Shiva woke up just as we got to the inn, nearly punching me as she did. When she finally calmed down enough to realize who I was, she apologized. The very fact that she said she was sorry was enough to surprise me. It wasn't until we made it to our room that she started to struggle in my grip.

"Seriously, put me down!" I start to laugh at Shiva's pouting face in my arms.

"Nope. Besides, we are almost there." The inn was actually a rather nice building. It is three stories tall with a red roof on top, giving it an almost homey look. The hallway to our room is well lit, oil lamps lighting it where the windows on either end don't. Shiva squirms in my grip, and starts to reach towards her leg.

"Then at least let me get whatever this is by my knee out of my pants." She struggles for a second longer, then manages to pull her pants leg up high enough to get the offending item out. When she pulls the item from her pants, it turns out to be the missing pair of panties from earlier. The dark material is still damp as she tries to shove it into her pocket quickly.

A quiet laugh draws my attention down the hall to a man about to enter his room. The way he is staring lets me know he has been watching us for a minute. It would definitely explain the open door he is standing half in, half out of. I shoot him an angry glare which makes him dive into his room and slam the door behind him.

"So which room is ours?" Thea laughs at my question, stepping ahead of me to unlock a door with a small brass key.

"This one is ours." She pulls my belt to draw Shiva and me in close as I get to the door. Her hand reaches up to pull me in for a kiss, making Shiva squirm at the closeness of the three of us. Shiva slips out of my arms and steps barefoot into the room.

"I need to get cleaned up real quick." She grabs Thea's arm and pulls her into the room. "Get my gear from Jacob and yours from Vaunea, then come join us." The look in her eye makes me realize my day is far from over. I laugh as I turn around to face Vaunea and Jacob.

"You guys ok bunking together?" Jacob nods and Vaunea just shrugs as she hands over my jacket. My gear is wrapped tightly inside. Jacob digs in his bag for a second, then hands me Shiva's blades and boots.

"Here, you might need this too." He hands me the pendant to silence a room as he shrugs his shoulders. "The walls here aren't as thin as they are in other places. Still as loud as you all can be, it's better not to keep the neighbors up all night." I thank him quickly as I go back into the room.

"You sure you don't mind Sarge bunking with you as well?" Jacob and Vaunea actually laugh at the question.

"He's good company, and doesn't snore so we are good." I mouth a silent thank you as I start to close the door. The sound of splashing water behind me draws my attention. I see my armor tossed onto the bed, along with a trail of clothes leading to an open door. I set Shiva's gear down on the chair beside the door, checking over the room as I do. Quickly I activate the pendant, and hang it on the nail on the doorframe.

It's clean, a welcomed sight as far as I'm concerned. A giant bed is against one wall, and a chest of drawers beside the window. A small round trash can sits empty beside the bed. Like Sarge said, the window opens up into an alley. The grayish stone of the building beside ours fills the view out of it. Another splash followed by a giggle tells me I need to check the other door in the room.

I quickly strip off the leather chaps and my boots. As I walk to the open doorway, I strip off my shirt and toss it on the bed. The sound of Thea talking and a low moan from Shiva lets me get an idea of what I'm missing. When I reach the door, I lean against the frame and take in the sight in front of me.

Shiva and Thea are in a wooden tub just barely big enough for the two of them. Shiva is currently leaned back against the edge of the tub with Thea on top of her. The now blonde again elf has her hand below the water, her arm working back and forth quickly. As I stand there and watch the erotic scene, Thea continues talking to Shiva.

"Awww, poor Shiva. Got so excited that she just had to jump him, didn't you?" Shiva nods almost violently as she moans, arching into Thea's hand. "Then you didn't want to slow down and got yourself all sore. Couldn't go for round two, huh? Had to come begging Thea to heal you so you could play more, didn't you?" Shiva arches higher, nearly pushing Thea off of her.

"Yesssssssssss! Don't stop, please, I'm so close!" Thea looks over her shoulder, smiling at me as she continues to work on Shiva.

"Well Jim, what do you think? Should I let her cum?" I smile as I unfasten the belt from my waist.

"Depends, are you wanting to be nice, or drive her crazy?" Thea's smile turns into an evil looking grin as she turns back to face Shiva.

"I don't know, driving her crazy sounds fun to me." Shiva lets out a high pitched moan as she bucks against Thea's hand again. I start to step closer to the tub, angling for a better view.

"Nooooooooooo! Pleaseeee!" Thea leans in close to Shiva's face.

"Please what?" Shiva's eyes fly open, and she grabs Thea's hand, pulling it tight to her.

"Please make me cum. Please, please, I need it!" Thea leans her body in close to Shiva's, forcing her against the tub.

"Who is Jim's first grove mate?" Thea's voice has an almost angry tone to it that makes me pause.

First grove mate?

"You are, Thea you're his first grove mate! I'm his second. I'll always be his second as long as he will have me! Now please, make me cum!" Thea looks back over her shoulder at me as her hand picks up speed.

"Looks like she is learning, Jim. I think we can let her cum right now. So why don't you drop your pants and join us before she gets too far along." I almost want to ask Thea what she means by first grove mate, but Shiva's moaning and begging causes it to slip from my thoughts. As I strip off my jeans, I kick them back towards the bedroom. I carefully walk up to the edge of the tub, not sure how to join in without being in the way.

"Look at him, Shiva. Can't you see how excited he's gotten watching you." Shiva's eyes are glued to my erection as it bounces gently in the air. She starts to reach out to stroke me when Thea grabs her hand and pins it to the tub.

"Did I say you could stroke his cock? Hmmm!" Thea's hand stops moving below the surface of the water, making Shiva groan and start to beg.

"Noooooooo! Please, I'm sorry! Please don't stop. I was so close!" Thea looks up at me, grinning wildly as she starts to slowly move her hand below the water again.

"You want me to share him with you, Shiva?" Shiva nods as quickly as she can, her eyes staying glued to me. "Then open your mouth. Open wide, now. You don't want to scratch him with those sharp teeth of yours." Shiva opens her mouth wide moaning as she does.

Thea roughly pushes her further back against the tube's edge. Her head hangs over the edge of the tub as her chest is forced to just out above the water. Looking up at me, Thea gives me a wink.

"Go ahead, Jim. You know where she needs you right now." Shiva looks up at me from where her head is hanging upside down. She sticks out her tongue and wiggles it back and forth at me.

I take a deep breath to try and calm down a little before I step closer to the tub. Shiva's tongue darts out past her lips to catch the head of my cock. I groan as my hips thrust forward on their own. Half of my cock slides into Shiva's mouth before I can stop myself.

Shiva lets out a sound halfway between a moan and a groan around my cock. I grip the edge of the tub as I start to slowly thrust in and out of her mouth. As I thrust in, I feel the head of me hit the back of her throat, making her gag lightly. I start to pull back quickly so I don't continue to gag her.

"No, Jim! She needs you to be tougher with her. Don't hold back, and use her mouth and throat. Trust me, it's what she wants and needs." Thea's hand never stops moving below the water as she speaks. Her other hand is now between her own thighs working back and forth quickly. I don't need to feel the bridge between us to know how excited she is getting.

I pull back until the head is inside Shiva's mouth. She nods at me as I look down at her, confirming what Thea just told me. I give her a smile as I curl my fingers in her bright red hair. Shiva's tongue swirls around the head of my cock as she waits for me to thrust back into her mouth. I let out a low groan as I shove myself slowly into her mouth. When I feel myself reach the back of her throat, I lean forward and drive myself into her throat.

Shiva gags for a moment then starts to swallow my cock down. When I'm fully buried in her hot mouth, Shiva starts to purr. The vibrations feel unlike anything I have ever felt before. Even the way Thea hums when I'm in her throat doesn't feel anywhere close to this.

"Fuckkkk!" I have to take a second before I can move. Thea smiles at me as her own mouth hangs open. She pants heavily.

"I knew you would like that. Now stop wasting time and fuck her throat, Jim!" I lean in as far as I can to kiss Thea. My hips start to thrust on their own as I'm kissing Thea. Shiva's mouth is driving me closer and closer to cumming in her mouth. Between the sight of Thea playing with Shiva and Shiva's mouth on my cock, I'm getting dangerously close to cumming.

Shiva stiffens as she starts to cum from Thea's ministrations. Her body arches up out of the water as she does. A wordless scream escapes her mouth from around my cock. I keep thrusting into Shiva's mouth as she cums. My fingers tighten in Shiva's hair as I start to thrust into her mouth faster. I can feel myself racing towards my own orgasm when Thea pulls Shiva away from my cock.

"That's mine!" She shoves Shiva against the end of the tub where she just was. Then swallows my entire cock in one smooth motion. Shiva's purring was unlike anything I had felt before, but Thea's skills put her to shame. Before I even fully register the switch between Thea and Shiva, I feel myself start to cum.

A wordless yell rises from my throat as I feel Thea working my cock in her talented mouth. She pulls back just as the head rests in her mouth as I start to cum. She milks my cum from my cock with her hand as it fills her mouth. I nearly collapse as my legs start to give out. My hands grip the edge of the tub to keep me steady as Thea turns towards Shiva.

There is a look in her eye that is half playful and half almost evil. She pulls Shiva's head back as she straddles her body. I feel my mouth drop open as Thea begins to kiss Shiva. I feel my body reacting to the sight in front of me. My previously softening member starts to harden again. Thea pulls back from Shiva's lips and I can see a stand of saliva and cum stretching between them. She wipes her lip with the back of her hand as she tilts Shiva's head to look into her eyes.

"I will share, but he was mine first." Thea pauses, kissing Shiva's forehead in an almost loving manner. "I won't ever try and keep you away from him or play stupid mind games with you. As long as you understand that, he is mine first." Shiva shivers in the warm water of the tub. Her eyes lock on to Thea's and she nods her head.

"I meant what I said. I'm his second grove mate. For as long as he will have me, I'll be his second. Second only to you." Shiva bows her head to Thea and presses the top of her head into the elfs chest. At that point, I am a hundred percent sure I am missing something. At the same time, it feels like if I ask I'll be intruding on their moment.

Without warning, Thea stands up and lets the water from the tub drip down her naked form. Shiva watches her closely, almost like she is worried about what she is about to do. Thea smiles down at Shiva and offers her a hand up. With a small almost shy smile, Shiva takes the offered hand. Thea pulls her to her feet and Shiva hugs the taller elf tightly.

"Alright, I'll bite. What did I miss?" Shiva and Thea both start to laugh at my question. Thea leans over and gives me a quick kiss before stepping out of the tub.

"I'll explain later, Jim. Right now, you need to get cleaned up. When you finish, come join us on the bed." Shiva steps out of the tub as Thea is speaking. She takes the elf's offered hand and starts to follow her out of the washroom. As they are passing the doorway, Thea starts to close the door behind them.

"So you don't get distracted from getting cleaned up. Don't take too long. We will be waiting." As the door clicks shut, I hear a loud giggle on the other side. My mind instantly starts to wonder what exactly is going on.

As I hear a low moan that sounds like Thea, I dive into the tub. If they want me to clean up then that's what I'm going to do. I don't waste any time, using the white bar of soap to scrub my body clean in record time. As I pull the plug on the tub, I take note of the pump above it.

They must have a hot water tank this pumps up from. Otherwise, it would be a cold bath and I can't say I'm a fan of those. In my mind, I picture Thea and Shiva sitting in the tub filled with cold water. Holding onto each other for earth as they shiver. Ok, maybe if it wasn't me in the tub.

As I step out of the tub, I look for a towel to dry off with. The small room is empty except for the tub and my now discarded pants. As I hear Thea start to moan louder, I decide drying off isn't important right now.

When I push the door open, I'm greeted by the sight of Thea laying back on the bed. Shiva is kneeling on the wooden floor between her legs. Her red hair is blocking my view of what she is doing. I'm pretty sure I have a good idea, judging by Thea's reaction to her ministrations.

"Fuck! I love that tongue of yours. It's even better than Jim's!" Thea is holding Shiva's head tight against her as she continues to arch against her. I can tell she is getting close to cumming from the attention Shiva is giving her. When she sees me standing in the doorway, she pushes Shiva's head away.

"Jim, get over here. Now!" Before she finishes speaking, I'm crossing the distance between us. Shiva moves out of the way, jumping on the bed and kneeling beside Thea.

As I slip into the bed, Thea moves to lay completely on the bed. Her arms wrap around my neck to pull me in for a kiss. I feel another hand on my hard member as I kiss Thea. As I look down, Shiva is rubbing my head against Thea's wet slit. She smiles up at me, her face filled with excitement as she does.

"Fuck her, Jim. Slide inside her and fill her up. After you finish with her, then it's my turn again." My hips buck into Thea, causing the head of me to slip inside her.

"Something tells me I'm not going to get much rest tonight, am I?" Thea smiles at me as she thrust her hips up pulling me deeper inside her.

"Nooooooo. You're not going to get much rest at all. We are going to drain you tonight, Jim." I smile at her as I start a gentle thrusting into her.

I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I have a feeling I'm going to know for sure by the end of tonight.

The next few hours are a blur of sweaty bodies and tangled limbs. It seemed no matter how many times we came someone always wanted more. At one point, we had to stop because hunger was an issue. No one wants to leave the room though, so we ended up eating from our travel rations. Of course, watching Shiva lick up a trail of honey off her arm led to another round of fun. By the end, we were all sticky and sweaty.

We stripped the sheets off the bed before taking a bath to get rid of the layers of sweat and honey. The three of us barely fit in the tub and even then one of the girls had to be sitting on my lap. The way they moved and played in the tub started another round of fun there. By the time we left, the water went cold and both of them started to shiver.

The sheets had ended up covered in honey but we had discarded the covers early on. The sight of Thea and Shiva beckoning me into the bed from under the covers was enough to get me started again. Shiva was the first one to not be able to handle anymore. The red haired cat girl literally passed out on the bed beside us. Thea never slowed down. She urged me on again and again, until finally I couldn't take anymore.

"Fuck!" I feel my arms giving out as I finish cumming inside Thea. Her hands shift me to the side to let me collapse on the bed beside her. All I can manage is to roll over and look at the ceiling as I try and catch my breath. I feel myself wince as Thea's hand wraps around my softening cock. Her fingers stroke me lightly as her hand slips along our combined juices.

"If you are wanting to go again, I'm going to need some healing down there." Thea smiles at me through half closed eyes.

"Awww, is someone getting sore?" I can't help but laugh at her teasing as she lets go of me. Her hand comes to rest on my stomach as she lays her head on my chest. Through the bond, I feel that she is worrying about something. So I push myself up to turn to look at her. As her head falls off my chest, she rolls over to face me.

"What's wrong, babe?" Thea looks worried for a second before she moves as close to me as she can. She buries her face in my chest as I wrap my arms around her.

"I should have talked to you first." She almost sounds scared as she speaks and I feel the worry inside her.

"Talked to me about what?" When she doesn't answer, I hug her tighter and kiss the top of her head. "Whatever it is, you know you can tell me." She nods her head slowly before taking a deep breath.

"I'm not Thea Willow anymore. I won't be ever again unless you make me leave." I tilt her head back to look at me, feeling confused at her words.

"What do you mean?" When she starts to try and hide her face again, I stop her. "Thea, please just tell me."

"Shiva told you how elves form groves. I know she also told you how groves will try and trade off their children. My father wanted to do that with me, so I left my grove. I hoped to find a grove I could call home. One that would see me for me and not as an asset to use." I must have a confused look on my face because she laughs lightly as she starts to explain.

"I know it doesn't seem like much compared to your mana. Before we became bridged, I was one of the most powerful elves in Winsdor. There are lots of groves who would welcome me with open arms. They would all use me to advance their station and that's not what I wanted. I wanted a person to want me for me, not for my power." Thea squeezes me tighter as she pauses.

"I don't know if you feel the same way about me that I do you. I do know that you feel something for me, even if it's not love yet. So I decided that the grove I want is one with you." She buries her face in my chest and her arms shake as she squeezes me almost painfully tight.

"So I'm no longer Thea Willow. I'm Thea Marsterson, first grove mate of the Marsterson grove. Shiva didn't have a last name. She didn't have a family. Now, she is known as the second grove mate of the Marsterson grove, Shiva Marsterson." When I hear Thea use my last name as both of theirs, I freeze. Her words make me feel nervous, and I'm not sure how to react. I try to play it off and chuckle lightly.

"So what, I don't get a say in the matter?" Thea pulls her head away from my chest and pushes me onto my back. She slips on top of me and straddles my waist as she looks down at me. Her hand cups my chin, rubbing over the beard on my face slowly.

"You always have a choice, Jim. All you ever have to do is tell us to leave and we will. You are the one I'm building my grove around. That means you are the grove, and your word is final. If you don't want me, Shiva, or anyone else, then you just have to tell us to leave." She pauses and I see the fear in her eyes. "Please don't make me leave, Jim."

I can see and feel her fear growing as my mind races. I don't know if I'm ready to build a grove with Thea. What I do know is I can't stand the way her being afraid makes me feel. I grip her shoulders to pull her down onto me. As she lays on my chest, I wrap my arms around her tightly. I kiss the top of her head and hear what sounds almost like a sob escape her lips.

"I'm not going to make you leave, Thea. I do wish you had explained some of this to me first, but I'm not going anywhere." My lips curl into a smile as I feel relief flood through her body.

"You wont make Shiva leave either will you?" I let out a small laugh as I hold her tighter.

"No, I won't make Shiva leave either. I'm not sure what makes you so sure she wants to be a part of our grove, but I won't make her leave." Thea shifts off me carefully, slipping over Shiva's sleeping form. She pulls me over until I'm pressed against Shiva on one side as she is on the other.

"Shiva and I have spoken a lot about this lately. Any time you aren't around or we have a moment to ourselves, we talked about it. There is a lot about Shiva that you don't know yet. The only thing that you need to know right now is she wants this too. She wants to have a home, a family, and people she loves. We both think that this is the place where that can happen. Tonight was just us establishing where we both are in the grove." Thea strokes the sleeping cat girl's hair and let's her fingers trail over her ears.

"So you think Shiva and I can fall in love, huh?" I raise my eyebrow at her as I speak, trying to be funny.

"I think that all depends on you. Don't try and say you don't feel anything for her. I'm not saying it's love or that what we feel is love either. You do feel something. I know because I can feel you here." She takes my hand and presses it gently into her chest. "Shiva, she's been half in love with you since you took her down in the loft." That causes me to pause and look down at Shiva as she sleeps.

"You think so?" Thea laughs lightly and it turns into a yawn.

"Oh, I don't just think so, Jim. Beastkin are very physical people. When you took her down, you showed her you were strong. She started to fall for you then. What she felt just grew from there." Thea reaches down to grab the blanket beside the bed. She pulls it over her and Shiva as she smiles at me.

"So why are you calling the grove the Marsterson grove. I thought elves named their groves after trees and rivers and such?" Thea smiles at me as she shakes her head lightly.

"Not always, mostly it's just the larger groves that do that. Small groves usually name themselves after the center member. Your last name is Marsterson, so that's our grove. When we make it out of Dolus and into Windsor, I'm going to register the name."

"Register the name?"

"Newly formed groves have to register their groves in the elder grove so they are recognized by the rest of them." I lay my hand on top of Thea's as I feel her getting nervous again.

"What's wrong?" She smiles at me as she pulls her hand free.

"Elves are….different from humans. It's not unheard of for a grove to have a human or beastkin in them. I know of one that even has a dwarf in the grove. They don't usually center around another species though. There is a chance that we will have a lot of groves that refuse to recognize us as a grove." She pauses, and I can feel that she is still worried.

"If that happens, what does it mean for us?" Thea smiles at me, but I can tell she is still scared.

"For us, nothing. I don't care if anyone else recognizes us as a grove. As long as we know that we are one. Even if it's my own father saying that we aren't a grove. I'll still know that we are, and I'll fight to prove it." I take her hand again and hold it tightly.

"You won't be fighting alone." I smile at Thea and try to send as many happy feelings as I can through our bond. I feel Thea start to relax as Shiva rolls to face her. Shiva lets out a quiet snore that makes me chuckle.

"Should I be worried that everytime Shiva has sex she passes out?" Thea laughs quietly as she pulls Shiva closer to her. She gently brushes a strand of red hair away from her face.

"No, beastkin are just like that. They are full of energy and are stronger than most species without mana. The trade off is they don't have a lot of stamina so they get tired faster. The fact that she passed out means she pushed herself too far. It's one of the things we will have to be careful with." Thea kisses the top of Shiva's head and then lets out a yawn.

"Sounds like she isn't the only one getting tired." Thea nods slowly at my words.

"Sorry we aren't all supermen like you. Some of us actually need to sleep." She smiles at me as she tucks the cover in around her and Shiva better. I feel my eyes start to close as I lean back into the pillow on the bed.

"Jim, is now a good time to talk? Or are you planning on starting round thirty something." Alexis's voice pulls me back from the edge of sleep.

"Shit, yeah just give me a second." Thea opens one eye to look at me curiously. "Alexis wanted to talk about something, without Vixie around listening in." As I pull on my jeans, I look over and notice Thea is looking confused.

"Vixi wants her to act more like a normal dungeon, Alexis doesn't want to. She said she needed to ask me something. You can go on to sleep. When I finish up with her, I'll come join you two." Thea looks like she is going to say something before another yawn escapes her lips.

"Ok, Jim. Just don't stay up too late if you feel tired." Thea curls up against Shiva and is asleep before I pull Alexis's core from her pouch.

"So how did you think we could talk face to face?" I glance at the chair full of equipment, weighing the pros and cons of moving it to sit down.

"Jim, can you sit down please. Just lean against the bed and I'll show you." As I ease onto the floor, I cross my legs to get comfortable. I settle Alexis onto my lap as I lean back against the bed.

"Ok, now what?" Alexis seems to glow in my grip for a few moments.

"When you feel a tug, just don't fight it. I promise it is alright. It might feel a little weird, but it won't hurt." My shoulders shrug as I force myself to relax. I feel the tug Alexis talked about. Not on my body, but on the mana coursing through me. For a split second, I try and pull back on instinct.

"No! If you fight it, it won't work. Just go with it." I force myself to relax again and let the rug draw on me. When I feel my mana start to follow the pull, I try and let it flow a little faster. The world seems to go gray around the edges as I feel my head drop.

Next thing I knew, I'm standing barefoot in a large empty space. The ground under my feet reminds me of the dark stone of the dungeons walls. As dark as it seems to be, I don't have any trouble making out the features of the landscape around me. Or lack of features as it happens to be right now.

A weak breeze blows across the area that makes me shiver lightly. I rub my arms up and down each other to try and warm up. As I turn my head, all I can see is empty space around me. There is no sign of Alexis or her core.

Did she just trick me? I feel myself starting to panic a little bit at the thought.

"Boss, you ok?" Sarge's voice makes me relax a little bit. Wherever I am, at least I can still communicate with him.

I think so. Alexis was trying something and now I'm not sure where I am. I don't seem to be in any danger right now. If I can't find Alexis soon, I'll holler at you. If I do, then I need you to wake Thea up and let her know I'm ok." I can feel Sarge is a little worried still, but I know he trusts me.

"Ok, boss. Be safe and I'll be waiting." Sarge's presence fades from my mind as I focus on the landscape around me. It is just as barren on the second glance as it was on the first. I set my right heel solid on the ground and start to turn slowly.

I make almost a complete circle before I see something besides empty space. A soft pink glow is rising just at the edge of my view. I take note of it as I continue the rest of the rotation. After I finish the first, I start a second in the opposite direction. After two full turns, there is still just the one glowing spot that I can see.

"Well fuck, looks like I'm walking again." As I start to walk, I'm reminded of the ethereal plane I visited while in the dungeon. If someone added in an annoying gray fog that I can't see through, it would almost match. Even the air I'm breathing in smells almost similar to that place.

The only good thing is that I seem to be covering the distance pretty quickly. The glow is growing stronger and stronger with each step I take. After what feels like only a few minutes of walking, the glow is so bright I can barely see. Not seeing a better option, I keep walking, using my hands to shield my eyes.

"JIM! Fucking stop walking please!" Alexis's voice causes me to stop immediately. She sounds almost like she is in pain, or struggling with something.

"Alexis! Are you ok!?" She sounds close, but I can't see her because of the glow. At some point while I was walking, the glow started to surround me. When I look back the way I had walked from, all I can see is light.

"I-I-I'M FINEEEEEE! Oh fuck! Jim, Jim I need you to pull your mana into yourself. Pleeaaassseeeee!" As she finishes speaking, I pull all of my mana I can back. I didn't realize how much of my mana I've been letting run free. As I pull more and more of my mana in, the glow slowly fades.

"Oh God. Thank you, Jim. I don't know how much more of that I could handle." As the glow is fading, I try to blink away the spots in my vision.

"Where are you? Just talk to me, I can't see shit right now." I rub the palms of my hands into my eyes roughly to try and help clear them faster. I feel a light touch on my shoulder as I do, that makes me jump.

"Easy, easy. It's just me!" I feel a hand on my shoulder again and I try not to pull away on instinct.

"Just back up a second until I can see. I'm a little paranoid lately." Alexis let's go of my shoulder and I hear her step away. As I open my eyes again, most of the spots are gone now.

"You know if you calmed down, you wouldn't have that problem, right?" I start to turn towards Alexis as I speak.

"Oh yeah, and why is that?" I hear her laugh as I keep blinking my eyes to clear the last of the spots.

"That is a projection of your body, not your real one. Just focus and the last of the spots will disappear. The only reason you are seeing them at all is that you expect to see them." Tilting my head, I try and focus on Alexis. I'm surprised as the spots vanish instantly from my view.

"Huh." Alexis laughs again, and I get the feeling she is enjoying this moment a little too much.

I take a half second to get a better look at her while she is laughing. Wherever we are, she seems to have an actual body here. She is a rather petite woman here, barely above five foot by my guess. Her black hair is cut in a pixie bob that frames her face nicely. The almost almond shape of her brown eyes makes me think she is of Asian descent.

She is wearing a pair of form fitting blue jeans that hug her hips tightly. A green carhartt shirt is tucked into the top of her jeans. She eyes me carefully as I'm looking at her. For the second time since I was brought here, I'm regretting not wearing a shirt.

"Sorry, here." Alexis holds out her hands in front of her and a shirt materializes in her hands. The shirt feels good in my hands, and a quick glance tells me it's identical to the one I left in the room.

"Nice shirt, kinda looks familiar though." I nod to the shirt she is wearing that matches the one in my hands. Alexis blushes and starts to stammer out a reply. Her eyes never leave my chest.

"Ummm, I absorbed yours from when you were impaled in the dungeon. So I can replicate it easily. It's more comfortable than most of the clothes in this world so I wear one most of the time." As I pull the shirt over my head, she starts to shake her head slightly.

"Sorry, it's been a long time since I have been this close to a man. At least a human one." I tilt my head to the side as she speaks.

"Uhhhh, we have been traveling together for the last two days. What do you mean by this close to a man? I've literally been right beside you?" Alexis blushes and steps closer to me. Her hands grip my arm.

"But we weren't close like this. I can actually touch you here. Not just be carried around like a hunky of stone." She blushes again and backs away from me. "Sorry, I shouldn't have touched you like that. I just get handsy after…. Nevermind!"

"Handsy after what?" Alexis starts to blush harder at my question. She mumbles something I can't hear and then spins around.

"What?" I take a step closer and gently set my hand on her shoulder.

"After I cum." Her voice is so soft for a second, I think I'm hearing things.

"I'm sorry, what?" She spins around and pokes her finger in my chest.

"It was your fault, you know. All you had to do was let me pull you in. Instead, you start running to meet me and bring a shitload of your mana with you. Do you have any idea what a large influx of mana does to a dungeon core!?" I back up at Alexis's sudden outburst, raising my hands as I do.

"Ummm, I'm sorry." She glares at me for a second before letting out a huff.

"It's not your fault. No one besides a dungeon would know what happens, so I can't expect you to know." She waves her hand and the landscape changes around us. The empty space being replaced by warm wooden floors and a table with two chairs.

"Wow, what the hell was that!?" Alexis starts to chuckle at my surprised look.

"We are inside my core, Jim. I control everything inside of me. Or at least I do when I'm not going out of my mind from an overload of mana." She sits down in one of the chairs. When she waves her hand, the other pulls out for me. "Please sit."

"Alright, if you insist." As I take a seat, the chair slides into the table on it's own. "So what does a large influx of mana do to a dungeon core?" Alexis shakes her head at my question, then starts to laugh lightly.

"Well what's done is done. I guess I can tell you. It feels like my whole body is being passed against a motorcycle engine at once. Only a hundred times stronger and faster." She smiles at me as she sees the pieces of the puzzle click together in my head. She tilts a glass that appears in her hand at me. "Thanks for the orgasms by the way." I let out a groan as she takes a drink.

"Thea and Shiva are not going to like this." Alexis laughs out loud at my words. The sound of it seems to echo across the landscape. I clear my throat and do my best to think of a way to change the subject.

"So what was that glow I saw when I got here?" I try to keep my voice calm, but all I can think about is how I'm going to explain what happened to Thea and Shiva. I know I didn't know what was going on when it happened. Now that I do though, it feels like I did something wrong.

"I was drawing too much mana and I couldn't hold this form very well. The glow was my energy escaping from my body at an accelerated rate. It didn't help that the whole time someone was pouring so much energy into me that I couldn't stop cumming." She smiles as I drop my head onto the table.

"I can't tell if you are teasing me or thanking me." I start to gently bounce my forehead off the table. "Maybe I should just go back to Thea and Shiva now. If I'm really nice and explain right away, maybe they won't get too mad at me."

"You could always not tell them. I mean it's not like they really need to know. Do they?" I lift my head off the table to look Alexis in the eyes.

"You do realize that I'm building a life with those women, don't you?"

Huh, never thought I'd say that sentence. Course, I never saw myself building a life with someone either. Alexis nods her head slowly as my inner thoughts run away from me.

"If you are building a life with someone, you need to be honest with them. I'm not going to lie to them, not even a lie of omission. So I'll have to tell them." Alexis stares at me for a long moment before speaking.

"You have a real code of honor, don't you? Where were the guys like you back on earth? All the guys I ever ran across were a bunch of sumbitches." I can't help but laugh at her outburst.

"Haven't heard that term in a while, and odds are they were the same place I was. Working six or seven days a week and fucking up every relationship we ever got into." Alexis looks confused at my words.

"Let's not talk about that right now. You said that you wanted to discuss something?" Alexis nods her head as she waves her hand over the table. The top of the table shifts and I see lines of green light forming and coming together in the air.

"This is what I wanted to show you!" There suspended above the table made of lines of green light is a dungeon. It's bigger than the one she had before, or at least I think it is. The model seems to have part of the dungeon being above ground from what I can tell. The open top is my best indication of it not being underground. Below that is a massive labyrinth stretching what looks like a hundred floors or more. She is smiling as she flicks her wrist, making the model spin slowly.

"I want to build this, and I want you to help me do it!" All I can do is stare at the massive model in front of me. There are a hundred questions running through my mind, but I can't get any of them into words. After a second, I ask the only question I can form the words for.

"How?" Alexis smiles as she leans over the table.

"It's easy really." I really don't like the way she is smiling when she says that.