Chapter 023: Across the River and Back ❤

…

I take another trail this time and jog around while being cautious of any big animals.

This time I only find a giant stickbug and a spike slug. I cut off the slug’s spike with my sword and pocket it.

I carry the stickbug’s entire corpse back to the village.

Carrying a giant slug on my back wasn’t something I wanted to do. Telekinesis wouldn’t bring it very far either.

I received 2 small coins for the bug head and as expected my points don’t increase.

I go to a butcher this time to sell the creature.

“A stickbug? It’s fresh, I don't mind getting it off your strong hands for… Six small coins!”

The well-endowed woman gives me an alluring smile, hoping to gain my favor with a good price from the get-go.

I accept it of course. “Thank you, beautiful butcher.”

“It’s Panaza, dear ❤.” She replies with an endearing smile.

“Panaza… I was also wondering, how much do slugs sell for?”

“Slugs can only be buried beneath crops to make them grow better, so only one small coin for their bodies. The horn can make a simple spear head or it’s burnt into lime, it sells for another small coin.”

“Got it, thanks.” I take out my slug horn. “Here’s one, then.”

I get a small coin.

Slugs weren’t worth much after all. They were just fertilizer and shell.

I still hadn’t gotten a point.

Moreover, my sweat was sticking my shirt to my back. I wanted to freshen up in the river again.

My steps bring me there quickly enough. I go through the West gate and face a bridge and the river. I walk a few steps further upstream.

I look around and see no one so I take off all my clothes and slowly walk into the water.

The coolness makes my skin tense up before I relax and feel refreshed.

I lower myself until the water reaches my neck.

My mental power detection activates out of habit and I detect something swimming towards me.

(What! A monster!?)

I prepare myself to use Magic Bullets and aim my arm.

The swimming monster slows down as it nears me and stops a meter in front of me.

The creature’s shadow becomes a great splash of water and reveals itself as something touches my hand.

I see a pair of boobs and lightly tanned skin.

It’s the chieftain Lola of the Stars, crouching in the water.

My outstretched hand is touching one of her breasts.

It’s her boob that came to my hand, I was a lucky guy.

I give it a little squeeze and retract my hand.

“Good evening, Lola of the Stars.”

“…” Lola blushes and looks waveringly into my eyes. “Good evening… Edward!”

Lola rinses her chest with water.

Lola continues. “You came to see me.”

She had told me yesterday she’d come wash herself in the river, though that had been in the back of my mind.

I wasn’t about to contradict the chieftain though.

“Yes… How are you doing?” I ask her.

“I’m healthy, but it’s too soon to know if I bear your child.” She replies in a slightly happy tone.

“That’s true…” I mutter as I feel my heart skip a beat and warm up.

“How’s my village? What have you done today?” Asks Lola with bright eyes.

“It’s a place filled with nice people. I like it a lot. I went hunting and brought back a thrusting snake and a few stickbugs.” I summarize.

“No one would dare be disrespectful to a strongman. The elders said the last strongman appeared during the time of the oldest elder’s great-grandmothers’ time…” Lola’s hand brushes away a few strands of wet hair behind her ear. Her arms cross each other underneath her breasts and lift them up a little.

Neither of us find words to speak. We stay near one another, listening to nature and each other’s breaths and heartbeat.

“Edward of the Skies…” She starts.

“Yes?” I ask.

“I know you don’t dislike it… And I li–… Li–!” Her words stumble and she blushes. “…”

She suddenly swims away, maximizing her acceleration after a few strokes.

(There she went… Hum.)

I dip my head in the water, put my clothes back on and leave.

Sleep comes easily with my cooled body.

…

…

I wake up and brush Suzabeth’s hair with my hand.

It’s still the middle of the night.

(Being unable to sleep long isn’t great out of the wilderness.)

I stay in bed but my body quickly warms up and I feel stuffy.

I decide to dip my feet in the river and head outside, walking less than a minute to the West.

The village is very quiet. A mere couple of Amazonesses guard each gate.

I relax, cool my feet and listen to the songs of insects.

…

Suddenly shouts of distress come from afar, from the East.

An Amazoness runs by the guards’ hut by the gate. “Goblin attack at the East gate! Goblin attack at the East gate!” She repeats.

Soon, Amazonesses wake up, take arms and run back to the East.

I wasn’t asked to do anything, but at least I would stay on guard if anything did happen.

(Though mere goblins ought to be exterminated quickly, they just needed help due to their low numbers at night.)

And so I put on my shoes.

A minute later, wondering whether or not I should go grab my sword, staff or bow, I hear a cry for help from upstream.

“What!?” I exclaim in disbelief.

The voice of a young girl clearly resounded.

With no time to waste I run toward that voice.

(That voice was familiar! Fuck!!)

I sprint and reach a part of the wooden wall surrounding the village to the South, before the South gate.

“…” There’s a gaping hole in the wall and fresh footprints coming and leaving the village before disappearing into the river.

There’s no time to stop.

I sprint and jump halfway over the river, landing in muddy herbs. I hear some sounds coming from village houses but there’s no time to go explain.

I could probably recognize those footprints from the smell alone. They were goblin footprints.

I run, following the footprints that head into the jungle. They take a sharp turn right and I continue following the trail.

A few steps further I detect the goblins through mental power sensing.

After a few more seconds, I see their backs stumbling forward. They’re in my attack range.

I blast out magic bullets at the backs of two goblins before the rest of them face me.

A bead of sweat falls on my neck.

I use my mana sense and count– (God damn it, there’s a goblin mage further ahead!)

On top of that there were a couple more goblins and seven hobgoblins.

Their numbers weren’t crazy.

But I was alone and unarmed.

Though I could say the same about arms for the goblins.

It was a showdown of innate abilities, goblins versus myself.

I shoot the two goblins with a magic bullet and three hobgoblins disperse, a fourth charges at me directly.

(They’re trying to surround me… But there’s no use!)

Keeping track of their position eliminates any danger.

I shoot down the charging hobgoblin and the other three as soon as they approach.

I’m left with 70% of my mana while there remains three hobgoblins and worst of all, a mage.

Those four approach at a walking pace and appear after pushing away a bush.

My eyes first focus on the dark figure of the goblin mage, sitting on top of the shoulder of a hobgoblin.

Then I see the kidnapped girl. It was Nekola. A hobgoblin is grabbing her by the neck and while she’s unconscious.

He’s snickering at me, I can feel it.

They have a hostage.

‘If you do something, we kill her’, or so he must want to say.

The goblin mage smiles and waves his hand.

Some dark mana flies at me at breakneck speed and impacts me.

“Argh!” A headache stabs my brain.

(… A mind attack!! FUCK, YOU!)

I lose some of my cool but I hold my head, pretending to be greatly affected and think of options to take back Nekola safely.

“Argh, I’m gonna faint…!” My act seems convincing while I cogitate, before finally thinking of something.

(Why not give them a taste of their own medicine!?)

I activate Hypnosis Mental Suggestion towards the hobgoblin holding Nekola.

I can’t talk goblin and instill suggestions, but the spell weakens its consciousness, making it fall in a daze.

“Die!” A magic bullet goes in its skull, killing it.

“Guyaaa!?” The goblin mage exclaims in surprise.

I shoot three more magic bullets to hit the two hobgoblins and the mage.

However a transparent blue shield appears and protects the mage and the hobgoblin supporting it up.

(A magic shield!)

The hobgoblin to the side fails to dodge and dies.

I shoot an Ice Spike to see if it worked any better. It dissipates into nothingness.

Knowing I couldn’t use magic effectively anymore and I had no weapons to throw with telekinesis, I decided to jump them.

I sprint towards the two, preventing them from reaching Nekola in the meantime.

The mage aims its arm at me.

(Telekinetic Shield!!)

I make a shield appear and move it together with me.

A water ball flies at me and splashes on my invisible shield and into the air.

Some droplets falls on me, even entering my eyes.

(… Hurgh! Pain!!)

My eyes water as a sharp pain registers.

It looked like water in this dark jungle but it wasn’t.

The burning sensation was like lemon juice.

(Elemental Resistance protects against corrosion, this was a genuine acid or alkalic assault!)

My adrenaline pumps through me and I continue onward.

The mage jumps off the hobgoblin, which comes to intercept me.

It swings one of its long arms at me.

Thonk

My telekinetic shield blocks it.

I step forward and I punch its head, pushing my fist with telekinesis.

Ponk

“OUCH!” Pain stings my fist.

(Wait, the mage is on the left side! Magic Bullet!)

A magic bullet races to the hobgoblin’s chest and it dies.

“Guyiaaah!”

I hear the goblin mage’s cry and at the same time my side is hit with something wet.

Splash

My skin starts burning. “AAARGH!!”

I shoot a few small magic bullets continuously at the goblin. It blocks them with the blue shielding.

I force myself to approach it. Then I place my weight on a leg, activate my telekinesis on my other leg and kick as hard as I can across the shield into the goblin’s maw.

BAM CRUNCH

Its ugly head gets caved in and the neck breaks.

It’s dead.

I activate my detection senses. There’s nothing besides Nekola and I.

The mana sense detects the goblin’s mana crystal.

“Huff… Huff… I’m a mess.” My headache isn’t completely gone, my eyes sting and are still blurry, my knuckles on one hand are bleeding, the skin off my ribs has chemical burns and my foot hurts. I’m done to a mere 40% mana too.

I remove my wet shirt and throw it away.

“Heal!” My divine power decreases sharply but restores me to good health.

The remaining droplets of acid on my torso start stinging again. I cast my purification spell and I tear off some leaves off a bush to wipe myself.

(… Alright.)

I look to the goblin mage’s skull. It’s caved in with brain matter and blood pouring out.

I aim my telekinetic grab and pull on the brain. It comes out a little. With a few more pulls, it flops out on the ground, mushy and dripping blood.

I step on it and flatten it into the dirt.

A hard part under my shoe scrapes across the ground, the mana crystal.

I pocket it and go to Nekola.

Her loincloth was still on, thankfully for her.

I pat her cheek. “Nekola… Nekola… Nekola!” She wakes up.

“Whu-, wha-… Strong, man?…”

She’s still out of it.

I examine her closely. She has a bruise on her neck and behind her head. I heal her with my remaining divine power.

Now, other than her hair being disheveled, she should be fine.

“Strongman, Edward… Thank you…” She says, tired.

“I’m taking you back to the village, okay?” I say as I place an arm behind her knees and another underneath her armpit.

I lift her and she places a hand on my bare chest.

I start walking, abandoning my acid-soaked shirt in the wilderness.

By now the Amazonesses should have finished defending the village’s eastern front.

Some villagers should have discovered the hole in the wall too, and come in pursuit… Or so I thought, but I had yet to see anyone.

I continued backtracking my way through the jungle and finally came in sight of the village, across the river.

Right outside the hole in the barricade, ten or so Amazonesses had gathered, armed with clubs, spears and bows.

Shuffle shuffle

The sound of shrubs moving as I come in view startle a few women.

“There!… It’s the strongman!”

“He’s carrying someone!”

I cross the river with Nekola in my arms, helping myself with telekinesis.

In the center of their group, a short but absolutely stacked 5 feet tall blue-haired Amazoness walks in front of the other women. She wore a thin white robe with various embroidered birds.

She looked in my direction and cried with joy. “Nekola!!” She runs over.

“Mommy!” Nekola replies.

Nekola doesn’t jump out of my arms though, so when her mom reaches us she smiles as her mother places her hands on her daughter’s cheeks.

“Nekola, are you okay?…” She asks with worry.

“Un, Edward used his arts of the Sun…” Nekola explains.

“Un, okay… For now, let’s go back home.” She looks back at me. “I will thank you thoroughly for this, Edward of the Skies. I am Wufula of the Rivers, I’ve heard a lot about you.” She smiles at me.

“Um, you’re welcome, Wufula of the Rivers.” I reply, dripping water, with my naked torso in plain view of the Amazonesses’ shameless gazes.

“Call me Wufula from now on…” She blushes. “I’ll let you do so!”

We walk back together through the hole in the wall with my squeaky wet shoes and into the village.

I’m guided inside the biggest home in the village. I remove my shoes and socks at the entrance by pushing them off with a foot, then I watch Wufula’s big butt bounce around as I follow her.

Wufula shows me to Nekola’s room and it’s filled with various items and a fluffy bed.

I place her on top of it. Her eyelids fall heavily.

Before sleeping she mumbles “Unnn, good night, strongman…” and falls asleep.

“Good night…” I murmur.

I follow Wufula out of her room and into the dining room.

She opens a drawer and takes out a clay pot. “… Edward, how about an infusion to calm the nerves?”

“That’d be lovely, thank you.” She takes out two ceramic bowls and sets them down, pouring some yellow leaves inside.

She goes to the side into the kitchen and comes back with a pot of water, pouring it in the bowls.

“It’ll be ready in a few moments.” She explains.

Wufula was a peculiar Amazoness. Her size is normal for a human and her hair color is unlike any other. Her blatant wealth was also peculiar.

How did she earn so much? I might as well ask her.

“Wufula, what do you do in this village?”

“… Hum. Lots of things. It can all be regrouped with the word ‘merchant’. I make gold travel around, I buy cheaper goods from the outside and sell what our village makes. I sometimes travel far away to human cities…” She starts explaining with a slightly bored expression.

“I see… You use your human height as subterfuge?”

“Indeed. Human cities are the best for trade, I just need to dress like them and play the part. Human culture is splendid, men love their women to the point of giving discounts. That’s how I got Nekola, and how my mother got me~.” Wufula starts smiling coyly.

“Ha ha…”

(Woman, those are under-the-table deals, it’s prostitution!)

Wufula sips on the beverage. “It’s ready, Edward.”

I start sipping on the leafy infusion. To my pleasant surprise, it has a blueberry taste and smell.

“This is nice.” I say with a small smile.

Wufula smiles back and brushes her hair with a hand.

“Thank you.”

We sit and drink for a couple minutes.

When my drink is half empty, Wufula gets up gracefully and comes sit on my left side before hugging on my arm. “I want to reward you for saving my daughter…” She says with a sensual voice.

“That’s… Great.” I gulp.

“What…” She whispers in my ear. “Would you like?”

Her advances spurred me on, but I wanted points the most. And to give me points…

I approach her ear and whisper. “Money~!…”

Wufula immediately pouts. “Humpf! To think this much wouldn’t work… Alright, money, okay!?”

She goes to a small chest in the room and asks. “Amazon or human currency?”

“Whichever you’d like.”

“Then human coins, I can’t use them here.”

She takes one handful of gold coins willy-nilly and comes back to dump it on the table.

As I touch them my points shoot up by 55 points!

(Wow! That’s big money right there!)

That puts me at a total of 89 points. Almost enough for the holy bag…

I drink the rest of Wufula’s blueberry infusion.

(Wait, I kind of feel funny down there.)

My companion was more than half raised, and it wasn’t entirely due to the sensual whispers.

Those blueberries might have been pink…

I eye Wufula. Her assets are enticing. Despite her height she had bigger breasts than even Gigila, not to mention Lola.

She eyes my torso, my still bloodied fist and finally my bulge before speaking up.

“… If you’d like, we can make an arrangement. I don’t lack the gold…” She bits her lip in frustration and hunger.

“Well… I’m not exactly pristine, or even dry right now, but alright.” I reply.

She smiles at my reply. “–!! Then how about three more gold coin?”

“The human ones? Not enough.” Jumping into negotiations, I categorically refuse her first offer before thinking of how much I want.

First off, I need at least 11 points for the holy bag and a lot more for everything else.

I got 20 points from a kiss with Nekola, so logically I should get a lot more for dangerous raw sex, but on the other hand Nekola payed a crazy inflated price.

That’s why I should aim for at least forty points, so eight of those gold coins.

“Then, how much do you propose?”

“Considering you’re the first to offer this and I feel very healthy, how about twenty gold?”

“What?! N-No, at best I can do seven…”

“You’ll need to give up some more, or wait for the next strongman to come by in a hundred years or so.”

“Guu… Fine, nine gold coins! That way you get twenty in total today! I can’t spend any more!”

(Nine? That’s a bit more than my goal and since Wufula is important in this village, I won’t push my luck too far with her.)

“… Alright, I agree.”

“Good!” She comes to grab my wrist. “Follow me to my room!”

Wufula drags me to her room and closes the door behind her.

Her room is adorned with all sorts of colorful furs, making my feet rest comfortably in the fluffiness.

A queen-sized bed stands in the middle, a transparent white cloth surrounds it, acting like a mosquito net.

Wufula opens it and pushes me on her bed.

She disrobes herself, making her dress fall down in a second by pushing aside the shoulder straps.

I try removing my wet pants. Wufula’s warm hands grab mine and push them aside.

“I’m paying, so we’re doing things how I want~…” Her cheeks heat up. I gulp.

Wufula starts rubbing my bulge over my pants. She continues. “Hum, but these should go away, now~.” She unbuttons my pants and pulls them off. “Oho, truly a strong bulge~!”

My boxers soon fly away and Wufula’s hands down there keeps it warm.

Her carnivorous behavior was not making me feel like a “strongman”.

“Then~ it’s time to get you inside!” The Amazoness mother keeps a hand on my dick and aims it up. Wufula’s hips jump and she inserts herself in one go.

(…!! It’s too good!)

“Ahhnnnnn ❤❤❤!” She moans in delight. “Don’t come too quick, now, I don’t plan on sleeping anymore tonight!”

“Hrgh! Fine with me!”

Her pussy coils around me and she starts moving her hips up and down. Her big butt slaps my thighs.

“Hmmmm ❤❤❤! Is this all you can do ❤?” She taunts me.

It was time to use my strength.

Hump hump hump hump

“Yaaaaahhnnnnn ❤❤❤!!! Nooooo~❤❤❤!!!”

Despite being above me, she was now in the weaker position.

With my movements making her bounce high up and down, Wufula was on her first ever roller-coaster.

Nekola’s blue-haired mom starts moaning between each thrust. “Ahhhhn ❤! You’re ❤! Too ❤! Strong ❤❤❤!!!”

I continue my hard work, fucking her slutty pussy for a few minutes until I’m about to blow.

“Hrm! Receive my nine gold’s worth of seed, you slut!” I come inside her.

“Haaaahnnn ❤❤❤!! Yes ❤! I feel it ❤!” I stop exerting myself and Wufula falls on top of me.

She begins whispering in my ear. “Now that’s what I wanted, good job~… Now, let’s get things started for real~!”

A nympho smile appears across her face. Her hands slither across my chest and grasp my nipples, pinching them. “I’ve always dreamed of defeating a strongman~❤!”

…

…

The battle was intense. The first sun rays of the day came through the window as Wufula and I were breathless after our last bout.

With our chests heaving side to side, Wufula finally gave up on victory. “Hah ❤… Hah ❤… I’ve never felt this tired before ❤…” Her head turns to look in my eyes. “Let’s say this was… A tie…”

“Hah… Hah… Yeah… Let’s do that…!” I reply.

The bedroom’s door croaks and a little head with black hair pops out, blushing.

It’s Nekola.

“It’s morning, mom, Edward!” She closes back the door.

A few minutes later we get up and get dressed.

Wufula’s sweaty appearance was enticing me, but I needed to reload my shots first.

She goes bring my payment and comes back with the nine gold coins as promised, making my points jump up to 134.

(She could still count up to nine… I must never underestimate young mothers!…)

It was about time to go grab my apostle tablet and make new purchases.

“Alright, til we meet again, Wufula!” I tell her before leaving her room.

I approach the door leading out of the house and reach for the door handle.

Knock knock

(Hum…)

I use my apostle senses and detect two Amazonesses behind the door so I open it.

The two women have very peculiar appearances.

The one in front, a milf, has very dark skin, almost like an African. She has reflective purple irises.

The one behind her is a young woman, with dark skin and reflective pink eyes.

Both have medium-length off-white hair and wear a skirt made out of leaves together with a short garment covering only their shoulders and breasts.

The older woman in front addresses me.

“Ah, the strongman who saved Wufula’s daughter.” She says calmly. “I see you’re still tending to her? How remarkable.”

“No, well…” I fumble as I look up into her eyes and back down to her big droopy tits.

Steps arrive from behind and Wufula welcomes the two. “Greetings, Elder Papika of the Sun, and Kukuma of the Sun.” She bows her head as I stand aside from the door. “To which pleasure do I owe your visit?”

“Un, we heard your daughter was healed by the strongman’s arts of the Sun, but we came to check in on her to make sure nothing is wrong.”

“Thank you, let me guide you to her.” She starts walking back towards Nekola’s room as she talks. “She’s quite energetic, so although I think she’s fine, please see to her.”

Their group leaves me by the door.

It seems these two are the priestesses of this village, and one of them is an elder…

(Good thing there’s nothing for me to consult the elder about, I can just go on my day then!)

I walk out and close the door gently behind me.

I look up towards the rising sun. Morning is coming along.