《Divinity Rescue Corps》


 52- R&R (Rest & Retelling)

    I knew, even before I got in the door of my home back in USA, that everything was working out perfectly. My father and my sister stood on the front porch of my house, or my old house at any rate. My new niece or nephew sat heavy in Sarah¡¯s stomach. Brayden looked significantly bigger than he had before. Two new cars sat in the driveway of the house. Newer, at least. Both looked like they were a couple years old and probably bought used.


    Neither of them had that ¡®your mom¡¯s dead¡¯ look written on their faces, which I have to say was a massive plus.


    Grinning, I trotted up the walk with hands outstretched, ready to scoop up Brayden. Unfortunately for me, he ducked behind Sarah¡¯s leg, eyes wide.


    ¡°Unk¡­ Ris?¡±


    ¡°Yeah buddy!¡± I told him. ¡°Uncle Chris!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Oh shut it.¡± I bent low and peered around. ¡°I brought you something cool, Braydon.¡±


    That brought him out. Soon enough I¡¯d presented him with a large, wrapped box.


    ¡°Toph?¡± Sarah half-said, half-asked. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    I gave her a cheerful wink. ¡°Uncle Chris has been out making that money. So my favorite and only nephew gets to be spoiled just this once.¡±


    ¡°Wooooow!¡± Brayden said, ripping the paper off. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mouth worked open and closed. Her expression went through several different important changes, but I couldn¡¯t catch them all. I was too busy reveling in Brayden¡¯s joy. He started trying to get the box open, but when he couldn¡¯t manage, his grandpa stepped in. Soon enough they had the present out of the box and the extra pieces added on. My dad¡¯s a DIY guy.


    ¡°It¡¯s a balance bike,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯m not buying him an X-Cube 720. I¡¯m not a monster, Sare.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ where¡ª¡±


    Brayden flung himself into my arms, beaming with joy and thanking me. I told him he was very welcome, and that he should try it out right now. Dad had headed to the garage to get the wrenches necessary to put the three parts together so he could zip around.


    That was done a handful of seconds later, and soon he was tootling back and forth over the sidewalk, then after my dad pulled the car out of the driveway, there too.


    ¡°Come on in,¡± my dad said, overcoming his own urge to say something about whatever he saw before him. ¡°Your mom¡¯s taking a rest. She just finished up her last round of treatments. I¡¯ll stick around here with my grandson.¡±


    The wonder and pride in his voice made this whole trip worth it.


    We went through the house, while Sarah continued casting disbelieving glances at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here,¡± I told her.


    She seemed on the verge of saying something several times, but clamped her mouth shut. Finally, she went, ¡°Where have you¡ª¡±


    But again, interrupted. ¡°Christopher?¡± The sleepy voice came from deeper in the house. ¡°Is that you, Christopher?¡±


    ¡°Ma?¡± I called.


    My mother looked virtually unchanged from when I¡¯d left: pale, scrawny, and bald from the chemo. Her clothes hung loose on her frame, but they hung loose on a woman who was standing under her own power. The former wasn¡¯t great, but the latter sure was.


    I gave her a huge hug. ¡°I missed you guys,¡± I whispered. Suddenly my chest felt hot and tight, and it was like something had clamped down on my throat, strangling the words into tears.


    She hugged me right back, and after several moments, Sarah¡¯s arms joined hers. It lasted a while, but not nearly long enough. Soon enough, she had me by the shoulders and pushed me out to arms¡¯ length. ¡°Christopher Fletcher, you explain yourself right this minute! Where the hell have you been?¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Sarah shrieked. ¡°Can I get on his ass about being gone for six friggin months now? Am I allowed now?¡±


    I laughed. ¡°All right, all right. Should we wait until Dad gets in with Brayden?¡±


    ***


    After six months the living room felt entirely alien to me, and in a disorienting way. Sure all these things were virtually unchanged and I recognized them, but I was a different person who had left them. I was seeing them with new eyes.


    ¡°I have to back up a bit, because none of this is easy to keep track of. I¡¯ve been on a lot of adventures, though they¡¯ve been pretty tame by the standards of most adventures people consider to be, uh, adventures.¡± There¡¯ve been near death experiences, but nothing like the movies.


    Thankfully.


    I didn¡¯t tell my family that. They don¡¯t need to know all that.


    ¡°There¡¯s a magical land through a portal,¡± I told them, and described it. Mountains that just shifted around however they liked. Lakes that turned into dragons made of water and went on vacation whenever they felt like it. Trees that didn¡¯t necessarily grow towards the sun, some with leaves that were nothing less than car-sized spheres of yellow green. Clouds that shimmered with various different colored light depending on how the sun fell on them. A castle that hovered in the air, which was both rightside up and upside down at the same time.


    My family shared a look that told me they might have to have me committed to a psych ward. What lay beneath that was a reluctance to contradict me. A serious amount of money had just flowed their way on my behalf, and they weren¡¯t inclined to stop me from being insane, in case the money spout shut off.


    When I mentioned Nakamamon the spell broke.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°These companion creatures. My friend Regina has one that¡¯s a fox with flowers sprouting up around its ears and multiple tails.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± as though she wasn¡¯t pleased this was the answer actually. ¡°Who¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°The welcome guy has a pterodactyl-like creature with sparkling scales. The Healer trainer has a flying manta ray, and this jerk I know has a storm ferret. Anyway, there are Nakamamon that are humanoid, some that are like puddles of slime, some that are just sentient crystals. Anything and everything you can imagine, there¡¯s a Nakamamon for it.¡±


    ¡°Is there a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater?¡± my mother asked.


    ¡°There are several different kinds of purple people eaters,¡± I said severely, then laughed at their expressions. ¡°No, almost none of them eat people. We¡¯re more of an invasive species. Anyway there¡¯s a wind serpent that my friend Tara has, and a glowing Tinkerbell fairy that my other friend Cinzy has.¡±


    ¡°Cindy?¡±


    ¡°Cinzy, short for Cinzia.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any friends that aren¡¯t girls?¡± Sarah asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust.


    Yeah. We definitely weren¡¯t going to go into how the girl who¡¯d brought me to the castle in the first place had seduced me and had sex with me up in a tree. Skipping right over that.


    ¡°Oh sure,¡± I said instead. ¡°There¡¯s Alan¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hoooooooold on,¡± my father said, holding out a hand. ¡°Too many names. You said you would tell us why you haven¡¯t been home in over six months.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, that.¡±


    Well, I told the story: about how I first went through the portal and met Regina with her flower fox called Tweedle Dee¡ªskipping the sex with Regina in the tree, and then the many instances of sex afterwards¡ªand then went through the orientation of meeting the good-natured Rus¡ª


    ¡°Too. Many. Names,¡± Dad grumped. ¡°Stick with what happened, and no quiz afterwards, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. There¡¯s orientation, I choose what job I want to have over there. The options are like Guardian, Ranger, Wizard, Thief, or Healer. There are more but they don¡¯t really matter.¡±


    ¡°And you went with¡­ what, Thief?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Healer,¡± my mother said quietly. ¡°You went to a magical land and you got magical healing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I said softly. Our eyes met, and an important current of energy ran between us.


    ¡°This is nonsense,¡± Sarah said, too loudly. She rolled her eyes when everybody warned her not to wake her toddler. ¡°What? I don¡¯t know why we have to listen to this BS. It¡¯s obviously not real. He¡¯s playing a video game, most likely. Or writing a book, like he always said he would. He left for six months, wrote a book¡ª¡±


    ¡°And somehow managed to grab onto a six-figure salary with excellent benefits,¡± Dad muttered.


    It was that sort of tone that both cut through the bullshit and also explained to you that you were being a moron, and while you were at it could you please stop being a moron? Sarah¡¯s mouth snapped shut. She had a car, a new house closer to Mom and Dad¡¯s, peace of mind for her current son and her unborn child, and she sure didn¡¯t have a job that changed everything in the blink of an eye. And bee-tee-dubs, he hadn¡¯t just gotten them new cars and put food on Braydon¡¯s table, he¡¯d also paid for a whole host of chemo treatments and specialists to come help deal with our ailing mother¡¯s situation.


    Dad¡¯s tone told her that her older brother had made all that happen, and maybe he was stark raving mad by now, but she was not going to antagonize him. In fact, she was going to listen to her stark-raving-mad-but-somehow-ultra-rich brother.


    ¡°Well keep going or whatever,¡± Sarah grumbled, with less acid than before I¡¯d left for half a year.


    All right, so after I¡¯d gone through basic training, there¡¯d been a situation with the God of Footfalls¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a small god for basically every natural phenomenon,¡± I told her. ¡°Some of them have names, some are just ¡®God of Sneezes¡¯ and that¡¯s that. This one got sick and needed to be healed, but the Healer trainer accidentally touched it while he was trying to calm it down.¡±


    Of course he did, that look said. And to be fair, saying the story out loud made it all sound pretty ridiculous.


    ¡°We woke up one morning and every time anyone took a step, a different sound came out. Yells and squishes and the phone ringing and all that. Nuclear explosions, laughter, all kinds of stuff.¡±


    ¡°We eventually surrounded the thing, treated it, and the weird sounds got less¡­ but I still needed to craft a cure. That ended up taking something like eighteen straight hours of work. It¡¯s basically potions class straight out of Frogwarts. If you do something wrong, you start the whole process over.¡±


    I skipped over the part where I had to go out looking for ingredients, and instead encountered the God of Lovers. This culminated in me having several hours of ravenous sex with a long-legged beauty, and grabbed me up the other job title I hadn¡¯t told them, and would never: Pleasure Seeker.


    ¡°That sounds difficult, especially for a new doctor,¡± my mother said.


    ¡°Not easy. And it¡¯s magically infused. I needed, uh, help to go through eight hours of potion crafting, so I had my friends keep my mind sharp.¡±


    What I didn¡¯t tell them was that the girl I¡¯d had sex with, Tara, kept my mind sharp by showing me progressively more and more arousing sights: her cleavage, belly button, and then more.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the other thing. Once I went to administer the cure to this god, it touched me and bestowed a blessing on me.¡±


    ¡°Of course it did.¡±


    The other gods I¡¯d encountered had done the same. The Goddess of the Meadow gifted me with the knowledge of every flower there was in that world. The Lovers made me into a sex machine.


    ¡°After that, the administration wanted to send me out away from the main HQ on a field mission. Apparently these sick gods weren¡¯t just around the castle, they were everywhere. This involved me interviewing for positions on my team of eleven people.¡±


    Dad was nodding along.


    ¡°I chose four Guardians, two Rangers,¡± (the ones I¡¯d had sex with so far), ¡°A Bard, a Wizard, a Rogue, and a Sorcerer. Some of these already had their companions, and some didn¡¯t. The most important part was that two of them were natives of that world. One was an ice ghost with a bunch of arms, the other one was a gigantic muscle mommy with orange skin and way too much hair.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± my mother said.


    ¡°Were they both girls too?¡± Sarah asked sarcastically.


    ¡°As a matter of fact, they were,¡± I told her, and received a hefty eye roll in return.


    Once I had my party, there was the small matter of traveling to the tiny town of Glumpdumpkin¡ª


    ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Sarah shrieked.


    ¡°Yeah you¡¯re going to love this. The two nearby towns are called Flunt-on-the-Rustle and Saxwhacket.¡± Snorts of laughter erupted from the audience. ¡°But we didn¡¯t even end up at any of those places. While we were trying to cross a magical lake, it took flight and carried us on our raft for a good twelve hours out of our way. Kind of a lake dragon.¡±


    Again, not mentioning the fact that the first girl I¡¯d slept with, and the second girl I¡¯d slept with conspired to sleep with me together in my tent on our journey. Or later, when a possibly-lesbian, possibly-bisexual girl snuck into my tent in the dead of night and had sex with me several nights later. As a test drive. To see if I was appropriate to share with her girlfriend.


    Come to think of it, a lot of this tale is not family-friendly. The parts that are end up being pretty short and not strung together well.


    ¡°A flying lake,¡± my mother said in wonder. Thank all the gods great and small for her bringing me screeching back into the story. It would not do to get aroused in front of one¡¯s family.


    At least I was wearing pants.


    ¡°Yeah, and all the wild creatures that were inside it were also flown up in the water. It was insane. Anyway, after it landed, we traveled to the nearest town, which was called Slinktrickle.¡±


    ¡°Of course it was,¡± Dad said. He had scooted up to the edge of his seat. I explained how the buildings were all on stilts, with huge platforms surrounding them. Some of those platforms just glommed together, while others had been connected by various types of bridges, from rope to fully constructed wooden walkways. This would be important when things got heated.


    ¡°You know how I mentioned that the gods of everything are all messed up?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, apparently there was a god of wearing clothes.¡±


    I stopped and let that one sink in. The bombshell struck a moment later, with mom¡¯s nonexistent eyebrows shooting up, and Sarah throwing her hands in the air.


    ¡°Do we have to listen to this?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You can return the down payment on the ranch you just bought,¡± my father said, with quiet venom.


    ¡°Ugh, fine!¡± she turned to me. ¡°Please for the love of Pete don¡¯t tell me you walked around for the next several days naked.¡±


    ¡°Try several weeks,¡± I said.


    ¡°Ewww!¡±


    ¡°But it wasn¡¯t just me, it was everybody.¡± The four female Guardians, both Rangers (well, Tara had gone back to HQ to get a medicine that would hopefully keep us from transforming into natives), our female Bard who was absolutely smoking hot, and us five guys.


    ¡°Ewww! Super eww! Skip past this part.¡±


    The natives of Slinktrickle, strange white and green humanoids with fish tails, had a problem with their eggs being sick. Those eggs all had brown, sticky, soft spots on them that needed healing, and I was the person to do it. So I cracked my knuckles and clenched my butt cheeks, and got to work. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°And they were also due to hatch in the next few days, so I had to get them healed up as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± my mother asked, fully invested.


    ¡°It turned out to be a mental and emotional affliction. The treatment was positivity, amazingly enough. The eggs responded to positive vibes.¡± More to the point, they responded to the sounds of me having sex with one of their natives, an assistant named Vellenia. Add that to the ¡®do not mention¡¯ pile. ¡°I suggested cheerful conversation, dancing, and singing, but the natives were falling into despair. We had to hurry. After a disastrous announcement with the townsfolk, we had to retreat back to the hatchery, the Guardians had to guard the bridges between the hatchery platform and the nearby others. Some bridges ended up being destroyed.


    ¡°So while I was busy making a cure in the hatchery with one other, the rest of the team tore up bridges, kept the townspeople from crossing, and slowly backed up further and further until we were almost completely encircled.¡±


    The cure was like essence of positivity. It glowed and sang with a heavenly chorus, and you couldn¡¯t help but feel better just looking at it, smelling, it or hearing the distant voices. The only problem was, it needed to be misted overtop the eggs, not drizzled or dunked.


    ¡°The only thing we had on us was our mouths. So Cinzia and I got mouthfuls of this cure and sprayed them into the air like we were doing a zillion raspberries.¡±


    ¡°I love it,¡± my mother whispered.


    ¡°Outside they¡¯d almost gotten to the point of battling. The Guardian in charge had come in and told me we were evacuating to a safe spot, but I refused. We misted the eggs, misted ourselves, and misted the natives when they burst into the hatchery.¡±


    ¡°You mean spit all over them,¡± Sarah said, making a face. She really was the personification of that green disgust girl from that Disney movie.


    ¡°Yep. I spit all over them, and afterwards they threw us a party for saving their eggs.¡±


    ¡°But not dealing with the pants god,¡± my dad said.


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ no.¡±


    ¡°It was just you flopping around all together, dancing around some bonfire above a marsh with a bunch of naked savages.¡±


    ¡°And my team members,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget them.¡± It had actually turned into an orgy, but that went into the large list of things I didn¡¯t retell.


    ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re not allowed to say member when you¡¯re telling this story,¡± she replied.


    My father, bless his heart, laughed for what seemed like the first time I could remember.


    ¡°And this is what took you six months to do?¡± Sarah demanded. Her hands smoothed over her bulging tummy, full of child.


    I laughed. ¡°Oh no, that was basically just the first six weeks. I was supposed to have a couple of weeks off after the first two months working as a Healer, but things didn¡¯t work out like that.¡±


    This is Christopher about to spill the whole can of beans.

 53- Naked Coworkers

    In the immediate aftermath of the situation in Slinktrickle, a decision had to be made: should we abandon the town and try to head back to our original intended location of Glumpdumpkin, or should we continue to aid the Slinktrickle-ians in their wardrobe malfunction situation?


    Because one thing was clear: we were doing work we hadn¡¯t been asked to do. Presumably the people of Glumpdumpkin, a word I will never tire of writing, needed us. The people of Slinktrickle, another word I will have difficulty growing tired of, could function well enough even with the god of clothing sick or absent.


    I didn¡¯t love the idea of leaving a god under the influence of whatever ailment had taken them. On the other hand, these people didn¡¯t seem to need clothing to live.


    ¡°We¡¯re having this meeting to discuss the pros and cons of staying, versus trying to get back on track,¡± I said, before adding,¡°among other points of order.¡±


    The room wasn¡¯t a large one, and we were all fully nude. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. The Marshins of this village had built their domiciles well, but they were small and cozy, and we were ten people.


    Drat sat on the dresser, while all four of the human girls sat cross-legged on the bed, with Chrysta hovering next to Larelle, towering in the corner with arms crossed, like a statue to ward off evil. The table had been taken by Trent and Alan, who used the meager cover to not have their junk on full display.


    I was, and this fact boggled my mind, getting used to letting it all hang out. Leaning against the door as I was, the cover I¡¯d been afforded came from Tweedle Dee, the vulpetunia Nakamamon sitting rigid before me. Sure everybody who wanted to could just lean to one side and stare at my twig and berries, but I was getting over the openness. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°We ought to wait until Tara returns,¡± Cinzy said. A lot of nodding and ¡®hear hear¡¯ erupted around the room.


    ¡°She could return as early as tonight,¡± I said. ¡°If we start the situation with this god, it could end up being days or longer before it¡¯s resolved to anyone¡¯s satisfaction. We¡¯re cool being naked in Slinktrickle until that happens?¡±


    ¡°The weather¡¯s been getting colder,¡± Regina said. ¡°I¡¯ve been here long enough to know that the seasons aren¡¯t what we know back on earth. You could have a week-long fall, a two-week winter, and then a couple of weeks of spring. Or fall could go on for a month.¡±


    ¡°Alan or Trent, do you have any way of predicting that kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Trent said. ¡°I do have a note here from Alan that I¡¯m supposed to read.¡±


    ¡°S-s-s-s-s-sorry,¡± Alan muttered.


    Everybody reassured him his stutter wasn¡¯t a problem, he had nothing to worry about, and he was a great Wizard, regardless of his stutter. The attention caused him to blush furiously, and he scratched the back of his neck.


    ¡°Read away,¡± Drat said, in his customary wry Drat manner.


    Trent read, ¡°I¡¯ve leveled up enough that I can cast the spell to contact the HQ. That¡¯s something I can do daily, so we should prepare reports.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome news! Congratulations, Alan,¡± Cinzy bubbled, and Alan went tomato red, having the supermodel gorgeous Cinzy not only pay him attention, not only talk to him directly, but actually him. I wouldn¡¯t doubt steam would¡¯ve boiled out of his ears if it could¡¯ve.


    ¡°We should probably ask whether we should stick around Slinktrickle or move on,¡± Drat said.


    ¡°This is Fletcher¡¯s expedition,¡± Chrysta said. The ghostly Nakamamon rarely ever spoke, but when she did, it was like you could feel the chill of winter creeping up your spine. ¡°He will make the ultimate decision regarding our course of action.¡±


    Several of us humans shivered.


    ¡°I meant,¡± Drat said, ¡°that we should ask HQ for information on Glum¡­ on our original destination in case the situation there is quite serious.¡±


    ¡°More information is better,¡± Trent added.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll definitely do that, and I¡¯ll decide based on that info, and your recommendations. Not that it¡¯s a democracy right now, but I¡¯ll take a show of hands for stay and help out.¡±


    I was curious at who would choose to stay in the naked village. All three of my fellow males raised their hands right away.


    ***


    ¡°Yeah, no duh,¡± Sarah said, still rubbing her very pregnant belly. ¡°Of course they chose to stay where they could stare at their naked coworkers all day long.¡±


    ¡°And the naked villagers,¡± my mother said, smirking at the idea. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the hundreds of nude fish people.¡±


    ***


    The actual reason my family didn¡¯t know that made the decision obvious; all three of the boys had just gotten laid at the big celebration the night before. Perhaps they¡¯d guessed. I had too, and with a good dozen of the native Marshins.


    Marshins¡­ yet another word I¡¯m definitely not going to get tired of writing down.


    Of the ladies, Chrysta raised her hands, several of them. I had too stop myself from snorting a laugh at the idea that the many-armed Chrysta deserved multiple votes. After frowning, Larelle slowly raised her thickly muscled hand.


    None of the girls on the bed raised their hands. That also made sense, if I figured everything was about me. If they didn¡¯t want the Marshins to have their females come onto me, it made sense that Regina, Isabelle, Ivy and Cinzy might not want to stick around Slinktrickle.


    ¡°It¡¯s five to four in favor of staying,¡± I announced, for no good reason, ¡°unless any of the girls who didn¡¯t raise their hands have another course of action in mind.¡±


    They did not.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take this under consideration, but for right now, I¡¯m thinking we¡¯ll hunt down the malfunctioning god, and get it set right. Without a strong recommend from HQ, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do. Drat and Regina, I¡¯ll need to speak with you, but the rest of us have jobs to do.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Trent asked.


    ¡°Priority one is reinforcing the redoubt. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have a repeat of what just happened, but I¡¯d like that option if some god of psychopathic fury pops up and turns everyone into berserkers. Afterwards, I¡¯d like for you to join a pair of Guardians,¡± I said, ¡°or pair up with Cinzy on the god hunt. You are all strictly forbidden from going anywhere near it. If I¡¯m not there, you¡¯re dead if you touch it. Please do not.¡±


    Trent gulped but nodded, while I goggled at myself and what I¡¯d just said. The charisma I¡¯d just displayed is not something I¡¯m used to. Immediately on the end of this thought is the next one: I hope I didn¡¯t piss anyone off.


    But then, peering around at all the acceptance on the faces of my teammates, or rather subordinates, it¡¯s clear that this warning needed to be given. I hold up my hand, where the shape of a flower is somehow inscribed deep inside my flesh, and it can only be seen under a certain light. ¡°I¡¯m serious. It nearly killed me on my first day because I didn¡¯t know what I was doing. Almost everyone here has more experience in this world than I do¡­ but we need reminders.¡±


    More nods, along with a light in Regina¡¯s eyes I take to be admiration¡­ or horniness. She is an awfully horny Ranger.


    ¡°The second order of business that I was hoping to do is getting a read on everyone¡¯s stats and special abilities. I¡¯d prefer for all of us to know everyone else¡¯s capabilities, in order for us to coordinate on tactics and defense strategies if things go sideways.¡± We were a group bent on surviving and helping to heal what made the people of this world sick. The people of this world had largely no idea what violence was in the first place, so there was no reason to hold cards close to our chests. We should never have been at odds in the first place.


    Drat¡¯s feet slapped against the floor. ¡°Uh, no thank you?¡± He went to stride out, but I called after him.


    ¡°I have an ability called Healer¡¯s Resistance, so if you ever end up poisoned or under the influence of a status effect, especially if you¡¯ve touched a god, I can make it so the affliction is easier to resist and leaves quicker.¡±


    Drat paused on his way to shut the door. He turned, pursing his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    I¡¯d hoped that this would convince him that sharing was caring and he needed to grow a pair and trust us, but apparently not. He left without another word.


    , Larelle said, directly into my mind.


    I shrugged this off. The moment I stopped being a good and friendly part of the team and brought down my iron fist, I¡¯d start getting back shoddy work. They¡¯d cooperate only as much as they had to in order to satisfy the orders. Right now, Drat was searching for the cause of the egg sickness, and he was convinced it had something to do with an incredible surge of anger, but the townsfolk Nakamamon hadn¡¯t wanted to talk about it.


    If I forced him to play nice, I doubted he¡¯d be doing this job so willingly.


    ¡°Rogues,¡± Ivy muttered. ¡°I¡¯m sure you had a reason to bring one along, but I tell ya, they¡¯re all like that. Every single sneaky one of them.¡±


    I nodded. With that done, I went through my list of special abilities, including the new one.


    The non-sex abilities, of course. I wasn¡¯t about to tell them all I could get a deep view of their kinks and deepest desires by touching them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got an ability that doubles my Token expenditure for class-related tasks,¡± I said. It was something I thought everyone had, but I¡¯d been wrong. ¡°After that, I can spend Durability to resist the need for sleep. This I¡¯ll be using when I craft the next cure. The one I told Drat about is called Healer¡¯s Resistance. High resistance to all damage types, and reduces durations of long term damage. I can pass it on by spending a Token. Then there¡¯s Healer¡¯s Breath.¡±


    Ivy sat up straight.


    ¡°I just got this one after administering the cure, and you¡¯re going to like it.¡± Maybe they wouldn¡¯t. After all, I basically had to kiss them to make it work.


    This one was big. First, it didn¡¯t require a Token to be spent, which was good. Right now I didn¡¯t have any left. Second, it didn¡¯t require me to collect, prepare, and mix ingredients into a salve, unguent, potion, or anything else. The treatments didn¡¯t take forever to make, but this was much faster.


    ¡°Nice,¡± Cinzy said.


    Also, Ivy had gained this ability after we¡¯d had sex just two days ago.


    Last, I added in a dash of my highest attributes as well, though they were all fairly even.


    Attributes:


    The new class was ramping up my Likability and Durability, while Healer mainly gave me Ingenuity. The result was a pretty even spread.


    Next to each statistic was how many tokens I had remaining¡­ not many. I¡¯d spent them all on the latest cure, and resisting an ability Cinzy used to get me to abandon the cure.


    We went over the abilities of the Guardians first. All of them had Stalwart, which allowed them to resist being influenced by social rolls and psychic powers. Several had Fierce, the opposite version, which gave them incredible skill bonuses for intimidating others. An ashhole named Blake used this on me when I first arrived at the HQ. Christa and Isabelle also had Quick, which made them extremely fast for a short time. Larelle and Ivy had Sturdy, a buff that gave them a bunch of bonus HP and strength for a short time. All four of them had Interpose, the power Isabelle had used to generate a magical blue tower shield once upon a time. It was largely what they¡¯d used to keep the Marshins from dealing them violence.


    ¡°We¡¯re given the choice of offense or defense,¡± Isabelle explained, ¡°but the HQ people strictly regulate the choice of abilities to the defensive. Anyone who manifests a flaming sword or a purple magic staff is out of the program.¡±


    Larelle¡¯s magmamander did basically nothing, though it could be coaxed into starting the cook fire each night, or be the cook fire¡­ it looked a lot like one of those huge Japanese river salamanders, except it was patterned with black and red.


    I liked that all the names of the Guardian abilities had short, simple names that made sense. It certainly wasn¡¯t that way with Cinzy and her Bard abilities.


    She had Viltrayeen¡¯s Patented Entrancing Vocalization, a very fancy way of saying she could be extra persuasive. While Fierce worked very well on a single target, Cinzy¡¯s special ability worked pretty well against anyone who could hear her voice. Atateeren¡¯s Superb Ventriloquism was what she used to put her voice wherever she wanted it, and was the most basic thing she¡¯d received at level 1. After that she had Courage Of The Allies Supremely Bolstered and Energizing and Refreshing Rhythms From The Soul.


    All of these were a mouthful, and roughly what I¡¯d expected: she used her voice or music, and her presence to buff allies or debuff enemies. The last one could provide a stamina or mana recovery rate boost, and she claimed to have just received it from a recent level up.


    The contrast, just in the names between Guardian and Bard special abilities, was delightful to me. I had a good laugh over it. You could¡¯ve just as easily called them Entrance, Ventriloquism, Bolster Morale and Stamina/Mana Boost, but Bards didn¡¯t work like that, apparently.


    Regina had powers to enhance her senses, which was a revelation to me. No wonder she¡¯d been able to find me so easily in the anti-gravity HQ castle. She also had powers to travel more easily, faster, and more stealthily.


    ¡°I can speak with animals,¡± she said.


    ¡°Pffff,¡± Ivy said. ¡°Anybody can speak with animals. You just use baby talk and pet them.¡± She scratched at Muppin¡¯s gigantic stone crown extending off the back of his gigantic head. ¡°Iddn¡¯t that right you widdle cutie patootie? Who¡¯s the best widdle pack mule? That¡¯s right, you are!¡±


    Muppin leaned into scratches, as he always did, his rocky eyelids grinding closed and a placid smile appearing on his face.


    Regina folded her arms and cocked out a hip. ¡°They talk back.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm,¡± Ivy replied, and tipped her an exaggerated wink.


    After that, she had several arrow shooting abilities, which she didn¡¯t typically use. These included an arrow that could split into many, an arrow that was guided directly to its target, and an arrow that exploded on impact.


    ¡°We could use the exploding arrow as a signal flare though,¡± Ivy suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Trent said.


    We¡¯d seen Trent at work a lot already. Trent had the ability to sense through rock, and he had a lot more mana for rock manipulation and shaping than Alan did. Alan could do everything but just a little. Trent could do one thing, and a whole lot. We¡¯d seen him create tunnels, float rocks, shift the earth to push our huge and heavy raft into the lake, and create an entire igloo out of stone in mere minutes.


    Garnet, his crystalline football of a Nakamamon, apparently boosted his mana for earth manipulation even further. Perhaps the most unknown power Garnet had was rapid movement through any kind of earth and stone, and its ability to communicate with Trent over a distance. That made the orange gemstone creature a potentially powerful scout.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need that ability, I think,¡± I said.


    It wouldn¡¯t be long.


    As for Alan, his abilities ran the gamut. They were essentially limitless in scope, on the condition that Alan could perform the complicated spell. He could teleport himself a short distance, if he ever got the spell to work. He¡¯d already cooled things down, given them water breathing capabilities, and he claimed that now he could make gravity half as effective for a short time. They were calling it feather fall, but once he demonstrated, we called it moonwalk.


    ¡°We could¡¯ve jumped off the cliff with this,¡± Cinzy said, as we all leapt high in the air and bounced around like we were astronauts. Only Chrysta didn¡¯t need it, since she floated a few feet off the ground.


    It was discovered, however, that she could float much higher off the ground when Moonwalk was used on her. She seemed to find this disconcerting at first, but she got used to it like the rest of us.


    Alan¡¯s other abilities were only limited by our imaginations. He manifested a ball of light that floated around his head. He made a message on a piece of paper vanish, until one of us touched it and spoke a magic word. Disappearing, reappearing ink. He had a spell for comprehending different languages, a spell to make a disc that floated three feet in the air, a spell to coat the area in sticky stuff, a spell to coat the area in slippery stuff, a spell to coat the area in flammable stuff.


    This is Christopher being seriously impressed.

 57- I鈥檓 So Close!

    In the immediate, I got a new Achievement.


    The reward of an extra Free Token was an incredible gift. Having a cache of Tokens I could spend at any time on any action was a huge boon none of the others shared, so far as I knew. Tara had confessed to only having 1 Free Token. Of course, it took a near death experience for me to get the reward¡­


    It was important for me to go over my gains after the¡ªahem¡ªparty that saw me having sex with something like a dozen female Marshins, followed by Regina. I would have been sore and had difficulty walking for maybe a full day after so much repetitive boning, but this was a magic world and my body was enhanced by my levels.


    To my family, I simply told them there¡¯d been a celebration of our curing the eggs, and I gained levels. It wasn¡¯t a lie, exactly, just an omission of events no one wants to explain to their mother. How many people have ever discussed orgies with their parents? I¡¯m going to go with practically zero, throughout the entire history of people.


    And speaking of which¡­ not that I would ever tell my family, but I¡¯d just leveled up three times in my second class, Pleasure Seeker.


    I was still 11 levels away from ranking up from Initiate to whatever came next. It would be Apprentice in Healer, but I didn¡¯t know about Pleasure Seeker. Maybe Sexpert.


    I chuckled.


    The trainers back at HQ, Rus, Abbie and Rainer, had all explained things changed at level 25, and changed again after level 100. I was trying not to get too ahead of myself, but when you leveled up three times after one wild sex party, you start to look forward.


    I also knew that, after level 12, I could officially bond a Nakamamon. This caused a surge of excitement to well up within me. Yes!


    What would I pick? Something fiery, so I could work on my cures without needing to borrow Lanelle¡¯s Magmamander? Something that could fly like Tara¡¯s Slitherwind so I could travel quickly to the places I was needed? Something adorable and cuddly like Tweedle Dee? Something with healing powers, the way Cinzy¡¯s fairy matched and enhanced her Bard powers? Or the way Drat¡¯s companion helped him stay even stealthier than he otherwise would be able to? The way Trent¡¯s gem thing helped him scout beneath the earth and extended his earth magic capabilities? Something completely different, like the gigantic pack beast Muppin? The possibilities were literally endless.


    I had to shelve it for now and concentrate on how I would progress.


    Each level up brought with it specific bonuses, like in the most popular tabletop RPG in history. Sometimes I got to spend them how I liked, and other times I was just assigned a specific ability.


    Level 12: +2 skill points


    Level 13: +1 Durability


    Level 14: Ability Upgrade: Blissense


    Just like that, I¡¯d blown past my Healer level. In one sense it was gratifying, because getting upgrades after having sex was absolutely incredible. In another way it was a little disappointing that I was doing more philandering than healing. But I wasn¡¯t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. I would saddle that baby up and ride it, because I was becoming an expert at riding.


    I could be down with upgraded Blissense.


    Okay¡­ I was initially disappointed with this. The first one had only really been usable in two instances. It was great if I wanted to get a deeper look into the mind of a partner I already had, like Regina. I could therefore understand that she was open to basically any and everything, didn¡¯t want to have a long-term exclusive relationship with me, and was only really looking to shack up in order to have her world rocked from time to time. She didn¡¯t want to marry, not at the age she was, but she did want to explore and have a lot of orgasms.


    The second tier ability seemed, on the surface, like an invasion of privacy. I couldn¡¯t see using it¡­ until I considered the note afterwards. This actually could be a really useful ability. I hoped I wouldn¡¯t need it.


    The other bonuses I¡¯d gotten were great. I wanted more skill points, because everyone wants more skill points all the time forever. I had been pretty liberal in spending them on the Qualities from my new class, because they transformed my body into sex god status.  I didn¡¯t regret this, but I always wished there were more skill points to be had.


    Unfortunately I just wasn¡¯t going to get the skill points flowing in like candy, like I wanted. Well, you can¡¯t always get what you want. Another life lesson my father had given me that proved out time and again.


    Now, I had also leveled up as a Healer, by producing and then administering the cure to the ailing Marshin eggs. Those little cuties were going to hatch today or tomorrow, and I swelled with pride knowing I¡¯d done my best to get them healed up, and fast.


    Christopher Fletcher


    Healer - Trainee 12


    Pleasure Seeker - Novice 14


    Attributes:


    Unspent attributes points: 0


    Healer Skills:


    Diagnosis (physical 3, spiritual 3, magical 3, mental 3)


    Treatment (potions 3, salves 3, tinctures 3, elixirs 3, unguents 3)


    Develop cure (swarm 3)


    Develop cure (small 3)


    Develop cure (unique 7)


    Administer Cure 8


    Pleasure Seeker Qualities:


    Girth 1


    Load 1


    Stave Off 2


    Length 1


    Other Skills:


    Identify 2


    Hiking 2


    Cooking 1


    Persuasion 1


    All other skills unranked


    Unspent skill points: 6


    Special Abilities:


    Hard At Work II (Uncommon, Passive)


    Wild Lore II (Uncommon, Active)


    Eagle Eyed II


    Healer Special Abilities:


    Healer¡¯s Endurance (Common, Active)


    Healer¡¯s Resistance (Uncommon, Active)


    Healer¡¯s Breath (Uncommon, Active)


    Pleasure Seeker Special Abilities:


    Blissense II (Rare, Active)


    Post Sharing Clarity (Rare, Passive)


    Divine Gifts:


    Floral Knowledge (Rare, Passive)


    Pleasure¡¯s Bounty (Legendary, active)


    Entwined Ecstasy (Legendary, active)


    ¡°Back to the pants,¡± I told my family in the real world.


    They were, obviously, a part of the god we were hunting. Or the god¡¯s pants anyway. I didn¡¯t know if the god had melted there and left the pants behind, or it had shrugged off all its clothing and this was one of several pieces. As I stared at them, one thing was clear: they were divine, and if anyone touched them, they¡¯d die a rather quick and painful death.


    Not good.


    I¡¯d have to run a diagnosis. Without any Tokens to speak of.


    Actually¡­


    I understood that Tokens came back with time and meditation. I was terrible at it. But there were other ways¡­


    ***


    When I returned to the village on the boat with my new bonded Nakamamon, I realized some important conversations needed to take place.


    ¡°Vellenia,¡± I said cautiously. This time it was my turn to pole the boat. She sat directly beside me and clutched onto my leg, sliding her hand up and down the inside of my thigh.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°You do know that I have, eh, mated with some other women, right? In the ongoing sense.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ does that bother you?¡±


    ¡°Why would it? You will need human companions to mate with, since we aren¡¯t compatible.¡±


    That¡­ was a surprisingly pragmatic take on things. And good information to have, us not being able to produce offspring. I was so glad thus far to be surrounded by women who weren¡¯t jealous monsters. Hopefully they wouldn¡¯t be jealous of monsters, or more specifically the monster I¡¯d just bonded. I certainly was glad they chose me over Alan, Drat or Trent, or just existing and being single. In the same way, I was really lucky they didn¡¯t quarrel over possession of me. This was no different.


    Tweedle Dee was sitting curled up in a ball on Regina¡¯s bed, shivering and beginning to look faded out. He was surrounded by the team, peering hopefuly at him, and then at me. Another dose of Healer¡¯s Breath got him looking better again, and Regina cooed and stroked him the moment he opened his eyes.


    ¡°This is Vellenia,¡± I told them, ¡°in case you hadn¡¯t met her before. She is not my bonded Nakamamon!¡±


    A lot of staring happened then, though Chrysta and Larelle, Alan and Trent were quick to offer congratulations. Regina, Cinzy, Ivy and Isabelle also did, after a period of awkward staring with mouths hanging open. Fairy Poppins, in a move surprising everyone, flitted up off Cinzy¡¯s shoulder and zipped out the door.


    ¡°We discovered a pair of pantaloons,¡± I said, and soon led them outside to where the pants had joined the tunic. I gestured grandly.


    The pants had the same golden glow coming off them, though the tunic was summer green beneath, and the pants more of a rusty tree trunk hue.


    They were definitely divine and a hundred percent off limits to everyone except myself. They were to be guarded at all times, and Cinzy was soon off with Vellenia to let the natives know these were here, and not to touch them. Regina declined to stay in bed with Tweedle Dee, and instead chose to range out around the village, where Trent would help her by looking inside the earth if necessary. Together, they would search for any other items of clothing that glowed, and were surrounded by the glowing goop of what was likely a liquefied god.


    I put Chrysta on guard duty first, took Larelle aside, and let her know that I would need for security. Luckily for us, none of the clothes were moving. Both garments just lay there, glowing with energy. Larelle assured me she would make it so, and left Ivy and Isabelle to me.


    ¡°We have a problem,¡± I told them. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to make meditation work to get Tokens.¡±


    They nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m close to level 15 in my class.¡±


    More nodding.


    ¡°Are you interested in helping me get to level 15 in my class? Obviously there¡¯s a chance whatever ability you got from me will level up, which helps all of us.¡±


    This part was the cutest. Isabelle blinked and said, ¡°But we¡¯re not hurt¡­ how can you heal us to get to level 15 if we¡¯re not injured?¡±


    Ivy snorted.


    ***


    This was how, ten minutes later, I was nestled in between two beautiful women, one of whom was definitely bisexual and the other one on the fence about being a lesbian.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I muttered to the two of them.


    Ivy¡¯s body crawled with slowly moving tattoos that hadn¡¯t been on her body when I first met her. Only her face and hands were still uncovered. The rest had slowly swimming fish, skulls breathing fire through their mouths and eye sockets, snakes and spiders and Dr. Seuss characters gallivanting around her body. Isabelle, by now, was almost completely swirled with pink and sky blue, with that now-familiar silver filigree having sprouted tiny flowers and leaves. Most of the silvery bits of her skin swirled into spirals or curled around her limbs. It all made for a surreal situation.


    Ivy snorted laughter. ¡°We haven¡¯t even done anything yet.¡±


    ¡°Except agree to fulfill every straight guy¡¯s fantasy,¡± I retorted.


    ¡°That is fair,¡± Isabelle admitted with a giggle. She was far less squirmy against my side than Ivy.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to thank us until you¡¯ve reached your next level,¡± Ivy said, sliding one toned thigh up and down my leg. Her hand drifted down and cupped my junk.


    ¡°May I ask you a question, Izzy?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You just did, you lunk,¡± Ivy responded. She got up overtop me and slid her whole body over mind, nestling the junction of her thighs just below my hip, and dipping one nipple into my mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Isabelle said.


    In between licks, I asked, ¡°Is it okay for a lesbian to have sex with a guy?¡±


    Her cheeks reddened. ¡°I just¡ª there¡¯s a¡ª Ivy said¡ª I mean, you have to unders¡ª¡±


    ¡°I got this,¡± Ivy said, giving me her other nipple to suck on. ¡°There are plenty of straight girls who go through experimental phases, just like there are totally straight guys who end up giving a blowjob or having a finger up their butts¡­ or going all the way. Then they decide it¡¯s not for them. Just like there are lesbians who never got with a guy and decide maybe they want to, or gay guys who get talked into trying it out with a girl. All these things happen¡­ maybe sometimes they change who you are on a fundamental level, but a lot of times they don¡¯t.¡±


    Isabelle wasn¡¯t reacting well to my question, and I realized belatedly it had been a terrible time to probe really sensitive area.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I told her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°Change positions,¡± Ivy declared, and slid over Isabelle. On the bed, I was no longer the cream filling of this sandwich cookie, Izzy was. She turned to face Ivy, and the two began making out. Hands clutched every body part, until Ivy¡¯s hand reached behind her and pulled me up to where I was spooning her girlfriend.


    From here, I was able to caress and fondle Isabelle while the two of them kissed like lovers. Still feeling like a bit of a dolt, I tried to get back into the groove with butt squeezes, breast caresses, neck licks and kisses, and then getting my hand down between Izzy¡¯s legs.


    Ivy had beat me to it.


    She did, however, grab my hand and press it against Izzy¡¯s slit, before reaching further and grasping onto my shaft. A couple of quick strokes was all it took to get me fully hard again.


    Rubbing the whole deal like Regina had shown me, I soon had Isabelle moaning and humping back into me, and forward into Ivy.


    ¡°Now,¡± Ivy breathed, ¡°you¡¯re gonna get this big cock inside you. And I¡¯m gonna lick your clit the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh,¡± Isabelle moaned. ¡°Ohhhh fudge.¡±


    I had one finger inside Isabelle when Ivy¡¯s finger joined mine. ¡°There¡¯s a spot on the inside, at the front¡­ right here.¡±


    Isabelle nearly head butted me when her whole body convulsed in ecstasy. She let out a loud moan of appreciation.


    I copied Ivy¡¯s motion and got a similar result, while the tattooed Guardian slid down her girlfriend¡¯s body and began to run her tongue over my hand and between Izzy¡¯s legs. Isabelle could only pant and groan now, head thrown back against my shoulder. Her ass humped against my midsection in a way that drove me crazy. I wanted nothing more than to get all the way up inside her, right now.


    An instinct made me stop that impulse and keep pressing against the g-spot, driving Isabelle wild with pleasure. Ivy¡¯s rhythmic tongue work certainly did the job too. In minutes, Isabelle¡¯s body writhed in climax.


    Moments later I felt Ivy grip me again, and guide my cock into her girlfriend. The way was tight, but she was plenty lubricated from all the foreplay.


    ¡°Oh¡­ oh my gods,¡± she muttered, and humped back into me.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, babe,¡± Ivy said, sliding up the bed and kissing Isabelle yet again. Fingers once again danced over the place where we had joined, first pressing against Isabelle from the outside and tightening even more against my cock, and then drifting down to lightly rake nails over my balls.


    In time, Isabelle would have a second orgasm, and Ivy would pull me free of her in order to get all her juices by sucking my cock deep into her mouth. She was in the middle of telling Isabelle how good she tasted while she mounted me and had half my length inside her. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Oooh,¡± she moaned. ¡°I needed this.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t disagree with that. It seemed like ever since I¡¯d started down this path with Regina, my cock had been drawing me back toward sex over and over. Any day I didn¡¯t have it was a bad day. Any day I did have it was acceptable, and any day I had it more than once was perfection.


    Ivy rode up and down, and I watched in fascination while the tattoos writhed over her body and my shaft appeared and disappeared into her. The flex and relax motion of her thighs and the six pack abs was hypnotic.


    We ended up having sex for several hours. Ivy beckoned Izzy to join her, and the two continued kissing while Ivy got her fill. Switching positions allowed me to pound Ivy from behind while she nestled in between Isabelle¡¯s legs and ate her out. Isabelle still seemed unsettled, and wouldn¡¯t make eye contact with me, but it wasn¡¯t an issue. She still spread her legs for me and accepted me inside her while Ivy rode her face. Having sex with a girl while her girlfriend slowly ground her pussy into her face was something I never thought I would personally witness.


    I ended up blasting off all up Ivy¡¯s stomach and boobs a good half hour later, with Isabelle laying dazed.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot,¡± she marveled.


    I just grinned down at her. ¡°Thanks.¡± Part of me wanted to watch her lick and swallow it. Whether Ivy could read my mind or not was up for debate, but she grabbed onto my ass and slid down so she could get the head in her mouth, and suck the lat drops off of it.


    Her eyes widened in surprise.


    This is Christopher wondering for the very first time what his jizz tastes like.

 59- Angels From Heaven, Made of Jelly

    Well that cooked it; we were dealing with an entity that was both magically and spiritually sick. I still couldn¡¯t ¡®pass the check¡¯ and get information out of the UI until I¡¯d done the other spiritual diagnostics, but that much was clear: it was a dual type. Just like Vellenia was a water and fairy aspect.


    I ran the mental diagnostic test just to be sure we didn¡¯t have some sort of weird trifecta of ailments, but with nothing to respond to me, there was no response. At least the UI didn¡¯t make the check difficult, and I passed it without having to spend a Token.


    I hadn¡¯t dealt with this kind of thing, obviously, because nobody had. At least according to the record Alan had brought along.


    ¡°Are you able to contact HQ?¡± I asked Alan.


    ¡°W-w-w-w-w¡­¡± he started, then grew frustrated and held up a finger. ¡°Ev-v-very day, one time.¡±


    ¡°Once a day, got it. Today, you¡¯re going to ask about a cure for magical and spiritual illness in gods to Rainer. He¡¯s the mustache headed man in charge of the Healers.¡±


    Alan snickered. He knew exactly what I was talking about: with bristly mustaches for eyebrows, and a big bristly mustache that ran around the back of his head. And that wasn¡¯t even counting Rainer¡¯s actual mustache, which looked like roadkill taped under his nose.


    ¡°S-s-s-sure.¡±


    He soon left, and I was joined by Vellenia again.


    ¡°You require a break,¡± she said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You have worked hard throughout the evening,¡± she said. ¡°Darkness has fallen, and it is time to put work away. You require rest, my bonded one.¡±


    I nodded slowly at her, and we headed out of the hatchery building, and into the night. The cool night are enveloped us, leaving Vellenia clutching my side for warmth. However, a variety of glowing creatures were out tonight.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°This is a show that happens once every few days,¡± she told me, brimming with cheer. It was like watching someone watch your favorite movie, the look on Vel¡¯s face. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Transparent things like earth animals flew about and pulsated. I used the Identify skill to spy Glimmerfly, which were simply flies made of ethereal wisps of color.


    They came in every aurora color imaginable: neon and electric green, bright pink, and a a silvery glow. Had these things been out all day, and we just couldn¡¯t see them? I was also curious about where they¡¯d come from, and what kind of caterpillar or pupa they had before they became these funky butterfly things.


    The thing that emerged next was far more impressive: an orca-sized firebird composed of the same sorts of colors as the Glimmerflies. The thing left streaks of light dissipating in its wake. This one was harder to Identify, but after several attempts I got it.


    ¡°Holy¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Vellenia said, clutching me against her body. I loved the way her boobs pressed against my arm. ¡°They have been showing up more and more often.¡±


    ¡°Have they?¡± I asked, watching the glowing wyvern wheel around in the air and circle back around in a holding pattern above the town.


    ¡°And¡­ oh, I have not seen these previously.¡±


    Descending from far, far up, were hundreds of jellyfish made of similar stuff. They trailed hundreds of long tentacles from their large bodies. They appeared to be no more than bulbous sacks.


    While the Glimmerflies and Glowvern simply glittered with power, these jellyfish things pulsed with it. The holy energy sizzled down their tentacles and in some few cases caused arcs of electricity to bridge the gap between them. And these weren¡¯t your garden variety, soccer ball-sized jellyfish either. These were bigger than those Portuguese Man O¡¯Wars they have, where the head is bigger than a person and the tentacles are something like 75 feet long.


    ¡°Cute!¡± Vellenia said.


    The bells of these colossal jellyfish had little wings sprouting off them, and halos floating above them. The wings were flapping, and helping move them in the air little by little.


    The glowvern was giving these things a wide berth.


    Identify confirmed what I¡¯d suspected.


    The window in front of my vision listed them as rare.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to be close to those when they descend,¡± I told her, and started leading her back toward my tent.


    ¡°Everybody inside!¡± I shouted. ¡°That¡¯s an order.¡±


    Over on one of the large platforms, the team perked up.


    ¡°Cinzy!¡±


    She stopped, some fifty feet away from me on a different platform, with Fairy Poppins bobbing around her head like a tiny yellow lightbulb.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to call out to Drat. He needs to stay well away from those things.¡± It was a guess, but I was pretty certain Drat had a sort of forgettable-ness power, or a straight up invisibility power from his Nakamamon, McCauley Skulkins.


    Her voice came like a megaphone positioned directly behind my head. ¡°Drat! Keep well away from all the light creatures. Fletcher thinks they¡¯re especially dangerous. Get inside right¡ª ow!¡± The sound was everywhere.


    She dashed aside as a tiny spark zapped off a tentacle some three feet away, and accepted Ivy¡¯s hand.


    It rapidly became apparent that the Angellies weren¡¯t just a slight problem. The moment we got inside, we noted the tentacles passing right through the wooden roofing. The glowing ropes continued to descend through the ceiling toward us.


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said. ¡°That is something, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I do not understand your tone, bonded one,¡± Vel said.


    ¡°We have to get lower. Where¡¯s the nearest boat?¡±


    All round us, Marshins were getting the same message. They had been skywatching like Vel and I, and were now heading for cover¡­ after that, they ducked out of their homes and down to the docks. And when that didn¡¯t look safe, many of them simply headed into the marsh. Their bodies were built for a semi-aquatic lifestyle, after all. Some of them were hauling Marshells down with them, or sliding them off the platforms and directly into the marsh below. They¡¯d call out and shove their young off together.


    I had to hope Larelle would see this and handle the safety of the rest of the team. They had shield powers, thankfully. That was the closest thing one could get, and I was hopeful they would work against holy energy.


    We dashed outside, and I pulled Vellenia up short before she ran headfirst into a lowering mass of tentacles. We dodged around it before hitting a stairwell that descended to the surface level. There, the platform was a dock: with their wide bottomed boats all tied up to posts every four feet or so.


    All around us was a chaotic maelstrom of movement. Most of the Marshins were taking care of number one first, but a few made mad dashes for the hatchery, where their eggs still lay. A few were rising and diving through the waters at blistering speed, pushed on by their powerful tails, until they were directly beneath the hatchery. If there was one thing I could be thankful for, it was the calm determination in the air, rather than the hopeless grief that threatened to destroy their eggs just the other day.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just get in here,¡± I said, and hopped onto the boat. If I had to, I¡¯d end up with just my nose sticking out of the water. Vellenia did likewise, and we poled out away from where a few tentacles were poking through the raised platform some twelve feet above us.


    After a tense few minutes, or perhaps an hour, it became clear that the Angellies weren¡¯t going to float directly down to the marsh¡¯s surface¡­ or lower. We had about five feet of breathing room, and watched as the colossal jellyfish hovered in place, their mantles pulsating with both muscle activity and tiny lightning bolts of holy power.


    Afterwards, I called out, and was grateful to hear Cinzy¡¯s voice coming out over the marsh. The natives were fine. She was okay, the others were okay. Only Drat remained unaccounted for.


    Vellenia and I watched the glowing creatures in silence in silence. Minutes passed. A lot of minutes. She held my hand, then scooted over and draped her body over mine. She warmed up, and warmed me up, as time went on.


    ¡°They are coalescing,¡± she said.


    ¡°So they are,¡± I said, and sat up.


    The vast majority of the tentacles were drifting over into a few directions. This created vast pockets of safety, for one thing, and that was good, but I knew what it meant.


    ¡°Let¡¯s follow them,¡± I said.


    In another hour or two, the Angellies had gathered in roughly three spots. The one we were closest to ended up being close to the cliff¡¯s edge and the cave we had traveled through to get to the surface. We ended up finding a boulder the size of a house beneath a snarl of vines and thick shrubbery, and when Vellenia dove into the marsh, she came back grinning excitedly. The holy light of the Angellies bathed her face in a holy glow, leeching the color out of the minty green portions of her body.


    ¡°Fletcher, come quickly!¡± She said, and dove beneath the surface again.


    ***


    ¡°And here it is,¡± my father said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Here what is?¡± my mother asked.


    ¡°The water breathing power,¡± Sarah called from the kitchen. She was now feeding Brayden, doing the airplane over and over again to get applesauce and creamed corn and such into his face.


    ¡°How was it?¡± my father asked.


    I laughed. ¡°It¡­ was awful, Dad. Awful.¡±


    ***


    My body¡¯s natural instinct, to hold my breath and screw my eyes shut¡­ was gone. The moment I entered the water, I instantly understood what had happened. The mana gave me gills at the sides of my neck and middle back. They just morphed into being. Also, the ability Eagle-Eyed from Tara gave me the ability to see in the darkness. Luckily there was still some illumination from the Angellies, filtering through the shrubbery and the water. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was enough to work for Eagle-Eyed.


    And besides, the sock was glowing.


    Now, I swam the rest of the way through the marsh without coming up for air, back to the village to link up with the rest of the team. The feeling of having water in my lungs-slash-gills was so wonderful and so weird. It tickled a little, but in another way, it felt¡­ good. I can¡¯t really explain, because the sensation was like nothing I¡¯d ever felt before. Also, the water wasn¡¯t nearly as chilly as it was up in the village.


    Up on the docks below the stilts and the building platforms, I met up with Cinzy, Regina, the four lady Guardians, Alan and Trent.


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ a sock,¡± I gasped. The water leaving my gills and the air replacing it¡­ also a strange sensation I couldn¡¯t easily describe.


    ¡°A sock, he says,¡± Cinzy said, as though I was mentally deficient and needed to be talked to like a three year old. She turned to the rest. ¡°There¡¯s a sock, everybody.¡±


    Regina and Ivy both snorted laughter.


    ¡°We know all about the sock,¡± she said.


    ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s another sock?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Uhh, duh. Yes, there¡¯s another sock,¡± I said, and described where I¡¯d discovered the sock.


    As for their sock, right now, a whole host of Angellies was now clustered over where it had been hidden, buried under some marsh muck. The current guess was a Nakamamon swam by it and with a powerful tail flick, sent some silt and dirt to cover it up.


    ¡°It was barely visible,¡± Isabelle said. ¡°You want to see it?¡±


    I went to ask how they¡¯d gotten it back to the lab, and Isabelle held up her hand, manifesting the shield again out of mana. Instead of the ginormous tower shield she¡¯d brought into being when saving me, this one was only a little larger than a dinner plate. The ghostly blue energy contrasted with the dark of twilight, and I could even make out rivets, the space where the thick planks of wood had been joined and covered by an iron band running around the outside. The center had a pointy metal spike¡ªprobably metal at any rate, since it was all made of magic¡ªand was held by flexible straps to her hand and forearm.


    ¡°Okay¡­ well, if any of you can breathe water, or hold your breath for a long time, the other one is in an underground cavern sort of.¡±


    Cinzy took two purposeful strides forward, and thrust out her absolutely stunning set of boobs. And straight out of my favorite fandom of all time, she said the words which both shocked and delighted me. And she did it in the exact voice. It was like Cinzy had been replaced with a two foot green muppet on the even of his 900th birthday.


    ¡°No, there is another.¡±


    As it turned out¡ªwhile Trent went off to grab the other sock without getting anyone killed¡ªCinzy had spotted a third gathering of the Angellies. Although the big guys were pretty terrifying descending from the sky, they had been extremely useful in giving us the locations of the nudity god¡¯s clothes.


    She marched ahead with ridiculous purpose, arms swinging and knees pumping up and down in the darkness.


    Periodically she¡¯d freeze and I¡¯d walk up beside her to find her smirking ridiculously at me. One eyebrow was raised as if to say ¡®eh? I look so dumb, don¡¯t I?¡¯


    ¡°We¡¯re close,¡± she said imperiously, and thrust a finger in the air for good measure.


    ¡°Somebody else is close,¡± Regina whispered, when Cinzy marched off again and left the rest of us following after for the second time.


    ¡°Not right now,¡± I breathed.


    ¡°I¡¯m always on the verge,¡± she went on. I gave her a grin and stuck my tongue out at her, then put a finger up to my lips. She probably wasn¡¯t the only one with enhanced senses.


    Cinzy continued to march along. It must¡¯ve felt really good to suddenly have a strong and clear purpose. She¡¯d spent the beginning of our expedition feeling like a fifth wheel, and once she finally got a chance to prove her worth, she felt she had mucked it up. For a girl who had never had much in the way of trouble academically, or trouble finding friendly faces, or trouble with her job, she¡¯d spent the last few days being really down on herself. She blamed herself for what nearly happened with the Marshins.


    A patch of forest obscured any view we might have had of another group of Angellies. So it was a complete surprise when, after almost an hour of poling out through the marsh and and trekking naked through the dark forest, we began to see a bit of glow diffusing through the trees.


    Cinzy breathed out a sigh of relief, probably that she hadn¡¯t imagined it. I gave her a squeeze on the shoulder and she returned the gesture with one of those smiles that you never thought you¡¯d get from the most beautiful people on earth in real life.


    ¡°Go on,¡± I urged.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You discovered it¡­ go tell us what it is.¡±


    And this is how, just a few minutes later, Christopher learns that we¡¯ve finally found underwear.

 60- Tighty Whities Of The Gods

    By the time we had all the pieces of clothing back in the former hatchery and now my laboratory, I was completely exhausted. Cinzy asked me to meet with her to talk about this. She needed to give the Marshins some kind of news regarding my job.


    I wearily agreed, and sent everyone else to bed. Vellenia retired to my tent outside the building, and Cinzy watched that happen.


    Her hair was purple, green and gold today, and the patches on her skin had begun to shift places around her body faster. The colors they turned were cycling quicker. It was another reminder of Tara and her mission: to reach HQ, get more of the pills that stopped us from absorbing too much mana, and get back to where we now were. The only problem with that was she¡¯d left without knowing which village we¡¯d eventually find. It was two problems in one: Tara was part of the team and needed to be here, for one. We needed those pills before something unknown happened to us from all the mana, for two.


    ¡°Hey!¡± she said quietly, but cheerfully, and put a hand on my arm. ¡°You did great today. I¡¯m starting to think you¡¯re more of a Bard than I am.¡±


    I smiled, and tried not to let the tiredness show. I knew she needed reassurance about her place on the team, and she needed my help to do her job.


    ¡°You did great,¡± I told her. ¡°Exactly what the team needed¡­ and you sent Fairy Poppins off on a mission to follow those other angel jellyfish.¡±


    She smirked. ¡°Angellies¡­ awesome name.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s what I can tell you about the cure: almost nothing.¡±


    She frowned, so I took her into the hatchery building that now served as my laboratory. I had herbs and plants drying, hanging from the rafters, other plants and algae growing, mushrooms cut up into cubes and drying on workspaces, and on one table, the clay tablets with the various cures for magical and spiritual illnesses that Rainer had sent along with Alan. Clearly, there were no dual-type illnesses, and no dual-type cures for that matter.


    Cinzy read along, close enough that her arm brushed against mine. She read through the different names, looked at the cures and how they were concocted.


    ¡°This is all really complicated,¡± she said.


    ¡°Potion brewing,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of like mage spellcasting except a lot more stirring is involved. And hopefully fewer fireballs.¡±


    She chuckled, and in the slight wince I recalled she¡¯d been stung by the Angelly.


    ¡°Show me your wound,¡± I told her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big¡ª¡±


    ¡°Show it to me,¡± I said. Her job was to soften the blow to the Marshins about the time frame of getting this cure put together: half past never. My job was to make sure when people got the business end of a holy-damage-inflicting jellyfish with angel wings and a halo, they healed up properly.


    She showed me her other arm, where a section of her tricep was bone white, like a tiny lightning bolt. She seemed more uncomfortable with me touching her than with the actual damage.


    ¡°It¡¯s only about ten percent of my HP,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to breathe on you,¡± I told her. ¡°Don¡¯t be alarmed.¡±


    Holy damage was no joke. I mentally gave my assent, and breathed onto Cinzy¡¯s arm. The Affinity check for the healing ended up succeeding, thankfully.


    A wash of menthol and mint green steam billowed out of my mouth and over her wound. She shivered, and goosebumps popped up.


    More Tokens. Still, I didn¡¯t want to mess this up. I went Yes and watched as the two Tokens went into existence, with the familiar form of a fairy on the one side. They dissipated into thin air, and I watched in fascination as the white wound covering her arm fizzled up into motes of white light. They winked out, like embers drifting up out of a camp fire.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    ¡°You okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It was a¡­ strange feeling,¡± she said, then flashed her patented smile at me. ¡°Fletcher, you¡¯re my hero!¡±


    I tipped an imaginary cap at her. ¡°Just doing my job, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t call me that. I¡¯m way too young to have anybody call me an old lady.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡± I gathered up several vials that I¡¯d left out and put them carefully back into their leather sleeves in the trunk I had. It was full of sturdy vials, beakers and flasks, but they were still glass.


    ¡°Hey Fletcher?¡±


    When I turned to look back at her, she¡¯d adopted a weird pose: leaning over the tall stool the natives had supplied, both hands together. It had the effect of squashing her perfect breasts together, and giving me a view of her cleavage that was total. Large, dark maroon nipples peeked out on the insides of her arms, and shit I was staring where I wasn¡¯t supposed to.


    Cinzy knew it. Dragging my eyes up to her face, I noted the satisfied smile immediately.


    ¡°We never had our dinner,¡± she said.


    ¡°We did not,¡± I confirmed. ¡°Really sorry¡­ it¡¯s been one thing after another once we got here. I thought the nudity thing would be resolved sooner.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± she said. Her butt was swaying back and forth, reminding me of a hypnotist¡¯s charm on a string. Back and forth, back and forth.


    ¡°I just¡­ you know, I wanted to get to know you better.¡± She straightened, allowing her boobs to jiggle back to their regular position. My eyes immediately fell down there, and I blinked the sight away. ¡°But then you used that special ability, and I learned all about you!¡±


    Oh. Right. Blissense. We had sort of¡­ shared a glimpse into one another¡¯s passions and desires¡­ and kinks. And I learned all about Cinzy¡¯s predilections.


    ¡°All. About. You.¡±


    ¡°What happened to you the other night? After we healed the eggs?¡±


    ¡°We uh¡­ had a dance party,¡± she said. ¡°A whole bunch of the younger Marshins weren¡¯t really ready for¡­um¡­¡±


    ¡°Mating?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°We joined the Marshells and the eggs, and they were kind of bored and tired. And I knew the eggs needed to stay cheerful. Happy. Anyway. We were talking about you, and me.¡±


    ¡°Cinzy,¡± I said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t use that tone with me,¡± she pouted. ¡°That¡¯s the ¡®I have some bad news¡¯ tone, right before you tell me that you have another girl. You don¡¯t, you can¡¯t¡­ you just got here. You haven¡¯t been here that long.¡±


    Apparently Cinzy had no idea how fast some women could work.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not gay, are you?¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°I have pretty good gaydar. I would know. But just in case, you have to tell me.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°Not gay.¡± Then, before she could open her mouth again, I got in her space. Closing the gap between us caused her to suck in a bit of air. ¡°Would it bother you if I had another girl?¡± I asked.


    Her eyes widened. ¡°Uh¡­ that¡¯s kind of a weird question.¡±


    ¡°And what if I made it clear that I wasn¡¯t interested in being tied down right now?¡±


    A spark of understanding lit up her features, but she was getting aroused just thinking about the situation we were in. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for a playboy, Fletcher. It was one of the things I liked about you.¡±


    I shrugged the question off as unimportant. ¡°It sounds like you want to be the center of my whole universe¡­ but I just bonded a Nakamamon and we¡¯ve already mated a couple of times.¡±


    Cinzy¡¯s jaw dropped open. ¡°You¡­ and the¡­ well of course, I guess, I could see that happening. That¡¯s¡­ wow. Okay.¡±


    I took another half step forward. ¡°She has no designs on stopping me from mating with humans, though.¡± Cinzy¡¯s blush deepened and spread. It was nice to see her on the defensive now, off balance.


    If she knew I was with Vellenia, that¡­ sort of qualified as her knowing I wasn¡¯t sleeping around. As long as she knew I wasn¡¯t aiming at an exclusive relationship, that would cover potential problems¡­ hopefully.


    As always, being faced with a woman who was launch-10,000-ships gorgeous was a sobering, astonishing experience for me. She was one in a million, and the system had enhanced that to one in a billion. We were, finally, discussing me doing the most intimate acts you could conceive of with someone. The type of things guys with growth plate injuries and scoliosis did not do with the Helen of Troys of the world.


    ¡°I just want you to know this up front¡­ my attitude on these things might not be what you¡¯re used to, or what you can handle.¡±


    And the ultimate test of how fundamentally odd this reality could be was staring down into the space at my hardening cock.


    ¡°What attitude is that?¡± Her voice came out in a quavering whisper, husky and throaty. She dragged her eyes away from the few inches of space between us, where my body was reacting to her presence.


    ¡°When I¡¯m with you, you get to be the center of my universe. I can treat you like a goddess. I can try my best to make every moment amazing. But I won¡¯t be exclusive.¡± I smiled, half apology and half jokingly. ¡°Also this all-the-time nudity thing is super distracting.¡±


    She let out half a laugh. ¡°Fletcher¡­¡±


    ¡°So if you want me to make love to you, that¡¯s what you have to know before you decide.¡±


    She didn¡¯t hesitate. Instead the words came out in a breath that went into my mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    By now I was hard. Rock hard. This heavenly angel¡ªwho could have absolutely anybody had just agreed, knowingly or unknowingly¡ªto share me with at least three other women.


    I bridged the last of the gap between us, and kissed her softly on the lips. She responded by wrenching herself onto me and getting as much bodily contact as possible in: her belly, boobs, her thighs, and her sweet pussy was now pressed against me. Her arms wrapped around me, up under my arms until her fingers wrapped around to my shoulders. The sides of her feet were even pressed to the insides of mine.


    The kiss was divine, and went on. She moaned in her throat several times, slowly beginning to hump against me. She tried my crotch first, and once she had my cock pinned between her thighs, began rocking forward and back. Coating me with her already-flowing juices.


    The UI asked if I¡¯d like to enhance our sensations using Pleasure¡¯s Bounty, and I agreed. As much as I wanted to heal up this god from its clothes, I wanted to impress Cinzy even more. When we finished here, I wanted her to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that it wouldn¡¯t matter how many women I slept with, so long as she and I could do it again.


    Breaking the kiss, I immediately noted the sex-drunk expression: half-lidded eyes, the rosy cheeks, the parted lips, and the shudder.


    ¡°Lay back,¡± I told her, ¡°and spread your legs.¡± I hadn¡¯t done this in the past, but I thought now was the time. The one thing I absolutely needed was to have Cinzia Graham utterly convinced that I was some kind of sex god by the end of this session. I put a skill point into Tongue, and another one into Adaptability.


    Cinzy¡¯s breathing quickened further, and she obeyed. One hop later and she was up onto the workbench I¡¯d just cleared off, going back onto her elbows and watching me intently.


    I also wanted to take my time. Running my hands over her thighs and up her stomach, I cupped each one of her perky boobs in my hands and thumbed her nipples in lazy circles. Soon I had the first one in my mouth, followed by the second.


    The Tongue Quality made my tongue stronger and more dextrous, along with a little longer. I used this to my advantage, swirling it around and around. Cinzy had an impressive and unique set of nipples, which lengthened out both thick and long. They were the biggest and longest of any of my partners so far¡­ and apparently the most sensitive.


    ¡°Fletcher,¡± she moaned, ¡°Ohhhh Fletcher, what are you¡­¡± She stopped there as a throaty groan escaped. Like with the others, I felt the coiling spring of orgasm tightening down toward the point of no return. She shuddered, said my name, and clutched at my head.


    And just as she was about to go off, I stopped.


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡°


    I knelt down between her spread legs while she whined and complained. That all cut right off when I shoved my newly enhanced tongue between her lower lips.


    The spring that indicated her imminent orgasm had begun to unwind after I released her nipple, but it went right back to coiling down, and faster than before.


    Cinzy had a larger clit than I was used to as well, and I took full advantage of that fact by gliding my tongue up one side and down the other. Now her fingers were in my hair and she clamped her legs onto my head. It blotted out most of the sound, and I soon heard the rushing of my own blood, but her moans were still there, only muffled. I didn¡¯t let the pressure stop me, but went right on servicing her delicious pussy.


    She jerked once, twice, and the fingers tightened in my hair before she climaxed. The pressure on my head intensified. Arching her back brought her ass up off the workbench, and took me with it.


    The next climax came barely five minutes of licking and nipple play later, but this one had the added benefit of her begging me to wait, that she was too sensitive. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But I¡¯d been down deep into the mind of Cinzy, and I knew what she wanted. As the second one was doing, I stood and plunged myself into her scorching, slippery slit.


    More back arching. More shaking and shuddering. Eyes rolled back in her head and hands scrabbling for something to hold on to. Like I was the force of gravity and she had no control over anything that was happening.


    Cinzy¡¯s pussy admitted me greedily, for the first three inches at least. After that I needed to slowly saw in and out to loosen her up. She rode the wave of what was surely an intense orgasm before getting up on her elbows and staring at me.


    ¡°F-fletcher,¡± she breathed, and something strange happened: she gushed. Some kind of fluid burst out of her unexpectedly, splashing up against my midsection and flowing down my body. It was warm, and feeling it trickle down either side of my cock was unique. Not unwelcome, just odd.


    I pushed, slowly and inexorably, until I was buried inside her. Her head fell back and another string of disbelieving noises emerged. By now I was having my own trouble, thinking my orgasm might be imminent. Gods but she was tight. Once I was nestled inside, the pressure loosened, and I breathed out a long sigh.


    ¡°Turn over,¡± I told her, sliding ever-so-slowly out of her. ¡°Hop down.¡±


    She scrambled to obey me now, presenting her glorious ass in my direction. So much of her juices and her squirting juices had gotten all over me and her that this next part wasn¡¯t as difficult as I thought.


    I leaned over her back, and breathed, ¡°I¡¯m going to fuck your ass now.¡±


    Her breath caught, before a tiny, almost inaudible word came out of her. ¡°Okay.¡±


    She helped, reaching back and spreading her cheeks to either side, exposing her back door to me. That was all it took: I lined up the head and began pressing inwards.


    For a long time, there was nothing: no sound from her, no forward motion. No progress. She was holding her breath, and clenched tight.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I told her. ¡°Go limp.¡±


    Resting her head on the workbench seemed to help. The head popped inside her, and all the breath went out of her in a whoosh. After that was a ragged moan. Adaptability had mitigated the pain of my enhanced Girth from the other Quality, shrinking me slightly so she could handle it. I¡¯d need Adaptability for every point of Girth I had, or I would break this girl.


    What followed were twenty minutes of the slowest sex I¡¯d had yet. It was just me going millimeter by millimeter for a while, and her twitching and grunting. Eventually I forced another inch in there, and she seemed to come to life. Getting one leg under her, she slid one hand down and began playing with herself.


    ¡°You like it?¡± I asked. ¡°You like Fletcher¡¯s cock up your ass?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t say the words. Instead she just nodded into the workbench and strummed her clit.


    ¡°This is what you wanted,¡± I told her, and again she could do nothing but nod. ¡°The most beautiful girl I¡¯ve ever seen in my life wanted a big, fat, cock, in her ass.¡± I punctuated the words with slow, deep thrusts.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she cried, when I first felt my abdomen press against her perfect ass. ¡°Oh my gods, yes.¡±


    I lost track of the number of times her ass clamped down on me and she came again. Eventually I started making Durability checks, aided by the Stave Off Quality. She came at least four more times between the first check, which I succeeded, and the fourth check, which I failed.


    I grunted, told her she was going to get an ass full of my cum, and emptied it all into her before she could try to speak.


    ¡°There,¡± I breathed in her ear. ¡°You¡¯re gorgeous, and you¡¯re even more gorgeous when you come with my cock up inside your butt.¡±


    ¡°Oh my gods,¡± she whispered. ¡°Oh my gods.¡±


    ¡°Was it everything you hoped it would be?¡±


    Her face didn¡¯t seem to register the words, and staring off into the middle distance, she slowly nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± I told her. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to do it again.¡± With exaggerated slowness, I extracted myself from her rear end.


    This is Christopher beginning to accept the truth.

 61- Triumphant Return

    Night was well and truly on, now, brisk in an uncomfortable way on my naked skin.


    After a short rest to get our breathing back to normal, I helped Cinzy to get to her building, and then to her room. With both of us ignoring the leaking that was going on down her legs, she took slow steps on unsteady feet. She clutched at me, and actually fell asleep kissing me in the perfect dark of the bedroom. She perked up again, grunting and falling into bed, where she pulled a blanket over herself and immediately began snoring softly.


    I was also dead tired.


    Still, I couldn¡¯t help but take a gander at the night sky, as I had done most nights I¡¯d been in this new world. Thousands of glittering stars stared back. They sat in nebulous fields of reddish, orange, purple and greenish dust light years away. Only a few stars remained stubbornly in patches of absolute blackness. It was a breathtaking sight.


    I definitely was not too tired for a bath in the marsh and brushing my teeth back in the laboratory. You could hardly be a sex fiend satisfying multiple women without keeping clean and fresh.


    Back in the hatchery, Alan had reappeared, and was trying to perform the enlargement spell on several of the newspaper-sized tablets from Rainer.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he answered.


    ¡°You passed on a message to HQ?¡±


    He nodded, but didn¡¯t say more.


    ¡°I¡¯ll assume that means you can¡¯t get a response yet, or they didn¡¯t give you any news regarding the problem we have.¡±


    He nodded, holding up one finger. The former then.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do more of these. We¡¯ll pick it up in the morning.¡±


    He only grunted in response, and cleared space for yet another one of the tablets and started the incantation.


    By now the hatchery was just chock full of them. Neatly arranged under the workbenches, leaning up against the walls in careful stacks, side by side on any of the workbench that wasn¡¯t my main alchemy workbench. The whole thing had been carefully numbered, and a few of them were even painted, glazed, and fired, but they¡¯d run out of time, so most were the dull white of fired, rough porcelain, or the earthy orange of fired, unglazed regular clay.


    I only really had enough brainpower to check over what had happened between Cinzy and I with the sex. I hadn¡¯t brought her into the fold using Entwined Ecstasy, so there was no special super power to get. That would be for later, if I felt it possible to have a straight talk with her, and she agreed to be my, uh¡­ third girlfriend? Third girlfriend?


    Still, Pleasure Seeker had gained xp, as it always did when I had sex¡­ which was happening an awful lot these days. I stared at the little experience point bar long enough that I nodded off. I roused myself and shook my head, trying to focus on anything except the notion that I¡¯d just had my first anal experience ever, and it was with the girl of everyone¡¯s dreams.


    I ended up falling asleep trying to read over the clay tablets, and Alan fell asleep trying to enlarge several more so I didn¡¯t have to squint at a magnifying glass.


    ***


    When I awoke the next morning,warm sun was pouring through the tent and making motes dance in the scant illumination coming in. At some point during the night, I must¡¯ve roused myself and zombie walked outside to the tent, but that part was a blank. I was so, so thankful that the sleeping bags worked, and didn¡¯t immediately vanish when I covered up each night, because that night had been quite brisk. Like very chilly.


    Another thing that had helped to rouse me was excited chatter outside. With no clothes to put on, I instead stretched out, a lot, rolled over, and realized with a start that I wasn¡¯t alone in my bed.


    ¡°Greetings, bonded one,¡± came the sleepy voice.


    ¡°Oh! Hello,¡± I said awkwardly.


    ¡°It appears there is a kerfuffle outside,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t know as I would recommend taking time out to mate again.¡± S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Oh. Good idea, definitely. Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m unsure how often humans are capable, or if your species simply timed the mating season with the Marshin mating cycle in a burst of excellent luck. So I¡­ oh.¡±


    She had gotten a look at Mr. Morningwood.


    ¡°This is normal? It is not an illness from one of our sick gods?¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°No, humans are able to mate multiple times a day.¡±


    It was like the floor had fallen out from under her. ¡°Multiple¡­ a day? Every day?¡±


    I stroked her side. ¡°Until I¡¯m in my forties maybe? We don¡¯t have to this morning, if you don¡¯t want. It will eventually go back to normal.¡± Fat chance of that, with a naked and willing creature as beautiful as Vellenia in my bed.


    ¡°It is my duty as bonded companion to assist you in any way I can,¡± she said, and hesitantly encircled me with one hand, like it might jump out and bite her if she wasn¡¯t careful.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be true,¡± I said, thinking about Fairy Poppins.


    ¡°No,¡± she breathed, already sliding her body on top of mine, ¡°but I cannot deny a strong urge to¡­¡± She slotted my heat seeking missile in the place where it most desperately wanted to explode.


    And then there wasn¡¯t any more talking.


    Somewhere along the way, I¡¯d forgotten that Vellenia¡¯s tongue was actually a half dozen small, independent muscly tentacles. When we kissed, these wriggled in my mouth strangely. They wrapped around my tongue and slid over it in ways no human had ever done before. They dragged against the roof of my mouth and gripped my tongue, then squeezed it gently before letting go.


    It was good she did, because people were walking by and sliding their fingers along the rain fly of my tent, making a noise. Several voices chuckled outside, and a call of, ¡°Wake up, sleepyhead,¡± came, from Cinzy of all people.


    I ignored them and made Vellenia do her duty.


    Twenty minutes of very quiet lovemaking later, Vellenia begged to be left here until I had taken the team on whatever mission we were going to get up to today. She was leaking out onto a towel we¡¯d placed under her white and mint green butt.


    ¡°Bonded one,¡± she breathed.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°You have pleased me a great deal,¡± she said, and squeezed my hand.


    ¡°The feeling is mutual,¡± I told her.


    ***


    In the address to the assembled team, I tried to soften the blow a bit, but they knew. Either Alan had already told them, or they understood by the way I said ¡®dual affliction¡¯ that it wasn¡¯t going to be a quick or simple operation. This was a god we were dealing with, after all, and the first one I¡¯d ever cured had taken a good three days to craft correctly. We were only in the workshopping ideas phase, and not even to the researching cures phase.


    From Alan, the question here was what the god¡¯s sickness represented. How long it had been sick and the degradation compared with the other gods we had all experienced. He wanted to look at this magical and spiritual problem from a scientific standpoint.


    The rest of the team obliged him and listened without interruption, while his stutter slowed everything down to a glacial pace. The only real information came from the Guardians, who had helped with the God of Footfalls and watched as the days passed.


    ¡°Whatever it was bleeding, it was sort of rainbow colored,¡± Isabelle said.


    ¡°At the beginning,¡± Ivy confirmed. ¡°It started going yellow toward the end.¡±


    ¡°The divine essence can manifest as many colors,¡± Chrysta said. ¡°The pure ichor of a god is said to be golden in hue.¡±


    , Larelle told us mentally.


    I already knew a lot of this, given the way my skills injected knowledge and instinct into my brain.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Ivy said, hand on one cocked hip. ¡°No problem. It¡¯s your show and you run it as you will. We¡¯re here because you picked us, so we do the job. The question to get back to the practical side of things: what can we do?¡±


    Ivy was strong, fierce, took no shit, and was focused entirely on what could be done.


    I took a deep breath. ¡°We will need to replenish the ingredients, and look for rare plants and flowers. Regina knows¡ª¡°


    ¡°I know too!¡± A familiar voice called down. ¡°By the way, what the hecky Becky happened to my clothes and my backpack? Did they get teleported somewhere?¡± All of us turned and rejoiced to see Tara flying in from astride her semi-transparent Nakamamon, Airaconda. She rode it like a witch riding a broom, though I noted a bridle on the creature¡¯s head with reins she had grasped in both hands. ¡°I have to say I¡¯m kind of glad you¡¯re all naked too, because I almost turned around and flew back to town.¡±


    What followed were several minutes of confused and delighted awkwardness, where everyone was both completely nude and wanting to hug one another. They settled for pats on the shoulder (Trent and Alan), delighted squealing while hopping back and forth from foot to foot (Izzy and Ivy), and dancing in a circle while grasping hands (Regina and Cinzy). Tweedle Dee, still ailing and not quite in great shape, came forward for chin and ear scratches. Muppin rumbled forward and nuzzled at Tara, nearly knocking her off balance, Fairy Poppins danced around her head, and¡­


    Vellenia appeared, and had no such qualms about hugging. When I introduced the long-legged, bronze-skinned beauty to my bonded Nakamamon, the Marshin leapt into Tara¡¯s arms.


    ¡°You are most welcome here, team member of Christopher Fletcher, savior of the eggs. His friends are our friends.¡±


    Tara directed a very pointed look my way, and I blinked at her. The smile I got in return was knowing an impish, like she was already imagining what positions I¡¯d taken Vellenia through. Her eyes darted down to my midsection and back up.


    Tara had left before we ever arrived at the Marshin village.


    ¡°Wait,¡± she said. ¡°Hang on. It took me like two days to get back to HQ, and then it took me four days to get here¡­ and¡­ you guys didn¡¯t mention to HQ that there were no clothes?¡±


    A lot of embarrassed grumbling and mumbling met her, with some scratching of the neck and back of the head.


    ¡°What about backpacks?¡± she yelped. ¡°My backpack vanished along with all my clothes back over that way.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ shirt,¡± Regina said. Her flower-shaped freckles had grown, and now glowed so well that it was impossible not to see her at night. In the full light of day I only caught the stray sparkle here and there, since the freckles seemed like gems or sequins embedded in her skin.


    ¡°The pills were in that backpack, weren¡¯t they?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They were indeed!¡±


    We needed those pills to knock the surging mana out of our bodies so we didn¡¯t¡­ something. None of us knew what would happen if we absorbed too much mana, but HQ was adamant it was bad.


    ¡°Do you mean to tell me I now have to go all the way back to HQ to get another round of those fracking pills?¡± she shouted.


    Everyone fell silent. This was both in the face of her frustration, and the realization that we were reaching dangerous levels of mana absorption. If you believed what HQ said, and there was no reason not to, we were about to pass beyond the limit they¡¯d set forth as safe.


    Isabelle now looked a lot like a Nakamamon herself, she was so brightly colored blue and pink. Silvery threads that looked like filigree wound through her whole self. And she was¡­ starting to grow a tail. Yes, a tail about three inches long now protruded from just above her butt.


    Ivy¡¯s entire body was thick with tattoos. It definitely hadn¡¯t been that way when I hired her about a week ago. Those tattoos had very slowly crept around her body before, but they were surging, growing, coalescing, battling against one another in places. Also her thin stubbly hair was gone, leaving only the dragon tattoo curling over her skull.


    The others were transforming too. The large patches covering Cinzy¡¯s body were shifting to colors that were never people colors: rusty red, blazing orange, deep green, icy blue and still others. They were growing, merging and shrinking at around the same speed as Ivy¡¯s tattoos. Her hair was now moving of its own accord, like she had a fan on it at all times. It had grown down below her butt. I knew because I had once noted how gorgeous the curtain of hair fell down below her shoulder blades.


    Trent now looked a lot like he was made of dirt and rocks, with bits of moss covering his head, shoulders, and random places elsewhere. Alan¡­ was becoming transparent. Luckily not transparent in a way that showed us his muscles and guts and digesting food, just transparent in the way that Chrysta¡¯s upper legs and the edges of her were transparent.


    ¡°You guys have been working so much that you didn¡¯t even notice what was happening to your bodies?¡± Tara demanded.


    ¡°We thought you¡¯d be back with the pills,¡± I said lamely, ¡°and it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal.¡± You would be hard pressed to argue that healing up a god was less important than getting the mana out of your body, especially if you believed the cure was on its way.


    Again, this was my fault, in a way. I¡¯d brought Alan on board thinking he would level up and gain the capabilities we needed. Instead his inability to contact HQ in a timely manner cost us. He had leveled up, just not fast enough.


    Tara was beyond upset. Her hands flew up in the air. ¡°My whole backpack, gone!¡± She had lost more than just pills, of course. People carried some personal items with them, to remember earth. ¡°Ach! Arrgggghhh! Ugh! Flaaarrrggghhhh! Flibbertyjibbet! Flack knackles! Worm¡­ wobbles!¡± Then her finger flew in my direction. ¡°You, on the air serpent, now! The rest of you, do whatever it is you¡¯re supposed to do anyway. I have to have a private word with Fletcher and this failure of leadership, right this moment.¡±


    Nobody countermanded her order. For a few seconds most everyone gaped at her, save Larelle, who trudged back to her post defending the holy items of clothing we had collected.


    Shocked, I mounted Airaconda, the sensation very odd on my totally exposed backside and¡­ the bottom of my sack. A very naked, totally furious and utterly gorgeous long-legged Tara strode over, mounted her own bonded Nakamamon, and looked over her shoulder. Without needing to be told, I put my arms around her waist and would have immediately started to harden, what with my midsection being pressed against her butt, but the situation was so surprising that I kept myself from insta-rection.


    We launched into the air for my first ever, what I¡¯ll call broom ride. Riding on the enormous manta had been like being on a huge tube and dragged around a lake by a fast boat. Riding the glimmerdactyl had been very much like riding a horse.


    There was hardly anything to the Slitherwind. I clenched my legs against her sides and clutched onto Tara for dear life while it streaked into the air, quickly reached the top of the cliff we¡¯d been on previously, and settled down.


    I got off, feeling like I¡¯d been on a roller coaster. While she started baby talking it, I got my wits about me, or tried to.


    Using the Identify skill, I focused on the creature to put it into my Nakamadex.


    I almost had to chuckle at the weight of the creature.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good girl,¡± Tara was still saying, patting the air elemental serpent just behind the head. She commenced to scratching again, raking her fingers from the base of the creature¡¯s head some six feet. It looked a bit like she was ripping apart the wrapping paper on a huge Christmas present. ¡°Somebody¡¯s been flying for days and days, hasn¡¯t she? Somebody needs a massage again,¡± she said, as if she were talking to someone¡¯s adorable Pomeranian. ¡°Yes she does! Yes she does! You¡¯ll get a nice massage later, yes you will!¡±


    ¡°Tara¡ª¡± I went to start apologizing, only to have her whirl on me.


    ¡°Ohhh no,¡± she said, jabbing an accusatory finger in my direction. ¡°I am going to get me some Fletcher deep inside me, and I¡¯m not going back to HQ unless I¡¯m leaking like a sieve.¡±


    I mean, what could I say after that charged sentence? I stared at her, flabbergasted.


    ¡°You had better frack me a good one, Fletcher. I have been almost a week without a good fracking.¡±


    This is a guilty Christopher about to do the duty that has been demanded of him, and without complaint.

 62- Annoying Yet Welcome News

    The sun was rising and promising a warm day. A barely discernible breeze tickled at my exposed skin and my green hair. Across from me stood Tara, bronze of skin and long of leg, finally releasing her Slitherwind and striding towards me. Her eyes weren¡¯t bronze like they had been when I¡¯d last seen her, meaning she¡¯d taken one of the pills back at HQ. She still looked just as lithe, just as toned, and just as beautiful as she had been when she¡¯d left almost a week ago.


    ¡°So,¡± she said, walking towards me.


    You¡¯d better believe I fracked Tara until she was begging for me to fill her up, yet again.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good thing we¡¯re both naked already,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯ll make fracking you easier.¡±


    ¡°You gonna give me enough for another full week away from you?¡± she asked, with considerably less venom than before.


    ¡°Come here and clamp those thighs around my head and we¡¯ll see how well I frack you,¡± I told her quietly, a smile spreading over my face.


    She lost all her annoyance in an instant, and leapt onto me. Wrapping her arms and legs around me, she kissed me fiercely and pressed her blazing midsection against my stomach.


    As for me, I held her by the butt and made sure she didn¡¯t fall. Tara had a thing about wrapping her legs around me and locking her ankles together. I loved it when she did this. I grew hard rapidly, and the head pressed against her even as she lashed at me with her tongue and got her hands over every part of me.


    Tara was a talker normally, but now it was her hands that did the talking. They were on my shoulders, up and down my back, up into my scalp and threaded into my hair, and then back down. When she finally broke the kiss and gave me smoldering eyes, she had touched every part of me she could get her hands on: jaw, ears, neck, traps, shoulders, and she¡¯d tried to get at my butt with her fingertips.


    ¡°Somebody needs this badly,¡± I told her. Hell, I¡¯d just had sex the night before with Cinzy, and the morning afterwards with Vellenia. They were spoiling me now.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she moaned. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it could be like this. I don¡¯t know what you did to me, you monster, but I can¡¯t stop thinking about it.¡±


    A few brave trees stood on top of this tall, phallic rock, and I got her leaning up against one of them so I could put my enhanced tongue to work. With my newly upgraded tongue, I went to work slipping it between her folds and deep inside her. She tried weakly to protest at first, but in seconds I had her moaning loudly.


    Then I spent a Likability Token to activate Pleasure¡¯s Bounty to enhance the pleasure of this act, and listened to her appreciative moans double in length and volume.


    ¡°Fuh¡­ Fletcher!¡± She gasped. ¡°What¡­ what are you¡­¡±


    She only lasted five minutes, with me slurping up her drooling juices and wriggling my tongue against her hyper sensitive clit. I alternated tonguing her hole and tickling that little bud with my fingers, and swirling my tongue around it again and again, while curling my fingers up inside her.


    The whole time, she tensed and tensed and tensed, further and further into the familiar coiled spring setting that said they were about to let go. Finally, I reached up and tweaked one nipple to the pressure she liked, with my enhanced tongue curled into the inner spot she loved to have stroked, while my other hand rubbed over her clit gently.


    She went off hard, knees buckling and needing me to support her as she melted to the ground.


    For a good minute, she just stared in a daze, like she wasn¡¯t sure where she was or if this might be a dream of some kind. I smiled indulgently, feeling amazing that I could grant a girl so hot this kind of ecstasy. Finally, her eyes drifted over and locked onto my face.


    ¡°Fork me, Fletcher¡­ who taught you that?¡±


    I just smiled. ¡°Stand up¡­ it¡¯s time to get the fracking you wanted.¡±


    Squealing like a high schooler about to see their favorite heartthrob on stage, she bolted to her feet and jumped back into my arms. A rain of kisses followed, while she narrated everything she¡¯d been feeling.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you found my g-spot,¡± she gushed. ¡°You got it¡ª¡± Kiss. ¡°¡ªwith your fingers.¡± Kiss. ¡°Ohhh that was so¡ª¡± Kiss. ¡°¡ªso amazing.¡± Several kisses. ¡°And then¡ª¡± Kiss. ¡°¡ªoh em gee, you¡ª¡± Kiss, followed by her tongue lashing at my lips. ¡°¡ªyou got it with your tongue!¡± Kiss. ¡°I can¡¯t believe¡ª¡± Kiss. ¡°I can¡¯t believe¡ª¡± Yet another kiss. ¡°How did you¡ª¡±


    I reached down and pulled my cock back and forth over her drooling slit. Delighting in the gasps this produced, I continued. Not for long though, because she began growling with impatience. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s time. Tara needs that big D, Fletcher.¡± She threw back her head and groaned again. ¡°Oh em geeeeeeee Fletcher, put it in me.¡±


    I kept right on teasing her, raking my head slowly over her slit, bumping her clit just a tiny bit and making her moan out her readiness to get right to he main event. Right. Now.


    ¡°Inside,¡± she commanded, and nipped at my ear with teeth. ¡°Now, Fletcher, don¡¯t make me wait. Put that cock to good use, okay?¡±


    One last rake was all it took to get myself lubed up with her secretions, before I hunched forward and slipped inside.


    Tara sighed and let her head fall back. ¡°There it is. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been thinking about for hours with a giant snake between my legs. This snake is what I¡¯ve been dreaming about. Fork me, Fletcher.¡±


    As requested, I pulled her butt up and down to impale her again and again. She simply held on for dear life. The pleasure from the special ability was ramping up, and I was thankful to support my partner¡¯s entire bodyweight. It was distraction enough to keep from bursting inside her. She was tighter than before. Hotter. Wetter. She felt so good squeezing down on every bit of me with every bit of her.


    At first, she kept up the stream of dirty talk. ¡°Stretch out Tara¡¯s pussy, Fletcher. Ohhhh¡­ Pound me until I can¡¯t walk.¡±


    I switched up positions and settled her hands on a rock, as sticking out towards me. Then I lifted one leg and re-entered her. Gods but she was so beautiful. Shining in the morning sunlight. Vocal in her appreciation. Both wet and tight. The dirty talk was interrupted by heft moans now.


    ¡°Unhhh¡­ fork me¡­ Fletcher. Ohhhh yeah¡­ just¡­ like that. Slow and d-deep. Ugh.¡±


    She was flexible enough that I could bring her one leg up onto my shoulder and grab onto her thigh for leverage. She was strong enough and had the balance and power of an Olympic athlete.


    ¡°Oh my gods¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°So deep. So¡­ forking¡­ deep. Make¡­ make me cum¡­ Fletcher¡­¡±


    I continued pounding away, but now got one hand on her clit and played it like I¡¯d been shown.


    Her whole body tensed down and she eased her head onto her hands, clutching the stone here for dear life while I railed her. With long, deliberate strokes I brought her right to the edge.


    ¡°You want it?¡± I hissed in her ear. ¡°Inside? Again?¡±


    She nodded into her hands. ¡°Inside! Ohhh fuhh... Fletcher I¡¯m¡­¡±


    With a final mighty thrust, I took her over that edge, and got there right as her inner muscles clamped down on me and started squeezing on me like a fist. I could only guess what it was that drove Tara to have me empty all my passion directly to where it would create the most complications, but she asked for it every time.


    She got it every time.


    I came, and came, and came. I cried out and she seemed to harmonize with me. Her leg slipped off my shoulder, and this helped her keep her feet. Those long, toned legs flexed and quivered, up on her tip toes. She looked like a statue like this, with her metallic skin.


    She was panting from the exertion and from the pleasure I¡¯d overwhelmed her with. However, I wasn¡¯t done. I hadn¡¯t seen Tara for almost a week, and she had gone beyond the original mandate of the mission for me.


    We did it once more after that, with her riding me and reaching back to rake my sack lightly with her nails. In the meantime, she pressed a hand against her belly. ¡°I can feel you,¡± she told me, ¡°rearranging my guts. You¡¯re not human, Fletcher. You¡¯re something else.¡±


    I grinned, and continued thrusting upwards while watching her perfect boobs bounce. And when she took her hand away, amazingly, I could see a bit of a bulge appear every time she slammed her hips down and got the full length of me inside her.


    And she came again. And then again. I watched and felt every spasm and twitch, and the second time she came on top of me, she was begging me to seed her yet again.


    And I will say, I was too far gone. I couldn¡¯t have pushed her off if I¡¯d wanted to. She already had a load inside her, and she¡¯d taken some eight or so before that. She was going to get another one, right now. I grunted and gritted my teeth, and did my best to spurt all the way.


    In the aftermath, we cuddled in the gigantic branches of the weird trees here. She stroked my face, and stroked my cock, and afterwards she stroked herself, bringing her fingers up to see the copious amount of seed that had leaked out.


    She sighed. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be heading back.¡±


    I chuckled, tired. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I have the recipe for making the medication. It¡¯s a Healer product, after all. Rainer spends most of his time manufacturing those pills, or outsourcing the work to the administration. The Wizards can¡¯t use magic to make it, but there are so many who come here and want to be Wizards that they have to spend some time every week making those pills.¡±


    You could develop a non-class skill if you had enough time and practice; I was proof enough of that.


    ¡°We spent a lot of time working on the project that seemed pressing, we just assumed you would have the pills when you came back. But it won¡¯t be a big deal for me to make that stuff. Collect ingredients, then follow the instructions to work up a batch. Everybody will be fine by this time tomorrow.¡±


    She shot up, staring at me. ¡°You mean to tell me you could¡¯ve done this the whole time, and the whole week you could¡¯ve been stuffing my tiny little pussy with your big fat cock?¡±


    When she put it like that? No. I had the egg situation to deal with, and leadership meetings to conduct, and natives to reassure, and herb collecting to do.


    And also a few of the other girls to service.


    ¡°Not¡­ really,¡± I said, and explained all that we¡¯d been up to.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m still very¡­ um¡­ annoyed with you. Wait¡­ who have you been having sex with?¡±


    I gritted my teeth and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Almost¡­ everybody?¡±


    ***


    ¡°How is it everyone in this other world is ultra beautiful, anyhow?¡± Sarah demanded. She was helping my father in the kitchen, but had peeked her head out into the dining room, where I continued telling the story to my fascinated mother.


    So far as they knew, Tara and I simply went up onto that mountaintop and had a discussion about what had been going on, then she¡¯d extracted an apology from me instead of several potent loads of my seed. Finally, she was surprised, overjoyed, and more than a little annoyed to learn she¡¯d traveled to HQ and back when she hadn¡¯t needed to.


    ¡°Eh¡­ you know how my body doesn¡¯t look like it used to?¡±


    ¡°Duh,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re like a Mr. Universe version of the Toph I remember.¡±


    ¡°It all comes from the system stats,¡± I said.


    If you boosted Likability and Physicality, you were going to turn into a physically more beautiful version of yourself. Just Physicality would transform your body, while Likability would cause some minor facial changes, but ramp up your natural charisma. Or in my case, create some natural charisma where there wasn¡¯t any before.


    My mother admonished me, telling me not to talk like that, and I ducked my head as though she¡¯d just threatened me with a rolling pin.


    I could sense the next few questions coming: if you have a high Physicality, why aren¡¯t you a mountain of muscle? I was still a sort of lanky person, more like a mountain climber mixed with a runner¡¯s build than a power lifter or a body builder.


    ¡°Anyway, the process basically refines whatever¡¯s there. You can have a high Physicality and still be a skinny guy like Drat, because most of his Physicality is in quickness and controlled movement, for stealth. My Physicality is sort of a balance of power and dexterity. Larelle is a hundred percent muscle. She would have a million followers on InstaSnap easy.¡±


    ¡°Or people would run for the hills to get away from her,¡± my father declared, out of sight but definitely still listening.


    We all had a chuckle. Yeah, a seven foot mountain of muscle with orange skin, no nose, and so much hair you¡¯d wonder if she had a genetic problem¡­ would cause a stir.


    ¡°So you whipped up these pills?¡± my mother asked.


    I nodded. ¡°They took some time to perfect without using Tokens, so I got the mixture wrong a couple of times before getting it right. I wanted to save the Tokens for the thing with the glowing underwear.¡±


    I had already failed at enough cures with the God of Footfalls that I did not want a repeat. I was growing certain that this situation was one of a kind, or complex enough that I was going to fail repeatedly.


    My mother slid a pale hand across the dinner table and laid it on mine. It was cool to the touch, and dry, reminding me of a mummy. But she wasn¡¯t gone. She was still hale and hearty, as hale and hearty as one could be when they¡¯d had three different surgeries to remove tumors and two different rounds of chemo over the course of four years. And here she was, trying to make me feel better about my circumstances.


    ¡°So what did you do after the magic pills were done?¡±


    ¡°I want to know what happens when they take these magic pills,¡± Sarah called. ¡°I need details.¡±


    I grinned. ¡°You got it.¡±


    ¡°That will totally reassure me this isn¡¯t all a figment of your very elaborate imagination and it was a hundred percent real.¡±


    I locked eyes with my mother, grinned, and rolled my eyes far more than was necessary. She snorted before throwing back her head and laughing.


    This is Christopher hearing and seeing the mother her grew up with, at least for a little while.

 66- A Fly in the Ointment

    Over the course of a week, I managed to raise my Identify skill to level 5. Beastmaster did give me a bonus to Identify Nakamamon, but not gods.


    In that time also, I had some good relaxation time with Vellenia, with Tara, and once with Ivy and Isabelle.


    Each night in my tent, Vellenia appeared and laid with me. If I¡¯d been out that day with Trent or Tara looking for Nakamamon to Identify, she was far more cuddly and insistent that she satisfy me sexually. If we¡¯d spent the day researching in the lab, preparing ingredients or sorting them out, she was less likely to demand a good forking. In both cases she wanted to lay directly on top of me, or be spooned. Let me tell you, having a fish tail sticking out above her butt made spooning a unique experience. Vellenia was so cuddly and physically affectionate.


    Each time I went out with Tara, the athletic and long-legged beauty wanted me to pour as much of my seed as I could directly inside her. She didn¡¯t want to swallow it, she didn¡¯t want to have it coating her body, she wanted it inside. All ranging and Nakamamon identification and chill took second place to a good fracking.


    Regina refused to leave Dee¡¯s side, and I could see her growing impatient with me as time went on. I started avoiding the situation. I went into her building for daily treatments to slow the effects of touching a god¡¯s, uh¡­ holy garments, then promptly left. Using Healer¡¯s Endurance each morning to deflect the majority of the damage and slow down the spread. I¡¯d created an elixir that would last the week, meaning Dee was sitting pretty. He seemed happy and cheerful, but his coat didn¡¯t have the luster it had when I first met him. Regina took him out at times for slow and careful walks around the village. I wasn¡¯t invited.


    On the seventh night, Ivy sat directly on my right as I gazed into the nightly camp fire. Since we were still all nude, and the nights would still be chilly, it was either fire or bedrolls. Larelle remained, gazing into the fire, while Chrysta was on patrol. Trent and I had been out looking for Nakamamon species all day, with Isabelle and Muppin tromping beyond the marsh, and Trent was exhausted. Alan took this time to continue spellcasting to try to up his level. Admirable dedication, but I knew that levels would come. Burnout would also claim Alan four days into this week, and he had nothing to do but meander around the village. Meander until one of the natives pulled him into one of the huts and rode him to a delirious orgasm, that was. For now, he was already asleep, having exhausted his mana like Trent.


    Ivy sitting next to me on my right was the signal that she and Isabelle wanted some playtime. I tried to keep my expression neutral and not give away that I was suddenly a bit nervous at the prospect of having yet another threesome.


    Holy magnolias, I had been absolutely blessed.


    I whispered to Vellenia that I was going to mate with one of my fellow humans, and asked her to keep quiet about it. None of the others needed to know. She gave me a bright grin, nodded, and went to engage Cinzy in some cultural exchange dialogue: she wanted to know about earth and its weirdness.


    Minutes later, Ivy disappeared from my right, and Isabelle left not long after that. I made my excuses, which weren¡¯t excuses at all; I was dead tired.


    It only took a minute for me to find myself pulled into the girls¡¯ temporary living quarters and then into Ivy and Izzy¡¯s room. The door closed with a soft click, and soon enough I felt Ivy¡¯s mouth surrounding my semi-hard cock.


    ¡°Jeez,¡± I breathed. In the gloom, Isabelle sat on the bed watching us intently. Of course nude, but she had her thighs spread and her hand working between them. She was heaving for breath, eyelids drooping.


    In the meantime Ivy lashed the underside of my cock with her tongue in a way that said she had some decent amount of practice at this. My hands drifted down to her bald head, and I swear for a moment I could feel the tattoos moving on her skin. That is a weird thing to feel, but I am certain I felt it.


    ¡°I need you inside me,¡± Ivy whispered.


    ¡°I need to watch you kiss your girlfriend,¡± I said. There would be no sexing with either of them if Isabelle wasn¡¯t happy.


    Ivy pulled a slow about face, then extended her hand and slunk towards Isabelle.


    ¡°Babe,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Y-yeah?¡±


    ¡°Put those fingers in my mouth.¡±


    Isabelle made a soft groan of arousal and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. The whimpering didn¡¯t cease as Ivy lovingly licked and sucked at the fingers that had been inside her girlfriend. Moments later they had their tongues battling.


    ¡°You two make a cute couple,¡± I told them. I wasn¡¯t sure they were listening. By now they were making out furiously, groping one another and beginning to drift around the room. Ivy slowly backed Isabelle up against the wall beside their window. Moonlight and cool night air spilled into the room through the open window, the shutters still thrown wide.


    Both panted and grunted, grinding their midsections together. In the light hitting Ivy¡¯s body, her original tattoos from earth stood out starkly against her natural skin tone. The muscles worked as she humped against Isabelle, the both of them panting and periodically locking lips. Battling tongues, fingers intertwined, the two forgot I was there or focused on one another.


    Or so I thought. At some point Ivy¡¯s fingers closed around my rock hard member and pulled me in. Instead of what I thought was about to happen, she rolled so that Isabelle¡¯s luscious butt was pointed at me. Still pulling, she grabbed onto Izzy¡¯s other butt cheek.


    ¡°Baby,¡± she breathed, ¡°Fletcher¡¯s gonna give you what I can¡¯t.¡± When Isabelle opened her mouth to protest, Ivy put a finger against her lips and kept grinding their pussies together. ¡°It¡¯s okay. He¡¯s good. He¡¯ll give you that power¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°And I want you to stare me in the eyes while I suck on your clit with him inside you. I love you, babe.¡±


    Isabelle moaned, mouthed the words in the dark.


    Ivy¡¯s insistent hand pulled at my hip until I pressed into Isabelle¡¯s back.


    ¡°Tell me no,¡± I breathed in her ear, inaudible to Ivy, ¡°and I won¡¯t.¡± Even as Ivy ran her tongue over Isabelle¡¯s lower lips and glided softly over the pleasure button. ¡°Tell me stop, and I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    It was such a sight, seeing Ivy¡¯s hands wrap around Isabelle¡¯s butt cheeks and massage them before pulling them open for me.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she told me, gasping and writhing. Did she want to be filled up in a way Ivy¡¯s fingers or tongue couldn¡¯t match, or was she doing this because Ivy was pushing it on her? I didn¡¯t know, and my rampant erection did not give a single solitary fork. But I had to stay in control, so this might happen again.


    ¡°Tap my leg and it¡¯s over,¡± I continued, low and slow. ¡°Say zucchini and it¡¯s over.¡±


    Then, incredibly, I felt Ivy take hold of my erection again, and begin rubbing it back and forth over Izzy¡¯s drenched and hot slit.


    ¡°Just stay there, Fletcher, don¡¯t move. She¡¯ll push back against you. I know she wants it.¡±


    This was the moment I chose to spend the Token in order to enhance the pleasure between Isabelle and I. The instantaneous groan of pleasure proved me right.


    Isabelle was whining now, a moan building inside her, standing on her toes so she wouldn¡¯t slide down and impale herself on me. At the same time her back was arching and she was rubbing herself against the head and the shaft. One iota at a time, she rubbed her clit on me, and Ivy kept the pressure of my shaft pressing against her dripping pussy.


    The moment came when she slid downward, bending over completely and nestling the head against her opening. Ivy was right; she pushed backwards and, inch by inch, impaled herself on me.


    For a good three inches anyway.


    ¡°Ivy,¡± she whined. ¡°It¡¯s so biiiiiiig.¡±


    ¡°I know, babe. You don¡¯t have to take it all.¡±


    But she seemed determined. Minutes passed with her quivering and rocking herself forward and back. I couldn¡¯t help but run my hands over her soft, curvy torso and up over her breasts.


    ¡°Up she goes,¡± Ivy murmured, and I was forced to dip my hips in order to let Isabelle¡¯s body straighten, her back against my chest. ¡°Now you do the work, big boy.¡± Then, the tattooed Guardian dipped forward and began licking over where we were joined.


    Now I don¡¯t know about you, but this was something I¡¯d never felt before.  Something I never expected to feel at all. Ivy¡¯s meaning was clear: I would slide in and out of her girlfriend so Isabelle could remain in place and have her clit toyed with.


    ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful,¡± I told Isabelle, feeling every available inch of her while slowly rocking my hips up and in. She didn¡¯t protest when I kissed from her shoulder over to her neck, then up her neck to her ear. In fact, she didn¡¯t mind at all, laying her head back against my shoulder and turning her head so I could kiss over her cheek, her jaw line, and finally her lips.


    Down below, I could barely make out Ivy¡¯s head between her legs, but the sensation was proof of her tongue working over the both of us. When I slid out, a wriggling tongue lashed at the underside, while she concentrated mostly on Isabelle¡¯s pleasure.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the sharp intakes of breath announced Isabelle¡¯s oncoming climax. She shifted her weight several times, while I sped up a fraction.


    With the Pleasure Seeker Qualities, and all skills, an instinctual knowledge arrived. I knew I could increase girth and length to their maximums, or retract my full size a tad. So it was now, when the quivering started, that I inflated Girth to its full size.


    The result was explosive. Isabelle¡¯s knees buckled and her body melted into a swoon. The pressure around me tightened and loosened, with the irregular shakes of her whole self.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡± was all she managed to get out.


    The orgasm went on for no small amount of time. She bucked and shivered, and when it seemed like it was over, she¡¯d shiver and shake several times all over again. I would tell that Ivy was doing something, but I didn¡¯t know what.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put her on the bed,¡± Ivy said.


    The old me would never have been able to stand up and do 15 minutes of micro-squats. I¡¯d have had days¡¯ worth of pain. Now I felt a slight ache in my thighs, and a feeling like I should sit down.


    ¡°I want to ride you,¡± Ivy told me. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Moonlight streamed into the room and onto the bed, where I tracked Ivy¡¯s every movement. She sauntered over and climbed onto the bed. Standing like that, towering over me, she seemed like a giant. She shifted so I could get a better look at the junction of her thighs. She ran both hands over it, pulling it open to reveal where I was going to be in just a minute.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not steal my girlfriend, Fletcher,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°When I get to have sex with both of you at the same time?¡± I smiled at her like I was chiding a simpleton. ¡°Why would I do that? Do I look insane?¡±


    She grinned and squatted over my midsection. For now, I would keep my cock its former size.


    The athletic display here was very welcome. With the moonlight, I got a totally silhouetted Ivy, and I was treated to the vision of her unfolding to welcome my cock into her.


    ¡°You did a good job with Izzy,¡± she whispered, and sank down the first couple of inches onto me. ¡°Ugh, Fletcher¡­ she wasn¡¯t lying. You¡¯re big.¡±


    She felt¡­ different than Isabelle. She had muscle control Isabelle didn¡¯t, and kept squeezing around me. Also, the feel of her thighs, her ass on me, and her fingers on my abs were totally different than Isabelle¡¯s softer body.


    After a few minutes of getting accommodated inside her tight confines, Ivy began riding me. It was heavenly. At first I ran my hands over her defined thighs, but soon I felt over the six pack abs and then up her smaller breasts.


    ¡°You ever, ugh, do two girls at once?¡± she asked, smiling down.


    ¡°The only people¡­ I¡¯ve ever done¡­ are all in this village¡­¡± I told her. The truth, that Regina and Tara had been in a clumsy and hot experimental threesome, might not have gone over well.


    She seemed surprised by this, but didn¡¯t stop her rhythm. She¡¯d started working at her clit, using my knee to help her keep her balance.


    ¡°Fuuuuuudge I needed this,¡± she breathed.


    She seemed content to rise and fall on my pole just like this, but I was nearing orgasm and that wouldn¡¯t do. I got up and latched my mouth onto her nipple, surprising her, then turned and put her on her ass without breaking our union.


    ¡°What¡­ Ohhhh yeah. Pound me good, Fletcher.¡±


    I started sawing in and out of her in earnest. Whatever it was about the cowgirl position, that pressure on the underside of my cock was absent now. I saw the message with the Stave Off check vanish. Without missing a bead, Ivy resumed rubbing at her clit, and now added mauling one of her nipples to the mix.


    Something caught my eye, and I turned in the middle of filling Ivy full of my cock to behold a tiny glowing mote outside the building, just outside the window. Just as Isabelle roused and started tonguing Ivy¡¯s other nipple, Eagle-Eyed told me I was looking at Fairy Poppins.


    ¡°Don¡¯t st¡­ don¡¯t sto¡­¡± Ivy¡¯s head fell back against the bed and she started to cum, hard.


    By the time she¡¯d finished bucking and groaning, the little fairy Nakamamon was gone.


    I closed the shutters after that, and serviced Ivy yet again. She wanted to be on all fours with Isabelle¡¯s pussy in her mouth. She wanted me to lay down and ride my face while Isabelle stuffed herself full of me again, and the two of them made out on top of me. Lastly, she wanted me to explode all over their faces. They knelt, side by side, and Ivy begged to have it all over her.


    The kiss afterwards almost brought my cock immediately back to fighting shape.


    ***


    This was the third time I¡¯d been with the couple together and the fourth time I¡¯d been with Isabelle. Each time felt wild, like we were doing something you only ever saw in a porn film.


    In the back of my mind, the situation with Fairy Poppins replayed again and again. The tiny Nakamamon had fled the scene after staring through the window at me. On the one hand, I was worried. Although Fairy Poppins hadn¡¯t communicated with me in the form of words, she had insinuated herself into several situations. Now that I thought about it, I didn¡¯t know if the tiny fairy could speak.


    Whether she could speak only to Cinzy or could speak with all of us was immaterial if the revelation of the threesome got back to her companion. I wasn¡¯t a fan of keeping secrets, and I¡¯d skirted around the issue of having sex with other girls when I brought it up with Cinzy. She might take the news badly.


    On the other hand, I wasn¡¯t sure I had any need to be worried. Fairy Poppins might take umbrage with what I¡¯d been doing, but she¡¯d also been eavesdropping on my personal business. I was an adult, Ivy and Isabelle were adults, and our private affairs were our private affairs. Neither the Nakamamon or Cinzy had any right to judge us based on that kind of thing.


    I swore on my walk back to the tent, where Vellenia was waiting for me. These mental gymnastics weren¡¯t working. Cinzy could very well take things badly, because people had emotions and were prone to act on them in ways that weren¡¯t advisable.


    This is a glowing golden fly in Christopher¡¯s ointment.

 74- A Super Dense Black Hole

    With the weather warming, forty-eight hours felt easier and easier to handle. When I wasn¡¯t working in a laboratory constantly baking with the heat of Larelle¡¯s Magmamander, I was nipping in to treat Dee, supply plenty of ear and belly scratches, and give Regina a bit of hope.


    Which was good, because she was laying on the floor curled around the poor creature and wouldn¡¯t even look at me when I came in.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, lil guy,¡± I told the flower fox. ¡°Uncle Fletcher¡¯s going to finish up this cure starting today. I¡¯m going to have you just like new in no time.¡±


    Tweedle Dee¡¯s tongue lolled and he lay panting happily on the floor of Regina¡¯s room, tails wagging slowly with quiet bliss. That said, he¡¯d lost a lot of flowers from around his ears and tails. The ones that remained were in some state of drooping and withering. His coat didn¡¯t hold the same bright orange sheen as before.


    ¡°You mean it?¡± Regina asked. She turned red-rimmed eyes up to me for the first time.


    ¡°I mean it,¡± I told her. ¡°Your sweet little companion here is going to be right as rain, and that¡¯s not just some doctor¡¯s office BS either. Once the cure is in place and the god does his disappearing act, it will be like he was never sick. I promise.¡±


    I really hoped I could keep my promise. This was easily the most difficult patient I¡¯d ever had to deal with.


    With Healer¡¯s Breath used to treat Dee, I finished preparations and began the cure as outlined by Rainer.


    A cure to reorient the God of Apparel with this reality was going to be a hell of a shock. It involved a massive amount of stimulant. Rainer identified several stimulants, and we were going to use neffkhat, a natural amphetamine. On earth there was a version of this, but not imbued with the sort of potency a magical plant could supply. For obvious reasons, the knowledge of the existence of this plant was strictly confidential. This stuff could kill you easy if you didn¡¯t know what you were doing. Rainer had even given it an innocuous name so nobody got any ideas about it.


    I had a supply of neffkhat, but it was in a secret pocket sewn into the lining of my supply box.


    Once there, it was time to juice the whole thing with mana and divinity. The latter was simple enough, the former not so much.


    This didn¡¯t make sense on the surface: why would it be an easy matter to infuse a cure with divinity and less so with mana? The answer had to do with how malleable mana was. It could take any form, so it drained out of plants easily. Hell, it drained out of potions just as easily.  If you stored them for too long, their magic just disappeared.


    ¡°And I used to laugh at medicines with expiration dates,¡± I muttered, chopping and cutting at the divinity plants. These could be safely added before the mana ingredients, because divinity was strong. It was, so far as my skills told me, the building blocks of reality. That didn¡¯t make much sense on the surface, and I wanted to know more, but I trusted the automatically gained knowledge. When I didn¡¯t have a resentful girlfriend, or fuck buddy, distraught over the worsening state of her best doggo, and we weren¡¯t needed in another city to help with whatever the declining situation there happened to be, maybe I wold investigate what divinity meant.


    For now it meant getting golden halos and radiant primroses steeping separately, concentrating their power and readying to add them to the main mixture.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just add these?¡± Trent asked.


    ¡°You definitely won¡¯t,¡± I told him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to scrape you off the walls.¡±


    He froze, staring down at the flower petals as they dissolved into the heated oil and the melted beeswax. ¡°Uh¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°Divine plants release tiny amounts of divinity,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Ah.¡± I could tell he wasn¡¯t on the same page.


    ¡°Meaning if we add them at the same time, they might explode with divine energy. Remember, we¡¯re not supposed to touch divinity directly?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± He was looking down at the steeping plants with much more respect now. ¡°And we can¡¯t get these other ingredients yet¡­ because¡­?¡±


    ¡°The mana infused ingredients need their mana fresh and topped off when we harvest them. Otherwise they¡¯ll leak out mana or begin transforming into other plants while we wait.¡± With extreme care, I stirred the radiant primroses clockwise as the recipe directed.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a lead-lined container for that kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s portable,¡± I said, tipping my head toward what looked like a beer cooler, sitting in the corner surrounded by caution signs. ¡°And it¡¯s already stocked with our reserves of mana potions.¡± Our reserves of mana potions.  ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re getting antsy and bored too.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could be useful,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°What happened to the native you uh¡­ befriended on celebration night?¡±


    Not only did he redden, but he also ducked a bit. It was a little easier to broach certain topics in underwear, but not foolproof.


    ¡°It, uh, didn¡¯t work out,¡± he said.


    I gave him a suspicious look while summoning him to hold the large cooking pot. I scooped the radiant primrose concoction into the master cure, chuckling a bit at Trent¡¯s discomfort. He looked terrified that I was about to blast us both with divine energy and splatter us all over the place.


    ¡°Care to explain?¡± I asked.


    Everybody was under orders not to anger the natives. Had he been messing around with multiple natives? Or did he break her heart some other way?


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± he said, ¡°it wasn¡¯t my fault. She suddenly said she wanted to be with egg, and¡ª¡± He stirred the master cure while I worked on the golden halos. ¡°That¡¯s it. No egg with human.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    ¡°Hey man, I could ask you the same thing about Cinzy. What happened with her, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not blaming you,¡± I told him. ¡°I just want us to be careful. With Cinzy gone, we have to smooth out any wrinkles by ourselves. And no, I¡¯m not going to go into personal matters. She had a problem with me and thought the best way to resolve it was not by talking the situation out.¡±


    We worked in silence for some time, stirring according to the recipe, and later adding the syrup of golden halos to the main mass of the cure. From there it was mixing time. The divinity needed a lot of stirring to mix with the powerful stimulating properties of the neffkhet.


    It was maybe thirty minutes later, maybe an hour or more¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell. I was adding a steady stream of mana to the fledgling concoction before we got to the mana-addition properties, when he finally spoke up. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like her, that¡¯s all I¡¯m saying.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m not happy she¡¯s gone. I think we¡¯re going to need her more for Glumpdumpkin.¡±


    He snorted. ¡°Such a dumb name. I love it.¡±


    I nodded, focused on making sure the mana I added was continuous, steady, and the correct amount. What I was doing now was willing the divinity to cooperate with the stimulating amphetamine properties of the neffkhet, and it took a whole lot of mental effort, as well as a whole lot of time. You ever sit and build a jigsaw puzzle of five thousand pieces over the course of like twelve straight hours without a break? One of the ones that¡¯s like three colors, or just the yellow faces of building block guys. The sheer mind-fudgery possible is immense. The crazy part is that the system stops notifying you of penalties due to sleeplessness. Your mind can¡¯t handle as much when you¡¯re running on fumes, and the system is the first thing to go. That means you literally have no idea how far you¡¯re falling.


    And since this cure required roughly 48 hours, I needed to keep my wits about me.


    To assist, Healer¡¯s Endurance was there for me. I activated the ability, and I was thrilled to regain the Durability Token once the system judged that another day had dawned.


    Trent eventually fell asleep, and was replaced by Alan. The others had also been in: Ivy and Isabelle, holding hands and laughing at something, Larelle, who removes Trent and carries him in her enormous arms out of the laboratory and back to the tent he shares with Alan, and even Regina.


    She hadn¡¯t left Tweedle Dee¡¯s side in weeks. Although I¡¯d been feeling guilty about the situation the little guy put himself in, I was confident this cure would be the end of his misery. Not like ¡®put him out of his misery¡¯ but ease his suffering. In a good way. Why did it keep sounding like I was pronouncing doom and gloom for Regina¡¯s best boy?


    Almost twenty-four hours had passed by now, and I was getting low on mana. I was still a low level Healer, though I did have 15 levels of growth as a Pleasure Seeker. I wished that meant I would gain the hit points and mana of both classes, effectively making me doubly hard to kill and doubly capable of creating magic cures, but it isn¡¯t to be. Each class granted me roughly half of what they otherwise would.


    The upshot was the Attribute and skill growth¡­ though I had an additional set of skills. The real upshot was the special abilities! Well, unless you factored in that I wanted all the special abilities to level up, and there were more of them to upgrade.


    Ugh. Attribute growth seemed to be the only tangible benefit of having two classes¡­ and that was only because in my off time, I was able to gain xp between the sheets. The fun way. Everybody else only got to level up their skills doing class-specific stuff, and less experience growth helping out others¡ªread: me¡ªas they went about their class-specific duties.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I said, trying not to get sidetracked. It was just about time to add the first of the mana-specific ingredients. ¡°You okay?¡±


    She nodded absently. She wasn¡¯t okay. ¡°Just wanted to check on you. Hey Alan.¡±


    I pointed a finger at him. ¡°Sorry, he¡¯s under strict instructions not to speak to anyone since he¡¯s on stirring detail.¡± Stir too fast and the divinity-laden mixture, which was also boiling hot, could kill you. Stir too slowly and the whole thing could harden into a taffy-like sludge before turning into a block of cement.


    That would mean a brand new cauldron, and those things weren¡¯t so easy to come by in a marsh village a week¡¯s travel from HQ. No thank you.


    ¡°He¡¯s super busy, sorry,¡± I said. ¡°Sorry about that, if he fails now we start over. It¡¯ll be another two or three days to get back to where we are.¡±


    She nodded, this time with more vigor. ¡°Sure, sure.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for going out on ingredient runs,¡± I told her, and continued swirling the cherry violet mixture. This one needed twelve hours. Since the cherry violets went from health focused to mana focused starting at dusk, I needed to work on them all throughout the night in order to enhance the mana properties. At precisely dawn they¡¯d be as capable as possible of shifting mana. Rainer said this was the main reagent for shifting the god from one point three seven back towards one.


    It was exhausting, but these people were counting on me. I smiled at Regina after explaining all about the cherry violets.  sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She walked up and wrapped me in a hug, taking care to allow my free arm to continue stirring.


    ¡°The second Tweedle Dee is back to normal I¡¯m gonna fork you til you can¡¯t walk,¡± she breathed in my ear.


    It was enough to prompt a Durability Develop Cure check at Difficult. I blinked and gaped at her, and she hissed through her teeth in horror. ¡°Ohhhhh no, I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯m¡ª¡°


    I failed the first check, got the free retry through the Hard At Work ability, and promptly spent the two Durability Tokens to pass the check on the second time.


    ¡°No worries,¡± I told her. ¡°Though if you could kindly, uh¡­ go grab out some more, um, radiant primroses, that would be delightful.¡±


    She backed away, hands up, like I was holding her at gunpoint. She had this look on her face, the ¡®I just caught my parents having sex¡¯ look. I continued stirring as though she hadn¡¯t just proposed hours and hours of mind-blowing carnal delights.


    At the end of my twelve hours of stirring the cherry violets, I added them into the main concoction, and Ivy relieved Alan. It was time for me to get on the second mana-rich plant, the highland bellroot.


    Just like ginseng, these things had specially shaped root systems. They were only found in high elevation areas of the world here, by a single flower. From there, you had to follow the longest fracking stem in the world to the root.


    As for the roots, instead of looking like ninjas doing a flying side kick, or dancers doing their thing like nobody was watching, like ginseng, the bellroot seemed to grow the root into tiny cauldrons that were filled with concentrated liquid mana. Regina and Trent had managed to find four of these, while the recipe just said ¡®as many as you can find¡¯.


    I crushed the root balls with the flat of my blade, scraping the thick iridescent blue mana juice into a bit of alcohol and stirring it. And adding even more mana.


    Even. More. Mana.


    This thing was so filled with mana, I was amazed it didn¡¯t transform into a fracking dragon and eat our faces off. Or swallow us whole. I¡¯d only ever seen the scorchomp.


    Finally, I¡¯d gotten to the point where my own mana fizzled out, so I was forced to use another of the mana potions.


    ¡°Where are we at?¡± Ivy asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re at the heat, stirring, and mana phase,¡± I told her. ¡°If I don¡¯t have enough mana, we start over. If I stir it wrong, we start over. If the temperature is wrong¡ª¡°


    ¡°We start over?¡± Ivy asked, rolling her eyes.


    ¡°Actually I think it turns into a super dense sort of black hole made of acidic magic, destroys the lab, falls through the floor, and drains all the water out of the marsh,¡± I said nonchalantly. ¡°Somewhere in there we all get sucked in and compacted into a singularity the size of a baseball. So we all die.¡±


    The utter astonishment on her face was totally worth it.


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding¡­ mostly. But I don¡¯t want to do this again.¡±


    She just nodded, not sure what to make of what I¡¯d just said.


    The UI window for the Develop Cure check came at the forty-three hour mark.


    This is Christopher getting his eyes on the finish line.

 76- Whozzere?

    It turned out I had the same non-painful divine blisters and burns on my face. Everywhere on my face: my forehead was littered with them, but also my nose, lips, cheeks, and even my eyelids. I spent the next day just soaking up the salve all over my hands, arms, and face. It was a boring day, at first, but after I got over the not seeing anything, it felt calm and relaxing. The village had no other threats. There was no work for me to do here, and that felt amazing.


    The very first thing I did was level up. I¡¯d catapulted two full levels through making a tincture, a salve, working on the treatment for Dee, and then the colossal task of generating the cure for the god. That netted me enough xp to go from level 15 to 17.


    Level 16: +1 Affinity, +2 skill point


    Level 17: +3 skill points


    I couldn¡¯t decide whether the extra Affinity was more welcome, or the five skill points. I mean skill points was a heck of a lot. There was never a shortage of places to spend them. Diagnosis, Treatments, Cures, Meditation, and the skill that definitely helped me cure the God of Apparel: Divine Resistance. And that said nothing of the capital Q Qualities that were turning me into a sort of sex god. Deciding on where to spend these was not going to be a simple matter.


    This was more skill points than I¡¯d ever received before from a single level up. My immediate hope was that the number would continue to rise with subsequent level ups.


    I examined where I might be best served in spending skill points. The problem from this latest cure situation had been with the Develop Cure step. First, the cure needed a simply ridiculous number of successes, more than I¡¯d had skill and attribute levels. However, there were a staggering number of different types of gods.


    It seemed that the best way to go about it would be to increase the size category skills. Swarm, Small, Medium, Large and Huge+ were all good places to sink skill points. I placed one into Divine Resistance first and foremost. The other four I put into Tiny/Swarm, Small, Medium, and Large. Although I had no intention of attempting to heal something bigger than myself, I wasn¡¯t about to run from the challenge.


    The problem was that the larger things got, the more magically infused their bodies were. So what we think of as an adult dragon would be able to contain and handle exponentially more mana than something the size of an elephant, and that was exponentially more mana than something person-sized. So if my mana pool was x, then an elephant¡¯s would be x times 100, a dragon¡¯s mana pool would be x times 10 to the power of a thousand.


    This was the way Mustache Head had explained it, anyway.


    If something was huge, there was no way I would be able to handle treating it. The difficulty of doing so would be, what¡­ higher than 50 successes? Or perhaps even higher?


    My Healer skills now looked a tad more respectable than before, with Diagnosis (Magical) and Treatment (Potions) having leveled just from enough practice.


    Healer Skills:


    Diagnosis (physical 3, spiritual 3, magical 4, mental 3)


    Treatment (potions 4, salves 3, tinctures 3, elixirs 3, unguents 3)


    Develop cure (swarm 4, small 4, medium 2, Large 1)


    Develop cure (unique) 7


    Administer Cure 8


    ¡°Aww yeah,¡± I muttered, laying there with salve all over my face, and only able to see because the system had somehow gotten into my brain.


    Vellenia snickered.


    ¡°Vel? What in the names of all the many, many gods are you doing here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not disturbing you,¡± my bond replied. ¡°Aside from that, watching over you. And considering whether or not you are well enough that I may mate with you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re insatiable,¡± I said, but in response I felt my own libido rise to the challenge. Could I mate without the ability to see what I was doing? I was certain it was possible.


    ¡°Can I help it if I am completely filled with my bond mate each time you press into me? Can I help it if the pleasure you lend to me is more than I ever dreamed? It is like this hole was meant to be stuffed with Fletcher.¡±


    ¡°Please for the love of all that is holy tell me there¡¯s no one else in this tent,¡± I said.


    ¡°We are alone,¡± she said, from much closer than she had been just a moment ago. Feather light fingers drifted over where my cock was presently stirring. ¡°Does that mean I should erect your tower and bury it in my cave¡¯s deepest recesses?¡±


    I would have said yes, but I wasn¡¯t certain whether the divinity I still had in my body was contagious or not.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to hate saying this, but not now. I might be able to poison you with divinity.¡± She made a pouty sound that made me laugh. I could tell she wasn¡¯t being serious¡­ mostly, anyway. ¡°Also, you chose to bond with me knowing that one day I would leave your village. Are you prepared to depart Slinktrickle with me, long term?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said. This sobered her up, and that didn¡¯t please me. She hadn¡¯t thought this through in the long term sense.


    ¡°I do hope you¡¯re not regretting your choice to bond with me,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Oh! Oh no, of course not. I have been gifted with an exceptional human. You are the finest member of your species I have met.¡±


    Heh, she said member. ¡°And how many humans have you met?¡±


    ¡°Including your nine team members? Almost twenty. A staggering amount!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very kind,¡± I said, genuinely thankful she thought so. I didn¡¯t think she had nearly enough of a sample to be representational, but so far as I knew, the bond wasn¡¯t something that could be broken. It couldn¡¯t be rescinded. I wasn¡¯t even sure that someone could have their bond member die and then bond another. The program was new enough that this information just didn¡¯t exist.


    We discussed what she might need and who she might want to talk to, which included Larelle. Vel promised she would prepare to depart, but paused before exiting the tent.


    Then fingers were fumbling at my pants.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This was a great deal simpler when the God of Apparel was sick,¡± she muttered, with a twinge of annoyance. Soon though she had my pants open, and quickly slurped my cock into her mouth. Those tentacle tongues of hers went right to work fluttering around every available bit of me. The moment I began to harden, she pulled away. ¡°Bond mate, I will return!¡±


    I laughed and cursed her for turning me on, but she was already gone. It was up to me to get my pants back in order.


    Larelle was next to visit. That familiar voice intruded on my thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯m well, thank you.¡±


    , she told me.


    I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to say to that, so I didn¡¯t.


    When it became clear she wasn¡¯t about to share that information, I got a bit grumpy. ¡°I¡¯d like to see if I can replenish any of my spent Tokens then.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t entirely what I¡¯d hoped for, but that¡¯s what happened regardless. I soon had peace and quiet, and practiced my meditation skill for the remainder of the day. Since I¡¯d burned through all my Tokens for Affinity and Durability, and all of my Free Tokens, I was in a place where I could really use them. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It only took a solid half day of meditating before the check came.


    As it happened, my 6 levels of Affinity and my 2 levels of Meditation were not up to the task of 4 successes. For the first six hours at least.


    Interesting that it should say ¡®for the purposes of replenishing Tokens,¡¯ meaning I would need to seek out Larelle and ask what the other uses there were for Meditation.


    Clamping down on my frustration, I tried again. Within a few minutes the calm and focus descended back down upon me, a blanket smothering outside distractions. I couldn¡¯t imagine anything like this in the current day and age. With a cell phone in my hand, there was simply no way to shut out the outside world. Notifications and alerts were constant, along with the constant desire lurking in the back of my mind that there was something more to see, whether that was on Tweetly or MeBook, Instantify or PersonaGram. Or, hell, any of the tubes, depending on how you wanted to watch your videos: Boobtube for old TV show episodes, Newbtube for tutorials on everything imaginable, Tunestube for music, Toontube for cartoons, Cubetube for science or math lessons, or the others.


    By the time it was feeling like dusk, I had been given another check, and this time succeeded.


    ¡°Nice,¡± I said, and wondered if some other woman was going to comment about me talking to myself, followed by sex stuff.


    I drifted off to sleep contented.


    On the second day, I woke up to giggles and the feeling of cool breath rushing over my naked body. Specifically, someone was sliding my boxers down my thighs and possibly another someone was kissing and licking between my legs.


    ¡°Hrm?¡± I mumbled. ¡°Whozzere?¡±


    Someone¡¯s body slid up and over mine, smooth and warm and with curves I reached out to grab. Hands pulled mine away. ¡°Don¡¯t open your eyes,¡± she whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t move. We¡¯ll play a game,¡± she whispered. ¡°If you can tell who I am by my mouth or my pussy, you win a special prize.¡±


    ¡°A bigger prize than sex?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± the voice said, mouth already otherwise occupied.


    Lips tickled at my cock, which rapidly began to harden. Soon they closed over the head and began to work in a steady rhythm, with some low humming. The vibrations felt delicious around my shaft.


    I snaked my fingers into her hair, her straight hair, and massaged her scalp while she took me into her mouth repeatedly. She would sometimes lash the underside with her tongue, and other times swirl her tongue around the head before plunging back down. I knew this technique¡­


    As if reading my mind, she released me and climbed up my body. My hands ran over her body and got a good feel of her, but the shape of her ass, thighs and her waist wasn¡¯t what I thought. The technique and the hair had definitely been Tara, but her legs weren¡¯t nearly long enough. Regina and Isabelle had similar body types, while Ivy¡¯s legs were much leaner and thicker with muscle. The size of the boobs would give it away¡­ Isabelle¡¯s were much larger than Regina¡¯s.


    It didn¡¯t matter, because she took hold of my raging erection and slid it back and forth over her slit several times before pressing down and sinking several inches inside herself. Even as I felt her up and compared sizes, she rose up and forced herself to take my full length. She was painfully tight, and that gave the game away.


    ¡°Ugh, Regina,¡± I moaned, as the sweet feeling of her enveloped me again and again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed this,¡± she breathed.


    ¡°Regina¡¯s not the only one here,¡± Tara whispered in my ear. ¡°Now you¡¯ll need to return the favor.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t even my birthday. In a flash, those toned thighs slid over me and settled on either side of my body, and I got two fistfuls of her naked ass. I detected fabric; she was wearing long socks again, and the mental image almost made me pop off inside Regina. I couldn¡¯t exactly say what it was about the blonde vixen that was even sexier with knee high or thigh high socks, but when I ran my hands up and down her legs, I groaned with pure lust.


    I pulled on that amazing booty until her pussy came into contact with my open mouth, and found it already sopping wet. I guess blowing me and then watching Regina stuff me inside her really got her engine revved.


    ¡°You look so hot like that,¡± I heard Regina manage in between moans.


    ¡°Ohhhhh,¡± was all Tara could respond. I¡¯d gotten my hands on her boobs and I was pinching and rolling her nipples around. I¡¯d been through a number of different sessions, getting the proper technique down over time. A little pinching, a little twisting, and a bit of massage was what Tara liked, along with a tongue running up into her and over her clit. She liked that almost as much as she liked having my extended tongue thrust all the way up inside.


    I felt it first, Regina¡¯s mouth close over the nipple I was grabbing. Even as she forked herself slowly and deeply up and down my length, she leaned forward and got a mouthful of Tara.


    With one hand free, I could insert a finger into Tara and focus my tongue completely on the tiny nubbin of flesh at the top of her slit. I alternated with my tongue flat, scraping back and forth, and using the tip of my tongue to circle the little pleasure buzzer. Meanwhile, I gave her rhythmic thrusts with just the tip of one finger.


    It was enough. She groaned and shifted and humped her hips back against me, trying to get more of me inside.


    ¡°Gods you¡¯re sexy,¡± Regina muttered, and then the kissing began. In the meantime, she slowly and forcefully shoved herself down onto my cock over, and over, and again. Riding me without hurry, savoring the whole of the experience, and now that Tara was involved, trying to make sure she could enjoy Tara just as much as she was enjoying me.


    Tara eventually came like that, shuddering and moaning until she bucked and humped against my face. With Regina on her nipples there was nothing to be done. Regina came at the same time, and that was almost enough to send me off, but I held on thanks to Durability.


    Because someone needed a load shot inside her.


    Tara had slumped to the side after an intense orgasm, but perked up when I slid one leg aside and slowly sank my length into her. I kept petting the thigh high stockings she had on, admiring the difference in texture between her ass and the material.


    Regina decided this was a spectacle that needed watching. She hoisted Tara¡¯s long leg up my body and made sure I was hanging on, then got down close so she could see every thrust.


    ¡°You two are so hot,¡± she breathed.


    ¡°That¡¯s so embarrassing,¡± Tara said, throwing a hand over her eyes so she wouldn¡¯t have to watch. And that meant she didn¡¯t see Regina leaning in with tongue outstretched to get at her clit. Meanwhile Tara¡¯s wetness accommodated me perfectly, pushing me ever closer to my own explosion.


    Somehow, seeing Regina¡¯s wanton behavior did it for me. I groaned loudly in warning.


    ¡°Cum in her,¡± Regina hissed. ¡°She wants it. You want it, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Tara, forehead slick with sweat and eyes shaded by her forearm, nodded wordlessly.


    I had a powerful mental image of Tara wandering around our shared house with her hands cradling a bulge in her stomach, popping out her belly button. Her breasts were swollen and leaked milk. She had her hands on her lower back and winced, but she still looked over her shoulder at me like I needed to be giving her even more seed. I needed to bend her over and let her know I was still committed to her even though she had my child inside her. And in my mental image, I saw myself bend her over the dishes she was doing, and take her just like that.


    That did it. This is Christopher letting out a strangled groan and once again trying to breed Tara.

 83- Sideswiper

    , she said psychically.


    ¡°There are plenty of ways for us to show each other affection,¡± I said, ¡°and physically is one of those. You haven¡¯t had the opportunity to mate previously?¡±


    It turned out she was the only one of her kind in town. Shakindria was running her lips over my forehead now, and had one set of hands down the back of my shirt, feeling the smooth skin and the beginnings of muscles. Another set of hands was running up and down my pecs and abs, which still weren¡¯t amazing. Another point or three of Physicality would do it¡­ if I ever got that many attribute points.


    ¡°You can remove the shirt if you like,¡± I told her.


    My shirt was gone about half a second later.


    Her ardor and excitement for this were getting to me, and I ran my hands up and down her thighs, around her ass, then up her back.


    ¡°I have¡­ to tell you something,¡± I said.


    , she told me. The urgency in her tone told me we were about to dock in her port.


    ¡°I have an ability granted to me by a god, The Lovers.¡± And I explained as quickly as I could about Entwined Ecstasy: how it granted powers.


    As soon as I nodded she levitated me off the chair and began to yank my clothing off. It was like being held in a giant¡¯s hand, though much softer than I would have imagined possible. When her hands couldn¡¯t do the job, a telekinetic fist grabbed hold of my pants and pulled them down over my legs and off, where they flew across the room.


    Her own body straightened and her pants exploded off her without a visible sign. Next, her shirt unknotted itself and fell to the floor.


    Opening Affinity to see the magic at work, I began to detect a purple current of power emerging from the gem at her forehead, and the swirl of power coalescing throughout her body.


    Whatever change took Nakamamon when they were aroused, it was in full effect now. Nipples had appeared, darker yellow that was nearly brown. The juncture of her thighs was already slick with moisture, running down the insides of her thighs in rivulets.


    There was hunger in her mental voice, on seeing my erection bare. One hand drifted over it, while several other hands reached out and traveled over my thighs and down my calves. One more hand cupped my balls, and she peered at it in fascination.


    ¡°It will need to go inside you,¡± I told her. Although floating, I felt I could sit up and move against the cupping platform she¡¯d created telekinetically. ¡°But I simply must kiss you¡­¡±


    She swam forward through the air and locked lips with me, eyes closed and humming into my mind. Contentment, hunger, interest, and other emotions slid over my brain and caressed my emotions, while hands encircled my shaft and her legs slide along my thighs. Her tongue slid over mine and we began to rotate midair while we kissed.


    What I wouldn¡¯t have given for extra pairs of limbs. I tried getting my hands on every part of this goddess, touching her legs, her ass, cupping her perfect breasts.


    One hand lined me up with her slit and she pushed back against me. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As soon as the head sank into her tight confines, her eyes flew open and a gasp came from her throat. It was the first sound she¡¯d made that traveled to my ears.


    And what a pleasurable music it was. I drew out slightly and plunged back in, delighted at the second gasp of pleasure and shock. At the same time, her feelings came into me: surprise, the shock I was hearing, and the velvety sweet feel of pleasure overtaking everything else.


    By rotating us midair, I was now on top, and I pulled on her ass while driving downward to sink in further. Throwing back her head, she let out a loud moan.


    The special ability appeared, asking whether I¡¯d like to bring Shakindria into the fold via Entwined Ecstasy, and I gave my consent. The Likability Token appeared, went and vanished a moment later. The sparkles left over sank into the two of us, and the pressure on my cock seemed to double.


    ¡°Ohhhh,¡± she groaned. More pleasure and wonderment flooded through the bond she had with my mind, telling me exactly how good I was doing.


    ¡°That is definitely true,¡± I ground out through gritted teeth.


    One minute of passionate sex became two, two became five, and all the while Shakindria¡¯s hold over her telekinesis wavered more and more. The signals I was receiving in my mind became erratic as the pleasure intensified. Finally I grabbed onto her as her climax approached, and reached out with my feet to get hold of the floor. It was all I could do, as the climax washed over this gorgeous creature¡¯s body. Her pussy clamped onto my shaft and nearly caused me to cum deep inside, but I was far from finished.


    Next, I had her on her hands and knees, and took hold of one of her pairs of arms in order to keep her from collapsing onto her face. I loved the feeling of her clutching at my full length, but more than that, I loved the ability to make this silent vixen cry out with her actual mouth, and lose control of her powers. Several more minutes passed, with the only sounds being our flesh slapping and her ecstatic gasps.


    ¡°Uh, again!¡± she gasped, and clamped down on me with her abdominal muscles yet again. That was the final straw; with a shout I blasted her insides with my seed.


    ***


    The floor of Shakindria¡¯s apartment was warm, and not unpleasant, being a smooth hardwood that was treated and varnished. Shakindria¡¯s body was pleasant to touch as well, and with her head resting on my chest, I was able to smell the natural scent of her scalp. I was willing to bet she used peppermint oil or something like it.


    She hummed into my chest, like, ¡°Hmmmmm,¡± a sound I felt in my brain. That feeling was chock full of ease, satisfaction, and a complete lack of any anxiety or negative emotions.


    she asked with her brain.


    ¡°I will definitely try,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s my understanding that this town has quite a few afflicted gods, and also, I might be able to treat these people.¡± Now that I had my fifth special ability for growing the remedy plants I needed, I could probably spend weeks treating a great deal of the townsfolk¡­ what they would do once they got their minds back I had no idea. They couldn¡¯t just camp out outside the town like we were. They didn¡¯t have homes or access to any of the basic necessities. Water that wasn¡¯t tainted¡­ well, Regina and I had found that, but it was miles away.


    It would be better if I could find the source of the affliction and take care of all these people at once. That would¡¯ve been next on the list, after healing all the minor gods, except somebody was about to throw a monkey wrench into all my plans.


    I had just received enough experience in Pleasure Seeker to help me level up to 18, but first, I needed that sweet new special ability from Shakindria. I ignored the level up for now.


    This UI message that arrived pertained to bringing her into the fold.


    Okay. Psyspeech was identical to what I thought it was going to be.


    That was definitely awesome. I was curious about a few things, but decided to test it out right here and now. The initial check was Easy, with a difficulty of just 1 success, and my level 6 Affinity plus 1 level of Psyspeech was enough. After this it would be more challenging.


    I told her with my mind.


    the response came back.


    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome.¡±


    We lay and cuddled for a time, until I told her that, regrettably, this was a work day and I was on the clock.


    Man, being my own boss was awesome.


    She continued to trail the fingers on six different hands over my bare skin for a time, before allowing me to sit up. She grabbed my pants and shirt with her mind and floated them over to me, so I could get dressed, but didn¡¯t bother with her own nakedness. she told me mentally.


    I made a promise I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be coming back. Count on it.¡±


    Then I left. For a good long while.


    Out in the town, I still had to be careful not to trip over people who seemed to be either spaced out or in a coma. Without the red haze, everything here seemed plain old again. Just a town, nothing to see here, some of the buildings appear to be made of crystal, sure, and others undulate when you walk by them, like you¡¯re the t-rex. I was wondering if Larelle and Chrysta would return to retrieve me when I heard it.


    ¡°Fletcher¡­¡±


    My head snapped around.


    ¡°Cinzy?¡± I asked. The voice was unmistakable all on its lonesome, but she also had an ability to throw her voice like this. And her using that ability was probably bad. She was either trying to trick or lure me, or she was in trouble.


    Shakindria asked, and my head snapped around again. She was leaning out of the second story window of her smithy, still nude save for her silvery jewelry, and I had a strong urge to head back up into the house and have another antigravity frack session.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I told her, and headed over in the direction of where the sound seemed to originate. ¡°I heard something¡­¡±


    she asked.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be necessary,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯m hoping that voice doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s danger.¡±


    Was that her face peeking out from behind a building over there? I narrowed my eyes, and with Eagle Eyes I found myself looking at half of Cinzy¡¯s head. For only a moment. She disappeared behind the building.


    ¡°I will¡­ speak with you later,¡± I told her, and began pelting off before I could hear her reply.


    ¡°Fletcher¡­¡± Cinzy¡¯s voice came again.


    The town wasn¡¯t large; only a good twenty minute walk from front to back, though it was wide on the enormous flaps of the wingy-thingies of the Humpalumpagus. Since I was heading through the town and not up either side of the swoosh shape, it wasn¡¯t long before I came to the end of the buildings and spun in a circle.


    ¡°Cinzy? Is that you?¡± Silly question; it was definitely her. But people do and say some pretty silly things when they don¡¯t think anybody is watching. Hell, they say some pretty silly things when people are there and their brains aren¡¯t working properly.


    There. I caught sight of her off to my left, towards the smaller swoosh wingy-thingy. She disappeared behind another building, and I rushed towards it like a very smart person would. This was clearly a trap.


    I ducked into the first alley I came to in order to try to head her off, and when I was a block down, I skidded to a stop, looking around.


    ¡°Fletcher¡­¡±


    Cinzy was just one building away, staring at me, though she had a morose look to her, like she was doing something distasteful.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± I called. Two steps took her out of sight, and I gritted my teeth. I knew I needed to head back, to grab the girls. Tara could get an aerial survey with Airaconda, Regina had a fast movement ability, and the Guardians obviously had their abilities to keep me out of harm¡¯s way. What did I have? The ability to grow plants fast.


    But here¡¯s the thing: I¡¯d been in this world for a good three months now, and nothing, I mean nothing, had made me feel like I was in actual imminent danger. The only time that came close was when I stared down Blake and felt the Intimidation power pour the fear into me. I¡¯d been up in the air on a flying lake dragon. I¡¯d been deep underground with the threat of drowning on the table. I¡¯d been in a town where all the natives were turning into sadness zombies. I had nearly died, though I didn¡¯t know what I was doing at the time, from touching the divine, and I hadn¡¯t been scared.


    Honestly, even seeing the Scorchomp, the draconic flame lizard that was probably the size of a medium bus, I¡¯d only been amazed at the size of the thing rather than afraid it was coming to eat my face. Fire aspects probably ate crystals or creatures like Trent¡¯s Nakamamon Garnet, which was nothing more than a huge gem.


    Last, I was much stronger than when I entered this world. I was possibly four times stronger, if the attributes mapped like that. I had tons of abilities, and plenty of Tokens, even if I didn¡¯t want to spend them. I had tools in my toolkit. What did I have to be afraid of?


    So when I tell people that my sense of fear was wasted and withered, and I wasn¡¯t scared, they might rightly accuse me of being a damn idiot, but at least they understand that there was nothing I thought was going to try and kill me. I might find Cinzy afflicted with some illness that I could get her out of, which projected psychic images and sounds into my head. I might find a Nakamamon that was using the image of Cinzy in my brain to get me to see something, like a faithful dog trying to point humans toward something hurt. It could¡¯ve been anything.


    When I came around the corner, I ended up ensnared in a net.


    ¡°Cinzy!¡± I called, not realizing what was going on or why.


    ¡°There we go. Don¡¯t hurt him,¡± someone was saying.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hurt him,¡± another someone said. ¡°I don¡¯t mind one bit.¡± I recognized that voice.


    ¡°We need him,¡± the first someone said.


    ¡°We need him alive,¡± the familiar voice said. ¡°Boss didn¡¯t say we needed him totally unharmed.¡±


    ¡°Look, man, I didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    A strange sound pelted through the air and my whole world went dim for a second before I understood what had just happened. I was on the ground and nursing a bruised tailbone before I could identify the sound¡ªelectricity¡ªand the super-fast blackout feeling. Another thing that happened was a hood was placed over my head, or rather someone¡¯s t-shirt being used as a blindfold, now tied behind my head.


    I¡¯d been electrocuted. This would be the work of Wendell the storm ferret, or whatever his Nakamamon was actually called, and his human Ranger buddy, Timmy.


    ¡°How much do I need to dance for you, Timmy?¡± I asked.


    ¡°How does he¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut. Up.¡± The second voice said. ¡°We¡¯re not doing names, okay? You¡¯re boss and I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°Timmy,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re Timmy, Ranger, you were level 16 when I interviewed you. You¡¯ve got a storm ferret called Wendell. And right now I¡¯m really glad you aren¡¯t on my team.¡±


    Another quick zap shorted out my ears. I had no clear idea of how long I was out of commission¡ªa few milliseconds or a few minutes¡ªbut when I could hear again, it was an argument.


    ¡°¡ªhurt him. That guy is a jackass and he can eat farts. What I just gave him doesn¡¯t even begin to cover that he deserves. Fuck him, and if you¡¯re gonna get on my case, fuck you too.¡±


    ¡°Walk away, Timmy.¡±


    ¡°I told you not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Walk. Away.¡± Boss had used that intimidate ability on him, that much was clear by the mana-infused words. I felt their power, but I wasn¡¯t the subject of the special ability, so the deep and resonant boom that turned Boss into a being of terror didn¡¯t affect me. This made it crystal clear Boss was a Guardian.


    Timmy made a frightened sound and turned to run off. I heard a clatter, which I¡¯d later confirm was Timmy scrabbling, knocking into one of the makeshift houses, and clawing at the walls in an effort to get away just as fast as possible.


    ¡°You guys running a team out here?¡± I asked.


    Boss sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not in a position to be asking questions, are you? Look, man, I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m under orders to capture you and blindfold you. I don¡¯t even know how you can go into this podunk without contracting the sleepies. What I do know is that my orders are to bring you in, so that¡¯s what I¡¯m gonna do.¡±


    ¡°Cinzy?¡± I called. ¡°Cinzy, are you there?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, Fletcher,¡± I heard, from further off.


    I turned my blindfolded face towards her to simulate that I was talking to her. Then, I engaged Psyspeech so I could make this private. Boy did it suck to need to use this so soon after I¡¯d gotten it. Boy was I happy to have the ability.


    Thankfully, I succeeded the difficulty 3 check.


    I told her with my mind, even though she couldn¡¯t listen. The words just appeared in her mind.


    There was no way I would succeed the next attempt, so I¡¯d have to try again tomorrow. And there was no way for Cinzy to communicate back with me to show me she got the message, except¡­


    A gasp followed.


    ¡°What just happened?¡±


    ¡°I got a splinter,¡± Cinzy grumped. ¡°The one wooden house on this block and it had to be the one I put my hand on.¡±


    She sounded convincing to my ears.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move out,¡± Boss said, and two people helped me to my feet, then started marching me away from the town of Glumpdumpkin. I made sure not to help them out.


    This is Christopher in his new role as a hostage.

 84- Who Gets Humperdinck?

    When the hood was removed and I was shocked at the bright sunlight still streaming down on me, it was to a completely different scene than before. I took a look around, tried to anyway, until a hand clamped onto my face and steered me back toward the gigantic and furious visage of Blake. Only gigantic because it was inches from mine, and only furious because that was Blake¡¯s resting birch face.


    ¡°Oh,¡± I managed, through his iron grip smooshing the sides of my face. ¡°Hey Lake.¡±


    If Blake was a mountain of muscle before, he was the Everest of muscle now. His muscles had muscles. His neck had been eclipsed by the biggest fracking trapezius muscles I¡¯d seen outside of a comic book. He looked impossible, like humans shouldn¡¯t be able to manage this.


    Because aside from his missing neck and gigantic traps, his trunk tapered down to a stacked and chiseled eight pack of abs.


    ¡°This little putz,¡± Blake hissed. ¡°This is the Healer from the other team in town?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± another familiar voice said from behind me. I started turning my head again, only to have Blake¡¯s iron grip squeeze a little and begin what would certainly pop my head like a grape.


    ¡°Rat? Zat you?¡± What the hullabaloo was Drat doing here?


    So Blake was the first person I¡¯d met here who wasn¡¯t enamored with the job and didn¡¯t love seeing newbies¡­ or he was just a dick. He had a thing for Regina, and she didn¡¯t have a thing for him. That had made him real angry for some reason. It wasn¡¯t like a guy with this kind of physique should have a problem getting women to sleep with him.


    Drat¡¯s soft curse was the confirmation I needed. He was here.


    Okay, to put things together in my head: Blake had been given some kind of awful assignment after he¡¯d used a special ability on me. When Timmy hadn¡¯t gotten the job on my team, he¡¯d either applied to be on Blake¡¯s team or just deserted his post at the HQ. Which meant Timmy¡¯s friends could be here too, the ones who did not like me much. They weren¡¯t thrilled to be forced to clean up my mess in the saga of the God of Footfalls.


    Fact: I had been taken, which meant they needed me alive. I doubted this was specifically so Blake could pound my skull into a paste on the ground here, but that was one possibility. What was far more likely was they needed something healed. They had someone who was ill or broken bones and needed that person fixed right away.


    ¡°Lake?¡± I asked, my face still very smooshed. The one thing I did not want was to antagonize the unstable and very muscular douche canoe. ¡°Han oo eggo I hace?¡± Or, in ¡®unable to talk properly¡¯.


    ¡°You are going to do what I ask, or things are going to get really ugly for you,¡± he breathed. His breath did not smell of peppermint and joy. ¡°The number one thing you will not do is ask questions, or attempt to go running off.¡±


    ¡°O-hey,¡± I said, attempting to look as cute and harmless as possible with my face squished on either side and head immobilized.


    ¡°The number two thing you¡¯re not going to do is begin to ask stupid questions. There are a couple of dangerous questions going around getting people hurt. Badly.¡±


    He released my head, and I spent the next few seconds massaging my jaw.


    Dangerous questions¡­ for a second I considered the possibility that there was a god of asking questions and that this was yet another thing I needed to heal up, then gave myself a hard mental slap. What he meant was, asking questions around Blake was going to get me hurt, and that I should keep my trap shut. The less I understood and knew, the better.


    Which was obviously bullshirt. I was going to find out everything I could as soon as I could.


    ¡°Now, this is what you are going to do. We have a member of our team who has himself some injuries he got while adventuring in this wild and dangerous land. You¡¯re going to heal those injuries.¡±


    I opened and closed my mouth several times.


    ¡°You know that you could have brought him to my team¡¯s camp and I would have been happy to deal with this, with a fully stocked laboratory, heating element, cauldron, herbs and plant materials, and more importantly the solutions I need¡ª¡°


    Blake scowled down at me.


    ¡°¡ªfor creating potions, elixirs, and tinctures and such that can¡¯t be easily made in this world and have to be imported from earth.¡±


    ¡°Rainer could just heal someone by touching them,¡± he said.


    ¡°Rainer is also level one million. You can take your injured team member back to him if you want instant healing with a touch, because I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Baring his teeth at me made Blake look feral. Eyes narrowed, face pinched, muscles bulging, he appeared like a cornered animal. He hadn¡¯t been taking the anti-magic pills.


    In that moment I knew he was up to no good. Something bad was happening and he was going to just have me along as part of his group now. Maybe they would steal all my lab materials from the camp, maybe they would just try to get me to work without them, but Blake was off the reservation on this one. He was going against whatever HQ wanted him to do.


    First, this meant he had no intention of letting me go. I would (and could) do the work he wanted me to do, but as long as I knew he wasn¡¯t playing by HQ rules, I was a liability that would be better dead than spilling what I knew to anyone outside this circle. Now that I knew who he was, I wasn¡¯t going to be allowed to go anywhere.


    ¡°How long has it been?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Since you took the anti-magic pill,¡± I said. ¡°Two weeks? Longer?¡±


    Blake¡¯s ham fist crashed into his other hand with a sickening crunch. He then picked up a piece of firewood and literally crushed it with his bare hand. ¡°I will not have you misunderstanding me, Fletcher. You are going to heal my people.¡±


    What was his Physicality? Above 12, like Cinzy¡¯s unbelievable Likability?


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said. ¡°If I can. These are checks made with my skills and attributes, and those are made a heck of a lot easier with all the tools and materials.¡±


    ¡°He has an ability where he can breathe healing onto someone,¡± Drat said from somewhere behind me. Since Blake was the size of a barn door and he¡¯d forbidden me from moving, I couldn¡¯t see my Rogue, but I recognized his voice anywhere.


    Blake¡¯s open hand slap sent me to the ground. It was upside my head before I could register the motion. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it broke the fracking sound barrier. I lost a good chunk of my HP on that one. I gritted my teeth and spent an immediate Durability token with Healer¡¯s Resistance. I gained an immediate 3% to my physical damage resistance. Which gave me a plan I didn¡¯t like much, but one that would work in the end.


    ¡°Should¡¯ve led with that one, Fletcher. Would¡¯ve saved you some pain. Now, let¡¯s get you healing.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Who gets Humperdinck?¡± my father demanded.


    I blinked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Who kills Humperdinck?¡± he repeated. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Nobody,¡± I said, quoting one of my favorite childhood movies.


    ¡°At the end, who kills this Blake bastard? Is it Chrysta? Does she freeze him to death with her ghost powers or something? Does Larelle rip him in half from nuts to nape?¡±


    ¡°Nobody kills Humperdinck,¡± I repeated.


    He threw up his oily, greasy hands. ¡°Come on, kid! You can¡¯t just have a gross and irredeemable villain character who doesn¡¯t get his comeuppance. How¡¯d you get him in the end?¡±


    ¡°Dad, I was there for weeks. You have to know, this is only three months into my stay. I¡¯ve been there for six months¡­ when I left Sara was just finding out she was pregnant, and now she looks like you could pop her with a pin. I have weeks with Blake and his people. They¡¯re not fun.¡±


    ¡°Not my son,¡± he muttered, low enough that he thought I wouldn¡¯t hear. But somebody didn¡¯t have Eagle Eyes any longer.


    ¡°Hm?¡± I asked.


    He moved deeper into his workshop and pretended to rummage through tools looking for the one he needed. ¡°Injustice like that in front of your nose, my son wouldn¡¯t let that kind of nonsense go unpunished.¡±


    My heart ached for him a little there.


    He took to wiping the engine grease off his hands and pointed at me holding the formerly blue rag. ¡°You skip past all this nonsense with your mother. In fact, you might as well get through it all with me, and we¡¯ll condense it all down to a couple sentences, then boom you¡¯re practically back home.¡±


    I pursed my lips in thought. ¡°I¡­ guess.¡±


    ¡°And then you tell me how long it took before your Rangers figured out where you were, and the team snuck you out of there under cover of night or what-have-you.¡±


    ¡°Dad¡ª¡±


    ¡°And you also tell me how many people got really messed up in the fight between your people and Blake¡¯s, and we¡¯ll figure out how to soften the blow when your mother and Sare-bear hear this part.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think Mom and Sarah needed the blows softened. They were tough as hell, what with Mom going through chemo several times and Sarah having her ass kicked by at least one of her sleazeball exes.


    I realized too late that my father was calling her Sare-bear again. Like she was twelve and hadn¡¯t yet declared that she hated them.


    ***


    The special ability Healer¡¯s Breath worked like this.


    The ability was specifically created so that it didn¡¯t eliminate symptoms all together. If you had, let¡¯s say, a coronavirus that ravaged the whole planet for a couple of years, my ability would keep people alive on a day-to-day basis. It would not cure them. It would not stop them from being miserable. It would heal them up, just a bit, and make their bodies capable of handling another day sick.


    Luckily for a sickness like a coronavirus that ravaged the whole planet for a couple of years, the recovery was generally going to happen within two weeks. The human body had some defense against a coronavirus, even one that would kill millions worldwide.


    This was not earth. These were not earth diseases, and the human body was not equipped to handle the sorts of diseases found on this planet. Lucky for us, infection from damage sources on this world were rare. Nakamamon didn¡¯t typically poison, envenom, or inflict illnesses on us humans. They would if they had to, but this wasn¡¯t hunt-or-be-hunted world, this was cute-and-cuddly-creature world.


    They could affect humans with their emotions, like what had happened to the natives of Slinktrickle, and they could use mana to make all kinds of things happen.


    Then there were the gods.


    Divine beings had some pretty unique ways of self-destructing. As I¡¯d seen so far, they had a short radius where their sphere of influence went haywire. From the mundane and ignorable¡ªthe God of Footfalls¡ªto the embarrassing and mortifying¡ªthe God of Apparel¡ªmost of these were harmless, silly, and sometimes saucy. But they could bring some more serious problems, like whatever was going on in Glumpdumpkin.


    This was why being a Healer was so important.


    ¡°Drat,¡± I said, ¡°Report what¡¯s happening here to camp. That¡¯s an order.¡±


    This time I wasn¡¯t swatted on the side of the head¡ªwhich hurt, if anyone was wondering¡ªbut kicked in the middle of the thigh. This one smarted. I clutched at it, not caring about the pain so much as the second opportunity to spend a Durability Token to grow my physical damage resistance. I was going to have to space these out, and somehow get my Durability Tokens back, or else I was just going to be a punching bag they wouldn¡¯t allow to die.


    Still, the damage was done. Now if Drat didn¡¯t carry out my express order, he was going to have a lot of trouble getting experience points. Right now, this was all I could manage. In the future, if I had anything to say about it, he would find himself before Rus and the other high level HQ people.


    What a cuntaluntagus.


    After laying there and trying to ease the pain for a few minutes, I was ¡®helped up¡¯ by several people who had better control over their prodigious strength.


    Now that I could actually get a look around, it appeared that Blake had more than a few other high Physicality Guardians with him. A lot of these were big white boys, but two were big black fellas, and one was a woman almost as thick and brutish as Larelle. They were all human.


    What I recalled hearing about Blake was that he was sent out to do land surveys or magic surveys or Nakamamon surveys as part of a group of Wizards. Wizards were the ones who grabbed up xp from cataloguing things.


    Weird that I couldn¡¯t see a single Wizard.


    Yet.


    And I was pretty sure there was no way Blake had come out here with ten Guardians I could see. The question of Timmy remained an open one. Had he deserted his post as a runner of messages in HQ, or had he been ordered to bring the rest of Guardians out to rendezvous with Blake and company?


    My money was on ¡®something I couldn¡¯t imagine yet¡¯ going on here, and I just needed to keep my eyes open to suss out what.


    And with that, I got to the first Wizard.


    The first one I was taken to see was bruises all over. He lay there staring up at the ceiling of his tent and pointedly ignored what was some kind of awful wound on one leg. Blake wouldn¡¯t fit in this tent, so another figure came into the large dome tent with me, the guy who was called Boss by Timmy. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t talk,¡± Boss said. Not that he was physically unable to talk, Boss delivered the warning in a tone that suggested he could talk, but wasn¡¯t allowed.


    Forking. Yikes.


    Peeling away homemade bandages, sopping blood, made my patient hiss out several pained breaths. He also did that thing where he reaches out in an attempt to clutch at his wound, but also doesn¡¯t want to touch it, so it looks like he¡¯s trying to his wound back to normal with the force of a high ranked cultivator.


    If only I were a Battle Healer. Pff, if that were the case I¡¯d be teleporting around the place and blasting these people to pieces by igniting their internal stores of mana. Also it wouldn¡¯t take days to heal things, but minutes.


    I pulled myself out of fantasy land and got to work on the Wizard. Something had bitten him, and I would¡¯ve laid money on it being one of those Geodiles.


    ¡°I¡¯m a Healer,¡± I told him.


    ¡°I said he doesn¡¯t talk,¡± Boss snapped.


    ¡°Well then we¡¯ll have to be narrating all this to myself, and to give my poor mute patient some peace of mind, because one of the things I do when I¡¯m stressed and in a pickle is talk a lot.¡± This was a lie but it came out smoothly. Still, there was a brief moment where I panicked, seeing the Deceit check come up.


    This is Christopher about to earn himself a punch in the face.

 87- Saving Lives and Using Leverage

    I was just getting my Token back after only three and a half hours of meditation with the skill when a cry went up, and the Guardians were sprinting up the hill with the Wizards over their shoulders.


    ¡°What the¡ª¡±


    I started unpacking the backpack I¡¯d brought along, frowning at the scene. One of the Wizards was soaking wet, and blood ran down one leg visible under the robes. The other was missing also pale with shock, though he hadn¡¯t been harmed. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    An application of Healer¡¯s Breath didn¡¯t do enough, so I whipped up a potion to heal in a few minutes, using Treatment (Potions) with a few of the herbs I¡¯d brought. Afterwards, I asked either of them if they could cool down the potion, and the shocked Wizard just blinked at me.


    ¡°Frost spell,¡± I said, getting in his face. ¡°Now.¡±


    He chanted the words and made the motions with his hands, and as soon as he touched it, my boiling potion in the tin cup cooled enough for me to feed it to the other Wizard. He was unconscious, so that meant ordering the Guars to hold his head a certain way. When that didn¡¯t work, because I wasn¡¯t Boss or Blake, Cinzy came over and got the dying Wizard into position.


    I dribbled the healing potion into his mouth, and the throat did its work automatically. Thankfully, I watched his hit points stop dipping from the blood loss, and begin to tick up. They¡¯d been about to hit zero.


    ¡°How are you two so absolutely terrible at your jobs that this guy nearly died?¡± I demanded. ¡°There are three of you. What in the devil is wrong with you?¡±


    Taunt check success. Nice.


    Only one of them had the good grace to appear ashamed. The other two snorted, and the one, a guy with curly strawberry blonde hair and a few freckles, casually shoved me backwards. I was about to go sprawling, but the temporary Physicality Token helped me roll and come right back up on my feet. The one damage I¡¯d suffered was enough, and I sank my temporary Token into physical damage resistance.


    ¡°They¡¯re doing it on purpose,¡± Cinzy said.


    ¡°Doing what on purpose? Throwing the Wizards to the sharks?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    I rocked back on my heels, and looked at the Guardians in a new light. These¡­ people, these pieces of shirt, were deliberately pushing the Wizards into danger. But for what?


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± the one Guardian said, ¡°you go ahead and judge us. Go on then.¡± He took several menacing steps toward me. ¡°You get your experience points the easy way, you just find things that are sick, and you work on makin¡¯ em better. I bet I¡¯d be level forty-some if I were healing in a world that¡¯s sick.¡±


    Level¡­ forty-something? Did they think experience just fell out of trees? I worked my butt off and wasn¡¯t even level 20 yet.


    ¡°Guardians get fuck-all,¡± he snarled. ¡°You think life is so grand, makin¡¯ people love you every time you give em a potion. Not grand, not for us. Nothing attacking us on the journey. No marauding armies we gotta hold back. There¡¯s no xp to be found anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Should¡¯ve been a Healer then,¡± I told him. ¡°Then again, you might be running around giving the natives diseases just to have a chance to heal them up.¡±


    The Taunt check was very successful, and I knew that because the other Guardian barreled into this freckled one to keep him from tearing me apart.


    ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± he was grunting. ¡°Boss says we have to keep him alive.¡±


    ¡°And we don¡¯t kill,¡± the third Guardian said.


    ¡°Fletcher, what are you doing?¡± Cinzy hissed.


    ¡°Oh come on,¡± I continued. ¡°You can¡¯t change your class to Assassin? Because you¡¯re the worst Guardians imaginable.¡±


    The two who were holding back Freckles both looked my way, as the Taunt succeeded. ¡°You need to shut the fuck up, Squishy. We¡¯re all that¡¯s keeping Todd from tearing you in half.¡±


    ¡°You kill me,¡± I said, ¡°all these Wizards die, and then the only xp you¡¯ll get is trying to protect Todd from your Boss. Not a point of Ingenuity between the lot of you, is there?¡±


    ¡°Fletcher, stop it!¡± Cinzy tried again.


    Another Taunt success. Another Durability and Physicality Token for just an hour. Cinzy wasn¡¯t entirely wrong; what was I doing here?


    Todd and the other two all reacted¡­ poorly. The two who were holding back Todd released their grip, and Todd gave a mighty roar. He charged, a mutated, overly muscled linebacker closing in on someone who, at best, had a climber¡¯s build.


    Cinzy let out a squeak that was both adorable and filled with concern over what my condition was about to be.


    I had to wait for the last moment before using my temporary Physicality Tokens, along with one of my regular ones. When I did, it was to launch myself up into the tree at my back, and heft myself onto the branch just in time to hear Todd slam face first into the trunk. The thud had some crunch in it, and also some wetter sounds. Both the other two guards and Cinzy all went ¡®Ohhhhh!¡¯ with horror and dismay.


    I peered down to see Todd¡¯s face a mass of red. He was out cold, the big dumb idiot.


    ¡°Fletcher!¡±


    I was not fast enough, nor did I have the Physicality Tokens to avoid the big grabbing hands clutch my body and wrench me out of the tree.


    This is how I knocked my chin on the branch and got knocked the F out.


    ***


    Temporary Durability and Physicality Tokens lasted an hour.


    I came to and figured out the situation with only about three minutes to spend my temporary Durability Token and boost my physical damage resistance yet again. This had come at a high cost, though later factors made up for the pain and loss of hp. In a big way.


    They¡¯d rigged up a bier for me out of sleeping bags and tree branches, so although the going was bumpy and I had a bit of a headache, I was pretty comfortable. More comfortable than being tied to a tree, that was for sure.


    Todd was next to me, still unconscious. I had a look over his condition with Diagnosis and found he only had a handful of hit points left. He must have taken some serious damage ¡®guarding¡¯ the Wizards, and then even more face planting into a tree trunk.


    Cinzy walked behind, and far behind her, the last Guardian checked the area for threats. I blinked at Cinzy and tried to use Psyspeech again.


    Success.


    I told her, and again her eyes widened.


    She nodded at this.


    Sadly I ran out of time on Psyspeech, or I would have talked longer.


    A doubtful look grossed her face, and she literally chewed over this idea by biting her lower lip. Now, Cinzy was undeniably the most beautiful person I¡¯d ever met, and her chewing on her lower lip was enough to drive any man out of his mind. I closed my eyes and tried to get some meditation done, so that I¡¯d have some hit points by the time we reached Blake¡¯s camp.


    ***


    ¡°You do get out of this,¡± my mother said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± I confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s not fun, and it gets pretty tense at some points.¡±


    ¡°Like this one,¡± Sarah said. ¡°Ugh. Drat Cinzy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, at first,¡± I said, and let the realization sink in. were the key words in that sentence.


    ***


    Things were not all what they seemed. Sure Blake and his cronies were using the Wizards as xp farms. Yes they were marching the Wizards into danger, only to snatch them out at the last minute to save their lives. And a few times the last minute.


    But no, I was about to find out that what I thought I knew about Cinzy and Drat were wrong. Dead wrong.


    The first thing that happened, once the Wizards and their captive Healer were once again shackled up, was Blake and Boss approached their Guardian buddies and conferred about what had happened.


    After some roaring laughter and swearing, they stormed over to where I was holed up in my wood shelter, and Blake ripped the door off.


    are two words I definitely didn¡¯t say.


    ¡°You. Up on your feet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty tired,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Up. On. Your. Feet.¡±


    I turned to behold him. Blake might be too big to fit through the doorway, but he could certainly make his own way. He could tear this house apart without any trouble.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys tired of kicking the snot out of me?¡±


    ¡°You hurt Todd. You heal him up.¡±


    Now I did stand. ¡°I¡¯ll heal any Wizards you guys throw in the jaws of the lions, but I¡¯m not healing any of your guys.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so.¡±


    ¡°A Healer that won¡¯t heal is just an extra mouth to feed,¡± he said.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re agreed then, you can let me go.¡±


    Now he threw back his head and laughed. ¡°Get your ass out here and heal up Todd.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said.


    ¡°Archie?¡± he said.


    I heard a sigh, and a muttered curse about how nobody was supposed to call him by his real name. Then Boss edged his way in, past Blake¡¯s gigantic bulk.


    ¡°Archie?¡± I asked, with perfect innocence.


    ¡°Yeah. You interviewed me.¡±


    ¡°You look completely different,¡± I confessed. ¡°Shaved head, tattoos, and a whole lot of extra Physicality.¡±


    He grunted and untied my wrists, then heaved me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you actually have a chance to level up.¡±


    I was then taken out to one of the tents, where Todd lay in the waning light, and set on my feet.


    ¡°Heal him.¡±


    ¡°I already refused.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re low on hit points, Squishy,¡± Boss said, ¡°Don¡¯t make me¡ª¡°


    ¡°Kill me? A Guardian is supposed to protect, not kill.¡±


    ¡°A Healer is supposed to heal, not allow people to suffer.¡±


    I just arched an eyebrow at him. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s weird that I pushed Todd into an oncoming tree and he bashed his face, just so I could heal him up to farm some experience.¡±


    He scowled at the implication that he was putting people in harm¡¯s way deliberately, so he could save them and get the experience points.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said loudly, ¡°I¡¯m definitely not going to pull a weapon and attempt to murder this guy. That¡¯s what a Healer doesn¡¯t do. I¡¯m not going to shove him into a cloud of poison gas either, because that¡¯s what a Healer doesn¡¯t do, and I¡¯m¡ª¡°


    ¡°Shut up and get on with it.¡±


    I frowned, peering down at Todd in the gloom of encroaching darkness. ¡°Actually I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Heal him. That¡¯s not a request.¡±


    I bent down. Already, Affinity told me the bad news, but I had to see what had caused it. A quick Diagnosis check told me everything I needed to know. ¡°I mean I would, now that I¡¯ve got a sword point at my back¡­ but I can¡¯t. He¡¯s dead.¡±


    Boss¡ªArchie¡ªswore and literally threw me bodily out of the way so he could get to Todd. I might have died from the impact, except that Blake caught me midair and set me down.


    ¡°Get back to your lab building.¡±


    I shrugged and headed back.


    Someone had done something to Todd. I couldn¡¯t tell without my tools if it was a pillow to the face, knife to the eardrum, or poison, but Todd wasn¡¯t breathing any longer.


    I needed to speak with Drat, and pronto.


    The first thing that happened was I leveled up in Healer.


    ***


    In the deep of night, I was awakened by a light touch. My eyes shot open and I prepared to defend myself. I half-expected Drat to tell me just what in the heck he had been thinking killing one of those guys.


    Instead Cinzy was right in my personal bubble, inches from my face.


    I darted a look out toward the entrance of my makeshift laboratory.


    ¡°We¡¯re safe,¡± she said. ¡°He¡¯s sleeping.¡± She had no trouble hypnotizing the guards or putting them to sleep. I just hoped we had enough time before the guard¡¯s shift ended and someone came to replace him.


    ¡°What you did today¡­¡± she breathed.


    I nodded. I had lured that Todd guy into a trap, baited him, and it had been painfully obvious. It was just good luck that Todd and the other Guardians were too stupid to see that trap laid right in front of their eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re something special, Fletcher,¡± she murmured, eyes half closed. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to say to that, and Cinzy saved me from saying anything by continuing. ¡°I was right to give you my¡­ to be with you. I knew you were a good guy.¡±


    In order to be quiet enough, we had to be close. Real close. Cinzy got down, laying directly next to me, to breathe in my ear.


    I opened up my sleeping bag and she shuffled in, pressing herself against me. Gods, she wasn¡¯t wearing a bra. My arm got nestled right in her cleavage, which was bountiful, smooth, soft, and perfect. I needed to use better adjectives when describing this goddess.


    ¡°Thank¡­ you¡­¡± Better than nothing, I guess.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about you ever since. I can¡¯t get my mind off you.¡±


    She was going to say more but I leaned forward and kissed her. Her eyes went wide only for a moment, before she kissed me back. This wasn¡¯t a peck, this was passion. She pressed full lips to mine and was soon licking everything she could get her tongue on. Then she had her hands on my shoulders and my chest, rubbing around my body.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you were doing Ivy and Isabelle. One of them probably knew you were so good, and they knew you could give them what they couldn¡¯t give each other¡­ they took advantage of what a good guy you are.¡±


    Swinging one leg over, she straddled me and continued kissing. Now she added grinding to that. Before long she had slid one hand down between us and was rubbing my full length.


    ¡°When we touched, I saw the kind of guy you are,¡± she whispered, and kissed me again. ¡°But I¡­ forgot. When you talk back to Blake¡¯s goons, I see what kind of guy you are.¡±


    One hand slithered into my pants and took hold of me. The kissing continued. She poured all her passion and longing into my mouth, and slid her body against mine.


    ¡°And then you really messed up that jerk.¡± Her shirt went flying off, and I was grateful to have Eagle Eyed, because her naked body was glorious to behold. Curves were soft, over strongly toned muscles. My free hand drifted up to them automatically, gently teasing at her nipples and kneading her flesh.


    ¡°Cinzy, we need to get out of here,¡± I told her in between kisses. My hormones really wanted me inside her, but my brain really wanted me free of Blake and this insanity.


    ¡°I¡­ do you trust me, Fletcher?¡±


    What kind of question was that? She had done a fair amount to erode trust. She was sleeping, if not with the enemy, then the enemy.


    ¡°There¡¯s a plan,¡± she whispered anyway. ¡°Drat has a plan.¡± Still she slowly stroked up and down, teasing, maddening.


    ¡°Then untie me,¡± I told her.


    She scrambled to comply. As much as I didn¡¯t want to go along with this plan, if she and Drat had a way to save these poor Wizards from getting repeatedly sacrificed, I¡¯d do it.


    Hands freed, I stood and backed her into the laboratory¡¯s log wall. I put her hands up and held both wrists in mine.


    ¡°I¡¯m sor¡ª¡± she didn¡¯t have time to say, before I kissed her again. Hard. My newest ability Drive In Deeper had activated and I was rejuvenating hit points at a furious pace. Once we both came, I would get a Likability Token back. It would do.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I need you to know,¡± I told her quietly, while stroking the junction of her thighs. I slipped my hand up under her skirt and then down her panties, where I found her shaven smooth, and already wet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± she breathed. ¡°If it¡¯s Regina, if it¡¯s Tara, if it¡¯s Larelle and Chrysta. I don¡¯t care. I need you.¡±


    ¡°You can have one of my abilities,¡± I told her, skimming her panties down her thighs and off her feet, one after another. I proceeded to flip her skirt up and run my tongue over every available inch. She pressed one hand against my head and began humping my face. I put my enhanced tongue to work, slithering it up inside her while raking the broad part over the little nubbin of flesh. She cried out, then was forced to clamp a hand over her mouth when I used Entwined Ecstasy.


    With the bonus to pleasure, it only took her two minutes to begin shuddering with climax. She began to melt against the wall of the lab bonelessly, and I turned her around so her ass was pointed directly at me. Gods but she was delicious. She still had the piebald patches of light and dark skin everywhere, but the shape of her was perfect: thin, toned, with a nice heart-shaped ass. She wanted me stuffed in there.


    I raised one of her feet and placed it on the makeshift work table Blake¡¯s people had made, and worked a finger up into her back door.


    ¡°You get an ability,¡± I told her, ¡°I get an ability from you.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ okay,¡± she breathed. She clearly didn¡¯t care about anything but the sensations I was giving her.


    ¡°You want my cock?¡± I breathed.


    ¡°Mmmm,¡± was the only response.


    ¡°In your ass?¡±


    Her mouth opened and closed, again and again, until she seemed to realize sound wasn¡¯t coming out. Instead of speaking she nodded.


    ¡°This can¡¯t happen again,¡± I lied, and she made a petulant whimpering sound. ¡°Not here. You help me get out of here, and I¡¯ll do this all the time,¡± I whispered, and pressed forward. I expected more resistance, but her backside opened up to allow the head in, and from there it was only a matter of adding lubrication before slowly thrusting in and out.


    And then, with my health some two thirds full, she was jamming herself back against me, slapping her cheeks against my abs. With one hand clapped over her mouth, she forked herself onto me.


    I luxuriated in this for a time, loving the sight almost as much as the incredible tightness of her ass clamping against me.


    ¡°Did you give this incredible ass to anyone else?¡± I demanded quietly.


    ¡°Nn¡­ nnn¡­¡±


    With a thought, I told the Adaptability Quality to relax, and my cock swelled outwards to its full size. She gave a squeak so adorable and pathetic, I was tempted to tell her I had feelings for her.


    ¡°You promise?¡±


    She nodded, then leaned back when I relaxed the enormous pressure of my full size back down a bit, and kissed me hard. I don¡¯t know how long we remained like that, with her jamming her ass down onto me and kissing, with me running my hands over her boobs and down to play with her clit. She came once, slumped to the wall, and came again when I didn¡¯t stop the assault.


    Every time her ass smashed into my abs it rippled in a delicious way that sent me closer to the edge. Every time she smashed it down she squeezed onto me and gripped my whole cock tight. Every iota of movement only served to drive me crazier.


    Part of me wanted to recreate the mental image of Tara waddling around in the kitchen, seriously pregnant with my spawn. I wanted to pull out and blast up into the right place, make her mine forever. Instead I grabbed her hips and shoved upwards, then pumped everything I had into her bowels.


    This is Christopher using his favorite kind of leverage.

 88- What Is Drat鈥檚 Deal

    I was glad of the weather change, and for the night being comfortable. I was also glad for Durability, because it was almost certainly helping me to stay comfortable in the current weather. It would have been too cold for the old me.


    After absolutely rearranging Cinzy¡¯s understanding of pleasure, we lay there cuddling. I had hopes for another Pleasure Seeker level, but it was not to be.


    The first thing I did was produce the Prismatic Apparel. ¡°You¡¯ll need this,¡± I told her.


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    It came off me as a shirt, but quickly transformed into a slinky cocktail dress. Cinzy looked at me and arched an eyebrow.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make it do that,¡± I told her. She continued staring. ¡°Okay I definitely want to see you in that. Anyway, the reason you¡¯ll need it¡­ just identify it and you¡¯ll see.¡±


    She did, and her eyes lit up. ¡°Holy moly, Fletcher. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Welcome,¡± I said, and began to go through my system works.


    First up, I¡¯d spent 3 Likability Tokens to boost Cinzy¡¯s pleasure, and also to induct her into the fold.


    S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The next UI message that arrived pertained to bringing her into the fold.


    I stared at the screen in fascination for several minutes. The new ability  was common, worked off Likability, and was active. It would require Tokens to activate. On the other hand, it would affect a large amount of people, anyone who heard the wail.


    Meanwhile, Beast Talker was already uncommon and also passive. It granted me bonuses with Nakamamon. I¡¯d already used this to identify and befriend a number of Nakamamon, including Shakindria.


    I decided that this time, I was going to strengthen Beast Talker, just to see what happened. Right now it was nebulous. With luck I could get another chance at gaining .


    All right. That was quick.


    Okay now was a serious increase over the last level. Although it might not help me out of this situation¡­ actually it might. I needed to give it a think, instead of just relying on my Healer abilities to make me punch and kickproof.


    Earlier in the day, I¡¯d reached 19 in Healer, though. When you used Healer¡¯s Breath a lot, negotiated on behalf of your patients and brewed up quick potions, that was enough.


    I hadn¡¯t dealt with it, because of meditation and then being interrupted by Cinzy.


    Level 19: +3 skill points


    Yes! Another three skill points.


    I quickly put one into Divine Resistance, and froze looking at the screen. There were so many. My Potions skill had increased without me spending points on it, so it was possible to just practice my way into leveling up. For now those would remain unspent.


    The last thing was the Great Replenishing. Once I reached level 20 as a Healer, all my spent Tokens would come back. This meant I could (and would) go all out in the short term, spending like a maniac, and grab all my Tokens back one level later.


    Escape wasn¡¯t just possible, it was within reach. What I needed was a plan.


    Cinzy rested her head on my chest and ran fingers over my hip bones and abs. ¡°We need to talk,¡± she breathed.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± I needed to know what was going on with Drat. Did she know? Was she in on it? While this could¡¯ve just been about feelings, or the Ivy and Isabelle situation, I doubted it. Cinzy knew I wanted out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she muttered. ¡°I couldn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ it was this big¡­ deal. It was a big deal, okay?¡±


    With no clear idea what she was talking about, I just waited. This was definitely one of those times where waiting was going to be better than opening my mouth and butting in.


    ¡°I don¡¯t let just anyone¡­¡± she motioned around between her legs. ¡°¡­get in my business. It was special to me. I thought, you know, it was, it was special to you.¡±


    This was the same girl who could talk as smooth as she pleased at any given time. This was the hottest girl I had ever seen. She knew she was, too. She had anyone and everyone wrapped around her finger if she wanted.


    ¡°Listen to me,¡± I told her. ¡°Are you listening?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°I should have told you. In the heat of the moment, I just wanted you. That was my mistake. I should have told you about the others. I tried to, but there wasn¡¯t a right time.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I get that.¡±


    ¡°And if I¡¯m being completely honest, I¡¯d like to avoid dying more than I would like to have this conversation. I want out of here.¡±


    Her face twitched. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You can.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Make me understand.¡±


    ¡°One of the Wizards¡­ is my brother.¡±


    Okay. That was fine. Fine like that meme of the dog in the burning kitchen.


    ¡°Which one?¡± I asked, knowing it didn¡¯t matter. If I was going to save one of these guys, I was going to save them all. But it mattered enough to Cinzy to being me out here.


    ¡°Chris. He¡¯s the¡­ he looks like me.¡±


    No, he didn¡¯t. If I¡¯d noticed a male version of a bikini model cover girl, I¡¯d remember it. However, I did clock the blonde hair I was pretty sure Cinzy had, along with the facial structure.


    Well this was a new issue. Cinzy would clearly do anything to get her brother out of this situation, which made a lot of sense. Just because it made sense to keep me tied up here and at Blake¡¯s mercy did not mean it was right.


    ¡°Fletcher, I like you,¡± she said. ¡°But he¡¯s my brother. I can¡¯t have him die. And Drat¡­¡±


    There it was. Drat what?


    But she fell silent. ¡°I can¡¯t yet. I¡¯ll tell you when it¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°The more I know, the more I can help.¡± Right now I was penalizing both she and Drat with orders they weren¡¯t fulfilling. If she let me in, I could rescind those orders and put new orders into place that gave her experience points. Blake¡¯s people might think there was no way to level up unless you dangled your friends over the Sarlacc pit¡¯s gross open mouth, but Ivy and Isabelle had leveled up several times under my leadership.


    It didn¡¯t matter about the experience, obviously. She had found her brother out here, figured out what Blake and the Guardians were doing, then worked to get me here. Had she met Drat and showed him first, or after? I wanted to imagine Drat made up his plans and they included telling my team what was going on.


    Seeing Tara¡¯s bonded Nakamamon out on a search patrol told me Drat and Cinzy were working this plan by themselves. However, without me there to mix up more of the anti-magic serum, she¡¯d have to speed back to HQ for a second time.


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s going¡­ we¡¯re going to get all of them into the city.¡± I gave her more time to explain in further detail, but there wasn¡¯t any. A sound outside had us jumping up, had us dressing in the dark.


    I motioned to my rope restraints, but didn¡¯t say anything. After all, I wasn¡¯t pleased about her just leaving the team when things didn¡¯t go her way. Nor was I pleased about her brother being a Wizard on this expedition, and that steering her actions. She quickly tied my hand back to the post where I¡¯d been tied before.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she whispered, and snuck out the window.


    ¡°I know,¡± I told an empty room.


    A face poked itself in, and then one of the Guardians snorted and entered. He was a smaller version of Blake: like a mountain had turned into a human. His head brushed the ceiling, and the doorway was only about three feet wide, so he had to turn sideways a bit to get his shoulders in here.


    ¡°Go put a bandage on it yourself.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not healing Guardians,¡± I told him.


    He looked around the little shack, then brought up a small piece of paper and traced a shape on it. The mark, a magical sigil, burned the paper from the middle on outward, and Alan¡¯s light spell ignited in the small space.


    Suddenly I was squinting.


    ¡°What¡ª¡±


    The guy swiped his hand about the room as though he were clearing spiderwebs. He madly thrashed about a few times, and poked his fingers up into the rafters as well, before grunting and leaving. The hovering ball of light followed after him.


    The moment he was gone I noted Drat there in the corner.


    ¡°Idiot,¡± he commented drily. As a Rogue, the beaky-nosed bastard had the unique ability to speak and have almost no one hear him. Cinzy had to whisper because her natural speaking voice attracted everyone¡¯s attention, but Drat seemed to naturally fade into the background. I¡¯d been like that for basically my whole life after the accident.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the idiot? Me or him?¡±


    ¡°Both of you, obviously.¡±


    I nodded in satisfaction. That was the Drat I knew.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this plan of yours?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯d have Tara or Regina watching at all times, or all four of the guards on standby so the first time you got punched they would rush in¡­ and get themselves killed. Blake is not a joke.¡±


    ¡°Why do it at all?¡±


    He rolled his eyes. ¡°I had to make sure Cinzy got somewhere safe. She didn¡¯t. She went around the town and ran into these chucklefucks. Blake won¡¯t let her leave. She¡¯s almost as much of a hostage as you. Good thing she can persuade them not to rip her clothes off and get after her. But she¡¯ll run out of Tokens eventually, with the xp penalties you¡¯ve got her under.¡±


    ¡°And so then what?¡±


    ¡°Pretend to betray you to gain their trust, get Cinzy to get you out here so her brother doesn¡¯t get killed by accident. You know they had nine Wizards when they started? They¡¯re down to six.¡±


    Okay it was hard to argue with that too.


    ¡°You get xp and replenish your Tokens for doing your job. You stand a good chance of breaking out of here.¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong. Tokens were good for getting done anything that was really fracking hard. ¡°I needed you to throw these people off their game and you did that today. One down, eleven gigantic assholes to go.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not looking to get all these people killed off, Drat.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have a choice, Boy Scout. With these idiots, it¡¯s kill or be killed. If you get another one to take a nose dive into a tree I¡¯ll handle them.¡±


    ¡°No you won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± he said, scowling. ¡°These guys have to die.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a movie, Drat. We don¡¯t have to murder our way to safety. That¡¯s not how this world works.¡± In fact, there was evidence to make me think Blake and his people had caused the Slinktrickle situation just by being like they were being. ¡°They can get fired and have their powers stripped and end up back on earth. This is an HQ decision. Neither of us get to play judge, jury or executioner.¡±


    Come to think of it, I wouldn¡¯t be astonished to discover that the Glumpdumpkin issue originated with Blake and his people being jackasses in the town, then moving out before everything got worse for them.


    Drat shrugged. ¡°So long as you¡¯re locked up, I keep doing things my way. It¡¯d be nice if you dropped the xp blocks with the orders attached, but you do you. I ain¡¯t the boss and I¡¯m not about to start trying to get the position.¡±


    He popped off the wall he¡¯d been leaning against and gave me a small clay tablet. Etched into it were infinitesimally small words. He then produced a piece of paper like the one that had just created the light spell and traced the runes with his finger. While the paper burned itself out and released a hidden cache of mana somehow, the tablet expanded until it was newspaper sized.


    ¡°Are you still in contact with them?¡±


    He leveled a look at me that said ¡®what kind of amateur do I look like?¡¯


    ¡°What about the anti-magic formula?¡± I asked. ¡°Are they getting it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a stockpile from the last batch you made,¡± he said. ¡°Also, Blake and his people have a stockpile.¡± Meaning, I guessed, my team had a stockpile. Because he was a sneaky sneak thief.


    He pulled out another sheaf of paper. ¡°From our captive Wizard pals. This one was from Cinzy¡¯s brother.¡± He pointed down towards the tablet he¡¯d enlarged. ¡°That there is an experiment.¡±


    It was a list of orders. The first one was Next was:


    ¡°What am I doing with this?¡±


    ¡°The idea is that if you issue the order, and it works, they¡¯ll get xp for doing the things that need doing, to help prepare for the final part of my plan.¡± Again he shrugged. ¡°But of course it¡¯s up to you, being the boss man. If you don¡¯t want to do it, don¡¯t. We just have to plan on losing people.¡±


    He stared at me for several moments.


    I couldn¡¯t believe I was doing this. First, I lifted the blanket of orders that was on him, and then the one Cinzy had been given. In the current orders list, a whole host still remained as ongoing:


    *


    The last one was entirely to give Trent a lot of busywork so he could advance his Sorcerer level doing his earth magic. And because of what had happened in Slinktrickle.


    There were a bunch of others: for Trent to look for and catalogue earth aspect Nakamamon, to bring those specimens to the others of the team if possible, for Alan to maintain daily contact with HQ and compile a daily report. And on. And on.


    I¡¯d even had orders for Trent: to scout, mostly, to find any secrets the townsfolk might have if possible, to alert the team of danger so they had sufficient response time.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try this, but I want it to be known that I¡¯m still not happy with you,¡± I told him.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he said, dismissing me with a shrug. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be happy with me either.¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing this then?¡±


    ¡°One, it was the best way to get the fewest number of our people killed. Two, I have to do things through skullduggery, secrecy or deception in order to get Rogue experience. It really does advocate me to act like a bastard.¡±


    I stared, and he stared right back. The staring contest only concluded with him giving me a creepy smile. Like ¡®Well? I don¡¯t make the rules, I just live by them.¡¯


    I mumbled out the first order to the team, and was amazed to find that the order sank into the menu. I thought the team was too far away; I¡¯d been wrong.


    That done, I cleared out the old orders and rattled off these new ones. Drat nodded, grabbed out another spell scroll paper, and shrank down the clay tablet when I was done with it.


    ¡°A pleasure doing business with you,¡± he said.


    This is Christopher both not pleased with his Rogue, and weirdly proud.

 89- Saving Your Butt

    I ended up using Healer¡¯s Endurance to handle the effects of sleeplessness for the day, and meditated through the night. Now that I could get a Token every three-ish hours when under ideal circumstances, I used the time to grab up two more Tokens by the time the camp roused. This was, sadly, not ideal circumstances. I had a good ten hours between Trent disappearing and the remainder of Blake¡¯s team getting all up in my business, which gave me time to get two Tokens: one of the Physicality I¡¯d used to handle Todd, and one Likability I¡¯d used in bringing Cinzy into the fold.


    Meditation specifically told me with window prompts that having my hand tied like this had a negative impact on my ability to meditate, and I wholeheartedly agreed. I had to stand up to get blood flowing to my wrist and hand. Meditation should not be done while standing.


    Still, it was the best I could do.


    I didn¡¯t have an opportunity to get away according to Trent¡¯s plan for another several days. First, they were taking the loss of Todd quite seriously, and had me on a short leash. Second, now that they knew about my special ability Verdant Rejuvenation, Boss and Blake made sure somebody watched while I planted all the cuttings and gave them some water.


    If I watered them later in the day, they¡¯d essentially grow themselves. Beyond that, I couldn¡¯t be sure what else needed doing. Could I just lay them on solid stone and water them there, without shoving the cuttings into soil? Could I do it on the back of Muppin while we traveled? These were the kinds of experiments I wanted to do, not play nurse to a bunch of megalomaniacal gym bros.


    This meant we headed down to the lake only briefly, and they used a single Wizard between the four Guardians instead of two. This meant training two of them, while two stayed stuck on my butt like ticks. Imperil the Wizard, save the Wizard, gain experience points.


    In those times, I used Beast Talker to engage with any Nakamamon I saw. I was able to befriend a Shrubbet, though the process wasn¡¯t simple.


    Any time I took any action, Blake¡¯s Boys would stop me. First I had to Identify a creature, then see if I couldn¡¯t silently beckon it to me. I had to reach out with Affinity and make contact. This meant channeling some mana and drawing it up into my third eye, the place in my forehead where the casting happened. The first time, it was by cooking up what looked like a potion. It was instead a tasty vegetable concoction.


    The Shrubbet broke out of its foliage illusion, drawing the leafy parts that were the backs of its enormous ears so it could peek out. It then collapsed back the leaves a second later, and became nothing more than an innocent bush before anyone noticed.


    It peeked out several times before taking several hesitant steps forward.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I breathed. ¡°Good. Gosh you¡¯re cute.¡±


    It was shaped something like a regular rabbit, really big. Nearly three feet high. It had brownish gray skin that mimicked bark, and big amber eyes. The ears had to be at least three feet long¡­ they went up and then down, and when they were draped along its back they looked like a cloak.


    It crept forward until it smelled what the Healer was cooking.


    ¡°Atta girl.¡± Identify had told me this one was a female.


    ¡°What. In the hell. Is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a Shrubbet,¡± I admitted. ¡°Harmless. Don¡¯t kill.¡±


    The mana-infused concoction I had cooked up was nothing more than vegetables in a soup.


    The cutesy thing twitched its nose several times, regarding the Guardians. I¡¯d succeeded with a Charm check using Likability, with my Charm skill boosted from zero to five using Beast Talker.


    ¡°What¡¯s it doing?¡±


    ¡°Probably wounded,¡± I lied, and scored 3 successes on a Deceit check using Fierce. I silently thanked Ivy for needing that D, and for giving me the tools to navigate this situation. ¡°It wants some hp back.¡±


    The boiled and mana infused vegetables were only good because creatures liked getting mana. They would, of course, help hp generation along a little, as all food did. Mostly though, it just liked the scents of the herbs I put in, and wanted some carrots, potatoes, and broccoli infused with rosemary and oregano.


    ¡°You¡¯re all right,¡± I told the creature while it ate. The Guardians hadn¡¯t moved, but were instead just watching it in fascination.


    Once it finished, I tried to coax it over to me for a pet or two. I wanted to know if the bark looking skin was fuzzy and soft like I hoped, or bark-like and hard, like I suspected. Just as I was succeeding an Animal Handling check, the other two Guardians came thrashing through the brush, up from the lake, holding a Wizard who looked mostly dead. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You know,¡± I said, before breathing on him and restoring some hit points right off the bat, ¡°I would be willing to bet those Nakamamon you¡¯re baiting have figured out there¡¯ll be free Wizard on a hook every day about this time. They¡¯re probably not happy about having them snatched away every day.¡±


    ¡°Nakamamon don¡¯t think,¡± the one retorted. ¡°The ones in the towns are so stupid, can barely build houses, don¡¯t have technology¡­¡±


    ¡°The ones in that town just walked in, laid down and slept,¡± another one said. ¡°And the ones behind them didn¡¯t get what was happening, so they did the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Blake and the Wizards had it figured out in minutes,¡± the third one said.


    ¡°Dumb as hammers,¡± the first one confirmed.


    I just shrugged and brewed up another healing potion.


    ***


    The next day wasn¡¯t out to the lake, but a rift in the ground. The Guardian in charge this time was a guy I was coming to think of as number three behind Boss and Blake, one of only two with wiry climbers¡¯ builds instead of hulking rocks with arms and legs. He had a mop of curly light brown hair and a nose with its own elbow. You could call it aquiline, but for followers of Blake I¡¯d call it a camel hump.


    This guy¡¯s name was Nate, and he was even worse than Blake and Boss because he was a super bro.


    ¡°Yo this is gonna be sick. We¡¯ve never gotten a proper look down in the gorge before, bro.¡±


    I kept my mouth shut, even though I wanted to give a deadpan ¡®bro¡¯ and arch an eyebrow in his direction.


    The other three Guardians were on his wavelength, chatting excitedly about how lit this was and how sick it was gonna be to see a really massive and dangerous creature.


    The Wizard they had with them, I could now identify as Cinzy¡¯s brother. Although he wasn¡¯t nearly as gorgeous as her, I noted the resemblance right away. They had the same color eyes, and an identical face shape.


    I was not, right now, being listened to by any of these mammoth idiots. I was also, as a Healer and a decent human being, wary of anything the Guardians were up to because I had a vested interest in keeping the Wizards alive.


    Knowing what I now knew, I had a little extra motivation to keep Cinzy¡¯s brother alive. She was known to flip out over these sorts of things, and I sure would¡¯ve flipped out if my sister were about to be dangled in front of lions, only to have him yanked away at the last second.


    Or after the last second, when the lions started munching on him.


    We arrived at the gorge, a rent in the earth that seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. First of all, it was a good long way down, like thirty to fifty feet. Secondly, I could already see a collection of bones down there. Third, large shapes moved out of sight when the lanterns started floating down.


    It seemed to widen out as you went down, so it would be rough to climb up or down. Also, it allowed anything and everything to hide down there in the copious shadows. Worse still, the gorge itself was hardly twenty feet across at the top. They¡¯d be dropping straight down, a long way, and into what? Absolutely no way to know. And almost no way to climb out.


    If only Trent were here.


    The Guardians, led by head bro Nate, used the light spell from the Wizards, attached to small paper lanterns. These floated slowly downward, illuminating all the handholds and little cavelets in the walls. I had no idea what carved these, but they were jagged in some places, and the mini-caves looked like perfect hiding spots for all sorts of dangerous Nakamamon.


    ¡°You¡¯re Chris?¡± I asked Cinzy¡¯s brother.


    His head swiveled over away from the danger toward me. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Chris, right? That¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah. Chris.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Fletcher.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve seen you around. You¡¯ve been healing the guys up.¡±


    ¡°My name¡¯s also Chris. Christopher.¡±


    He stared at me, but I could tell I wasn¡¯t getting through. He was sickly pale and trembling.


    ¡°Yeah well I¡¯m not a fan of Blake or this insane scheme,¡± I told him. ¡°I¡¯m gonna keep you alive.¡± A promise I didn¡¯t know if I could make.


    ¡°Hey, Healer,¡± bro Nate called. ¡°You best get some potions and shit ready in advance, yo. This could get pretty ugly.¡±


    ¡°It is so weird,¡± I muttered under my breath, so only Chris and I could hear, ¡°that Guardians keep failing to do their jobs.¡± Meanwhile, I cracked open my pack and got to rummaging around for the right ingredients.


    ¡°They need greater and greater danger for the same amount of experience,¡± Chris told me, just as quietly.


    I nodded. That would do it.


    ¡°It¡¯d be really nice if we could level them up to wherever they want to get before we all die,¡± he said. The bitterness in his tone made me wince. The Wizard who¡¯d died was undoubtedly his friend.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got your back,¡± I said.


    He nodded toward Nate and the Boys. ¡°That should be  job.¡± Then he blew out air in a sound like ¡®pfffffffff.¡¯ I totally got it.


    They began by having Chris use a ¡®feather¡¯ spell on them, and himself. Chris protested that this would slow them down from coming to his aid if he was attacked, but Nate just stood there, arms crossed. Chris cast the spells.


    Afterwards, they took up positions, and Chris was ordered to jump. He locked eyes with me, and I nodded. , I tried to tell him with my gaze.


    Then he jumped.


    I hadn¡¯t understood until this moment, when the last piece clicked into place. It wouldn¡¯t work if one of Blake¡¯s Boys pushed him. My specific xp triggers worked if I healed somebody. They didn¡¯t work if I made someone sick just to nurse them back to full health. They had to guard him from danger, not place him in the heart of danger. Chris had to jump into the jaws of the beast himself, and then Nate and company needed to wait until he was in real danger before getting him out for the biggest xp gain.


    If Chris didn¡¯t jump, they would kick the crap out of him until he agreed. If he was down hit points when he jumped in, that lowered his chances of survival.


    It was insane. Blake was insane. All this for level ups?


    That said, my body had been largely cured of my shattered legs, growth plate injuries, and the issues that followed, just by grabbing some points of Physicality. Cinzy was practically irresistible. Isabelle and the others had shrugged off terrible injuries with Durability. The attributes just made you .


    Of course Blake wanted what he considered his fair share. He had to watch Wizards research their way to high level, Sorcerers cast their way to high level, and Rangers literally just wander the land their way to high level¡­ and this world didn¡¯t know violence.


    Nate and the other three Guardians took up a box formation, ready to get down in the gorge at any angle.


    The moment I had my first doses of workable healing potion, the Nakamamon showed itself. I had just taken the mixture off the fire when the earth-rumbling growl drifted up from above.


    One of Blake¡¯s Boys swore under his breath and began backing away in fear. Nate was the leader here, and flicked a hand out toward his underling, but the Guardian fled. He noped right out of this bad situation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, bro. Don¡¯t make a sound,¡± Nate said quietly.


    Chris wasn¡¯t the type of person to freeze in place. He backed away from whatever was down there. It resolved into a huge shape with  three rows of glowing eyes on either side of its blunt head.


    Identify gave me some insight.


    The creature was built a bit like an alligator, but with more legs. It looked very earthen: craggy and cracked, with sharp ridges of metallic and rocky stuff running down its back. It also had thick, trunk-like legs ending in shining metallic claws easily dagger-sized, possibly longer. It was pretty far away; things always seem smaller from up high.


    ¡°Fuuuuuuuuuuck,¡± one of Nate¡¯s buddies said.


    ¡°We need to get down there,¡± Nate said, and the creature paused at the sounds. I noted that none of them moved. Shocker.


    ¡°That thing¡¯s going to bite him in half,¡± the third Guardian said, like he was just watching an amazing dinosaur movie for the first time. There were only three Guardians now, a fact that didn¡¯t fill me with confidence.


    ¡°Get down there,¡± I urged.


    The Ferrosaur took another testing step towards Chris. A long tongue flicked out and tasted the air. None of the Guardians moved.


    ¡°Chris!¡± I called down, and got the attention of the dinosaur made of metal. Several eyes fixed on me, and it made a grating noise like two rocks crunching together. ¡°Does that spell make you jump real high?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Bro, shut up,¡± Nate hissed. ¡°We¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°But it reduces your weight?¡±


    A tiny nod this time. Chris wasn¡¯t looking at me, but instead was staring at the creature easily the size of two of the world¡¯s biggest crocodiles mushed together side by side.


    ¡°Can you run wide¡ª¡°


    I stopped. Another Ferrosaur had just poked its head out into view¡­ behind Chris.


    ¡°Aww come on!¡± I shouted, and immediately grabbed up my backpack. ¡°You fracking cowards, get down there and save him!¡±


    I was gratified to grab a temporary Durability and Physicality Token using Fierce. It had caused a Taunt check, though it still hadn¡¯t caused any of them to grow enough balls to challenge the creatures. The Tokens were very fracking great, because I chose the best point I could, threw some of my Healer paraphernalia at the beasts, and jumped down.


    Now¡­ you might say to yourself, what kind of idiot would do such a thing? You¡¯d be right in assuming that. My parents and my sister were looking at me like I¡¯d just transformed into a Ferrosaur before their very eyes.


    My aim was to hit the far wall and stop myself. This was a Very Difficult Physicality check, so I immediately burned four of my five Tokens doing that. With muscles bulging, I slammed into a ledge and hung on.


    The Healer stuff was having its intended effect. The cook kit, the pot, and the tin cups were all tasty little morsels for the metal and rock dragons. It sniffed at the first pot that landed near it, then gobbled it right up.


    ¡°Left, Chris!¡± I shouted.


    He went left, just as the second creature trundled forward after my scattered offerings. Ignoring him completely, thank the gods.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I muttered to myself, and burned another four Tokens getting to the bottom of the gorge. There went my last Physicality Token, along with three of my Free Tokens. One after another they went


    Nate and his two remaining friends were having kittens. They were yelling and frantic now that the only Healer in the party had put himself in the lion¡¯s jaws. Blake was going to rip their skin off and wear their faces like a mask, according to Nate¡¯s panicked, swear-filled shouts.


    Good. Frack them. They needed to get their butts down here, or better yet, not put innocent and harmless Wizards in these kinds of positions.


    ¡°What are you doing down here?¡± Chris demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯m saving your butt, you butt. Obviously.¡±


    This is Fletcher just feet away from the jaws of death.

 91- Pain In The Ass

    Blake returned with his arms and legs all gashed up, and demanded healing. The look on his face clearly conveyed that if I said no, I might just join the Ferrosaur¡ªor  plural¡ªthat had given him those scratches. This was how I applied Healer¡¯s Breath, followed by making up a quick healing potion with one of the Wizard¡¯s supplies, since most of mine were in the Ferrosaurs¡¯ bellies. I worked in silence, not looking at the moron.


    He squinted at me, eyes narrowed like he was deciding whether to pull a Chewie and rip my arms off.


    ¡°I killed those things,¡± he told me, with quiet venom.


    ¡°Good,¡± I lied, and scored another Deceit success.


    ¡°Pain in the ass, the both of them.¡±


    I wondered if he got any xp for that, if the Wizard had refused to go down into the gorge and face down the two dragons. Or had Blake just jumped down there and given it his all, xp be damned?


    I didn¡¯t know, and I didn¡¯t care. Part of me knew I needed answers about what he got up to, and his level of power, so my people could take him down. That said, every time I interacted with him, I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying something that would get me torn apart.


    They got one of the Wizards to lock me in place this time, a band of rope that glowed with weak magical light in the oncoming dusk. I frowned at the magical binding.


    Blake and Archie went over to the campfire that night and drank a whole lot of alcohol. Where they had gotten it I don¡¯t know, but they got good and sloshed.


    ***


    It is very easy to imagine that Cinzy was very grateful for both saving her brother¡¯s life, and also not ratting her out as a secret conspirator trying to upend Blake¡¯s psychopathic operation. She hypnotized the guard on duty to fall asleep, then came into my new digs.


    Now, that she had the Prismatic Apparel that the God of Apparel had gifted me, she always had an amazing and different outfit. The Prismatic Apparel was presently a backless shirt in a navy blue fading to white, with a high neck like a choker. She went with a white pleated tennis skirt. I wasn¡¯t certain the Prismatic Apparel could be two articles of clothing or not, so if she¡¯d come across a white pleated skirt in her travels, that was amazing. This ended in fluffy white socks reaching to her knees and comfy white tennis shoes.


    I kept not trying to rake my eyes up and down her body, and failing. The open leg above her knee and below her skirt was doing it for me, as were her bare arms and the glimpse of her back I¡¯d gotten when she entered. The band wrapping around her throat like a choker was really doing it for me.


    Cinzy was always really doing it for me. That was a function of Likability, I thought.


    ¡°Drat¡¯s not going to try it with Blake,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°I know,¡± I said. I was tired.


    ¡°He¡¯s too dangerous. Too strong and too fast.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°If Drat doesn¡¯t get him on the first strike, Blake will rip him apart.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°You did a really good thing today,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so.¡±


    Seeing that I wasn¡¯t in the mood to make chitchat, she went over the plan. Blake had seven out of his twelve Boys left. That was good, but not enough. Any one of them could¡ªand would¡ªwreck havoc on the Wizards, and her, and me, if any flaw crept into the plan. They had the Physicality, and the Wizards were tied up, so they could easily tear the innocent members apart, or hold them hostage. They still had double the numbers of the Divinity Rescue Corps¡¯ contingent of Guardians, and Blake was a ridiculous level. He¡¯d also reportedly killed both of the Ferrosaurs.


    He could probably take on at least Larelle, but probably more than just her. Having watched him punch, I could safely say he was a danger to all four of our Guardians by his lonesome. Whatever plan Drat was making up needed to be absolutely foolproof or innocent people were going to suffer. Because I didn¡¯t doubt for a second that he could, and would, order them to take human shields, and use the advantage to plow through my team in heartbeats.


    ¡°You used up all your Physicality Tokens didn¡¯t you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°You wanted them for¡­ doing it?¡± I knew immediately that this was the wrong answer, but sitting here in my lean-to on the single stool they¡¯d provided wasn¡¯t helping my brain work any. What I mean to say is that being in the same room as Cinzy was giving me a hard on.


    She frowned, then laughed under her breath. ¡°No, you boob, I wanted them so you could sprint out and get back to the town. The plan is to have you lure the meatheads to the town.¡± She held up a hand to stop me from interrupting her. ¡°Of course there¡¯s more to the plan than that¡­ but you need your Physicality Tokens. Now we have to get them back.¡±


    I¡¯d spent a lot of Tokens today. Free Tokens on top of the Physicality ones, on top of Temporary Physicality Tokens. There were never enough of the darn things.


    ¡°We need to wait a little longer,¡± she said. I sighed, not liking it, but believing her. Yes, we did need to wait a little longer. And in the meantime my hand was chained to the tree that made up the corner of my new laboratory.


    Cinzy fell to her knees. Her hands slid up from my knees to my thighs. ¡°In the meantime, may I thank you for saving my brother?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank¡­¡± I trailed off. The expression on her face told me she wanted me, and badly. She didn¡¯t have the typical half-lidded eyes and parted lips, but a vulnerable expression with wide open eyes and a pensive smile.


    ¡°You want to frack, don¡¯t you?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I told her. ¡°We have to be quiet though.¡±


    Her fingers continued to creep up my thighs. ¡°May I¡­ suck your cock?¡±


    I have to say there is something so weird about having an absolute ten squatting before me and asking for permission to service me sexually. So weird and so welcome.


    ¡°Kisses first,¡± I said.


    She got up on her knees to press her lips to mine. That alone was heaven. It was like her body had its own skincare routine without needing anything. We kissed several times, her hands on my thighs and my free hand roaming. I ran it hand up and down her exposed back. The touch caused her to shiver and moan into my mouth. Sliding my hand lower, I pulled up her skirt and caressed both cheeks in turn, then pressed two fingers against her back door.


    That did it. She looped both arms around my neck and lavished attention on my mouth with her tongue. She nibbled, licked and rubbed to show me I was doing what she liked. And I could tell she wanted me to slip my hand into her panties and finger her ass, but I broke the kiss.


    ¡°Now,¡± I told her, with quiet force, ¡°suck my cock.¡± The flush in her face was impossible to miss. The biting of the lip. The ardent need in her eyes. I proceeded to watch as she removed my pants and slipped them off one leg, then the other. She was methodical about it, too, folding my socks and pants. Reminded me of the geisha stories, where some demure Japanese woman, eyes downcast, would take care of absolutely everything.


    I cupped the back of her head and loved the silkiness of her hair just for my own gratification; Cinzy shuffled between my legs and took me in hand, then began licking with long strokes.


    Her blowjob technique lacked something. She would need coaching. Not today though. For now, in the dim flickering light filtering in through the lean-to, I watched her worship my rod.


    ¡°How is it so delicious?¡± she asked in between licks and kisses. She took the head into her mouth and sucked until she gagged, then slowly backed off before trying again. The sensations, and the knowledge that she didn¡¯t do this regularly, were heaven.


    She started really working, and all talk disappeared. I luxuriated in the sensation of being served, and when my hand fell away from the back of her head, she dutifully retrieved it and placed it back there. She alternated encircling my girth and playing reverently with my balls.


    ¡°Ugh, you feel so good,¡± I muttered, and was rewarded with a gurgling sound.


    After a while, I felt myself wanting to paint the back of her throat. Fill her mouth. Pull out and spray all over her face.


    That wouldn¡¯t do. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± I told her, and she froze with her mouth full, staring up at me. ¡°Panties off. Climb up on here.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to cum in my mouth?¡± she asked playfully.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to repeat myself,¡± I said, again with that gentle force. Since using Blissence, I knew exactly who Cinzy was and what drove her. She wanted someone to be in control, sexually speaking. Just as Isabelle needed reassurance and Tara needed my seed inside her, Cinzy needed to be told what to do.


    She pulled away from where she¡¯d been licking and sucking, and I didn¡¯t miss the string of saliva connecting her lips to my shaft. ¡°Okay.¡±


    She had her bottoms off in a flash, and straddled me.


    ¡°Am I well lubricated?¡± I breathed.


    ¡°Yesssss,¡± she hissed.


    ¡°I could use a little more.¡±


    Reaching down, she nestled my shaft in between her lower lips and began grinding her body forward and back along my full length. The heat and the pleasure were incredible; the bottom of my cock was especially sensitive.


    ¡°You want me in your butt, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± she breathed.


    I reached up and took her slender neck in my hand, gently. ¡°You¡¯re a dirty girl, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    She nodded into my shoulder, still rocking her hips forward and back.


    ¡°Tell me what you want then.¡±


    ¡°I want your cock in my ass,¡± she whispered without hesitation. It was almost enough to make a guy climax all over himself.


    Spending the Token to boost our pleasure was easy right then.


    ¡°All right then, put it in. Then I want you to lean back.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t easy to accomplish, but she was athletic and supple enough to first impale herself on me, then use both of my knees to hold herself up. She groaned in exertion and in pleasure, and I got to see the place where we were joined.


    The pressure was intense. The sensations were intense. I kept Adaptability working with conscious effort, so I wouldn¡¯t hurt her.


    ¡°You¡¯re so¡­ big,¡± she breathed.


    ¡°I can be bigger,¡± I said casually, as if it were no big deal, before thumbing her clit with my free hand.


    Positioned like this, Cinzy had to do all the work. Her toes barely reached the ground, so she placed her feet on the stool and began fucking me. At first she had been staring down at me, but now her head fell back as her whole body rose and fell, rose and fell.


    ¡°Fletcher,¡± she groaned.


    ¡°Quiet,¡± I admonished, but I also smiled and let Adaptability slip a bit. My length and girth both increased deep in her ass, and she froze before pulling up off me, and thrusting back down hard.


    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t¡­¡± She moaned again and again in response to the work my thumb was doing at her pussy, and loudly. It was only about three more minutes of thrusting me deep into her asshole before she came, quietly shuddering, her foot slipping off the stool to jam her even further down on my length.


    ¡°Turn around,¡± I told her. ¡°Lay against me.¡±


    A spinner is a girl who can rotate around on top of a man with his cock buried inside her, and I had only seen it happen in porn before coming to this weird world. Now I saw her slowly and with care turn around so I could see her dynamite ass pumping away at me. Soon though she lay against my chest and placed her feet on my knees.


    ¡°I want you to get three fingers inside yourself,¡± I ordered, not stopping my work at her clit. In this position, I¡¯d have to release it and lift her up under her ass in order to thrust upwards, but it worked.


    She came again when she had only a single finger inside herself. She came yet again the moment the third finger got in there, a good five minutes later. Every time she went through another clamping, shuddering fit of climax, the pleasure ramped up from ten to twelve, and I had to strain to keep from filling her up.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum on your face,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Oh¡­ my¡­ gods¡­¡± she managed. I didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d heard me.


    ¡°Your eyes will be closed and your mouth will be open. And I will make you look like a whore.¡±


    ¡°Oh gods.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re going to scoop all of it up and into your mouth, and swallow it.¡±


    ¡°Oh gods,¡± she whispered, ¡°Oh gods, .¡±


    ¡°When that happens, you¡¯ll be mine entirely, understand? No matter what happens, I will make time for you and give you the pleasure you need, and treat you like the princess you are when I can.¡±


    She just repeated her prayer.


    ¡°And sometimes I will have sex with someone else. That doesn¡¯t mean I like you less. It just means others have needs that I can fulfill. And when I come back to you, it will be to make you feel amazing.¡±


    She kept repeating the same words again and again, frigging herself and filling herself with full of me.


    ¡°Cinzy, do you understand me?¡±


    Her head laying limply against my shoulder, she nodded just a fraction.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be mine completely, you just have to stay where you are.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I asked.


    Her hips rose and fell, bringing me right to the brink. ¡°I¡¯m yours. Completely.¡±


    ¡°Good girl,¡± I said shakily, ¡°because I¡¯m ready.¡±


    The hottest girl I¡¯d ever seen in real life scrambled up off me and got down on her knees between my legs, mouth open and eyes closed. When I came, it was like a river. I blasted off into her hair, over one cheek and then over the other. My seed pooled on her closed eyes, it got up her nose, and in her mouth.


    After that, I watched in astonishment as this supermodel girl did exactly as ordered, using her fingers to get all of it she could, and licked her fingers before going back for more.


    Those few minutes watching her was enough to get me hard again. I was twenty, after all, not fifty. This time I clamped a hand over Cinzy¡¯s mouth while I bent her over my single stool, and railed her ass until I lost track of time and orgasms. The second load took time in getting there, but get there it did, and I let it all out up her ass.


    She collapsed on top of where I sat on the provided sleeping bag, head on my thigh and holding onto my leg like I might suddenly teleport away.


    Things were so crazy.


    This is Christopher not believing his luck, both good and ill.

 98- The Five Of Us

    A soft knock on my door announced that I wasn¡¯t going to have a good night¡¯s rest after all. Or maybe I¡¯d have a great night¡¯s rest¡­ just not the whole night. Giggling outside the door meant I wasn¡¯t going to spend the night alone, and judging by the amount of giggles, I wasn¡¯t even going to spend it with just one partner.


    The moment I opened the door Cinzy shoved her way inside, followed closely by Ivy and Isabelle. I thought that was it, until Regina poked her head inside and then entered.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± I said.


    Tara came in last of all.


    Of the five of them, Cinzy had clearly taken care of her look, having put on makeup and changed into a pale pink matching sweatsuit. She did a twirl, and that let me read the block letters stitched into the ass of her sweatpants, PRINCESS.


    Tara and Regina were both in pajamas. Come to find out, they¡¯d heard a commotion down the hall and followed along after. Still, the thin pajama pants¡ªRegina wearing pink unicorns leaping over rainbows and Tara in flannel plaid¡ªlooked good on them. The thin tank top sleepwear without bras underneath both told the tale of it being a bit cool outside.


    Lastly, Isabelle and Ivy. Sheesh. These two were skirting disaster here. Isabelle had on a black trench coat with her hands jammed into the pockets, while Ivy had on a pleated, red plaid skirt that barely covered her ass, along with a black tube top over a fishnet shirt. Oh, and knee high combat boots.


    ¡°What are you¡­ I share a door with my mother,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have gotten the adjoining door then,¡± Cinzy said.


    ¡°Can we at least go to one of your rooms?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Cinzy replied.


    ¡°Nuh-uh,¡± Regina said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know guys, his mom is really sweet¡ª¡± Tara said, and I was pleased to have at least one ally. It didn¡¯t do any good, though.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to stick around,¡± Cinzy said. ¡°I am here for a little reunion, and I have some demands I¡­¡± she trailed off when she spotted my raised eyebrow. ¡°Some demands I hope you¡¯ll agree to.¡±


    ¡°Ivy¡¯s been just fiending,¡± Isabelle said, grinning and rolling her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one in a trench coat and nothing underneath,¡± Ivy shot back, and everyone¡¯s mouth immediately dropped open.


    Once we¡¯d gotten over the shock, and convinced Isabelle not to flee the scene, we had chairs pulled up and sat down to figure out what the heck was going on here.


    ¡°So what the heck is going on here?¡± I asked. I was not looking up into the space where Isabelle¡¯s skirt should¡¯ve been. Definitely looking up there.


    ¡°Ivy wants the old reliable,¡± Isabelle said, but¡­ um. She wanted, um. She um, wanted, um¡ª¡°


    ¡°I wanted to talk with you privately about sex stuff,¡± Ivy said coldly. ¡°This one intercepted us on our way over here.¡±


    ¡°And I just wanted to see some of this with my own eyes,¡± Cinzy said sweetly.


    All eyes turned her way. I could feel the disbelief radiating off all four of the girls.


    ¡°Look,¡± I said, ¡°we had our little talk about this. We¡¯re all okay with doing this, right? None of this is infuriating one of you and causing jealousy to bubble up that will break the team. You all promised.¡±


    This was just like what had happened immediately following my return from imprisonment under Blake. I hadn¡¯t gone over it with my family, even though Sarah had cornered me and forced me to confess that I¡¯d had sex while in the other world.


    When I¡¯d returned from the Blake situation, it had been to a serious amount of getting down and dirty, and negotiations regarding what was and wasn¡¯t okay.


    Regina had never cared. She just wanted to try out everything once. She¡¯d entered into a situation with Tara first, and later with Vellenia just because she was a horny little minx. She appeared to be even more bisexual than Ivy, or rather she was just sexual.


    That first night she had found her way into my house and woken me up with a blowjob, which naturally woke up Vellenia, who joined in the fun. It was a solid chunk of time just gasping and moaning and thrusting and slurping. All that had gone on for who knew how long, until Tara also found her way into my house. From there, Vellenia took care of Regina while I gave Tara a serious punishment for intruding on my private space.


    And by punishment, I mean I folded the flexible beauty in half and pounded her hard until she was going through orgasm after orgasm.


    Somewhere in the middle of this, Regina fell unconscious while sitting on Vellenia¡¯s face. My bonded Nakamamon had six flexible, muscular little tentacles in her mouth instead of a tongue, and those were far longer than the typical human tongue. Regina literally fainted from too many climaxes.


    Afterwards I made Tara worship my companion Nakamamon. Both of us gave her oral at first, lavishing attention on her curious disappearing, reappearing nipples and genitalia. And after that, Tara enjoyed a nice relaxing sixty-nine session with Vellenia, while I took my time giving it to my companion the slow, deep and hard way.


    I couldn¡¯t be sure there was a companion connection track like the Relationship status with the girls, but I wasn¡¯t taking any chances. I would use physical affection and sex any time we had an opportunity to strengthen that bond, assuming the system had such a thing. Just for the sake of safety, obviously.


    So it was, having slow and sensual sex with my Nakamamon standing up, that Tara ended up licking the place where the two of us were joined, providing the clit stimulation while I teased and twisted Vel¡¯s nipples and drove her wild.


    The next day both Ivy and Isabelle cornered me by ¡®taking me out on a walk to view the perimeter¡¯ of the town, purely for security¡¯s sake.


    Once we were out of sight of the tiny village Trent had constructed, Izzy tore Ivy¡¯s clothes off and bent her girlfriend over on one of the gigantic spherical leaves on the trees. She then demanded that I ¡®pound the complaints out of this cock-hungry slut¡¯, and proceeded to spank Ivy dozens of times.


    Apparently Ivy had grown used to having me every week or so as a way to fill the void Isabelle¡¯s fingers couldn¡¯t quite reach. So as I took her by the hips and gave her a vigorous pounding, Izzy kept demanding apologies for her being so whiny about missing my cock. And if Ivy didn¡¯t apologize fast enough, it was spank time.


    Ivy couldn¡¯t apologize fast enough, apparently. I watched as the welts appeared, and listen to Ivy¡¯s pained grunts turned into yelps of shock, then pleas for Isabelle to stop.


    Isabelle started whispering about how, if she wasn¡¯t careful, next time she¡¯d have to watch Fletcher fuck only her and not Ivy. It would be forced chastity. Ivy¡¯s only response was a mournful, orgasm-laced ¡®nooooooo¡¯.


    And in between all these was Cinzy, who had raged at me, left, then helped trap me into the Blake situation, only for her to apologize by offering herself up to me wholly. Now, she she didn¡¯t care who I slept with, or how often, she only wanted me from time to time.


    I put that claim to the test by inviting her to my place and flirting with Vellenia the whole time. Initially, she seemed fine with me kissing and licking the Nakamamon¡¯s neck, and playing footsie under the table while we ate dinner. She wasn¡¯t.


    Cinzy practically attacked me, begging to be included. She didn¡¯t care, she would lick our feet, she would suck Vel¡¯s toes, just so long as she wasn¡¯t ignored.


    This hadn¡¯t been a good sign. I needed her to be okay with me engaging with the others, yet here she was, unable to watch me kiss my bonded companion. All of our clothes were still on. How was she going to handle knowing I was slipping Regina¡¯s clothes off and licking her bare skin? I doubted it would go well.


    In any event, I gave in to Cinzy. It was hard not to, given just how desirable she was. I laid her on my bed and once I¡¯d gotten her nice and lubed up, slowly forced myself into her ass. This time she was facing me, or rather lying on her back on my bed, so I got to watch her face go through contortions. From bewilderment to disbelief, pain to ecstasy, she appeared to have a religious experience taking my full length. She¡¯d held her knees, but as I fed her the last inch, she slipped and went boneless.


    She liked it even more when I spent the Token to enhance the pleasure using Pleasure¡¯s Bounty. I worked a thumb over her clit again and again, delighting in the way her eyes snapped back into focus and she coiled down into a magnificent orgasm not a minute later.


    It had been a continual issue trying to deal with Cinzy¡¯s jealousy, Regina¡¯s neediness and Isabelle¡¯s feelings of inadequacy.  Tara¡­ had the same old Tara problem, and I wasn¡¯t certain what to do about it. Thankfully, whatever magic did to the human body, it didn¡¯t increase my potency or her receptivity. Or with the constant breaks we ended up taking from being apart so often, she just failed to conceive for a good six solid months.


    In all honesty, I was low-key anxious about the situation with Tara. Every time I got with her, the sex was so passionate and so intense that there was no controlling myself. She was as insistent that I finish inside as the first time we were together. The first four times, that was.


    ¡°So to be clear, we are not telling Fletcher¡¯s mom all about the, uh, the you know, all the fornication,¡± Tara said, and ended off the sentence with just enough inflection to turn it into a half-unsure half-question. ¡°I mean when we tell her about the Glumpdumpkin stuff.¡±


    ¡°Um, of course we aren¡¯t,¡± Cinzy said.


    ¡°I will say in her defense,¡± I said, ¡°that she is very sharp, and has probably figured out some of what¡¯s been going on, but on that point, no. No, no, a hundred times no. I would really prefer she never hears a detailed accounting of me swapping bodily fluids with anyone, please and thank you.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Regina said. Such a simple word. The rest were nodding along, and I heaved a sigh full of relief.


    ¡°Are we finally going to have the talk?¡± I asked.


    ¡°If it involves you going to town on our two Guardians here, I¡¯m all for it,¡± Cinzy said, hands on hips and chest thrust out. I had to say, the matching pink sweatshirt reading PRINCESS looked amazing on her. ¡°Our two Rangers don¡¯t need to be here. Not sure why they came, honestly.¡±


    ¡°To¡­ also have some time with Fletcher, obviously,¡± Regina said, and plastered herself against me. She made a show of sniffing over my chest and neck. ¡°I could be down with some Isabelle and Ivy time¡­ if they¡¯ll have me.¡± She sobered. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get in between you two either, but I¡¯m, you know, down to, uh¡­ to do. Stuff.¡±


    ¡°I wish this could be more awkward,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah that doesn¡¯t seem possible,¡± Ivy said, a wry smile on her face. ¡°You should see what Izzy looks like under this coat. You should see.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Isabelle shouted, and clutched the trench coat even tighter against herself.


    ¡°Um¡­ my mom is on the other side of that door right¡ª¡±


    There came a knock on the door.


    One huge, exasperated sigh later, I went and opened the adjoining door. Figuring it would be better to rip the bandage off the wound as fast as possible, and hopefully get my mom looking at all the girls in my room at once. Surely, I reasoned, there was no way she would assume I was banging all of them at once if she saw the whole team at the same time.


    Surely not. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Well, not . Izzy was hugged tight against the wall nearest, and now slowly sliding down, out of view of my mom unless she marched into my room.


    ¡°Heyyy Mom,¡± I said. ¡°You want to come in and join the planning session?¡±


    ¡°Oh, heavens no. I thought you were all having a party in here. I just want to be sure one of you will be sober enough to drive us tomorrow. I would offer, but¡­¡± She held her arms out and looked down at herself. For all her good spirits and happiness, she was still bald from the chemo, thin as a broom handle and frail to boot. The robe seemed to hang wrong on her chemo-ravaged frame, and I fought against the surge of pity and misery I felt looking at her. She looked as though a stiff breeze might blow her over.


    That said, I needed to remind myself that we were driving her to salvation. All we had to do was smuggle her into a highly secure facility with armed battalion of armed mercenaries, cameras everywhere, and through a portal to another world. Then, and only then, could we begin the magical healing process. No big deal.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take the party to my room, Mrs. Fletcher,¡± Cinzy said, grinning one of those patented Cinzy grins. She seemed to glow in the gloom. ¡°Once we get this meeting taken care of, that is. Then we¡¯ll drink ourselves silly.¡±


    Ah yes, alcohol, the old standby. I loved my mom both for her knowledge of what was going on, and for her ability to purposefully miss the mark. She knew I wasn¡¯t a big drinker.


    Moreover, I hadn¡¯t gotten drunk at all over in the other world. It hadn¡¯t seemed necessary. It was like, in my mind, alcohol was a balm for the awful conditions of your life¡­ but if you didn¡¯t have awful conditions in your life because the world you were in was so wonderful and magical as to clear all the bad stuff away, what need did you have of alcohol? Why fix what ain¡¯t broken, in other words.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pajama party,¡± Tara added lamely, looking down at the fuzzy pink slippers she had on, with the googly eyes.


    My mother chuckled. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be getting some shuteye now. You kids keep it down to a dull roar.¡±


    Something about being with my mother really made me feel less like a responsible adult and more like a child. ¡®You kids¡¯ indeed. Well now I wanted to go grab several bottles of the worst and cheapest alcohol available, and get shipfaced.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t end up in the hospital,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes Mrs. Fletcher!¡± all five of them said in unison.


    My mother chuckled and gave me a not-at-all-subtle wink, then shut the door.


    ¡°What in the heck?¡± I breathed.


    And this was how I ended up being dragged from my hotel room down the hall to Cinzy¡¯s room.


    This is Christopher about to face five women all suffering from two weeks of withdrawal.

 103- Bri & Steph

    Administering the cure for Severe Confusion required a fine mist yet again. The particles inhaled by the tiny god swarm¡ªgodlings?¡ªneeded to be as small as possible to incorporate into their bodies with all available speed. We couldn¡¯t drown the little guys in even regular droplets.


    I was saved getting the cure into my mouth and spitting it out by Vellenia, who showed me her water aspect ability, Mist.


    It was a good thing I didn¡¯t, too, because just a tiny bit of the bitter, milk white cure got on me, and it was like coffee times a hundred. I immediately went on a manic, workaholic rampage, convinced I was working at my absolute peak efficiency. I cleaned up the workshop according to a new filing system I¡¯d just invented. I tore up half the garden and replanted all of them in a new pattern that I was convinced was more aesthetically pleasing  and better alphabetically. I then rushed back to the others and ordered them to try the cure, only to be super embarrassed later when I fell unconscious for several hours. Waking up hung over, I staggered around, apologizing to all of them.


    I was laughed at, and I deserved it.


    Vellenia misted the God of Secret Spaces with several waves of her hands. The whole thing came out in an antigravity blob of liquid, flattened out into a sheet, then subdivided into teensy misty droplets before my eyes.


    ¡°You will have to blow on them,¡± she said, smiling warmly at me.


    ¡°You are the cutest and most gorgeous-est,¡± I told her, only to have Tara and Cinzy react as if they¡¯d been slapped.


    ¡°Why thank you!¡± she said, giggling.


    Blowing on it allowed me to make the Administer Cure check, which succeeded, given the difficulty had lowered by 4 from Vellenia¡¯s water skill.


    I of course did it wrong, and dosed myself. She followed this by lightly and gracefully blowing the sheet of mist over the open secret drawer.


    I was already inside my laboratory, high out of my mind.


    Curing the God of Secret Spaces now allowed Drat access to the hidden spaces in Glumpdumpkin: all the hidden stashes, the secret passages and the hidden rooms. As these were the coolest possible things to find, I was annoyed when he vanished basically all day, every day.


    He immediately disappeared into town on the hunt for what me, and the Rangers, could not find. He left, I should add, without permission to go alone.


    For the millionth time, it seemed, I was both thankful and annoyed to have a Rogue along.


    Afterwards it was back to tending my garden, speaking to Vellenia about the world of Dorfilialtos, a word which I still couldn¡¯t say properly.


    What Vellenia taught me was largely rumor. She hadn¡¯t been outside of Slinktrickle and had met only a few other humans, or Nakamamon for that matter. She knew a bit more about the functions of mana and the aspects of Nakamamon. She knew, and this was fascinating, about the system.


    According to her, the system had simply appeared before her one day. It declared that she was a first stage Nakamamon. Marshells were basic Nakamamon. Marshmellows were second stage Nakamamon. She was water aspect, along with fairy aspect. These things she knew and understood instinctually as natural. They made sense, and they were right.


    ¡°It must have been a function of a high level spell,¡± she said, shrugging.


    ¡°Wait, wait¡­ hang on a second. You¡¯re telling me the system just wasn¡¯t a thing until one day?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°And when was this?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Only a few days after I threw off the shell and dove into the waters.¡±


    ¡°And what were you before that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we didn¡¯t have names for the stages that day,¡± she said. ¡°The humans came through and began naming things.¡±


    ***


    When Jacoby¡¯s people showed up at the lab a handful of days later, I was in the process of trying to heal up one of the comatose Nakamamon from town. Treatments had failed. They gave me the same notification every time:


    No matter how I tried, I got the same. Sure I had 7 Free Tokens and 8 Ingenuity Tokens, but that meant the difficulty rating was more than 30. I hadn¡¯t come across anything like that before, but it made sense.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re going to try to move on to one of the drunken ones,¡± I said, sighing. This wasn¡¯t something I liked to hear or see. Powerlessness had been a thing of the past, the earth past. My mother¡¯s cancer, my sister¡¯s weird insistence on doing things that were bad for her just to spite my parents, these were out of my control. The failure of my streaming job, and my getting fired from the video game store were marginally within my control, but that was different and irrelevant here.


    The hope was that the drunken Nakamamon had some resistance to the divine effect and might be easier to treat. If I could treat them, then I might be able to treat the manic ones who refused to stop doing their jobs, without rest or sleep, for weeks on end.


    That was the hope. In the meantime, I was really hoping Drat would find the key to the god¡¯s whereabouts. After the God of Secret Spaces had been found and gotten back to their normal self, I had hopes Drat would soon succeed and get us moving on the path towards Glumpdumpkin¡¯s salvation.


    All that was put aside when a series of frantic shouts split the silence. Following that, a strangled scream split the air. That cry of pain meant I was needed.


    Vellenia was there before me, breathing out and getting healing energy into the victim. He relaxed immediately.


    I was in time to see a broken leg un-break. The bone knit itself back together, the slight wonkiness of the limb disappearing before my eyes. Immediately on the heels of this, the contusion faded.


    Our victim was one of the Wizards from Jacoby¡¯s team. She had wheat gold hair tied in a loose ponytail, and a pixie-like face. She also had actual emerald eyes; the pupils themselves were crystalline, and the whites of her eyes had gone diamond. Identify told me she had lost the vast majority of her mana, but she was now over one third of her hit points.


    Standing just behind those holding her was a Guardian. A sheepish and miserable Guardian, missing just under half his hit points.


    Using Identify, I could see that the Wizard (Evoker) had suffered a number of body blows and blunt force trauma all over her body. Her hands were bruised and bloody, along with several bloodied fingernails.


    ¡°You¡¯re safe now,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯ll whip you up a Healing Potion and you¡¯ll be just fine in a minute.¡± I gestured to the Guardian. ¡°You too. You¡¯re getting the healing breath too¡­ from my bond mate or from me, your choice.¡±


    The thickly built, squat fellow gestured to himself in question. He had bloody knuckles and fingerprints around his neck visible, along with a black eye, split lip, and misshapen nose.


    ¡°The longer you delay treatment, the more likely your body is to remember the wounds and keep them as scars. If we act fast, you go scar-free. Your call.¡±


    The guy, who seemed almost as wide as he was tall, considered this for a time. The rule of cool was to let scars stay. He was also at war with himself, probably over whether he deserved to be healed or not.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Healer,¡± I called over my shoulder. We were moving his charge into my home. ¡°Everyone who gets wounded gets treated. Faster you¡¯re at max hit points, the faster you can be out there to get back in the field. And make sure this doesn¡¯t happen again.¡±


    He trotted right over, proving my guess true: Archie had done this.


    Larelle¡¯s Magmamander had a dedicated space in my new home, basking in the light of several large windows. This large metal tray held the gigantic salamander Nakamamon, which barely did anything except sleep. The Guardian came over at my gesture and hefted the two wooden poles effortlessly. I had to strain, since the metal block was something like fifty pounds, and the Magmamander was another fifty at least. They¡¯d rigged this up like a palanquin, so a person in front and a person in back could lift it and move it around.


    The Magmamander yawned and stretched its stubby legs, surrounded by a shimmering heat haze. One eye opened and regarded me with reptilian dismissal. It licked its eye like a gecko while the two of us repositioned the creature where I needed it to heat some oil.


    Then I busied myself chopping and steeping herbs. Icebalm to kill the pain and the old standby, mender¡¯s fern. Soon the medicinal scents of pain relief wafted up.


    I had the healing potion mixed and the check passed in another ten minutes. The blonde Wizard lay there groaning, while the Guardian stood stoic.


    ¡°This is from a fight with your target?¡± I asked, pouring some healing potion out into two cups.


    ¡°Don¡¯t answer that,¡± Jacoby said, entering.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked. ¡°Operational security?¡±


    She sniffed. ¡°It¡¯s just a function of my team and my mission; it¡¯s not personal.¡±


    ¡°Feel like a doctor for the fracking Mafia,¡± I grumbled. Like she hadn¡¯t watched me have sex with Vellenia. Like she didn¡¯t know I¡¯d been instrumental in breaking the Blake situation in the first place. Fracking paranoid Jacoby.


    So instead I worked in silence, adding the mana to the potion as I added in the herbs and flowers. After a good minute or two of being quietly frustrated with Jacoby, I started whistling while I worked.


    This put some pep in my step, and I danced around my lab, preparing a potion she couldn¡¯t get anywhere else, unless she decided to send someone to and from HQ every three to five days. I didn¡¯t need gratitude, I was doing this because I loved helping people. And I especially loved helping people that were trying to snatch up my people for their own ends, and display zero gratitude when I performed a valuable service¡ª


    ¡°Thank you,¡± the Guardian grumbled, after I¡¯d healed up his Wizard. ¡°Guy came out of nowhere.¡± He took the Wizard¡¯s hand and got down on one knee. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Steph.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still alive, Bri,¡± she said gently. ¡°You did your job.¡±


    ¡°Did he get your pack?¡± he asked.


    She shook her head. ¡°I put it in the dimensional space.¡± Then her eyes fell briefly on Jacoby, who was looming over my shoulder.


    Bri, the Guardian, kissed Steph¡¯s hand and she pulled him toward her, so they could start softly making out.


    I could feel Jacoby percolating with anger. Maybe for them spilling ¡®secrets¡¯ or possibly for them displaying affection for one another in an unprofessional manner, when their team leader didn¡¯t have someone who valued her like these two obviously cared for one another.


    ¡°Second healing potion,¡± I called, and handed it to Bri the Guardian. This saved Jacoby from clearing her throat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll whip some of these up for your people when they go out on assignment, but you need to remember that I¡¯ve got my own mission. These also have a shelf life of only about a day. I don¡¯t magically preserve them. That¡¯s not a thing I can do.¡±


    She pouted, but grunted a perfunctory ¡®thanks.¡¯ I then explained that the base, oil, was not something I had in limitless amounts. She promised to get one of her Wizards, a Transmuter, on the task, to see if he could whip up some.


    Some ten minutes later, I had finished with a half dozen more potions, handed them off to Bri and Steph, and Jacoby¡¯s people left.


    Daily healing potions for Jacoby¡¯s team¡­ I could probably add in mana potions, and see if Alan had the recipes for an all-around restorative potion, to give both mana and hit points back.


    For now, I¡¯d need to plant more icebalm and mender¡¯s fern in my little garden. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As I was planting and tending those, I got the level up ding. After healing up and setting free the God of Secret Places, I¡¯d also received a level up, but wanted to do at least two at once. I was using my Healer abilities less, and I also seemed to have hit a plateau, where I could handle the routine and every day healing situations thrown at me. This was definitely hubris, and I knew it. The looming situation blanketing the whole town was a long term project, and not one I could make progress on quickly. Stacking up level ups and their bonuses was okay, until we started looking at putting a god back together again.


    Level 22: Ability upgrade: Healer¡¯s Resistance, +2 skill points


    Level 23: +1 Ingenuity, +3 skill points


    Now that was a surprise. A very welcome one. In the past I¡¯d gotten upgrades and a single skill point, or an attribute point and one or two skill points. Three and an attribute point felt like Christmas.


    First, I needed to check out Healer¡¯s Resistance.


    The first big change here was that my target could spend the Token instead of me. Nice. The second was that the effects had been reduce further, from 75 to 90 percent, and the onsets were now quadrupled.


    And then there was that level three ability. It seemed unbelievable. Maybe with more level ups, it would also take into account god damage. It was a hope, but likely a vain one. I doubted it would get so powerful as to negate all damage from gods. However, I could¡­ dive into a volcano? Hug Larelle¡¯s Magmamander? Go skydiving without a parachute?


    I shuddered at the thought of it not working. I¡¯d have to do some tests.


    As for the rest of my level up bonuses¡­


    Ingenuity at level 9! Awesome. Sure, I didn¡¯t any smarter, but then again, I never did. The physical changes were the easiest to track: less pain in my hips and thighs and back were from Physicality, and less fatigue from a day¡¯s work was from Durability. Also I could sex longer.


    I chuckled to myself. ¡°Perv,¡± I muttered.


    Affinity was also something I¡¯d been able to track, the flow and feel of mana having changed into the ability to glimpse it sometimes, when I concentrated.


    Likability and Ingenuity though, those were much more difficult to see progressing.


    Regardless, I had skill points to spend. The first one went directly to Divine Resistance. That one I needed.


    I peered over the list of Healer skills again and frowned. It never, ever seemed like enough skill points. For now, my Develop cure was still low. Treatment, especially Potions, had leveled up on its own, from the frequency of using the skill. I wasn¡¯t developing cures on the regular though.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try to get everything to level 4,¡± I told myself. That meant two in Develop cure, for Large and Medium, and then two in Diagnosis.


    Christopher Fletcher


    Healer - Trainee 23


    Pleasure Seeker - Novice 20


    attributes:


    Healer Skills:


    Diagnosis (physical 4, spiritual 4, magical 4, mental 3)


    Treatment (potions 4, salves 3, tinctures 3, elixirs 3, unguents 3)


    Develop cure (swarm 4, small 5, medium 4, large 3)


    Develop cure (unique) 7


    Administer Cure 8


    Pleasure Seeker Qualities:


    Girth 1


    Load 1


    Stave Off 2


    Length 1


    Tongue 1


    Adaptability 4


    Pheromones 1


    Other Skills:


    Identify 5


    Hiking 3


    Cooking 1


    Persuasion 1


    Meditation 4


    Divine Resistance 6


    Stealth 1


    Mana Affinity 1


    All other skills unranked


    Unspent skill points: 0


    This is Christopher about to say ¡®all in a day¡¯s work.¡¯

 104- BOOF and SNORC

    Thankfully the California sun was still high in the sky when I woke from a nap. The girls had stopped for lunch and left me in the van, but when they returned, giggling and chatting, they asked what kind of takeout I wanted.


    I just want to stop and quickly review what I was looking at:


    Cinzy had on these baby short shorts in purple and a gradient tank top over a string bikini top only about one percent of the population can pull off. I know you see them all the time on the television and the internet, because they¡¯re like one in a million, but you don¡¯t see a million people in your day to day life, so believe me when I say that from her painted toenails and matching flip flops to her expert dye job, Cinzy was almost impossible to look away from.


    Regina was a ginger and complained about the sun in a good-natured way while dressing like something out of an impressionist painting. She had on a wide-brimmed straw hat and a sundress that showed off how little she was wearing underneath when the angle of the light was right. She had a parasol.


    Tara dressed as she always seemed to: yoga pants and sneakers in a medium brown color, along with a lime green t-shirt, a little too large, cut so that it was more like a tank top. She had to wear a bra because her nipples were simply huge, and it created mind-boggling cleavage. There she rivaled Cinzy.


    Ivy had somehow talked Isabelle into dressing far less conservatively than normal; she had on jean shorts that showed a bit of her butt cheeks. She was constantly on edge about people seeing, so she was constantly picking at a wedgie and drawing people¡¯s attention to it. From there, the crop top showed off her belly button and a decent amount of cleavage also. She wasn¡¯t as well-endowed as the others but was still sexy.


    And Ivy. Good gravy. She was in that see through fishnet shirt with a bikini under it, the tall boots again, and right now, jean shorts cut short enough that it looked like a bikini bottom. I could see almost her full butt, her thighs, and the whole of her trim upper body. She¡¯d added a Stetson to this, and it made her look even sexier, somehow.


    ¡°What did you go over with my mom while I was out?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not much,¡± Regina said. ¡°We asked her what she¡¯s been up to the last six months while you¡¯ve been gone.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± It had been all chemo and throwing up and hair loss and dizziness and shirt like that.


    ¡°She took up knitting,¡± Cinzy said. ¡°And she promised to make us all DRC hats and scarves.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡± Well that was certainly news to me. I¡¯d been too wrapped up in my own stuff to.


    Which is how I ended up getting my mom to talk at length about the knitting she¡¯d been doing. She had shipped a lot of it off to pet shelters so they could dress up the good doggies and kitties to get people to adopt.


    And it had worked. She was kind of a badass. Instead of convalescing like she could have, like many other people would have chosen to do, she got herself a nice hobby that filled the painful time and made a difference.


    ¡°I donated a couple of hats and scarves up north.¡±


    She said up north like we had gone to visit my aunt and uncle in Idaho ever. I was pretty sure there was a disagreement that was political in nature, but I hadn¡¯t ever gotten into the weeds because I didn¡¯t know the Idaho Jessens. My mom really liked the Fletcher side of the family much better.


    All fueled up on salads, wraps and one falafel plate, we hit the road once again.


    ¡°Okay!¡± My mother announced. ¡°We¡¯re going back to Dork fleeing post.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Dorian flying roast,¡± Cinzy said, then started and looked down like she could stare at her own betraying lips. Why couldn¡¯t anyone say the word Dorfialialtos, the name of the other world, was unclear. It was definitely a mystery for another chapter of this story.


    ¡°Can we tell the Agency naming story first?¡± Tara asked.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Regina said, but she was grinning.


    ¡°It¡¯s my favorite story!¡±


    ¡°Fiiiiiiiiine-uh,¡± Regina said.


    She probably knew that this part of the story with Vellenia lead to Jacoby¡¯s involvement¡­ sexually. But we can save that for when Christopher comes up with a plausible way to explain why Jacoby was so nice to me.


    ***


    ¡°You have got to see this memorandum,¡± Tara gushed. ¡°This is so amazing.¡±


    She had just returned from her job for the day: heading out to link up with Jacoby¡¯s people, dropping off potions, and making sure nothing out there had become problematic. None had, and we were thankful of that. They had left one of their high level Wizards, a guy named Wayne. This guy could deliver and receive messages directly from HQ on the regular. These came on shrunken clay tablets that the Wizards would then enlarge with their spells¡­ or whatever they were called. For now, Tara had hold of two tablets, the size of playing cards, waving them at us and crying tears of laughter.


    Cinzy, being the self-appointed spokesperson of the group, snatched the tiny clay tablets from her hand and read over the tiny script. She burst out laughing, replacing Tara¡¯s look of annoyance with one of genuine delight again.


    I won¡¯t bore you with the entire thing. Suffice it to say that, in the very beginning, the Agency did not exist in any official capacity. It was a little subsection of some little subsection of the government budget. It was discretionary spending at its most discretionary.


    You know, the sort of five thousand dollar hammer and twenty-five thousand dollar toilet seat type thing. Kind of makes you wonder how much of that budget is for intergalactic flight and extraterrestrial management affairs.


    Back to the story.


    Now, as time had gone on, the Agency was beginning to realize at least one of its goals, and so in order to move forward, the Agency was going to reveal its existence to the president. This would all be very hush-hush, very closed door. We still weren¡¯t about to start existing. The Agency was not about to begin flooding the world with cute Nakamamon pets so everyone could have a flower fox, or open a zoo so people could see the rochidnas, and whatever sentient crystal thing that Garnet was. That wasn¡¯t happening, and probably would never happen.


    Emphasis on the word ¡®probably.¡¯


    However, they wanted to name the Agency so it could be presented to the president. As usual, the people in charge were people like Rus.


    Cinzy waved the paper. ¡°Do you want to know what they¡¯re thinking of calling it?¡±


    ¡°Just tell us,¡± Drat said.


    ¡°You are not at all fun,¡± Cinzy said. ¡°No sense of drama.¡±


    ¡°I have an excellent sense of drama, for things that matter.¡±


    Cinzy sighed. ¡°Well just know that we have been invited to vote on these, because Rus is a maniac. These names were put forward by regular employees like us, and they passed several rounds of voting while we were cut off from most communications.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± I said.


    ¡°Drumroll please!¡± Cinzy called, and everybody¡ªexcept Drat¡ªobliged her. I started rolling my tongue and patting my thighs, just like in National Lampoon¡¯s Christmas Vacation. I could tell a lot of people hadn¡¯t seen this movie, but I soon had everyone following long. Except Drat. Cinzy could create an actual drumroll sound with her powers, which was so, so odd.


    When Cinzy opened her mouth again, all ¡®drumroll¡¯ cut immediately off.


    ¡°They want to call it either BOOF¡­ or SNORC.¡± S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Oh yeah. Yeah,¡± Regina said, already laughing. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m on board with either of those. Don¡¯t even care what they stand for. I like it. The Agency has outdone itself.¡±


    This was the general consensus.


    BOOF stood for Bureau of Otherworld Operations and Facilities. The name in no way made it clear what the Agency did, aside from operate and facilitate things here in the otherworld, but that was all right.


    SNORC gave us more, but not much. This stood for Strategic Nexus Operations and Resource Command. The words ¡®strategic¡¯ and ¡®resources¡¯ implied that the other world was going to be mined for something, and that something was loosely connected to national defense.


    Well, if Blake hadn¡¯t become towering slab of Physicality, he would¡¯ve made a rather amazing soldier.


    I froze.


    The realization that the Agency was using us as a guinea pig group for future super soldiers was a sobering one. Because, honestly, there was no way they weren¡¯t doing that. They were cultivating super soldiers, super ninjas like Drat, and super talkers like Cinzy, and only beginning to consider showing those results to the big brass in Washington.


    ¡°Strategic,¡± I breathed, ¡°and resource.¡±


    What they wanted to harvest out of this world and bring into earth was immediately evident, but so far as I understood, extracting magic out of Dork Fiddle Toast wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡°Dorm feely host,¡± I said angrily. ¡°Seriously, why can¡¯t I even say the name of this fracking world? Anyway it doesn¡¯t matter. Tokens disappear after twenty-four hours.¡± Regina had said her special abilities all dried up after about a day on earth.


    Right now anyhow. If it¡¯s one thing we can all agree on regarding humans as a species, it¡¯s that we figure out how to do what we want to do. Usually what we figure out is how to kill one another, but when we wanted to get airborne, we figured that out too. When we wanted to touch the moon, we figured that out.


    For now it didn¡¯t matter. We had jobs to do, and my job was healing. Nobody in their right minds stopped a Healer from healing. Nobody went to doctors and told them to cut that out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll vote¡­ BOOF,¡± Regina said.


    ¡°I recognize that word from somewhere,¡± Trent said.


    ¡°Y-y-you should,¡± Alan said, and described how that word had been part of a highly televised Supreme Court justice¡¯s confirmation hearings at the time. People had debated what the word meant, and that didn¡¯t matter either.


    It may or may not have been perverted in nature. Again, didn¡¯t matter.


    What mattered was the word sounded silly. Would it be a lot easier for the president to accept the news that there was another world out there? Maybe if it was handled by BOOF. Would the public be okay knowing that resources in their homes were coming from another world? Maybe if they were BOOF resources.


    But hell, what did I know? I was only a kid in my early twenties, and the people attempting to reassure the government that another world was good, well they had decades and decades of experience under their belts. All I needed to do was stay on target, plug the leaks faster than new ones were springing to life.


    ***


    Ugh, I¡¯m getting things out of order trying to avoid telling my mom all about the wonderful and unbelievable sexual shenanigans I got up to in the other world.


    I¡¯d been quietly making love with my lovely ladies for the whole week. It had been a relaxing and pleasurable time, just reveling in their bodies and making them gasp, and hearing them cry out as their bodies tipped over the climax point. We¡¯d gone out walking during the day, away from the camp, we¡¯d gone out walking at night, nearer the camp, and one of the things I now knew I was missing was hand-holding.


    In the wake of numerous sexy time activities, the system apparently awarded extra experience points, and put me at level 20 in Pleasure Seeker. I was overjoyed to take the next step towards the milestone: whatever the hell happened at level 25. Changes were on the horizon, and I couldn¡¯t wait to hit level 25 to see what the next thing might be.


    The first thing that happened was all my Tokens replenished. The second thing that happened was I received the level up bonuses:


    Level 20: +1 Durability, +2 skill points


    There would be no complaints when it came to new attribute points and new skill levels. I was thankful that, the further I got from level 1 and the closer to level 25, the more points I appeared to get. On previous level ups I¡¯d received a single skill point with most attribute increases.


    Waiting for Drat do search out all the hidden spaces meant it was time to prioritize Pleasure Seeker. It was also time to consider just what I was doing with the Qualities. One of those priorities, now that I¡¯d touched Chrysta, was increasing Adaptability. She might be a ghost aspect, and she might be an ice aspect on top of that, but she was a valuable member of my team who craved physical contact. Next, Pheromones would transmit whatever Qualities in Pleasure Seeker to my partners. I hadn¡¯t used it yet, but practically I thought it meant an increase of Adaptability for partners who needed it, and other Qualities for those who didn¡¯t. And to me, that said I could grant Chrysta Adaptability too.


    I already understood Adaptability allowed me to avoid hurting my partners. Size allowance for smaller girls like Regina and Vellenia, and for times when Cinzy wanted to take my full length in the other hole. It also transformed me into a more ghostly being for purposes of touching Chrysta. The full scope of Adaptability was far beyond my understanding¡­ for now.


    So one point went right into Adaptability. The other one I couldn¡¯t be sure about. I needed to see how Pheromones worked before I sank more points in. Meaning I needed to have a quick heart to heart with Chrysta and see whether it really did pass Adaptability onto her.


    I read over the Pheromones description again.


    I spent that time listening to Tara¡ªand Cinzy butting in¡ªto tell the BOOF and SNORC story. I also spent that time trying to figure out how to tell my mother how I gained Jacoby¡¯s trust and assistance, and get to the trials we¡¯d run with the different types of afflicted citizens from Glumpdumpkin, while Drat tried his thing.


    Then I told the part where I¡¯d gotten tired of waiting on Drat, gotten tired of Jacoby¡¯s insistence that I was better off being her subordinate than a separate team leader, and got down to the business of trying to help the citizens in town, one at a time if I had to.


    First, cleansing the second type of Glumpdumpkin citizens of their malady was¡­ difficult.


    Alan¡¯s handbook on healing had been shrunk down to playing-card sized. We had large magnifying glasses to help us go through them with relative speed, and find some that might be helpful. He had an index blown up to newspaper size that Trent had embedded in his wall using earth magic. The two of them had worked together to make a notation system that was¡­ insane.


    Imagine your typical study of a scholar from a hundred or two hundred years back, books open all over the place, notations scrawled here and there, notes in the margins, and loose pages sticking out of books, or hidden under other books, or tacked to the walls.


    Now imagine that in stone form. Since magic had a strange effect on both ink and paper, they were forced to score letters and words directly into soft earth or clay. Trent was there to turn the earth to stone, and to separate out those notated areas. He could press them into the walls of Alan¡¯s house¡­ and he had. Some had to be taken out, and replacements tacked up instead. But between the binders full of clay trading cards, larger newspaper-sized clay tablets, and the stone bricks where they made notes, it was a mess of epic proportions in there. Alan¡¯s house was nothing more than one of those conspiracy theory boards, but set in stone.


    We required a lot of clay tablet resizing, and then a lot of parsing through the notes we expanded through the use of Alan¡¯s spells. Alan was steadfast, though I could sense his exhaustion after only the third resizing spell. When I told him to take a break, he refused, and instead doubled down. He would last another hour before falling asleep at his spellbook.


    Yes, I know what you¡¯re thinking: spellbook? Ink on paper, but didn¡¯t I just explain how ink and paper didn¡¯t work in a land of magic? Well, Alan¡¯s spellbook had been specially created by the order of Wizards to withstand magic. After all, it had to be spellproof in order to survive Alan frequently casting spells within inches of it. Alan learned spells through level progression and choices, and whenever he learned a spell, it would appear in his spellbook, indelibly printed there by some substance that wasn¡¯t ink, but looked exactly like it.


    He told me the pages were made of stone, specially spellcrafted for them to be both ultra thin and unbreakable. And yes I¡¯d seen the advertisements for the notebook back on earth, made of literal stone on the internet, but I couldn¡¯t believe they engineered stone to be paper. I just couldn¡¯t.


    After several hours of research, we had a decent enough formula for a severe confusion treatment.


    This one required a calming agent: morning dewdrop was the name of the flower. Following that, we needed blue crocuses, and a lot of them, for renewing thoughts and for concentration. The third bit we needed was a moss native to this world, called Grandfather¡¯s Beard. I only had a bit of the crocuses and the moss, so that meant immediately planting some and using Verdant Rejuvenation to help grow them at hyper fast speeds.


    From there, it was time to check on my Treatment, of Medium creatures. I had never bought any of the aspect-specific skills, and didn¡¯t exactly regret it. There would never be enough skill points for that. We treated a sapient-looking tree Nakamamon, getting a check difficulty that was still far too high¡­ but possibly manageable.


    Nigh Impossible was better than 30+ difficulty rating, but not by a lot. I still didn¡¯t love the idea of spending 7 Tokens, since my 13 levels would yield an average of three or four successes¡­ out of fourteen. This was possible, but not ideal. I cold regenerate Tokens now in a couple of different ways, but it would still be a day or two in between each stumbling, severely confused patient, and there were dozens.


    This is Christopher about to do it anyway.

 105- Apothecary鈥檚 Diary

    For the next two hours, I boiled blue crocuses in a mixture of water and oil.  This allowed the Grandfather¡¯s Beard and the morning dewdrop to grow at incredible speeds in my garden. Vellenia happily chipped in, singing as we worked with an otherworldly voice. Meanwhile, the crocuses turned the whole mixture a deep indigo color, and made my whole house smell¡­ indescribable. It was an eye-watering, sneeze-inducing indescribable, so not a horrible type of indescribable, even if we were laughing half the time.


    We eventually moved the operation outside, where the smell could be carried away¡ªor right into my face¡ªby the day¡¯s breeze.


    After the whole mixture had been temperature regulated, and distilled down, we added the Grandfather¡¯s Beard. Indigo became a dark sort of turquoise. After another hour, the morning dewdrop was ready to be added.


    With the addition of the white flower, the thick syrup went from turquoise to an opaque white, followed closely by disappearing entirely.


    ¡°Hang on,¡± I muttered. I had been about to spend 7 Tokens to treat this creature¡­ now it was giving me 16 levels, and possibly 5 or 6 natural successes, to work up this treatment.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, bond mate?¡± Vellenia asked.


    ¡°I think I was just about to attempt to cure this individual with the force of my magic alone.¡± Brewing up an unguent automatically lowered the difficulty and gave me access to stacking my skills.


    I decided to try it; Hard At Work would give me a free retry, and would grant me more information. So far, for months, I¡¯d had about a 3:1 success rate. Sometimes it had been as high as 5:1. I still wasn¡¯t going to succeed at 10 successes with 16 total levels, but¡­ if I had sex first, I¡¯d have 18 levels. The thought gave me a snort of amusement.


    My 16 levels gave me 5 successes, about what I thought I¡¯d get. I did go for the retry, and spent the 5 Tokens to succeed from Physicality. Meditation, and the Drive In Deeper ability would help me to regain Tokens. It wasn¡¯t a permanent solution, but it was just as important to see what was happening here.


    The sapient tree had been babbling incoherently, until I smeared the unguent onto the place above where its eyes were located. It immediately stopped weakly struggling, froze, and began looking around in confusion.


    ¡°Regular confusion¡­ or severe confusion?¡± I asked, snorting with laughter.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± it asked, the first understandable words it had said since we¡¯d brought it out of the town hours ago. Then, in a tone of increasing fear, ¡°Where am I? I don¡¯t remember this place¡­ what happened to me?¡±


    ¡°Just outside the town of Glumpdumpkin, dear,¡± Cinzy said from the front door. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here.¡±


    She gave me a tired smile.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Just let me know when you¡¯re going to have confused and scared individuals to calm down next time,¡± she said, and gave me a wink. Then she guided the walking, talking tree out the door and showed him where his old home was, calmly explaining that we were on the case and that it was only a matter of time before we had the town healed up.


    I appreciated her optimism. There was not nearly as much confidence stored up inside me to project that kind of reassurance.


    In order to gain more skill levels, I would need to level up and get skill points, or do the same thing constantly and hope for a level up in what I was doing. If I¡¯d stayed in Slinktrickle, I had no doubt I would eventually end up with levels in water aspect and fairy aspect Cure generation skills. If we were here long enough, I could ask to get the same type of Nakamamon again and again, and see if that worked.


    I still needed 5 successes the natural way to make sure this worked, and that meant 15 skill levels to complete it comfortably. Well, I was, after all, a Novice at this, trying to be a full-on surgeon when I should be patching scrapes, burns, and stitching wounds closed at a real doctor¡¯s side.


    I had magic on my side, thankfully, because 15 relevant levels weren¡¯t going to come quickly.


    Vellenia gave me a massage of the shoulders and told me I should give myself some grace. She was right; I was new to this. A few months was a drop in the bucket compared with most doctors.


    Our third test was initially the most difficult. I asked Larelle and the Guardians to try to get one of the constant workers out of town and into my lab, where I could try to treat them as I¡¯d already done.


    First of all, simply getting one to the lab for treatment was much harder than anyone anticipated. Drat had the Prismatic Apparel, so only Larelle was immune to the effect of being in town. The others only had Divine Resistance at level 2 or 3, which wasn¡¯t enough for longer stays trying to wrestle a supernaturally strong individual out of town.


    So I had to head in, and try to treat them there.


    The manic workers were rare: we only found about a dozen in total working and working and working. They were supernaturally protected from starvation; they didn¡¯t eat. They were supernaturally protected from exhaustion; they didn¡¯t sleep. They were also supernaturally protected from the the ravages of their jobs; they didn¡¯t get callouses, rope burns, or the normal bumps, bruises or injuries that come from doing manual labor. Somehow, they didn¡¯t run out of raw materials either; one of them had been making salads and pasta dishes for weeks now, and we¡¯d been grabbing these until he threatened to get us unless he was paid.


    Also, once Larelle started trying to get in their way to make them give up baking bread 24/7, she found them to be supernaturally strong. The baker woman was only about two feet tall, a round ball of a creature with stubby arms and legs, but she threw Larelle aside like she weighed no more than a loaf of sourdough. And continued on her way back to the kitchen like nothing strange had happened.


    It was an odd situation, to say the least. Before we tried it, we were already ready to give up the game and let them continue indefinitely.


    I decided that wouldn¡¯t do, though. The baker always baked. The chef always prepped and cooked and plated meals, which somehow simply vanished when he filled up the kitchen with uncountable plates. They weren¡¯t going anywhere, except out to the market to get more materials for their trades. I could study them so long as I took care not to get in their way.


    , Larelle told me, in that same psychic speech directly into my head.


    ¡°Not folly,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I know, but¡­¡± The Hippocratic Oath wasn¡¯t exactly a thing for me. It wasn¡¯t a requirement for me to be a Healer. It was, however, a good way of doing things. Yes, I¡¯d turned away people who were doing others harm. These were victims, not perpetrators, and they deserved help if I could supply it. Also, I might learn more about the god when the time finally arrived for me to handle it. After all, the divine underwear and shirts and socks and pants might instead be these poor workers doing their Red Shoes dance, a dance they couldn¡¯t break free from. I hoped that by healing them, I¡¯d get the god out in the open, then heal him next.


    It didn¡¯t work, but a guy can dream.


    So the first thing I did was try the easy route, and smear their heads with my new unguent, then let them Vape-o-Rub themselves out of their fugue states.


    The unguent wasn¡¯t the way to do it. Sadly, these ones weren¡¯t suffering from severe confusion.


    So I watched the baker lady for most of a full day, using Diagnosis to learn that she was indeed suffering from a divine ailment. The Diagnosis check was done at Extreme difficulty as well, and since I didn¡¯t have Fire Aspect Nakamamon as a type I knew well, I was back to using Affinity and Diagnosis.


    And that meant spending Tokens.


    It took another 7 Tokens to deal with the Diagnosis.


    I went with the divine diagnosis first, praying for answers and wafting the censor around the baker lady as she baked. When the incense smoke stuck around her, I knew I was right. Still, I needed to spend the Tokens to know exactly what it was and how I could help.


    The result was called Labor Mania.


    This was getting weird. First the other write up, and now this. These system messages had all been made by someone, and while it wasn¡¯t at all my business to figure out who, or what it meant, it sure was tempting.


    I had a lot of tasks in front of me, and a whole bunch of relationship entanglements besides.


    With all that in mind, I got to work attempting a divine remedy.


    I went with olive oil, because it was sacred and considered holy by many. Next came bamboo, which was also considered sacred for East Asians. The resilience and humility associations fit here, as far as I was concerned. Resilience for working for days without a rest, into weeks¡­ and now months. Sage¡­ halo sage here, a variation from this world with a white rim around the edge of the fuzzy and aromatic leaves. Lastly, I added lotus blossoms.


    I know. My garden was so, so weird looking. Once I got the dried lotus petals out, I had to tend them using Verdant Rejuvenation. The strangest thing was seeing lotuses bloom over the course of a single day. They¡¯re one of the biggest flowers, with massive leaves resembling lily pads. Following that, the flowers themselves can rise up on tall stalks, really huge. I was forced to dig tiny ponds for them, and water them throughout the day in order to get them, but you¡¯d typically see these things in Asia, on small lakes or ponds, rising six feet in the air with their enormous leaves. Then the flowers themselves would seem to be as big as your head.


    I really loved the way they appeared to glow from within, with bright yellow in the center and petals that were white at the bottom, fading to bright magenta at the tip. It was easy to see why people had lanterns that looked exactly like these things.


    On the second day I had a crop of lotuses, halo sage, bamboo, and I used the olive oil given to me by HQ. After meeting with Cinzy to put in a request with Wayne to requisition more oil, Vellenia and I went into the lab and got our elixir on.


    I wanted to go with an elixir because they were oil based, but generally more difficult because they took longer. The recipe I had on hand was full of temperature changes, stirring changes, removing the frothy scum that came to the top, and mana infusion over the course of some six hours. It wasn¡¯t a full-fledged cure like we¡¯d made for the gods, but it was close.


    I thought we¡¯d failed at the outset. Adding the ground bamboo leaves to the olive oil and infusing it with mana took a long time, and created a sticky black sludge that seemed unworkable.


    Vellenia and Alan checked the notes we had for this concoction.


    ¡°It says it¡¯s correct,¡± she said, and turned to me with her perfect. ¡°¡®Mixture will be like molasses¡¯ is what¡¯s written here. Does molasses look like unholy slime?¡±


    I had to grin. ¡°It does.¡±


    ¡°Does molasses smell like an abomination?¡±


    ¡°Not¡­ really.¡±


    She nodded ruefully. ¡°We may have failed after all.¡±


    I continued to feed the unholy concoction mana and requested more instructions as they were written. Once we added the boiled halo sage in, the stench of evil left it, and over time the clinging black sludge evened out into more of a sauce consistency. Best of all, the gleaming black void coloration began to shift.


    Afterwards came the sacred lotus petals. Those went in whole, and had to dissolve individually before adding the next. Each one pushed back the darkness just a bit more.


    With drips of mana applied to each lotus petal, a burst of music slammed into being, like a gigantic pipe organ in a cathedral. The type of sound you feel reverberating in your soul. I knew we were on the right track then. Nice and distracting, the type of thing you need when attempting to put together a magical elixir over the course of hours with precise instructions. Further lotus petals hit with other sounds reminiscent of worship: chanting and the strike of wood on wood, a chorus of singing, and wailing in a language that sounded like Arabic.


    The coloration began changing with each explosion of holy sound, but like oil and water. The black was shoved back by a pure, colorless clarity, until I could see the bottom of the cauldron.


    It was at the very last lotus petal that the UI message for the proficiency check burst into my field of vision.


    As it happened, I did not. With 16 levels, 7 successes was a serious long shot, but theoretically within reach.


    ¡°Do you have any Affinity Tokens?¡± I asked Vellenia, furiously concentrating on adding just the right amount of mana to the last lotus petal. It hit the water and a deep thrumming sound went all throughout my body. The whole mixture quivered, and the countdown timer for me to make the check was faster than I¡¯d ever seen before.


    She spent 6 Tokens to lower my difficulty by 2, and I told the UI to make the check.


    This is Christopher finally feeling like he knows what he¡¯s doing.


    S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 106- Take the Shot

    I sat back and felt the blades of grass tickling the back of my neck, and my forearms. You know how often you touch grass? I can tell you, in my time before the other world, those moments of grass in my hands were few and far between. I know that because it felt so good, filled me with such relief, that I seriously considered stripping my shirt off and just laying there, staring at the clouds as they went by.


    We¡¯d been outside, working on this elixir for a good half a day, and I was grateful, delighted, and also pooped. Durability gave me peak human level stamina, but doing a job for a good six hours without a rest, concentrating the entire time, no breaks, was apparently the limit.


    Still, I laughed and wrestled Vellenia when she crashed into me, also laughing. We kissed several times and rolled around on the grass, all the tension drained away.


    We had enough elixir, most likely, for all dozen of the afflicted residents. Assuming we could get them to drink this mixture, they would be cured¡­ of something that wasn¡¯t truly a problem for them.


    We next had to weigh the pros and cons of attempting this.


    Pro: we would know if these people were in fact charged with the power of the god and, like the holy underwear in Vellenia¡¯s village.


    That should¡¯ve been all it took, but the initial con was also a strong one.


    Con: Larelle could get seriously injured by a creature with divine strength while attempting to administer this treatment. She didn¡¯t have the Administer Cure skill, I did. I could just see a marshmallow fluffball creature pitching me through the ceiling of her house because I tried to play airplane with her and get her to open wide. The check difficulty for this was going to be through the roof. Ugh.


    Con: this Nakamamon wasn¡¯t actually being physically harmed by their ordeal, and bringing them out of this state was adding to the refugee crisis Trent couldn¡¯t keep up with. He had done a heroic job thus far trying to keep up with demand for houses, expanding drainage, and getting fresh water to where it needed to be. He could build a well, but it took him a solid several days of repeatedly exhausting his mana reserves. In the meantime more and more people showed up at the town¡¯s gates hoping to join the sleeping god¡¯s cult of sleepy sleepers.


    But the pro of gaining knowledge and potentially dealing with the god situation meant going ahead with this. If it worked, we had enough elixir to handle the remainder of the busy bees. If it didn¡¯t, we could leave the rest to their seemingly painless fate until we solved the situation completely.


    I was too exhausted and stressed over this to think logically. After sleep, and waking up with Vellenia draped over me, she helped me to remember that we could inject the elixir into our worker bee and treat her that way.


    Duh. We had a good laugh over it. Although we might have really enjoyed seeing Larelle get body slammed by a two foot marshmallow painted sky blue, the danger to Larelle (or myself) would¡¯ve been very real.


    Look, you work a full shift with no breaks or meals, steadily draining your mana supply with an effort of concentration you can¡¯t even comprehend, and then come back to me and tell me you would be immune to the occasional brain fart.


    Armed with the knowledge and slightly embarrassed about not remembering the injection thing, we marched forth into town, past where Larelle had arranged the people into unconscious rows by the sides of buildings, and to the bakery in question.


    The weather was again delightful. I was glad the god of weather wasn¡¯t malfunctioning. I can imagine that brewing up a cure for that would be pretty difficult, what with the constant downpours and cyclones and rising floodwaters. Instead we had singing bird Nakamamon, chirping bug Nakamamon, and a bright sun shining down upon us.


    So it was that we found her happily baking¡ªwhistling as she worked, no less¡ªafter filling the syringe and navigating the streets.


    One of the things Trent¡¯s house now had, it should be noted, was a scale map of the entire town. It was a good twelve feet long and three feet wide, but that¡¯s neither here nor there. It was to scale. He had recreated all the houses out of stone, and some of them out of crystals he¡¯d found while bringing up houses or digging wells. Street names were etched into the ground, and pebbles now stood for sleeping individuals we¡¯d painstakingly relocated out of the way. So we could plan our approach and know exactly where we were going without having to make a check to shrug off the divine influence.


    It didn¡¯t take long to find her, and like before she was oblivious to our presence. Unless we touched one of her expertly-crafted rolls, cakes, cookies, or other baked delights, she didn¡¯t acknowledge us in the slightest. If we paid for what we took, we would hear a chipper ¡°Thank you, dearies!¡±   It didn¡¯t matter if she was in the other room rolling out dough or singing to herself, the moment we touched the goods, she began to react.


    It was simplest to just walk in the bakery and inject her.


    , Larelle rumbled in my mind, a sullen complaint.


    ¡°Thanks, I guess,¡± I said. I was pretty confident this couldn¡¯t go wrong, at first, until she described the baker woman turning and splattering me all over the walls of the bakery the moment I tried to stick her with the needle.


    She determined to load up the syringe into a specially-crafted blowgun. I would attempt the first shot, I argued, because I had the Administer skill and she didn¡¯t. After an hour of blowgun target practice outside, I was reasonably confident I could hit a two foot spherical target from a distance of ten feet.


    I was also winded; who knew firing a blowgun over and over again could take it out of you like this? I mean, with the syringe the size it was, there was absolutely no way I¡¯d do this at all without Physicality and Durability being as high as they were. I¡¯d been making Durability checks at the end there, with increasing difficulties. She¡¯d filled the syringes with water, but later she had Trent slot stone into the glass tube, after he¡¯d crafted it with his Sorcerer powers. The extra weight helped¡ªwith heavy air quotes on the word ¡¯helped¡¯¡ªto get me ready for the actual shot to come.


    I was a pretty decent shot, though, which was good. I could hit near the center of the target from ten feet, and hit the target ten times out of ten from fifteen feet, though my placement was erratic.


    Finally set, we marched into town, blowgun in hand, with Larelle holding the case containing all dozen syringes. By now it was getting toward lunch, so we stopped at the bakery, paid with coin, and I helped myself to a jam-filled pastry.


    Indecision and trepidation were creeping up on me through the walk and then as I chewed the flaky, buttery pastry. This was the first time I¡¯d be attacking a Nakamamon. It wasn¡¯t an attack, really, since the elixir was in the syringe. Still, I hadn¡¯t shot at anyone here. I was a healer; you know, stirring things, growing herbs and flowers, burning myself on the Magmamander or the adjustable tray we used to hold the cauldron when it needed moving up or down. I took damage, sure, but it was all in service of the patients. In one case, with them literally unraveling before my eyes, I had to push through divine damage and administer a cure.


    But I¡¯d never shot someone. Until you do, there¡¯s a real sense of uncertainty for most non-psychopaths. And this goes double for targets who are minding their own business. I felt a hot rock settle in the pit of my stomach, weighing me down, telling me this wasn¡¯t good. My conscious mind fought back; I wasn¡¯t hurting her. This was to help her.


    Yet, she would continue doing what she was doing without harm coming to her. I could enjoy donuts and cakes, so long as we coughed up the coins.


    In the end, I took the shot. I wasn¡¯t in love with the idea of doing it, but it needed to be done. For intelligence gathering purposes, and not so we could plunder all her baked goods without paying.


    Honest.


    I lined up the shot just outside the room where she was happily rolling dough. Larelle wouldn¡¯t help me get closer, because she was being a butt. From here it was a good twelve feet. I could make it.


    The rich smells of butter and baked bread wafted out at me. Why hadn¡¯t we chosen one of the other workers? It was because I wanted jam pastry before we did this heinous act. But we could have just gotten a pastry and moved on.


    Well, I told myself that if we cured her, I¡¯d order Trent to set her up a bakery just outside our camp and supply her with everything she needed. Larelle could just¡­


    What was I doing?


    I took a deep breath, a must for any blowgun attack, and steadied myself. My heart was pounding, and my anxious mind filled with awful scenarios of this adorable little Nakamamon turning into a lightning fast killing machine, filled with divine energy and divine wrath. I could see her rolling over here and springing off her tiny little feet, rocketing upwards to slam one teensy fist into my jaw, before rebounding off the wall and striking Larelle from behind.


    Instead, she continued to work as I counted between heartbeats, and took the shot.


    I let it go by itself, not expecting to get 5 successes out of 13 levels. I was right, and only scored 3 successes, fewer than I thought. The timer to confirm Token spending on my free retry appeared as well, and wound down faster than any other timer I¡¯d seen yet. In the millisecond that followed, I confirmed that Yes, I wanted to spend the Tokens.


    All this seemed to happen in a heartbeat. The system had a way of slowing down time so that the time between me blowing out the held breath to propel the dart and me spending Tokens after my retry were half a moment apart. The dart hadn¡¯t even left the blowgun when the system check happened, the failure was registered, and the new timer counted down.


    I was once again astonished by the system itself, but only a brief moment. The dart hit her center mass, and the clear liquid gave out a brief holy sound, that of a choir all raising their voices in a single harmonious note at once.


    The small, ball-shaped Nakamamon turned to me, looking just as betrayed as she ought to have, and took a single righteous step forward with eyes blazing white, before slumping down on her face. I imagined a comical fart sound as the tiny ball of sky blue just went splat and stopped moving.


    ¡°It worked,¡± I muttered, just as Larelle spoke those same words into my mind.


    Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, she moved me aside with her gigantic muscles, darted into the bakery, and carried the baker off like a football under one arm. She bounded off out of town, while I breathed a sigh of relief, took another pastry, then reconsidered.


    I dropped a coin to pay for it.


    The baker wasn¡¯t the key to finding the divine pieces of the god malfunctioning in town. It wasn¡¯t too surprising, though it was disappointing. As for the baker herself, I made good on my promise to myself, set Trent to the task of creating a bakery in the town¡¯s outskirts, and set Larelle to the task of grabbing all the bakery equipment necessary to run the thing.


    The poor little puffball had apparently known, the whole time, that she¡¯d been doing nothing but baking. She hadn¡¯t been able to stop herself, but instead just fuzzed out of consciousness from time to time. In her waking hours she watched herself go in amazement, but grew tired of this. She hadn¡¯t been able to let us help her, but she was very thankful afterwards.


    This led to us stalking and then darting eleven others who were working without pause. If they could see and understand what they were doing, and weren¡¯t in a mind-controlled state, they needed the relief and rest of being given the elixir.


    They would need the same elixir to be made for them periodically, so the ingredients we¡¯d used, the halo sage, the olive oil, the bamboo and the lotus petals, all went into the pile of things to grow daily with Verdant Rejuvenation.


    So the work of finding the pieces of divinity fell to Drat. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Drat didn¡¯t waste much time in finding bits of a god. He found the first one just two days after we had cleansed and set free the God of Secret Spaces. In the meantime, though, we had plenty of work to do.


    That afternoon I headed in to check on Chrysta. I hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to really understand what my Qualities could do, and it was time. She had time to rest, though she never used it. Ghosts apparently didn¡¯t need to sleep. I took her away from where Isabelle and Ivy were now fending off the trickle of Nakamamon trying to get into the town.


    ¡°There is a problem,¡± she said.


    One of many, I thought.


    ¡°A slight problem, but a problem regardless.¡± She motioned behind her, to where Isabelle¡¯s Nakamamon companion lay comatose in the street.


    ¡°Muppin!¡± I said. ¡°Shift.¡±


    ¡°The town itself has a pull on us that grows stronger the longer we are in proximity. I am not immune. I have informed the other team members that they should hold tight to their bond mates, as should you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the heads up,¡± I said. ¡°Did the system require you to make a check?¡±


    I really wanted the answer to be no, but knew it was yes.


    She nodded. ¡°Your Divine Resistance skill works in concert with Durability¡­ though I am certain the difficulty will increase as time goes on. Unfortunately my Guardian abilities do not yet cover divine influence.¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Does Isabelle know?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°She was upset, but is certain you will save her bond mate.¡±


    Yep. I could do that. I mean, I had to do that. I didn¡¯t love the extra added pressure of having Isabelle pushing me to get this over and done, but her being upset was totally understandable.


    ¡°What has brought you?¡± She asked. ¡°This one hopes it is better than my gloomy news.¡±


    ¡°I have a new ability to try out,¡± I told her. ¡°If you¡¯re still interested in attempting to make physical contact.¡±


    Chrysta floated beside me, characteristically quiet.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know how much it will take, so it may be a few more levels before I¡¯m no longer taking damage.¡±


    Still, she said nothing. More to the point, she was staring at the ground. Now, I was used to the idea that she wasn¡¯t talkative, but she¡¯d been very pleased with our first sweep of Glumpdumpkin, and how we had been able to interact physically. It eventually let to me taking damage, but the thrill of success, even partial success, had been worth it. I assumed she¡¯d jump for joy at the chance to try it again.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    The look Chrysta gave me was so naked, so vulnerable, it broke my heart a little. I would soon learn that as a ghost, she wasn¡¯t capable of tears.


    ¡°Fletcher,¡± she said, ¡°I am touched. Truly, you have ignited something in me I thought was gone forever.¡±


    This is Christopher wondering if he¡¯s about to have sex with a ghost.

 107- Ghost Touch

    Sure it might be cold, but my heart was thudding in my chest, standing there close enough to reach out and embrace.


    ¡°Fletcher,¡± she said, in her quiet and ethereal voice, ¡°you must understand, this quest you embark on¡­ it is costly for you. You must divert your resources away from the mission objective.¡±


    It was like she¡¯d slapped me. ¡°What?¡±


    Didn¡¯t she want this? She had told me explicitly that she wanted to be touched, held. She couldn¡¯t touch the living without damaging them, and she couldn¡¯t touch other ghost aspect Nakamamon. This was literally what she had been craving.


    ¡°At every level you gain a finite amount of skill points, and to spend those on me alone is not something I can ask of you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that it? Pff!¡± I waved her off.


    ¡°Do not be so flippant,¡± she said, and here was the first time I¡¯d ever heard the ghost aspect really come into her voice. The air grew still around her, and the tone of her voice shifted, deepened, and grew¡­ distant. Like she was speaking to me from heaven, or more likely hell. ¡°This mission you have embarked upon is of vital importance to my world. I will not have you throw that away on account of one such as me.¡± A number of arms appeared from behind her back, ghostly and floaty ones that didn¡¯t visibly connect to her body, and they were all the Nakamamon fingers, thicker than human fingers and pointed, like claws.


    The voice raked over my soul and caused me to shiver, but Stalwart came into play again, and I gained 7 levels of Fear Resistance for the moment. Paired with my Durability, I now had 14 levels. I could reasonably expect 4 successes from that, but I couldn¡¯t be sure if that would be enough.


    The timer to react and choose to spend the Tokens or not wound down very quickly. Far quicker than any other ability.


    Five was a stretch, but I could make it. Five Tokens was an unthinkable amount considering I needed them to work on healing the dead god.


    There was no time.


    I chose not to spend the Tokens.


    Luckily, I got the notification. I actually scored an unbelievable 7 successes out of 14. I¡¯d never had a 50% success rate before and that was amazing in and of itself.


    I stepped in closer, which certainly confused her. I¡¯d just shrugged off her power even though I wasn¡¯t a Bard or a Guardian. How could I have done so?


    ¡°Listen to me closely,¡± I told her. ¡°You are now under orders never to use an ability against me, ever again. Or the remainder of the group, unless they¡¯re a specific danger to anyone. Buffs are fine obviously, but that Terrify power right there is off limits. You¡¯re a Guardian and you¡¯re not guarding me from my class and skill choices, Chrysta. That¡¯s the first order.¡±


    She shrank back, as though I were the one being terrifying.


    ¡°Secondly, how I spend my points is not your concern. So far we¡¯ve done pretty well handling the obstacles and objectives that land in our path. And I don¡¯t want to brag, but our team objective is tied directly to me being a healer, and there¡¯s only one Healer in this party.¡±


    I could see she wanted to protest the point. If I put all my skill points towards the Healer class, I could be better! I could get through this Glumpdumpkin situation faster or with less chance of failure! And she wasn¡¯t wrong, even though neither of us knew it definitively, but it wasn¡¯t her job to make my decisions. It wasn¡¯t her job to scaring me into making the decisions she considered the right ones.


    I reached out and took Chrysta¡¯s hand. She suddenly seemed very small and weak. Her body was typically substantial down to the hips, where her legs disappeared. Right now she disappeared up above where her belly button would be. She also had thick strands of hair-like stuff from her head, but they faded from view also. All the other hands and arms faded from view, and even the edges of her face went transparent. This was as close to tears as she could manage.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be okay,¡± I told her, speaking as gently and as reassuringly as I could.


    ¡°You should remove me from the team,¡± she whispered. ¡°What I¡¯ve done¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is totally forgivable. You¡¯ll survive this. We will move on from this.¡±


    I pulled her into a hug, and she didn¡¯t resist. We stood there together, me hugging onto Chrysta and feeling her waifish form completely for the first time. I¡¯d increased my Adaptability, but I could sense it wasn¡¯t going to be enough. My breath was already puffing out in a thick cloud of vapor. Whatever the skill did to my body, it also did something to my mind, and what it gave me was the knowledge that we weren¡¯t quite there yet.


    Drat. Not the team member.


    After a good thirty seconds, I started getting the warning that I was taking damage. Chrysta must have gotten this as well. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The first test attempt failed. Hugging did not count as sexual contact and activate the level of Pheromones. Neither was Adaptability up to the task.


    Fiddlesticks.


    ¡°It will work if we kiss,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I¡­ Fletcher, can you be certain¡ª¡±


    I leaned forward, but only close enough to get her to bridge the last half inch. The words died in her throat and she kissed me.


    There. Freezing cold lips warmed. The damage slowed to a trickle. Adaptability began working again, making me more ghostly, and Pheromones made her more alive. She stared down at herself for a moment in awe, then at me, then at my hands, which were on her waist.


    ¡°Sit with me,¡± she said, and sat on the ridge. It felt very close to what I¡¯d call a cliff.


    We sat and watched the waning light of day, with my arm wrapped around her waist. We kissed periodically, several more times, whenever Adaptability and Pheromones started wearing off, and had me taking damage again.


    The skills and the knowledge inside those skills told me not yet. My level wasn¡¯t high enough yet to either manifest me as a ghost, protect me from the ice damage, or turn her human enough to stop those from being a problem. It wasn¡¯t far, but it also wasn¡¯t yet.


    ¡°I love what we do,¡± she told me, breathing freezing air into my mouth after a kiss. She rubbed my hand where it ran up and down her slim body, and leaned against me.


    ¡°I wish it went faster,¡± I told her. ¡°The townsfolk are asleep, the refugees are getting restless, and it seems like we¡¯re just sitting here.¡±


    She kissed me again.


    ¡°You have already healed almost a dozen gods trapped in town,¡± she whispered, and slid my hand so it covered her breast. ¡°You have worked to heal Jacoby¡¯s people.¡±


    It was true; making health and mana potions every day took time out of my mornings.


    ¡°Even if we get this guy put back together,¡± I started.


    ¡°You feel unworthy of the enormity of the task at hand,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    In response her lips met mine again. The cold receded. The calming aura of being dead stole over me, as Adaptability tried to make me compatible with Chrysta.


    ¡°You have already advanced far,¡± she breathed. ¡°You will need the experience. There can be no rushing this task, Fletcher.¡±


    She kissed me again, and slipped her tongue in. I responded, even though I was taking damage. Massaging her breast, sliding my other hand over her thigh, making out. It felt wrong, like we shouldn¡¯t be doing this. We were coworkers. She was a fracking ghost. But the wrongness also lit me up from within.


    ¡°We will bridge this divide,¡± she said. ¡°Conquer this task. Together.¡±


    Her eyes flew wide when she realized I¡¯d taken damage from the kissing. She stood and floated away, only to return when I called out.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t,¡± she said, but I took her hands. She darted forward and kissed me, once more making sure I wouldn¡¯t take damage from being in contact with her. ¡°That will be the latest time. My job is to keep you safe, not endanger your life. And your job is to focus on the mission, slow as it might feel.¡±


    I pulled away but held her by the hands. ¡°Chrysta, one part of my mission is to ensure the comfort, health and happiness of the people on my team. It¡¯s not part of the mission directives, but I¡¯m making it my priority.¡±


    She smiled a wan smile. ¡°I am already in your debt. You have already done an immeasurable service to me and my kind. If we are to live as ghosts, I would be overjoyed for you to be in contact with the others.¡±


    Her smile warmed, and the rest of her body became more solid-looking. She even materialized down below the hips, as she had done in Slinktrickle.


    ¡°I will refrain from using the words ¡®insist¡¯ and ¡®must¡¯ toward you, Fletcher. Please understand though that I do not feel worthy of being your priority. If I may entreat you, or beg, it would be to beg for you to enhance your healing abilities.¡±


    And here, Chrysta dropped to her knees. Her thighs and knees materialized, and she fell to the ground, not letting go of my hands. For a being that had appeared utterly terrifying not five minutes ago, she now had a pitiable vulnerability to her.


    ¡°Think on this,¡± she said, and looked away.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want the daily hugs I have planned for you?¡±


    She looked away, and did what I could only assume was the ghost version of a blush. Her whole body went mostly transparent, save for her cheeks, her ears, the sides of her neck, and the tops of her breasts. The barest outline remained.


    I gently touched her chin, and urged her to get up. ¡°Maybe one day soon¡­ a kiss?¡±


    Her eyes widened, and she disappeared entirely.


    ¡°Fletcher,¡± a whisper drifted toward me. ¡°I¡­ I would like that very much.¡±


    , I wanted to tell her, but I knew the moment had passed. With my next level up at the very latest, and hopefully sooner than that.


    ***


    While the girls spent time asking my mother how difficult it was to take up knitting, and how difficult it was to handle chemo, and how difficult it was to raise a hellion like her son, I formulated a plan for how to handle telling my very sharp mother what happened further into the story.


    ¡°Don¡¯t encourage her!¡± I called.


    ¡°He was a real handful,¡± my mother said. ¡°You¡¯ve never heard a baby cry so much in your life.¡±


    ¡°Oh, haha,¡± I called. ¡°You think I won¡¯t pelt you with burger wrappers just because you¡¯re my mother? Think again.¡±


    My mom leaned towards Cinzy, who was presently driving. ¡°And the spit ups. You¡¯ll never believe the rainbow of colors he vomited up when he was just a baby.¡±


    Laughter erupted.


    She then ducked as a burger wrapper flew at her head. I was foiled on the next few throws by Ivy and Isabelle blocking me, the jerks. And then Cinzy was telling me she would turn this van around, young man, and the full oddity of what I was doing struck me hard.


    I was in a van with my mother and five women I¡¯d had sex with¡ªand was still having sex with¡ªon the regular. I was already the luckiest man on the planet, regardless of whether or not I could save my mother.


    Everybody was having a nice laugh at my expense, which was fine. I was no longer that baby. The last time I¡¯d thrown up¡­ was alcohol-induced.


    Same puking, different bottle.


    I chuckled.


    ¡°What¡¯s that laugh for?¡± Isabelle asked.


    ¡°I was thinking about puke,¡± I said.


    ***


    Heading over to camp, I quickly located Drat and manifested the Prismatic Apparel.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go out on a limb and say we¡¯re going to spend a significant amount of time finding and collecting these pieces. This is yours until such time as we¡¯ve got them all.¡±


    Drat¡¯s face twitched, and I got the distinct impression he wanted to ask me about my female companions, and whether I¡¯d given the yellow Nakamamon in town what I¡¯d been giving the others on the regular.


    I had to assume Drat knew my secrets, at least some of them, because that was kind of his thing. The xp triggers for Rogues pretty much entailed finding all hidden information and objects, so he was motivated to sneak around and eavesdrop. They also dealt with being deceptive.


    ¡°Oh, hey,¡± I told him. ¡°I need whatever pertinent information you have regarding the mission, regularly, and that¡¯s an order.¡± I held up a hand. ¡°Wait¡­¡± I tried to think of anything that might also cover another Blake situation, but I figured the Blake situation fell under ¡®disrupting the main mission¡¯ then he would be given xp for letting me know if anything like that ever happened again. However¡­ ¡°Oh, I also order you not to withhold information from me regarding the mission, and not to lie to me outright regarding mission-specific information. Does that cover it?¡±


    He pouted a bit, then brightened. ¡°Actually that frees me up to stop holding out, which¡­ fork you very much, expedition leader.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out how serious he was. His sense of humor was so dang dry. I decided he was joking by the twitch on one of his lips¡­ it might have been a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to need a new pair of tongs each time we need to handle the material.¡± I showed him the tongs I¡¯d used, and how the grabber parts had already blackened with exposure to the divine. They might survive another use, but they might not.


    ¡°And what makes you so sure I¡¯m going to be handling the material, as you call it?¡±


    I stared at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not touching the stuff, gloves or tongs or no. Just not happening.¡±


    I cursed inwardly, but schooled my expression. It was a continual and marvelous tight rope walk every time I interacted with Drat, where the drop off was a murky abyss I hadn¡¯t yet seen and didn¡¯t care to. Why did this person keep me on my toes like this? Why couldn¡¯t he be eager to please and joyful every time he got it right like Alan?


    ¡°You¡¯ll need Larelle or myself with you any time you find material, then,¡± I told him. ¡°I¡¯d like to get it all rounded up as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else, Expedition Leader?¡±


    ¡°Nope, that¡¯s it,¡± I said. ¡°XP for information the class route, and the orders route. XP for keeping it from me¡­ you¡¯re covered either way.¡±


    ¡°Joy.¡± He rolled his eyes, which was about as expressive as he got. He tended to display disapproval much more harshly than a simple eye roll.


    I thought that he might be legitimately happy, to be honest. This freed him up not to be a dick, when his class tried to get that to be a thing at all times.

 Pinup!

S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 112- Inextricably Bound

    Making love to Regina had brought a certain warmth with it. I basked in this lovely feeling, or just the post-coital bliss. Between pleasing another and being pleased, I felt complete. Her fingers threaded into mine, and we lay on the grass in the nude, snuggled up against one another. I felt her periodically turn to regard me with warmth and affection. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Regina and I, in the sun, watching clouds inch their way across a blue sky periodically shimmering with other colors. The only sound was the rustle of the Slumbershrooms wanting to get back to their places in the sun.


    There wasn¡¯t anything else. Sun in the sky? Birds flying high?


    Yeah. It was that good.


    ¡°Hey, Fletcher,¡± she said eventually.


    ¡°Hey, Regina,¡± I said.


    She snorted. ¡°How long do you think we have left at this place?¡±


    ¡°Dunno¡­ you¡¯re concerned about the R&R they owe us for going over the two month mark?¡±


    ¡°A little,¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯m actually more concerned about being apart from you. If they give us more than two weeks stateside¡­¡± She trailed off.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think ¡®miss¡¯ is the right word for it,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s easy and natural and good.¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°Being around you. Being with you. Having the other girls want you, and being the perv I know I am.¡±


    ¡°You are a perv,¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯re way more of a perv than I am,¡± she said, giggling. ¡°You¡¯re insatiable.¡±


    Somebody had given me literal sex powers. Though to be honest, I was trying to make up for never having had a girlfriend in high school, never being able to use all the hormones I had coursing through me.


    But I did like Regina. We had discussed movies, and she was into Star Wars, amazingly. She preferred the new TV show stuff and the newest trilogy, which I couldn¡¯t really agree with, but I didn¡¯t meet a lot of vocal Star Wars fans these days.


    She liked being out in and among nature over being in a crowded city. As did I. She liked a more relaxed day over a rigidly defined day overstuffed with things to do. Me too. And we both enjoyed petting adorable fuzzy companions, like Tweedle Dee.


    Congratulations! You have joined in the flesh with Regina Hampstead. Your relationship has increased to Devotees.


    Partners devoted to one another are something special to behold. Friends, family and even bystanders will remark upon how good they look as a couple, how natural.


    This is the fifth level on the Relationship track, and brings with it the first tangible system benefits.


    *You lose Relationship points with Regina more slowly.


    *You gain a Meld ability.


    Regina might not have said the words out loud, but I understood what she had meant when she held herself back. Her affection for me had grown into a force of its own. I mean, to be fair, my affection for her was equally as strong.


    As for the new thing we¡¯d gotten, I had a look over it.


    Meld Ability: A powerful fusion of class abilities, this will replace your current ability shared with Regina Hampstead, Beast Talker.


    Choose from among the Ranger abilities:


    *Wilderness and Herb Lore


    *Movement abilities


    *Archery abilities


    *Dual Wielding abilities


    *Beastmastery abilities


    Herb lore was already something I couldn¡¯t do on my own. Movement seemed tempting, as we were doing a lot of traveling between assignments. However, I had Golightly from the God of Apparel, and nothing was going to beat magical footwear. Both combat abilities were right out. I didn¡¯t want to fight, I wanted to heal.


    It was possible my healing abilities could work in tandem with, say, the archery abilities. In that case, I would be firing healing arrows. Although it sounded cool, I didn¡¯t think it would be anywhere near as cool as convincing a metal and earth dragon not to eat me or Cinzy¡¯s brother.


    In the end, I decided to stick with the Beastmastery stuff.


    Your abilities are as such:


    Hard at Work (Healer/Pleasure Seeker)


    Healer¡¯s Resistance (Healer)


    Healer¡¯s Endurance (Healer)


    Healer¡¯s Breath (Healer)


    Verdant Rejuvenation (Healer)


    Blissense (Pleasure Seeker)


    Post-Sharing Clarity (Pleasure Seeker)


    Drive In Deeper (Pleasure Seeker)


    Please choose an ability to meld with Beastmastery.


    Now, I had rarely suffered from a glut of choices like this. In general my situation didn¡¯t allow me too many options. When I¡¯d chosen my class, the choice was a simple one: a way to heal my mother, to make the world a better place through the elimination of pain. A force for good.


    Now though¡­ I had no idea what would help me. And my anxious mind tried to imagine what it was that I¡¯d be getting if and when I ended up melding these two powers.


    None of the others had a meld ability, so far as I knew. I¡¯d seen nothing about this when I looked through the handbook at the start. Wild speculation was fruitless¡­ pair Beastmastery with Blissense and¡­ what? No amount of wondering about it would help.


    In the end I decided using the best metric: the most useful ability. Healer¡¯s Resistance and Endurance had helped, for sure. They were useful in dealing with this divine god sickness job I had. Healer¡¯s Breath was of course a game changer. I didn¡¯t need to put together complicated salves, potions and unguents when I could just exhale healing energy into people. Verdant Rejuvenation meant I would always have a good stock of healing herbs and flowers.


    Among my Pleasure Seeker abilities (not sure I wanted to seek pleasure with beasts that I mastered but I wasn¡¯t about to turned options away completely) I didn¡¯t see anything that immediately screamed ¡®choose me!¡¯ Although Post-Sharing Clarity and Drive In Deeper had been a little helpful, and Blissense had paved the way for me to give Cinzy what she most desired. But it wasn¡¯t like sensing what Nakamamon wanted most was going to prove very useful.


    It wasn¡¯t possible to choose without more information¡­ which Regina would have. She¡¯d get a Meld Ability too, so maybe hers would help inform me on my choices.


    Beside me, Regina was also gasping in wonder.


    ¡°What¡­¡± I asked, my mouth suddenly dry, ¡°what did you get?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something called a meld ability,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure out which one I should pick. You have resistance to infection, endurance abilities, I guess for working through the night¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°The other one is for the healing breath, I think. It¡¯s called Treatment, and then this one is growing and maintaining ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Healer¡¯s Breath is for treating the sick. That¡¯s what I used on Dee when he touched the holy underwear.¡±


    She chuckled at that. Tweedle Dee must have shrugged off the effects of the Slumbershrooms because he perked up, yipped, and came bounding over through the tall grass towards us. I grinned, watching his fuzzy and flower-covered form appear with each jump, eager eyes fixed on us, and disappear back into the thigh high grasses.


    ¡°And a job class power?¡± she asked. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called Hard at Work, and it doubles Token use when I do the really difficult checks.¡±


    She accepted a fluffy, many-petaled furball to the face, which bowled her over. Laughing, she gave Dee some belly rubs and soon had a stick to play fetch with him.


    ¡°Did you say it doubles Token use?¡± she asked, astonishment clear in her voice.


    ¡°Only on class-dependent checks,¡± I told her, nodding. ¡°The second level made it easier to assist others with their checks, and the third level gave me a free retry instead of spending a Token.¡±


    ¡°Holy crapamoley!¡± She shouted, then accepted another flying furball to the face. Dee tackled her and knocked her over yet again.


    ¡°You mean I could have double Tokens when sneaking, tracking, trapping, and foraging? That¡¯s dope as hecky Becky.¡±


    She sounded like such a dork, but I didn¡¯t mind. Things sounding cool or awesome didn¡¯t really vibe with this incredible, vast, and wondrous place, where you could bond a snake made out of air, and fly on it, or a fox with flowers in its ears and tails.


    ¡°Oh em gee this is the coolest,¡± she said. ¡°I decided to go with the beast powers for this meld thing, and it gave me the ability to befriend Nakamamon, like bonding them but without the power sharing. Oh this will be so fracking cool. I want a whole menagerie! I want a big lumbering sleepy boy like Isabelle has, and a sneaky snek boy like Tara has, and a sharp quilly boy, I guess also like Isabelle¡­ and, and¡­¡± She went on to describe how she wanted fairies and fire ones and more plant ones and water ones and earth ones, maybe a gemstone one like Trent, and a floppy hoppy boy with silky ears, and¡­ all of them, essentially. She wanted all the pets.


    The downside to this was that her Herb Lore ability had been replaced by the new one. That was not a welcome sign. Although more abilities meant possibly losing track of all the things I could do, more was generally better.


    My teacher back at HQ, Allie, had given me the correct knowledge about abilities. If they weren¡¯t passed on directly from a god, I maxed out at five.


    I still had way more than other people, with five from my two classes. On top of that, I had the five passed to me by my partners. And to top all that off, there was still the matter of Vellenia, who had given me water breathing and the power to dazzle the enemy. Most everyone would have five, seven if their bonds with their Nakamamon were like mine. Some weren¡¯t, and would have deepened the bond with their bond mate. A stronger bond meant stronger powers.


    So while most people had seven abilities, eight max, I had seventeen. Eighteen if you included the one from the Lovers.


    For the time being, all was the feel of Regina¡¯s skin on mine, the sticky feeling of her juices coating me until we had a dip in the nearby stream, and then the feel of her body in my hands once again in the midst of our bath.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you made me squirt,¡± she hissed.


    I looked around, wondering why she was whispering. Luckily, Blissense hadn¡¯t given me the notification that someone¡¯s thoughts were fixed on me. So Drat wasn¡¯t anywhere nearby.


    ¡°Is that¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s never happened to me before!¡± she insisted. ¡°You¡¯re something else, you know that? You¡¯d better not leave me for Miss Perfect Face.¡±


    ¡°Who? Cinzy?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you know exactly who I¡¯m talking about is a bad sign,¡± she said. ¡°And you¡¯d better not leave me for Miss Perfect Butt.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being ridiculous,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s Tara,¡± she said. ¡°I was talking about Tara.¡±


    ¡°I know who you were talking about,¡± I said. ¡°I just don¡¯t get why. We just had sex and I just spent skill points to make you feel like you¡¯ve never felt in your life.¡±


    Her eyes flew open. ¡°You¡­ you did? Well sheep dip, now I can¡¯t even use the Miss Perfect Girlfriend line I was preparing.¡±


    I took her by the hips and drew her close. I then began peppering her cute face with kisses. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry¡­¡± Kiss. ¡°I¡¯m desperate to get all up in your business at all times.¡± Kiss and kiss and kiss. ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave you for Ivy and Isabelle. I¡¯m not going to leave you for Tara.¡± Several kisses. Regina got into this and pressed herself against me. ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave you for Cinzy, or even Fairy Poppins if she somehow grows to human size and demands to have my¡ª¡±


    I froze. Holy shirt.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be it.¡±


    Tweedle Dee reappeared and yipped several times at the bank, then caught sight of his tails and began running in circles, trying to catch his tail. I watched him go and go, mind whirling.


    ¡°What? Fairy Poppins wants you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not it¡­ right? Just tell me that¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not ridiculous,¡± she said. ¡°Poppins watched you having sex. She reported back to Cinzy. Don¡¯t forget she stuck with us instead of going with Cinzy when she had her freak out and left.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ she clearly¡­ she wanted to keep Cinzy away from me, because¡­ I¡¯m a womanizing, insatiable perv.¡±


    Tweedle Dee lost interest in his tail when he spotted a butterfly, and began yipping and hopping around after it.


    ¡°You are an insatiable perv, but not a womanizer,¡± Regina said, slowly rubbing her nipples back and forth across my chest.


    ¡°But there¡¯s¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t possible, was it?


    ¡°Just admit it,¡± Regina said, ¡°she wants you, and that¡¯s that. Chrysta wants you¡­¡± I hoped she missed the way I twitched. She didn¡¯t know, did she? But she went on. ¡°Larelle wants you. She¡¯s a big old muscle mommy who needs some of that good dick.¡±


    Okay that clearly wasn¡¯t right. Larelle¡­  okay, if we were being perfectly honest, Larelle had been willing to throw her clothes off with no provocation when she¡¯d seen Tara do it. She might be just as free about sex as Regina.


    ¡°So why wouldn¡¯t Fairy Poppins want you?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ we¡¯re¡­ there¡¯s no way.¡±


    She drew me in close and kissed me. ¡°Oh, sweetie,¡± she said, ¡°as if wanting what you can¡¯t have has ever stopped anyone. I can confidently say it never once stopped me, back when I liked boy bands at the tender age of way too young to legally mention in a book.¡± She shuddered.


    Young people have hormones. This is a fact.


    Dee had returned, yipping and yipping.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it,¡± she told me. At my visible confusion, she went on. ¡°She¡¯ll get over you. She¡¯ll find someone who¡¯s compatible.¡±


    I blinked several times. That didn¡¯t sound very Fairy Poppins.


    ¡°Now¡­ I¡¯d go for round two with you, but my poor little pussy is telling me I¡¯ll die if you do anything like that to me again. Since I don¡¯t want to die, I¡¯m going to play with Dee.¡±


    She played fetch with Dee after getting dressed again. Now that the Fairy Poppins issue had been raised, I had a lot to think about. She¡¯d come to the forefront of my attention, but there was Chrysta to think about, there was Shakindria to think about, Jacoby to think about, Vellenia to think about.


    It sure would be nice if attention-grabbing problems came one at a time.


    I thought we could confidently shelve Fairy Poppins and Jacoby. The expedition leader out looking for Blake¡¯s second in command wanted what she wanted, and when the time came, I could give her that. As for Fairy Poppins, I could let her stew. She hadn¡¯t been kind to Cinzy and didn¡¯t deserve me spending time, effort, or skill points on her. Finally, on the Chrysta front, she didn¡¯t expect me to spend time, effort or skill points to sexually satisfy her. All the more reason for me to spend them preparing to help her out.


    The last thing was something I could take care of right now, but was possibly the most vexing. The Meld Ability situation was going to replace one of my abilities. The one I wanted to keep was probably going to be the one to get the axe. Beast Talker. The question now was whether to keep it and grab an ability from Regina I had basically no interest in, or replace it and hope it was better. To be fair, Beast Talker had been a huge improvement over Wild Lore. There was a good chance the replacement would be a significant step up.


    I was quietly despairing that if I chose Beastmastery, it would turn out the same as Regina¡¯s new ability. I did want pets, but now that I had this Shakindria situation in front of my face, I didn¡¯t want pets. The ability to keep big dangerous Nakamamon from killing me, yes. The ability to be a Divney Princess, no.


    It was that good for a time, anyway.


    I remembered the reason I was here, and what I needed to ask her.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I told her. ¡°Before I choose my own, I need to ask your opinion on something.¡±


    I gave her the extended version of the situation with Shakindria.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± she said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to leave her behind, not if she¡¯s going to help us in a way no one else can.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not doing it out of the goodness of her heart,¡± Regina said. ¡°She wants you to dump Vellenia.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not possible,¡± I said, dumbstruck.


    ¡°I heard that someone dismissed their bond mate and got a different one,¡± she said, then seemed to realize what she¡¯d said. Her eyes shot wide open. ¡°But you¡¯re not going to do that.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not. I didn¡¯t even know it was possible, and Vellenia is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Right. So forget I said anything.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I would try.


    This is Christopher wondering if there¡¯s a solution.

 113- Avoiding Choices and Their Consequences (edited)

    113- Avoiding Choices and Their Consequences


    The sun rose and fell. Sometimes the smells of frying eggs or bacon woke me. Sometimes the smells of a savory stew. Sometimes the cool, misty mornings had my eyes opening early. Those days mostly went the same: on work days, I delegated with morning briefings, hoped for another sighting of a godly artifact from Drat, and had them disperse. I spoke with Cinzy and Wayne about how the refugees were doing and what Jacoby¡¯s team was up to, and if they needed anything from us.


    I found it slightly annoying how Wayne or Jacoby¡¯s people were completely unable to help us in our main task, but Tara was often conscripted into searching for Archie, Blake¡¯s second in command. I told myself it was good they stayed out of our way and only asked for minimal assistance. So this cloud had a silver lining after all.


    On some days I ended up in camp, doing the cooking and washing up. I¡¯d chat with whoever my partner was on camp cleanliness duty, and if it was one of the girls, we could get up to some shenanigans. Ivy convinced me after I was done with dishes to come back to her place and give her a complete and thorough forking. I first headed to where Isabelle was on door duty to confirm that Ivy had permission. The whole way back to their place, Ivy complained about how embarrassed she was asking permission to frack, and how we were wasting time just walking, when instead we could be forking.


    As for what day it was, that no longer mattered. This wasn¡¯t earth. The seven day week wasn¡¯t a thing if we didn¡¯t want. Still, Wayne¡¯s other team job was that of chaplain, which was odd. Every so often our rhythm got interrupted by Isabelle, Trent, Tara, and surprisingly Drat wanting to attend their weekly devotional service. I wasn¡¯t much of a believer. We had four days on, one day off. The only thing that mattered was the thing I now dubbed The Shakindria Issue.


    First, she was good at transporting divine objects. The practice was paying off. She was already increasing the time she could spend doing so. Second, she was being nicer to me, showing me the sights and explaining all about how this or that neighbor was kind or silly, this or that shop had excellent wares or wonderful drinks, and how this place looked in different weather. Although the seasons were all messed up, the town occasionally got snow, and it turned the whole place looked, in Shakindria¡¯s estimation, much more beautiful. She¡¯d also taken to dressing in sexier and sexier outfits. Today¡¯s outfit included gauzy lavender material in an x pattern across her front and around the back of her neck, where it looped around a simple brassy hoop. That hoop contained a short length of semi-transparent loincloth in the front and back. It barely covered her pert bubble butt.


    And today was windy.


    Over the course of the next few days, I was made a series of Social checks that got increasingly hard. They always began with a pleasant greeting and a touch of the hands. She clasped mine in hers, and expressed how lovely it was to have me near. I couldn¡¯t disagree; it was wonderful to be near her.


    Then she would ask if perhaps we had time for a good forking.


    We had options when it came to forking. One, she could join our minds and have a completely psychic experience. It was a vision that the two of us shared. She could set the scene, like at the base of a waterfall, or in the middle of a bustling town, and then she¡¯d suck me off or float over so I could eat her out. Or she¡¯d float over to me while turning upside down, so we could do a freestanding sixty-nine position.


    After that I¡¯d spread her legs on a smooth river rock and plunge into her, or I¡¯d pin her to the wall of a bustling market building, seemingly unnoticed by the passing crowd, and hump up into her willing body.


    We could have sex in a scene that I set, mentally. She enjoyed being drawn into the cityscape of USA where I was from, and seeing the Southern California landscape, the houses, the humans. And then I could rock her world sexually¡­ in public, in my childhood home, in my old high school history classroom, in the video game shop where I¡¯d worked just prior to getting this job. The possibilities for this boning of the minds was limitless.


    The second option was a good old-fashioned forking. She¡¯d draw me in close and tell me she wanted that monster shoved up into her. She wanted my essence blasted into the depths of her. She walked around in a state of arousal all day, every day now, and that meant she really did need to cover herself. Her lady parts were always dripping and slippery by the time we met up. I could see the juices dripping down the insides of her thighs.


    From there we could find any of a dozen abandoned beds and spend the next hour going through a series of orgasms. As much as she liked having me fill her up, she wasn¡¯t opposed to witnessing the raw animal power of my release on her chest.


    In any event, we could (and did) have sex all over the abandoned houses.


    The third option was my favorite, and it involved floating using her telekinetic powers while having sex. It wasn¡¯t true zero gravity sex; my blood still rushed to my head if we were upside down, but there was something magical about thrusting my hips up into hers while floating five feet off the ground. Of course it was literally magical, but this was a different sort of magic.


    Shakindria wanted variety of location. We had sex in a house that was a hollowed out tree. We floated up to a house on stilts and stuffed her full of me while floating some twelve feet in the air.


    I had plans for her, like taking her on a mental ride to a night club I¡¯d been to just once. We could have sex amongst the throbbing rhythm of the bass and the gyrating, scantily clad club goers. She¡¯d twerk that ass back into me while I went at her from behind among glittering college girls. We could head to the beach, and have sex without ever getting sand up our butts. We¡¯d go on the movie studio tour and have sex on the set of a sci-fi movie. We could do it in front of the Hollywood sign.


    I couldn¡¯t get a bead on what the Social checks meant exactly. For now, the bonuses I got from Beast Talker, Stalwart and Fierce allowed me to triumph. Triumph over what, I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    During that time, she helped secure the divine objects Drat kept finding, always quiet when it was time for us to part. I began to grow guilty at the prospect of leaving her attached to this town that didn¡¯t appreciate her.


    I had already gone over the logistics of trying to use Trent or Alan to gather up divine objects. Neither of them had Divine Resistance at the levels I did, and even with the Prismatic Apparel, swapping it between them and Drat, neither were as good as Shakindria.


    First, Alan. His telekinetic spells were far weaker than the psychic Nakamamon¡¯s. He wasn¡¯t yet at the level where he gained a better version of the spell, and being in the town was difficult for him. I hadn¡¯t wanted to use his spell for fear of pissing off my psychic Nakamamon fork buddy, but he insisted on trying.


    It was a disaster. He had the same issue that Shakindria had at first: the divine energy backfired through the mana he was using and put him on his back. He spent the remainder of the time getting daily doses of Healer¡¯s Breath from me, and then after a week of slowly worsening, he needed elixirs made.


    After getting touched by divinity, he stopped recovering mana as quickly, grew weak, and essentially stopped functioning as the group Wizard. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After the failure with Alan, Trent was reluctant to give it a shot. He routed a lot of power through his bonded Nakamamon, Garnet. The orange-red crystal pulsed with light while we talked, and Trent frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Fletcher,¡± he said.


    Garnet wasn¡¯t willing to take the chance of getting the same divinity poisoning while working the stone beneath the divine artifacts. He still had a lot of work to do to ensure the relocation camp for the Nakamamon drawn here was enough. It needed irrigation ditches dug, it needed drainage and sewage that were separate from the irrigation. No, he was needed and that need was important. No way he was going to end up on a sick bed like Alan, unable to cast spells, and no way was he risking his bond mate.


    I couldn¡¯t fault him for that, frustrating as it might be.


    Each day I returned to the camp and reunited with Vellenia.


    Regina¡¯s remark stuck with me. I hadn¡¯t once considered actually breaking the bond, and I had no idea how to do so anyway. Thinking about it got me down, from the guilt of both event thinking about it in the first place, and the guilt of being forced to leave Shakindria to the town sometime in the future.


    Vellenia caught wind of my despondent mood and grew concerned. She would massage my shoulders, offer to rub my feet, offer to go find Regina or Tara or Ivy and Isabelle, or Cinzy. She would strip off my clothes and try to get me in the mood.


    For the first time, I was having trouble. Now, it wasn¡¯t sexually. Vellenia could still get me hard, could still satisfy herself several times over, and then satisfy me. But when she cuddled me I felt the pressure I put on myself.


    Vellenia was a delight. She admired what I was doing, and was actively helping. She knew of underwater plants and herbs that were used in making remedies, and we¡¯d been planting and tending them together as part of Verdant Rejuvenation. Some of these plants were used in remedies in Alan¡¯s collection of books, while others weren¡¯t. I was interested in getting to know these plants better in order to see how they could be used in healing.


    If there was one positive aspect to the week spent with Shakindria and Vellenia, and randomly entertaining Regina, Ivy, Tara, and once with an exhausted and distracted Cinzy, it was my level increasing in Pleasure Seeker.


    By the end of the work week, I¡¯d gained three levels, bringing me to level 24.


    Level 22: +3 skill points


    Level 23: +1 Likability, +1 free attribute point


    Level 24: Gained Ability: Raw Connection


    ¡°Ugh,¡± I told myself, then stared around and tried to get an idea of what was wrong with me.


    It had rained but it was a light, warm rain. The sun was now shining and throwing rainbows up practically everywhere you looked. Nakamamon had come out to drink and bathe in the precipitation, showing me strange bugs and fairies made of air or glittering points of light. Drat had found two more pieces of divinity, bringing the total to four (plus the one I¡¯d made), and was off searching for yet another one.


    Yet I was not pleased with myself.


    It wasn¡¯t like I was upset at the way I was progressing, but I still felt like I was doing it the wrong way. Like I was doing something bad every time I went into town to be with Shakindria.


    I spent the 3 skill points, one on Divine Resistance, one on Adaptability, and one on Pheromones. I¡¯d still had one from the Achievement, and put it aside for Healer skills. I felt like I would need it; we were at another level with this town situation, and I¡¯d need to be a higher level to match.


    The additional free attribute point was another bright star in my fraught mental state, and I finally put this one into Physicality. I¡¯d basically cleared up my leg and spine problem, and was building towards an actual physique I could be proud of. I needed it the least for my classes, but everyone needed a healthy body. I felt that one more point would give me body builder muscles, or at least rock climber or runner muscles, the lean build you associate with healthy people. The knowledge came by instinct, based on the way I felt; right now I could carry weights I¡¯d never been able to, and only after doing that was I feeling any soreness in my hips, thighs or back. I was pain free almost every day.


    As for the newest ability¡­


    Raw Connection


    (Special Ability, Rare, Active aura)


    Activate by spending a Likability Token. Auras affect all targets within range. Effective range is a radius your class level in feet, presently 24 feet. This effect lasts for 10 minutes, plus 10 minutes per relationship level of the highest level member within range.


    Relationship points gained through social interactions are doubled.


    Relationship points gained through sexual activity or Social checks are boosted by 50%.


    Note: this includes both positive and negative Relationship gains.


    This¡­ was good. Like really good. The bonus from getting to Devotee with Regina promised to be great; she loved her ability to gain lots of Nakamamon buddies. She¡¯d already befriended the Slumbershrooms and one Shrubbit that I knew of. She disappeared most mornings to go be among the creatures and attract them, then play with them, which was her right¡­ though the DRC did need her for team-related duties occasionally.


    She had gotten an amazing deal from her Meld Ability, while I¡­ continued to balk. I still hadn¡¯t taken the leap and gone with the Meld Ability from Regina telling me she loved me, but abilities like that weren¡¯t going to be garbage. This ability would send my relationships with Tara, Ivy, Isabelle, and Cinzy shooting up quickly, I hoped. And that would mean boosted power levels, and reaching Devotee level faster.


    And possibly what lay beyond with Regina also.


    ¡°You need to just get it over with,¡± Regina told me that night. She was snuggled up on one side of me, with Vellenia¡¯s spot being on the other side. She was out playing with Regina¡¯s new gaggle of creatures, but would be in for snuggling and maybe more soon.


    ¡°Get your ability,¡± Regina went on. ¡°Go on, get it.¡±


    ¡°But Beast Talker is so good,¡± I complained. It was helping me resist the problem with Shakindria. Though if we were being perfectly honest, the problem with Shakindria had become just a tad more problematic.


    ¡°Do it,¡± Tara insisted, like she always did. ¡°When my family knows there¡¯s some kind of problem and you¡¯re dallying, they sit down and find out why you¡¯re stuck, then everybody goes ¡®do it!¡¯ Always helps me and my folks.¡±


    This is Christopher not doing it. Not right now at least.

 116- My Glorious Butt

    By that time, Drat announced he¡¯d found yet another piece.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to see this,¡± he said, and almost had an inflection in his tone.


    He led us to a small brick building, where he pulled on a wrought iron fire poker. What followed was straight out of a movie: a circular section of the floor began to slide down and form into a spiral staircase, complete with spooky light drifting up from below.


    ¡°I assume you didn¡¯t enter?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No way. Need a Guardian, or a cognitively challenged and foolhardy Healer.¡±


    I frowned at him, then grinned. ¡°Good news, since I¡¯m both.¡±


    The staircase was cramped, for a smaller creature, but manageable if you didn¡¯t mind a bit of lower back pain. It opened out into a low tunnel that didn¡¯t just head in one direction. It was like Glumpdumpkin had a sewer system. The walls were brick, for a little while, until they were sculpted earth down one direction, and became bubble material in the other direction. Small sconces lit the way.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re going dungeon delving,¡± I told him.


    Back in camp, we discussed the situation with the team.


    ¡°I know I¡¯ve been asking you all to level up Divine Resistance when you can. I also know that I don¡¯t get skill points at every level up¡ª¡± I was willing to bet Drat got skill points at every level up. ¡°And you don¡¯t have my Healer¡¯s Resistance special ability. We need to go through your current levels anyway, because this is not a one or two person job.¡±


    All of them had Divine Resistance at level 3 or 4. The Guardians, save Larelle, had only 3 levels because they¡¯d only gained that many levels since the order came down. Trent had it at level 6, like me, since he had been working his stone sorcery all day, every day. He had, in fact, made the level 25 jump, and become a Journeyman.


    He didn¡¯t share what kind of rewards that entailed, because that was who Drat was. Now more than ever I wanted to take him by the shoulders and shake the crap of out him so I could get information on my own upcoming Journeyman ascension.


    I was on the cusp, and I could just about taste the rewards. I¡¯d been promised¡­ something. Everyone was real cagey on the details because they didn¡¯t want to spoil the excitement.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the deal,¡± I said, ¡°I can lend you Healer¡¯s Resistance now. It will delay the onset of divinity poisoning by 90%, and it only costs an Ingenuity Token¡­ from you.¡±


    Hushed conversation started up at this.


    ¡°Meaning we can all go in together, and we can all take care of this.¡± The plan was to head down into the secret passage tunnel in pairs, and map out the place. Obviously Drat was the most important mission member, since he had bonuses to spotting secrets. Next came Trent, who could search inside the stone using his Sorcery abilities and Nakamamon bond mate Garnet. The rest of us would just keep our eyes peeled, including supernaturally the sharp vision abilities of the Rangers, and slowly build out a map of the underground maze we¡¯d uncovered. Alan was out of commission presently, and we¡¯d have to without his many and varied utility powers.


    For the first time in days and days, the chugging machine of work felt charged with a new enthusiasm. This was like an adventure!


    Shakindria was the pivot point, around which all events would rotate, since she could move our god pieces into position and none of the rest of us could. Drat wanted to go alone, because of course he did. I tried pairing up a Guardian with a non-combat person, so Ivy went with Cinzy, Isabelle with myself, Shakindria with Larelle, and Trent with Chrysta. Regina and Tara had their Nakamamon companions and had both combat abilities and enhanced senses, but Regina would take Vellenia.


    One curious absence was Fairy Poppins. She remained at the camp, or so Cinzy said. I still worried about her, and the weird situation we now had. Fairy Poppins was a problem, but she was also a problem for another day.


    I¡¯d never watched Healer¡¯s Resistance activate before. But each time I pressed Yes and the recipient spent their Ingenuity Token, I watched as an orange glow built in a circle at their feet, then reached light tendrils up in a helix pattern, until it made a sort of striped column. The glow built, and then exploded outwards in a silent shower of orangey sparks. After that, they had a sigil overtop their heads, a complicated Mandela of flower petals and leaves in a circle. It rotated and threw off tiny orange sparks as it went. Smiles lit up the room as much as the glowing halos of flowers and leaves.


    ¡°This is a new thing?¡± Tara asked.


    ¡°Brand new. Level 24, babeeeee!¡± I told her, and earned myself a high five from a giggling Tara.


    The hunt began. We headed down into the dimly lit tunnels. For the first fifty feet or so, half the pack traveled together. We were scattering differently colored pebbles that Trent was fusing into the floor, into arrows indicating the exit. Once we branched off, we¡¯d have to scatter our own pebbles.


    I stuck with Isabelle, and carried a lantern with a glowing crystal in it. This was enchanted by Jacoby¡¯s Wizard attached to our camp, Wayne. It was a small help in return for patching up their people and going out on patrol with them, but I didn¡¯t bother complaining. All was well. We were about to make some serious progress.


    The tunnels changed composition frequently. We were passing through tunnels that looked like mine shafts, supported by thick wooden beams, and we had to figure out a situation to cross a ten foot patch of jagged crystal. Beyond, the tunnel transformed again into barrel vaulted stone, like you¡¯d see in a thousand year old European monastery. Isabelle generated her shield on the floor and with me on it, pushed the glowing blue magic shield into the center of the patch of hallway. Afterwards, she leapt onto the shield, scooted past me, and leapt the rest of the way. I did as well, trying to jump and duck at the same time like she had, so as not to brain myself on a crystal stalactite. Behind us, the shield vanished into blue motes of magic.


    ¡°You know,¡± she said after a time, ¡°you could have picked anyone to pair with. Why me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy,¡± I told her, ¡°I wanted to stay on task and not have my eyes on my partner¡¯s butt the whole time. Which is not to say your butt is less desirable to look at than any of the others¡ª¡±


    ¡°Aside from Cinzy or Tara.¡±


    ¡°¡ªaside from Cinzy or Tara,¡± I said, then scrunched my face in confusion. ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    She laughed. ¡°I can be attracted to anyone I want,¡± she said. ¡°Oh my God, don¡¯t tell Ivy I said that. She¡¯ll freak out if she thinks I¡¯m going to hit on the others. I¡¯m not.¡± I promised I wouldn¡¯t tell, while grinning internally. Isabelle¡¯s habit of blurting things she shouldn¡¯t say was both cute and endearing. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me turning all your sex friends into lesbians,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s not how it works.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± I hadn¡¯t been concerned about that in the slightest, and still wasn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t about to burst Isabelle¡¯s bubble though. She seemed confident she could get any of the others to play for the other team, and I wasn¡¯t about to crush her spirit.


    ¡°And that doesn¡¯t mean I run off and have sex with everyone and anyone at any time.¡± S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    I looked at her, and again she burst out laughing.


    ¡°You¡¯re making me sound like a sludge,¡± I said.


    ¡°I mean if the foo shits,¡± she said.


    ¡°Ouch.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve been in the lead position?¡± she asked, smirking. ¡°Don¡¯t want to be tempted to look at my glorious bisexual butt?¡± She turned and wiggled it at me.


    ¡°Is that why you wore the full uniform down here?¡± I asked, ¡°so you wouldn¡¯t have someone looking at your glorious bisexual butt?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    She was so danged cute. I was glad she¡¯d found happiness in Ivy, who truly did dote on her whenever they weren¡¯t working.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look now,¡± she said, ¡°but I think we¡¯ve found another divine artifact.¡±


    Like the other Guardians, Isabelle had a number of different powers specifically for guarding her charge from danger. With a team member nearby, she had a danger sense, which triggered when the danger came close enough.


    We couldn¡¯t see the thing, but it was close enough to ping her danger sense. I couldn¡¯t be sure if we were talking some kind of pressure plate and trap situation, but I doubted it.


    The tunnel here had been used as a cellar. A number of crates, scraps of tarpaulin, and other miscellaneous items lay around all over. We soon had a pickaxe uncovered, which glowed slightly with divinity in the dim gloom.


    ¡°Wow,¡± I breathed. ¡°That was easy.¡±


    In total, the team uncovered another sixteen divine items throughout the next six hours. We all took a breather outside of town, where we wouldn¡¯t contract divinity poisoning, and updated the map. That meant retiring to Trent¡¯s house.


    Trent had really gone all out with his house. He¡¯d been the interior decorator and exterior decorator for all our houses as well, giving me the lab space I needed, a nice sized bedroom, and a working shower with hot water. I couldn¡¯t have asked for more¡­ was what I would have said until I saw Trent¡¯s house. Or what we thought of as Trent¡¯s house before he revealed its true form.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± I said, and laughed. He¡¯d removed the top bits and showed us the real thing.


    First, it was recessed. It didn¡¯t look any bigger on the outside than our houses, but it went out and down. You could walk down stairs, or take an actual slide. Sculpted out of pure stone with magic, it was the smoothest slide I¡¯d ever traveled. It let out into a large chamber that led into other rooms. He had a sauna and a spa, complete with jets.


    But in the center of a large meeting room with a wraparound couch, sat the map. This wouldn¡¯t work for our purposes anymore, not exactly¡­


    He grinned. ¡°Watch this,¡± he said, and made a motion with his hands. The whole map was sliced in two, and rose up on several pillars of stone so the v-shaped subterranean section could be accessed. The secret room¡¯s entrance was one such pillar of stone.


    Using the sketches we¡¯d made into a piece of clay, he began hollowing out the chambers and passages roughly.


    Soon he had the subterranean passageways and cellars and basements with or without hidden passageways to crawlspaces or tunnels. I was blown away by the quickness and detail, but mostly by his ability to take messy scrawls and notes on crap clay tablets and turn them into a functional 3D map.


    ¡°Incredible,¡± I breathed. I didn¡¯t think it was my imagination that some of the strain and weariness fell away from Trent¡¯s face at the words. When Cinzy patted him on the shoulder and used an ability, he perked up much more visibly.


    Finally he took a handful of fist sized rocks, concentrated, and morphed them into chips of crystal. After that, more mana flooded out of him and he transformed the chips into tiny versions of the tools we found. These floated down and went on to rest in the underground passages and hiding places where we¡¯d discovered them.


    This is Christopher¡¯s team being fracking awesome and making some headway.

 118- High Five To The Face

    By now me administering Healer¡¯s Resistance to townsfolk and refugees was just reflex. Just press Yes, Yes, Yes over and over again. The day was creeping on, and the entire area outside the town was abuzz with activity. We had some folks helping to tend and harvest plants from my magical garden, some folks tending to those who had just received their treatment, another few teams of people giving them interviews with little clipboards Alan had gotten from gods knew where. Those ones were acting as little Sorting Hats.


    And the vast majority they sent along to the Bucket Line. Some remained inside the town, because they had a decent Durability, while others needed to remain outside. The Bucket Line continually passed comatose subjects out of town and right to the administration zone where they could be roused out of sleep, comforted, quizzed, sorted, and join the workforce.


    so much


    ¡°Um¡­ what?¡± Unconsciously, I pressed Yes each time someone came to see me regarding Healer¡¯s Resistance. I then cursed each and everyone who had ever thought or uttered the words ¡®it¡¯s more fun to find out¡¯ when it came to this kind of thing.


    Instead I opened up the first option, Reclusive Herbalist.


    That sounded¡­ terrible. There was no way I was going to forego being part of an awesome team, which I was. I clicked on the next one, Apothecary of Nightshade & Toadstool.


    ¡°Great googly moogily,¡± I muttered. Just what in the hecky Becky had I stumbled onto here? I clicked Yes a handful more times for Healer¡¯s Resistance, and ignored the bright flash of orange light surrounding more and more people as the ability took hold. Shaking my head once more at the thought of a poisoner class, I proceeded to click on Battle Medic. If this was just as terrible as the first two, maybe I would just stay Healer and be level 25 forever.


    Now this¡­ this didn¡¯t look terrible. Luckily all three of these new classes listed something called an advanced skill progression. They also seemed to be listing more and more impressive prerequisites that I¡¯d accomplished since beginning my tenure as a Healer. Battle Medic didn¡¯t seem as bad as the first two, given that there were instantaneous remedies like an enhanced Healer¡¯s Breath I could look forward to. That said, I hadn¡¯t raised my hand to anyone in this world and wasn¡¯t about to start. Combat abilities would be wasted on me.


    Cleric of the Divine was next on the list.


    This seemed, on its face, like a step down. Sure holy smiting abilities sounded nice, but so many gods were on the fritz in this world¡­ what if that happened with my ¡®chosen¡¯ god? It seemed from the write up that my regular herb-based healing abilities would be lost and replaced with holy stuff.


    On top of that, no advanced skill progression here, making this an automatic no.


    No, no thank you.


    While clicking Yes to grant people my ability (which existed for now and who knew how long thereafter), I looked at the last two options: Godsbane and Arcane Mender. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yikes to the first.


    ¡°Nope!¡± I said, causing several townsfolk to flinch. ¡°Not you. You¡¯re okay. I¡¯ll give you Healer¡¯s Resistance.¡±


    I sighed. So far, the only one that seemed remotely good was Battle Medic¡­ the rest had awful restrictions, and the last one was a hundred percent the opposite what I wanted to do with my life here.


    I mean sure, I could understand why someone might want to seize the godslayer blade and run around killing gods until Thor showed up to stop them in a situation that was way too dark to be funny but also far too light in tone. The gods were indeed on the fritz, and they had indeed killed people. Other Healers if you believed what the admin superiors told me. But I didn¡¯t think that killing them was the answer, when I¡¯d already had success healing them.


    After taking a deep breath, I clicked on Arcane Mender.


    I breathed out a hefty sigh of relief.


    With just the sun on my face and a near limitless progression of people ready to spend Ingenuity Tokens so they could have some time in the town they called home, I basked in the feeling of finally having progressed to my new class evolution.


    Arcane Mender Christopher Fletcher. It just rolled off the tongue, if for instance you first vomited all the words into your mouth. And now, without further ado¡­


    I pressed Yes another fifty times to let people join the bucket line. Then I watched as the bucket line passed more and more and more Nakamamon from the town of Glumpdumpkin out of the town limits. It was lovely to see the unconscious lumps lovingly passed from one person to another, having been placed on stretchers Larelle had cobbled together. They floated into our cure distribution area, where the weak ones without much Durability and Ingenuity learned how to distribute the cures to the sleeping, and worked in pairs to make sure the comatose patients didn¡¯t choke on the micro dose of potion¡­ that we were running out of. Some helped the patients to stir, helped get them processed, some of them even helped in my herb garden under Vellenia¡¯s direction.


    I couldn¡¯t think about that now. I needed instead to see Cinzy, our Bard comforting the newly awakened and telling them all was well, that we were awakening the whole town for purposes of ending this whole situation once and for all. All they had to do was see Alan over there, the stuttering one with the clipboard and the stylus. Several other Alans now existed, each with their own clipboards and styluses, marking down on soft clay where they were sending people.


    From there, they¡¯d list out their Ingenuity and Durability, and either head off to join the line to see me for Healer¡¯s Resistance, or the team leads around us for various and sundry other tasks. Pulling and drying herbs from my garden, joining the out-of-town-limits bucket line, joining the potion distribution teams, and more.


    We had already begun ramping up the speed of production, meaning Cinzy was no longer the bottleneck¡­ I was.


    I needed to get through the class evolution stuff fast, and start spending my Tokens on the remaining gigantic punch bowls filled with potions we needed to keep this train a-running.


    I¡¯d been almost all the way through these, salivating at all the wonders they were going to give me, and how I planned on spending my skill points. No more individual skill points going into salves or tinctures or unguents! No more individual skill points needed for magical diagnostics or physical! I was practically rubbing my hands together, in my mind at least.


    But then Hard At Work had disappeared.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± I breathed.


    My first and most consistent ally, the sole reason I¡¯d been able to handle such high level challenges, diagnose and then heal up gods when I was just an Apprentice Healer. Doubling my Tokens was insanely powerful, I had realized. I counted on it to be my bedrock in the days to come, when I¡¯d need to handle this God of Productivity. Had taken it for granted, apparently. Now it was gone.


    I rushed mentally to where the new ability was written down.


    I smacked myself mentally for doing this now. I had grown to love the doubling of Tokens from Hard at Work, and the free retry. This was¡­ probably great, when I sat down to think about it. Turning one Token into two was really good¡­


    ¡­and I could do that for 2 Tokens at a time. Meaning I could take 2 Durability Tokens and turn them into 4 Ingenuity Tokens. It said from one attribute to another, so that most likely meant Free Tokens were right out.


    That was pretty great, three times a day. I¡¯d need to be careful about how I did this.


    I gave my consent another dozen times while spending skill points. Twenty was a lot, making me grin. While I had a metric ton of skills and it didn¡¯t typically feel like enough, a huge grin spread across my face. I had to be careful; I could raise each skill once per level. With that in mind, I would soon need¡­


    ¡°Diagnosis¡­¡± I put one into each of those. Another one into Develop Cure (Large), and then I paused. I needed to know more about the new skills, the spellcasting stuff.


    First, some of the spellcasting I knew from my days playing assorted roleplaying games and video games. Abjuration was protection magic, principally for resistances, but there were a handful of circles of protection that stopped someone or something from entering that circle. It might be useful to make a divine protection circle when working near the body of our God of Productivity. Not incredibly useful unless there were poison Nakamamon or fire Nakamamon that needed saving. So¡­ possibly useful.


    Conjuration was creating something out of nothing. I already had it on good authority that conjuring materials wasn¡¯t as good as having the real thing. Although I needed glycerine and oils as bases for my treatments and cures, they wouldn¡¯t work if they were magically conjured, so Conjuration was going to take a backseat, if I bought it at all.


    Evocation harnessed the forces of the planet, so that would allow me to create fireballs and lightning bolts and such. Not initially, but once my level got high enough, the classic explosive fireball was possible. That put Evocation into the not necessary pile, as I could just as easily get some fire going with firewood or a Magmamander.


    The last one was Transmutation, or changing one material into another. I knew this could eventually work on living things, but I thought it might work very well for my purposes. Unlike Conjuration, which made a material strictly out of magic, Transmutation took a real thing and made it into a different real thing. I put a point into that one.


    Mana Shaping I wasn¡¯t entirely sure on, but once I focused on it, the pop up explained (in two different bickering voices) that it was about pulling mana together and threading it into the necessary shape to cast into spells. Like with my treatments and cures, I¡¯d be staking the Spellcasting skill with Mana Shaping in order to cast. That one got a skill point too.


    And last was the new skill Instinctual Casting. The write up on this one was long, and explained essentially that casting spells was incredibly complicated, difficult, and wonky for people who had never done it before or didn¡¯t have training. But, like Trent¡¯s instinctual mastery of stone and his ability to shape it, make it float, soften it up, and so forth, this skill could blunt the limitations of not knowing what I was doing. Each point of Instinctual Casting would be used  on spellcasting checks.


    ¡°Hm.¡± If I had spellcasting, I wouldn¡¯t need to generate treatments and cures in order to use Arcane Alchemy to redistribute my Tokens.


    When I put a point into Instinctual Casting, a pop up appeared and I didn¡¯t swat it away this time, like I had with Transmutation and Mana Shaping. I was glad I did, too.


    I pressed Yes a whole bunch of times to grant people Healer¡¯s Resistance, which thankfully had remained my class ability.


    Okay, with level 7 being the cap for new skills, I immediately put Instinctual Casting at 7, a single level into each of the Spellcasting skills, and then a single level into Mana Shaping and Mana Affinity. Meditation I¡¯d already spent a ridiculous amount of time leveling all on its own. Okay, that was 13 points from new skills, 4 from Diagnosis, and 1 for Large Cure Development. Already only 2 left.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I mused. Although the first few weeks I¡¯d kept skill points in reserve until I could see where they needed to go, that was clearly not going to work.


    Instead, after furiously pressing Yes for what felt like another fifty times, I put one into Administer Cure, and another into Mana Shaping.


    This is Christopher getting a huge boost.

 119- Arcane Alchemy

    There¡¯s a curious time-dilation sensation that happens when you¡¯re leveling up. I¡¯m sure the two nerds who created the system, whoever they were, worked some kind of magic into these complicated times when a lot is coming at you all at once.


    The flow of people out of town had slowed, the flow of people coming to me for doses of my ability had slowed. I cleared out the two dozen requests in a handful of seconds and returned my focus to the task at hand: figuring out all that had changed.


    I thought I had most of it pretty well covered, though I was still devastated at the loss of Hard At Work. The monsters who created this system were bad, bad people for taking that away. I waggled a mental finger at them in reproach.


    Jerks.


    I got out of the UI¡¯s expansive system, but not before noting that Alan¡¯s health was getting dangerously low. Muppin remained comatose in the town, since we didn¡¯t have enough people to lift a multiple ton creature out of the affected area. Isabelle had been an absolute trooper for keeping on even despite Muppin being right there for her to see day in and day out. It wasn¡¯t easy for her to handle. She deserved an award for pushing through the way she had.


    ¡°Whew,¡± I said, and got to work doing the next batch of potions as treatments for the hundreds and hundreds of townsfolk being ferried out of the town.


    , Shakindria told me mentally. Turning and squinting toward the town, I thought I could see her floating above the bucket line of people. But too many people were passing in front of me, passing me a punch bowl full of distilled blue crocuses for me to tell. They stood watching me  as I placed them into the huge cauldron.


    I asked, through my new psychic ability linked directly to her, but I was also beginning to feel it now that I was not so closely focused on the UI.


    The ¡®it¡¯ in question was a rising level of ambient divine energy. Hours had passed before I hit level 25, morning giving way to afternoon. The background hum that hit my third eye that I usually ignored had ramped up a level. Normally, that background radiation of divine power was easy to ignore; like the drone of a far off freeway, you don¡¯t even think about all the traffic that passes by, until the horns start blaring or all the cars start going by your house at faster speeds. This was like that. The hum was humming along louder now, except it was magical in nature, so we ¡®heard¡¯ it through our Mana Affinity skill and Affinity attribute.


    Shakindria asked.


    It probably meant that, and I let her know as I went about refilling the potion vat and brewing up the next five hundred or so doses. The potions check came again soon enough, and I was annoyed to discover I hadn¡¯t leveled up my skill in Potions or Medium cures at all.


    I despaired that the asterisk and the note that this applied to Hard At Work was missing. The number of required Tokens was a whole different animal than before. The saving grace was that hitting level 25 automatically refreshed all my Tokens, so I went from no Ingenuity and a single Free Token to 9 and 7.


    On the other hand¡­ the difficulty had dropped by one, and I¡¯d also gained a level of the Treatments skill by making literally hundreds of doses of the same potion. Nice! I had 18 attribute and skill levels, which still didn¡¯t feel like enough, and no more free retry on top of that. On the other hand, I had hit 50% success rate once or twice in the past. Did I chance it? It would cost me a Token to get to the check again.


    I decided to go for it. I pressed No, I didn¡¯t want to go for the auto success.


    I mentally commanded Yes, I would like to retry, as the clock for making the decision raced by and I began to note the slightest hint of a burning smell coming from my vat of confusion treatment potion. This time, I paid the 9 Tokens for the automatic success, and finished off adding the mana required.


    One weak smile and about a hundred mental assents to give people my Healer¡¯s Resistance later, I had another several punch bowls full of the potion off the fire, poured out and left to cool. Another ten minutes and infinity mental presses of the Yes button later, the strangest thing happened: I leveled up again.


    ¡°Holy¡­¡± I muttered, and looked toward the town. The holy presence was indeed strengthening. I was pretty sure all this concentrated effort by us, by the townsfolk, and by the refugee camp occupants was working. It wasn¡¯t done, not even close, but we were making progress.


    And I had hit level 26 in less time than it takes to explain that I¡¯d hit level 26, all down to crafting hundreds of doses of potion, and giving out hundreds of instances of Healer¡¯s Resistance.


    Level 26: +10 skill points


    Another whistle. The UI hadn¡¯t been messing around when it said there¡¯d be a great increase in skill progression. Okay, effective immediately, +1 Develop Cure (Medium), another for Develop Cure (Large) because the God of Productivity was no small fry, and a third one for Treatments.


    With 7 more skill points to burn, I placed one into Instinctual Casting, one into Mana Shaping, one into Mana Affinity, and the other four into the other three Develop Cures: Swarm, Small, Huge, and Unique.


    My character sheet had been transformed. For now, I just wanted to look over what I¡¯d become as a Healer.


    Christopher Fletcher


    Healer - Apprentice Arcane Mender 26


    Pleasure Seeker - Novice 24


    Attributes:


    Healer (Arcane Mender) Skills:


    Diagnostics 5


    Treatments 6


    Develop cure (swarm 5, small 6, medium 5, large 5, huge 1)


    Develop cure (unique) 8


    Administer Cure 9


    Instinctual Casting 8


    Mana Affinity 3


    Mana Shaping 3


    Spellcasting (Abjuration 1, Conjuration 1, Evocation 1, Transmutation 1)


    Meditation 4


    Healer (Arcane Mender) Special Abilities


    Verdant Rejuvenation II


    The day shaped up to be a bright and beautiful one to be outside. Which was good, because I was outside. Unfortunately I¡¯d been working for the last seven hours without a single break.


    I immediately shoved this into Pheromones, and pressed Yes before I could second guess myself. I was receiving skill points by the bucketful from my new class, and Pleasure Seeker always seemed like it was lagging.


    Of the hundreds and hundreds of people who had been awakened by the potion we¡¯d worked up, none were able to boost the resistances of others to get them to walk back into the town of Glumpdumpkin. Where Alan or Cinzy had been the kink in the hose of the whole operation, slowing down the work we needed to do today, now I was that person. Not only was I the best suited to completing the potions¡ªwith my lovely assistants Vellenia and almost a dozen others now¡ªbut I was the only person who could give Healer¡¯s Resistance to the masses.


    On the other hand, it was working. We were actually serving up more doses of the potion faster than we had anticipated. It had come down to an administrative godsend in Alan and whoever he had chosen. Their team was efficiently sorting and sending off workers to work. Some of them were helping Vellenia harvest. Others were cooking up a hearty lunch and distributing it up and down the line. And mostly, it was that the hale and healthy bodies from town were bringing the townsfolk down out, spreading them out into the potion distribution area, and then the Bard was helping them shake off their initial confusion so Alan could play Sorting Hat.


    At some point, Jacoby¡¯s team must have returned to town, because Jacoby¡¯s ever-smiling Bard Jacoby had joined Cinzy.


    The clearest sign that we were doing it was that the divine power in the town was intensifying. The feeling was palpable now.


    ¡°How many people?¡± I called to Alan, even as I granted Healer¡¯s Resistance again, and again, and again.


    He held up a finger, then made the sign for a zero, then another zero, then another zero. A thousand already. We weren¡¯t giving out a dose of potion every fifteen seconds, that was for sure.


    I made sure to slurp up some potato soup filled with herbs and vegetables, which was just what the body needed after hours and hours of potion brewing. Sometimes, when you work incredibly hard and finally eat or drink after a long time, the stuff you put in your body literally coats the inside of your empty stomach, and you can feel that. That happened here, which struck me as very odd, but not unwelcome.


    Now what to do for that fourth batch of potion? I had just wasted all my Tokens on a single batch.


    No, there was a way to do this. I needed to make a check, then swap around my Tokens to get 4 Ingenuity for the cost of 2 whatever else.


    Okay, it was time to make a check. That meant spellcasting.


    Glycerine. I had a very limited supply, and had used almost all of it to make a tincture. Well, I¡¯d need some serious equipment in order to distill glycerine out of alcohol, which wasn¡¯t easy to make here anyway, since the inhabitants didn¡¯t drink spirits either. What I needed to do was essentially turn something into sugar alcohol.


    No! This check was supposed to help me regain my Tokens via Arcane Alchemy, not spend even more of them just to know the best way to do this.


    I had 10 skill levels and needed 5 successes.


    ¡°No,¡± I grumbled, but pressed Yes on another two dozen Healer¡¯s Resistance activations.


    ¡°Hang on, what?¡± I checked the UI, and found that my 10 skill levels had produced the 5 necessary successes. That was not normal. I should¡¯ve gotten 3 successes, maybe 4. Well, I wasn¡¯t about to look a gift success in the mouth.


    A broad smile spread across my face and I pulled the most awesome, dorkiest pose imaginable.


    ¡°Booyah!¡± I cried. Whether people on earth shouted this or not was irrelevant, because I shouted it, like a boss.


    It seemed like my other new ability had worked the odds in my favor, taking me from a roughly 33% success rate to a roughly higher success rate. Sure Hard At Work might be gone, but now I¡¯d be relying on my skills over my Tokens more.


    Cross fingers.


    ¡°Yes I would!¡± I informed the UI that I wanted to turn 2 Likability Tokens into 4 Ingenuity Tokens. The system did this with a flash, preserving my good cheer. This was going to work. I was going to make this work.


    A grin spread over my face.


    This is Christopher about to cast his first actual spell.


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 126- Ability Alchemy

    I awoke the next morning to birds chirping, the breeze sighing through the gigantic spherical leaves of the trees and the grasses, the sun warming the place, and lots of supple flesh pressed up against me.


    Cinzy hadn¡¯t wanted to sleep separately and followed me to my room, where we had yet another unhurried round of sex. Finally she and I drifted off to sleep on my bed, only to be joined sometime in the night by Vellenia, Regina, and Tweedle Dee. Also for some reason Isabelle had joined in? A typical morning meant Vellenia snuggled up on my left, sometimes Tara or Regina on my right, and that was it. Right now Cinzy was draped over the left half of my body, while Vellenia snuggled in on my right. Tweedle Dee was curled up in a ball between my legs, and Regina lay down there with an arm draped over so she could sleep pet her bond mate. Isabelle was spooning Vellenia, and slowly running her free hand up and down the pure white skin, with its minty green and pink highlights. The other was tucked under my pillow.


    Also everybody was naked. Tweedle Dee was also naked but that was the default setting for a flower fox.


    For a long time, I just lay there and enjoyed the springy, toned bodies in my arms. I noted Vellenia¡¯s eyes open and we smiled quietly at one another. It was time to get to work, but it was also time to soak up some good old fashioned cuddle time.


    Now I don¡¯t know about you, but I figure few people have had naked cuddle puddles with more than one person. I would say, so long as you love and trust all these people, I¡¯d recommend it. Sure you can¡¯t really go anywhere, but you might have a gorgeous sleeping woman run her thumb back and forth over your nipple, while another partner stares lovingly into your eyes. Then, after a minute of that, she shifts up and sticks out all of her tongues for the weirdest kiss imaginable.


    Cinzy¡¯s confession meant a second of my ladies had pushed past the Relationship plateau and up to the next level: Devotee. The trust she had displayed was enough, apparently.


    The Relationship level up also brought about another change, and I was presented with it while laying there in the mass of snoozing ladies: first, whether I wanted to overwrite one of my shared abilities with a Bard ability, or level up one of my existing shared abilities.


    Presently, I had Psyspeech, Stalwart, Fierce, Eagle Eyed, and Beast Talker.


    The first and last were too valuable to get rid of. Stalwart and Fierce gave me unexpected social check leverage I had used to get out of some sticky situations. Eagle Eyed was also excellent for spotting, problems, and not being snuck up on. In a world of ambush predators, I liked that one.


    Fierce probably got used the least. It relied on me pressuring people into social checks.


    The other option was using Cinzy¡¯s level up to level up any of these powers. Right away, Beast Talker was the obvious choice, but all of them had come in handy at various points. That was like taking your highest level ability and leveling it up even higher. Sure your other abilities are kind of meh, but you never use them so who cares?


    I hesitated there, because any replacement from Cinzy would be pretty great, and work more often than Fierce at least. It would be a social power.


    With all that in mind, I decided to chance it and grab a new ability.


    You have gained


    And as soon as it appeared, I laughed, remembering that all of Cinzy¡¯s abilities had long, overly-elaborate names. My upgraded Affinity and the skill Mana Affinity allowed me to know for sure what I¡¯d be getting if I chose to replace Beast Talker.


    Unreal. Okay, there was no way I was replacing Beast Talker. This would turn me into a mini Cinzy whenever I addressed up to¡­ 10 people. Meaning that social checks got much more difficult the more people who participated, and I had a defense against that. The need for a literal soapbox was so funny to me. It didn¡¯t seem like a bad trade off, and the ability to regain a Token was a good one. I just wasn¡¯t about to start rattling off oration on a soapbox or tree stump whenever I wanted a Token back. It seemed ethically questionable.


    I lay there enjoying the flood of new information, possibilities, and abilities.


    The next thing my UI did was inform me that I also had another Meld ability.


    Oh boy. I hadn¡¯t even dealt with the first one from Regina yet. And, sure, Regina was running around with over a dozen Nakamamon pals at any given time, frolicking like a princess who could sing to birds and deer and bunnies, but I still hadn¡¯t been able to bring myself to replace one of my abilities with another. The future held uncertainty.


    Cinzy would also get a Meld ability, but she only had a single ability from me. She would take Healing Aura and apply it to one of her abilities. As for me, I had to consider how I wanted to combine any of my four abilities from the ladies with any of the ten I had from my two classes. How would Arcane Alchemy pair with Eagle Eyes, or Stalwart?  What would happen if I put Man Enough together with Psyspeech?


    There were a total of forty different combinations I could pick from.


    I laid out a mental list, beginning with abilities I¡¯d gotten from the ladies.


    Psyspeech


    Stalwart


    Eagle Eyes


    Fierce


    Beast Talker


    You could map these onto the Attributes, sort of. Stalwart could easily fit into Durability, the long name from Cinzy would cover Likability, and Eagle Eyes and Psyspeech both seemed to favor Ingenuity, or Affinity. Beast Talker also felt like it went there. Fierce was the one to match with Physicality.


    My new Arcane Mender abilities could do likewise.


    Arcane Alchemy: Ingenuity


    Healer¡¯s Resistance: Physicality¡­ or possibly Durability


    Verdant Rejuvenation: Likability


    Mending Aura: Affinity


    Mender¡¯s Focus: Durability¡­ or maybe Physicality?


    It wasn¡¯t a perfect fit, it would do.


    Some of these would make no sense in how they might fit. How would Mending Aura, which was a great ability and I could definitely see myself copying, mesh with Eagle Eyed or Psyspeech?


    And that didn¡¯t even take into account the Indulgent Consort abilities, which mapped to the attributes as well.


    Eromancy: Ingenuity


    Post-Sharing Clarity: Affinity


    Drive In Deeper: Durability


    Man Enough: Physicality


    Coming Together: Likability


    Again the possibilities seemed endless. Man Enough allowed me to clone myself, which only worked in the bedroom. If I melded it with one of my abilities from the girls, I doubted it would work outside the bedroom. I just get an even more erotic thing, which seemed hardly necessary. Or if I wanted to further enhance Token generation, could I meld together Drive In Deeper with one of my gift abilities? And that didn¡¯t even take into account Coming Together, which I hadn¡¯t used yet¡­ if allowed my partners to experience my sensations. The options were mind boggling.


    When I placed the abilities into the little UI window¡¯s oven to meld them together, I got a vague sense of how the melding was going to end up. This was a strange sensation: when I placed Eagle Eyed with any of the Pleasure Seeker abilities, they all felt gross and wrong. Only the Eromancy one gave me the impression it might be okay, like Blissense all over again. I repeated the process, and got the feeling that the ability from Cinzy was equally as weird and off-putting. The sensations from Stalwart or Psyspeech were much more compatible. The vibe from them was that I¡¯d last longer in bed, or be much better at sensation. Whether that was my partner¡¯s feelings or their erotic fantasies was unclear. Heck, it could mean that my erogenous zones were a lot more sensitive.


    It was a very different situation when comparing the gifted abilities to my Healer abilities. Arcane Alchemy paired well with both Psyspeech and Eagle Eyed, but much less so with Fierce or Stalwart. A diagnostic tool? It could be incredibly useful to be able to find the scattered parts of a dead god, or diagnose problems with the help of an ability.


    Verdant Rejuvenation already seemed like more than enough¡­ but paired with Eagle Eyed, again the feeling I got was a sensing ability. Would I get a plant sense, to help me find ingredients? Pairing it with Stalwart gave me a strange impression¡­ hardy plants. Like they would keep longer once I cut them. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Mending Aura was the most useful in the short term. I could bring people back from the brink of death just by spending Tokens. So if I got another ability like that¡­ could I though? The UI gave me some very strange vibes once I slotted in my three choices. Adding Stalwart was the most right feeling option, sort of like I could extend that willfulness out to others. Pairing it with Psyspeech felt right too, but I couldn¡¯t place why. It felt like it would assist with mental illnesses.


    I tried not to feel smothered by all the options and potential. The real question was what I wanted or needed.


    So what did I want? Clearly, having sex and driving my partners wild needed to be secondary to my actual job. The trouble was, I was getting some wild abilities out of Pleasure Seeker. I could create a forking clone myself, and do Ivy and Isabelle at the same time. Now when I enjoyed some time with Cinzy or Regina, my attributes were boosted for almost an hour afterwards. I regained Tokens and boosted Relationship rewards even faster.


    Pleasure Seeker was also the reason I was in this position to begin with. It had been a gateway to the abilities that helped me overcome all the problems with Blake¡¯s people. Fending off the Ferrosaurs? Beast Talker. Enraging Blake¡¯s people into making mistakes? Stalwart and Fierce. Gathering a whole host of creatures to stampede the camp? Beast Talker again. I wouldn¡¯t have any of those if it hadn¡¯t been for my abilities in the bedroom.


    On the other hand, we had a god to bring back to life and then heal, and it was ramping up to be a big one. I definitely needed to meld a Healer ability with one of my abilities from the girls.


    ¡°Ugh,¡± I said, quietly, so as not to wake the girls.


    In the end, the clearest and best sense I¡¯d gotten from the UI was Mending Aura and Psyspeech. Trouble was, just like Beast Talker, I didn¡¯t want to give up Psyspeech.


    ¡°Here goes nothing,¡± I breathed.


    At the very last second, I switched out Psyspeech. I waffled between Stalwart and Fierce. Finally, I put Stalwart together with Mending Aura.


    Okay that¡­ sounded good. I felt the muscles in my body relax.


    This was¡­ good. Very different from Stalwart, but auras as a rule were excellent, and this was no exception. This one worked differently than Mender¡¯s Aura, which healed hit points lost and that was about it. Instead, this would give me time to work up a cure while providing an umbrella of perfect calm for those around me.


    I thought back to the emotional distress of the Marshins in the first village we¡¯d come to. The people of Slinktrickle had been mortified that their entire clutch of eggs would die, and that ballooned out into a zombie-like fervor to get at their eggs. It wouldn¡¯t have helped, and they¡¯d have only destroyed their eggs, but the emotions had been so overwhelming that they wouldn¡¯t know or believe us. Instead we were just meddling outsiders who were just like Blake¡¯s people.


    This would have obviated all of that. In its place, the eggs would have seemed perfect and healed faster. The cure would¡¯ve been much easier to brew up. The blow up with the entire village wouldn¡¯t have happened.


    And likewise, perhaps I could¡¯ve activated it and saved Cinzy from leaving. Hell, maybe I could¡¯ve convinced Blake to take his damn medicine and stop being a piece of shirt.


    This was a good thing, no two ways about it. I snuggled into the comforting feel of many women and luxuriated in knowing I¡¯d done the right thing.


    Almost everything about Cinzy was amazing, except for her difficult position with regard to me and other women. Oh, sure, she was in a naked pile with them now, but she still looked around with apprehension, then at me. What was she doing, being with a guy who was definitely having sex with almost every woman within shouting distance? That was a recipe for getting seriously hurt¡­ which had already sort of happened once. It had also been sort of her fault.


    But it wouldn¡¯t happen again, now that I had my new aura!


    I stroked her cheek, her ear, the line of her jaw, and when her eyes met mine, I smiled at her with what I hoped was placid reassurance. I didn¡¯t know how the Bard could be so commanding and in control of the emotions of others, yet still be such a mess internally, but we would get through it together.


    This is Christopher with the right tool for the job.

 128- It鈥檒l Be Our Secret

    Searching for bluegrass took me out and away from the town, and away from the others. I sensed myself being followed, through Eromancy, and thought it best to return my attention to the ability. I hadn¡¯t played with it like all the new spellcasting skills and the really dirty abilities, like Man Enough.


    I whistled a low tone for a moment, and read over the ability again. Just like Blissense, there was definitely a sensing power for sexy thoughts. Some people had a spider sense for detecting spiders, I had a horny sense for detecting horny old goats.


    Chuckling to myself, I kept on. This power wasn¡¯t limited to sensing though. It gave me the power to enter people¡¯s daydreams or fantasies and get my fingers all up in their business.


    This was going to make Stave Off even more important.


    More pressing was the line of desire stretching toward me. I was pretty sure Jacoby and company were closing in on Archie, Blake¡¯s rogue second in command. They had been trying to bait him into coming to take the anti-magic drug that kept you from transforming into a Nakamamon. I hoped they had succeeded¡­ it would be bad to have another Blake out there.


    Although Jacoby might want to watch me get freaky with someone else, she prioritized her work over anything else. It wasn¡¯t her, and it wasn¡¯t her people.


    Also, I would¡¯ve felt the Affinity signature of the person from my own team. It was a mana thing, like how my personality influenced the type of mana I had. If I cast a spell, people could sniff around it and tell that it was mine, or recognize me by that Affinity aura if they found me later. Trent¡¯s mana signature was dusty, solid, earth colored, and smelled of damp earth to my third eye. Cinzy hardly used any mana at all, but hers was fluffy like cotton candy, sweet in a cloying and bright way, like it was difficult to look at directly. It also smelled of jasmine but only to my mana senses.


    It¡¯s the best day I can describe this sort of thing to a non magic user.


    Anyway I knew the aura signatures of Vellenia (soft and smelling of rain) and Shakindria (purple and like you were having an allergy attack in your sinuses), and the others. This wasn¡¯t them.


    ¡°You can come on out,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡±


    Unless it was Archie. I didn¡¯t want it to be Archie. Ugh, I wasn¡¯t ready to do literally all of Jacoby¡¯s job for her.


    Something moved near a bush, that slowly stood. It resolved into a creature I¡¯d seen during the big push to resurrect our guy, the God of Productivity. The Shrubber-nee!¡ªno idea why it had an exclamation point on the end¡ªwas like a tangle of vines and leaves with a pair of huge, unblinking eyes in the middle. When it stood, some of the vines had to be its legs and body, meaning a semi-humanoid figure began to emerge. It had wide, pointed ears and a somber expression.


    ¡°Oh, hey,¡± I said. The write up hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about them eating people or being dangerous. Instead they photosynthesized most of their food direct from the sun, and gathered up moisture to drink. They were also vegetarian if they had to be, eating fruit, nuts, or vegetation.


    ¡°Do you have a name?¡± I asked.


    The creature slowly shook its head.


    ¡°Do you want to come along and help me hunt down some bluegrass?¡±


    It cocked its head, and the drawing in of the vines made it taller, and also made it appear more humanoid. More female. Leaves were hair, though it seemed to have a lot of arms. And nice curves, if I was being honest. Barky curves, but curves anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m searching for bluegrass¡­ it¡¯s a shorter type of grass that¡¯ll be in a sunny meadow and further away from trees.¡±


    The creature¡¯s leaves all shook at the same time, a bit like a dog shaking itself when coming out of the water. Then it hunched down into its shrubbery-looking form, with only eyes and the tips of ears peeking out of the greenery. Otherwise it just looked like a mass of vegetation.


    It started galumphing out away from the town, looking like a shrub version of Cousin It from the Addams Family. It didn¡¯t move very fast, and I just marveled at it as it went. A whole lot of it was little more than vines and leaves. In fact, aside from the head, I didn¡¯t know that it had a body in the conventional sense.


    I thought I knew where we were headed, but the Nakamamon veered into a tough section of woods. It obviously had no trouble flowing in, under and around all the thick vegetation blocking our path. What I couldn¡¯t slither, stoop, stomp, or sidestep around, I had to slap side. On my way through I received plenty of scratches for my trouble. Entirely too many s-words for my liking.


    ¡°Saber!¡± I muttered, a little testily, in a Sean Connery accent. Getting upset with this thing wouldn¡¯t do. Maybe it didn¡¯t understand me, I thought, pulling a bough up so it didn¡¯t clothesline me. Maybe it made a different gesture that I didn¡¯t get.


    But the minutes wore on, and my grumpiness grew. I had work to do. There were ingredients to collect and then to plant, tend, grow, pick, dry, boil, distill¡­ lots of processes.


    I sighed. ¡°This had better be¡ª¡±


    I was just regretting not investing more points into the Ranger skills from the weeks of travel, scouting and ingredient hunting we¡¯d done together, when the vegetation fell away and I was left with a secluded waterfall cascading off a sheer cliff some fifty or more feet above. The roar hadn¡¯t registered, I was ashamed to admit, because I¡¯d been too preoccupied swatting branches out of my face and trying not to fake curse.


    Instead I beheld a picturesque pond ringed by exotic flowers I hadn¡¯t seen elsewhere in this world. The trees gave way to a nice even spot of grass, bluegrass of course, to either side of the creek¡¯s bank. The whole place radiated calm.


    ¡°This is¡­ amazing!¡± I said, hopping up and down, and bending to pick a flower here and there, and a big sample of the bluegrass I needed. Not only was the bluegrass here, but tucked back in the hollow of the falls, I found some purple morpheus as well. With one of those in hand, I beamed giddily at the Shrubber-Nee!


    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± I told it. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have groused at you. That wasn¡¯t cool.¡±


    The creature rose up on its vines until its face appeared, and a shy smile spread across it. The two glowing eyes regarded me with serene warmth.


    ¡°It was very kind of you to escort me here,¡± I said. ¡°Will you do me the honor of helping me find my way back?¡±


    One vine reached up, forming into a hand of sorts. Four branchy fingers appeared, with some leaves on the outside like the fine layer of hair on the top part of my arm. It raised the hand up to about shoulder level.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    For a long moment I wasn¡¯t sure what it wanted, until I remembered it had been brought out of its god-induced slumber just yesterday. It had been there when we finally brought the dead god back to life, and we¡¯d been celebrating. A lot of hugging had gone on, along with a lot of high fives.


    I slapped the vine hand, smiling cheerfully, and the whole thing shuddered in delight. The leaves gave off their sound as it jiggled.


    It formed another hand and stretched them out to either side.


    On the one hand, I was alone and this thing was utterly silent. It had only been helpful so far, but¡­ oh, who was I kidding? I didn¡¯t need to be afraid of a walking vegetarian bush in a world that didn¡¯t have violence before Blake had gone and created the whole aspect.


    I walked into its arms and gave it a hug.


    The sensation was surprisingly pleasant: hugging a tree is something I¡¯d heartily recommend. It had glossy, cool leaves and the branches and vines were just as flexible as they appeared. It fashioned a vine-filled body for me to press tight against.


    ¡°Thanks again,¡± I told it.


    Once we¡¯d broken our embrace, the creature rustled again, making its leaves flutter and dance. It seemed incredibly pleased.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to get back so I can plant these and grow them in my garden. Could you help me find the way back?¡± I wasn¡¯t entirely sure where we were.


    It shivered again and headed back the way we¡¯d come.


    I ended up being gone for some three hours all together, and people were wondering where I¡¯d gotten off to. Vellenia was sadly nowhere to be found. I thanked the Shrubber-Nee! again and asked it for a high five, which it readily did. It then raced forward and wrapped its whole self against me, a good twelve arms and legs in total, nuzzling its face into the hollow of my shoulder.


    ¡°Somebody made a friend,¡± Ivy said.


    I cocked a thumb. ¡°You could bond yourself a Nakamamon,¡± I told her. ¡°You¡¯re practically the same, you know? It¡¯s basically made of ivy¡­ you could call it viny. Or Ivy Junior!¡±


    Her face was a mask. ¡°You¡¯re looking to get punched.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it¡­ why don¡¯t you bond one?¡±


    ¡°Eh,¡± she said, shrugging and snapping out of her mild annoyance. ¡°Not really my thing. I¡¯ll keep an eye open. I¡¯d like a loyal companion or something to aid me in my abilities, maybe, but it seems weird pressing something into servitude.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± I said, though really, it didn¡¯t. You could have a giant frog that spit lightning. Why wouldn¡¯t anybody want that?


    ¡°Besides, Isabelle is always jonesing to get back here when we¡¯re on R&R. We can¡¯t hardly fly around the world and see everything with Muppin miserably waiting next to the portal, you know what I mean?¡±


    That made a lot more sense. I certainly couldn¡¯t envision leaving Vellenia at HQ where they would be swarmed by gods-knew-who while I was nowhere to be found. People like Timmy or Blake were at HQ¡­ as well as people like Rus, who I liked a lot.


    Ivy followed along and made small talk while I planted the bluegrass and the purple morpheus I¡¯d just collected, then watered and got them tended.


    From there it was on to manufacturing a whole lot of sundrinker oil. The sundrinkers we had were all blooming, but the recipe for this cure called for a fracking gallon of the stuff. I¡¯d gotten several cups out of the Transmutation spell.


    The spells drained stamina along with mana, leaving me tired after each casting, and recovering. Workers came and went. The townsfolk were volunteering to help, or put up temporary shelters, lug water around, wash the laundry, empty what needed to be emptied and cleaning what needed to be cleaned. The whole town itself was abuzz with activity.


    ¡°Hey Ivy,¡± I said later. She was lounging around in the camp chair outside the house she shared with Isabelle.


    ¡°Boss?¡±


    I was too embarrassed to ask outright. ¡°Is, uh¡­ are you and Isabelle looking to, uh¡­ what are the chances you and Isabelle might, you know, need a third?¡±


    She smiled lazily. ¡°Honestly, if I had my way we¡¯d be in the living room right now with me bent over the sofa and you just railing me.¡±


    Her legs slowly opened and scissored closed again, and I could see the lust rise.


    ¡°Izzy¡¯s on the opposite guard schedule right now, so she¡¯s with Larelle. So she¡¯ll be back, and it¡¯ll be my turn to replace her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no good,¡± I said, already trying to hide an impending erection. The mere thought of just heading into Ivy¡¯s house and folding her in half before getting down deep into her was making my mouth water.


    ¡°Can¡¯t though,¡± she said. ¡°No Izzy, and no agreement, no Fletcher. That¡¯s the rule.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± I said, shrugging.


    She tapped her foot against the ground and her thighs parted once more, only to close again. She bit her lip and looked around.


    ¡°Maybe we could¡­ just this once. You know, she wouldn¡¯t know, right?¡±


    She popped the button on her shorts and dragged the zipper down. Black lacy panties came into view, and I lost the fight against my erection. It was doing its thing despite my mental protests.


    Eromancy was giving me choices in my UI, and I dutifully ignored them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± I said, and trailed off when she stuck a hand down her pants.


    She kept biting her lip, and staring at me with such intensity that I swallowed. Her hand started working between her legs, setting off a flush of pink.


    ¡°I could just suck your cock a little, and then you could just ream me out for a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Ivy¡­¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have to know, Fletcher. Neither of us are gonna tell her.¡± She gasped at whatever she was doing to herself, and grunted. ¡°Nnn¡­ fork. I could use a big stiff cock right about now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get in trouble,¡± I said, watching her hand move under her panties. Her other hand had drifted up and was squeezing one breast.


    It would be cheating. That wasn¡¯t okay. We were always on the razor¡¯s edge with this¡­ arrangement, and I liked Isabelle. I didn¡¯t want to be the one to break her heart.


    ¡°I¡¯m already wet,¡± she told me. ¡°Five minutes. Just a quickie.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± I croaked. We could. There was a house right there.


    ¡°I want you inside me, Fletcher,¡± she said.


    ¡°I know,¡± I breathed. I wanted it too. She had a rocking body, like a bodybuilder, and her tattoos were so badass. When I was with her, it was almost like I was a cool biker dude too. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Fle-etcher,¡± she said in a sing-song tone, ¡°You¡¯ve got a girl begging you to do her. She¡¯ll even open wide and take your load all over her face. You can watch me shovel it into my mouth and lick it all off my fingers.¡±


    Beneath all this, the UI was giving me pretty good rolls on my Persuasion + Durability, with bonuses from Stalwart.


    I coughed, apologized, turned, and fled. She called after me, indignant, but I didn¡¯t look back.


    Not long after, Tara returned from her patrol. She dismounted Airaconda, gave her bond mate a companionable pet on the scales, and told it to go play.


    She¡¯d taken two steps toward me when concern crossed her face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you¡­ have a gigantic boner? Holy shirt balls you do have a gigantic boner. Fletcher you and I need to have a chat.¡±


    This is Fletcher about to have a chat.

 129- A Fletcher Break

    The day was wearing on as Tara invited me into her house and quickly ran both hands over my engorged wood. Her adorable, round, girl-next-door face had a wicked smile, and her hazel eyes gleamed with mischief. She tucked her hair back behind both ears and noticed me glancing down the neck of her scoop necked sweater, at her cleavage. With that, she pressed her elbows in, accentuating it.


    ¡°Now, we can get into what¡¯s got you upset, have a little heart to heart,¡± she cooed, ¡°or we can deal with that stress, have a little nether-to-nether, and handle the discussion afterwards.¡±


    She kissed me, and I kissed right back. Thank heavens for someone who wasn¡¯t risking her relationship by doing this. Tara soon had my pants off and was working her lips and tongue over every available iota of my shaft, head, and balls.


    ¡°I want to do you too,¡± I told her. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was almost comical watching her straighten and then fling all her clothes off. A few days without the anti-magic drug and she was turning into a bronze statue again. Her normally flawless skin had a metallic sheen to it now, which I really liked. She even tasted a little coppery, which was weird and wonderful.


    ¡°Bed?¡± I asked, and quickly spent a Token to enhance her sensations with Entwined Ecstasy, and then the third level of Eromancy as well.


    ¡°Fork that,¡± she breathed, and steered me directly to the floor.


    In seconds she had my cock out and adorably tucked a bit of hair behind her ear just as she slurped the head into her mouth and began bobbing up and down. I fell into heaven, watching the girl who¡¯d helped me start it all get into a seriously intense blowjob.


    I¡¯d been in disbelief for a long time, and counted myself lucky a lot of times before, but I think the angle of the sun, bouncing off the motes of dust as Tara whipped her shirt and bra off, made me appreciate how far Pleasure Seeker had brought me.


    ¡°I want to¡­ frack your boobs,¡± I told her.


    Tara giggled and, with her holding them, she made a nice sheath. Pheromones somehow gave her boobs extra size, and she goggled down at the way she¡¯d ballooned from a comfy C-cup to a double D. Even her already long nipples lengthened a little. I noticed her squeezing them again and again, kneading her own breasts as the titjob started in earnest.


    ¡°Oh my gods, Fletcher,¡± she breathed, giggled, then squished her enhanced tits around my shaft.


    I hadn¡¯t done this before and hadn¡¯t expected it to feel as good as it did. It was a unique experience, with a strangely nice feel that wasn¡¯t anything like a blowjob, regular sex, or the hot extreme tightness of anal. It didn¡¯t compare, but the knowledge of getting someone to do this for me was extra erotic.


    Tara dipped her head down to lick and suck at the head when it appeared, and began riding up and down, again and again. Pheromones also increased the length of her tongue, meaning she could wrap it around my cock several times and lick it in ways only I¡¯d never dreamed of before.


    ¡°This is amazing,¡± she told me, with shining eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could do this.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t either. Instead I luxuriated in the understated, sexy beauty bending all her will towards pleasing me. It was usually the other way around.


    Some ten minutes later, I told her that I was on the verge of an orgasm. I wanted to please her, but instead she pushed me back onto the bed and began to shimmy out of a pair of white yoga pants. I loved the trimmed blonde bush that appeared, and the way her lower lips were already shining with moisture. She straddled me, and plunged down onto me.


    ¡°Give it to me,¡± she breathed, cheeks rosy and still squeezing her larger breasts. ¡°Go on, give Tara that jizz.¡± I watched as they slowly shrank so my Adaptability could be used to stop her from battering her insides on my enhanced size.


    She slammed herself down again and again, eyes rolling back, still playing with her hard nipples. She was just giving herself an orgasm when I tipped over the edge and grunted with release. All my worries ceased. The problem of Ivy disappeared. The weird issue with Fairy Poppins was gone. Not even the lingering guilt over Shakindria was a problem right now. Instead I poured all that energy into blasting Tara with as much as I could muster.


    After that, we lay panting on her bed, with her leaking copious amounts of my seed and making amazed sounds when she touched herself.


    ¡°How much do you make?¡± she asked, aghast.


    ¡°Enough,¡± I said. Maybe I was too proud of myself, but she¡¯d made a puddle between her legs.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need more,¡± she told me.


    This was how she ended up riding me reverse cowgirl some ten minutes later. Just like the first time I¡¯d ever had sex with Regina, something about this needed to be safely stored away in my visual cortex. Everything was on full display now: her pert butt cheeks, her pussy stretching around me and accepting the shaft over and over as she shoved backwards. Even her puckered back door was open to me. I saw her grinning over her shoulder.


    ¡°You like that?¡± She asked. ¡°You like having me ride you?¡±


    I liked this very much, and told her so.


    ¡°Good,¡± she said, ¡°because I like it too.¡±


    ¡°You like this?¡± I asked, pressing my thumb against her rear entry. My only response was more moans and groans, until she began cupping my balls and kneading them gently.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got what I need, Fletcher.¡±


    As much as I wanted to know where this kink of hers came from, I was okay for now not knowing. After a good ten minutes, she stiffened and began shuddering. With the ecstasy washing over her, she froze. I guided her back down until she was laying atop me, head on my shoulder and kissing me on the side of the neck. Breasts on full display and me with a hand empty.


    ¡°You frack me so good,¡± she whispered.


    I held her butt up and used the leverage to thrust up into her.


    ¡°You know,¡± she went on, ¡°you well-endowed guys can do this position.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ thank you.¡±


    In the moment, my whole problem with Ivy was forgotten. There was only the soft, supple flesh of Tara¡¯s long legs and firm butt, the incredibly soft feel of her breasts in my hands, and the feel of her pussy trying to wring all it could out of me.


    We were in the middle of getting Tara yet another orgasm when the door banged open. I was expecting Ivy to charge in, or even for Fairy Poppins to furiously flit towards me, but instead I found my bond mate staring wildly at us. Her sundress was gone even as she stepped into the room, puddling to the floor and showing off what happened when she got turned on.


    She was fully turned on.


    ¡°Vel?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You two,¡± she mumbled, ¡°you feel so horny.¡±


    She fell between our legs and began licking at Tara¡¯s clit with all of her many tiny tongue tentacles. I naturally enhanced them using Pheromones and my new Group Play Quality. These longer, stronger enhanced tongues also rubbed up and down the base of my cock, titillating my balls.


    Tara lost her mind. She began to orgasm instantly.


    It was time to use Coming Together. I put on the aura, and whispered in Tara¡¯s ear. ¡°You can taste yourself.¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to tell her how; she spent the Token automatically and her orgasm almost flung her off me. Arching her back, she cried out loudly as the sensations from Vellenia invaded. The feel of our skin on my bond mate¡¯s fingers, the feel of the bed beneath her, the heat coming off the two of us, and lastly the taste and feel of all her tongues were available to Tara in the same moment. Shuddering hard, she needed me to hold her to keep me buried down deep.


    Vellenia must have figured it out too, because she cried out the same way. She was experiencing all of Tara¡¯s feelings: her back against my chest and abs, the sensation of being full to bursting, all the friction of having me slide in and out, the pressure of my embrace, and the feel of our lips dancing.


    ¡°She is so sweet, bond mate,¡± Vellenia told me.


    ¡°Ohhhhhh!¡± Tara wailed.


    ¡°You will breed her now?¡±


    She could feel my climax threatening.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tara gasped. ¡°In me. Inside!¡±


    Who was I to deny a beautiful woman?


    The three of us made love for another good hour. The girls were locked in a double sensation situation by experiencing each other¡¯s pleasure, and that drove them into a languid sixty-nine. Vel made sure to extract all of my seed she could lick up, which clearly pained Tara. This was followed by me taking Vellenia doggystyle. Tara was astonished to watch my cock stretch the Nakamamon¡¯s anatomy out, and further astonished to feel it stretching her out at the same time. Vel took her turn riding me next, while Tara stood and allowed the Marshin to lick all of her insides and give her yet another climax. Finally, Tara couldn¡¯t handle the idea of not being filled to bursting, and needed me to cream pie her one more time. Vel sat on my face, and the two experienced both sex and being eaten out simultaneously. They made out until both climaxed simultaneously.


    The aftermath was a bed in Tara¡¯s house that couldn¡¯t be slept in, at least until it was thoroughly washed. We lay on top of the sleeping bag, the side that wasn¡¯t sodden, and discussed the Ivy situation while cuddling.


    I explained what had happened with Ivy. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like her to get all horny. And getting in between her and Izzy is the last thing I want to do, you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not okay for her to put you in that position,¡± she said.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Vellenia added.


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you came to me,¡± she said, and giggled. ¡°And came in me.¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡± I said, but she waved the matter away.


    ¡°We need to get on that cure of yours,¡± she said. ¡°You came here because your abilities ramp up our stamina and mana regeneration and such, right? You needed a little Fletcher break, right?¡±


    I stared at her. ¡°What, pray tell, is a Fletcher break?¡±


    She shrugged, giggling. ¡°Pretty much what you think. Regina and I made up the term, I think right after Dee got divinity poisoning and she, you remember, she got upset and swore off sex with you.¡± She frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think she would have a problem with me telling you this but, just, you know¡­¡±


    I gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°No problem. My lips are sealed.¡± I did the zipping gesture, then locked my mouth with an imaginary key and tossed it away.


    Tara¡¯s bubbly, talkative self might have annoyed the curmudgeon I used to be, but the positive vibes coming off her were undeniably cute and endearing. I really enjoyed her animated way of talking, the way she used her hands¡ªespecially the dirty parts, where she¡¯d make a circle with her thumb and forefinger, then try to push her entire fist through it. Her face was constantly in motion along with her words.


    ¡°Anyway when she finally got that glorious dick of yours inside her, she said all the tension just, whoosh, you know? Melted away.¡± I laughed at the way she made the tension fly away with her hand like it was an airplane. ¡°She said it was like she¡¯d been tied up in a knot, and the first orgasm after that just untied that knot.¡± She clenched up her fists full of bedsheet, but then released it, and pulled it so it lay flat. ¡°So how, if we ever see the other isn¡¯t doing okay, or we have a problem, sometimes we just have to jump in the sack with you, unclench our brains with some really good sexy times, and then deal with whatever was bothering us.¡±


    ¡°That is¡­¡± So weird, I didn¡¯t say. ¡°Genius.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course you would say that. You¡¯re insatiable.¡± Here she put on her worst Fletcher impression. ¡°Any time you¡¯re not feeling great, Tara, just make sure you jump into bed with me and let me fork your brains out, okay? And maybe sometimes you won¡¯t realize you¡¯re upset, so I¡¯ll let Regina and Cinzy know the Fletcher break policy. That way I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get that good dick as often as I¡­ uh, as often as you need.¡±


    ¡°I was definitely not going to say that.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh, sure.¡± She gave me an exaggerated wink. ¡°Keep telling yourself that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you gave me a Fletcher break,¡± I said, grinning. I had received a Token of my choice from Drive In Deeper, and I placed it into Affinity. Chances were good I¡¯d need it soon enough. Like right now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get that cure over and done with,¡± she said, jumping out of bed. I stared at her lovely ass and those incredible legs, and she rolled her eyes as she caught me.


    ¡°Can we put on clothes first?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I believe we can all go without the outer wrappings,¡± Vellenia offered, but I gave her a look and she acquiesced. ¡°I suppose your mating organs don¡¯t retract and need to be covered for the sake of hygiene.¡±


    Tara just rolled her eyes and laughed. ¡°Well, I guess. But be quick about it. The people don¡¯t care if your shirt¡¯s on inside out or not. They want their town back.¡±


    They really did. A lot of them were gathered around the team¡¯s camp, Shrubber-Nee! included. Cinzy had Ivy standing with her for some hopefully unnecessary backup. There was some grumbling going on.


    Thinking about my mom and my plans for her future magical healing, I nodded. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    In the next few hours I had several more batches of sundrinkers transmuted into sundrinker oil. This engaged Arcane Alchemy, and I used my three double up uses to turn Likability Tokens into Affinity, then Durability into Ingenuity, and finally Likability into Affinity Tokens.


    This is Christopher about to brew up another cure for yet another poor, sickly and needy god.

 133- After Action Report

    It was a short time into the celebrations when Regina sidled up to me. The townsfolk had been overjoyed to learn that their town was no longer being slowly demolished by a giant, tattooed god. After general rejoicing, which included me crowdsurfing over a wide variety of different creatures made of different materials and sizes, the people flooded back into their town to find most of it intact.


    It had been several days after reconstituting the god when we finally cured it, and the damage was not minimal. Some of the Nakamamon had lost homes. Most were okay. For now, the town would begin the process of picking back up the pieces, and then constructing new homes for those who had lost. But first, it was time to party!


    The Nakamamon of different species had their own songs to belt out at the top of their lungs or whatever passed for their lungs, dances to get down and boogie to, and other ways of celebrating. Fire Nakamamon set off sparks here and there like fireworks, capable of creating different colors; electric Nakamamon zapped lightning of various different colors up into the sky. Even the water Nakamamon sprayed out mist to create little rainbows glinting off the bright afternoon sunlight.


    Regina sometimes dressed in her dyed green leather armor, but just as often she went around in casual clothes, like now. Today she had on a pleated skirt in brown with bright orange stripes peeking out when she moved, and a simple white t-shirt snug against her taut body. She noticed me looking and smiled easily.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost ready to head back to HQ,¡± she said, and took my hand. ¡°That means¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I agreed. That meant we would be enacting a dangerous plan that the Agency wouldn¡¯t care for, not even a little bit. They¡¯d try to stop us by any means. We¡¯d skirted around the danger so far, keeping it mostly at bay. This was the first time we¡¯d be inviting it.


    She followed my eyes to where Shakindria was hovering above her workshop house, watching the proceedings. When her eyes met mine, I couldn¡¯t hold her gaze. She had been about to smile, but I felt like such an asshole leaving her here, after all she¡¯d done.


    ¡°You gave her some moments of enjoyment,¡± she said, and I heard the regret in her voice as well. She wasn¡¯t wrong, but that wasn¡¯t anywhere near enough for what Shakindria had done. She deserved her freedom.


    ¡°She gave this city its life back as much as me, or more,¡± I said. ¡°None of the leaders gave her so much as a thank you.¡± Me they¡¯d boosted onto their shoulders and paraded around down, where the divine vomit puddles had vanished. As for Shakindria, they¡¯d started giving orders for replacement parts, to begin the work of repairing the town. They¡¯d had her lifting some of the rubble out of streets before that. She had already filled out some of those orders.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Regina said gently, one hand on my upper arm. ¡°Listen, you haven¡¯t done that Meld ability, have you?¡±


    I looked at her, confused for just a second. I¡¯d chosen the Meld ability¡­ the one from Cinzy. That wasn¡¯t the one she was talking about though. The first one, from Regina, I¡¯d skipped out on, and forgotten about. We had healed up literal thousands of people; it hadn¡¯t seemed significant. I¡¯d put it in the back of my mind, and then completely out of mind.


    ¡°I guess not,¡± I said.


    ¡°Give it a shot.¡± When I continued to give her a skeptical eye, she rolled her eyes. ¡°Look, the system is intuitive, I think. When I hit level 25, I found what I wanted there. When I chose the Meld ability¡­ it was what I wanted.¡±


    She¡¯d gotten the ability to gather beast Nakamamon to her side like a literal princess out of an animated movie.


    ¡°You mean I¡¯m going to find a way to break Shakindria¡¯s magical servitude contract,¡± I said, the flat disbelief too sarcastic and dark for me to feel okay using. Still, Shakindria¡¯s predicament was finally, well and truly getting me down. I didn¡¯t feel much of the party atmosphere.


    ¡°Yes, actually,¡± she said, and gave me a playful shove. ¡°And don¡¯t be like that.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The earnest desire to help was clear on her face and in her tone, and I stopped myself from pouting. Brooding was the old Christopher.


    I took a deep breath and considered the Meld ability once again.


    Maybe Beast Talker could help work on the minds of the townsfolk and convince them to let her finish out her magical contract early. None of the others would do: Eagle Eyed, Stalwart, and Fierce didn¡¯t feel like they applied. The one I¡¯d already melded couldn¡¯t be melded again.


    The question was then what to pair it with. On the surface, none of my Healer abilities seemed to fit. I had Arcane Alchemy, Arcane Focus, Healer¡¯s Resistance, Verdant Rejuvenation, and Mending Aura.


    Now, when I used Affinity and the Mana Affinity skill to suss out which of my Pleasure Seeker abilities might work, I got two different hits. Eromancy definitely didn¡¯t feel right, and neither did Man Enough, along with Post-Sharing Clarity.


    The new ability Coming Together seemed a great thing to meld with Beast Talker, as did Drive In Deeper. The connections between Beast Talker and these two felt strange, and my Mana Affinity skill wouldn¡¯t come right out and explain what was going to happen¡ª


    ¡°Fletcher, I¡¯m surprised at you,¡± Regina said.


    She didn¡¯t have any stakes with her choice to form a Nakamamon menagerie. She didn¡¯t have a hero to let down.


    ¡°I know,¡± I told her, sighing, though I was in no mood to be nagged. Vellenia entered the house, beaming.


    Fork.


    Coming Together might improve my relationship with the people of the town, enhancing my Nakamamon interaction bonuses. Drive In Deeper might improve my relationship with one of the townsfolk to a high degree. Or they might just not fix my problem at all.


    This was ridiculous. I concentrated on my objective: helping Shakindria out of her situation. That was what I most desperately wanted. If Regina was right, the system would see my intent and build the ability around it. If she was wrong, I¡¯d be forced to leave Shakindria behind. With that firmly in mind, I chose Coming Together, and pressed the Confirm button when it appeared.


    ¡°No,¡± I breathed, my heart sinking. It wasn¡¯t going to work.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Vellenia chirped. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± She practically threw off her clothes, to Regina¡¯s ¡®wow¡¯ of appreciation and lust. I hoped that staring in bewilderment at the UI was seen as slack-jawed amazement.


    Beast Talker was an amazing ability that I¡¯d used to get out of a jam and certain death. Replacing it was not something I¡¯d wanted, even a little bit, but it would be an acceptable price to pay if it got me to convince all the town leaders to give me Shakindria¡¯s contract. I scrambled through the menu until I found the tab containing the shared abilities gained from Entwined Ecstasy.


    ¡°I am going to finally deep throat you, bond mate,¡± Vellenia said, grinning. ¡°Regina has explained the process, and I feel confident!¡± She even clapped her hands together soundlessly, bobbing up and down on the balls of her feet.


    Bondsealer


    ¡°Impossible,¡± I breathed.


    ¡°Very possible! Well, not possible before, but today is the day!¡± Vellenia opened her mouth and pointed. Inside, her many tiny tongues wriggled and undulated.


    I stared at the ability write up, gaping at it. Bond additional Nakamamon? The ability had a similar bonus for interaction that Beast Talker had, but that last part¡­ holy frack. That made my mind whirl.


    Regina laughed at struck dumb Christopher.


    ***


    Sometimes the clouds above you are the most glorious things you¡¯ve ever seen. They seem like they¡¯re about a thousand feet tall, and extend up into infinity. And when you see this in the early dawn light of day, the sun can paint all this the soft creamy orange and pink of sherbet.


    I whistled while I walked. All the worrying I¡¯d done was for nothing. I could bond a second Nakamamon! The freedom and wonder swept through me.


    I liked Shakindria. I liked her work ethic, the amount of horny she was, and she had these big rabbit ears on her head that were very sensitive. She was knowledgeable, adventurous in and out of the bedroom, and was fun to talk to. She¡¯d been a tireless worker, doing the thankless tasks no one forced her to do.


    Shakindria must have seen my good mood and understood at least some of it from the roof of her home. She came floating down off her house and hovered just a few inches off the paved street, gazing at me in wonder.


    she asked. Her tone radiated a subdued hope.


    I told her mentally, using her own power to attempt to reassure her. The Psyspeech conveyed my feeling as well as the words.


    When I took her hand, she didn¡¯t resist, but she seemed to deflate a little.


    We passed many of the townsfolk still milling around and partying, though the partying slowed to a stop as we approached. staring at me with the yellow-skinned psychic Nakamamon. The uncomfortable stares from the people of the town seemed enough, and she tugged against my hand.


    ¡°I promise, it¡¯s good news,¡± I told her, heading up toward the very edge of the town¡¯s top, where several houses clung to the edge of the huge stone check mark.


    As we got there, I told her about the ability Bondsealer, and what it meant. Whatever else it meant, it meant I could support two different bonds. Eventually, I would be able to bond yet another Nakamamon, but that wasn¡¯t important¡­ and wouldn¡¯t be any time soon.


    ¡°Do you approve of this?¡± I asked her. ¡°You can travel with me, empower yourself and me, and be free of the town¡­ but you¡¯ll have to share me.¡±


    ¡°You need to meet Vellenia,¡± I explained.


    I¡¯d made the mistake in the past of not extending truth to my companions, and inviting discussion to avoid misunderstandings and mistrust. This was going to be different.


    What needed to happen now was that Shakindria and Vellenia needed to meet.


    The Marshin leapt up as soon as she heard my voice. The white skin with the mint-green hair and the pink accents to her body, clad in the white dress. The cheerful expression layered with serenity.


    ¡°Hello!¡± she greeted Shakindria warmly.


    Silence.


    ¡°Oh, well it¡¯s great to meet you!¡± Vellenia said. ¡°I have never met a Mindela. I am a Marshin.¡±


    More silence. Shakindria was clearly using her own Psyspeech to communicate, and I wasn¡¯t privy to that.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be fine. Why wouldn¡¯t it? Fletcher has a number of human bond mates, and I think he¡¯ll have our Frostling in his bed before long. He¡¯s a Pleasure Seeker.¡±


    I laughed awkwardly, looking around for Alan or Trent, who weren¡¯t supposed to know that info. There would be no detecting Trent, that was for sure. I¡¯d stopped worrying about what would happen when he found out. I couldn¡¯t imagine the reaction from HQ when they learned I was having sex with essentially the entire team. When that side played against my record of healing Nakamamon and this world¡¯s gods, the worst that could happen was they reassigned all the girls to different teams, and put me on a team of all guys.


    While that would suck, I¡¯d still have Vellenia¡­ and hopefully Shakindria.


    There was still the Mindela¡¯s reaction to all this. She could still back out, though I was hoping her wanderlust and her promise to help outweighed any reluctance she might be feeling.


    ¡°What else do you need to know?¡± I asked her.


    she replied.


    That I could do.


    Vellenia wrapped herself around my right arm and snuggled one cheek against my shoulder. She was short, about a head shorter than me, and the feel of her hair on my skin was no longer odd. I liked the sensation, honestly.


    the Mindela asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± I said. ¡°And not in past tense. It¡¯s an ongoing situation.¡±


    More searching consideration followed, with Shakindria staring at me and then around me in thought.


    , Shakindria said, indicating Vellenia with a flick of mental imagery. In her mind¡¯s eye, Vellenia¡¯s eyes were hearts, and little explosions of glitter surrounded her any time she looked at me. She clasped her hands and swooned against them, sighing in contentment. I could tell it was meant to be an annoyed series of images and sounds, but I laughed.


    ¡°Look,¡± I told her, ¡°You know me already. You know I¡¯ve never had this in my past. I don¡¯t know how it started exactly, I¡¯m not sure why it¡¯s been so successful so far, and while I love it and I¡¯m flattered by it¡­ I don¡¯t really get it.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t say whether it was the Qualities that made me bigger and thicker than others, or if it was something else they needed that I was giving them. Possibly some of both. It could also be that they didn¡¯t have better options. I had inadvertently chosen Drat, a loner recluse, and Alan, who was a bit of a newb like my sister said. Trent had a high Likability, but was utterly focused on his craft. He rarely joined in the fun and festivities. The situation with breaking Isabelle¡¯s ankle and destroying our original supply of anti-magic pills hit him hard.


    And while I considered what it might be that drew the girls to me and kept them coming back, Shakindria continued to regard me silently.


    ¡°You are welcome to meet them, if you like,¡± I said. ¡°The girls.¡±


    She would like, and she did, as it turned out. We met Regina and Tweedle Dee just returning from a potion delivery mission to Jacoby¡¯s people, and Shakindria liked the red-haired and freckled Regina immediately. She liked Tweedle Dee just as much. Regina, for her part, kept looking a question at me that I refused to answer. But the longer I refused, the more certain she became that Regina might be getting some exotic psychic aspect Nakamamon booty in the near future.


    What a perv.


    Shakindria then joined Regina for a rousing game of fetch with Tweedle Dee, followed by a rousing game of tug of war with the flower fox, followed by telekinetically lifting both of them and laughing as they swam through the air toward one another.


    Sometime during this play, Tara and Airaconda scouted them in the field below, and swooped down to join them. Here Shakindria got to meet them too, fly around with the other Ranger and her bond mate while Tara jabbered a mile a minute about life back on earth, her family, and answered any question Shakindria might have, along with plenty she didn¡¯t.


    She had time with Ivy and Isabelle, and enjoyed juggling them by throwing them up in the air, releasing the telekinesis, then catching them again. It was like a trampoline, but without any surface to bounce on. She even conferred with Larelle and Chrysta.


    Shakindria told me,


    I knew some of that already.


    She lifted the awl and flung it toward the point where we had chosen.


    Although Shakindria was ready to do the bonding, I wanted to hold off until the evening came. I liked the idea of performing this particular ritual under the stars.

 135- Seeking Pleasure

    In the aftermath of the God of Productivity situation, Ivy eventually crawled back on hands and knees, begging Izzy to take her back. For days, they both disappeared from my sex radar, since Isabelle didn¡¯t want me involved and Ivy would do anything to keep her girlfriend happy. They both continued to do their jobs efficiently, though there was little to protect anyone from. They felt it was a decent change of pace from turning away Nakamamon who were trying to turn into Rip Van Winkles inside the town.


    That was over. The town was getting back to normal. Trent and the rest of us of course partied with the jubilant town, but in the immediate aftermath it was clear the town needed repairs. All of us helped out then: cleaning up rubble, Alan mending together what could be mended with his spells, Trent of course working his magic on buildings and damage roads, so long as they were made of stone. The Guardians used their strength, on orders from me, so they could accrue experience. Everyone helped out on the same orders: the Rangers, Cinzy, and even occasionally Drat, when he could be bothered to show up.


    People came to me with injuries and got healing, but I also helped cart away wheelbarrows of broken building, helped get things where they needed to go, and accepted a whole lot of thanks and praise.


    The only good part about dealing with another god situation was that the divinely radioactive vomit automatically vanished from the area. The god left, and puddles of golden sick up just drained and were gone. Cue up more cheering from the townsfolk.


    Jacoby¡¯s people stuck around precisely zero minutes after it was over. Her team had apprehended more than just Archie and now Blake, but I wasn¡¯t privy to any of that at the time. Instead, they had just decamped the morning after the god was cured, and that was that. No more Jacoby, with her awkward staring and smoky eyes.


    Wayne the Wizard tacked a clay tablet to my door explaining that they were under orders to get the fighting aspect Nakamamon back to HQ for tests and to figure out if Rainer could heal Blake back to being human, or at least change him from being a fighting aspect and into something less¡­ world shattering. He thanked me for the opportunity to work on a really big and important project, and wished me well.


    Good guy, Wayne.


    After that, it was mostly just feasting, festivities, and forking. So much forking. When I convened the team I could sense a lot of hungry gazes on me, interestingly from Chrysta and Cinzy as well as the usual suspects: Regina, Tara, Vellenia, and Shakindria. When I asked the three gents what they¡¯d like, they all made excuses about staying a couple more days. It turned out Alan was seeing a young Mistillion, which was like a flower person made of fog, and Trent had an interested young lass, who was oddly enough made of stone. She was like a living statue, made of a marble-like substance, with the veins being rainbow colored and glowing.


    I was pretty sure he had done something with his powers to make her into that shape, but I couldn¡¯t say that a hundred percent.


    Drat? Drat did whatever Drat did. That fracking guy.


    And then there was me. The Pleasure Seeker, the Indulgent Consort. Doing my duty to earn xp and gain levels the best way possible.


    Tara needed to be filled to the brim at every opportunity when we were together. She ended up getting involved with me and Vellenia, me and Shakindria, and also me and Regina, as well as having me to herself. But in every case, all my orgasms went in one place: as deep inside her as I could force them. It never mattered if I was taking Regina from behind, or if I had Vellenia folded in half with her ankles up around her ears and her tail sweeping back and forth across the floor, Tara was right there ready to receive my full load inside her when the time came.


    Although Tara did initially seem bothered when Shakindria explained about how she couldn¡¯t conceive, she asked me to make some magic medicine to eliminate the interference of mana in the process. I eventually agreed, and though she didn¡¯t know what was in it, she took what I gave her and then shucked her clothes for an immediate creampie. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As odd as it might be, it was incredibly hot. None of the other girls were like ¡®I want to bring a little Fletcher into the world!¡¯ I couldn¡¯t say why the danger and the excitement made it hot, but just imagining beautiful, long-legged girl-next-door Tara with a swollen belly was enough to push me over the edge a number of times. Right where she wanted the contents of my climax, of course.


    And while Cinzy didn¡¯t love sharing me with a bunch of others, she couldn¡¯t stop me from mating with my bond mate Nakamamon, nor could she really stop me from doing what I liked. If she wanted a slice of Fletcher, she had to just suck it up and accept Fletcher had a lot going on.


    It helped that she was a submissive, and wanted me to tell her what to do until she was worshipping my cock, before I forced it right up her tight rear end. The only stipulation was that nobody else could watch her submission or humiliation, and that was a condition I would happily abide. After all, it wasn¡¯t often a girl came to your door and nervously joked around, playing with her hair while silently hoping you¡¯d get her on her knees, frack her face for a while, then lube her up and violate her ass. All the while, you¡¯d tell her how perfect she was, how beautiful she looked with her mouth full of cock, how amazing her ass looked, how gorgeous it was stretched out around my shaft, and how her lower lips tried to grip me and keep from letting go. It would only take a few minutes of breathing praise at her and stroking her clit before she¡¯d moan and climax with me deep in her ass.


    Regina just stayed over at my house now. She loved this new sexual freedom that had blossomed within her. She loved sucking my cock just as much as she liked holding and stroking Vellenia¡¯s tail while eating her out¡­ while I thrust in and out of her from behind. She liked going into 69 with Shakindria, especially if I was also clinging to her and driving into her from behind. She even watched what I had going with Chrysta once.


    Using Pheromones, I could give Regina a little cock just like I sometimes gifted Isabelle. However, what she wanted was to have Vellenia or Shakindria get one of those, so she could end up with the spit roasting treatment, or get some double penetration on. She loved looking into my eyes with me all up inside her, then have Vellenia push into her backside. Then, she¡¯d only break eye contact with me if she couldn¡¯t manage it any longer, and had to get a mouthful of Vellenia¡¯s wriggling tongues.


    Of all my new abilities, the most popular with Regina was the new Coming Together ability. By spending a Token she could experience everything I was feeling while I got down and dirty with other partners. She would hide under the bed or just outside and pay the toll to share in what I was doing with Vellenia, Shakindria, Chrysta, Tara, and eventually even Poppins. Cinzy didn¡¯t want to use it when I was with her because, and I quote, ¡®I¡¯m not a fracking AllMyFans performer.¡¯ She made it clear she was strictly off limits. She did, however, let me double team her on my rooftop under the twin moons. Regina may have whined that she wanted to know what it was like to be a dude, and double team Cinzy¡­ who she really wanted to seduce. For the time being, though, Cinzy wasn¡¯t okay with that.


    I can¡¯t count the number of times Regina professed that she loved me while stuffed full of me, or feeling what I was feeling using my new ability. On her hands and knees taking me from behind she loved me. On her back with Shakindria sitting on her face, she¡¯d get some air to tell me she loved me. Watching me rail Tara and blast yet another load into her, she loved me. Watching my discomfort as I refused to tell her details about meeting up with and getting inside Cinzy, she loved me.


    Shakindria didn¡¯t mind being with others, especially when she learned that my abilities performed better with more than one partner. She especially loved the new special ability Coming Together. She wanted nothing more than to know the feelings that I got from being inside her. Experiencing both her feelings and mine at the same time made her climax time and again, until she could handle no more. She also loved to have Regina, Tara, or Vellenia in my bed, and compare how different each of them felt while I had sex with them. She liked staring into their eyes while she slammed her hips down onto me, riding me cowboy. She¡¯d caress her curves and stroke her ears and climax over and over again if they were watching. She was a freak in the sheets, in that she was adventurous to the max.


    I did level up several more times in the next few days, gaining skill points that I fed into my Pleasure Seeker Qualities, and that allowed more frequent visits with Chrysta. The shy ghost never approached me, but also never turned me away when I reached out to hold her hand, or gently turn her face my way for a kiss. With my Adaptability and Pheromones raised up, she was turning more and more human, and I was becoming more incorporeal. We met in the middle, and made the magic happen. The sex was brutal and involved me pressing down on her windpipe, swearing at her, pounding her with every bit of power I could muster¡­ and also having her choking me while slamming herself down on me repeatedly. The session would end with both of us bruised and gasping for breath, until we broke contact and she no longer needed to breathe. Then I¡¯d heal us up, and she would apologize needlessly for giving in when the void rose up in her.


    Fairy Poppins was another who benefited from my increased level and better Adaptability. At this level, I could finally shrink down to about a foot, and get her to about the same size.


    ¡°Oh. My. Goddess!¡± she shrieked, clapping and flapping her wings.


    Now that we were both about a foot tall, things got odd. My small camping pillow was like a bed in and of itself, and my bed was the size of a park.


    Fairy Poppins had glowing golden skin and wore a skirt made of a leaf, along with a sort of vest made from another leaf. It didn¡¯t close in the front, but the back, tying at the top and bottom so her wings could do their thing. No underwear. I knew that because when her clothes flew off a second later, she was totally nude and leaping on me.


    I caught her, laughing.


    ¡°You really¡ª¡±


    She silenced me with a kiss that included tongue. A lot of tongue. She made moans of pleasure as I held her up, flitting her fingers through my hair and down the back of my shirt, then over my face.


    ¡°Ohhhh,¡± she groaned, grinding herself against my abs. ¡°Finally!¡±


    I responded by slipping one hand beneath her and working to arouse her even further with my fingers. I didn¡¯t need to bother; she was soaking wet. I got two fingers up in there with no trouble, and pressed another finger against her engorged clit.


    ¡°There,¡± she gasped. ¡°Right there.¡± Then went right back to kissing me.


    I¡¯d never had one of my partners react so quickly before. She bucked and groaned, then broke the kiss and with her head thrown back, came on just my fingers. Her moan of pleasure was long and throaty, and the moment it ended she slumped back onto the bed, the glow of her body pulsing intermittently with each spasm of her body.


    She watched while I pulled my shirt off, exposing my Physicality enhanced body, followed by my pants.


    ¡°Ooh!¡± she chirped. ¡°A strip tease! Mmm yes, Daddy, dance for Poppy.¡±


    You can take the tiny out of the fairy, but apparently you can¡¯t take the adorable with it. Or the perverted. I did turn it into a little dance, running my hands up and down my body while she gaped and grinned. She watched in fascination as I stripped down and my cock came into view. At this point, she squealed in delight, got up and started twerking directly into me.


    I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s all fairies, but Poppy had the tiniest little breasts. Even on her slender frame they were small. They were, however, capped with thick, protruding nipples. She wrenched my hands over them and showed me how she wanted them squeezed and pinched, all while she pressed her wings against my arms and shoulders, and ground her ass into me.


    ¡°I¡¯ve dreamed about this,¡± she told me over her shoulder. ¡°Every night I watched you with someone else, sliding this beauty up into them, I went back and dreamed about this moment.¡± She grabbed onto my shaft, lined me up, and sank slowly down on my full length. ¡°There w¡ª¡±


    She came again just having me inside her. Another cry of ecstasy, another full body spasming, and this time I held her up to keep her from face planting on my sleeping bag.


    Poppy came another six or eight times before passing out on the bed. It only took a good few strokes and she was back to the full body fit. It made sense, too, once I started thrusting: something about her pussy was pure magic. It encased all of me perfectly, and little tingles of magic seemed to lick at every bit of my shaft, from all different angles, at once. Still, I had Stave Off and could succeed at the checks, gritting my teeth and bearing down in order to keep from unloading inside her in under a minute. Finally I laid her out on her stomach and slowly, gently thrust up into her.


    She just came and came and came, yelling out with her tiny voice, shivering and shaking, eventually with tears in her eyes. Over the course of five minutes she came so often I thought she just hadn¡¯t stopped.


    ¡°Oh Daddy,¡± she told me. ¡°I¡¯m so, I¡¯m soooohhhhh¡­¡± And she came again.


    Her magically enhanced body did the same to me. I could hold back no longer, but when I tried asking her where she wanted me to cum, the magic clamped around my shaft intensified. That was that. I let out a cry and came deep inside her, but she had passed out from the sheer bliss of it.


    ***


    And that¡¯s it. That¡¯s the end of the story. Everybody¡¯s happily passing old Fletcher around like a virus born in a wet market in China.


    Bad simile, but you get the idea. Here is where the story ends. Everyone in the other world happily gets on with their lives, I definitely have served out my first work rotation here with distinction, hazard pay, and plenty of overtime. We march through a cheery world with smiles on our faces, back towards a thankful HQ that welcomes us back with open arms, asks no questions, and pins awards on my chest. The rest of the team gets awards too, and there¡¯s no Chewy situation where Larelle and Chrysta stand by like faithful pets; they get the full recognition they deserve. The same goes for Vellenia and Shakindria, who definitely don¡¯t get put under the microscope for the weird phenomenon of sapient Nakamamon not typically bonding humans, or humans being able to bond more than one Nakamamon at a time. They also get commendations, get recruited into the Agency.


    And all is well.


    The end.


    ***


    This is Christopher blinking away the fog of the past and getting back to the reality at hand.

 137- Mama Heist II: Everything Changes

    You¡¯ve seen television, and you and I both expect something when we walk into a secure government black site that does not officially exist.


    You expect to have a paranoid guard order you to step out of the vehicle and then go through an exceptionally thorough pat down. This happened.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re looking¡ª¡±


    ¡°This will go smoother,¡± the guard said, ¡°if you don¡¯t talk or ask questions.¡±


    He brought out a small plastic baggie and arched an eyebrow at me. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Seeds,¡± I said.


    ¡°Seeds for¡­ what now?¡± He fished out a second plastic baggie. ¡°And what is this?¡± sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Flowers and berries.¡±


    ¡°Flowers and berries,¡± he repeated in a flat, semi-suspicious voice.


    ¡°As a Healer I need all the plants I can get for my potions and salves and unguents and such.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ am aware of that,¡± he probably lied. ¡°Remain here with your hands against the van.¡±


    A short discussion with the higher ups later, he reappeared and handed me back the suspicious baggies. He snorted. ¡°You¡¯d better not be bringing marijuana into another world,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s legal in some states but not this one. And not legal federally. The top brass told me to relay that to you.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t be doing anything like that.¡± That was a lie too; marijuana had some medicinal properties and I was going to have access to that. I¡¯d come from California, so getting access was easy. But just the seeds.


    Now, when you enter a government black site, there are also things you don¡¯t expect to see. You don¡¯t expect to first park your full size rental van in the large and sparsely populated parking lot outside of the building, then go through sliding doors that are motion activated. Just like he local community center in nowheresville USA.


    You don¡¯t see that same old drop ceiling you¡¯ve seen everywhere else in your entire life. You know the ones I¡¯m talking about, the ones with the eighteen inch white tiles with the little holes in them, interspersed with that soulless halogen lighting that doesn¡¯t create shadows.


    My heart was thudding out of my chest walking down the hall with the nondescript offices. And we¡¯re talking literally nondescript: no name plates on the doors or above them on signs. No inspirational posters telling you to hang in there. No posters of any kind actually.


    I couldn¡¯t see if my mother was behind me, and I was terrified to ask her in case this facility had the sorts of high-paranoia tech systems I thought it did. Instead I forced myself to saunter at a medium pace, and hope that my mother didn¡¯t get too caught up in scratching the full extent of Skulkins¡¯s belly. If she stuck with me, this wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    One drab gunmetal gray hallway took the place of the last, in a place I¡¯d visited only briefly. The HQ had debriefed the whole team at the castle after the Glumpdumpkin debacle. This had gone on for a week, where all our experiences were taken down by teams of bored Wizards and a few other assorted employees who were stuck at their desk jobs. We obviously omitted all the alarming personal stuff, such as the sheer volume of sex I¡¯d been having with almost all of them. The only other important bit that needed to be dealt with was Cinzy¡¯s defection from the team. Short-lived as it was, the top brass would have been not okay with the situation. Instead we lied and said she¡¯d been very emotional at one point, set off a short-lived crisis that I had needed to clear up with a fast-acting treatment and cure before healing up the God of Apparel. She had, however, been so overcome that she had disappeared into the wilderness for a few days while we took care of things. It was there Blake¡¯s team found her and picked her up.


    From there, a lot of the debrief centered around my Nakamamon bond situation. Nobody had two bond mates. Nobody had a sapient bond mate, unless you counted Larelle, the sapient one, bonding a non-sapient Nakamamon. That was also an oddity, but not unheard of. So for several days, I appeared before this committee and that to answer questions. They tried their very best to rope Vellenia and Shakindria into the debrief, but the two of them weren¡¯t employed by the Agency.


    From there, they tried to get tricky; first, they attempted to offer my two bond mates employment contracts, with lucrative deals. Since neither of them truly understood the value of money, having worked under a barter system and goodwill payback in this alien world, neither of them knew or cared about the perks or bonuses.


    The only time they were tempted was when Vellenia came back to me in the castle and explained that they had offered a better deal for me back on earth, and my earth family.


    It had been a hard eye roll for me, and a refusal. My family was set. With the overtime pay I was getting, the hazard pay from several different instances, I had already gotten more than my full year¡¯s first salary in just five months. Vellenia gave me a reassuring hug and said she would be thrilled to give me anything I needed back on earth, just say the word. I told her I was grateful but it was completely, totally, wholly, and in all other ways unnecessary.


    The psych evals and debriefs continued for a good week before I started to demand my R&R time. When they started to pull military regulations out of nowhere, I had to remind them that I had read them all, remembered them all, and Alan had helped me recall any of the other ones I missed. Yes I had filled out the appropriate form. Yes I had filed it with the appropriate clerk. No I wasn¡¯t willing to get additional monetary bonuses for participating in further debriefs. I was overdue, and though I wasn¡¯t going to take a full month off like I was owed, I was going to take the damn R&R.


    All that stopped when I got through the portal and landed on earth again.


    More debriefs commenced. More questions ¡®just to make sure they understood my story¡¯. They were cross-referencing my story against Regina¡¯s, against Alan¡¯s, against Drat¡¯s. This was some nonsense, and I put up with it only for a few hours before I asked to talk with Dick Johnson about how I might go about terminating my contract under several of the harassment clauses. It would mean a monthly payout for the rest of my life and a retirement bonus, so long as I wasn¡¯t found to spill any state secrets, but it would also mean a release from my job, as Healer.


    And the one big thing I was, in the other world, was in demand. Between healing up several different troublesome gods, saving the clutch of eggs of possibly an entire species, and saving fellow agency members¡¯ lives, I¡¯d proved my worth to the Agency. Yes they probably suspected a bigger problem with Cinzy, no they couldn¡¯t prove insubordination, abandonment of duty, or going absent without official leave. Nor could they figure out the Nakamamon bonding situation I had going on. Both of these things bugged them.


    The other thing that bugged them was the fighting aspect Nakamamon situation. I¡¯d been in the middle of that, fighting for my life the entire time, so clearly I wasn¡¯t responsible for it. The Agency didn¡¯t try that route, but they did get pretty close to making that insinuation. In the end I had to squint at them and ask them if they were insinuating what I thought they might be, and they backed right off.


    Turns out Blake was a bigger problem than I thought.


    What I hadn¡¯t known until this round of debriefing was that Blake¡ªnow a brand new Nakamamon species called a Brawldar¡ªhad escaped confinement. Before he¡¯d done that, several of the Nakamamon bond mates on Jacoby¡¯s team seemed to have become infected with some unknown condition or illness, because they went feral also. They had apparently gained the fighting aspect. Archie went fighting too, and Jacoby¡¯s team ended up capturing over a dozen fighting aspect Nakamamon. Which was clearly both a problem and a situation a lot of Guardians were loving.


    All this debrief time took more than two weeks and caused me to show up just about the time that Sarah was celebrating six months of growing a baby. I¡¯d been done in about four and a half months, but we¡¯d partied in Glumpdumpkin a whole extra week, took our sweet time traveling back to the HQ castle, and then once the lengthy debrief ended, it was another two days¡¯ travel to where the portal now sat.


    It slowly changed locations, as it happens.


    Narrating this whole sordid mess of lost time to myself, I hoped to keep my mom in the loop and cover for any noise she made. I didn¡¯t think Skulkins allowed for his invisibility-cloaked subjects to make sounds, but I wasn¡¯t going to take chances. I¡¯d only been under the cloak once, and too much had gone on since then. Too much was still going on.


    ¡°That¡¯s how these people here caused me to lose over two weeks of time,¡± I finished. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m so glad to be back, obviously! Love this place. Love you guys, and you.¡±


    I shot finger guns at two very confused soldiers in what I want to call ¡®desk uniforms¡¯, and then the guard standing at attention next to the portal room door.


    ¡°Guard that portal well, soldier,¡± I said.


    I was directed by a bored lackey to a waiting room, little more than a tiny bedroom with an even tinier bathroom.


    ¡°What¡¯s the hold up, if I may?¡±


    ¡°Agency personnel transferring in and out, sir,¡± he said.


    I chuckled. ¡°I forgot you guys made me a lieutenant. Love that you did that, even though it doesn¡¯t make sense. Probably not for the lols.¡±


    ¡°No, sir,¡± he said, but wouldn¡¯t elaborate.


    ¡°Are we talking about anyone I know?¡± I asked. ¡°My team members?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have that information, sir.¡±


    ¡°When can I get back through?¡± I asked.


    This kid was not a good liar. And listen to me, calling him a kid. He was my age, maybe a year or two younger. ¡°We¡¯ll have you through just as soon as we can.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t going to work. My mother would reappear anytime, perhaps minutes from now, or gods-knew-how-long. Nobody had brought Nakamamon through the portal to the other side. You weren¡¯t supposed to be able to.


    I sat for approximately one minute after the guard was gone before getting up and pacing the tiny room. Then I realized I could bump into my mother and stopped doing that.


    ¡°Frickity frackity forking forks,¡± I muttered darkly. Hearing my mother snort for real this time let me know she was here with me, of course.


    ¡°I hope Skulkins looks okay,¡± I told a supposedly empty room. ¡°If he begins to appear ashy or seems lethargic or glassy-eyed, we will force the issue.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how we were going to do that.


    I swallowed, disliking the powerlessness on this side of the portal. In the other world I had clearly defined skills, special abilities coming out of my earholes, and Tokens.


    Tokens.


    ¡°This might help tide someone over if they were feeling drained,¡± I said, and manifested an Affinity Token. A moment later it was snatched out of my hand, and I smelled a hint of that usual magic smell as it dissipated into sparkles of rainbow mana.


    Approximately one more minute passed, one that lasted six thousand years in my mind. ¡°That¡¯s it, we¡¯re¡ª¡±


    The door didn¡¯t burst open, but instead slid slowly back into the wall. Standing there was Cinzy, blinking at me.


    ¡°All is well?¡± she asked. This was our prearranged code phrase.


    ¡°No all is not fracking well!¡± I blurted. ¡°You guys mucked with the plan. Let¡¯s move.¡±


    She didn¡¯t move and kept a straight face, somehow. ¡°So¡­ all is well?¡±


    I pursed my lips. ¡°All¡¯s well that ends well.¡± All I could think was, .


    One sharp nod later and she whirled, setting off at a brisk pace towards the portal room. She didn¡¯t look back, but I did, and to my dismay I noted a mom-shaped blur moving through the corridor behind me, looking a bit like an alien predator that was never able to kill Arnold. That meant Skulkins was getting low on mana, and him getting low on mana meant he might be close to death. No one had a single shred of data on the physiology of Nakamamon in this world, the effects of mana desaturation, or any of that. We were in completely alien territory.


    That went double for the scene we stumbled into. One curving passageway and one right turn later, we entered the portal room.


    Several dozen Nakamamon had burst through the portal a moment before we broached the room. We had Shrubbets, Cyclowls, those centipedes brimming with flowers, a couple of Geodiles, and even more. Several flaming bugs fluttering around head level, while terrified soldiers shouted like soldiers always do. One of them was shouting about what they should do, while several others were shouting about how the flaming bugs and centipedes needed to get down on the ground, and freeze.


    Tara stood there, screaming at the top of her lungs, while clutching against another soldier. He was wrestling with his weapon. Ivy and Isabelle had relieved another soldier of his weapon, and his consciousness. He slumped in Isabelle¡¯s arms while Ivy pulled the magazine and ejected the round from the chamber.


    I heard the words ¡°Condition Ragnarok¡± shouted, and noted a soldier talking into an intercom phone against one wall.


    Ivy hucked the weapon across the room and it crashed into a soldier about to fire.


    It was pandemonium. I had to admit it was cool even while strongly disapproving of what was going on here.


    And there, in the midst of the insanity going on, was the portal. The reason I had the job of Healer in the first place. A ramp led up to the circular ring of stone some twenty feet across. The stone itself was easily four feet thick and deep, and had been etched with runes so expertly and perfectly that it had to be magic. The gouges were filled with silvery metal, but nobody spent more than thirty seconds in the portal room typically.


    In times like this¡ªstrike that, there were no times like this¡ªordinarily when the portal was open, those runes glowed with energy. They¡¯d done that by injecting the ring with ludicrous amounts of power until the glowing peaked and caused the ring to fill with bluish energy, which resolved into a blurry image of the other world.


    In the moments before shots rang out and ¡°Condition Ragnarok¡± destroyed the portal completely, I noted the blurry forms of Muppin, Tweedle Dee, Vellenia, Shakindria, Garnet, and Airaconda on the other side. And¡­ Alan?


    ¡°Mom¡ª¡±


    Finally, shots rang out. I didn¡¯t have to say more, but I also wasn¡¯t able to. I shot through the room at a fast clip, ducking as though it would help me avoid stray bullets.


    The first explosive charge went off when I set foot on the ramp, and threw me to the floor. I looked back, saw my mother there holding a sickly-looking weasel creature, and grabbed her hand.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    That wasn¡¯t necessary, as it turned out. Shakindria stepped through the portal with hand outstretched. Both my mother and I floated up into the air and through the portal. In the nanoseconds I had before I was through, I surveyed a moment of absolute insanity.


    Regina had grabbed my ankle and was flying through the air like a space station astronaut.


    Tara had succeeded in completely distracting her guard, who had helped her get to the room¡¯s entrance.


    Ivy had another soldier around the legs, and he was the one firing wildly into the air at several flaming bugs and a rabbit with shrubbery camouflage.


    Isabelle had manifested her shield and leaped in front of a Geodile ready to chomp down on yet another soldier. It had his gun chomped in two already.


    And in the middle of the whole chaotic shenanigans my friends created was Cinzy, standing amid Nakamamon of all stripes and colors. She was staring at me and waving. I¡¯m positive my enhanced senses saw clearly the misery on her face and the tears brimming in her eyes.


    The second explosion went off far later than the first. A full two or three seconds. Shakindria launched the two of us through the plane of the portal an instant before it flickered and disappeared.


    For a few long seconds I continued viewing the world in bullet time. Someone had piled up sleeping bags and pillows on top of Muppin, in a sort of cup shaped landing pad a good ten feet across. I thumped into it, followed by my mother and finally Regina. Behind us, since I was pointed that way, I saw the fire roiling over the portal. On this side it was slightly pinkish instead of blue.


    For a brief second the portal remained, but then the third explosion detonated and it blinked out of existence.


    Time slowed back down to normal.


    ¡°Mrs. Fletcher?¡± Regina asked. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    The stone echidna made an inquisitive sound. The forlorn noise told me all I needed to know: Muppin knew that Isabelle wasn¡¯t coming through the portal. There wasn¡¯t one. The big adorable lug also knew Isabelle wouldn¡¯t be joining him any time soon. I felt a pang of guilt join all the other discomfort I¡¯d been feeling since the team told me


    ¡°That was a hoot!¡± my mother replied. ¡°Though I can¡¯t say I¡¯d like to do it again. Oh!¡±


    She began floating up in the air and landed lightly on her feet near where the portal had been just a moment before. Vellenia was there, and immediately wrapped her in a warm hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m very pleased to meet you, Lady Fletcher,¡± Shakindria said, floating over to meet her. She offered up a dainty four-fingered yellow hand for my mother to shake.


    ¡°Ohhh Fletcher¡¯s mother, it¡¯s such an honor to meet you!¡± My mother was there for it, too, hugging right back. ¡°We have all been so excited to finally meet you, and¡­¡± She trailed off, looking around. ¡°Where are the rest of the team?¡±


    This is Christopher not having his cake and eating it too.

 Postlude- An Absolutely Destroyed Ring

    Tara¡¯s head was pressed to the floor. She couldn¡¯t see anything, but she could hear everything. This was what heightened Ingenuity and Physicality did for you. Also, the rush of mana coming out of the portal had done the unthinkable: it had recharged their mana. Which was again draining out, but slowly. Right now, she had her passive perception ability, and could hear everything with total clarity.


    Boots clomping. The men discussing in low tones just what in the hell had happened here, and how anyone from the other side had allowed it. Also speculation about who called the Ragnarok and why.


    Ragnarok was clearly a doomsday scenario call, necessitating the explosive devices stuck to the portal ring to blow it apart. Someone had panicked and thought all the Nakamamon were coming through from the other world, and they were all gonna die, because apparently people didn¡¯t read the material or listen to the briefs. Some idiot in charge had lost his nerve, called the code in, and now the portal was done.


    Tara counted them lucky to have gotten Fletcher and his mom through, then incredibly lucky to have gotten Regina through as well. Tara really liked Fletcher, but Regina was in love with the dumb idiot and his big, giant, orgasm-inducing penis.


    The Agency personnel had known the moment Drat went through with McCauley Skulkins that things were going wrong. Their enhanced hearing told them that the mana signatures had spiked, that they were dealing with a possible incursion, and to lock down the compound. Fletcher was prepared to languish in a cell with his mother, and watch her slowly succumb to the cancer, but the team was not. Drat, Trent, and all the girls were prepared to do whatever they deemed necessary to get Fletcher and his mother through that danger portal. His mother had brought Fletcher into the world, and she deserved to live. Fletcher had chosen to be a Healer, and he deserved the chance to continue doing that all-important work.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be okay,¡± Cinzy whispered over and over again. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Tara wasn¡¯t so sure. Sure their enhanced stats were good compared to the majority of the soldiers here, but they didn¡¯t have guns, didn¡¯t have the biometric access or the intel on where they¡¯d be taken.


    And then there was the problem of the destroyed portal ring. So far as they knew, there was only the one. Cinzy and Regina had both been convinced that was nonsense, but without any proof it was hard to take them seriously.


    Ivy was crying somewhere off to her right. Loud sobbing. Wailing. Tara knew it was Ivy because the soothing sounds of Isabelle¡¯s voice kept being interrupted by the soldiers shouting ¡°Shut! Up!¡± at her. Also ¡°No talking!¡± and ¡°Head on the floor!¡± Followed by ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± or ¡°No more of that!¡± and finally, ¡°I¡¯m not gonna tell you again.¡±


    Which, of course, required him to tell her again.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Cinzy muttered, over and over again, from Tara¡¯s left. ¡°It¡¯s all fine.¡±


    The concentrated mana potion from Fletcher was already done wearing off. The initial depressing shock of losing out on your mana began to fade to normal. She¡¯d been here before, once, on R&R, disliking the feeling in the first few minutes but then getting used to it. She imagined the feeling was like being on caffeine, then coming off caffeine cold turkey. After the headaches and the simmering aggravation, life was basically just dull, gray, and less exciting.


    Not that she drank caffeine, so it was just a guess. People on caffeine always gushed so hard about drinking coffee and how incredible it was. Come to think of it, she¡¯d never met anyone who¡¯d gone off caffeine, period. Did they all die? Or did they just fail, and get back on the wagon?


    Once the Agency goons got her up, handcuffed and ankles chained together, she resorted to her Tara specialty: just blabbing.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve seen you guys freaking out. Not a single casualty and you still destroyed the portal ring after about ten seconds of being under attack.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t even take my two younger brothers in elementary school. Or my cousins, and they¡¯re in diapers. You guys were totally unprepared. I guess I don¡¯t really blame you, because there¡¯s never any kind of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut. Up.¡±


    ¡°¡ªdangerous activity. But I mean I can¡¯t believe they didn¡¯t get you guys over there and at least level you up some.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t possibly have a Physicality of 7,¡± she said. ¡°My boyfriend could take you down without even breaking a sweat, and he¡¯s a forking Healer.¡±


    ¡°Um, he¡¯s not your boyfriend, Tara,¡± Cinzy said. ¡°He¡¯s my boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s nobody¡¯s boyfriend!¡± Isabelle called from behind. She was in tighter shackles than the others, including a mask. ¡°Dick like a club, too,¡± she mock whispered to the guard escorting her. ¡°We¡¯re talking one hit from that thing would¡¯ve laid you out. I wouldn¡¯t doubt he could beat you to death with it.¡±


    ¡°Babe?¡± Ivy asked over her shoulder.


    ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have said that,¡± Isabelle told the guard, who was giving her the oddest look. ¡°I should¡¯ve said talleywhacker. Makes it sound more like a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Most embarrassing way to be killed though, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Tara asked. ¡°Honestly, I get it. You probably got a look at him when the shenanigans kicked off and you saw what he had packing in his pants, and went ¡®oh shirt, it¡¯s Ragnarok, there¡¯s no way we can compete with a guy who¡¯s packing that kind of equipment in his pants. Destroy the portal ring with him on the other side.¡¯ I get that. It makes perfect sense. Whenever I look at him, I think ¡®holy shirt, I¡¯m so forked¡¯ while getting down on all fours. And then he starts stuffing it inside me.¡±


    ¡°We can all hear you,¡± Cinzy said, louder than necessary. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As for the guards, they¡¯d been somehow shocked into silence. They marched the girls into cells. The guard had stopped trying to shush her, which is why she kept right on talking a mile a minute. This was the Tara way: get into a new situation, defuse all tension by just gushing forth with tons of talk. She told them all about how she was pregnant for sure with his child, and once she was out of here she was going to take the newborn to meet her family, and she was going to spoil it completely.


    The guard looked vaguely horrified. He exchanged several disbelieving looks with the others before vacating the holding cell area.


    They were taken, one by one, to interrogation rooms. The Agency¡¯s people informed Tara that she was in a great deal of trouble. They were looking at court martial, they were looking at jail sentences, and these were federal prisons they were talking about. They had the whole situation with the portal room on tape, and that was damning evidence.


    , she thought,


    They were bluffing. The only thing they could do as of now was hold her in a cell. She¡¯d been through worse than having meals delivered to her, unlimited reading material, visits to the yard for exercise, and plenty of time to work out. It would also give them the time and opportunities they needed to plan and execute their escape. They had Tokens.


    One of the guards tried his best. He really did. ¡°You must also know that we are considering Christopher Fletcher, Regina Hampstead, and any other associates to be AWOL. Do you understand that that means?¡±


    ¡°Absent without official leave?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m vaguely aware of the term and the consequences.¡± She remembered reading through the manuals, or skimming them, but her heightened Ingenuity had brought her recall up several notches.


    The man on the other side of the interrogation table sneered behind his not-very-intimidating sunglasses. He looked like a bad ripoff of Agent Smith due to the twenty extra pounds around his face, neck and midsection. As in, not nearly as scary as he wanted to be.


    She yawned. ¡°What¡¯s your next question?¡±


    Eventually the four of them were reunited, and then left alone after the one guard couldn¡¯t handle anymore graphic descriptions of her taking potent loads from Fletcher in the other world, and on the road trip up here.


    ¡°Good, he¡¯s gone,¡± Isabelle said.


    ¡°Tara,¡± Cinzy said in another mock whisper.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were just¡­ I don¡¯t know, kidding? I thought you knew we couldn¡¯t get pregnant over in the other world and were fulfilling some kind of kinky fantasy.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, no way. I mean, yeah, he really filled me up. Like, a lot.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that we need the details,¡± Isabelle grumbled.


    ¡°Okay Missus ¡®I Shouldn¡¯t Have Said That,¡¯¡± Cinzy added, chuckling.


    ¡°Dripping down my leg, dripping on the floor, so much,¡± Tara muttered, her mind adrift. ¡°It was awesome.¡±


    ¡°Okay really though,¡± Cinzy said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to take it that far.¡±


    ¡°You got them to leave,¡± Ivy said, before sniffling. ¡°We need to discuss a plan.¡±


    ¡°A plan? Great! What¡¯ve we got going for us?¡± Cinzy asked.


    ¡°Ivy and I thought this kind of thing might happen,¡± Isabelle said, ¡°which is why having a little spat was so stupid. I¡¯m sorry, boo.¡±


    Another sob was the only response out of Ivy. Tara peered out of her cell and tried to see what was going on to her left. She regretted being the first one marched out. Cinzy could probably see whether Ivy and Izzy had snaked their hands through the gaps in the bars and were awkwardly holding one another. She imagined they were. Love was so good. Tara loved love.


    She was pulling for them to get married, decide they wanted kids, and then have Fletcher get them both with child. Then her little one could have a few half siblings to coo and burble with, to be sneaky little buggers, to write all over the walls with crayon, and get into mischief together. Sure a lot had to happen in order for that fantasy to become a reality, but a girl could hope. Tara wasn¡¯t as hardcore about her bisexuality as Isabelle or Ivy, but she thought all women looked even more beautiful when they started to get with child.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± she told herself. Maybe she did have a bit of a problem. An addiction. She wasn¡¯t certain you should find your friends more attractive if they were full to bursting with baby. That was not a normal thing people wanted, right? She decided it wasn¡¯t.


    Well, now that she¡¯d admitted it to herself, she had successfully conquered it! Awesome!


    ¡°Fletcher worked out that you can still use Tokens,¡± Isabelle said after a time, at the end of Tara¡¯s internal revelation.


    ¡°That¡­ is all we¡¯ve got?¡± Cinzy asked.


    ¡°Uh, yeah. We¡¯re going to wait for our moment.¡±


    ¡°What about the portal?¡± Cinzy asked. ¡°Do you guys have any idea what the portal situation is? Will they just repair it?¡±


    They all fell silent. On the list of things that needed to happen, apparently ¡®Fletcher fixes the portal¡¯ was also up there.


    ¡°You think he¡¯ll cure his mother?¡± Ivy asked.


    ¡°Pffffft, Psssh,¡± Tara said. ¡°I¡¯d be more surprised if he hasn¡¯t already.¡±


    This is the end of Divinity Rescue Corps: The Third Chapter


    December 20th, 2024-February 27th, 2025

 Prologue

    Ivy sat ramrod straight in the hard, uncomfortable chair, staring at the mirror and knowing she was making someone uncomfortable. She studied the tattoos on her head, the snake coiled around the right side of her head, and how it was fading from sight by the the day. The dagger on her right forearm, piercing the heart. The Japanese kanji on her right shoulder, unreadable backwards: The Chinese lettering on her left shoulder: Across her back, written in Korean: The latest addition: a blueberry muffin with an adorable cartoon rabbit seated on it. There were others: a purple bat with a huge mouth, a flower dripping with poison from a stinger that looked like a scorpion¡¯s tail, a red and blue and purple octopus that had her boobs coiled in its tentacles. Others too faded to see.


    Some of these tattoos were ones she¡¯d gotten on earth. One of them¡ªthe muffin with the rabbit¡ªshe¡¯d paid for to have done in the other world, with the unpronounceable name¡­ but several of these simply appeared in the other world as mana saturated her body. For some reason, these last ones were fading slowly over the course of more than a week, leaving her with her original ones: the thorny vines wrapping around the skull on her left forearm, surging out of the skull¡¯s wide open mouth and forcing its jaw to break off on one side.


    Mostly she stared at the mirror to make the Agency people uncomfortable. She practice her slow smile, which made her look intimidating.


    She knew they were back there, they knew she knew they were back there, but they were content to make her wait and listen to the clock tick up the seconds. She¡¯d already sat and watched the second hand revolve around the old school clock at least thirty times.


    Ha. These corksuckers had no idea what a Guardian was capable of if they were trying to make her uncomfortable by waiting. There was a single person who could accomplish that feat, and her name was Isabelle Lee Rodriguez.


    Though to be fair Fletcher could pull it off. Maybe.


    Probably.


    After another good five minutes, or ten minutes, who gave a shirt, a man in his early forties entered the room carrying a tablet and a paper file. He had thinning hair up top and had chosen to toss his dignity right out the window by doing the comb over thing. It didn¡¯t help that his ears were kind of big.


    He gave her a conciliatory smile. Ah, good cop.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. O¡¯Malley.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need that nonsense,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m part of your organization. We¡¯re allies. Ivy will be fine.¡±


    She could crush this man¡¯s skull with her bare hands. You didn¡¯t advance up to level 25 as a Guardian and not exceed the human maximums. Really, the Olympics would be a very different series of competitions if they were to get people from the other world trained up in there and then get them on the field.


    She guessed anyway. She could lift Muppin, technically, and he was like lifting an elephant. Sure she had to lay on her back and brace her arms and legs, and yes she could only get the big heavy bastard two inches off the ground, but a thing was a thing, even if you could only lift it two inches.


    The man blinked at her several times, adjusted his thick spectacles, and cleared his throat. ¡°Ivy then. I¡¯m Agent Winters, uh, Raymond. If you prefer, you can call me Ray.¡±


    ¡°I bet you prefer to be called Agent though, don¡¯t you?¡± She asked, smirking.


    He was already off balance. Had they told him why he was there? Had they told him about her capabilities?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we, uh, dispense with the pleasantries, uh, and we can go into, uh, what prompted the situation in the, uh, portal room.¡±


    ¡°You want to know my story?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I will have specific questions eventually,¡± he said, ¡°but essentially, yes. The events that led up to the destruction of the portal.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever seen the portal?¡± She asked quietly.


    ¡°That¡¯s neither here nor there,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m going to record this debrief, and I¡¯ll get into questions as we go.¡±


    She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.


    ¡°Your man Dick Johnson, yes apparently that¡¯s his real name, recruited Isabelle and I at the same time, almost exactly a year ago.¡±


    ***


    The man had given the two of them a coin that seemed more like a beer coaster than money. It had weight, and more importantly, it had magic. It literally came apart as the day wore on and she and Isabelle stared at it in Izzy¡¯s room.


    They had laid there on the bed, not able to explain. They weren¡¯t on drugs. They hadn¡¯t been drugged at the restaurant where Dick Johnson agreed to meet them, because they didn¡¯t accept food from strange men, and so they hadn¡¯t eaten. Instead they watched him sip a coffee and be congenial.


    He had decided to recruit Isabelle, he explained, because people with their kinds of experiences were better suited to the strange and the unknown. After you¡¯ve felt the kind of uncertainty and fear she had, having her school life torn apart and getting assaulted, you could really do anything. You could face the complete blank of a totally new world and not collapse into a gibbering mess.


    So after Isabelle got the job, Ivy applied.


    She explained to Ray Winters what she knew was already in her file: she had been the victim of a cyber attack. One of the girls she¡¯d pissed off in class made a deepfake of her having sex with around a dozen men. The offended girl then posted her apartment address, and the cyber bullying really ramped up.


    Ray knew all this. It was in his file. She didn¡¯t know if he read it, but she had to admit to some enjoyment, watching him squirm while she retold the incident where she¡¯d been assaulted by four guys ¡®just looking to get what those other guys in the video got¡¯.


    Then, before Agent Ray Winters could interrupt and tell her he already had all this info, she went on to recount how she and Isabelle had gotten their money in order, squirreling away the vast majority of it. She had a small family and set up a trust for her siblings. Isabelle had a huge family both in Mexico and Korea, and set up a steady trickle of money to them. They had listened to the advice of the financial advisers quite closely, and knew that just blasting their families with money wasn¡¯t a good idea. It never worked out well.


    Afterwards, they entered the other world together, kicked the crap out of several guys who were using their Physicality to do what had already been done to Ivy once upon a time, and selected Guardian when the time came.


    It was an easy choice.


    The lady in charge of sorting them into classes, Allie, didn¡¯t stop them from choosing Guardian, only advised against it because there were a lot of Guardians already. Everybody liked the name and the flashy powers: grow to a huge size, manifest a magic shield. Up to now, they had listened to the adults when they gave advice. Now they knew better. Guardians for life, they swore to one another.


    They couldn¡¯t leave the HQ without orders; those were the rules. They were too low level, and critters out in the wider world could eat them. Second, they could run afoul of a god. Also, the Agency dictated missions, and just wandering around outside HQ was not a mission. Rangers had mapping missions with Rangers, sometimes with a Guardian tagging along depending on how far afield they¡¯d be going.


    Instead we had training sessions to grab XP. This was how it worked: the Rangers, Sorcerers, and Rogues would attempt to attack other members of the organization, and it was our job to stop them from doing that. We played it like a game, with fouls and rules and referees with whistles.


    It never gave us much experience. It was like the system knew we weren¡¯t for real.


    Otherwise we did odd jobs as ordered. Orders gave xp, but not nearly as much as actually doing your own job. There was kitchen duty, either cooking, serving or scrubbing, there was janitorial duty, message running duty, and simple guard duty. The kind where you stand in one place and look bored, and try to remember to keep an eye out for a threat that will never come.


    It sounds inane, but the God of Footfalls got into the HQ somehow.


    ¡°I had Isabelle, so it was okay. The Agency didn¡¯t care who you shacked up with as long as you reported for duty and did your job. After that, you could screw the entire floor if that was your thing.¡± Her cheeks flared. ¡°I mean obviously you couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move on,¡± Ray Winters said, and revolved his stylus around in a circle in a ¡®hurry it along¡¯ motion. Ivy knew they were in trouble, but delaying was an option that could bear fruit. She soldiered on.


    Ivy skipped ahead to the interviews, where she and Isabelle tried to get hired on to expeditions leaving HQ for certain tasks. It was always no, no, no, too complicated to have Guardians who just wanted to guard one another, too disappointing to have Guardians who definitely wouldn¡¯t get into bed with the expedition leader while away from HQ, too many expeditions who only needed a single Guardian.


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how many of the expedition leaders wanted to get away from HQ so they could just get freaky all over the countryside.¡± She wasn¡¯t that type of girl, always letting her pussy do the thinking for her and get her into trouble. No, she let Izzy do the thinking for her and get her into trouble.


    So they eventually got the interview with Fletcher. Good guy, Fletcher: looked a little pathetic physically, but seemed like a decent person. He¡¯d dealt with the God of Footfalls when the chief Healer accidentally got touched and infected with divinity.


    ¡°Although personally I think the chief had some kind of immunity or high level power, and just wanted to give Fletcher a test to see how he could handle the challenge. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he summoned the god or let it in.¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ray Winters informed her it was not her duty to speculate on these sorts of matters, and she shrugged.


    Fletcher had done a poor job of handling the God of Footfalls. In failing to craft a cure some three or four times, he really made a mess of several healing labs before finally getting it right. Apparently the large psychic Nakamamon Larelle had given him a lot of help in order to finally create the cure and get it made. Afterwards though, the chief Healer gave him permission to assemble a team to head out toward the town of Glumpdumpkin, to find out the situation there and get it dealt with. There were two other nearby towns, Flunt-on-the-Rustle and Saxwhacket, that HQ was concerned about.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t want whatever was going on in Glumpdumpkin to spread to Saxwhacket or Flunt-on-the-Rustle.¡±


    Ivy paused and stared at Agent Winters. How was it possible this guy didn¡¯t have the slightest reaction to the town names? No twitch of a smile, no snort, not even a heavy breath out of the nose, like he was watching comedy reels on Boobtube alone. She shrugged and continued.


    She had gotten the position. Fletcher had been given permission to assemble whatever team he liked, up to twelve people. He believed the team needed one of everything. He had a Bard, a Rogue, a Sorcerer, a Wizard, and then two Rangers, and some Guardians. It was actually a pretty smart set up, because the Bard eventually helped with negotiations once they got to civilization, and the Rogue ferreted out their secrets. The Rogue was also good for sneaking around and scouting in the wilderness. Meanwhile the Sorcerer had complete command over stone and could make pretty much anything you could imagine. Two Rangers didn¡¯t make sense at first, until they found out that Fletcher was doing them both.


    ¡°By ¡®doing¡¯ I mean he was bumping uglies.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Like, he was really giving them the business. Often. And I mean, I¡¯m highly bisexual, so I could definitely see why. Regina is this redhead, cute as a button, with nice ti¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to go into Mr. Fletcher¡¯s sexual exploits,¡± Winters said hurriedly. ¡°Let¡¯s stick to the events in question.¡±


    Tara though, Tara was nice and tall, not built thick like Ivy, but slim like a runner or a swimmer, with a fantastic butt and legs for days. She was blonde, bubbly, and bouncy. And she was always showing off that butt with yoga pants.


    Now Winters reacted. Finally. ¡°This is neither here nor there. We have Ms. Harkonen in custody. Her physical description is irrelevant to our purposes.¡±


    ¡°You got to understand,¡± Ivy said. ¡°Fletcher has sex magic.¡±


    He blinked in incomprehension. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did you say¡­ sex¡­ magic?¡±


    ¡°Somehow he got sex magic as a second class.¡±


    Agent Winters blinked several times.


    ¡°So when I say he was plowing Tara¡¯s field like every other night, it¡¯s important. Sometimes Izzy and I would be getting into the mood just from hearing Tara grunting and groaning. Or Regina.¡± She grinned. ¡°Or Regina Tara. They were both doing him at the same time some nights.¡±


    Winters shifted in his chair, looking like he was definitely compensating for a stiff¡­ hip.


    And it needed to be said: Fletcher¡¯s sex magic didn¡¯t make you want to have sex with him. It made him great at sex. Two totally different things. Fletcher didn¡¯t wave his hands and turn your eyes into hearts, before pushing you down on your knees, where you¡¯d instinctually open your mouth. No, he smiled and conversed with you and told you he had a complicated situation with the other girls, and he found you attractive, sure, but nothing was going to happen you didn¡¯t want. But if you did want it¡­ it would be good. Mind-blowing. Better than you¡¯d ever had by leaps and bounds. The kind of sex that made you say the word ¡®lovemaking,¡¯ the kind of sex that made your tummy flutter with butterflies when he smiled at you the next day, the kind of sex that made you not care that he was in bed with several other girls.


    Regina and Tara were both walking around a little bow-legged some mornings, and it wasn¡¯t long before Ivy and Isabelle noticed.


    ¡°I got to admit, the first bits of our travel, it was pretty exciting to get my hands on Izzy up in a tree, or in that stream over there, or under that adorable little waterfall, or in the tall grass.¡± Ivy had felt liberated on the trip. She and Isabelle could slip away and take their time with one another.


    Agent Winters fidgeted again. ¡°I don¡¯t see how your sexual exploits are relevant¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of into spanking her. If you¡¯ve seen her in sweatpants you¡¯d understand. Obviously we scissor, and there¡¯s a whole lot of sixty-nine I could go through. One time we went down on each other and used the toys at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Ms. O¡¯Malley¡ª¡±


    Describing the look and feel of slowly penetrating Izzy with a thick glass dildo was one of the more enjoyable moments of the last few weeks. This definitely beat sitting in her cell reading a book, or going out for exercise time and doing a bunch of handstand pushups with Izzy sitting on her feet holding the big dumbbells, because the weight machines only went up to around 250-300 pounds. And this definitely beat the food here. She was getting wet just talking about how the toy was kind of transparent and she could see up inside Isabelle, while at the same time Izzy flicked her clit with her tongue and eased the other toy into her over and over again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you get it,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s no plastic in the other world. It gets¡­ runny. And rubber sometimes warps out of control, or hardens into a woody kind of texture, or turns into syrup. You couldn¡¯t have something like that in your most precious orifice. So it came down to glass.


    ¡°Getting it through the portal wasn¡¯t easy,¡± she said. ¡°They do all kinds of screening when you try to bring items through to the other world. They have to, because of the way certain materials react to the mana in the other world.¡± She leaned forward. ¡°And they do cavity searches for drugs, too.¡±


    Winters made a strangled sound.


    ¡°So it¡¯s a bit awkward, explaining to the agent with the blue latex gloves on, right after she¡¯s pulled this full-sized dildo out of you¡­ but it beats having a team of agents pull it out of your luggage.¡±


    She threw back her head and laughed.


    ***


    ¡°Your name is Isabelle Lee Rodriguez?¡± the agent asked her.


    ¡°Yep! My mom was Korean, and my father was an American, but like, Mexican American. He got her knocked up in no time while teaching English over there. He¡¯s Catholic, you know, so condoms are against God¡¯s will or whatever¡­ they ended up having four kids before she forced him to get a vasectomy. I guess you don¡¯t need to know that.¡± She laughed feebly in the interrogation room, looking around at the cameras and the huge mirror and shrugged. ¡°Ivy says I share too much.¡±


    The agent blinked at her.


    ¡°We need to go over the travel, and how you ended up sidetracked away from the town¡­ of¡­ Glumpdumpkin.¡± He turned a look her way that said ¡®this is a real place?¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty simple. We headed west out of the HQ, I got my ankle crushed by a flying rock, really embarrassed Trent, Fletcher healed it back up, and then when we came to the flying lake, it turned from a regular lake into a water dragon god thing. We all got achievements, and when it finally set back down we were totally off course. Right near the village of Slinktrickle.¡±


    He pursed his lips. ¡°Slinktrickle.¡±


    ¡°Adorable marsh village on stilts, and all the people there are Nakamamon, basically one species. Marshin.¡±


    She didn¡¯t get the confusion out of him this time. This was already the fourth or fifth time she¡¯d been over this with the interrogation people, so they didn¡¯t ask, ¡®Martian? People from Mars?¡¯ like they had before.


    She held the sides of the chair, lifting herself up a few inches, and swung her legs like a child on the playground swings.


    ¡°But it turned out the anti-magic pills were crushed in Trent¡¯s little stunt, so Tara left with her air snake bond to grab some more. Which was why she didn¡¯t know about the clothes vanishing thing.¡±


    The agent nodded like she¡¯d been expecting those sentences in that order. It really wasn¡¯t as fun when they¡¯d all gotten past the agog phase of these interrogations. They didn¡¯t even flinch when she told them she¡¯d gotten into a fight with Ivy about the lack of dick-shaped objects. Their glass dildos had been confiscated by the portal people. They no longer freaked out when she told them she¡¯d snuck into Fletcher¡¯s tent to blow him and ended up on her hands and knees, taking his cock inch by very slow inch, so she could accommodate his size. Somehow he¡¯d known it was her, even though it was pitch black.


    Which led to she and Ivy approaching Fletcher about giving Ivy the phallic shaped object she claimed she needed.


    ¡°I mean I was really hesitant at first because, you know, Ivy got me the job on Fletcher¡¯s team, and I didn¡¯t have any interest in men, but she protested that I¡¯d already had sex with him, so we tried him out. Luckily it was really good¡­ he made sure Ivy paid attention to my needs first¡­ I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve ever had two partners licking and sucking and kissing you at the same time, but it¡¯s, mmm. It¡¯s really nice. So I got a really good climax before she sank down onto Fletcher¡¯s huge pole. Oops, I guess I shouldn¡¯t describe it like that.¡±


    Honestly she wasn¡¯t even trying to censor herself any longer. These people were d-bags and had gone over the events of the six months in the other world over and over and over again. Let them squirm.


    ¡°Anyway all our clothes disappeared outside of Slinktrickle. It was a malfunctioning god, obviously, but it was really uncomfortable being around the place without any clothes. We made it work, but there¡¯s as another problem¡­ the Marshin eggs were brown and soft in places. Fletcher got to work on that first, and after a problem with our Bard, the Marshins kind of freaked out on us. He had to work double time to get the eggs healed, which, you¡¯ll have to check with Cinzy, I think involved spitting the cure onto them?¡±


    She shrugged.

 Prologue The Second

    ¡°You know the weirdest thing about curing monsters and gods in another world?¡± Cinzy asked. She had her arms crossed, and it was clear the agent in charge of this round of interrogations was staring at her boobs. ¡°When you make a mental or emotional cure, it literally radiates good feelings and happiness, and when you¡¯re forced to put it in your mouth and ¡®mist it¡¯ over the eggs¡­¡± She put on the air quotes, but the man¡¯s gaze was locked on her chest. ¡°You feel this heady rush of goodness. Like the best orgasm you¡¯ve ever had in your life, but it¡¯s in your mouth and your mind.¡±


    His head snapped up.


    ¡°Oh good, I got your attention. I wondered if you were going to start moaning ¡®tiiiiiiiits¡¯ like a zombie that eats boobs instead of brains.¡±


    Agent Ray Winters adjusted his tie and cleared his throat several times. She would¡¯ve laughed except she knew this guy could turn to the guards in here and order her put in solitary. Even the ¡®tits¡¯ comment was too much.


    ¡°Ahem, yes, let¡¯s get past the nudist portion of your adventure quickly, if you could.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d hate for you to have to imagine four young, beautiful women nude any longer than you have to.¡±


    He nodded too eagerly.


    ¡°We assembled the five different holy articles of clothing and resurrected this god by sacrificing our own clothes to it.¡±


    The holy underwear had been first, which Regina¡¯s bonded fox Nakamamon found. The others followed shortly after, scattered in hiding places around the village.


    ¡°We needed everyone in the village to offer one up. Our Rogue didn¡¯t want to, but we finally convinced him. That paved the way for Fletcher to create a cure for the God of Apparel. After that we had a party with a very thankful village¡­¡±


    Her own role in the party had been to have the Marshins and their clam children, the Marshells, literally worshipping at her feet. They plied her with fruits and delicately woven baskets, and even a Marshell pearl, which was almost the size of her fist.


    The males had been interested in her, but she¡¯d shut them down. None held a candle to Fletcher. Also, she was having this issue with her bond mate, Fairy Poppins, which manifested more strongly as time went on. Poppy had not wanted her to get into bed with anyone, let alone Fletcher, and buzzed around Cinzy¡¯s head every moment of their celebration in the village of Slinktrickle. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°It was during this time  that we needed to move on to Glumpdumpkin.¡± The lie came out so smoothly, she was impressed with herself.


    See, she¡¯d expressed interest in maybe getting to know the team leader better. She liked him, and more importantly, Poppins liked him. Then, Poppins had caught Fletcher having sex with not one other girl, but two. The lesbian couple, Ivy and Isabelle. He¡¯d been engaged in a threesome, which didn¡¯t make sense. Cinzy knew she was gorgeous. Every man who¡¯d ever met her was either struck dumb with intimidation, fell all over themselves to please her so maybe they had a shot, or did something stupid like catcalls or wolf whistles.


    Fletcher had tried, really hard, not to be any of those three. He¡¯d started out in the first category, then gotten his shirt together, and treated her with respect, kindness, and then interest. She knew he considered her out of his league, and really if you put it down to looks alone, she was. Obviously there was much more to him than his looks, and even they were improving each time he got a point of Physicality. He was a genuinely good guy. And he still kept right on talking with her, finding out more about her, pointedly not staring at her body until his brain fell out, and giving her orders for the expedition.


    It was the orders that did it. Any time he gave her orders she¡¯d get turned on.


    ¡°So anyway, I uh¡­ left to investigate Glumpdumpkin on my own.¡± She skipped the getting turned on part.


    That didn¡¯t make any sense, but none of the interrogators ever questioned her. She was getting her way because she tied up the prison shirt to show off her midriff and tighten against her chest, and she filled out the prison pants perfectly, rolling them up to show off her knees, rolling them down at the waistband to show off her tummy.


    ¡°Once we got there, I discovered the Blake problem. I mean there were a lot of problems all going on at once, but the Blake situation was bad. Bad bad.¡±


    Blake had taken over his expedition, forced the Wizard in charge to abdicate control, and then started using the Wizards to create situations where the Guardians would get full xp for ¡®saving¡¯ them from harm.


    See, she as a Bard got experience points when making or mediating social checks, and then for entertaining people. Wizards got theirs through  study and spellcasting. Fletcher got his through helping heal people. But because Nakamamon weren¡¯t violent, there were only the mindless predators to protect the Wizards from. And if you were even remotely competent, the mindless predators were easy to avoid.


    ¡°Blake captured me and used me to lure Fletcher out away from the town, which had its own problem.¡±


    ¡°This is Glumpdumpkin we are talking about now, correct?¡± Agent Winters asked.


    ¡°Yep. They found that most of the people in town were comatose, just lying in the streets in a sort of magic slumber. A few people were drunkenly wandering around. Then a handful of them were working like crazy. One of them was baking bread constantly. Twenty four hours a day. For weeks.¡±


    Blake took Fletcher captive to heal up the injured Wizards. Cinzy hated watching him take abuse from the Guardians under Blake¡¯s control, but one thing Fletcher had was an abundance of abilities. His weird sex powers allowed him to take on abilities from the women he had bedded. He had been taunting Blake¡¯s people using an ability from Ivy or Isabelle. Once they¡¯d slapped him around, and applying some other power to gain permanent damage resistance. He also stacked up temporary Tokens, and taunted another moron to charge headfirst into a tree. Fletcher dodge, and idiot Guardian fractured his skull. After that, he refused to heal up Blake¡¯s Guardians.


    It all came to a head when Blake kept refusing to take his anti-magic pills, and the moment Fletcher made his escape attempt, the huge Guardian transformed into a Nakamamon completely.


    ¡°You mentioned before that this was a new aspect.¡±


    ¡°Fighting aspect,¡± she confirmed. ¡°Before that, there¡¯d never been one.¡±


    ¡°Why is that important again?¡±


    She fought the urge to roll her eyes and reiterated what she¡¯d already been over several times. ¡°Sentient Nakamamon don¡¯t fight. They don¡¯t use violence to solve their problems. I mean, even if they get really upset, they just cause emotional illnesses to manifest.¡± She herself had been so upset she¡¯d unleashed a mighty scream and infected the people of Slinktrickle with her anguish. She didn¡¯t like to dwell on how pissed off she¡¯d been that she let Fletcher dominate her, take her anally, only to go and have sex with two lesbians!


    It was a stupid and impulsive thing to do, but she¡¯d been so furious at the betrayal. She¡¯d known he wasn¡¯t a playboy, but at the time she saw red and couldn¡¯t stop the fury from boiling over into words she didn¡¯t really mean.


    ¡°Fletcher ended up getting Blake to follow him into the town, where he had divine resistance and Blake didn¡¯t.¡±


    ***


    Agent Ray Winters looked even more tired of doing this than Tara was. Tara chuckled internally and put on a smirk as he continued asking the same questions the other interrogators had, and the same questions he¡¯d asked the others, and the same questions he¡¯d asked her the other day.


    ¡°After Blake fell comatose, we focused on dealing with the town,¡± Tara said.


    And fooling around every fifth day. Fletcher set a four day work week with one day off. It had been so many orgasms during that time. So many of Fletcher¡¯s big loads dripping out of her and down the insides of her legs. She rubbed her thighs together under the interrogation table just thinking about it, and kept her hand pressed to the area just below her belly button.


    ¡°There were the small gods in town that we got out, got treated, and sent them on their way. Once we found and dealt with the God of Secret Spaces, Drat had carte blanche to head into town and find all the pieces of the big god that caused everyone to go comatose.¡±


    Ray yawned, and took another sip of his coffee. She didn¡¯t like interrogation times as much as Ivy or Isabelle seemed to. Of course, Ivy and Isabelle frequently taunted the poor guy, who was only doing his job.


    ¡°Keep going,¡± he said.


    ¡°Our Rogue used his secret finding powers to uncover all the divine artifacts. It took time to accumulate all the tools that made up the God of Productivity, serious time. Fletcher wanted everyone out of town who was stumbling around in a daze, and the manic workers who never stopped working, he wanted them out too. Those cures took time to research, brew up, and then administer.¡±


    And there was the problem of Jacoby.


    The second expedition had shown up specifically to take Blake¡¯s people into custody and get them back to the HQ castle, the huge floating anti-gravity castle. Half the team remained in the area, with the other half escorting back the ones who¡¯d surrendered.


    The other half stuck around and tried to bully Fletcher into just doing Jacoby¡¯s work for her. When he refused, she retreated back into the woods and tried to catch Blake¡¯s second in command, Archie.


    In the meantime, they had a problem: the divine objects were too charged with energy to be handled safely. Fletcher was able to find a psychic aspect Nakamamon called Shakindria who could do this with a telekinesis power, but it was still slow.


    She also, and Tara didn¡¯t mention this, wanted a little something on the side in exchange for helping out. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to help, but that she saw Fletcher as her ticket out. Bonding with him gave her a great deal more power, and granted her some of his abilities while he got some of her psychic abilities.


    None of that would¡¯ve been possible, since Fletcher was already bonded to one of the Marshins out of Slinktrickle. Except, when he reached a certain level of relationship with Regina, the new ability that resulted allowed him to bond more than one Nakamamon. Shakindria had been helping for days before she finally laid the ultimatum at Fletcher¡¯s feet: bond her, or no more assistance.


    Tara thought she probably would¡¯ve kept going; Shakindria wasn¡¯t a monster, but she wanted a boost in power, and more importantly, she wanted a ticket out of a humdrum life. Finally, the moment she bonded him, all reluctance went out the window and she got all the god¡¯s parts together.


    ¡°We kept at it, but it was a slow process,¡± she said. ¡°We eventually had enough materials to pray the god back to life.¡±


    And it didn¡¯t go like with the village, over in an hour because the village only had a few hundred people. This took an incredible effort, consisting of the whole town carrying comatose residents out like an old school bucket line, reviving them, putting them to work, and then collecting even more ingredients to make enormous batches of treatment. With Fletcher¡¯s power now able to grant resistance to subjects based on their ability to spend their own Tokens, he gave out literally thousands of uses of Healer¡¯s Resistance. This allowed them to march back into town and hunt for all the sleeping and comatose residents, get them back out of town, and get them woken up.


    Since the town¡¯s population numbered over 2,000, it took all day. The situation was a huge logistical undertaking, and ended up with the god stirring.


    It was still sick, but at least now it was alive.


    ¡°Crashing through people¡¯s houses and vomiting up, like, this metallic gold stuff everywhere.¡±


    Fletcher did his usual magic: researching through the different available cures, gathering necessary ingredients, growing more of them with his magical herb growing ability, and finally concocting the cure over the course of a full day or so. Finally, they all got together.


    ¡°Fletcher had to apply this paste stuff to the god¡¯s chakra points,¡± she said, and tapped on her own body. ¡°Top of the head, you know, the crown. Then the forehead, which is where a lot of people say they feel mana flowing out, the third eye. After that the heart, the stomach, and then the taint.¡±


    Ray Winters, bless his heart, didn¡¯t choke and splutter like he had the first time.


    Fletcher had gotten a big dollop of the stuff and splatted it right on the space between the god¡¯s balls and his butthole. Really the whole thing had been a group effort, with the four Guardians using their shields, she and the other Ranger Regina using their speed to try to get them clear, and Trent trying in vain to sink the god up to its knees in the rock.


    In the end almost all of them had gotten divine vomit on them, giving them severe divinity poisoning.


    ¡°But as soon as the god was healed, all of it lifted. It was just gone.¡±


    What Tara wanted to do was tell him all about the partying and celebration that took place afterwards: parading through the streets, the beers and wines the people made getting them all drunk, the music that had played, the shouts and fireworks. Some of them were fire aspects, and could shoot fire up into the sky. Jacoby¡¯s people returned to take custody of an awakening Blake, and their Wizards added to the fireworks with different spells.


    And the sex¡­


    Gods, Tara hadn¡¯t been able to do anything but lay there the next day while her legs got over the exertion. Fletcher had copied himself using some new power from his Pleasure Seeker class, and railed her and Regina at the same time. She¡¯d been on one foot with the other up against her ear while he pounded into her for what seemed like hours. They were making out and screwing. She had her hands planted against the wall of his laboratory with him slamming into her from behind. She¡¯d been on her back on the floor, clutching her knees to her sides while he pounded so deep into her she thought she was going to feel it in the back of her throat.


    He had unleashed load after load into her. He and his clone had swapped her with Regina so he could climax into her like she so desperately wanted. Every time she felt him convulse with ecstasy inside her it started another chain reaction of continuous orgasms. She¡¯d literally fuzzed out of consciousness and into a gray fugue state where she could only feel certain sensations, and hear herself crying out.


    She¡¯d watched him have sex with Vellenia the Marshin, her very white skin flecked with hints of mint green and pale pink. She¡¯d watched him have sex with the yellow-skinned psychic Nakamamon Shakindria, the two of them slowly turning over and over as they floated four feet in the air, nothing more than a tangle of limbs. She¡¯d listened to him have sex with Cinzy, because Cinzy wasn¡¯t okay with them all watching.


    It wasn¡¯t perfect, and her womb begged her to barge into the room and demand he seed her instead of shooting into Cinzy, or on her. Her self control was enough to stop her from doing so¡­ but only just.


    Ray Winters cleared his throat. When he spoke, it was awkward and his voice cracked. ¡°I think we need to discuss the plan you all concocted to circumvent SNORC rules¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh my gods,¡± Tara said. ¡°Is that the real name they chose for the Agency?¡±


    Winters went on. ¡°That¡¯s neither here nor there¡ª¡±


    ¡°Because the other name they were going to go with was BOOF. Can you imagine being a BOOF agent, Agent?¡±


    ¡°Tell me about your plan!¡± he shrieked.


    Tara felt a smile creeping up her face, while she kept her hand absently rubbing her abdomen. Winters, for his part, had that far off look of someone who had no idea was happening, and couldn¡¯t quite believe it had gotten this far. He had lost, and they both knew it. He was supposed to be the fresh face to come in here and befriend them, and get them to tell the truth about the portal being blown up. That wasn¡¯t going to happen, and she thought he already knew that..


    ¡°There was no plan,¡± she said.


    ¡°You¡­ want me to believe¡­ that all five of you girls, from Fletcher¡¯s team, who were all having sex with him, just happened to be in the portal room the moment a flurry of these, these , burst through? The same moment Fletcher¡¯s own creature burst through and used magic to pull him through the portal before it was destroyed? You¡¯re going to rot in prison for the rest of your life because one man, who wasn¡¯t even monogamous, impregnated you?¡±


    Well now she was wondering how often this man¡¯s wife forced him to watch while she went to town on someone with Fletcher¡¯s¡­ equipment specs.


    ¡°His mother went through that portal seconds before it was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Did you see her go through the portal?¡± Tara asked.


    His eyes were now alight, feverish with determination. He gestured, and a video recording of the portal room appeared. It was a chaotic image, with dozens of Nakamamon of all sizes swirling around, brought in by Regina, along with Tara, Ivy, Isabelle, Cinzy, and Fletcher. Everyone except Fletcher was currently tangled up with the many portal room guards: Ivy had disarmed one of them and thrown their weapon at another one. A Geodile, which was a cross between a crocodile and a geode, had another guard¡¯s weapon in its mouth, and was crushing it while the guard¡¯s face was inches from its snout. Another guard was waving away fiery bugs floating around his head, and had caught his uniform on fire.


    It was a still image, just for a moment. Winters touched a tablet and the pandemonium got under way. He pointed to a blurry blob of color.


    ¡°There!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything,¡± Tara lied.


    He backed it up, and played it again. One second there was nothing on the ramp leading to the portal, and the next moment there was¡­ something. A person¡¯s leg, it seemed like.


    ¡°There¡¯s a guard in the way,¡± she said. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    But the guard fully obstructed the view of the camera, waving around with what looked like a shrub on his head. Or a rabbit wearing a shrub.


    When the guard passed, the only things to be seen were half an explosion, Fletcher with Regina clinging to his ankle, and perhaps one foot. Again, a blur of a Nakamamon was in the way.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you,¡± Tara said.


    Winters threw up his arms and snarled in fury.


    ¡°She¡¯s gone!¡± he barked. ¡°She¡¯s not in their California home. We have multiple accounts of her on security cameras with Christopher and the five of you girls. We know you planned it. You tell us the details and I can set you up in a nicer cell. We can get you amenities. You can get visitation. Would you like that? Would you like your family to see your little one?¡±


    She blinked at him.


    ¡°Give me a name!¡± he screamed. ¡°Tell me who planned this and you can get what you want.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll let me out of prison?¡± she asked innocently.


    He froze, huffing and puffing. He¡¯d be fired after this, and they¡¯d get a new interrogator to try to get information out of her. He knew this and she knew this.


    This is Fletcher getting off Scott free.

 140- Agility and Muscularity

    We hadn¡¯t gone another two hours before Regina announced that we¡¯d been discovered.


    We had traversed over low, rolling hills and sometimes through denser thickets of woods when we couldn¡¯t go around them. The landscape wasn¡¯t too terribly different from what I¡¯d been used to here in this other world. The notable differences were the small lakes dotting the place, some of which had marshy bits or swampy bits attached at the sides. At one point we crested a particularly high rise, and I was astonished to see water in the distance.


    We stopped for rest and snacks once per hour, so I knew my mother wasn¡¯t being unduly stressed. The stubborn old goat was still giving me shift over my objections. I watched in frustration as she selected all her skills using the first twenty-some skill points.


    It amazed me that I once considered those twenty-some skill points to be a lot. They were gone almost instantly for my mother, who shuffled them around a bit before pressing the button to confirm her result.


    Every time we stopped it was also a chance for me to fume about my mother and how annoying she was being. On this break I was complaining to Chrysta.


    ¡°You understand, don¡¯t you?¡± I asked. ¡°She¡¯s being ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°I understand that you are having trouble appreciating what it is you have. You have your mother. She hasn¡¯t been taken from you.¡±


    Chrysta was no help. I pouted in silence, peering at the vast expanse of this world I¡¯d never seen before.


    Using the fairy dust from Fairy Poppins, we were able to cover a pretty good amount of ground. The fairy dust lessened the effect of gravity on us, though she was limited in how many times she could use it at once before exhausting herself. Luckily Chrysta had no need of this, being a ghost who floated everywhere.


    Muppin, the enormous rochidna, hopped along, carefree, covering twenty or thirty feet at a time. It was a fun time, evading the Agency that gave me the job and paid for my family to live in luxury.


    ¡°Sooooooo,¡± Regina said on our fourth break, taking me aside and speaking to me quietly. ¡°Please don¡¯t freak out, but we do have a problem.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Two hours ago we were spotted. I wouldn¡¯t have said anything because it was just an airborne speck, but they¡¯ve circled around two more times since then.¡± She held up a hand to forestall my question. ¡°We¡¯re not being hunted by a dive bombing Nakamamon behemoth.¡±


    As part of being a Ranger, she had sharp senses. I also had Eagle Eyed, an ability I got from getting intimate with Tara a lot of times. Just before leaving on my R&R weeks, it had gone up to level 4. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Which still, most likely, wasn¡¯t as good as Regina¡¯s enhanced senses. She had also progressed beyond level 25 and gotten some kind of class evolution as I had.


    Sure enough, we spotted a recon flight precisely when Regina said it would be showing up. I had to squint to make the tiny speck in the far distance discernible at all, but there it was. As it drew closer and as I kept my eye on it, the more my vision telescoped out and resolved. It appeared to be a huge lizard, possibly even an alligator or croc-shaped Nakamamon that could somehow fly. I couldn¡¯t say who the rider was, but Regina was sure it was another Ranger, and probably a female.


    ¡°You can tell all that?¡± I asked.


    She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t remember how many of the guys had long hair. The Rangers attract the hippie types.¡±


    That made sense.


    ¡°I want to see something utterly bizarre flying,¡± I said. ¡°A pufferfish. No, a manatee¡­ why am I thinking only sea creatures? They look like they¡¯re flying underwater because they float. No¡­ I want to see a flying rhino. Or something that can¡¯t hardly move, like a sloth.¡±


    ¡°You are such a dork,¡± Regina replied.


    ¡°A sloth with wings!¡± I declared.


    She rolled her eyes real hard.


    I turned a gleeful grin her way. ¡°Makes you want to take me somewhere private and do nasty things to me?¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve said pleasurable things, you perv monster. Now I can imagine taking you somewhere private and punching you repeatedly in the shoulders until you can¡¯t raise your arms.¡±


    It was good to banter a bit. I still hadn¡¯t internalized the loss of Tara, Isabelle, Ivy, or Cinzy.


    They weren¡¯t here on this world. And neither were Drat or Trent. There was no way through, at least as far as we knew. They were probably in custody and being interrogated for information¡­ or worse. Thankfully those thoughts were only taking up a tiny bit of space in the very back of my mind, and not swirling around in a whirlwind of anxiety occupying my every waking thought.


    If there was one thing I was thankful for, it was Ingenuity giving me the ability to monitor myself and stop the worst of the nasty thoughts from getting control over me.


    If there was another thing I was thankful for, it was that I now had Vellenia and Shakindria on my side. Both of them were speaking pleasantly to my mother, and I knew this because I got a sense of their emotional states and a vague sense of what was going on with them whenever I concentrated. This was the wonder of having a bonded Nakamamon.


    And the third thing I had to be thankful for was the presence of both Larelle and Chrysta. I hadn¡¯t given even a single thought to the possibility of trying to do something illegal and having half my team cut off back on earth. It was pure dumb luck that Alan and Regina were here at all. It was further dumb luck that Larelle and Chrysta were also here. Plus, Larelle had her permanently bored Magmamander, which made heating up elixirs, potions and such a much simpler task. Plus, he was really cute with how unimpressed he looked at all times, while I was concocting things that were, by all accounts, nigh impossible.


    Hey, the UI told me it was Nigh Impossible and required something like 20 successes. I was a master of the nigh impossible.


    I was also a master of forcing myself not to miss my lost teammates.


    We returned back to the group, not sure about what to do regarding being spotted by the Agency¡¯s recon people. For all intents and purposes we were fugitives here in the other world.


    ¡°Were you in on Plan Epsilon with Drat and the others?¡± I asked.


    She turned a look of so much forced innocence on me that I knew immediately she was about to lie.


    We reached the group. Chrysta was making the rounds, ensuring a safe perimeter, while Larelle used her Magmamander to get a cook fire going and get some dinner. My mother asked Shakindria to fly her up level with my mobile herb garden, where she picked a few things and helped Vellenia with the cooking.


    ¡°Where was Trent in all this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sleeper a-a-a-a-a-a-a-gent,¡± Alan said.


    ¡°Hang on, what?¡±


    ***


    Trent had long passed out of the feeling like life was over and he was doomed and there was no point in going on. This always happened when his mana pool emptied out here on earth.


    So his mana pool was empty. That didn¡¯t matter on this side of the portal, because earth didn¡¯t require his talents as a person who could magically move and shape stone. Losing your mana to the earth¡¯s lack of ambient magic was to be expected. You spent two days wracked by a deep depression he generally felt when at the very end of his mana pool, while the doctors and nurses on staff fed you a cocktail of antidepressants, kept up soothing music, played video games with you, and allowed you to call your loved ones. After that, they brought in the occupational therapists, the always-cheerful faces and their fixation on whether or not you were capable of doing all the things. And if you weren¡¯t, they would help devise ways for you to be able to do the necessary things.


    Well, after that, your body would even out, and you¡¯d be stuck with your enhanced body, no special abilities, and somehow, some-weird-way, your Tokens that corresponded to your attributes.


    He used his enhanced stats and superhuman attributes to become the night. He headed halfway across the world to his specially built and paid for small apartment in the middle of Philedelphia. Then put on a special outfit, and headed out to where he could do some good in this world: the mean streets.


    Just now he was on the corner of Radcliffe and MLK Boulevard. Philedelphia, the city of brotherly love, looked like the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse film. At least, this section of Philly looked like it. Graffiti, burned out husks of houses, literal tents underneath the highway forming a tiny little tent city¡­ this was exactly where he needed to be. The weather was cool tonight, a pleasant sweatpants and hoodie weather that would not last. He prowled, looking for exactly the right sort of person.


    Trent¡¯s job in this world was not like his job in the other world. Okay it kind of was. In the world with Garnet, he traveled to strange places, found that people needed his particular set of skills, and he supplied their needs with his earth magic. Like Atlas holding up the earth, only he was shaping the earth itself.


    Trent¡¯s Sorcerer class gave him enhanced Affinity, which he didn¡¯t think would be useful back on earth, and enhanced Likability.


    He used the latter to chat up the people here in these tent cities. They discussed how everything had been going, whether they were getting enough to eat, and while doing so, he looked for the signs they were doing drugs. He wanted to help everybody, but for right now, he had a duty to the ones with jobs who had somehow fallen on hard times. They had a husband who¡¯d been slapped with a rare illness, bankrupted them and then died. They had a wife who¡¯d taken them for all they had in the divorce. They¡¯d made a social media post and been fired.


    Like Tom. Guy had been living out of his car after his house caught fire and the insurance company had found some obscure loophole as a justification for screwing him out of the money. Tom still had his car, and his job, but he had a lot of money tied up in a court case that had just lost. His baby girl had just gone off to college and he¡¯d paid her tuition just before the fire.


    Now, Trent also had Affinity, and initially he¡¯d thought there was no use for it, but after he¡¯d hit Affinity 12, he had come back to earth and noticed that he could see magic. Or at least, he could see whatever molten core was burning in people¡¯s souls. If they were burnt out, on drugs, or very depressed, their molten core had cooled and hardened. If they still had hope, ideas, aspirations or goals they were working towards, he could sense that bright fire inside, or the multifaceted diamond rather than the lump of coal. Some of these folks had been through hell, but the pressure hadn¡¯t broken them. Instead it fused their determination into something special, multifaceted, and sparkling with possibilities.


    He could, in some instances, smell that. If he got close enough to shake someone¡¯s hand, he could taste the magic of their souls.


    Trent did not mention this to anyone other than his fellow Agency employee friends. He knew how it would sound.


    Instead he passed out salads, fries, and bottles of water, and smiled at the thanks he was getting.


    ¡°There was another couple of guys out here a week ago.¡±


    ¡°Two weeks ago,¡± another homeless person said.


    The first one shrugged. ¡°Filming everything to put it up on social media. They haven¡¯t been back.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I can be back soon,¡± Trent said. ¡°Sorry, everybody.¡±


    ¡°Vegetables,¡± one of them said, chuckling. ¡°I¡¯ll take a tomato over a guy with a camera in my face any day of the week.¡±


    A few of them were dead souls: drug addicts, people on the verge of giving up on life. He gave them the same awkward, cheerful pep talk as the ones with their souls still churning away, and some of them even managed fake smiles, but their eyes were blank and expressionless. None of his words dried out the cold stone cores their souls had become.


    No, he didn¡¯t mention the way Affinity worked here, or the fact that people somehow had magic inside them.


    Instead he shook Tom¡¯s hand, smelled the bright potential in Tom¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Can I get you anything?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You already gave me a good meal, saved me some money. Nah.¡± Tom waved him off. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to impose. I¡¯ll get a bead on a place soon, even if it¡¯s a little one.¡±


    Likability told him Tom was lying. He had some kind of debt that couldn¡¯t be paid off with him like this. He couldn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s sleep or a shower, he couldn¡¯t do the work he needed to, and he definitely didn¡¯t have the time or ability to get his shit in order and find a good house.


    ¡°What happens after that?¡± Trent asked.


    ¡°Pay it forward,¡± Tom said. ¡°You got to. Pam over there, she gave me a pillow. Trey gave me a sleeping bag. Linda gave me a couple of pairs of socks.¡±


    Trent was nodding.


    ¡°I want you to pay it forward,¡± Trent said, burning a Likability Token, and gave him a key. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a couple months.¡±


    Attached to the key was an address, just a few miles from here. Tom already had a job, a car, and the most important thing: he had the shining, burning core of a soul that lit him from within, and showed he wouldn¡¯t just give up.


    ¡°What...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a small place, but it¡¯s all paid off. Bedroom and a closet and a shower and a little kitchenette. Once you get your own place, you give this key to the next person who can pay it forward.¡±


    The little apartment had been arranged for him by an Agency friend¡¯s wife. She was a social worker and victim advocate. She¡¯d burst into tears when he told her what he wanted to do.


    Tears were swimming in Tom¡¯s eyes. The Likability Token made the sincerity impossible to miss. Tom believed him, and Trent understood that implicitly as well. There was no subterfuge, no hidden catch. Trent had just given him the thing he needed to get back on his feet, to pull himself up by his bootstraps.


    ¡°You¡¯ll come back and give out what these folks need, right?¡± Trent asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah, of course.¡±


    He would, too. At least for a few months. Maybe he always would. Tom had been here for some time, and he knew these people.


    ¡°Good.¡± Trent clapped a hand on the man¡¯s shoulder, and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you, Tom.¡±


    And then he was gone. He was the night. He made his way back to his car, and prepared to make the drive out to Pittsburgh. He had a little place out there, not much more than a bedroom, a closet, a bathroom and a kitchenette, but it would tide him over for a few days while he searched out the next worthy soul. And then, he¡¯d head to a little place he had out in in Cleveland, before stopping over in a little place he had out in Detroit. Then Chicago.


    He had a fair few Likability Tokens.

 145- Farewells

    Jacoby seemed stunned by what she saw. In retrospect, although it seemed like the easiest way to give her a glimpse into who I was as a person, I realized I didn¡¯t know exactly what Blissense showed Cinzy, Regina, Tara, Ivy or Isabelle. All of them had consented to the Blissense before it had been taken and changed into Eromancy. All I knew was that Cinzy wanted so much to have whatever she saw of me that she was willing to overlook me sleeping with other women, and also Nakamamon. I was glad I had better control here with Eromancy. I could skip the parts where I¡¯d been a petulant and vindictive ass, and tried to get revenge only to have bigger and stronger kids kick me back down again. They¡¯d used their words as much as their fists and feet, and kept me right down where I was. I didn¡¯t like that side of the person I¡¯d been, and it was my constant wish never to fall back into being that jerk.


    Even if I hadn¡¯t been successful in hurting the people I tried to hurt, that wasn¡¯t Fletcher any longer. This Fletcher tried his very best not to hurt people. This Fletcher was a helper and nothing else, if the alternative could be avoided.


    ¡°I hope this clears up everything,¡± I told her.


    Jacoby nodded vacantly. I was amazed she¡¯d played the Chinese Triads against the Korean mobs somewhere in California and hadn¡¯t been killed. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s get moving. The faster you can see our patients, the faster we can get you back to your people.¡±


    I said my farewells to Regina, who cried when I called her ¡®babe¡¯ and told me not to fall in love with anybody else. Vellenia didn¡¯t want to let go either, but eventually allowed me to say my goodbyes to Garnet, Muppin, Airaconda, McCauley Skulkins, Larelle, Chrysta, Alan, and Larelle¡¯s Magmamander. I was going to miss him and his ability to radiate needed heat all the forking time.


    From there, I hugged Shakindria. The yellow psychic aspect Nakamamon with the purple gem in her forehead sent me a series of images of us frolicking all over the worlds, both hers and mine. We held hands, jumped, rolled around on beaches or in meadows, climbed trees together, exploded out of ball pits and jumped on trampolines together. In her mental montage, we also frolicked in all of those places sexually.


    , she told me.


    Vellenia said much the same, only with hugs and tears and incomprehensible words while sobbing.


    Regina was more composed, since I¡¯d just rocked her world earlier today. Still, the smile she gave me was filled with melancholy. She hugged me, whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, babe,¡± and walked off so I could have a few words with my mother.


    ¡°Listen,¡± I said. ¡°Alan has an encyclopedia¡¯s worth of knowledge on those tiny clay tablets, but I wouldn¡¯t go after any of the large gods until you know what you¡¯re doing. Get a few small and medium ones in so you can level up.¡±


    She cocked her head at me. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me to just sit here and wait for you to get back?¡±


    ¡°Would you listen to me if I did?¡± She grinned in response. ¡°Of course not. Just listen to the people around you. I had ten party members, and you only have four¡­ plus my lovely bond mates and a handful of bond mates who¡¯ve lost their partners. They aren¡¯t going to make good replacements for Trent and Drat and Ivy and Isabelle and Cinzy, but they¡¯re wonderful and helpful. Just¡­ don¡¯t push yourself too hard. Oh, right¡­ here.¡± I slipped off Prismatic Apparel and handed it to her. ¡°Wear this at all times unless you¡¯re washing it.¡±


    She studied it, using Identify like I¡¯d taught her.


    She smiled, a heartier one than Regina had given me, then came in for a hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m not thrilled with this. I came back with to help .¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she said. ¡°It turns out you need to save the world first.¡±


    With that, I gave Fairy Poppins the signal and we headed off to meet up with Jacoby.


    We were going to have to make the trek on foot. Jacoby¡¯s magic-users didn¡¯t have the sort of abilities that would allow for instant teleport over long distances. Also, Oz had a bonded Nakamamon who could fly him, a smaller sky manta thing than I¡¯d ridden back at HQ, but it wasn¡¯t strong enough to take us all. Instead, Jacoby activated a Ranger ability.


    , the UI explained.


    Lucky for me, I also had a gift from the God of Footfalls. I chuckled, thinking back on how alarmed I¡¯d been at all the strange sounds coming from my feet back at the HQ. Every time I stepped, it had been something different: a knife chopping at a vegetable, an animal barking or yipping, a nuclear explosion at one point, a woodpecker knocking a hole in a tree to get at bugs, and the list went on¡­ how the danger level had ramped up since then. Still, I was glad to have Golightly, a pair of magic shoes given in thanks by the god once I¡¯d healed it.


    It wasn¡¯t until I¡¯d gotten going that I realized Vellenia stuck with us. In retrospect this was the right choice. I didn¡¯t know it at the time, but she was right. Sure, Fairy Poppins might have wanted to keep me all to herself, but Vellenia¡¯s presence would be helpful in more than one way. But, it wasn¡¯t until some minutes later that I noticed.


    Jacoby¡¯s aura made us fast. Oz had zoomed off on his Nakamamon, while Jacoby, Poppins and I ran through the badlands and veered southward in the direction of the gigantic swamp. The landscape didn¡¯t shift much at first, remaining rocky shoreline, with those strange Galacti and other Nakamamon I¡¯d never seen. Poppins flew up higher, around twenty feet up, and signaled by zigzagging whenever she spotted one of the huge ambush spiders. We didn¡¯t have to worry much; the first Gargantula we found was already happily munching on a section of something that looked like a two hundred foot long, ten foot wide bobbit worm.


    When I noticed Vellenia cruising along with me a few minutes later, under the influence of the aura as well, I couldn¡¯t be mad. After all, having her with me always felt right, and not having her with me increased my sense of anxiety and wrongness. Just as being apart from Shakindria was starting to do. I knew it would¡¯ve been worse with both of them remaining with my mother.


    After veering to avoid the second Gargantula, the terrain began to change: more moss on the rocks, more plants coming in tufts here and there, and a few stunted trees. Also more mucky, muddy patches that needed to be avoided. We were able to follow Poppins, so it wasn¡¯t an issue as much as it was interesting to see. More Nakamamon lived here, different types, but aside from ¡®purple crab¡¯ or ¡®sea serpent mudskipper hybrid¡¯ I couldn¡¯t tell much. Without time to Identify them, we sailed past at a good clip and kept within Jacoby¡¯s aura range.


    Finally, we had a break. Jacoby and Vellenia were both heaving for breaths, but Golightly made that no issue whatsoever. Even Poppins flopped into my lap where I was sitting on a rock and enjoying some water from a canteen.


    ¡°How¡­¡± Jacoby tried asking, but was heaving too much. ¡°How are you¡­ not¡­¡±


    I estimated we¡¯d been running nonstop for close to three hours. I didn¡¯t know how much terrain that meant we crossed, but I¡¯d guess it was at least fifteen miles, and possibly closer to twenty.


    Showing the item to Jacoby meant leaving my feet open and free to feel the velvety moss. I liked this different landscape: the huge boulders were now covered in mosses and grasses, and the space between was lush with weird plants. Deadfalls sprouted an endless variety of mushrooms: orange, black, purple, and some white ones with dangerous red heads. At least one of those mushrooms was bigger than the others, and staring at me.


    S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The creature eyed us for some time before scuttling off the log and back to where it was scooping sand up into its mouthparts and spitting it back out in other places. I didn¡¯t know what it managed to eat, but it was pretty enormous. It had a big mushroom for a body, while the stalk turned out to be all the crab parts you might normally expect.


    The moment Jacoby hopped up to get moving, though, the Crushroom froze before launching itself in the air toward her. All ten of its legs gave it some serious ups, and it looked like it would sail well over all our heads. Instead, it seemed to halt in midair before slamming down toward Jacoby.


    Fairy Poppins was there, to boop it right on the snout. Infusing it with her own fairy dust caused its gravity magic to falter, so it floated down into Jacoby¡¯s hands like a feather.


    She snorted laughter. ¡°That. Is. Adorable! I could¡¯ve jumped out of the way, but this was so much better. Thank you, Fairy Poppins.¡±


    ¡°She likes to be called Poppy,¡± I told her.


    Jacoby held up a hand. ¡°High five, Poppy.¡±


    The tiny fairy, all three inches of her, zoomed over and full body checked Jacoby in the hand, puffing fairy dust all over the place. This sent all three of us into laughing and sneezing fits.


    During the break I identified several more Nakamamon that I had previously never seen before. One of these was called Terratle, and was little more than a gigantic, slow moving tortoise covered in moss. I wouldn¡¯t have noticed anything at all except my Identify skill told me it was there. After the readout on the creature popped up, I had to squint for a good thirty seconds before I found what I thought might be a foot, but which looked exactly like a moss-covered stone. Since so many of the plant aspect Nakamamon could photosynthesize the majority of their food, these things weren¡¯t predators, didn¡¯t need to hunt, and barely had to move at all. Instead the earth and plant aspect just sat there pointing its butt at us, unmoving.


    It wasn¡¯t until Vellenia sprang to her feet that the thing lumbered into motion. It was like an earthquake; dirt poured off it, and a number of flowers stuck to it. The tiny crabs that lived in the tall strands of moss started darting around in a panic, which was cute as heck. These also looked like mushrooms and were identified as Mosshrooms. The UI informed me that these preyed on tiny parasites that tried to burrow into the Terratle¡¯s shell, but the mushrooms on their backs provided the camouflage they needed, and also distributed their kind around the area without requiring them to spend energy moving. These would transform into Crushrooms in time.


    Which led me to wonder: when would Vellenia transform into a mermaid creature? Would Shakindria transform into something almost unrecognizable? What about Tweedle Dee, or Muppin, or Airaconda?


    We ended up taking another two breaks, three hours after getting going again, and we found our way to Jacoby¡¯s camp in the very middle of the most fetid, awful swamp imaginable. It was amazing.


    Now, I¡¯d chosen not to be a Wizard, but one look at this swamp told me why Wizards were out there trying to catalogue everything they came across. There were so many new kinds of creature I could hardly focus on the camp Jacoby¡¯s people had set up.


    This place had a huge variety of poison aspect Nakamamon. We ran across snake-like creatures, lizard-like versions, crocodilian-like versions, tons of tiny bugs, Nakamamon that were flowers and also poison, Nakamamon that imitated dead logs and were ghost aspected. Heck, even the cloud of poison gas floating above the water was ghost and poison aspected.


    They weren¡¯t all concentrated in the area with the camp, but we passed tons, and took a break near some really interesting ones. Again, Fairy Poppins helped keep us on the path with the humps of earth sticking out of the stagnant water, where murder logs waited to snap at us, and sickly greenish or purplish lights danced in the distance.


    Regina hadn¡¯t been kidding about the vast swamp. We had gotten into the swamp just after our first break, and we had traveled some forty miles into it before arriving at the large hillock in the clear spot, where Jacoby set up camp.


    It was kind of like an island, a lump of earth rising only two or three feet out of the water at points, and covered with a profusion of grasses and flowers I hadn¡¯t seen elsewhere in this world. I was lucky to have run across the Goddess of the Meadows early in my trek, because she had bestowed upon me a full knowledge of every flower ever. The leathery black ones over there that appeared to be bats hanging from a tree branch were bat flowers. They were hardly the only interesting species. I saw orchids of several different types, and other plants that were plainly carnivorous. Aside from that, there was a clump of purple tentacles over there that Jacoby¡¯s people were feeding by tossing things into the water.


    ¡°I chose this place because if the fighting aspects escape, the swamp monsters will kill and eat them all.¡±


    She hoped. I didn¡¯t have much faith in that to work, and neither did she.


    I got the nickel tour.


    Tents over here, divided into a perimeter of Guardian tents, a cluster of Wizard tents, and then the support class tents on the other side of the command tent. This a large place for Jacoby with a meeting room that doubled as a cafeteria in bad weather. In the center, in cages suspended by chains, were the fighting aspects.


    One of these was a Vulpetunia, a spitting image of Tweedle Dee, only it had definite eyelashes. Identified said that it was indeed a female.


    The creature that could¡¯ve been Tweedle Dee¡¯s twin sister surged against the bars of her cage and clamped her jaws down on it. The others were likewise smashing their hands and paws and heads into the bars or floors of their cages. They gnawed on the bars, howled in frustration, and jumped up and down.


    This is Christopher about to have his work cut out for him.

 148- A Connection So Deep

    It took a while for the lot of them to agree to my demand for venom from a poison aspect Nakamamon. A light dose of the stuff would help tremendously in paralyzing my subjects¡­ or rather, anesthetizing them. I told them tomorrow or the next day would be perfect, and they visibly relaxed. Did they think I wanted them to harvest it in the dark?


    We continued roasting bananas and toasting marshmallows, then made s¡¯mores from a stock of chocolate brought by Jacoby¡¯s people. Jacoby¡¯s bard Savannah started singing songs that caught on among some of the dozen plus people here, and some even got up to shake their groove things.


    ¡°You were amazing today,¡± Vellenia told me, and lay her head on my shoulder.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said. ¡°You were pretty amazing yourself.¡±


    Vellenia had been out among the Guardians in the perimeter of the camp, on the lookout for ambush predators or other nuisances. She¡¯d used her water abilities to do some checking for them, and now she returned with her slinky white dress clinging to her compact body.


    I was getting handsy in the warm dark, caressing up and down over Vellenia¡¯s graceful curves and enjoying the ability to do so in full view of Jacoby¡¯s team. We would dart the occasional kiss here and there, but in between, I ran my fingers up and over her hips, over her flat stomach, the space between shoulder and neck, and then over her neck as well. Eventually I sat her in front of me and gave her a back and shoulder massage, followed by a scalp massage.


    Vellenia was not like humans. She didn¡¯t have ears, but instead these pink wing things coming off the sides of her head. She didn¡¯t have a nose. Her eyes were huge and mint green. She was soft and cool to the touch, and had no qualms about spreading her legs wide in order to sit between my legs for my impromptu back rub. She wore no underwear, and when she could get away with it, wore no clothes at all. I had to remind her periodically to go put something on, mostly for the sake of dumbfounded humans.


    Jacoby was enrapt. I noted her watching as Vellenia went through her story, and I put some extra elbow grease into giving her the deep pressure massage I¡¯d received after my accident. The Asian leader of the new expedition sat staring, not listening to her second in command even a little bit. I pretended not to notice her shifting her weight on her camp stool.


    ¡°You know,¡± Vel whispered, ¡°a potential new mate is watching you.¡±


    ¡°I think she¡¯s watching you,¡± I whispered back. She was beginning to get into the rules of mating, but it was far from easy. She was still unclear why people didn¡¯t mate whenever they felt the urge and confirmed that urge in potential partners.


    Vellenia wore a dress because it was our culture to cover the body. There¡¯d been several times already where she¡¯d gone for a morning walk wearing absolutely nothing. She did it on purpose, too, during the Glumpdumpkin saga. She¡¯d need to have someone on the team remind her that clothes were required before she tittered with laughter and skipped back to my laboratory house, where she would then put her dress back on. Underwear was never an option. She would become enamored with the frilly and silky stuff later on, mostly after Tara convinced her that they lit my fire.


    ¡°You should take me here and now,¡± Vellenia breathed, her voice thick with lust and need. When she got aroused like this, her cheeks flushed a pink that matched her ears and wrists. In other words, adorable.


    ¡°Here and now, huh?¡± I asked, grinning. Her hand was on my leg and it was sliding upwards.


    ¡°You could¡­ assert dominance over these human males,¡± she purred. ¡°Entice the females.¡±


    Not that any of the humans would be okay with this, but I started into a sensuous scalp massage. Vellenia hummed her enjoyment.


    I would be okay with something like this eventually, but never in front of the entire team, and not until I¡¯d sorted out the Jacoby situation. I didn¡¯t know what these people were all capable of.


    For a time I just caught Jacoby and several of the others watching me put my hands all over my bond mate. My very sensual bond mate, who was rubbing her neck and head around my crotch area, and trying to get me to massage down her front. When these humanoid Nakamamon got excited, then their nipples and genitals came out to play¡­ which was probably happening.


    Jacoby and several of the others were now openly watching.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we enjoy a little night stroll?¡± I suggested, my voice full of promise. ¡°I know an area nearby where we could have a little nighttime fun.¡± S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You want to show off for the expedition leader,¡± she responded, and poked me in the nose with a single finger. ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I confess that I very much do.¡± Jacoby didn¡¯t need to join us for me to get a thrill from being watched. I could admit that having someone watch and then participate was very hot.


    In response to this, Vel stood and started dancing along with the singing Bard and several of the other team members. She then proceeded to rip her dress up over her head and threw it directly in my lap.


    A chorus of laughter met this, along with some wolf whistles.


    I grinned and scooped up Vellenia to even more cheering and whistles, then trotted off out of camp bounds.


    ¡°You¡¯re bad,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Everyone should be more comfortable mating when the feeling is right,¡± she told me. I couldn¡¯t argue with that. Her liberating attitude was refreshing to feel, and her body was even more refreshing to hold.


    I began kissing her even as I princess carried her toward our ultimate destination.


    ¡°Is she following?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± she moaned, and kissed up and down my neck. ¡°She is.¡±


    It turned out I didn¡¯t need the confirmation: Eromancy told me that someone was focused on me. Not did I need to know who it was; the feeling I got using my Affinity was distinctly Jacoby.


    I laid Vel down on one of the nearby hillocks and began exploring her body with my tongue. It¡¯s a tough job, but a man¡¯s got to do it. She writhed under my attention, shifting and moaning, humping the air. She tasted sweet, being a fairy, and oddly enough the mint green or pink parts of her tasted different from one another. Pink tasted more quintessentially fairy: light, sweet, and otherworldly, while green had more of her water aspect to the taste, which wasn¡¯t a bad taste at all.


    I raised one leg and massaged it, while kissing and licking at it, then switched over. The whole time, I felt the prickle of attention hitting the third eye place in the center of my forehead. I paid the Ingenuity Token this time and enjoyed the pervy thoughts Jacoby was putting out.


    Jacoby slid her own hand inside her pants and down to the place where I was licking. I could sense the motion from the intent, in a distracted, back-of-the-mind sort of way.


    It was at this point that Jacoby passed whatever check let her know that Eromancy connected the two of us mentally. She had a brief bout of panic, but when it was clear I didn¡¯t mind and I didn¡¯t stop licking Vellenia¡¯s pussy, she calmed. I even adjusted the angle so I could see what I was doing through Jacoby¡¯s eyes. With my own eyes closed, I could see what she perceived more clearly: me with an inhumanly long, broad tongue swiping it over the Nakamamon¡¯s pure white slit, and occasionally driving up into her. Far into her.


    Jacoby shimmied out of her pants and kicked them aside. That finger of hers that had been on the inside of her thigh now parted her lower lips and began dancing around. She sank to the ground on shaky legs and gave out a shuddering breath of contentment.


    Jacoby tweaked her own, massaging and pressing, feeling her core heat up and moisture flood her fingers below. Gods, what she wouldn¡¯t give for a man like this.


    I pulled up on one of Vel¡¯s legs and slid smoothly into her about halfway. The pleasure was intense, definitely more than before. She was clinging to me, and some of Jacoby¡¯s intense emotion was washing through the connection using Eromancy. It had to be the sexual thoughts that were keeping the connection open this long. Seeing myself from this angle was like watching myself in a porno.


    I stroked fully down into Vel¡¯s welcoming depths and watched with a bemused smile as she arched her back and moaned out loud. Her tail slid up and around my thigh, over my butt.


    ¡°Slow,¡± she moaned, ¡°slow and deep.¡±


    I obliged, wondering if I could last even five minutes like this. I¡¯d been extending my endurance through almost daily activities with various team members, and of course my bond mate, but Eromancy had augmented my pleasure. I was feeling Jacoby¡¯s nipples jolt her with pleasure over and over, as she twisted and pinched. I was feeling Jacoby¡¯s clit as she rolled her fingers around it again and again.


    Even running my hands up and down her leg, and kissing on her foot wasn¡¯t helping. The feel of her leg slipping over my abs and chest were nearly as amazing as having her pussy clamp down on me.


    It wasn¡¯t long before Vellenia¡¯s eyes shot open and fixed on Jacoby in the darkness. At the same moment, she grabbed onto my bicep, and her body tightened with impending orgasm. The tiny spasms were hitting her body, before her breath caught and she half told me what was happening.


    Then she came.


    Jacoby went on a tirade of conflicting thoughts while her own orgasm built, about how I was plowing Vellenia¡¯s field, about how those nipples looked delicious and how amazed she was that Vellenia¡¯s sex just appeared out of nowhere, then her tiny body somehow accommodated my length and girth. And how Fletcher wasn¡¯t even done giving her the fracking of a lifetime.


    With me backed up against a large boogie tree, Vel had me lift her up so she could mount me¡­ or so that I could use her like a toy. Physicality versus her weight was simply no contest. She couldn¡¯t have been more than a hundred pounds, and it was clear I could handle that weight easily. Jacoby watched as I lifted and dropped my bond mate onto my cock again and again. She had her hands clasped behind my neck, and reached out with all her tongues to lick my face and kiss me, at the same time in some cases.


    The conflict continued: she wanted me, she wanted me to ravish her in the woods and inside my lab building, on the roof, in front of the fire. She would back her ass up into me and look over her shoulder, grinning mischievously. She would ride me, using her muscles to clamp down, and she¡¯d shove herself down on me so she could feel me fill her up with seed. We¡¯d cum together, with me protesting and her pinning my arms above my head.


    And the whole time the dissenting voice said she couldn¡¯t. I was taken. It would be a betrayal of this beautiful and desirable Nakamamon. She couldn¡¯t get pregnant so early into her career, and she couldn¡¯t frack him over and over while her belly filled up with child. He would slid his hands over her distended body from behind, and he would whisper things into her ear, about how great she looked and how many more babies he wanted. And she would end up with him inside her again, pleasing her and reassuring her that he still found her sexy. She knew me because of that strange ability¡­ there was no question in her mind that I would make her feel like the gorgeous princess she was.


    Maybe¡­ but no she couldn¡¯t. But what if¡­ maybe could work instead.


    Jacoby came, and I came at the same time. I poured all I could up into my bond mate, while Jacoby wondered about the compatibility of human and Nakamamon. It dripped out of her while Jacoby came and wondered just how much there was to extract out of me. I felt the orgasm finally tip and spill over, and I felt her shudder as the ecstasy wash all through her body. She could force me to bust whenever she wanted, if I was hers. She could make me blast inside her, or on her ass, or on her tits, or on her face if she was feeling naughty.


    Another person was in my Eromancy range. I gingerly placed Vel on the ground and called out, ¡°Best get out of here, Oz. No spying on private, intimate moments.¡±


    The presence was gone before I pressed Yes to confirm the expenditure of the Token. Ugh.


    Jacoby freaked out and the effect of Eromancy was cut short as she passed a check against the ability. I received a flash of her sudden terror of exposure before the connection was cut.


    This is Christopher wondering how mixed up this was going to get.

 150- Splicing Things Up

    So I may have used Psyspeech a few more times than intended after that. I sent several more messages to my mom, telling them about the aspect infection, about the chakras being converted from one aspect to another, and about my plans to try splicing herbs and flowers. Then, I sent her another message explaining that there was a creature here in the swamp with paralyzing toxin powers, and that I was going to try to grab some of that to use as an anesthetic for the fighting aspect cures.


    This was stupid, in retrospect. Of course I had no idea if the tentacle creature in the swamp was sapient or not. I hadn¡¯t even considered it. The plan was to give myself Healer¡¯s Resistance, possibly get further Abjuration magic from the Wizards, not get paralyzed by the creature, and milk some of the venom out¡­ somehow.


    In none of my plans did that require the use of Psyspeech.


    First order of business though was to check on the splices. I chuckled at the thought of Jacoby being weirded out as I headed to the Verdant Rejuvenation garden. Although we were hours away from the full 24 necessary to have mature plants to harvest, I still got the Identify working.


    I didn¡¯t have to walk anywhere to check out the bamboo.


    It had been spliced with the mana rich plants, and had come out looking just like bamboo, but more purple. I had several stalks of more lavender color from being spliced with henge grass, several stalks from the purple morpheus that shone with a deep violet hue, and the passionflower cross gave the stalks odd stripes that reminded me of coral snakes. Bamboo was such an unmistakable plant normally that seeing it like this was especially bizarre. It had thick bands of purple interspersed with thinner rings of white and yellow. The leaves on all three variants matched the stalks, though the final leaves were thinner, spiky like passionflower petals, and alternated stripes of purple and white. The center of each leaf was a vibrant yellow.


    All these had their own name as well: lavender bamboo for the henge grass mix, deep violet bamboo for the morpheus splice, and passion bamboo.


    Already they were some ten or twelve feet high and a good two inches thick, with a good half dozen stalks each. They¡¯d grow at least twice that height by late afternoon. Jacoby¡¯s people were almost as entranced and impressed by this as Vellenia. Jacoby herself might be staying away, but Vellenia held to the stalks and spun herself around by one hand like a little girl, giggling the whole time.


    ¡°This is wonderful!¡± she was saying.


    It was certainly something. I was astonished to consider the implications. I was just making new species of plants willy nilly. No effort required. Just cut one plant, cut another plant, put them in the soil and add some water. Magic would do the rest.


    My thoughts drifted to the administrator, the hatchet faced woman named Jocinda who so casually threw out stupid and funny names for things, who was probably a Druid, and possibly the only Druid on the entire planet. If I could create new species of plants at such a low level, surely she had vast powers to remake the whole world.


    On one hand, I did have to plant and tend them. And I could mix two plants together at the same time, but not more.


    On the other hand, she could stop time all together, and project an image of herself across potentially hundreds or thousands of miles. Jacoby¡¯s Wizard had had trouble teleporting objects twenty feet.


    It certainly made me reconsider what I might end up doing if and when I cured my mother¡¯s cancer, and broke into levels higher than even 50. I was slated to go through another class evolution then, or¡­ if not that, then some other paradigm shift.


    I shook the thoughts away. Hoping was great, but there was actual work to be done in the here and now. I was part of the reason that Blake had changed into a Nakamamon, and while I wasn¡¯t to blame for him becoming a fighting aspect, part of the blame rested on my shoulders.


    After tending to these bamboo splices, I went to see how the lotus flowers had done. I didn¡¯t think these splices could be any weirder than the bamboo.


    Boy was I wrong.


    I¡¯d spliced henge grass, purple morpheus and blue passionflower with bamboo, lotus and halo sage, and that gave me 9 possible plants. Hopefully I could use one of these to gently massage an aspect back along the mana channels and out through the crown of the head. The three bamboo types were good, hilarious but good, but I wasn¡¯t certain they were the right tool for the job.


    The lotus splices were, if anything, more insane than the bamboo. See, the lotus is a water plant. Like the lily, it grows a circular leaf. Unlike the lily, the lotus leaf is both huge and also extends out of the water like an umbrella. The flower is among the largest of all water plants. They can measure in at a foot across, as big as a dinner plate. Some of these look like they glow from within, with white at the bottom fading up to a purple or magenta tip, and the center of the flower is a circular yellow stamen.


    Flowers are just big flashy sex organs and I sometimes struggled to move past that.


    The first one was the henge grass variant. It was the least odd, but the large green leaf had thin purple stripes radiating out from the center. Instead of the usual magenta tips, this new lotus had darker purple tips of the petals. Poppy came flitting over and rested on the one I was inspecting, waving at me and probably saying something truly wicked.


    Both the other variants were something to behold.


    The passionflower had taken over as dominant here, bringing the spiky target-shaped flower to an absurd size. It still had the circular stamen, instead of the passionflower¡¯s bizarre stick-shaped organ, and the spiky petals curled up like a lotus¡¯s petals. It had lost some of the purple, and instead had alternating rings of magenta, purple, and white.


    The purple morpheus had also taken over as dominant. The size of the bloom was three times the size of the usually small flower, and it carried on blooming only a single flower instead of the lotus¡¯s usual two or more. Instead of a gigantic circular leaf, the halo morpheus now had small circular leaves. It remained a deep violet color, with a hint of the white at the base of the petals, but radiated a huge amount of mana like the morpheus had.


    All three of these would be useless. The three different bamboo splices also. The divine energy coming off them was still higher than I needed. Any of them could probably work for a mana potion, or an even tougher and stronger rejuvenation potion, but I¡¯d be wary about putting this much divine energy into a potion like this. I didn¡¯t want my patients exploding into holy fire or being consumed as an inexplicable choir sang out.


    ¡°Halo sage, you¡¯re my best hope,¡± I breathed. If none of these worked it would be back to the drawing board.


    Halo sage had a much lighter divine aura, and you really had a bundle a lot of it in order to start influencing the gods. With the Nakamamon¡¯s chakras only being a tiny, tiny fraction of that, my hope was that the divinity inside of halo sage might be diluted. I could use a tiny droplet of distilled halo sage, but that might still be too much.


    Halo sage with henge grass was the weakest of the three, and essentially had created a taller, less lavender colored grass with tiny white flowers. They were still in the tall conical shape, but only about an inch of flowering rather than four or five inches out of normal sage.


    The morpheus and the passionflower were both failures straight out of the gate too, merely by looking and extending my Affinity out to get a sense of their power levels. The former was a huge slew of conical lavender colored flowers, and the latter looked identical to the original passionflower, except the white bits flared with divine energy, and the stamen was white instead of yellow. It too had a reservoir of divinity that was too much for our needs.


    ¡°This is so amazing, bond mate!¡± Vellenia was chirping. ¡°I love all these new creations!¡±


    I pursed my lips. ¡°On earth we have a problem of invasive species, where a new creature or plant is introduced and rapidly gets out of control because there aren¡¯t any checks on their growth and reproduction. These are nice and all, but I don¡¯t know if we can allow them to continue growing.¡± I cocked my thumb. ¡°This henge grass and halo sage might do. We¡¯ll have to get it turned into a treatment to be sure.¡±


    The last thing I wanted to do was break this poor, innocent Vulpetunia by fracking overdose. With that in mind, and with a few hours until all these plants fully matured, I went to the second order of business: our swamp monster.


    ¡°Okay!¡± I announced. ¡°I know I¡¯m not the leader of this expedition, but I do know that this poison Nakamamon will produce a venom that allows for anesthesia, and that¡¯s something I¡¯d like to have.¡±


    There were mutters of annoyance and shock amongst her people.


    ¡°Can we, uh¡­ not?¡± one asked.


    ¡°There are tons of poison aspects around here,¡± one of the Wizards added.


    ¡°Great,¡± I said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be asking your expedition leader to send out several parties to capture and milk some of them to see what we can do about a paralytic or anesthetic.¡±


    I knew from watching a fair amount of nature documentaries and videos online that poisons, venoms and toxins came in a pretty wide variety. Box jellyfish killed you differently than a Komodo dragon, and neither of those were the same as any number of hemotoxins produced by various snakes. All of those were different than a brown recluse bite. We had a paralytic venom right here, right now, and I wasn¡¯t going to let the tentacles scare me away from getting at it.


    Jacoby appeared and began issuing commands, though I noted she didn¡¯t make eye contact with me.


    ¡°We¡¯re taking that thing in, and we¡¯re going to¡­ milk it¡­ for venom. That¡¯s what¡¯s happening. If any of you don¡¯t like it, you get to go out into the swamp and find other poison aspects. Use identify, catalogue them, and if any of them have paralytic toxins you¡¯ll make the judgement call on capture. If you¡¯re out, muster at the cook fire.¡±


    Some of them muttered and shuffled their feet, and a fair few of the Wizards immediately went to the cook fire with their heads down.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll also be on an increased chore schedule. Volunteers for, uh, Fletcher¡¯s task, you¡¯ll get decreased chores.¡±


    That perked up a handful of Guardians. I knew they hated chores almost as much as they hated guard duty. These were the things they wanted to get away from when they left HQ originally.


    Wayne stepped up too. He was a Wizard, thin and wiry but with a genuine smile. He¡¯d been with us at the town, overseeing Blake and acting as liaison between us and Jacoby¡¯s team when it had been necessary during the Glumpdumpkin saga.


    ¡°Thanks for coming,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put up a high muckity muck ward,¡± he said.


    I just stared. He stared back, obviously amused by whatever joke he¡¯d just told.


    ¡°A¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°You can either have the muckity muck circle of protection, or the muckity muck ward. Either way it¡¯ll boost your resistance and reduce damage taken.¡±


    He was talking about an Abjuration spell. I had that, technically speaking. I¡¯d gained that when I received Transmutation as a magic school, but I hadn¡¯t gotten any practice with anything but Transmutation thus far.


    ¡°What kind of tier is the spell?¡± I asked. Muckity muck was probably a name from Jocinda, and probably would¡¯ve been better on a spell to ward off mud.


    ¡°Ward is tier 3, and the circle of protection is tier 4. Both are a lot easier if I have the proper components to channel my mana through.


    I nodded, looking at the Verdant Rejuvenation garden. My healing arts were so heavily reliant on that kind of thing¡­ it made complete sense. Watching Trent casually throw stone around was far odder and more difficult.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the ward then. You¡¯ll anchor it to me rather than a protected space?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll be far less protection, since I can work up a serious ritual and infuse it with a lot more mana. I can only infuse you with so much mana.¡±


    That made sense. Still, I wanted to have a chance at getting the creature to damage me. That way I could use Healer¡¯s Resistance to build up some permanent resistance to poison aspects. None of the Guardians liked this, but none of them hung out with Healers on the regular. They¡¯d also never seen purple bamboo or striped bamboo either, so nyah.


    Wayne set to work doing up the ward, and another Wizard got a circle of protection going at the same time. The Guardians all got suited up in actual armor, and they waited by my side to produce their magic shields when the time came.


    The Injectacle was one creature unknown to everyone here. The Nakamadex article only had a picture of roiling swamp water with tentacles flailing around. It wasn¡¯t detailed or precise in the slightest. Those tentacles could¡¯ve been attached to a gigantic, bulbous squid thing, or a cutesy pig-looking Nakamamon. The fact that no one knew was another motivating factor in me getting a better look.


    Vellenia was the last piece of the puzzle. The bright-eyed Marshin with her pure white skin, her minty-colored hair and her pinkish ears stood nervously while I explained her hopefully unneeded role.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to use any water skills unless it¡¯s an emergency. I¡¯d like to Dazzle it first before we go on the offensive.¡±


    She fidgeted and shifted her weight back and forth in concern, which caused my heart to swell with affection.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± I said, ¡°but I¡¯ve been fine before. I¡¯ll be fine this time. I have Guardians and magical wards, and I have you.¡±


    She whined. ¡°Fletcher, it is a paralyzing attack.¡±


    I turned to the Guardians. ¡°You two are not to attack under any circumstance. Only pull me out if things go sideways. They won¡¯t.¡±


    They shared a look before turning back to me.


    ¡°And don¡¯t go secretly confiding in your fellow Guardian either. I¡¯ll send for my own people and use them instead.¡±


    ¡°With respect, Healer,¡± the first Guardian said, ¡°I don¡¯t think you know what you¡¯re up against, and we handle security concerns. That¡¯s our job.¡±


    This was what I¡¯d been hoping for. It wasn¡¯t an intimidation check, but persuasion.


    I dumped 6 Tokens into this, to lower my opponent¡¯s attribute by 2 levels. One effect of my increased level was a higher percentage of my levels generating a success, from about 33% to just under 50%. With my 14 total levels, I¡¯d gotten a nice 6 successes, higher than this Guardian, and much higher than my former self. I couldn¡¯t say what they got, but it was under 6, that was for sure.


    I convinced them I didn¡¯t have to know what I was dealing with. I had the newest level of Healer¡¯s Resistance, which I activated for 5 whole Durability Tokens. Five!


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    I grinned at the explosion of soft, blue green magic that washed over all of us.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve led with that,¡± Jacoby said.


    ¡°You coming in with me?¡± I asked lightly.


    She peered into the filthy, stagnant water, then back at me. Finally, after the mental calculation, she glared at me. Drawing close, she said, ¡°Nice try you perv. I¡¯m not giving my team a wet t-shirt show.¡±


    I shrugged and grinned. ¡°Worth a try though, right?¡±


    Then I stopped into the water.


    It was warmer than I expected. Nice, too. I was pleased not to be sucked into some kind of mud version of quicksand, or a gigantic maw beneath my feet or something. Instead I felt the unnerving tickling sensation of lots of water plants touching my shoes, and the immediate gross sensation of specks of dirt getting in between my toes. This was not the gorgeous beach where I¡¯d just been with Regina and Vellenia the other day.


    I missed Regina something fierce. I missed Tweedle Dee barreling into me when I was on the ground and licking my face, or rolling onto his back to accept belly scratches. Both of them were just the best.


    More than that, I missed Chrysta¡¯s unflappable calm and insistence that I didn¡¯t need to sate her sexual urges. I missed Larelle¡¯s stolid good humor. I missed the fat, lazy Magmamander that probably hadn¡¯t walked under its own power more than ten times. I also missed Shakindria¡¯s insistence that we have sex in every psychic location available, and every real location also.


    And boy did I miss Tara, Ivy and Isabelle, and Cinzy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move this along,¡± I said, and walked into the water.


    After a certain point, my midsection, being in the water stopped being about discomfort. I luxuriated in the feeling, even if I didn¡¯t like the thought of so many ticklish plants brushing up against me. Something about Vellenia¡¯s water aspect gave me comfort and a feeling of rightness. This was natural and correct.


    This is Christopher turning to face a mass of sweeping tentacles some fifteen or twenty feet across.

 154- This Is Flunt, and That Is Rustle

    The change that came over the creature was as immediate as it was satisfying. The muscular fox seemed to deflate back down to its original cute and fluffy size and shape. The rabid fury drained out of its muzzle and the look in its eyes softened.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I soothed. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Using my magical senses, I was able to track the flow of fighting aspect mana out of its body, back out through its heart, up through its third eye and crown. All the furious reddish energy was replaced by the plain white of beast aspect mana, surging up from the fox¡¯s tummy and into the channels of mana leading to its head.


    ¡°Let it go,¡± I told the Guardians. Again, they exchanged a look, but Jacoby confirmed my words and commanded them to release the creature.


    I had a face full of orange fluff a moment later as the Vulpetunia pounced on me.


    She was licking my face, getting the remainder of my salve back on me, and rubbing her head all in my face and neck. Pollen was all up in my nose holes and my face. I started sneezing immediately.


    From that moment on the Vulpetunia might as well have been my bonded Nakamamon. She stayed with me everywhere. Jacoby called a halt to this location and that we were packing up camp, so she stuck by my side as I packed away all the tools and samples I¡¯d been given. I needed cuttings of all the plants in my garden, and she was there on her haunches, ears perked up and bees buzzing around her flowers.


    Now that she wasn¡¯t a fighting aspect any longer, her coat seemed to gleam glossy in the weak swamp sunlight coming through the clouds. The rain had stopped, but the camp was still a muddy mess. That didn¡¯t matter to my new best friend.


    And my second new best friend. The camp was just about packed up and ready to go when a familiar form detached from the foliage nearby and spooked a whole bunch of people all at once.


    ¡°What the heck?¡± Savannah asked. ¡°Guardians?¡±


    That wasn¡¯t necessary. I called everybody off and introduced the Shrubber-Nee! to the team.


    It was basically an ambulatory bush, which could imitate a number of different forms by twining its tentacle-like branches in different configurations. ¡°This wonderful creature helped me out of a jam,¡± I told them. ¡°Helped me find some flowers I needed to whip up a cure for the God of Productivity.¡± At that point, the Nakamamon had flowed almost like water through the dense forest. It had also spread itself out into a sort of octopus shape with many longer, more flexible arms. At the top though, it had an almost human-like head with long, pointy ears, and a precious and comical expression of being slightly confused. Or I should say face, because the branches and leaves acted as hair, too.


    ¡°Did you¡­ how did you find me?¡±


    The creature didn¡¯t answer. The eyes blinked, but it just rustled its leaves in a way that might¡¯ve been a response.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the skill for speaking with plant aspects,¡± Jacoby said, pouting. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Shrubber-Nee!¡±


    It rustled its branches and leaves again, this time I was pretty sure differently than the first.


    ¡°She¡­ uh, he¡­ uh, they¡­ must¡¯ve been the reason the perimeter guy didn¡¯t find me,¡± I said. I squinted at the creature. It seemed like a humanoid Nakamamon should have a gender, but aside from the head, I didn¡¯t know what was going on under the branches.


    I was certain Jocinda had named the thing, and it wasn¡¯t a good one, so I pursed my lips.


    ¡°How do you feel about me giving you a name?¡±


    It rose up and clapped two branch-like appendages, before prancing around in a bit of a dance.


    Kate Bush was the first name that came to mind. The singer out of the 80¡¯s had been featured in a BoobTube series. Everything in the 80¡¯s had been feature in that huge hit series: The Neverending Story, Ghostbusters, Metallica, and others I didn¡¯t know. Still, I dismissed the name. Holly was the next one up. Then¡­


    ¡°How do you feel about Flora?¡±


    The Nakamamon leapt onto me, then in a thoroughly non-human way, swirled around my body. The face rotated around, down and up, around this way and that, before coming very close to mine. The face was made of wood, which appeared to be carved and painted. Still, the puzzled expression slowly bent into a satisfied smile. It leaned forward and rubbed its forehead on mine, before detaching.


    Flora, who had just become a female to me, skipped and danced away through the team, who were still finalizing their preparations to leave.


    It fell to the Wizards to pack most of the campsite¡¯s materials away using shrinking spells and dimensional storage units. These had the bonus of being bigger on the inside, so a regular backpack you might wear to high school could haul two or three hundred pounds and make it feel like twenty. The trade off was that these things were volatile; they could explode if they got too close to one another.


    None of the animals could be fitted into the dimensional storage units, for arcane reasons that didn¡¯t make sense to me, so the Wizards had to devise floating platforms of pure solidified mana, which hovered a few feet off the ground and could be pulled along. Again, they couldn¡¯t get too close to the dimensional storage or they¡¯d risk exploding. The whole thing had a jovial feel to it, with all the Guardians ribbing the Wizards about how long it might be until we had an explosion. Would be a Nakamamon blown sky high, or a Wizard folded into a dimensional storage bag? It sure would be fun to find out! Only time would tell!


    Jacoby, being higher level than Regina or Tara, had a swift movement ability that happened to be an aura. It blanketed all of us together and helped turn a leisurely jog into a gallop that ate up the miles.


    We took off shortly after breakfast and made good time. The swamp slowly morphed into the grassland with occasional trees, then a series of sparse woods, mostly boogie trees now. The land started undulating, gentle rises with waving grasses and wildflowers. Off to the east lay Glumpdumpkin, poking hundreds of feet off the ground, only visible as a blue smudge against the sky, filled as it was with mana-shimmering clouds.


    We passed Nakamamon, so many Nakamamon. Some were enormous eagles, some had four legs and were the size of houses, some were thin and spindly and considerably smaller. One was a pink blob with what appeared to be a helicopter rotor spinning along on top of it. Another was like a bipedal Komodo dragon made entirely of gleaming metal. We passed teensy little bugs, frogs the size of a car, centipedes the size of centipedes, but with spines sticking out of each segment that crackled with electricity. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Along the way, I got another achievement: spot 50 species of a single aspect. This gave me a free skill point, which made me grin. Then I got another achievement for 25 species of fire aspect, followed almost immediately by 25 species of plant aspect. Each of these granted a single skill point, and I whooped with each one. Nothing like more skill points. More and more and more.


    We also passed some sapient types I recognized from Glumpdumpkin. They waved as we rushed by.


    I was glad to have made this place a little better. I¡¯d be happier if we could revert all the fighting aspect Nakamamon back to their original states. The appearance of half a dozen of them though¡­ that was concerning. It went from one to six in an awful hurry.


    We took a rest on a low rise, among a stand of boogie trees. Oz immediately climbed to the top to scout for any of the other Agency people who might be hunting after me. Jacoby plopped down, knees spread wide and arms on her knees, staring northward.


    ¡°Where are we going to end up?¡± I asked Jacoby. The Vulpetunia had hopped up into my lap and curled into a ball with its tails shielding it. The slight scents of various flowers rose up off her. Vellenia plopped down and leaned against me too, which Jacoby did not fail to notice.


    ¡°I doubt you can see it, but there¡¯s something like a mountain up there,¡± she said, pointing.


    I squinted. ¡°That¡­ ball?¡±


    Jacoby stared at me. ¡°You can see that?¡±


    I nodded. Like Glumpdumpkin, it was nothing more than a shape shaded by the atmosphere, a pale blue against an even paler blue sky.


    It took us another full day to get there. That thing resolved into a darker and more prominent shape, what looked to be a colossal snow globe. It was on a pedestal easily two hundred feet high, and the sphere itself was far bigger. As we drew closer, it resolved into a huge stone ball. From the pedestal came a rush of water, slowly helping the ball to revolve around and around.


    ¡°I have been waiting a very long time to ask,¡± I said to Jacoby, ¡°but what am I looking at here?¡±


    ¡°That,¡± she said, sweeping a hand towards the gargantuan mystery, ¡°is Flunt-on-the-Rustle.¡±


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±


    That thing, Jacoby told me, that New-York-borough-sized spinning marble atop its water-gushing pedestal, was a town.


    ***


    Flunt-on-the-Rustle was one of three towns I had been told about initially when I started my assignment. It was the second place I was supposed to visit. For some reason we still didn¡¯t understand, bigger population centers had more broken gods. I mean, stepping back and taking a look at the forest made it make more sense, but still not the underlying bits. Population centers had more gods because they had more stuff going on. Slinktrickle had more apparel, Glumpdumpkin had more productivity and secret spaces and lost jewelry, and the various other gods I¡¯d healed up that we found under the influence of Productivity.


    ¡°We have intel that this place is all right¡­ or was when the last expedition left two weeks ago,¡± Jacoby said, and approached the gigantic pedestal. ¡°We¡¯ll largely keep you out of sight, or in disguise, or a bit of both, and that will prevent anyone from spy on us from above like what happened the other day.¡±


    We ascended stairs to a large platform, which was operated by several Nakamamon handlers. The platform, a slate gray thing made of stone, was etched with fun designs of cartoonish Nakamamon shapes. Each glowed neon, like they¡¯d been painted in special spray paint that reacted with black lights.


    ¡°If it¡¯s safe we¡¯ll get in contact with your people and invite them,¡± Jacoby said.


    No, we wouldn¡¯t. There was simply no way Jacoby, who I didn¡¯t fully trust, was going to have me and my mother in one place, not while the Agency still had an APB out for me. She needed me for this fighting aspect job. She might need me for some relief of a more intimate nature after that. I was under no illusions that she might just, before or after the intimate relief part, rat me out to the Agency if I served her purposes, or failed to serve her purposes. She had made it clear in our first few meetings that she considered ascension in the Agency to be the number one thing.


    I¡¯d have to feel her out more.


    The roar of water assaulted our senses as we reached the top of the structure. Water appeared from somewhere within, rushing up over the sphere part of the town, and also down several large channels on each side of the base structure, like waterfalls.


    All of us, including Fairy Poppins, Vellenia, my new friend Flora, and my new multi-tailed, floral-scented cuddle buddy who still needed a name, met a Nakamamon just like Larelle operating the lift. She was huge, at least eight feet tall, with entirely too much hair, and her muscles had muscles. She operated the lift, guided newcomers in how the town would operate, and wore only a loincloth. Her huge breasts were on full display, and I tried not to stare at their perfect, featureless roundness. I¡¯d wondered idly at times whether Larelle was just like Vellenia in the way her nipples and genitals slowly materialized when she got aroused¡­ or not. The answer was yes.


    This operator¡¯s name was Zarelle, clearly the twenty-sixth of her species. Zarelle informed us that once we got up to the top of the pedestal, which itself was a thriving community of at least two hundred all in one gigantic building, we would need to wait.


    , Zarelle told us telepathically.


    Entry into Flunt-on-the-Rustle was going to be wet. I caught Jacoby staring at me¡­ at Vellenia and I, out of the corner of her eye. She looked away when I glanced towards her.


    I was pretty sure Jacoby and I were going to end up in bed together, just as I was pretty sure Savannah and I would never end up in bed together. It was just a feeling I had.


    I was glad she could communicate directly into my mind, because the roar of water moving this gigantic ball was deafening. It was like standing inches from Niagara Falls.


    , Zarelle told us.


    ¡®Very soon¡¯ ended up being almost forty-five minutes, though I had no real complaints. Although I wanted to heal the fighting aspect claiming the other five Nakamamon Jacoby found, it was her rodeo. She¡¯d ordered the evacuation of the swamp site.


    The opening slowly came into view, showing that the town had been built all around the inside the shell of this enormous sphere. Gravity¡­ did not seem to mind. I noted trees, houses and larger buildings as the opening approached.


    A whole lot happened in a very short time. One, we stepped into a huge, crate-loaded raft and were shoved into the water just as the opening came down to our level. It was wet, loud, and exhilarating. Two, we were surrounded by cheers of townsfolk of all types. Some looked like bipedal salamanders of purple with blue stripes on their backs. Two creatures looking just like Shakindria¡ªMindelas¡ªoffloaded most everything telekinetically. All the crates anyway, were lifted up onto a secure and dry platform. Three, the streets were instantly flooded with the rushing water.


    ¡°That¡­ has to be normal. That¡¯s normal?¡± I asked. The force of the water was enough to stagger me. My new friend Flora climbed onto me and Vellenia, suspended between us and peering down at the flooding.


    Vellenia clearly wasn¡¯t bothered, nor were the citizens living in this area of the town. A whole district¡¯s worth of houses simply rose up on stilts as I watched. The gardens out in front of their houses seemed to grow rows of stones that served as borders between the streets and the homeowners¡¯ property.


    That flooding was quickly picked up by what appeared to be huge tree roots nearby, but which were actually pipes. These collected the water and sent it shooting out all over the place.


    The strangest thing was how half the sphere was simply transparent. More of this world¡¯s magic rendered it invisible so the lower half could get sunlight. This immediately made no sense, as the opposite part would always be on the bottom of the sphere when it was night outside, and therefore would never have functional agriculture due to the ever present night.


    Again, magic was a thing, and therefore anything could be okay. The HQ castle was constantly turning over and over in the air, with twin gravities simultaneously. Glumpdumpkin¡¯s houses were built on angles and get none of that mattered. It had a river that ran up against the pull of gravity. My brain needed to accept that this worked¡­ somehow. The was magic. The details could be gotten as we went along.


    ¡°Appears we have a problem, boss lady,¡± Oz said conversationally.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Never seen it like this, sure as,¡± he said, and pointed.


    Across the huge sphere, maybe a half mile directly across from us, the whole district felt off. At first glance, it just seemed dark, decrepit, and run down. Further inspection told me it was deserted. No garden plants, no Nakamamon tending to them, or going about their business.


    ¡°It¡¯s always something,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯ll handle their problems, we¡¯ll handle this.¡±


    ¡°And when their problem intrudes on our problem?¡± I asked.


    This is Christopher getting a heavy, heavy eye roll.

 155- I Don鈥檛 Throw Babies

    Fairy Poppins wanted to be the one to accompany me, but I put a stop to that. She always turned every action we undertook into a shameless sex act. She made sure I knew I¡¯d regret it before I set off,  zipping around angrily in circles, but I tried to placate her with promises of a hook up as soon as I could manage it. Unfortunately my Persuasion skill check failed by a slim margin, and since it was contested against a sentient creature, I couldn¡¯t spend further Tokens.


    Sigh. If there was one consolation, it was that Jacoby demanded we check out the area affected by sick divinity.


    ¡°Fact-finding mission then,¡± I said. ¡°One hour, tops. Let¡¯s go, Expedition Leader.¡±


    Jacoby leveled a flat glare my way. ¡°Do I hand over the title of Expedition Leader to you?¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± I said. ¡°You were going to need a threat analysis of that thing anyway. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of protection you have against gods, but I don¡¯t have any,¡± she said.


    I summoned my Prismatic Apparel to me and handed it to her.


    ¡°This thing right here has a skill called Divine Resistance at level 5. All you have to do is put it on.¡±


    She took her time identifying it, then goggled at me for a few seconds before slipping it over her shoulders. Yes, Divine Resistance was a thing, a thing that this item had. Then, reconsidering, she turned it inside out and frowned at the way it turned into a dress.


    Hey, it had pockets.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can wear this,¡± she said, and turned it inside out again. It became a windbreaker this time, and she nodded at it. ¡°All right, that¡¯ll do.¡±


    We were going over to the derelict, deserted part of town, and that was that. This spherical town had a god problem, most likely, and Jacoby and I were going to figure out what before I went a step further.


    She¡¯d be complaining about the heat a few minutes later, around the time we got our first Durability check and I received nine and a half hours of exposure time before I was affected. She¡¯d be asking me to turn around so she could strip off her tactical ops vest less than five minutes after that. When I told her she could just leave it on the ground rather than carry it, she eyed me with amazement and suspicion. She could just¡­ what?


    I gestured to the area around us. ¡°There¡¯s literally no one around us. Nobody¡¯s going to take your stuff.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ spooky,¡± she said.


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°Where are they all, and why did they abandon this part?¡± she asked.


    ¡°For some reason, the Nakamamon from other this area felt the need to leave.¡±


    I spotted two figures in the shadow of a house, engaged in some rhythmic contortions. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle¡­ most likely some horny teenagers getting away from their parents¡¯ overbearing rules and taking advantage of some privacy to get their freak on.


    In the area affected by a sick or dead god.


    I shrugged. Not my circus and not my monkeys.


    ¡°What happens to them?¡±


    ¡°Not sure, but hopefully nothing,¡± I said. Hopefully they¡¯d just smash and then get back to safety. So far, malfunctioning gods hadn¡¯t been directly responsible for any deaths.


    Another pair we found a few houses later was also standing in the shadows, but they weren¡¯t playing hide the sausage. These two were standing and holding hands, discussing something in low tones.


    ¡°Okay that¡¯s a little strange.¡±


    The couple spotted us and went deeper into the shadows, then disappeared into a side alley.


    Jacoby froze. ¡°There¡¯s something around the corner. I can hear it.¡± She blushed, her pale Asian skin going bright red. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Engaged in acts most carnal?¡±


    She regarded me, breathing heavily.


    This could be a situation involving the god that had empowered me. The Lovers.


    She stopped. ¡°They¡­ stopped.¡± I could hear a furious argument a little ways away, shouts and shrieks of betrayal stuffing up the stillness.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go ahead and say the situation we¡¯re looking at here is a mental one¡­ I mean first a divine ailment, where the god might be dead and we need to resurrect it, but then a mental ailment, where we need to set the god¡¯s mind right. That¡¯ll fix whatever is making these people pound each other relentlessly.¡±


    After dealing with the fighting aspect problem.


    Jacoby was staring at me oddly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t make the rules,¡± I said. ¡°We just dealt with a similar thing back in Slinktrickle. Stole everybody¡¯s clothes.¡±


    Her eyes got real wide.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re wearing the gift of a god that died, we brought back to life, then healed up.¡±


    She looked down at the windbreaker, a stylish thing in geometric blocks of different color: forest green, a mid-tone greenish gray, and a darker greenish gray. Turtle gray, is a good way to describe it. She hadn¡¯t zipped it up, but had her hands jammed into the pockets, like it would help keep the contagion from infecting her.


    Since Jacoby had stripped off the tac vest, I could make out the black tank top underneath, and the way her small breasts were pushed up and together into a modest cleavage.


    I then caught myself looking at about the same time as she looked up and caught me.


    The first thing I did was make sure she wasn¡¯t going to start getting symptoms and fall victim to the divine contagion. Getting a read on her Durability check situation, I found that she had a little over an hour. It would be enough time to head in, assess the situation, and get out. I offered up Healer¡¯s Resistance. It would allow her to extend her immunity from the divine effect by a lot. Whatever mental affliction these people had, it wasn¡¯t something she wanted.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen houses like this,¡± she said in awe.


    Just like in Glumpdumpkin, these houses were all¡­ unique. Bizarre.


    The crystal one was the oddest, because it was overgrown. It was a squat structure of maybe twenty feet high, forty feet wide and possibly fifty feet deep. Now it was nearly thirty feet high, and had expanded outwards with a crystal spike to pierce the house next door. Someone clearly needed to come back home and¡­ trim their house I guess.


    There were other examples of weirdness, but we couldn¡¯t investigate.


    With my Ingenuity raised up this high, I noted an increase in my ability to memorize things. It hadn¡¯t been hard to see the map of the town, glance up at the town itself, and know exactly where I was going. The small fountain roundabout that served as a well was just there, the crystal house that was eating up the next door neighbors¡¯ house was there, and that meant one street and three houses that way was the hidden portion of the god. Simple. A ten minute walk.


    ¡°How do you want to handle this?¡±


    Jacoby shrugged in the Prismatic Apparel. She was still complaining about the heat, and in my periphery I got flashes of her trim stomach. ¡°I¡¯ll put the Wizards on a circle of divine protection, and we¡¯ll set up camp here, so you can study this in your off hours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°The moment we¡¯re done with these other five fighters, we¡¯ll be out of here, you understand?¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± I said, and gestured to the district around me.


    She didn¡¯t like this, and it was pretty easy to see why. She¡¯d been very mission-focused ever since I met her, and this was a hundred percent not her mission.


    It was either her people becoming my new Divinity Rescue Corps or trying to handle it with only Regina, Alan, Larelle and Chrysta. I thought it over while she did the same.


    ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll help you with this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡±


    She regarded me silently for some time, and we reached the end of the affected area. The house at the end of the block here was smaller than I expected, with only six feet of clearance. Jacoby was tall enough in her combat boots to scrape her head on the ceiling.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get you,¡± she said.


    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I expected some BS, but you¡¯re exactly who you appear to be. This¡­ earnestness. It¡¯s very odd.¡± When I looked the next question at her, she went on. ¡°People aren¡¯t who they claim to be, Fletcher. Women put on a mask, men put on a mask. They pretend to be what you want so they can lure you into situations. And they take what they want, get you into position, and then they drop the act. You see who they really are, and it¡¯s not who you fell¡­ it¡¯s not who you thought.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°But that ability you have, it showed me all about you, who you are. You¡¯re really this¡­ person.¡±


    ¡°Yeeeeeaaaaahhhh?¡± I asked. ¡°Clearly.¡±


    ¡°Not clearly!¡± she said. ¡°Guys just want something. They¡¯re controlling douchebags, or manipulative scumbags.¡± And dirtbags, sleazebags, and maybe even fleabags.


    ¡°Fair,¡± I said.


    ¡°And wider than that, everyone has an agenda they push. They could push that agenda with subtlety or out in the open. They could orchestrate their agenda. I¡¯m working for someone who has plans and ambitions. But then this magic ability showed me your fracking soul. A guy who¡¯s good and fair and has a big¡­ uh¡­ anyway, then I go and find out you¡¯re involved already. You¡¯re¡­ taken.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, I¡¯m not taken. I have a bond mate, who happens to enjoy the mating process, kind of a lot actually. She knows and fully accepts the idea that I will both be with other women, and eventually want to mate with other women in the, uh, baby making sense.¡± As soon as Jacoby¡¯s eyes lit up, I held up my hands to stop that train of thought. ¡°I have¡­ other companions too.¡±


    It would be wise to leave out the two bondmates situation for the time being. There was no telling what would cause a girl like Jacoby to arrest me and bring me back to the HQ. Just telling her about


    ¡°I thought you could only bond one Nakamamon,¡± she said, blinking in confusion, and that spark of ambition was there too. Her own ambitions included, that I knew of, to put in a good report with the Agency. She needed me for that. Meaning that in the next few days, I needed to make the best impression possible, and persuade her to let me go. If I couldn¡¯t do that, I would be forced to persuade her team to mutiny.


    And if I couldn¡¯t do that¡­ I¡¯d figure something out.


    ¡°I was under that impression too,¡± I said, ¡°but I was talking about human, uh, partners.¡± There was definitely no reason to give her any more reasons to turn me in to the authorities, such as my ability to bond more than one Nakamamon at a time.


    ¡°. As in¡­ plural.¡° She ruminated over this for some time, which gave me the opportunity to pinpoint the source of the divine weirdness. I entered this very small house, lit by small floating glob¡­ sconces. Heading through this small and difficult to cross secret passage brought me into another realm entirely.


    This district of Flunt-on-the-Rustle arrayed with a curious pizza configuration that took me a minute to get. The three main streets that created the six pizza slices of this area ran literally around the whole inside of the sphere. You could walk the entire circumference of the town and be right back where you started. I grinned and blinked away the thought.


    The overwhelming lust of this place was tickling at the back of my mind. Luckily, the effect faded at the borderline, where the townsfolk here watched us with silent and interested gazes. I could just about sense them asking questions about our purpose here. And why, pray tell, were we not stripping out of our clothes and going at one another like rabbits¡­ or dancing away from the lust zone and laughing nervously at the near miss. A few of the younger-looking Nakamamon had been doing that when we showed up. So blocks in this district made no sense. The pointy bit closes to the crossroads could be a big wedge, or a small flatiron building.


    We mapped the whole of the affected area by walking on its edge, which took us only about an hour. For me, sensing the divine with my Mana Affinity skill and my Affinity attribute was becoming much more comfortable, and Eagle Eyed helped. Jacoby didn¡¯t fare as well, though she did have boosted regular senses.


    The area was heavier on one side than the other. And I was almost certain this was The Lovers.


    ¡°You don¡¯t¡­ what is that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That,¡± I told her, looking at the glow emanating from the middle of a house¡¯s yard, ¡°is a god.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you anywhere near it,¡± she said.


    ¡°Understandable,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to heal it eventually.¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± she repeated. ¡°For now though we focus on the job at hand. But I need your recommendation on a site for our headquarters, since the townsfolk have already evacuated and are sharing quarters. Can we commandeer some of this space using a spell?


    I thought we could. If the Wizards could put up one of their big circles of protection, they could probably do most of the drawing with Prismatic Apparel on. Just like they¡¯d done with the sounds of the captive animals or keeping out the pests from the swamp, I knew they could handle keeping divine interference out.


    Jacoby agreed, and though the head Wizard would later frown over the idea, he would nod in agreement. Pushing out an affect that was already in existence was more difficult than keeping something out of a circle that you¡¯d already made, once it tried to get in, but more difficult didn¡¯t mean impossible. Eventually he would take up my divine gift to give him Divine Resistance, and set about the task of drawing a circle so large it could accommodate half a dozen tents for two, the cages for the affected Nakamamon, and a space for me to work. It would¡¯ve felt cramped, but luckily he was drawing this circle around an already existing series of buildings. They would play host to Jacoby¡¯s team, with plenty of room for the different teams: the Guardians, the Wizards, the support staff (Oz and Savannah) and even a small house reserved just for Jacoby. Finally, I¡¯d get my own place, where they¡¯d draw up and cast another protection circle to keep the sound of the four remaining Nakamamon from driving me out of my mind. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They¡¯d end up giving me the largest building in the area, a large treehouse some fifty feet across and several stories tall. A staircase directly molded out of the trunk led up to the living room and kitchen area, with attached small dining room, before other twisting staircases provided a way to bedrooms, closets, and bathrooms. They hadn¡¯t been carved out of the heartwood, but rather the heartwood stood in the center, with the room ballooned around it. Without any interior decoration, the plant aspect who¡¯d lived here grew out the rooms, then smoothed the bark on the inside of the walls and floor. Leaves sprouted from the window sills. The stairs were left rougher for traction.


    My life was so weird, I didn¡¯t even question it. Yep, house that¡¯s a tree.


    That was still some time in the future though. For now, Jacoby had me to herself, and walked beside me clutching one arm behind her back at the elbow. It thrust out her small breasts, and I wondered how intentional that was.


    ¡°You know¡­¡± Jacoby said, as if testing out an idea.


    She stopped when we came upon a young Nakamamon. Very young. This looked like a Cyclowl but smaller. Where the Cyclowl had been maybe two feet high, this wee baby owl was no bigger than six inches. Identify did the job.


    ¡°That,¡± Jacoby said, ¡°is freaking adorable.¡±


    ¡°And in danger.¡± The seductive influence of divinity wasn¡¯t meant for a creature this young and not yet ready for sexual maturity. I didn¡¯t know what would happen if it remained in this charged atmosphere, but I wouldn¡¯t have to find out. ¡°Okay little one¡­ we¡¯re going to get you out of here.¡±


    It was cold, but I only realized how cold when I went to pick it up and my hands nearly froze solid. The cold damage was intense.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± I told it with as soothing a voice as I could muster. ¡°I know you¡¯re scared, but you¡¯re going to be fine.¡±


    I spent the Durability Token for Healer¡¯s Resistance.


    Despite taking only ten percent of the damage, it had already damaged me for nearly a quarter of my overall HP with a cold attack.. And despite the damage, the frigid owl in my hands was very uncomfortable. I spent no time holding it, but trotted closer to the safe zone.


    Then I flung the little cutie pie after only holding it for ten seconds. Ten very long seconds.


    ¡°Did you just¡­ throw a baby?¡± Jacoby asked, with what I felt like was the appropriate amount of amusement.


    I snorted laughter. ¡°Had to be done. It¡¯ll be find outside the affected area, and it can fly.¡±


    ¡°So you throwing it had nothing to do with the frostbite you almost got in your fingers?¡± She asked with an eyebrow arched.


    I snorted laughter. ¡°Too much exposure to these kinds of situations and you end up with divinity poisoning. Just don¡¯t phrase it like that and we¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯re supposed to throw birds.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Divinity poisoning? I don¡¯t want to know what that looks like, though I would hazard a guess that you have contracted it no less than three times.¡±


    We walked on in silence a little while, with her periodically glancing my way. She¡¯d been on the cusp of saying something personal before the appearance of the Snowlet. We¡¯d done our circuit of the neighborhood and were essentially done.


    I surveyed the homes and appreciated the weirdness, while tracking Jacoby¡¯s thought process and facial expressions in my periphery. Finally, biting her lip, she spoke up.


    ¡°You allowed me a glimpse into your very soul, Expedition Leader.¡±


    ¡°So I did.¡±


    ¡°We are in a divinely influenced, deserted section of town together,¡± she said.


    ¡°So we are.¡±


    She stepped even closer. ¡°I think you showed me your innermost self for a reason,¡± she said.


    ¡°So I did.¡± Several reasons actually, but who was counting?


    She kept advancing, until we were inside kissing distance. Her chest was less than an inch from mine, and my chin hovered over her shoulder. Her chin was touching my shoulder, given she was shorter than me. The next words were very quiet. ¡°I find you quite attractive, Expedition Leader.¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence,¡± I told her in much the same hushed tone. ¡°I find you very attractive as well, Expedition Leader. May I call you Esmerelda?¡±


    Her volume dropped until the breathy whisper that emerged was barely audible, even though her cheek was close enough to my ear that the tiny hairs felt her. ¡°I want to fuck you, Fletcher.¡±


    Her breasts were now pressed against my chest, and the erection now painfully tenting my pants was pressed awkwardly just above her mound.


    ¡°I want to pull out your cock and suck on it until you beg me to let you cum,¡± she continued. Her voice continued to come out shaky. ¡°I want to push you down on your back and tie your wrists to the bedposts, then slide my tiny little Asian pussy up and down your shaft until you¡¯re leaking precum and crying because your dick is moments from release. And every time you get there, I clamp my hand around it to stop you.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh,¡± I said. The intensity to this fantasy wasn¡¯t like any of the girls I¡¯d been with.


    ¡°I edge you for . Literal hours. And when you finally blast off, it¡¯s the hardest orgasm of your life, and you paint the ceiling.¡± She rocked forward and pressed herself against my bulge, which definitely needed adjusting. ¡°I¡¯m pretty proud of my ass, Fletcher. I¡¯ll make you watch me mount you, reverse cowgirl, and you get a show like you¡¯ve never had before. You get to see every bit of you slide up inside me over and over again. It¡¯ll be magic¡­ the disappearing reappearing cock trick. And I know you¡¯re an ass man, so you get to see my ass flex with every bounce.


    ¡°If you cum inside me,¡± she promised, ¡°I climb off you and leak it right into your mouth as a punishment.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯d better not cum until I say so. Jacoby needs a lot of orgasms to tide her over.¡±


    ¡°Do I get to play with your clit while you ride me?¡± I breathed.


    ¡°If you¡¯re a good boy,¡± she teased. I was glad to hear a smile in her voice there, through the oozing lust and the darker undertones of domination she was throwing around. ¡°Maybe I unlock the handcuffs and you get one hand free.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take what I can get.¡± Gods but I wanted to shift and get my cock into a more comfortable position, but the magic would be completely shattered. I guess this was already the first step of the journey of suffering for pleasure that Jacoby wanted to introduce me to.


    ¡°You can play with my nipples while I fuck you,¡± she went on. ¡°I have very sensitive nipples. I can get myself off by going without a bra and rubbing my favorite cashmere sweater over them for a couple of hours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so hot,¡± I said.


    ¡°Can I confess something?¡± she asked, back in that barely audible breathy whisper. Could she confess something? Beyond wanting to tie me up and fuck me for the better part of a full day?


    ¡°Be my guest,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not wearing a bra now¡­ I¡¯ve been rubbing them against this tank top the whole time we¡¯ve been together. It made me so horny I can hardly stand it.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I told her, ¡°You¡¯ve been edging me for hours, you made me splatter the ceiling, and then you got me hard again so you could ride me reverse cowgirl.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t cum as fast the second time,¡± she said.


    ¡°Of course. I just wonder when you¡¯re going to allow yourself to have some pleasure.¡±


    ¡°I forgot,¡± she told me, and slowly drew herself up onto her tiptoes to grind her pussy against my pants-covered bulge at a better angle. ¡°I sat on your face while I was edging you, and forced you to use that tongue to work my clit.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    ¡°Then I kept you riled up with one hand while I put my nipples up to your mouth.¡±


    I leaned forward now, and swayed side to side just a bit. The fabric of her tank top and the windbreaker moving against those hyper sensitive nipples for real.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been cumming the whole time,¡± she moaned.


    ¡°And playing with your own nipples when we finally get to the reverse cowgirl.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said, voice strained, before I felt the orgasm hit her. The tension she¡¯d had built up suddenly drained out of her and she jumped and shuddered. It was a minute before she picked her chin up off my shoulder.


    ¡°That was hot,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not done fucking you,¡± she said. ¡°Where were we?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ you had edged me for hours, made me eat you out, let me lick your nipples, finally let me cum, and then you were in the middle of sliding up and down my pole reverse cowgirl because you know I¡¯m a butt guy.¡±


    ¡°Aaaaannnnd,¡± she drew out the word with a hissed breath. ¡°You get to see my asshole the whole time. Maybe I tell you to put your thumb up there. And maybe, if you¡¯re good, one day I push that gigantic tool of yours all the way up into my guts.¡±


    She took a deep, shuddering breath, like she¡¯d just brought herself to yet another climax by giving voice to her fantasy.


    ¡°Would you stop me?¡± she asked in a small voice.


    Here was the breaking point. Here is where I needed to be careful. Jacoby had been someone else¡¯s property, she¡¯d been controlled and demeaned by others for her whole life. If I said the wrong thing, she¡¯d bolt and never look at me or speak to me again.


    ¡°The only thing stopping you from doing it now,¡± I breathed, ¡°is that you¡¯ll contract divinity poisoning.¡±


    She drew back, frowning, and concentration filled her face. Accessing the UI, she found the countdown timer until she would run out of Divine Resistance and get whatever these people had.


    ¡°Sheep dip,¡± she said, deflating a bit but with a satisfied smile.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find the time,¡± I told her, ¡°if you still want to.¡±


    ¡°More than ever,¡± she said, froze staring at me, then darted forward and kissed me.


    This is Christopher about to have serious blue balls.

 156- Two of Six

    It didn¡¯t take long for me to get the operation back up and running. I still had plenty of glycerine for the salve, and if possible I could use the same batch on another one of the afflicted.


    Creating this series of cures wasn¡¯t going to be an action-packed finale to a blockbuster adventure¡­ being a healer was slow, methodical, tedious, tiresome, and sometimes a bit frustrating. And that was okay, because in the end I got to help people. Save people. It wasn¡¯t the dramatic sort of saving most people though of when the beautiful person in danger breathlessly went ¡®you¡¯ve saved me¡¯ but it was just as rewarding¡­ without putting myself in the line of fire.


    The other five were not the same type of creature as the Vulpetunia. They had captured one Geodile, which was larger than the Vulpetunia. This bad boy appeared to be a crocodile but with six stumpy legs, and in place of little spikes that crocs had tipping their scales, this one had chips of crystal. It also had bits of crystal in place of teeth, in lots of different colors. The massive body was not composed of stone, but had a chameleon¡¯s ability to alter its skin color to match the color of rock. This one was, for the moment, slate gray like the cage that held it.


    The other four Nakamamon infected included one that looked just like a pygmy elephant that burned with ashy smoke from various holes in its trunk, and where its tusks ought to have been. And by pygmy I meant somewhere in the realm of six and a half or seven feet tall. It was ashy gray with great big splotches of shifting magma and lava colors, like a cow. Jocinda and Claudius had named it the Hellephant.


    The Shrubbit I already knew: a large hare with camouflage for a bush on its enormous ears. Next was a wolf with a green pelt called a Fenrish. The write-up in my Nakamadex told me that this thing liked to hang out in marshes, fens and swamps, where it used a powerful tail to swim, or knock projectiles at prey. After the Fenrish was a thing called an Invineity. The Wizards and Guardians had to prune it all the time and make sure the wards didn¡¯t allow it to expand outside the bars, because this thing was like the evil version of the Shrubber-Nee! It could grow its own food using photosynthesis, but it would happily tangle up and eat anything that fell asleep or died in its vines.


    It was first on my list to heal up.


    Lucky for me, the Fenrish and the Invineity were both about the Vulpetunia¡¯s size, and were also only plant aspects. The Shrubbit was smaller, and the Geodile¡­ was going to have to be last.


    It would require a more concentrated version of the henge sage, like the morpheus sage, and it would need a larger dose. Along with the henge sage, I replanted the morpheus sage but skipped the passion sage. All the other goodies got planted alongside them: the unchanged lotus flowers, the plain old bamboo, and all the other flowers and herbs I¡¯d collected up and brought with me.


    First things first: it was time to do some hardcore gardening.


    Now I added the hardwood trees I had at my disposal, the black cherry, and got out some of the seeds I¡¯d brought along with me from earth.


    ¡°This is going to be awesome.¡±


    Vellenia peeked out over my shoulder and as soon as I explained what I was doing, exploded with cheer and excitement. Trees were the best, because over the course of 24 hours, they would go from seeds into fully matured trees. Unlike the herbs and flowers, you could sit and watch them grow right before your eyes. Now here I was with lemon seeds, apple seeds, orange and watermelon, sunflowers, and all kinds of others. I¡¯d been eating every fruit I could find on earth: kiwis, star fruit, bananas, passion fruit, dragonfruit, and more. Lychees? No idea what those were, but I was about to grow some. I¡¯d brought seed packets with all kinds of blends. I¡¯d even asked the Agency to get me access to the seed vaults that existed in various places in the country, to give me more!


    I was about two hours into planting when I¡¯d attracted a crowd. Oz and Savannah were both out and doing their respective jobs in town, and several of the Wizards were setting up their own lanes and studies and research stations. The others were here, along with all of the Guardians.


    ¡°What¡­ is happening right now?¡± The lead Guardian asked.


    ¡°Do you really require this much space?¡± The lead Wizard asked. This wasn¡¯t Wayne, unfortunately. I found Wayne to be quite agreeable. Wayne had been tasked with helping me with anything I needed, within reason, so right now he was etching the names of plants into a small hunk of wood or clay and burning the clay until it was fired. He then stuck these in the ground and made a map of my garden.


    ¡°You guys want fresh produce, right?¡± I asked.


    They all turned to regard the supernaturally fast growing plants in a new light.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve got every fruit you¡¯ve ever heard of, and some you haven¡¯t. The black cherries won¡¯t really be for human consumption, but I¡¯ve got berry bushes that will take a few days to get enough for everybody. They¡¯re exponential growers.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­ berry bushes? What kind of berry bushes?¡±


    ¡°All of them.¡±


    Work continued. I found a simple joy in planting and taking care of my garden. It was enhanced by whatever Healer magic empowered Verdant Rejuvenation. I still had to do some work, in planting and watering them throughout the day, but I could go hours without watering or tending and all would be well. Experiments told me I needed to spend some time with each plant once every four hours or so, until the twenty-four hours was up. They then became their regular selves and didn¡¯t require more.


    You would be astonished to watch banana plants grow in hyper fast motion. Or an apple tree, or that matter. It was even more fun watching pecan and cashew trees grow right next to a watermelon vine.


    My new girl twined around my legs and butted her head against my side at every opportunity, getting me well and truly pollinated. She liked her flower-covered ears scratched, and her tails stroked. I asked Vellenia to take over both gardening and tail stroking detail.


    I wasn¡¯t able to watch my plants grow magically fast or pet my new gorgeous fox pet, but instead had to administer the salve to my subjects. After some debate, we settled on the Invineity first. As much as I didn¡¯t want a fighting wolf, I wanted an infinitely growing vine that wanted to punch your lights out even less.


    Once Jacoby was informed that I was ready to proceed, she came out to supervise its pruning, removal from the cage, and holding down. The magic-infused cage messed with my perception, while it slowed the feral vine from growing out of control.


    ¡°Okay then,¡± I muttered. ¡°Where your chakras at, you weird plant monster?¡±


    It turned out I needed an Ingenuity check with Administer Cure to figure out what to do.


    I groaned. 19 skill levels and a difficulty of 11. Spending 6 Tokens might do it¡­ I might be able to hit 9 successes on 19 skill levels. Hedging my bets would take 9 Tokens instead, which was only 2 Tokens off a free success anyway.


    Hard choices¡­ in the end I decided to spend the 6 Tokens. I still had four creatures to try and save and very limited time.


    I spat curses. I¡¯d only gotten 8 of the 9 necessary successes on my 19 skill levels. These things happened. They actually provided more experience points than constantly succeeding, which was nice. The UI went on to explain that the salve I¡¯d made up was for a beast rather than a plant aspect. Which I¡¯d known¡­ but I¡¯d been hopeful that the salve would work for both Nakamamon. It was now clear it wouldn¡¯t have worked if I had known where its chakras and mana channels were located, which I did not. Through my failure though, I did well enough to ascertain that the creature had nine chakra points.


    It had a weirdly distributed system of mana channels, just like an octopus, with one in the center and one in each main branch arm. They originated at a single central point, where the beak was.


    ¡°Welp. Apparently it¡¯s got a beak,¡± I told no one in particular.


    We did the Fenrish instead. Although it was larger than the Vulpetunia, the green wolf was also a beast aspect, so the salve should work. Not so for the Shrubbit, since it was classed as Small rather than Medium. I¡¯d try it after the Fenrish but I had my doubts.


    The Administer Cure check for the Fenrish was much better, being only a difficulty of 7, and being tied to Affinity. Although I¡¯d spent all my Affinity, this also allowed me to use my Mana Affinity skill of 4, giving me a total of 23 skill levels. I ended up passing with 10 successes. My luck was not amazing today.


    The only hitch came when the Fenrish, salved on four of its five chakra points, transformed into a series of vines and wrapped up the Guardian leader, looking like something out of a Japanese hentai. It encircled his arms at the shoulder, at the elbow, the wrist, and had a large tendril wrapped around his neck. As he struggled, all hell broke loose among the other Guardians. A small electric zap from Wayne got it to loosen its grip, and after it fell in a boneless heap, it reformed back into its original wolfy self.


    ¡°Nice,¡± I said, while the rest of the Guardians stared in wonder at the thin Wizard.


    It was only a small matter of the Guardians pouncing on it and holding its tail so I could smear the salve on the space between its butt and its non-existent sex organs.


    I ignored the congratulations message and slumped back on the grass of the nearest yard. It was now up to Jacoby¡¯s people to get the Fenrish to the exit hole and out into the wild.


    ¡°Just make sure it¡¯s kept away from the other fighting aspects.¡±


    They assured me they would.


    By late into the night, the Wizards had the circle of protection completed. It was some two hundred feet across, and infused with anti-divinity magic. We were taking over a large chunk of the town that was affected by whatever got was malfunctioning.


    Vellenia joined me at the place I¡¯d been given, an abandoned house made of wood.


    ¡°You¡¯d think this would be normal,¡± I said, tracing my fingers over the wooden wall, ¡°but it keeps being so weird.¡±


    ¡°Are houses not built from wood on earth?¡±


    Using Psyspeech, I was able to project to her an image of what ¡®a house made of wood¡¯ meant. I had to use a quick mental video of a house being built, insulated, wired, drywall installed, and finally wallpaper or paint. Her mouth slowly dropped open.


    The house around us had literally been grown out of the ground, and so it was like someone had made a tree in the shape of a house. A thin, silvery bark ran over every surface. On the outside of the house, small twigs were allowed to grow out and bloom into a permanent early spring. Either that or this house sometimes dropped all its leaves. Anything was possible.


    A staircase made of the same wood wound around the one side and up to a second floor that consisted of two small bedrooms.


    ¡°This is technically home invasion,¡± I said, frowning. I couldn¡¯t deny that spending time in actual doors was much better than being in a tent, where every gust of wind, drop of rain, bird and insect noise was just a thin strip of fabric away.


    ¡°The beds¡­ are not big enough,¡± she said. After spending some time stacking one very short bed onto the other very short bed, we set up sleeping bags on the bare bedroom floor and made it feel at least a little homey. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°You know,¡± she said, drawing close, ¡°we had a long day. I will help you relax¡­¡±


    A tiny flash of light sped in through the window and made a squiggly afterimage in front of my eyes. Soon it resolved into the tiny form of Poppy.


    ¡°Come on,¡± I told the fairy. ¡°Enough.¡±


    Still, the little monster shook her finger at me, clearly yelling at the top of her lungs, but all I heard was a tinny little squeak at one point. She kept this up for a minute, which was enough to annoy me.


    It was one thing to want something, and to be sad when you couldn¡¯t get it. I could understand her frustration and feeling of being left out. That said, we¡¯d just had sex the other day.


    It was another thing entirely to sabotage my enjoyment with my bond mate. She had gotten in the way of Cinzy enjoying herself before. She had been insistent, even pushy in the pursuit of getting what she wanted. This was the only time when I regretted not going after that other class evolution which let me dominate and control the girls.


    ¡°We are going to have a talk,¡± I told her. ¡°The way you¡¯re going about this is completely unacceptable. Shakindria is somewhere out there, along with Regina, completely unable to be with me. Your bond mate is in another world, and hasn¡¯t been able to enjoy any bedroom time with me for weeks. Tara also. And while Ivy and Isabelle have each other, Ivy has made it well known that she needs a little something extra, and that¡¯s something I can¡¯t currently provide. So comparing them to you, you¡¯re more than spoiled, all right?¡±


    Poppy, hovering in front of my face, gestured over at Vellenia, then back down the other way, then Vellenia, mimicking hip thrusts and adding in her own spanking gestures. Another gesture at Vellenia, then her hovering in a bent over doggystyle position, followed closely by more hip thrusting and humping gestures.


    ¡°Oh dear,¡± I said sarcastically, ¡°it sure is too bad that I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. How terrible.¡±


    Her hands flew up and out, then balled into fists. With my Eagle Eyed ability from Tara, I could see a whole lot that was happening in great detail. Certainly much better than my plain old human eyes. She started counting on her fingers, then jabbing one finger down into her open hand again and again, furious.


    On one hand, I got it. Vellenia and I were able to have a ton of sex pretty much every night. Poppy could count on her fingers the number of times she and I had been together.


    My patience with the little fairy was running thin, though. She didn¡¯t know that I could bring Vellenia and her into the bedroom at the same time, using my Pleasure Seeker abilities as they were. Instead, she was going to have to learn.


    This is Christopher about to use pleasure as a teaching tool.

 157- Luminixie -> Mystixie

    Fairy Poppins didn¡¯t enjoy being spanked at all. I kept one finger idly rubbing over her slit in between hard slaps to the bottom.


    ¡°St¡ª¡± she almost said for about the tenth time. Another spank interrupted her, and sent her yowling in pain again. Fairy dust puffed out of her hair and wings at each body-vibrating strike.


    ¡°You can either keep tally, or stop talking all together,¡± I told her.


    All around us was the plaid interior of the sleeping bag, the wrinkles looking like they were a foot high, the room around us feeling like it was the size of a skyscraper. As usual, as soon as I¡¯d whipped it out of my pants, Poppy went straight for my dick and engaged both Pheromones and Adaptability, shrinking me down and enlarging herself until we were both about eight inches tall. She didn¡¯t like what came next: me wrenching off her leaf skirt and bending her over my lap.


    ¡°You have been a brat, and you¡¯ve been insufferable on top of that,¡± I hissed through clenched teeth. ¡°All you have to do is apologize, or not speak at all, and this can stop.¡± And, as had happened the first eight or ten times, she started to protest. At which point I brought my hand down.


    Above us, Vellenia stared at us, Kaiju huge with her big inquisitive eyes while I held the struggling fairy down and gave her spank after spank. With Psyspeech I told her she could join in the punishment using my Group Play skill. It would allow me to project Adaptability out to a consenting romantic partner within eight feet, even if I wasn¡¯t presently engaged with them. Vellenia had slowly shaken her head, and I¡¯d gone back to the punishment.


    In my lap, Poppy squirmed against my thumb, which ran up the length of her slit and back down, slowly. Too slowly to get her off. The enhanced pleasure only did so much, and my new skill Seduction told me how close she was to orgasm. Right now, far off. The dark part of me that enjoyed tormenting Chrysta had returned and was enjoying the Seduction skill¡¯s effects. I could, and would, edge Poppy just below the point of climax for as long as this needed to take.


    ¡°That hurts-uh!¡± Poppy cried, sounding like a petulant teenager.


    I chose a spot that wasn¡¯t too red and brought my hand back down again.


    ¡°Ow-uh!¡± she whined. ¡°Sto¡ª¡±


    Every time she started to say the word ¡®stop¡¯ I went back in with another smack.


    ¡°You don¡¯t tell me what to do,¡± I growled, thumb gliding up and down her slit. ¡°That is not something you get to do. Now tell me you understand and this can end.¡± I paused over the hood of her clit and gently rubbed around it. Her pussy immediately got wet and she moaned.


    ¡°You promised,¡± she whined again. ¡°You promised to fuck me.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± I said, ¡°but not now, and not like this.¡± My thumb slipped into her, just a tad, and emerged soaked with her juices and the sparkling fairy dust. The effect was to make me hard.


    ¡°You will. You will fuck me! Right now!¡±


    This time I aimed for an already red spot and she squirmed, hard.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± I told her, which was half a lie. I was rock hard by this point, poking her in the stomach where she lay across my lap.


    ¡°Stooooooo¡ª¡±


    As she cried out, I resumed stroking her, feeling her spread her thighs and push her ass back against my roaming fingers. The fairy dust was a great indicator of how aroused she¡¯d gotten. The sparkles were stuck to the insides of her thighs, and a few were now on my shrunken pants.


    ¡°You sure are lucky you can fly,¡± I commented lightly, ¡°because you won¡¯t be sitting anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Fletcherrrrrrrr,¡± she whined yet again. ¡°Fuck meeeeee. I know you want to.¡±


    I spanked her again, and when she asked me to stop, again. And when she wriggled too much, again.


    The fairy dust spread with her juices, out in a puddle. The pussy stroking was working, despite the pain. She grew more and more aroused as time went on, since my clit stroking was spot on, and my thumb kept slipping up inside her. Now when I spanked her, the Seduction skill told me her lust was growing even higher. The fairy dust trail stuck to her was halfway down the insides of her thighs, and spattered liberally all over her backside and lower back from the spanks.


    ¡°I know you want it,¡± she whined. ¡°You want to fuck me just like I want to be fucked. I¡¯ll do whatever you want. I¡¯ll bend over and stick my poor little pussy up in the air. I¡¯ll put my feet behind my head. I¡¯ll suck your big old cock all the way down my teensy little fairy throat and stare into your eyes while you choke me with it. You want to stick that big, fat, meaty¡ª¡° ¡°Ow-uh! Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not fracking you today,¡± I told her calmly. My cock protested these words. It wanted sex, a lot. My cock did not discriminate. It would fuck the center of that vine creature if that¡¯s what it took right this moment. This actually triggered a Stave Off check using my Durability, which was concerning. I wasn¡¯t about to let this miscreant win.


    I spanked her again, and again, and again. She was beginning to enjoy the spankings, it seemed. She ratcheted up closer to an orgasm with each spank and stroke in between.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t going to happen,¡± I told her again. Had she sensed I was slipping? There was a puddle of her arousal on my pant leg now and my cock was throbbing fiercely.


    ¡°Just fuck meeeeee ow!¡± The slap of flesh on flesh was harder this time, and I didn¡¯t follow it up with any pussy stroking.


    ¡°Fletcher,¡± she whined, trying to crane her neck to look back at me. ¡°I know you want to f¡ª oww-uh, you jerk! You¡¯re hurting me!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how many spanks it takes to shut you up and make you listen for once,¡± I said.


    ¡°Just shove your cock down my throat and I¡¯ll shut OWW!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re done here,¡± I said, and began to rise.


    She must have sensed that I was completely done with her bullshirt. She also knew that if we didn¡¯t have physical contact and more importantly sexual physical contact, I would grow to regular size, and she would shrink to her regular size. No more talking at that point.


    So she got up on her knees and clutched at my pants.


    ¡°Please!¡± She begged. ¡°Please, I¡¯ll be good. You can do whatever you want to me and I¡¯ll be good.¡± She wiped away tears that had brimmed at the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°Not possible,¡± I said.


    ¡°You can fuck my ass, as hard as you want. You can shoot all over me. You can, uh, you can grow back to regular size and shoot off all over me.¡± That would practically drown her in my seed. Jeez, that was twisted to think about¡­ and arousing. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The UI forced another Stave Off check using my Durability, and I barely passed the higher difficulty this time. I barely had the self control to stop myself from ramming myself into this demanding crybaby, riding her hard, and filling her up completely.


    I spanked her again and again, while she whined and squirmed.


    ¡°Submit,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°No! St¡ª ow!¡±


    ¡°Submit, or this is the last time I touch you.¡±


    She was panting, and started muttering ¡®fuckme fuckme fuckme¡¯ over and over under her breath. The writhing on my lap and the desperate attempts to put herself back in my hands all failed. Instead she turned wild eyes my way, hair plastered to her forehead.


    The words came out in a frenzied rush. ¡°I need it Fletcher you need to give it to me I¡¯ll do anything I just need it I need it you have to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Submit,¡± I repeated.


    Finally, after all that time, looking like a woman possessed, the little fairy seemed to deflate like a balloon with the air slowly let out. She sagged against my legs and just hung there. For my part, I stroked her backside with my fingertips in a slow, lazy, circular motion. Her lips continued moving but no sound came out.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Fine,¡± she said louder.


    ¡°Fine what?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡­ demand anything. Even though I want it and need it and you never give it to me even though the others get it all the time.¡±


    One last smack seemed extraordinarily loud in the silence.


    Tears finally spilled over. ¡°Whyyyyy?¡±


    ¡°Promise,¡± I said. She did, immediately. ¡°And promise me that when Cinzy gets back you¡¯re going to leave her to her own decisions and not force her to do anything.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I pulled my hand up off her ass, and she winced. ¡°I said fine! It¡¯s fine! I promise. I won¡¯t!¡±


    I followed this up with several rapid fire, punishing orgasms. With the way she was riled up, it took no time at all to slip one thumb up into her and massage her clit with just my fingers. She¡¯d already leaked all over me, and gotten sparkling fairy dust mixed with arousal all over the place. I added the Token to this to enhance our pleasure, but my special abilities were also working on the both of us.


    She shrieked and came, grabbing onto my leg and lifting herself up. Staring at the sky, she shook and squealed, and soon gushed even more fluid out in a torrent. When her orgasm began to subside, according to the Seduction skill, I pressed the attack again, stroking around her clit and pressing down against the one spot that really did it for her.


    ¡°St¡­ st¡­ stop! Fl-Fletcher!¡±


    This time, with my other hand, I caressed her wings like she¡¯d asked for the first time, pulling slightly as I went.


    She went wild. A tinny scream came out of her but was quickly choked off. Her whole body convulse and her arms failed to hold her up, so she went crashing onto the vast expanse of soft, pillowy sleeping bag. Eyes rolling up in her head, another spray of cum rushed out of her.


    She was utterly insensate after that, twitching and gurgling. Her lower body was soaked, and covered in glowing multicolored glitter.


    ¡°Work on your approach,¡± I said, ¡°And remember your promise.¡± I planned on leaving her in a puddle of her own secretions, when a flash of bright light came out of her. She slowly lifted into the air, flashing with increasingly brighter lights. Adaptability was wearing off, and I found myself growing in size while Poppy shrank down at the same time.


    I was processing all of this, and went to my Nakamadex where Poppy¡¯s species write up could be accessed.


    ¡°Many are tricksters,¡± I muttered. ¡°No shift.¡±


    I glanced down at the larger, but still tiny fairy. Her wings had gone from a typical to a glowing purple. They¡¯d been thin and oblong, a dragonfly¡¯s wings, but were now much larger. The coloration appeared to be like a moth wing on acid: red, magenta, purple, streaks of black and white, with a huge black pupil in the center of the large top wing and a smaller one in the smaller bottom wing. This was surrounded by an iris that looked extremely human. As I stared at it, the blue irises shifted to match my green gray.


    The rest of Poppy had changed by quite a lot as well. She was slightly larger, and while she¡¯d been a thin female with small breasts before, she was now a voluptuous and buxom full-figured woman. She¡¯d had yellow skin before, or glowed with yellow light and it hadn¡¯t been distinguishable; she now had soft lavender skin. Again, she glowed with a purple light. Her hair had been a golden blonde as well, and straight. It was now a deep purple, and fell in luxurious waves down her shoulders and back.


    The write up for Mystixie, which Poppy now was, wasn¡¯t too different from what I¡¯d just read


    ¡°Oh wow,¡± I said.


    Vellenia was quick to see what the problem was, and she was even quicker to throw her dress off. Before I could say anything she¡¯d dropped to her knees and had my pants off, then had my full erection in her mouth. All of her many tongues swirled over my shaft. The top, sides, and especially my sensitive underside. She hummed as she went, holding onto my legs and soon massaging my butt.


    ¡°Vel, you don¡¯t¡­ ohhhhh¡­¡± Maybe she didn¡¯t have to, but she sure wanted to. I lost any will to slow her down or stop her. Instead, I peered down into her determined eyes and watched her slurp me into her mouth again and again.


    Five minutes later she was still going. I watched her tail lazily sway back and forth while she worked, and her eyes drift closed with the bliss of turning me on. That snow white face, those pink ear fins, and that minty green hair all served to turn me on further.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ close¡­¡± I told her, straining. Dealing with Poppy had pushed me to the brink several times.


    Her pace only intensified. She reached down and gave my sack some light tickles and scratches, and hummed again. Finally, I couldn¡¯t stand more, and took her by the ear fins to explode noisily into her mouth.


    This is Christopher, luckiest man alive on any world.