The sky was clear, and the sun was leaning west. The calm, rhythmic sounds of the ocean, waves gently sashaying against rocks, was a grave contrast to the Dwarf’s loud, inane rambling. It all started with where she wanted their house to be built, followed by a simple confession: how she always wished to live near the vast blue waters – a foundation for a tirade of nonsensical gossiping. I could have gone my whole life without knowing about Barb, who – according to the Eldith – was an envious, spiteful bitch who tried taking the credit for the old couple’s hard work in the past, and ever since then, the short woman had hated her. What brought up such a person remained a mystery, similar to the rest of the tangents being spewed.

Coincidentally, I learned a lot about the talkative woman’s husband. The man was a fighter; this was but an everyday occurrence for him, a never-ending battle. I knew without a shadow of a doubt, he had not heard a word she was saying. He would grunt and groan, voicing his engagement – without having the least clue about the subject spoken, an effortless, perfectly timed reply that left me both impressed and bewildered. Nonetheless, it was fascinating to behold.

I let the man ‘speak’ for the both of us as my mind wandered. The time spent here wasn’t wasted. It gave me a chance to visually view the landscape once more and allowed the Arachne to cool down a bit. Which now that I thought about it wasn’t entirely right. If this was a genuine byproduct of the technique and not some form of manipulation, then I wasn’t being fair. If she was truly frustrated, then seeking release was the next logical step – I just wanted no part of it. Whether this was real or an attempt to get a ruse out of me, I’d treat both with a certain detachment. I’d put my supposed selfishness aside and help… at least to an extent.

Returning to the room, I wasn’t very surprised by my welcoming. The Arachne was sitting on her haunches, hugging herself in the far corner; a cold shoulder and an indifferent gaze greeted my entrance. She was in her ‘natural’ form, and the black limbs surrounded her – shunning any possible approaches. I sat down beside her, ignoring the sharp limbs threateningly snaking around me. “I’m sorry,” I simply stated; there was some truth to it – not complete but some. Receiving no reaction, I pressed on, placing my arm around her and pulling her in. Despite the apathetic demeanor, she did not resist.

“We have more work to do,” I said and again was met with silence. Neither refusal nor reception, and attempting to gauge her inclination, I cast a few minute spells and slowly built them up. The lack of interest only persisted for a short while after. As the spells grew more costly, so did the jittering of her fingers and limbs – all of her limbs. My arm was stuck again, surrounded by two soft paddings from below. It was the first time I had noticed how her clothes were a size too small for her now. My view from above meant that there were two pink buttons very visibly staring at me. I caught the slightest of smirks, but it was gone just as it appeared. The Arachne hadn’t forgone all forms of control, though. There was some panting, some muffled moaning, and I think at some point – I felt a wet spot on my neck; however, I was not completely sure.

My self-restraint was tested to the limit. However, the fact that I was not dealing with an innocent little girl but a cold calculating monster certainly helped. By the end, I had built another house, a large dormitory, coupled with a very severe case of blue balls. There were two knocks on the dirt door. 

I did not know when exactly Valeriana had arrived, but she was here. The look on her face was odd. Even though I was privy to her feelings, I didn’t fully understand them sometimes. It wasn’t distrust nor jealousy, but something different – I couldn’t put my finger on it. However, the look she gave to the Arachne was far simpler to discern. The demon in question only smirked back. “That was so good, Eddy.” Her voice didn’t have the seductive tone the Rabbit had, but it managed to raise the Beastkin’s ire nonetheless. Untangling myself from the Arachne’s grasp, I stood, approached the not-so-pleased girl, and hugged her. The ever-furious whipping of her tail slowed down, falling into a steady oscillation. Half a minute later, she was the one to separate. “Get out,” she ordered. The Arachne’s grin remained as shadows engulfed her, erasing her out of existence as the Rabbit appeared instead. Swaying her hips, she took one last glance at us and left the room. And third time since she had been here, I raised the door again.

Valeriana did not give time to talk. She was on top of me, sealing my lips. By how hungrily she did it, I would think she was feeling just as pent up as I was. My eyes widened slightly as her tongue invaded my mouth. Any hesitation I held disappeared as my mind focused on nothing but what was in front of me. Despite the abruptness of it all, I didn’t lose myself in a haze, much like last time. Things were slower than before, and I was able to notice more details. I did not know if this was similar to all Beastkin, but there was not a single strand of hair on Valeriana’s body except for her head. Instead, she was covered in very small, barely noticeable fur with a thicker patch of it concentrated down below. Not long after, the ferociousness died down. She was far gentler, showering me with subtle kisses and appreciating the same treatment. The increase in stamina served more than one aspect of my body. We had been going at it for a while, and neither of us saw a reason to stop. Though, that was not the case for long.

I was seated on a pile of books, my back to the wall. She was on top, straddling me while my hands rested on her waist. Her chin would alternate between hanging in the air and resting on my shoulder. Something was captivating about watching her furred limb swinging in a pendulum-like fashion, moving in conjunction with the rhythmic movement of her hips. I carefully touched the base of her tail and felt nails hooking onto my back. Further probing caused the moans to rise and the pace to quicken. It was then that I felt a bizarre urge and had no time to regret succumbing to it afterward. The tail was in my hands and was raised upwards. It was only been a light bite, but the consequences of it were anything but.

She had clamped down, and if not for the increased strength I had gained, my pelvis would have been crushed. I felt the strain in my legs as she convulsed on top of me and a sharp sting on my neck as her teeth left a visible mark on it. Moments after, she was limp, her body resting on me as we both slumped onto the ground – the chaotic spasms had already brought me over almost as soon as they began. Valeriana curled onto my right side, burying her face into the teeth marks she had made. For a split second, alarms unnecessarily rang in my mind; the possibility of pregnancy had been completely ruled out by the ever so helpful Hero’s Guide. The Summoned were infertile for obvious reasons, and I believe that included me as well. A couple of deep breaths later, Valeriana was already snoring – weeks, possibly months, of exhaustion had finally caught up. The quiet purrs she made lulled me into a trance.

I did not give in to sleep but dove into my manacore instead. The mage, despite all he had done, did heal me; however, something always felt off. There were cracks in the walls, albeit already filled, but something did not feel right; they etched. Though, that was only the start of the multitude of peculiarities. The tiny oak tree was no more; its branches were thicker, the leaves more flush, and the trunk alone occupied more than a quarter of the room – my very own Yggdrasil. Two large branches extruded outwards, one towards the girl nestled beside me, while the other further away; yet somehow, I knew where it was aimed – the Arachne. It was the work of the obscure seal; however, confirmation had to wait until its original owner was awake. 

Focusing back on the uncomfortably plastered walls, some renovations were in order. I weaved my mana into a plasticky puddle, its consistency similar to that of paint. Each crack was individually emptied and filled. The process was slow and taxing but definitely worth it. I could breathe again, deep gratifying breaths. Also, I might have gone a bit overboard. Everything besides the tree was covered in the liquidized mana. Honestly, I had no idea if that did anything besides give off a bluish ambient, but nothing felt out of place – and if the need ever arises, I could just remove it.

Time didn’t register inside, and considering how nothing could be seen without the faint moonlight, a few good hours had passed. Valeriana was still vast asleep; however, she was on my left. While I was giving my core a makeover, she had sat up, sniffed the air, climbed on top of me, climbed down the other way, taking hold of my arm – the very same one the Arachne had occupied. A sense of disapproval emanated from her as she brought it closer to her sleep, and ever since then, she had been tightly clutching onto it.

A burst of air assaulted our naked bodies. I shivered slightly, and Valeriana snuggled further into my side. Two wings had caused such turbulence; the Wyvern was awake. It was the first time I had given any attention to her eyes; an emerald gaze, and judging by their size and position – she was still in her dragon form. Realizing I was looking back at her, the green slits traveled downwards and fully disappeared as she bowed.

“Pardon me, my Lord,” She said. The words came out as snarls and growls, yet the meaning was clear to my ears.

“I was examining my body.” I nodded in the complete darkness only to realize how idiotic that was a moment after. But somehow, she had sensed it and continued, “Allow me to express my humble gratitude, my Lord; I am completely healed.”

“Think nothing of it,” I said. “The stronger you are, the more useful. Do not hesitate to ask for my help,” I stated, unabashed.

“I will not, my Lord.” She paused. “Does my Lord require my presence?”

“No, you may go,” I said, removing the door once more.

 “Then I shall take the sky,” She said, and with a flap of her wings – she was gone.

Again, finding myself alone with my thoughts – my mind drifted on its own. I absentmindedly started playing with Valeriana’s ears as I stared into the stone ceiling. A few minutes later, she began to stir. And, as a mouth-watering aroma invaded the room, she awoke – purring loudly and shoving her head into my hands. Risking running her good mood, I started my explanation of what happened this afternoon – the sooner this was said, the better. Surprisingly enough, she took it all well. In fact, she took it a bit too well. That said, there was a tiny sprout of something sinister, and the target of such thoughts wasn’t hard to discern; the talks about the bug and how it needed to learn its place made it quite obvious. I’d have to address this at some point, maybe not right now, but I couldn’t afford to delay it for too long; I’d hate to lose my newly acquired battery so soon.

We laid for a bit more before putting on some clothes and leaving. Valeriana had come directly to me, so she hadn’t had a chance to see the new buildings yet. Every nock and cranny was thoroughly checked, our home Valeriana had said, which sounded odd to my ears but not unpleasant. The Dwarves had also expressed their great delight for their mansion, they had called it – which, in my opinion, a great exaggeration. The buildings weren’t shabby, but they weren’t anything grand either – grey stone could only look so presentable.

My heart skipped a beat as Eldith opened her mouth again; I was terrified any good relations established would crumble into nothing. I was not going to entertain another rant. Thankfully, she only wished to share her opinion of me, a great and humble master. The display of ‘my’ powers didn’t seem to faze the elderly couple, quite the opposite, in fact, only serving to invoke further excitement for what was to come. The same could not be said about the rest, though. Not a single child had approached me; the two other slaves – the Bearkin and Elf –also kept their distance; both were unseen.

The evening started with the setup of a large campfire and a large pot placed on top; we had arrived when its contents were already sizzling. A circle was formed around the burning wood, Valeriana sat beside me, the cooks handled the food, and the children a wary distant afar. The Arachne and the Wyvern were not present, both strolling in the darkness one on the ground and the other above it. The food did not taste as good as I hoped. Evidently, there were very little ingredients to work with, which was something I was going to rectify tomorrow. There was one more major event important to note; Gorlag had spoken! It was a comment about the lacking of dwarven liquor, but he spoke. Eldith was gracious enough to continue on the subject. Both of them were great cooks, but the man was more passionate about his alcohol, and I swore, in my heart, I’d build him a brewery once I have the funds for it.

With the flames turning into embers, everyone returned to their (temporary) housing. The Arachne was given the stone shack while we headed for the new building. The matter of where we would sleep was solved as Valeriana simply suggested to “Just buy one.” My pockets were deep, but my wealth was starting to shrivel up. Nonetheless, I yielded; the promise of a good night’s rest was far too tempting to resist. The largest room of the three was chosen as the primary bedroom, and the exorbitantly luxurious bed was set. It only took seconds for the bed’s effect to be felt – we both fell into a deep slumber.