-Fungal Forest-

  "What the fuck is that?!"

  "Shhh!"

  It didn't take long for the trio to arrive at the lake at the center of the forest. It was surprisingly peaceful at the lake, with the monsters there forgoing attacking anyone to instead absorb as much water as they could before trudging back into the forest. Even when Jacob tripped on a tree branch and tumbled down onto a fungal monster resting near the lake's edge, the fungal monster remained calm and continued absorbing water.

  Taking advantage of this peaceful opportunity, the trio explored around the lake and gathered anything that caught their eye. Sera filled an entire Storage pouch with various fungi, while Jacob and Iris also gathered some of the lake's water in empty bottles along with several pounds of ore they mined from a surface vein nearby.

  Iris also took this time to observe and jot down the behaviours she noticed about the various fungal monsters she encountered near the lake. There were two especially notable behaviours she noticed. The first was that if alone, the fungal monsters would become extremely defensive once filled with water and retreat carefully back to their territory, ensuring not a drop was lost.

  The other notable behaviour Iris noticed was from the fungal monsters at the lake, who were with similar fungal monsters. In this case, one of the monsters would fill up even more with water than those who were alone, to the point that their bodies would start to break apart. Once one of the fungal monsters in a group finishes becoming a living water container, some in the group would then drag them back into the forest while the rest follow, vigilantly guarding them. Iris theorizes that the different behaviours stem from the differences in territory size.

  Fungal monsters from smaller territories can't afford to send out too many to get water, or they risk being wiped out due to a lack of manpower. In contrast, fungal monsters from larger territories have more bodies to work with and can afford to send out more to gather water. This theory also explains why those in groups would need more water than solitary individuals. Iris isn't quite sure why the fungal monsters would need the water, especially with how damp the forest is. However, one thing she is confident in is that whatever the fungal monsters are using the water for, those in larger territories would need more of it, probably to help maintain the larger numbers.

  It was one of these moments when Iris was observing the fungal monsters at the lake while the other two with her rested, that the three of them started hearing heavy thumping coming from the forest and heading towards them. At first, the trio wasn't worried, but that quickly changed when they noticed the fungal monsters at the lake fleeing from the area, with some of them even expelling the water in their bodies so that they could run away faster. Noticing that something was clearly wrong, the trio quickly ran into the forest and hid nearby, making sure that the lake was still visible from their location.

  The three students waited anxiously as the heavy tumping got louder and louder. Squinting her eyes, Iris prepped her weapons, Jacob clutched his staff tighter, while Sera's breathing got heavier every time she heard a loud crashing of fungal trees followed by more thumping. The first thing the trio saw was a thick spore cloud of various colours with a hulking silhouette within. The cloud of spores became progressively thinner as the figure approached the lake, fully dispersing once the figure broke past the tree line. With the cloud of spores fully gone, the trio was finally able to see the figure.

  It was a large fungal monster with a body composed of a patchwork of several different kinds of fungi, forcibly twisted and melded together. The majority of the monster's body had large holes, making it clear that the monster was mostly hollowed inside, with only thick, coiled bar-like body segments keeping it from collapsing on itself. The top of the monster's body was a wide, pulsating cap of multi-coloured fungal flesh covered with countless small holes. The hulking monster moved by dragging itself across the forest floor on tentacles of thick, coiled mycelium that burst out of the bottom of its body.

  The ground shook every time the monster's thick tenacles slammed into the ground as it dragged itself towards the lake. Once the hulking creature got closer, the first thing the three students noticed was that its cage-like body was filled with the shrivelled up corpses of various other fungal monsters. On closer inspection, Iris noticed that some of the supposed corpses were actually alive, with the fungal monster barely clinging to life as it struggled against the tendrils that bound its body.

  "Do either of you know what that thing is?" Asked Jacop as he anxiously eyed the hulking mass resting at the lakeside.

  "No," Iris whispered back. "But that's clearly a Boss monster if I ever saw one." Sera gulped down the lump in her throat at Iris's words.

  "What should we do?"

  "I think it's best if we get out as far away from here befor it notices us." She turned to look at the other two. "Unless either of you wants to attempt to fight it?" They rapidly shook their heads. "In that case, let's go." Iris turned around and started making her way deeper into the forest, back towards Piki's territory. "Be careful, we don't know how sensitive to stimuli that thing is. So try not to make any loud noises or sudden movements."

  "Wait," Sera softly called out, causing the other two to stop and turn to look at her. Sera rummaged around her bag and took out three face masks. "We don't know how strong the Bosses' spores can be, how long they can last befor becoming inert, nor if they can trigger them again. Even if it's not visible, the spores might still be potent enough to affect us, and there is a chance that the wind blew some of them back into the forest." Putting her face mask on over the one she is already wearing, Sera handed the other two to Iris and Jacob, who quickly put them on. Now wearing extra protection, the trio quietly rushed back to Piki's territory.

  While they made their way through the forest, they occasionally came into contact with some of the fungi, which rubbed spores onto their clothes. Unable to stop this due to the forest being entirely made out of mushrooms and already used to this happening without any major concession, the trio ignored the spores getting on them, completely focused on getting back to a safer location without alerting the massive monster nearby.

  Unseen by any human, the hulking monster plunged two massive mycelium tendrils into the lake and greedily absorbed some of the seemingly endless water. Its already large limbs grew thicker as it took in more water; however, before they could burst, the water would flow up its body and into the tendrils binding the shrivelled up monsters trapped in its cage-like body. As it took in more water, the ends of the binding tendrils began to squirm before they pierced the trapped monster's bodies, and started pumping water into them, causing them to balloon in size and turning the struggling captives into living water storage. After an hour of barely moving, the hulking Boss finally finished absorbing water from the lake and reeled the two tendrils in. Using its thick tendrils to lift its large body a few meters off the ground, the Boss violently shook its body, shooting spores all around it.

  Once the area was covered in a thin cloud of spores, the Boss, while still being supported by its thick, coiled tendril, stood motionless for a few minutes. It was only after all the spores had either been blown away by the wind or settled onto the ground that the Boss finally lowered its body back down onto the ground. Unable to sense any nearby prey, the large Boss dragged itself back towards where it came from. However, right before it could reenter the forest, it sensed some of its dying spores that it had spewed out earlier being carried off into the distance in a different direction.

  Normally, it would have ignored them due to the distance between it and the spore carriers being too great, but something deep within its cap was urging its animalistic mind to pursue them. The Boss tried to ignore the urging; it didn't know what was carrying its spore, but they could tell it wasn't very large and most likely wasn't worth the effort to hunt down. However, the longer the Boss tried to ignore it, the louder the voice got, to the point of overpowering any other thoughts. Irritated by the deafening voice yelling in its aching mind, the hulking monster thrashed around, destroying and uprooting the nearby fungal tree as its body started to vibrate while letting a loud, low rumbling sound. Unable to endure the voice's urging anymore, the Boss turned its body around and began dragging itself towards the direction it sensed the carriers of its spores were going.

  -Vibrant Jungle-

  Lilial picked up each pearl one by one and inspected each of them, looking for any imperfection or hint that they could be fake, before placing them back down on the ground. ~I have a few items in mind I can trade for these.~ She looked up and down the human's body, frowning slightly at how creepily average they looked. ~You don't look physically strong, nor do I see any weapons with you. So I'm guessing you're a magic user?~ The human shrugged.

  ~You can say that, I do mainly use magic to fight.~ Lilial nodded, ignoring how weirdly the human answered her question, chalking it up to the human's most likely limited vocabulary when using her native tongue.

  ~How about I trade you a wand for these pearls? Don't human magic users need a magical focus to cast spells?~

  ~Not particularly, but I am interested in the wand. What can it do?~

  ~From my testing, the wand allows the user to control Mana more smoothly and precisely, meaning you'll be able to cast spells using slightly less Mana.~

  ~How much Mana reduction are we talking about?~

  ~It varies depending on how skilled you are at spell casting and how good your Mana control is.~

  ~Do you have any rough estimates in percentages?~

  ~Maybe roughly, five to ten percent.~

  ~Hmm, would it be possible for me to see the wand?~ Lilial nodded before diving back into the water. It wasn't long before she resurced with a fifteen-centimetre-long pointed stick made out of several dozen coiled wood fibres in her hand. Swimming back to the pond's edge, she placed the slightly damp wand down in front of the human. The human looked down on the item. ~May I inspect it?~

  ~Be my guest.~

  Picking up the wand, the human looked over the entire thing before giving it a few experimental swings. ~How much is the Mana reduction?~ Lilial heard the human softly mutter to himself. ~Six percent? How about now?~ Lilial figured she might as well look the odd human over again while she waited for him to finish talking to himself. ~Eight percent? What if I do this?~ The human muttered before she began dragging the pointed end of the wand over his hand as if he were drawing on it.

  Eyeing the human, Lilial's frown deepened, and her brow furrowed as she noticed more and more odd aspects of him. Even if the human was a magic user, she still expected a more defined body, given how he kept up with her. The human's body was leaner than she expected, yet not frail-looking. If Lilial were being generous, she would describe the human's body as middling, and if she weren't, she would call him uncannily average. That was all she had to say about the human until she noticed his eyes.

  'Pink?' In a sea of blandness that was the human, his uniquely pink eyes popped out to her. 'That's a beautiful shade of pink to have as an eye colour. To think such vibrant eyes are wasted on such painfully plain-looking human.' Staring deeply into his eyes, Lilial was lost in her fantasies of plucking them out of his head and admiring them deep within her underwater home.

  ~Yeah, I can make use of this.~ Lilial was suddenly brought back into reality. Blinking away her vivid daydream, Lilial focused on the human who was looking right at her. ~So the deal is the twelve pearls for this wand?~

  ~Y-yes,~ she stammered before letting out a fake cough. ~That's correct, I'll give you this wand for your twelve pearls.~ She subtly glanced at the human to see if there were any signs that he noticed her slip-up. Lilial let out a mental sigh of relief when she didn't see any. She then watched the human bring the wand to his side before it disappeared, followed by him muttering something under his breath. Used to seeing this happen with humans, Lilial grabbed the pearls and dove back down to hide them away. Once she resurfaced and swam back, the human had laid down a small blanket on the ground along with twelve small black boxes on top of it.

  ~My next offer,~ he waved at the twelve boxes between them. ~A set of six pairs of rings with various gemstones, enchanted with different enchantments.~ With sparkling eyes, Lilial picked up one of the boxes and opened it up to reveal a glistening rose gold ring adorned with a deep, glossy, solid black gemstone. ~There are two rose gold rings adorned with black onyx gems that grant dark vision without the risk of being blinded by sudden lights.~ He described each time Lilial picked up a new pair. ~Two silver rings adorned with canis moonstones that give the wearer minor Mana sense. Two yellow gold rings adorned with demonic eye rubies that can slightly heal injuries if given a steady flow of Mana and grant a minor heat resistance. Two white gold rings adorned with Kashmir blue sapphires, while also enveloping the wearer in a barrier that blocks attacks in proportion to the Mana it is given, along with providing a minor cold resistance. Two yellow gold rings with ocean depth emeralds will cast a weak Boost spell on the wearer when given Mana. And finally, two platinum rings adorned with black opals that heal most minor poisons, diseases and other minor ailments if given a steady flow of Mana.~

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  ~These are beautiful!~ The human smuggly nodded.

  ~I would hope so, it took me a while to find a good enough jeweller, and it wasn't easy to engrave complete enchantments on such small items either.~ The human let out a disappointed sigh. ~Selling the materials for the rings would have also allowed me to buy so many high-quality Mana potions.~ He softly muttered under his breath loud enough that Lilial was barely able to hear him. ~Eh, no point in crying over already spilled milk. So what do you say? What do you have to offer for these rings?~ Lilial looked over the twelve rings while mentally listing off the different items she had stored in the pond.

  ~Do you have any items in particular you are looking for?~

  ~Anything that increases my Mana regeneration.~ The human instinctively answered. ~If you don't have anything like that, an item that can help replenish my Mana in other ways would be nice as well.~ Lilial nodded.

  ~I think I have a few items in mind that fit that description, or at least have similar effects.~ Diving back down into the water, Lilial resurfaced a few minutes later with a woven bag made out of vines in her hand. Swimming back to the edge. Opening the bag, she took out three items, laid the bag on the ground, and placed them on it. ~These are the best items I am willing to offer you that match what you're asking for, and that can be traded for using your rings.~

  ~May I?~ She nodded. The human picked up the first item: a blank baby-blue mask.

  ~I like to call that the elemental mask,~ Lilial explained, similar to how the human had dones so with the rings. ~It's one of many that I have that grants the wearer an elemental's ability to absorb a specific material to replenish their body. Well, for a physical being like you and me, it instead converts the specific material into Mana. However, keep in mind that the rate of conversion is many times slower than an actual elemental, but it still grants a significant defensive resistance against the chosen material. The masks you're wearing convert water to Mana.~ It was Lilial's turn to smuggly chuckle at the sight of the human's eyes widening at her explanation.

  ~How fast is the conversion rate?~ The human asked after recovering from his shock.

  ~You know the bottle you drank out of earlier?~ He nodded. ~It takes roughly thirty minutes for it to convert that amount of water into pure Mana~

  ~Thirty minutes?~ He muttered to himself ~That's a pretty long time for only a bottle's worth of water. Wait, a minute, did you say pure Mana?~ She nodded. ~How pure are we talking about?~

  ~Very.~

  ~Damn, that changes a lot. You said you have several masks that work with different materials?~

  ~ Correct, but before you ask, I'm only willing to trade you one of the masks.~

  ~Hmm, in that case, what types of materials do you have masks for?~

  ~Well, besides the water one you are holding, I also have one for fire, loose earth, stone, wind, sand, ice, snow, mud, lightning, crystals, wood, ash, a tri-colour mask that I couldn't figure out what material it converts to,~ The human squinted his eyes a bit. ~And lastly, one for blood.~

  ~What colour was the tri-colour mask?~ The human asked with, if Lilial heard correctly, a hint of suspicion. ~ Were the colours in any patterns?~

  ~Yes, it is. The mask has three distinct stripes or sections in the colours of white, pink or light red, and brown. Do you recognize this pattern? Is it a hint of what material it uses?~

  ~I think I know what kind of elemental the mask is supposed to represent, but I really hope that I'm wrong.~

  ~Oh, in that case, why don't you tell me what you think? You wouldn't be so cruel to tease me with an answer I've been wondering about and leave me hanging, would you?~

  ~Ice cream elemental,~ The human spat out with a grimace, venom in his tone.

  ~Ice cream?~ Lilial hesitently repeated with a tilt of her head, unsure if she heard him correctly or not. ~I'm not familiar with that material, though, judging from your expression, I'm guessing it isn't one that you would want to be an elemental off. Is it some poisonous material? Or perhaps from the ice in its name, is it a material that freezes those who come into contact with it?~

  ~It's a cold, sweet-tasting food that comes in numerous flavours.~

  ~Sweet-tasting food? Like the berries you can pluck from some of the tree tops?~

  ~Some ice creams can be made using berries, so in a way, you got the gist of it.~ Lilial thought back to the tri-coloured mask she had stored away.

  ~Is there really an elemental like that?~ The human let out a defeated sigh.

  ~Sadly, there is.~ Lilial eyed the human, looking for any signs of deceit, only to grow more confused when she didn't find any.

  ~Truly?~ He nodded. ~Then are you willing to trade a ring for that mask?~ She accidentally blurted out.

  ~Pttthh! Hahahahahahahahah~ Lilial's face lit up at the human's laughter. Clearing her throat, she figured it would be best to wait for him to finish, only to grow more flustered when he showed no signs of doing so. Her face grew even redder when the human fell to his side and started slapping the ground.

  ~Enough already! It wasn't that funny!~

  ~Ok, ok, -cough-.~ He sat back up and dusted the dirt off his clothes. ~Sorry, that just caught me off guard. There is no need for any pouting.~

  ~I do no such thing.~ She pouted. ~So, which elemental mask do you want?~ Lilial asked, trying to move the discussion along.

  ~Before I choose, you said you have one for blood?~

  ~Correct, but I wouldn't recommend it.~

  ~Why? Is it cursed or something?~

  ~It might as well be. From my testing, the mask converts the wearer's own blood into Mana, without any disregard for their health or any easy way to stop the effect. If you're not prepared or if you're already losing blood, this can cause you to pass out. In the worst-case scenario, this might even lead to your death as the mask will continue turning your blood into Mana even while you're unconscious. This very thing almost happened to me when I tested it. The only reason it didn't was that I had one of my sirens on standby just in case something happened. And trust me, human, the Mana Sickness I suffered afterwards was one of the worst I ever had.~

  ~Mana Sickness? Why would it be -Ah! Yes, that makes sense. Yeah, I can see how Mana suddenly appearing in someone's body would result in a more severe case of Mana Sickness compared to the more steady stream that you would get from the other mask.~ Listening to the humans' mutterings, she thought over his theory before nodding in agreement. The human placed the mask back down and picked up the next item, a completely bland-looking, solid silver ring without any adornments or carvings. The human brought the ring up towards the sky and inspected it. ~This doesn't look like an item you'll have.~

  ~And you'll typically be correct. You see, when I first acquired that ring, I was tempted to toss it away immediately because it was so plain. However, before I was able to do that, I noticed the subtle shift in Mana that occurred around the ring. After some testing, I found out that the ring has two functions. The first is that it passively absorbs and stores ambient Mana around it, which, if you're skilled enough, you can later redirect into yourself. The second function is that the ring eases the flow of Mana in a small radius around it. Not only does this aid in its first function, but it also helps magic users who cast spells with their hands.~

  ~How much Mana can this store?~

  ~It's hard to measure, but I estimate it can hold enough Mana for a spell strong enough to snap one of the nearby trees in half.~ The human quickly glanced at the trees around them before turning his gaze back towards the ring. 'Hmm?' On closer inspection, Lilial realized that the human wasn't actually looking at the ring but at the space around it instead, as if he could see something flowing through the air. However, before she could think too deeply about the human's odd behaviour, he lowered the ring and set it back down, before picking up the last item. It was a beautifully crafted crystal eye with a piercing ruby red iris and pitch black pupil, attached to a platinum chain. The crystal eye was roughly the same size as an actual eye, and from Lilial's experience, the chain was long enough that it could comfortably hang around one's neck. With the platinum chain wrapped around his hand, the human stared at the dangling crystal eye.

  ~I'm surprised you're willing to part ways with this.~

  ~It may be beautiful, but it doesn't fit my or any of my siren's style, and it would be a waste to leave such an item just lying around.~ The human brought the eye to his face to get a closer look at it.

  ~What effects does it have?~

  ~To start with, I need to clarify one thing. Unlike the other two items, this necklace doesn't help you recover Mana. Instead, while you wear the necklace, it condenses and refines the Mana in your body, in a sense, allowing you to cast larger spells using less Mana. This effect isn't that strong, so at most you'll be able to cast roughly one and a half more spells using the same amount of Mana. However, if what you're worried about is running out of Mana, then I think those one and a half spells would make a big difference.~

  ~Hmm,~ The human hummed while eyeing the crystal eye with intrigue. ~An interesting effect, especially one for a necklace in the shape of an eye.~ He turned his gaze towards Lilial while lowering the necklace in front of him. ~I'm guessing that isn't all?~

  ~And you'll be correct. The previously mentioned ability is more of a bonus effect that, from my research, seemed to have been an unintended consequence of its two main functions. The necklace's first main function is to allow the wearer to see Mana around them. It does this by condensing nearby Mana to the point it is visible to the naked eye. As you might have guessed, this also condenses the Mana in the wearer's body.~ The human swung the necklace around his hand before catching it between his fingers. He then shot both Lilial and the necklace a perplexed look.

  ~Sorry, I think I might have misheard you. Did you say it condenses nearby Mana until it is visible to the naked eye?~

  ~You did not mishear me; I did say that.~ He looked more confused after her confirmation.

  ~First of all, that seems very impractical. And second of all, wouldn't that interfere with certain spells that I might want to cast? Many spells aren't designed to be cast using condensed Mana, especially Mana that is condensed enough to be visible to the naked eye.~ She nodded.

  ~Yes, you'll be correct. I encountered that same issue during my own testing. However, I think you're missing one small detail that, in my opinion, trivializes this problem.~

  ~And that would be?~

  ~You can always take off the necklace before casting any spells. The necklace only condenses Mana when worn, meaning as long as you're not wearing it, you can make use of the already condensed Mana in your body without having to worry about it interfering with the spells you're trying to cast.~

  ~Hmm, you have a point there.~

  ~Of course I do,~ she smuggled, replied while puffing out her chest.

  ~So, what's the necklace's second main function?~ He asked while fiddling with the crystal eye between his fingers. ~I'm guessing from what you mentioned earlier, it has something to do with refining Mana?~ She gave a short nod.

  ~Correct.~ She extended her hand out. ~May I?~ The human placed the crystal eye in her open palm. She then extended her other hand out, four fingers pointing towards the direction of some thick trees. ~Observe, a spell without the necklace, Water Slash.~ With a flick of her wrist, Lilial shot out a blade of water that left a shallow cut in the tree it hit, before spashing harmlessly. Lowering her arm, she then extended her other hand out, her index and middle fingers aimed at the same set of trees while ring, pinky and thumb clutched the crystal eye. ~Water Slash.~ With a flick of her wrist, she shot out a crescent blade of water three times as large as her previous one that dug deeper into the tree before disappearing. Looking at the aftermath of her second attack, it left a several-centimetre deep gash in the first tree hit, along with shallower ones in the adjacent trees as well.

  ~Fascinating. The Mana you used to cast the spell first flowed through the crystal eye, getting refined and purified before forming the actual attack, significantly enhancing the spell's potency. And because you were fast enough in your casting, the interference from the Mana condensing was minimal, at most only slightly affecting the spells' accuracy.~

  ~Oh, for you to be able to figure that out so quickly, you must be able to see the flow of Mana. That's a pretty rare ability to have, especially as a heartless.~

  ~It can be.~ She slightly frowned.

  ~What do you mean by that?~

  ~So, how do you want to do this trade?~ Lilial clenched her teeth at his rude dismissal of her question, but she figured she could let it slide this once due to how polite he's been up til now. Relaxing onto the pond's edge, she shot the human a charming smile.

  ~Well, how about two of my items for your twelve rings?~

  ~ They're good, but they're not worth six rings each. Each item for three rings,~ he offered back without missing a beat.

  ~Oh, your rings may be beautiful, but their effects are pretty minor compared to the items I offered. Five rings for each.~

  ~ Their effects may be stronger, but unlike my rings, each of your items also comes with some pretty hefty drawbacks. The elemental masks require you to carry specific materials to work, and the only one that doesn't has a very real chance to kill the wearer. The ring is, I'm sure, in your eyes, disgustingly plain, and I'm sure someone of your calibre wouldn't charge for an item you yourself don't value. Lastly, the crystal eye can easily hinder me as much as it can help me. Four rings for each item.~

  ~Ah, that may be true, by your own admission, your rings can be crafted, unlike my items, which I can assure you isn't possible to do so without paying a hefty cost.~

  ~That's a pretty bold statement to say. I may not be skilled enough, but I'm sure I can find someone who is or at least skilled enough to craft items with similar effects.~ She let out a soft chuckle.

  ~I never tire of hearing you humans constantly overestimating yourselves. I encountered my fair share of humans, and none of them even come close to having the abilities to craft things as well as we non-heartless can.~

  ~How old are you?~ She let out an exaggerated gasp.

  ~Did no one ever tell you that you should never ask a lady their age?~

  ~Hmm, I see. How about this?~ Lilial's eye twitched at the sheer disregard that human was giving her. ~I'll trade you four rings for each item, and I'll throw in some polished gems as a bonus.~

  ~I'll need to see them first before I can make a decision.~ He nodded, took out a red gem from the pouch on his side and handed it over. ~Ooo,~ Lilial's eyes lit up as she raised the perfectly cut, blood red, clear ruby against the sun's light.

  ~The rings didn't use up much of the gemstones I had, so I took the leftovers and had a skilled lapidarist work on them. So what do you say? You'll trade me your items for four rings each, and I'll throw in six gemstones of similar quality to the one you're holding. A gemstone of each type of gem that was used in the rings.~

  ~I think you've got yourself a deal.~

  ~Wonderful. In that case, I'll take the silver ring, crystal eye necklace and the blood elemental mask.~

  ~You sure that's the mask you want?~

  ~Positive.~

  ~Well, don't blame me if something happens to you due to it converting your blood into Mana.~ With her warning said, Lilial took the blue elemental mask and dove back into the water. She returned shortly after with a blank blood-red mask in hand. ~Here you go.~ The two of them proceeded to trade the agreed-upon items. The human put his newly acquired items in his bags. While Lilial took her new jewelry and hid them away in the pond with the plan of coming back for them later, once she finished her business with the human. Resurfacing from the water, Lilial swam back to the pond's edge with a satisfied smile on her face. ~Well, it's been a pleasure doing business with you, human. I'm sure you have plenty of things to do, so let me guide you back before we part ways.~

  ~Wait, I have one last item to offer.~

  ~You do?~Lilial asked, her curiosity thoroughly piqued. ~Well, let's see it. Though I doubt that after all this, you still have something that can catch my eye.~ She smugly chuckled with a sly grin.

  ~Oh, really? Well, you'd better be prepared because I'm about to show you what could be my masterpiece.~ The human replied with a cheeky grin of his own. Taking off his backpack, he set it down in front of him and took out a platinum tiara adorned with royal blue sapphires covered in beautifully enchanting patterns carved onto it.

  ~T-thats! H-how?!~ Lilial lunged forward to grab the tiara, but instead of pulling it away, the human let her take it out of his hands. With the tiara resting in her open palms, Lilial stared at it with shock and awe.

  ~So what do you think? Does it catch your eye?~