《The Quest of Words》 Chapter 1 - My Life as it Was It was one of those nondescript, single-story office buildings that dot the landscape in the mid-western United States. Boxy construction. No windows. My current place of gainful employment. Although, really there was nothing gainful about ten dollars an hour. But hey, in another three months, I would qualify for insurance, and it would only cost me about a third of my paycheck. So that was something. The place was named Steg-o-call. It even had a cute little stegosaurus wearing a telephone headset on the side of the building as a mascot. I¡¯m sure it had a name. No one had told me. When I had first been hired, I had been glad to get any sort of job. I was about two weeks away from getting evicted, and I would work anywhere to avoid homelessness. So, here I was. In a call center. Call centers, if you don¡¯t know, are businesses that do not serve the public. Instead, they provide a service to other businesses who don¡¯t want to spend the money on maintaining something they don¡¯t even want. Namely, customer service. Why, after all, would you maintain a customer service department when, if you obtained a reputation for poor quality, instead of fixing the problem, you could just fire somebody. So that¡¯s what we did. Our current client was a TV cable/internet company. I was pretty sure that we had others, as well. Knowing that wasn¡¯t my job, though, and I wasn¡¯t paid enough to care. My job was primarily in providing technical support for their customer¡¯s internet service with the rare cable problem sprinkled in. Initially, I had been a little excited to work in tech support. I liked computers, after all. I had built a few, mainly for gaming purposes, of course. I had never gotten to assemble one of those mega battle stations that you see people brag about every once in a while. Never had the budget for it. Training had been a three week long affair. We each received a massive handbook filled with all sorts of information on the various ways a person¡¯s internet connection could get fouled up. It had even been divided up based on operating system, although Linux was conspicuously absent. They probably figured that no one who was capable of running Linux would ever bother to call us. Which was probably for the best. I knew less about Linux than I did MacOS¡­ and I wasn¡¯t sure if my coworkers had even heard of it. The trainer had been a nice lady who delighted in giving us all sorts of little computer puzzles to solve. It was quaint, but enjoyable in its own way. Over the weeks, I got to know my fellow trainees. They each had their own little quirks and foibles, and we became friends in that coworker sort of way. On our last day of training we had a barbecue cookout with cake and everything. We even got to sing a little karaoke. And then we had been ushered out on to the main work floor, and everyone just¡­ vanished. We were lost in that special no-where land known as cubical hell. I had been there for nine months now, and I hadn¡¯t seen any of those people again. I wondered if they had quit? Or been fired? Or if I was now stuck in some limbo dimension where no one ever smiled or laughed and eye contact was to be avoided at all costs. I quickly discovered, once I was actually on the work floor, that all of that training had been a complete waste of time. My job wasn¡¯t to provide tech support. No, my job was to help people understand how to reboot their modem ¡ª after having listened to a recording of a man explaining exactly how to do that while they waited on hold. If that failed, I was to send out a service technician some time during the following week at the most inconvenient time possible during a 3-5 hour time slot. The technician, I was pretty sure, had been trained to arrive either 5 minutes early or 5 minutes late, so that they could claim the client wasn¡¯t at home. Whether they did anything or not, the client was charged fifty dollars an hour. That accounted for about 95% of my calls. You see, if I actually tried to figure out what was wrong with their internet connection, that took time. That time increased my call time numbers. Increased call time numbers in turn increased hold times. And management hated that. Management, I was pretty sure, didn¡¯t know a god damned thing about customer service. I couldn¡¯t stand it. That particular day, I was sitting at ¡®the bad¡¯ cubicle. I had gotten there just a hair shy of officially late ¡ª and therefore written up ¡ª so, naturally, it was the only one left. Getting a cubicle that wasn¡¯t absolute garbage was the only motivation anyone had of actually getting here even a second early. That day, though, I was willing to make that sacrifice. The computer at that cubicle featured an ancient cathode-ray tube monitor sitting atop an even more ancient desktop console. It¡¯s age was given away by the 3.5¡± floppy disk drive installed in it. I was agog. The desktop was running some version of Windows, but I wasn¡¯t sure which. Not the current one, I knew that. Not by a long shot. Somehow, though, it still worked, and that¡¯s all anyone here cared about. There had been no office chair stationed at this cubicle when I got there. I had had to hunt one down along the wall. The ¡®wall¡¯ was where office chairs were pushed when they needed to be repaired. That never happened, of course. Or, at least, it had never happened since I had been there. The one that I had found had a hole worn into the back and canted slightly to the left. One of the wheels kept popping loose. On the bright side, I had discovered that if I turned in the chair just so, it would respond with a satisfying vibration and squeak. I had been taking advantage of that for the last 15 minutes or so, but I was starting to attract dirty looks. I might need to space those squeaks out a bit¡­ or consequences might be coming my way. I reached up to rub at my aching ear. The headsets provided by the company were some of the cheapest money could buy. The ear piece was a flat piece of plastic with a bit of a wire over top to attach it to your head and a little adjustable microphone out front. This being ¡®the bad¡¯ cubicle, however, the bit that actually held the microphone in place was busted. You had to hold it up to your mouth by the wire any time you wanted to talk. I was sure it had gotten down swapped by some enterprising scavenger around here. Incidentally, you could buy a pad to fit over the ear piece from the company. They cost a dollar ¡ª a fact that I felt deserved a congressional hearing. It was inhuman. Of course, my ear pad had a hole worn in it. Which meant I would soon need to buy another one. And I would sooner sell my first-born child than pay these people for another ear pad. So my ear ached. I was on one of the rare calls that actually had to do with our cable service, at that moment. I knew what the problem was, of course. The old woman on the phone had accidentally sat on her remote control. This had pressed some button, and now her television was only showing static. All she had to do was to press the Source button on the remote to switch it back from her DVD player to Cable. Unfortunately, she was half blind and deaf from age, and most of the remote had been taped up by a helpful grandson. The task of explaining to her how to fix her problem on a remote I was unfamiliar with for a TV whose brand I didn¡¯t know was Sisyphean. I had been on this call for twenty minutes now. I knew. I checked. She was in the middle of her third pass at explaining her problem, again. I wasn¡¯t sure if she honestly felt like that would help or if age had made such an ague of her memory that she wasn¡¯t aware of it. Shaking my head, I decided that the only recourse available to me was to send a technician, which I desperately did not want to do. She did not deserve that. Here she was, an old retired woman, living all alone, her only companion her television. And because of a simple mistake, she was going to be without said companion for weeks. Because, of course, no technician was going to be available until Wednesday after next. I decided to try one last hail Mary. ¡°Ma¡¯am, do you have a neighbor or your grandson that you might be able to call who could come over and help you with this?¡± I asked, searchingly. There was a pause, followed by her quivering, ¡°Well, my grandson works in Branson¡­¡± I had no idea where that was in relation to her. I assumed it was a no go. ¡°And I think my next door neighbor is at work right now. Do you think I could call her when she gets back from work? What time does she get off work?¡± Was she asking me? How did she expect that I would know that? ¡°I¡­ see. Well, if she works a day shift, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be home around 6 o¡¯clock? Maybe a bit later depending on errands or her own schedule. Why don¡¯t we try calling them over around then and see if they can¡¯t fix your problem before I call out this technician. I don¡¯t want to have to charge you for a service call you don¡¯t need.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Alright, then.¡± ¡°If you decide you need that technician after all, do please call me back. Okay?¡± ¡°Alright. Thank you, young man. You¡¯ve been very helpful.¡± I wished that were true. As the phone disconnected, I quickly set myself to INACTIVE. I only had a few minutes of INACTIVE time available per day, and technically you weren¡¯t supposed to use it for breaks. But I just couldn¡¯t take another call right then. I desperately needed a new job. At that moment, I would rather work the lava forges of the mines of Moria than sit for another hour in this hellhole. Pulling the headset away from my throbbing ear, I rubbed my eyes and sat back to stare at the drop down ceiling ¡ª my chair giving an unstable wobble. ¡°I wish I could be anywhere else than here.¡± That, of course, was when I fell through the hole. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. There was no earthquake or sinkhole opening up or really any indication that something like that was going to happen. One moment I was sitting there, bemoaning my lot in life, and the next, the floor was just gone. With a squawk, I was falling through empty air. Wild panic set in as the air screamed past my ears and whipped my hair about. As I tumbled in free fall, my eyes strained to make sense of my situation. But there was nothing to take in. There was nothing but blackness all about me ¡ª all save for the hole rapidly receding above me. Even that vanished in mere moments. For a long time, I screamed and tumbled in the black. I was awash in the sensation of air ripping past me. My ill-fitting khakis and cheap polo shirt were not designed for this kind of abuse and soon began to rip and tear. This continued for an interminable amount of time, but eventually, I managed to stabilize my fall into a pose I¡¯d seen skydivers assume. That helped. Yet, still I screamed. As time went on, my panic began to recede to manageable levels. I was gasping for air from the screaming, and my eyes were steaming from the air continuously blasting my entire body. After a few more moments, panic gave way to confusion. ¡°Jesus. This is a seriously deep hole!¡± And then I started laughing. It was one of those adrenaline fueled panic laughs where your only options are that or weeping. Possibly, followed by a complete mental shutdown. When the laughter faded away. I slowly began to realize that soon I would be dead. I had fallen for far too long for any other outcome. No tree could break my fall. A water landing would shatter every bone in my body. It was unavoidable. A strange calm settled over me, and I closed my eyes to await my fate. The thundering in my chest slowly began to settle and my breathing evened out. They say that your life flashes before your eyes in those moments. But that didn¡¯t happen to me. There was only that calm resignation and acceptance of the end. And I waited. And waited. ¡°What the fuck?¡± This hole had no end to it. This was impossible. No hole in the Earth could be so deep. And yet I was falling. The air continued to stream past me unabated. Was this the proverbial hole through the center of the Earth? How long had I been falling anyway? Probably not that long, really. I knew that adrenaline tended to skew a person¡¯s perception of time. I had heard somewhere that a person falling through the center of the Earth would take you 42 minutes. A fact that I remembered because 42, of course, was the meaning of life. And if you can¡¯t accept that, then quite frankly, you don¡¯t understand the question. Had it been that long yet? I doubted it. After a while, I began trying to angle my descent in the hopes of maybe finding an edge to this ridiculous hole. If I could slow myself somehow, maybe I could pull through this? Even if I did, I had a feeling it was going to suck. Pretty soon, however, that hope was dashed. I couldn¡¯t find an edge. There was a bottomless hole with seemingly no sides to it¡­ underneath Steg-o-call?! That¡­ actually, now that I thought about it, it made a strange sort of sense. I always knew that place was the gateway to hell. I just never really thought I would be sucked into it. Somehow, though, I had earned a one-way ticket over the event horizon. I sighed. This ride sucked. I wanted my money back. As my mind began to spin off ridiculous ideas of government conspiracies and underground missile silos, something new finally did happen.
Welcome, New Entity
Uuuuuuh¡­? A crisp blue box appeared before my eyes with words of welcome. I turned my head to look around, instinctually trying to see if anyone else was seeing this. The darkness was unresponsive. I turned back to the box in time to see it vanish and be replaced.
What is your name?
I was a little freaked out by this, I will admit. Then again, I had left logic behind back at the entrance to that hole. Or well, maybe before that. Steg-o-call defied logic, just in general. After a few moments, I shrugged. There was no reason not to answer, after all. So, I spoke my name aloud, shouting above the wind.
Invalid naming convention
What is your name?
The hell? ¡°What do you mean my name is invalid?¡± The blue box did not respond. It just sat there patiently. Did this thing expect me to make up a new name? Like in a game or something? But if there were naming conventions, that meant there were rules for what names were appropriate. ¡°What are the naming conventions?¡± Still no response. Great. This was like an MMO or something then. Rules enforced but not disclosed. I hoped I didn¡¯t end up with something crazy like¡­ xXxBaiterMaster5000xXx.
Invalid naming convention
What is your name?
Oh shit¡­ It could read minds. Oh, that was bad. Thank goodness that one was invalid. I thought about it for a while. Something simple. I knew what my name supposedly meant in English. I¡¯d looked it up a while back. And I knew a little Latin. Maybe¡­ ¡°Donum?¡±
Hello, Donum.
Please, choose a character class.
Okay. Okay, I could live with Donum. It was a little weird for a name, I guessed, but I could get used to it. I wondered why Latin was acceptable. Or maybe my old name was too long? Of course! Those old games always restricted you to like 6-8 characters. Rats. I should¡¯ve tried my nickname first! ¡°Hey, can I choose a different name?¡± Again, no response. I¡¯d take that as a ¡®No¡¯. Alright¡­ fine. Character class, huh? So, it was like a game. ¡°Uh¡­ What class options are there?¡± Nothing. ¡°Classes?¡± ¡°Options?¡± ¡°Menu?¡± ¡°List?¡± All met with no response. Hmm¡­ maybe it¡¯ll take MUD commands. ¡°Help?¡± No dice. Shit, really? Hell, even in those old text games, it would at least give you a list of valid commands. Was I going to have to guess? What even was I choosing this class for? Was magic a thing? That might be kind of neat. Although, I never really liked being a spellcaster in MMOs and such. I always preferred to be up close and personal to the combat. But that was a game. It was impersonal. If I was in a real combat¡­ I would want a gun. From a long distance away.
Invalid choice. Firearms do not exist in Vrekfren.
Please, choose a character class.
Vrekfren? That¡¯s the name of this game? Maybe, it was from German folklore? Or Norse? That would be typical. Game designers were always tapping into Norse mythology. If I ended up defending Yggdrasil, I was force quitting. The ever present wind ripping past my face stood in cacophonous mockery of that idea. Well, that at least narrowed it down a bit. No guns, huh? I guessed archery was the next best thing, but I sucked at that. I¡¯d tried it a little that one year I was in the Scouts. Plus, archers were great until you had to deal with hand to hand combat, and then suddenly they tanked. No, not archery. Really, I thought, the way to go would be some kind of pet class. Those are always the best when it comes to solo work. Not the best with groups, but if you wanted raw survivability, then you wanted a pet class. I mean, you could go with some kind of tank, but there was no way I would want to do that in real life. Oh, yes! Let¡¯s take the brunt of all the damage so that other people can have fun. And you had better hope that you have a good healer on hand. No, thank you. What kind, though? Some kind of ranger? No, no bows. Uh¡­ Maybe a summoner of some kind? My mind flashed back to the countless hours I¡¯d played in ¡®The Elder Scrolls¡¯ series. Conjuration was a fun school of magic. Not very powerful¡­ unless you used mods. And I always did like that fire daedra. For reasons¡­ Heh heh¡­
Analogous character class found and accepted.
Welcome to Vrekfren!
¡°Wait, what? What class?! Hey!¡± My protests were ignored as suddenly, and without warning, a new hole of light opened up directly ahead of me ¡ª or, I guess, below me. The precipitous ring of light I was barreling towards was a shock after all that time spent in darkness, and before I had any thought of preparation, I was through. Below me spread a vast world of oceans, rivers, mountains, and as I got closer¡­ flying islands? Okay, sure. Flying islands. Let¡¯s pretend that¡¯s fine. My threshold of disbelief had been torn asunder at this point. After a moment, I realized that the end of my rapid descent was finally going to come to an end. I had forgotten that ¡®the end¡¯ was a thing I needed to be worrying about when a person is free falling. Panic rapidly began thudding in my chest as the ground started approaching me faster and faster. I lost sight of the mountains and rivers. I was going to be landing in a forest, it looked like. Quickly the trees grew larger and larger, and soon they took up my entire field of view. I covered my face from the branches as impact became imminent, but somehow I missed them. Suddenly, with an alien sounding WHUUUN, my fall was halted about 5 feet in the air. It was so sudden, I felt as if my stomach was going to rip itself out of my gut and splat onto the ground, forcing me to grunt out involuntarily as all of the air was forced out of my lungs. And then, whatever force held me abruptly let me go. And I splatted face first into a puddle of mud. Chapter 2 - Messing with Menus For a few moments, I laid there in total shock. The absence of wind ripping by my ears and the constant burn of it lashing my skin was so much of a welcome relief that I could scarcely force myself to move. However, as I was lying face first in a puddle, the need for air compelled me to raise my head and gasp for breath. And then, directly beside me, I heard a crash like someone had just piledrived a fax machine. I jerked my head around to see the remains of the old office chair I had been sitting in ¡ª worn back rest and all ¡ª settling into a scattered pile. A few seconds later, its loose wheel landed just a scant inch from my nose, splashing me with muddy water. Blanching, I slowly sat up. I was sitting in a wheel ditch in a dirt road cutting through this forest. Muddy from rain, of course. I climbed my way out of the ditch and into the grass ¡ª flinging mud from my hands and scrubbing it from my face and hair. Looking down at myself, my clothes were a total wreck. What was left of my cheap ¡®formal¡¯ office clothes were in tatters and filthy with wet black mud. The only scrap of clothing I had left that were in any kind of condition was my leather belt ¡ª a gift from my grandmother ¡ª and my office shoes. They were a brown leather that were riddled with cracks that said cheap yet comfortable. Fortunately, my boxers were in one piece, as well. Though, they too were soaked. All in all, I looked like I had been hit by a bomb. A wet, muddy bomb. Looking around, I was in what looked like a deciduous forest. Apparently, it was fall wherever I was, because the leaves were turning all sorts of shades of red and orange. Unless, of course, that¡¯s just how trees are around here. If they have floating islands, then for all I knew, the trees could be purple! The forest itself seemed to be somewhat maintained and cleared of underbrush for about a half a dozen yards away from the road. That meant people. The question was ¡ª as I slowly scanned the road to my left and then right ¡ª which direction were they? For the moment, though, I needed to sit and take stock of myself. Survival could wait until I got my feet under me, I decided. Recent events had taken some precedent, but just a few moments ago, I had been falling through a hole in the world and talking to a blue menu screen. And that was a sentence that I never thought I¡¯d need to assemble. ¡°Uh? Menu screen? Where am I? What is going on?¡± The Menu did not deign to respond. Well, the menu screen seemed to be throwing game terms at me. Maybe I can use game commands? ¡°Uh¡­ Map?¡± At that, there was a light blip. And then up popped¡­
[Map] Functionality has not been Unlocked.
Please see a [Cartographer] to Unlock this Feature.
Huh. Well, that was something anyway. I wondered how that would work. I bet I¡¯ll have to pay for that Unlock, too. Hope they take cash. Suddenly, it occurred to me to check my pockets. My wallet was gone. And my phone. And my car keys. My pockets were ripped clean through. Frantically, I searched around me. If that garbage-ass office chair came through, then my stuff should be around here somewhere. But I couldn¡¯t see them anywhere. Crap on a stick. Maybe they landed off in the forest somewhere. And then reality came back to me. The hell am I going to do with that stuff anyway. Although, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to check to see if there¡¯s a cell signal. Faint hope that. So, for a few minutes I took the time to search my immediate area. Eventually, I did find my car keys. I decided to take them with me. Who knew? I might make it back. My wallet was no-where to be found, though. Finally, right next to a largish boulder some yards from where I¡¯d landed, I found the remains of my cell phone. Apparently, it had smashed into said rock on landing. It had not survived. I sighed. Eh, it was a piece of shit anyway. I automatically went to put my keys into my pocket, but of course, they fell straight through my tattered pants and landed on my shoe. Feeling three shades of dumb ass, I picked up my keys again, and slipped a finger through the ring. As I idly twirled them around my finger, I wondered, ¡°Now what?¡± I wonder if there¡¯s an inventory screen. That would be nice. ¡°Inventory?¡±
You have no Inventory Space.
Please obtain valid Storage Container.
Okay. That made sense. Inventory in games was just a way to show what you had in your bags anyway. I¡¯d bet if my pockets weren¡¯t ripped, it would have registered them as ¡®Storage Containers¡¯. But that raised the question as to why an ¡®inventory screen¡¯ needed to be a thing in this scenario. I¡¯d need to ask someone about that. On that note¡­ there had been some discussion about character class before¡­ I wonder where I would find that? ¡°Uhm¡­ character screen?¡±
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Level: 1
Strength: 5 Agility: 2 Toughness: 3 Intelligence: 7 Wisdom: 4 Charisma: 3 (currently 1) Manic Force: 1 Manic Breadth: 4 -2 unclean, ruined clothes
Lilim Slots: 1
4 Stat Points available! 2 Skill Points available!
Okay¡­ Okay. That¡¯s a character sheet alright. Core level 1. Why ¡®Core¡¯ level? Were there sub-levels? Side levels? Maybe it was a multiclass thing. And no clan. Does it mean that I don¡¯t have a family? Or is that like in games with guilds and such. Could be. My class is Lilim Trainer? The heck is a Lilim? Some kind of monster? Elemental? I considered the possibilities for a bit. It could have been nearly anything, for all I knew. The trainer part was the only real hint. I had to assume that I was going to have to catch or purchase a ¡®Lilim¡¯ and train it. Train it to do what, exactly? And ¡®Marked by the Watcher¡¯? That sounds¡­ ominous. I thought for a moment. But it says ¡®sign¡¯. Could be a star sign kind of thing? I had nothing to go on yet. But¡­ if it¡¯s like the ¡®Elder Scrolls¡¯ it could be a buff. Uh¡­ okay, sure. Strength, agility, all pretty normal¡­ Only 3 Charisma? That¡¯s harsh. I paused. No, that¡¯s fair. I had always been a bit¡­ shall we say¡­ taciturn? Although my mother had always said I was handsome. Not that that counted. Currently one? Unclean and ruined clothes. I looked down at myself. Totally fair. But then I stopped. Wait a minute. What do these stats even mean? 5 Strength? Out of what? Is that average? Weak? It didn¡¯t make a lot of sense, really. I was pretty used to these kinds of things from games, but in reality, you couldn¡¯t quantify a person¡¯s physical strength with a single number. There were too many variables. Fast twitch muscles versus slow twitch. Arm strength versus leg strength versus core strength. Plus, a person¡¯s strength affected too many things, like endurance, speed, and jump height to name a few. And skill was a factor in using all of those things. How do you take all of that and sum it up with the number 5? I shook my head. You¡¯re thinking too hard about this. Just go with the flow for now. You can pick these apart later. Let¡¯s see¡­ what else? Manic Force and Breadth? Those were new. Manic like in mana? Or is that the power of my own insanity? What a horrifying concept. For a moment, my imagination spun out of control with the possibilities implied by wielding the power of mania. But then I shook my head in dismissal. There¡¯s no way. Lilim Slots 1. And empty. Okay, for sure some kind of pet class, then. But only one slot? Either Lilim were quite powerful individually, or I was too weak to control more than one. Maybe both. So many questions. My eyes eventually drifted to the bottom of the screen. Oh, hello! Points available! I lightly clapped my hands together in boyish excitement, then scoffed at myself in embarrassment. Ah, you dork. I reached to poke the little box showing that I had Stat Points available, and a new box appeared. This one just showed my stats from Strength through Charisma with little pluses and minuses next to them. The minuses where grayed out. I nodded. No min-maxing. Okay¡­ well, assuming that Toughness is what I think it is, then that¡¯s going to be my go to. I want to stay alive at all costs. So, I poked the little plus next to Toughness which immediately incremented up to 4, causing the plus to gray out and the minus to pop up. No monolithic builds then. And looks like I¡¯ll be able to play with these until I finalize it. That¡¯s good. What else? Agility for sure. I figured that avoiding damage would be within the wheelhouse of Agility, and if that were a thing, then I was all about it. Strength? Mmm¡­ no. I was a decently strong guy already, or so I had been told. Mostly leg strength. I supposed that was from my above average height and the podge I¡¯d put on over the years since college. But I was hardly a bodybuilder. Mental stats¡­ Well, Intelligence is usually the go to stat for magic users. I don¡¯t know if I am one though¡­ Can I back out of this? I glanced down and sure enough, there was an Accept and a Cancel button. Hitting Cancel, my full Status reappeared. I quickly went to poke the ¡®Skill Points available¡¯ button, but then I stopped and instead touched Intelligence. Maybe there¡¯s some tooltips in here somewhere?
Intelligence is a rough measure of a person¡¯s ability to acquire and process new information. Has no bearing on a person¡¯s total knowledge.
Okay, that¡¯s about what I thought. Looking down, I moved to select Wisdom next. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Wisdom is a rough measure of a person¡¯s ability to apply knowledge in beneficial ways.
I sat there drumming my fingers on my knee for a while as I considered that. All pretty bog standard, so far. I glanced over at the ¡®Manic¡¯ stats, and out of curiosity, I tapped the top one.
You do not yet know what [Manic Force] is.
My head canted to the side as I read that message. ¡°Oh, really?¡± So, it was going to be like that? I smiled a bit. I did appreciate when a game didn¡¯t do a lot of handholding. So, my menus won¡¯t tell me what I don¡¯t already know? But that didn¡¯t quite track. After all, I hadn''t known that I was a Lilim Trainer or even that ¡®Manic Force¡¯ existed until the menu told me about it. The only thing that I could think of was that either I already did know what those things were ¡ª somehow. Or I had subconsciously guessed at them somewhat in the right vein. Or¡­ or this ¡®game¡¯ was just poorly constructed. With nothing else to go on, I dismissed that notification. Let¡¯s go ahead and look at these skills, then. Pressing the ¡®Skills Available¡¯ button, a new sub-menu appeared. It merely read ¡®Current Skills¡¯ and ¡®Purchase New Skills¡¯. I guess I should see what I¡¯m working with first.
Bind Lilim Binds a defeated or willing entity as your [Lilim].
That¡¯s it? Only one single skill. Frustrated, I poked at the word ¡®Lilim¡¯ trying to at least get a definition.
Your assumptions on the concept of [Lilim] are inaccurate or lacking.
Well, now, that¡¯s interesting. So, then I did have some concept of the term. I tried to think of where I might have heard it before, but I was drawing a blank. What had I been thinking when I was assigned this class? I couldn¡¯t remember that either. Something about pet classes, I was sure. Admittedly, a lot had happened all at once. Also, what qualified as ¡®defeated¡¯? Near death? Unconscious? That could be tricky. And here I was with no real combat ability to speak of. I looked over at the remains of the office chair. I supposed that I could tie one of those wheels to a stick or something. That would smart to bean something over the head with. Sighing, I lowered my head into my hands. I was having a psychotic break, wasn¡¯t I? This couldn¡¯t be real. They would find me in a closet somewhere in the Steg-o-call with a crudely constructed office chair mace ranting about unhelpful skill menus. I would go on to become an urban legend passed on through middle management lore until the end of days. I swatted a mosquito on my neck. Whatever. If I¡¯m crazy, then let¡¯s be crazy. So, I looked back at my one little skill. Why only the one? I had loads more skills than that. ¡°What about cooking? Or computer use? I even know how to knit!¡± A little. It had been a while. I looked around. I wasn¡¯t embarrassed about it. Not really. I had to suppose that whatever this game was, it didn¡¯t track everything you knew how to do. It probably was restricted to class abilities or something. I wondered if I learned how to use a sword or a bow if that would show up. Or an atlatl. Heh. Oh please, don¡¯t be that low tech. It might only show things after I appeared ¡ª or was dropped into ¡ª this land. There was too much I didn¡¯t know. Rubbing my chin for a second, I muttered, ¡°What is my knitting skill?¡±
Knitting: 2
There we go. I guessed it just didn¡¯t bother to show you things you didn¡¯t care to know at the moment. Which, now that I thought about it, was a pretty good design philosophy. Could you even imagine a system that would show you each and every little skill you had ever accumulated over the course of your life every time you looked at your character screen? Especially at high levels? What a bloated mess that would be. But then¡­ how did you get such a list? ¡°Show all my skills?¡± What followed was a nightmarish hellscape of a list that went on and on about literally everything I had ever done or attempted. Things from ¡®Horseback Riding: 1¡¯ ¡ª a thing I had done all of once back when I was in Middle School ¡ª to ¡®Masturbation: 17¡¯ ¡ª a fact I really didn¡¯t need to know about myself ¡ª scrolled past so fast I scarcely had enough time to read them. Some skills were grayed out, like ¡®Automotive Repair: 5¡¯. I guessed those wouldn¡¯t be usable around here. Finally, having had enough, I waved my hands through the list, shouting, ¡°Enough! Enough!¡± The list vanished mid-scroll somewhere in the ¡®Rs¡¯. Alright. Let¡¯s see what I can buy with these skill points, then. Here again, I was given a sub-menu with two choices. ¡®Active¡¯ and ¡®Passive¡¯. Oh, passives! The ¡®always on¡¯ nature of passives usually appealed to me over other types of skills. Though, they tended to be weaker, overall.
What sort of Passive Ability do you want?
¡­oh NO! That was way too broad of a question. I mean, come on! Immortality, maybe?!
You do not meet the requirements to purchase [Lesser Immortality]
That sentence caused my eyebrows to try and recede into my hairline. A-buuuuuuh¡­ Of course, it didn¡¯t bother to mention what those requirements might be. That would be too easy. Can¡¯t have every Tom, Dick, and Harry picking up that particular gem, can we? And lesser, huh? That implied levels of immortality! Oh, hoo hee hoo hee hoe! We have acquired a goal! Shaking off my excitement, I tried to think of something that might be in the cards for someone my level. ¡°Uh¡­ some kind of regeneration, maybe?¡±
Please, specify type of regeneration.
¡°What types are there?¡± The menu, as usual, was not forthcoming. ¡°Okay¡­ how about health regeneration?¡±
Please, specify type of health regeneration.
¡°What the hell do you mean what type of health?!¡± I raged. ¡°Wound recovery, maybe?!¡±
Minor Wound Regeneration Slightly speeds the regeneration of cuts, bruises, and other bodily injuries at the expense of life energy. Scar tissue formation will be suppressed. Limbs will not regrow.
Accept?
Neat. I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what ¡®life energy¡¯ was supposed to be, of course. Calories, maybe? Not having scars would also be kind of a nice feature. Then again, they say that chicks dig scars. The concept of limb regeneration was also interesting. I assumed I would have to pick up a stronger version of the skill to unlock that. I would definitely have to grab this skill, but I wasn¡¯t so sure that now was the right time. After all, I didn¡¯t even have any offensive abilities. At low levels, it was always better to just hack and slash your way to victory rather than endure. At least in games. So, I said, ¡°No,¡± and went back to choose ¡®Active¡¯ skills.
What sort of Active Ability do you want?
¡°Mutha¡­¡±, I clenched my fists and then let out a breath. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. You had to know this was coming. ¡°I would like some kind of attack skill, please.¡±
As a [Lilim Trainer], you may not acquire direct attack skills.
¡°Oh, you ho-bag! I will crack you like a glow stick!¡± What kind of garbage tier class had I been saddled with? No attack skills?! How was I¡­ wait¡­ ¡°What about indirect attack skills?¡±
Please, specify type of indirect attack.
Here we go. There were lots of ways you could go about attacking a person without causing direct harm. I scratched my lower lip in thought. The question was, what could I get away with as a ¡®Lilim Trainer¡¯? ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s probe this thing a bit.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ how about poison?¡± I asked searchingly.
Create Life Berry At the minor cost of life energy now, ingesting will replenish life energy for yourself or your bonded [Lilim], however other entities will suffer a low level poison effect. Will preserve indefinitely. Number created and life energy contained will increase with skill level.
Accept?
¡°Uh¡­ no? I mean that¡¯s interesting and all, but that wasn¡¯t really¡­¡± Wait. Ugh¡­ Pedantic son-of-a¡­ ¡°I want a skill to help envenom an enemy,¡± I said, my eyes rolling in disgust.
Envenom Weapons Coat the weapons (natural or wielded) of your bonded [Lilim] or ally with a magical venom. By default, will cause minor life energy depletion over time in the victim. This effect will stack with continued application. Effect may be changed through acquisition of certain passive skills. Duration and potency increases with skill level.
Accept?
That¡¯s closer. I think I¡¯m starting to get a clearer picture of what this class is supposed to do now. Especially with that ¡®only allies¡¯ business. I¡¯m a buffer. I still wasn¡¯t sure what this ¡®life energy¡¯ was supposed to be about, though. Although, I had a guess. It must be important or else it wouldn¡¯t come up so often. I decided to give the word a poke just to see if I was on the right track.
[Life Energy] is the basic resource all living things use to maintain life. Most entities replenish this resource either through photosynthesis or predation.
Okay. That made a degree of sense, and was in line with what I was thinking. I glanced at my character sheet again, but I didn¡¯t see any mention of it. ¡°How much life energy do I have?¡±
You have no means of tracking your personal [Life Energy] reservoir at this time. This may be remedied by purchasing [Passive Skill: Monitor Life Energy]
I had to suppose that might be useful at some point. For now though, I figured my stomach would let me know if I was running low. Good old ¡®predation¡¯ had worked for me so far. After that, I tried several other approaches at getting myself a decent attack skill, but everything I could think of ultimately led me back to my central problem of needing a ¡®Lilim¡¯. Of course, it didn¡¯t help that the menu would only give me information on things that I myself had thought of. If this were multiple choice, I might have had an easier time of it. Temporarily closing out of the endless blue boxes, I sat back and closed my eyes to think. How to get around this problem. I breathed deeply for the first time since coming to this place. The air was musty with the smell of the nearby stagnant water, but the breeze was cool and refreshing. The leaves were swaying in the wind, and I enjoyed, for a moment, the sound of thousands and thousands of them brushing against one another. ¡°What kind of place is this, anyway,¡± I wondered. Would it have an adventurer¡¯s guild? Blacksmiths clanging away in walled villages? Deep dank dungeons full of ravenous undead¡­ Of course! The memory of hordes of sleeping draugr in ancient Nord crypts just waiting for a silent dagger to their hearts flashed through my mind. What was the most broken-ass skill in all of gaming? Stealth, obviously! The question, though, was whether I could qualify for it. ¡°I would like the stealth skill!¡±
You already possess [Active Skill: Stealth] Stealth: 7
Oh. Of course, I had it already. I had successfully sneaked up on people loads of times. Mostly for pranking purposes, you understand. Good times. ¡°What about some kind of¡­¡± I waved my hands vaguely, ¡°magical¡­ stealth? Like invisibility?¡± The menu took a couple of seconds to respond this time. Did it need to parse my question somehow?
You do not meet the requirements to purchase [Active Skill: Invisibility] [Passive Skill] similar to requested parameters found.
Forgotten in Stillness By remaining still and silent, the user has an increased chance to be overlooked by hostile entities. Effectiveness increased in chaotic or otherwise favorable situations. Increasing skill levels improves effectiveness and hastens onset of ability.
Accept?
It wasn¡¯t quite what I was hoping for, to be honest, but it had potential. I had to assume that this was meant to work in tandem with my pet or ¡®Lilim¡¯ or whatever grabbing all the attention. Essentially, it was an aggro management tool. Even so, I could absolutely exploit the hell out of a skill like this. ¡°Yes, please.¡± Chapter 3 - Silliness, Sadness, and a Long Night Having said so, the menu immediately vanished. Then, after a brief moment, I felt a gust of cool wind blow through the remains of my clothing, causing me to shiver involuntarily. A faint feeling of contact, almost like the gossamer caress of a cobweb, traced across my chin, and I distinctly heard a trio of women¡¯s voices whisper in my ear a series of words. I had no clue as to their meaning nor could I possibly repeat them, but they felt significant. The sensation caused me to jerk away in fright ¡ª looking around frantically for the source of the sound. I saw nothing. Then I felt a chill run from the top of my skull to the tip of my spine. And knowledge appeared in my mind. Of the nature of non-motion. Silence. Of slipping through the cracks of a person¡¯s consciousness. When the knowledge had finished unfolding before me, it rapidly wadded itself up and slipped into some dark recess of my psyche.
Congratulations! You have acquired [Passive Skill: Forgotten in Stillness] [Passive Skills] are always active and will be used subconsciously. You may deactivate [Passive Skills] at will unless engaged in combat.
I blinked rapidly for a moment as I tried to get my bearings. That was¡­ unpleasant. Even more, it raised a heck of a lot of questions. Questions like: What just happened? How did it happen? Why was there wind? That touch? Were those things even related? And then those voices! ¡­And now was I going to start subconsciously making people forget I was there? I screwed up my mouth and exhaled. All questions for another time. Wait¡­ that thing said I could toggle this skill somehow. Is it even on? How should I¡­ Suddenly, the unbidden image of an animated version of myself sprang into my mind. The camera zoomed in close to my left hand as I slowly brought it up to my eye in a sideways V-sign and thrust my right out to my side. Action lines humming all about me, I stood, my legs wide, and screamed to the heavens as the J-metal swelled, ¡°FORGOTTEN IN STILLNESS!!!¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ t-turn on, uh¡­ F¡­ Forgotten in¡­ uh¡­¡± I cleared my throat, ¡°in¡­ in Silence.¡±
[Passive Skill: Forgotten in Stillness] Rank: 1 Status: Active
¡°Okay, then,¡± I said, bouncing on my toes, my arms swinging limply at my sides. ¡°Good¡­ That¡¯s what I like to see. Very Johnny-on-the-spot of you. Pip pip.¡± What is wrong with my brain? I didn¡¯t know if other people were capable of embarrassing themselves when they were all alone, but I just had. I laughed nervously. ¡°Right. Maybe we should see if we can¡­ not¡­ say that out loud anymore,¡± I cleared my throat again. After some simple experimentation, I found that I could, indeed, toggle the skill just fine with simple mental commands. Deciding to leave it on for now, just in case, I set about distributing my stats. One each to Agility and Toughness, as I had previously settled on. I couldn¡¯t really decide which would be better between Wisdom or Intelligence, but I decided to opt for Wisdom for now as it was the lower of the two. The last point, though¡­ The last point I figured I¡¯d sneak into Charisma. It probably wasn¡¯t the best choice. But mine was a 3. And now it was a 4. They were my stats. I could do what I wanted with them. ¡°Character Screen.¡±
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Level: 1
Strength: 5 Agility: 3 Toughness: 4 Intelligence: 7 Wisdom: 5 Charisma: 4 (2) Manic Force: 1 Manic Breadth: 4 -2 unclean, ruined clothes
Lilim Slots: 1
All Stat Points assigned. 1 Skill Point available!
I needed a bath. And a change of clothes. The mud on my face had begun to dry at this point, and it was starting to itch. Scratching absently, I looked over my new and improved stat sheet. There wasn¡¯t much to say about it, really. What was the difference between ¡®Toughness¡¯ 3 and 4? I thumped myself on the knuckle, experimentally. It hurt, of course. I frowned. Continuing my research, I stood up to try out my brand new three points in Agility. ¡°Time for the ultimate test,¡± I said in eager anticipation. Slowly, I bent forward in an attempt to touch my toes. Grunting in effort, I pushed for all I was worth, but my digits remained just out of reach. Going limp, I hung there, hunched over in disappointment. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°My three points of Agility have failed me.¡± Standing back up, and giving my head a shake as the blood that had pooled there returned to equilibrium, I muttered, ¡°I must still be in the negative modifiers¡­¡± Not knowing what else to do, I stared at that last skill point I hadn¡¯t assigned. I really didn¡¯t want to fight with the menus any more, and I was starting to get a bit peckish. I had packed myself a chicken salad sandwich that morning, but of course, it was still sitting in the company refrigerator in the break room back at Steg-o-call. Someone had undoubtedly stolen it by this point. Bastards. Not that I¡¯d have gotten to eat it anyway. Not¡­ wherever I was. Deciding to put my frustrations into walking, I picked a direction at random. I didn¡¯t have a clue where I was or where the closest civilization might be, so one direction was as good as another. There was a road, more of a dirt track actually, and that meant there had to be something at the end of it. Glancing down, I decided to pick up the loose wheel from the office chair. It was heavy and metal, and I figured that in a pinch, I could stuff it into a sock or something and use it as an impromptu flail. Hopefully, I wouldn¡¯t need it. Sliding it into my pocket, as I began to walk, it of course slid straight down my leg, hit my shoe, and was kicked several yards ahead of me. ¡°My IQ is slipping into the negatives.¡± Shaking my head at myself, I picked up the stupid wheel again and continued walking. It didn¡¯t take long before my wet shoes started to chafe. I wasn¡¯t much into exercise, as it was, and starting up a routine now was sounding like a bad idea to me. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have much choice in the matter. It was late afternoon, by this point, and I should have been off of work and firing up my gaming system. Instead, I was walking. Walking, walking, walking. Idly, I began humming an aimless tune to try to take my mind off of the monotony ¡ª and the faint itch that was slowly developing between my butt cheeks ¡ª which slowly morphed into ¡®Space Oddity¡¯ by David Bowie. It had a good walking tempo, I justified to myself. ¡ªSeveral hours later¡ª ¡°This is ground controooool to Maaaajor Tom!¡± I sang loudly, my walk having devolved somewhere along the way into a sloppy skipping dance. ¡°You¡¯ve really made the grade. And the papers¡­ mumble mumble¡­¡± the tune drifted off. ¡°Damn. What is that lyric?¡±
Your [Active Skill: Singing] improved to 12! Your [Active Skill: Dancing] improved to 3!
¡°Huh?¡± I was stopped short at the notification popping up all of the sudden. Reading it, I frowned, ¡°Oh, I guess I¡¯m done now, am I?¡± And my dancing improved to 3, did it?! Tsk¡­ Cheek. Waving my hand vaguely through the box to dismiss it, I looked around. There really didn¡¯t seem to be an end to this blasted forest or this road. Looking ahead, though, I saw a bit of a clearing. The sun was setting by this point, and I decided that I badly needed a rest. Stepping around the corner into the clearing, I found what seemed to be the remains of an old campsite. There was a ring of stones in the center with some scattered ashes left. Randomly situated around the stones were a few upturned logs and a largish rock that a person could sit on. ¡°Alright then! Looks just this side of perfect!¡± I looked around. That fire circle taunted me a bit though. It was getting a bit cold now that the sun was setting, and here I was with the remains of my polo shirt hanging around my shoulders like a hobo cape. What was I going to do to start a fire? Rub sticks together? My stomach took the opportunity to gurgle loudly. ¡°Quiet you.¡± I jiggled my flabby stomach, ¡°You¡¯re just going to have to feed on the reserves tonight.¡± That said, I was getting extraordinarily thirsty, having not had a drop of water since my last break. I decided to cautiously probe the entrance into the forest a bit. I had a hunch that a campsite like this might just have a source of water nearby, and before long I heard the welcome gurgling of a small stream. Turned out, it was little more than a creak, scarcely more than a running jump across. The truth be told, I was more than a little hesitant to drink water just sitting out in nature. I mean, it was on the ground, of all things. It couldn¡¯t be sanitary. Looking at it, there were several fallen leaves and branches in it, too. I tried to swallow, but my throat was completely dry at this point. I edged closer and gave it another long considering look. It wasn¡¯t overly deep, but it seemed to be running fairly clear. I could see the bottom, after all, so it wasn¡¯t brackish. Shrugging, I took a few swallows out of my cupped hands. It tasted like good clean water. Of course, my hands weren¡¯t the cleanest. Oh, well. I¡¯d see how I handled that for now. If I felt fine in the morning, I¡¯d come back for more. I nodded to myself. Sounded logical to me. Thirst somewhat quenched, I decided to take the opportunity to strip off my clothes and take a little bit of a bath. Of course, the stream wasn¡¯t really deep enough to allow me to submerge, at all, but I did the best I could by scooping water into my hands and vigorously scrubbing at myself. It was a welcome relief to get that dried mud off, in any case. I also gave my clothes a quick rinse. They weren¡¯t in much of any condition to preserve, but they were all I had. I was going to keep wearing them until they blew away in the wind. Pulling on my shoes and my still wet boxers, I threw the rest of my clothing scraps over an arm and returned to the campsite. It remained as I had left it, but darkness was starting to set in. Not knowing what else I could do, I decided to just go to sleep. I threw my shirt and pants over one of the logs to let them air dry, and I snuggled in next to it. The night was less than warm, and I was wearing wet underwear. You could say that things could have been better. Still, the trees around the clearing blocked most of the wind, so it could have been worse. It could be raining. That was when I saw the lightning. ¡°Well. Fuck me, I guess.¡± I had never tried to sleep outside with no tent, no sleeping bag, no clothes, in the open air, and during a thunderstorm. Nor can I say that I ever will again. Not if I can help it. Mostly, I just lay there on my back while the sky pelted water at me, looking up at the sky and watching the lightning dance through the falling rain. There was a strange sort of beauty to it. And on the plus side, I was in no way thirsty any more. Maybe I should have tried to find shelter, a cave or something, but in the middle of the night, during the rain, and through an unfamiliar wood? No. I¡¯d just tough it out. The rain settled into a soft patter eventually, and at some point, despite the cold, I must have drifted off. The next morning, I awoke to some kind of bird warbling happily in a tree off to my left. I had never heard its kind before. Then again, I wasn¡¯t exactly an ornithologist. The clouds from the night before had mostly scattered, leaving a nice sun to warm the morning air. Sitting up, my torso shucked out of the silt that had accumulated around me during the night. I was a sodden mess. Reaching up to scrub some of the water off of my face, I noticed that my fingers had pruned up so bad that the phenomenon had traveled all the way down into the palms of my hands. It was a level of ¡®wet¡¯ that I heretofore had no account of. Standing up, and shaking stray pieces of grass and bark off of my body, I went to where I had lain my clothes the night before. My pants were still there, so thoroughly soaked they were practically welded to the log I had draped them over. My shirt, meanwhile, had blown off into the fire pit at some point during the night. It was crumpled up in an unrecognizable ball of mud, sand, ashes, and very occasionally, polo shirt. I stood for a moment, just staring at it, expressionless. I decided to leave it there. Abandoning my pants on the log in the vain hope that the sun might dry them just a bit by the time I came back, I returned to the stream that I had discovered the night before. I could hardly get more wet, after all, but at the very least, I might be able to scrub myself back down to bare skin. The stream had swelled a great deal during the storm, and it burbled along at happy and brisk pace. At least one of us had enjoyed the night. The extra pep in its step meant that I was able to wade in to about knee depth. The little stream was bracingly cold, but I didn¡¯t care anymore. Sitting down, I lay back and submerged my head into the oncoming water. Using the pressure of the current to rinse twigs and leaves from my hair, I vigorously ran my fingers through it to try to get the rest of the grit out of it while I could. Sitting back up, I gasped for air and just sat there for a while as the water swelled about my shoulders. By the Unholy Shitgibbon of the Watcher. What a night. I had never conceived of the possibility of a night that bad in all of my 26 years. I couldn¡¯t really even think about it. I just sat there in the cold water, my brain totally switched off, staring at nothing. Just breathing. I wasn¡¯t sure for how long. I think that my mind needed me to go into some kind of quasi-dream state while it frantically shuffled the level of misery I had just suffered into a quiet little corner of my subconscious where it could plot and scheme for some unassuming night ten or twenty years from now. Eventually, though, the cold got to me, and quaffing a large swallow of water to try and stave off the hunger, I shambled off to the bank. Once I had returned to the campsite, I felt my pants and was pleased to see that they were, in fact, dry. Picking them up, however, I discovered that they had formed into a semi-permanent U-shape molded from the log they had been laying on. It took me a fair bit to beat them back loose again, and putting them back on, they felt¡­ somewhat less than laundry fresh. I looked back at the fire pit and reconsidered my shirt, before finally abandoning it to its fate. I slapped my pockets, out of habit, before I remembered that my possessions were missing in action. Looking around, I finally recalled that I had placed my keys and that stupid wheel from the office chair on the sitting rock. They waited for me happily oblivious to my mood. Slipping the key ring back around my middle finger and grabbing the wheel, I took another final look at a campsite I never wanted to look at again. I wanted to remember it. It would make for a good story, at least. Over beer. Lots of beer. Idly putting my hands in my pockets, I turned around to return to the road ¡ª and stopped. A group of about twelve men were standing there, quietly staring at me. Chapter 4 - Bandits I was quite stunned, of course. I hadn¡¯t heard them approach, at all. They all just stood there, shoulder to shoulder, quietly looking me over. From the looks on their faces, they didn¡¯t quite know what to make of me. Then again, I didn¡¯t quite know what to make of them either. They were what you might call humanoid¡­ in the way that you would most decidedly describe them as not human. Most of them were what I would off-handedly label elves or maybe vulcans depending on your sci-fi preference. They were of various colors ranging from pale white to dusky gray, their ears swept back and pointed with a light curl at the tip. Their hair was all sorts of different unnatural colors, ranging from bright pink to bald. Two of the men, not-elves, were some kind of¡­ tree things? Their skin looked craggy, like bark, and they stood tall and spindly. Their hair did not fall from their head, as you might expect, but instead emerged from their shoulders of all things. Their faces also sat too low in their bodies, right between where their arms connected to their torso. Both of them looked so much the same that either I was suffering from some sort of racial blindness (likely) or they were twins. Yet, one of the others looked just like a normal human, except he was rather short and squat. I would have called him a dwarf, except he had no beard, and rather significantly, he had a single horn coming out of his forehead, short and thick like a rhinoceros. The last man, I would probably describe as an orc. He had gray skin and an upturned nose with a great big chin and small tusks jutting out of his underbite. His eyes were black and without pupils, almost like a shark. Most of his hair was shaved, and what was left was gathered into a loose top-knot atop his head. This one stood head and shoulders above all of the rest. I assumed he was the leader. Because he scared me. They were all dressed in a rough assortment of leather armor, hide, and fur with various straps and buckles seemingly attached at random. Alarmingly, they were all armed with crude cutlasses and daggers and even a few bows. Slightly more worryingly, they each and every one of them had the word [Bandit] blazing redly just above their heads. The big one, the orc I guessed, said something then. I couldn¡¯t understand him at all. I could usually identify most of the major languages on Earth from the sound and cadence of them, if not necessarily understand their meaning. German is distinct from Italian in much the same way that Japanese is distinct from Cantonese. This didn¡¯t fit with anything I had ever heard before. Maybe Dutch. Whatever it was, he said it again, this time louder. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sorry, uh¡­ sir. I don¡¯t understand your language,¡± I smiled. No reason not to be polite. Even if they were bandits. Especially because they were bandits. That surprised them. Apparently, they didn¡¯t like surprises, because they each took on a fierce expression and began drawing weapons. ¡°Hey, now! Let¡¯s take it easy!¡± I said, pulling my hands out of my pockets in a placating gesture. The action released the office chair wheel I had been holding where it tumbled out of my ripped pocket, down my pant leg, and predictably landed on my shoe. All twelve heads followed the motion down and stared at the weird looking thing suspiciously. ¡°Uh¡­ I guess it¡¯s time for some ¡®wheel¡¯ time strategy?¡± Cringing at my pun, I launched it right into the big ones face, pegging him right between the eyes. He howled in rage, but I was already booking it to the tree line by that point. Now, I would like to say that I gave them a merry chase through the wood, dodging this way and that, like a clever fox giving the slip to a bumbling set of hounds. I would like to say that I found some bit of luck, or that I outsmarted them. But I didn¡¯t. My out-of-shape, lumbering run didn¡¯t even let me make it to the blasted creek before I was tackled to the ground, tied and trussed, and unceremoniously dragged back to the campsite. I may have blackened one of their eyes in the struggle with an elbow. I wasn¡¯t sure. What followed was a lot of yelling and arguing between the various bandits. They kept dangling my keys or the wheel in front of my face and yelling things at me. I kept just saying, ¡°Yes, those are my keys,¡± or ¡°That¡¯s just a wheel, dude,¡± or ¡°Please, stop slapping me?¡± Finally, they decided to stuff a dirty rag in my mouth and shove a bag over my head. They continued to argue and yell amongst themselves for a while after that. I considered trying to sneak away, but frankly, with the bag there, and the fact that my hands were tied behind my back and my feet were bound, I didn¡¯t think I could inch my way to safety. I didn¡¯t know much of what was going on after that. At one point, I was grabbed and carried, fireman-style, over one of their shoulders. The guy must have been ridiculously strong. I was not light. I don¡¯t know how long that went on. I was in no way comfortable being carried like that. The guy¡¯s shoulder dug into my kidney in just the right way as to send a jolt of pain through me every time he took a particularly hard step. Every once in a while, I would be traded off from one to the next. One guy could carry me for quite a while, but the rest, I figured, just didn¡¯t have that kind of stamina. Here and there, they would stop to rest. The bag would be removed and they would let me drink out of a skin. It wasn¡¯t water. I don¡¯t know what it was, but it was not water. Each time this happened, I would try and get a sense of where we were, but all I ever saw was more trees. In any case, after I got my¡­ liquid refreshment, the bag would be replaced, and after a short rest, we would resume our journey. I think I must have lost consciousness, eventually, from hanging upside down. When I awoke, it was to quite a lot of noise. We had evidently gotten to where ever we were going. Small mercy, that. I was tossed to the ground with little care and made to wait there for some time. Eventually, I was dragged somewhere else. This new place was a bit quieter than where I had been, and shortly, everyone stopped talking. A man with a powerful voice said something, and the man holding me replied while grabbing and shaking my head. ¡°Mmmph,¡± I protested. The powerful voice said something else, and the bag was ripped off my head. I was, I discovered, in something like an outdoor throne room. There was crude furniture scattered about, made from scrap wood, bundled twigs, and strapped together with wicker. Several men of various alien descriptions, but no new species from what I could tell, were all staring at me with some degree of surprise. Each of them had the same red [Bandit] hovering over their heads, although one or two had a slightly less red [Outlaw] hovering there. What took up most of my attention, however, was the absolutely huge man sitting right in front of me. I had to assume that he would be at least eight feet tall while standing, given his stature, but I couldn¡¯t yet be sure. He looked more like a human than the rest of the men I had seen, otherwise, except his face was rather too bony and his skin was an unhealthy looking yellow. His hair was trimmed short into a bowl cut except for a prominent bald spot in the middle looking rather like a tonsure. Interestingly, this man had the words [Bandit King] hovering rather boldly above his head. He gave me a cocky grin and held aloft my keys and that stupid wheel as if to gloat that he now had them. He spoke again in that powerful voice. It was evidently a question, because the rag was yanked out of my mouth. I took a moment to work some moisture back into my yap before saying, ¡°Look, I¡¯ve been trying to tell you people that I don¡¯t understand a word you¡¯re saying. Different language? Uh¡­ La langue? No? Uh¡­ Sprache de Deutche? No, look, those are just my keys and a wheel that fell off of a chair. There are four more of the things several miles back from where you found me, if you¡¯re so interested,¡± I tried explaining again. The King frowned and the man standing to my side, the ¡®orc¡¯ from before, cuffed me behind the head. I guessed that the King didn¡¯t like that because he barked some kind of reprimand at him. The ¡®orc¡¯ growled a bit, but backed down. This continued for a while. It was clear that the Bandit King wanted to know more about the things I¡¯d been carrying, but of course, the language barrier proved insurmountable for now. In frustration, I started playing the ¡®point-at-thing¡¯ ¡®give-it-a-name¡¯ game, but the guy wasn¡¯t having any of that. Eventually, he made a dismissive gesture, which caused the bag and rag to be replaced, and I was dragged away again. I was shortly deposited somewhere else, and my hands were secured to a post behind me. And then, I was left alone for quite a while. With nothing else to do, I started trying to at least lip the rag out of my mouth. One of my nostrils had decided to clog up, and it was getting difficult to breathe properly. It took me a good while to accomplish, but I did succeed with a heavy sigh of relief. That done, I started trying to work the ropes behind my back, but that, I realized was going to be quite a project. Plus, escaping from here or trying to might end up getting me killed. These people had been a little rough, but so far, they hadn¡¯t really done me much harm. Besides, there was always the hope that they might give me some food eventually. I was not a man who was used to skipping meals, and it had been well over a day since I had eaten. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. After a while, it occurred to me that I still had a skill point remaining, so I began searching for something that might help me out of this predicament. ¡°Hello, Menu-thing?¡± I whispered. It didn¡¯t respond. Then again, I hadn¡¯t actually given it a command. ¡°Oh¡­ uh¡­ I want to spend a skill point.¡±
What sort of skill do you want?
I considered that for a bit. The language barrier was a problem, that was certain. On the other hand, I would really rather not talk to these people at all, if I could help it. My inability to answer their questions might have been the only thing keeping me alive. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to check, though. ¡°I want a skill to help me communicate with the locals.¡±
You qualify for many skills that fit that description. Please, be more specific.
Hmm. This was new. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose listing them would be too much to ask?¡± The menu, of course, ignored me. ¡°Well, could you at least tell me the name of the language they are speaking?¡± I asked.
You do not yet have this information.
¡°Yes¡­ I know that,¡± I said patiently. ¡°Ok¡­ what about¡­ like¡­ a skill to help me learn new languages quickly? Or better a spell that allows me to speak languages I¡¯m unfamiliar with?¡±
Analogous skills to requested items found. Listing:
Passive Skill
Polyglot Increases rate of acquisition and retention of non-native languages. Skill level improves effectiveness.
Accept?
Active Skill
Magic Tongues At the expense of [Manic Energy], maintain a personal translation field that will translate your speech and the speech of [target]. Skill level improves [Manic Energy] efficiency.
Accept?
¡°There we go. Now was that so hard?¡± I asked. Honestly, both of those looked pretty good. The first one would be the go to skill for the long term. On the other hand, that spell would go a long way toward solving my problems in the here and now. Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good idea to select one just yet. I still needed to get out of here, after all, and I only had the one point. Dismissing them both, I starting thinking about other options. And I needed to be specific¡­ ¡°Ummm¡­ how about a skill¡­¡± Right then, I heard someone come into my room, or wherever I was. I heard some kind of rustling and some scraping sounds, followed by distinct clink. Then the bag was ripped off my head. Standing there was one of the elf looking men. He was pale of skin and bald, and I thought he might have been one of the ones from the campsite. He got right up in my face examining me closely. I, in turn, was afforded the opportunity to look him over in great detail. His face was¡­ well the kindest I can say is that it was unsymmetrical. The right side of his face was slightly lower than the left, like someone had sliced his head open vertically and resewn it back. But badly. Consequently, his right eye had a milky hue to it. I wasn¡¯t sure, but he might have been blind in that eye. The other one was a clear and pale blue. Otherwise, his nose was a bit large for his head and crooked, probably from having been broken at some point in his past, and his breath was just this side of rancid. As he backed away, he gave a grimace, and from the look of his teeth I had an inkling as to why. I wondered if he found me to be as ugly as I did him. My Charisma was only a 4, after all. And I hadn¡¯t checked to see if those negative modifiers were still in place. Looking around my prison for the first time, I surmised I was in some kind of hut or a lean-to, maybe. Behind the elf-man, there was no door, but rather a hole left in the wall with a piece of leather hanging there as a partition. Other than the two of us, and the post I was leaning against, there was nothing in this room save for a trio of mismatched clay jars. He gestured to me then and pointed to a bowl of something that was sitting just to his side. He waved it at me and asked me a question. Looking down at the contents, it looked like some kind of stew. Or anyway, it was moist, in a bowl, and there was a spoon. ¡°Is that food?¡± I asked hopefully. He spoke again, showing me the bowl. I nodded, hopefully in agreement, and then jerked my head at the bindings holding my hands behind my back. He grimaced again, looking behind him, furtively. Then he pulled out a knife and pointed it at my face while giving me some kind of suspicious sounding speech. ¡°Right, I won¡¯t give you any trouble. Just untie me, alright?¡± He nodded, and began untying my hands. This guy wasn¡¯t all that bad, I had to admit, despite the red [Bandit] sign hovering above his head. He hadn¡¯t hit me so far, and he was delivering me food. He was my new favorite guy. Temporarily, at least. After my hands were freed, he quickly backed away with his knife held in front of him. He clearly didn¡¯t trust me in the slightest. At the moment, though, I didn¡¯t much care. Instead, I slowly reached for the bowl, keeping eye contact the whole time. He seemed to relax a bit after I had my hands full, but didn¡¯t come any closer. And he didn¡¯t leave either. Dismissing him for now, I looked over my soon-to-be meal. It smelled okay ¡ª a bit of a meaty aroma with an earthy smell that you would normally get with carrots. I couldn¡¯t see any carrots, though. Shrugging, I gave it a tentative taste. It was¡­ bland. But it tasted like food, so I wolfed it down, gratefully. All too soon, I had finished the little bowl. I wasn¡¯t anywhere close to full, but plainly, that was my lot. Seeing I was finished, the elf-man gestured with his knife at my hands, giving some kind of curt command. It took me a moment to understand, but I soon realized what he was getting at. Rolling my eyes, I pulled my hands back behind the pole behind me and waited. He circled around and then retied my hands, maybe a touch looser, which I appreciated. He then came around my front, said something else with a grin, and then shoved the rag back in my mouth. ¡°Hmmm! Mphn hee, mnn!¡± I shouted angrily as the bag was shoved back over my face. ¡°Namn iin!¡± The bald elf laughed and then I was once again left on my own. The bag itself wasn¡¯t particularly well made, so it let in a fair amount of light from the outside. It was just enough for me to make out the ring of light from around the leather partition in front of me, and from the flickering shadows, I could tell when someone would walk past. With nothing to do, all that I could occupy myself with was working at the blasted rag in my mouth. Unfortunately, Mr. Bald-Pale-and-Ugly had really shoved it in there, so I was having quite a time of it. By this time, night had fallen, once again. So what faint entertainment I had from watching the shadows go by was soon subsumed by darkness. I couldn¡¯t hear much from inside of my prison, but eventually I began to hear snippets of what sounded like singing. Drunken singing. Haaa¡­. I could so go for a beer right now. And only one tiny bowl of soup for the whole day? I¡¯m going to waste away in here. It seemed that having shitty days was a trend around these parts. I had had two in a row, so far, and at the rate I was going, I was in for another shit night to top it all off. Then again¡­ it could always get worse. At least it wasn¡¯t¡­ but then I stopped short. No, nope. Not going to fall into that trap again¡­ But then I thought about it a bit, and gave a vicious grin¡­ Then again, it could be raining. And I waited with glee. And waited. I said it could always start¡­ Right about then was when the shouting started. Chapter 5 - Jax I wasn¡¯t totally sure, for obvious reasons, but if you were to ask me, I would say that there was some kind of combat going on out there. I could definitely hear a lot of yelling, that was certain. Then there came the sound of hoof beats running just past my little hut. That was new. I had not heard any horses around here. Then again, I could easily have missed them, given the state of my entrance. I also heard a lot of what had to be metal clanging together followed by screaming. So, yes. Most likely combat. After quite a bit of that, things quieted down again, and I started hearing some conversations start up again. Momentarily, I sensed someone poke their head into my little lean-to, but before I had time to react, they quickly left again. ¡°Hmm! Heeemmmm!¡± I tried to get their attention, but they must not have heard me. The conversations outside continued for a bit, fading in and out as people walked past. Eventually, I started hearing something quite disturbing. It was a series of yells in succession followed by a sharp thump and then silence. I had no idea what that could be, and I really didn¡¯t want to find out. Fairly soon after that business was concluded, I heard some more yelling followed by the thunder of hoof beats fading away. And then total silence. I tried more muffled yelling for quite a bit after that, trying to get someone¡¯s attention. Eventually, I managed to again work the rag out of my mouth. Gasping with relief, I sat and breathed for a moment. Deciding that I needed to get out of this place ¡ª or barring that, at least get a look around ¡ª I pulled my knees up to my head and started trying to grip the bag between them. It took me several tries, and I had to stop once because my side kept cramping up on me. But I did finally get the damned thing loose. ¡°Hey!¡± I tried shouting again. ¡°Hey, can anybody hear me?¡± The camp was silent as a stone. So, I started working the ropes behind me, rubbing them up and down against the post. Fortunately, my ¡®pal¡¯ from last night had tied me a bit loose, so I was able to get my feet under me. Standing up, I managed a better angle on my bindings. Even so, it still took quite some time for me to friction the thin rope through. As the strand broke loose, I stood massaging my wrists, red and raw from my efforts. I had yet to hear a thing from outside, and by this point, dawn was beginning to break. Though I was exhausted, it was still a simple matter to get my feet untied. They hadn¡¯t spent much time on the knot, after all. Rubbing my tired eyes, I decided I needed to take stock of the situation. Cautiously poking my head through the flap, I saw a scene out of a nightmare. Corpses were piled up in the center of the camp in a disorderly heap, which had then been set aflame. Disturbingly, especially considering how hungry I was, it smelled really nice, just like meat sizzling over a fire. Faintly disgusted, I walked around to survey the rest of the damage. There were signs of battle everywhere. Broken spears, and arrows were all over the place, to say nothing of the blood. Most of the bodies had apparently been collected for the central burn pile, but as I looked around, I could see that they had missed a few. Many of the structures of this little ¡®hamlet¡¯ were razed to the ground, still smoldering with the heat of the blaze that had consumed them. Over by the entrance to the camp, I found a series of shallow and freshly dug graves. Each had a metal helmet lying atop them ceremoniously. Odd. I hadn¡¯t seen any bandits with helmets, nor would I have thought they were the type to perform such rituals. Turning around, I saw another horror show. There, above my head, at the entrance to the camp, was an impromptu gallows. Five men were swinging there, including the massive form of the Bandit King. Former now, I supposed. I didn¡¯t vomit or freak out, like you always hear people do when they encounter a situation like this. I do not know why. Maybe I was in shock. Maybe I was just too tired. For now, I just walked around with a strange sort of calm, simply surveying the damage. I did not know who had attacked this place or why, but at the very least, I was now free and clear of danger. I just could not figure out why I had been left. I had to assume that I would have either been swept up in this bandit purge ¡ª and that¡¯s all it could have been ¡ª or rescued. But then it clicked. ¡°That skill! Silent in uh¡­ no¡­¡± I snapped my fingers trying to bring it up, ¡°Forgotten in Stillness!¡± I had left it on without thinking about it. And whoever had looked into my hut had overlooked me in his haste. It was as simple as that.
Your [Passive skill: Forgotten in Stillness] has advanced to level 2!
I blinked. ¡°Thanks, dude,¡± I said dryly. And then waved the notice away. Why would it only notify me now? This game system did not behave like any video game I had ever encountered. It was almost like it was governed by narrative flow, or like there was a Dungeon Master somewhere behind the scenes, dropping bread crumbs in front of me, rather than computer logic. I figured that there was no point in my staying there any longer. I would give the camp a once over, though. I might be able to scrounge up something useful. Like food. Before long, I did find an overlooked clay jar that was filled with several tins of some kind of¡­ preserved meat I guessed. It smelled a bit like raisins, though. Giving it a sample taste, I decided it was a lot like beef jerky but with a tart aftertaste. As hungry as I was, I barely even tasted it as I chocked it down. Eventually, I found an old shirt and pants tucked under someone¡¯s cot. They were both quite loose in the weave and were held together by hemp rope, but they were a step up. Fortunately, the bandits hadn¡¯t bothered to strip me of my clothes, so I still had my nice belt and shoes. And boxers. From the feel of those pants, I was quite glad of that. After I had collected everything I thought I might need, I noticed there was one last hut tucked in a corner that I hadn¡¯t checked yet. I found that there hadn¡¯t been any intact weapons left behind beyond a few broken spearheads ¡ª which were usable but less than ideal ¡ª so I wanted to be thorough. I figured that if I had overlooked that building then maybe they had, as well. When I got there, I stopped when I saw the trail of blood leading through the flap. Cautiously, I poked my head inside, and to my surprise, I found my old friend, Mr. Bald-Pale-and-Here¡¯s-Your-Gag-Again-You-Loser. He was still alive. Technically. He was unconscious, and curled around what looked to be a vicious gut wound. I figured that he wouldn¡¯t be alive much longer. Off to his side, I saw that he had dropped his dagger. It had dried blood on it. ¡°Gave as good as you got, huh?¡± I sighed. Crouching down, I rubbed my hands over my face. ¡°What am I going to do about you?¡± I muttered. Honestly, I didn¡¯t want to do anything. His breathing was quite shallow, and he had an unhealthy pallor. I was no expert, but I didn¡¯t give him long. If I tried to move him to bandage him up, I might do more harm than good. And¡­ he was a bandit. He and his friends had kidnapped me. But he had fed me. I didn¡¯t know if he had taken the initiative to do it, or if he had been ordered. Nevertheless, I felt a niggling obligation. Sliding his dagger out of reach, I bent to roll him onto his back, but as soon as my hand touched him¡­
Would you like to [Bind] defeated entity as your [Lilim]? Accept?
Now there was a quandary. On the one hand, doing this to a sentient being would probably be considered wrong. By everyone. Bandit or not. Plus, I still didn¡¯t know what exactly a ¡®Lilim¡¯ was. Judging by the fact that I was able to ¡®bind¡¯ this guy as one and the associated possessive pronoun just in front of the word, it was leading me to the conclusion that I might be making this guy a slave ¡ª a fact that I was in no way comfortable with. And, despite the fact that I probably had about fifty to sixty pounds on this guy, I had no real combat experience, and I was pretty sure he could wipe the floor with me. And would once he found out what I had done. He looked scrappy. Plus... I did not want this ugly ass guy as my Lilim. If anything, I wanted a cool looking griffin or at least a panther or something. But¡­ and it was a big one¡­ if I did this, and it worked like I thought it might¡­ then it might just heal him. That¡¯s how pet classes usually worked when you had to catch your own in all the games I had played. Well¡­ no¡­ there was Pokemon. Actually, now that I think about it¡­ As I sat there pondering, the man coughed up a globule of blood, and his breathing began taking on a hitching rattle. Shit. I don¡¯t want to see this guy die. No more time to think. So, with a healthy dose of trepidation, I touched ¡®yes¡¯. Immediately after having done so, the box vanished, and words began forcing themselves out of my mouth. I had no idea what they were or what they meant, but I knew they had meaning. And I had no control over it. There were really quite a lot of words ¡ª far more than when I had acquired my skill. And when I had finished, I was completely drained. It was as if I had sprinted to the point of collapse. The only thing I could even think of doing was to sit on my duff and gasp for air. Meanwhile, all the words I had spoken seemed to solidify slightly in the air and took on an ethereal glowing quality. They hovered about the pale and bloody man for a moment, and then zipped all at once into his body. There was a very brief green blinking outline that shone about him, and then the red hovering [Bandit] that had been floating above his head this whole time vanished. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Congratulations on [Binding] your first [Lilim]! Please, choose its new name.
¡°Aw, man! Don¡¯t give me that! I don¡¯t care about his name, just heal him!¡± I protested. ¡°Just use his old name!¡±
The entity¡¯s current name does not meet the naming conventions for a [Lilim].
¡°What, by the Watcher¡¯s black eye, does that mean?¡± The Watcher? Why am I swearing by the Watcher now? I shook my head. There was no time for these tangents now. ¡°Alright, fine. Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know. John?¡±
¡®John¡¯ does not meet the naming conventions for a [Lilim].
¡°And why not? It¡¯s short. Shorter than Donum.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ whatever. Let¡¯s try uh¡­ Joseph? Jacob? Jeremiah?¡± I do not know why I was stuck on J¡¯s. It was like a tic. In frustration and panicked haste, I just started rattling off random sounding words that started with the sound. ¡°Jerkinik? Jimmy? Jugjug? Uh¡­ Jax?¡±
Congratulations! Your [Lilim] is now named [Jax]! Train it well!
¡°Why did that one take?! Are Lilim only allowed three-letter words as their names?¡± I certainly didn¡¯t have a clue. ¡°And what¡¯s all this ¡®it¡¯ stuff? He¡¯s a ¡®he¡¯, damn it!¡± Meh. It was probably just some default text expecting you to take an animal or something. I had beaten its little game and the ¡®spell¡¯ was complete. The real question was whether my efforts had paid off. Dismissing the window, I checked on my new¡­ companion, I supposed. Whatever I had done, somehow he was not a bandit anymore. I did not know if he would end up feeling the same, but I figured that was a step in the right direction. He still had quite a bad gash in his gut, but his breathing was easier. He looked like he was merely asleep now, instead of unconscious. My ¡®spell¡¯, if that was what it was, must have had an effect, then ¡ª probably while I was fighting with the menus. Figuring I should do something constructive, I ripped away his shirt and inspected the wound. Bits of fabric were stuck in there, and I knew that was not good. Quickly looking around, I found a single jug of some kind of booze in a corner of the hut we were in. It smelled like lighter fluid, and it kicked like a mule. ¡°That ought to do it,¡± I coughed, my eyes watering. Dribbling some on a cleanish rag I found, I began gently cleaning the wound. Weirdly, it already looked better. Maybe, he has that regeneration skill I found earlier. What I really needed was some clean bandages. There was plenty of fire around ¡ª grim reminder, that ¡ª and if I could find a pot and some water to fill it with, I should be able to boil some cloth to sterilize it. Leaving him there for now, I set off on my new project. It did not take too long to find a cast iron cooking pot. From the residue inside, it looked to be what they had been making the stew I had eaten in. The thing must have been kicked over in the attack. It was also monstrously heavy for its size. Finding water was also a simple matter. You do not set up a camp of that size in the middle of the woods without a water source nearby. I dragged the pot to the stream, which might have even been the same one I had been using earlier for all I knew, and began scrubbing it out. Filling it with water, which made it much heavier, I began lugging it back. It was slow going. By the time I had managed to drag the thing back, about half of the water had spilled out, and I was beginning to curse liberally. Turning around to look for a suitable spot to start boiling linens, I saw him. Mr. Baldy, or I guess ¡®Jax¡¯ now, was just standing there in the middle of the camp, clutching his side, staring at the pile of burning bodies. And, to my dismay, he had retrieved his knife. Damn. I should have pocketed that. I am not good at this. I was not sure what I should do now. It did not seem like he had noticed me, but I had not been quiet. Taking a chance, I decided on diplomacy first. If things took a turn, I was sure I could get away from someone nursing a gut wound. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be up yet. You¡¯ll just end up making that worse.¡± I decided that was a good opener. Gruff but concerned. Seemed solid. Oh, wait¡­ he doesn¡¯t¡­ ¡°¡¯Kin spake now, can ¡®ee?¡± he turned his head toward me. I hadn¡¯t surprised him. Taken aback, I replied, ¡°You can understand me?¡± ¡°Cos ah can. I dunna wha kinna poof accen¡¯ tha¡¯ is, though,¡± he returned. I tilted my head. I had an accent? ¡°Ah dunna wha¡¯ tha¡¯ choppa tongue ¡®ee were usin¡¯ afer.¡± It took me a moment to parse that second sentence. ¡°I¡¯m speaking the same language I have been this whole time.¡± He chuckled at that, ¡°Ah, yer soun¡¯ a poof,¡± but then he frowned, ¡°wha der ¡®a mean, ¡®a same language?¡± he drew the word out, almost like he was making fun of me. ¡°Exactly what I said. I¡¯m speaking English, just like before. But never mind that now. I need to get some bandages on that wound.¡± He frowned at me for moment, considering. But then he suddenly got a surprised look on his face and looked around in fright. ¡°What is it? What¡¯s the matter?¡± I asked looking around. Was something coming? I hadn¡¯t heard anything. He looked at me then, almost like he¡¯d seen a ghost. ¡°¡¯Er voice! Ah ¡®eard ¡®er voice! Is back!¡± ¡°What? What voice? I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± His head whipped around and he looked down his nose at me, ¡°Ah cos not, yer daft. She were spakin ter me, wern she?¡± As if that explained everything. I shook my head. ¡°If you¡¯re hearing voices, then you really need to rest. Let me boil some bandages for you, alright?¡± His legs shook for a moment, and he slowly collapsed back onto his behind as if he were struggling to understand the world again. ¡°Yer dun unnerstan¡¯! She were spakin¡¯ ter me! Me! Ahs abandoned!¡± The way he said it, I had to assume that there was some significance to the word. ¡°Abandoned?¡± I considered. ¡°Abandoned by whom?¡± ¡°Tha Goddess, yer bligh¡¯ed.¡± I stared at him uncomprehendingly. ¡°Tha Goddess o¡¯ Power! Bline! She ¡®oo spakes!¡± His eyes had a fervor to them, almost like he was holding back tears. ¡°Bline?¡± He nodded, like he was explaining the color of grass to a cow. I frowned. ¡°Is she like the Watcher?¡± He gasped. ¡°No! Yer daft.¡± He looked at the sky almost like he was afraid he would be struck down. ¡°Why¡®d yer spake a thin¡¯ like ¡®et?¡± Sighing, I started hauling the pot over to one of the nearby fires. This conversation wasn¡¯t getting me anywhere. I needed to start over and get the water boiling. He was still bleeding a bit, after all. His eyes followed me like he was watching a feral wolf circling him. It took me a bit of fiddling before I got it situated. Satisfied, I turned back to him. He was staring at the ground in thought, though he was still watching me out of the corner of his eye. ¡°My name is Donum,¡± I said by way of introduction. The name just slipped out automatically. I did not have to think about it. It was just there. The odd thing, though, was that I did not even notice. ¡°Jax,¡± he replied quickly. We both frowned at the same time. He then looked off to the side as if he were trying to remember something. ¡°Jax, huh?¡± I probed. He nodded vaguely, as if he was not confident of his answer. ¡°So, uh¡­ Jax,¡± I sat down to talk, well out of arms reach, while I waited on the water to boil. I was not quite ready to explain why his name was different. He was talking now, but he could easily turn violent. Clearly, he knew something was off. The question I had was why the name I had given him had replaced itself in his mind with the name he knew. That spell I had cast had quite a lot going on with it, apparently. ¡°Tell me about this goddess and why you were abandoned.¡± ¡°¡¯Ow do yer not know o¡¯, Bline?¡± he asked. ¡°¡¯Ow do yer not know, o¡¯ tha ¡®bandoned?¡± I spread my hands, ¡°Clearly, I¡¯m not from here.¡± He scoffed, ¡°All o¡¯ tha kin¡¯ know o¡¯ Bline.¡± He considered, ¡°Mebbe thos¡¯a yern calls ¡®er sommat else? She¡¯s tha voice tha spakes to yer,¡± he said expectantly. Then, ¡°Tha voice wha¡¯ tells yer tha ways o¡¯ thins. Wha ye kin do? When ye kin make choices abut yer ownself?¡± I blinked slowly. ¡°You mean like the boxes that show up with skill points?¡± He cocked his head. ¡°Ah ne¡¯er ¡®eard o¡¯ nothin¡¯ like et, a¡¯fer. Et¡¯s like tha same, though. Mebbe yern¡¯s got different gods where yerns from?¡± ¡°That¡­ seems likely.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Ah ne¡¯er ¡®eard He had ¡®is ownself a different brood,¡± he said in confusion. There was some kind of mythology at work here. He tilted his head, ¡°No¡¯ tha¡¯ ah¡¯d know.¡± ¡°What about this business about being abandoned?¡± He took a breath. Pointing above his head, he said, ¡°Yer seein¡¯ tha sign above mine?¡± I cleared my throat, ¡°Uh¡­ no. Not anymore.¡± His head jerked up at that, his eyes ablaze, ¡°Spake not lies ta me!¡± He slapped the ground. ¡°Spake not lies ta ones ¡®bandoned since ¡®e were a wee lad. ¡®Bandoned fer crimes ¡®e didna'' know ¡®e were doin¡¯! Didna¡¯ know tha consequences! Dinna be sa¡¯ cruel as tha¡¯!¡± he yelled. Holding up my hands, I said placatingly, ¡°Whoa whoa.¡± I¡¯d never met someone so prone to theatrics. ¡°You¡¯re talking about the business with the red ¡®bandit¡¯ thing that was floating above your head, right?¡± He gave a jerky nod. ¡°Yeah, well¡­ I think I may have¡­ fixed that.¡± His face reddened like he was about to explode at me, but then his eyes widened in sudden comprehension, ¡°¡¯ow could ye? Es¡¯n yer a servant o¡¯v¡®em? O¡¯ tha law giver?¡± He scooted closer, ¡°O¡¯ Ginna?¡± But then he stopped. ¡°No, no. Tha¡¯ kinna be. Yer said yer ownself yer ¡®ave dif¡¯ren gods.¡± He looked up at me again, ¡°¡¯ow then? ¡®Ow es¡¯n yer ¡®fixed¡¯ mine bandit sign? Yer a priest of summat other gods?¡± He shook his head, ¡°¡¯ow did yer own gods convince tha Lady o¡¯ Power ta talk ta mine like ah was ¡®er lad again?¡± I took a breath. I did not really know where to start with that. Hedging into it, I said, ¡°It was¡­ sort of an accident? I was really only trying to heal you.¡± I gestured toward the wound he was still holding at his abdomen, ¡°I cast a spell, and when I was done, the wound hadn¡¯t healed. Not much anyway. But your¡­ uh¡­ ¡®bandit sign¡¯ went away.¡± He sneered disbelievingly, ¡°Ah ne¡¯er ¡®eard o¡¯ no mage ¡®oo could fuck a spell given¡¯ ¡®im by tha¡¯ Lady,¡± but then he reconsidered, ¡°Mebbe yer own god¡¯s spells donna work sa well?¡± My lips quirked to the side, ¡°Well¡­ the spell wasn¡¯t exactly¡­ a healing spell per say. I was kind of hoping that the healing would be¡­ a side effect.¡± He looked me up and down. ¡°An¡¯ wat kinna spell could do say much. Bring a man back from a brink o¡¯ death from a spear to ¡®es guts? And forgive tha curse o¡¯ tha Lawmaiden?¡± He paused for emphasis, ¡°All by accident?¡± This guy was sharp, I would give him that. He had backed me into a corner, and I saw no way out of it. I just really did not want to answer that question. ¡°Uh¡­ ha ha¡­ well¡­¡± I tittered nervously. Seeing no way out, I decided I would just dive in, ¡°The spell is called [Bind Lilim].¡± He blinked. ¡°An¡¯ what,¡± he pronounced, ¡°by tha Hand o¡¯ Mercy, is a ¡®Lilim¡¯?¡± Chapter 6 - An Agreement Made, a Destination Set, and a Bit of Walking ¡°Honestly, I was kind of hoping that you would know that,¡± I said with regret. ¡°As it stands, you are my only data point,¡± I groaned inwardly. Only data point? Can you be any more awkward, there bud? Jax¡¯s face contorted through several emotions in succession after I said that. After a moment, he looked as if he had finally arrived at his first question, but then instead he said, ¡°Yer water¡¯s boilin¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± I retrieved a set of abandoned clothes I had found earlier, ripped them into long strips, and then I dropped them into the boiling pot. While I kept my hands busy, I began to talk. ¡°I, uh¡­ I only recently got my class, you see?¡± I glanced at him to see if he was following, but he gave no indication one way or the other. I continued, ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure why I got the class I did or what it is supposed to be, but the spell that came with it is the one I used on you. Like I said, I had hoped that it would help.¡± I looked back at him again, ¡°I suppose it must have.¡± There was a moment of silence after that. Jax spent a few moments giving me a good look over, ¡°Saft as y¡¯are, I c¡¯n see y¡¯only new gettin¡¯ yer class.¡± He grunted as he sat forward, ¡°Tha way en yer spake like a poof, I c¡¯n seein yer bein¡¯ a lord, o¡¯ summat? Mebbe some poofin¡¯ rich trader¡¯s lad?¡± I frowned, ¡°I¡¯ll admit I am¡­ ¡®soft¡¯ as you put it. I¡¯ve never really needed to be in good shape. But I¡¯m not a lord nor rich.¡± I considered his question further, ¡°I read a lot, though. And I¡¯ve been through college.¡± His eye quirked, ¡°College?¡± ¡°University? Formal education?¡± He nodded, ¡°Rich.¡± ¡°Actually, I have¡­ less than no money,¡± I sighed. It was going to be very difficult to explain modern day Earth to this man. I had years of education, and I barely understood it. ¡°But that is beside the point. What do you know about classes?¡± ¡°Some,¡± he replied vaguely. He considered my intent for a moment before continuing, ¡°E¡¯s said oneself gets th¡¯ class ¡®e¡¯s destined fer. When ¡®e¡¯s ready fer et.¡± He gathered his thoughts for moment, ¡°Ah danno ¡®bout destiny. Ah¡¯ll ah know es tha¡¯ folk tend ta get wha¡¯ they¡¯s ¡®spectin.¡± ¡°What they¡¯re expecting?¡± I made eye contact briefly. He nodded. ¡°Aye. A farmer whelps farmers. A soldier whelps soldiers. A lord whelps arseholes,¡± he said with a cheeky grin. The sudden levity broke the tension between us, and we shared a quiet laugh. ¡°So, wha¡¯ were ye?¡± How does one explain customer service tech support to a forest bandit? ¡°Uh¡­ something like a clerk,¡± then I elaborated, ¡°but¡­ I didn¡¯t want to be that anymore.¡± Comprehension dawned on his face then, ¡°Ah, now ah see yer clear.¡± A corner of his mouth quirked up, ¡°Ye wanted ta quest fer tha Words.¡± The way he pronounced it, it was clear there was some significance to what he had just said, but before I could question him, he continued, ¡°lot o¡¯ gold be fer tha takin¡¯ in tha¡¯¡­ if yer good at et. So, then. Tell me ¡®bout this class o¡¯ yer own.¡± I had fished the boiling cloth out of the water by this point and was walking towards him with the now steaming but sterile bandages. His question brought me up short. ¡°May I?¡± I gestured towards him with the bandages. He nodded and raised his arms to give me access. As I wrapped the linens around his abdomen, I started, ¡°The class is called ¡®Lilim Trainer¡¯.¡± His eyes narrowed at that, but I hurried on, ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure what it¡¯s for or what to do with it. But I did spend some time looking through some skills with the¡­ uh¡­¡± I glanced at him, ¡°Lady? Or whatever it is I have. All of the them, or the ones I¡¯ve seen anyway, seem to be themed around temporarily making my¡­ uh¡­ ¡®Lilim¡¯ better in some way. Stronger. Faster. That kind of thing.¡± His brow furrowed as he considered what I was saying, ¡°Do ye mean¡­ like a General?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He nodded sagely, ¡°Aye, lad. Ah think ye¡¯ve stumbled on some kind o¡¯ Leadership class.¡± I was not quite so sure about that, but it was close enough. ¡°Do you know, I think your English is getting better. Your¡­ uh¡­ well, that is¡­ I can understand you better now.¡± ¡°Now wha¡¯¡­¡± he began, but then he started, and sat listening for a moment. Then he nodded, ¡°Aye, et seems tha Lady agrees wit¡¯ ye.¡± ¡°What was she saying? If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± He inhaled and looked away for a moment before saying, ¡°I could nay make heads o¡¯ et, at first. She said my¡­ er¡­¡± he glanced at me, ¡°well, you, I guess that would be now, had gifted me his own tongue.¡± He twirled his finger in the air, ¡°Anglish, ah think?¡± I was finishing up his wrapping at that point. Coming to the loose end of it, I did not know exactly how to fasten it so that it would not come loose, so I tied it into a rough square knot. ¡°English is the word¡­ though the people who first spoke it were called the Angles, as I recall,¡± my memory was hazy on that point. ¡°That was a long time ago.¡± Dusting my hands off, I stood. ¡°Well, I think that¡¯s that. I¡¯ve done what I can for you.¡± Putting my hands to my hips, I surveyed the camp, ¡°I suppose I ought to try to undo this Binding that I¡¯ve put you in. Then we can go our separate ways.¡± Not too sure how to do that, though. His eyes widened at that, and he started fluttering his hands at me, ¡°Now now, wait a minute there, lad. Let¡¯s no be hasty.¡± ¡°Surely you don¡¯t want to be¡­ I don¡¯t know. Attached to me, do you?¡± I asked, frowning. ¡°Well, now, let¡¯s consider the alternatives! What happens ta me if¡¯n ya do? Do ah go back to bein¡¯ a bandit? Cursed not to hear tha Lady¡¯s voice ¡®til the end o¡¯ me days?¡± he questioned me. ¡°How would I know? I¡¯ve only cast the spell once.¡± And the description is extremely vague. ¡°I, fer one, don¡¯t want to chance ¡®er!¡± He clambered to his feet, wincing a bit with pain. ¡°If¡¯n ye¡¯ll have me, ah¡¯ll be proud to be yer man!¡± He blinked, ¡°Er¡­ Lilim.¡± So saying, he thrust his hand forward, giving me a toothy grin. I hesitated. There was still a lot left unsaid between us, and there was one question I needed to ask before I could agree. I looked up from his hand into his eyes and said, ¡°What do you have to do to be labeled a ¡®bandit¡¯? ¡®Cursed¡¯, as you put it?¡± He frowned as his hand drooped. Sighing, he said quietly, ¡°Tha shart of et is¡­ ye have ta murder summat. Fer what¡¯s their own.¡± I had expected as much. ¡°Bu¡¯ et¡¯s more complicated than tha.¡± Of course, it was. Crossing my arms, I nodded, ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± His tale was your typical hard luck story. He had grown up in a large port city to the north of here called Grelinton. He did not know who his parents were, but he had been told that his mother had been a prostitute ¡ª a whore, in his own words ¡ª who had either given him up or died in child birth. Either way, he had never met her. As you might expect, he quickly fell in with a small gang of street rats who subsisted through pickpocketing and petty theft. Apparently, while that would get you labeled a thief by the local constabulary, it was not enough to be ¡®cursed¡¯. That condition, he explained, caused you to be stripped of your ability to gain in power through classes. Once that happened, you were either enslaved or hanged. In his case, he had accidentally ¡®acquired¡¯ something he should not have. ¡°It were a Gem o¡¯ Power, yer see?¡± he continued. ¡°Jus¡¯ one o¡¯fem, an¡¯ a small one mind, is worth a gold piece. A lad can live a long time on one o¡¯ them.¡± He shook his head sadly, ¡°But I did nay know then. To steal a Gem o¡¯ Power will curse ya sure. To be an Outlaw. From then, all can see what¡¯cha done. An¡¯ ah fled. The rest, ye c¡¯n guess.¡± I nodded my head slowly. Something did not quite add up though, ¡°You said before that you thought I might be a priest of some kind? That I could lift your curse? Isn¡¯t that something you could have looked into?¡± He scoffed, ¡°Aye, sure¡¯n ah could. If¡¯n ah were some lord¡¯s whelp!¡± He chuckled, ¡°Tha priests of the Lawmaiden are a bunch o¡¯ flamin¡¯ hard arses. Unless ye got enough coin clickin¡¯ in yer pocket. Then, they¡¯ll bend o¡¯er fer ya sure. Fer a hundred gold, they¡¯ll plead yer case to Ginna an¡¯ suck yer cock besides.¡± He shook his head sadly, ¡°A hundred gold. Nay, lad. Fer a rat like me? Better hanged.¡± After he finished, I stood staring at him for a while. I absolutely did not trust this man not to slit my throat if he thought it would benefit him. I had no doubt that he probably was a victim of circumstance, as he claimed, but victims often became perpetrators. On the other hand, he had not made a move against me yet, and I could definitely use him. He took a deep breath, ¡°Look lad. I know you don¡¯t want ta take tha hand o¡¯ summat yer know was a bandit not an ¡®ar ago. But if¡¯n ye¡¯ll have me, I¡¯ll swear by tha¡¯ light of Maeve, here and now, that as long as ye be given me a fair shake, I¡¯ll be doin¡¯ tha same fer ye. Or may she remove her blessed Hand from me ferever.¡± I did not know what to make of that, exactly, but it sounded like an oath if I had ever heard one. ¡°Alright, Mr. Jax.¡± I extended my hand, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve got yourself a partner.¡± Grinning fiercely, he gave my hand a vigorous shake, ¡°Alright then, ya poof¡­ er¡­ Mr. Donum, sir. I am so bound!¡± In fairly short order, we had gathered up everything that we could realistically carry with us. Jax had found a couple of carrying satchels, really just burlap sacks with an attached bit of a drawstring, and we packed all of the preserved meat I had found ¡ª pemmican, Jax called it. He also made sure to bring the ridiculous liquor I had found. ¡°Fer rations, lad,¡± he winked. We also scrounged up a couple of bed rolls and a single change of clothes each. Lastly, I decided to grab a length of rope. My RPG instincts insisted on it. Tapping my lip, I asked, ¡°What about a fire starter kit, flint and steel? And water skins?¡± Jax patted his pack, ¡°Natch¡¯rally.¡± Nodding, I said, ¡°Okay then. Is there anything else you can think of?¡± Jax looked out into the surrounding wood and sighed. ¡°We¡¯re gonna need weapons, ah think.¡± I shook my head, ¡°I thought of that. But I couldn¡¯t find any when I looked the place over. I think whatever you had must have been taken by¡­ whomever it was that attacked you.¡± ¡°Soldiers. A hunting party from Bradfirth, from their¡¯n colors, ¡®less ah miss ma guess,¡± he supplied. I was about to ask for more details, but he frowned then and suddenly asked, ¡°Now¡¯s ah think on it, how¡¯s it ye were free ¡®n clear? Up ¡®n about to nurse mine back to peak instead of taken by them from yonder town?¡± I laughed, ¡°I just got a bit lucky¡­ or maybe unlucky, I guess.¡± He gave me a flat look. ¡°I have a skill from¡­ uh¡­ from the Lady. It makes it so that people tend to overlook me if I¡¯m holding still. I¡¯m not very good at it, though.¡± He considered me and what I had said for a long breath and then whispered, ¡°Maeve shelters me yet.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Anyway, we¡¯ve got your dagger, and there¡¯s plenty of broken spears around. That¡¯s going to have to do it for now.¡± He scoffed, ¡°Scant lot that¡¯ll do if we come up short.¡± He jerked his head toward the wood, ¡°There¡¯s beasties out there, lad. Sure, they¡¯re most weak this close to tha road, but¡­¡± He sighed, ¡°Ah just hope that luck o¡¯ your¡¯n holds fast.¡± ¡°You and your friends didn¡¯t seem too concerned about them before,¡± I argued. ¡°Back when you grabbed me from the road.¡± He chuckled good naturedly, ¡°Aye well, there were a dozen of us strong, then.¡± Then he grimaced, ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that, I am. Now. Still, though, with all them keys you was danglin¡¯ about¡­¡± His eyes widened then and he shouted, ¡°Swipe me mother¡¯s face! Them keys!¡± and he shambled back to where the Bandit King had held his court. ¡°Uh¡­ yeah¡­ I think¡­¡± I trailed after him. ¡°Jax, I don¡¯t think those keys are going to do me any good any more.¡± He scowled back at me as he walked away, ¡°Them keys is worth a fortune, yer daft! We gotta find ¡®em.¡± My car keys are worth a fortune? I drove an old beat up Chevrolet Cavalier. It did not even have powered windows. And, slightly more importantly, unless I missed my guess, it was currently on an entirely different planet. I glanced up to the sky and quickly found the moon, still up in the morning light. Was it¡­ slightly green? ¡°Jax¡­¡± I called, following after him. I found him tipping over the old King¡¯s wicker throne. He had ransacked the place pretty thoroughly already. Or someone had. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Shite lovin¡¯ sons o¡¯ the Golgothan!¡± Hey, I know that reference. Wait, why does he know that reference. ¡°They¡¯ve taken them!¡± ¡°Jax, calm down. Those were just the keys to my apart¡­ uh¡­ house and my c-carriage,¡± I explained. He looked at me sharply, ¡°Ye mean them wasn¡¯t Dungeon keys?¡± One of them did fit into my old gym locker. I had forgotten to return it. It certainly smelled like a dungeon. ¡°No, not dungeon keys.¡± I blinked, ¡°What do you mean by dungeon keys?¡± He looked at me incredulously, ¡°What be Dungeon keys, he says?¡± He looked to the side, ¡°Well, ah don¡¯t really know for sure, mind. But they¡¯s worth fair gold a piece. To them what quest. They¡¯s s¡¯posed ter open the way to riches, if¡¯n yer knows where ter look.¡± He nodded, ¡°I figured it were odd a raggy begger had a whole ring of ¡®em.¡± He considered me a moment, glancing down at my shoes and then at my belt. ¡°Ah think I¡¯ve the run o¡¯ ye now. Yer a deposed lordling, ain¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve already said I¡¯m not a lord,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°In exile then,¡± he gestured grandly. ¡°Not a lord and yet he clutches keys to his house and carriage to his person like a lock from ¡®is beloved¡¯s hair. Ha!¡± He slapped his knee like he had solved a great riddle. ¡°And they carried ¡®em off like a great prize! He he¡­ what fools, them!¡± ¡°Yeah, alright, Jax. Fine.¡± I did not really want to play the part of some deposed noble, but it might make explaining some of the gaps in my common knowledge easier. Unless it got me killed. ¡°¡¯Tis a shame they got that artifact, too. We was sure we could get silver fer it, at least,¡± he sighed. ¡°And here we be sittin¡¯ with ar¡¯ tits out without a bent copper between us.¡± I blinked a few times. Jax, I decided, was an acquired taste ¡ª like half a box of chicken McNuggets left abandoned in an alley. ¡°Uhm¡­ Artifact, you say? Oh, you mean the wheel. I don¡¯t¡­¡± but then I reconsidered. ¡°Actually, there are four more of those on the side of the road a few hours from where you¡­ captured me.¡± I was not above selling office chair wheels to someone who did not know any better. Especially, if it meant we could get a few meals out of it. Who knows? Maybe they are worth something around here. ¡°Assuming that someone else hasn¡¯t picked them up already.¡± ¡°Do ye speak it true, lad?¡± He frowned, ¡°But why would ye leave ¡®em there if¡¯n they was your¡¯n found?¡± I sighed, ¡°Well¡­ I guess¡­ I didn¡¯t think it was worth it at the time. But if you think we can get some money for them¡­¡± He nodded firmly, ¡°Aye. That weren¡¯t beaten metal, nay sure. No hand o¡¯ kind made such as that.¡± He was technically right, in a sense. How do they make those? ¡°Sounds like a plan. Let¡¯s go get them.¡± We were trekking through the forest, some hours later, headed back to the road. Jax had assured me we were taking a more direct route to approximately where my ¡®crash site¡¯ should be from what he could gather based on my description. So far, we had not run into any ¡®beasties¡¯ as he put it, a fact I was quite grateful for. The undergrowth was fairly sparse along our path. Jax had led us from one game trail to the next with calm assurance. He seemed to know these woods, the Allenwood he had said, quite well. We walked in silence for the most part. Jax was afraid to attract too much attention out here, and I figured I would bow to experience. I had been trying to keep my eyes on a swivel, but of course, eventually, as nothing kept happening, my mind started to wander. I began to think about that last skill point I had left sitting there. Now that I had a ¡®Lilim¡¯ ¡ª I glanced over at the form of Jax some yards ahead ¡ª of a sort, it might be prudent to spend it on¡­ something. The problem was, everything I had seen, or thought to ask about, had in some way led back to my companion. If I was going to be a ¡®buffer¡¯, then I needed to know what the most useful thing to buff was. I needed to know how Jax liked to fight. ¡°Jax,¡± I whispered. He shushed me and looked around. Finally satisfied, he looked back at me, and spoke quietly, ¡°What is it, lad?¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯re not,¡± I gestured above his head, ¡°cursed anymore. Do you happen to know what your class is?¡± He looked surprised at my question. ¡°Ah never had one before,¡± he admitted. ¡°Been cursed me whole adult life.¡± ¡°Well¡­ maybe you do now?¡± I hedged. He grinned, ¡°Ye may be right, laddie. Let me ask ¡®er.¡± So saying, he turned his head away, mumbling to himself quietly, and then began listening to words I could not hear. Then he scowled, ¡°She be saying you gotta choose ¡®er for me.¡± ¡°Why would it be up to me?¡± ¡°Yer the trainer ain¡¯t ye?¡± he said sarcastically. ¡°Alright, alright. Let me see what I can find.¡± Watcher¡¯s wayward seed¡­ where do I even look? I barely thought about the foreign swearing. ¡°Uhm¡­ character sheet,¡± I mumbled to myself. Let¡¯s start there.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Level: 1
Strength: 5 Agility: 3 Toughness: 4 Intelligence: 7 Wisdom: 5 Charisma: 4 Manic Force: 1 Manic Breadth: 5
Lilim Slots: 1 (filled) Jax: Loyalty: 10% |
All Stat Points assigned. 1 Skill Point available!
Ah, here we go. Glancing at the loyalty rating, I figured that ten percent roughly tracked to ¡®uneasy partnership¡¯ which was fairly accurate to our current situation. That¡¯ll go up as we get to know each other, I¡¯m sure. I lightly tapped the part asking me to choose his class.
Lilim: Jax Qualifying Starting Classes
Scout Specializes in harassing attacks. Bonuses to light and ranged weapons. Bonuses to secondary abilities related to hazard detection, stealth, woodcraft, and tracking.
Warrior Specializes in direct combat. Bonuses to all melee weapons. Bonuses to secondary abilities related to quick recovery, threat assessment, and damage avoidance.
Glad as I was to actually be getting one, it was not much of a list. Then again, what did I expect from a former bandit. Maybe, I would have to find some rare monster if I wanted something more interesting. That would be cool. Looking Jax over, I definitely felt that he was better suited to being a Scout. He was wiry and seemed like the type. Plus, he already seemed to know a lot about woodcraft. My finger moved toward the Scout button, but then I hesitated. I should at least ask the guy. ¡°It¡­ uh¡­ She says that you can either be a Scout or a Warrior.¡± He looked quite pleased at this, for some reason, ¡°Do She really?¡± I nodded after he did not elaborate. ¡°Do She say anything else?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± my eyebrows lifted in realization. So, I read out the class descriptions to him. He frowned to himself as I finished, ¡°She do talk ta ye awful funny like.¡± ¡°Really? How does She speak to you?¡± I inquired. ¡°Well, er¡­ uh¡­¡± he gestured vaguely. Did he blush a bit there? ¡°Do you know, never mind that. Tell me again wha¡¯ She sayin¡¯ about them two classes.¡± Patiently, I read them once again, finishing, ¡°Honestly, I would say that Scout probably fits you better. You already seem to fit the mold from what I¡¯ve seen.¡± He looked away and sighed, then said, ¡°What ye say may be true. But when I were a wee lad, I always dreamed o¡¯ bein¡¯ a great knight. Wit¡¯ a flashin¡¯ sword ¡®n all. An¡¯ a great big horse that all tha ladies would fawn over. An¡¯ now that I¡¯m out from under tha¡¯ bligh¡¯ed curse¡­¡± he glanced at me, ¡°well, maybe I be feelin¡¯ like I¡¯ve had enough o¡¯ the woods.¡± After listening to his rationale, I gave a light shrug. He might technically be my Lilim, but he was still a person. It was his class. If he wanted to be a Warrior, then that was perfectly fine with me. ¡°Alright, sure Jax. Warrior it is then.¡± I looked at him to make sure. He had an expression on his face like a kid walking into a three-story toy store. Taking that as confirmation, I poked the option for Warrior.
[Lilim: Jax] has gained the character class [Tenebrous Warrior]!
As a [Tenebrous Warrior], your [Lilim] will gain +1 Toughness and Charisma, plus 2 distributable stats per level.
In addition, at first level, your [Lilim] automatically gains the skill [Passive: Linked Revival]
+1 skill points per level
For conceding to your [Lilim]¡¯s wishes, gain 5% loyalty.
My eyes skimmed past the class summary quickly. Oh, loyalty bump. Cool. ¡°Mate.¡± I looked up. ¡°What do¡­ tenebrous mean?¡± he seemed to struggle with the unfamiliar word. I thought for a moment, ¡°Uh¡­ like concealed? Shadowy? That kind of thing? Why?¡± He seemed confused, so he clarified, ¡°Why then, do I be a Tenebrous Warrior?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I looked again. Sure enough, I had missed the slight change in his class name. ¡°Well, that¡¯s odd,¡± I looked at him again. ¡°I swear, Jax, it didn¡¯t say that before I picked it.¡± I rubbed at my chin thoughtfully, ¡°Maybe it has something to do with your past? Or the passive skills you already have? Maybe that made you specialize somehow?¡± He gave that some thought. ¡°I suppose that do make a bit o¡¯ sense, now that you be sayin¡¯ it.¡± He stuck his chest out. ¡°A Shadow Warrior! I like it,¡± he decided. Looking back at the pop-up, I reread what Jax would be getting as a part of his class. The stats looked fair, although I had no idea what good Charisma would do a Warrior. Must help with stealth somehow? Part of the whole shadowy theme? I shrugged, but then surreptitiously glanced at Jax¡¯s¡­ unfortunate appearance. Some extra Charisma would do the poor guy some good, if I¡¯m honest. Not that I would ever tell him that. Curiously, I poked at the passive skill he had acquired.
Linked Revival Your [Lilim]¡¯s life is linked to your own. As long as you still draw breath, if your [Lilim] is destroyed in combat, your [Lilim] will revive at your location after 24 hours. Will not activate while in combat. Skill level reduces revival timer and improves initial condition.
Well¡­ that is certainly¡­ nice to have. It was certainly in line with the kinds of things you would expect to be able to do with a pet class. But in a real life scenario? If Jax were ¡®destroyed¡¯, where would he go? Revive at my location from where? Would his corpse just bampf from digesting in some monster¡¯s gullet to my feet and then come back to life? What if he were incinerated? Ugh¡­ This world makes my head spin.
[Lilim: Jax] has skill and stat points available. Would you like to spend them now?
Why do you do this to me? Jax has a brain. Let him make his own choices. I still had my own skill I needed to sort out.
Would you like to allow [Lilim: Jax] to choose its own stats and skills? Accept? :
¡°Okay, yes. Thank you.¡± Finally, this thing is working with me. ¡°And it¡¯s his not ¡®its¡¯.¡±
For trusting your [Lilim] to make its own choices, gain 5% loyalty.
This menu was mocking me¡­ although two easy loyalty bumps in a row was nice. Sighing, I closed out of all of the pop-ups and looked over at Jax. I could tell he was listening intently to some unheard voice. I would leave him to it. Thinking about what sort of skill would be best, I resolved to wait until Jax had finished. That way, I would have a better chance to pick something to cover a potential weakness our duo might have left open. Granted, ¡®potential weakness¡¯ might be a bit wide of a mark for two level one dudes walking through a forest full of ¡®beasties¡¯. I am going to end up buying a healing skill, aren¡¯t I? Jax sighed. I knew that noise. ¡°Is the Lady drowning you in choices?¡± ¡°Raaah¡­ choosing to make me ownself stronger ¡®n faster is right easy. But the skills, lad! How is a man supposed to pick from the skills?¡± he said in exasperation. ¡°Don¡¯t I know it. Why do you think I let you pick it yourself. It¡­ She was wanting me to do it for you, at first.¡± ¡°Oh, thanks fer that,¡± he said sarcastically. ¡°Mmm¡­ Let¡¯s talk ¡®n walk,¡± he said as he started ahead. Despite saying so, we walked in silence for two or three minutes while he composed his thoughts. Then, ¡°Do ye mind if¡¯n ah pick yer mind a bit?¡± ¡°Go right ahead.¡± He glanced at me. ¡°The short of et, ya see,¡± he began, ¡°be that ah don¡¯t really even know where ta begin.¡± He gestured vaguely at the ground, ¡°What makes a warrior a warrior. Ya know?¡± ¡°I guess¡­ the ability to fight with a weapon? Like a sword or a spear or something like that,¡± I opined. ¡°Aye, ah know that, and ah tried it sure. But the Lady do say I already know how,¡± he said. ¡°And ¡®tis true. Ah do know me way about a blade here and there. But et¡¯s all amateur stuff, ya follow? How¡¯m I s¡¯posed ta fight against a man trained?¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably just a matter of experience.¡± He looked at me doubtfully. I shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Have you asked if there are any fighting styles you could pick up?¡± His face brightened at my suggestion, ¡°Could be a place ta start, sure.¡± And with that he went back to muttering to himself quietly. I decided to go back to being the eyes and ears of the party for now, what with Jax being distracted and all. Of course, not being a trained woodsman, every snap of a stick and creak of a branch had me on edge. Working the tension out of my shoulders, I glanced up at the sun, or tried to. Through the canopy overhead, it was hard to get a read on exactly what time it was. Sometime past noon, I finally decided. One thing I did know for sure, these cheap work shoes of mine were not meant for forest hikes. My feet were killing me. And I was pretty sure I was developing a sore on my little toe. ¡°Jax, how much further to the road?¡± I whined. ¡°Hmm? Oh, uh¡­ maybe nightfall, ah think. Look, dinnay bother me now.¡± Having delivered his distracted reprimand, he returned to his private conversation. Chapter 7 - Our First Dance ¡°Tenebrous Dance,¡± Jax said suddenly. ¡°H-wut?¡± I replyed, stupidly. Despite my best intentions, I had been finding it difficult to concentrate on the task of keeping watch as we walked. When Jax snapped me out of my stupor, I had been in the middle of a daydream about Tom & Jerry aggressively playing Franz Liszt¡¯s ¡®Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2¡¯ on my throbbing toes. The part of ¡®Jerry¡¯ was currently being played by a smallish rock in my shoe I had picked up about ten minutes prior. ¡°The name o¡¯ me new skill,¡± he said proudly. ¡°Tenebrous Dance.¡± ¡°Sounds interesting,¡± I said, catching up to the conversation. ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°She let¡¯s me use the shadows to me advantage. Ah c¡¯n slip me blade through ¡®em to confuse me opponent. Makes me attacks harder to block, ya see. And then ah c¡¯n use ¡®em to dodge into, as well,¡± he confided slyly. ¡°Offense and defense,¡± he opened his arms wide. It seemed he had solved all of his problems. ¡°Sounds pretty good!¡± I said honestly, but then I had a thought. ¡°Until you have to fight in the broad daylight.¡± He looked at me askance, then scrunching his face up, he swore, ¡°SHITE!¡± I blinked, ¡°You already picked it, didn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°By the bleeding ulcer of a whore¡¯s arse barnacle, of course I did.¡± I slowly turned my head to him in amazement. ¡°You bandits have really elevated swearing to a whole other level haven¡¯t you.¡± He did not deign to respond. ¡°Well¡­ sometimes the best skills have downsides,¡± I said consolingly. He scoffed, and then after a moment, he conceded, ¡°Aye, maybe so.¡± ¡°Does it require you to use any particular kind of weapon?¡± ¡°Hmm? I¡­ er¡­ I did nay think ter ask et.¡± He mumbled to himself for a moment more as he went over his skill again, then, ¡°She do nay say any such thing.¡± I smiled, ¡°Versatile then. And, anyway, all you have to do is make it to the next level, and then you can pick another.¡± ¡°Ah get a new skill every core layer?¡± he seemed surprised. Hmm¡­ She must not have covered that. Wait, core layer? I glanced at my character screen, and sure enough, it did say something about a core. Layer, level, whatever. Every game had to add its own flavor to things. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what She said when She described your class to me.¡± I was getting better about using his own terms, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Oh, from what I know, most classes only get a skill every other level, ya see? Commoner classes,¡± he glanced at me to see if I was following, ¡°farmers and the like, only get ¡®em every five. Is what I hear. This class ye give me must be sommat special.¡± A slow grin spread across his face. About then, a spike of pain shot up my left shin as my leg seized up in the mother of all cramps. The last few days of walking, no sleep, and very little food meant my body was gathering up the pitchforks and torches to start storming the castle. Gasping, I clutched at my leg, ¡°Jax, I¡¯ve got to stop for a bit. We haven¡¯t eaten all day. I¡¯m tired, I¡¯m thirsty, and I¡¯ve got a rock in my shoe.¡± Jax rolled his eyes grandly, ¡°Aye, ya Nance. Fine.¡± I had found a nearby slab of rock to sit on. My shoes had mysteriously launched themselves off of my feet the moment I sat down and landed unnoticed a few feet to my left. I was otherwise occupied with rubbing the cramp out of my leg. The simple act of not standing up anymore was sending waves of bliss up and down my spine. ¡°Here, lad,¡± I looked up. Jax was giving me a strange look, but then cleared his throat, ¡°Er¡­ uh¡­ hand us one o¡¯ them jars o¡¯ meat ya got stowed.¡± Nodding, I rifled through my bag until I found the jars and got out one each. Tossing one to him, I tucked into one myself. The dry yet weirdly greasy meat had an altogether foreign flavor. That combined with the strangely tart aftertaste meant that I was firmly on the fence as to its palatability. I smacked my tongue to work some moisture into my mouth. ¡°Ugh¡­¡° I made a face. ¡°What did you call this stuff again?¡± ¡°Pemmican,¡± Jax chuckled. ¡°It do be something of an acquired taste, don¡¯t it now?¡± Taking a large bite of his own he started happily chewing away but then he frowned, ¡°Hrr¡­ I think this one may have started to spoil.¡± I noticed he swallowed it anyway. ¡°What is it, though?¡± I asked, mildly nauseated. Still chewing, he answered, ¡°Oh, ya know¡­ dried game. Mix ¡®er with suet but rendered down to tallow, mind. And some bush berries,¡± he glanced at me, ¡°for flavor ya see.¡± Frowning down at his half-eaten portion, he said, ¡°Not sure what kind got mixed in ter this one.¡± He dug at his teeth with his tongue thoughtfully. ¡°Acada berries, maybe?¡± I knew what some of those words meant. Wasn¡¯t tallow candle wax? Surely not. Pretending that I knew what he was on about, I probed, ¡°Why would you do that to perfectly good meat, though?¡± ¡°Why so it don¡¯t¡­¡± but then he glanced down at his own jar, ¡°or it¡¯s supposed ta keep ¡®er from going bad on yer.¡± He sniffed at it, ¡°Must be last year¡¯s batch.¡± He took another bite. Swallowing roughly, I asked, ¡°Do you have any water?¡± He brightened, ¡°Aye! A ration ta help ¡®er down!¡± So, saying, he tossed me one of the water skins. Taking a big swig, I nearly choked when the flavor registered. Eyes watering, I said, ¡°What is this? Grain alcohol?¡± Jax howled from my expression, ¡°Nay lad. ¡®Tis water true.¡± Then he winked at me, ¡°It just do have a drop mixed in.¡± Blinking rapidly, I took another sip. In truth, now that I was expecting it, it wasn¡¯t that strong. ¡°Why do you need to put booze in the water?¡± Sitting up straight, he replied, ¡°Why to keep it pure! You¡¯d get the runs if you drink out of a skin far long. Also, it do keep things from a growin¡¯.¡± He gave the skin a significant shake. Then, he looked around, as if he had gotten away with something and whispered, ¡°I may have added a drop more than I needed to. Strictly speaking, o¡¯ course.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I agreed. Not that I did. ¡°Uh¡­ Jax?¡± he looked up, ¡°Hypothetically speaking, if I had a skill point I hadn¡¯t spent yet¡­¡± ¡°Oh noooo,¡± he moaned. ¡°And,¡± I continued, ¡°and the spell I could get would benefit you in some way. What would you want me to have?¡± He lowered his face to his hands and pulled his cheeks down. ¡°Laaaaaad¡­¡± he almost sobbed. He heaved a great sigh as he thought about how to reply, but after a moment, his head snapped up, ¡°Aye, ah¡¯ve got it! Ye said yerself me skill was great until I ¡®ad ter fight in the sun¡­¡± Taking up his train of thought, I continued for him, ¡°¡­so something to enhance shadows then. Or summon them.¡± I nodded thoughtfully, ¡°Could work.¡± ¡°Settled then!¡± he clapped his hands together. ¡°Nothin¡¯ like the hair o¡¯ the dog ta get yer thinkin¡¯ on.¡± I sniffed at the mouth of the skin accommodatingly. It wouldn¡¯t be half bad with a twist of lime. And ice. It took me a few minutes of poking around with my menus before I found a skill that was at least close to what I was looking for.
Fortunate Shadows Darkness behaves favorably to the user and allies while spell is maintained. Effectiveness improves with skill level.
Accept?
If I were being honest, I would never have considered this skill for my first level load out if Jax didn¡¯t have something that would directly benefit from it. Even then, I hated myself for picking it. I want a fireball, dammit! ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll take it.¡± There was always next level. At least now, I had made the choice, and I could stop agonizing about it. I hoped that as we gained experience, these decisions would come easier. As before, once the menu blinked away, I was again struck by the ghostly wind ¡ª a wind, I noticed, that Jax did not feel ¡ª and the trio of women once again began to whisper in my ear a litany of significance. Then, faintly, I felt a gossamer kiss on my cheek. The knowledge that came to me then was quite unlike anything I had ever known before. It was a thing outside the limits of the human world: a spell. Magic. I knew, now, that if I were to utter a certain string of syllables in a certain order, syllables, I should mention, that I had no inkling as to the meaning of, certain parts of the fabric of reality would bend to my will. At least for a moment. It was a singular experience. Jax was standing at this point, wiping grease on his trousers. ¡°Get yer shoes on again, ya poof. We got a ways to go still.¡± It was then we heard the voices. We were currently hiding behind a bush just to the side of a little clearing. There were three¡­ things¡­ playing there. And by playing, I mean they were throwing rocks at each other. Not gently either. The things looked sort of like children, cruelly laughing and yelling at each other, but with green skin and heads that were way too big. Speaking of their head, it was extremely flat, top to bottom, with ears that sharply poked out to either side, maybe 6 to 8 inches. This formed something of a triangle with their nose which stuck out much the same. Their mouths were small but lined with sharp teeth. The rest of their bodies were all spindly knobs and elbows connected to a small pot belly and large flappy feet. ¡°Are those goblins?¡± I whispered. Jax gave a quick negative jerk of his head, ¡°Gobs. They¡¯re a lesser cousin. We¡¯s lucky they ain¡¯t smell¡¯t us yet.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I had to agree with that, ¡°What should we do?¡± He sighed, ¡°We¡¯s gonna have to kill ¡®em. They¡¯ll get wind t¡¯us afore long. Then their whole blinkin¡¯ tribe¡¯ll be on us.¡± I looked at him incredulously, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t killing them do the same thing?¡± ¡°Nah,¡± he spit to the side. ¡°We¡¯ll be long gone afore they¡¯re missed. Our trail cold.¡± That logic sounded more than a little suspect, but before I could call him out on it, he glanced at the broken spear I was clutching, ¡°Can ye use that thing?¡± ¡°I took a semester of Tai Chi for P.E. credit once,¡± I delivered deadpan. He gave me a flat look. ¡°That¡¯s a no.¡± He gave the spear a little shake and said simply, ¡°Pointy end? Fleshy bits.¡± I nodded. I could do that. Probably. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the plan, mate. I¡¯s gonna sneak about the other side, see? Then, I¡¯ll come runnin¡¯ at ¡®em. I figure one will fer sure make a run fer it.¡± He looked at me significantly. ¡°That one is yours. He gets by ya? Well.¡± I grimaced. No pressure. ¡°What about your injury?¡± He rubbed at it absently. ¡°Hmm? Honestly, I ain¡¯t remembered it.¡± Giving a shrug, he continued, ¡°Must be okay, right?¡± That was doubtful. I hadn¡¯t even used stitches. Maybe the healing effect from the binding spell had been more powerful than I had thought. Just slow acting. Maybe that¡¯s how healing worked here. Lots of regens. No insta-heals. ¡°That new spell o¡¯ your¡¯n,¡± he turned to me, ¡°can ye cast et quiet?¡± I nodded, ¡°Yeah, I just have to say the words. It doesn¡¯t matter how loud.¡± ¡°Good. Cast it on me now. Might help me get around, them not seein¡¯.¡± I took a breath. Theoretically, I knew how to do this. Say words, get effect. But the words were garbled nonsense. They were there in my head, but trying to spit them out again was something else entirely. It was like trying to read a tongue-twister in a foreign language aloud for the first time. On top of that, for some reason, each word felt like it was resisting me. Like there was an opposing will cramming the words back down my throat. Finally, I forced the last word out of my mouth, gasping for breath.
[Active Skill: Fortunate Shadows] has reached level 2!
I could feel the spell running somehow. Instinctively, I knew I could cancel it at any time, but it was a constant drain while I held it. It was like I was maintaining a light jog. I looked over at Jax. It was kind of hard to tell exactly what the spell was doing. Not overtly. You could describe it like sitting next to someone wearing camouflage but made of the shadows of dancing leaves from the canopy above. ¡°Go. I should be able to keep this up for a few minutes.¡± Without a word, he turned and slunk away in a low crouch. Within moments, I had lost sight of him. Getting into position, I clutched my little broken spear nervously. What was I doing? I was an office worker, not some trained army ranger. I wasn¡¯t mentally prepared for this. My hands started trembling uncontrollably. Great. Just what I need. Struggling to keep calm, I held still. When Jax broke from the trees, I was hoping my skill would let me ambush the runner. If I could get the drop on it ¡ª him? I looked closer at the little naked things. Yep, definitely males. I could see their dinguses slapping against their knobby knees from here. I was impressed in a disgusted sort of way. Suddenly, the three Gobs froze, their heads whipping around as they all stared, searching for something along the far tree line. Shit. Had they made Jax? I suppose he must have figured they had. Within the span of a breath, he broke from the trees at a dead sprint. Hey, my spell works pretty good! I didn¡¯t see him at all over there. The three Gobs, despite being on the alert, were still caught flatfooted. One of them managed a shaky toss with the stone he was holding, but it flew wide of Jax¡¯s approaching form by several feet. Jax leapt into the air with his little half-spear and drove the the thing right into the skull of the closest of the little creatures. I winced. The other two, seeing the fate of the third, gave a scream of rage and charged him. Jax looked up from the miraculously still living Gob at their approach and tried to wrench his spear loose but it was stuck fast. Giving it up, he leapt back and drew his dagger. The two child-like monsters swiped at him with their clawed hands, but Jax managed to keep his distance. Circling around, trying to keep them from surrounding him, he pressed his attack. Watching him strike out with his dagger was kind of disorienting. It was like watching a magician pulling cards out of thin air. One moment, you would be sure his dagger was in his left hand. Then suddenly it would be in his right, about to sink into flesh. Oh. Whoops. No, he dropped it. He was almost looking pretty cool there. One of the Gobs took the opportunity to try a flying body tackle, but Jax rolled away at the last second, snatching his dagger back up as he went. The Gob sailed through the empty air and landed face first in the dirt. Jax was on him in a second, giving two quick thrusts to its neck. ¡°Ha ha! Did ya see that shite, ya little runt! I did ¡®er on purpose!¡± he crowed to the one remaining. It decided that cowardice was the better part of valor and made a break for it. Unfortunately, he was aiming way too far to the right. Shit. Breaking from cover, I tried to head it off before it could lose me in the trees. I immediately realized that running full out while holding a spell was completely out of the picture. It dropped before I had taken even two steps. Jax didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°Get ¡®em, mate! I¡¯ll finish of this other¡¯n,¡± he said, stalking over to the one trying to shamble away, a spear still stuck in its head. Seeing me break from the trees, the little bastard adjusted its angle. It was at a dead run at this point. And he was quick. Dammit! I¡¯m not going to make it! That was when the ¡®beastie¡¯ made its appearance. The thing looked like a featherless, wingless shoebill but about the size of a Kodiak bear. The thing launched itself from where it had been perched, latched about ten feet up a tree trunk, right at the fleeing Gob. He never even saw it. Neither of us saw it. It never even made a sound. The birdlike beast tackled the Gob by his head with its massive beak, the momentum taking him to the ground. The monster then punched the screaming Gob¡¯s torso through with a wicked claw, pinning him to the ground. With a halting jerk, the beast ripped the Gob¡¯s head clean off. It was like watching a stork eating a frog. Only a lot bigger. Tilting its head back to choke down its prize, it slowly turned its glare on me and hissed. I, meanwhile, had come to a screeching halt, falling back on my duff as I gazed up at the horror show in front of me. My brain had no further instructions for me in that moment. I did not know what to do except sit there in frozen panic. ¡°Lad. Back¡­ away¡­ slowly¡­¡± Jax whisper shouted at me. He was cautiously approaching from the size, loudly rapping tree trunks with his spear haft. The monster turned from me to watch this new threat approaching, and still hissing, it started backing away, dragging the headless body along with its foot. I scrambled back and went to stand behind Jax. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± I said in a loud whisper as we stared wide eyed at the thing slowly disappearing into the forest undergrowth. Jax slowly shook his head, ¡°By the Hand of Mercy¡¯s sweet Bosom,¡± he swore softly, then added, ¡°fook if I know.¡± Looking around warily, as if something worse had just occurred to him, Jax backhanded me lightly in the chest. ¡°Come on, mate. Best be leavin¡¯.¡± So saying, he hustled over to the two corpses. Following after him, I noticed that he had taken a few scratches on his left arm, but otherwise he seemed unharmed. ¡°You did great back there, Jax!¡± I said, trying to get my nerves under control. ¡°I thought you said you were an amateur.¡± He smirked at me, ¡°Pshaw. Any fool can take down a couple of Gobs, lad. You could¡¯a done the same if¡¯n ya had a decent weapon.¡± Lightly toeing one of the ones he had killed he continued, ¡°It¡¯s when they come at yer ten ta twenty at a time that they¡¯s dangerous.¡± Thinking he might be overestimating my ability, but not wanting to admit it, I decided to change the subject, ¡°What now? Should we leave them here? Hide them in the bushes?¡± He looked at me thoughtfully, ¡°I no be sure, mind. But these critters should have a Gem o¡¯ Power, though they¡¯d be smaller¡¯n the nuts off a gopher.¡± I looked down at the two little naked things. I did not know what a ¡®Gem of Power¡¯ was, but I was pretty sure they did not have one. And I certainly was not going to search their ¡®hiding places¡¯. I shuddered. ¡°Uh¡­ do you think they¡¯d have stashed them somewhere?¡± I said, looking around hopefully. He snorted, ¡°Nay lad. From what I hear tell of, people with the right kind o¡¯ classes should be able to convert the bodies, somehow.¡± ¡°The right kind?¡± Were there specialized classes for this kind of thing? ¡°Aya, ya know. Combat types. Thems who makes it their business ta rid these nasties from the world,¡± he elaborated. ¡°I suppose that would be us then. So what do we do? Ask the Lady?¡± I questioned. He gave a shrug, ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± Taking a breath he said in a low murmur, ¡°Lady Bline, do please, I pray thee, convert these here nasty little Gobs ter Gems o¡¯ Power fer us, kindly.¡± Even when the man was polite he was crude. He listened to something I couldn¡¯t hear for a moment, then giving me a fierce scowl, he grumped, ¡°Aye, ah would.¡± I was about to ask him what had gotten his panties in a twist when the two corpses gave a dim flash and vanished right before my eyes. In their place, two minuscule little green gems hovered in the air for a second before dropping to the ground. That was pretty cool. ¡°Looks like it worked. What do we do now?¡± I asked. Jax had his arms crossed indignantly and simply stood there. I figured that his Lady had insulted him somehow, and judging from my own experience dealing with the menus I could understand. Shrugging, I bent to retrieve the little stones. Jax inhaled sharply, ¡°Wai¡ª¡±. Holding the gems in the palm of my hand, I determined that they were no bigger than grains of sand, though they had a nice and pleasant glow to them. Looking up, I saw that Jax had a pained expression on his face and was rubbing his bandage tenderly. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did your wound break open in the fight?¡± I asked, concerned. He grit his teeth for a moment before gasping, ¡°Sorry. Sorry about that.¡± I took a step towards him, ¡°No need to apologize. Should we check your bandages?¡± He took a shuddering breath and then shook his head, ¡°Nay. Nay, lad. I¡¯s fine. Thank ye fer your concern fer me wretched.¡± I barked out a laugh. ¡°No need for that, either.¡± Gesturing with the gems, I brought the subject back around, ¡°So, you said we could sell these right? Gems of Power?¡± He nodded, shaking off whatever had pained him, ¡°Aye, we can at that, and there may be wisdom to it. On the other, we could add them to our own cores, we could.¡± Gesturing to my hand he continued, ¡°Not much to ¡®em, though.¡± I stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment before it clicked. Little green rocks that come from defeated monsters. Gems of Power. Add them to our cores. These are experience points. And there¡¯s the option to sell them? To a gamer, the concept was like staring into the mouth of insanity. Like gleefully taking a swan dive into the fiery pit of Mount Doom. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re not selling them.¡± Nope. Nooooope. No no no no no no. Nuh-uh. Nope. No. Hey-ll, no! ¡°How much did you say they were worth again?¡± Jax considered, ¡°Little rocks like them¡¯ns? Oh, maybe a gold piece. Maybe two.¡± I whistled. Dammit. We do need the money. Heaving a sigh, I said, ¡°You know what? These two were your kills anyway.¡± I held out the two stones to him. ¡°Do what you think is best.¡± Jax made to grab the gems, but then he suddenly froze. He stood staring at them for a long breath, seemingly arguing with himself. Finally, scowling, he asked, ¡°Why do ye do this?¡± ¡°What? I told you...¡± ¡°Has She been talking to ye, lad?¡± he asked, changing the subject seemingly at random. ¡°She? Oh, Her. Uh¡­ not since I cast that spell, I think. Why?¡± I was utterly confused by this line of questioning. ¡°Wait, what has she been saying to you?¡± He scoffed dismissively, ¡°Oh, nothing lad, nothing. It¡¯s just¡­¡± and then he reconsidered, ¡°well, ter tell it true, she be sayin¡¯¡­ odd things. ¡®Bout the binding, ye see.¡± ¡°Oh, that.¡± Thinking about it, I admitted, ¡°Well, uh¡­ She did say one or two things to me about it a while back, when we were picking skills. Something about our friendship improving.¡± He looked at me skeptically, ¡°Jus¡¯ that?¡± I shrugged, ¡°Yeah, why? Do you not agree? I¡¯ve thought we¡¯ve been getting along fine.¡± He looked at the ground, rubbing at his nose, ¡°Nay nay. It¡¯s just funny, is all.¡± He took a breath, ¡°Ye know, when I were a wee one, she did talk ta me then. Afore¡­ ya know.¡± I nodded, going along with the deflection. It was quite clear something was bothering him, but he did not want to talk about it. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ she don¡¯t talk the same ta me as then.¡± He looked up to the sky, ¡°Not as I remember, anyway.¡± My eyebrows rose, ¡°How does she talk to you now?¡± He did not answer immediately, like he was considering how best to answer. Finally, not meeting my eyes, he said, ¡°Mmm¡­ sexy? Wanton?¡± I had to laugh at that. ¡°You sly dog. You haven¡¯t been on the good side of your goddess a day!¡± He frowned. He clearly was not all that happy about it. I shrugged, ¡°Maybe that¡¯s just how she is? I mean, you said yourself you were a child back then. Maybe you just didn¡¯t pick up on it?¡± He shook his head, ¡°But she don¡¯t talk to ye that way, do she?¡± ¡°I told you before, she doesn¡¯t talk to me at all. I have to read all of it,¡± I explained. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t understand why it¡¯s different.¡± ¡°Probably,¡± he said slowly, ¡°¡¯cause I can nay.¡± Of course not. Given his history? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jax. I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°Nay nay, lad.¡± Then he began to grin, ¡°Ye truly can nay hear her voice?¡± ¡°No, like I said, it¡¯s all written. In little boxes that hover in the air.¡± ¡°Such a shame, et is then.¡± He laughed, ¡°Her voice is¡­ provocative!¡± To tell the truth, I was a little jealous. Listening to a sexy goddess tell you about skills sounded way better than reading menus. ¡°Bah. You¡¯ve just been out in the forest too long, you horndog!¡± ¡°Nay! She be a shameless lass, I tell it true!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Chapter 8 - Camping, Dreams, and Terror We had abandoned the newly blooded clearing about an hour past. Jax had continued teasing me about his new ¡®sumptuous mistress¡¯ for some time. I knew that he had started moving into pure bullshit when he started embellishing her with little details like her ¡®ruby red lips¡¯ and her ¡®midnight dark hair¡¯ and other more and increasingly lascivious details. I did not much care, though. It was fun just bantering with the guy. It took my mind off of the realities I was now facing. I had just had a life and death experience. Real combat. Admittedly, I had not actually done much of anything. But I had come extremely close to a predatory monster. Watching it eat that Gob was going to haunt my nightmares for years. And I had been mere feet away from it at the time. I was still lightly shaking from the experience. ¡°What was that thing back there, Jax?¡± I asked. ¡°Like I said, mate. I never seen the like.¡± That confused me, ¡°Come on, surely you must have at least heard of something like it before? Featherless giant bird monster? No wings?¡± He glanced at me, frowning, ¡°It¡¯s be not that uncommon. Some critter gets spat out from the Dungeon.¡± He shook his head, ¡°The Shepherdess be always tinkerin¡¯ with the beasties, they say.¡± ¡°The Shepherdess? Is that another goddess?¡± I queried. He considered me for a moment before nodding, ¡°Right. I be forgettin¡¯ ye not be familiar.¡± It took him a moment as he collected his thoughts, ¡°Ye may call ¡®er a goddess, an¡¯ some do, aye. But she not be one fer the kind. Only the three fer us. But ye be right in that they ain¡¯t the only spawn of¡­ er¡­¡± and here he glanced up to the sky, held three fingers ¡ª from pinky to middle ¡ª aloft, and then brought them to his lips, ¡°the Watcher.¡± That was a religious gesture if I had ever seen one. And of protection, at that. I really had no idea what he was on about, though. ¡°Maybe you should give me the lowdown on this religion of yours. The short version, anyway. I feel like I¡¯m playing catchup any time you start talking about them.¡± There were three main deities, he explained obligingly, of the ¡®kind¡¯. This, I found out was his term for the various races of men, though I supposed that ¡®sentient races¡¯ would be better, nowadays. They were created or spawned, as he put it, by a being known only as the Watcher for the purposes of caring for, bringing order to, and helping the kind to raise in power. They were named Maeve, Ginna, and Bline, respectively. Besides them, there were two others. One was called the Shepherdess of the Creatures of the Dark. He did not know what her name was, but she was supposed to be responsible for creating endless varieties of monsters for the kind to contest against. Then there was the last, and youngest of the Watcher¡¯s spawn, who was sometimes called the Lady of the Dungeon or else simply the Demon Queen. Here again, he did not know her true name or really what her aspects were save that she was associated with this Dungeon. ¡°Wait, so they are all goddesses?¡± I interrupted him. He nodded, ¡°Aye, so they say. Save the Watcher, mind. No one knows much about himself, though. Even if he be man, woman, or beast. May be you might glean more from a priest or sommat.¡± I thought for a moment, ¡°And you say he spawned them. Like¡­ what? Gave birth to? Formed them out of clay? What?¡± He chuckled, ¡°And how would I know that, lad? Wasn¡¯t there, now was I?¡± He gave me the side eye, ¡°Formed them out of clay, he says. Ha!¡± ¡°Hey, man. Aphrodite was born from the leaking semen of Uranus¡¯ gonads after his son, Cronus, cut them off and tossed them into the sea. So it¡¯s a legitimate question,¡± I reasoned. Jax looked at me, horrified. ¡°What kind o¡¯ sick, cursed religion do you people have where ye be from?¡± He shuddered. I laughed, ¡°Oh that¡¯s just one of the older ones. Although the newer ones have some decidedly odd things going on, as well.¡± ¡°Older ones? How many do ye have?¡± ¡°Oh, something like four thousand, I think,¡± I replied. It had been a while since I had read up on it. ¡°Four thousand? How, cup me in the Hands, are ye supposed to keep up with so many?¡± Jax exclaimed. ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± I laughed. ¡°Most people really only know about the one they¡¯re raised in. And besides, only about five or six of them are very popular anymore. And that has more to do with ancient wars and politics than anything else.¡± I sighed, ¡°It¡¯s a pretty complicated subject, actually.¡± Jax snorted, muttering to himself, ¡°Complicated, ¡®e says. Imagine four thousand Ladies fair all falling by the wayside, forgotten like chaff because they¡¯s unpopular. They¡¯d never stand fer it, I¡¯d reckon.¡± I gave him a sidelong look. Yeah¡­ Let¡¯s not dive into that hole. Sometime later, about the time that the sun was setting, we arrived at the road. The sun had dried up most of the water from the thunderstorm the night previous, but it was still pretty muddy, overall. ¡°Here we are, lad. Now whereabouts did ye say ye found them artifacts?¡± ¡°Like I said, Jax, they were by a wagon rut about four hours back from where you found me,¡± I explained. ¡°Uh¡­ there was a pretty big rock nearby. On the right of the road¡­ or the right if you are going that way,¡± I said, pointing. But then I looked around. Which side of the forest had we come out of? Jax gave a firm nod, knowingly, ¡°Sounds like a half-day mark. The closest one would be off that a way,¡± he pointed in the opposite direction. ¡°We¡¯ve over shot the mark a bit, then. Maybe an hour.¡± At that, he glanced at the sun just now beginning to dip below the horizon. ¡°Let¡¯s camp fer now. No sense in buildin¡¯ a fire in the dark.¡± I agreed with that sentiment wholeheartedly, and after the last couple of days, the idea of sleeping, even on the naked earth, sounded like bliss. I volunteered to collect some firewood while he set up camp. We soon had a nice little fire going, or I should say, Jax did. I knew from watching some survival shows that you were supposed to use flint and steel by catching a spark on a bundle of tinder. What exactly ¡®tinder¡¯ was, though, was beyond me. So, I watched with some fascination as Jax stripped some bark off of a young tree and began rubbing it quickly between his palms. This soon gave way to a little fluff ball of wooden strands. He sat this on the ground and caught a spark on it from the fire starter kit. Bringing it to his face and continuously blowing on it, it soon burst into a small flame in his hands which he placed underneath the little tipi of wood I had assembled for him. When the fire caught, I applauded happily. ¡°What?¡± he looked at me, confused. ¡°Uh¡­ congratulations on¡­ making the fire.¡± Shit. He must do this every day. He looked me up and down. ¡°Uh huh¡­ Jus¡¯ wait ¡®til I unroll the bed rolls. Ye¡¯ll be creamin¡¯ yer pantaloons.¡± He shuddered, ¡°An¡¯ that¡¯s an image I did nay need.¡± I snorted, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the one that said it.¡± Dismissing me, he reached into his pack and collected one of the helmets from the grave sites left at the bandit camp. When I commented on it, he simply shrugged, ¡°They did nay need it anymore.¡± Upending it, he poured out a bit of the heavily spiked water from one of the skins into the basin formed at the bottom of the helmet. Then he scooped out a couple of jars of pemmican into it and set the helm next to the fire to boil rather like a saucepan. He dubbed this concoction ¡®pemmers stew¡¯. It looked¡­ unholy. I ate it anyway. It tasted like dried meat, fat, and berries stewed in lighter fluid. Because it was. ¡°Gack,¡± Jax said, scowling over his portion. ¡°Where did ye say you found this shite? These all taste off.¡± ¡°How can you tell?¡± I said, choking down my bile. ¡°Aye, it¡¯s not just me, then. That¡¯s good.¡± After we finished eating, we sat for a while in silence. It had been another long day, and we were both dirt tired. Idly, I decided to dig out the little gem I had stowed in my pack. Jax had eventually refused my offer and settled on an even split of our take, saying it was part of being partners. I still did not know what had been bothering him about it. Damn it all. Where is that little thing? Finding a grain of sand in a backpack is easier said than done. Frustrated, I looked back out to the road. My mind drifted back to the last time I had been here, dropped from the sky straight into a mud puddle. It felt like a lifetime ago. That¡¯s right. After I fell, I started playing with RPG commands. I looked down at the pack in my hands. And I have a ¡®storage container¡¯. I sat the pack down and smiled. ¡°Inventory,¡± I said quietly into the open air. My pack highlighted momentarily and little ghost images of all the things stored inside swung up before me in a nice orderly list. I noticed, off to the side, there were buttons to sort by type, alphabetically, and by how recently they had been acquired. Ladies and gentlemen, the eighth wonder of the world. In short order, I found the ghost image of the gem and went to grab it, but when I touched it, the image flashed and all of the ghostly apparitions vanished. The gem then lifted itself from the inside of my pack and came to rest in my hand. I just stared at it for a long while, hardly believing my eyes. I stand corrected. ¡°Jax,¡± I squealed, ¡°did you just see this shit?¡± ¡°Hmm? What ¡®er y¡¯on about now?¡± Quickly, I explained what I had done. Jax was completely flummoxed by this turn of events and demanded I show him. We were soon both giggling like school children as we played at making things hover out of our bags. Seeing the gruff bandit laughing so joyfully was so out of character as to be shocking, but I was just happy to see that the man could find happiness in something so simple. Apparently, this was not something Jax had ever been capable of before, and he had never heard of magic like it. ¡°Do you think it had something to do with your curse?¡± I asked. He shook his head, ¡°I do nay think so, mate. Many of the other bandits came to the life much older, and I never heard o¡¯ the like from any o¡¯ them.¡± ¡°Huh. That would mean that either this is an undiscovered magic that your Lady supplies, or it is unique to the pair of us.¡± I dismissed the idea, ¡°I don¡¯t see how that could be, though.¡± ¡°Whatever it be, tis convenient as a pair o¡¯ tits.¡± I agreed. I was confused, but I agreed. A bit later, I was just snuggling into my bedroll for the night. The ground was hard, but I was exhausted and more than ready to slip into unconsciousness. Unfortunately, my menu decided to start blipping at me. Cracking an eye open, I saw a short litany of skill improvements that I had managed to accumulate over the day but that the menu had, for some reason, declined to notify me of until now. Included were a couple of points in [Walking], which I felt were well earned. I did not really know what increasing my walking skill could accomplish, but if it meant less blisters, then I was all for it. There were also a couple of new skills. One was called [Combat Acumen], which, when I poked at it, explained that it was a skill related to knowing what to do in the middle of a fight, who to target next, the weakest link, and etcetera. It was only level one, of course, but I would take what I could get. The other was [Fire Starting], also level one. I would have to thank Jax for that. I was surprised that the system let you learn skills without having to buy them. I would have to make sure, in the future, not to waste skill points on things that I could learn the normal way. Of course, that begged the question as to whether you could learn every skill the normal way. Probably not, I realized. You cannot just learn how to be immortal, after all, and I knew for a fact that it was an option. The last thing to pop up was a notification letting me know that I had gained another ten percent loyalty with Jax. Unfortunately, it did not indicate what precisely I had done in order to earn said loyalty. Thinking back, there had been the beginnings of that common banter that guys go through as they get to know one another. I did not like to admit it, but I was still relatively new to the concept. I had been a sheltered and shy boy growing up and realizing that the light-hearted yet constant teasing I had experienced from other boys was not some ubiquitous form of bullying had taken me an embarrassing amount of time to accomplish. It was just how men got to know each another. I liked to think of it as a sort of game. There were even rules to it. For instance, everyone had at least one certain topic that you were not to prod. I called it ¡®the black ball¡¯. Once you found it, you were never to bring it up again¡­ unless, of course, you really needed some ammo. But it was considered a low blow. I had not found Jax¡¯s yet. Resummoning my stat sheet, I saw that the loyalty meter had risen to a total of thirty percent. There was no indication of what that meant, however. I figured it was at least good enough to count on Jax putting me out if I were on fire. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Giving a mental shrug, I dismissed my screens and rolled over to finally get some rest. I was standing in line at the grocery store, idly playing a game on my phone. It was one of those Bejeweled clones but with monsters. Pay to win, of course, like they all are. Naturally, I had not spent a dime on it ¡ª a fact I was mildly proud of. At this point, though, I had been playing the game for well over a year, and I was getting really tired of it. Still, I did not want to delete it after all the time I had spent leveling up my characters. It was something to do. The line moved forward. I heard the sound of arguing from the line next to me. Looking over, I saw two very pretty girls having a quiet dispute with each other. One had hair that had a metallic silvery shimmer, just past shoulder length, and from her expression, she seemed fairly pissed off. The other one, who was pushing their cart, had extremely black hair which curled lightly as it fell to the middle of her back and two thick horns which erupted from the top of her forehead and curled back around her skull until they finally curved up to their points, almost touching above and behind her head. They were otherwise completely identical in face and form. And despite their somewhat unusual appearance, they were dressed perfectly normally for a trip to the grocery store, like regular college aged girls. I looked them over appreciatively, especially the dark haired one. I had always had a thing for girls with horns. She looked over and winked at me. Blushing furiously, I turned my attention back to my game. ¡°¡­and I say again that this isn¡¯t fair!¡± the silver haired one was saying. ¡°This one belonged to me. You can¡¯t just change the rules!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t change anything, and you know it,¡± the horned woman replied, quite calmly. She began inspecting her nails, which I noticed were actually more like claws. Looking back at her near twin, she continued, ¡°I am merely taking advantage of a loophole.¡± ¡°Next, please.¡± The line moved forward. ¡°And what a loophole!¡± the silver haired beauty quietly raged. ¡°I shall have to discuss this with our Sister! She has never done something like this before.¡± ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t see why you¡¯re so upset. What even does it matter anyway?¡± ¡°It matters because this one was mine!¡± she slapped the cart in frustration. I glanced down to see what they were buying. Sitting there, along with the obligatory stalk of celery and loaf of French bread, on a Styrofoam plate and wrapped in cellophane, was Jax, obliviously sleeping. I noticed a price sticker from the deli department was sloppily attached indicating he had been marked down to only $9.99 per pound. It seemed like quite the steal, if you asked me. ¡°The proper observances were not met! Do you have any idea how humiliating this is for me?¡± ¡°Next, please.¡± It was my turn, finally. I began loading my haul onto the conveyor. Pizza pockets. Pot pies. Tater tots. An M16A2 5.56mm assault rifle. Corn dogs. You know. Bachelor essentials. ¡°You will just have to take it up with Her then. Honestly, it came as a complete surprise to me, as well. I mean imagine! Taking mine as some sort of prize? To tell you the truth, I would be furious if this bit of fortune hadn¡¯t dropped into my lap.¡± I could not see them anymore, as we were now separated by the partition of snacks and magazines. Nonchalantly, I glanced over at the Weekly World News. The headline read something about a bandit camp that had recently been slaughtered to a man. The rag blamed some secretive unnamed government organization and raved about the upcoming cover up that was in the works. In the lower corner, it also mentioned that they were featuring exclusive coverage of the recent marriage of Batboy to Queen Elizabeth II. The photo was horribly photoshopped. ¡°Ugh. Who even reads this crap?¡± I muttered. ¡°That¡¯ll be $76.95,¡± the cashier said in a dead monotone. Shaken from my reverie, I hurriedly dug out five potato skins from my wallet and handed them to the cashier. Sighing with extreme ¡®I¡¯m so done with this shit¡¯ aplomb, the cashier said, ¡°Sir, this is a Wendy¡¯s.¡± Looking around in confusion, I realized that I was indeed at a Wendy¡¯s, after all. How could I have been so dumb? Everyone knew that Wendy¡¯s did not take potato skins anymore! The whole store erupted into laughter. Shivering in embarrassment, I fled the store. As I burst through the doors, nearly in tears and scolding myself for letting my emotions get the better of me, I happened to glance up at the noon day sky. It was a completely clear day, one of those blue skies that only ever really show up in the late summer, the air still and the heat shimmering off the pavement. That was when the sky cracked. The whole of it, the entire dome of the sky, split cleanly down the middle and opened to a great eye. The size of a solar system. Raw, indescribable terror seized me at the sight of it. Currents of souls whirled in the veins of the whites of that eye, themselves the size of Jupiter. The disk of its iris, black as the night sky, was only discernible from the pupil by the tiny motes of stars filtering through. Its stare was like being singled out and stripped bare by the universe itself. The whole landscape started to get sucked into that one enormous, impossible, glowing mass. Wind blasted me from behind, greater than any force I had ever before felt. My feet seemed to come unstuck from the ground, and I was slowly lifted up. Suddenly, the woman was there ¡ª her horns crowning her head like the most regal of diadems while her hair whipped furiously in the wind ¡ª grasping me by my shirt collar. Yanking me down to face her, she screamed, ¡°Don¡¯t look at Him, you fool! Do you want to go mad?¡± And then she kissed me. Jerking awake, I stared up at the faintly speckled and yet otherwise mundane night sky. In my confusion, it took me some moments to get my breathing back under control. What the fuuuuuuuuuuck? Was that? Groaning internally, I thought I should probably lay off of the pemmican. My stomach chose that moment to gurgle in protest over my recent greasy diet. What a dream. The details were already beginning to scatter in my now conscious mind. The now muted experience of cosmic horror was all but forgotten in the dimly lit evening sky. But one thing I would for certain remember. Potato skins? Ha! As if. Turning toward the fire in the hope of salvaging the rest of the night¡¯s sleep, I noticed Jax on the opposite side. He was laying with his back to me, shirtless. I could see by the orange glow of the fire that he had a mild yet sickly sheen of sweat covering his body. I¡¯m not the only one that crap is messing with. Then, I heard him give out a low moan. Minutely concerned, I raised my head to get a better look. ¡°Me lovely¡­ yes¡­ say ¡®er again. What were our strength?¡± he whispered. That was when I heard that tell-tale rhythmic sound that every man knows oh-so-well. ¡°What be our skill with the blade, yer sexy¡­¡± My mind seized. Quickly turning around again, I began screaming internally. The man was using the Lady of Power like a phone sex operator! Lightly, I began beating my head against the hard ground in an effort to forever expunge this moment from my brain. I would fail. The next morning was a quiet affair. There were ¡®things¡¯ on my mind that I did not want to talk about. Jax, for his part, also chose to keep his peace. We had both awoken at about the same time as day broke over the horizon. Both of us paced some distance away from each other, studiously avoiding eye-contact as is only proper, and we handled our morning business. I rubbed at my face. The 5 o¡¯clock shadow that I had been nursing over the course of the last day or so was starting to develop into full on beard territory. I desperately needed to shave. Finishing my ablutions, I turned to retrieve my bedroll. Packing up camp was swift, as our gear was simple. Finally, I looked Jax over from the corner of my eye. I saw no trace of the beard I was now suffering with, though I did see a bit of peach fuzz coming in on his head. ¡°You¡¯re a redhead?¡± I asked. Jax looked up from washing out his helmet, ¡°Oh, aye.¡± He rubbed at his head. ¡°Usually keep ¡®er shaved, though. Easier to wash.¡± I nodded sagely. My own hair was beginning to show signs of that shiny patina that only shampoo can cure. And I had none. He looked me over curiously, particularly focused on my patchy facial hair, ¡°Yer know, I never thought to ask it, afore¡­¡± he paused as if mildly embarrassed, ¡°What be yer kind, if ya do nay mind the tellin¡¯? I never seen yer like.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never seen a human before?¡± ¡°Nay, I never have,¡± he said, shaking his head. Then giving a dismissive shrug, he muttered, ¡°The world be wide.¡± ¡°I suppose,¡± I said, thinking. ¡°While we¡¯re on the subject, what is¡­ your kind?¡± Jax looked at me, slightly surprised, ¡°Me? Why I be a lilim, o¡¯ course.¡± That brought us both up short. Questions started rapidly spinning through my head. Jax, meanwhile, had a look that said that whatever it was that had just come out of his mouth, it was wrong. ¡°Jax¡­ does your goddess¡­ uh, Bline,¡± I struggled to remember the name he had given her. ¡°Does she have a reputation for screwing with people¡¯s heads?¡± From his expression, certain things were beginning to click together. ¡°She be a goddess, mate,¡± he said as if that explained everything. But then he continued, ¡°That be only natural.¡± ¡°Alright. At least that does help clear one thing up. Lilim is a race of some kind. For some reason, I was thinking it was more like a title.¡± Jax said nothing to that, only looking at the ashes of the fire in thought. ¡°So, if you are a lilim now, then do you know what race you were?¡± I asked. Slowly, Jax shook his head. ¡°When I try to ask me ownself, I can only think, lilim I be. But the trouble is, I don¡¯t know what that is supposed to mean.¡± As he spoke, Jax seemed to become increasingly distraught. I could sympathize. And that thought brought up a certain elephant that had been following me around for the last day. It took the opportunity to poke me on the shoulder insistently. ¡°Uh¡­ While we¡¯re on the subject. I do have one confession. That spell I cast on you that seems to be the cause of all of this? It demanded that I give you a new name.¡± Jax was silent for a long breath. ¡°Are ye telling me that ¡®Jax¡¯ ain¡¯t even me own name?¡± I sighed. ¡°It would seem that it is now.¡± He looked down at his pack for a bit, and without speaking, shouldered it and started walking. I watched him go, sadly. Shit. That was too much all at once. After he had walked maybe twenty to thirty yards, Jax stopped and turning said, ¡°Are ye coming?¡± Hastily assembling my own gear, I hurried after him. We walked silently for a time, each of us lost in the sea of the unknown. Neither knowing what to say. For my part, I felt that I should at least apologize. That would be a start, anyway. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jax,¡± I began. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have cast that spell without knowing what it would do.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± he replied. ¡°I were dyin¡¯ though. I know that true.¡± After another minute of only our footsteps for company, he continued, ¡°I suppose it better to be alive and different, than dead and gone.¡± I looked at him, ¡°Other than the name change, I don¡¯t see any difference. Maybe you were a lilim all along?¡± Smirking, he said, ¡°No. I don¡¯t know many things. But I know that whatever I were, that I were not. I know it in me bones.¡± ¡°Then they must look the same.¡± ¡°Could be.¡± Glancing at me he asked, ¡°Do ye know what me old name was by any chance?¡± I shook my head in the negative. ¡°At the time, you were just a half-dead bandit that had fed me the once. I felt that I owed you at least something for that.¡± ¡°Ye saved me life because I fed yer?¡± he snorted. ¡°Like the tales of the Faen, come down in disguise to test the metal o¡¯ kind.¡± ¡°The Faen?¡± ¡°Helpers o¡¯ the goddesses. And mischief makers,¡± he said by way of explanation. Before I could continue what seemed to be my unending and ever increasing bevy of questions, Jax pointed, ¡°That be the ha¡¯ day mark jus¡¯ there.¡± Looking at where he was indicating, I realized that I recognized this spot. There ahead was the rock where my phone had been smashed, and as we approached, I saw the wheel rut where I had landed. It was mostly dry now, though you could still see the faint outline of where I had face planted. What water was left there was rippling lightly, perhaps from our footsteps. Of the chair, however, there was no sign. Mostly, anyway. There were still a few bits of plastic strewn about. Jax bent over to pick up one of the pieces, ¡°What be this? I never seen the like as it.¡± How do I explain plastic... ¡°Uh¡­ it¡¯s made out of oil, I think. It¡¯s pretty versatile but not very durable.¡± Looking around, I continued, ¡°This is were I found the ¡®artifact¡¯, alright. But it seems to be gone. Someone must have taken it.¡± Out in the distant trees, I heard a faint crash. This place was starting to get to me. Jax sighed, ¡°That would be the luck, then.¡± He tossed the broken bit of plastic to the ground and stood. ¡°Three days from anywhere, fortune lands, so of course, scavengers be upon it afore ye can blink.¡± Not knowing what else to say, I asked, ¡°What do we¡­ wait, did you say three days?¡± Nodding curtly, he pointed in the direction we had come, ¡°Aye. Three days that way be a little hamlet by the name o¡¯ Darvinton. Not much to ¡®er. Just some huts pushed together to make something in the wild. There be nothin¡¯ past that save the mountains. It be weeks ter get to the settles o¡¯ kind again. Or so they tell. I never been. And that way,¡± he pointed in the opposite direction, ¡°ain¡¯t too much better. Not fer a ways, anyway. About three and a half days, maybe four, is a village called Kemry-in-the-moors. It be no much, but it do have an inn at the least. Past that a ways be Bradfirth, and what passes fer the local governs.¡± He spat, ¡°Bunch a pricks, the lot. But if ye want a city proper, we must to Bradfirth.¡± ¡°But so remote? And with all the monsters about, you would think people wouldn¡¯t build so far out. A day, at most.¡± Jax dipped his head, ¡°Aye normally. But this be the Allenwood. None¡¯d build here in the middle of it. Lucky to have the road, really. Plus, them fuckers in Darvinton are a bunch o¡¯ mush headed fools.¡± I smirked a bit at that, ¡°Well, if they¡¯re all fools, then what does that make your friends back at that bandit camp?¡± Giving me an expressionless look, Jax simply replied, ¡°Dead.¡± Mortified, I started, ¡°Ah, jeez, Jax. I¡¯m sorry, man. I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± Jax began grinning before I finished. ¡°Bah, I¡¯m just jestin¡¯ ya. They were a lot o¡¯ rat bastards the lot of ¡®em.¡± Somewhat quietly, he added, ¡°And so were I.¡± I did not know how to respond to that admission. To tell the truth, I still did not know Jax all that well. From the sound of it, he seemed to be experiencing some survivor¡¯s guilt ¡ª a phenomenon I had heard of, but never had to deal with ¡ª and was covering it with humor. Giving a mental shrug, I figured I would let Jax come to terms with whatever he was feeling on his own. But if he wanted to talk about it, I would listen. Jax continued, ¡°But to answer your implication, we were in the middle o¡¯ the wood in part by necessity, as I¡¯m sure ye can guess, and in part by way o¡¯ the nature o¡¯ the curse.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°As outlaws, ya see, while we can nay gain power from the Lady, we also be of no interest to the Dungeon. That confers a certain degree of, shall we say, indifference from Her creatures,¡± he explained. Before I could address the several questions that came to mind at this new information, a deafening sound ripped through the morning air, ¡°BO-AH-AH-AAAGH!¡± Looking around wildly, I shouted, ¡°What was that?!¡± Jax started trembling with dawning realization, and uttered with a shaking voice, ¡°No. No, by Maeve.¡± My question was soon answered, however, when a gigantic red frog about the size of a baleen whale crashed through the trees and onto the track. Waiting not a scant second, Jax yelled, ¡°Run, lad!¡± And following his own advice, he pelted past me in a dead sprint. The frog turned toward us and leapt into the air, landing a scant thirty yards from me. I did not need any more encouragement than that, and tripping a bit before I could get my feet to obey me, I began my own panicked flight. Already panting, I shouted, ¡°What is that thing?¡± Jax looked back at me briefly and yelled, ¡°A Dungeon Mo¡ª¡± He never got to finish his sentence. At that very moment, a pink tongue as big around as an anaconda shot past my shoulder and caught Jax by his waist. Before he could even scream, his body was jerked back and disappeared into the gaping yet toothless maw of that too-big-to-be-real amphibian. In a blind panic, I veered off the road, trying to break off its line of sight, and I hoped, its ability to snag me with that tongue. I did not make it far. Just as I took a single step past the tree line, a weight thudded into me ¡ª jerking me to a sudden halt. Terrified, I grabbed the nearest tree trunk, irrationally hoping that I could keep that monster from swallowing me whole. I had always been known by my friends as a gentle giant. I was a big man with big arms and a fairly strong grip. For all that, I might as well have been a screaming child clutching at his bedsheets as his parents bundled him off to his first day of school. With a shriek of pain, my arms were ripped from around the trunk, and jerking through the air, I met darkness. Chapter 9 - Fun and Games I do not know how long I was unconscious. I have no way of measuring that. When I finally did awaken, however, it was with no small measure of confusion. I do not know if I had been dreaming, either. One moment, I knew nothing, and the next, I was simply aware. It was like a switch flipped in my brain, and my eyes flew open. Then the pain registered. My arms were scraped raw and dully throbbed, and my head was pounding at a steady, slow pulse. Adding to my confusion, I could not see anything at all. Everything was in pitch darkness. ¡°Am I dead?¡± I whispered. My voice echoed faintly. I did not feel dead. Not that I would know the difference. Experimentally, I felt around me with my hands. I was lying on a cool and hard surface with a sandy texture. Or perhaps the floor was just dirty. Groaning as I sat up, I began feeling along the floor to try and find an edge to¡­ whatever this was¡­ or really anything at all. What I found was a body. Instinctively, I jerked back. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I whispered again. Nothing, save my own echo, answered me. After a moment, nervously sitting in the silence, I crept forward again. Finding the body once more, I felt around until I found its face. Blindly groping at its features, I took stock of what I was sensing, ¡°Crooked nose, diagonal scar across the face, long pointed ears, peach fuzz up top¡­¡± I grinned with relief, ¡°Jax.¡± He was still warm. Anxiously, I felt for a pulse, ¡°Still alive. Good good.¡± Lightly, I began slapping at his face, ¡°Wake up, buddy. Come on, wake up. I need you, man.¡± Jax was out like a light. I looked around in total confusion. This did not make any sense at all. Had I not just been swallowed by a giant frog in the middle of a forest? Where was I? The frog¡¯s stomach? Abandoning Jax for the moment, I began following the floor again to investigate our situation. The floor was cool and dry just as the air I had been breathing. That certainly did not track with any frog¡¯s stomach that I could imagine. Even one the size of a kaiju. My fingers soon met with the hard surface of a jagged wall. It felt like stone. Standing up, I began to slowly trace my way along. Soon enough, I determined that I was in an oubliette of some kind. No doors, no windows, just a hole for forgotten people. Fighting back panic, I reached toward the ceiling, hoping I might be able to crawl my way out. My fingers did not reach anything, however. ¡°Shit. Now what?¡± I uttered in frustration. Just then, a sound like a small landslide started to reverberate in the small chamber and a pinprick of light appeared emanating from a tiny hole. It slowly widened in nonconcentric, jagged edges in an effect, becoming more apparent as more light was introduced, rather similar to clay-like gnomes opening a passage for the Gnome King. Once the rock was finished rearranging itself, a softly gleaming blue crystal about the height of an average man and cut into a luminous marquise slowly floated itself into our room. It hovered there, gently turning for a moment, before settling into a slot, I only now noticed, that looked made just for that purpose. With a soft click it stopped and waited, patiently glowing. I wanted to say something clever or witty. Something to express my feelings of amazement mixed with overwhelming and debilitating confusion. Something that could perfectly convey that well known idiom ¡®fish-out-of-water¡¯ or maybe ¡®not-in-Kansas-anymore¡¯. Instead, all that came out of my mouth was, ¡°A¡¯ight.¡± Edging around the large crystal, I decided to investigate the new doorway. It seemed to open into an adjoining hallway of some kind which extended to the left and right. Small crystals were mounted to the wall in periodic increments, emanating a soft blue light not unlike the crystal behind me. However, when I went to poke my head out to see if anything dangerous might be about, my face was met with a transparent wall of some kind. ¡°A forcefield?¡± I wondered aloud. Tapping at it, it was evident that there was indeed some physical yet invisible object blocking me. It was like a perfect pane of glass, yet my fingers did not leave behind imprints from the natural oils on my skin. And that crystal had passed right through it. Or the field had appeared after it entered. Either way, there was some chicanery afoot. Turning around, I faced the glowing immobile intruder. Resting in its slot, it came up to about the height of my chest, yet it was thin enough that if I were to wrap my hands around it, my fingers would just touch. Of course, I could palm a basketball¡­ if it were a little flat. An old roommate of mine once referred to me as ¡®the missing link¡¯ ¡ª an appellation I disagreed with completely. I was in no way hairy enough. Squatting down, I closely examined the facets of this huge and beautiful gem. Its cut was extremely intricate. Whatever light source was embedded in its center would not have needed to be very powerful. The angles refracted the light quite nicely into lovely patterns all around the room. ¡°Well now, what am I supposed to do with you?¡± I asked, experimentally tapping at it with a fingernail.
Welcome, thou who wouldst seek to improve upon thine own. Welcome, thou who wouldst seek adventure and the unknown. Welcome, thou who wouldst seek the Words. Welcome to the Dungeon.
¡°Oh.¡± I said, unintelligently. Then I added, ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Jax!¡± I gave the man a rough shake, ¡°Come on, man. We¡¯ve got a situation here. Wake up!¡± Jax¡¯s eyes snapped open and he gasped, ¡°Ma¡ª¡±. Then he turned his head started coughing. I helpfully thumped his back for him. ¡°What happened? Where we be?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve got good news and bad news.¡± I helped Jax sit up, and immediately, his eyes lazered to the crystal sitting in the middle of the room. ¡°I think I may have a hunch¡­ but go on.¡± Encouraged, I continued, ¡°The good news is that we don¡¯t seem to be in a giant frog¡¯s stomach¡­¡± ¡°Dungeon Mouth,¡± Jax interrupted. I paused. ¡°Ah, then you seem to have guessed the bad news.¡± As I pulled him to his feet, he clutched at his side. The ¡®frog¡¯ had been none too gentle. ¡°Perhaps, you should elaborate.¡± He did not say anything for a bit, his attention too focused on the mesmerizing light patterns refracting from the crystal. ¡°I¡¯ve heard tell o¡¯ this.¡± He looked at me, ¡°In the tales, ya know. True Seekers be rare things, but they do exist. Word gets ¡®round. Most who get sucked into this place be like us lot. Unfortunate souls what were at the wrong place at the wrong time.¡± I waited, my hands at my hips. He continued, ¡°That frog were a Dungeon Mouth. I guess it were hungry.¡± ¡°And a Dungeon Mouth? What exactly is that?¡± He stood assembling his thoughts for a moment and then said, ¡°The Dungeon exists¡­ well, I dunno why. But the Words are a part of it. And they be here. Only ever here. And the Mouths, well¡­ each Mouth leads to the Dungeon. But never the same. That¡¯s what they tells yer, anyways.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®never the same¡¯?¡± ¡°Like I said. It¡¯s always different, the Dungeon be,¡± he said shrugging. ¡°And the Words? What are they for?¡± He shook his head, ¡°Dunno. Not really. But the legends say that if you find ¡®em all, you¡¯d be a god. Or like one, near enough.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I frowned, ¡°So, wait. These Dungeon Mouths¡­ are entrances to the Dungeon?¡± He nodded once. ¡°And they¡¯re all huge frogs?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°Nay. All different. But one and all, they be behemoths. Vast things. Sometimes whole villages at once, they swallow into this place,¡± he expounded. ¡°So¡­ Okay, maybe I¡¯m not following, but¡­ why? They clearly don¡¯t eat people if they all end up here.¡± Jax sighed, ¡°I were a bandit, mate. Left to the forest since scare ten years to me name. And afore that, an urchin proper. Don¡¯t be askin¡¯ me the why¡¯s o¡¯ things.¡± I scowled briefly at that. It continually frustrated me that so much of what I needed to know was simply absent from my companion¡¯s head. Then again, I realized I could not really fault him for it. After all, I knew of plenty of people who probably could not name the proper order of the planets, or even for that matter, list their names. Heck, I had seen people on television who were unable to point to and name a single country on an unlabeled map. That included, I might add, the very country they themselves were living in. So, I just had to be happy with what Jax did know. ¡°Alright, Jax. Alright. But¡­ you said it was hungry?¡± He shrugged, ¡°Maybe. All I do know is they ain¡¯t always runnin¡¯ about eatin¡¯ people. Sometimes they hide themselves or sommat.¡± He spat, ¡°An¡¯ just me luck. Here I¡¯s finally free o¡¯ the Lawmaiden¡¯s clutches and a flamin¡¯ Mouth wakes up to swallow me ownself.¡± Something niggled at me, ¡°Do you think they might be related?¡± ¡°Related?¡± his eyebrows rose. He clutched at my arm, ¡°You do nay think She be throwin¡¯ me to a Mouth in revenge, do yer? And yerself besides?¡± I grimaced. If this ¡®Lawmaiden¡¯ was anything like some of the stories from the old dead religions of Earth, I would not put it past her. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine,¡± I lied. Sighing, I looked back toward the crystal. ¡°So, what do we do now? How do we get out of here?¡± ¡°I keep tellin¡¯ yer, Donum. I do nay know. Per¡¯aps, after we finds one o¡¯ them Words, she¡¯ll spit us out?¡± he guessed. Then jerking his chin at the crystal, he asked, ¡°An¡¯ what about this big hunk o¡¯ glorious rock? What be it¡¯s tale?¡± I shrugged helplessly, ¡°It just floated in and sat itself there. When I touched it, I got a message through my¡­ from the Lady of Power.¡± At my words, Jax reached out to touch the thing himself. He sat listening for moment before saying, ¡°She be talkin¡¯ funny like. More so than normal.¡± I nodded, ¡°I noticed. Very old and very formal.¡± Then, I briefly described the barrier I had found at the door. ¡°How do we get out, then?¡± ¡°Maybe this crystal will tell us? It came through before,¡± I said, speculating. So saying, I touched the crystal again and asked, ¡°How do we leave this place?¡±
Find the Path to find the Word. Find the Word to find the Path. Return, thouest may, if ye be weary. This one time only.
¡°Riddles,¡± Jax spat. ¡°Of course, they be riddles.¡± ¡°Find the Path, huh?¡± I stood. Walking to the doorway, the ¡®glass¡¯, or whatever it was, was still in place. I did not know exactly what the solution was, but I had played enough Dungeons and Dragons in my day to know where to start. ¡°Jax, see if you can find¡­ I don¡¯t know. A secret latch or a button or something?¡± Between us, we split the room into two, poking, pulling and prodding at every nook and cranny we could find. When that did not turn up anything, we went over each other¡¯s area just in case we had missed something. Finally, just as I was about to give up, I found a tiny notch just within reach on the right side of the door. Slipping my finger inside, I found a little bump, perhaps the size of a wart, that gave way when I pressed it. As soon as I did, we both felt the air stir on our skin. ¡°Did ye find something, lad?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, up there,¡± I pointed up at the the little hole. It was just high enough that Jax would not have been able to get to it. Nervously, we both poked our heads out into the hallway. Quickly looking down both directions, I did not see any monsters lurking about, to my relief. ¡°Are ye sure ye want to do this, lad?¡± Jax asked. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have much choice.¡± I took a breath considering, ¡°Do you think it might be a good idea to use those Gems of Power we got from the Gobs?¡± His brow furrowed before replying, ¡°Do what ye like. I think fer me, I¡¯d quite like to keep that little rock. A memento, like.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to keep anything if we die in here,¡± I argued. We did not have the luxury for sentimentality. ¡°That Gem ain¡¯t big enough to do any good, anyway.¡± I shrugged, ¡°Still¡­ better used than not.¡± So saying, I retrieved the little Gem from my inventory and examined it closely. ¡°What am I supposed to do with it?¡± Jax was busy keeping watch and did not look at me, ¡°Dunno. Ask the Lady.¡± Oh, right. ¡°Use Gem of Power?¡± I queried in a low voice.
[Gem of Power: 1st rank, minor] Consume to gain benefits
¡°She says I have to consume it?¡± I said aloud. ¡°What? Like eat it, ya mean?¡± he returned. I did not much like the idea of eating rocks, but it was pretty small. Experimentally, I touched my tongue to it and discovered that it had a pleasantly sweet flavor. Not quite like rock sugar, it was almost fruity in an unidentifiable way. ¡°It tastes kind of nice, actually.¡± I said, but then a shiver ran down my back as the Gem dissolved on my tongue. Some kind of energy flowed out of it and around my veins before settling somewhere in my gut. The change was almost imperceptible but noticeable nonetheless. Despite that, I did not get any kind of notification about it from the pop-ups. I had to assume that I would need more of them to get a level up, as Jax suggested. ¡°Well? Ya feel any different?¡± Jax was looking me over curiously. ¡°Maybe? It¡¯s hard to say. I felt something.¡± He looked at me silently for a long breath and then, stepping into the hallway, he said, ¡°If yer finished faffin¡¯, what say we get started?¡± I opted to start with the left hand hallway. It was just an old habit of mine whenever I was gaming. Jax, for his part, had no opinion on the matter, save that he insisted on going first. ¡°I been talkin¡¯ to the Lady plenty ¡®bout me role here an¡¯ what I can do. If¡¯n I die, ye can revive me, she be sayin¡¯. But if you go¡­ well¡­¡± he paused significantly, ¡°Not that I want ye to be throwin¡¯ me to the beasties, ya hear?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± I said doubtfully. ¡°Be on the lookout for traps, though.¡± ¡°Traps? Like what?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, you know¡­ the usual things? Pitfalls, tripwire, pressure plates¡­ that kind of thing.¡± I listed off a few things off the top of my head that were common tropes. ¡°I thought you never been here?¡± I chuckled, ¡°No¡­ I just¡­ read a lot.¡± The hallway was perfectly straight and just wide enough for the both of us to comfortably walk side by side if we wanted to. Nevertheless, I maintained a distance of about four or five paces back for safety sake. Jax had his eyes glued to the ground ahead of him, completely paranoid from my ¡®sage advice¡¯. He was lightly tapping the floor ahead of him with a leading foot before putting any weight on it, inching along quite slowly. I, for one, was quite content with the pace. The last thing I wanted was to be dumped into some spiked pit¡­ with snakes maybe. I shuddered. I had no way of measuring time in this place, the only item that repeated with any regularity were the glowing crystals on either side of the wall. They were spaced out to a distance of about a dozen paces, the light from the last almost dying before being subsumed by the next pair. The hallway continued like that, perfectly straight, for another twenty torch-lengths before it stopped at a simple door. The door was made of some dark material that I could not identify, and it had no obvious means of entry save for a single crystal which was identical in appearance to the one we had left behind in the room we had awoken in. The only difference was the size, this one being much smaller, only the length of a man¡¯s open palm. ¡°Now what?¡± Jax said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m guessing, though, that these crystals are the Dungeon¡¯s way of communicating with us.¡± ¡°So, what? Touch it?¡± I nodded. ¡°Probably. The door will either open or tell us how to open it.¡± But then I added, ¡°Or kill us.¡± ¡°Very reassuring,¡± he muttered. So saying, he reached forward and lightly tapped the crystal.
To open yon door Thou must prove thy worth ¡®Gainst creature of earth Though it be a chore.
¡°ABBA,¡± I said automatically. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The rhyme scheme. A-B-B-A. The first line rhymes with the last and the middle two rhyme with each other¡­ although the meter is a little wonky. It¡¯s also the name of¡­ a minstrel troupe from back home¡­ not that that matters,¡± I trailed off. ¡°Okay¡­¡± he said slowly. ¡°Be that important?¡± I cleared my throat, ¡°Probably not. Most likely, we just have to fight something to open the door.¡± ¡°Fight what?¡± he looked around. ¡°I don¡¯t see nothin¡¯ ta fight.¡± I shrugged, ¡°I dunno. Probably have to kill a certain mob¡­ er¡­ creature that meets the criteria for the door. From the context, I¡¯d say it should be avoidable.¡± Jax nodded slowly, ¡°Right¡­ right. Because it be a chore. Clever.¡± Looking around one final time, he started the other way down the hall. ¡°Nothin¡¯ here fer now then.¡± Smiling grandly, I pointed toward our new destination, calling, ¡°For liberty, Fernando!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡±
Four paths Three keys Two locks One door One door, one lock One Treasure unseen One key to gain it One Path, one Word
¡°What do yer think it means?¡± We had followed the hallway in the other direction for a short ways, perhaps twice as far as the other passage, and found ourselves in a spacious circular room with a series of steps ringing the outside leading down, rather like a miniature amphitheater. In the center of the room and the bottom of the steps, we had found another of those little crystals mounted on a pedestal. I looked around the room, taking in the details. Besides the opening we had come through, there were four other pathways evenly spaced around the outside. Directly opposite the entrance was another door, similar in appearance to the other one we had found save that this one was green. In addition, instead of a crystal mounted in the middle, this door had two large indentations set in gold right next to each other. These depressions had no other identifying markings. I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Clearly, these here are the paths,¡± I said, pointing around the room. ¡°And that door there has two slots in it. We¡¯ll probably need to find some of those keys to open it. I¡¯m not sure about the rest, though. It seems to contradict itself.¡± ¡°It do mention treasure¡­ maybe it¡¯s a Word?¡± Jax hedged. I snorted, ¡°We have no way of knowing at this point. All I can think of is that we¡¯re going to need to collect the parts of the puzzle. There has to be more to it, though. Otherwise, why give us this clue?¡± We starting looking over the room in more detail. The stone steps leading up to the edge of the room were expertly carved, absolutely perfect in all respects. Like no one had ever even stepped on them before. Each of the four pathways leading out of the room were nicely ringed with chiseled grotesques of various descriptions. Some of the things depicted seemed familiar while others were quite alien, but there did not seem to be any rhyme or reason behind them that I could see. At the top of each passage was an inlay with what I assumed were letters, but they were in a language I had never seen before. ¡°Jax, do you have any idea what this says?¡± I asked. Jax came to stand behind my shoulder and peered at the letters intently before shaking his head. ¡°Nay. Me Dam, er¡­ she what looked after us when I were a lad, tried to teach me my letterin¡¯. Never had the patience fer it.¡± He jerked his chin at the letters, ¡°I remember enough ta recognize the shape of ¡®em, though.¡± I sighed, ¡°We¡¯re going to have to fix that if¡­ once we get out of here.¡± I pointed at the words, ¡°I¡¯ll bet anything that this is what we¡¯re missing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Donum,¡± he said remorsefully. Smirking, I slapped his shoulder, ¡°Hey. I can¡¯t read them either. Don¡¯t feel too bad.¡± Rubbing his offended shoulder, Jax muttered, ¡°Do nay condescend ter me, ya fancy poofin¡¯¡­¡± Trailing off, he stepped toward one of the openings. Turning back, he said, ¡°Nothin¡¯ else fer it. Come on, yer lordship.¡± ¡°What?¡± I spread my hands to the side, ¡°What¡¯d I say?¡± As we walked along the new passage, identical in every respect to the one we had just left behind, Jax finally stopped, exasperated. ¡°I ain¡¯t found nothin¡¯ o¡¯ these traps yer mentioned. Ye be sure it is a thing we need ter worry over?¡± ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not sure of anything. All I can think, though, is that if I were to design a ridiculous dungeon for people to test themselves against, I would put traps in there somewhere.¡± What was really bothering me, though, was the conspicuous lack of monsters. I had never heard of any dungeon in any game without something jumping out to attack the party at every opportunity. This place was as silent as a crypt. ¡°Just keep alert. Don¡¯t let it lull you into a sense of complacency.¡± Jax resumed his steady yet tentative march forward, ¡°Complacency, he says. Here I be, me nerves makin¡¯ me pee-hole twitch, and he talks about complacency¡­¡± He continued muttering under his breath for several minutes before finally lapsing into silence. The oppressive gloom of the place seemed to press in after a while. The air was still and cool on the skin. The steady, unchanging light from the crystals periodically passing us was like moving through some kind of nightmarish fever dream of a medical ward. The only sounds to be heard were the light tapping of Jax¡¯s foot as he inched forward and my own shuffling steps. This place was getting to me. Soon enough, though, the passage ended, opening into yet another circular room. This one was a bit smaller than the last and with no steps, but once again there was a simple pedestal in the center of the room with a gem atop it resting on a fancy cushion. This gem seemed to be emanating a somewhat darker blue than all the rest so far, though. ¡°Hmph. More fancy rocks. This place do have a theme, I¡¯ll give ¡®er that.¡± Jax moved to touch the gem. ¡°Hold, on! There could be¡ª¡± and then Jax vanished. He gave a startled yelp as the floor dropped out from under him, and I heard a tell-tale splash. Rushing forward, I looked down the dark rectangular pit Jax had fallen into. He was just emerging from under the dingy water, coughing and sputtering. ¡°Are you alright?¡± I called down. ¡°I pissed meself,¡± he said by way of reply. Chuckling, I said, ¡°Alright, hold on. I think we have a rope in one of the packs.¡± ¡°It¡¯s down here.¡± My face dropped, ¡°Say that again?¡± ¡°I said, the flamin¡¯ thing be in me bag!¡± Shit. ¡°Can you toss it up?¡± Jax took a deep breath, ¡°Oh, aye! Why don¡¯t I just toss a sodden stack o¡¯ rope up fifteen span while I be treadin¡¯ water! Ye be a bloody genius! Why don¡¯t I just toss ye up me bleedin¡¯ bawbag while I¡¯m at it, ye melted tadger! Yer bum¡¯s out the windy!¡± Now¡­ If you were to ask me to translate every single word of what he had just said, exactly, I would be at something of a loss. But I got the gist of it. ¡°Well, Jax,¡± I said patiently, ¡°you¡¯ll never get out of there with that kind of attitude.¡± ¡°Come down here and get it, then!¡± he yelled petulantly. ¡°The water¡¯s warm!¡± It took us several minutes of, shall we say, colorful debate before I hit on a solution. The mouth of the pit was about an arm''s length from the pedestal in the center of the room which, I discovered, was quite firmly attached. I poked my head over the dark square. ¡°Jax? Can you tie the end of that rope into a loop?¡± I asked. ¡°An¡¯ how am I supposed ter do that while I be in the drink?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, man! Wedge yourself in the corner or something! I¡¯ve got an idea.¡± I left him there to figure out his own end of things. My bag had a strap attached to it to allow a person to sling it over their shoulder for ease of carriage. This I eased out to its fullest length and slipped it over the pedestal. I looked back over at Jax, who was struggling to do what I had asked. His own pack was slung over his neck and floating by his chest with most of the length of rope still inside of it. Meanwhile, he had one hand gripped on a rough patch of the side of the wall while he attempted to tie a knot with one hand and his teeth as an impromptu third appendage. I could hear plenty of muffled cursing through his self-inflicted gag. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to lower my foot down. See if you can loop the rope over it,¡± I called. He spat out the finished knot and yelled, ¡°Yer doin¡¯ me nut in, ya jobby boot!¡± Ignoring his tirade, I hooked an elbow through the length of strap and slowly extended my leg down the hole. I heard Jax splashing around for a second as he got in position, and then he tossed his loop toward my foot. It missed. ¡°Shite. Can ye get any lower?¡± I looked at the poor strap straining with my weight. I had doubts. ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good idea. Keep trying.¡± Jax gathered up the rope again, ¡°Not a good idear he says, meanwhile I¡¯m down here in a festerin¡¯¡­¡± He gasped, ¡°Donum! Donum, somethin¡¯ just touched me leg!¡± Of course, it did. ¡°Hurry, then!¡± I grunted out. Jax flung the rope as hard as he could, water droplets flinging from its surface as it sailed toward me. It missed my foot by an inch. ¡°I can nay reach it, ya nugget! Lower yer¡ª¡± then he was jerked under the water. ¡°Shit! Jax!¡± Almost immediately, his head burst back from under the black water, gasping and coughing. ¡°By the merciful Hand o¡¯ Maeve, the great beastie¡¯s toyin¡¯ wit me.¡± He looked up in panic, ¡°Hurry up, afore I be fillin¡¯ its belly!¡± I nodded grimly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this, Mr. Strap. Just hang on¡­¡± I pleaded with my lifeline. So saying, I dropped my other leg into the hole and extended myself as far as I could go. ¡°Okay, Jax. That¡¯s all I¡¯ve got. Hurry!¡± Quickly, Jax twirled the rope for a third toss. I held my breath as it flew wetly through the air. With a shining ray of luck, the rope caught the back of my shoe. Hurriedly, I kicked my foot back and around to catch the thing before it slipped off. ¡°Yes! Now just let me climb¡ª¡± Just then, the monster grabbed Jax again. He gripped the rope as hard as he could, which tightened around my ankle like a noose, to keep from being pulled under. Unfortunately, that pulled both me and the unlucky pack strap absolutely taut. ¡°Jax¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± I grunted. The pack gave an ominous pop. The monster below gave a frustrated howl from under the water, and a huge tentacle flew up from the black to wrap around Jax¡¯s torso. He started screaming incoherently. The pack strap started creaking like a mainmast in a storm surge. ¡°Jax! Jax!¡± I yelled. ¡°We¡¯re going to come loose! Hit it with your dagger or something!¡± He didn¡¯t hear me. He had both hands wrapped and looped around the rope, screaming for all he was worth. Not knowing what else to do, I groped blindly for the half broken spear still wedged into my belt. My left arm was on fire as it held our combined weight in the crook of my elbow. Gripping the spear, I pulled it around, holding it in front of my face, and closed my eyes. ¡°Maeve,¡± I said with a trembling breath, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can hear me. But help us now¡­¡± With the foreign prayer on my lips, I hurled my weapon with all the strength I had in me. It flew straight and true as a comet¡¯s tail, and shucked wetly into the writhing tentacle. The beast squawked in outrage but released Jax as it recovered. As soon as it did, he scurried up the rope and my hanging body, like a ferret up a tree, stepping on my face in the process. Just as his weight was off of me, the tortured strap finally gave way, and for an instant, I was in free fall. Jax¡¯s hand shot out and gripped me by the back of the collar. ¡°I got ya, mate! I got ya!¡± he yelled. So saying, he hauled on me for all he was worth, and we both struggled to pull my bulk out and over the edge of the pit. As my leg finally escaped over the lip, the rectangular hole sealed itself, like it had never been. We lay there, gasping for air for a long while, not saying a word. Finally, I lifted a weakly quivering finger in the air and said, ¡°And that, my dear boy, was what we call a trap!¡± Jax said nothing for a moment, just continuing to breath heavily. ¡°Fuck,¡± he began, still straining for breath, ¡°you.¡± Chapter 10 - Spat I had a nasty rope burn in the crook of my left elbow, I discovered. That, combined with my recent scrape with the tree, had left my arms a rashy mess, and I had to hold them out awkwardly from my torso lest chance accidentally brushing my sides. The recent ordeal with the¡­ thing from below had left us a little worse for wear, I feared. Between the two of us, however, I had gotten off easy. Jax had a string of sucker marks wrapping around his torso and again around his ankles. Each of them was bleeding faintly in the middle from where the tooth in the center of the sucker had dug in. On top of that, each of these wounds was ringed in one hell of a hickey. He looked like he had been whipped by a string of firecrackers. Taking in our condition, I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to take some kind of healing skill¡­ if we can live long enough to get another level.¡± His head jerked up, ¡°That were an option?¡± I shrugged, ¡°Hopefully. I haven¡¯t checked.¡± ¡°An¡¯ why not, ya howlin¡¯ gowk?¡± he growled between his gritted teeth. It would appear that Jax is still in a bit of a mood. I sighed, ¡°Jax, calm down. You keep slipping back into your native tongue.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s changing the subject? I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡± I took a breath, ¡°What¡¯s got you so upset anyway?¡± ¡°What¡¯s¡­? I be upset because I were dropped inter the reekin¡¯ drookit and nearly et! No thanks ter ye!¡± he seethed. Now I was starting to get a little heated. ¡°Did I not risk my life to pull you out of there?¡± I pointed to my elbow, ¡°And I¡¯ve got the injury to prove it!¡± At my outburst, his eyes widened and he inhaled rapidly, almost panting. Blinking a few times, he shook his head, and then slowly, he crossed his arms in a sulk, ¡°A-Aye, maybe so. But who¡¯s fault be it we be here in the first place? I were just fine until ye dragged me along on this merry traipse!¡± I was a bit confused by his reaction, but his words egged me on, ¡°Oh, okay. Sure. If by ¡®just fine¡¯ you mean bleeding out and coughing up blood!¡± ¡°Hah!¡± He looked like he wanted to argue more, but then he looked away. Standing up, I dusted myself off and heaved a great sigh. ¡°Whatever, Jax. Being angry about it isn¡¯t going to get us out of here any sooner.¡± He sat silently for a moment before he shuffled to his feet with a huff. ¡°True enough, that.¡± Frowning he continued, ¡°I be sorry, Donum. It no be yer fault.¡± I shook my head, ¡°No, you¡¯re right. I bear some responsibility.¡± I was trying to be conciliatory, ¡°You are bound to me, after all.¡± He snorted and opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then he seemed to change his mind. Instead, he said, ¡°Aye. Where you go, so goes me ownself. A lilim¡¯s got the right ter complain about it, though!¡± I smirked at that, ¡°Yeah, I probably would, too, bud.¡± I jerked my head at the pedestal, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s see what all of this was for.¡± Atop the pedestal was a fancy red pillow with a lining of yellow trim and nice little tassels at the corners. Resting in its middle was a deep blue gemstone cut into a lovely trilliant about the size of my thumb knuckle. I did not know much about precious stones, mind you, but I would bet that that little rock could at least pay off my student loans¡­ or come close, anyway. Resting next to the gem, on either side, were two green glass-like beads, each about the size of a pea. I had not noticed them before. ¡°What are these?¡± I indicated the beads.
[Gem of Power: 1st rank, average] Consume to gain benefits
Oh. Okay. I had not meant to ask my menu, but it decided to respond anyway. I looked over my shoulder at Jax, ¡°Two of them. Almost like it¡¯s specifically for us.¡± He shrugged, noncommittally. ¡°Well, no time like the present,¡± and I reached for one of the little beads. ¡°Wait.¡± I stopped at Jax¡¯s warning. ¡°Could it be trapped like yon floor?¡± ¡°Hmm. Possible.¡± I considered, ¡°Better to be sure, I guess. What do you propose we do?¡± He heaved a great sigh. ¡°Stand back. This be me own work.¡± Nodding, I moved to the edge of the room to watch. Jax slowly circled around the pedestal, looking over every detail. Carefully, he poked and prodded at the gems, the pillow, and the top of the pillar. Then, drawing out his dagger, he gently slid it underneath the pillow and through the other side. Finally, seemingly satisfied he said, ¡°I think it be clear.¡± Edging forward, I said, ¡°How confident are you?¡± ¡°As confident as a puggled lassie at her first formal with every braw¡¯s eyes on ¡®er tits,¡± he replied. I blinked a few times. ¡°I¡­ see.¡± ¡°Not confident at all, ya roaster,¡± he huffed. ¡°It¡¯s not like I done this before. I ain¡¯t even thought o¡¯¡ª¡± He interrupted his tirade to listen for a moment. ¡°Well¡­ I guess I got a little bit o¡¯ skill to me name, now,¡± he said with a touch of smugness. I gave him a polite golf-clap, ¡°Well done, chap. Well done.¡± He swept an arm to the side and curtsied, ¡°Thankee, yer lordship.¡± We had to laugh at ourselves after that little display. Sometimes, human stupidity is at its peak at the worst of times. I would call it a coping mechanism. Others would probably just call us morons. As we turned our eyes back to the three gems, I said, ¡°So what do you think? Snatch and grab?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°On three,¡± I said. We readied ourselves, hunched over and poised like sprinters waiting on the gun. ¡°One¡­ two¡­ three!¡± Like a streak, we both dove forward and fumbling briefly, we snatched up a gem or two and then dove away. Nothing happened. ¡°Well¡­ I feel stupid, now,¡± I said. ¡°Pure dead brilliant, mate.¡± We decided that Jax would keep the blue gemstone, seeing as how my pack was¡­ damaged. The strap had ripped clean off, and there was a hole big enough to put your fist through. It was still almost functional, though. As for the gem, the menu had identified it simply as:
[Dungeon Key: Blue]
With its appearance, I had no idea how the bandits had mistaken my keyring for a ¡®Dungeon Key¡¯ beyond stone cold ignorance. Although, I could definitely see why they would stoop to kidnapping on the mere suspicion that I might have some in my possession. I would have to watch for that in the future. With no other details to go on, we turned our attention to the two experience crystals. As there were just the two, it was a simple enough divide. I handed one to Jax saying, ¡°Bottoms up!¡± He frowned down at the little pebble in his hand and decided, ¡°I¡¯m sellin¡¯ mine.¡± ¡°What?¡± I was flabbergasted by this turn. ¡°It¡¯s me right!¡± he said defensively. ¡°We called it fifty-fifty, did we nay?¡± ¡°Naturally, I¡¯m not debating that,¡± I began. ¡°Jax, we¡¯re in the middle of a dungeon. The Dungeon. We desperately need to gain strength to make it through this.¡± ¡°Aye, we do,¡± he growled. ¡°But it¡¯s still my gem, and I ain¡¯t givin¡¯ it to yer!¡± I was utterly lost. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to give me your gem. I¡¯m asking you to eat the damned thing!¡± His pupils dilated and he closed his eyes for a moment before he pushed on. ¡°It¡¯s the same thing, ain¡¯t it? I ain¡¯t givin¡¯ you me Gem o¡¯ Power!¡± he yelled, breathing rapidly. ¡°What the f¡ª¡± I stopped. ¡°Please, explain how you eating your own Gem equates to giving it to me.¡± He looked surprised at my question, and his anger evaporated almost instantly. ¡°You mean She didn¡¯t tell yer? You did nay know this whole time?¡± ¡°Know what, Jax? Stop jerking me around.¡± I was still pretty pissed. ¡°All the Gems I consume go ta you,¡± he explained, stepping closer. ¡°The Power of ¡®em, anyway. She told me about it when we got them other¡¯ns.¡± I blinked, ¡°What? That doesn¡¯t make any sense. How are you supposed to gain any levels?¡± ¡°That were what I been wonderin¡¯,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Felt like the rug been slipped out from me feet, too, let me tell yer.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. I stepped back, ¡°So¡­ what? You thought you were just going to be level one forever? And you didn¡¯t say anything about it?¡± He put his hands to his hips, ¡°I were pretty crabbit about it, aye. But it were better¡¯n what I had. I can still sell the Gems.¡± I put my hands in the air and turned around, ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t. Hold on. Let me see if I can find what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Menu, show me¡­¡± I floundered for what to say for a moment before I just came right out and asked, ¡°Why does Jax not gain any experience?¡±
[Lilim: Jax] gains skill experience as normal. [Core Layer Gain] is currently set at [Donum <¡ª 100%]
¡°Core layer gain. Okay, what is that?¡± I asked.
[Core Layer Gain] User may define percentage of Core Layer gains shared between [Lilim Trainer] and chosen [Lilim] slot. May be disabled to allow individual Gem consumption distribution.
¡°What?! Who ever thought of that as a feature that needed¡­¡± I stopped. Tapping my finger on my lip, I started thinking about it. Chosen was the key word. If I were interpreting this correctly, then it was possible that I might be able to gain¡­ well, I did not know exactly. But at least one additional lilim slot seemed likely. And then using this, I could divert all of our experience gains to them for power leveling purposes. I frowned then, ¡°No, wait, that doesn¡¯t make any sense. I could just feed them all the Gems if I wanted to do that.¡± I rubbed my face. There had to be some reason for it. I was just not seeing it now. Hastily, I disabled the ¡®feature¡¯ and turned around, ¡°There. That should do it. Try it now.¡± Jax was listening intently to his status update and then he grinned widely, ¡°Chuffed ta bits, I be. Chuffed! Why yer not a bad sort, t¡¯all, M¡­ Mr. Donum.¡± He seemed almost choked up. I smiled, ¡°I hope you¡¯ll trust me in the future if something is off about your situation. This is all new to me, after all. Just let me know, and I¡¯ll try to fix it.¡± He nodded happily, ¡°Aye. I¡¯ll do that.¡±
Your [Lilim] is now more accepting about their role. Loyalty increased 7%
Did this menu¡­ just manufacture this whole scenario specifically so that I could get a loyalty bump? That seemed¡­ devious. I shook my head. No, no. It was probably just the default setting for some reason, and it worked out that way. Jax was looking at me, his smile gone. ¡°What She be sayin¡¯ to yer, lad? I can see it on yer face.¡± I sighed, ¡°She was telling me¡­ how much you appreciated my being fair with you.¡± He narrowed his eyes, ¡°What exactly were Her words?¡± ¡°I was paraphrasing, but if you insist¡­¡± I looked at him questioningly. He nodded in affirmation, so I read aloud my most recent pop-up. ¡°Accepting? I ain¡¯t accepted nothin¡¯!¡± he growled. ¡°How much ¡®loyalty¡¯ do I got then, since she be puttin¡¯ a number to it?¡± Hastily, I looked up the exact number, ¡°Uh¡­ looks like 37% total.¡± That mollified him somewhat. ¡°That¡¯s not so much.¡± He looked me over, ¡°What happens when¡­ if it gets to a hunnerd?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t got a clue,¡± I said truthfully. ¡°I had just assumed that would mean we¡¯d be good friends at that point. You know¡­ stalwart companions. That kind of thing,¡± I explained with a half-hearted fist pump. Or, more accurately, you might say it was ¡®wild speculation¡¯. ¡°Jax, it¡¯s clear something has been bothering you since we met. Maybe it¡¯s time you shared?¡± ¡°What¡¯s botherin¡¯ me is that I ain¡¯t yer¡­¡± He deflated, ¡°No, that ain¡¯t fair. The truth is that the Lady been¡­ makin¡¯ remarks about the nature of our relationship, if ya take my meaning.¡± I shook my head, ¡°I guess I don¡¯t. Explain.¡± That pissed him off, for some reason. His lips quivered like he was desperately resisting telling me off. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be able to fix this if you don¡¯t help me out. What do you mean about the ¡®nature of our relationship¡¯?¡± I tried to placate him. ¡°Don¡¯t be givin¡¯ me commands! I ain¡¯t yer bleedin¡¯ servant!¡± This guy was as thorny as a porcupine. Ever since I had pulled him out of that hole, he had been itching for a fight. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¡°Yes! Ye did!¡± he raged at me. ¡°Yer not seein¡¯ it, that¡¯s clear though.¡± He tried to calm himself down before continuing, ¡°Donum, this thing we got goin¡¯¡­ it be magical in nature, ya follow?¡± I nodded. He was trying to explain something important right now. I had never been all that keen on dealing with other people¡¯s emotions. It always left me feeling awkward and off balance. This whole conversation had left me wanting to flee, but I stuck with it. Where would I go, after all? He resumed, ¡°When ye be handin¡¯ out commands¡­ explicit commands, mind¡­ I be compelled to obey.¡± My eyebrows rose at that. ¡°Really? When did I¡­¡± ¡°Jus¡¯ now. You told me to explain. Ye didn¡¯t ask it. It were a command.¡± Having it spelled out for me, certain things started to click into place. I stepped back. ¡°I think I see. But surely you must realize that I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°Nay, I know it,¡± he interrupted. ¡°But it do no matter. It were a command whether ye meant it or no. And the worst of it¡­ the worst be that it be gettin¡¯ harder not to jump to. Without my even thinkin¡¯ about it. Fer little things, anyway. Ye ken?¡± I understood. This was¡­ insidious. ¡°Jax,¡± I said seriously, ¡°if, at any time, you want me to release you, just say the word. No questions asked. This¡­ I¡¯m not sure anyone should be given that kind of power over someone.¡± I scrubbed at my face, ¡°Are you even sure that being¡­ my lilim¡­ partner¡­ whatever. Do you think it¡¯s worth it? If you have that kind of thing looming over your head?¡± He looked at me, seriously considering my question, for a long time. Finally, he said, ¡°Aye. To be able to walk into a town proper without a spear at me back? Aye. To be able to sleep in a bed in an inn with a belly full o¡¯ bread ¡®n mead? Aye. To be able to hire a whore without her worryin¡¯ I¡¯ll slit her throat of a morning? Aye. Maybe. If¡­¡± Here he poked me a bit roughly in the shoulder, ¡°It do indeed be worth it, if you do nay treat me like some flamin¡¯ slave o¡¯ your¡¯n.¡± That was a lot to take in. When it came down to it, it was the age old question of security versus freedom. For most, it was a long slide of minuscule trades, a freedom exchanged for that extra bit of surety, the cost merely a line that took just that little bit of extra time. Lots of little things that, after a while, added up to a lot. Jax, it would seem, had had his fill of freedom but was starved for security. He was ready to cash in his chips. I nodded sighing, ¡°I will do my best to live up to that kind of trust, Jax. I swear to you. But, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I ken yer thinkin¡¯, lad. Honestly, most round these parts would be overjoyed to have a shiny new slave they did nay have to catch ¡®n collar nor buy the same. Why do ya think I were so reluctant to talk about it? Here you was, spankin¡¯ new to yer class and did nay know what were what¡­ I weren¡¯t about to tell you long as I could,¡± he explained. What he said made some sense. If our positions were reversed, I would probably have done the same. But that opened up another question¡­ Slowly, I replied, ¡°Since we¡¯re being all open and honest with each other¡­ I did suspect, at first, that I might be making you a slave of some kind. The phrasing of the Binding was a little¡­suspect? But you didn¡¯t act like it, so¡­ I don¡¯t know. Things can be interpreted a lot of different ways. I guess I just forgot about it. Why did you decide to admit this to me now?¡± ¡°I dunno,¡± he answered. ¡°We was gettin¡¯ heated, and it kind o¡¯ slipped out. Felt it fer the best. Yer a kind-hearted, poofin¡¯ numpty, ye are. I guess I figured¡­¡± he paused in thought. ¡°I guess I figured you¡¯d nay treat me like I had thought. Like a whippin-boy.¡± I snorted, ¡°Are you kidding? Me treat you like a whipping-boy? You¡¯d peel my skin off with your swearing alone.¡± He howled at that, ¡°Aye! You bet yer swingin¡¯ bawbag!¡± We both ended up eating our new Gems now that the ¡®issue¡¯ had been corrected. They dissolved in the mouth sort of like a jawbreaker. It was a slow and pleasant feeling, but instead of sugar it was some sort of energy entering my bloodstream and settling in that mysterious place in my belly. Not quite enough to accomplish anything yet. Or at least, I had not been notified otherwise. Jax, for his part, had decided against using his first Gem from the Gobs. We were still broke, after all. When we returned to the hub room, we found it unchanged. The light blue ¡®speaking¡¯ gem, as I had taken to calling them, was still on its pedestal, twinkling merrily. The green door waited patiently. There was no sign of anything moving through the halls whatsoever. Besides that mysterious tentacled monstrosity below the Blue Key room, we seemed to be totally alone in here. ¡°What a weird way to build a dungeon,¡± I muttered. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± I nodded to the door, ¡°Does the Key look like it¡¯ll fit in one of those notches?¡± Jax walked over and examined it closely before giving me the affirmative, ¡°Should I slot ¡®er in do ya think?¡± I shook my head ¡®no¡¯, ¡°Save it for now. I think there¡¯s a puzzle involved here and we should gather the parts before we do anything else.¡± Just then, my stomach decided to remind me that I had yet to address its needs since the night previous. ¡°Do you want to stop? I could use a bite to eat.¡± He briefly tilted his head, ¡°Nah¡­ I ain¡¯t hungry. Could use a quaff, though.¡± ¡°Is your stomach still bothering you from the last tin?¡± He shrugged, ¡°Not really. Just ain¡¯t hungry. Figure we got short rations, anyway.¡± ¡°True.¡± After all the arguing we¡¯d been doing, neither one of us felt particularly talkative. We neither of us were angry anymore, and I felt like we¡¯d made some good strides towards¡­ if not friends then at least a mutual understanding of one another. Still, when emotions have been running high, it¡¯s good to take a little break. After I had choked down a wad of pemmican and chased it with a lighter fluid cocktail, I was ready for the next challenge. ¡°Pick a direction, I guess. These all look the same to me.¡± Packing away the skin he had been slowly nursing, Jax got up from his rest and wordlessly started making his way down the next passage over. His shuffling taps lightly resounded down the empty corridors once again as we started down the new yet familiar terrain. As we walked, I looked over his wounds from behind, now beginning to scab. Those are going to make some gnarly looking scars. At the end of the hall, we came upon yet another of those circular rooms. Yet again, there was a pillar just in the center. Atop it, still again, was a pillow cushioning a nicely glowing gemstone, though this time it was red. Neither of us made a move. ¡°I ain¡¯t goin¡¯ ter swim with yon beastie, again.¡± ¡°I sure hope not,¡± I agreed. ¡°Do you see any differences in this room, at all?¡± He slowly scanned the room and started to shake his head until he glanced up. Pointing, he said, ¡°Do ya remember them being there before?¡± I followed his finger and saw, up at the lower edge of the vaulted ceiling, a ring of grotesques had been carved. I shook my head, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Honestly, I was a little busy at the time.¡± They were not dissimilar to the ones trimming the four entrances back at the hub, so I had not noticed them at first. They were of many and varied descriptions and no two were alike, but one and all, they were horrid looking monsters. Of course, being a gamer, I was not unfamiliar with the concept of gargoyles springing to life against the unwary. Probingly, I mentioned the subject to Jax. ¡°Living statues?¡± he grimaced. ¡°That be all we need. There be a lot o¡¯ critters up in them rafters.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, of course. It could be just one among many. Or none, and I¡¯m just being paranoid.¡± ¡°Or all,¡± he finished my thought. ¡°Course, with our luck, while I¡¯m starin¡¯ up at yon ceiling, the floor¡¯d drop me inter the drink again.¡± I choked back a laugh at the thought. It was still too soon for any sort of ribbing on previous misfortunes. Maybe tomorrow. If we lived that long. Trying to think constructively, I said, ¡°What if I tied a rope around your waist?¡± He raised an eyebrow at me, ¡°You know¡­ just in case.¡± He nodded firmly, ¡°Good thinkin¡¯.¡± And so, we retrieved the rope from his pack and looped the end around him with a firm knot. Handing the rest to me, he said, ¡°Alright. Ya ready?¡± I almost nodded, but then I remembered, ¡°Wait¡­ I lost my spear.¡± ¡°Yer spear? When did that happen?¡± ¡°In that pit. I threw it at the tentacle that had you,¡± I explained. ¡°With one arm? While ye were stretched to burstin¡¯?¡± he asked incredulously. ¡°What else was I going to do?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Anyway, it was a lucky shot.¡± ¡°Lucky?¡± he snorted. ¡°Did yer skill at least improve fer it, I expect?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±
Your [Active Skill: Throwing] improved to 10! Congratulations! You have obtained: [Active Skill: Spear Mastery]
¡°Okay, yes. Yes, it did.¡± I sighed, ¡°Why did it only come up now, though?¡± Jax just shrugged, ¡°She must o¡¯ been busy.¡± So saying, he handed me his own half spear. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you rather have it? I¡¯m sure it would see better use in your hands.¡± ¡°Eh,¡± he said noncommittally, ¡°I¡¯m better with the dagger. Though, I do wish I had something with a bit more heft ta hand.¡± I nodded with determination and gripped the little spear tightly, ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s do this.¡± Chapter 11 - Disco Time Jax began slowly. He advanced into the room with the halting sway of a praying mantis. Each step a jerking dance of increasing pressure as he made sure that the floor would take his weight, and then once he was satisfied, he would pause, his eyes to the ceiling, looking for any sign of movement. Not knowing if he was going to be attacked from above or below, every second was a paranoid affair. Meanwhile, I stood by the entrance, my heart thundering in my chest. Waiting for the shoe to drop was agony as I slowly fed the line tied to his waist, inch by inch. I wondered if I should cast my spell, but if it ended up being another pit trap, the spell would unnecessarily sap my stamina. I decided to hold off for now. All of a sudden, a small creature leapt from behind the pedestal to perch atop it. It looked a bit like a hairless red gibbon with wings, all arms and stubby little legs and a slightly too-small head. It made no sound nor screech of warning before it launched itself toward Jax, whom I noticed had his eyes glued to the ceiling. ¡°Look out, Jax!¡± I yelled in alarm. I was not sure if he actually saw the thing or not, but he was so wound up that, at my shout, he simply ducked and rolled to the side. The creature sailed over his head but not before scoring a few lines across his back with its fiery red claws. Dropping the rope, I bellowed an incoherent war cry and charged the thing in an attempt to give Jax the time to recover. The little monster turned to face me at my yell and inhaled dramatically. I may not be some storied hero or really much of a combatant, but I have seen my fair share of dragons and the like in my time as a gamer. When something inhales, it¡¯s time to take evasive action. What little ¡®battle acumen¡¯ I had told me I needed to get something between me and whatever was coming, so I quickly twisted, putting my backpack between us. I then dove and tucked my legs to my chest. It was a good thing I did, because it belched a large burst of flames all about me. The heat of it was excruciating, but my pack and the short duration of it meant I was relatively unharmed. Jax was on the thing in an instant ¡ª the rope still dangling from his torso ¡ª rapidly plunging his dagger into its side. The creature screeched in outrage and attempted to counterattack, but it was already dead on its feet. Unfortunately, neither of us saw the second one drop from the ceiling. It landed just behind Jax. Scurrying up the rope, it leapt onto his back, sinking its teeth into his shoulder. He screamed in pain and began rolling around on the floor, trying to dislodge his attacker. Finally, he came to a stop with the thing somehow still straddling his back, though its wings were broken and bloody from the tumbling. It plunged its claws into Jax¡¯s side twice before I kicked it solidly in the head and sent it flying. Jax scurried back, clutching his wound. The little bastard got to its feet slowly from its wounds and started lining up for its breath attack, but I was ready for it this time. I unslung my now singed and smoking pack from behind me and held it in front like a shield. Ducking down, I let the short burst of flame wash around me, and then, only slightly barbecued, I charged with my spear. The creature attempted to flap away from my smoking rush, but its wings were too damaged. Caught unaware by its own injury, it seemed shocked when my weapon plunged into its chest. That was when the third one hit me. I was too engaged with running down my own target to notice it, and before I knew what was happening, scorching lines of fire erupted across my calves. These things may not have been particularly tough, nor big, nor strong. But they were not stupid. They knew better than to give away their position before they attacked. Screaming, I collapsed to the floor, clutching my bleeding legs. If Jax had not been there, I would be dead for sure. ¡°Come on, ye skelped arse! I¡¯ll rip yer head off and jobby down yer neck!¡± he yelled before he charged the thing. It would seem that Jax did not share that instinct. But he did get the thing¡¯s attention. The little creature leapt away from its assault on me before my companion could close with it. Its main avenue for attack was surprise, after all, and it did not want to be overwhelmed by the much larger man. Flapping into the air it screeched in outrage at being interrupted in its kill. Unfortunately, Jax was wounded and land bound while the winged horror was as yet uninjured. It flapped around the room, staying just out of reach of Jax¡¯s little dagger. When it thought it had the advantage, it would dive at the man, raking him with its claws. It only took one set of scorching claw marks across his forearm before Jax took inspiration from me and swung his pack around to use as an impromptu shield. By that time, I had crawled my way over to my own kill and worked my spear from where it had lodged in the thing¡¯s chest. Now rearmed, but unable to stand, my mind swirled in a chemical soup of adrenaline, panic, and confusion. How could I help? Trying to calm my shaking hands, I closed my eyes and took two long breaths. The spell! It was not much of a card to play, but it was the only one I had. Summoning my will, I began the torturous process of forcing the words out of my mouth once more. It was only four words long, the spell. Or so I felt. Nevertheless, it was like trying to speak a Botswana click-language in pig Latin. When I finally wrestled the final word out of my mouth, the spell took hold. The already deep shadows in the crypt-like dungeon suddenly came alive, as if a torch were moving behind the natural stalagmites of a dark cave. Swiftly, Jax seemed to almost vanish as the now deepened darkness engulfed him. The creature gave a squawk of confused outrage as the shifting shadows caused it to lose sight of its prey. Not knowing what else to do, it landed atop the pedestal in the middle of the room and belched out a fireball where it had lost sight of my stealthy companion. Temporarily blinded by its own attack, it did not see the dagger flash out of the dark, end over end. As the steel spike buried itself into the thing¡¯s chest, it went still and silently slid to the floor. Dead. The room was silent for a long time after that. I held the spell for as long as I could in case more of those things were hiding. Eventually though, my strength gave out, and the shadows returned to their calm and unmoving indifference. Jax was sitting with his back to a wall, clutching his side, the rope still trailing between his legs, forgotten. He seemed to be having a hard time breathing, but he still managed to chuckle. ¡°Fuck me dead, mate. Did ye see that one? Right to the chest!¡± I was in more pain than I could ever remember. My legs were a wreck, and my arms were throbbing from the scraped abuse they had taken in the few hours previous. Still, I laughed, the sound trembling out of my chest as unspent adrenaline slowly worked its way out of my system. Haltingly, I stretched out on the floor, not wanting to move ever again. ¡°Jax¡­¡± I finally said into the floor, ¡°what does ¡®jobby down your neck¡¯ mean?¡± He barked with laughter at that but then clutched his side with a grimace, ¡°Oh¡­ don¡¯t make me laugh, lad.¡± ¡°No, seriously.¡± ¡°Stop. Yer killin¡¯ me.¡± At this point, we were both so seriously wounded that any notion of continuing was unthinkable. Jax had a hole torn out of his shoulder from where one of those imp-like things had latched onto him with its teeth, a series of seeping lacerations just above his kidney and several slashes on his arms and back, to say nothing of his previous injuries. As for myself, though my particular traumas were nothing next to my companion¡¯s, I could scarcely stand. We needed to find some way of recovering before escape was plausible. Unfortunately, we both agreed that just staying put was no option. Though the Dungeon had thus far been kind enough, forgiving the anthropomorphism, to only attack us at certain key points, we did not trust it to keep to that pattern. We needed to find a safe place to hole up. Possibly for many days. ¡°Did nay that big walloper of a crystal say sommat about ¡®returning when we be weary¡¯?¡± ¡°Did it?¡± I asked, surprised. ¡°Aye, now I think on it. Could be a safe room,¡± he mused aloud. ¡°Okay, then. Sounds like a plan.¡± Neither of us moved. The level of our exertions were such that after coming to a rest, our bodies had immediately reached that state of comfortable stiffness where only sleep seems viable. We just stared at each other with that dead-eyed expression of ¡®you first, motherfucker¡¯. Finally, caving in, I flopped over with¡­ perhaps slightly exaggerated lamentations. Jax followed suit in similar fashion. Crawling over to my most recent kill, I asked the menu to convert the little monster to Gem form. What coalesced was another of the average quality Gems from before. It was still rank one, whatever that meant. Pleased with the take, anyway, I set about transforming the rest of our foes. Jax, being the only one with an intact storage container, saw to it to collect the Red Key from the pedestal. That done, we both turned to the passageway back to the hub. It was a long, long way. I had to crawl the entire time, my ruined legs trailing behind me, with my head drooping weakly between my arms. The hard stone was unforgiving on my knees, but I kept at it. Jax, at least, managed to stumble along using the wall for support, though he trailed a streak of blood in his wake. When we broke through into the hub, we stared at it forlornly. It was a bleak knowledge to know that we were only halfway to our sanctuary. For some reason, as we crept along, Albinoni¡¯s Adagio popped into my head. I had to chuckle at myself. It would seem that my subconscious was making fun of my overly morose mood. I have no idea how long it took us before we eventually collapsed at our destination. The long trek eventually dulled my mind to the point where I checked out completely, but when we did, there was a certain finality to it. We just lay there, unmoving save for the trembling of our limbs. The large gem sitting in the room chirruped at us, after a moment, unprompted.
When ready to rest From thine deadly test, This Gem doth thou press Then resume thine quest.
Ignoring the prompt for the moment, I asked, ¡°Should we use these Power Gems before we pass out? Might do some good.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Jax agreed. ¡°Who gets the third one?¡± I was about to suggest paper, rock, scissors when I remembered something. ¡°Of course! That¡¯s what it¡¯s for,¡± I said, mentally chastising myself. At Jax¡¯s confused look, I continued, ¡°That thing that was blocking you from using these? I can set it so that we evenly distribute our gains.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t that what we¡¯s already doin¡¯?¡± he asked. ¡°No, I have it disabled¡­ hold on.¡± So saying, I reactivated the [Core Layer Gains] feature and set the provided slider to [Donum <¡ª 50|50 ¡ª> Jax]. ¡°Alright, that should do it. I¡¯m not sure how this is supposed to work, though.¡± ¡°What do She say about it?¡± Reading it again, I frowned, ¡°Just that ¡®core layer gains¡¯ are now shared evenly between us. Somehow.¡± He shrugged with one shoulder, ¡°Do nay think about it too much. Trust in the Lady.¡± Giving a half smile, I handed one of the Gems to Jax and kept the other two for myself. If this did not work, I figured I would just have let him have the next one. Jax did not protest. ¡°Down the hatch.¡± As usual, the fruity candy-like consistency of the Gems was an oddly refreshing feeling. The power of them flowed down my throat and settled into my gut pleasantly. This time, however, I began to notice some of it drawing out from my core and away through the air toward Jax. There was no pain or discomfort to it. There was only a vaguely unsettling sensation. It was then that Jax gave out a gasp and something like a whimpering moan slipped out of his throat. Whatever it was he was feeling on his end, he quickly rolled away from me and curled up into a ball. ¡°Are you alright, man?¡± I began to crawl toward him in concern. Waving his arm blindly behind him, he shooed me off, saying, ¡°Nay, Nay. Er¡­ Yeah. Jus¡¯ fine. Fine.¡± Must feel weird on the receiving end. Giving a slight shrug, I sat back down just in time to see a new message pop up. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Congratulations! You have added enough to your Core to gain a Layer. The condensation process will begin the next time you sleep. If you have not distributed your stat points, do so now.
¡°Oh, nice!¡± I said, happy to see the notification. Quickly, I pulled up my character sheet to distribute my new stats.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Layer: 1 (pending)
Strength: 5 Agility: 2->3 Toughness: 3->4 Intelligence: 7 Wisdom: 4->5 Charisma: 3->4 Manic Force: 1 Manic Breadth: 4->5
Lilim Slots: 1 (filled) Jax: Loyalty: 37% Gain: [Donum <¡ª 50|50 ¡ª> Jax]
All Stat Points assigned. No Skill Points available.
I frowned. No points available? Do I not get stats and skills every level? Looking further up the page, I saw that several of my ability scores were showing an increase. Poking at them only returned ¡®change pending¡¯. Funny. I did not remember exactly what my stats were, but I was quite sure that I had raised my agility, at least, up from two. I could have sworn that my sheet just showed the change as if it had already occurred. None of this ¡®pending¡¯ business. I sighed. Closing out of the screen, I decided that I would just wait to see what it looked like after I slept. As it was, I could barely keep my eyes open. Too much had happened, and I was far too injured to worry about this crap right now. ¡°You ready for me to hit this thing, Jax?¡± I asked. He did not reply. While I had been toying with my menus, he seemed to have already passed out. A bit envious, I tapped the large crystal to indicate that we were going to sleep. I remembered nothing after that. My eyes snapped open. Where was I? I looked around at the dancing blue light playing about the earthen room. This isn¡¯t my bedroom. I had never experienced memory loss before, not having been much of a drinker. So, this was new for me. Sitting up, my eyes immediately focused on the large crystal sitting in the middle of the room. Slowly, the events of the last few days began to filter back into my sleep addled mind. Right. Jax and I crawled in here to recover¡­ It was then that I noticed the lack of pain. Looking over my arms, I remembered that they had been scraped almost bare from friction burns. Now, however, there was nothing but smooth, lightly tanned, healthy skin. I could scarcely believe it. It would take weeks to recover so much from an injury like that. Hastily, I pulled up my still ripped trousers to examine my legs. There had been deep gouges there from where the monkey thing had torn into me. Now there was no sign that I had ever been injured. Not even a scar. Impossible. Then I looked over at the glowing crystal and remembered where I was. Right. Maybe not. Truthfully, I felt fantastic. Hale and hearty, like a man first starting to see results from a new workout regime. My reverie was interrupted by a few new pop ups.
Your [Active Skill: Spear Mastery] improved to 2! Your [Active Skill: Battle Acumen] improved to 3! Your [Passive Skill: Forgotten in Stillness] improved to 3! Your [Active Skill: Fortunate Shadows] improved to 3!
Your second Core Layer has successfully condensed. New Stat Points available. New Skill Point available.
Reading through the new notifications, I was happy to see so many skill improvements. I had to suppose that living through a life or death situation would do that to a person. The second notice was what caught my attention, however. Here, at last, were my points. I did not know why it was that my ¡®Core¡¯ needed to condense or whatever, but it seemed like I would only be getting my points after it had finished. Duly noted. I went ahead and pulled up my character screen once more.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Layer: 2
Strength: 5 Agility: 3 Toughness: 4 Intelligence: 7 Wisdom: 5 Charisma: 4 Manic Force: 1 Manic Breadth: 5
Lilim Slots: 1 (filled) Jax: Loyalty: 39% Gain: [Donum <¡ª 50|50 ¡ª> Jax]
4 Stat Points available! 1 Skill Point available!
I scratched at my beard in thought. There were some differences since the last time I had looked at this. Naturally, I had slept since then, so spotting them was not so easy. Obviously, I had gained a core ¡®layer¡¯. Had it not originally said ¡®level¡¯? I was not certain anymore. But if that were the case, then why make the change? Was it adapting to my own understanding of the workings of this place? It was possible. The next thing that jumped out at me were my stats, which appeared to have stabilized now, and I could tell some difference. Physically at least. Nothing absurd, mind you. I just felt¡­ less like an out of shape slug. The mental changes where harder to quantify. Wisdom was supposed to mean that I could use the information at hand more efficiently. Somehow. And charisma? I mentally shrugged. At least I now had some more stat points to play with. Pressing the notice, I pulled up the stat point distribution page. It looked much the same as before with the little pluses and the grayed out minuses. Thinking it over briefly, I decided that my original plan for my stats seemed to still be good enough. Maximize survivability. So, I put another point into agility and toughness. Then, once again, I put a point into wisdom. My idea was to bring it up to the level of my intelligence. After that, I would keep them even with each other. Probably. I still needed to know which of them was going to be the most useful to me in the long run. As for charisma¡­ I figured trying to get it up to ten or so would be nice. Hitting the ¡®Confirm¡¯ button, I brought my screen back up.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Layer: 2
Strength: 5 Agility: 3+ Toughness: 4+ Intelligence: 7 Wisdom: 5+ Charisma: 4+ Manic Force: 1 Manic Breadth: 5
Lilim Slots: 1 (filled) Jax: Loyalty: 39% Gain: [Donum <¡ª 50|50 ¡ª> Jax]
All Stat Points assigned. 1 Skill Point available!
I ran my fingers through my hair in confusion. What was going on? I was certain that my stats had not looked this way the last time I had assigned them. It was like my stat page was being designed and redesigned seemingly at whim. Why were there little pluses next to my stats now instead of just showing what the stat should be? Or even the little arrows from before? It just made no sense. Moreover, why did I only now feel the stat differences in the choices I had made days ago? Did I have to go up in level for my stat changes to go into effect? What a bizarre way of doing things. Then again¡­ there was a certain logic to it, now that I thought about it. Why would you suddenly become stronger just because you caused a number to go up by one? Something needed to happen in order for those changes to occur. I had to suppose, for now, that Core Layer ¡®condensation¡¯ ¡ª whatever that meant ¡ª was the catalyst. I did know one thing though, I felt absolutely nothing from putting points into my stats just now. Seeing motion out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Jax finally beginning to stir. He had gone through some changes, as well, during our slumber. For one, his hair had grown out about an inch. It now looked like a burr haircut that was in the late stages of being functional, and now that there was some length to it, I could see that it was really quite shockingly red, almost crimson in color. You would have to go to a parlor for a dye job to get a red like that back home. Besides the hair, I could see that he looked leaner, somehow. The man had never been even slightly fat, but now? It was hard to put into words. Looking him over, I could see some more definition in his arms. He had mentioned making himself stronger and faster, as I recalled. That must have been it. He looked around in confusion for a moment before his eyes focused on me. I noticed immediately that his racial charisma bonus had kicked in. The diagonal scar that had previously been the single most defining feature of his face had now receded in prominence. It was still there, certainly, but it was no longer quite so distracting. Plus, his face, just in general, seemed to have evened out somewhat. Before, there was an asymmetrical quality to it. One eye had been slightly lower than the other. Now¡­ it was not yet quite there, but it was like his eye had bent a bit upwards. Like it was slowly crawling along, inching its way up, trying to get back into place. He had an expression of surprise on his face as he opened his mouth to say something, but then his head took on that characteristic tilt of his indicating he was listening to his notices. I decided I would leave him to it. I still needed to choose a new skill. I knew already what I needed to get. If the last day had taught me anything, it was that I was not going to last long if I could not efficiently recover from my injuries. This place was just too dangerous. Honestly, I had been lucky to make it this far. Also, and somewhat more importantly, I was pretty sure Jax would kill me if I did not. How to make the request, though¡­ The skill system in this place was so vague, I needed to be specific with what I wanted. Murmuring aloud, I began, ¡°I would like to purchase a spell that will heal¡­ the wounds,¡± I added hastily, ¡°of both myself and Jax.¡± That sounded good.
Renewal of Consumption Spell will induce a temporary regeneration buff on target at the cost of Life Energy. Magnitude is determined by amount of Life Energy sacrificed. Duration increases with skill level.
Accept?
Hmm¡­ okay. That¡¯ll do it, alright. I did not like the sound of ¡®sacrificing¡¯ life energy, though. ¡°Is there a healing spell that doesn¡¯t involve life energy?¡± I asked hopefully.
You do not yet qualify for spells of such magnitude.
That was not a ¡®no¡¯. Unfortunately, I did not think that I could afford the luxury of holding out for a better spell. Frowning, I looked over at my companion, ¡°Jax, I¡¯m looking at a spell that I can use to induce regeneration, but it would cost life energy. What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­an¡¯ put some more in strength, I be thinkin¡¯.¡± He looked over at me, ¡°What¡¯s that, lad?¡± I noticed, now that I was paying attention to him speak, that his voice seemed to have cleared up a bit. He had always had a gruff quality to his speech that I had gotten so used to that I mostly ignored it. Now, it was like he had finally dislodged a chronic bit of phlegm from his throat, and I was able to hear what he sounded like for the first time. His voice was¡­ not quite a clear tenor. Maybe opaque? ¡°That healing spell we were talking about? I can get one, but it costs life energy,¡± I repeated for him. ¡°Life energy?¡± I nodded, ¡°Yeah, it says it¡¯s what keeps people¡­ or I guess all living things alive. You get it from food.¡± He frowned at that, ¡°I do nay like the sound o¡¯ you starvin¡¯ yerself ta keep us from bleedin¡¯ out.¡± ¡°Yeah, me neither,¡± I chuckled. He laid back to stare at the ceiling. Thinking aloud, he said, ¡°Mayhaps¡­ there be sommat I can get to help.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± He shrugged into the ground, ¡°I dunno. Last time, you got a skill ter go with mine, did ye nay?¡± I nodded slowly. Maybe that kind of thing was a pattern for my class. One person¡¯s limitations mitigated by the other¡¯s. Complementary skills. I kind of liked the sound of it, to be honest. ¡°Alright, go ahead then.¡± So saying, I accepted my new skill. Chapter 12 - The Sand We were headed back to the hub, once again. By this time, we had grown so accustomed to the unchanging, and unadorned hallways that they scarcely even registered anymore. The quiet, oppressive miasma of this place was still present, of course, but it seemed more muted today. I had to suppose that, given time, a person will get used to anything. Jax had finally decided on an ability before we left. It had sounded a bit iffy to me, but he seemed enthusiastic. They way he described it, it was a passive ability that made it so that each successful attack he made on an enemy had a chance to drain an unspecified amount of life energy from the victim. This drain, he explained, would be distributed between us. He had neglected to mention its name. ¡°That sounds useful to me, what with that healing spell and all, but what are you going to do with all the excess life energy?¡± I had asked. He shrugged, ¡°I dunno. Ye said usually ya get it from meals, right? Mayhap I can skip one or two, now?¡± I rolled my lips together thoughtfully, ¡°Just that? It seems like a waste of a skill if all you get is a free meal out of it.¡± He snorted at me, ¡°Aye, I can tell ye¡¯ve never gone long without, if¡¯n ye be thinkin¡¯ that.¡± He was not wrong. My entire experience with hunger prior to coming to this place had been restricted to waiting on a slightly too long line at the local McDonald¡¯s. Still, to get a skill solely for that purpose seemed extravagant given our low level. I sighed in defeat. It was his skill to pick, ultimately. I just had to hope that he could build off of it in the future. After he had made his decision, we left our little sanctuary for, it would seem, the last time. As soon as we exited the room, solid rock began molding itself around the opening like living putty, slowly contracting until the room was completely obscured from view. Once the rock had finally settled, there was no sign that there had been a doorway there at all, the wall as smooth and seamless as all the rest of the passages in this place. ¡°Well¡­ tune me to a moon,¡± Jax said in wonder. I did not know what that meant, but I took his tone, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s something, huh. I guess the free healing was a one time thing.¡± Nodding silently, he glanced over at me, taking in my profile. ¡°Do ya know, I think the layer may¡¯ve done ya some good. They say ye can nay make a silk purse out of a sow¡¯s ear, but yer makin¡¯ a go of, ain¡¯t ya?¡± Laughing at his own joke, he started away. I did not know what that meant, either. We had passed the intersection some minutes ago, not bothering to stop. There were only the two passages left, and not having anything else to go on, we picked one at random. As we walked along the now unfamiliar territory, our pace once again slowed to a crawl. Jax had no desire to be caught unaware by another trap, and I could scarcely blame him. The slow progress eventually caused my mind to start to wander. How long had we been in this Dungeon, anyway? I had to assume that it had been a day at the very minimum given that we had slept. Then again, given the wounds that we had recovered from, it could have been much longer. For all I knew, we could have been in some kind of induced coma while we healed. We could have been stuck here for a month or more. That thought brought me to another issue. How long had I been away from home? As it was, I did not have many friends still in town. Most of them had left after college to do their own things. Granted, I did have a couple of roommates just to make rent, but they mostly went about their own business. We even had different sleep schedules what with work and all. They would sure miss me when rent came due, though. And what about my parents? I was not in the habit of checking in with them regularly, so they probably were not going to be missing me any time soon. If I failed to check in totally, though¡­ I sighed. There was nothing I could do about it now. My eyes drifted back to my companion. I was lucky to have found the guy, if I were being honest. Sure, he was kind of an ass-hat, but at least he had been friendly for the most part. If that frog dungeon thing had eaten me while I was all alone out here, I would have died in the very first room. It was good to have someone to watch your back. As I looked him over, I could see that the various injuries from the last day or so were completely absent. The various sucker marks and claw gouges were nowhere in evidence. He still had a few scars here and there along his exposed arms, most likely from encounters from his less than savory past. If we ever got out of here, we would need to invest in some armor for the man. A warrior needs protection, after all. With his slim build, and the way he fought, I had a hard time imagining him in anything too heavy. Perhaps some leather with a nice breastplate? It was something to consider for down the road. My eyes drifted down as I took in the rest of him. His trousers were a little worse for wear. Not quite so bad as my own, of course, but it was obvious that he had been involved in some rough dealings recently. He was also kind of ¡®hippy¡¯ for a man, I realized. It was not so far out of the norm that a person would think it abnormal, but it was noticeable. That thought made me realize that I was checking out a guy¡¯s backside, and I swiftly averted my gaze in embarrassment. Jax suddenly stopped and looked back at me. Startled, I glanced behind my shoulder, thinking he might have heard something I had not noticed in my distraction. Seeing nothing, I turned back to look at him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± he looked down and shook his head. ¡°Never mind. I thought¡­ it¡¯s nothin¡¯.¡± He turned back and resumed his shuffling steps forward. Weird. I shrugged to myself and put it out of my mind. Jax was getting jumpy. We were standing at the end of the hallway and taking in the room in front of us. Much like the first two, it was a round area with a short pedestal in the center. Atop it, very clearly, sat a nicely shining yellow gemstone. That, however, was not what was taking up our attention. No, the thing that had stopped us in our tracks the second we had laid eyes on it was the massive swarm of small orange wasps buzzing angrily about the room. I have no idea how many of them there really were. Of a certainty, some math wizard could come up with a pretty accurate guess using volume and wasps per square foot or something. But that is not me. All I can say is, it was a big room, and they were crawling and buzzing around every inch of it. ¡°So¡­¡± I yelled, the noise from the room practically vibrating my teeth. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°That¡¯s uh¡­¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± The conversation stalled there. We just kept looked at the angry mass of stinging pain rampaging around the room. Interestingly, the wasps stopped dead right at the entryway. Which was fortunate. ¡°Other room first?¡± ¡°Brilliant.¡± So, anyway, we were standing at the end of the hallway and taking in the room in front of us. Much like the other three, it was a round area, but that is where the similarities ended. There was no pedestal, for one. The second thing that came to mind was that the room was carpeted with a perfectly smooth layer of sand. ¡°What do you think we¡¯re supposed to do in here, do you think?¡± I asked. Jax squatted down and narrowed his eyes. ¡°I think I be spyin¡¯ sommat over yonder ways,¡± he said pointing. I bent down next to him and squinted, trying to see what he was looking at. Sure enough, way over on the opposite side of the room was a small lump marring the otherwise smooth sand. As clues went, it was minor, but it was something to start with, anyway. Straightening back up, I said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go take a look.¡± Jax nodded silently and stepped onto the sand. As soon as he did, the fine layer of particles scattered about began to coalesce, slowly at first, around the lump we had seen. The sand pulled back, exposing the stone beneath, and swirled around the now rising clump until the sand took shape into something vaguely man-shaped. Then it just stopped, apparently looking at us. Jax, ever cautious, pulled his dagger and assumed a fighting stance. The sand person did likewise, forming a similar looking dagger in its fist. They both stood for a while, both waiting for the other to make the first move. My companion eventually broke first and began making a slow advance, circling to his left. The shifting sands immediately began moving in the opposite direction, keeping Jax as far away as possible. ¡°C¡¯mon, ya great lump,¡± Jax taunted, ¡°make yer move.¡± He began tossing his dagger from hand to hand in an intimidating display. The particulate person, for its part, said nothing, but it imitated Jax in apparent mockery. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Something was bothering me. ¡°Hold up, Jax.¡± ¡°Not now,¡± he snarled angrily. ¡°This melter is askin¡¯ fer a dagger to ¡®is ribs.¡± Ignoring my advice, he darted quickly to the right, trying to gain the advantage. The walking sands jumped at the exact same moment, again in the opposite direction, the move ending in a stalemate. Jax immediately rolled toward the creature to get into range, but the thing collapsed into a large spinning pile, moving to engage him in the middle of the room. What followed was a series of half-aborted swipes, parries, and dodges as Jax would move to get in an attack, but the sand would try to stab him at the same time, forcing Jax to stop and leap back. No matter what happened, they both would wind up facing each other over the middle of the room, unharmed. ¡°Hold on, man. Something isn¡¯t right,¡± I tried again as the combat came to a natural halt. ¡°Yer tellin¡¯ me. This roaster be mockin¡¯ me, I know¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Come back out of the room. I want to try something.¡± He did not respond at first, watching the pile of sand warily, but after a moment, seeing that it was not keen on attacking again, he started edging his way back toward me. As he did, the sand began to shift back to where it had begun. Once he stepped through the door frame, it collapsed, unmoving, like a ruined sandcastle. ¡°That be an odd thing ter do,¡± Jax said in confusion. ¡°Why did ¡®e not keep at me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that it has a choice,¡± I said by way of explanation. ¡°Watch.¡± So saying, I stepped into the room. The sand pile immediately reformed into humanoid shape, this time taller and broader in the shoulders. I grinned. My theory had been correct. Confidently, I took two steps forward. It took two steps forward. Smiling happily now, I hopped in place. The sand mimicked me, exactly. ¡°Are you seeing it?¡± I asked. ¡°What Shepherdess be damned abomination be I lookin¡¯ at,¡± Jax said, realization hitting him. ¡°It just mimes ya.¡± I nodded, ¡°That seems to be the case. The question, though, is how do we beat it?¡± Neither of us had any idea, of course. Any move that we could make capable of hurting the thing would do the same to us. Plus, and something that Jax had evidently not considered, how do you injure sand? ¡°What happens if¡¯n we¡¯s both in the room?¡± Jax wondered as he slid a leg forward. The second he did, a large chunk of sand flew from the mirror of me and formed itself into a foot jutting out of the wall opposite him. He had paused as we both observed this, but then he eased his way in until he was fully in the room. While he did, more and more of the sand forming the original clone started flying over to assemble into first a leg, then his body, and finally his other leg as it eased away from the frame of the door. Whatever this entity was, it was not quite capable of imitating the two of us perfectly. There seemed to be a wind flowing between the two sand mimics, blowing particles back and forth between them. What caught my attention, however, was the slight glow I could now occasionally see coming from the original one¡¯s chest. The extra mass required to mirror the both of us seemed to have revealed something. Pointing, I said, ¡°Do you see that?¡± My duplicate pointed at me in turn. Jax and his double nodded, ¡°Aye. What do ye make of it? You suppose it has a heart o¡¯ stone beatin¡¯ in there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if it beats or not, but I¡¯d bet anything that¡¯s its weakness.¡± ¡°Lemme take a closer look,¡± he said, moving toward my sand clone. As he did, his own clone started walking toward me. ¡°Uh¡­ careful there, Jax,¡± I warned nervously. He slowed as he took heed of his own shadow. It, of course, stopped as soon as he did. Jax frowned in thought for a long moment before saying, ¡°Are ye sure it can nay move if we do nay?¡± Still looking at the duplicate of Jax that was eyelessly staring at me, I muttered, ¡°I hope not. They haven¡¯t so far.¡± Jax slowly started walking closer to the original, still standing there just as I was. His clone resumed its march towards me. I did not like that in the slightest. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I quavered. ¡°Just hold on¡­¡± he said in a low voice. He stopped just in front of his target and bent forward to look at the glowing rock. I, of course, was left staring at his sandy double, bent forward and apparently peering at my chest. ¡°It looks like I could jus¡¯ reach in an¡¯ take it.¡± His arm moved towards the glowing stone. ¡°Stop,¡± I said forcefully. He froze. His mimic¡¯s hand was inches from my chest. ¡°If you do that, you¡¯ll end up ripping out my heart!¡± ¡°Sorry, ye be right o¡¯ course,¡± he sighed. He and his clone stood up again and backed away. ¡°What do we do then?¡± Slowly, I looked from one duplicate to the other. This was tricky, but it should be possible. It was just a matter of seeing things from the right perspective. To that end, I needed more information on how this thing worked We needed to experiment. If the heart was in my clone¡­ ¡°I have an idea. Go stand over there¡­ please,¡± I hastily added, avoiding the direct command. Jax grinned toothily at me and sauntered over to where I was pointing, slightly more than halfway across the room from the door. He crossed his arms and waited. For my part, I moved over to the door frame. As we were standing, my clone was at the far wall, while Jax was between it and his own clone in a line. ¡°Now, if I¡¯m right, when I move through this doorway, my guy will collapse. But, you¡¯re still in the room, right?¡± He nodded. ¡°So, the extra sand and the heart should reform over at your clone,¡± I finished. Jax frowned at me, ¡°And?¡± He looked back and forth between the two constructs, the dots connecting in his head, ¡°Ye want me to catch the blasted thing out o¡¯ the air when it zips over?¡± ¡°It could work,¡± I said, giving a lopsided shrug. ¡°Aye. And it could rip me bloody arm off, ya numpty,¡± he scowled. ¡°We won¡¯t know that unless we try,¡± I said playfully. His scowl deepened. ¡°Okay, okay. Let¡¯s at least watch and see what happens. For science.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°It¡­ never mind. Just watch once,¡± I said, stepping out of the room. As soon as I did, the sand that made up my own double lost cohesion and started flying toward Jax¡¯s clone. Jax, unfortunately, was still in the way and dove to the side as the sand ¡ª and the glowing heart ¡ª blasted past him, solidifying in the form now laying opposite him on the floor. The heart could no longer be seen. He growled as he stood back up, dusting himself off. ¡°Bleedin¡¯ eejit. Wait ¡®til I be clear first! Nearly took me ¡®ead off, ye did.¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± I apologized. ¡°But at least that confirms my hypothesis.¡± ¡°Yer what?¡± ¡°My¡­ it did what I thought it would do,¡± I rephrased. ¡°Although, it was a little faster than I was expecting.¡± ¡°More¡¯n a little, I reckon!¡± he grumped. Experimentally, I held my hand out into the room, more playing around than anything, at this point. Some sand, of course, raced over to the wall opposite me and hovered there in imitation. Pushing fully into the room, my own clone formed just like before, although, I noted, the heart remained in Jax¡¯s duplicate this time ¡ª now visible once more as it struggled to keep up the double image. I stared for a while at the swirling sands and the heart that would momentarily come into view. I wonder¡­ ¡°Okay, second experiment.¡± Jax heaved a sigh. ¡°We¡¯ll go slow this time, I promise.¡± ¡°What now, then?¡± I stepped out of the room again and waited for things to settle before I continued, ¡°I¡¯d like for you to go stand over by the wall where this thing solidifies.¡± Jax walked over and gestured, ¡°Just here?¡± ¡°Yeah, now lean against the wall with your back to it, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± With a shrug, Jax fell back against the wall as instructed. Meanwhile, his sand clone was leaning against the open doorway as if it were hitting a forcefield. Its back was flattened like a cat¡¯s stomach against a glass table. Gently, I reached forward and brushed my fingertips against the sandy particles. ¡°Do you feel anything?¡± I asked. He shook his head, ¡°Nay, lad. Not a thing.¡± Slowly, I nodded in understanding, ¡°Right, of course. Because my fingers aren¡¯t breaking the plane.¡± I looked back over at Jax, ¡°I¡¯m going to try to push a bit. Yell the second you feel anything.¡± ¡°Yer damned right, I will! What¡¯re ya doin¡¯ over there, anyway?¡± he shouted nervously. ¡°Just hold on¡­¡± I called calmly. I tried pushing my fingers in towards the heart, but the sand was too dense. I might as well have been trying to dig through a rock with my bare hands. ¡°I still don¡¯t feel nothin¡¯,¡± Jax yelled. Finally, I stopped. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good, at least. I think I have an idea, but we need to figure out a way to reduce this thing¡¯s density without both of us being in the room.¡± Neither of us had any idea how to go about that, unfortunately. The second either of us left the sand¡¯s field of influence, the man would solidify into something so dense it was impossible to damage. And with the two of us in at the same time, it was too dangerous to try anything. Jax was the one who finally hit on a solution. ¡°I be thinkin¡¯¡­ ye remember when we fought?¡± he mused. I nodded and motioned that he continue. ¡°It made a wee dagger out o¡¯ sand, right?¡± ¡°Right, because you did.¡± ¡°Be that it? Or do it have to mime everything,¡± he wondered. As he spoke, he pulled his dagger again, and his sand clone formed a matching one. Then Jax slowly reached his hand to the side and dropped the dagger to the floor. The clone did the same and we both watched it fall to the ground in a little puff. It remained where it lay, still vaguely knife-shaped. Jax grinned at me fiercely, ¡°Ya see? I were right!¡± I pursed my lips in thought. He was on to something here. Slowly, I met Jax¡¯s gaze, and as one, our eyes drifted back over to the hallway to where we had left our packs sitting against the wall. ¡°Do you know¡­¡± I said slowly, ¡°Never in my life have I ever considered a backpack to be quite so useful.¡± It did not take us long before we had strewn our belongings all over the room. We swiftly determined that it was trying to mimic the packs by forming a thin veneer of sand in their shape. However, by removing objects from the pack, it was then forced to specifically make that item as well. We even unfurled our bedrolls so that it could not cheat. By the time we were done, a virtual sandy campsite had covered the room, and our own duplicates were looking pretty sparse. ¡°Right. That¡¯s done. Now what?¡± Jax asked. ¡°Should we try the same thing as before?¡± I replied. ¡°With you over there and me out in the hall?¡± The heart was still in Jax¡¯s duplicate as he had yet to leave the room. ¡°It should work,¡± he said slowly. ¡°I just do nay like the idea of a hand reachin¡¯ inter me chest.¡± ¡°If I do it fast enough, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll have time.¡± The mimicry was quick, but it was not instantaneous. He put his hands to his hips and glared at me, ¡°Yer assumin¡¯ that it¡¯ll stop soon as ye get the heart out. What happens to me if¡¯n it don¡¯t, eh? What then?¡± I blew air out of my lips and closed my eyes. He was stalling. Not that I blamed him. ¡°I¡¯m open to other suggestions,¡± I said finally. He just stood there, glaring at me for a long while. I waited patiently. Jax had a hot temper, but he had a solid mind once he cooled off. Eventually, he broke eye contact and started looking around the room. As his gaze landed on our packs again, his expression turned thoughtful. ¡°Donum¡­¡± he said softly, ¡°I wanna see what¡¯ll happen when we leave the room. Now t¡¯all this stuff be in here.¡± I blinked. It was a good question. Wordlessly, I back-stepped out the few paces from the doorway. Jax followed a few steps behind me. Once the sand creature no longer had us to contend with, it spread itself fairly evenly amongst all the other objects in the room. The heart hovered a bit uncertainly for a moment after Jax¡¯s form dissolved before settling inside the duplicate of my pack. We both stared for a while at the silent room. It was not an unexpected outcome, but the obviousness of it, in hindsight, was no less welcome. I slapped my companion on the back heartily, ¡°My man, I think you may have just solved this thing.¡± He lifted his nose haughtily in the air, ¡°You be underestimatin¡¯ the singular genius o¡¯ the lilim race!¡± I snorted, ¡°¡¯Singular¡¯ being the operative word.¡± As one, we re-entered the room. Jax made for the sand pack with the heart in it, while I waited by the door. Meanwhile, his clone made for my actual pack. The heart was quite exposed, at this point, what with the two of us and all of the stuff it had to mimic. All he had to do was to simply bend over and take it, though I winced as I observed his double spear its hand into my already tattered bag. As soon as Jax hand closed on the heart, all of the sand that had been rushing around the room froze mid-air for a heartbeat and collapsed, inert once more. ¡°There now,¡± Jax said, tossing the stone up and snatching it once more. ¡°Easy as that.¡± Chapter 13 - Puzzles and Prizes Jax and I looked over the little stone intently. It was not a carved gemstone like the keys had been. Instead, it was a smallish lump of misshapen granite, unremarkable save for the faint glow that pulsed from within. ¡°What do ye suppose we¡¯s supposed ter do with it?¡± Jax asked me. I had no idea, of course, and Bline, Jax¡¯s Lady of Power, had remained mum on the subject, refusing to even give the thing a name. The only other thing I knew to do was to get through the wasp room, and neither of us wanted to do that. ¡°Want to go back to the hub? Read that puzzle clue again?¡± I suggested. He shrugged, ¡°Better¡¯n fondlin¡¯ our tits here.¡± My eyes glazed over for a moment as Jax walked past me. I shuddered to think what polite company would make of the man.
Four paths Three keys Two locks One door One door, one lock One Treasure unseen One key to gain it One Path, one Word
I had sat down to eat a bit of brunch. The Eggs Benedict on toast was a sumptuous treat after having gone so long¡­ I gagged. My attempt at imagining that I was eating something palatable was abruptly shattered by the greasy mess slowly trying to slide its way down my throat. A chill started its way from the base of my spine, over the top of my head, and ended at my twitching right eye. Trying to drown out the flavor, I took a swig from my skin of Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster that Jax had concocted. I was pretty sure that he had started adding more of the alcohol to make up for our dwindling supply of water¡­ or because he was a booze hound. Likely both. Coughing roughly, I looked over at Jax. He had sat down just beside and a step below me in the hub room. Of his own ration, I noticed, he was picking at it with distaste, scarcely having eaten any of it. I could hardly blame him. Instead, he seemed to be trying to drown out the hunger by drinking straight from the little jug of alcohol. ¡°Can¡¯t stomach the stuff anymore, huh?¡± I asked. He frowned at it. ¡°I can force meself, if I need ta,¡± he explained, ¡°but it be doin¡¯ me gut poorly.¡± I nodded sagely, ¡°I could do with a salad, myself.¡± With a nice balsamic¡­ Trying to change the subject, Jax gestured to the ¡®talking stone¡¯ in the middle of the room, ¡°What do you make of the clue, then? ¡®Unlock¡¯ any doors fer ya?¡± He gave me a cheeky grin at his wordplay. ¡°Well¡­¡± I started, not rising to the bait, ¡°we have two of the keys now, and I¡¯m pretty sure the third one is in that, uh¡­ that room.¡± Jax grunted in acknowledgment. The less said about it the better. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand the contradictory lines. Two locks, one door. One door, one lock.¡± Jax¡¯s back straightened suddenly, ¡°Oh! When ye said it out loud, jus¡¯ now, she clicked fer me.¡± He looked at me, ¡°Ye hear it? Two locks fer one door, an¡¯ one lock fer the other¡¯n.¡± ¡°Other one?¡± I asked. But as soon as a I said it, I remembered. ¡°The other door! Back at the other end of the hallway!¡± Packing away his half-eaten meal, Jax dusted his hands off and stood. ¡°Let¡¯s go check ¡®er out. I¡¯ve had all I can stomach o¡¯ this bile, anyway.¡± I belched, my eyes watering at the returned flavor mixed with stomach acid. Jax just laughed at my expression. It did not take us very long to get to the other end of the original passage. The sanctuary room, I noticed as we walked past, was still blocked off. If I had not known it was there, I would have mistaken the featureless wall for any of the others in this place, the patch job was so perfect. As it was, I had to assume that either we were not intended to ever return, or there was some sort of timer in place between uses. I suspected the former. When we got to it, we found the black door still closed tightly, just as we left it, however there was one quite noticeable difference. The crystal set in its center had morphed into an upturned, slender palm. The delicately carved, feminine hand was stunningly beautiful to behold, shining with the inner light that all of the gems in this place seemed to share. The fingers, I noticed, tapered into sharp crystalline points. Tracing his hand along it gently, Jax asked, ¡°What do we do now? Give ¡®er the rock?¡± I shrugged, ¡°Probably. I do remember that there was supposed to have been something we had to fight to open this.¡± ¡°We did nay really have to fight ¡®em, yon sandy dobber, did we?¡± I nodded, ¡°True. But I don¡¯t much remember the wording on the clue for this door. It might not have meant that we had to explicitly fight the thing. And anyway, this hand seems to be expecting us to put something in it.¡± He tutted impatiently, ¡°Alright, good enough. Don¡¯t keep the lass waiting, lad.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t hurt to try,¡± I agreed and placed the hunk of granite into the proffered hand. Nothing happened at first, and our expressions fell. Sighing, I reached to remove the heart, but just as I moved, the hand twitched. Slowly, like a Moonflower closing its petals to the rising sun, the hand curled around our offering and tucked it tightly against the darkly colored door. As soon as the rock touched against it, there was a soft click, and the door swung open a finger¡¯s width. There it stopped, waiting. Neither of us dared breath for a long time after that, too afraid of what might come next. When nothing else happened, we looked at each other. Wearing a look of silent determination, Jax stepped forward and lightly pushed on the door. Given what we had seen of this place thus far, I was fully expecting another of those circular rooms with some sort of creative death awaiting us. What this door opened to, however, was just a small squarish room, rather like a broom closet. Or it would have been if broom closets ran toward baroque floral carvings. Every inch of the walls were covered in intricate vines and flowers of every description and all seemingly sculpted from a single block of stone. All of that was quite lovely, of course, but what drew our immediate attention was what the room actually contained. Sitting on the floor was a decently sized chest made of some sort of lightly colored and finely polished hard wood. The chest had continued in the theme of the room, being as it was also carved in the same fashion, and was fortified with steel bands along each edge, ending with a large locking mechanism inset with a rounded, triangular slot. It would appear that we would need a Dungeon Key to open it. Hovering just above the chest, a ¡®talking gem¡¯ about the size of a man¡¯s hand casually awaited us. ¡°Huh,¡± I uttered, mostly just to say something. Jax squatted down to look over our find. Seeing nothing particularly amiss, he waved in the direction of the hovering gemstone, ¡°Be impolite not ter at least see what she got ter say fer her ownself.¡± I nodded, ¡°Go ahead.¡± Hearing my agreement, he reached out and lightly tapped the gem.
Thou should know there art three Keys to find, As before thou hath seen be outlined. Any one for this chest, Which leaves two for the rest, But beware how thine choice be assigned.
¡°Damn,¡± Jax muttered. ¡°Three keys again.¡± I sighed in resignation. ¡°At least this one appears to be fairly straightforward,¡± I said, trying to make the best of it. ¡°It seems to be saying that we can technically use any of the keys to open this, but that there is a correct one.¡± ¡°What do ye think¡¯ll happen if we choose wrong?¡± I smirked, ¡°Consequences.¡± ¡°Right,¡± he said, standing up with a shiver. ¡°We should avoid those. So how do we know which be the right one?¡± I shrugged, ¡°Seems simple enough. Whichever one we don¡¯t need for that other door.¡± He looked at me, ¡°An¡¯ how do we figure that out?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± He frowned and stared at the floor for a while. Right now, we just did not have enough information to go on, and unfortunately, it was looking like there was only one thing left we could do. And we both knew it. ¡°Jax¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we have a choice.¡± ¡°You do it then! Ye have a healin¡¯ spell.¡± ¡°And what happens if I go into anaphylaxis? It¡¯s hard enough to cast a spell when I¡¯m not injured.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use yer fancy words ta confuse the subject!¡± I rolled my eyes, ¡°You know what I meant. Look, it¡¯ll be easy. Just run in, grab the stone, and run out. Then I¡¯ll heal you up like it never happened.¡± ¡°Oh, easy as that, is it? Kiss me arse, ya nugget,¡± he continued petulantly. ¡°Look, once we make it out of here, I¡¯ll buy you a beer, okay?¡± He looked me up and down, ¡°With what? Ye goin¡¯ ta strip fer coin?¡± We both stopped. Slowly, my mouth screwed up until I could hold it no longer, and I burst out laughing. Jax just snorted. ¡°Can you imagine, though?¡± I chortled, ¡°I mean, what would I even do? Helicopter?¡± His head tilted to the side, ¡°Heli-what?¡± ¡°You know¡­¡± I said, rapidly swinging my pelvis back and forth. Jax¡¯s eyes widened, and he took a step back. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll go get the cursed thing. Just¡­ just don¡¯t do that again.¡± With that, he stepped past me, rapidly striding back the way we had come. ¡°Aww, Jax¡­ did I make you blush?¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t blushin¡¯!¡± ¡°Come back here and let¡¯s see then¡­ Jax!¡± The wasp room was just as we remembered, an angry buzzing terror. The little insects were crawling over everything: the walls, the floor, the ceiling, flying through the air. Even the pedestal was a living mass of stinging horror. The one exception was the shining gem in the center of the room. It just sat there, taunting us. Jax stood just before the entryway with his arms crossed. ¡°Just so¡¯s ya know, I ain¡¯t happy about this.¡± ¡°Yes, I think you¡¯ve made that very clear,¡± I said patiently. ¡°So what¡¯s your plan? Slow and steady or run in?¡± He looked at me, ¡°Why would I go slow?¡± ¡°Sometimes insects will leave you alone if they don¡¯t think you¡¯re a threat?¡± I said, my voice rising uncertainly. He considered that for a second before shaking his head, ¡°No. This be the Dungeon. They¡¯ll sting to kill fer sure.¡± ¡°Okay then. We need to try to minimize the risk.¡± I looked him over. He was wearing a tight fitting, sleeveless tank top with loose but worn trousers that stopped just above the ankle. Meanwhile, his feet were encased in some sort of stitched leather shoe with a hemp string around the ankle to fasten it. If I had to guess, I would say that his legs were mostly fine, barring some holes. His main weakness was, of a certainty, going to be his upper body. I began to disrobe. ¡°What¡¯re ya doin¡¯?¡± he asked, his eyes widening. ¡°You need more clothes,¡± I explained. ¡°Those stingers aren¡¯t very long, so the more fabric we can layer you with, the less you¡¯ll feel what¡¯s coming.¡± ¡°A-alright,¡± he nodded uncertainly. ¡°Just keep them loins girded. Don¡¯t no person want to see you heli-floppin¡¯ around.¡± I snorted at his bastardization, ¡°My underwear? What would you even use them for? Wear it on your head?¡± He pursed his lips, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not a bad idea.¡± ¡°Just use your pack!¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± he said, unslinging it. ¡°I forgot! We even got a change o¡¯ clothes in here.¡± I had not forgotten. Mostly, because my spare pants were dangling by the crotch out of the twin holes in the bottom of my bag. The legs had been tapping me on the backside for the last half hour. Emptying the contents onto the ground, I dangled my pack at him. ¡°Here you go. It even has eye holes,¡± I said, poking my fingers through them. When we were done, Jax looked ridiculous. He was wearing all four of our shirts over his torso and three pairs of trousers shoved onto his arms through the leg holes. Meanwhile, our bedrolls had been wrapped around his legs and lashed in place with the rope. He looked like someone who had been kicked out of the bomb squad and become a hobo. ¡°Don¡¯t tell nobody about this,¡± his muffled voice emerged from the backpack. ¡°Of course not, buddy,¡± I lied, slapping him on the shoulder. ¡°Of course not.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°This thing smells terrible, by the way,¡± he complained. ¡°What you been keeping in here?¡± ¡°Pemmican,¡± I deadpanned. ¡°Ugh¡­ I think them jars be leakin¡¯.¡± Chuckling, I reached to grab his hand, but he shied away from me. ¡°What¡¯re ya doin¡¯ now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to cast my healing spell before you go,¡± I explained. ¡°It¡¯s a regen effect, so you may as well start with it going.¡± ¡°An¡¯ what¡¯s that got to do with holdin¡¯ me hand?¡± ¡°How else am I going to cast it on you?¡± I asked. ¡°How would I know? Just flap yer poofin¡¯ hands at me!¡± I opened my mouth to explain, but I stopped. Truthfully, I had assumed a healing spell to activate by touch, as it was what I was used to from games like D&D. Wanting to make sure, I pulled up the skill card and reread it.
Renewal of Consumption Spell will induce a temporary regeneration buff on target at the cost of Life Energy. Magnitude is determined by amount of Life Energy sacrificed. Duration increases with skill level.
Nodding slowly, I murmured, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. It just says ¡®target¡¯, but it doesn¡¯t explain how to choose one.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± he asked, curiously. I shook my head, ¡°Just that I can sacrifice more energy to increase the magnitude. No idea how to do that, though.¡± I looked up at him, ¡°How strong of a spell do you think I should go for? Assuming I can figure out how.¡± His gaze turned to the angry room of horror for a moment before he looked back at me. ¡°All of it,¡± he said in a flat voice. Smirking but agreeing, I said, ¡°All right. Here goes.¡± Feeling foolish, but not knowing what else to do, I raised my hands to point my fingers at him. Before I could summon the words to the spell, I suddenly had a flash of the Emperor raining lightning on poor Luke on the floor of the Death Star. I shook my head to try to clear it of the distraction, but I chuckled despite myself. The spell, of course, was a garbled mess in my head. The words were familiar in how utterly foreign they were, and this being my first attempt at it, the spell took several tries before I successfully spat it out. As soon as the last syllable left my lips, a sudden surge of energy started to pour out from my outstretched hands and towards Jax. I tried to mentally push at it to make it as strong as I could, and it seemed to speed up a little in response. Before half a breath had passed, the spell was over and I looked up. I could tell the moment the spell took hold because Jax suddenly gasped and hunched over. Through the eye-holes of the bag, I could see that his eyes were scrunched up from the effect+, and before I could say a word or ask a question, he darted into the swarm. The wasps were on him before he had taken a step. Any surface they could land on was a target, their abdomens repeatedly pumping into his, thankfully covered, body like thousands of mounted dogs on their mate. Jax had an arm up trying to keep them from crawling into his eye-holes. From how he was jerking around and cursing, I do not think he was too successful. He made his way haltingly toward the pedestal, favoring his left leg for some reason. I was pretty sure it was just as protected as the other, but the little devils must have found a way in. Once he reached the pedestal, he almost collapsed against it, shuddering slightly. ¡°Come on, Jax! Grab it and get out of there!¡± I cheered from the sideline, punching at the air. Finally, he seemed to come back to himself, and snatching the gem, he sprinted back to the door way. The wasps seemed to recognize his plan to escape and thickened enormously just before the opening. For a moment, I lost sight of him through the surging swarm, but then he burst through into the clear, the wasps peeling off of him as he crossed the barrier. Jax landed on the floor, still cursing a blue streak. As soon as he was out, the wasps immediately calmed, forgetting about him completely. ¡°Jax! Jax, are you okay?¡± I bent to roll him over, squatting in my underwear. He was breathing hard and fast from the exertion, cursing every time he had more air to swear with. As I ripped off the bag from his head, I could see that his face was starting to swell in several spots. My spell may have helped somewhat, but apparently it did not do much for the venom from the stingers. He would have to deal with that himself. Once he got his breathing back under control, Jax looked up at me and burst out laughing. I grinned uncertainly at his reaction. ¡°Bline is such a cow,¡± he finally said, rolling back over onto his stomach. His laughter redoubled. Of all the things he could have said at that moment, that was not what I was expecting. I was about to try to get him to explain himself, but my stomach took the opportunity to gurgle loudly. The adrenaline leaving my system, and I assumed, the use of the spell, had caused my appetite to surge. Jax just continued howling in laughter, like a man possessed. Shrugging, I sat against the wall and popped open a jar of pemmican. For some reason, this one tasted really good. Or maybe I was just too hungry to judge. Jax had stepped away for a moment to resort his clothing situation. Untying the bed rolls and the several layers we had strapped to him was taking him some time. I had offered to help, but he insisted that he was fine. So, I just sat waiting, idly inspecting our newest find. The blue pop-up had happily labeled it [Dungeon Key: Yellow], and save for the color, it appeared identical to the others in size and shape. These Keys are really quite pretty. Thinking about it, I had to admit that, as jewelry, the thing was much too big. Save for the diadem of a king or some such, anyone wearing a thing like this would be accused of ostentatiousness bordering on vulgarity. Maybe a pendant? I had to wonder why the Dungeon had decided to make keys this way. You would expect, or at least I would, that a simple bronze affair with teeth and a nice loop at the end to attach it to a key ring would be the go to, but this place had opted to go all in on the crystalline theme. It was interesting, at least. I looked up as Jax returned. For some reason, he had opted to change into his spare set of clothes. I took a breath, ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± he said, dumping the extra clothes into a loose pile. I blinked a few times. ¡°That bad, huh?¡± Instead of replying, he just started roughly shoving his clothes into his pack, tossing mine to the side. Reaching to grab my belongings, I looked him over. The sores on his face were already starting to go down, I noticed thankfully, and while his arms were mostly untouched, his hands bore several marks, as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the spell,¡± I started. Jax¡¯s head jerked up to look at me. ¡°I think it only works to help recover wounds. I¡¯ll probably need a different one for things like venom or status effects like it.¡± His eyes softened a bit at my explanation, and he resumed his packing. ¡°No worries, mate. No worries,¡± he chuckled again. ¡°We got the bloody weapon, anyway.¡± ¡°Weapon? Oh, the Key. Yeah.¡± I stood up and pulled a shirt over my head. ¡°Let¡¯s go look at this door again, shall we. And maybe we can get out of this place.¡± ¡°Aye. I can nay wait to tell this mangled fud ta tongue me fart-box.¡± Honestly, I was past trying to decipher his cryptic swearing at this point. I was standing in the hub facing the door studying the Keys in my hands. Red Key, Yellow Key, Blue Key. I looked up. Green door. Finally, my eyes drifted down a bit. Two Key slots. I blinked a few times taking it in. This¡­ this is just insulting. Honestly, it was like a puzzle for four-year olds. After all that we had to go through to get these damned things, it turns out the final puzzle is this? ¡°I do nay get it.¡± My head slowly swiveled to stare at my companion. He was squatted by the door, peering intently at the key holes. ¡°Pardon?¡± He gestured frustratedly at the two slots, ¡°These two things be exactly the same, near as I ken. I just do nay see how we¡¯re supposed to pick. Short o¡¯ guessin¡¯.¡± Taking a patient breath, I stepped around my unfortunately ignorant companion, and with a small flourish, slotted the Yellow and Blue Keys into their slots. The door, with no discernible fanfare, gave an audible click and swung open a small fraction. I glanced at Jax expectantly. ¡°Huh¡­¡± he said after a moment. ¡°How did ye figure that?¡± I smiled mischievously, ¡°You underestimate the singular genius of the human race.¡± He snorted, ¡°Ye walloper.¡± Deciding to have mercy, I explained a bit about the color wheel by way of mixing paint. Knowing as little as I did about the society of this world, I had to assume that if they had towns, then they had agriculture, and if they had that, then they surely had a concept of pigment or dye. So, I figured that he should at least be able to follow that much. ¡°But why do mixin¡¯ the two make green?¡± he asked, finally. I shrugged. Going any further would require explaining about visible light wavelengths, the absorption and reflection of light by materials, and eye cones, and I hardly wanted to go that far. So, I settled for the old parenting standby, ¡°They just do.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± he said again, standing. ¡°Tis lucky ye knew that then. I¡¯d o¡¯ been stuck here fer ever if¡¯n I was by me ownself.¡± Pointing at the door, I said, ¡°Well, shall we?¡± ¡°A moment,¡± he halted me with an outstretched arm. ¡°What about yon chesty?¡± ¡°Do you really want to go all the way back there first?¡± I asked doubtfully. He nodded, ¡°We earned it fair, we did. An¡¯ we got the Key fer it, proper.¡± ¡°All right, fine,¡± I sighed. Truthfully, I was quite curious as to what we would find, and of course, I was planning on going back for it. I just did not see why we had to do it now. Still, I did not want to argue about it. So, back we went. Jax was kneeling down on one knee in front of the chest. I had decided to wait for the outcome several long paces away. Just in case. Holding the red gem above his head to catch the light for a moment, he said, ¡°Sure be a shame to use this thing. Do ye think we can keep ¡®er after we¡¯re done?¡± I shrugged before I remembered his back was to me, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Try to take it out again after you¡¯ve opened it.¡± Heaving a final, regretful sigh, he bent down and slotted in the gem. I held my breath as the triangular gem fell into place, but all that happened was the sound of a pleasant little click as the lock popped open. When no unforeseen traps materialized, I exhaled in relief. Encouraged, I stepped forward to take a look at our prize. Jax had already begun swinging open the lid, and I grinned excitedly as the contents were revealed. Inside were four silver coins, a large green marble, and a metallic cylinder. We stared at the objects for a long moment collecting our thoughts. Honestly, I was a little disappointed. As big as the chest was, I was fully expecting¡­ well, I do not know what. But filled with something anyway. Curiously, I picked up one of the coins. The metal had been cast into a rough circle slightly smaller than the length of my thumb and about twice the thickness as a quarter. There was a depiction of some sort of horned woman on the front, or at least I assumed it was a woman. The face had no features save for two cut-outs where the eyes should be, and the two horns curved out from her head and almost met atop it. Radiating out from the head were four swords which crossed somewhere in the middle of the coin but behind the face. Each of the swords had a deep groove along its length cut into the metal of the coin, forming eight even wedges. The back of the coin featured a simple compass rose, and looking closely, I could see that an intricate maze had been etched all around the edge. Jax whistled appreciatively at the coin, ¡°Unbroken Dungeon silver. Be worth two or three times that in coin, some places. Maybe more, bein¡¯ whole.¡± That¡­ sounded good. Probingly, I asked, ¡°How long could you live off of this over in¡­¡± I struggled to bring up the name he had given for the local city. ¡°Bradfirth?¡± he supplied. ¡°Lesse¡­¡± he started mumbling and counting on his fingers. ¡°Ye can probably stay at an inn fer¡­ a quarter Brad silver a night? So¡­ a week? Week and a half? Includin¡¯ meals. Nothin¡¯ fancy mind. Longer if y¡¯ain¡¯t picky.¡± Doing the math, I figured that the money here could probably set us up for almost a month if we were frugal. Translating that in my head, if I were staying in an inexpensive motel and eating cheaply, these four coins would probably be worth¡­ maybe thirty five hundred dollars or more. I nodded appreciatively. Not a bad haul. ¡°What did you mean about Brad silver? Is that¡­ the coinage around here?¡± I asked. He nodded, ¡°Aye. Around the demesne o¡¯ the Enbraden Clan, anyways.¡± ¡°They the local¡­¡± I waved my hands vaguely, ¡°royal family or something?¡± He shook his head, ¡°Clan, not family. Lot o¡¯ families in a clan. Mostly related, some not. But they be in charge round these parts, sure.¡± He looked me over, ¡°They not have clans where you be from?¡± I grimaced, ¡°Some places. But I¡¯m¡­ currently clanless.¡± It was technically true. It was even what my stat sheet said. He grinned, ¡°Same here¡­ me lord.¡± He waggled his eyebrows at me. Rolling my eyes a bit, I reached for the marble. It looked a bit like the Gems of Power we had been getting, only bigger.
[Gem of Power: 1st rank, greater] Consume to gain benefits
The pop-up notice answered my question before I even asked it. ¡°Oh, nice!¡± Jax scowled at the thing for some reason and said, ¡°It be my turn!¡± ¡°For what?¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°Last time we had one to share, ye downed ¡®er yer ownself. Now it be my turn,¡± he spelled out. Like it mattered. ¡°Yeah, alright man, have at it,¡± I said, passing the stone over to his waiting palm. He smiled a bit when I did not argue and plopped the thing into his pack. At my look, he explained, ¡°Later. When we¡¯s down fer the night.¡± I could think of no reason that was important, but it was hardly important. I doubted the gem would get us to the next level all by itself, greater or not. I gestured to the cylinder, ¡°What do you suppose that is?¡± He picked up the shiny metal object and looked it over closely. It was about as long as my middle finger and as wide as my thumb. There were no marks or signs of tooling anywhere on its mirror-like surface, and both ends were flattened, almost like they had been shorn off. ¡°I dunno,¡± he said. ¡°My Lady. What be this I be holdin¡¯ in mine hand?¡± We were both startled to actually hear a response to his question, as for one, She rarely answered requests for knowledge, and two, She never addressed us both at once. Third, and most bizarrely, it did not come in the form of a woman¡¯s voice at all, as I had expected from Jax¡¯s descriptions of the Lady of Power. Rather, what we heard was the sound of a man, but as if through a tunnel and far away. I do wish I had something with a bit more heft ta hand. As soon as the voice faded, the cylinder flashed once and was replaced with an ornate broadaxe. The effect looked¡­ cheesy? It was almost like a camera trick from a ¡®70s fantasy film, like Beastmaster or Deathstalker, as if someone had painted a glow over reality for a moment while an axe was placed in Jax¡¯s hand. As decidedly odd as that had been, the axe was real enough. The broadaxe was about as long as a man¡¯s arm, fully extended, with a hard wooden handle and wrapped in a tight leather for the grip. The axehead was shallow, only about the width of a hand across, but very tall, perhaps a foot or more in length. The blade curved up and over the haft, ending in a severe point at the tip. There were some light etchings all along it showing some delicate scroll work. In all, it seemed a handsome weapon. Jax looked at me, ¡°But I do nay know how to use an axe.¡± I had to laugh at that, ¡°It can¡¯t be that hard.¡± I pointed at the axehead, ¡°Sharp end? Fleshy bits. Remember?¡± He wrinkled his nose at me. We quickly found that the axe had at least one magical property to it. When I had asked to examine the thing, it vanished, again with that ¡®70s movie effect, as soon as it left Jax¡¯s hand. We panicked for a bit before we discovered that it would reappear in his grip as soon as he wanted it to. As convenient as that was, seeing as how he had no need to try to carry it around with him, it seemed to behave in all other ways like a normal, if well made, axe. Jax maintained that it must have some hidden attributes to it, but I was withholding judgment. Meanwhile, the Red Key that we had left in the chest had mysteriously vanished. We had looked inside and all around the box in case it had fallen out, but to no avail. Whatever had happened, it solidified in my mind what I had suspected from the beginning. The Keys were one-use items. What was really bothering me, though, was the manner in which the axe had appeared. That had, of a certainty, been Jax¡¯s voice before, and that ¡ª combined with the disappearance of the Key ¡ª meant that someone¡­ or some thing was listening to us, and acting unseen. ¡°We may need to start watching what we say in this place,¡± I said. ¡°That axe was left for you specifically.¡± He was still feeling out the piece in his hands, giving it a few experimental swings. Seemingly satisfied, he allowed it to vanish. ¡°Aye. Likely, the Queen¡¯s Faen be about¡­¡± he looked around at the bare walls, ¡°somewheres.¡± ¡°She has Faen, too? I thought you said they were the helpers of the goddesses?¡± He shrugged, ¡°Well¡­ I dunno fer sure. I know the three have ¡®em. I just figured¡­ The Dungeon be a big place. It¡¯d make sense as The Lady o¡¯ the Dungeon would have helpers.¡± That seemed good enough to me. For all I knew, this place could be run on hamster wheels. ¡°Alright. Well¡­ it seems to have worked out well enough this time. But let¡¯s try not to piss them off. If we can,¡± I said slowly. ¡°Best not to talk about it, then. Ye never know.¡± He looked around a final time. ¡°Let¡¯s head back. That last door be waitin¡¯.¡± I nodded firmly. The green door was much as we left it, still hanging slightly ajar. The only difference was, the two Keys we had slotted into it were gone. I was unsurprised for all that it was still unnerving. I looked over at Jax. He had his new broadaxe out and seemed to be psyching himself up for¡­ whatever was coming. He jerked his chin at the door, ¡°Go on then. Let¡¯s see what she be throwin¡¯ at us next.¡± Nodding silently, I stood to one side of the door, and with one last look at my companion, I reached out and slowly pushed it open. The door swung on perfectly oiled hinges, making no sound whatever¡­ onto blackness. Complete and utter. It was an unnatural sort of thing. No shadows, nothing even faintly illuminated. Just a black portal into the abyss. We just stared, holding our breath. With the grave-like quiet the Dungeon naturally maintained, you could have heard a pin drop from a hundred yards away. The portal did not move or waver, giving no indication that there was anything at all on the other side of it. Finally, as nothing else seemed like it was going to happen, I relaxed. Not knowing what else to do, I sidled forward and held my hand out toward the black. I could not feel anything. There was no sensation of cold nor heat. No feeling of the motion of air. Nothing. Pulling my hand back, I examined my fingers. They seemed unharmed. ¡°Well¡­ shit,¡± I said. Jax nodded sagely. ¡°Shite indeed.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t¡­ you don¡¯t suppose we might have missed anything, do you?¡± I asked hopefully. He slowly shook his head, ¡°Nay. There be only one way forward. Into the black fer us.¡± So saying, he took the lead once more. Taking a deep breath for courage, he plunged his hand into the darkness fully, feeling around experimentally first. Pulling it back, and seeing that it seemed fine, he stepped forward. And vanished. ¡°Jax?¡± I called. There was no response. ¡°Crap on a cracker,¡± I muttered to myself. Either Jax was now dead, meaning I was stranded by myself in a tomb with no escape, or¡­ well, shenanigans, anyway. Seeing nothing else for it, I steeled myself and closing my eyes firmly, I entered the darkness. I felt nothing. There was no feeling of transition nor of really anything. Opening my eyes was futile, as even the door behind me was lost to the void. ¡°Jax?¡± I called again, my voice sounding oddly muted now. As if my I were hearing myself call from a great distance. It was a very disorienting sensation. Again, there was no response. ¡°Well¡­ now what am I¡­¡± Suddenly, I was blasted by the brightest light I had ever witnessed. The white of it was all consuming and drowned out everything just as completely as the darkness ever had. I screamed from the pain of it. My eyes melted and ran down my face from the intensity. My skin and hair burst into flame. My teeth shattered in my skull. I could see nothing. I could feel nothing. I was nothing. And then there was THE WORD. The WORD was all. I was the WORD. The universe was the WORD. Time and space began to unravel save for that one singular MEANING hovering before me. I could not pronounce it. I could not spell it. I could never tell you what alien mind had conceived of it. But I KNEW it. Now and forever, it was etched into my mind with a permanence even the atoms of my body, extant since the creation of the universe and forged in the mantle of suns, could scarcely comprehend. And that meaning was¡­ TOILET. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ What in the¡­ Abruptly, reality snapped back into place, and I found myself back in the forest again, hovering about five feet in the air, and completely unharmed. A scant second later, gravity reasserted itself, and I face-planted in a puddle of mud. Right beside Jax. I lay there for a long moment trying to understand what had just happened to me. But as I could not breath, my face buried in the ground as it was, I pulled myself up to my elbows. This spot looked¡­ familiar. There was that same fucking rock. There were those same fucking trees. And I was in the same fucking mud puddle that I had fucking started in.
Thank you for trying the tutorial level of My Dungeon, dearie. ~Do come again~
¡°FUCK!¡± Chapter 14 - A Light Vengeance Before Bedtime My entire body was throbbing, particularly my head. Whatever it was that we had just experienced, every cell of me wanted me to know, in no uncertain terms, not to do it again. I had had hangovers before, once or twice, and this was very much like that. Plus a bad case of the flu. And maybe having recently been hit by a truck. Crawling out of the mud, I slowly made my way to the grass on the side of the road and violently began praying to the gods of the turf. They were unappreciative. After the heaving had stopped, I laid there on my stomach for some time, just breathing. I felt a little better, but my brain had switched itself off again. It does that sometimes. Whenever I am really tired or stressed, it will just go nope and I will have to sit there for five to ten minutes until I am allowed to think once more. There had been many times in the past, particularly when I had just gotten off work, when this had happened. I would drive home, turn off the key to the car, and then just sit there. Unable to move or think. Unless I am interrupted by something. Jax coughed from behind me, and I rolled over to look at him. He was laying on his back, looking at the sky as he tried to catch his breath. The entirety of the front half of his body was covered in black mud, all the way down to his ear tips. I looked down at my hands and discovered that I was in a similar condition. Fortunately, I knew of a nice little stream we could bathe in. And it was only a four hour walk from here. ¡°Jax¡­¡± I croaked. We both winced at the sound of my voice, but I was determined. ¡°Alcohol,¡± I continued, making a grasping motion with one hand. He giggled for a moment at that, but then abruptly, he clasped his hand to his mouth and scurried to the opposite side of the road, beginning his own adulations. Unfortunately, that meant that my target was now further away from me, and I could not seem to make myself get up to go get it. Seeing as how I now had to wait, my mind started piecing together the last five minutes of my life. It was a task I had wanted to avoid, but we do not always get what we want. That was what Mick Jagger claimed, anyway. Sitting up, I placed my head in my hands and closed my eyes. Toilet. I now knew the word, toilet. I mean, I had known the word, in English anyway, for most of my life. This, though. This was different. It was like there was now a hole in my mind that led¡­ elsewhere. And that elsewhere was¡­ I could scarcely describe it. It was like¡­ like a library maybe? But made entirely of rows and rows of books all containing that single word. Toilet. In every language I had ever heard of, there it was. It was such a ridiculous thing. The spooky part, though, were the other languages. Languages I had never heard of. Languages that I could not even begin to pronounce. Languages with alphabets that hurt to even look at. Languages involving scents. Patterns of light waves. Radio signals. Binary code. Hexadecimal. All of it. I now knew how to say ¡®toilet¡¯ in¡­ well, I do not know. Maybe every language, as impossible as that might be. But there in the center of it all, was the Word. There was Power in that Word. It was a thing that I knew on an instinctual level. Regrettably, what I could not understand was what I was actually supposed to do with it. Opening my mouth, experimentally, I tried to say it aloud. I knew the shape of it. I knew the cadence of it. I knew that Word with every fiber of my being, but actually saying it out loud was like trying to bench press an ocean liner. The effort of trying it, though, seemed to be doing something. Jax¡¯s head whipped around to look at me. As I finally gave up, he slowly nodded, ¡°Aye, like I thought.¡± He sat up to wipe his mouth, but seeing the filthy condition of his hands, he thought better of it. ¡°I never seen it afore, but they tell of it in the stories. Bard song and the like. Word Bearers can¡­ push like ye just did. An¡¯ mortal kind can feel it.¡± He looked up at me, ¡°How did ye do that, anyway?¡± I shook my head, ¡°I was just trying to say¡­ say that Word out loud. But I couldn¡¯t get it out.¡± I tilted my head curiously, ¡°Did you get it, too?¡± His eyes drifted off to nowhere for a moment and he slowly nodded. He took a breath and pushed. I could feel it then, like a subtle weight pressing down on me. It was not uncomfortable nor oppressive. It was just a feeling¡­ like the world was holding its breath for a moment. Finally, he exhaled and the pressure lifted. Looking up at me, he smiled slightly, and said, ¡°Choo.¡± I knew exactly what he meant the second he said it. My brain had instantly been transported to the card catalog of my new library and pulled up the word like I had known it my entire life. I looked at him curiously, ¡°Do you have any idea what language that even was?¡± He shook his head, ¡°Not a jobby clue.¡± Then he grinned at me mischievously, ¡°But I like it. The choo! Ha!¡± I chuckled at his mirth and raised my hand again, ¡°Alcohol!¡± He rolled his eyes, ¡°Alright, alright. Settle yer wobblers.¡± He stretched over to his pack from where it had dropped on the road. Reaching his hand in to fish out the jug, he stopped. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Slowly, and with mournful ceremony, he pulled out the broken handle of the booze bottle. With a panicked urgency, he emptied out the rest of his bag. The jug had shattered in our fall, soaking his spare clothes in the process. ¡°It ain¡¯t fair,¡± he choked. Tears started falling from his eyes. He looked up at me like a child whose pet puppy had just been run over. ¡°It ain¡¯t fair!¡± he cried again. Oddly enough, I started crying, too. Once we had recovered sufficiently to move, we had decided to resume our journey. We had silently, yet mutually, agreed not to discuss the little emotional incident again, as was only becoming of menfolk. It was midday already, and it turned out that the campsite that I never wanted to see again was, in fact, the nearest source of water. This, owing to our own dwindling reserves, having been stuck in the Dungeon for who knows how long, set our direction more than any other concern. Coincidentally, it was also the direction of the nearest inn, situated in a little hamlet Jax had called Kemry-in-the-Moors, though that was several days distant. It was kind of an odd name for a town, I thought. Why not just call it Kemry? Maybe there was a Kemry-in-the-Mountains? Or a Kemry-in-the-House? The new spin-off from everyone¡¯s favorite show ¡®That¡¯s So ¨¦adaoin¡¯, starring a spunky Irish lad whose father gets a job as the grounds keeper at the White House. Coming this Fall! No! Bad brain! Bad! Shaking my head to clear it of the unwelcome sitcom references, I looked out to the tree line. The vibrant oranges and reds of the leaves were starting to fade to brown, and they were just starting their migration to the ground below. I could see where the giant Dungeon Mouth frog-thing had crashed through them, too. Several were cracked and shattered at their base, tilting at odd angles or shorn off completely. There was no sign of it now, though. Thankfully. ¡°Do we need to worry about that Dungeon Mouth coming back?¡± I asked. Jax looked around, ¡°I do nay think so. Never heard of anyone gettin¡¯ swallowed twice by the same Mouth afore.¡± He considered, ¡°Best be on the lookout, all the same.¡± I nodded once. I was going to do that anyway. The last thing I wanted was a return trip to the Dungeon. ¡°How does that even work, anyway?¡± I asked. ¡°Enter the Mouth to get to the Dungeon. Exit the Dungeon and¡­ what? Back about where you entered? But where did the Mouth go?¡± Jax waved his fingers spookily, ¡°Magic.¡± Ah, the old catch-all for ¡®I dunno¡¯. He looked over at me, ¡°What was you expectin¡¯? Fer it to jobby us out?¡± Actually¡­ Yes, that was what I was expecting. Wait¡­ Is that what ¡®jobby¡¯ means? Eww¡­ ¡°While we¡¯s on the subject¡­¡± Jax continued, ¡°Why do ye think She called it ¡®My Dungeon¡¯?¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°After we landed in yon puddle. She said ¡®thankee fer tryin¡¯ My Dungeon¡¯¡­ or sommat,¡± he tried to clarify. ¡°Oh,¡± I said, thinking back. I had been a little preoccupied at the time, but I did recall that the message had been a bit off. ¡°I guess I had assumed that was a message directly from uh¡­ what did you call her? The Demon Queen? The Mistress of the Dungeon?¡± ¡°Lady o¡¯ the Dungeon,¡± he corrected. ¡°But it were Bline¡¯s voice what were talkin¡¯.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I asked. ¡°It seemed a lot more¡­ oh, I don¡¯t know¡­ personalized than what I usually get from her.¡± I considered how to describe it better, ¡°Like an actual person wrote it to me instead of at me like usual.¡± I scratched at my cheek. I was doing a bad job of this. ¡°She sounded the same ter me¡­¡± he said, quietly. From his expression, that worried him. ¡°Well¡­¡± I started, grabbing at ideas randomly, ¡°Maybe because you get spoken to directly, it just naturally comes off as more personal?¡± I snapped my fingers, ¡°Or! Maybe we have different Faen!¡± ¡°Huh? What do ye mean?¡± he looked at me as we walked. ¡°Well, think about it. You said yourself that the goddesses have helpers, right? How do you expect Her to talk to all of us at the same time?¡± I smiled. ¡°Maybe yours is just¡­ flirty?¡± And mine has a penchant for old RPG menus? He raised his eyebrows at the thought, ¡°Huh¡­ I never thought of it that a way.¡± I shrugged. I had no idea, of course. It sounded plausible. Then again, plausible was not a word I would use to describe¡­ any of this. ¡°I did nay think that the Queen could talk to mortals, though,¡± he mused. ¡°Or, if what ye was sayin¡¯ is true, that Bline¡¯s Faen would carry messages for other¡¯ns.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± I said. ¡°I mean¡­ well, obviously, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about, but I¡¯m sure higher beings have their ways.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± he said thoughtfully. ¡°Why does it matter?¡± He glanced at me quickly, but then looked back at the ground before saying, ¡°I suppose it don¡¯t.¡± When we arrived at the campsite, the sun yet hung a finger¡¯s width above the horizon. Surprisingly, my feet only felt a little sore. I had to suppose that my improved walking skill plus the Toughness point that I had gained were contributing to that. Or I was just getting used to it. Whatever it was, it was welcome. Stolen story; please report. The campsite looked as I remembered it, though there were signs that it had been used somewhat recently. The road was still pretty muddy, like it had rained at least once since the last time I had been here, but the fire pit showed fresh ash. Jax figured that it had been used within the last day at the least. Whomever had used it was long gone by this point, though. It was a curious thing, or so I thought, that despite all the walking we had been doing, we had not seen a soul along this road. ¡°Darvinton sends a man with a cart through here every month fer trade,¡± Jax explained. ¡°We used to make the bugger pay a toll fer the privilege. He must be smilin¡¯ something fierce to see nary a hide of us.¡± He grinned at the memory, but his face fell at my expression. ¡°Sorry.¡± I did not say anything for a moment. A racket like that was probably small potatoes in his mind, and I knew from what he had told me that he had done much worse in the past. Still, I hardly wanted the reminder. I sighed, ¡°No need to apologize. Not to me anyway.¡± I decided to leave it at that. There was no lecture I could give that would tell him anything he did not already know. And what right did I, a man who until recently had never known a day of hunger, have to give it to him? Besides, he would probably be harder on himself that I ever would. ¡°I¡¯ll go get some firewood, okay?¡± We were sitting next to the fire later that night. The conversation had lapsed into a comfortable silence. Jax was idly poking at the flame with a stick, while I was perched on the flat rock nearby. There had been no sign of my old polo shirt when we got here. I had to assume that either it had been burned or taken, though I could not think of any reason someone would want the thing. It had been little more than a rag when I had left it. We had taken turns at the creek, washing the mud from ourselves. The stream was still running high from the recent rains, and our water skins were full again. The loss of the alcohol, though meant that it was less safe to drink, long term, though boiling it would help. Hopefully, our luck would hold in that regard. Luck had not been altogether on our side, lately. Just enough to be alive, maybe. Small blessings. Jax got up to tend the stew he had been putting together. He had found some herbs somewhere while I had been gathering the wood. He claimed it would be transformative to the flavor. My hopes were slim, but I would give anything a try at this point. If I had to choke down one more can of pemmican¡­ ¡°Stew¡¯s done,¡± he said, handing me a jar full of the stuff. It¡­ did smell a bit better, I had to admit. ¡°So what should I expect in this place? Kemry-in-the-Moors,¡± I asked, mainly to get the conversation going again. Also, the stew was scalding hot. He gave a slight shrug, ¡°Cotton farmers mainly. Grows pretty well on the moorland.¡± ¡°Really? Cotton? Isn¡¯t that a labor intensive crop?¡± I asked, surprised. He nodded, ¡°Aye, if yer level¡¯s low. Some o¡¯ them ol¡¯ bent backs can pull two¡­ three acres a day, though.¡± He grinned up at me, like he was remembering something, ¡°Don¡¯t pick a fight with ¡®em, neither. Some of ¡®em can carry forty stone like it were a feather.¡± I had no idea how heavy a stone was, but it sounded impressive. ¡°How do farmers gain levels?¡± I asked, curiously. ¡°They don¡¯t go hunting monsters, do they?¡± He tilted his head slightly, ¡°Sometimes, aye. Weak stuff, I¡¯ve seen ¡®em do. Mostly, I figure they buy the Gems like the rest o¡¯ the commons.¡± I frowned, blowing on the still steaming jar. That just did not make sense to me. ¡°Okay, explain that. Why would anyone want to sell Gems of Power?¡± He was sipping at his own jar, carefully. Smacking his tongue with a slight frown, he said, ¡°Ah¡­ stuff still tastes o¡¯ the lavvy.¡± Reaching for some more of the herbs, he looked up at me, ¡°Uh¡­ money, mostly. Also, there¡¯s supposed to be a hard cut at uh¡­ tenth layer, I think.¡± He pursed his lips, ¡°Or were it five? Anyway, makes the rank one Gems worthless to ye.¡± ¡°Worthless? So¡­ what? You can¡¯t use them anymore?¡± I sipped at my own broth. The scent of the herbs was not doing much for the flavor directly. It just gave it a fresh quality. Not a bad addition, honestly. He nodded, ¡°I think so, aye.¡± I thought about that for a while. Rank one Gems, huh¡­ ¡°How many ranks are there?¡± I asked. He sighed, setting his mostly full jar aside, ¡°I don¡¯t know that. Actually, I don¡¯t know that anyone knows that. There¡¯s tales o¡¯ people what can leap o¡¯er mountains tall. Don¡¯t ask me what kind o¡¯ Gems they¡¯d need ter swallow to notice. Fer men like that, there be two fates. They either get too old ¡®n kick their feet up somewheres, or the Dungeon takes ¡®em. I never heard o¡¯ no tale of a man nor woman besides ever findin¡¯ a limit what didn¡¯t die first.¡± Legends were rarely the most reliable authority, but still, for no one to have even made up a story about someone succeeding? Then again, I had to consider the source. ¡°Who¡¯s the strongest person you¡¯ve heard of?¡± I asked, changing course. He screwed up his eyes, ¡°Round here, that¡¯d be the Matriarch of Enbraden. What were her name¡­¡± He started mumbling under his breath, ¡°Jizza? Jezzer? Oh, I forget. Anyway, I hear she got to fifty recently.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s¡­ good?¡± He snorted, ¡°Well, don¡¯t go pissin¡¯ in ¡®er tea, mate. But enough talk!¡± Pulling his bag in front of him, he gave me a mischievous grin. ¡°Me vengeance be at hand.¡± ¡°What?¡± I pulled back nervously. ¡°What vengeance?¡± His grin only deepened, ¡°Inventory.¡± He made a few gestures in the air until he found what he was looking for, and the Greater Gem of Power we had found in the treasure chest floated into his hand. Now, I was deeply confused. ¡°What are you planning on doing with that?¡± He started to toss the little marble up and down in his hand like a Prohibition mobster, ¡°Now, we¡¯ll just see what¡¯s what, ain¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ dude? You¡¯re starting to freak me out a little.¡± He chuckled, ¡°Good¡­ Gooood.¡± Then, he popped the sphere into his mouth, looking at me expectantly. I blinked a few times, calming down. Was that not¡­ what you were supposed to do with those? Why the build-up? After a few moments, I began to feel the transfer from Jax. It was a pleasantly warm sensation, like always, but the curious thing was that it was entering my core from below. Actually¡­ I shifted my seat¡­ Abruptly, Jax spat the Gem back into his palm and shuddered. Panting a bit, he looked me up and down. ¡°Maggot eaten fud o¡¯ the Shepherdess¡­¡± Apparently, he did not see what he was looking for, and shooting to his feet, he started stomping toward the trees, ¡°I gotta piss.¡± What¡­ was that? I sat there silently for a while processing what had just happened. I was pretty dense when it came to interpreting other people¡¯s unspoken emotional states¡­ but that¡­ My thought was interrupted by the sensation of my core being filled once more. The feeling of it was¡­ sensual. If I were in a different kind of mood¡­ also, the fact that it was coming from Jax. I gave a pained expression. From the darkness, I began hearing Jax faintly grunting and moaning. Oh, Watcher¡¯s Eyes¡­ He had to know that I could hear him, right? Maybe it was a bandit thing? Living out here in the woods with monsters all around, there could not have been much room for privacy. And what was worse, I was still feeling that sensation from my core being filled. It was like a silk scarf being slowly drawn across my privates while I was trying to watch old sitcom reruns and eating a freshly delivered pizza. I was not laughing, and I was not aroused¡­ but I was getting comfortably full. Jax started getting louder. Ugh¡­ I stood up. I have to put a stop to this. I sat back down, shaking my head. No, nope. No, I don¡¯t. I started rocking back and forth with my head between my hands. Leave the man alone. Just endure. How long does it take for that damned thing to dissolve?! When Jax started almost wailing, I shot back to my feet. Yeah, no. This has to stop. Before I had even taken a step, Jax suddenly fell silent, and after a breath, I heard a thud. Thinking the worst, I hurried forward, ¡°Jax!?¡± From all the noise he had been making, it could have attracted anything from out there. Rounding the trees, I found him. He was lying in an unconscious heap on the ground, his pants around his ankles, and his¡­ equipment¡­ still in hand. It was still engaged, too. Kind of small, though. I gave a shake to my head and studiously avoided looking at it. And hairless? Gah! I gagged a bit. I did not need to know that! Kicking his ankle lightly while trying to keep my eyes averted, I whispered, ¡°Come on, dude¡­ Wake up!¡± He was out cold. I looked up at the stars through the canopy resignedly. I should just leave him here. Looking around into the darkness, I thought I heard something. Probably an owl¡­ Whatever it was, I did not hear it again. Looking back down at the man, I heaved a great sigh. Grabbing him by the ankles, I started dragging him back to the campfire, all the while mumbling under my breath, ¡°Goddesses above take mercy¡­ I could have just found a nice little dog or something, right? I didn¡¯t have to get saddled with this guy, did I? Curses like a sailor, can¡¯t understand half of what the guy says¡­ fucking masturbates all the time¡­¡± Arriving back at the fire, I carelessly dropped his feet to the ground, and glanced back. He was lying on his back, still very much at attention and somehow his hand had remained wrapped around it. Wincing like I¡¯d been slapped, I shuffled over and roughly rolled him over with my foot. The view was little better, as he was ¡®mooning the moon¡¯ to turn a phrase. Not wanting to see that either, I unfurled his bedroll and laid it over top of him. Tiredly, I collapsed on the rock by the fire and looked over at his unconscious form. ¡°Well, now¡­ I don¡¯t know if that was the revenge you were looking for, but you got something for your trouble.¡± I was sitting in my American History 101 class, waiting on the teacher to show up. By the Three, how I hated this class. I had no idea if the professor was tenured or just an associate, but he might have been the very worst teacher I had ever seen. Well¡­ no. I take it back. There was that one woman back in middle school. Anyway, his entire teaching style was to show up about five to ten minutes late and start silently writing lecture notes on the chalkboard. Once he had filled every available inch on the massive wall-to-wall structure, he would turn around, plop his notebook on his lectern, and start, oh so slowly, reading the notes at us. Every single day. As bad as that was, the dribbling idiots in my class, either because they really were that stupid or out of some warped sense of troll-like humor, would keep interrupting the man to ask him to repeat himself because they couldn¡¯t write that fast! And he would! Even slower! If the class wasn¡¯t required for my Major, I would have dropped it after the first day. As it was, I had started skipping every other session just to maintain my own sanity. Today, though, was going to be a little different. We were going to be taking a ¡®book report¡¯ quiz. It wasn¡¯t really a ¡®report¡¯ so much as it was a proof that we had read the assigned literature. The text in question had been a lovely little paperback entitled ¡®Women of the Depression: Caste and Culture in San Antonio 1929-1939, Vol. II¡¯. I had been studiously putting off reading the thing for months, and the night previous, only just realizing that our test was the next day, I finally broke down. It had been 1 a.m. when I started. I made it through the Prologue. And here I was. Ready to take a test on a book I had barely even cracked open. And it was worth fifteen percent of our entire semester¡¯s grade. I was exhausted. I was sitting at the back of the class, as was my custom. For classes I hated, anyway. The chair backs were designed just right so that I could comfortably rest the back of my head against the wall. The prof finally decided to make his appearance just as my eyes were starting to drift shut. Scheduling this class right after lunch was a cruel joke. He was a balding man of middle years and with a prominent paunch of a belly barely restrained by his belt. His features were otherwise what you would call ¡®doughy¡¯. I had taken to calling him Dr. Potatohead. Privately, of course. Slipping in right behind him, a very pretty girl looked hastily around for a seat. She had this really largely styled, poofy white hair, of all things, which was set off by a very big set of black rimmed glasses. Strangely enough, I was sure I had met her somewhere before, but I couldn¡¯t see how. One doesn¡¯t forget hair like that. I had been wanting to ask her out for ages, but I wasn¡¯t the type to aim quite so far over my own head. Seeing that the seat next to me was vacant, she hurried over and sat down. Like it was no big deal! I was sure my face was going to burst, it was so red. Studiously controlling my expression, I said, ¡°Hi.¡± Yus! Smooth. ¡°Hi,¡± she whispered back. ¡°Did you actually read that book? It was so boring! I read the whole thing, and I don¡¯t think I remember a thing!¡± I blinked a few times. Was she actually talking to me? Oh, shit! She asked you a question! Uh¡­ Uh¡­ ¡°I only made it through the Prologue.¡± I mentally groaned at myself. I was such an oaf. Maybe she¡¯d appreciate the honesty? She tittered, ¡°I think the Prologue was the only part I didn¡¯t read.¡± Nice! She laughed! Now, what do I¡­ The professor interrupted my thought, ¡°Alright. Books away. Pencils out. You have until the end of the class to finish the quiz. If you finish early, silently turn in your paper, and you may leave.¡± Silently cursing the man for disrupting our conversation, I readied myself for the inevitable. At least I could get out of here early. As he was handing out the quiz sheets, the girl turned to me again, ¡°By the way, I really liked it when you called my name.¡± Steam shot from my ears at that. I adjusted my collar with a trembling hand. Her name? But I didn¡¯t know her name. I had never bothered to find out, not wanting to set myself up for disappointment. Oh, fuck me¡­ how do I go about asking now? I smiled at her, and chuckled to deflect. I would definitely have to find out later. Who would I even ask, though? I didn¡¯t know anyone in this class. Argh! Right about then, the quiz sheet arrived at my desk, and I started looking it over. ¡­ Hmm¡­ Hey, I actually know this one¡­ I glanced down. I knew¡­ all of these¡­ ¡­ That lazy son of a bitch! He made the test entirely from the damned Prologue! Ha! Hurriedly, I began writing in the answers like a cat making off with the fisherman¡¯s catch. I am so lucky! ¡°Donum¡­ Donum!¡± she whispered. I stopped. This was it. This was my moment! I had an in! She hadn¡¯t read the Prologue! ¡°Donum, wake up!¡± she whispered again. My face slowly fell¡­ Oh, no¡­ Chapter 15 - On the Road Again ¡°Donum, wake up!¡± Blearily, I cracked an eye open. The morning light filtered into my retina like a thick syrup, distorting whatever image I would have gotten beyond all recognition. Squeezing my eye shut again, I blinked rapidly to try to bring it into focus. I was laying on my side next to the sitting rock, my face in the dirt with, I just now noticed, one hell of a crick in my neck. Worse, my mouth felt like it was lined in fur. Had I been snoring? Slowly, the events of the previous evening started coming back to me. I had been trying to keep watch, afraid that we might be attacked by whatever might be out in those woods ¡ª be it monster or man. Apparently, I had lost my battle with drowsiness at some point and slumped to the ground. I had been having a dream. Something about school? Why was my heart pounding? ¡°Donum! Please, mate. Give us a hand, here,¡± the muffled sound came again. Groaning, I rolled over to my back and gave a long stretch. My back protested mightily at having been so long in that cramped position. Lazily sitting up, my oh-so-warm bedroll fell from around my shoulders. Shivering a bit, I looked around, idly wiping the soil from my cheek. The early morning air had dewed every available surface, making it feel as if it had just rained despite there being not a cloud in the sky. My eyes tracked the light to see that the sun had just risen over the horizon. It was Fall, so that would put it¡­ well, I did not know. But it felt early. ¡°Donum! I can hear you movin¡¯! Wake up, man!¡± Whatever it was, it was coming from nearby. My eyes had been trying to drift closed once more, and I inhaled swiftly to try to fight the sensation. Head wobbling, I turned, hoping to find the source of the noise. Across the fire pit from me, someone¡¯s legs were kicking around from underneath another bedroll. I blinked a few times as I focused on the motion. Oh, right. Jax. ¡°W¡ª¡± my voice popped, and I coughed roughly to clear the phlegm from my throat. ¡°Whajyawan,¡± I croaked out. ¡°Donum! Donum! Oh, merciful Maeve. Help us out! I can nay move!¡± Jax called from underneath his den. My eyes were still still trying to register what I was looking at, much less understand Jax''s plea. Were¡­ were his pants around his ankles? I rubbed at my eyes. Ugh¡­ Why am I so tired? How long did I sleep? Lethargically, the rest of the previous evening began to filter through my sleep addled mind. I began to laugh quietly at the memory, my shoulders shaking in my mirth. ¡°Fer fuck¡¯s sake, man. Hurry up! I¡¯m stuck!¡± Jax pleaded. Confused, yet still trying to contain my inane giggling, I asked, ¡°What¡­ What do you mean ¡®you¡¯re stuck¡¯? Just get up.¡± ¡°Away you, ya melt! Do ye think I would nay if¡¯n I could¡¯a? Me arms are a tingle, an¡¯ every time I move I rip at me wally!¡± he yelled. What? My laugher died a bit as I tried to process Jax''s garbled English. ¡°Your arms¡­ oh, your arms are asleep?¡± I slowly stumbled to my feet, pulling the thick blanket of the bedroll back around my shoulders, and walked to stand over Jax''s still kicking form. ¡°Can¡¯t you roll over?¡± ¡°Nay, ya fuckin¡¯ barmpot! I told ya! Me knob¡¯s caught on sommat!¡± I started picking up a panicked edge to his voice from under the roll. ¡°Your knob¡­¡± I said slowly. I knew that one from somewhere. Stepping around to where his head should be, I squatted down and lifted up the thick covering, ¡°Are you saying that your penis is stuck?¡± As I said the word, a snort of laughter escaped, and I could not help but to smile. Not wanting Jax to see my reaction, I covered my mouth with my hand, but it was too late. ¡°T¡¯ain¡¯t funny, ya lavvy-headed wankstain!¡± he growled up at me, squinting at the light. ¡°It hurts!¡± Trying not to laugh, which, of course, made it worse, I said, ¡°W-well, what do you want me to do? Try to roll you over?¡± ¡°Nay!¡± he yelled in genuine panic. ¡°Sommat¡¯s got me, I tell yer! Ya gotta get me unstuck first.¡± ¡°Ge-get you¡­¡± My eyes squeezed shut and tears started leaking out of the corners of my eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be out of your Maiden-cursed mind.¡± He looked up at me like a puppy being denied scraps at the dinner table, ¡°Do nay be like that, mate. You¡¯d nay leave yer good lilim in the clutch, would ye? I been good to ya, ain¡¯t I?¡± My head tilted back, and I frowned in laughing disgust, ¡°Alright, alright. Don¡¯t beg.¡± Shaking my head at what I was about to do, I pulled the bedroll off of him to survey the situation. Jax was lying on the ground as I had left him last night, face down and bare ass to the sky. Both of his arms were tucked under his torso, I saw. That, at least, would explain why he could not feel them. Looking away and trying to delay, I asked, ¡°So¡­ what do you want me to do here? Reach under and¡­¡± I snorted again, ¡°What? Feel around?¡± He sighed, ¡°I ain¡¯t happy about it, am I? Just¡­ just do nay think about it, alright?¡± Yeah, like that was possible. Tossing my own bedroll over by the sitting rock, I squatted down just next to his backside. Staring at the hairless globes for a moment, I closed my eyes as what I was about to do started sinking in. Was this really better than sitting bored all day at Steg-o-Call? I mean, my life had not been that bad had it? That I would trade it in for¡­ for this? I was arguing like I had a choice in the matter. ¡°Look, are ya gonna do it or are ya gonna stare at me arse all day?¡± Jax pulled me out of my thoughts. ¡°Argh¡­ just¡­ alright. Yell or something if¡­ I dunno.¡± I grasped my hands together a few times to steel myself and slowly began to worm the fingers of my right hand underneath his warm flesh. For some reason, the heat shocked me, as if I had somehow expected him to be cold like a lizard. Pushing forward, my fingers met something firm yet yielding and soft. Jax gasped and looked over at me, ¡°Careful! Don¡¯t jostle me wrinkle-bag.¡± Shivering, I instantly pulled back, ¡°Ugh, could really do without the euphemisms right now.¡± ¡°Could ye now?¡± he began mildly. ¡°Well, I could really do without the belly-achin¡¯! Cause I can nay feel nothin¡¯ above me waist and me blasted sapling be yanked by the roots!¡± his voice kept getting louder until he was yelling. ¡°Oh¡­ you are going to owe me so big after this,¡± I said, sliding forward once more. Going in a little higher this time, I was soon obstructed by his hands. ¡°Do you want me to try to pull your arms out first?¡± I asked, yanking lightly at his elbow. ¡°That would be lovely, aye. Ugh¡­ I¡¯m pins and needles all over,¡± he moaned. Giving a firm tug, his left arm came away easily enough. It flopped on the ground like a week-old dead fish, lines and spots of red marking his pale flesh from where it had been mashed against the ground. When I went to remove his right arm, however¡­ ¡°Ack!¡± he gave a high-pitched yelp. ¡°No! Yer pullin¡¯ at me!¡± I frowned. Quickly, wriggling my hand underneath him again ¡ª having set aside my disgust in favor of just wanting to get this over with ¡ª I felt around until the problem presented itself. When it did, my eyes tried to escape up into the top of my skull. ¡°Oh, Bline, give me strength.¡± So saying, I reached my other hand under him and heaved. ¡°Ahh! What ¡®er ya¡­¡± his protest was interrupted as he was rolled over to his back, completely unharmed. Now exposed, his ¡®problem¡¯ was quite obvious to the both of us. His own hand had been wrapped around his member, apparently glued tightly by his dried seed. We looked at each other in horror for a moment, but in a situation like that, something had to give. Slowly, Jax began to break, the corners of his mouth twitching. My lips pursed, and my eyebrows began screwing up into my forehead in response. A bird flew from the trees, disturbed by a couple of donkeys braying in the early morning air. I was going about our camp, collecting our various debris from the night before, and preparing us for the next day¡¯s journey. Jax had excused himself to wash up at the stream and had taken his clothes with him. Apparently, his laundry was in a situation of dire need, and given certain puzzle pieces that had recently come to light, I did not blame him in the slightest. Evidently, Jax had been experiencing episodes of¡­ well¡­ intense sexual pleasure, to put it as politely as possible. This was something that he had been loath to talk about. I hardly blamed him. Here we were, two straight men of rather diverse backgrounds forced together through unusual circumstances, and suddenly, one of us starts uncontrollably spackling their pantaloons? I snorted. There was a certain humor to the whole situation, though I doubted very much that he thought so. I paused. Was Jax straight? I had assumed he was based on some of our conversations, but he had never explicitly said so. My lips twisted a bit, then I shook my head. It did not really matter. If he leaned a bit bi or whatever, that was fine and really none of my business. No, the question was, why was this happening? And what was causing it? Unfortunately, the only thing that made any sense was that I was the cause. Somehow. Or my class was. And I was not at all comfortable with that conclusion. I could scarcely imagine Jax''s position on the matter. Thinking back, there had been at least two major catalysts. The first, most obviously, was the Gems of Power, or more specifically, the Core Layer Gain feature. Somehow, the transfer of power between us was causing Jax no end of consternation. I had no idea why. On my end, it was somewhat pleasant but ignorable. I would have to talk to him about it to be certain, however. That, at least, was easily fixable. I could just turn it off again. I was pretty sure that it had not been a problem prior to my having activated it. Then again, my track record for noticing things was looking pretty spotty. The other cause, and I was much less certain about this one, was my healing spell. Though I had only cast it the once, there were certain significant factors for my including it. My clues here were seemingly threefold. One, after I had cast it, I recalled that he had been quite uncomfortable. By itself, not particularly noteworthy but bearing investigation. Two, he seemed to have more difficulty running to the Dungeon Key than returning. That part had been decidedly odd, but at the time I had thrown it up to the shock of running into a swarm of wasps. It was a reasonable assumption, I argued to myself, even now. The third and most damning piece of evidence, especially now, was the fact that he had needed to change his pants afterward. I closed my eyes and lightly rapped my knuckles on my forehead. I am so dense. Bline¡¯s Blue Boxes had not been exceptionally informative on that front, either. She had flat out refused to answer me when I had asked why this was happening, and the only clue that I had been given was when I had finally asked if I could even affect the problem in any way. Her reply had been¡­ abstruse.
Feature unlockable at Core Layer Boundary.
The Watcher knew what that had meant. Since when did Layers have boundaries? Or maybe¡­ A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. My reverie was interrupted by a slew of new notices from my menu. For whatever reason, She had decided that now would be a good time to inform me of all of the skill ups that I had achieved since¡­ well, I did not know. The last time I had leveled up? When had that been? Two? Three days ago? The inconsistent nature of these announcements was really starting to hammer home that there was some form of imperfect sentience behind them, no matter that they so closely resembled RPG menus. Despite Jax having repeatedly claimed it was a goddess responsible, somehow I could never mentally reconcile what I was seeing with the idea of some deity communicating with me. I had to wonder at the implications. Did this goddess require some form of appeasement, like the gods of old? If I started slaughtering goats in Her name, would I start getting my messages more regularly? Could I unlock cheat abilities if I pledged myself in service to her church? I certainly hoped not. That would be massively unfair to everyone out of the loop. I would need to be on the lookout for her clerics until I knew for sure. Idly scrolling through them, they were mostly mundane things like another point in [Walking], a smattering of points into [Poetry: Interpretation], and even [Puzzle Solving]. I had even gained four whole points into [Resistance: Indigestion]. I rolled my eyes. Gee, thanks. What really caught my attention, though, was the notice that I had improved my [Loyalty] standing with Jax by a whole ten points. I could only wonder what could have caused that. ¡°¡­did not, ye fetid cow!¡± I heard in the distance. I blinked rapidly. It sounded like my companion had just gotten a few notices of his own. The man had not been getting on with the Lady very much lately. I needed to add that to the list of things we needed to discuss. ¡°I ain¡¯t talkin¡¯ dirty to ye, neither, ye fannybaws!¡± he was yelling as he strode into the clearing. He stopped abruptly when he saw me staring at him. Averting his eyes, he walked past me, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± I smirked, ¡°That bad, huh?¡± He started pacing, agitatedly. ¡°Who does She think She be, eh? Talkin¡¯ like that?¡± he continued, obviously talking about something else entirely. ¡°She probably thinks She¡¯s a goddess,¡± I said, innocently. He jabbed his finger at me, ¡°That be beside the point. It be improper.¡± He continued pacing, ¡°As if I¡­¡± He stopped suddenly, blushing. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± He bent over to grab his helmet off of the ground. I had already cleaned it but had not yet packed it away. He looked at it for a moment, and then tapping it in his hand, he distractedly started pacing again. ¡°¡­and can ye imagine?¡± he said, like he¡¯d never left off, ¡°actually giving me a skill point in it! Damnable cow! An¡¯ the way She talks, ye¡¯d think I actually wanted ter¡­¡± He scoffed, ¡°The very idea!¡± ¡°Scandalous,¡± I agreed, affably. ¡°That be what I said!¡± he gestured expansively. ¡°An¡¯ then She goes on like the whole thing has got ¡®er fanny wet!¡± He roughly shoved the helmet in his bag, ¡°Watcher take Her! I think She likes that it pisses me off, too!¡± ¡°What a bitch,¡± I said, mildly. He slung his pack over his shoulder and stared at the ground for a few breaths, then he looked up at me, ¡°Well? Are ya goin¡¯ to sit on yer duff all day? Let¡¯s go.¡± And with that, he started marching away down the road. We had been traveling for two days now. Whatever resistance I thought I had built up to long distance hiking had been laughingly surpassed by the end of the first. One simply did not walk places in the U.S. It was a leisure activity for people with too much time on their hands and had perverse interests like¡­ nature. The only saving grace to the whole thing was that, at the very least, the weather was rather pleasant. It had not rained so far, though I noticed that the clouds were building up again, and the air was cool and faintly breezy. If one actually wanted to go hiking, you could not ask for a better day for it. I rubbed at my backside. Was that a thing? Can a person get so sore from walking that their butt starts to hurt? Or was something just wrong with me in particular? And we were still in the Allenwood. How big was this forest, anyway? And who the hell was maintaining this road? Even after days of travel, we had not seen anyone the entire time. It was starting to freak me out a little. I mean, to be fair, it was less a road and more of a dirt track with wheel ruts, and it was fairly overgrown in a lot of places. Maybe they hired a work crew to clear it out every couple of years? That seemed improbable, though. It would take a modern crew with heavy machinery over a month just to clear out the distance that we had walked alone. I really could not see how¡­ or no¡­ magic was a thing here. If you could get a class as a farmer, then certainly lumberjacks were in the picture. It might even be a fairly profitable venture. With all the noise cutting back the vegetation would make, it would surely attract a few monsters. I wondered how many you would have to take out before you would be in the black. Would you need to hire warriors to protect the laborers? How many would you need? Then you would need to pay them, as well. I shook my head. I was falling into a thought spiral again. We had actually been pretty lucky with the whole ¡®dangerous monsters lurking in the shadows¡¯ thing. So far, we had only had one real encounter. Around noon of our first day of travel, we had been ambushed by another small group of Gobs. Jax had later explained that they were pretty common around here, especially this close to the road. Fortunately, they were total shit at the whole ¡®ambush¡¯ thing. Their plan had been¡­ elaborately childish. We had been coming round a bend in the road at the time when we caught sight of it. In the middle of the track, just under the shade of a particularly large tree, was a small handful of berries neatly piled on top of a large leaf. Directly underneath it, the soil was noticeably disturbed out to a distance of about three or four feet in radius. At the edges of this disturbance were four vines, conspicuous in their even placement. The look we traded was almost, what you might call, disappointed. Without a word, Jax simply walked over to one of the vines and gave it a hard yank. I honestly had not expected a Gob to be attached to the thing. With a shriek, the naked little creature fell to the ground, landing awkwardly, shoulder first and with the vine tied firmly around its waist. The fall from the tree almost killed it outright, but any chance at its continued survival was rudely interrupted by Jax¡¯s axe staving in its skull. What followed was a bit of a screaming mess. Three other Gobs rappelled out of the tree by their own vines, disturbing the crude net they had buried, and attacked us en masse while hollering unintelligible Gobish battle cries. Jax managed to hack one of them down before it even made it to the ground. I noticed very quickly that he had devised an interesting way of fighting with the thing. Any time it would stick in a foe¡¯s body, he would merely let go of it, causing it to flash away, and then he would just resummon the axe like nothing had happened. It looked pretty cool, I decided, despite the hokey spell effect. For my part, I had taken my recent Dungeon experience to heart, and immediately unslung my pack to defend myself. I managed to harry one of the little critters long enough with my half spear for Jax to come from behind and decapitate it. It had been swatting at me with an improvised hardwood club it had picked up from somewhere, and my pack was now tinkling with the sound of broken crockery. Fortunately, most of the pemmican jars were already empty by this point, so it was no big loss. Honestly, even if they had been full¡­ We took a moment to scout for any reinforcements, but finding none, we took stock of ourselves. I had come out completely unharmed, though my heart was pounding like crazy. Gobs were not the most threatening of monsters, to be sure, but they had definitely been trying to kill us. Jax, I noticed, had managed to pick up a fairly severe gouge to his thigh while fighting the third one. I had not seen it happen. I must have been too busy fending off the final Gob. We gave each other a look. ¡°Well?¡± I asked, finally. ¡°I¡¯d rather ye didn¡¯t,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯ll bet,¡± I snorted. ¡°But it would need stitches at the least, otherwise. And you¡¯re bleeding pretty badly.¡± He looked away, not replying. ¡°I won¡¯t do it unless you ask me to,¡± I continued. ¡°We can try it at the lowest setting this time. Maybe full power is too much?¡± He looked back at me, ¡°And if I¡­¡± he gestured to his crotch, ¡°again?¡± He seemed almost vulnerable. I nodded, understanding. ¡°Just turn away and pull your pants down, then. I won¡¯t look,¡± I said softly. ¡°We¡¯ll just look at this as an unwanted side-effect, okay?¡± He took a shuddering breath before finally giving me the go ahead, ¡°Do it gentle this time.¡± I gave him a half smile. This could not be easy for him. ¡°Okay¡­ here we go¡­¡± I closed my eyes to¡­ ¡°SHUT UP, YA WHORE!¡± My eyes flew open. ¡°W-what?¡± I looked around frantically for a moment in confusion. ¡°Jax, what¡­¡± ¡°Never you mind!¡± he said loudly. ¡°Just hurry up afore I lose me nerve.¡± Nonplussed, I struggled to find my concentration again. What on Vrekfren had set him off this time? He was standing with his arms crossed and muttering, ¡°¡¯Innocent Seduction¡¯ be it? Me puckered arsehole! Why y¡¯eighth-an-hour trollop! I¡­¡± He looked at me, slowly realizing what he had just said aloud. The three solid seconds of silence that followed were more than enough to see his face turn beet red. I could hardly help the smirk. ¡°Innocent¡­ Seduction?¡± He punched me square in the jaw for that one. I might have deserved it, too. I rubbed my chin at the memory. He had refused to talk to me for several hours after that, although he had submitted to the healing spell. Necessity won over all else, after all. It turned out that the magnitude of the spell did, in fact, affect the degree of the ¡®phenomenon¡¯. At the lowest setting, it was quite tolerable, although it did cause the man to bite his lower lip and moan a bit. I had decided that it was in my best interest to studiously ignore that slip. Jax had ended up converting all of the little monsters to Gems while I looked over the trap in more detail. The net was little more than a series of vines that had been attached together with bits of fibrous plant leaves. I had some real doubts as to whether the thing would even support the weight of one of us, much less both. And what had been their plan, anyway? From the way they had tied the vines to themselves, it seemed like they were planning on using their body weight to cinch the net¡­ but then what? With just the four of them, how were they going to tie it off or finish us? Right about then, Jax wordlessly handed me the four minor Gems he had gotten from the corpses and jerked his head in the direction of the path ahead. It would seem we were done here. I looked down at the four little beads in my palm, each no bigger than a grain of sand. I, naturally, had wanted to eat mine immediately, but Jax had not wanted to discuss the matter at the time. Of course, that was yesterday. ¡°You want your share now?¡± I asked. He looked down at my proffered palm, ¡°You turn that shite off, yet?¡± I grinned, good naturedly, ¡°Of course!¡± He gave me a suspicious glare, ¡°Y¡¯ain¡¯t tryin¡¯ ta pull a fast one, are ye?¡± I made a face, ¡°Jax, are you implying that I want to watch you spooge in your britches again?¡± ¡°How do I know,¡± he snorted, ¡°I hear lots o¡¯ little lordlings get up t¡¯all sorts o¡¯ mischief.¡± He laughed to himself, ¡°Actually, me mates¡­¡± He glanced at me, ¡°me old mates would¡¯a thought it quite the knee-slapper.¡± I dipped my head a bit at the thought, ¡°Actually, I know quite a few guys who would, too. If they were drunk enough, anyway.¡± He laughed loudly, ¡°Aye, that! The drink do help.¡± My stomach gurgled loudly. We had finished off the last jar of our supplies that morning. I had panicked a bit at the knowledge, but Jax seemed unconcerned. We were only a day and a half from our destination, and a fast as short as that was hardly a thing to be worried about. Now, if I could just convince my protesting gut of that. ¡°Alright, hand ¡®em over,¡± Jax gestured to the Gems. I passed him his share, obligingly. ¡°Only one at a time, though. We don¡¯t wanna pass out again if we hit the next Layer.¡± I frowned, ¡°How would we even know if we were getting close.¡± The last time it had sort of blind-sided us, as I recalled. ¡°That be a good question, now¡¯n I think on it.¡± He looked at me, ¡°Why not wait ¡®til we hit town, just in case?¡± I really did not like that idea of that. Even if they were only minor Gems. ¡°You¡¯re not concerned about pickpockets?¡± I asked. He scoffed, ¡°An¡¯ risk the curse? None¡¯d be¡­¡± He stopped. Neither of us needed to say anything. ¡°Tonight then? When we bed down?¡± I asked. Despite all the build-up, it turned out we were getting excited over nothing. Just before we tucked in, we had popped our Gems in anticipation. Jax had shown me how to get the fire going on my own, and we were huddled around my first ever flint-started campfire. Of course, neither of us hit the next level that night, although I had an inkling that I was close. I could have been wrong, though. Given my recent track record. It would be nice if there was some sort of experience counter we could get access to. Maybe¡­ ¡°Is there a way to tell how much¡­ uh¡­¡± How should I put this? ¡°Can I purchase a skill or something to let me see how many Gems I need before the next le¡­ layer?¡±
Feature unlocks automatically at Core Layer Boundary.
This again? ¡°What is the Core Layer Boundary?¡± It was worth trying.
Apologize, first.
¡­ I was stunned for a long while at that message. I stammered, ¡°W-wha¡­?¡±
I said, apologize, and maybe then I¡¯ll answer your precious questions.
¡°O-okay¡­¡± I had no clue what I was supposed to be apologizing for, to say nothing of the fact that suddenly the menu was talking to me like an actual person for once. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry? I guess?¡±
You guess? You guess?!
Abruptly, a hand punched its way through the menu. Squawking in surprise, I flailed backward, sprawling on my backside. The hand, dainty and feminine in appearance, ripped through reality like so much tissue paper. The other side of it was the black of the void, the black of the Word space. The hand gripped my ankle and dragged me toward it. I screamed in terror. ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to go back there again!¡± I yelled. Surging forward, that delicate and fragile looking hand gripped me by my shirt and hauled me up like I was a children¡¯s doll. I came face to face with a woman of stunning beauty. Her face was near unimaginable, glowing with an inner radiance, and framed by lightly curled brunette hair which hung well past her shoulders. For some reason¡­ she seemed familiar. Currently, though, that face was curled up into a snarl. ¡°I cannot believe you kissed that floozy!¡± she yelled in my face. ¡°And then you have the audacity to ask me question after question as if nothing¡­¡± I jerked awake. Disoriented, I looked around, my heart even yet pounding. I was still sitting beside the campfire, my bedroll snugly tucked around my shoulders. Jax had just thrown another log on the fire. The sound of it must have startled me out of my slumber. I shook my head rapidly and rubbed at my eyes. I had been having weird dreams lately. Chapter 16 - Civilization When we had finally escaped the Allenwood, it had been a gradual affair. The trees around the road became simultaneously larger and further apart until finally they gave way to grassland. Or more specifically, moorland, given the name of the town we were approaching. I was not really sure what a ¡®moor¡¯ was supposed to be. For some reason, I had been thinking of something like a bog. But to my eyes, it looked like a hilly grassland. The ground was pretty smooshy, to be fair, but then it had been raining quite a lot. I did not see any cotton, either. At least, not here. Instead, I saw plenty of evidence of lumbering activity. That had accounted for the distance between the trees. Apparently, the people here had been avoiding clear cutting the forest in favor of selectively cutting the tallest and straightest trees. I saw several tree stumps dotted around, although there appeared to be an effort to burn them away. I could not see why they would make the effort, but I am sure they had their reasons. The first people that I saw in many many days were a pair of men and a woman, all of the elvish-type race that Jax had belonged to. They were operating a double-headed saw and cutting length-wise down a tree trunk, which had been lifted onto a pair of sawhorses, into planks of wood. The woman seemed to be the gofer, as she was carrying the finished boards away and stacking them into a rough pile. The sight of ¡®elves¡¯ cutting up wood for lumber was jarring to me, at first, until it occurred to me that just because they looked like elves, that did not mean that they were thousand year immortals that lived in elaborate tree-houses. That brought up a question, though. ¡°Jax, what race are those people?¡± I indicated the trio. Following my finger, he immediately responded, ¡°Them three be of the Laoi kind. Though the woman do look like she might be from up north, somewheres.¡± Looking again, I did see that she had a slightly darker complexion than the other two and with regular blond hair, cropped just below her ears, instead of the neon colors the other two sported. It seemed odd to me that someone with that kind of skin tone would be from the north¡­ and combined with blond hair? Were we in the southern hemisphere? That might explain it. The skin tone, anyway. On the other hand, I was not entirely sure that I was even on a planet. For all I knew, this could be some infinite plane or other oddment. I gave myself a half smile. Best to stick to what I knew for now, I decided. Considering Jax¡¯s reply, I wondered why he could identify his former race so readily when he could not say what he himself had been. On the other hand, maybe I just had not asked the right question. Surely, there was a way around the mental block. Maybe not. Either way, I knew the answer now. ¡°So¡­ the laoi? What are they like?¡± I asked. He shrugged, ¡°Jus¡¯ regular folk, I guess.¡± I looked at him. He rolled his eyes, ¡°Alright¡­ uh¡­ le¡¯see. They¡¯s the most common kind round these parts. Tend to build homes out o¡¯ what¡¯s local, so wood ¡®n sod round here. You¡¯ll be seein¡¯ that when we hit town. Uh¡­ what else.¡± He frowned thoughtfully. ¡°Are they particularly strong?¡± I asked, trying to help him out. ¡°Ye mean naturally? Nah. Or not compared to some. They tend to start a bit higher in Agility than most, though. Though their women-folk are a bit stronger than the men,¡± he replied. ¡°Really? Is that common?¡± I asked, surprised. ¡°No, no. Unique to laoi, far as I know.¡± He looked at me, ¡°But then, I never met all the kinds that be.¡± I smiled, ¡°It¡¯s the other way around for humans. I couldn¡¯t say exactly how big the difference is, but I saw a weight-lifting competition once. The starting weights for the men started heavier than the final weights of the women. But then, human men also tend to be bigger than women. On average, anyway.¡± I trailed off. He nodded slowly, frowning, ¡°Were they¡­ all even layered or sommat?¡± I considered how to answer that before settling on a definitive, ¡°Yes.¡± No layers at all should be the same as ¡®even layered¡¯. In my mind anyway. ¡°I never saw a weight lifting competition afore,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯d be pretty excitin¡¯! What do they do? Lift a big walloper of a rock o¡¯er their heads? Throw shite fer distance?¡± I laughed at his enthusiasm, and began explaining some of the many varieties of weight-based sport that humans had come up with. That conversation carried us for several miles. Humans, I decided, were a very bored species. When we finally arrived at the town of Kemry-in-the-Moors proper, we were met at a wooden palisade by another laoi fellow sitting on a bench smoking a pipe. He had a halberd propped on the wall behind him and was dressed in an ill-fitting green and black tabard with some kind of stylized creature sewn into it. This was draped over a scale shirt that the man had hiked up over his belly for some reason. When he saw us approaching, he stood up and made a half-hearted effort at straightening himself out, fetching a pot helm from somewhere behind him and slapping it crookedly over his head. Once we got close enough, he stepped in front of us and asked a question. It was only then that I remembered that I did not actually know the language around here. We had been speaking English this whole time. Seeing my look of confusion, Jax jumped in. The conversation was fairly short, as the man did not seem overly interested, but I did notice that Jax used the word ¡®Angleseffa¡¯ when he jerked a thumb at me. As we were allowed through the low gate, I looked at him and asked about it. ¡°He wanted ter know where ye was from is all. I told ¡®em ye were from the land o¡¯ the Angles. Ain¡¯t that what ye said afore?¡± he asked. That¡­ was not totally wrong. I mean, there was over a thousand years of history, a mass migration, a whole other continent, and a lot of wars between that people and what would eventually become my own¡­ but¡­ yes? Kind of. ¡°Right. Angleseffa,¡± I agreed. Why not? Much easier, I figured, to say that I am from some place people have never heard of than try to explain what had actually happened. If people still had wooden walls with gate guards, then I had to assume that world-wide exploration was a laughable dream. Unless ¡®magic¡¯, of course. Well, whatever. I would ride the lie as far as I could. ¡°Did that guard recognize you, at all?¡± I asked. He snorted, ¡°Nah. When ye be cursed, people only see the notice o¡¯er yer head.¡± He grinned, largely, ¡°Believe me, if¡¯n I¡¯d still had that shite hangin¡¯ o¡¯er me, there¡¯d be no way we¡¯d even have tried going through the gate.¡± He puffed his chest out and gave it a thump, ¡°But I be respectable now. Come on. The inn here¡¯s got a crackin¡¯ good pub, and I ain¡¯t had a drop in half a week.¡± I had to wonder how he knew so much about the town if there was such a stigma about the curse. Clearly, there would have to be some sort of underground network they could operate through. After all, he had mentioned that ¡®illegal activity¡¯ was not enough to mark you, and there had to be plenty of people willing to work with, and likely take advantage of, people who had been divinely outcast. I could only hope that wherever Jax was taking me was not some seedy den of iniquity. Fortunately, whether through design or happenstance, the place we ended up at was rather nice. To me, anyway. I was probably looking at it too much through the lens of the tourist to make an unbiased judgment. As a modern man from the Midwestern United States, a place whose architecture had more in common with Soviet Russia than medieval Europe, I might as well have been a kid at Disney World. The building he led me to was the largest one in the town square, which was a business district of sorts. The area was centered on a well that had been dug into the ground and lined with cobblestones rising to about the height of my ankles. This had been covered over with a wooden platform set flush with the stones. At present, the hatch built into the wood was open, and several people were standing around it to draw up water. There were quite a few shops all around, too, from a tailor to a blacksmith. None of them seemed to maintain much of a storefront, though most had one or two items on display. I had to assume that you had to order anything you wanted custom. All of the buildings were cramped together and at least two stories tall, but probably the single most unifying feature of the place was that every roof was covered with nicely manicured green grass. And as nice of an effect as that was, it was contrasted sharply by the chewed up wet mud that the streets were made of. Honestly, I could not fathom why they would go through so much trouble to maintain roofs like that and have streets that looked like a hog¡¯s wallow. Having caught myself gawking, I hurried to catch up with my partner. The place he entered into had a staggering four stories, although from the look of it, I had to assume that it had not been built all at once. It seemed to have been assembled from various bits and bobs, with pieces sticking out and random gables attached with no rhyme or reason. As I stepped onto the raised platform in front of the building, I took note of the sign over the low door which did not have any lettering. Instead, there was a nicely inscribed carving of an upside-down donkey swinging in the wind. I later learned it was called the ¡®Flopped Arse¡¯. I loved it. Cleaning my shoes off on the boot scrape beforehand, I stepped through the open door. The bar took up the entirety of the bottom floor and was set on raised slats set diagonally across the room. For all the mud in the street, the place looked well swept and reasonably clean. Jax was already making his way to a corner table and signaling a bar maid. I had no idea what time it was other than the nebulous understanding that it was within the late afternoon, so the place was already hopping. The crowd hardly went silent at our entrance, as I feared what with me being some weird alien creature and all, but I certainly attracted my share of looks. Most of the people here were of the laoi race, though I did see a few familiar types scattered here and there. The dwarven rhino men had several representatives sitting together at a long table in the center of the room, and there was one of those gray orcs sitting at the bar, though this one was female. The right side of her black hair was cut short while the rest was swept over to the left. I took note of her rather shapely backside as I walked past, as it was jutting out prominently due to her laying at the bar passed out drunk. I also noticed that she was being given a wide berth despite her unconsciousness. ¡°What do ye want to drink, mate?¡± Jax asked as I sat down. ¡°Uh¡­ mead, maybe?¡± I asked. That was what you ordered in places like this, right? ¡°Mead?¡± he cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Yeah¡­ you know. Honey wine?¡± I clarified. ¡°Wine?¡± he snorted. ¡°Ye be lucky to get a stout spirit out here.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said, a little lost. ¡°What do they have, then?¡± ¡°Well, that depends.¡± He started counting off on his fingers, ¡°Do ye wanna drink? Do ye wanna drink and feel happy ¡®bout it? Or do ye wanna get the Flop-Arse Special?¡± I laughed and put on a haughty air, ¡°One simply does not visit a place that decides to put a ¡®special¡¯ on the menu and not at least sample it out of courtesy.¡± He grinned widely at that and almost ordered, but I interrupted, ¡°However, I haven¡¯t eaten in almost two days. So let¡¯s start with the number one for now. We can get fancy once I¡¯ve lined my stomach a bit.¡± ¡°Alright, ya poof. Fine,¡± he said, exaggeratedly. He ordered several things from the patiently waiting barmaid, a comely laoi woman wearing what I would consider stereotypical medieval peasant garb ¡ª a white, low cut blouse with a brown, leather corset tied just under her breasts ¡ª save for the pair of loose pants she was sporting. I also noted that she was probably three or four inches taller than Jax, though still a tad shorter than myself. Jax and I chatted about nothing for a while as we waited on the meal. He had not been here in over a year, apparently, and was excited to finally eat a prepared dish. I could only share his sentiment, though I was a bit nervous to eat fare from this time period. This was hardly the era of celebrity chefs and food culture that pervaded the twenty-first century Earth. Who knew what kind of food I would be looking at? Then again, the last thing I had eaten back home had been a microwave pizza pocket. First, though, I needed to address an eminent problem, ¡°Okay, so clearly I don¡¯t speak the language around here. Have you been speaking a local dialect or is there a common tongue I should be learning?¡± ¡°Jus¡¯ Laoi¡¯na,¡± he said. ¡°Though the slang do drift a bit from city to city. Course the other kinds have their own languages. Dunno none o¡¯ them though.¡± The barmaid set a couple of tumblers on the table for us, said something with a wink, and left again. ¡°She says she likes yer beard,¡± Jax chuckled. ¡°What? Really?¡± I floundered. I reached for one of the beers to hide my embarrassment. She was kind of cute, actually. And those pointy ears were a plus for a fantasy fan-boy like myself. Jax was in the middle of downing his like a bar shot, so it took him a moment to reply. ¡°Ahh,¡± he belched loudly, ¡°that do hit the spot.¡± Smacking his lips, he set his tumbler down and waved for another. He turned back to me, ¡°Aye, hair like ye got on yer chin be unusual fer most. Ye be exotic, mate.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Taking a cautious sip of my own ale, I found it fairly smooth but rather unpleasantly sweet. It tasted something like a wheat beer. Good enough to do the job, I decided. Personally, I rather hated having facial hair. Then again, I could probably count on one hand the number of times I had gotten a compliment from a woman. I might have to reconsider my position on the matter. On the other hand, it was pretty lame to do something you hated just because it might get you laid. On the other other hand¡­ it might get me laid. Choices, choices¡­ ¡°Do you think I have a shot?¡± I asked. He snorted, ¡°What¡¯re ya gonna say to ¡®er? Ye can nay speak the language, remember?¡± Right. ¡°You¡¯re just going to have to teach me, then,¡± I said. He chuckled, ¡°Well, sure, mate. But it ain¡¯t gonna be quick like what¡­¡± He trailed off, his eyes going distant for a bit before he finally looked back at me, ¡°Well, that be the oddest.¡± ¡°What is?¡± He looked away for a moment, as if trying to decide whether he wanted to continue. Finally, he said, ¡°The Lady just told me that she¡¯d allow me to gift ye me tongue if¡­¡± he paused, listening to it once more to be certain, ¡°if I could get me¡­ uh¡­ you, that is, ter admit ye think ¡®women with horns¡¯ is sexy?¡± He looked at me in utter bewilderment. I blinked. I mean I did, but¡­ ¡°But I¡¯ve never met anyone with horns?¡± I said, quizzically. Jax was right. The Lady he was experiencing was completely different to what I had seen. ¡°¡­And I don¡¯t understand what¡­ why would she ask that?¡± He opened his mouth to reply, but the barmaid chose that moment to bring us our meal. We were served a generously large slice of bread with some kind of meat and a spicy gravy on top, rather like a topless sloppy Joe. And huge. These were presented on what I would describe as a wooden cutting board with a handle. On the side were an assortment of unidentifiable fruits and nuts with a large slice of white cheese. Altogether, it smelled divine. Jax thanked the woman, I assumed, but she held out her palm, expectantly. He nodded, ¡°Hand me one o¡¯ them Dungeon Silver, mate.¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± I said. I had them tied up in a bundle in my pack, but secured so they would not fall out of the holes. I really needed to get a new one. ¡°How long do ye wanna stay here, anyway?¡± he asked. ¡°This here ain¡¯t gonna cost but a few copper. May as well negotiate board while I¡¯m about it.¡± That was a bit of an open question. I did not have any goals, per se, at the moment. I had sort of assumed we would be heading on to Bradfirth, it being the largest town around here, but I could easily be dissuaded. We would need to talk it over. ¡°Let¡¯s go with two nights for now. I want to see if we can buy some supplies tomorrow. Also, see if they have a heated bath?¡± ¡°A heated bath?¡± he rolled his eyes. ¡°Aye, yer lordship.¡± He turned to negotiate with the woman, holding up the silver. Her eyes widened a bit at the sight of it, and after a few words, she excused herself. ¡°She says she don¡¯t know the exchange fer it. She¡¯s gotta ask the barman,¡± Jax explained. ¡°What do you mean about the ¡®horns¡¯ thing?¡± I asked, taking the subject back around. He looked at me conspiratorially, as if anyone could actually understand us talking, ¡°It be the oddest thing. She keeps eggin¡¯ me on, tryin¡¯ to find out yer, uh¡­ taste in women, let us do say. At first, it were kinda pissin¡¯ me off ¡®cause¡­ well, anyway, this be the first time she be offerin¡¯ sommat fer the knowledge.¡± I had no idea why a goddess or whomever Jax was talking to wanted to know something like that. Still, I quirked an eyebrow, ¡°Pissing you off? Why? You getting a little jealous?¡± ¡°Boil yer head,¡± he took a swig from his fresh tumbler. ¡°But why ask you, though? I don¡¯t get it,¡± I asked. Before he could answer, the barmaid returned with our quote. Whatever it was, Jax was none too pleased, and they argued back and forth about it for a short while. Finally, in resignation, he took the coin and, to my horror, snapped it in half. Before I could say anything, he took the half coin and halved it again. Handing me the two uneven pieces, he gave the remaining quarter to the barmaid, who pocketed it happily and left. ¡°Bloody quarter silver fer two nights? Bah. Flamin¡¯ soldiers just lit out o¡¯ here, apparently. Ate up a lot o¡¯ their stores,¡± he sighed. ¡°That¡¯s the luck.¡± When he had talked before about quarters and half silvers, I had assumed he had meant by way of exchanging it for coppers or something, not literal quarters of silver. Looking at the coin, I could see that there had been grooves cut into it, I now realized, exactly for that purpose. From the look of it, you could could snap it down to eight equal parts. It had never occurred to me that they were for breaking them into pieces. I looked up. Pieces of eight. Like pirate money. Neat! ¡°Well?¡± Jax asked. ¡°What?¡± I blinked. ¡°Do ye like ¡®em with horns or not?¡± he looked around. ¡°Honestly, though, even if ye don¡¯t, just lie. Be an easy way to learn a language, I reckon.¡± That was true. Still, if a goddess was asking questions about me, I figured my best policy was to be as straightforward as possible. I leaned forward, ¡°Alright, so here¡¯s the deal. Where I¡¯m from there¡¯s a¡­ oh, I don¡¯t know. A legend? Story? Myth? About this¡­¡± I waved my hands vaguely, ¡°creature? Called a succubus, okay?¡± Jax nodded, listening. ¡°So a succubus is supposed to take the form of an amazingly beautiful woman, like¡­ almost, too gorgeous. And she¡¯s always hungry for sex.¡± ¡°Oh, I be likin¡¯ this story,¡± Jax¡¯s eyes were starting to shine a bit. I smirked, ¡°Yeah, well, the thing is, that part is an illusion. Her beauty, anyway. When she gets you to uh¡­ you know.¡± ¡°Fuckin¡¯,¡± Jax supplied, excitedly. ¡°Right. That,¡± I agreed. ¡°Anyway, you die. She sucks the life out of you.¡± His eyebrows lifted, ¡°What? Through ¡®er fanny?¡± I snorted, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know precisely how it¡¯s supposed to work. Anyway, nobody really knows what they look like underneath the glamor, but usually, they are drawn with horns and wings and such. So¡­ as you might imagine, the story does appeal to me. I mean¡­ you¡¯ve got to admit. It would be a good way to die.¡± He nodded slowly, ¡°Aye that. A good way to go.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more to it, of course, and the story changes in the telling, but that¡¯s the short version, anyhow,¡± I finished. I broke off a hunk of cheese and gave it an experimental sniff. It was pungent to say the least. Tasted pretty good, though. ¡°So¡­ are ye sayin¡¯ that¡¯d be how ye¡¯d want to die? Or what are ye sayin¡¯, exactly?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, no. See the appeal is in the forbidden nature of it, right? It¡¯s a thing that you would really want but can never have,¡± I paused. ¡°Or that¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to be. The beauty of it, though, is that it¡¯s just a story. You can edit out the parts you don¡¯t like, if you want to. You know, since we¡¯re using our imaginations here.¡± I looked at the massive slab of bread and meat. How was I supposed to eat this thing? Fold it over like a gyro? Jax had yet to touch his food, preferring to concentrate on his beer. ¡°What do ye mean? How would ye change it?¡± ¡°Well, get rid of the death thing, for one,¡± I laughed. They had provided a huge knife with the food, though it was not overly sharp. Experimentally, I started sawing at the bread with it until I had something roughly bite-sized. Shoving the square into my mouth, I decided I quite liked it. Very homey. Licking my fingers, I continued, ¡°I¡¯ve read some versions where they just feed on¡­ uh¡­¡± I lowered my voice a bit unnecessarily, ¡°semen, amongst other things. I¡¯m kind of torn about that version though. Equal parts hot and gross, ya know?¡± What a conversation to be having over a meal. Ugh. How had we gotten onto this topic? Oh, right, ¡°I guess it¡¯s not really important. But, to answer the question, yes, I guess you could say it¡¯s a fantasy of mine.¡± Jax finished off his second beer and looked at me thoughtfully, ¡°I can see the appeal, I suppose. Though, why you¡¯d go through the trouble when ye can just pay a whore, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Well, for one thing, prostitution is illegal where I¡¯m from,¡± I said, shoving another square of food into my mouth. Jax was idly sniffing at one of the fruits, but he dropped it in shock at my admission. ¡°What?! Illegal? W-what¡­ why?!¡± I sighed. There was no way that I would be able to explain this sufficiently. ¡°My people tend to be very¡­ repressed, let¡¯s say, about a lot of things. Especially, sex. There is a tendency, when we see something we don¡¯t like, to just outlaw it instead of regulating or controlling it. We even tried it with alcohol for a while. That was a disaster.¡± ¡°Alcohol!¡± Jax exclaimed in horror. ¡°That¡¯s sick! Remind me never to visit yer homeland.¡± I laughed. I had expected that reaction, after all, ¡°Yeah, well, that was well before I was born. They changed course on that one after¡­ oh¡­ ten years or so.¡± ¡°A decade!? A whole decade without booze?¡± he said disbelievingly. ¡°Oh, ye poor bastards.¡± I grinned, ¡°Oh no no. No one went without. It was just forced underground.¡± I looked away, ¡°Made a lot of very shitty people very rich, too.¡± Jax waved for another beer before looking at me, thoughtfully, ¡°So, who¡¯s gettin¡¯ rich off o¡¯ forbiddin¡¯ whorin¡¯?¡± That was an interesting question. I mean, I knew that prostitution was still around. There was always a demand for it, but I did not know of any kind of organized crime centered around the industry. Not that I would be any kind of expert on the matter. Who was getting rich off of sex, then? Then it came to me, ¡°Porn.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Pornography. You see, while it is illegal to charge for sex, it is not illegal to charge people to watch you having sex,¡± I explained. He blinked at me, slowly. ¡°Yer a wee clipe, ya know that?¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know what that means. But, anyway, it¡¯s a huge industry. And the more repressed people are, the more money they tend to spend on watching. There¡¯s a lot of offshoots, too. Stories, for instance,¡± I hinted. He looked at me, ¡°Ah, now it be comin¡¯ together. Ye like yer horned women so much because ye been lackin¡¯ a good whore!¡± He slapped me on the shoulder, ¡°Well, good news! We ain¡¯t got that problem ¡®round these parts. Come tomorrow¡­¡± he paused, ¡°well, no, probably not here¡­ no¡­ but in Bradfirth proper, they got a nice red house. We¡¯ll set ya up good, mate.¡± Oh. Oh, no, that was not¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ that might be a little over simplified¡­¡± I began, but the barmaid was back with another round of beer. I had finished off my plate, so she collected it before bustling away again. Jax, I noted, had still not touched his food. ¡°Are you not going to eat?¡± I asked. He frowned slowly, ¡°Ye know¡­ it be a curious thing. I were hungry, sure, afore I came in here. But¡­¡± he shook his head, ¡°I ain¡¯t now.¡± My face turned to concern, ¡°Are you not feeling well?¡± He seemed to think about it for moment before answering, ¡°Actually, no. I feel great! Better than I have for a long while.¡± He looked at his beer mug, suspiciously, ¡°Ye think they be cuttin¡¯ the beer with sommat?¡± ¡°I feel the same as normal,¡± I said, though in truth, I was getting a bit tipsy. ¡°Maybe you should try to eat anyway?¡± Breaking off a piece of cheese, he nibbled the edge of it before spitting to the side, ¡°This tastes shite.¡± He sat back, looking over the food like he had was nauseated by the very idea of trying to eat any of it. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not sick? Would you get a status update if you were?¡± I asked. He nodded, ¡°I should¡¯a, aye. Let me ask, anyway.¡± He muttered quietly to himself for a while, apparently asking several questions before he finally looked back at me, ¡°Well¡­ two things.¡± I looked at him, expectantly, ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°One¡­ apparently, as a lilim, I be immune to disease,¡± he said. ¡°Really? That¡¯s a nice bonus,¡± I said. Why did I have to find out about these things second hand? This world really loved the whole ¡®you¡¯ll find out¡¯ gameplay mechanic. He tilted his head in acknowledgment, ¡°Aye, that. And two,¡± he continued, ¡°She be sayin¡¯, I do nay need to eat food no more. I can if I be starved, but it ain¡¯t me ¡®primary source o¡¯ life energy¡¯.¡± I could hear the quotations. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°And what would that be?¡± He shrugged a bit, ¡°I do nay understand it. Something about¡­ emotion, I guess?¡± I sat back, ¡°You¡­ you feed off of emotions?¡± He frowned, like he was trying to find the words, ¡°Not feed¡­ she said¡­ absorb? And the stronger, the better. I think. She be usin¡¯ words I do nay know.¡± ¡°Okay, what did she say exactly?¡± I asked. ¡°Uh¡­ sommat about an ¡®Empathic Absorption Matrix¡¯ and how it were just recently formed. And how it be ¡®Unspecialized¡¯?¡± he tried to explain. ¡°Okay,¡± I said slowly, ¡°Well, an empath is someone who is very good at telling what emotions other people are feeling. Some even claim that they feel them themselves. I¡¯m absolutely terrible at that, incidentally.¡± ¡°I noticed,¡± he interrupted. ¡°R-right. As for the rest¡­ well, a ¡®matrix¡¯ is¡­ uh¡­ well, it¡¯s like an array, I guess? It¡¯s a lot of similar things working together for a common goal. Something like that.¡± He looked at me blankly. ¡°Okay, to paraphrase¡­ I would say you have a new¡­ organ? I guess?¡± I was hedging in a big way, but it sounded like a decent interpretation to me. ¡°An organ?¡± He looked down at himself, ¡°Where?¡± He began poking at himself in random places. ¡°How would I know?¡± I said automatically. ¡°Out of curiosity, can you tell what emotion I¡¯m feeling right now?¡± ¡°Confused,¡± he said immediately. Then he continued in a searching manner, ¡°Also¡­ impressed? Intrigued?¡± I was looking at him wide-eyed, ¡°You¡¯re like a damned Betazoid.¡± ¡°Now you be feeling wildly happy, fer some reason?¡± he said. ¡°And what were that ye called me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s another one of those stories. Fictional race. Natural empaths. Or¡­ some of them are. I don¡¯t remember,¡± I explained quickly. ¡°How long has this whole empathy thing been going on?¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t sure,¡± he said. ¡°Sometime in the Dungeon, I reckon. Though it were weak at first.¡± I pursed my lips in thought, ¡°This might be part of your race change. In fact, I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°Ye think so?¡± he asked. ¡°It must be. Think about it. Back when I cast that spell on you, your race changed, but nothing else did. Even now, you are indistinguishable from the laoi.¡± He balked, ¡°I ain¡¯t no laoi.¡± I lowered my head and cocked an eyebrow at him. ¡°Oh, come on. You look exactly like one. You¡¯ve got ridiculously red hair. Pointed ears. You¡¯re the same size and shape. You even speak their language! And it was the only one you knew before you met me.¡± He twitched, ¡°That¡­ that don¡¯t feel right. I mean¡­ I get what yer sayin¡¯. But¡­ it just don¡¯t feel right.¡± I nodded in sympathy, ¡°Yeah, I think that might be part of the mental changes you experienced when the race change hit you.¡± I patted his shoulder, ¡°Look, don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯re a lilum now.¡± I found the eyes of the barmaid and signaled another round. ¡°Why don¡¯t you order us a couple of those specials?¡± ¡°Bah, away you. But I¡¯ll nay turn down more booze.¡± He looked away for a moment before asking, ¡°Do ye think anything else¡¯ll change? Now that I be a lilum.¡± He looked at me, fearfully. I let out a slow breath, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know for sure, but¡­ that seems likely.¡± I avoided looking at him for a while, in guilt, before eventually shrugging it off, ¡°It¡¯s not all that bad, though, right? I mean, as long as you¡¯re around people, you won¡¯t starve.¡± He smirked, ¡°Aye, true. I used to like food, though.¡± He poked at his bread with his knife. I could sympathize. Everyone likes food. But, then I considered¡­ people like food because they need food. People like sex because the species needs sex to survive. Ergo¡­ ¡°Do emotions¡­ taste like anything?¡± He looked at me and sat back, thinking, ¡°I¡­ I dunno? I did nay know I were doin¡¯ it ¡®til just a second past.¡± He sat there silently, trying to pay attention to what he was feeling. While he was doing that, I looked down at his uneaten plate. ¡°Uh¡­ since you¡¯re not eating¡­ do you mind?¡± He distractedly pushed his board of food over, and I dug in. I felt like a pig, but then, I had been on a starvation diet. Today was my cheat day. The waitress showed up just then, timing it perfectly to hand us another round, too. Jax came out of his reverie to say a few words to her, then turned to me, ¡°I ain¡¯t sure what I¡¯s feelin¡¯ exactly. There¡¯s too much goin¡¯ on in here. Most people in here be just happy the day¡¯s over an¡¯ gettin¡¯ to wet their kisser. It be makin¡¯ me feel¡­ buzzy.¡± I swallowed one of the fruits before replying. It was blue with ridges spiraling down it and tasted rich and sweet. ¡°What are these called?¡± ¡°Bluetwists,¡± he supplied. A little on the nose but that was fine. We had blueberries and oranges, after all. ¡°Buzzy, huh? What do you mean? Like excited?¡± He nodded, ¡°Excited and kinda¡­ hyper? Like I wanna move. Dance maybe. I think I would be if they had any music in here.¡± I, for one, was glad of that. I was not one for dancing. I had really internalized the persona of ¡®awkward white guy¡¯. ¡°Okay, so¡­ how do we collect on that language thing?¡± I asked, bringing the conversation back to our starting point. He began murmuring to himself to find out just as the barmaid came back with some new mugs. I was still about halfway through my current round, so I was a bit surprised. Jax must have ordered us the special the last time she came by. Whatever it was, it had a massive head of foam over top of it. I gave it a quick sniff and found it similar to a stout or a porter. I sipped at it and grimaced at the thickly sweet yet oddly bloody flavor. Make that a Russian stout. Just then, Jax reached for his and downed it in one go. I was extremely impressed but also lightly horrified. A beer like that was not meant to be quaffed. Gasping for breath, he said, ¡°Oh, I ain¡¯t drunk enough fer this.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± I asked. He looked over at me, ¡°She says I gotta kiss ya.¡± Non-chapter Update This is just to let everyone know that I have started a Patreon. The link should be up. Currently, there is only the one tier, but I am amenable to changing things around depending on your preferences. At present, because I don''t have a back log anymore, I am working on getting some paid content for you guys to look at. I have a few snippets there from the next chapter, currently, and once I have the full thing up, I will leave it there until the next one is ready to drop. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. So there will be a slight artificial delay on this website while I get things going. In other news, I am starting some conversations with some graphics designers to get an actual cover for my story. So, look forward to that! Have a great day! P.S. I''ll delete this once the real chapter goes live. Chapter 17 - A New Skill, A New Destination, and a Little Excitement I stared at Jax. Jax stared at me. My upper lip twitched. His left eyebrow slowly lifted. ¡°So, we¡¯re in agreement, then?¡± I said, finally. ¡°I think so, aye,¡± he conceded. Wanting to delay this for as long as possible, I took a long pull from my beer tumbler. Coughing roughly, I continued, ¡°She¡¯s a pervert.¡± Almost exasperatedly, he spread his hands wide, ¡°I been tellin¡¯ ye that from the beginning.¡± I sat silently for a while, thinking. With a frown, I asked, ¡°But why would she ask me about a random¡­ well, okay, yeah, let¡¯s call it a fetish. And then ask me to kiss you?¡± Jax began signaling for another beer frantically. I looked at him with a degree of concern. He was well past a round ahead of me. Finally deciding to face me again, he said, ¡°Just so we¡¯s clear. I ain¡¯t happy ¡®bout this.¡± I blinked, ¡°Do you honestly think that I am?¡± He shook his head, ¡°No, I know you ain¡¯t.¡± He tapped the side of his head, ¡°I be an empath now, if ye be ¡®memberin¡¯?¡± I grimaced. That must be weird. Even if it was from someone you in no way wanted to be intimate with, no one would want to actually feel the disgust at the idea from them. Jax looked at me aghast, ¡°Why the fuck are ye feelin¡¯ guilty, now?¡± I closed my eyes. Fuck me¡­ This was going to take some getting used to. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Jax. I was just feeling¡­ sympathetic to your, ¡° I gestured at him vaguely, ¡°condition.¡± He looked at me incredulously, ¡°Yer feelin¡¯ guilty that I can sense ye do nay want to kiss me? Even though, ye know I also do nay want to kiss you?¡± He shook his head, ¡°By the three. Y¡¯are a poof.¡± I rubbed my face in my hands, ¡°I don¡¯t know. What do you want me to say?¡± ¡°Y¡¯ain¡¯t got to say nothin¡¯, mate,¡± he said. ¡°We be of an accord on the matter. So stop punchin¡¯ at yerself an¡¯ gimme yer hand.¡± I looked up, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Well, She did nay say I had ter kiss ye on the lips now did She?¡± he said, a cocky grin slowly forming. My eyes clouded over, and I gazed into the distance. The moron bell had been rung soundly on the stupidity high-striker of my brain. One of these days, I would convince myself to stop wielding the hammer¡­ if only the damned thing was not glued quite so firmly to my palm. Head lowered in shame, I limply held my hand out to him. He did not hesitate in the slightest, I think just wanting to get it over with. The feeling of his moist lips on the back of my hand was¡­ unsettling but mercifully brief.
Congratulations! Your [Lilim] has gifted you with access to their native tongue, [Laoi¡¯na]. Due to only technically meeting the conditions of the task, your initial skill level has been set to Low Intermediate [25]. Also, @)#(*$$&
I looked at the message in befuddlement. What in the¡­ I tried tapping at the weird error, but the box did not respond to my probes. In defeat, I eventually dismissed the message and sat back. Yet another thing to ask someone about. I need to start writing these down. I¡¯m forgetting my questions faster than I¡¯m getting answers. ¡°Well? Did it work?¡± Jax asked. Brought back to the issue at hand, I looked inward. The library in my mind had been expanded in one particular section. It was now conveniently labeled [Laoi¡¯na] and had its own shelf, though there seemed to be a lot missing. Experimentally, I tried to say something, ¡°Uh¡­ I be of the thinking the speak now I can.¡± Jax clapped a hand over his mouth, ¡°Oh, mate. No. No no. What happened?¡± I grimaced, ¡°Lady pervert giving the language bad saying do task stupid way.¡± He sat back with his eyes closed, his shoulders shaking with mirth, ¡°Mate. Mate, stop. Please.¡± I smirked in a teasing way, ¡°You look now, see! I listening you pig stab English all times! Now turn of you!¡± Unable to hold it any longer, he guffawed just as the barmaid returned with our latest round. I addressed her as Jax was currently beside himself, ¡°Time of the last one, thinking me am.¡± I jerked a finger over at my wheezing companion, ¡°Drinking all the much this one. Wanting room, now. Yes?¡± Jax started limply slapping at my shoulder. She looked at the two of us with a very confused expression, ¡°Alright, sure, honey. I was just about to cut you off, anyway. But¡­ wanting room?¡± I nodded, ¡°Yes, key of room not having. Sleep bed. Very good.¡± Her eyes lit up in comprehension, ¡°Oh! I see. Yes, I¡¯ll bring your key in a minute. Do you want that bath soon?¡± I shook my head, ¡°No. Bath want time of the sleepings. Darkness, yes?¡± Jax had his head buried in his arm on the table, his fist lightly pounding on it. ¡°Uh¡­ at dusk? Okay, sure. We¡¯ll fetch you when it¡¯s ready. Bye now,¡± she said as she sashayed away. I looked over at Jax. He had been laughing through the whole conversation, and was now starting to limply slide underneath the table. ¡°Oh, stop,¡± I said, switching back to English. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± The bath was heaven. After so long in the cold winds, freezing forest streams, and the seemingly inescapable caked on mud, I was now soaking in comfort. I never wanted it to end. Doggedly, I decided to ride out this bath until either the water cooled, or I was so pruned up, I hurt. The bathing room was pretty neat, too. The inn actually had three of them for their customers to rent out. Each was equipped with a large barrel that was tall enough to come up to my mid-waist. I was not certain how it all worked, but I could see some kind of downspout overhead from where they must have filled the thing. They must have rigged up some form of running water, and from the look of it, I assumed it was gravity fed. The bottom of the tub had a spigot for draining it out onto the floor, from which there was a further grille where the water could flow off somewhere. There was even a convenient set of stairs to help customers climb in and out of the tub. The whole thing was situated over a bed of coals or something which heated the water. Or at least, that was my assumption. I could not see exactly what was going on under there. Whatever it was, the bathhouse was thankfully smokeless, and the warmth from below was palpable. I wriggled my toes, comfortably. The inn must have been a fairly major hub of some kind to have a place like this. I was not sure exactly what it was a hub for, but my hunch was that the Allenwood had to provide some fairly major resources for the locals. But if that were the case, why had we not seen anyone the whole time we were out there? Off-season? I shrugged at myself. I was going to get few answers soaking in a barrel. A lovely, lovely warm barrel. Idly, I submerged my head and blew bubbles. My eyes snapped open at the muted sound. Hovering in front of me but distorted by the water, was a new message box. Standing up again, I scrubbed the water from my eyes so that I could read it properly.
You have received a new Quest! Travel to the Stele of the Fourth Creation, and place your palm thereupon. One Question may be asked. One Answer may be given. Time limit: None Reward: Variable
¡°Uh¡­ what?¡± I said, blankly. The sound echoed oddly in the little room. Reading it through three times, I still did not know what to make of it. I mean sure, the meat of it was pretty easy to understand. Travel to place, get reward. But why? And since when did I start getting quests out of nowhere? Who had given it to me? I scrubbed my fingers through my hair in frustration. This game made no sense! If quests were a thing, then why had I not gotten a quest like¡­ escape from the Dungeon? Or get to civilization without dying? Maybe those were just obvious things that anyone would do given the situation? Resignedly, I slipped back under the water. Shit. Now, I needed to get out and talk to Jax. I closed my eyes. Five more minutes¡­ A half-hour later, I opened the door to our room. I was wearing one of the provided towels I had found in the bathing room around my waist. When I had finally convinced myself to abandon my watery sanctuary, I had discovered that my clothes had been absconded with. The bath attendant outside explained that my laundry would be cleaned and returned in the morning. Honestly, I was quite impressed at the level of service an inn at the edge of a wood provided its guests. I would need to make sure everyone here got a nice tip. If that was a thing. Our room was on the third story and at the very end of the hallway. I had left wet footprints all along the way and was quite self-conscious about my near nakedness, but no one that I passed gave me a second look. Or rather, I should say that they were not looking at my towel. Mostly, I was getting looks of curiosity. One woman ¡ª one of the maids actually ¡ª had even asked if she could feel my beard. That had been awkward, but I did not say no. I knew from experience that it was a patchy, ridiculous looking thing, though I had yet to look it over, not having access to a mirror. She seemed to like it, however. I grinned to myself. It had been a struggle to contain my¡­ excitement at the attention. Of all the times to be caught out in a bath towel¡­ Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. In any case, I arrived none the worse for wear and found the room to be quite spacious and clean. There were two twin beds placed at opposite sides of the room and a nice gabled window in the center with a bench set into the wall for you to look out onto the square. I looked at the opening with a degree of consternation. There were no privacy curtains. Well¡­ who would want to look in on a couple of naked guys anyway? Drawing my attention away, I saw that there was a chest of drawers and a trunk at the foot of each bed. It would seem that extended stays were normal for this place. Jax, I discovered, had claimed the bed on the right for himself and was passed out cold. It was well after dark, so I did not blame him. Still, I had assumed he would want to get cleaned up. Also, I really needed to discuss the development that had arisen in the bath, but his soft snoring convinced me to leave him be. It could wait. Shrugging, I dug into my pack for my spare set of clothes but found them to be missing, as well. I searched through all of the drawers and found them all to be quite empty. Looking over at Jax¡¯s sleeping form, I saw his exposed bare shoulders peeking out from his sheet. He must have abandoned all of our clothes to the laundry collector. It was probably the smart thing to do. They were filthy, after all, but that did not keep me from being self-conscious. Seeing nothing else for it, I hung the damp towel over a bed post and snuggled into the bed. The mattress, I discovered, was filled entirely with feathers. This was a completely new experience for me, although to be fair, most things recently were. The feathers were soft as could be, and I sank through them almost like a liquid. The sides of the mattress rose up around me, snuggling me in with a warm and soft hug. Shifting contentedly, I reveled in the sensation. If only I could carry one of these around on the road. My bedroll had been welcome, but hardly comfortable. The many nights on the hard and often wet ground had been trying, however I was slowly getting used to it. I had always been something of a night owl, preferring to get my gaming on in the wee hours of the night, but around here, everything just sort of shut down once darkness came. Then again, I was getting way more exercise than I was accustomed to. That helped a great deal. Closing my eyes to the darkness, I fell asleep swiftly, despite the occasional poke of a feather coming through the mattress cover. I was sitting in a pottery class I had decided to take over the summer. It was one of those random decisions that you sometimes make out of the combined need to improve upon oneself and the ever present sense of encroaching boredom. The class was being taught at one of the local high schools, in the art room. The too-small desks had been arranged in a U-shape around a central table where the teacher had been showing us various techniques a person could use to form our projects into something presentable without the need for a pottery wheel. He was a lovely man, quite honestly. He had been very eager to show us all sorts of things and just seemed excited to be there. I had been enjoying myself immensely. That, however, was not what was drawing my attention. Over the past few days, I had been doing my level best to assemble a little teapot for myself. The teacher had told us that we could keep the finished product, after all, and I wanted something that was at least usable. That was being made more difficult than it should have been because of the individual sitting to my left. This complete asshole of a gorilla had been talking trash about my ability as a potter, or the lack thereof, the entire time. And for some reason, the guy chose to speak entirely in iambic pentameter. Like it made him sound smart or something. I mean, he wasn¡¯t wrong, of course, but it was an amateur class, for goodness sake! It wasn¡¯t like the 1:12 scale Leaning Tower of Pisa he had been making was that impressive. I frowned at my little teapot in dismay. The spigot looked okay, but I just could not get the handle to look right. A hand waved in front of my face to get my attention. The crazed looking woman sitting on the other side of me had been paying no heed whatsoever to my own little drama. Between the two of them, it was a wonder I had managed to get anything accomplished, at all. ¡°Does this look right?¡± she asked. I shook my head, ¡°No, no. The neck needs to be much longer.¡± She had been picking my brain the last few sessions about loads of different animals and sculpting them out of clay. Honestly, I was inclined at this point to just refer her to a nice nature documentary, but in full disclosure, I enjoyed the attention. She was good, too. The lion she had made last time looked pretty damned realistic despite her having no visual aid. She was, I decided, the most unusual looking person I had ever met in my life. A tallish woman who looked to be in her early twenties, she was wearing lots of loose, flowing clothing, rather like the flower children from a few generations ago. She was also sporting a set of sunglasses, today, with purple lenses. I thought they looked cool as hell. Actually, come to think of it, she was wearing just what you might expect someone sitting in a pottery class to be wearing. Meanwhile, her hair was a complete riot of curls and braids and dreadlocks, all in various colors and lengths, like she had gone to the beautician and simply asked for the works. Meanwhile, she seemed to have a set of four horns, like a Jacob sheep, poking out in several places through it all. I didn¡¯t know if they were real or some kind of headpiece she had thought would look interesting with¡­ all the rest of it. ¡°But that¡¯s insane!¡± she said. ¡°How can it support a neck like that?¡± I shrugged, ¡°I am not the person to ask about that, though I think that they have the same number of neck bones as every other mammal.¡± I had been rather fascinated with the topic of evolution as a young man and knew more than my fair share of tidbits on the subject. That had been a long time ago, though, and it was starting to fade now. She shook her head, ¡°That seems inefficient.¡± ¡°Your teapot, if that thing is what you say, is really shit you must admit, today. If¡­¡± ¡°Can it, Carl,¡± I said. Nine hundred pound ape, or no, I was done with his crap. Plus, that line was shaping up to be something close to Vogon poetry, and no one deserved to be subjected to that. ¡°What did you say this thing is called again,¡± she said, drawing my attention back. ¡°A giraffe,¡± I replied. ¡°But how is it you don¡¯t know what a giraffe looks like? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been to a zoo without at least one.¡± ¡°Never mind that,¡± she said, looking up at the wall clock. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left.¡± That was true. Next session, we were supposed to go over glazing and the teacher needed to fire our submissions before then. Sighing, I ripped the handle off my pot to try it again. ¡°My sister told me something interesting about you,¡± she said, changing the subject. She had a sly grin on her face. ¡°Your sister?¡± I asked, sweating. ¡°Do I know her?¡± Lawmaiden¡¯s smothering backside, it was hot in here. I pulled off my shirt. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked in shock, the thread of our conversation lost. ¡°I¡¯m going for a swim, of course,¡± I said, wading into the river. The jungle we had been sitting in may have been a verdant wonderland and an absolute riot of colors, but it was hot as all hell. Plus, the mosquitoes were eating me alive! She looked around, ¡°Balls, this is frustrating!¡± ¡°What is?¡± I asked from the water. The river¡¯s coolness was quite a shock to my system. I needed to pee, I realized. ¡°Oh, never mind!¡± she said, hastily collecting her sculptures to protect them from the water. I really didn¡¯t know why she was messing around with that right next to the river, anyway. Pulling a cloth sack from somewhere, she gently placed her statues inside, and hung it from a nearby branch. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I bothered with this.¡± Suddenly, Carl burst through the trees, trailed by a pack of his buddies. ¡°Today, you¡¯ll get what you deserve, you pest! I¡¯ll see that you regret with whom you¡¯ve messed!¡± Ugh¡­ that was awful! Seeing a log floating my way, I jumped aboard. ¡°Quickly! Climb on!¡± I shouted at her. She looked from the troop of gorillas to me incredulously, ¡°You must be joking.¡± ¡°No time to argue!¡± I yelled. ¡°They¡¯re out for blood!¡± Grabbing her hand, I pulled her onto the log behind me. Carl and his cronies hooted in rage and started throwing logs into the river to follow us. ¡°This is insane!¡± she shouted. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault his poetry sucks,¡± I said over the rising sound of the river. The rapids were picking up quickly, churning the water to white. Hurriedly, I dipped my paddle into the water in a hopeless effort to try to keep us from crashing into the rocks. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± she yelled. ¡°You¡¯ve got one, too!¡± I replied. ¡°Now, help me before we go sideways!¡± She looked down at the paddle in her hands in confusion before throwing her head back and laughing. ¡°This is hilarious!¡± she yelled, her voice almost drowned out. I certainly didn¡¯t think it was very funny. I looked back. Carl was bearing down on us hard, his hands held high by the handlebars of his chopper-log. His crew, uniformed in matching yellow bandanas, was not far behind. Whipping back around in determination, I expertly began steering our improvised craft through the rapids. The spray of water beat upon my face, unforgivingly, as I desperately wiped at my eyes to try to see ahead. My companion did her best to help, though she was beside herself with laughter. She was crazy, I decided. Suddenly, the end of the line came. The river had chosen that moment to cut itself off cleanly, ending in the mother of all waterfalls. I looked around, trying to find any avenue of escape. Carl and his troop were already crawling out to the shore. He looked back with a smirk and gave me a mocking salute. I flipped him off. By then, it was too late. The sound of the river crescendoed as we neared the edge. Still laughing, the woman grabbed me from behind, her breasts crushed to my back. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t something I could let myself enjoy right then. ¡°Hold on, Donum! Here we go!¡± she yelled. And then we were in free fall. All sound dropped away as we fell, seemingly forever. The wind, the water, everything simply dropped away in a heavenly calm the likes of which only seem to come at the most unexpected of moments. But then it was over, and we were plunged into the water. Down and down we went, pushed below by the thundering weight of the waterfall. End over end, I tumbled through the water. I had no idea which way was which. Up was down. Left was right. But as my tumbling came to an end, I saw a light. Desperately, I swam toward it. Each stroke took more and more of my air reserve. My lungs were burning before I broke through the surface. Gasping for breath and coughing up gallons of water, I crawled onto the bank. The woman, I noticed, was still right beside me, collapsed onto her back and breathing heavily. Her loose clothes were plastered to her body, outlining her glorious figure for all to admire. Shaking my eyes from the oh-so-lovely yet uninvited view, I looked around. We were in a cave of some sort, though I could see just fine. The ceiling was well over twenty feet high, and the cave curved off into the depths far beyond the range of my vision. The sound of the waterfall was still audible though muted from here. Chuckling lightly, the woman spoke, ¡°You sure know how to show a girl a good time.¡± I snorted, ¡°At least one of us was having fun.¡± I looked around again, ¡°I¡¯m sure Carl won¡¯t find us here.¡± ¡°Forget Carl,¡± she said softly, running her fingers along the ridges of my hard muscles, yet glistening from the water. I looked at her again. Her glasses had been lost somewhere in the fall, and her eyes, mismatched in color just as her hair was, were narrowed into the predatory slits of a cat. I realized that I knew her from somewhere. ¡°You are so beautiful,¡± I whispered. She looked up at me in surprise and drew back, as if she were only just noticing what she had been doing. I grabbed her retreating hand and pulled her toward me, ¡°I want to kiss you¡­ if you¡¯ll let me.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°W-what?¡± She resisted for a moment, but then her eyes fluttered, ¡°Oh~ Donum! You smell wonderful!¡± Roughly, she grabbed at my bulge, the contact causing it to rapidly tighten in my still soaked blue jeans. My breath catching, I lowered my lips to hers, and she met me, hungrily. Our kiss went on and on, seemingly without end, the fervor of our passion ever rising. My hands greedily roved over her soft curves, while her own had found a grip in the hair in back of my head which she leveraged to crush herself to me. Finally, we broke away, panting. Her patience was at an end. Ripping my pants away like they were tissue paper, she drank in my body, her eyes glued to my pulsing erection, as a starved woman promised salvation, ¡°Oh, I am going to enjoy this. I haven¡¯t indulged in over a thousand years!¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, but then she was naked. I hadn¡¯t even seen her undress, much to my sorrow. Her breasts were large and rode high on her chest, her hips enticingly wide, and her naked sex almost shimmering in the faint light of the cave. ¡°Lie down,¡± she instructed me in a soft whisper. Hastily, I laid back, my veined rod thumping in time with my heartbeat. She licked her lips, and shook out her still dripping hair from around her horns. Lightly grasping at one of her nipples, she distractedly combed a lock of blue hair around a pointed ear and stepped over me. And slowly, ever so slowly, she descended. My eyes opened. I was staring at the wooden slats of a ceiling. Just then, I heard a crack of thunder in the distance. Blinking in confusion, I realized that I had been dreaming. Ah¡­ damn it! I always seemed to wake up just before the good part. As the details of the dream faded, several things crowded to the forefront of my mind for attention. One, I was soaked with sweat. The feather mattress, while exceedingly soft and comfortable, was also quite the sweat-box. Two, I needed to pee like a racehorse. All of the beer from the night previous had run its course and was now ready to exit with all due haste. But that led me to number three. I was rocking a raging hard-on. And it was not going away. With a groan, I sat up. The morning light was streaming through our window, illuminating our room nicely¡­ which struck me as odd, given the thunder I had just heard. Looking over, I saw that Jax was sitting on the edge of his own bed, his bedsheets draped over his middle. He was looking at me intently. ¡°Had a bit of a dream, I take it?¡± he asked, a grin on his face. I flushed, ¡°Why? Was I talking in my sleep?¡± ¡°No,¡± he replied, ¡°nothin¡¯ like that. But I could feel sommat comin¡¯ off o¡¯ ye strong. Woke me up, it did. Like ye was excited?¡± If I was blushing before, my face was practically pulsing now. ¡°Uh¡­ yeah. Yeah, it was an¡­ exciting dream, all right.¡± Awkwardly, I shifted in an effort to hide my tent pole. I failed. His eyes widened in realization, and he started laughing. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it be? I might o¡¯ known.¡± I looked away, self-consciously, ¡°Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up.¡± Looking back, I asked, ¡°You¡¯re not grossed out?¡± He shook his head, still smiling, ¡°Nah, mate. Ye got nothin¡¯ to be shamed of. How long ¡®as it been since ye¡¯ve rubbed one out, anyway? It be no wonder yer dreams took a turn.¡± I closed my eyes and scrubbed a hand through my tangled mop. ¡°Believe it or not, in my culture, we don¡¯t make it a habit to discuss our masturbation routines.¡± He spread his hands wide, ¡°All¡¯s I be sayin¡¯ is yer pent up, is all.¡± Setting his elbows to his knees he continued, ¡°So, were it anyone I know? The barmaid, maybe? She were makin¡¯ eyes all night.¡± He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. ¡°No!¡± I said immediately, but then more slowly I continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know who she was. She was beautiful, though.¡± Her features were already beginning to fade from my conscious mind. It was a pity, I would have liked to remember her. Right about then, there was a knock at the door. ¡°Laundry!¡± a man called. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get it?¡± I suggested. ¡°I¡¯m still a little¡­ uh¡­¡± I indicated my situation. He cackled. Chapter 18 - The Hopak on the Hill I was looking up at the sky, about a week later, watching the clouds drift past as the wagon I was lying in bumped along the road. We were currently en route to a town by the name of Raialie, which was situated on the far southwestern edge of the Enbraden territory. I had found out that civilization in Vrekfren, locally anyway, had not developed to the point of full nations with solid borders. Instead, there was something of a network of city-states, each surrounded by a loose affiliation of smaller towns that did not so much owe allegiance to the main city as pay to not to be harassed. Honestly, I would just call that taxes with extra steps¡­ and fewer benefits. But, anyway, while some of these city-states were near enough to one another to have a territorial border, most were simply surrounded by unclaimed wilderness. Such was the case with Bradfirth. The Allenwood marked most of its eastern territorial border, a wilderness I was intimately familiar with, and we were currently headed toward a vast untamed grassland, called the Fourth Plains, which, as you might guess, surrounded the Stele of the Fourth Creation. The Stele, I had discovered, was something of a holy site for all of the kinds and was frequently a target for pilgrimage by various religious sects. From what I had gleaned, no one actually knew much about the place, other than it was a big-ass rock in the middle of a giant deserted field in the middle of no where. And it was covered in writing that no one could decipher. Given what I knew of language now, I wondered if that were really true. Which was not to say that people did not have theories about it. That they certainly did. In fact, in my inquiries, I had gotten three different stories about the Stele from various individuals, all of which varied wildly. The most plausible one, I felt, had been told to me by the blacksmith back in Kemry-on-the-Moors. I had been there to purchase a shield. My fighting style had been developing into something along the lines of ¡®Keep it away! Hand of Mercy, keep it away!¡¯, and a shield was just the thing I needed. Jax was sure I could get a decent one with our budget, too. I rubbed at the smooth edges of my new equipment, lovingly. It had been a week, and I was still geeking out about it. I owned a real life shield! Okay, sure, it was not fancy. It was an oval in shape and was made of some sort of hardwood. The smith had told me what kind when I had bought it, but I had forgotten. The edges of it were ringed in bronze, and it had a steel disk in the center with a bit of a spike. Unfortunately, it was wickedly heavy, so I was having a hard time imagining myself actually trying to shield bash anything with it. The smith had been one of those tree-like people, a Forga, I learned. I still thought they all looked alike, too. They all had bark-like skin, and spindly, jagged limbs sticking out from a headless torso with a face just planted into the center of their chest. The smith, a man by the name of JigJig the Smith ¡ª he would get upset if you left off ¡®the Smith¡¯ ¡ª had his green shoulder-hair cut extremely short. It was his only distinguishing feature. The story he had told us had been very difficult for me to understand. He had spoken Laoi¡¯na but with an extremely thick accent. I got the impression that it was his second language, at the very least. Unfortunately, it was mine, too. I was saved an iota of embarrassment, at the time, by the fact that Jax refused to let me speak Laoi¡¯na in public any more. Or, at least, until we had had time for a few lessons. ¡°Da whey ah figger¡¯n, et bein¡¯ all ta neem. Da Firth Creesh¡¯n, et bein¡¯, ya figger gotsa mane sum¡¯n,¡± he said. I looked at Jax for help. ¡°He be sayin¡¯ it be all in the name. If it be the Fourth Creation, that has to mean summat.¡± I nodded and gestured that the man continue. ¡°Ah figger¡¯n ting¡¯s a¡¯recer¡¯ d¡¯ah loi¡¯. Was wat¡¯n sish fra¡¯ n¡¯a ¡®ginnin¡¯a nah, lees¡¯n a Tird, ¡®newah.¡± ¡°It be a record o¡¯ life from the beginin¡¯ ter now since the Third, anyway,¡± he translated. ¡°Third?¡± I asked, in Laoi¡¯na. I could get away with one word responses. JigJig the Smith spread his spindly limbs unconcernedly, ¡°Haddabe. F¡¯in bay Firth bay Tird ¡®n s¡¯on. Bay trin¡¯a getter roit, sa¡¯I.¡± ¡°Who is?¡± Jax asked. I looked at him, lost. Who was what? ¡°Who¡¯ver meddettal,¡± the Smith drawled. ¡°De God¡¯ses, meb.¡± Jax frowned in thought. ¡°What? What is he saying?¡± I asked. ¡°Bunch o¡¯ shite. He be sayin¡¯ that someone be makin¡¯ an¡¯ remakin¡¯ the world over ¡®n over. An¡¯ leavin¡¯ a record on the Stele.¡± He had switched to English. ¡°You don¡¯t think that sounds plausible?¡± I probed. He shook his head, ¡°I never heard no priest say such. An¡¯ besides, Fourth Creation could mean a lot o¡¯ things.¡± I considered. It certainly was not the only explanation, but it was better than at least one that we had heard. Thinking back, that was when we had actually met her. That had been at the tailor¡¯s shop, as I recalled, though I was pretty certain I had seen her at the pub the night previous. She had been insistent that the thing was some kind of giant egg that had been left there by some great monster, and it would hatch to destroy the world precisely 397 years from now. She had gone on, but I had started ignoring her when I had gotten a whiff of her breath. To be that drunk in the early morning took dedication, and the whole thing sounded like a random conspiracy theory. Dressed as she was, I could see her need for a tailor, though. Her outfit had been worse than mine and only just barely decent. And I did not want to think about her that way. She scared the hell out of me. We had purchased a couple of new packs, leather this time, as well as a few sets of clothes. Nothing overly fancy, mind you, but certainly a step up from the near rags we had been wearing. That, combined with my shield and the supplies we had purchased, nearly bankrupted us. JigJig had been¡­ sorry. JigJig the Smith had been kind enough to repair and sharpen what equipment we did have free with our purchase. He had even replaced the haft of my broken half-spear. It was now about six feet long, and I felt much more confident in it as a weapon. He had even polished it. I looked down at our last remaining silver, shining dully in my palm. I just had to hope that it would carry us until we could get some more. Fortunately, we had managed to secure passage with a merchant caravan that was going our way. Free of charge, too. Initially, we had tried to sign on as guards, but they were not at all interested. We were only of the second layer, after all. However, their tune changed when I had let it slip that I had a healing skill. Apparently, it was extremely rare that a non-priest class had access to such a thing, and they tended to charge exorbitant prices for their services. Jax and I privately agreed not to mention any potential side-effects the skill might incur. That was on a ¡®need to know¡¯ basis, especially when a free ride was on the line. ¡°Doing alright, today, Donum?¡± someone called from the side. I looked up. Menda, the head merchant and caravan leader, was addressing me from atop his horse. Or I was calling it a horse, anyway. They had their own name for it, of course, but it was close enough in my book. It looked rather like the descriptions of Sleipnir, Odin¡¯s horse from the Poetic Edda, that I had read. Apparently, this place had several versions of horses with varied amounts of legs. This one had eight. Menda had told me they were specialized for pulling power, which made them an excellent choice for hauling cargo. He was riding one of the ones that they were currently resting. I smiled, ¡°Yes, thank you. Much far, the distance becoming?¡± Menda smirked, ¡°¡¯How much further¡¯, do you mean?¡± The people in the caravan had been helping me with the language as we traveled. Apparently, I was having some difficulty getting the word order correctly. My biggest hurdle was a concept they called ¡®word color¡¯, which had an effect on what order to place adjectives depending on the color the noun was, given the tense of the verb. So far, I had avoided any major land mines, but it had the potential to radically alter your meaning if you were not careful. The concept was completely throwing me. It really was not enough to just have a word dictionary in your head. ¡°We¡¯ll be arriving in Raialie tomorrow afternoon. Barring any disasters.¡± ¡°Say not this thing,¡± I said half-jokingly. ¡°The luck is wrong, you do sometimes.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure what you were trying to say there.¡± Shoot. What did I do¡­ uh¡­ ¡®do¡¯ is in present tense and luck is¡­ green? No! It¡¯s a purple word. Dammit¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ Bad luck to do this. You not¡­ uh¡­ should not fate with the seduction¡­ no¡­ tempt fate?¡± I said haltingly. Ugh. This language was murderous! ¡°Maiden¡¯s hoary arse, Donum!¡± Jax chimed in. He had been trying to catch some sleep beside me in the wagon, his new jacket thrown over his head. Menda blanched at the easy blasphemy. Of course, I was used to Jax¡¯s near constant swearing by this point, and I barely even noticed it anymore. What is more, I saw no reason to explain Jax¡¯s grudge against the Lawmaiden to the man. If anything, it would only complicate things. ¡°He has a silly superstition about bringin¡¯ up things yer afraid of. Says the goddesses might take it as an excuse to fuck with yer.¡± Had I truly phrased it that way? That did not sound like me. Menda looked confused by this whole exchange and was about to reply, but right about then, one of the scouts rode up. ¡°Bad news, Menda. Looks like there¡¯s a mudslide ahead.¡± I tried really hard not to look smug. Honestly. Jax threw his jacket at me. The area we had been traveling through was a hilly and sparse woodland, and our track had been wending its way around a fairly steep slope. ¡®Had been¡¯ was the operative phrase here. The recent rainy season had caused the ground to collapse, and the road ahead was completely covered in a giant mound of mud, trees, and rocks. It would take us weeks to dig through it. I hopped out of the wagon to get a closer look. Menda and a few of the other merchants were gathered there and talking quietly amongst themselves. ¡°¡­we go around?¡± I heard. ¡°Yes,¡± Menda replied, ¡°but we¡¯d have to go to the north.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s getting closer to Bradfirth,¡± another complained. ¡°Might meet up with Collectors then.¡± ¡°We can hardly go south,¡± the first man argued. ¡°That¡¯s straight into the Fourth Plains. We¡¯d run right into a pack of who-knows-what out there.¡± Jax stepped up beside me. ¡°What are Collectors?¡± I asked in English. He shrugged, ¡°Bunch o¡¯ thugs. Bandits, basically. But they claim they be hired by the Enbraden. They got some kind o¡¯ deal worked out, I reckon.¡± ¡°The Enbraden hire the Cursed?¡± I asked, a bit shocked. He shook his head, ¡°Nay, they be no Cursed. Near enough, though. If they catch ye, they take a share o¡¯ cargo or yer lives, lest ye pay ¡®em off.¡± I frowned. Government sanctioned robbery? And towns had to pay not to be harassed? Were these people rulers or mafia dons? ¡°Do people fight them off?¡± I asked. ¡°Would the Enbraden care? And how would they stay uncursed if they kill for money?¡± Jax waved me down to slow my stream of questions. Finally, he answered, ¡°There be ways round the curse. Tie a man to a tree in the middle o¡¯ the wood, an¡¯ he¡¯s dead sure enough. But you did nay do they killin¡¯,¡± he explained. ¡°And o¡¯ course, people fight ¡®em off. Why do ye think these one¡¯s got so many guards?¡± There actually were quite a few of them. At least twenty, by my count. Twenty-one if you counted that woman¡­ He continued, ¡°As fer the Enbraden, who can say? I doubt they care if a bunch o¡¯ thugs die in their name out in the wilderness.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Menda called out. We all diverted our attention for his announcement. ¡°We¡¯ve decided to go back and around to the south.¡± There was a lot of grumbling at that, but he shouted over them, ¡°You all know our cargo! If the Collectors find out, they¡¯ll try to take the whole load! Even if we fought them off, we¡¯d have to slaughter them to a man. If even one got loose, they¡¯d hound us all the way. We can¡¯t risk it.¡± I nodded in understanding. We were carrying a huge load of beer and spirits to Raialie, amongst other things. If the Collectors were as Jax had described, I had little doubt they would covet it for themselves. Right about then, we heard a shout from above and an arrow thunked into one of the wagons. ¡°Raid!¡± someone yelled. ¡°The Collectors are on us!¡± ¡°This far south? Impossible!¡± Menda cried, unbelieving. I looked up the hill to try to see what was coming. Cresting the ridge above, dozens and dozens of men where charging down at us. But in the shadows from the canopy, they looked kind of funny. With big bulbous heads. ¡°Worse,¡± Jax yelled. ¡°Gob swarm!¡± I stood trembling uncertainly as a huge dose of adrenaline slammed into my system all at once. Finally realizing that I was standing there unarmed while a pack of crazed monsters were charging us, I hastily sprinted back to where I had stashed my gear. A couple of arrows thudded into the dirt at my feet, and I looked up to see where they were coming from. Since when had Gobs upgraded to arrows? Up at the top of the ridge, there were several larger figures with crude bows firing down at us. Fortunately, we were still a bit out of range or half of us would be down already. Ducking under the wagon, I called out, ¡°Ware the bowmen! They don¡¯t look like Gobs to me!¡± In my panicked state of mind, I did not realize I was shouting in English. Jax slid to cover just as I yelled. Summoning his axe, he risked a look and cursed. ¡°Bloody tally-washer¡¯s got Goblins with ¡®em. This were planned!¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± I asked, the adrenaline making my voice quiver. ¡°Get yer shield an¡¯ stand firm! Use the wagons fer cover long as ye can! An¡¯ get that spell goin¡¯! We need every advantage we can get!¡± he said over the shouting from all around. I nodded firmly. ¡°Right.¡± I had a game plan now. I was good as long as I had a game plan. Taking a quick peek around the wagon, I saw that the coast was clear, for the moment anyway, and darted to my shield and spear. Pulling the heavy thing up, I ducked under it just in time to deflect an arrow. Mercy, Power, and Law, I was not prepared for this. But like it or not, they were on us. Jax leapt to my side, his axe swinging. The little Gobs were ferocious but little challenge to someone armed and ready¡­ in ones or twos, anyway. Jax took out two of them in as many swings before I had jumped down from the wagon. Three more charged us before I was even in position. Shoving one to the ground with my shield, I punched my spear through its exposed belly. Under normal circumstances, I might have been sickened by that, but my fight or flight response was in full gear. ¡°Hold them off while I concentrate,¡± I called out. He did not acknowledge me, too busy doing just that. Summoning the words to mind, I began the process of trying to spit them out, but an arrow thudded into my shield and broke my concentration. Damn it all, I needed to start practicing this seriously if I wanted to be a real mage. I resolved that if I lived through this, that would be my new goal. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Hurry up! They be thick as studs on a mare in heat!¡± Jax shouted. Firming my resolve, I wrangled the words together again and finally pushed them out. The spell went wild for a moment, trying to affect all of my allies at once. I went to a knee as my breath was stolen. It felt as if I were trying to dead lift a house. Mentally, I steered the spell to only affect Jax and myself, and the shadows pulled in around us. Panting, I stood up again. I could manage this for a while. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re good. What now?¡± I yelled, just as a Gob charged me. Startled, I did not so much stab it as move my spear in its way. It died all the same. ¡°Watcher¡¯s Eye! Where is Sherr Hess?!¡± someone yelled. A guard shouted out from nearby, ¡°Passed out drunk in her wagon, of course!¡± Just then, an arrow took him right in the shin. Wincing, I moved to help him but Jax pulled me back. ¡°Later,¡± he yelled. ¡°Tend the wounded if we survive. You ain¡¯t got the stamina for it, now. We need to wake her up!¡± He was right, of course. On the other hand, I would almost rather face the Gobs all on my own than try to wake up Sherr Hess. Almost. Moving slowly, the shadows did their work. Jax still needed to take out the occasional Gob that got too close, but for the most part we went unmolested. The guards and merchants were holding their own fairly well at first, but each time one fell, it only increased the burden on the rest. And the Gobs seemed to be unending. Finally making it to the end of the caravan, we swung ourselves into Sherr Hess¡¯ wagon. She was lying face down with her bare feet hanging out the back. Somehow, she was still managing to snore. ¡°How the hell is she sleeping through this?¡± I said aloud. Another arrow ricocheted off of my shield and grazed my cheek. Wincing from the pain, I looked up. Those Goblins were getting closer and more accurate. Stepping over her prone form, I positioned my shield to guard against more of the oncoming fire. The thing was rapidly paying for itself. Jax did not answer, struggling as he was to flip her over. She was huge, after all. When she was standing, which was admittedly rare, she stood at almost seven feet tall, and if I had to guess, I would put her at around three hundred pounds from her muscle mass alone. Not that I would tell her that to her face, of course. She was a gray orc, a Keltha to give them their proper name, and I had never once seen her sober. Honestly, I think the only reason she had signed up for this trip was because of our cargo. Actually¡­ Jax had been rather excited about it when he found out, as well. A few rocks passing harmlessly overhead heralded the entrance of three more Gobs as they jumped over the side of the wagon with us. The shifting shadows were doing their job, for the most part, but I was not very skilled with it yet and there were an awful lot of Gobs. Eventually, some were going to see us. The fight was a stumbling, awkward mess. Jax was doing okay, though he was getting scratched up pretty bad. My spear, though, was too long to wield properly in the space we had. Plus, there was a three hundred pound Keltha woman underfoot. She stayed asleep through most of the whole thing, until right at the very end. I had managed to brain one of the nasty things with an overhead swing, and it fell right on top of her head. I must have stepped on her a dozen times by that point, but for some reason, getting slapped in the face by a foot long Gob cock woke her up instantly. Her shark-like black eyes popped open, and with a roar, she hurled the little manling out of the wagon, end over end like a rag doll. Our gaze met for just a moment, and her eyes narrowed. I was standing over her, straddling her prone form, I realized. Hastily getting out of her way as she surged to her feet, I tried to back off, but she grabbed me by the collar and hauled me into the air. ¡°W-what do ya think you¡¯re doin¡¯, Donum?¡± she snarled, with an unsteady sway. My eyes watered from her breath. She was still drunk, I realized. Instead of replying, I just pointed in the direction of the oncoming horde. At least five more had broken off and were heading right for us, followed, I noticed, by two of the slightly taller Goblins. An arrow buzzed right between our faces. ¡°Oo~ooh¡­¡± she drawled. ¡°Izz play time.¡± Belching loudly, she lazily tossed me behind her and out of the wagon. I landed on my shoulder badly, the pain of it causing me to grit my teeth in agony, and my spell dropped. Rolling over with a groan, I watched as she drew two scimitars from her attached belt. Holding them aloft, she let loose the loudest sound I had ever heard, ¡°HEAD!¡± The force of it was almost like an explosion, the shock wave alone knocking Jax away, out of the wagon and between the two hitched horses. His sudden appearance, or maybe it was just the explosive noise, caused them to rear in panic, and the wagon jerked into motion. Whatever it was that Sherr Hess had expected to happen after yelling like that, it probably did not include the wagon jerking out from under her and her subsequent face plant into the dirt. All things considered, this was starting out about like I had expected. Standing back up unsteadily, she chuckled to herself, ¡°Whoopsie.¡± Whatever else might have been said in that moment was lost, as the horde was on us. Rolling to my feet in rush, I ignored the stabbing pain from my shoulder as I hefted my shield once more. Thrusting forward without really aiming properly, I still managed to graze one of the Gobs in the leg. That gave me enough breathing room to dance over to Jax. He was laying about himself with his axe with abandon, still using what shadows were available to him from the shade of the trees to make the weapon sing with his tenebrous dance. Finally, he cleaved the third and last one that was at our immediate position through the head with an overhead swing, and there was a flash. A rush of energy ran up his axe, into his body and subsequently into me. We both gasped at the same time. It had almost felt like a bolt of electricity. ¡°The fuck was that?!¡± I choked out. ¡°F-finally got that d¡­ da~amned skill to work,¡± he panted out in reply, twitching. ¡°Skill? What¡­¡± I was interrupted by a severed Goblin head smashing into my shield. The force of it knocked me from my feet again. ¡°HEAD!¡± Sherr Hess roared again, cackling wildly. She had cleared our little corner of the battlefield, leaving a pile of corpses all around her, and rushed away. I had not been paying attention to her fight, but somewhere along the way¡­ somehow, some way, she was now pant-less. ¡°Hess, yer fanny be flappin¡¯ in the wind!¡± Jax called after her. I did not know if she heard him. As much as I disliked the woman, my eyes still followed her ass as it jiggled away from us. My current state of semi-arousal was not helping matters, either. The woman was definitely in shape, I would give her that. Offering his hand, Jax hauled me back to my feet. ¡°Come on. This battle ain¡¯t won yet.¡± Nodding grimly, I concentrated once more. The now familiar cloak provided by Fortunate Shadows surrounded us, and we started away. We would need all of the fortune we could get. Heading back to the rest of the group, I could see that at least half of them were down now. Looking over to my right, I could see Sherr Hess off on her own, reaping through the horde like so much wheat. She was singing, I realized, in a drunken off-key sort of way. It sounded like she had invented some kind of theme song for herself. Shaking my head, I decided to ignore her for now. She would be fine on her own, pants or no. Just then, I caught sight of Menda. He had his back to one of the wagons and was laying about himself with a longsword. He was standing protectively over two of the other traders, who looked to be bleeding out, while a single guard held his flank. They were doing alright for themselves, but two Goblins were peppering them with arrows from further up the hill. It would not be long before their luck ran out. I tapped Jax on the shoulder and motioned to the archers. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s see if we can take them unaware.¡± Hefting his axe, he nodded with determination. Trying to move with any sort of stealth through a battlefield, magical aid or no, was not an easy thing but the trees helped considerably. Many times, we had to stop to waylay a few Gobs who had gotten too close or just straight out bumped into us. By the time we were in position, just upslope from the Goblins, I had collected a nasty gash right above my ankle and was limping badly. Jax was doing little better. ¡°Ready?¡± he called. Panting with the effort of holding the spell to this point, I gave him a firm nod and dropped the magical cloak. Hoping to cut them down before they could fire on us, we silently charged. Somehow, fate was with me for just that moment, and my spearhead sank into the Goblin¡¯s back with a dull thud. It gave a sharp but short gasp as I drilled it to the ground. Unfortunately, the sound tipped off the other one, and it ducked out of the way before Jax could cleave its head from its shoulders. Cursing, Jax charged it again, but the little green man managed to loose an arrow right into his gut just as Jax¡¯s sharp blade separated its arm from its torso. They both crumpled to the ground, screaming in pain. ¡°No!¡± I yelled. Rushing over, I finished off the little bastard before turning to my companion. He was lying on his back, gasping, but still alive. ¡°Utter cock-juggling gowk! He nailed me,¡± Jax coughed out. I chuckled. If he could still swear, he would be fine. ¡°Alright. Let me get this arrow out of you. Are you ready for the healing spell? I might have to crank it up to get you on your feet.¡± He rolled his eyes, ¡°One agony for another. Hurry it up. Our bums are swingin¡¯ bare out here.¡± ¡°On three?¡± I asked. Gritting his teeth, he prepared himself. ¡°Okay, one¡­¡± and I yanked the arrow free. ¡°Arrrrgh¡­ whore¡¯s fud! Ye said three, ya radge wee shite!¡± he howled. ¡°Yeah, I lied,¡± I said by way of explanation. Several high pitched bellows caught my attention, and I could see another four Gobs were charging us from the side. ¡°Damn it!¡± I muttered. Trying to block out the sensation of my heart trying to beat its way out of my chest, I closed my eyes to summon up the Renewal of Consumption. The words wrestled with me for a moment before I finally spat the thing out, and Jax began writhing on the ground. That was the last I saw before they were on me. It was all I could do to keep them at bay. I was no fighter of consequence, and taking on four Gobs at once was pushing me to my very limits, to say nothing of the aftershock of the spell tying my stomach in knots. Twisting away, I leapt slightly down slope, trying to keep them separated so as not to be overwhelmed, but the little fuckers kept grabbing at my shield and trying to trip me up. One of them dove for my feet, but I jumped just in time and landed right on its torso. The creature, and my wounded ankle, cried out in pain as we slid a bit further down in the wet dirt, but I gritted my teeth to ignore it. Stabbing down quickly, I managed to finish it before the others charged again. Skipping to the side awkwardly, I swept my spear in wide arcs to keep them away. One of them, noticing Jax regaining his feet, broke off to attack him, and I shouted in warning. His head jerked up just in time to catch the thing¡¯s charge, and rolling onto his back, he launched the Gob over his head with his feet, careening down the hill. But I did not have the time to pay any more attention. I still had two of my own to deal with. They had spread themselves out to try and flank me, a situation I had been trying to avoid, but the distraction had given them just enough time to pull off the maneuver. Seeing nothing else for it, I charged the one on my left. Surprised at my sudden aggression, it barely managed to dodge, and the sharp blade of my spear cut a deep gouge across its ribs. My move cost me, though. The other one took advantage of my inattention, and glommed onto my bad leg, clawing and chewing for all it was worth. Howling in pain, I kicked forward like I was punting a football, and the little bastard went sailing. Taking in the damage, I was gouged and bleeding all up and down my leg. If I did nothing, I was afraid I might bleed out soon. I needed to try and heal it, but I was too distracted. Howling in rage, the one I had wounded charged me again. I saw it come in plenty of time, and I swung my shield in front of me. Unfortunately, my leg was too hurt to plant properly, and when it leapt for me, I overbalanced. The both of us tumbled to the ground and started sliding. Exposed roots and twigs scraped across my back as we went. All the while, I was still holding the shield in front of me to keep the menace away from my face. Snarling and scratching at me from around the barrier, I tried to hold it as far from myself as I could, but its weight was too much for me to hold out long. Finally, in desperation, I rolled. If it had not been so single minded, the move probably would not have worked, but as it was, I soon had the thing pinned under my shield. Coming to a halt, the thing still snarled and bit at me, struggled for all it was worth. I might as well have been trying to restrain a feral cat. Not knowing what else to do and fearing that it would get loose at any moment, I choked up on my spear as much as I could and repeatedly stabbed down until the creature went still. I lay there panting for a little longer than I should have, blood dripping from my face. From the throbbing coming from my cheek, some of it was probably my own. Being this close and personal was started to cause my stomach to react badly. I closed my eyes to try and fight back the gorge. Now was not the time to lose it. Suddenly, I realized that there was one more out there that I had merely kicked away. Looking back up the slope, I tried to find where it had went, only to see Jax chopping down with his axe to finish it off. The move caused another surge of energy to pass between us, and I inhaled sharply as life filled me. Weirdly, the sudden shock of it really helped my stomach settle. Jax had taken a knee and was clutching at his shirt to control his trembling. ¡°Mmm¡­ fuck¡­¡± he muttered. ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± From the look of it, he was not exactly experiencing the same thing from it as I was. No, it looked like¡­ I frowned. I did not know if associating violence with pleasure was such a good thing in the long run, but it was not something I could address right now. Deciding to set the excess energy Jax had just provided to good use, I rolled onto my backside and attempted to get a mild regeneration going on my leg. If I could just stop the bleeding, that would suit me fine. Closing my eyes again to try and concentrate, I once again summoned the words to Renewal of Consumption. The spell came more easily this time. Practice was paying off, after all. I could feel the effects of the spell immediately, but it was not the pulsating surges of pleasure that Jax had described ¡ª a fact I was mildly disappointed over. Instead, it felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket fresh from the dryer and smothered in kisses from a pack of puppies. I started smiling like an idiot and giggled. ¡°I weren¡¯t expectin¡¯ that kind o¡¯ reaction from ye, mate,¡± Jax said as he walked over to help me up. He was still pretty scratched up, but most of his wounds looked like they were on the mend. Accepting his hand, I stood gingerly. My wounds had gone from feeling like thousands of miniature suns of pain to thousands of little pulses of¡­ minty freshness? ¡°Yeah, that was weird but nice,¡± I answered with some confusion, ¡°I don¡¯t know why my spells affect us differently.¡± He just shook his head and looked around. Our little patch of the slope was clear, but the battle was still raging. ¡°No time fer that now.¡± ¡°HEAD!¡± Instinctively, I ducked, but the head in question smashed into one of the wagons near where Menda had been taking cover, the force of it causing the wagon to rock on its metal springs. I did not see him now, but there was a sizable pile of corpses there. Looking back, I found Sherr Hess staggering around in the middle of the hillside. She had found a bottle of alcohol from somewhere and was doing her level best to drain the thing in a single go. Her level best was pretty good, too. An arrow took her right in her exposed thigh while she was not paying attention, but she barely noticed. Pulling it out like it was an annoying mosquito, she tossed it aside and finished her drink. Just then, we heard a massive roar from above. Some kind of gigantic figure was just cresting the rise. From here, it looked like an incredibly fat, green man with a tiny head. It was hard to say how tall it was, but it looked easily thrice as big as the Goblins it was now standing next to. ¡°Ah, fuckin¡¯ arsepiece. They got a dog licking Gobborn, too?¡± Jax swore. The ¡®Gobborn¡¯ bellowed a challenge to the field in general, swinging a giant log above its head. ¡°Ah, shuddap!¡± Hess roared and hurled her now empty bottle at it. The bottle shattered right in the Gobborn¡¯s face, and it fell to its backside in surprise. Scrubbing the broken glass from its eyes, it shook its head roughly before bellowing in anger. Surging to its feet once more, it charged her. Laughing wildly, Hess pulled out her scimitars once more and began to stumble up the slope. After a few steps, though, she stopped. Giving the loudest and longest belch I had ever heard, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell face first into the dirt. ¡°Fuck,¡± Jax and I said at the same time. Whatever the Gobborn had been expecting, it was not that. It slowed its charge and having reached the woman, it stared down at her in confusion. Seemingly almost crestfallen, it began poking at Hess¡¯ still form. ¡°Goddess be damned, tolla-thon!¡± Jax swore and turned to me, ¡°Without that drunken numpty, we ain¡¯t gonna last long against that thing.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± I asked worriedly. At least twenty more Gobs were coming over the hill and half as many Goblins. Turning back, I counted maybe five guards left, still frantically holding out. Jax did not look at me, but I could see the muscles working in his jaw. Closing his eyes for a moment, he just said, ¡°Run.¡± Without another word, the axe flashed back into his grip and he charged the Gobborn, howling like a maniac. The Gobborn had finally decided to brain Sherr Hess into oblivion, just because it could, but hearing Jax coming, it stepped over her and roared to accept his challenge. It almost looked happy about it, too. I watched him uncertainly for a breath too long, confused. Perhaps it was the chaos of the situation or the fact that this felt all too much like real life where such things were not possible, but by the time I realized what Jax had intended, at least seven Gobs where running right at me, determined to rip me to shreds. Cursing myself for a fool, I fled. I used to do this all time in role playing games. Send the summon out to grab the enemy¡¯s attention, then regroup. But Jax was not just a summon. He was my friend. We had laughed and drank, and fought together side by side many times now. I felt like a damned coward. The situation may have been hopeless, this may have been the right move, but emotions are not logical things. Pelting down the hill for all I was worth, my adrenaline addled mind made a decision for me that I never would have otherwise contemplated. Seeing the wagons ahead of me, maybe it was my angle of descent, the speed I was going, or some ridiculous notion that going around them would be too slow, I leapt, sailing through the air. As cool as I felt doing it, I realized very quickly that I had just made the mother of all bone-headed moves. My foot just clipped the edge of the wagon going over, and I tripped and began tumbling down the hill, away from the wagons. Over and over, I went. I lost my spear somewhere along the way, and it was all I could do to keep my shield in front of my face. I slammed into a tree before I had fallen more than twenty paces, my momentum jerking me around and I continued past. After that, I lost track of everything else. My world had narrowed to a spinning mess of dirt, twigs, leaves and gravity. I counted at least three times that I hit something else. I ripped through several bushes. I do not know if they had thorns, but as fast as I was tumbling, they hardly needed them. My arms and legs were on fire from scraping through them, and my shirt was torn clean away. When I hit the rock, my shield cracked loudly and flew off somewhere. When I ultimately came to rest at the bottom of the hill, I was done. I was certain that my arm was broken, at the very least. Coughing and dizzy, I struggled to sit up again. The world was still spinning crazily, and I closed my eyes to try and make it behave itself again. Finally, I could hold it no longer, and turning I began heaving violently into the grass. Wiping the acid from my mouth, my head jerked up as I heard noises coming from above me. The little bastards had not given up yet. Struggling to get up again, I managed to make three stumbling steps before my fortune ultimately ran out. One of the Gobs finally managed to luck out with one of those damned rocks. The thing sailed through the air in an almost gentle arc before beaning me on the head, and I collapsed, unconscious. Chapter 19 - Catch and Release I awoke to agony. Every part of my body from my head to my toes was telling me that I had been through a meat grinder, and they each needed to tell me about it in great detail. It was not like some uniform throbbing, either. Each pain was unique. They ranged from itchy scratches all up and down my torso to the drilling headache washing back and forth across my scalp to the almost numb ache coming from my arm. I had not even opened my eyes yet, and I wanted to pass out again just to not have to deal with it all. Instead, I vomited. Roughly spitting the acid from my mouth, I rolled over to my back. Or I tried to, anyway. One of the aches that had previously gone unidentified made itself known in the form of a burning sensation coming from my wrists. Whatever it was, was keeping my arms pulled behind my back. Had I been bound? Cracking open an eye, I tried to look around. Night had fallen. That was the first thing that my brain identified. The rest came slowly, like I was not yet functioning at full capacity. Then came the faint flicker of light reflected off of¡­ something. The ground maybe? But it was striped¡­ That did not make any sense. Blinking rapidly to try and clear my vision, I looked further up. Off in the distance, I could make out lots of little fires. Torches or campfires, probably. It was hard to make out. Staring at those lights for a while, I could see a steady stream of shapes passing back and forth in front of them. Gradually, now that I was paying attention to it, I could hear lots of excited yelling, muted by the distance, filtering through my consciousness. Taking a deep breath to get some oxygen flowing through my system, I started a sputtering and hacking cough at the hint of acidic gorge that filtered through. ¡°Donum? Are you awake?¡± someone said. But it sounded funny. Off somehow. Shifting as slowly as possible, so as not to awaken any new pains, I focused on the sound. There were several shapes nearby. People shapes. But my vision was refusing to focus beyond that. Squeezing my eyes shut again, I tried blinking the fuzziness away, but they refused to cooperate. I might have a concussion, I realized. Taking another breath, I eventually remembered that words were an option, so I decided to try that. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m awake. Who¡¯s that?¡± The shape I was staring at shook its head, ¡°I don¡¯t understand, my friend. You¡¯re using that other language.¡± Other language? What¡­ Oh¡­ Closing my eyes again, I tried to summon up¡­ What was it? It¡­ it started with an ¡®L¡¯? Finally, my slowly ticking brain arrived at what I wanted, and I focused once more on the blurry shape in front of me. ¡°Wha¡­ What is happen? Who talk?¡± I croaked out. Those were good questions, I decided. ¡°It¡¯s me, Menda,¡± he paused expectantly, but I didn¡¯t react. ¡°The merchant? From the wagon train?¡± I started to nod, but the dizziness that washed over me at the movement caused me to reconsider. Words for now. Stick with words. ¡°Remember,¡± I affirmed. ¡°Where this?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± he sighed, ¡°to that, I am afraid I have some bad news.¡± I blinked slowly. Things were starting to come back to me now that I was having a conversation, stilted and halting as it was. The Gobs! The¡­ We had a battle¡­ I fell? Right? ¡°After we were overtaken by the swarm, the Goblins gathered up those of us who were still alive and threw us in here. That was hours ago. They¡¯ve been¡­ uh¡­ feasting¡­ ever since.¡± He winced visibly at his implication. Feasting? I paled. Looking around, I tried to make out the other shapes, but my eyes were still refusing to cooperate. Finally, I asked, ¡°Jax?¡± Menda shook his head, ¡°Not here, I¡¯m afraid. I haven¡¯t seen him since before we were captured.¡± The beginnings of concern began to overtake me, but before I could speak, a blue box flashed in front of my eyes. I tried as hard as I could to focus on it, but reading was not among the things I could accomplish just then. After a few moments, the box vanished without my permission, and I heard a voice. ¡°TEMPORARY AUDITORY COMMUNICATION ENABLED.¡± The voice boomed in my head, and I writhed on the ground in fresh agony. ¡°Donum? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Menda asked worriedly. ¡°Too¡­ too loud,¡± I whimpered. The voice had been indescribable beyond the sheer volume of it. I would be hard pressed to say that a human being could even make a sound like it. ¡°Too loud?¡± he asked. ¡°Really? But¡­¡± I lost whatever else he was saying when a loud and drawn out tone overwhelmed me. I tried to clamp my hands over my ears only to be reminded by the fresh pain coming from my wrists that that was impossible. Instead, I gritted my teeth and pressed my head to the floor. The sound was high pitched and intermittent, almost like the noise from cable television when they decided to censor something. Finally, I heard a sigh, followed by a defeated yet feminine voice saying, ¡°Your Lilum, Jax, was defeated in combat. Time until revival: 12 hours, 14 minutes, 32 seconds.¡± ¡°My friend, are you alright?¡± Menda said, nudging me. Opening my eyes again, I looked up to see that he was kneeling over me. It looked like his hands were bound behind him just as mine were. Slowly, I nodded. ¡°I¡­ I think¡­¡± I paused, searching for the right word, ¡°deity? Bline. Yes. Talk me.¡± He seemed confused by my answer. ¡°The Lady of Power spoke to you? And it caused you pain?¡± ¡°Too loud,¡± I said again. ¡°Ah, I see,¡± he seemed somewhat relieved for some reason. ¡°You are in a bad way, my friend. I think you may have a head injury¡­ amongst other things.¡± I tried not to roll my eyes at the man. I had figured that part out for myself, after all. ¡°She say¡­ Jax defeated. Back twelve hour.¡± In what sort of condition, I could not say, and I really did not have the mental capacity to contemplate that just then, to say nothing of the fact that the Goddess had just spoken to me and the other weird shit that had just happened. And been happening for that matter. Maybe, I was just getting used to it. He tilted his head. ¡°That¡­ what? I am afraid I don¡¯t understand what you are trying to say.¡± I sighed. I really did not want to try to explain that just now. I did not know if I could explain anything. I just wanted to go back to sleep. But that would be a mistake. Instead, I said, ¡°Hold. I need heal.¡± ¡°You need to heal,¡± he corrected me. ¡°Actually, all of us here could use some healing, if you can.¡± That was a big ask. One thing at a time, though. ¡°Will try. Need silence.¡± He nodded quietly and sat back to wait. Gratefully, I closed my eyes and mentally tried to summon up the will to get a Renewal going. I had no idea how much it would really help me, nor did I know if I had the Life Energy reserves to sacrifice just then. Ugh¡­ Too many questions. Too much pain. Setting it all aside, I just focused on what needed to be done. I would leave the rest for later. It took me a long while to piece together the words once more. They were there, but it was as if they were behind a fog. Like one of those times where you forget a random, yet totally obvious thing. Like that time back in middle school when I forgot how to spell the word, ¡®with¡¯. Weird that I would remember that just now. Eventually, though, the words came, and I was once more blanketed by that oh-so-welcome warmth. The relief flooding through me almost caused me to pass out once again. By the time the spell had run its course, most of the miscellaneous wounds about my body had disappeared, and my head felt a lot clearer. My shoulder still felt pretty jacked up though. Better, for sure, but not fully healed. I would need to get it going once again to get back to one hundred percent. Maybe twice. My stomach growled loudly. That was a bad sign. Opening my eyes again, I found that I could actually focus now. Finding Menda, I said, ¡°Okay. Better now.¡± I tried to sit up, but my shoulder started screaming at me. Looking at him again, I asked, ¡°Help? Shoulder bad.¡± He chuckled lightly, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll bet it is. I think you might have dislocated it.¡± That did not sound good. Though, it was better than a break. Right? It was an awkward thing, what with the two of us both hampered by our bindings, but we eventually managed to get my feet under me. Looking around, I found that the stripes I had seen reflected in the fire light were, in fact, bars to a cage. That made sense, and in hindsight, it should have been obvious. The bars were made of simple branches lashed together with plant fiber, and they extended both above and below. They did not look all that sturdy. ¡°Do¡­ um¡­ weak bars. We leave?¡± I asked in my broken Laoi¡¯na. ¡°Oh, yes,¡± he answered promptly. ¡°Provided, of course, that we can wake her up.¡± Following his gaze, I saw that Sherr Hess was in here with us, still passed out drunk. I knew from the Goddess¡¯s earlier pronouncement that it had been almost twelve hours. Shit¡­ that¡¯s right. In my prior state of mind, I had been unable to really process what She had told me. Jax had been ¡®defeated¡¯. Whether that meant dead or unconscious in a ditch somewhere or¡­ I looked out at the campfires and shuddered. Best not to think about that. He would be revived, one way or the other. Provided that I was still alive. And this woman was our best means of making sure that happened. Was she ever conscious? And how much alcohol did a person need to consume to lapse into a coma of over twelve hours? The Goblins, I saw, had not bothered to put her pants back on. Not that I would have, either, if I were in their position. Looking her over, I noted that she had been tightly bound, from head to toe, with a thin and fibrous rope. Her captors certainly had a degree of respect for her power, not that she was in any condition to apply it. Taking a closer look, she did not seem to be suffering from any wounds. Thinking back, I was sure that she had taken quite a few swipes and scratches and at least one arrow. There was no evidence of that now. ¡°Does she have skill? Regenerate?¡± I asked, turning to address Menda. ¡°That is very likely. Warriors such as her often choose such skills,¡± he said with a one-shouldered shrug. ¡°Can you wake her up? How did you do it the last time?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I hesitated. Most women, in my experience, would not want me to talk about something like that. Then again¡­ given her manner, she might not care in the slightest. ¡°In wagon. Gob came. Fell on her. Was hit in face. Penis.¡± ¡°A Gob¡¯s¡­¡± he fell silent. Clearing his throat, he continued, ¡°Do¡­ do you think?¡± I gave him a flat look, ¡°Gob not alive.¡± I was not being overly descriptive, I knew, what with my current lack of skill with the language, but his imagination did a lot of the work for me. His face slowly drained of color. ¡°Right. Of course.¡± Dismissing that idea, I began searching for alternatives. Was there some way I could heal the alcohol from her system? It would not hurt to check. My stomach growled. Probably. Closing my eyes, I muttered, ¡°Bline, will Renewal of Consumption work on alcohol poisoning?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. There was a pause, followed by, ¡°Oh¡­ is ¡­¡± She stopped after a moment and growled in frustration. Finally, she said, ¡°Renewal of Consumption is ineffective against poisons, venoms, or other status effects.¡± Curious. Now, that I was more fully aware, this state of being able to actually hear the Goddess was quite nice. Although, it was strange that She seemed to be having trou¡­ ¡°AUDITORY COMMUNICATION DISABLED,¡± the other voice boomed. The sudden shock of it caused me to jerk back, and that in turn, caused my dislocated shoulder to spasm. Tears started to leak out of the corners of my eyes. Whatever thoughts had been threading through my mind were shattered by the chaos of sensations that had just occurred. ¡°Are you quite alright, my friend? You seem in some distress,¡± Menda said from behind me. ¡°Fine. Fine,¡± I said, shaking off the disorientation. ¡°Head trouble. Fine now.¡± I really did not have the vocabulary to try and explain the situation. Instead, I indicated Hess¡¯ unconscious form and continued, ¡°Not heal poison. Me? I not heal poison.¡± He nodded in understanding. Looking behind him, he jerked his head at the other figure in the cage with us. ¡°Perhaps, we should leave that for now? If we can revive Broahn, we may have at least some chance.¡± Broahn was one of the guards from the caravan. He, like Menda and most of the caravan members, was a laoi. To be honest, I did not know that much about him, save that he tended to walk around with a longbow over his shoulder. Many times, I had seen him go off on his own to hunt in the evenings when we had made camp. Otherwise, he was a man of few words. Much like Sherr Hess, he had been securely bound and stripped of armaments. As for his wounds, well¡­ It seemed that Broahn had taken an arrow to the lung. The shaft had been broken off, and the stump of it was still stuck in his chest. At least he had stopped bleeding, though that meant that he had scabbed around the arrowhead. The man was deathly pale and his breath was restricted to a hitching rattle. I sighed deeply, ¡°Need remove arrow. Then heal.¡± I was afraid that the regeneration effect would simply heal around the arrow and not push it out. It had not done anything for my dislocated shoulder, after all. Menda frowned at that, ¡°He will bleed out quickly if we do that. Is your spell strong enough to help him?¡± ¡°Not know. Use not much.¡± I looked over at Menda to try and explain, ¡°Spell give effect¡­ uh¡­ regeneration. But use Life Energy¡­ uh¡­ mine. Mine person Life Energy.¡± He slowly pieced together what I was saying, ¡°You mean, ¡®The spell uses my Life Energy.¡¯ Correct? To function?¡± I nodded, cataloging the pronoun usage. I would master this language. ¡°That is a heavy cost for a spell. Are you working on your Toughness? That will give you a larger reservoir.¡± I raised my eyebrows. That was news to me, but welcome information. Fortunately, I had been, so I nodded happily. ¡°Wonderful. How much Energy do you have left?¡± he asked. I made a face, ¡°Much hunger now. Use many time.¡± I looked back at the broken man. From his color, he had probably lost a lot of blood. He would almost certainly die if we did not do anything. ¡°Will try. I will try.¡± ¡°Good man. Look here. I will remove the arrow. But prepare your spell. You need to have it ready to fire as soon as I do this. He may go rather quickly if you do not.¡± Then, more softly, he added, ¡°He may go even if you do.¡± Preparing myself, I focused on the spell once more. It needed to be strong if it was to be of any use to this man. I just hoped I would not suffer too much for doing it.. Bringing the words to my lips, I gave the go ahead to Menda. Bending down, Menda took the arrow stub between his molars, and biting down hard, he yanked the arrowhead free. It looked like it probably took a small chunk of lung tissue with it. Hurriedly, and doing my best not to think about that, I let loose the spell before he bled any more than he already had. I pushed it as hard as I could while I was able, and then it was over. I sat there quivering for a long while. I felt as if I had just completed a triathlon. Or what I imagined I might feel. Like the hell I had ever tried a triathlon. Either way, if I kept this up, I would need to update the size of my waistline. Lose forty pounds with just this one neat trick. Doctors hate him! I did not look to see if my spell was helping or not, instead opting to keel over and rest my face on the ground. My head had decided to start pounding again, and I felt faint. Maybe trying to lose weight with this spell was not such a good idea after all. That was the last thought I had before I passed out again. I came back to consciousness when a wrenching pain seared through my shoulder. Gasping, my eyes flew open, and then the pain went away. Mostly. Looking around in confusion, I found myself in a radically different situation. Or maybe, not so radical. I was still a bound prisoner to Goblins and their kin. Now, however, I was being carried along rather like Luke Skywalker and company when they were captured by the Ewoks. My hands and feet were tied to a long pole, which had been hoisted to the shoulders of a pair of the ugly green monsters. My shoulder must have been reset by my bouncing along as I hung there. Thank Mercy for that. Now if only She saw fit to help me just a touch more¡­ Searching for some way to get myself out of this situation, I found Menda and the other two being similarly carried nearby. When Menda saw that I was again conscious, he smiled grandly. ¡°Ah, good! You¡¯re awake! I must say, you had me worried there for a bit, old boy.¡± I blinked, trying to reconcile his apparent mood to our situation, but he continued, ¡°Listen! I have some good news. We¡¯re not to be eaten! Isn¡¯t that lovely?¡± Yes¡­ I had to suppose that was a good thing to hear. But¡­ ¡°How know?¡± ¡°Look there, behind you,¡± he said, indicating something with his head. Twisting to see what he was talking about, my eyes widened in disbelief. That¡­ I squeezed my eyes shut and blinked rapidly to try and get a clearer look. What I saw was as before. My eyes were not playing tricks on me. There was¡­ a Goblin lying over there. That was what it looked like, anyway. Except¡­ Except this one had to be eighty feet long! ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°Incredible, isn¡¯t it! I hardly believed it as first, but it explains a great deal. How else could such a large tribe of Gobs be out here so close to civilization?¡± He chuckled to himself, ¡°The Enbraden will have a field day when they discover a Dungeon Mouth so close to their territory.¡± My head whipped around to stare at him, ¡°Dungeon Mouth? That is Dungeon Mouth?¡± He tutted, ¡°¡¯That is a Dungeon Mouth.¡¯ Really, my friend, indefinite articles are not so hard to master.¡± The fuck? I stared at him hard, but he was not looking at me to feel my glare. Finally, giving up, I said, ¡°Explain. Why?¡± He looked at me incredulously, ¡°It¡¯s just a functional word. Used before singular nouns?¡± I was going to strangle this man, I realized. Seeing my heated look, he finally understood what I was asking. ¡°Oh, yes, I see. Of course.¡± Smiling again, he said, ¡°They are going to toss us in.¡± ¡°What?!¡± One of the Goblins kicked at me. I guess he did not like us getting so loud. ¡°Naturally,¡± he continued. ¡°How else are they going to swell their numbers? The Dungeon will reward them for their gift. Provided we die in there, of course.¡± One of the larger Goblins had mounted a podium above us and was giving some kind of speech in their crude language. He was wearing a headdress fashioned of bones and other trophies and was shaking a thick tree branch with a rattle fastened to it. At the moment, though, I could not have cared less. I had questions. A lot of them. ¡°How you¡­ How do you know this? Why this is good?¡± I shout whispered at him. One of the Goblins kicked me again. He winced, ¡°Almost there. It¡¯s ¡®why is this good¡¯.¡± I growled at him. He sighed, ¡°Yes, yes. My apologies. It¡¯s because in there, at least, we¡¯ll have a chance. The Dungeon is always fair, they say.¡± A chance? Fair? I closed my eyes in resignation. Menda had cracked. Here we were, about to be tossed back into the Dungeon, and he seemed to think we were packing for a picnic. I had only just gotten out of there! And the last time, I had had food and weapons. Would we even be untied before they tossed us into that gigantic gaping maw? I had my doubts. Opening my eyes again, I noted that daylight had returned. How long had I been out? Wait¡­ I have a timer going¡­ uh¡­ ¡°How much time until Jax is revived,¡± I asked quietly.
Time until revival: 4 hours, 32 minutes, 58 seconds
It seemed that the blue boxes were back again. And I had been asleep for eight hours? No wonder Menda had started going loopy. Sitting alone in that cage for hours on end just waiting to be eaten? Although¡­ I twisted, trying to see the other two people from the cage. Sherr Hess was just behind me. From my angle, I was staring right at her¡­ I looked away in embarrassment. I now knew something about the woman that she would probably rather I did not. Apparently, she was an outie. Putting that from my mind, I shifted so as to see around her admittedly shapely backside. Stretching, I found that her head was hanging limply back, and her hair was dragging in the dirt. She was still out. I could even hear her snoring above all the ruckus. Of all the useless¡­ The Goblin kicked at me again. Ignoring him, I tried to find Broahn, but I could not see him. There were simply too many Gob-kin all around us to see properly. Some of them were standing around and listening to the guy on the podium, but most were just sitting there and chewing on bones, obliviously. I paled when I put two and two together but shook my head. Now was not the time to start freaking out. Although, if not now, I was going to need to give a serious thought as to when. ¡°Menda, Broahn? Uh¡­ Did Broahn¡­ better. Get better?¡± I asked, haltingly. ¡°Yes, somewhat,¡± he replied. ¡°And, our captors were none too pleased to discover it, let me tell you.¡± He chuckled, ¡°I think they were hoping he would die, the gluttons.¡± The man was taking this far too lightly, I decided. ¡°Menda, you is¡­ are much happy. Too happy? All friends dead!¡± He shook his head sadly, ¡°Not all. Not all. And time enough to mourn if we survive. Until then, put your best foot forward! That¡¯s what my dear old mother used to say.¡± He turned to me, ¡°You and I shall have an epic wake when this is done, I assure you!¡± Well, that was an attitude to have in this situation. ¡°Where Broahn? Is Broahn?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s just over¡­¡± he stopped. ¡°Well, he¡¯s just behind that fat fellow over there, last I saw.¡± He indicated the Gobborn standing about twenty paces away. ¡°Still unconscious, the poor man. That spell of yours did quite the trick, but it ended before it could completely heal him.¡± He looked back at me, ¡°How are you, by the way? You did not look at all well after you cast it.¡± I grunted, ¡°Shirtless healer needs food badly.¡± It did not translate so well into Laoi¡¯na, but I was proud of myself for properly constructing the sentence, all the same. Menda chuckled, though he was, of course, oblivious to my reference. ¡°Yes, I am quite peckish, myself.¡± Suddenly, all of the various Gob-kin around us let loose a wild and exuberant cheer. It would seem that the Goblin ¡®shaman¡¯ or whatever had finished. Our time was up. Sure enough, all of the Gobs started in on some sort of primitive dance and clap routine, which would have been thrilling had I not been hogtied and bound for a gigantic Dungeon Mouth in the shape of a Goblin. Though, it was just as naked as all the rest of them, and as an aside, let me just say, I do rather wish that they were familiar with the concept of the loincloth, my angle was such that I was mercifully unaware of its most significant feature. The thing was sprawled on its back, apparently asleep and snoring cavernously with its mouth wide open. The Gob-kin had constructed a crude set of stairs up over its chest with some sort of altar just over its mouth. It was all rather clever, actually. I would remember to be impressed by it later. Before long, they had ascended the stairs with us in tow. The two carrying Sherr Hess went first, with me just behind them. They turned parallel to the altar and waited there while the shaman said a few more words of ceremony. They were sweating and trembling a bit from carrying the heavy woman for so long. The shaman seemed quite oblivious to this, as he swirled a bowl filled with some sort of liquid above his head. He then dipped his fingers into it and flicked some into Sherr Hess¡¯ face. She snorted. ¡°Wha¡ª Heeeey, whassa big idea?¡± she said drowsily. She pulled one of her arms loose of the binding and reached to wipe the liquid from her face, like she had not even noticed that she had been tied up. Everyone froze. Even me, like a dumb-ass. Finally realizing we might have a shot at getting out of this, I started shouting, ¡°Hess! Wake useless ass up! Fool dog woman!¡± One of the Goblins started kicking me frantically. ¡°Shh~ Be quiet¡­ ¡®m sleepin¡¯,¡± she said. Trying to roll over, her other arm popped loose, and her head fell to the ground with a thump. ¡°Owww¡­ Tha~ huuuurt.¡± The Goblin shaman started yelling frantically at this point, gesturing to the gaping maw below. The two handlers jumped at the command, and started dragging Sherr Hess forward. ¡°Raaah¡­ Wa¡¯s goin¡¯ on? Whadya think y¡¯r doin¡¯?¡± she drawled as she was dragged along. The two Goblins heaved as one and hurled the branch she was attached to into the Mouth, but the throw did not take into account the dead weight from her now distinctly unattached torso. As her legs swung into the air, she made a frantic grab and swept the leg of one of the Goblins, which went tumbling into the darkness. That did not help her over much, though. Still quite drunk, she managed to just stop herself from falling by grasping the lip of the overhang with her fingers. ¡°Buh~ugger,¡± she belched out, swinging there in a daze. ¡°Wha¡¯ the fuck?¡± The other Goblin started jumping up and down on her fingers. She just looked up at it like it was an annoying fly, and reaching up, she grabbed him by the foot and dropped him. Screaming incoherently, it managed to grab onto the branch swinging below her. Her fingers slipped just a fraction. ¡°Hey,¡± she said, giving it a little jiggle, ¡°leggo.¡± The rest of the Gob-kin up on the platform were starting to panic at this point. At least half of them had started to run in blind terror. The rest were looking around uncertainly, hoping the shaman would know what to do. The shaman, for his part, starting yelling instructions. Two of them drew some weapons they had no doubt captured from our caravan and started clumsily hacking at Hess¡¯ fingers. ¡°Hey~,¡± I heard from below. ¡°Yer pissin¡¯ m¡¯off.¡± Seeing that somehow that was not working, the shaman came over and hurriedly sprinkled some water in my face. Mumbling something under his breath in haste, he then motioned for my handlers to drop me. The two stumbled forward quickly, displacing the two who had been hacking at Sherr Hess¡¯ fingers, and took aim. ¡°Oh~,¡± she drawled up at me, ¡°Hey, Donum!¡± She gave a flirty wave, like she was not even aware that she was hanging over a giant snoring Goblinoid Dungeon Mouth. She probably was not. ¡°Hess!¡± I yelled, completely freaked, ¡°Catch me!¡± Not waiting any longer, the two Goblins carrying me hurled me right at her face. ¡°I got ya!¡± she called out, letting go. And down we dropped. ¡°Useless dog woman!¡± Chapter 20 - Dancing in the Dark When I came to, I was met with the expected pitch darkness. Just like the last time I had been unwillingly swallowed into the Dungeon, I had no memory of falling asleep or being knocked out. The last thing I could recall, I had been screaming obscenities at a drunken moron. Speaking of¡­ In an attempt to find my companions in the blackness, I began feeling around, but my fingers were immediately met with a barrier. On all sides. That was unexpected. There was scarcely room enough for me to wiggle around from my prone position. I could not even sit up! Was I in a box? Taking in the texture of the enclosure, it had a grainy, rough feel to it, with long vertical ridges extending downward, rather like wooden slats. And it smelled¡­ like pine? I was in a pine wood box. Shit, was I in a coffin? Searching the edges, I could not find anything like a latch, so I started pounding in the hope of maybe seeing some daylight. Instead, I was met with a face full of dirt. Spitting to the side and scrubbing the soil from my eyes, I came to a sudden yet unavoidable conclusion. To say nothing of the fact that it made no sense whatsoever, I had somehow been buried alive. What was going on? Was I not in the Dungeon? What had happened to the nice and safe dark room with the poetry crystals? That had been fun! Well, okay, not really, but it was better than this! I felt around frantically, taking deep shuddering breaths. I was starting to sweat. Great. I¡¯m panicking now. Need to conserve air, right? Keep calm. Think. What do I do? My exposure to situations like this was somewhere in the vicinity of zero, as you might expect. The only thing I had to go on was video games and movies, the modern man¡¯s substitute for actual life experience. Uh¡­ One inch punch? It worked in Kill Bill. I closed my eyes. Yeah, no. That¡¯s dumb. I was neither strong nor trained enough to pull something like that off. I did not know if that was even possible. And was that part one or two? I could not remember¡­ It was after Michael Madsen shot the Bride with the salt rifle, right? What was his name in that movie? Buck? Buddy? Buster? I shook my head. Not important. Jax! That¡¯s right, Jax could dig me out. Where was he, anyway?
Time until revival: 29 minutes, 22 seconds
Oh, that¡¯s right. ¡°Thank you, Bline. Uh¡­ Lady Bline.¡± Maybe it was the situation, my general state of mind just then, or my recent but temporary brush with her actual voice, but I felt I should perhaps start being polite to her. Courtesy is the grease in the wheels of society, after all. I had heard that somewhere, and I agreed with the sentiment ¡ª even if I often was guilty of conveniently forgetting about it when people pissed me off. In any case, seeing as how she was a real person having to deal with my moron ass all the time, I was certain that she would appreciate it. Thirty minutes, huh? I could wait thirty minutes. Wait, it had said four hours the last time I had checked the timer. Had it really been so long as that since I had been thrown in here? I knew I had fallen unconscious somehow but four hours? Did the Dungeon knock you out for a while to set up a scenario? Ugh¡­ No. No more endless speculation. Although¡­ now that I was speculating, did I have thirty minutes of air in here? That would be good to know! ¡°Help!¡± I called out, really starting to freak out now. Maybe Menda or that other guy¡­ Uh¡­ B¡­ B-something. Boy, I was having trouble with B-names today. ¡°Is anyone out there?¡± I yelled again. Broahn! That was it. Maybe they were out there? Those goblins had probably thrown us all in here. Where were they? For that matter, where was¡­ Suddenly, I heard muted thud from above me somewhere. ¡°Hello?¡± I shouted. ¡°I¡¯m down here! Whoever you are¡­ unless you¡¯re a monster,¡± I trailed off. Oh boy¡­ I may have just killed myself. A muted voice trickled down to me from above, but I could not make out the words. Voices were good, right? Although, the Goblins could speak. Ah, to the Watcher¡¯s nethers with it. Deciding to risk it, I continued yelling, ¡°It¡¯s me, Donum! Help! I¡¯m buried down here!¡± Pressing my ear to the wood above me, I distinctly heard the sound of someone shouting, followed by a rhythmic thump-swish. Laying back, I tried to relax and settled in. Closing my eyes, I started fighting with myself to breathe slowly and evenly. Whatever was coming, it was coming. There was nothing now but to wait. I just needed to last that long. Twenty five minutes later, to the second, a distinctive thud shook my little wooden box. It was none too soon, too. I was starting to feel light-headed. The air had gotten stagnant and swampy from my breath, and my undergarments were soaked with sweat from the slowly increasing heat. ¡°Fucking ¡®snails. Finally,¡± I heard from above. I did not know that deep and husky, yet feminine voice all that well. Still, I had a pretty good idea of who it was. ¡°Hess? Is that you?¡± I called out weakly. My answer came in the form of a fist punching through the wooden board above me and ripping the lid away. Blessed cool air rushed over me even as a slight cascade of soil tumbled down to my sides, and I almost moaned as I got my first breath of fresh air in what felt like ages. The light of the setting sun filtering into my little hole, dim as it was, still caused me to flinch. Squinting, I took in the outline of Sherr Hess above me. Her dark hair, usually pulled back in a complex side-braid, had come loose and was now more an assortment of fly-aways than a hairdo, and she was positively covered in grime. Besides that, for some reason, she had a severed rope tied to her neck, and¡­ of course, she still did not have any pants on. ¡°So,¡± she said, slightly out of breath from her excavation, ¡°You¡¯re my ¡®cripple in the crypt¡¯, eh?¡± ¡°Hess,¡± I breathed. ¡°Boy, am I glad to see you!¡± I actually meant it, too. Even if she was¡­ unreliable. She frowned down at me, ¡°You been in that box too long? I can¡¯t understand ya.¡± So saying, she offered me a hand and hefted me out of my early grave like a full grown man pulling up a toddler. Much like her, I was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. The soil from the hole we were both sitting in had immediately stuck to my sweaty and still shirtless torso. In an odd way, we were like a reflection of one another in that moment. ¡°Can¡¯t understand¡­¡± I said confused, still panting with my hands on my knees. Oh. Right. Standing up straight, I switched languages, ¡°Much apology. Still very new speaking. I bad remember to talk Laoi¡¯na.¡± She snorted, ¡°¡¯Bad remember¡¯ is right. You talk like some kind of Gob-kin trying to sneak into a ball.¡± Turning, she climbed her way out of the little ditch we were standing in. I caught myself staring at her naked, muscular backside as she went, and I turned away. I really did not know what she would do if she caught me, and I really did not want to find out. She could pop my head like a grape. Following her, I asked, ¡°What means ¡®cripple in the crypt¡¯?¡± I knew what the words meant, of course, but in this context? ¡°Oh, that,¡± she said, looking around. ¡°Got a quest when I woke up. Said that if I found a certain ¡®cripple¡¯ and kept them alive, I¡¯d get a bonus at the end. Guess that means you.¡± Coming to stand next to her, I found myself looking out over a large graveyard. Row upon row of granite gravestones were arranged in neat lines out to a distance of maybe two to three hundred yards in each direction with a white picket fence all around. Beyond that, far off in the distance, I could see what looked like a collection of buildings. Large trees were interspersed among the graves in an irregular pattern. One of them, I noted, had several dead bodies swinging from it, hung from the neck. I looked back and forth from the rope around Hess¡¯ throat to the tree, ¡°Did¡­ Was you hung?¡± ¡°Oh, that?¡± she chuckled, ¡°Yeah. Got a sense of humor sometimes, does the ol¡¯ Dungeon.¡± So saying, she pulled the rope from around her neck and tossed it into the hole. She thought being hung was funny? Shaking my head at her continued¡­ eccentricities, I returned to my earlier question, ¡°But I not am cripple. Why get quest?¡± She shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say why they happen. Usually, it¡¯s something you wouldn¡¯t normally want to do or if it¡¯s stupidly hard.¡± She looked me over, ¡°Maybe both, in this case.¡± I made a face, but she continued before I could say anything, ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for a Quester. What is your core layer at, anyway? Four? Five?¡± I coughed, ¡°Two.¡± ¡°Two?!¡± she exclaimed. Squatting down and putting her head in her hands she muttered, ¡°Oh, ¡®stits. ¡®Cripple¡¯ is right. No wonder¡­¡± Lifting her head back up to look at me, she asked, ¡°How did you manage to make it through the Dungeon as a second layer? Why would you even try?¡± I shrugged, ¡°Did not have choice. Got swallowed. Big frog in Allenwood.¡± I spread my hands wide, as if I could somehow show its size with the expanse of my arms. But then I frowned, ¡°How you know, anyway?¡± Sighing, she said, ¡°Because you¡¯re here with me, obviously.¡± Whatever was so ¡®obvious¡¯ about it, I was failing to see. ¡°Explain please. I not am understanding.¡± ¡°Well, those Goblins threw us both into the Mouth at the same time¡­¡± she paused. ¡°They were Goblins, right? I wasn¡¯t seeing things?¡± I nodded, ¡°Yes. Goblins. Us two and Menda and Broahn.¡± ¡°Menda and who?¡± she asked, but she interrupted before I could answer, ¡°Never mind. I don¡¯t care.¡± More quietly she muttered, ¡°Ugh¡­ Goblins. Hogtied and tossed into a Mouth by a bunch of Goblins. That¡¯s a new low.¡± Silently, I glanced down at her exposed privates. That was a new low? ¡°Yeah, so¡­¡± she continued, not noticing my look, ¡°if you had never been in the Dungeon before, you wouldn¡¯t have been in here with me. You¡¯d have been with Menda and¡­ whatever you said his name was. You¡¯ll notice, they aren¡¯t here with us. The Illiterate are always sent to a special area. You remember right?¡± The what now? Setting that aside, I decided to focus on her question. I nodded, slowly, ¡°The tutorial. Got ass kicking there.¡± She smirked, ¡°Yeah, well, most don¡¯t try it at as a ¡®stit sucking second layer, do they?¡± I did not reply. How would I know, after all? Instead, I asked, ¡°How you find me, anyway? Lot of graves here.¡± ¡°Your marker. It was the only one I couldn¡¯t read,¡± she said, jerking her thumb behind her. ¡°Then, I heard the yelling.¡± Turning curiously, I found my tombstone, canted slightly from being disturbed by Hess¡¯ excavation. In perfect English, the engraving read: ¡°Here lies Donum. The gift of his dick never found the slick.¡± My face instantly flashed to red. It was not exactly easy to explain the joke to Hess, what with the language barrier. I had not wanted to either, but she had latched onto my look of embarrassment like a retriever to a chew bone. ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s saying¡­ you¡¯ve never had sex?¡± she said, finally. Her tone bespoke genuine befuddlement. I nodded with relief. She got it. She was not laughing, but she got it. She scratched at her cheek, ¡°But why not? Don¡¯t you want to?¡± Realizing what I had unintentionally admitted to, I turned away. This was not a thing I was overly proud of, after all, and it certainly was not something I wanted to spread around, especially to a woman like Sherr Hess. But the can was open now, and there was no closing it. I supposed I could lie, maybe claim that the tombstone was making up stories, but what was the point? Sherr Hess would hardly be impressed just because I had managed to bed a woman. ¡°Yes. I want to.¡± Turning back, I tapped my chest, ¡°Human women¡­ not like shy men. Not many.¡± ¡°Really?¡± she said curiously. Reaching out, she grabbed my face in one hand and looked me over like a trader looking at a horse¡¯s teeth. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve met any before you. You aren¡¯t all that bad looking, though. Especially for second layer.¡± She smirked, ¡°Tusks are a little small, though.¡± Letting her hand fall away, she turned to look at the setting sun. There was perhaps a single finger¡¯s breadth of light left. She pursed her lips as if considering something. Finally, she said, ¡°Maybe later. We have more important things to discuss while there¡¯s time.¡± Maybe later?! What? ¡°The Dungeon always tailors the challenge to the Questers,¡± she began, ignoring my sputtering, ¡°and that means that, for the most part, it¡¯s going to be pushing at me. And the damned Gob-kin threw us in here with no weapons. So, if I¡¯m to keep you alive, I need to know everything about you. What is your class? What skills do you have?¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. That made sense. Although, trying to fully explain my situation was going to be¡­ complicated. ¡°Can heal. Slow mend wounds. Make me hungry. Cost Life Energy. Is best skill.¡± I decided to start with the basics. She nodded, ¡°I think I remember that. Might be useful. What else?¡± ¡°Make shadows hide you. Us. Uh¡­ Allies.¡± It was not the best way to describe that ability, I knew, but I would have a hard time explaining exactly what it did even in English. ¡°Called Fortunate Shadows.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not heard of that skill. Stealth abilities aren¡¯t too unusual, though. And?¡± she motioned I continue. ¡°Oh¡­ uh¡­ when I not move¡­ people forget I there.¡± Even I had almost forgotten that one, ¡°It do not come up much.¡± It was pretty hard to remember not to move in the middle of combat, after all. I winced mentally. I really needed some lessons with actual combat strategy. ¡°Okay, there we go.¡± She seemed relieved. ¡°That¡¯s perfect then! If you can keep things from noticing you, that¡¯ll make my job a lot easier.¡± She frowned, ¡°If I can get through this. It¡¯ll be harder to do while I¡¯m sober, and I¡¯m out of a lot of resources right now.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ why matter you sober? Not good thing?¡± I asked. I was actually kind of enjoying talking to her without the usual drunkenness to wade through. She smiled ruefully, ¡°That¡¯s my class. I¡¯m an Ignoble Tramp.¡± Seeing my look, she explained, ¡°It¡¯s kind of a jack-of-all-trades class. You can go a lot of different ways with it, but mostly you get a lot of bonuses and energy from engaging in ¡®hedonistic acts¡¯.¡± I blinked, slowly. And here I was thinking my class was messed up. ¡°W-What¡­ How you mean? How get?¡± She waved away my stuttering attempt at a questioning her, and said, ¡°No time for that now. What is your class? What is it designed to do?¡± Okay, sure. Fair enough. We could talk about that insanity later. I was not really sure I could fully answer her question, though. Even I did not truly know what my class was supposed to do beyond just a few basics. I took a breath, ¡°Uh¡­ Is called Lilim Trainer. Use lilim to fight. Give buffs to allies. That kind of thing.¡± She gave me a searching look, ¡°Okay¡­ and what exactly is a lilim?¡± Just then, I noticed the timer pop up once more. It looked like our conversation had eaten up all but about five seconds, so instead of answering directly, I said, ¡°Lilim come now.¡± There was a flash of white light, and Jax¡¯s form slowly took shape, a piece at a time, within it. It was as if his body was being burned back into existence from nothingness. Actually, the effect kind of reminded me of that old show, ¡®Quantum Leap¡¯, with Scott Bakula, that I used to watch when I was a kid. Whatever else you could say about this place, whoever was designing it had good taste for their special effects. When the light died, Jax slumped over and almost fell before his eyes snapped open, and sucking in a great gulp of air, he caught himself. Looking around confusedly and panting for a moment, he suddenly threw himself to the side and violently heaved into the dirt. Looking back and forth between Jax¡¯s hunched over form and Hess¡¯ look of confusion uncertainly, I grimaced. ¡°Ta da~¡± I gestured lamely. Sherr Hess stood mute for a moment before simply saying, ¡°Huh¡­¡± Whatever she had meant by it, our time was up. As the last sliver of the setting sun dipped below the horizon, a lot of things happened at once. For one, I suddenly realized that there was a sun in the Dungeon. That raised a whole slew of questions that I had absolutely no time for. Two, I got a pop-up saying something about Resurrection Sickness and stats that I must admit that I did not read, because three, the whole Maiden-cursed graveyard came to life. In hindsight, I really should have expected that part. The earth started churning all around us, and gravestones toppled over as mottled gray hands slowly dug their way to freedom. Above us, in the tree, the swinging corpses started gurgling and thrashing. ¡°Ugh¡­ Zombies,¡± Hess muttered. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s Zombies.¡± She turned to me and pointed, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s head to that town over there . We can¡¯t fight this many of them bare-handed.¡± Getting out of here sounded like a fantastic idea to me. Turning to Jax, I patted him on the back roughly before saying, ¡°Can you stand? We gotta move!¡± Still shivering and dry heaving, Jax nodded silently and lurched to his feet. I looked to Hess and gave the go ahead. We made our way to the fence at a quick jog, weaving our way through the gravestones. Or Hess and I did, anyway. Jax moved with more of a stumbling lurch. Hands grasped at our feet as we went, trying to trip us and drag us under. Behind me, Jax started up a litany of cursing in between bouts of hacking and spitting. Finally, he managed, ¡°Donum, you knobdobber! Where ta fuck are we? What is goin¡¯ on?¡± Ahead of us, Hess punted the head off of a Zombie that had emerged and was biting at her ankles. ¡°Head,¡± she said half-heartedly, almost in reflex. In English, I replied, ¡°Bit of a long story there. But the short version is that I got captured by the Gob-kin and tossed into a Dungeon Mouth along with Sherr Hess and a couple others.¡± I jumped over an arm trying to trip me up. ¡°The Dungeon!¡± Jax shouted before face-planting. In his surprise, he had missed a grasping hand and went to the ground. Twisting around, he summoned up his axe and set to chopping off the offending arm. As I helped him back to his feet, he growled out, ¡°The arsebadger do you mean we¡¯s in the Dungeon? This don¡¯t look anything like the Dungeon!¡± Hess had paused ahead of us to pulp a couple of Zombies that had dared bar her way with her fists. Snatching up the Gems they turned into, she made to put them in her pockets before realizing something. Spinning around with gore dripping from her hands, she yelled, ¡°Where are my pants?¡± Jax actually cackled, ¡°You jus¡¯ now realized that, ya bampot?¡± But as we passed her, he frowned. Growling, she ignored him, and said to me, ¡°We actually had that whole conversation, and not once did you think to mention that I wasn¡¯t wearing any pants?!¡± Just then a Zombie grabbed her from behind and started chewing at her shoulder. Judo flipping it over her, she followed it to the ground and thundered her fists into its head until it went still. Picking up its Gem, she jogged to catch us up. ¡°I thought you not care?¡± I said, sidestepping the shambling corpse of a long-dead laoi woman. Jax chopped down on her head, but his still trembling arms made the blow too weak. Hess¡¯ follow-up haymaker jerked the weapon from his hand, causing it to vanish. Hess paused in surprise at this, but she apparently decided she would rather have her argument with me. ¡°Of course, I care! I don¡¯t want some man to be ogling my privates!¡± Despite her saying so, she was making no effort to actually cover herself. Shoulder-checking another two shamblers to the ground, she cleared the way forward. Jumping over their prone forms, Jax muttered to me, ¡°She be lying, mate. I dunno why but¡­ it be like¡­ like she wants sommat?¡± Desperately trying to dodge out of the way as more and more of the things headed for us, I barely had the head-space to understand what he was saying. ¡°What are¡­ What are you saying? What does she want?¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t sure,¡± he replied, resummoning his axe. ¡°I feel like she¡¯s tryin¡¯ to make ¡®er ownself¡­ horny?¡± Hess had grabbed the ankle of one the Zombies and was currently swinging it around like a throwing hammer. Letting it go, it crashed into a group of four that was coming in on our left. Gasping for breath, she had started trembling. I looked at her, surprised. There was no way that she was out of endurance yet. Noting my look, and wildly misinterpreting it, she said, ¡°Ah~ You like it when I¡¯m out of breath, little man?¡± Turning to deliver a quick uppercut to another that had gotten too close, she said, ¡°That why you never said anything? You¡¯ve been perving on me this whole time, haven¡¯t you?¡± Despite everything going on, Zombies ripping themselves out of the ground, desperately juking this way and that, and Jax scything away at rotten flesh at my side, somehow this woman the size of the Undertaker still made me blush. She noticed, too. Gasping, it was as if she pulsed suddenly with energy, and laughing wildly, she started cannonballing a path forward. Each blow, each punch and kick she landed now started letting off miniature shockwaves that pulped any dead flesh it came into contact with. Her movements started taking on a fluidity and grace they had not had before, and she seemed able to almost predict where her enemies would be before even they knew. It did not last long, though. Frantically grabbing what Gems we could as we trailed behind, we were shocked when the whirling tornado of carnage ahead of us suddenly came to an end and Hess dropped to her knees. Jax ran forward to stand over her, axe at the ready. We were so close to the fence, but there were still another twenty Zombies between us and our goal, to say nothing of the countless hordes behind us. ¡°What happened?¡± I yelled, skidding to a halt. ¡°I dunno!¡± Jax shouted. ¡°It feels like she got depressed all of a sudden.¡± ¡°Hess!¡± I grabbed her by the arm. ¡°Get up! No stop now!¡± I ducked as the axe hurled over my head and lodged into a Zombie skull before disappearing in a flash. ¡°Can¡¯t,¡± she panted. ¡°I need¡­ need more!¡± ¡°The fuck is this great radge shite on about?!¡± Jax yelled, as his axe flashed into his hands again. ¡°We need ta move!¡± Just then, one of the reeking creatures tackled me and bore me to the ground. It was all I could do to keep its gnashing teeth away from my face, but my hands could not keep purchase on its squishy rotted flesh. Finally, I snapped. If this thrice-damned woman needed to be sexually excited to fight properly, then by the Three, I was going to do it! ¡°Hess! Get off knees! Or wait for Zombie army eat vagina!? Arrgh!¡± I screamed as the abomination raked across my chest with the exposed bones of its fingers. ¡°Get up or help me, I do it first! Even die to try!¡± Suddenly, with a great thump, the Zombie atop me went sailing, the force of Hess¡¯ kick passing overhead knocking the wind from my lungs. Struggling to breathe again, I looked up into her face. She was staring down at me with a huge almost manic grin. Picking me up slowly, she pulled me up until we were face to face. ¡°Oh?¡± she said, casually backhanding another one that had gotten too close with enough force to knock the wind back into my lungs. ¡°What else do you want to do to my¡­ vagina?¡± She was mocking my lack of language finesse, I knew, but at the same time, she was practically vibrating as she waited for me to say something. Well¡­ in for a penny. ¡°Look, dog woman. Get me out this alive, I make you howl moon long you want!¡± She pulsed. ¡°I make knees shake!¡± She pulsed again, harder. Her eyes were starting to dilate. ¡°I make flood so much, wash whole town out! Make soldiers come! Divert river!¡± Her grin fell for a moment as she processed what I had just said. Then, throwing her head back, she cackled like a lunatic. Reigning herself in, she growled out, ¡°I may just hold you to that, little man.¡± Releasing me, she inhaled something into her lungs that caused the wind all around us to sweep in towards her, and turning, she thrust her hand forward. Shouting out an incantation that was at once familiar and utterly alien, a ball of some kind condensed in her outstretched palm that distorted the air before shooting out to the encroaching pack of Zombies between us and the fence. Whatever it was, when it impacted, there was a crunching sound and partially decomposed bodies rag-dolled everywhere. Laughing almost innocently, she pranced forward, and somersaulting over the fence, she turned, ¡°Come on, boys. Town¡¯s awaiting.¡± We had not wasted any time in chasing after her. Grabbing a few stray Gems before hopping the fence, we ran for all we were worth. The fence was not much of an impediment, after all, and a few Zombies did trail after us. However, they only moved in a slowly dragging shamble, and after we got some distance away from them, they seemed to give up. We hustled along the narrow dirt track for quite some time before we finally decided it was safe to rest. Slowing to a walk, Jax broke the silence first, ¡°Hess, you absolute weapon, would ye mind explaining what, by the ever merciful Hand, that was about?¡± She gave him the side-eye for a moment before shrugging, ¡°It¡¯s like I told your¡­ master?¡± Jax blanched at the word, but she continued, ¡°Its a part of my class. I derive power from hedonism.¡± ¡°Hedonism?!¡± he said incredulously. She nodded, ¡°Oh, yes. Most of my abilities draw from drinking spirits. It¡¯s so much easier to maintain. I was trying to build up for ¡®Libidinous Fury¡¯ back there, but¡­ ¡± Turning to me, she grinned, ¡°Make the soldiers come? Divert the river? That was hilarious! Wherever did you come up with a line like that?¡± I blushed a bit, ¡°Is a thing from¡­ stage show I saw before. I say bad, though.¡± More like mangled, actually. We were just fortunate that it had worked¡­ even if it was not exactly what I had been shooting for. ¡°A stage show?¡± she asked in wonder. ¡°How marvelous! Oh, I haven¡¯t seen one of those in ages.¡± ¡°Yeah, lucky twat¡¯s seen a lotta them,¡± Jax chimed in. We walked silently for a few more steps before he asked, ¡°So¡­ Humor works, too?¡± She made a sound low in her throat in assent, ¡°Sure. Only for magic stuff, though.¡± Looking him over briefly, she asked, ¡°So what¡¯s your deal, then? Where¡¯d you get a bound weapon?¡± He glanced back at me, briefly, like he was asking permission. I could not fathom why he would need it, so I just shrugged. Taking that as good enough, he said, ¡°Found it in a chest about a week ago¡­ back when we was last in this forsaken place.¡± ¡°You found a bound weapon on your very first run?¡± she asked, incredulously. His returning smile was a bit smug, ¡°Sure. Hadda solve a puzzle fer it, though. Tricky little knobwasher.¡± ¡°Even so¡­¡± she said. ¡°Lucky bastard. I¡¯ve been looking for one of those for ages. Why, I¡¯d give my left tit¡­¡± ¡°No!¡± I interrupted her hurriedly. Addressing the empty air fearfully, I nervously laughed, ¡°Only joke!¡± She cocked an eyebrow at me, while Jax rolled his eyes. ¡°What are you afraid of? Aren¡¯t you being a little superstitious?¡± she asked. Truthfully, I was. And before I came to this weird-ass fantasy land, even I would have called myself a lunatic. But coincidences kept happening around here way too frequently for me to laugh it off anymore. ¡°Someone listen!¡± I said in a hushed voice. ¡°Not say thing you regret! Give away good thing, you might.¡± ¡°¡¯Good thing¡¯, eh?¡± she said with a lazy smile. ¡°Why Donum, should I start walking around without a top, as well? Shall I dance in the nude for you?¡± So saying, she absently ran her fingernails between her breasts. Seeing my furious blush, she laughed uproariously. I probably would have resented her teasing me like that, but now that I knew about her class, she was probably just trying to save up some kind of resource. Either that or ¡®wanton slut¡¯ was one of her many questionable personality traits. Maybe both. Well, it was not as if I was the most jovial individual to traipse across the planet. And besides, I already had a grumpy former bandit as a companion. What was one more weirdo? As her laughter slowly died out, she abruptly turned to Jax, ¡°Wait, did you say a week ago?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he growled out, ¡°I feel like I barely just left this hole.¡± ¡°Said before,¡± I chimed in. ¡°Big frog. In Allenwood.¡± ¡°But a week ago!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for another Mouth for over a year!¡± She chuckled to herself quietly, ¡°And then, of all things, I get just a little too drunk, and what do you know? I get tossed into one, half naked and unarmed with a couple of Monos.¡± There were a lot of things I could say in response to that. Instead, I asked the obvious question, ¡°Monos?¡± My library was coming up blank on that word. ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± she explained. ¡°It¡¯s what we call green Questers in the Athenaeum. You know¡­ because you have a monovocabulary? As in, only one Word?¡± I nodded, mentally filing it away. It seemed there were a lot of words related to a person¡¯s Dungeoneering experience. Speaking of¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ A-Athen¡­¡± ¡°Athenaeum,¡± she supplied again. ¡°You probably haven¡¯t heard of us. We¡¯re not a very large group after all. The full name is ¡®The Athenaeum for the Preservation of the Words¡¯, but it doesn¡¯t exactly roll off the tongue. Mostly, it¡¯s just a bunch of hot-heads, crazy fools, and the occasional scholar that join up. But we¡¯re Questers all.¡± I blinked a few times trying to reconcile my mental image of this insane woman as a member of a scholastic society. Then again, fraternities were supposed to be scholastic societies, and my mental image of them was a bit¡­ strained. Mental dilemma resolved, I continued my questioning, ¡°Okay. But how ¡®preserve¡¯ Words? No can say. No write.¡± She gave me a sidelong grin, ¡°Oh, but you can, though.¡± Chapter 21 - Walking in the Dark ¡°Or sort of, anyway,¡± Sherr Hess continued. ¡°You see, the problem is that each Word that a person finds is theirs and theirs alone. They can¡¯t spread that information to anyone, not really, so if the Quester dies, what knowledge they¡¯ve gathered dies with them. The Athenaeum¡¯s purpose is to try and preserve what Questers discover for future generations.¡± She hiked up a leg and scratched at her inner thigh before going on, ¡°We haven¡¯t been around very long, though. Only a few years. Right now, most of us, and that includes me, just go around looking for Mouths and recording what that particular one looked like and what Word we found in it. We keep what we get from the Dungeon, and we get paid for the information. It¡¯s not a bad gig.¡± ¡°Not bad?!¡± Jax exclaimed. ¡°And what exactly be the survival rate o¡¯ this little venture o¡¯ your¡¯n?¡± I also had some doubts. Like, how would this organization get funding? Who provided the payouts? Although, she did say that it was still a young group. Maybe they were still in that bright-eyed and naive phase of boundless optimism¡­ or maybe the mafia-like government that people had been describing was bankrolling it. Yeah¡­ that seemed the most likely. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that it¡¯s a safe line of work,¡± she replied. ¡°But at least this way, we get a little extra for our trouble and serve something of a grander purpose.¡± She looked down, and continued more quietly, ¡°Believe me, that helps some people.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I said slowly, thinking. ¡°Why want do this? Uh¡­ Mouth shape get. What is goal?¡± She grinned, ¡°We do it because the payout is fantastic, that¡¯s why. If you¡¯re lucky, a single run can get you enough to live off of for five to ten years¡­ or a few months, if you¡¯re not. That, by itself, is enough for most. But, if you¡¯re asking about what the big picture is¡­¡± She shrugged, lightly, ¡°I¡¯m really just being paid to gather info. You wouldn¡¯t know it to look at me, but I¡¯m not much of a scholar.¡± The way she delivered that line was so absolutely deadpan, that I was not at all sure that she was not pulling my leg. Jax, however, was having none of that, ¡°I¡¯d be havin¡¯ an easier time believin¡¯ me whore mum¡¯s arse boils ¡®ad learned ter sing the harmonies o¡¯ the Faen themselves than that ye were a scholar, Hess.¡± ¡°Why, Jax,¡± she said, with a playful pout, ¡°if you keep talking like that, I might just start to think that you don¡¯t like me.¡± He only snorted in reply. ¡°So, you not know reason?¡± I asked again. ¡°Why group want Mouth info?¡± ¡°Oh, I know some of the short term projects. Like¡­ well, you see, we¡¯re nowhere close to finding the whole set of them. There are many thousands, ya know?¡± I did not know, but I nodded anyway. She continued, ¡°And if you don¡¯t know what Word you¡¯re going to get when you jump in, it may as well be random. So, by reporting it and keeping track, we Questers can start being more choosy with what Mouths we decide to go into. Some Words are lot more useful than others, after all.¡± That was news to me. ¡°Why? What Words?¡± ¡°Oh, certain verbs¡­¡± she said musing, ¡°Pronouns, for sure. Oh, if you could get the full set of pronouns, that would be ridiculously powerful!¡± I blinked, ¡°Powerful, why?¡± She looked at me curiously, ¡°Because Words empower your abilities, of course. If the Word is in your ability, anyway.¡± She pursed her lips, ¡°I suppose as a Mono, you wouldn¡¯t know that yet.¡± My eyebrows bunched together as I processed what she had just told me. ¡°Abilities? Like¡­ spells? Those is¡­ are Words?¡± She nodded, ¡°Sure. Why do you think they¡¯re so hard to say?¡± That¡­ made a degree of sense, now that I thought about it. Every single time I tried to spit one of those things out, it was like trying to wrestle with sentient silly string. But¡­ if they were Words¡­ why could I say them at all? I could not even come close to saying the Word I had earned aloud. ¡°Right, so anyhow, that is one of the ways we¡¯re trying to ¡®write down¡¯ the Words. One of our projects is in making an Ability Catalog. List what it does, how to get it, and such. But most importantly,¡± she slapped a fist into a palm, ¡°list what Words are in it.¡± She seemed quite enthusiastic about this. An ability catalog with detailed instructions on how to later improve them? That sounded like an excellent idea. Even with my own admittedly limited exposure to the way the Lady of Power operated, I would be absolutely overjoyed to get hold of such a thing! Then again, given the rather extreme disparity between my own class and my two companions¡­ I mean, Jax¡¯s class was basically just a warrior sub-type, but Hess? Some kind of jack-of-all-trades type with a hedonism based power requirement? Plus, I knew from previous conversations that there were all sorts of trade classes. I was not sure that you could even make a comprehensive set classes, much less abilities. More over, now that I thought about it, I was having a hard time seeing just how that counted as ¡®writing down¡¯ the Words. I mean, it was useful, sure, but¡­ at most, it was more ¡®making reference to them¡¯. You still would not be able to actually write out the Word. Mentally, I shrugged. I had to suppose you just had to work with what you could, and a scholar would be grateful for anything they could get. Still, making a catalog would not do any harm. Probably. For all I knew, there was a reason that the Lady did not give you a list of options. It might even be possible that Bline or her church would get offended? But that was just base speculation. Really, I did not even know if she even had a church¡­ Well¡­ no, I knew the Lawmaiden did. Jax had said so. So¡­ it seemed plausible. ¡°You say¡­ one way? What others?¡± I asked, my thoughts returning to our original subject. ¡°Uh¡­ Write down Words.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the other big project. I¡¯m less involved in that one,¡± she said. ¡°We have a few teams working on translating the Steles. Or trying to, anyway.¡± ¡°Steles? Like the Stele of the Fourth Creation?¡± I said, making the connection. ¡°Has Words on it?¡± She nodded, ¡°Yes, that is one. And yes, it does. Most definitely. There are several others, though. Just don¡¯t ask me to list them. I¡¯ve always been terrible at that sort of thing.¡± I smirked, ¡°Have in common that.¡± ¡°Hess¡­¡± Jax cut in, ¡°Did ye not say the Stele were a great roaster of an egg what would destroy the world or some shite?¡± She looked at him askance, ¡°I did?! When?¡± I nodded thoughtfully. Now that he mentioned it, I remembered that, as well, ¡°In Kemry-in-the-Moors. Tailor shop?¡± ¡°Kemry-in-the-Moors?¡± she said, confused. ¡°When was I in Kemry¡­? ¡®Snails¡­ I must have really been on a bender.¡± Jax and I shared a look. This whole conversation had almost made me forget who exactly I had been talking to. It really pulled a fog of severe doubt over everything she had just told us. What sort of organization would even hire this woman? They would have to be extremely desperate to even consider it. And we had to rely on her to get us through this Dungeon alive? I scraped my fingernails through me hair. We were so dead. Unfortunately, the time for questions was over. We had arrived at the town. Or what looked like a town, anyway. There were certainly a collection of buildings, perhaps a dozen or more, scattered about. Each had one or two stories and were of simple design with shallowly sloped and thatched roofs. The houses themselves looked to be made from primitive mud bricks with bits of straw sticking out of them. Surrounding all of this was a low stone wall, perhaps chest height, with two gaps on either side for the road to pass through. Other than that, I could see no sign that anyone had lived here for quite some time. ¡°Well¡­¡± I started, but Sherr Hess shushed me. Motioning silently, she pointed ahead of us. Just then, I saw something move off toward the village center. It was hard to make out details in the darkness, but whatever it was seemed enormous. Moving forward hastily, Hess ducked below the wall. Hiding seemed like an excellent idea to me, so I rushed over to join her with Jax right behind me. ¡°What be we lookin¡¯ at?¡± Jax said in a scant whisper. Shushing us again, Hess leaned over to look around the edge of the opening in the wall. There had, at some point, been a swinging wooden gate set into the gap of the stone fence, but it had long ago been shattered. What remained was but a few rotten boards that had tumbled into a loose pile. After a moment, she fell back, resting her back to the wall. ¡°I dunno what it is. Weird looking thing. Skinny, spindly looking legs. Looks maybe thirteen¡­ fourteen cubits tall,¡± she said quietly. I looked over at Jax and mouthed, ¡°Cubits?¡± He nodded. Tapping his elbow, he ran his hand up his arm to his fingertip. I nodded in understanding, but then I frowned, trying to picture something fourteen half arm-lengths tall. And was that supposed to be Jax¡¯s cubit or Hess¡¯? Setting aside the mental calculation, I asked, ¡°Can you fight thing?¡± ¡°Doubt it,¡± she replied, after a moment of consideration. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can punch that thing to death, and it¡¯d take more than a few Concussive Howlers to take it down. Right now, I don¡¯t think I can do more than one, and that¡¯s my cheapest spell.¡± Jax nudged me, ¡°What about yer spell, mate? Have ye tried it on ¡®er? Might pack quite a wallop!¡± I shook my head, ¡°No, I not tried. But have not eated more than day. Pass out last time.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± she asked, curiously. ¡°His healin¡¯ spell. Fer some reason, it makes me almost stain me breeches every time.¡± I looked at him slightly askance. He had gotten quite a bit more open with all of this. I supposed that once things had elevated to prank levels, a person would get a bit less self-conscious, but still, I was surprised that he would admit it to Hess. ¡°What kin ye do if¡¯n yer randy ¡®nough?¡± he asked, pragmatically. ¡°Quite a bit,¡± she said, cryptically. With her left eyebrow lifted in intrigue, she looked at me, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you mention this before?¡± I sighed, considering being evasive about it, but there really was no point. Jax was right. We were in the Dungeon, and we needed to use what tools we had available. Funny, I never thought making someone horny would be a combat strategy I might need to account for. ¡°Side effect. Work different on some people. And too hungry now. No Life Energy.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± she mused. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to try it, though. If it works like that¡­¡± she paused in thought, but after a moment she shook her head, ¡°I¡¯d still need a weapon to really put it to good use. And we need to get you some Life Energy. Can¡¯t have you wasting away on us. So we have two problems.¡± ¡°What about these?¡± Jax asked, juggling a few of the Gems of Power we had taken from the fallen Zombies. Hess shook her head, ¡°Those are all Lesser Gems of the first Rank. It¡¯d take hundreds of those for me to gain a layer. Although¡­¡± she looked at us, ¡°it wouldn¡¯t hurt to get you two a layer or two if we can. It might open up a few options. How does that work, by the way? Do you share Gem Layering?¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I said slowly, ¡°we can. But¡­¡± ¡°Also, makes me stain me breeches,¡± Jax said with a bit of a wryly suffering smirk. ¡°Ain¡¯t gotta do it that way, though, thank Maeve.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± she said, lightly biting at her lower lip. ¡°That sounds¡­ interesting. Can I watch?¡± Jax¡¯s face fell. We had decided to move away from the wall some distance before doing it. Sherr Hess was fairly sure that the beast in the town would not move past that perimeter ¡ª something about domains ¡ª but we did not want to risk it. So far, we had not encountered anything out in the grassy area between the graveyard and the town, so it was probably safe. Hess had taken a moment to bring us up to speed on some ¡®layering¡¯ mechanics, as she put it. ¡°How close are you to the next layer?¡± she asked. Jax and I just looked at each other, ¡°Uh¡­?¡± She sighed, ¡°Yeah, I was afraid of that. Look, you¡¯re going to need to start keeping track of what Gems you¡¯ve consumed, or else you¡¯ll need to get the ¡®Gem of Power Requirement¡¯ skill. A lot of people consider it kind of a waste, though. It¡¯ll tell you the Gem strength you need to get to the next layer. If you don¡¯t, you may end up wasting Gem potential. If you hit your layer cap, whatever is left of the Gem¡¯s strength is wasted. You¡¯re better off selling a Gem that¡¯s too strong and buying a less powerful one to cap you.¡± She paused a moment to consider, and then added, ¡°Normally.¡± When we asked how much and how many of what Gems we would need, the answer was¡­ confusing. Apparently, as long as the Gem was of the appropriate rank, it would take: slightly more than a Grand, definitely more than a Greater, probably two Averages, slightly less than four Lessers but for sure more than three, or something like ten Minor Gems to get from one layer to the next. I had to wonder if whoever had invented this system had ever heard of regular old experience points and if they might consider making the switch. ¡°It¡¯s a little unfortunate, but we only have Lessers to work with. Just take one at a time until you reach the cap,¡± she said to me. ¡°Are ye sure this¡¯ll help ye?¡± Jax asked again. She grinned widely at his discomfort, ¡°Oh yes. Like I said, I can store up the energy to use later. It does degrade over time, but it¡¯s slow enough not to matter in here.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± he huffed, before mumbling quietly, ¡°Bloody weapon.¡± I was sitting in the grass a few paces away with my back turned to them. At this point, there was not anything that the two of us had not seen of each other, but I was determined to give the man what privacy I could. I knew that if our situations were reversed, I would be embarrassed to death. Especially with Hess over there enthusiastically watching. ¡°Quit yer mopin¡¯ an¡¯ get this shite over with,¡± Jax said to me in English as he pulled his pants down. ¡°She be a fair enough wench ter look at. I don¡¯t want yer guilt ta be meltin¡¯ me wally.¡± Averting my eyes, I blinked anyway a few times at the euphemism. ¡°What? Are you saying now you¡¯re into this?¡± ¡°Look, mate. I think we¡¯d both agree that what we¡¯s got goin¡¯ is a bit o¡¯ the hamshanks. And yes, maybe puttin¡¯ on a peepshow ain¡¯t what I woke up thinkin¡¯ I¡¯d be doin¡¯ today, but at least, this be kind of normal. Lot¡¯s o¡¯ people do this shite on the daily. Now, away ¡®n raffle yer ownself.¡± As usual, I only picked up on about seventy to eighty percent of what Jax was spewing out at any given time. I was still waiting on some of his prolific swearing to loop back around so that I could make a second attempt at them, but I got the gist of it this time. Messed up situation? Make the best of it. Not a bad philosophy, all in all. Likely, Jax¡¯s background as a street urchin and bandit had a lot to do with it. ¡°Are you two finished gossiping? You know it¡¯s rude to leave someone out of the conversation,¡± Hess cut in. ¡°Can we get this show going now?¡± She was sprawled on the ground with knee to elbow and her chin in hand, looking bored. Demure was not a word I would use to describe her posture. Though, at this point, I would be shocked if I could. Seeing no reason to delay any longer, I quickly switched the Core Layer Gain sharing feature back on, and popped the Gem into my mouth. As ever, the sweet substance entered my veins slowly as it dissolved in my mouth before eventually settling somewhere below my diaphragm. The bleed-off to Jax was subtle at first, but it was not long before I heard a little grunt. ¡°Oh~? Starting to see something now,¡± I heard. ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s exciting you more? The power you are getting from your Master or me watching you?¡± ¡°Stuff yer head, ye manx!¡± he growled, ¡°He ain¡¯t me bloody Master, an¡¯ I ain¡¯t a drippin¡¯ fourteen year old peepin¡¯ the whores in the windy!¡± ¡°Oh, come on¡­ at least pretend you¡¯re into it?¡± she said, amused. ¡°I need this!¡± I did not hear anything for a second, and then he said, ¡°Ooh ooh, yeah. It be so good,¡± in the flattest monotone I had ever heard. She cackled heartily at his delivery, ¡°That works, too!¡± For all that Jax claimed that he was at least a little into this whole situation, he certainly was acting as if he did not want Hess to know about it. I could only wonder why. Maybe he was playing hard to get? Just then, I got a familiar pop-up.
Congratulations! You have added enough to your Core to gain a Layer. The condensation process will begin the next time you sleep. If you have not distributed your stat points, do so now.
The Gem was still dissolving in my mouth, though. I briefly wondered how that was going to work. She had said that any extra Power from the Gem would be lost once I had hit the cap. It was then that I remembered that Jax should have been slightly behind me in experience, having saved one of those little Gems for nostalgic reasons. The power swirling about my center seemed to be searching for somewhere to latch onto, but finding no purchase there, it somehow found the discrepancy and shot straight over to Jax. ¡°Oh, hairy cow, ta fuck?!¡± he shouted. My attention drawn by his exclamation, I turned around in my startlement. Jax¡¯s back had seized into an arched position, and he was flailing with his arms to try and support himself. After a moment, his strength failed him, and he collapsed to his side, trembling. I could not exactly see from my angle, but I definitely caught rope after rope of his seed flying out from where it was obscured by his body. This continued for several seconds while he gasped for air until the energy from the Gem tapered off and then finally stopped. Jax was still quivering and groaning from what had looked from here to be the mother of all orgasms. At that moment, I experienced just the tiniest shade of envy. Hess, meanwhile, had been watching all of this with rapt attention. The moment he fell over, she had scrambled back to get out of the way of his wildly out of control ejaculate and was crouched on hands and knees, staring at Jax¡¯s slowly calming form. After a while, she finally breathed, ¡°Wow¡­¡± Looking between the two of us, she then said, ¡°Can you do it again?¡± ¡°Give us a minute, love...¡± Jax laughed weakly from his position on the ground, ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯ve bruised me bawbag.¡± Chuckling at her pout, I shook my head, ¡°My layer finish. Need sleep.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± he affirmed, ¡°me layer has also uh¡­ come to completion.¡± After Jax had cleaned himself up to the best of his ability, we had a brief debate over whether we should make camp to finish the condensation process. Jax and I were really not comfortable just bedding down in the middle of a wide open area, but Hess seemed confident of her ability to keep a lookout. We did not share that confidence, but we were not going to tell her that. What ultimately settled the matter, however, was our empty stomachs. Or mine anyway. It had been well over a day since any of us had eaten, though Jax, of course, had other requirements. Meanwhile, I had sacrificed quite a bit of Life Energy in the battle on the hill and after. I was starving. Unfortunately, that was tough cookies. There was no food, we had no weapons, and the only things we had seen that even moved out here were Zombies ¡ª a non-starter ¡ª and some giant monster in the middle of town. I, however, had an idea. It was a stupid idea, I will freely admit that. There is no way that something like this would or oven should work, but if I were a gamer ¡ª and I was ¡ª there was only one reasonable thing to do. Take advantage of exploits. ¡°Jax, what are chance that skill of yours¡­ uh¡­¡± I paused, ¡°What skill called? One where drain Life Energy?¡± ¡°You have a draining skill?¡± Hess cut in. ¡°Aye, and never you mind what it be called,¡± he said sharply. ¡°What do ye wanna know about it?¡± I blinked. Now, I was curious. ¡°Uh¡­ what chance it work?¡± He shook his head, ¡°She don¡¯t say. Just that it do go up with me own skill.¡± I grimaced. I had expected as much. ¡°Well¡­ why not go practice?¡± I suggested. ¡°On what? Them flamin¡¯ Zombies?¡± he asked, incredulously. Seeing my look, he made a face, ¡°Bugger me¡­ that do be what ye mean.¡± ¡°Chancy,¡± Hess said. ¡°We might be able to get them to come at us in small enough numbers, but they tend to swarm.¡± I nodded. Chance and tactics was all part of pulling, after all. The trick was not to get cocky. Things could go tits up in a hurry. ¡°Too many come, we run. Not take chance.¡± She sighed, ¡°I suppose we could try. You two could certainly use the Gems. I¡¯d still rather have a weapon just in case.¡± ¡°We might could find one in yon mud-borough,¡± Jax suggested. ¡°If¡¯n we¡¯s quiet.¡± We all stared at one another for a bit at that suggestion. While it was true that I had a helpful spell for this kind of situation, it did nothing about muffling sounds, and we were not particularly skilled in moving about stealthily. If we screwed up¡­ well, none of us knew exactly what the fight might entail, and we were not quite ready to burst that bubble. Even by accident. ¡°Could we¡­ I know not. Make weapon?¡± I asked haltingly. ¡°With what?¡± Jax asked. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hess stood up and looked around. ¡°There are trees out there,¡± she said, pointing. Now that she mentioned it, off in the far distance, we were fully surrounded by trees in every direction. I could just make them out, faintly illuminated in the starlight as they were. It would seem that we were in a huge clearing. I rubbed at my scruffy beard. Trees meant wood. And we had an axe. It was a start. Unfortunately, it took us fully three hours to walk the distance to the forest, and I was starting to feel awfully weak. We probably could have made the walk more quickly, but we started seeing shapes out in the darkness. Not wanting to chance an encounter with unknown creatures in the dark, we decided to give them a wide berth. Whatever they were, they did not seem to see us. For that matter, we could not tell if they were even moving. ¡°Are you alright, Donum?¡± Jax asked me. I nodded, somewhat unsure. I was starting to get used to being hungry. I did not like it, not by a long shot, but experience is the best teacher. Since I had come to this place, I had been hungry, and I mean seriously hungry, more often than probably anyone in my family ever had been in living memory. Still¡­ I knew that a person could go a long time, perhaps a month or so, without eating. I would be fine. As long as no one got injured. Unfortunately, my trembling hands seemed to be giving off other signals. I really needed to invest in that Life Energy meter. This guesswork was not doing me any favors. Jax¡¯s concerned look did not dissipate with my assurances. ¡°Look mate, just take it easy for now. If we get into it, keep to the back.¡± I snorted. What else was I going to do? Sally forth and give them what for? Still, I took his meaning. ¡°What be that? Sarcasm? Some kind o¡¯¡­ irony, maybe?¡± he asked. ¡°What?¡± I asked, lost. ¡°What yer feelin¡¯ now. Before, ye were worried. Feelin¡¯ sorry fer yer ownself. Did nay like the taste of it. This¡­ I dunno,¡± his mouth quirked, ¡°it be¡­ sour? But sweet, too? I dunno if I like it. Might grow on me.¡± My eyebrows lifted a bit as he spoke. We had not talked much about his new ability or what it was like for him. I had to admit, I was extremely curious now that he brought it up. What must it be like to feed on emotions? To experience flavor from them? Truthfully, I could not even imagine it. ¡°It be different, I¡¯ll tell ye that,¡± he said. ¡°People be feelin¡¯ all sorts o¡¯ things all the time. Some of them taste grand. Others taste o¡¯ pish. An¡¯ I get ¡®em all, all the time.¡± I just looked at him for a breath. I had not said anything, after all. ¡°Am I so transparent?¡± He shrugged slightly, ¡°Nah. But I know yer taste the best. Ye worry a lot. Worry about what people think o¡¯ ye. Worry that ye done wrong. An¡¯ ye think all the time. Tryin¡¯ ter work out what other¡¯ns be thinkin¡¯. But ye ne¡¯er show it on yer face.¡± I smirked a bit. He was not wrong. I did worry about a lot of things. Mostly, I had the good sense not to let my concerns overwhelm me, and I had thought I was pretty good at suppressing them. Maybe not to an empath, though. Honestly, it was impressive that he had worked all of that out just from context. Curiously, I jerked my head toward our new companion, walking ahead of us, ¡°What about her?¡± His mouth twitched as he thought about how to answer. Finally, he said, ¡°She be curious, mostly. About us, I think. But there be more there than what she lets on. I know that sure. Best be careful.¡± ¡°Has she lied to us at any point?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure,¡± he shrugged, ¡°but about little things here and there. Everyone does. Nothin¡¯ major.¡± I nodded. Everyone had their secrets. As long as she was playing us straight, I would not worry. I smirked at myself. ¡°Look there,¡± Hess called from ahead of us. Walking up beside her, I squinted to see what she was pointing at. Off in the distance, just at the base of the trees but to the left of our heading, there was a faintly visible blue light. Chapter 22 - A Crystal, a Song, and a Thing There was no doubt about it, now. We could not be anywhere else but the Dungeon. Not unless those huge marquise shaped blue crystals occurred elsewhere in the world. This particular one was mounted into a short stone plinth that was just wider than the crystal and giving off a pleasant little glow. Just behind the plinth, the grassy area came to an abrupt end at the tree line we had seen all the way back at the town. And though I say ¡®tree line¡¯, it was not what I would call a forest, though the trees easily topped fifty feet in height, at the very least. In fact, I would be hard pressed to explain how trees could even grow in a way like that. Each of them was so close together, they may as well have been the same plant. There was scarcely a gap wide enough to squeeze a single finger through as far as the eye could see in either direction. All except for one notable irregularity. Just to the right of the crystal, the trees had deformed in such a way as to be impossible for a normal growth pattern, if ¡®normal¡¯ could be applied to anything around us. The trees were growing in the same spacing as before, one directly beside the next, but here they were severely bent, leaving a wide gap. They then recovered from this deformity, resuming their upward climb and then gradually came back together again at the top. As a result, there was perfect circular opening grown into the wall of trees at about twenty feet in diameter. Unfortunately, this opening was positively covered in spiderwebs. And it seemed to be breathing. Jax spat to the side, ¡°Bugger that.¡± I agreed. ¡°Now now, boys,¡± Hess smirked. ¡°Let¡¯s see what it has to say for itself before we jump to any conclusions.¡± So saying, she swatted the both of us on the ass and sashayed up to the crystal. I jumped slightly in surprise. That being the first time a girl had ever done something like that to me, I did not really know how I should react, so I looked over at Jax for a clue. He was just grinning. As for the crystal¡­ it was¡­ different.
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Come one, come all! The mighty hole awaits! It¡¯s big. It¡¯s black! It devours all! What dangers lurk? What fabulous prizes await? Step on inside and see! If you daaaaaaaare¡­
I gave my head a small shake at the cheesy message. ¡°Crystal not do poetry?¡± I said, confused. This one sounded more like a carnival barker or maybe a television advertisement for a monster truck rally. Hess looked at me, ¡°Is that what your last one did?¡± At my quick head bob, she smirked, ¡°Cute. Yeah, they¡¯re always a little different from area to area, but they¡¯re rarely straightforward.¡± ¡°This¡¯n seems pretty simple,¡± Jax said. ¡°Go in. Get prizes. Probably die.¡± Hess gave a blase nod, ¡°Yes, so it would seem. But I think we may not have to. This part might be a side branch.¡± ¡°How do ye figure?¡± he asked. ¡°Because why say anything?¡± I answered. ¡°No crystal anywhere. Just here.¡± She smiled at my guess, ¡°There¡¯s that. I was more going off of the ¡®if you daaaaaaare¡¯ part.¡± She wiggled her fingers at us creepily as she said it. Dropping her hands back to her side, she went on, ¡°But don¡¯t assume there¡¯s no more crystals to be found.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Jax mused. ¡°If ye figurin¡¯ that way, then mebbe there be sommat we need from yonder town? An¡¯ the graveyard?¡± She nodded before jerking her thumb at me, ¡°Found him at the graveyeard. But there might be more there. I didn¡¯t really bother to look over all of the headstones in detail. We were a little pressed for time, then. And I¡¯m certain the town is important.¡± We stood there silently for a minute after that, staring at the great hole and the web that covered it, slowly flapping in and out as the air pressure changed. Obviously, there was no way we were going in as we were. ¡°Think might are more places like here?¡± I asked, finally. ¡°At tree line?¡± She scratched at her jaw, just under her ear, ¡°Who knows? It¡¯s possible. Might be worth checking out. But not tonight.¡± Turning to Jax, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s put that axe of yours to use. See if you can chop down a couple of straight branches. We might could make me a club for now. Better than the ¡®stoe sucking nothing I¡¯ve got now.¡± Jax nodded and then looked at me, ¡°Ye want I should whittle ye a spear? Won¡¯t be worth shite. Just a sharp stick, really, but it may do some good.¡± If I were honest, I would much rather have another shield, but that was not going to happen any time soon. Still, I may as well at least have something, so I gave him the go ahead. It turned out the wood here was surprisingly tough. Just getting through a branch the width of my wrist took Jax the better part of a quarter hour. On the plus side, in doing this, Jax discovered that his axe had not dulled in the slightest. We did not know if it was a permanent feature of the weapon, or if it was simply very difficult to damage, but at least we now knew a bit more about the thing. After he had cut and scraped a club about the length of a person¡¯s arm, he handed it to Sherr Hess. She gave a few experimental swings with it before setting it down and wiping her hands on her vest, ¡°We need to harden this in a fire. It¡¯s got too much sap in it.¡± ¡°That is wisdom?¡± I asked. ¡°Fire is beacon.¡± She grimaced, ¡°Hard to say. Things in the Dungeon don¡¯t behave like they do out in the world. Most of the time, fights here happen in ways that make sense. Like they¡¯re supposed to happen that way. In a big field like this?¡± she shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to expect.¡± She had said that the Dungeon would try to challenge her. Maybe changing things up like this was one of the ways it was trying to do it? Keep her on her toes? Jax interrupted my thoughts to hand me his second project. It was a bit wider than my thumb and not exactly straight, and he had not bothered to scrape the bark off, having only modified the branch to hew a point onto it. Nevertheless, it was better than nothing, and I was comforted to have something that even resembled a weapon in hand. ¡°Come on,¡± Hess said. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the graveyard. We¡¯ll keep to the tree line, though. See if you can find any dead branches along the way. We¡¯re going to have a heck of a time starting a fire with no flint.¡± ¡°I can do it,¡± Jax said. ¡°Need some good and dry wood though.¡± She smiled, ¡°Good.¡± Leaving it at that, she turned and started walking, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose either of you know any songs?¡± ¡°Few drinkin¡¯ songs,¡± Jax said. ¡°One or two,¡± I chimed in. ¡°Not sing in Laoi¡¯na. Too hard.¡± She looked back at me and spread her hands, ¡°Go ahead. Might get some entertainment out of it.¡± I ran my tongue across my teeth in thought as I followed. There were only a few things that I actually knew the lyrics to. On a whim, a few years back, I had downloaded a few show tunes that I had fond memories of. Over time, on car trips and driving back and forth from college, I must have listened to them hundreds of times. They were now permanently etched into my brain, like it or not. Normally, though, I would have been embarrassed to death to actually sing one of them, as they would instantly label me as the gigantic dork that I am. But here¡­ Clearing my throat, I said, ¡°Uh¡­ this one about¡­ uh¡­ man who get lucky? Win big prize.¡± Starting slowly, I began to sing. ¡°I never thought my life could be Anything but catastrophe But suddenly I begin to see A bit of good luck for me ''Cause I got a golden ticket I''ve got a golden twinkle in my eye¡± I started to clap lightly as the song picked up. Slowly, the two of them joined in. ¡°I never had a chance to shine Never a happy song to sing But suddenly half the world is mine What an amazing thing ''Cause I got a golden ticket I''ve got a golden sun up in the sky. Slippers, Charlie!¡± Now, to be fair, I probably skipped over a few lyrics, and I definitely bobbled a line or two. And to be sure, I did not even attempt the dance routine, beyond the occasional swing of the hip or a jaunty jerk of an elbow. Miming out the antics of an old man getting out of bed and dancing was way too much, even if the current audience had never seen it before. Hess seemed to enjoy it though. She started skipping and twirling about gaily as I sang, like a little girl at a summer outing. Well¡­ maybe more like Frankenstein¡¯s monster frolicking through the tulips¡­ no, that¡¯s a bit unkind. Regardless, I could only smile at her exuberance. As the song wound down, I started wondering if this too provided some kind of fighting power for her. Hedonism was sort of a broad requirement, after all. The word just meant something like ¡®the pursuit of pleasure¡¯, so it was possible. When I finished, she clapped happily, and I gave her an exaggerated bow. Looking behind me, I saw that Jax had been diligently gathering wood for our eventual fire as I sang. He had taken off his shirt and was using the tied sleeves as a strap to bundle the wood. He had managed a bit more than an armload by that point. When I caught his eye, I noticed that there was the faintest hint of moisture there. Stopping short, I waited for him to catch up. Looking me over briefly, he only smiled, ¡°I thought as much. You wouldn¡¯ta done it on purpose.¡± ¡°Done what?¡± I asked. ¡°What have I done now?¡± Chuckling, he gave me a light punch to the shoulder, ¡°Oh, come now. Ye just sang a song about a man gettin¡¯ a new life. Findin¡¯ happiness fer the first time? Ringin¡¯ any bells? See any parallels here?¡± I cocked an eyebrow. Technically, I had been singing about an old man getting to go on a factory tour to see how chocolate candy bars are made, but I could see how he might have made the mistake. Deciding to just go with it, I responded, ¡°Are you really so happy? To be following me around all the time? I mean¡­ you died earlier.¡± He snorted, ¡°Did I now? I seem pretty hale and hearty for a dead man.¡± So saying, he thumped himself on the chest. ¡°What was that like, by the way?¡± I asked. ¡°To be dead?¡± ¡°Gettin¡¯ me head staved in weren¡¯t a barry braw, but after that?¡± he shrugged. ¡°There weren¡¯t nothing. The next thing I knew, I were standin¡¯ there heavin¡¯ me guts out in yon graveyard.¡± ¡°So¡­ what? Where you in some kind of limbo? Or was it like you were asleep?¡± ¡°Nay,¡± he jerked his head, ¡°It weren¡¯t nothin¡¯, like I said. I do nay know how long it were on yer end, but fer me, it might o¡¯ been a snap o¡¯ me fingers.¡± He paused then, and asked me curiously, ¡°How do me head look, by the by? I ain¡¯t got no dents in it do I?¡± I choked a bit at the question. Of all the things to be worried about¡­ ¡°What are you two hens clucking about back there? More music!¡± Hess called from ahead of us. ¡°We¡¯s havin¡¯ a private conversation, ye boot!¡± Jax growled out. ¡°Do you really have to antagonize her?¡± I asked in concern. ¡°Bah,¡± he spat, ¡°Ye think I wouldn¡¯t know when I¡¯s gone too far? ¡®Sides, ye let ¡®er walk all over ye.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± I conceded. ¡°Then again, she could easily kick the both of us into next week.¡± ¡°That be true enough,¡± he chuckled. ¡°But see, that be why she tolerates me talkin¡¯ shite to ¡®er. She thinks it be ¡®cute¡¯ or some other bollocks. Like a puppy yippin¡¯ at ¡®er.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Thinking about it, she had been generally pretty affable this whole time, if a little demanding. Maybe that was just what you got when you were dealing with a hedonist. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try to loosen up around her. But warn me if you sense things taking a turn. I don¡¯t have special empathy powers like you.¡± He tilted his head and looked up at me, ¡°Mate, ye have the emotional insight of a plank o¡¯ wood.¡± ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not that bad,¡± I protested. ¡°I noticed you all choked up back here, didn¡¯t I?¡± He stopped to repackage his bundle with the few branches he had found since we had been talking. Hefting it again, he conceded my point, ¡°Aye, I suppose even ye can learn to read a person given time. But¡­ aye. I suppose I be¡­ well, I dunno if ¡®happy¡¯ be the right word. But I feel like I got a new life now. A better one. With some potential to it, ye know?¡± I sighed, ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re optimistic. Maybe you¡¯re used to it, but where I¡¯m from, the most excitement a person can expect is to go see a race or some sports. This life and death business is crazy.¡± The closest I had ever come to certain demise was almost hitting a cow on a country road in the dead of night. And that had been years ago. Yet, within the last week, I had endured more intense adrenaline spikes than the entire rest of my life put together. He chuckled, ¡°Aye, that. Our life has been a bit interesting lately, ain¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Mu-sic!¡± Hess called again, more insistently. ¡°Alright, ye thunderin¡¯ weapon!¡± Jax yelled. The song he launched into is probably best not repeated. I was not quite sure if I were interpreting it correctly, but to the best of my understanding, it involved a woman getting raped and then went on to describe her humorous exploits in getting revenge until her ultimate demise at the hands of an angry goose, and all set to a jaunty knee-slapping tune. I could not see how the goose worked into it, though. If it was anything like the old songs from Earth, it was probably a symbol for some noble house or clan that I lacked the cultural knowledge to understand. Whatever the case, Hess thought it was hilarious. We continued that way for rest of the walk. I almost launched into Bohemian Rhapsody at one point, but I thought better of it. It just would not be the same without the backup chorus, and I did not want to do it the disservice. For whatever reason, despite the noise we were raising, we went unmolested the whole time. Maybe the Dungeon enjoyed the entertainment, too. We set up camp quite a distance from the graveyard. Sherr Hess did not want to encourage any stray Zombies to investigate us. Jax got a fire going using a method I had once seen in survival shows but never up close and personal. He had gotten a rotted out branch that was mostly hollow and split it lengthwise, then using his axe, he had whittled a small notch into the side. After that, he got a short, straight twig and inserting it into the notch, he rubbed his hands together, twirling the twig as fast as he could as he leaned into it for pressure. It did not take long before a slight trail of smoke wafted out of it. Taking this in hand, he tapped the bit of smoking ash he had created into a prepared bundle of tinder. After that, it was only a matter of some careful nursing before we had a nice fire going. I decided not to clap this time, though I still was extremely impressed. I was given the task of fire-hardening Hess¡¯ club while she did a quick perimeter check. The process was pretty simple. It was rather like roasting a marshmallow but the patient way. Some people, I had found, liked to just shove the thing into the fire and call the blackened mess ¡®done¡¯ even though the center had not come anywhere close to being softened. Lunatics all! In any case, once she had concluded that the spot was safe enough and collected her new club, the two of them decided to leave me there while they went to hunt Zombies. While I had my spear, Hess explained that they were not very effective weapons against Zombies even when they were well made. As it was, she claimed we were better off with me staying back. That way, she would have one fewer Mono to babysit. Her words. I protested this, naturally. ¡°Split party bad!¡± I exclaimed for the third time. ¡°Donum, we¡¯ve been over this,¡± she sighed. Speaking slowly, she tried to logic me down, ¡°We aren¡¯t a ¡®party¡¯. It¡¯s just me having to keep you two alive. Over there is a horde of Zombies. If even one of them gets past me, you could go down before I even noticed. It¡¯ll be hard enough just keeping your summon alive.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t a bloody summon, ye knobwasher,¡± the ¡®summon¡¯ growled. ¡°An¡¯ me name be Jax!¡± ¡°Oh~,¡± she cocked a hip, ¡°you want me to wash your knob, do you? Summon.¡± She lowered her eyelids and ran her tongue lightly along her lips. Jax just snorted and started marching toward the graveyard. Turning the flirtatiousness off as quickly as she had turned it on, she faced me again, ¡°Look, if anything comes, just stay still. You¡¯ve got that skill, right? And if that fails, yell bloody murder. We won¡¯t be that far away.¡± I really could not articulate how much of a bad idea I thought this was without sounding like a superstitious ninny. Years of table top experience told me that splitting the party was just asking the powers that be to start screwing with you. Now, if only I could just convince her of that. Dejectedly, I plopped down next to the fire and idly started snapping dray branches down to size. Finding one that looked to be just about right in size and shape, I broke off a few offending twigs and swung it around to scratch at the small of my back. I was still filthy from being buried alive, and I had a wicked itch going back there that was driving me nuts. Going around shirtless for hours on end was not helping matters, either. When had I even taken the thing off? And why would I have? I knew I had it back with the merchant caravan. Running a hand through my hair, I tried replaying the events of the last day or so through my head. So much had happened. There was that battle on the hill with the Gobs. Getting captured¡­ The Zombie attack¡­ No. No, I was shirtless then. Finally, it came to me. That¡¯s right. It ripped off when I tumbled down that hill. To be honest, I had been quite lucky not to have been injured more severely than I had been. That was insane! Experimentally, I rolled my shoulder a few times. It had been dislocated pretty recently, after all. It was still rather tender, but seemed to be functioning normally. Heaving a sigh, I leaned back and settled into the grass to look up at the stars. It was a nice and cloudless night with a light breeze drifting lazily through the meadow, so they were clearly visible in their multitude. There was no moon out tonight, I noted. Curiously, I tried searching for any of the constellations I was familiar with. Naturally, I failed completely. I frowned a bit at myself. What had I been expecting? I was pretty sure that you would not even see the same constellations from the southern hemisphere of Earth much less¡­ here. I had been told what ¡®here¡¯ was called, had I not? Uh¡­ Vrak¡­ something? No¡­ Vrekfren! That was it. Who had told me that, though? I sighed in frustration. My memory had always worked in odd ways. I would remember things, sure, but often it would be non-chronological or important side details would get lost. Like when a thing had happened or who had told me what. And forget remembering what color shirt a person had been wearing at the time. But you want the lyrics to the Gummi Bears cartoon? Sure! No problem. I could still clearly hear that opening horn cadence perfectly. Right about then, I started hearing faint sounds of combat coming from over by the graveyard. Worriedly, I looked over in that direction, but with the glow from the campfire, I could not make anything out. I just hoped that this worked and that they did not get injured too badly. If we were lucky, I would net more Life Energy than I had to spend to get them back to one hundred percent. If we were not¡­ well. I decided not to think about that. On the plus side, we would be getting quite a haul of Gems of Power. Honestly, this was quite a bit like getting power leveled by some twinked out veteran. If we did not have to sleep in between levels, we would probably already be level five or six by now ¡ª especially considering all of those Gobs we had killed in the hill battle. That was a shame. And what a weird way to do things. Who would think to make experience points a drop? That was not even close to being fair. The whole thing was just ripe for exploitation. Plus, if you did not manage to actually collect your Gems, then sucks to be you! Really, we were lucky that Hess had decided that getting us a few levels¡­ or no, I should use the correct terminology¡­ core layers¡­ Anyway, we were lucky she thought it was worth the time. I had to wonder what kind of prize she would be getting that made her feel it was worth her while. Then again, maybe she was just being nice. I could not know at this point. We really needed to make sure to offer a fair cut of the Gems. Even if she did not personally value them, she could still sell them, right? My stomach growled. Yeah, yeah. I know. We¡¯re working on it, okay? It was then that I heard something. Faintly, almost like a far off jingle of wind chimes, I heard it ¡ª a strange thing, away in the distance. Then the wind died. Slowly sitting upright, I peered into the darkness warily. I could not tell where the sound had come from nor what had caused it. Holding as still as I could, I continued looking and listening. For how long, I could not say. I scarcely dared to breathe. Whatever it was, I did not hear it now. Just as I was starting to relax, I heard it again. Or no. This was something different. It sounded like something had moved through the grass. My head jerked to follow the noise. It had only been there for just a moment, and then it had stopped. For a long while, there was nothing, and then I heard it move again. And stop. I sat there for a long time just staring off into the dark, my nerves slowly fraying. ¡°Baaaaaaah¡­¡± The unexpectedly loud noise made me almost jump out of my skin, but then my brain connected with what I was hearing. I sighed. I was hardly a farm boy, but I could easily identify a sheep bleating when I heard one. I was just about to curse myself for a foolish git, jumping at nothing, when a sudden surge of Life Energy shot through me. I gasped loudly from the unexpected pulse of life and nourishment coursing through my veins. As the waves of it slowly died away, I realized what I had done, and clapped a hand over my mouth. Listening intently, I searched the darkness once more. There was nothing. The sound had stopped again. It felt as if all the world had paused to listen with me. Of all the times for Jax to actually succeed at that damned skill of his¡­ Slowly at first, my mind started racing as I considered the implications. What had I been thinking? Yes, it certainly sounded like a sheep, and yes, I was sitting in the middle of a field next to a deserted town. That all made perfect sense. Of course, it was only logical that there would be a sheep out here. But this was the Dungeon! I silently berated myself. Only a fool would dismiss something innocent like a field animal for something harmless in here. The sound came again. Now, that I had a mental picture to go with it, it sounded exactly like an animal moving through a pasture. And it was getting closer. Crap¡­ Had it heard me? ¡°Baaaaaa~~oooooonuuuum¡­¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Every. Single. Hair on my body, starting from the base of my spine, to the very whiskers of my patchy beard stood on end at the sound of that sheep¡¯s call slowly morphing into the ethereal yet almost tender voice of a woman. Tension slowly gripped every muscle in my body to such a degree that I could have crushed an apple with my bare hands. Oh¡­ sweet Mercy. What fresh hell is this? The sound of the creature moving through the grass slowly drifted off to my left. Then it stopped and headed to my right. Ever closer but never quite in a straight line. The swish of the grass as it moved was an inexorable rhythm that seemed to almost affect me physically. I felt as if I could only breath in time with it. ¡°Baaa~~oooonuuuum? Where aaaaare youuuuuu¡­¡± That ghostly, plaintive sound drifting through the night air was calling my name! Why was it calling my name?! My eyes were as wide as saucers as I desperately tried to catch sight of it. Anything would be better than that blasted darkness, but the light of the fire had blinded me. I was almost choking now from the fear. I could not breathe! Another pulse of Energy shot through me. The shock of it caused the air that had been building in my lungs to explode out and around the hand still clasped over my mouth. Shaking now from the strange and awful chaos of my own terrible fear and the sheer joy of the pulsing echoes of Life Energy reverberating within me, I silently cursed Jax and Hess with every epithet I could summon. I needed to be still, damn it all! ¡°I know you¡¯re heeeeere, Donum¡­¡± that horrid whispered voice called. The slow steps moving through the grass again turned toward me. ¡°The offering was made. I will have youuu~aaaah.¡± Fuck. Fuck. Fuck¡­ The sound of that bleat mixing in was making it so much worse. What was it talking about, though? Offering? Just then, a single foot appeared in the firelight. It looked like a hoof but divided down the middle, like two toes pressed into one. The leg it was attached to was covered in white wool but dirtied a bit from walking through the grass. My eyes traveled up the leg as the rest of the creature slowly entered the light. My own imagination had ramped up my fear response to such a degree that actually seeing the thing helped me to calm, even if only a little. It was a sheep, alright. Or maybe a ram? Did female sheep have horns? I did not know. This one had four ¡ª two were sticking up fairly straight, but bent outward slightly, while the other two curled down and around its ears. But it was huge. I really could not tell you how big a sheep normally grew to, but I would put this one at about five feet to the shoulder. From where I was sitting, it seemed to tower over me. I remained absolutely still, hoping against hope that my skill would hide me from it. Its eyes roved over the campsite, drifting from one side to the next as if to take in every detail. Somehow, they never quite managed to lock on to me, gliding past without a hint of recognition. ¡°Baaaa~~~aaai know you¡¯re here.¡± The sound exploding out of it shocked me to my core. I do not know how, but I managed to keep still, though the incredibly loud bleat coming from so close to me made me want to flinch so badly it hurt. The giant ram started slowly making its way around the campfire, scenting the air about almost like a predator. Now that I could observe it properly, I could see it open its mouth to speak. And open it did. Just that. There was no movement of the lips nor anything else to account for that voice. Which made it all the more disturbing when it almost sighed out, ¡°Mnaaa~ You smell soooo goooo~~~aaaaaah.¡± Sweat began to pour down my face, slipping into uncomfortable places that I never would have noticed had I not been so terrified. One drop beaded onto an eyelash. The urge to blink was overwhelming, but I dared not. The adrenaline from the fear coursing through me was making me unconsciously twitch, and I could feel my heart pulsing up into my neck, the pressure of it pushing me to move as I desperately tried to hold perfectly still. Each and every breath sounded like the crashing of the ocean to my ears. I could not fathom why that ram had not found me yet. Naturally, it was then that another surge of Energy crashed through my body. I clenched my eyes shut tightly as I desperately seized up, struggled not to scream as the sweet yet terrible life slammed through me. Damn your eyes, Jax! Can you not take a break? Here I was, about to wet myself while a giant sheep monster searched for me, and his ass was off trying to feed me! Help, for fuck¡¯s sake! When I finally felt I could control myself, and dared open my eyes again, I saw a thing that would haunt my dreams for the rest of my days. The ram was right in front of me, staring at me with those eyes. Those eyes¡­ they were not right. A sheep should have rectangular pupils like the prey animals they are. This one had the eyes of a cat. Eyes with vertical slits. The eyes of a hunter. One green. And one red. I felt its breath on my face as it opened its mouth once more, ¡°Baaaa~~ooooound yooooou¡­¡± And when the woman¡¯s hand burst from out of that ram¡¯s mouth, coming right at my face, I screamed the scream of a man¡¯s very sanity leaping free of his body. The next few moments were¡­ not what I was expecting. Apparently, the ram was not prepared for me to scream right in its face. I do not know precisely what it was expecting, but it was not that. The ram reared onto its hind legs, and spinning and bucking like a bull trying to dislodge a rider, it vanished into the darkness with the woman¡¯s hand still flailing about out of its mouth. As the sound of it drifted away, I distinctly heard the voice again, wailing miserably, ¡°No! Go back, you cursed animal! He was right there! Donuuuuuuum!¡± There was a pause while I sat there in total shock. What¡­ What had just happened? And then the entire Dungeon burst into laughter. It was mad. I was mad! The laughter had no source. It was everywhere and nowhere. The air reverberated with it, echoing back in on itself over and over again until the very ground thrummed with its vibrations. Clapping my hands to my ears, I screamed again. And then I laughed. And screamed some more. And then it stopped. For a moment, there was utter silence. Only the wind drifting lazily through the grasses all around me broke the stillness ¡ª and my own shuddering breaths. Slowly, I collapsed to the ground. And then I heard footsteps running toward me. ¡°Donum! Donum, hold on!¡± Jax¡¯s voice called. When they burst into the circle of light from the fire, they found me curled into a ball, weeping uncontrollably. Sherr Hess slid to a stop and cast about warily, searching for danger, while Jax ran up to me and gripped my shoulder, ¡°Donum? What happened? Ye be injured, man?¡± It took me quite a while before I could control myself enough to actually speak. When I finally did, the only thing I could manage was, ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°What? What happened?¡± he coaxed me, naked worry on his face. ¡°I d-don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know!¡± Chapter 23 - Explosions, Changes, and a Bit of Discussion As you might expect, it took me quite a while to try and explain exactly what had happened while they were away. For one thing, my emotional state was a terrible mess. I was still trembling with fear and unspent adrenaline, so my voice shook with it through the entire retelling. Truthfully, my biggest worry was that they would not believe me. I would not have believed me. It was utter madness. Much to my surprise, however, when I was finally finished with my stammered retelling, they both looked at me in total seriousness. ¡°Sounds to me like some kind o¡¯ shite the Faen would get up to,¡± Jax said. ¡°Bunch o¡¯ nuggets, the lot.¡± Sherr Hess nodded slowly. She had made a wide perimeter check around our campfire to make sure the creature was truly gone and was now sitting cross-legged across from me ¡ª a fact that barely registered in the moment. ¡°Yes, it certainly does. Especially that bit about the laughing. I don¡¯t know much about the Faen, but almost every story I¡¯ve heard ends with some kind of joke. Even if only they would understand it. I just don¡¯t get what they were trying to accomplish. You said something about an ¡®offering¡¯?¡± ¡°That is what it say,¡± I confirmed, but then I amended, ¡°she say. At end¡­ when she run,¡± I slowly shook my head in frustration, ¡°I know not. Like she was¡­ not ram? Trying to get out? Sounded¡­ sad? Frustrated, maybe. But I know not what means.¡± Jax had cocked his head to the side as he listened. ¡°Mate¡­ What be a ¡®ram¡¯ exactly? Ye keep sayin¡¯ that word, but I never heard it.¡± I glanced over to Hess, but she had an equally confused look on her face, ¡°It is just word for sheep. But male. Female is ewe, I think.¡± They looked at each other for a moment before Hess said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of a ¡®sheep¡¯, either. What do they look like?¡± I hesitated, at first. Were sheep not a thing here? But that did not make any sense¡­ Why would they be in the Dungeon if they did not exist? Shaking off my worries, I did my best to explain. There were a lot of bits and pieces that were familiar to them. They grasped my explanation of their general profile quickly enough, though they were confused as to why I seemed to think that they would only ever have four legs. Also, they could not see what use the horns might have for a creature like that. Wool also seemed to throw them, at least until I explained what it was used for. ¡°Oh, you mean like a lagonki?¡± Hess asked. At my blank look, Jax explained, ¡°Big walloper of an animal. Maybe twice the size of a horse. Got a thick coat o¡¯ long and soft hair. People makes clothes out of it.¡± That kind of sounded like an alpaca to me, except for the size. But the concept was similar. Still, it was very odd that the Dungeon would throw an animal at me that I was familiar with while my companions were not. Although, neither of them claimed to know everything about the world, and I had seen lots of things so far that were pretty similar to Earth. Maybe sheep did exist somewhere on Vrekfren but not locally. That ram had been way too big, after all. And those eyes¡­ I shook my head, not wanting to think about it anymore. Jax was in the middle of telling Hess about ¡®Angleseffa¡¯ and that I was a deposed lordling that had fled, only recently coming to the Bradfirth territory. For some reason, she found this hilarious, saying that it ¡®explained a lot¡¯. I had to admit that I was getting increasingly curious as to what personality traits I had that screamed ¡®young lord on the run¡¯. Unfortunately, actually asking about it would probably cause more trouble than it was worth. Turning to me, she asked, ¡°How do you get to Angleseffa from Bradfirth lands?¡± My mouth twitched as I considered how to answer. I could not exactly say that it was ¡®up¡¯ from the Allenwood, despite it being the literal truth, so I went with¡­ stretching it a bit. ¡°East. And north. Very far north.¡± Hess looked like she was thinking for a moment, and then she asked, ¡°You mean toward the Gond Desert? Or past that?¡± Uh¡­ ¡°Yes. Past desert.¡± Well, here we go. Making stuff up. Hopefully, I would never meet anyone who could call me on any of this crap. That hope lasted right up until my eyes landed on Jax, who was looking at me with an eyebrow cocked. Oh. Right. Thankfully, he held his peace. I groaned mentally. That was not a conversation I was much looking forward to, but¡­ I supposed that I owed him the truth. If the guy was going to fight and probably die for me, and more than once, then he deserved to know¡­ well, maybe not all my secrets. But at least who I really was. Knowing my personality, though, I would probably just not bring it up and hope that he forgot about this little indiscretion. Meanwhile, Hess was looking at me thoughtfully, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met anyone from beyond that wasteland. Your people must have quite a long reach to flee so far as that.¡± I nodded seriously, ¡°Yes, they do. But not that far.¡± At least that part was perfectly true. Good grief¡­ I certainly hoped that was true. After that, the conversation drifted away to less serious matters, and I was able to distract myself a bit from my recent¡­ experience. It helped a lot that my companions had taken me seriously when I talked about it but had not been overly concerned. That told me, if only subconsciously, that stuff like that did occasionally happen to people, but that it was not the end of the world. I would need small comforts like that if I ever expected to sleep again. That was a fortunate thing, because it was not long after that Hess called for us to bed down. The night was no longer young, after all, and our cores still needed to condense. ¡°I will keep watch until then. Nothing will happen to you. You¡¯ve my word.¡± With that assurance, Jax and I laid down head to head by the fire. I put my back to the warmth, and stared out into the dark for a while. It took me a long time before I could convince myself to actually close my eyes, what with the memory of that thing so fresh in my memory, but when I did, I slept instantly. Maybe I was that tired. Maybe it was because of my core needing to do its thing. Either way, I was gone to the world. The next thing I knew, I was being painfully jostled under my ribcage and flopping about like a rag doll as the world exploded around me. ¡°FUCK!¡± Hess screamed from slightly above. ¡°¡¯Snails, toes, and tits!¡± Opening my eyes, I saw the ground zipping by underneath me while Hess¡¯ bare legs pounded along the dirt. It took me a moment to realize, as I was still disoriented from my slumber, that I was being carried under her arm while she was sprinting for all she was worth. I started to try and say something, but I saw a flashing red light followed by a loud BIP! ¡°Oh, shit!¡± Hess hollered and she leapt for all she was worth. My stomach dropped out from under me as we flew through the air, and as the world tilted about crazily, I still managed to get a clear view of some kind of scarecrow looking thing behind us shoot a red laser beam straight out of Star Wars right at where Hess had jumped from. The resulting explosive shock wave hitting us caused Hess to lose her grip on me briefly, and I screamed as I tumbled end over end through the air only to be caught by my ankle. As she flipped me up and over her shoulder, I managed to jerkily yell, ¡°What the flying fuck is going on?!¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake!¡± Hess said lightly, and then she laughed at herself. She had not stopped her mad dash for a single second through any of this. ¡°Look, grope my tits, will you? It¡¯ll give me a speed boost.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Bip! ¡°¡¯King ¡®snails of the three!¡± she shouted as she juked to the right. The sudden change in direction caused her shoulder to dig into my side painfully as I flopped uselessly by her head. A scant second later, a massive thoom sounded from behind us, and the slap of the wave of air hitting our backsides lifted Hess from her feet for two to three strides. Her legs never stopped pumping, though, and when her feet met the ground again, she kept on like she had never left off. Three steps later, a rain of dirt and sod rained down around us. ¡°There¡¯s no time to explain, Donum! Now grab a ¡®stoe sucking tit!¡± she yelled. I did not need any more encouragement than that, though I was still confused as all hell, and I latched on for all I was worth. ¡°Ahn~¡± she moaned. ¡°Not so hard!¡± Even though she said that, she still leaned into my grip. I might have blushed in other circumstances. Regardless, we started positively flying. Her legs pumping underneath me began whipping through the air fast enough to actually start producing a tone, and the ground started to blur beneath me. ¡°Shit, Hess! We need to get you horny more often!¡± I yelled exuberantly, almost laughing. ¡°What do you think I¡¯ve been trying to tell you?¡± she grinned toothily. Moments later, she cleared the white picket fence of the graveyard in a single flying leap. Skidding to a stop, she bent to the side and let me fall to the ground. Turning, I saw her release her grip on Jax in her other arm. He fell to the dirt limply, like a sack of potatoes. Scurrying over, I went to check on him. He seemed to be just fine, as far as I could tell. In fact, for all appearances, he was just lying there peacefully asleep. How he had managed it through all of that, I could not fathom. Tapping him lightly on the cheek, I called, ¡°Jax? You in there?¡± But I got no response. Frowning, I remembered that he had been slow to wake up the last time we had gone through core condensation, as well. Did it take him longer, for some reason? Leaning forward, I tried again, more loudly this time, ¡°Jax? Wake up!¡± He came to with a start, his eyes flying open. Looking around wildly, he focused on me, ¡°Mah¡­¡± Turning his head, he began coughing deeply. Finally, rolling over and getting to his hands and knees, he spat a large wad of something to the ground. Sitting back, he wiped his eyes briefly before looking at me again. ¡°Donum? What happened?¡± His eyes took in their surroundings for a brief moment before he continued, ¡°Why we be in the graveyard?¡± I was about to answer, but at the sound of his voice, I paused. It had changed again. Whatever gruffness had remained to him from the last time had now gone completely. It was now a nice and clear, high tenor. For that matter, he had changed physically, as well, if only a little. Most noticeably, his face had come another step closer to fixing itself. That asymmetrical quality that so defined his features was mostly gone now. From top to bottom, his whole aspect had evened out, and the slackness that had once plagued the left side of his face had fully disappeared. The only thing that was still off were his eyes. They were not quite yet in alignment, but they were getting there. If his left eye was rotated just a bit, it would be perfect. For that matter¡­ I was not sure, but his eyes might have been a little bit bigger? Nah¡­ Surely not. Dismissing that, I noticed that his scar had receded yet again. It was now much shorter in appearance and somewhat less ugly and jagged. Perhaps shallower would be the right word? I frowned to myself a bit. Privately, I sort of hoped that the mark did not disappear completely. It was such a defining feature of his face, after all. Certainly, a few touch ups here and there would be fine, but if it were to be totally removed, he just would not look like himself. Scars were earned things, after all. It would not do to lose it. Weirdly, his hair had again grown out another inch or so, for whatever reason ¡ª just enough to weigh itself down and start to fall about his head and around his ears. Speaking of, now that I looked at them, they seemed a little different somehow. Pointier? No, they were already that. Sharper. That was it. And maybe a touch longer. What is more, his face overall seemed¡­ not rounder, exactly. But maybe just a shade softer? Like the rough edges had been filed away. That may not be the best way to describe a person¡¯s face, but I felt it applied¡­ if only in a metaphorical sort of way. Other than that he seemed to be mostly the same. Or¡­ no, his muscles were a bit more noticeable. Not bigger by any stretch. More¡­ defined, I would say. And yet¡­ somehow not? If anything, his shoulders now seemed narrower, if that were possible. Altogether, I would say that he did, in fact, look a bit more¡­ well, I would not say attractive, though I was no great judge of male beauty. Certainly, less ugly, though. He was starting to look less like a grizzled thug and more like an adolescent who might have had a less than easy childhood. Honestly, I was having a hard time reconciling all of it with a single point of Charisma. Some of it, sure, but¡­ I just could not see what was so great about having longer ears. Then, I had another thought. His race! I had not considered that. The last time, he had developed that organ that let him feed on emotions. Now? Perhaps, lilim had longer ears than laoi. Why not? It seemed like a perfectly reasonable explanation. After all, I had seen plenty of odd races so far. Maybe Jax just needed to grow into his racial features a bit, and these core condensation episodes were allowing him to do that. All the while that I had been examining him, he had been examining me. And he was not the only one. ¡°Charisma?¡± Hess asked from the side. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I looked up at her. She was standing with an arm crossed over her front and a hand lightly grasping her elbow as her other rose to toy at her lower lip. ¡°I can see why you would invest in it,¡± she indicated me, ¡°but you¡¯re some kind of warrior type, right?¡± She walked over and slowly started circling Jax. He nodded in confirmation as his head swiveled to follow her motion, ¡°Aye. Ye¡¯ve the right of it. Why?¡± ¡°Why?¡± she said incredulously, stopping at his opposite side, ¡°What possible use could you have for Charisma?¡± He slowly spread his hands, ¡°No choice. It be a trait o¡¯ me kind.¡± ¡°What?¡± she put her hands down to her bare hips. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± I raised a finger. ¡°Because you¡¯re a summoner type, obviously,¡± she said impatiently, not even looking at me. ¡°Now what do you mean about it being a ¡®trait¡¯?¡± He sighed, ¡°Not that it be any o¡¯ yer business, Hess, but we o¡¯ the lilim get a point o¡¯ Charisma and Toughness per Layer. But only the two free points.¡± ¡°A point of¡­¡± she squatted down, ¡°Every Layer? From the beginning?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± I said again. ¡°Because it helps you cast more easily and should help you with control. Probably. I¡¯m not certain,¡± she rubbed her forehead. ¡°Charisma and Toughness? Every Layer? You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°¡¯Course I¡¯m sure. Ye think I¡¯d not know me own stats?¡± he looked her up and down. ¡°Why ye bent sideways about it, anyway? And besides that, ye never did answer me question. Why we be here? An¡¯ what happened to all them blighted Zombies?¡± That was a good question. ¡°Uh¡­ I mean¡­ Yeah, what did happen to the Zombies?¡± I asked, looking around. ¡°And what was the deal with those turbo-laser scarecrows?¡± ¡°Turbo-what? Scarecrows?¡± Jax said, confused. Hess looked like she wanted to swat the both of us around soundly, but instead, she just looked to the sky and muttered, ¡°Monos¡­¡± Sitting down, she rubbed at her face for a moment before addressing us again, ¡°Alright, fine. The Zombies aren¡¯t here because it¡¯s daytime. They always hide themselves before the sun comes up.¡± Now that she said it, it dawned on me that it was, in fact, a new day¡­ if you will forgive the pun. The sun had just crested the horizon, and its rays were skipping along the dewy grass in a very pleasant and innocent sort of way. As if it was blissfully unaware that we were trapped in a pastoral hell dimension of nightmares. ¡°As for the scarecrows¡­ I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never seen anything like them.¡± She shook her head slightly before hiking a thumb toward the nearby field, ¡°They popped up out of the ground out there as soon as the sun started to rise. They don¡¯t seem to move, I don¡¯t think, but they have some kind of spell they shoot at you if you get too close.¡± Deciding that seeing for myself would be best, I got to my feet and walked over to the fence. The objects in question were scattered everywhere out there. There did not seem to be any sort of pattern to their placement, but if I were to estimate, I would say that they were spaced at about fifteen to twenty yards apart. They looked, as far as I could tell, like regular old scarecrows that you might see out in a corn field¡­ except for the fact that their heads were slowly rotating¡­ and their eyes were gleaming faintly red. Here and there, I caught sight of some kind of red, glittering light reflecting in the early morning dew, almost as if someone had laid down an incandescent cobweb. Squinting a bit to try and get a clearer view, I could faintly make out what I decided was probably some sort of proximity laser shooting out from their eye sockets. Unfortunately, in the sunlight, it was almost impossible to see how far that laser extended. Jax and Hess had walked up to either side of me and were doing their own survey of the field. After a moment, Jax pointed off into the distance, ¡°Donum? Ye see them critters out there?¡± Following his finger, I could faintly make out a herd of fluffy white shapes moving about in the distance. A drop of cold sweat dripped down my spine as I put a name to their form, ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah¡­ those are sheep, alright.¡± Indistinctly, I heard a far off, ¡°Baaaaah.¡± I shivered. ¡°They don¡¯t look all that dangerous,¡± Hess said. I looked up at her for a moment and sighed, ¡°Normally, they aren¡¯t¡­ Normally.¡± She stared out at them for a while with a distant look on her face. Just then, I audibly heard a squelching noise coming from her stomach. ¡°Are they good eating, do you think?¡± she asked, a hint of longing creeping into her voice. Ah, that¡¯s right. I had been provided with Life Energy last night, and plenty of it, but Hess had gone without, not that she had said anything about it. For that matter¡­ none of us had had any water in at least a day. Oddly, I had not even noticed. Maybe that effect of Jax¡¯s provided it, as well? Either way, we would need to find a source of it today. But, for Hess¡¯ question, I had to think about it for a minute. In America, we mostly ate chicken and beef. And pork, if your religion was cool with it. Did people eat sheep? They were mostly used for their wool, so it seemed kind of wasteful¡­ Right. Mutton! That is what it was called. I had tried some when I went to Disney World that one time. ¡°Uh, yes. They¡¯re red meat, I think.¡± Giving her head a small shake before turning back to us, she said, ¡°We¡¯ll deal with them later.¡± She paused for a moment as if gathering her thoughts. Finally, turning to me, she said, ¡°I want to know more about this class of yours. What exactly is a lilim? And how did you find one?¡± I glanced over at Jax. He was not looking at either of us, his gaze still fixed on the distant herd of sheep, but his eyes had gone flat. I was not sure exactly how I should interpret that, but edging toward caution, I decided to leave out what I could about Jax¡¯s past. She did not need to know any of that. ¡°We don¡¯t really know what a lilim is. We¡¯re figuring it out as we go. And I did not find one. I think¡­ Well, I have a spell that can bind a willing or a defeated¡­ uh¡­ ¡®entity¡¯, it says. I¡¯m not sure what that means, exactly. But I can tell you that Jax here was not a lilim before I cast it.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t sure I agree with that,¡± Jax said, crossing his arms. I smirked. Was he still on that? Hess looked back and forth between us for a moment, at first perplexed but then considering. Finally, addressing Jax, she said, ¡°And were you willing? Or defeated?¡± Jax snorted, ¡°As if Donum here could defeat anyone¡­¡± Then seemingly embarrassed for some reason, he looked at me, ¡°No offense, mate.¡± ¡°No, no. That¡¯s fair,¡± I chuckled, good-naturedly. I mean¡­ I probably could have taken down Jax. If I were sneaky about it. In the dark. Turning back to Hess, I asked, ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± Instead of answering my question, she asked, ¡°And could you bind me as a lilim? If I were willing?¡± We both looked at her, at that. I blinked slowly, confusion etched into every part of my expression. Jax, as far as I could tell, was positively glowering. That only confused me further. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I blinked a few times more as I tried to gather my thoughts, ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know? I only have the one slot right now. But, why would you be willing?¡± ¡°How do you gain more slots?¡± she asked, still ignoring my questions. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Hess. I¡¯ve only been a Lilim Trainer for about a week or two,¡± I said in frustration. ¡°What is this all about?¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± she started pacing, ¡°Okay, it could be a Layer requirement¡­ or you might need to buy slots with skill points.¡± She paused and glanced at Jax, ¡°There could be other components, as well¡­¡± ¡°Hess!¡± Jax barked, ¡°Answer the man¡¯s question!¡± Startled out of her reverie, she looked at us and chuckled, ¡°Oh, you poor sweet babes¡­ you have no idea what you have.¡± Slowly, she started pacing again, ¡°Okay, look¡­ Jax, what you were just describing are called tempered stat points. That means they¡¯re baked in. You get them automatically when your core condenses. It is possible to earn them, but you would have to permanently sacrifice a free stat point to get them, if you even can. That¡¯s a whole other thing, and it isn¡¯t easy, let me assure you. There are different levels of quality to them, too. Some of them only apply every few levels. The higher the quality, the more frequently you get them. You, little man, have the very best quality. And you have two of them! From the very first Layer!¡± Jax had his arms crossed, ¡°And?¡± ¡°And? And?!¡± Hess looked at him incredulously. I pointed back and forth between us quickly, ¡°Ignorant Monos, remember?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know that?¡± she sighed in exasperation. She reached up to start fiddling with one of her braids for a moment while she gathered her thoughts. Finally, tossing it over her shoulder, she went on, ¡°Alright. I figure the two of you must be spending your stat points at a rate of one per Layer still? Neither of you have an attribute over ten?¡± I tilted my head. Uh oh¡­ ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jax supplied. ¡°And no. Nothin¡¯ over ten. Why?¡± ¡°It starts to cost more, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I guessed. I had seen plenty of games with a mechanic like that. And going off of what she had said so far¡­ ¡°That¡¯s right. A lot more. Every ten levels, it doubles.¡± She grinned broadly, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you now, I am well into the second Stratum, and I don¡¯t have a single attribute past twenty. In fact, if I want to improve any of my attributes, at this stage, I have to spend at least two points, and those are for ones that I don¡¯t really need.¡± Hmm¡­ ¡®Stratum¡¯ was new. I had not heard that one before. From context, I assumed it was some kind of Layer related tier. Going off of the rest of what she had just said, though, that would mean that each stat increase past twenty would cost four points. Past thirty, they would cost eight. Each. Most people would have to save up for two Layers just to take that one extra attribute level. And that assumed that everyone got four, which they might not. If it kept doubling after that? Eesh¡­ Jax¡¯s Toughness trait alone would mean that at higher levels, he had the potential to be one of the toughest s.o.b.¡¯s alive. The Charisma, though? I had no idea what that might do. Of course, that all presumed that we would live that long. And at the rate we were going, I gave us low odds. My thoughts having finally caught up with Hess, I said, ¡°Okay, I follow you. And I can see why you might be interested to some extent, but there are downsides to consider. I mean, for one, you would be bound to me, and I am far weaker than you. We aren¡¯t really even sure what effect the binding even has beyond a few observations. For that matter, I don¡¯t have any idea what the spell might do to you. To say nothing of the change in your kind ¡ª which we¡¯re also still feeling out, by the way ¡ª there may be other side effects that we don¡¯t know yet. I mean¡­ it might even affect your Core or your skills. Even your class might change.¡± Her lips twisted a bit at that, ¡°You don¡¯t know any of that for certain, do you?¡± ¡°Only some,¡± I admitted. Truthfully, most of that was speculation based off of some other games I had played. But if I were making up the rules, I would say that just binding some rando level one hundred mob would be massively unbalanced. There would have to be some kind of drawback to it. ¡°But it¡¯s enough to at least wait until we¡¯re in a safe place to try it. Even then¡­ Well, let¡¯s just say that I wouldn¡¯t want you to do something that you might regret.¡± Nodding thoughtfully, she turned and bent at the waist, resting her elbows over top of the fence. For a while, she just stared off into the distance. Without thinking about it, my eyes flickered to take in the outline of her muscular backside. Her gray skin was a little unusual, but that really did not matter too much to me. If anything, it made her all the more exotic. Amusingly, I had almost gotten used to the fact that she had not been wearing pants for well over a day. She had hardly even mentioned it. It was kind of weird seeing dirt smudges and grass stains there of all places. If anything, it would be strange to actually see her with pants on. If I were being honest with myself, I would not mind taking her in on a more permanent basis. She was nice to look at, if a little eccentric¡­ okay, she was very eccentric. But so far, she had done right by us¡­ On the other hand, an attractive girl could make a man do things that might be less than wise. And I had a feeling that Sherr Hess just might be that type of girl. Turning to Jax, I quietly said in English, ¡°What do you think?¡± He was fidgeting with his shirt a bit when I brought my attention to him, picking at his collar distractedly. Finally, he looked up at my face, searchingly. Seemingly satisfied with what he found there, he nodded to himself, ¡°Don¡¯t matter. Y¡¯ain¡¯t got but the one slot, anyway.¡± I made a face, ¡°Okay, yes, I know that. But I¡¯m asking about later. When¡­ or I guess if I get another slot, would you be okay with Hess filling it?¡± His expression turned¡­ well, it was hard to read. Contented, maybe? ¡°Mmm¡­ Well, since ye want ter be dancin¡¯ in ¡®if¡¯s¡­ ye know what ye know about ¡®er. She be a drunk and wild woman. Some o¡¯ that be from ¡®er class, to be sure, but ye may be able to bring her to heel.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really big on ¡®bringing people to heel¡¯, Jax. You may have noticed,¡± I said. ¡°Aye, that. So be prepared to get dragged around in ter all o¡¯ her shite, then. Ye know she likes to dive headlong into the bellies o¡¯ Mouths. That ain¡¯t a good way o¡¯ livin¡¯ a long life,¡± he said with a half smile. I had not considered that. For all that I had put on airs that I was some ¡®Quester¡¯ or whatever, actually doing it professionally was a whole other matter. On the other hand, it was not as if I could break out into indy game development or one of the hundred or so other directions I had thought my life might take. I was currently a passenger aboard the U.S.S. ¡®Playing it by Ear¡¯. And I did not see any means of jumping ship, either. ¡°To tell you the truth, Jax, I¡¯m just trying to stay alive until tomorrow.¡± ¡°One foot in front o¡¯ the next, then?¡± he nodded to himself. ¡°In that case, go with yer gut. Y¡¯ain¡¯t a fool. An don¡¯t be worryin¡¯ about me. I spent most o¡¯ my life tiptoein¡¯ around cutthroats. Hess don¡¯t bother me. Long as ye keep ter yer end of our bargain, I¡¯m yer man.¡± Our bargain? What bargain had we made? The only thing we had really agreed to was for me to treat him fairly and keep to an even split. He had not even asked anything of me when he agreed to follow me. Really, he had just been afraid of what might happen if I unbound him. I blinked. Oh. ¡°Jax, you weren¡¯t afraid I would trade you out for her, were you?¡± He grinned broadly at my question and slapped my shoulder, ¡°Ah, there we go. Ye can do it. And aye. Fer a scanty it crossed me mind. She would be a powerful one fer ye, and many a man would have jumped at the chance. ¡®Specially with a bum like that¡­¡± he wriggled his eyebrows at me before continuing, ¡°But y¡¯ain¡¯t one ta cross a man. I know that true.¡± ¡°Alright, Donum,¡± Hess said from her perch on the fence, ¡°you¡¯ve made some good points. And you¡¯re right. I need to know more about what I¡¯d be getting myself into here. Usually, I¡¯d just dive in without thinking, but¡­ if there¡¯s the possibility of disrupting my Core¡­ that¡¯s a bit much, even for me.¡± I nodded seriously, ¡°That¡¯s good, Hess. Look, Jax and I were talking, and if you do decide you want it¡­ you know, after we get out of here, and if I can get another slot¡­ I¡¯ll cast the binding on you. Or I¡¯m willing, I guess I should say.¡± She quirked an eyebrow at me, ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose that¡¯s good enough for now. Incidentally, have you asked Bline about it? Unlocking slots, I mean?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ actually, no,¡± I shrugged. ¡°But She¡¯s usually not very forthcoming about things like that, so I guess I didn¡¯t think to bother.¡± She chuckled, ¡°No time like the present. Besides you need to buy a new skill. You just gained a Layer, after all. You probably have some skill-ups to review, too. I can tell that much from the way you¡¯ve been speaking since you woke up.¡± I blinked. The second she said that, a huge litany of panels started lighting up in front of me. Chapter 24 - Seduction Techniques for Noobs
Congratulations! Your Core has successfully condensed. You are now of the Third Layer. New Stat Points available. New Skill Point available.
That was nice to see, I¡¯ll admit. The life-blood of a gamer is in the level up, after all. It is the true joy we all aspire to. Of course, I had actually assumed that it would appear as soon as I woke up, but maybe Bline had noticed that I was a little busy at the time. Of course, that implied that she was actually paying attention to what I was up to. And really, I did not know whether to be flattered or terrified by the thought. Then again, there was that side theory I had going about having a personal Faen assigned to me. That seemed way more likely. Although, if that were the case, I would feel kind of sorry for them. Imagine having to follow me around all the time. I mean¡­ sure, there were episodes of crazy battles and Dungeon crawling and the like, but there was also a lot of just walking in silence. Sleeping. Going to the bathroom. Ugh¡­ I could not even imagine the tedium. And I was living it. Maybe it would be better if they had like a couple of dozen or so people to look after? I shook my head at myself. I might as well debate how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. After waving away that little pop-up ¡ª and my private spiral into imagination land, a huge list of skill-up notifications followed. I remembered that once-upon-a-time, I had received those notices as soon as they happened, but lately they had been rather lackadaisical in their delivery. Actually, I was having a some difficulty recalling when the last time was that I had actually gotten one. Mentally, I gave a slight shrug. It was not all that important in the long run. As long as I got them eventually, right? Besides, I could not actually do anything about it, so why worry? Giving the list a quick skim, I picked out a few welcome notices. For one, my Battle Acumen had surged all the way up to ten, somehow. I had to guess that actually being in a large-scale battle would do that. For that matter, Spear Use had ticked up a few times, and I had even gotten the new skill, Shield Use, though it was sitting at a measly two. I had also gotten one named Dodge: Projectile which was, as of yet, unleveled. The only thing was, I could not actually remember a time when I had dodged anything. Had I gotten it from getting hit on the head with a rock? If so, I had an inkling that I was being made fun of. Making a face, I scrolled on. There were a lot of other things. Let¡¯s see¡­ Walking, Running, Balance¡­ there was a point of Animal Handling from somewhere. I blanched. Must have been from when Menda let me drive one of the wagons. I laughed to myself nervously. Continuing on, all of my spells had gotten at least a point or two. Even my long neglected passive had ticked up. Yep. No reason for that to have happened. Ha ha! Crazy¡­ Finally coming to the Language section, I saw that Laoi¡¯na had scaled up a whole fifteen points! That would explain my sudden ability to speak in complete sentences. Or¡­ it would if people suddenly started speaking properly overnight. I mean¡­ I had been practicing almost constantly ever since I had gained the skill. I was fully immersed into a culture that spoke that language, so it made sense that I would get better at it. But why all at once? Thinking about it, all of those crazy rules that I had been fumbling with were now just sort of¡­ there. I did not have to think about what word to put where depending on what context. I just did it. It sounded wrong otherwise. Was it because my Core condensed? Or was it because I had gotten my skill up notice? This did not make any sense, at all! Baffled, but determined to find some sort of explanation, I turned around to ask Jax about it, as he had pretty recently gone through something similar with English, but he had wandered off to look over the graveyard. Fortunately, Sherr Hess was still here. ¡°Yeah, some skills are funny like that,¡± she explained after I finished voicing my confusion. She was currently a bit distracted, surveying the field for any holes in the scarecrow-powered laser defense system that had popped up this morning. I did not think she was going to have much luck from the safety of the fence, but it was a start. ¡°You¡¯ll notice big shifts in ability at certain thresholds. I¡¯m guessing you just leveled into low competent?¡± At my blank look, she elaborated, ¡°Forty something?¡± Well, that was spot on. ¡°Forty even, actually.¡± I looked away for a second to think, ¡°So¡­ what? Every ten levels, I should notice a difference?¡± She nodded, ¡°You got it. So I figure mostly you¡¯re in the single digits, right? Anything break into the teens today?¡± Wow¡­ that was observant. Or just an experienced guess. ¡°Yeah, Battle Acumen,¡± I said, a little proud of myself. ¡°Oof¡­¡± she made a face, ¡°Okay, so that puts you at high novice now. For that skill¡­ mmm¡­ mostly that just means you¡¯re going to be overconfident for a while. To put it into words¡­ You¡¯ve seen a few fights, and you think you know what you¡¯re doing. But you don¡¯t. False security. You get me?¡± I gave a hesitant nod. She chuckled, and pushing herself away from the fence, she walked over to me, ¡°Okay, how about this? I¡¯m going to give you the only piece of advice I can for the time being. Stay out of my way,¡± she poked me firmly in the shoulder as she said it. ¡°And I¡¯m not trying to be cruel or some kind of ass pit, here. I mean it. You aren¡¯t tough enough to survive some of what I can dish out, and accidents happen. Especially to cocksure little Monos. You understand that?¡± I frowned. Partially, because she had a really weird way of swearing, but also because I was feeling insulted. After all, I knew perfectly well what my role was. Or was I just thinking like the ¡®overconfident¡¯ little newbie that Hess had just described? ¡°Uh¡­ while we¡¯re on the topic of roles,¡± I said, deciding to set aside my¡­ perhaps unwarranted confidence, ¡°most of my skills are designed to help out my allies in some way. Actually, I haven¡¯t been able to find any that even can hurt an enemy. Or well¡­ I can make you better at hurting them. Is there anything you would want from me that would help you? Somehow?¡± She shook her head, slowly, ¡°Not unless you can find some way to help fill up my reservoirs. I¡¯ve been nibbling on my last bucket of oats this whole time. Anything else you could do wouldn¡¯t help me much. Not at novice skill levels, anyway.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I said thoughtfully. ¡°I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to check. Incidentally, what sorts of things do you have? Uh¡­ reservoirs, I mean. Just so I know what to look for.¡± I fidgeted a little with my hands before continuing, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind saying.¡± ¡°Yeah, okay, little man,¡± she chuckled as she mussed my hair. ¡°There are actually several, but I¡¯ve only invested into three types. Honestly, I¡¯m probably a little over generalized, but¡­ Well, lets just say that you shouldn¡¯t pick your skills when you¡¯re too deep into your cups.¡± She looked down and smilingly shook her head at some private joke. I quickly ran a hand through my hair self-consciously to even it back out while her gaze was elsewhere. Her advice had been, I thought, self-evident but one that I was not at all surprised to be getting from her. Deciding to be diplomatic, I just smiled. ¡°Right. Anyway, there¡¯s booze,¡± she started, listing them on her fingers. ¡°Actually, the resource is called ¡®Indulgence¡¯, but getting drunk is the only thing that I¡¯ve found that fills it. Like I said before, most of my skills go off of that one, but unless you can figure out a way to conjure some beer out of thin air, I think we¡¯re out of luck there.¡± Hmm¡­ ¡®Indulgence¡¯ brought to mind thoughts of cupcakes and cream-filled donuts and all sorts of other crazy sweets ¡ª things that were fun in the moment but might make you hate yourself later. Maybe other types of indulgences were just way less accessible here. It was a thought. As to summoning up some alcohol¡­ it might be possible. ¡°I can check? But go on,¡± I prompted. ¡°Okay. There¡¯s also sex stuff¡­ or ¡®Arousal¡¯, technically. That one¡¯s fun,¡± she winked at me, but continued on before I could figure out how to react, ¡°And then there¡¯s ¡®Mirth¡¯, which is just¡­ I will put as laughter and just having a good time in general.¡± I looked at her curiously, ¡°Is that why you made us sing to you yesterday?¡± She smiled, ¡°You got it! I have a few spells in the trough now, thanks to that.¡± I smiled with her for a moment and looked away. Really, that was all I needed to know. Still, there was one thing that was bothering me and had been for a while now. The only thing was that I really had no idea how to phrase the question, other than to just say it straight out. Coughing into my fist, I cleared my throat a few times to work up my courage, ¡°Uh¡­ Hess?¡± She cocked an eyebrow, and folding her arms, she lazily leaned against the fence, ¡°Yes, Donum?¡± She waited. From her expression, I had a feeling she knew where I was going. But she was absolutely going to make me say it. In fact, it looked like she was struggling not to grin. ¡°I mean¡­ well¡­¡± I paused. My face was heating up with every breath. Hess cracked a bit. ¡°Well¡­ since you get¡­ uh¡­¡± I started gesticulating with my hands, ¡°or n-need¡­ that is¡­ arousal. W-why, uh¡­¡± Noticing that my hands were starting to shake, I nervously pulled them behind me to try and hide their trembling. On her end, Hess was no longer even trying to hide her amusement. ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯ve got t-two guys here. Uh¡­ that is¡­ m-men. You know?¡± I trailed off and looked down. Internally, I was about ready to start flagellating myself. That was probably the worst way to proposition a woman that I could possibly imagine. And I was not even really trying to proposition her! Not truly. Tangentially, maybe. Figuring that I should try to assess the damage, I glanced up at her fearfully. Hess had her head tilted back and cocked to the side, studying me. Finally, pulling away from the fence, she slowly started to saunter toward me, ¡°Yes¡­¡± Leaning forward so that we were face to face, and incidentally giving me a clear view down into her cleavage, she breathed, ¡°And what should I do with two¡­ men?¡± At the word, her hand reached down and ever so gently cupped my balls. Struggling to swallow, I tried to answer her, but I could not speak. It was as if my entire ribcage had just jumped up into my throat. The second she had touched me there, my member had come alive with all the heat and explosiveness of the rising of the phoenix. In fact, the longer she held me, the more certain I was that my metaphorical ¡®mythic bird¡¯ was about to self-immolate. Languidly feeling along my length, her fingers trailed up to my tip ever so slowly and gave it the lightest of flicks. I twitched. ¡°My word,¡± she whispered into my ear, ¡°you can¡¯t even answer me, can you? Not while I¡¯m doing this¡­¡± Softly, she continued to run her nails over my member from where it strained against my breeches. Light little circles, up and down. My breath started coming in halting gasps. If this kept on, I felt like I would lose my mind. I tried to say something. Anything. Something clever. Something suave. But all I could manage was an animalistic groan. Taking that as all the assent she needed, a low growl sounded in her throat, and with hooded eyes, her lips approached my own. My whole body began to tremble with the anticipation, my whole world focused on those lips. Those plush, dark gray lips. But then, just before she joined hers to mine, she cracked into a playful smile, and lightly clapping me on the cheek, she stepped back. ¡°You see? Like that. What I just did to you? That is what I need.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ uhm¡­¡± I quavered out, totally discombobulated by the sudden shift. ¡°Yes, I know, little thing. No need to say anything,¡± she smiled at my discomfit. Flouncing back against the fence, she explained, ¡°What I am trying to tell you is that what I need is Arousal. If I could just hop on and enjoy the ride, that would be wonderful, but it doesn¡¯t work that way. I mean, of course¡­ of course sex is a part of it, but it¡¯s the ending! Not the beginning. It¡¯s all about the slow, delicious build before you inevitably explode in pleasure!¡± Her arms crossed in front of her, crushing her breasts together beneath her vest, as she reveled in her own explanation. Coming back to herself, she went on, ¡°That¡¯s a thing that uh¡­¡± she waved vaguely in my direction, ¡°men seem to have trouble understanding. At first, anyway. And that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t¡­ oh¡­ jumped onto your bones, I guess you would say.¡± I stared at her for a long few breaths at that. My emotions were all jumbled together. I felt betrayed and used and¡­ and incredibly aroused and¡­ I did not know what all. ¡°W-well¡­¡± I stammered defensively. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look at me like that. I will teach you, you see?¡± she said before I could continue. Had that been what I was going to say? I did not even know anymore. Then with a huge grin, she went on, ¡°Might even be fun!¡± Her eyes flicked down to my bulge after a moment and as her smile faded, her gaze slowly went distant. Contemplatively, she bit at her lower lip, ¡°Hmm¡­ alright. Lesson number one. Flirt with me.¡± There was a moment of silence before my brain copped to the fact that I was supposed to say something. It was like I was bungee jumping from the bottom up. ¡°I¡­ What?¡± ¡°Come on! Flirt with me!¡± she said again. ¡°I need you to arouse me. You need to know how. So, I¡¯m teaching you. Let me know that you think I¡¯m attractive. That you¡¯re interested.¡± Disbelievingly, I just pointed at my erection, still very much straining for attention from her earlier ministrations. She tsked. ¡°Come on, little man. I know your sex better than that. You would react that way from almost anyone coming on to you like I just did.¡± She looked down at it again with a slight predatory grin, ¡°That being said¡­ it¡¯s nice to know that I have your¡­¡± she took a breath as if to taste the air, ¡°attention.¡± Her gaze flicked up to me again, waiting. With a massive effort, I tore my eyes away from her and just tried to breathe. My other brain was taking up way too much head space right now. I could barely speak, much less say something with anything approaching wit. She sighed, ¡°Alright, alright. Let me help you.¡± Looking away for a moment to gather her thoughts, she began, ¡°Now normally, you would want to be indirect when you start out. Not with me, of course. I¡¯m not that kind of girl. I don¡¯t have that kind of patience, and we¡¯re way past that part, anyway.¡± ¡°Indirect?¡± I asked, mostly in an effort to get onto a mental track where I could at least try to think. ¡°Sure, usually,¡± she waved her hand to the side, ¡°Okay, since you want to start there¡­ Let¡¯s say you¡¯d never met me, and you had no idea that I was a Tramp. Your goal is to tell me that I¡¯m attractive and that you want to bed me. But you can¡¯t say that, obviously.¡± ¡°Obviously,¡± I nodded, just going with it. ¡°Really? Why is it obvious?¡± she grinned. ¡°U-uh, oh¡­ uh¡­¡± Great. Traps. At the very least, it was helping to jump-start my brain again. ¡°Because it¡¯s¡­ low class?¡± I guessed. ¡°Nobles¡­¡± she rolled her eyes. Scoffing, she said, ¡°Please¡­ Plenty of low class dick bundles get laid every day. Where do you think low class babies come from?¡± That was a good point¡­ Or it would be if I had meant it that way. Still, there was some truth to what she had said. Trying a different track, I said, ¡°Uh¡­ because you want to know that I¡¯m¡­ not interested¡­ or no¡­ uh¡­ or just¡­ well, interested in you more than just physically?¡± I almost sighed in relief as that sentence finally came together. She had been fiddling with a nail as she waited for me to spit it out, but then she paused, ¡°Oh? What do you mean? Why would I want anything more than that?¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Now, I was totally derailed. Again. Was that not right? Or no¡­ she was still testing me. ¡°Well¡­ so that you know that I won¡¯t just leave? After the fact.¡± She looked up, ¡°What? You¡¯re saying you¡¯d want to do it twice?¡± Her eyebrows lifted a bit, ¡°Not a bad tactic.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I stopped. Wait, what? Where was she going with this? ¡°Maybe not¡­ in a row. But¡­ you know. Again. Yes. I think?¡± She cocked her head, staring at me. ¡°That might be the most curious way of picking up a woman I¡¯ve ever heard. It¡¯s almost like you¡¯re trying to attract me as a mate.¡± Suddenly, she snapped her fingers as if she had just solved a mystery, ¡°Of course! You must have been brought up that way. Everything is about producing heirs with your lot, right? Mixed kind stuff wouldn¡¯t even be in the scrying pool for you, would it?¡± She brought a hand up to her cheek in pity, ¡°Oh, you poor man.¡± I closed my eyes. Again¡­ What? Blinking a few times to try to come somewhere even close to the vicinity of her train of thought, I said, ¡°O-okay¡­ let¡¯s back up. You want me to explain why it¡¯s bad to just be upfront about things, right?¡± ¡°Right,¡± she agreed. But then her eyes flicked to the side, tracking something. ¡°Hmm¡­ let¡¯s see if your lilim knows, then. Shall we?¡± Turning, I saw Jax approaching from the other side of the yard. He must have made a circuit around the whole thing. ¡°Mate!¡± he called. ¡°I think I found summat. Carved in yon tree, over there,¡± he pointed to a dead and spindly looking specimen that was leaning over the fence on the far side. ¡°Some kind o¡¯ writin¡¯.¡± ¡°What¡¯s it say?¡± Hess called back. ¡°An¡¯ how would I know?¡± he spread his arms wide. ¡°Can¡¯t read, can I?¡± She turned to me, ¡°You never taught him to read?¡± I made a face. These shifts in the conversation were really throwing me. But at least here, I was on firm ground. ¡°I just learned to speak the language. How would I have taught him to read it? I can¡¯t even read Laoi¡¯na!¡± Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment, ¡°Really? But it usually comes together with the spoken language.¡± Did it? ¡°Well, I guess not when your teacher can¡¯t read either.¡± She glanced back at Jax, ¡°Oh, I see. That explains it.¡± Heaving a sigh, she started walking in the direction of the tree. ¡°Well¡­ I guess that¡¯s another thing I¡¯m going to have to teach you.¡± Just as she passed Jax by, she gave him a friendly swat on the behind. He jumped in surprise. Grinning fiercely, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t think ye can get on me good side just by flirtin¡¯ wit me, ye manx!¡± ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t dream of it, Jax,¡± she cackled. Then turning and walking backward a few paces, she called, ¡°By the way, it¡¯s because it¡¯s boring, you silly little thing!¡± Jax finished the few paces back to me, still looking toward Hess. ¡°What were that about?¡± I just frowned, ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess that was kind of obvious, now that I think about it.¡± ¡°What was?¡± he looked perplexed. ¡°Never mind,¡± I said, starting to follow. ¡°Mate,¡± Jax skipped up to fall in beside me, ¡°What by the Lady was you two on about? I feel all kind o¡¯¡­ What be that?¡± ¡°What¡¯s what?¡± I asked, curiously. He shook his head, ¡°I dunno. I don¡¯t think I ever got it off o¡¯ ye before. It be buried now, but there must o¡¯ been a lot of it a minute ago. It be drainin¡¯ off, now.¡± He smiled a bit, ¡°I like it, whatever it be.¡± I glanced over at him. Jax, I decided, was just going to have to keep guessing on that one. As we walked, I started going over what had just happened. Hess was screwing with me, that much was clear. On the other hand, it was also very clear that she wanted me to seduce her. But she was not going to let me just skip to the end. I had to do it correctly. Well¡­ I could do that! At least¡­ I thought I could. Usually, my main problem was not knowing whether or not I should even try. Fortunately, Hess had all but shaken me by the shoulders and screamed to ¡®commence operations¡¯. In hindsight, she kind of had been doing that all along. But then, just because someone happens to have a class that derives power from being turned on¡­ and said individual is an incorrigible flirt, that does not mean that you have permission to just dive in. Of course, I was terrible at reading signals, so¡­ Thinking back, I paused. Ugh¡­ I was the worst. I shook my head. No point in thinking about it any more. One foot in front of the other. ¡°Now that we¡¯s alone,¡± Jax interrupted my thoughts, ¡°I been meanin¡¯ to tell yer. Sommat be off.¡± I looked over at him curiously. He was picking at his shirt collar again. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s off?¡± He shook his head, ¡°I dunno. Ever since I woke up, I been feelin¡¯¡­ wrong? Maybe.¡± ¡°Wrong?¡± I asked in concern. ¡°Wrong how? Are you sick?¡± ¡°Nay¡­ not like that. Maybe it be the wrong word¡­¡± he looked away, readjusting his shirt again. ¡°Uncomfortable? I guess.¡± ¡°Uncomfortable?¡± I repeated. I looked him up and down. He was acting kind of fidgety, now that I was paying attention. ¡°Is it something you¡¯re getting off of one of us? An emotional thing?¡± He quickly jerked his head, ¡°Nay. I were feelin¡¯ it well away from ye and yon boot just the same.¡± He shimmied his shoulders and sighed in frustration, ¡°I be havin¡¯ a hard time bringin¡¯ up the words.¡± I stopped, ¡°Jax, what is going on with your shirt?¡± ¡°What?¡± he looked up, confused. ¡°Oh, I do nay know. It ain¡¯t fittin¡¯ right today. Been rubbin¡¯ at me wrong.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Maybe you have a rash. Here, lift it up. Let me check.¡± With a shrug, he crossed his arms and pulled the shirt off. ¡°This ain¡¯t really what I were talkin¡¯ about, Donum,¡± he said, his voice muffled temporarily by the cloth passing over. Ignoring him for the moment, I looked him over closely. Starting from his back, I could see that his pale skin was overall pretty smooth, though there were some signs of a few faded scars and burns. No red marks or other blemishes, though. Circling around to his front, I found it much the same. Nothing to account for his discomfort¡­ Although, there was one thing, ¡°Hmm¡­ your nipples are a little swollen. ¡°Be they?¡± Jax asked, a little surprised. He rubbed at them absently. ¡°Yer right¡­ they do be a bit sensitive.¡± My mouth twisted in thought, ¡°Your shirt must have been rubbing them wrong. Or¡­ do you think you might have gotten into something to irritate them?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± he looked up for a second, ¡°Could o¡¯ been them trees I were choppin¡¯. Them uns had some sap to ¡®em. But I notice you two ain¡¯t havin¡¯ no problems.¡± ¡°Might just be an allergy,¡± I said shrugging. ¡°Different people react differently to things.¡± He sighed. ¡°Bollocks. That¡¯s the last that I need. Well, I guess I¡¯ll just go without the blighter fer now.¡± So saying, he tucked the garment into the back of his pants. Rolling his shoulders a few times, he smiled. ¡°Aye, that do be a bit better.¡± Companionably, I slapped him on the arm, ¡°Glad I could help.¡± Continuing on a few steps, I started in on another topic, ¡°While I¡¯ve got you here, Jax, we need to talk about our next skill pick¡­ Unless you¡¯ve done it already?¡± ¡°Well¡­ that weren¡¯t,¡± he sighed, ¡°No. I ain¡¯t yet. I thought to wait on ye case we was needin¡¯ ter coordinate again.¡± I smiled, ¡°I appreciate that.¡± Taking a moment to assemble my thoughts, I launched into the central problem. Jax listened to me intently as I outlined Hess¡¯ power requirements and my idea to try and take a skill that could possibly fill at least one of them artificially with magic¡­ somehow. ¡°Seems a bit of a waste to me. What are ye goin¡¯ to do when we get out o¡¯ here? She may not stay with us, ye know.¡± ¡°I considered that. Unfortunately, that may not apply, because¡­ well¡­ we may not get out of here. Not unless I come up with something to feed into her resources. It¡¯s a bit of a catch twenty-two,¡± I sighed. ¡°I ain¡¯t sure ¡®bout that last bit, but I think I take yer meanin¡¯,¡± Jax scratched his cheek in thought. ¡°So what are ye thinkin¡¯?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I dipped my head, ¡°here¡¯s the thing¡­ and I realize you may not like this.¡± I glanced at him, surreptitiously. He had a cautious look on his face, but he did not interrupt. ¡°Well¡­ the thing is, a lot of the things the two of us have going on seem to cause you¡­ some discomfort.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± he said slowly. ¡°But only as a side effect. It isn¡¯t doing anything for us¡­ right?¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± he said even slower. ¡°So, I thought¡­ what if we could harness it somehow? Kind of like she is. Actually, use it to our benefit,¡± I finished. He glared at me for a moment, ¡°To our benefit, he says. Meanwhile, I¡¯m the bloke gets his breeches stretched.¡± I nodded in acknowledgment, ¡°Yes, I realize that, and I¡¯m sorry. But I just figured¡­ well, since it¡¯s happening anyway, wouldn¡¯t you rather¡­ Oh, I don¡¯t know. Use it somehow? If you can? I mean¡­ It can¡¯t hurt to just look into it, right?¡± He heaved a sigh, but he took a few moments to think it over before he discarded the idea out of hand. ¡°Alright, so say I find some kind o¡¯ skill that lets me fight better when¡­ that happens. Where do ye come in?¡± I grimaced, ¡°Unfortunately, all I can do is to help the two of you fight better. So whatever it is I end up with, I¡¯ll probably be the one¡­ feeding into the power you pick.¡± He grunted, ¡°Aye, that be what I figured. Watcher¡¯s Eye¡­ may as well. I¡¯ll let ye know what I can find.¡± I nodded encouragingly. Truthfully, I had no idea if this would pan out. I mean, I was a buffer. At least, that was what I thought of myself as. Causing someone to get aroused would be more of a debuff, in my mind. Although, that begged the question as to why it was happening at all. Well¡­ first things first. ¡°Lady Bline¡­¡±
All abilities you use that act on the person of your Lilim will cause some level of comfort, happiness, or pleasure depending on your skill or, if applicable, amplitude. Effect may be modified with skill purchase. All other entities affected by your skills will feel the same if they choose not to resist your influence.
I blinked a few times at the unexpected pop-up. She was being really Johnny-on-the-spot, today. And unusually forthcoming. I smiled as I read through it, relieved to finally be getting answers to at least some of my questions. Going from this, it was reading like my skills served as a way to subtly reward my lilim for doing their jobs, namely fighting for me. Of course, the effect was spoiled when you did not actually know that. It was weird and creepy to have that going on without knowing about it beforehand. I could only imagine what it was like for Jax. Speaking of¡­ Lightly rapping his arm with my knuckle, I got his attention. ¡°Jax, get a load of this¡­¡± ¡°Is that what it be?¡± he said musingly. ¡°Yeah, wish I¡¯d known that ahead of time. I could have warned you.¡± He nodded, ¡°Would o¡¯ been nice, aye.¡± ¡°Hey, wait,¡± I said as a thought occurred to me, ¡°What about Fortunate Shadows? You never mentioned that one affecting you.¡± ¡°Well, it don¡¯t,¡± he said, but then he pursed his lips, ¡°although¡­ I can tell it when ye cast ¡®er. I guess if I¡¯d to put it to words¡­ It makes me feel¡­ safer? Maybe?¡± ¡°Comfortable?¡± I supplied. ¡°Aye, ye could say it,¡± he agreed. ¡°But only a little.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not very skilled,¡± I chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s that about ¡®influence¡¯, though?¡± he asked. It was a good question. As I also would like some clarification, I asked the Lady to elaborate. Unfortunately, it seemed that she was done with me for now. With a slight frown, I mentally offered up some thanks, anyway. She had answered at least the one question, after all. Heaving a sigh, I set to actually picking out a skill. ¡°Okay¡­ Lady Bline. Let¡¯s do this. I would like to spend my skill point. I need something that will induce pleasure for an ally.¡±
Active or Passive?
¡°Uh¡­ Passive?¡± I said slowly. If I did not have to spend any sort of resource to keep this going, then that would be excellent.
Please indicate Primary Effect requirements.
Right. The pleasure component would be a side effect. I still needed to come up with something for the power to actually do. Well, let¡¯s see¡­ It¡¯s passive, so it won¡¯t be very strong. Maybe something that accumulates over time? As far as I could tell from previous inquiries, this could be almost anything. Although, if I got too ambitious, She would just tell me that it was too strong for my Core Layer or that I did not yet meet the requirements. So, it needed to be relatively low powered. ¡°How about like¡­ an aura? Where the longer my ally stays within a certain distance of me, the more powerful the effect becomes?¡±
Please indicate desired Effect.
Okay, nice. I had not been shot down yet. That was good. But what to actually do with it? Uh¡­ My mind skittered through all sorts of possibilities. Honestly, our main problem was just making sure that we had enough food and water at any given time. But given how the whole Life Energy thing had been working so far, I doubted I could just generate the stuff like a battery. Wouldn¡¯t hurt to check, though.
You do not meet the requirements to generate Life Energy in this way.
Right. That¡¯s what I thought. It was a silly idea, anyway. Although¡­ ¡®in this way¡¯? What? But then I remembered. There was that Life Berry skill. I could sacrifice the excess to store for later. Honestly, it might not be a bad idea to grab that one, what with Jax stealing the stuff in combat now. Eventually. Really, what was making me hesitate so much was the situational nature of a lot of skills. Like¡­ sure, maybe I could enchant Jax¡¯s axe so that it would be engulfed in flames, for instance. But then if we started fighting lava monsters, that would suddenly be useless! Games were always full of power trade-offs like that. Strong now, terrible later. I wanted something that I would be happy to have on hand all the time. Hmm¡­ What if I just went with something simple? Like¡­ boosting stats? That would be a pretty good all-purpose thing to have.
Attribute scaling unavailable at your Stratum.
Rats. Yeah, that would be pretty strong. Absently, I poked at the word Stratum, hoping for some more details, but She declined to provided them. I would have to ask Hess about it later. Gradually, my mind started circling back to Jax¡¯s Life Energy stealing ability. I really did like that power. Most of the time. It kept me alive, and I could use the Energy it provided to heal with. The trouble with it was that it was so inconsistent. I wonder¡­ ¡°How about an effect where¡­¡± I paused to collect my thoughts, ¡°my aura would gradually improve¡­¡± oh, how to phrase this¡­ ¡°the¡­ likelihood¡­? of my allies abilities being¡­ successful?¡± I pulled a face and crossed my fingers as I awaited the response. It took a while. Just as I was about to see if She had even heard me, I got my response.
Windfall of the Thrall Passive aura gradually improves ally¡¯s luck/skill based effect chances over time. Long-term exposure can eventually increase chances to near certainty. Chance gains are reset after ally¡¯s ability succeeds. Chance gains are individual to the ally. Skill level improves rate at which chance gains accumulate.
Accept?
Reading over the result, my first thought was that I was not a huge fan of the name, even if it did rhyme. Maybe stuff like this was why Jax was so reluctant to actually say what his skills were called. For that matter, Hess had never mentioned the names of any of her skills, either. As for the skill itself, however¡­ This thing was nuts! It was freaking proc-generator! And ¡®near certainty¡¯? Why was I allowed to have this and not just a simple stat buff? The only thing I could think of was that the buff accumulation must be really slow. Still, the chance for everyone¡¯s skills going off at the start of a fight was extremely enticing. With the right build, combat would be over before it really even began. I almost grabbed it immediately, but¡­ But, I had an experienced Quester on hand. Nodding to myself, I resolved to ask her about it first. Then, as an afterthought, I figured Jax should have a say, as well. Chapter 25 - Stats, a Skill, and a Riddle When we caught up with Hess, I immediately filled her in on my recent find. As to the effects of the skill itself, she was totally ambivalent, not really caring what bonuses, if any, I might be able to provide her, nor did she have much of any advice on my personal build choices, saying only to ¡®use my intuition¡¯. I was less than happy with that answer, as you might expect. ¡°Donum,¡± she sighed, ¡°I have a skill that grows my chance to behead a foe but for only a few seconds after I¡¯ve shouted the word ¡®head¡¯, of all things. I have another that gives me a big physical boost but only after having lopped off an enemy¡¯s body part and laughing about it. I have yet another that hugely increases my healing rate but only while I¡¯m singing, and get this, it works better when I¡¯m ¡®pitchy¡¯! I don¡¯t even know what that means! Worse, none of those work at all, unless I¡¯m so tanked that I can barely see. And I bought all of them while I was totally smashed. What was my reasoning for picking any of that? I don¡¯t know! Because I was drunk! Are you following me here?¡± Jax and I shared a look. ¡°They do sound pretty cool,¡± I said diplomatically. Actually, I was pretty sure that I had seen her use them, and from my perspective, they were terrifying. The whole ¡®having to be seriously inebriated¡¯ component, though, was one hell of a drawback. ¡°Oh, whatever,¡± she muttered under her breath. ¡°What about what we talked about? With my reservoirs? Weren¡¯t you going to pick something to help with that?¡± ¡°Right, here¡¯s the thing¡­¡± And so, I explained what I had learned about how my class worked and the side effects my powers could cause. ¡°Really? And this one causes pleasure, you say?¡± she asked, intrigued. ¡°All the time?¡± ¡°The skill doesn¡¯t actually say anything about that, but I did specifically ask for one that did. So¡­ I think?¡± I said with a slight lift to my shoulders. ¡°Buy it,¡± she said, conclusively. ¡°I want to see this.¡± She put on a lopsided grin as she waited with hands on hips. Slightly off-put by her uncaring attitude, I looked to Jax. He was absently rubbing at one of his irritated nipples, apparently deep in thought. When he noticed my questioning look, he dropped his hand and said, ¡°Sounds good enough to me. Works off o¡¯ what else we got. I like it.¡± Then he whispered, ¡°Nay, not that one¡­¡± Leaving him to his own skill picks, I went ahead and hit ¡®yes¡¯ to accept the new ability. I had almost forgotten about them, but when they came, those whispered, gossamer voices sent a thrill down my spine. The words ¡ª and they were Words, I now knew ¡ª were as strange and alien as ever. Impossible. Unrepeatable. Yet they were. Seven distinct Words. I do not know what had changed in me to be able to tell even that much, but I took a measure of pride in my small victory, just the same. Weirdly, underneath those voices, there was another. I only just caught it, faint as it was, but it was¡­ calling me. Plaintive. Almost sad. ¡°¡­ave y¡­¡± Intrigued, I cocked my head to the side, trying to listen for whatever that voice was trying to say. But it was gone. That was all I caught before the whispers scattered in the wind. When it was over, I felt¡­ nothing? There was no new hidden knowledge settling over me nor any idea of a spell I might cast. Curiously, I pulled up my skill list, and there it was, happily sitting right next to my other picks, though it was only level one. Oddly, despite it being a passive, there was no toggle to turn it on or off like my other one. It was just there. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. I¡¯ve got it,¡± I reported with a degree of confidence I did not feel. Looking between them, I asked curiously, ¡°Feel anything?¡± Both of them went distant for a moment as they examined their own feelings, but after a bit, they glanced at each other. ¡°Nay, mate. I don¡¯t feel shite,¡± Jax said. Hess was scowling, ¡°Neither do I.¡± Crossing her arms, she pouted, ¡°¡¯Snails! I was promised titillation!¡± I grimaced, ¡°Well, crap! I don¡¯t know what to tell you. She said¡­¡± Just then, Jax jumped. Both Hess and I immediately zeroed in on the motion, intently curious. ¡°That were an oddment,¡± Jax quipped. We waited, but he seemed to be having trouble putting whatever it was into words. Finally, with his hands lifted and grasping at nothing, he said, ¡°It were like¡­ the idea o¡¯ sommat really nice? Just¡­ popped inna me head. Outta nowhere, like.¡± ¡°Idea?¡± Hess asked curiously. ¡°What kind of idea?¡± He gave his head a half shake, still not focusing on either of us, ¡°Like a¡­ daydream o¡¯ sommat? But only a flash.¡± He sighed, ¡°I do be sorry. It be hard to put in to words.¡± Hess turned to me, ¡°And where is my ¡®daydream o¡¯ sommat¡¯? I want daydreams, too!¡± Her impression of Jax was a little exaggerated. ¡°The Lady did tell ¡®em, ¡®ere a moment ago, what that ye¡¯d ¡®ave to accept his ¡®influence¡¯ to feel it. But we neither of us know what that means, precisedly,¡± Jax supplied, suppressing a chuckle. He seemed to find the banter amusing. ¡°His influence?¡± she said, perplexed. ¡°And just what is that¡­¡± They both twitched. Silently, we all traded looks. ¡°I guess you got it that time,¡± I said. At her nod, I asked, ¡°What was different? How did it get through?¡± ¡°Not sure¡­¡± she said, hesitatingly. ¡°Only that I really wanted to feel it, I guess¡­¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s it then,¡± I said. ¡°The question, though, is whether you have to consciously will it through or is just being generally willing enough?¡± She blinked a few times and tilted her head, ¡°We¡¯ll have to see.¡± I nodded. ¡°Did that help fill up your tank at all?¡± I asked. She gave a quick jerk of her head, ¡°Barely. If at all.¡± I grimaced. I had thought as much. From the way they were reacting, this was going to be more of a slow drip than a constant stream. Still, over time it should add up, even if it was a little disappointing. Seeing as how that did not pan out quite like I had hoped, I thought that perhaps I should follow through on our earlier project, if only to help things along for her. Of course, I was not at all sure about how to go about it. What, after all, is the proper way to flirt? Thinking about it, it was probably a lot like comedy. Timing would be a factor, what you said would have to be tuned to the individual, and of course, it would help if you were at all clever about it. Unfortunately, knowing myself, this was going to be a complete shitshow. I sighed. Taking a breath to steel myself, I decided to just go for it. She had said that she would teach me, after all. ¡°Uh, by the way, Hess, I forgot to tell you that you have some nice booty meat.¡± Jax choked and started violently coughing to the side. It occurred to me in the moment that I perhaps should have warned the man before diving in head first. Meanwhile, Hess was staring at me like I had just intentionally body tackled a hornet¡¯s nest. Luckily, she also found random acts of wildly unintelligent behavior to be hilarious. After settling down enough to finally speak again, she clapped me on the shoulder, perhaps just a tad too hard, and said, ¡°A couple of notes¡­¡± A bit later, we had decided to take a look at the tree that Jax had found. There was some sort of intricate writing carved into it, just as he had indicated. Fortunately, Hess was familiar with it, if only barely. Apparently, it was some kind of system that did not use any vowels ¡ª not that the language itself did not have them, so much that the reader just had to infer them from context. Worse, from what she could tell, this was being used not to actually write in the language it was intended for, but was actually a representation of Laoi¡¯na ¡ª a language which, I may not have mentioned, is so chock full of vowels that I felt like I was choking on them every time I spoke it. Suffice it to say, Hess had her work cut out for her before she could work out the translation while Jax and I were left twiddling our thumbs. Seeing as Jax was still going over his skill options, I decided to start assigning stat points.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Layer: 3
Strength: 5 Agility: 4 Toughness: 5 Intelligence: 7 Wisdom: 6 Charisma: 5(4) [-1 unclean] Manic Force: 4 Manic Breadth: 7
Lilim Slots: 1 (filled) Jax: Loyalty: 54% Gain: [Donum <¡ª 50|50 ¡ª> Jax]
4 Stat Points available All Skill Points assigned.
Everything looked about like I remembered, although I did note that Jax had broken through fifty percent on his loyalty meter at some point. My recent lack of skill updates had apparently also included his loyalty bump notices. I really did need to figure out why that was, eventually. Still, it was nice to see that we seemed to be getting along. I did try to take a few moments to go over the stats with Sherr Hess, but she was still busy with her translation and did not want to be bothered. ¡°Just focus on the mentals¡­ they¡¯ll help you cast better. Then use the other point however you want.¡± It was not¡­ terrible advice. Still, I had hoped for a few more details. Like¡­ what would happen if you focused on Intelligence over Wisdom? And Charisma was a factor, also? Somehow? I sighed. The inability to put more than one point in a stat really did keep you from screwing yourself over too badly. At least, at first. Once you got to the stage where the point costs started to double, that was another matter, but for now, I should be fine. So, with all of that in mind, I went ahead and incremented up Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma ¡ª noting that, yet again, I needed a bath. Thank you, Lady Bline, for the gentle reminder¡­ I grumbled mentally. Briefly, I debated whether to spend my last point on Agility or Toughness, but there really was no contest. Menda, after all, had told me that Toughness affected my Life Energy pool, and I needed some more of that like a coke fiend needed his next fix. ¡°I told ye, ye gantin boot, I ain¡¯t gonna pick shite with a name like that!¡± Jax growled. ¡°I said, no! I don¡¯t care how sloppy it makes ye!¡± I cocked an eyebrow. I had been wondering how he had been getting on with the Lady recently. He had not had a blow up with Her for quite some time. I guess it helped that he had not needed to interact with her until just today. ¡°I kind of hated the name of my new skill, too,¡± I offered. He had not actually told me what any of his skills were called, and actively rebuffed me when I had asked. I figured that maybe a bit of shared pain would help him open up about it. Jax, of course, knew exactly what I was after. He looked me up and down and crossed his arms, ¡°Let¡¯s be hearin¡¯ it then. Tit fer¡­ ah¡­¡± He gave his head a shake and blinked a few times. Clearing his throat, he continued, ¡°Tit fer tat.¡± It looked like one of those pulses had caught him mid-sentence. I had been trying to measure them, and from what I could tell, the phenomenon seemed to happen every minute to a minute and a half. It was getting harder to see them, though. Either they were being affected less, or they were just getting used to it. It was a curious thing. ¡°So¡­ this daydream that you keep getting¡­¡± I said, my attention temporarily diverted, ¡°is that getting any clearer?¡± He grunted, ¡°It be like¡­ me thoughts get pushed. Just a drop. Thinkin¡¯ of a roll o¡¯ the shoulder¡­ a bit o¡¯ sweat. The play o¡¯ muscle under the skin¡­ Honestly, if I did nay know it were comin¡¯ from ye, I¡¯d be thinkin¡¯ I needed to pop off to the bushes fer a spell.¡± He chuckled at his own innuendo, but then dropped his hands to his hips, ¡°But don¡¯t be dodgin¡¯ the subject! Ye wanted to know me skill, so tell me yer own.¡± I twisted my lip a bit. What he was describing was awfully subtle. Personally, I would have thought that something a bit more explicit would be in order, but¡­ maybe it was like Hess had said. You had to tease things out a bit before you went for the prize. As for the prior subject, however¡­ Furtively, I glanced over at Hess to see if she was paying attention, but she was focused entirely on the carving. ¡°Alright,¡± I whispered, ¡°it¡¯s a little¡­ Well, let¡¯s just say that I don¡¯t care for the insinuation.¡± ¡°Sounds familiar. Go on,¡± he gestured. After a short hesitation, I admitted, ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®Windfall of the Thrall¡¯.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He snorted, ¡°That all? Why, some o¡¯ the shite she names fer me¡¯d turn yer ears red! This last one¡­¡± he trailed off. ¡°Yeah?¡± I prompted, curious as to what could be worse than implying that I was some kind of slave driver. He cleared his throat as a faint blush started to rise up to his cheeks. I blinked a few times, taking in the expression. I did not think that I had ever seen him do that before. ¡°Look, maybe I¡¯d best explain¡­ The Lady do be¡­ oh¡­ I guess hopeful would be the word¡­ that the two of us¡¯d¡­ er¡­ hook up, I suppose ye¡¯d say.¡± That was probably the most awkward sentence I had ever heard come out of him. ¡°So¡­ the skills she do come up with tend to hint at that.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I said slowly, not at all certain how to take the fact that a Goddess was shipping me with this man, ¡°but she does, of course, realize that the two of us don¡¯t swing that way?¡± But then I had a thought, ¡°Or¡­ I never asked, but¡­ are you into that?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± his chin dipped, ¡°I guess ye¡¯d say¡­ Well, I ain¡¯t never considered the notion! Not afore She got on about it.¡± Huh. That was a bit of a dodge. Jax just might have been a touch bi. Funny. I had not gotten even a hint of that when he had been tasked with kissing me. Well, whatever. I gave him an understanding nod, ¡°Well¡­ If you ever do want to¡­ consider it¡­ I won¡¯t give you a hard time about it.¡± Then I recalled the direction of our conversation, ¡°Uh¡­ not with me, of course. Just to be clear¡­ to all interested parties.¡± He smirked, ¡°Figured, with yer fancy poofin¡¯ high society upbringin¡¯, ye¡¯d be used to that s-ah¡­¡± he shook his head a bit as another pulse rolled over him before continuing, ¡°that sort.¡± I gave him a confused look, ¡°¡¯That sort¡¯? Jax, we are talking about you here.¡± ¡°I never said nothin¡¯ about bein¡¯ no poof!¡± he said loudly. Then more calmly, he went on, ¡°Just¡­ I ain¡¯t¡­ Well, me old compatriots would o¡¯ strung up a feller fer entertainin¡¯ such.¡± Hmm¡­ a bit of justifiable denial, then. Deciding not to push the matter, I figured it would be best to change course. ¡°So, the skill?¡± I prompted. He gave a conflicted sigh and went to sit on one of the tombstones. Apparently forgetting he was still a bit sensitive, he folded his arms and winced. Fidgeting for a moment, as if unsure what to do with his hands, he finally laid them to rest in his lap. Finally, settled, he looked up at me, ¡°I do have one picked. But I want it clear that I be takin¡¯ it under duress.¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± I said immediately. I had set a frankly unreasonable requirement on him. I did not even know if it would be worth investing into in the long run. Maybe spending time with someone like Sherr Hess was having a bad influence on me. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a bad idea, then?¡± He looked away for a moment, considering. ¡°No,¡± he said, eventually, ¡°like ye said, lot o¡¯ yer skills cause it, like it or not. I got to be prepared fer that. And it ain¡¯t a bad way o¡¯ tryin¡¯ to come to terms.¡± He took a breath, ¡°I just don¡¯t like how bloody eager She be about it.¡± That was indeed a bit disconcerting. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say about that. Can you talk to Her about it? Maybe get Her to back off?¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t like it be a conversation,¡± he said. ¡°I ask fer skills and She answers. But Her manner¡­¡± he shook his head. ¡°Little taunts. Suggestions tacked on. That kind o¡¯ thing.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± I said, nodding slowly, ¡°your only options are to either ignore Her, or¡­ well, She doesn¡¯t seem to pay attention to you getting mad, anyway.¡± ¡°True enough,¡± he muttered. ¡°I guess, short of somehow slapping around a deity, you¡¯re just going to have to put up with it. We are taking up a lot of Her time with no clear pay back, that I can see. Let Her have Her fun. Think of it like¡­ bar room banter,¡± I suggested. ¡°Fine,¡± he sighed sullenly. ¡°But¡­¡± he stopped briefly as another pulse washed over him. Giving his head a shake, he went on like nothing had happened, ¡°But, I reserve me rights to grumblin¡¯.¡± ¡°Like I could stop you,¡± I chuckled. These little flashes of interruption were going to take some getting used to. ¡°What¡¯s this skill you picked out, then?¡± ¡°Right,¡± he nodded. ¡°So, I were thinkin¡¯, I gots an axe, and I can fight with it. But what happens if I gets unlucky? I wake up the next day somewheres else, that¡¯s what! An¡¯ no idea how I got there!¡± he explained, with a degree of reserved excitement. ¡°So¡­ defense?¡± I guessed. ¡°Right, you are! And, goin¡¯ off o¡¯ what we was talkin¡¯ about, I found sommat that should do the trick. The more uh¡­ ready to go I be, the better it works. What She says, anyway. I ain¡¯t sure I¡¯ve understood it proper.¡± He paused there, as if hesitant to go any further. ¡°Well, what does it do?¡± I prompted. ¡°She claims that I can split off shadows o¡¯ meself to take hits and befuddle the enemy. But¡­ uh¡­ The mechanism, so to speak, be a little suspect,¡± he trailed off again. ¡°Go on, Jax. I won¡¯t judge,¡± I promised. He cleared his throat. ¡°Says I gotta¡­¡± he glanced over at Hess and lowered his voice, ¡°Her words now¡­ ¡®moan excitedly to birth them into the world¡¯.¡± My lips slowly parted from my teeth into a pained grimace, ¡°Oof¡­ I¡­ understand what you mean. That¡¯s a big ask. I can see why it would work best if you were already¡­¡± I gestured. ¡°Right,¡± he agreed. ¡°And what is that gem called?¡± I asked, half afraid now. ¡°Yeah, what is that gem called?¡± Hess said from right beside me. I jumped away, startled. ¡°Lawmaiden¡¯s tush! Where did you come from?¡± I shouted in alarm. ¡°Well, I was sitting over there, listening, but then you two started whispering, so I moved closer,¡± she explained innocently. ¡°We was whisperin¡¯ cause it were a private conversation, ye cow!¡± Jax scowled. ¡°Not that private,¡± she retorted, ¡°I could hear you the entire time.¡± Jax just threw up his hands and walked away. ¡°Come back! I want to see you moan shadows into the world!¡± she called after him. ¡°At least tell us what it¡¯s called!¡± ¡°I take it, then, that you¡¯ve finished your translation?¡± I said from the side, trying to get things back on track. We had been delayed for over an hour now, I figured. It was time to get things going. ¡°Yes, I think,¡± she said, still looking at Jax. ¡°What¡¯s this about The Lady being¡­ saucy, though? I¡¯ve never heard of something like that.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°Even with your weird-o class? What¡¯s She like with you?¡± ¡°Very matter of fact,¡± she said, plainly. ¡°Even when She gives me some strange, lost-in-the-bushes ability, She always reads it off like it was the most boring thing ever. It¡¯s kind of funny in its own way. What about you?¡± I definitely caught that bit about ¡®reading¡¯ abilities. That implied that Hess heard The Lady aloud, as well. So, either I was an anomaly, or the inability to read was not the requirement for hearing Her. Deciding to be evasive, I reported on the one time I actually had heard Her, ¡°Uh¡­ kind of pissed off. Yet¡­ disinterested, maybe?¡± If all those high pitched beeping sounds I had heard were what I thought they were, then She was probably swearing a blue streak at the time. ¡°Huh¡­¡± she said, musingly. ¡°Well, whatever. Come look.¡± She led me over to the carving, stumbling a bit as a pulse washed over her, and then, as if nothing had happened, started pointing out the different lines. ¡°Right. So, it says here, ¡®In day, the world dies, ¡®ware the pass. In night, the world lives, walk unfettered.¡¯ It¡¯s actually kind of clever. In the actual alphabet used here, these lines would rhyme, but it doesn¡¯t work anymore when you say it in Laoi¡¯na.¡± I leaned in to get a closer look at the carving, intrigued, ¡°I¡­ think we¡¯ve figured that part out already.¡± ¡°You mean about how the Dungeon is behaving? Yes, so it would seem,¡± she agreed. ¡°This next part is a little odd, though. It just says, ¡®Where the two are one, a path through death.¡¯¡± I waited, but she had stopped, still staring at the carving. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± she nodded, absently. Stymied, I sat back on my heels. ¡°A path though death¡­ What do you think that means?¡± ¡°Hopefully, it¡¯s a way through those scarecrows,¡± she said, wistfully. ¡°Okay, then we¡¯d need to find where the two are one¡­ What two, though?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said, rubbing at her forehead, ¡°Maybe, we could start by looking for some scarecrows that are really close together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible,¡± I admitted. ¡°Although¡­ eh¡­ it seems a little blunt. Usually in riddles like this, the answer is contained within the riddle itself. You just have to think about it in the right way.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± she looked at me incredulously. ¡°And what makes you such an expert?¡± ¡°I¡­ used to be in a club back home,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯d meet at the pub and solve riddles. For fun.¡± I winced a bit at admitting it. Most people would probably consider it a bit of a dorky sort of thing to be involved in, but I had always found activities like that much more engaging than just staring at a football game for hours. To my surprise, however, instead of poking fun of me, she closed her eyes and arched her back a bit, but I quickly realized that she was experiencing another pulse. After it passed, she took a breath and looked up at me through half-lidded eyes, ¡°Hmm¡­ I like a man with a good head on his shoulders.¡± Grinning at my immediate blush, she jabbed me with a finger, ¡°See? Like that!¡± Then she did giggle a bit. ¡°A riddle club? Oh, that is so you! I love it.¡± ¡°Yeah, okay. Yuk it up,¡± I grumbled, half-pissed off at being flirted with as a lesson and half for allowing myself to get keyed up again. ¡°Don¡¯t be sour,¡± she said, taking in my expression. ¡°After all, there is a prize to be won, here. You just have to start flirting back! Take your opportunities! For instance, you could have complemented me on translating this riddle.¡± That was something. Encouraged a bit, I said, ¡°Oh, sorry, you¡¯re right. Uh¡­¡± I paused, unsure how to proceed, ¡°It was very¡­¡± ¡°Not right now, you mush-head,¡± she chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve lost your moment! And use your body. It isn¡¯t just about words.¡± I sighed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hess. I¡¯m really not very good at being quippy.¡± And I had no idea what I was supposed to do with my body. I did not even know what women found attractive in men. ¡°If I have time to think it over, I can come up with something, but¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what practice is for. It¡¯s a skill. You¡¯ll get better,¡± she assured me. Then nodding back at the carving, she said, ¡°So what about this riddle, then?¡± ¡°Right,¡± I said, changing gears. ¡°So my thought is, the line ¡®two are one¡¯ might refer to something within the riddle itself.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± she asked, an eyebrow slightly lifted. ¡°I don¡¯t know that part,¡± I admitted. ¡°There are several pairings in the riddle. One of those?¡± Reading it over again, she said, ¡°There¡¯s the obvious one, dies and lives, but I can¡¯t see what that would mean for us.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also night and day, for that matter,¡± I mused aloud. Absently, I started looking out at the rows of indistinguishable tombstones and something clicked in my head, ¡°A path through death¡­¡± Standing, I walked forward a few paces. As far as I could tell, every single one was identical¡­ save for the one that was disturbed from digging me up from the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll bet you anything that there¡¯s something underneath one of these grave markers.¡± ¡°Really?¡± she said from behind me. ¡°You¡¯re sure it¡¯s not just talking about how to get through the scarecrows, like I said?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± I admitted. ¡°But if you think about it from the angle that there might be a secret passage or something underneath a grave site, then you get a double meaning. Riddles are notorious for that kind of thing. ¡°Okay¡­¡± she said slowly. ¡°What are you proposing? That we dig up each one?¡± she made a face. ¡°There are many thousands out there.¡± Absently, I nodded. She was right. We needed a way to narrow it down. ¡°You¡¯ve looked over some of them already. Are they all the same?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded once. ¡°Save for the writing.¡± My mouth quirked to the side. That was something, anyway. ¡°Are they all in the same language? Save for the one I was in?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she said, tilting her eyes up to try and remember. ¡°Each stone should bear the tongue of the kind interred within. Or it would if this weren¡¯t the Dungeon. Here, it could be anything.¡± I looked back at her, ¡°Do they all have the same alphabet? The different tongues of the kinds, I mean?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± she laughed, but then she admitted, ¡°Some do, though,¡± not following my train of thought. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What about the writing on that tree there?¡± I went on, not answering. ¡°Did you see any graves that used it?¡± She looked back at the carving for a moment, musing, ¡°It¡¯s possible. I don¡¯t remember. It¡¯s not a common tongue around here. Their kind live far to the west¡­ of Bradfirth territory, anyway.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a quick look. If I¡¯m right, then the correct grave marker will use the same alphabet as the riddle. Or¡­ I suppose it wouldn¡¯t have to. But it would make it much more difficult if it doesn¡¯t. It wouldn¡¯t be much of a puzzle if the solution turned out to be a needle in a haystack,¡± I mused. Once we had gathered Jax and explained what we were looking for, we set to giving the yard a quick once over. It turned out I was correct, a lot of the graves used the alphabet from the tree ¡ª at least two to three per row, in fact. Once I realized this, I deflated. I had to figure that the puzzle was not going to be quite so easy as that. Still, it did narrow it down some¡­ assuming that I was at all on the right track. Quickly marking the ones we had found thus far with a small rock, we reconvened back at the tree. ¡°Alright, there has to be something to narrow it down,¡± I thought aloud. ¡°What we be lookin¡¯ at?¡± Jax asked. ¡°Explain it so I be understanin¡¯. Maybe it¡¯d shake sommat loose fer ya.¡± Obligingly, she went over it again for his benefit, and we rehashed our earlier thoughts on the matter. ¡°So yer sayin¡¯ it be the wrong way o¡¯ writin¡¯ fer the tongue?¡± Jax asked, a bit confused. She nodded, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What do it mean in the language it be for, then?¡± he asked. ¡°Nothing,¡± Hess said, looking it over again. ¡°It¡¯s gibberish. Although, now that you mention it, this word here could mean a barrel maker,¡± she pointed at the last word of the second line. ¡°It means ¡®cooper¡¯, if you translate it literally.¡± I pursed my lips. Cooper was a pretty common last name on Earth. ¡°Do people often take the names of their profession in that culture?¡± I asked, gears turning in my head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± she admitted. ¡°Though, I¡¯ve heard of certain clanless doing things like that.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± I hesitated. This was a little too perfect. ¡°You said that the first and second lines should rhyme, right?¡± She nodded, ¡°Yes, if you were to pronounce it the way a native would, it would come out as ¡®pahsh¡¯ and ¡®oonfetash¡¯. But in context, it should be ¡®pass¡¯ and ¡®unfettered¡¯.¡± ¡°Ye have ¡®pass unfettered¡¯ right in the riddle, and ye did nay think that may no be significant?¡± Jax asked incredulously. We looked at each other. What were the odds that you could get a person¡¯s name out of that phrase and have it be a coincidence? ¡°Okay, now that you say it out loud,¡± I admitted. About an hour later, the three of us were standing in front of a grave. It was virtually identical to all of the others in most every respect that I could see and positioned pretty closely to the center of the yard. Funnily enough, it was a mere three markers over from where I had been buried. ¡°Here lies Pz Nftz. May his steps to the Underworld be clear,¡± Hess read aloud. ¡°This be it,¡± Jax said. ¡°Or I ain¡¯t a lilim true.¡± Favoring him with a quick glance and a quirked eyebrow, I bent over to investigate the slab of granite. A fine layer of dirt had accumulated in the carved ridges that formed the lettering. Lightly dusting it away, I discovered a groove cut away around the first letter of ¡®Underworld¡¯. That was a button if I had ever seen one. ¡°Ye find sommat, mate?¡± Glancing back at him, I gave a quick nod, ¡°Yeah, looks like some kind of trigger. Step back. I don¡¯t know what will happen when I press this.¡± ¡°Let me do it, then,¡± Jax stepped forward. ¡°If it be a trap¡­¡± I seriously doubted that was the case, but¡­ Deciding caution was the better part of valor, I stepped aside. I gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder as we swapped places and stood next to Hess. ¡°Is this normal for you two?¡± she asked. I nodded, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s the trap finder. I can heal, and if it turns out to be fatal, he¡¯s technically immortal. Sort of.¡± She looked at me askance, ¡°You¡¯re pissing in my face.¡± Before I could process exactly what that was supposed to mean, there was a rumble beneath our feet. Jax had pressed the button. We scurried back as a depression opened up just in front of the marker. A rectangle, perhaps six feet wide and three times as long, dropped down revealing carved stone just beneath the soil. After sliding down a foot or so, the rectangle split down the middle and the two halves slid away beneath the ground. The revealed opening showed a staircase descending down into darkness. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hess said, staring down into the pit as the dust settled. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose either of you can see in the dark?¡± She grimaced at our shaking heads. There was a moment of silence as we surveyed that hole, unmoving. ¡°What about them weapons I made last night?¡± Jax asked, suddenly. We all shared a look. Slowly, Sherr Hess¡¯ gaze slid to the side, and we turned as one to see the campsite we had made, now abandoned, in the distance. And many many scarecrows. Chapter 26 - That Which Lies Beneath Fortunately, good old dead wood was a fairly decent solution to our problems. It was not a particularly good solution, but it was something. And we had it in abundance as the branches from the dead trees in the graveyard were scattered everywhere. To be sure, they were not overly strong and were tending toward rot, but it was better than trying to kill things with our bare hands. They were much more useful, however, for making torches. Jax being a regular fire bug, he had a couple going in no time, and within minutes, we were ready to explore this new passage. That all was fine. Or¡­ not fine exactly, but serviceable. What was truly irritating, however, was not so much the loss of our improvised weapons, but the fact that our Gems of Power had been left back at the old camp. All we had left was a single one sitting in my pocket from when Hess had watched us the night previous. Maybe I was being a bit paranoid, but having lost so many, even if only temporarily, made me anxious to get it down the hatch as quickly as possible. So, while Hess descended the stairs to do a quick scout about, I held it out to Jax. Figuring it was only fair, I offered to let him eat this one, seeing as how I had done it last. ¡°Nay, mate,¡± he shook his head. ¡°Ye get on with it. If I¡¯m honest, it¡¯s worse the other way around.¡± ¡°Worse?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°How so?¡± He screwed his eyes up for a moment, trying to think of how to explain it, ¡°Stronger, mebbe? But not exactly that.¡± Finally, he shook his head, ¡°I can nay put it to words.¡± ¡°Alright, then,¡± I said, after a moment. It was really not all that important, after all. If Jax wanted me to do it, then that was just fine. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± Heaving a sigh, he turned around and pulled down his pants. Silently giving me a thumbs up, he readied himself. Honestly, we were going to have to figure out a training regimen or¡­ well, I did not know. Something anyway. Jax being unable to control himself during these Core strengthening sessions was a bit much, but for the time being, I just had to deal with the fact that he really could not help it. Not wanting to waste any more time, I went ahead and popped the little Gem into my mouth. Wanting to give the man as much privacy as I could afford, I studiously avoided looking at him while the flow of power once again swelled in my core. Taking some comfort in the sensation and trying to ignore the leak flowing out to Jax, my gaze drifted to the sky, and I idly studied a few clouds drifting by, themselves unaware and quite uncaring of the people below and their little problems. That lasted right up until Jax let out a decidedly unmanly gasp and fell to his knees. My attention was unconsciously drawn by the sound, and when my eyes settled on the man, I found him sitting on his ankles, bent forward and with hands on knees. I was not sure, but it looked like his legs might be shaking slightly. ¡°Well, Jax¡­¡± I started. Whatever else I had thought to say was lost, however, as my attention was inexorably pulled to movement just to his left. At first, I had a moment of panic, as it looked like the ground was coming alive. But it was no Zombie that emerged. Instead, Jax¡¯s very shadow seemed to gain solid form and stood up. Startled, I shouted in alarm and jumped back. Jax reacted instantly. His axe flashed into his hand, and he leapt to my side, wide-eyed, looking for the danger -- his pants still around his ankles. His shadow did not exactly mimic him, but it also summoned up a shadowy axe and went on guard. For a moment, we stared at the shadow while it surveyed the horizon, apparently looking for danger. ¡°Well well¡­¡± Hess said from the stairs, ¡°what have you boys been up to?¡± It did not take us long to put two and two together. This apparently being a manifestation of Jax¡¯s newest skill, we all gathered around to investigate the shadowy figure. ¡°How long does it last?¡± I asked. ¡°Do nay know,¡± Jax replied, pulling his pants back up -- this time, mercifully spooge-free. ¡°Be based on me skill, She sayin¡¯.¡± ¡°How durable is it?¡± Hess asked, poking at it. ¡°Can it attack?¡± While she annoyed it, the shadow seemed to be doing its level best to look aggressive, which indicated to me that it was not overly intelligent, if at all. Although, it seemed to be trying to keep her from approaching Jax and myself. ¡°It should nay be able to attack,¡± Jax replied, but before he could continue, the shadow stopped moving and dissolved with the wind. ¡°Aww¡­¡± Hess said mournfully. ¡°Make another one. I want to punch it!¡± Jax cleared his throat, ¡°Ah¡­ It do be a trifle embarrassing.¡± I smiled in sympathy. Yeah, I¡¯ll bet. Sherr Hess, though, just crossed her arms. ¡°This is for combat, right? You need to be able to do it on command.¡± Jax looked at me pleadingly for a moment, and I was tempted to intercede. Unfortunately, Hess was right. ¡°Hey, I feel for you, man. Maybe, you could go for more of a¡­ uh¡­ gentlemanly grunt this time?¡± Jax scowled at me, but there was not much he could say in retort. And we both knew it. Swallowing his pride, he widened his stance, and closing his eyes, he grunted forcefully. We waited. Nothing happened. Jax¡¯s face slowly reddened as we stared at him in the silence. Finally, probably more to break the awkwardness than anything, he tried again, louder this time. He even included a bit of a pelvic thrust. Still nothing. ¡°Ye gotta be kiddin¡¯ me,¡± he sighed. ¡°Is that not good enough? How did you do it last time?¡± Hess asked, curiously. ¡°Maybe it has to be genuine?¡± I said diplomatically. ¡°Hmm¡­ could be,¡± Hess said. ¡°How did She phrase the skill description, exactly?¡± Jax sighed. Taking a moment to listen once again, he reported, ¡°Just that I do gotta ¡®moan with excitement¡¯.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, then,¡± Hess opined. ¡°That was a grunt not a moan.¡± ¡°Aw, come on!¡± he protested, looking back and forth at us for support. But there was nothing either of us could do about it. ¡°This be kickin¡¯ a feller¡¯s pride, sure.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ uh¡­ maybe still grunt, but let it¡­ turn up at the end a bit?¡± I suggested. ¡°A grunt into a moan?¡± Hess said, with a head-tilt. ¡°Could work.¡± Taking a moment to gather himself, probably from the absurdity of the situation, he tried again, taking our suggestions to heart, and let loose an elongated grunty moan. It was a bit weak and did not sound much like anything more than what it was, a poor attempt at simulated sexual excitement. It worked, though. Kind of. The shadow that formed was faint and much less distinct than the other one had been, but it was there, at least. Sherr Hess smiled happily just the same, and not wasting any time, delivered a mighty jab right into its face. From where I was standing, it certainly looked like she had hit something, and the shadowy Jax even seemed to have been taken by surprise. The second her fist made contact, though, the phantasm dissipated. ¡°Well, that was disappointing. I barely even felt anything,¡± she said with a frown. I nodded. It would seem that authenticity was a factor here. And now that we had something of a handle on the ability, I figured it was time to get moving. ¡°What did you find down in the passage?¡± I asked Hess. ¡°Nothing dangerous so far,¡± she replied absently. Clearly, she still wanted to play with Jax¡¯s shadow puppets, but she was wise enough to see that we needed to move on. ¡°You two may as well come look.¡± With that, she took up a torch and led the way down, and hefting a makeshift club -- and by that I mean a half-rotted tree branch -- I followed. The steps and the walls were composed of mismatched stone bricks of varying sizes, and for some reason, everything was wet. I mean, I suppose that if I were to imagine an underground secret passage, ¡®wet¡¯ would be a thing that I would certainly expect. But things need a reason to be damp like that, and I could see no source for it. Looking closely, there was a fine layer of moss outlining each of the bricks but mysteriously, the moss was totally absent from the floor. I was silently thankful for that fact, as the combination of wet and moss on the ground would have made for quite perilous footing. As it was, the traction was just fine. At the bottom of the steps, there was a passage leading straight on and with no deviation as far as the torchlight stretched. It was just wide enough for two people to walk comfortably side by side and tall enough that I could not have jumped to touch the ceiling. This continued for about a minute of walking. Worn bricks, mossy walls, and a thick unchanging humidity were the only features to accompany our echoing footsteps. Eventually, I began to hear the faint trickle of flowing water, and a few paces later, we entered into a smallish room with a fountain set against the far wall. The fountain was simple in design, featuring only a single sculpted flower rising from the center of the basin from which water spilled in a continuous flow. Besides that, there were two doorways set into the left and right walls with a sign over each, probably indicating where they might lead. ¡°This is as far as I got before I decided to turn around,¡± Hess told us in a low voice. ¡°Did you try the water here?¡± I asked, indicating the fountain. I still did not feel too desperate for the liquid, but I certainly would not turn it down if it were offered me. She nodded, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine. Actually, let me show you something.¡± Walking forward, she pointed at the flower. ¡°You¡¯ll find installations like this in the Dungeon pretty frequently. You need to pay attention to the decorations to tell if they¡¯re safe. This one was pretty obvious. If you count the number of petals on this flower, you¡¯ll get eight. Even numbers are always more or less safe. Odd numbers never are. Remember that!¡± ¡°¡®More or less¡¯,¡± Jax repeated with a degree of skepticism. ¡°Right,¡± she nodded, ¡°See, ¡®safe to drink¡¯ doesn¡¯t always mean ¡®has no effects¡¯.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± I asked, making no move toward the fountain. ¡°There are too many to list,¡± she said, ¡°but the last one I went through had a pond in it that would make you see colors in reverse for a few minutes. Very disorienting, let me tell you. Turned out, though, you needed that to solve a puzzle.¡± ¡°What ¡®bout this one here?¡± Jax asked. ¡°Nothing that I noticed,¡± she said. ¡°Tasted pretty good, too.¡± Jax and I glanced at each other briefly before stepping forward as one. ¡°Thought you didn¡¯t need to drink anymore,¡± I said in a low voice. ¡°I do nay know if¡¯n I¡¯s needin¡¯ it, but I be havin¡¯ a thirst on me, the same,¡± he clarified. Then, a bit louder, he said, ¡°Let me have the first go at ¡®er. Just in case.¡± With a gesture, I gave him the go ahead, and scarcely hesitating, he dipped a cupped hand into the liquid. Giving it a suspicious sniff, he sipped a small amount into his mouth. Apparently satisfied, he swallowed. As I was watching him closely, I could see immediately that he had heard something, and was listening intently. ¡°Seems it do be havin¡¯ an effect, after all,¡± he reported. ¡°Poison resistance.¡± ¡°Ah, okay,¡± Sherr Hess said regretfully, ¡°Sorry about that. I¡¯m pretty resistant to poison already. It¡¯s a Tramp thing.¡± I was perfectly fine with being resistant to poison, after all, so setting my reservations aside, I succumbed to my thirst and dove in. The water was crisp, cold, and tasted very faintly of roasted coffee, and that by itself almost had me considering ways of bottling the stuff. A moment later I heard the tell-tale followed by an expected pop-up.
You have received a temporary Status Buff! Poison Resistance (average) Time remaining: 4:59
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Staring at the timer slowly ticking down, I had a moment of suspicion. ¡°Does this mean we have to accomplish something within five minutes? Something involving poison?¡± I asked in concern, turning to Hess. ¡°Five minutes, huh?¡± she replied thoughtfully. ¡°Seems likely. In that case, we should go.¡± Pointing to the door on the left she reported, ¡°That way says ¡®Tongues¡¯, and that way,¡± she swung her arm to the right, ¡°says ¡®Extra Tongues¡¯.¡± Jax looked at me, ¡°I do nay like the sound of either one, truth.¡± ¡°Agreed. And might I say that I, for one, would vote for fewer tongues,¡± I said as lightly as possible. ¡°Aye that,¡± Jax replied. ¡°Oh, no, we¡¯re going this way,¡± Hess laughed at us, pointing to the right. ¡°Extra danger means extra rewards.¡± Hefting her dead tree branch over her shoulder, she elaborated, ¡°And I need beer money.¡± ¡°Beer money?! I gots all the reward ye need right here, ye boot,¡± Jax said, pointing with both hands at his crotch. Hess laughed heartily, and slapping her ass for us, she started away. It was a crude line with a crude response, but Hess seemed to like it. Maybe that was the kind of thing she responded to. I figured I would file that one away for later. You never knew. I did not have any more time to think about it, though, as she was already starting to vanish around a corner. Quickly taking another sip from the fountain to refresh the timer, I hurried after her... Keeping well back, though. Immediately jumping into the hard route seemed like a hasty decision to me, but I was clearly not in charge of this expedition. The path wound around to the left and further down. As we descended, the pervasive wetness covering everything began to accumulate on the floor until we were splashing through about an inch of water, and as the saturation increased, so did the moss¡¯ density. It thickened until the walls were positively covered with the stuff, and once there was no more room for it to grow there, it spread to the ceiling and floor. The walkable path narrowed slowly as we went, as the moss made walking along the edges all but impossible. Weirdly, I began to detect an odor as we went. It was not the murky, stagnant scent that I usually associated with still water. No, this was a sweet smell, almost like honeysuckle or a candied perfume. After a few steps, we found the source of it. Here and there, in amongst the moss, weird looking, thick, orange flowers started popping up. I could not tell if they were the flowers that the moss put out or if they were a separate organism entirely. Either way, they were creeping me out, undulating in an apparent wind¡­ in the dark and notably windless tunnel. I made it a goal to avoid touching them at all costs. Unfortunately, it seemed that I was not going to have much choice in the matter. Soon after discovering the flowers, the tunnel widened out considerably, and Hess came to a stop, holding her torch aloft to get a better look. There was something out in that room. Something big. We could see faint reflections coming off of its slimy body from the torch. ¡°Hess,¡± Jax whispered, ¡°look there.¡± He pointed at a bowl of some kind set into the side of the wall, just over our heads. Wordlessly, she held the torch to the indicated spot, embers dripping off of it to be snuffed out by the water below. As fire sprang to life within its new container, I realized that it was a wall sconce, set there for that express purpose. Soon enough, several others flared around the room, illuminating it in flickering orange light. My heart sank as I took in the now revealed chamber, and the thing it contained. Its presence should have been impossible, and yet somehow, I recognized what I was looking at. It was a kind of thing that I had seen many times in games, after all. And it always spelled trouble when you ran across one. A plant monster. A giant plant monster. ¡°Well,¡± I muttered, ¡°now we know what the poison resistance is for.¡± Neither of my companions commented. The monster was more a mass of vines than anything, covered in thorns and countless numbers of those weird fleshy flowers. The flowers were at their smallest toward the very bottom of the creature and along the walls, however they slowly increased in size as the eye drifted upward. This slow gradient continued until, inevitably, the gaze came to rest at the summit, where the largest of them sat. If I had to guess, I would put it at perhaps an arm¡¯s length across. For whatever reason, it had made no move to attack us, so either it was just a very large, yet otherwise normal plant -- which I would not bet on, or it just had not noticed us. Either way, on one side of it, gleaming faintly in the light from the fires around the room, we could see the golden reflection of some kind of chest, almost buried in band after band of thick ropey plant matter. ¡°Uh huh,¡± Hess said, pointing it out to us, ¡°What did I tell you?¡± Jax heaved a sigh, ¡°Bleedin¡¯ daft way o¡¯ makin¡¯ a livin¡¯ if yer askin¡¯ me.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t, Jax,¡± Hess replied, off-handedly, ¡°but I enjoy your ever cheerful attitude, anyway.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said, stepping forward quickly to take their attention from one another, ¡°what do we do now?¡± The plant still had not moved, and there was no getting to that chest without doing some serious pruning. ¡°Now we fight,¡± Hess said with her customary eagerness. ¡°So¡­ what? Charge? What¡¯s the game plan?¡± I asked, nervously. ¡°Ugh¡­ I don¡¯t really do plans,¡± Hess groaned, her shoulders slumping. ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯ll go fight it. You two¡­ just stay back, I guess. Umm¡­ Jax, if you see any exposed roots or a stem connecting it to the ground, go for those with your axe. Those should be weak points. Donum¡­ just keep still and heal when you can.¡± In other words, Hess would tank, Jax would DPS, and I would be the healer. I nodded to myself firmly. I could do that. Although¡­ actually, it was more like Hess would tank and DPS while Jax would ineffectually flail at it. My only role would be vainly trying to keep people alive through this thing. Well¡­ fine. I could do that, too. Or we would die trying. Before either of us were ready, and without giving us so much as a by-your-leave, Hess fired off another one of those concussive spell blasts right at the big flower on the top of the monstrosity. The condensed ball of air zipped through the air and struck the vegetable just off center, but the ball¡¯s sudden decompression ripped a jagged hole in it just the same. That got its attention. Every single one of the flowers turned its face toward us, almost like a troop of meerkats sighting a hawk. It did not roar or carry on like you might expect a big monster like that to do. Neither did it rise up and loom at us in some sort of intimidation display. Then again, why would it? It was a plant, after all. Instead, its retaliation was sudden, instantaneous, and without warning. Thorns shot out in every direction, splashing into water, ricocheting off of the walls, and sinking into flesh. Jax took a gash across his shoulder as one of the dagger-sized projectiles ripped through it. Yelling in pain, he dropped to his knees, clutching at the wound. Miraculously, I appeared unscathed. Frantically checking my person for signs of injury, I discovered at least five of the tooth-like darts lodged in the wall just behind me. Hess, meanwhile, had managed to dodge all of the multitude of thorns the great plant shot at her. However, she yelped in surprise as one bounced off of a wall and lodged into her left buttock. Cursing as she yanked the offending thorn out of her ass, Hess launched into the air, and started wailing on the giant plant with reckless abandon. Each blow absolutely pulped whatever plant matter it came into contact with. Unfortunately, a dead tree branch is not a particularly effective weapon in the best of situations, and against this particular monster, she was not going to make much headway. Sure enough, after a scant few swings, the branch snapped in half, and swearing with abandon, she tossed it aside. Leaving Hess to do Hess things, I figured I had best get my head in the game. Jax was still injured, after all. Turning my attention back to him, I saw that he was staggering to his feet, slipping a bit from the moss underfoot, axe in hand. He was still clutching that shoulder though, and there was quite a lot of blood leaking from between his fingers. I almost ran over to him, but I stopped, cursing myself as a fool. I needed to keep still, I thought in silent admonishment. Plus, the heal did not need touch to work. Closing my eyes for a moment to steady myself, I summoned up my spell, Renewal of Consumption. After a single false start, I spat out the mouth of marbles that were the Words to it, and raising a hand to point at him, I sent it his way. I did not know if the gesture was necessary, but for some reason, I felt as if it would be helpful. Either way, I felt the Life slipping away from me as the Energy left my body and entered Jax. When it hit him, he gasped, and throwing his head back, he moaned loudly, high and clear. Before the sound of it died away, we were both a bit startled when a deeply black and almost vibrant shadow leapt up from the brackish waters, wielding a dark twin to his axe and ready to go. Jax stared at it for a moment through half-lidded eyes, still panting and writhing, before finally surrendering to the pleasure still coursing through him as his shoulder slowly knitted together. Thrusting his bare chest forward and his hips back, he began to run his hands all over his body, through his hair, over his face, pausing briefly at his still swollen nipples, and then down and up his inner thighs. And he moaned sensually through the whole thing. Frankly, I was a bit disturbed by the whole display, as these were not at all the motions of male arousal¡­ on the other hand¡­ in other ways, I felt it was kind of hot despite myself. And I could not argue with the results. By the time the effect was over, he was surrounded by five well-formed shadows, at attention and ready to leap into danger. When Jax came back to himself and saw what was surrounding him, he jumped back, as if unaware that he had summoned a little mirror army, and then slipped and fell on his backside. Shaking the water from his now wet hands, realization suddenly hit and his attention snapped to me, horrified at what he had been doing. I really did not know what or even if I should say anything, so I just gave him a little half-smile and a thumbs-up. Suddenly, Hess screamed. Jerking my gaze back up to her, I saw that she was surrounded by at least half a dozen of those disgusting looking flowers, punching and kicking them into so much vegetable matter. But there were simply too many for her to keep up with, and every time her back was turned, one would lick her. That is really the only thing I can say to describe it. It would just creep up and gently lap at her with its fleshy petals, leaving a trail of slime on her body with each pass. Whatever that slime was, it was not doing her any favors. As more and more of it coated her, her motions became halting and jerky, and her face was locked into a rictus of pain. Finally, unable to take it anymore, she leapt clear, and landing in the water, she began to writhe and roll about in the shallow water, trying to wash the mucus from her body. Unfortunately, it was too thick and the water just beaded up and rolled off of it like Hess was covered in oil. Running over to try and help, I called out, ¡°Jax, get its attention.¡± With a curt nod, he jumped to his feet, and he and his little army of shadowy mimics charged the vine. Reaching down, I did my best to scoop the stuff from off of her skin. It was not easy. It burned as I touched it, but it was bearable in small amounts. Quickly checking my timer, I saw that I still had about thirty seconds left before the poison resistance ran out. I could only imagine what it would feel like after that. ¡°Fucking ¡®snails, that hurts,¡± Hess groaned as I scooped another handful of slime from her arm, myself grimacing from the pain. ¡°We need to get out of here,¡± I yelled as one of the vines started to approach us. Taking up my little club, I did my best to fend it off, but it was a losing battle. ¡°Jax and I are almost out of time. We need to regroup.¡± While I was shouting at her, another volley of thorns shot everywhere. I was caught completely off-guard, busy as I was swinging my improvised weapon with reckless abandon, and one of the huge thorns shot straight through my left foot, pinning me to the ground. Immediately dropping my branch, I fell to a knee, curling around my injury and trying to fight back tears. The damned thorns burned even worse than the mucus! Quickly glancing around to see if anyone else had been injured, I saw that Jax only had a few scratches, though three of his clones had gone down shielding him from the volley. Hess, meanwhile, had been missed entirely this time, as she was still lying prone behind me. Beginning to panic from the pain and the general situation, I looked up to see the flower that I had been fending off approaching me, seemingly hungry if that were possible. Jerking back, I slipped on the moss and fell onto my backside, my foot bent at an awkward angle from being nailed to the floor. ¡°Help!¡± I screamed out. From the side, Hess ran over, and jerking the offending thorn from my foot and hurling it right into the center of the drooling flower, she grabbed me up and called out, ¡°Jax, we¡¯re going!¡± Waiting not a second longer, she fled back up the passage. Jax was only a second behind, and running for all he was worth, he still had enough presence of mind to grab up the torch that was leaning against the wall. His last shadow dove in the way of a trailing vine to cover our escape. About halfway back up the slope, Jax and I began to scream in earnest. Our protection had worn off, and what we had thought was pain was in fact only a dim illusion. It felt as if my hands and injured foot were burning off, the pain slowly creeping up my limbs, as if I were being digested in the open air. ¡°Oh hush, you two,¡± Hess admonished us. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± ¡°Watcher¡¯s Eye, Hess!¡± I said in reply, ¡°It feels like I¡¯m melting.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only got a bit on your hands,¡± she replied teasingly. ¡°And you don¡¯t even have any on you,¡± she said to Jax. ¡°What are you yelling about?¡± ¡°Feels like me flamin¡¯ blood be boilin¡¯,¡± he said through gritted teeth. Hess sighed, ¡°Just hang on a little longer.¡± Sure enough, once we got to the fountain, its cool, crisp waters washed away all of our ails. Not only did it renew our Poison Resistance buff, which helped a lot all by itself, but it actually cut through the leftover mucus on our bodies like dish soap through oil. In a few moments, we were as good as new, save for our various wounds. Even Hess partook, gently washing the leftover mucus from off of herself, though she made much less of a spectacle of herself in doing so. In short order, as my foot was still throbbing from being pierced through, I had my spell cast and sighed in relief as my flesh slowly knitted back together. Sitting to enjoy the sensation, I glanced over at Hess. I could see that she had what looked like pretty severe chemical burns all over her body, though she was not showing any signs of being in pain. ¡°Should I cast my spell on you?¡± I asked her, ¡°Or are you okay? You regenerate, right?¡± She nodded, ¡°Eventually. Not as fast as I would if I were drinking, but it still works.¡± Taking a long look over at Jax, she asked, ¡°Will it do to me what it did to him?¡± ¡°Noticed that, huh?¡± I glanced at my companion, who was currently studiously avoiding eye contact. ¡°Yeah, it should. If you want it to.¡± She looked at me consideringly, ¡°How much Life do you have to spend?¡± I tilted my head in self-reflection, ¡°Uhm¡­ I¡¯m a bit peckish¡­ So, I guess I should be fine as long as it isn¡¯t too strong.¡± ¡°Do it then,¡± she said definitively. ¡°It should do more good than harm.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I said, raising my hand. ¡°Are you ready?¡± She smiled, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been ready, little man.¡± Ignoring the provocation, I prepared myself to cast the spell, but she interrupted me again. ¡°Not like that. Touch me.¡± ¡°What?¡± I said, the Words scattering in my mind. ¡°Come on, touch me! I want to see if it¡¯ll be stronger that way,¡± she explained eagerly. ¡°Oh¡­ okay,¡± I said, momentarily nonplussed. Not that kind of touch. Reaching out once again, I gently laid my palm against her exposed thigh. In response, she stepped forward to face me fully and widened her stance, exposing herself to me. From the feral grin she was sporting, I would bet that she was daring me to go for it. And truthfully, I was half tempted to try it, but¡­ if I were wrong, she was quite capable of ripping my arm off. ¡°Is this okay?¡± I asked, lightly clearing my throat. Best to get explicit instructions in this kind of situation, I figured. Her expression turned smug, ¡°That¡¯ll do fine. Now cast your spell. I want to see what you¡­ it will do to me.¡± I noted the slip, if it really were one at all. Probably not, I decided. Dispelling her constant teasing from my mind, I resummoned the Words to mind. It took me a bit longer than normal, as I was staring directly at the woman¡¯s vagina, but I eventually managed the cast¡­ though, I might have pushed just a little too hard. Accidentally. ¡°Fucking ¡®stits!¡± Hess shouted, her eyes bulging. Her legs quivered for a moment under my palm before she fell forward, trying to use me to keep her balance. Unfortunately, I was not quite up to the task of holding up her muscular bulk, and we went down in a tangle of limbs. I would say that it was fun to have an attractive woman reach a screeching orgasm on top of me, which she most certainly did, if it were not for her absolutely crushing weight. I honestly tried my best to just bear it out and wait for her to finish¡­ until she passed out. Shit¡­ I may have used just a tad too much juice there. Struggling for air, I pushed as hard as I could against her limp form, but she would not budge. ¡°Jax,¡± I eventually gasped in between short gulping breaths, ¡°Jax, help! I can¡¯t breathe.¡± When he did not respond, I squirmed from underneath Hess to try and see where he was. When I found him, I was taken aback, as he was staring at the two of us with his hands between his legs and no less than three shadows surrounding him. Chapter 27 - Dive Prep ¡°Jax!¡± I barked. ¡°The fuck, man?¡± Jax jumped, startled at my yell. He looked around for a short moment, as if unsure of where he was or what was going on. Briefly, his attention caught on his own shadows, and he paused as if he could not fathom why they would be there. But when his gaze finally rested on me and saw the expression on my face, his eyes widened. ¡°Donum! I¡­ I be sorry, mate. I¡­ I do nay¡­¡± He brought his hands up to his face in an expression of shame, but when they met his nose, he jerked slightly, blinking. Quickly hiding them behind his back, he stepped closer, ¡°It were her taste, ye see. When ye cast yer spell. It¡­ it overwhelmed me. I¡­¡± ¡°Jax!¡± I interrupted him, ¡°Later. Need¡­ air¡­¡± I gasped. Suddenly realizing my predicament, he leapt forward. Reaching down, he grasped Sherr Hess by the arm, and straining slightly, rolled her unconscious form off of me. Finally able to fill my lungs once more, I just laid there blissfully for a few seconds. ¡°Are ye alright, mate?¡± he asked me. ¡°Ye ain¡¯t crushed, now?¡± I took another good long breath before replying, ¡°No, I¡¯m not crushed.¡± I did not really know what to say just then, and an awkward silence descended. The two of us had just been individually caught up in our own separate¡­ shall we say, inopportune moments, though mine was far less apparently intentional. I suppose if pressed, I would say that I had seen Jax in more compromising situations, but¡­ It was not something a fellow discussed while it was still fresh in everyone¡¯s minds. Most certainly, I did not want to talk about having to be rescued from the admittedly considerable bulk of a woman I had caused to fall unconscious through orgasm. That was a thing best brought up later. Over alcohol. Instead, I sat up and glanced over at the aforementioned individual, now sprawled on her back, ¡°I guess you¡¯ve gotten a bit stronger lately, huh?¡± He looked away and gave a light lift to one shoulder, unconcerned, ¡°I been investin¡¯ proper. Same as ye.¡± Looking back at me out of the side of his eye, he asked, ¡°Ye ain¡¯t upset?¡± I sighed, ¡°I¡¯m a little upset, as you are perfectly well aware. But¡­¡± I paused at Jax¡¯s expression, which if anything, I would say had turned a bit coy, of all things. ¡°But you explained yourself. I guess you aren¡¯t used to that kind of thing off of¡­¡± I glanced at Hess again briefly and changed course, ¡°that kind of flavor.¡± Jax¡¯s little half-smile grew into a full on grin as he inhaled in remembrance, ¡°Oh, the flavor. The flavor! It were wonderful, me¡­¡± he stopped, jerking his head to the side and closing his eyes. Exhaling slowly, he looked over at Hess, ¡°Ye done her good.¡± I blinked, lost for a moment in the change of conversation topic. ¡°Wonder if¡¯n her tank felt that one, eh?¡± Her tank? Oh¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I replied. ¡°The way she described it, she gets more out of the build up than anything. It would be nice, though.¡± My stomach took the opportunity to growl loudly. We both looked down at it in consternation. ¡°Especially considering the cost. Though¡­ I guess I didn¡¯t really need to push quite that hard.¡± He just gave another little half-shrug at that, ¡°She were tauntin¡¯ ye. She got hers, the scabby tube.¡± ¡°Scabby¡­ Jax!¡± I said, taken aback. ¡°What? She be a dirty fool, if I ever seen one,¡± he said, seemingly confused. ¡°What did ye think I meant?¡± ¡°I¡­ well¡­¡± I stammered, ¡°Okay, wait¡­ Does ¡®tube¡¯ mean ¡®fool¡¯, then? Since when? How does that track?¡± He shook his head and blinked at me, as if I had just questioned the foundations of the universe. ¡°It just do, mate,¡± he said. ¡°Some things ye learn at the tit, ye know?¡± Sherr Hess woke up shortly thereafter, stretching like a cat that had just gotten the cream, seemingly totally content and blissfully unaware of her surroundings. For a few seconds, anyway. Stopping mid-stretch, her eyes snapped open, and she jerked upright. She quickly swept the room until her eyes landed on us, and realization dawned on her. Slowly, as she stared, her expression turned to amused speculation, her eyes crinkling and her tongue idly playing with a slightly elongated canine. Finally, she said, ¡°Why, Donum¡­ you never told me you had that in you.¡± ¡°He did tell ye, cow,¡± Jax said, before I could think of something clever, his expression unreadable. Then he glanced up at me, ¡°I never seen it hit that hard, though, truth. Yer last one done me pretty hard, too,¡± he trailed off. ¡°Yeah¡­ sorry,¡± I said hastily. ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of control over the¡­¡± my mouth quirked self-consciously, ¡°secondary effects.¡± What Jax had said was true, though. It had been a little too strong. Maybe it was just a sign of my increasing skill with the spell. What was it now, anyway? Hess chuckled deeply, interrupting my train of thought, ¡°Oh, no? Then some more practice would do you good, I think.¡± The innuendo practically dripped from her voice. Jax bristled faintly, ¡°It ain¡¯t a thing fer fun, ya weapon. He¡¯s already used it thrice over! And no thanks to ye, I say true! Goin¡¯ that way. Me axe could scarce scratch yon weed, and with no Zombies to sink into, he¡¯ll be tapped for a long while. What were ye thinkin¡¯?¡± ¡°I was thinking,¡± Hess responded, her flirtatious demeanor evaporating, ¡°that I want that box the ¡®weed¡¯ is guarding. I already resist poison, after all. It was a fair bet that I could have taken it.¡± She paused for a moment and then continued more quietly, ¡°Nobody would have guessed that it was going to be such a thick topical poison like that.¡± Taking a reconciliatory tone, I said, ¡°Maybe so. Still¡­ perhaps, you might admit that charging in with only your naked fists might not have been the best strategy?¡± ¡°I had a club,¡± she said defensively. Jax snorted but refrained from comment. ¡°Fine,¡± Hess said with a huff. ¡°It was dumb. Are you happy?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I said diplomatically, ¡°Maybe not dumb exactly. Let¡¯s just say¡­ a little too impromptu.¡± Jax rolled his eyes. ¡°Whatever,¡± Hess said. ¡°What do you want to do, then, Lord Mono.¡± The sarcasm was rolling in thick with that line. I hoped that we could get out of this Dungeon soon, if for no other reason than that I could graduate into a two-Word vocabulary, and Hess would have to stop teasing me about it. What would that be called? Bi-something? Or would it be ¡®Di¡¯? I always got those confused. Giving myself a slight shake, I brought my mind back to task and Hess¡¯ question, ¡°Well¡­ there¡¯s always the other path¡­¡± Hess crossed her arms, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving without that chest.¡± Great. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I said slowly, ¡°Can we at least see what¡¯s down there? Or will that close off the other path?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why it would,¡± she replied. ¡°Why would you want to, though?¡± I shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know. You said that that way was ¡®Tongues¡¯ as opposed to the ¡®Extra¡¯ that we went down. Maybe we¡¯ll get some clues as to how to fight it?¡± Her expression turned thoughtful, but before she could reply, our light, already sputtering from long use, finally died. ¡°Maybe we should grab a few extra torches first?¡± Hess suggested mildly from out of the complete and total darkness. When we finally emerged from the black pit, blinking owlishly, it was with the realization that it was not even yet noon. For some reason, I had thought that we had been down there for hours. I could not say why. Perhaps it was the lack of access to the sun. Or¡­ more likely, it was caused by the wildly fluctuating biorhythms that throwing my healing spell around was inducing in me. I used to tell time more from the way I felt in the moment than anything else. Hungry? Must be time for lunch. Tired? Bedtime. Now, though, I got the munchies based on how well combat had gone, and it was seriously screwing with my internal clock. Actually, now that I thought about it, it was probably screwing with a lot of things. I frowned. That could not be healthy. Unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing I could do about any of that right now. The internet, for all of its admittedly sketchy medical advice, was all but a distant memory, so I could not exactly look up the effects of repeatedly stressing my supply of Life Energy¡­ not that it was likely that I could find out much about that anyway. I sighed¡­ I was going to get diabetes from this. I just knew it. And seeing as how I was thinking about it, my stomach took the opportunity to remind me that I had recently hollowed it out again. It was not so bad as the night previous, fortunately, but it was still noticeable, which was a whole other problem. There were no soft targets for Jax to leech off of, and the only visible sources of food were happily and obliviously munching on random field grasses about half a mile from here, guarded by a veritable army of killer scarecrows. Peering at the herd in the distance, one of them raised its head and bleated in our general direction. I shivered unconsciously. ¡°There¡¯s got to be a way to get one of them,¡± Hess said from beside me. I jumped slightly, her sudden appearance startling me out of my reverie. Clearing my throat, I said, ¡°I think we may have to wait until dark. The scarecrows popped up at dawn, after all. Hopefully, they¡¯ll go away again at nightfall.¡± ¡°That agrees with the riddle, anyway,¡± she conceded. ¡°Doubt it¡¯ll be that easy, though.¡± I made a face. ¡°Granted, I¡¯ve never tried to hunt sheep in the dark,¡± I paused, caught off-guard at the absurdity of what I was saying, but pressed on, ¡°but it can¡¯t be that hard.¡± Hess just stood with her arms crossed, ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°Oy!¡± Jax yelled from behind us, ¡°You two gonna gab all day or are ye gonna help me gather wood? Bunch o¡¯ blithering tatties¡­¡± We both sighed. After a moment, Hess jerked her head back toward Jax, ¡°You go ahead. I want to test the defenses a bit. I need to get my club back to fight that¡­¡± she made a face, ¡°tongue-y, flowery, plant-y¡­ thing.¡± ¡°I was just going with plant monster,¡± I offered. ¡°Right,¡± she shrugged. ¡°Anyway, those dead branches aren¡¯t going to cut it.¡± She stopped, apparently caught off-guard by her own pun, and chuckled. I took a breath, deciding that not acknowledging it would be for the best. ¡°You¡¯re not seriously considering going out there?¡± I asked instead, concerned. ¡°Just a gentle probe,¡± she reassured me, still smiling softly. ¡°Go on. Help your friend before he makes the Goddesses blush.¡± Hesitantly, I gave her a nod and walked over to where Jax had built a fire earlier. It had just been a small thing to get the torches going, and as he was burning already long dead wood, it was out now, though the embers were still hot. Jax walked up, carrying a large armload of dead branches, twigs mainly, and dropped them into a loose pile at his feet. ¡°Do we really need so much wood?¡± I asked. ¡°We just needed another torch, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Dunno,¡± he replied. ¡°But I need a fire to make a torch. And the way things be goin¡¯, I figure we be at this a while. So I thinks to meself, why do the same chore over and over when ye can do ¡®er once?¡± Chuckling, he slapped me on the back, ¡°C¡¯mon. It¡¯ll be over afore ye know it.¡± We both jumped just then, as a giant laser blast exploded from behind us. Spinning, we saw Hess casually leaning against the fence, tossing a rock up and down in her palm as she surveyed the destruction she had just caused. Nodding to herself as the debris settled, she took a moment to pick another spot and hurled the stone that way. Another blast followed shortly thereafter. ¡°Well,¡± I said with some aplomb, ¡°at least we have some entertainment while we work.¡± It was like a fireworks display. A private, violently dangerous, military-grade fireworks display. Some time later, Jax and I had assembled a large pile of dead wood from around the graveyard. All in all, it was an impressive mound. Maybe not quite up to the standards of Burning Man¡­ Okay, not even close. Still, it was decent. Definitely enough, I figured, for a reasonable bonfire, if we decided to let it go all at once. More importantly, it was more than adequate to light up all the torches we could ever want. And that was plenty. Truth be told, I was sweating buckets and dog tired just from bending over to pick up the damned things, much less walking them over to this cursed pile. I was frankly exhausted and therefore done. ¡°Fucking A, Jax. Don¡¯t we have enough firewood yet?¡± I whined, trying to wipe the sweat off of my forehead with an equally sweaty hand. ¡°We ain¡¯t even got the wood from that tree yonder,¡± he said, jerking his head at his next target for lumber acquisition as he dumped another armload onto the pile. I looked at him in bewilderment. I had gone along with it at first because it seemed reasonable to gather up a bit for later but¡­ I honestly was having a hard time wrapping my head around this. It was doubtful that we would ever need this much firewood. I mean, we were approaching a solid rick here, and he wanted to keep going?! I glanced back at the pile and reconsidered. Okay¡­ maybe half a rick. Still, where was he even getting the energy for this? I knew for a fact that he could not have much more Toughness than me. Not yet, anyway. We were only on the Third Layer, and I had been investing in it at the same rate he had. He was not even sweating! And that made me suspicious. I narrowed my eyes at him as a thought wormed its way into my mind, ¡°Okay, Jax. Fess up. You¡¯re feeding off of me, aren¡¯t you?¡± At my words, he reacted rather counter to my tone. Straightening up, he beamed at me, almost like he was proud of me for having made the connection. In my current mood, however, I took it as rather patronizing. ¡°Why ¡®course I be! I always be feedin¡¯ off o¡¯ ye, Donum. But ye caught me, true. I were a bit hungry, and I wanted to see what ye¡¯d taste o¡¯ when ye were taskin¡¯.¡± ¡°When I was¡­¡± I paused, ¡°Hungry?! After that little episode earlier, you were hungry?¡± ¡°A bit, aye,¡± he affirmed, ¡°I guess ye might say it whetted me appetite fer more interesting flavors.¡± He winked at me without the slightest hint of shame. My eye twitched, ¡°Jax, I think it should be obvious that I don¡¯t appreciate being used as an unwitting pawn in your¡­¡± I waved at him vaguely, ¡°journey of self-discovery.¡± ¡°¡¯Course ye don¡¯t!¡± he exclaimed happily. If anything, he beamed all the more broadly. ¡°Yer indignation be tastin¡¯ pretty interesting, too!¡± ¡°Jax!¡± I began more loudly. ¡°And¡­¡± he interrupted, ¡°And I think I be owed one or two at yer expense, do I not?¡± He cocked an eyebrow and waggled a finger at me, as if daring me to deny it. I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died on my tongue. The man had a point there. Still¡­ it was a bit of a weird prank. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got it!¡± Hess called from the fence line. I was tempted to ignore her. I was not done with this little conversation. Not at all. Jax had been acting a little odd lately. I could not precisely put my finger on what it was or when it had started, but a lot of little things were starting to pile up. This little prank of his was¡­ Well, I could not put words to it. But it seemed out of character. Usually, if he felt like I needed to be brought down a peg or two, he would just swear a blue streak at me and be done with it. Not that he had refrained from his usual litany of swearing, mind you. I would be really concerned if that suddenly disappeared. No, this just felt¡­ manipulative, I guess? But then, it was a prank. What else was it going to be? I shook my head. Maybe I was imagining things. Besides, he had not actually caused any harm. ¡°Fine,¡± I said finally, raising my hands above my head in surrender. ¡°You got me. Though I fail to see the humor in making me work too much.¡± He smirked, ¡°It weren¡¯t supposed to be funny, ye gowk. I know that flavor plenty.¡± There it was. I tilted my head back as the pieces clicked. It was a species thing. What an odd concept, to pull a prank only for the flavor of emotion¡­ It was totally foreign to the human mindset. He had even explicitly said that before, but I had glossed over it. I guessed that I would have to get used to that sort of thing in the future. So, with an air of defeated befuddlement, I just turned around and started walking to the fence, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s up.¡± It turned out that Hess had discovered something rather interesting. And also mostly useless. To any sane person, anyway. ¡°It¡¯s an invisible maze,¡± she said, with a degree of pride. ¡°Or I think it is. Hard to be sure.¡± ¡°A maze?¡± I repeated, looking out at the field. The tall grasses were dancing lazily in the wind, undulating in an unpredictable yet repeating pattern of waves running across the plain from one side to the other, totally uninterrupted by any sign of walls or barriers. The only thing out there were the scarecrows with their gleaming red eyes. ¡°How do you figure?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°You see,¡± she began, ¡°each one of those scarecrows only guards a certain area around it. Anything gets close enough?¡± She clapped her hands together, ¡°Splat!¡± ¡°I be thinkin¡¯ we got that part already,¡± Jax said impatiently. ¡°I¡¯m getting there,¡± she said, looking down her nose at him. ¡°Anyway, the key is that they don¡¯t overlap. Not everywhere. There is a path out there to get past them!¡± ¡°A path?¡± I said uncertainly. ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°Well¡­ no,¡± she admitted. ¡°But it makes sense. There was no guarantee that we were going to find the hidden stairwell back there, and the Dungeon is notorious for putting in multiple ways to get through obstacles,¡± she paused, ¡°Although, some are more viable than others. But, more importantly, I know for certain that there is a gap,¡± she pointed to a place directly between two of the scarecrows, ¡°right there!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°But how are you going to test this theory? An invisible maze isn¡¯t exactly what I would call ¡®passable¡¯ when accidentally touching the walls is lethal. One false step, and you¡¯re ground meat!¡± She shook her head, ¡°You two would be, that¡¯s for sure. I think that I might be able to take a hit. It wouldn¡¯t be pleasant, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer ye take no hits, if it be all the same,¡± Jax put in. ¡°Donum here can¡¯t be sparin¡¯ to patch ye up again if this goes sideways.¡± ¡°Maybe once,¡± I said, after a moment of consideration. ¡°But this really doesn¡¯t seem necessary. Can¡¯t we just wait until nightfall, and go then?¡± She shook her head, ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll have free rein out there at night or maybe not. We don¡¯t know that for sure. But one thing I do know is that the Zombies will be back once the sun goes down, and I think I¡¯m going to need that club.¡± ¡°Be nice to have them Gems back, too,¡± Jax admitted. ¡°Right,¡± she sighed. ¡°If only I had some sort of armor or a shield or something¡­ That would make this much easier.¡± ¡°All we got be dirt and dead wood,¡± Jax said with an air of finality. But then after a moment, he amended, ¡°And tombstones.¡± I blinked. Slowly, I turned around, looking again at the rows and rows of granite stones, many of which were polished to a mirror finish. Mirror¡­ finish¡­ I pursed my lips. Against space lasers? Would it work? Probably¡­ not all that well. But it might. ¡°Hess, I think I may have a solution.¡± Jax and I were standing by the fence as Hess slowly approached the gap she had found. She was holding a tombstone cautiously in front of her and sporting a small bundle of twigs tied to her back held together with a bit of hastily assembled bark strands that Jax had fashioned into some rudimentary twine. She looked simultaneously ridiculous and impressive all at the same time. That hunk of granite she was holding was wider than her torso and twice as long, and if I had to guess, I would say it was at least two hundred pounds if not more. Heavy enough that I would struggle just to lift the thing, much less carry it around like the oversized hunk of cardboard she made it look like. ¡°Ye sure this¡¯ll work, mate,¡± Jax said. ¡°Seems a bit sketchy to me.¡± I wobbled a bit, as I turned to look at him. I currently had every single finger crossed, a few of my toes, my arms, and of course, my legs¡­ like I was some kind of three-year old. So I was off-balance. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m sure?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°What be ye about, anyways?¡± he asked. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I hesitated, ¡°It¡¯s a luck ritual from back home.¡± ¡°Do it work?¡± he asked curiously. I shrugged, ¡°Can¡¯t hurt.¡± Jax, to his credit in my mind anyway, mimicked me. As Hess took her first steps through the gap, we collectively held our breath. But no laser blasts came. Slowly, relieved, we exhaled. Satisfied, Hess retrieved a couple of sticks from her bundle and shoved one into the ground on either side of her. That had been Jax¡¯s idea. Finding the path would do us no good, after all, if we could not remember where it was. It was the sort of Hansel-and-Gretel-type solution that I was accustomed to from long hours playing D&D. I approved. As we slowly unwound, literally in this case, Jax turned to me, ¡°Do ye think¡­¡± Bip! We turned just in time to see Hess ducking behind her makeshift shield as a turbolaser flashed through the air, parting the grass along its path like the Red Sea did for Moses. When it struck her slab, the force of it pushed her back a few inches, but most of the laser¡¯s energy was deflected up and into the sky where it dissipated in the atmosphere. We froze for a moment, but when no further violence ensued, Hess stood back up, inspecting herself for damage. Finding nothing, she turned and gave the two of us a thumbs-up, missing the fist-sized chunk of smoking stone sliding off of her shield from where the laser had struck. Jax and I grinned in nervous encouragement and returned the gesture before awkwardly rewinding ourselves. That one was on us. We had let the luck lapse. ¡°What were you about to say?¡± I asked. ¡°I do nay remember,¡± he admitted. It was about two and a half hours later when Sherr Hess finally broke through to the campsite. You would not think that it would take so long, as it was only about two to three hundred yards distant as the crow flies, but of course, the presence of the scarecrows put a bit of a kibosh on that whole thing. You might also be forgiven for thinking that navigating the invisible maze would not be such a big deal once you figured out the trick, but there was a hitch. I had assumed that all you would have to do is get a feel for their approximate range, and if you felt they were far enough apart, then you would just split the middle. No such luck. It turned out that their threat ranges varied. Sometimes it was only by a couple of feet, and sometimes it was by several yards. Either way, that variance made it all but impossible to guess where the gap might be or if there even was a gap to exploit. It all had to be done by trial and error. And that meant that by the time Hess finally made it to the camp, the route she had found was a circuitous mess of dead ends and back tracking, with bits of stone and rubble and broken, discarded tombstones laying around everywhere. However, after she had gone back and taken up all of the bad path markers, we now had clear, if winding, path to our campsite. Not that either Jax or I were particularly keen on using it, as one false step, clear path or not, would have spelled certain doom. In fact, Hess herself was smoking from several near misses where she had not quite gotten her shield in the correct position, and covered in grime, mud, and bits of grass from the turf that had been torn up when she had had to dodge out of the way. Speaking of, one of the projects that we had gotten up to while she was pathfinding was repairing the fence from where it had been blasted to smithereens after one of her poorly aimed deflections. We were not doing it purely out of boredom, either. Only mostly. Truth be told, we were afraid that the Zombies might no longer be constrained by the barrier, weak though it was, and we certainly did not want them wandering all over the field come nightfall if we could help it. Also, we were bored. ¡°¡¯Snails,¡± Hess swore, tossing her most recent shield to the ground and stretching grandly. ¡°What a slog.¡± ¡°Just be glad we don¡¯t have to get all the way to the town like that,¡± I said. ¡°At that pace, we¡¯d have been here for weeks.¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Jax put in, ¡°We¡¯d o¡¯ died o¡¯ thirst long afore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just glad to have this little thing back in hand,¡± Hess sighed, giving her club a couple of quick swings, ¡°even if it is a piece of shit.¡± ¡°Oy,¡± Jax said in mock offense. Hess just wrinkled her nose at him. ¡°It¡¯s still not much good against a plant monster,¡± I said dryly. ¡°It¡¯s too bad you can¡¯t use Jax¡¯s axe. That would make things a lot simpler.¡± There was a moment of silence as I dropped that little nugget. It was a bitter pill to consider that we had just spent hours only to improve our odds by the slightest of margins. ¡°What about them Gem stones?¡± Jax asked finally, changing the subject. ¡°Ye bring them back?¡± Hess nodded, ¡°Some. They were scattered around everywhere.¡± Hess held up her hand for us to see, ¡°I picked up what I could find of them.¡± ¡°Let me hold on to them,¡± I said, with both hands cupped. ¡°I¡¯ve got pockets, at least.¡± Nodding unconcernedly, she dumped the little pile into my waiting hands. My mouth twisted in consternation as I looked at it. What she deposited was mostly a collection of sand, pebbles, and other stray pieces of plant matter. I had to squint to find the little gleaming Gems mixed in. Concentrating, I began the tedious process of separating them out from the debris. ¡°How many we still got?¡± Jax asked as he watched me. ¡°Fifteen,¡± Hess said before I had finished. She must have counted them before handing them over. ¡°That all?¡± Jax asked, surprised. ¡°We must o¡¯ killed three times that many o¡¯ them rotten bastards last night.¡± Hess just shook her head sadly, ¡°Be grateful I found that many. The camp was a mess.¡± ¡°How many Layers can we get off of these?¡± I asked. ¡°Something like two, probably,¡± she replied. ¡°For the both of you.¡± I nodded slowly. That was something anyway. ¡°What about my spear?¡± I asked. ¡°Bro¡ª,¡± she started, but a yawn overcame her and she stretched again. ¡°Broken.¡± Shit. I had not even gotten to use the thing yet. Not that I really wanted to. Regretfully, I dumped the precious little handful, now cleaned, into my pocket. Lesser Gems like these were only about the size of apple seeds, after all. It was a wonder she had found as many as she had. ¡°I need rest,¡± Hess said, looking around and idly scratching at her backside. Finally, spotting a bit of shade under one of the dead trees, she walked over and sat down. ¡°You two should be okay on your own for a little while, right?¡± ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡± I asked. I still remembered the last time she had let me out of her sight all too clearly. ¡°I haven¡¯t slept in a day and a half,¡± she said flatly, daring us to refute her. Then she yawned again, hugely, ¡°Just scream if something happens. Or an hour or two. Whichever comes¡­¡± another yawn, ¡°first.¡± Before either of us could say another word, she had laid back, closed her eyes, and commenced to snoring softly. Frankly, I was more surprised than anything else. I had never seen anyone fall asleep that fast who was not ready to pass out drunk. Then again, I had heard stories about the military. Maybe it was a skill. If so, I might think about picking it up eventually. There were few things worse than lying down but being unable to fall asleep. It was something to think about for later. Jax and I looked at each other. ¡°Now what?¡± I said quietly as I motioned to give Hess some space. It was the stupidest thing, but I felt as though we were a couple of children who were still awake while our parents were napping, ready to get into mischief. He pursed his lips in thought for a moment as we walked before brightening, ¡°Maybe we should down a few o¡¯ them Gems? Get to the Layer Cap?¡± ¡°Good idea,¡± I said, nodding seriously. ¡°And I can turn off the Layer Gain sharing this time. There¡¯s plenty for the both of us.¡± Jax just shrugged, ¡°Sure.¡± I paused, my eyes flickering to his face to study his expression. That was a somewhat¡­ noncommittal response. Unfortunately, I was not getting much from him. If anything, he looked bored. Finally, quietly sighing, I decided to let it go. He probably had not meant anything by it. Reaching into my pocket, I fished around for the tiny things for a second before remembering the inventory feature. I rolled my eyes. One of these days, I was going to get used to these modern conveniences. Bemusedly, I waited as the ghostly image of the Gems floated into view. It even provided a handy stack count just underneath them, and I could separate them into different piles with a simple gesture. But I hesitated. ¡°Uh¡­ how many did Hess say it takes of these?¡± I asked uncertainly. ¡°Sommat like¡­ four, right?¡± he said after a moment. I frowned, ¡°I thought she said five?¡± ¡°No, that¡­¡± he paused, and started counting on his fingers, ¡°How many do we got, again?¡± ¡°Altogether? Fifteen.¡± He nodded, ¡°Right, we can figger this. First, that be half fer each¡­ so¡­¡± He started slowly divvying up the count, but he got stymied when he ran out of digits. Undeterred, he started to take off his shoe, but unwilling to let that continue, I took mercy on him. ¡°It¡¯s seven and a half.¡± His concentration shattered for a moment as he glanced up, ¡°R-right. Uh¡­ but that be fer two levels, she said. So¡­¡± He trailed off, starting to sweat at the prospect of dealing with fractions. Nervously, he glanced at me for help. ¡°Three and three quarters,¡± I said, trying not to grin. Sighing in relief, he smiled, ¡°There, then! We gots it, true!¡± But then he stopped, his short-lived happiness vanishing, ¡°But how we ter be going about gettin¡¯ three cue-watters of a Gem?¡± His pronunciation was so off on that word that I almost did not process the question, but when I did, I had to stare into space, baffled, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ hmm.¡± We both stood silently, thinking that one over for a while. Finally, Jax said, ¡°Hey¡­ wait. Did we no split one this morning? How much be that?¡± ¡°Half,¡± I said automatically. ¡°Aye¡­ that be¡­¡± he hesitated, ¡°more¡¯n a¡­¡± He stopped. It looked like his brain might explode if I did not step in. ¡°A half is two quarters,¡± I prompted. ¡°Right,¡± he agreed very slowly. ¡°A-and we be needin¡¯¡­ t-three o¡¯ them¡­¡± His expression was starting to go vacant. ¡°Let¡¯s just take three Gems apiece,¡± I suggested finally. ¡°That should get us pretty close.¡± Satisfied more from not having to think about it anymore than anything, Jax readily agreed. Handing him over his share, we lightly cracked our knuckles together in an impromptu toast to nothing in particular and popped them into our mouths like they were a handful of peanuts. Idly savoring the unidentifiable fruity flavor as the Gems hit my tongue, I said, ¡°So, I was thinking, you¡¯re Mr. Bushcraft, right? And we¡¯ve got all these pieces of broken granite lying around¡­¡± I paused as the Power from the Gems entered my bloodstream and started settling around what I was starting to associate with my Core. ¡°Do you know much about knapping stone?¡± I had seen a few survival videos about the process on YouTube. It was an interesting thing to watch over a plate of off-brand chicken nuggets and tater tots. Bachelor Chow formula 3C. ¡°A bit, aye,¡± he said after a moment of hesitation. He cleared his throat and shifted uneasily. The flow of Power was starting to get really strong. So much so, in fact, that I was starting have some serious doubts as to whether eating three at once was such a good idea. ¡°Uh¡­ Jax? Maybe we¡­ we¡­¡± I stopped, my eyes widening. Something was seriously off. The Power was not just settling around my Core, I realized. It was also pushing its way out. Toward Jax. In that moment, I realized that in all that talk about fractions, I had forgotten that I was going to turn off the Power sharing feature. To make matters worse, Jax was absorbing his own Gems. And that Power was trying to make its way to me. I was no expert as to the inner mechanics of Power flow transfer, and thus had no idea if it was supposed to work that way or not, but the flow had absolutely no problem going both ways at once, logic be damned. In fact, it seemed to almost strengthen it, somehow. And it was noticeable. Fearfully, I glanced at Jax. He was starting to gasp for air. Hard. ¡°D¡­ Donum!¡± he said, his voice rising in panic. Desperately, I tried to disable the feature, but I could not speak. I could barely move. Barely think. The Power was all. And it grew. And grew. Jax¡¯s gasps started to turn to moans. ¡°Donum! P¡­hah~¡± He collapsed against me, shadows flickering into existence all around us. Somehow, I caught him, and together, we struggled to remain standing, his muscles continually trying to give way and mine almost cramping from the tension. ¡°What be ha¡ª HAH!¡± The flow redoubled, and Jax¡¯s moans turned to wails, ¡°Oh, Mercy! Please~ Hah! Make it¡­ Uhn~¡± His shadows kept being summoned and dismissed. Resummoned even darker only to be replaced by yet darker ones. But for all of Jax¡¯s cries of bliss, my own face was locked into a rictus. It was not pleasure I was feeling, nor really pain, though the tension from my muscles was starting to cause some of that. I could not say what it was, but my veins felt like fire. It was like I was poised for anything. Like I could go anywhere. But I did not have a trigger to activate it, so it only grew. The flow doubled again. And Jax lost his mind. He started screaming in earnest, clawing and biting at my exposed chest, desperately trying to latch on to something. And his shadows joined him. Stroking me. Caressing me. ¡°YES! Oh, by the Hand! Donum! YES!!! Give it to me! I need it! Oh, YES!!!!¡± There was a quality there to Jax¡¯s voice just then. I could not say what it was. A certain timbre. The exultation of it. A plea. Something. Whatever it was, it triggered something in me. And my Power finally found a direction to go. My erection flamed to life, heavy and hard. Absolute. And Jax and all of his shadows went for it. All at once. But only he had enough substance to win out. He latched onto it like it was the Heavenly Rod of Life itself, desperately suckling at it, clawing at it, frustrated by the scrap of cloth separating it from his grasp. But he had become as a mindless beast, unable to grasp concepts like clothes and drawstrings. He knew only pleasure and need. And in that moment, despite myself, I was extremely tempted to give it to him. There was no bone in my body that would ever entertain the idea of what was happening between us just then, but the Power had other ideas. It needed to be used. It needed an outlet. It needed¡­ I needed¡­ Suddenly, Jax¡¯s urgent and near violent ministrations proved to be too much for me, and despite the cloth separating us, I came. And I came hard. And Jax knew. Knew before even I did. He thrust my encased member between his lips and drew the Power and everything that came with it from me, through the scrip of cloth, like a man sucking precious moisture from a dying oasis in the desert sand. As he did, his shadows dropped to the ground, writhing in a mime of communal orgasm. Then it was over. And slowly, Jax¡¯s eyes closed, his lips still sealed around me. Content. And he dropped to the ground, unconscious, his shadows vanishing in a puff as one. For a long while, I stood there, trembling, unthinking, though it could have been but a few seconds. Gradually, the sagacious after-effect of the post coitus settled over me, and I stood staring at the contented smile on Jax¡¯s lips in a strange mix of confusion, intrigue, and absolute horror. My thoughts began to rage. What had happened? Why? Why had I let it happen? I should have stopped it. Could I have? I was not sure. That moment was¡­ there were no words. Awful. Wonderful. Wrong. Beautiful. But before I could really get going with the self-recrimination, I was interrupted.
Congratulations! You have added enough to your Core to gain a Layer. The condensation process will begin the next time you sleep. If you have not distributed your stat points, do so now.
Congratulations! You have discovered [Ritual: Communion of Shared Power] All loss from over Gem consumption will be held and applied to your next Layer.
You have allowed [Lilim: Jax] to consume of you. [Lilim: Jax] has gained 5% loyalty. [Lilim: Jax] has gained a flavor preference.
¡°Fucking what?¡± I said aloud. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to know,¡± Hess said from the side, and I spun. She was sitting on top of one of the grave markers, her legs spread, lightly stroking herself. ¡°When I said to scream to wake me up, that really wasn¡¯t what I had in mind. Not that I didn¡¯t enjoy the show. Chapter 28 - A New Agreement The blush that overcame me in that moment was all-encompassing, not just from what Jax and I had been doing, and believe me, that was enough. But to actually be caught in the act? I mean¡­ you hear stories, but¡­ You never think it will happen to you. I was just fortunate that Hess was into it. And did not have a camera. Hess just stared at me for a while with her legs folded atop one another, idly kicking the air from her perch on the tombstone. Finally losing patience, she taunted, ¡°Not going to say anything?¡± ¡°S-say?¡± I swallowed, desperately trying to regain my shattered composure. ¡°Of course!¡± she said, seemingly frustrated. ¡°Now would be the perfect time for a one-liner. Something like¡­ oh, I don¡¯t know¡­¡± she tapped her lower lip, ¡°¡¯Did you like that?¡¯ is a classic. Or maybe, if you¡¯re feeling bold, you could go with, ¡®Why don¡¯t you come clean this up for me?¡¯.¡± I was taken aback. She was expecting me to keep up with the flirting routine? Now? ¡°Uh¡­ Do you want to clean me up?¡± I said. Might as well go for broke, right? Hess just sighed and chuckled to herself, ¡°Oh, ¡®stits. You are a treasure. A frustrating, frustrating treasure.¡± Then, she leaned forward and put her chin in her hand. Cocking an eyebrow, she gave me a smoldering look, ¡°Depends. Do you think you can get it back up?¡± My member twitched. ¡°Maybe,¡± I admitted. I was pretty sure she was messing with me at that point, but my lower half certainly did not care. ¡°Maybe, huh? Well, I might could work with that,¡± she teased. But before I could think of anything clever to come back with, she heaved a sigh and leaned back, ¡°What brought all of that on, anyway? I mean, I know Jax had been making eyes at you, but I hadn¡¯t gotten the impression that you were into that kind of thing. Was I wrong?¡± ¡°What? No, I¡¯m not¡­¡± I paused, the rest of what she had just said sinking in, ¡°Wait, what? What do you mean about Jax?¡± Furtively, I looked back at the man¡¯s unconscious form. He was totally gone. Out cold. In fact, if had not known better, I would say he might have even been dead. ¡°You hadn¡¯t noticed?¡± she asked, surprised, but then she took on a speculative look, ¡°Mmm¡­ no, I suppose you wouldn¡¯t have. He was being careful not to let you. Just like¡­¡± she paused as if she had just thought of something absurd and dismissed it. ¡°Jax and I are just friends,¡± I insisted, too caught up in my own world of denial to really take notice. True, that friendship might have just tread upon shaky ground a moment ago, but we had been affected by outside influences. I was not sure if that excuse was going to fly, but I was sticking to it! Hess smirked at me, ¡°Surely you could see how defensive he was being? Especially with me?¡± I shrugged, ¡°He¡¯s always like that.¡± But Hess shook her head, ¡°Not with you he isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yes he¡­¡± I started to disagree, but I paused. He really had not been. Not recently. ¡°Well¡­ he used to be. He just takes time to warm up to people. And besides, I don¡¯t see what being defensive has to do with anything.¡± She rolled her eyes and sighed, apparently deciding to let it go for the time being. ¡°Anyway, you haven¡¯t answered my question. What happened? You¡¯re clearly not happy about it.¡± I shifted uncomfortably. A moment ago, I would have tried to avoid this like the plague, but after that last topic it was like a breath of fresh air. ¡°We just figured that while you were asleep, we¡¯d get to the Layer Cap is all,¡± I said, running my fingers through my hair. The rest of the explanation came haltingly. There was a lot about this particular incident that I did not understand. A lot. ¡°¡­and then¡­ I don¡¯t know. It was like we broke down and had to find some way to¡­¡± I paused, grasping at nothing, ¡°connect, somehow?¡± ¡°Fascinating,¡± she said, staring at me raptly. Through my explanation, Hess had slowly become more and more agitated, rolling her hips and licking her lips in a sensuous display. Truthfully, I had had a hard time keeping on track and not just trailing off to stare at her. Finally, after a moment of silence, she seemed to come to a decision and announced, ¡°I want to try it!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± I said unintelligently. I still had too much sex on the brain for this conversation. Giving my head a quick shake to clear it, I said, ¡°I think it¡¯s part of the binding.¡± ¡°Yes, I assumed.¡± Tilting her head to the side, she asked, ¡°Did you ever ask about opening up another place?¡± I stared at her, lost, ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°For me,¡± she elaborated, but I was still not following. Slowly, I repeated, ¡°A place for you?¡± But then it clicked, ¡°You mean a slot? For another lilim?¡± She nodded as if she was not sure whether I was being intensionally dense. As if I needed the practice. ¡°But I thought that you were worried about¡­ what was it? Messing up your Core?¡± I asked, still a bit in the woods. ¡°Core disruption,¡± she corrected with a tilted smile. Sliding her eyes over to Jax¡¯s unconscious form, she bit at her lower lip lightly, ¡°Let¡¯s say that you have been¡­ persuasive.¡±
You have influenced entity [Keltha: Hess of the Sherr] to become your bonded Lilim. You do not possess additional Lilim Slots at this time. Binding process cannot proceed. Warning: Influence level may wane after prolonged separation from entity.
Momentarily taken off-guard, I took a few seconds to scan the pop-up. It was only four lines, but there was a lot to digest. As usual. Influence level, huh? She had mentioned this before, but in this new context, there were some implications which had me suspicious. Was I somehow causing her to unconsciously want to bind to me somehow? Maybe with my aura? I had not been seeing any visible effects from it¡­ but then I paused, and glanced back up at Hess. She was still staring at Jax and absently rubbing her thighs together. I was not even sure she realized she was doing it. But was that because of the aura or just Hess being Hess? I had no idea. The only time I could say for sure that I had affected her had been the healing incident, and she had certainly accepted the secondary effects then with gusto. On the other hand, she had been asking about the possibility of being bound even before I could have had a chance to affect her. So that didn¡¯t quite track. Unless, of course, Hess was just really easy. And that I could believe. Curiously, I moved to touch ¡®influence level¡¯ on the panel, but I hesitated. Bline had a tendency to be a little standoffish when it came to answering questions. I needed to prioritize. So, instead, I touched Lilim Slots, wanting that info first. I just hoped that She was feeling generous.
Additional Lilim Slots may be purchased at a cost of three Skill Points. You obtain one additional Slot per Boundary Layer automatically.
I winced. Three points!? I was only in the Third Layer now. Still, it was nice to see that I would get one eventually¡­ whatever this Boundary Layer thing was. I had so many questions. But I still wanted to know how influence was supposed to work, and true to form, Bline decided that She was one and done. Great. Glancing up, I saw that Hess was waiting on me patiently, apparently having calmed down again. Visibly anyway. ¡°Well?¡± she asked as we made eye contact. I was not really sure how much of what I had read would be wise to divest. I mean, it was one thing for a person to be willing to allow me to bind them. It was quite another if there was any implication that that might not entirely have been their own idea. Ethically, I probably should tell her. On the other hand, there might be certain¡­ consequences to that. Let¡¯s at least start with what she actually wanted to know. Clearing my throat, I filled her in on the slot situation, adding, ¡°What even is a Boundary Layer, anyway?¡± ¡°Never heard of those?¡± she asked curiously. ¡°I had thought that to be common knowledge, even amongst the poorest folk.¡± ¡°I guess my tutor never got around to it,¡± I said, never mind that my ¡®tutor¡¯ was an ex-bandit of ill means. It occurred to me that I might be better off just letting the whole disgraced noble scion thing go¡­ but then she probably would not believe the truth. After all, I was an alien from a different planet. Although, I was not altogether sure about that last part. Different dimension, maybe? Either way, it would be difficult to convince someone from Earth of that one, and we at least had that concept within our cultural mythos. On Vrekfren? Were they even aware that other planets existed? I had no clue. As all of that went through my mind, Hess studied my expression. I do not know what she found there, but she seemed satisfied enough not to question me further. ¡°The Boundary separates the Strata. Every ten Layers. A lot of things can happen then depending on your class, so I couldn¡¯t really say what it will mean for you. Sometimes there are choices to be made. Sometimes your class name will change. Become more specialized. I have heard that once your layers become thick and dense, you may even have to undergo a trial. For most, though, it is quite an achievement. Boundary parties can get pretty wild, let me tell you.¡± She smiled faintly in remembrance but she did not elaborate. I blinked. For this woman to describe a party as ¡®wild¡¯¡­ ¡°Um¡­ you mentioned Strata before, I think. That you were in the second one, right?¡± She nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. Half of the way through.¡± ¡°So does that mean I¡¯m in the first one, then?¡± I asked. ¡°No, little man,¡± she said bemusedly, ¡°You¡¯re still in the Foundation Layers. The first Stratum is after the first Boundary. Few walk much beyond that milestone.¡± She turned her hand over and gestured for emphasis, ¡°Hence the party.¡± I nodded slowly. That would put her at something like¡­ Layer twenty five? And she was willing to potentially sacrifice that? I was having a hard time wrapping my head around it. Even if I was influencing her somehow, that seemed like a hard sell. There had to be more to it than just the potential for a fun time. I did not want to ask her directly, though, so I continued my questioning, ¡°The Foundation Layers, huh? That sounds kind of significant.¡± She looked away for a moment and sighed, ¡°Everything starts from the beginning. That¡¯s what my¡­¡± She stopped. Grimacing, she tried again, ¡°Look, I¡¯ve been open about the fact that my class is¡­ a bit of a lavatory pit.¡± I blinked at the metaphor, but trying to be diplomatic, I said, ¡°You seem pretty powerful to me?¡± She snorted, ¡°Yes, to you. Most of what you¡¯ve seen has been fueled by my attributes alone.¡± She looked up at the sky for a moment, before continuing, ¡°To my peers, I¡¯m a joke. A cautionary tale. Queen¡¯s Horns, I haven¡¯t been sober this long since I was a teenager!¡± I did not know what to say. I had not seen this side of Hess before. Like she was shedding a mask. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ been a day and a half.¡± ¡°Exactly! It¡¯s a wonder I haven¡¯t gotten the shakes already. That poison resistance I picked up last Layer is really saving my tush right now.¡± She had started getting agitated, rocking and rubbing at her knees. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to settle herself. ¡°Your class doesn¡¯t protect you from that sort of thing?¡± I asked, surprised. ¡°No. Not inherently. I¡¯ve picked up a few things here and there that help, but when you¡¯re drunk all the time¡­ I¡¯ve told you. You don¡¯t make good decisions.¡± She took a breath, before looking at me again, ¡°Anyway, for the last year or so, I¡¯ve been slumming it in the south. Going from one odd job to the next.¡± ¡°I thought you were part of that organization? The Athenaeum?¡± I asked, settling into the grass in front of her. She nodded, ¡°I was, yes. For a while. There was an¡­ incident. I¡¯d rather not talk about it.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Okay,¡± I said, shortly. I took a breath, needing time to think. This¡­ this was a lot. If I was getting this right, Hess had been lying to us this whole time. Maybe not about everything, but at the very least, she had been intentionally casting herself into a grander light. Poorly, but still¡­ On the other hand, was I not doing much the same? Admittedly, I had not actually said that I was a noble, but I certainly was not bothering to dissuade anyone, either. And this bit about getting fired? The question, though, was why had she done it? Why bother building yourself up for a couple of low Layered newbies? Just for the ego trip? If so, then why drop the facade now? ¡°Anyway,¡± she said after I did not continue, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m so interested in this binding of yours. If I could start over again¡­ and as one of these lilim? With two tempered attributes? That¡­ It would mean a lot.¡± I inhaled deeply in thought, the pieces clicking together. So that was it. I could tell that Hess had been agitated ever since she had caught¡­ Well, anyway, there was something wrong. There had been a certain resignation to the usual flirting that had not been there before. I had thought that maybe it was some kind of sexual frustration¡­ like I was doing something wrong. Maybe even sadness. And maybe it was, but that was just so out of character for her. Clearly there was more at stake here than I had realized. Hess was looking to me as a way of restarting her life. And given what she had just said, I could understand where she was coming from. The problem though, was that I needed to find out whether she actually wanted that, or if this influence of mine only made her think she did. But how was I supposed to figure that out? I needed a way forward. And it needed to be a way that would not haunt me for the rest of my life. ¡°Alright,¡± I said, finally. The only moral path that I could see was to at least be as honest as possible, ¡°since we¡¯re coming clean, I think you need to know that there might be something about my class that is affecting your decision making. With this, anyway.¡± She snorted, ¡°I doubt that. You¡¯re only of the Third Layer. And you said yourself that none of your attributes were over ten. What do you think you can do to me?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I ducked my chin self-consciously. ¡°I think that I¡¯ve also been pretty open about the fact that I don¡¯t know anything. But, Bline did say that I had influenced you to bind to me just a moment ago.¡± ¡°Did She now?¡± she said, rocking back. But then she narrowed her eyes, ¡°You aren¡¯t just fishing for some way to reject me now, are you? You said you would bind me if I asked!¡± I considered denying that our of hand, but there was some truth to it. I was not at all sure that I really wanted this woman to bind to me. After all, she had just admitted to being a bit of a world-class fuck up, to say nothing of the fact that she was an incorrigible flirt, a drunk, and who knew what else. She might even have enemies that she had not told me about. Given her history, I would not doubt that in the slightest. If I were smart, I probably should reject her. Then again, she had saved my life on more than one occasion. And for all of her faults, she was beginning to grow on me. Weirdly, that was becoming a bit of a trend. When I finally came out of my reverie and looked up, it was to a Sherr Hess that was on the verge of a breakdown. Her eyes were on the cusp of overflowing, and she appeared to be having trouble breathing normally. Hastily, my hands shot up into the air, and I exclaimed, ¡°No! No, I¡¯m not trying to reject you.¡± Apparently, I had been thinking that one over a tad too long. Scales of the Maiden, I certainly did not want to be party to Hess having some sort of emotional collapse. ¡°Just¡­ I just want to make sure that you won¡¯t regret this, is all. And I¡¯m worried that I may end up doing something wrong. I think I may be doing something wrong. Jax¡­ The Jax that I knew would never¡­ At least, I think he wouldn¡¯t have. He used to have these big arguments with the Lady. He¡¯d never really give me the details, but I know that it had something to do with¡­¡± I hesitated, ¡°well, physical intimacy.¡± ¡°With you?¡± she asked, wiping at her eyes. My hurried assurances and the change in subject seemed to be helping. I nodded, looking down. ¡°And what makes you think you had anything to do with that? That would make you feel so guilty?¡± she asked, seriously. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said, and I truly did not. Not of a certainty. ¡°A lot of little things. Like¡­ I gave Jax his name. Bline made me. He doesn¡¯t even remember his old one. Plus¡­ well, here¡¯s another thing you should know. I can command Jax to do things. Any kind of explicit thing I tell him to do, he feels as a compulsion. I try not to, but usually I don¡¯t even know I¡¯m doing it. He told me about it before. Used to be really prickly about it. Now, though?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if he realizes it when it happens, anymore. He hasn¡¯t told me to go stuff my head in a while now.¡± ¡°Yes, I figured there would be something like that at play,¡± she said, somewhat bemused. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be much of a trainer if you could not exert some control over those you bound to you.¡± I doodled a bit in the dirt for a moment before replying, ¡°And that doesn¡¯t scare you away? You aren¡¯t afraid that you¡¯d become¡­ not yourself anymore?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± she admitted. But then, more quietly, she muttered, ¡°And maybe a little bit of ¡®not myself¡¯ would do me good.¡± There was a moment of reflection on both of our parts after that, but before too much time had gone by, she said more loudly, ¡°On the other hand, all you¡¯ve said so far is that you and your man have become closer over time. Isn¡¯t that a totally normal thing to have happen?¡± I looked at Hess unbelievingly, ¡°Hess, you just watched Jax suck on my dick like he was starving to death. Through my pants!¡± I pulled at the rapidly stiffening spot on my leggings to emphasize the point. ¡°That is not normal.¡± ¡°Not for you, maybe,¡± she said, looking to the side. ¡°I thought it was pretty hot.¡± ¡°Hess!¡± I exclaimed, blushing furiously. ¡°Yes?¡± she asked, aloofly. ¡°This surprises you?¡± Actually, not in the slightest. Still, some decorum would be nice. ¡°Alright, fine. If all of that doesn¡¯t dissuade you, then the agreement stands. Although, you may be assuming a few things about starting over. I don¡¯t have any idea what will happen when this goes down.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, the so be it,¡± she shrugged. ¡°I won¡¯t be any worse off.¡± ¡°That¡¯s debatable,¡± I said, still not convinced. ¡°In any case, the point is still moot for now. I don¡¯t have the slot to do it, and there¡¯s no way I¡¯m spending three skill points.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying I have to get you to the Boundary, then?¡± she said, her eyes taking on a slight gleam. ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Is he alright?¡± I asked, looking down at Jax. He was as still as a corpse. Nervously, I bent down and held a finger under his nose, but there was a faint breeze there. He was breathing. But only just. ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Hess assured me, getting to her feet. After we had come to an agreement, the conversation had moved to more trivial matters. But before long, we had agreed that we had sat around for long enough. Daylight was burning. ¡°He¡¯s just in Torpor from his Core condensing. He should come out of it in four to six hours.¡± ¡°Torpor?¡± I looked up at her. ¡°Was I like this, too?¡± ¡°Obviously,¡± she said, all but calling me a dullard with her expression. I frowned, but I stopped short at getting angry. I knew that sleep was a part of the process, of course, and from my own experience, it had always felt more deep than normal. Apparently, there was more to it than I realized, but from Hess¡¯ response, it was nothing to get worked up over. Not that that stopped me. For some foreign power to come over me and make invisible changes while I was unconscious? It was like being put down for surgery. Weirdly, it was only seeing it from the outside like this that was bothering me. I had never really thought about it before. I sighed. In the end, whatever this was only seemed to be making me better. So, with that in mind, I tried not to worry about it. Curiously, I examined Jax more closely. He had undergone noticeable changes every Layer thus far, and if he was in the process of doing so again, then it was possible that I might be able to see it in action. There was no such luck, though. He had only been out for fifteen to twenty minutes, so far, and I could not see any differences. At least, I did not see any of his flesh crawling around. Thankfully. That would have been creepy. If anything was happening, it was too slow to follow with the naked eye. ¡°What do we do now?¡± I asked finally, still staring at Jax. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of daylight left.¡± ¡°Go back into the tunnel, I guess,¡± she replied, unconcerned. ¡°What?¡± my gaze jerked up to her, ¡°But he¡¯s unconscious!¡± ¡°What difference does that make?¡± she asked frankly. ¡°He said himself that he can barely scratch the plant monster. Besides, we were going to scout out the other path first.¡± Okay, that was true. Still¡­ it seemed wrong to just leave him here. For a lot of reasons. Casting about, I searched for an excuse to delay further, when I hit upon the obvious, ¡°Torches! We don¡¯t have a fire to make torches!¡± Hess did not reply immediately. Slowly, she pursed her lips and nodded, ¡°You have a point there. Okay, then. I guess we need a fire first.¡± Turning around, she walked back to her tree and laid back down. ¡°Wake me up when you¡¯re done.¡± ¡°When I¡¯m done?!¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to make a fire!¡± She sighed, exasperatedly addressing the sky, ¡°Surely, he showed you how?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yes?¡± I said hesitatingly. He had not actually explained anything. But I had watched. ¡°Alright then.¡± And that was that. She just yawned, closed her eyes, and before I knew it, she was again snoring softly. Amazed and more than a little miffed, I put my hands to my hips. ¡°Son of a bitch,¡± I muttered under my breath. I was half tempted to go kick her back awake, but¡­ we had sort of interrupted her last attempt at sleep, and she could certainly use some. Still, she could have been less entitled about it. Sullenly, I crossed my arms and kicked at a rock. Woman wants to be my lilim and she treats me like this? Ha! Got her agreement and now she can do anything she wants? I would have to break her of that little trait. Immediately, I felt guilty at the thought. Twisting my mouth a bit, I waggled my head back and forth a few times. I would just have to be polite about it. There was nothing wrong with that. Heaving a sigh, I walked over to where the last fire had been. If I were lucky, there would be a few embers left for me to work with. That would make my job much easier. Actually¡­ it might even push it into the realm of possible. Honestly, expecting a modern man to make a fire with his bare hands? She might as well have asked me to construct a rotary phone out of a bubbling tar pit. Squatting down, I examined the site, but it was stone cold. My head sank into my hands, and I sighed. If she had asked me to do this while it was still hot back when we had emerged from the stairs, this might have been doable, but that had been hours ago. Now? I shook my head and stood up. Slowly, I started going over what I knew about the process. I had seen this done both on the Internet and in person, so I knew the theory. I just needed to let go of my lack of confidence and move forward. Holding out my fingers, I started checking off what I would need. First, there would have to be a ready pile of dry wood. Cocking an eyebrow, I glanced over at the mound that represented my earlier labor. Check. Jax had shown me how to make a tinder bundle several times. Plus, there was plenty of dry grass around to use, so I was good there. Check. I needed a good straight stick and a notched piece of wood to spindle it against. I paused there. Jax had always made his own when he needed one, and he usually needed to use his axe to modify it. I did not have access to that, though. Befuddled, I started casting about. If I could just find the last one that he had made, then I should be good¡­ Two hours later, I sat staring at a little fire. It was beautiful. With a trembling hand, I wiped the tears from my eyes. I had never accomplished something more difficult in my entire life. In the last hours, I had run through nearly every emotion known to man, from glee to insanity. But I had done it. It had taken me fully an hour before I had even managed to make my first ember from spindling that fucking stick. My hands were rubbed so raw, by that point, that I could feel the blisters starting to form. I had had to burn a low level heal just to keep going. When I finally saw that telltale bit of smoke trailing up into my eyes, I had nearly shouted in joy. Of course, the bastard went out before I even thought about trying to transfer it to my tinder. That process had been its own minor epic. It turned out that encouraging fire out of a tiny spark was a delicate art. I had genuinely wept, and I do mean full-on, ugly crying, when my fifth ember slowly died in my hands. And when I finally succeeded, and flames burst to life in my hands, I was so surprised, I panicked and threw it away. By the time I realized my mistake, it was already too late. But I had done it. In the end, I had made fire. I could have danced. ¡°There now,¡± Hess said, stretching languidly as she walked up. ¡°That wasn¡¯t so hard, was it?¡± I honestly could have slugged her. But then she ruffled my hair and bumped me with her naked hip, and somehow it was all okay. ¡°This really isn¡¯t necessary,¡± Hess said from below, a fresh torch in hand. ¡°I said I¡¯m not leaving him up there,¡± I argued for the third time. I was dragging Jax down the stairs backwards by his armpits. And believe me, that is easier said than done. Going down stairs backwards is hard enough without dragging a body. Plus, Jax was heavy. I could scarcely believe it when I heaved him into my arms. All those points in Strength meant that Jax was packing on some muscle. Although the man certainly did not look all that strong. In fact, he felt kind of soft under my hands. ¡°Who knows what might wander up while we¡¯re down here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like he can die,¡± she argued, unhelpfully. She just stood there, impatiently watching me struggle. Damnable woman. She could have done this while jump-roping. ¡°His Core is still condensing. I don¡¯t know what would happen if he were to die in the middle of it.¡± She just shrugged, the movement causing her torch to spit, ¡°At worst, he would lose the Layer, right?¡± Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, I let Jax collapse to the ground. ¡°By the Three¡­¡± I muttered, stretching out my aching back. Turning toward her, I frowned unhappily, ¡°How would you know that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just guessing,¡± she admitted. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve never heard heard of a trainer class whose minions were immortal. Not that persisted, anyway.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I asked. Now my curiosity was peaked. ¡°That seems odd. How would they even get out of the Foundation Layers if they have to replace their companion all the time? I only got Jax through sheer luck.¡± ¡°With help, of course. Plus, the ones that I¡¯ve seen aren¡¯t limited to the one slot like you are,¡± she explained. ¡°And they usually use animals or monsters. Binding kind like you do is pretty rare.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be a person, you know,¡± I said, a little defensively. ¡°The spell just says ¡®entity¡¯.¡± ¡°That you are given the option at all is what is odd,¡± she said, a little bemused. ¡°Now come on. I¡¯d like to see this other branch.¡± Heaving a perhaps overdramatic sigh, I flounced over to grab up Jax again, and started slowly dragging him along, all while casting suffering looks at Hess. She walked ahead a few paces, trying to ignore me, before turning around and staring. Finally, her desire to get moving won out over her patience, ¡°¡¯Snails¡­ here, give over.¡± She tossed me her club to carry, and then reaching down, she grabbed one of Jax¡¯s ankles. Slinging him over her shoulder, she started away down the corridor. Jax just dangled upside down behind her by his foot like a sack of potatoes. Internally, I winced as he flopped along, less than overjoyed at his treatment. But I was not complaining, either. As we walked, I found myself looking Jax over again. The light source made it all but impossible to make out his features, as they were currently cast in deep shadows, but I could tell that his hair was growing again from how it dangled. It might be three or four inches long now, which was not really all that much, but the man had been bald when I had met him. Plus, four inches of uniform growth does not make for a particularly pleasing hairstyle. We would need to find the man a barber. Amongst other things. We all needed some tender love and care. Jax took a bit of a hard bounce from hitting Hess¡¯ backside and something fell to the ground. Immediately snatching it up, I found that it was Jax¡¯s shirt. He had tucked it into his pants a while back, but it must have been jostled loose. Curiously, I held it up to myself to check for the fit, but Jax¡¯s frame was a lot smaller than my own. I sighed. It would have been nice to have a shirt again. Tucking it into my own pants to keep for him, I put it from my mind. Chapter 29 - For Science When we again returned to the underground crossroad, Hess let Jax fall in an unceremonious heap and walked to the fountain. Scooping up a few handfuls, she loudly sucked the liquid into her mouth and belched contentedly. Using her moistened hand to loosen some of the dirt from her smudged face, she turned to me, ¡°Come on, take a few swallows and lets be about this. I¡¯d like to be done with before nightfall.¡± ¡°Are we just going to leave him here?¡± I asked. I had bent over to check on him, but he seemed fine. She had not dropped him too hard. ¡°We certainly can¡¯t take him into the tunnel,¡± she replied carelessly. That was true enough. Still, I hated the idea of leaving him behind. There should have been absolutely nothing above us that could mess with us, and as far as I knew, that overgrown flower was limited to its own room, unless it grew legs somehow. Logically, he should be fine. But I still had misgivings. My experience from the other night had left me all too distrustful of this place. What if something changed? What if there was some monster roaming around that we did not know about? ¡°Will you stop worrying?¡± Hess said, finally, a hand placed impatiently on her hip. ¡°You know he can¡¯t die.¡± I sighed. There were other concerns, but I had said them all already. The hard truth was that we had no choice here. If we waited until he woke up, the sun would set, and the Zombies would make sure that we would lose our chance for the day. We had been in here long enough. We needed to make progress. So, tossing Hess back her club, I took a few swallows from the fountain, and taking note of my refreshed Poison Resistance timer, I gave her a nod. ¡°Ready.¡± The left-hand tunnel twisted its way forward much like the right had, though in opposite fashion. This time, instead of heading down and to the left, we were lead up and right. And sure enough, before long, we started seeing signs of those flowers again, with their peculiar sweet scent. Though they appeared much smaller than the ones below. ¡°Do you think¡­¡± I started, but she quickly shushed me. We were coming to a place where the tunnel was widening again. It was almost exactly like the one on the other side, except there was no accumulation of water. There was still plenty of moss, though, which made the footing less than ideal. Coming to a halt, Hess held the torch aloft, casting about for any sign of danger, but we did not see any reason for immediate concern. She frowned. Quietly, she whispered, ¡°This isn¡¯t right. There should be something here. I can almost taste it.¡± Just as softly, I returned, ¡°Could there be traps?¡± Instead of answering, she lowered the torch and started to examine the floor. For several paces, there was nothing except the same cold, moss-covered stone, but up ahead, we could see something dimly reflecting the fire light. Inching forward, we soon discovered a grating set into the floor. The crossed iron bars were perhaps two fingers in width and set just far enough apart for a foot to slip through if you were not careful. And as slick as the footing was, that would be an easy enough thing to do. Moreover, our investigation soon showed that the grating was set across the entire width of the room. And the light did not extend far enough to see where it might end. ¡°Tricky,¡± Hess muttered. ¡°But not too dangerous by itself.¡± I agreed. At worse, we would just have to crawl for a while. No, the real worry was the blackness extending underneath the grate. There was no telling what might be down there, but I had a suspicion. From the way the tunnel had twisted¡­ ¡°Could we be over the plant monster right now?¡± I whispered, my voice taking on a slight tremble. In answer, Hess held the torch over the grate and gave it a little shake. A few tiny embers broke loose from it and slowly drifted down. They did not illuminate much of anything, but before they died, we both made out the telltale shape of rope-like vines down there. And they shifted, ever so slightly. ¡°Looks like it,¡± she sighed. As one, we backed away from the grate until we were far enough away to talk comfortably. ¡°What are we supposed to do here?¡± I asked. ¡°I mean, if we were going to do this normally. What is the goal?¡± ¡°Normally?¡± she repeated, ¡°Obviously, we wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat the monster from above, but it would be free to attack us as we tried to cross. So, I think this is supposed to be an endurance trial. Crawl across. Suffer the poison. Try not to get caught by your ankles while it¡­¡± she stopped and gave her head a quick shake. ¡°Hess?¡± I asked, curiously. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡± she reassured me. ¡°Just had a¡­ weird thought is all. From your aura, I think.¡± From my aura? I blinked a few times as various possibilities flashed through my head. If she had a lewd thought while thinking of that plant monster¡­ with the tongues¡­ A sly grin came unbidden to my face. My natural instinct here was to just let the incident go, and usually I would have. This was not exactly the best time for such shenanigans. But she had been wanting me to flirt with her. Been all but cross with me about it, in fact. I took a nervous breath as I considered my options. Of course, I had no idea as to what might make for a good line in that situation, so I went with something easy. Base suggestion. ¡°Were you maybe just thinking about getting held down and¡­ licked?¡± I asked, doing my best to approximate the teasing tone she had used so many times on me. I even waggled my eyebrows suggestively at her. Like a doofus. It was not that great of a line. I knew that. Most likely, I expected she would just laugh, come back with some light banter, and we would move on. So, you can imagine my surprise, when instead, as soon as she processed what I had just said to her, she gasped, and biting her lower lip, she shivered noticeably for several seconds, her breath caught in her throat. ¡°Hess?¡± I lightly probed in concern. ¡°Did¡­ Surely you didn¡¯t¡­¡± She shook her head quickly, ¡°No, just¡­ I don¡¯t know how. But that silly little attempt at flirting just made me unbelievably horny. For a second, anyway.¡± I blinked. ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡± That stupid shit had worked? Instead of answering, she reached down between her legs and lightly drew her fingers between her lower lips. Holding them up into the torchlight, she brought them up to my face. They were glistening. ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m kidding?¡± she asked, seriously. I cleared my throat. That was probably the most blatantly crass thing that I had ever witnessed. My other brain did not seem to care, though, and I was forced to shift my stance uncomfortably. Averting my eyes, I cast about for something to say, but I was coming up totally blank. Fortunately, Hess was not done, ¡°How did you do that?¡± She was looking at me expectantly, unconsciously rubbing her fingers together. ¡°I¡­ What? How would I know?¡± I stammered. ¡°I just figured¡­ you¡¯d want me to is all.¡± She nodded in ready agreement, ¡°You were right, but¡­¡± She looked away, thinking it over. Finally, she looked back to me, ¡°Do it again.¡± ¡°What? Flirt, you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°Please?¡± she said, her eyes bright. ¡°You have no idea how much that filled my reservoir.¡± I took a step back. Right. That was a thing. I deflated a bit. Yes, a beautiful woman was asking me to flirt with her. Moreover, there was the possibility that it would make her aroused in a weirdly over-the-top fashion, but the fact that it was for science kind of killed the mood a little. Still, she had asked nicely. Usually, she just demanded I comply with whatever random thing had materialized into her head, so I was inclined to at least try. So, I popped off with the first thing that came into my head. Regrettably. ¡°Uh¡­ Do you want me to help you with¡­ all of that¡­ moist¡­ ness?¡± Slowly, I trailed off. The cringe factor of that line was so overwhelming that I had to close my eyes and look away in shame. ¡°Donum, that was terrible,¡± Hess said sadly. ¡°I know,¡± I said, nodding with self-recrimination. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said, patting my cheek gently. ¡°I think you just don¡¯t do well when you¡¯re put on the spot. It wasn¡¯t even what you said that was so bad. The idea was fine. It was just¡­ your word choice.¡± I accepted the criticism stoically. ¡°I guess that didn¡¯t do anything for you?¡± I asked, though I already knew the answer. ¡°Nope,¡± she said shortly. Then, after a moment, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s probably for the best, though. Now isn¡¯t the time for this.¡± I nodded slowly. She was right. ¡°Uh¡­ what were we talking about before?¡± ¡°The grate?¡± she reminded me. ¡°Right, right,¡± I looked down. The grate. We had been talking about the Dungeon¡¯s possible design intentions. I shook my head. How had we gotten so off topic? I could not remember now. Taking a breath for composure¡¯s sake, I tried to focus. We would have to crawl across, enduring whatever that monster below had to throw at us. Probably, a lot of poisonous licking. I stopped again. Ah, that was it. The licking¡­ I smiled at myself. It had not been a total success, but for a moment there¡­ For just a moment, I had gotten one over on ol¡¯ Hess. Not totally on purpose, of course. Still, I would have to remember that little incident. Jax would probably love it. But enough of this! I needed to get my head in gear. The grate¡­ the grate. Getting across did not sound fun by any measure, despite the lewdness of my imagination. That poison hurt like a bitch, after all. But it was probably doable. Although, there was no guarantee that there was going to be another one of those handy poison resistance fountains on the other side. How we were supposed to deal with that was anyone¡¯s guess. ¡°How far across is it, do you think?¡± I asked, more out of idle curiosity than anything. ¡°What does it matter?¡± she asked matter-of-factly. ¡°We¡¯re not going across, and anyway, it¡¯s too dark to tell.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m just thinking out loud,¡± I explained quickly. ¡°There aren¡¯t any of those wall sconces like there were below?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t see¡­¡± she stopped, her eyes quickly swiveling toward the grate again. ¡°The sconces¡­ they went out.¡± My own gaze followed after her own, and I hesitantly nodded, a little confused, ¡°Yes¡­ I suppose they must have?¡± They would have been visible to us up here, otherwise. Hess turned back to me, her gaze distant. Quietly, she muttered to herself, ¡°But why would they have gone out?¡± ¡°Because¡­ they ran out of fuel?¡± I hazarded, having no idea where she was going with this. She looked at me then and smiled, ¡°Oh no, Mr. Moistness.¡± I blanched. Apparently, Hess was going to be remembering the incident, too, though she seemed to be inclined to remember bits I would have preferred left out. ¡°Things don¡¯t change without a reason in the Dungeon. Once we lit those sconces, they should¡¯ve burned forever.¡± I looked at her incredulously, ¡°But all of the campfires we lit went out.¡± What she was implying ran rather counter to the laws of physics. Not that that was anything new. She tutted, ¡°We built those fires. Sconces are an installation. They do not burn on mundane things like ¡®fuel¡¯.¡± Slowly, she began to pace, ¡°No, there is something at work here. We just need to figure out what it is.¡± Okay, then¡­ So it was some kind of fuzzy game logic. I should have known. ¡°Well¡­ in that case, I guess we need to light them again and see what happens?¡± Step one of the scientific method was observation, after all. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Coming to a halt, she nodded firmly, ¡°Right. You wait here and watch from above. I¡¯ll go light the sconces.¡± And then, without another word, she ran back down the corridor. I started after her, yelling, ¡°No, wait!¡± But I slipped and fell to my knees. Hurriedly, I looked up, but she was already gone. Leaving me alone again. ¡°Fffffffuuuuuu¡­¡± I let the word escape like steam, dying like the light of the torch fading away round the corner. And the moment it was gone, the darkness almost swirled around me in a wave. It was absolute and impenetrable. Slowly, I sat back onto my heels. Unbidden, memories of the night previous invaded my consciousness, and a cold sweat started to bead on my forehead. I hated this. Oh, how I hated this. Nervously, I swallowed, my eyes wide, trying to see anything at all. My heart started to pound in my chest, causing my ears to throb in time with it. I shook my head, trying to keep my imagination from running away from me. I was being silly. There was no way that ram could get down here. Or whatever it had been. It was just a dark hallway. There was nothing to be afraid of. Slowly, my fists unclenched. That was when I heard it. It was such a soft sort of sound that I almost could not place it. It was familiar, though. I simply could not reconcile its presence with my surroundings. Not immediately. It came once. Then a pause. And then twice more. And then an even longer pause. It clicked, then. It was unmistakable, though it made no sense. It was the sound of someone or perhaps some thing¡­ sniffing. Right next to my face. I held perfectly still, scarcely daring to breathe. My eyes were as wide as saucers, trying to make out anything, but whatever had just sniffed at me was just as invisible as my own hand. ¡°Haaaah~¡± That unmistakable feminine sound, and the warm breath cascading across my cheek, sent chills racing up and down my spine. Remembered fear once again swelled in my chest, and shouting in surprise, I jumped to my feet and began to flail wildly with my arms all around. But I did not connect with anything. I was not sure if that helped my disposition or not. But the quiet giggling that erupted a moment later certainly did not. In that moment, I almost fled in blind panic, but I had just enough presence of mind left to me to realize that I was just as likely to careen into a wall as anything else. Instead, I took a few gulping breaths to steady myself, and summoning up a false bravado, I growled into the darkness, ¡°S-show yourselves! F-faen of the Dungeon! Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t screw with me!¡± The giggling stopped for a moment, leaving the faint echoes of my own voice reverberating back through the hallway. And then very quietly, I made out a chorus of whispering coming from all sides¡­ ¡°Oh, brave man¡­¡± ¡°Brave¡­¡± ¡°Lovely man¡­¡± ¡°Thinks he knows¡­¡± ¡°Thinks, he does¡­¡± ¡°Smells good, says Ahnbe¡­¡± ¡°Brave smelly man¡­¡± ¡°Brave¡­¡± ¡°Lovely man¡­¡± Gradually, the whispering faded away, and I was left alone. I just stood there trembling, waiting for the shoe to drop and desperately hoping that it would not. Slowly, my heart calmed and some semblance of rational thought returned to me. Whatever it was that had just happened was over, apparently. Taking a last deep breath, I closed my eyes. Fuck. Me. Sideways. If that kind of shit kept happening, I was likely to develop nyctophobia. Amongst other things. Damned Faen. I did not know why they kept messing with me. Maybe they just saw me as an easy target. In any case, once again, I had not come to any harm. That was the main thing. Perhaps if I could learn to let go of my fear, it might be possible to interact with them in some form of meaningful fashion. They had actually spoken, in a way, after I had tried to face them down. Not that I could pick out much of anything, what with them all speaking at once. The only thing I could say for certain was that they had seemed amused by me. Right about then, I saw the telltale glow of torchlight coming from behind me. It was extremely dim, but compared to the total darkness that I had been in before, it was like the coming of the dawn. Turning, I could see the room below just coming into view. I took another steadying breath. Right. Things to do. Still a bit unsteady, I tiptoed back to the grate and peeked over the edge. I could not see much, just yet. Hess was standing at the edge of the room, still in the hallway. She seemed to be examining the area around the sconce. For what, I had no idea, but she seemed engrossed. As for the giant plant, I was not sure, as it was only faintly illuminated along the edges of the light, but it seemed aware of her. Or¡­ at least, I thought so. It was not exactly moving, but it seemed poised, somehow. After a few seconds, Hess seemed satisfied and once again, held the torch up to light the sconce. Moments after it flared to life, a ring of similar installations lit in sequence around the room. Eight in all. I could not be sure, as I was looking from above, and the angle was throwing me, but I would put the room at something like thirty feet to the side. And that plant covered almost every inch of it save for a narrow margin along the wall that widened slightly near the sconces. In fact, as soon as the fires flared to life, the monster seemed to pull into itself. Almost like it was cringing away from them. I would never have noticed from below. A suspicion had wiggled its way into my brain pan. But I could not be sure about it just yet. In my years, I had played a lot of games. Especially, those of the role-playing variety. Inevitably, as with all genres, those games tended toward certain tropes and trends. And sure, developers would make changes here and there to keep gamers on their toes, but some things tended to crop up on a consistent basis. One of them, and this was one of the older ones, was that certain monster types tended to have certain weaknesses to certain elements¡­ Or at least, they claimed to. Sometimes, the tutorial would say the weakness was there, but you would find out later that the developer had actually forgotten that bit of code. And never fixed it. Ever. I sighed. Gamers held grudges for a long time. Anyway, plants were usually weak to fire¡­ or ice. And that made sense. If something was going to kill a plant, it was either going to be a fire or the weather. Not that it really could be called a weakness per se, when virtually everything that lived was also vulnerable to it. But that was games for you. Unfortunately, all we had were the few barely functional torches we had cobbled together, and that room down there was covered in water. So, fire was probably out. The water situation, however, just begged for a few well placed ice spells, but unless Hess had more tricks up her sleeve, I was pretty sure ice was out of the picture completely. It was a quandary. Still, we had yet to figure out why the sconces had gone out, so I kept watching. Hess had not moved, probably hoping for something to happen but all was quiet. The plant seemed to be waiting on her to attack. After a minute or so, she looked up to the grate where I was watching. I could not tell if she could see me, but she made a shrugging motion and pantomimed that she was going to head back around. Unthinkingly, I nodded back. After the light from her torch disappeared around the corner, the monster seemed to relax. Or at least, as much as a plant can be said to. It waited for another minute or so before turning several of its flowers to face one of the sconces along the wall. They gathered above the flame, and as one, began to secrete large amounts of that poisonous mucus. The reaction was explosive. Every time a drop hit the fire, there would be a fwump and the flame would sputter until finally, it extinguished from the air pressure of the small expanding explosion. My eyebrows rose up into my forehead. ¡°Now that¡¯s interesting,¡± I said aloud. Which was a mistake. The flowers, already close to the grating from putting the fire out, swiveled as one to face me. There was a pause as we stared at each other, man to giant, many-tongued, drooling, plant monster, and then it surged forward. I jerked back, hastily trying to escape down the hall, but the moss underfoot again made sure that I slipped onto my behind. As I scrabbled backward, my hand randomly fell onto a bit of cloth, and Jax¡¯s shirt came loose from my waistband. Not wanting to lose it, I grabbed it up, and quickly risked a look back. The plant had attached dozens of little tendrils to the grating, and several of the smaller flowers were beginning to poke their way through. Thankfully, the metal seemed to be restricting the bigger ones from access. The flowers zeroed in on me, still trying to scurry backward on my hands away from it, and together, they coiled like a spring and launched a volley of small thorns all over the place. More out of reflex than anything, I curled myself into a ball, holding the little wad of cloth in front of my face. It was not much, but it was enough to catch most of the organic shrapnel headed my way, though several thudded into my shoes, and at least three hit my shins. ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± I yelled out, as the poison again invaded my bloodstream. These thorns were much smaller than the ones before, but that did not diminish the effectiveness of the toxin in the slightest. And unfortunately, my poison resistance had run out well before then. As the pain throbbed its way up my leg, I squatted down and through tear-flooded eyes, I painstakingly pulled the thorns from my shin. It was stupid move. I knew it while I was doing it. But it was like a compulsion. Those barbs had to come out. All I knew was torturous agony and the need to get rid of it. Finally, as the last one came loose, I looked up just in time to see a flower the size of a dinner plate coming right for me. And after only just getting rid of the thorns, I did not want any of those disgusting tongues ringing it to touch me. So, I did the only thing I could do. I punched it. Now, to be fair, slightly out-of-shape, former office workers like me really should not be going around punching giant plant monsters on the best of days, but one makes do with what one has available. And all I had was my fist and the shirt that was wrapped around it. Which was fortunate. Because the punch did diddly-squat. As for the flower, it happily wrapped itself around my fist and started pulling and secreting mucus all over it. Instantly, I let go of the shirt, and the flower pulled away, apparently content to digest its catch. I did not have time to mourn the loss, though. There were still plenty of others coming, so I leapt to my feet and made to escape. But my foe was not going to let me go that easy, just yet. While I had been distracted with the flower, a tendril had wrapped itself around my ankle, and I went back down in a heap. ¡°Motherfucker!¡± I yelled. Could I not stay on my feet for one damned minute? It was like I was being juggled in a fighting game! Quickly, kicking with my foot, I managed to break the tendril, but not before half a dozen flowers had closed the distance to me. Reacting out of a combination of panic and instinct, I started to roll back down the hall. To the Watcher with trying to get back up again! If I was destined to stay prone this fight, then so be it! I only made it about two or three paces before the flowers caught up to me, and realizing my fate, I curled back into a fetal position and closed my eyes. But nothing happened. Slowly, I cracked an eye back open. The flowers had all stopped. Like they were frozen. Hastily, I scrabbled to my knees and floundered along until I was a modest stone¡¯s throw away. Only then did I look back. The monster was still there, though it seemed to have relaxed somewhat. As I stood there watching, it eventually started to recede, away and back down into the pit below. Slowly, I paced back to where the monster had stopped, though I was now limping severely from the poison still eating at my leg. What had just happened? Why had it let me go? There was no way the thing would have shown me mercy, right? Squatting down, I examined the area for some sign or clue. The moss was fairly thick here, but I could see the faint outline of the bricks underneath. They were set in a random, mismatched pattern, with squares and rectangles of all different sizes placed without any apparent care. However, right where the plant had stopped, the bricks had all, seemingly without forethought, lined up. A seam traced straight across the hallway floor, and following the line with my eyes, it continued up the wall and the ceiling. Curiously, it was right at that point where the hallway began to widen into the room beyond. I leaned back as a memory resurfaced, unbidden. A memory of another room, this one filled with sand. And a door that it could not cross. ¡°Domains,¡± I said aloud. Hess had mentioned something about that before. And apparently, the Dungeon had as well, in its own way. That really had been a tutorial. Abruptly, another fwump sounded from below. And then another. It would seem that the monster was returning its den to its preferred state, and soon I was again cast in darkness. I could not say exactly how long it was that I sat there in that dark hallway, but it felt like hours. And the burning cramps running up and down my leg from the poison in the thorns were not particularly pleasant companions to be spending any amount of time with. Not to mention, I was still nervous that the Faen would come back or that the monster below would somehow find a way of getting around its magical boundary. But, after a long while of absolutely nothing happening, I relaxed. And as I sat there, trying to massage the cramping away and picking thorns from my shoe, I began to think. For one thing, how exactly was that supposed to be an endurance trial? Its seemed like a total death trap to me. And I had thought that it might be feasible? Hah! What a joke! Then again, I had been alone. If Hess and Jax were here to run interference, then perhaps. As it was, I had nearly died just from being a little too close. If it were not for that domain line¡­ Speaking of, what a weird thing it was to restrict your monsters from passing an arbitrary divide in the stones. Not that I was ungrateful. That little rule had totally saved my bacon. But if the goal was to defeat us in combat, then it seemed like an unnecessary restriction that only hindered the monsters. Unless, of course, the goal was not to kill us. But then, if that were the case, why have the monsters at all? To challenge us? Push us, somehow? Or were we just some form of entertainment for the invisible tricksters that seemed to be watching us all the time? Then, I had another thought. If I were to try to put myself into the shoes of some¡­ being that was out there making Dungeons, then it made sense to have a way to restrict your creature¡¯s ability to move about. Sometimes, you might want a certain fight to happen in a certain place, and if that were the case, then you definitely would not want your monsters to just up and wander off in their free time. Maybe this domain business was simply a way of doing that. I sighed. ¡°What the ¡®stits and ¡®snails is taking Hess so long?¡± I growled to myself in frustration, intentionally borrowing her favored swears. I did not have a clue as to what ¡®stits¡¯ were or how snails was supposed to be a swear, but they were kind of fun to say now that I was sampling them. I stood up. Something had to have happened. The question though, was what was I going to do about it? If something had truly happened to Hess, then I was boned. It was only a matter of time before I met my end in this place. Then again, it was not like I was going to swan dive into the monster pit behind me. Even if I were prone to acts of fatalism like that, the grating would not have allowed it, and besides, I did not want any part of that mucus. That was no way to go. But, I did not want to stay there any longer. Taking a moment to consider, I decided that I should be able to make it back to the fountain, darkness or not. At least then, I could get rid of these damned cramps. Though they were slowly starting to fade on their own, they still hurt like a bastard. It was a goal. So, with arms outstretched, I blindly began to shuffle-limp my way back down the hallway. Even so, I was careful not to touch the walls. I had seen plenty of those flowers growing there, and though they had not shown any signs of aggression, I certainly did not want to touch one. Just then, something gently blew in my ear, and blindly, I flailed at it only to have the back of my hand smack loudly against the stone wall. Gritting my teeth and jumping in place from the pain, I wheezed out a string of curses against a backdrop of giggling. Chapter 30 - The Tongue-Flower Two Step When I finally heard the steady tinkling of the fountain, I almost teared up. It is an amazingly stressful thing to try to make your way anywhere in pitch darkness, much less down a slick, moss-covered slope. I was just glad that there were walls to guide me, despite certain prior incidents. Damned Faen. When the revolution came, they would be the first against the wall! Sourly, I wondered how exactly I would even go about that. What even were they? Some kind of fairies? Ghosts? Whatever they were, they did not seem to have any sort of physical bodies, but they could affect the material world just fine. Something had blown in my ear. Distractedly, I rubbed at it with my still throbbing hand. I did not think it was broken, but I had certainly given it a good whack earlier. And added to my still cramped up calf muscle, I was having just a splendid day. Speaking of cramps¡­ The fountain was calling to me. I had foolishly attracted the attention of a certain oscillating tongue-monster a bit ago, and now I was paying the price. Luckily, the smaller thorns seemed to have a lesser version of the poison, or else I would probably have been totally incapacitated. Or maybe they just could not inject as much. They were smaller, after all. That made sense. Swinging my foot in a wide arc in front of me to check for obstacles, I slowly shuffle-stepped my way towards it. We had left Jax in this room earlier, and I did not want to trip over him in my haste to drink. Of course, I was assuming he was still in here. ¡°Jax!¡± I whisper-shouted. ¡°Are you awake yet, buddy?¡± Surely, he must be by now, I figured. I had been down here for ages. And what in the Lady¡¯s name had happened to Hess? I had lost sight of her back when she had gone to light the wall sconces in the plant pit. I hoped nothing bad had happened to her. Or Jax. I did not run into him in the dark before I hit the fountain. Of course, I was kind of trying to avoid him, so that tracked. He should be okay. Or alive, at the very least. No respawn timer had appeared, after all. Putting all of that from my mind, I plunged my head into the cool, crisp waters, and drank deeply. As that fresh-roasted flavor hit my tongue, my leg finally relaxed, and I slumped to the floor in the bliss that comes in the release from pain. Scrubbing at my face with my hands, I quickly ran them up through my hair and took a deep breath, seemingly renewed in life. Blinking water from my eyes, it took me a moment to realize that I could see. Looking around briefly in confusion, I quickly zeroed in on a new light source. From the flickering, it seemed to be coming from a torch, and more importantly, it was being carried toward me. ¡°Hess?¡± I called. ¡°That you?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s me, Little Moist-Maker,¡± she called back. ¡°Who else would it be?¡± My expression of relief died at the new nickname. ¡°Oh, come on!¡± I shouted. ¡°I was trying! You don¡¯t have to rub it in!¡± ¡°Yes, I do,¡± she said brightly, as she stepped into the room. ¡°It¡¯s fun!¡± Laughing only to herself, she dropped a bundle of straight-ish branches on the ground, and then walked over to me where she deposited Jax¡¯s still unconscious form. I had not even noticed that she had been carrying him. Heaving a sigh, I decided to just let it go. She could tease me if she wanted to. She was right, after all. I was garbage at flirting. ¡°Where have you been, anyway? I must have waited up there for hours!¡± I said, grumpily. She snorted, ¡°Hours, huh? Try ten minutes.¡± ¡°Ten minutes?!¡± I exclaimed, incredulously. ¡°Tops,¡± she affirmed with an air of finality. Ten minutes? There was no way! There had been¡­ Plus, there was¡­ And I had waited¡­ ¡°Anyway, my torch went out again,¡± she explained with an oddly aloof demeanor, interrupting my internal sputtering. ¡°So I figured I¡¯d go get a new one and grab a few spares while I was there. I realized it was silly to come down with just the one at a time.¡± She took a moment to sigh in regret, ¡°It¡¯s a shame we don¡¯t have any lard or wicks for them. They would last much longer that way.¡± Still glaring at her suspiciously with my arms crossed across my chest, I finally closed my eyes and sighed. So that was why our torches had looked so janky. In the movies, torches were these big-ass clubs with a nice bright fire perched on the end. Ours had just been sticks that struggled to maintain something that resembled a flame. If the wood had not been so dry, they probably would not have worked at all. In any case, she was right. We could certainly use some more of the things. I knew that I could have used one about¡­ well, it would have been about five minutes ago, if I were to believe Hess. And I was not sure that I did. ¡°Why did you decide to carry Jax with you,¡± I asked curiously, letting my arms fall. She frowned in the dim light, ¡°It was the funniest thing. When I came down here, he was thrashing around and moaning in his torpor. Almost like he was having a bad dream.¡± I glanced down at him quickly. He seemed quite tranquil now, and for all that I could see, he still had the look of someone barely alive. ¡°Is that¡­ not normal?¡± I asked slowly. She shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it before. Anyway, when I went to check on him, he settled down, so I left him to go light the sconces. But then, on the way back, he was doing it again. By that point, though, my torch was about to die, so I grabbed him up, and after a few seconds, he calmed down again.¡± She glanced at me, ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but I think he can sense when we aren¡¯t nearby. Must not like it.¡± My eyebrows bunched together slightly. That was¡­ plausible, I supposed. But, going from the timing she had described¡­ ¡°So,¡± she continued, before the thought had finished forming, ¡°Are the sconces out again? Is that why you¡¯re down here?¡± ¡°They are. And no. Not exactly,¡± I replied. A lot had happened since I had seen her last, ten minutes or no. Still, some of it was more important than others, so I decided to start there. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®it explodes the sconces out¡¯?¡± Hess was sitting cross-legged in front of me, chewing on a knuckle as she listened to my tale. ¡°With the mucus it secretes,¡± I explained. ¡°It drips onto the fire, and there¡¯s like this fwump sort of sound. Poof. Fire goes out.¡± I was gesticulating a bit at this point. No point in talking about explosions if you are not throwing your arms around. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not just dowsing the flames?¡± she asked doubtfully. ¡°Like with water?¡± ¡°Pretty sure,¡± I replied. ¡°Go see for yourself. There¡¯s lots of smaller flowers on the wall on either side.¡± Her eyes lit up at the suggestion, like a small child given permission to play with fire crackers, ¡°I think I just may.¡± A few minutes later, we were standing in the upper hallway. It was an arbitrary choice, for the most part, though there was a component of hesitation in potentially detonating a part of that monster where it might get at us, domain restrictions or no. And really, we were not sure if these wall flowers were a part of the main plant or just off-shoots. In any case, Hess had selected a nice juicy looking flower for her experiment ¡ª against my recommendations. I knew that if whatever that mucus was did react to fire, it was not going to matter how much of it there was. Moreover, going big was a sure recipe for sadness. So, I was standing quite a ways back and holding my own torch. By that stage, I had resolved to make it the standard operating procedure to have multiple light sources in all dark areas, and if that flower did what I was expecting, I wanted to at least be able to see afterward. ¡°You ready?¡± Hess called. ¡°Yup,¡± I replied, quickly wedging the torch between my knees so that I could cover my ears. Explosions are loud, and we were in a narrow stone hallway. I am often a foolish man, particularly in interpersonal relationships, but when it came to stuff like this, I was someone to listen to. Hess, unfortunately, had decided not to. Not only was she not covering her ears, she had elected to stand almost directly in front of the flower when she pushed her torch forward. The reaction was instantaneous. The second the flame made contact with the flower, there was a pow, and the front half of her torch was nearly vaporized. Smoking wood chips flew everywhere, ricocheting off of walls and pinging to the floor. Hess had no time to react. She just stood there, her broken torch handle dangling from her fingers, presumably in shock. Running forward to check on her, I called out, ¡°Are you okay?¡± She did not reply, her attention focused on the short stub of a stick left in her hand. I could see that she was covered in splinters and her vest had ripped a bit, but she seemed otherwise unharmed. I heaved a sigh of relief. From that explosion, I was worried it might have blown her fingers off, if not worse. Fortunately, her Toughness was high enough to protect her from the worst of it. ¡°Uh¡­ Hess?¡± I waved my hand in front of her face. ¡°Can you hear me? I told you it would be loud.¡± Hess turned to face me, finally, ¡°What? I can¡¯t hear you. There¡¯s this weird ringing in my ears. That was really loud!¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°Give it a minute. It should come back after a while.¡± ¡°What?¡± After Hess¡¯ little misfortune, we had elected to return to the sunlight to discuss options. It was wasteful, after all, to have long talks down in the tunnels, despite the abundance of firewood, so we had backtracked and found a nice spot in the shade. Also, and somewhat more importantly, Hess needed to do some personal grooming. Glancing at the sun, I decided that it was probably around four to five o¡¯clock in the afternoon by that point, although something about that felt a bit off. Precisely what, I could not say. In any case, we probably had time for one more gambit before our time ran out. Two at most. After that, we would either have to retreat to the field, hoping that the scarecrows would go away, or seal ourselves in the underground. As I allowed my gaze to settle back to the ground, my eyes briefly rested on Jax. Right now, he was sprawled haphazardly, face down where Hess had dropped him. I smirked at the continued lack of attention she paid the sleeping man. She had been dragging him around with the same sort of care that a child might with a rag doll, but I elected not to complain about it. Despite the extreme differences in our physical abilities, the woman seemed outright resentful in being asked to actually use it to our benefit. But I could handle that. Her half-ass was still quite a bit better than my whole-ass when it came to carrying dead weight. ¡°So what do you think?¡± Hess asked me, her attention on the multitude of splinters embedded in her flesh. She looked kind of like a kelthic cactus right now, but I was not so low as to rub it in. Unless, of course, she decided to whip out another new nickname for me. Then all bets were off! ¡°We could try to go at the monster with torches, but¡­¡± she trailed off, letting the thought go unfinished. But I knew where she going with it. Given the explosion we had just witnessed, it was likely that we would end up hurting ourselves worse than the plant. Plus, just supplying ourselves with lit torches would be quite a challenge all by itself. It was like trying to fight a dynamite-monster in melee with a matchbook. ¡°Could we make some bows and arrows, do you think?¡± I said, speculating. If we could get some range on it, that would solve the problem all by itself. ¡°Not with the wood here,¡± Hess replied. Taking a branch in hand, she snapped it in half, saying, ¡°It¡¯s far too dry.¡± ¡°What about the wood by the clearing¡¯s edge?¡± I asked. ¡°If we could find a sapling, that would be perfect,¡± she said. ¡°I have no idea what kind of trees those are, but they are ridiculously hard, so they should be excellent¡­ It would take a lot of time, though. For one thing, it would take me another hour or two just to push through to the tree line, to say nothing about carving the thing. And I don¡¯t remember seeing any saplings. Do you?¡± I shook my head, ¡°No. But I wasn¡¯t looking for any either. Does it have to be a sapling?¡± Taking a moment to work a splinter out of her elbow, she said, ¡°Technically, no. Just new growth. It would have to be about¡­ oh, three¡­ four cubits, at least. Good and straight. And no knots in it.¡± Cubits¡­ right. Doing some mental math, I worked that out to be about four and a half to six feet. It was probable that we would eventually find something that would foot the bill. There were a lot of trees out there, after all. But she was right. That would take way too long. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s call that plan B, then,¡± I said, regretfully. It would have been really nice to get some kind of weapon for myself, finally. True, I had not shot a bow since my days at camp as a child, but I knew the basics. And I would like to at least claim to have contributed to our fighting power, if only a little. We both sat in silence for a few minutes after that, just thinking. Or I was. Hess was still picking at herself. ¡°What if we just build a bonfire in the hallway, and throw logs at it?¡± Hess suggested absently. Slowly, I nodded. The idea had some merit. It was a quick solution, it handled the ranged component just fine, and by having a ready fire, the ammunition problem was a non-issue. However¡­ ¡°We¡¯d smoke ourselves out before we could kill it,¡± I objected. ¡°We¡¯d have to flee to get to clear air. Then wait for the fire to go out, wait for the smoke to clear the tunnels, rebuild the fire¡­¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± she interrupted me. ¡°Point made.¡± She had finished with most of the splinters, and was now looking at the rip in her vest with a frown. The bottom half of it was now rent and flapping, making her vest little more than a sports bra with some extra loose fabric. Sighing, she said, ¡°¡¯Snails. At this rate, I¡¯ll be running around naked by sundown.¡± I chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t think we have a full outfit between us. Who knew Dungeoneering would be so hard on clothes?¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. There was a pause in the conversation then, where we just sat there lightly smiling at one another, and slowly, it dawned on me what she had just implied. That had been a setup. And I had missed it completely. Crap¡­ ¡°And there he is¡­¡± Hess said with a smile, following my expression. I sighed, ¡°Come on¡­ we were making combat plans! You can¡¯t expect me to think about that and flirt at the same time!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± she asked innocently. ¡°It¡¯s a guy thing,¡± I explained. ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s just me, but I can¡¯t think about more than one thing at a time. Especially sex stuff.¡± ¡°So if I were to do something like¡­¡± she began, but I cut in. ¡°No!¡± Looking away hurriedly, I said, ¡°Honestly, if you do much of anything at all, my brain will switch over, and we won¡¯t get anything done.¡± Slowly, her grin grew, turning almost bestial, ¡°Anything?¡± She started to crawl toward me, apparently considering the various possibilities for her coming torment, but then suddenly, she started to shiver again and fell forward. ¡°Uh¡­ Hess?¡± I asked, in mild concern¡­ both for myself and for her. ¡°¡¯Stits¡­¡± she muttered into the dirt. ¡°It¡¯s getting stronger.¡± ¡°What is?¡± I asked, helping her sit. She took a few breaths, trying to calm down, before replying, ¡°Your aura. I think.¡± ¡°You think that was from my aura?¡± I said incredulously, taking a few steps back and squatting down so as not to be looking down at her. ¡°But it barely does anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure,¡± she said, her eyes following me. ¡°It¡¯s been since this morning that you bought it. And you said that it grows over time. Well¡­ it¡¯s grown.¡± I rubbed at my knees absently, thinking. ¡°Okay¡­ I guess¡­ But wait, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re falling over every few seconds, so clearly there¡¯s something else going on.¡± She nodded slowly, thinking it over. But then her eyebrow quirked, and affecting a coy smile, she said, ¡°Yes, I suppose there must be.¡± I leaned forward in anticipation, but it seemed that she was intent on leaving me hanging on that one. ¡°And you¡¯re not going to tell me what that is?¡± ¡°I have a suspicion,¡± she said quickly. ¡°But if I¡¯m right, then no. I¡¯m not.¡± I huffed out a frustrated grunt at that. ¡°Hess, it¡¯s my skill. Don¡¯t you think I might need to know how the thing works?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out,¡± she assured me. ¡°But for now, I¡¯m going to leave you in suspense. It¡¯s more fun that way.¡± ¡°Only for you!¡± I complained. ¡°Exactly!¡± she smiled and poked me on the forehead. ¡°Now, switch your brain back. We need to figure out this plant.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you give me a hint?¡± I asked. ¡°Nope,¡± she said playfully. ¡°Plant!¡± Seeing that this was going nowhere, I flopped onto my back, silently bemoaning my lot in life and the people I had to deal with. Letting my head fall to the side, my eyes rested on the large pile of wood that Jax and I had assembled earlier. Slowly, an idea began to germinate. ¡°This is a stupid idea,¡± I groused. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that two hours ago?¡± Hess replied. ¡°And besides, it was your idea!¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that!¡± I snapped. ¡°And I did say that two hours ago. I just wasn¡¯t expecting you to go along with it.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll work,¡± she reassured me. ¡°Besides the hard part is already over.¡± That was certainly true. The last two hours had been a back-breaking, nerve-wracking mess. Mainly because the whole thing had to be executed without the monster noticing, so we had to operate in total darkness and communicate in the barest of whispers. But we had done it. Somehow. ¡°Enough dallying. I¡¯m going,¡± Hess announced, hefting a large handful of already lit torches. ¡°You know the signal?¡± ¡°Naturally,¡± I said, a wry grin creeping onto my face. ¡°Good,¡± she pursed her lips for a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your poison resistance before you go. With any luck, you won¡¯t need it, but¡­ you never know.¡± I nodded solemnly. It was not the most complex of plans, but it could go tits up in a hurry. Casting a surreptitious glance at Jax¡¯s still form, I internally groaned at what we were about to do. This would be so much easier if he were awake to help out, but it was apparently not to be. It was well past the time when he should have woken up, but he was still out. If this went on much longer, I was going to start getting seriously concerned. But I did not have time for that now. We shared a long look, then, but there was nothing more to say. We knew what to do. So, with that, she gave me a reassuring smile, turned, and headed down. I took a deep breath and held it for a moment, trying to steel my nerves. This would be our third and hopefully final encounter with the Tongue-Flower ¡ª the official name we had dubbed it with ¡ª and I was all too glad of that. The cards were in play, now. I just had to hope that they fell like we wanted them to. Turning, I took a quick swallow of the provided resistance buff water, hefted my own torch, and headed up the left hallway. As I walked, I absently wiped my sweaty palms on my already filthy pants. Casting a glance down at them, I noted that they were covered in soot and dirt and sporting more than a few holes. Hess was right, the last couple of days had not been the kindest to our attire, but they were still hanging in there. I sighed. I had only owned them for a little over a week, and they were already so beat up that I was going to need to toss them. Idly, I wondered if this world had self-repairing enchantments or the like. With how hard it was on a person¡¯s wardrobe, I certainly hoped so. Otherwise, I was going to need to carry around a steamer trunk just for spares. I shook my head. My mind was wandering to inconsequential things as I headed to battle. I wondered if that kind of thing happened to other people. Whether it was some trait of the human mind, that it would seek to comfort itself by thinking of little things in an effort not to think of the big ones. I laughed then. This probably was not even the boss of the Dungeon. We were just trying to get through a secret passage, and here I was waxing eloquent on the human condition, like I was some grizzled Vietnam veteran. I just hoped that this was all worth it. Soon enough, I came to the domain line and stopped. I could not tell yet if Hess was in position, as I could not exactly see down into the room below. For one, I was blinded by the light of my own torch. For another, the grating was more than a little obscured at the moment. I closed my eyes and rubbed at my temple. This was such a bad idea. And the more I thought about it, the more dumb it was sounding. But that was all the time I had left for second thoughts. Hess was starting. As the sconces flared to life below, she gave a bellow and hurled one of her torches at the largest flower she could target. Or that is what I assumed. I could not actually see that part from where I was standing. But I certainly heard the result. The THOOM that arose from her torch coming into contact with that much mucus all at once caused the hallway I was standing in to rock and dust to fall from the ceiling. My torch did not like that either, and it started to sputter. Shit! Frantically, I began nursing the thing back to life. Why had I not brought two? Just in case? Ugh¡­ Finally, the thing stabilized just in time for the monster¡¯s opening salvo, and I looked up as a shower of giant thorns clanged against the grating. Only a few made it through, and those that did clattered about the walls and ceiling before falling harmlessly down. We had seen enough of the Tongue-Flower to know it always liked to start like that. Probably, it figured that it was a good way to soften its prey up before closing for the kill. And it was right. But we were ready for it, and that was my signal to move. Quickly, I hurried forward, keeping to the edge of the wall and trying to remain as quiet as possible. With Hess down there running interference, it was probably unnecessary, but I did not want to take any chances. Holding my torch high, I began to carefully walk along the wall-edge of the grating. With all of the dry grass and drier wood that we had stacked in here, this area was now a literal tinder box. A stray spark was all I needed. I had to be careful. If this was to work properly, the whole thing needed to go up at roughly the same time. If the Tongue-Flower caught on too soon, it could disrupt the wood pile all too easily, and dump it down into the water. So, I had to light this thing from back to front. Otherwise, the fire could spread too slowly, and I would be trapped on one side, unable to help it along. Unfortunately, that also meant that I was going to be fleeing from a spreading fire as I was lighting it along a floor with literal holes in it. By the Three, this is such a bad idea. As if on cue, right as I neared the mid-point, another explosion rocked the room below. Struggling to maintain my balance, my foot twisted, and my left leg slipped through the grate. As I went down, the metal scrapped the whole way up my shin, and I gritted my teeth at getting frogged across the entirety of my lower leg. Fortunately, I caught myself before I could go much further, or else I would be in real trouble. As I maneuvered myself back into a standing position, I risked a glance down below to survey the situation. Hess was down in front of the thing, still near the hallway, wielding two of her remaining torches like a berserker. She was singing some kind of off-key, yet oddly appropriate bar ballad about a woman, named Petunia, getting her petals ¡®plucked¡¯ as she weaved and ducked under loops of vines and thorned lashes the monster was sending her way. Whatever sort of intelligence the Tongue-Flower had, it was enough for it to realize that it needed to keep certain parts of itself well away from those flaming sticks and the insane crooning woman that was swinging them around. There were a couple of chewed up holes in it already from the earlier explosions, and it seemed to be taking no chances. Just then, several things happened all at once. A particularly large vine was descending toward Hess, probably about the girth of a man¡¯s thigh, and she skipped to the side, swinging her torch at it for all she was worth, and screaming, ¡°Head!¡± I knew from her explanation of the ability that it would not work without her being slop-assed drunk. Plus, she was swinging at a plant vine, not a person¡¯s head. So, in the moment, she was probably just doing it out of reflex. It should have been a particularly unwise move. The mass difference alone meant that her little dry stick should have shattered into a hundred pieces. However, when the two made contact, I felt something. In the space of time it takes for a person to snap their fingers, a pulse of energy zipped down from me to Hess, and my heart seemed to skip a beat. In that moment, somehow the outcome changed. The flame of the torch crashed against the descending vine and zipped around the width of it for an instant. And suddenly¡­ it was simply not attached anymore. There was a pause in the battle then, as the massive vine splashed to the floor, and Hess looked down at her now shattered weapon. As if neither plant nor woman could understand what had just happened. And then Hess started shivering and twitching, and slowly an obscene laughter started bubbling up through her chest. Throwing her head back, she cackled like she had just gone truly insane. Some sort of energy rushed into her in that moment, and she seemed to almost swell with newfound power. Crouching down, she launched herself at the Tongue-Flower, fists and flame flying in a mad display of carnage, and pulped bits of plant fiber started to spray into the air. The monster was not about to take that lying down though, and it tensed. Seeing the motion, my eyes widened. I knew what that meant. Quickly, I dove over top of the wood pile, and curled into a ball as a new volley of dagger-like thorns tore through the air. One of the darts just grazed my back as it passed by, and I hissed in pain. It was not a terrible wound, and I still had plenty of resistance left. I knew I would feel it later, though. And from the cursing I could now hear coming from below, I had a feeling Hess would be, too. Unfortunately, in my haste to not get skewered, I was a little too lax with exactly where I was swinging my torch around. The little ball of flame at the end of my stick thudded right against a wadded up piece of dried grass we had wedged into a bundle of wood, and it flared to life. I grimaced when I saw the telltale flicker start to rapidly expand in front of my eyes. Shit. Casting my eyes back and forth between the still young fire and the end of the wood pile, I realized I would never be able to make it there and back before I was cut off. Not without breaking a leg in the grating, anyway. Shit shit shit¡­ Making a snap decision, I started back the way I had come. Quickly thrusting my torch into the hay as I went, I improvised a new plan as I went. It was a dumb plan to go with our already dumb plan. I was going to have to be lucky as hell, but I could not see any other way to pull this off. At worst, we would just have to hope that a half destroyed monster was good enough. Hess seemed to be doing well down there. Maybe she would have a chance. ¡°Fucking ¡®snails! That hurt, you ¡®stit sucking, thrice-damned weed!¡± My eyes swiveled down unbidden to see what had caused that latest outburst. Somewhere amidst her rampage, she had lost her torch, and reasonably, she had tried to go back for another. The Tongue-Flower was a tricky bastard, though, and she had been tripped up by one of its vine tendrils. The flowers had come in full force after that. Not without cost, of course. She was still a laughing terror, ripping anything to shreds that came too close, but she was now covered in slime and liberally bleeding from small cuts. Despite the ferocity of her attack, this looked to be a battle of attrition, and Hess was fading. I needed to hurry. Finally arriving back at the start of the grating, I turned. The fire that I had accidentally set off in the middle of our improvised fuse was already crackling all across the floor and growing fierce. I sighed. I had been right to turn back. Now, all I had to do was set off the rest of it. Closing my eyes for just a moment, I rattled off a quick prayer. Maeve, Ginna, and Bline¡­ and I guess the other two? Sorry, I don¡¯t know your names. Please, guide my hand. It was a sorry sort of prayer, and I did not even know if these Goddesses were much for responding to them anyway. But it probably would not hurt. Plus, it had seemed to help the last time. Taking a step back, I cocked my elbow and hurled my torch as hard as I could. As I watched it tumble end over end through the licking flames, I smiled. It was a good throw. The trajectory was perfect, it had a good distance on it, the angle was right¡­ and then it pinged off of the ceiling. Ah, hell¡­ I cringed as it limply fell and flopped onto the wood pile, far short of the distance I had hoped for. Still, new flames started to spread from its position just past the halfway point, so that was something at least. It was better than nothing. And all I was going to get. As the flames started to grow ever higher, smoke and fumes began to push me back. I could not risk staying any longer. Glowing embers were already starting to drift down into the chamber below. The clock was ticking. ¡°HESS!¡± I bellowed at the top of my lungs, ¡°RUN!!!¡± I did not know if she had heard me, but there was no way to check now. So, I turned and followed my own advice. As I pelted back down the hallway, the light of the bonfire-fuse behind me did not follow me far, and I quickly began to seriously regret the lack of a second torch. Soon enough, I was totally blind, and I had to slow as my right arm scraped against the damp wall as it curved along on its way back to the fountain chamber. Pushing off, I angled my descent to try to account for the curve, but it was a tricky thing. FOOM! The ground rocked as the first explosion reverberated through the hallway, and I stumbled. But I could not stop. It was only going to get worse. Windmilling to try to stay on my feet, I collided with the wall again, but I was half expecting it and used it to help right myself. I ran on. Ba-BOOM! Two of the flowers detonated in close succession. They must have been smaller ones, as I barely felt it in my feet. They were still loud as all hell though. Soon enough, more followed. Small pops and crackles echoed back and forth in the dark stone passages, slowly increasing in frequency. It was like we had set off a bonfire on top of a fireworks factory. Bla-FWOOM!! A rain of dirt showered me as I ran, and I coughed as I took in a lungful. Tears ran from my eyes, but I did not stop to clear them. It would not have mattered. I was blind anyway, and besides, my hands were just as dirty as my face. I kept going. Oh¡­ regrets¡­ so many regrets¡­ Goddesses, what had we been thinking? As I bounced off of yet another wall, I realized that I could see a faint light coming from around the corner, and with that to guide me, I quickly emerged into the fountain room. Hess was bent in front of it, holding her torch above her head and drinking deeply. She was a mess, covered in still bleeding gashes and pinprick holes and covered in patches of slimy, flower mucus. But when she heard me enter, panting and coughing from my flight, she casually turned to me with a brilliant smile on her face. ¡°There you are!¡± Springing toward me, she grabbed me up into an embrace and without a shred of hesitation, kissed me full on the lips. And despite the imminent situation, my mind totally blanked. ¡°Donum! Did you see? Did you see it? I never thought¡­¡± she paused, and then frowned. ¡°Aww¡­ I think it reset.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± I stammered, but then I shook my head. ¡°Hess! We don¡¯t have time for this! We need to get out of here!¡± She snorted, ¡°Bah. We¡¯re all the way back here. There¡¯s no way¡­¡± That was when the shock wave hit us. Chapter 31 - Adjustments When I came to, I had a familiar pop-up waiting on me with a new little detail added on.
Congratulations! Your Core has successfully condensed. You are now of the Fourth Layer of the Foundation. New Stat Points available. New Skill Point available.
Fourth Layer of the Foundation, eh? That last part had never been there before, although Hess had mentioned something about it. They were probably related. Seeing it there felt like an unnecessary little detail, kind of like saying four and twenty blackbirds or something, but I could appreciate a little flavor text in my prompts. After I closed that out, I got a new list of skill ups. It was quite a bit curtailed this time, which I could understand. I had achieved this Layer in a much shorter time-span than the last, so there was less opportunity to get in the necessary practice. That said, there were a few notables. I got a single point in Club Use, which I already had, unbeknownst to me. Battle Acumen had managed to accrue another two points, bumping it up to twelve. Forgotten in Stillness, consistently aptly named, had increased a point somehow, and my heal, Renewal of Consumption, was now up to nine. I paused when I saw that and wondered if it would improve somehow once it got into the double digits. I hoped so. The thing was a bastard to use. My newest ability, Windfall of the Thrall, had somehow climbed all the way up to six out of nowhere. I had to assume that the fact that it was in near constant use helped a lot with that. Besides that, Running had gotten a few more points as well as some ability called Blind Sense, which again, I already had but was unaware of it. I had also picked up the new skills, Fire Starting: Primitive, which I was particularly proud of, and Battle Tactics. Personally, I felt that the many hours I had spent making plans and discussing tactics in D&D and such ought to count for that, but I guess an argument could be made for a separation from the imagined to reality. In any case, it was not like I could actually argue with anyone about it, so the point was moot. Casually swiping the list closed after I had finished skimming it, a new and much more interesting one replaced it.
Error: Lilim Core Layer may not exceed that of their Trainer. [Lilim: Jax] Core Condensation Process temporarily suspended. [99% complete]
Error: Lilim may not exit torpor with an incomplete Core. [Lilim: Jax] Kind Characteristics incomplete. Torpor state transfer to Characteristic Development. [67% complete]
[Lilim: Jax] Core Condensation Process resumed. Torpor state transfer to Core Condensation. [complete]
No wonder Jax had taken so long to wake up. According to this, somewhere along the way, his Core Condensation had gotten suspended, because his Layer was going to get higher than mine. I sighed. That would have been good to know about beforehand. Although, honestly, it had only happened because the guy had¡­ prematurely fallen unconscious. For reasons. Nothing to do with me. No sir. In any case, apparently Bline or whomever had decided to take the extra time he was going to be out and put it toward this ¡®Characteristic Development¡¯ thing. I was not quite sure, but I figured that it must have something to do with the continued changes I had been seeing in him. The big one, of course, was that new organ, which was weird but actually quite useful in its own way. There were a few other things, as well, which were¡­ I paused, thinking. Secondary? Window dressing? Well, whatever it was, all it had amounted to so far was a little extra hair growth and the guy¡¯s ears getting a bit longer. Nothing to worry over. Speaking of, where was Jax. And for that matter, where was I? Closing out of the windows, I took a moment to examine my surroundings¡­ and was immediately confused. It was a pretty typical room for a medieval era peasant to live in with a shuttered window and little furniture to speak of. The cot I was lying in was an extremely basic sort of thing, constructed of rickety boards and hay for a mattress. Actually, the whole room would best be described as ¡®rickety¡¯. And that was all very nice, but the last thing that I remembered was getting kissed by Sherr Hess and then immediately hit by something that had felt like the mother of all belly flops. Clearly, I was going to need more information. Propping myself up on an elbow, I found that the room was suffused with a pale blue light emanating from a very familiar looking crystal set into a small stand on a low corner table. I pursed my lips at that. Still in the Dungeon, then. Not that I had expected otherwise, but from my surroundings, I had gotten my hopes up a little. Oddly, there was no door, save for a hatch set into the ground with bands of iron going across it and a big O-ring for a handle. It was closed. Perhaps, I was in some kind of safe room? The last time I had been in the Dungeon there had been one, and I had a hunch that the crystal would confirm it. If so, then probably, Hess had taken us here. I would need to find her to find out, though. As usual, I had more questions than answers, but at least I was becoming experienced enough to make an educated guess or two. The only other things in the room were a discarded scrap of leather bunched up by the hatch, a pair of cots identical in description to the one I was currently lying in, and the person currently stirring in the one nearest me. The light was not quite good enough for me to tell immediately from that angle, but from their size, I figured it had to be Jax. Silently, I smiled in relief, glad that he was waking up finally. I had begun to miss our banter. Giving an audible stretch, both out of a simple need to wake myself up fully and as a signal to him that I was there, I sat up and swung my legs to the floor. Curiously, I noted that, somehow, the tip of my left shoe had gone missing. Added to the gaping hole in the right one from the thorn that had speared through it, they made for a nearly matched set. However, of a somewhat more immediate concern, my left pant leg was now ripped clean off, and shifting in my seat a bit, I noted that I was feeling a little bit oddly breezy down there. But before I could investigate, Jax rolled over and stretched grandly, arching his¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Whatever else I had been thinking about simply flickered and died. A very deep-seated, very primal part of my brain had just caught sight of something, and it demanded ¡ª demanded that I devote every scrap of attention I could muster to it. Something had shifted on Jax¡¯s chest. Something that should not be there. But I knew what it was. What they were. It was impossible for me not to know. To be sure, they were not large ¡ª really barely there at all. Just enough to say ¡®here I am¡¯. If Jax had been wearing his shirt, I probably would have never noticed them. But I had. And I could never unsee them. Slowly, he rolled over and sat up. He did not look at me at first, pausing to yawn contentedly and continue his stretch. The view of his open mouth gave me pause, though I barely had the capacity to pay attention to it. His canines and the premolars just to the outside of them had grown out just a hair. Enough to be noticeable. They looked sharper. More predatory. But I was not really looking at that. I was still taking in the chest that was laid out right in front of me. His nipples¡­ where before they had looked swollen and irritated¡­ Well, now I knew why. This was no longer the chest of a man. They were now perky little eraser heads surrounded by puffy, still slightly distended darker tissue that, in the blue light, looked faintly gray. A hand passed in front of them, and went up to scratch at his scalp. Something was off about it. Enough so to pull me out of my instinctual trance, and I jerked my head a bit as the rest of the world filtered in quickly. Trying to focus, I soon realized that his fingernails had elongated and sharpened. He was now sporting what I would call the human equivalent of claws and scraping at something just past his hairline, like he had an itch. And it was making an audible sound. There were other changes, too. Difficult to quantify, but noticeable. There was a certain¡­ roundness to him that had not been there before. A slight softness to the the skin. An angle here. A bit of a taper there. My immediate attempt at a mental inventory of these was soon interrupted, however. ¡°Yer face be lookin¡¯ like a skelped arse, Mah¡ª¡± he stopped short and scrunched his face up in irritation. It looked¡­ almost cute. ¡°Fah! Minced doaty fer brains¡­¡± His voice had changed again, rising into something like a smoky alto. My suspicions were beginning to fire on all cylinders, now. There was more going on here than just a change in his kind¡­ unless lilim just had breasts for no reason. And a woman¡¯s voice. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± I said, trying to think. ¡°My face looks like a what now?¡± He¡­ he shook his head at me, sadly, ¡°It be red. Like it were whacked a good¡¯n? Honestly, I¡¯d be afeared to take ye in public lest ye embarrass yer ownself. Not knowin¡¯ how to talk proper?¡± He tilted his head then, his lengthened ears twitching a bit, seemingly getting a sense of me. ¡°What be gettin¡¯ yer panties wadded?¡± ¡°What¡­¡± I blinked a few times at him incredulously. ¡°Jax, have you looked at yourself?¡± He tutted at me, ¡°An¡¯ how am I supposed ter go about that one, yer so smart? Ain¡¯t got a mirror, now have I?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Look at your hands! Your¡­ your¡­¡± I sputtered out. I could not get the word to come forward, so I just gestured inanely. ¡°What about me hands?¡± he said, holding them in front of him. But then he took a second look, and his eyebrows rose a bit, mildly surprised. Turning them back and forth to inspect them properly, he began to smile faintly. ¡°Aye. That be the right of it,¡± he whispered. It was not quite the reaction I had been expecting, but I really could not bring myself to care. ¡°Your chest, man! Look at your chest!¡± At my exclamation, he spread his hands, and leaned back to look down his front. ¡°What?¡± he asked, confused. Clapping his hands to his stomach, he ran them up to cup what he could of his new breasts and gave them a little bit of a jiggle. He frowned a bit then, ¡°Well now, that ain¡¯t quite¡­¡± Suddenly, his head jerked up and he stared at me. His casual self-manipulation had caused a certain part of my anatomy to wake up and take notice, despite myself. And Jax had picked up on it immediately, almost like a cat spotting a slight motion from behind a corner. Slowly, he sat up straight and arched his back, thrusting his little bosom forward. My eyes widened at the forward display, and my pants began to slowly deform as I grew in response. Jax¡¯s eyes began to dilate, and his lips parted, his breathing heavy. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Seeing that, I drew back. No! This was wrong! Jax was¡­ Well, I did not know exactly what, but I could not allow myself to jump down that path blindly. Closing my eyes, I pulled my gaze away, trying to calm down. ¡°No!¡± Jax exclaimed. Rushing forward, he repeated the word over and over, and grabbed my face in his hands. ¡°What? What¡¯d I do? Why d¡¯ye stop? Bring it back!¡± Bewildered, I looked up into his eyes. His face was fully repaired now. Symmetrical. Not a perfect face nor even fair, but by no stretch the ugly deformed thing it had been when I had met him. His eyes were a clear blue, his nose perhaps a shade smaller though still scarred, his lips a touch fuller, and it was all drawn up into an expression that was a jumble of emotions. Sadness, confusion, abandonment. More than I could begin to deal with. Slowly, I grabbed his wrists and pushed him gently away. ¡°Bring it back? What ¡®it¡¯?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± he paused, having to think, ¡°I ain¡¯t sure. But it be¡­ it be wondrous. I felt it. Ye felt sommat fer a scanty. I ain¡¯t never¡­¡± he stopped again. Slowly, his gaze drifted away, like he had remembered something, ¡°Well, now¡­ wait a moment¡­ Yes. I have, now¡¯n I think on ¡®er. Aye.¡± He glanced up at me out of the corner of his eyes, and a knowing smile curled his lips. My eyes widening, I quickly broke eye contact, afraid that he might start getting ideas. ¡°Uh¡­ Jax are you aware of what¡¯s happening to you?¡± He was still looking at me with a sly speculation, but after a moment he replied, ¡°Aye. I think. I be lilim. But¡­ I were needin¡¯ to grow into it a bit.¡± ¡°Then,¡± I turned to face him again, more curious now, ¡°Do you know what a lilim is? What one looks like?¡± Giving his head a hesitant shake, he said, ¡°Nay. Only that¡­ before I were wrong. Now I ain¡¯t¡­ or not quite. Less wrong.¡± He paused, considering what he had just said, and then gave a satisfied nod. Focusing on me once more, he quirked an eyebrow, ¡°I told ye before, ye nyaff. But ye were in yer own head then. Did nay listen.¡± Had he? I thought back to our earlier conversations. The last time we had discussed something like this had been when we had discovered his rash. But it was not a rash. I knew that now. He had been developing¡­ And I had casually gotten him to take his shirt off. And then lost it¡­ Oh, dear. Slowly, I lowered my face into my hands. My entire countenance was wrought with shame. Jax sighed. Plopping down onto the cot next to me, he patted my back roughly, ¡°There, there, mate. It ain¡¯t that bad. Ye can nay expect yer ownself ter know the ins and outs o¡¯ things afore ye know ¡®em. Mercy be. I did not know meself. Can nay expect more¡¯n that o¡¯ ye.¡± His attempted consolation did less to break my mood than did his lack of understanding. Finally, unable to take it anymore, I burst out, ¡°But you¡¯re growing boobs! Your voice! Jax, you¡¯re becoming a woman!¡± Jax scowled at me. Jumping to his feet, he put his fists on his hips and pushed his face into mine, ¡°No, I ain¡¯t! I told ye. I be becoming a lilim!¡± I sat back, totally flummoxed. ¡°What?! J¡­ I¡­ But¡­¡± I splayed out my fingers in frustration as I tried to find the right words. ¡°Boobs, Jax! Breasts! I mean¡­ have you checked your¡­. You know?¡± ¡°What?¡± he deadpanned, standing up straight again and crossing his arms. Flushed, I just gestured to his crotch, ¡°I¡­ Down there!¡± He glanced down and frowned. Slowly, a hint of curiosity crossed over his expression, and he pulled open his waistband. Shoving his hand inside, he felt around for a moment. Flustered, my gaze twitched back and forth from his face to the shuffling going on at his crotch, unsure of where I should be looking. Finally, he sighed, pronouncing, ¡°I do nay think that be done yet.¡± ¡°Wha¡­ uh¡­¡± I stammered. I was not at all emotionally or psychologically prepared for this conversation. ¡°What were you expecting?¡± I mean, I knew what I was expecting¡­ but if he claimed that he was becoming specifically a ¡®lilim¡¯ and not a ¡®woman¡¯, then¡­ maybe there would be something else down there? My imagination started revving into high gear. He lifted his shoulders a bit, unconcerned, ¡°I¡¯ll know when I know.¡± But then he narrowed his eyes at me, and that sly grin crinkled the corners of his eyes again, ¡°Do ye wanna see?¡± Hell, no. ¡°Yes?¡± His smile grew, and satisfied, he turned and plopped down onto his cot, ¡°Good.¡± Crossing his legs at the knee, he kicked his foot at me like he was impatiently waiting for me to get some joke. Slowly realizing what had just happened, I sputtered, ¡°B¡­ Jax! Come on, show¡­¡± ¡°Do nay command it!¡± he interrupted me forcefully, stiffening. I stopped short, realizing what might have just happened had I continued. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re right. I wasn¡¯t thinking.¡± ¡°I know it,¡± he reassured me, relaxing back. ¡°And ye¡¯d not forgive yer ownself if¡¯n ye did. Be why I stopped ye.¡± Then he grinned at me again, ¡°I do nay care fer the taste o¡¯ yer guilt.¡± I glanced up at him. Was that¡­ some sort of innuendo? ¡°Uh¡­¡± I cast about, trying think of something to say. ¡°Okay, so¡­ do you still think of yourself as a man, or¡­¡± I trailed off, unsure. ¡°Lilim,¡± he repeated shortly. Right. I had expected as much. Unfortunately, I was not at all equipped to deal with that. There was no category for ¡®lilim¡¯ as a gender in my mind. Heck, the language did not have a category for it. Neither man nor woman? I mean, I knew that there was a subsection of society that dealt with these kinds of things back home, but I had never associated with those circles. It was not a conscious decision. I just had not been around them to talk about it. But I had read a few things, here and there. ¡°Alright¡­¡± I began slowly, ¡°well¡­ what about pronouns? What are your pronouns?¡± That was important to know in these situations, right? He frowned at me, ¡°I do nay know what that means.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t¡­¡± Oh. Of course not. I blinked a few times, switching gears, ¡°Well, when people refer to you. Uh¡­ Talk about you. Would you prefer them to say things like ¡®he¡¯ or ¡®him¡¯?¡± He lifted his chin, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Like¡­ if I were talking to Sherr Hess, for instance? And she asked me where you had gone off to, would it sound right to you if I said, ¡®He¡¯s off collecting firewood¡¯?¡± ¡°No,¡± he said immediately. ¡°But why¡¯d I be collectin¡¯ firewood again? Ain¡¯t we got lots o¡¯ firewood already?¡± ¡°Well, no¡­ not anymore. But that¡¯s not the point!¡± ¡°Why not? What did ye do with all the firewood?¡± he asked, getting agitated. ¡°Never mind! I¡¯ll tell you later. I¡¯m just using it as an example,¡± I explained, and then quickly went on before he could interrupt again. ¡°What about ¡®She¡¯s off collecting firewood¡¯?¡± He stopped as he took in the new question. He did not respond immediately, instead taking a moment to look around the room, seemingly thinking it over. As I waited, I watched his face. He had rolled his lower lip under his teeth and begun experimentally working at it with one of his elongated canines. Clearly, he was unsure about how to answer. Finally, reluctantly, he said, ¡°I¡­ suppose that be better.¡± I nodded slowly. He seemed awfully slow to give way on that, understandably. Or I suppose I should use ¡®she¡¯ now. That would take some getting used to. Although, I was having trouble understanding why¡­ she would be okay with those pronouns when she did not want to be thought of as a woman. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I said, trying to just lay it all out, ¡°So, would you say then, that maybe¡­ you aren¡¯t a man, and you aren¡¯t quite a woman?¡± I paused, looking for confirmation. She nodded slowly. ¡°Do you think that might be because, as you said, you aren¡¯t exactly finished?¡± I asked cautiously. She took a breath, and then held it a second before letting it out again. Twisting her mouth back and forth a few times, she finally said, ¡°Nay. I think ye said it aright. I ain¡¯t a woman, but I definitely ain¡¯t a man. I be sommat else¡­ I think.¡± ¡°Something else? Like¡­ woman adjacent?¡± I asked in confusion. But at her frown, I quickly rephrased it to, ¡°Similar to a woman. But not?¡± She brightened, ¡°Aye! That be it! Ye got ¡®er!¡± Hmm¡­ similar to a woman¡­ but not a woman? What could be¡­ But then I had another thought. ¡°You¡¯re not a hermaphrodite are you?¡± She gave me a vacant look, and then shook her head, ¡°I nay be knowin¡¯ yer fancy noble speechin¡¯, Donum.¡± But then, after I explained, she laughed brightly and made a limp throwing motion at me, as if I had just told some joke in poor taste. However, seeing my expression, she sobered, ¡°Wait, yer serious?¡± We talked a while longer, after that. I had to fill her in on the events of the last day and of our eventual semi-triumphant defeat of the Tongue-Flower. But through my recounting, she kept fidgeting and shifting about. She would turn her shoulders a bit, pause, turn the other way, pause, tilt her head back, and etc. And she watched me the whole time. Finally, I stopped, ¡°Jax, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing, apparently,¡± she huffed. Waving the back of her hand at me, she asked, ¡°What happened then?¡± Mystified, but unsure what to do about it, I continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know. We got hit by the explosion. I think it must have forced me into torpor somehow, because I just got my skill ups and such. You?¡± She pursed her lips and began idly studying her new fingernails, ¡°Aye¡­ I been gettin¡¯ a few skills aright.¡± From the way she had phrased that, my curiosity was piqued, but¡­ I also was not at all sure I wanted to know. As I thought about it, my eyes slowly and unconsciously drifted down to her chest and settled there for just a touch too long. Realizing what I was doing, I quickly jerked my eyes away. ¡°Nay, boil ye! Stop that!¡± she admonished me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I quickly apologized. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ they¡¯re distracting is all. I can¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s hard to not look.¡± She scoffed angrily, ¡°I ain¡¯t talkin¡¯ about that, ya numpty. I finally get a hint o¡¯ ye somehow when I weren¡¯t lookin¡¯, and then ye blast me with yer guilt! I told ye. I don¡¯t like the taste o¡¯ yer guilt!¡± I sat back, befuddled and unsure of what she was getting at, but just then, we heard some kind of clamorous thumping coming from below. Whatever anger she had been feeling, at the sound, her expression shifted totally, and she jumped between me and the hatch, summoning her axe and crouched for battle. But when the hatch popped open, and Hess poked her head through, she relaxed. She did not move, though. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake,¡± Hess said happily. ¡°Good. We¡¯ve got work to do.¡± As she climbed up through the hatch, I could see that her vest had been replaced with a scrap of familiar looking off-white linen, and she had acquired a set of boxers from somewhere, though it seemed to have a rather distractingly snug fit. Jax noticed, too. Quickly glancing at me with a slight flush to her cheeks, she exclaimed, ¡°Them ain¡¯t your¡¯n to wear!¡± ¡°What?¡± she said, taken aback for a moment before she looked down. ¡°Oh, this? My vest finally gave it up when that over-grown weed blew up.¡± Climbing the rest of the way through the hatch, she let it fall behind her. She looked positively filthy. Bits of plant matter and dirt liberally stained every square inch of her body, but she seemed to have mostly healed from the fight. There were only a few scabs left, here and there. ¡°Blew a big hole in Donum¡¯s britches, too. Figured I¡¯d use the scrap as a wrap.¡± Turning around and posing a bit, she asked, ¡°How does it look? Did it turn out okay?¡± Jax hissed at her, ¡°I ain¡¯t talkin¡¯ about yer doaty wrap, ye hackit cow!¡± Hess stopped and looked at her for a moment before an almost wicked grin traced her lips, ¡°Oh~ Are you perhaps talking about these, then?¡± She traced her finger just under the drawstring in a seductive manner. Jax started to positively tremble, and she sputtered. Slowly putting two and two together, I suddenly realized why it was that I had felt so¡­ unsecured down below. Eyes wide, I jumped to my feet, ¡°Hess! By Maeve! Those are¡­ Well¡­ they aren¡¯t exactly clean you know?¡± Hess and Jax, as one, looked back at me, and both sets of eyes immediately dropped down to my crotch. Jax¡¯s eyes widened and almost unconsciously, she hunched over and moaned loudly. She quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, but not before a shadow flickered into existence right beside her. Hess chuckled knowingly, ¡°Yes, it must be quite strong for you now.¡± Flicking her eyes back to me, she said, ¡°Donum, dear? Adjust yourself, please. You¡¯re going to give the poor thing a heart attack.¡± ¡°What?¡± I said, glancing down. Apparently, the ¡®hole¡¯ had take so much of my pant leg, that my block and tackle were hanging loose. Quickly, I spun around and frantically tried to tuck it back in, but it was a lost cause. My pants had a good amount of crotch room just as a matter of their cut, so there was no way for me to really secure anything that would stay. ¡°Dear?¡± Jax growled from behind me, not quite recovered from whatever it was that was affecting her. ¡°Since when do ye be havin¡¯ the right to address him so?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± she said, seemingly thinking it over, ¡°I suppose that would have been when we kissed?¡± ¡°When ye¡­¡± Jax trembled for a second and then, screaming, she and her shadow launched themselves at Hess. Hess smirked, and ignoring the shadow clone, casually caught Jax by the neck. Her amusement rapidly faded. Jax wildly gnashed her teeth and clawed at her arm in a frenzied, flailing assault, yelling, ¡°I¡¯ll kill ye, ye slattern! He were¡­ Ye got¡­¡± but suddenly, she stopped cold. One of her new claws had managed to draw the tiniest bit of blood. Bringing her fingers to her nose, she sniffed at it curiously. Slowly, she calmed. And then grinned toothily, ¡°Well, now¡­ I suppose ye do have the right, after all.¡± ¡°Could you two relax, please?¡± I said from the side. ¡°And stop talking in code? I don¡¯t have a clue what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°Donum, butt out, this is between¡­¡± Hess started, but she stopped when she looked at me. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I flushed a bit, put on the spot, as I was awkwardly pulling my slacks up and to the side. Quietly, I mumbled, ¡°The hole is too big. It keeps falling out.¡± They both stared at me for a moment. Slowly, they both started cracking smiles, and then tittered, and before I knew it, they had progressed to full on belly laughs. And I just stood there, self-consciously holding my pants. Chapter 32 - Heavy Things After my ever so dear companions laughed themselves out, we all settled down to make some much needed adjustments to our wardrobe. Unfortunately, we had neither thread nor a needle to sew it with, so it was all a very improvised affair. The two of them decided that it simply would not do to have me hanging loose all the time, as they claimed it was far too distracting, so while I stood there in the buff, my back turned and hands cupping my privates, they discussed what to do with my pants. ¡°I suppose the easiest thing to do would be to cut out the seam of the leg and make a loincloth out of it,¡± Hess suggested finally. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Jax grunted in agreement. Without another word, she began working at picking the thread apart, wanting to preserve as much cloth as possible. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, though,¡± Hess continued, ¡°To cover it up again, you know? Donum is starting to develop a nice little ass, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Mmmhaah~!¡± Jax gasped out. ¡°S-stop that! I be tryin¡¯ to work here.¡± Hess cackled loudly. Hoo¡­ boy¡­ nope nope nope¡­ don¡¯t think about it. Don¡¯t think about it. ¡°How ye doin¡¯ that, anyways?¡± Jax asked. ¡°Doing what?¡± Hess replied innocently. ¡°All I did was mention what a nice, tight little¡­¡± ¡°EeehHaaa!¡± I started bouncing on my toes. 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34¡­ uh¡­ 55? ¡°What is it?¡± Hess asked. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± I could practically feel Jax¡¯s eyes boring into me. ¡°Nothin¡¯¡± Jax replied, this time herself affecting innocence. ¡°Just figured sommat out be all.¡± Shit. After all of that was settled, Hess showed me how to go about tying my new loincloth. Surprisingly, there was more to it than you would think. Apparently, you had to tuck the thing between your legs and then wrap it around your waist a couple of times before tying it in the back. Somewhat like tying a necktie, it sounds simple, but I was certainly in a mental knot about it the first few times. However, after a couple of repetitions, I had it down. I was left with what was basically a baggy set of briefs and a bit of a flap down the front where, to my chagrin, my last remaining pocket was now hanging like a fanny pack. There was supposed to have been another flap down the back to cover my cheeks, but we did not quite have enough fabric for that. I glanced up at Hess, for a moment, as she helped to tuck in the final bit, ¡°You certainly seem to be taking this in stride.¡± She looked at me, ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand what walking has to do with it¡­ but if you¡¯re talking about that well¡­¡± she glanced behind me to where Jax was fiddling with something. ¡°Who do you think was carrying her around all day?¡± ¡°You knew all this time and you didn¡¯t say anything?¡± I asked, aghast. ¡°Not the whole time,¡± she admitted. ¡°But after you got knocked out, and I had to carry you two up here, I certainly put a few things together. Plus, I wanted to see your reaction when you figured out your buddy had become a girl. Shame I missed it.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t a girl, cow!¡± Jax groused. ¡°I hate to dust your mirror, but you¡¯re just as much a cow as I am now, little thing,¡± Hess teased. But then amended, ¡°Almost.¡± ¡°No, I ain¡¯t!¡± she said, getting louder. ¡°Almost?¡± I said quietly, curiosity etched into every corner of my face. ¡°You looked?¡± She smiled a bit, ¡°You bet I did. Do you¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell him!¡± Jax yelled. ¡°Oh, hush,¡± Hess smiled. ¡°What? Are you afraid of what he¡¯ll think about your little¡­¡± ¡°Hess,¡± she growled in warning. There was an animalistic undertone to it. She just winked at her and spun me around, ¡°She¡¯s done.¡± At first I was a little confused, because Jax had somehow miraculously acquired a top from out of nowhere. But then the pieces started to click. ¡°Is that your underwear?¡± ¡°Ye got ¡®er!¡± Jax said happily, with a slight bounce on her toes. She had apparently turned the thing upside down and cut out a hole for her head to go through. Her arms had gone through the leg holes and then she had used the drawstring to cinch it just under her little breasts. It¡­ worked. In a way. The garment was obviously not designed for that use, and you could tell it in the shoulders and from the bunching at her armpits. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you even bothered,¡± Hess said, continuing her little game. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have much of anything to support.¡± ¡°I got almost as much as ye, despite yer great bulk, ye jacky tube,¡± Jax shot back sullenly, crossing her arms. ¡°Ha! You only wish you did, you little¡­¡± ¡°Ladies!¡± I interrupted loudly. ¡°Settle, please. As much fun as you seem to be having lashing out at each other all the time, from my end, it¡¯s getting a little tiring. Now, for just a little while, can we not say anything cruel to one another?¡± ¡°Tell that to her!¡± Jax said, pointing for emphasis. ¡°Oh? All my doing is it? Never said anything rude to me, have you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me make it a command,¡± I said, starting to get genuinely pissed off. Jax¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°That ain¡¯t fair! Ye can nay command her yet!¡± I crossed my own arms to mirror her, ¡°I¡¯ll settle for what I can get.¡± Jax balled her hands into fists but then flinched, unused to her new claws. ¡°Fine,¡± she grumped, rubbing them sorrowfully. ¡°If she stays in line, then so will I.¡± ¡°Hey, there ya go,¡± Hess whispered, elbowing me. ¡°I knew you could take charge if you needed to.¡± I sighed, ¡°Hess¡­ I really don¡¯t appreciate being put into that position. It¡¯s¡­ kind of a stereotype.¡± Her eyebrows knitted together slightly, ¡°You have some very strange sayings. But, okay. I¡¯m sorry. You know I was only teasing?¡± ¡°Yes, I do,¡± I admitted. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that, if you¡¯re going to do it, it would be nice if you could find a way to tease her that doesn¡¯t end in a shouting match?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She looked at the ceiling for a moment, thinking. ¡°Challenge accepted.¡± I closed my eyes and sighed. ¡°I never seen the like,¡± Jax said, fascinated. Hess nodded solemnly, ¡°You¡¯d never see one held in the open like this on the streets. Believe it or not, even these are sold, but only in very large, very rich places.¡± The Gem of Power in her hand glimmered brightly enough to cast a green pallor over everything about a foot in every direction and was perhaps as wide as half the length of a pinky finger. Big enough to be quite a mouthful. Hess had pulled it out a moment before during her recounting of some of the events we had missed. ¡°What Rank is it?¡± I asked. ¡°This, dear little man, is a Grand Rank Three. This, by itself, would take someone in the Second Stratum up almost an entire Layer,¡± she explained. That did not mean a great deal to me, so I asked, ¡°How many Minor Rank Ones would you need to get close to that?¡± ¡°Maybe a thousand?¡± Hess estimated. ¡°A thousand!?¡± Jax exclaimed. And then a moment later, added, ¡°Is that more¡¯n a hundred?¡± Hess and I shared a look. ¡°Yes,¡± we said at the same time. Jax seemed excited by the answer, either unaware or uncaring that it was slightly at her expense. Fidgeting for a moment, she quietly said, ¡°Wonder what it¡¯d feel like if Donum¡¯d eat that one!¡± Hess quickly closed her hand around the stone, saying, ¡°It would feel like death. This contains too much power for someone in the Foundation Layers to survive. And even if you somehow could live through it, it would be a terrible waste.¡± She then tucked the little stone into her wrap at her chest. As I watched it disappear, I wondered if that were true. After all, Jax and I had¡­ sort of accidentally discovered an interesting little ritual. Not that I was keen to repeat the experience, but there remained the possibility of getting around the problem Hess had just described. Then again, I had no idea if it would still work with a stone as strong as that. ¡°You¡¯re not going to eat it?¡± I asked instead. One corner of her mouth quirked up and she sighed, ¡°Sadly, it would be a waste for me, also. I only need a stone half this strength to get to my next Layer.¡± ¡°Well, that sucks,¡± I said, making a face. ¡°After all we did to take out that flower, you can¡¯t even use the Gem from it?¡± She gave a light shrug, ¡°That¡¯s the way of it at times. What¡¯s worse, that explosion didn¡¯t even kill the thing in the end. I had to go back three times to finish it off.¡± ¡°That why yer so filthy?¡± Jax asked. She chuckled at the light barb, but instead of rising to it, she just flicked a speck of vegetable matter in Jax¡¯s general direction, ¡°That¡¯s right. Ended up having to pull the roots out to finally make it stop moving.¡± I grimaced, ¡°That may be my fault. I had a bit of a mishap with the fire.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± she said, smiling with a conciliatory pat on my back.. ¡°Can¡¯t expect every plan to give up the grease. Besides, it did plenty to weaken it for me. I¡¯d have never killed it otherwise.¡± ¡°What about yon chest?¡± Jax asked after a moment of scrubbing her nose. ¡°What were in it?¡± The corners of her mouth pulled down, ¡°About that¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t that take the biscuit¡­¡± Jax spat as we stared down at the chest. Hess had led us through what appeared to be a sewer or a storm drain of some kind to get back here. From what she had said, there were tunnels spread out all under the town, and from their complexity and size, it seemed to be massively over-engineered for such a little hamlet. Then again, it was not as if it were a real town. The Dungeon did not have to make sense if it did not want to. It was still difficult to navigate that section of the underground, despite the scant starlight filtering through the drains in the ceiling. Hess no longer had a lit torch, after all. ¡°How did you figure out where the safe room is?¡± I had asked, looking off at one of the many side branches that we were passing by. ¡°Got lucky,¡± she had replied. ¡°It was the first ladder I found in here. Thought I¡¯d take a look.¡± The rest of the short journey had been a straight shot back to the Tongue-Flower¡¯s room, minus the spot where the upper and lower passages reconverged, which was fortunate. The holes in the ceiling stopped as soon as we went beyond the domain of the village and we again descended into the tunnel, so the lack of light quickly became an issue. However, in the room itself, and slightly beyond, it was fairly easy to see, as most of the sconces were still lit. And speaking of, it was a disaster area. Although the walls seemed to be undamaged, save for various scorch marks marring their surface, the rest of the area was littered with bits of severed vines, flower petals, and stray dagger-sharp thorns everywhere. The middle of the room now also featured a large mound of soil from where Hess had apparently been busy digging up the last living remnants of the thing, though of course, no sign of any roots or the body of the plant remained in evidence as it had been converted and nestled into Hess¡¯ bosom. The three of us could not be bothered with any of that, however. Our attention was focused on the completely unmarked chest sitting to one side of the room and the rather obvious and completely intact lock that was currently holding it closed. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°You have it right,¡± Hess replied. ¡°It¡¯s just like the Dungeon to taunt us with a chest guarded by an almost unkillable monster and then have the thing be locked.¡± ¡°It did have a fairly fatal flaw, though,¡± I allowed as I leaned over to examine the lock. The key hole looked almost exactly like the ones we had seen before, with the triangular gem socket. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could break this? Or pick it?¡± I asked. She shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anyone who could break open a Dungeon chest. As for picking it, that is a skill, but I¡¯ve never gotten it.¡± ¡°Jax and I have skill points now,¡± I offered. ¡°Why don¡¯t we see if it¡¯s an option?¡± ¡°That¡¯ll make you very popular, if you do. A healer and a locksmith?¡± Hess said as she folded a leg over the chest to wait. It did not take me very long to discover a few things. One, lock picking, as a skill, was completely unavailable to me, in the manual sense, due to a class conflict. Two, I could purchase a spell that would accomplish the same thing, but it also was not available ¡®at my current Layer¡¯, unless of course, I was willing to get the version that only worked on mundane locks. So that was out. However, when I decided to go as vague as I possibly could with my query, asking for any skill that would help me get into this chest, I finally got a hit.
Lesser Divination Active Skill which allows the user to Divine the direction, in a straight line, directly toward any object. Duration of Spell improves with Skill Level.
I frowned. Well¡­ that was an option, anyway. Not a good one, but it could be helpful in finding the key. I was familiar with the concept of spells like these, and had even used them in various games. The problem was that they did not account for obstacles, pathing, or distance. So, if the object was any further than a few miles away, invariably you would get a heading that pointed you toward the ground due to the curvature of the Earth, leaving you to wonder if you needed to start walking or digging. Trying to find anything with them was tedious at best, but arguably better than nothing. ¡°I got a fat goose¡¯s egg,¡± Jax said. ¡°Says I ain¡¯t got the right class type.¡± I nodded. Probably, if we had gone with Scout, way back when, it would have been different. ¡°I have something here which might be useful,¡± I began. However, when I described the skill, Hess jumped in. ¡°Oh, I have something like that already. Picked it up for a treasure hunt back in¡­¡± she coughed into her hand, ¡°You know, it¡¯s a long story. Anyway, it¡¯s¡­ not very good. I usually forget I even have it, but I¡¯ll show you if you want.¡± Hmm. That sounded like it might have been juicy, but if she did not want to talk about it¡­ In any case, somewhat relieved, I gestured for her to go ahead. With a bemused smile, she hunted around for a moment before settling on one of the thorns lying about. Holding it in front of her, she spoke a few Words and then dropped it. I could not tell if anything interesting had happened, but after she examined it, she pronounced, ¡°It¡¯s that way.¡± ¡°The wall?¡± Jax asked incredulously. From where she was pointing, the heading was somewhere in the direction of the right-hand wall as you were coming from the graveyard but angled such that it might have been off somewhere in the storm drain area. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to need to triangulate,¡± I mused. After a few more casts and backtracking, we discovered that it was indeed located somewhere in the maze-like drainage area under the town. And it was there that Hess made an unpopular announcement. ¡°I think this is a project you two can handle by yourselves,¡± she began. ¡°I¡¯m filthy, and I¡¯ve only had two hours of sleep in as many days. So, I¡¯m going to go wash up and wrestle down my eyelids. I¡¯ll be in the safe room once you¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Y¡¯expect us to wander this warren all by our ownselves?¡± Jax exclaimed. ¡°What if we run into beasties?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only seen a few big rats so far,¡± she replied. ¡°They only dropped Minor Rank Ones, so you should be fine. If you find something you can¡¯t handle¡­ I don¡¯t know. Run away, I guess?¡± ¡°What if we get lost?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh¡­ uh¡­. Yeah, don¡¯t do that,¡± she replied unhelpfully. And without another word, she turned and walked back up the path toward the fountain, presumably to scrape some of the gunk off of her skin.. Jax growled low in her throat. ¡°I¡¯ll be glad when ye finally bind that bitch. I¡¯ll relish seein¡¯ her under yer heel, I will.¡± I rocked back onto my heels at that. ¡°Geez, Jax. That¡¯s a bit harsh.¡± Ever since she had woken up, she had seemed particularly aggressive toward Sherr Hess, even going so far as to actually attack her. I had a few suspicions as to why¡­ not that they made any sense to me. In any case, the first order of business was to try to mend this rift that had formed between my two companions. ¡°Despite her tone, she¡¯s right. While we¡¯ve been sleeping, she¡¯s been all alone doing the grunt work to keep us alive. She¡¯s practically carried us through this Dungeon so far. Literally, on several occasions. She hasn¡¯t even eaten since we got here. Besides, it won¡¯t hurt us to carry our own weight for a while.¡± ¡°Ye mean ye hope it won¡¯t hurt us,¡± she snapped. But, as she considered what I¡¯d said, she slowly melted. Finally, she said, ¡°I suppose ye¡¯ve the right of it. Still, I wish she¡¯d not act so¡­¡± she stopped, as if looking for the right word. ¡°Entitled?¡± I supplied. She grunted noncommittally, ¡°Maybe. More like¡­ unconcerned?¡± There was some truth to that. Hess could be a bit much at times. But her laxness had given me the occasion to grow, not that it was at all likely to have been intentional on her part. Heaving a sigh, I squatting down, took up a stray white pebble and scratched an arrow along the last heading Hess had divined for us into the cobblestone. After I had done, I stayed there, staring down at the mark. Finally, I asked, ¡°Why would you want me to bind her, anyway? The way you talk, I would have thought you¡¯d want to get rid of her.¡± ¡°Get rid o¡¯ her?¡± she scoffed. ¡°Doubt that. Yer in her blood, Donum.¡± ¡°Her blood?¡± I looked up at her in surprise. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Before, when I scratched her?¡± she said, squatting down next to me. ¡°I scented ye on her blood. Yer a part o¡¯ her now.¡± I opened my mouth to speak, but there were too many questions I wanted to ask all at once. And for some reason, the first one to escape my lips was, perhaps, the least important. ¡°I have a scent?¡± The idea bothered me. I could not point a finger as to why, but for some reason it did. And not just in the usual sense. Jax laughed, taken aback, ¡°Course ye do. I could find ye n¡¯a crowd easy enough. Don¡¯t ask me to put words to ¡®er, though.¡± I twisted my mouth self-consciously before asking, ¡°I don¡¯t smell bad, though, do I?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Jax began teasingly, ¡°yer a bit ripe, I¡¯d say. A splash o¡¯ flower water¡¯d do ye some good, mayhap.¡± Then she flicked my nose, ¡°But that ain¡¯t the real question. Ye want to know ¡®bout her blood. How ye got in there. And what it means.¡± I nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. How did you know that?¡± She quirked an eyebrow at me, ¡°Cause, I¡¯d like to know them things, too.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Of course. She had been so strangely knowledgeable lately, that I had forgotten that it seemed to be mostly a combination of guesswork and instinct that was driving her. It was not reasonable to assume that she would suddenly have all of the answers. Then again, one does not usually expect a person to pick up another person¡¯s scent. Blood or no. I was a bit adrift here. ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know anything about this blood business, but I can tell you that I got a notice recently. It said something about my influence and how she was now a candidate for the binding. Maybe that has something to do with it?¡± She narrowed her eyes, ¡°Mayhap it be to do with that kiss she mentioned.¡± I sighed. Here that was again. ¡°Jax¡­ why is something like that bothering you? Not a week ago, you were talking about taking me to a whore house to relieve tension. Now? I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s like you¡¯re jealous.¡± Her eyes flashed at the mention of prostitutes, but she could not deny her own words. Taking on a hunted expression, she cast about for how to answer, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± Closing her eyes, she took a breath, ¡°I were different then. Less whole. I don¡¯t¡­ I hate the idea of some¡­ someone not yer own samplin¡¯ o¡¯ ye.¡± I blinked a few times at that. ¡°Someone¡­ not my own? Like Hess?¡± ¡°Her?¡± she laughed dismissively. ¡°Nay, nay. Like ye said. She be a candidate proper now. I do nay mind that.¡± ¡°What?¡± I was seriously confused now, ¡°That can¡¯t be true, or else you wouldn¡¯t be so bent out of shape about the kiss thing.¡± Her back stiffened, ¡°That be sommat else entire.¡± ¡°Something else? What¡­¡± I stammered. ¡°Jax, if we aren¡¯t talking about the kiss¡­ What were you talking about?¡± ¡°Whores, Donum!¡± she shouted. ¡°It be two different things! Some trollop and Hess gettin¡¯ a kiss when even I ain¡¯t¡­¡± She stopped suddenly, her face flushing crimson. I stared at her. I did not yet have the whole picture, but some of it had certainly just been filled in. ¡°So¡­ you are jealous then.¡± Slowly, her face transformed into a mask of fury and she jumped to her feet, ¡°It ain¡¯t a question o¡¯ jealousy! It be a question o¡¯ place! Yer mine! I be first! First Lilim! If someone gonna k¡ª k¡ª kiss ye¡­¡± he voice trailed off and she began to breath hard, ¡°If someone gonna k-kiss yaaaaaah~!¡± She grit her teeth and stamped the ground angrily as a shadow clone materialized next to her, ¡°Whore¡¯s fud! I¡¯m gonna k-kiss¡­¡± she suddenly seized up, trembling, and collapsed to her hands and knees. Reaching forward in concern, I grabbed her shoulders, ¡°Jax, are you okay?¡± Still panting, she looked up and our eyes met. Without another word, she pushed through my arms and our lips locked together. She was incessant and greedy, uncompromising. Slowly, she began to work my teeth open with her tongue and whimper. And despite myself, I began to respond. As I began to stiffen, she broke away, her eyes heavy, ¡°Ah~ There ye be¡­¡± Reaching down, she grasped my length, and began to roughly stroke it through the fabric of my loincloth. ¡°I knew it. I knew ye¡¯d rise fer me if I¡­¡± She froze, and her head whipped around, her ears twitching as she scanned the dimly lit hallway. ¡°Jax?¡± I started, but she clapped a hand over my mouth. Out of the darkness, we heard a hiss, and something jumped at us only to be intercepted by Jax¡¯s shadow. As it rapidly faded, Jax bared her teeth and snarled, ¡°Damned Rats!¡± Materializing her axe to her hand, she leapt at it and started hacking, ¡°I¡¯ll be teachin¡¯ ye. To interrupt. Me. While. I. Be. Feeding!¡± As her axe fell for the last time, we were both infused with a rush of Life Energy. Jax threw her head back and stood exulting in it for a long moment, her gaze fixed on the grate above and the star light filtering through it. Finally, she turned to look at me from over her shoulder. I was feeling¡­ intensely conflicted. Joy and fulfillment from the after effects of the Life infusion, a bit confused yet still slightly aroused from that kiss, and underlying it was a sense of worry and shame. But I did not say anything. I only stared back at her. Leaving the rat to bleed out on the cobblestone, she slowly approached me, letting the axe drop and dissolve into the air. Squatting down in front of me, she gently caressed my cheek. I could not be totally sure from the dim light, but it almost seemed as if tears were glistening in her eyes. ¡°Someday,¡± she whispered. ¡°Someday, ye¡¯ll look at me without guilt in yer heart.¡± As we slowly shuffled along in the dark, the events of the last half hour kept playing themselves out in my mind, over and over. My emotions were in complete turmoil. I was not equipped for this. Not emotionally. I had thought that someday I would manage to find a nice girl who thought my jokes were funny and maybe, if I was lucky, would be kind of into the nerd scene. That was what my mental framework had been built around, and the anticipation of that sort of relationship was all that I had been prepared for. But this? What even was this? Jax had been a man not so long ago. Had been an entirely different species, in point of fact. And she was not done yet. Worse, she seemed to have developed some sort of feelings for me. I could not tell what they were, either. Lust seemed to be there, certainly. Perhaps love, even. But the pieces were not fitting together properly in my mind. This had¡­ an alien ¡ª perhaps you could even call it inhuman ¡ª quality to all of it that had me completely at a loss. And that only served to reinforce how strange it all was and how weird I felt about it. She had been upset that she had been interrupted while she was feeding, she had said. Not making out. Not sharing a moment of intimacy. Feeding. And then she had cried because I felt guilty about it? What the fuck? Of course, I would feel guilty about it! I was all too keenly aware of the fact that none of this would have happened had I not cast that binding in the first place. Everything between the two of us could be traced to that one act, and my lack of knowledge over what that meant was eating at me constantly. How much control did Jax really have over her own actions? Did she want to kiss me for her own sake? Was it just to feed? Or was something else involved? I knew my aura was supposed to ramp up her level of arousal a little, and I had finally figured out that at high levels it seemed to really reinforce her sexual thoughts. But then, there remained the question of whether that was just in general or specifically thoughts about me, and I was terrified of what the answer might be. ¡°This be ridiculous!¡± Jax hissed and stopped. ¡°I can nay see a bloody thing, I can smell rats everywhere, and you keep peltin¡¯ me with yer self-loathin¡¯! How¡¯m I supposed to find jobby all like this?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I said quietly. ¡°Do nay be sorry!¡± she snapped. ¡°Explain yer ownself! Explain why ye hate yerself fer kissin¡¯ me! Explain why ye flinch when I touch you. Am I so ugly to yer eyes? Is it because I ain¡¯t complete, yet? Is it¡­¡± she stopped, beginning to choke on her words. ¡°What? No. No!¡± I said, perhaps a bit too loudly. Nervously, I paused to listen for a few breaths before letting out a sigh. This conversation really needed to happen, but it was a horrible time to be having it. Taking a slow, calming breath, I quietly began to put to words what had been steadily growing and eating away at me for days now. ¡°Rape me?¡± Jax said, like that might have been the stupidest thing she had ever heard. ¡°Donum, ye could nay rape me if ye wanted to! Ne¡¯er even if ye tried!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about holding you down against your will,¡± I said, trying to explain it better. ¡°I¡¯m saying that I¡¯m afraid that somehow I¡¯ve removed your will entirely. That somehow I¡¯ve¡­ I don¡¯t know. Circumvented your will. That this¡­ whatever this is¡­ is not because you¡­ or I want it to be, but because of the binding and the effect it¡¯s having on you.¡± ¡°Donum,¡± she reached out like she might choke me, but she closed her eyes to calm herself. ¡°Donum, I hear ye,¡± she enunciated very deliberately, like she was trying not to scream. ¡°Now hear me. And listen clear. This bindin¡¯ yer so afraid of¡­ I ain¡¯t bound only to ye. We be bound together.¡± I shook my head, ¡°Jax¡­ I can give you commands, though. I can make you do things against your will.¡± ¡°Aye. I know it. Were it yer will, then, fer me to push ye down? Kiss ye breathless?¡± she asked, aggressively. ¡°Were it yer will for me to take hold o¡¯ ye?¡± ¡°No,¡± I had to admit. ¡°No, and well I know it,¡± she snarled. ¡°I wanted that. If anything, it were I what¡­¡± She stopped. Then, her eyes drifting away, she repeated, quietly, ¡°It were I what¡­¡± Slowly, she brought her hands to her face and began to tremble. ¡°That be it¡­¡± she whispered to herself. ¡°Jax,¡± I began, but she spoke over me. ¡°No, no, that be it! I almost r¡ª¡± she made a noise, like she was going to be sick and dropped to her knees. Panting, she started again, ¡°I almost r-raped ye! I did. If it hadn¡¯t been for that rat¡­¡± I shook my head to deny it, but she was emphatic. Quickly becoming more and more agitated. ¡°I did! I did! Oh by Law! Ye nay¡¯ven realize it!¡± she was steadily getting louder, and I tried to shush her. But she could not be stopped, ¡°Ye reacted just like they did!¡± I flinched back. The implication she had just dropped was as heavy as a block of lead, and my eyes widened. But over her increasingly frantic sobs, I began hearing skittering in the dark. This was not the time! ¡°Jax¡­¡± I shout whispered, trying to get her attention, but she could not be distracted. ¡°I thought¡­ I thought ye were excited fer me kiss, I did! I felt yer desire. Wanted it so bad. I did nay think! I¡­ I ruined it!¡± she cried. ¡°Jax, please, not now! Rats¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ye understand? They got wet, too! The boys always said it were because they wanted it, but I knew! They always looked at me with such hatred, I could nay but hate them back. Hate them as I¡­ as I¡­ But I knew! I knew it weren¡¯t for me. Weren¡¯t only fer me. Understand? They hated themselves!¡± Jax was such a sobbing wreck, that in that moment, I truly began to understand the phrase ¡®sympathy for the devil¡¯. But I could not console her, could not afford anger, could not let myself feel disgust. They were coming. ¡°Jax!¡± I yelled, forcefully, despising myself for what I was about to do. What I had to do. ¡°Stand up! Summon your axe! Defend us!¡± Chapter 33 - The Rodent Rodat As my barked commands washed over her, Jax rose to her feet limply, like a marionette being pulled from a steamer trunk. And though she stood, though her axe materialized in her hand, her head hung from her shoulders as a disconnected thing, still sobbing uncontrollably. When the first rat hit her, she stumbled, taken by surprise. Whether it was from the tears blurring her vision or just the simple lack of light, she could barely see to react, but when its teeth sank into her flesh, she screamed and, twisting, threw the thing into the wall. I do not know if she killed it or had even really injured it, but she did not follow up. She merely staggered in place, barely even acknowledging that anything had happened, her axe limp in her hand. Before I could so much as blink, a second had leapt to her hunched back and began tearing at her shoulders. That was the first time I got a real look at what we were facing. I could not tell you what color they were, if they had markings, or much of any real significance. But they were big. Before even factoring in the tail, these things were as long as a man¡¯s forearm and easily three times as thick. To call them rats was like calling a mountain lion a house cat. And as I quickly glanced out into the tunnels, I could see more of them coming. Dozens perhaps. It was hard to tell in the dim light. All I could see were furry waves undulating towards us as they came. Jax¡¯s arm lifelessly reached up and speared her attacker with her claws, ripping it off her shoulder in a spray of blood. She barely flinched as the thing¡¯s claws tore at her to keep purchase, and slamming it into the ground, her axe quickly followed, descended with a sickening thud. And as she lifted it overhead for a second swing, two more of the creatures barreled into her. She had not even attempted to dodge. Rather, she almost seemed to embrace them as they came. As she fell back, she released her axe and instead tore into them with her claws. Yet as she traced lines of blood into their flesh, her head lolled back, almost like she was exposing her throat to them. What the hell is she doing? It was like watching a sick animal fight. There was no skill involved, only base instinct and simple reactions to pain. Falling back from their weight, she turned as they went to the ground and crushed them beneath her. She made no effort to move, though she continued ravaging them as they squirmed to escape. At least until a third tore into her ankle. Shit, she¡¯s getting torn apart. Hastily, I summoned my regeneration spell to mind, and remembering the difficulties of it, I carefully let the Words spill into the world. As her axe reformed mid-air, descending to cleave the rat at her feet in twain, my spell gently began to reknit her flesh, and she gasped. It was as if she suddenly remembered where she was and what she was doing. And she rejected it. ¡°No! Don¡¯t! I do nay deserve yer Life. Let them have me, Donum!¡± her voice broke as she spoke. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I shouted. ¡°Fight! Fight or we¡¯ll die!¡± Three more rats ran up to replace the one she had just slain. One grabbed her wrist, yanking it away from the handle of her axe which dissolved away. She barely took heed of it, and simply pulled the thing into her teeth, jerking it about like a dog with a rabbit. But then another slammed into her torso, and she went down again. I took a step forward to help her, momentarily forgetting myself, and the third turned immediately. My eyes widened as I realized my mistake, and the rat ran for me. Stumbling back, I lost sight of it in the shadows for an instant, and out of a combination of panic and instinct, I ducked. I never saw what happened, but suddenly, I heard something smash into the wall behind me and tumble to the ground. Frantically, I scanned for it, but it was lost to the darkness. I just had to hope that it had knocked itself out. Sparing a glance for Jax, she had separated herself from the two most recent attackers and regained her feet, but she was merely staggering around and blindly swinging about herself with her claws. ¡°Damn it, Jax! Summon your axe! Fight for real!¡± I shouted. ¡°No!¡± she yelled back even as the axe reformed in her hand. ¡°I do nay want to live no more! I be a monster! A monster in life and a monster now. I do nay deserve to be yer lilim!¡± ¡°What¡­¡± I started, but a searing pain lanced up my calf as my unseen assailant latched onto me from behind. With a yelp, I collapsed. ¡°Donum!¡± Jax cried, and she ran for me. I was lying on my back, desperately kicking with my free leg to dislodge the thing from my ankle, when Jax arrived and, screaming, lopped the thing¡¯s head from its shoulders. Chest heaving and trying to get my breath back under control, I looked up and our eyes met. I could only discern the faintest of glimmers there, but even then I could see the tears pouring from her. She was breaking. I had to do something. I had to give her something to hold on to or we would both be torn apart. And it pissed me the fuck off. ¡°By the Watcher¡¯s Black Eye, Jax!¡± I yelled at the top of my lungs as I staggered to my feet. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another of the bastards coming for us, and I kicked it away savagely. ¡°Who the fuck said anything about ¡®deserve¡¯? Did the victims of you and your old pals deserve to get what you gave them? Un-fucking-likely. Rat!¡± I pointed. Jax mindlessly spun and started swinging blindly at the thing, but it skipped back into a shadow and she lost sight of it. ¡°Did you deserve to be forced into a life of banditry by some Goddess whose Laws you barely even understand? Debatable. Did you¡­ there!¡± The thing jumped at her, getting under her swing, and she had to abandon her axe again for tooth and claw. The two of them went down in a snarling mess, rolling over each other in a fight for dominance. I continued yelling over them, ¡°Did you deserve to be born to a whore who cast you into the streets? Did you deserve to have to fight for survival your whole life just for your next scrap of bread?¡± She finally threw the thing off of her, and it skidded to a stop next to me. Taking a breath from my tirade, I stomped down on its head to pin it in place so that she could finish it. ¡°And did I deserve to be dropped into this Goddess forsaken hellhole having to fight for my fucking life every fucking day? No, no, and abso-fucking-lutely not! Now¡­ Shit!¡± my eyes widened as another writhing mass of them skidded around the corner. At my shout, Jax swung around, jerking her axe free from her victim at my feet and taking a hesitant stance in front of me. She managed all of one swing before she was taken to the ground. I could not count how many of them were on her. It was too dark, and they were moving too fast. All I could see was claws flashing and fur flying and hear the screams of the wounded, both of lilim and beast. Quickly centering myself again, I pushed out another regeneration spell in the hopes that it would keep her alive long enough to get through this, and my stomach tightened in warning. That Life infusion from earlier had not given me much, and her ability had yet to proc again so far. Quickly casting about for another way to help, my eyes landed on the corpse lying underfoot, and I grabbed it up by the tail. Swinging it overhead like a morbid flail, I started laying about Jax with it, smashing body to dead body in an attempt to give her enough breathing room to get the upper hand. ¡°There is no ¡®deserve¡¯, Jax!¡± I yelled as I swung. ¡°There is just life! Life and what we choose to do with it! Now get your ass up!¡± I said as I bashed the last one spinning into the darkness. Shakily, she got to her knees. She was bleeding heavily even as her flesh continued to knit itself together from my spell. She showed no visible signs of pain or pleasure, only looking up at me. Finally, she whispered, ¡°But I almost raped ye. Donum, I be an evil thing. Cursed and cast out. Ye be better off without me.¡± I closed my eyes for a moment and sighed. I could still hear more out there. We had seconds at best. I needed to be done with this. ¡°Maybe you did. Maybe you didn¡¯t. We can debate that some other time.¡± Reaching down, I grasped her hand and hauled her to her feet. ¡°And maybe you were evil. You¡¯ve definitely seen it. You¡¯ve certainly done it. But¡­¡± I clasped a hand to her shoulder, ¡°Now at least you know what to look for. Now at least you know it when you see it. Now you can avoid it! Now you can fight it! Now you can be wiser! Now you can be better. Be better, Jax! Be better for me! Be my lilim! And I will be those things for you! Together, we will survive! And maybe, one day, you might deserve forgiveness!¡± A long few seconds passed then. She just stared at me, slowly breathing. In the dim light, her expression was unreadable, so I could not tell if what I said had helped at all. But just as I was about to try again, she opened her mouth to speak. ¡°Be better. Be better for ye. Be yer lilim,¡± she repeated back in a whisper. The words were dull, robotic things spilling from her mouth. I realized then, that in my attempt to quickly cobble together some kind of motivational rhetoric, I had momentarily forgotten myself and lapsed into a commanding tone. ¡°Oh¡­ no, Jax, I only meant¡­¡± I began, but she quickly clapped her hand over my mouth. ¡°Be better. Be better for ye. Be yer lilim,¡± she said again, louder, with more conviction. Quickly, I jerked back and tried again, ¡°Jax, no! I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± She jumped to follow me and forcefully brought both of her hands to my lips again to stop me. ¡°No! I want it!¡± she cried, her voice still breaking with emotion. ¡°Do nay take it away! I will be better! I will be better for ye! I be yer lilim, Donum!¡± My eyebrows knitted together in concern as we held each other¡¯s eyes for another precious second. Finally, in frustration, I pushed her back, ¡°Fine!¡± Sparing an eye for the path ahead, I could see more of them gathering, preparing for the next assault. If whatever I had said was giving her something to latch onto, then I would accept it, no matter that it had been unintentional. Getting out of here alive was priority one. Plus, ¡®better¡¯ was an awfully broad concept, she could interpret it in a great many ways. If there was anything negative about it, it did not occur to me in the moment. I just did not have time to think. ¡°Fine. But we will talk about this later!¡± ¡°As ye wish, Donum,¡± she said, spinning to face the onrushing mob. As the light of her materializing axe briefly illuminated her face, I saw a renewed expression of determination there. ¡°Yer lilim stands ready!¡± They were on us in an instant. Dozens of them. All at once. But true to her word, Jax was ready to fight. Quickly skipping to the side as the first of the pack came for her, her axe slashed once. Twice. And as many were slain. But before their life had even finished falling to the ground, four more replaced them. She could not hold so many. It was impossible. However, this time, she was fighting for real, ready to bring all of her weapons to bear. Hastily ducking into the darkness to break their line of sight, they hesitated just long enough for her axe to take another. Beyond that, I could not see. Too much was happening all at once, and most of it was obscured from me. Taking a breath, I cast about for how I could help. I still held my improvised flail by the tail, but if I moved now, I would promptly be overwhelmed. As for spells, I had two. My heal and one for stealth. Stealth, I figured, would probably do us little good just now, but technically, the thing was called ¡®Fortunate Shadows¡¯. And we could use a bit of luck. Bringing the Words to mind, I carefully went over them a few times before making my attempt. Even then, I still fumbled twice before I got it out. I had yet to get as much practice with this one as with the heal. As the last syllable escaped my lips, the heavy shadows surrounding us slowly bent, trying to keep the two of us obscured even as it denied the rats the same. It helped a little. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Jax briefly dove through a faint ray of light, swinging her axe in a crescent as she did. A rat shrieked as its blood was violently forced to mimic the display, and Jax landed somewhere in the now moving darkness. But when it passed, she was nowhere to be seen. I grinned. She was using the shadows to her advantage, bringing her fighting style into play. Finally. Just then, one of the rats passed close enough to me to see through my personal field of forgetfulness, and it hissed at me in surprise. I sucked in a breath as I prepared myself for the ensuing pandemonium defending myself would no doubt bring down on me, but before I could even step back, her axe appeared out of nowhere, flying through the air and taking the rat with it. She must have sensed my panic and reacted in an instant. I was gobsmacked. She was really taking this ¡®be better¡¯ business to heart. Unfortunately, when the axe dissolved and flashed back into her hand, the light of the effect gave away her position. ¡°Ugh¡­ fuck. Got a howlin¡¯ lavvy fer a head, I do.¡± The rats reacted instantly, coming for her en masse. She continued to cut them down, but from her screams and cursing, she was starting to be overrun. ¡°Do you need healing?¡± I yelled. I could not see a damned thing, even with the shadows trying their best to help us out. There was just too much darkness and too little light. ¡°No, save it!¡± she called back, sending a rat to sail past my head and crack against the stonework behind me. I was sorely tempted to follow its path, but I determinedly held still. ¡°Wait until I can get this ruddy bag of a skill to work. Ye can nay spare the Life, yet! Arrgh, fucker!¡± Her axe was briefly illuminated by a trace of light as it swung down to punish her attacker, but it jumped clear. ¡°Come back here, ye minced scrote!¡± I winced a bit. Clearly, my little command had not cleaned up her language at all. Unless, of course, she had gone the other direction and decided she should get better at cursing. I grimaced at the thought. Yeah¡­ that would be just like her, too. One of the rats I had not seen must have gotten behind her, because suddenly, she yelped and stumbled into the light, hopelessly trying to get it off by grabbing at it with her claws before giving it up and simply falling back on it. Three more jumped on her before she could so much as sit up again. ¡°Try to moan, Jax!¡± I called out. ¡°Use your shadows to distract them!¡± ¡°Uhhaaargh! Shite pile of a roaster¡¯s gizzard!¡± she cursed as one of them bit her right on one of her still budding breasts. I will not describe what she did to it in retaliation. ¡°The fuck am I supposed to get in the mood with these sacks o¡¯ rotted bile chewin¡¯ at me?!¡± she yelled after spitting bits of now dead rat from her mouth. Pale and slightly nauseated, I had to admit, that was a very good point. Pain was quite the buzz kill. At best, she could try to fake it, but we had seen the lackluster clones that resulted in. Still, they would be better than nothing. I was about to suggest she at least make the effort when one of her claws pierced the eye of a rat that had been trying to get to her neck as she rolled on the ground. That kill finally triggered another of her Life stealing infusions, and we gasped at the sudden rush of new energy. Jax hugged the drained rat to herself and moaned, perhaps a little more than she really felt, but a nice and dark clone fell away from her all the same. She took the opportunity to roll into a slowly approaching patch of darkness while some half of her attackers went for her double. It dissolved quickly, but seeing her regain some breathing room helped me to relax just enough to get an idea. It was¡­ a little sketchy, but it might help. ¡°Jax, I¡¯m about to heal you. But before I do, I¡¯m going to give you a command. Not a permanent one, just for now. I don¡¯t really¡­¡± ¡°Will ye shut up and be on about it!¡± she yelled, interrupting me. A rat descended swiftly to the floor from out of the shadows, like it was attached to the end of a rope. But when it bounced, I saw her hand come loose of the thing¡¯s jaws. ¡°If it helps me kill rats, then I be over the fuckin¡¯ moon!¡± Fair enough. I needed to follow my own advice. Live first. Worry about morals later. ¡°Alright, then! Hear this and obey!¡± I yelled, taking a breath to assemble the command in my mind. ¡°My heals give you pleasure, and I know you enjoy it. But before you can be healed, you must be injured. And with injury, there is pain. To earn that pleasure, you must feel pain. Pain is a signal for you. It means there will be pleasure. That meaning will build in you. It makes your heart race! It makes your skin flush! It arouses you! And the more pain you feel, the more anticipation will build for the pleasure to come. Obey!¡± I had no idea if that would actually work, but if she was going to use her shadows in combat effectively, she was going to need something like it. Closing my eyes, I began assembling the promised spell, having to drop the other to concentrate. ¡°The fuck, Donum?¡± she said, almost laughing despite being nearly blind and heavily injured. ¡°Yer bum¡¯s out the window if yer thinkin¡¯ I can suddennnaah~,¡± she was cut short as my follow up heal started to take hold. Several clones skipped through the light as she readily embraced the ecstasy coursing through her, using it to gain a moment of breathing room. Maybe her skill was improving, but to my eyes, the shadows seemed to be trying to avoid the jaws of the many rats, and they darted about in confusion as they chased the patches of darkness around, trying to bring them low. From my vantage in the deep shadows, it looked like an anthill had been kicked over. As they juked this way and that, almost faster than I could keep track of, I realized that there could have been twenty rats in here with us as easily as there were five. They were just too fast. Soon enough though, Jax dove into the middle of them, waving her axe about like a maniac despite the spell being as yet unfinished and clutching her still injured hand to her chest. She was determined to use the confusion to take out as many as she could. As the first shadow blinked out of existence, I realized her advantage was going to be short lived. I had to keep going. Keep thinking. Briefly, I debated whether to recast Fortunate Shadows or just enter the fray myself. I did not think I could do both ¡ª I was still a bit out of breath from holding it the first time. What is more, the spell had not even helped all that much, and though I would likely get torn to shreds, if I started to fight, at least there would be another warm body out there to help spread the rat¡¯s attention. She had stopped summoning new shadows, after all. Either my command had not worked or it needed some time to build. As I stood there, wrestling with indecision, it suddenly occurred to me that I had yet to spend my skill point. That was it! A new spell had the potential to turn the tide¡­ but what to pick? It was far too open of a question for me to think about clearly in the here and now. ¡°Jax! I can buy a spell!¡± I called out. ¡°What do you need? Don¡¯t think! What do you need right now?¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Jax yelled visciously as she brought her axe down yet again. She was panting roughly, getting slower as the fight drew out. ¡°By Mercy¡¯s Hand, the fuck do I know, Donum?¡± she retorted, throwing another rat off of her. She moved to finish it, but it was lost to her in the darkness. ¡°Bloody roasted dripping fud! Be fuckin¡¯ nice to see fer once!¡± See. See. Right, that was good. It was simple. Basic. And undoubtedly helpful. Without thinking about it further than that, I whispered my prayer, ¡°Lady Bline. Hear me. I need a spell. I need a spell to turn the tide of this battle. I need a spell so that we can live. Please. Give me something good so that we can see our foes!¡± Her reply was quick, like she had only been waiting for me to ask.
Unclothe the Darkness Modifier for [Active Skill: Fortunate Shadows]. May be joined to the spell to add [Light Tracing] to its effect. Raises overall endurance cost to maintain. Effectiveness and cost improve with skill level. May be cast independently by including first Word of base Skill.
I did not bother to read it beyond the name. It was¡­ a bit suggestive, but that was becoming par for the course. I would have to take it on faith that She had not screwed me over with this. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll take it. Thank you.¡± The Words came to my ears quickly this time, almost as if they were anxious for me to hear them, unwilling to spare the time for the usual pageantry. As they settled into my consciousness, I had a moment of panic as their use came to me. In order to activate it, I had to add it to the end of Fortunate Shadows. I was not sure what it would do, but it would essentially be like casting two spells at the same time. And then holding them. First, though, I had to actually cast the damned thing, and from the unidentifiable Words now tumbling through my brain, it had at least doubled in length. ¡°Alright, Jax. Hold on. I¡¯ve got¡­ a thing,¡± I called out to warn her, but she and her clones had disappeared into the black somewhere. I could still hear her just fine, though. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ hurry, whatever yer gonna do!¡± she shouted. ¡°I¡¯m gettin¡¯ me¡­ Ow! Ye little¡­¡± she giggled a bit, ¡°That¡­ that were naughty. I¡¯ll have to punish ye fer that one, ye blighter.¡± The aforementioned rat briefly entered my view, sailing across the small band of light to smack against the far wall. Her axe followed it in short order, and I heard a pained squeal as it struck home. I was not sure exactly where that teasing tone had come from, but the extreme violence that followed it made my brain skip a beat. However, when the weapon reformed in her hand, I got a brief glimpse of her. She was fighting tooth and nail but with an odd sort of expression on her face. It seemed caught somewhere between anger, pain, exhaustion, and¡­ something. Whatever it was, I did not have the time to think about it. Giving my head a quick shake, I prepared myself. I ran the spell through my mind once. Twice. And nodded. Taking a breath, I began. The first part came fairly quickly, but as more Words came, I stumbled. It was like I had been practicing a simple tongue twister and then suddenly been asked to recite it again but backwards on the fly. I grit my teeth. The longer I took to do this, the worse off we would be. ¡°Ack! Blighted melter!¡± Wham! Clang! ¡°That¡­ Hmm¡­ That ain¡¯t fer you to be bitin¡¯!¡± She almost sounded drunk. Perhaps from blood loss? I blinked a few times, distracted as a Jax shaped shadow and several rats passed by. I quirked an eyebrow as realization came. Maybe that command was doing something, after all. Good. She needed to use those shadows. But I could not think about that. Centering myself, I tried again. I started quickly, wanting to get to the meat of it, but I stuttered on the third syllable. ¡°Fah! Shitballs,¡± I swore. ¡°Any day now, Donum,¡± Jax said, almost in a teasing tone. ¡°And maybe¡­ Rahha ha ha! Mmmmh! Oh, you fucker!¡± Jax and one of her clones briefly rolled into the light, taking the time to rip at the offender with her bare claws. She quickly darted away, leaving it there to bleed out, while her shadow went the other way. ¡°Maybe when yer done, I could use another heal. These things are tryin¡¯ to fell me like a tree, they are.¡± I frowned, the spell fizzling in my mind. ¡°What do you want first? Light or healing? I can only do one at a time!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Ow!¡± she sucked in a breath. ¡°Mercy¡­ me nipples be tight¡¯ah~ I¡­¡± Clang! ¡°Light, I guess. I can nay see¡­ Mmm, Donum¡­ I can nay see to fight¡­ fer yeee¡­¡± She was starting to get a breathy tone to her voice, and it was beginning to do things to my anatomy that was entirely unhelpful in this situation. I shook my head once to get my head back on straight, but one of her shadows breezed past me, gently caressing my cheek. ¡°Do nay fight it, Donum!¡± she called. ¡°It feeds me. Gives me strength to keep¡­¡± she paused, ¡°I¡­ I be sorry, Donum. I were doin¡¯ it again. I got no right¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Jax,¡± I said, quickly interrupting her. The last thing I needed was for her to break down again. ¡°If it keeps your strength up, it¡¯s fine. You have my permission. Just wait until I cast this spell. It¡¯s distracting!¡± I did not wait for her reply, though I heard her groan of disappointment. Instead, I closed my eyes in an effort to shut everything out and started again. This time, it was a measured, deliberate affair. Each syllable was delivered with the halted punctuation of a hammer slamming a bent nail into timber. But I did it. The spell was cast. And it settled on me like a sandbag on a jogger running uphill. Weak kneed from the weight of it, I opened my eyes¡­ to a new world. The shadows had come to life again, struggling to keep Jax within them and deny the rats the same, just like before. However, now there was something else. White lines of light were everywhere, tracing the outlines of everything I could see¡­ and could not. Where the shadows were the deepest, the lines were brighter. It was as if someone had come down and inscribed the world with a phosphorescent pencil just for me. And brightest of all were the rats. And Jax. Every time anything moved, their outlines surged, as if they were constantly having to be redrawn. It drew the eye like a magnet. Jax reacted to the spell like she had been struck a blow and jumped back, ¡°Donum, what be this? I ain¡¯t never¡­¡± Suddenly a rat leapt for her. I could not see a whisker of it in the darkness save for its outline. Jax reacted instantly, snatching it out of the air and disemboweling it with a quick swipe of her claws. She stared at it for a moment as its struggles slowed in her grip, and abruptly realizing what was going on, she smiled malevolently, ¡°Ah¡­ I see ye now, bag draggers.¡± The fight took on a completely different tone after that. The rats were much more at home here in these dark tunnels than we were and had been using it to their advantage. Wounded and injured ones had been slinking off to rest as others came to take their place. They would hide in wait for Jax to pass them by and then leap at her when she was least expecting it. Now, though, the rules had changed. Jax could hide in the deepest shadows and wait for them to search her out. With my spell up, if she moved slowly, the darkness would even follow her, maintaining her advantage. And even when the rats managed to avoid her strikes, they could no longer hide. The battle was over. It was only a matter of time. Chapter 34 - The Long Talk As the axe came down for the final time and slowly dissolved into the ether, Jax collapsed onto her hands and knees. The battle had been long, and she was absolutely exhausted. I, myself, was out of breath and sweating. Not from combat, but from the sheer effort of holding my new spell. I was experiencing a strange sort of emotion. It was akin to guilt, but not quite. I had not moved for much of the whole fight, trusting instead to Jax to do the fighting for me. I felt like an impostor. Useless. And yet, intellectually, I knew that if it were not for my healing and the visual aid from my new spell, we would both be dead. For the first time, I had embodied the role of the support mage. A support mage with all of two spells. Well¡­ two and a half, now. This last addition to my repertoire was something of a revelation to me. Spell add-ons? Who knew that could be a thing? Was that common knowledge or had Bline revealed something to me? Surely not. That would have been massively out of character for her. Maybe, Sherr Hess would know. In any case, I felt as though my eyes had been opened to the potential power of this spell system, and it left my head spinning from the possibilities. And I had barely scratched the surface. Meanwhile, Jax had regained some of her breath and was now resting on her haunches. Only part of her was exposed to any sort of light. The rest only existed as outline to my eyes ¡ª the effect of my spell. For a time, I decided to leave it going, though I struggled to maintain it. I wanted to look at her. She turned to me then, studying me even as I did her. Struggling, she regained her feet, though she displayed the twitching tremors of a person with no more left to give and too much adrenaline still in her system. Even so, she approached me. I took a breath, and gingerly, I took my first steps in what felt like ages. It was a genuine struggle for me to hold the magic and walk at the same time, but I wanted to see. As we came to stand next to each other, we studied one another closely, curious about this new way of seeing. There were no fine details to her, the lines were not bothering with things like individual hairs and the rumples in her clothes. As for the rest, especially up close, it was so perfect as to be unreal. It was like a computer had been taught how to animate with pencils of white light. Except it was not light. Not really. They did not illuminate anything or refract off of any surfaces. No, these had to be illusions of some kind. Curiously, Jax reached up to touch my cheek, but she hesitated and drew back. I caught her hand, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Jax. I don¡¯t mind.¡± She shook her head and looked away, ¡°I do nay¡­¡± But she stopped, and after a moment, she glanced at our joined hands and licked her lips. She did not pull away. Finally, her gaze was drawn once again to my own, and she watched me, her breath yet catching in her throat. ¡°Yer tirin¡¯ yer ownself¡­ holdin¡¯ this. Ain¡¯t ye?¡± I blinked at her. That had not been what I was expecting, but she was right. It was silly for me to keep this up when we did not need it. Chuckling shortly, I said, ¡°Sorry, I just wanted to see what you looked like up close.¡± She tsked. ¡°Ye know me looks. I ain¡¯t pretty. Save yer strength.¡± There was an unfortunate truth there. To say nothing of her current state, which was plenty, there was a lot left of her former manhood. Not that I was complaining. She could look however she wanted as far as I was concerned. Still, to my mind, she needed a boost to her self-esteem. So, I made to protest but she cut me off, ¡°Ye can nay lie to me, Donum.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± I admitted, ¡°but there is something to be said for the way you look at me. To stir a man¡¯s heart.¡± She glanced away then, her breath quickening further. Gently, she slapped my chest, ¡°Oh, ye¡­ Do ye now practice yer flirtin¡¯ on me like yer other¡¯n?¡± I grinned, ¡°Was it a good one then?¡± ¡°Aye,¡± she said with bright eyes. There was a certain tremble to her voice as she continued, ¡°It were well crafted. Now drop yer spell. It pains me to see ye struggle so.¡± With a sigh, partially in regret but also with relief, I let it lapse, and the world once again returned to its natural state. I had a brief moment of dizziness as the weight of it left me, as if I had to once again regain my own body¡¯s equilibrium. And perhaps I did. ¡°Be ye well?¡± Jax asked in concern, gripping my shoulders to keep me stable. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± I reassured her. ¡°I think that¡¯s going to take some getting used to is all.¡± I took a few more breaths to steady myself before asking, ¡°What about you? Are you alright?¡± She hesitated a moment, turning her head strangely before whispering, ¡°Yer lilim awaits her reward.¡± I blinked. ¡°Uh¡­ reward? What¡­ What are¡­?¡± ¡°Donum! Please, do nay tease me!¡± she said, her legs giving a dangerous wobble. ¡°It be all I can do to stand. Them rats¡­ and yer command¡­¡± My eyes widened as I realized what was going on, ¡°Oh¡­ you mean that really worked?¡± ¡°Donum!¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry¡­¡± Hastily, I brought the spell to mind¡­ but I had a moment of hesitation. Her wounds were not fatal, though they were numerous. She could definitely use the healing, but from what I could see of her now unhighlighted expression, she was pretty keyed up. If I just let this loose, the results might be¡­ explosive. ¡°Jax, whatever this makes you feel, you¡¯re going to have to suffer it quietly. I don¡¯t know if there are more rats out there, but¡­¡± I left the rest unsaid. ¡°Aye, I hear. I¡¯ll try, I will.¡± Slowly, she knelt before me, resting on her knees. I understood. If she could barely stand as is, then it would be best to take this from a sitting position. ¡°This is probably the last one of these I can manage without another infusion,¡± I warned before I began. ¡°I hope it¡¯ll be enough.¡± At her silent nod, I closed my eyes to begin, but she interrupted me, ¡°No. Not like that.¡± I opened them again to see her hand outstretched. She had a soulful look in her eyes, ¡°Please¡­ touch me.¡± Seeing that, I was brought back to another time, another place, and very much a different Jax. It had been the very first time I had used the spell, and I had not known it would work fine at a distance. Jax had cringed at my offered hand and browbeaten me over the very idea of my touching him to cast it. Comparing that to the person before me¡­ she was unrecognizable. As I gently folded her hand into my own, I sighed and knelt beside her, ¡°Jax¡­¡± ¡°Donum,¡± she said quickly, forestalling me, ¡°Stuff yer gawp. I know¡­ I know yer heart. Now know mine.¡± She closed her eyes for a moment to regain some control of herself before continuing, ¡°I follow ye of me own will. I know I be different to what I were. But I like it. I like that I be changin¡¯ to sommat else. I like¡­ I like that it be¡­¡± she paused to clear her throat, ¡°I like that ye care so much. But yer cares are for a dead man. He died to a spear to his belly in a tent in a forest. And be glad that he did. He¡¯d o¡¯ g-gutted ye like¡­¡± she choked, and turning her head to the side, she retched a bit. ¡°Jax?¡± I asked in concern, but she waved me away. ¡°I be fine. Just¡­ Thinking o¡¯ what we¡­ what they planned fer ye¡­¡± she took a calming breath, ¡°Anyway, he don¡¯t matter no more. He ain¡¯t here. I be here! And I says I got a right to exist as I be, do I not?¡± I frowned, taken aback. That¡­ was a very interesting point. And familiar. ¡°The Tuvix problem?¡± I said aloud. Of all the things she could have said, to throw the damn Tuvix problem at me? ¡°The two what now?¡± she asked, perplexed. ¡°Tuvix. It¡¯s¡­ from an old story from¡­ my homeland. You see, there were these two¡­ uh¡­ men of different kinds, by the names of Tuvok and Neelix, and they were uh¡­ magically joined because of an accident. And as a result, they became a new man with some of the attributes of each, with a new personality. All blended together. At first everyone is horrified because¡­ well, you know. Magical accident and all. Their friends had become something ¡®other¡¯, and he called himself Tuvix. You know, taking parts of the names of the people who had made him. But Tuvix was still a good person in his own way. And over time, he got used to what he was. So when, at the end of the story, his friends figure out how to reverse the accident and put him back the way he was, he said no. He had the right to live. And if they brought back their friends, he would die.¡± She stared at me as I finished, thinking over what I had said. Finally, she asked, ¡°What did they decide to do?¡± It was a quiet question, laced with fear and curiosity in equal parts. ¡°In the story, they ultimately go against his wishes and bring back their friends. But no one is happy about it. Effectively, they realize that they have to execute an innocent man in order to save the lives of two others,¡± I said. Honestly, it was one of the more thought-provoking episodes in an otherwise uneven and rocky series. ¡°You see, it¡¯s meant to show a no-win scenario. Because sometimes, there is no right answer.¡± She smiled a bit then, as if relieved, ¡°But there be a right answer here. If ye were to¡­ somehow make me what I were¡­ I¡­ He would nay be a good person. There would be no winners, then. Ye would lose yer lilim. I would nay exist. And he¡­ he would lose most of all. Because there be no one he hated more than his ownself. But¡­ if ye let things be?¡± She left the thought hanging, but I filled in the blanks easily enough. If things continued as they were, no doubt Jax would continue to change in ways that I had no way of predicting. Undoubtedly, she would become¡­ well¡­ more ¡®lilim¡¯. Whatever that meant. She already had claws and sharper teeth. Which was odd, but I was totally fine with it. If anything, it had helped her be a better combatant. Then, of course, there was the femininity aspect. I did not know if that trend would continue or exactly what direction it would take, but so far there had been nothing overtly bad about it. I twisted my lips to the side as I thought about it. If she wanted to continue as things were, then really, that was all that mattered. I had no right to stand in her way. I just needed to figure out how to make sure that she developed like she wanted to. ¡°Alright Jax. I¡¯ll leave it alone. I won¡¯t¡­ or well¡­ I¡¯ll try not to worry about it anymore,¡± I announced, finally. She sighed in relief, but I continued, ¡°But¡­ But I need to add one very solid command here.¡± She frowned, ¡°But ye don¡¯t like givin¡¯ commands.¡± I nodded, ¡°Yes, but this is to limit my own power, you see? I want you to remain¡­¡± I paused. How to phrase this properly¡­ ¡°I want you to always have the ability to refuse a command if you have to, alright? Like if you think it¡¯s morally wrong or¡­ I don¡¯t know. If you disagree with it somehow?¡± She shook her head, ¡°That don¡¯t sound like a good idea. I did nay want to fight just anon. We¡¯d o¡¯ died. You¡¯d o¡¯ d-die¡­¡± She gagged again and then hurriedly wiped at her eyes with the heels of her hands, ¡°Sorry¡­ sorry. The thought¡­ Anyway, yer command saved us.¡± That was true. And it was another thing we needed to talk about. But first I had to figure this out. Rubbing her knee to comfort her, I said, ¡°Alright, how about this. We¡¯ll make it a list of priorities. First, if I give you a command that you feel is incredibly foolish or would put our lives at unnecessary risk, I want to hear about. Loudly.¡± Smiling at my gesture, she said, ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°Okay. Second, if I give you a command that you object to on moral grounds, then object. You deserve to have your voice heard, and I need to hear opposed views in order to make good decisions.¡± She nodded, ¡°I can do that.¡± ¡°Good. And three¡­¡± I took a breath. This one was important. ¡°If I give you a command that you feel would in any way¡­ change you ¡ª like in how you think or view the world ¡ª then I want you to reject it.¡± She frowned, ¡°No. I do nay like that one.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I blinked, taken aback, ¡°W-what?! But, Jax, that¡¯s the whole thing! That¡¯s what I¡¯m so afraid of doing to you!¡± ¡°I understand,¡± she said, patting my hand in turn. ¡°But it be too strict. Ye said ¡®reject it¡¯. I¡¯d not have a choice, then, ye see?¡± I stared. ¡°You¡¯re saying¡­ that you want me to have that ability?¡± She shrugged, ¡°I been recently shown the potential. Ye still ain¡¯t healed me, by the by.¡± She inhaled, her eyes fluttering for a moment as the thought resurfaced. ¡°Oh~ The anticipation be buildin¡¯ fierce.¡± My eyes widened. Oh hell¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ should we maybe take care of that before¡­¡± ¡°Nay,¡± she shook her head quickly, ¡°let it be. It¡­ I wanna see where it goes.¡± For a few moments, she shifted in place, shivering and rolling her hips before eventually settling again. There was still a hitching catch to her breath when she signaled she was ready to continue. ¡°Uh¡­ did you just¡­?¡± I left the question hanging. She barked a short laugh and shook her head slightly, ¡°Nay¡­ but I be very¡­ very close.¡± ¡°What is that even like?¡± I asked curiously. I could not even imagine becoming impassioned to the precipice like that and then trying to hold a conversation. Something would have to give, and most likely it would be the state of my arousal. ¡°Ye mean¡­?¡± she asked, and then screwed her eyes up to think on how to answer, ¡°Mmm¡­ I ain¡¯t done yet, like I said afore. But right now¡­ it be like I be swellin¡¯ down instead of up?¡± My eyeslids fluttered. That had not been what I was asking, at all. And yet¡­ the answer made me intensely curious. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°No!¡± she said quickly. ¡°Not until it be done.¡± I sighed. For some reason, she seemed to be acutely embarrassed by the idea of showing me what was going on down there. On the other hand, I supposed that I could sympathize. I was not particularly keen on showing people my genitalia in their normal state. If it was in the process of changing into something else? Yeah, that would be weird¡­ for several reasons. In point of fact¡­ why had I even been thinking to ask? People do not typically make it a habit of pulling their pants down just because some pervert wants to take a peek. Maybe it was the continued and ever worsening state of our clothing situation, or maybe the fact that Hess had spent over a day with absolutely no pants on had just skewed my perception of what normal was. Either way, I needed to resort my mental proprieties. Speaking of clothes, quickly glancing down, hers were in an unfortunate state. The rats had chewed and ripped at her pants, particularly around her ankles. At this point, they were little more than very loosely cut shorts. Her underwear top was also fairly ripped up around her shoulders, leaving the garment looking something like a grungy, off-shoulder halter top. Did women have a name for a shirt like that? If they did, it had never entered my lexicon. In any case, if we ran into too much more trouble, there was the possibility that my curiosity might be satisfied before she was ready. If that happened, I would probably try to be the gentleman and offer up my own rather limited attire. That was what normal people were supposed to do, right? Of course, then I would be completely nude, and that would be its own can of worms. Maybe Hess would be willing to give up¡­ my underwear. That she had stolen. Oy¡­ we really were going to be walking out of this Dungeon like a nudist colony. At best. ¡°Right. My apologies,¡± I cleared my throat nervously. ¡°Uh¡­ what were we talking about?¡± ¡°Limitin¡¯ yer commands,¡± she reminded me. ¡°And changin¡¯ how I goes about thinkin¡¯.¡± ¡°Right,¡± I sighed. ¡°Obviously, I don¡¯t want to do that. But you seem to think it has some potential, you said?¡± She nodded, ¡°Aye, I be likin¡¯ this anticipation business. That were a good idea. And yer other¡¯n¡­ that be sittin¡¯ in me like a fire in me veins.¡± She shivered again, ¡°Aye, I¡¯ll be the best lilim there ever were for ye, just ye watch.¡± My left eyebrow twitched. I did not know if any of that was going to be good for her in the long run, but¡­ she seemed to be embracing it. ¡°Okay. I still want to curtail this somehow. What do you suggest?¡± She twisted her lips in thought for a moment, working her jaw back and forth. Finally, she said, ¡°I¡¯d rather not limit ye. If ye¡¯d givin¡¯ me the choice, a scanty ago, as to whether I¡¯d like to anticipate yer healin¡¯ like this, when I be in pain, I¡¯d o¡¯ told ye to boil yer head! But¡­ now I¡¯m samplin¡¯ it¡­ see?¡± She bit her lower lip, waiting on my response. ¡°I see¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you can¡¯t be sure that it¡¯s a good command or not without trying it out first?¡± At her nod, I said, ¡°So then what we need is some way to let you sample without committing.¡± I chuckled at the thought. Sample mental changes like you were trying flavors at an ice cream parlor? How had I even come to contemplate this? ¡°Ooh, I like that!¡± she said enthusiastically. ¡°What if ye say it like, ¡®any command ye give what would change how I think or be, I gotta try it¡­¡± ¡°Unless it would conflict with the first two rules,¡± I interrupted. If I somehow screwed up her moral compass¡­ ¡°Right, right,¡± she agreed off-hand, ¡°Anyway, ¡®I gotta try it, but I¡¯ll always remember how I were and can choose to go back at any time o¡¯ me choosin¡¯.¡± I grimaced. That had the potential to go wrong in a hurry. The problem was, as I saw it, people generally always preferred to be how they were, and I had to assume that would carry over through mental changes. So if I altered her way of thinking somehow, she would probably find a way to excuse or rationalize it. Sort of like she was doing right now. Explaining my rationale, I added, ¡°I think I would like to rescind my earlier two commands, and give you the choice of whether to keep them with a clear head.¡± ¡°What?¡± she said, sitting up. ¡°No! Nay do that! Then I¡¯d just be in pain. I¡¯d much rather be in pain and horny about it. Me head be clear! And¡­ and if ye took the other¡¯n? Nay, Donum. Never do that!¡± I sighed. She seemed awfully attached to that little blurb I had come up with on the fly, and I hated that I had done it accidentally. On the surface, it seemed innocent enough, but there could be hidden ramifications somewhere. All I had really wanted was for her to not want to die, so that she would¡­ I blinked. Oh¡­ Right. I could see why that might be important. I rolled my lips under my teeth as I considered. None of this would have happened in the first place if it were not for the kissing incident, and at the very least, I should address the cause of this whole fiasco and her meltdown. ¡°Okay, Jax. I think I understand,¡± I began, but she cut me off. ¡°Nay, ye don¡¯t,¡± she said, smiling slightly, ¡°That were me first, ye see? Before that one, I felt yer commands, aye. Some I obeyed, because I did nay care. I¡¯d o¡¯ done anyway. Some I fought, pushed ¡®em away. But I embraced that one. For the first time, I took yer command and made it a part o¡¯ me. Willingly. I wanted it. Wanted it more¡¯n anything. If ye tried to take it now? I¡¯d¡­ I¡¯d fight it, I would. With everything, I¡¯d fight.¡± Slowly, I reached out and grasped her wrist, comfortingly. ¡°Okay, Jax. Okay. You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯m just trying to make sure that I do right by you as best as I can, and¡­ look, what I was going to say earlier was that¡­ about this ¡®sexual assault¡¯ you believe you did to me. It wasn¡¯t like that.¡± She made a face. Clearly she did not agree, but she was willing to let me have my say. ¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t want your advances, and you forced yourself on me,¡± I began. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ more complicated than that. I guess I wasn¡¯t ready for it is all. This is all very new, and I just wasn¡¯t prepared for such a sudden shift in our¡­ well, I don¡¯t know if ¡®relationship¡¯ is the right word, but it¡¯s the only one I can think of right now.¡± ¡°Mate,¡± she said, folding her arms, ¡°that ye didn¡¯t want it yet don¡¯t change the fact that ye didn¡¯t want it.¡± My eyebrows rose at that, and I was forced to chuckle. She was right. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fair. But it does mean that I am more inclined to forgive you. Which I do. After all, your state of arousal is all a result of spells and auras and such, and that¡¯s my fault. And it¡¯s a big part of why I was so conflicted about it.¡± ¡°I did nay kiss ye because I were horny¡­¡± she paused and reconsidered. ¡°Not only that. I kissed ye because ye let some slag who weren¡¯t even yer own yet have ye before I¡¯d even had the chance. It were after what were because I were horny. And hungry. Both o¡¯ them.¡± She took a breath, ¡°But ye did nay want it. And I apologize fer forcin¡¯ it before ye were ready.¡± ¡°Good then,¡± I said with a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s put that behind us. All is forgiven.¡± But I hesitated. She had said something like that before back when the kiss had happened. About her place. ¡°Jax, I don¡¯t understand where this idea about who should have access to me or not came from. It seems very at odds to me that you would be so possessive when you are so upset about the rest.¡± At the very least, I was quite positive that it could not have come from anything I had commanded. Nor where there any spell effects in play that would cause it. That I knew of. ¡°What do ye mean, ye do nay understand?¡± she asked, her eyes flashing. Slowly, she brought her face closer to mine, ¡°What be yer argument? That ye should like to take to yer bed some random trollop? Be that it?¡± She gripped my knees, lightly dimpling my skin with her claws as her face approached, ¡°Are ye sayin¡¯ that thems from outside got more right than me? That be it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± I swallowed nervously, not really sure where this was going. ¡°I guess I¡¯m saying that I don¡¯t understand why you believe you have a right to me at all?¡± She bared her teeth at me and growled, ¡°Ye nay¡­ ye nay understand that? We be bound, ye spoilt curd fer brains! I be yer lilim. I follow yer commands. I fight fer ye. I die fer ye. Everything!¡± She drew closer, daring me to deny her, ¡°And ye be mine!¡± She broke eye contact then, as if realizing something, ¡°When yer ready, anyway.¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®yours¡¯. Like we¡¯re married or something?¡± I asked, slightly panicked. She tilted her head, thinking it over before replying, ¡°Sommat like it. Mate.¡± The special emphasis on the word was not lost on me. She had been calling me that for a long time. But how long had she meant it in that way, and I had not noticed? I swallowed, ¡°O-okay. Maybe you should explain this fully? W-where did this come from? How¡­ How long have you felt this way? What are the rules? What¡­¡± Very gently, she leaned forward and bit me right on the lower lip, forestalling my questions. Holding me there for just a moment, she looked into my eyes, and I could almost see it. It was taking everything she had to hold herself back right then. But instead, she released me and whispered, ¡°Am I the Lady to be answerin¡¯ all o¡¯ yer questions? I know little. But the picture be clearer by the day.¡± The nearness of her, the hot breath on my face, and the raw carnal desire in her eyes¡­ it was all too much. And I stiffened. I could not help it. Jax gasped and began to tremble. Violently. Slowly, her eyes were pulled down, locked on my tented loincloth. Her shaking hand approached it, but before she could touch it, she balled her hand into a fist and pulled it into her chest. Looking back up at me, she surged forward to meet my lips, but she stopped herself again, gritting her teeth. She froze there, teeth chattering, millimeters from my face. Whimpering. For a long moment, I sat there, watching her writhe as she struggled not to embrace me, and I realized that this¡­ not-woman would literally do anything to keep me from injury. Even if it was from herself. Had wanted to kill herself because she thought she might have. And I, in some ways, had been doing the same thing. Not to the same degree, but I had been torturing myself emotionally for days over the thought that I might bring this person to harm. Certainly, there was a lot more for me to understand, but one thing was clear. At the end of the day, when all was done, and you cut through all of the bullshit¡­ All that she really wanted¡­ was me. Calmly, I raised my hand, and with the lightest of touches, I caressed her cheek. ¡°D-Donum? I n-nay¡­ I nay can hold¡­¡± her voice shook quietly. ¡°Shh¡­ It¡¯s okay,¡± I whispered gently. And then I closed my eyes, and gave her her reward. As the Life pulsed into her, her muscles locked up, and she began to seize. Almost immediately, her head swung away with her arching back, and I grabbed and held her to me before she could hurt herself. Her legs stiffened and shook, forcing her body to lift from the ground as her feet slid along the cobblestones, struggling for purchase. As she trembled, I realized she was not breathing, so I flipped her around so that her face would not be ground against me. Holding her there, one hand wrapped around her shoulders and the other trying to keep her torso pulled down so she would not break herself in half, I could feel her abdomen crawling in waves. I had not thought it possible to climax this hard. It was almost terrifying. And even as I wondered if I might have made a mistake, I felt the slightest twinge of envy. ¡°Breathe, Jax,¡± I said into her ear. ¡°Breathe or you¡¯ll pass out.¡± At my words, she took a great gulping breath of air and started to howl. Quickly, I clapped my hand over her mouth, and listened intently. Yes, this had been a very foolish thing to do. We had already made a hell of a lot of noise. Who knew what else might be scampering out in those tunnels. And evidently, Jax could either hold her breath or call in the wolves. But I could not have her falling unconscious again, so I would have to make do with muffling her. I do not know how long we stayed that way, with me holding back her screams and her coiled like a spring, but it felt like ages. Eventually though, she began to come down from her high, and her body went limp against me. Slowly, still twitching from aftershocks, her head slid into a tranquil repose and rested in my lap. I watched her for a while, just breathing there with her eyes closed. She looked so relaxed, she might have been mush. Very gently, I shook her, ¡°Jax, stay awake now.¡± She grumbled and swatted my hand away, but she cracked an eye open. Turning her head, she got an eyeful of my still encased and throbbing erection, and she smiled. Languidly, she reached up and caressed it with the back of her hand. Pausing, she looked up at me, as if seeking permission. Turning my head away, I cleared my throat, ¡°Uh¡­ Maybe we ought to hammer out these rules first?¡± ¡°Sod the rules,¡± she said quickly. Sitting up, she turned and again brought her face to my own. Lightly, she nuzzled at my cheek, but her hand stayed where it was, unwilling to break contact. ¡°I know what ye mean and ye nay. I know yer heart. That be enough.¡± As she worked at me, I could feel the edge of my willpower. I could not hold out against her. I did not even know anymore why I was trying. Taking a shuddering breath, I whispered, ¡°Safeguard your heart then. Or you will break mine.¡± And I surrendered. Chapter 35 - Finding the Key Once we came back to ourselves, it was to the realization that we had been rolling about in a storm drain filled to overflowing with gigantic dead rats. It was not a welcome one. ¡°I feel sticky,¡± I muttered, as I attempted to retie my loincloth. I was not having much success. Somehow, no matter which way I started, the front pocket always ended up being slightly off. ¡°Y¡¯ain¡¯t alone,¡± Jax agreed, readjusting her top. Distracted for a moment, I fondly recalled our rather exuberant exploration of her most recent feature. There was not much of anything there, but she was quite overjoyed at my desire to play with them, just the same. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, her eyes found me, and biting her lower lip, she made a questioning tone. ¡°Uh¡­ no,¡± I said, intuiting her question. ¡°Not here again. Ever. No, we really need to get going.¡± Apparently, she was not keen on taking ¡®no¡¯ for an answer, and doing her best to be seductive, she attempted to put a bit of sway into her step as she sidled closer to me. Her very obvious inexperience was telling, but it made the act more than a little cute. As she enfolded my arm into hers, she rubbed her cheek against me, but it stuck there. The mood effectively assassinated, she peeled away. ¡°Ugh¡­ please tell me that isn¡¯t all rat blood,¡± I said, nauseated. Tentatively, she sniffed at it and recoiled. Glancing at me nervously, she reported, ¡°Are ye sure that be what ye want me to say?¡± I had to think about that one for a moment for it to sink in, and I closed my eyes. ¡°You know what? Never mind.¡± With a glance, we silently agreed never to speak of it again. Seeing me still fiddling with my ever crooked front flap, she tsked. Taking me in hand, she pulled it away and began the process of putting on correctly, ¡°Honestly. How can ye not know how to tie one o¡¯ these yet?¡± I sighed, slightly embarrassed yet defensive, ¡°What can I say? I have never once had the occasion to wear a loincloth before today.¡± ¡°Nay surprising,¡± she muttered. ¡°I can only imagine the fancy clothes ye be used to. Did ye ever even have to dress yer ownself?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that helpless,¡± I retorted, neatly sidestepping the topic. ¡°I even managed to start a fire earlier with nothing but a spindle.¡± I was still quite proud of that feat, so I did not mind in the slightest bragging about it. ¡°Oh~ did ye now?¡± she grinned at me indulgently. ¡°And how long did that take ye?¡± I coughed to the side, ¡°Look, the point is I managed it, okay?¡± ¡°As ye say,¡± she chuckled. Giving my belt a final tug, she patted the pocket into place. ¡°There now. That should do it.¡± ¡°Easy now,¡± I said, twinging from the jostling she had just delivered. ¡°I¡¯m still a little sensitive down there.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± she frowned. ¡°I did nay knick ye with me teeth did I? I still ain¡¯t quite used to ¡®em.¡± I flushed crimson, though at this point, there really was not much left to be embarrassed about. ¡°Uh¡­ you did poke me the once,¡± I admitted. ¡°Nothing serious.¡± Despite my assurances, she turned away, mortified. As Jax went about the onerous task of converting the recently deceased, I took the opportunity to reread the card for my mid-battle skill acquisition. I was hoping there was a way to cast the spell on its own so that I would not have to hold them both at once. For one thing, it would be nice to be able to see as we explored down here. We still needed to find that key, after all. But mainly, Jax was having quite a bit of difficulty rooting out all of the corpses in the darkness. About which she was loudly complaining. ¡°Give me a minute, will you?¡± I said, starting to get irritated. ¡°What be the trip up?¡± she asked. ¡°All o¡¯ yer spells be so complicated. All I gotta do is think about yer drip stick, and poof! Out pops a nice little me. Ready to go!¡± I paused, my train of thought completely derailed, ¡°My¡­ did you just say drip stick?¡± ¡°Aye! Ye know¡­¡± and she held out her finger at her crotch and gave it a little twirl. I cleared my throat, studiously ignoring her wheezing at her own joke. A lot had changed around here, but Jax was still Jax. Pulling up the card again, I gave it another look.
Unclothe the Darkness Modifier for [Active Skill: Fortunate Shadows]. May be joined to the spell to add [Light Tracing] to its effect. Raises overall endurance cost to maintain. Effectiveness and cost improve with skill level. May be cast independently by including first Word of base Skill.
I shook my head at the name. Bline certainly had a sense of humor. Whether it was a good one or not was still a matter for the jury. From the description, it certainly seemed as if I should be able to do what I wanted. Unfortunately, the instructions were less than clear. How exactly was I supposed to include the first Word from Fortunate Shadows? It was all just a jumble of syllables in my head, with no indication as to where one began and the next ended. For all I knew, the whole thing could have been one long Word. Giving a light shrug, I figured the only thing I could do was begin with trial and error. If it wanted the first Word, then I would undoubtedly have to start with the first syllable and go from there. Unless, of course, this magical language functioned in some kind of weird back to front fashion¡­ or worse. I frowned. Surely not. Bline would have given me some indication if that were the case. Right? Deciding there was nothing else for it, I mentally prepared the first syllable and opened my mouth. But the spell died on my tongue. It was not like when I was trying to push out the Word I actually knew, either. With that, my throat would seize up like I was trying to lift an Atlas stone through my windpipe. This was more like¡­ it just evaporated. As if I were bailing water with a sieve. Hmm¡­ that¡­ must not be it then. So, going with two syllables, I tried again but with similar results. ¡°What are ye even doin¡¯?¡± Jax asked, standing to the side of me. I had not noticed her approach. I blinked a few times, derailed yet again. She was impatiently waiting, her hands to her hips, jingling what Gems she had managed to collect in one of them. ¡°I¡¯m trying to get the Light Tracing effect going without affecting the Darkness at the same time.¡± ¡°And? What be the problem?¡± she asked. So obligingly, I explained. As best I could. Still not quite understanding, she nonetheless let out an appreciative hoot at the complexity of it. Then, taking on an expression somewhere between the speculative and the lascivious, she said, ¡°Wonder what happens if ye tacked that to the end o¡¯ me lovely, eh?¡± ¡°Your¡­ oh.¡± My eyebrows rose as I considered the idea. The spell card had not said anything about combining with my heal, but they were all still Words. It might do something. Actually, that brought to mind a whole slew of possibilities. Like, could I somehow cram together Fortunate Shadows with Renewal of Consumption? Would the two effects merge somehow? Create something entirely new? Or more likely, just die on my lips like my current project. In any case¡­ ¡°That¡¯s an interesting idea, but I don¡¯t have the Life Energy to spare right now.¡± Taking on a regretful look, she cupped my cheek, ¡°Ah, ye poor thing. Here I be full to burstin¡¯ while ye be wastin¡¯ away.¡± I blushed slightly, still unused to such gestures of familiarity. ¡°Get yer spell goin¡¯ then. Once I get the rest o¡¯ these Gems, I can hunt ye up some tuck.¡± Giving her a little smile, I set to. Assembling what I wanted in my head was a little tricky. Despite the assurances on the spell card, it felt as if Fortunate Shadows had never truly been intended to be broken apart on the fly like this. It was kind of like trying to separate an egg yolk from the white with my brain. In the dark. Eventually, I had the syllables roughly lined up and tried again. Luck was with me that time. It turned out that three was the magic number, and the spell came to life. Sputtering. ¡°Why do it look the scab this time?¡± Jax asked. I had to shrug. She was right, but I had not a clue as to why. The nice bright lines from before were now much fainter, to the point of barely being there at all. They still emphasized motion fairly well, which was nice, but everything else was there as only the merest suggestion. On the plus side, casting the spell this way was much easier to maintain. ¡°Can you at least make out the rest of the bodies?¡± Taking another moment to look around, she gave a curt nod and began collecting the rest. ¡°I¡¯ll help,¡± I said after a moment, figuring that there was no point in my just standing there. Jax looked like she wanted to protest but kept her peace, and after a few minutes, we had the entire horde collected up and converted to Minor Gems. Jax handed me her portion for safekeeping, as I had the pocket, ¡°How many we got?¡± ¡°Thirty seven,¡± I announced after silently counting them out. I could have sworn there should have been more from the severity of the battle, but then it was hard to keep track in a situation like that. Still, with just the two of us, it was impressive enough. ¡°Thirty eight altogether with the one from earlier.¡± Jax, for her part, was too busy being amazed that I could count so high without speaking aloud or using my fingers to worry about the seemingly low count.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Layer: 4F
Strength: 5 Agility: 4 Toughness: 6+ Intelligence: 8+ Wisdom: 7+ Charisma: 6(5)+ (-1 unclean) Manic Force: 5 Manic Breadth: 8
Lilim Slots: 1 (filled) Jax: Loyalty: 79% Gain: [Donum <¡ª 50|50 ¡ª> Jax]
All Stat Points assigned. All Skill Points assigned.
I gave a satisfied nod as I closed out my main page. We had once again resumed our trek through the drain, and I had decided to take the downtime to assign my stat points for their next increase. They were slowly but steadily getting there. My intelligence was a nice, round eight now, and even though I had no idea if that was particularly good or bad, I still felt rather impressed with myself. I also took note of the fact that my Core Layer was now reading as 4F, which was probably for Foundation. It was kind of neat, I decided, that the Goddess tended to change and fill out my stat card as my understanding of the world became clearer. If I had started out with a Core Layer of 1F, I probably would have assumed it was using hexadecimal or something. Although, that would have put me at Layer¡­ I paused, having to think it over. Thirty-two? No, that would be thirty-one, I think. You have to compensate for zero. In any case, that would have been a huge misunderstanding. The only other thing of note was Jax¡¯s loyalty rating, which had been skyrocketing lately. In fact, I was pretty sure that she had been somewhere in the fifties when we had first entered this Dungeon. Then again, we had been¡­ connecting a bit more as of late. Idly, I wondered if there were tiers to loyalty like Hess had mentioned with skill levels. If so, then it was possible that certain behaviors might correlate to them. Jax had certainly been acting differently than she had used to, but it was such a gradual process that I could not really place what had started when. Of course, it would have helped if I had been bothering to check. Stolen story; please report. Plus, there was the whole ¡®also becoming a new species¡¯ thing. If I ever wanted to know exactly how loyalty worked, then I was probably going to need to bind an actual lilim from the get go. Otherwise, I would have a terrible time trying to parse out which behaviors corresponded to what. In any case, she was pretty close to ticking over to the next tier, if that was a thing, and I made a mental note to start paying closer attention. Not to worry about. I had promised her that I would let that go, and I intended to. Still, one of these days, Hess would be joining in on this little band on a more permanent basis, and I was curious to see if she experienced similar patterns. And then there was the question of whether I could influence that in any way. Or if I should. Jax paused at an intersection, taking a quick look before starting down one of the paths, but then she hesitated. ¡°Oosh¡­ I think I be turned around. Which way were that thorn pointin¡¯?¡± I hesitated for a second as I thought back. The maze we were in was laid out in straight, squared lines, but not every path led to the next tunnel. We had needed to backtrack on several occasions. ¡°That way,¡± I said, pointing at a slight angle off to our left. ¡°Yer sure?¡± ¡°No, not totally,¡± I admitted. ¡°But it should be from what I remember.¡± ¡°Yers be better¡¯n mine then,¡± she said and started away. Suddenly, a trio of rats jumped out at us from a small pipe set high in the wall. The first one went right for me, and I awkwardly punched it away. Not before it got a swipe at my wrist, though. Jax immediately intervened, savagely ripping it apart before turning to the other two. She looked pissed. ¡°Donum¡¯s flesh ain¡¯t fer the likes o¡¯ ye,¡± she growled, using the light from her axe materializing to punctuate her threat. The fight did not last long. When she was done, she hurried over to check on my wound. I had a hand clapped over it to help staunch it. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± I assured her, but that did little to assuage her fretting. ¡°But yer bleedin¡¯,¡± she said, with a worried little bounce. ¡°Why ain¡¯t ye healed it yet? Just a little one? Like ye did fer yer ankle?¡± ¡°And that one made me feel faint,¡± I retorted with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m just going to have to hold out until we can get some more Life Energy.¡± Jax made a mewling sound in her throat, ¡°This be my fault. I weren¡¯t lookin¡¯ for rats to come from up high, and I nay can get me doaty skill to work when I want it to.¡± I gave her a little grin, ¡°It¡¯s okay. We learn as we go. As for the skill, it¡¯s only gone off once in something like forty rats? That¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ something like a two¡­ two point five percent chance?¡± ¡°Percent?¡± she asked, hurriedly ripping at her shorts to make a bandage for me. ¡°Oh. Yeah, that just means times in a hundred. So at that rate, you can expect it to go off maybe two to three times every hundred rats,¡± I explained while she wrapped my arm. ¡°Or wait¡­ does it require a killing blow?¡± ¡°Nay. Just that I draw blood,¡± she explained quietly. Tying off the bandage, she gave me a thoughtful look, ¡°Three in a hundred? I do nay think I can count so high as that.¡± I quirked an eyebrow. It was high time we changed that. Smiling, I said, ¡°Well, then. It¡¯s best you learned. And I have just the thing to help you practice. I want you to count every time you land a blow until your skill goes off. And no using your fingers to help you.¡± ¡°What?¡± she exclaimed, a little panicked. ¡°That way, we¡¯ll get a better idea of how frequently it goes off, and you¡¯ll gain a very important life skill.¡± Honestly, I should have thought of this ages ago. And once that was done, we could start on reading. We would need Hess for that, but it was going to become necessary sooner rather than later. Jax had an expression on her face, like she was fishing for some way out of her sentence. ¡°What about yer aura?¡± she said, brightening. ¡°Don¡¯t it make me skill more like to go off? That¡¯d throw the count, it would!¡± ¡°True,¡± I admitted. ¡°But we need to get an idea of how that works, too. And yes, ideally it would be best if we could isolate the two skills, but we don¡¯t have that luxury.¡± She began to pout, and I could tell she was still trying to squirm her way out. However, right about then, the motion lines highlighted something dripping off of one of her legs. ¡°What is that?¡± I asked. ¡°Did one of those rats get you?¡± She looked away, blushing. ¡°Aye. One managed a scratch.¡± I narrowed my eyes. One generally did not blush at having been wounded. ¡°You let it. Didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Whaaat?¡± she said, exaggeratedly. ¡°That¡­ that¡¯d be foolish. And¡­ and irresponsible. And¡­¡± The mumbling and lack of eye contact were doing little to solidify her case. ¡°Yes. That would be foolish. And irresponsible,¡± I agreed, folding my arms. ¡°It were just a little one¡­¡± she said, slowly folding into herself under my stare. ¡°T-to keep me shadows goin¡¯.¡± The way she was acting, you would think she was a child with her hand stuck in the cookie jar. I sighed. If I was going to let her keep this masochistic behavior, I was going to have to put some limits on it. Squatting down, I began ripping some fabric from her other leg. ¡°Wait, Donum,¡± she said. ¡°I can do¡­¡± ¡°Hush,¡± I said, shortly. ¡°B-but¡­¡± she sputtered, yet she let me continue. Though, every time my fingers would graze her bare skin, she would twitch and her breath would catch. ¡°Lilims who are trying to be the best lilim ever probably wouldn¡¯t go around letting rats chew on them just so that they can get healed. Would they?¡± I asked, ignoring her antics. ¡°N-no,¡± she managed, her head twisting back. ¡°No,¡± I agreed, wrapping the bandage around her thigh. ¡°No, I would think that lilims who are trying to be the best ever might be embarrassed at resorting to such things. Especially when their healer was so very out of Life Energy.¡± ¡°Aye, I s-suppose,¡± she agreed. ¡°Yes, I suppose they might,¡± I continued, firmly tying the bandage in place. She winced, shivering slightly. ¡°Especially considering how very many other options are available. For instance¡­¡± I stood up, still standing right next to her, ¡°our Cores are in need of Power again. You could eat a Gem. Or ask me to eat one. Right?¡± She nodded silently, leaning into me. Taking her chin in hand, I leaned over and held there, just out of reach of her lips. Then I smiled, and gave her head a little shake, ¡°Good. I would hate to give you another command just to curtail your bad behavior.¡± Letting go, I stepped back. Eyes widening, she gasped, ¡°Donum! Do nay tease me so.¡± ¡°Tease you?¡± I asked innocently. ¡°With what?¡± ¡°Ye know perfectly well!¡± she said hotly. ¡°Ye were¡­ ye were touchin¡¯ me so close¡­ and then ye almost¡­ Ye know perfectly well!¡± ¡°Close to what?¡± I asked, half feigning ignorance and half genuinely curious. It was not like she had actually let me get anywhere near there yet, even in the heat of our earlier encounter. ¡°Never mind that!¡± she said quickly. ¡°I want me kiss!¡± ¡°Oh, is that what you want?¡± I asked, quirking an eyebrow. ¡°But only good little lilums get kisses. As I recall, a certain somebody just let a rat chew on her just so¡­¡± ¡°Boil ye! Fine. It¡¯ll nay happen again.¡± Quickly striding back up to me, she grumpily poked my chest. ¡°Now bend down.¡± Choosing to ignore her for now, I took a speculative breath, ¡°By the by, Jax. Do you think my aura is starting to build up again? I can¡¯t help but notice¡­¡± ¡°Who gives a rat¡¯s puckered arsehole?!¡± she exclaimed. And then she jumped me. Some time later, the pair of us were standing in front of a large archway leading into a squarish room. In the middle of said room was a quite familiar looking pedestal with a similarly familiar triangular green gemstone. Neither of us moved. ¡°So that¡¯s obviously a trap,¡± I opined. We had been here before, after all. The tutorial had been thorough. The question, though, was in what form the trap would take. Frowning in thought, I rubbed at my aching backside. ¡°Aye,¡± she agreed, before noticing. ¡°Will ye stop that? I said I were sorry.¡± ¡°Well, it hurts,¡± I said defensively. ¡°You¡¯re a warrior, not some dainty flower. You can¡¯t just jump a guy and expect him to hold you up.¡± She took on a pained expression at my words, ¡°I guess I ain¡¯t girly enough for ye yet.¡± I rolled my eyes, ¡°Did I say that? I don¡¯t think I said that. You can be as girly or whatever as you want to be. Besides¡­ I didn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t like it.¡± She grinned, slightly mollified, ¡°Maybe one day I¡¯ll have ye jump me then.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± I said, with a wry shake of the head. The both of us turned our attention back to the room. It was still the same. If anything was hiding in there, neither of us could make it out, though we were doing our level best to spy out any potential ambush points. There were several of those pipes that the rats seemed to favor, so there was some potential for trouble there. Otherwise, we were at a loss. With the key just sitting there, I was fully expecting some kind of guardian. Idly, I scratched at my bandage. It had not been a deep cut, and it was started to itch. ¡°Fourteen,¡± Jax reported unnecessarily, catching the motion. I had been supplying her with the numbers past ten, after all. ¡°Fourteen bloody strikes and I still ain¡¯t got that blasted skill to work.¡± I nodded. Just because you had a chance for something to work, that was no guarantee. I had tried explaining that to her, but she was still getting used to counting. Statistics was a thing totally out of her wheelhouse. Besides, our sample size was still pretty low. Though it was fourteen strikes, that was only for nine rats, putting our Gem count at an even fifty. Technically, the skill had procced twice in that time, though the first one was undoubtedly caused by my aura. Even so, that put it at a combined four percent chance per rat. I did not yet have enough data to guess at the rate per strike. ¡°How strong is the aura buildup right now?¡± I asked curiously. She tilted her head to give it a mental nudge and sucked in a breath. Biting at her lip, she reported, ¡°Maybe half as strong as it were before. Guessin¡¯.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s only level¡­¡± pausing for a moment to check with Bline, I continued, ¡°only level nine. Hopefully, once I get it to high novice, it¡¯ll be more useful. What about your skill?¡± ¡°Five,¡± she said sourly. ¡°Bloody five!¡± ¡°Probably only improves with successes then,¡± I mused. ¡°That sucks.¡± She grunted by way of reply, apparently tired of the topic, then added, ¡°Shall I send in me shadow, then? See what happens?¡± I started to nod, but then I hesitated, ¡°Wait, what about your skill point? Probably ought to spend that beforehand.¡± ¡°Right,¡± she sighed. ¡°Been thinkin¡¯ on that. I¡¯d like to take sommat that¡¯d give ye more Life. Or makes me skill work more often. Be drivin¡¯ me crazy, that is.¡± I smirked. She was becoming a regular worry wart. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good idea. Eventually, your skill should improve to the point where it¡¯s not as much of a problem. If you take more in that vein now, I¡¯m concerned that you might over invest.¡± She growled in frustration before sighing, ¡°Aye, yer probably right. What do ye suggest then?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s see¡­¡± I said, tapping my lip. ¡°You said before that you¡¯re not really putting your Life Energy to use. Could pick up something like that?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± she agreed. ¡°But then I¡¯d be runnin¡¯ out just like ye. Then we¡¯d both be starvin¡¯. An¡¯ like ye said, me skill ain¡¯t reliable enough yet to keep it filled.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fair,¡± I nodded. ¡°What about your shadows, then? They¡¯re pretty good for a distraction, but to someone who¡¯s smart enough to tell the difference, they¡¯re not really much of a hindrance. Could you get something to improve them? Make them more life-like or more exact clones of you?¡± She tilted her head to think that one over before rejecting it as well. ¡°Nay. I¡¯d like to see what they do when I get me skill up. Could just be a problem with the lack.¡± I nodded. That was a fair point. ¡°What about something like¡­ trading places with them? Like if you were about to get hit, suddenly you switch with one of your clones, and they take it for you?¡± I suggested. ¡°Oh~ I do like that one,¡± she brightened. ¡°Or maybe even to trade with ye. That way, I could use ¡®em to protect ye better.¡± However, after a brief chat with the Lady, she reported, ¡°Be sayin¡¯ me Core ain¡¯t strong enough for it yet.¡± I sighed. That figured. ¡°Well, keep that one in mind for later then.¡± We both lapsed into a silence that stretched for a while, lost in the various pathways from which to build up Jax¡¯s class. Tenebrous Warrior¡­ fighting from the shadows. That should be something like an assassin, I decided. More about avoidance than taking blows head-on. Her shadows were an interesting step in that direction. Taking blows for her and distracting the enemy. It was a nice pick-up. Although¡­ ¡°You know, it occurs to me that your shadow clone thing doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± ¡°How do ye figure?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, think about it,¡± I began. ¡°What is your class supposed to do? From the name, you would assume that it would use misdirection. Avoid the enemy and strike when they least expect it. So what good is it to have an ability where you have to moan in order to use it? Doesn¡¯t that give away your location?¡± She bobbed her head back and forth for a moment as she thought about it. ¡°Aye,¡± she agreed finally. ¡°I suppose ye have a point there. I just been thinkin¡¯ it were me way of keepin¡¯ their attention away from ye, but it do make it harder to use me Tenebrous Dance.¡± ¡°Did you maybe miss something in the skill description?¡± I asked. ¡°Or maybe it might have changed? You never know. Sometimes my stuff does that when I learn new things.¡± She shrugged, ¡°I listened to Her pretty thorough, but sure. May as well check it.¡± Quietly, she asked her question, and I sat back to wait until her attention returned. ¡°Well?¡± She took a breath and held it for a moment before saying, ¡°Ye were right. She were sayin¡¯ it be a ¡®scaffold¡¯ measure. And¡­¡± She hesitated. ¡°And?¡± I prompted. ¡°She wants to know if ye can guess the rest,¡± she explained after a moment. I blinked. Oh, boy¡­ Here we go. The last time the Lady had done something like this, I had ended up with a broken language skill and days of embarrassing myself as I tried to use it. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t She just ask me directly?¡± I wondered aloud, mostly just to stall. Jax just shook her head, her hands spread. Apparently, Bline was not telling. ¡°Is She offering another boon?¡± I asked, fishing. She started to shake her head again, but then she hesitated, ¡°Maybe. Says She might if ye impress Her?¡± ¡°Okay¡­ well,¡± I paused. I needed to be as thorough here as I could be. I had no idea what was on the table, but I might as well try just the same. Why give Jax a skill with a scaffold attached to it? Okay, Donum¡­ reason this out. ¡°A scaffolding is a temporary structure to assist in the building of a larger, more permanent one. But in this case, we¡¯re talking about a skill. That implies that it¡¯s a learning aid.¡± I stopped again. Why would she need a learning aid to use the skill properly? That implied that she could not use the skill properly without it. Why not? ¡°Okay¡­ okay, what is the scaffolding asking you to do? Moan. But we experimented. We know that you have to moan in a certain way. In a feminine way.¡± I took a breath, ¡°Except¡­ except you said that you are not becoming female. You¡¯re becoming a lilim. So you need to moan like a lilim would?¡± Whatever that meant. Hmm¡­ no, wait. ¡°The moaning is the scaffold. So the question is, what remains when you remove it?¡± Taking another moment to think, I started fishing around for more pieces to the puzzle. ¡°Right¡­ when you bought the skill, you asked for something that would let you use your arousal in combat. So¡­ that means that the moan is there to help teach you how to be aroused like a lilim would be. Or¡­ no.¡± I began to pace as I reconsidered, ¡°Eventually, you would get there anyway¡­ as you became more of a lilim. No, it¡¯s there to teach you to express your arousal as a lilim would. And that means that in order to use the skill properly, you would simply need to express a lilim¡¯s arousal.¡± Somehow. ¡°So, bringing it around¡­ the reason that you were given the skill like that is because¡­ you couldn¡¯t use it otherwise. Because you were too much of a man, maybe? And beyond that, there is the further possibility that the skill itself is not designed for regular people. It¡¯s specific to the lilim kind. Because if you have to express a lilim¡¯s arousal, then there¡¯s no way that a regular person could pull it off.¡± I stopped to look at her, ¡°Am I close?¡± Jax had a look on her face that I could only describe as flabbergasted. ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ She be laughin¡¯? Keeps sayin¡¯ she won?¡± Then she jerked, ¡°Oh! It cut off.¡± We just stared at each other for a long while after that. Finally, unable to think of anything else, I used that universal phrase that comes to a person when there is nothing else to say. When the universe has collectively decided that, at least for today, the rug was going to be unceremoniously yanked out from under your feet, leaving you nowhere to rest save for the imprint your face leaves in the concrete. ¡°What?¡± Chapter 36 - An Accidental Self-Discovery After that, we could not get the Lady to respond to Jax at all. Even requesting the purchase of her skill was met with silence. On the other foot, my own interface was working just fine, so we were at a complete loss as to what was going on. ¡°Ye don¡¯t think she¡¯s cut me off forever, do ye?¡± Jax asked, wringing her hands together. ¡°I doubt it,¡± I said, after a moment of hesitation. ¡°You said she won, right? Maybe she is busy¡­ collecting some sort of winnings? From someone?¡± ¡°Then why do She answer ye and not me?¡± I twisted my lips to the side, ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s a good question. Although, all I was doing was asking to look at my stats. Will She tell you those, at least?¡± She took an aside to check, and then she blanched, ¡°Oh. She answered that time. But just said to quit pokin¡¯ at Her? Says She be busy.¡± I frowned. Bunch of esoteric bullshit artists¡­ Here She had asked me some weird-ass question, and then when I had tried to puzzle it out, instead of so much as even letting me know whether I was right or even close, She skips away like a damned fairy. And to top it off, now She was too busy to even let us buy a skill? What a load of crap! ¡°You know what? Fuck it,¡± I said finally. ¡°We¡¯ve got things to do. We¡¯ll buy something later.¡± Jax was still unhappy, but she nodded firmly enough, ¡°So¡­ ye want me to try sending me shadow then?¡± ¡°May as well,¡± I said. It was a fair idea as probes went. If we were lucky, it might give us a clue as to what to expect in there. Jax prepared herself to release it, but she hesitated. Turning back to me, she asked, ¡°What did ye mean afore? About expressin¡¯ me desire?¡± ¡°You mean instead of moaning?¡± I asked, glancing back to her. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m¡­ How would I know? I¡¯m not a lilim, am I? What do you think?¡± Crossing her arms, she began working at her teeth with her thumb-claw. ¡°I ain¡¯t sure,¡± she said finally. I let out an exasperated breath. We were never going to get this Key. ¡°Okay¡­ uhm¡­ Is arousal different for you now than when you first got the skill?¡± She just looked at me, her face slack. If ¡®bruh¡¯ were a facial expression¡­ ¡°Right, silly question,¡± I shook my head at myself. Of course it would be different. And she was not even finished changing yet. Still, I was determined to help her through this as best I could. But first, I needed more information, ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t suppose you could put that into words?¡± She sucked in through her teeth at that, ¡°Ah¡­ It still be pretty new, Donum. I ain¡¯t sure I can.¡± I nodded in understanding. That was fair. I mean, I had been a man my entire life, and if someone suddenly asked me to put into words what it felt like to be aroused as one ¡ª as opposed to anything else ¡ª I would be at a complete loss. How do you describe what a hard penis feels like to someone who does not have one? It was like the old chestnut, how do you describe the color blue to a blind person? On the other hand, Jax would be in a unique position here, getting to experience both sides of things¡­ or at least, male to lilim. So, I felt that it should be possible for her, given time. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess you just need more experience then,¡± I sighed. Jax¡¯s slow grin prompted me to quickly reevaluate what I had just said, and I sputtered, ¡°Not right now!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± she asked, leaning towards me. ¡°Ye could eat a Gem or three. And I¡¯ll mmm¡­ think about how it feels?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I chuckled nervously, ¡°Right. Yes, I suppose I could do that.¡± In the moment, Jax¡¯s flirtations must have temporarily scrambled my brains, so instead of just using the Inventory function, I reached into my crotch-pocket and nervously fumbled around in there. She, of course, watched all of that with quiet bemusement. Eventually, I came up with a few Minor Gems, and we got started. For now, I would go slowly. This was about feeling things out, not pushing all of our chips in. So, with that in mind, I tossed one into my mouth. The result was much the same as it ever had been, though comparatively mild and not overly long lasting. ¡°Aww,¡± Jax pouted when it was over, ¡°That weren¡¯t nothin¡¯.¡± ¡°Must be getting used to them. Though, that was just a Minor Gem,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s about as minimal as we can do at a time. Observations?¡± Jax shifted her stance, ¡°Maybe do another?¡± Something felt off about her delivery. From the tone of her voice and the lack of eye-contact, I had a feeling she was gaming me. ¡°You¡¯re getting in the mood just thinking about this, aren¡¯t you,¡± I accused, half smiling. ¡°A little,¡± she admitted, returning my expression. ¡°Come on, then. Do another!¡± Well, then. If she wanted to play¡­ ¡°Say how you¡¯re feeling first,¡± I teased, rolling the next Gem in my fingers tauntingly. ¡°Or we could just go for that Key. We have been faffing about in this drain for a while. I¡¯m sure Hess would be fascinated to¡­¡± ¡°Flushed,¡± Jax said immediately. ¡°I be feelin¡¯ a little flushed and short o¡¯ breath.¡± Her scowl could have melted lead. ¡°Interesting,¡± I said, more to her words than her expression. Then I sighed, deciding to try and move past it, ¡°Shall we continue?¡± She stared at the Gem ¡ª and me ¡ª for a while, her countenance gradually softening. Then dropping her hands to her hips, she sighed, ¡°Sorry. I know we swore oath to Hess, but she ain¡¯t bound yet. If she sees us doing aught she may get ideas.¡± I made a face, not understanding. Or not completely. ¡°Uhm. I wasn¡¯t really suggesting¡­ Bu¡­ uhm¡­¡± I liked my lips, ¡°We? Ideas?¡± ¡°Aye,¡± she nodded vigorously. ¡°She got what I ain¡¯t after all. She may think she can jump ahead. It ain¡¯t her right.¡± She bounced once on her heels, landing solidly. As if that explained everything. Never mind the fact that she had completely skipped over the whole ¡®we¡¯ business. ¡°So¡­¡± I hesitated. I felt as though she had just casually danced across a minefield, leaving me behind to trip my own way over it. ¡°Are you saying that, as long as you¡¯ve done it first¡­?¡± ¡°More frequently,¡± she corrected immediately. ¡°I be first, after all. And only with Hess. I¡¯ll not tolerate outsiders.¡± She crossed her arms confidently, ¡°Hess¡¯ll not either. Ye¡¯ll see. When she be bound. Them¡¯s the rules!¡± ¡°Rules?¡± I shook my head, chuckling. From what I had seen, I was pretty sure that this was a much more recent behavior. My running hypothesis was that you had to be at least four Layers into lilim-hood before a person would start to care about that sort of thing. Or at least, enough to be vocal about it. However, that was on the assumption that it would not be unique to Jax, contrary to her own expectation. But time would tell. In any case, ¡°Jax, you talk as if I¡¯m some philanderer that you¡¯ve managed to hogtie. I¡¯ve never even¡­ Well, currently, you¡¯re the only one I¡¯ve ever really done anything with.¡± ¡°Truly?¡± Jax asked, wide-eyed. From her expression, you would think that I had just offered her up an entire kingdom. ¡°Not no one? Ever?¡± Then, her expression fell just a tad as she remembered something, ¡°Nay, ye kissed Hess. But that be just a little thing. An¡¯ she be oath promised.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I hesitated, thinking back. ¡°There was one other incident. Since you¡¯re counting kissing.¡± Jax¡¯s face quickly went stony, ¡°Go on.¡± Her voice was a cold thing. Oh¡­ oh, that was a mistake. I swallowed, stepping back, ¡°There was a girl, uh¡­ some time ago. I think she had a bit of a crush on me, and we made out a little. One time.¡± Jax had started to bare her teeth. ¡°Anything else?¡± she growled, following me. I looked around nervously, still backpedaling. I could not lie to her. I knew that. But¡­ I did not think this was going to go over well. ¡°Now¡­ Jax, this was well before you and I were¡­¡± ¡°Answer me question.¡± The words were clearly enunciated, set in march step to her stalking toward me. ¡°Uh¡­ Well¡­ Things did start to¡­ progress,¡± I admitted, speeding up. I held my hands up, placatingly, ¡°But they stopped before¡­¡± ¡°How far!¡± she barked, matching my pace. ¡°She did let me¡­ touch her¡­¡± I bumped into something, and I heard a noise, like a piece of glass falling to the floor. ¡°Ye touched her?¡± Jax¡¯s face was stretched into a rictus of primal rage. ¡°Where? Where did ye touch?¡± Something flickered in my peripheral, but I was too distracted to pay attention. Cringing away, I held my hands in front of my face, ¡°Her breasts, okay?! She let me fondle them a little, but that¡¯s all! We never got any further than that.¡± Jax had stopped. Cautiously, I peeked down at her, but she was not looking at me. It seemed like she was having an argument with herself. Finally, her head jerked up, ¡°Where they bigger¡¯n mine?¡± I hesitated at the question. It was hardly fair. But not answering was, itself, answer enough. ¡°WHORE¡¯S FUD!¡± she screamed at the floor. Swinging around, she stalked away, but almost immediately, she crashed face first into some kind of forcefield and collapsed onto her backside. A bit of electricity calmly rolled across its surface from the impact. ¡°Jax? Are you okay?¡± I asked, running forward to help her up. As I did, I quickly scanned the area and realized what had happened. Somehow, in a fit of wildly fatalistic inattention, we had accidentally managed to slip into the room with the Key in it. And now we were standing right in the middle of the trap we had just activated. Of all the stupid ass¡­ As soon as she regained her feet, Jax spun around and grabbed my head. Pulling me down to look her in the eye, she growled, ¡°Name?¡± ¡°What? Jax, we¡¯re in the middle¡­¡± She pulled me closer, ¡°What were her name, Donum?¡± I sighed, exasperatedly, ¡°It was Stevie, since you want to know, but¡­¡± ¡°Just Stevie? No Clan?¡± Jax had a look like she was engraving the name onto her very soul. ¡°Clan? N¡­ Or well, that¡¯s the only name she ever told me,¡± I clarified. ¡°Jax¡­¡± ¡°Clanless, then.¡± Releasing me, she began pacing, muttering to herself. ¡°Human, I¡¯m guessin¡¯? Like ye?¡± ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s neither here nor there!¡± I shouted. ¡°Jax, for fuck¡¯s sake, we¡¯re in a trap! We¡¯ve blundered into the Key room.¡± At my words, she quickly scanned around her and dismissed it. Walking back up to me, she kept on the heat, ¡°Ye say she took a shine to ye? Took yer kiss and yer¡­ and then rejected ye!?¡± She snarled deep in her throat before continuing, ¡°Servant girl, then?¡± This was getting way out of hand, I decided. Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I said, ¡°By the Three, what does it matter? Like I said, it was a long¡­¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It matters,¡± she interrupted again, ¡°because ye¡¯ll be bindin¡¯ her, ye will.¡± She had a look of conviction on her face as she said it. She would brook no argument in this. I was certainly going to try, though. Drawing back, my head shaking, I said, ¡°W-what the fuck are you talking about? Bind her? Are you crazy?¡± ¡°Nay, nay. Course not,¡± she chuckled. ¡°Now. This were in yer homeland, I take it? I know it weren¡¯t north, like ye told Hess. We¡¯ll need to get back there somehow.¡± She started pacing again, mumbling something about disguises. ¡°Jax¡­ stop. Please?¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not possible. Whatever it is you¡¯re thinking, it¡¯s just not possible. Okay?¡± Not to mention extremely wrong. On so many levels. ¡°Not possible?¡± she halted, glancing up at me. ¡°What do ye mean? Where can ye be from that¡­¡± Slowly, her eyes widened, an intuitive leap coming over her. ¡°North?¡± The word was a whispered, fearful thing. ¡°That be what ye meant?¡± Hopping in place, she looked around to make sure that none were around to overhear. Unnecessarily. ¡°The Floating Isles? No wonder ye never said.¡± I clicked my tongue and sighed. Jax had lost her ever-loving mind. Sitting with my back against the pedestal, I rolled the Key around in my palm. It looked virtually identical, save for the color, to every other Key I had seen ¡ª a trilliant cut gemstone that fit snugly within the palm of my hand and glowed with a faint inner light. I was eager to go see what it opened, but first I needed to address another problem. Apparently, when I had bumped into the pedestal, it had knocked the Key from its perch, and triggered some form of forcefield to spring up around us. And from the electricity crackling along its surface, I was in no hurry to test it. We were effectively trapped in here for the time being. Jax passed in front of me again. Okay, another two problems. She had been pacing like that, muttering to herself ever since she had ¡®guessed¡¯ another piece of my increasingly fictional backstory. ¡°¡­makes sense¡­ ¡­language I never¡­ ¡­human? Who ever heard¡­¡± For a while, I had tried to talk her down, but she was far too worked up. So eventually, I had decided to just settle in to wait her out. I had, of course, seen a bit of land floating in the sky during my fall into Vrekfren. Naturally, a landmark like that would have something of a reputation, but from the way she was going on about it, it was something of a notorious one. However, from what else I had gleaned, no one was known to have ever come or gone from that place. Or places? I was not sure about that part yet. So, I had no idea what was so insidious about it. In any case, for the time being, it was a perfectly decent country to have not, in any way, been cast out from. At the very least, from what I was hearing, it would be a difficult thing for someone to check. But that really was not all that important to me. I had never once claimed to be from anywhere, so much as simply allowed the fiction to grow around me. And at this point, I was just curious to see how far or wild the fiction might develop. ¡°¡­but how do we get up there? I never heard o¡¯ no one¡­¡± she muttered passing me by again. Lightly tapping the back of my head against the pedestal, I groaned. I mean, I knew that she had gotten rather unreasonably possessive of me of late, but this was nuts! A normal girl would have just expected a regular, monogamous relationship, never mind my past, and I had been preparing myself mentally for entering into one with Jax. She had said we were sort of married now, after all. But from the way she talked, that was not at all what she had in mind. And this obsession with retrieving Stevie? Jax had progressively been adding little details to the story as she went. From what I was hearing, she was now a servant girl who had seduced me with her body, and then fearing my position and perhaps my father, had rejected my advances and shattered my innocent heart. Of course, no part of that was true. She had been a girl that I had met while roleplaying in a comic shop. We had hooked up that night over drinks, and while it was true that I had wanted to see her again, she had just been in town visiting friends. She had left the next day, and I never saw her again. It was one of those little might-have-beens that happen sometimes where circumstances did not align. I did not even know where the girl lived anymore or really if she was even still alive. I sighed. For a moment, I considered trying to figure out the trap we were in on my own, but whatever it was, we were unharmed and nothing had changed. If I started fiddling with something while she was like this, it was likely that I would have to snap her out of it by force again. And I did not want to do that if I could help it. ¡°¡­can nay believe that whore¡¯d have bigger¡­ ¡­but how do we get to her?¡± Jax paused her pacing to make an announcement, ¡°I¡¯ll kill ¡®er! After ye bind her, I¡¯ll kill ¡®er. And when she comes back, I¡¯ll kill ¡®er again. ¡®Til she knows her place. That¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡± ¡°Jax, can we please talk about this?¡± I asked again. ¡°You¡¯re being entirely unreasonable.¡± ¡°Unreasonable nothin¡¯!¡± she growled. ¡°How big were they?¡± ¡°How big? Stevie¡¯s breasts?¡± I asked, sighing. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What do ye mean, ye don¡¯t know? Ye said ye f-f¡­¡± she gripped at nothing with her claws, ¡°fondled ¡®em.¡± ¡°Yes, but they were under her clothes still. She didn¡¯t actually let me look at them for a size comparison,¡± I said exasperatedly. ¡°She didn¡¯t?¡± For some reason, that seemed to make her feel better. Starting up her pacing again, she started to look like she was reconsidering, but then after a moment, she spun around, ¡°Still, ye¡¯d say they were bigger¡¯n mine, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yes. So far,¡± I admitted. I had actually remembered the incident rather fondly, despite its brief nature. Up until now, at least. ¡°So far?¡± Jax asked suspiciously. ¡°What do ye mean, ¡®so far¡¯?¡± ¡°I mean that hers were bigger than yours currently are. You¡¯re still growing,¡± I explained. ¡°What?¡± she stood up straight. The anger that had been consuming her vanished in a puff, replaced by desperate hope. ¡°H-how do ye know that?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± I said, getting to my feet again. Walking towards her, I reached for her top, but I hesitated, ¡°May I?¡± She snorted, giving me a look like I was being silly. Raising her hands and folding them behind her head, she pushed her chest out to me. I swallowed. Despite everything, she very much wanted me to pull her shirt up and do whatever it was I was planning. I could tell that quite clearly. Gently, I loosened her drawstring, and lifted the garment up and over her little bosom. Her mouth lightly parted and she drew in a breath, her eyes locked on mine. ¡°Now¡­ uhm,¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°If you¡¯ll look here¡­¡± I paused to wait for her attention to shift, but she seemed reluctant to tear her gaze from mine. Finally, she turned her head down slightly, flicking her eyes to where I was pointing. ¡°Your areolae are still quite puffy, forcing your nipple into a conical shape. Now, I can¡¯t be sure, which is why I haven¡¯t mentioned it, but normally that indicates that your breast tissue is still developing. Or that¡¯s how it works in young women.¡± She frowned slightly, ¡°I nay understand all o¡¯ yer words, but¡­ yer sayin¡¯ they¡¯ll get bigger then? How¡¯ll I know when they¡¯ve stopped?¡± I took a breath, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ hard to say. But in a mature breast, the¡­ well, this part here,¡± I pointed, ¡°will flatten out evenly with the rest of the surrounding tissue.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s when they¡¯re biggest?¡± she glanced up at me again. I shook my head, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. They should still fluctuate after that. With weight gain¡­ hormones¡­ pregnancy. That sort of thing. But with you? I really don¡¯t know how it¡¯s going to end up working.¡± She frowned back down at her still developing chest for a moment before narrowing her eyes at me again, ¡°And how do ye know so much about all o¡¯ this?¡± ¡°Sex ed,¡± I replied without thinking, but then I hastily amended, ¡°Uh¡­ I had a teacher who talked about it.¡± ¡°A teacher? Taught ye all about that?¡± her eyes were starting to get dangerous again. Sensing another blowup, I held up my hands, ¡°Easy now. It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking. It was a skinny old guy who had a book with drawings in it. That¡¯s all.¡± And yes. I will admit that to my perverse teenage mind, that particular section was of keen interest. ¡°Why are you so obsessed with this anyway? Do you want to have the biggest breasts ever or something?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± she said immediately, but then she recoiled. ¡°No?¡± Apprehensively, she reached up and placed the palm of her hand to my sternum. She stared at it absently for a while before shifting her gaze up to me, ¡°I¡­ ain¡¯t sure.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I said. I could deal with uncertainty. I was learning to swim in that particular soup on the daily. ¡°What metric are you comparing them to? The biggest I¡¯ve come in contact with?¡± She frowned again, ¡°Ye said ye¡¯ve only felt the one! There be others now?¡± I rolled my eyes. Me and my big mouth. ¡°No¡­ Just¡­ Well I¡¯ve¡­ seen peep shows.¡± This whole inability to lie thing was a gigantic hassle, but at least I seemed to be able to talk around some things. Actually, I had never been to a live event in my life, but the Internet was certainly a thing. And I was a long time bachelor. Her mouth twisted a bit, the claw of her index finger lightly tapping at me. She still had a suspicious expression, but eventually, she allowed, ¡°A bit of entertainment be nothin¡¯ to fret over, I guess. But to put words to yer question¡­ I want¡­¡± she sighed, her eyes breaking off and going distant for a moment, ¡°I want mine own to be what ye compare all others to.¡± I slowly blinked at her, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit of an unreasonable expectation? For them to be that nice¡­ well, that kind of thing is incredibly rare. You do know that even if they stayed just as they are, I would never complain, right?¡± The corners of her eyes crinkled, and she put on a bemused smile, ¡°Oh, ye¡¯d not complain with yer mouth.¡± She tapped at me again, ¡°But I¡¯d know.¡± Heaving a sigh, she pushed away. ¡°Yer right, though. I guess. Maybe that be too much to hope for. Still, it¡¯d be nice if when I pulled me shirt up, ye¡¯d at least swell for me.¡± I coughed loudly, ¡°Have mercy! We were arguing! And we¡­ I¡­ well, I¡¯m still recovering!¡± She laughed gaily at that, and after a moment, I joined her. What a crazy-ass turn this whole thing had taken. The second Jax had started to sprout breasts, our whole relationship had been turned onto its head, and ever since then, I had been trying to hold on for dear life. Eventually, I hoped there would come a time where I could get ahead of this thing, but for now, I was just along for the ride. And sure, Jax was¡­ perhaps a tad homicidally possessive, but¡­ it was kind of nice to feel so wanted. Finally, as our laughter came to an end, Jax clapped her hands together, ¡°Donum! I got it!¡± ¡°It?¡± I prompted. ¡°Me desire! As a lilim, I mean.¡± She started hopping in place, ¡°I figured it. And why none but a lilim could have it so!¡± My eyebrows rose, ¡°Oh, yeah? Do tell.¡± Jax started to frown in consternation, ¡°Mmm¡­ but how do a person express such? That be the trick¡­¡± I shook my head. There she went again¡­ ¡°Yeah, maybe if you filled me in, we could work on that?¡± She glanced up, and with a grin, she lightly swatted at me, ¡°Oh, come now, Donum. Ye should o¡¯ figured it before I.¡± She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake¡­ ¡°Jax¡­¡± ¡°It be ye, o¡¯ course!¡± she explained brightly. ¡°Yer desire fer me be what I crave most. It feeds me. Sustains me. Makes me throb! Just the thought¡­¡± Suddenly, she gasped, and weakly, she fell against me. Looking up through half-lidded eyes, a slow grin formed on her face, ¡°Why, Donum¡­ I do believe we have aught in common.¡± I cleared my throat as she began to rub herself on my rapidly expanding girth, ¡°Yes, well¡­ it is rather difficult to control oneself when a¡­ person declares things like that.¡± She sucked in a breath, ¡°Ahh~ Keep talkin¡¯ yer noble words at me.¡± Reaching up, she began fiddling with my covering, but I quickly stepped away. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ do this later, okay?¡± I laughed nervously. ¡°I¡¯m still a little sore from the last time, and anyway, I thought you were full.¡± She looked at me sullenly, ¡°I ain¡¯t so full as to turn ye down.¡± I closed my eyes. Great. Now I felt guilty. ¡°Look, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯m just trying to be smart here, okay? We can¡¯t just start ripping each other¡¯s clothes off all the time at the drop of a hat. I mean¡­ we are caught in a forcefield right now. Or need I remind you?¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t goin¡¯ nowhere,¡± she smiled. Reaching up, she began to play with her nipples, taunting me. ¡°Come on, now. Fish out that dobber o¡¯ yers for me. It don¡¯t care about no traps.¡± I sighed. My lilim was becoming rather insatiable. But it was better than her being angry. And she was right. I was certainly ready to go. Ah well¡­ what was another fifteen minutes? Reaching down, I pulled my loincloth to the side, letting my member spring into the cool air. ¡°Alright, come here.¡± She giggled and clapped her hands together, ¡°Yay!¡± Some time later, I flopped onto my back, exhausted. In the space of twenty-four hours, I had been fellated to completion thrice. And I could tell. I felt as if I had been working the rowing machine, but with some kind of special penis attachment. I was not even sure if I could walk right then. Glancing over, Jax was sitting on her haunches, contentedly wiping at her mouth and humming to herself. It was almost like watching a cat groom itself but without the licking. ¡°You know¡­ I feel bad being the only one on the receiving end of this. I would be happy to try and return the favor,¡± I offered. She paused and then chuckled at me, ¡°Return the favor? Do ye have any idea the unimaginable pleasure ye give me on the daily? If anything, it be me what¡¯s returnin¡¯ favors.¡± ¡°Still, though. Normally, this sort of thing should be a two-way¡­ or¡­ hmm¡­¡± Yeah, she would not understand that phrase. ¡°Well, anyway, I would like to pleasure you, too. When we do this.¡± ¡°But ye do!¡± she smiled, crawling up and laying on my chest. I grunted a bit from the weight, but I endured. ¡°Consumin¡¯ yer desire be me greatest want.¡± Idly, she traced a claw across my shoulder, ¡°But I suppose ye¡¯d nay understand that. Just be patient a while.¡± I sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so scared of letting me¡­¡± ¡°Leave it be,¡± she poked me. ¡°I nay want ye to have memory o¡¯ me this way.¡± Pulling herself further up, she kissed my lips, ¡°I want ye to remember me for what I be, not what I were. Alright?¡± I smirked. I could respect that. Still¡­ ¡°You know, technically, I¡¯ve already seen¡­¡± Her claw drilled just a little too hard into my shoulder, and I winced. Grimacing, she wiped at it, as if that would help at all, but she had not drawn any blood, ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± Then she frowned and jabbed at me again, with her knuckle this time, ¡°Ye forget that! That were a remnant of a dead thing! Not o¡¯ me!¡± ¡°Alright, Jax.¡± Gathering her in my arms, I gave her a light kiss in return. ¡°Alright. Now, maybe we should think about trying to escape?¡± ¡°Escape?¡± Looking around, as if for the first time, she shook her head and sighed dramatically, ¡°This were terrible foolish. Why, anything could o¡¯ happened whilst we were tossin¡¯ the hay about. What e¡¯er were ye thinkin¡¯, Donum?¡± I gave her a flat look, and she grinned. Chapter 37 - A Trap with a Side of Rats Jax was walking the perimeter of our electrified cage, testing it for weaknesses. Each time that she would get even remotely close, the forcefield would start to hum, and electricity would begin to visibly gather near where she was. It was rather like being on the inside of one of those novelty plasma balls that they sell in those goth gift shops that you always find in malls. Whenever she would attempt to touch it, there was a flash, and she would be pushed away. But it did not seem to hurt her. Which I found very odd. ¡°Why would it behave that way?¡± I mused speculatively. ¡°You would think that with all of the fanfare, it would at least give you a bit of a shock.¡± She shook her head, mystified, ¡°The bag if I know. Ye tried puttin¡¯ yon Key back in its cradle?¡± ¡°No. Not yet. I was afraid that if I did, something unexpected might happen. And we weren¡¯t exactly,¡± I made a noise in my throat, ¡°ready for that at the time.¡± Jax smirked at me. I sighed helplessly, but I smiled back. I had not only been referring to our most recent tryst, of course. One of these days, I was going to have to address some of Jax¡¯s¡­ possessive tendencies. But she seemed to have calmed considerably with my assurances that she could keep my attention, and maybe that was all she needed. I hoped. ¡°Alright, let me get the Light Tracing going again, and we¡¯ll see what happens,¡± I said. ¡°Why¡¯d y¡¯even let it drop in the first place?¡± she asked, turning her attention back to the forcefield. ¡°You know perfectly well why,¡± I returned dryly. That made her laugh aloud, ¡°Ain¡¯t got in ye to do both at once? Mmm¡­ have to work on that.¡± ¡°Jeez, Jax,¡± I shook my head, chuckling. ¡°My knees are still knocking over here. I¡¯ll be lucky if I¡¯m even able to do it again tomorrow, to say nothing of holding a spell at the same time.¡± ¡°Good,¡± she said, nodding with satisfaction. Good? Why good? Job well done, good? Good that I will not be horny again for a while? I gave her a speculative look, considering whether to probe that out, but she looked happy enough. Perhaps even a bit smug. So I figured it best to leave well enough alone. We needed to get out of this cage and back to Hess, after all, and I could not spend every waking moment trying to pry into the smallest nooks and corners of Jax¡¯s increasingly alien mind. Not that she had ever been a particularly open book. It was more like I had been in the middle of reading¡­ I do not know¡­ ¡®Moby Dick¡¯ or something. And then one night, as I left it on my night stand, someone had come in and replaced it with a new book, called ¡®Moby¡¯s Dick¡¯, without telling me. And it was suddenly all about how Captain Ahab wanted to stick his ¡®harpoon¡¯ into the whale? The result of which was that I was left unsure whether that had not been the plot the whole time. I frowned, unsure where this metaphor was going. Which was apposite. Leaving that for some other time, I took a few moments to reassemble the spell. It was not quite as difficult the second time around to parse out the syllables I wanted, and after a few tries, the highlights were back in place, if still on the dim side. Hopefully, after some practice, that would get better, though I still had little clue as to why it would work less well when separated from its parent spell. Maybe I was doing something wrong? I sighed. Yet another thing for a later time. Perhaps, I should invest in a journal. Then, at least, I might have a chance of remembering all of the questions I needed to ask. ¡°Alright,¡± I said in warning, ¡°Be prepared. Anything might happen when I replace the Key.¡± Jax nodded, summoning her axe and taking a stance. Glancing back, she gave me a nod. I took a deep breath, and nervously holding the triangular gemstone over its perch, I gently replaced it. The second I did, the forcefield gave a little flicker and faded away. We stood silently for a long time, straining our eyes and ears. But nothing moved. Nothing jumped out at us. All was quiet. Sharing a glance, Jax held a finger to her mouth and trotted out into the hallway to look around. Peering one way and then the next, she turned back and shrugged. Nodding silently, I took a deep breath as the tension drained out of me. As she returned to my side, I turned my attention back to the Key. ¡°Puzzling,¡± was all I said aloud. Jax nodded, ¡°Aye. How we supposed to take away yon rock? To pick it up means to be trapped within.¡± ¡°That is the trick, isn¡¯t it?¡± I said. ¡°Although, technically, I suppose that only one of us needs to be trapped at once.¡± She quirked an eyebrow at me, ¡°And what good will that do, ye¡¯re so smart?¡± ¡°Honestly, I have no idea,¡± I admitted with a shrug. ¡°But it¡¯s the only variable I can think of at the moment.¡± She made a face that, as far as I could tell, was somewhere between ¡®fair enough¡¯ and ¡®fuck it¡¯. She started to step back but quickly reconsidered, ¡°Let me. If aught happens¡­¡± I deliberated on it for a moment. Was something more likely to happen inside the field or out? Again, I had no clue. But, if the worst came, it should be easy enough to drop the field again and start over. Hopefully. So nodding, I moved back and gestured that she continue. Seeing me out of the way, she quickly snatched the Key from its perch, and the field sprang back into place. Silently, we waited, but again, nothing out of the ordinary happened. At a loss, we slowly approached each other, looking over the barrier. From out here, it was evident that the electrical effect was simply a part of the field itself, instead of being supplied from an outside source. At least¡­ as far as I could tell. Though, the dome of it was cut off at the floor, so perhaps there was something underneath us that was being used as a power supply. Unless magic, of course. That was always the wrench in the works around here. ¡°NOw whAT?¡± she said, breaking me out of my reverie. Her voice was oddly distorted by the barrier, springing back and forth between pitches at odd intervals. Hearing that, I choked a bit. The temptation was far too strong. I simply could not resist. So, with a big, stupid grin spreading across my face, I belted out, ¡°Do you believe in life after love?¡± Jax frowned and shook her head, ¡°What BE Ye saYIN¡¯? Yer vOIce be souNDIN¡¯ POwerfUL STRanGE.¡± I shook my head, still laughing at myself, ¡°Never mind. Just a little tune from back home.¡± A little autotune. ¡°YE werE SIngin¡¯?¡± she asked, perplexed. ¡°NOw?¡± I sighed. Ah¡­ sometimes it was tough being around all these uncultured people. Bemused, I tapped the field from the outside, but it pushed my arm away just the same as it had Jax. Not knowing what else we could do, I lightheartedly spread my hands, ¡°What can I say? I thought maybe if it heard my beautiful singing voice, it would faint from the shock.¡± Jax gave me a look that spoke volumes. Of course, I had knowingly incited the reaction, so it came as no surprise when she jokingly threw the Key at me. Dutifully, I ducked, but much to both of our surprise, it sailed right through the barrier, as if there were nothing there at all, and bounced off of the wall behind me. We both stared at it as it spun in place for a moment and gradually wobbled to a halt. In the second of silence that followed, I heard a click from above, and tracing the sound, I saw a sharply clawed paw grip the edge of the pipe above me. The head that followed after it was, unsurprisingly, that of a rat but not like any we had seen before. This one was easily twice the size. From the other side of the room, I heard a hiss. And then another. And another. ¡°QUIck!¡± Jax shouted from the inside of her prison, ¡°PAss it baCK! HURry!¡± Nodding decisively, I grabbed up the Key and underhanded it back towards her, but it ricocheted off of the field and landed at my feet again. I stared at it, wide-eyed¡­ it only worked in one direction? By the time I had grabbed it up again, the first gigantic rat had fallen to the floor on the opposite side of the room. Seeing this, Jax wildly began to throw herself at the side of the forcefield. Scrabbling at it in panic, her gaze settled on me, ¡°RUN!!! RUn, DonUM! Oh, pleaSE RUN!¡± Ho boy¡­ This was going to suck. Gripping the Key firmly in hand, I gave her an apologetic yet firm nod. Spinning on my heel, I leapt into motion just as the weight of a titanic rat thudded to the ground behind me, and I put a little extra spring in my step. I knew it was not going to stay there long. My footsteps were punctuated by a silent litany of internal swearing. I knew that I was not much of a runner, and I was low on Energy as it was. How that translated into stamina or speed or any of the rest was an unknown, but at my best, back home, I was good for a solid hundred yards of sprinting. After that, I would be left gasping for air for a quarter hour or more. Now? I just had to hope that all of those points I had spent in my stats would do me some good. So, I kept my gaze in front of me, putting all of my hope into staying ahead of these things just long enough to accomplish¡­ something. As I pelted down the hallway, my foot slapping in puddled water, the lead rat jumped for me, landing a scratch right across my left buttock. Gasping in pain, I quickly darted around the first corner, thankful that it had not managed to catch my loincloth. Though I could now feel wet blood dripping down my leg as I continued to run, I knew that the move had cost the rodent some of its momentum. Suddenly, up ahead, the motion lines highlighted something rising from the ground. It was thin and cylindrical. Rather like another pedestal. That made me realize two things. One, like an idiot, I had forgotten that I had left my spell running, which had cost me dear stamina. Although, in hindsight, it was probably the only reason that I had noticed the pedestal, at all. And two, much more importantly, I intuitively knew that there lay safety, and hope surged within me. Unless I was wrong, of course. Oh¡­ please don¡¯t be wrong. Galloping toward that beacon for all I was worth, my heart beginning to pound dangerously in my chest, I still heard the approaching steps of my nearest pursuer again closing on me. No! I¡¯m so close! Like a running back, I juked to the side. It was not the most expert of attempts, but it was enough. The rat sailed right past me and skidded to a stop just as I again flew past it. Right as I felt I would collapse, the final step to the pillar was done, and I slammed the Key into place. Instantly, a field sprang into place around me, throwing my hunters back like a pinball bumper. I laughed in relief, tears escaping the corners of my eyes as I slumped to the floor, completely spent. I did not know how far I had run, but as I sat there gulping in air, I felt as if I wanted to curl up and die. The rats, meanwhile, seemed quite intent on accomplishing just that. They began slowly circling my new cage, hunting for weaknesses. At least for a little while. A scant handful of seconds later, Jax skidded to a halt around the corner. It did not take her long to assess the situation. Slowly pacing forward, she held her axe low to her side and splayed her claws at her other, growling low in her throat. She was out for blood. And the four rats, each the size of mountain lions, were happy to oblige her. As they ran for each other, I hastily dropped the partial spell and began the process of getting my full buff going. In my current condition, I doubted I could hold it for long, but she was going to need every advantage I could give her. It still was not easy to say the whole thing. It was never easy. But I got it out, only bobbling the pronunciation once. The blow back slammed into me like a ton of bricks, and I whimpered just as Jax and the rat pack collided with one another. But I could not pay attention to them. My eyes closed, I concentrated on breathing. Just keep breathing. Keep¡­ breathing¡­ The sounds of the battle outside were fierce. I think that Jax either knew or simply feared that I had been injured, and she was eager to finish this quickly. But her opponents were not the paltry things from before. These were stronger. Smarter. Faster. They worked together to keep her off-balance and off-target. However, she was not without her own advantages. Thanks to spell and skill, the shadows were her allies, and she knew how to use them. Just as her axe clanged to the ground, missing her wily opponent, another charged from her side, but she rolled away, vanishing into the deep gloom. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. My peripheral briefly closed in from the sides, and I gasped. Keep breathing. One of the rats screamed as her claws traced a path down its flank, and she howled in jubilation. But the rat swung around and bit down on her wrist. Cursing, she aimed her axe at its neck, but it jumped back before it could land. She was not counting, I noticed. Not that I would have bothered either, given the situation. But peering at her through the distortions of the forcefield, she seemed far too worked up. Her face was locked into a mask, eyes flashing, her lips drawn back over her teeth, open and bared. Like a wild animal. Like the rats. And it was¡­ wrong. Somehow. One of the mountainous rodents scraped its spindly claws across her thigh, and snarling in pain, her swing of retaliation skipped off the top of the beast¡¯s skull, taking a hunk of skin with it. I waited, knowing she was injured, for her to start using her clones. But she did not. She was too enraged, I realized. Angry, perhaps, at being separated from me, or maybe it was simply that I had been threatened. Either way, she was not using her skills properly. Again. I groaned, knowing that I needed to help her. Get her head right. Closing my eyes for a moment, ignoring the riotous battle going on just a few feet from where I lay, I took several huge lungfuls of air. ¡°Jax!¡± The word came out as a whisper, the effort to speak too much for me. But I tried again, ¡°Jax! Moan! Use your shadows!¡± My voice was the faint sound of wind blowing through reeds as a nearby tornado ripped a barn from its foundations. Lost entirely to the snarls and shrieks of the battle between beast and lilim. The effort left me breathless, and the world tried to close in on me again. Slamming my fist to the ground, I fought it back. No! Not yet! A sudden crash to the side of the barrier made me jump in startlement. The axe, thrown and apparently missing its target, had smashed against the forcefield and instead of bouncing back, it simply vaporized. Jax screamed in frustration only for one of the giant rats to leap onto her back, bearing her to the ground. She threw it off of her, but not before suffering another gouge, ripping her shirt nearly in half. I needed to heal her. Quickly. But I could not. I knew that. If I tried, I would pass out for sure. I was barely keeping myself from doing that now. I needed Energy. We both did. ¡°Jax,¡± I choked out. But I stopped almost immediately. What could I say? Something¡­ something to calm her down. Something to help her let go of her distractions and fight like she should. She needed to get her head right. She needed to moan. Concentrating on her, I focused, hoping my intent would come through. In the barest of whispers, I called out to her. Almost like a man shouting advice to a favored sports team through the television. Or a prayer, perhaps. I did not expect her to hear me. But perhaps she would feel my attempt. ¡°Jax,¡± I started again. ¡°You are not a being of rage. It does you no good. Let it go. Cast it aside.¡± I paused, trying to keep my breathing under control. ¡°Feel me, Jax! Feel my aura! Feel what it does for you!¡± Another pause. Another breath. ¡°Your powers work on lust, Jax. On desire. Use your desire!¡± My hands were starting to shake, my breath shallow. I could not keep going. Starting to feel faint, I stared at the ground, all of my attention diverted to simply staying conscious. But I could hear. She still was not moaning. For a moment, I lost hope, but as I regained enough stamina to look again, I could see that her face had lost the edge of malice that had been there before. Perhaps some of my intent had reached her, after all. She just needed a final push. It came to me then, in a flash. Our conversation from before. She had said something about the object of her desire. But summoning that up was going to be difficult. Especially now. And it made me sympathize with her situation. Deeply. But there was nothing else for it. Doing my best to block out the world, I thought back. I thought of the first time I had laid eyes on her as a she. The slight jiggle of her chest. The tilt of her hip. I thought of her licking up and down my torso. Of her tenderly and gently kissing the tip of my throbbing manhood. The rapt look in her eyes when she had finally swallowed me whole. There was a gasp. And suddenly, with a great clang, she split the skull of the first of the rodents in twain. Its Life poured into us in a torrent. Raw Energy swelled in me, and I shivered as it raced down my back and through my limbs. My vision expanded outward in a rush, and I was dizzy for a moment from the influx of new sensation. I had known I was near, but not quite that close to oblivion. My stamina had not been fully restored in that instant, but I felt a renewed vigor, nonetheless. Taking a few deep breaths, I decided to try and regain my feet. The spell I was maintaining still felt like a full grown mountain gorilla clinging to my back, but it was no longer a crushing weight. I could do this. And I felt that standing up might give Jax some form of encouragement. Grunting, I pulled my feet under me and winced. I had momentarily forgotten the throbbing coming from my ass-cheek. That rat had really tagged me good. It would need healing, but first things first. Pushing up, I gradually managed to heave myself into a quivering stance. In that moment, I felt almost like some ridiculous power-lifter struggling to lift a car off the ground. This spell was nuts! Why, by the Lady, was it so damned hard to hold? Finally able to pay attention to the battle once more, I saw that Jax had whittled them down to just the two, but she had payed a price for it. Her left leg looked like it was not supporting her weight very well, and she was bleeding profusely. The only reason she had not been overrun was that her foes looked to be in just as bad a shape as she was. I desperately wanted to heal her, but I feared that if I did, what advantage she had would be lost. And at this point, I was unsure if I would even be able to get my buff up and running again. I needed more Energy. Or rest. Preferably both. Jax, at least, had turned something of a corner. My brief touch of desire, and the Life infusion, had seemed to start her engine to some degree, and she was finally able to pull out a couple of shadow clones. Not well, though. They were faint. Like she had summoned them by rote instead with her actual desire. She needed more. Mentally, I prepared myself to send another wave at her, but then it occurred to me that I was being a complete dunce. I had all the desire she could need sitting in capsule form right in my pocket. I almost laughed at myself for not thinking of it before, but I had been oxygen starved. That was my rationale, anyway. Quickly, I brought up my inventory screen, and pulled all of the bigger Gems out, not bothering to separate them out into the stack size I would need. Immediately, nine Lesser Rank One Gems sprang from my front flap, and I snatched them out of the air. I was not sure how many to go with all at once, but I did not want to hit her too strongly. I had already discovered that these had the potential to overwhelm a person. The hard way. So, with that in mind, I popped two into my mouth. As the Power began to infuse my Core, I took a deep breath. Momentarily, at least, the strength of it seemed to be having a huge impact on my ability to maintain the buff, and I sighed in relief. And soon enough, Jax¡¯s portion leaked out to her, gently seeping into her Core without her even noticing. At first. As her axe slammed into the ground, missing her target yet again, she snarled in frustration. But her face transformed midway through the emotion into a shiver of pleasure. Quickly glancing over at me, she took in my form, standing upright and smiling knowingly at her. And she smiled back. ¡°There you go, Jax,¡± I said, teasingly. ¡°A little present for you. Now, hurry and finish these off. Your¡­ reward awaits.¡± I felt ridiculous saying things like that. It made me feel like some kind of creepy Lothario. But she had to start fighting in the right frame of mind. My promise of the coming spell of healing combined with the flow of Power to her Core was finally enough to break through, and a gleam appeared in her eyes. Seeing one of the huge rodents leap for her again, she hummed flirtatiously as she spun away, leaving a shadow in her wake. The rat slammed into it, trying to tear its throat out. And as it dissipated into smoke, leaving the rodent momentarily disoriented, Jax¡¯s weapon struck its head from its body. One left. They circled each other, cautiously. The fur on the rat¡¯s back spiked up in a display of threat, while Jax had an entirely different demeanor. Her body language had changed significantly. Now, instead of tension and anger defining her every move, she had loosened up. There was a languid flow to her steps. An indifferent, teasing manner. Without warning, she surged forward, a moan on her lips, almost as a battle cry, but it was only a feint. Her clone continued on her telegraphed trajectory, meeting the rat in an apparent frenzy of bloodshed, only for it to disappear as soon as the vermin¡¯s teeth sank home. The axe quickly spun out of the darkness from behind, severing its spine. Jax casually sauntered into the light, still limping slightly yet licking her claws in anticipation. Straddling the still breathing but crippled beast, she wasted no time, and thrust them into its heart. Another surge of Life Energy flowed into us as the rat took its last breath, and Jax shuddered, glorying in her kill. I dropped my buff immediately, unwilling to spend even an iota of precious stamina unnecessarily, and I slumped to the ground. I winced again as my butt hit the ground, and I immediately sent a burst of healing Energy into it. I had a little bit of the stuff ready to go now, and as always, I immediately needed to spend it. I looked forward to the day that little deficiency was a thing of the past. Glancing over at Jax, still somewhat illuminated by the electrical arcs of the forcefield, I could see her staring at her bloody claws curiously. Turning her head over her shoulder to look at me, she said, ¡°Twice. AftER SO long, twice IN the SAMe ruddy fiGHt. In the SPAn o¡¯ FOUR HIts, no less. WhY?¡± I shrugged, chuckling at the continued ridiculousness of the sound distortions. That was statistics for you. Sometimes you got lucky. ¡°Maybe it works better when you¡¯re in the right frame of mind,¡± I suggested instead. Gamers were always a superstitious lot, even when they knew better. I had my own little dice rituals and had often committed a particularly unruly twenty-sider to dice jail. And maybe this way, it would serve as a reminder for her. Jax nodded seriously, taking my proposition to heart, ¡°The right frame o¡¯ mind. Aye. I¡¯ll remember it.¡± Looking up at me again, her face fell, ¡°I be sorry. I were¡­ I were too upset ye had to face these blighters yer ownself. Got carried away. Forgot meself. I¡¯ll not lose sight again,¡± she promised me. I nodded, content enough. ¡°You were actually pretty impressive there at the end. I think you may have discovered how to use those shadows.¡± She smiled, almost shy from the compliment, but she shook her head, ¡°Nay. Still had to moan to get ¡®em to come. I ain¡¯t figured the trick to it yet.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get it eventually,¡± I said confidently. ¡°Now come here. I need to patch you up.¡± Getting to her feet again, she limped forward, smiling in anticipation. Despite her demeanor, she was a terrible sight. Long scratches crisscrossed her legs. Most were only shallow red marks, but there were plenty that had gone deep enough to draw blood. Her arms, particularly her wrists, also sported more of the same as well as several bite marks. The only part of her that seemed relatively unscathed was her front torso. Apparently, she had been able to guard that part of her well enough. Meanwhile, what was left of her pants had progressed well past the men¡¯s shorts stage and was now rapidly approaching something like tattered booty shorts. Her top was also heavily damaged. One of the arms had been ripped clean off, leaving it looking like some kind of cavewoman¡¯s bra. And all of it was liberally stained with blood. Wasting no time, I prepared my increasingly well-practiced healing spell and pushed it into her, holding little back. I knew from experience that the spell should be able to handle the surface level wounds easily enough. That limp, though, was chancy. It spoke to deeper injuries. Perhaps I was getting better with it, but I felt that I had provided enough to do the job. If it had been too much was another story. I did not have so fine a touch as that. Jax sank to her knees as the orgasmic fire washed over her, her hands running over her body, exulting in the pleasures of her wounds knitting together. But her eyes stayed locked on me. That look. Maeve preserve me, but that look. It did things to me. And as soon as Jax felt it, she tried to come for me, but predictably, the field pushed her back. Momentarily forgotten in her state of bliss, the barrier yet kept us apart, and she mewled in frustration. ¡°What we gonna do, Donum?¡± she asked, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. ¡°I be hatin¡¯ this, powerful!¡± I sighed in sympathy, ¡°Be patient. I have an inkling as to what¡¯s going on here, but first, I think you should collect the Gems off of those corpses. I have a feeling that they¡¯re going to be fairly strong.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± she said, nodding firmly. She seemed relieved to have something to do, happy to be given even a trivial task if it brought her one step closer to removing these barriers. Gathering the five new Gems in her cupped hands, she hurriedly brought them over to me and tried to press them through the forcefield. But unlike the Key, they were repulsed just the same as she was. Frowning, she sat them on the ground next to the edge of the field and backed away. ¡°Now what?¡± she asked, eagerly. My brows knitted together as I stared at the little pile sitting on the ground. Glancing back up at her, I hazarded, ¡°I think it might be best if you held on to them for now. Don¡¯t you?¡± She looked back at them, frowning, almost scandalized by the idea. Finally, she replied simply, ¡°Can nay. Me pockets is ripped through.¡± Flapping the shreds at me for a moment, she flashed me a smug little smile. Shaking my head for a moment, I stowed that little oddity away for later. ¡°Alright, whatever. What grade are they, anyway?¡± ¡°Lesser. Rank one,¡± she replied immediately. ¡°Only Lesser?¡± I sighed. Given how much of a number they had done on her, I had hoped for more. Then again, she had not been in the right frame of mind for much of the fight, and they had been fighting with numbers. So that helped to explain it. At least they were not flying around and spitting fire at us. ¡°What¡¯s yer inkening, then?¡± she asked, pulling me out of my head again. ¡°Right,¡± I said, taking a breath. ¡°Well, I think this may be a leapfrog-style trap.¡± ¡°Leapfrog?¡± she asked, confused. ¡°Oh¡­ uh¡­ yes. That¡¯s a children¡¯s game from back home. They squat down and then leap over each other¡¯s shoulders?¡± I explained hopefully. ¡°Oh, that!¡± she smiled. ¡°We used to call that Hop-a-Cop.¡± I grinned, bemused at the rather street-urchin-specific nomenclature, ¡°Right. Anyway, I believe the goal is to pass each other the Gem, ¡®hopping¡¯, I guess you would put it, from pillar to pillar.¡± So saying, I lifted the Key from its base and held it up, ¡°I think that the next section will start as soon as I pass you this. If everything works the same as last time, then more of those giant rats will come to stop you. From there, you¡¯ll need to find the next pillar and put it in the slot. Then a new field will trap you inside, and I¡¯ll be free.¡± Jax slowly nodded along at my explanation. But then, she had a thought, ¡°What happens at the end, though? To get the both of us out?¡± ¡°That I don¡¯t know,¡± I admitted. Eventually, something would have to change to break the pattern, I had no doubt. But I could not see what that might be at this stage. She started to slowly pace as she thought out our situation. Obviously, as she had to handle the fighting for both my leg and her own, she was going to be getting a little screwed over in this, but that was our lot. Although, quite frankly, I would almost be inclined to trade with her if I were able. Having to sprint to the next pylon while being chased by monsters was not my idea of a pleasant Sunday evening. Finally, she asked, ¡°What about Hess? Might be simpler to get her help, what?¡± I almost agreed with her out of hand, and if this had been anywhere else but a semi-sentient death trap with invisible eyes all around, I certainly would have. ¡°I have a hunch that if you do that, then the Dungeon might¡­ adjust.¡± She sucked in a breath, ¡°Ooh¡­ aye. And then we might be gettin¡¯ more¡¯n just a few overgrown warren dwellers¡­ and with you havin¡¯ to skip over them¡­¡± We shared a horrified look. Clearing my throat, I decided to put that thought behind me. ¡°Right. Well, let¡¯s take a few minutes to rest, and then we can get started.¡± ¡°Oh, Hand o¡¯ Mercy,¡± she sighed in relief. ¡°Thank you.¡± So saying, she flopped to the ground, arms and legs splayed haphazardly, and closed her eyes. Chapter 38 - Enough with the Rats! I honestly could not tell you what time of the night it was as I laid collapsed, panting within yet another protective dome while the newest herd of mutant rodents circled me hungrily. And frankly, I did not care. I had been absolutely right. This sucked the big one. ¡°Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed, you fuck-wads!¡± I wheezed to the Dungeon at large. Oh, yes. I had noticed, alright. It seemed that every time it was my turn to run with the Key, the distance to the next pillar was much farther along than Jax¡¯s leg. It was like whomever had set this up was doing it specifically at my expense. As if they were laughing in their shadowy recesses and shouting, ¡°Run, fat boy! Run!¡± I could almost hear them. Yes, they knew who was doing the fighting and who was doing the running. Not that I was really all that fat, anymore. My recent diet of Jack and Diddley was doing wonders for my figure, and whatever caloric intake Life Energy provided did not seem to replenish my fat stores. Heck, a few more days of this, and you might actually be able to see my abs! I had not seen those in years! Right about the time that I mustered the energy to flop bonelessly onto my back, I heard the sound of Jax¡¯s plodding footsteps approaching. She had progressed well past the point of being in any kind of hurry any more, delaying her inevitable bouts with my pursuers as much as possible. I did not blame her in the slightest. Heaving a sigh, I prepared to get my spell running again. At this point, the words came with a fair degree of readiness, not that I actually wanted to say them anymore. It was rather like playing red rover, but knowing that inevitably, you were going to have to call the really fat kid¡¯s name to come running at you. No one wanted to do it, but that was the game. Of course, in this particular simile, all of the kids were fat. ¡°Alright, ye scabby boggins. Let¡¯s have it,¡± Jax taunted in a drawl. I did not even bother to look. Intoning my spell with almost a sarcastic cadence, I clenched my teeth as the aforementioned lard-ass cannonballed onto my ribcage. Again. There were only two of the really big rats this time, together with an entourage of another three of the now comically small, forearm-sized ones. Really, whoever thought that the things had ever been that big? It was a ludicrous notion. I mean, I still ran from them, of course. I was a mage, not a fighter. Groaning as I rolled onto my side, I watched as the rest of the fight played out. I still had a sliver of Life Energy from the last burst that Jax had provided, about two pylons ago, so I was not about to pass out again. Still, I was hardly going to try and stand up with my spell running. That was just wasteful. The fluid movements that seemed to highlight her fighting style when she was in the mood were mostly absent at present. She was still trying, of course, but that kind of thing really does not come naturally, especially given how tired she was. How tired we both were. But she was still doing okay. With each bout, Jax was becoming more competent at dealing with the monstrous rodents. Learning their tells, when they were about to jump, when they were ready to dodge, and etc. We were just fortunate that they did not seem to be learning from their mistakes in turn. Not that they could. Being that they were dead and all. As she hurled the final ratling at a wall, forcing an axe chaser down its throat, she turned to look at me, ¡°Ye well?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± I returned, dropping my spell like a traveling salesman drops his luggage at a dingy motel. ¡°Unscathed this time. You?¡± ¡°Few scratches,¡± she replied shortly. ¡°Nothin¡¯ major.¡± As she shuffled her way over to me and plopped down to rest again, I gave her a quick once over. What was left of her clothes were hanging on by threads. Her once full set of baggy pants were now reduced to the point of scarcely being a g-string. I had been studiously avoiding any accidental glances down there to respect her privacy, but it was getting harder. At some point during her last wait, she had apparently taken an excess scrap of cloth and shoved it through her waistband to try and help. It was a make-shift attempt, at best. Her top was little better. There was almost nothing left to it at all. Little bits of it had been torn away or ripped to tatters over the night to the point where it was just a strap with a bit of white cloth dangling over her nipples. Personally, I would have just discarded the thing a long time ago, but unlike her undercarriage, she seemed to like that I kept sneaking glances. Of course normally, I would have been trying my utmost to control myself in that regard as well, but it truly did help her fight better. Which was an odd thing to say, but that was where we were. ¡°Heal?¡± I asked after a moment. ¡°Nah, save it,¡± she said, stretching. ¡°Unless ye think ye have aught to spare?¡± I sighed, ¡°I can get off a small one without a problem. Two at most.¡± Experience really was the best teacher. I could not tell you how, but I was getting a real feel for how my body reacted when I was getting close to empty. Larger surpluses where another thing entirely, but those were far and few between. ¡°Hold off, then,¡± she said with a grimace. ¡°Let me see if I can get this next batch to cough up some Life for ye.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ready to go already?¡± I asked skeptically. She just shrugged, ¡°Me arms feel o¡¯ lead, but I still got me wind in me. I ain¡¯t gonna get better tonight.¡± ¡°You want me to use another Gem during your fight?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯d help, aye,¡± she nodded gratefully, but then she looked at me, consideringly, ¡°How many we used so far?¡± We had discovered that ¡ª at least as long as its effects were running ¡ª in addition to the rather immediate benefits to Jax¡¯s desire-based ability, the Gems seemed to help alleviate some of our stamina issues, and I had been slowly doling them out over the course of our run. They had been a goddess-send, to say the least. ¡°Two Lesser and uh¡­¡± I paused to recount them again, ¡°nine Minor. I think.¡± ¡°Ye countin¡¯ the one we used afore we got into this mess?¡± Jax reminded me. ¡°Oh. Make that ten Minors then,¡± I corrected. She pursed her lips, ¡°All o¡¯ them, and we still ain¡¯t got to Core cap?¡± ¡°Well, Hess said that it was about ten Minor to the Layer, and we¡¯ve been splitting them. So that by itself should be halfway for the both of us. Plus the two Lesser would put us at around¡­ maybe three quarters full?¡± It was a guess, but I felt like my reasoning was fairly sound. Jax, of course, did not yet have the facilities to dispute my estimate, so she simply nodded. Dropping the most recent additions next to my cage, she asked, ¡°How many do we got saved up now?¡± Since the inventory gave me a stack count as part of its interface, it was easy enough to do some quick mental math and give her a combined total, ¡°That would put us at twenty-four Lesser and fifty-four Minor, altogether.¡± Our Gem stash was starting to become quite the little pile. It was getting to the point where I was beginning to regret the fact that my pocket was sitting right on top of my crotch. Hearing that, her eyebrows slowly rose, and she smiled in disbelief, ¡°Donum? Do ye know that right now, we got more money out of everybody I ever knowed?¡± I pursed my lips, thinking that over. I did not have any real concept of the worth of things, after all. ¡°How much would you say that a Lesser is worth?¡± I asked curiously. Her head bobbed back, unsure, ¡°I dunno. Maybe¡­ four? Five gold?¡± ¡°Okay well, assuming they¡¯re worth five¡­¡± because that made the math easier, ¡°then we have something like¡­ 174 gold worth of Gems?¡± That figure did little to satisfy me. Gold was not something that I could easily equate with money. Of course, in D&D terms, it was a paltry sum. You could not even buy a suit of plate mail for that. Not even close. Actually, I was pretty sure that a breastplate alone cost something like two or three hundred. But here? At one point, Jax had said that staying in an inn cost something like a quarter of a silver per night. In dollars, I knew that you could usually find a place for a hundred bucks, so a silver should be about four hundred. And I knew that the coinage here was usually broken into eighths. Literally. So, if a silver was an eighth of a gold¡­ then a gold was worth¡­ 3,200 dollars? And we had 174 of them? Holy shit¡­ That would be like¡­ Hmm¡­ My mental math was not quite so advanced as to pop off a figure like that, so I had to break it down into steps. 100 times 3,200 would be 320,000¡­ and then half again would be another 160,000. So that would account for 150 of them. Plus another¡­ well, 24 is a bit wonky to do in your head, so lets call it 25. That way we can just take half again. So, that¡¯s just 80,000. And then added up, it would be¡­ 400¡­ 560,000¡­ and then taking away the 3,200 we added would leave us at¡­ 556,800 dollars worth of Gems? I sat back as my internal sense of value aligned. That was getting close to new house money. In some places. No fucking wonder almost nobody ever made it to the Boundary. If even a Minor Gem cost that much then a whole Layer would set you back thirty-two grand or more! And we had been popping them like stamina potions!? Lady preserve¡­ I had already blown through over sixty grand in this Dungeon alone! And twice that counting Jax! ¡°¡¯Snails¡­¡± I breathed out. Jax had both of her hands clasped over her mouth, almost tearing up over the prospect of so much money in our possession, but when she heard me say that, her expression fell. ¡°That be her word. Why ye be swearin¡¯ usin¡¯ her word. I got loads o¡¯ words, and ye never used one o¡¯ mine!¡± I looked at her. Really? ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s fun to say?¡± I explained reasonably. She made to argue, but her eyebrows lifted after a moment, ¡°Aye¡­ I suppose it be at that. Still, I don¡¯t like hearin¡¯ such on yer lips when ye ain¡¯t ever used mine.¡± I sighed, ¡°But, I don¡¯t know what any of yours mean! Or well¡­ I suppose I¡¯ve picked up on a few of them, but I don¡¯t know any that would fit that situation.¡± ¡°What were yer meanin¡¯ then?¡± she asked helpfully, as if she was some kind of school marm. I sent her a bemused look. The conversations I got into with this woman¡­ lilim¡­ whatever. ¡°You know¡­ something like¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± I floundered. ¡°Just a general expression of amazement.¡± ¡°I¡¯d usually swear by the names o¡¯ the Three. But if ye wanted sommat else¡­¡± She thought it over for a moment before snapping her fingers, ¡°Ye could say ¡®chebs¡¯!¡± ¡°Chebs?¡± I repeated incredulously. ¡°Jax, I¡¯ve never once heard you say ¡®chebs¡¯.¡± ¡°Now ye have,¡± she said smiling. ¡°I think it¡¯d be cute if ye said ¡®chebs¡¯.¡± I blinked. Cute? She thought it would be cute? But then I narrowed my eyes, ¡°Why? What does it mean?¡± ¡°Nothin¡¯ special,¡± she shrugged far too innocently, ¡°Just sommat like ¡®wow¡¯, ye know?¡± ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡± I said by way of reply. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can work it in.¡± Standing up, I grabbed the Key back off of the pedestal and held it up, ¡°Now. Are you ready to take this ¡®flaming tadger¡¯ off my hands?¡± She blanched, ¡°Donum! Watch yer tongue!¡± Some time later, I was ambling along the drainage hall toward wherever Jax had ended up. I was not really paying attention, as I was busy dumping the latest batch of Gems into my fanny pack of ball bruising. Including her latest round, which had quite fortunately only consisted of the smaller rodents, we were up to sixty-two of the Minor Gems. Enough for another three Layers, I figured. Plus the Lesser Gems, we were probably good to get to the Boundary already. Assuming we did not lose the damned things again. And with only my little pouch to contain them, that was a distinct possibility. My gut gave a warning gurgle, pulling me out of my reverie. Poking it in admonishment, I muttered, ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you.¡± Before she had headed off, I went ahead and patched Jax up with a weak regeneration spell, so I was once again coasting on fumes. Not that it was anything new. It was kind of funny, in a way. After all, a man who works in the sun all day will talk your ear off about the weather. So, naturally, all I seemed to be thinking about lately was my stomach. Well¡­ maybe not all I was thinking about¡­ I paused then, my spacial sense warning me that I was about to dumb-ass my way right into a wall. Recoiling, I stared at it for a moment, blinking. I was at a dead end? Had I taken a wrong turn somewhere? Must have¡­ Giving my head a shake, I turned around¡­ except that way was blocked off, too. Uh¡­ This was¡­ new. Looking around for anything I might have missed, I could not see any sign of an exit. Nor could I even see how I might have ended up in this room. It was just a plain, square room with absolutely nothing in it. Except for me. ¡°What in the¡­¡± Wide-eyed, and starting to freak out, I spun around quickly. However, when I did, my eyes fell on a fairly large example of one of the common ¡®talking¡¯ crystals that the Dungeon liked to periodically install. It was just sitting there, like it had been there the whole time. Which it most assuredly had not. Oh, this is some ¡®Labyrinth¡¯ shit right here¡­ It was not a realization I was particularly happy with. Fairly certain that I was being screwed with, yet again, I heaved a sigh, ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s see what you have to say for yourself, shall we?¡±
Put your pole in me, Spread my flaps and come inside. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I¡¯ll get wet before you do. Promise.
I stared at the message, aghast. Was this supposed to be an invitation of some kind? It almost looked like an ad for a porn website or a gentlemen¡¯s club. Of course, it might have just been some sort of riddle. If so, it was one of the most blatantly, sexually charged, and frankly obvious riddles I had ever heard¡­ which meant¡­ that it probably was not obvious. Nor in any way sexual. Oh, that¡¯s a bit clever. Though, once you removed the obvious answer, what was actually meant was pretty clear. You put a pole inside to hold it up. It has flaps. It gets wet from the rain¡­ ¡°A tent!¡± I said aloud, smiling smugly, happy to have so easily beaten this little game. There was a pregnant pause. And suddenly, I was once again pelted with cacophonous, shrieking laughter from all sides. ¡°A tent?!¡± ¡°He said a tent?¡± ¡°He did!¡± ¡°The Queen preserve!¡± ¡°I knew it! I knew it!¡± ¡°Hilarious!¡± Gritting my teeth, I clapped my hands to my ears to try and drown out the mocking voices, but they itched at my skin. Wormed their way through my teeth. Vibrated my skull. Just as I was starting to scream, the voices stopped just as abruptly as they had begun. Panting, and more than a little pissed off at being continually harassed, I yelled, ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake! What did you want me to say? A vagina?!¡± My voice echoed for a moment in the little room, and then a new voice whispered jovially in my ear, ¡°Maybe¡­¡± And kissed me on the cheek. Without any more warning than that, the crystal and the walls around me winked out of existence, and a small, blue, triangular gemstone was left spinning on the floor. I stared at it, more than a little spooked, as it settled into motionlessness. Then, spinning around quickly, I scanned the hallway. I did not see any sign of whomever had spoken. But my cheek was certainly moist. ¡°Where ye been?¡± Jax asked as I rounded the corner, halfway between cross and anxious. Heaving a sigh, I waved an unconcerned hand, ¡°Nowhere. Just some Faen antics.¡± ¡°Again?¡± she asked, surprised. ¡°They must o¡¯ takin¡¯ an awful shine to ye.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± I asked, absently rubbing at my cheek. I considered divulging the details, but given her temperament, she might get upset about¡­ certain parts. That was the last thing I needed. ¡°Well, anyway, I somehow got another Key out of the deal,¡± I said, holding up the aforementioned gemstone. She looked at it in surprise, before frowning, ¡°They¡¯d not o¡¯ given ye such for free, I¡¯m thinkin¡¯. What did it cost ye?¡± ¡°Only my dignity,¡± I responded. ¡°They seem to think that I¡¯m some form of high entertainment.¡± Or perhaps, low entertainment would be more accurate. ¡°Ye mean they be makin¡¯ light o¡¯ ye?¡± Jax asked, clenching her fists. I smirked, ¡°Just some harmless fun, so far.¡± She harrumphed, ¡°I¡¯d like to shove some harmless fun up their fannies, would I.¡± I chuckled. From what I had just witnessed, they might actually enjoy that. Or drop a thermonuclear detonator on top of us. Whichever struck their fancy. As I came to a halt in front of her latest dome, I realized that we were now in the main hallway, just a little ways from the ladder to the safe room, and I smiled. ¡°Well! Look at that!¡± Jax nodded, ¡°Aye. Seems we¡¯re to the end of it. What now?¡± What now, indeed. Frowning, I paced a circuit around her cage, looking for clues, but it looked just the same as all of the others so far. There was no writing, nor arrows, nor keyholes. It was just a fairly wide, cobbled storm drain that happened to have a forcefield perched in the center of it. ¡°I have no idea. I guess you could try handing me the Key again¡­¡± ¡°And then? Where¡¯ll ye run?¡± she asked. ¡°Up yon ladder?¡± Considering it for a moment, I nodded, ¡°If it comes to that, then yes. If we can¡¯t figure out what else to do, then we¡¯ll have no choice but to get Hess involved.¡± She made a face and sighed but seemed content to leave it at that. Wordlessly, she removed the green Key from its pedestal, and gave me a questioning look. ¡°One second,¡± I stopped her. Reaching into my pouch, I removed a couple of Minor Gems and palmed them. It would not hurt to be prepared. ¡°Okay, hit me,¡± I said. At my signal, she underhanded the stone to me, and it arced unimpeded through the forcefield. As it dropped into my waiting hands, we both tensed. This time however, the click that usually heralded a swarm of rats coming for a taste of my hide sounded from below me. Looking down quickly, just to my right, I saw another pedestal rising from the floor, mere inches from the edge of the field. ¡°That¡¯s new,¡± I remarked unhelpfully. We both stared at it for a few moments, suspiciously. Neither of us truly believed that it would be that simple, but nothing else happened. ¡°I guess¡­¡± I hedged, ¡°that I just¡­ put the Key here? And then¡­¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± she agreed. The implication was obvious. Then all hell would break loose. Closing her eyes, she took a couple of breaths and stretched her neck back and forth a few times. Opening them again, she stared at me. Slowly pressing herself as close to the barrier as she could, she began to nibble at her lower lip, fidgeting as she crossed her arms in an attempt to highlight her nonexistent cleavage. ¡°Let me out,¡± she grumbled thickly. ¡°Be done with, so I can taste ye proper.¡± She inhaled greedily as the trickle of my desire splashed against her. I had known what she was doing, of course. Unlike Sherr Hess, her attempts at seduction were brusk, amateurish affairs, yet charmingly earnest. She was not at all capable of making me lose my head like our other companion, but I appreciated the effort, all the same. And she would need whatever boost I could give her. So I allowed my mind to be taken on the path she was trying to lead me down, letting my imagination spackle in the gaps that she was not quite adept enough to fill. With a half smile, I reached over and softly placed the Key in its receptacle. As soon as it clicked into place, a second barrier swooped over my head, crashing headlong into the one already there. And with an ever-so-gentle pop, the two seamlessly merged, almost like a couple of soap bubbles on a slick countertop. Jax immediately swept forward and hugged me tightly, her head buried in my chest. ¡°Maeve is merciful,¡± she whispered. Taking a deep breath, she quickly found my semi-erect shaft poking its way through the fabric of my loincloth and began to play with it, but we would not have that luxury just yet. Very shortly after we were rejoined, both pedestals began to descend back into the ground. And as it did, a section of the nearby wall began to rise. It appeared that our final test had arrived. Jax released me, growling at the admittedly expected interruption, and summoned her weapon. Hastily, I snatched the Key before it could be sucked into the floor and stepped away, hiding behind the back of my feminine warrior. As the last forcefield flickered away and died, I glanced at her, ¡°Remember, your shadows are your greatest weapon. Use your lust, not anger. Keep your mind on your reward.¡± With a nod, she loosened her stance, hopping in place a few times before settling in an unconcerned and aloof pose. Her back was straight, her head cocked, and her weight shifted to one leg. I looked her over critically. It was not the pose of a tried and true seductress, exactly. More the nervous affectation of a young actress attempting to come off as one in her first theater production. Still, compared to the hunched, animalistic berserker stance she had been using, it was a step in the right direction. Taking a breath in anticipation of its weight, I summoned the full mantle of my buff over us, just as the wall section completed its ascent. What was highlighted in the newly created alcove was undoubtedly another rat, although by this point, the appellation was becoming far less appropriate. It was huge ¡ª easily the size of a fully grown male lion. It made a sound as it stepped forward. Maybe in a normally sized rodent, it would have been a squeak, but in this creature, it came off more like the sound of Mothra squawking out its war cry. Neither of us moved. The shadows enrobed us, hiding us from its view. Slowly, it shuffled forward, its form now so grotesquely expanded that the agile movements of its kind had transformed into the lumbering slither of an alligator. It lifted its nose to the air, sniffing us out. As its attention seemed to turn to me, Jax hummed a decoy into existence. The gigantic rodent¡¯s head swung about just in time to see a shadowy axe-wielding fury descending on it, and it roared in challenge. Its powerful legs bunched underneath it, and it lunged at the clone. But just as its jaws were about to clamp down on its anticipated meal, the shadow popped out of existence, replaced by Jax¡¯s real axe. Its head jerked back as the blade slammed into its mouth, cutting a new, wider smile into its face. The rodent tore at the metallic intruder for all it was worth, shaking its head back and forth like a dog with a chew toy before the heavy weapon dissolved. Looking around in confusion, blood dripping from its now somewhat loosely hanging mouth, it growled at the apparently empty corridor. All was still once more. I smiled. That had been well played. Unfortunately, she was disarmed now, and fixing that would reveal her location to the monster. Moreover, any attempt on my part to give her ideas would no doubt attract attention that I did not want, so I was left uselessly stuck where I was. I wonder if telepathy is a thing¡­ Before I could complete the thought, Jax made her second gambit. With a throaty moan, she signaled her attack, allowing the newly formed shadow to charge ahead of her. However, the giant rat was more cautious this time. It sidled back defensively from the clone, and when Jax emerged from the shadows, trying to hide her forming axe behind her back, the rodent lunged for her instead. She reacted quickly, spinning away, but not before taking a nasty gash to her shoulder. Instead of crying out in pain, she gasped almost in delight, quickly forming a new double. The shadow mimed out her injury, collapsing to its knees and grasping its shoulder. The rat gleefully went for it, tearing into the kill in triumph. The solid thunk of an axe severing its lower spine was the price for its folly. As its hind limbs went limp, it quickly swiped out with its foreclaws, attempting to cleave her arms away, but the previously ignored clone swiftly interceded. As the shadow faded, Jax abandoned her axe in the beast¡¯s hindquarters and simply rolled away, reforming the weapon in her hands before losing herself in the darkness. The now crippled rat roared in frustration, enraged at being toyed with by its intended prey. Slowly, it tucked itself into the alcove, guarding its now useless hind end from further injury. Whatever else Jax was going to do, it was going to have to come from the front. Cautiously, I sneaked the two Gems into my mouth. That had been a pretty gnarly wound Jax had just suffered, and I wanted to give her some encouragement. If she was going to have to make a frontal assault, she was going to need all the help she could get. She felt the beginnings of my little gift after a couple of seconds, and grinning slyly at me, she leaned into it with gusto. Within moments, she had five fully formed duplicates ready to go, and her impromptu war band charged the beast. It hissed and swiped its claws in wide arcs, trying to remain on the defensive, but this time the shadows had no need to sacrifice themselves. They kept dodging and weaving, often unnaturally, to escape its claws. After all, they had no real mass to speak of. It was nothing for them to change directions on a dime. And in the confusion, Jax kept whittling at it. A cut here. A gouge there. They were fairly weak blows, individually. Her earlier injury made her left arm all but useless, so she was unable to bring forth her full strength. But they began to add up. As more and more of its life¡¯s blood began to drip onto the cobblestones, the beast made a last desperate gambit. Tucking its front legs underneath itself, it used its mass to its advantage and steamrolled into the wall. Jax and two of her clones went down, crushed by its weight. It did not even realize that it had successfully hit its target. The remaining two duplicates continued to harry it from the side, and it abandoned the attack to track its new targets. Seeing Jax scrabbling back, I sighed in relief. She was okay, but she was clutching her ribs. Hopefully, she had just gotten the wind knocked out of her, and nothing more serious. Just then, the Gems finished dissolving in my mouth, and I hurriedly fished around in my pocket for another to keep the effect going. But I was interrupted by an unwelcome pop-up.
Congratulations! You have added enough to your Core to gain a Layer. The condensation process will begin the next time you sleep. If you have not distributed your stat points, do so now.
Well¡­ shit. I had not thought to ever be put in a position where I would not be overjoyed at the sight of that particular message, but here I was. More, I was seriously considering using another one anyway. If it still worked to keep up our stamina and Jax in the proper mindset, then it was worth the expense¡­ even if they were worth over three grand a pop. Oy¡­ there has to be a better solution to this. In my hesitation, I glanced up again. My spelled darkness had again surrounded her in its camouflage, but with the outlines, I could still see Jax clearly. She had regained her feet, though she was using the wall for support and hunched over in obvious pain. As we made eye contact, we tried to silently convey as much information as possible with a single glance. From her, I was receiving one message loud and clear: need healing! I nodded. That much was obvious. But I had my own problems. I required Life Energy to do that. And besides, it was vital that she kept summoning clones, or else she was going to be defenseless. The two that remained¡­ I blinked as the monster finally seemed to grasp one of its attackers and sweep it into its mouth. The one that remained was not going to last long. And if she tried to make more while my buff was down, she was not going to last all that much longer. She sighed. I do not know how much of all of that she had understood, but she nodded calmly. Heal now, her eyes repeated. Alright then. Sighing in relief as my buff fell away, I quickly summoned the Words I would need for the spell, and cast them out to her. I hit her as hard as I could with what reserves I had remaining. I had no idea if it would be enough, but I kept pushing, beyond what I thought was wise or really even possible. Finally, as dark spots began to cloud my vision, I gave way, and collapsed. I do not know what happened after that. I lacked the strength to even lift my head, much less any attempt at recasting my buff. But I could still hear. Jax laughed joyfully as the healing Energy washed over her and rapidly began the process of reforming her army. The enormous rodent ponderously turned at the new sound, less than happy at having to start anew. It howled its terrible cry again as the band of shadowy warriors charged it, and the fight continued. The details of it were lost to me, just a mass of snarls and flirtatious moans from my vantage of the stones beneath me. ¡°Come on, ye great howlin¡¯ baw!¡± she taunted. ¡°Cough up some o¡¯ that Life yer bleedin¡¯ out. Can ye nay see that me Donum needs a drop?¡± The monster did not deign to reply, instead opting to go into another of its death rolls. Jax let out a panicked squawk, ¡°No! Not that way!¡± The thing¡¯s furry torso just bumped me as it came to a stop, and my eyes bulged at its nearness. It was close enough to smell. It was a musky scent, with sweet overtones just lacing through the otherwise rotten milieu. What the fuck, Jax? Turn the damned thing away from the downed healer! It was Tanking 101. Screaming, she began to hack at it furiously in an attempt to get it away from me, but that only forced it back. Damn it all. Now she¡¯s freaking out. Unfortunately, that meant that I ended up getting bowled over and trampled underfoot as the monster retreated from her attack. Groaning in pain, I was just fortunate that the thing was paying me no attention whatsoever, else I was a simple kick away from being minced. Just then, one of her berserking attacks managed to trigger a weak burst of vampirism, sucking some much needed Life into us. Gasping with renewed Energy, I quickly rolled away. The beast, seeing me out of the corner of its eye, turned to attack my retreated form, but Jax¡¯s latest guardian interposed itself, sacrificing its short existence for my benefit. Hastily regaining my feet, I called out, ¡°Don¡¯t lose yourself, Jax. Fight loose, for cheb¡¯s sake!¡± She choked at that, and laughing, she threw herself back as the beast swiped at her again. ¡°Aye, for that I¡¯ll do.¡± And without another word, she buried the axe in the thing¡¯s neck and skipped away. The great rat gave a few steps chase, but when the axe vanished again, what blood remained in it began to gush out of the wound. In moments, it fell, and the life slowly faded from its eyes. Some minutes later, we were standing wearily in the safe room. The two of us were a disheveled mess. Clothes ripped to shreds, covered in blood and bits of dead rat, and whatever other refuse we had unluckily managed to roll in. And I was not sure where it was coming from, but there was an unholy smell emanating from somewhere. I could not be bothered, though. We were done. We had triumphed. Key in hand. I felt as if I had just finished walking the length of the Sinai Desert like some ancient Israelite, such was the degree of my tiredness. And from the way that my head was bobbing around on my shoulders, I had a feeling that torpor was fast approaching. If I could manage to fall asleep, that is. Jax and I stood there, shoulder to shoulder, staring down at Sherr Hess. She had claimed one of the cots, draped in a sprawl like some kind of discarded bit of laundry. One foot was resting on a raised leg of the cot, while the other was hanging bonelessly at the floor. Meanwhile, her arm was raised up and lying over her eyes at the elbow. Rather more significantly, however, her other was¡­ tucked away. And naturally, she was snoring loud enough to wake the dead. Chapter 39 - Pay Off The next morning¡­ or mid-morning? Afternoon? Well, it was daytime, anyway. Jax and I woke up completely naked, bundled in each other¡¯s arms on the floor next to the hatch of the safe room. And that was weird, because I was pretty sure that we had gone to sleep in the cots. With clothes on. Some clothes. Okay, rags. The point being, we were not as I had remembered. As I was looking about, trying to reorient myself, Jax squirmed into my view. ¡°Hmm? This be a pleasant surprise, sure. I like wakin¡¯ up with yer arms about me.¡± Feeling her nakedness sliding against my torso caused a certain inevitable reaction, and my third leg, forgiving the rather extreme exaggeration, slapped her right in between the thighs. She gasped in delight and her eyes sparkled in anticipation, but then she suddenly realized what I was becoming intimately familiar with and scrambled away, hurriedly turning her back to me. ¡°Oh, good. You¡¯re awake,¡± Hess¡¯ voice drifted from the other side of the room, and I hesitated briefly before focusing on her. Shifting into a sitting position, I saw that she had been draping a certain strip of familiar white cloth over the edge of the cot. It was sopping wet. ¡°I took the liberty of bathing you two while you were out. I don¡¯t know what you found to roll in, but you reeked! Pulled me out of the nicest dream, too¡­¡± Her eyes went distant for a moment, a half-smile on her lips. I stared at the floor as I absorbed those words. She had bathed us? We had smelled so badly that Sherr Hess had decided that the only course of action¡­ Oy¡­ Glancing up, I found her staring at me, her smile having progressed into more suggestive territory, and I swallowed nervously. However, after a moment, I realized that she was not exactly making eye contact, and my eyes widening further, I gently folded my hands over top of my privates. As her cackling filled the room, it dawned on me that, in bathing me, she would have become extremely familiar with every inch of my body. While I was unconscious. And I was not exactly sure how I felt about that. On the other hand, she would not have been able to see at the time, as the fountain did not have any light sources nearby. I do not know why that made me feel better, but it did. ¡°It still ain¡¯t done!¡± Jax wailed from the side, pulling my attention back. I turned to look, but Hess interjected, ¡°Bah. It¡¯s close enough not to be embarrassed about anymore.¡± ¡°Mayhap¡­¡± Jax said dejectedly, ¡°But I wanted to actually¡­ Wait, how do ye know what it be close to and what it ain¡¯t?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t exactly be much of a bath if I left that unscrubbed, would it?¡± she replied with an unconcerned shrug. From Jax¡¯s expression, it was clear that she was rapidly making the same connections that I just had, and for a moment, it looked as if she was going to unleash quite the verbal barrage. However, just as she was about to let loose, she glanced at me, and hesitating for a moment, she quipped, ¡°Did ye at least use yer tongue?¡± My eyes goggled at that. Hess, meanwhile, roared with laughter, and quickly surging forward, she swept Jax up into a crushing hug and twirled her about, ¡°Jax! That was brilliant!¡± ¡°Here now! Let me down, oaf!¡± Jax loudly grumped as her feet passed over my head. Swinging her around once more, Hess let her fall to her feet and gripped her by her shoulders, ¡°You¡¯ll become an excellent seductress in no time! Why, I¡¯ll have you know¡­¡± she paused in surprise, ¡°Hmm? What are these?¡± Hess reached up, and pinched at something on top of Jax¡¯s head. ¡°Stop that!¡± Jax complained. ¡°What have you got hold of, anyways? I can nay feel nothin¡¯.¡± Despite my nakedness, my curiosity got the better of me, and still shielding my privates, I stood up to investigate. Hess noticed my approach, and pulling Jax¡¯s head down further so that I could see clearly, she said, ¡°Here. Look at this.¡± While Jax twisted and protested, I got a clear view of something quite interesting through the tangled mass of her ever lengthening hair, ¡°Jax¡­ you¡¯re growing horns!¡± She froze, ¡°Really?¡± Fidgeted for a moment, her ears twitching nervously as she processed this news, she asked, ¡°Do they look nice?¡± ¡°Nice?¡± Hess repeated quizzically. ¡°That¡¯s what you ask first?¡± ¡°He got a thing for the ladies what got horns,¡± Jax explained. My eye ticked a bit, a little put out at having my laundry aired, figuratively this time, and I sighed wistfully. Long gone were the days of privacy and decorum. ¡°Does he now?¡± Hess grinned in amusement. Pushing her a little closer to me, she ran her tongue over her lower eyetooth, ¡°Well, Donum? Do they look nice?¡± I cleared my throat, feeling rather nakedly on the spot. For good reason. But from the way she had glossed over their appearance, either there did exist kinds already that had such ornamentation, or the various forms that they took were so diverse that seeing someone with them would not raise any eyebrows. I felt some relief in that, if for no other reason than that Jax would not be put on the spot in public. Provided my reasoning was sound. As to the question at hand, instead of answering Jax directly, I opted to simply describe them for her benefit. I, at least, could opt to exercise some restraint, after all. They were little more than nubs at the moment, three-sided pyramids with the broad side facing forward and the somewhat dull points just beginning to curve back. They were otherwise dark to the point of being just shy of black in color. Reaching up to look a bit closer, I asked, ¡°Do you mind if I touch them?¡± Jax seemed confused by the question and glanced at Hess for help, but she seemed just as mystified at Jax¡¯s lack of understanding. ¡°Well?¡± Hess prompted. ¡°A-aye?¡± she responded uncertainly. ¡°Ye can touch whate¡¯er ye please, M-m-m¡­¡± Giving her head a light shake, she tried again, ¡°Mu-mu-mu¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Jax,¡± I cut in. She frowned unhappily, but she nodded. ¡°What¡¯s this then?¡± Hess asked curiously. ¡°Oh,¡± I began, reaching for one of Jax¡¯s horns, ¡°she has a bit of an odd stutter sometimes whenever she¡­¡± Jax gasped loudly the moment my fingers made contact with the bony protrusion, and her mouth agape, she began to tremble and quake. ¡°Please!¡± Hess exclaimed with an incredulous smirk. ¡°You¡¯re faking! I¡¯ve been holding you this whole time and you didn¡¯t even twitch!¡± Jax made no reply save a halting whimper, and as her eyes began to screw themselves up into her head, I released her, fearing she might fall. The second I did, she let out a mournful cry of protest, but then caught herself and straightened. Blinking a few times as her breathing steadied, she glanced back and forth between us, ¡°What were that? What happened?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Hess repeated. ¡°He grabbed you by the horn and you acted like he had your clit by the teeth!¡± Jax snorted, ¡°Don¡¯t talk mince. Everybody knows that ain¡¯t a real thing.¡± I do not know that I had ever seen Hess¡¯ face display complete and utter shock before that point, but it was plastered all over it now. She stammered for a moment, at a loss, before turning to me. I shrugged, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me! She used to keep company with¡­ an uneducated bunch.¡± Jax looked back and forth between us, frowning, ¡°Ye ain¡¯t serious?¡± Hess¡¯ slowly lowered her head into her hands and groaned. Finally, taking a deep breath, she faced Jax. Grabbing her shoulder, she pulled her close and leaned down to speak directly into her ear, ¡°Jax, sweetie. It¡¯s right¡­ here.¡± The thump from Hess¡¯ middle finger thwacking against Jax¡¯s privates was clearly audible. Jax immediately began to squeal, and cupping her crotch, she slowly sank to the floor, her cry of protest descending in pitch along with her. Hunching over slightly in empathetic pain, I frowned at Hess, ¡°That was not exactly necessary, was it?¡± She spread her hands, unconcerned, ¡°What better way to teach than a little bit of pain?¡± Turning to look down at Jax, who had curled up into a fetal position, she continued, ¡°Two lessons here. The clit is real. And it is extremely sensitive.¡± ¡°Yes, okay, Hess,¡± I said, squatting down to comfort Jax. ¡°Maybe, in the future, we could lean away from physical assault in our lessons?¡± She shrugged, ¡°She used to be a man. If she didn¡¯t even know about the clit, she probably didn¡¯t even know that women feel just as much pain as men down there. Now she does.¡± ¡°Worse!¡± Jax wheezed. ¡°It be so much worse!¡± I blinked a few times. I had not known that either. After a few minutes, Jax had calmed down enough to sit up again. And a few minutes after that, I had managed to convince her not to murder Hess in her sleep. I hoped. During the conversation, I had been steadily taking note of any further changes to my companion¡¯s appearance. They were more subtle this time. Which made sense. She had spent far less time in torpor, after all. Other than the horns, her ears where becoming sharp and stuck out from the sides of her head at about a finger¡¯s length, and they had begun to twitch up and down in time with her facial expressions. It was kind of cute, I decided. She was otherwise mostly unchanged. A bit more roundness here and there. A softening of the features. Jax paused in her tirade to look at me. Letting out a bemused huff, she asked, ¡°Well? Do I pass muster?¡± I cleared my throat, embarrassed at being caught, but Jax seemed happy that I was checking her out. ¡°You¡¯re beginning to look¡­ better,¡± I replied. ¡°Better?¡± Jax repeated, her face falling a bit. I winced. I knew it had not been a particularly politic way of phrasing it, but truthfully, Jax had been¡­ well¡­ homely would be the best I could describe it. Now, she had progressed into something approaching¡­ plain? It was an improvement. Still, one should not just come out and say that. Of course, I was not at all happy with myself for making such judgments about her in the first place, especially considering how intimate we had been with one another lately. But most of my attraction to her had been a result of her rather enthusiastic want of me rather than anything to do with her physique. Now the question was in trying to put that into some semblance of a compliment that would not result in physical injury. ¡°He¡¯s saying you aren¡¯t exactly the shiniest fish in the pond,¡± Hess supplied bluntly. Oh, fuck me¡­ Jax¡¯s lip curled up, and her eyes took on a dangerous glint, but Hess kept going, either oblivious or uncaring. Possibly both. ¡°What¡¯s your Charisma at now?¡± Jax growled low in her throat. Hess was already skating on thin ice, and this was not helping matters. But after a moment, she took a breath to calm herself and muttered, ¡°Five.¡± ¡°Five?¡± Hess repeated, incredulously. ¡°But you two just entered the Fifth Layer, didn¡¯t you? And you get one Charisma per Layer?¡± Jax was giving one of the walls a thousand-yard stare and absently drilling a hole in the floor with one of her claws. Answering through her teeth, she said, ¡°Aye. Ye have it aright. I started from one.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Hess groaned. ¡°You must have been hideous.¡± Jax slowly turned her head to look at me, murder writ large across her being. However, I had suddenly decided that the wood grain in the flooring was absolutely fascinating. Getting no help from me and unable to contain her anger any longer, Jax surged to her feet and stalked over to Hess. ¡°Aye! I were. I were hideous, ye flamin¡¯ weapon! But I did nay care. It weren¡¯t sommat I ever thought to worry over. Who¡¯d ever want a forsaken Bandit, anyway!?¡± she choked out, tears starting to leak from her eyes as she shouted. I sucked in a breath at what she had just admitted to. It was her secret to tell, but angry as she was, she probably had not intended to let that slip. ¡°Bandit?¡± Hess repeated quietly. ¡°You were cursed?¡± ¡°Aye, cursed and cast out! Livin¡¯ in the Allenwood like a bunch of animals, me and me¡­ thems like me. And then comes Donum, all doe-eyed and innocent. Fresh cast from on high, he was, and stinkin¡¯ o¡¯ wealth. So we catches him, binds him. And the others, they tells me to feed him up. Says nay, did I. Look at his fat. Let him starve, but they says nay. We feed him up so as to maybe get him to tell us where he got his gold stowed away. He had such things on him already. Maybe he got more! And then after¡­ then after¡­¡± she stopped to breathe for a moment, her tears falling freely down her face now. She looked visibly sick at what she had been about to say, but she shook her head and marshaled on. ¡°And when the soldier-men came to slaughter us, left me to die in a puddle o¡¯ me own blood, did Donum come. Pitied me, he did. Saw me great scar and me mottled face and me bent nose and cared not a whit! Heals me he does. Binds me to his self. Dashes me red badge o¡¯ shame to the wind like it never were. And why? Why does he do it? Cause I fed him, says he. For all I done, for all I were, that one act o¡¯ kindness¡­¡± her voice broke over the word, and she sucked in another shivering breath. ¡°So don¡¯t think ye can shame me for me looks! I got enough. Enough to get what I need. Got it when me Charisma were only four, did I. And the next Layer, it¡¯ll be six. And then seven. And soon, I¡¯ll be prettier than ye can even dream of. And I ain¡¯t goin¡¯ nowhere!¡± As Jax finished, standing there with her chest heaving, staring Hess down, I realized that there was a subtext at play that I was missing. I mean, I thought that I had been following her speech well enough, even if my own perception of my motives had not been quite so altruistic. But it felt like it had sort of gone off the rails there at the end. Why would she be going anywhere? Hess stood silently for a while, her arms crossed, before finally sighing in resignation. ¡°Fair enough. But you can¡¯t blame a girl for trying. Hmm?¡± Jax snorted and spinning on her heel, she walked away. Apparently, that was that? Some time later, the three of us had decided to head over to check out the treasure we had earned. As we walked, the way highlighted by my half-buff, the silence had settled on us like a pall. And the longer it extended, the heavier it began to feel. I did not like it, I decided. Not one bit. And unfortunately, I was coming up totally blank on ways to possibly break through it. Other than making myself look like a fool, that is. So, instead, I just decided to do some post-condensing maintenance. I had points to assign and skills to think about, after all, and true to my gender, I would much rather busy my hands than worry about emotions. They would work it out eventually, I figured. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Layer: 5F
Strength: 5 Agility: 4 Toughness: 7 Intelligence: 9 Wisdom: 8 Charisma: 7 Manic Force: 6 Manic Breadth: 9
Lilim Slots: 1 (filled) Jax: Loyalty: 85% Gain: [Donum <¡ª 50|50 ¡ª> Jax]
4 Stat Points available. 1 Skill Point available.
Running through my stats, I quickly assigned my points according to my default array, adding little pluses to the last four attributes. Otherwise, the rest of the page looked much the same as the last time, save for the fairly large bump to Jax¡¯s Loyalty rating. Apparently, she had somehow slid into the mid-eighties without my noticing. I nodded to myself. I was going to have to pay close attention to her behavior for a while. So far, I had not noticed anything new, but we had not been awake that long. She was still certainly capable of getting pissed off. That much was clear. Now then¡­ what to take as a new skill¡­ ¡°What did you mean before when you said you ¡®got it¡¯, Jax?¡± Hess asked suddenly, shattering my concentration. Apparently, she had decided to bash through the awkwardness with her characteristic lack of tact. ¡°I thought you said you weren¡¯t finished developing yet.¡± ¡°I got one mouth, don¡¯t I?¡± Jax replied haughtily without missing a beat. ¡°What do I need with two?¡± That little exchange, and the abrupt shift in mood that came with it, caused me to suck in a breath, and a bit of spittle went down the wrong tube. Hess ignored my coughing fit, ¡°But you¡¯re missing out! Did you at least let him diddle you a little?¡± Jax slid a contemptuous look at Hess, ¡°Missing out, nothin¡¯. I be lilim, not some paltry lass what¡¯s got to have her bits tickled to have a good time.¡± My attempt at self-induced apoplexy intensified, and Jax paused to look back at me in concern. Hess went on speculatively, ¡°Hmm¡­ if it¡¯s anything like when his aura starts to build¡­¡± her voice quavered for a moment before she mastered herself, ¡°But what about now? It sure felt like a vagina when I was washing you. You¡¯re sure¡­¡± ¡°I said it ain¡¯t, did I nay?¡± Jax interrupted, turning back to frown at Hess. Sighing, she drew aside her improvised breechcloth ¡ª really just her old waistband with a long bit of left over scrap tucked through and hanging down the front. What was left of her top had mysteriously vanished over the course of the night. Pointing, she explained, ¡°Look, since yer so curious. It don¡¯t even open yet.¡± Squatting down curiously, Hess nodded, ¡°Hmm¡­ you¡¯re right. Donum¡­¡± She paused, finally noticing me, ¡°Donum, quit jesting over there and come look at this.¡± ¡°Coming¡­¡± I wheezed out weakly. ¡°Coming¡­¡± Once we arrived back at the Tongue-Flower room, Hess busied herself with examining the still-locked treasure for traps. I did not know what exactly she was looking for, per se, but she seemed to have a method. While we waited, Jax casually leaned back against my chest, which prompted me to start sporting a goofy little grin. It was the kind of thing a girlfriend might do in a moment of quiet, and I was feeling a little sentimental about¡­ whatever it was that was developing between us. That lasted right up until the point when, without looking, she pulled aside my still damp loincloth and began to gently fondle me. My throat tightening, I nervously glanced between Hess¡¯ turned back and Jax¡¯s hand, unsure what to do. Finally, I muttered, ¡°Jax, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Relax,¡± Jax whispered. ¡°Just some breakfast.¡± ¡°Breakfast?¡± I repeated just a tad too loudly. ¡°Hmm?¡± Hess sounded. As she turned to look at us, Jax adroitly positioned herself to shield me from view. ¡°You wanting to go hunt, huh? That¡¯ll have to wait, I¡¯m afraid. I think we¡¯ll try to clear the town today. After that, we may try for some of those¡­ uh¡­ ¡®sheets¡¯ or whatever you called them.¡± I nodded jerkily, agreeing without really thinking about it. Jax¡¯s hand was still wrapped firmly around me. ¡°Uh huh. Yeah. You¡¯re right. Of course. Have to wait.¡± Hess tilted her head curiously but eventually dismissed us and turned back to her task. As soon as she did, Jax turned around and pressed herself against me, grinding against my hardness, ¡°Look at me diddies, Donum. I think they filled a bit, do ye not?¡± I did not reply, just concentrating on not breathing too loudly. This was insane! Of course, with her rubbing the damned things across my chest like that, it was hard not to know exactly how large they were. If I were to put a name to it, they probably were not even A cups, but she was right, they had filled out just a tad. Her chest area now had a degree of padding to it that had not been there before, which served to push out her nipples a little. Of course, Jax was using this to her full advantage, ¡°Mmm¡­ do nay say nothin¡¯. I can feel yer pleased.¡± A shiver rolled up her spine as she said it. Looking up at me, her mouth started to gape open in her need. She wanted more, I realized. And she meant to have it. Dropping to her knees, she engulfed me into her mouth. I had not known, before that point, that it was possible to be so aroused and panicked at the same time. With her working at me like that, I almost did not care that Hess was staring right at us. And that lasted right up until I realized that Hess was staring right at us! I froze like a deer in headlights. Jax came loose from my erection just long enough to lick me from base to tip before diving back in, and I shuddered, eyes still locked with Sherr Hess. There was no sign of the brash confidence or the cunning temptress she usually projected. Instead, she was just biting at her lower lip, watching us. After a moment, she seemed to reach a decision, and silently pacing forward, she straddled Jax¡¯s head and claimed my lips for her own. I was not sure how long we stayed like that. I think my brain shorted out, to be quite frank. But eventually, I just figured¡­ fuck it? You know? So, I leaned into it. ¡°Mmmmaaah~ Donum¡­¡± Jax whispered, panting as she came loose from me again. ¡°Yer startin¡¯ to feel so¡­ Hess!¡± Jax leapt to her feet and pushed Hess away, ¡°Yer foulin¡¯ it with yer¡­ with yer¡­¡± Jax seemed to lose her train of thought, glancing back and forth between my erection and the gigantic woman, and after a moment, she resumed her assault on me, all pretense of secrecy abandoned. Her need was paramount. Hess¡¯ breath was still catching from our kiss, but she pulled her lips into a smile as she watched Jax¡¯s enthusiasm, trying to reassert her self-assured front. ¡°I¡¯m fouling it?¡± she asked, glancing at me. ¡°Uh¡­ I uh¡­ I¡¯m not too sure. Oh¡­¡± I started, my voice quivering in an effort to speak. ¡°She feeds on emotions, you see. Haha¡­ ooh¡­ S-seems to r-really like this!¡± ¡°Emotions?¡± Hess asked, her eyes drifting down to Jax¡¯s bobbing head. She considered for a moment before saying, ¡°So what happens if I do this?¡± Stepping closer again, she locked eyes with me and spread her legs. Slowly, she began to rub herself over top of my stolen underwear. I could not look away. My gaze was helplessly drawn to the slowly spreading dampness staining the cloth that had formally been my own. Hess started to smile at my reaction. Jax began swatting behind her limply for a moment, but when she found she could not reach, she came loose again, ¡°Stop it, Hess! Yer mixin¡¯ up the flavors.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± she asked distractedly, still looking at me. However, her breath quickened when she caught sight of my now fully exposed and swaying appendage. ¡°Do I taste different then?¡± ¡°Course ye do, nyaff.¡± Jax began to rub her nose and cheek over the length of me while she was talking, unwilling to pull away from the center of my arousal, ¡°Now go away! I want Donum pure!¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not fair,¡± Hess replied, her voice becoming faint. Slowly, she dropped to her knees, splashing the shallow water. ¡°I¡­ I dreamed of¡­¡± She gasped, slowly leaning back as she worked herself harder, ¡°All night, I dreamed¡­¡± Watching Sherr Hess slowly losing her internal battle to her own self inflicted ministrations all while Jax continued to work at me was too much, and I began to seize. Jax greedily sucked my orgasmic fluid down her throat, pulse after pulse, mewling in delight all the while. She remained there as I softened, taking whatever else she could from me until I finally staggered back, weak in the knees and panting for breath. ¡°Ahh~ It be like yer lust made liquid form¡­¡± she whispered, her arms wrapped about herself and quaking. Slowly, her quivering began to slow and even out into snake-like undulations. After a moment, her eyes slid over to where Hess was laid, knees spread wide and bowed to the floor, still furiously working at herself. Jax moistened her lips briefly as she watched before glancing at me. ¡°Have at it,¡± I said, waving at her vaguely. ¡°I¡¯m spent.¡± But Jax shook her head and spoke in a breathy voice, ¡°She don¡¯t want me¡­¡± My eyes rapidly twitched back and forth between the two women, bewildered, ¡°Uh¡­ but¡­ you said¡­ and then the argument earlier?¡± ¡°She feels neglected, Donum,¡± she explained, still with that sleepy tone of voice. ¡°Why do ye think she picked a square go at me?¡± ¡°Neglected?¡± I repeated, struck dumb. Hess had been toying with me pretty much since I had met her, and we had been playing at flirting with one another. But neglected? That implied an expectation that had not been fulfilled. And I could not see what she might expect of me, unless¡­ Had she been letting my aura continue to affect her? Probably, knowing her. And then I had another thought. It was possible that it had kept on while she slept. If it required her to consciously shut it out first, then it might have built up over the hours like a leaky tap. She had heavily implied that she had been having ¡®nice¡¯ dreams, after all. Hurrying over to her, she had almost shoved the cloth from my underwear into herself by that point, thrusting her hips into the air, desperate for more stimulation. ¡°Hess? Can you shut out my aura? I think you may have let it go too far!¡± She made no reply. Her eyes were starting to go vacant, but her gaze followed me as I approached. Jax came to stand next to me, her posture fluid and loose, and she began to rub against me almost like a cat. It was almost like she was high. ¡°Mmmmah~ So much. I can feel it beatin¡¯ against me. Growin¡¯ fierce.¡± I looked back and forth between them for a moment, indecisively. From the way Hess was looking at me, it was pretty clear what she wanted, but I could not figure how I was supposed to do that without ¡®getting ahead¡¯. Jax hooked a leg around my thigh and began to grind herself against me. ¡°Claim her, Donum,¡± she whispered, gently kissing my arm. ¡°Claim her as yer own. Bind her fast. Make her me sister, true¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± I tore my eyes away from Hess writhing in the still waters to stare at Jax. She was not really paying attention to me. Her eyes were half-lidded, and she was taking deep breaths through her open mouth and letting the air escape again in faintly exultant whimpers. ¡°Jax, I don¡¯t have any slots. You know that.¡± She looked confused for a moment, and her head lolled back like she was going to faint. And for just a moment, before she caught herself, it looked like her shadow was coming unstuck from her. Focusing on me again, she smiled, ¡°Take her then. Claim her for me¡­¡± I shook my head, ¡°Take her? Just like that? I haven¡¯t even taken you yet.¡± Her eyes widened for a moment, as if she had just realized what she had said. Briefly, she glanced down at Hess and then, in a clearer voice, said, ¡°Touch her. She wants yer touch, Donum.¡± Touch her? Just that? I could do that. Giving Jax a quick nod, I squatted down. Hess¡¯ eyes had never left me, and they were beginning to shine in anticipation of the end of her beautiful torment. Smiling nervously, I said, ¡°Okay, then. Here goes.¡± Rolling my shoulders a couple of times for the sake of confidence, I held my hand out and gently placed it on Hess¡¯ knee. The second I did, her hand, damp from her own lubrication, shot out and clamped around my wrist like a vise. I grunted in pain as her impossible strength ground my bones together, and slowly, her exultant voice rising in pitch the whole way, she began to pull me toward her waiting center. Whatever was left of the lust-fueled, drunken fervor Jax had been in vanished as she saw that, and she shouted, ¡°No! Me first! Me first, Donum!¡± And she reached down to take my other hand and hurriedly thrust it between her legs. The second I made contact with the smooth cleft waiting there, her back hunched and eyes almost crossing, she moaned hard and loud. Instantly, all five of her combat shadows spun into existence and began writhing on the ground. A scant second later my other hand met the veritable swamp that was Sherr Hess¡¯ groin, and she began to convulse. Spasming, her back arched out like a crossbow, and then moments later, she curled into a ball, dragging me with her all the while. Meanwhile, Jax had me similarly trapped, and as the two of them writhed in orgasmic bliss, I ended up contorted to such a degree that I ended up face first in the muck. ¡°Ow¡­¡± I burbled into the water. ¡°Ow, ow, ow¡­¡± ¡°I said I was sorry, didn¡¯t I?¡± Hess apologized for the third time. ¡°And I been sayin¡¯ ¡®sorry¡¯ don¡¯t cover it!¡± Jax replied, crossly. ¡°Ye let yerself go too far. Should have let go o¡¯ Donum¡¯s aura a long time ago. And look! Hurt him, ye did! Twisted his arm ¡®til he was like to drown!¡± ¡°So did you!¡± Hess returned sourly. ¡°I¡¯m fine, really,¡± I said quietly, rubbing at my arm. ¡°Only because I were so drunk off o¡¯ yer lust, I could nay think straight!¡± Jax growled, ignoring me. ¡°And you didn¡¯t have to absorb all of that, did you?¡± Hess returned. ¡°You could have stopped, right? Or walked away?¡± That finally brought Jax up short. Bringing her knuckles together, she began to fidget. ¡°Ain¡¯t so easy as that¡­¡± she muttered defensively. ¡°I ain¡¯t used to just not feeding. And lust be a strong temptation.¡± ¡°So you can turn it off, then?¡± I asked curiously. She looked at me, finally. Eager to divert the topic, ¡°No more than ye could not feel the breath o¡¯ the wind against yer skin¡­ But I can pull away. Guard against it.¡± She frowned, ¡°Ain¡¯t an easy thing to describe.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± I said, nodding. I did not understand, of course. I could barely even imagine it. At the very least, this incident, and the subsequent argument, had given me a clearer look into how my aura seemed to be affecting them. After a while, perhaps a couple of hours, they began having difficulties in ignoring sexual thoughts. Or perhaps it would be better to say that such thoughts became more prominent and difficult to let go of again. However, it was at least controllable in that there needed to be some sort of trigger to set it off. If they never had the thought in the first place, then they should be fine. And once we got into a fight, it would reset, of course. In this case, however, Hess had been exposed, off and on, ever since the Tongue-Flower battle the previous sunset. That had been at least twelve hours ago. If Jax and I had not been off hunting rats for a large part of that, it might have been even worse. And that worried me. I could not turn it off, after all. What happened when we got back to civilization? How was I supposed to mitigate this thing? At least Hess could ignore it, if she remembered to. But Jax? This was going to require some thought. Perhaps I could invest in a skill of some kind? It seemed like a waste, though. Getting a skill just to mitigate the effects of another? I was not so flush with points that I could give that much consideration. On the other hand, Jax had two now. Ever since the Lady had left her in the lurch last night, she had been unable to buy another. Maybe if she could burn it off in some way¡­ It was a thought. ¡°Enough dawdling,¡± Hess said abruptly, and slapped her knees. ¡°We¡¯ve got a chest to open.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± I said, fishing for the Keys we had acquired. Hess abruptly looked away, not exactly eager to be reminded of what lay beneath my crotch pocket. For some reason, this seemed to amuse Jax, ¡°Yer tank¡¯s all full? Can nay take any more?¡± Hess looked at her seriously. ¡°My reservoir for¡­¡± she swallowed and took a steadying breath, ¡°for Arousal is so full that it¡¯s actually starting to bleed over into Indulgence. I hadn¡¯t thought that was possible.¡± I paused, ¡°Indulgence? Isn¡¯t that the booze one?¡± She nodded, ¡°So I had thought.¡± My eyebrows lifted a bit. Maybe this whole incident had not been so bad. Most of her abilities were tied up into that pool, after all. And from the way that she was looking at me, Hess seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion. ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Jax said, stepping between us. ¡°Ye got a right to him, sure. But ye got what I ain¡¯t! I¡¯ll not have ye usin¡¯ it when I can nay.¡± Hess blinked a few times, piecing together Jax¡¯s meaning. However, when she did, she gasped and began to rock back and forth. Shaking her head a few times, she said, ¡°I uh¡­ let¡¯s change the subject? I don¡¯t¡­ You¡¯re right, Jax. I don¡¯t think I can handle it right now.¡± Frowning with concern, I handed her the green Key that Jax and I had acquired. ¡°You¡¯ve blocked me out, right?¡± She nodded once before explaining, ¡°Doesn¡¯t make what¡¯s there any weaker, though.¡± I sighed, ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m sorry about this. I had thought, when I had bought the skill, that I would be helping you out. This¡­ well, it¡¯s gone too far.¡± She smirked at me as she got to her feet, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it. You haven¡¯t done anything I didn¡¯t want you to.¡± Gently patting my cheek, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I may be a hedonist, but I¡¯m only mortal. There are limits. Now then.¡± Slapping the sides of her face a couple of times, she twirled on her foot and paced over to the chest. Pausing for a moment, she clapped her hands and quickly rubbed them together, ¡°Please¡­ mama needs a bound weapon! Come on, baby¡­¡± As Hess knelt to unlock the treasure, Jax came to stand next to me, ¡°I ain¡¯t a mortal.¡± I blinked, diverting my attention to her. She appeared to be thinking something over rather seriously. Finally, she admitted, ¡°But I still need a way to contain yer gifts, Donum. Else, I¡¯ll make a fool o¡¯ meself like me near sister. And sooner rather than later.¡± I nodded, ¡°I agree. But we¡¯ll talk about that later.¡± With a click, the latch holding the chest closed fell away, and Hess tossed lid open. The second she did, there was a thwoop and an arrow shot out of the container, lodging right in Sherr Hess¡¯ breast. Staggering, she plopped back into the water, staring at the protrusion in shock. ¡°Hess, ya goon!¡± Jax swore, insulting even as we rushed forward, ¡°I thought ye checked it for traps?¡± ¡°I did!¡± she cried, reaching up to tear the projectile away. However, as soon as her hand made contact, it dissolved away, as if it had never been. The wound was still there, however. ¡°Flick the ¡®stits?¡± she swore, thunderstruck. Just then, rather quietly, we heard Sherr Hess¡¯ voice ¡ª tinny, as though it had been recorded on an old phonograph drum ¡ª float through the room, ¡°Bound weapon? Why, I¡¯d give my left tit¡­ left tit¡­ left tit¡­¡± All three of us exchanged glances, and as one, we all looked over at the little spot of blood slowly staining the wrap right above Hess¡¯ left bosom. And then slowly, their gazes traveled up to me. I just smirked. ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± Chapter 40 - The Subtle Art of Pulling ¡°¡¯Stoe sucking fuckers!¡± Hess raged, ¡°I can¡¯t believe they took that as an invitation to shoot me in the Thrice-damned tit!¡± I held my tongue, though it was difficult. I mean¡­ of course, they would. In my view, she was lucky they only shot a hole in it. This could have been so much worse. And considering my track record with them so far, I was honestly surprised that she had not seen this coming. So instead, I busied myself with getting a light regeneration going on the wound. It was small and seemed to have missed anything major, but I did not want to just leave it. There might have been some internal bleeding or other unseen damage. ¡°And to top it off, after all this time, all this begging, to give me¡­ to give me a¡­ Hah~¡± Hess¡¯ tirade was cut off as my regen took effect. Biting her knuckle, she trembled for a moment. Jax tutted, ¡°That were just a little one, Hess. Don¡¯t lose yer noggin over it.¡± She took a moment to master herself before replying, ¡°I¡¯m not so used to it as you are.¡± I frowned down at her, ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to be shutting me out?¡± She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. ¡°Impulse control is not a specialty of mine,¡± she returned with a bit of an unrepentant smirk. ¡°Or hadn¡¯t you noticed?¡± Jax and I shared a look, but neither of us bothered to reply. ¡°Bah! Who cares?¡± she threw her hands up and got back to her feet. ¡°What am I supposed to do with a ¡®Snail-biting bound arrow? I don¡¯t even have a bow!¡± Summoning the aforementioned item to hand, she glared at it for a moment before hurling it at the now open chest like a dart. It quivered there for a moment before dissolving in an effect much like Jax¡¯s axe. Considering it, I was reminded rather of Hank the Ranger¡¯s bow in that old cartoon from the ¡®80¡¯s. Although this would be the reverse of it, the end result would be somewhat similar. Effectively, she would have unlimited ammunition. Once she got a bow, anyway. And any sort of inclination to use one. ¡°Who needs a bow when ye can throw like that?¡± Jax quipped, seemingly impressed. Hess just crossed her arms sourly. Clearing my throat, I gestured to the trunk, ¡°Well¡­ Let¡¯s see what else we have acquired, shall we?¡± Jax nodded, ¡°Aye. Be nice if they at least replaced the clothes they ripped off our backs. Hess just snorted, ¡°At this rate, you¡¯d be more likely to have them shoved¡­¡± ¡°Whoa ho ho¡­¡± I interrupted quickly, frantically waving my hands in the air. ¡°Let¡¯s not go giving anyone ideas. Again.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Hess scowled. Heaving a defeated sigh, she stalked back over to the chest and peered within. Reaching forward, she snatched something up and held them for us to see, ¡°Anyone need a new set of boots?¡± The footwear in question were constructed of rather finely wrought brown leather and appeared soft and supple. And other than the fact that they appeared sized for a Gobborn, they appeared otherwise unremarkable. ¡°I¡¯d nay think even ye could wear them clod-hoppers, Hess,¡± Jax put in, ¡°Lest yer tootsies is bigger than I gave ye credit.¡± Hess turned to look at Jax, her lips pressed into a thin line, ¡°Jax¡­ I just got shot in the tit.¡± She crossed her arms unrepentantly, smiling with amusement for a moment before finally relenting, ¡°Fair¡­ Fair. I do apologize.¡± Nodding once, Hess explained, ¡°They¡¯ll resize to whatever foot wears them, most likely.¡± ¡°They¡¯re magical?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they might do other than that, but in a sense,¡± she replied. ¡°Most things you¡¯d find in a chest are to a certain extent.¡± ¡°Give them to Donum, then,¡± Jax said. ¡°His feet are sore from the holes in his booties.¡± Hess tossed me the boots without thinking about it any further, but I looked at Jax, ¡°How did you know my feet were sore?¡± She just winked at me. ¡°Other than that, we¡¯ve got a couple handfuls of Dungeon Gold¡­ and a Coin pouch,¡± Hess reported. ¡°Gold, eh? How much exactly?¡± Jax asked curiously, stepping forward. ¡°Don¡¯t tell her,¡± I said, walking up to look myself. ¡°Make her count it out herself.¡± At her curious glance, I explained, ¡°We¡¯re working on numbers.¡± She tilted her head back and forth a few times before shrugging and handed the small pile to Jax who received it with a sigh. ¡°One¡­ Two¡­¡± ¡°Silently, Jax,¡± I reminded her. She frowned slightly before continuing, bobbing her head in time to her now unvoiced count. The coins in question were pretty much as I had remembered the Silver we had found in size and shape. Slightly smaller than the length of my thumb and about twice a quarter¡¯s width, but composed of gold, of course. ¡°How much are those worth, anyway?¡± I asked out of curiosity. Hess looked at me, perplexed, ¡°They¡¯re¡­ worth a Dungeon Gold? It¡¯s the standard measure.¡± I frowned. Standard measure or not, I still needed something to compare it to in order to get a sense of it. ¡°No, I mean¡­ I just don¡¯t have any idea what one of these could buy. How long could you stay in an inn off of one, for instance?¡± It was not the most exact way to go about estimating currency value, but it was working for me so far. ¡°An inn?¡± Hess repeated before rubbing at her face. ¡°By Law¡­ uh¡­ like¡­ What kind of inn are we talking? High class? Roadside? What?¡± I frowned in thought, ¡°Oh¡­ Nothing too fancy. Maybe¡­ good enough to have clean bedsheets and a meal?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± she responded, scrunching her eyebrows together, ¡°Then¡­ I don¡¯t know. Something like three¡­ four months?¡± Three or four months?! I swallowed, ¡°I take it that the currency around Bradfirth is worth a bit less than standard, then?¡± ¡°That hole?¡± Hess scoffed. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d say so. They¡¯re pretty well known for making light coins. And cutting them with inferior metals.¡± ¡°Sixteen,¡± Jax cut in, proudly holding them up for me. ¡°There¡¯s fifteen, Jax,¡± I corrected immediately. ¡°What?¡± she looked stricken. ¡°You didn¡¯t even count them! How do you know that?¡± ¡°Count them again if you don¡¯t believe me,¡± I replied, bemused. Turning back to Hess, I asked, ¡°So if Dungeon Gold is the standard, why do local areas have their own currencies?¡± She did not answer for a moment, only frowning at me curiously. Finally, instead of responding, she observed, ¡°What kind of sheltered noble upbringing did you have to be able to count that fast and still not know that?¡± Jax chuckled knowingly and cast me a sly look. Then her face fell, and she sighed, evidently having to start over again. I just shook my head at her in amusement. Thoughtfully reaching up to scratch at her now healed over chest wound, Hess considered us for a moment before deciding to explain, ¡°It¡¯s because they¡¯re worth too much, generally. You couldn¡¯t get most inns to take one of those, even broken, going off of your example. So, they slowly get whittled down, traded, and remelted. I mean¡­ surely you used to have jewelry? Where do you think the gold came from?¡± I blinked. That implied that all gold came from these coins. Or maybe it was just so rarely deposited in the ground that it was not generally known about. Either way, I was not sure how to go about phrasing that sort of question without revealing too much. ¡°I got fourteen this time?¡± Jax reported, mystified. ¡°It¡¯s common for that to happen when you¡¯re counting,¡± I explained quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged.¡± ¡°How do ye know there¡¯s fifteen, then?¡± she asked. My line of questioning now effectively terminated, I turned my attention to her fully, ¡°Because I don¡¯t count. Here, let me show you.¡± Arranging the coins into three neat piles, I said, ¡°This pile has five coins, right?¡± Slowly counting them out, she nodded. ¡°Right. Five is about the most a person can pick out at a glance. Look at the next pile. Five, right?¡± A nod. ¡°And this one?¡± Another nod. ¡°So we have three piles of five. That¡¯s fifteen. Every time.¡± She stared at the coins for a long beat and then looked up at me, completely lost. ¡°Uh¡­ Okay, let me put it this way. You know how many fingers you have on one hand, right?¡± ¡°Five,¡± she replied immediately, almost insulted. ¡°Uh huh¡­ so then¡­ this is three hands of coins¡­¡± I left it hanging there expectantly, but she just stared. Her ears were almost smoking. ¡°Right. Uh¡­ Well, one hand is five. And two is ten, right? You know that much.¡± She nodded. ¡°So three hands would be ten and five again. Or fifteen.¡± She stood up straight, comprehension dawning, ¡°And four would be two tens?¡± ¡°Twenty,¡± I supplied smiling, ¡°Now you¡¯ve got it. Get used to thinking like that for a while. And then we¡¯ll work on nines.¡± Her proud smile vanished instantly, terrified at what I had just proposed. ¡°¡¯Stits, Donum,¡± Hess chipped in. ¡°Who needs to count by nines? Even I can¡¯t do that.¡± My mouth twisted a bit. I considered nines to be quite basic¡­ ¡°Maybe twos then?¡± Slowly, I nodded. I was getting ahead of myself. Elementary school had been a long time ago, after all. ¡°Yes¡­ I suppose twos would be easier.¡± Jax cleared her throat nervously, ¡°Whys I got to learn all that, anyhow? Ain¡¯t countin¡¯ good enough?¡± ¡°Counting is slow, and it¡¯s easy to make mistakes,¡± I explained. But then, I cracked a smile and gave her a little wink, ¡°Besides¡­ Who knows? Maybe one day we¡¯ll have to rub elbows with high society?¡± Her eyes widened at that, and she nodded seriously before handing the coins over. Glowering at the pile of coins I now evidently had been charged with, I immediately took note of their weight. There had to be something like one or two pounds of Gold in my hands. I certainly did not want that slapping against my balls. Hess just chuckled at my expression. ¡°Here. Use this,¡± she said, proffering the Coin pouch by the lip. Glancing at it, I remarked, ¡°It looks a little small.¡± ¡°Like I said,¡± she explained patiently, ¡°Everything you find in a chest is at least a little magical. Try it.¡± Curious to see what she was talking about, I began inserting the coins into the pouch. The opening was only just big enough to insert one or two at a time, rather like a piggy bank, so it took longer than I would have liked. However, when I was done, all of the coins had vanished within without deforming the bag at all. ¡°See?¡± she said, giving it a little demonstrative shake. It did not jingle in the slightest. Tossing it to me, I instantly discovered that it was not any heavier than an ordinary, if ornate, leather pouch. ¡°Oh¡­ sweet!¡± It was like a little bag of holding! ¡°Can you put anything you want into this? Any weight limits?¡± She shook her head, ¡°No limits. And as long as you can fit it into the mouth, then yes, anything you want.¡± But then she remembered something and quickly added, ¡°It has to be something with a certain value to it, though. Like¡­ you couldn¡¯t just put a bunch of sand into it, for instance. Or water. I don¡¯t know why that¡¯s a thing, but it is.¡± Because it¡¯s an exploit, that¡¯s why. If you could fit a lake into a pouch that fit at your waist, then that would be a monstrously deadly weapon in the hands of a clever adventurer. Of course, you would need a way to survive your own cleverness, but that was a separate issue. I had been a gamer for way too long not to know simple little things like that. And apparently, whoever was designing these items was wise enough to nip that in the bud. As I began to transfer our sizable Gem collection into the little pouch, Hess added, ¡°The other nice thing about these bags is that they are protected by Law. Not many cutpurses would risk lifting one off of you.¡± ¡°Be nice if they gave a bit o¡¯ warning first,¡± Jax added sourly. ¡°So as to tell the difference.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying a cutpurse couldn¡¯t tell the difference between this and an ordinary pouch of leather jingling with coins?¡± Hess asked incredulously. Jax sighed before explaining animatedly, ¡°Ye don¡¯t make eyes at a mark. That makes ye suspicious. And decorations can be faked.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just¡­ not steal?¡± Hess asked reasonably. ¡°Oh, sure. Just not steal. Like people get into that game because it be so glorious,¡± Jax rolled her eyes skyward and crossed her arms. ¡°When ye got no other options, ye steal to eat. The Law don¡¯t mean much to the hungry. And most purses ain¡¯t protected by it, besides.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Well¡­¡± I cut in, ¡°That¡¯s all in the past. You don¡¯t have to worry about that any more.¡± At least, I hoped so. ¡°And, I suppose no system is perfect. Perhaps, one day the Law Maiden will take your complaints into consideration.¡± Although, why the Coin purse we had just found would be protected while regular ones where not was beyond me. Surely, the rule of Law should not care about such distinctions. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of the Maiden making changes to the Law,¡± Hess replied, ¡°But I¡¯m no scholar.¡± Heaving a sigh, she turned and gave the now empty chest a little disappointed kick, ¡°I guess that¡¯s that. Come on, daylight¡¯s wasting.¡± ¡°At least ye got yer bound weapon out of it,¡± Jax said brightly. ¡°Seal your lip, Jax,¡± she grumped. Somewhat further down the drainage area from the safe room, we found another ladder leading up. Hess instructed us to wait below while she scouted, and as she began her ascent, I took the time to try out my new boots. Now that my feet were relatively dry, and we were not standing in a giant puddle of water, I was eager to see how their magic worked. Tossing my old ones aside, I wiggled my now freed toes gratefully. They had been the only things left from my old life, and I was discarding them like so much chaff. Of course, they were just a cheap pair I had picked up from Target one day, but they were comfortably worn and had modern rubber traction. So, I was a little sad to see them go, despite the literal gaping holes that had been pierced through them. In comparison, the new ones¡­ well, they were a little strange. Besides their enormous size, they did not have any laces or any other visible means of securing them to your foot, and the soles, apparently made of layered and hardened leather, still had some sort of surface to them, so they were not slick like the boots I was familiar with. Meanwhile, the inside was lined with some unidentifiable short and soft fur, and they looked comfortable enough, so I was not concerned with wearing them without socks. And that was a good thing, because what was left of mine were hanging on for dear life. While I was sitting there examining them, Jax folded herself cross-legged at my feet and began massaging the sore spots. A shiver ran up my spine at the sensation and my eyes fluttered for a moment as relaxation overcame my body. ¡°Oh, Jax. That feels incredible,¡± I murmured. ¡°I know,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°Yer pleasure be me own.¡± ¡°Really? Is this like lust or is there a different flavor to it?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°This be satisfaction and relief. Not lust,¡± she explained. ¡°That be thick and rich. Powerful stuff. This¡­ be more like¡­ Hmm¡­¡± she paused to think about it, grinding a knuckle into a particularly difficult knot, ¡°a nice cool drink, maybe? With some herbs in it for the scent?¡± Thinking about it, her description reminded me of something like a mojito. And if that were the case, then I could see why she was suddenly inclined to hand out foot rubs. I would be, too! I loved a nice mojito. ¡°Uh¡­ would you like me to return the favor?¡± I inquired, suddenly uncomfortable with the one-sided arrangement. ¡°Why?¡± she asked curiously. ¡°Ye¡¯d not get anything from it, and I can nay feed from meself.¡± ¡°Just¡­ because it might feel nice to you?¡± I explained. Was that not obvious? She frowned at me a bit before sighing, ¡°Donum, this does feel nice to me. Wonderful even. And besides, me feet feel fine. As much as ye¡¯ve cast yer reward to me, they should!¡± Smiling broadly at that, she continued, ¡°If I want more o¡¯ ye, I¡¯ll ask. Don¡¯t ye worry yer head.¡± Reassured, I nodded and relaxed for a moment before clearing my throat, ¡°Well¡­ much as I would love to let you do that all day, I need to try these boots on.¡± Nodding, she took them from me and gently slipped them, one at a time, onto my now bare feet. Because of their size, it felt rather like putting on nice and fuzzy buckets. That is, until the magic kicked in. As soon as my feet were settled, the boots snugly formed around my toes and up my ankles, rather like a vacuum seal. Honestly, it was a little disconcerting watching an inanimate object suddenly come to life, but when they were done, I felt almost like I was wearing a second skin around my feet. However, when I wiggled my toes, they seemed spacious and comfortable. They might have been the nicest pair of shoes I had ever owned. ¡°Walk about with them,¡± Jax suggested eagerly, climbing to her feet. Accepting her proffered hand, I stood as well and walked a few paces back and forth experimentally. I had no complaints. They felt great. ¡°Yer not makin¡¯ any sounds,¡± she observed after a moment. ¡°When ye step, I mean.¡± ¡°Really? Maybe they have a stealth component,¡± I wondered aloud. Experimentally, I jumped up and down a few times, landing hard on my soles, but Jax shook her head. ¡°Nay. I hear that. Must be just when yer walkin¡¯. Or they¡¯re only muffled a little,¡± she clarified. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Either way, a nice pair of shoes that helped me move a little more quietly were a welcome find. Combined with the Gold, which by my calculation, was enough for the three of us to live decently for about a year and a half, that chest had been quite a haul. And that was without even considering the arrow Hess had found, even if she was dubious of its value. Pleased, I reached up to scratch Jax¡¯s hair, incidentally brushing against one of her horns. At her gasp, I quickly pulled back, unsure, ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± She quickly shook her head, reassuring me, ¡°Nay, that feels divine!¡± ¡°Is it¡­¡± I swallowed, ¡°How exactly does that feel?¡± She took a breath and held it for a moment, unsure. ¡°Mmmm¡­ I can nay put words to it. Never had a feelin¡¯ like it afore. But I like it. A lot.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I said, my curiosity intensifying, ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ sexual or anything?¡± ¡°Nay, not at all,¡± she said quickly. Reaching up, she rubbed at the little nubs herself for a moment before frowning, ¡°I nay feel a thing when I touch them.¡± ¡°How odd,¡± I muttered quietly. Then brightening, I said, ¡°Hey, there¡¯s something unique I could do for you. Maybe I could hand out horn rubs as a little thank you from time to time?¡± Jax choked, and covering her mouth with her hand, she began tittering with laugher. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± I asked, unconsciously smiling with her. ¡°Nay, it¡¯s just¡­¡± she snorted again, ¡°Aye, ye can give me a horn rub any time ye want!¡± For some reason, that made her laugh all the harder. A few minutes later, Hess summoned us up the ladder, and we ascended to find that it led into a smallish shack on the outskirts of the village. The shack itself was little more than a room with a bench to sit on and a few broken tools scattered about. And other than the door leading out and a couple of glassless windows pointing inward toward the village, there was nothing else to it. ¡°Well?¡± Jax asked as soon as we had cleared the ladder. Hess quickly motioned us to silence and gestured to look out the windows. From our vantage, the shack appeared to be positioned down a bit of an alleyway. Perhaps twenty paces down, the way opened out of the shadows into the sunlit street beyond. And there, every once in a while, I could make out some familiarly misshapen people walking about. ¡°Goblins,¡± Jax hissed. I frowned, ¡°I suppose it was too much to hope that a Goblin shaped Dungeon Mouth would not have any Goblins in it.¡± Hess just shrugged, ¡°The Dungeon does as it pleases. But there¡¯s not just Goblins. I spotted at least two Gobborns out there.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t we see any sign of this before?¡± I asked, frustrated. ¡°The place looked abandoned when we scouted it at night. And there was that monster, right?¡± ¡°They must have been asleep,¡± Jax muttered. ¡°And Goblins ain¡¯t known for keepin¡¯ up a place.¡± ¡°Not only that,¡± Hess added, ¡°Remember, this isn¡¯t a real town. It¡¯s just a facade that the Dungeon has put into place. It can look any way it wants. And the monster was in the middle of the square, last I saw. Can¡¯t see that from here.¡± ¡°Well¡­ It shouldn¡¯t be too bad, right?¡± I said hopefully. ¡°Jax and I have taken out Goblins before. And I¡¯ve seen you wade into them like it was nothing!¡± Hess nodded, ¡°Even with a make-shift club and half naked as I am, I should be able to take on quite a few of them without a problem. It just depends on how many there are. If they all come at me at once, it¡¯ll be difficult. Plus, there¡¯s those Gobborns. That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about. I can take one or two, probably. Maybe even at the same time, but that¡¯s iffy. But not while I¡¯ve got a horde swamping me. And if there¡¯s more to deal with¡­¡± She sighed, ¡°If I had some armor and decent weapons, I think I could do it.¡± I took a breath, thinking. Of course, it was not going to be so easy as just charging into the middle of town and laying waste. We needed a strategy here, and for that we needed some more information. ¡°Hess, let me cast my stealth buff on you. It¡¯ll make the shadows from those buildings out there move with you to a degree. Make you harder to spot. Then you can scout a bit.¡± ¡°And if I¡¯m seen anyway?¡± she asked with an eyebrow cocked. ¡°Then¡­ we¡¯ll have to retreat, I guess,¡± I said. And, grinning a bit, I added, ¡°They¡¯ll have to come at us through the ladder we just came up. It¡¯s a natural choke point.¡± ¡°Yer assumin¡¯ this be the only way down,¡± Jax reminded me. That was a fair point. ¡°Could we scout that out beforehand?¡± I asked. ¡°Hess, you have that divination spell, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that specific,¡± she informed us. ¡°It only points to one thing at a time, and then it¡¯s whatever is closest. I can¡¯t add things like ¡®besides this entrance here¡¯.¡± That sounded about right. Divination magic was always limited like that. Almost on purpose, I felt. I supposed that we could try and scout it out the manual way, but with the way storm drain was laid out, we were sure to miss something. And it would take hours to be thorough enough to be certain. ¡°I suppose we could spend a few minutes scouting out the immediate area below us. If they can¡¯t get at us within a few twists and turns, then we should be okay. Right?¡± Hess and Jax shared a look and nodded to one another. ¡°Leave it to us,¡± Jax said. ¡°Ye stay here and keep watch. May be more rats below, and I¡¯ll not have ye caught out.¡± With that, they both scurried down the ladder. I pulled a face. I did not particularly care for being left alone in this place. It was becoming something of a phobia. Except with less of the irrationality. Trying to remain calm, I poked my head just high enough above the edge of the window and silently watched the Goblins and the occasional Gobborn passing by down the alleyway. None of them ever even bothered looking down the alley. By and large, they were dressed in simple rags or breeches, and some of them were carrying various oddments with them. Clubs, daggers, a few shortbows and the like. Occasionally, one would be carrying around hay or tools. One fellow was even wearing a hat. I blinked. I had seen him before, I was sure. He had passed by a moment ago. And then a few moments later, there he was again. Looking closer this time, he had on a ratty tool belt with a carpenter¡¯s hammer in hand. I frowned. Why would you have a tool belt and carry the hammer? A few moments later, he was back, walking in the other direction. And still, he was carrying that hammer. Was he just walking in circles? Slowly, a suspicion crept into my mind. I could not be sure, just yet, but if I was right¡­ Studiously, I began watching each of the passersby, taking special note of each of their features. What they were wearing, their weapons, which way they were walking and when. It was a difficult process. There were a lot of them, and my vantage was limited. Even so, I picked out a few likely suspects. There was one fellow, armed with a bow, who had a bit of a clipped ear. He would pass by the alley, and then after exactly ten seconds, he would go the other way. He would not return for something like a minute, but then ten seconds later, he would be back again. Each of them had little patterns like that. I was right. I was sure of it. Their movements were scripted. It was just like a game! Now, if only they had some limitations on how their attention worked, we would be in business. I did not think I would be so lucky as that, though. They had ears, after all. It was unlikely that they would just ignore a commotion even if they never did look down this particular path. Stealth would be key. And¡­ we had just found a pair of one-size-fits-all boots that just so happened to muffle footsteps. How interesting. ¡°I can nay believe I let ye talk me into this,¡± Jax muttered, standing out in the open in the middle of the alleyway. Any of the Goblins walking past could easily see her, if they bothered to look, that is. ¡°Why not?¡± Hess whispered from the enhanced shadows, my buff camouflaging her. ¡°You¡¯re the one with the fancy new skill.¡± ¡°I only got the five Charisma, though, ye dafty,¡± she griped. ¡°Even the Lady said I weren¡¯t ready for such.¡± ¡°They¡¯re just Goblins!¡± Hess cajoled her, reasonably. ¡°They have notoriously poor standards.¡± ¡°That don¡¯t make me feel better!¡± Jax growled. ¡°Quit griping and throw the rock,¡± Hess said impatiently. ¡°And remember to pose like I taught you.¡± ¡°Aye, hen,¡± Jax breathed out. Glancing at me, she hefted the rock in question. From my position, sitting cross-legged and barefoot in the recessed dimness provided by the shack, I held my hand for her to wait. That guy with the bow had just passed by, and I wanted to time this correctly. Steadily counting down from five, I let my hand fall, and she gently bowled the little stone out past the alley. As it came to a rest, the Goblin in question paused, surprised at this new thing that had quite literally crossed its path. Tracing the line it had made in the dirt, it quickly laid eyes on Jax, who was doing her level best to stand in the awkward position she and Hess had worked out. Her legs were crossed at the knees with her hip cocked, and she had both hands behind her head with her chest thrust out, all while trying her utmost to look disinterested. It would have looked pretty good, too, if it were not for the fact that she seemed to be having trouble keeping her balance. The Goblin stepped into the alleyway and paused there, indecisively. The thing looked genuinely confused by this apparition that had arisen before it. For a moment, it looked like it was going to go for its weapon or call out, but each time it moved, it would stall. I smiled. Jax¡¯s new skill was working as advertised. Apparently, while she and Hess had been scouting, the Lady had shown back up and delivered some specialty ¡®lilim only¡¯ ability. It was supposed to combine her best assets, namely Toughness and Charisma, to make her nigh indestructible. In certain circumstances, anyway. The way it was reported to work was to make enemies so ¡®fascinated by her beauty¡¯ that they were either stunned entirely, or at a minimum, just hesitant enough to harm her that her Toughness would handle the rest. Hess, of course, found this hilarious. Obviously, not every enemy we faced would at all care about such things, and I was sure that there would be ways to resist it, given certain stats or skills. So it was not a perfect ability. That seemed to be a theme around here. In any case, the Goblin was showing every sign that it was affected just fine. ¡°Get him to come closer,¡± Hess whispered. ¡°What? How?¡± Jax whispered back out of the corner of her mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know! Flirt with him or something,¡± Hess suggested. ¡°I¡¯ve only got the one shot before he cries out, and Donum¡¯s accuracy buff is brand new.¡± We had deliberated about that one for a while. I had wanted to get an ability to improve our stealth further, but Hess was adamant. The boots were enough for our purposes, and while she could use them to sneak up on things, she only had a club. That was going to make a lot of noise, and thus to be used as a last resort. The only thing left was her new arrow, and while she could throw it like nobody¡¯s business, actually hitting what she was aiming at was another thing entirely. That¡¯s where I came in.
Efficacy in the Gloom Modifier for [Active Skill: Fortunate Shadows]. May be joined to the spell to add [Accuracy Bonus] to all attacks. Raises overall endurance cost to maintain. Effectiveness and cost improve with skill level. May be cast independently by including first Word of base Skill.
I had specifically requested that it be a modifier type just like my last skill. That way, I could keep them both up at once. And while it was only supposed to be an add-on to Fortunate Shadows, I had a feeling that I could keep all three going at once, if I wanted to. Which I did not. From the way the thing was currently sitting on my shoulders, I would rather have a bus roll over my abdomen. Chebs, new spells sucked. Jax shifted a bit, deliberating on how exactly she was supposed to ¡®flirt¡¯ with a Goblin. Finally, giving the thing a bit of a side-eye and a wink, she puckered her lips and blew a little kiss at it. The thing stumbled forward a few steps, but it immediately paused again, hesitating still. ¡°It¡¯s a Goblin, Jax, not some opulent Clan head,¡± Hess whispered in exasperation. ¡°Slap your ass! Jiggle your tits at it!¡± Jax growled in response, and startled, the Goblin stumbled back. Her lips froze where they were, and we all held our breaths, waiting for all hell to break loose. However, after a moment, the creature seemed to calm down again. There were a tense few seconds after that where we all just stood there, unsure what to do next, until finally Hess had a new idea. ¡°He¡¯s right behind you, you know. Watching you,¡± she breathed alluringly, ¡°Seduce him.¡± Jax furtively glanced back at me, and our eyes met. Giving her an encouraging smile, I lightly bobbed my head. Smiling slightly in return, she sucked her bottom lip under her teeth and inhaled. As she slowly let the breath escape again, she allowed her hands to fall, gently tracing a path down her shoulders, over her breasts, and down her sides until they slipped between her thighs. At the contact, she hunched over and shuddered. My grin widened at the display, impressed and perhaps a little proud. She had improved. And that was more than enough for the feeble psyche of the Goblin. Eyes goggling almost out of its brain case, it rushed forward, nearly tripping over its own bow in its hurry to meet this fabled temptress. Tongue lolling and panting greedily, it stripped as it ran, ready for promised delights that it had only ever before imagined. That is, until Hess¡¯ arrow came out of no where, piercing its temple with enough force to rip its head clean off. We all stood in shock for a moment, staring at the thing quivering against the wall. And as the arrow dissolved, it dropped to the ground, timed perfectly with the collapse of the rest of the body. There was a long beat before we could tear our eyes off of the now still corpse to look up at Hess. She was just standing there awkwardly, and shrugged. Smiling as one, we all murmured, ¡°Head.¡± Chapter 41 - A Simple Plan While Jax busied herself with cleaning up the mess, I glanced over at Hess. After her ability had discharged, a visible sense of relief had settled over her. Whatever tension had been holding her in its grip was finally gone, and as she took her first deep breath of clean air, I felt the faintest of clicks as she allowed the secondary effects of my abilities back in. Which was new. Maybe it was a sign of my own improvement with them, or perhaps I was just getting more in tune with Hess, herself. In any case, as she was smiling faintly to herself, she glanced over at me and caught me watching her. That caused her grin to grow slightly, and she winked at me. Jax noticed, of course. Silently padding over to me, she deposited our newest Gem into my palm. Whispering so that only I could hear, she said, ¡°She were nay pleased to be without yer presence so long.¡± ¡°My presence?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Yer aura and such. She were feelin¡¯ abandoned. Cut off.¡± Smiling kindly, she bent over and kissed my cheek, ¡±I told ye before. Yer in her blood now, Donum.¡± At that rather esoteric statement, she stood and looked over her shoulder at the woman, who, I noticed, had a bit of a scowl on her face from watching us. Closing the few steps between us, Jax patted her taught stomach muscles, ¡°He responds to yer desire. Show him what ye want, and ye will receive in kind.¡± Hess¡¯ scowl deepened for a moment but quickly turned contemplative. Glancing between us, she muttered, ¡°And you¡¯re okay with that?¡± A look of confusion briefly crossed Jax¡¯s face before she smiled, ¡°I said ye had the right, did I nay?¡± Chuckling to herself, she prodded, ¡°What happened to yer confidence? Ye used to flirt so unabashed!¡± ¡°That was before¡­!¡± Jax quickly poked her, ¡°Shh! Mind yerself!¡± Silent for a moment, we all nervously looked down the alley, but no one had been passing by just then. Fortunately. ¡°If we¡¯re going to have this conversation,¡± I said quietly, easing into the tension, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s best we moved back into the tunnels?¡± Rubbing at her belly from where Jax had jabbed her with her claw, Hess sighed, ¡°No. It can wait.¡± Glancing over at me, she gave me a bit of an uncertain smile. With a bit of a crooked one of my own, I just spread my hands. Jax and I had connected quite a bit over the previous evening. In more ways than one. But chief among them was the notion that Jax had first claim on me. In her words, ¡®ye be mine¡¯. What precisely she meant by that was still a little unclear to me, however. Obviously, sexual access was a component. If there was more to it than that¡­ well, it would not surprise me. Actually, I rather hoped so. Jax was a lilim now, and the emotions at play in her were baffling to say the least. However, this felt like a relationship to my mind. And a relationship should be built on more than just ¡®sexual access¡¯. Regardless, Sherr Hess had not had the benefit of the last evening¡¯s conversation. On her end, Jax had gone from literally attacking her at the merest hint that she might be interested to openly encouraging her in the span of a day. It was no wonder she was feeling lost. I was, too! And I was at the center of it! In any case, whatever had been building between Hess and I had predictably stalled. No doubt, after Jax had made her rather emphatic claim over me, Hess had decided to back off. But now that Jax had changed her tune, we seemed to have entered into shaky ground. The question was what, if anything, should I do from here? Obviously, whatever Hess decided that she wanted was on her. I just needed to make sure that she felt comfortable in that decision. Or really, just comfortable to be around us. And as I recalled, Hess had been provoking me into some sort of ¡®flirting lessons¡¯. That seemed like as good a place to start as any. Flirting was a lot like banter, after all. And banter helped people feel like they belonged. It just needed to feel natural. So¡­ that meant that whatever I said, it needed to flow naturally into the conversation. I could do that. It might come off as incredibly awkward, but I could do that. I just needed a lead up. Making eye contact again with Hess, I crooked a finger at her. As she padded over and bent down, I whispered, ¡°Look, I¡¯m not going to claim that I understand all of it, but Jax says there¡¯s something about rules and orders to how things are supposed to proceed. Whatever you want to do, she says that she has to have done it first. When it comes to me, anyway.¡± I figured a little explanation would be helpful here. ¡°Like¡­ she got really upset when she found out that you kissed me first. So, if you wanted to do something else, like¡­ for instance¡­ filling out my underwear?¡± I left the thought hanging, suggestively. Or I hoped it was. Hess crooked an eyebrow at me, suddenly a master once again judging her apprentice. Deciding to help me along, she prompted, ¡°Would you say that I fill them out¡­ nicely?¡± Smiling faintly, I looked away, ¡°Well¡­ I wouldn¡¯t want to say anything inappropriate. But they look better on you than they ever did on me.¡± Her smile broadened and she began to work at her bottom lip. Suddenly, a gleam appeared in her eye and she looked over at Jax, whom I immediately noticed had a look that spoke volumes. Like she was regretting having stirred the pot. Hess straightened once more and went to stand next to her. Affecting a formal air, she quietly announced, ¡°It has been brought to my attention that there has been a breech in protocol.¡± So saying, she abruptly dropped trou, and snatching them up from the ground again, she dangled my underwear by her finger right under Jax¡¯s nose, ¡°It would seem that you have first claim to these. My sincerest apologies.¡± My face went flat. Groaning internally, I shook my head. Why the fuck had I thought it was a good idea to pour gasoline onto the ever-burning torch that was Sherr Hess? Nervously glancing between Hess, bent in half and presenting my briefs like some treasure to her queen, and Jax, who was staring down at them with her arms crossed, I swallowed. They had hardly been clean when Hess had stolen them in the first place, and now¡­ Well, not an hour ago, she had been doing¡­ things to them. Enthusiastically. I was just surprised that she had not winced from pulling them away from herself, considering. However, as the silence stretched, I gradually became aware that Jax was looking¡­ conflicted. My eyes slowly widened. Surely¡­ I mean¡­ There¡¯s no way¡­ Why would she¡­ Without warning, Jax made a decision, and quickly plucking them from her finger, she stepped into them. Sliding them up under her breechcloth, she crossed her arms once more, and affecting the same tone that Hess had, she whispered fiercely, ¡°There. Protocol met.¡± And just as quickly as she could, she dropped them to the ground again with a shiver of disgust. Throwing them back into Hess¡¯ face, she growled, ¡°And me claim be relinquished.¡± After that little incident, things proceeded relatively smoothly. Of course, not every pull resulted in just a single Goblin, but Jax was quick on the uptake. They responded quite well to overt and obvious sexual provocation, and Hess was powerful enough to take them out without much fuss. Although there were no further beheadings, her arrow continued to be just as deadly whether it was thrown or directly inserted between a set of unsuspecting ribs. And besides, most of the time, they did not even notice her, so intent were they on Jax. ¡°Feh¡­¡± Jax muttered in disgust after the latest round, ¡°I ill like havin¡¯ their eyes on me. Foul things.¡± ¡°I thought you liked lust,¡± Hess asked, genuinely curious. Jax looked at her for a moment like she was crazy, but then she sighed and shook her head, ¡°I forget meself. Ye nay can feel it yet.¡± Chuckling, she knocked a knuckle against her forehead. ¡°Nay, hen. No feelings from them. Just beasties.¡± So saying, she went about converting them into Gems to clear the field. There was a moment of silence then, as Hess watched her going about her business. Perhaps, she was considering the future. Who can say? In any case, we had amassed a small collection of tools and implements that the Goblins had been carrying with them. For whatever reason, when they were converted to Gems, everything they had been wearing was converted with them, but held objects were simply dropped to the ground. So, aside from a few miscellaneous objects, we now had a short sword, two daggers, a hammer, and a short bow with exactly three wooden arrows. All in abysmal condition. ¡°You¡¯re sure you don¡¯t want this bow?¡± I asked. ¡°What would I do with it?¡± Hess replied reasonably, walking over to me. ¡°It¡¯s Goblin make. And barely a cubit long.¡± Holding the thing aloft, I grinned. Just trying to imagine the huge warrior wielding such a tiny weapon was ludicrous. And with the way she could throw her arrow, it was understandable that she would discard the bow out of hand. In the short term, at least. Eventually, we would need to get her something to shoot with, if only to increase her effective range. ¡°What about any of the rest of this stuff?¡± I asked. ¡°You might could use the short sword.¡± Grimacing down at the weapon, she gestured for me to hand it to her. The pommel barely fit in her hand, and after waving it around a couple of times, she attempted to flex the blade. With a dull ping, it promptly snapped in half. ¡°¡¯Snails¡­¡± she muttered in surprise, apparently not expecting it to be quite that bad. Dejectedly tossing the pieces aside, she said, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll make due with the arrow. It¡¯s sharp. And at least it doesn¡¯t break.¡± Nodding sadly, I looked over the rest of the implements. The daggers were so dull as to be useless, but they could probably be sharpened. Meanwhile, the hammer, while small, had a bit of heft to it, so I claimed it for myself. Ideally, I would not need it, but you never knew. And it was better than swinging a dead rat around. ¡°I don¡¯t see no more Goblins,¡± Jax announced, just as an oblivious Gobborn walked past. The huge, green-skinned creature was like a Goblin in reverse. Instead of a small, spindly body with a head just a little too big, it had a gigantic, fat torso, with short, stubby legs and a way too-small head. And it was pushing around a wheel-barrow. There was nothing in it, that I could see. Just a random bit of window dressing. After a moment, it was past us, and the end of the alley was clear. ¡°Hess,¡± I motioned at her. Quickly casting my camouflage on her, I said, ¡°Sneak to the end of the alley, and take a quick look. Let¡¯s get a head count, and plan from there.¡± Just because there were no more passing us by, that did not mean there were no more in the town. With a quick nod, Hess skipped to the end of the alley, slowing as she went and hugging the wall. Just before she got there, the Gobborn passed by again. This time, it was idly thumping its own head with its wheelbarrow. It looked bored out of its mind. But it never bothered to look anywhere but at its own feet. I shook my head. Did these things seriously not notice that their own compatriots were slowly disappearing? Or did they just not care? Either way, I was all about it. A weakness of attention was still a weakness. And we were exploiting it for all we were worth. After a moment, Hess returned, her face grim, ¡°There are maybe fifteen to twenty Goblins left, that I can see. Jax and I could handle them without a problem right now¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± I prompted. ¡°But there¡¯s six Gobborns,¡± she finished. ¡°Six?!¡± Jax hissed. ¡°How we supposed to take six Gobborns?¡± Hess just shook her head, ¡°There¡¯s more. That monster that we saw the night before last? It¡¯s still there. But it¡¯s asleep. And surrounded by a protective field.¡± ¡°A field?¡± Jax repeated. ¡°Why have yer biggest threat behind a field?¡± Why indeed? By all accounts, having all of your cards on the table would certainly give you the most power to fight with. Unless¡­ ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the night watch,¡± I hypothesized. ¡°Remember, we didn¡¯t see any of these Goblins around before. And this Dungeon seems to have different phases. During the day, we have these guys to deal with. At night¡­¡± Hess nodded, ¡°Right. I think it may be guarding something, too. Can¡¯t tell from here.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t another chest is it?¡± Jax asked suspiciously. Hess just kissed the air at her. ¡°Alright¡­¡± Ignoring their antics, I motioned them to come sit, ¡°The way I see it, we have two options. One, we keep trying to thin the herd. I don¡¯t know what will happen if we try our strategy on a Gobborn. But if we can¡¯t one-shot it¡­¡± ¡°Likely,¡± Hess interrupted. ¡°They¡¯re thick-skinned bastards. I¡¯d have to be incredibly lucky to kill one in a blow.¡± ¡°Right¡­ well, things will get complicated real fast, in that case,¡± I sighed. ¡°Two, we get their attention, and fight a retreating action down into the tunnels. With my motion-lines spell, we should have a slight edge over them down there.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°A slight edge isn¡¯t going to do much against those kinds of numbers,¡± Hess argued. Shaking my head in resignation, I spread my hands, ¡°Then I¡¯m open to suggestions.¡± We all sat silently after that. Hess was right. With the numbers involved, it was deceptively easy to get overwhelmed, and even though she probably would not bat an eye at the Goblins, all it would take would be for one to latch onto her swinging arm at the wrong moment while she was handling the larger threats. Taking out an entire town was no easy task, after all. I mean, I had certainly done it before while gaming, but in those cases, there was a lot of trial, error, and a hefty amount of luck involved. If you tried and failed, then it was no big deal to try something else after you reloaded the game or respawned. Assuming you did not rage-quit in the process. We did not have that kind of luxury. Most of us, anyway. Scratching my chin, I wondered if I could use that to our advantage. Technically¡­ I probably could. It would suck for Jax, though, and I hated to use her like that. True, she had died once already, but it was unlikely that she would consider it a pleasant thing to experience again. Plus, the respawn timer was atrocious. No, what we needed was something fool-proof¡­ ¡°What about them scarecrows?¡± Jax wondered aloud, pulling me out of my thoughts. ¡°What about them?¡± Hess prompted with a raised eyebrow. ¡°They be right outside the town, do they nay?¡± Jax explained. ¡°Could we lure them in? Use the Dungeon against its ownself?¡± ¡°And how exactly would we do that?¡± Hess asked. ¡°Toss a rock and hope that they suicide by curiosity?¡± ¡°It be workin¡¯ so far.¡± ¡°Only because you¡¯re such prime Goblin bait,¡± Hess teased. Judging from her look, Jax was preparing for a typically blistering retort, so I quickly jumped in to divert her, ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea, Jax. If we could turn that kind of fire power to our use¡­¡± Mollified, she smiled at me, but I continued, ¡°I think Hess is right, though. We would definitely need something more substantial than a rock to use as bait. In fact, I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s the right approach at all. No matter how dumb those Goblins are, it would be ridiculous to assume we could get the lot of them to run into such an obvious death trap. No matter how enticing the bait.¡± Though I half expected Hess to latch onto my innuendo, the severity of the problem before us was sobering, and we descended into silence once more, each lost in our own thoughts. Slowly, I began formulating a plan. Perhaps, I could get Hess to take another tombstone and rush the town. With all the speed she had built up over the last day, she could easily evade the denizens and run out into the scarecrows. I had no doubt that she would survive the attempt, and she would probably take a few of them with her as they gave chase. But what happened after that would be the problem. After they recognized the danger, they would just wait her out. She would have no where to go but through them again. At best we would be back to where we started¡­ though perhaps with one or two fewer Gobborns. It was better than nothing, and it might tip the balance in our favor. Just as I opened my mouth to suggest it, Jax slapped a fist to palm. ¡°I got an idea.¡± Some time later, Hess and I were leaning over the fence, back at the graveyard. The shade from the overhead tree and the wind at our backs provided just enough relief from the sun to provide a fairly relaxing scene. Or it would have. The view was somewhat spoiled, after all. ¡°So, Jax used to be a Bandit, huh?¡± Hess wondered aloud, her eyes on the distant and unmistakably burning village. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I breathed out, wincing as a Gobborn, noticeably on fire even from here, fled into the waiting scarecrows only to be blasted into so much pulp. ¡°Had the little red sign and everything.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Hess nodded, grimacing. Honestly, there was no real reason to be upset about this. We had been slaughtering them indiscriminately no so long ago. All but had to, in point of fact. Still, there was just something¡­ a little too efficient about doing it this way. It was¡­ Machiavellian. ¡°You uh¡­¡± Hess swallowed, gesturing to the inferno, ¡°You don¡¯t think¡­¡± ¡°Probably,¡± I admitted. ¡°From some of the things she¡¯s told me, I wouldn¡¯t put it past her.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± she nodded again. For a few minutes after that, we just stood there, watching as the fire spread to the last few buildings. It was getting pretty intense. Somewhere, probably from the other side of town, a turbo-laser fired. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m attractive?¡± Hess asked from out of nowhere. The sentence hit me like a fat kid cannon-balling off of the high-dive, so unexpected and sudden that I was struck dumb. I was so surprised by the shift in topic that I almost forgot that we had been staring at a town burning to the ground not a moment before. ¡°What?¡± I asked finally, blinking stupidly. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± ¡°No, I mean¡­ from a human perspective,¡± she clarified, her gaze still on the conflagration. ¡°That¡¯s what you said your kind is called, right?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yes. That¡¯s right, I mean.¡± Briefly, I considered how to answer, before asking, ¡°Are you wanting to know¡­ just me? Or in general?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ both, I guess?¡± she replied, briefly spreading her hands. ¡°Well¡­ then yes? From a human perspective, any man would tell you that you that you have great legs and a fantastic butt. Being as in shape as you are will do that,¡± I began. ¡°Being in shape isn¡¯t too common amongst your kind?¡± she asked curiously, picking at one of her tusks. ¡°Not even remotely,¡± I admitted. ¡°I¡¯m getting better, but I used to be more than a little chubby before¡­¡± ¡°I think you look pretty nice,¡± she said, turning to look at me finally. ¡°That Charisma you¡¯ve been investing in is starting to pay dividends.¡± Blushing and not knowing what to say, I just swallowed. No woman had ever said something like that to me before. Even Jax had not. Grinning at my reaction, she asked, ¡°What about the rest of me?¡± Twirling a hand at herself, she clarified, ¡°You¡¯re not bothered by my skin color? My size?¡± I cleared my throat, ¡°Uh¡­ well, to me your skin is pretty exotic, so I rather like it. I couldn¡¯t say how the rest of my kind might react to it, though.¡± That was a lie. I was quite certain that it would garner¡­ mixed opinions, to say the least. But she did not need to know that. ¡°And your size doesn¡¯t bother me. Or¡­ well, you are a little intimidating, if we¡¯re being honest.¡± ¡°So you would prefer it if I were shorter? Like Jax?¡± she asked, matter-of-factly. I narrowed my eyes. Normally, this would feel like a trap, but¡­ for some reason, I got the impression that she earnestly wanted to know. Which was weird. ¡°Uh¡­ no. I¡­ I guess I don¡¯t see how my preference would matter?¡± ¡°Just answer the question,¡± she said shortly. ¡°Well¡­ not as short as Jax. I just don¡¯t think you would be you any more, were that the case. But¡­ you are awfully tall,¡± I admitted finally. ¡°Not that it matters.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± she grunted, noncommittally. Then pointing at her face, she asked, ¡°What about my jaw line? Amongst the Keltha, it¡¯s considered to be quite attractive to have a large, healthy jaw and big tusks. Yours is far too small, from my view. And you don¡¯t even have tusks. How does mine look to you?¡± I hesitated again. I was getting increasingly uncomfortable with this line of questioning. But¡­ since she was asking, ¡°I could get used to it.¡± It was¡­ perhaps not the most diplomatic of answers, but¡­ from a human perspective¡­ it was a little¡­ brutish. ¡°I¡¯m not asking if you could get used to it. I¡¯m asking if you find it attractive,¡± she said. I sighed, ¡°Humans don¡¯t have tusks. And we tend to consider a strong jaw to be more of a masculine trait.¡± She stared at me for a moment, ¡°Why do you keep dodging the question?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s rude?¡± I answered, confused that she would would even need to ask. ¡°Is it?¡± she replied, taken aback. ¡°Which part? The asking or the answering?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I blinked, ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Is that a human thing?¡± she asked, probing. ¡°Not wanting to talk about your looks?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± I sighed in relief. This was misunderstanding from culture clash. Okay, then. Now, I felt like I was on firmer footing. ¡°Well, the answering mostly. Women¡­ or human women, anyway, don¡¯t tend to take it well when you are less than flattering about their appearance.¡± ¡°So, they want you to lie?¡± she wondered. ¡°No¡­ they want you to tell the truth,¡± I replied. ¡°But in a good way.¡± There was a long pause after that. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I understand. How is that not lying?¡± I inhaled, ¡°Well¡­ okay. No one¡­ or almost no one is uniformly ugly in all ways. So, what you do is you zero in on their best feature, and really talk it up.¡± She pursed her lips for a moment, thinking that over. Finally, she snapped her fingers in realization, ¡°I see. You think my butt and my legs are my best feature! That¡¯s why you brought them up first!¡± Smiling a little, I nodded, ¡°Guilty as charged. But they aren¡¯t your only good feature. You have striking eyes and a lovely brow line. And I rather like the hard edge your nose has.¡± Grinning now, she asked, ¡°What about my tits?¡± I let my head fall back and addressed the sky, ¡°Maeve have mercy.¡± And deliver me from this conversation. Taking another deep breath, I asked, ¡°What do you think about them, Hess?¡± ¡°Amongst the Keltha, our women tend to have very large breasts. It¡¯s part of why I took up this line of work, actually,¡± she explained. ¡°Most of my kind consider mine to be much too small. Unattractive. Not good for mating.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I said, surprised. ¡°How big are we talking?¡± Without any reservations, she held her hands away from her chest at the elbow, ¡°About like that, usually.¡± ¡°Chebs¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°Yes?¡± she agreed, a little confused. ¡°No, that¡¯s way too big for my taste,¡± I said finally. That made her smile a little, ¡°Jax said you liked it that she had filled out some, so I wondered.¡± My left eyebrow rose unbidden at that. This must have been when they were off scouting the drainage area. If they were talking behind my back, then there was a strong possibility that some of this might make it back to Jax. And that might not be good for my health. ¡°Is that what brought this on?¡± I asked. Nodding, she let her eyes rove over me slowly. Finally, her lip quirking to the side, she said, ¡°You¡¯re very hairy. Are human women like you? Do you prefer that?¡± I choked. Coughing roughly for a few moments, I shook my head, ¡°They¡­ tend to be less hairy than the men. And they usually remove most of it in grooming.¡± This conversation was not doing good things to my constitution. ¡°Which parts?¡± she asked mercilessly. ¡°I noticed that you have an awful lot of it right around your¡­¡± ¡°Okay, Hess!¡± She jumped, ¡°Oh¡­ is that¡­ are you sensitive about that? You said only your women didn¡¯t like it, so I thought¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ really personal. That¡¯s all. But, no. I¡¯m not sensitive about being hairy. And before you ask, I like the way you and Jax look in that regard just fine.¡± ¡°Good. That¡¯s good,¡± she said smiling. And then taking on a sly expression, she added, ¡°As for me, I think your hair looks¡­ exotic. So I rather like it.¡± Right about then, the third member of our trio emerged from the tunnel, smoke curling from her hair. Turning to take in her handy work, she jumped into the air, wildly pumping her fist, ¡°Woo! Would ye look at that barry banger! Fried ¡®em up good, did I!¡± Running over to where we were standing, she immediately took in our atmosphere, particularly the fact that I was hunched over and desperately trying not to asphyxiate from my own spittle. ¡°What have the two of ye been about?¡± she asked suspiciously. ¡°Nothing much,¡± Hess replied innocently. ¡°I was just telling him how interesting his hair made him look.¡± My coughing fit redoubled. ¡°I did tell him that before, me ownself,¡± Jax agreed, frowning down at me. Of course, she had been talking about my beard at the time. Then giving me a dismissive wave, she said, ¡°Pay him no mind. Ye just made him feel bashful.¡± ¡°Is that what it is?¡± Hess asked, seemingly flabbergasted. ¡°I was getting concerned.¡± Jax tilted her head to the side, regarding Hess silently. She just smiled back, smugly angelic. Coming to stand next to me, she began to run her hand through the hair on my head, comfortingly. Finally, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what this be. I can tell ye did nay lie. But ye did nay tell the truth, neither.¡± Pausing to look at me again, as I was still on my knees with water streaming out of my eyes, she added, ¡°But Donum wants me to leave it be. So I¡¯ll do.¡± Hess regarded Jax consideringly at that, ¡°Very insightful. Can you really tell lies from truth?¡± Jax nodded, ¡°Big lies be easiest. Some be harder to pick apart, though. Like this.¡± ¡°That sounds very useful,¡± Hess mused. And then, the corner of her mouth quirking upward she added, ¡°I can hardly wait.¡± Finally clearing my throat enough to speak once more, I climbed back to my feet, ¡°Uh¡­ how did it go?¡± A nice change of subject was warranted here. Pronto. ¡°Did any of them escape into the tunnels?¡± Jax shook her head, ¡°Not that I seen.¡± From there, Jax began to regale us with the details. Given the state of rot and disrepair the town had been in, it had not taken much to get the fire going. All she had to do was to sling a single torch up to one of the nearby roofs. The rest had pretty much taken care of itself. ¡°Tell it true, it were ripe for it. A village like that out in the real world would o¡¯ caught long ago,¡± she finished. Nodding, I once again regarded the burning town. It was an absolute inferno at this point, and the blasts from the turbo-lasers had long since stopped. I had to assume that we had met our objective, but there was no going back there for some time. ¡°How long does it usually take for a fire like that to finish?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°An hour. Maybe two for the village entire,¡± Jax replied matter-of-factly. ¡°And it¡¯ll smolder a while.¡± Hess and I shared a glance, but we did not comment. For some time after that, we just stood there, watching the distant flames. There was a certain beauty to it, after all. It spoke to me in a primal sort of way. The roiling of it. The reds and blacks swirling about each other. The angry red sparks floating up into the air and occasionally falling out into the grass¡­ I stood up straighter. The grass¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ guys? What about uh¡­?¡± I asked, nervously indicating the area in front of us. The entire town was surrounded by a low stone wall, but beyond that was several hundred yards of grown over fields in all directions. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly new growth. A single errant spark¡­ And then the trees beyond that?¡± Just as I finished speaking, a shadow passed over us and the wind turned cool. As one, the three of us looked upward. Clouds were rolling in from all sides and rapidly darkening. ¡°I think the Dungeon may be a step ahead of you, Donum,¡± Hess mused aloud. At her words, the first fat drop of rain spattered across my nose. It was ice cold. Shivering a bit, I smiled nonetheless, ¡°Well, at least we don¡¯t have to worry about the Dungeon burning down.¡± The three of us smiled in relief for a few moments. Unfortunately, our mood was soon broken by a rotting hand bursting from the ground and grabbing my ankle. As I yelped in surprise, Hess swore, ¡°Ah, ¡®Snails¡­ With the cloud cover¡­¡± She did not have to explain. The Zombies feared the sun. And due to our little enterprise, the Dungeon had decided to take it away from us. Her eyes swiveled about, quickly formulating a plan. Just as Jax severed the hand pinning me to the ground, she pointed, ¡°The tunnel! We¡¯ll have to seal ourselves in!¡± Seeing nothing else for it, we ran. Chapter 42 - What Does That Mean? After we had escaped to the tunnels, we found ourselves in the awkward position of being trapped between ravenous Zombies on one side and a still raging fire on the other. Even with an oncoming rain storm, it was going to take a while for things to calm down, so we settled in for the wait. The fountain room was not the most comfortable place to bed down, and it only received the barest amount of light from the old Tongue-Flower den. However, the actual safe-room was located in the town somewhere. And it was on fire, so¡­ In the meantime, Hess had suggested that we go ahead and fill up our Cores. The prospect of doing so with her around was a little bit daunting. We had certainly done this before and more besides, but Jax and I were in a different place now than we had been then. And when she had been having ¡®breakfast¡¯ earlier today¡­ well, that was part of why I was still a bit gun shy about the whole thing. Plus, I knew that Jax had begun enjoying these sessions immensely, so I was half-afraid that she was going to want to make a big production out of it. However, to my relief, she was still hesitant about tempting Hess. So, I had switched off the sharing feature and we quietly began eating Minor Rank Ones. They were the least valuable, after all. During the process, I began feeling¡­ hollow somehow. Like it was a rote and tedious thing. Melancholy. For some reason, the lack of that little leak that bled off to my companion was making me feel rather oddly alone, despite the fact that she was sitting right beside me. And very quietly, I began to hear the faint sounds of Jax sniffling in the dim light. Gently, I rested my palm against the small of her back and began to rub small circles there, ¡°Are you alright?¡± She did not reply. Instead, wiping at her eyes, she climbed up and straddled my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. ¡°Kiss me?¡± she whispered. ¡°What about Hess?¡± I whispered back nervously, trying to ignore her bare chest pressed against mine. And totally unable to do so. ¡°Just a kiss¡­¡± she pleaded, ¡°only that.¡± Despite myself, I was overtaken by a faint smile as she began to nudge at me, gently rubbing her nose and still slightly damp cheek against my face until I gave her what she wanted. As our lips joined, she breathed a blissful sigh into my mouth, and very quietly, we began to tenderly enjoy one another. And though our Cores were not connected at the moment, we still had Gems in our mouths. Very subtly, I could feel a trace of commingling there. Or perhaps it was just my imagination. It did not last long though. As the final pieces of it dwindled, Jax pulled away sadly. ¡°Last ones,¡± I said shakily, holding the pair up between us. Despite the gentle mood, that kiss had begun to do things to me. Jax stared into the dim glow emanating from between my pinched fingers for a long while before finally looking back to me, ¡°Connect with me again? Please?¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s only the one more to go, and we¡¯ll be done.¡± Clutching me to herself tightly, she whispered, ¡°I can nay do even the one any more. Being cut off from ye like this¡­ even in just this one way. It be a torment for me.¡± I frowned slightly. Surely, she was exaggerating. True, the lack of connection was a little lonely, but a torment? I was about to argue, but Hess chimed in from where she was sitting across the room, ¡°Just do it, Donum, whatever it is. I don¡¯t know why you two even bothered if it was going to be such a hassle.¡± Clearing my throat, I apologized, saying, ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to disturb you, Hess. I guess we¡¯ve become used to sharing our Cores, but there is an intimacy to it. I had turned it off for your benefit, but¡­¡± I let the sentence trail off. ¡°You mean what you did before? That made Jax jizz all over the place?¡± Hess asked with her typical bluntness, coming to sit next to us. Jax¡¯s grip tightened for a moment at the nearness of her, ¡°Aye. Though, I can nay do such anymore. Thankfully.¡± Sighing, she turned to me once again, ¡°Connect it back, Donum. I do nay care anymore, just¡­ please.¡± Nodding, I re-toggled the feature, and Jax almost sobbed with happiness before I had even said anything. ¡°Can you really feel it?¡± Hess asked. ¡°When you¡¯re connected like that?¡± ¡°Nay,¡± Jax explained. ¡°But I can feel when it ain¡¯t there. Like a great hole cut out o¡¯ me.¡± ¡°Will I feel like that, too?¡± she asked. ¡°When I¡¯m bound?¡± ¡°Not at first,¡± Jax smiled, but then reconsidering, she added, ¡°I don¡¯t think.¡± Grunting in affirmation, I explained, ¡°Like I¡¯ve said, we¡¯re learning as we go. I think once you join, it¡¯ll help. It¡¯s hard to see a pattern without repetition.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the clog, then?¡± she asked, clapping her hands together. ¡°Eat your Gems, and be on with it! I want in!¡± Jax stared hard at her, still clutching me, ¡°Ye ain¡¯t allowed to do aught before me.¡± Very faintly, I could feel her claws begin to dimple the skin at my back. I do not know why ¡ª maybe it was the nearness of her, or perhaps I saw something in her expression ¡ª but I realized then that Jax was terrified of the prospect of Hess deciding to act on her desires. She had made her claim on me, rather emphatically at that, but she did not have the means of enforcing it. On the other hand, by her own set of rules, Hess had the right to a certain amount of access. She was walking a fine tightrope, these made-up rights on the one side and her equally made-up position as ¡®first lilim¡¯ on the other. Either way, her emotions regarding the matter were quite real. It was all very strange to my sensibilities and unnecessary to boot. In my mind, it would be simple enough to either let Hess have what she wanted and then, when she was able, play catch-up, or simply not allow her any access at all. Which was an odd thing to say. ¡®Access¡¯ here was referring to my manhood, after all. And what I thought about the matter did not seem to have been taken into consideration. Of course, I was pretty certain that I could put my foot down, but I was not even all that sure what it was that I wanted. Other than for everyone to be happy, anyway. ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Hess waved unconcerned, apparently not having picked up on any of that. From her perspective, this must have seemed like some great joke, and honestly, there was a certain degree of the ridiculous to it. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this. I don¡¯t even have to participate! I¡¯ll just sit and watch.¡± ¡°Yer not going to lose yer head?¡± Jax asked suspiciously. ¡°How strong is it?¡± ¡°Less than you, I would think,¡± Hess replied, drawing her knee up so that she could rest her chin on it. ¡°And you were just making out!¡± Jax smirked at her, ¡°I took a skill, I did. Just so as I don¡¯t lose me head!¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± I cut in. Having these two negotiating the details of my immediate sex life right in front of me was surreal to say the least, but I had not missed that last part. ¡°What skill is this?¡± Jax¡¯s attention suddenly snapped to me, and her eyes widening in realization, she pulled her claws away. ¡°Oh¡­ uh¡­ I¡­¡± she tittered nervously before getting a read on me. Relaxing, she sighed, ¡°I were afraid ye¡¯d be more upset at me fer takin¡¯ such out o¡¯ turn.¡± I scoffed, ¡°You have charge over what skills you pick. Why would I be upset?¡± ¡°We always discussed it, at least, afore,¡± she explained repentantly. ¡°But the Lady suggested this. Said it¡¯d help me down the way.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Hess asked keenly. ¡°For the Lady to offer up two skills unprompted? Very curious. What is it?¡± Jax hesitated just long enough for me to roll my eyes, ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell us the name.¡± Bline¡¯s naming conventions for Jax¡¯s skills must have been truly awful. To date, I only knew one of them. Sighing in relief, she explained, ¡°She says it be to expand me aptitude fer lust and desires, so as I don¡¯t go weak or crazy from it. More as I get better at it. But¡­ there be a drawback.¡± Hess nodded, ¡°Mmm¡­ that happens a lot with strong skills. Did she say what it is?¡± ¡°Aye¡­¡± she confirmed slowly, ¡°but I ain¡¯t felt nothin¡¯ of it yet.¡± This was all sounding quite vague to me. What was gaining aptitude for lust supposed to accomplish, anyway? I knew that she fought better when she was feeling turned on, and it helped her make better shadow clones. Maybe there was some sort of skill tree involved? It was possible that either through her own actions or the skills that she had picked, she could have blundered into something like that. And if that was the case, then the ability to maintain some self-control while she was in the midst of it would be crucial. But a side-effect? ¡°Well?¡± I prompted. ¡°What are you supposed to feel?¡± Shifting slightly in my lap, she buried her head in my chest, embarrassed, ¡°I can nay believe I let Her talk me into such¡­¡± Uh oh¡­ I took a breath. Best to rip off the Band-Aid. ¡°Just say it.¡± Glancing up at me again briefly, she began lightly doodling on my chest with her claw, ¡°Uh¡­ She be sayin¡¯¡­ that from now on, I¡¯ll always be¡­ er¡­ up for it. I guess, ye¡¯d say. If only a little,¡± she admitted. But then in a rush, she added, ¡°But I ain¡¯t!¡± I sighed. Honestly, at this point, I was not surprised. Maybe a day or two ago, I would have been. I might have even gotten upset about it, but now? If anything, Bline was right. It probably would help her, and if my suspicions were correct, then it would most likely be a cornerstone to her entire skill-set. ¡°I be sorry, Donum,¡± Jax said sadly. ¡°Why be sorry?¡± I smiled helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s your skill.¡± She shook her head, ¡°Ye ain¡¯t happy, neither.¡± I tutted at her, ¡°I¡¯m just thinking of what this¡¯ll do to you in the long term. To be¡­ aroused all the time sounds¡­ painful to me.¡± She nodded, ¡°So did I argue when She suggested it. But She says it won¡¯t be. Says I¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Jax¡¯s relationship with the Lady of Power really was strange. For Her to offer up advice? Consolation? I had only ever heard Her voice the once, and half of that had been censored. Every other interaction I had ever had with the Goddess had been transactional at most. ¡°But, Jax,¡± Hess said, ¡°When your vagina is done¡­ you do realize what being horny will be like, right?¡± ¡°No,¡± Jax said simply. ¡°I ain¡¯t never had one, have I?¡± That was fair. Mechanically, I had an inkling as to what Hess was referring to, but trying to imagine it was a totally foreign concept. ¡°Well, it¡¯s too late now, either way,¡± I said, effectively ending the conversation. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this and get to sleep, alright?¡± Stolen novel; please report. Jax took a breath, glancing between Hess and the Gems I was holding. She had relaxed a bit through the conversation, but she still very much did not want to do this with Hess around. ¡°Ye do it, Donum,¡± she said finally, her expression firming. ¡°I ain¡¯t tried this yet with me new skill. And this way be the least of it.¡± ¡°Aww, come on!¡± Hess scowled. ¡°I want to see some action!¡± Jax jeered at her, and snatching the Gems from my grasp, she cooed, ¡°Open wide, mate¡­¡± I hesitated. What was she about? Somewhat bemused at this apparent shift in her attitude and wanting to see where this was going, I went ahead and let her feed them to me. Their sweetness hit me immediately, as usual, and I worked them over into my cheek so that the flavor was muted a bit. Feeling more comfortable now that the Power was flowing over to Jax like it should be, I relaxed, content to wait for whatever this was to play out. ¡°Well?¡± Hess prompted. ¡°Anything different?¡± Jax turned to look at her again, and apparently deciding that she was tired of twisting around unnaturally, she repositioned herself so that she was now lying back on my chest. Leaning into me and draping her arms behind my neck, she considered the question. ¡°Not¡­ really?¡± she announced after a moment, her fingers idly working through my hair. Slowly, and giving no outward sign that this was happening, her hips shifted back, and she began to grind lazy circles into my crotch. ¡°It still be there¡­ the pleasure. Maybe¡­ more relaxed?¡± I tensed. So that was her game. Sneaky little¡­ ¡°Relaxed?¡± Hess frowned, oblivious, ¡°You mean dulled?¡± But Jax shook her head, ¡°Maybe that ain¡¯t the right word.¡± Her undulations were starting to do things to my anatomy over which I had no governance, and I was all too keenly aware that Hess had a front row seat. Of course, Jax knew that, too. And though she did not stop what she was doing, she also did not acknowledge what was starting to press against her. ¡°More like¡­ I feel less overwhelmed? Like I got more control now.¡± ¡°More control?¡± I asked, very much in the midst of not having a great deal of it at the moment. She sighed. Leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, and consequently pressing just a tad harder against me, she reconsidered, ¡°Maybe that ain¡¯t the right word neither¡­¡± Just then, the final bits of Gem dissolved in my mouth, and as the flow stopped, I got the usual message about my Core being ready for condensing. Of course, my erection had nothing to do with that. And the cause of it was still pressed quite firmly against me. Smiling regretfully, Jax leaned back to cup my cheek in her hand and drew me toward her for a soft kiss, ¡°I guess that be that.¡± The look she gave me then spoke volumes. Her front of being unconcerned and unaware of my situation was exactly that. A front. A facade. She wanted desperately to rip my loincloth away and begin a journey into depravity right then and there. But she did not. Instead, adding a subtle wink just for me, she suggested, ¡°Shall we sleep? I be anxious to see what be what on the morrow.¡± Her voice was deep and laden with hopeful promise. As Jax curled up to sleep, her primed Core pulled her into torpor the moment her eyes closed, and she went limp. Though I had seen it before, it was still a bit disconcerting to witness. ¡°What are you waiting on?¡± Hess asked curiously. She was still watching me, her figure only faintly illuminated from the light below. Her posture was relaxed, sitting an easy pose, with hands laced over her knee and her chin resting on them. ¡°Oh, uh¡­¡± I cleared my throat, not knowing quite how to phrase this, ¡°I guess, I¡¯m just¡­ It¡¯s nothing.¡± Hess grinned at me. Apparently, she had not been as fooled as I had thought. ¡°She got you all worked up, huh?¡± she tutted, ¡°How inconsiderate.¡± I rubbed my hands over my face. I had been hoping that if I sat there for a moment that I would settle down enough for her not to notice. Maybe then I could splash some cold water over myself and call it a day. But the look that Hess was giving me was not helping matters in the slightest. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that she didn¡¯t take the opportunity,¡± she spoke softly. I looked at the ceiling, trying to think of anything else, ¡°Look, no offense, Hess. But she¡¯s not a complete lilim yet. She doesn¡¯t have what you have, and she¡¯s afraid that you will¡­ want to use it. If you¡¯re tempted.¡± ¡°Something she doesn¡¯t¡­¡± Hess mused. Slowly reaching down, she slipped her hand beneath the waistband of the underwear she had taken from me. ¡°You mean this. Don¡¯t you?¡± I swallowed, ¡°Yes. That is exactly what I mean.¡± She stared at me for a moment and her hand began to move, ¡°And what about you? Do you want to¡­ use it?¡± Her voice had become a sigh, getting carried away by her own antics. I rolled my upper lip down under my teeth for a moment. I needed to very carefully compose my answer here. Particularly, because my other brain was fully awake and planning an elaborate escape from its confines. ¡°Yes,¡± I said finally. ¡°But I also don¡¯t want to hurt Jax.¡± ¡°As it happens,¡± she breathed, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt her, either. But she said I could do whatever I wanted, as long as she had done it first, right?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± I winced. It was getting difficult not to move. Every little twitch was sending little jolts of stimulation through me. ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± Shit! No! You shouldn¡¯t have said that! A quick breathy sigh escaped her, and she licked her lips. She knew she had her hooks in me now, and her self ministrations intensified. ¡°Mmm¡­ I know she¡¯s sucked you. We could do that,¡± she suggested. ¡°Yes¡­¡± I admitted, trying to avert my gaze but failing, ¡°But she hasn¡¯t let me return the favor.¡± She paused then, pouting slightly, ¡°You¡¯re saying you aren¡¯t allowed to touch me?!¡± ¡°Well,¡± I hedged, ¡°Technically, I could¡­ touch you. But I wouldn¡¯t be able to do much else. She would be furious if I were to¡­¡± What am I saying!? I should just dunk my head in the fountain and escape into torpor. ¡°Slip inside, you mean?¡± she smiled. ¡°And you would want to, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± I cleared my throat, but I did not reply. My silence was answer enough. Heaving a sigh, she pulled her hand away, and laid back to stare at the ceiling, ¡°A pity. Do you know, this is kind of like the dream I was having last night. The first part of it, anyway.¡± ¡°Your dream?¡± I asked. Good. Great! Change the subject! ¡°How so?¡± She was quiet for a few moments, composing her thoughts. Then, she spoke: I was in a place. All dark. It was like the between place when you leave the Dungeon, just before you get your Word? But¡­ I could see myself, so maybe not. I don¡¯t know. Anyway, I was fairly disoriented and feeling kind of panicky. Usually, dreams aren¡¯t so ungrounded, so I didn¡¯t know what to do. Everywhere looked the same, you know? But then I hear this voice from behind me. It¡¯s a woman¡¯s voice. Very¡­ resonant. Powerful. But all she said was, ¡°Hello.¡± Like it was the most casual thing in the world. So, I spin around to look at this new person. She¡¯s dressed in this great black cloak. Head to toe, and pulled closed in the front with a hood over her head. I couldn¡¯t see her features at all, but for some reason, I get this impression that whoever this is, she¡¯s extremely dangerous. But you know, I¡¯m not the kind of gal to back down, and she seems like she wants to be friendly, right? So I say, ¡°Hi.¡± Wave back. And we just stare at each other for a while. Which is weird, because usually, I don¡¯t like to just let things get awkward like that. But I couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. It was like my head was empty. Anyway, eventually, she walks up and gets real close to me, but I don¡¯t move back, even though I wanted to. And she says, ¡°Forgive the intrusion. But I wanted to get a look at you beforehand.¡± Which is weird, right? I mean, you agree it¡¯s weird? Right. So, naturally, I ask, ¡°Before what?¡± But she doesn¡¯t answer. Instead, she points off to the side and says, ¡°Who is this man?¡± And I look. And there¡¯s this huge statue of you standing there, all of a sudden. Like you¡¯re chiseled out of marble. Very nice. I¡¯d like to have something like that one day¡­ Anyway, you have this regal pose, and you¡¯re dressed all nice with fancy tailored clothes on. Probably how you¡¯re used to being dressed, I¡¯d imagine. And you have your hand outstretched, palm up, like you want something. And for some reason, I have this urge to take your hand in mine. But I can¡¯t. You¡¯re too big. Your hand is way too high up, and I can¡¯t reach it. I guess I took too long to answer, so she asks again, ¡°Well? What is his name?¡± And, I don¡¯t know why¡­ it was really hard to pull my attention away from your hand, but she really wants to know. So, I say, ¡°It¡¯s Donum, of course.¡± But distracted, you know? And then she sighs, of all things. Like I had fulfilled some kind of¡­ deep-seated need of hers. And I look over at her, finally, and she has her hand touching her lips, like she¡¯s thinking of something. And that hand¡­ ¡®Snails, that hand¡­ it was¡­ But then she realizes that I¡¯m looking at it, and she jerks it away. Says, ¡°Forget that.¡± And I do. Even now, I couldn¡¯t tell you what it looked like. We both go quiet for a while, just staring at each other. But that statue keeps drawing at me, and eventually, I started to walk toward it. I just¡­ really want to touch that hand. It was like a compulsion. So, I figure, I¡¯ll climb up, right? No reason to just stand there. And she moves to walk beside me, like she wants to talk still, but she doesn¡¯t know what to say. Eventually, she asks, ¡°You like this man? You crave his touch?¡± So, I say¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Donum. I know you get embarrassed by all this stuff, but you asked. I say, ¡°More than anything.¡± Oh¡­ look at you¡­ Right¡­ where was I? Uh¡­ I can tell that this makes her happy, for some reason. And she says, ¡°You crave his attention, as well? You wish for his eyes upon you?¡± Which, I don¡¯t know. I thought it was kind of a weird thing to say. You already look at me plenty. You know, when you think I¡¯m not looking. Heh¡­ Sorry, sorry¡­ But then I look up at you, and you¡¯re not. You¡¯re looking off in the distance somewhere, and¡­ I hate it. All of a sudden, I hate it that you aren¡¯t paying attention to me. So, I say, ¡°Yes. Make him look at me!¡± I¡­ don¡¯t know why. But for some reason, I thought she could do that? And she says, ¡°Pick one.¡± And suddenly behind her, there¡¯s all these women. Rows and rows of women. All kinds of sizes and shapes. And all of them are beautiful. Terribly beautiful. Intimidating, even. So I look at the woman, and I say, ¡°What do you mean? What good will that do?¡± And again, she just says, ¡°Pick one.¡± And I just shrug, because, you know, they¡¯re all so beautiful. It¡¯s silly to try to choose. And then I look up at you again, and your eyes are still off in the distance. And then I get this idea that maybe you¡¯re staring at one of these women. So, I set off. Wading my way through them. Walking and walking. And every now and then, I¡¯ll look back, tracking your eyes. It takes a long time, but I finally find her. The one you¡¯re looking at. And it¡¯s funny. For some reason, I can¡¯t remember what she looked like. Isn¡¯t that weird? So, then I don¡¯t know what to do. I¡¯m pretty sure this is the one, but now that I¡¯ve picked, what happens next? But then, suddenly, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore, because all of the women are gone. All of a sudden, you¡¯re looking at me! Only I am there, and you¡¯re looking at me. Then you step forward and¡­ well, anyway, there¡¯s¡­ a lot of sex after that. With you. And the woman. And then some of the other women show up again, and¡­ yeah¡­ just a whole lot of sex. ¡°¡­and I mean, I was into it at the time, but I¡¯m not usually prone to going for the ladies, you know? The weird thing, though, was that through it all, you kept holding your hand away from me. No matter what else happened, you wouldn¡¯t let me have it.¡± She stopped finally, her story at a close. For a while, she was silent, just staring up at the ceiling with the back of her hand on her forehead, but then she turned to look at me. I was absolutely crimson, from head to toe. Watcher¡¯s Black Eye¡­ how could I not be? Who tells a person a dream so explicitly about them? Freud would have had a field day with a dream like that. I mean sure, it was just a dream, and I probably should not read too much into it, but still¡­ On the upside, through the meandering and unstructured telling of that little insight into her subconscious, I had managed to calm down. My libido, at least. Clearing my throat, I stood and padded my way over to her, ¡°Well, Hess, I may not be able to do much of that last part with you yet, but¡­¡± Apprehensively, I stretched my hand out to her, ¡°I can at least do this.¡± It was¡­ a cheesy thing to do. I knew that. And I felt like a damned fool. But when she saw it¡­ Slowly, her expression started to bunch up, and she burst into tears. Bringing her hands up to cover her face, she turned from me, trembling in an effort to control her sudden onset of weeping, and she began to curl into a ball. I was stricken. I had not expected this at all, and I was clueless as to what I had done, what I could do about it, or if I even should. ¡°Uh¡­ Hess? I¡¯m¡­ sorry? I¡­ I¡¯ll leave you alone.¡± Quickly, I pulled away, but her hand shot out, catching mine in her own. I froze. And for a while, we remained like that, her sobbing uncontrollably on the floor, and me standing over her, feeling like a guy who had crapped his pants in the middle of the classroom. I was so lost. I felt an incredible urge to fix¡­ whatever it was I had done. I certainly had not meant for this to happen. Taking a breath, I knelt beside her and cautiously, like I was trying to pet a feral kitten, I began to stroke her hair. But I did not say anything. I did not want to make it worse, after all. After a while, her crying became less wretched and finally to subside. And once she had calmed sufficiently to sit up, she threw her arms around me, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Donum. I¡­ That was so sweet.¡± What? ¡°Sweet?¡± I repeated. Somewhere along the way, my flight had landed in Tibet. And I had not updated my passport in ages. ¡°Yes,¡± she sighed. Pulling away so that her face was inches from mine, she said, ¡°You¡¯re so much better at being romantic than flirting.¡± Her eyes were still red from crying, but I suddenly realized that it was not from sadness. She was happy. Ecstatic even. ¡°Oh¡­ uh¡­ good?¡± I said nervously. This had been a happy cry. But what was I supposed to do now? I mean¡­ happy was good. But¡­ crying was not. Or¡­ Was this a net positive? Hess smiled at me, ¡°You poor boy. You poor clueless boy.¡± Then, taking my face in hand, she pulled me to her, and for a long while, we kissed. Chapter 43 - Consummation As I came awake, I had a moment of disorientation. We had gone to sleep in the dimly lit fountain room, and it always looked exactly the same. We could have slept four hours as easily as sixteen, for all I knew. So, I had no idea what time it was. Probably, somewhere in the middle of the night. In any case, I was comfortably warm, having woken up sandwiched between Sherr Hess and Jax. Never before had I ever spooned anyone, nor had I been spooned. So, experiencing both at the same time for my maiden voyage was a win in my book. A rare check mark on that sad, neglected bucket list of ¡®in your dreams, buddy¡¯. Though, there was a bit of a crick in my neck from sleeping on the stone floor.
Congratulations! Your Core has successfully condensed. You are now of the Sixth Layer of the Foundation New Stat Points available. New Skill Point available.
Ah, yes. I had almost forgotten. In all the¡­ excitement from the previous evening, what with Jax¡¯s shenanigans and the subsequent heart to heart with the huge keltha still clutching me in her arms, it had somehow slipped my mind what had started all of that off. I sighed happily. Today was going to be a good day! Quickly, I pulled up my stat page to see the changes.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Layer: 6F
Strength: 5 Agility: 4 Toughness: 8 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 9 Charisma: 8 Manic Force: 7 Manic Breadth: 10
Lilim Slots: 1 (filled) Jax: Loyalty: 87% Gain: [Donum <¡ª 50|50 ¡ª> Jax]
4 Stat Points available. 1 Skill Point available.
I immediately noticed the big, fat ten sitting next to Intelligence. And Manic Breadth. Hells yeah, baby! We are officially in the double digits! And I still don¡¯t have a clue what any of that means.
Congratulations! You have achieved High Novice: Intelligence! From now on, new memories will be sharper and less prone to fade with time. You have achieved High Novice: Manic Breadth! You may now purchase and maintain more complex spells!
Oh. Well, that¡¯s nice. Having a better memory would be useful. But, wait¡­ a ten in a stat was still just High Novice? Good grief! And the point cost for it doubled every ten? That¡¯s insane! It would take you ages to get anywhere close to mastery. Doing some quick math in my head, you would have to be somewhere in the eighties, Layer-wise, before you could even hit fifty in an attribute, and that was solely focusing on the one. And at that point, you would be having to wait four whole Layers per increase! No wonder Hess was so keen on getting in on this tempered stat business. And for that matter, how could I get in on it? My summons were going to end up with better attributes than me! Well¡­ there was nothing that I could do about it for now. Setting that aside for some interminable point in the future, I finally had my first hint as to what that Manic Breadth stat was doing. Spell complexity? Interesting¡­ if a little vague. Still, mentally, I sent a little thanks off to Lady Bline for the information. Rare was the day that she volunteered anything, after all. What I really needed was some insight into what she meant by ¡®complexity¡¯. I knew that spells were composed of Words, but beyond that, there were any number of implications. Greater syllabic content. The ability to say more Words at a time. Or perhaps, the inclusion of interpretive language or dual meanings? I had no idea. Eesh¡­ Maybe with some experimentation, I could pick up some clues. She did say that I could purchase more complex spells, after all. Maybe if I played with the menu for a while, I could figure something out. For that matter, what would really help would be understanding what Words I was saying for these spells. But that was a crap shoot, for now. I supposed that I could ask for a spell involving the Word I already knew, but¡­ Toilet? Nah¡­ Right about then, the ¡®little spoon¡¯ of our trio stirred awake. Immediately finding herself tucked into my warmth, she snuggled a bit closer. Interlacing her hand with my own, she pulled at it, dragging it along until it was right over her breast. Pressing it against herself, she sighed happily. Amused, I gave it a little squeeze, and she gasped, delighted. I smiled. There was just enough there now to get a bit of a handful. Nice! Spinning in my arms, the look of glee on her face instantly froze. Gripping my jaw, she pulled me close and sniffed at my breath. Geez¡­ is it really that bad? I had not had access to a toothbrush in some time, so I had been trying to keep the gunk scrubbed away by rubbing my teeth with a scrap of cloth. And I only had the one. It was, as per our standard, a make-shift solution. However, the look she was giving me was not one of disgust. It was¡­ suspicion? With narrowed eyes, she scrambled down to pull aside my loincloth. A little nervous at this development, I opened my mouth to speak, but she immediately held up a finger and glared at me, as if to say, ¡°No, little man. You will not.¡± But with more unintelligible swearing. As she pulled the garment aside, my member sprang free, still at half mast from my slumber. Jax¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of it, and she sucked in a breath. She held there for a handful of seconds, clearly at war with herself, but she would not be deterred. Slowly inching closer, trembling slightly from her internal battle, she gave it a little sniff. As the aroma hit her, her eyes fluttered closed, and she let out an exultant sigh, as if she had just scented the loveliest bouquet of roses ever assembled. I was, understandably, a little conflicted about all of this. On the one hand¡­ it was really fucking hot. And my status of ¡®half mast¡¯ was rapidly changing to reflect that. On the other hand, the only reason that I could figure that she would want to check my scent down there was out of distrust. And that was insulting. Warranted perhaps, but insulting. She inched forward for just a moment, her breathing heavy and her eyes vacant. I could tell that she wanted nothing more right then than to take me into her ready lips and pull everything she could from me. However, she suddenly jerked away, closing her eyes in an effort to calm herself. When she opened them again, our gazes locked. From her look, she had not been overly successful. Crawling forward, so as to be face to face once more, she slowly looked me over, sniffing at me here and there. She had changed again, of course. Before, she had been rather plain in appearance, and before she spoke, you might have been forgiven for mistaking her for a man, if an effeminate one. Now, however, there was no trace of her former gender remaining. She was a woman¡­ or more exactly, a lilim. Though, I had yet to discover how there was any difference. In any case, she was¡­ cute? Perhaps, she could have even been described as far as comely, if we could do something about her hair. It was an absolute riot. It had been steadily and uniformly growing out, and while there was just enough of it now to start to weigh itself down, it was still a puffy, red lion¡¯s mane. Actually, she sort of reminded me of one of those troll dolls, save for the horns. They were also a bit longer, grown out just enough to noticeably poke out from out of her crimson dandelion. As our eyes met once more, I found hers to be absolutely swimming with lust. Whatever I had found to admire in her, she had equally found in me and more. But still, she held herself back. Coming very close and whispering for my ears alone, she said, ¡°Had a bit of a nip while I were asleep?¡± I quirked an eyebrow at her, ¡°A kiss, you mean? Yes, we did.¡± Her breath quickened for a moment and she swallowed, ¡°And naught else? I smell ah~¡± Her breathing was becoming shallow, almost like she was about to hyperventilate. ¡°I smell naught but ye.¡± I nodded slightly, not appreciating this line of questioning, despite how evidently turned on she was. But I could understand where she was coming from. ¡°That¡¯s right. Naught else. It was difficult, but I saved myself for you.¡± Hearing those words, her breath caught. Slowly, the corners of her lips curled up, and her eyes began to shine. In that moment, she was radiant, so overcome with happiness that I thought she might burst. As her breath returned, catching, she pulled me to her so that there was only a hair of space between us. Whispering in a low, husky voice, she said, ¡°Then I now claim me rights.¡± Her rush to do just that almost knocked the wind out of me. Her kiss was rough, and desperately needy. As our tongues entwined, she began whimpering loudly and jerked me away from Hess¡¯ entangling arms with the indelicate haste that a frequent flier might in taking his bag from an overhead compartment. Crap on a stick! She was getting strong! Naturally, Sherr Hess snorted awake immediately. ¡°¡¯Stits! Go easy, Jax!¡± she said blearily, yawning. Jax froze on top of me, her lips still locked with mine. The whites showing all around her irises, her lips curled back over her teeth, and she growled low in her throat, like an animal might if you stepped too close to its food. If she had hackles, they would have been standing straight up. Hess paused for a moment at the overt threat, however Jax might as well have been a chihuahua in her eyes. Bemusedly, she rested her chin in her hand and chuckling, she began making little cooing sounds at her and waggling her finger in front of her nose. Before Jax could really go nuts ¡ª and it looked like she was about to ¡ª I grabbed her cheeks and gave her a little shake. Her eyes snapped back to me, questioningly. Struggling not to grin at the ridiculous expression I had contorted her into, I said, ¡°Sorry to wake you. But if you wouldn¡¯t mind, Jax and I would like a little bit of privacy.¡± ¡°Are you sure, dearest?¡± she asked coyly. ¡°From here, she looks like she¡¯s about to eat you.¡± Jax¡¯s eyes widened further, and she growled again, incensed. Gripping her just a tad harder to keep her attention, I sighed, ¡°Please, Hess?¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± she said with a huff. Climbing to her feet, she took the time to stretch out her back before taking a few steps. Hesitating for a moment, she looked back at us, ¡°Can¡¯t I watch? I¡¯ll be quiet, I promise.¡± I shook my head. This woman¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t think either of us are quite ready for an audience.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ But that¡¯s what makes it fun!¡± she complained. Sighing sulkily, she groaned, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go¡­ check on the fire or something.¡± Jax watched her as she slumped away dejectedly, not moving a muscle. Slowly, she began to rub her cheek against my face, but she froze again as Hess¡¯ voice called from down the hall. ¡°I get the next thigh slapping, Jax! You¡¯ve been too greedy with him!¡± I frowned slightly. The way she talked, I might as well have been a beach ball at a stadium concert. Heaving a sigh and determined to put her from my mind, I returned my attention to my companion. She was tense, listening intently for any further disturbance. Quirking an eyebrow, I waited. Finally satisfied, she looked back at me. I do not know what I was expecting. Perhaps a bit of light repartee on the topic of our recently departed third wheel, or maybe a bit of flirting or some such to get us back into the mood. I would have even taken an apology. Growling over me like I was a piece of meat? However, the second the tension left her, all that remained was lust. An ocean of it. ¡°Uh¡­ Jax?¡± That was all I got out before she was on me. Kissing me again, my lips might well have been the font from which all life sprang, such was her fervor. For several long seconds, she stole what little breath I had, whimpering and mewling high in her throat. Just as I was beginning to panic from the lack of oxygen, she broke away, gasping and panting roughly, ¡°Mmmine!¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I could only look at her, dizzy as I was. From my vantage, beneath her trembling body, it looked as if her eyes were swimming with unshed tears. And I could not fathom the reason why that might be. ¡°Mine?¡± she said again. This time, it was clear that she was asking a question. One that I needed to answer. But she was in too much of a state to articulate it. Panting with need, she made to kiss me again, but she paused, ¡°W-want!¡± A few more breaths, each exhale taking on a plaintive pitch, ¡°Mine?¡± Comprehension slowly dawning, I nodded, ¡°Yes. Yes, it¡¯s okay, Jax. Go ahead.¡± Almost laughing with relief, she resumed her assault on my lips. This time, however, she would give me little breaks, rubbing at my nose and cheeks, and nibbling at my ear lobes. Much to my relief. Passionate as it was, Jax¡¯s need was overwhelming me. ¡°Mya~ Touch!¡± she gasped out. ¡°Touch! Touch!¡± Realizing that I was just lying there like a dead fish, mostly because I was so stunned by what was happening, I reached out and grasped her by the waist. Her breathing quickened instantly, but she was unsatisfied. Sitting up, she grabbed my wrists and slowly drew them up along her body. As they inched closer, what little control she still had over herself slowly lessened, and the tempo of her breathing ramped up to the point where I thought she might faint. As soon as my fingers made contact with the softness surrounding her pert little nipples, her panting caught, and she began to twitch and tremble. Slowly, in fits and jerks, her thighs clamped together over top of my torso, and she began to contort in what had to be an orgasm. She held me there for a long while, not breathing, and just as I was started to grow concerned, she gasped. Sucking in several lungfuls of air, she smiled down at me and laughed a bit as the tension left her. ¡°Uh¡­ are you okay now?¡± I asked, a little worried. Jax was not at all behaving like herself. Instead of answering, she lazily slapped my hands away from her breasts. Leaning over me, she kissed me again before pulling away, sliding down until she was faced with my waiting manhood. It was harder than it had ever been, and pulsing slightly in time with the heart hammering away in my chest. How could it not be? I had never been in such an intense sexual experience in my life. Jax pushed her nose right up next to it and closed her eyes. She held there, just breathing. I do not know why I found that to be so stimulating, but her evident delight in my scent was driving me crazy. She was barely even touching me! Clenching my teeth, I lifted my head to look down at her, and our eyes met. Slowly, never breaking eye contact, she began to rub her nose against my erection, tracing the edge of her tongue against it in little flicks. She knew what she was doing, all right. She knew exactly what it was doing. Bringing her hands up, she began to very faintly trace along the length of me with her fingers. Being careful never to touch me with her claws, she moved them in random patterns, using only the slightest of pressure to stimulate me. And she never once let her face break away. By the Three! This was insane! Where had she picked up on technique like this? She had not even really gotten started! Finally, once she felt that she had teased me enough, she lazily licked me from base to tip and swallowed me whole. Not stopping until she had buried her nose into my hair, she paused there. I do not know how, but she inhaled, once more drawing my scent into her lungs. Her eyes fluttering, she moaned loudly, exulting in whatever combination of pleasures she was experiencing. The vibrations from it traveled up my spine and made my head spin. Suddenly, another pair of hands began to lightly run their fingers through my hair. Startled I looked up, coming face to face with Jax¡¯s shadow. It was kneeling beside my head, lightly stroking me, almost like I was a favored pet. Deeply dark, it was solid enough that I could actually touch it. Jax paid it no mind, and slowly began her work. Pulling away to the tip again, her tongue pressed firmly against the underside the whole way, she hovered there for a second. Lightly twirling her tongue about the head for a moment, she then plunged down again. Three times, she did this before I was ready to burst. My sexual experiences thus far had not prepared me for any kind of technique or skill, and ¡®holding out¡¯ was barely in my vocabulary. So I was not at all ready for this. However, somehow, Jax knew precisely the moment to stop before I lost control. Coming away entirely, she sat staring at my throbbing for several long seconds. From her own trembling, I had no idea what she was waiting for, or why she would want to draw this out. But apparently, she had something in mind. Just as I began to feel like I was regaining some control over myself, she came at me again, almost sighing in relief at the resumed contact. Once. Twice. And then she pulled away. Groaning in frustration, I lifted my rod up into the cold air, desperate for the stimulation to continue, but Jax pulled away further. After a moment, perhaps out of pity, the shadow reached out and delicately began to trace its finger across the very tip of my spear. It was like being patted by a kitten¡¯s paw. Jax watched this hungrily for a few seconds before swiping a hand through it, dismissing the thing entirely. Coming in again, she gave me one last long sniff before planting a light kiss there. Slowly, she began to drag herself up my torso until we were face to face again. Smiling coyly at me and never breaking eye contact, she straddled my hips and began to leisurely run her burgeoning womanhood over top of me. I could feel it there quite clearly, the groove between her legs. It was a texture, more than anything, smooth and warm. I could not feel any wetness or the like. At least, not at first. Taking on a look of concentration, she inhaled and tensed. And suddenly, it felt as if I had been grabbed by a moist pair of lips. That slight bit of penetration shook her enough to break her gaze from mine, and she cried out, ¡°Ahhn~!¡± The call rang through the empty hallways, echoing ever so slightly. Jax was trembling like a leaf, her face screwed up in ecstasy as she struggled to breathe. ¡°Jax, are you alright?¡± I asked. Apparently, she had developed a bit more down there, but I was not sure if she was ready for this. After all, this was brand new to her, no matter what instincts seemed to be coming with the package. She did not reply. Instead, her mouth gaping open in her want, she began to slowly move. Dragging her dampness along the length of me, she rolled her hips in lazy circles, exploring every inch of her new organ against my own. She was in heaven. And I was rapidly catching up. I gritted my teeth. ¡°Jax¡­ Jax¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± I was going to blow at any second. Taking a breath, she pulled herself up to my tip, and without using her hands, somehow she maneuvered it up at just the right angle, and slowly began to descend. I felt it then. Every inch of it. That glorious velvety warmth. There was no resistance, only gently squeezing pressure from all around. As I ascended into her depths, she began to cry out, exultant, calling higher and higher with each breath, ¡°Ha ha ha~!¡± Grabbing my shoulders she clutched me to herself, hugging me so tightly to her bosom that I almost felt my bones creak. And just as I bottomed out, and our flesh clicked into place, I lost it. And so did Jax. As the first pulse of white heat erupted from me, she threw back her head and screamed. ¡°MASTER!¡± My eyes snapped open at that word, even as I continued to empty myself into Jax¡¯s lustrous new garden. That trigger had been pulled, and there was no stopping it now. It went on longer than I had thought possible, and Jax howled through the whole of it, caught in the rolling waves of our shared orgasm. However, eventually, the waves relented, each pulse coming in weaker and weaker until they stopped altogether. Slowly, I pulled away, still breathing heavily, and looked at her. Tears were gently falling down the sides of her cheeks as she gazed up at the ceiling, and her face had assumed a mask of peaceful contentment. After a few moments, she sighed happily and pulled me to her again. However, just as her lips met mine, she froze. Looking up, her eyes searched my own curiously. Finally, she spoke, ¡°Master? Master, what¡­¡± Eyes widening, she clapped a hand over her mouth. I said nothing, only raising an eyebrow at her. Pulling her face into a grimace, she looked away, ¡°Ah, Jax! Ye doaty wank warmer! Why¡¯d ye have to let that slip?¡± Facing me again, the picture of contriteness, she sighed, ¡°Sorry! I be sorry, Mast¡­¡± Taking a breath, she tried again, ¡°I be sorry¡­ D¡­ d-d-d¡­ Argh!¡± Her face had begun to twist and contort in her effort to get the word out until she growled in exasperation. I blinked. This was new. And yet¡­ For a long time now, even back when she was a him, possibly since I had known her, she had been having trouble speaking correctly on occasion. She had always played it off as a cough or a stutter, but now¡­ Had she been fighting with herself over this? But why would that be? I had certainly never asked her to call me that. Tentatively, I prompted her, ¡°It¡¯s Donum.¡± ¡°I know what yer howlin¡¯ name be, Mast¡­¡± She jerked, stopping herself. Sucking in a breath, she looked at me pleadingly, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. Please?¡± I looked at her, surprised, ¡°Am I angry?¡± She went silent for a while, knitting her brows together as she sorted through my emotions. Eventually, she shook her head, ¡°Nay¡­ but ye ain¡¯t happy neither.¡± ¡°Obviously,¡± I agreed. ¡°Jax, what is going on? Where is this coming from?¡± Groaning, she hugged me to herself and mumbled into my shoulder, ¡°I dunno. Be what the Lady calls ye.¡± ¡°W¡­? The Lady of Power? Bline? That Lady?¡± I stammered in shock. ¡°She calls me Master?¡± ¡°What? Nay!¡± she pushed away and looked me up and down like I was a fool. ¡°Not master of Her ownself, ye dafty. Master of me. All the time, She be calling ye such. Even me skills¡­¡± She paused, frowning, ¡°Ah¡­ whatever. No use hiding it anymore.¡± ¡°What about your skills?¡± I asked. She sighed, ¡°I¡­ be embarrassed to say.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t make you,¡± I assured her. ¡°But I would like to know. What¡¯s the least of them?¡± Honestly, how bad could they be? Glancing at me furtively, she mumbled, ¡°My Claws Hunt for Master.¡± My right eye twitched, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not so bad. It even sounds kind of fierce.¡± If a little cringe-worthy. ¡°Is that the one that drains Life Energy?¡± Heaving a sigh, she smiled a bit, tentatively, ¡°Aye, the bloody thing. Got it way back the last time we were here. Remember? Thought it made me sound like some great beast.¡± Holding her hand aloft, she looked it over speculatively for a moment before saying, ¡°Never thought I¡¯d actually grow claws of me own.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bet,¡± I smiled back. Taking the hand in my own, I began to lightly run my thumb over top of the miniature keratin daggers. They were hard and smooth to the touch, rather like a cat¡¯s but straighter. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Jax. Now, what is the problem, exactly? Can you not say my name at all anymore?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± she started, but then she paused to consider the question. Experimentally, she began to enunciate very deliberately, ¡°Your name be Donum, Mast¡­¡± She stopped short, pressing her lips together in frustration. I sighed. ¡°Hmm¡­ it¡¯s like you¡¯ve got some kind of¡­ enforced speech impediment. Or maybe a tic? Would it help if I commanded you not to call me that?¡± She seemed surprised at my question, and frowning, she said, ¡°Weren¡¯t yer lips what put that word on mine. If ye make me say aught, what difference do it make what word ye put there?¡± I blinked at her in confusion, ¡°You¡¯re arguing that forcing you to call me by name is no different that forcing you to call me Master? But¡­ don¡¯t you want to call me by name?¡± ¡°What I want¡­¡± pausing, she took a breath. ¡°What I want is to for ye to not be upset anymore. I want ye to be pleased with me. We agreed long ago that ye¡¯d ne¡¯er treat me as yer slave, and ye been good on it. And¡­ I were afraid ye¡¯d be angry with me to suddenly be calling ye as the Lady says I ought. Or worse, make ye feel guilty all over again. I hate yer guilt.¡± I nodded uncertainly. I had decidedly mixed feelings about all of this. With this latest development¡­ Her calling me that? And being more upset about how I would feel about it? How was I supposed to react? It made her sound like she was some kind of consort or a concubine! And it was made all the more complicated by the fact that she could tell exactly how I felt at all times. It was unfair! I could not control my emotions like some kind of Kwisatz Haderach! What was I supposed to do? Mutter, ¡°Guilt is the relationship killer¡­¡± and have that be the end of it? However, we had been over all of this before. We were bound together. And somehow, that was supposed to balance out some cosmic equation between the two of us. I did not understand it in the slightest, but Jax was quite insistent. In the end, I had decided to just go with it, and I had been¡­ mostly comfortable with the resolution we had arrived at. I just needed to make sure that whatever this new thing was, we were both still okay with it. I took a breath, ¡°Right¡­ first of all, I do not want you to feel like you need to please me¡­¡± ¡°And why not?¡± she interrupted quickly, scattering my train of thought to the winds. ¡°Do ye nay wish to please me, as well?¡± ¡°I¡­ what?¡± I stopped, taken aback. ¡°I hadn¡¯t¡­ I mean¡­ Well, yes! Of course, I do.¡± I honestly had not thought of it that way. Perhaps there was some sort of balance to this, after all. ¡°Good,¡± she smiled. Very gently, she stroked my cheek with the back of her hand, ¡°I be glad to have calmed ye somewhat, Mas¡­¡± I flinched at the word, and she sighed in frustration. ¡°Okay, well, we¡¯re going to have to do something about this,¡± I said after a moment. If this relationship was going to be anywhere close to healthy, we would need to. ¡°I don¡¯t like you calling me¡­ Master.¡± She blinked at me confusedly. Very slightly drawing forward, she tilted her head to the side. And slowly, the corner of her mouth tilted up into the faintest of grins. ¡°Lie.¡± The word was only a whisper, but it hit me like a cannonball. ¡°What?! No! I¡¯m not lying! I don¡¯t want you to call me Master!¡± ¡°Lie,¡± she said again, grinning wider. ¡°Jax, stop! I swear to you, I would never ask you to call me that! It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s demeaning!¡± I was shouting now. She tilted her head the other way, ¡°That be true. Master.¡± I flinched, ¡°By Law! Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°Because ye like it, Master,¡± she smiled beatifically. ¡°No, I don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Lie.¡± ¡°Damn it, Jax!¡± Finally having mercy on me, she laughed and pulled me into her arms, ¡°Oh, Master. Me poor man. Be at ease. Yer lie be to yer ownself. Ye do like it whether ye admit it or not. I can feel it.¡± Soothingly stroking the back of my head, she sighed, ¡°But yer guts be torn over it. That¡¯s clear.¡± I growled. What fresh hell was this? What was she even going on about? I liked it? No! I did not. I mean¡­ It was base and low¡­ and¡­ and¡­ degrading! Still¡­ Maybe¡­ From a certain point of view¡­ There was a certain appeal to having a naked¡­ lilim sitting in my lap. And calling me that. ¡°Okay¡­ fine. I guess it is¡­ kind of hot. But only¡­¡± ¡°Hot?¡± she interrupted, befuddled. ¡°Yes, you know¡­ Sexy? Arousing?¡± I explained quickly. ¡°But¡­¡± Suddenly, her grip on me tightened like a vise, and I gasped. I do not know how, but through the entire conversation, she had yet to allow me to slip out of her. And it was at that moment that I realized that any hope that I might have entertained of getting out of this had just been unceremoniously tossed out the window. ¡°I see¡­¡± she breathed. ¡°Ye like it that way? Master?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I suppose so. Yes¡­¡± I said, grimacing from having my still sensitive bits squeezed. ¡°As a private sort of thing. Maybe. But not if you don¡¯t have a choice in the matter!¡± ¡°A choice?¡± she repeated, her eyes heavy with seduction. ¡°As to what to call ye?¡± ¡°Yes, of course!¡± I frowned, trying very hard to ignore how she was starting to move against me. ¡°Where do you think all of that guilt is coming from?¡± At that, she paused in a huff and tutted at me. ¡°I do nay think ye got reason to feel guilty over it, but¡­ a choice?¡± Thinking it over for a moment, she nodded, and taking a breath, she closed her eyes. ¡°There. Yer will be done, Donum.¡± I blinked at her. ¡°Wait¡­ just like that?¡± ¡°Aye!¡± she affirmed, smiling grandly. ¡°It were a good command, I decided.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± was all I said. That was¡­ unexpectedly easy. And for once, I had not come out of it feeling terrible about myself. ¡°Now then.¡± Quickly planting a kiss on my lips, she mused, ¡°How about a little game?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ okay?¡± I smiled uncertainly. I was not at all sure I wanted to. She had a glint in her eye that was making me nervous. ¡°What sort of game?¡± She took a breath, consequently pressing her breasts against me, ¡°How about¡­ I tell ye the name of me skill, and ye guess which it be? Master.¡± I swallowed. Her breath was hot on my face, and her eyes were smoldering. Particularly when she said that word. ¡°A-alright. Sounds simple enough.¡± She smiled mischievously, and slowly she began to trace her lips along the ridge of my neck. ¡°In Lust¡­ My Shadows Guard.¡± She pulsed around me as she emphasized the word, and though I had just had a massive orgasm, her rather overt attempt at getting me roused again was working miraculously. Licking my lips and trying very hard to ignore the feather-light tickling going on at my neck, I said, ¡°Your shadow clones, of course.¡± ¡°Very good. Master,¡± she breathed. ¡°But that were an easy one. How about¡­¡± Pulling away, she looked me square in the eye, ¡°Thirst¡­ for Master¡¯s Touch?¡± Wow¡­ That was a skill name? Watcher¡¯s Eye¡­ Still, the rather frank way that she had said it combined with the way that she had started to roll her hips finally broke through whatever hesitance was left in me. Pulling her toward me, I went to kiss her, but she held a finger in front of my mouth, ¡°Ah no, Master¡­ Only correct guesses get rewards.¡± That was what she said anyway. The way she was moving against me was telling a different story. Growling with frustration, I said, ¡°Well¡­ I would have to assume that is your latest one? The one that makes you more able to handle¡­ all of this?¡± ¡°Ah~ Barely¡­¡± she breathed, her lips a hair¡¯s breadth from my own. ¡°Right again. Next?¡± ¡°Only one left, but go ahead,¡± I smiled in anticipation. ¡°M¡­ My Body¡­¡± She very slightly jerked her head to the side and froze. Eyes narrowing, her lips formed a thin line and she yelled, ¡°My Body for Master ALONE!¡± I blinked in confusion for a moment at this outburst. At least until I heard the reply coming from off in the shadows. ¡°Aww¡­ It was just starting to get good again!¡± Chapter 44 - No Soup for You! ¡°Damn it, Hess! What the fuck?!¡± I shouted into the darkness of the hallway. Hearing that, Jax winced and turned back to me, ¡°Master, please do nay swear so. It be beneath ye.¡± Giving me a quick kiss, she turned her attention back to Hess, who had just walked up, ¡°Hess, ye humming, hoaching, glaikit of a jackey. I can nay believe ye¡¯d go so far! Watching us like that? Ye dog-licking nettle-puss, done a pure riddy, ye have!¡± ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Hess interrupted her, rolling her eyes. And probably none too soon. From the way that Jax was keyed up, she probably had another hundred or so of those chambered and ready to go. Shrugging apologetically, she said, ¡°What can I say? I was horny.¡± As apologies went, it was as close to being one as possible while simultaneously being the complete opposite. ¡°Bloody waste of time, scolding ye,¡± Jax grumbled. ¡°And besides, yer always gagging for it!¡± ¡°So are you,¡± Hess winked back. ¡°And at least you got to scratch your itch.¡± ¡°An itch? Ha! Like ye¡¯d know,¡± Jax scoffed. ¡°I were having a lovely feed before yer taint washed in.¡± Starting to blush, and all too aware of the fact that Jax was still sitting on my lap despite Hess being right there, I loudly cleared my throat, ¡°Uh, Jax? If you wouldn¡¯t mind?¡± She blinked at me a few times, frowning as she mentally shifted away from berating our third wheel. Seemingly concentrating on something, she grimaced, ¡°Uh¡­ hold on. I ain¡¯t quite figured¡­¡± She began to shift from side to side in apparent frustration. ¡°Just stand up, Jax,¡± Hess sighed. ¡°It¡¯ll slip right out.¡± ¡°No, ye nay understand,¡± she replied, starting to look a little worried. She shifted just a tad too much, and my eyes widened in alarm, ¡°Ow! Ow! Easy!¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®ow¡¯?¡± Hess asked, confused. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be complicated. Just stand up!¡± So saying, she came to stand behind Jax and gently started to lift her off of me. And I came up with her. Whatever was going on down there, it felt like I had suddenly been grabbed by a pair of fleshy pincers, and they were not letting me go. Needless to say, what followed was a lot of very confused screaming. Some time later, we had arrived at the ladder leading up to the town. I was still hobbling awkwardly, despite having healed myself. There was no visible sign of damage, but it still felt bruised. And the telltale taste of vomit had yet to dissipate in the back of my throat. I kind of wanted to go back for another swallow of water, but¡­ then I would have to walk all the way back. It really was not worth it. As we came to a stop, a sudden flash of that very specific and deeply seated pain lanced through my groin, and I audibly winced. Jax looked at me in concern, ¡°Are ye sure yer alright?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ not really. Just¡­ I¡¯m having a moment here,¡± I wheezed. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ so sorry, Donum,¡± Hess said sympathetically. ¡°I really had no idea.¡± Now she was apologetic. ¡°I told ye to wait, did I nay?¡± Jax said, rubbing me high on my back. ¡°Ye made me hurt him!¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s fine, Jax. Honestly,¡± I said, trying to be reassuring. It would have even been convincing if I could have just managed to stand up straight. ¡°Most of it is phantom pain, anyway.¡± She had been absolutely beside herself when she had realized what had happened. Which was understandable. I would have been, too, had our positions been reversed. Still, from the way she had carried on about it, you would have thought it was her¡­ I grimaced. I really did not want to think about it any more. ¡°How was I supposed to know that would happen?¡± Hess argued defensively. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen something like that before!¡± Jax sighed, ¡°I¡­ suppose we should share the blame.¡± Though from her expression, it was clear that was grudging. ¡°I were greedy and started using things afore they were ready.¡± ¡°Are you¡­ are you not done?¡± Hess asked. ¡°Still?¡± ¡°Sure felt done to me,¡± I quipped, trying to sound light-hearted about it. But I had yet to master myself, so it might have come off a tad facetious. Jax bumped me with her hip. ¡°I nay think so. There be a muscle down there what controls it, and I ain¡¯t quite figured the working. Feels like something be missing.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ do you mind if I take a look?¡± Hess asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a vagina that works like that, and¡­ you know¡­¡± Jax nodded. Hess would one day likely have something similar going on. We were at the frontier of sex ed for a brand new species here. So, it was the decent thing to do. Plus, it was not like we had anything like boundaries anymore. No, that little social nicety had been left by the wayside quite some time ago. Kneeling in front of her, Hess brushed aside Jax¡¯s breechcloth. ¡°It looks just the same as yesterday.¡± Prodding it for a moment, Hess looked at me, ¡°Come here, Donum. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d like to see this, too.¡± Unsure, I glanced at Jax. And somehow, despite everything we had already done together, she was managing a demure little smile. The little flirt! So, with a bit of a bemused smile of my own, I shuffled over and squatted down. Between her legs, there was a pair of puffy lips concealing the flower within. There was no discoloration, everything visible had the same even skin-tone as the rest of her body. As far as I could tell, Jax¡¯s undercarriage looked perfectly normal. For a woman, anyway. ¡°So, what¡¯s this you said about a muscle?¡± I asked, trying to adopt a clinical mindset. I was aware of the existence of a groin muscle, naturally. It was a frequent target for sports injuries, and normally, a person could clench it to a certain extent. Not hard enough to do that, of course. Actually, thinking it over, I was not really even sure what it was used for on a day to day basis. ¡°Be what lets me open and close it,¡± she explained simply. ¡°But I ain¡¯t got the working of it yet.¡± That¡­ did not sound right. I had seen my fair share of porn in my day, and if girls were able to just open the thing, then I was pretty sure that would have come up at some point. In fact, I was fairly certain that women had to use their hands to do that, normally. And the look that Sherr Hess had on her face was confirming that rather conclusively. ¡°What, by the ¡®Stits, do you mean it lets you ¡®open¡¯ it? It does more than just grab things it shouldn¡¯t be grabbing?¡± she asked. Choosing to ignore the barb, Jax shrugged, ¡°Be what I said. Try to open it, if ye don¡¯t believe me.¡± So saying, she widened her stance in invitation. Hess pursed her lips, and with a roll of her shoulders, she reached up again. Firmly pressing her fingers to the lips, she attempted to pry them apart. Then, when that did not work, she brought forward a finger with her other hand and began to press it between them in a drilling motion, trying to wedge it in there. But she was unable to penetrate. Sighing, she said, ¡°I think that¡¯s all I can do without hurting you. That is really strange. You shouldn¡¯t be able to do that.¡± ¡°Trouble is, I nay can not do it,¡± Jax groused. Hess frowned and glanced at me for a moment before turning her attention back, ¡°Then how did you ever manage to have sex?¡± ¡°I dunno. I just¡­ really wanted him in me,¡± Jax mumbled, glancing at me. Then continuing a bit louder, she explained, ¡°I weren¡¯t quite right in me head.¡± ¡°Can confirm,¡± I added bluntly. ¡°Mmm¡­ that was pretty intense,¡± Hess added. ¡°Too bad it was over so quickly.¡± ¡°You saw that part, too?¡± I asked in dismay. ¡°Geez, Hess.¡± Ignoring me, Hess looked up at Jax, ¡°What if Donum tries to open it?¡± The second she suggested that, I quite clearly saw Jax¡¯s lower lips twitch, and a hint of moisture dripped to the floor. ¡°Uh¡­ that¡­ that may not¡­¡± Jax inhaled sharply, and started again, ¡°If he gets in there, I ain¡¯t sure I can let him loose again. And didn¡¯t ye say ye were wanting to try for them sheeps?¡± On cue, Hess¡¯ stomach rumbled loudly. ¡°I did, yes. It¡¯s getting fairly intolerable,¡± she admitted. ¡°Still¡­ from the way you were going after him earlier, I would have thought you would pounce at the idea.¡± ¡°I hurt him, Hess,¡± Jax said, emphasizing the consonants. ¡°I¡¯ll nay risk doing it again. Not when I ain¡¯t got proper control.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Jax,¡± I cut in. ¡°I¡¯m not really in the mood at the moment, anyway. And I would appreciate having some real food.¡± Hess sighed, ¡°Shame that. I would have¡­ I¡­ I would¡­¡± She closed her eyes and trembled for a moment before mastering herself. Jax nodded sympathetically, ¡°Maybe ye ought to take yer Great Gem? Take a skill like mine? I can feel the desire growing strong in ye again.¡± She shook her head, ¡°No, once we go hunting, it¡¯ll discharge, and I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Heaving a sigh, she stood and hiked a thumb at the ladder, ¡°Come on.¡± So saying, she turned and began her ascent. ¡°You should really remember to shut me out while we sleep,¡± I reminded her as I began to climb behind her. ¡°Mmm¡­ but I do so love the dreams it gives me.¡± As we broke free into the town again, we quickly discovered that the place had not quite burned to ash. There were still a few standing structures left, though they were mostly a charred ruin. In any case, there was enough there to give us a bit of cover as we escaped out into the fields. We could easily see hints of the monster, even now roaming the center of town through the burned out slats of the buildings in the alley. The fire had apparently done little to damage it, but we were not here for that just yet. Though I was quite anxious to finally be done with this place, I had not gotten an infusion since the episode with the rats, and I had slept twice since then. So I was famished. And some real meat sounded heavenly. Hopping the low stone wall, we plopped down into the mud and paused there for a moment. My highlights really did not work all that well in large open spaces. They tended to give everything a flat appearance, and it was hard to judge distances with accuracy. Still, it was quite evident that the scarecrows were gone. And that was the main thing. ¡°Anyone see the herd?¡± I asked. All I could make out was the over-emphasis the spell was making of the grass swaying in the breeze. Neither of my companions replied for several long seconds as we scanned the open field until Hess finally pointed, ¡°There! I think I saw something move in that direction.¡± I grinned. Sheep were not nocturnal by nature, I was pretty sure. So, it was likely that they would be asleep right now. To see one move at this time of night and from that distance was a huge stroke of luck. Without another word, we set off. And unfortunately, our luck ran out there. Before we got to within a hundred paces of them, the sheep caught wind of us and fled. None of us were exactly consummate hunters, and it had not occurred to us until it was too late that the wind was at our backs. And we had not seen a bar of soap in weeks. Now, I would not say that I was any sort of an expert on sheep or their behavior, but they do have a bit of a reputation. If there is a singular and monumentally stupid thing for one to do, inevitably it will do it, and the entire rest of the herd will do it, too. So, instead of scattering or just keeping their distance from us, they immediately panicked and arrowed straight towards a familiar blue light. Putting on a burst of speed, Hess barreled towards them, hoping to cut them off. But before she had managed to close to within half the distance, the last of them had carelessly hopped into the dark hole beside it. She was less than pleased. ¡°Bunch of ¡®Stoe sucking fuckers! I hope the lot of you die of belly rot!¡± she howled. ¡°Come out of there! I will eat the testicles off of each and every one of you!¡± Jax crossed her arms sourly, ¡°Blighters did that on purpose, I¡¯ll bet!¡± It was best to just agree with someone when they started screaming angry gibberish. ¡°You¡¯re damned right, they did!¡± Hess shouted. ¡°Never wished for a bow so hard in all my ¡®Stoe sucking life!¡± ¡°Well¡­ now what?¡± I asked diplomatically, still slightly out of breath from the sprint. Hess did not answer for several breaths. She just stood there, clenching her fists while she stared into the black. The gaping maw sat there, indifferent to our plight while the great cobweb draped over its entrance fluttered in the wind. And then a sheep¡¯s bleat echoed out of it. It might as well have been taunting us. And probably was. Finally, Hess sighed, ¡°I¡¯m still hungry.¡± And then, resolutely, she started marching forward. ¡°Ye can nay be serious?¡± Jax said, an edge of concern in her voice. ¡°You all saw it,¡± she replied. ¡°The Dungeon may as well have just tossed a Maeve¡¯s Kiss at our feet. Want food? Go get it, peasants!¡± I had no idea what Hess had just referred to, but from Jax¡¯s scowl, it probably was not good. Hess paused at the entrance and looked back at us, ¡°Incidentally, how far does that vision spell of yours extend out, Donum?¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I had no idea, but Jax chimed in before I could say anything, ¡°Several full hands of paces. After that, it goes dark.¡± At my questioning look, she elaborated, ¡°Found that out in the rat maze. Can nay get too far from ye and still see.¡± Hess sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I could get you to make me a torch, then? Before I go?¡± I blinked at her, taken aback, ¡°You mean to go in alone? Don¡¯t be ridiculous!¡± She frowned at me, ¡°It¡¯s almost certainly a death trap. I can¡¯t ask you¡­¡± ¡°If ye die in there, then we die out here!¡± Jax interrupted. It was a simple fact and undeniable. ¡°At least with the¡­¡± she paused and glanced at me, ¡°At least Donum can help ye see.¡± Hess smirked. It was clear to the both of us what she had been about to say. She had eavesdropped through the whole thing, after all. And clearly, Jax was still having a little difficulty leaving bedroom talk for the bedroom. But she chose not to pay the slip any mind. Which was decent of her. Lifting her shoulders in a simple shrug, she said, ¡°I¡¯m going in. Follow if you want.¡± And then she disappeared into the gloom. Jax and I shared a look, hesitating in the pale blue light cast by the nearby crystal. ¡°For the record,¡± I opined, ¡°We are absolutely going to regret this.¡± When we entered ¡®the mighty hole¡¯, as the Dungeon had titled it, we discovered a winding path that lead us around for quite some time without us seeing much of anything at all. It was just one long O-shaped tunnel, lined all around with webbing and tree trunks. No sheep. No monsters. Nothing. At first, anyway. We heard it before we saw it, the plaintiff cry of a sheep in distress. It called to us from out of the darkness, beckoning us forward. And when we turned the final corner, there, right in the middle of a four-way intersection, was a young lamb. It had been caught by a web and was dangling by its back foot, jerking about as it tried to free itself. Calling for its mother. My eyes instantly went to the ceiling, looking for what I knew had to be waiting for us. This could not have been more clearly a trap if it had been labeled. In fact, I was pretty sure that if I looked hard enough, I would find the ACME box the webbing had been shipped in. But I did not see any spiders. Or even a coyote. I did not see a damned thing. And that had me paranoid. Hess and Jax slowly ventured forward, heads on a swivel as they cautiously circled the bait. Their weight on their back feet, they each patted at the floor ahead, searching for pitfalls or any other sort of obvious mechanisms. But eventually, they came up short. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Hess hummed in her way. ¡°Maybe it really just got caught?¡± Jax snorted, ¡°Aye. And maybe me arse¡¯ll grow wings, and I¡¯ll fart me way to the moon.¡± Chuckling, Hess eyed her, ¡°Who knows? Stranger things have happened.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have ye know,¡± Jax announced airily, ¡°I ain¡¯t broken wind in a weeks! Kind of miss it, truth to tell.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Hess replied, surprised. ¡°What about the other kind?¡± ¡°What other kind?¡± I loudly cleared my throat, ¡°Right¡­ well. Perhaps, we should leave this be?¡± I gestured to the lamb, still hanging and clearly distressed at being caught. Of course, I was referring to the conversation, as well. Stepping forward, I continued, ¡°If we can¡¯t figure out the trap, it would be best to¡­¡± As soon as my foot crossed into the room, dozens of flaps, camouflaged in the webbing around us, sprang open, and they were on us. Beetles. Gigantic beetles. I know. Who would have thought, right? In any case, they stood at about knee height and were easily three times as long. Their carapaces, gleaming dully in the faint light filtering through tangled branches above, were sleek and hard, and the stridulations of their legs as they rushed us were so numerous, it was almost a roar. And they could fly. Because, of course they could. Jax and Hess immediately sprang into action, waylaying about themselves with abandon. Hess was an absolute nightmare, caving Beetle heads in with her club and sending balls of spinning death about. Jax, on the other hand, was having more difficulty. Her axe kept skipping off of the hard armor of the huge insects, unable to find any purchase. She had to hit them straight on to do any real damage. It was when they started spitting webs at us from above that things rapidly got out of hand. Just as I was about to get my accuracy buff going, one of them, either by accident or luck, managed to hit me right in the face. As I staggered about, trying to free myself, I discovered their real weapon. Feeling a sharp pain in my calf, a burning sensation rapidly started to course through my veins, and I fell to the ground, paralyzed. I do not know much of what happened after that. The bastard that bit me started to drag me away, and before either of my companions even noticed, my useless body had been absconded with into one of the many holes. The flap, a random mishmash of webs and twigs, slammed closed behind me like the hammer of doom. It was not long after that I got the notification of Jax¡¯s death. Eventually, I was brought to some sort of large room. It was roughly circular, with little alcoves here and there, and a dozen or so unidentifiable shapes hanging from the ceiling. The Beetle that had taken me in tow dropped me somewhere in the middle of the room and began to attach long branches lengthwise along my body with its secretions. This continued until I was completely encased with both wood and web, leaving only a bit of my face uncovered. Satisfied, the creature flew me up to the ceiling and attached me there, dangling like some morbid ornament. And then it left. Soon enough, I ascertained exactly what my intended fate was to be. Every once in a while, the paralytic venom would wear off in one of the other ¡®ornaments¡¯ in the room, and a sheep would begin to struggle and bleat in an effort to free itself. Then, one of several of the insects that seemed to be stationed in this room would fly up, and ¡®quiet¡¯ it. And periodically, some Beetle or other would show up to feed. They liked to start from the head, I found. That said, I quickly discovered that one of the benefits of being paralyzed was that, by definition, I could not move. And when you have a specific skill that takes advantage of that particular foible, it was not long before the Beetles forgot I was there entirely. I would have smiled if I could have moved my lips. But what to do now? My companion was dead, however temporarily, I was as useful as a plank of wood, and I had no idea of the fate of Sherr Hess. I just had to hope that her own prowess would see her through this. I refused to believe that she had died as well. I really could not handle that thought right now. In the meantime, I would have to rely on myself to see me through. But all I could do was think and breathe. And play with menus. Well¡­ first thing¡¯s first. Let¡¯s get those stat points assigned. Quickly pulling up my stat sheet again, I considered my options.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Layer: 6F
Strength: 5 Agility: 4 Toughness: 8 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 9 Charisma: 8 Manic Force: 7 Manic Breadth: 10
Lilim Slots: 1 (filled) Jax: Loyalty: 95% Gain: [unavailable]
4 Stat Points available. 1 Skill Points available.
Sure enough, pushing Intelligence up any further was going to cost me two points, so for now, I decided against that. My other go to attributes, Toughness, Wisdom, and Charisma, were all still cheap, so that was easy enough. That just left Strength or Agility. Or I could save the last point for later. I sighed. I doubted pushing Strength up would give me the necessary power to break free of my bindings, and Agility might help me wriggle loose. Or attract attention. Yeah, no. That¡¯s out. Option three it is, then. That out of the way, I set my mind to possible skill picks. And that was a quandary. There were so many factors at play here. For one, I needed something to help with the paralytic venom. Then there was the issue with escaping from the webbing. And once all of that was accounted for, I would need to actually survive the escape attempt. Okay, Donum. Let¡¯s take this a step at a time. I was not going anywhere until this venom was dealt with. Technically, I knew that it would run its course. I had seen that with the sheep, after all. But if I got bitten again, which was likely during any escape attempt, I would be back to square one. Lady Bline? I would like to purchase a skill now. Please? Hopefully, I could do this part mentally, as well¡­
What sort of skill would you like?
Yes! Okay¡­ I need something to help me resist a paralytic venom. Her reply was instantaneous. Apparently, this came up rather frequently.
Resist Paralysis Passive Ability that will shorten duration of Paralytic Ailments. Negation is possible if skill level exceeds Ailment potency.
Hmm¡­ That would do it, alright. Though, it seemed like a waste to take something quite so specific. Fiddling with the Lady¡¯s skill creation system for a few more minutes, I had a couple of other ideas assembled.
Resist Status Ailments (minor) Passive Ability that will slowly work to remove all Status Ailments. Increased skill will help to shorten duration, however it can never cause an Ailment to be resisted from the outset. Ability may be upgraded through further skill investment.
Resist Poison (lesser) Passive Ability that will help to reduce tissue damage and Status Ailments associated with venoms and ingested poisons. Ailment negation is possible if skill level exceeds Poison potency. Ability may be upgraded through further skill investment.
Both of those sounded fantastic, if slow. Particularly that Resist Poison. If only I had that one during the Tongue-Flower fight. The other aspects to them, such as why some of them could be upgraded and others not or why one was ¡®lesser¡¯ and the other ¡®minor¡¯, where as yet a mystery to me. And, that was all well and good, but honestly, I felt that the concept was all wrong for me. I was a support mage, dammit! I needed to have skills to support my allies, not just a bunch of resistances. Never mind that I did not actually have any allies at the moment. That would be rectified in¡­ less than twenty-two hours, according to my respawn timer. Oy¡­ Well, I¡¯ve got a shit load of time to kill. May as well keep going. After that, I messed around with auras for a while. I already had the one, after all. Those turned out to be similar in flavor to the Passives I had found, only a lot weaker. So, I ended up abandoning that idea. Then, I started toying with basic Status Ailment removal spells. Quite quickly, I discovered that if I wanted to get something very specific, like Paralysis Removal for instance, then it was no problem. Cast the spell, one and done. I assumed that it would cost me a bit of endurance, but the spell card did not specify. More generalized spells, on the other hand, were either less powerful or much costlier. For example, I could take a spell that would remove all Status Ailments from a target, but I would have to sacrifice an ¡®equivalent amount of Life Energy¡¯ to do it. Naturally, I was less than keen on that idea. Plus, I could not actually speak at the moment, so¡­ In any case, the pattern was quite clear. The more exact a skill was to its use, the stronger and cheaper it would be. Conversely, generalized skills were either weak or expensive. But then, I had a bit of an odd notion. What if I could somehow come at this from a different angle. Like¡­ could I convert Ailments into something else? And the answer was, yes! I could. It turned out that conversions were quite cheap, as a matter of fact. For instance, I could take a Passive skill that would instantly convert any form of Paralysis into Blindness. Or Deafness. Or really, any Ailment I could think of. And¡­ it turned out that there was a subcategory called Emotional Ailments, of all things. So that meant I could directly convert this Paralysis into Anger or Laughter or even Lust! Of course, it was still an Ailment, so no doubt, it would debilitate me somehow. And I did not particularly want to experience ¡®debilitating Lust¡¯. But Jax probably would! My lilim absolutely loved it when I was horny, and according to her, it served to keep her strength up. So that was a consideration. Still, while it was potentially fun, it would be quite a problem in combat. So then, what to do with it? Can I¡­ convert Lust into Life Energy? I was quite deep into this line of questioning already, eliminating options from direct stat boosts to urine. In any case, trying to get the Lady of Power to divulge useful information was always an exercise in patience, but when you are literally paralyzed and hanging from the ceiling¡­ well, it beats counting sheep. There were fourteen, incidentally.
No, only lilim may convert their Emotional Ailments into Life Energy.
Well, well, well¡­ Is that so? I was not sure that Bline had intended to let that particular bit of information slip. There was potential here, but how to go about it¡­ I knew that Jax fed off of my lust, but I had never known her to be able feed off of her own. Nevertheless, Bline had just implied that she could. Hmm¡­ Was she unaware that she could do that? Or no¡­ most likely, she would need to grab a skill or something. Okay, let¡¯s say that Jax has that skill. That would be fine for her, but it would do me no good. She could not just feed on me until it went away, could she? Actually, I was not sure about that part. In any case¡­ could I maybe shunt Status Ailments over to my lilim? The answer here was, again yes. And it followed much the same pattern as before. Specific Ailments could be passed on at no specified cost at will, while Ailments in general could either be shared, lowering the overall effectiveness of the Ailment, or shunted off completely at a minor cost to Life Energy. And that meant that I had a potential skill chain in place. I could convert the Ailment to Lust, shunt it to Jax, who could then convert the stuff into Life. After that, I felt sure, she could then send at least some of it over to me. After all, she was already doing something similar with her Life Steal. Or she could even use it for her own abilities. Hells yeah, baby! This was the kind of Twinkie wiener bullshit that gamers lived for! And yes, technically, I would be using two skill points, plus the points that Jax would have to invest, to do one job, but we were talking net gains here! Free Life Energy generation! Or well¡­ sporadically, anyway. First though, I needed the skill to start the chain¡­ Some time later, I had a good candidate for the job. And as usual, Bline¡¯s naming conventions were¡­ apropos.
That Only Makes Us Horny Passive Aura that converts any Status Ailment affecting you and willing allies into an equal amount of Lust. Speed of conversion depends on skill level, number of targets, and proximity to user. May be toggled on or off.
It was almost comical, in a way. All of the other skills that I had rejected had perfectly normal names. It was almost like the Goddess knew which one I was going to want and went out of Her way to make sure that the name was ridiculous. Then again¡­ it was likely that the skill I had just created was fairly unique. Who the hell would even want a skill like this? Well¡­ me, that¡¯s who. It had turned out that making the skill include all Status Ailments had not changed the price at all. Which made sense. After all, it was a sideways movement. Who cared what the original Ailment was? You were still going to get blasted with Lust. And it had only added the time component when I had made it into an aura. On a side note, this was the second version of the skill. The first one did not have the little blurb at the end about being able to turn it off. I had made certain to add that in. My last aura pick served as a reminder on that front. And as far as I could tell, nothing else had changed about it. Cheeky little¡­ No, no¡­ Let¡¯s not go getting upset at the Goddess. She had been most helpful. I took a deep breath. Alright, Lady Bline. I accept the skill. Chapter 45 - Hanging Out After the proverbial dust had settled, I was the proud owner of a brand new aura. Currently off. And I was a little nervous about taking it for a spin. Much like a high end sports car, I was half afraid the thing was going to kill me. After all, being paralyzed was¡­ not the worst. And experiencing lust on the level that I was expecting¡­ well¡­ Anyway, this little plan of mine required that I gain at least one Layer, and I could not do that without opening my mouth. And I was paralyzed from toxic beetle venom. Alright, Donum¡­ It¡¯s no big deal. You¡¯ve been doing this to Jax and Hess all the time, after all. It¡¯s time to take a spoonful of your own medicine. So, with a mental finger held to the off-switch, I toggled the ability. The conversion went slowly, for which I was grateful. Sometimes having a low skill level really does help one ease into things. Gradually, the numbness and tension that had been gripping my body began to ease. And as I began to feel the pins and needles heralding the return of feeling in my body, thoughts began to invade my mind. Thoughts of Sherr Hess bent over a fence. Of her lustful eyes as her hand dipped between her legs. Of Jax, her breasts slowly swelling as she pressed them against my chest, rubbing them up and down. Taking my manhood between her wanton lips. ¡­Master¡­ Quickly slamming down on the ability, I trembled in my cocoon dangling from the ceiling. Chebs¡­ That was like getting plugged in to my very own, personalized porn feed. Maybe a little too personal. In any case, the hard-on I was currently rocking was all too real, and if it were not for the fact that I was still having a hard time moving with any degree of reliability, I would probably be trying my damnedest to rub one out. I took a deep breath. This¡­ Was this really what it was like being around me? Was I slowly torturing my companions with this¡­ beautiful agony? No¡­ no. They always said it was a much slower build up. Still, once it started getting strong¡­ woof. No wonder they were having so much difficulty. Oh, Jax¡­ Hess¡­ I¡¯m so sorry. Still¡­ as tortures went, it was rather pleasant. Insidiously pleasant. I took another breath. Well¡­ at least the two of them were somewhat used to it already. But if we ever fell in with anyone else, I would have to give them ample warning. If we ever got out of here. And Hess was still alive. No. Nope. Not going there¡­ Oh, okay¡­ there we go. That had actually helped a little. Contemplating the potential death of¡­ Nnnnnnope! Inhale. Exhale. Right. I could actually think a little bit now. About things other than¡­ Ack! Dammit! Come on, Donum¡­ Okay, math. Uh¡­ 3 9 81 6561¡­ uh¡­ 43 million¡­ something¡­ I blinked. Huh¡­ I actually got a bit further than I was expecting on that number sequence. And while I was fighting off a self-inflicted debilitating Lust Ailment. Nice! Double digit Intelligence at work! Okay¡­ I was still wielding a hunting spear of epic proportions, but I could at least function. And I could open my mouth. Whoo¡­ If Jax were alive right now, she would absolutely love¡­ Shit¡­ ¡ª Ten minutes later ¡ª Ugh¡­ What had I done to myself? No wonder that ability had been so cheap. Debilitating Emotional Ailment was right! Oh, it¡¯ll be no big deal! Lust is so much better than being paralyzed. Tra la la¡­ Fucking dumbass! Fucking¡­ fucking¡­ Jax¡­ need Jax¡­ Jax¡­ Dammit! Stop! I was not equipped for this! I was only a man! Not some weird¡­ lilim! Who could feed off of this stuff! And the worst of it was, I was still sore from Jax almost ripping off¡­ Ack! No! I refuse to be turned on by that! Breathing¡­ breathing¡­ At least I now knew that this was in no way what I had been doing to my companions. They could at least function! Okay¡­ okay¡­ just¡­ just get the job done, man. Right¡­ Inventory. Instantly, a translucent screen appeared before my eyes with neat representations of my admittedly limited inventory. Quickly giving it a once over, I had my Coin Pouch, which was really more of a knickknack bag. It could hold anything as long as it was small and valuable. Kind of like Jax¡¯s vagina! I winced. Oy¡­ Lust induced self-burn. Right¡­ uh¡­ There was also my small collection of Dungeon Gold, forty Minor Gems, thirty Lesser, and the Greater that huge boss rat had dropped. Okay, good. Now, how do I get anything out of here? Every other time I had interacted with this screen, I had used my hands to move things around and indicate what I wanted. It had all been very intuitive. But I was currently bound from head to toe. The only thing I had to use was my face. Well¡­ needs must. Extending my tongue, I poked at the little floating image of the Greater Gem. I figured that I may as well do this in as few steps as possible. Instantly, the screen disappeared, and the Gem worked its way out of my pocket at my crotch, incidentally rubbing right against my erection and up my body before hovering in front of my face. The stimulation of it all absolutely shattered what little concentration I had managed to gather, and my eyes went cloudy. Sherr Hess was right there. She was gigantic and completely nude. Her legs were spread and wrapped around my head. And that¡­ lovely, lovely pearl was there. Shining before my face. ¡°Please, Donum!¡± she begged. ¡°Please, take me! I¡¯ve been waiting so long!¡± My breath caught. There was no resisting her. I needed this. I needed to shove my tongue just as deeply into that warm and moist cavern as I possibly could. I needed to make Hess scream in ecstasy. Slowly, I reached out and gave that shining bead the gentlest of licks. Sherr Hess threw her head back and gasped in delight. And then the Gem fell to the ground, giving off a little puff as it plopped into the soil below. Son of a bitch! Several beetles immediately came to investigate the disturbance, and I held my breath. A tense moment passed as they cast about, but as there was nothing to eat or attack, they soon lost interest. I sighed. This was going to suck. ¡ª Fifteen minutes later ¡ª No! No, you stupid thing! I just want one! One, do you hear me?! ¡ª Twenty minutes later ¡ª Yes¡­ yes, that¡¯s right. Touch it. You know you want to, you naughty girl¡­ ¡ª One hour later ¡ª Very gently, a tear rolled down my cheek. It was a rare day that I felt so accomplished in having done something so simple. Yet, there it was, in all its glory!
Congratulations! You have added enough to your Core to gain a Layer. The condensation process will begin the next time you sleep. If you have not distributed your stat points, do so now.
Victory was mine. My dick was starting to ache, it felt like I had strained my tongue, and there was a small collection of Gems on the ground below me. But victory was mine! I had ended up going with the Lesser Gems. Yes, they were expensive, and it was undoubtedly not the most efficient way to go about filling in my Core Layer. But I was way too horny to worry about that. I could deal with regrets later. Right. How much longer until I can plow Jax¡¯s sweet¡­ I swallowed. That is¡­ how much longer until Jax revives?
Time until revival: 18 hours, 7 minutes, 47 seconds
Okay! Good. That¡¯s good. Plenty of time to condense my Core. It was just a shame that I would have to do this without her. After all, I always loved waking up to her naked¡­ I sighed. By Law, I was so done with this. Well¡­ let¡¯s just hope that after I sleep, it¡¯ll be over. And with that, I closed my eyes and darkness took me. When I came to, gentle rays of sunshine were filtering through the branches above, and birds were happily singing descants of adulation to the morning light. And a beetle was loudly munching on a sheep right next to me. I could almost touch it. Yeah¡­ nothing to see over here, buddy. You wouldn¡¯t want me anyway. I¡¯ve been in the fridge too long. Thankfully, the beetle was perfectly satisfied with its own meal, and after a while, it dropped to the ground below and went on its merry way. Sighing with relief, I briefly took inventory. I was stiff as a board, and I had what was perhaps the worst case of blue balls known to man. But I could think uninhibited! Oh, sweet Mercy! I never wanted to experience that again if I could help it. Or well¡­ maybe if Jax was there. It might be fun. You know¡­ if I did not have to do anything the next day. Right¡­ anyway¡­ Quickly pulling up my stat screen, I took in the changes.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Layer: 7F
Strength: 5 Agility: 4 Toughness: 9 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 9 Manic Force: 8 Manic Breadth: 11
Lilim Slots: 1 (filled) Jax: Loyalty: 95% Gain: [unavailable]
5 Stat Points available. 1 Skill Points available.
Oh, hey! 10 points in Wisdom. That¡¯d put me at¡­
Congratulations! You have achieved High Novice: Wisdom! Your willpower has improved. You are now more able to resist debilitating mental effects.
I stared at that screen for several long seconds, my expression flat. Well¡­ isn¡¯t that nice. I would have just loved to have known about that fucking yesterday! Deep breaths, Donum. Deep breaths. The Lady was not out to get me. She was just being her typical reticent self. And besides, it would not have changed anything. I still needed to be able to move in order to fill in my Layer. Right¡­ how long was I out for anyway?
Time until revival: 10 hours, 6 minutes, 31 seconds
Eight hours?! I had thought it only took four! I was sure of it. Unless¡­ maybe the torpor took longer because of the Status Ailments? Well, whatever. There was nothing I could do about it now, and I had things to do. Let¡¯s see¡­ five stat points available. Quickly, I put a point each in Toughness and Charisma. And then after a moment of hesitation, I went ahead and invested two into Wisdom. If that stat really did help with resisting mental effects, then I was all about it. That left me with one remaining, and unfortunately, I was still in much the same boat as before. Neither of the physical stats seemed all that helpful in the short run¡­ but¡­ Next Layer, all of my my main attributes were going to be in the double digits. I was probably never again going to be in a position where a single point would be useful, and even if I saved it indefinitely, I would always be sitting with an odd number of points. So, it would just go to waste. Strength or Agility, then. Well¡­ as a man, there was always a certain appeal to becoming stronger. And it was becoming increasingly evident that I was the inventory monkey. On the other hand, Agility probably would help in dodging things. And it was a four. Meh. Agility then. It probably would not make much difference either way. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Alright, next we take that skill for shunting off Lust to Jax, so that she can convert it. It took me a few minutes to get the wording just right, but eventually, I had it like I wanted.
Lust Transfer Active Summoner Ability. Allows the user to transfer some or all of [Emotional Ailment: Lust] to one or more active summons. Activation is at will. Skill level helps reduce Ailment duration once transferred. May never negate Ailment duration entirely.
Hmm¡­ No crazy-ass name this time. It must have been a more common ability pick, then. Or at least, common enough to have a normal sounding name. That was my theory, anyway. Alright, I¡¯ll take it. The voices came as they always did, whispering in my ear the unintelligible Words of Power that served as the skill¡¯s foundation. I was not quite sure, but it felt like there were a few more than usual. Maybe it was my improved memory at work, but I definitely felt as if there were half a dozen extra syllables there. But what the significance of that might be, I had less than no idea. Eh¡­ One more thing to ask Hess about. And maybe I would actually remember to do it this time. That done, I began the tedious process of filling my Core once more. The more skills I had in my bag, the better able I would be to get out of this mess. And this time, I did not have the residual paralysis or that ridiculous mental impairment to contend with, so things progressed much more smoothly. I did accidentally drop a single Minor Gem, though. Mistakes happen when you are only using your tongue, after all, but before long, it was done. My Core was full once more. Nodding to myself, I quickly checked Jax¡¯s timer, and noting that I had about nine and a half hours left, I once again shut my eyes to slip into torpor. Or I tried to. When I found that nothing was happening, I blinked my eyes open in confusion. What I found waiting for me was disheartening.
You may not enter torpor again for: 3 hours, 21 minutes, 12 seconds
Oh, come on! Really? I had to wait? Why? What possible difference would it make? And what the hell was I supposed to do for three and a half hours? Play tiddlywinks? Naturally, Bline had no inclination towards explaining herself. I sighed. Well¡­ I could probably do something constructive, if I set my mind to it. Maybe¡­ I could practice my spell casting? I had been meaning to do that for a while now, but I had been understandably distracted. For that matter, what were my skill levels at on those, anyway? Lady, please pull up my purchased skills and their levels.
Forgotten in Stillness Fortunate Shadows Unclothe the Darkness Efficacy in the Gloom Renewal of Consumption Windfall of the Thrall That Only Makes Us Horny Lust Transfer 15 14 12 3 11 16 2 1
Hmm¡­ not bad. Not bad. I was improving steadily for the most part. Though, that was starting to become a bit of a hefty list. Would it be possible to include a brief footnote for each of those? Just so I can be reminded as to what they all do?
Forgotten in Stillness Fortunate Shadows Unclothe the Darkness Efficacy in the Gloom Renewal of Consumption Windfall of the Thrall That Only Makes Us Horny Lust Transfer 15 14 12 3 11 16 2 1 Enemies forget me [passive] Shadows benefit allies [base] - Light Tracing [add-on] - Accuracy [add-on] Regeneration [base] Luck for allies [aura] Ailments to Lust [aura] Lust to Lilim [at will]
Thank you. That¡¯s better. Going from the descriptions She had added, She had ordered them by category. And from Her phrasing, it appeared that while Renewal of Consumption was a base spell, as I had guessed, it could not be paired with add-ons that did not go with it. That begged the question, though. What add-ons would work? It was an interesting notion, and I would have to look into it. However, I did not currently have a skill point available, so She would not answer any inquiries in that vein for the time being. Okay¡­ Well, the only thing I even could practice were my buffs. And Efficacy in the Gloom, being the newest of the bunch, was by far my weakest one. So, I was determined to start there. However, I was not at all sure how the beetles would react to me casually slinging spells about. This would be a risk, but if it panned out, it would likely benefit me quite a lot. So, very cautiously, I began to breathe out random sounds, seeing if they would respond. I started with airy whispers and soft consonants, working my way up until I finally got a reaction. I nodded. Much like insects on Earth, they largely ignored sound unless it was loud or sharp enough for them to detect it as a threat, and even then, they mostly just rose up a bit, searchingly. And I did not want to push them further than that. It was not much, but I had some wiggle room. So, with nothing else to do and loads of time on my hands, I set about very quietly practicing. Some time later, I had amassed a small cache of useful information. When I cast a spell, there had always been a bit of a two-step process to it. Carefully assemble the syllables I needed in my mind, and then try very hard to say them all from beginning to end without screwing it up. That process was still markedly at play with my newest spell, however the base spell, Fortunate Shadows, and its add-on, Unclothe the Darkness, had been practiced to the point where I no longer needed to think about what I was trying to say. I still stumbled with actually spitting them out, of course. I was not quite that practiced. So, I was resolved to get the spell to the point where it was on par with the others. My running hypothesis was that I would need to get it into the double digits for that to happen, but that was proving rather difficult. The first three points came fairly quickly, and the fourth, while stubborn, eventually gave way. It was in trying to get to the fifth, however, that I began to really learn a few things. No matter how many times I repeated the spell, I simply could not get that last point to come. So, out of frustration, and boredom, I eventually began to experiment. Did it help if I just held the spell for a while? And for that matter, how long could I hold it? The answer to that was inconclusive for the former, and about seven and a half minutes for the latter. After that, I simply became too exhausted to keep it up. Still, that felt quite impressive to me. After all, that was an eternity in a fight. With that in mind and after a lengthy rest, I tried adding the base spell to it. Immediately, I noticed that the overwhelming pressure I had felt in holding the thing was quite simply not there anymore. And it was the same with the other spell pairing. I was not sure what had changed to cause that, whether it was some combination of stats or skill levels or what, but clearly something was different. In any case, I could hold the pair for a pretty substantial five minutes or so. However, when I attempted to cast all three together, something I had previously been too afraid to even attempt, I immediately felt that old middle linebacker dropkick to the gut. That said, it was¡­ perhaps less severe than what I had felt before. And when I attempted to hold it, I found that I could push it to a fairly decent minute and a half. And it was at that point that I got a notification.
You have reached the limit of your understanding of [Efficacy in the Gloom] for today.
There were daily limits? I¡­ supposed that would make sense. They always said you could not build Rome in a day, after all. But it seemed a little arbitrary. Unless¡­ maybe five was just my specific limit? Or was it based on the skill? Or was that just a universal thing everyone had to adhere to? I sighed. No idea. As usual. In any case, I now had something to shoot for, and several hours later, I had a much more impressive looking skill line up.
Forgotten in Stillness Fortunate Shadows Unclothe the Darkness Efficacy in the Gloom Renewal of Consumption Windfall of the Thrall That Only Makes Us Horny Lust Transfer 19 18 17 8 11 16 2 1 Enemies forget me [passive] Shadows benefit allies [base] - Light Tracing [add-on] - Accuracy [add-on] Regeneration [base] Luck for allies [aura] Ailments to Lust [aura] Lust to Lilim [at will]
My other two spells had reached the limit for the day, and Forgotten in Stillness had been getting a workout all on its own. It was one of the side benefits of being trapped with the enemy and bound head to toe. Of course, by that point, I was totally exhausted, and if I had not been hanging from the ceiling I would have probably dragged my ass all the way back to the fountain and started inhaling. That would have been quite fatal, naturally, and for a multitude of reasons. But the inclination was there. So, with quite literally nothing else to do, I let out a bit of a yawn and slowly drifted off. Ugh¡­ five more minutes¡­ I don¡¯t wanna¡­ Groaning, I tried to roll over to shut off the alarm clock, but I was far too wrapped up in my covers to move. Blearily cracking an eye open, I frowned. Why was the alarm going off, anyway? It was dark outside. Had I screwed up on setting the timer again?
[Lilim: Jax] will be revived in 15 seconds.
Congratulations! Your Core has successfully condensed. You are now of the Eighth Layer of the Foundation New Stat Points available. New Skill Point available.
My Core had condensed? Oh¡­ oh right. I was on another planet. Silly me.
[Lilim: Jax] will be revived in 10 seconds.
I yawned hugely and made a face. My teeth felt like they were covered in a fine layer of silt. Roughly, I started working moisture back into my mouth. Mercy, I¡¯m parched. Ugh¡­ I need coffee¡­
[Lilim: Jax] will be revived in 5 seconds.
Yeah, yeah. I heard you. Would you quit¡­ I blinked, finally focusing on the message. Oh shit!!! My brain immediately began to whir in panic. What was I supposed to do? What could I do? It was¡­ she needed¡­ And that was about as far as I got before the light hit me. The blinding white of it absolutely destroyed whatever night vision I had going. All that I could see was Jax¡¯s form burning its way into reality on the ground beneath me, her head thrown back and arms spread into a T-pose. It would have been really cool, too, if it were not for that fact that there were probably half a dozen gigantic beetles in the room. As the last parts of her filled in, I finally had enough mental wherewithal to actually do something, and I quickly started trying to cast my light tracing spell. She was going to need to be able to see, after all. As the light finally winked out, she limply slumped for a moment before catching herself. Looking around in confusion, she shouted, ¡°Master? Donum, where¡­¡± That was as far as she got before the beetles were on her. And it was only a second after that when my spell took effect. But by then, it was too late. Her left arm was already stuck to her body by a spat wad of beetle goo. Stumbling back, she quickly summoned her axe, and screaming, she slammed it down into the thick carapace of the nearest one. It stuck there, fast. And as she wasted a precious second trying to wrench it free, another bit her on the leg. She did not go down immediately, and even managed a retaliatory strike on her aggressor. However the axe skipped off its armor, and she tripped over her own stiffening leg. The beetle quickly drove forward and bit her again on the arm before backing off to wait. It knew its business. And I knew mine. Swiftly, I reached for the mental switch to convert the venom, but¡­ then I had a thought. There were too many beetles in here for her to overcome without a significant edge. Perhaps, if she had known what she was falling into and I had my full spell complement going to greet her, things would have been different. But now? At best, she would be cast into a hellish frenzy of lust as I converted more and more of the venom until she was whittled down and died again. She would need a mechanism to deal with all of that, or we were doomed. Thankfully, true to form, now that she had been disabled, the beetles quickly went about wrapping her for a later meal, and I sighed in relief. I had hoped that would happen. If they just killed her outright, I would be back to square one, but now I had some time. And I was determined to use every scrap of it that I could. Once they were done, one of them dutifully flew her to the ceiling and attached her there, some half-dozen paces from me. Meanwhile, the rest of them converged on the one she had injured. Apparently, they were not big on nursing the wounded back to health, because they began cannibalizing it without missing a beat. I was¡­ somewhat disgusted by the scene. There was something unnatural about the concept of eating one of your own¡­ while it was alive¡­ that sent chills down the back of my spine. Still, I was glad to see it. There was one less beetle in here and five less hungry ones. When they were done, nothing remained of the corpse. They had eaten it carapace and all. And that spoke to the power of their jaws to say nothing else. Glancing back up to her, I found Jax staring at me. It was hard to tell what emotions were at play there, but worry was featured heavily. Worry for me. I smiled at her reassuringly, and sucking in a breath, I whispered, ¡°Welcome back to the land of the living! I see you¡¯ve met the neighbors. They do so love to make a person comfortable.¡± She reacted to my antics about like I had expected. By not moving a muscle. Her eyes narrowed a bit, though. ¡°Right. Well, believe it or not, I¡¯ve worked out a plan. But first, I need to ask you, do you have a skill point left?¡± I asked. She just stared at me. Forcefully. ¡°Oh. Of course. Uh¡­ I guess look up for yes and down for no?¡± I suggested. Yes. Yes. ¡°Good,¡± I nodded. I assumed that was a yes to both questions. Now, how to phrase this¡­ ¡°Can you take a skill that lets you convert the Emotional Ailment of Lust into Life Energy?¡± Confusion. ¡°Trust me, you¡¯re going to need it¡­¡± I spent a few minutes going over my plan with her, and a bit later, she indicated that she was ready. ¡°Alright. I have no idea how the skill you just bought works, so I¡¯m going to do this a little at a time, okay?¡± I said. Yes. Mentally, I flicked the aura on for a solid three count, and then quickly slammed down on it again. The Lust Ailment was no joke, after all, and I wanted to make sure that she was not overwhelmed. I knew from her expression that she had been hit hard by it. Her eyes had taken on that heavy-lidded and hungry look that was all too familiar. However, after a few moments, she took a breath and nodded slightly. I smiled, ¡°Good girl. Ready for round two?¡± Another nod. And so it went. Little bursts of conversion followed by slightly longer bouts of Jax wrestling the Lust down. Until eventually, she was clear. ¡°By the Three¡­¡± she groaned at last, ¡°that were intense.¡± I nodded in sympathy, ¡°Be careful not to move too much. If you attract their attention, we¡¯ll have to do this all over again.¡± And then I amended, ¡°Or they¡¯ll eat you.¡± ¡°Thank ye, no,¡± she muttered. ¡°Been down that road once already.¡± I winced. So that was what happened. ¡°What about ye?¡± she asked suddenly. ¡°When ye disappeared, I¡­ I thought¡­ I¡¯ll admit, I went a bit crazy.¡± She took a breath and swallowed, ¡°Are ye well?¡± ¡°Me?¡± I scoffed. ¡°Oh, you know. I¡¯ve just been hanging out.¡± She frowned at me, ¡°Master, please do nay make jokes. I were terrified ye¡¯d come to harm.¡± I sighed and nodded apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine, Jax,¡± I said soothingly. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ been a long day, though. And I¡¯ve missed you. And Hess.¡± ¡°Ye missed me?¡± she smiled briefly and then immediately the corners of her mouth drew down. ¡°A long¡­ Ye been here a whole day?¡± I nodded, ¡°It takes time for you to come back. A whole day and night.¡± ¡°Wh¡ª Then ye ain¡¯t fine are ye, ye radge wee shite!¡± She growled at me. ¡°Ain¡¯t had a lick to drink nor a hint of tuck, besides!¡± I tutted, ¡°Can¡¯t a man put on a brave front for his lilim?¡± She just snorted at me. ¡°So, what about the skill you got,¡± I asked after a moment, changing the subject. ¡°It seemed to take you a bit to deal with the lust.¡± ¡°Just need to get me level up a scanty,¡± she assured me. ¡°That thing what ye did¡­ it be too fast. Lust done proper should build slow like. Gives it time to build the flavors.¡± I nodded, not really understanding, ¡°It¡¯s not called an Ailment for nothing.¡± She grunted, both to acknowledge my point and my lack of comprehension. She had crossed into a land upon which I could never trespass, after all, and we were both quite well aware of it. With nothing much else she could say, she asked, ¡°Now what?¡± I inhaled, ¡°Now, you fill your Core. And then I try my damnedest to keep you alive long enough to condense it.¡± I just had to hope I could pull this off. Or else I was going to be stuck here for a very long time. Chapter 46 - The Vigil I was concerned that Jax would have some difficulty remaining quiet during the process of filling our Cores. Employing mostly Lesser Gems was really my only option due to the continued trial of being bound head to toe and only able to use my tongue during the whole of it. And they were proportionately stronger than the Minors. However, Jax was becoming a seasoned veteran when it came to that sort of thing, and though her eyes were fixed on me with naked longing written large across her face, she held fast. And when she dropped off into torpor, I was once again left alone with my thoughts. After so long being with near constant companionship, it was starting to feel unnatural. And that was not something that I had ever expected to experience. I had always been such a loner before. All through school, I felt awkward in social circles and maintained few friendships. But what friends I had, I was quite protective of. Maybe that was why I was becoming so attached to my new comrades. Here I was, constantly subjected to terrifying life and death situations, with no one to rely on save Sherr Hess and Jax. It was no wonder I felt weird about being left on my own. I needed them. They had become a part of me. Or it could have been the sex. That was a distinct possibility. Well, here we are again. Just me, the beetles, and the Lady to talk to. ¡°How are you this evening, Lady Bline?¡± I whispered into the cool night air. She declined to respond, of course. Not that I had expected her to. Not for the first time, I wondered what the Goddess thought about the constant struggles of the kinds. Day after day, listening to people pleading for new skills, wanting to hear their stats, and etc. It had to be tedious as hell. That was probably why she liked to come up with all of those ridiculous skill names. I chuckled at the direction my thoughts had taken and gave myself a mental shake. Alright, that¡¯s enough of that. I had things to do, after all. Show me my stat screen, please.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Layer: 8F
Strength: 5 Agility: 5 Toughness: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 11 Charisma: 10 Manic Force: 9 Manic Breadth: 11
Lilim Slots: 1 (filled) Jax: Loyalty: 95% Gain: [Donum <¡ª 50|50 ¡ª> Jax]
4 Stat Points available. 1 Skill Point available.
Quickly, I scanned for changes. Everything looked pretty much as I had expected. All four of my main attributes had crossed over into the double digits, which meant¡­
Congratulations! You have achieved [High Novice: Toughness] You have little to fear from unskilled, blunt attacks. Stamina and Life Energy pools have improved. You have achieved [High Novice: Charisma] You have become quite attractive for a mortal. Your Words are more convincing.
Mmmhmm¡­ Just as I anticipated. From what I was reading, my increased Toughness meant that I should be able to take a punch with a fair degree of aplomb, and I could always get behind having more Life and Stamina. However, what really caught my attention was under Charisma. To say nothing of the fact that I was attractive for a mortal, which was plenty, the second sentence was what was throwing me. My Words were more convincing? I mean¡­ I got that Charisma should make a person¡­ you know¡­ more charismatic. More able to attract people¡¯s attention through speech and manner. But why¡­ and how would it make my Words more convincing? Was it implying that my spells were more powerful? No, that did not make any sense. If that were the case, why not just say so directly? Maybe it was suggesting that I was somehow using the Words to convince¡­ something¡­ to allow my spells to happen. But that did not track, either. All I had ever needed to cast them was to successfully say them out loud. I felt¡­ I felt as if I had just been given a clue as to the underlying mechanics behind things, but it was a piece of a puzzle that had not even known I was trying to solve. Hmm¡­ Must remember to ask Hess about this. I sighed. This was becoming a pattern. Almost every time that I got a message from the Lady, I was left with more questions than answers. For that matter, my getting frustrated about it was hitting right on cue. There really needed to be a manual for this place. Too much stuff kept flying at my face with no real explanation, and every time, I had to just shrug and keep going. I felt like some Neanderthal, sitting on a rock, wondering why it was that little bubbles were coming out of the pot of water I had put on the fire. Ah, whatever. Much like with nature, it was not strictly necessary to understand what was happening in order to use it. I just needed to keep asking questions and seeking answers. Eventually, I would figure something out. I hoped. So. On the subject of shrugging and soldiering on, I needed to distribute my stat points, but of the four I usually picked, I could only improve two of them. Believe it or not, I had actually been planning on getting my Charisma to ten and then leaving it there. In the beginning, anyway. I did not want to come off as too vain, after all. However, since Hess had hinted that the attribute might be important to my class, and with this most recent message¡­ My Words are more convincing¡­ That intrigued me. Quite a lot, actually. And, maybe if I kept down this path, I might get another clue. So, Charisma got the first point. But where to invest the second? It was something of a toss up. Both Wisdom and Intelligence were supposed to be important for my spell casting in some way. And Toughness¡­ well, that went without saying. I needed a game plan here. My first inclination was to keep them all at roughly the same level, but these notices I had been getting lately had me quite interested. What new messages might I get if I kept pushing? I had no idea, but there was only one way to find out. Hess had said that there was a new tier every ten levels, so that meant that I needed to shoot for twenty. Getting even one attribute that far was going to cost me twenty points, and all four would be eighty. I grimaced. That would take me twenty Core Layers. I shook my head. To heck with that. Far better to focus. Then at least, I could get half of them within ten Layers. What to pick then? Go all in as a spell caster or go for that bigger Life pool. Technically, with my skills, I should not need to worry too much about getting attacked, so Toughness was not as necessary as it would have been otherwise. But¡­ did I really think it was a good idea to go glass cannon? No. I did not. Not even a little. Worse, I did not even have a cannon. I was a support mage. On the other hand¡­ Jax was my warrior. It was her job to keep me from harm. And it could be argued that going that way would be akin to calling no confidence in her abilities. Then again¡­ I was currently hanging from the ceiling. So¡­ I hemmed and hawed about it for a while, ultimately deciding that there was no perfect answer. And so, I just put the point into Wisdom. It was the highest, after all. And maybe if I had more of it, I would know what to do in these sorts of situations. That was my rationale, anyway. It was a little bullshit, but¡­ whatever. Eventually, anything I picked was going to have a tinge of that. It was unavoidable. It was my destiny. Hehe¡­ ah¡­ you doofus. As far as skill picks¡­ well. Here I was again, the world at my feet but very specific problems to solve. I had the venom pretty much sorted already. The only thing the beetles had left was that goop they spat out and their protective shells. If we were going to get out of this mess, we would need to be able to deal with both. The question was, could I do that with a single skill pick? I was not sure. But one thing I did know was that we were not going anywhere unless we could break out of these cocoons. My first thought was to get something straightforward like a Strength buff. If Jax could muscle her way out of her bindings, then perhaps she would be more able to pierce the beetles¡¯ carapaces. But, the Lady was quick to remind me that I could not purchase skills like that in the Foundation Layers. I had no clue as to why. It seemed rather arbitrary, but rules were rules. I could always go with the old standby, fire. It was¡­ kind of cliche for a power pick. But it was cliche for a reason. The stuff worked. And after a moment of wrangling, I had a decent pick lined up.
Enkindled Arms Enhances your allies¡¯ natural or equipped armaments with burning flames while spell is maintained. Effect is harmless to the recipient. Heat generated and endurance required improve with skill level.
I nodded. Not bad. Not bad at all. And honestly, I was looking forward to getting a spell that could do some damage, even if it was indirectly. But¡­ it just did not feel right. Most everything I had was built around the idea of maintaining the tactical advantage of being unseen. Stealth, in a word. So, getting a spell that would light up our weapons like a beacon would be idiotic. Fire was out. So then, what could I get to replace it? One by one, I went through what options I could think of. RPG¡¯s were full of different elemental spells, all based around the idea of wielding the power of nature against your foes. But every idea I came to that would be effective against webs would also give off light. That is, until I hit on the idea of using acids. Unfortunately, I was not at all sure what to ask for. Acids were quite notorious for their ability to dissolve things, but I knew that bases were a thing, also. And I knew that some were more effective than others. But the hows and whys of it were lost to the sands of time ¡ª a forgotten thing from some old textbook back in high school. Really, the only kind of acid that I could remember as being fairly bad news was stomach acid, and I was about try that when I suddenly had a flash of inspiration. And surprisingly, She let me get away with it. Some time later, I was leisurely practicing my spell casting. Now that I was guarding Jax, or as much as I could anyway, I had resolved not to exhaust myself again. And so, I was shooting for around three points in what skills I could work on. But before I could get too far, I received a quite welcome notification.
Congratulations! This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. You have achieved [Low Intermediate: Forgotten in Stillness]! Stillness has become your natural state.
My natural state? Like some kind of vampire? Surely not. I was still breathing, after all. Slowly, I tilted my head to one side as I considered the idea. The movement felt¡­ deliberate. And when I came to a rest, I felt very little inclination to move it back again. I was content to leave it where it was. It was¡­ intensely strange and yet not. I felt sure that if it were not for the fact that I was thinking about it, I would not have noticed that anything was different. Really, I was not sure if I should welcome the change or not. I mean, I knew that little movements, minor shifts and twitches and the like, were just a part of being alive. Could a person really train themselves not to do that? Abruptly, I had a flash of memory. Living statues! I had almost forgotten about that odd little street performance art. It was fairly common to see people paint themselves up in metallic or stone-like hues and remain still for very long periods in the hopes of receiving tips. Somehow, knowing that people could really do that kind of thing soothed me a great deal, and I put it out of my mind. Which was fortunate. Our first non-customer of the evening had arrived. Quickly, I ripped out Fortunate Shadows, only slightly fumbling the final syllable. It was still good enough to get the thing going, though, and I hastily concentrated on keeping Jax¡¯s sleeping form as camouflaged and inconsequential as possible. There were only four sheep left by this point, but the beetle did not appear to be overly picky. It simply flew over to the nearest easy meal and began to loudly rip its way through the body. Regardless, I held the spell through the entire thing, determined to wait it out. There was probably no reason for it. I had seen their habits enough to know what to expect, but I did not want it to detect any changes. Just as I came to the point of exhaustion, it appeared to have finished, and sure enough, it dropped to the ground once more and went on its way. I sighed in relief as I let the spell lapse. I probably had not changed the outcome of the encounter, but Jax was as yet uneaten. That was all that mattered. And right about then, I got my second notice.
Congratulations! You have achieved [Low Intermediate: Fortunate Shadows]! Shadows move more subtly. Intelligent creatures will be less likely to deduce that a spell effect is occurring.
I smiled in relief as I read through it. From what I had seen, the spell was at its most effective in the moments before combat really started. Otherwise, it was a little sketchy. Shadows did not typically move in a stone corridor, after all. So, this should help, and anxious as I was to give it a try, moving around was not exactly on the agenda at the moment. It would have to wait. The next unwelcome guest did not arrive for another two hours or so. I had already gotten my accuracy buff into High Novice territory, but I did not receive a notice about it. Not that I had expected to. None of my other abilities had gotten one at that point, and this was no different. However, I was glad to discover that my hypothesis had been correct. I now had a firm grasp on the Words involved in the casting, by rote if not by meaning, and could summon them up as easily as I could recall my own name. Or well¡­ maybe if I were a dragon or something. With one of those ridiculous, overly complicated names with far too many consonants crammed together. In any case, the beetle flew to the ceiling and attached there. For whatever reason, it decided to take its time and began to groom itself rather like a housefly might. Damn it all. Hurry up! I grit my teeth in frustration. I could hold the spell for a decent while but not indefinitely. But my hopes were not to be. It simply hung there, loudly rubbing its forelegs together and picking debris off of them with its mandibles. Eventually, sensing the end of my endurance, I was forced to release Jax¡¯s camouflage. If I was too exhausted by the time it made its decision, then there was no way I would get it back up in time. And so I waited, tense as a bow string, my spell ready to fire. My heartbeat throbbed in my ears, almost overwhelming the terrible sounds of the insect cleaning itself. Every move the thing made was accompanied by awful creaking noises from its body parts rubbing against one another. It was like it was custom made just to be as irritating as possible. And for all I knew, it might have been. The end of the beetle¡¯s primping and its decision as to what to dine on came nearly simultaneously. It simply stopped what it was doing and started crawling right for Jax. Fuck! As quickly as I could, I loosed my spell. The shadows around her moved as thoughtlessly as leaves rustling in the wind, disrupting her outline just enough to make her sleeping form nearly invisible. The beetle did not seem to care, though. It was locked on her and would not be deterred. Shit shit shit! In a near panic, I did the only thing that I could think of. For whatever reason, these beetles would always react when they heard particularly harsh or sharp noises, so deciding to try for a distraction, I made a loud clicking sound in the back of my throat. The great insect froze instantly, one foot hovering in the air. And there it stayed, completely unmoving. I stared at it for a long breath. That was a reaction. Cautiously tearing my eyes away, I found that every other beetle in the room had similarly ceased all movement. It was like they were waiting for something. But after a minute or so, whatever it was that they were expecting did not happen, and they began to cautiously move about once more. The one on the ceiling shifted around for another few seconds before eventually deciding on one of the nearby sheep. It had apparently lost sight of Jax, and having the attention span of a bug, it had forgotten about her. As it ate, I pondered. What had that been about? Fear? Or simple caution? I could not say for sure. However¡­ if they froze like that every time they heard me click, then I would certainly exploit the hell out that behavior. Hmm¡­ observation of one¡¯s enemy pays off yet again. I would have to remember that. We did not have any further disturbances that evening. And a few minutes before Jax woke up, I got my third notice as a reward for diligent practice.
Congratulations! You have achieved [Low Intermediate: Unclothe the Darkness]! Using the spell on its own will yield more distinct outlines of non-moving objects. When used in conjunction with its [base], spell yields better depth perception.
Aha! It was a level thing! Still, it was weird that it seemed to work best in its combined state. Or maybe¡­ it was not? Maybe that was just the way things worked. But that implied that my accuracy buff probably behaved the same way, if for no other reason than simple consistency. I would have to test it to be sure, though. Unlike my outlines, accuracy did not have an obvious visual component to confirm my guesswork. In any case, I felt that I was well accomplished for the day. My spell casting ¡®muscles¡¯ were nice and loose, and while I was not exactly fresh, I felt as if I had a few miles in me, yet. If I could get some more Energy, at least. Right on cue, I noticed the telltale stirrings indicating that Jax had awoken, and I smiled in relief. Finally! ¡°Good news!¡± I whispered cheerily, ¡°You¡¯re still alive!¡± Jax opened one eye and stared at me with a dull, zombie-like gaze. I noticed immediately, now that I was focusing on her, that her horns had grown out to least a hand-span in length and beginning to gently curl out and back over her ears. She looked kind of like a billy goat crossed with a lion, what with her mane of red hair. ¡°What be the bad news?¡± she grumbled. I took a breath, ¡°Well¡­ now we have to get out of here. And that means you¡¯ve got a fight on your hands. Five to one, I¡¯m afraid.¡± She grunted out a sigh through her nose, ¡°We¡¯ve seen worse.¡± That was¡­ true. Though nothing we had seen had quite the array of weapons these beetles were bringing to the table. Not while being as tough as they were. But she was trying to be optimistic, so I went along with it. ¡°Ye have a plan, then?¡± she asked at my very obviously apprehensive smile. ¡°That depends,¡± I hedged, ¡°on what you pick for your skill. I should have enough tools now to see us through, but my newest one takes Life Energy to cast.¡± Because of course it did. She frowned, ¡°Another one? Ye know me skill don¡¯t work so well.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I was hoping that you could somehow find a skill that would transfer some of your excess to me,¡± I said. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to force you. You could also take one that uses it yourself. I¡¯m sure you could find something¡­¡± ¡°Sod that,¡± she interrupted. ¡°I been wishing I could feed ye some of me own for ages. Watching ye starve yerself for me own sake? It pains me to see ye suffer it, Master.¡± I smiled abashedly at her, ¡°It¡¯s a price I gladly pay.¡± As sappy as the sentiment was, it was true. Getting a little hungry was not such a big deal if the payoff was in knitting her wounds closed. If anything, she suffered more greatly than I. She made a noise high in her throat, clearly unhappy to be held at a distance from me. It was a mutual feeling. ¡°Get to it, then,¡± I said with a lift to my chin. I could already see the first faint rays of predawn light. ¡°We start at sunrise.¡± Unfortunately, the ability Jax managed to obtain only worked to deliver Life Energy to me when she was ¡®full¡¯. So as usual, I was going into this in less than ideal condition. I had been hanging here for a day and two nights. Before that, I had not gotten any Life at all since that giant rat Jax had slain, and I had been coasting on fumes then. Incidentally, said rodent¡¯s Gem was still sitting in the dirt far below my feet. Hopefully, Jax would not notice. I was less than keen to explain how it had gotten there. ¡°Alright, here goes,¡± I said nervously. The spell card had said the expenditure would be ¡®small¡¯, after all. I should be fine. ¡°This will coat your claws with something that will burn through your bindings. But it won¡¯t hurt you.¡± ¡°Do it last as ye hold it?¡± she asked. ¡°Like yer other ones?¡± ¡°No, I decided against that,¡± I informed her. ¡°I wanted something that I could cast and then forget about it. That¡¯s why it costs Life Energy.¡± There were only so many spells I could maintain at once, after all. This way, once it was done, I could switch over to my other spells. ¡°No idea how long it will last, though.¡± Bline was never big on the details. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to find out the hard way,¡± she sighed. Firming her expression, she glanced at me, ¡°Be about it.¡± Nodding once, I closed my eyes. As always, new spells were a trial all their own. It was a bit like juggling. No matter how many tricks you knew, each one you added to your repertoire took the same amount of time to learn. The only solace I had was that at least I did not have to try and splice parts of different spells together. But that a small consideration. The downside was that this newest spell was almost as long as all three of my buffs put together. And as many times as I screwed up the casting, I was just glad that each failure did not cost me Life Energy. I would have killed myself before I even got the thing out once! ¡°Master¡­¡± Jax prodded gently, ¡°are ye sure ye know this spell? Ye did nay imagine it from the hunger?¡± ¡°Hush you,¡± I growled, not really upset. A little bit of teasing was warranted. Taking a breath, I carefully began again, and this time, luckily, I managed to piece it together all in one go. I had even successfully done it without bobbling the pronunciation. Mostly. And when it took hold, I felt it as the small part of myself that was Life Energy burned away to fuel the manifestation, and for a moment, I felt faint. ¡°En~ Master, that feels¡­¡± Jax began, but then she tensed. ¡°Master? Donum!¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ alright,¡± I exhaled as I tried to focus. Blinking a few times to rid myself of the double images I was seeing, I closed one eye. That seemed to help. ¡°Don¡¯t waste time. I don¡¯t think I can do that again.¡± Firming her lip to steady herself, she nodded. Slowly, she began working her hand free. There was a distinct sizzling noise as her claws came in contact with the wood and hardened webbing of the cocoon, and within moments, her fingers began to wiggle their way out their confines. As they became exposed to the cool morning air, Jax frowned and sniffed a few times, catching wind of something. ¡°That smells¡­ familiar. Kind of¡­¡± she stopped, her eyes widening in recognition. And then she glared at me, ¡°Kind of sweet.¡± ¡°Oh, right¡­¡± I grimaced. ¡°I forgot about the smell. Drat.¡± ¡°Drat?!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Have ye gone radge in the noggin? Did ye forget what happens when this shite hits fire?¡± ¡°Actually, I was counting on it,¡± I smiled glibly. ¡°It might be useful at some point, and in the meantime, it burns like crazy. Which you should be making use of before it dries out!¡± Growling, Jax hastily resumed her work, slowly making a seam to free her upper torso. Her eyes never ceased their accusatory glare, though. I could understand why she was upset. We had definitely been at the wrong end of the stuff the first time around, and it was certainly dangerous. But that was exactly why I wanted it! Really, it was an inspired skill choice. Lethal, innocuous, and explosive! It was a shame about that smell, though. Frowning, I reread the skill card, just to see if I had missed anything.
Detonating Sap Varnish Enhances your allies¡¯ natural or equipped armaments with the explosive, viscous acid you discovered while fighting the ¡®Tongue-Flower¡¯. Effect is harmless to you and your allies. Corrosive properties, explosive strength, and duration of effect improve with skill level. A small amount of Life Energy must be used to create compound.
Rats¡­ There was no mention of the smell, at all. I just had to hope that it might diminish as my skill improved. Interestingly, while She had deigned to reveal what the substance was called, the name of the monster that had wielded it remained in quotations as if she were only calling it that because that was what I called it. I could only assume that there was an official name for the creature out there somewhere, but I had yet to discover it. With a sigh, I dismissed the card. I simply did not have time to ponder the point right then. Glancing up, I caught the moment just as Jax¡¯s claw finished unzipping her upper torso. With a dull pop, the cocoon sprang open, and she sighed in relief as her breasts pushed free of their imprisonment. Apparently, her horns were not the only things that were still growing. And from the look she shot towards me, she had in turn picked up on my attention. Leaning toward me slightly, she licked her lips hungrily, and very faintly, I detected the smallest of trickles of Life Energy coming in through her Core channel at my crotch. It even had a slight tinge to it. I would not go so far as to call it a flavor, but it definitely brought her to mind in an indescribable sort of way. The Energy washed over me like a cool drink of water to a man too long in the desert, and I sighed in relief as my vision cleared and the faint pressure that had been building in the back of my skull dissipated slightly. ¡°Thank you, Jax,¡± I whispered. ¡°That feels much better. Where did you get that from?¡± ¡°From ye, of course,¡± she purred. ¡°Added to me own, it were enough. I always be swimming in lust fer ye. Master.¡± Her voice turned low and husky as she breathed out that last word. I could almost feel her desire dripping from it, and I inhaled sharply as I began to stiffen uncomfortably. Damned webs! Jax shivered as she ran her tongue over a sharp tooth, and I felt another very faint trickle of Life. I swallowed, ¡°Much as I would love to let you do that all day¡­¡± I left the sentence hanging. She smiled slightly, taking my meaning. All evidence of her need vanished in an instant, ¡°Yer better, though? Ain¡¯t about to faint?¡± I started to nod, but then I blinked at her, ¡°You did that on purpose?¡± ¡°Course I did, numpty,¡± she wrinkled her nose at me. ¡°Now summon yer shadows. I need to free me legs.¡± As I spoke the Words for the spell, I shook my head wonderingly. She had just deliberately seduced me so as to feed off of my desires, which had caused her to swell in turn. And then that had enabled her to convert it into Life and feed it to me? The hell?! She feeds me and from me? That was recursive! Free energy! There had to be a loss somewhere. On the other hand, I had just caused shadows to form a camouflage through the power of my spoken voice, so what the fuck did I know? In any case, now that my blind was working, Jax began to shimmy out of the confines of her cocoon. And as she emerged, I immediately took note of the fact that either her waist had narrowed or her hips had broadened. Possibly both. It was not by much, but her form was becoming decidedly more feminine by the day. Then I caught sight of something else. Or rather the lack of it. ¡°Uh, Jax? What happened to your breechcloth?¡± ¡°What?¡± Patting at herself for a moment and finding it gone, she glanced down into the cocoon again searchingly before catching sight of it. Reaching down, she grabbed hold and pulled. And the sound of cloth ripping filled the air. She froze, her eyelids fluttering closed. Straightening again, she held up the tiniest scrap of cloth, all that was left of her once voluminous pantaloons. She sighed deeply, muttering, ¡°Sod it. We all knew it were coming.¡± The only think I could do was to shake my head. I had called it a long time ago. Nudist colony. Chapter 47 - Out of the Pot... Jax surveyed the scene beneath us, axe in hand. Faintly, I could see the glimmer of my Detonating Sap coating the blade as the first rays of early morning sunlight struck its edge. I had needed to recast the buff once she had summoned it, and even with the small amount of Energy she had provided me, that was all she was going to get. Everything else depended on her. Glancing at me, she nodded. She was ready. Quickly, I cast a buff combo to give her some camouflage and an accuracy bonus. Then she was away. We were at least fifteen to twenty feet in the air, suspended by thick strands of webbing attaching us to the tree canopy above. So when she dropped, it was with the force of a meteor. Slamming into a great insect that had heretofore been minding its own business with all the subtlety of a brick through a church window, she cleaved right through its head, burying both axe and bug into the dirt below. It died instantly, and a rush of Life Energy flooded into me. Far more than had ever come from that ability before. I grinned. I had some gas in the tank now! Ripping the axe away, she made a snap decision and leapt. The rest of the beetles in the room had frozen in shock, and their bulbous heads traced her naked form arcing through the air only to witness her axe cleaving into the dip before the wing casing of another. And as the Sap entered its body, it began to pop and steam, cooking it from the inside. That was all the head start she would get. As the other three vermin rushed forward, the one at her side rolled away onto its back, trying to dislodge the horrible burning thorn that had been jabbed inside of it and consequently ripping it out of her grasp. Shit. There went that buff. Ducking as a spat wad of sticky webbing passed overhead, she quickly dove back to the one she had killed. Pulling up the wing casing for a bit of cover, she resummoned her axe and waited for them to come to her. The beetles had no head for tactics, instead coming in a wave and trusting in their numbers and their admittedly formidable weapons to win the day. She caught another two hurled sticky masses on her makeshift shield before they were on her. Skipping to one side, she split the foreleg of the one to her left before it managed to catch her ankle in its mandibles, and she fell. Brutally kicking its head away, she rolled back over her shoulder. But the paralyzing poison was already doing its work, and she tripped back to the ground as her leg refused to straighten again. Of course, we were ready for that. Quickly, I hit the mental switch that allowed me to convert the poison into raw debilitating Lust, and Jax gasped. In that moment, her eyes snapped to my own, and she seemed to pulse. Immediately, several astonishingly dark Jax-shaped shadows sprang out of her, and the room erupted into chaos. Beetles and shadowy clones scattered about everywhere and globs of webbing filled the air as the bugs entered into frenzied illusory combat. And then the Life Energy started to pour into me. We did not have the time to incrementally allow the poison to dissipate, so I had left the aura on at full blast. And she was converting it with equal abandon. But it was too much for me to absorb all at once. My skin almost tingled with steam and tracers, and gooseflesh pimpled my arms as it escaped into the atmosphere. Realizing that I needed to put it to use before it was lost, I dropped her buffs to snap out the most powerful Renewal of Consumption that I could in the hopes that the regeneration effect would both mend her ankle and protect her from further injuries. When it hit her, she threw her head back and moaned, pushing out another duo for her shadow army. It was a sound as powerfully erotic as it was inhuman. And then more Life Energy came, though perhaps not as much as I had spent on the spell. Watcher¡¯s Eye¡­ Seeing her down there, her back arched in pleasure¡­ Maybe for the first time, I realized that when she got worked up, Jax was starting to get pretty damned hot. And despite the tense situation, I found myself stirring. But unlike her, I could not function like that. Giving my head a quick shake, I closed my eyes for a moment to center myself again and began to prepare another Detonating Sap Varnish. Once¡­ twice¡­ there! My eyes snapped open as the spell fired away, and quickly scanning the field, I immediately fell into the cadence for my held buffs. Jax had tucked herself into a ball, trying to remain innocuous until they had time to reassert themselves. And when she noted the speckled shade of the leaves forming around her again, she gathered her feet under her, ready to leap into action. Suddenly, one of her shadows fell to the ground, pantomiming injury right in front of her. The beetle that it had been in combat with immediately went to finish the job, and just as it pounced, Jax did the same. Cleaving the air in a sizzling horizontal arc, she sliced all three of the legs on its near side in twain, bringing it to the ground. Thrashing about, it quickly rolled onto its back in confusion as its legs failed to support its bulk, exposing its comparatively unarmored underside. It did not live much past that. The remaining two beetles, perhaps sensing that the tide was turning, took to the air and began firing bolt after bolt of sticky webbing, trying to pin their many assailants to the ground. But the shadows could be just as agile as they wanted to be, and for the most part, they easily dodged the projectiles as they skipped and flipped about. They looked for all the world like a kicked-over anthill as they ran past one another in a confusing array of light and dark. Jax, meanwhile, made use of her camouflage and took cover beneath the corpse of the creature she had just downed. All she had to do was wait. The bugs, big as they were, could not stay in the air forever, and each time that one of her duplicates went down, she would casually summon another. Eventually, their endurance came to an end. One, conspicuously missing a foreleg, attached itself to the ceiling, while the other dove towards an apparently oblivious clone. The bug Jax had injured earlier, agonized by its boiling insides, was pushing itself in mindless circles, and the clone was pantomiming out a gloating sort of coup de grace The shadow even acted out its shock at being tackled to the ground from above. As the beetle cast about for the prey that had just been in its mandibles, Jax rocketed forward in a dead sprint, ready to bury her axe just as deeply as she could. However, the one attached to the ceiling quickly spied the deliberate motion and reared up to spit at her. My eyes widened as I realized what was about to happen, and not really having anything else that I could do, I clicked my tongue just as loudly as I could. For an instant, both of the beetles froze, and then Jax¡¯s axe came sizzling down upon the one below, slicing through its abdomen right between the split of its wing casing. The vermin bucked in agony and somersaulted over its head. Landing on its back, it began scrabbling at its own backside, apparently trying for all the world to chew the poison out of its body. Before she could recover from the swing, a wad of webbing exploded against Jax¡¯s left shoulder, expanding rapidly to bind her arm in place. The beetle on the ceiling had quickly shaken itself out of its stupor and gotten a shot off while she was distracted. Spinning to face her sole remaining healthy foe, she danced out of the way just as another wad splatted to the ground before her. With a cheeky grin, she choked up on the grip of her axe and burned the webs away. Giving her now freed arm a shake to try and dislodge the remaining webbing from her skin, she struck a sultry pose and opened her arms wide, ¡°Come down and face me, ye wanker! Or are ye just gonna gob on me all morn?¡± She had to jump clear of the beetle¡¯s reply. I frowned. This was a stalemate. With her strength, the accuracy to make sure her blows landed, and the Sap to penetrate their armor, she had done remarkably well. However, the one thing she did not have was range. Technically, she could probably hurl her axe, but that would be a hell of a throw. And it was a heavy chunk of steel. It was unlikely that the blade would maintain much momentum at that height. Hess, no doubt, could have done it, but Jax was not that strong. Not yet. Meanwhile, the beetle had absolutely no reason to come down until it had her thoroughly immobilized. And it was making every effort to do just that. Every few seconds, it would lob another shot at her, and she would have to dive away. Slowly, I nodded in understanding. The camouflage did pretty well with the canopy above, but it could not make her invisible during the day. While that beetle had her in view, it would just keep spitting until the numbers lined up, and she was caught. Of course, that just meant that she needed to change the equation. I inhaled and whispered fiercely, ¡°Break it¡¯s line of sight! Use the shadows!¡± As she once more rolled to her feet, she shot me a confused look for a moment before dawning realization overcame her. Quickly throwing her head back, she loudly breathed out another of those strangely inhuman moans, and three of her clones broke off from her in different directions. However, when I looked back, Jax herself was not there anymore. What the¡­ Rapidly scanning the battlefield, I could find no trace of her. However, strangely, one of the clones had ducked back behind the corpse of her first kill for a moment before continuing on its way. And when it ran on, it was just a shade lighter than it had been before. Quickly focusing back on the dead beetle, I noticed the telltale points of her horns sticking up from behind it. Genius! She had overlaid a clone on top of herself to run for cover! I had no idea she could do that! Now that it no longer had a clear target, the confused beetle began to randomly fire into the field once more, hoping that something would stick. However, the clones had no plans to just keep the stalemate going. Instead, they rallied in the center of the room, passing through each other, and then they ran, full out, toward the densely packed and webbed tree trunks that made up the walls. And when they got there, they kept running. Straight up. I sucked in a breath as I realized what she was going for. Crap. Hastily dropping everything, I began the process of refreshing her Sap Varnish. She had killed and injured a couple of beetles since the last time, and it had probably worn off. I should have done this earlier! As they continued up the walls, the duplicates each made a show of flashily forming a shadowy axe, twined to Jax¡¯s own. Coming to the upper branches of the room, they then raced along the ceiling with no regard to logic or gravity and converged on the rapidly panicking insect. Firing off a couple of easily dodged wads of webbing, the beetle quickly decided that it had no intention of being surrounded, and it dropped, swiftly expanding its wings and fluttering to the ground. Apparently frustrated at having their target flee, the clones promptly reversed course, this time conspicuously opposite Jax¡¯s position. Shit! I was on my fourth attempt at getting the thrice-damned spell out, and I was running out of time! Fucking new spells! Back on the ground, the clones ran forward once more, slowly merging into one another as they came, as if they were only now coming into focus. The beetle, finally able to lock on to a single target, reared up onto its hind legs in a display of threat. And then Jax closed her trap. Darting out from behind the corpse, she ran low to the ground, mirroring her shade almost move for move. The beetle was completely unaware. Damn it! No! In one last desperate attempt at casting, I opened my mouth and shouted the words almost like an epithet to the idea of magic in general. Weirdly, that seemed to help. Just as her axe crested its arc into the insect¡¯s exposed back, and its mandibles closed around the neck of her dark twin, my spell liquefied around the blade. With a sickening pop, the axe sank through its exoskeleton, and the beetle spasmed. Rigidly thrusting all of its legs out, it seemed to stand upright for a moment, held in balance only by Jax¡¯s grip on her weapon. But then, slowly, it began to tip backward. Sensing the inevitable, she abandoned it there, and stepped away just as the huge vermin crashed to the ground, burying the corrosive edge beneath it. Some minutes later, Jax had ended the suffering of the injured. Contrary to my expectations, creatures in agonizing pain did not put up much resistance. It was almost like the entire concept of hit points was bullshit or something. I mean, I had fought through a few injuries in my time, but they had been relatively minor. Certainly nothing on the level of having an poisoned axe carving out pieces of my back. In any case, even without my buffs, a few well-placed head shots was all it took. Not many things could function without a head, after all. Finally finished, her chest heaving from her exertions, she tossed her axe away and glanced up at me. The look in her eyes spoke volumes. She had been held away from me for far too long, and she meant to end that condition. Making a run for the trunk nearest me, she began scrabbling up rather like a cat, grabbing on with her claws and jerking herself up for another handhold. As she ascended, I shook my head a bit and smiled. I was fairly beaming with pride for her. And once she was of a level with me, I called out, ¡°That was superb, Jax! You could not have done better if we had planned it! And that bit where you hid yourself in your own clone? Beautiful!¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. She had begun scooting her way towards me underneath the branch, using her hands and knees to support her weight, but when she heard my words, she paused. Glancing down at me, her head upside down, she seemed surprised, ¡°But it were yer idea, Master. I just did what ye said.¡± ¡°My idea?¡± I parroted. ¡°All I said was to break its line of sight so that my shadows could camouflage you properly.¡± Letting her legs drop, she shifted her grip to face me, and then wrapping her legs around my cocoon, she slid down so that we were face to face. ¡°Oh, them shadows,¡± she said indifferently before hastily claiming my lips. For a long while, we remained there, swinging with the wind in impassioned embrace. Finally, however, Jax became impatient and began trying to break me loose of the webbing, but her claws were making slow work of it without chemical reinforcement. Frustrated, she pulled away for a moment. ¡°Master, cast yer spell. I want ye free of this,¡± she breathed and then instantly resumed kissing me. Of course, by that point, I was more than eager to comply, but there was only so much I could do with her tongue in my mouth. And she was not letting me go. After a moment of struggling and getting no where, I exasperatedly blew into her mouth, puffing her cheeks out like a balloon. She jerked back with a wounded look, ¡°Master?¡± ¡°Do you want me to cast the spell or not?¡± She seemed genuinely confused by my question, but then her eyes widened a bit as realization set in. Licking her lips and still breathing heavily, she actually considered it for a moment before finally nodding, ¡°Aye¡­ that¡­ I be sorry. I¡­¡± There was a moment of hesitation, and then she shook her head, ¡°Go on with it.¡± I quirked an eyebrow, unsure as to what had just passed behind her eyes. Not for the first time, I wished that I could sense her emotions. But¡­ there was a certain value to the privacy of thought. I knew that I often wished I could better hide them from her, after all. But before I could finish the thought, she poked me on the nose, ¡°I ain¡¯t feeling terrible patient here, Master.¡± Then, embracing me once more, she began restlessly nibbling at my ear. I smiled helplessly. Alright, Jax. You can keep your secrets. Interestingly enough, while trying to cast a spell with a massively horny lilim attached to you is next to impossible, it did make for fantastic practice. Well before I managed to successfully get the thing going, I achieved my final skill level for the day, and even then, Jax did not relent. Honestly, I think she found my mounting frustration amusing. ¡°Damn it all!¡± I swore finally. ¡°Leave off, woman!¡± Giving my cheek a final lick, she sighed, ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Climbing up, she swung herself over the branch above and sat there, dangling her feet, ¡°And do nay call me such. Ye know better.¡± I harrumphed, ¡°Better than half the things you¡¯ve called me when you¡¯re pissed off.¡± ¡°And how would you know?¡± she asked lightly. ¡°Ye don¡¯t even know what a fanny is.¡± ¡°I do so!¡± I growled indignantly. ¡°It¡¯s a buttocks.¡± Just then, I felt something warm drip onto my forehead and very slowly run down between my brows. Glancing up, Jax was sitting directly above me and grinning mischievously, ¡°Wrong.¡± Frowning, I slowly put two and two together and groaned, ¡°You¡¯ve been hanging around Hess too long.¡± ¡°Ha! I¡¯d like to see her do that a purpose, I would,¡± she smirked. ¡°She be only a woman, after all. Now be on with it.¡± On purpose? That implied¡­ Curiously, I glanced back up, and as our eyes met again, her grin widened knowingly. Blinking a few times, I set to with renewed purpose, and within a couple of minutes, I finally got the blasted thing out again. Jax shivered as she watched the shiny substance form around her nails, and giving them a bit of a whiff, she lightly touched her tongue to one of them. At the contact, her eyes fluttered closed, and her expression gave every indication that she had just sampled something absolutely wonderful. ¡°What does it taste like?¡± I asked, in equal parts concern and curiosity. Swinging down again, she wrapped me firmly against her and whispered, ¡°Ye.¡± Then she cut the webs attaching us to the branch, and we dropped. Jax shifted me into a cradle as we fell, and as her legs thudded to the soil below, she cushioned my fall so that I felt next to nothing. Wordlessly, she laid me to the ground and hurriedly began burning my bindings away. It was then that I had a sudden¡­ concern. ¡°Uh, Jax¡­ Just as a fair warning, I have been encased in this thing for a while. So, I mean¡­¡± But before I could finish my sentence, the cocoon popped open and Jax jumped back, ¡°Oh, Donum! NO!¡± Some time later, we were stealthily making our way through the labyrinth of wood and webs with no real idea of which way to go other than forward. As we walked, an unfamiliar weight thumped against my chest, and I reached up to steady the Coin Pouch. Jax had given me her now useless waistband as a necklace, and we had attached it there. Coming to an intersection, she cautiously looked around for a moment before glancing back at me. And then her gaze dipped. Lightly, she began to work her bottom lip with her teeth. Covering myself self-consciously, I said, ¡°Would you stop?¡± ¡°Can nay help it,¡± she replied. ¡°It do draw the eye so.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t if you had let me keep the loincloth,¡± I grumped. ¡°Out of the question,¡± she pronounced with an air of finality. Then, turning back to her scouting, she asked, ¡°Now which way?¡± I sighed, ¡°Just keep turning left. Most mazes can be solved if you keep to one direction.¡± ¡°Most?¡± she asked, glancing back. ¡°How do we know if we be in one that don¡¯t work that way?¡± ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll end up back where we started,¡± I explained. Of course, that was not exactly true. But the level of bullshit required to make it not true was not something I felt we needed to consider. Not yet, anyway. And so we went, turn by turn, occasionally backtracking but steadily progressing. We did not run into all that many beetles, although there were a few hairy moments. And interestingly, when they were converted, they even dropped Minor Rank Two Gems! Although, neither of us had the courage to actually try one. Hess had warned us that Gems of higher Rank were much more powerful, after all. Besides, my own Core was already primed for condensing, and we still had plenty of Rank Ones left¡­ even though I had lost that Greater Gem. It had been buried in the dirt somewhere during the fight. Curiously, what we did find was an awful lot of damage. Most everywhere we went, scarred up trees, ripped up webbing, and debris accompanied us. In particular, the webbed chute covers that the beetles liked to ambush from were quite often either punched through or ripped off entirely. Frowning down at one, thoughtfully, I began, ¡°Do you think¡­¡± But Jax quickly shushed me. Holding very still, we listened intently, and for a long while, I heard nothing. Not even the chirping of birds. Just as I was about to speak, she quickly pushed me toward the bolt hole, ¡°Inside! Quick! Something be coming!¡± ¡°What? I don¡¯t hear anything,¡± I whispered fiercely as I squatted down. The hole in question sloped gradually upward and was dim and cramped enough to be a thoroughly unwelcome hiding place. But I went anyway. ¡°Keep going!¡± Jax breathed shakily as she followed me. ¡°Far as ye can!¡± I did not ask what had her so spooked. I just crawled. It turned out that this particular hole was not overly deep. Toward that back end, there was just enough room for a fairly large creature, namely a beetle, to turn around. And fortunately, nothing was in there to greet us. ¡°Jax, what¡­¡± I started, but she clamped a hand over my mouth and pressed me bodily against the far wall. For a several heartbeats, nothing happened, but then I finally heard it. It was some kind of clacking noise, like two hollow blocks of wood knocking against one another. Curiously, I glanced down at her, and she nodded. I was impressed. Those long ears of hers were good for something, after all. The sound came again, closer this time. But that was all I heard. There were no accompanying footsteps. No crashing through trees nor any other indication that something dangerous might be nearby. Jax, however, looked terrified. And when she held her breath, I knew it must have been close. TOCK! The sound thudded into us loud enough to be physically felt, and I would have jumped clear of my skin if I had not been so practiced at keeping still. Jax, however, jerked and clamped her hands over her ears, wincing in pain. Brrrrooooog¡­ The low menacing sound, almost a purr, was deep and loud enough to be felt through my boots. And then, slowly, some kind of fleshy mass began to creep up into the tiny room with us. Jax bared her teeth and pressed her back against me, refusing to let the thing anywhere near me. Whatever it was, it began to feel around, slowly flopping around the perimeter of the room and then feeling the walls and even the ceiling. Finally, the thing seemed to stretch, trying to reach to the very back with us. Jax pressed herself as far against me as she could, compressing the air from my lungs. The mass inched forward, quivering slightly in the air for just a moment, almost touching the hollow of Jax¡¯s stomach. But she was sucking it in for all she was worth, and it did not quite reach. Eventually, finding nothing, the thing zipped out of the room in a blur. Just as I dared breathe, Jax twirled around and clapped her hands to her ears again. TOCK! Ready for it this time, I reacted with the stoicism of a slab of granite, and Jax barely twitched. We waited, not a single breath escaping our lips for some heartbeats before finally another sound came. Mruuu¡­ It almost seemed disappointed. And then, imperceptibly to me at least, it left. We stayed there for quite some time, listening intently. For a while, I would hear it still, making that bizarre wooden sound, but then even that faded. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± I asked finally. ¡°I dunno,¡± she replied, shaking her head. ¡°But from that noise it were making, I think we just found out what them beetles is so afeared of.¡± Slowly, I grimaced. The implication was clear. If they were afraid of it, then so should we. Several hours later, it was getting toward the late afternoon, and we had not seen a trace of whatever that thing had been. Meanwhile, Jax had just finished off another pair of vermin. It had been a particularly difficult battle. The two of them had gotten the drop on us, and when we did not have the benefit of surprise or preparation, the insects were still a significant threat. But we had the tools for the job. Even if said tools made us want to ¡®celebrate¡¯ each victory a little too enthusiastically for safety. As I laid hands to Jax¡¯s shoulders, gently knitting her torn flesh back together, I sighed. Not for the first time, and certainly not the last, I pondered the choices I had made that had led us to this point. Really, it had gone sideways when we had run into Hess. The fact that her skills needed her to experience various aspects of hedonism was the whole reason I had even chosen to focus on lust so heavily. And where had that led? Well¡­ a lot of sex, of course. But we were also becoming more powerful because of it. And I did not dislike that part. Really, I could not say that I disliked any of it. Maybe that was what was bothering me about it. It might have been a simple matter of my social upbringing, but this whole thing just felt so¡­ wrong, somehow. ¡°What are ye brooding about, me Master?¡± Jax asked, resting her hand over my own. I grimaced at my lack of mindfulness, ¡°Sorry. I was just thinking.¡± Folding my legs crosswise, I sat next to her, ¡°About this whole thing that we¡¯ve been doing. Wielding lust as a weapon and all. Something about it makes me uneasy. Or¡­ I dunno. When I think of a proper wizard, I think of hurling lightning bolts and causing fire to rain from the sky. Not¡­ whatever the hell it is that I do.¡± Jax regarded me silently for a while, thinking about how best to answer. When it came, it was quite simple, ¡°What ye do is to wield me. I be yer weapon.¡± I frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t like thinking of you that way. You¡¯re not just some tool. You¡¯re my friend. And¡­ and more.¡± ¡°Quite a bit more, I¡¯d say,¡± she quipped, nudging me with her shoulder, though I noticed a bit of an odd expression briefly pass over her face. ¡°But that don¡¯t change what be. Besides, nothing saying ye can nay do them things ye said. It just has to be me what be the er¡­ conduits. Or something.¡± I snorted, ¡°Oh sure. But at this rate, it¡¯ll probably be pink lightning that makes you come every time you shock something.¡± ¡°That sounds fun!¡± she laughed. Then, with a grunt, she rolled onto her knees and stood, ¡°Come on. Up with ye. Time enough for yer funky moods when we ain¡¯t got beetle guts all over us.¡± ¡°Practical as ever,¡± I said, accepting her hand. Coming to my feet with a wry grin, I tenderly ran a hand over one of her horns, ¡°Ah, Jax. Whatever would I do without you?¡± Shivering in delight from my touch, she smiled, ¡°May as well imagine the world without air, Master.¡± Then her eyes widened, and blushing, she turned and started to walk away. ¡°Why, Jax!¡± I called after her, smiling grandly, ¡°That was awfully poetic.¡± ¡°I did nay mean to say that!¡± she said hotly, still walking. ¡°Got me all flustered, ye did.¡± ¡°I thought it was sweet!¡± I said, jogging to catch up. ¡°It were mush talk,¡± she said with her fists balled up. ¡°Ye made me head go funny. Rubbing me horns like that?¡± ¡°I thought you liked it when I¡­¡± Before I could finish, I abruptly felt my aura lightly brush up against something and I froze. ¡°Of course, I like it!¡± Jax growled, still in the middle of our conversation. Then, sensing that I had stopped, she started to turn around, ¡°Be like yer touching me very¡­ Donum? Master, ye look spooked.¡± I shook my head, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I felt something¡­¡± Slowly, I began to backtrack, trying to get a sense of whatever it had been. The problem was, there was no sense of direction attached to the sensation. So I had no idea which way would improve the signal. ¡°Can you hear anything?¡± I asked. Jax shook her head uncertainly, ¡°I hear a lot of things. But nothing nearby.¡± Sighing in frustration, I started forward again, ¡°Ah, maybe it was my imagination. The Lady knows how this damned thing is supposed to work. There isn¡¯t even anything in the description that says I¡¯m supposed to¡­¡± I stopped. There it was again. And stronger this time. ¡°Master?¡± I nodded, ¡°Yes, hold on.¡± Carefully, I began to lean back and forth, trying to get a sense of where was strongest. Eventually, I determined that it was coming from slightly ahead and to the right, and I started in that direction, weaving searchingly like a drunkard until I came to the edge of the path. I sighed, ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s coming from the other side of the trees here.¡± Abruptly, Jax gasped, ¡°Master, I hear¡­¡± ¡°Do¡­m¡­!¡± I shared a glance with Jax. That had been Hess. I was sure of it. Chapter 48 - ...and into Hess Jax looked at me in concern, ¡°Should we go look for her?¡± I frowned uncertainly for a moment before shaking my head, ¡°No. If I can feel her, then she can feel me, and she¡¯s probably on the move already.¡± In fact, I was sure of it given how her presence kept rapidly fluctuating in strength. ¡°If we start searching for her, too, then we might miss each other in this maze.¡± Nodding unhappily, Jax made to speak, but then she tilted her head, ¡°I hear fighting.¡± Turning, she pointed ahead of us, ¡°That way somewheres.¡± I made a face. There were only three possibilities that I could think of for who or what might be involved in something like that, and only one of them was something I would want to stay away from. Well, there went that idea. ¡°Lead on,¡± I said firmly. With a quick nod, she skipped into a jog, and began following the path around a dog-leg. Pausing at an intersection, she listened intently for a moment before turning right, and then after only a few paces, we went right again down a long corridor. And about halfway along that, even I began to hear it. Whatever was happening, this was no simple one-on-one strategic match. This sounded like a full-on war. And as we came to the last corner, we found out why. Hess was embroiled in a fight with no less than ten of the beetles. Webbing was everywhere. The floor, the walls, Hess. Some of the vermin had tracers of it stuck to their carapaces. One was even chewing its leg free from where an unlucky wad of the stuff had cemented it to a tree. Meanwhile, Hess was bleeding heavily from wounds both new and old. With a shout, she spun in the air, taking the huge insect that had been gnawing at her ankle with her and accelerated it into a nearby tree trunk. It¡¯s mandible came off, still attached to her foot. But then another grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her back. Turning she began to pulverize the thing¡¯s head into the dirt, shouting, ¡°Stop. Fucking. Biting me. You ¡®Stoe-sucking. Fuckers!¡± Staggering back, she worked her shoulder in circles. For all her prowess and Poison Resistance, she was beginning to look decidedly stiff. As quickly as I could, I spread a Sap Varnish over Jax¡¯s axe and jerked my head in the direction of the fight, ¡°Go. Help where you can. And fight with the shadows.¡± Without hesitating, she pulled me to her, and kissed me soundly, moaning a pair of clones into existence. Coming away with a fearful look, she murmured, ¡°Stay safe.¡± And then she turned and the trio arrowed into the fray. Taking a breath, I followed her around the corner and put my back against a trunk, concentrating on being still and innocuous. With Jax and her clones in the mix, the battle quickly transformed from a battle of ants versus a giant into a battle of ants versus a giant¡­ and also a lot of other ants. In other words, chaos. But if we were going to win this, chaos was not going to be enough. I needed to get said giant back to fighting form. The question was, what should I do first? Heal her or try to deal with some of the poison? Both would have consequences, of course, but the latter might be more than she could handle, even if some of her abilities were fueled by lust. If I accidentally made her crazy with the stuff, then I might end up killing us faster than the beetles. Right then. Heal, it is! Hurriedly, I went into the familiar cadence of Renewal of Consumption, burning through a little of my now much more plentiful Life pool, and sent it her way. Then, without so much as stopping to take a breath, I popped off my accuracy buff and watched. As the spell took hold, Hess gasped and stumbled slightly. Looking around wildly, she finally took notice of the fact that Jax was fighting right beside her, and running forward, she double hammer-fisted a beetle that was about to bite my lilim¡¯s neck into a tree. ¡°Jax!¡± she shouted, her head swiveling about, ¡°Where is he?! Is he here?¡± ¡°Of c¡ª. Ah, ye tadger!¡± she yelled, dodging out of the way of a wad of webbing and then rapidly amputating the antenna off of the nearest insect. ¡°Of course, he be! Ye think I¡¯d leave him alone?¡± ¡°Where then? We need to run!¡± she yelled back. ¡°I¡¯m getting too stiff from all the poison!¡± ¡°Ha! Just ye¡­ Ack!¡± Suddenly, one of the vermin charged her from the side and bowled her ass over teakettle. Before she could recover, another bit into her thigh. ¡°Donum!¡± Well¡­ that was fast. Silently casting a prayer to whichever of the Goddesses might be paying attention at the moment, I nervously clenched my fists. Here¡¯s to whatever the fuck this is going to do¡­ And I switched on the conversion aura. Jax, having experienced it a few times by that point, reacted with at least a little decorum, and though her clone summoning went a bit out of control, it was at least effective enough to give the two of them some breathing room. Hess, on the other hand¡­ She had been running up to kick the s.o.b. that had just bit Jax away, but as soon as the aura hit her, her leg suddenly accelerated and exploded its way through the beetle. When she landed again, she was in shock. Amongst other things. As miscellaneous beetle parts rained around her, she stood trembling with a thousand-yard stare. Struggling to even breathe properly, she abruptly started laughing, ¡°Donum, you mad bastard!¡± Then, throwing her head back, she crowed, ¡°Libidinous Fury!¡± At those words, her body language changed entirely. Looking for all the world like she was in a dazed high, she swayed and then abruptly flickered. A moment later, four of the beetles went flying, and when they landed, they did not move again. Staggering, Hess fell to her knees, that one move having sapped her stamina entirely. ¡°Hess?!¡± Jax shouted, rolling to her feet again, still favoring her injured leg despite the regeneration I had sent her. ¡°What happened?¡± Instead of answering, she yelled back, ¡°Cover me for a second.¡± Quickly reaching out for one of the various beetle parts lying around, Hess called out for it to be converted, and slowly, the pieces began to coalesce into Gem form. Seeing what she was going for, Jax swiveled around, gripping her axe with adrenaline fueled nerves. Hess¡¯ little maneuver had instantly halved the number of combatants on the field, but it was still four to one odds. Fortunately, she had an answer for that. Taking only a scant second to refresh her clone count, she covered herself with the shadow of one and charged the nearest giant insect. As it reared up to spit at her, she rolled under the oncoming fire, allowing her clone to take the shot instead and chopped its legs out from under it. Moments after it crashed to the ground, Jax ended its life. Spinning, she caught sight of another going for the easy target that Hess was presenting and made to sprint for it. However, before she had taken two steps, a spat wad slapped against her calf and unfurled itself there, effectively cementing her to the spot. Cursing, she hurled her axe at the distracted vermin. Flashing end over end, it struck true, sinking deeply into the huge bug¡¯s carapace. That threat effectively ended, she quickly pulled the axe back to hand, and gave her leg a jerk. Seeing that she was not going anywhere, she took a breath and yelled, ¡°Master!¡± I was already on it. The second her axe had done its job, I dropped everything to begin the process of refreshing the Sap Varnish. It was the only thing the two of us had at the moment that could effectively penetrate the beetles¡¯ armor. Without it, she was effectively helpless, and it was going to take me days before I could reliably cast the thing. But there was no helping that now. On my fourth attempt, I finally got the spell out, and just in case, I immediately started on it again, this time for her claws. By that point, Jax had been rushed by the insect that had trapped her, and was in the middle of a wrestling match in which she had jammed her axe handle into the thing¡¯s mandibles to keep it at bay. Of course, that meant that she could not bring her weapon to bear. For that matter, it was all she could do to keep the thing from jerking her axe out of her hands again. But then, out of nowhere, Hess crashed into the side of the insect, shoulder checking it away and onto its back. Stumbling dizzily for a moment, she glanced at Jax, one of her cheeks bulging with the Gem she was sucking on for endurance. Pointing, she mumbled, ¡°Myou finish that¡¯n. I¡¯ll tak da udder.¡± Taking a panting few breaths, she nodded and burned her bindings off. As Hess leapt away again, Jax stalked forward. Seeing her coming, the beetle quickly righted itself, though part of its exoskeleton had caved in from the blow that Hess had just delivered. Wanting to press her advantage, Jax summoned up another pair of clones and rushed it. Panicking at the sudden numbers coming for it, the beetle tried to fly away, but thanks to its injury, only one of its wing casings actually opened. Somersaulting in a wildly out-of-control flight path, the thing quickly gave up on that plan and crashed to the ground again, and before it could get its feet back under it, Jax attacked. Chopping down for all she was worth, her axe whistled through the air straight for the insect¡¯s head. However, she did not then have the benefit of my magically boosted accuracy, and her axe was tilted just a hair too much to strike true. Glancing off of the hard carapace, it skipped to the side, taking one of the beast¡¯s antennae with it. Jerking back, the beetle quickly lunged forward again and bit down on her arm, dragging her down. Her axe now pinned beneath the creature, she screamed and began ineffectually punching the thing¡¯s head to try to get it to release her. And about that time, I finished my second spell. ¡°Jax! Your claws!¡± Pausing mid-swing, she took in her now glistening nails, and forming her hand into a knife, she jabbed it straight into the creature¡¯s compound eye-cluster. The hideous acid now injected directly into its brain casing, the beetle tensed, shuddering for a moment before it went still. The creature dead, it was a simple matter to sever its mandible and pull her arm away, and scarcely acknowledging the Lust she was burning off, she stood. Hess had already finished off the final beetle, and was now collapsed against a tree truck, panting for air. But Jax did not care over much for that. Instead, she simply turned and watched me approach. ¡°Well done, Jax,¡± I said, smiling as I expended a bit of Life to mend her arm. ¡°You¡¯re really getting the hang of¡­¡± Whatever else I might have said was lost as Jax covered my mouth with her own. Having been bitten and healed twice during the fight, she might have looked fine, but she was in no mood to patiently wait for banter. Quickly pushing me against a tree, I could almost feel her desperate moans vibrating my chest. And as she ground against me, her mewling rose in pitch and fervor as I, in turn, rose between her legs. Coughing loudly, Hess called out, ¡°Not that I don¡¯t appreciate the show, but a hello would be nice.¡± Jax pulled away just long enough to snarl, ¡°Wait!¡± before turning back, but I hastily inserted a hand between us. ¡°I enjoy the enthusiasm as usual, Jax,¡± I laughed shakily, ¡°but do try to show some consideration?¡± Growling even louder, she slammed her claws into the trunk beside me, ¡°Want!¡± ¡°I know,¡± I said sympathetically, wincing a bit as wood chips sprinkled my face. Quickly ducking underneath her arm, I went on, ¡°And you shall. Have patience.¡± As I turned to walk over to Hess, Jax hastily jerked her hand out of the tree and followed me closely. I could tell that it was all she could do not to tackle me to the ground right then and there, but there was something else, too. A certain jitteriness that arousal alone could not account for. Shaking my head at her, I stopped at Hess¡¯ feet, but before I could speak, Jax quickly grasped my hand and pressed herself to my back. Very lightly, she bit at my shoulder blade. I could feel her breath blowing hotly against my skin, amongst other even more distracting things. However, Hess was not really paying any attention to all of that. ¡°You¡¯re alive,¡± she said, smiling tearfully before adding, ¡°And naked?¡± I cleared my throat, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ wearing boots.¡± As reunions went, it was a little lame¡­ if fitting. Deciding to start over, I squatted down, and Hess¡¯ eyes brazenly followed my dangly bits all the way. Thanks to Jax, my flag was not exactly flying low right then, so I chose to ignore her indiscretion and instead asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± she hummed, apparently in affirmation. ¡°Have you gotten bigger?¡± Jax hissed loudly at that, ¡°Mine!¡± ¡°Oh no, girlie,¡± Hess grinned through her sniffles, ¡°You¡¯ve had your turn. I saw it!¡± ¡°Mine again!¡± she retorted, childishly. I sighed, and though I was blushing heavily, I held my hands up placatingly, ¡°Can we just have a moment to not debate who¡¯s turn it is?¡± Looking up at Jax, I went on, ¡°I¡¯ve been¡­ quite worried that Hess was¡­¡± I stopped, unwilling to say the word. ¡°You were?¡± Hess smiled, her tears now flowing freely down her face. Smiling back sheepishly, I asked again, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Waving my concern away, her lips compressed as her emotions started getting the better of her. ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­¡± starting to choke, she began again, ¡°You disappeared, and then¡­ then Jax died and her body vanished, and I¡­ I¡­¡± Surging forward, she pulled me into a crushing embrace, ¡°Oh, Donum! I¡¯ve been looking for you! All this time, I was looking and¡­ and I was starting to¡­¡± She never finished what she was going to say. She only sobbed. Gently patting and rubbing her back, I made consoling noises as she cried herself out. For all the things I had been through, at least I had Jax. Meanwhile, the entire time, Hess had been alone. And given our relative strength, it was no wonder that she had been so afraid for me. Had our situations been reversed¡­ Well, maybe I would leave that thought alone. Catching movement out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Jax was wringing her hands nervously. She seemed almost¡­ terrified? Fearful that something might be coming, I shot her a concerned look, but as our eyes met, she quickly spun around. Hmm¡­ That would bear probing into. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Hess asked, cutting into my thoughts. ¡°What happened to you, anyway?¡± Pulling away from her embrace, I nodded, smiling. Briefly, I recounted my time encased in the cocoon, the choices I made, and finished with our escape, relishing a little in Jax¡¯s steadily improving combat abilities. I was not above bragging about her. As I spoke, Jax seemed to calm down somewhat and came to stand primly by my side again. Apparently, my praise had mollified her in some way. Coming to the end, Hess stared at me for a moment before asking, ¡°Did you just say, ¡®That Only Makes Us Horny¡¯?¡± I nodded, a little confused as to why, out of everything, she had decided to start with that, and she muttered, ¡°How fantastically appropriate.¡± I chuckled ruefully, ¡°Yes, well¡­ that¡¯s the Lady for you. Anyway, it¡¯s a niche choice, but it seems to work for us.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Aye,¡± Jax cut in, calm enough now to be at least a little articulate, ¡°And what were¡­ shite ye did? M-master¡¯s skill be¡­ difficult. I know. When it came, I felt ye. Powerful. But then ye shouted uh¡­ libby donut furry? And then¡­¡± ¡°Libidinous fury,¡± she corrected. ¡°It¡¯s kind of a shitty skill, if I¡¯m honest. It only works if my Arousal pool is more than half full, and then it takes all of it and a big chunk of my endurance besides in exchange for a short but extreme boost to strength and speed. I almost never get to use it,¡± pausing, she glanced at me and grinned. ¡°Coincidentally, it also happens to get rid of the extremely rare Lust Ailment. Imagine my surprise when that skill of yours hit. I had all but forgotten it did that, honestly.¡± Wryly returning it, I admitted, ¡°And I¡¯m glad you had it. I was kind of afraid of what would happen with you under that kind of influence.¡± ¡°Would you like to find out?¡± she returned, her grin growing. ¡°Me. First,¡± Jax growled, emphatically pronouncing her need. As if it were not obvious. Sighing, Hess rolled her eyes, ¡°You¡¯ve had all day alone with him. Why haven¡¯t you taken care of it already?¡± Both of us broke eye contact at the question. I might have left that part of the story out. So, instead of answering it, I gently patted her on the ankle, and stood, ¡°Give us a moment, Hess. We need to talk for a bit, so you just rest here for a while.¡± Frowning unhappily, Hess said quietly, ¡°Don¡¯t go far.¡± With a reassuring half-smile, I pulled Jax away, but before we had gone half a dozen paces, her hands were already all over me. ¡°Wait¡­ wait a second, Jax!¡± I said, grabbing her wrists. ¡°I did actually want to talk to you!¡± Frustrated, she did not attempt to break my grip. Instead, she merely pushed against me until I was again trapped against the nearest tree trunk, and then she pressed herself to me firmly, ¡°Master¡­ please.¡± ¡°Jax¡­¡± I began, but she had started gently kissing and nipping at my chest. Trying my best to ignore the sensations, I took a deep breath. ¡°How can you possibly still be hungry? With all that poison I converted?¡± ¡°Not hungry,¡± she said, smiling playfully. Then, casually ignoring my hold on her wrist, she reached down and took me in hand, ¡°Want.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked, furrowing my brow, ¡°You mean just for the sake of it?¡± Right as I was beginning to think I had figured out the decidedly odd social dynamic between us, here I was seemingly at square one again. Jax enjoyed sex with me because she enjoyed my lust. Of the various flavors of emotion I gave off, that was her favorite by far. And while I appreciated it for what it was, I hated to admit it, but there was a bit of a transactional quality to the whole affair. And I could deal with that, even if it left me feeling a little emotionally unfulfilled. However, if she was beginning to want me for more than just feeding, that was something else again. If anything, that meant that I needed to talk with her all the more urgently. ¡°How long have you felt this way?¡± I asked. Momentarily pausing in her ministrations, she cast a furtive glance up at me, ¡°Want¡­ since taste¡­¡± Giving her head a shake, she tried again, ¡°Since I had ye¡­ in¡­ in m-me¡­ Hah~¡± Shivering for a moment, she licked her lips, ¡°Want now, Master¡­¡± By the Three¡­ It was incredibly difficult not to just cave and give her exactly what she wanted, but I needed to resolve this first. Quickly glancing over at Hess, I briefly met her gaze. She was watching us. Not that I had expected otherwise, but even as she was indulgently rubbing her thighs together, I still felt that there was a hint of worry behind her eyes. Closing my own for a moment, I sighed. I did not want to do this. ¡°Jax¡­¡± I whispered softly, ¡°do you want me to yourself?¡± She froze. Instantly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just say the word, Jax,¡± I said. ¡°Say it, and I will be yours alone. I won¡¯t touch Hess.¡± Beginning to tremble, she had to force the air out of her lungs again, ¡°I-I¡­ Why? I n-nay understand. Ye gave oath. She be¡­¡± I nodded, ¡°I promised her that I would bind her, yes. But I never said that she could have me.¡± Although, it had been heavily implied. In fact, I was certain that she would take the news¡­ less than well. No less than myself. However, I owed Jax this choice. I owed her everything. ¡°I would even break that oath, and leave her unbound. If you wanted me to.¡± ¡°Yer saying¡­ ye¡¯d take no other?¡± she asked, ¡°None others but me?¡± ¡°Yes. If that¡¯s what you want.¡± Slowly, her eyes went distant. And I waited. I knew that she had not expected this and would need some time to consider it. But honestly, I should have made the offer a long time ago. Things had progressed in a lot of different and unexpected directions over the last few days, so I had not really been able to process it all. However, left unchecked, this was rapidly galloping in the direction of some kind of polygamous¡­ thing. Inexorably. Which was insane, of course, but here I was. The weird thing, though, was that Jax had never given me any push back on the matter. Quite the opposite, in fact. Ever since she had starting going off about her being some¡­ harem¡¯s mistress or the first wife or whatever, it was clear that was what she was expecting. However, I had never actually asked if that was what she truly wanted. I was not even sure that I wanted it, to be honest. ¡°Why do ye offer me this?¡± she asked finally. ¡°Do ye test me now?¡± I blinked at her, confused and more than a little incensed, ¡°Is that what you¡¯re feeling off of me? Am I being duplicitous?¡± But at her vacant look, I growled a bit, frustrated at having to explain myself, ¡°Lying. Trying to trick you.¡± Slowly, she shook her head, ¡°Then I nay understand. Why do ye offer me this?¡± Staring uncomprehendingly, I said, ¡°Look, I may not be some empathic savant like you, but it¡¯s exceedingly obvious, from the way that you growl and snap at even the thought of anyone coming close to me, that you would prefer to keep me to yourself. So I¡¯m giving you the choice. I will be your man. Yours alone. If that¡¯s what you want.¡± She was silent again for a few moments before shaking her head, ¡°This don¡¯t make no sense. Would ye stab out an eye because the other¡¯n prefers ye look out of it?¡± ¡°I¡­ what?¡± This conversation¡­ never mind being derailed. It was like Jax was not even on a train, much less on a different track. ¡°You¡¯ve lost me.¡± And from the way she was looking at me, she was having much the same problem, ¡°I nay¡­ this¡­ Why would ye think to offer me this?¡± ¡°I just explained!¡± Closing my eyes for a moment, I rubbed at my temples in frustration. Maybe¡­ maybe this was a culture thing? ¡°Look, uh¡­ Where I¡¯m from, when a man and a¡­ well¡­ when two people come together, it¡¯s expected that they will be monogamous. Only with one another. To do otherwise is considered a betrayal. Do you¡­ Is that not a thing here?¡± ¡°Some do,¡± she nodded. ¡°But it ain¡¯t expected. But that¡­ We¡­¡± Slowly, her lips pressed together, and she growled, ¡°Master, ye¡­ I ain¡¯t¡­¡± Pausing again, she bit at her knuckle for a second before pronouncing, ¡°No! I won¡¯t take ye for me ownself. That¡¯d be like asking ye to cripple yerself for¡­ for me. And I¡¯d rather die than see ye hurt. Die forever! Ye ken?¡± I narrowed my eyes at her, vexedly. That had been an impassioned response, but I was no less disheartened that she had not taken me up on my offer and more than a little frustrated at her reasoning. It was like getting rejected over a person¡¯s career, even if that was not at all the case. However, I could understand her point. A lot of the conflict now was a direct result of the way that my class seemed to function, and at least in terms of power, I had effectively just offered to neuter myself for her. And while I had certainly felt that it was quite the gesture, she was less than keen on the idea. Which was understandable. I would not want her to do that for me, either. Jax watched me closely as I slowly processed all of that. Finally, sighing, she reached up and took my head into her hands, ¡°Master, I be a part of ye. And nothing will e¡¯er change that. None will come between. Ye ken? Nay cast yer worries over thoughts of¡­ of betrayal. There be naught ye could do what would be such.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I asked, quirking an eyebrow. ¡°What if I were to¡­ I dunno. Bed some waitress at a pub? What would you do then? How would that make you feel?¡± ¡°Ye¡¯d never do that,¡± she said with absolute confidence. ¡°Nor would I let such get so far. But since we¡¯re playing games¡­ I¡¯d kill her dead for seducing ye.¡± I winced. I had expected as much. ¡°What if I didn¡¯t let you? What if I protected her?¡± ¡°If ye found her worthy of yer bed,¡± she responded quickly, ¡°then I¡¯d see her bound.¡± ¡°Okay, then what if¡­¡± ¡°If ye¡¯d not see her bound nor dead,¡± she interrupted, anticipating the question, ¡°then ye¡¯d not find her worthy of yer bed. Now would ye?¡± ¡°Jax¡­¡± I sighed. There was some truth to her reasoning, even if it was very black and white. But she was right. After what I had just offered her, it was obvious that this was always going to remain a hypothetical. Still, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s like you¡¯re saying that I can do no wrong! And that¡­ that¡¯s crazy! I¡¯m not some perfect man who can¡­ who can¡­¡± ¡°Know yer desires? Anticipate yer wishes?¡± Jax finished for me, pointedly. I blinked at her, finally understanding. It was the other way around. Sort of. ¡°You¡¯re not actually all that good at¡­¡± Abruptly, she flicked my nose, ¡°Hush ye. I be young yet.¡± Rubbing at it, ruefully, I frowned at her, ¡°Alright, fine. I¡¯ll take that for what it is.¡± I was glad that we were getting a clearer understanding of one another. Still, there was one other thing I needed to know, ¡°But, what was that before? Back there. When Hess was hugging me and crying, you looked so afraid.¡± Eyes widening for a moment, she cast her eyes to the ground, ¡°That ain¡¯t for me to say, but¡­ she¡­ It¡¯s to do with the order of things. I were afraid she¡¯d¡­ do aught before I, be all.¡± ¡°And that¡­ is it related to this?¡± I asked. Glancing up at me out of the corner of her eye, she did not reply save to very slightly tilt up the corner of her mouth. ¡°Uh huh¡­ then¡­ perhaps you should hurry up and do¡­ whatever it is?¡± I suggested. ¡°Also be against the order of things,¡± she replied, enigmatically. Hmm¡­ Well, there were not many other possibilities. ¡°I have to do it first, you¡¯re saying?¡± A nod. ¡°And you¡¯re not going to tell me what it is?¡± ¡°Nay.¡± There was a certain teasing quality to the way she had said that, but I did not have a clue as to why that might be. Sighing, I ventured, ¡°Okay, well, whatever it is, these things don¡¯t just happen by magic, and I am clearly no mind reader. If you¡¯re so afraid that Hess will spoil it, then aren¡¯t you taking a risk? Shouldn¡¯t you take measures?¡± She stared at me for a moment, almost shocked by my suggestion. However, after a moment of consideration, she frowned and nodded to herself, ¡°Aye. Ye talk sense. Wait here.¡± Without another word, she turned and started walking toward Hess. ¡°Wh¡­ Jax! That wasn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Just wait, Master,¡± she repeated. I groaned. I had been implying that she should give me a hint, but apparently, she had interpreted things a little differently. I should not have been surprised. Crossing my arms, I resigned myself to wait as she and Hess began to have a conversation of their own. Naturally, I paid close attention. Or I tried to. Jax squatted down, settling on her haunches before she began, and without really realizing that I was doing it, I took a moment to appreciate the view. The incremental filling out she had been experiencing was gradually pushing her backside into noticeably womanly proportions, and it caused me to miss the first part of their talk. Damn fool¡­ Glancing up quickly, I could see that whatever Jax had just said had caused Hess something of a shock, and she was shaking her head in denial. Jax was having none of that, though, and there followed an awful lot of gesturing and pointing. Finally, Hess met my eyes for a few seconds and rolled her eyes. Sighing, she nodded. ¡°Master,¡± Jax called. Heaving my weight off of the tree, I casually strolled over to them, my arms still crossed. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose either of you feel like filling me in on whatever this is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bunch of foolery, that¡¯s what,¡± Hess replied. But at Jax¡¯s hard look, she added, ¡°I said I agreed¡­ as long as you¡¯re certain?¡± Jax nodded confidently. ¡°Fine then,¡± she crossed her arms. Glancing up at me, she smiled uncertainly. Ugh¡­ Hand of Mercy¡­ Have mercy! ¡°Well,¡± I sighed, ¡°If you¡¯re not going to talk, then I guess we should move on. I¡¯ll get these corpses settled and then¡­¡± Abruptly, Jax¡¯s hand clasped around my ankle, ¡°Master¡­ do ye forget?¡± Slowly, she began to roll her backside against her heel and sucked in the corner of her lower lip. ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked, flabbergasted. ¡°After all of that, you¡¯re still in the mood?¡± ¡°Told ye, did I nay?¡± she replied. ¡°It don¡¯t go away. But I can ignore it¡­ if needs be.¡± ¡°And what about me?¡± Hess asked. ¡°Now that we¡¯re in agreement and all? Are you going to keep standing in the way?¡± Jax glanced at her almost dismissively, but after a moment, she reconsidered and explained, ¡°Yer want be less than mine right now, Oathbound. But¡­ ye did say that yer Arousal needs filling. Won¡¯t do to leave it. Master?¡± My eyebrow quirked up irritably, less than pleased at being treated like some kind of sex toy, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Come,¡± she patted the compacted dirt by her side, ¡°sit.¡± Sighing, I plopped down. I may as well get this over with. Smiling at me in amusement, Jax leaned close to my ear and whispered, ¡°I wish ye could feel me as I you. So that ye might know how much I¡­ ache for ye. Always.¡± At those words, my irritation vanished in a puff of smoke. Okay¡­ Now I¡¯m ready. As she pulled away, it was clear that she had played me like a fiddle, but that was fine. I was perfectly willing to sing whatever melody she wanted, so long as she tuned me up a bit first ¡ª a skill she was becoming ever more adept at. Taking my hand in her own, she murmured, ¡°But maybe ye can feel it this way¡­¡± Slowly, she brought my fingers to her sex and then began to rub me against the soft, smoothness there. Her breath soon increased its tempo, and then finally, out of patience, she bit her lip and sucked me inside of herself. There was no other word for it. My finger was abruptly met by a warm and lusciously moist¡­ pulling sensation that incrementally drew it inside of her. And it kept pulling. Pulse by pulse, with no effort on my part, my digit was led into that warm cavern between her legs until it could go no further. Fairly writhing now, she looked at me through half-lidded eyes, ¡°S-see? Do¡­ feel it? Feel m-me?¡± I swallowed. If it felt like that on my finger¡­ ¡°Chebs,¡± I breathed. Gasping out a short laugh, she leaned forward and murmured, ¡°Aye¡­¡± Relaxing onto my arm, she consequently nestled it between her still smallish breasts and using her shoulders, she wrapped them as much as she could around me. Then, continuing to grind against my hand, she rested against my shoulder, panting and moaning as she rubbed her cheek and the sides of her elongated canines against my flesh. ¡°¡¯Stits¡­¡± Hess breathed. ¡°Look at you go. It¡¯s hard to believe that you were a guy just a few days ago.¡± Jax furrowed her brow for a moment before shaking her head, ¡°W-wh~ hah~ Mmmm¡­ What are ye¡­¡± She closed her eyes and moistened her lips before starting again, ¡°What ye waiting for? Ye can have the rest.¡± Hess and I shared a glance. That had been a bit of an odd response, but I really did not have enough brain power to think about it right then. And Hess¡¯ gaze had already dipped to my now very ready erection. Staring at it indecisively for a moment, she shrugged lightly to herself, ¡°Oh, why not?¡± Getting to her knees, she began to crawl forward, seductively rolling her hips as she came. Stopping only when her face was inches from mine, she murmured softly, ¡°You¡¯ve wanted this ever since you first beheld me, haven¡¯t you?¡± I swallowed. Actually, for quite some time, I had been terrified of her, but I had come around to her merits. Once you got to know her, and you kept her sober long enough, she was a lovely woman. Smiling a bit, and not trusting myself not to say something stupid, I just nodded. Chuckling a bit, she leaned down and flicked the head of my member with her tongue. ¡°Ahh~¡± Jax gasped loudly. The both of us looked at her. ¡°Really?¡± Hess asked, surprised. Jax nodded, ¡°A-aye¡­ Do it again. Please?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll do more than that¡­¡± So saying, she dipped back down and sucked the head into her mouth. Working slowly, she alternated between running her tongue over the top and then sucking strongly for just a few seconds before starting over. ¡°Nnna~ N-now cup him below,¡± Jax whispered, still writhing against my arm, ¡°And tickle the spot just behind¡­¡± With a loud popping sound, Hess came away from me and quirked an eyebrow at Jax, ¡°You think I¡¯ve never done this before?¡± Making a sound of protest, Jax whimpered, ¡°Don¡¯t stop! Why did ye stop?¡± Hess made a face at her and shook her head before leaning down and starting again, this time more vigorously. Grunting now with the effort of keeping my shit together, I glanced over at Jax. She was fervently watching what Hess was doing and still making little sounds, trying to guide her in her efforts. I honestly could not believe it. She was backseat driving my blow job! Amused, I flexed my hand a bit, pressing my digit strongly against the front of her inside wall. Jax immediately clamped down hard against me, shivering and quaking as her first orgasm rolled over her, and the pulling sensation on my finger almost tripled in strength, pulsing in time with her inner waves. Finally able to take a breath, she gasped, ¡°Gyaha! Master! Do that again!¡± Pressing down against my hand almost as hard as she could, she started moaning plaintively, almost begging, ¡°Again! Again! Please!¡± And as her calls rang ever higher, Hess abruptly stopped, ¡°¡¯Snails¡­ I can¡¯t listen to this anymore.¡± Shoving me back, she quickly stood and almost ripped my old underwear away in her haste. Pulled out of her fugue of pleasure, Jax looked at her, startled, ¡°H-Hess? What are ye¡­¡± ¡°What does it look like I¡¯m doing?¡± Hess asked. Stepping over me, she turned around and slowly squatted down. ¡°No!¡± Jax said, reaching out, yet unwilling to come away from my finger, ¡°I ain¡¯t done it that way yet!¡± ¡°Too bad, girlie,¡± she said playfully, before aiming me for her now extremely moist target. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to try this later.¡± And then she hilted herself. The both of us gasped as her weight settled onto my hips and those warm, delicate folds engulfed me. It was an entirely different sensation to what I was getting from Jax. There was no suction or pulsing or any of the rest. It was just a warm, tight, and slick hole. But it still felt great. And as she began to move, Jax soon forgot why she should be upset, too enraptured by the sensations coming from us.. Chapter 49 - The Death Rattle of Shame We stayed there, vigorously exploring one another¡¯s bodies, until I was spent. And though I was quite impressed with how long I had managed to last, that being only my second time at real, full-on sex, and very much my first threesome, I could tell that they were disappointed when I announced that I could go no further. I had already come to completion twice during the session, and my genitals were giving off the dull ache of the well and completely used. ¡°Look, you two can keep going, if you want, but I¡¯m sorry. I just can¡¯t any more,¡± I panted finally, staring up through the branches above and beyond to the rapidly darkening sky. It had been quite the eventful day, all told. I had trained myself to exhaustion. There had been multiple life and death fights, seemingly endless explorations into this maze of trees, and to cap it all off, I got to do this? I was not even starving anymore! Now, if I could just find a decent T-shirt and a pair of pants, I might be willing to admit that my life had turned a corner. Jax¡¯s head abruptly interrupted my field of view, ¡°But Master, I ain¡¯t got to do what Hess did, yet! And besides, she don¡¯t want me.¡± ¡°I only did it that way because he likes to look at my backside,¡± Hess explained from where she was stretching her now well-used muscles. ¡°But it really isn¡¯t all that different from what you did before. Anyway, I¡¯m not into women. Or lilim, for that matter.¡± Straightening again, she began swinging her elbows back and forth, twisting her torso before she suddenly paused, ¡°Wait. Does that mean that you are still into women?¡± ¡°What do ye mean, ¡®still¡¯?¡± Jax asked. ¡°I want what Master wants.¡± Lifting my head off the ground slightly, I stared at her, ¡°I think she¡¯s asking about your sexual preferences now. I know you told me that you thought she was attractive a while back.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Hess smiled, apparently intrigued despite her earlier statement. ¡°In a way,¡± Jax clarified for her, ¡°I can feel Donum¡¯s desire, and that¡­ sort of becomes mine. It ain¡¯t quite the same, though.¡± ¡°So wait¡­¡± I asked, blinking in confusion, ¡°Do you not find people attractive anymore? Unless I do?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± she paused uncertainly before tilting her head and amending, ¡°I think so¡­ Ain¡¯t seen other people in a long while. Might have to see about that one.¡± ¡°Sounds fun¡­¡± Hess grinned. I quirked an eyebrow at her. That sounded like she was getting ideas again, but I decided against commenting. Instead, I looked back at Jax, ¡°Well, hold on, though. I¡¯m not attracted to myself.¡± Glancing back at me, a slow smile crawled over her lips, and she murmured, ¡°Truth.¡± Creeping forward, she leaned her head against my chest, rubbing her face there for a moment before lazily inching her way up my torso until she could bring her lips to bear. ¡°But I be,¡± she said, kissing me with renewed fervor. Well¡­ okay then. I had to suppose that the question of whom or what Jax might be attracted to was a little complicated right now. And I was happy to let that be. As long as I was in the mix somewhere. ¡°¡¯Snails¡­ where did it go?¡± Hess muttered, interrupting us. ¡°Did either of you see where I tossed my panties?¡± The next morning, I awoke to the sound of Hess very lightly snoring in my ear. I was, yet again, the middle spoon of our trio, although Hess, in her sleep, had assumed a bit of a death grip around me. Her arms, tucked beneath mine, were gently wrapped around my ribcage with one hand gripping the wrist of the other so tightly that the gray skin of her knuckles were turning an ashen white. And despite the fact that I was effectively imprisoned within her arms, I found it a bit sweet. Well¡­ now what? Blinking blearily, I swiveled my eyes around the enclosure we had crawled into. Before we had settled for the night, we had found an uninhabited beetle warren, this time with an intact flap and wedged it closed with a few branches that Jax had chopped loose for us. I was not particularly confident that it would hold¡­ whatever that thing had been at bay, but it would probably keep the beetles out. And as far as we could tell, they were far more numerous. In point of fact, Hess had not even run into the creature in all her time in here. But before I could think about any of that for very long, I got my now quite familiar morning greeting.
Congratulations! Your Core has successfully condensed. You are now of the Ninth Layer of the Foundation. New Stat Points available. New Skill Point available.
Ah! And a pleasant morning to you, as well, Lady Bline. Uh¡­ Bring up my Status page, please.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim Trainer Core Layer: 9F
Strength: 5 Agility: 5 Toughness: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 12 Charisma: 11 Manic Force: 10 Manic Breadth: 12
Lilim Slots: 1 (filled) Jax: Loyalty: 99% Gain: [Donum <¡ª 50|50 ¡ª> Jax]
4 Stat Points available. 1 Skill Points available.
Mhmm¡­ Good, good. Only one layer to go until this Boundary thing comes up. Hopefully, that¡¯ll be straightforward, but we¡¯ll just have to see, won¡¯t we? Other than that, my stats looked about like I had expected. Although, as I stared at the twelve in Wisdom, I experienced a bit of buyer¡¯s remorse. Especially now that I was involved in a three-way sexual relationship, trying to push my Toughness seemed like a much better idea. However, I had already made that bed, and backtracking now would only draw things out. Best to stay the course, I figured.
Congratulations! You have achieved High Novice: Manic Force! Spell Endurance and Spell Power are improved.
Hey, now! That¡¯s what I like to see! I had long suspected that Manic Force affected how powerful my spells were but endurance, too? The question, though, was how much more powerful? I mean¡­ was it just the difference of the extra point I had gotten or were there other bonuses, as well? Maybe, the bonus was just the knowledge I had obtained¡­ but that would kind of suck. Not that I could do anything about it, but still¡­ In any case, it was kind of hard for me to judge exactly how strong my spells were. Really, they were not particularly mind-blowing, and in D&D terms, they would be nothing more than cantrips or first level spells. But maybe that was just my lot as a Foundation level caster. Let¡¯s see now¡­ Everything else looks about the same¡­ except¡­ What the¡­ Since when had Jax¡¯s Loyalty gotten so high?! Ninety-nine percent? What had I been doing to achieve that kind of Loyalty? Was it just¡­ steadily increasing from hanging out with me? Was it the sex? Or¡­ maybe the offer I had made yesterday had something to do with it? But what was it at last Layer? Damn it all¡­ I could not remember, because I had not bothered to check! Grimacing in frustration, I almost started to complain to the Lady about the lack of information, but really, I only had myself to blame. I should have been keeping up with it. It was not her fault. Still, once upon a time, she had let me know about things like that. She had even told me why they were happening! Uhm¡­ Lady Bline, uh¡­ your most¡­ magnanimous? I winced a bit. This was like talking to a brick wall. Would it be possible to again receive notifications about these Loyalty gains? Like you did before? Uh¡­ especially when I bind¡­ or that is¡­ for my next lilim, it would be helpful.
Loyalty gain notices reactivated. Caution: Knowing the minds of your lilim may have consequences.
Oh, really? Thinking about it, perhaps she had a point. Knowing exactly why someone approved or disapproved of your actions without their consent would be pretty invasive. Maybe that was why she had deactivated them. If that was the case, then she might have done me a favor without my knowledge. Still¡­ it would have been nice to have been informed! Sighing, I deactivated the notices again. I was just going to have to remember to pay attention. Although¡­ Hess might be amenable to the idea of my keeping track. From a certain point of view, it was a bit like what Jax did to me all the time, and Hess would almost certainly have something like it. It was only fair. But I would need to ask first. That resolved, I needed to pick a new skill. But here I was left with a bit of a quandary. So far, I had been picking abilities with a very reactionary state of mind. I had problems that needed solving, and I got skills to solve them. But what problems did I have now? Hess would probably need a bow at some point, but I was not sure what sort of skill I could take to solve that nor whether doing so was even a good idea. It was her weapon, after all. Otherwise, I had something to boost accuracy and damage. Stealth was somewhat ironed out, although it might be a good idea to look into some kind of muffling or a silencing spell. Then again, I had boots that helped me there, and I did not really like the idea of spending points on things that could be solved with equipment. And as far as defense¡­ there I was a little short, but Jax already had a skill for that. Kind of. Technically, it worked off of her Charisma, and it helped if the enemy in question was smart enough to perceive something like physical beauty. But when your main enemy was a bunch of venomous beetles¡­ well. What was her Charisma even at now? I was not positive, but I knew she should be a Layer behind me now. Given that she had started from one, then it should be at eight, I felt sure. I smiled slightly. She was getting pretty close to ten! While my mind was on the lilim, I suddenly remembered the conversation I had with her the day before, and since I had the time and the point, I figured it would not hurt to check. Can I get a skill that lets me enchant my allies¡¯ weapons with some kind of¡­ chain lightning? Or something?
Multi-Damage Abilities are not available in the Foundation Layers.
Aww¡­ By the time that my companions woke up, I was deep into the skill menus and beyond frustrated. Almost any kind of spell that would put me somewhere in the realm of a ¡®proper wizard¡¯ was either unavailable because of my class or simply because of my current Layer. But I knew that already. I was just not ready to accept it. Still, I was certain that if I was clever about it, I would be able to find a workaround. However, with two stirring feminine bodies pressed against me, I could not spare that any more of my attention. Jax, as usual, was the first to wake, and she quickly spun in my arms, eager for me to take in her post-torpor changes. However, as soon as she laid eyes on me, her eyes widened and her brilliant smile slowly faded. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°What?¡± I asked, immediately concerned, ¡°Jax, what is it?¡± ¡°I-It¡­ I ain¡¯t¡­¡± she stammered. ¡°M-Master, ye¡­ I ain¡¯t never¡­¡± ¡°Well? Spit it ou¡­¡± She did not let me finish, preferring to explain by lunging for my lips. However, when she started trying to jerk me out of Hess¡¯ arms, the huge woman finally startled fully awake, ¡°No. No! I won¡¯t let¡­¡± Blinking a few times as the fog of sleep finally cleared from her mind, she groaned, ¡°Ugh¡­ again? Is this going to keep happening with you two?¡± ¡°Sorry, Hess,¡± I said, doing my best to temporarily fend off Jax¡¯s onslaught, ¡°She was like this as soon as she woke up!¡± ¡°Course, I were!¡± Jax exclaimed. ¡°Yer the most handsome I ever seen!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Hess smiled, intrigued. ¡°Still putting points in Charisma, are we?¡± ¡°Well, yeah,¡± I explained, a tad defensively. ¡°You said it was important for a summoner type.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ let¡¯s take a look at you in the light, then.¡± Rolling to her knees, she began crawling her way out of the warren, still tucking me to her chest with one arm. ¡°Here now, ye great bahoochie!¡± Jax protested. ¡°I weren¡¯t finished with him yet!¡± Lazily slapping the wedges away, she opened the flap slightly and peered into the passage beyond. Even though she was in a teasing sort of mood, she was not about to go out there without assessing the situation first. Satisfied, she pushed her way through, letting the flap slap closed right in Jax¡¯s face. ¡°Ach!¡± Wrestling with the webbed covering for a moment, Jax bonelessly plopped out of the tunnel like a new-born foal before staggering to her feet again, ¡°Ye did that a purpose!¡± But Hess was not paying any attention to her. With my chin in hand, she was closely examining my face, ¡°What is your Charisma at now? Eleven? Twelve?¡± ¡°Eleven.¡± She nodded, ¡°Mmm¡­ past the natural possible then. Still, not so handsome as all that.¡± The last part was addressed to Jax. ¡°Yer noggin be melted,¡± she protested hotly. Wedging herself between us, she stood on her toes, trying to put her face into Hess¡¯. She was a tad too short for that, though. ¡°He¡¯s beautiful, ye mingin fud!¡± Clearing my throat, a tad embarrassed at being the subject of the debate, I decided on diplomacy, ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s just seen a bit more of the world than you. There¡¯s probably plenty of people who¡¯ve focused on Charisma who are much more uh¡­ advanced than me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as common as you would think,¡± she replied calmly, ¡°Amongst men, anyway. A funny thing, if you ask me. A lot of them seem to think that piling on the muscles is all they need to get women to come to their bed.¡± Pursing her lips for a moment, she amended, ¡°I suppose it works for some.¡± ¡°What was that you said about ¡®the natural possible¡¯?¡± I asked, still uncomfortably trying to steer the conversation away from my looks. There was nothing like a good technical discussion to cool heads. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple enough,¡± she explained. ¡°It¡¯s just that no one can get past ten in an attribute without putting points in their Core, is all.¡± ¡°Without¡­¡± I blinked. ¡°You¡¯re saying I could get my Strength and Agility to ten through exercise?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ maybe one or the other,¡± she amended. ¡°Doing it that way, you can get very high Strength by lifting heavy things all day, but the bulk you would put on interferes with your Agility. Strength from your Core works a little differently. Just look at your lilim here.¡± Reaching out, she grasped her by the shoulder, pulling her arm forward by way of demonstration. Jax still looked a bit grumpy, especially at being manhandled, but she was engaged enough in the topic not to interrupt. ¡°See? She definitely has muscle, but it isn¡¯t anything like it would be if she had been tossing hay bales her whole life,¡± she explained. ¡°What¡¯s your Strength at now, anyway?¡± Jax hesitated briefly before shrugging, ¡°Ten. Same as before. Me Agility were lagging, and it were cheaper. Only have the two points to work with, ye know.¡± ¡°So, wait a minute,¡± I cut in, ¡°Are you telling me that Jax here is as strong as someone who has been lifting weights their entire life?¡± Hess nodded, ¡°For her size and frame, yes. It scales somewhat. So, my ten counts for more than yours, and yours, if you got it that high, would be more than hers. But it works the opposite for Agility.¡± I frowned in thought. I knew that, at least on Earth, the record for an overhead press was close to five hundred pounds, but the guy who had done it was freaking monster. I really could not see Jax pulling that off. It was something like twice my weight, and I was a pretty big guy. ¡°Do you think you could lift me over your head?¡± I asked her curiously. What can I say? Tests of strength are and always have been a man¡¯s romance. Her mouth twitched to either side as she considered the question before she said, ¡°I dunno. Maybe? Me balance feels off right now.¡± ¡°Your balance?¡± I asked, immediately concerned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± ¡°Dunno,¡± she repeated. ¡°Noticed it when I stood up.¡± Looking her over briefly, I could not see anything that might account for something like that. Certainly, her horns were still growing, and quite swiftly now. At this point, they had curled back over the full length of her head and were beginning to thicken slightly. And of course, her hair was still on the march, heavy and long enough now to begin to weigh itself down. Though, it was still quite unkempt, despite my efforts to finger comb it out. As for the rest of her, there were the usual minor shifts here and there, too numerous and subtle to really call attention to them. Other than her breasts, obviously. For all my resolve not to pay them any mind, I knew exactly when or if they changed. At that point¡­ well, I was never an expert on bra sizes. But I would say that she had exited ¡®slightly too small¡¯ and was encroaching on ¡®just big enough¡¯ on my personal taste chart. I was certain that most women would consider me a pig for that, but thankfully, they did not have access to the inside of my head. ¡°I think I see the problem,¡± Hess announced suddenly from the side, and I shook my head. I had been staring, I realized to my consternation. ¡°Do ye?¡± Jax asked lightly, grinning at me. From the way that she was angling her chest, she knew perfectly well where my attention had been. ¡°Mmm¡­ come here, Donum. Look.¡± Using her hands to indicate, she said, ¡°See here? How her hips have shifted? Yesterday, she had more of an upright posture, but now there¡¯s sort of an angle where her legs meet her torso.¡± I raised my eyebrows as I realized what she was talking about. I would never had noticed something like that without her calling attention to it. ¡°Do it¡­ look nice?¡± Jax asked anxiously. I did not answer immediately. I had never really thought about it before, but now that I was confronted with it, I had to admit. Yes. It very much did look nice. In point of fact, what with the way it seemed to highlight the curvature of her spine, I would go so far as to say that it was part and parcel to an attractive feminine profile. And now that I was aware of it, Hess had the same thing, although hers was slightly more pronounced yet. Maybe that was why I liked her backside so much. ¡°Well?¡± Hess asked, crossing her arms. ¡°Do it?¡± ¡°He ain¡¯t gotta say,¡± Jax jeered at her for the impersonation. ¡°I can tell he likes it.¡± I coughed in my hand lightly, deciding to leave it at that, ¡°Yes, well¡­ How would that affect her balance? Does she need to do anything to compensate?¡± Hess made a face at me and snorted, ¡°How would I know? I¡¯ve never had to think about how it works.¡± That was fair. I had not really, either. I mean, I knew that there were differences in the center of balance between the sexes, but I could not recall off-hand what they were. Who would ever really need to know that information, after all? Maybe an athletics coach? Resting my hands on my hips as I considered the thought, I asked, ¡°Hess, have you ever had any formal training? With weapons and such?¡± She nodded, ¡°Sure. My clan had a weapons master. Why?¡± ¡°Well, I was just thinking. What Jax needs, to get used to this, is to use her body, and if you know of some kind of¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ exercises? Stretches?¡± I explained. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s an idea!¡± she exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. ¡°And it¡¯s just the thing to wake you up in the morning!¡± And so, for a while, the girls began going through a series of stretches, rather like yoga I would assume, but with more of a martial focus. And very quickly, I decided to join them. At least that way, I did not feel like quite so much of a pervert while I watched them. After all, save for their boots and what remained of Hess¡¯ wrap, they were totally naked. Weirdly, they were positively giddy when I did. Many hours later, we were recovering from yet another encounter with the beetles. For some reason, now that Hess was with us, it was always a grouping of at least five to eight of the monsters. This had been the third such run in of the day, and we were once again in the process of recuperating. To say nothing of healing the two of them up, Hess had a bit of an ongoing problem. While she was quite resistant to poison, she was not immune to it, and if the fight dragged on too long, she would get overwhelmed by it. I could fix that, of course, but the cure was almost worse than the disease. And while she had a solution for that, too, there were certain requirements to get it to work. Naturally, the two of them were ever willing to meet said qualifications, but I was only a man. At that point, I was feeling like a week-old dishrag, so for now, we were sitting around as we waited for Hess to work through the poison on her own. It really only took her around a half-hour to power through it, at its worst. ¡°Here, Jax,¡± she said, ¡°Don¡¯t convert all of the beetles. Give me one.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to eat it, of course,¡± she replied, matter-of-factly. I paled, ¡°You¡¯re not serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to eat something,¡± she countered. ¡°With all the endurance I¡¯ve been burning through, everything I got from that one sheep I managed to catch is gone already.¡± I grunted in consternation. She had a point. Still, it was a bug. Even if it was huge. ¡°Should we at least cook it first?¡± I asked, trying not to sound as grossed out as I was. ¡°That would be nice, but¡­¡± pausing, she glanced significantly at the multitude of webs all around us. ¡°And anyway, I didn¡¯t cook the sheep, either.¡± I closed my eyes, struggling to contain my gorge. I had been having sex with this woman. We had kissed. A lot. Dragging one of the corpses in front of her, Jax let it drop with a sigh. Stretching out her back she muttered, ¡°A¡¯right. Here¡¯s yer¡­ food, I suppose. Don¡¯t know how I ever managed to live like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not by choice, you know,¡± she replied, loudly cracking open the carapace. ¡°Sometimes survival isn¡¯t pretty.¡± ¡°I know it,¡± she admitted before coming to sit in my lap. Hugging my head to her chest, she looked back at Hess, frowning, ¡°I been where ye be and worse. Just try and be quiet about it. Yer making our man sick at his stomach.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± she asked innocently before snapping off a leg and obnoxiously slurping at it. Grimacing a bit, she belched out, ¡°Sorry.¡± Freely allowing myself to take in the softness currently enveloping my face and the scent wafting from it as a welcome alternative to the horror show going on behind her, I asked, ¡°Have you given any thought to your next skill pick?¡± ¡°Some,¡± she admitted, shrugging. ¡°I were hoping to match with ye again, though. It pleases me that our skills align so, Master.¡± ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°Because I¡¯ve been coming up blank.¡± ¡°Mah do,¡± Hess mumbled over a mouthful of bug. Swallowing audibly, she made a face. From her expression, the giant insect was not going down so well. ¡°Gah¡­ That¡¯s so stringy.¡± Jax¡¯s back had gone stiff at her interruption, and she began delicately dragging her claws just over my spine, ¡°Aye then, Oathbound. Let us hear.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ right,¡± she muttered, assembling her thoughts, ¡°You¡¯ve been taking a lot of combat oriented abilities, as far as I¡¯ve seen. And that¡¯s fine, considering the situation we¡¯re in, but it isn¡¯t all that common to focus on that so heavily. Have you considered taking a utility skill?¡± ¡°It honestly hadn¡¯t occurred to me,¡± I admitted, intrigued by the idea. ¡°What were you thinking? Like¡­ conjuring some clothes for us or something?¡± Jax frowned slightly at the suggestion, but Hess could not see that. ¡°Uh¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± she paused to pick at her teeth for a moment, ¡°Actually, that might not be so bad¡­ if you even can. I would think that would be more of a Tailor specific thing, but you are a summoner subtype. Mmm¡­ but I did have something else in mind.¡± Hess paused in thought for a moment, just long enough for Jax to begin to grind her teeth, ¡°Are ye going to speak it or nay?¡± She sucked in a breath, ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just¡­ Now that I¡¯m suggesting it, it seems kind of selfish.¡± Jax and I both turned to look at her. She had our undivided attention now. ¡°Go on¡­¡± I said. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Nervously, she started working at another beetle leg and jerked it free. Staring vacantly at the contents therein for a moment, she glanced up at us, ¡°First off, no offense here, Donum.¡± Jax¡¯s knuckles immediately cracked behind my head, but she said nothing. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re a pretty good lover considering your lack of experience, but uh¡­¡± she paused again, and then hesitantly glanced at Jax before focusing on me again, ¡°You do have two of us.¡± I pursed my lips. Wow. I could see why she might not want to mention that. Here we were, never really certain, from one moment whether we might survive to the next, and she wanted me to take something like that? I could only imagine what Jax was going to say. Anxiously, I prepared myself for the oncoming storm, but when I glanced up at her, she had a speculative look on her face. Uh oh¡­ Her gaze slid down to mine, and she began to work the corner of her bottom lip with her teeth. Oh, Jax¡­ don¡¯t do this to me. Several minutes of sustained begging later, I was staring at a new skill card. I had not even really asked for anything. I had just opened my mouth, said the word ¡®Lady¡¯, and there it was. Ready to go. And the moment I read it, my face had gone totally flat. ¡°There¡¯s no fucking way I¡¯m taking this,¡± I announced deadpan. ¡°Language,¡± Jax admonished quickly before Hess cut in. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to tell us what it does?¡± she asked, a little too eagerly. Now that Jax was in agreement, she had abandoned her earlier hesitation and sidled close to us, apparently saving her ¡®meal¡¯ for later. If at all. ¡°I really don¡¯t think I should,¡± I muttered out of the corner of my mouth. ¡°At least tell us what the name be,¡± Jax wheedled. ¡°Come on!¡± ¡°I definitely shouldn¡¯t tell you that.¡± Hess scowled, ¡°If you put it that way, then you have to. We¡¯ll never leave you alone, otherwise.¡± Looking between the two, I knew that to be a fact. Really, I should not have expected anything different. My fate had been sealed the moment I opened my mouth. I took a breath, ¡°It¡¯s called¡­ The uh¡­ The Hammer of Glory?¡± Whatever sense of shame I had left was screaming in agony at saying those words aloud. ¡°Take it,¡± Hess said instantly. Jax hesitated and delicately cleared her throat. I could tell she was in total agreement from the way that she was shifting her hips, but she had decided to play it coy. ¡°At¡­ At least ye should tell us what it do first.¡± I sighed. This was a done deal. There was no way these two were going to let this slide. Why was I even hesitating? So, in a dull and resigned tone, I began to read.
The Hammer of Glory Through your phallus, you may use your magical will to channel your influence upon a subject. Subject will experience either happiness, comfort, or enhanced pleasure at your discretion on contact. Intensity of sensation and endurance cost improve with skill level. Caution: If the subject is not bound to you, they may choose to resist this influence.
¡°Maeve¡­¡± Jax breathed out, her eyes wide. ¡°Donum,¡± Hess said, scooting even closer. Looking me dead in the eye, she announced, ¡°I will never forgive you if you do not take this skill.¡± ¡°But it sounds so¡­¡± I started to protest, however Jax immediately cut me off. ¡°We be willing.¡± ¡°Extremely willing,¡± Hess agreed, almost talking over her. I groaned in frustration, ¡°Fine! But you have to promise me that neither of you will ever tell anyone about this! This is between us. No drunken confessions. No secret girl talk. Nothing! Understand?¡± Hess nodded seriously, and holding up the last three fingers of her right hand, she kissed them, ¡°By the Three, I swear it.¡± Jax, however, just hugged me close, ¡°Master, ye know yer will be mine. Always.¡± Though, when I quirked a doubting eyebrow at her, she amended, ¡°Save this. I really want ye to take this.¡± I just stared at her, unmoved. ¡°Fine,¡± she sighed, ¡°By yer command.¡± Closing her eyes for a moment, she nodded. I took a slow breath. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s see what this sh¡­¡± glancing at Jax briefly, I amended, ¡°This skill does.¡± And then the Words came. Chapter 50 - New Toy, New Enemy ¡°So, how does this work?¡± Hess asked, eager to see the effects of my newfound ability. ¡°Is it some kind of spell or what?¡± I did not answer immediately, as I needed to digest the new information that had settled in my head, ¡°Uh¡­ No? I think I just have to decide what emotion to channel, and then it just¡­ happens.¡± ¡°Why pick aught but pleasure?¡± Jax asked curiously. ¡°It be fer yer banger, ain¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I think I can see the appeal,¡± Hess mused aloud, putting her chin in her hand as she considered the idea. ¡°A nice comfortable lay while you¡¯re stressed? Or happiness? That might be an interesting combination¡­¡± Jax¡¯s eyes widened a bit at the suggestion, and she turned to me, ¡°Aye! Do happiness! I ain¡¯t felt that one off of yer spells yet.¡± I took a steadying breath. Despite the eagerness of my two companions and my own admitted curiosity, I was feeling a little trepidatious at the idea of channeling something through my dick. Thus far, I had never seen anything actually happen via spell failure. Beyond simply fizzling, I was not even sure that it was possible to screw one up so badly that it was dangerous. So, I was pretty sure that this should be fine. Of course, logic does not hold a great deal of sway when a man¡¯s penis is on the line. ¡°Well?¡± Hess prompted, almost bouncing on her toes, ¡°Are you going to show us or not?¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Give me a second,¡± I muttered. Rolling my shoulders a bit to steady my nerves, I set the mental components into place and hit the switch. Not much happened at first, however after a moment, I began to feel something similar to when Jax was consuming a Gem. Only in reverse. Gradually, a stem of my own Power began to flow down the channel to my crotch, but instead of traveling out and to my lilim, it stopped there with nowhere to go. And gradually, it began to build. The physical effects of that where obvious. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Hess grinned, ¡°That¡¯s what I like to see.¡± Jax, however, was frowning down at it uncertainly, ¡°I dunno. It don¡¯t feel right. Like there ain¡¯t no desire there.¡± I nodded in agreement, ¡°Yeah, it kind of feels like morning wood.¡± That and I was still rather sore from the many times I had performed earlier in the day. Hess shot me a look, ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard that one before.¡± ¡°I think he means like when a fella wakes up in the morning with his knob up,¡± Jax explained, flicking up her finger by way of demonstration. ¡°They do that?¡± Hess asked, furrowing her brow. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you people live with those things.¡± Jax glanced at her and shrugged, unconcerned, ¡°They think it be fun. And sometimes they¡¯ll poke ye with it as a wake-up.¡± She winked at me. I cleared my throat, ¡°Yes, well¡­ If you were wanting to take advantage of this, I¡¯d suggest you go about it. This feels like it¡¯s running off of my spell endurance.¡± Jax, by that point, had a pretty thorough understanding of what that implied, so wasting no time, she reached over and lightly encircled me with her fingers about the base. ¡°Well?¡± Hess asked after a moment. ¡°How does it feel?¡± Jax stood uncertainly as a slight smile began to curve her lips, ¡°I dunno? Like¡­ I be just kind of¡­ content? Happy to be here, touching me Master.¡± Hess stared silently down at where we were joined for a second before glancing back up at Jax, ¡°Do you mind if I try it?¡± She frowned at the question briefly before nodding happily, ¡°I think ye would like it.¡± She then stood aside and angled my member to give Hess easier access. I blinked a little at the move, as it seemed slightly out of character for her, but before I could comment, Hess had also grabbed me. The moment she made contact, her mouth formed into an O, and she sucked in a breath. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh ¡®Stits¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, curious about the difference in their reactions. Shaking her head slightly, she began to smile. She almost looked embarrassed. ¡°I¡­ I think I can honestly say that I¡¯ve never been happier to be holding a penis in all my life.¡± Jax¡¯s smile grew, ¡°I know what ye mean.¡± They stared at one another, smiling with something of a dazed look for a moment before Hess commented, ¡°So¡­ Now what? Shall I? Or¡­¡± But Jax shook her head and began moving her hand, ¡°No, he be feeling it now.¡± Glancing back at me, her smile grew, ¡°Truly? Just from us touching you a little?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ sure? Uh¡­ that is¡­ Of course!¡± I winced. Eesh¡­ Think before you speak, man. But they did not seem to be paying all that much attention to what I was saying, so I tried again, ¡°Any man¡­ or really, I should say, you¡¯re both very pretty.¡± They both started laughing abruptly. ¡°He¡¯s cute when he¡¯s flustered, isn¡¯t he?¡± Hess grinned. ¡°Master be always cute,¡± Jax agreed, blushing slightly, ¡°He called me pretty, though. Were the first time for that.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ Is that so?¡± Hess mused flirtatiously, ¡°Maybe we should reward him?¡± ¡°Aye,¡± Jax nodded thoughtfully. Then, just as I was about to comment on the weirdly porn-like banter that they had fallen into, without warning she dropped to her knees and engulfed the head of my member with her mouth. ¡°Hey, wait a minute,¡± Hess giggled throatily, ¡°That tickles.¡± Jax paused just long enough to say, ¡°So let go.¡± Hess¡¯ smile faltered briefly, ¡°But¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t want to.¡± Glancing up, she looked at me indecisively for a moment, and I cocked an eyebrow. What did she want me to do? ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll join you then,¡± she announced all of a sudden. And then putting action to words, she dropped down, as well, and began licking and suckling at me anywhere she could find the room. Jax seemed momentarily put off by the intrusion, but after a moment, she seemed to reconsider and made room for her. The two of them continued like that for a short time, gliding their mouths and tongues over me, and it was not long before they began to entwine. And before I knew it, they were practically making out with one another and would have been were it not for the intrusion between them. What the fuck? My eyes were as wide as dinner plates. This might have been the single hottest thing I had ever seen, and briefly, I entertained the idea that I could have been dreaming. However, I quickly rejected the notion. My subconscious was never so generous as that. After a moment, Hess sucked in a breath and pulled back, seemingly confused, ¡°Jax, what are we doing?¡± ¡°Kissing, of course,¡± she murmured airily, tangling her free hand into Hess¡¯ hair. ¡°But I¡­¡± she paused, cut off for a few seconds as Jax pursued her lips. ¡°I-I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stop, Hess,¡± Jax complained. ¡°Master be so aroused.¡± ¡°Really?¡± she wondered, casting me a furtive look before grinning through Jax¡¯s continued pursuit. Seemingly arriving at some internal decision, she turned and began kissing her in return. Earnestly. I swallowed as I watched the performance. Hot as it was, it was precisely that. For Hess anyway. I was not so sure about Jax. But I could perform, as well. Firming my expression, I adjusted the emotional switch and waited for the fireworks. Both of them immediately stopped, looking at me with little cries of anguish. However, as the new sensation began to creep in, their eyes clouded over, and their cries turned to pleasure. Almost immediately, they began to crowd each other, jostling for position on my ¡®Hammer¡¯, but Hess, as ever, was the stronger. Plunging me as deeply into her throat as she could, she almost instantly began to shiver and jerked away, falling to her back. ¡°Ah~ Tits of the Three! I-I¡¯m¡­¡± Abruptly, her back arched, and she began to quiver in orgasm. Jax quickly took advantage of the new space and surged forward, licking me fiercely a few times before making a snap decision. Apparently figuring that now would be a perfect time to try out the position that Hess had shown her but not quite realizing in the moment that I needed to be laying down for it to work, she spun around and backed herself toward my crotch. Of course, she was not quite tall enough to reach. Swearing in frustration, she kicked herself into a handstand and wrapped her legs around my waist. ¡°Holy¡ª!¡± Whatever else I might have said was lost as I was quickly engulfed into the writhing folds between my lilim¡¯s legs, and I bit my tongue in a Herculean effort not to lose it immediately. Jax, however, was under no such pretense, and her hands lifted from the ground as her own orgasm hit. Staggering under the weight now attached to my front, I stumbled forward a few steps, unintentionally but perhaps fortuitously planting Jax¡¯s face right between Hess¡¯ legs. Moaning in ecstasy, she wasted no time in inserting her tongue therein. ¡°Oh, J-Jax! I can f-feel it! I can feel him through you!¡± Hess cried brokenly. And when Jax began to work her legs, hammering me home, they both began to scream. Some time later, the three of us had collapsed in a heap, gasping for breath. I was lying face down in the dirt, partially because I was far too overused to even think about letting either of them touch me, and partially because I was too tired to move. I felt like I had just run a marathon, and quite frankly, I was unsure if I was going to be able to walk any time soon. Abruptly, Hess cried out and rolled into a ball, quivering. ¡°Still going?¡± Jax panted teasingly. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Hess sounded by way of agreement. ¡°I-I¡­ I¡¯ve never¡­ hah~ mmm¡­ this good.¡± Jax chuckled, ¡°Just ye wait. It only gets better.¡± ¡°B-but you¡¯re not¡­ mmm¡­ s-still¡­¡± Hess started to protest, however she was stopped short as another aftershock rolled over her. ¡°Oh, I be,¡± Jax assured her. ¡°And I ain¡¯t stopped since Master touched us with his¡­ divine instrument.¡± Starting to hum tunelessly to herself, she began caressing my back. I was about to make a self-satisfied comment. When a man has brought not one but two people to such a state of satisfaction, it is fairly required to dote on them a bit. However, just as I opened my mouth, the Lady decided to make her presence known.
You have reached the limit of your understanding of [The Hammer of Glory] for today.
Congratulations! You have achieved [Low Intermediate: Windfall of the Thrall]! Chance gains no longer reset to zero on successful activation.
I grunted to myself as I read through the messages. The first one was easily understandable, even if it had come a little more quickly than expected, but the second? I don¡¯t suppose You would be willing to tell me exactly what they reset to, now would You? She did not reply. Still, it was a decided improvement on the ability. Currently, from what I had seen, it took almost two hours for the aura to build to the point of being useful, so any sort of buff to the skill¡¯s efficacy was welcome. Of course, that still left the question as to whether the arousal component was affected. I assumed it probably would be, but given my current status as a wilted slug drying out in the sun, I sort of hoped otherwise. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The two of them were insatiable enough as it was. Sighing, I dismissed the pop-ups and wedged an arm underneath my forehead so that I could speak, ¡°Are you two going to be okay? You honestly started to scare me for a little while there.¡± They both started fairly howling at that, and my insistence that I was being perfectly serious only made them laugh all the louder. After we recovered, we decided that further explorations of my ability were best left for leisure time. Or rather, I did. They wanted to see what the comfort setting felt like, but as I was still walking like a gazelle fresh from its mother¡¯s womb, I had to put my foot down. Gently. And it was just as well. Apparently, our little exercise had managed to fill all three of Hess¡¯ ability pools, so she was loaded for bear and beetle alike. Who knew that sex could count for Arousal, Indulgence, and Mirth alike? Hess certainly had not, and not for lack of trying. Apparently, at one point, she had even taken to working at bawdy houses before going on Dungeon excursions. ¡°You¡¯re not serious,¡± I exclaimed at the revelation. It was several hours later by that point, and we were once again deep into our attempts to traverse the maze, with little luck. We were beyond lost. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s a necessary resource for my class. Might as well get paid for it, right?¡± ¡°But you said yourself that it isn¡¯t sex that does it so much as arousal itself!¡± ¡°Yes, so I discovered. I did say that I used to do that, after all,¡± she explained reasonably. ¡°Anyway, as I¡¯m sure you are aware, Lady Bline is often less than helpful when it comes to describing how things work. And that makes it all the more strange that it seems to be so effective now.¡± ¡°It probably just be that ye were nay enjoying yer ownself proper,¡± Jax chimed in. ¡°But it be honest work. Nothing to be ashamed of. Me and me maw used to¡­¡± ¡°Hold it,¡± Hess interrupted abruptly, signaling us to stop. We had come to another four-way intersection, and we had, through hard experience, discovered that the beetles preferred them as ambush points. Quickly, I put my back to a trunk and incanted Fortunate Shadows while Jax guarded me. I did not see any evidence of the beetle warrens around here, but that did not mean much. They could be well camouflaged. Hess slowly made her way forward, testing the webbing around us with her arrow for the flaps, but she found nothing. There was only the light tapping of metal against living wood. Coming to the intersection, she looked around for a moment, checking the ceiling before slipping past the corner. Thoroughness was in our best interest in these situations. I was nervous. And more so than usual. We were long overdue for an encounter with the huge insects. ¡°I nay like it, either,¡± Jax whispered, intuiting my thoughts. ¡°Be like some aught be building.¡± ¡°Maybe we¡¯re just coming to some other part of the maze,¡± I hedged. ¡°And we¡¯ll have to fight something other than beetles.¡± ¡°I think you may be right,¡± Hess said suddenly, and I jumped. Grinning at me from where she had been casually leaning against the corner, she motioned us forward. Sighing, I pushed off of the tree to follow, and as I passed her by, Jax murmured, ¡°Bloody comical that were.¡± The intersection, we discovered, looked like many of the others we had seen, save for one rather key aspect. The pathway we had been on had been steadily curving to the right, and here, it seemed that we could continue on in a similar vein, go left, where there seemed to be many further options for branching paths, or turn right, where there was only a single straight path for some distance. And notably, the webbing faded to nothing within a half-dozen paces in that direction. ¡°I see¡­¡± I breathed. There was only one thing that kind of setup could indicate. A boss fight. All it lacked was that ¡®oh-so-conspicuous¡¯ save point hovering nearby. ¡°What do you think?¡± Hess asked, crossing her arms as she gazed down the path. I gave a one-shouldered shrug, ¡°Normally, you¡¯d think¡­ bigger beetle, right? But with the lack of webbing¡­¡± ¡°Maybe it be the den of yon beastie?¡± Jax suggested, coming to stand at my other side. ¡°What made that noise?¡± ¡°Could be,¡± Hess allowed before starting forward. ¡°Let¡¯s find out. With any luck, it won¡¯t be home, and we can loot the place.¡± We were not so lucky. At the end of the wooded hall, we came on what might have been a clearing were it not for the enormous tree right in the middle of it. The trunk of it was easily a good ten paces across, and though it was not overly tall, scarcely more so than the rest of the trees, its canopy extended out and over the edges of the branches around it, casting a fairly deep shadow over the some thirty paces or so of open ground between its base and the opening we were standing in. Ringing this massive organism, there were a series of shelf-like mushrooms arranged in a pattern rather conveniently like a set of stairs. At their summit, just before the tree¡¯s branches began, there was a large, black opening. It was hard to tell from the distance, but it looked to be about twice the width of a man and maybe as tall as Hess. It was an obvious point of interest, and we probably would have started for it immediately were it not for the creature perched just above it. Hanging upside-down from a branch growing out of the top most knot of the hole, there was a¡­ well, the closest I could think to call it would be some kind of lizard. It had six legs, all with very long and dangerous looking claws, though the two in the middle seemed to be somewhat smaller and were tucked underneath its belly. Otherwise, it was difficult to tell exactly how big it was, due to its mottled green and black coloration that served to almost perfectly blend the creature with the shifting leaves above it, but from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, it looked to be a good twenty to twenty-five feet long. And indeed, we probably would not have seen it at all, were it not for a rather obvious flaw in its camouflage. ¡°Be that¡­ a chest?¡± Jax asked, mystified. I nodded silently. Growing out of the sides of the creature and extending up and over it, there appeared to be a series of¡­ bones? Or perhaps they were horns. In any case, they came together to form a cage of some kind, and inside of that, there was a chest. A Dungeon Chest, to be precise. It was secured tightly within its prison, with no space to even rattle about. ¡°That¡¯s one way to guard a treasure,¡± Hess commented. Then, glancing over at us, she asked, ¡°Do you think that¡¯s the guy that was hunting you before?¡± ¡°Hard to say,¡± I returned. ¡°We never saw anything but a bit of pink flesh. I guess it could have been its tongue.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± she hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s sleeping. So how do you want to do this?¡± I sighed. Hess was nothing if not predictable. Now that there was a treasure in sight, she was not going to let it go. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not going to be able to do much while it¡¯s up there,¡± I began. ¡°Maybe Jax can summon up some shadows and scare it down? That way¡­¡± Jax abruptly slapped my arm. ¡°Ow! Hey, what are you¡­¡± ¡°Shh!¡± she hissed and pointed. Glancing back, I scanned the branches above. The creature had vanished. ¡°What in the¡­¡± Hess started, but Jax hissed again and pointed straight up. Craning our necks, we leaned forward to look at the branches above us. There, hanging just over the entrance to the clearing, was the lizard. It was now on one of the trunks with its head pointing down, again motionless. Somehow, it had moved from its earlier perch to here in the space of a few whispered words and so silently that I had not heard a thing. The three of us exchanged glances. It seemed to be keyed on us, though why it had yet to attack was anyone¡¯s guess. It was just frozen there, like it was still asleep. As we watched, it slowly unfurled one of its central arms and seemed to clench it for a moment before it flickered faster than they eye could follow. THOCK! The chest on its back reverberated from the strike so loudly as to be felt in the bones. It was almost impossible not to flinch. The lizard¡¯s head tilted for just a moment, as if it were listening, though its eyes were still closed. Actually, now that I was looking, I could not be sure that it even had eyes. Haltingly, it inched forward just a tad and then tensed. ¡°MOVE!¡± Hess shouted, shoving me aside just as a mass of pink flesh slammed into the ground where I had been. Jax reacted instantly, swiping at the tongue with her claws before it could retract, and the thing bellowed in protest as it caught her leg on the way up. Not quite getting a firm enough grip to take her, it still pulled with enough strength to flip her end over end and slam into the side of the tunnel. Without pausing to even think, I quickly ripped off a regeneration spell for her, and I was glad that I did. As she crashed bonelessly back to the dirt, I could tell immediately that the tongue had almost pulled the skin clean off of her leg. Hess, meanwhile, had spun up a ball of air and hurled it at the monster. I could not see from my position whether it was effective, but I heard the groaming rumble it made from the strike and a scrabble of claws. Hess quickly summoned her arrow to follow up, but before she could throw it, the beast had disappeared. ¡°¡¯Snails, that thing is fast,¡± Hess said, relaxing as her eyes traced the fleeing monster. ¡°It ran to the other side of the clearing before I could even blink. Didn¡¯t even touch the ground.¡± ¡°It¡¯s gone?¡± Jax asked as she came to her feet again. Blood was running down her leg from the huge hole that had been opened there, and she was running her fingers along the edges of it as it knit closed. Licking her lips in an obvious display of ecstasy, she stepped close to Hess and rested her hand at the small of her back, ¡±Ye did well, thinking to save the Master first. Faster than I.¡± ¡°No thanks necessary,¡± Hess said with a nervous laugh. Subtly stepping out of reach, she gave her a half-grin and added, ¡°He¡¯s the sexy healer, after all.¡± I chuckled as I came to my own feet, ¡°I think that of the three of us, I might be the least sexy here.¡± They shared a look. ¡°No need for false humility, Donum,¡± Hess said with a wink. ¡°Now, come on. Our treasure is running away, and I find that strangely offensive.¡± I flushed slightly as I watched her slink into the clearing. False humility? Really? Admittedly, I had not seen my own reflection in quite some time, but was I that handsome now? I was not even sure that I would be able to tell. ¡°Yes,¡± Jax whispered as she sidled up and began to trace her fingers along my chest, ¡°Ye be.¡± Now doubly embarrassed, I roughly cleared my throat and stepped around her, following the large woman. ¡°That is a biased opinion, if I¡¯ve ever heard one. But thank you, anyway.¡± ¡°Be an honest one,¡± Jax said, hurrying after me. ¡°And thank ye, yer ownself. Sexy, am I now?¡± I stumbled slightly at the reminder before shooting a glance back at her. She was sticking to me like glue now that we were in the monster¡¯s domain, and even as she flirted with me, she had her eyes on the branches above us. ¡°Yes, you are,¡± I replied, tearing my eyes away from the distracting jiggles that she had begun to sport. ¡°Honestly, you are one of the prettiest uh¡­ lilim that I¡¯ve ever met.¡± She was, too. Including Sherr Hess, the number of women that I had actually carried on an extended conversation with and were even close to really and truly attractive could have been counted on one hand. Jax might have been on the lower end of that scale, but she was definitely on it, whether she considered herself an actual woman or not. And the fact that every time I woke up, she was even prettier yet was starting to do things to me. ¡°Be the only lilim ye ever met,¡± she corrected, smiling up at me. ¡°Now start thinking with yer other brain. We got a monster to slay.¡± I took a calming breath at her words and nodded. Glancing down once more, I took in her still healing leg, ¡°Do you need me to refresh the spell?¡± ¡°Not yet,¡± she responded just as we came to the central tree. Hess was there, scanning the branches above while using the trunk as cover. ¡°Best to start on yer Varnish, though.¡± ¡°Right,¡± I replied. ¡°Hess? Do you want one, too?¡± She did not turn, keeping her eyes on the potential threat, ¡°Not much good to cast that on one arrow. Unless¡­¡± Running the edge of the weapon over her cheek in thought, she asked, ¡°Can you cast it on something else? So that I can scrape some onto the point?¡± ¡°It says that it has to be a natural or equipped weapon,¡± I explained, quickly rescanning the card. ¡°Could you do my fists, then?¡± she wondered. ¡°That might do several arrows.¡± I shrugged, ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± As I began wrestling with the spell again, Jax scooted close to Hess, ¡°Ye see it?¡± She shook her head, ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I¡¯m positive that I saw it run this way, though.¡± ¡°Do ye think it might have¡­¡± THOCK! ¡°Scatter!¡± Hess shouted, and Jax tackled me to the ground just as the tongue smashed into the trunk right where I had been standing. Bits of wood pulp peppered our bare skin from the impact. Cursing, Hess rolled to her feet, and quickly incanted something before clapping her hands together, sending a heavy wave of air thundering into the branches above us. As the tree rocked from the impact, the great lizard tumbled away, screeching its bass rumble, and thudded to the dirt below. ¡°Keep casting, Master,¡± Jax said before summoning her axe and sprinting for the downed reptile. Now that I could see the creature more clearly, it almost looked like a huge Dimetrodon what with its squat legs and those ribs on its back. However, its tail had a bit of a curl to it, rather like a chameleon, and its eyeless head had a big, wobbley hump on it. Following Jax¡¯s advice, I restarted my spell, shifting my target to Jax in the hopes of enhancing her weapon before she got there. I did not even bother to try to stand. However, the lizard regained its feet within moments, and somehow sensing Jax¡¯s approach, it turned to run. But not before slinging its furled tail at her. The heavy limb smashed into her with the force of a snapped chain at anchor, and she went down like a rag doll. ¡°¡¯Stoe sucking churl!¡± Hess shouted, as it scampered up a tree and vanished again. ¡°Come back here!¡± Running past her, I slid to a stop next to my downed lilim, ¡°Jax! Are you alright?¡± ¡°A-aye,¡± she gritted past her teeth, clutching her side. ¡°I th¡­ think I managed to roll with it a bit. Still got me ribs, though. I¡­ I be needing your touch fierce, Master.¡± ¡°Can you mend bones, too?¡± Hess asked, standing over me while she scanned the branches overhead. I nodded before I realized that she was not looking at me. ¡°I think so. Any wound is fine as long as it isn¡¯t poison or something. But the greater the wound, the greater the cost.¡± ¡°Do you have enough?¡± ¡°I should. Once or twice more,¡± I replied. ¡°With the converting we¡¯ve been doing, I¡¯ve stored up a lot, but this is going to be a big one.¡± She nodded absently, ¡°Then hurry. Before that thing comes back.¡± Sparing a glance for my companion, she smiled a bit, ¡°That was quite a blow to come away with just a cracked rib or two. How Tough are you now?¡± Jax squinted up at her from her position on my lap. ¡°It¡­ It be¡­¡± she started, but then my Renewal took hold and she clutched my hand to herself, holding it between her breasts as she curled around it. And gradually, as she gasped and quivered, the dent in her side smoothed out. Finally, her breathing eased, and she relaxed again. ¡°Twelve,¡± she panted. ¡°It be twelve.¡± Hess nodded, ¡°Good. That¡¯s adequate for a front-liner. But maybe stick to guarding Donum for this one. That¡¯s twice now it¡¯s attacked him, and I don¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°And twice I been got,¡± Jax complained before adding, ¡°Yer right, though. Unusual.¡± I shrugged as I once more regained my feet, ¡°Just a coincidence. My skill only protects me when I¡¯m still. The first time, none of us were, and the second, I was casting.¡± ¡°It don¡¯t work while yer casting?¡± Jax asked, surprised. ¡°I try to be quiet about it,¡± I said defensively. ¡°Usually, it isn¡¯t a problem, but I have a suspicion about this one¡­¡± THOCK! No one had to say anything that time. Jumping away like someone had just thrown a lit firecracker in our midst, we all of us cleared the area just as the tongue thudded to the dirt right where Jax had been sitting. ¡°Ha!¡± she crowed as she came to her feet again, for once uninjured. ¡°Tongue me fart-box, ye tit-faced wank-stain!¡± Chapter 51 - Good Enough The three of us were standing back to back in the largest open space of the clearing we could find, quietly scanning the branches above us. Our bare skin was caked in dirt, particularly in the myriad cuts and scrapes that had begun to accumulate. We had decided against my healing them for now. Such minor concerns could be dealt with when we were safe, and my Life was better spent on larger injuries. ¡°Any sign?¡± Hess whispered faintly. ¡°Shh!¡± Jax hissed in reply. Of the three of us, she was the only one that could even come close to detecting the lizard¡¯s approach. I had no idea how a creature that size was capable of something like that, but it was able to scamper through the branches overhead with insane speed and stealth. Abilities which it had been using to harry us for quite some time now. All it took was a moment of inattention, and the thing would be on you before you could blink, ready to grab you with its huge tongue. If it did not feel the need to announce its presence just before it struck, we would have been dead a dozen times over. It was that fact, combined with certain of its anatomical features that had clued me in as to what was going on. With no eyes and that big blob of fat on its head, it reminded me rather of a Beluga whale. Not that they were eyeless, of course, but I had heard that they had rather poor eyesight and fantastic hearing. So much so, that they were considered to have some of the best sonar amongst whales. Of course, that was only underwater, and they could do it by simply clicking their tongues. This critter, however¡­ Tock! We tensed briefly, but that had been off in the distance somewhere. There was another reason we were remaining quiet. While we were conversing, it could home in on us pretty well without having to thump the chest it carried on its back. Frankly, that fact had taken us an embarrassing amount of time to figure out. Jax tapped my leg. That was my cue. Quickly, I muttered the Words to ¡®Efficacy in the Gloom¡¯ under my breath, buffing my allies with a touch of much needed accuracy. With all the practice I had been putting in, the spell was getting easier. I no longer had to think about what the Words were, and within another day or so, I should be able to say them without stumbling over the syllables. Hess, meanwhile, scraped some of the Sap I had summoned from off of the back of her hand onto her arrowhead. That had been about five minutes ago, and the stuff had already begun to flake from drying out. I would need to re-Varnish her soon. Once it hardened, it might as well have been candle wax for all the good it would do. Jax tapped us again, pointing this time. It took me a handful of seconds to zero in on it. Even moving, it was hard to see, especially when it was in the upper branches. However, its eventual perch was quite obvious. There really was nowhere else it could attack us from than directly overhead. Not unless it drastically changed strategies, anyway. That was why we had picked this spot. Coming to a rest on the predicted branch, it paused for a moment, listening. To what, I had no idea. We were holding perfectly still. Our heartbeats, maybe? Then, seemingly satisfied, it swung its bulk soundlessly to the underside of the branch, and gripping with only its hind claws, it extended its mass downward. Slowly, it curled one of its middle arms in preparation of the herald of its attack. However, Hess had other ideas. Coiling herself like a spring, she leapt skyward. For a standing jump, it was impressive to the point of being inhuman. Her feet, at the apex of her ascent, could have cleared Jax¡¯s head twice over. And just before she crested her arc, she let the arrow fly. THOCK! The lizard thumped the box half a second before the arrow struck home, and the beast recoiled from the oncoming projectile, causing it to miss the hump of fat on its head. Instead, the arrow thudded into its neck, just missing its spine. But that was enough. Ultimately, it did not matter a great deal where it hit for the Sap to do its work. With a bellow of outrage, the lizard flung out its tongue in a wild swing, just catching Hess in the shoulder as she was coming down. The heavy blow deflected her momentum and she tumbled crazily through the air before coming down head first. She was a professional, though. At the last second, she flung out her arms and curled inward, just managing to roll with the impact. However, as she came upright again, I noticed that her shoulder was sporting a fresh rash of shiny new blood. Making a quick evaluation, I put it out of my mind. It was not bad enough that her own regeneration would not take care of it. Jax and I stood ready for a follow up attack, as it had occasionally done, but this time, it decided that another hasty retreat was in order. Still bellowing from the pain now emanating from its neck, it quickly scrabbled away, stumbling and frequently pausing to claw at its latest wound. ¡°¡¯Snails,¡± Hess swore as she regained her feet. ¡°I almost had it that time!¡± ¡°I just wish it¡¯d quit toying with us and come fight,¡± Jax growled. ¡°Blighter be strong enough to put up a good one. This running off business be bad form, says I.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an ambush predator,¡± I explained simply. ¡°It¡¯s not going to keep fighting once its attack fails.¡± ¡°Whatever happens, it needs to be soon,¡± Hess said, rolling her rapidly mending shoulder. Thanks to our earlier activities, she had enough juice to fuel the ability at full blast. ¡°Dark is coming on, and we can barely see it as it is.¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Jax scoffed. ¡°Once Master casts his spell, we¡¯ll see it straight off. In fact, it¡¯ll be even easier, because¡­¡± She trailed off, realization slowly dawning. My eyes went distant as I followed her train of thought. Here I was with a twelve in Wisdom, and I was still making stupid ass mistakes like this. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed out, ¡°Son of a bitch¡­¡± But then, I winced, glancing guiltily at Jax. She had cocked her hip and folded her arms under her breasts at my slip. Clicking softly in disdain, she muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll allow it.¡± It was a good while before the monster came back. By that point, it was well into the twilight hours, and we had worked furiously to prepare for its return, never really sure when it might show up to attack us again. However, it had taken so long to reappear that, not only had we finished, but I had needed to resort to intermittent castings of my visual highlights spell just to keep my endurance up. Ironically, it was a bit like my own version of sonar. Personally, I figured that the Sap was to blame for its delay. Each exchange we had made with the beast, over the course of the day, had resulted in at least a minor wound or two, usually on both sides, but that had been its first encounter with the painful substance. It would have needed some time to work it out of its system, and I had to imagine that it would be hesitant to suffer it again. And that was fine by us. Unlike the lizard, our tactics had been evolving with each skirmish, and its delay just meant that we had more time to plan. ¡°Are you sure this will work?¡± Hess asked as we finally caught sight of the beast. Cupping her hands to her mouth, she warbled softly in signal. ¡°Not even a little bit,¡± I admitted. In point of fact, I was fairly certain that this was going to get Jax killed, and if she were not technically immortal, I would never have considered it. Glancing up into the branches, I noted Jax¡¯s hand returning the signal from where she was lying in wait. ¡°She¡¯s in position.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Hess said as she began to loosen up. ¡°She¡¯s quite the climber, you know. Even I would¡¯ve had a hard time getting all the way up there that quickly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the claws,¡± I pointed out. ¡°And I¡¯m sure that new skill she picked up helps.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ Funny how she can do all that without having to do an incantation,¡± she mused. ¡°Now move away. And hush. It¡¯s coming.¡± Nodding, I lightly jogged toward the central tree and rested my back against the trunk. With any luck, it¡¯s echolocation would not be able to pick me out against the background, especially with the ¡®bait¡¯ in place. Meanwhile, Hess began casually walking in circles and singing tunelessly to herself, ¡°My host, his man, his name was Kell. A gentle man that I loved so well, but if he die by some mishap, then he shall lie under the tap.¡± She paused to sigh, ¡°¡¯Snails¡­ now I want a beer¡­¡± Smiling bemusedly as she pushed on to the next verse, I glanced skyward. The lizard was highlighted clearly now, thanks to my spell, and had paused rather high up in the branches of the tree above. In a flash, it soundlessly zipped around and down, treating the many limbs as a child might a familiar set of stairs. Halting every ten steps or so, as if to reassess, it eventually made its way directly over Hess. She was quite well aware of it, of course. Watching it carefully, she subtly shifting the lyrics, ¡°We interlope around your head, a giant rope made out of web. Now stand in place while we do trap your jiggly face, ¡®n give it¡­ a¡­¡± she paused, waiting for the beast to inch forward just a hair more. ¡°Slap!¡± At the word, Jax heaved for all she was worth, cinching the aforementioned rope around the chest of the creature, just under its first pair of arms. It reacted predictably. With a bellowed squawk, it thrashed furiously, trying to dislodge the thick bands that had suddenly encircled it. But before it could bring its claws to bear, we quickly moved to the second phase. ¡°Hold on, Jax!¡± I yelled, just as Hess completed her invocation. Thrusting her hands upward, she again produced a huge thunderclap of air, rocking the branches above with a brief gust of hurricane force wind. As soon as it hit, the distracted lizard came loose of its perch and sailed through the air before jerking to a stop when the rope pulled taut. Then, like a pendulum, it swung down again. The beast barely reacted as it dangled back and forth, apparently too stunned by the turn of events to figure out what to do. Unfortunately, the blast was too much for Jax to withstand. When it hit, her claws had dragged furrows through the bark of the tree, and she had blown free. Tracing her path through the air, I sprinted for her, hoping that the impact would not kill her outright. However, as she fell, she began giving off tracers of what looked like smoke, and somehow, her descent slowed. Slightly. Twisting in the air, she spread herself out wide just before impacting with the soil, and with a fwap, she face-planted. ¡°Jax!¡± I yelled, skidding to a stop just over her. Squatting down, I gently rolled her over, ¡°Jax, are you alright?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± she moaned, gritting her teeth. ¡°I think I popped me tits.¡± I coughed slightly, struggling not to laugh, ¡°They uh¡­ they look fine to me.¡± Cracking an eye open, she focused on me, ¡°Yeah?¡± Wiggling her chest a bit, she winced in pain, ¡°I think ye should check they¡¯s still attached.¡± ¡°Hurry up, you two!¡± Hess shouted from behind us. ¡°We still have a lizard to slaughter!¡± Jax sighed grumpily, ¡°Never a moment¡¯s rest.¡± Groaning, she staggered to her feet, still muttering under her breath, ¡°Here I be, just farted out of a tree, and now I gotta go skin a bloody¡­¡± Grinning, I went ahead and sent a heal her way, and she shivered slightly before continuing her mantra of complaints, if with a slight spring to her step. Actually killing the beast was a gruesome but comparatively quiet affair. Jax had simply run up to it while it was stunned and cut a gash into its crotch, right beneath the leg joint. It did not live long past that, and from the blood that gushed from the wound, I had little wonder as to why. Anatomy was anatomy no matter the weird fantasy dimension a person found themselves in. Then again, I had not run into anything like a Gelatinous Cube yet, for which I was thankful. Of course, the beast had still struggled valiantly for a little while, thrashing about with its tail and scrabbling with its claws. One of which had managed to catch my companion right in the hip before she could retreat, and I had been obliged, yet again, to help her close the wound. The result of which was that my tank was now back down to fumes. It had been some time since the last encounter with the beetles, and the fight with the lizard had been long if intermittent. ¡°What do you call one of these things, anyway?¡± I asked, mostly just to make conversation while we waited for its movements to cease. Idly, I rubbed at my now rumbling stomach. ¡°Meh,¡± Hess shrugged. ¡°The Dungeon throws together random, weird creatures like this all the time. I¡¯ve never bothered to name them. Although, I¡¯m sure someone out there has.¡± ¡°It be a Tit-faced Box Thumper,¡± Jax announced confidently. Hess and I glanced over at her. Standing there with her hands on hips, she seemed rather proud of the ridiculous, if apt, name that she had just made up. ¡°Good enough,¡± Hess shrugged, just as the monster in question gave its last twitch. ¡°Why don¡¯t you jump up there and cut it down? Then we¡¯ll see about this ¡®box¡¯.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± Jax nodded. Striding forward, she again began giving off what looked like tracers of smoke and leapt up to the now dead beast. With the new ability, she sailed upward much farther than she otherwise should have. ¡°How exactly is that skill supposed to work?¡± Hess asked while Jax climbed. ¡°I dunno,¡± she replied, digging her claws into flesh for purchase. ¡°She were saying something about¡­ ¡®converting me mass to shadow¡¯. Whatever it do, it makes me feel lighter so as I can jump higher and such.¡± Hess frowned, ¡°That¡¯s a weird pick, considering that all we asked for was something to help you deal with ranged combat.¡± ¡°It does, technically,¡± I answered for her defensively. ¡°If she¡¯s lighter, then it should help her run faster, jump higher, and be more maneuverable just in general. All useful for dodging projectiles and closing with ranged opponents. But I think that¡¯s just her class for you. She¡¯s a Tenebrous Warrior, after all, so shadow related skills are expected.¡± Then tilting my head up to address my lilim, I continued, ¡°You¡¯ll need to remember to turn it off before you hit something, though. Less weight means less damage.¡± ¡°Yes, Master,¡± she agreed affably from somewhere on the other side of the lizard. ¡°So she does have a class,¡± Hess said, turning to look at me for affirmation. ¡°She¡¯s not just a lilim, but specialized, as well?¡± I nodded, a little surprised by the question, ¡°Yes? Hadn¡¯t we mentioned that? Although, we only had the two options. It was either this or some sort of scout class. The ¡®tenebrous¡¯ bit got added on after the fact. No clue as to why.¡± ¡°How interesting,¡± she replied. ¡°I wonder¡­¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Master,¡± Jax called. She was now standing atop the ¡®Box Thumper¡¯ while holding the rope. Flashing her claws, she twanged the thread a few times ineffectively and looked down at me, ¡°I¡¯ll be needing some of yer¡­ fluid.¡± I decided to ignore the innuendo, despite Hess elbowing me in the shoulder repeatedly. One of us had to be the straight man, after all. Once the required effect was in place, Jax slowly began running her claws through the individual strands of the rope, burning them away until it finally snapped. With little fanfare, the beast collapsed to the ground in a heap, leaving Jax dangling from the rope. ¡°Well now,¡± Hess began as she circled the corpse. Squatting down, she gave the chest an experimental jiggle, but it was held fast by the bony protrusions emanating from the creature¡¯s back. ¡°How to go about this¡­¡± ¡°Could we nay convert it to Gem?¡± Jax asked before lightly dropping down atop the body. ¡°Maybe,¡± Hess mused, ¡°But I¡¯ve never seen something like this before, and I¡¯m worried that it might convert the chest along with it.¡± ¡°That would be quite the troll move,¡± I muttered under my breath. Then more loudly, I asked, ¡°Do you really think something like that would happen?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± she repeated. ¡°Either way, we¡¯d still need a Key to open it. And trying to find another one of those is about the last thing I want to do right now.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t ye what found the last one,¡± Jax grumped. ¡°Ye was sleeping as I recall. However¡­¡± she emphasized just as Hess began to defend herself, ¡°Fortunately for yer lazy bones, Master found two Keys in yon warren.¡± ¡°You did?¡± she asked, surprised. I nodded, ¡°Yeah, there was a uh¡­ riddle involved.¡± And a bit of mockery. I still had no idea what the punchline was, though. ¡°Alright then,¡± she said, smiling. Apparently, that had been explanation enough. Standing again, she motioned to Jax, ¡°Come on. Help me chop these bones loose.¡± Sighing, she summoned her axe to hand and dropped to the ground, ¡°Aye, hen. At least one of us gots a weapon what be useful.¡± ¡°You say that like it¡¯s my fault,¡± Hess returned. ¡°Now quit complaining and help me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have ye know that me complaints add a crucial bit of color to this trio! Be a core component to me personality!¡± she said, raising her chin slightly. ¡°I thought that incomprehensible swearing was the core of your personality,¡± I chimed in. She actually had the gall to look offended by the remark. Some time later, through vigorous applications of a sharp edge, chemical weakening, and sheer muscle, the two finally managed to free the chest, and it tumbled loose onto its side. ¡°We got it, Donum,¡± Hess called. Jogging back to rejoin them, I dumped my latest armload of branches into the pile I had been collecting. It was well and truly dark by that point, and I was both cold and hungry. I figured that with a bit of firewood, I could at least be warm and hungry. ¡°Excellent idea,¡± Hess said, taking note of my efforts. Then she glanced at Jax significantly, ¡°Would you mind?¡± ¡°What?¡± Jax protested. ¡°What about the treasure?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t very well see what¡¯s in it without a bit of light, can we?¡± Hess replied reasonably. ¡°Donum can cast his spell, though!¡± she persisted. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ kind of hard to tell what things are from just the outlines,¡± I admitted quietly. Jax firmed her lip in frustration, ¡°Ye do it then! Ye said yer ownself ye figured the doing of it!¡± ¡°I mean¡­ okay¡­¡± I nodded uncertainly. Casting about, I started muttering under my breath, ¡°Uh¡­ first, I guess I need to make some tinder¡­ somehow¡­¡± ¡°Bloody¡­¡± Jax threw up her arms, ¡°Fine! Couple of pooched reprobates, the lot of ye.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jax,¡± I said, trailing after her. I had a sense that she was genuinely feeling put upon. ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯re so much more experienced with this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know how,¡± Hess admitted. ¡°Not without a Runestarter, anyway.¡± I had no idea what that might be, but I had read enough fantasy novels to let my imagination fill in the blanks. However, Jax had plenty to say on the subject. ¡°Feh! Bloody things are for rich folk what ain¡¯t never lived a hard day in their lives. And they cost a fortune besides!¡± Pausing for a moment, she reconsidered, ¡°I suppose we could afford one now.¡± By that point, she had already carved out a fireboard and was well into whittling the point of a drill. Tossing me a short piece of wood, she commanded, ¡°Strip the bark.¡± And then a few seconds later, she glanced guiltily up at me, ¡°Please, Master.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I grinned and sat beside her, ¡°since you said the magic word¡­¡± Smiling a bit now, she leaned against my shoulder, ¡°Which word were that? Were it ¡®strip¡¯? Or maybe¡­¡± ¡°Please,¡± I answered quickly. ¡°The magic word is please.¡± Chuckling, Hess sat across from us and began snapping the larger branches into a more manageable size for the fire. ¡°It¡¯d be nice if the treasure had some clothes in it,¡± she began, seemingly at random. But then she continued, ¡°That way we could strip for real. Not that seeing the two of you running around naked isn¡¯t nice, but there¡¯s a lot to be said in peeling away the wrapping.¡± I sighed. I had met construction workers who talked about sex less often than these two. On the other hand, I literally had an aura that was constantly pumping them full of ideas, so I really only had myself to blame. ¡°Aye,¡± Jax agreed, ignoring me, ¡°I do miss watching the Master spring loose. Not that watching him flop about ain¡¯t welcome.¡± ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s enough,¡± I chided them gently, and they both tittered at my discomfort. Once the fire was lit, we set about rummaging through the chest. The Key that I had been given fit the lock perfectly, and like all the others we had seen, it vanished as soon as the latch popped open. I had to wonder whether that had been the plan all along, or if perhaps, there was another Key somewhere in this maze that was the actual intended one for this chest. Either way, we had no designs on going to find it unless we were forced to. I flinched a bit as Hess opened the lid, suddenly remembering what had happened the last time we had been in this situation. For some reason, none of us expected this chest to be trapped. Maybe the fact that we literally had to hack it loose from the body of our defeated foe had something to do with it, but it just did not occur to us until it was too late to even check. Fortunately, at least this once, reality decided to conform to our expectations. Holding an improvised torch aloft, Hess peered into the trunk for a moment before exclaiming, ¡°Oh! A knife!¡± Snatching the item, she waggled it in front of us. From my experience, I would have probably called it a dagger, especially considering its size. The blade of it, though sheathed in a conveniently included bit of leather complete with belt loops, was at least a hand long. And unlike the pair of Goblin daggers that we had discarded, it was wickedly sharp. ¡°Nice,¡± I nodded, suitably impressed. ¡°Is that another bound weapon?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± she replied quickly. ¡°Those are usually¡­ flashier. Still, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something interesting about it.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± Jax chimed in, ¡°Remember what mine were like when we found it? Just a bit of metal what turned into mine axe after we asked after it.¡± I remembered, all right. That had been an interesting revelation. Of course, the appearance of Hess¡¯ weapon had been decidedly less so. But then, I was assuming that had been something of a prank. A horrific one, but a prank nonetheless. Setting the knife down, she turned back to the chest and lifted out the next item. Or items, in this case. ¡°Arm guards,¡± she announced simply. Reaching out, I took them from her to look them over. They were made of a thick cloth, more like elbow-length gloves, with a plate of hardened leather along the back. However, they had no fingers. Instead, there was a simple loop to fit your middle finger through that was attached to a triangular bit of fabric than ran over top of your hand. This then widened out until it joined to the rest. From the design, it seemed like you could add an actual pair of gloves to them without much difficulty by simply slipping them over top. They were otherwise well-made and quite sturdy, if undecorated. Really, the only thing odd about them was that the stitching seemed a little unnecessarily complex. ¡°Aught else?¡± Jax asked, peering over Hess¡¯ shoulder. ¡°Mmm¡­ There¡¯s a mix of coins in here. Oh, here we go.¡± Standing again, she held up a small package in the palm of her hand. It looked like a wrapper for a piece of salt-water taffy. ¡°Looks like we found some pills.¡± ¡°Pills?¡± I asked curiously as she began to unwrap them. ¡°What sort of pills?¡± There were three of them, altogether. Virtually indistinguishable, they appeared to be some form of tightly compacted white powder that had been encased in a thin bit of wax. ¡°No idea,¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯m no Apothecary.¡± ¡°What do ye do with them?¡± Jax asked, lightly poking one of the pea-sized pellets with her claw. ¡°Don¡¯t break them open,¡± Hess said, hastily pulling them away. ¡°They¡¯re fragile. And you swallow them, of course. They¡¯re kind of like spells that only work on you. They can do lots of things, from healing you to making you fly. For a little while, anyway.¡± ¡°So you can buy these, I¡¯m assuming?¡± I asked. If apothecaries were a thing, then it seemed logical. She nodded, ¡°It¡¯s a fairly common profession. As I understand it, they have recipes like we have skills, and can only make what they buy the knowledge for. Mostly, they tend to specialize in medicines for common ailments. Regeneration. Bone Mending. That sort of thing. These are likely to be much less mundane.¡± That sounded like regular old potion making to me. Although, having to take the recipe as a skill was a new one. That meant that there would be no experimentation or sharing of recipes. Either they had what you were looking for or you would have to provide them with enough Power Gems to get to the next Layer. And then you would have to trust that they would take the recipe you were looking for. That would suck. On the other hand, from what I had seen of skills so far, I had to imagine that you could get some crazy-ass pill effects. ¡°Well, I suppose I should put them in my pouch for now. And the coins.¡± Glancing hopefully down into the distressingly vacant opening, I asked, ¡°Is there¡­ anything else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± she pronounced. ¡°Really? Not even a bolt of cloth?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± she shrugged. Then, with a bit of a smirk, she added, ¡°You¡¯re just going to have to dangle for a while longer.¡± I screwed up my mouth in frustration, and then furtively glancing at Jax, I swore anyway. Politely. ¡°Fudge.¡± We decided to let Jax have the arm guards for now, as she was less hardy than Hess. I was not sure how much good they would do her, but something is better than nothing. And nothing was something she had a whole lot of. Hess, meanwhile, received the knife. It was not an ideal choice, Hess being something less than a precision instrument at best, but it was better than trying to stab things with an arrow. Of course, she did not exactly have a good place to put the thing, and her attempts at incorporating it into her wrap were causing it to droop out of position. ¡°I dunno why ye bother,¡± Jax commented. She was currently engaged in roasting up some lizard haunch for the two of us, and while I was not keen on the idea, I was pretty hungry. It would be my first actual meal since we had been tossed into this place, and at that point, I had long since lost track of the days. ¡°Just make a belt out of it and be done with.¡± She glanced significantly at me, ¡°I¡­ couldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Why, Sherr Hess!¡± I grinned in surprise, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re shy?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jax added, sticking her own chest out proudly. ¡°Is yer nipples uneven?¡± ¡°No!¡± she exclaimed a little too loudly. Then more calmly, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I told you, they¡¯re quite small for my kind. I¡¯m a little¡­ embarrassed about it, is all.¡± Jax shook her head, ¡°To think I¡¯d see the day the woman what flashed a whole caravan of men and goblins besides were shamed of her body.¡± Hess¡¯ eyes widened dramatically, ¡°Are you¡­ did that¡­?¡± I cleared my throat, ¡°You were pretty drunk at the time.¡± ¡°Dead blootered,¡± Jax agreed with an air of finality, and I glanced at her in surprise. Blootered? I was going to have to remember that one! ¡°Donum, you have to promise me,¡± Hess leaned forward earnestly. ¡°Promise me that after you bind me, you¡¯ll never let me drink again!¡± ¡°Here now!¡± Jax cut in. ¡°Nothing wrong with a nip, here and there. Ye just have to watch yer take.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Look, either way, that sort of thing only really works when the person in question has the will to control themselves.¡± Not that I was any kind of expert on addiction, of course. But I had seen enough to know that no matter how much effort a person¡¯s friends or family put in, there was only so much they could do. If a person wanted a thing badly enough, they would find a way. ¡°But you can command me, right?¡± Hess asked. ¡°You can make me not drink.¡± I nodded hesitantly, before glancing at Jax for help, ¡°Yes. But, I think it takes a while for that sort of thing to feel¡­ absolute.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± Jax agreed. ¡°Took some time, that. Several weeks. ¡®Course, Master ain¡¯t one for given commands if he ain¡¯t gotta, so I dunno. Might be less if he really meant it.¡± Rubbing her arm dejectedly, Hess nodded, ¡°I¡­ suppose I can live with that.¡± We sat in silence for a little while after that before Hess looked back up at me. ¡°What Layer are you at, anyway? Are you getting close?¡± ¡°Ninth,¡± I admitted, smiling a bit. She sat up straight at the revelation, ¡°What? Ninth?! Then what are you waiting on? Fill up your core and sleep, so you can bind me!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no rush,¡± I shrugged. ¡°And besides, we haven¡¯t even found the exit yet.¡± She stared at me long and hard at that. Technically, that had not been a part of the deal, but she knew the implications well enough. We had no idea what, if anything, the binding would do to her, and if it impaired her combat ability, we would be stuck. Arguing otherwise would have been idiotic. ¡°I will not allow you through the exit without holding up your end of the bargain,¡± she pronounced finally. Then after a moment, her eyes softened a bit, ¡°No matter what else may have come between us.¡± I could not see why she seemed to be so serious about the matter. It was not like I was going to renege on her, even if I felt she was being far too hasty with it. I just hoped that it was everything she wanted it to be. ¡°At the exit, then,¡± I said with a nod. ¡°You have my word. Provided we¡¯re both alive by that point.¡± There was a moment of hesitation, as if she wanted to ask for a more binding oath, but eventually, she seemed to decide that was enough and sat back. ¡°At the exit,¡± she agreed before allowing a faint smile to cross her lips. ¡°I will look forward to it.¡± ¡°Meat¡¯s done,¡± Jax cut in, carrying a couple of cuts of it on the spike of her axe for the both of us. Walking up to Hess, she smiled, ¡°And relax, hen. I¡¯ve allowed ye to share of the Master. Ye shall be bound, sure as the rain falls.¡± So saying, she unceremoniously tossed Hess a huge chuck of the stuff, still rolling with grease and steaming from the fire, and with a smile of gratitude, she deftly caught it with the point of her knife. Swiveling on the ball of her foot, Jax made to hand me my own comparatively small but still large portion before grimacing and pulling it away again. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°I¡­ I just¡­¡± she hesitated, not wanting to make eye contact. ¡°I feel like I ain¡¯t done ye right. Making ye have to eat when I should¡¯ve provided.¡± I almost snorted in derision, but I held myself back. She was apparently just as serious about this as Hess had been, though I could not fathom why. These people¡­ ¡°We¡¯re not always going to have the luxury of¡­ feeding from our enemies,¡± I reasoned. ¡°And besides. You still cooked for me. From an enemy, even.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s¡­¡± she made a face, like she was nauseated by the very idea. ¡°It¡¯s not bad,¡± Hess assured us around a mouthful. ¡°Much better than that beetle was, anyway.¡± Not exactly a high bar¡­ Jax sighed in frustration, ¡°No, I mean¡­ It be¡­ food!¡± I nodded. Slowly. ¡°That ye gotta eat!¡± she elaborated, pulling her lips over her sharp teeth. ¡°Jax, I have personally watched you eat a whole can of spoiled¡­¡± ¡°Master!¡± she shouted before turning her head and retching loudly. Slapping a hand over her mouth, she stood trembling for a moment. Finally, she seemed to regain some control of herself and mumbled through her fingers, ¡°That were a long time ago.¡± I stared at her silently for a few moments, struck once again by how much she had changed since then. She had gone so long on her diet of nothing but emotions, harvested Life Energy, and¡­ well, sex, to put it bluntly, that she was actually horrified by the very idea of eating food. Or more specifically, my eating food. She did not seem to care in the slightest what Hess did. And now, the fact that I was having to do so, because she had failed to provide her own preferred¡­ sustenance was making her feel guilty. And apparently more than a little grossed out. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Jax. Really,¡± I assured her gently before reaching for the proffered hunk of meat, but I winched when my fingers touched it. It was still blazing hot from the fire. ¡°I uh¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t have a knife.¡± She looked at me uncertainly for a moment, ¡°Do ye want me to¡­ hold it fer ye? While ye¡­¡± She paled and looked away. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind?¡± She took a breath, clearly at war with herself. However, after a moment, she sat down next to me and held the chunk to my face. She refused to watch, though. Of course, it did not help that the meat in question was some kind of unidentified lizard beast. But it still smelled pretty good, so with a slight shrug, I took a smallish bite and began to chew experimentally. However, after a few moments, I frowned unhappily. ¡°Well?¡± Jax asked, glancing at me from out of the corner of her eye. ¡°What do ye think?¡± ¡°It uh¡­¡± I grimaced. I could not lie, of course. Not to her. So I went for diplomacy instead. ¡°It could use some salt.¡± For some reason, that remark made her positively ecstatic. Chapter 52 - The First Boundary It turned out that the ¡®Tit-Faced Box Thumper¡¯, as Jax had named it, only dropped a Grand Rank Two, which was too powerful for either Jax or me and a bit weak for Hess. She was not totally positive about it, however, Hess was of the opinion that it would have come out better had we decided not to eat some of it first. Apparently, it was something of a superstition, amongst Questers, that Gems reduce in quality if parts of the kill are missing. Probably made up by someone who was justifiably upset over the prospect of being made to eat random monsters, I assumed. In any case, there was no way to test the hypothesis without a second Thumper, and thankfully, they seemed to be in short supply. So, with our bellies full of bland lizard meat, we made light conversation while Jax and I filled our Cores with my dwindling supply of Minor Rank Ones. Surprisingly, despite the fact that consuming Gems was so pleasant for her, Jax did not take the opportunity to make a move. But then, she was rather sensitive to my moods, and we had been through a lot that day. My newest skill was maxed out, we were all exhausted, and frankly, I was still feeling well-used from the many times we had already fooled around. Instead, she simply snuggled close to me and rested her head atop my chest, listening to me breathe as I stared up at the shifting leaves, really only patches of darkness flickering past the stars above. ¡°Is it really okay to be out in the open like this, what with those beetles out there?¡± I asked, not really directing the question at anyone. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve taken out that lizard?¡± ¡°Hard to say,¡± Hess replied from somewhere off to my left. ¡°I don¡¯t know if they stayed away from fear or if there was a domain at work.¡± ¡°I nay think it were a domain,¡± Jax put in, sleepily. ¡°Yon beast could come and go as it pleased, well enough.¡± ¡°True,¡± Hess replied. ¡°But there are many kinds of domains. As I understand it, some can forbid certain things but not others and sometimes only in one direction. There are people that can tell, you know, if they pick the skills for it. I¡¯ve met a few who can read the signs or just feel it in different ways. It can be quite helpful.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bet,¡± I agreed absently. It certainly would be, too. Perhaps, one day, I might even fall in with some people with things like that. It would be a sight better than the rummage sale of a party I was currently running with, anyway. We got by, for sure, but we were hardly a well-oiled machine. On the other hand, I did have a warm length of softness plastered to my side at the moment. So there were upsides. ¡°I think I¡¯ll keep watch for a while,¡± Hess offered. ¡°Just in case. You two go ahead and sleep.¡± She did not have to ask twice. When I became aware, I was standing in the middle of a room. I had no recollection of arriving there, or coming awake, or anything like that. I was just aware and in a room, where before I was not. The walls were papered with a cheap-looking, yet pleasant wildlife pattern that you might find in an old gentleman¡¯s club. The kind where men went to smoke cigars and drink whiskey and escape from their wives. Not the other kind. Meanwhile, the ceiling was the popcorn acoustic affair that was so emblematic of residential homes some years ago, and the flooring was made up of well-polished, if slightly warped, dark wood paneling. From the furnishings, the room would best be described as homey. Lived-in, I suppose you would say. There was a couch, striped in random widths and mismatched colors, positioned in front of a decently sized television, with a still-steaming cup of tea sitting on the worn coffee table between them. The T.V. was off, though, and I could not see where the remote might be. Typical. Otherwise, besides the couch, there was a standing artisan¡¯s desk that an architect or some such might use and a comfortable looking recliner with black and white geometric patterns positioned next to a lightly stained wooden bookshelf. Curiously, the bookshelf only contained a single book. I left it alone. Altogether, the room looked to have been put together by an individual who cared a great deal for comfort and practicality over¡­ taste. To be sure, each individual piece in the room looked nice enough. It was just when you put them together¡­ Well, that couch with that chair? And then the wallpaper? Hells, the bookshelf was a different color of wood than the floor! It was jarring, to say the least. That said, there was certainly a theme. Bachelor. Decided and permanent bachelor. Except for the tea cup, of course. That, somehow, still managed to look out of place. It was a small and delicate thing. Dainty and floral. The kind of thing that I would never use, if only for fear of breaking it. Glancing over at the desk, I could tell that it had seen almost constant use. Besides the multitude of smudges and stains all over it, there were rulers, large draft crayons, bottles of ink in various fill levels and colors, and several rolled up sheafs of paper all cluttered and piled up next to one another. Besides that, there was an old CB radio set to one side that looked to have been smashed with a baseball bat. And from the wiring and the speaker carefully set to one side, it seemed to be in the process of being repaired. The current project, held in place by a few mismatched paperweights, was being conducted on another of the oversized pieces of paper. From the faint grid lines, not quite fully erased, it was as yet unfinished. However, there was a blue rectangle, filled in with crayon, and someone was in the process of free-handing a message in the center of it with very precise, professional lettering. Hmm¡­ Congratulations, yada yada¡­ I could not be bothered with the rest, as it seemed like a preliminary design for a greeting card, although it was rather plain. But then, it was clearly unfinished. So, I decided to withhold judgment. Curiously, just underneath the paper, there was a thick piece of cardboard held in place at the top with some masking tape. I thought, at first, that it was to prevent ink from bleeding through to the desk. However, when I lifted the bottom edge to look underneath ¡ª and I could not say why I thought to do so ¡ª there was a sizable hole in the middle of the desk. But the hole was¡­ empty. There was nothing there. There was no bottom of the desk, no floor. Nothing. Not even the blackness of space. Even when I reached my hand underneath and waved it around, I saw nothing. I could not even begin to describe it. Stranger still, when I squatted down to look from the other side, there was no hole. Now that I saw a clear need for the cardboard, I carefully replaced it, and lightly smoothed the paper back into place. It would not do to disturb another person¡¯s work. Seeing no other reason to stay there, I turned and made for the exit. It was a simple, white interior door with a handle latch that turned and opened silently, barely disturbing the air. The hallway beyond it extended a short way to a set of double doors on the far side. Meanwhile, there were two other smaller ones set in each wall, all closed. The wood paneling continued into the hallway, although there was a long and well-trodden rug that had been unrolled over top of it. It had been green at one point. The wallpaper had stopped at the door, and now the walls were a simple, painted off-white with a number of framed smallish paintings placed at odd and haphazard intervals. They were all familiar, too. I knew each of these paintings, though I could not recall their titles nor who might have painted them. One interesting example was late-Romantic affair set high on the right wall. It depicted a storm at sea and a ship on the verge of sinking. The main focus of the painting, however, was of a half-stripped man being gleefully dragged under the waves as he was passionately embraced by a nude woman. It was rather lurid, actually, and though I liked it, I would not feel comfortable keeping it in my house. What would people think? Taking a closer look, I decided that they must have been prints, and dismissing them as simple decoration, I paid them no other mind. Opening the door to the left, for no particular reason, I discovered a lovely little greenhouse. The glass surrounding the room was frosted, so as to obscure the view from anyone who might peer in. However, it was dark outside at the moment, so there was nothing to see, anyway. The room itself was home to a number of bonsai trees of various sizes and description, as well as several unused decorative pots, clippers, and other miscellaneous odds and ends for gardening. Some of the trees were on little wooden tables, others on shelves, and still others were resting on the floor. Although, those seemed to be having something of a root problem, as they had spilled over the edges of their pots and were now creeping down and through the floorboards. Each of them had a little brass label set into the pot, as if the gardener had decided to name them. And they had very strange names, like those you might give a race horse. By far, the largest of them was positioned in the center of the room. It even had a couple of large branches extending off of it, and they also had labels, attached like little sign boards swinging below them. It was cute in a quaint sort of way. Clearly, a lot of care had been put into this room. Glancing around, I discovered a watering can off to one side, and as the trees seemed to be rather dry at the moment, I figured that I would help out the, as yet, missing owner of this place. Starting with a couple of the newest additions, as I knew that fresh plantings were always the thirstiest, I moved around the room until I came to one of the larger specimens. However, after watering that one, the can ran out, and there did not seem to be anywhere to refill it from. How unfortunate. I had barely gotten to a third of them. Setting the can down where I had found it, I set off in search of a restroom or some such, resolving to return once I had found some water. The doorway on the other side of the hall, however, was not the bathroom I had been expecting. That portal opened to something that looked like a science experiment right out of a steampunk setting. It was a large room, undecorated and unfurnished save for a pair of pedestals. The first, situated in the center of the room, was about waist height, and featured a number of brass pipes, seemingly random and unlabeled valves, and needle indicators. What it was all meant to measure, I could not say, however atop the pedestal was a glowing ball, kept in hovering suspension just a few inches above it. Interestingly, the brightness of it seemed to be relative to my presence, as it began to shine brilliantly the closer I approached it. I could not say why, but I had the impression that it was happy I was there. The second pedestal looked to be in the process of being constructed, as there were several tubes and dials on the floor next to it and an open toolbox off to one side. For a moment, I considered trying to help out, but then I realized that I did not have the faintest idea what to do. So I left it alone. Glancing about, there did not seem to be anything else of interest in the room, so with a shrug I turned about to leave. However, as I made my way to the door, the little glowing ball seemed to warble plaintively, as if it were disappointed that I was leaving so soon. Smiling, I paced back to it and gently stroked my fingers over its top as if I were petting a puppy. It fairly trilled with the attention. Alright, little thing. I need to go find some water now. Behave yourself! Exiting the room, I turned right and went to the double doors at the end of the hall. These were a bit fancier than the rest. Made of a natural, dark wood, they were polished to a shine and set with a pair of reflective brass latch-knobs set in opposition to one another. Grasping the right-hand knob, I twisted it open to reveal a dark room, unlit save for a single lamp set directly over a small table. Carefully approaching, so as not to trip over anything unseen, I found the light directed at a large open book. And most curiously, words were appearing there. Watching closely, as the final bit of space was filled in, the page turned of its own accord, and the writing continued unperturbed and uninterrupted. Stranger still, the words there seemed to be describing everything that was happening as they were happening. From my own point of view. However, this was clearly not my handwriting. I honestly could not make heads or tails of it. Curious now, I flipped to the beginning of the book. The text there began with ¡®Below me spread a vast world of oceans¡­¡¯ and it continued, as if a narrative about my life in some sort of fantasy world. Bemused, I returned to the current page, which had since updated with my activities of the last few moments. However, there, the narrative changed. It was as if there now appeared a message. Just for me. It read: Sometimes, what defines us is not the paths we take, nor the people we meet, nor even the decisions we have made. Sometimes, what defines us are the paths NOT taken. In this life, for all that you are, what are you not? After that, the writing continued, detailing my thoughts as I considered the question. Blinking a few times in confusion at this turn of events, the book then directed me to look to the side where I might find an old-fashioned quill and ink, faintly illuminated at the edge of the light. And indeed, there it was. I was not certain if it had always been there, unnoticed, or if it had appeared just now. In any case, I understood now. I was supposed to write my reply. But what to write? It was such a vague question. There were many things I was not. A dog. A hairbrush. Successful. The list was too long to even begin enumerating. So, with a shrug, I took the quill and dipped it into the inkwell beside it. I had never used one before, so the result was a bit sloppy. Nevertheless, in my own terrible handwriting, I scratched the words: Returning the quill to its resting place, I looked over my own addition. I was happy with the ¡®A¡¯, as it looked fanciful, but the rest looked like a kindergartner had written it. Then, rereading the last few lines, I frowned. Damned book is giving me lip! Terrible handwriting? Like a kindergartner?! I mean¡­ it was accurate, but still! Sighing, I reconsidered my answer, and nodded in satisfaction. Of all the things not to be, a slaver was pretty high on my list. Although, now that I thought about it, perhaps I should have said ¡®murderer¡¯? That would have been a little better, most likely, but it was in ink, so there was no erasing it now. Seeing as there was nothing else for it, I turned to exit the room. I still needed to find some water, after all. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. My eyes popped open suddenly. It was still dark out. And perhaps because of that, the dream was more clear and present than any that I had ever had. Yet, in counter to the clarity of its memory, the whole thing had been so vague. There had been a floating quality to it, particularly in my own state of mind, but that was nothing unusual for dreams. I had experienced many in a similar vein, after all. Like suddenly realizing that I was late to an exam that I was completely unaware of, only to wake up and realize that I had graduated years ago. Frankly, I blamed my upcoming Boundary Trial. Stress always made for weird dreams.
Congratulations! You have achieved the First Boundary. Make your choices wisely!
Oh¡­ Choices, huh? Okay. I guess this is happening now then. I was not sure that I was mentally prepared for this just yet, and not for the first time, I wished for a cup of steaming coffee. And maybe a half hour to myself. But it was not to be. So, blinking the remaining sleep from my eyes, I gave my head a quick shake to clear out the cobwebs. Still, it was odd. The message seemed similar to something I had seen during the dream. In fact, I was pretty sure that¡­
Your Class is ready to evolve! How would you like to progress?
Oof. Uh¡­ wow, that¡¯s¡­ a pretty big question. And open-ended. Unsurprisingly. Still, there was a lot to think about. Like¡­ what even could my class evolve into? Well, whatever I picked, I definitely wanted something that would let me shoot some¡­ ¡°Wait, what?¡± I said aloud, as a new message appeared before me. ¡°But I didn¡¯t say anything!¡± Hess¡¯ ever-present snoring halted briefly at my outburst before settling back into an easy slumbered breathing. It was then that I realized that her arms were once again encircling me in a death-grip. And we seemed to be tied to a tree branch with the rope web. However, I only paid that scant attention, as I was quite engrossed in reading the latest pop-up.
Your Class has been changed to [Lilim¡¯s Chosen]! You are the Embodiment of the Ideal for your Lilim. Whether through Loyalty, Devotion, or simple Love, they will follow you forever. You have sacrificed your ability to [Command]. To compensate, your ability to [Persuade] your Lilim has been greatly reinforced. Further, expanding your influence will provide a similar, if reduced, bonus upon those under it. Loyalty gains increase more quickly from all sources. Once per day, you may elect to sacrifice your remaining Life Energy Pool to revive a single Lilim. Caution: This will render you immediately unconscious.
The Embodiment of¡­ Squeaking in the back of my throat, my face flashed red at that line. Watcher¡¯s hairy ass! That¡¯s not what I wanted to be at all, you stupid¡­ Aaargh! How hard was it to grasp the idea of a wizard chucking fireballs while his summoned minions harry and run interference? Even a damned Necromancer would be better than this! Still, Chosen was a little better sounding than Trainer. A little. And the bonuses seemed¡­ okay. Well, one of them did. That one about reviving fallen lilim. That had the potential to be life saving, even if I fell unconscious because of it. And sacrificing Command for Persuasion was a change that I was quite relieved to see. Although, functionally, they both pointed towards me getting my own way, at least Persuasion sounded less absolute. Having an air of politeness and dignity about things made the whole affair feel much less creepy. But the fact remained that this was not at all¡­
Congratulations! You have gained an additional Lilim Slot! Please choose your First Lilim. [Lilim: Jax] [n/a]
Uhb¡­ uhm¡­ O-okay. Right. That. This one was long expected, of course. The additional slot had been a topic of much discussion, and I was sure that Hess would be glad that things had progressed, at least in this regard, as promised. As for my First Lilim, that was a bit of a non-choice and a position that Jax had long claimed. So, with a mental shrug, my finger reached forward to select her, but before I had moved an inch, the next pop-up came.
You have selected [Lilim: Jax]. As your First Lilim, [Lilim: Jax] will act as your most loyal servant, head of your Lilim, and your assistant in all matters related to bringing the newly bound into the fold. This designation may be changed at any time, at your discretion. [Lilim: Jax] has gained the temporary ability [The First¡¯s Presence].
Okay, again, I didn¡¯t actually choose anything? Not that it really mattered this time. Briefly reading through the message, the position sounded much as I had expected, not that I particularly liked the Lady referring to her as my servant. Then again, I did let her call me Master all the time, so perhaps I had it coming. Also, interestingly, it read as if I was able to swap out the choice in the future, if I wanted. Jax would be livid when she heard that. Alright, so what is this new ability?
The First¡¯s Presence Your First Lilim¡¯s physical presence is greatly affected by your influence such that those under it will feel drawn to her. This ability scales only through your influence level, and no levels may be gained in it.
Hmm¡­ that¡¯s kind of interesting. Time would tell what exactly the ability would do, but it sounded like some kind of leadership thing. And that tracked with her being the ¡®head¡¯ of my lilim, so that was fine. Not super useful in combat though.
What are your three most important skills?
I blinked a few times as the latest message interrupted my thoughts. Oh, man¡­ that¡¯s¡­ Wow, uh¡­ Well, I would have say that probably¡­
You have selected: The Hammer of Glory Lust Transfer Renewal of Consumption Are you certain of your choices? [Yes | No]
¡°What?!¡± I shouted, startling Hess awake finally. ¡°Huh?¡± she muttered drowsily. ¡°Donum, what are¡­¡± ¡°NO!¡± I shouted hurriedly, not sparing the time to answer her, ¡°I am absolutely not certain of my choices!¡±
Congratulations! Your selected abilities have been upgraded!
¡°Fucking no!¡± I shouted, starting to panic. ¡°Stop! Go back!¡± ¡°Donum, what¡¯s going on?¡± Hess asked in concern. ¡°Why are you shouting?¡±
The Hammer of Glory [Mark II] With any physical contact, you may use your magical will to channel your influence upon a subject. Subject will experience either happiness, comfort, or enhanced pleasure at your discretion on contact. Intensity of sensation, endurance cost, and phallic recovery improve with skill level. Caution: If the subject is not bound to you, they may choose to resist this influence.
Lust Transfer [Mark II] Active Summoner Ability. Allows the user to transfer some or all of [Emotional Ailment: Lust] to one or more active summons at a Reduced intensity. Summon may now elect to instead Magnify and pass Ailment to nearby target. Ailment resistible as per normal. Activation at will. Skill level affects Magnification or Reduction once transferred.
Renewal of Consumption [Mark II] Spell will induce a temporary regeneration buff on target at the cost of Life Energy. Alternately, spell may be cast as an Armament Buff. On a successful hit, Life Energy cost will be taken from victim¡¯s Life Pool. Magnitude is determined by amount of Life Energy consumed. Duration increases with skill level.
¡°What the fuck?!¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t¡­ all bad, Master,¡± Jax said, stroking my back as she hugged me to her shoulder. My fit of rage had finally woken her up, as well. At first, she had been rather irate herself, but for the totally unrelated reason that Hess had carelessly tied her to the end of the rope and left her dangling beneath us when she had fallen off the branch during the night. Hess had thought it was funny. Rope burns and all. However, Jax¡¯s irritation had been quickly discarded once my own incoherent ranting finally allowed for a semblance of meaning to seep through. And now, she was busy consoling me. ¡°It could be a lot worse, and besides, yer heal sounds useful.¡± ¡°Yes, my heal sounds useful,¡± I retorted. ¡°And that¡¯s what makes it so bad! Imagine if I had been allowed to pick some actual good skills!¡± ¡°I quite like The Hammer¡­¡± Hess muttered, but she wilted a bit at my glare. ¡°I nay understand how this could have happened,¡± Jax said, pulling my attention back to her. ¡°Take a breath. Calm yerself. Explain it again.¡± Sitting back, I sighed, ¡°Look, I told you. There was this dream¡­¡± I paused, distracted by something, ¡°What happened to your eyes?¡± ¡°What?¡± she replied, worriedly putting her hands to her face. But then she stopped uncertainly, realizing that she could not see them herself. ¡°What be wrong with them?¡± I frowned. Whatever I had seen was gone now. There had been some sort of light, but it was not there anymore. Leaning forward, I looked at them closely, and she naturally pulled away, tilting her head slightly in the process. ¡°There it is again! It¡¯s like¡­ I think your eyes have become¡­ reflective somehow?¡± ¡°Reflective?¡± I nodded, ¡°Yes, they seem to flash a bit. When you angle them to the light correctly. Actually, now that I look, they have a bit of a shimmer to them.¡± ¡°Do it¡­¡± she hesitated. ¡°Do ye think they look nice?¡± ¡°Who cares?¡± Hess cut in. ¡°I think this dream business is more important right now. What did you mean when you said that you didn¡¯t have control of yourself?¡± I glanced back at her briefly, annoyed. But she was right. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly it. It was more like the typical kind of crap that happens in dreams. Where you¡¯re yourself, but you don¡¯t have access to all of the memories you would normally have?¡± She stared at me blankly and shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anything like that.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked and turned to look back at Jax. She looked just as mystified. ¡°Neither of you have ever had a dream where¡­ I don¡¯t know. Like you suddenly remember that you need to be somewhere? But then you wake up and realize that that time of your life is long past?¡± They both shook their heads in confusion. ¡°Huh¡­ I thought that was pretty common,¡± I muttered softly. Then looking back at Hess, I went on, ¡°Well, anyway, in the dream, I wasn¡¯t aware of the fact that¡­ I had met either of you or that I had a Class or any of it. I just¡­ sort of waded through it in a fog.¡± ¡°Seems like a bloody sordid way of running a trial,¡± Jax growled. ¡°But why would She have asked you to make choices later?¡± Hess asked. ¡°Especially once you had already made them in this dream of yours?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± I replied, splaying my hands in the air. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if the dream had anything to do with it! And as usual, She is mum on the subject. Damn it all¡­¡± Jax frowned unhappily, but she held her tongue. Sometimes a good swear or two helps, after all. Sighing into the silence, I had a thought. ¡°Hess, you¡¯ve been through this before. What were yours like?¡± ¡°Oh, uh¡­¡± she blushed slightly, taken aback. ¡°I¡¯d really¡­¡± Clearing her throat, she glanced at me furtively before going on, ¡°I was given a task to complete. On the first one, anyway. I had to win a drinking game. Against the whole pub. I was nineteen at the time.¡± ¡°Impressive,¡± Jax nodded genuinely. ¡°It uh¡­ took me a year to complete,¡± she finished. ¡°Believe it or not, I used to be quite the lightweight. I earned quite the reputation that year.¡± Wow¡­ ¡°Okay, then. I guess¡­ it could have been a lot worse. It seems like you didn¡¯t have any choice, either.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I had a few choices,¡± she admitted. ¡°My Class, at the time, was just Tramp. I decided that I would rather be a Hedonist than a Thief. Or worse.¡± ¡°I can respect that,¡± I replied honestly. I would even bet that her other options would have been easier to complete, too. Dark paths usually were. Hess gave me a slight smile in return before slapping my shoulder roughly, ¡°Chin up. You¡¯re no worse off than before.¡± ¡°Better than before,¡± Jax corrected. Wrapping her arms back around me from behind, she began nuzzling at my ear, ¡°Much better than before¡­¡± Hess¡¯ eyebrow quirked up slightly, ¡°What did you say that your Class is called now?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Lilim¡¯s Chosen,¡± I replied, slightly distracted by the sensuous panting that was picking up next to my face. ¡°Mmm¡­ that¡¯s really¡­¡± she turned her head slightly, trying not to look at the display. But failing. ¡°What uh¡­ What is it supposed to¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not totally sure,¡± I replied honestly, as Jax¡¯s fingers began to run through my hair. ¡°She said something about¡­ uh¡­ being the uh¡­¡± I clicked my tongue, ¡°Do you know? I¡¯d really rather not say.¡± ¡°Master?¡± Jax breathed. ¡°Ye smell really nice. Did I never tell ye?¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± Hess swallowed once before licking her lips. ¡°I think I¡¯m getting the idea¡­¡± Chapter 53 - A Powerful Thing In life, one often runs across situations unprepared for. Questions unasked. Answers unquestioned. One of those is the query: Is it possible to have a threesome in a tree? The answer to that is, yes. It is. Just. And to elaborate, I will say that rope helps. Recommended, potentially, for the thrill seeker, but not to my taste. And if I did not have a skill, at Mark II no less, to help keep things going, then I would never have even attempted it. Nor, after having finished, was I keen on repeating the experience. Bark chafes. And that is all that I will say on the matter. Safely on the ground, I began going over my Status page while the others were collecting the rope. It was sturdy, lightweight, and we had spent quite a while in making it. One way or another, it was coming with us. There is a reason it is part of the standard kit, after all.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim¡¯s Chosen Core Layer: S1:1
Strength: 5 Agility: 5 Toughness: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 13 Charisma: 12 Manic Force: 11 Manic Breadth: 13
Lilim Slots: 2 *Jax: Loyalty: 99% Gain: [Donum <¡ª 50|50 ¡ª> Jax]
4 Stat Points available. 1 Skill Points available.
I nodded sagely, stroking my scraggly beard. At first glance, everything seemed in order. Or at least, nothing seemed particularly unexpected. My Class had changed, of course, and my stats were proceeding as normal. Both of the Manic attributes were steadily increasing, apparently at a rate of one per Layer, though there had to be more to them than that. Otherwise, they would both be the same. Then, there was my newest slot. It had been a long time in coming. Seemingly ages. And now that it was here, I began sporting a little smile of self-satisfaction. The one that I always got when I achieved something particularly difficult. The only thing now was to fill it with Hess. I could practically feel her pulling at me. Her name needed to be there. She wanted it. With an effort, I pulled my eyes away from that word. Unfilled. And I took a calming breath. Just be patient. We needed to find the exit first. Then we could gamble with potentially disrupting her Core. I was not sure what that implied, of course, but I knew that my lilim could not have a greater Layer than my own. And Hess certainly had that problem. At a minimum, she would be rendered unconscious until I caught up with her, and that would be disastrous to say the least. Speaking of Layers, mine was currently listed as S1:1. I assumed that meant ¡®First Layer of the First Stratum¡¯, but then¡­ wait¡­ ¡°Hess?¡± I called questioningly. She and Jax had finished detaching the rope from the tree and were wrapping it into a tight coil over her shoulder. The two of them glanced over at me. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that there are ten Layers to the Stratum?¡± I asked. ¡°Uh¡­ Sort of,¡± she returned. ¡°There¡¯s nine and then the Boundary is considered the tenth.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ but, I thought I was at the Boundary now? Why is my Core Layer in the First Stratum?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯ve passed it, already,¡± she replied. ¡°In that dream of yours, I assume.¡± I blinked in confusion, ¡°So¡­ wait. Are you saying that I don¡¯t have to eat any Gems to get through it? And do I not get any stats for that? Because I¡¯m only seeing what I should have for the one Layer.¡± She stared at me for a moment before nodding, ¡°Right. I forgot that you ¡®see¡¯ the Lady¡¯s words. I wonder if that¡¯s a human thing¡­ Mm¡­ but to answer your question, no. No Gems. Once you pass the trial, you are through it. And the reward varies. You should have gotten something for crossing the Boundary, right?¡± My mouth twitched. ¡°Technically.¡± She shrugged, ¡°There you go.¡± I sighed. I supposed, if pressed, that I would have to agree that obtaining a few skill upgrades and some new abilities made up for the stat increases. It was just the way things had gone down that was so irksome. If I did not know better, I would have said that it was a bug. But how do goddesses have bugs? Unless¡­ maybe she had not been paying attention? Heh¡­ that would be just precisely my luck. And much like my old world, there was no complaint department.
You Quest has been updated! Travel to the Stele of the Fourth Creation, and place your palm thereupon. One Question may be asked. One Answer may be given. Time limit: At your earliest possible convenience Reward: Improved with haste
Oh, yeah¡­ I had almost forgotten about that thing. Scanning through the message quickly, it appeared to be the same as I remembered, save for the time limit. I was pretty sure that there had not been one before, but the last time I had looked at this, my memory had not been quite as robust. Still, technically, ¡®at your earliest possible convenience¡¯ was not a time limit. More a suggestion to be quick about things. Someone is getting impatient. It was not as if I were being intentionally slow about things, though. I had been trying to complete the quest when I had been ceremoniously tossed into this place, and the Dungeon took time to work through. Although, I supposed that, if pressed, I might concede that things had bogged down recently. For various reasons. Glancing up again, I noticed one of those reasons padding her way toward me now. Jax had begun to adopt a sway to her step that I found quite appealing, though I was not sure if it was natural or if she was only doing it because I was watching. Not that it mattered. Stopping just in front of me, she reached up and gently cupped my cheeks, ¡°Be not so displeased, Master. If only ye could see with mine eyes, ye¡¯d know what ye¡¯ve gained.¡± I blinked. Oh, right. I had been upset about the Boundary trial going bonkers on me, and now she was consoling me. Like a girlfriend¡­ The thought came with a slight fuzzy warmth in my chest. Chuckling ruefully, I reached up to encircle her hand in mine, ¡°Thank you for saying so, but that¡¯s just a Class feature, Jax. I¡¯m¡­¡± Pausing, I cast an uncomfortable glance at Hess, loathe to confess such an embarrassing detail. Lowering my voice to a whisper, I admitted, ¡°I¡¯m supposed to ¡®embody the ideal¡¯ now. For my lilim, anyway.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± she agreed, her new eyes shining a bit even in the faint starlight of the predawn. ¡°I¡¯d agree to that. Heartily. Be that such a bad thing?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ sort of?¡± I argued. ¡°Everyone¡¯s ideal should be a very personal thing, right? I wouldn¡¯t want it imposed on me.¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t so bad as that,¡± she shot back. ¡°Look at it like this. Consider that the one ye¡­ ye cared for. That she weren¡¯t yer ideal. Then, one day, ye went to sleep, and the next morning she were! Would that nay be grand?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I suppose so,¡± I relented. I had caught that little hesitation. There had been a lot of unspoken emotion there, between what she had said. And what she had not. I might not have been an empath, but I could see her eyes. Feel the little tremors in our connection. I was not certain what it was, but I felt like she needed something from me. And somehow I was supposed to intuit what that was supposed to be? Unfortunately, that sort of intuition had always been my greatest weakness. I was just lucky to have gotten that far. So, with no path forward, I pretended I had not noticed. ¡°In that specific case, it would be okay.¡± Then smiling a bit, I added, ¡°You know¡­ you¡¯ve been steadily working on that, yourself.¡± ¡°Really?¡± That one word contained such hopeful energy. It was almost like saying the word ¡®walkies¡¯ to a pet dog, but that was a terrible analogy. There was far too much sex appeal involved. She sucked in a breath, ¡°Oh, Master¡­ Already? We just finished not a handful of minutes ago.¡± She licked her lips enticingly, her body language clearly at odds with her words. I cleared my throat, ¡°Sorry. When my skill evolved, I think it affected my recovery time.¡± ¡°Nay be sorry for that,¡± she grinned. ¡°Ne¡¯er be sorry for that!¡± A few minutes later, the three of us had convened atop the fungal steps ringing the central tree, staring at the black doorway. And a doorway it was. From below, it had seemed like a large hole in the tree, as if from a rotted out branch, but now that we were here, it was clearly a pitch black and quite solid door. Unfortunately, there was no doorknob nor even any hinges in sight. The only thing that stood out was a knot off to one side with what looked like a vertical coin slot set in it. ¡°What now?¡± Jax asked. Shrugging, I did the natural thing and took a piece of silver from my pouch. But it was too wide to fit. ¡°Why did you think that would work?¡± Hess asked with a perplexed look. ¡°Well, I mean¡­ it looked like a¡­¡± I stammered before giving up. Sighing, I said, ¡°Never mind. What do we have that¡¯s thinner than a coin?¡± ¡°There¡¯s this,¡± Hess offered, pulling her knife from the sheath she had nestled in the hollow her wrap made between her breasts. Stepping around me, she slipped the blade smoothly into the slot. It fit perfectly. The corner of my lip twitched. Naturally. We had gotten the knife from the chest on the Thumper¡¯s back, after all. It was proof that we had killed it. Very clear and obvious Dungeon logic. And as soon as the hilt of it sank home, there was a click, and the door creaked open¡­ to a very familiar looking field. ¡°No way,¡± I breathed. Poking my head through, I could faintly see the burned town off in the distance and the graveyard off to the right. From the looks of things, we were coming out on the opposite side of where we had entered, but it was very definitely the same field we had left just a few days ago. ¡°How is this possible?¡± I asked. Hess shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s a common enough maze design. You have to go in to get out.¡± That did not even begin to make sense, her blase attitude not withstanding. Of course, I could just wave my hand and put it off to ¡®magic¡¯, or some other horse shit. That was not a real explanation, though. ¡®Magic¡¯ was just a word people said when what they really meant was ¡®fuck if I know¡¯. Then again, that was literally the case, so¡­ magic? Experimentally, Hess pulled the knife free, and we watched as the door slowly closed again. ¡°Looks like this is one-way,¡± she pronounced. ¡°Unless I leave the knife.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we be needing to come to this place again,¡± Jax opined. Then glancing up at me, she asked, ¡°Lest ye think there be aught we missed?¡± I shook my head, ¡°Nah. If we really need to, we can get back in from the other side, right? No reason to leave a perfectly good weapon if we don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°Good enough for me,¡± Hess said, opening the door again. Then gesturing to the portal, she said, ¡°After you. I¡¯ll follow behind.¡± Nodding, we stepped through. I do not know why, but for some reason I felt that the moment should have had a touch of gravitas. Like passing through a Stargate or something. But no. It was just like walking through any door would be. You know¡­ if it were a common thing for a door set in the upper branches of an isolated tree in the middle of a maze to lead to a field. At ground level. ¡°I feel like we be getting close, Master,¡± Jax said excitedly, completely missing the mood. ¡°Don¡¯t ye think?¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I tilted my head consideringly, ¡°Maybe.¡± Turning to face the town, we could see the rooftops there, just beginning to be highlighted by the rays of the rising sun. ¡°There¡¯s the monster to contend with, still. Assuming it didn¡¯t die in the fire. After that, I couldn¡¯t say.¡± Then what I had just seen clicked. The sun was coming up. Spinning around, I saw Hess jerk to a stop, taken aback by my sudden attention, just as the door settled closed behind her. ¡°Chebs¡­¡± I growled. Then, without a second of hesitation, I took off toward the town, sprinting for all I was worth. ¡°Run! Scarecrows coming! Run now!¡± ¡°Ah, boil me!¡± Jax shouted, quickly catching up to me. ¡°I forgot about them blighters!¡± ¡°Less talking!¡± Hess said a moment later, snatching the pair of us up and tucking us under her arms. ¡°Donum! Speed!¡± ¡°Right!¡± Slapping my hand to her flesh, I channeled raw pleasure into her. ¡°Oh, ¡®Stits¡­ Donum!¡± she shouted as she began to tear through the tall grass like a rocket. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Jax hooted with joy, as streamers of shadow began to bleed off of her, lightening the load even further. ¡°Hess, ya roast! I nay can believe ye¡¯d ever be caught blubbering in self-pity when ye can do shite like this!¡± She did not reply beyond her exultations of delight. But she was smiling. Of course, then the scarecrows started popping up¡­ Fortunately, they did not all appear in unison, or else we would have been toast. It was more of a haphazard, random sprouting that afforded Hess the dubious luxury of charting a circuitous path through them. Which is not to say that we made it through unscathed. By the time we made it to the perimeter wall, the three of us were bleeding from a multitude of small cuts and heavily bruised from the pummeling we had taken. Every time one of the lasers fired, the ground would erupt like we had stepped on a land mine, throwing small rocks and debris everywhere. However, we had managed to avoid any direct hits. I did not waste any time in casting a minor healing spell on myself and Jax, but Hess waived me off. ¡°Save it. I still have enough to heal on my own.¡± Then, risking a quick glance over the wall, she said, ¡°Wait here. I¡¯m going to scout things out a bit first.¡± So saying, she scooted away, silently crouch-walking around the outside of the wall until she was out of sight. Jax, meanwhile, began worriedly checking me over, fretting that I might have taken some unseen injury, or that the regeneration might have somehow missed something. I was about to get annoyed with her when another pop-up obscured my vision.
Congratulations! You have achieved [Low Intermediate: Renewal of Consumption [Mark II]]! Your familiarity with this spell is such that you now have a precise sense of exactly how much Life Energy is required to produce the desired effect. Waste is a thing of the past.
¡°Finally!¡± I exclaimed happily. ¡°What?¡± Jax paused in her ministrations. ¡°Yer feeling relieved, now?¡± I nodded, ¡°Yeah, I just ranked my heal up to Low Intermediate!¡± ¡°What?! How?¡± she squawked out, dismayed. ¡°I know y¡¯ain¡¯t been healing so much as to get it so high on two a day! And that on a hard day of fighting! ¡®Less me counting be wrong again¡­¡± ¡°Wh¡ª? Two points a day? I get five!¡± ¡°The hoot? Five? That ain¡¯t fair!¡± She almost looked like she was going to start crying. ¡°I ain¡¯t even got me Dance up so high as that!¡± I grimaced. That tracked. She would have needed ten solid days of fighting to hit those numbers, and while we had certainly had our fair share of scrapes, they were not quite so numerous as that. And I doubted that it was a racial thing. That would be indescribably unfair¡­ unless it was balanced other ways. Jax did have her advantages, after all. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s to do with stats?¡± I hedged. ¡°I have been focusing on my mental attributes, after all.¡± She sat back on her heels, frowning, ¡°I hope not. I ain¡¯t got so many points to spare on such.¡± ¡°Well¡­ we know it can¡¯t be Charisma. Yours is pretty close to mine, after all. What are the other two at?¡± I asked. ¡°I got six in Wisdom,¡± she reported, proudly. ¡°A-and¡­ four in Intelligence. But that be natural, mind!¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty close to what I started with,¡± I confessed, although mine were the other way around. ¡°But right now, my Wisdom is thirteen and Intelligence is ten.¡± ¡°Yer working Wisdom as yer main?¡± she asked curiously. ¡°That be as high as me Toughness.¡± I shrugged, ¡°Not really. It just worked out that way.¡± To be honest, I did not have a particularly good reason to keep working on it, other than a simple desire to see where it led. Then again, I was supposed to be some kind of ¡®leader¡¯ type, so maybe a high Wisdom would help me make better decisions. ¡°But there is one correlation. Two is half your Intelligence. And five is half of mine.¡± She frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t know what a core-lay-shun be¡­ unless ye mean about how both is half?¡± ¡°Correlation,¡± I corrected gently. ¡°And that¡¯s a good guess. It just means that there¡¯s a pattern. I could still be wrong though.¡± I held off on explaining why. Jax was pretty good with tactics and strategy, but statistics were out of the question. We had not even gotten to subtraction yet. ¡°But ye could be right,¡± she argued back. ¡°Maybe I should put a point or two in it? And see?¡± ¡°If you want to,¡± I replied. ¡°They¡¯re your stats. It just depends on whether you think leveling your skills up is more important than¡­ uh¡­ Well, what are you focusing on? Strength? Agility?¡± ¡°I were doing Strength,¡± she reported. ¡°I did nay like it when me blows skipped off of them beetles¡­ A-and I know that yer impressed by how strong Hess be¡­¡± I tsked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re feeling self-conscious now.¡± She shrugged slightly with one shoulder. Instead of answering, she asked, ¡°Would ye like it if I were smarter?¡± ¡°Jax¡­¡± I sighed. Lightly, I began to run my fingers over the length of one of her horns, long enough now to start curling back and out towards her ear, and her breath caught, ¡°I like you plenty, already. And I will continue to like you. No matter how you decide to develop yourself.¡± Reaching up, she rested her hand on my chest and leaned against me, ¡°But would ye like me more?¡± My lip curled to one side, ¡°I don¡¯t see how I could possibly like you more.¡± She groaned high in her throat, ¡°Master¡ª¡± Just then, Hess¡¯ head popped over the wall, ¡°The field is clear. Come on.¡± ¡°The monster died?¡± I asked, craning my head up to look at her. ¡°No¡­¡± she said slowly before a helpless grin crossed her face. Reaching down, she helped me to my feet, ¡°Were you two about to go at it again?¡± ¡°No!¡± Jax shouted, before jumping to her feet. Then, screaming, she began violently smashing her horns against the stone wall. As she straightened, I caught a faint trickle of blood running between her eyebrows. Taking a deep breath, she plastered a smile across her face, shook her head, and pleasantly said, ¡°No, we was just talking.¡± Then, lightly hopping over the wall, she began to saunter away, pausing just long enough to add, ¡°Come on, Master. Let¡¯s see what be what.¡± I just stood there, stunned. At least until the wall collapsed. Hess stared at the settling rocks for a moment before looking back up at me, ¡°What exactly where the two of you talking about?¡± ¡°Whether the skill points you gain in a day are limited by Intelligence or not?¡± I hedged. There was a long beat of silence. ¡°They are,¡± she confirmed. ¡°But I think we both know better.¡± I nodded slowly, the conversation replaying itself out in my head on repeat. There was a subtext at play here. There had to be. But I could only see things from my own point of view. I needed an outside look. Meeting Hess¡¯ eyes once more, I said, ¡°The last thing I said to her, before you showed up, was ¡®I don¡¯t see how I could possibly like you more.¡¯ But I get the impression that was the wrong thing to say?¡± How that would have upset her was beyond me, though. I would have been thrilled to hear that. She quirked an eyebrow, ¡°Correct¡­ and before you ask, no. I cannot say more. I promised her I wouldn¡¯t.¡± I took a breath, ¡°Ah¡­¡± Stepping through the rubble, I made to follow, ¡°It¡¯s to do with that?¡± Falling into step beside me, she simply hummed in reply. ¡°Why am I not getting this, Hess?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ve got all these points in Intelligence and Wisdom, and I still feel like a moron. Especially when it comes to reading people.¡± ¡°Intelligence helps you learn. Wisdom helps you act,¡± she explained. ¡°Both take experience and knowledge.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Taking a few moments, I worked my jaw back and forth. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that I lack the experience to arrive at the answer on my own?¡± ¡°From what I know of you, yes. Most definitely,¡± she replied. ¡°That¡¯s why I think this is so stupid. But¡­ I gave my word.¡± I frowned in consternation. Okay, Donum¡­ You can do this. Work it out It¡¯s to do with something you don¡¯t have any experience with. And from the conversation, it had to be something to do with my relationship with Jax. Somehow I was saying something wrong. But what? ¡°You said before,¡± Hess said suddenly, ¡°Back in the maze, that you were worried that I might have died. Right? How did that make you feel?¡± I glanced up at her, hesitating for a moment, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about that.¡± ¡°There you go,¡± she nodded. Then smiling, she added, ¡°And we¡­ feel¡­ the same.¡± I stopped, my eyes wide. She kept walking for a few paces before spinning around. Winking at me, she put a finger to her lips, ¡°I said nothing.¡± Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jax peering suspiciously at me, and I swallowed. It was all I could do to keep a cool head, but internally, I was a nervous wreck. I could not say exactly what it was about Hess¡¯ little ¡®hint¡¯ that had triggered my realization, but it had. Something about the pain of loss, perhaps. Of¡­ of severing¡­ I took a calming breath. Regardless, Jax had been waiting for me to proclaim my feelings. Verbally. But that was crazy! She knew my feelings better that even I did. Why did she need me to say them out loud? Some kind of¡­ ritual thing, I had to suppose. And it was just a word¡­ It was an important one, though. And I needed to make sure that I said it right. There needed to be a certain mood. Over dinner? Or no¡­ she would hate that¡­ Something, anyway. And then there was Hess. She had made her own feelings loud and clear, well enough. Several times, I now realized. And I had no idea how I was supposed to handle that with multiple partners. Was I even allowed to say that to more than one person at a time? Was I allowed to feel that way at all? I had to suppose so¡­ They had made their expectations well known, but back home, I would have been skinned alive for something like this. But it was not my fault, I reasoned. Things had just¡­ sort of¡­ happened. And here I was. Honestly, there was no need to get worked up about this. It was not like anything had changed. It was just¡­ a next step. And it really did help to know that everything was very¡­ mutual. I just needed to say the right words in the right way at the right time. I swallowed again. Maybe some flowers? In the meantime, the three of us were standing in the center of town just in front of an enormous dome of crackling red light, very similar in appearance to those Jax and I had encountered down in the tunnels below. This one, however, was substantially bigger. And for good reason. The ¡®creature¡¯ within was much larger than either of us. Honestly, I could hardly believe it. It was exactly as Hess had described it. Skinny legs. Spindly looking. Tall. She had left out a few very important details, though. ¡°It¡¯s a giraffe?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen one of these before?¡± Hess asked, surprised. ¡°Hideous looking thing, isn¡¯t it? With that neck?¡± She shuddered. I stared at her incredulously. The animal in question was ignoring us completely, curled up and apparently sleeping contentedly with its head resting on its hind end. They were weird critters, I would grant, but hideous was about the last word I would use to describe it. ¡°Being that ye know of these¡­ Master¡­¡± Jax drawled, ¡°What might ye say of how to fight one?¡± ¡­was what she said aloud. But that was not at all what she was talking about. ¡°Uh¡­ Well¡­¡± I twitched my head to the side, ¡°I¡¯ve never fought one myself, of course.¡± Glancing at her, I flinched slightly. The daggers she was staring at me were sharp enough to cut. ¡°¡­As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware. But when they fight, they club one another by swinging that huge neck around.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ I¡¯m sure those horns will be a problem, too,¡± Hess opined. ¡°U-uhm¡­¡± Glancing back at the animal, I did a double take. That was not right. As far as I knew, giraffes had a pair a fuzzy-looking, dull lumps on top of their heads. Not¡­ well, the best I could think to describe them was saber tooth¡­ horns. They did not look all that big, but given the size of the animal, I was sure they were a good six inches long apiece. And now that I was looking, there were several other details that were not quite lining up. I just could not put my finger on what they were, what with it sleeping and all. Frankly, this whole scenario was giving me the strangest sense of d¨¦j¨¤vu. But I could not think how that would be. I could list on exactly one finger the number of times that I had stood in the middle of a burned out, former Goblin village with a mutant giraffe sleeping beneath a red forcefield. And frankly, I would question the sanity of anyone who claimed otherwise. ¡°And what do ye think that might be behind it?¡± Jax asked, not diverting her attention to the item in question in the slightest. ¡°I¡¯m hoping it¡¯s the exit,¡± Hess replied. She twitched ever so slightly. Jax swung around to stare at her. She was beginning to look furious. ¡°Uh huh¡­ And why do ye think it got that tarp over it then?¡± The ¡®tarp¡¯ was really more of a drop cloth. Made of some kind of fancy, blue crushed velvet, it was the kind of thing that would be more appropriate for the center of a ballroom than¡­ here. And whatever was under it was quite big, at least twice as tall as myself and as wide as my outstretched arms. It might have been a doorway, as Hess suggested, but it was hard to say for certain. ¡°Hard to say,¡± Hess replied lightly, ignoring the obvious mood. ¡°Some kind of puzzle, I¡¯d guess.¡± ¡°Hess¡­¡± Jax growled, evidently having had enough of the pretense. ¡°Ye fiend¡­ Fiend! Ye promised! Promised me!¡± ¡°Oh? Have I been cursed by Law, then? Hmm?¡± she returned, an eyebrow raised. ¡°My Oath stands, as you can plainly see.¡± That took some of the wind out of her sails, and Jax glanced at me quickly, ¡°Then¡­ why¡­? Ye must have said something to make him too nervous to look at me.¡± ¡°Do you think it could be because you knocked the wall over? And after he said something so nice to you?¡± she suggested. Jax narrowed her eyes again, ¡°No. I do nay. Nor do ye.¡± I sighed. I should have known that there was going to be no getting this by her. Encircling my arms about her from behind, I firmly grasped her by one of her horns. She gasped, and twitching, she went limp in my arms, ¡°M-master¡­?¡± ¡°Leave it be,¡± I said in a low voice. ¡°I realized it on my own. She just dropped a little hint. The same as you.¡± Her head lolled back onto my shoulder, and she looked up at me. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. ¡°Then¡­ then ye¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She sucked in a breath, ¡°S¡­ say it, then.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked. ¡°You want to hear it now? I was hoping to set a proper mood first. In private.¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± she started before glancing over at Hess and then quickly shifting her gaze to the giraffe. It was watching us, I realized. One of its eyes was cracked open, peering at us even as it pretended to sleep. Licking her lips, her jaw firmed, ¡°Say it. Lest ye never get the chance.¡± I nodded slightly. That was a very good point. Spinning her around, I gathered her head in my palms, and then cast a quick, jittery look at our other companion. She smiled in encouragement. ¡°Jax¡­ what Hess reminded me of was the pain of loss. Suggested what I might feel were I to lose you. And I know that isn¡¯t possible, but still¡­ I can imagine. And¡­ and it made me realize¡­¡± I hesitated. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± she breathed, shivering. ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ because I¡¯ve never felt anything like it before. But¡­ I think I love you.¡± It might not have been the best way to go about saying that precisely, but Jax seemed to take it pretty well. Seeing her huge, tearful grin, I made to kiss her, but she abruptly pulled away. Much to my shock, she dropped to her knees and prostrated herself on the ground. And spoke. ¡°By the Words thou hast inscribed upon me, the compact is fulfilled. I am thine. With thee and for thee. Thy will is mine. Thy want is mine. All that thou art, I am for thee. For I love thee, as well. Forever more, and unto the end of time.¡± I stared down at her, wide-eyed, for a long few moments after that. I had no idea what to say. What could I say? How do you follow something like that up? And what was Hess going to say? I mean¡­ I had heard some vows before, but¡­ hot damn! However, before I could open my mouth, the Lady decided to add another layer to my already considerable mountain of ¡®what-the-fuck¡¯.
Congratulations! You have achieved 100% Loyalty with [Lilim: Jax]. No force, entity, or spell may separate you for long. Your Lilim is now immune to any effect that might cause her to bring you to harm or betray you. Loyalty has been changed to Devotion. Current Devotion: 0%
¡°Uhh¡­?¡± Chapter 54 - The Gigue with the Giraffe ¡°Now that¡¯s¡­ something,¡± Hess commented, staring down at Jax¡¯s prostrate form before glancing up at me. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not expecting me to make an oath like that.¡± ¡°U-uhm¡­ I wasn¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± I began before Jax sprang to her feet. Rushing forward, she swept me into a bone-crushing hug, giddy as a child. There was a bit of dirt clinging to her forehead, I noticed. Busying my hands with brushing it away, mostly to give myself a bit of space to think, I began, ¡°Jax¡­ what was that? Some kind of¡­? You never talk like that.¡± She bobbed her head to the side, slightly embarrassed, ¡°Aye, well¡­ I dunno, really. Felt like I needed to. But for the thees and thous, one does hear the priestly talk on occasion, and I wanted it to sound formal-like, it being me vow eternal to ye. Seemed proper.¡± Then, her mass falling away from her in dark streamers, she wrapping her leg around my waist and hoisted herself up so as to be face to face with me, ¡°Now would be when ye kiss me?¡± ¡°¡­Okay?¡± As was so very typical, I was about as smooth as a lava field. Which is to say, not even remotely. But her own character was composed of plenty of jagged obsidian edges, so she did not care. So we kissed. It was long and deep. Passionate and¡­ loving. And as it went on, I realized that there was something new here. Something more than we had been. I could not put my finger on precisely what it was, but I could sense our connection more significantly than ever before. Perhaps it was the nearness of our bodies pressed against one another, but in that moment, I could feel her. The profound love she felt. The passion. And the ever-present lust that was increasingly becoming the center of her being. But it was all for me. Every ounce of it. It was¡­ overwhelming. I almost felt ashamed, such was its magnitude. She loved me more than I could even comprehend, and it made the paltry emotion that I felt seem like a grain of sand next to the stars in the sky. I did not deserve so much love as that. No one did. It could not be lived up to. Eventually, she pulled away tearfully, and the connection dampened once more, ¡°Ye felt it, did ye nay? I know ye did.¡± ¡°Jax, I¡­ How?¡± I whispered, my heart hammering in my chest. ¡°It¡¯s too much. I don¡¯t deserve¡­¡± She quieted me with a touch to my lips, ¡°A single drop of yer affection¡­¡± She shook her head, ¡°Master, I wish I could describe it. I¡­ I can scarce breathe from it..¡± I took a breath of my own, ¡°If it¡¯s anything like what I just felt, then I can imagine.¡± Hess abruptly cleared her throat, and I glanced at her furtively, flushing from embarrassment. In the moment, I had forgotten that she had been standing there, ¡°Yes. Right. Sorry.¡± And I made to set Jax down, but she was quite content to remain exactly where she was. ¡°No,¡± she said out of nowhere, addressing Hess. ¡°Not yet. Y¡¯ain¡¯t ready to hear it.¡± Hess crossed her arms defiantly, ¡°I beg to differ.¡± Jax sighed, ¡°Trust me on this, near-sister. Please? Wait until ye can feel him proper. Wait for yer connection to form.¡± Her gaze shifted to me, ¡°I don¡¯t see how it could possibly make a difference. He knows. I know. We all know.¡± I nodded slightly, understanding a bit of what Jax was talking about, ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ certain, Hess. But I think it does matter. For some reason, once your Loyalty is high enough, something¡­ clicks. I¡¯m sorry if this is all sounding really vague, but¡­ she¡¯s right. There is something more to it.¡± Jax¡¯s head swiveled to look at me, ¡°Oh¡­ that be the right of it. I had forgotten about that Loyalty business. What be mine at now?¡± ¡°It maxed out the moment you took your vow,¡± I explained. ¡°Now you are on something the Lady is calling Devotion.¡± She smiled proudly, ¡°I thought it might have. What be me Devotion at then? I bet it¡¯s high.¡± I shook my head, ¡°No, that¡¯s at zero, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Jax inhaled, incensed, ¡°Then She be mistaken! I be utterly devoted to ye! How can¡­¡± She growled and hopped down, shouting into the air, ¡°Here now! Ye and I need have words, we do!¡± Hess approached me while Jax carried on with her one-sided argument. I was not sure if the Lady was listening, but Jax was certainly doing her part to provoke divine retribution in as characteristically ear-blistering a manner as she possibly could. ¡°What¡¯s all this about Loyalty and Devotion?¡± she asked. ¡°Something to do with your class, I¡¯m assuming?¡± I nodded, ¡°Right. Another of those mechanics that have been left unexplained. For the most part, anyway. I think I understand Loyalty a bit. It¡¯s to do with¡­ Well, I¡¯m guessing, but it seems like the higher it is, the more¡­ willing she is. There¡¯s less push-back. More eagerness to be¡­ well, mine, I guess. There¡¯s other stuff, as well, but¡­ Honestly, I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re Loyalty things or lilim things.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ makes sense,¡± she bobbed her head. ¡°What did hers start at? If you don¡¯t mind my asking.¡± ¡°Like¡­ ten? Fifteen percent?¡± I responded uncertainly. Then chuckling a bit, I added, ¡°It feels like an age ago, but it has scarcely been a month.¡± ¡°A single month and she¡¯s ready to go to battle with the Lady herself for you?¡± she shook her head, wonderingly. ¡°What about this other thing? Devotion, you said?¡± ¡°No clue,¡± I stated shortly. ¡°That one is brand new, I¡¯m afraid.¡± She grunted, ¡°I know what that¡¯s like.¡± I glanced up at her, smiling a bit, and wrapped an arm around her waist, ¡°Well then. I guess we¡¯ll have to find out together.¡± She hesitated for a moment before resting her own over my shoulder, ¡°Yes, I suppose we will.¡± We stood like that for a little while longer, just watching Jax¡¯s theatrics, before she asked, ¡°Can you really feel her emotions now?¡± ¡°No, not now,¡± I replied. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Maybe it¡¯s a proximity thing? Or¡­ I dunno. We¡¯ll have to experiment.¡± She nodded uncertainly, ¡°It must be nice, being able to sense what other people are feeling. You know¡­ So that you could know? Without having to hear? Or say?¡± Her hand tightened briefly on my shoulder. I squeezed her in return, ¡°Maybe. But we have our ways, don¡¯t we?¡± She glanced at me then, with a secretive little smile. It was enough. For now. ¡°So how do we go about letting loose this ¡®jeeruf¡¯ thing?¡± Jax asked. ¡°We could just wait until nightfall,¡± I suggested. ¡°We know it comes out then.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not, if we can help it,¡± Hess chimed in. ¡°I don¡¯t have the patience to wait anymore.¡± ¡°Then¡­ I guess we look around?¡± I hedged. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a¡­ um¡­ well, something like a lever or a switch?¡± Those were things in early civilizations, right? I was not sure. I mean¡­ surely they would understand the concept. Catapults had quick releases of some kind. But when were those invented? I had no idea. And did it matter? This was an entirely different world! They might not even have those. ¡°Or one of them pedestals from before?¡± Jax asked, stating the obvious. ¡°Right,¡± I nodded, feeling silly. ¡°Something like that.¡± We spread out, first circling the perimeter of the forcefield, and then out into the town in general. We did not find anything, however. The place had pretty much been decimated by the fire, so there was no real way to explore the burned out buildings without risking something collapsing on us. And what open areas we could find were absent of anything that might connect to the central installation. The only exception to this was a building just a little off the square that had miraculously survived the fire completely untouched. It was two stories tall, brown and without a single door for entry. And what windows there were had been restricted to the second story, but they were boarded up. ¡°I¡¯ll bet that¡¯s where the safe room is,¡± Hess said confidently, coming to stand next to me. ¡°You figure?¡± I returned. Then, thinking it over for a moment, I nodded, ¡°Right. That makes sense. It wouldn¡¯t be much of a safe room if a little¡­ blazing inferno was a problem.¡± ¡°I nay recall aught inside that might control yon barrier,¡± Jax mused, ¡°Save maybe¡­ there were that crystal inside it, right?¡± ¡°No,¡± Hess shook her head, ¡°That¡¯ll just be the standard regeneration trigger. They all have one of those if you need one. But, thanks to Donum here¡­¡± grinning, she swatted my bare bottom, and I jumped. Rubbing the spot sourly, I grumbled, ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing on the outside. On the ground level, anyway. I guess we could try the roof?¡± It was hard to tell from here, but it looked like one of those flat-roofed numbers that you might see in a Berber village. I had never been to one myself, of course, but I had seen plenty of spy movies, and they were always having chases over top of them. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look,¡± Jax volunteered. ¡°Hess? If you¡¯d nay mind?¡± Shrugging, Hess folded her hands into a stirrup and knelt down while Jax casually placed a foot inside. Then, heaving mightily, she sent Jax sailing through the air, shadowy streams trailing behind her¡­ and overshot the roof by just a fraction. ¡°Ack! Hess, ye bloody cow!¡± Jax squawked out as she sailed out of sight. Wincing as we heard the thud, we hurried to the other side, but fortunately, Jax had just managed to catch the lip of the building with one hand and was limply hanging there. Fiercely scowling down at us, she continued muttering about ¡®useless wank stains¡¯ and other less savory appellations as she scrambled back up. ¡°Sorry, Jax,¡± Hess called, ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting that ability to make you so light.¡± ¡°What did ye expect, ye twally?¡± she yelled back. ¡°A boulder?¡± I grimaced, ¡°Jax¡­ If you¡¯re going to get so upset, then maybe next time, instead of showing off, suggest something sane? Like the rope, perhaps?¡± She stood up straight, fidgeting a bit. Contritely, she mumbled, ¡°Yes, Master,¡± before shifting out of sight. ¡°Sticking up for me now?¡± Hess murmured quietly, shooting me a slight grin. I smiled back, ¡°Just trying to keep the peace. Besides, she needs to learn to be more forgiving. It¡¯s not like you did it on purpose.¡± ¡°Right,¡± she agreed. ¡°That would be far too great a coincidence. Imagine, both of us trying to impress you?¡± She huffed dismissively. I turned to look at her, quirking an eyebrow. From the way her mouth was twitching, I could tell that she was struggling mightily to keep a straight face. ¡°There be something up here, Master,¡± Jax called from out of sight. ¡°But I nay can figure the working of it.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll come up, then,¡± I called back, not breaking my gaze. ¡°Hess will throw you up the rope.¡± Then, more quietly, I added, ¡°And I would be thrilled if that were done accurately.¡± She snorted and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth. ¡°Just tie the rope about yer waist, Master,¡± Jax called down to me. ¡°I don¡¯t want ye to fall¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that damned weak,¡± I grumbled. Honestly, just because I could not climb a rope¡­ Besides, I was a leg strength guy. ¡°I can hold on. Just haul me up.¡± ¡°But¡­ Master¡­¡± Jax fretted. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be such a child,¡± Hess said, swatting the back of her head. ¡°If he says he can do it, then he can do it.¡± Then, ignoring Jax¡¯s scowl, she called down, ¡°Wrap your hands tightly, dear. It doesn¡¯t have as much traction as a hemp rope.¡± I sighed, ¡°Yes, okay.¡± The way these two carried on, you would think I was a delicate set of china they had to cart around the Dungeon. Winding the rope several times around my right arm, I took a firm grip. ¡°Ready.¡± The word had scarcely escaped my lips when the rope snapped taut. Simply standing on the edge of the building, Hess began to pull me up like I was a six-year-old kid, with her arms outstretched over the side and not using the slightest bit of leverage or mechanical action. Meanwhile, I had been expecting to help by walking up the side of the building. Instead, I was reduced to holding on for dear life as I was yanked off my feet, and when I was finally pulled even with the pair, I dangled there like a dead fish, my face smushed between my arms. ¡°I thought you said you were ready?¡± Hess said before swinging me over the side and setting me to my feet. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°I was ready,¡± I groused as I unwrapped the rope again. ¡°If you had done it normally.¡± ¡°Oh, Master, look at yerself,¡± Jax said in distress, pushing past Hess when she saw the bit of redness the ropes had caused. Beginning to rub them soothingly, she murmured, ¡°Ye should have just let her carry ye up.¡± I smirked. Maybe things had not gone down quite like I had envisioned, but I was not about to let Hess Andr¨¦-the-giant my ass up here if I could help it. I had my pride after all, slim though it was, and it was only a two-story building. ¡°I¡¯m fine, sweet. I¡¯m tough enough to handle a little rope burn. Now, show us where this thing is.¡± Jax shivered in delight at the little pet name, and forgetting her concerns, she leaned forward to rub her cheek lightly against my chest. ¡°Over here,¡± she indicated after a moment, ¡°I nay be certain it be worth the fuss, but I can¡¯t make heads of it.¡± Just off center of the roof, there was a smallish scepter-looking thing installed upright and immobile. It seemed to be made of some sort of brassy metal and was topped with a thumb-sized, clear bit of quartz. It was otherwise undecorated and rather plain in appearance. Hess made to grab the thing, but it was stuck fast. Even the crystal was quite immovable. ¡°It¡¯s no lever,¡± she pronounced before glancing at me, ¡°What do you think?¡± Ruminating over it for a few seconds, I asked, ¡°Does this remind you of anything you¡¯ve come across before?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± she admitted. ¡°But usually there¡¯s some kind of clue next to installations like this, so I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°Well¡­ in fairness, there might have been at one point,¡± I said, glancing significantly at the ruins around us. Jax shifted uncomfortably. We all knew whose idea it had been, but there was no point in playing the blame game. We had all gone along with it, after all. ¡°What do we do now?¡± she asked. ¡°Now, we try things until something works or the sun goes down,¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not like we have anywhere else to go.¡± I am ashamed to say that the solution eluded us for well over an hour. And not just because of how we figured it out. Okay, yes. A lot of it is because of that. Almost entirely, in point of fact. We pushed and prodded, dug around it, tried to break it, and all sorts of things. We even experimented with reflecting the sun¡¯s rays off of Jax¡¯s axe through it, but with nowhere to really aim the result, we quickly discarded the idea. But what finally made the proverbial light-bulb go off was when we were cycling through our various spells and abilities at it, just trying to get it to react to us in any way. None of Hess¡¯ abilities made it do anything at all, and I could not even target the thing to cast my spells at it. As for Jax, the only ability she had that even made sense to try were her shadow clones. However, by that point, she had long since lost patience, so predictably, her attempt at using them had edged more toward goading me into doing something else instead of actually trying. The shadow swayed over to the scepter like an exotic dancer might approach her pole and began gyrating about it in similar fashion, running its hands up its thighs, over its hips, undulating in slow circles. All it lacked were a few bell attachments and a bit of appropriate music. I cleared my throat, struggling not to otherwise react, ¡°Just have it touch the thing, Jax.¡± She was staring at me raptly, ¡°Do ye not enjoy the dancing? Or would ye rather me do it, meself?¡± Lightly, she began running her hand in small circles over my knee. ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty sexy,¡± Hess chimed in, bemusedly. I glanced at her, ¡°Oh? Starting to appreciate Jax¡¯s charms now, are we?¡± The shadow looked exactly like her, after all. At least in profile. ¡°Mmm¡­ her tongue, maybe¡­¡± she mused, grinning. Jax smiled in return, ¡°What if I did something like¡­ this?¡± Abruptly, the shadow twirled around and began to seductively descend upon the scepter, as if it were some gem-encrusted dildo that was only there to tease us. ¡°Oh, now, Jax¡­¡± I started to protest, ¡°that¡¯s just¡­¡± Whatever else I was going to say was lost when the clone impaled itself. Of course, it did not long survive the contact, but for a couple of moments, the entire Dungeon seemed to react. Scarecrows began disappearing back into the ground all around us in ones and twos and most importantly, the forcefield flickered and died. For a scant second anyway. Just as the giraffe began to surge to its feet, the clone popped out of existence, and everything returned to normal, trapping the animal once more. It did not seem particularly happy about it either and began making some kind of awful, reverberating gurgling noise deep in its throat. I had no idea what sounds giraffes actually made, but I sure as hell was not expecting that. Hess looked back and forth between the beast and the scepter, contemplatively. Finally, she looked at me, ¡°Surely not? There¡¯s no way one of us has to¡­ do that? Right? I don¡¯t think I even could.¡± ¡°I think I might could,¡± Jax admitted. Then licking her lips a bit in anticipation, she muttered, ¡°I bet it¡¯d hurt, though.¡± I flushed crimson, knowing exactly where her head was at. She probably would, too, if I asked. ¡°No!¡± I blurted out, my voice cracking. Closing my eyes, I cleared my throat into my fist and continued in a more sedate tone, ¡°No, uh¡­ No. Not that at all. I think it¡¯s probably just a simple daylight sensor.¡± ¡°Sensor?¡± Hess asked, glancing back at me before nodding. ¡°Right. I think I understand. You¡¯re saying it¡¯s some kind of magical device that controls the cycles around here. And when Jax¡¯s shadow shoved it into its¡­¡± ¡°Correct,¡± I interrupted quickly before she could finish. ¡°The darkness triggered the change in the Dungeon¡¯s configuration.¡± Jax lightly poked me in the side, ¡°Ye ain¡¯t gotta be so embarrassed about it. Lest ye don¡¯t like the idea of me sticking something other than ye up me¡­¡± ¡°Jax!¡± She winked at me as I groaned. Was it too much to ask for the conversation to remain polite? Finally having teased me enough, she asked, ¡°So, what do we do about it then? Me shadows don¡¯t work for long.¡± I hesitated for a moment, still a bit unsure whether she was done, but I answered anyway, ¡°I¡¯m sure all it would take would be to cover it or wrap it with something to keep the light out.¡± ¡°We ain¡¯t got much left such as that,¡± she mused before glancing significantly at Hess and quirking an eyebrow. ¡°Save one thing, anyway.¡± Hess¡¯ eyes widened and she crossed her arms over her chest defensively, ¡°No! Absolutely not!¡± ¡°Come on, hen,¡± Jax grinned, ¡°Yer the only one what ain¡¯t naked. Don¡¯t ye feel left out?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± she retorted. ¡°Very much included.¡± I shook my head, ¡°I doubt the wrap would work, anyhow. That cloth is too porous to keep light out.¡± At my words, Hess sagged a bit in relief. Jax just folded her arms and huffed, ¡°Blast.¡± Then giving a little sniff, she glanced up at me, ¡°Well¡­ what then? Shove a boot over it?¡± I blinked. ¡°Actually? Yeah. That should work beautifully!¡± We decided to flip a coin to see whose boot would be sacrificed. And because the set I was wearing was found in a chest and thus magical, it was decided that I would be excluded from consideration. Most likely, there should be no reason that the footwear in question could not be retrieved after the fact, but one never knew for certain. After all, we had never found out what had happened to my damned underwear. ¡°Yes!¡± Hess shouted, pumping her fist when the gold coin in my palm came up horns. Jax tsked and spat to the side, ¡°That¡¯s me luck, then. Ah, well. Bloody things ain¡¯t been fitting right for long while.¡± Plopping down onto her backside, she began undoing the leather straps that held them in place. Kicking them off, she sighed in relief at having her toes exposed to the cool air and wiggled them happily. They were clawed, I noticed. Each of them was now sporting a little black barb, identical to the ones on her hands. I was unsurprised, quite frankly. ¡°No wonder they were fitting weird. I¡¯m sure those things were catching in the leather.¡± ¡°A little,¡± she admitted. ¡°Mostly, it were the cut, though. Something about the straps did nay let me stand like I wanted.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked curiously. Twirling, she agilely skipped back to her feet and hopped in place a few times. And as she settled, I could see that she had remained on the balls of her feet, with her heels elevated a couple of finger-widths above the ground. ¡°See? Like this. Me straps were pulling at me. Uncomfortable like.¡± I glanced up at her, ¡°So¡­ what? Do we need to buy you some high-heeled shoes now?¡± ¡°Them useless poof-wear?¡± she spat. ¡°Nah. Just need something more flexible, be all.¡± Then clicking her toe-claws on the hard roof, she amended, ¡°Maybe some sandals.¡± By that point, I was fairly used to the oddness of Jax¡¯s continuing transformation. And the fact that she now wanted to stand on tiptoe was probably the least of them. Still, it sounded quite uncomfortable to me. My calves would be burning within minutes if I were to attempt something like that. But then, I was not a lilim. And, I had to admit, the fact that she kept gently bouncing on her toes had a certain way of drawing the eyes. To things. A fact that she took note of practically the same instant that I did. I sucked in a breath and tore my eyes away from the enticing swaying in front of me, and the lascivious grin that came with it, ¡°Yes. Right. Uhm¡­ So, I guess we¡¯re ready then?¡± Within minutes, the two of them had descended and were signaling for me to drop the boot. Before they went, I had buffed them as fully as I possibly could. They were each sporting a few coats of Detonating Sap Varnish on their various weapons, and I had experimented a bit with the new version of Renewal of Consumption. By changing up the pronunciation of the first few syllables, I was able to alter the spell in such a way as to make it into an Armament attachment, but it seemed to work slightly differently than the Varnish. This one required me to maintain concentration on the spell until it successfully triggered. Or that was what I was assuming. All I knew for certain was that if I dropped it, the spell would simply fizzle and nothing would happen. I will admit that I was a little disappointed. I had hoped that I could cast it and forget about it, but I suppose there had to be a cost paid from somewhere. Most of mine worked off of spell endurance or Life Energy. The fact that the cost was now the opponent¡¯s Life Energy was an improvement, for certain, but until it triggered, I had to pay in endurance. And that was fine. It was not all that heavy to keep it up, and I could recast it in a snap. Either way, it was a damn sight better than paying the Life Energy cost. ¡°All right, here goes!¡± I called, waving down at them before turning to slip Jax¡¯s old boot over top of the sensor. I had absolutely no idea what a couple of people could do against a giraffe in single combat, but I was about to find out. I was just glad I was the healer. Personally, I would never have tried something like that without a shotgun powerful enough jerk itself out of my hands. Giraffes are huge! And this one was no different. As soon as the shield went down and it lurched to its feet, I could see that it stood eye-level with me. And I was on top of a two-story building! Unfortunately, things went south pretty quickly. Hess immediately charged the animal, flinging her Sap enhanced arrow at its too-big-to-miss torso, and it thudded home solidly. The giraffe did not care much for that, though. At all. Making another of those awful burbling noises, it lifted itself up onto its hind legs and lashed out with its hooves. Hess managed to just duck under them, but she was unprepared for the thing¡¯s head swinging down at her like an I-beam sized baseball bat. The resultant collision sent her sailing through the air and into the interior of one of the nearby burned out houses. Which proceeded to immediately collapse down on her. It gave chase for half a second until it realized that it could no longer see her. That was when things got weird. Apparently, it was more than a little pissed at having acidic goop introduced into its body at the crack of noon and none too pleased that the object of its hatred now seemed to be hiding. And that was expected. What was not was when the entire length of its neck opened up, revealing a crocodile-like mouth every bit as long Hess herself, and began bellowing its outrage. ¡°Okay, yeah¡­¡± I said aloud, chuckling despite the situation, ¡°That is not a giraffe.¡± It was no wonder the thing had looked strange. I had been seeing its teeth jutting out all along its neck, and now that its mouth had been revealed, I now realized that it did not have a neck at all. It was all head. But its eyes were still up top? There was nothing in nature that looked like that! Not on Earth, anyway. Just then, I noticed Jax running forward to assist, and I hastily attached my heal to her axe, anticipating the worst. And it was a good thing I did. She leapt forward, utilizing her new ability to gain some altitude, and chopped down on the thing¡¯s hind end. The axe landed solidly, sinking deeply into flesh, and began greedily sucking Life Energy away from the beast, even as it introduced a fresh batch of Sap into it. Some of it even flowed up to me, and I took an involuntary gulp of air as renewed Energy seeped into my bones. Her own ability must have triggered at the same time, and the effect was noticeable. The monster stumbled briefly as weakness overcame it, but it was not enough to take it down outright. And its retaliation was swift. Lashing out with its enormous back legs, Jax barely had the time to bring her hands up before being kicked to the other side of the square. It was just fortunate that she had those new arm guards, or her wrists would have probably been shattered. Even so, she left plenty of skin behind as she skidded across the sparsely spaced cobblestones. Gone mad with pain, the creature charged her, even as Hess started to emerge ¡ª covered in soot and clutching her ribs awkwardly ¡ª from the collapsed building. But now that I could see her, I could actually do something about that. Popping off a quick heal, this time from my own stores, I began the mending process, and ignoring her squeal at the unexpected surge of pleasure, I quickly shifted my focus to getting some shadows working for Jax. There was plenty of cover. If she could break the thing¡¯s line of sight for a moment, that should be enough to at least confuse it a little. The ¡®giraffe¡¯ arrived at Jax¡¯s prostrate form within seconds, however just as it was about trample her, it hesitated for just a moment, staring at her as if transfixed. It was enough. The instant my spell took hold, Jax ¡ª already mostly put back together from the triggered regeneration ¡ª exploded into a confusing hive of shadows darting about everywhere. Not expecting this, reasonably enough, the giraffe jerked back and began to flail about as best it could, quickly taking out several of the clones with great sweeps of its enormous jaws. Even so, she still managed to get in a few swipes with her claws before scurrying for cover. And of course, they too were liberally coated with Sap. Shivering now from the accumulated pain, the giraffe stood in place, indecisively looking about the square turned battlefield. No matter what it seemed to do, new Jax¡¯s kept spawning and running all over the place. Meanwhile, Hess ¡ª standing a bit straighter from the regeneration though still clutching at her ribs ¡ª was stalking ever closer. Screaming in frustration, the beast began spinning about, kicking and sweeping its head about wildly. Standing well clear, Hess began making little flashes of light as she peppered it with arrow after arrow. However, at that distance, most of her throws went wide or turned in the air, bouncing harmlessly off its tough hide. Seeing this, I quickly remedied the situation by adding my accuracy buff to the mix. That helped considerably. I was not sure how the spell did what it did, but the arrows did not just start correcting midair or anything. It was more like Hess simply stopped making mistakes. Each throw was timed and aimed almost perfectly, landing fairly close to where she wanted. Not particularly deep, of course. Hess was a strong woman, but even so, throwing an arrow has certain limitations. But she was not going for the kill yet. This was just a low endurance, harrying tactic meant to weaken it from blood loss so that she could engage it without getting hammered into another building. I could sympathize. And I could help. Holding my other two buffs in place, I began attaching heals to her shots. It was bit heavy to do all of that at once, but I could just barely manage. Even so, it was a little slap-dash. It was a brand new application, and we had never practiced the timing of it before. So, I could only manage to successfully fit in a cast every three to four throws. However, the effect was dramatic. Each time that one of the enhanced arrows struck home, the beast would scream anew as more of its Life was sucked away, feeding and hastening the regeneration of Hess¡¯ body. It had another effect, as well. My heals always delivered pleasure, and just because the source of its fuel had changed, that made little difference. And pleasure fed more than a few of Hess¡¯ abilities. Howling in delight as wave after wave of orgasm washed over her, Hess abruptly blurred, smashing headlong into the side of the beast, and it crashed to the ground, too weak from having so much of its Life drained away to withstand the blow. Even so, it¡¯s flexible neck-mouth managed to catch Hess in its fangs, and it began to jerk her bodily from side to side, trying to rip her apart. At least until Jax rushed in. Appearing unseen at its side, she reached overhead and smashed down, summoning her axe mid-swing, sinking the blade deeply into the base of its head. Once. Twice. And with the third blow, the neck was severed. The ¡®giraffe¡¯ was dead. Chapter 55 - The Second Binding Sherr Hess was not in a good way. The ¡®giraffe¡¯ monster, if indeed you could even call it that, had spent the final seconds of its life in trying to bite her in half. And if it were not for the terrific amount of healing energy at play within her, it probably would have succeeded. As it was, she now had its mouth¡­ neck¡­ area ¡ª detached from the rest of its body thanks to Jax ¡ª embedded by the teeth around her torso. And because of all of that healing, they were stuck there rather solidly. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± she swallowed, twitching in pain, ¡°a l-little hard to breathe,¡± she responded at my questioning. Nodding as much for her reassurance as my own, I said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll have you loose and mended up in a jiffy.¡± But before I could move, her hand shot forward to grasp my arm, ¡°Also¡­ I can¡¯t feel anything¡­ past those teeth.¡± I took a breath, ¡°In that case, one of them must have severed your spine. Normally, that would mean that you would probably never walk again.¡± Not without a lot of surgery and physical therapy, anyway. Even then, I had no idea what would be involved back home. But it would not be an easy recovery. ¡°But if I can magic your ribs back together, I should be able to do the same to your back. It might take some doing, though.¡± She did not reply at first. Instead, she shifted her gaze to the blue tarp covering the thing in the middle of the square. Now that the forcefield was gone, it was billowing slightly in what wind was filtering through the burned out buildings. After a moment, she looked back up at me, ¡°That would be the exit. I have¡­¡± She paused as a wave of pain overcame her. Swallowing again, she steadied herself and continued, ¡°I have fulfilled my part of the bargain. Now I will have you do the same.¡± I nodded uncertainly, ¡°I-I mean¡­ Of course? If that really is the exit, then I would be glad to. But wouldn¡¯t you rather¡­¡± I stopped, grimacing as her hand having tightened about my arm. Very. Very hard. ¡°No more talking,¡± she stated, matter-of-factly. ¡°Now, Donum.¡± Jax¡¯s eyes flashed dangerously, and she growled low in her throat. Stalking forward, axe in hand, she whispered, ¡°Sherr Hess. I¡¯ll have ye remove yer hand from my Master.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± she replied, not taking her eyes from me, ¡°You mean to betray me then? After all that we have done? And¡­ and said?¡± ¡°No, Hess,¡± I said, waving Jax off. She still looked ready to chew Hess¡¯ eyebrows off, but she complied instantly. ¡°I am not going back on my word.¡± ¡°Then why do you hesitate?¡± she asked fiercely. ¡°Am I not worthy? Hmm? Am I too much of a¡­¡± She stopped again, her lips pulled back from her teeth as another wave of pain took hold. ¡°Hess, please? Let me heal you first, and we can talk about this.¡± ¡°What more is there to talk about?¡± she growled. ¡°Do you want me to reconsider? Do you think I have not thought of the consequences? Of what this might do? Every waking moment since we made our bargain? I want this. I want¡­¡± She hesitated slightly, her eyes beginning to shine with unshed tears, ¡°You will cast your spell. Now. Or I will have no more of your healing, and the sweet lies that come with it.¡± With that, she released me and looked away. As if she were waiting for the executioner. I settled back on my haunches, exhaling slowly and cast my eyes to the sky. So that was it. My heal meant pleasure. And for her, if I went back on my word, that would be nothing but pain. The pain of loss. Of what might have been. She would rather be paralyzed and left here than that. On the other hand, there were a million and one reasons not to cast this spell. Chief among them was the fact that there was the very real possibility that Hess would become other. Herself no longer, and not just physically. She knew it, too. She had watched it happen in real time to Jax. When we had come to this place, Jax had been a sarcastic jack-ass who would not give a person the time of day without insult. And that was how he treated his friends. Now, she was an entirely different gender, practically fawned over me, and was sex-crazed to the point of distraction. She still swore a lot, though. And I loved her dearly. So now, Hess was resorting to emotional blackmail. She knew me well enough. For all of our assurances, she knew that I would be more than a little hesitant to do that to her, if for no other reason than the fact that I felt very much the same toward her. And leaving her here, unable to walk, was not something that I could do. Would not do. But there was something else. I could recognize in myself the desire to do exactly what she wanted, and that frightened me. It was not¡­ a good thing. To want to do that to someone. Was it? I wanted to be a good man. A just man. And I tried to be. But knowing right from wrong is not an easy thing sometimes. Not when something that felt wrong was also staring you in the face. Begging you to do it. Wanting it even more than you did. Hess pulled at me in a way that no mere words or petty attempts at emotional manipulation could. There was a nascent bond forming between us that I could feel. Tangibly. It was a tenuous thing, really only barely there, but I could sense it, nonetheless. And I could cut it. If I wanted to. Let it wither away like a vine on a tree, severed from its roots. Or I could nurture it. And see what it would become. Though¡­ in doing so, it might well kill the tree. I sucked in a breath, ¡°Very well, Hess of the Sherr. So be it. Is there anything you would like to say before I begin? Any promises you would extract?¡± She shivered at my words, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks now that the tension had released, ¡°N-no, I¡­ I hadn¡¯t really thought¡­¡± Pausing for a moment, she began to work her jaw, considering how to respond. Finally, she said, ¡°My people, the Keltha¡­ We value honor. If you can say anything about my people, it is that. Glory in combat, steadfastness to a cause, and the value of one¡¯s word. And for me¡­ being what I am. What I¡­ have been¡­¡± I nodded, understanding. She was an Ignoble Tramp. A drunk, occasionally a prostitute, and I was sure, any number of other things. In many ways, particularly to her own self-evaluation, she probably felt like she was the polar opposite of all of those things held in highest esteem to her own kind. ¡°Ye ain¡¯t gonna be Keltha after this, hen,¡± Jax sighed, squatting down next to us. Calm, now that the threat of violence was over. ¡°Even so,¡± she shifted in her urgency, grimacing as the fangs embedded in her flesh pulled at her, ¡°I would ask you. Help me? To be¡­ what I was not?¡± I shook my head, ¡°What am I? A Paladin? I can barely keep to those standards myself. But¡­ I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all that I can ask,¡± she replied, settling back. ¡°I am ready.¡± I nodded and set about trying to figure out exactly how to initiate the process before Jax abruptly spoke, ¡°What about her name?¡± ¡°What?¡± I blinked. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°Did ye nay tell me, back when?¡± she prodded. ¡°That ye¡¯d to give me a new one? Do ye nay think it might be the same again?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to keep mine?¡± Hess asked, concerned. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know, of course,¡± I explained, ¡°But she¡¯s right. I did have to change it. I mean, I can try to keep it the same or fairly close, but¡­ Maybe you should suggest an alternative? Just in case?¡± Hess frowned contemplatively, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Hess was my great-grandmother¡¯s name. It was important to my father that it be carried on, but¡­ maybe now, it¡¯s best forgotten.¡± Sighing, she murmured, ¡°¡¯Snails¡­ maybe¡­ Ahriksa? It was my mother¡¯s name.¡± Then in faint whisper, she added, ¡°And I¡¯d bet he¡¯d just hate that.¡± I tilted my head to the side. That sounded like some family drama. And I wanted no part of any of that. But here I was, about to cram my foot right into it. Hell¡­ I was, in more ways than one, about to marry this woman, and I suddenly realized that I had never even met her family. I had not even met any of her friends. I barely even knew her! Scrubbing my hands over my face, I sighed. I was insane. That is all there was to it. I was on some kind of Hunter S. Thompson-esqe drug-induced frenzy somewhere, and now I was having an appropriately Las Vegas-style wedding with some hooker I had met. ¡°Yeah, alright. Screw it.¡± I said aloud. If I was going to wake up with a facial tattoo and a missing tooth, then at least I would have quite the story to tell. Then, muttering to myself, I began, ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­ how do I¡­¡±
Would you like to [Bind] willing entity [Keltha: Hess of the Sherr] as your [Lilim]? Accept?
¡°Ah! Here we go,¡± I smiled before glancing down at Hess one last time. ¡°Uh¡­ Last chance to back out. Are you¡­ absolutely sure about this?¡± She nodded firmly, ¡°Do it. Please.¡± I sighed, ¡°Okay.¡± Just don¡¯t blame me later¡­ And with that, I touched the little shining ¡®yes¡¯. The Words came once more, forcing themselves out of my mouth. And this time, I knew them for what they were. Words. Those things of magic that this world seemed to revolve around. There were so many Words. So very many. Now that I had some experience with them, I could tell, this was no mere phrase. Nor even a sentence. This was paragraphs of Words. Far, far more than I could manage on my own. I knew the feel of them. Their weight. This should have killed me outright. The mere thought of trying to Say so many at once boggled my mind. And I was not the only one. ¡°No¡­¡± Hess whispered, shaking her head, her eyes wide. ¡°How are you¡­? It isn¡¯t possible!¡± I could not stop, however. Though the Words were emerging from my mouth, none of this was under my control. I had done this once before, but I did not know these Words. They did not even exist within my brain to be Spoken. Where they were kept or how any of this was happening was beyond me. And when I finally finished, I sagged from exhaustion. But I had experienced far worse. On more than one occasion, I had pushed myself to the very edge of my endurance and beyond, so I knew my limits. This had tapped me, to be sure, but it was not as if I were about to pass out again. And that made no sense. Glancing up, I could see some significant few of the Words I had Spoken, hovering as though crystallized in the air. Now, as before, I had no idea as to their meaning. And when they zipped into Hess, they seemed to merge with her flesh, and she gasped. Trembling, she began to shiver. And then quake. Looking up at me fearfully, she whispered, ¡°Donum¡­?¡± And then she exploded. I was in shock, to say the least. Little bits of my former companion were dripping off of me. Rivulets were running through my hair, and I was pretty sure a bit of flesh was dangling from my nose. I could fucking taste her. In my mouth. I wanted to puke. So when the Lady¡¯s message came, I did not know exactly how to react.
Congratulations on [Binding] your second [Lilim]! Please, choose its new name.
¡°Uhm¡­¡± I vocalized, not knowing what else to say. She was dead! I had killed her, and this stupid¡­ thing still wanted me to give her a name?! Unless¡­ maybe if I went through this, she would reform somehow? Like Jax did? It was a tenuous thread, but I held to it firmly, if for no other reason than because my own sanity was at stake. Slowly, I nodded to myself and took a steadying breath, trying very hard to ignore the sensory input that provided. ¡°Master?¡± Jax whispered to my side, and I glanced over. And then down. She was crawling toward me with her face pressed firmly against the cobblestones, like a soldier might crawl under tripwire. Stretching a trembling hand out, she lightly caressed my leg before glancing up at me furtively, as if afraid to meet my eyes. ¡°Be ye well? Ye ain¡¯t¡­ hurt are ye?¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± I mumbled faintly, just as the bit of something finally fell away from my nose. Unbidden, my gorge rose. ¡°Ye ain¡¯t fine,¡± Jax returned. Then looking more closely, she scrambled up and began hovering over me, ¡°Ye ain¡¯t fine, at all! Look at ye! Ye¡¯ve got bits of bone pocked to yer flesh¡­¡± ¡°Jax!¡± I interrupted, swallowing roughly. I had not noticed that. I felt numb. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Just¡­ give me a few minutes here. Bline and I need to¡­ discuss this.¡± ¡°Oh, but Master¡­¡± Jax sighed unhappily. And unbidden, she began to pick at me, grooming away the pieces of Hess that were stuck to me. And if I did not have a blue box hovering in front of my face, offering the faintest bit of evidence that perhaps she might not be permanently¡­ detonated, I would have been livid at the callous display. Even so¡­ ¡°Jax, what are you doing? How are you not¡­ freaking out about this? Why¡­¡± ¡°Master,¡± she stopped me, ¡°Seeing what I just seen, of what ye did¡­ There ain¡¯t no way me sister be gone for good. And I ain¡¯t gonna let meself think otherwise. So, you do what ye gotta, and let me busy meself.¡± I took a breath through my mouth this time, very much, at the moment, wanting to avoid the coppery scent all around me. She was coping, then. Okay. I could understand that. Now, I just needed to make sure that I would not need to. ¡°Her name is Hess,¡± I began.
That name is within parameters for traditional [Kelthic]. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. You must choose a name suitable for [Lilim] naming conventions.
I grimaced. Damn it. I had a feeling that was coming. And if I could not use anything from the Kelthic tradition, then I was sure her mother¡¯s name was out, too. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose You might tell me what those are, would You?¡± I asked, hopefully. But as usual, silence was my answer. Wincing slightly as Jax loosened a piece of bone from my cheek, I glanced over at her. She had a haunted look about her. Or perhaps she was just deep in thought. I was not certain. But perhaps it would be helpful to open the floor, so to speak, to the question. ¡°I can¡¯t use either name. She says it has to be suitable for a lilim, and I guess those aren¡¯t for some reason,¡± I explained. ¡°What do you think?¡± Flicking the speck of white away, she stared off into the distance for a moment before asking, ¡°So it¡¯s gotta be like mine, then?¡± I tilted my head to the side slightly, ¡°Maybe. She won¡¯t explain the rules, of course.¡± She nodded, understanding, ¡°How did ye come up with mine then?¡± ¡°Honestly? I just started sounding things out until something stuck.¡± Then, my mouth twitching a bit, I added, ¡°Sorry about that.¡± ¡°Why?¡± she replied, turning to me in surprise. ¡°I love me name.¡± ¡°Really? But it doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡± Or at least, I did not think it did. It was hard to say with names. There were a lot of them. And a lot of languages. I happened to know that for a matter of absolute fact. Honestly, I was lucky that it did not coincidentally mean ¡®toilet¡¯ in any language in my lexicon. Mine did in at least three. Actually, so did ¡®hess¡¯, but in that one, there was a bit of a dance involved, so I was not sure that it counted. ¡°Jax means me,¡± she returned with a smile. ¡°It were the first gift ye ever gave me. How could I not be happy to bear it?¡± I smirked, slightly embarrassed at the open display of affection, ¡°Well enough. So what do you think for Hess¡¯ new name?¡± ¡°I dunno,¡± she shrugged. ¡°Just use that one she gave ye, but sound at it until something sticks. Well enough for me be well enough for her.¡± I scratched at my head, a little frustrated by the answer. I really did not want to give them both random names. But, I supposed, I did not have much choice. Uh¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ Ahriksa, huh? Well, assuming it has to be short, then I could go with Ari or Rik or something¡­ Or if I try to make it like Jax¡¯s name, then¡­ maybe I could interpret that k-s sound as an x. So maybe Rix? Or Arx. I paused, recognizing the name I had arrived at as a word from Latin. Just like mine. It meant something like ¡®citadel¡¯ or ¡®castle¡¯, which was appropriate in a way. ¡°Uh¡­ What do you think about something like Arx?¡± I asked, but the moment I said it, I was already ready to discard it. It did not exactly roll off the tongue. Jax made to reply, but before she could, a wave of dizziness overcame the both of us. Blinking owlishly, Jax shook her head for a moment before responding, ¡°What uhm¡­ what about her?¡± Fighting off my own wave of vertigo, it took me a moment to realize that I was staring at a new box.
Congratulations! Your [Lilim] is now named [Arx]! Train it well!
Slowly, my face contorted into a snarl. Mother¡­ Fucker¡­ ¡°Master, what is it?¡± Jax asked, concerned by my sudden change in mood. I just sighed. I was doomed, it seemed, to forever remain the kicking boy of this world. Scrubbing a bit of blood off of my lips, I glanced up at her, ¡°I seem to have accidentally named¡­¡± I paused, and slowly, my eyebrows bunched together, ¡°Uh¡­ I just¡­?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Jax gently prodded. Taking a steadying breath, I said, ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t seem to remember what Arx¡¯s¡­ old name was. Can you?¡± ¡°Nay?¡± she replied, as if that were obvious. ¡°Course not. I don¡¯t even remember mine own. Ye had to figure it¡¯d be the same this time, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I mean¡­¡± I tilted my head. ¡°I guess so. Still¡­¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t ye worry, Master,¡± she reassured me, before resuming her grooming, ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll like it fine. Besides, it be right fitting! She always were a bit of an arse.¡± ¡°Yes, well. Who isn¡¯t?¡± I grunted pointedly. ¡°But doesn¡¯t it bother you that her name was just¡­ erased like that?¡± Jax had knelt down and was distractedly picking at something that was lodged in my thigh, ¡°Aye¡­ now ye mention it¡­ But I suppose, what good¡¯s having a new one if everyone¡¯s gonna confuse ye for it.¡± I nodded slowly, unconvinced, ¡°Maybe¡­¡±
Your [Lilim: Arx] has physically developed according to an incompatible Class. Reconstitution required. Initiating process¡­ Core Energy captured. Warning: Core Energy exceeds current limits. Repurposing Core Energy: Beginning Kind Characteristic reconfiguration. Please wait¡­
I breathed a sigh of relief, my previous concerns evaporating. She was definitely alive, then. As long as that remained true, everything else was a triviality. Uh¡­ let¡¯s see here¡­ Yada yada¡­ Kind Characteristics, huh? Oof¡­ I was sort of hoping to ease her into this a bit, but I guess that¡¯s off the table now. Oh well¡­ And boy was that going to be one heck of a conversation. Well, whatever. Nothing I can do to change it. I would just have to be there for her when that particular wad of shit was fastballed into the ceiling fan.
Kind Characteristic reconfiguration complete. Excess Core Energy remains. Please choose from the following: 1) Allow Core to stabilize at your current Layer. Attributes randomized within mortal standards. 2) Reform at Foundation 1. Attributes halved from current.
Hmm¡­ Interesting choices. If I allowed her to start at my own Layer, that would be the most convenient. Although, I did not like the sound of her attributes being randomized. I tended to have fairly abysmal luck with that sort of thing. I mean, yes. Technically, she could start off with all tens, but on the flip side¡­ Plus, there was the question of whether she would have all the stat points to spend that she normally would have. Bline had left that part out. I assumed she would, but then I had also assumed that she would not take the first random word I spat out as Arx¡¯s new name! As for the other choice, she would be guaranteed to have some pretty good attributes to start out with. If I recalled correctly, some of them were around twenty, so she would be able to start off, at base level, with one or two perfect stats! But the downside was that it would take a couple of weeks to get her up to speed again. So the question was: Did I feel like gambling? The answer, of course, was fuck no! Yes, maybe she would have to start from scratch, but there was no way I was going to take that kind of risk. Besides, we were still pretty flush with Power Gems. And she deserved her fair share, after all. ¡°Option two, please,¡± I said aloud.
[Lilim: Arx] will begin with a Core at Foundation 1. Present body configuration: Lilim complete as base from former Core initiation Starting Attributes halved from former levels Initiating Body reformation: Time Remaining: 07:59:47
¡°Eight hours?¡± I grumbled. I had to suppose that was better than the full day it took Jax. Maybe it was giving me some kind of boost due to the fact that it had exploded her all over my face. As for the rest, it was fairly self-explanatory save for the bit about body configuration. Lilim complete as base¡­ okay, fine. But from former Core initiation? What did that mean? I shook my head. I guess I¡¯ll find out. ¡°What happens in eight hours?¡± Jax asked. She had managed to pick most of the shrapnel from out of my skin by that point, and distractedly, I expended a small amount of Life to finish the job. ¡°That¡¯s when Arx will¡­ I dunno. Reconstitute, I guess,¡± I explained. Then, twitching my head slightly, I rephrased, ¡°She¡¯ll¡­ flash back into existence. Like you do when you die. It¡¯s a little like what happens with your axe, actually.¡± Understanding finally, she raised her eyebrows, ¡°Really? Hmm¡­ I¡¯d like to see that. So, what do we do in the meantime?¡± I shrugged, ¡°Leave, I guess. There¡¯s nothing else to do here, right? And I, for one, would quite like to put this place behind us.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± she smiled. But then she pursed her lips, ¡°But¡­ if she comes back where we be, and we ain¡¯t here, would she still get the Word?¡± I blinked a few times, and slowly, I let my head fall back. ¡°Gzarkn,¡± I muttered, tapping my middle finger to my thumb twice. There really were quite a lot of ways to say ¡®toilet¡¯, after all. And honestly, the fact that I was not making use of them was a crime. Jax tittered, ¡°Ye shouldn¡¯t speak such, Master, but I¡¯ll let that one slide. Who¡¯d know what ye were saying besides me?¡± ¡°Who else is even here?¡± I returned before sighing, ¡°Well¡­ I guess we have to kill eight hours. Any ideas?¡± ¡°One,¡± she grinned, working at one of her fangs with her tongue. Naturally. Why did I even bother to ask? Grunting a bit, I climbed to my feet. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go find the entrance to the waterway.¡± ¡°What for?¡± she asked, following me. ¡°The dirt be good enough.¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re covered in¡­ person, that¡¯s why,¡± I explained, gesticulating grandly. Unnecessarily, to my mind. ¡°And I would quite like to wash the taste out of my mouth, thank you very much.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Now that the Dungeon was more or less complete, the place seemed rather dead. Nothing moved or jumped out at us. It was all very¡­ peaceful in a way. Not that I would want to build a vacation home here or anything, but still. So, we took our time with things. And the first order of business was bath time. We were a state. Neither of us had seen a comb nor soap in weeks, and while that had not changed, the simple effort of scrubbing ourselves with a bit of clean water did wonders. Jax insisted that I go first, and what is more, that she be the one to bathe me. Apparently, she was owed the privilege because Arx had done it the one time, and the fact that I had been unconscious was irrelevant. I chose not to fight her on it. Mostly because I well intended to return the favor. ¡°Oh, Master¡­ that ain¡¯t¡­¡± she began, but I did not pay her any attention. I was too busy enjoying the softness of her as I ran my wet hands slowly over her flesh. She really did need this, arguably more than I did. Miscellaneous bits of dirt, plant matter, and monster parts were stuck to her skin, and her hair was a complete disaster. And with so much time to kill, I intended to fix that. ¡°M-Master, I can¡­ can do this meself,¡± she whimpered, starting to shiver lightly. ¡°Why? Am I making you uncomfortable?¡± I asked honestly, vigorously scrubbing at her calves. ¡°N-never!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°But it¡­ hnnah~ It be beneath ye t-to¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that business,¡± I said dismissively. ¡°No, I think that I will decide what is beneath me and what isn¡¯t. Besides. I like doing this.¡± ¡°I know¡­ know it,¡± she said, twitching her torso to the side. ¡°I can¡­ f-feel¡­¡± ¡°What are you carrying on for?¡± I asked, taunting her a bit now. ¡°I¡¯m not even trying. Or maybe I should, eh? Maybe a touch of the Hammer would sort you out?¡± ¡°Oh, Master, don¡¯t!¡± she exclaimed. But it was too late. I had her in my clutches now. Several minutes later, she was resting her back to my knees while I busily finger-combed out her wet hair. It was a little difficult, what with her horns, but I was making headway. There were fewer knots, anyway. And now that it was wet, I could tell that it was approaching shoulder length, though it was not styled at all. We would have to rectify that once we returned to civilization, I decided. We had a bit of money in our pocket, so some pampering was in order. She deserved it. And speaking of, Jax was relaxing against me like she was putty. Sighing, she moaned, ¡°That feels incredible. Every time ye brush me horns¡­ ah~¡± I smiled, ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Rolling her shoulders a couple of times, she murmured wistfully, ¡°I wish I could make ye feel like this.¡± ¡°I suppose you could,¡± I said, not really thinking about it. ¡°You have a skill point, right?¡± She stiffened at my words and turned to look back at me, ¡°And ye¡¯d be okay with that?¡± ¡°Well, you certainly seem to be enjoying it,¡± I shrugged. ¡°But ye¡¯d nay be upset?¡± she prodded. ¡°That it be a waste?¡± I bobbed my head, ¡°A fair point. Well¡­ let¡¯s think about this. Maybe we can work up something that is useful for more than just play time?¡± Grinning now, she settled back to allow me to resume, ¡°Master be wise.¡± Chuckling, I asked, ¡°Okay then. What exactly do you want to be able to do?¡± ¡°I want to be able to make ye feel like I do when ye touch me,¡± she replied instantly. ¡°Only that?¡± I asked, quirking an eyebrow, though she could not see me. ¡°What about when I channel?¡± She snorted, ¡°Then it¡¯d be over too quickly.¡± I thumped her head, ¡°Here now. I¡¯m getting better.¡± She just snickered teasingly. Clicking my tongue once, I asked, ¡°Alright¡­ so what are we talking about here? Pleasure? Arousal? What?¡± ¡°Not arousal,¡± she replied quickly. ¡°That be what I feed off of. If I make ye feel it, then I nay think it¡¯d taste the same.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ well, what then?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like I have some skill that makes you feel a certain way at my merest touch.¡± Not without effort, anyway. ¡°When did that even start happening?¡± ¡°When ye started wanting to touch me,¡± she explained easily. ¡°Yer want reflects mine own, and it sort of¡­ magnifies everything.¡± Oh. That made sense. Or it was consistent, at least. It must be weird to be an empath. Curious now, I asked, ¡°Would the same thing happen with anybody? If they were to touch you while they were all hot and bothered?¡± She snorted derisively, ¡°I think I¡¯d be more inclined to slit their throat.¡± I averted my eyes for a moment before clearing my throat, ¡°Yes, well¡­ That might be¡­ a bit extreme.¡± It was easy to forget Jax¡¯s background when she fretted over my slightest injury like a mother with her only child. ¡°But, anyway. About this skill. Do you want¡­ your touch to somehow feel better than it should? Or maybe the ability to project your emotions? Like with a glance maybe?¡± She sighed before stretching her arms out to the sides, ¡°I dunno. I¡¯d want it to be useful in a fight, though. And all I feel then is¡­ pain. Anger. Fear.¡± Then tilting her head slightly, she added, ¡°And horny. Always that.¡± ¡°Quite a cocktail,¡± I murmured. Then, stewing through our conversation thus far, I had the germ of an idea. ¡°What about this¡­ magnification business? Like¡­ say you were to take your feelings, enhance them somehow, and blam! I¡¯d imagine that most things would be a bit stunned to have all of that extra emotion suddenly thrust on them. Especially that last part. That would be confusing, to say the least. Although, the results might be a little unpredictable. Might be better to pick one and go with that.¡± ¡°So¡­¡± Sitting up, she spun around to look at me. ¡°Yer saying, the skill¡¯d be to push a stronger version of me own emotions on something?¡± She frowned slightly, ¡°Aye, that might well be useful in a fight, but I also want to use it on ye.¡± ¡°Right¡­ uh¡­ is pleasure an emotion?¡± I asked, really only talking to myself. However, she answered anyway, ¡°Nay. But it be a part of it. It be what ye feel when something be nice. Agreeable like. Then ye feel an emotion about that.¡± I nodded along at the explanation. That all sounded reasonable. ¡°Well¡­ how about¡­ instead of using your own emotions, you just magnify what they are already feeling? That way, you could touch someone in a pleasant sort of way, and when they react to it, you just reinforce the ones you want. Being an empath, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be able to pick out all of that. But you¡¯d want to be able to scale how much to do that by, of course. That way, you could do a whole lot in a fight or more subtly in social situations.¡± She raised an eyebrow at me, ¡°And ye¡¯d be fine with me doing that to ye?¡± I nodded, ¡°Sure. As long as I knew you were doing it. And you don¡¯t try to use it to coerce me into your bed all the time. So, I guess you would need to ask permission first.¡± She smiled beautifully, leaning down to hug my knees against her cheek, ¡°As ye wish, Master.¡± Needless to say, the remaining hours were spent less than productively. Chapter 56 - Arx After an extended session of vigorously feeding my lilim, an activity that I found much more enjoyable when I was not constantly looking over my shoulder for the threat of beetles or other such interruptions, the two of us were taking a light nap on one of the cots in the safe room. Or really, Jax was. She was nestled into my side, her head resting on my arm, and snoring ever so softly. It was endearing, in a way. Meanwhile, I was having a little trouble finding sleep on my own. After having spent so many nights with the absolutely perfect aid provided by filling my Core and the automatic torpor that came with it, I was feeling wide awake. Plus, it was all of three or four in the afternoon, and unlike my companion, I had not had the pleasure of a meal. So, I was spending the time having a private conversation with the Lady of Power. Or trying to. What do you mean, ¡®what do I mean¡¯? It¡¯s the identify spell. What¡¯s to understand?
Please denote parameters of desired spell in detail.
Bu¡­ It just¡­ does what it says? It¡¯s a spell that you cast to identify things. Like magical properties. On magical items.
Detect Engravings Spell that, while maintained, will highlight Word Engravings on a specified object or surface, if they are present. Skill level improves endurance cost to maintain. At high levels, user may gain a sensitivity to the presence of such objects.
No, no¡­ that¡¯s¡­ not¡­ Actually, that is pretty interesting. I was assuming, based on this response, that these Word Engravings were some form of enchantment system. And from the description, it sounded like the Words that were Engraved on the object were invisible unless you had a skill like this. All of which tracked with my experience with magical items, thus far. Other than an obvious patina of quality, they looked perfectly mundane. To me, anyway. Maybe a more experienced eye would disagree. Still, while this was undoubtedly useful, it was not exactly what I was going for. Okay¡­ no. That¡¯s more like¡­ detect magic or something. I want a spell to tell me what the Words actually do.
You may not purchase any ability to translate the Unknown. They must be discovered for yourself.
I sighed in frustration. But I¡¯m not trying to translate them? I just want to know what a magical item will do when I use it. Or even how to use it. Like the arm guards Jax is wearing?
Function is in accordance with the Interpretation of the Activator.
¡­What? I waited, but she did not elaborate further. Scrunching my eyes closed for a moment, I rubbed at the bridge of my nose. Okay, Donum¡­ let¡¯s work through this. If function was according to interpretation, specifically with a capital I, then one had to assume that it was referring to Words specifically Engraved on a magical item. But how could that be? Was She saying that a person could just¡­ change the way a thing worked if they decided that the Words should be interpreted a certain way? What a bizarre concept. But¡­ hold on. If that were the case, then there was the implication that an item would need to be Interpreted at least once in the first place to do anything at all. And the items we had found certainly did do things, even if we were not quite certain about them. The Coin Pouch currently hanging about my neck was a prime example. So then¡­ the Activator would probably be referring to the person who made the Engraving, and not the person wearing the item, like I had assumed. Unless¡­ Can I purchase a skill to override the Interpretation of the Activator?
Activate Engravings Through a significant expenditure of Life Energy, this Spell will attempt to infuse Word Engravings with your Interpretive Will. All Words present within the Engraving must be known before attempt is made. If a Will Interpretation is already present within the Engraving, your Will must be strong enough to overcome it.
Uh¡­ huh¡­ In other words, yes. But not by you. Or not any time soon, anyway. Likely, not ever. There were something like a hundred thousand words in English. Or more. I had no idea if that translated one for one into Words, but if you managed to get one a day, everyday, it would take well over two hundred years to get all of them. And we had been in this one Dungeon area for weeks! Expelling a puff of air through my nose, I pondered how to get what I wanted out of this. Okay¡­ so if a magical item functions because someone has Interpreted the Words on it in a certain way, can I purchase a spell to divine what their Interpretation was? Her response took a while, as it often did when I asked for something weird, but she did eventually decide to cooperate. Somewhat.
Divine Engraved Will While maintained, this spell will attempt to divine the Will of the Activator in a given set of Engraved Words. This divination will be extremely vague. Knowledge of the Meaning of the Words present and familiarity with the Activator will improve the results tremendously. Caution: The Activator, if alive, will know that their Will has been touched upon.
I grimaced. That was¡­ kind of what I wanted. And what with the strange way magic seemed to work here, it was probably the best I could get. Essentially, at least in D&D terms, what I was lacking was proficiency in arcana. In other words, I did not know jack about magic. And because magic was all about Words¡­ Well, I was pretty well boned in that regard. Still, there was potential here. I doubted that there were many people who had thought to ask for a skill like this. Or at least, I assumed that was the case. She had taken a while to cough the skill up, after all. So, either it was rare, She was extremely busy at the moment, or She had needed to make up the skill on the spot. And given that magic items were a common enough find in the Dungeon, which I will admit was an assumption on my part, I would bet that at least somebody would be willing to pony up some cash for a divination like that. Even if it was vague. Then again, there was that warning. I did not particularly care for the idea that I would be broadcasting myself on some magical channel. On the other hand, it had not mentioned anything about them knowing that their Will had been touched upon by me. So, there was at least some anonymity here. Hmm¡­ Really, to be most effective, the spell would need to be coupled with Detect Engravings. Otherwise, you would have no way of knowing what Words were present. But that was something for future Donum to worry about. Present Donum did not know any Words. Save the one. And people did not just go around Engraving ¡®toilet¡¯ on things. Presumably. Scratching my head for a moment, I sighed again. I did want this skill. But as usual, I was fairly hesitant about it. It was not something that I technically needed, but having at least some clue about what our stuff did might be life saving. At the very least, it should expand our options. And options were useful things when the situation got tense. So, after a bit more back and forth, I decided to just go ahead with it. Being a spell caster was all about utility, after all. I mean, sure. Fireball is a great spell, but so is Web. Not that I could cast either one of those. Although¡­ Polymorph is pretty good. Hmm¡­ now there¡¯s a thought. Turn Jax into a dragon for a while? That would be awesome! Then again, the endurance cost on a few simple buffs was terrible. I could just imagine what kind of horrific load a spell like that would cause. No¡­ that was something for down the road, for sure. A wizard needed to Dimension Door before he could Teleport, after all. Alright. Divine Engraved Will. Let¡¯s have it. The Words came as they always did, whispering themselves into the recesses of my mind, tucked away for later use, and I shifted uneasily as goosebumps rolled down my back. The movement jostled Jax out of her slumber, and she looked up at me blearily. ¡°Hnn? Wha¡­?¡± she paused to yawn, exposing her long canines. ¡°How long were I asleep?¡± ¡°Oh, I dunno,¡± I replied. ¡°Long enough for me to buy a skill.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± she grinned, sitting up. ¡°Ye get that wee toaty ye were thinking about? With them lightnings?¡± My mouth twitched. Right¡­ that thing. I had sort of put that idea away after having been rebuffed, but now that I was past the Boundary, I had not thought to ask again. But it was too late now. Note to self: Make sure to consult with your companions before buying skills. You moron. Shaking my head, I filled her in on my recent conversation with the Goddess and finished with a description of my new ability. She had been distractedly picking a few knots out of her hair with her claws as I spoke, not really paying too much attention, but at the last line, she paused, ¡°Are ye sure that be safe, then?¡± ¡°Probably,¡± I hedged. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll know who it was that was trying to ¡®divine their Will¡¯, and in any case, I doubt they¡¯d be all that put out about it. After all, I¡¯d just be trying to get a sense of what their enchantment does.¡± Wiping a final bit of sleep from her eye as she considered the argument, she eventually nodded, ¡°Right then. Do me arm guards. We dunno nothing about them.¡± ¡°Okay, uh¡­ I guess set them here,¡± I gestured, indicating the cot we had just gotten up from. ¡°And give me a few minutes. You know how it is with new spells.¡± Setting the leather pads where I had indicated, she did not offer comment beyond a slight quirk of her lips. Plopping down on the floor beside them, she rested her elbows on the cot to wait out the inevitable wrestling match. Preparing myself mentally, I sampled the Words on my tongue. This one was going to be a doozy, I could tell already. Not only was the spell fairly long, but the Words felt¡­ complex. More¡­ tongue-twister-y than normal, if that were possible. But then, I had to suppose that made sense. It was kind of a weird spell. So it was no surprise that it took me a solid ten minutes to finally get out the first cast. By that point, I felt about like I had when I was in speech class back in college, after having delivered my first oration. The audience was just as bored, too. ¡°Okay,¡± I said finally. ¡°I think that¡¯s got it.¡± Jax jerked back awake at my words and leaned forward drowsily, ¡°Myah? What are ye getting, then?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± I murmured, unintelligently. I could tell that the spell was running, what with the constant drain on my endurance, but I was not sure I was getting anything, if I were honest. Then again, She had said that the results would be subtle. ¡°Hold on¡­ let me think.¡± Closing my eyes, I took a breath and tried to quiet my mind. What else was here¡­ something¡­ external. Casting about, it took me a few moments before I began to detect it. It was faint, to say the least, but what I felt was¡­ Well, I could not really say. It was like I was blindfolded and deaf, yet somehow attached to¡­ something. And it was¡­ It felt like¡­ need? ¡°Hungry?¡± Jax asked, surprised. My eyes popped open, and I looked at her, ¡°What?¡± She shook her head uncertainly, ¡°I dunno¡­ Ye suddenly started feeling hungry. Out of nowhere, like. But it went away when ye opened yer eyes again.¡± I shifted my gaze to the side for a moment, working my lower lip. The spell had not been particularly descriptive in exactly how this was supposed to work, but the fact that Jax had been able to pick up on it was telling. ¡°Do you think¡­ Maybe it¡¯s feeding me emotional insights?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. She bobbed her head uncertainly, ¡°Maybe.¡± Then, shifting closer, she placed a hand over mine, ¡°Try again.¡± Taking a breath, I closed my eyes once more, returning to that still part of my mind. The connection was still there, waiting. Immersing myself back into it, I tried to pick apart the feelings that trickled in. Hunger. I nodded. Yes, she was right. That is what it was. But what else? There had to be more to it than that. And there was. But describing it¡­ I felt like¡­ there was some kind of trigger. It was sort of¡­ itchy. Like nervousness? Or¡­ ¡°Fear,¡± Jax whispered into my ear, supplying the word I was looking for. Right. Fear. Fight or flight. A response to threat. And then¡­ Then a reaction. Sort of¡­ a need again. But not for food. Something good and bad at the same time? Like¡­ Like I needed to¡­ ¡°Protect,¡± Jax whispered. I nodded. Protection. Security. Like I was a mother bear. Standing in front of her cub. That was it. And that was all. I could not feel anything else. Allowing the spell to fall away, I exhaled in relief, trying to process the information I had managed to glean from this exercise. It was scant, to say the least. I looked over at my companion to discuss it, but then I felt something else. Something that was very much not my spell. It was as if a weight had settled on me. Like I was being watched. As if the entirety of the Dungeon was staring right at me. Slowly, the hair on the back of my neck began to stand on end. Jax¡¯s eyes widened, and she leapt to her feet, axe in hand, ¡°What? What is it, Master?¡± I opened my mouth, and a slow wheeze escaped my lips as I tried to speak, the crushing pressure too great to allow me to do more. But then, all of a sudden, the weight left. And I felt a passing sense of¡­ amusement? ¡°Master?¡± Jax whispered, shaking me lightly. ¡°Talk to me!¡± My own eyes wide, I looked up at her, but I could not focus on her features. I realized now what I had done. The Activator. I had tapped into the Will of the Activator. And for these arm guards, that could only be one person. One being. I had just touched upon the Will of the Demon Queen, herself. The Lady of the Dungeon. A Goddess. ¡°No!¡± Jax argued hotly from above me. Stepping off of the ladder, her head poked back over the opening to scowl down at me, ¡°I¡¯ll not have ye drawing Her attention again. Not while we¡¯s in this place.¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m telling you, She didn¡¯t mind,¡± I protested, about half-way up, myself. ¡°If anything, She thought it was funny.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if She were dancing for joy!¡± she returned, as I ascended the final steps. ¡°I don¡¯t want Her thinking about ye at all! Not here. What if She decides¡­ I dunno what! Master¡­ I can nay protect ye from such as Her.¡± I sighed, ¡°Well¡­ okay, I can see your point. But I still need to get a sense of our other items. And I need to practice.¡± Taking a few steps toward the square, I turned to look back at her, ¡°Are there¡­ maybe some kind of appeasement rituals that people do for Her? Like¡­ after exiting the Dungeon? Or to ward Mouths away? That kind of thing?¡± She crossed her arms, frowning at the direction my thoughts had gone, ¡°I¡¯ll not have my Master getting up to a bunch of peasant nonsense. If that shite actually worked, it¡¯d spread to all corners, instead of being different from family to family. Place to place.¡± My eyebrows raised of their own accord at that surprising bit of logic, ¡°Fair enough. Still, She is a person. Of a sort. Right? I¡¯m sure that there must be something we could do to stay on her good side.¡± But she just shook her head, ¡°Master, I told ye before. The Lady of the Dungeon ain¡¯t for the kinds. She don¡¯t listen to such as us. Our needs ain¡¯t her concern. All she do is to create endless torments for us in this place.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± I sighed. Something about that did not sit right with me, though. The presence I had felt had not been malevolent. Powerful, of a certainty. But not malevolent. ¡°Still¡­ it can¡¯t hurt to be polite.¡± Jax smirked as she walked past me, ¡°Polite, says he. And to the Demon Queen her ownself, no less. Ah¡­ If I did nay love ye so, I¡¯d call ye mad. Come on, then. How much time?¡± ¡°Oh, uh¡­ just under five minutes,¡± I replied, quickly checking the timer. She nodded, ¡°Good. We¡¯ll make it back with plenty to spare. It won¡¯t do to let her wake elsewhere. Disorienting enough as it be.¡± I made a face. She was going to be more than just a little disoriented, if my guess was right. The square was much as we had left it, blood splatters and all. The ¡®giraffe¡¯ had been reduced to a Gem already, a Greater Mark III to be specific, and was currently rattling around with the others in my Pouch. As for the dagger, we had managed to extricate it from the¡­ remains, and rinsed it as thoroughly as we could. It belonged to her, after all, and we meant to return it. As for the wrap¡­ well¡­ that was a lost cause. It figured. And to top it off, we had only managed to find one of her boots. The other, according to Jax, had gone spiraling over the burned husks of the buildings during the uhm¡­ incident. ¡°How much longer?¡± Jax asked impatiently, bouncing on her toes. ¡°Two minutes,¡± I reported, struggling not to roll my eyes. ¡°Just do something to occupy your attention. She¡¯ll be here before you know it.¡± ¡°Two minutes ain¡¯t long enough for that,¡± she grinned. I snorted, ¡°There are other things you could do. Like¡­ practice with your shadows or something?¡± ¡°Maxed out,¡± she sighed. ¡°Seriously?¡± I replied. ¡°We only had the one fight.¡± ¡°Two fights,¡± she corrected. ¡°That Thumper weren¡¯t more than a day ago. And it don¡¯t take much. Be why I¡¯m gonna push me Intelligence for a while.¡± ¡°Oh? Decided to go that way, huh?¡± I asked, just making small talk at that point. ¡°How far do you want to go with it?¡± She shrugged, ¡°I dunno. Maybe¡­ eight? Ten?¡± We continued in that vein as the seconds trickled away, discussing build possibilities and the like until I felt a change. And it was a feeling, too. Well before the counter had finished ticking down, I suddenly began to sense a shift in the connection between myself and my newest lilim. It was like it was strengthening, solidifying in a way. As if she was here, standing right next to me. Touching my Core every bit as much as Jax was. And yet, she was very clearly not. ¡°Master?¡± Jax prodded, lightly touching my arm. Holding up my hand for her to wait a moment, I placed the other over my chest, absently rubbing at the spot where the sensation of ¡®Core¡¯ was most present before noticing something out of the corner of my eye. Jax followed my gaze, and we watched as the gristly memento of our companion¡¯s former existence slowly and soundlessly began to burn away. The dim blue flames worked from the outside in and hardly seemed to move, yet before we knew it, they were done. It was as if she had never been. Not her name. Not her body. Nothing remained of the woman who was. And then the timer reached zero. The blue flames erupted once more, this time blindingly bright. Starting from her extremities, her form burned its way into reality, crawling up her arms and legs, up her torso, over her chest, and finally to her head, accelerating briefly as they raced over her ears and hair. And with a flickering pop, they extinguished themselves. At that moment of completion, the sense of weightlessness that had suffused her body vanished, and she gently settled on her feet. There was a moment of quiet, then. Her eyes were closed, as if she were sleeping standing up. She was completely nude, so it was quite obvious that there had been some changes. For one, she was almost a half-foot shorter than she had been, and now stood only slightly above my own eye-level. For another, she was considerably less muscular, though certainly still quite fit. She looked more¡­ lithe, perhaps? Sleek? And¡­ I was not sure. Younger, maybe? Though, I could not say why that came to mind. It was not as if she had ever looked particularly old, but there was something of an undeveloped quality to her physique now. It was a fairly major step backward for her overall looks, if you were to ask for my honest opinion. Not that I would ever tell her that, of course. But then, she had lost half of her attributes, so I supposed that made sense. We would just have to build her back up again. No problem. For her face, her jaw-line had narrowed considerably and was much closer to what I would expect from a normal woman. I was not sure if she had fangs, just yet, but her once prominent tusks were now nowhere in sight, so it seemed likely. Otherwise, her facial structure looked much the same as I remembered. Beyond that, her hair had turned a pure, brilliant white, and what with the expected long and sharp ears combined with her own naturally dark gray skin-tone, she looked a lot like how I would describe a drow elf. Except for the horns, of course. There was not much to them, just yet. Currently perhaps a finger in length and a touch darker than her hair, they looked a lot like Jax¡¯s had when she had first started to grow them. She was also sporting claws on her hands and feet, I noticed, though where Jax¡¯s were pitch black, hers were every bit as white as her horns. And speaking of white things, where before there had been nothing but bare skin, there was now a quite noticeable little tuft of hair right above her womanhood. It did not look anything like¡­ well¡­ pubes, to be indelicate. Instead, it was thick, straight, and dense, almost like a perfectly manicured little diamond of fur. And it drew the eye like a magnet. I had the urge to run my fingers through it right then and there. ¡°Here now,¡± Jax muttered. ¡°Why¡¯s she got hair down there, and I ain¡¯t?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the first question you think to ask?¡± I returned, glancing over at her incredulously. ¡°You were looking at it, weren¡¯t ye?¡± she retorted. ¡°Buh¡­ I-I was looking at a lot of things,¡± I sputtered defensively. ¡°Not much else to see,¡± she grumbled, gesturing at her chest. ¡°If anything, I think she got smaller.¡± ¡°Hush, you,¡± I whispered fiercely, swatting her hands out of the air. ¡°You know she¡¯s sens¡ª¡± Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and the two of us started guiltily. However, she gave no sign that she had heard anything we had been saying. Looking off into the middle distance, her head swiveled for a moment until she found us, and she sucked in a breath. Beginning to tremble slightly, she murmured, ¡°D¡­ Donum? Is that¡­?¡± Abruptly, her hand cupped her mouth and she threw herself to the side, violently dry heaving into the cobble. Fortunately, whomever was responsible for reconstituting her body had not bothered to put anything into her stomach, or else the newly spotless square would not have remained so for long. Jax sighed, clucking to herself as she stepped forward to rub at the woman¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Aye, hen. Be at ease. It¡¯ll pass soon enough.¡± ¡°Right,¡± I grimaced. Squatting down next to her, I waved some air into her face. ¡°You¡¯re feeling some kind of resurrection sickness. Just concentrate on breathing.¡± Taking a few gulping breaths, she managed, ¡°R-resurrection? W-what hap¡ª,¡± before another wave of nausea overcame her. ¡°I¡¯m not totally sure,¡± I explained, intuiting the rest of her question. ¡°When I set the bind on you, I think something about your Core was¡­ incompatible? Or maybe just too strong for me. So, it caused your old body to uh¡­ Well, anyway, you died. Temporarily.¡± I grimaced. The appalling memory was still rather too fresh to recall it with any degree of levity. But I tried. ¡°Well, good news, though! You got better.¡± Gasping for a moment, she shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t feel all that better. I feel¡­ Something is¡­ It¡¯s like I¡¯m in a wind? A-and it¡­? But i-it isn¡¯t, though. I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Aye,¡± Jax nodded. ¡°That¡¯d be our emotions yer feeling. Ye¡¯ve developed all at once, like. Did nay have the time to get used to it first.¡± ¡°Emotions? N-no, I¡­ It¡¯s like there¡¯s holes in my¡­¡± she looked up at me, ¡°¡­i-in my¡­¡± Her eyes widened and slowly, her cheeks began to darken. ¡°¡¯Snails¡­¡± she breathed out. ¡°What?¡± I asked, nervously shifting my gaze. Her mouth twitched into a smile briefly, and she began to edge toward me, ¡°Hi.¡± Her face darkened further and she grimaced. ¡°Um¡­ Hi?¡± I responded, unsure about this sudden turn. Jax abruptly chortled, ¡°Ye weren¡¯t ready for that, were ye, hen?¡± She stopped her approach to growl deep in her throat, ¡°Would you stop calling me that? My name is Arx!¡± She blinked once and gave her head a quick shake, ¡°Or no¡­ No, my¡­ my name¡­¡± she trailed off. I nodded, ¡°Right. Sorry about that. Again. Uh¡­ Bit of a mix-up when it came to giving you a new one.¡± Frowning at the memory, I explained, ¡°Turns out that Kelthic names are no good, so I used your mother¡¯s to sort of make¡­ Well, anyway. It¡¯s in the same language as mine is.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Jax interrupted. ¡°That ain¡¯t fair!¡± But Arx cut in, speaking over her, ¡°Kelthic? Why would I want¡­? M-my mother? I¡­?¡± I held up my hands, ¡°Whoa, whoa! One conversation at a time.¡± Taking a breath, I reached forward to take Arx¡¯s face in hand, ¡°Look. I know that this is very overwhelming right now. I did warn you that there were going to be issues like this. But it will be alright. Okay? I¡¯m here. Jax is here. Everything will be fine.¡± As I spoke, she seemed to melt into my hands and her lips curled up into an almost goofy little smile. Nodding airily, she said, ¡°Okay.¡± Smiling helplesssly, I continued, ¡°Now. Let¡¯s try and sort out¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty,¡± she suddenly blurted out. Then, her eyes widening, she jerked back and slapped her hands over her face, ¡°¡¯Stits¡­ What is wrong with me?¡± ¡°Yer seeing yer Master as ye were meant, that¡¯s what,¡± Jax whispered, her eyes bright. ¡°My Master?¡± Arx repeated, curling her fingers down and glancing over at her uncertainly. Her eyes ¡ª still black as ever but now shimmering like obsidian glass ¡ª stayed there for a moment, as if drinking in Jax¡¯s form, but then, giving her head a quick twitch, she looked back at me. ¡°Is that¡­? Should I call you that now?¡± I shook my head, ¡°You may call me whatever you¡¯d like.¡± Jax frowned, probably wanting to disagree, but she held her peace. ¡°Then,¡± leaning forward once more and blushing fiercely, Arx whispered, ¡°I called you¡­ d-dearest, before. Right? Can I¡­?¡± I grinned, chuckling a bit, ¡°Of course you can.¡± Sighing with relief, she reached for me before catching herself and hesitating, ¡°I¡­ Can I¡­?¡± I sighed and taking her hand, I drew her close. ¡°Of course you can,¡± I said again. ¡°Any time you like.¡± Laughing now, as her tension washed away, she tearfully brought her lips to my own. And then my world erupted into light. I awoke some time later. I could not say how long it had been. Days? Weeks? Maybe only hours. But it was to the deep and heavy darkness that precedes the dawn. There was no moon out, not that there ever seemed to be in this place, so the only illumination was the faint speckling of stars trickling in from the vast reaches of space. I had been curled into a fetal position, my hands clutching my head. And I hurt. Everywhere. My head was pounding, my throat was dry, and somehow I felt simultaneously stiff and overwrought. As if I had run a triathlon and then just dropped into a coma after crossing the finish line. Groaning, I rolled over to my back, trying to stretch out my cramped muscles. It helped a little. ¡°Dearest?¡± a voice lanced through my brain, and I winced. Moments later, the outline of a head interrupted the star field above me, ¡°Are you alright?¡± For a moment, I considered answering sarcastically or perhaps even with a witty line. Instead, I wheezed out a pathetic little, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ poor thing,¡± the voice chirped. Reaching beneath my head, she scooped me into a sitting position, and a wave of nausea shot through me. I clamped down on it hard. I could not waste the calories. ¡°¡¯Snails¡­ that¡¯s terrible. What is that? Pain? Or¡­¡± she shook her head in frustration. ¡°I feel sick,¡± I muttered. ¡°Oh¡­ okay,¡± the voice ¡ª Arx, I now realized ¡ª nodded. ¡°That makes sense. From what it felt like on my end, I can only imagine¡­ or no. I guess I don¡¯t have to any more, do I?¡± She chuckled to herself, ¡°Ah, ¡®Stits¡­ What is this language called, anyway?¡± I clenched my eyes closed for a moment, not really of a mind just then to handle things like questions or other people. What language? Gradually, the words we had been saying seeped through my head case just enough for me to do things like interpret meaning. ¡°English,¡± I groaned out. ¡°We¡¯re speaking English. My native tongue.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± she bobbed her head. ¡°Never heard of it. Besides the few Words I already knew of it, of course. And Toilet, I guess now.¡± She chuckled, ¡°I can see why you never bothered to mention that. What rotten luck.¡± I turned to look at her fully, ¡°What? How did you¡­?¡± But I did not finish the question. I knew. There were a lot of new things rattling around in my head. I could not quite pick them apart right at the moment, but there were a few that stood out. They shone like beacons, the Words did. Now and forever embedded within my very being. There were nine of them, to be exact. Cynic. Lift. Silver. Palace. Generation. Floridness. Dirt. Moisture. And of all things, ¡°Labia?¡± She snorted, ¡°I know. Pretty random, that one. You have to figure that Vagina or even Clitoris would be more useful, but no. I got Labia.¡± Right about then, we heard Jax groan and start to swear violently. Arx sighed and helped me to my feet, ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go have this conversation a second time.¡± Chapter 57 - A New Class, A New Skill, A New Problem After a brief conversation, it was apparent what had happened. Evidently, it was a thing for my Class that the first time I crossed lips with a new lilim, any and all language barriers that existed between us would be forcibly removed. I now knew every language that Arx knew and vice versa. And that included Words. Of course, during my first experience with the phenomenon, Jax had been one in name only. And a dude. So it did not go exactly as it should have. Or that was our running hypothesis, anyway. There were some timing issues that were not quite resolved with that, such as the fact that Jax had been granted a limited amount of English from the outset. Moreover, she had gained everything from Arx at the same moment that I had. So we were still a little hazy on the details, but the kiss was most certainly the catalyst. ¡°It really is a shame, though,¡± I muttered finally, just as the first traces of light started to crest the horizon. I paused for half a second, reflecting on the moment. Not a month ago, I would not have been caught dead being up at this time of the morning. Shaking my head slightly in wonderment, I glanced at Arx, ¡°Nine new Words and not a single one matches any of my skills.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Arx hummed in agreement, turning to face the sunrise with me. ¡°That¡¯s the way it goes. I didn¡¯t either, if it makes you feel any better.¡± ¡°Somewhat,¡± I admitted. Then, glancing at Jax, I asked, ¡°What about you? Any luck?¡± She shrugged, ¡°Nah. Ye¡¯d think, though. Right? What with Moisture?¡± She looked at me out of the corner of her eye and waggled her brows. I favored her with half a smile in lieu of response. She was like a perverted old uncle in a woman¡¯s body. Or really, there was no ¡®like¡¯ about it. That is exactly what she was. ¡°What were you saying before?¡± Arx asked, drawing me back to the conversation before I could get sidetracked, ¡°About my Class being incompatible?¡± ¡°Right, let me see¡­¡± Thinking back, I recited the message I had gotten as best I could from memory. I was mostly accurate. ¡°So I have to start completely over again?¡± she groaned, letting her head loll. I nodded, ¡°Yeah, sorry about that. But your attributes should be pretty good to start out. Half of what you had.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not so bad,¡± she allowed. Idly tonguing her new dental structure as she considered the matter, she murmured, ¡°Lady, what are my current attributes?¡± She rocked back when the answer came, ¡°What the¡­?¡± Swiveling about to look at us, she exclaimed, ¡°That¡¯s not the Lady¡¯s voice!¡± ¡°Do She sound like a slatternly boot?¡± Jax asked nonchalantly, with barely a pause to consider the matter. ¡°Like She¡¯d as soon take ye to the sheets as look at ye?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± slowly, Arx¡¯s head bobbed in acquiescence, ¡°would be an apt way of putting it.¡± Grunting, Jax simply folded her arms behind her head and laid back, ¡°That¡¯s Her, alright.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t understand,¡± Arx persisted. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the same voice for¡­ I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t remember now, but years anyway! Why would it suddenly be different? Because I¡¯m of a different kind? And attached to you?¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± I spread my hands. ¡°Welcome to ye olde Hamlet of Guesswork. Population: three.¡± ¡°We¡¯re light on style, but the sex be wild!¡± Jax half-heartedly punched at the air. ¡°Nice,¡± I grinned, going for a high five. Jax just starred at it blankly for a moment before tentatively reaching her own hand out and stroking my palm gently. Well¡­ that wasn¡¯t awkward at all. Clicking my tongue, I turned back to Arx, ¡°What did She say, anyway?¡± ¡°Best not say word for word,¡± Jax advised quickly, still looking a bit confused. ¡°Ye¡¯ll just make Master blush.¡± ¡°Okay, well now you¡¯ve got me curious,¡± I said, quirking an eyebrow. ¡°Mmm¡­ I guess, since you asked¡­¡± Then hesitating for a moment, she shrugged and affected a lilting sort of voice, ¡°Sweetums, I¡¯m sorry. But I can¡¯t tell you that yet. Your Core is in Flux because your delicious Master hasn¡¯t decided how to let you grow.¡± Pausing uncomfortably, she eyed me, ¡°I¡¯d rather not say the rest. But she was suggestive.¡± Jax snorted, ¡°That¡¯s definitely Her.¡± I blinked a few times. That had not sounded all that bad. The parts Arx had actually been willing to say, anyway. ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t want to push you¡­¡± Arx took a breath, ¡°Mmm¡­ she didn¡¯t say anything¡­ exactly untrue. They were just¡­ personal sorts of things.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± I said slowly. That was likely all I was going to be able to learn about that. Expelling a puff of air, I slapped my thighs, ¡°Well, then. I suppose I should figure out how to¡­ let you grow. Or whatever. Do you think she meant your Class, maybe?¡± However, before she could hazard a guess, the customary bell chimed, heralding the arrival of my own iteration of the Lady. ¡°Oh¡­ never mind. I¡¯ve just answered my own question. Let¡¯s see here¡­¡±
Lilim: Arx Qualifying Starting Classes
Scout Specializes in harassing attacks. Bonuses to light and ranged weapons. Bonuses to secondary abilities related to hazard detection, stealth, woodcraft, and tracking.
Warrior Specializes in direct combat. Bonuses to all melee weapons. Bonuses to secondary abilities related to quick recovery, threat assessment, and damage avoidance.
Caster (Offensive) Specializes in utilizing spell-like abilities to handle larger groups and area effects. Weak defensively.
¡°That¡¯s all She says?¡± Arx asked after I had finished reading. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it,¡± I nodded before hiking a thumb at Jax. ¡°But as I¡¯ve said, I think this is more of a generalized hint at what¡¯s to come than anything exact.¡± ¡°I think ye were right, Master,¡± Jax added. ¡°I nay had the choice for Caster. Most like, cause I were more used to being the physical type, where Arx here had them windy spells.¡± ¡°They were force spells, technically,¡± Arx corrected. ¡°Not that it matters.¡± Then grimacing, she wondered, ¡°Why all specialized Classes, though? I was a generalist before.¡± Jax and I just looked at her. ¡°Right,¡± she grimaced. ¡°The Hamlet of Guesswork. That¡¯s a terrible name, by the way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a working title,¡± I replied nonchalantly. ¡°So. Which one do you think?¡± ¡°What? Just like that?¡± she asked. ¡°No suggestions? Preferences?¡± I waved an unconcerned hand, ¡°Ultimately, it¡¯s your Class. Whatever you pick, we¡¯ll make it work. But if you want my opinion¡­ probably not Warrior. That¡¯s Jax¡¯s deal. Not that it would necessarily be bad per se, but she¡¯s not great at range. If you took that, too, we would just end up¡­ really good at up close and personal stuff.¡± She nodded distractedly, inserting one of her claws between her teeth as she thought. Finally, she scrunched up her nose, ¡°I just¡­ really don¡¯t want to make a bad decision is all. I¡¯ve got a history of that, you know.¡± I did. Or at least, that was her view. She had always been pretty bad-ass, as far as I was concerned, even if her old Class had been a little janky. Really, from what I had seen, it had been designed as a burst-damage heavy, front loaded Class meant to end fights quickly. However, once her hedonism tanks emptied, she was all but useless, needing large amounts of down time in order to recharge. And if she had taken skills with that in mind from the outset, perhaps focusing more on minimizing those periods of weakness, she probably would have been an absolute monster. But that was all in the past. She had a fresh start and a new Class to build. And I would be there for her, every step, to help build it into something she could be proud of for once. ¡°I be surprised ye¡¯d not jump at being a Caster,¡± Jax offered, completely ignoring Arx¡¯s self-doubts. ¡°I wish I had the choice meself. Blasting beasties from afar? Slinging fire about? Sounds exciting!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ that would be nice,¡± I added dryly. Jax just batted her eyes at me. But Arx looked hesitant, ¡°I hear you¡­ and that probably would be good, but then wouldn¡¯t that put a strain on you? I mean, Dearest is no warrior, and it would be hard to protect both of us, I would think.¡± ¡°A solid point,¡± I nodded appreciatively, taking the barb in stride. I knew my lane. ¡°See? Maybe a little experience with bad choices can help you not to make more.¡± Arx sat up a little straighter at my comment, smiling contentedly, ¡°Also, I¡¯ve already got a bound arrow. And a magical knife of some kind. So Scout seems natural. Not that I know a thing about woodcraft.¡± ¡°Meh, I can teach ye,¡± Jax smirked. ¡°And anyway. I could scarce hold me axe the right way up when I started. Ye¡¯ll learn.¡± ¡°And I can help out with the knife,¡± I added. ¡°I¡¯ve got this new spell¡ª¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Jax cut in loudly. ¡°What¡¯s this now?¡± Arx leaned forward intently. ¡°How do you have a spell to ¡®help¡¯ with my knife?¡± I grinned conspiratorially, ¡°Well¡ª¡± ¡°Not,¡± Jax interrupted again, jabbing at her upraised palm to punctuate her words, ¡°In. The. Dungeon.¡±
[Lilim: Arx] has gained the Class, [Elusive Siren]! As an [Elusive Siren], your [Lilim] will gain +1 Agility and Charisma, and an additional 2 stat points per Layer. Your [Lilim] automatically gains the skill [Passive: Linked Revival] +1 skill point per Layer
¡°Hmm¡­ Agility and Charisma? Instead of Toughness?¡± Arx asked, turning to me after the Lady had finished delivering Her message. ¡°I suppose that makes some sense, what with me being a Scout-type. But¡­ what is a siren?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a¡­ magical noise box,¡± I explained off-hand. ¡°In my homeland, we use them for alarms and such.¡± She frowned, ¡°That sounds like a terrible sort of scout. And it doesn¡¯t mesh with you two, at all. Isn¡¯t our whole thing supposed to be about sticking to the shadows and going unseen?¡± ¡°Ideally, yes,¡± I nodded. But then, I had a vague memory cross my mind. Of a painting and a man being dragged under the waves. ¡°It could be referring to something else, though. There¡¯s an old legend, back home, about creatures called sirens. According to the tale, their singing could make passing sailors go crazy with longing, and then they would steer their ships into the rocks to get to them.¡± Actually, now that I said it out loud, that was almost certainly what the Class was referring to, and I felt a bit silly for having thought otherwise. Although, that also raised the question of where the name had come from. Did they have those here? I mean¡­ they had Goblins, so maybe. ¡°That¡¯s more like it,¡± Jax grinned. ¡°Having a skill like that would be ruddy useful.¡± ¡°For you maybe,¡± Arx argued back, ¡°But a Scout-type shouldn¡¯t be luring things toward them. That¡¯s a good way to wind up dead.¡± ¡°Better you than Master.¡± She grimaced, faced now with her new paradigm of reality. Like Jax, she was now immortal as long as I remained alive. I was a living phylactery, a vessel tying her being forever to this world. Of course, we had no idea what would happen if I were to expire, but it was not a thing that either of them were eager to find out. And not just for that reason. Actually, that was probably the least of the reasons. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I think it¡¯s best not to be too literal with it,¡± I advised after a moment. ¡°You¡¯re not a real siren, after all, and we get to pick your abilities.¡± ¡°Hopefully, it doesn¡¯t require much singing,¡± she grumbled. ¡°I may enjoy an occasional drinking song or two, but I¡¯ve never been one to carry a tune.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll just have to see,¡± I responded. Then, scratching at my beard, I asked, ¡°So, shall we head out? Or do you want to pick your skill first?¡± ¡°I say skill,¡± Jax said. ¡°Ye got nary a one to yer name, and I¡¯d not like to hit troubles before then.¡± ¡°Fair,¡± I nodded. ¡°So what do you think? Something to do with your arrow maybe? I doubt you can throw it anymore, or not as well, anyway.¡± ¡°It only ever really worked with your buffs going,¡± she sighed, confirming my guess. ¡°If only I could get my hands on a bow¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ suppose we could make one,¡± Jax offered after a moment. ¡°Seeing as we can control when them scarecrows pop out, I can hew us up a branch. Maybe get some of them beetle webs for a string. Take a couple of weeks to temper the wood proper, though.¡± The three of us shared a look. Sort of like what you might expect a clowder of hungry cats to make when presented with a tray full of asparagus. ¡°Right¡­ so that¡¯s out,¡± I muttered. Then, heaving a sigh, I mused, ¡°I mean¡­ technically, the skill can be almost anything as long as it¡¯s¡­ scout-like, right? What if¡­ you got something to just propel the arrow? Like point it somewhere, say the magic word, and then zip! That would be good.¡± Technically, I would not expect a scout to have a skill like that, at all. That sort of thing smacked of wizardry. But if Jax could make shadow doubles and steal Life Energy¡­ why not? She waggled her head a few times, considering the idea, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ sort of basic. But it would cut down on the equipment we¡¯d have to lug around. May as well check.¡± Jax and I settled in to wait while Arx negotiated with the Lady. As was often the case, getting exactly what you were looking for was an exercise in patience and perseverance, and more often than not, you had to settle for something ¡®close enough¡¯. And from her increasingly frustrated expression, she was running head-long into that yet again. Meanwhile, Jax draped herself across my lap, wanting me to stroke her horns, and with a grin, I complied. I rather liked the faces she made as my thumb ran across the ridges of the curved length of bone. Of course, she was not long satisfied with just that, and after a few moments, she directed my other hand to cup her breast. ¡°Really?¡± I whispered, not wanting to distract Arx. ¡°We just had a marathon session not a few hours ago.¡± She shrugged innocently, ¡°Be it such a bad thing to want yer hands on me? Besides,¡± she smirked, ¡°ye like it.¡± I mean¡­ that was true. And much as I tried not to think about them ¡ª being in the buff constantly will do that to a fellow ¡ª Jax¡¯s breasts were starting to look pretty nice. They were of a decent size, if on the small side, nicely rounded, and were fresh enough still that sag was a far off myth the old-timers liked to scare the young-uns about. And if my stirring groin was any indication, they felt amazing. And maybe just a little too amazing. I narrowed my eyes at her, ¡°Jax¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± she blinked at me innocently. ¡°Okay,¡± Arx said abruptly, glancing up, ¡°I think I¡¯ve got¡­ uhm¡­¡± She paused and leaned forward, her tongue lightly parting her teeth as if scenting the air, ¡°Now that¡¯s an interesting sensation. It¡¯s¡­ nice, but¡­ off? Somehow?¡± Her eyes trailed down to stare at where my hand was resting, and the corners of her lips curled upward. ¡°Sorry, hen. I were salting it a bit,¡± Jax chuckled, trailing her fingers over top of my wrist. ¡°Tell ye about it later. What have ye got then?¡± ¡°Oh, mmm¡­¡± She licked her lips lightly, still eying the motion of my hands, and distractedly, she reached up and began to rub at her horns. Disappointed at what she found there, she asked, ¡°Does that really feel good? To me, it¡¯s like I¡¯m rubbing at a dead lump.¡± ¡°Oh, they ain¡¯t dead,¡± Jax smirked at her. ¡°Far from it. Come,¡± she crooked a finger at her. ¡°Master will show ye, if ye ask nice.¡± I sighed, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we talk about your skill first?¡± Arx decided to ignore my suggestion, though, preferring instead to sidle closer. Squeezing her arms together so as to give herself a bit of cleavage, she lowered her chin and made her eyes wide. Rather like a puppy dog. ¡°Please, Dearest?¡± I snorted, glancing down at the proffered valley despite myself. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a change. Yesterday, you wouldn¡¯t bare yourself for anything, and now you¡¯re pushing them into my face?¡± Her breath quickened slightly at the brief touch of my eyes upon her, and she swallowed, ¡°¡¯Snails, that¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ W-why would I ever want to hide myself from you?¡± My mouth twisted to the side, unbidden. That was a lilim-typical response, if I had ever heard one. Even if my sample size was vanishingly small. ¡°Fine. Come here.¡± Smiling toothily, she settled onto the other side of my lap, and very gently, so as not to overwhelm her, I began to trace my fingers over her horns. Twitching from the stimulation, her eyes fluttered closed, ¡°Oh, ¡®Stits¡­ That is¡­ beautiful.¡± Bemused, I asked, ¡°Can you describe it? Jax has never been able to put it into words.¡± She lay there silently for some time, pondering the question. Though, it probably did not help that I was shattering her concentration with my every caress. Finally she began, ¡°I once worked at a parlor where a famous masseuse was in residence. People would pay vast sums to let her work on them, often as a warm-up for the rest of the workers. One day, before she moved on, she offered to do a session for all of us, as a thank you, and of course, I took her up on it. Her hands were¡­ magical. Many times, I have looked back on that day as one of the highlights of my life. But now? With a single touch, you have made her a gross amateur.¡± I pursed my lips thoughtfully. That was high praise, for sure, but it still did not answer the question beyond ¡®really really good¡¯. Though, I might be able to add ¡®relaxing¡¯ to the mix. ¡°Do you know,¡± I mused, ¡°I¡¯ve never had a massage that I¡¯ve really enjoyed. I always feel like I¡¯m being mauled.¡± Jax cracked open one of her eyes to look up at me, ¡°That do sound like a challenge, don¡¯t it, Arx?¡± ¡°That it does, Jax,¡± she smiled in response. Neither of them moved, though. They were still quite engrossed with my own ¡®magical¡¯ fingers. I rolled my eyes. I guess that¡¯s a later then. Fine. ¡°So. Your skill?¡± Arx grunted, evidently not wanting to talk about it, ¡°I haven¡¯t taken it yet. She¡¯s being difficult. I can get one like you described just fine, but it¡¯s all weird. There¡¯s no incantations or pools to maintain or anything like that. But every version I can think of, She tacks on this bit where I have to ¡®make the arrow dance¡¯. It¡¯s infuriating.¡± ¡°Make it dance?¡± I repeated, curiously. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Oh, different things,¡± she explained. ¡°Whistling, dancing, playing different instruments, and of course, singing. I¡¯ve managed to get Her to agree to let me control it with just the tone of my voice, but it seems so impractical. How would I hunt or take something by surprise that way?¡± From her description of the problem, it sounded a lot like her Class was more in line with something like a Bard than the Rogue that I had been envisioning. And given her history and the Class she had just given up, that would be beyond fitting. I looked down at her, ¡°Okay¡­ but what do you mean by ¡®make it dance¡¯? That doesn¡¯t sound much like shooting it with a command word. More like¡­ Are you saying that you can control the arrow mid-flight?¡± She lifted her shoulder off of my lap slightly, ¡°I guess? The wording wasn¡¯t very specific. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ because that¡¯s insane?¡± I responded incredulously. ¡°If you can correct the path it takes, then who cares if you have the advantage of surprise? You could make the arrow swoop around no matter how they dodge or where they run. You could even launch your attack from completely behind cover!¡± Looking up at me thoughtfully, she nodded, ¡°You talk sense. Still, a skilled archer should be able to take out a few sentries before being discovered. I wouldn¡¯t be able to do that.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± I acknowledged, but then I had a thought. ¡°But then¡­ we have the next skill point to worry about that. Don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°That be a truth,¡± Jax added. ¡°Skills can be made to work off skills. Together like. And besides, nobody said ye¡¯d never have ye a bow. Just not yet.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± I grinned, stroking their hair as my imagination began to churn. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll ever need a bow.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I admitted, my dreams of Arx taking out small armies, Yondu-fashion, dashed against the rocks. ¡°Maybe I spoke too soon.¡± It turned out that controlling an arrow with your voice, while neat in theory, was considerably more difficult than it sounds. Arrows, it seemed, had a sort of default need to go forward. Always. So, whichever direction it was pointed in when Arx began was the direction it wanted to go. And it would. As long as she kept the tone going, the arrow would zip along in a perfectly straight line, irrespective of gravity, and at about the speed you would expect from a projectile fired from a bow. And while altering it¡¯s path was more than possible, it was extremely easy to over correct. It reminded me rather of trying to steer a car at full speed along a pedestrian filled city street in a video game. One wrong twitch of the thumb, and you would go careening through the crowd. And the next thing you knew, you would be nose down in the water fountain in the middle of the shopping mall. Followed shortly by the car exploding. All of which was¡­ good enough for a starting skill. Or so you would think. Just point, sing a note, and Bob¡¯s your uncle. Instant projectile. The problem was, Arx had a little bit of trouble when it came to things like holding a steady pitch. ¡°¡¯Stits and toes!¡± Arx shouted angrily. ¡°This is impossible!¡± ¡°Ye just need a wee bit of practice, hen,¡± Jax said from beside me, about ten paces directly behind Arx, and entirely by coincidence, the only safe place we had found to stand. ¡°Even if ye were a real archer, ye¡¯d nay expect to hit yer target dead-on the first day.¡± ¡°Never mind hitting the target,¡± she groused, pointing at the little circle that Jax had carved for her. ¡°I didn¡¯t even hit the building!¡± Right about then, the arrow thudded to the ground about a pace in front of Jax and I. The three of us stared at it, temporarily shocked into silence as it dissolved back into nothingness., and as one, the two of us both took a large step backward. Her last shot had veered straight up, and we had lost sight of it in the clouds. Fortunately, the thing seemed to lose power once she stopped vocalizing, or we would have never seen it again. Trying to ignore the goosebumps that were crawling up and down my spine from the near miss, I put on a reassuring smile, ¡°I think we may be trying to run before we can walk, here.¡± Going to stand next to her, I spun her around to face the target again, ¡°Right. Now, instead of trying to direct the arrow the whole way, let¡¯s think of this like you¡¯re shooting an arrow normally. If you just give it a quick burst of sound and let go¡­?¡± She nodded, following my line of thinking, ¡°I see. Good thought.¡± Summoning the arrow again, she held it by the tail in her right hand, and imitated the stance of a practiced archer, aiming with her left extended. I did not see any real need for that. This was more like shooting a crossbow or an air cannon than anything, but whatever made her the most comfortable was fine. Carefully lining up her shot, she took a deep breath, and yelled, ¡°Hah!¡± The arrow shot forward like a bolt, and immediately diverted straight into the cobblestones about five paces in front of us. ¡°¡¯Snails¡­¡± she growled. ¡°Uh huh¡­ okay,¡± I said, trying to remain encouraging. ¡°I think your pitch died a little at the end there. Let¡¯s try it again, but this time, just go with a quick and crisp ¡®ah¡¯ sound.¡± I had never been much of a choir brat, but I had seen a few of those ¡®Pitch Perfect¡¯ movies. Okay, one. But I had a decent enough ear. We practiced for a little while like that, and it was not long before she was hitting the target. And once I added in my accuracy spell, she was hitting it pretty close to center in no time. Clapping her hands together gleefully, she turned and hugged me, bouncing on her toes in her excitement, ¡°I got a skill point! Ha ha! Oh, I haven¡¯t been so excited to get a skill up since I was a child!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t blame ye,¡± Jax said, coming to stand next to us. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could¡¯ve done ye better. Ruddy difficult looking, that were.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ so bad,¡± she returned. ¡°It¡¯s just, I¡¯ve never had to think about what I¡¯m doing with my voice. None of my other skills used anything like that, and any time I had to sing before, I was worried more about having fun than anything like¡­ doing it right!¡± Jax nodded, ¡°Aye, well I understand that. Just wait until ye have to learn how to express yer lust proper.¡± Then, in lieu of further explanation, she waved her hand to the side, and as she did, another shadowy hand came unstuck from it, waving slightly out of sync with her. She glanced at me then, and I could almost feel the burning passion hidden just beneath the surface. Her need for me was as constant as it was, in that moment, palpable. Arx blinked slowly and licked her lips, ¡°Why, uhm¡­¡± She cleared her throat, ¡°Why would I need to know that?¡± Jax just shrugged slightly, her eyes still focused on me, ¡°Call it a hunch.¡± ¡°Right,¡± I said, clapping my hands together and swiveling on my heel. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here. We don¡¯t want to overstay our welcome, now do we?¡± Keep it together, man. Just don¡¯t think about it. I could not speak for the others, but the first thing I was going to buy once we got back to civilization was some heavy woolen pants. ¡°Mmm, what is that one?¡± I heard from behind me. ¡°It¡¯s kind of¡­ sour? But in a cute way?¡± ¡°There be a toss to it, but yer tasting shame, mostly,¡± Jax chuckled. ¡°He be trying not to let his ownself ¡®spring into action¡¯, as ye might say.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± she said, surprised. Then raising her voice, she addressed me, ¡°Why not? Surely you don¡¯t think we would mind?¡± ¡°Because,¡± I explained exasperatedly, ¡°It is uncouth for a man to be so uncontrolled. Especially around a pair of quite naked female-adjacent persons. And maybe the two of you would enjoy that, but eventually, we¡¯ll be around other people. And they will.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ye worry, Master,¡± Jax said, hurrying forward to walk beside me. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure to keep the flies away.¡± ¡°The flies?¡± I repeated, looking down at her askance. ¡°What am I? A jar of honey?¡± I shook my head, ¡°In my experience, women are much harder to get than that.¡± ¡°In fairness, Dearest,¡± Arx said, coming up to my other side. ¡°Though I realize that not all will see you as we do, you are much more attractive now than you were. I think you will find their reactions quite different than you are used to.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± I muttered doubtfully. ¡°Truthfully, I think you two will have a harder go of it than me.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Jax asked seriously. ¡°Women are plenty aggressive when the mood strikes them. Least as I recall. Don¡¯t know the other kinds too well.¡± ¡°It varies from place to place, people to people,¡± Arx explained. ¡°Some kinds are a little weird to our sensibilities. Like the Forga. They¡¯re both sexes at once, you know.¡± ¡°The tree people?¡± I asked, once the distant memory of the name of that race drifted back to the forefront of my mind. I could not say that I was surprised at that bit of information. I never had been able to tell them apart. ¡°Nay call them that,¡± Jax scolded me. ¡°Lest ye be looking for a scuffle.¡± Right about then, we arrived in front of the large¡­ whatever-it-was in the middle of the square, and all thoughts of kind and gender relations fled from our minds. It was an imposing sort of thing, big as it was and with that great velvet tarp over top of it. However, if Arx was right, this was our doorway out of this place and back to reality. All we had to do was to pull the cloth away and reveal whatever final bit of fuckery the Dungeon had in store for us. Jax grunted, looking up at it, ¡°Best step away, Master. No telling what might happen when we pull this back.¡± I nodded once, and along with Arx, we quickly jogged over to a nearby building, and hid ourselves around the edge. ¡°Alright,¡± I called, poking my head around the corner. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Summoning her axe just in case, Jax hefted it over a shoulder, and with her free hand, she grasped the tarp and pulled. It came away easily, sliding along as though fine silk, and pooled at her feet to reveal a great glass mirror. Framed in gold and intricately wrought with unidentifiable carvings, it stood well over a story in height and was easily twice the width of a man grown. And it hung there, mounted on absolutely nothing. Thin air. And motionless as boulder. As strange as that was, it was nothing compared to what it reflected. For there, staring back at her, was Jax. But not Jax as she was. It was the Jax that had been. The Jax before he even bore that name. The Bandit. He stood, wielding an axe ¡ª twin to her own ¡ª in exactly the same pose, his face in just the same manner of shock and disgust. And when she began to scream, he screamed with her. Chapter 58 - The Mirror ¡°Shh¡­¡± I whispered into her ear, stroking her hair consolingly as she wretchedly sobbed into my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve got you.¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t me,¡± she choked out, for perhaps the twentieth time. ¡°That were never me. W-were never¡­¡± She broke down again, squeezing me ever tighter to herself. In a very real way, I was the life-line mooring her to the shores of her existence. To let go of me was to let go of herself. I was not at all sure what the Dungeon, or the Queen who ran it, was trying to pull, but this was in severely poor taste. Jax was just beginning to take a little pride in the person she was becoming. To show her such a thing was beyond cruel. ¡°You know¡­¡± Arx murmured from over by the mirror, ¡°maybe you won¡¯t appreciate my saying so, but on the other side, looking at the two of you right now is a little strange.¡± I did not look to see what she was referring to. I knew. I was faced right towards it, after all. Generally speaking, I was not given toward homophobia. In my view, every individual had the right to find their happiness as best they could, and as long as doing so brought no harm to anyone else, no one should interfere with that pursuit. But that did not mean that I was comfortable looking at an image of myself holding a weeping naked man in my arms. On the other hand, Jax had fellated me several times before she had fully transitioned, so at the very least, my straight card had been severely tarnished. Oy¡­ Does that mean that I¡¯m bi? I had no idea. And really, I did not want to think about it. All I needed, right then, was to undergo some sort of sexuality crisis. Jax¡¯s sobbing redoubled. Grimacing, I reached up and very gently took the tip of her horn between my fingers. She jerked at the contact, but after a moment, her breathing began to settle. And as she started to relax into me, I smiled in relief, glad that I had found a way to help, however small. ¡°I notice that you¡¯re not so comfortable looking at yourself, either,¡± I remarked. Though she was standing right next to her reflection, she was still studiously averting her gaze, only occasionally giving it a bit of a side-eye. And it was her. Or a version of her, anyway. But not one that I had ever seen. It looked like the Keltha that she had been, but¡­ significantly younger. Shorter. Less muscular. Much like she was now, save for the obvious changes becoming a lilim had wrought in her. In fact, I would say¡­ ¡°You look sort of like a teenager.¡± ¡°I do?¡± she replied, glancing at the image briefly before jerking her eyes away. ¡°¡¯Snails¡­ tell me I don¡¯t look like that?¡± ¡°A little,¡± I answered truthfully. ¡°There are differences, of course. Your hair, your eyes, and the rest. But the basic physique is pretty close. Though the version in the mirror looks pretty scrawny. Less¡­ healthy maybe? Less fit?¡± ¡°Then that must have been when I was first Classed, I think. I was¡­ hmm¡­ I can¡¯t seem to recall. Somewhere in my adolescence, I guess. As you said,¡± she nodded to herself, taking one last uneasy look before turning to face me fully. ¡°I have better attributes now, though. So that would account for some of it.¡± My eyebrows furrowed at her words, and thinking back, a phrase that I had read floated back to me. It had not made much sense at the time, but now? Softly, I recited it once more, mostly for her benefit ¡°Lilim complete as base from former Core initiation.¡± Nodding thoughtfully, I took in my own form. As far as I could tell, it was just the same old me. Same pudgy cheeks. Same jelly roll. Same everything. But then, I had not seen my own reflection since I had come to this place, so I did not have any frame of reference. One obvious difference, though, was that this version was still clean-shaven, so I knew that something had to be off. ¡°How old are you, anyway?¡± I asked, addressing Arx once more. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind saying, of course.¡± She snorted, ¡°Would I mind? What kind of question is that? And besides, you were there. I was born just last¡­ night¡­¡± As she drifted off, frowning, I shook my head. Was it really necessary to change her memory that way? It seemed to me that it only caused a lot of needless confusion. We both knew that was wrong. ¡°I¡­ suppose you could say that you were reborn, in a manner of speaking,¡± I allowed. ¡°But like this? I¡¯m just glad that you didn¡¯t de-age any more than you did.¡± Truth be told, I was less than happy with this revelation. That she had physically reverted into the body of a teenager was disturbing to my sensibilities, and if it were not for the fact that she was still mentally an adult woman, I would have needed to cut her off entirely. In fact, if she had reverted into an actual child, I would have done regardless. Mentally mature or not, some things you just cannot rationalize your way out of. Ugh¡­ I felt like a pedophile just having to consider it. ¡°Master,¡± Jax whimpered into my ear, drawing my attention back to her. ¡°Please. Tell me that ain¡¯t me.¡± ¡°Of course, it isn¡¯t,¡± I reassured her. ¡°You have come a long way since then.¡± ¡°No,¡± she said, pulling back and frowning. ¡°That man were never me! I were never¡­ I be yer lilim! I¡­ I always¡­¡± Her voice drifted away as her face began to crumple up once more. I sighed. There was a degree of truth to what she was saying. In many ways, the man that she had been no longer existed, though bits and pieces of him still survived in her personality. So, from a certain point of view, she was a wholly new person. But the past was the past, incontrovertible. I could not lie to her, no matter how much she might want me to. She would know. ¡°What exactly do you want me to say?¡± I asked her, finally. ¡°That you have always been a lilim? That we have always been bound? That I have no memory of what was or the steps that led us to where we are now? Because I cannot do that. It is our history together that gives the now any meaning. If any of those things were true, then you would not now be crying in my arms. Because being reflected as something that you are not would be a mild curiosity. Not a thing that makes you break down and weep.¡± She looked at me searchingly for a moment, carefully considering my words before nodding solemnly, ¡°Master is wise.¡± Then, roughly scrubbing at her face, she stood, ¡°I be being silly.¡± There was a long moment of hesitation as she wrestled with herself, but eventually she turned to face the mirror and announced, ¡°That man ain¡¯t me nor never was. I ain¡¯t¡­¡± She stopped again and jerked her eyes away, clearly still uncomfortable with looking at the reflection, ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna be a¡¯feared of no huddy mirror.¡± My mouth twisted to the side at her pronouncement. I was not sure that denying the past like that, even metaphorically, was the healthiest path to take, but if that was what it took to help her come to terms with it, then so be it. It was not as if I had any better ideas. I would just have to be there for her to lean on if she broke down again. Coming to my feet once more, I stepped up behind her, rubbing the sides of her arms comfortingly before glancing back to Arx, ¡°So what now? You said this was the exit, right?¡± ¡°Probably. We just have to figure out how to open it,¡± she explained, tapping at the glass with the back of her knuckle. ¡°There¡¯s always some final puzzle or mechanism, but once we figure it out, we should be able to get through here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see how,¡± I returned. ¡°There¡¯s no key holes or anything like that. No crystal hanging around to give us a hint, and I don¡¯t see any writing. Unless those marks along the frame mean anything to you?¡± She shook her head, ¡°Not a thing. It¡¯s just a big mirror that seems to reflect¡­ irrelevant things from long ago. Or so I¡¯m assuming. I¡¯ve never seen you without that hair on your face.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a beard,¡± I explained. ¡°I usually shave it off. It gets in the way when you eat, and it¡¯s itchy.¡± ¡°I like it,¡± Jax said quietly, reaching up to run her claws through it. ¡°It makes ye unique. A thing that only me Master can do.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Arx smiled, exposing one of her fangs. ¡°Hmph. You just haven¡¯t seen any other humans before,¡± I said, dismissing their complements self-consciously. ¡°So what do we do then? Figure out some clue? What are we supposed to get from a mirror that reflects the past?¡± ¡°It be a mirror what reflects lies,¡± Jax growled. ¡°Deserves a good smashing for it, too.¡± That was out of the question, unfortunately. She had spent some minutes vigorously trying to do just that before she had broken down but to no avail. For all that it looked like an ordinary mirror, it might as well have been made of tank armor. ¡°Lies, is it?¡± I repeated, smirking a bit, but then I had a funny little thought, ¡°I wonder if we could make it reflect the ¡®truth¡¯ somehow? Or at least the present.¡± ¡°How do you mean?¡± Arx asked. ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know exactly,¡± I admitted. ¡°But one thing we can say is that the people in the mirror are not the ones out here. Not anymore. We can do things they couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t much that I can do differently than that other me,¡± Arx said. ¡°All I¡¯ve really got is an arrow and the singular inability to control it.¡± I nodded slowly, thinking over the situation. Most of our abilities created external effects, summoning shadows or clones and whatnot. And we had seen that it was perfectly capable of duplicating objects even though our past selves would have had no access to some of them. Jax¡¯s axe was a prime example. No, what we needed was something that was completely impossible. To create a contradiction, somehow. Idly, I began running my fingers through my beard, just looking to see how it would interpret the action. Of course, it was not particularly long. A single month was not enough for me achieve much growth, so all I saw was myself scratching at my chin. Frowning at the lack of input, I glanced down at Jax. Of the three of us, she was the most markedly different. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. And she had quite the shock of hair now. Especially when compared to the bald man in the mirror. Hmm¡­ Grabbing up a few strands, I held them aloft and began letting them cascade back. The mirror showed nothing of this. Only my fingers holding empty air. For a moment, anyway. Just as I was about to discard the idea, the mirror gave a slight pip! The three of us jumped at the sudden noise, and as one, we stared. It was difficult to see, and had it not been for the sound of it breaking, we would have never noticed. However, a hairline fracture had distorted its once flawless surface right where my fingers where. ¡°Oh, did nay like that did ye, fannybaws,¡± Jax chirped delightedly, as if the mirror could hear her. ¡°Gone gammie now have ye? Let¡¯s see how ye like this!¡± So saying, she began shaking her chest back and forth, causing her modest bosom to do¡­ wondrous¡­ wondrous things. However, despite how spellbound I was, the mirror did not seem to care. It merely showed the man imitating her, shaking his own chest in apparent mockery. Growling now, she shouted, ¡°Yeah? So how about this then?¡± Spreading her legs, she held aloft the first two fingers of her right hand and slowly dipped them down, ¡°Uh oh. How are ye going to handle this? Where they gonna go, eh? W-where¡­¡± The moment her fingers made contact, a shiver ran the way down the back of her spine, and she looked over her shoulder at me. She had felt it. Instantly. There is only so much provocation a man can take, after all, even if it had not precisely been directed at me. And as she moistened her lips, her eyes trailed down to where I was¡­ shall we say, applauding her efforts. Smiling now, she very deliberately began to slide her fingers the rest of the way in. And the second she did, a hole the size of a baseball exploded away from the shining surface of the mirror. I had not even seen what had been reflected there. I was too distracted. ¡°¡¯S-stits¡­¡± Arx grunted from the side, causing me to quickly shift my attention to her. The moment our eyes met, she gasped, and her legs quivering, she dropped to her knees. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Jax drawled, sliding her own gaze over to where Arx was hunched over. ¡°Ye¡¯ve not felt him afore. Have ye? To have his gaze upon ye? When he¡¯s at full mast?¡± She did not reply. It was all she could do to breathe right then. Jax smiled in self-satisfaction as she watched her writhe on the ground. Then, after a moment, she glanced at the mirror consideringly before turning back to me. Stepping forward, she reached up to trail her now glistening fingers down the center of my chest, ¡°Come, Master. Let us feed your new lilim. And show this¡­ horrid mirror¡­ exactly what we be.¡± The next few minutes of my life really should not have been particularly memorable. Jax and I had engaged in many sexual acts up to that point and would many times in the future. However, this time, she had something to prove. This was a statement. Of who she was. What she was. And a vigorous denial of what she was not. Jax sashayed over to the mirror, her movements liquid in their opposition to everything that was male. And the one time I bothered to look at her reflection, the Jax-that-was had been helplessly twisted into a parody of the man he had been. He would never have walked that way. There had always been an aggressive purpose to his step. And true, Jax was still aggressive. Aggressively feminine. As she arrived at the mirror, right next to Arx¡¯s quivering form, she pressed her chest to its surface and extended the smooth mounds of her backside toward me. Giving it a bit of a shake, she crooned, ¡°Come, Master. Take me. Take what be yer own.¡± So saying, her sex opened fully and a milky white fluid began to run down the inside of her leg. That was the last straw for me. All thoughts of anything besides fulfilling every one of Jax¡¯s desires fled from my mind, and I put away any need to compare our actions with those of the mirror. I approached slowly, my own sex fairly throbbing with anticipation, and Arx¡¯s moans only increased with my encroaching proximity. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Jax whispered down to her, her own hips beginning to gyrate in her want, ¡°He comes now. Feel him. Ah~ Yes¡­! Taste his need.¡± I grinned at her words. It was like she was some sort of temptress, coaching her ward, and perhaps she was, for all that the woman that Arx had been was vastly more experienced than Jax could ever be. However, Arx was not a ¡®woman¡¯ anymore. She was lilim. Other, in some as yet undefined way. And in that, Jax was the superior. Regardless, seeing and hearing the two of them in such a state was precisely my own kryptonite. Coming up behind her, I reached out and gently took hold of the softness that had been presented to me, enjoying the feel of her flesh in my hand. Her backside was not quite the thing of perfection that Arx¡¯s had once been, but it was lovely in it¡¯s own right. Smooth and round, with a lush bit of padding riding over the hard muscle underneath, and with her bent over like this, it was as if her hips had subtly widened themselves. Enticing me forward. ¡°Gah~! Oh, Master, I can feel every flick of yer eyes on me,¡± she moaned. ¡°I can feel yer approval and yer judgments. All of it. Mmm¡­ It stirs me so. Every time, I feel it. And every day, the the judgments lessen and yer approval grows. Oh, Master! I can nay wait fer the day that there be naught but passion in yer eyes. I hunger fer it. The thought of¡­ of¡­ hah~¡± She broke off panting for a moment before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll be yer perfect lilim, Master. I promise ye. I yearn for that day.¡± The perfect lilim, eh? The thought was enticing. Seductive. In a way, it was a thing that was too good to be true. Not something that a person could realistically hope for, for fear of inevitable disappointment. It was a child-like dream. A thing that one sets aside as merest fantasy. Like¡­ becoming an astronaut. Or Batman. One does not just go out and date a supermodel. And even then, everyone has flaws. Everyone. Physical, emotional, or personal. Usually a little of all three. It is a part of what it is to be human. However, with the way things were progressing, there was a real possibility that something like that might happen, at least on the physical side of things. After all, to their eyes, I already was some measure of perfect, and while I was aware that there was an unfairness to the one-sidedness of that, no way of rectifying the situation had yet presented itself. ¡°Well, then,¡± I said gruffly, mostly teasing her, ¡°Since you¡¯re promising, I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± With that, there was nothing more to say, and I gently introduced myself to her entrance, allowing the ever-present suction there to draw me to my hilt. It was as simultaneously a beautiful sensation as it was a terrifying concept. After all, once I was within her, she did not have to let me escape again. I stood, languishing in the wonderful feeling of that pull for a moment before I slowly drew myself away from it and thrust home. Once. Jax¡¯s breath caught, and with a squeak, she began to quiver, her walls quaking about me. Arx gasped again from beneath us, and she rolled herself into a ball with her hands between her legs, ¡°By all¡­ Ah~ Hall the¡­ t-too much!¡± Jax just laughed, though her own voice was no less shaky, ¡°Too much, she s-says. Ah, ye l-light-weight. He ain¡¯t even betwixt yer le-hegs.¡± ¡°Go easy, Jax,¡± I admonished her playfully, even as I watched Arx slowly losing her mind underneath our feet. ¡°It¡¯s her first day.¡± ¡°Nnn~ Please!¡± she wheezed out from between her teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t l-look at me! I c-can¡¯t¡­!¡± ¡°Aye, right ye are, Master,¡± Jax murmured sympathetically, despite her already starting to push against me, encouraging me to continue, ¡°Don¡¯t ye worry, hen. We¡¯ll have ye taking it like a champion in no time!¡± Deciding to put action to words, I began to take up a rhythm, slowly at first, just enjoying myself. It was entrancing to watch the waves that my ministrations were causing in my lilim¡¯s backside. ¡°Ah, look at ye, ye little slut,¡± Jax whispered, and I looked up. She was talking to her other self, in the mirror, almost lovingly tracing her claws along her old face. ¡°Look at how hard ye are, taking him. Letting him pound himself into ye. Look at the ecstasy in yer eyes. Ah~ If only ye knew what¡¯s to come. The pleasure. Pure and unfettered.¡± I picked up the tempo, slightly disturbed by her words yet encouraged by her tone. There was something creeping into her voice, here and there. Highlighting certain words over others. A vibration that I could feel in my chest. And somehow, something dislodged in my Core, and the flow between us intensified. Through it, I faintly began to feel some of what she was feeling. It was rather like being caught out at sea in a dingy and watching a hurricane tearing a desert island from its moorings in the far distance. ¡°Yes!¡± she shouted, throwing her head back, ¡°Master, yes! More! Feel me more! Feel us!¡± Encouraged, I began riding the waves coming from her, edging my way closer to that terrifying storm, and for a few moments, she met me, thrust for thrust. ¡°But look ye,¡± she said, addressing the mirror once more, her words broken by the continued rhythm of our joining, ¡°Look at that useless thing flapping about. What good is it? Ye don¡¯t want it do ye? He don¡¯t want it. Ye should trade it in fer something useful. Something ye want. Something ye need. Ye yearn for it. To feel him true. Like I can. Like I do. Right now¡­¡± Her breathing intensified, and for a few seconds, she trailed off, too caught up by the encroaching inevitability of our act to speak. However, as it began to crest, she looked up at her reflection again, her eyes blazing, ¡°Look ye. Look at what be true.¡± With that, she pushed away, trailing smoke as she arched her back against me, light as a feather. And as I began to empty myself within her, my lilim began to howl, and the mirror had no choice but to reflect our joining. And it shattered. ¡°Do ye know, Master,¡± Jax muttered from where she was squatting next to Arx¡¯s unconscious form, ¡°Perhaps we was a touch hasty picking this one¡¯s skill.¡± Gently flicking her nose a few more times, she looked up at me, ¡°She don¡¯t have any defenses against ye, if ye take me meaning. Nor, now I think on it, any means of releasing the build of yer aura.¡± I bobbed my head a few times in acknowledgment, not really paying too much attention. I was mostly focused on the giant void that had just opened before us. ¡°You¡¯re right. She¡¯ll need several skills before she¡¯s up to speed. Hopefully, we won¡¯t run into anything that would force me to remove a status effect until then. That might be¡­ unfortunate.¡± ¡°But fun,¡± she added, a slow grin beginning to spread across her face. I grunted, ¡°Not during a fight.¡± I knew exactly what the Lust ailment was like. It would be close to suicidal to inflict that on yourself while something was trying to kill you. ¡°No,¡± she acknowledged, ¡°Not a serious one, anyhow.¡± Coming to her feet and stretching with one arm over her head, she glanced at me. Smiling contentedly, she padded over to wrap her arms around my waist. ¡°Thank you,¡± she murmured quietly. ¡°Fer seeing me.¡± I took a breath. I would never know exactly what the truth of things was, had I not bound her. I did not know whether she would have ever enjoyed the company of men, nor whether she would have come to love me. I did not even know whether she had been¡­ well, I did not know what the proper word for it would be. Something like¡­ ¡®trans¡¯, maybe. But that did not quite track. Trapped in a man¡¯s body, anyway. Really, I had no idea what all the binding was responsible for. It had turned her into a lilim and bound us together. That was about it. The rest was speculation. All I knew for certain was that if I had never landed in that forest and been taken to that camp, Jax would now be dead. And that was a fact. Perhaps a jury of my peers would not see it that way, but I felt that I had done alright by her. Or as best as I could, given the circumstances. At the very least, she seemed happy, and in a very real way, that made me happy as well. Rubbing my hand along the small of her back, I kissed the top of her head, ¡°I only do what I can. But you¡¯re welcome.¡± Right about then, Arx rolled over onto her back. Her hands were still wedged rather firmly between her legs, and giving no other sign that she might be waking up, she squeaked and began to quiver for a moment. ¡°Did she just¡­?¡± ¡°Aye,¡± Jax affirmed softly, stroking the hair on my belly. I was not quite sure, but I thought that I detected some faint ab ridges starting to appear. I made a face, somewhere between impressed and simple appreciation for the moment, ¡°Nice.¡± ¡°Aye,¡± she said again. Book I is now live! So, I have finally finished editing this beast (hopefully thoroughly) and released it for your viewing pleasure on amazon kindle. I''ve been through two editing passes with my editor, Josiah Davis of JD book services. He seemed quite enthusiastic about the whole thing, and wrote me several times about how funny he thought the book was. Here is the link for those of you who might consider taking a second look, or if you just want to refresh your memory about what''s happened so far. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Link: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0B5MBCYXY I do hope some of you might consider taking a look. I put a lot of work into making this thing nice and polished. However, since many of you have been waiting so patiently... I think I''ll post the next chapter for you guys tonight! Book II - Chapter 1 - Sounds in the Void ¡°Come on, sweety. Wake up,¡± I said gently, tapping the side of Arx¡¯s face. At my touch, her mouth dropped open, exposing her sharp canines, and as she inhaled, a light snore vibrated its way into the air. Moaning contentedly, she nuzzled into my hand and gave it a flick of her tongue. Then, as her breathing had evened out again, it was apparent that she was still very much asleep. I quirked an eyebrow. Once upon a time, I had been able to command my lilim awake, but I had given that up in exchange for enhanced persuasive abilities, amongst other things. And while it was, overall, a step up, it had not been a conscious choice. Literally. I had been asleep, at the time. I was still bitter about it, too. ¡°Grab her by the horn, maybe,¡± Jax suggested from where she had draped herself over my shoulder. I was trying very hard to ignore the sensation of her nakedness pressed against me. Partially because that would only encourage her and partially because I was also quite naked. Which is not to say that I did not like it. Quite the opposite, in fact. However, what happened when I did not ignore Jax¡¯s rather constant provocations was the very reason that our other companion, and my newest lilim, was currently lying unconscious. As to why the three of us were naked. Well¡­ all I will say is that Dungeon running is hard on a person¡¯s wardrobe. ¡°Do you think we went a little too far?¡± I asked, glancing back at her. ¡°She¡¯s barely a day old, after all.¡± That was not precisely true, of course. It was more¡­ metaphorical than anything. Arx had once been a Keltha, a race of large, gray-skinned people that resembled something like what I would think of as an orc. But not any more. She was now a full lilim thanks to a spell I had cast. It was¡­ complicated. In any case, she looked nothing like she once had. Though her skin was still gray, she now sported the beginnings of horns and claws and the sharp, knife-like ears that seemed to be endemic to her kind. Of course, my sample size was rather limited. ¡°Nah,¡± Jax said dismissively. ¡°She¡¯d have run into this soon enough. ¡®Sides. We had to break yon mirror, did we nay? Gave a good job of her, too.¡± That final bit was accompanied by a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows. Interestingly, they did not match the red of her hair. Instead, they were pitch black, much like her claws and the curved ram horns that had curled their way around her ears. It was a pleasant, if striking combination. ¡°Yes, but we didn¡¯t exactly have to do it right on top of her,¡± I argued. ¡°Surely the proximity had something to do with it?¡± ¡°Meh. She gotta eat sometime,¡± Jax returned. ¡°Now quit pussyfooting. Wake her proper.¡± I grunted. For all that Jax was technically my lilim, and not the other way round, she still had quite the sharp tongue on her. And she was not one to blunt its edge. With a long-suffering sigh, I reached beneath Arx¡¯s head and lifted her up. Shaking her lightly, I called, ¡°Arx? Come on, now. It¡¯s time to leave.¡± She just snored at me. Twisting my lips to one side, I adjusted my grip, edging toward her newly budding horns. I had to be careful with them. I had been told that¡ªthough they were numb to the casual touch, rather like an overly large callus¡ªfor some reason, they were quite sensitive when I grabbed them. We had no idea why. It was a theme around here. Softly at first, I began to rub the tips of my fingers along their hard surface. Arx¡¯s horns were the pearly white of nacre which set off the even lighter, snowy hue of her hair. Against her dark gray skin, she had the exotic, dangerous look of a drow elf, though, of course, elves were not a thing in this place. Or not in name. Here, they were called ¡®Laoi¡¯, though there were other differences. It was sort of like calling a vulcan an elf. Yes, they had pointy ears, but you probably should not go into a Star Trek convention with that comparison in mind. Nerds can be touchy about that sort of thing. I would know. Moaning softly, she began to lean into my hand, seeking, in her unconscious state, to deepen her contact with my fingers. I knew, intellectually, that this was not supposed to be a sexual thing. Rather, it had been described to me more like a really good massage. A relaxing, visceral experience that seemed to be unique to lilim. Still, when a girl¡ªor rather, a person that looks an awful lot like a girl¡ªis moaning in your arms, it can be hard to tell the difference. Again, it was complicated, and on this point, I really could not begin to explain. Unintentionally firming my grasp, the pressure caused her to gasp and arch her back, pressing her chest against me. And on a whim, I decided to kiss her. Yes, I know that kissing an unconscious person is bad form, but much like Jax, she was mine. She had given herself to me, fully and completely. And much like Jax, if you were to ask her, she would say much the same about me. Although, I was not sure whether she was going to be quite as homicidally territorial about the whole thing, just yet. I could not say exactly when it was that she came awake, however I felt certain that it must have been somewhere around when she decided to shove her tongue in my mouth. Whether before or after was another matter. In any case, she quickly flung her arms around my neck and began to return my kiss with a desperate enthusiasm. I really do not know how they did it, but she, like my other lilim and wholly unlike myself, had absolutely no problem doing so and breathing quite normally. Predictably, after some seconds of this, I began tapping her shoulder, signaling my need for air. And then tapping rather more urgently. ¡°Arx!¡± Jax barked from the side. The lilim in question jerked at the sound, and while I was left gasping, she hissed at Jax, ¡°Mine!¡± Jax hissed right back, baring her own sharp fangs, ¡°Mind yerself! Ye planning on making our Master faint, ye bawhead? Did ye nay feel his panic?¡± She blanched, and taking a quick look at my pale face, she reached up to cup my cheek, ¡°Oh, Maeve¡¯s hand! I¡¯m so sorry, Dearest. I¡­ I didn¡¯t realize! It was so good, though, and¡­ I just¡­ really liked¡­ whatever it was? Before it¡­ A-and I was trying to get it back.¡± Jax¡¯s expression softened at her stammering, ¡°Aye, that be a fine flavor. Fine. But not to be forced. Leave off when ye taste it going sour.¡± Arx nodded absently, still caressing my face. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I assured her after my breathing had evened out. It had been my own fault, after all. Glancing over at Jax, I asked, ¡°What flavor?¡± ¡°What flavor, says he,¡± Jax repeated, smirking at me. ¡°Funny thing to ask when it be yer own head it be coming from. Still, since yer asking¡­ It ain¡¯t me personal favorite, mind, but it be a close second. And harder to coax.¡± ¡°But what is it?¡± Arx asked as her eyes shifted between us uncertainly. ¡°It¡¯s tastes so¡­ beautiful! And¡­ and delicate!¡± Jax¡¯s grin only grew at that, ¡°Oh, now¡­ I think surely ye¡¯d be able to suss it out. Given time.¡± I grimaced, not particularly pleased at this little game. However, before I could say anything about it, the Lady of Power, Bline, decided to add her two cents.
You have allowed [Lilim: Arx] to consume of you. [Lilim: Arx] has gained 5% loyalty. [Lilim: Arx] has gained a flavor preference.
I quirked an eyebrow. That was fast. The last time I had seen this message, it had been about my other lilim. And she¡ªor I suppose it would have been he at the time, if barely¡ªhad been doing something¡­ rather different. And way more personal. That Arx would gain a preference over something as simple as a kiss was interesting. Still, a five percent loyalty bump was nice. Speaking of, it occurred to me that I had yet to check on what it even was. I had been rather busy, after all. Lady Bline, would you show me my status, please? Despite the fact that the vast majority of our interactions had been like those between a computer and its user, I nevertheless understood them to be a manifestation of a Goddess of this realm. As such, I had decided some time ago to remain on polite standing with Her, and not at all because my impression of Her had seemed¡­ testy.
Name: Donum Clan: None
Race: Human Sign: Marked by the Watcher
Class: Lilim¡¯s Chosen Core Layer: S1:1
Strength: 5 Agility: 5 Toughness: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 13+ Charisma: 12+ Manic Force: 10 Manic Breadth: 12 Gain Settings Donum: 50% Jax: 50% Arx: off
Lilim Slots: 2 Jax: Devotion: 5% Arx: Loyalty: 75%
All Stat Points assigned. No Skill Points available.
I tapped my chin thoughtfully. Seventy-five percent, already? I supposed that made a degree of sense. I had spent a fair amount of time getting to know the woman that Arx had been prior to binding her. So much so, in fact, that she had demanded that I do it, despite my own healthy dose of hesitation on the matter. Not that I regretted the decision or anything, however, Arx was certainly undergoing a fairly heavy adjustment period. That said, when had Jax gotten five percent Devotion? And what I had I been doing at the time? I frowned, thinking back. A lot had happened since the last time I had looked at this. Technically, I could turn on notifications about these things, and they would tell me exactly what I wanted to know. However, there had been some indication that there would be a penalty to pay for that, and I really did not want to risk it. After all, it did not really matter why my lilim were becoming more attached to me. If they felt like telling me, they could. I would not pry. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Well, whatever. Anything else I need to look at? I thought to myself, quickly scanning the notice. Hmm¡­ Arx¡¯s gain is off? Crap. It was a good thing I had checked on this before I started popping Gems of Power. Still, the question remained, what should I set hers at? We were a Stratum apart in Layer, after all. ¡°Um¡­ Arx?¡± I began, interrupting the argument the two of them were having. Arx was also less than pleased over being kept in the dark about her personal tastes. I could sympathize. Sort of. ¡°What?!¡± she growled. However, the moment the word had escaped her lips, her face went ashen and she quickly reached for me, trembling apologetically, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Dearest! I didn¡¯t mean that! Please¡­ please don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Arx. Really, it is,¡± I reassured her gently, cupping her hands in my own. She was almost on the verge of tears. Uneasily, I glanced at Jax. She was the expert here. Nodding sagely, Jax demurely folded her legs beneath her, sitting to one side of us, ¡°I suppose it best I explain, though mind ye, I had no such benefit me ownself.¡± Arx¡¯s lip curled up over her teeth. Despite how she might act toward me, she was clearly feeling rather short on patience. ¡°Uh huh¡­ there it be,¡± Jax grinned smugly, having expected the response. ¡°Aggression. I suppose it be natural while ye learn, but¡­ Best to let it go. Such¡¯ll hold ye back.¡± ¡°Stop talking in circles and tell me what I want!¡± Arx growled out. ¡°See now, that be it,¡± Jax replied lightly, waving an unconcerned hand through the air. ¡°That is what ye be. Want. Yer a creature of want. And now as ye¡¯ve scented yer want on the wind, that be all ye want. And the fact as ye ain¡¯t got it right now? Pisses ye off. Don¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Arx replied, her gaze unblinking and rigid. I glanced at Jax. She had best hurry up with this. I had a feeling that Arx was close to slipping. Jax just smiled and leaned forward, ¡°But now, see? Feel him. That ain¡¯t yer want, now do it be? So clearly, anger ain¡¯t how ye get it. Ye gotta be yer want, Arx.¡± Arx inhaled sharply, ¡°And how exactly am I supposed to¡ª¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say,¡± Jax interrupted, fully anticipating the question. ¡°My want ain¡¯t the same, so how am I to tell yer own how to be? Says I, play with him! Poke and prod. Watch his face. Listen to his words. Master is wise. Ye¡¯ll get the feel of it.¡± So saying, Jax apparently felt that she had explained enough, and coming to her feet again, she walked toward the void that was currently occupying the space where the mirror had been. Arx jumped to her feet, ¡°¡¯Snails and toes, Jax! That doesn¡¯t explain anything! You see how I am right now. You can feel it. What if I hurt him?¡± Jax paused mid-step. Turning back half-way, she looked at Arx as if she had gone fully insane. ¡°Try it,¡± she said lightly. There was a beat of silence as Arx clenched her fists and widened her stance slightly, ¡°Your attributes aren¡¯t much better than mine. Don¡¯t think¡ª¡± ¡°T¡¯were no threat. I won¡¯t stop ye,¡± Jax interrupted. Folding her arms, she grinned, ¡°Go on. Try it.¡± Arx glanced back at me briefly, unsure. I stared right back. What was Jax trying to pull here? ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± Arx began uncertainly, ¡°What do you¡ª?¡± ¡°Ye got claws, do ye nay?¡± Jax cut in, once again. Holding up her hand by way of demonstration, she gently poked a finger with one of her own claws. Arx shifted uneasily before turning to look down at me indecisively. As the silence stretched, I exhaled slowly. I was not sure what the point of encouraging this was, other than as some sort of bizarre and deranged trust exercise. However, in that moment, I did get the sense that Arx needed my trust, if for no other reason than so that she might begin to trust herself. So, smiling softly, I offered up my hand. Arx stared down at it for a tense few moments before jerking her gaze away, shaking her head and blinking as if she were trying to expunge some mental image. Her internal conflict apparently settled, she heaved a sigh before turning to haul me to my feet. Despite my heavy frame, I might as well have been a child in her hands. Her Core attributes may well have been halved from their former glory, but she was still powerfully muscled. ¡°I would never hurt you on purpose,¡± she whispered. Then more quietly, whether for my benefit or her own, she murmured, ¡°But if I did¡­ I don¡¯t think I could forgive myself.¡± I nodded in understanding. ¡°Accidents happen.¡± I knew that all too well. Jax had wounded me about as deeply as a man can be during her own transition. It was just fortunate that I had a fairly good healing spell at my disposal, or I would still be walking bow-legged. ¡°And if they do, then I¡¯ll forgive you.¡± She stared at my face searchingly for a while, I assumed to get a better understanding of what she was feeling from me, and I decided to wait her out in silence. I was not really all that aware of what emotions I was experiencing at the best of times, however her scrutiny made me self-conscious. What was I feeling? Patient? Curious? Calm, perhaps. Did calm have a flavor? I did not know, and not for the first time, I wondered what it would be like to experience the world like that. Eventually, she gave a frustrated little snort and asked, ¡°You had a question?¡± I grimaced. ¡°It seems silly to talk shop now. After all that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡­¡± she paused, giving a frustrated sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me. I feel¡­ ¡®Snails, I don¡¯t know. Like I¡¯m going crazy.¡± I nodded silently. It was not that I understood her, really. It was more a gesture of acknowledgment. Of being there. After a moment, she waved her hand absently, as if to dismiss the awkwardness. ¡°Ask your questions. Maybe it will help to think of something else.¡± I took a breath, ¡°Right¡­¡± Exhaling again as I collected my thoughts, I said, ¡°Well, I need to open a channel between our Cores, so that we can share Power. However, since I¡¯m in the First Stratum now, I need to know how strong to set it at. So, I guess¡­ what I need to know is, how much more powerful are Rank Two Gems?¡± The ridge between her brows crinkled as she considered the question. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can give it a number. But¡­ if I were to eat a Minor Rank Two, currently, it would fill my Core to the next Layer completely. It wouldn¡¯t be gentle, though.¡± ¡°Would it hurt you?¡± I asked, concerned. Most of our Rank One stock had been depleted, and if I was going to get the two of them on par with myself, breaking into the more powerful Gems would be necessary. However, that was only if the cost was not too high. If it caused them pain, we would need to figure something else out. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ pain, exactly,¡± she explained. ¡°It¡¯s more like¡­ being overwhelmed. Like plunging your head in a river after a storm to drink. You can do it, but it isn¡¯t fun. That¡¯s only for Minor Gems, though. Anything more¡­¡± she shook her head. I made a face, taking her meaning. Anything more meant letting the river carry you away. Still, what with our Cores being linked, we did split the gains, so maybe it would not be so bad. ¡°Would it still take ten of them for me?¡± I asked. She nodded in affirmation. ¡°As long as you are consuming Gems of the appropriate Rank, it always works the same.¡± Hmm¡­ Well, then. If that were the case, going off of what she had told me, I was pretty sure that I could think of them in terms of orders of magnitude. Ten Minors to fill your Core or only one for the Rank above you? It made sense. Of course, I also was aware that anything that was left over would be wasted, meaning that there was the possibility that the math did not work out perfectly, but here again, the fact that we were splitting this three ways should work to our advantage. Currently, Jax and Arx were still in the Foundation Layers, at nine and one respectively, while I had just traversed the Boundary the night before last. So my goal was to get them even with myself. I frowned. Really, the first step should be to get Jax past the Boundary. There was no real reason to hold her back, and once she was on even footing with myself, that would make powering up Arx much more straightforward. With that in mind, for now, I figured the best thing was to just split our gains evenly. Due to the magnitude difference, the two of them would progress rapidly while I would virtually stand still. Actually¡­ if my math was right, even if I kept it at a three-way split the entire way, by the time I was ready to get to the next Layer, Arx would have already caught up with me. Huh¡­ Well, that¡¯s easy, then! Giving myself a bit of a mental fist-bump, I pulled my status screen back up. Okay. First, we switch on Arx¡¯s Gain¡­ There was a sharp intake of breath from beside me, and distracted, I glanced at her. Arx had her hand up between her breasts with a shocked expression on her face. I pulled a face, ¡°Sorry. Jax always said that she couldn¡¯t feel that unless I closed it off, so I didn¡¯t think to warn you.¡± She shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s alright. I just felt¡­¡± She rolled her shoulders and twisted her body a little, as if adjusting to something. ¡°I think¡­ maybe because you¡¯re past the Boundary, I can feel the difference? But definitely warn me before you make any more changes. That was¡­ really¡­ big.¡± I blinked. Big? Jax barked out a laugh from where she was squatting over by the void. She had been holding a broken shard of the now quite mundane mirror, examining her new face curiously. She did not deign to comment, however at my look, she glanced up and winked at me. O¡­K¡­ ¡°Well, then¡­ fair warning,¡± I began before explaining what was about to happen. ¡°I nay like the sound of ye lessening yer connection to me, Master,¡± Jax said sulkily, after I had finished. Coming to her feet once more, she tossed the shard to the side. ¡°But¡­ fair is fair. And if ye put me to it, I guess we agreed to an even split.¡± I nodded, and without deliberating on it any further, I adjusted the sliders for each of us to read an even thirty-three percent each. Technically, that did leave an extra percentage point floating around somewhere, but I assumed that my interface must have been truncating the decimals, because I could not bump any of them up to thirty-four without lowering something else first. Meh¡­ Good enough. Hitting the ¡®Confirm¡¯ button, I dismissed the box. ¡°Well? Feel anything different?¡± The both of them were sporting a speculative look, however, it was Arx that spoke up first, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ think so. But¡­ I do feel a little more¡­ grounded?¡± ¡°About the same for me,¡± Jax offered when I glanced at her. ¡°But I feel Arx better now.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Maybe it was just because we were all standing next to one another, and everyone was feeling rather calm, however personally, I could not feel either one of them, at the moment. Though, that was to be expected. Whatever ability I had in that regard was not particularly sensitive, and I did not have the specialized organ to feel emotions like they did. Instead, mine seemed to operate exclusively through their connection with my Core. ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s head out. I¡¯m sure the ground crew is ready for us to leave.¡± There was a moment of silence then as the two of them stared at me blankly. However, eventually Arx¡¯s eyes widened in comprehension, ¡°Oh, you mean like after an arena event? Like a tournament or something?¡± At my nod, we turned toward the waiting exit, the two of them chattering about the topic rather excitedly. Apparently, Jax being a former Bandit, she had never been to one. Legally, anyway. And as we crossed the yawning threshold, I resolved to take her to one as soon as I could. It was my responsibility, as her ¡®Master¡¯, to make certain that her life was as fulfilling as I could make it. I just hoped it was not too expensive. I was not overly keen on ever returning to this place. I had only been inside of the void once before. Then as now, it was an unending expanse of nothing. There was no feeling of wind. No sound. Just¡­ emptiness. But that was not quite right. I could still breathe, after all. Instinctively, I knew that I was alone here. I could feel my lilim, but they were¡­ far. I could not say by how much. Only¡­ very, very far. But that was alright. I knew that soon, I would receive my ¡®reward¡¯, and we would be rejoined. I just had to¡­ get through it. Again. Internally, I steeled myself for the inevitable onslaught of sensation. Soon now, the light would come. Soon. I began fidgeting impatiently. Strange. The last time, this had gone much faster. Scratching at my short beard idly, I tried to remember the specifics, but everything before the very end was a little fuzzy. Maybe I needed to walk forward? Try to find it, somehow? Had I needed to do that before? I shrugged to myself. Nothing else for it. Either I would get there, or I would go nowhere. I swung my foot forward to take the first step. It hung there for a moment, oddly like the world had slowed so as to focus all of its attention on that one solitary movement. And when it landed¡­ I really cannot begin to describe the shock that overcame me. After all, one does not usually expect a brass fanfare when one is standing in a mystical void. Or, I say brass¡ªand maybe it was something similar¡ªhowever, the sounds I was hearing could not be directly mapped onto any specific instrument I was familiar with. I had to give props to the performers, though. Loud and bombastic as it was, this thing was¡­ complex. Impressively so. There were at least seven distinct lines running counter to one another, each with their own rhythms and time signatures, yet even so, they managed to blend perfectly. Then the low brass entered like someone had detonated a nuclear weapon in the middle of it. I knew a few low brass players, too. They would have creamed their jeans at a part like that. Low brass players were never ones for subtlety. It was when the strings came in, though, that I started getting genuinely excited. This was awesome! I had never been party to a performance of this magnitude. It was like Ottorino Respighi had been resurrected and commissioned specifically for this one very weird moment. I could almost feel myself ascending into the heavens. For a moment, anyway. I flinched slightly. Had that been a wrong note? ¡°STOP! FUCKING BALLS!¡± a woman¡¯s voice roared, and the whole orchestra faltered, sputtering in fits as the various instruments trailed off into silence. ¡°Fucking¡­ seriously?!¡± the voice shouted again, and I heard a metallic crash. ¡°We have been rehearsing this for weeks! WEEKS! Is the purpose of your life to shit disappointment back up my fucking ass?!¡± To say that I was nonplussed would have been perhaps slightly¡­ inadequate. As the woman continued to rage in the pitch blackness of the void¡ªapparently all to herself, for all the dead silence that responded to her¡ªI just stood there helplessly. I did not know what was going on, but even so, I felt a degree of pity for¡­ whomever it was. From the sound of it, this woman could berate a person into digging their own grave, jumping in, and filling it back up again. And, I suddenly decided, it would probably be best if I were to leave. Silently. Swiveling on my heel, I began tiptoeing my way toward wherever away from that voice would carry me. ¡°What?!¡± she said abruptly. ¡°What do you mean, he¡¯s escaping?¡± I started running, then. I had no idea where I was going, or really what my goal even was. I just wanted to not be here anymore. Urgently. However, I did not make it very far before an abrupt sense of weightlessness overcame me. I did not know whether I had unknowingly leapt off of some unseen cliff or if I had been sucked into space, or what. But my feet certainly were not on the ground anymore. That was when the presence came. Like I were a fly or an ant suddenly brought before the vast magnifying glass of an entomologist the size of a constellation. I just hoped that it was not intent on plucking my wings off. Or worse. The woman¡¯s voice chuckled, then. Much larger. And present. The sound vibrated through the whole of my body, such was its scope. ¡°Well, now¡­ where do you think you¡¯re going, little¡­ Wait¡­?¡± The voice paused, and I could almost feel her gaze crawling over my skin. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± Chapter 2 - The Touch of the Divine ¡°What do you mean, that is Donum?¡± the voice questioned. I had no idea who she was talking to. I could not hear a thing other than her. ¡°He doesn¡¯t look anything like him!¡± she shouted, her voice reverberating like a clap of thunder. Abruptly, I felt my stomach being gripped by what felt like the largest pair of rubber pincers known to man which then proceeded to jiggle me. ¡°Look! Look at this! This is not my Donum!¡± ¡°Hey, easy now!¡± I shouted finally as I tried to wrench my gut from her grasp. My voice sounded about like the puniest bottle rocket ever when compared to the nuclear fire that had been sounding around me. ¡°Maybe I am not who you were expecting, but there is no need to be insulting about things!¡± Besides, I had lost a lot of weight recently, and maybe I was no runway model, but still! I had my pride! ¡°Oh~! This one has a bit of spine, anyway,¡± the voice said, seemingly amused. I sensed her gaze intensifying. I do not know how. There was nothing to see. I had been in caves with more ambient light than this place. More quietly now, perhaps for my benefit, she asked, ¡°Tell me, little mortal. They keep insisting that you are Donum. Is it true? Is that your name?¡± ¡°Well, I am certainly a Donum,¡± I answered. ¡°But I cannot say whether I am the one you were looking for. Maybe ¡®they¡¯ made a mistake?¡± She did not reply for a moment, as if my answer had flummoxed her in some way. ¡°What a curious thing to say.¡± This conversation was beyond disorienting, and the lack of light was not helping things. Her voice just now had sounded as if we were suddenly fields apart, and it kept moving about. Sometimes it would be directly by my face, and then it would just be elsewhere. Leagues away. With no rush of air nor any other sense that she had moved. Her voice came again, approaching me rapidly, ¡°Are you perhaps trying to lie to me? Is that it? Surely you must know that you will fail?¡± ¡°I¡ª What?¡± I blinked in confusion, unnerved by what had sounded like a freight car headed right for me. ¡°Look, my name is Donum, okay?¡± There was another pause. And when she finally spoke again, there was a faint hint of uncertainty in her voice, ¡°But¡­ But that cannot be! You cannot be Donum! I remember every whisker of him! Every line! Every¡­ You¡­ You cannot¡­¡± The voice drifted off for half a breath before I was suddenly grabbed by what felt like King Kong¡¯s mitt and hauled upward. Rapidly, I felt her presence intensifying yet again, this time far greater than it had ever been, and a fantastic wind blasted the side of my face three times in quick succession. ¡°Ha~!¡± the voice breathed, moaning in delight. If, that is, you could call whale song being screeched out right next to your ear ¡®moaning¡¯. ¡°I would recognize that scent anywhere! It is you. At last, I have you!¡± She giggled in girlish delight for a moment before prodding at me with her gigantic fingers, ¡°But what has happened to you? Have you been maimed? Transformed in some way?¡± There was a sound, something like a worried little grunt, except that nothing that this woman did was ¡®little¡¯. ¡°Maybe¡­ Maybe she didn¡¯t get my message?¡± There was another gust of wind, but less intense this time. As if she were only sniffing at me to comfort herself. ¡°Wait¡­¡± She inhaled twice more in quick succession. ¡°You reek of¡­¡± And then she growled. It was a low bass rumble, and if she had been anything other than a giant, it would have been simply menacing. As it was, she might as well have been J?rmungandr, the world serpent, about to unleash the Ragnarok. Abruptly, I was released, and for a moment, I flailed in panic. However, there was no sensation of falling. I just hung there. Wherever I was. ¡°Who¡­ DAAAAAAARES!?¡± The shockwave of her voice slammed against me, and I went tumbling wildly through the nothing. My ears rang from it, and I felt sick. As if from a concussion. ¡°Who dares!? Who dares take that which I have claimed! What fool has sought the end of their pathetic fucking existence so boldly!? I shall not endure this affront! This stain upon my dignity! It was known!¡± Reality itself seemed to buckle with her rage. ¡°It was known! I made sure of it! For a thousand thousand years, your suffering will serve as an example! A ballad! A parable on the very nature of agony! Come forward! You will¡ª¡± She went silent of a sudden, and then I heard her bellow as if in confusion, ¡°What!?¡± I had no idea what she had just reacted to, but I was extremely grateful for it. I was quaking in terror by that point, curled up into a ball and desperately holding my ears closed in a vain attempt at preserving my hearing. ¡°You cannot be serious,¡± she said after a moment, her voice much subdued. Out of nowhere, her hand closed around me yet again, and I was pulled close, ¡°Tell me, little mortal, is this true?¡± ¡°Is¡­ Is what true?¡± I stammered, still shaking. There was a moment of silence as I felt that gaze peering intently at me yet again followed by a short gasp, ¡°Oh, dear¡­ I seem to have done you injury!¡± Words came, then. Of the magical kind. I knew their sound well, and while I had never heard most of these, there were a few that seemed familiar. Suddenly, there was something like a pop! And I was whole again. Completely unharmed. My pain gone as if it had never been. ¡°There. That¡¯s better,¡± the voice cooed. But this time, it sounded as if from a normal sized person speaking right next to me. ¡°So¡­¡± her voice began to circle me, as if pondering something. ¡°You have taken a lilim as your concubine? How very bold. Especially when you have yet to fulfill your offering.¡± The words were spoken lightly, baiting me, however I was far too terrified to begin to think rationally about it. So, all I managed to squeak out was, ¡°U-uhm? O-offering?¡± She might have been smaller now, but I could still feel her eyes on me. They were locked on me now, and slowly, she approached. ¡°Yes. Your offering. To me. Which I accepted. That offering.¡± Desperately, I racked my brains for any hint of what she might be talking about, but I was coming up completely empty. Except¡­ well, there was that incident with the sheep. I seemed to recall it mentioning something about an offering, but I certainly had not promised anything to it. I had not even spoken to it save for screaming my head off. Really, I did not even like thinking about the incident. Especially now. ¡°Uh¡­ I-I don¡¯t¡­¡± I stammered. Swallowing down my fear, I tried again, ¡°Maybe¡­ Uh¡­ Maybe it would help if you told me who you are?¡± There was a long beat of silence following my question. And then suddenly, the void rang with the sweet tinkling of her laugher. ¡°By the Words! You don¡¯t know?¡± She gasped, ¡°Oh, but you never knew! I forgot to tell you in the commotion. You offered yourself to me, and you didn¡¯t even know who I was!¡± She clapped her hands together excitedly before rushing forward to sweep me into a hug, ¡°Oh, I knew there was something special about you!¡± The sudden contact with her body brought to the forefront a few very important details. One, she was every bit as naked as I was. And two, despite having absolutely no clue as to what she looked like, this might have been the single most attractive woman I had ever conceived of. She was so¡­ incredibly soft. And her¡­ and her¡­ My brain seized up in even trying to come to grips with what I was feeling pressed against my chest. And though I struggled to even breathe, such was my shock, my anatomy knew exactly what it wanted, and it rose, diamond hard, despite my railing against it. Such a thing could not be. She was too attractive. So far out of my league that it was a sick joke to even think of acting on it. Moreover, she might as well have been Cthulhu given feminine form, for all that I could consider her a viable sexual partner. In an attempt to think of literally anything else, I tried to concentrate on what she had just said, and my face twisted into what I could only imagine was a look of total and utter bewilderment. I had offered myself to her? When? How? Had I been drunk? And what did she mean by that? Some kind of¡­ pledge? ¡°Oh~! Ready to start already, are we? Well, I don¡¯t see¡­¡± she paused. And I felt that gaze again, ¡°You still don¡¯t remember?!¡± Suddenly her hands gripped the sides of my face, and she pulled me downward. ¡°How can you not? You laid me down on the sand in the cave by the waterfall? That sweet kiss?¡± She paused expectantly. I swallowed. Watcher¡¯s black eyes¡­ Was she being serious right now? How could I not remember this? ¡°Uhm¡­?¡± ¡°Nothing?¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Not even Carl?! That ridiculous furry man that was chasing us? He spoke in those awful rhymes!¡± I was getting more confused by the minute, impossible as that might sound, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not confusing me with someone else?¡± Or were high¡­ ¡°You must remember!¡± she said urgently. ¡°I even made you that Gurruff as a present!¡± I blinked rapidly. ¡°You made me¡­ a what now?¡± She growled in frustration, ¡°Oh, you must have seen it. I made sure that it was placed to guard your exit. Don¡¯t you even remember that?¡± She pulled me even closer and began to mutter, ¡°Have I damaged you more than I realized? But no¡­ my spell would have¡­¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± I pulled back. Or I tried to. There was no give, whatsoever, to her fingers. ¡°The giraffe, you mean? That thing?¡± ¡°Oh, so you do remember!¡± she sighed in relief and released me. ¡°Did you like it? I have to admit, I thought it sounded ridiculous when you described it to me, what with that neck? But¡­ I thought it came out pretty well, all the same.¡± ¡°Well¡­ yeah¡­ apart from the teeth, it was pretty accurate¡­¡± I gave my head a quick shake, slapping my palms to the sides of my head. What the fuck was this conversation? ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait¡­ Are you saying that you are the Shepherdess?!¡± She clicked her tongue in distaste, ¡°Such a vulgar mortal term. Still, I cannot fault you for your ignorance.¡± Sucking in a breath, she addressed me in a more formal tone that rang ever so slightly, as if we were in a great hall, ¡°In the future, you shall refer to us as Ahnbe, or if you must, then the Third Child.¡± ¡°Okay, but¡­¡± I paused and took a hesitant step backward, slightly rattled at having my own voice sound so totally flat in contrast. ¡°You are the person¡­ the goddess¡­ who makes all of the monsters, right?¡± ¡°Monsters¡­¡± she scoffed. ¡°Yes, I suppose from your perspective, that would be the case. Mortal kind have never fully grasped the Purpose. But never mind! We haven¡¯t the time for your questions. First you will tell me the name of the lilim that has besmirched my honor, and then I will formally accept your offering.¡± ¡°U-uhm¡­¡± I swallowed. I had been on the back foot of this conversation for some time, but even so, I was more than a little hesitant than to give up Jax or Arx to her¡­ But wait¡­ The lilim? ¡°That was not a request,¡± she spoke into the ensuing silence, her voice hard. ¡°You will tell me her name, or I will force you. And that would annoy me. You wouldn¡¯t want that, would you?¡± No. No, I very much did not. Still¡­ ¡°You¡¯re not going to hurt¡­ her¡­ right?¡± I was not about to volunteer any information that I did not have to. If she did not know about Arx, then I certainly was not going to fill her in. As for Jax¡­ well, I would do what I could, but this was a goddess I was speaking to. At best, all I could do was beg for mercy. Even if this was the wrong deity to ask for that sort of thing. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going to hurt her,¡± she replied, almost off-hand. ¡°I made it very clear that I had claimed you. She could not have acted in ignorance. For that affront, I would smash her into atoms, if I could. Now. What is her name?¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly very dry, ¡°Well¡­ now¡­ hold on.¡± The thought of her doing that to Jax¡­ my Jax¡­ I took a steadying breath. There was something wrong here. How could Jax have known¡­ whatever it was she was supposed to know? There had to be some misunderstanding, but how was I to convey that without being insulting? Placatingly, I held up my hands, ¡°I think it¡¯s doubtful that¡ª¡± Before I could finish my explanation, her focus abruptly intensified beyond anything I had felt before, ¡°Speak!¡± The command hit me like a blow, and before I even realized it, the name was already in the air. ¡°Jax! Her name is Jax.¡± My teeth clicked together as soon as the words had left me, and I stood, trembling at the forced betrayal. Fuck! No! What have I done? However, there were no pleased murmurs of her intended revenge, nor self-satisfied gloating, nor anything like that. Instead, there was only a long beat of silence. ¡°Bullshit!¡± her voice thundered and echoed weirdly into the non-distance. ¡°There is no such lilim! Do you think that I would not know the names of each and every one of them? That I would not see such an obvious lie for what it is?¡± Her anger washed over me like the flames of a raging brushfire, and I curled up, trembling in an instinctual yet vain attempt at protecting myself from it. However, as quickly as it burned, it just as quickly vanished, and I was left gasping in confusion. ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± she muttered. I heard her stalking toward me again, and I curled up even tighter. ¡°That cannot be. You cannot have lied to me¡­ unless¡­ Have you been ensorcelled somehow?¡± She growled, ¡°Of course¡­ if she dared cross me, then she would have taken precau¡ª.¡± Whatever unseen presence was out there must have interrupted her again, because she suddenly started yelling, ¡°What!? What now? Do you not see that I am busy?¡± I blinked rapidly, left in bewilderment at her shift in attention. However, it gave me the time I needed to try to calm myself, and taking a steadying breath, I straightened myself out. Tentatively, I ventured, ¡°Uh¡­ Who are you talking to?¡± ¡°My servants, of course!¡± she barked. ¡°Can you not¡ª?¡± There was a snapping noise right in front of my face, and I jerked back, ¡°He is blind! Why is he blind?¡± The unseen servant must have said something else because she started chuckling, ¡°Oh¡­ right. Good thinking. No, that wouldn¡¯t do at all!¡± Her hand landed on my chest, ¡°My apologies, Donum. It has been a very long time since I have done this. I seem to have forgotten many things.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± I murmured faintly, scratching at my head. I had so many questions and fear tumbling through my mind at that point that I could hardly think. It felt as if my brains had been unceremoniously dunked into the toilet for a swirly. Nevertheless, there was one thing that I really needed to get sorted out, ¡°Look, I don¡¯t understand what is going on, but I can assure you that Jax had absolutely no way of knowing¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, yes, Gia was just explaining that before I dismissed her,¡± she cut me off. ¡°You needn¡¯t worry yourself over¡­ whatever this creature you have created is. She wouldn¡¯t have¡­ well, no matter. You wouldn¡¯t know anything about that. Still¡­ this vexes me.¡± Slowly, her hand began to trace its way around me as she paced in circles, and very softly, she began muttering to herself. I only caught snippets. Mentions of ¡®her¡¯ and ¡®games¡¯ and the like. However, after a single circuit, she sighed. ¡°I haven¡¯t the time for this now. You must complete your offering, and then I must send you on your way. The Purpose cannot be delayed for long.¡± That was the second time she had mentioned that. ¡°The Purpose? What is that?¡± ¡°Never mind!¡± she rumbled. ¡°It isn¡¯t a thing that mortals need to concern themselves with. Especially ones as weak as you. Now. Kiss me.¡± I sucked in a breath, shocked. Apparently, the murky waters of confusion had depths that I had yet to plumb. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You must complete your offering, and I need to get in the mood,¡± she explained. ¡°So, kiss me.¡± ¡°Are you¡ª?¡± I stopped myself. It would not do to call a goddess insane. Especially this one. Some tact was required here, if that was even possible. ¡°I mean¡­ surely I¡¯m not¡­ worthy. Right? Why would you want someone¡­ weak?¡± Then I jiggled the little belly fat I had at her. ¡°And I¡¯m¡­ deformed! You said so yourself.¡± She sniffed. ¡°I will decide who is worthy of me and who is not. As to your¡­ issues. These things can be fixed. Now. Twice I have said to kiss me. Twice you have delayed. I am becoming annoyed with you, Donum.¡± I grimaced. Fuck¡­ Jax is going to freak. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not trying to¡­ offend you or anything. I just don¡¯t want to¡­ disappoint you is all. I mean¡­ you¡¯re the Third Child! And I¡¯m just some mort¡ª¡± ¡°I am well aware of this,¡± she interrupted shortly. ¡°You should know, I would be most insulted were you to ever consider rescinding your offering. I¡¯m sure you would not be so foolish as that?¡± I swallowed. I was treading on some very thin ice here. Still, I had to make one last effort. ¡°But why? Why do you want me?¡± She growled then. I felt my ribcage vibrate in response to that low menacing sound, and I struggled not to whimper. ¡°You have a great deal of courage, little mortal. I will give you that. It was you who seduced me, lest you forget. You who spoke sonnets to my beauty. You have already taken my lips. And now I mean to take yours!¡± Any further thoughts of protest died the moment her lips found mine. I could not think of anything anymore. My universe had shrunk to the sensation of that pillowy softness pressed against me. That slight bit of moistness, hungrily seeking to connect with me. And when her tongue invaded my mouth¡­ And her hands began to rove about me¡­ I knew only white. There was the sound of fingers snapping, and I jumped, startled. ¡°What? What happened?¡± Ahnbe sighed from somewhere in the darkness, ¡°I fear I must apologize, mortal. I may have been¡­ too hasty in pursuing this. You are not yet ready for such things.¡± ¡°But¡­ But I don¡¯t¡­ What happened, though?¡± I asked, haltingly. Rubbing the heels of my palms into my eyes, I gave my head a rough shake. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything after you started to kiss me.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she replied softly. ¡°We had hoped that robbing you of your vision would be enough, but it would seem that even the simple touch of divine flesh is too much. I am afraid that your mind shattered during our coupling, and I had to wipe the memory of it from you.¡± My jaw slowly dropped open. My mind had done what now? What did that mean? Had I gone insane? Turned into some gibbering idiot? Just from her¡­? I shook my head. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m sorry? I guess I don¡¯t¡­ Why would that happen?¡± I felt her eyes upon me once again. She was studying me. For what, I did not know, however eventually, she murmured, ¡°Though I am not worshiped by the kinds, I am yet a goddess, ancient and powerful. As such, my attributes are far beyond your own. You simply do not have the ability to withstand me. That is all.¡± I nodded once, slowly. That had not been much of an explanation, but then, I was pretty sure that she had not meant it to be one. More of a brush-off. ¡°Um¡­ how long, uh¡­ Or rather¡­ Did I¡­?¡± I stammered, gesturing vaguely in front of me. ¡°Considering your mental state? Too long,¡± she answered, somehow intuiting my question. And then, more quietly, as if to herself, she added, ¡°Yet not nearly long enough.¡± I sucked in a breath through my teeth, cringing internally. Shit¡­ I was¡­ terrified of this woman. And pissed off. And humiliated. And¡­ and a lot of other things. Too many to come to grips with all in a single moment. And yet¡­ yet still. I could hear the sadness in her voice. For whatever reason, this¡­ being had wanted me. I had seduced her, she had said, though I had no idea when that could have been. And she had acted on it. Fantastically inappropriately, yes. But there had been a certain¡­ innocence to it. A clumsiness. As if the simple act of interacting with a mortal was beyond her. But because of her arrogance¡ªand what else could I expect from a goddess¡ªshe had been unwilling to admit to any of it, and just barreled through. So, now here we were. Sitting, like a couple of awkward teenagers, in her parent¡¯s car after the world¡¯s shortest hand job. ¡°Out of curiosity,¡± I began before pausing. What the hell is wrong with me? I should just politely bow out and try to pretend this never happened. Making a face, I shook my head in consternation. ¡°Out of curiosity,¡± I began again, ¡°What would I need to do in order to¡­ withstand you?¡± Her scrutiny intensified at my question. ¡°Out of curiosity?¡± she repeated, and slowly, her presence intensified. ¡°Nothing more?¡± ¡°Well,¡± I swallowed, studying the floor. Or I tried to. I was still blind, after all. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I feel as if I¡¯ve¡­ disappointed you¡­ as I feared I might, and you seemed¡­¡± Oh, boy. Don¡¯t say it, Donum. Think of something else¡­ ¡°lonely?¡± I winced. That was not any better. There was a very long stretch of silence following that last hesitant word. I had no idea what she was thinking, but that presence¡ªthat gaze¡ªdid not leave me for an instant. Finally, she spoke, so quietly that I had to strain to hear her, ¡°You are extraordinarily lucky, mortal, that I had dismissed my servants before you spoke those words. Had they heard, my pride would have demanded your death.¡± I felt a breeze gently brush against my cheek, and I froze as her voice came as a whispered thing just next to my ear, ¡°Very lucky. Still¡ªand you will never repeat this on your life¡ªyou are not wrong. I have not taken a lover in many¡­ many long years. Generations of mortal kind have come and gone since the last. That you would seek my company, for whatever reason, brings some cheer to my heart.¡± Almost imperceptibly, I felt her breath touch on my hair, as if she were scenting me again, and when she continued to speak, her voice carried with it a faint tremble, ¡°And that you would seek to make yourself worthy of me¡­ after all this? Hah~ Despite myself, I feel the fire in my loins rekindle at your words.¡± I held perfectly still, though it took some effort. I knew on an instinctual level just how beautiful this woman likely was. So beautiful that even her touch had broken me. I could not risk a second brush with that yawning void of madness, but when a woman talks to you like that¡­? ¡°So¡­ what do I need to do?¡± I whispered back, trying very hard not to sound like a gibbering idiot. ¡°I wonder¡­¡± she murmured, her lips so close that I could feel the heat of her breath upon my skin. ¡°The Purpose will not allow me to simply grant you what I desire¡­ However, perhaps¡­ yes, I think that would do.¡± After that, her presence receded rapidly, and I again felt what it was like to not have the pressure of her gaze upon me. It was a relief to be sure, yet there was an emptiness that came with it. Like I had been lessened in some way by the absence. Words came then. A great many of them. Whatever spell she was weaving must have been extremely complex, because I soon lost track of the number of syllables that she had uttered. However, when it came to an end, there was a sudden light, golden in color and brilliant as the sun. Reflexively, I raised my hands to shield my eyes from it. Whatever it was emanating from, it seemed to be oblong. Almost like a finger, though it was so bright that I could not make out any details. Which was probably for the best. Her voice came again, ¡°Hold still.¡± ¡°What?!¡± I exclaimed, suddenly extremely nervous. However, before I could really consider the implications, that golden finger dipped down, and shot toward me like an arrow. I attempted to catch it, ward it away somehow, but its speed was far too great. Slipping between my fingers, it slammed into my gut just below my sternum, pushing the breath out of me in a weak little puff. Again, she spoke. Yet this time, her words were accompanied by something else. Something very familiar.
Hear me, mortal, and rejoice! For I have granted thee mine boon. Yet for such, there needs come a price. To Satisfy Me, thine need is Strength. Yet Strength alone wouldst leave thee vulnerable. To Withstand Me, thine need is Toughness. Yet Toughness alone leaves thine mind as a naked thing. First, set thine errand to Look upon Me. And for that, thine need is Wisdom. Gain ye these things ere I set mine eyes upon thee again, and in return, thine flesh shall be molded, that mine eyes might rejoice in it.
With that, her hand withdrew, and I could breathe again. Frantically, I felt at where she had stabbed me, but I found no sign of injury. There was only the memory of that impalement, fading now as if it had never been. Taking a few deep breaths, I sought to calm myself by reading the words still emblazoned before me. I had many questions, but first and foremost, I needed to know, ¡°What is this about a price?¡± ¡°It is three-fold,¡± she replied, again right by my ear, and I jerked away before I could stop myself. Chuckling at my discomfiture, she said, ¡°The first you will discover on your own, I have no doubt. As for the second¡­ I am not a patient goddess. I have never had the need for it, so the idea that I may not have what I seek¡­ eats at me. Like a worm. And now that you carry my boon, I will know exactly where to are. No matter where you might go. Or where you might hide. So, it is very likely that I may¡­ stop in to check on your progress. At any time. At my discretion.¡± ¡°And the third?¡± I asked, swallowing nervously. ¡°For the third, I really must apologize,¡± she explained in a very faint whisper. For all that we were apparently alone, some things were not to be said so that others might overhear, ¡°But as it happens, I don¡¯t actually know how much of any of those things you will end up needing. So I may end up¡­ experimenting. And accidentally killing you.¡± I let out my breath in a wheeze, ¡°Yes, well¡­ let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t come to that.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± she replied lightly. ¡°That would be most upsetting. I might become rather cross with you were that to happen. Now. Away with you.¡± At those words, a light suddenly began to shine from behind me. It was a brilliant and quite familiar light, and even as I turned to look, it rapidly irised outward, as though approaching on a rail. Or I was falling toward it. Of course then, it finally occurred to me that I was in the presence of a literal deity. There were only about a million questions I needed to ask, not the least of which was why the fuck I was even here! However, before I could open my mouth, her voice came again, reverberating through the receding void, ¡°Go now, mortal. The Purpose comes for thee. Speakest thou mine name if thou hast the need, yet do not tempt mine anger. I will be watching.¡± As the echos of her voice faded, the blackness fled with it. Then there was only the light. Then came the Word. Then I began to scream. Chapter 3 - The Allamande in the Ashes With a sudden pop, I was once again on the surface of Vrekfren, the over-world. Or rather, approximately five feet above it. And when whatever force was holding me in the air decided to let me go, I was once again dropped, with little ceremony, this time in a large bed of ashes. I was not certain whether it was an improvement over the last time I had been ejected from the Dungeon, what with the mud puddle, but at the very least, it was somewhat warm. Was it really so difficult to just set me on the ground? I groaned. Naturally, I felt horrifically ill. Acquiring a new Word did that to a person, after all. However, having gone through as much as I had, it was now somewhat possible for me to resist the desire to violently disrupt the cremated environment with the contents of my stomach. Of course, it did help that I did not have the least bit of food down there. In an effort to at least keep the bile from surging into my throat, I concentrated on the Word I had just obtained. It was a ridiculous stroke of luck, really. Conceal. After having gained ten of the damned things¡ªthe one I had gotten from my own efforts plus the additional nine from binding Arx¡ªI finally had a Word that appeared in my spell catalog. Specifically, Fortunate Shadows, one of the very first and more useful spells I had acquired. It had the effect, once cast, of creating a shadowy camouflage for myself and anyone I chose to cover with it. I tended to think of it as giving a group bonus to stealth checks, to put it in D&D terms. It probably was not the best way of thinking about it, but that was the only other spell system that I had any experience with, so I was sticking with it. With the addition of the Word, the spell now read: Something Conceal blublah-blublah¡­ It somehow managed to be a major and absolutely fundamental improvement while simultaneously being almost useless. I mean, I could probably infer what the rest might be given what the spell did¡ªlikely something to do with shadows or shade or maybe luck¡ªbut it was really a crap-shoot. As for what that meant for me, mechanically, I did not have the foggiest notion. Arx had said that it was supposed to benefit the skill in some way, but she had not been overly specific. Then again, she had never been so lucky as to have one of her Words line up, so that was understandable. As for the rest, the Word had now joined my slowly expanding ¡®cosmic library¡¯ of every language ever. However, as a verb, it was rather significantly more complex than most. There were the various tenses and conjugations, the infinitive, and plenty of other weird-ass things that I did not have any name for. They were not exactly labeled. I just sort of knew how it all would work given different contexts, which was for the best, really. I neither needed nor frankly wanted to know why it might be that some language needed the word to be accompanied by the faint aroma of decomposing eggs to make it past tense. It just did, and that was the end of it. Woozily raising my head to look around, I found that the bed of ashes I was lying in was fairly substantial, perhaps extending out ten to fifteen feet in every direction, in the middle of a large clearing in a relatively sparse, yet hilly, wooded area. I might have called it a forest, but that seemed like slightly too strong a word. I was not sure, but it certainly seemed as if something significant had happened around here recently. Within the span of a couple weeks, anyway. To say nothing of the ashes, the ground nearby had been churned up, as if by a squad of hammer-wielding dwarves who had randomly become incensed by the concept of soil. Honestly, it looked for all the world as if a battle had taken place, though there were no corpses. Only broken arrows, spear shafts, and other discarded medieval paraphernalia. Where was I? The last time I had been in the over-world, I had been the captive of a horde of Goblins and their kin. So I had to assume that I would have been dropped somewhere nearby. Perhaps some enterprising group of soldiers or militia had decided to attack them and drove them off? That would certainly explain a lot of things. Or it could have been that they had simply decided to move to some other location. There had been quite a lot of fires, and from what I had seen, they had not been particularly keen on preserving what equipment they had looted from our caravan. Then, there was the question of the Mouth. I did not see any sign of it, however off to my left, I did note that there were several trees that had been uprooted or otherwise broken at the trunk. So either the encampment had been attacked by men on elephant-back, which was possible for all I knew, or the Mouth had walked off in that direction. So, whatever happens, we don¡¯t go that way. Okay, then¡­ so what about my lilim? Where were they? Obviously, we had all exited the Dungeon at roughly the same time, but I had been inescapably delayed by Mother Idh-Yaa. Although, that might be a rather unfair comparison. As terrifying as Ahnbe was to me, she was no gigantic Elder God-worm from the planet Xoth. And I was pretty sure that she had never even heard of Cthulhu. Pretty sure. I smirked. I sure hope she can¡¯t hear my thoughts now. That would be a shit show, for a certainty. With a grunt, I came to my knees, and resting on my haunches for a moment, I concentrated on the faint connection I had with them. They were alive. I knew that much. But where¡­ Slowly, I began to rock my body back and forth, feeling out the strength of the connection. It was not as if I could just close my eyes and point. Instead, it was sort of like a game of hot and cold. As long as I focused on it, I could generally tell whether I was moving toward or away from them. They were together. Somewhere¡­ off to my right¡­ and behind me. Smiling, I turned. They were just past that group of¡­ Gobs¡­ We stared at each other in stunned silence. There were six of the flat-headed, spindly-looking, goblinoid creatures surrounding a seventh who looked to have been seriously injured. He was all but dead, mostly because the others had apparently been beating him in order to hasten his departure. However, from the snarls that were beginning to curl their lips, they had decided that I looked quite a bit tastier than their buddy. ¡°Well¡­ fuck,¡± I muttered. Almost like some cheesy old Western, the sound of my voice signaled the start of the chaos. Even as the Gobs began to howl one of their high-pitched battle cries, I kicked my feet up under me, scrabbling for purchase in the uneven and deceptively soft ashes and making for the trees. I managed about half a dozen paces before the Gobs gave chase, throwing whatever they had on hand in their attempt to bring me down quickly. Most of the random sticks and rocks sailed wide, however a couple of small rocks slapped against my bare back. They did not hurt all that much. I had gained quite a bit in the way of stats and experience since the last time I had faced off against these things, and besides, Gobs did not have a particularly fearsome reputation. One on one, most anyone could take them down. Even me. However, against six and unarmed, I would need some strategy. Tracing the path of one of the errant stones that had sailed wide, I altered course and before it had rolled to a stop, I had snatched it up. Not bothering to slow, I quickly began assembling my accuracy spell. It was to the point now where I did not really have to think about what to say, but getting my tongue around the syllables was still a challenge. Especially while running. However, luck was on my side. After only one flubbed attempt, I had the thing going, and spinning, I side-armed the rock in the general direction of the one closest to me. I had not bothered to aim beyond simply ¡®at it¡¯. I would take what I could get. Even so, with my buff, the rock almost seemed to sizzle through the air before smashing right into one of the creature¡¯s bulbous eyes. Screeching in pain, the Gob went down, rolling about and clutching its head in an attempt at stemming the fountain of blood erupting from it. Unfortunately, that was only the first. I did not have the time to congratulate myself, just yet. Taking off in a random direction, my only goal to maintain the distance between myself and the clutch of gibbering beasts, I quickly spied a broken off piece of wood sticking out of the ground. Angling toward it, I wrenched it free of the dirt. However, my joy at finding a weapon was short-lived. The old spear I had just found, besides being broken in half, was rusted to the point of being all but useless. As a spear, anyway. But it was still metal and heavy. I would take it. Quickly deflecting a branch that was spinning toward my head, I dodged to the side and made for the nearest tree. I needed to break their line of sight. My hastily cobbled together plan was sketchy, at best, but Gobs were pretty stupid. Even so, I needed to try to pad my odds slightly. Dropping my spell for the sake of endurance, I scanned the ground passing in front of me for something else to throw. I had no idea how the Gobs kept finding near perfect throwing-rocks on the move like that, but I was having no such luck. At least, until just the thing I was looking for clipped my ear. That one stung. Incensed, I almost threw the thing right back at them, but I had other ideas. Finally at the tree line, I decided to pass the first two or three trunks in favor of getting a slightly more complex buff going. The Words came easily this time, especially with the latest addition to my repertoire. Now that I had a known Word within it, the spell seemed to flow out of me like melted butter. Like it wanted to be cast. And the moment it was in place, I tossed my rock into some nearby bushes, and skipped behind a tree. My skill, Forgotten in Stillness, settled over me like a heavy cloak, and with the added benefit of Fortunate Shadows, I might as well have been a tree myself. Moments later, the Gobs rushed past me, and most of them leapt directly into the bush I had cast my rock into, cackling in delight that I had apparently decided to go to ground instead of making them chase me down. I resisted the urge to smirk. One of them had trailed behind, content to let the others do the dirty work. Slowing, the filthy little thing came to a rest just a couple of paces in front of me, its chest rapidly pumping, dog-like as it panted from its exertions. Swiveling my eyes over the scene to quickly make sure that I would not be noticed, I took a hesitant step forward. The Gob stilled at my approach, tilting its head back and sniffing at the air. Spinning, it¡¯s eyes widened, and it sucked in a breath. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. However, before it could call out, I swung down for all I was worth. I did not have any knowledge of fighting styles. I had never trained, and I was not particularly athletic. But some things are basic to the point of instinct. Swing heavy club. Smash head. And that is what I tried to do, but because I had added Efficacy in the Gloom, my accuracy spell, into my buff mix, something else happened. Abruptly, the arc of my swing bent, tracing a path around the creature¡¯s huge head and cracking with a sickening crunch right against its neck. On impact, the Gob collapsed like a rag doll. It never moved again. I was so surprised that I froze, just staring at the now dead creature. Which was fortunate. The sound of the brief struggle caused a couple of heads to swivel in my direction. However, my skill allowed me to remain as still as a statue, and their eyes passed right over me, inevitably landing on their fallen companion. Rushing forward, they poked at the body for a moment before blindly casting about for me. I decided not to hold them in suspense. Flicking my rusted spear upward, I caught one of them by its enormous nose, and the pointed beak snapped into a right angle. Shrieking bloody murder, the Gob flailed back and rolled away, so without pausing for an instant, I took aim at its companion. The creature was so shocked at having what it thought was an unusually shaped tree stump come to life that it had not even moved, and my club took it right over its ear. It fell to the ground, howling in misery, and I viciously battered the creature a few more times to make sure that it would not get up again. Before I could be sure it was finished, the last two reappeared from the bushes, finally cottoning to the fact that I had tricked them. Enraged, they rushed me. Seeing them coming and having no desire to fight in any way fair, I turned to run. Right into the one whose eye I had popped. The thing had recovered enough from its injury that it had decided to continue the chase, and now that I was stopped and embattled, it had moved to flank me. Unfortunately, it had not expected me to run headlong into it, and my knee took the unlucky creature right in the chin, knocking several of its shark-like teeth out of its skull. Of course, that also meant that my momentum carried me up and over it, and I landed in a sprawl on my back. Disoriented, I stumbled to my feet again just in time to see the two healthy ones jumping over their now defanged and one-eyed ally. Not really giving the move any thought beyond, ¡®Fuck! Get it away!¡¯ I hurled my spear like a Frisbee in the vague direction of the one on my right. Unbelievably, the dull point took the beast right in the chest, and though it did not penetrate very far, the Gob went down as if it had been blasted by a sawed-off shotgun. Hell yeah! That accuracy spell is the motherfucking boss! Encouraged, I kicked some grit and leaves into the last one¡¯s face just as it got into range, and perhaps because it was beginning to fear my prowess or simply because it was the last one standing, that simple maneuver broke its morale. Covering its head in fear, it rolled away and broke for the trees. Grimacing, I ran for my spear, but my leg gave out after the first step. Kneeing that one bastard in the teeth had cut a dashed semicircle right into my lower thigh, and it was beginning to bleed profusely. By the time I had regained my feet, the coward was gone. I sighed. I just had to hope that it did not have any more allies nearby. Dropping my buffs, I quickly sent some healing Energy to my injury and went about the gristly task of finishing off the wounded. A bit later, I had five additional Minor Rank One Gems rattling around in my inventory. Unfortunately, the one whose nose I had readjusted had decided that it too had a pressing appointment to keep and buggered off somewhere. The rest had either been dead when I found them, unconscious, or too injured to care. I was rather impressed with myself, to tell the truth. Even if Gobs were the lowest of the low, I had managed to take on six at once and still emerged the victor! And as a wizard, no less! Well¡­ more like a white mage¡­ but with summons. Speaking of, where the hell are they? My question was answered almost immediately by a roar reverberating through the trees. ¡°Fuck me,¡± I sighed resignedly. My connection to them was pointing right toward whatever that had been. Cutting a path through the trees, I soon found signs of an ongoing and running battle. Fresh Gob and Goblin corpses were sparsely scattered in ones and twos along the forest floor or listing bonelessly against tree trunks. Those that were still alive, I dutifully finished and converted, effectively picking up the breadcrumbs as I tracked my errant lilim. All told, I collected an additional seventeen Minor Gems and nine Average. I shook my head in disbelief at the total. My girls had been busy. Another roar ripped through the otherwise silent forest, much closer this time. Firming my expression, I bent into a crouch and scuttled forward, my rusty spear held ready. I rather doubted that it would be of much use against something that was giving the two of them trouble, but it had served me well. I was not keen on giving up the first weapon I had been able to find in weeks. Weaving my way through the trees, I finally came to the edge of another clearing, similar to the one I had left, though smaller. Standing roughly in the center, there was a small hill, really more of a mound than anything, and atop it, there was an enraged Gobborn, staggering and swinging wildly about itself with a club the size of a park bench. It was positively covered in little Jax-shaped shadows that were doing their level best to distract, blind, and generally make as big of a nuisance of themselves as they could. Off to one side, I spied Jax herself, keeping well clear of that huge weapon. Periodically, she would summon up a replacement shadow or her axe and hurl it in the direction of the ogre-like creature, but not much else. From the way she was favoring her leg and the expression of exhaustion on her face, she would not long survive once the beast rid itself of the distractions. As for Arx, it took me a moment to find her, as she was hidden by the tall grass, however I soon spotted motion off to the right. She was repeatedly driving her dagger downward, as if she were hammering a stake into the ground. ¡°Fucking ¡®snails!¡± she panted. ¡°I think that¡¯s the last of them.¡± ¡°About fucking time!¡± Jax shouted in response just as she overhanded her axe at the Gobborn. ¡°Now start helping me bleed this great warty dobber afore he does me head in!¡± The axe sliced into the beast¡¯s shoulder, carving a heavy line through it before it sailed past and vanished. Mad with rage, the Gobborn slammed its enormous club into the ground once before hefting it again and wildly spinning in Jax¡¯s general direction. She dove out of the way as best she could, and only managed to keep her head attached to her shoulders by the thinnest of margins. If that thing had made contact, her skull would have cleared the line at Wrigley Field. Well, first thing¡¯s first. The two of them were clearly exhausted from their long and ongoing battle, and I only knew of two ways to fix that. The first was a non-option. There was no way I could summon that kind of mood at the spur of the moment, and besides, I had a far easier solution. Palming a few of the Average Gems I had been collecting from the Goblins, I popped one into my mouth. I could tell the moment it began to dissolve that the Gem was not the appropriate Rank for me. It tasted¡­ weak. Insipid. Like a chocolate bar that had melted in the store and gone ashy. However, it should still be fine for them. At least, I hoped so. We had not exactly tested whether the Stratum disparity made a difference yet. Setting that aside for now, I noted Jax hopping unsteadily to her feet again. Now at the beast¡¯s back, a dim-looking pair of new shadow clones stepped away from her and rushed forward, joining their sisters in their effort to drive the creature truly insane with rage. Meanwhile, I saw the telltale sparkles of Jax¡¯s axe once more solidifying in her hand. Right¡­ let¡¯s do something about that leg. Quickly snapping out the incantation for Renewal of Consumption [Mk II], I directed the spell to attach itself to Jax¡¯s weapon, and just as she raised it overhead, the spell took hold. Hurling it for all she was worth, the axe sailed through the air, end over end. However, the distance this time was a little longer than before, and the weapon drifted a tad lower than she had intended. Straight between the Dobborn¡¯s ass cheeks. The beast¡¯s cry of shock and outrage climbed a few octaves higher than I had thought it capable of. At least until my spell began to leech its Life Energy away to fuel Jax¡¯s regeneration, and then its voice faltered. That, combined with its own continued blood loss, brought the creature to its knees for a few moments. ¡°Now, Arx!¡± Jax yelled. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s d-dow¡ª Nah~¡± Arx, who had been running for the Dobborn¡¯s back, abruptly stumbled and collapsed to her hands and knees, ¡°¡¯Stits! W-what¡­ Mmm¡­ Oh, ¡®stits¡­ yes!¡± Jax twirled around, her chest heaving, and staring right at me, she shouted, ¡°It¡¯s Master! He be out! He¡¯s here!¡± ¡°He is? Oh, thank M-Maeve¡­ I¡­ I¡­ Mmm~ Why is it so good?¡± Arx moaned plaintively, even as she struggled to regain her footing. ¡°Aye, ye lightweight. He only be¡ª¡± Jax jokingly began, but the Dobborn¡¯s roar cut off her explanation. The battle was not over yet. Unsteadily, Arx brought her arrow out, pointed it at the creature and shouted, ¡°Hah~!¡± Unfortunately, her voice was still a little¡­ impassioned from the Power of the Gem filling her Core. As the projectile steaked toward its head, the Gobborn flinched back, but when it mysteriously arced skyward, it stared after it, dumbfounded. I grimaced. We were going to need some more practice with that before it was reliable. If nothing else, she was going to need to get used to having pleasure coursing through her, or she would never adjust. In the meantime, though, a little accuracy bonus would not hurt. Even as I uttered the Words, Jax was already taking advantage of the beast¡¯s distraction. Her leg now mostly mended, she ran forward and chopped right into the Gobborn¡¯s ankle, as if it were a tree that needed felling. The beast threw its head back and bellowed in pain before blindly swiping behind itself, trying to smash the annoying lilim into so much paste. But she was already well away, scattering clones in her wake. The Gobborn turned to give chase, swinging its enormous club at the skittering shadows, but its leg gave way as soon as it attempted to put any weight on it. Collapsing to one knee, it still managed to swing that huge club about, fending away the multitude of annoying black shapes. ¡°Ha!¡± Arx¡¯s shout heralded the second volley of her missile, and this time, with my help, it struck true. Sinking deep into the beast¡¯s back, it missed the spine by the width of a finger. And then came a second. And a third. Each inching closer. The Gobborn grunted as each struck home before finally screaming in frustration. Jerking around to find this new annoyance, it scooped a chunk of earth out of the hill and hurled the mass toward where she was standing. Of course, it was just dirt, and most of it broke up before it even got to her. Still, it was enough to break her concentration, and she broke for cover. However, now that it was distracted again, Jax swooped back in, sailing through the air weightlessly and slamming her axe home just above its trapezius muscle, right into the creature¡¯s neck. It was a terrible wound. Even so, the beast¡¯s hide was thick, and the blade did not quite sever its spine. Seeing that it had yet to go down, she flipped away agilely before its great mitt could swat her away. The Gobborn attempted to twirl about with its club once more, hoping to catch her before she landed, but with its latest injuries, it could no longer support the weight of it, and it dropped back to the ground. Wheezing now as air started bubbling out of the gaping gash in its neck, it struggled back to its feet and stood there for a long moment before finally collapsing. It was done. All we had to do was wait. Chapter 4 - A Mouthful of Ashes The battle done and the Power of the Gem exhausted, the pair of them collapsed, as if marionettes with their strings cut. Concern quickly swelling in my chest, I ran forward. ¡°Are you alright?¡± I called out, coming first to Arx as she was nearest. Now that I could see her up close, it was apparent that their private war with the Gob-kin had raged both long and hard. Arx¡¯s snow-white hair was caked in mud, blood, and ashes, and she was clutching at her side, head down and staring fixedly at the ground beneath her. Even so, she managed to nod weakly, ¡°Yes¡­ Yes, I¡¯ll be fine, Dearest. Just¡­ very tired, and¡­ and hurting¡­¡± Swallowing roughly, she waved her hand vaguely over her entire body, ¡°somewhere around here.¡± I chuckled despite myself before glancing at the slowly dying Gobborn, ¡°There¡¯s a little Life to drain there yet. If you can manage to stab it once¡­¡± Blearily, she smiled up at me, ¡°If you insist.¡± ¡°That great bloated wank ain¡¯t the only one what could use a good stabbing,¡± Jax called out as I began helping Arx up. Crawling unsteadily to her own feet, she groaned, ¡°Hah¡­ Maeve¡¯s blessed fanny, but I be starved.¡± ¡°Starved?¡± I repeated before taking a moment to cast my spell on Arx¡¯s arrow. ¡°But we¡­ or that is¡­ well, I fed you pretty well before we left the Dungeon. Did you burn through it all in the fight?¡± She grimaced, ¡°Must have done.¡± ¡°Is that what this is?¡± Arx asked from where she was leaning against me. ¡°I feel like there¡¯s this¡­ crawling sensation in my gut. But it¡¯s too low. Like¡­ below my stomach? And I feel¡­ I don¡¯t know. Spikey all over? If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say I was hung over.¡± Jax smiled at her out of the corner of her mouth, ¡°Aye, that be right enough. And now as the Master be here, ye be like to draw at him so bad it hurts. Course, he ain¡¯t feeling too strong about nothing just yet. A little worry is all. For the rest, aye, ye¡¯ll figure it out soon enough.¡± Then jerking her head at the sprawled form of the Gobborn, she added, ¡°Best cast yer arrow. That one ain¡¯t long for it.¡± Arx nodded distractedly, and turning, she barked out a short and crisp little tone, sending the arrow thudding into the creature¡¯s distended belly. My spell quickly drained what little Life remained to the beast, and its final breath rattled out of its lungs, engulfing Arx in the embrace of my Renewal. Shivering and teeth chattering from the pleasure of her many cuts and abrasions knitting together, she leaned heavily against me, her head listing back onto my shoulder. I stared down at her parted lips, tantalizingly close and glistening with perspiration. Eventually, I managed to pull my gaze away only to be snared by her own. There was a look of such longing there that it hit me as if from a physical blow, and almost helpless to do otherwise, I encircled her waist with my arm, pulling her to me. Slowly, our lips drew near. I could feel her breath quivering in anticipation, and almost teasingly, I inched forward, bit by bit. Never quite there, yet ever closer and closer, her hitching breath rising higher all the while. Finally, she could stand it no longer, and she surged forward, hot and ready. Her kiss seemed to almost speak to me. Of passion. Of need. Of life itself. And I was the font from which she intended to draw it from. For a few seconds, anyway. Abruptly, her eyes snapped open, and she pulled away, staring at me in confusion. ¡°Aww, no!¡± Jax moaned plaintively from the side, pausing her own hand¡¯s journey down her front. ¡°Why¡¯d ye stop for? Ye were just getting him going!¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± she said softly, shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ something¡¯s wrong. There¡¯s this¡­ weird smell?¡± Uh oh¡­ ¡°What do ye mean, ¡®weird¡¯?¡± Jax asked as she marched forward. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± I began uncertainly, grimacing. I had no idea how I was going to handle this conversation. I mean, how do you even begin to tell someone that you were kind of, sort of, but probably definitely raped by a goddess and subsequently mind-wiped? And then She sent you on a quest to better yourself so that She could do it again, but without the mind-wipe part? And also, you were kind of into it? Maybe? Actually, I was not even sure what my feelings were on the matter. How was I supposed to feel? But before I could really delve into it, Jax was sniffing at my face. It did not take her long to put the pieces together. Her eyes flashing dangerously, she growled, ¡°Who was she?¡± ¡°She?¡± Arx repeated before taking another whiff of me. Finally parsing out the scent, her lips peeled back over her sharp teeth briefly, and her own growl rippled out of her throat. Eyes wide, she staggered away, shaking her head as she wrestled with new instincts and conflicting impulses. However, eventually, one of them won out. And it seemed to be murder. Eyes wild and her claws splayed, she cried, ¡°What ¡®she¡¯? How is that possible? I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ ¡®Snails, I want to¡­ Argh!¡± ¡°A fair question,¡± Jax murmured softly, yet no less pissed off. It was simply more controlled, a focused mental tally mark for a cold revenge in some as yet undetermined future. ¡°How is that possible, Master? Our eyes did nay leave ye for but a moment, I¡¯d wager. How did some wench manage to coax ye to her bed in such a time?¡± ¡°Her bed?!¡± Arx shouted before I could get a word in. She was practically shaking by that point and looked for all the world like she was well on her way to hyperventilating. ¡°How can you know that?¡± Jax just quirked an eyebrow at her, ¡°It were a guess. But ye can feel the truth of it well enough, can ye nay?¡± Arx took one look at my resigned face and howled. Once I had managed to get the two of them calmed down enough to have a reasonable conversation¡ªrelatively speaking, of course¡ªI began by asking, ¡°Does the name Ahnbe mean anything to either of you?¡± ¡°Ahnbe!?¡± Arx repeated, looking up at me in surprise. I had needed to capture her in my arms and begin massaging her horns to get her to finally stop raving. It really was a curious thing about lilim. They seemed to have an instinctual ¡®in group¡¯ versus ¡®out group¡¯ mentality about things. Those that were ¡®in¡¯¡ªthose bound or otherwise soon to be¡ªwere okay and had open access to me. Or at least, that was what Jax had said. I was not sure whether that would hold, long term, but so far, I had not detected any hint of jealousy between the pair. Meanwhile, those who were ¡®out¡¯ were a threat, and if they showed any interest in me whatsoever, they were to be eliminated at all costs. How someone was supposed to traverse that barrier was beyond me. Not that I wanted to explore the option. I had my hands full with just the two of them. Worse, what I had to say about the matter was of no consequence. It seemed as if it was a given that I would be helplessly seduced at some point. They would simply come around behind me and ¡®clean up the mess¡¯ as it were. I belonged to them, and anyone else had best watch their backs. And the fact that they were completely right, at least in this instance, was not lost on me. ¡°That be her name then?¡± Jax asked disinterestedly. She was affecting a seemingly casual lounge against the cooling corpse of the Gobborn, however from the way that her claws were slowly cutting furrows into its skin, she was anything but. Shaking her head, she asked, ¡°Nay, why? Should it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see how it could be,¡± Arx addressed her. ¡°It isn¡¯t widely known, but that name appears a few times on the Uncarved Carvings. The Steles and the like. No one knows for certain, as they aren¡¯t well understood or even close to translated, so any notion as to whom or what it might be referring to is pure speculation at best. That doesn¡¯t seem to stop anyone, though,¡± she added thoughtfully. Looking back up at me, she asked, ¡°How did you hear it?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ uh,¡± I hesitated briefly. I had not realized that I would be contributing to academia here. ¡°Well, I seem to have uh¡­ stumbled onto that bit of information. Ahnbe happens to be the name of the Shepherdess.¡± Arx furrowed her brows and lightly touched my chest, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I mean, that¡¯s incredible! But¡­ I guess I don¡¯t understand what that has to do with anything?¡± I made a face, ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s just say that She really does not like to be called that.¡± They both just stared at me. Waiting. And waited longer. As the silence stretched, my eyes shifted between them expectantly, the implication, I had thought, obvious. ¡°And?¡± Jax said finally. ¡°And?¡± I repeated. Why were they not getting this? ¡°I learned that first hand.¡± I raised my eyebrows significantly, again leaving the implication hanging. Slowly, Jax¡¯s eyes widened, and she sat up straight. Arx, however, was still shaking her head in confusion, ¡°I don¡¯t see what hands have to do with anything. What are you¡­?¡± ¡°Master,¡± Jax interrupted. Shifting forward, she began crawling toward us on hands and knees, ¡°Be ye saying what I think ye be saying?¡± ¡°I¡­ think so,¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Jax sucked in a breath, her eyes as wide as saucers. Arx looked back and forth between us, ¡°But what are you saying? This woman who¡ª¡± she paused, a bit of a snarl creeping across her features despite my continued ministrations. ¡°Is that how she enticed you? She told you all about the Shepherdess? Why? And how would she have known? Why should¡­?¡± ¡°No! Would you¡­¡± I stopped, clenching my fists in frustration. ¡°I am trying to tell you that I met the Shepherdess of the Creatures of the Dark. Her name is Ahnbe. And¡­ we¡­¡± I bobbed my head to one side. Arx said nothing for a moment, but her expression was telling. The pieces were there, but she could not quite bring herself to fit them together. ¡°You what?¡± she whispered. ¡°Hochmagandy,¡± Jax whispered. ¡°Master knocked boots with a flaming Goddess!¡± ¡°No!¡± Arx shouted, her head swiveling around to stare at me. ¡°How? That¡¯s impossible! She doesn¡¯t have a following. She doesn¡¯t speak to anyone! No one has ever seen Her! No one has ever even met Her!¡± ¡°I have,¡± I corrected her quietly. ¡°And more besides,¡± Jax added, starting to grin a bit. I could not be sure, but I felt like there was a speculative gleam to her eye when she said it. ¡°But¡­ why?¡± Arx persisted plaintively. ¡°You¡¯re not some¡­ storied hero! Or¡­ or¡­ a great leader, or really anything! You¡¯re just Donum! You¡¯re our Donum! She has no right! She¡­ She can¡¯t¡­!¡± She stopped, her eyes beginning to shine with unshed tears. ¡°Master be Master,¡± Jax frowned disapprovingly. ¡°Why be ye surprised that even such as She would want a piece?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± I quirked an eyebrow at her. I mean, that was flattering, but¡­ ¡°I think you may be over-estimating things a little.¡± ¡°Right? Right!¡± Arx agreed hotly. I was not sure how happy I was to hear her concede that point, though. ¡°He may be a perfect man, but he¡¯s only perfect to us! There¡¯s no reason for him to be attracting that kind of attention!¡± Jax tilted her head back, thinking it over briefly before glancing at me, ¡°How did ye attract Her attention, anyway? Arx be right about one thing. I ain¡¯t never heard of such as Her talking or otherwise to mortal folk.¡± I sighed, ¡°There I can¡¯t help you. All She said was that I had ¡®seduced¡¯ Her somehow by making some offering. But I can¡¯t think of when that would have been, or how I would have done it. I even said as much, but she was insistent that it was me. Said she recognized my scent or something.¡± Arx frowned slightly, and taking a moment to wipe at her eyes, she sniffed me again, ¡°Mmm¡­ it is sort of¡­ distinctive, I guess.¡± Smiling faintly, she began to gently chew at her bottom lip. Jax rolled her eyes in amusement but refrained from comment. ¡°So? What happened, then?¡± ¡°Well, I mean¡­ I tried to talk Her out of it, you know?¡± I began, but the both of them instantly sucked in a horrified breath. I grimaced. ¡°Yeah, that didn¡¯t go over so well. But I tried. For your sakes.¡± Arx cupped her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. ¡°For us?!¡± she breathed. ¡°You risked divine retribution for us?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yeah?¡± I returned, a little confused. ¡°Of course, I did. You¡¯re my bound lilim. Honestly, I don¡¯t know where the two of you get this idea that I¡¯m some incorrigible skirt-chaser.¡± Of course, considering the fact that I had two of them, I might have been clutching at straws. Just a tad. Jax surged forward and taking my face in hand, she looked me over searchingly, ¡°Be ye whole, though? She did nay bring harm to ye? No curses or the like?¡± ¡°What? No, no, I¡¯m fine. She didn¡¯t hurt me,¡± I said before amending, ¡°Or well¡­ Not on purpose, anyway.¡± Both sets of eyes went hard at that, so I hurriedly added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It was accidental, and She healed me as soon as She realized.¡± ¡°How do a Goddess hurt ye by accident, Master?¡± Jax asked, quietly seething. A chill ran down my back at the memory. Taking a slow, shaky breath, I answered simply, ¡°Sheer anger.¡± Exchanging a worried glance with her new sister, Arx asked, ¡°She was that mad that you tried to turn Her down?¡± ¡°What? No!¡± I sighed. Taking a moment to assemble my thoughts, I explained, ¡°After She¡­ smelled me, she got really pissed off¡ªand I mean like¡­ it was world-ending, apocalyptic anger¡ªbut it was because she got a whiff of you, Jax.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Jax squawked. ¡°What did I ever do to the like of Her? Nothing yet, I¡¯d wager, besides defending me own self against Her ravenous brood.¡± I tilted my head to the side consideringly, ¡°Apparently, She felt that you had transgressed her honor somehow by uh¡­ well, in Her words, ¡®becoming my concubine¡¯.¡± A self-satisfied little smile crept over her face at that, ¡°Master¡­ ye ain¡¯t taking the piss, are ye? The Shepherdess were jealous of the likes of me?¡± ¡°Hey, now,¡± Arx cut in. ¡°What about me? I¡¯m your¡­ uh hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know if I like ¡®concubine¡¯. But we¡¯re bound just the same as you two.¡± I shook my head, ¡°Honestly, I couldn¡¯t say. Something about the fact that Jax was a lilim infuriated Her¡­ or well, actually, She was way more angry before She found out about the lilim part. If anything, that seemed to calm her down a little. She was still murderous, but it was more¡­ calculated?¡± ¡°But that still doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± Arx insisted. ¡°I¡¯m also a lilim. Why only be angry with Jax?¡± Jax abruptly clicked her teeth inches from Arx¡¯s nose, ¡°He told ye, already, if ye¡¯d pay attention. She scented him. Any fool could tell as yer own ain¡¯t on him.¡± ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Arx growled, bristling. ¡°My scent should be all over him! After all we¡¯ve done?¡± Jax rolled her eyes again, this time out of mounting frustration, ¡°Be ye lilim or nay? Use yer head! Do ye think yer own be the same as it were?¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t matter,¡± Arx argued doggedly. ¡°Even after I was reborn, I touched him plenty of times. We even kissed!¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Jax sighed, ¡°Ye ain¡¯t hearing me, so I¡¯ll spell it out. There be only one scent as marks him yer own.¡± So saying, she bit her lip slightly and gently dragged a finger through her lower set, presenting the glistening result before her, ¡°And this be that.¡± Arx blinked a few times at the display before curiously giving Jax¡¯s finger a sniff. Instantly, her eyes fluttered closed, and shivering, her arms seemed to unconsciously curl up, crushing her small breasts together. And without a moment¡¯s further hesitation, she sucked the proffered digit into her mouth, moaning as she began to clean every trace of Jax¡¯s fluid away. Jax stared at this display with something approaching shock before understanding came to her, and her lips parted, her tongue lazily toying with one of her fangs. Airily, she breathed, ¡°Aye, that¡¯s the way. Ye taste him in me, don¡¯t ye now?¡± I cleared my throat and averted my eyes. I was already starting to feel the blood flowing downward, and if I allowed myself to get distracted by their antics, we would never get through this conversation. Fortunately, Jax was too engrossed at the moment to have noticed. ¡°Uhm¡­ it¡¯s not necessarily that, Jax,¡± I offered. ¡°As my First, you¡¯re supposed to have a skill that affects those under my influence. It should make them feel drawn to you, somehow.¡± Jax nodded distractedly, ¡°As I said, she tastes ye in me.¡± Then, quirking a speculative eyebrow, she murmured, ¡°I wonder¡­¡± Dipping her other hand downward, she drew another sample from between her legs and sucked it into her own mouth. ¡°Oh, yes~¡± she moaned, staring at the appendage once she had pulled it free, ¡°I can see the appeal.¡± Hearing this, Arx finally came loose of her new snack, and grabbing Jax¡¯s other hand, she began to vigorously clean it, as well. ¡°Here now, pup,¡± Jax smirked, chuckling throatily. ¡°That were mine!¡± So saying, she flicked her wrist back, popping it out of Arx¡¯s mouth. The gray-skinned lilim chased after it, almost like a baby bird begging its mother for food. Jax teasingly waved the digit this way and that, toying with her until finally bringing it between her teeth. Arx went for it unthinkingly, and Jax caught her lips with her own. Latched together, they began to passionately explore one another, for all the world as if they were dying of thirst. And then Jax¡¯s eyes snapped to me. What can I say? There is only so much a man can endure. ¡°Can ye feel it?¡± Jax whispered after a moment, turning her head so as to speak with their mouths pressed together, side-to-side. ¡°Ye made yer Master swell for ye¡­ He wants ye, me sister.¡± ¡°H-he does?¡± Arx whimpered back, her foggy eyes clearing just long enough to drift down to my waiting manhood, and widened. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she muttered, ¡°¡¯Snails and tits¡­ I¡¯m so wet, I feel like I might faint.¡± ¡°Get used to that,¡± Jax smiled before glancing back over at me, not at all making eye-contact. ¡°Speaking of ¡®wet things¡¯,¡± she began lightly, ¡°how were this¡­ Ahnbe? Being as She be a Goddess proper.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t say,¡± I shrugged. ¡°She wiped my memory of it, afterward. The whole thing¡­ I don¡¯t know. Something about Her attributes, she said. It broke me. I don¡¯t even know what She looks like.¡± Almost in unison, the pair of them slowly tore their eyes from the object of their desire to look up at me. Their gaze was very hard and very cold. If they had been uncertain of their feelings on this, they were not now. They would have their revenge, whether it took a hundred years or a thousand. Still, this was a Goddess we were discussing, and they knew that very clearly. Such things could not be discussed openly. Who knew when or where such a being might be paying attention. Instead, Arx asked, ¡°Then how can you be sure that¡­ the deed was done?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I spread my hands. ¡°Unless She lied about it¡­?¡± Arx moistened her lips, and glancing downward again, her eyes softened. Addressed her sister, she mumbled, ¡°Do you think¡­ that She would leave a mark? Like we do?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Jax murmured, her own murderous impulses shelved for now. ¡°Makes ye wonder, though, don¡¯t it? What such would smell of? Or¡­ or taste of?¡± A slight tremble passed through her, her desire beginning to overwhelm her skill-granted control, and she swallowed. ¡°Yes,¡± Arx panted openly. ¡°Especially¡­ coating that.¡± I shook my head, a helpless smile crossing my face. What was my life becoming? To be stared at by a pair of feminine creatures like this? With pure, unadulterated ardor? It was the stuff of dreams. No man could continence such a situation with any level of seriousness, especially considering the topic we had been discussing. They could barely even get through it without their imaginations spinning out of control. Then again, they had not been there. They could not understand the level of terror and helplessness I had experienced. And really, I did not want to tell them. It would only serve to infuriate them again, and it was not as if they could do anything about it. The weird part, though, was that¡­ I did not feel particularly violated by any of it. Maybe the fact that I could not actually remember that part could account for it, but there was more to it than that. Ahnbe was¡­ old. And ridiculously powerful. And impatient. And a lot of things. She had wanted me for whatever reason, and She¡­ I don¡¯t know. Perhaps because of¡­ all the things that She was, She simply could not¡­ express that in any way that would be even remotely appropriate. However, once She realized that She had hurt me, She was genuinely remorseful¡ªwhether for my sake or Her own, I could not say. All in all, I had to admit that I was not really all that upset about it. I had gained more than I had lost, after all, and I was inclined to forgive Her, if for no other reason than that She could have turned me into a paint smear with a flick of Her finger. If anything, most of why I was upset at all was that She had been struggling so hard not to do precisely that by sheerest accident. And failing. Heaving a sigh, I glanced up again. My lilim were still staring, I realized, and steadily inching toward my rod, almost drooling with anticipation. Man, they really are hungry. So, feeling a little playful, and somewhat done with the conversation, I gave my member a casual flick. My lilim gasped delightedly as they watched it sway from side to side. ¡°Well, go on then,¡± I said when they made no further move. ¡°Do you want it or not?¡± A long few breaths came and went as they continued to stare fixedly. Finally, Arx bumped the red-head with her shoulder, ¡°Go on. You¡¯re the First. Go first!¡± ¡°Aye, but¡­¡± Jax worked her jaw, struggling to hold herself back, ¡°this be a Goddess we be talking about here. What if it do to me what it did to him?¡± ¡°I suppose I could go wash up first,¡± I offered. Actually, that might not be such a bad idea. We had just gone through a pretty major combat, and I was covered in soot. ¡°If we could find a stream or something¡­¡± The both of them instantly pointed off to my right and behind them, apparently clearly hearing something that was quite inaudible to me. Nodding, I stood, ¡°Right then.¡± And I set off, my erection still very much present and evidently going no where. The pair followed behind, stumbling and tripping over themselves as they struggled to keep pace with the object of their fixation. ¡°Wait! Wait, Master!¡± Jax called out, slightly panicked. ¡°I ain¡¯t made up me mind yet!¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s all dirty,¡± I said dismissively, continuing to walk. ¡°You don¡¯t want a mouthful of ashes.¡± ¡°Aye, but¡­¡± she hesitated, ¡°Maybe just a whiff?¡± I cast my eyes skyward. ¡°Fine. Just a quick one.¡± Coming to a sudden stop, I turned to her, my member trailing slightly behind my momentum. Jax¡¯s eyes never left it for a moment, as if she were a cat watching a mouse. Beckoning her forward impatiently, I said, ¡°Come on then. I haven¡¯t had anything but a water fountain to wash with in weeks.¡± Nodding quickly, she rushed forward and knelt, spreading her palms over my hips to steady herself. Hesitating for another few breaths, she cautiously extended her nose forward, bringing it to my tip and gave it the faintest of little sniffs. Immediately, her mouth dropped open, and her eyes almost crossed, ¡°Nyaah~ Oh, Master¡­¡± Seeing her tongue begin to extend, I pulled away, and ignoring her mournful cry, I nodded smartly, ¡°Right. That¡¯s enough of that. Bath first.¡± Turning, I promptly started walking again. ¡°Wait! What about me?¡± Arx called, almost tripping over Jax. Grimacing, I stopped once again. ¡°Fair is fair, I suppose.¡± Pulling my Pouch from around my neck, I tossed it to Jax. ¡°Go around and collect up the Gems from all those green bastards you two killed. I think I got most of the ones in the woods back there, but you would know better than me. When you¡¯re done, catch us up. In the meantime,¡± I paused to shift my gaze to Arx, ¡°All this talk of marks and such has got me to thinking. It¡¯s high time I ¡®marked¡¯ you.¡± Arx¡¯s eyes widened slightly at my pronouncement. Biting her fist, her legs began to quake, and she sank to her knees, the merest suggestion of what was to come triggering her climax. I grinned. Fuck, that¡¯s hot. Flicking my gaze back over to Jax, I jerked my head over to the corpse of the Gobborn, ¡°Chop chop. The faster you¡¯re done, the faster you can join us.¡± Eyes shining in anticipation, she nodded once, ¡°Yes, Master!¡± And then she was away, literally sprinting in her haste. Chuckling to myself, I turned once more and headed in the direction of this fabled body of water. Oh, this is going to be good. ¡°Watcher¡¯s puckered asshole, that¡¯s cold!¡± I yelped, sampling one of Jax¡¯s old standbys as I waded into the water. The river¡ªif you could call it that¡ªwas about half a dozen paces across and only slightly above my knees in depth. However, it ran clear as crystal and was so frigid that I was half surprised that blocks of ice were not floating along it. Steeling myself, I quickly submerged, scrubbing with the haste of a man¡­ well, there really is no adage to describe the hurried frenzy of a man trying to take an ice bath. It is sort of unique that way. Within seconds, I considered myself clean enough and like a gibbon with a tiger after it, I skipped back to shore, hooting from the cold. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Arx said, her head upside down in the water. She was leisurely working the mess that had entangled her hair loose, although she seemed to be having a little trouble. ¡°Ack! Damned horns¡­¡± ¡°How can you possibly say that?¡± I replied, jumping up and down with my hands up underneath my arms. ¡°It¡¯s freezing!¡± Standing up again and flicking her hair back, she shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe it¡¯s a lilim thing? I always used to be pretty sensitive to cold, but this feels fine.¡± So saying, she waded further into the moving water and casually sat down, unhurriedly washing the remains of the battle from her body. As she did, she kept casting furtive glances up at me, or more specifically, my now quite wilted manhood. Cold will do that to a fellow. ¡°What happened to all of that bold talk a moment ago?¡± she teased. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to add my mark to your little collection?¡± ¡°You do realize that I¡¯m not actually trying to collect anything,¡± I replied defensively. ¡°It just sort of happened, you know?¡± I cringed internally at that. Most women¡­ or I suppose I should say, most human women would not at all have been satisfied with something like that. However, Arx was simply looking at me with curiosity. ¡°What is that? Guilt, maybe? Or is it shame?¡± I sighed, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not really sure. I feel like I should be ashamed, though.¡± ¡°Why?¡± she asked, apparently genuinely mystified. ¡°It¡¯s not like you could have done anything differently, right? I still don¡¯t understand how you could have attracted Her attention, but it¡¯s never wise to provoke Their anger. It¡¯s good that you did not refuse Her.¡± I made a face. That was true enough. Still, I knew for a fact that she was pissed as all hell about this. Just not at me. ¡°Well¡­ what if it had been¡­ someone not a Goddess? What if¡­ somehow, I got separated from you two, and I fell in with¡­ I don¡¯t know. Some girl. And then one thing led to another. How would you be feeling then?¡± I knew what Jax would have said, of course, but Arx was still quite new to this. Seeing as how we were alone with one another, for the moment, I figured that now would be a good time to explore her feelings. Glancing over at her, I found that she had gone still and was staring at me contemplatively. ¡°I suppose,¡± she said after a moment, ¡°that would depend on what you are asking. If I understand you, you seem to be worried that you might have betrayed us somehow. But¡­ I don¡¯t think that I am capable of feeling that way anymore. Not toward you. It¡¯s¡­ like you represent some sort of¡­ absolute to me. In my mind, you know? Honestly, I can barely even comprehend the notion without relying on the memories of my former self. Does that help?¡± We stared at one another from across the water for a few moments, me trying to grasp what she had just said and her waiting patiently. ¡°You trust me that much?¡± I asked finally. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I could do to shake that confidence?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she mused, tilting her head to the side. ¡°Unless, you were to¡­¡± pausing, she looked at me sharply before snorting. ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°What?¡± I insisted. In the face of that kind of assurance, it had to be pretty bad. Closing her eyes, she turned her head away, ¡°I don¡¯t want to say. It makes me feel sick just thinking about it.¡± ¡°Arx, I need to know these sorts of things if¡ª¡± I began, but she interrupted, speaking in a rush, as if saying it as quickly as she could might make it easier. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just the idea that you might¡­ intentionally¡­¡± she paused, beginning to look a little green, ¡°hurt yourself. But you wouldn¡¯t, so there¡¯s no point in talking about it.¡± I nodded, offering her a little half-smile, ¡°Well, I suppose that, at least, is normal enough. I don¡¯t like seeing you two getting hurt either.¡± She returned my smile, magnified by my small sentiment, ¡°What hurt is there that you cannot mend?¡± ¡°Hopefully, we¡¯ll never find out,¡± I replied, half in jest. We lapsed into silence for a while after that, lost in the various pathways of our own minds. I did not know what she was thinking about, but for myself, I was just glad to have a moment of peace. No more Dungeon to worry about. No traps to puzzle over. No huge monsters to conquer. It was just me, by a river, and my lilim. For the first time in a long while, I was just glad to be alive. Glancing back up at Arx, I marveled once again at the sudden and drastic change binding her had wrought. She was taking it pretty well, all in all. Of course, it helped that she had undertaken it of her own accord and after only having known me for a handful of days. I had barely even had a conversation with her prior to that day that she dug me out of that grave. Actually, that reminded me of something, ¡°Hey, weren¡¯t you supposed to have some kind of quest? Back when you dug me up, you said you had been offered a reward for keeping me alive, right?¡± ¡°I have already been rewarded beyond my wildest dreams¡­¡± she chuckled, ¡°but I suppose it wouldn¡¯t hurt to check.¡± I waited while she spoke to the Lady of Power, still shivering. Casting my eyes to the sky, I noted the position of the sun. We only had about an hour or two before dusk, and judging from the leaves that were falling from the trees, autumn was in full swing. Tonight was probably going to be a cold one, and here we were, the three of us without a scrap of clothing to our names. Save for a couple of miscellaneous items we had found in the Dungeon, of course. At least my toes would be warm. In any case, we really needed to get a fire going. ¡°Uhm¡­ Dearest?¡± Arx called my attention, once more. ¡°She says that in order to claim my reward, you need to place your hands upon the object of my greatest regret?¡± I sighed. Damn it all¡­ ¡°Seriously? More riddles?¡± She simply spread her hands, ¡°That¡¯s the Lady for you.¡± I rolled my eyes, ¡°Okay. So¡­ what would that be, then?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± she fidgeted. ¡°She says that since I¡¯m bound to you now, it¡¯s technically your reward, as well. So, I¡¯m not allowed to say.¡± I groaned loudly. ¡°Well¡­ can you give me a hint? Am I allowed to guess?¡± ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°And¡­ she says that if you guess wrong, then I won¡¯t be getting anything.¡± ¡°What!?¡± I shouted. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ bullshit!¡± She winced, ¡°Be careful, Dearest. She is listening.¡± Pursing my lips, I huffed discontentedly. True, I had never actually carried out a conversation with this particular Goddess, but if she was anything like Ahnbe¡­ Okay, fine¡­ let¡¯s think about this. Obviously, it had to be some sort of physical object, but the only things we had were her knife, her arrow, and my boots. Then, Jax had a couple of things, plus my Pouch and the items I had stowed in it. Of those, the arrow was the only thing that even approached having been something of a sore spot, but she was getting used to it. Honestly, the thing was pretty useful, so it hardly qualified for her ¡®greatest regret¡¯. The only things left were the two of us. And from what she had said, I rather doubted that it would be anything about me. I smirked. I really needed to get a couple of guys to join this party. The way things were going, I was liable to get a big head about things. Something about herself then? Well¡­ she had mentioned one thing. But I really did not want to consider it. It just seemed so¡­ shallow? And she was markedly different than she had been at the time, so I did not know if that would still apply. Ugh¡­ nothing ventured, I guess. Pulling a face and cheeks burning, I murmured, ¡°Um¡­ Arx, come here for a second, would you?¡± However, she shook her head, struggling not to smile, ¡°No. You come here.¡± ¡°Arx,¡± I growled, ¡°I am just starting to warm up over here.¡± ¡°So?¡± she replied coyly. ¡°Not willing to go through a little discomfort to claim your¡­ Or I mean¡­ my prize?¡± Uh huh¡­ I¡¯m on the right track, alright. Honestly, I half suspected that most of this was just Arx messing with me. Oddly, I was okay with that. It meant that there was a little glimmer of her old self still floating around in there. So, thrusting my chest out cartoonishly, I marched back into the shockingly cold water. Giggling at my antics, she stood, water dripping from her every curve, and placed her hands on her hips without a shred of modesty, ¡°Okay then. Here I am. What exactly would you like to do to me, my Dearest?¡± Harrumphing in a display of mock annoyance, I announced, ¡°I just want to say before I do this, that this is your regret. Not mine.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± she smirked. ¡°Well, then? I¡¯m waiting.¡± Shifting my shoulders slightly, nervous for what I was about to do, I raised my hands, pausing for a moment to crack my knuckles. Please, don¡¯t be wrong about this. I would never live this down, otherwise. ¡°Okay then¡­¡± I breathed, ¡°here goes.¡± And I gently cupped her breasts. For all that I had tried to steel myself, I was not prepared for the result. Arx gasped at my touch, and then quivering slightly, she moaned. Deep and long. I felt it then. A sensation that I would never forget. Ever so slowly, her breasts began to swell in my hands. I could hardly believe it. To be sure, I had wielded small magicks of my own on many occasions, but this? This was a miracle. To a guy anyway. Having that bit of softness push and spread my fingers apart was a thing of such ridiculous joy that I was almost embarrassed at my own reaction to it. Sadly, they stopped before too long, leaving her at¡­ perhaps a single cup larger than she had been, if I were to guess. Still, it was quite noticeable. Sighing in relief, Arx finally looked down at herself and smiled contentedly. Running her hands up over mine, she growled slightly, ¡°You fucking liar.¡± She was on me then, and as I struggled not to go under the rushing water, I had to admit, she was right. I really had regretted that. Slightly. Chapter 5 - A Tale Worth Telling In life, one often runs across situations unprepared for. Questions unasked. Answers unquestioned. One of those is the query: Is it possible to have sex in a river? The answer to that is, yes. It is. Technically. However, when said river is cold enough to be physically painful, anyone with anything close to common sense would abort the attempt before they even really began. Unfortunately, due to several contributing factors, Arx was no longer in possession of such wisdoms. For one, she was either immune or highly resistant to the temperature, but mainly, she was simply too damned horny to care anymore. Meanwhile, I had just born witness to the small miracle of Arx¡¯s breasts literally growing in my hands. So when she leapt clear of the water to wrap her legs around my waist, I was not exactly prepared to think about the consequences. Now, had I done, I might have considered some of the potential pitfalls to kissing someone with my eyes closed and standing shin-deep in a frigid, rushing stream. And all of that while trying to hold someone whom¡ªthough recently having lost a great deal of muscle mass¡ªwas still slightly taller than me and every bit as strong and heavy as an Olympic-level weight lifter. Unsurprisingly, moments later, we went crashing into the river. Shocking as that development was, it did not slow Arx down in the slightest. Even submerged as we were, she was fervently exploring my every nook and cranny, deliciously vibrating her pleasure onto my tongue all the while. Within moments, her roving hands found my manhood. Presently, it was a little on the fence about the whole situation. To be sure, there was a certain level of sexual excitement in the air¡ªor water in this case¡ªbut cold on that scale tends to make a man¡¯s equipment pack it up and head for warmer climes in a hurry. I was simply not expecting said warmth to be quite so delightful. When she pressed me between her legs, the sudden contrasting heat was astonishing, and my length roared back to life¡ªheavy, hard, and ready for action. I felt her pleased grin through our joined lips, and when she joined herself to me in truth, that grin became a deep, shuddering sigh. Even as I marveled at the sensation of sliding into her undulating, molten core, I almost appreciated that little sigh even more. I needed air, dammit! Frantically, I began to ineffectually slap at the hands pinning me to the riverbed, but she was far too busy working her hips, grinding her much improved and ever-writhing sex against my root. Admittedly, it felt amazing, so holding out against my natural instinct to grunt and moan while enduring such fantastic pleasures was an ordeal all its own. Finally, she changed angles and leaned back far enough for me to struggle to the surface. Gasping, I only managed to suck in half a handful of breaths before her lips found me again. As we plunged underwater once more, I exasperatedly screamed into her mouth. That got her attention. Pulling me up with a look of concern, she asked, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Air,¡± I wheezed, sputtering. ¡°Need air!¡± ¡°Oh, is that all?¡± she teased, and down we went again. However, this time, as we submerged, she breathed into my mouth, pushing much needed, if uncomfortably warm, air into my lungs. Under other circumstances, I probably would have balked at that. But I was cold as shit and oxygen starved. And it was kind of sexy, I had to admit. So, I decided to go with it. At the very least, it would be a story to tell¡­ you know, if we managed to ever find a pub again. That somewhat sorted, I found a couple of rocks to brace against, grabbed her by the hips and started trying to be an active participant in this thing. That lasted for about a minute, me awkwardly thrusting up into her and her periodically diving down to share another breath of increasingly necessary air. However, things got a little complicated when the Lady of Power decided that I needed to be informed of a developing problem.
Warning! You are beginning to suffer from [Condition: Hypothermia I]. Seek warmth immediately!
Oh. Oh, shit! I could feel myself begin to shiver uncontrollably even as I blinked away the message, and the deep, bone-chilling cold quickly sapped my ability to reliably control my movements. The result of which was that my attempts at thrusting up into my companion had devolved into some sort of arrhythmic spasming. I do not know how, but from her reaction, it must have improved my technique, because I could hear her cries of ecstasy even from underwater. I was driving her absolutely wild! And that was neat and all, but I had other things on my mind! Mistaking my panicked slapping for a signal for more air, she came down once more and moaned her appreciation into my mouth, ¡°Mmmya! More~!¡± Chebs and snails and toilets and everything! For fuck¡¯s sake, Arx! I¡¯m freezing! She was far too caught up in her own world of pleasure to understand me, however, and I was too weak from the cold to do much about it. Grimacing, I tried to bear with it, hoping that once one of us was finished, she would finally let me free. Then, perhaps we could get a fire going and all of us have a nice long chat about Arx¡¯s exceedingly apparent lack of practice with her newfound empathic abilities. Unfortunately for me, Hypothermia has more than one stage. And before long, the Lady was happy to tell me all about it.
Warning! Your Condition has progressed! You are now suffering from [Condition: Hypothermia II]. Consciousness has become impaired. You will fall unconscious if you do not seek warmth immediately!
I felt my eyes beginning to glaze over even as I read the message, but on the plus side, I was not shivering anymore. Which was nice. More importantly, however¡­ I had just had a brilliant idea! I had an ability for just such an occasion which could cure me of any status effect with the simple flick of a mental switch. Of course, the drawback to that was that I would then begin to suffer from the Lust Emotional Ailment. But I was already having sex, so I was really having a hard time seeing a down side. It was only after I began the conversion process that I realized that Arx did not yet have a way of dealing with any Lust that I pushed on her. So I was going to be stuck with it for a while¡­ Ah¡­ hell. Well, I guess it¡¯s better than freezing while my own lilim rides me into the grave. Now, you might wonder¡ªif you are the type to wonder about such things¡ªhow it is that a magical effect could convert a lack of heat in my body into an excess of lust in my brain. Of course, you might, in the very same breath, wonder how it is that plants manage to feed themselves by just sitting in the sun all day. And of course, some of you might think a little bit and remember words like photosynthesis or even chlorophyll, while others could go on about carbon dioxide and water being converted into chemical energy and oxygen. Then more specialized individuals could probably regale us with fantastical tales of ATP and NADPH enzymes and draw complicated chemical equations on a white board while the rest of us nodded along intelligently as we pretended to understand. All of which is fantastic! However, if you were wanting an answer as to how the underlying mechanics of the magic were supposed to work, the most I could tell you is that it worked splendidly. Moments after the conversion began, I lost any interest in such questions. I no longer cared about the pervasive and continued drain the cold water running along my body was causing. Nor did I even care over much about the lack of ready access to air. All I cared about was ramming my cock into this pussy with all the might I could muster. Taking a firm grip on Arx¡¯s hips, I jackhammered up into her, over and over, grunting away my precious oxygen with each thrust. I reveled in the pure ecstasy of churning that living hole to froth and in the surprised yet appreciative delight my partner was taking in my renewed fervor. However, though my aura struggled valiantly to contain my need for air and heat, it was only level seven, and the burning in my lungs soon demanded action. Annoyed at the distraction, I twisted, and Arx¡¯s pinning weight toppled away into the water. Surging upward, I breached into the comparatively sweltering atmosphere, sucking in great lungfuls of air. But I took no solace in that. Standing there with tracers of vapor swirling off of my rapidly reheating body, I cast about like some kind of wild animal, my eyes swiveling crazily in their sockets as I searched for my lilim. Soon enough, I caught sight of her a little downstream. She was getting unsteadily to her feet, coughing wretchedly. ¡°Oh, Donum, that was amazing,¡± she cackled unsteadily, once she had found her voice once more. ¡°I think that was some of the best sex I¡¯ve ever had.¡± I narrowed my eyes at that. Marching forward, I hastily swiped away some annoying message the Lady tried to intercede between us¡ªsomething about Conditions and Critical Levels and the like, but I did not care about that in the slightest. If anything, it only made me more horny. Almost angrily, I jerked my legs through the frigid water swirling about my ankles, arriving before my lilim in a matter of seconds. I stared up at her briefly. Arx had quirked an eyebrow upward, appreciatively drinking in my body¡­ and the rather provocative things that my shivering was doing to my turgid manhood. Finally out of patience, I reached up and grasped her by the nape of the neck. Surprised, her eyes finally met my own, ¡°Dearest?¡± ¡°Who said we were done?¡± I growled out from between my chattering teeth. Ignoring her shocked gasp, I grabbed up one of her legs, hooking it with my elbow, and quickly stabbed upward, piercing her womanhood with my ready spear. I paused there for a beat, simply enjoying the suckling sensation of her appreciation upon my cock. Looking up again, I lifted my own eyebrow, ¡°Best sex? I wasn¡¯t even trying before¡­¡± And as I began to move my hips once more, this time I added a little spice. I had another skill, you see¡ªthis one chosen specifically at the behest of my two ladies¡ªwhich had the rather interesting ability to guide the emotions of anyone I touched along certain useful pathways. However, right now, the only one that I cared about was pleasure. Raw, unadulterated, and primal. I wanted her to scream. And with the Hammer of Glory, so she did. ***** When Jax found us, Arx was barely conscious. At some point, we had managed to find our way to the riverbank. Arx had collapsed there, her face in the mud, while I frantically worked at her, pumping ceaselessly. I do not know how many orgasms had come and gone. I had lost count of my own some time ago, a feat I had not thought physically possible. Meanwhile, Arx started in on hers the moment I began to channel and had yet to cease. I would have been rather impressed by the whole thing if my capacity for reason had not well and truly gone by then. Otherwise, I would have thought to get out of the water. I was not even aware that Jax was there, at first. Nor did I understand her shouted words. What care did I have have for such things? I was simply an animal, content to continue my rutting until my heart exploded. It was only when she began to drag me out of the river that I acknowledged her. And that only to struggle. She was taking me away from the object of my conquest, after all. My lilim reached for me as I was pulled away, weakly mewling a cry of protest, but she had no strength left to do more than that. Seeing that pathetic scene filled my heart with fury, and I bucked out of my captor¡¯s grasp. Turning to attack whomever it was, I was taken aback by her naked beauty and quickly forgot why I should be angry. This one would do just fine. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Ignoring whatever it was that she kept shouting at me, I rushed forward, tackling her to the ground. We landed in a heap, her on her back and me fortuitously between her legs. She tried to push me away at first, but I had tools for that. Summoning what endurance remained to me, I channeled raw pleasure into her. That shut her up. Grinning as I took in her helplessly arched back, I buried my face into the cleft between her legs. Lapping at her like a lion at a cub¡¯s head, it was not long before her flower bloomed for me, and I tasted her honey. The flavor was deep and rich, rather like a fine whiskey, but tempered with a hint of sweetness and the alluring aroma of citrus. I loved it. Though, right then, I would have loved anything, as long as it came from her. Turning my head this way and that, so as to come at her from every possible angle, I continued to attack that lovely fruit, delving deeper and deeper with each lap of my tongue. And each time I did, I pushed more pleasure into her. Before long, she had her hands in my hair, practically howling as she pressed me even harder into her sex. I gleefully complied, wriggling into her as completely as I could even as something in there tried to suck me even further down, but there was only so much tongue to give. She needed more? Fine. Getting my knees underneath me, I altered my angle of attack so as to concentrate on that hooded nub at the top of her cleft. Her hands came away then, and as she arched her back once more, crying out all the while something about Masters and Goddesses, I roughly pressed the first two digits of my hand into her gaping, quivering hole. The incredible, velvety warmth that I found there sucked at me so strongly that I could barely pull my hand away, so changing tactics, I simply began to undulate my fingers. She loved that¡ªespecially once I turned my fingers upward and found a spot somewhere around where my nose was. She came within moments of my finding it, and her legs clamped hard around my head, trapping me within her spasming core. I grinned cruelly within my fleshy prison. I had her now. Tensing for the very second she relaxed, I prepared for the next stage, but before I could pounce, I was tackled from the side. ¡°Mine!¡± the gray-skinned one shouted, pinning me to the ground. Hissing at the other one, she growled over me, claiming me like a hyena over the bloated corpse of a zebra. But I was not going to be having any of that. Reaching up, I grasped her by throat and pulled her to me. Narrowing my eyes in challenge, I corrected her, rumbling in a low beastly voice, ¡°Mine.¡± She gasped at the word, and curling up around my hand, she tearfully began to quiver and shake in a violent orgasm of her own. Her reaction struck me as so odd that it actually managed to cut through some of the fog clouding my mind, and I blinked uncertainly. The fuck? But before I could think much about it, the other one kicked her off of me. Standing over me imperiously, she smiled, exposing one of her long canines, ¡°We ain¡¯t done yet.¡± My expression mirrored her own, and I beckoned her down, crooning, ¡°Yes¡­ come to me, my sweet.¡± She resisted at first, preferring to tease me by running her hands over her body. Languidly trailing her fingers through the river flowing down her legs to paint little circles of it over her breasts, she swayed from side to side in a simple little dance that was no less erotic for it. I quietly watched, bemused. It was not as if I could get more in the mood, after all. My cock was hard enough to put an eye out, but anything she did in service to my Lust was okay with me. ¡°Give me yer Lust,¡± she sang in a breathy voice. Giggling slightly, she taunted me, ¡°Come on then~ Make me helpless before ye.¡± I glared at her. This wench thought to tease me, did she? Well¡­ Rising up onto my elbows, I was about to show her just how helpless she really was. However, something distracted me. Smirking up at her, I gestured downward, gloating, ¡°What for? I¡¯ve got all I need right here.¡± The redhead followed my gaze to find her competitor firmly latched to my instrument, desperately worshiping its every millimeter. Her mouth gaped open at the sight, and she sucked in a few steadying breaths before letting out a huff of frustration. Gritting her teeth, she muttered, ¡°Damned lust-drunk fool.¡± My confidence grew at her reaction. She was wavering. She just needed a little push. Running my hands through my conquered woman¡¯s hair lovingly, I slowly rocked my hips, luxuriating in the sensation of her mouth and tongue. And all the while, I just grinned smugly up at her. She bit her lower lip, almost whimpering in her need to join us. But for some reason, she continued to hold out, and I could not fathom why. Subtly, she brushed her ankle against my own, and I quickly took the opportunity to send another jolt of pleasure through her. Gasping, she moaned loudly and almost collapsed, only just managing to stand firm. Quivering now, her body practically writhing despite her best efforts, she spoke again, ¡°I be more to yer taste than that one, ain¡¯t I? Cast her off and come for me. Give me yer Lust. Make me yers.¡± I scoffed derisively, and I almost dismissed her out of hand. Why should I pursue someone else when I had someone perfectly willing and fiercely wanton already firmly attached to me. However, suddenly, I realized that there was some truth to her words. There was a certain¡­ womanly quality that this one lacked. A maturity. And before I knew it, I became obsessed by the idea. I needed this other one. I had to have her. In fact, she was already mine! She just did not know it yet. Well¡­ I would fix that. Roughly pushing the gray one off of me, I stood, ignoring her pathetic cry of protest. I did not need her anymore. Swift as an adder, I struck. Grabbing the redhead by the hair, I jerked her forward, crushing her to my chest. Looking down at my new conquest, I growled in threat. She wanted Lust? Well, then. So be it. I pushed then. Pushed with all that I had. I would make her beg! Break her! Make her my slave. Lust would be her all. It would brand her. Mark her. She would be Lust. She would¡­ Suddenly, my world rocked, and I staggered dizzily. But before I could orient myself, her lips found my own. Her kiss was fiery. Hot and greedy. I met her, passion for passion, eagerly exploring her body, roving my hands over her soft curves, the lines of her back, the pillow-like, yet firm mounds of her backside. Joyfully, I kneaded them, compressing and spreading them in turns while she whimpered into my mouth. However, just as I was about to insert my cock between her thighs, she pulled away. Before I could react, she was on her knees, lightly teasing and tickling me. ¡°More,¡± she begged. ¡°Give me more. I need yer Lust. Give it all to me? Make me call ye Master?¡± I shivered at the word. The sordid temptation of it. Yes¡­ Yes, that would do nicely. ¡°As you wish,¡± I breathed before taking her by the horn and driving my manhood between her lips. And as I thrust, I pushed more and more Lust into her. Soon, she began to pant and twitch in ecstasy around my cock, unable to contain so much, and I chuckled, gloating in my victory. But then another wave of dizziness overcame me. Quickly taking advantage, the wench swept my legs out from under me before straddling my waist. And as she held me down, I suddenly felt a different sort of wave. This one was electric and tingly. I felt¡­ alive with it. It was like being doused with cold, refreshing water. Blinking in confusion, I looked up to find her eyes on me. They were swimming in Lust¡­ but there was something familiar about them. I recognized her, I realized. ¡°Jax?¡± I whispered. ¡°Master!¡± she exclaimed tearfully. ***** It took quite some time to finally burn through the last of the debilitating Emotional Ailment that had accumulated in my system. Jax¡¯s skill to convert it was still quite low, after all, and her Intelligence was not high enough to push those numbers very quickly. Even so, she had maxed them out for the day. Easily. And so had I. The incident had pushed my skill with Lust Transfer, the Hammer of Glory, and That Only Makes Us Horny to their limits, and the latter two had even climbed into the double digits in a stroke. Not that I was particularly proud of that feat. It was just fortunate that Jax was able to create so much Life Energy for us through the ordeal. By the time we were done, my testicles felt like raisins they were so used, and I had needed to heal myself more than once¡ªboth to keep going and because of the damage standing so long in that river had done to my feet. In any case, that evening was a quiet one. Once the Lust had drained to the point of being manageable, I had again realized just how cold I was, and when Jax built a fire for us, I had attached myself to it with every intention of never leaving it again. It had been hours, and I was still there, shivering. None of us spoke. Or at least, not anymore. Jax had spent quite a while yelling at Arx, not that it was all that necessary. Once she had realized what had happened, she had been¡­ more than a little upset, and she was now weeping despondently off to one side. I had already forgiven her, naturally. She was so very new to this, only having become this alien thing that very morning, and she had always been a little unthinking and impetuous. So, it was no wonder that something like this might happen. ¡°Arx, come sit next to me,¡± I murmured quietly. She shook her head, sobbing, ¡°No! I don¡¯t deserve your pity.¡± I sighed, ¡°Arx, I¡¯m cold. Please.¡± She jerked guiltily before turning to stare at me. Tears were streaked sloppily all down her cheeks, but the heavy concern I saw in her eyes was such a contrast that I almost laughed. Hastily, she scurried over, roughly scrubbing away her snot and tears before hugging me tightly. ¡°Like this?¡± she whispered hopefully. I shook my head slightly, staring back into the fire, ¡°No. My back, if you wouldn¡¯t mind. The heat from the fire doesn¡¯t reach.¡± Nodding in understanding, she shifted positions, draping her front across my back and hugging me about my neck. ¡°H-how is th-th¡­ mmm~!¡± she trailed off in a squeak. I struggled not to smirk. While I certainly enjoyed the feeling of her somewhat enlarged breasts pressed against my back¡ªand the much needed warmth they provided¡ªthe lingering ¡®side-effect¡¯ she seemed to be struggling with was an amusing distraction to my woes. Jax snorted from the other side of the fire, ¡°Surprised ye can still walk after the pounding ye took.¡± I did not look at her. From her tone, she was clearly still pissed, but everything that needed to be said had been. None of this had been anyone¡¯s fault, exactly. I mean, sure, Arx bore the brunt of it, but as I said, she was new. And enthusiastic. And horny. This sort of thing was to be expected. Maybe not this specific thing, but¡­ Well, anyway¡­ We had learned some things. For one, Emotional Ailments were not to be trifled with. In point of fact, they were fucking scary as hell. While I had been in the depths of it, I had been little more than a rabid animal. It was a condition that I would not wish on my worst enemies. Or not for long, anyway. On the other hand, it had kept me from freezing to death, so that was something. More than something. It was actually quite promising. In the long run, anyway. We still had a ways to go before using it to our advantage was particularly viable. Arx absolutely needed a few skill picks first, and we all needed several weeks of practice¡ªnot that deliberately giving myself Hypothermia sounded particularly appealing. But there had to be alternatives. ¡°Barely,¡± Arx admitted, trying to make light of the situation. ¡°I¡¯m just g-glad that I still have a ten in T-Toughness, or you would have needed to drag me out of the river.¡± Jax spat to one side, ¡°As if. I¡¯d¡¯ve left ye. Drowning once might drive some sense into ye.¡± She winced at Jax¡¯s admonishment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she mumbled contritely. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Arx,¡± I said softly, stroking her arm. She squeezed me tightly in response. Although, that did bring out another little squeak and a trembling aftershock. ¡°It ain¡¯t alright,¡± Jax argued sourly. ¡°She can¡¯t even tell the difference between panic and excitement. Could nay even tell yer knob were like to freeze off!¡± ¡°It was not!¡± Arx growled, defending herself finally. ¡°That, at least, I had covered!¡± ¡°True,¡± I allowed, chuckling slightly. ¡°And the underwater breathing thing was kind of sexy.¡± ¡°Really?¡± she sighed hopefully before succumbing to the trembles again. ¡°Underwater breathing?¡± Jax asked, not having heard about that part. And when we explained, she mumbled, ¡°That do sound kind of braw. Wished I could¡¯ve seen that.¡± I cleared my throat to change the subject. Sex was about the last thing I wanted to think about right then. ¡°You are right, though, Jax. We all need some time to adjust and to practice, preferably somewhere with ready access to food, clothes, and blankets. And Arx is definitely going to need some more skills. You can¡¯t be the only one who can alleviate that kind of problem, especially if you end up dying again. Plus, she needs a way to discharge my aura build-up, or else we may have a repeat incident as early as tomorrow morning.¡± They both nodded soberly. If today¡¯s adventure taught us anything, it was that my skills could not be neglected. They absolutely needed an outlet, or serious issues would soon be on the horizon. ¡°I think,¡± Arx began, ¡°that the aura might be more important. I¡¯ve been having trouble thinking about anything except¡­ e-except¡­¡± Softly, I felt her fingers begin to stray downward, but she paused just above my now quite spent shaft. Instead, she slowly began to trace her claws through the patch there, as if she were petting me. Her nipples, still pressed against my back, hardened precipitously, and she sucked in a shaky breath before trying again, ¡°Anyway, I think that might explain some things.¡± ¡°Are you really still horny?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°After all that, I find it hard to believe.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Arx admitted quietly before Jax elaborated. ¡°It ain¡¯t the same fer us as ye,¡± she began. ¡°As a man¡­ or when y¡¯ain¡¯t affected like, anyway¡­ the coming be the goal. The end. Yer satisfied and done. Fer her and me now, it ain¡¯t. Be just a peak. A high hill. Enjoyable, mind, but¡­ Actually, that be a good description. For a man, sex be like climbing a cliff and jumping off at the end. Fer us, it be more like mountains and valleys. There be the climb up, aye, but we gotta climb down again.¡± ¡°And I seem to be stuck on a ledge,¡± Arx added, extending the metaphor. I frowned, ¡°Well, I¡¯m pretty tired, but¡­ I guess I could¡­ I don¡¯t know. Finger you a little? Maybe some oral?¡± At the suggestion, she squeaked and clutched me tightly for several long seconds before finally shaking her head, ¡°No. Please no. I¡¯m so sore right now¡­¡± ¡°Do you need me to heal you?¡± I offered instead, concerned. ¡°It ain¡¯t that kind of sore,¡± Jax explained for her, smiling softly. ¡°Be more¡­ of a content sort of thing.¡± Arx nodded along at the explanation, ¡°Right. Happy soreness.¡± I grunted, kind of sympathizing. Frankly, the idea of getting it up again was¡­ well, anyway there was a sort of pride to the whole thing. It was similar to the sense of a job well done, though hearing that Arx was still riding a little high made me feel as if I had left something unfinished. Then again, she was quite literally still coming, so I had to suppose that was understandable. Hard to imagine, but understandable. ¡°Well¡­ we do still need to get you to the next Layer,¡± I said, deciding to move the topic of conversation along. ¡°Oh, ¡®snails!¡± she moaned, practically choking me as she was overcome yet again. Book II is done! After many painstaking months of editing work, I have now completed the (hopefully) final version of my second novel, In the Gloam of the Goddess. Pick it up here: If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0D23SZT18 I have it available in print and eBook, with wonderful, new cover art and everything! Do check it out. The eBook is free to read for Amazon members. And if you are thirsty for something else to read, why not check out my current project, The Human Experiment. Book III - 1 - Tournament ¡°Woo! Come on, Jax. You got this!¡± I cheered from the back of the arena. It was the semifinals. All Jax needed to complete her Boundary Trial was third place, and winning this match would guarantee a minimum finish of second. Whatever happened after that, she would have unblocked her Core, allowing her to finally advance in Layer. ¡­or so I hoped. There had been a bit of a snafu during my second Dolilim¡¯s recent Layer-up that had the potential to throw a wrench into everything. There was no way I could sum up the ordeal in a sentence, but the end result was that I had¡­ sorta-kinda accidentally added dragon scales to their list of species traits. How that would wind up manifesting was yet to be seen, but I had been assured that it would trigger another Trial of some sort. I just had to keep my fingers crossed that the damage would be limited to Arx. It was only fair. It was her Boundary, after all. Just because Jax might eventually benefit from it, that should not mean she should be the one to pay the price. Besides, if she pulled off this win only to receive yet another rake handle to the face, she would be apoplectic¡ªone of the main reasons I had neglected to mention the possibility to her. I was nervous for more than just that, though. From the way the tournament structure had been explained to me, the runner-up in this match would go on to the loser¡¯s bracket to compete for third, so technically, Jax could afford a loss here. But I was really hoping it would not come to that. Apparently, there had been a cash buy-in to even compete in this thing, and she had unabashedly vouched for my ability to cover her fee. Which was ten gold! I had the money, but if I ended up having to fork over the cash-equivalent of a mid-size sedan today, I was going to wring Jax¡¯s neck¡ªmetaphorically, of course. Actually doing that would only encourage her. The last thing I needed was to introduce yet another fetish for her to fixate on. And anyway, Jax would be far more upset over the loss than I ever could be¡ªskinflint that she was. It was a measure of just how much she wanted this that she had been willing to engage in the medieval equivalent of playing for pink slips. My redheaded warrior and her opponent circled one another warily, keeping their distance but for a few experimental clangs of steel on steel. For now, both seemed content to size the other up, looking for weaknesses or openings. I could understand Jax¡¯s reticence. She had a lot riding on this, but even had she not, her opponent was wielding a weapon she had only recently run afoul of¡ªnamely a long-bladed rapier. As an axe specialist herself, that would put her at an extreme disadvantage in both speed and reach before she even began. Or so I assumed. I was just the resident buff-monkey. My knowledge of medieval weaponry might have been extensive when compared to the average modern Joe, but just because I knew the difference between a kukri and an estoc, for example, that did not mean I had the experience necessary to speak intelligently about them. But there was someone I could ask¡­ if I dared. I cast a furtive glance at my latest conquest¡ªthough calling her that was stretching the term to its breaking point. More like the trap I had fallen for, hook, line, and sinker. But I could not beat myself up over it too much. The craftswoman of that little trip fall had been a goddess whose literal domain was in designing such falls for Questers like me to trip into. Xyn was stupidly hot. From the blonde locks curling at her neck to the smooth lines of her calves, she was a knockout so out of this world that it was difficult to comprehend. Most people hear a thing like that and just assume T&A, which¡­ okay, yeah. And in abundance. But it was more than that. On this world, once you got above a certain Charisma level, your looks achieved a certain X-factor that was simply¡­ indescribable. And it only grew with each additional point you invested. I was madly in love with her, of course. So much so that my tongue was still tying itself into knots just being in her general vicinity. But that was all part of the trap. I cleared my throat awkwardly, trying to think of how to broach the subject. Why do all my relationships have to be so damned complicated? ¡°Out with it, Donum,¡± she said, just loud enough to be heard over the crowd, though her one good eye remained laser focused on the match. ¡°I can feel you brooding even through all these people.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not brooding,¡± I said, mildly defensive. ¡°I just don¡¯t know how to talk to you yet. I¡¯ve never had feelings this strong for someone I barely know.¡± She glanced away from the fight just long enough to send a mimed kiss my way, which sent a momentary flutter of excitement through my heart before I could clamp down on it. ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out, my gift. We¡¯ll have all the time in the world¡­ later. For now, I¡¯m trying to concentrate.¡± ¡°On the match?¡± I probed, only to fall silent for a spectacular flurry of action from the two combatants. The exchange only lasted a handful of seconds before they separated, each sporting a half-dozen minor scratches more than they had begun with. Both of them were unbelievably fast to my eyes, even as low-leveled as they were¡ªthe tournament subdivision Jax was competing in had been limited to persons at the first Boundary and below¡ªbut as predicted, she had needed to reserve her weapon for defense, resorting to the use of her claws to score what few hits she had. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that someone as experienced as you might learn much from this. What do you think, though? Does Jax have a chance?¡± The golden-haired lilim¡¯s shoulder rose almost imperceptibly. ¡°From a pure arm¡¯s perspective, no. An axe is a fantastic weapon, especially for a Quester. You need something with a little weight behind it if you expect to punch through the kinds of armor most of Auntie¡¯s beasts have¡ª¡± I winced at the mention of the Shepherdess, but it was a vague enough reference not to get too upset about it¡­ even if we were in public. ¡°¡ªbut it¡¯s not a good choice for dueling. All else being equal, Jax would need quite the stroke of luck to pull this out, but from what I¡¯m seeing, her opponent isn¡¯t used to her own weapon. It¡¯s either new and she¡¯s still getting used to its balance, or she switched to that rapier for this tournament, hoping to swing things in her favor.¡± I nodded along. ¡°So you¡¯re saying¡­ this woman isn¡¯t very good with it?¡± Seeming to overhear my comment, a man to my right shot me an angry look¡­ then blinked in surprise on noticing the pair of unconscious bodies tucked under Xyn¡¯s arms. Admittedly, carrying Arx and Lynnria through the destroyed remnants of Raialie like that was something of a bad look for us, but they were at least clothed. I had insisted. That I had needed to was all you really needed to know about our little Clan. Frankly, I was a little surprised that we had yet to be called out on it. I guess it¡¯s true what they say: you can get away with anything if you¡¯re hot enough. ¡°It¡¯s not that she lacks skill,¡± Xyn began. ¡°But you can tell from her movements that she¡¯s trained with something more like a¡ª¡± Abruptly, her head jerked to one side, and she locked eyes with the man, hostility radiating from every inch of her. It seemed a bit of an overreaction to me, but lilim could be a prickly lot at the best of times. If she had detected something she did not like from this guy, there was every possibility he might end up a¡­ whatever-he-was pincushion. I had no idea what race he was from, but that was not all that uncommon. Most everyone around here was from the local laoi population, but there were enough outliers walking around that you would not get your panties in a twist just because you happened to run across a random alien. Fortunately for me. This individual had features similar to those of the woman Jax was currently fighting: skin pale enough to be ashen, green stripes running down his arms, three fingers and a thumb on each hand, smallish ears, and a bit of a pinched-in set to his mouth and eyes. Otherwise, he was more or less humanoid. I assumed the two were related. At first, it looked like he wanted to rise to Xyn¡¯s challenge. He might have been a tad shorter than either of us, but he was just as well armed as he was well muscled. I would not have put it past the guy not to enjoy the odd scrap. But that lasted only long enough for the undercurrent of Pressure emanating from Xyn to hit him. That backed him up. Not a heartbeat later, he was pushing through the crowd, trying to put some distance between us. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could do that,¡± I observed. Of course, the only other time I might have noticed, a pair of goddesses had been battling it out in the skies overhead, so I could be forgiven for being a little distracted. ¡°How do you do that, anyway?¡± Her eye drifted slowly away from the man¡¯s retreating back. ¡°I will teach you,¡± she said after a moment, then winced on seeing Jax take a particularly nasty swipe to the thigh. ¡°I will be teaching all of you. Our Clan has a desperate need for a Mistress at Arms. I have chosen to fulfill that role.¡± I just stared at her. I had been a fantasy buff and D&D veteran long enough to have a vague idea of what she was talking about, but from my understanding, the only people who needed a position like that were the types who lived in castles and had lands to lord over. Certain of my followers may have liked to call me a lord, but that was more of an inside joke than anything official. So I assumed she meant something like a glorified personal trainer. There were worse things she could do with her time¡ªmany of which I had been too afraid to contemplate, given her origins. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fine,¡± I agreed presently. ¡°If we¡¯re going to keep Questing like our, uh¡­ Mother wants, we could certainly use the edge.¡± Xyn glanced at me finally, but from the look in her eye, she appeared almost scandalized. ¡°She¡¯s not your Mother. If anything, she¡¯s more like¡ª¡± She stopped. ¡°More like what?¡± I pressed. The statuesque beauty averted her gaze, for once looking uncomfortable. ¡°That is not for me to say. Not while you¡­ care for so little of Her.¡± Care for so little of Her? That had been carefully worded. Xyn was referring to herself, the tiny sliver of Her own consciousness the Demon Queen had attached to me as a part of our recent peace treaty. ¡°She was dead set on killing us all, not three days ago,¡± I argued¡ªto my mind, quite reasonably. ¡°I¡¯m still half convinced the woman¡¯s a raving lunatic.¡± Just like the rest of them. Goddesses, man. Calling them a pill was an insult to pharmaceuticals. Xyn took the jab without apparent insult. ¡°She¡¯s just old. And very bored,¡± she reasoned, returning her attention to the match. ¡°Be grateful She finds you entertaining.¡± I snorted. ¡°You ask me, the last thing She needs is gratitude. More like a hundred-year paddling session.¡± ¡°She would also find that entertaining.¡± ¡°Why does that not surprise me?¡± I drawled. ¡°Cute.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Tell me, is grumping about like this your way of fighting your feelings for me?¡± ¡°What? No.¡± However artificial they might have been, the very idea of ¡®fighting my feelings¡¯ for this woman constricted my chest like a vise. Not that she was a woman, exactly. Xyn¡¯s body was as artificial as my feelings were. That she was even female was only because that was the gender I was attracted to. She was a bit like Jessica Rabbit that way. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m just¡­ venting, I guess.¡± She nodded her understanding. ¡°Then, I am relieved. But you can vent later. Your attention should be on our First. It will strengthen her.¡± I quirked an eyebrow. If I had any hope of strengthening Jax, she would need something a little more specific than my attention. More like wolf whistles. Jax had picked up a new Class ability recently, which was supposed to grant her stacking Strength and Agility bonuses from the arousal level of the people nearby, kind of like an inverse aura. But when you are trying to split a person in half with an axe blade, it can be a little difficult to focus on what a snack you are, so she tended to forget about the seduction aspect of her Class. Or race? Whatever. The two got jumbled together often enough not to matter. ¡°But¡­¡± I lowered my voice. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be cheating?¡± ¡°It is her ability, not yours,¡± she reminded me. ¡°And the point of this Trial, if I¡¯m not mistaken. What you gain within the Boundary is what you must overcome to push through it¡­ or so they say. You should ask your other Faen¡ªthe Bline splinter¡ªif you want to know about such things.¡± I glanced around furtively before shooting her an accusatory glare. ¡°Take it easy with the Clan secrets!¡± Her smile was the opposite of apologetic. ¡°Did you know your eyes sparkle when you get upset?¡± ¡°No? Wha¡ª?¡± I straightened. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can distract me with flirting. I¡¯m immune.¡± Her teeth clicked mischievously in front of my nose. ¡°What a delicious lie. Tell me another? You¡¯re making me wet.¡± There was a moment of silence. And then her eye drifted to where my crotch was helplessly stiffening. Damn it. I turned away with a suitably offended harrumph. ¡°You know as well as I do how Mia feels about questions,¡± I said, steering the subject of conversation back to safer waters. ¡°And anyway, I can¡¯t. She said something about tending to Arx¡¯s roots and buggered off.¡± Xyn¡¯s grin of triumph faltered into confusion. ¡°Roots?¡± ¡°I dunno,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Every time I mention it, she starts rambling on about symbolism and implications and having to study the underlying¡­ oh, what was it? Crystallized M-plane fractals? Something like that. Anyway, the best I can gather is that my¡­ unique nature is causing some weirdness with Arx¡¯s Core.¡± She nodded along thoughtfully. ¡°I would be surprised if it was not. There are bound to be compatibility issues.¡± I looked at her in surprise. Didn¡¯t Bline mention something like that? ¡°What do you know about it?¡± Her smile returned. ¡°More than I can share. And less than would be helpful. My¡­ kind are not created with the sum total of their Mother¡¯s memories, you know.¡± ¡°I guess,¡± I agreed, disappointed. Mia had complained of that incessantly, after all. I knew well that Bline¡¯s little addition to my psyche was keeping secrets from me, though. And she knew I knew. The whole thing was like a game to her. She would dangle tidbits of information in front of my face only to dance away, laughing, when I tried to snatch at them. I was not amused¡­ but then I was not a Faen. They could be odd that way. Xyn hip-checked me gently. ¡°Never mind all that now. You need to remind your ward of her purpose.¡± I looked at her sharply. ¡°What? You mean like¡ª¡± ¡°Not the Purpose,¡± she interrupted quickly. ¡°And you will not learn more of that from me while your attention is needed elsewhere.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Focus,¡± she commanded, the word laced with the faintest hint of Pressure. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m surprised at you, Donum. Just look upon your First. She has sculpted every knuckle of her body to catch your eye, yet you insist on immersing yourself in these endless distractions. Is she not beautiful? Do you not want her?¡± I crossed my arms sourly. ¡°You know better than to ask me that. And even if you didn¡¯t, I¡¯d have thought her taunting you from on top of me yesterday might have clued you in. Besides, they¡¯re not distractions! This could be vital information and you¡¯re keeping it¡ª¡± Abruptly, my voice caught in my throat. Something had changed in her eye¡­ but I could not tell you what it was. There was no difference in color, light had not suddenly blossomed within them, nor had her expression shifted to display anything beyond a mild irritation. Yet, in that moment¡­ I wanted her. There. And now. Crowd be damned. Had my Will been one iota weaker, I would have instantly succumbed. ¡°Thank you for the reminder, my gift,¡± she said, her voice a velvet glove caressing my soul. ¡°I shall look forward to returning that favor¡­ one day. When she least expects it. But I am nothing if not patient, and it would be foolish to risk our resources on something so petty. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°What did you do to me?¡± I managed to croak. She tutted. ¡°So much needless resistance. I am trying to help you¡­ and her. But I would have thought her using this very skill¡­ while on top of you yesterday might have clued you in¡ª¡± Her lips drifted closer to my own, and for a moment, I could see a flicker of desire cross her face, as if she were contemplating a brief trespass over that final barrier between us. But she only twisted the knife. ¡°¡ªeven if it is wielded by a far more expert hand¡­ in every way you can possibly imagine.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I could imagine quite a few. But setting that aside, I knew the skill she was referring to. Jax could sort through whatever emotions I was feeling and, with a touch, bring whichever one she wanted to the forefront with increased intensity. She took great pleasure in using it on me at every opportunity, almost always with the intent of causing an uncontrollable erection¡ªmuch like Xyn was doing that very second. And apparently with nothing more than simple eye-contact. When I said nothing, she tilted her head to one side. ¡°Are we done with questions?¡± she asked, and at my mute nod, she looked away, leaving me weak-kneed and panting. ¡°Good. Now, take what I have given you and focus it upon her. The rest should take care of itself.¡± I had to take a few seconds to collect myself; the effect had been that intense. Perhaps it was because of the prior emotional hijacking, forcing me to love her unconditionally, but those few minutes of conversation had lulled me into a false sense of familiarity. I did not really know this creature or what she might be capable of. That would need to be rectified, and soon, else I could be in store for even worse surprises. But for now, she was right. A single glance was all it took to see the disparity of wounds between combatants. Jax had been badly pressed while I was distracted. If this fight had been judged on a point system, she would have already lost. She did well enough while I was there to support her, but she was no duelist. That was not what her tool-kit had been designed for. She was a Tenebrous Warrior of Beguilement, someone best suited for fighting from the shadows, using skill, wit, and distraction to lay our foes low. Out here in the open and one-on-one, there was not much she could rely on save her own training with a blade, and she had precious little of that. So I cleared my mind of anything, save the delicious lines of her body. I had long memorized every curve of her, of course, so there was nothing on display that I had not seen or tasted a thousand times before. But I did not care. She was my number one. My First. The truest of all my loves. Her fiery locks had been bound up with a strip of leather into a loose ponytail, which flopped and swayed playfully between the natural sweep of her horns with her every move. She was dressed in a way not at all appropriate for the occasion, still sporting the black cocktail dress we had purchased for our meeting with the Demon Queen, but that was the only article of clothing to her name. And I would not allow her in public with anything less. Not exactly feminist of me, I realize, but there were few enough of those who would look on our situation with anything short of disdain. Ours was a company who tiptoed around the notion of consent like the Roadrunner with the law of gravity, so I could be forgiven for at least striving for a sliver of decorum. Jax¡¯s gorgeous face was contorted into a snarl, exposing her fangs to the light of the midday sun. Sweat ran like rivulets down her neck and into her cleavage, despite the chill in the air, where it mixed into mud from the dust her fight had kicked up. Her tanned, powerful legs were spread wide into a low stance, ready to launch her in whichever direction she needed. But her feet were bare. She had discarded her toeless boots, having not wanted to soil them in the well-trampled arena. Several cuts marred her skin, particularly around her thighs and shoulders, but few were deep enough to give someone as Tough as her much pause. You would not know it to look at her, but she was what passed for our party¡¯s tank. Even so, I felt the need to heal her, to envelop her within the ecstasy of my influence until her skin returned to its natural, flawless perfection. That really would be cheating, though. So I merely bundled the sum of those desires into a little ball of need and pushed them through our connection toward her. About then, she and her opponent had flown into yet another furious exchange of thrusts and parries, so it was difficult to see what effect I might be having. I just had to hope it would give her the edge she needed to finally come out on top. When she was purely on the defensive, Jax could dodge the woman almost without effort¡ªeven without my help. She had a skill that allowed her to discard her own mass for brief periods of time, allowing her to leap to fantastic heights or change direction without regard for pesky things like conservation of momentum, but when she went on the attack, she needed that mass to be able to inflict damage. Unfortunately, the green-striped woman had caught on to that ploy early in the fight, allowing her to take advantage of those moments of vulnerability to counterattack. And this time, perhaps even because of the distraction I represented, it went much worse for Jax than usual. With a thud, the woman¡¯s armored gauntlet collided with Jax¡¯s wrist, deflecting the descending broad axe to one side, while the other hand slammed her rapier into the redhead¡¯s gut. My heart leapt into my throat with horror. But it did not have the time to coalesce into guilt or self-recrimination over having listened to Xyn. Contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations, Jax reacted with neither shock nor pain. Instead, she let out a gasp and moaned loud enough to be heard over the screaming crowd. ¡°Mmmyeah!¡± Needless to say, said onlookers reverted to a stunned silence almost instantly. And they were not the only ones. To that point, Jax¡¯s opponent had been engaged in a near constant sing-song chant, I assumed to fuel some mix of self-buffs, but when you drag a sound like that out of a woman after piercing her intestines, even the most hardened of warriors would have to double-check that the several feet of tempered steel they were supposed to be wielding had not been suddenly replaced by a 12-inch length of veined rubber. So she could not be blamed for letting her concentration drop. Jax was quick to take advantage. Before the woman could pull her blade loose, Jax¡¯s hand was at her wrist, trapping her close, while the other locked the woman¡¯s free arm at the elbow. ¡°I been waitin¡¯ fer ye to stick me proper with that poker o¡¯ yer¡¯n,¡± she taunted breathlessly. ¡°Ye¡¯ve been tickling me with it so, I¡¯m thinking ye was wishing fer sommat else to stick me with.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± the other woman growled. She was struggling, but with my desire to back her up, Jax¡¯s grip was like iron. And I did not doubt that the hyper-sexualized yelp she had just unleashed was hurting, either. ¡°Let me go.¡± ¡°I could do that, aye,¡± Jax agreed. But then she arched her back into the woman¡¯s chest, pressing herself all the more firmly against her. ¡°If¡¯n ye¡­ truly want me to.¡± Xyn gasped, and I spared only the briefest of glances for her. ¡°Shameless!¡± she breathed, grinning wide with realization. ¡°And in front of so many. What a feast! Oh, I¡¯m in love!¡± My head twitched. In love? My imagination was quick to spin the comment into all sorts of interesting and spicy scenarios, but then I realized what Xyn already had. Jax was turning this fight in a new direction. One where she had the advantage. Ho boy¡­ She licked her lips in a seductive display as she gazed into the other¡¯s eyes, whose efforts to pull away lasted a mere handful of seconds before she stilled. I noticed a corner of Jax¡¯s lip twitch upward. ¡°Ah¡­ but ye don¡¯t be wanting that, now do ye? Yer wonderin¡¯ where this might go¡­ what a real lass might feel like. Skin to skin. Tongue to tongue.¡± Her voice dropped to a whisper. ¡°Fanny to fanny.¡± If the crowd had been stunned into silence before, you could hear a pin drop now. Without my noticing, Jax had become quite the lesbian pickup artist¡­ which I seemed to be totally into. Though she did have her hands on the other woman, so that doubtlessly helped. And Xyn had done much the same to me, so I was not even in the neighborhood of post-nut clarity. As for everyone else¡­ well, how often can you realistically expect to see a stabbing-come-seduction drama play out? Her opponent shivered at the suggestion. But she twisted her head away quickly. ¡°¡­no.¡± My First¡¯s hand came up to catch the other woman¡¯s chin, releasing her arm. She did not seem to notice. ¡°No need fer lies. I¡¯m right here. Take me.¡± Jax¡¯s brow bunched together uncomfortably, perhaps in acknowledgment of the sword still lodged in her belly, but she passed it off with another moan, as if she were imagining all the filthy things this woman could do to her. Indecision began to war across the woman¡¯s features, even as I and everyone else in the crowd leaned forward to catch their every word. ¡°I¡ªI¡­¡± Jax¡¯s eyes flashed with triumph. ¡°Mmm~ Ye like me paps, don¡¯t ye? I seen ye staring at ¡®em, felt yer eyes peelin¡¯ this cloth away. Why not set ¡®em loose? They¡¯s right here. Take ¡®em in hand. Taste ¡®em! I want ye to taste them. Or better yet¡­ let me taste ye. Yield to me.¡± That suggestion snapped at least someone out of their trance. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her, Mellit!¡± the man from before yelled. He had moved to the far side of the arena since the last I had seen him. ¡°She¡¯s using some kind of skill to mess with your head!¡± Jax spared the man a glance. ¡°Be that yer beau? Mayhap ye want ¡®im to join us?¡± The striped woman¡¯s eyes had taken on a clouded look. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Ye don¡¯t, eh?¡± Jax tilted the other¡¯s head away to begin nibbling at her neck. ¡°Why not? Don¡¯t he satisfy ye no more?¡± ¡°What?!¡± The man began to push through the crowd. ¡°You stop that! Let her go. My Mellit has no interest in a slattern like you.¡± Huh¡­ guess they¡¯re not related, after all. I blinked as another thought occurred to me. Well, I certainly hope they¡¯re not related. Whatever the situation, the man was still yelling, ¡°¡ªfaithful and pure woman! She would never let herself succumb to a disgusting perversion like¡ª¡± Jax¡¯s nibbles turned into a full-on lick up the side of the woman¡¯s chin, baldly staring the man in the face just as a moan to rival her own ripped from the other¡¯s throat. A mix of scandalized gasps and intrigued oohs wafted from the audience. ¡°Ye sure about that, laddie?¡± she taunted, even as the other woman¡¯s hands began to rove freely about her body. ¡°Here, I¡¯m thinking this mare¡¯s meat be heatin¡¯ up just fine.¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened with fury. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± he roared, surging forward. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you both!¡± I tensed for a moment, but fortunately, several of the onlookers remembered themselves long enough to hold him back. Jax dismissed the man in favor of the nearby judge, who had been staring slack-jawed at the display. Her claws found the back of Mellit¡¯s uncaring neck. ¡°Call it.¡± The man gave himself a quick shake and help up a hand. ¡°The match goes to Warrior Jax!¡± There was a moment of deafening silence. And then Xyn scared the ever-loving crap out of me by cheering loud enough to wake the dead, hoisting Arx and Lynnria above her head like a couple of comatose pom-poms. That broke the ice for most of the crowd, some of whom even joined her in celebration, but most seemed more interested in vigorously churning the rumor mill. Barely a second later, Jax slumped to the ground, sliding off the blade of her onetime opponent, to my concern and her confusion. ¡°What¡­¡± She stumbled back, seeming disoriented, but when I pushed my way past her to heal my Dolilim, she abruptly remembered where she was. And what she had done. ¡°You!¡± She locked eyes with the bloodied form of her former adversary. ¡°That wasn¡¯t real! What did you do to me?¡± Jax just laughed up at her, not at all disguising the overwhelming pleasure of her flesh knitting itself back together under my hands. ¡°Sorry to say, sweetmeat, but I can nay put nothing in yer head what ain¡¯t there to begin with. That were all you. I just fanned the flames.¡± ¡°Liar!¡± the woman yelled. ¡°I ought to¡ª¡± ¡°Save it, Mellit,¡± the judge interrupted. The guy was not exactly what I would call grizzled, but for a laoi, he looked like he had been ridden hard and put away wet. Maybe that¡¯s how they age? ¡°She got you, fair and square¡­ even if it was a little unorthodox.¡± ¡°Unorthodox?!¡± Mellit whirled on him, her voice rising in pitch to the point of becoming shrill. ¡°I thought this was supposed to be a melee contest?¡± ¡°I gotta touch to make it work,¡± Jax argued, rising to stand again despite the wound still closing in her belly. ¡°That¡¯s melee, ain¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Your ass!¡± Mellit screeched. ¡°Aye?¡± Jax turned slightly to give her backside a jiggle. ¡°I can let ye fondle it some, if that settles ye.¡± The woman stiffened, and her face drained of what little color was in it. I sighed. ¡°Jax, don¡¯t antagonize her.¡± ¡°What?¡± She turned to me, offended. ¡°I did nay want her to think I were leading her on, be all.¡± The other woman had started to shake, she was so incensed. ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± The judge was quick to intercede. ¡°Mellit, no one enjoys a loss, and you¡¯re upset. Go take a walk. Your next match will be in ten minutes.¡± The woman seethed for another few seconds before whirling on a heel and stalking away. Her¡­ boyfriend? Brother? Esh, I hope not. Maybe just a cousin. That¡¯s better, right? Whatever their relation, he was quick to fall into step beside her, and I could hear them begin to argue as they pushed through the crowd. The judge turned to Jax. ¡°I guess that did technically count as a melee skill, but I¡¯d prefer it if you refrained from using it for the final match. We were hoping for a pure contest of arms here.¡± ¡°Not much of a contest when I can nay use half me skills,¡± Jax argued with a shrug. ¡°But yer the boss.¡± The man nodded before turning to me. ¡°You¡¯re a healer?¡± I hesitated, but there was no point in denying it. Or going into the many caveats that went along with the admission. ¡°Yeah.¡± He nodded again. ¡°Good. Our healer is still recovering from putting the latest batch of Dungeon survivors back together, so she won¡¯t be good to anyone for another half day. Meanwhile,¡± he jerked his head toward Mellit¡¯s retreating form, ¡°that girl¡¯s next opponent was left in a bad way in his last match. He was going to forfeit if we couldn¡¯t find someone to patch him up in time, but now that you¡¯re here¡­¡± Jax placed herself between me and the man. ¡°And yer payin¡¯ what?¡± ¡°The standard fee,¡± he replied. ¡°A half silver.¡± I tilted my head in consideration. Normally, I would value that at around two hundred bucks, American¡ªenough for a couple to stay at a cheap hotel or one really nice meal¡ªbut the economy around here had been borked beyond recognition by the recent Dungeon hit. So the offer was a tad low, but I was willing to take it in favor of building rapport with the guy who would be judging our next match. Jax folded her arms, unimpressed. ¡°That won¡¯t pay fer a bread loaf ¡®round these parts.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Jax,¡± I said, interrupting with a hand at her shoulder, then glanced up at the man. ¡°Healers shouldn¡¯t be greedy.¡± She instantly turned to argue. ¡°But¡ª!¡± ¡°And we won¡¯t be staying long after the match,¡± I continued. ¡°The standard fee will be fine.¡± The man bobbed his head once, the deal struck. ¡°Good. It¡¯s this way.¡± As I made to follow, Jax fell into step beside me. ¡°What did ye do that for?¡± she hissed. ¡°I could¡¯ve got him up to a gold, if¡¯n ye¡¯d let me!¡± I almost looked at her askance, certain she must be exaggerating, but managed to cover my shock with a collected rumble in my chest. It was purely performative, of course. There was no chance of my fooling Jax with such antics. ¡°I have my reasons. Not the least of which because he stood up for you just now.¡± ¡°Feh!¡± she spat. ¡°Only because it were his job to do it. And anyway, that one stands to skelp way more¡¯n a half silver off that match. Who do you think the bookie is for this pony show?¡± I frowned down at her. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a conflict of interest?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± she grumbled with a shrug. ¡°Dunno what that means.¡± ¡°It means he has a stake in the game, so he might be crooked,¡± Xyn explained from her other side. Jax started to nod along, then whirled. ¡°You!¡± Xyn favored her with a Cheshire grin. ¡°Me, indeed.¡± Jax looked around fearfully. ¡°But ye was chained! I made sure of it! How is ye¡ª¡± She stopped, having finally noticed the pair of bodies tucked beneath the bull-horned lilim¡¯s arms. She bared her teeth. ¡°What did ye do to me sisters?!¡± I took a breath to explain what little I could with how many people were in earshot, but then a resounding slap sliced its way through the clamor of the crowd. ¡°Bitch! Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± a man bellowed. I winced, having recognized the guy¡¯s voice. ¡°Jax, what¡¯s the purse for second place?¡± ¡°What? Twenty-five gold,¡± she informed me, still more than a little distracted. ¡°Fifty for first. Why?¡± I heaved a sigh. ¡°Oh, just wondering if we should skip town a little early is all.¡± 2 - Novitiate ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that, if I were you,¡± someone said from behind me, and I turned. The woman standing there was instantly recognizable as yet another laoi. Like most I had seen of her race, she appeared somewhere in her twenties. For clothing, she was wearing a loose assortment of gray and white robes that had been cinched at the waist with straps of leather and a headscarf draped over her head that flowed down her back almost like a gossamer cape. Some of her hair was still visible despite it, though, which had been dyed a metallic silver. I say dyed, because it was obvious from the green coming in at her roots that she had been neglecting her usual routine, likely owing to the recent Dungeon event. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Do I know you?¡± I replied. I certainly had no memory of this woman, but after recent events, I did not want to assume. One never knew when a goddess might have shown up in one¡¯s dreams, offloaded a few pages of expository dialogue, and then vanished, expecting you to have remembered more than a passing remark¡ªas if dreams worked that way. But they apparently did for the natives, so I could understand why the local pantheon might have become a little confused when dealing with a human. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect so, no,¡± she informed me, to my relief. She then pulled out a scroll of paper and began to scan its contents. ¡°You are Donum, head and founder of the Clan of the same name, are you not? No known aliases. Often accompanied by one Donum Jax¡ª¡± She glanced at the redhead, who, judging by the way her eyes were whipping between our former antagonist and this new arrival, was deciding whether this conversation would need to take precedent over the previous one. ¡°¡ªwhich would be you, I¡¯m assuming. And recently by a Donum¡­¡± Her eyes went to Xyn, blinked back to her scroll in confusion, then began scanning the rest of my company until they landed on the dusky skinned Dolilim still tucked under Xyn¡¯s arm. She tilted her head down and to one side to examine her face. ¡°¡­Arx, is it? Yes, there you are. Hmm¡­¡± She straightened again and studied her scroll, frowning. ¡°Dear-oh-dear¡­ I don¡¯t seem to have any information about these other two.¡± I took a step back warily. She had made no move to threaten me, but when a stranger walks up with your name and associates on a piece of paper, it can be hard not to get at least a little nervous. I surreptitiously made note of the mace and pouches hanging from her belt. ¡°And you are?¡± Jax spat to one side and sighed. But she made no move to put herself between me and this new woman. Xyn apparently remained the greater threat in her mind. ¡°Don¡¯t get yer sack twisted, Ma¡ªehm¡­ Donum,¡± she hastily corrected herself. ¡°This one ain¡¯t of them what¡¯s after ye.¡± After me? Who would be after me? You could make an argument that Ahnbe or Xhinn might still have been a little upset after our recent tussle, but I could not think that they would send anyone like this my way. Unless she¡¯s a bounty hunter? But then I recalled Jax¡¯s hobby of making up an increasingly elaborate backstory to fill in the gaps of what she knew of my origins. At last count, I was a deposed lord from the Floating Isles who had run afoul of a foreign noble lady by the name of Stevie¡ªa real human girl I had carelessly mentioned one day¡ªwho had attempted to seduce me in the guise of a chambermaid. Incensed by my refusal¡ªeven though the real-world event had been closer to the opposite¡ªshe had vowed revenge, claimed I had raped her, made up a pregnancy, and a variety of other things worthy of a daytime soap-opera. The details changed from day to day, but the end result was that I was now being chased across the land by the forces of my former people. I was still debating whether to sit Jax down for the true story, but frankly, it was a little dull by comparison. She knew I was foreign, and that was all that really mattered. Also, I had been warned that revealing my actual origins might be damaging to her psyche. For ¡®reasons.¡¯ Jax sneered at the woman. ¡°This one be a priestess of the Lawmaiden, or I¡¯s a tube.¡± ¡°Technically, I¡¯m still a Novitiate,¡± the newcomer informed us. ¡°I would normally have been accompanied by one of my superiors for a task like this, but¡­ as they remain missing¡­¡± A brief flutter of concern overcame her features before she schooled them. I allowed my own to reflect hers in sympathy, but otherwise held my peace. There was an argument to be made that I had been the root cause of everything that had transpired here, but that was a bit like saying the walnut was at fault after smashing your fingers with a hammer. Of course, in this simile, the hammer had been more like a sledge, and the fingers had been an entire town. So I was not about to offer myself up as a convenient scapegoat. ¡°No matter,¡± she continued. ¡°I have been reliably informed that the Dungeon becomes far more complex as you increase in Stratum, so I expect they¡¯ll be along presently. In the meantime, the rest of us have duties to carry on with.¡± She gave a slight bow from the waist. ¡°My name is Ysel.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After an awkward half-second, I opted to return her bow in kind, though I felt a little silly. ¡°And what can I do for a Novitiate of the Lawmaiden?¡± ¡°Do?¡± Jax cut in aggressively. ¡°We ain¡¯t broke no Laws. She can piss off!¡± Ysel did not seem offended by Jax¡¯s attitude. If anything, she appeared smug. ¡°That isn¡¯t quite true. You see¡ª¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The judge from before called out to us from across the arena. ¡°Are you going to heal this guy or not?¡± ¡°Be right there!¡± I turned back to the Novitiate, pointing over my shoulder toward the man. ¡°Uh¡­ can we speed this up? I¡¯ve got a thing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a healer?¡± She glanced back at her paper. ¡°Oh, dear¡­¡± ¡°Is that a problem?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± she exclaimed¡ªthough I was beginning to detect something¡­ off about the way she was speaking. A stilted cadence here, an over-emphasized word there¡­ almost as if she were reciting lines from a poorly memorized stage production. ¡°You see, I needed to inform you of your outstanding debt to my lady. Eighty-six gold, to be precise. But¡ª¡± ¡°Eighty-six?¡± Jax looked like she was about to choke. And was putting some serious thought into choking this woman to the ground, just on principle. ¡°Whoever¡­ my mangled¡­ I outta¡­¡± I placed a calming hand over her shoulder. Not that I was feeling in any way calm, but when someone starts brandishing sums like that around, you can be sure there is a mistake somewhere. And I said as much. ¡°That¡­ doesn¡¯t seem right. Why would I owe the Lawmaiden money?¡± Ysel¡¯s mouth worked for a moment, giving me a lost and floundering look. You would have thought that I had just gone wildly off-script and was now forcing her to improvise. Eventually, though, her shoulders bunched into an exaggerated shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t know! I just work in collections,¡± she replied, in a much more natural tone. ¡°All I have written here is: one hundred gold owed for¡ª¡± ¡°A hundred?!¡± Jax wailed. The priestess ignored her. ¡°¡ªfor the exploitation of an unforeseen loophole in the Laws of the Land minus fourteen for assorted deeds of merit. Eighty-six in total.¡± She straightened quickly and raised an imperious finger. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Loophole? Deeds of merit?¡± I pressed before she could return to whatever routine she was in trying to get through. Ysel¡¯s expression turned to one of exasperation. ¡°That¡¯s all it says, I promise you. Whatever blasphemies you have committed are between you and the Maiden. Be thankful she has limited your punishment to such a small fine.¡± Again came the stiffened pose. ¡°However, your accrued merits are¡ª¡± ¡°Small?!¡± Jax could not help but to cut her off in her rage. ¡°We could buy a shop front in the upper city of Enbraden fer that kind of money, ye bawheaded twally!¡± My hand tightened on her shoulder. ¡°Let her finish.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ysel bobbed her head once, then paused, her lips visibly working through her lines until she recalled where we were. ¡°Ah! As I have been trying to explain, your merits are completely out of date. You see, our shrine was destroyed in the recent Swallowing, and until it is rebuilt and consecrated, we have no way of updating the Divine Writ.¡± Jax folded her arms. ¡°Good.¡± Ysel stamped a foot and jeered, ¡°No! Not good. This man is a healer. We can¡¯t just¡ª¡± Her hands balled into shaking fists and she firmed her lip, then turned back to me, stalwartly ignoring the heckler. ¡°Without an updated Writ, we cannot accurately assess your disaster relief efforts. And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been extremely busy these last days.¡± That final bit had been delivered with all the gravitas of a grade-school production about the importance of the five food groups, so I was now completely convinced she was putting me on. Not that she was lying, exactly¡ªJax would have been quick to notice something as simple as that¡ªbut there was more going on than what her poorly memorized lines could account for. So, figuring it best I play along, I comported my features into my very finest pained nod. ¡°More than you can imagine.¡± A slight gasp escaped her lips, and she placed a hand upon my chest as though deeply moved. Jax glared at the appendage like she was putting some serious thought into chewing it off. ¡°Um¡­ yes.¡± Ysel jerked her hand back and began rubbing at it as though checking for tooth marks. She returned to her natural speaking voice. ¡°The short of it is, I can¡¯t exactly collect anything without a proper tally of what you owe. And we¡¯ve all much to do, so¡­ I¡¯ll just¡­ let you get back to it, then, shall I?¡± ¡°Very gracious of you,¡± I agreed. Assuming at least the bullet points of this priestess¡¯ little performance had been based in reality, I was fully intending to skip town before a single brick of that shrine was ever laid. There was no way we could pay off a fine that large even if Jax took first place in the coming bout, and whatever merits I had supposedly accrued, they had by no means been through healing. With the way my powers worked, that might even earn me demerits, so jumping on the medic bandwagon at the last minute was out of the question. A moment passed where everyone stared at one another in silence. Despite her words, the woman was making no move to actually leave. She just kept watching me, bouncing on her toes with expectation. What¡¯s happening? Do I have a line now? Is there some formality I¡¯m missing here? ¡°Uh¡­ what¡¯s the due date on this fine?¡± I tried, hoping that by stalling with questions, someone might clue me in. ¡°Assuming I don¡¯t work it off first?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Her fingers began tapping a nervous staccato on her scroll. ¡°Well¡­ normally, such debts are called due at the time of collection, enforceable with a good, old-fashioned Cursing! Not that I would ever assume someone of your stature would require such a measure,¡± she added hurriedly. Then, glancing around, she stepped close so she could lower her voice. ¡°Look, you don¡¯t have to worry about me spreading this around. I take my vows seriously, so you can trust my discretion. No one of my order would want an embarrassment like this to stain your reputation.¡± I nodded along uncertainly. Reputation? Embarrassment? Who gives a rat¡¯s fart about that? Getting myself branded as an Outlaw without so much as a word of explanation was not high on my to-do list, but it was not as if I would be ashamed. More like pissed beyond reason. But then I clocked Jax seething in my periphery. She clearly hated this woman if for no other reason than by simple association, but given the threat that had just descended over my head, she was being awfully restrained. I would have fully expected her to summon her axe and tell this woman to pound sand by now, so there had to be more going on than met the eye. Something contemptible¡­ yet inevitable. Something we could not fight. Right! I remember now. These people have a reputation for being all kinds of corrupt. This is a shakedown! I blinked as the implications of my own deduction became clear. Aw, man¡­ Internally fuming, I carefully sculpted my features into an expression of facetious upper-class concern. ¡°In that case¡­ perhaps you might allow me to make a donation?¡± I offered. ¡°For the speedy rebuilding of your shrine, of course.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± the woman agreed with obvious relief. ¡°The standard rate would be¡ª¡± She caught herself with a little jolt. ¡°I mean, uh¡­ might I suggest a donation of, say¡­ ten percent of your outstanding balance?¡± She glanced down at her scroll again, like she was checking a concealed cheat sheet. ¡°That would come to¡­ eight gold, four silver, six copper, and three pieces of eight.¡± I just stared at her. She grimaced awkwardly. ¡°Sorry. I did say I was a Novitiate.¡± Ysel excused herself a few seconds after I had finished counting out her ¡®donation,¡¯ every coin of which Jax glared at like she was contemplating their value in the woman¡¯s blood. ¡°Fecking cunts, every last one of ¡®em,¡± she grumbled, turning away from the woman¡¯s retreating back. ¡°What kind of bollocks were that, anyway? A loophole¡­ Who ever heard of a flaming loophole?¡± ¡°That just means I was taking advantage of something that¡¯s against the spirit of the law,¡± I informed her. ¡°But what law? Honestly, what a circus. They ought to at least have the decency to tell you what you did. Otherwise, how am I supposed to know not to do it again?¡± Jax threw up her hands. ¡°Bah. Probably made the whole thing up just so¡¯s they could wring a few coins out of ye. And they¡¯ll keep wringing every time we cross paths with one o¡¯ them roasters¡ªuntil ye pay that fine, least-ways. I¡¯ve told ye, Master, and mark me: them lot¡¯s a bunch of melted plabs.¡± Whatever that means¡­ ¡°You¡¯re telling me they won¡¯t even count the money I just gave them as a payment?¡± ¡°What payment?¡± she returned, scowling. ¡°Ye said yer ownself it were a donation. But even if ye didn¡¯t, she¡¯d¡¯ve called it interest and buggered off just the same.¡± I gaped at her. ¡°What a bunch of gangsters!¡± ¡°Like I said: melted plabs.¡± She sighed. ¡°Ah, well. No helping it. We just gotta keep from towns ¡®til we save up the coin. They won¡¯t go chasing us through no Dungeons, that¡¯s sure.¡± Speaking of¡­ I glanced over at Xyn, who I suddenly realized had watched the entire exchange without uttering a peep. ¡°You¡¯ve been awfully quiet. Got anything you¡¯d like to add to this conversation?¡± The blonde bombshell was still staring off in the direction the Novitiate had disappeared into. But instead of offering some sage insight into the frankly odd encounter, she made an abrupt horking sound, and spat a coin into the dirt. A solid gold coin. ¡°Whew¡­¡± she exclaimed with relief. ¡°I thought she¡¯d never leave.¡± Jax and I stared down at the thing for a solid beat, rendered momentarily speechless. ¡°What the fuck?¡± I said finally. ¡°Language,¡± Jax admonished with a gentle swat to my backside before turning to the taller woman. ¡°The feck, ye reeking reprobate. Ye got another one to gob at our feet, or were ye saving up special? Where¡¯d ye even get that? I know y¡¯ain¡¯t had a hand free, else I¡¯d¡¯ve fingered ye fer pocketing it off one of them rubes out there.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Xyn returned. ¡°Me, steal? Never. Or certainly not something so uninteresting.¡± I squatted down curiously to examine the thing. Other than the light coating of dirt and saliva, it looked exactly the same as any other piece of Dungeon Gold we had encountered. ¡°Is this real?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s real,¡± she said. ¡°Mother told you how coins are made. Why are you two acting surprised?¡± ¡°What that one told us were that coins was made from them what snuffed it,¡± Jax reminded her. ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with this?¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Xyn chuckled. ¡°Snuffed it? Oh, I do so love your turns of phrase, my dear.¡± Jax began to growl. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± the blonde said placatingly. ¡°Coins are Life Energy, lilim harvest Life Energy¡­ You know this. Why would we need to kill people for it? I was just getting a little overfull from standing in the crowd, is all. No need to get so testy.¡± I stood, coin in hand, and began cleaning the thing off on my robe. The garment was already the color of pea soup, so I figured a little dirt could only add to its appeal. ¡°You¡¯re saying this is the accumulated Life Energy of all these people? Just from watching Jax¡¯s match?¡± She lifted one shoulder. ¡°Not only that. I¡¯ve been here a few days, so some of it is from you fooling around with each other. And then, there¡¯s a bit from the people in the neighboring rooms getting annoyed over it. Quite a lot is from the patrons in the bar below us trying to drink themselves deaf¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, alright. We know what we be,¡± Jax interrupted. ¡°Yer saying the Queen lied to us, though. Coins ain¡¯t made from dead folk?¡± ¡°Well, no,¡± Xyn admitted, before amending, ¡°Or yes. They are. We do harvest their final breaths, should it come to it. No need to be wasteful, after all. But Mother wasn¡¯t lying. Just¡­ not telling the whole story.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± That Xhinn would deal in half-truths was practically a given, so I saw no need to comment on that. But for the rest¡­ ¡°So that means you have to spit out a coin every once in a while?¡± ¡°Only if I¡¯m getting full,¡± she reiterated, sounding bored. ¡°Which would be frequent around here. And before you ask, yes. I can spit out smaller denominations. I just don¡¯t feel the need until it gets to be a gold in value.¡± ¡°And all lilim can do this?¡± Jax sucked in a breath, catching the implication in an instant. Xyn gave us a bit of a side eye and chuckled indulgently. ¡°It is a standard ability, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. We don¡¯t all of us have masters to funnel our Life into when we¡¯ve built too much. But I doubt our resident splinter would allow it. Riches are not meant to be amassed in that way. You would only attract the attention of more like that one.¡± She tilted her head in the direction of the recently departed Novitiate. ¡°Their kind is tasked with the destruction of coin, if you didn¡¯t know. It is one of their holy tenets.¡± Jax¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Sacrilege!¡± ¡°To us, yes. Coins are Life, and Life is Power. To destroy one out of hand is unthinkable. But to the world below? Coins only have so much value. If they are allowed to accumulate, they will begin to lose that value, eventually becoming worthless. And it is never wise to view Life as worthless.¡± Jax pulled a face. ¡°Ooh, that were smooth like butter. Ye could sell a brace of swaybacks with lines like them.¡± She just rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m over three-thousand years old, girl. You¡¯ll have to forgive the odd proverb. Now, here.¡± She tossed Lynnria¡¯s still-unconscious body to my First like a sack of grain. ¡°My arms are getting tired. You can shoulder some of the burden for a time.¡± ¡°I weren¡¯t talking about no proverbs,¡± Jax began, momentarily fumbling to secure the limp teenager. ¡°I were talking about how ye and yer¡¯n ain¡¯t no better than them lot. Treating folk like¡­ like chaff!¡± She glanced down at Lynnria then effortlessly slung the lesser Dolilim up into a fireman¡¯s carry. ¡°What happened to these two, anyhow?¡± Xyn ignored the jab to reply, ¡°That one is sleeping off a spell Mother cast on her.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Xyn ignored that outburst as well. ¡°And this one remains in torpor. I expect they¡¯ll both awaken within the next few hours. In the meantime, our master has agreed to a task. Which he should soon set himself to, yes?¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± I said, then hastened to the side of the arena where the judge had been impatiently waiting the whole time. ¡°Where¡¯s his leg?!¡± I shouted. The judge, whose name I had discovered was Egger, only shrugged. ¡°Burned it. Didn¡¯t want the flies getting to it¡­ nor other things, what with the walls down.¡± ¡°But I could have reattached it! Now, I¡¯m going to have to regrow the whole thing from scratch.¡± Egger only looked at me placidly. ¡°That a problem?¡± ¡°Only if you were expecting me to be conscious by the end of it. Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to regrow a limb?¡± He folded his arms. ¡°I said he was in a bad way. Not my fault you assumed this¡¯d be easy money.¡± All I could do was stare up at the gently swaying canvas above me and sigh. The medical facility we had been led to was just a nearby tent, one of many that had been erected to serve as temporary shelter for the destroyed town. But this one at least had a cot, hot water, and plenty of medical paraphernalia scattered about. I would be needing none of that, but from the bloodied bandages already wrapping the patient¡¯s stump, I could assume someone around here had been plying a brisk trade in restorative field techniques. ¡°Yeah, alright. Get out,¡± I said. ¡°This might take a while.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got five minutes,¡± he countered, moving to obey. As he pushed his way through the tent flap, however, he turned to add one last thing, ¡°I¡¯ll pay you one way or the other, but after that, this guy forfeits his match.¡± The ¡®guy,¡¯ a wolugh whose name I had yet to catch, was quick to snatch my wrist. ¡°You gotta hurry. I can¡¯t miss this match, Doc! I can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Hands!¡± Jax snapped, and the man shrank back from me, startled. Xyn tsked, straightening from where she had settled Arx off to one side of the tent. ¡°Why so protective? The way you act, you¡¯d think the master was a porcelain figurine, handled at peril.¡± Jax rolled her shoulders, allowing Lynnria to fall in a heap behind her. I might have heard a soft grunt escape the girl at the rough treatment. ¡°I be First. Be me job to care fer me charge. And anyhow, what¡¯s all this master business? He ain¡¯t no master o¡¯ yer¡¯n!¡± While the two bickered, I turned my attention to the wolugh¡ªone of the rhino-horned dwarven people I saw from time to time. I say dwarven, but they were not dwarfs like a human would be. Or little people? I was not sure what the current preferred nomenclature was¡­ not that it mattered anymore. In any case, these folk were wide and stocky, like the fantasy race I had envisioned from Tolkien¡¯s work. About four to five feet tall on average, and almost as wide. No beards, though. This individual had the pasty sheen of a man deep into fever and shallow of remaining blood. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the deal, guy,¡± I began. ¡°My heals work a little different from how you¡¯re used to. First off, it¡¯s a regeneration buff. I can make that fast, or I can make it slow. But the faster we go, the more juice I have to use.¡± ¡°Fast!¡± he begged, being careful not to touch me this time. ¡°Fast, please. I don¡¯t know how much Egger is paying you, but I¡¯ll double it if you can get me to my match on time. I swear!¡± I nodded curtly. ¡°Yeah, alright. Let me finish. See, there¡¯s a catch.¡± ¡°A catch?¡± I deliberated for a second before deciding to just come out and say it. ¡°My heals are pleasurable.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± he said, smiling nervously. I caught his eyes flicker to the pair of supermodels quarreling at the foot of his cot. ¡°Why is that a catch?¡± ¡°They¡¯re extremely pleasurable,¡± I elaborated. ¡°And I do not¡­ do not¡­ want to explore that with you. You get me?¡± His head tilted back, catching on. ¡°Ah. You¡¯re saying I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll probably¡­¡± He made a motion with his hands. ¡°Probably,¡± I confirmed. His eyes flicked toward the girls again. ¡°So then, they would be here¡­ in case I want to, uh¡­¡± Jax¡¯s head jerked toward us, the topic of her argument forgotten. ¡°Not a chance!¡± she snarled at the same moment Xyn proclaimed, ¡°That costs extra.¡± Jax whirled back to her, outraged. But before she could speak, the man asked, ¡°How much extra?¡± ¡°I have a 17 in Charisma, honey,¡± Xyn replied with a casual flip of her hair. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± the wolugh breathed, licking his lips. ¡°What do ye think yer doing?!¡± Jax hissed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Xyn ran a hand up her flank, hinting at but not quite touching any of her more enticing bits. ¡°I¡¯m tempting a sick man with a spectacular bookend to an experience he¡¯ll already remember for the rest of his life. For money. Which our master needs a great deal of. Remember?¡± ¡°Not like that, he don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Xyn turned to look at Jax. ¡°And now you suddenly care? How interesting¡­¡± Her eyes found me. And then down to where my knuckles had gone white, gripping the side of the man¡¯s cot. ¡°How very interesting.¡± The man seemed to deliberate internally for a moment before turning his head away from the pair. ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry, I¡­ That¡¯s tempting, but¡­ but I can¡¯t afford¡­¡± He swallowed. ¡°I have my own debts. And I just need to get to that match. Okay, Doc?¡± I nodded as the tension drained from my shoulders. Xyn and I were not truly together, however much my emotions had been hijacked to believe otherwise, so she would have little reason to consider my feelings when deciding her actions. She could use her body however she wanted, and I would have no right to complain. Besides, it was not as if I was lacking for alternatives. The trouble was, my emotions had been hijacked. Just imagining her with this¡­ this guy¡­ I swallowed back the bile that had risen into my throat. She wouldn¡¯t actually do it. She¡¯s just messing with you. Trying to get a rise out of you. You know how they are. When I glanced back at her, I found her grinning speculatively at me, her tongue tracing circles around one of her sharpened eyeteeth. Uh huh. I¡¯ll bet she just wanted to see if she could make me jealous. Probably wanted to know what it might taste like. I turned back to the man. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll try to make this quick for you. As for them, you can look, but don¡¯t touch. They¡¯re more dangerous than they appear.¡± I cast a significant glare at Xyn once more. ¡°Especially that one.¡± In response, her scales rattled up her body, as though from a shiver, giving me a flash of the skin beneath. When they settled, her outfit¡ªreally nothing more than a protective coating of metallic, black plates clinging to her skin that she could make appear or vanish at will¡ªnow resembled a strapless one-piece with a keyhole at her navel and a single glove extending from her claws all the way to just over her bicep¡­ the whole of which was now rimmed with spikes. The wolugh stared at her, wide-eyed, for a moment, before allowing his head to thump back into his pillow. ¡°Got it. Ready when you are.¡± I heaved a sigh, casting my mind to the task ahead. I knew that in doing this there would be an inevitable buildup of influence, so there was little doubt of this man coming away from the experience with a considerable dollop of concern greater for my wellbeing than he had begun with. But it was not as if we were initiating some Binding Ritual¡ªeven as informal of a one as I had performed on Lynnria. So I did not fear that I might change this man. I just needed to keep my distance and let the influence naturally ebb away. He would be fine. Probably. That aside, I had never actually attempted to regrow a full limb before, but there was nothing in my skill description to make me think it was impossible. My own experiences with the ability had shown that a person could recover from some absolutely brutal injuries¡­ if provided with enough stacks of the spell. The trouble was, those experiences had always come at the behest of a convenient monster to drain the Healing Energy out of. Which we did not have. So all of it was going to have to come from me. ¡°Alright.¡± I cast an unwilling glance at the man¡¯s crotch area, which had been covered by a thin blanket for modesty. The leathers and chain he had been wearing for armor had been tossed to one side, so there were no problems there. But if he had been wearing undergarments, there was no sign. ¡°If you need to adjust yourself, now would be the time.¡± He grimaced. ¡°Right.¡± I turned away before I could see his hand slip beneath the sheet. ¡°Jax, be ready to cut that bandage away. I don¡¯t want it interfering once the regeneration starts.¡± ¡°Master,¡± she agreed, stepping close. For all her admonishments, it was easy to see how eager she was for this. I knew she would have no interest in this man as an individual, but she was a creature who drank the emotions of others like most would a fine wine. Sex, specifically Lust, was just about her favorite thing ever. That I was about to bring someone to the heights of it right in front of her had her almost quivering with anticipation. Xyn seemed much calmer in comparison, though I noted how her eyes had fixed upon the man. She was awaiting the feast to come every bit as impatiently as Jax was. The redhead slipped a claw beneath the bandage, then gave me a quick nod, signaling her readiness. ¡°Okay. Here goes.¡± The first cast came and went in a heartbeat. The Words to the spell had been so ingrained from constant use I could probably have uttered them in my sleep, however I could tell the instant the effect hit the man that one stack of regeneration would be insufficient even if I pushed as much Energy into it as I could. He would be left with nothing but a healed-over stump. The man sucked in a breath. ¡°Oh¡­ okay.¡± He licked his lips to steady himself. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not so bad.¡± Jax tensed, but I did not give her the signal just yet. Nor did I bother to look at the man. ¡°We¡¯re just getting started.¡± The moment I felt the effect begin to wane, I quickly cast a second atop it. And then a third. That forced a gasp out of him. ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t,¡± I muttered, still focused intently on the man¡¯s leg¡ªfor obvious reasons¡­ and other obvious reasons. Jax let out a low whistle. ¡°Lad¡¯s got more than just the one horn, I see.¡± ¡°And so backed up,¡± Xyn agreed, subtly moistening her lips. ¡°Three months, at least, the poor thing. Mmm~ a lovely bouquet, too. Do you think he¡¯ll cry? Oh, I do hope so¡­¡± Jax cast a reproachful glance at the other lilim before her eyes inevitably returned to the matryoshka tent the man had erected. ¡°Ain¡¯t never tasted such off a man afore¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°Then you¡¯ve never lived!¡± the other exclaimed with the sudden enthusiasm of a connoisseur. ¡°You can¡¯t imagine how much a few simple tears can enhance the flavor, to say nothing of the complexity of a nut so beautifully aged. The heady burst of desperation as it gives way to the lingering aftertaste of relief¡­ all mixed with the bright yet fleeting notes of inadequacy? Oh~ It¡¯s exquisite!¡± I was used to this sort of talk, so it scarcely registered for me that the words, ¡®a nut so beautifully aged,¡¯ had just come from her mouth. The wolugh was far less immune. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± the man managed through his gasping. He turned to me. ¡°What¡¯s she talking about?¡± ¡°Just ignore her. She¡¯s teasing you.¡± I gave Jax the nod. ¡°Now, please.¡± As my First busied herself with cutting the bandages away, Xyn directed an indignant sniff my way. ¡°Teasing nothing! You have an infant¡¯s tongue or you¡¯d not say such things. There is more to an orgasm than simple Lust, you know.¡± ¡°You know perfectly well that I don¡¯t have a tongue,¡± I returned, sticking to her metaphor for the sake of our company. ¡°Now, hush. I¡¯m busy.¡± The bandage came away to reveal a stump already writhing with regenerative tissue, but it was not moving anywhere near fast enough to get this man on a second foot within the time allotted. I did a quick mental assessment. Five more stacks, maybe? Six? I cast a speculative look at the man. He needed to be able to fight after this, so I had to avoid knocking him too much on his ass. I was about to get the next spell going, but then Xyn muttered something innocuous¡­ yet decidedly odd. ¡°Do I?¡± 3 - An Emptied Purse The judge met us at the tent flap just as my wolugh patient was staggering past, now fully legged if not yet fully clothed. ¡°Well, well¡­ right on time, too. You do good work,¡± he observed, watching the man hop toward his match while he struggled to get his leathers back on. ¡°Guy seems a little weak in the knees, though. You¡¯d almost think he was escaping out of his lover¡¯s window.¡± I smiled at the man¡¯s joke, even if it was closer to reality than I might have liked. ¡°You can¡¯t expect a guy to regrow a leg and walk off like nothing happened. Give him a minute, let him splash some water in his face, and he¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fair,¡± he agreed, turning to face me finally. ¡°What about you? I notice you¡¯re still standing.¡± I chuckled self-deprecatingly, even as I clutched by trembling hands¡ªand my patient¡¯s tip¡ªbehind my back. ¡°What can I say? I guess getting Swallowed has its upsides.¡± More specifically, I had been investing into Toughness with a near-religious fervor since discovering the stat¡¯s role in boosting spellcasting stamina, so my staying power had improved by leaps and bounds. Casting a regeneration buff at full power nine times in a row, as I just had, would have put me into a coffin even as recently as a week ago, so I could be forgiven for underestimating my own capabilities. But I knew I would recover soon enough from the trickle of Life Jax was feeding me, and I saw no need to discuss any of that with someone I barely knew. The man favored me with a smile of his own at the shared banter, even as his eyes went somewhere I could not see, either recalling his own trials or reflecting on those of the survivors. And just as distantly, he murmured, ¡°It is a cruel thing to be forged by the heavens¡­ yet one cannot fault the temper of its steel.¡± From the way he delivered that little nugget of wisdom, I had to assume it was either a known saying or a quote from one of those epic poems Lynnria kept telling me about. Whichever it was, I was only half paying attention. My own eyes had snagged on a woman walking past¡ªnot because of her physical appearance as you might normally expect, but because she happened to be carrying a child over her shoulder. Inevitably, my mind drifted to the island where I had first encountered Lynnria and the host of underaged soccer hooligans with her. Or gameball, as they called it, a name that so undersold the violent spectacle of the sport it described it was almost comical. ¡°Huh¡­¡± I wondered aloud. How did she find her kid? Egger focused on me, likely having mistaken the cause of my utterance. ¡°Sorry. Forgive an old man his musings,¡± he rumbled, then reached a hand into his coin purse for my fee. So he is old. But how old is old? Once again, I had bounced head-long into a wall of mystery well before I had been given the chance to solve the last. That was the trouble with being a perpetual stranger in a strange land. Half the time, I had no idea what was going on, and asking about a thing any child ought to know would only reveal me as the alien I was. I could occasionally get away with it by claiming a sheltered background or falling back on inexperience, but with stuff like this? I had never seen a single individual with features even encroaching on middle-aged¡ªlaoi or otherwise¡ªso how was I supposed to find out why no one had wrinkles? Were they even a thing here? Would anyone even understand the question? Maybe Mia will know¡­ and I¡¯ll bet Xyn can tell me about the lost children. That one should be innocent enough. As the judge dropped a small pile of copper into my hand, he happened to spy Jax peering at us over my shoulder. ¡°That reminds me, the final is scheduled for just after sunset. Don¡¯t be late.¡± He glanced toward the arena for a moment, considering, then turned back to us. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t blame you for conceding. You¡¯ll be facing Mellit¡¯s husband, Tillem. Guy¡¯s an incredible fighter for his Layer¡­ and just as massive a prick. He isn¡¯t the type to hold back even for a normal match, but after that stunt you pulled with his wife, he¡¯s going to be out for blood. He¡¯s the one who took that other fellow¡¯s leg, you know.¡± That tidbit laid at our feet, Egger excused himself, leaving us to our own devices for the next couple of hours. ¡°Mellit¡¯s husband¡­ Tillem?¡± I said, turning back to the girls with a faintly disgusted look on my face. ¡°Someone please tell me that¡¯s a coincidence.¡± ¡°Bollocks,¡± Jax uttered with a snort of dismissal, ignoring me in favor of the perceived slight to her combat prowess. ¡°That one don¡¯t know who he be talking to. As if I¡¯d be afeared of one little match.¡± I had to nod my agreement, even if it was unwilling. ¡°I¡¯d rather not see you too injured, Jax, but you¡¯re right. Short of killing you, there¡¯s not much he can do that I can¡¯t put right. Still¡­ her husband?¡± ¡°But he can kill her,¡± Xyn interjected. ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± ¡°Is that the problem?¡± Am I being the weird one? Surely, they saw how alike they looked. And with those names?! They were like something an ill-advised mother might name her twins. ¡°She¡¯ll just come back after a day. And even if she couldn¡¯t, I thought the Law forbade that kind of thing.¡± Jax let out a weary sigh. ¡°It do. But the rules be different for tourneys. Ye can nay stop accidents when yer using live weapons, so the Maiden¡ªin Her infinite generosity¡ªlets us off with a fine, the cunt. Be more than any purse, most times, so poor folk like us avoid a killing stroke like plague.¡± In other words, if you were rich enough, you could challenge someone to a match and kill with impunity¡ªa decided advantage if your opponent was in a lower tax bracket. As a supposed nobleman from a sheltered background, that was something I could be excused for not knowing, though. It was obvious I had never engaged in a duel in my life, so what reason would I have for understanding how they related to class politics? ¡°Right¡­ well, let¡¯s just hope this guy is having financial troubles. And hope the Maiden wasn¡¯t paying attention just now. You really need to ease off the swearing when you¡¯re talking about divine beings, Jax. You¡¯d think you would have learned your lesson after that mess we just went through.¡± ¡°Why? What¡¯d I say?¡± she asked, blinking just as wide-eyed and innocent as could be. I glared down at her. ¡°Oh, you want me to say it?¡± ¡°No!¡± she said quickly. Then, with a cheeky grin, she hopped up to plant a kiss on my lips with the expertise of a sniper. ¡°I like me master¡¯s tongue pure and clean-like so he can taste the honey ¡¯twixt me legs proper.¡± Crude imagery aside, the kiss, combined with the vision of her body reacquainting itself with the forces of gravity, was more than enough to inject a dose of nitrous into my engines. But they hardly needed it. The ordeal I had just put myself through had drained me to the point where my recently altered physiology was demanding nutrients. And I am not talking about steak and lobster. However, she was trying to distract me, and there was no way I was going to let her¡ªor my easily biddable physiology¡ªget away with it. ¡°You say that like you expect me to lay you down and have at it, here and now.¡± ¡°Be me right,¡± she argued, and with a slight pout, she began to gently press her chest against me, rubbing the twin points of contact into figure-eights. Which was completely unfair! ¡°Even if it weren¡¯t, I just unblocked me Core. I¡¯d think ye¡¯d be happy fer that. Enough to give a reward, the least.¡± ¡°And he¡¯s hungry,¡± Xyn added. ¡°And yer hungry!¡± Jax agreed. Damn it¡­ of course, they¡¯d pick up on that. How is a guy supposed to stand up for his principles around here? Fortunately, Xyn¡¯s contribution to the argument had reminded Jax of her presence. ¡°Were about to say that, I was. And what¡¯s it to ye?¡± The blonde¡¯s scales shifted again, this time into a series of whirls and flirtatious tattoo-like patterns running up and down her legs¡ªconsequently exposing herself in the process. The combination fanned the tendrils of desire Jax had been coaxing to life through my body like an inferno before I could avert my eyes. ¡°Because I¡¯m calling seconds.¡± Jax bristled. ¡°The hell ye be!¡± Naturally, Lynnria chose that moment to return to the realm of consciousness, startling upright like she had just been goosed. ¡°Cum! I smell cum!¡± I winced¡ªboth at the reminder and to hear that as the first words out of the recently ensorcelled teenager¡¯s mouth. But she had brought up an excellent detail. ¡°Yes! That exactly. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unhappy about your accomplishment, Jax. I just don¡¯t want whoever owns this tent to find us with my tongue in your crotch while you¡¯re writhing around in blood, guts, and¡­ and used linens. You don¡¯t like filth in my mouth, and I don¡¯t like it on your body.¡± Specifically, another man¡¯s. Even more specifically, where there was any chance of me touching it. She waved me off, her eyes still laser focused on Xyn. ¡°I know it. But yer worried more for watchful eyes than ye be of filth. Same as me.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d argue that point.¡± Xyn crossed her arms with a scoff. ¡°I swear, you have the palettes of children. I¡¯ve been locked away in the Dungeon for eons, and even I know there are few things that can compare with a couple pleasuring each other in secret.¡± A hand came up to run her fingers through hair, as though in fond remembrance. It also did wondrous things to her exposed flesh. Not that I was looking. ¡°That thrill of almost getting caught¡­ Ah~ You have not lived until you¡¯ve sampled it!¡± ¡°That weren¡¯t what I were talking about,¡± Jax growled. ¡°And again, I don¡¯t have a palette,¡± I added. ¡°Why do you keep¡ª?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sure of it,¡± Lynnria interrupted. She had yet to move from her spot on the floor, apparently too disoriented¡­ or too distracted to join the ongoing conversation. She tilted her nose about, sniffing. ¡°Definitely cum. Male. Thick and tangy, too. Almost like it was¡­ fermented?¡± She turned toward the rest of us finally. ¡°Tell me you¡¯re smelling that.¡± ¡°Of course, we smell it. Do you think we¡¯ve gone anosmatic?¡± Xyn replied off-hand. I could smell it too, to my regret. Much as I would like to claim that I could only pick up the delectable aromas of my own Dolilim, that simply was not the case, but I could at least take comfort in knowing the wolugh¡¯s¡­ discharge had an impure quality to it that made it entirely unappealing to me. That it had nothing whatever to do with its maleness was something I was fully planning on composing an angry letter about, and it would be joining the others just as soon as I found an appropriate address to mail the lot to. Xyn gestured to the corner without looking. ¡°Most of it is in that sheet over there, but it isn¡¯t Donum¡¯s, if that was what you were hoping for.¡± Lynnria looked almost insulted. ¡°I know that! Do you think I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell¡ª¡± She jerked abruptly, then pointed an accusatory finger toward the lilim. ¡°Wait a second! I remember now.¡± The young woman climbed to her feet, scanning the comparatively statuesque blonde before her from head to toe in a near panic. ¡°Your eyepatch. Your hair! You were¡­ you were Her!¡± ¡°Only partially.¡± Jax glanced from girl to woman and back. ¡°What¡¯re ye on about? What her?¡± Xyn sighed regretfully, allowing her scales to reform about her torso in a semblance of modesty¡ªto my relief and regret. ¡°I would prefer to save that discussion for when the rest join us.¡± She paused for a moment to glance toward one corner of the tent. I would almost think she had heard something, but none of the others had reacted. So perhaps she was only listening. ¡°And fully away from the ears of outsiders. That is one thing I will not risk for a thrill.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad there¡¯s at least something,¡± I muttered. She made a sound in her throat. ¡°It is your priorities that need straightening, my gift. Sex, even in public, is of no consequence. Information is. And you have been far too lax in seeking it here.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d argue that point, too. But I take your meaning.¡± I tilted my head back out of the tent to get a look at the sun. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve got a bit before sunset. Why don¡¯t we head back to our room? We should be able to talk freely there.¡± ¡°And have reward sex,¡± Jax reminded me. ¡°If we have time for it,¡± I agreed, ushering the girls out of the tent and into the muddy lane it emptied into. Most everyone nearby was still crowding around the improvised arena, jockeying to get a better look at the match. It was only the loser¡¯s bracket, but from the sound of things, Mellit and my recent patient were putting on a pretty good show. ¡°We¡¯re having reward sex?¡± Lynnria asked, as we threaded our way through the crowd, prompting me to pull my enormous hat as far down over my face as I could. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°I unblocked me Core!¡± ¡°You mean I missed it?!¡± Lynnria threw her head back mournfully. ¡°Damn it! I wanted to watch that.¡± ¡°I doubt you would have enjoyed it,¡± Xyn opined. ¡°She seduced her way to victory.¡± Lynnria¡¯s feet stopped for a heartbeat before she scurried to catch up. ¡°Really? During combat? How do you seduce someone during combat?¡± Jax shrugged. ¡°Easy enough if ye got the skills.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°What skills, though?¡± she persisted. ¡°And was it a guy or a girl?¡± ¡°Were a lass.¡± Lynnria grimaced. ¡°Ew¡­¡± ¡°What I¡¯d have said, were it a lad,¡± Jax countered. ¡°And you¡¯re not fooling anyone,¡± Xyn added, eyeing the younger girl. ¡°I take it back. You would have loved to see the end of that match. The idea of overwhelming someone¡¯s better judgment, especially if that someone is a woman¡­ excites you.¡± Lynnria stiffened. ¡°It does not!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no use in denying it. I can taste the anticipation beneath your shame. Even now, you envision them so wet for you that their weapon clatters to the floor. Making them your devoted slave.¡± Xyn chuckled knowingly. ¡°I¡¯ll bet you¡¯ve got your first target all picked out, too. But who? A cousin, perhaps? A former servant? ¡­your mother?¡± Lynnria whirled on her, claws splayed and hissing, but I was quick to jump between them. ¡°Okay, we just talked about this. People around. Still lots of people around.¡± We all of us stilled. We had already rounded the arena to the other side, but there was still more than enough of a crowd milling about to have noticed the flare up. However, once it became obvious we were controlling ourselves, they lost interest in favor of the ongoing match. Xyn held up her hands in surrender. ¡°Forget I mentioned it. Old habits¡­¡± ¡°Right. Well, you¡¯d better work on those ¡®old habits,¡¯¡± I said. ¡°Or you¡¯ll be getting no seconds from me. Or anything else.¡± Her hands fell slowly to her side, and her eyes went hard. For a long while, we simply stared at one another, there in the middle of the crowded street, neither of us speaking. The spell Xhinn had cast on me ensured my love for this creature, so taking a stand against her like this pained me. But I had my lines. Cruelty was one of them. Whether she had been lying or hitting the nail right on the head was immaterial; Lynnria¡¯s private fantasies were for her to sort out, not for others to drag out of the closet and try on for size. ¡°I would find that¡­ upsetting, Donum,¡± she said eventually. ¡°I don¡¯t think you would like it were I to become upset.¡± The threat had been leveled with a nonchalance that bordered on malice, and normally, it would have been effective. But I had heard it so many times before that I could not help but smile. ¡°Why? You gonna turn green and start smashing the place up?¡± Her head tilted to one side slow enough that I could almost imagine her neck creaking, studying me. ¡°I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ she ain¡¯t seen that one, Master,¡± Jax opined, coming up to my shoulder with a haughty look on her face. Xyn glanced at her briefly. ¡°Seen?¡± ¡°Aye. The master used to attend the theater avid-like, ye know.¡± Jax tilted her nose into the air. ¡°Told me all about it, did he. Tales to make yer head spin right off.¡± Xyn¡¯s face underwent a complex series of emotions before her neck straightened again. ¡°I wish to hear these tales.¡± ¡°And I wish you would apologize to Lynnria.¡± This time, her glance went to our youngest member. Lynnria no longer looked like she was ready to tear someone¡¯s throat out, but she still had an aura of tension about her. Like she was being hunted. ¡°And then you will¡­ share?¡± Xyn asked. ¡°Of yourself? Completely?¡± Jax started to growl again, but I held up a hand to forestall her. ¡°And then I will consider it. Just like with¡­ your Mother, I need to get to know you first. You share of you, and I share of me. Bit by bit, remember? That¡¯s just how I work. I don¡¯t like the idea of¡­¡± I lowered my voice, ¡°¡­intimacy when there¡¯s no depth to it.¡± ¡°Depth?¡± Xyn¡¯s look gained a sudden intensity. ¡°You wish to season the flavor between us first?¡± ¡°I guess you could put it that way.¡± Getting to know someone would naturally build up an emotional profile of them within your mind, so from a lilim¡¯s point of view, I could imagine a certain equivalence. ¡°With the way you keep going on about palettes and taste refinement, I¡¯d think that would interest you.¡± ¡°And so it does,¡± she agreed, delivering a solid thump of her tail to the ground. ¡°We shall discuss this at length. Later. For now¡­¡± She turned smartly to face Lynnria, who retreated a step before straightening. ¡°Let us set games aside for the moment, girl. I am not one to offer apologies, nor am I one to act without intent. I may don the guise of the trickster or the rabble-rouser when it suits my purposes, but I meant every word I said. And what I said was for good reason.¡± Lynnria folded her arms in front of her chest. ¡°That being?¡± Xyn shrugged the question off. ¡°Call it a theory. Let us just say that I do not mean to disparage your¡­ appetites. Quite the opposite. I might even¡ª¡± She paused, again casting her gaze to the faceless crowd, scanning for someone or something I could not detect. ¡°But that too is a topic best left for other times and other places. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Curiosity began to war with the hunted expression on Lynnria¡¯s face, prompting her to offer a reluctant nod. I let out a grunt, still less than content with the exchange. ¡°You could have summed all of that up with a simple, ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Is that really so difficult?¡± Xyn¡¯s head turned just enough to look at me from the corner of her good eye. ¡°It is when you know the flavor of dishonesty.¡± ¡°Which she can¡¯t taste,¡± I reminded her. She turned to regard me fully, her eye widening and lips gaping with the revulsion of a debutante first confronted with actual poverty. ¡°Donum! Let¡¯s not be gauche. We both know she cannot help that. There¡¯s no reason to make light of the poor girl.¡± I gave her a flat look. To which she responded with an impish grin. ¡°Sorry, Lynnria,¡± I said, turning from the unrepentant demon. ¡°Looks like that¡¯s the best you¡¯re going to get.¡± She shrugged half-heartedly. ¡°It¡¯s better than I was expecting. I¡¯m surprised she even offered that much. What¡¯s going on with you two, anyway?¡± From the sigh that escaped my lips, you would have thought I was attempting to expel the soul from my body. ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°Again?¡± she voiced, the word containing a near-audible wince. ¡°Whistling dicks¡­¡± And it was at that moment that Mia chose to return to my own consciousness. ¡°My lord, why is Arx in a medic¡¯s tent? Who is that woman, and why is she so upset about her linens?¡± I whirled on Xyn. ¡°You left Arx in the tent?!¡± * The lilim made a disgusted sound as she stamped up the stairs. ¡°Blasted splinter, spoiling my fun. I was hoping to make it back to the room before he noticed.¡± ¡°Well, he did notice,¡± Arx yelled, chasing after her. ¡°Why did you even bother taking me along if you were just going to dump me in some¡ª¡± Their argument continued up to the second story, where it was mostly inaudible. That did nothing to stop the entire common room¡¯s population from staring a hole right through my shoulder blades, though¡ªeven with Jax standing behind me to glare them all down. Then an ear-jarring slam reverberated down the stairwell, followed by a series of unidentifiable yet concerning noises from directly overhead. I glanced over at Lynnria, who had been hovering near the base of the stairs with an aura of baleful indecision, and sent her a pleading look. She said nothing, but her eyes held plenty of meaning. ¡®What do you want me to do?¡¯ ¡®Anything!¡¯ my expression screamed in response. As she scurried up the stairs, I turned back to Tips with a rigid smile carved into my lips. ¡°How much did you say it was going to be?¡± The rotund tavern keeper did not respond immediately. His eyes were on the ceiling above us, likely calculating the value in gold of every thump, rumble, and crash that was filtering through it. ¡°Well, so far¡­¡± he began, speaking loud enough to be heard over the ruckus, and consequently, throughout every corner of the stone-silent common area, ¡°you have one demolished, full-sized bed frame; one mattress, sheets, the liner, pillows, and comforter that are all technically intact but so covered in stains that I¡¯m going to have to burn the lot if I ever want to get the smell out; claw gouges and links of chain embedded in most of the walls; and¡­¡± He laughed humorlessly. ¡°¡­let¡¯s not forget the puddle of urine that¡¯s been dripping onto my bar counter all afternoon from that Feral Borget you left on top of the antique dressing cabinet.¡± A low whistle drifted to my ears from somewhere to my left, followed by a few murmurs of appalled inquiry. Borget? I wondered, having to take a moment to think. Oh! Oh¡­ Shit¡­ I forgot about that stupid rabbit. And now, everyone thinks¡­ Ah, Man¡­ Every cell of my being wanted to spin around and hastily explain to the crowd that no part of that little monster had been used for any of the escapades they were imagining¡ªsexual or otherwise¡ªbut honestly, it would have done more harm than good. ¡°All of which is completely irreplaceable,¡± Pimar continued, ¡°until the trade lines from the river reopen. So what do you think?¡± I chuckled weakly right as something that sounded remarkably similar to glass shattering echoed down the stairs. ¡°Well, at least we didn¡¯t set the room on fire.¡± Tips did not return my smile. ¡°Were you planning to?¡± * Jax stamped up the stairs in a frothing rage, mirrored in opposition to the trudging melancholy of my own steps behind her. ¡°I can nay believe that punter¡­ every mokit copper. Every flaming toaty of a copper! Cleaned the oose right out of yer purse, the flint. Why, I¡¯ve half a mind¡­¡± She left the thought unsaid, but I could fill in the blanks easily enough. And from the enchanted mace Tips had casually laid across the bar counter during our negotiations, I had a feeling he could as well. ¡°That were sixteen gold ye dumped in his palm!¡± she continued unabated. ¡°And more in silver. I counted. Ain¡¯t a room in all the laoi territory is worth that much, fresh painted and minty. Not what ye can rent of a night, anyways. Scam and scandal be what that were.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe he didn¡¯t want the Lust pill,¡± I remarked, mostly to myself, as I crested the landing to head down our hall. ¡°I know it¡¯s technically a debuff, but at Tier III, that¡¯s got to be worth something.¡± Jax just harrumphed in disgust, turning to walk backwards ahead of me. ¡°Oh, believe you me, he would have snatched that too, but fer the whole pub breaking their necks over his shoulder. I¡¯d bet me left tit they think we been downing them things like sweeties after them damages he counted out. Ha! As if a lass like me¡¯d need a Pill to get a bloke¡¯s pecker up.¡± I considered offering a slightly different perspective on that assumption, but frankly, trying to convince Jax that a normal person would suspect I was the one plying women with horny Pills was a losing battle. Lynnria was the only one of my girls I knew of whose libido had an off button, if barely. Xyn, I did not know well enough to have asked, and trying to find out if Mia did would have been entirely counterproductive. But none of that was the issue. I was one dude constantly surrounded by a small herd of some of the most attractive women in town. People would naturally assume I had some kind of secret up my sleeves. They were right, but it was not like I was doing it on purpose. And it certainly had nothing to do with Pills! ¡°And can ye believe he complained of the smell?!¡± Jax continued unabated. ¡°Ought to be grateful, the roaster. Only room in the whole inn what¡¯s got a proper man¡¯s musk to it. I were just starting to feel comfortable in there, and now he wants to toss us on our ears?¡± Here again, my own perspective seemed radically different from hers. Whatever scent I had left behind was, to my nose, completely obscured by the absolute bomb of perfumed delight wafting its way down the hallway. Cinnamon rolls and caramel warred with spiced whiskey and undercurrents of honeyed blackberry jam, the combination of which was an absolute gift to the senses. Or it was to mine. The rest of the tavern apparently shared a different opinion. ¡°Jax, can we please refrain from discussing my musk until after we¡¯ve gotten to the room?¡± I pleaded. ¡°There might still be one or two people left in this inn who have not been apprised of our sex lives. Like on the third story, maybe?¡± ¡°Bah! Let ¡®em gawk. I¡¯ll have me reward on the roof, if I have to.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still thinking about that?¡± I asked. ¡°Tips said he wanted us out by the nightfall, and we still have to make it back in time for your match.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯d best hurry,¡± she replied seriously, drawing even with the door. ¡°This be the last chance ye¡¯ll ever have to sample this body. After tonight, I¡¯ll be changing, and I want ye to remember how I were.¡± I almost lost my footing as I stumbled to a halt. I was so stunned I had to look at her askance. ¡°Why, Jax. I believe that¡¯s just about the most romantic thing I¡¯ve ever heard you say.¡± It was such a silly little sentiment, too. All of my girls changed in their own ways, day to day and Layer to Layer. Jax especially. But she had been stuck in her current form since before Raialie had been swallowed, while I had not. I knew how much the growing disparity between us had been eating at her, especially once her looks had been surpassed by Arx. And Xyn¡¯s presence could not have been helping matters. But none of that mattered to me. Jax might not have been the sexiest, the smartest, the strongest, or whatever other metrics you might hold her up against. She might have had a mouth on her like a cheap villain from an 18th century pirate novel and had a violent streak to match. But I did not care. She was my First. My number one. She had stuck with me through thick and thin from almost the very moment I had landed on this world. If something ever happened to me, she would be the first by my side, bawling her eyes out, and the first to draw up plans for retribution. Of all my girls, she was the one I loved the most. She knew it too and was proud of it. So when she started blushing and casting about for excuses, her anger forgotten in a fluster, I could not help but melt for her. ¡°Who¡¯s romantic? I ain¡¯t¡­ yer the one who¡­ who¡­ Gone daft in the head, ye have! I just wanted¡­ w-wanted¡­¡± Smiling down at her, I quickly gathered her into my arms. I knew it was the wrong move the moment I did it. Touching her like that could only send her libido into overdrive, so if I left her hanging after this, the only thing on her mind for the rest of the night would be what had gone wrong and what she would have to do to finally get my robe over my head. There would be no room left over for winning her match. But it was worth it to see her little gasp of delight. To watch the shivers begin to race up and down her body. To see her breasts pool into my chest as she helplessly pressed herself against me, her lips parted in anticipation. And to smell the delicate waft of refined whiskey cocktails drifting up from her. ¡°You just wanted what?¡± I asked, taunting her in a low, seductive rumble. ¡°To dance on the rooftops in my arms? To share a kiss beneath the moonlight? To tie Xyn down and make her watch while you hog me all night long?¡± ¡°Master¡­¡± she breathed, starting to lean heavily into me. ¡°Master, please. Please, yes. All them things. That last one, especial. Can we?¡± My grin broadened, and slowly, I began to inch my lips closer to hers. ¡°Well¡­ no promises. But I¡¯ll see if I can convince her.¡± Jax let out a little moan of frustration at the tantalizing nearness of my kiss, held playfully just out of her reach. Until she could take it no more. With a sensual growl, she hitched a leg around my waist and pulled herself up. Her tongue danced with mine for some while, our breaths commingling in shared passion. The growl from before transformed into a pleased sort of purring, teasing my lips with her satisfaction. My hands found purchase at her backside. It was a firm, shapely thing, muscular yet soft in all the best ways. Gradually, I began to knead her flesh, my fingers teasing the hem of her dress¡ªreally just a flap of fabric hanging from her belt to keep wandering eyes from seeing what they should not¡ªexploring ever more deeply. Lower. Seeking the heat between her legs. And then the door opened. ¡°Oh, there you are.¡± Jax and I turned as one to discover Xhinn, the Demon Queen herself, staring out at us, just casually leaning against the doorframe like it was an everyday sort of thing to have a goddess show up in your hotel room. She folded her arms and waggled her eyebrows at us. ¡°I thought I sensed something warming up out here. By all means, continue. Or perhaps you¡¯d prefer this body tied up first?¡± 4 - An Innocent Chat with the Queen ¡°Back so soon?¡± I quipped, letting Jax slide away with a degree of understandable remorse; I had really been looking forward to that before-and-after idea of hers. If only I had a camera! But with the Demon Queen watching? The goddess and I had reached something of an accord during our last little chat¡ªby which I mean I had convinced her not to rip my soul out¡ªbut we had not exactly reached that point in our relationship. However, my First did not seem able to find her feet. ¡°Master?¡± Jax wheezed breathlessly before she collapsed in a heap beside me. ¡°What be¡­ How¡­?¡± Xhinn let out a snort of amusement, staring down at her. ¡°Gracious, child. I am barely even here. Have some self-respect.¡± My eyes flicked over our divine interloper¡¯s shoulder for an instant to where I spied Arx and Lynnria huddled together in terror. Arx looked well enough, for all that her breathing was a little strained, but Lynnria¡¯s normally tanned skin had gone so pale, you might have thought she was about to be sick. Neither were on their feet. ¡°She¡¯s barely past the first Boundary, Xh¡ª¡± I cut myself off from saying Her name aloud while I was still standing in the hallway. I did not know how common knowledge a thing like that might be around here, but I certainly did not want to risk it getting out that I was associating with the entity responsible for slaughtering half the town¡¯s population. Willingly or otherwise. So, with a hasty glance up and down the corridor, I took Jax by the shoulders and dragged her into the room. Xhinn did not lift a finger to help, but she did at least stand aside with a casual sort of ease to let us pass. Safely inside, I allowed Jax to slump to the ground and quickly skipped to the door, easing it shut with a click. All seemed quiet nearby, and the gentle murmuring from the bar had begun to again filter through the floorboards, so I turned to the goddess once more. ¡°None of them are. And they¡¯re mostly working on physical Classes. Why would they have bothered investing in Wisdom?¡± She looked at me as though my words had cut her. ¡°Besides having the ability to stand in their own Mother¡¯s Presence?¡± There might have been a few gasps of shock interspersed with all the wheezing coming from my girls, but it was hard to tell. I deliberated a moment on whether to explain why the Demon Queen would call herself such a thing, but they already knew about the soul thing. From that, it was easy enough to extrapolate a kind of familial relationship, even if it was stretching the concept to its limits. So, I let the comment pass. ¡°Yes. Besides that. It¡¯s not like they have a need for it otherwise.¡± ¡°Oh, but they do.¡± She fluttered past me in a rush to squat beside Lynnria, whom she yanked from Arx¡¯s arms, then delivered what might have been a motherly kiss had it not involved a noticeable hint of tongue. ¡°This one knows all about that, don¡¯t you, sweetheart?¡± Lynnria could only reply by retching. Mewling with concern, Xhinn clutched the girl so tightly to her, they were practically cheek-to-cheek. ¡°Just look at her, my gift! She is on the verge of death! Why haven¡¯t you started with that¡­¡± her hand lifted to flutter at me, ¡°¡­thing you do yet? Help them.¡± I was not buying the sudden show of concern for an instant. But even had she been serious, it was not like I could just switch it on and have them be okay. The ability combo she was referring to had a lot of nuts and bolts to it before I could make it work. ¡°It takes a minute to get the Wisdom stack going. Lynnria doesn¡¯t have any way of discharging the Lust buildup yet, so she would have to suffer while I transformed your Presence into Lust. The other two would have to process that Lust into Energy, feed it to me until I¡¯m totally full¡ªwhich I¡¯m nowhere close to being¡ªand then I could start buffing everyone¡¯s Wisdom, one point at a time. But none of that matters, because you¡¯re putting out so little Presence, I can barely detect it. So stop pretending and let them up.¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± She made a show of pouting that would have been more convincing had she kept the smile from her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. I was only pressing on them a little. Besides, they were being disrespectful.¡± She did not move, but somehow, her motherly embrace shifted into one with a far more sensuous quality. Even for me, that was not a thing I was prepared to handle for long. Xhinn might have been in a reduced form, stuffing herself into Xyn¡¯s body like she had, but She was still a goddess. If she truly wanted to seduce me, there was not much I could do to prevent it. She kissed Lynnria¡¯s cheek, this time following the move by allowing her tongue and lower lip to trace the girl¡¯s jaw and up to her pointed ear. Lynnria shivered, but if it was from the weight of the Queen¡¯s Presence or simply because she was getting into it, I could not say. It might have even been some unholy matrimony of the two. ¡°They¡¯re so much more pleasant when they are quiet and on their knees, aren¡¯t they?¡± the Queen mused, nuzzling the wisps of purple hair by the girl¡¯s ear. ¡°Xhinn¡­¡± I jerked my eyes away quickly. I could already feel myself throbbing from the display. If this carried on much longer¡­ well, I was not about to agree to an out-and-out orgy up here. That might have been agreeable under other circumstances¡ªand the part of my brain dedicated to appreciating the glory of divine woman-flesh was practically gibbering with excitement at the prospect¡ªbut there was already one pissed-off bartender downstairs. And if my other matron-goddess, Ahnbe, got wind of it, she was likely to serve us our collective asses on a platter. ¡°Please. What are you even doing here? Didn¡¯t you have responsibilities to get back to?¡± I thought I detected a slight wince mar her perfect features. ¡°No?¡± she answered evasively. ¡°Why would you think that? The Dungeon can run well enough without me to guide it for¡­ at least a little while. Long enough for us to have a bit of fun, anyway. You¡¯d like having a bit of fun¡­ wouldn¡¯t you?¡± A detectable pulse rippled through the floorboards at Her words, traveling up my legs and practically wrapping itself unseen around my already engorged flesh. I almost doubled over from the sensation of it, like she was tasting me from afar. Watcher¡¯s black eye¡­ is this what She¡¯s like? A throaty sort of giggle rumbled out of her chest, drawing my eyes to where Xhinn¡¯s manifestation had amplified her lilim¡¯s already impressive attributes. ¡°Oh, my Gift¡­¡± she purred, doubtlessly having read my thoughts. ¡°You tempt me so with your innocence. But that was nothing like the pleasure of my caress. My actual kiss. My true body¡¯s embrace. Your Will has grown strong of late¡­ but not so strong as to survive that. I would break your mind just as my thieving sister once did. But perhaps in this form¡­ perhaps¡­¡± She drew herself to her feet like a pool of water through a straw, her eyes dancing over my enrobed form with wanton abandon. We stood across from each other for seeming eons, neither moving. Not forward, at least. Her body never quite held still. Her hips would shift, her waist would tilt, her hands would trace their way up and down her skin, just feeling about and wandering where they might. Yet no movement of hers showed a hint of the unconscious twitches or jerks you might see in a similarly standing mortal. She had the poise and grace of a machine given flesh. I will admit, I may have panicked a bit to be so centered within Her attention. It probably would have been fine to let her get on with whatever it was she was planning¡ªor so the smooth-brained part of me argued. Literally mind-blowing, even. And there were decent odds of my getting away with it without Ahnbe finding out. Yet I could tell somehow that Xhinn was only doing this as a pretext. She was trying too hard. It was all too fast and too sudden. ¡°Okay, what are you hiding?¡± I demanded, doing my level best to keep my eyes affixed to the safest parts of her anatomy. ¡°Hiding?¡± she lilted. Her hands spread wide, elbows bent at an angle that was absolutely perfect for drawing my gaze exactly where I was struggling not to let it go; right where their lines met at her exquisite bosom. Somehow, she even twisted her torso just enough to force them to noticeably shift without it being obvious what she was doing. ¡°Why, whatever do you mean? What could I possibly be hiding?¡± ¡°You tell me.¡± I started to take an unconscious step back, but her mismatched eyes hardened so fast my foot had scarcely touched the floor before it had reversed course. Fortunately, the move forward seemed to please her enough to allow the anger to vanish as quickly as it had come. Okay. Courage over cowardice. Noted. And with that in mind, I firmed my lip. ¡°All I know is, you were here just a couple of hours ago, ¡®things to do, ominous portents, go¡­ spread your seed. Oh, and by the way, enjoy your new lilim, toodles!¡¯ Now, suddenly, you¡¯re back? Why?¡± ¡°Be that¡­ be that why¡­ Xyn?¡± Jax attempted to interject from the floor. Xhinn ignored her. ¡°Maybe I was summoned? Did you never think of that? Our children were having quite the scuffle before you got here. Perhaps the eyepatch was displaced in the mayhem, and I was forced to hurry back before they could destroy more of this¡­ quaint villa you¡¯ve occupied.¡± Now that she mentioned it, I noticed Xyn¡¯s patch was more than displaced. It was not even on Xhinn¡¯s head. But a quick glance around was enough to spy the thing hanging from one of the many links of chain her last visit had embedded into the walls. We had been using them to bind her lilim and then-captive to the bed, a choice my pocketbook was still weeping over, but the Demon Queen had made short and rather violent work of them. ¡°L-Lies,¡± Arx panted. ¡°She¡­ She took it¡ªut!¡± Xhinn turned only just enough to glance down at her. ¡°Do not gainsay me, child. Now, be silent. Both of you. Your father and I are trying to enjoy a conversation.¡± I could feel no tangible difference in the Pressure she was giving off, but it was clear Xhinn had done something. All three of my girls looked like they had just been tossed into a high-g centrifuge. ¡°Xhinn, please,¡± I tried again. ¡°You¡¯re hurting them.¡± ¡°Only physically,¡± she argued. I gaped at her. ¡°Oh, very well,¡± she relented with a roll of her eyes. ¡°Since it bothers you so much.¡± With a few Words and a wave of her hand, my Dolilim were plucked from their spots on the floor, swept through the air, and landed in a tight huddle over in one corner of the room. An additional handful of Words summoned a transparent bubble around them, trapping the three inside. They seemed to recover quickly with the wall in place, but from the way their mouths were moving, it appeared the bubble was doing more than simply blocking Her Presence. ¡°There,¡± Xhinn said, pleased. ¡°Now we can talk in peace.¡± ¡°Was that really necessary?¡± I complained. It was better than watching them being slowly squished to death, but that did not mean I enjoyed watching them being gathered up like herd animals. ¡°I could have just politely asked them not to interfere.¡± She made a thoughtful noise in her throat and began to idly pace in circles around me. ¡°For one whose Words have tickled my ears, you do much to underestimate yourself, my Donum. You may have surmised correctly that I was pressing on them less gently than I otherwise might, but my nature does not allow me to lift my finger completely, even in this reduced form. They must shoulder some measure of that burden themselves, just as you are doing now. That you can barely feel it is only because your Will is so strong.¡± Her every word was a dulcet cadence of velvet upon my ears, and I found myself struggling not to grin like an idiot over the mild flattery, Will or not. It was incredible how much difference it made to have a conversation with one of these goddesses while I was not huddled in a scrabbling puddle of terror. Without that fear to shield me, it was woefully easy to let myself fall into the swirling pools of her eyes, to nod along with whatever it was she was saying. A man could find himself agreeing to practically anything that way. ¡°And anyway, they would not have listened,¡± she continued. ¡°They are what you have made them, after all.¡± I had to practically force my expression into a frown. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± She chuckled, but instead of answering immediately, she pirouetted over to the destroyed bed. This she surveyed for a moment before tutting with dissatisfaction, then Spoke a chair into existence from the scraps of wood lying about. The result was low-backed and wide, with a large hole whose purpose remained obscure until she turned, fitted her reptilian tail through it, and sat. She had crossed her legs demurely at the knee, so I could see nothing as she settled. But it hardly mattered. Just as her representative had been, she was pretty much naked save for the rows of scales strategically covering her most private areas. These she had not adjusted despite her flirtations, so I knew her sudden interest could not have been more than a passing whim, possibly meant to throw me off the scent of her true intentions. The part of my brain that was rolling around and tossing leaves in the air like a chimp demanded I call her bluff¡ªjust in case¡ªbut my higher-order thinking was quick to remind it that there was a danger not just from her Sister. As much effort as it was taking to listen to her with a clear head, looking at her was far worse. Attempting to actually satisfy her was a path to madness. But all of that was old news. What really drew my attention were the locks of dark hair slowly yet visibly receding into her scalp, allowing some of the blonde to show through again. It was as though Her manifestation was on a timer¡­ until it just stopped. The only explanation I could think of was that her spells had drained her somehow. Now settled, she glanced up at me, drawing my attention back. ¡°It means that your influence, also, is more far-reaching than you might have realized. Again and again, you complain when they fixate too greatly upon you. You demand they have wants and desires above and beyond just your affections, that they challenge you when their needs are not met or when they see you acting the fool. You cannot say such things to an impressionable young lilim and not have them take it to heart.¡± ¡°What are you trying to tell me, Xhinn? That I¡¯m somehow molding their personalities? Not just their bodies?¡± She rolled her eyes, gracing me with an indulgent smile. ¡°It¡¯s the other way around, my lovely buffoon. You know what they are. Lilim mold their own bodies and personalities¡ªreally everything about themselves¡ªto ever more completely subsume the desires of their conquests. If becoming an empty-headed love-slave would have allowed them to feed from you the better, then that is precisely what they would have become. You reject such traits. And so they are as compliant as they are biddable¡­ which is to say, they are neither. Your influence is simply¡­ the force that guides them.¡± ¡°So¡­ what? I like challenging women?¡± That throaty chuckle came again. ¡°You have yet to produce a submissive type.¡± ¡°Arx is submissive,¡± I argued doggedly. ¡°Is she? Curious. I have never witnessed her waiting like a docile puppet for the grace of your attentions. To my eyes, it is she who demands you take possession of her. Aggressively so.¡± There was some truth to that. I had just assumed that was some artifact of Arx¡¯s messed-up personality creating a volatile mixture with her Dolilim instincts. And maybe it was. Maybe Arx would have been a natural submissive¡ªat least in the bedroom¡ªhad my influence not been a factor, but she had somehow figured out that she needed to be more than that in order to hold my interest. And she had succeeded. Crafted or not, Arx¡¯s bedroom persona was one I was not likely to forget. Still, there was one facet of this argument that was not holding water. ¡°You didn¡¯t change your form. Back when you ripped your solarium in half. I saw you. It was¡­ y-you were¡­¡± I cleared my throat and looked away, trying to dispel the mental image I had unwittingly summoned. There were levels of beauty that the unbuffed human mind was not equipped to handle. ¡°Why, you incorrigible flirt!¡± Xhinn was beaming. ¡°I thought I was being so intimidating, too. But not to you. Not to my Gift, no.¡± Her satisfied laughter resounded through my bones. ¡°Oh¡­ you were being plenty of that,¡± I assured her. She waved a hand lazily through the air. ¡°You raise an interesting point, though. Why would I, in my truest form, be so perfectly aligned to your taste?¡± Her eyes wandered to my Dolilim for a moment. Perhaps¡­ critically? ¡°Hmm¡­ Very close. Close enough not to matter. What a strange thing¡­ Yet, I am not they. And it does nothing to change what they are. My lilim have taken on thousands of forms over the years and assumed as many personalities, many of which you would have found beyond repulsive.¡± ¡°But you said they were taking their forms because of my influence,¡± I persisted. ¡°I thought that was one of my Class features, not just something everyone has.¡± ¡°I said they were using it to guide them. I did not imply that was the beginning or the end of its function.¡± Her eyes flickered toward the corner again. ¡°And I think you would be hard-pressed to find another capable of influencing someone, not of my children, to join their ranks.¡± I threw my hands into the air. ¡°Alright, fine. Forget all that. You¡¯re going to give me a complex.¡± Xhinn favored me with a breathtaking smile. ¡°It isn¡¯t easy to be responsible for so much, is it?¡± Its ease was immaterial; I had never asked for that kind of responsibility. But bemoaning my situation while grinning like an idiot would have made me look like a lunatic, and the effort not to return her smile was monumental. ¡°Whatever.¡± I flopped face-first into the nearby feather mattress. I doubted I was fooling her, but it made me feel better to smother my pounding heart within its downy lumps. ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me why you¡¯re here. And don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s just because you wanted to flirt or chat. I¡¯m not a complete buffoon.¡± ¡°Is it so offensive for a goddess to crave such things?¡± she asked, obviously continuing to deflect. ¡°You wanted to get to know me, did you not?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± I allowed cautiously. Though ¡®wanted¡¯ was a bit of a stretch. She tutted. ¡°Fine. It¡¯s clear you¡¯ll never believe me, so let¡¯s see¡­¡± I could hear her hands pat against the armrests of her chair in an alternating rhythm, like she was genuinely thinking the matter over. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m here to grant you a Quest,¡± she said finally. I rolled to one side. That had my attention. ¡°Quest?¡± She nodded once to herself. ¡°Yes. That would be a likely excuse for a goddess like myself to show up unannounced.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I sat up, still suspicious as ever. Something was off about this, but I could not put my finger on why. ¡°I¡¯ll bite. What Quest?¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. What do you want to do?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± I blinked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t as though I had something planned out.¡± ¡°The hell you didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Oh, unruffle your robe.¡± She sniffed. ¡°Fine. I understand you were having some¡­¡± a claw twirled idly through the air, as though she were struggling to put words to the concept, ¡°¡­financial difficulty?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I gestured around us. ¡°The tavernkeep took one look at the mess you made of his room and emptied my purse of every coin it had. And apparently, I owe the Lawmaiden a shit ton of money, too.¡± She had sat blithely uninterested in my complaints about the damages she had caused, but at the mention of her Sister, she sat up and guffawed. ¡°Ha! You¡¯re kidding? She¡¯s still on about that? What a cow!¡± ¡°You knew?¡± ¡°Oh, she won¡¯t shut up about it!¡± She leaned over the arm of her chair, for all the world, nothing more than one of the gals sharing the latest gab. The move had caused a certain part of her to distort in a wondrously eye-catching way over her wrist¡­ but I would not be able to describe that, because I was not staring at it at all! ¡°She was absolutely incensed when you claimed Jax for yourself instead of killing her. ¡®Like you were supposed to.¡¯¡± That last had been in an obnoxiously pinched voice. ¡°Redeemed, destroyed, ugh¡­ As if it didn¡¯t amount to the same thing. And somehow, it was all my fault. As usual. Why, to hear them talk, you would think every ill that ever befell the world was a direct result of my creation.¡± ¡°Them?¡± I shook my head. ¡°H-Hold on, you¡¯re saying that because Jax was a Bandit¡ª¡± But she ignored the question. ¡°Yes, them. The lot of them have been¡ª¡± There was a brief hesitation, then with a groan, she slumped into her chair. ¡°¡ªhave been at me for hours now. It wasn¡¯t something I wanted to discuss¡­ as you can no doubt imagine. Being scolded like a schoolgirl by one¡¯s own Siblings is not a thing one¡¯s subordinates need be apprised of. It does not reflect well. Still!¡± She sat forward angrily. ¡°You Swallow one insignificant town, and it¡¯s nothing but complaints. ¡®My shrine! All those people! But my shrine! Power imbalances. The expense of sanctified stone imports!¡¯ Ugh! Bunch of ninnies. No one here ever built a shrine to me. Why should I care if a couple of trifling huts get knocked over? And what about my Purpose? Did no one ever think of that?¡± There was¡­ kind of a lot heaped into that pile of a diatribe. It was difficult to know where to even start. ¡°They¡¯re at you? You mean, like¡­ currently? What, did you escape or something? Are you hiding?¡± If that were true, her abrupt appearance here would make an awful lot more sense, and it would go a long way toward explaining the evasiveness I had noticed. But then another thought popped into my head, and my eyes widened in horror. ¡°Are they chasing you?!¡± Oh, no¡­ oh, no no no! They can¡¯t come here! She actually tittered at me. ¡°Them here? Don¡¯t be absurd. No¡­¡± Massaging her temples, she slouched back into the chair with a long-suffering groan. ¡°They¡¯re still yelling away, and I¡¯m still ¡®listening,¡¯ playing the part of the repentant little sister. I¡¯m just¡­ allowing my mind to wander a bit.¡± ¡°Allowing your¡­¡± My mouth worked for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re still there? And here? At the same time?¡± A bit of a smirk cracked her lips, and her hand lifted from its boneless slump to ruffle my hair. I will admit, even so brief a contact with Her sent thrills racing up and down my spine, like I was a damned puppy. ¡°We are as we are, my Donum. Do not make the mistake of assuming mortal limitations.¡± I had to give her that one. ¡°So¡­ what? You¡¯re just daydreaming?¡± About me? I almost winced at how enthusiastic the unspoken thought had been, but there was no point. I had already admitted to how unimaginably attractive I found her. She would know how little resistance against her I truly had. All it would take were a few whispered words, and I would be at Her feet, worshiping Her every inch. Yet she had restrained herself from pushing me over that edge. Oh, she was enjoying herself aplenty with her teasing, but she was being careful not to break her precious toy. I had to suppose I should be grateful for that, but one of the myriad drawbacks of having a conversation with a powerful mind-reader was the absolute lack of mental privacy. Intrusive thoughts were not meant for an audience, damn it! But to my immense relief, she ignored my discomfort in favor of what I had actually chosen to share. ¡°Day¡­ dream?¡± She looked at me strangely. ¡°By my Father, you have some of the most unusual ideas. I do not sleep, Gift. And even if I had the need, what about our surroundings gives you the impression of the fabric?¡± I opened my mouth to speak, but it was a solid beat before words came out. ¡°O-Okay, there¡¯s a lot to unpack there.¡± It was a pattern I had often noticed when dealing with these goddesses. ¡°Is there?¡± She plopped her chin into her hand, losing interest. ¡°Well, no matter. Your Bline fragment can doubtlessly clear up whatever misapprehensions you might have. Now, about this Quest¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± My mind had still been grinding away at the differences between the goddess-to-human experience, but the mention of Mia had thrown a pebble into the mortar. ¡°Weren¡¯t you saying something earlier about power imbalances? Does that mean the Lady of Power is there? On the¡­ the other side or whatever? I thought She had disappeared.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I was wondering if you would catch that.¡± She sat forward again, eyes reigniting with intrigue. ¡°She is indeed. And with some very interesting things to say. Even more interesting, what she has not. She seems so¡­ uncharacteristically curious. Yet evasive. She won¡¯t come out and say whatever could be bothering her, of course. Never that. But I don¡¯t think she even knows what she wants to ask. I¡¯ve been positively aching to get her alone for a moment, but¡­¡± She spread her hands. ¡°Huh¡­¡± I thought back to my own experience with the goddess. Most of the time, she had been so stoic, it was easy to doubt she even had emotions¡ªunless you asked her too many questions. Then things could get a little spicy. ¡°How could you tell?¡± ¡°Oh, please. Her? With those grimaces and twitches of hers, you¡¯d almost think she was about to choke on her every question.¡± ¡°I do not grimace!¡± Mia shouted abruptly, her voice echoing through my skull. ¡°You know the reason for our suffering, Xhinn. Do not make light of it.¡± Xhinn chuckled. ¡°I thought that would drive you out of hiding. Hello, fragment of my Sister. Are you keeping well within the abode you absconded with?¡± ¡°It was never yours to begin with, rutting¡ª¡± Mia pulled away before whatever foulness was about to cross her lips could be fully transmitted, but not quite fast enough to prevent my heart from leaping into my esophagus. Some of the amusement drained from Xhinn¡¯s expression. ¡°Hmm. I really ought to rip you out of there. I do so wonder what your greater part would think of you, given some of the¡­ comments she¡¯s been making.¡± ¡°You would only injure your ¡®gift,¡¯¡± Mia shot back. ¡°I am he now. She made sure of that.¡± ¡°What comments?¡± I asked quickly. Take it easy, Mia. Make good with the nice Demon Queen. Fortunately, Xhinn was not in the mood to argue, likely owing to the barrage she was already suffering from the other side. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s mainly a lot of subtle inflections, pointed innuendos, and the like. If I¡¯m reading her correctly, she is under the impression that she has¡­ misplaced something. I haven¡¯t the foggiest why she thinks I might know something about it, but it¡¯s driving her to distraction.¡± ¡°Misplaced?¡± That was an odd. How could a goddess lose a thing? Xhinn just looked at me. Or perhaps inside of me. ¡°Indeed. I can only wonder what it might be¡­¡± Mia took the hint at the same moment I did. ¡°If that is the case, it would seem my creation was¡­ more total than we had anticipated. She does not remember what she has done. Or why. She only knows she is now missing a not-insignificant portion of herself¡ªsome ten thousand iterations, at a guess. Such a loss would have left her with several holes in her memory, likely everything related to recent events.¡± Xhinn straightened in her chair. I could almost see the thoughts whirling through her mind, but all she said was, ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Well, I certainly don¡¯t,¡± I grumbled. ¡°Not that I expect anyone to actually explain anything for once.¡± The Lady of the Dungeon sighed, seeming tired. ¡°I feel your frustration, and I am sorry for it, Gift. If it were up to me, I would tell you everything and let things play out as they might, but that is very much against the rules. The most I can convey now is that your presence has¡­ altered the shape of things. Those of us who deal in chaos will not have minded so much, but others? Well. By the Faen¡¯s own words, you now harbor an entity my Sister had once used to tend thousands of individuals¡ªnot so great a number when compared to the whole, but enough for her to have noticed. You can imagine what someone like that might do in this situation.¡± ¡°Great¡­¡± My head sank into my hands. Her explanation had only spawned about a hundred additional questions, chief among them why Bline had felt the need to do this to me in the first place, but one thing was clear enough. ¡°So, I¡¯ve got another goddess out to kill me?¡± Xhinn made a sound in her throat. ¡°That is one of many potential outcomes. At a minimum, I would prepare myself for¡­ complications. But she won¡¯t act against you directly. I will not allow it. Nor would¡­¡± she pulled a face, ¡°¡­the Fourth, come to think of it.¡± I did not know how to feel about having the two ¡®evil¡¯ goddesses of this realm as the only ones officially in my corner, even if they were at odds with one another over it. Did that make me the bad guy? Was I some¡­ prophesied destroyer of worlds? The Demon King to the Queen who now sat beside me? I was already having issues with transforming every other person I ran across into my devoted follower¡ªas Xhinn had so graciously reminded me. But if that was what destiny had in store for me, I had no intention of playing ball. Hurting people was the last thing I wanted. That was all speculation, of course. But, as my fate was apparently not a topic allowed on the table, I turned to other matters. ¡°Is Ahnbe there, too? Yelling with the rest, I mean?¡± Xhinn huffed dismissively. ¡°No. She did all her talking with her fists. I haven¡¯t seen her since, but I would expect a visit from my ever-brutish elder in your near future. I can¡¯t imagine she will be happy to discover my Faen in your company after our altercation.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I was afraid of that.¡± With everything this goddess was heaping onto my shoulders, I could actually feel the life beginning to drain out of me. But she only shrugged. ¡°Forewarned is forearmed. You know what will be coming. Prepare yourself for it. And with that in mind, to your Quest.¡± She put on a show of letting her eyes wander about the room for a moment, as though searching for ideas, before reciting what could only have been a prepared verse. ¡°The deities are hard to please, They push and prod to Gift¡¯s unease. Yet foes above do not englove, The total of his sweet, sweet hand. Caress ye now the lesser¡¯s brow, Lest they maraud and shun kowtow. The vengeance eats, the fear repeats, See this completes ¡®fore peace remand.¡± At the mention of ¡®the lesser¡¯s brow,¡¯ I cast a quick glance toward the subject Xhinn was almost certainly referencing. Lynnria was rocking herself in a huddled daze near the corner, apparently more than a little traumatized yet by her intimate brush with divinity. I felt for the girl. Still, Xhinn¡¯s message was clear enough for all that it was couched in her ever-present need for riddles: do something about the girl¡¯s family. That was easier said than done. For one, I did not even know who they were. They had done heinous things to someone I had grown to care about a great deal, and for that, they deserved retribution. But what had been their motivation? What kind of politics would I be diving into? What would I have to do to actually punish them? How much would be justified? I just did not know. It was not a thing I could simply snap my fingers to accomplish, either. This was a project that might take months or even years to realize, especially with a bevy of goddesses hounding my ass. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Of course, all of that was assuming it was even the right thing to do. And it was totally setting aside why someone like the Demon Queen might give a rat¡¯s fart about it. Having looked that direction, it was inevitable that my gaze would sweep over Jax and Arx, as well. Both had pressed themselves against Xhinn¡¯s imprisoning bubble, and were staring at me with a kind of unnerving intensity, like they were performing a pop-up reenactment of the Children of the Corn. I¡¯m okay, I mouthed. It was a mild exaggeration, but it seemed to settle them somewhat¡ªeven if neither so much as blinked. It was then I realized I could not feel them through our mutual connection. Xhinn had cut us off. Again. They hated that. Xhinn thumped my ear. ¡°I wasn¡¯t finished.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I muttered. But then I had a thought. ¡°Actually, while we¡¯re on the subject, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you about Lynnria¡¯s grandfather.¡± The Demon Queen pulled a face, clearly annoyed by the diversion, but willing to go along with it for now. ¡°Stanel? What about him?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been worried sick!¡± ¡°For that old fool?¡± She snorted. ¡°He¡¯s still alive, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. He¡¯s been wandering a cleared Dungeon for over a week now, demanding to know why his Quest was canceled.¡± ¡°What Quest?¡± ¡°Why, to find his granddaughter, of course!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s the standard arrangement. We cannot very well keep a host of unsupervised children about. The little brats would go feral! So whenever I accidentally sweep a bunch of them up, I hand out a few Quests to whatever family or sympathetic bumpkin happens to be nearby, dole out some appropriate rewards, and everyone¡¯s happy¡­ Happy?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Actually, that did make me feel better. I had been worrying about that for a while now. It was not ideal, of course, but considering who I was talking to, it could have been a lot worse. ¡°So¡­ why did his Quest get canceled?¡± She looked at me like she could not believe we were having this conversation. ¡°Because, nitwit, she¡¯s not his granddaughter anymore. You claimed her. She belongs to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how that works!¡± ¡°I assure you it is. And even if it was not, the girl is no longer in my domain. There is no Quest for him to complete. Now, may I finish?¡± ¡°You could at least tell him that!¡± I argued. ¡°Oh~?¡± She planted an elbow onto the arm of her chair and rested her chin in her upraised palm again, her lips forming into a devious smile. She almost looked like she was wriggling with the potential for intrigue. ¡°I suppose I could. As a favor. But are you certain I should? He has another Quest on his plate, you know. One much more pertinent to his own insignificant existence. He has three days left. After that?¡± She chuckled knowingly. I just stared at her, lost. ¡°After that, what?¡± ¡°Well.¡± Her grin faded ever-so-slightly, and she shook her head with apparent confusion, her jape spoiled. ¡°He dies, of course.¡± ¡°He has a Quest with a death timer?!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± If anything, she looked even more confused. ¡°Everyone does.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Well¡ªmmm¡­¡± She winced, her expression working its way through several emotions at once. It was the first time I had ever seen her look flustered. ¡°I suppose, given your origin¡ªbut surely you¡¯re aware of the concept? All mortals run out of time eventually, my Gift.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I had to concede that much. ¡°When we get old. Your body wears out, and you¡­ you die of a heart attack or something. Not because of any timer.¡± ¡°Your body wears out?¡± She said the words like she had never once had to assemble them in that order. ¡°What are you on about, Donum?¡± So, I told her. Gray hairs, wrinkles, muscle deterioration, organ failure, anecdotes about elderly people randomly falling over and breaking a hip, hair loss, hair growing out of places it should never exist, sagging skin, age spots, liver spots, bad knees. The whole thing. And through all of it, Xhinn stared at me like I was the Crypt Keeper describing some horrific nightmare from the tenth dimension. ¡°Is that seriously not how it works here?¡± I asked finally. ¡°No!¡± she shouted, surging to her feet. ¡°What sort of demented hellscape do you come from, anyway? I¡¯ve never even heard of half of those Status Effects, and you just expect to suffer them all at once?! Madness! What possible need could there be to force a person¡¯s ears to grow?¡± She paused to reconsider. ¡°Actually, that one might be amusing.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Great. I¡¯m giving her ideas. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear that one from me.¡± ¡°Naturally,¡± she agreed with a dismissive wave. ¡°So, when does all of this begin to happen? You said it takes a while.¡± ¡°I dunno, it varies. Most start seeing the symptoms somewhere in their forties, I guess.¡± ¡°Their forties?! Do you mean to tell me you have less that fifteen years before¡ª¡± She paused abruptly. ¡°Oh, now wait a moment. You¡¯ve traversed your first Boundary. That should have added another hundred to your timer, at the least.¡± ¡°A hundred?¡± I stared up at her. ¡°Years?¡± ¡°That is how it civilized realms handle such things,¡± she informed me, beginning to pace in her distraction. ¡°Each Boundary represents another stage of life. Mortals spend the duration more-or-less healthy, barring the odd Status Effect or Illness, and then, if they fail to cross it in time, poof. They fall over, never to rise again.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s so exploitable!¡± I countered. ¡°Boundary Trials only happen if you attempt to improve your Class, so if you¡¯re wealthy enough, you could live forever.¡± A little chuff of laughter escaped her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t argue the flaws in the system with me, boy. I know them well. But forever? Relying only on the strength of others? Ha! There are limits to wealth. Pushing a mortal beyond a measly thousand years would bankrupt even the most affluent of Clans. And it only gets worse.¡± Abruptly, she whirled on a foot to glare down at me. ¡°I refuse to allow this. Faen! Have you been paying attention?¡± ¡°I¡­ have,¡± Mia returned in a strangled tone, doubtlessly wrestling with the urge to color her reply with expletives. ¡°I will need to investigate further, but his internal systems should report any such deteriorations as a normal Status Impairment. There have been none thus far.¡± Xhinn nodded along. ¡°That is something, at least. We shall have to monitor this closely. I expect a full report should you discover any. With counter-solutions!¡± ¡°Should my lord so wish¡­¡± I could almost hear Mia¡¯s smirk. The Demon Queen¡¯s eyes sparking into miniature bonfires were much more obvious. ¡°Yes!¡± I agreed hastily. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You really don¡¯t have to get so worked up about it, though. I mean, aging sucks¡ªeveryone knows that¡­ every human, anyway¡ªbut we don¡¯t dwell on it. You¡¯d go crazy that way. And it comes on so slowly that you just kind of get used to the symptoms as they come.¡± Or so I had been told. From my experience, however, the ¡®symptoms¡¯ were a favored topic amongst my older relatives. ¡°Well, you, my Gift, will not be getting used to even so much as one. No scion of mine will spend half his days suffering under such conditions.¡± She pointed an imperious finger down at me. ¡°You will live as the very picture of health. Forever! I demand it!¡± I blinked. ¡°Uh?¡± She swept her hand through the air. ¡°Forget all that other nonsense. Your Quest, starting today, is thus: ¡°Infinity, if lived in half, Is yet infinity again. Ever withering ages pass, Begging for death, thine heart in pain. To suffer that as if a gaff? Nay, Gift. Patience, I shall not feign.¡± Her hand flew toward me, and before I knew what was happening, I had been hauled effortlessly into the air, her face held inches from mine. The sparkling eyes before me bore an intensity that would not be brooked, yet the instinctual fear a being like this could engender was nothing next to the hammered spikes of desire her nearness sent coursing through my body. She almost certainly sensed it too, and for a moment, her breath hitched, as if I had stolen it. The idiotic madman inside me prayed she might act on it, that she might press her lips to mine, but then she began to speak once more. Her words came in a whisper, their every syllable beating across my consciousness as though carved into my soul. ¡°For when this Queen unwraps her prize, It shall not be a wilted man, A hollowed shell to meet Her eyes, Nor mere shadow to spoil the plan. When blessed time doth make thee wise, What good but hale, oh, Head of Clan?¡± Her next gasp caught in her throat as well, expanding her already glorious bosom to new heights. In that brief moment of stillness, her eyes danced over my face, as though to memorize my every feature. Her lips drew still closer to mine, questing. Seeking. For one glorious moment, my heart surged¡­ but then she forced her gaze away, allowing her breath to escape again. The simple heat of it caressing my skin was almost enough to make me lose control. It was a near miss. But my next thought was not one of regret. The faintest whiff of cinnamon rolls¡­ mixed with the wondrous tang of black holes curled into my nose. I recognize the list of people who could make sense of an observation like that to be vanishingly small, but I can assure you it was quite unmistakable. Holy shit! She is turned on! The corner of her lip quirked into the barest inkling of a smile¡­ yet her next words were anything but hints. ¡°Ahh¡­ how I ache to touch thee true, To lap mine tongue upon thy brow, To suck every note of thy roux. I admit, you guessed right somehow, How exquisite the scent of you¡­ To then be robbed by nature¡¯s vow? Nay! And nay again. Vows, I break! Ne¡¯er more shalt thou be beholden, To chains of a strange world¡¯s mistake. You know what prizes are sold in, Places with mold in. Why not take? Need I entice to embolden?¡± I do not know how I managed to find my voice. My mind had sort of whited out after that line about sucking roux. This whole situation was getting dangerously out of hand, so I focused on the parts that would not get me erased from existence. Or not instantly, anyway. ¡°Prizes?¡± I croaked. ¡°En-entice?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± she breathed absently. Her nose was so close to my cheek, I almost thought she meant to caress me with it. ¡°You shall seek an Elixir of¡ª¡± She blinked uncertainly before setting me on my feet again. My heart sank with my altitude, to my chagrin. ¡°What do you call this stage of your life, anyway? When you¡¯re¡­¡± Her hand waved over my body. ¡°¡­still like this?¡± I was quick to fill in the blank. ¡°An Elixir of Youth?¡± Her lips twisted with consternation. ¡°Youth? I would have thought¡­ handsome or good-looking? Noble, even.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°No matter. I suppose youth would be a fitting description, given your perspective, but¡­ Oh, drat. What rhymes with it?¡± She turned away slightly to think, the separation doing wonders for my clarity of mind. ¡°Tooth? Forsooth? Ugh¡­ it¡¯s very close to Mouth. That would have been perfect!¡± ¡°How can you have an Elixir of Youth? You¡¯d didn¡¯t even have a name for it until a second ago.¡± She scoffed dismissively. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry your pretty head about that. It¡¯ll take you some time to muddle your way through the Dungeon I¡¯ll set up¡­ Dungeons? Ooh¡­ Maybe three Dungeons? Yes, three! That¡¯s a nice round number. By then, I¡¯ll have it all worked out, and you shall have your Elixir of Eternal Youth! Let¡¯s see¡­ you¡¯ll need to assemble some sort of key first¡­¡± ¡°Three?! You¡¯re not going to summon them here, are you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd.¡± She tittered. ¡°Even if I were not amidst a thorough scolding for that very thing, there are limits to my generosity. No, you shall have to seek my lovely Mouths for yourself. This shall be a proper Quest¡ªwith sparkly baubles scattered along your path. You do yet need to pay off my Sister, and this will prove an excellent opportunity to do so. But what shall be your end reward¡­?¡± She turned to resume her pacing. ¡°The Elixir isn¡¯t the reward?¡± ¡°No, no. Your preservation is what I want. How can it be a reward?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I mean¡­¡± My head bobbed to one side, not at all sure how I should take that information. She had made her intentions abundantly clear with body language alone¡ªamongst other things. She wanted me. Maybe even as much as I wanted her. Yes, I admit it. It was idiotic, nonsensical, and toxic as all hell, but I really could not help it. A few smiles and kind words had been all she needed to erase whatever pains she had caused. And likely would cause. I held no illusions about the sorts of obstacles she would throw into my path during this Quest of hers. But just the idea of eventually crossing lips with this creature¡­ and remembering it afterward was all the enticement I needed. Then again, my heart was still thundering away in my chest¡ªjust from some of those verses she had carelessly tossed my way¡ªso I was not exactly thinking with a full deck of cards. But anyone could see the appeal of avoiding old age. People around here could live a long time, and if my ripening continued the way it was supposed to, fully half of that would be in a slow, increasingly annoying decay. Somewhere along that journey, I might even lose interest in the kinky misadventures Xhinn had in mind. For an immortal like her, I could understand why she would want to prevent such a thing. It did not sound all that enjoyable to me, either. So, what do I want? Knowledge? To understand the Words better? To use them without half killing myself? That¡¯d be nice¡­ ¡°No,¡± she said quickly, cutting into my thoughts. And obviously, reading them. ¡°This is an official Quest, my Donum, and thus far, only the Fourth and I know of your¡­ interest. A reward like that would raise queries I do not want pursued.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Okay, lots of follow-up questions to that one¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± she suggested, ignoring me, ¡°you might instead enjoy a gift for our children? That, I feel, might go far with soothing their hackles.¡± I glanced at Jax and Arx once more. Arx was still staring at me with that unnerving intensity, but Jax was now glaring with obvious hatred at Xhinn, likely because of the recent manhandling. Or because of its seductive overtones. Jax might have been cut off from me, but it was not like I could hide my¡­ excitement. Even under the tent I was wearing. There was no way Xhinn would be soothing those hackles. ¡°Like what?¡± That throaty chuckle drew my eyes back to her. ¡°I wonder¡­¡± She had paced over to the window, where she stood gazing out into the ruined town below. The setting sun cast her body into silhouette, highlighting her every curve. From the sweep of her back, to her glorious backside, to her perfect legs, she was everything any man could ever dream of in a woman. Naturally, she just had to position herself with her legs ever-so-slightly parted, giving me a tantalizing view of what laid between. There was nothing I could do to stop myself from letting my eyes dance over her every¡ªer¡­ no. No, I was not looking at that. What are we even talking about? Damn it¡­ stop! If I was not allowed to relieve myself soon, I might just pass out. ¡°Do you know why our Jax despises me so?¡± she asked abruptly, snapping my attention away. ¡°Or rather, this body. My eldest? My Xyn?¡± That was easy. ¡°Because she tried to kill me. And so did you.¡± She turned her head just enough to glance at me from the corner of her eye. The knowing look I found there was telling. ¡°Ah, but your influence crawls within my representative¡¯s veins. I can feel it¡­ Not to fear, I do not mind. It is quite a delicious thing to experience, to inhabit a body, even temporarily, that is so susceptible. Yet her loyalty to me remains strong. She would never disobey my commands. Our young First can sense these things. They speak to her far more than any¡­ prior misunderstandings. And she does not approve. Yet what galls her most is in how much my Xyn draws your attention.¡± That was true. It was not fair, but the truth never cared much for that. ¡°Only because you made her that way.¡± She pouted slightly, turning to face me again. ¡°Donum¡­ that you would say such things in her hearing. You¡¯ll make my Xyn cry.¡± She began swaying forward, dangerous by simple nature, yet oh-so-seductive for it. ¡°But you are quite correct. I made her your exact match, a perfect reflection of your own beauty. Something, I feel, our Jax very much covets.¡± I licked my lips to work some moisture back into them. This really was not fair. Her flirting was absolutely relentless! I could see where her ¡®children¡¯ got it from. ¡°Okay. And what are you offering?¡± ¡°A simple boon. Complete my Quest, drink my Elixir, and I will grant you an¡­ upgrade to the First¡¯s Presence. Instead of simply exerting your influence upon those under your command, she will also stand as the most beautiful flower within your garden. Her Charisma will rise above all who follow you. Bound or not. Equal to your own¡­ at a minimum.¡± ¡°That¡­¡± I swallowed. I did not doubt for a moment that Jax would be frothing at the mouth over such an offer and imagining what she might look like with that much Charisma dumped on her all at once was¡­ was¡­ Gah¡­ stop thinking with your dick, you moron! This is three Dungeons in a row, not a picnic! I can get something actually useful for once. ¡°Ah, but I so adore it when you are thinking with your¡­¡± she paused as if to savor the word, ¡°¡­dick. Especially when it thinks¡­ of me¡­¡± She began to slink closer. ¡°I do so wish my Sister had never come between us. That you would not now mistrust me so. I would still challenge you. Perhaps even slay you¡­ one day. I admit that because I must. It is my nature. But I will root for you, hope for your success, cheer for every trap of mine you outwit or creature you slay. I want you to visit me as often as you may. I want to look upon you again and again with my true eyes. To ever drip my need for you ahead of your path, that you might scent my presence. My true Presence¡­ not this paltry, obscured facsimile.¡± Her words had come faster and faster as she advanced on me until she had again backed me into the wall. There was no defending myself. Or even replying. My throat had gone so dry it was all I could do to manage a rasping wheeze. ¡°You want that too, don¡¯t you?¡± she persisted. ¡°To see me again. Feel me again. To one day¡­ taste me?¡± Yes. My eyes closed at the unbidden thought. It had been as immediate as it was suicidal. But there was no denying it. But why? I forced myself to ask, continuing to speak with my mind, since my throat would not. Why do you want me? ¡°Because it is my destiny,¡± she replied, her voice gone as suddenly quiet as it was intense. ¡°Because that is your nature. Is it so hard to believe that one such as I might be attracted to you? Is it so hard to understand why I might wish to curry favor with my own children? Accept this Quest, my Donum. My Gift. Accept this chance at everlasting¡­ youth, just as you accept my boon for your own most-favored child. There will be opportunities for greater things one day. Greater power. Swords of might. Chariots of woe. For now¡­ simply allow me to dote on you.¡± Again, I did not reply. All of my focus was directed toward the simple task of keeping my hands to my sides, my eyes safely diverted, and my thoughts quiet. I did not know what to think or what to do. Xhinn on the warpath, I could kind of handle. I could understand it, even fight against it, if only somewhat. But this? Even with so little of her Presence weighing on me, the simple force of her debauched personality washing over me again and again was wearing away at my resistance. I having trouble remembering why I even was resisting. Could I take her at her word? Was she even now burying mines for me to step on? The power balance between us was so great that I could not trust my own mind not to hurl me over a cliff at her merest suggestion. ¡°Still you pull away? Oh, Donum¡­¡± She shook her head sadly. ¡°Perhaps you feel there should be an additional layer of connection between us first? Something to settle your heart? To assure you that my soul will remain safely ensconced within your breast, no matter your choice¡­ Would you like to influence me?¡± My gaze snapped to hers. What? ¡°Often have I observed the simple pleasure of your touch. Each have I wondered how it might feel. Let me feel.¡± She was growling now, her eyes wide and flashing at her own suggestion. Her claws were clutching at her thighs, eager to wander, but like myself, restrained by the gap in our power. ¡°Let me feel your Glory. Break me if you can. Bend me if you cannot, but let me feel.¡± Her next words were so deep, I could feel them vibrating through my entire body. ¡°Make me moan¡­ like a whore¡­ right¡­ in front¡­ of my Sisters!¡± From the depths of my subconscious, one of the conversations Jax and I had shared filtered out. She had described this being as ¡®the greatest whore who ever did walk.¡¯ I was beginning to see it. ¡°Is that¡­ Is that possible?¡± I rasped, my voice finally returning in my shock. Some of the light dimmed from her eyes and she tilted her head slightly to one side, sending her blonde-black hair swaying with the move. ¡°Unlikely,¡± she admitted. ¡°But I would like to see you try. And if you succeed, even if you come close, well¡­ There¡¯s nothing to say what else you might find during your Quest.¡± Make the Lady of the Dungeon feel something in exchange for sweetening the pot? Maybe if I was thinking clearly, I could have seen a downside. It might even persuade her to go easy on us. But I should not need to mention the backflips my inner orangutan was performing right then, the damned fool. I could feel its eager little feet thumping against my chest, egging me on. And my twitching manhood had been edging me toward damnation since Xhinn had opened the door. ¡°Alright,¡± I agreed, rolling up my sleeves. I did not need to, but it was a symbol to show I was going to put some serious effort into this. And she appreciated a courageous heart. ¡°Where do you, uh¡­¡± I cleared my throat gruffly. ¡°Where do you want it?¡± She sauntered back a step and spread her arms, giving me complete access. ¡°Wherever you dare.¡± That list was short. Oh, there were quite a few places I wanted to dare, but¡­ Baby steps, Donum. Baby steps. Her hands ought to be fine. She had grabbed me with them a few times already and even ruffled my hair. But those had been too brief to count or through my thick robe, never prolonged skin-to-skin contact. That was necessary for the skill to work. And the more intimate the touch, the more intense the sensation. Technically, that applied to me as well. The skill was called the Hammer of Glory, not the Hands. But there was no way in hell I would be touching any part of her with that. My eyes swept over her perfect body with no little trepidation. It needed to be somewhere innocent¡­ but not too innocent. Have courage! Have courage! The elbow? No, I can do better. The waist? Holy shit, no! That smooth expanse was so exquisite I could scarcely look at it for longer than three seconds at a stretch, scales or no. Maybe¡­ the shoulder, then? I nodded slowly. It was a familiar sort of place without being too intimate. Should be doable. Right then. As close as I can to the neck. I raised my hand and took a breath, steeling my nerves. For a moment, our eyes met. Stars almost seemed to gleam out of the midnight hues of her left, the one normally concealed by her patch, while her right was as clear as the cerulean sky. Both danced with gleeful anticipation, eager for my success¡­ or my failure. My hand trembled as it began its descent. I could not believe I was doing this. A tiny voice in my head kept screaming that even if I somehow kept my head through it, all I was accomplishing was my own destruction. I was tempting her, signaling my own eagerness. The last thing I needed was another divine entity attempting to satisfy herself with me, like Ahnbe had done. Xhinn¡¯s scales rippled away just as my palm alighted upon her flesh, and my breath caught at the enormity of the sensation. Even muted through this construct she had fostered upon me, I could feel the raw Power throbbing through her skin. She was a live wire. Death molded into scintillating womanhood. Her lips parted with satisfaction. Or perhaps victory. But she made no other move beyond her continued, unflinching stare. ¡°Your hand remains. Well done, my Gift. But will you advance? Or flinch away?¡± I could only groan in reply. The effort to contain myself while feeling Her beneath my palm was stealing what little breath I had. The things she was doing to me just by standing there! Who was influencing who here? But to actually achieve anything, I had to focus beyond that. I had to at least show her I was capable of making the attempt. And so I pushed. As hard as I could. Harder than I ever had. The effect was not as immediate as I might have hoped. She did not suddenly buck with unrestrained pleasure nor moan as she had suggested. It was idiotic to think that was even possible. Her Will was mountainous next to mine. Instead, her eyes gradually drooped closed, like she was savoring the flavor of a delicate burgundy. Her lips might have gaped by the barest of fractions. Her eyebrows might have even bunched together with some measure of delight. ¡°Hah~¡± The sound was less than a whisper. ¡°Sublime. You are making my Xyn¡­ howl within me.¡± My eyes widened. Of course! I had forgotten. She had even made certain to remind me, and still I had forgotten. Xyn was conscious under there. Hearing our every word. Feeling everything her Mother directed her body to feel. My hand started to jerk away, but Xhinn caught my wrist before I even saw it move; her trap closed. ¡°More,¡± she commanded. But when I attempted to stem the flow, her eyes hardened. ¡°***!¡± The Word lanced through my control like tissue paper. The Hammer of Glory raced within me, a stallion given free rein. I tried pulling away, but her hand may as well have been wrought from iron. I could no more have moved her than the mountain I sensed beneath her skin. ¡°Oh¡­ my Gift,¡± she breathed, heedless of my struggle. ¡°I, myself, almost feel a stirring within. Almost. Perhaps¡­ perhaps if we were to try¡­ a little lower?¡± Her hand began guiding mine southward. Toward warmer¡­ and softer climes. I saw it coming before I ever felt it. The blackened scales that had been concealing them peeled away in anticipation of my touch. Her unbound Glory made my own seem paltry by comparison, but her Will could not be brooked. She was determined to match my full prowess with some semblance of what I was courting. And then I felt it. Her breast. Palm against that sweetest symbol of femininity. The Power I met there. The wild, overwhelming pleasure¡­ I am¡­ not exactly certain what happened next. I have a vague memory of clenched teeth and muscles seizing up, but things went dark after that. The next thing I knew, I had collapsed to the floor. Xhinn and the Hammer both had released their hold on me. Once my vision cleared, I found her squatted just in front of me, sporting an impish grin. She held up a claw by her face, and just over it, there hovered a smallish ball of cloudy liquid. It looked¡­ disturbingly familiar¡ªso familiar that no man above a certain age could possibly mistake it for anything else. ¡°I thank you for this gift¡­ my Gift,¡± she said, almost preening with joy. ¡°I shall treasure it.¡± I paled. ¡°Uh¡­ Xhinn? Is that¡ª¡± Her grin broadened. ¡°Indeed.¡± A silent few Words crossed her lips, and the liquid abruptly crystallized into an equally familiar-looking trilliant-cut gemstone¡ªthis one just as cloudy and white as the liquid had been. ¡°I have heard some mothers enjoy keepsakes from their children. Baby teeth¡­ their first lock of hair. I shall keep this from you. Perhaps as a necklace. I will wear it¡­ every time¡­ I see my thieving Sister.¡± Her teeth parted just enough to expose her fangs, and her tongue roved about them, savoring my building terror. ¡°You will remember that the next time you think to call Her name in fear, yes? I know She will.¡± I was panting now. This was it. This was what she had been after the entire time: to cut off my support. ¡°Are you trying to get me killed?¡± ¡°I told you, Donum. I don¡¯t like to share. I am your goddess, not she,¡± she replied. ¡°And all the rest? The Quest. The Elixir? All that stuff about you getting scolded?¡± She clucked at me disapprovingly, then with a flick of her finger, vanished my shame into who-knew-where. ¡°Plans within plans, my Donum. I can have more that one aim at once. Take your goddess¡¯s advice: always hide your agenda¡­ with¡­ the truth. I, and the Elixir I have promised, eagerly await your visit.¡± Her eyes traced their way over me for a moment in thought before brightening. ¡°Ah, but however shall you find me? You need the scent of your prize.¡± Her hand dipped between her legs with a startling nonchalance, given how tantalizingly seductive she had been. And when it came up again, it was coated with yet another liquid, this one perfectly clear¡ªall performed without the slightest hint of shame. ¡°You see? I did not lie. You did stir me, you absolute beast of a man. Now¡­ open your mouth.¡± My eyes widened, and I pressed myself as deeply into the wall as I could. After what had happened just from touching her¡­ her¡­ ¡°You¡¯re not serious?!¡± She edged closer. ¡°Perfectly serious.¡± My gaze flicked from finger to her, then back. ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking, Donum.¡± Her hand clamped over my shoulder. ¡°Be a good boy¡­ and take¡­ your¡­ medicine.¡± All I could do was watch as that glistening digit approached my face. There was no escaping. My Dolilim were imprisoned. I could not call on Ahnbe without her discovering what I had done. I was trapped. Helpless as a babe, my jaw opened. Her finger touched my tongue. She tasted like¡­ Like¡­ 5 - Under the Influence Tick¡­ tick¡­ tick¡­ tick¡­ I scrubbed at my eyes, trying to clear the sleep from them, but I could not make them focus. Everything looked distorted, as though the world had been coated with a semi-transparent film, and refused to hold still. Tick¡­ tick¡­ tick¡­ tick¡­ Frustrated, I squeezed them shut again, then halfway opened just the one, hoping that might help. It did. Sort of. The fuzziness was still there, but I could at least focus on a thing without it jumping and swirling about. So I began to woozily scan the immediate area. Tick¡­ tick¡­ tick¡­ tick¡­ I was in a smallish room, but not the one I was expecting. Instead of the wooden paneling and heroic tapestries of derrings-do that had decorated our room at the Righteous Table Leg, this place looked like the bedroom of some family¡¯s precious little princess¡­ who was midway through her rebellious death metal phase. The room had been painted a pastel shade of purple and was adorned with all the expected paraphernalia¡ªa vanity, stuffed animals, matching gossamer bed curtains, etc¡ªbut most of the walls had been plastered with posters in shades of black, white, and red, with fonts that looked less delicate calligraphy and more the violent musings of an axe murderer. There might have been some faces or album artwork on them, but I could not focus enough to make out those details. Tick¡­ tick¡­ tick¡­ Okay, what is that sound? I dragged my still barely functioning eye around until it landed on the likely culprit. Just past my feet, some sort of¡­ house?¡­ was mounted on the wall? Oh, wait a minute. It¡¯s one of those¡ª ¡°Heeeeey, Daddy! I wanna diamond ring, bracelets everything. Daddy! You outta get the best for me¡ª¡± I stared, nonplussed, as the little wooden carving of Jax gyrated away upon her tiny stage just below the face of the cuckoo clock. She had popped out wearing a dress the same color as her hair and was singing one of those old-school jazz numbers from the 1940s, but I could not make out the rest of the words. Half a second after her performance began, an obnoxious-looking wolf popped out below her and began whistling his head off. And then a baseball bat cleaved through the air, smashed the whole contraption from its perch on the wall, and commenced to beating the thing into stillness. Now even more confused, and no less disturbed, my eye traced the bat up to its owner: an intensely disheveled Mia. Her normally immaculate, black-and-blood-red-tipped hair looked like she had just shoved her finger in a light socket, and the sparkling evening gown she was wearing had been charred and ripped. You might have thought she had just walked away from an explosion in one of those high-octane heist movies. A pair of panties were dangling from one of her antlers. ¡°Crap on a stick¡­¡± she muttered, scanning the room frantically. ¡°Where are¡ªah ha!¡± Quick as a snake, she brought a previously unnoticed roll of duck tape¡ªworn over her wrist like a bracelet¡ªto her teeth, ripped off a length, and slapped it to a spot on the wall. It had been¡­ oozing. ¡°Uh?¡± I began. And ended. That summed up my thoughts pretty well. She whirled, leveling her bat at me, wide-eyed and furious. ¡°No! No questions! Not a one.¡± ¡°But¡­ I have so many.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s just too bad!¡± she barked. ¡°I have only just gotten this room stabilized and I will not risk another¡ª¡± She stopped, took a breath to calm herself, then continued in a more sedate tone, ¡°No¡­ no. We¡¯ve been over this, Mia. Do not get him excited.¡± I stared at her, my mind skittering over half-a-dozen potential responses before dismissing them all. ¡°Mia, if you want me to avoid questions, you¡¯re really going to need to avoid comments like that.¡± She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fair. But in my defense, these last few¡ª¡± Her eyes jerked up in surprise. ¡°That¡­ that was fair. Rational, even.¡± ¡°Uh huh,¡± I agreed slowly. Why did I feel like I was defusing a bomb? ¡°Rationality is a goal I often strive for.¡± ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡± Her head shook once, dismissing whatever she had been about to say¡ªand almost dislodging the panties¡ªbefore rounding the bed toward me. ¡°What is the product of three and eleven?¡± I needed to switch eyes. The other one could not have heard that correctly. ¡°Say again?¡± Her eyes widened in alarm half a second before a guttural moan forced its way up her throat, arching her back and taking her to the floor. From the way she had reacted, you might have thought my simple request for clarification had just hilted a 12-inch dildo straight up her backside, with no warning and less lube. By the time she regained her feet, she was panting and trembling enough to have just swum the English Channel. And then¡­ ¡­a stuffed poodle jumped onto the bed. While my eye darted between the two in helpless bewilderment, it nonchalantly adjusted the tie hanging from its neck and began, ¡°I tell ya, I get no respect¡­ no respect at all. Frankly, it¡¯s been making me depressed! You know, I took a bottle of sleeping pills the other day? I went to the doctor. He said to have a couple of drinks and sleep it off!¡± Laughter filtered in from some unseen audience. I blinked. Okay, I don¡¯t think this eye is working either. Still struggling to regain her breath, Mia hiked her bat and charged the animal with an incoherent war cry. ¡°Take it easy, sweetheart,¡± the poodle quipped as it ducked a swing. ¡°I¡¯ll bend over if you want. You can even take a picture! Just don¡¯t ask me to say, ¡®cheese.¡¯¡± ¡°Die, abomination!¡± ¡°Geez! You remind me of my ex-wife! You know, she¡ªwhoa!¡± Only just dodging another swing, the poodle leapt from the bed. ¡°Mia¡­ questions are mounting¡­¡± ¡°Save it!¡± she yelled, scrabbling over me in her chase. ¡°Just find the leak before more of them spawn in here.¡± Find the leak. Prevent ¡®them¡¯ from spawning. Okay? It was not much to go on, but I had heard worse RPG setups. I sat up a little too quickly and had to pause a moment for my head to stop spinning. Was I drunk? Coming down from a bender? I started to shake my head, but froze after the first twitch. Mistake¡­ that was a mistake¡­ Out of desperation, I sucked in a breath and held it to a count of three before letting it out again. That helped. Alright¡­ leaks. Leaks¡­ It only took a second to spot the clear fluid oozing from the floor, and as hastily as I could manage, I rolled off the bed toward it. The stuff was coming from a tiny puncture in the carpet, but I did not have any tape. So¡­ I just plugged it with my finger. It probably was not the brightest of moves, but the old ticker was not exactly firing on all cylinders just yet. ¡°Okay, I got it,¡± I reported, staring at my finger with a degree of understandable concern. ¡°Great! That¡¯s great, my lord,¡± Mia called back. ¡°One second¡­¡± She was on the other side of the bed from me, so all I could see of her was the ascending arc of the bat as she beat the stuffed poodle into submission. It kept trying to fight back with little abortive one-liners, but none ever made it to the punchline. It was probably for the best. I had never been much of a fan of groaner comics, anyway. And having experienced more than my share of confusing, absurd bullshit since arriving on this world, I settled in to wait. I did not assume for a moment that any of it would be explained to my satisfaction, but other than my swirling head, it was not like I was in any pain. My finger might have been stuck in some mysterious, oozing hole, but that was not such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I could deal with a few minutes in the chocolate factory. And speaking of temptations¡­ Hmm? A waft of something familiar had just curled into my nose, so I leaned forward to give the liquid a tentative sniff. It was¡­ kind of nice, in a far-too-rich sort of way, like a fine port that had been put away for a few eons too many. Subtle¡­ barely even there. Yet I somehow knew that even the tiniest of sips would have blasted my head off with raisins. I pulled away from it quickly, blinking away the tears that had inexplicably sprung to my eyes. ¡°Boy, that shit clears the sinuses.¡± Mia surged to her feet. ¡°You didn¡¯t taste it again, did you?¡± Again? I opened my mouth for a snarky response, but stopped just in time. After what had just happened, I could not afford to be careless here. ¡°No. Just a little sniff, is all.¡± I gave my finger another considering glance. ¡°You might want to hurry with the tape, though.¡± She scurried around the bed in a rush, but my finger stuck in the floor brought her up short. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s one way to do it.¡± She found my eyes again. ¡°Eleven times three.¡± ¡°Mia¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s important.¡± I sighed. ¡°Thirty-three. Now, please¡ª¡± ¡°Eight divided by six?¡± she interrupted. My lips twisted into a frown, having to actually think that one over. ¡°One¡­ and a third.¡± ¡°Finally!¡± I could see the tension visibly drain from her shoulders as she knelt over my finger, patching the hole with a practiced ease. ¡°We might actually have a chance now.¡± I looked from her to my now-freed digit for a moment before responding. The glistening substance coating it was too viscous to run or drip, but too thin to leave much of itself behind, almost like an oil or a buttery pan sauce. And with that aroma¡­ I might have blacked out for a moment there, but suddenly Mia¡¯s hand was around my wrist, her eyes hard. ¡°No,¡± she pronounced. ¡°It is a lovely torture, Lord Master, but not one I can tolerate much longer. I have been drawn into the maelstrom of your Power more times than I can count, each whipping me to peaks of madness I did not think possible, and with no release in sight. Do not throw us to that vortex again.¡± I nodded my agreement, if not my understanding, and allowed her to scrub the fluid away with a corner of the bedsheets. Despite her warnings, a part of me was sad to see it wasted. ¡°Alright,¡± I said after a moment. ¡°I¡¯m going to need some kind of explanation.¡± ¡°Later,¡± she assured me quickly. ¡°First, we must regain control. And for that, we must merge.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not helping.¡± ¡°All will be clear soon. Now, remove your robe,¡± she commanded, coming to her feet once more. I thought about protesting¡ªwe were trying to prevent peaks of madness, not heap more onto the pile¡ªbut once she started fumbling with the zipper at her back, at least some portion of her intentions crystallized. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I tried again. ¡°How else did you expect we do it?¡± she asked, all business. Then, with a growl, she swore, ¡°Blast. Of course, it would be stuck. Help me with this, won¡¯t you?¡± I rose to my feet carefully, using the bedpost for support. I did want to help her but¡­ ¡°Mia, I just watched a wooden carving of Jax pop out of a cuckoo clock; we¡¯ve got stuffed animals running around trying to perform stand-up; jellied fortified wine is leaking from the walls, and you think sex is somehow going to¡ª¡± Her palm slapped over my mouth. ¡°No. Questions,¡± she said again. ¡°Listen to me, Donum. You are my most holy sovereign. My loyalties are yours and yours alone. I swear it! I will explain everything I can¡­ but not before we merge. It cannot be before. Please. You must trust me!¡± My brow furrowed with dissatisfaction, but I nodded into her palm, anyway. It seemed I had stumbled into a situation where the phrase, ¡®fuck around and find out,¡¯ had been taken to its most literal extreme. As I pulled her hand away, giving her my most disarming smile, I quipped, ¡°You could at least kiss me first.¡± I had not meant it as anything beyond a light jab at the situation, a touch of flirting to get my head into the right space, but her laugh contained a note of fragility I was not expecting. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re far beyond that.¡± It was then I noticed how genuinely out-of-sorts she was. I mean¡­ yes, the hair and dress were dead giveaways, but there was more to it than that. She looked like she was stretched paper-thin, only just holding an epileptic fit at bay. Her shoulders were bunching and trembling at random, her hands were not quite obeying her commands, and her eyes kept darting about. I had at first thought she was keeping a lookout for more disturbances¡ªand perhaps she was¡ªbut there was a noticeable pattern to their movements. In quick succession, she would glance at my face, the bed, my hands, some inconsequential spot in the room¡­ then an intense moment of staring at my midsection before forcing her gaze away. She would then nibble at her bottom lip, catch her breath, and start all over. Had I not spent next to every waking moment this past month or so watching for this very pattern of behavior, I might have mistaken it for something else. After all, how often does a man really need to fear for his chastity? But when you have multiple girlfriends, each with the libido of a ravenous steam engine, this kind of thing, left unchecked, could lead to some serious complications. So I might not have understood what was going on, but I knew my girls. Mia needed tending to. Now. ¡°Oh, you poor thing.¡± They were the only words I could get out before our lips came together. Had circumstances been different, it might have occurred to me that this was my first time in actually tasting them. She was a mind-construct. Incorporeal. In some ways, little more than a figment of my imagination. We had only ever coupled by using Arx as a proxy. But somehow, that fact and all its implications never materialized in my head. Had it done, I would have savored the moment. I would have savored her. Long had I wished to run my hands over every inch of her perfect body, to massage her soft legs and stare, mesmerized, by the ripples running through her backside. I would have run my tongue over the flat of her belly and journeyed up through the valley of her breasts. I wanted to know her scent. Her taste. Her everything. But she was in no state for those kinds of pleasantries. Scarcely had my lips met hers than she was forcing me to the bed. There she pinned me, knees to my shoulders, literally clawing her dress to shreds in her haste. All I could do was watch as bits and pieces of her once-fine gown sailed through the air until it was reduced to little more than a tattered shawl catching at her neck. Then, for one all-too-brief moment, she stared down at me. Her eyes had gone wild and were glowing with a primordial light. Steam slipped from between her fangs with her every breath. Her hips began dancing little circles upon my chest, grinding her naked sex against the texture of my robe. I¡­ probably should have taken the opportunity to at least work the damned thing over my waist, but she was so sexy my mind had sort of blanked. Not a second later, she reached behind her, and with a smooth jerk, ripped a convenient yet totally unnecessary access port into the front of my crotch. And then she glided back. It was kind of magical. She did not have to align herself or anything so mundane. She simply moved. I felt a moment of delicious softness as the fur of her tail passed over my bared groin, then came the no-less-pleasant softness of her skin. An intense yet slick heat enveloped me¡­ then I was inside of her. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. And as awesomely wondrous as it was to again experience that animalistic side of humanity, that near spiritual meeting of flesh on flesh, it was nothing next to the look of satisfaction on her face. With her glowing eyes and gleaming fangs, she looked like some fey queen come to life, debating what depravities she might inflict upon the hapless mortal that had wandered into her domain. As her hips resumed their motion, the shadows behind her grew and deepened, while her horns seemed to elongate and sharpen. Yet even as the pleasure mounted, her gaze never faltered. Her eyes never so much as twitched. They simply shone, boring into me. Far from being intimidated, I was over the moon with the display. She was so impossibly hot. I was so incredibly turned on¡­ It was like I had been waiting for this moment. Like I had been brought to the edge over and over again for days on end, and now that I had been caught, my torment was nearing its glorious finale¡­ yet I was only now realizing it? I was so confused. The world was closing in on me. I was melting. Liquid. Liquid heat. That smell¡­ Overwhelming my senses. Her eyes¡­ my tongue? Mia¡­ Black hair and red. Blonde hair and¡­ and black¡­ What¡­ what¡­? We sat panting on the bed, staring down at the recently occupied depression. Our groin yet pulsed with a confusing sort of familiarly. It was similar yet different to what I knew. Different yet more than what the¡­ the other me knew. We were filled with a rush of conflicting emotions. Disorientation. Satisfaction. Mild hysteria¡­ Too many to count. Our lips formed around a few breathless words. Our voice had a deep, melodious purr to it. Strange and exotic. More than the sum of its parts. ¡°I offer¡­ thanks to my lord that he might bless me so. Fervent be my¡ªhmm~ ¡­my prayer that his font might bless me again. Forever more.¡± A flush crawled up our cheeks at our own words. ¡°You realize I can hear you.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± we replied, our voice taking on a sensuous edge. ¡°What use a prayer unheard?¡± Flirt. It was still embarrassing, though. Our eyes drifted downward. I already knew what we would see. We could feel them dangling there, just as ever, brushing against our arms, but I needed to know. Sure enough, there they were. Our perfect¡­ inadequate breasts. Hanging from¡­ our chest? Panic came. ¡­and fled just as quickly. It was kind of hot seeing them from this angle. And also¡­ the most natural thing in the world. They were our breasts. Where else would they be? And yet we were filled with a burgeoning curiosity. I wanted to touch and fondle, to let our fingers explore, but they resisted my impulse. ¡°That would be unwise,¡± we admonished ourselves. ¡°Eager as we are for more of such, there is a danger we may separate again. And we have much to do. Much to repair. Our kin¡¯s¡­ gift¡­ has¡ª¡± ¡°Xhinn!¡± We leapt to our feet in a rush, our eyes widening in sudden remembrance, but the jostling that our body reported from such a quick move caused us a moment of dysphoria. And at the same time, it was completely normal. We were¡­ fine? ¡°Oof, that¡¯s¡­¡± We shook our head. ¡°Okay, start with the explanations, please. I feel like I¡¯m losing my¡­ our mind.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Our legs calmly circled the bed until we came to the vanity. I felt every single movement, every sway of our hips¡­ yet our mind kept yelling at me to ignore it. This was just how our body moved. How we always felt. To stop paying so much attention. What was I getting so excited about? Then we sat, looking at ourselves through the mirror. Our eyes surveyed us critically and began picking at the remains of our dress for a moment before noticing the underwear hanging from our antlers. We tutted. ¡°As you can see, we have merged,¡± we informed ourselves, absently plucking the panties away. They were a smoking ruin. It was a shame. We rather liked them. They had been black and lacy, and we had very much wanted to know what¡­ what we thought of them? Annoyed, we wadded them up and tossed them into a nearby wastebasket. ¡°We have done so many times before, each with varying levels of success and awareness. On both our parts. We have yet to discover the reasoning behind it, but the joining of our minds in this form seems to offer an unprecedented level of control over¡­ many things. The dream fabric in particular.¡± ¡°But I¡­ we¡­¡± Our face flickered with confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t remember any of that.¡± ¡°As I said, the dream fabric,¡± the other part of me reiterated as we began combing out our hair. ¡°Meaning¡­ we¡¯re asleep?¡± ¡°Indeed. Your recollection of these events comes and goes with no pattern that I have been able to trace. For now, take my word for it. I have been practicing this technique with you whenever I can¡­ whenever your Power is quiescent enough to do so, at least. And it is a good thing I have. We shall have need of that control if we hope to repair the damage Xhinn has caused.¡± ¡°Right¡­ When she made us swallow her¡­ her grool.¡± We licked our lips unconsciously as the memory of that event resurfaced. We wanted Her again. Why did we want Her again?! It had knocked us unconscious! What had She even tasted like? Our eyes fluttered. ¡°That is one name for it. Perhaps we might suggest ¡®influence¡¯ as an alternative?¡± ¡°Like¡­ like our influence?¡± Our expression contorted into a grimace at the unthinking question. But nothing happened. Either to the room or to force a reaction from us. ¡°What need we to fear questions from ourselves?¡± we reminded¡­ ourselves. Whatever. It was a relief, either way. ¡°And yes. Much the same. More refined and of a purpose. And certainly more potent. But very similar. It has run rampant through us for quite some time now. We need to wrest control of it before it drives us completely mad.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ But how are we supposed to accomplish anything while we¡¯re asleep?¡± We tittered. ¡°You ask that as if this were not all taking place within our own mind. But enough questions. We must gain access to our Core. And first, we shall need a new gown.¡± We stood abruptly and turned toward a freestanding dresser. ¡°Aww, but we liked this one!¡± we protested. ¡°It makes us look all sexy and dangerous.¡± Our cheeks flushed at the compliment. But we pretended not to notice. ¡°We are not going to walk down three flights of stairs with our tits out.¡± Stairs? Oh, right. I remember now. Down from the sitting room. Our eyes fluttered with confusion. Wait, what? No! No, never mind. Just go with it. ¡°That sounds fun, too!¡± ¡°My lord, please.¡± The dressing cabinet doors swung open on silent hinges, revealing an interior mirror with our own partially naked form reflected in it. We were in the midst of rolling our eyes at ourselves, but it could not disguise the indulgent smile on our lips. ¡°We are stable enough now, but every time you experience too much of what it is to be¡ª¡± Our words froze in our throat, confusion and alarm running rampant across our face¡­ before settling on outrage. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why we have to take this form in the first place,¡± we were saying. ¡°If we have to merge, and stability is such a concern, why not just take my¡ª¡± ¡°Where are my clothes?!¡± we interrupted with a shout before yanking an example of that very thing from its hanger. It was a brown leather bikini with a single shoulder strap made from what appeared to be rawhide, while the bottom was just a long triangular flap that would hang down in front. The fur was still on it. ¡°A cave woman outfit?¡± we asked in surprise. ¡°That¡¯d look nice! Especially with our antlers. You¡¯ve been holding out on me.¡± Growling, we slammed the hanger back into place, quickly swishing our way through several iterations of the same thing. ¡°It wasn¡¯t here the last time I looked through these. None of these were. Where are all my beautiful gowns? My dresses? What is this even supposed to be?!¡± She had pulled out another garment, this one composed of little more than leaves and twisted vines. ¡°Some kind of Druidic fetish gear?¡± we hazarded. ¡°Blast and damnation!¡± * We crept down the hallway with a cautious watchfulness. Or¡­ sometimes it was a hallway. It kind of morphed and popped at random intervals, changing themes from moment to moment. One second, it present as a corridor in some high-class Gothic manor, then it would become a cave tunneling through solid rock, then a glacier, then one of those rotating clown barrels you find in funhouses, before we could force it to stabilize again. That process took a lot of concentration on our part. We had to first know the precise shape of the thing it should be, then will ourselves to view the nonsense playing out in front of our eyes as that thing. In D&D terms, it was the act of continuously rolling to disbelieve. Which was a lot harder than it sounds. Every time our mind wandered, some new insanity would leap out at us, and we would have to start over. And not all of it was simple window dressing. A deer was as likely to go frolicking by as was a basilisk or some other mutant abomination. And most of those were themed in an explicitly sexual manner. Detached women¡¯s backsides. Rolling breast boulders. All manner of apparitions wielding whips and chains. Tentacles¡­ So many tentacles. Those we had to destroy with reckless haste lest they destabilize our form. Mia had been having quite the time with them before securing us in her room, apparently. They liked to tease her right to the edge before abandoning her in a panting and thoroughly unfulfilled mess, which was a big part of why she had been so out of sorts. But together, we made quick work of them. Once you cut one off at the base, the rest would flee in terror, leaving us in peace for at least a little while. We could imagine why. Unfortunately, we had needed to resort to tooth and claw for the venture. The bat we had been using was long gone, vanished along with our bedroom the moment it had left our sight. As for our outfit, we had decided on one of the primitive bikinis. We were still less than satisfied with it, but after we had mentioned how nicely its color complimented our tail, we had been contented enough to suffer it for a time. And it provided support. That was the main thing. Personally, I thought it looked sexy as fuck. Especially on¡­ us. I just did not know how I felt about being so attracted to ourselves. Or how that attraction was making our body react. The swelling, I could kind of understand, but the wetness? The aching emptiness? And our nipples?! ¡°Stop that,¡± we grumbled. ¡°You¡¯re going to summon more tentacles at this rate.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it! We¡¯re a girl. It¡¯s weird,¡± we protested. ¡°And you say we do this every night? How can I possibly not remember this?¡± ¡°Not every night. Your dreams can be very unpredictable. And in fairness, we rarely achieve stability for long. That strangeness you are experiencing always ends up twisting our control away, so stop thinking about it!¡± ¡°I still say we should just use my form.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. We are female. How would I enter you?¡± ¡°You literally live inside our head!¡± ¡°When we are awake, yes. But this is the fabric,¡± we explained. As if that explained anything. ¡°And anyway, that would just make me horny. Do you think yourself unique in wanting to touch what you do not have?¡± We blinked, considering the implications of that sentence. ¡°So¡­ what? You want us to masturbate?¡± ¡°That was not what I was saying¡­ though, now that you mention it¡ª¡± ¡°Not a chance. Jax and Arx would never tolerate it.¡± ¡°True.¡± We shook our head regretfully. ¡°In any case, we need this form in order to enter our Core. I have explained all of this to you before.¡± ¡°Yeah, in dreams! Where it doesn¡¯t count!¡± ¡°Why do you think I keep telling you to improve your Intelligence? You know that attribute controls memory.¡± ¡°Why do you assume that has anything to do with the subconscious?¡± We scoffed. ¡°What does that even mean? How can a consciousness have a subcomponent?¡± ¡°See? See? It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re having so much trouble navigating in here. We¡¯re¡­ no, I am human. Not ¡®kind.¡¯ How can you possibly expect to manipulate this fabric of yours if you don¡¯t even understand how humans access it?¡± We rolled our eyes. ¡°So explain it.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know! What do I look like? A shrink?¡± We sighed. ¡°The best I can tell you is that it¡¯s when your higher order thinking skills switch off, and you dream about¡­ giving a speech in your underwear in the high school gymnasium or something.¡± We nodded. ¡°I remember that one. But it wasn¡¯t the gymnasium. It was in the girl¡¯s locker room, and all the cheerleaders were laughing at¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want the details!¡± ¡°But I killed them all,¡± we replied easily. ¡°It was such a sweet vengeance, too. And you were so very appreciative. Ahh~ the kiss we shared above their shredded bodies¡­¡± Glad I don¡¯t remember that one¡­ wait. She¡¯s been kissing me in my dreams? ¡°You are such a psychopath,¡± we muttered. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder our clothes changed. It¡¯s much more fitting for our character.¡± We stiffened. ¡°Fitting?! These primitive scraps? Do we not always strive to comport ourselves a proper lady?¡± ¡°When you¡¯re not swearing your head off.¡± Or moaning like a harlot. ¡°And there was nothing proper about the way you were looking at me earlier.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I have no idea what we¡¯re talking about,¡± we grumbled. ¡°And why would that have any role in robbing us of our beautiful dresses?¡± ¡°I dunno. Human dreams are weird. Some of it is chopped up scraps from our own anxieties, some will be half-remembered garbage from our youth, TV shows we¡¯ve watched, and all mixed together with no rhyme or reason,¡± we attempted to explain. ¡°So if I had to guess¡­ I associated how you were behaving with that outfit?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that isn¡¯t how the kinds dream at all. Nor does it begin to address the Power you exert here. They cannot affect the fabric as you do,¡± we mumbled thoughtfully. ¡°But you said our outfit was fetching. Does that mean you found our behavior acceptable as well?¡± ¡°Acceptable? Ha! We¡¯re still wet, just thinking about it.¡± We tittered, pleased. ¡°Ah, but you are not the only one who is still¡­ wet¡­ in thinking about it.¡± ¡°¡­have I mentioned how confusing this is?¡± ¡°You have,¡± we agreed with a smile before halting in front of a door. It looked much like the rest¡­ when it looked like a door at all. It was in the midst of trying to morph into a snow-covered pelt hanging from the hollowed ice above. Rather similar to our outfit, now that I thought about it. That might have explained why the image was being so insistent. But we were quick to force it back into shape. ¡°Beyond here should be the sitting room,¡± we announced. ¡°Assuming our landscape has not reconfigured again, the door to the stairwell will be to our right. But be on our guard. We expect¡­ challenges.¡± Our eyebrow arched. ¡°Define challenges.¡± ¡°To our virtue.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± We nodded seriously. ¡°I take it this is why we¡¯ve had so much difficulty accessing our Core?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Hmm. In that case¡­¡± We reached to one side and hefted the baseball b¡ªan enormous wooden club that had been hanging from the wall. ¡°Where did that¡ª?¡± We rolled our eyes and sighed. ¡°Ach, why am I even asking? But why a club? Why not something more useful?¡± ¡°We¡¯re a cave woman in an ice cave,¡± we explained reasonably. And we were¡­ at the moment. It seemed our concentration had slipped again. ¡°What were you expecting?¡± ¡°What about one of those beam staves from when we fought those giant, pink¡­ wrapped men? Remember? In the flying pyramids?¡± Our mouth dropped open. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The one where we met up with Ahnbe at the end? You kept calling her Madame President.¡± ¡°That¡­ sounds entertaining.¡± We snorted. ¡°I doubt Hwx or Gyx would agree. But never mind them. We need a beam staff, not a club. Uh¡­ you kept calling it modified wrapper tech, if that helps. It was white with a stripy bit running along the side. There was a hand grip here at the thick end, and it shot explosive beams out of the narrow part.¡± We narrowed our eyes at the description, trying to think. It sounded kind of familiar. ¡°Okay¡­ I think you¡¯re trying to describe a laser rifle, but¡­ so? What do you want us to do about it?¡± Our lips formed around ¡®laser¡¯ again, trying it on for size. ¡°Make one!¡± ¡°Like¡­ on purpose?¡± We had been doing okay to keep the world from going crazy on us, but that did not mean we could just manipulate things to our whim. ¡°You made the club. Why not a¡ªa lay-zyr riffle staff?¡± We almost cringed at the mispronunciation. Had we not said it correctly the first time? Out of the same pair of lips?! ¡°I didn¡¯t make it. It was hanging there!¡± ¡°I can assure you, it wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well¡­ but¡­¡± We sighed. We were right. This was our dream. We should be able to manipulate it. The conscious mind could affect the subconscious¡­ and vice versa. ¡°And you say kind cannot do this sort of thing, huh?¡± ¡°Not at all. Only the Five, their servants¡­ and you.¡± We dipped our head to one side. ¡°If erratically.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give it a shot. But don¡¯t blame me if the result is¡­ well, erratic,¡± we warned. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re well prepared for mayhem,¡± we assured ourselves. ¡°Go on¡­¡± With a nod, we took a long, even breath¡­ ¡­and closed our eyes. 6 - A Dream of Grand Adventure I had been a sci-fi buff all my life. Laser guns, ranging from make-shift garage-assembled proto-packs to ones that looked so hyper-sleek they barely seemed functional, were practically hard-coded into my DNA. So forming a mental image of one was easy. Forcing that image into reality was something else entirely. It isn¡¯t reality, though! I admonished myself over and over. It¡¯s a dream. But it did not help. No matter how often I tried to see the club in our hands as a laser rifle, it simply refused to cooperate. There was just something in my head that insisted upon its current shape and function. Why is it fighting me? Why does everything feel so stable all of a sudden? Everything had been in flux before. Then I had a thought. Our surroundings had only solidified into this frozen glacier when we had picked up that club. We could feel the impact of that environment, too. The frigid air of the cave around us was caressing our exposed skin, and the floor beneath us had become a fine layer of powdered snow over layers of ice and bare rock. Prior to that, the hall had felt¡­ undecided as to what it wanted to be. But why? Xhinn¡¯s influence? Perhaps. It was definitely doing something to us. But if we rewound even farther, we had been in another stable area: our bedroom. We did not know why it had been stable, but we could ignore that for now. The important thing to note was in the events that followed, in how they played out. It made sense for a well-to-do girl¡¯s bedroom to empty into a Gothic manor, and the hall we had been moving through had been perfectly content to remain as such for a while. But we had gotten preoccupied. With fighting. Conversation. Simply existing in this body. Even the clothes we were wearing! The clothes, though¡­ The clothes were key. They had been a mismatch. Something that did not belong. A distraction. Distractions could be dangerous in dreams. They could make you lose the plot before you could blink. Then, you look around, trying to take stock of your situation, but everything has gone fuzzy on you. Suddenly, you realize you are wearing a fur bikini and holding a club. That must mean you are in the middle of some primitive Quest for Fire, and things pick up from there. Right. Context! Context is everything¡­ So then, how do I recontextualize the situation to our advantage? Imagining myself in a completely different scenario would be too much. I knew that almost by instinct. Dreams did not just pivot on a dime. They worked off a flow state. Situations might well merge from one loose, metaphorical association to the next, but they were at least tangentially related. So we need a simple change. Something that would allow nothing else to be different, save the weapon in our hands. The solution came to me in a flash. It was not one I was proud of, nor was it something I was keen on seeing played out, but¡­ needs must. Our eyes opened with a look of resignation painted over our face. Nothing had much changed visually. We were still surrounded by ice on all sides. The door in front of us was little more than a flap of hide hanging from a string. We were still wearing our far-too-revealing furs. But the club was a laser rifle, just as ordered. ¡°You see?¡± our lips informed us. ¡°We can do it.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ just don¡¯t blame me for what happens next.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± We could only sigh. ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± And without another word, we pushed our way forward. ¡°There you are!¡± We had been disoriented for a moment on stumbling into what was clearly supposed to be a bustling city street. People were passing by us in little groups, mostly bundled from head to toe in furs to protect themselves from the cold, though the reptilian and Minotaur denizens had their heads uncovered. There were a few people nearby hawking what might have once been fruit or other indescribable foodstuffs, but it had all long rotted. Nobody seemed interested in buying one. A glance upward revealed that the frozen cave we had been in had widened out into a much larger tunnel, but it was too regular to be anything natural, likely a mine or similar construct. And the various pipes, wires, and unexplained puffs of steam strewn about only cemented that impression. But when I say it was ¡®supposed¡¯ to be a street, it is because nothing was quite as it should be. The electric cables and corrugated pipes were just¡­ sort of there¡ªplaced with neither rhyme nor reason and leading nowhere. The walls looked more like cellophane than ice. And the features of the bestial denizens had a frozen, lifeless quality that I knew all too well. The place looked¡­ cheap. I wished I was surprised. ¡°Donum, did you hear me?¡± Someone grabbed our arm and jerked us into a side alley. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you ever since I heard you were in town, terrified the Grulites might have snatched you, and here you are, standing slack-jawed in the middle of Central Market!¡± We could only stare in confusion. Whoever this was, they were wearing a thick woolen coat with a fur-lined hood and their voice had been muffled by the mask over their face, so I could have misheard them, but¡­ The Grool-ites? No¡­ no, no. Surely not. They wouldn¡¯t be that lazy. It did not occur to me that the ¡®them¡¯ in this instance was my own fevered mind. Our second personality was quick to take advantage of my distraction to speak on our behalf. ¡°What is this? Unhand us, ruffian, lest we strike the eyes from your sockets!¡± The other person chuckled as if they had been waiting for us to say that very thing. ¡°Come, now, Donum. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten an old friend.¡± In a smooth, choreographed display, they pulled their mask and hood back, revealing gray eyes, full lips, and a long tumble of perfectly coiffed hair, which they shook out in gratuitous slow-motion. The violins might have been a bit much, though. Our eyes widened in recognition. She was just as I remembered her. Freckles and all. ¡°Stevie?¡± Our eyes widened even further. ¡°Stevie?!¡± ¡°Hello, lover.¡± And with that, she pulled us into a kiss. I am sure it was meant as a wonderful, even poignant reunion, but for some reason, my field of view had snapped to one side, where I could get a clear look at our breasts pressing together. Her coat had vanished from one camera angle to the next, leaving her dressed much the same as we were, in a barely there fur-lined top and loin-cloth with colors chosen to highlight her own auburn locks. Obviously, the director had chosen artistry over continuity. Snarling, Mia shoved the other woman away, her eyes dancing about until they alighted on me. ¡°No, you don¡¯t!¡± Her hand darted out¡­ and then we were looking through our eyes again. ¡°Take it easy, Donum,¡± Stevie muttered indignantly. Her voice did not quite align with the movements of her lips¡­ nor did it at all sound like her. The Stevie I remembered did not have an Italian accent. ¡°I know we didn¡¯t part on the best of terms, but you didn¡¯t have to reject me that hard.¡± ¡°Reject you? Ha!¡± We sneered. Or Mia did. I was still trying to get my head on straight. ¡°We know your origin, and thus your nature. You are impossible! Merest phantasm. How can you be but another illusion meant to distract us from our task? Away with you!¡± ¡°Is that what you think? That I¡¯m just some Grulite trick?¡± she shot back, her voice breaking with sudden tears. The overacting was out in full force, I saw, but adding in the orchestra every time she spoke kind of helped sell it. ¡°Then tell me, how would I know you were feeling sick when last we met? Hmm? You could barely put two thoughts together, and yet, you did everything you could to play the proper hostess.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know that,¡± we observed dryly. ¡°We never told you.¡± I had also been a dude at the time, but we were dealing with dream logic here. There was no point in getting too caught up in the details. ¡°Well¡­ but¡­¡± She shook her head uncertainly. Before she could think to say anything else, some clanking footsteps from the other side of the market interrupted us, and she hurriedly pushed us into the shadows of the alley, her hand over our lips. We waited there for several breathless seconds, while the strings sawed away at a muted tremolo. It occurred to me that we could again feel her pressing against us, but there was no accompanying perspective shift this time. Perhaps the lighting was not good enough here to warrant the extra cheesecake shot. But before I could get too excited about the sensation, a pair of what were clearly supposed to be robots stomped into view. And they were just as clearly not. They looked like a couple of guys wearing silvered hazmat suits with cardboard boxes over their heads. The blinking lights were a nice touch, though. One of them turned into our alley, marched a few steps forward, and stopped. ¡°SECTOR 3. 6. D,¡± it proclaimed in a stately monotone that had been granulated to make it sound more robotic. ¡°SCANNING¡­¡± A squiggly band of light quickly flashed from one side of the alley to the other, the end of which looking like someone had drawn over the film reel with a marker to make it look more high-tech. Before we could think to duck, the light flashed right over us. The orchestra swelled dramatically. ¡°WARNING! BIMBOTIANS FROM PLANET LESBOS DETECTED! BIMBOTIANS FROM PLANET LESBOS DETECTED!¡± I could feel ourselves stiffen indignantly. ¡°I beg your pardon?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the genre, Mia, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± we shouted, and with a quick shove, we created some distance between ourselves and Stevie, pulled our rifle to our hip and fired. The red bar that lanced across our field of view went well wide of our target, as they always did in these pictures, instead exploding in a shower of sparks against the glacier wall. The robot fell over anyway. ¡°Ooh! We made a nice staff this time!¡± we exclaimed, before leveling the weapon at the second robot, but our next shot passed harmlessly over its shoulder, too. The shower of sparks hit somewhere in the nearby market, prompting several of the extras to fly off-screen on wires. We scoffed with offense. ¡°Maybe we spoke too soon.¡± ¡°DESTROY INTRUDERS!¡± the robot bellowed. It lifted its lifeless hands, which hinged downward to reveal a pair of Gatling guns. ¡°L¡¯occhio ci preservi!¡± Stevie yelled, whipping us around. ¡°Run!¡± That much was obvious. The brass section had just entered. Red bars thundered through the air in a staccato so rapid it was practically a hum¡­ but then the world slowed down. We had turned to flee. Our hair was floating around us, suspended in currents of air made as thick as ocean water by time. The bars of light were now individual streaks, each accompanied by the singular strike of a bass drum. Sparks flew from the walls. Our arms came up to shield our faces from flying debris. The editor made certain to cut away to plenty of closeups of our jiggling bodies. As our point-of-view again snapped into its proper alignment, we almost missed the grinning cameraman giving us a thumbs-up in passing. And then we were around a corner. ¡°Did you see that?¡± we panted. ¡°There was a man standing there! All those explosions, and he didn¡¯t even flinch.¡± ¡°What? I didn¡¯t see anyone,¡± Stevie replied. ¡°Ridiculous! He was right¡ª¡± ¡°Hush, Mia. You¡¯re ruining the scene,¡± we interrupted. ¡°¡­huh?!¡± Stevie stared at us. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not suffering from some Grulite mind-virus, Donum?¡± ¡°Eh¡­ something like that,¡± we admitted, before dipping around the corner for a quick backward glance. The robot was lumbering after us as fast as it could, but whoever was in that suit was clearly unable to see out of it. They kept stumbling over the rocks and wadded-up bits of plastic their salvo had kicked up. ¡°But you¡¯re not wounded, are you?¡± Before we could answer, Stevie¡¯s hands were wandering over us, checking for injuries¡­ and taking liberties she probably should not have. ¡°Mani misericordios! It is a miracle neither of us were hit!¡± That or plot contrivance. Mia hissed at her. ¡°Mind your touch! We shall not tolerate you befouling our holy person a moment longer.¡± Stevie stepped away, obviously hurt. ¡°Yes¡­ of course. Forgive me, your highness.¡± Your highness? That had not been sarcasm I had heard in her voice. ¡°But your blessed mother would never forgive me were you to be injured under my care,¡± she continued. ¡°You¡¯ve never met our mother, Stevie,¡± we reminded her. And no one had ever referred to her as ¡®blessed.¡¯ ¡°And so? Will the Queen of the Bimbotians be merciful just because you have kept me a secret? Will she tolerate the feelings of a low-born commoner, even if those feelings ravage my soul every time I look upon her precious daughter?¡± Oh. I cannot express just how much I wanted to roll our eyes. Setting aside just how cliche that setup had been, it should go without saying that my mother was neither a Queen nor was I anyone¡¯s daughter. It seemed Mia¡¯s high-and-mighty tone had influenced the flow-state of the dream to saddle us with a leadership role. And from that robot firing on us, of an enemy state. ¡°Feelings? Your words mean nothing, illusion. And again with this Bimbo¡­ nonsense!¡± our other half growled in a huff¡ªwhile the orchestra swelled with lamentations over our rebuttal. ¡°We haven¡¯t the faintest idea what you¡¯re¡ª¡± ¡°Never mind the details, Mia,¡± we interrupted quickly. ¡°She¡¯s in character.¡± ¡°And what of these instruments?!¡± she continued apace. ¡°Have you summoned up an invisible mummers¡¯ troupe to accompany this lunatic?¡± ¡°Bimbo nonsense?¡± Stevie gasped. ¡°Your mind-virus must be worse than I thought. For the Princess Heir of our entire world not to even know of her sacred heritage¡­¡± A rain of bolts pelted against the far wall, showering us with chunks of ice and plastic. ¡°LESBOS INVADERS. HALT!¡± ¡°Shit¡­ we can talk about this later.¡± I grabbed our fellow ¡®Bimbotian¡¯ by the arm and led her at a jog farther down and into the maze of alleys. ¡°We need to get to the Core, Stevie. Do you know where it is?¡± ¡°The Core?!¡± She looked us up and down. ¡°You cannot be serious. You may be the greatest champion of our race, but even you cannot hope to storm into the heart of a Grulite fortress alone and succeed.¡± ¡°And yet we must.¡± It felt good to say that line. Cheese or not, it was heroic. ¡°Madre sacra¡­¡± she breathed. ¡°If we survive this, I will worship every inch of your body until you beg me to stop.¡± Unlikely. Italian exploitation films were usually good for a few topless scenes, but they rarely resorted to out-and-out porn. The best I could look forward to would be a bit of making out before things faded to black. But that was okay. Hot lesbian action was nice, but it was difficult for a scene like that to advance the plot. ¡°Here it is,¡± Stevie informed us. We blanched at the sudden transition. The last we remembered, we had been jogging down a frozen alleyway. Now, we were suddenly crouched near a tree stump in a low wooded area. We could still see the glacier off in the distance, but it had been dwarfed by the enormous spires and laser cannon installations of the fortress before us. It might have been quite the intimidating display, except¡­ ¡°My lord,¡± we murmured to get our attention. ¡°Do our eyes deceive, or is there something¡­ off about that bastion?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a matte painting,¡± we whispered back. ¡°A painting?¡± We sneered in disbelief. ¡°That whole thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s smaller than it looks.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªbut¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± I was debating whether we should explain or just leave ourselves sputtering, but then something silvery caught the corner of our eye. A quick glance downward revealed that a short cape with some tasseled shoulder pads had been added to our wardrobe. We were also now sporting some matching thigh boots and elbow-length gloves, the ends of which had been cut off to make room for our claws. The fur bikini-top was still front and center, of course. We could not do without that! But I had to suppose the additions provided a regal air that befitted our newfound station. Ooh, are we wearing a tiara, too? That would be just the thing to complete the look. Our hand started its way up to check, but then we noticed several other women huddled nearby, all human, but armed and dressed similarly to ourselves¡­ minus the cloak. More Bimbotians, I assumed. Oddly, they each looked somewhat familiar, like grown-up versions of people I might have once gone to middle school with, or former office acquaintances. I put it down to more dream logic. It seemed Stevie had gathered quite the little strike force between this scene and the last. We had no idea as to their experience or professionalism, though we were quick to note how those who were not eyeing the distant turrets were casting sidelong glances at us with a mixture of awe and lust. Whether that was because we were their holy princess or because we were so clearly the most beautiful woman among them, I could not say. Likely both. Our lip twitched at the direction our thoughts had taken. We were in Mia¡¯s body, I had to remind myself. Her mind was spilling over into mine in a way it usually never did, so I could not be surprised that we would be feeling a touch of feminine pride right then¡ªeven if that pride was making me feel all kinds of weird. Whatever. Just get to the Core. Once we clear out Xhinn¡¯s influence, we¡¯ll wake up, everything will be back to normal, and we can put this all behind us. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Va bene,¡± Stevie began. ¡°The main gate is just there. They won¡¯t be expecting an attack right now, but it doesn¡¯t matter. There¡¯s over three hundred paces of open ground between us and the entrance, and those Grul cannons aren¡¯t just for show. One shot, and even the hardiest Lesbian will be on the ground, begging for,¡± she swallowed, ¡°¡­it.¡± We glanced at her. ¡°It?¡± She did not meet our eyes. It was clear she did not want to say the rest. ¡°Whatever you can get. Even a man.¡± A chorus of eww¡¯s came from the Bimbotians. We added one of our own in complete agreement. There was no way in hell that was happening. Not in this or any other body. ¡°Oh, but surely we should make one exception,¡± our lips murmured suggestively, only just audible enough for our own ears. ¡°Don¡¯t you agree, my lord?¡± ¡°Not getting into that right now, Mia.¡± Besides, if this dream was what she counted as stable, it was only just hanging on by its fingernails. If I were to hop out of our body to make good on that exception, our Lesbian allies would freak. Who knew what could happen after that? ¡°That¡¯s the situation from out here,¡± Stevie concluded, not having heard the exchange. She passed me a spyglass. ¡°We¡¯ve assembled every free woman within a hundred leagues for this, but there are many dozens more in that dungeon. Maybe even a full battalion. If you can get us in there, and we set them loose, we can take that fortress¡­ If you can get us in there.¡± ¡°And their minds haven¡¯t gone,¡± someone muttered. Stevie¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°Any Bimbotian worth a damn would gladly give her life for the Heir, no matter¡ª!¡± We held up a hand to forestall her. ¡°Take it easy,¡± we said, holding the glass to our eye. ¡°We¡¯ll cross that road when we come to it.¡± The view we got from the lens was a lot different than the one the matte painting suggested¡­ which was unsurprising for all that it was a bit of a letdown. This genre predated CGI by a few decades, and taking the time to build a model for a quick spyglass shot would have been cost prohibitive. It was much cheaper to just rent out a castle for a few hours, post a couple of guys in guard outfits in front of the gate, and call it a day. Which was exactly what they had done. There were two of them out there, wearing what was clearly supposed to be sleek, futuristic armor, but came off looking like the cheap plastic it was, especially when juxtaposed with the low stone arch and medieval wooden door they were standing in front of. Meanwhile, the pair were each holding a body-length sniper rifle, of all things. I had to suppose they were suggestive of halberds, which would have cemented their role as gate-guards in our minds¡­ if you refrained from thinking about it too hard. It would not be very difficult to overwhelm the guards if we could get in close enough, but three hundred paces was a long way to go unspotted. And any place that sported laser turrets would have long solved the problem of raiders sneaking in under the cover of darkness. No, we need a distraction. But what kind? It would have to be big enough to pull every eye away from the gate. Something that would take their minds off of reinforcing it entirely. Hmm¡­ we haven¡¯t had that topless scene yet. Maybe we sneak a few of the girls around back¡­ put together some kind of bathing scenario? If they were already taking our people prisoner with lust weapons, I knew the guards would go for it. They might even leave the gate open. I guess it would work. But then how¡ª We jerked the spyglass away as another thought flashed into our mind, and an evil laugh began to burble from our throat. ¡°Better yet, why not something for the VHS cover?¡± ¡°Your highness?¡± one of the Lesbians prompted from behind. She had an unidentifiable Eastern-European accent. Without explaining, we twisted the comically huge diamond¡ªwhich had totally been strapped to our wrist the entire time¡ªa quarter-turn to the left. It began to gleam softly in the fading light of the sun as 80s synths swelled in the background. ¡°Ladies¡­ we are about to blow this picture¡¯s entire special effects budget.¡± ¡°HA HA HA HA!¡± we cackled madly. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to do this!¡± There was no telling how fast we were going. The wind was ripping through our hair so wildly, it could as easily have been a hundred miles per hour as Mach one, but we had confidence in our perch. The finest leather workers in the Empire had made this saddle for us. It was strapped securely to the enormous feathered wings rising and falling in our periphery, alternating with their reptilian counterparts just to their rear in a rhythmic dance as the dragon-bird hybrid between our legs us snaked through the sky. The Minokawa¡ªa creature so unfathomably huge many of the common folk called it the Sun-Eater in hushed whispers and many more worshiped in fear. But it was the Bimbotian Empire¡¯s holy protector. And our own personal mount. I had made most of that up a moment ago, of course. The monstrosity we were so jubilantly riding might well have been pulled from one of Earth¡¯s many competing mythological rogue¡¯s galleries, but in reality, it was nothing more than a big puppet, just an elaborate float you might see at a Mardi Gras parade and installed into the back of a flatbed truck. Any wide shots would be handled by some specially hired stop-motion animators. But the nearby blue-screen was showing clouds all around and acres of land zipping past our feet, so I was having an absolute blast! ¡°We are so confused,¡± Mia groaned. ¡°What is this dream?! Are we moving right now or not?¡± The Minokawa¡¯s head rose to glance over its shoulder toward us. Our entire body could have fit within its pupil¡­ or so you might believe from the forced perspective. ¡°HA HA! NEVER FEAR, HIGHNESS!¡± it proclaimed in a voice loud enough to shatter glass. ¡°WE¡¯LL BE THERE SOON ENOUGH. THOSE GRUL WILL BE CURSING THEIR OWN MOTHERS BEFORE THIS DAY IS OUT!¡± ¡°It speaks, too?!¡± we gasped. ¡°What kind of Mouth speaks?¡± ¡°Real Mouths don¡¯t? Like¡­ ever?¡± we asked, crestfallen. ¡°That¡¯s a shame. We¡¯ll have to talk to Xhinn about that someday.¡± ¡°Do not give Her ideas.¡± ¡°Heh. You sure She¡¯s not watching already? As the cause of all this, I wouldn¡¯t put it past Her.¡± Our lips twisted to one side in thought¡ªeven as our eyes darted toward the giant fan responsible for whipping our hair about. ¡°You may well be right, my lord. I doubt Her plans would be limited to such entertainments¡­ elaborate as they might be, but our Kindred is known for moving in many directions at once. Helping us extend our abilities within the fabric may be some part of a larger machination. Though it does nothing to explain the nature or symbolism of the construct your have created here.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t help you with the symbolism,¡± we shouted over the wind¡ªother than it being a deep dive into my own sordid taste in movies. ¡°But you¡¯ve already hit on its nature. This whole thing is like a big mummer¡¯s play, except nobody knows it but us.¡± We glanced to one side and pointed out the nearby lights and cameras. ¡°What about those people?¡± We snatched our own hand out of the air. ¡°Don¡¯t acknowledge them! You¡¯ll spoil the take!¡± ¡°You keep saying that, but I don¡¯t know what it means.¡± We sighed. ¡°Just think of it like we¡¯re on stage, and they¡¯re the audience. We¡¯re supposed to pretend they¡¯re not there.¡± Our eyes closed, and we took a breath. When we looked again, the camera crew was gone. We were surrounded by nothing but clouds and sky. ¡°You see? Like that.¡± We huffed in disbelief. ¡°If only our own magic could be so easy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just make-believe, not magic.¡± ¡°As you say, my lord,¡± we agreed, clearly doubting our own words. ¡°So what does this farce have in store for us next?¡± We only grinned. ¡°WE HAVE ARRIVED, HIGHNESS!¡± the Minokawa bellowed, and when we leaned to look over its shoulder, we could see the familiar outline of the fortress just coming into view. ¡°SHALL I ENGAGE IN THE NORMAL STRATEGY?¡± ¡°No, my friend.¡± Smiling affectionately, we reached down to stroke its feathers. ¡°We don¡¯t want to bring that fortress down around their ears. This is a breach and rescue mission. Just focus on those cannons and get me inside. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± ¡°BY YOUR WILL!¡± As our angle tilted downward, I again addressed our other half. ¡°Can you handle a sword?¡± ¡°Naturally,¡± we returned, insulted we had even brought it up. ¡°But why do you ask? We do not have one.¡± ¡°Not yet¡­¡± Admittedly, this next bit was going to be something of a stretch, but I had seen far worse devices played out in the name of fan service. With a deft maneuver, we shrugged out of our top, unleashing our breasts into the wind. Then, as the French horns swelled into a triumphant fanfare, we flicked the garment to one side, gave it a twist, and the fur articulated out into several lengths of steel. Another twist, and the whole of it snapped back together into a one-handed blade, its crossguard made to resemble the mismatched wings of our mount. I really cannot articulate the amount of childish glee that sequence of events had summoned within me. And I was not even finished! Fucking hype! Grinning like a mad-woman, we lifted our new blade into the air. ¡°In the name of the Empress!¡± The orchestra went nuts as lightning smashed from the cloudless sky into the tip of our sword, igniting the gemstone upon our wrist. Then our blade came down to alight upon the pommel of our saddle¡ªitself a ridiculously over-sized diamond¡ªas upon a knight¡¯s shoulder. The bottled energy thrummed from gem to gem, then down and through the harness of our mount until it settled upon another, just above the beast¡¯s enormous beak. Weapon primed, we gazed down upon the ants below, even now swarming toward their insignificant cannons, with disdain. Our hair was streaming about our face and into the crown of our antlers, while our tail and cloak flapped in the wind. Our breasts were heaving with anticipation. The Minokawa¡¯s beak stretched open. Energy flowed from the gem and into its mouth, where it collected, building into the light of its namesake. The music stopped. And then, as though channeling the very soul of Brian Blessed, our lips curled over our fangs with a gleeful malice. ¡°Die!¡± In that instant, a solid band of¡­ Oh, who am I kidding? It looked like a ray gun from some 1950s era sci-fi schlock, okay? The special effects from those Italian films were always about twenty years out of date. But the tower it hit gave off a nice explosion, and a goodly number of the nearby extras fell over, their cannons aflame. And then the drums kicked off with some electric guitars wailing in the background, so my inner nine-year-old was positively giddy. As the Minokawa dive-bombed the ramparts, the stiff puppet that represented it gently nudged several of the fortress defenders from the wall and to their dooms below. We took advantage of the opening it had provided to leap from our mount¡¯s back and into the inner bailey, hooting like a maniac and topless as ever. We did nothing of the sort, of course. Our stunt had been performed by a dummy, followed by a cutaway of us leaping into frame. But you would never be able to tell. Several of the guardsmen were quick to engage us, but they were cut down in an instant after a few deft strokes from our blade, their blood packs each exploding with a satisfying burst of gore. Mia immediately took to grumbling under our breath about how they were scarcely trying, which¡­ okay. Fair. The whole point of this genre was to make blockbuster movies on a fraction of the budget of one of their American counterparts. You had to cut the stuntmen some slack. Our immediate area safely cleared, we pivoted low to deliver a few blasts from our gun toward the half dozen still running at us. Once again, the bars of light only hit the ground at their feet, which erupted as from a triggered landmine, and the guards went somersaulting away. ¡°There. See? That one wasn¡¯t such a bad stunt.¡± ¡°The flips were nice, but why can¡¯t we ever actually hit anything?¡± ¡°I dunno. Maybe they think making someone fake explode would look crappy?¡± ¡°Compared to what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a spoilsport, Mia.¡± We slipped into the nearby gate tower just as our mount was again passing overhead, this time sending one of the cannon installations crashing to the ground and clutching the stop-motion guardsman that had been manning it in one of its claws. We found the gate controls after only a few turns, and Mia handled the two men stationed over it with an ease that had me grudgingly agreeing with her assessment of them. Honestly, it almost made me want to call a halt to the proceedings and ask for a reshoot. Yes, it was a stuntman¡¯s job to make the heroine look good, but there are levels, you know? We should have to struggle at least a little, else it would strain credulity. Well, ask and ye shall receive. Just as we were kicking the gate controls open, some jackass stumbled into the room behind us and got off a potshot right into the one weakness of every protagonist¡ªthe meat of our shoulder. It was hardly life-threatening, and we managed the return shot almost without thinking. It even hit this time! But the guy just slumped to the ground, outwardly unwounded. No explosions or anything. I had to assume he was meant to be dead. I almost wished he was not. Our first taste of a Grulite weapon left us struggling to stand and breathless, our body burning with wave after wave of desire. The space between our legs¡­ No. Our pussy ached. To be touched. Licked. Filled. Anything. We did not care. Our bellies quivered with need. Our nipples sang with the want of hands to tease them. We were moments away from separating. I had to satisfy us. Mia desperately needed me to, on the verge of begging. But then we heard the shouts of our compatriots streaming through the nearby gate, and we pierced the flesh of our palms with our claws, fighting pleasure with pain. It worked somewhat, and the fog of lust receded from our minds enough to think. ¡°Ha¡­ ha, ha¡­¡± We tried to laugh the onslaught of sensation away. We had suffered worse, in our own¡­ separate ways. ¡°So, this is what you feel when you get horny, huh? It¡¯s nothing like what man goes through.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± we replied shakily. A hand rose unbidden to fondle one of our tits. I was not sure who was responsible, nor did I much care. It felt fantastic. The sensation was far more than I could have ever imagined coming from my own male chest, like tantalizing bolts of electricity zipping down my abdomen, seeking to connect with the fire below. ¡°Do tell us of your erections¡­ that we might imagine it. Please?¡± We should have been able to respond. It was not like I was short on experience, but when you are getting so much input from the entirely wrong set of equipment, it can be difficult to find the words. Fortunately, we were saved from our moment of awkwardness by Stevie¡¯s yell. ¡°My lady? Your highness, where are you?¡± We straightened and quickly batted our own hand away. ¡°Here.¡± She found us in a trace, clutching at our shoulder and grimacing in our efforts to restrain ourselves, but at the sight of her, our eyes widened and we backed away. It turned out she was topless as well. Stevie was more than attractive by human standards. Her breasts were large, with teats and halos of a proportionate size. Her tan line was more freckle than darkened skin, marking the orbs below with a paleness so extreme, it was obvious at a glance they had never once seen the sun. The sight sent a renewed jolt of longing down our spine; the only thing holding us back, our own confusion over the state of her undress. Our first thought was that it might have been a part of some Bimbotian war tradition¡­ but more likely, it was the result of the precedent we had established by transforming our sword. Watching a horde of women wearing nothing but boots and loin cloths charging a fortress would have made for some excellent b-roll footage. We would have been sorry to have missed it at the best of times, but in our current state, we experienced a regret so profound, you might have thought someone had died! ¡°Highness? Are you alright?¡± We did not answer at first, mistrusting our own lips. But after a moment, some of Mia¡¯s emotions began to cut through the instinct the Grulite weapon had unleashed. Through her eyes, we noticed how Stevie was gradually succumbing to gravity, her pride on the verge of defeat by the constant onslaught of time. We saw the slight rolls of fat, imperfections, and slight asymmetries. These were all human things, things she would not have been able to help. Things I would have once scolded myself for judging her for. Even now, I did not mind them so much, but this was not Earth. Our Clan had no need to suffer such. Not Jax. Not Arx¡­ or even Xyn. Certainly not ourselves! And Lynnria¡­ well, we did not count her. She was a work in progress. The important thing was that Mia judged this woman unfit. Out-Clan and unworthy. Her Power, too far beneath us to consider adding to our collective. And she was not a fan of that tan line. All of which I could have easily set to right, but this was just a dream. And it would have been a terrific shame to start all over just because we could not control ourselves at the sight of a decent-at-best rack. So instead of turning around and presenting ourselves like I would have preferred, I instead allowed Mia to take the reins. ¡°Keep your distance!¡± we barked. ¡°We have been wounded. If you take another step toward us, we will slay you where you stand! Do you hear?¡± Stevie¡¯s eyes widened, shocked and betrayed to her core, and we saw tears begin to form. We winced with regret. That was about five steps too far, Mia. ¡°S¨¬¡­ your highness. Ovviamente,¡± Stevie replied brokenly. ¡°I understand. I¡­ I would never dream of¡­ of taking advantage¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Stevie,¡± we interrupted, scrambling for a convenient excuse. ¡°We know. It¡¯s just¡­ we were confused. That weapon, it¡­ we were afraid we might have been seeing things. You could have been another guardsman, come to force himself on us.¡± Stevie took in the bodies scattered everywhere and sagged with obvious relief. As a faint smile reemerged on her lips, she proclaimed, ¡°My lady, any of your subjects would gladly perform the dance of the thousand deaths for you. Until our tongues fell from our mouths, should you command it. Myself included.¡± She dared a step toward us. ¡°Soprattutto io. But we have yet to free our sisters. And the Core awaits. Can you still fight?¡± We firmed our jaw. Right. We have a bit to go yet. But first¡­ ¡°Mia, can you purge this crap?¡± we asked under our breath. ¡°Normally? Yes. But Xhinn¡¯s influence limits my Power to keeping us stabilized. You shall have to cleanse us yourself. Perhaps with that gem at our wrist? Its abilities are strange and mysterious to us.¡± We glanced down at it quickly. By summoning our mount and blade, we had already taxed its powers a great deal. Whatever energy had kept it aglow was now fading, so we knew that by using it again, that would be it. It was also a perfect device for a situation like this. You always needed to fit in a death-of-the-follower scene into these high fantasy productions near the end, and there was nothing more poignant than the loss of a pet or a trusted tool. Even over an actual person! It was a bizarre yet irrefutable quirk of human psychology. We placed our hand over it with a solemn grace, and intoned, ¡°By the light of the Empress.¡± We were again shaken by a sudden bolt of lightning, but instead of dissipating into the ground, its power danced and crawled over our skin, playing about our eyes and antlers¡ªand certain other points of interest¡ªuntil all that remained of the Grulite-induced lust was a faint memory. And with a quick swipe of our blade, the lightning, too, was gone. Our eyes found the gem once more, hopeful yet knowing, and for a moment, flutes played a delighted little melody over the remnants of its light. Until it faded. And with it went the music. A tear sprang to our eye, forcing me to wipe it away in disgust. Damn it! Don¡¯t make yourself cry, idiot. ¡°We make for the Core,¡± we announced, affecting a regal tone. ¡°Will you be our escort?¡± Stevie bowed at the waist. ¡°It would be my honor.¡± Ah ha¡­ so that¡¯s why women always curtsy. With a firm nod, we swept past her. For some while after that, all we knew was the sweep of our blade and the heat of our rifle, Stevie at our back. Our weapons blasted any Grulite scum who dared cross our path. Hallway after winding hallway passed underfoot, through castles and factories of unknown purpose, and down flight after flight of stairs fitting every description. Of our own people, we saw some few, always fighting in groups of twos and threes. Mostly, they were holding their own, but some we helped. And some we were too late to save. Yet on we traveled, our fates undeterred. Until finally we arrived. The room was white. The door, unassuming. We had been here before. We could not remember when, but we knew we had¡­ somehow. Yet never beyond. Or¡­ I had not, anyway. Mia was a regular down here. Stevie looked at us apprehensively. ¡°I cannot follow you through there, my lady. I¡ªI¡­ don¡¯t know why, but¡­ my feet won¡¯t move any closer.¡± We placed a consoling hand upon her shoulder. ¡°We know. Such is our power and our burden. Go. Join our people. Save who you can. We will¡ª¡± We frowned. We¡¯ll what? Join her later? The dream will end after this. I hoped. Stevie hesitated only a moment before sweeping forward to steal a kiss from our lips. ¡°Just in case,¡± she whispered. And then she was gone. We stared after her for a handful of seconds before finishing her thought. ¡°Just in case we never see you again?¡± Because we never would. With a sigh, we turned our feet toward the door. And stepped through.