The two figures burst through the curtain of foliage in a frantic zigzag, landing abruptly on the platform of roots in front of the fossilized tree.
When the mana dust settled, Lohan and Lisa saw two tiny fairies whose petal wings still held a glow that seemed to be wasting mana to stay active, even though their plant-silk clothes were slightly singed.
Seeing that they seemed to be fleeing some battle, Lohan was curious to see how this would play out, since those two little creatures had clearly come specifically for Pip.
’I wonder if they’re going to ask for his help dealing with some monster? Maybe a family reconciliation drama will unfold right here in front of me?’ Lohan thought excitedly, wishing there were popcorn for him to eat right now.
With no popcorn to eat, Lohan used the eyeballs of some monsters stored in the Astral Chest as he exited his "combat mode" and watched the scene with interest.
To others, the scene looked like something out of a horror movie, with a fox covered in blue jelly from which, every few seconds, a new pair of eyes would emerge and be digested in an instant.
Lohan didn’t even taste those eyes; he just wanted the sensation of snacking on something while watching a satisfying drama.
But instead of bursting into tears or calling for help, the little female fairy stood with her hands on her hips, looking at Pip, who maintained his guard posture with his metallic glass wings, with an expression of clear superiority.
"Pip! How nice that Pip is still playing soldier out here," Peoni exclaimed, in a high-pitched voice laced with an arrogance that made Lohan’s core vibrate with irritation. "Pip must return to Petal Village now. Those metal monsters are burning everything down, and Pip is the only one with enough brute strength to serve as a shield for the noble fairies!"
Pecan nodded, ignoring Lisa and Lohan who stood near the tree as if they were mere decorations in the landscape. "Pecan and Peoni allow Pip to use that impure strength Pip gained from those monsters to protect the village. It is Pip’s duty to atone for the dishonor of having been expelled for not being a pure gardener."
A tense silence fell over the platform.
Lohan felt his neon-blue gelatin pulsate with a blackish-purple hue, a sign of his growing fury. Beside him, Lisa’s two tails quivered with dangerous spiritual electricity, and her golden eyes narrowed into icy slits.
Lohan thought he’d witness a satisfying drama of Pip restoring glory to the regret of the fairies who couldn’t handle some powerful foe, but instead he was witnessing a drama of an arrogant and ungrateful family?!
Elle, who had been tending to the nearby flowers, flew over to her brother, her face red with indignation. "Peoni and Pecan have no shame?! Pip was called a burden! Pip was left to be drained by the Beetle Queen because no one wanted to risk their wings for him! Now that the village is dying, Peoni and Pecan demand that Pip crawl back?!"
Pip tensed his muscles, his glass wings producing the hissing sound of blades clashing. He looked at the fairies who had once scorned him and felt the weight of humiliation try to return.
"Pip won’t go," Pip declared, his voice sounding deeper due to the power of Queen Beetle and Halon still coursing through his system. "Pip has found a new home. Pip is no longer Peoni and Pecan’s lazy servant. Pip won’t crawl back to those who wished for Pip’s death."
As he said this, Pip exuded the power of a Level 10 Elite creature, just one step away from reaching Level 11, something far more powerful and distant from the weak Level 6 and 7 power of these two fairies in front of him.
The two fairies took a step back, shocked by Pip’s defiance and audacity in exuding that power, which was impure to them.
Peoni snorted, her arrogance wavering under the pressure emanating from Pip, unaware that the two creatures he had ignored at his side possessed an aura even more terrifying than his. "How dare Pip?! If Petal Village falls, the flowers of Mythlorien will wither! Pip will be to blame for the extinction of beauty!"
However, the sound of a distant explosion and the acrid smell of fire and chemical waste picked up by Lohan’s Chemosensory Aptitude brought reality to the surface.
Black smoke began to rise above the treetops toward the village.
Peoni and Pecan looked back, and terror finally washed away the arrogance from their faces. They realized that without Pip’s strength, they would be the next to be "processed" by the invaders, just as the village was being now.Reluctantly, Peoni lowered her head, her petal wings wilting. "Peoni... Peoni and Pecan beg.
Those monsters with fire irons are too strong... If Pip doesn’t help, there won’t be a village left for Pip to hate."
Pip hesitated. Lohan realized that the little fairy boy still had a kind heart and wanted to save his people, but his wounded pride prevented him from accepting being used again. Pip turned to the two creatures at his side.
"Lord Halon, Lady Lisa... what does Halon think Pip should do?" Pip asked through the mental link Lisa had just formed between them, seeking the tactical wisdom of those he now saw as his true masters.
Lohan rolled forward, forming a small bluish hand that glowed with golden particles. He would not allow his subordinate to be humiliated.
"Pip owes you nothing as village fairies." Lohan finally spoke, letting his deep voice resonate in Peoni and Pecan’s minds like thunder. "Now Pip is part of Astralis Requiem, a Guild that values and encourages him to pursue his own dreams, unlike you ungrateful fairies who see him as nothing more than a disposable pawn."
Upon hearing that voice, the two fairies were shocked, looking around and searching for whoever was saying that.
Following Pip’s gaze, they realized something even more shocking. Who was speaking to them like that, with such audacity, a Slime?!