“I-Iris...” Erin moaned weakly as she struggled meekly in Iris’ hold.

Iris chuckled softly and continued caressing the Fox-kin’s ample bosom from behind. “Foolish Fae, you should have seen this coming,” she said and nibbled on Erin’s left ear. Cradling the Fox-kin with her body, Iris took her sweet time in unleashing ecstasy upon Erin. Iris herself had been quite busy for the past few days and the most eligible person to be her companion just strode right to her right when she was at the peak of her arousal and lust.

Erin stifled a shriek. “D-damn you… you planned this...”

Iris chuckled more. “This is a healing bath. I’m just healing you after all.” One of her hands moved from downwards, towards Erin’s nether regions.

“H-how is this healing… eek~!” Erin cried out sharply when she felt Iris’ fingers gently caressing her snatch’s entrance. Since half of their body was submerged in water, her womanhood was drenched nonetheless.

“You’re wet, my dear,” Iris breathed into Erin’s ear.

“We’re in a pool,” Erin struggled to say. She tried to push Iris' arms away but for some reason, her body refused to lend her any strength. “Of course, I’m wet.”

“I wonder about that. I’m pretty sure bathwater doesn’t lubricate your foils.”

Erin couldn’t even afford a retort as pleasure assaulted her whole body. Iris was truly seasoned in the arts of the bedroom. With just a few simple and short touches, she had managed to make Erin peaked on her pleasure a couple of times already. Erin was in disbelief of how easy of a woman Iris was making her out to be. As long as she was given pleasure, her body would fall weak, Iris had made her realize.

“Your shoulders are stiff, Erin. Just how hard have you been working?” Iris brushed her lips across Erin’s shoulders. “And this bountiful pair of yours, appropriate care must be given. Otherwise, they’ll sag in your elderly years.”

Erin flailed her legs and tails but Iris was stronger than she expected. She didn’t know what Iris’ level was but she reckoned there had to be at least more than twenty levels difference. She tried to appraise Iris but the result was the same as before, question marks riddled her sight.

“Oh my, how naughty,” Iris giggled. She began rubbing Erin’s snatch quicker and caressed her bosom harder. “Aren’t you aware that it is rude to appraise others without their consent?”

“And what’re y-you’re doing is fine and all?” Erin countered.

“Point taken, but...” Iris leaned in close to her ear. “I’m the one in control here,” Iris said and squeezed her mound.

Erin let out a shrill despite gritting her teeth to suppress her delighted moans.

“I’m quite surprised there had been no one brave enough to try and court you but I guessed that was to be expected. You are a Fae, a Fox-kin with three tails. I doubt there is even a single noble in this town who dared to even invite you for a luncheon.”

“Your praises...” Erin caught her breath. “...are empty...”

“Maybe. But please, just relax and let yourself go,” Iris whispered. “You deserve this. I won’t disappoint you.”

Erin couldn’t help but feel a tinge of guilt in her heart. She very much liked to enjoy this. Her lover had even given her permission to fool around as long as it was nothing serious. Still, Erin felt her heart ache whenever she was given pleasure by a person other than Lyra herself.

“Or do you think I am not up to your standards?” Iris threw a mischievous question.

“That’s not—” Erin’s words were cut short as another round of pleasure assaulted her body. She curled up with delight but Iris held her down firmly to prevent her whole from failing too much from the pleasure.

“Going by your reaction, you haven’t bedded anyone seasoned in bed, have you?”

Maria was a seasoned individual in bed but she was a submissive one and Erin did all the work in bed, so she didn’t count her as a seasoned experience. “Not… your… concern...” Erin said.

“I beg to differ, darling. Right now, you are my concern. Every. Fiber. Of. Your. Body,” Iris breathed every last word into her ear.

Erin’s whole body shook in anticipation, much to her chagrin. She was resisting it with all her will but it was all torn down easily by Iris’ skilled hands and tongue.

Iris moved on from her chest to her tails. She grabbed them one by one and began stroking them.

“I-Iris~!” Erin cried. “N-not there… please!” she finally begged.

But it only made Iris more fervent in her pursuit in giving the Fox-kin the height of ecstasy.

“Why are you doing this…?” Erin managed to ask.

“I’m pent up, for one but… I guess you can say it’s my gratitude.”

“Gratitude? For what?”

“Your acquaintance.” Iris smiled and inserted a finger into Erin’s snatch.

The Fox-kin gave a soundless gasp of pleasure. Her whole body shuddered delightfully.

“You have no idea how much your acquaintance alone has helped me in my endeavors. More opportunities were opened up to me simply because a Fae, a three-tailed Fox-kin has associated herself with me almost on a constant basis. For personal and business gain, you have been a delight. The more I get to know you, the more I realized how much I can trust you. In a world where everyone struggles day to day to mask their emotions, you’re one of the very few who doesn’t concern themselves with it.”

“You’re calling me naive?”

Iris tittered. She planted a light kiss on Erin’s lips. “I am,” she said. “But your naivety is one of the few good things about you. Personally, I find it endearing and I enjoy teasing that side of you.”

“Glad to see one of us is having fun,” Erin muttered dryly with indignance.

“Oh don’t you worry, sweetheart. I will make sure that feeling will be mutual.” As soon as she finished her sentence, she worked miraculously with her fingers in Erin’s womanhood. Within seconds, Iris had once again made Erin peak with pleasure.

It was Erin’s umpteenth rise of ecstasy and finally, her strength left her body. She slumped forward with her tongue lolled out but Iris was there to receive her.

“We’re not done yet, Erin dearie,” Iris whispered deviously.

Erin was still trembling in the afterglow from the seemingly endless waves of pleasure. She resembled a bare naked shaking calf that had just been born. Erin heard the Umbrum’s declaration clearly but she was in no state to come up with retorts. However, she understood her heart and body were still desiring more of Iris’ touch; those touches that drowned her in delight. “Do what you like...” Erin muttered meekly.

“I intend to, Erinthea,” Iris promised.

****

Finally back in her rooms, Erin let herself collapse into her bed. Sighs of relief escaped her lips. After an hour of recreational bathing in the pool with the shrewd Umbrum, Erin was eventually released in various manners. She couldn’t even walk then, not after the countless waves of ecstasy Iris had her subjected to. At the very least Iris was tactful enough to offer her a filling meal after their recreational bathing. She couldn’t remember the taste since she was too deep in her afterglow and exhaustion but all she knew was that the meal had sated her appetite. At Iris’ discretion after their meal, she assigned one of her trusted subordinates to escort her back to her rooms in the inn district.

Erin was thankful Lyra and Celia weren’t present. Had Lyra been here, she imagined all the kinds of demands she would make just to quell her own jealousy. Thinking of that, Erin made herself chuckle at how adorable Lyra could be at times.

Erin reckoned the two were most probably at the cathedral having supper along with the children. Erin knew Lyra and her would eventually need to part with Celia and they were making sure Celia felt right at home with the other children and Saphielle before leaving her. Thinking about that left another tinge of guilt in her heart. She didn’t want to leave Celia either but she wasn’t the best person to raise a child and she knew that well.

Lying on her back and her gaze fixed at the wooden ceiling, another concern clouded her mind. Her Lust Deviant skill. While she was grateful it had not been acting up recently, she couldn’t help but think of the worst that could happen if it activates again.

“No, don’t go down that path again, Erin,” she told herself. “You’re better off smashing your head against the wall.”

To distract herself from questions that no answer could be attained in her current state, she brought up status information in her sights. She had a whole ten remaining skill points and four ability points to spend. Now was the best out of all times to allocate her points.

She recounted her battle just this afternoon. Magic had trivialized most of her fights. She didn’t need to discard her old ways. She just needed to find ways to use both of her old and new ways in unison. Her Life Sense spell had certainly helped in locating enemies and dangers that were otherwise invisible to her sense of smell and hearing. She was thinking of allocating all of her points into Spirit Magic. However, her goal, The Singularity, was a place devoid of Spirits.

“Wouldn’t it be better if I increase Lightning Magic then?” Erin mused to herself. Lightning Magic had served her well. Hell, it had even saved her life by managing to repel the Razor Grizzly. It was a Magic Art of incredible destructive force. Then, Azaela’s face crossed her mind.

She shivered and curled herself with the sheets. Azaela possessed an intimidation gentler than Aedan’s but was significantly more minacious than his. It was a queer feeling. It feels more hopeful compared to Aedan but also more dangerous than him. But the point of it all was her own safety. She felt extremely defenseless against someone of Azaela’s level.

“Maybe I should prioritize defense first and foremost? The Singularity is a mass of unknown peculiarities. It might be better to be worrying about defense rather than offense.”

With that conclusion in mind, Erin allocated eight points into Arcane Armor and raised it all the way to ten. Immediately, she felt more at ease with her surroundings, like she was less concerned if she was suddenly attacked, not that something like that would happen.

[Proficiency reached: Arcane Aegis Lv. 1 - acquired]

Drawn to the new Magic Art she acquired, Erin rushed to read more about her new addition to her arsenal.

“...Huh, a portable Arcane Armor, I see.” Immediately after reading the description, Erin tried it out. It functioned just like Arcane Armor, except it was in the form of a battle shield, an aegis, and it wasn’t limited only to herself. It could be cast in other places, perfect to protect one’s allies. A tear trickled down her cheek. A tear not out of sorrow but of relief. Knowing she had the means to give Lyra some degree of protection should they ever be in a battle.

To be further on the safe side, she allocated one point into Arcane Aegis and the remaining single point into Toxin Resistance. After her battle at the Ghoul-plagued village and her encounter with the Razor Grizzly and the possessed Kane, she didn’t think it would be long before something akin to poison became one of the many obstacles she had to face.

As for her ability points, she didn’t think much of it and allocated it evenly between Arcane and Finesse. Her physical strength was something she could build up herself without reliance on the System. With that said, her Might was falling behind on her other attributes. And there was another concern that she suddenly thought of.

She took out a pouch from the pocket of her leather vest. She loosened the string around it and peeked inside. The contents caused a deep frown on her brows, or rather, the lack of contents did.

She groaned with a sigh and added an item to her mental list for the day of the morrow. “Looks like I have to find a quest to do or we will be sleeping on the streets in a few days.”

 

Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin

Level: 18 | Status: Severe Exhaustion, Carnally Relieved

Might: 20 | Arcane: 27 | Finesse: 24

Magic Arts
Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 2

Combat Arts
Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5

Innate Skills
Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 2 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex

Unique Talent
Mystic Blade Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex

 

Level Progression: 20%

Remaining Skill Points: 0

Remaining Ability Points: 0