Chapter 26, Leap of fate

Tying up my hair and skipping about a little I’m about to roll out from my small cave to go out and break past my previous limits when I realize that it’s still dark out. There’s probably a few hours left before dawn arrives and I’m not going out there now. Why? Because I can’t see all the stars and the moon is nowhere to be found. The stars only make their appearance between dark blotches that I know to be dark rain clouds.

This mountain range is seriously unnatural. It’s been raining every other or third day for almost a month by now and the delay between the cursed rain is surely only there to allow the region to repopulate with creatures. Whatever’s hiding in that cracked Rhodolite peak south of here is powerful enough to affect the weather. I refuse to believe it to be a natural phenomena.

Laying on my stomach I watch the adventurer expedition down below as the rain starts to drizzle. The very few people still moving about cast shadows from burning torches while hurrying inside like their lives depend on it. Which it probably does for most of them. The curse sure is nasty.

Not long after they’ve hidden the usual purple flash and sound of a cracking mountain peak reaches my ears through the rising downpour. Not being able to see much through this foul weather I move back into the cave before manifesting my custom pipe, spending the night listening to the rain and growling screeches below me high as fuck.

The rain disappears with the daybreak and I move out a few minutes after the last of it has fallen and the white clouds begin to disperse. The adventurers are doing the same down in their camp and I consider going down to say hello but ultimately decide against it.

My priority right now is getting a grip on my power, not making new friends. And who even knows if they’ll be friendly to an outsider walking up to them in a cursed region. Mightily suspicious if you ask me and since I’ve not really been hiding from their view one of them might have spotted me moving up here by this point. They can approach me if they want a chat.

Moving back around the eastern side of the mountain towards the north I start my descent into the valley I had used previously. There will be a few targets there to kill but I’m mostly interested in trying out enhancing my body on flat ground to see how far I can jump, how fast I can run and how hard I can hit or kick.

As I get into the valley I see 10 or so fungus parasites, no human skulls so far, and I take off running and enhance my legs, not even managing to hit the limit of what my body can now endure before I reach the first target. I barely need to jump to reach the correct height as I raise my right leg into a frontal kick.

My speed coupled with my reinforced boots smash the cranium of my opponent to pieces and I continue almost unimpeded forward towards a tree 4 meters behind it. I kick down my outstretched right leg while twisting to the right and extending my left leg in a sweeping kick on the 0.5 meters thick tree trunk. I split the trunk right through the middle only feeling a burning sting on my left shin. Nothing seems to be broken though and that is a relief.

Landing and enhancing my legs to remain upright while skidding to a halt in the moss covered ground I launch myself at the closest parasite 20 meters away from my position and make the jump easily. I pull back my fist and smash it through the boar skull before it even manages to block my path with its sharp limbs.

Landing in a forward roll, splattered with gore, I take off once again and this time I do a running jump, landing against a pine trunk with my left foot before jumping off it and landing on the side of another trunk and launching myself with my right foot. I nearly topple the tree with the force of my steps as the rubbery grip on my sole tears away the bark and sends it flying behind me.

“This feels amazing! Woohoo!”

I shout out in glee while jumping between the tree trunks, avoiding touching the ground as I make my way to different parasites and kick or punch their brains out mid air before landing on another tree and continuing my airborne slaughter. Gore and bark flies through the air and I have to shield my eyes from some of it to not get pierced through the eye by my own accidental projectiles.

After killing all the current parasites I manifest my celestial flames and throw it on the widely spread crania and mycelia. No need to unintentionally make a horror if I’m not around to kill it myself. I let my instincts gained through the [External Modules] skill guide me as I increase the mana cost to make the flames burn fiercer and hotter for a shorter duration. It barely takes a second to turn anything it lands on to ash.

Ding! You have slain [Fungus Parasite - 60]. Less experience awarded.

…

Ding! You have slain [Fungus Parasite - 67]. Less experience awarded.

Ding! General skill [Jumping] has leveled from [94] to [96].

Ding! General skill [Unarmed] has leveled from [66] to [69].

Ding! Skill [Passive Power] has leveled from [407] to [408].

Ding! Skill [Arcane Manipulation] has leveled from [452] to [453].

Ding! Skill [Capacitor] has leveled from [258] to [259].

Ding! Skill [External Modules] has leveled from [58] to [61].

“That was great, Zel! There’s still a lot more to practice but it was a really fun application to use the terrain like that. Seems like our external modules skill will be as easy to level as we’d hoped seeing as it’s risen 3 levels from a few minutes of manifesting and manipulating our flames.”

“It was really fun but I still don’t think we hit the limit on the strength our limbs can exert. The real danger now is probably breaking our own body against something really hard instead of breaking our target. I felt it in my shin with the first tree I kicked down. The muscles can handle the strain but our bones aren’t up to the task anymore.”

It’s a real shame to find the next bottleneck this easily but at the same time a blessing as it makes the road to greater strength clear. Our machine will eventually need an upgrade after all.

“Yeah, I know. We’ll have to rework the mana structures for our whole body I think. We now have a lot more power at our disposal and it should be used to keep us whole and support all the ridiculous maneuvers I know you’ll put us through.”

“We’ll wait with that though, right? We’ve gotten much stronger with our class evolution and I want to get back to killing these mushrooms as soon as we’ve adjusted to our new power. No need to lock ourselves in a cave for half a year to completely overhaul our bodily mana structures just yet.”

“Alright. But we’ll do it before gaining a second class at the latest. Deal?”

“Deal, darling.”

Giving Ari a hug I continue my exploration of what my new power has given me. I’m tempted to try and see how high I’m able to jump from a standstill but I don’t want to feel the pain of a crushed lower body. No matter my increased physical attributes, my power has increased far more than what this older design of mana structures can support.

Instead of trying something I’ll regret, I decide to make my way back up towards my new hideout as fast as possible. I take off without further contemplation and enhance myself as much as possible, flooding all my veins with celestial blood and making my muscles glow faintly golden through the skin with every fiber under heavy load.

I vault over boulders, jump between walls of channels dug by rainwater over the eons and do a few acrobatic maneuvers in between and during my speedy traversal to make it look cool. Spins, flips, twists and movements combining all of them while airborne.

My favorite trick I come up with during my ascent is a vault over a tall boulder where I dive over it and touch the edge of the boulder on the other side, pushing myself upwards using my hands into a backflip that carries me forwards on my momentum. It’s practically pointless but it feels so good to execute and I keep doing it again and again.

Ding! You have learned the general skill [Aerial Acrobatics].

[Aerial Acrobatics]

Aids with performing complex maneuvering on the ground or in the air.

Ding! General skill [Aerial Acrobatics] has leveled from [1] to [4].

I almost stumble my landing on my last spinning front flip performed from one boulder to another as the notification reaches me. Seriously? I’m getting an acrobatics general skill now? After all this time I thought I was unsuited to acrobatic skills as it never showed up but now the more advanced version of acrobatics, aerial acrobatics, just pops up out of nowhere?

“Why did we get this skill now, Ari? We’ve been doing acrobatic maneuvers for years.”

“Well have we ever just flipped, spun, twisted and whatever else for half an hour uninterrupted for the fun of it?”

“No. We haven’t. We’ve always incorporated all flips and spins into fighting… Oh. I see how it is. We didn’t get it because we didn’t single mindedly focus on acrobatics. There was always another underlying purpose to our movements than looking cool or being efficient.”

“Yes. It’s only my theory but that’s usually how it is with skills. You’ve grumbled about not having the acrobatics skill for years but never actually just, you know, done acrobatics for a prolonged period of time like now.”

I feel like an idiot now that Ari puts it out there so plainly. Of course I hadn’t gotten a skill with that lazy of an effort on my part. The system needs dedication or results to give you a skill for it. I didn’t really show much of either.

No need to mope about it now though as I’ve just acquired the skill. I continue flipping and spinning my way up the mountain, doing ever increasingly ridiculous movements for no other reason than for the fun of it.

It takes about 40 minutes for me to make my way up and it had taken about 2.5 hours to make my way down at a speed more reminiscent of my old max traveling speed. A huge improvement even with grinding my new skill.

Ding! General skill [Aerial Acrobatics] has leveled from [4] to [15].

I reach the ledge where my cave is located and jump the height of 5 meters up it without issue, landing on the edge before I freeze like prey caught in a trap.

An adventurer, going by the badge on his armored chest, is sitting on the ground outside my cave, leaning against the wall and seeming as startled as I am on my sudden arrival.

The adventurer is huge, clad in full plate armor of some kind of matte black metal with inlaid glowing, crimson gems situated at more protected areas. The helmet has no visor and a single thin, glowing crimson line makes its way horizontally where the eyes should be, hiding them from view.

There’s also demonic looking curved horns jutting out from where the forehead should be and curving backwards, following closely along the sides of the head before ending just behind the ears.

There’s no weapon in the adventurer's hands but that means nothing since he could keep it in storage, his gauntlets on the other hand are huge and also deeply inlaid with glowing gems and crimson lines thrumming with power.

It’s doubtlessly a man though as that frame of his just can’t belong to a woman. I’m getting quite uncomfortable with the silent staring contest and I decide to end it.

“Hello? Nice to meet you.”

No answer.

“You from the expedition camp down below I suppose. Maybe you saw my campfire last night?”

Still no answer.

“Um. Since you haven’t attacked me yet I’m going to assume you’re not here with hostile intentions but could you state what said intentions are? Or your name? Just stop staring silently.”

The helmet tilts slightly to the right as if questioning what’s in front of it.

“Zelaria?”

I freeze once again. It’s not the same pitch and the armor muffles the voice slightly but that slow, unhurried way of pronouncíng every syllable… I’ve only ever heard it from one person before.

“Ho, Howard?”

I stutter as it’s just impossible for there to be such a coincidence.

“It, is it really you? But how?”

The adventurer slowly reaches up towards his helmet and taps it with one armored finger, making it instantly disappear. Staring back with wide dull, gray eyes is an older looking man with blonde hair like a bird nest. A few lines cover his face but not looking to be older than middle age.

It’s him. Howard.

“Howard?? It’s really you, isn’t it? It looks like the last 60 years have treated you fairly well.”

I give him a big and earnest smile as my mind finally catches up to the ridiculous reality of the situation. I’d always liked Howard and him being alive and well, like I’d guessed from hearing Rolas' story about my old homeland, is good.

“Zelaria… You look almost exactly like you did all those years ago. Your eyes though. They’re different.”

I laugh at that. If he only knew how much of me had changed. There isn’t really anything left to be honest. Ari and I are the new us and I’ll never wish for it to be otherwise. He looks slightly confused at why I’m laughing but soon joins me for his own reasons.

“Thought me dead did you?”

“We all did. You didn’t leave us in the best of shape…”

That put a damper on our merry reunion but I wouldn’t let it stay.

“Come now. We can share stories later. Just get up already and let me give you a hug.”

He does as I ask and I squeeze the armor, probably not doing anything more than giving it a polish, before getting Howard to take that off as well and giving him a real hug.

“Damn you’re huge. You must have grown since I last saw you. I guess your nickname isn’t wrong.”

“Yeah, well, getting to diamond rank does things to you.”

That got me curious but I put it aside for now.

“Let’s sit down and talk for a little while.”

I feel him identifying me as we sit down and I do the same to him to sate my curiosity. What can a man accomplish within 60 years except for saving a kingdom?

[Warrior - ???]

I gasp and I can feel Ari’s surprise as well. How high is his level? It has to be above level 300 at the very least. I have to wait for my answers though as it seems Howard has gotten faster at initiating conversation if not in uttering the words.

“I can see you got the [Arcane Mage] class you always wanted but I’m confused as to your level. You don’t look a day over 16 but you haven’t gotten the age prolonging benefits of your second class evolution and high constitution.”

“It’s going to be hard to explain but I’m currently only level 142 as you can see.”

“How about you tell me what happened after you disappeared?”

“Alright. If you tell me some of what happened to you in the last 60 years once I’m done.”

“Deal.”

I ponder for a moment on where to start and what to tell him. Ari helps me get together a believable story that explains everything without giving away all my secrets. I don’t really know Howard well after all and over 60 years have passed since I last saw him. Better not risk it.

“After we ate our lunch in the chamber of proven strength,”

“Chamber of proven strength?”

I don’t even manage a full sentence without him interrupting to ask a question. This is going to be one long quiz, isn’t it? Whatever.

“Ah right. That’s the name of the waypoint terminal between the first and second floor. Anyway after we ate our lunch I laid down upon the monolith as you probably know. It was then I first touched the soul stone with bare skin and you saw what happened when I did that.”

“Yeah. I had nightmares for weeks after it happened.”

“Well I don’t remember much of what happened after that except overwhelming pain ending in the strange sensation of spatial magic covering me. Next I know I’m in this crystal, conscious but unable to move. Thanks to telepathy from the remnants of the dungeon core I figured out that I’d been transported into the core room of the dungeon.

"It’s located on the 127th floor and I was stuck there up until a few years ago. I didn’t age but I didn’t level either and when I got free from my, let’s call it stasis, it took a few years to make it to the surface. I got really lucky though as my experience with teleportation and all that shit allowed me to finally get a class and I even managed to avoid most of the floors on my way up.

"It was still a close call many times and I was incredibly lucky to make it out alive. I breached the surface not even 3 months ago. I became an adventurer and did a posting before coming here to kill some monsters. That’s basically it.”

Howard stares at me in both horror and fascination after I’m done. His facial expression having gone through a rollercoaster of emotions during my explanation.

“You were stuck on floor 127 for over 60 years?!”

It’s almost a slow shout but he manages to control the volume to be more reasonable.

“I can’t believe this. I mean I do believe you! It explains everything but it’s just so incredibly unlikely at the same time. That dungeon was really your unluckiest lucky encounter.”

I proceed to explain a few more details on things I fought and different sights on the various floors and he’s entranced by my answers. He does seem to believe me and that’s a relief.

“How about your party? How deep did you go and did you all make it out?”

A slightly somber expression once again crosses his face.

“Barhald didn’t make it. He got an arrow through the eye from an orc on floor 7, the last floor we went to.”

Barhald? He was practically the heart of the party in my opinion. Making jokes and lifting the spirits of the group effortlessly. He was also one hell of a melee fighter for his level as far as I remember. I don’t focus upon it though as it had happened long ago and practically in a different life.

“An orc? Yeah it’s good you didn’t go deeper then.”

“How so?”

“We’ll there’s a metropolis of them down there housing over fifty thousand by my estimation.”

He just stares at me, working his jaw ever so slowly as his eyes bulge.

“WHAT? Fifty thousand orcs? You can’t be serious.”

“Oh yeah definitely. And the floors below their city have at least a hundred thousand goblins and hobgoblins inhabiting them. Probably more if I’m being honest. Killed them for years but they never stopped coming.”

“How did you get up to the surface then? They must have covered all of the upper floors, making a silent escape near impossible.”

I chuckle at that. There really wasn’t anything silent about my climb and I didn’t even try to be sneaky about it.

“I had a fight to the death with a warband to show my strength and worthiness to their warband leader. Archetkzo was honorable and a good guy honestly. I killed his whole band and he gave me a tour of their city before escorting me to a path towards the surface. This was on the 38th floor, I think? I saved a huge amount of time on it at least.”

“I don’t even know what to say to that.”

I smile at his stupefied expression.

“There’s really no need to say anything. Come on now, it’s your turn. So you went down to the 7th floor and then you left. Anything interesting happening down there or afterwards? And what’s your current level? I can’t identify you.”

He takes a few seconds to compose himself and think back before answering.

“I’m currently over level 500 believe it or not. There isn’t much of note that I can remember of our journey down to the 7th floor though. We found nothing of value, probably due to orcs already having looted everything and the only real gain was the experience from killing monsters. There were quite a few of them down there at least.

"After we left the dungeon, leaving Barhald behind, things started to slowly fall apart. Julie and Ormar started fucking during the delve and no one thought too much about it. The horror of your death and the near death experiences following that warranted some physical intimacy.

"It couldn’t last though as the shared blame, uncertainty and indecision of the party led Julie to act in a certain way. I should have seen it coming and been able to stop it but I failed her.”

“What did she do?”

I’m gripped by this sudden revelation as I hadn’t previously considered how the party might have been impacted or progressed after my supposed death. Howard slowly sighs before looking out towards the horizon, seemingly reminiscing.

“She extended her physical comfort in an attempt to unify the party once more. As you might imagine it didn’t end well. Some parties might be able to share partners between each other with a positive outcome but it wasn’t something our group needed at the time.

"Ormar walking in on Julie getting pounded by both Mister Mason and Jake was the beginning of the end.”

“Wait a moment. Julie fucked three of the party members?! Why?”

Howard looks troubled for a split second before smoothing out his features and answering.

“She thought it was the only way. I should have been able to predict the course of events but I was too preoccupied with my own demons, the horror of seeing you die in excruciating pain and the loss of Barhald.

"Anyway, Ormar was incensed at the breach of his perceived boundaries, having thought that Julie had become his woman. He left the party not long after but leaving behind even more friction. I think Mister Mason and Jake had been under the impression that Ormar approved of the open relationship Julie had initiated.

"Seeing Ormar crying himself to sleep the days after and the hostility he showed towards Julie made it clear that he’d never agreed to sharing.

"Now one member down Julie tried keeping the group together and under her leadership, ultimately failing as respect was lost even if she compensated by satiating their lust.”

I’m in a bit of a shock at the turn of events Howard’s describing as it sounds so unlike Julie. I can still picture it though, the drama and rampant feelings kept barely afloat by need and lust but slowly being eroded, the fulfillment of desire starting to be taken for granted.

‘What else does she provide?’ Thoughts like these running through the disordered party members’ minds, looking for strong leadership but only finding a shepherd.

“What happened next?”

My voice is almost a whisper but Howard, noticing my mild shock smiles at me before continuing.

“Jake left first, going up north to seek his fortune hunting dangerous beasts in the untamed region. I haven’t heard from him since the day he left but we parted on amicable terms at least.

"Mister Mason left not long after, giving the excuse that he wanted to change career but probably only looking for a new and stable party. He flat out refused to tell us where he was going and nothing has been heard of him since. I even pulled on some connections in the guild a few years ago to see if he’d been adventuring outside the kingdom. Nothing came from it.

"Both of them might be dead for all I know but Ormar is still alive. He took over as patriarch for his family and is a grandfather of 9 brats last I heard. Time sure flies, doesn’t it?”

“Sure does…”

I’m not sure what to say. I hope both Jake and Mister Mason are fine but it’s hard to imagine their current state as all I can think of is them spitroasting Julie. I shake my head vigorously, only partially succeeding in getting the image out of my head. Howard, not commenting on my wet dog impersonation, continues his story.

“In the end it was only Julie and I left and we continued adventuring together. For ten years we jumped between parties and groups, sometimes taking in a lone adventurer to join us. We usually left or got left behind though as no one really fit with Julie.

"The last person to stay with us for a prolonged time was Theo as he didn’t mind following Julie. He was a great fit for our team, an agility based warrior that complemented our strengths and enjoyed sharing her. He died in the beginning of the undead invasion though… A real shame as it was an ignoble death.”

“Wait! I’m not really looking to pry into your private life but I’m confused. Why did you stay with Julie when everyone else left or died, continuing to follow her? It can’t have been for the sex alone, I may not know you well but that doesn’t seem like you.”

He looks down from the sky to meet my gaze and I spot uncertainty there. He doesn’t look uncertain about his answer but more likely contemplating whether to answer honestly or not. It’s bizarre seeing Howard this conflicted. He’d always been very decisive if not very open when I last met him.

He eventually sighs, averting his gaze before looking back at the sky, following a hawk circling a few kilometers away. A few minutes pass before he slowly answers.

“I can’t tell you but I have my reasons. I can confirm that it isn’t for the sex though, even if it’s pleasant to have someone craving you. Do you know what I did before becoming an adventurer?”

I have to think about it for a few seconds but eventually remember snippets of conversations and the conclusion I’d drawn at the time.

“You were a cage fighter of sorts, right?”

Howard looks back at me, clearly surprised but nodding slowly all the same.

“Close enough, I suppose. All I can say is that it has something to do with my previous occupation, you’ll have to ask Julie if you want a clearer answer.”

I freeze. Processing the information and drawing conclusions.

“Julie… She isn’t here? Is she?”

The look I get from Howard is answer enough and I deflate. I’d been looking forward to spending some quality time catching up with Howard but if Julie’s around it’s better to not risk her seeing us.

He idly starts scraping a finger against the mountain ledge we sit at as if sharing some of my unease, actually gouging out grooves in the stone like it’s made of jelly. How insane is his strength?

He’s the first to speak and I miss my chance to ask.

“Defeating the first wave of the undead invasion was really just a freak accident, you know? We happened to be at the right place at the right time, Julie having light magic and me protecting her was enough to finish the commander without us really understanding the significance.

"We became saviors of the kingdom and made into lesser nobility. Both of us received deeds for land next to the undead empire, nice and close to the front lines where we are required to step in and fight when things get dire. Being a noble comes with an awful lot of responsibility.”

“It sounds kind of boring to be honest. Have you been fighting the undead for the last 50 years or something?”

“Mostly. We’ve been on a few other postings together over the years but we’re needed at the frontlines most of the time.”

We sit for a while in companionable silence, both of us probably thinking back on times past. I turn to look him up and down a little more thoroughly, trying to place the many scars visible on bulging muscle through the simple shirt. He’s positively covered in them and that says a lot since he’s always close to a healer able to remove scars when treated in time.

He obviously notices my scrutiny and raises an eyebrow at me. I hold back a miniscule blush from the embarrasment of being caught staring so blatantly but it wasn’t even in the sexual sense I was checking him out. I was just interested in seeing any changes from what I remember. Now that I think about it though…

Reciprocating he looks me up and down in turn, taking it all in before fixating on my bust. My nipples grow hard almost instantly from the attention and I’m confused at why I’m reacting so strongly. He’s only looking at me and I’m responding to it? Has my near month of abstinence really gotten me this wound up?

I can feel Ari’s almost uncontained lust growing and it isn’t helping me remain clear headed. Trying to look at anything else than his face where his attention is so clearly displayed I shift my gaze, immediately regretting it as it doesn’t help.

My eye’s take in the majestic beast growing visibly against his thigh under the cloth pants he’s wearing. The sheer size and growth speed has me entranced for a few seconds before I snap out of it.

I look up at Howard and meet his gaze. He looks a little bewildered as if unsure of the current events. Feeling like teasing him a little for old time’s sake I wiggle my bust, immediately drawing his eyes back down. It might have been a little excessive though. Seeing his massive cock visibly throb beneath the fabric, veins bulging enough to show clearly through the fabric. I’ll have to end this immediately.

“Alright let’s stop this before I can’t think straight. How come you’re here and not at the undead frontlines?”

He looks slightly taken aback by the sudden change in subject and maybe even a little disappointed but pulls himself together quickly, visibly regaining mental clarity as if by a skill before answering.

“Charles, the branch manager for the Riverflow Kingdom, gave us the job of figuring this out. I could have refused of course but since it’s curse related Julie should look into it and I naturally followed.”

“Naturally.”

My reply is drier than sand as my eyes flicker down to what must certainly be one juicy piece of meat. Is there really another reason for him following along?

“We’ve been here for about a week now and it’s looking worse and worse. There should be another diamond ranked adventurer south west of the source but we haven’t met them yet. We’ll probably meet on the battlefield when we storm the mountain or when this is all over.”

“You’re going to storm the place? When?”

“Tomorrow.”

They’re going to storm the fungi forest tomorrow? Sounds like suicide to me.

“Well, good luck.”

“Come again?”

I give him a look before gesturing at their camp.

“I see. Yes. Julie probably doesn’t need to meet you now either. It will only make the task tomorrow more difficult.”

“I will probably watch it though. And might even join in the fun depending on how it goes for you but I won’t get anywhere near Julie. If she somehow, miraculously, wants to speak to me she can first apologize for her behavior in the past.

"She might as well throw in a proclamation on how much of a whore she is and I’ll put it all behind us. How come you went up here anyway? Did my light yesterday night draw attention to my hiding spot?”

“Yes it did. Julie told me to check it out and so I did. I should probably get back now that I think about it.”

He looks up at the sun which has already reached its zenith before continuing.

“Julie might come looking for me if I don’t fuck her soon.”

I stare incredulously at him but he only shrugs his shoulders.

“She needs it before tomorrow. It will keep her thoughts straight, mine too for that matter.”

“Incorporate some pain as a hello from me, will you?”

He laughs lightly before giving me another proper look, outlined veins throbbing even as he stands up, a slightly despondent smile on his lips.

“Sure, Zelaria. Where will you go after this is over? Or won’t we meet each other for another 60 years or so?”

“I’m going to the capital of the kingdom. I’ll probably be diving a dungeon or two before continuing my adventure elsewhere. Might see you there if we don’t run into each other down in the infestation below us.”

“Sure, Good bye for now then, Zelaria.”

“Bye, Howard.”

I wave at him as he summons his armor back on, somehow still managing to fit even while he’s rock hard, before leaping down the mountain side. He goes down fast, ridiculously fast even and I soon lose sight of him between the thin forest below.

“Please, Zel? Just a little?!”

Ari’s pleas for pleasure drag me back to the now and I chuckle wickedly while denying her.

“Be a good girl and wait.”

“Please?!”

“I can feel your lust just fine without you practically slapping it in my face. But no. We’ll have a good time when we reach the capital as planned. The release from all this tension will be splendid. Oh fuck…”

I practically feel myself dripping as I stand up and it runs down my inner thighs. I’m reaching the breaking point and Howard’s very visible interest in releasing my tension didn’t help at all.

I need to kill something.