Mantle of the Gods [LitRPG / Slow Burn / FTB Harem]

We were waiting for Whisper to start.

Whisper had found a moving van that was mostly empty that we were hiding in. Gesai was driving, while Ether was sitting shotgun and Oz, Fray, and myself were in the back. I'd hoped Ether would come back here with me so we could talk, but she'd declared that she was needed up front for technical support.

There weren't any windows in the back, so there wasn't much we could do but wait, so I decided to try to find a way to pass the time.

"Fray."

The green woman looked at me.

"What type of Unilop are you wanting?"

"She wants what?!" Oz looked at Fray. "You want a pet monster?! It's highly illegal to smuggle a monster out of the Dungeon."

"She wants a Unilop crystal that she can summon." I nodded at the timid woman. "Probably in a ring or a necklace. So I was wondering what kind she was wanting."

"I think they're all pretty…" She smiled as her voice drifted off.

"Demonic is what they are. Creatures spawned from the pits of darkness." Oz shook her head. "Why couldn't you want a cat like a normal girl?"

Fray shook her head. "I don't like cats, they're mean."

"And you don't think the man-eating hellspawn aren't?" Oz started to pace. "Why do you want a summon anyway? It's not like you can fight with it in the Dungeon."

"I could keep it around the dorm and it would be good to have right now. We could pet it to help calm down." Fray hugged herself.

"No." Oz wagged her finger at Fray. "Uh-un. There is no way I'm touching one of those things if…" She looked at me. "You're serious?! You are seriously going to get her a Monster to make into a PET?"

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"Trent thinks it's safe and it'll make her happy, so why not?"

"UGH!" Oz picked up her pace. After a few circles, she went over to the side of the RV and put her hands and forehead against it. "They need to HURRY UP!"

"You know, if you bang on that, we'll get caught." I eyed the Hitter. "Come sit down." I scooted beside her and patted the floor.

Oz sank to her knees then leaned over and laid down with her head in my lap. I hadn't been expecting that, but my fingers instinctively started playing with her short black hair.

"So what would you pick?" I rubbed her brown arm with my hand. Her skin was cold, so I rubbed wider swaths to try to warm her up.

"Something strong and fast, like a cat." Oz shifted so that she was laying on her back. "What do you think Justia would want?"

We were playing that game. It would at least pass the time.

"Probably a dog of some kind." it seemed to fit her personality.

"Rix would want an Assassin Shadow." Fray sat down on my left.

"What's that?" I hadn't heard of that one yet.

"It has claws and a face like a cat, but with scales instead of fur and only front legs." The green woman shivered. "I've seen them in Adventurer Games. They know Backstab."

"That sounds like Rix alright." I laughed a little. "What about Aelin?"

"Pixie Dragon." Oz held up her hand. "Tiny, Pink, Always flapping their bugwings, and they shoot little stingers while also throwing dust everywhere."

"What about Ether?" She was the only one left in the original team that we hadn't done.

There was silence as neither woman wanted to intrude on my thoughts.

"She would want a Slime." Ether opened up the back door. "Because they're transparent."

I felt like that one had been aimed at my heart.

"Ether…"

"Not now." The ivory woman shook her head. "We don't have time. Come on, Whisper's doing his thing."

The three of us got out of the back and followed her across the street. I at least had a little hope. She'd said not now, which meant that there would be a conversation in the future. I had hope that it was going to be okay. But as much as I wanted to, I couldn't think about that right now. Right now I had friends to rescue.