Monster Girl Ranching in Another World

Chapter 385 Fear

I opened them back up, and I was in the center of my mind, but the table was full.

“Jeez, I am surprised that there is even a seat for me at my own table!” I laughed as I took the single open chair and sat down.

There were the four elementals, Harold, Marley, Libra, and Kali, all looking worried, staring back at me. I could understand their worries, but this was far from the end of the world.

“You have yourself in a bad spot,” Grogvel said.

I gave him a look with one eyebrow raised and the other eye squinting.

“Let's stop talking about things we can’t change. I get it, this is bad, but there is a way out. I am sure that this Eelyasha doesn't think that I am some weakling, but I also don’t think that she knows my abilities. This is an advantage that can only be used once, but if I become a Matiken when I am close to her, I can fuck her up with my drugs. Then I stab her with my stinger,” I explained, but Libra shook her head.

“I already talked to Ursula, and she is immune to all poisons and toxins. You should be more concerned about getting poisoned by her. Eelyasha is going to be sucking out your Magic and injecting you with some kind of toxin to make you weaker,” Libra said, her massive breasts pinned into the table.

“Not only that, but that Hoodum is an Octopus, and I don’t think he is as stupid as they think he is. I noticed in your peripheral view one watching, and Ursula told me that he was the henchman. I think that Eelyasha might already know about your plan,” Harold explained, and I groaned, putting my head down on the table.

This was a real fuck up on my part, and now I was stuck without a plan. What Lilian had suggested was all good, but I needed to know where the room was and then the key.

It might even just be better to worry about dealing with the Old God first and then worry about the rest of the people. Trying to find the key first would just end up getting me killed when my back was turned.

“What do we know about this Old God? I know that she is fast and can use teleportation magic, but what else?” I asked, lifting my head from the table.

“Eelyasha can use multiple poisons. The variety could be as diverse as the number of eels that are around her; Ursula wasn’t sure. Next is what the Crab girl described as unfair regenerative abilities. This means that even cutting her head off isn’t guaranteed to kill her,” Harold explained, and I groaned again.

“God dammit! How am I supposed to kill something that can regrow its head?!” I complained.

“You could try cutting it up into smaller pieces?” Windorf suggested.

“You seem to like eating things, so you could always go for that option, right?” Fireden asked.

“Both are valid suggestions. Alright, still something to worry about, but there are some options. I just have to make one of them work,” I said with a sigh and then looked at Harold. “What else do you have for me?”

“Well, for Magic, that is the reason why she drinks blood. Eelyasha uses it inside of herself as an offering to one of the unnamed Old Gods that grants Dark Magic. What the extent of it is, I am not sure, and neither is Ursula. The Crab Goddess had her power taken and given to the Dark Old God, for lack of a better name. That, paired with the poisons, makes her more unpredictable than you are,” Harold explained, and I pounded my fist on the table and then stood up.

This was frustrating.

The memory of me running from the ogre and leaving Mex behind was playing through my head on repeat. I had run not only because I was told to but because I had been genuinely worried.

I had felt that fear when I saw her, and it was still in the back of my mind. That was my body telling me that this foe was too strong for me, and it made me feel sick.

I should be able to deal with whatever comes my way, yet I was stuck inside of a feeling of real fear of what was going to happen next. This was stifling, and I was having a hard time processing everything; then, hands slipped around my waist.

“You will figure this out. You have all of us, and you are not someone that gives up, right?” Kali asked me and then kissed the back of my neck.

I let out a long sigh and turned in Kali’s green arms to face her. She smiled at me mischievously and then kissed me, and I couldn’t help but smile a little.

“Don’t be glum. Everyone has been pointing out things that can go wrong, and I know this is hard for you. I can feel the feeling gnawing at your heart even now, and I understand that you are not used to it. It’s okay to be scared, but you can’t let the fear consume you,” Kali explained, and I nodded.

“I am trying, but I have felt this before, with the ogre, and I had to leave Mex behind while I ran away. I was able to get strong, and I went back and killed it, but this is different,” I said.

“You're right; this is a lot different. You can’t run away and can’t go train to get strong. That means that we are all going to have to come up with a better plan than what you had before. Come back and sit down so we can try to figure this out. There are other options that you can consider,” Kali said, and I nodded but frowned as I was led back to my chair.

“What other options?” I asked.

“Well, there is Mati. Her uncanny ability is a shield for you if you can keep her close,” Firden suggested, but I didn’t like the sound of that.

“That is putting her in a lot of danger,” I said.

“And what happens if you die? What happens to all of us? You don't think that we all aren't ready to put our lives on the line?” Wataluga asked, and I nodded.

“I guess you are right, but what other ideas do you have rather than using people as shields?” I asked.

“There is the option of just making a solution, and you have two options for that. There is no guarantee that it will give you what you need, but it might work. If you give the girls close to you upgrades and try forming bonds with them, you could have some real help. If you do the same for Mati, then you will have a team. Hell, even throw Ursula with them, and you might have a fighting chance,” Harold explained, and I nodded.

It was easy to forget that I had other abilities like my Ranching System. I was out of Systems, but I could increase the powers of the girls and increase the potency skills they had.

“That is a good idea, but the second part might be a little harder. Maybe not with Lilian, but Sarah already seemed broken,” I said, and Libra smiled.

“I think that you will be able to make her warm up to you, but do not rush things, and I don’t mean with the girls. You are in real danger here, and we all know it. I know that you like to power through things; it is almost like your signature. I know that you can feel that this is different, but you need to control your emotions. People are going to get taken to be fed on. There is nothing you can do about that, and don’t try. Bide your time,” Libra told me, and I nodded.

“I won’t do anything that can get me in trouble, but I am not going to stand by and let her feed on people. I will figure something out, and like Kali said, I have all of you to help me out with this. That means that you all need to start thinking of ways that I can prevent this bitch from getting what she wants!” I growled.

“Don’t do anything rash!” Harold snapped, and I waved at him.

“I am hard-headed, not stupid. I can tell when I am outmatched, so I am not going to do anything that will get me killed. I just am going to at least try to protect the girls that are close to me. I can do little things to divert the attention from them to me or to the others, as much as I don’t want to. Whatever it takes to get us out of this place, I am going to do it, short of sacrificing people. I am bringing everyone out of this place. Alive. I won’t accept less, nor will I leave if this bitch isn’t dead!” I growled and then closed my eyes.