Ch 10–

 

Things were surprisingly normal over the next few hours. At least, in terms of team dynamics. I was too embarrassed to talk about it. Lucy didn’t think there was anything to talk about except telling me she loved me every few minutes that we weren’t fighting rats. And Jennie had evidently just accepted the situation, for the time being. 

 

“Do you perverts need to rest soon?” She asked, after a fight with a particularly tough rat, that had been bigger and nastier than those encountered before. 

 

She had taken to addressing us as such. Lucy didn’t seem to mind, at least. 

 

I was breathing hard. I’d had to use my healing skill several times to keep Lucy in the fight, and I was running low on the Pleasure resource. 

 

I had a sneaking suspicion on some strategies to refill, but with Jennie here, it might be dicey. Plus, I was running super low on mana from Lucy’s upkeep and my continuous use of [Tempest strike]. 

 

“Could use a break.” I admitted. “Lucy, I need to dismiss you for a bit to recover, okay?” 

 

“That’s alright.” She said, clinging to me. “I love you?” She said a little anxiously. 

 

“I love you too.” I assured her. 

 

I didn’t mind her near constant need for affirmation. It was a new thing, and I understood the too-good-to-be-true worries. I had a few of them myself. 

 

She smiled that half grin that was becoming my primary motivator in life. 

 

I gave her a lingering kiss. She pressed her generous curves into me, moaning a sensuous sound as she cupped my ass and squeezed. It was several minutes of pressing her into a wall before I came to my senses, and dismissed her, with one last peck on the cheek. 

 

I dimly noted that my Pleasure reservoir had partially refilled. 

 

Lucy faded with a wink, in a swirl of green sparks. 

 

“Hey so….” Started Jennie, uncharacteristically hesitant. 

 

I sighed. 

 

“I know we should probably talk about all this.” I said. “Lucy and I are a little unconventional—“ 

 

Jennie shook her head. She was looking a little pale, now I looked closer. Hard to tell for sure in the dull light of the glowstones in the ceiling. 

 

“That healing skill you used on Lucy?” She asked. 

 

“Yeah? Paramore's mending?” I wondered what she was getting at. 

 

“It only works on your Familiars?” She asked, sounding a little desperate. 

 

“Jennie, are you injured?!” I asked, alarmed. 

 

She turned and showed me the arm she’d been concealing by her side. 

 

There were uneven gashes in her arm, through the black leather. Rather than bleed, they were oozing an alarming shade of green. Right. The rats had poison spines. And Jennie’s favorite way to attack them was landing on their backs from stealth. 

 

“Oh fuck!” I blurted, slightly nauseous at the wounds. 

 

“Yeah no shit.” Jennie snapped. “Can you heal it or not?” 

 

My Pleasure reservoir was maybe a third full. 

 

“Maybe?” I hedged. 

 

“What do you mean maybe?” She asked. “I’m sort of in a hurry here.” 

 

“I’ve never used it on a person before.” I said. “I know it doesn’t work on me, but you’re not me?!”

 

“Then what’s the problem?” She demanded. 

 

I squirmed. But Jennie had a right to know, if I was going to use the Skill on her. 

 

“When I got my Class, I wanted to be a healer.” I explained quickly. 

 

“And?!” Jennie pumped her good arm to spur me on. 

 

“I got offered this one instead.” I searched for the appropriate word, trying to dance around the details. “I was told I would have healing in the class, at least somewhat. But…” 

 

Jennie looked murderous at my pause. 

 

“But she said it’ll be ‘a fun kind’ of healing.” I hastened on. “And uhhhh…it has side effects.” I finished feeling shifty. 

 

“A fun kind of side effect.” Asked Jennie, flatly. 

 

“Yep.” I said, shrugging helplessly. 

 

Jennie narrowed her eyes. “Fun side effects. Is that by any chance what makes Lucy so…?” 

 

“So what?” I asked, stumped. 

 

Jennie rolled her eyes. “Horny. Slutty. On a constant quest to get your cock in her.” 

 

I choked, covering my groin with my hands, instinctively. I’d thought my closest secret was safe. 

 

“Oh come on! It’s practically ripping out of your pants every time she bats an eyelash.” Jennie snapped. “You’re not the first girl with a cock to come to Bayloft, we aren’t monsters. You’re probably not even the only one in our year. What’s the big deal?!” 

 

I blinked. I hadn’t even thought of that. Cause I hadn’t been born with my cock. But yeah, it made sense. Something like two or three percent of the girls here would’ve been born with penises, and some of them would’ve kept them, rather than get the enchantments to change. 

 

“Back to the real question” Jennie snapped her fingers impatiently. “Is that what makes Lucy such a huge slut, are you ‘fun healing’ her with love potions or what?” 

 

I blinked. Lucy had certainly never mentioned anything like that. I thought back over our interactions carefully. 

 

“She came that way.” I concluded. “We had already done a lot of… bonding, by the time I actually had any reason to heal her. But when I’ve had to heal her, I’ve always run out of mana shortly thereafter.” 

 

Jennie stared at my face like she was trying to guess my cards in a poker game. 

 

“Heal me.” She said, at last. “Fuck it. Otherwise I’m going to get sick and be useless, and I’m not letting us get expelled cause I was afraid to get a little wet.” 

 

I blushed dizzyingly, scrunching my nose as hard as I could to keep from gasping. I hated my cartoonishly girlie little gasp.  

 

“Just do it.” Jennie waved her dying arm at me. “Rev my engine, or whatever your pervert skill is called. I consent. Come on. This actually hurts a lot. Don’t let my sunny disposition fool you. Give it to me, DADDY.” She finished sarcastically. 

 

I scowled. “You don’t get to call me that.” 

 

Jennie snorted. “Only Lucy, huh? Freaks.” 

 

“No,” I sniffed, turning my nose into the air with dignity. “It’s because you are not a good girl.” 

 

I cut off Jennie’s outraged retort with [Paramore's mending].

 

Gold threads of light coursed from my palm, circled Jennie, then rushed into her arm. 

 

The sickly green pus vanished, and the wounds closed partially. It now looked like a wound several days old and healing healthily. 

 

Jennie panted. 

 

I studied her warily. 

 

“I’m fine, stop staring at me.” Said Jennie, catching her breath. “Hoping I would rip my top off and lunge at you?” 

 

“Hoping you’d sprout bunny ears.” I said, flatly. 

 

“Lucy didn’t COME WITH THOSE?!” Jennie frantically felt her own cute little ears. They were unchanged. 

 

She glared at me. 

 

I smirked. 

 

“If I grow a tail, I will assassinate you. Brawly be damned.” She promised. 

 

“You’re fiiiiine, you’re not going to grow a tail.” I assured her. She seemed mollified. “Lucy doesn’t have a tail.” 

 

Jennie wheeled on me, eyes flashing. 

 

I couldn’t keep up a serious face and fell over laughing maniacally. 

 

Jennie huffed and sat grumpily against the tunnel wall. 

 

“You could at least heal me all the way.” She grumbled. 

 

I held up my hands. “I’m empty, boss. Unless you wanna make out.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Are you seriously trying to extort me?” Jennie’s lip curled. 

 

“NOnononono!” I waved my hands, horrified. “It runs on an alternate resource. ‘Pleasure’. So until I have the mana to bring Lucy back, I’m out. Sorry, I just said the other thing without thinking.”

 

Jennie regarded me. “Oh. Ok then.” 

 

We rested for nearly half an hour, before deciding to press on. 

 

My mana had been depleted enough times that it was coming back slower. I was only a little over half full.

 

What was mana management going to be like when I had a second familiar?! Maybe more? Who knew how my class would evolve. I might need to make serious investments in the Mind stat. 

 

“Making any leveling progress?” I queried my companion, curiously. 

 

She looked at the ceiling, like she was estimating the time of day. 

 

“Like half way?” She guessed. “You?” 

 

“Less than a quarter.” I grumbled. 

 

“What was it when we started?” She asked. 

 

I shrugged. “Almost none.” 

 

Jennie stopped and glared at me. 

 

“What?” I asked, bewildered. 

 

“Nothing.” She said. 

 

I trotted after her brisk strut to keep up. 

 

Suspicious again.  

 

Many more tunnel branches, and a couple of easy fights later, we were again getting frustrated. 

 

“This isn’t working.” Jennie groaned. “Should we start taking upwards tunnels again?” 

 

I shook my head. “If we go back and forth, we’ll get lost. At least if we keep going down, we know we aren’t retreading the same ground.” 

 

Jennie nodded, reluctantly. 

 

But maybe if we had a scout.

 

My mana had nearly recovered. I summoned Lucy. 

 

I explained what I needed and she brightened immediately. 

 

“I’m a great scout!” She said proudly, bouncing on her the tips of her tennis shoes. “I am fast and good at getting away from stuff. Plus I can’t get lost with you here.” 

 

I blinked. “You can’t?”

 

“Of course!” She beamed. “Our bond!” She sighed dreamily. “I will always find my way home to you.” 

 

I considered it. I felt the bond, and it did in fact give me a vague sense of where Lucy was. I hadn’t thought to use it for this though. 

 

Lucy tore off through the tunnels. Jennie was faster than her in short bursts. But Lucy lived to run, and could probably go all day. And her long, scrumptious legs carried her faster over distance than either of us could match. 

 

We took the opportunity for another rest. The constant adrenaline crashes between combats were really starting to wear me down. Even though I could feel that I was stronger, faster, more enduring than I’d ever been, with my levels. The physical realities were inescapable. At least until we got a lot higher Leveled. 

 

“Ok fuck it.” Jennie said, as we waited. “Come here.” 

 

“Hmmmm?” I asked. 

 

“Come HERE.” Jennie ordered. 

 

I trotted over to her. 

 

She was panting slightly. She grabbed the front of my jacket and hauled me down to her. She got in my face. 

 

“I’m going to try and refill you. Ok?” She announced. My eyes popped. Her voice seemed unnecessarily husky. 

 

“Ok.” I squeaked. “For the Heal–” 

 

Her lips smashed into mine, immediately parting and unleashing her tongue to barge into my mouth, seeking mine and attempting to wrestle it into submission. 

 

She arched her body until we were pressing together. Heat rushed over me, and blood rushed down to my cock, making it press hard into her tight, flat tummy. I felt her flex, pressing into me, a tiny moan vibrating through her kiss.

 

She pulled back, panting. 

 

“Ok, heal me.” She said, overly casually. 

 

“Mmhmm!” I wobbled, attempting to smooth down the tent in the front of my pants. 

 

[Paramore’s mending] 

 

I emptied all of the Pleasure I had received into the Skill. Gold sparks cascaded over Jennie, and she let out a single, high, slutty moan. 

 

She clapped a hand over her mouth, then winced. “That’s it?” 

 

I shrugged, still trying to adjust myself. “That’s all I got.” 

 

“Fuck it.” Jennie said. She grabbed my hands and wrapped them behind her to clamp onto her shapely, leatherclad ass. The fit ass that I had been trying not to stare at, strutting in front of me all day. She reclaimed my mouth, hauling me tight against herself. 

 

I couldn’t help it. I squeezed and massaged her shapely rear, and groaned as she undulated side to side like a serpent, dragging her taught tummy over my straining cock. 

 

A minute passed, accompanied by the wet sounds of sloppy making out, and desperate moans. I noted that not all of those moans were mine. 

 

Jennie shoved back, gasping. She was bright red, and her chest heaved. She waved a hand at me. 

 

“How about THAT?” She challenged. 

 

I once again emptied the Pleasure tank and [Paramour’s mending] poured out over her, showering her in golden sparks that flitted and sought out each remaining harm on her, washing it away like mist.

 

Jennie bit her lip and growled like a hyena, sinking to her knees and pressing both hands tight between her slender legs. She trembled slightly, once. Twice. Her eyes fluttered. 

 

Slowly, she raised a thumbs up. 

 

“Cool.”

 

“Cool.” 

 

“Cool.” 

 

We sat on opposite sides of the tunnel and didn’t talk for a while. 

 

Lucy returned sooner than our exhaustion would have preferred. But my loyal scout came back with good news. 

 

“We are close!” She announced, skidding to a halt.  She looked between us, curiously. 

 

“Awww, without me?” She looked disappointed, like we’d neglected to share a tasty snack. 

 

A glance at her feet told me I was going to be spending a lot of money on shoes for her. Girl could RUN. 

 

“Close to what?” Asked Jennie, lifting her head from its drooped position, against a wall. 

 

I was happy not to be made to explain.

 

“The boss chamber!” Said Lucy, dramatically. 

 

“Oh fuck.” I moaned. 

 

“How?!” Asks Jennie, rolling all the way onto her side. 

 

Lucy tilted her head, ears flopping wonkily. “It’s not… a normal boss.” She said, hesitantly. 

 

Jennie and I shared a glance. 

 

“What does that mean?” She asked. 

 

“You have to see for yourself.” Lucy shook her head. “First, you should both rest and recover your full strength. We should probably all kiss. For group fairness. Probably.” 

 

It wasn’t a bad idea. The rest part. And Jennie didn’t even acknowledge the other suggestion, except to scowl, and blush wildly. 

We’d found… not a cave exactly. But a big enough depression in a bend in a tunnel to give us good sight lines and relative safety. 

 

“Shouldn’t we get to the boss as soon as possible?” Frowned Jennie, looking completely spent. 

 

I shook my head, equally toasted. 

 

“We’d just lose.” I said. “That would put us further behind than just resting now and having a good shot at it. We don’t have to win this. I just don’t want to be expelled.” 

 

Jennie nodded reluctantly. 

 

Then Jennie picked up her little bag, produced a small blanket, and marched off to huddle into the darkest corner of the ‘cave’. 

 

Lucy and I stared after her. Lucy leaned into my ear. 

 

“I want one.” She whispered, eyes alight. 

 

I smacked the insatiable girl’s arm. 

 

“Come on, I need sleep.” I grumbled. Whatever had happened had happened. No doubt there would be ramifications at some later point. But Jennie’s arm was at least healed. That had to count for something. 

 

A brief internal debate on the merits of dismissing Lucy left me cuddling up in a blanket with Lucy’s legs on either side of me, as she sat against the wall to keep watch. She was neither as tired as Jennie and I; nor, it turned out, did she need to sleep! 

 

I cuddled into her strong leg, happily hugging her to me, and nudged her shorts up her leg so I could rest my face against her bare inner thigh. She hummed, pleased, and stroked her fingers through my snowy hair. I fell asleep instantly. 

 

I was awoken by a muffled moan.

 

“Lucy.” I mumbled, disoriented. “Not right now. I’m too tired.” 

 

I rolled and looked up. Lucy was sitting bolt upright, looking straight ahead, but her long rabbit ears were twitching, both pointing toward the back of the cave. Toward where Jennie lay wrapped in a blanket.