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A tiny stream of bat pee fell from the air like a cruel blessing from the heavens.
Plip... Plip... Plip...
It landed squarely on the frog beast’s bald, wet head.
The frog beast froze.
Sekhmet froze.
The bat hovered, innocent, like it had just solved a moral issue.
The frog beast slowly lifted one hand and touched the wetness on its head.
Then it sniffed.
Its eyes bulged so far Sekhmet was impressed they did not roll away.
"YOU," the frog beast whispered, voice trembling with rage, "PEE’D ON ME."
Sekhmet’s lips twitched despite himself.
He tried to control his face.
He failed slightly.
The frog beast noticed the twitch.
Its entire body trembled.
"YOU LAUGHING," it croaked. "YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY."
Sekhmet cleared his throat.
"It is," he said.
The frog beast screamed.
"RIBBIT—MURDER."
It lunged.
Splash!
The frog beast moved fast in water, arms and legs propelling it with violent grace. It reached Sekhmet in a heartbeat, webbed hands swinging like clubs.
Sekhmet reacted without panic. The battle power difference was not large. The creature was strong for a lake guard, but Sekhmet had fought worse, survived worse, and he was not naked by choice.
He formed Blood Sword instantly.
Shhhh...
Blood gathered from the faint traces still on his skin, from the earlier pink water around him, from the residue of his wounds. It twisted into a blade that looked darker against the morning light.
The frog beast swung.
Sekhmet blocked.
Clash!
The frog beast’s wet fist struck the blood sword, and the impact sent a shock through Sekhmet’s arm. The frog beast was stronger than a normal beast because water amplified it, but Sekhmet’s blade held.
Sekhmet stepped to the side, using the water’s drag against the creature. He slashed low.
Whoosh!
The blade cut across the frog beast’s thigh.
Shhk!
Greenish blood mixed into the lake water, spreading like ink.
The frog beast screamed.
"MY LEG," it croaked dramatically. "YOU HAVE ATTACKED MY LEG."
Sekhmet’s voice came out flat.
"Yes," he said. "That was the point."
The frog beast flailed.
"YOU DIRTY MY LAKE AGAIN," it shouted, pointing at its own bleeding leg. "NOW THERE IS MY BLOOD. THIS IS EVEN WORSE."
Sekhmet blinked.
"You attacked me," he said. "You were literally trying to murder me over bath water."
The frog beast hissed.
"YOU WERE NAKED," it croaked, as if that was the greater crime.
Sekhmet sighed.
He moved forward, faster now, ending the nonsense. He slashed again, higher this time, across the frog beast’s chest.
Shhk!
The creature staggered back, water splashing.
Splash! Splash!
Its eyes widened with disbelief.
It looked at the wound like it was personally offended that it could bleed.
"You have a weapon," it croaked weakly, voice suddenly less dramatic and more concerned. "That is cheating."
Sekhmet narrowed his eyes.
"You tried to kill me with your fists," he said. "That is also cheating."
The frog beast opened its mouth as if to argue.
Sekhmet did not let it.
He stepped in close, grabbed the frog beast by the throat, and lifted its head above the water so it could not use the lake to slip away.
The frog beast’s hands slapped at Sekhmet’s wrist.
Slap! Slap!
Sekhmet’s blood sword shifted into his other hand, and he drove it cleanly into the creature’s chest.
Shhk!
The frog beast’s body jerked once.
Then it went limp.
The lake water rippled outward, then calmed.
Sekhmet released the corpse, letting it float for a moment before it slowly sank, bubbles rising.
Bloop... Bloop...
Sekhmet stared at the surface.
He was still naked.
He was still standing in the lake.
And now he had killed the lake’s landlord.
He took a slow breath.
Then he called out, loud enough for the bat to hear.
"Come here."
The bat fluttered down and perched on the rock again.
"Batbat."
Sekhmet climbed out of the water, shaking droplets from his hair, and dragged the frog beast’s body toward the shore. It was heavier than it looked. Its limbs flopped awkwardly, and its skin felt slimy in the worst way.
Schlrrrk...
Sekhmet grimaced.
"This is disgusting," he muttered.
The bat hopped closer, eyes bright.
"Batbatbatbat."
Sekhmet pointed at the corpse.
"You started this," he said. "You finish it."
The bat chirped like it had been waiting for permission its entire life.
It latched onto the frog beast and began feeding.
Shhhh...
Sekhmet looked away again. He was getting tired of watching things drink blood. It reminded him too much of what he had done last night.
He stepped back into the lake briefly, washing his hands, washing away frog slime, washing away the last faint streaks of blood. The lake water was no longer clean, but at least it was cleaner than him.
He splashed water over his face again.
Splash!
Then he stepped out and dried himself as best he could with a scrap of cloth from his old shirt. He dressed in his old clothes again, and the fabric felt rough and shameful against his now-clean skin. His coat hung heavy. His boots were still full of holes.
He looked like a beggar who had stolen a bath.
He needed to fix that.
The bat finished feeding and fluttered back, landing on Sekhmet’s shoulder like a tiny red badge of poor decisions.
It looked... different.
Not much.
But its eyes seemed brighter. Its fur seemed thicker. Its presence felt slightly heavier, as if it occupied more reality than it used to.
Sekhmet activated Blood Eye on it.
[System notification- Unnamed Blood Bat.
Stage: Hatchling
Battle Power: 1000
Status: Sated. Resting.
Progress: Major absorption complete (Orc + Werewolf + Mire Croaker).
Sekhmet blinked.
"One thousand," he murmured.
The bat puffed itself up proudly, as if it had personally conquered a kingdom.
"Batbatbat."
Sekhmet stared at it.
"Do not get arrogant," he warned. "You are still three inches tall."
The bat blinked slowly, unimpressed by reality.
Sekhmet exhaled and turned away from the lake. The sun was higher now. The day would heat up quickly. He needed to move, but he also needed to plan.