The rest of the day was a peaceful, healing time for all of us. I still don’t think the girls are getting along the best with each other, but whatever infighting the two of them are doing with each other has led to them both wanting to relax and snuggle with me. I was worried that Isabella might hate me forever for the kicking I gave her, but it seems that she’s more concerned about Brandr’s new closeness with me. I’ve never been the subject of an argument between lovely young women before, and I’ve got to say it’s a rather enjoyable position.

One thing that amused Brandr to death (and me to, though I’d never tell Isabella) was when Izzy tried to do some cooking for us. Since her race evolved again, her strength has become even more penalized than before. She now has a -75% strength penalty, and with only a four strength normally, she’s got an effective strength of one! The makes her so weak that the system won’t let her lift even a frying pan while she’s wearing her shoes!

I’ve never pushed the limits of strength, so I didn’t know how it behaves in this new world, but apparently, it’s something quite strict like moving into an “off-limit” area. Try to walk off the rooftop above and the system gives you a “DONKA! DONKA!” –idiot sound and then tells you, “You cannot go there,” or some stupid similar message. Apparently, it’s the same way with strength: you can only lift, wear, or carry so much weight. Once you hit the limit, you get that idiot sound and a message, “You cannot carry anymore.”

Brandr thought it was hilarious.

If Isabella wears the high heels, she’s not strong enough to lift a frying pan and cook for us. Izzy has to fully “strip” to even work the stove now. There’s no doubt at all that she’s chosen a physically inept race – even the goblins can lift and carry more than her now. It’s a good thing the system doesn’t count her own personal weight against her, or else she’d never even be able to lift her own boobs! I imagine with their size, they weigh more than any frying pan does!

To make up for it though, Izzy’s magic has become much more powerful. The cost to use most of her magic has halved, the duration for how long magical effects last has increased, and she’s became more efficient at converting life to energy. She’s even improved to the point where she doesn’t have to be directly touching someone to steal their life energy now – but it seems that a lot of the effect is reduced over distance. The closer she is to her target, the more efficient the return on life-to-mana conversion is.

And, even though it bothers her (and me) somewhat, it appears that she’s acquired a new way to steal life – by blood. With her fangs, she can now bite and suck the blood from someone. And, as nasty as the idea is, it’s actually the most efficient means for her to recharge. If she were to stick to simply drinking my blood, with her new leech blood’ talent, I would almost be able to fully recharge her when she was out of magic. If she uses her normal ‘consume life’ talent, I’d only be able to recharge her to a little above the half mana mark.

Blood drinking is a very effective way to rebuild her energy quickly – but who wants to do it?!

Blah! Who the heck ever thought that vampires and succubi might be related? I’m not certain if they are, but after her evolution, it wouldn’t surprise me. Isabella thinks she may learn more of her race’s history and background now that she’s got a second book, but that’s going to take some time for her to dig into fully. It’ll also take her a little more time before she can figure out what other spells are inside the second book. I just hope it’s something worth all the hassle we’ve went through.

Seeing Izzy pout and have to take off her shoes just to cook, I couldn’t help but tell her they weren’t needed. If she doesn’t want to wear them, I can understand now completely. If my choice were to “wear shoes or cook supper”, I’d choose to do with them as well. She’s hoping there’s some sort of magical enhancement or spell that can help her overcome the problem without having to spend points for minimal strength increases. When your total is reduced by 75%, you have to spend a lot for minimal gain, and that’s not something she wants to do.

Supper was a nice meal of fried mushrooms in milky gravy, with potatoes and carrots on the side. I don’t know when Flibi started creating normal vegetables, but Isabella had gathered some and stocked up on them before the book had altered her, and we ate like ravenous wolves. REAL food! It might just be potatoes and carrots, but I never would’ve believed how much I’d missed them, until we had some once again. They were heavenly!

After supper, we spent the evening snuggled and relaxing all together in the floor. Izzy enchanted a couple of the loose rings Lunchmeat and the other goblins had recovered from this wing, and then slipped one over a toe on each foot. When she stood on her tippy-toes and activated the magic, they produced phantom heels for her and she stuck her tongue out at Brandr, who shot her a hard look in return. Apparently, the two of them were still arguing mind-to-mind, but since I couldn’t hear it, couldn’t know what was going on between them exactly, I just tried to ignore it.

I’m not crazy enough to get between two feuding girls. I’m definitely not crazy enough to get between my two WIFES when they feud. I’m an oblivious idiot, and I think I’ll happily stay that way…

After a while relaxing together, I had to get up and stretch and try and exercise some. My body had actually adjusted to a rather strenuously physical day; and today had been a lot more sitting and thumb twiddling than I was used to. There wasn’t the most room to practice, so Brandr helped show me some close range techniques. It wasn’t as vigorous or active as usual, but I did manage to work up a good sweat after a while and burn off some of that extra energy.

The day finished with a shower with all three of us – I was basically sandwiched in the middle and stuck there while the two girls had fun washing me from top to bottom. Finally, we went to sleep and had a nice peaceful nap that night.

The next morning, I awoke early – it was still dark outside – and Isabella was already performing her morning ritual. Brandr had her legs under my head, and was gently stroking my hair while being my pillow, so I gently told her, “Good morning,” mind-to-mind, so as to not interrupt Isabella.

“It is a good morning, my Lord,” she replied back to me. “Did you rest well?”

“I did. You?”

“I rested well, here with my Lord, as always,” was Brand’s quiet, gentle response.

“Been awake long?” I asked.

“A few hours,” she told me. “All is well. I’ve been keeping watch. Jello has moved back in the other direction now. We may be able to leave a little later this afternoon and finish our hunt.”

“Good! I’ve been anxious to see if that goblin will drop a skill book once again,” I told her.

“I hope so. It would help my Lord grow nicely, I believe.”

“Maybe,” I replied. “Truth is, I’ve been thinking. If it’s the same book as before, it might be best if you take it and study it again.”

“Me, My Lord?” Brandr sounded shocked. “I wouldn’t presume! My Lord should learn and grow before I do! ‘Tis only proper!”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” I answered. “It seems as if classes have different levels to them. Well, maybe not levels – those seem to be something different,” I clarified. “Ranks? Whatever you want to call it, it seems as if there are various classifications for the classes. Isabella was just a Ka’Lani Lifestealer; now she’s a Ka’Lani Elder Lifestealer.

“What if the book we find could help you level up to a second tier Nightblade? We should let you study it first.”

“I’d prefer if my Lord took it first,” Brandr told me.

I simply smiled up at her and then gently pinched her on her nipple. “Overruled! If we find the same book, you’re going to study it. What if there’s ten different levels to the classes out there? Ka’Lani. Elder. Knight. Elder Knight. Big Cheese. Bigger Cheese. Head Honcho. Damned if I know the title, but bigger than that… How many is that? I lost count.

“Doesn’t matter,” I shook my head lightly. “Fact is, if there are ten ranks to the classes then by both of us needing the same book, we might need twenty copies of that book! They might drop common enough on this floor, but we can’t stay here forever. What if we only get two or three books total? Neither of us would advance very far in our class. I think we’d probably be best served by letting me find a different set of books to unlock a different path for me.

“Then we can increase the chances of finding those books and letting us both grow. I become stronger when my Blade becomes stronger, and my Blade becomes stronger when I do. We’re a group, and we have to think of how to increase our strength best as a group, and not just as individuals. There’s class books out there. We’re certain of that now. I’ll find one soon for me, and then we’ll all grow stronger on our own individual paths.

“I think it’s the best way,” I told her.

“Then my Lord’s will be done. Should the book be the same as what I found previously, I will study it and improve myself. I shall become a stronger, sharper, faster blade for my Lord.”

Laughing lightly, I jokingly told her, “Just don’t become so sharp that you lose all the nice soft curves which I enjoy so much.”

“I shall not my Lord,” she told me seriously. “I shall work hard to be certain to keep all the softness and curves which you desire. Should my training start to interfere with that, I wish for you to spend some of my points to return my body to its proper composition. Should my training make me something that my Lord does not like, I am training wrong and must simply find another path to strength that will not harm that which my Lord enjoys.”

Sighing, I couldn’t help but pull her down and kiss her deeply and passionately. Brand really doesn’t have much of a sense of humor; she always takes everything so seriously. While she was bent down, I leaned back and little and pulled her breasts on up to my lips. Isabella was enjoying her morning meal from me, so there wasn’t any reason why I shouldn’t enjoy my morning meal as well.

Part of me couldn’t help but laugh lightly. It’s no wonder this new world considers us all to be so evil. Isabella spent hours consuming my “seed of life” each morning. I was now consuming Brandr’s “milk of life”. And Brandr was simply sitting there without eating anything. This world has changed us. Changed us to the point where we were down to about a single solid meal a day now. I honestly don’t think any of us classified as being “human” anymore. We’ve simply changed too much.

And it’s only been a month so far. Who knows what we might become over the next year? Decade? Lifetime? I really don’t want to think about the future – at the least, it seems like our prospects in life are better than Flibi’s and Lucy’s. Thinking about them puts things in perspective and keeps a person grounded and from feeling sort for themselves!

After a brief breakfast of ‘left boob milk’, followed by a desert of ‘right book milk’, I finally tapped Isabella on the head to get her to quit. “Time to get up, before you break me and I’ll never get up again,” I told her.

Isabella giggled lightly – which felt funny as heck with me still in her throat – and then wiggled her head back and forth several times quickly and wildly until she got the last few ounces of desert for her breakfast. Sitting up, her eyes were a brilliant deep violet color and the electric light flickered and danced merrily in her irises. Pounding towards me, she declared “Morning,” while trying to get a kiss.

I put my hand up between my lips and hers and reminded her, “Not until after you gargle or brush your teeth or something first!”

Isabella cackled freely and kissed on my hand several times. “But, I did gargle and brush my teeth just a few moments ago! There’s this really special toothpaste I like, and you should try it som…”

Much to my amusement, Brandr leaned over and kissed Isabella with a deep passionate kiss, interrupting her. When she leaned back, Isabella’s eyes were wide and startled, while Brandr simply wrinkled her nose. “No need to kiss that my Lord. She doesn’t use a very good toothpaste. It has too much Isabella in it and not enough Lord. I think it’s much better to get it directly from the spout.”

Oh my God! I couldn’t help but shake my head. I’ll never understand these girls.

Ever!

Isabella licked her lips a few times and then pooched her lower lip out and pouted. “Drake! I’m telling! Brandr stole your taste from my lips!” All I could do is blink. “Here, hold still. I need another go!”

Isabella started to slide back down, and I rolled over and got up in a hurry. “That’s enough of that this morning. We umm…” Damn, they still managed to fluster me on a regular basis!

“We have to get ready and check on the goblins, girls, and Buster,” I rushed on, “and then we need to head out and deal with that goblin Champion and hope it drops us another skill book. Today’s going to be a busy day for us all.”

“Fine,” Isabella pouted and Brandr stuck her tongue back out at her. I pretended not to see it.

When I went to get dressed again, I was the one pouting – down to my last pair of man clothes! Of all the penalties associated with Izzy killing me – the pain, the loss of spirituality, the reputation as murderers – I think it was the loss of my coveralls that still hurt me the most. One last pair of my precious – MY PRECIOUS! – and then I’d be either streaking or wearing stupid Santa skirts or something silly from now on.

Lord, I pray that if this stupid champion doesn’t drop a skill book that we can use, that it’ll drop me a damn pair of indestructible pants! Just one single pair of indestructible pants – in my size. Is that too much to pray for?