“So, Miss Witch, care to enlighten your friends and allies as to the nature of your need to find this Dark Magic Affinity monster?” Spindle says once the excitement around Terzetto subsides slightly. Most of the throng has had a chance to disperse as well, despite a few returning to see the spectacle of the Ritual circle being activated for a fifth time. This is a somewhat private affair, and we don’t need to proclaim every last detail to all of Field Town.

“Yeah, want to give us the full briefing, Honey?” I ask. It’s fine for her to operate on her own for a bit, but it’s high time for Gabby to tell us what’s going on.

Nodding in acquiescence, the dark-robed Gobliness adjusts her spectacles and says, “Fair enough. It’s my Goblin Witch Tutelage ability. My intuition, monster instincts, and evidence from the Book of Monsters suggest an apprenticeship is one essential step to progressing further along the Witch evolutionary path. I must bind a subordinate monster with Dark Magic Affinity to myself and share my powers with them. In turn, I passively draw magical strength from them as I develop until I’m ready for my Fourth-Tier evolution. It’s heavily implied in the B.O.M. that a monster’s lead subordinates evolve with them during Tier-ups, so I suspect the bond will only deepen over time.”

Bonny’s eyes widen as the scale of Gabby’s proposal finally dawns on her. The bigear mouse girl turns from the Witch to Jonny, then to Terzetto, Brenda, and Simona, who are all crowding in to practically hang off of him. Her gaze eventually returns to Gabby as she blinks in shock, saying, “You want… me? I-I don’t know if I’m worthy, Mistress Gabby. I didn’t risk my life like Megan, Cottontail, or Chrissy to earn an evolution. Why should I get rewarded?”

“Oh, Bonny,” Lucinia sighs in sympathy while her Siren sisters hum melodically in the background.

Brenda reaches down to cup Bonny’s cheek in support.

Even Simona the sexy Cerberus, who doesn’t know them at all, gives the group a smothering, furry hug from behind.

Gabby folds her arms and shakes her head. “Nobody ‘earns’ their natural talents, girl. Some are simply fortunate enough to receive them. It’s what they do with said talents that matters.”

The Gobliness’s simple philosophy takes Bonny momentarily aback. “But Megan, Cottontail, and Chrissy…”

“—They all have impressive achievements, to be sure,” Gabby starts to explain, getting more heated as she picks up steam, “Gaining things they wouldn’t have otherwise if they’d always played it safe. Yes, it’s common knowledge that monster evolution heavily rewards risk-taking, but I seriously doubt any of them would’ve enjoyed this much success without their natural Affinities, a brush with Alex’s Echidna magic, and a healthy dose of luck. The world is riddled with the corpses of brave, foolhardy idiots. In this life, you should take the opportunities you’re given and not overly question them!”

It may be true that Gabby has a vested interest in convincing Bonny, but I can’t help but agree. “Don’t feel like you need to emulate Chris, Cottontail, or Megan. The only competitions here are friendly ones between rivals; you’re allowed to be yourself, turn down the offer, or take a free ride. I won’t let anyone make you do anything.”

Jonny kisses Bonny on the cheek while hugging her to his chest. “We’re here for you, all the way, no matter your decision.”

“Absolutely,” Brenda agrees.

“You’re our harem sister-wife,” Lucinia says.

“This is so beautiful,” Warbler cries while wiping a tear with the tip of a wing. “Thank you for letting us be a part of this.”

“Makes me want to sing~” Robin pipes up as she begins a wordless, inspiring tune that soon has Warbler and Lucinia joining in until Terzetto’s charming melody spills through Field Town. Even people far away turn to look despite their volume not being that loud; I guess their voice carries further than expected? Is that a result of their combined stats? Hmm, but there’s no magical effect present that I can tell for the moment.

“O-okay,” Bonny eventually says, consenting to Gabby’s offer.

The Witch eagerly takes the bigear mouse girl from Jonny, looking relieved at having her potential apprentice returned. “Then let us away. There’s the bonding Ritual and much Witchcraft to perform before dawn. No time to lose!”

Jonny gives Bonny a last loving look as they part yet again tonight.

“Be careful with her, Honey,” I call as Gabby scampers off with her prey apprentice.

“Y-yes, of course I shall,” the Witch offhandedly remarks before disappearing into the diffuse Pavilion orgy.

“I’m sure Bonny will be fine,” I reassure her husband and sister-wives.

“Miss Witch is a far different monster than she used to be,” Spindle agrees.

There’s a calm stretch while we stand there listening to Terzetto’s singing until Simona clears her throat, interrupting, “So, um, hey, didn’t catch your name.” It’s the middle head talking.

“Are you… free for a while?” adds the left head.

“Or d-do you have an address for where you work?” finishes the right head, implying she thinks Jonny is a Breeder back in Home Town.

All three heads are blue-eyed blondes; previously labrador Guard Doggin girls before their fusion.

“I don’t… uh,” Jonny starts before trailing off as his eyes dart from face to face before falling into their double cleavage.

Six wings close around him from behind as three perfect breasts press into his neck and drop onto his shoulders. “He’s available right now,” Lucinia insists, her Siren sisters getting excited as they realize they’re about to get laid by their new mutual husband. Terzetto and Simona proceed to make off with the horny, overwhelmed male while Brenda follows behind, chuckling in delight at the sight.

Two monsters, six boobs, one happy Jonny. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

“You must be pleased to see your ambitions coming to fruition, Vermillion.” Ah, I almost didn’t notice it’s just me and Spindle, now. “This is really becoming a town where even feral monsters and humans can get along.”

I nod. “That’s the dream I want to spread. No more Incursions or war. Just humans and monsters living together in peace.”

“Mmm,” Spindle hums, a gentle concord. It’s getting late, and I’m almost out of items on my agenda. Just when I’m about to suggest we wind down for the evening, the Webling speaks up, “Vermillion, have you considered what to do with the Goblin Sheikh?”

“Fuck!” I totally forgot about him, and I’m too caught off guard to conceal the fact.

“Fu-fu-fu, Spindle thought you might struggle with this conundrum. The Sheikh is too strong, even in his weakened state, for the guardians of Fieldton to reliably suppress. If you set him free, he will escape or do violence upon your people. With that out of the question, you could either rape or execute him for his Mark, but neither seems like an option you would take.”

She’s right about that. Firstly, rape is anathema to me. Secondly, a battle to the death on the field of combat is one thing, but I despise the idea of murdering a helpless prisoner. And yet, allowing him to live would be handing him the opportunity to someday turn the situation around. “Why’d you take him in alive at all, then?”

“Why, indeed?” Spindle hums, seeming to consider the question even though there’s no way my wickedly smart Weaver Webling lover didn’t already think things through. “Say, Vermillion, if this prisoner is of no use to you, perhaps it’s best if you let your lowly Maid clean up this mess?”

Aaaand there it is.

My eyes narrow at her. “Is this going to be another situation like the last time you begged for an indulgence? You know I can’t condone torturing or experimenting on prisoners.”

She steeples her fingers, “Spindle well-understands Vermillion’s moral limitations. Besides, as she’s said, the indulgence project was, shall we say, a ‘bust.’ No, Spindle is contemplating a rather different undertaking that may assist in her next evolution.”

That rings a bell. “Evolution? Didn’t you mention refusing your last evolution opportunity during your story? A ‘Wicked Webling Puppeteer,’ wasn’t it?” Spindle nods in affirmation. “Why not take it, though? I can’t think of any monster I know who refused an evolution—well, Megan didn’t want to become a Matron because it’d be a dead-end, but, otherwise, does it even matter?”

The Webling shrugs. “Perhaps you are correct, Vermillion. Spindle could continue to grow through Rank-ups and Tier-ups as normal. What a silly mistake! How unfortunate…” Spindle begins to weave strange symbols into the air with her Dark Magic cat’s cradle. “Tell me, Vermillion,” she says, changing the subject, “Are you aware of Monster Attribute theory?”

“Vaguely,” I answer in all honesty. “There’s something about it in the Book of Monsters, but it was a bit hard to grasp. I guess there are invisible Monster ‘Stats’ that everyone has, things like Strength, Focus, Accuracy, etc.; we proved that with one of my Breeder upgrades. Then there are Monster ‘Affinities,’ with ‘Basic Affinities’ being simple elements like Fire, Air, and Water. It follows, then, that Suka is a Dire Wolf evolution with not just Fire Affinity, but the ‘Fire Attribute.’ Megan is a mouse with the ‘Electricity Attribute,’ and Gale is a Harpy with the ‘Water Attribute.’”

“Very good,” Spindle agrees, and I can see she’s spun symbols for Fire, Water, and Electricity drawn in Dark Magic strings that hang in the air before us by threads.

“Alright, but what does this have to do with the Puppeteer evolution?”

“All in due time.” Spindle narrows her cunning eightfold gaze at me. “So, what can be inferred from the elemental attributes?”

“Umm…”

Not waiting for me this time, a flexing bicep, a brain, and a shield appear next to the elemental sigils Spindle weaves into existence. “Other common attributes. We can think of evolutionary trees in these terms as well. Take the basic Goblin. They become Orcs after gaining the ‘Strength’ Attribute, and Ogres after gaining ‘Toughness.’ Gaining a ‘Mental’ Attribute turns them into Apprentices, which opens several paths, like the Herbalist and Witch evolutions that each require additional special Attributes.”

Huh. I guess it makes a kind of sense; I’ve just never thought about monster evolution in such nitty-gritty terms. “What about Hobs?”

“Excellent question, Vermilion. If Rank-up evolutions tend to add Attributes, then what do straight Tier-ups do?”

“They raise the quality of their current Attributes, right?”

“Presumably. One supposes the power of the Tier-up is divided evenly among their preexisting Attributes, elevating them all. The lowly Hob may not be an impressive case, but we imagine the idea holds true for Elder Trees and Grand Harpies. Also, the Ogre Rank-up increases the monster's Strength besides adding the Toughness Attribute, so the separation between Rank-ups and Tier-ups isn't black and white in that department.”

“And this is relevant to the Puppeteer evolution, how?”

“You don't see it, Vermilion? The trap?”

I quirk an eyebrow. “Yeah, no. It, um, evades me.”

“You're an intelligent woman, Vermilion. But perhaps you need a hint. What attributes would you ascribe to Spindle?”

“Okay, well,” I search my mind for everything I know about her abilities, “You use Dark Magic, which makes you what the Book of Monsters calls ‘Arcane Rank.’ So, ‘Arcane.’”

Spindle creates a sigil of a firework to join the others. “That is highly relevant, yes. What else?”

“What do you mean?”

“What other Attributes describe Spindle's being? No need to adhere to strictures, as this isn't a formal class.”

I give it some thought. "I'd say ‘Spider,’ but that describes your monster race rather than an Attribute. How about, ‘Weaving’?”

She adds a ‘Cat’s Cradle’ sigil to the others. “Yes, go on.”

“‘Venom?”

“Indubitably.” She adds a sigil depicting fangs dripping with venom.

“… ‘Wicked’?”

“...”

And then it finally hits me. She's a Wicked Weaver Webling. "Any evolution you take could upgrade your Wicked Attribute."

The Webling nods with sober resignation. “As of now, thanks to her beloved Delilah, Spindle has regained a semblance of control over her Demonic curse. Vermilion doesn't need to be a genius to see why Spindle hesitates to empower that side of herself, even unintentionally. If she were to allow her Wickedness free rein, she could easily find herself on the fast track to a Demonic Webling evolution. The last traces of the original Spindle could be overwhelmed.”

And no demon can be bound by a contract unwillingly. A Demonic Spindle would turn that devious intellect against me and my allies. I shudder at the thought. “What are you going to do? What even can you do? I've never heard of a monster dropping one of their Attributes.”

“That might not be necessary. No one knows the limits of monster evolution." She lets that sink in before continuing. "Recall that Spindle unspooled the thread of the Sheikh's leadership magic by unraveling the connection from the other end. A query presents itself, 'What else can be done with the Sheikh's magic?' Spindle only discovered what she did through rigorous testing, extensive experimentation, and lots of 'volunteers.' If Spindle has any chance of finding a solution to her dilemma, she needs the Sheikh, all his Bonded in attendance, both books of Ritual magic, the potential evolutionary energy of Spindle's denied Puppeteer Tier-up, an all-nighter, and a possible exemption from the war tomorrow."

“An exemption?!?” That's what bothers me most about her list. “I was counting on having you at my back for support. You have a way of swaying battles in your favor where the odds were stacked against you.”

The Webling titters, “Why, Vermilion, if Spindle didn't know better, she'd think you were... afraid.”

“I am afraid!” I start to pace. “We're up against the strongest monster Leaders in the region, we haven't discussed a plan, and we need to minimize casualties. We can't duplicate the constellation of circumstances that let you reverse engineer the Sheikh's bonds with the other Leaders, either. There's not enough time.”

“Fu-fu-fu, Spindle is flattered to be so highly revered in the Lady Mayoress's eye. To think, an Echidna, a team of Third Tiers, an embarrassment of high-Rank Second Tiers, and a small multiracial army needs one little old Webling to ensure victory! What would Miss Mouse or Miss Goblin have to say about this?”

“They... Probably wouldn't let me hear the end of it if they found out what I'd said. Umm, please don't mention this.”

The Wicked Weaver sidles up to me, putting one set of arms around my middle. “Oh, so you don't need Spindle after all? Are you certain, Vermilion? Spindle would hate to leave you high and dry.” Her dexterous fingers dip down to my panty line as she speaks, sending delicious tremors through my tummy.

I bite back a moan and force down a shiver, looking down at her with heavy-lidded eyes. “You're evil.”

Her devious fingers retreat, Spindle knowing my decision at this point. “Some would say so.”

“Well,” I say, not pulling away from her embrace, but rather throwing an arm around her shoulders, “You have my blessing as long as you don't harm the monsters in your care.”

“Excellent.” She steeples the fingers of one pair of hands, ever the master manipulator. “Hmmm, on a different subject, Vermilion should consider spending some quality time with the Bee Girls. They grow up so fast, as a wise Webling once said.”

Sigh. “You're right. I've neglected them, letting my other responsibilities distract me. I'll make some time.”

“Then Spindle will get to work. There's no time to waste." She flags down a passing bun. "Please send word to the Sand Goblin tribe and the Belly Dancers to assemble. Tell them that the Head Maid needs their assistance."

As Diane the Mochi Rabbit scurries off with her task, Spindle begins constructing a new Ritual circle, and I go for a walk.