Earlier that evening...
After leaving behind the crowd of Fayes with one of Shade's bodies, Alm and his companions continued onward into the town. After making a quick stop by one of the shops to request some supplies to be prepared by the next morning, the group returned to the inn for a well-deserved rest. As they gathered around the table to eat dinner, much of the conversation revolved around the events of the day, as well as the discovery of the manuscript detailing the Shrine of the Skylord.
"By the way, Silque... I didn't get to say it earlier, but thanks for covering me when we fought that Gargoyle earlier," Yuzu said, addressing the lizard girl.
"Don't mention it," Silque brushed it off, "isn't that what comrades are for?"
"Even still, thank you," Yuzu persisted, "Also, that was amazing the way you grabbed it with your tail before severing its neck. I didn't expect you to be that proficient in martial combat, considering you're usually using spells from a distance."
"Oh, that..." the Exemplar replied, feeling embarrassment over that visceral display, "I wasn't like that before. I think this body has changed me more ways than just on the surface... Like I have new instincts now." Letting out a sigh, she added, "I find it a bit frightening, thinking of what I might become capable of, and wondering if I will be able to control myself."
"I think it was awesome," the swordswoman reassured her. "And don't sweat it too much. I get the feeling your self-control will grow along with you." After stating that, Yuzu gave a thumbs up, saying, "And if you can't control yourself, I'll be there to knock some sense into you!"
"Thank you, I appreciate the support," Silque replied, giving a faint smile.
"Well, that's all fine and good," Tatiana chimed in, "but when am I gonna start getting new abilities?" she pouted.
"What do you mean?" Yuzu asked.
"Everyone seems to be growing more powerful or getting new skills, but so far all I seem to be able to do is fly around and cast spells at further range with a bit more speed," the faerie answered. "Also, it feels like those skills haven't changed much," she tacked on.
Looking up from the food she was poking with her fork aimlessly, Shade joined the conversation, asking, "Well, have you tried doing anything to test if you have new skills?"
Tatiana opened her mouth before closing it again, stopping to think. After several seconds she spoke: "I guess I just figured it would happen automatically or something, or I'd instinctively know that I could do something new."
"I can understand why you might think that," the disguised succubus returned, "but in reality, Faye and I wouldn't have thought to try half of our skills if I hadn't read about their existence in the library."
"Really?" the faerie asked before following up with another question, "Then, based on what you read, do you have any suggestions on something for me to try doing?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," the white-haired woman answered, "I read that you should be able to control your size to some extent. Perhaps you can test if you are able to return to regular human size?"
Tatiana's eyes sparkled at the suggestion. "Oooh, that would be amazing! No offense to you Zeke, but as much as I love you and enjoy sitting on your shoulder all the time, it'd be nice not to be under a foot tall day in and day out," she stated from her perch on the paladin's shoulder. Hopping off and floating down to the floor, the faerie closed her eyes on concentrated on the image of growing taller as her body started glowing. Gradually, her radiant silhouette increased in size before stopping when she was about as large as when she was a human. As the glow faded, Tatiana opened her eyes again and looked over herself as she spun around, catching a glimpse of her large faerie wings. "Wow, it actually worked! This is great!" she exclaimed giddily. "I'm glad my clothes grew with me, that might have been pretty awkward if my only faerie-sized clothes got shredded into pieces when I grew," she added with a chuckle.
"That's so cool!" Mae interjected, "Can you still fly when you're big like that?"
Jumping into the air and trying to flap her butterfly-esque wings, Tatiana unfortunately fell straight back down, only hovering for just a few extra seconds longer compared to jumping as a regular human. "No, it doesn't seem like it," she answered a bit crestfallen.
"Perhaps your wings just aren't strong enough to support your weight yet?" Celica offered. "I wouldn't be surprised if you might be able to stay afloat later on if you work your way towards it."
"I guess it's possible," Tatiana replied as she pulled up a chair and sat down, "I'll keep it in mind."
Changing the topic, Left Genny turned to address Alm and asked, "So, with the Altar of the Skylord, did you have any plans for how to approach it?" Continuing the thought, Right Genny added, "The manuscript said that it reacted to Falcon Knights, did you have anyone specific in mind to bring along?"
"That's an accurate summary of the notes, yes," the Deliverance leader affirmed, "Also it is situated in the mountains, making it an ideal place for flyers to operate." Continuing to answer the conjoined girls' questions, he expounded, "Besides the obvious choices of Claire and Emma, I was also thinking of bringing along the Whitewing sisters."
"The Whitewings..." Right Genny mused before her bodymate continued, "You mean Palla, Catria and Est, right?"
"The very same," Alm confirmed. "I also was thinking of asking Zeke and Tatiana to stay behind and take care of some things at the castle. While I think Tatiana would be useful in the mountainous terrain, I'd rather not separate her from Zeke, who might find it difficult to fight freely in those perilous conditions."
"I appreciate the consideration," Zeke joined in before adding, "I agree that your reasoning is solid as well."
Hearing about the prospect of being left behind at the castle, Mae cut in, "Ugh, please don't leave me behind on the next mission, it gets so boring around the castle..."
Ignoring the pink-haired woman and resuming his discourse, the king stated, "I'd also like to let Yuzu get some rest after these last few battles, so she can stay back and help Zeke hold things down in Zofia. We're going to need to bring some healers with us, but probably will only have room for a couple in our party."
"If I may," Silque interrupted, "I would like to sit out this next expedition, as I've been away from the Church for a while, and I'm sure that my duties must be piling up in my absence."
"Your request is granted," Alm stated, "I agree that those duties are important. So that leaves Shade, Genny and Faye for the remaining choices."
Here Celica offered her advice, saying, "Doesn't Genny often help Silque with her duties as of late? I'd imagine she'd be even more helpful with two heads to go over the material quicker. Plus, Shade's knowledge of the mythical beasts from the library has been invaluable so far."
"You make a valid point," the green-haired Hero assented, "So I guess that settles it. Our expedition team for the next shrine investigation will be Palla, Catria, Est, Claire, Emma, Shade, Faye, Mae, and finally Celica and myself."
Seeing that everyone had cleaned their plates or at least seemed to be done with as much food as they wanted, Alm rose from the table and addressed him comrades, "Great work again today, everyone. We're gonna be on the road for a few days from here, so rest well tonight."
As everyone got up to head to their rooms, Silque approached Faye and Shade, asking, "By the way, do you think your other selves had any trouble setting up camp? I wonder if I should check up on them."
"Oh there's no need for that," Faye responded cheerfully, "Everything got set up quickly, and we found a super-comfortable and safe spot!"
Puzzled for a second, Silque took a moment to remember that all the Faye's shared one mind. "Oh right, you have a... what did you call it again, a 'hivemind' with your other bodies? Well, I'm glad it's all fine."
"Indeed, you can rest easy," Shade affirmed, "just ask either of us here if you have questions about our status. We'll be sure to alert everyone if we find our camp is in trouble."
"Alright, thanks," the lizard girl said with a light bow, "I hope you have a good night."
"We shall, hope you do too," Faye replied with a serene expression.
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