at her ally, she realized that the young girl was in quite the peril right now, as she faced more enemies than she could possibly handle. So if Sorano was to look at the Banshy again, she would probably see a black arrow pierce it's head as Noheme transformed her ability into another weapon, a bow. Though the fox girl no longer stood in the place from where she fired. Instead, she landed right next to the young guildmaster, the remaining orbs spinning around then and forming a small protected space for the two of them. "Are you alright? If you're hurt, I should still be able to use my healing spell."

Word Count - 1027 / 6379 total

Truly, this place did have some rather strange vibe to it from the very moment they entered. But what exactly was it? Noheme wasn't able to properly place her finger on it this entire time and thus found it not worth mentioning in the slightest, perhaps even somewhat dismissing it as her own imagination. But was that really just that? Nothing more than an illusion of her own conscious? Well, one could never really know in a cursed house that was impossible to leave until the source of said curse was diminished. And as that continued, the fights got more and more intense as their opponents grew stranger and stranger. Sorano was surely conflicted to at least some degree, having to attack small children no matter how ghastly their figures appeared.

It was why the goddess in disguise rushed to her help in the best possible manner she knew. But to what effect? Even if her ethereal form rested next to the young guild master, would it really change anything at this point. The fight was escalating in a way she did not expect after all, an unseen betrayal soon to take place. The floating orbs were something that could not even be properly considered magic and indeed, they could even conquer a whole set of spells if used properly. But that did not make them invincible in any way, as the foreign object clearly pierced one of them, pinning it to a wall. Something quite sudden and attention grasping, forcing the fox girl's head to turn in rapid and uncertain motion. She had no idea what to expect of her partner who right now wasn't quite herself. What she saw was a seemingly soulless lump of flesh that moved as someone's puppet, the spark of life behind her eyes snuffed out. No matter how convincing Sorano's mask would be, something like that could never be hidden.

With a click of a tongue, the goddess had to think. There were still other opponents after all, ready to attack this trio of theirs. She had to deal with them as quickly as possible, for her own sake and for Sorano's. Thankfully, the young girl seemed to stop her sudden assault which made things much easier. Clapping her hands together with force, Noheme would suddenly produce a great wave of magical power, one that was quite unsavory to say the least. As much as people would not like it, she was a goddess of both light and the dark. And her lineage spoke for itself, bathing in the inky Abyss of black. That was the origin of her floating orbs, an amalgam of raw power held together by something called "Miracle energy".

A concept that existed alongside ehternano and power that would feed curses of demons. Power that the girl inherited from the one who gave her the gift of life... the power of so-called miracle demons. Something that was a bit hard to explain in an easily digestive manner. Of course, now was not the time to explain something like that anyway. The seven remaining orbs resonated with this wave of energy, producing something akin to a black sparks all around them. And with a newly found grin on her face, the fox girl would throw her hand into the air, all of the orbs sweeping by her in a speed that manged to force the dust into the air, all of them crashing into the child spirits as the beads transformed into spikes, impaling them all in an onslaught devoid of mercy. But it was necessary if they wished to progress properly and with their lives intact. The air calmed itself soon after, only leaving one of the child spirits left standing. Though it was soon finished as well by Sorano's newly found form. Something that the goddess actually recognized.

"You're... I see, so you're of that descend, huh? Once had a run-in with someone with powers like that, though their soul form was much darker than yours. Seems like we're both kinda ghosts now... think you can make it? I want to find whoever did that to you as well, punch their face in already!"

No doubt this was the wrong way of thinking about it, but Noheme started seeing this young lass as one of her own subjects for some reason. And while she was one wild goddess that generally did not much care for those around her, she was benevolent and protective of those that served her to some degree. And right now, she was about ready to tear apart the being that managed to force the young lady's magical power out of her body to form such an image. The problem was, they still didn't quite know where to go to accomplish something like that. The mansion which was a maze on it's own... the situation was starting to get more and more complicated it seemed.

Word Count - 7199 / 10125

Truly, this place was starting to annoy the goddess greatly. When she approached this place, she was expecting an adventure of a completely different type than this. They had faced so many ghosts at this point, that it became completely normal to the Joyan girl. And to anyone other than her would be probably a very alarming thing. Her ghastly form would sigh as she continued up the stairs and listened to the girl’s reassurance. She said she was fine and the vixen planned on believing her. And if she was not fine, well… then she would just have to help her out a bit again. No big deal.

In the end, it was Noheme here. A fox girl that was often filled with lust for the feminine gender. Sorano could consider herself lucky, as if she was a male, she would probably not receive this much support from her partner on this job. The only shame was that she realized this situation and the fact that the other girl seemed to hide her emotions away meant that the two of them would not end up in the same bed tonight after all was said and done. Something that made the ghostly girl lose a fair bit of motivation, as silly as that was.

Reaching what she assumed to be the second floor, they were faced yet with another set of rooms that would lead to nothing all too important. Most of the places completely empty and devoid of any signs of life or unlife, the goddess started questioning if they by any chance managed to purge all the ghosts present here. Probably not, but at least they were not hesitant to come after them. And that was nice enough for now. The less annoying ghosts in the way, the better. She had no idea how many more fights she could take before snapping.

She and Sorano separated for a bit, as the younger female seemed to have gone and started exploring another one of the room. A bathroom, that was. And seeing how Noheme found absolutely nothing aside from more fancy furnishings and a royal-sized bed that she tried to jump on but just phased through it, she decided to accompany the small guild master again. And just in time, as one would have it. Hearing the exceed’s cry for help, albeit it wasn’t asking for help directly, she would rush over. And in an instant, the two ghosts would fly to the side and through the walls.

“Ghaa, so annoying! Why did I not think of this before?!” Sorano could see that her companion’s form was… different, to say the least. The moment they entered this place, her soul would separate from her physical body. And ever since then, the vixen complained about being unable to use proper physical attacks. But on her way to the girl’s rescue, she realized something rather dumb. She was able to transform and mold those floating balls of hers as much as she wanted. So what exactly was it that she needed to do?

Just mold them in such a way where they would surround her entire body and take on a shape of full-body armor. Or in this case, it appeared more like a very skin-tight wetsuit, for some reason. The point was - if the balls could affect enemies, then doing this would give her a physical form of sorts again! And even further beyond that, it meant that she could use some of her spells that she was unable to use before. “This whole house is so annoying… hey, Sorano. I feel like I saved you a fair bit of times now. You better at least give me a kiss as a reward once we’re out!”

For some reason, she looked very mad when she shouted that as her hands suddenly became coated with a black substance that radiated power. The ghosts would charge from the walls where they were flung before and try to attack the goddess but to no avail. A pitch-black chain of magical energy would shoot out of the vixen’s hand and coil around both of the ghosts in a big circle. Jumping above its height, she just tugged on it and the two ethereal beings were forced together and restrained, only for the fox girl to land on their hands and deliver a powerful kick to their faces.

At that moment, her leg was also coated with the magical energy. And it made her attack forceful enough to send the poor undead creatures flying way out into the hallway and dissipate. “Okay… not that I have my powers back, we can get this show on the road. C’mon, let’s find whoever is behind this curse and kick their arse already!” She would turn toward Sorano and the exceed and beckon them with her hand. Though every time she gestured toward Sorano like this, her reactions were much softer, as if she was greatly restraining herself in order to be nice to the other female.

Bolting out of the bathroom, there was suddenly something that the goddess felt. A flicker of energy that was above magic, but below godhood. Nodding to herself, she would start sprinting in its direction down the hallway. Hopefully, the guild master was able to follow. Taking one left, then right, the two lefts and suddenly she found herself in front of yet another doorway. But these doors were completely different from everything before. Almost as if it was meant to lead to a king’s personal room. Pushing against it with her newly found physical form, Noheme opened the doors and entered.

Just as the doors would suggest, they entered some sort of a throne room. It was giant with plenty of space for a proper boss fight. And on the other end of the red carpet was a golden chair with what appeared to be a child sitting on it. A young girl with long black hair and crimson red eyes. “There it is. The Queen of this house, are ya? I don’t feel all too excited about beating up a kid, but you’re not going to give me a choice, huh?” To that, the ghostly child named Silica just laughed.

Word Count - 8,240 / 10,125