Starry Resonance

Particles of earth and trees, pushed by soft wind, floated around Yvain as he went to wake Selt up.

With the small earthquake and Nora’s subsequent ominous words, he expected something with a bit more impact. Yet the current peaceful deconstruction of their environment didn’t quite match his expectations. It was a bit jarring to see the ground sometimes disintegrate on a spot he was about to step on, but it was something easily evaded.

Yvain was quite calm as he reached Selt who was slumbering in the fetal position. Then some annoyance crept in when he saw how blissfully unaware the kid was.

Maybe I should let him go down with the dungeon, he thought. He squatted next to Selt and pushed his shoulder a few times.

“Just a bit longer,” Selt mumbled and shifted his body to lie face up, continuing to sleep.

Even if there wasn’t any rush to get out of the dungeon it wouldn’t do to waste time, so he slapped the kid across the face. Selt released a small painful scream and rolled out of Yvain’s range of attack while holding his reddening cheek.

“We have to go, the whole dungeon is falling on us,” Yvain said.

Selt sat up with blurry eyes and looked around the now disappearing surroundings, his hand trying to rub the pain away.

“I’ll let the slap go this time,” he said worriedly as the tear in the sky grew wider.

“I’m so grateful,” Yvain said and stood.

“Damn, you really killed him. He was a nice person you know.” Yvain glanced at the kid who had a wry smile and then at the decapitated body.

“Nice or not he was about to kill Nora, and I wasn’t going to let that happen.” Yvain went over to where the body lay and ripped off the remaining pieces of armor, fully revealing the chainmail underneath. It was falling into pieces too, but he was tired of being naked and it would at least cover the important parts.

Yvain tried to remove the upper section first but the clothing soon met with the man’s horns. His tail offered the same obstacle when he tried to remove the pants. How was he supposed to get the clothing off with the dragon-like appendages in the way?

Nora suddenly appeared next to him, holding onto his shoulder for support as he held her by the waist. He gave her a sad smile, acknowledging that she really was hopping on one leg.

“Tap on his chest twice, then do the same on his left thigh,” Nora said.

After helping her sit down, Yvain followed her advice. The chest immediately unlinked itself right by the middle, but when he tapped the pants they remained chained together. He looked at Nora, the question on his face obvious, and she spun her finger in the air. Yvain nodded and turned the body over. The tail was coming out of a purposeful-made hole in the pants. Above that hole, the garment had split just like the top, creating enough space for the tail to pass.

“I’ve never seen clothes like these,” Yvain said as he rid the cadaver of its attire.

“It’s not something humans need to think about after all,” Nora said, patting the part where a tail would be growing out of Yvain if he was part of the dragon race.

“You have a point,” Yvain said. “It’s intriguing, but it’d be a waste of effort.” He gathered the clothing and was about to stand up and put them on, but Nora hadn’t withdrawn her hand—choosing instead to rub his bare rear to her heart’s content. He raised an eyebrow in question but she just grinned at him.

“This is gross,” Selt, who had been watching the couple with disgust, said.

“What’s your problem?” Yvain asked, mildly irritated at the kid’s outburst.

“I’ll say it again, you killed a good man,” Selt said. His eyes bore into Nora, “and all for a woman you don’t even know. I thought you and I were similar, but I was wrong.” He then stood and left for the exit at a steady jog.

“And you knew him!?” Yvain yelled at Selt’s retreating figure in defense, but he was secretly stunned at the kid’s words; more at their bite than their content. It was the first time Selt had expressed actual anger.

Nora didn’t miss Yvain’s change in mood and got closer to him, laying her head on his back.

“Is he going to be alright?” she asked.

“I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve seen him act like that,” Yvain said. He got up and put on the tattered chainmail. Following the logic behind their traits, he tapped them as he had before and the clothing sealed itself once more.

Was the man he just killed really innocent? He wanted to fault Selt’s judgement; how long could he have possibly known him for? Half an hour at most. But considering Nora, Yvain wasn’t really in a position to adjudicate.

Yvain offered Nora a hand which she took gratefully, lifting herself up with her good leg. She then half fell half moved forward and laid her head on his chest with natural ease.

“What in the stars happened when you put him in front of our attacker?” Nora asked.

She was of course referring to when Yvain used the kid as a makeshift shield. It was an unorthodox move to say the least, with no modicum of planning.

“Selt can’t die,” Yvain said. “No matter the danger he’s in, or how sure a death blow might seem, he’ll live.”

Nora lifted her head from his chest and looked into his eyes. She searched for any falsehoods in them, but the evidence was clear.

“We should probably still catch up before we lose sight of him, just in case,” Nora said.

Yvain cocked his head in doubt, “He’ll be alright though.”

“No, what I mean is that we’ll both need you to get us out of here. The dungeon will fully collapse in about two minutes and no amount of death defying abilities will help with being buried alive.” Nora spoke with such nonchalance that it took some time for the gravity of her words to hit Yvain. The dungeon’s elusively slow speed of decay had taken away any sense of urgency.

“Why didn’t you say so before?!” Yvain said. He picked up Nora in his arms and ran after Selt at his fastest speed.

He could still easily see the castle, but its size hid how truly far it was. Two minutes would never be enough for the kid to reach the exit. He wasn’t even sure it would be enough for him.

Yvain pushed himself to his limits, but soon a small whimper slowed his speed. Nora was roughly grabbing on to him with pressed lips, her brow furrowing every time he took a step. He came to a complete stop.

Nora looked at him apologetically. “We don’t have the luxury to worry over my leg, just let me complain while you run.”

The idea that he was hurting her, even if unintentionally, made Yvain sick. But she was right, they couldn’t slow down. He still wanted to somehow negate the pain he caused, so he gave her a brief apologetic kiss she happily returned.

“Grab on to my neck,” Yvain said. Nora did as told and he quickly reached his top speed, now having a free arm. It didn’t take long before Selt came into view going at his leisure.

Without any warning, Yvain grabbed the kid under his arm like a sack and kept running.

“Let me go!” Selt tried to break the hold on him.

“Stop you idiot! This place is about to break apart on us!” Yvain yelled. Particles still flew through the air, but out of the corner of his eye he could see that some parts of the ground were covered in holes that only showed an infinite blackness.

“It’s a bit more than that I’m afraid,” Nora said calmly, “this dungeon is inside a different space than the one containing our reality. If it collapses with us in it we’ll just keep floating in a void until we die of old age, hunger, or dehydration. Our senses won’t work at least, so it’ll be painless. But we’ll be fully conscious.”

Selt stopped trashing and spoke with a fearful voice, “You can make it right?”

“Maybe if you wouldn’t mess around so much we would already be outside,” Yvain said in a somber tone. The mask of fear on Selt mirrored how Yvain felt, but Nora’s serenity in face of their impending oblivion gave him the strength to keep himself steady.

At the speed Yvain was going, it didn’t take long for them to reach the stairs. He quickly took the steps three or four at a time, but with the black holes from before now showing up on his path he was forced to sometimes jump in a zig-zag shape. Whatever light was illuminating the forest flickered like dying embers until it completely went out just as he jumped through the exit.

Yvain was flooded with massive relief when he entered the great hall and its entrance was finally open.

“Wait! Wait! Grab the gold!” Selt screamed.

“There’s no time for that,” Yvain said but the kid wouldn’t calm down, attempting to free himself.

Nora closed in and whispered in Yvain’s ear, “Let him grab a handful.”

Ignoring the goosebumps her voice sent cascading down his back, Yvain easily gave in, “Grab some of it on the way out, but we aren’t stopping.” Selt reluctantly nodded and Yvain moved to the pile of gold closest to the dungeons exit.

“You can let me go you know,” Selt said, but Yvain shook his head.

“Not until we’re in the clear.” He wasn’t too sure the kid wouldn’t just stay in the great hall trying to grab as much gold as possible while space collapsed around him.

After Selt grabbed whatever his hands could carry, Yvain took them all outside. The doors instantly shut behind them.

The castle was already completely destroyed with only the double doors standing, but a few moments later they crumbled down too. Every piece of metal and rock turned to dust and the wind carried them away. In its place, all that remained was the same rocky ground that formed Great Divider.

Yvain released Selt with a sigh of relief and the kid hit the ground hard, some of his coins scattering on the ground with the impact.

“Sorry,” Yvain said as Selt threw him a dirty look and picked up his loot. He then set Nora down carefully.

“Thanks,” she said. Yvain wanted to do nothing more than kiss her as she smiled at him, but the exhaustion that followed the adrenaline rush had him throwing himself on the ground next to her instead. He was done for the day. When his friends arrived they could just carry him down.

The night ether was as beautiful as ever, filled to the brim with lights of all shapes and sizes. Lunaris was in the middle sending down its soft glow. But the crimson light Yvain wanted to see the most was not showing up.

“Selt send the signal already,” he said, but no answer came.

“Need a hand?” A familiar voice reached Yvain and he instantly rolled to the side expecting an attack, but none came. Instead, he was grabbed by the neck and lifted up, his feet leaving the ground. There was only one person he knew that could pull such a feat.

“Evening, Elly,” Yvain said with a tight smile. A woman with dirty blonde hair that fell around her shoulders was glaring at him as she tried her best to choke him with one arm. On her back was a great sword as wide as Yvain’s back and much longer than the one he took into the dungeon.

Her breasts were covered in metal plate tailored to her specific needs, but that was it. The rest of her upper body was completely bare. Moving down her well-defined tanned abs, one would find a loincloth long enough to pass her knees that still fully showed off her long muscular legs with the smallest of movements. Lower still were well-worn boots that had seen enough combat to last a lifetime.

She didn’t lose in beauty to Nora at all, yet not only was she over a head taller, but her whole body was covered in muscles. Enough to compete with Yvain, maybe even more. None of it took away from her feminine charms, though it was unfortunate, and a bit scary, how her face was currently contorted in anger; she was ready to rip his head off with her bare hands.

“That’s master to you, calf.” Elly’s hand pressed down on Yvain’s throat harder and he sent a kick toward her solar plexus, holding nothing back. She managed to tighten up her core on time but still had some air forced out from her lungs. Her grip weakening, Yvain yanked her wrist and freed himself.

Elly didn’t look bothered at all by her student’s attack. She even looked ready to pounce on him again. That’s when Selt interrupted.

“Elly I missed you so much!” He jumped and slapped the top of Elly’s breasts with all his strength. The way they bounced was as impressive as always but Yvain knew what would come next and moved back, gently pulling a curious looking Nora with him.

Elly swung her great sword at Selt, leaving a slight afterimage behind, and a large explosion reverberated through Great Divider. A fissure that extended about ten feet appeared next to the kid, cracks spread around it. He was completely unharmed, sporting an infuriating grin.

“Nice try titty monster!” he yelled and ran away laughing to where Nelimir—Draconian Tavern’s leader—was waiting. Yvain wouldn’t dare laugh, but he had to admit that Elly’s breasts couldn’t be natural. They were at least thrice the size of her head. Not counting her height, just that alone was impressive when seeing how agile she could be.

“You’ll run out of luck one day you pest!” Elly screamed, and then focused her glare on Yvain.

“And you!” she put her great sword away, “explain yourself!”

“I’ll gladly give my report, but can we get some aid for my friend first?”

Nora had so far remained quiet. She just smiled, waiting for Yvain to choose their next course of action.

Elly looked at Nora and then at Yvain, “She’s wounded?”

“She’s alright for the most part, but…” Gloom threatened to overtake him when thinking of the injury he caused but Nora’s reassuring hand on his put a quick stop to it.

“Her right leg is fractured,” he said and gently picked Nora up again, with her holding on to his neck once more.

Elly’s eyes threatened to pop out of her head while Nelimir looked at him curiously. Selt was behind their leader making gagging noises.

Ignoring their weird looks and the kid’s melodramatic antics, Yvain walked to where Nelimir was waiting. An elegant carriage that was big enough to sit all of them comfortably, even Elly, was standing behind the scruffy man; spider-like legs protruding out of its bottom and door open. A magical wonder created by their prodigy witch that allowed them to go anywhere with ease.

“Where’s-” Yvain was about to ask Nelimir for the whereabouts of said prodigy when a frog jumped out of the carriage. It landed on the Draconian’s Tavern leader’s shoulder. The tiny amphibian croaked as if greeting a friend.

Nelimir laughed. “She was at it again with her experiments and ended up like this.” He studied Yvain for a moment, taking stock of his new look. “What happened to you?” he asked.

“Long story, “Yvain said. “But there aren’t any dangers we need to worry about…not anymore, at least.”

“Then we can finally venture out of Empryon,” Nelimir said with eagerness, but Yvain put a wet towel on their leader’s premature excitement.

“I recommend we stay put for now.”

Nelimir’s shoulders visibly dropped. Yvain knew how important it was for them to leave Empryon, a fact doubly pressing for their leader. Thankfully his friend wasn’t one to dwell long on bad news.

“The reason?” Nelimir asked.

“We’re too weak,” Yvain said.

As if really seeing his friend for the first time, Nelimir looked at Yvain more closely. “You didn’t have an easy time, did you?”

Yvain shook his head, “I shouldn’t even be standing here right now, if we’re being honest.” Nora snuggled closer to him at his words, catching Nelimir’s attention in the process.

“Who’s your new friend?” he asked.

“My name is Nora. It’s a pleasure to meet Yvain’s companions.” Before Yvain could speak, Nora cut in and introduced herself. She gave a nod to Roesia who croaked in greeting.

“I’m Nelimir, the sentiment is shared,” their leader said. “I’m curious as to what the relationship between you and my best friend is,” Nelimir looked to Yvain.

Yvain didn’t know how to answer that himself. It was all new to him. But Nora helped him out. “It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he saved my life. And it just so happens that we get along extremely well too,” she said.

Nelimir raised an eyebrow at his friend, “You get along extremely well?”

“That’s the gist of it,” Yvain said slightly embarrassed.

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Nelimir said, “Let’s go then. We should have your injury looked at before we begin any discussions.”

“And maybe I’ll be able to learn why my apprentice isn’t carrying his sword.” Yvain flinched at Elly’s threatening voice. His master walked by and gave him a side glance before getting into the carriage.

Nora’s giggling came from his arms and he gave her a mock glare, which she answered with a pair of puppy eyes before kissing him softly on the cheek.

Smiling, Yvain found his friend stunned.

Selt was one thing, but the rest? Was he doing something wrong? “Why do all of you keep looking at me like I grew another head?”

Nelimir just shook his head and turned for the carriage. “Maybe I’ll be able to get some answers too.”

Selt—who had been counting his gold—was poking Roesia on the sides and taunting her.

“That’s a good look for you pipsqueak. Maybe you’ll find a prince that can turn you-” before he could finish, Roesia’s tongue shot out and struck Selt straight in the eye.

The kid fell back with a scream and spat curses at the girl-turned-frog while she croaked up a storm.

It was good to be home.

————-

“So Roesia created this space?” Nora asked while she looked around in wonder.

The group was already halfway down Great Divider. Elly was sitting as far away from Selt as possible while the kid tried his best to stay awake. Nora and Yvain were side by side holding hands with Nelimir facing them. Roesia, still on Nelimir’s shoulder, was bouncing up and down probably trying her best to answer Nora’s question.

“She also constructed the carriage itself,” Nelimir said.

Nora had been doubtful as to how it would get down from such a height when their ride reached the edge of the wall. But as if to prove its prowess, it immediately moved down the vertical surface. Nora gasped when the image outside the window turned, while she remained feeling like she was sitting up.

“She wasn’t the top alumnus in the academy for no reason,” Yvain said, “she actually learned of starlight way before Nelimir and me.”

Nora focused on the tiny frog. “So she’s stronger than you?”

“No, no,” Yvain scrunched his eyebrows trying to think, “If I remember correctly, they taught her how to make use of starlight through engineering and schematics, but she never knew it could actually be directly used by her body.” He tried to hide his annoyance, but memories of when Draconian’s Tavern was first created came flooding in.

“And of course, Nelimir and I were treated like idiots by her when we acquired the knowledge of starlight ourselves,” he said.

“It’s a closely guarded secret in Empryon, you can’t blame her for not telling you,” Elly, who had been trying to look uninterested in the conversation, chimed in.

“And what about you?! You also knew! After I finally managed to become as strong as you, you pull the rug from under me and start beating me around again.” Yvain glared at his master but she just smiled.

“It’s your own fault for being so weak,” she said tauntingly.

Yvain was about to at least send a kick or punch her way but Nora’s head on his shoulder stopped him.

“What do you mean it’s a closely guarded secret,” she asked, trying to calm master and apprentice down.

Elly looked at Nora with an unreadable expression for a few quiet seconds. “Normal citizens of Empryon aren’t allowed to know of starlight. Only those that practice magic in an institution or join guilds can.”

“Am I correct to assume you joined a guild before this one then?” Nora asked.

Elly nodded, but didn’t say anymore and went back to looking out the window.

“Are you a citizen of Empryon, Miss Nora?” Nelimir asked.

“I come from the outside,” she said. Everyone waited for her to add more to her answer but Nora remained quiet.

“The outside is it,” Nelimir looked at his friend.

Yvain knew what the leader of the Draconian’s Tavern was thinking. Creating a guild had allowed them to see a bit farther from the confines of their home, and it didn’t come as a surprise that there might be humans outside Emryon. It did bring a myriad of questions that needed answering, especially considering the end-goal for the guild.

“We should have a meeting tomorrow,” Yvain said.

Nelimir nodded. “Of course, and we’re actually in luck,” he said with a mysterious smile.

Yvain and Nora threw the man a questioning look.

“The goddess of villages, remember?” he said.

“You think she’ll actually see us?” Yvain asked. Their first meeting with the goddess had been anything but smooth and he couldn’t trust Nelimir to keep a smidgen of decorum when it came to the recently discovered race.

“Not us, but she doesn’t have a reason to turn down Nora, especially since she’s injured,” Nelimir said.

Yvain still wasn’t convinced, but the goddess was their best option. Healing Nora would take much longer otherwise.

The journey from the wall to the village took around an hour. When the group arrived they were met with an empty settlement.

“Where is everyone?” Yvain asked. Usually villagers would turn in early in the night but it was still dinner time and their homes were dark.

“They’re all paying a visit to the goddess,” Nelimir said. “A loud roar shook the place and the resuming chaos injured a few, the rest being scared witless.”

Yvain sneaked a look at Nora but she showed no indication of recognition to Nelimir’s words.

“After everything settled down we quickly departed for your location,” Nelimir said.

So that’s why she’s equipped for combat, Yvain thought. Fondness rose in his chest, but he decided to quietly thank his master for her concern as she wasn’t in the best of moods.

“I’ll explain what it was at the meeting,” Yvain said.

Nelimir simply gave him a nod of acknowledgement and looked out his window.

“We’re here,” he said as the carriage stopped.

Their destination was an unassuming wooden house surrounded by villagers bustling with excitement; men carrying harvested crops, women with babes in their arms, kids with scrapes here and there, elders wearing somber but reverent expressions. It was the usual kind of group one would find in a community of peasants, though their point of interest was anything but.

“I’ll wait here with Selt,” Elly said. Selt was already asleep, but the reason she decided to stay was probably because of her out of norm looks. It had caused a big commotion in the village when they had first arrived; some people screaming ‘monster’ or other hurtful things while running away, and others being too curious for their own good. They should have seen it coming considering how out of the way the village was.

“It shouldn’t take long,” Nelimir said and got out of the carriage with Roesia jumping off his shoulder to stay with Elly and Selt.

Yvain was about to lift Nora but she stopped him with a hand on his chest.

“Just lend me your shoulder, it’s not too far,” she said.

“Doesn’t it hurt? You don’t have to force yourself,” he said, already putting his arms underneath her legs and back.

“A few steps won’t kill me,” she said.

Why does she sound so desperate? Yvain thought.

Nora’s eyes were glued to the window, her pupils darting from side to side as she squirmed in his arms. When Yvain followed their trajectory, he found the group of villagers moving about. Was she embarrassed?

A cheshire smile formed on Yvain’s lips and he lifted Nora up. “Neither will me carrying you.”

Nora squeaked and tried to push him away to no avail.

“Wait, please,” she weakly begged.

“What?” Yvain stopped by the exit to the carriage.

“I don’t want to be carried in front of them,” Nora said, looking at the group of people.

“The villagers?” Yvain asked. Nora nodded and quickly tried to hide herself in his arms as some villagers looked their way.

“Are you guys coming?” Nelimir had returned as the couple had yet to leave the carriage.

Yvain tried to figure out what to do. He wanted to tease Nora, but while she might not take it to heart, it would do more harm than good to force her at this point.

“Let me at least get you off the carriage then,” he said and Nora nodded again.

Getting off, Yvain set Nora’s feet on the ground as she held on to his back. He then grabbed her by the waist and she latched on to his shoulder in a half hug.

“Thanks,” she said quietly. Yvain’s answer came in the form of a squeeze to her side.

The carriage’s door slammed close behind them. An angry-looking Elly roughly sat back down as Roesia struck one of her muscular arms with her tongue; most likely angry at the woman for treating her creation so roughly.

“That’s all for today! Everyone back to your homes.” A deep raspy voice came from the entrance to the house.

“The goddess of villages will offer her services again tomorrow.” A collaborative groan rang out from the villagers, but they nevertheless dispersed, going back to whatever tasks they needed to finish before turning in for the day.

Nelimir still approached the home, so Yvain followed behind with a hopping Nora.

“Didn’t you hear me? Come back tomorrow,” the man said. He was about as tall as Yvain and gave the impression of someone used to violence, which meant Nelimir reached up to the man’s chin and gave the sense of a young man about to face off a bear. But his friend stood in front of him all the same with the smile he would offer anyone that hadn’t done him wrong.

“Did you already forget about me, Michael?” Nelimir said.

“What do you want?” Michael asked, face impassive.

“Just a few minutes of the goddess’ time, it won’t take long.”

Yvain didn’t miss the look Michael directed his way, neither did Nelimir.

“Don’t let that blockhead bother you, he currently has his hands occupied.”

Michael scoffed, “I’m more worried about the troubles you lot will bring.” He made a point of examining Yvain and Nora’s get up. “Whatever you two went through can’t be good news. We’re here to help villagers with villager problems, not enable small wars.”

“Nothing of the sort,” Nelimir said. “We ran across an injured Nora as we went past the border and had to rush back to get her treated.”

Michael spat at Nelimir’s feet. “Do you have an alibi for your dog too?”

“Hey,” Yvain glared at Michael, but with Nora holding on to him he didn’t do much else.

Nelimir held his hand up to signal for him to stand down. “I think we’ll come back tomorrow after all,” he said and turned to leave. But before he could take even one step a female voice came from inside the house.

“Let them in Michael.”

It was obvious that was the last thing the man wanted to do, but he promptly got out of the way to let the trio pass with no more complaints or attempts to engage them.

“Did you do something to him?” Nora whispered.

“Just a misunderstanding,” Yvain said. “Nelimir developed a bit of an obsession with gods and goddesses, so he can be a bit overbearing when it comes to them.” Yvain said and followed Nelimir in while helping Nora along.

The small group found themselves inside an extremely modest house; even more bare than the homes of the villagers. It didn’t have any of the normal amenities, but its walls were covered with jars of all shapes and colors. It wasn’t the kind of place someone would reside in the long term.

Yvain held back a frown as the almost suffocating smell of herbs assaulted his nostrils. He marveled at how Nelimir and Nora seemed unbothered.

In the middle of the room, a woman that appeared to be in her late fifties was sitting in a desk, grinding down a bowl filled with what Yvain could only guess to be ingredients that came out of the jars. She looked like any village mother in her late years, having the same calm nature they exuded naturally.

“Set her down on the bed,” the goddess spoke first, pointing at a medium-sized mattress that waited at the opposite end of her.

Yvain did as such while Nelimir spoke to the goddess.

“We’re sorry to disturb you like this,” he said. “We were hoping you could look at our friend.”

“Didn’t your group just meet her?” the goddess asked. “You didn’t kidnap the poor girl, did you?” The outlandish accusation didn’t come off as a joke. The woman was seriously questioning their intentions.

Yvain didn’t know what to make of it as even if they weren’t under the best of terms, neither side had demonstrated to have a nefarious nature. His friend was just as confused. The goddess didn’t miss this.

“Nevermind,” she said.

The goddess got up from the desk and carried her bowl over to Nora and Yvain. “A fractured femur should be easy enough to heal,” she told Nora, “just don’t make any rough movements until tomorrow.”

“How do you know what ails her?” Nelimir asked, fighting between respecting personal space and peering into what was in the goddess’ bowl.

Yvain couldn’t stop a weak laugh from escaping him. His friend sounded just like Selt when something got him excited.

The goddess looked at him as if she was used to his outbursts already and sighed. “I saw her limping outside my abode,” she said. “I’ve already told you, I may be a goddess but I’m not all-powerful.”

She sat down next to Nora who was lying down on the mattress, “can you be a sweetheart and uncover your leg for me?”

“Alright, you saw her limping,” Nelimir cut in. “But that shouldn’t be enough to diagnose her so fast. You even have the remedy ready!”

“I’ve been doing this longer than the time you’ve spent breathing,” the goddess said as if that was enough for an explanation.

Nelimir was going to continue his questioning but Yvain stopped him.

“You’re going to get us kicked out,” he said, “just let her work.”

Realization dawned on the leader of Draconian’s Tavern and he composed himself.

“Right, my apologies,” he said.

A hand gingerly pulled on Yvain’s chain-mail, calling for his attention. Nora was trying to rip apart the cloth covering her injured leg but couldn’t muster the strength.

“Can you help me?” she bashfully asked.

“Of course,” Yvain said. He easily ripped apart the right side of Nora’s pants to reveal her milky thigh. It wasn’t as muscled as Elly’s or his, but the power in it could still be seen. He had to force his body to focus on something else, lest he get an erection in front of the goddess and his friend. Nora smiled at him in thanks, unaware of his struggle.

“This doesn’t bother you?” Yvain asked both to force himself to think on something besides Nora’s thighs and out of curiosity. She had made such a fuss before about being carried by him in front of others. Yet now she didn’t show any care about him tearing apart her pants and showing off her leg in front of people she barely knew.

Nora seriously thought over her answer. “It’s…kind of like a chain reaction. I trust you, so by default I trust your friends. And out of all of us here, this goddess is definitely the most harmless,” she said, laughing at the end.

“Just call me Lydia,” the goddess said before she began slathering a sweet-smelling paste all over Nora’s thigh. “These two really did a number on Michael. They think that just because they learned a bit of starlight they can bully those weaker than them.”

“I’m sorry,” Yvain said, truly ashamed of what he had done, even if it was an accident.

“Don’t say sorry to me, say sorry to Michael,” she said. “He’s a bit rough around the edges, but he’s only doing his job.”

A tame sort of green glow began to grow in strength as Lydia put more and more of the paste over Nora’s thigh.

“If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be able to go from village to village tending to those that need my help.” Despite the seriousness of her words, Lydia didn’t seem to be truly angry at them.

“It’s my fault,” Nelimir said, looking as abashed as Yvain. “I’ll admit, I’ve gotten a bit ahead of myself in my excitement to learn about your race and brought some unnecessary troubles to you. If there’s anything I can do just let me know.”

“As long as you understand your mistake, it’s enough.” Finished spreading the contents of her bowl, Lydia stood and went to her desk. “And I’m human just like you, nothing more nothing less.”

“What exactly did you put on my leg?” Nora asked, curiously poking the paste.

“Let it sit overnight. The healing properties of the medicine will seep into your leg, setting and healing your fractured femur in the process.” Lydia said. She then motioned toward the door with an apologetic expression, “Now if you would be so kind, I have an early morning tomorrow.”

Yvain carefully helped Nora stand up. Her tired eyes and haggard state pulled at his heart strings so he rained kisses on her soft cheek on a whim.

“You were very brave,” he said coquettishly.

“Oh shut up,” Nora giggled and pushed his face away, eliciting a laugh from him too.

“Enough of that, you’re making my hairs stand on end,” Nelimir said with a shiver, “and we need to get up early too, let’s go.”

As the trio headed out, Lydia’s voice stopped them. “There is something I would ask of you,” she said.

“Yes?” Nelimir asked with a bit more eagerness than he probably intended to show.

“Leave this village come morning and never stop in any like it again.” The harmless words elicited a slight sense of pressure coming out of the motherly woman. “I sympathize with your vision for the future, I really do. But they will bring an ocean of enemies intent on sweeping you away and I will not allow any harm to come to my people.”

With that, she went back to putting away her materials.

Nelimir stood in place as if a weight had been set on his shoulders. The third prince’s ambition was common knowledge around Empryon. Enough so that apparently even Lydia knew of it.

Yvain honestly didn’t expect it, as they were at the country’s border. Though her inherent nature saw her traveling the villages spread around the country, so it made sense that she might have more information available to her.

Nelimir ran his hand over his hair and exhaled deeply, walking out while lost in his thoughts.

Michael was nowhere to be seen outside. Yvain secretly felt relieved. Despite Lydia’s request and his own regret over the matter, he and Michael were both warriors. They had their own duties and the clash between them was simply an overlap of said responsibilities. Apologizing to the man would just be an awkward affair for both of them.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. Yvain struggled to stay awake as drowsiness overwhelmed him. Selt was deep into his dreams with Nora and Roesia faring no better. The small sorceress frog forced her eyes to open only to slowly close them again, while the beautiful redhead already had her eyes closed. The sole indication she was awake was her hand playing with Yvain’s. Only Elly and Nelimir were still wide awake.

The carriage came to a stop after moving far enough from the village. With them now sitting in the middle of the open grasslands, Yvain tapped on Nora’s hand, alerting her of their arrival.

Raising her head a bit abruptly after being woken from her half-sleep, she looked around.

“Why did we leave the village?” she asked.

As an answer, a section of the seats that were free sunk into the floor. Then the wall that was left behind opened up to reveal an entrance.

“Come on Roesia, you’re about to fall flat,” Elly said. Roesia jumped on the offered hand and the duo went through the doorway.

Nelimir picked up the sleeping Selt and turned to Yvain. “I’ll handle Selt. Nora can stay with you.” He then looked at Nora. “I trust you aren’t against the idea?”

Nora smiled and shook her head. “Not at all. But I hope you’ll forgive me when I ask what in the stars is that?” she said as she pointed at the open door.

“It’s better if you ask Roesia herself,” Yvain said. “We’ve known her for a while, yet less than half the time do we understand her creations.” He was curious as to why Nora was finding all of these occurrences strange considering the explanation she gave on space back in the dungeon. He himself had only heard his witch friend mention the concept in passing; specifically when she had been building their ride.

“I agree,” Nelimir said. “And I hope you’ll forgive me too when I say this,” his expression turned grave, “I don’t know what is going on between you two, but do not betray the trust I’ve given you Miss Nora. Nor betray the trust given to you by my friend. He’s the sole reason I am treating you as I am at the moment.”

“Do you really have to say that much?” Yvain said. He understood that he was basically bringing a stranger into their home. But still, the trust he felt toward Nora was unwavering. He couldn’t explain how, but he knew she would never do anything to hurt him or his friends. When she put into words the way she trusted him back at the goddess’s home it only felt natural that she would think that way.

“That’s quite alright,” Nora said. “I know we haven’t had the time to get better acquainted Nelimir, but I’m willing to clear up any doubts you and the rest may have.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it then,” Nelimir said, and left with Selt in his arms.

“Don’t mind him,” Yvain said. “I always tell him he needs to be less crass about things.”

“I don’t mind it at all. I’d go even farther and say I’m glad that you have such a reliable friend,” Nora said. “They can be a blessing in your most trying times.”

“He does hold us all together; I’ll give him that much,” Yvain said. “Now come on, I want to sleep already.” He wrapped Nora’s arm around him and lifted her up.

Past the entrance were stairs leading down. Yvain closed the door once they were both inside. Instead of a click, a sound akin to fingers sliding quickly across a solid surface reverberated softly before it locked. As there was only enough space for one person to go down at a time, he descended first, letting Nora hold on to his back as she hopped down. She softly gasped when they reached the bottom.

“Humans are amazing aren’t they?” she said.

In front of them was a living room made of dark mahogany wood. Several doors were spread out around it with more intricate double doors standing at the far end. In the middle, there was a long table that could sit all of the members of Draconian’s Tavern. At the head was a chair a bit more luxurious than the rest, waiting in silence for someone worthy to sit in it. A crystal chandelier illuminated the place, but there was no visible flame. Instead, lights with no discernible source of power shinned down.

“Yeah, it’s not every day you see something like this,” Yvain said with a bit of pride. “It wasn’t easy to get the materials necessary to build it. It was actually thanks to Selt that we got the most difficult to find piece, which incidentally served as our first meeting.”

“Maybe you can tell me that story eventually?” Nora said with genuine interest. Yvain nodded with a smile and guided her to a door at the right end of the room.

“This is where we’ll be staying.” Inside, the material scheme was the same as the living room. A bed wide enough for at least three people was to their right with a closed door on the other side of it. At the end of the room, a greatsword that was much bigger than Yvains’s old one was hanging on the wall, next to it was a wardrobe. A lone lamp hung from the ceiling.

Closing the door behind them, Yvain guided Nora to his bed.

“Wait a moment,” she said and tried putting light pressure on her leg.

“How is it?” Yvain asked.

“It’s still a bit painful, but I think it really will be healed by tomorrow.” Nora then lifted the covers and carefully laid herself down.

“Sorry if the medicine gets all over the-hmmph!” Yvain was instantly on her.

Still standing, while only using his arms to hold himself up, all the pent up lust he had been holding back since the fight at the dungeon came out at once inside a kiss that pushed Nora into the mattress. The hands that tried to push him back only served to make his fire fiercer, urging his tongue to pry her mouth open and continue the duel that had taken place hours before.

Nora’s feeble attempts to push Yvain off soon turned into a desperate need to meld with him and she opened her mouth, happily welcoming his invasion. Her arms tried to pull him on top of her but he knew better than to get carried away in light of her mending injury and remained in place. She made sure to let her dissatisfaction be known with angry muffled mewls and unrelenting attempts to move him.

Eventually Yvain compromised by only letting his chest press down on Nora’s own, letting his full weight freely use her large breasts as cushions. Even through her clothing, her hard nipples rubbed against him, making his excitement grow. Wanting to feel them as much as possible he pressed his chest harder against her until she began to have trouble breathing. But even then, she simply panted harder and tried to bring in as much air as she could while keeping her mouth stuck to his.

The couple tasted each other in this turbulent state until Yvain licked the top of Nora’s mouth in a come-hither motion and her hips slightly lifted themselves off the bed.

“W-wait-hmmph,” gasping, she tried to speak but Yvain linked his mouth with hers again, stopping her from finishing her words.

Liking Nora’s reaction when he licked her, Yvain focused on the same spot. The effect was immediate and her moans—beginning and ending with every pass of his tongue—became deeper and more prolonged.

Nora’s nails stabbed into his chainmail, unable to pierce the hard material at the absence of piercing strength, and the spasms of her body became more frequent; her hips twitching with every current that was sent through them.

Inevitably, Yvain’s tongue forced Nora to orgasm. Her body went taut as her legs were stretched with pleasure. But her eyes widened with trepidation when he didn’t stop licking, oblivious to what he had actually done. She tried again to talk or push him back but he was too focused on his task, and the current difference in their strength was too wide.

Nora’s moans became more desperate as the pleasure increased from its last stopping point. This time it didn’t take long before another orgasm crashed out of her and she half moaned half screamed into Yvain’s mouth. She tried to push back with her good leg to get away from his insidious tongue but he held her in place.

At this point she was soaked, all of her limbs shivering intermittently while Yvain continued his attack. She was being constantly forced to swallow the saliva that flowed down from his mouth undeterred as he electrocuted her body and she went slack jawed.

Nora’s moans became more guttural as her third orgasm was approaching, encouraging Yvain to speed up his caressing.

In a last attempt to stop him from making her mind a jumble, her hands scrambled to find a hold on his hair and she pulled back with all the strength remaining in her. Their mouths separated for only a split second before Yvain slammed his mouth on hers. Their teeth clacked against each other, but he barely noticed the clash as he pinned Nora’s hands over her head and yanked her hair in revenge. Her eyes rolled back.

Liquid gushed out of between Nora’s legs with enough force for some of it to slightly spray out of her pants, a large wet spot quickly growing on the sheets. Yvain didn’t understand what was happening, but her stiff and shaking legs excited him to no end. He waited—mesmerized—until they stopped their trembling and went limp to look back at Nora, who was now crying.

“H-hey what’s wrong?!” Yvain took her face in his hands but she sobbed harder, almost like a child.

“I told shu to wait!” Nora said trying to catch her voice, “yet shu, shu… ” She tried to speak, but her words kept coming out slurred. The worry Yvain initially felt quickly turned into amusement as he began to chuckle at the image of the grown woman being unable to pronounce words correctly. A tearful glare quickly put a stop to it though. He could tell she wasn’t really angry at him, so he bent down and ran his tongue over her cheeks, striving to calm her down; appreciative moans came with each pass of his soft appendage.

“Jeez, you’re human are you not? Why are you licking me?” Nora said as she attempted to release her hands.

“Did I do something bad?” he asked, letting her go. It was obvious Nora had enjoyed herself, but something was bothering her and he couldn’t figure out what.

“No. It’s just…” Nora’s gaze lost focus as she searched for an answer.

“I’m not used to feeling so good under my weakened circumstances,” she finally said.

Yvain stared back at her, trying to understand the meaning behind her words. But there was one fact that warranted more of his focus.

“Is that why you peed yourself? I made you feel really good?” he said with a deplorable smile.

“Pee myself?” Nora looked down to find that the side of the bed she was lying in was wet from her waist down.

“Oh wow,” she said, “I didn’t pee myself. I ejaculated.” She dropped her head back on the pillow, “It’s the first time so much comes out.”

“Ejaculated?” Yvain had heard the word before but had never experienced or seen it himself.

Nora affectionately grasped his cheeks in her hands as she unblinkingly searched his eyes.

“Tell me Yvain, would you happen to be a virgin?” she asked.

Being lost in her stare, Yvain just nodded. He grabbed one of her gloved hands and kissed it; soon after he slowly moved down her arm, reaching her collarbone and then neck. Nora giggled but stopped his advanced as he was nearing her lips.

“How about I help you lose it tomorrow?” she said.

“I don’t really care about that, I just want to see you trembling again,” he said.

Yvain’s words didn’t contain any type of implied sexual act or seduction, it was simply something he wanted from the bottom of his heart with the innocence and need of a child after a piece of candy.

It was all the more effective on Nora, and the intensity of his gaze had her biting her lower lip and eyes watering.

“Tomorrow,” she said breathlessly. “Tomorrow you can make me tremble again. And in turn, I’ll do the same to you.”

Yvain gave an eager smile, “I’m curious as to how you’ll manage to do that.”

He climbed over her, cold running up his leg as his knees touched the wet part of the mattress, and a sharp jolt suddenly ran through his waist. His dick had grown large enough that it popped out of his chainmail without either of them noticing and its head now dragged itself across Nora’s stomach. The couple looked at each other, both seeing the barely contained desire in their eyes, yet neither taking the first step.

Yvain was the first to move, completing the short journey to the other side of the bed. Lydia had already told them Nora’s leg would be healed by tomorrow; there was no need to rush what was inevitable.

He pulled Nora by her hips and she followed his lead. Ignoring his hard-on, she opted to just give him a light kiss on the lips and resting her head on his chest.

“Let’s leave it as a surprise,” she said before the couple fell asleep.

————-

Something Yvain had always been good at was knowing in what position Pyros and Lunaris were at all times. It allowed him to know what the hour was no matter the circumstances. Though only the hour—not minutes or seconds.

He was usually up by eight o’clock in the morning, which was the time everyone would gather and plan out their duties for the day or lack thereof. But it was still five at the moment, and he could feel his penis being sucked into a warm vortex of bliss.

Seeing a lump rising and falling steadily in front of him, Yvain took the covers off to find Nora with her mouth fully swallowing his dick, her eyes closed in rapture. When the light hit them, she opened them in an euphoric trance. He had to hold back a moan as her lips slowly rose over his rod.

Nora’s cheeks became concave as she did her best to coax everything out of him with a slurp, her soft tongue looking for all the sensitive spots it could find on the way up. Once her lips were only covering his head, she slammed her face down, forcing a groan to escape him. She ceaselessly swallowed all his pre-cum, the sound and constrictions of her neck taking his body into a delirious heat.

Nora had removed her gloves to reveal soft hands that now unabashedly ran all over the contours of his body—feeling his sides, pecks, and abs. When they reached his nipples, her fingers played with them as her head rose up once more.

Yvain’s hips left the bed when Nora’s tongue slithered over the soft tissue of his tip, the slimy member sliding in and out of her lips as it did its electrifying work; he wanted to go deep into her again—but she wouldn’t let him. She lifted herself with him and, still only licking the head, grabbed on to his behind.

With Yvain’s lower half now in the air, and a platform created for Nora to do her work, she suctioned his head even harder. He tried to escape her hold but her arms held him in place like a vice. It was embarrassing, yet the pure joy in Nora’s eyes was intoxicating; he couldn’t believe she was enjoying herself so much while sucking his dick. A part of him was admiring at how powerful yet feminine her body looked and felt. Gone was the fragility from yesterday. In its place was a sensual strength that demanded he allowed himself to be conquered, while at the same time asking to conquer back.

In the midst of the blissful torture, Yvain’s penis twitched and became larger. Nora didn’t miss this and gave a throaty laugh filled with mischief, muffled by the obstruction in her mouth. Giving Yvain no time to rest, she smashed her face against his pelvis and began an insistent deep throat; her slurps becoming desperate, begging for her reward.

It didn’t take long for her to start moaning as Yvain’s penis kept reaching the back of her throat, the hard rod shinning under a coat of saliva she was leaving behind. Yvain for his part was trying to keep a semblance of control in his reactions. It was weird the way this felt like a battle in and of itself, and he wanted to win.

Nora pulled Yvain’s hips closer to her and stayed still a bit longer on each downswing, trying to imprint the feeling of his dick’s size and girth.

The sight of her violently shoving his tool inside her mouth, the desperation in her movements, the sensations, and a final thrust of her face into his pelvis pushed Yvain into having the first orgasm of his life. Shutting his eyes, all the euphoria surrounding his body was pulled into a sharp note on his tip. He tried to thrust deeper into Nora’s mouth to release it, but his body fell back into bed before he could do so.

He opened his eyes in angry frustration but Nora’s own had rolled back into her head. His dick was completely buried in her mouth with some cum falling out of it. Her arms were stuck beneath him and her body kept twitching. She wasn’t moving her head or sucking as strongly anymore, she was just swallowing all the cum that was coming out of him.

Yvain was still cumming though, and still hard. He needed to recreate the sensations she had brought him at any cost.

Grabbing her hair with both his hands a bit more forcefully than intended, Yvain moved her head up and down slowly. But it was not the same. Nora was too lost in her own orgasm. And so in just two or three attempts, he had thrown caution to the wind and mercilessly pumped her.

As he entered and exited her throat fast, it became more difficult for her to swallow, and more of his cum escaped her mouth, pooling around her lips and his crotch. Some of the tantalizing pressure had come back but it was still not enough.

“Suck it!” Yvain growled, and Nora’s eyes refocused on his own with surprise. Her mouth immediately constricted around him and his own eyes rolled back as his hips pounded her face in concert with his arms pushing her head.

The worry Yvain had held at her well-being was long gone and using his full strength, which was enough to easily crush boulders, face-fucked Nora. Yet the sounds coming out of her were the most obscene thing he had ever heard. She was choking on his cum, slurping his cock and moaning incessantly. None of the injuries he might have expected came to be.

With a final thrust, the largest wave of cum Yvain had released busted out almost directly into Nora’s stomach as he held her head in place. The viscosity and sheer amount made it accumulate and go up her throat until some of it escaped through her nose, her cheeks becoming two fat dumplings. She kept her lips sealed though. And as Yvain fell back in exhaustion, heavily panting, she slowly drank all that he had offered.

He released her hair and petted her as she licked up the remaining batter and cleaned him up. She lovingly kissed his deflating length, scooped up cum with her fingers and sent it to her mouth, nuzzled against his waist. It was an act filled with so much tenderness that he couldn’t keep himself from giving her caring pecks when she finally climbed up to lie at his side—lips, nose, cheeks, forehead. Nora innocently laughed as she tried to escape him.

None of the past lust remained, only a quiet appreciation at what they had just experienced.

“Good morning,” Nora said when they both finally relaxed, gazing at each other.

“I have several questions,” Yvain said, “but I don’t particularly feel like asking any of them.”

Nora snuggled closer, “Why don’t you just ask the most pressing one then?”

Mulling over her suggestion, Yvain decided to clear up what had him the most curious. “Your injury is obviously healed,” as if to show him, Nora slid her mended leg over his, “but what about your strength?”

“Some of it has returned, but I’m not at full power,” she said.

“Yet you held me in place so easily,” he said. Yvain didn’t know how to feel about it. He and his master had more or less always been equal in strength. No one besides her had ever been his match. Even the man he killed yesterday, who had worried Nora, hadn’t put up a fight, while the dragon felt otherworldly. Nora was the first person to best him in a clear cut contest of raw strength. He was frustrated, but at the same time, he could feel the excitement of battling against a stronger opponent. A weird mix, as he and Nora hadn’t been fighting exactly.

Yvain suddenly felt Nora’s breath on his ear.

“And you relentlessly fucked my mouth,” she whisper and bit his earlobe.

He reflexively grabbed one of her butt cheeks, pressing her body harder against his; though she was being plenty accommodating and pressing herself into him on her own.

“I don’t know what came over me, but it was amazing,” he said, “you were amazing.”

Nora giggled, “That goes both ways.” She grabbed his now soft penis in her hand and played with it.

“I’ve never seen a man ejaculate so much,” she said.

“Is it not normal for men to come that much?” Yvain asked.

“Not at all, has it always been like this?”

“I can’t say,” he said, “this is the first time I experienced an orgasm.”

Nora’s hand stopped. She looked up into Yvain’s eyes trying to find any sort of hint pointing at him teasing her, but none was there. And with that fact, a joyous smile took over her. It reminded Yvain of the younger girls infatuated with him back when he was still a student.

“You’re serious aren’t you?” she asked, more in an attempt to put the fact into words than to question its validity.

Yvain nodded. “You’re the first woman to make me feel…whatever it is I’m feeling.”

“Love?” Nora said with eager hopefulness, but winced right afterward.

“I don’t know. Though it definitely comes close to what others describe as love.” Yvain turned on his side, prompting her to do the same, and melded his body with hers. He basked in the softness of her large breasts pressed against him and their legs intertwining, slightly amused at how she didn’t let go of his cock throughout the shift in position.

Yvain pressed his forehead against hers, “Whatever the case may be, I want you with me. I want you to join Draconian’s Tavern.”

Nora didn’t answer immediately. When the silence stretched on, Yvain moved his head back. Nora’s brows were drawn together, eyes looking down.

“I… I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she said.

“Why not?” Yvain didn’t think anyone would argue against it, except maybe Selt. Nora was plenty strong and she even had knowledge that could help all of them grow. At the same time, the two of them had been connected to the hip since yesterday. It felt as if the last missing piece of a puzzle had arrived and filled its intended hole.

Nora released her grip on Yvain’s limp friend. Her hand traveled up his torso, stopping on his chest, “Before we start any discussions, where do I go to wash all this grime off?”

It was then that Yvain saw that Nora was still in her clothes from when they met yesterday, and he was naked. He looked around the room and found the tattered chain-mail he went to sleep in discarded on the floor.

Lightly slapping Nora’s butt cheek he spoke, “You took my clothes off while I was asleep?”

“I think you look better like this,” Nora grinned.

“Now that you mention it, you’ve seen me naked twice now but I haven’t seen you even once,” saying as much, Yvain became more conscious of the body covering his own. Using the same hand that just slapped her behind, Yvain unabashedly grabbed anything he could touch—butt, thighs, back, arms. He could feel the strength of Nora’s muscles even through the material covering them. They were softer than his master’s, yet she was even stronger than her. It bewildered him.

“Do you-hnng!” Nora slightly whimpered when his hand gripped one of her breasts, “want to see me now?” Yvain had quickly pulled back, not knowing if he had pressed too hard. But a dreamy look was showing up on Nora again, and she was slightly panting.

“I do,” he said.

Yvain untangled himself from Nora and got off the bed. Taking her hand, he softly pulled her up until she stood with him. A somewhat confused Nora followed him to the door standing on the opposite side of the bed.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“The shower,” Yvain said.

The couple entered a warmer room two times smaller than Yvain’s bedroom. It was still large enough to hold the two of them comfortably, but they couldn’t do large movements.

“This is a shower?” Nora asked while trying to mimic the way Yvain pronounced the word but keeping a bit of an accent.

“The bathroom to be more specific,” Yvain said. “That’s the shower,” he pointed to a smaller cubicle that was separated by a glass screen.

“Is this your first time in a place like this?” he asked. It was a bit weird for Nora to have never seen a bathroom before, but one containing a shower was also a pretty recent innovation that wasn’t too widespread. The usual architecture had changed to fit the addition.

“It is,” Nora said as she looked around. “So why are we going to the shower?” She walked up to the glass screen and softly knocked on it but nothing happened. Yvain stood behind her and slid a section of it to the side.

“Oh my,” she said. “I will have to bother Roesia quite a bit.”

Hearing her talk as if she would be here for a while made Yvain beyond ecstatic. “You might regret that later on,” he said laughingly. He reached out, pulled a lever that was hanging on the wall, and water came out of the many tiny holes in the ceiling; some of it spraying his body.

“That’s all there is to it,” Yvain said. “It allows you to easily clean yourself. Roesia has made life on the road pretty convenient for us,” Yvain said.

“Does everyone have their own bathroom?”

“We do. Though I’m sure you can deduce that Elly’s is a bit bigger, so is Nelimir’s.”

“Why is Nelmir’s bathroom bigger than yours?” Nora said, her voice raising just a pitch higher. Yvain looked at her wondering if something happened but she looked away.

“I mean, I understand Elly, but Nelimir is smaller than you,” she said.

Yvain shrugged. “That’s just how we decided to use the space available to us. He’s the leader after all.”

Nelimir had actually complained to Roesia when he found out about his bathroom’s size. His argument was that he had enough work to do without having to act as his own maid. Unfortunately, that turned out to be the wrong way to go about his dissatisfaction as Roesia decided to turn what was goodwill into a punishment for the ‘spoiled brat’. Everyone kept just a few extra feet away from him the following two weeks when the smell became unbearable.

“I guess,” Nora said, but she didn’t sound convinced.

“Anyway, why don’t we get started?” Yvain said and turned to her with a grin. Nora gave a smile of her own and was about to start undressing when Yvain stopped her. “No, no, I’ll do it.” He grabbed her collar and, as easily as in the goddess’ home, slowly ripped apart her top.

“You know this is all I have to wear right?” Nora said, though she didn’t sound bothered.

“Can’t you just make clothes appear from thin air?” Yvain did a similar hand gesture to Nora’s when she took out her sword.

“That’s not how it works,” Nora said with a low laugh and raised her hand. It was the first time Yvain got a close view of her long slender fingers. Her nails were short but immaculate with sheen to them. His eyes moved to her third finger and panic set when he saw that there was a ring on it.

Swallowing a heavy lump in his throat, Yvain tried to keep his voice even, “You’re married?” The implications were already falling heavy on his mind, but before he could come up with any upsetting conclusions Nora spoke with apprehension.

“No! Look.” She quickly made her sword appear and disappear, then did the same with the green medicine. “The ring is just a container for items I need to carry, but it has limited space, so I couldn’t bring any change of clothes.”

“But why are you wearing it on your ring finger?” In Empryon it was an iron clad rule that anyone married wore their wedding band at all times. Cheating of any kind was not tolerated from either party, no matter their standing. The only time it would be allowed to be taken off would be when either of the partners died or one of them did in fact cheat.

Keeping silent, Nora held her left arm to her chest in a closed fist. Yvain held her unblinking wide eyes, preparing himself for the worst. Her shoulders trembled.

“Whatever it is you’re holding back, just please don’t lie to me,” he said.

Nora’s pupils shook and became downcast. She spoke with a shaky voice, not daring to look at him. “I used to be married, but my hus-my ex-husband died.” The words made Yvain’s mind go blank for a second, but hearing that her husband was dead brought it back into focus while giving no small amount of relief. He didn’t show it though. He didn’t know how Nora felt about his death. If they were married and that marriage ended prematurely then it wouldn’t be weird to think that lingering feelings remained. He also didn’t want to be seen as the kind of person that would rejoice over the death of someone he didn’t even know. Still, there was something bothering him.

“Why are you still wearing the ring then?” he asked.

Without saying anything, Nora took the wedding band off her hand and threw it away, the small circlet landing somewhere they couldn’t see.

“It was simply a convenient item for me to have, but I don’t need it anymore,” she said. The conviction in her eyes and voice took Yain aback. Without missing a beat she grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands back to where they had stopped their work. “No love was lost between us,” she said, “and you’re a better man then he ever was.”

Yvain would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy to hear her words, but the unexpected revelations kept him feeling cheated. Considering Nora’s probable age it was impossible to expect that she hadn’t been with other men before meeting him. That wouldn’t bother him, anyway. But thinking of how she had been acting toward him so far, while knowing that during all that time she had been wearing her wedding band, left a bad taste in his mouth.

He nonetheless continued ripping apart her clothes as she watched him and more of her chest was revealed. Bandages that were surrounding all of Nora’s breasts and part of her abs took shape. The soft tissue was stuck to her skin in a way that made it seem as if the bandages were the breasts themselves. Even the shape of the nipples was visible.

Taking her torn top off and letting it fall at their feet, he took her upper body in. As he had suspected, Nora’s body truly was a work of art. Every muscle on her was sculpted perfection. Arms with the strength to crush rocks easily, abs formed out of tiny hills all combined to create a pleasing wave of skin. Yvain ran his hands over them and felt firm but soft flesh. Wanting to see how her respectably sized breasts looked, he set one finger on top of the bandages.

“Don’t-” Nora, realizing what he was about to do, tried to stop him, but it was too late. Using his nail, Yvain ripped them apart in a smooth swing of his arm, making sure not to hurt her in the process; though he was not sure if he could.

“I could have taken them off myself!” Nora said. She harshly grabbed the now torn bandages in her hand and looked at them in frustration. “Damn it.”

Yvain was about to ask what was wrong but stopped. With furrowed brows and small moans of either discomfort or pleasure, Nora’s fleshy spheres gained in size at a speed visible to the eye, nipples growing stiff.

When they finally stopped growing, they had reached a size comparable to Elly’s own. Yvain sent a questioning gaze her way and Nora answered with a heavy sigh.

“That’s why I didn’t want you to damage the bandages,” she said. “Now I’ll have to keep them like this until I can acquire more.” Her overgrown breasts had Yvain’s length quickly hardening.

“I’ll be honest,” Yvain said and pinched both her nipples, “I’m a bit angry at you, so I might have disregarded your warning intentionally.” Nora yelped and pressed her chest harder against him. Yvain’s excitement grew when his hands easily sank into her breasts. “You wore that ring while we were together, so I guess I’m feeling a bit betrayed.”

“I simply forgot about it. That trinket doesn’t mean anything to me,” Nora said while panting. Yvain pressed her nipples even harder, this time pulling on them, and Nora lost strength in her legs, moaning and using his arms as support.

“I know. It’s just me being childish,” he said. “I still am mad though. That’s why I’ll use these breasts of yours as stress relievers.” Yvain released her nipples and Nora crawled up his body to wrap her arms around his neck. She gave him a deep kiss, pushing her tongue into his mouth and swirling it around.

Wrapping her in a hug, Yvain pressed her against him hard enough to squish her breasts flat against his chest and danced along with her. The bathroom was filled with wet sucking noises.

As they pulled back, Nora sneaked in a few licks and kisses to his face, her expression filled with love and devotion. “Whatever relationship I had with that man has been dead for years.” Yvain’s forehead furrowed, not expecting Nora to talk about her late husband again. She gave a husky laugh and one of her hands ran across his brow trying to soothe the wrinkles, while the other caressed his cheek. “We’ve known each other less than a day, but you need to believe me when I tell you that we are meant to be together.” Yvain’s forehead finally gave in to Nora’s touch and softened.

Satisfied, she kept on, “And it has to do with the dungeon we were in.” Yvain was about to ask why but she stopped him with a finger on his lips. “We can discuss all the details later. Only one thing is important right now,” an amorous look covered Nora, “it seems my Yvy is very upset with me, so maybe punishment is required to correct my behavior?”

The nickname caught Yvain off guard. He had only heard Selt use it before but it was just a way to poke more buttons. This was different though, very different. He liked it. But what could she mean by punishment?

Unable to arrive at an answer, Yvain kissed her. “Before we get to that we need to clean ourselves,” he said and gently pushed Nora to free himself from her arms, squatting to work on her lower body. One side already ripped the day before; it didn’t take long before Nora’s pants were discarded on the floor. Only her leather boots and underwear were left.

Removing her shoes, beautiful and slender feet revealed themselves. Yvain felt a stirring in his loins when looking at them but focused on his task.

“Should I let you remove the underwear yourself?” he asked. Nora’s undergarment was composed of the same type of bandages as the ones that were on her breasts.

“I’m already in need of a wardrobe so just break them off,” she said. “They aren’t the same type as the ones that were on my chest anyway.”

“Something won’t start suddenly growing when I remove them then?” Yvain said with a chuckle as he ran his hands up Nora’s legs and gripped her ass.

With a deadpan look, Nora spoke, “No, my behind will remain the same, unfortunately.”

Realizing his mistake, Yvain quickly stood up and hugged her. “I didn’t mean it like that; I absolutely love everything about you as is. Lunaris doesn’t even compare to you in beauty,” he said, desperately trying to rectify his mistake, then cringing at the words that heedlessly came out. He didn’t expect himself to start throwing around cheap flattery.

“What about my breasts?” Nora asked.

“I-I mean… I’m not complaining.” What the hell was he saying? Yvain knew the words weren’t correct for the situation even before he said them and yet they still came out. It felt like another him was actively committing self-sabotage regardless of his will. He felt Nora trembling in his arms. Thinking he had inadvertently hurt her he was about to apologize, but her shaking soon turned into a fit of giggles. When he pulled back to look at her Nora was holding her hand to her mouth like the first time they met, trying to control her laughter.

“You really can’t lie to me, can you? Or maybe you’re just honest to a fault?” Yvain was about to scowl, feeling like an idiot, but Nora hugged him. “It’s alright, it’s the same for me,” she whispered in his ear. “We wouldn’t be together if we weren’t physically compatible anyway. And besides,” Nora’s hand stroked his length which was almost immediately standing at attention, “I’m not complaining either.”

Nora looked down and put on an innocently inquisitive expression, “I wonder if I’d be able to cover all of it with my breasts.”

Yvain wanted nothing more than to push her down and eat her there and then. But this also felt like another type of battle to him and he needed to keep control in order to win.

Nora half yelp half moan with her mouth closed when Yvain slapped her behind hard enough to leave a hand-print. Kissing her softly on the lips, he released the hand holding his dick. “We’ll have time to find out after we clean ourselves.”

Yvain pulled Nora into his arms in an embrace and, slightly lifting her off the floor, took them both into the shower. Nora flinched when the water hit her and tried to hide herself deeper in his chest.

“Are you alright?” he asked. Nora was shaking in his arms.

“I-It’s t-too cold!” she said. Cold? The water felt warm on Yvain’s skin. Regardless, it wouldn’t be an issue to increase the heat for her.

“Alright tell me how hot you want it,” Yvain said.

“As h-hot as p-possible,” she said, teeth clattering.

“The hottest possible will see my skin melting off my body,” Yvain said as he turned the lever. The water slowly became warmer. Gently rubbing her back, he used Nora’s quavering as a gauge for when to stop. But she didn’t. And as the lever kept turning the water reached a level of heat that becoming uncomfortable for him. He paid no mind to it though and kept turning with no hesitation.

It was only when the bathroom was filled in a suffocating steam that Nora calmed down. Her long scarlet hair was already sticking to her body as was Yvain’s black; the usually unruly locks now completely limp. The dry medicine that had been sticking to Nora’s thigh had long been swept away.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her hands tenderly sliding across his shoulders. His body was already bright red, but it wasn’t enough to bring actual harm yet. He probably couldn’t stay inside indefinitely though.

Nora, on the other hand, was absolutely fine. Her unblemished skin was as pale as before. She was actually a bit more spirited now.

“I can manage, though I’m surprised at your resistance.” Yvain shut the shower off, reached to the side, and grabbed a sweet-smelling bar of soap. He leather up his hands as Nora followed their movements with her eyes.

“I’ve always been good with heat,” she said, “Is that soap?”

Yvain nodded, and Nora grabbed his wrists, leaning in to smell his hands. “How can it smell so good?”

“It hasn’t been out too long on the market,” Yvain said, “We actually have quite the stockpile of them, as we’ve been told that outside of Empryon commodities like these can’t be found.”

“They’d be right. I’ve never come across this smell, let alone on a bar of soap.” Nora kept inhaling the fragrance, becoming entranced by it.

Yvain took that opportunity to start cleaning her face. “Close your eyes,” he said. Nora did as told, letting go of his wrists. He set the soap aside and got to work. Wherever his hands went foam built up in large quantities.

Both of them actually smelled pretty rank. Yet Yvain hadn’t found Nora’s smell unpleasant at all. Neither had she from the looks of it, even when she was choking herself on his length. Did it have to do with what she mentioned about the dungeon, or were they just that much into each other? These were questions that probably needed more introspection, but at the moment the images of her servicing him took precedence. He quickly became hard again, and as if reading his mind, Nora grabbed on.

Her hands unreservedly felt his dick up and down—stroking it, cupping its balls, running her fingers across different sides.

“I thought I said we’d wash first.” Yvain was honestly surprised at the amount of control he managed to speak with.

“I’m just entertaining myself while I wait,” Nora said with a hungry grin, “It’s dull to just stand still in the dark.”

Yvain, using every ounce of willpower to stay control, turned the shower on. Scalding hot water fell once more.

“Come on, raise your head,” he grabbed Nora’s chin and moved her head back gently. As he washed off the lathered up soap, Nora tried to bite his fingers. At first he dodged her, but eventually she adorably whined and he felt obligated to comply. Sliding his thumb into her mouth, she hummed as she bit, sucked and licked, still stroking his rod.

With Nora’s face finally clean, Yvain removed his hands, an audible pop ringing out as his thumb left her suctioning mouth. He then shut the lever off and pulled her hands away. When Nora opened her eyes she looked a bit disappointed, but it barely registered for him.

He was already way past his limit.

Yvain tackled Nora onto the wall, lifting one of her legs up, and in his rush to kiss her almost head-butted her as they locked lips. The back of her head did hit the wall, but she showed no indication of pain and he didn’t plan to stop and check. He was too focused on swallowing her mouth whole as she ventured to do the same.

Their hips violently slammed against each other. They both knew it would feel miles better if they just had actual sex, but their need was all-consuming. Stopping themselves from rubbing against each other to properly fuck would take too long. Stopping their bodies was impossible, regardless of their logical thoughts.

Nora had mentioned how much he came, but she was no dry well herself. While still not ejaculating, her pussy was letting out juices with enough force that his dick felt as if it was being lightly peed on. And with her slit rubbing against his whole length desperately, the liquid soon trickled down his legs. The warm fluid urged him to coax more out of her, pressing her back harder against the wall with his chest and upping the swing of his hips.

The hand that wasn’t holding up her leg was shamelessly grabbing her bottom as hard as it could. With the limits of their physical endurance somewhat established, he did nothing to hold back. And he could feel that Nora was doing the same thanks to the force that came from her hips every time they slammed against his. She was letting him carry most of her weight to focus simply on that task, and every swing had enough strength to completely crush the pelvis of a normal man. Her arms were wrapped around him with such pressure that anyone else would see themselves pressed to death.

Without stopping their hips, they separated their mouths. Nora spoke, her voice practically enough to send Yvain over the edge with how starved and sensual it sounded, “If you don’t fuck me right now then I’ll fuck you myself.”

A part of him wanted to take her up on that challenge, but he needed this as much as she did. “I want to take you from behind, but I’ll need you to guide me,” he gave a simple and honest answer.

Nora kissed him again and gave a few more sharp thrusts before pulling her leg out of Yvain’s grip. She turned around, scooped up some of the juices coming out of her slit, and slathered the dick standing proudly behind her even more. She then bent and spread her pussy with her fingers.

“Right here,” she said, panting with every word, “Slam it right here. Don’t hold back. Fuck me as if I was your most hated enemy.”

Yvain knew he would come as soon as his length went it. He was too sensitive. Too wound up. Nora’s long toned legs were rigid, and her ass was ready to take his pounding. Her fit back was tense, one arm holding onto the wall while the other held her slit open. Her pussy was literally gushing with a string of clear liquid constantly falling. It was a visual cocktail of bliss he had to swallow completely.

Yvain grabbed his shaft and rubbed its head along the opening, wanting to only take a tentative feel. But when it reached Nora’s clit she instantly screamed. The trickling turned into a jet shooting out of her pussy and onto his dick. She stood on her tiptoes with the force of the orgasm now passing through her.

“TAKE ME,” she yelled.

Yvain didn’t wait any longer. He grabbed her hips and slammed himself home, hitting her deepest parts in one swing.

Nora went completely silent, tense gasps leaving her, and her upper body fell as if the strings holding it up were cut. Not expecting the change in weight, Yvain lost his grip on her hips for a second and she went face first onto the floor, her breasts cushioning the fall with a wet slap. But instead of helping her up, he slammed in the part of his dick that had slipped out, pushing her head into the wall with a thud.

Completely inside again, Yvain fixed his hold on Nora’s hips and stood, her upper body limp. Her plump legs were shooting straight out and fully tensed with him in the middle while her pussy spat out a seemingly impossible amount of transparent liquid.

Yvain knew he wasn’t small by any means, yet Nora took all of him perfectly. Any more or less would break a careful balance set in place. At least that’s how it felt to him now that he could feel the velvety softness of her insides. A warm and tight bath of goo was the best way to describe it. And as he feared, he was already cumming into her. While the blowjob he received had been mind-blowing, it hadn’t scratched an itch that had been building up between them since they met; an itch that was being soothed now.

He wanted to pull back, to slam into her again and again, but he also wanted to empty all of his seed inside her. He wanted to claim her for his own. To erase any marks other men might have left in the past, including her late husband. How dare they set their hands on her? How dare she be with another male? To betray the bond they shared? Their future together? Yvain’s anger welled up.

Getting a full view of her ass and twitching anus, he ground his hips trying to reach even deeper still but it wasn’t enough. Instead of keeping a hold on her hips, he forcefully grasped her rear—nails biting deeply with the force of his grip and her full weight—and interchanged the hold between hands as he mercilessly slapped her fleshy cheeks. Each powerful smack increased the strength of her ejaculation before coming down to its default force as if he was pumping out water, the sound loud enough to be audible.

Yvain didn’t pay attention to the effect his actions were having on her though. He only focused on releasing all his anger, frustration, and excitement. Nora’s legs, that were just stretched taut before, began to tremble after a dozen or so slaps; the tantalizing vibrations pushing him forward. After more than thirty all she could manage to do was give hoarse groans as her pussy came harder with each of his hits. When he lost count, she lost control of her faculties and peed herself.

Yvain didn’t stop even then, nor when viscous white cum poured out of Nora’s pussy and slid down onto her stomach, hanging breasts, face and floor. The onslaught continued until her legs finally went limp along with the rest of her body, ejaculation subsiding. At that point his own ejaculation slowed down, and behind it a sort of crisp clarity pushed away the haze. In it, he felt complete. But the fact that he might have just intentionally hurt Nora had him feeling unbalanced.

“Nora?” Yvain called out to her but didn’t get a response. He retrieved his dick, more and more sperm coming out and falling over her, and righted her posture as if delicately handling a string-less marionette. Easy to do, but the limbs kept moving all over the place.

When he finally managed to hold her by the armpits he realized she had fallen unconscious, cum covering her and still flowing down her legs.

Taken aback by what just happened and with no idea when she would come around, Yvain turned on the shower and sat down in the middle with Nora resting against his chest. Soap in hand, he washed her body carefully, cum going down the drain in front of them.

Did he go too far? Yvain was used to being violent with his master. The way he just acted didn’t feel different from when things got tense in their training. Yet maybe he should have had more self-control. It felt more personal than an actual fight, more vulnerable, and he fully took advantage of that. However she decided to respond though, it wouldn’t change the fact that he wanted her in his life.

By the time Yvain was done cleaning her upper body, Nora stirred. He set his chin on her shoulder and hugged her stomach protectively while waiting for her to come fully awake.

When she finally became fully conscious, she laid her head back and set her hands on the arms hugging her. “Words… words fail to reach me in order to describe what just happened,” she said.

The violent outburst Yvain expected didn’t come. Instead she sounded awed and content, fully entrusting her back to him as he held her.

“Do you need to do so? All that matters is that you enjoyed it,” Yvain said, going with the flow of her reaction. “You did enjoy yourself, right?”

“Yes,” Nora said meekly and squirmed in place. “You really didn’t hold back on me with those slaps, my bottom stings.”

Hearing her say as much filled Yvain’s chest with a sort of twisted pride and relief. He found it bizarre that he felt happy that he managed to hurt her and satisfy her all at once. He chuckled at the contradictory emotions, feeling joy at their culmination, and Nora pinched his leg, probably misunderstanding his reaction.

“Lay down, I’ll take care of your poor bottom,” he said.