Chapter 11 Rewrite

Finished up a new rewrite, turning chapter 11 from one 2300 word chapter into two 3000 word chapters! Really big change to say the least.

Old version if you want to compare 

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What an eventful afternoon that turned out to be...

If I'd known ahead of time what getting out of bed would've led to, I probably would've followed Sam's wishes and spent another day lounging about with her.

We stood around, loitering outside of the Mayor's office for a few minutes before pulling ourselves back together. Neither of us is ready to deal with the ramifications of what just happened, but we get to a place where we feel up to at least accomplishing the other errands we set out to do in the first place.

Sam and I visit the Dewhurst Market for the first time together as a couple, and she's shocked by all the seedy things merchants are openly selling out in every shoddy stall. Illicit goods, questionable curios, and knock-off products can be found as far as the eye can see.

Sam comes from Imperalis, the capital of Karnalle itself, so it's no surprise for her to be feeling culture shock. She's used to the Grand Bazaar, where designer stores litter the streets and where merchants from all over the Realm and beyond come to do business. I can't imagine that our humble little collection of suspicious goods lives up to the second biggest market in Karnalle.

Neither of us is in the mood for window shopping, so we limit our time in the cobblestone-paved gathering of questionable merchants to what we came here for and nothing else. We pick up light groceries as well as some lube, which is just as awkward as I feared it would be. At least Sam isn't in the mood to publicly tease me over it. Finished with our task, we leave just as quickly as we came.

We're mostly silent on our way back, leaving plenty of time to mull over the actions I took. I'm not sure what came over me, but it felt terrific to rough Abner up a little for all the crap he's put me through. Not once did that old bastard ever try to support the Guild after my grandfather's death, so I found it cathartic to take some of my many years of frustration out on him.

Sure, I just rough-housed a decrepit senior citizen. But that doesn't mean I can't be proud of it.

We get back home to the Guild, both of us relieved to breathe in the musty yet comforting aroma of home. Sam and I agree to have a little talk after I've gotten the groceries squared away. I also take the time to prepare myself and my new love a pair of coffee, although I'm not sure if she likes it as much as I do. For whatever reason, thinking about how there's so much to learn about this girl who turned my life upside down fills my heart with a warm and fuzzy feeling I'm tempted to call joy.

But then I remember how she almost killed Abner, and that feeling becomes a little bit more complicated.

Together, we settle down at a table in the entrance hall, sitting on opposite sides. Sam has a frustrated expression on her face, making her look deeper in thought than I'm used to. I slide over a cup of coffee to her with a relaxed but cautious smile, and she sips it gratefully. She winces at the taste, not appreciating the bitter black, unlike myself.

"So-" Sam and I both speak up at the same time.

This little awkward moment makes us share a small laugh. The brief brevity lowers the tension a bit, helping us move on to the heart of the conversation.

"Do you wanna talk first?" She asks, smiling and averting her eyes.

"There's not much to say that I haven't already. Unless, of course, you're asking about how my grandfather died, which is a different story." She nods her head, and with a sigh, I tell her the truth, as upsetting as it is for me. "He was in his nineties. We were arguing about the career path he wanted me to have, and there was a lot of yelling and screaming from both of us. As he got madder and madder, his heart gave out... and that was that."

"What the hell?" Sam does a double-take and tilts her head. "People around here blamed you for killing him over a crappy ass reason like that?"

"It doesn't help that people think my eyes are cursed, either. There is a lot of superstitious peasant folk around these parts. I wasn't popular even before it happened."

"So... lemme get this straight." Sam slumps over the table as she cups her chin. Narrowing her eyes, the runaway Princess asks, "Your grandpa wanted you to become a Guild Master, and you ended up becoming one out of guilt?"

I laugh and look down into the darkness of my steaming hot drink. My reflection is right there on the surface of the bitter liquid, staring right back at me. Even he finds the comment ironic. "The opposite. He wanted me to be an adventurer, but I wanted to follow in his footsteps..."

She blinks. "You mean... you wanted to be a Guild Master? Man, you must have been such a total nerd...!" Sam laughs uncomfortably as she tries picturing my past self. Then, realizing she's acting like a bit of a rude hoe, corrects herself. "It's not that it's funny, I mean... I just..."

"It's alright, Sam," I give the young adventurer my most reassuring smile. "Not everyone dreams about waving a sword around, and slaying monsters left and right. Some of us prefer being the one who runs the show from the background, the one everyone counts on behind the scenes and who ensures everyone else can do their best."

"That makes sense, kinda. For what it's worth, I think you made the right call." She smirks while scratching the back of her head and blushing. "You got a nice build and all, but I can't see you as an adventurer... like, not at all, dude."

"Thank you. Despite my self-imposed isolation, I do work out from time to time. I've always been naturally muscular for whatever reason, though." I shrug off the compliment while ignoring the unintentional insult.

"What happened to you after your grandpa died? How the heck did you end up running this place after that?" Sam leans in. Her green eyes flicker with sympathy, and I can't deny her when she asks like that. Although her question is blunt to the point of being tactless, I know she means well, so I don't get upset over it.

"I was raised by a family friend who stopped by a few times a week to look after me. As for the Guild, that's a complicated story..." I explain to Her Highness the weirdness of the Dewhurst Adventurer's Guild. How I own the land, how it's technically a part of the Association of Adventurers yet not beholden to its rules, and the weird circumstances that led to me inheriting it all.

Most of it flies over her head, but the important thing is that she's trying to follow along. Sam ends up picking up the most important parts, at least.

"Geez..." She says, stunned as she tries putting the pieces together in her mind.

I shrug, having nothing to say.

"No crap you lost all your adventurers. I mean, no matter how hard you studied, you were just a damn kid...!" There's anger in her eyes just as much as there is love. For a moment, Sam looks to be on the verge of another episode similar to what just happened back at the Mayor's. Right as I begin to panic, she quells my concerns and regains control. Sam becomes aware of her looming rage and bites it back.

Then, realization dawns on her. Sam blushes as she grows ashamed of herself. "Shit... just the other day I was... oh, Gods, I was telling you to man the hell up and saying it was all your fault the Guild failed!"

I guess with that context in mind, all of her advice does indeed sound very cruel. I'm not bothered by it. I needed to hear someone say what she said to my face for me to take action into my own hands. The best medicine is always a bitter pill to swallow, or so they say.

"Sam, you don't need to-"

"I'm so sorry, Boss...!" The beautiful Princess's face is stained by tiny tears and an upsetting expression showing just how deeply she cares. I can't be mad at her. Especially not when she's looking at with a face like that.

"You're fine. It's not like you could've known. Besides, you aren't wrong. I failed because I stopped trying. Thanks to you, that's no longer the case. I'm going to succeed, and I'm going to succeed because I'll be putting in more work than ever before."

Sam grumbles, then pulls at her twintails with frustration. "That's cool and all, but I still feel like crap for saying all that junk. I'm such a stupid, stupid little dumbass..."

"Forget it. More importantly, do you think I went a little too far back there?" I change the topic to something a tad more important, hoping to help Sam show that I really don't care about how harsh her motivational speech was.

It works. There's a twinkle in the girl's eyes as she thinks back to how I almost beat up an elderly politician. "Nah, it was the coolest thing I've ever seen. Hell, I'm almost wet just thinking about the sheer manliness it took to pull that off, Boss!"

Her sarcasm is duly noted, and I roll my eyes. "I'll have to work in beating up old men into our foreplay more often, then."

"I'm only half-joking... sometimes, a girl just can't help herself, y'know?" Sam shrugs, looking away. "Point is, you were awesome. You handled it a lot better than I did... which, uh... we probably need to talk about, don't we...?" The runaway Princess sighs before turning to me with exaggerated puppy-dog eyes. She doesn't want to have this discussion, but she knows we need to.

I nod my head and sip from my coffee to give her a moment to reflect. Eventually, I ask, "Do you get like that often?"

"...Nah, not a lot. I get mad every now and then but never like... THAT mad." Slumping over the table and brushing some hair out of her face, Sam does all that she can to avoid my gaze.

"But it has happened before, you're saying."

"Yeah," A twitch of her eyes. A pang of sadness and regret. "Once or twice, maybe. I dunno."

"Were you actually going to attack him, Sam?"

"N-No!" Sam jolts up at the suggestion, slamming her fist into the table. Thankfully, her strength is reigned in, and she manages to avoid inflicting any property damage for once. Will wonders never cease? "I mean... I don't think so? Look, I just couldn't stand who he was treating you! Everything got fuzzy the more he spoke, and I wanted to hurt him for all the stupid shit coming out of his mouth. Even now, I... agh..."

For the first time since I've met her, Sam has an aura of vulnerability around her. She's always strong, confident, and in charge of herself, so seeing her like this is a good reminder that there's a significant age gap between us. I'm not a good role model by any stretch, but if I can help Sam to better herself in any way, I won't hesitate to be there for her when she gets like this. Knowing her extensive daddy issues, she'll probably even lean into it when I need to help her.

"Sam," I reach across the table, putting my hand on hers as I look her in the eyes. "I'm not mad at you. Whatever happened back there isn't going to stop the way I feel about you."

She raises her head, frowning, but forces herself to make eye contact. "You promise?"

"Yes, I promise. This is just something we'll have to work through together. As a team."

The troubled girl considers this in silence until a little smile appears on her face. She nods and corrects her posture, having herself another drink of coffee. "Thanks, Boss. I mean it, though... I'm... I'm not the kind of person who'd just attack someone like that. I mean it. If Abner wasn't talking shit to you, then... I wouldn't have thought about attacking him. It was an impulse, or maybe a reflex. Is there a difference between those?"

"An impulse is something you feel but don't immediately act on. A reflex is an action you perform unconsciously, often to protect yourself or others."

"Then it was an impulse," She holds her cheek up by her fist, sighing. "But I was pretty close to it being a reflex..."

"I'm not going to talk down to you and explain why it would've been a terrible thing to attack an old man with your sword, Sam. I just want to make this clear; I don't need a teenage girl to fight all my battles. Especially if your solution is this direct."

Her fear rises, and it shows on her face. "You don't get it. I haven't felt like this in ages! It's... Gods, it's only cause it was you he was treating like crap! We got, like, some kinda weird bond between us now and... ugh. We're going in circles, aren't we?"

"Circles is fine, as long as we're going somewhere."

She smirks and looks down into her coffee. "Heh, I like that..." After a while, she gives me a look of disappointment. "You sure you're not gonna tell me to behave myself... or that I need to act my age... or all that other adult crap?"

"Given the fact that you're a runaway, something tells me you received plenty of that sort of attention already. You don't need it from me."

"...Thanks," A mysterious blush colors Sam's face, her eyes suddenly avoiding my own. "I... don't think anyone has ever treated me like this before, y'know?"

"What, like an adult?"

"Naw," She shakes her head. "Like my own person. It's kinda nice having someone willing to let me fuck up and not hold me to these stupidly high standards of, you know?"

"Not to ruin the moment, but I think asking you not to attack old men with your giant sword is far from a stupidly high standard."

Sam is taken aback by the comment and then laughs. Her emerald eyes flit away, nervous. "Yeah, totally. Not gonna happen again."

"And if it does?"

"Well, uh... then you'll just have to help me again. Simple enough, right?"

"Hm," I cup my chin in my hand, then lower my glasses with the other. I jokingly look her up and down, purposefully lingering on her exposed cleavage. "I suppose. You're lucky you're cute."

"Fuck off, Boss." She giggles, warmth returning to her smile.

It's far from perfect, but we reached an understanding. Sometimes, Sam gets angry. Really angry. I feel like there's something I'm forgetting here when it comes to her family that might explain this. It’s just that my brain’s been thrown for a loop from everything that’s happened these past few days. What matters is that I can't magically make her anger problem any better, but I can at least provide support for her when she needs it.

As previously mentioned, I'm an expert at reading body language, especially with people like Sam, who is honest to a fault and can't lie to save their ass. Sam was sincere about every word. When she said this rarely happens, I believed her. When she promised me that she only felt this angry because I was verbally abused. She isn't the kind of person who would just attack someone over nothing.

Clearly, something else is at work here.

As much as I'd feel awkward about it, I almost want to bring the young adventurer to Miss Hart and see if she knows anything that might help. She's not a mental health doctor by any means, but it couldn't hurt. Of course, that would require a great deal of explaining on my part as to who this girl is, and I'm frankly terrified of how Opalina would react if I just showed up again after so long.

Soon. I can't avoid her forever, but not today.

For now, I think Sam would do good with an excuse to take out her stress on the field. "We shouldn't stew over this little setback all day. Feel like getting some work done? There are plenty of monsters around just waiting for a bronze-ranked adventurer such as yourself to mow them down with a sword."

It takes her a minute, but the rough and tumble Princess stands up, cracks her knuckles, and finishes her coffee in one gulp. With a big old grin on her face, she says, "Whatcha got in mind for me, Boss?" and slams the coffee cup down onto the table for dramatic emphasis, promptly breaking the ceramic mug with her absurd strength by complete accident.

---

Once Sam cleans up all the pieces of the mug and thinks about what she did, I sprawl out a bunch of different low-level monster quests on the table so I can see all of our options at once. Dewhurst was a famous Guild for many reasons, but the sheer variety of monsters in the immediate area made it suitable for new adventurers especially.

To the east, we have verdant and grassy plains. To the north, farmlands, followed by the Bellepar Timberlands and the mountains of Bragos. West is a sparse, rocky region, and to the south, we have access to the fabled Gnarled Woods of Arrark.

On top of all these other great locations is easy access to the Labyrinthe of Light dungeon found only a few days northeast of here, a convenient place supposedly created by the Goddess of Light, Lux Ultima. The floors are constantly shifting, and heroes can find tons of randomized loot, provided they make it through the perilous monsters and traps. Yes, Arrark, and Dewhurst as a whole, has always been an astounding environment to nurture any up-and-coming adventurers.

Unfortunately, we can't make good use of all these locations. Not yet, anyway.

The only thing Sam is qualified for right now is a handful of kill quests and some generic fetch quests. The Association pays gold for adventurers to go out into the wilderness gather herbs and other alchemical ingredients. Then, Guild alchemists process the ingredients and sell the potions they create straight back to the adventurers. It's just as manipulative as it sounds, and the prices are exorbitant- even if you sign up for their monthly potion subscription service.

At the very least, these gathering quests make it, so even the weakest bronze-ranked adventurers have plenty of options for safe work. Another good bonus is that I could accompany Sam during them without much fear of danger. We need the money to improve the Guild, and it's not like the Association would know I'm leaving my post to gather herbs.

Not as long as I file my reports the right way.

Sam looks over the quests on the table for herself, then tells me she doesn't care what we do with today as long as we do something. Whether it's gathering herbs or killing more Slimes, she's up for anything. I can see it in her eyes, though. She'd much prefer if she got to go out and kill some monsters.

She also takes the time to remind me once again that I don't need to pay her any of the gold we earn. As long as I keep sharing my bed and feeding her, Sam insists that the money would be better used to improve the Guild. When I ask whether she means actual food or something else, she remains curiously coy.

Teasing aside, I'm not sure how I'm going to report this to the Association yet. 'Yeah, don't worry about it, bro' isn't something that the AoA will take as an excuse for why I'm not making deposits into Sam's Guild bank account. If I don’t pay her, they’ll see it in my documentation, so I suppose I'll just store her payments in her official Association bank account. If I actually need to use any of Sam’s gold, I'll document it as her withdrawing the funds herself.

Even if I don't have to follow all of the AoA's policies, documentation is the one thing I can't screw up on.

If there's a significant reason for the higher-ups to doubt my reports, this could lead to a formal review. If that happened, they could send someone to check out the Guild, and to my understanding, they might find legal ground to repossess my home if things aren't up to their standards. For whatever reason, this has never happened before. Probably because they don't care about this location now that they have Perlshaw, I'd wager. Still, they could drop by tomorrow, and I could lose anything, and there'd be nothing I could do about it.

A scary thought- especially now that my life is finally starting to change for the better.

There's no use worrying about things out of my control, though. As long as I'm careful in my documentation, then things should carry on like usual... at least until I start making enough gold that it attracts the Association's interest.

I have more pressing matters to be concerned about. Namely, Sam's friend.

Sam is absolutely sure that this new adventurer of hers will be on her way here within a few days. Usually, traveling from Imperalis all the way to Dewhurst would take a month or more... but given how this 'Zutiria Syndaline' of hers is supposedly a powerful Mage, she could show up as early as tomorrow if she uses the warp stone network.

Each major city in the Realm of Karnalle has a large warp stone that Mages- and only Mages- can use to travel long distances. It only works when traveling to other warp stones, and you can only bring a small amount of inanimate luggage with you when you go. The few types of teleportation magic that exist are convoluted as all hell, and most fly over my head. All I know is that typically, teleportation is impossible for living beings- with a big asterisk.

If I’m honest, most of the specifics of how magic works is beyond me. I've read more than a few books on different schools of magic to familiarize myself with the different types of adventurers I might one day manage, and in the past, Miss Hart has even tried to teach me how to perform some myself. We discovered quickly that I don't have the apt for it, to put it lightly.

I'm ad to say that my only strengths seem to be documentation, paperwork, and sex. Guess I'll just have to learn to deal...

For whatever reason, Sam is evasive whenever I ask her about Zutiria. She's insistent that I'll love her and that's she's 'totally super cute', but my mind is racing from the idea of someone else around here. I indeed need more adventurers, but I haven't even adjusted to my new life with Sam, and now she's gone and invited someone else into our strange dynamic. I hope she'll be older and a bit more mature than Sam. Gods know I adore the girl, but I don't know if I could handle another one around the same age as Her Highness.

Then, I'm worried about the declaration I made to build myself a harem Guild...

I meant all that I said. I really do desire to have a harem. What Karnallian male doesn't? I just thought I'd have more time to gather my confidence and grow more comfortable with the idea. In Sam's own words, she believes that the Mage would be 'down to clown', which I don't even know how to process.

As exciting as the idea of coupling with a second girl so soon after my first is, I decide to not get my hopes up. It would be terribly sleazy to expect this random stranger to sleep with me just because Sam thinks it's a sure thing. I'll look at it this way- if things turn out well, lovely. Second girlfriend; acquired. If not, second adventurer; acquired. Either way is a win for both me and the Guild as a whole.

Speaking of the Guild, I think it's time to actually get started for the day. I've been dreading about the Association and asking Sam about Zutiria long enough.

At my suggestion, Sam will spend another day hunting down more Slimes so we can further work on her basics. She's not bummed about it in the slightest, understanding it'd be good to have more time to work on her fundamentals before moving on to something slightly more complicated. Especially since it's been three days since she practiced.

I know I'm partially to blame for that, but I think pussy is all the excuse I need.

Sam heads out the ruined front door to do some stretches, warming herself up for the adventure ahead. As for me, I go to pack up and prepare enough supplies to keep Sam hydrated and fed for the day. Even if she's not wearing a bulky set of armor, and even if the weather is pleasant, she'll still be sweating like crazy from all the training I'll be putting her through during the Slime hunts. We were only out for an hour last time, but today we'll be out and about for a lot longer.

Together, Sam and I hurry through the city, proudly holding hands. We had to get out of the way for a sizable merchant caravan coming in from Cransmere, but we make good time, and we're out on the eastern grassy plains before you know it.

Excitement pumps through my veins. Today should be nothing but smooth sailing, I think to myself. My ever-present inner pessimist disagrees. That nagging part of my brain makes sure to remind me that if I've learned anything by now, it's that nothing ever goes according to plan. Not as far as my luck is concerned, anyway.

Shaking off the negativity, Sam and I find the first Slime of the day almost right off the bat.

With an excited grin, Sam readies herself for battle. She doesn't rush in like she might've done before, but instead, she assumes the correct stance I taught her and eyes her opponent up. Seeing the girl take my advice to heart is almost enough to bring a tear to my eye. Sam isn't fully confident in herself, though, and she keeps looking to me for guidance.

The young warrior leads with her dominant foot, taking small steps towards the unaware foe until at last the Slime takes notice of her and registers her as a threat.

The Slime leaps towards Sam, utterly unaware that all it's doing is accelerating its own doom.

Sam gathers her power by raising her blade overhead before shouting and slashing down with a powerful attack. It's a lovely swing. Balanced almost perfectly and without hesitation. By all accounts, it'll cut up a Slime clean as can be.

But when it makes contact, that's when the strike takes both Sam and me for a wild ride neither of us could have seen coming.

Rather than slicing the Slime clean, the Great Blader's sword just about evaporates the entire monster into a thin mist from air pressure alone. Sam's face becomes shocked at the sudden increase of both velocity and power. Before she can even react, the sword finishes its downward trajectory by smashing into the ground below with the force of a miniature earthquake.

It crashes into the earth, rending it solely from the tremendous impact of her sword alone. Grass, dirt, and everything else unfortunate to be within a couple feet of the blow is sent hurtling up into the air thanks to this massive strike. As the thick cloud of dust settles into the surrounding area, the Slime core materializes nearby, throbbing uselessly as it searches for fluid.

The liquid was splattered too far apart for it to regenerate and in only a few minutes, it will oxidize and die.

Another battle ended, this time even easier than anticipated.

Sam stares at her weapon in awe and then turns to me. Sorry, Sam. Like hell, if I have any clue about what this is all about.

"What... the... fuck?!" In a confused frenzy, the warrior starts swinging her sword around carelessly. She's trying to see if someone tampered with her weapon, by the looks of it. "I knew it felt a little lighter today, but no, seriously, dude... what the hell is this?! Is this how much of a difference having the correct stance makes?"

"Sam, don't be stupid. Changing your posture is not enough to suddenly grant you the strength required to tear the Gods-damned earth asunder."

"Well, do you got a better answer? Cause this crap just doesn't happen overnight, you know!" She barks, conflicted emotions showing on her face. On the one hand, Sam is concerned and confused. On the other, she can't believe what she just did, and it makes her feel like a total badass. Granted, she most certainly is a badass if she can keep this up.

"I don't know what it could be... you haven't trained in three days." I really rack my brain over the coals, trying to think of what the hell could explain Sam's sudden power surge. Despite never wielding a sword, Sam was born with a great deal of innate strength, most likely due to her Royal bloodline.

The Kings and Queens of Karnalle have always been known for their strength, among other things, so I didn't bat an eye at her power until now. Besides, I'm a Guild Master. I've seen stranger things than a teenager who can carry around a giant hunk of iron like it were a walk in the park.

I start mentally retracing everything the two of us have done until now in the hopes of catching anything out of the ordinary that could possibly explain this current predicament. The answer should be obvious when I consider everything that's happened until now, and Sam inadvertently points it out herself.

"The only thing we've been doing for the last three days is having sex, right? I don't understand..." The Princess lodges her sword into the earth, grabbing her twintails and pulling them out of frustration.

My palms clasp the sides of my throbbing temples, and I let out a deep, deep sigh. For a moment, I close my eyes and rub my eyelids, thinking about how I can't handle this. Still, I know it's the correct answer. No matter how absurd and worrying it may sound, there's nothing else it could be.

"...Boss?" Sam catches my abrupt change in mood. "Did you, uh... did ya figure it out?"

"Let's just say that I have an idea."

"Shoot."

"Promise me that you won't think I'm crazy?" I know it won't do any good, but some reassurance would at least make me feel better about saying it out loud.

"...Um. Kay?"

I take in a deep breath of cool air, hold it down for several seconds, and exhale. "I believe there is a significant chance that the source of your increased strength... may be due to having sex with me. Specifically, from having my semen inside of you."

Silence.

A calm wind blows across the warm, grassy meadow. The shimmering sun shines, letting down its heavenly rays onto the Realm without so much as a single cloud to block its light. Birds sing their lovely songs, chirp, chirp, chirping away in the distance. It's a nice day- a beautiful one. A perfect day for realizing that I have balls full to the brim with magic jizz.

Sam takes a step forward, and without a word, she reaches up with her arms and wraps them around my neck, pulling me into her cleavage. She strokes the back of my head like the gentlest of heavenly angels, and in a calming voice, says, "It's ok, Boss. We've both had a pretty tough day. I spooked you back in town with the Mayor, and we had a pretty serious talk back there at the Guild. If you aren't feelin' it, that's totally cool. Let's just go home, get you some rest, and we'll try this shiz again tomorrow. No big deal."

From the lovely valley of her barely armored breasts, I look up at Sam and say, "I’m dead serious. I think my cum makes you stronger."

The Princess loses a bit of her motherly charm, her face becoming skeptical instead of concerned. "Boss, you’re stupid. Is anyone home up there? C'mon," She playfully starts knocking on my skull with her gloved fist. "You're supposed to be the smart one!"

"And what if I were to tell you that I have personally witnessed your pussy glowing pink shortly after cumming inside of you?"

"Are you shitting me?" She squints and furrows her brow.

"If only," Sighing, I clench my eyes shut from stress.

"Well why the FUCK didn't you tell me about this sooner?!" She grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me, her cheeks crimson and her eyes confused.

She's understandably rattled, and the reasons I put off telling her are less than noble. I've been intentionally pushing this fact out of my mind during the last three days of lovemaking. I didn't want to deal with it, and I still don't, really. But I can't avoid the bizarre situation any longer. Not when it's the only rational- and I use the term rational extremely loosely- explanation for the exponential growth in Sam's strength.

Tension gets the better of me, and I push her off of my shoulders, barking, "Because I wanted to keep having sex with you, obviously! If I pulled out and said, 'Hey, Princess, can't help but notice that your cunt puts on a magical light show every time I give you a creampie,' then you would probably want to stop until we figured it out, and I didn't want to stop, damn it!"

Sam tilts her head as she stares back into my eyes. "You... didn't wanna stop?"

"Of course not, you're beyond beautiful, and whenever we make love, it feels like everything is right in the Realm. Why else do you think I got swept up for so long?" I answer the Princess purely on impulse, but it comes out a lot more romantic-sounding than I intended.

Rather than minding the emotional tone, Sam seems to enjoy it fact.

"I mean... I thought it was just because you're a total perv and that I was a bad influence on you, but.. that's, uh... that's really sweet of you..." Sam steps backward, twiddling her twin-tail and puffing out her pouty lips.

"Aaaanyway... this is more than a little fuckin' weird, and I think we need to go back to the Guild and have a nice, long talk about this... Daddy." She tacks that magic word on there, sounding half threatening and half dripping with sultry implications.

Nodding my head and sighing for what feels like the fiftieth time in the last three minutes, I agree to Sam's wishes, and we start back on the way we came.

Making money for the Guild will regrettably have to wait. Zutiria Syndaline will be here sometime during the next few days, but until then, the Princess and I are going to have a lot on our hands. We need to do a lot of testing, and as strange and uncomfortable as this situation is, I take solace in the fact that I'm about to get laid very, very often in the name of science.