Combat Healer Ch. 08

December 10, 2021

NOTE: Things...are about to get crazy.

ARTWORK: I should have Serenity the first week of February. I will also be posting a new poll for the next character (on Feb 1). Gwen will come March or early April.

<< Chapter 7 | Chapter 1

- CHAPTER 8: Betrothed -

Present Day

Having finally arrived at the city after half a day’s walk, the young busty Holstaur entered the front gates on the eastern side, knowing that’s where her betrothed’s guild was located. She couldn’t help but feel nervous, though she realized her timidity was far less noticeable than it had been a year ago.

She was so shy before, but due to her Determination, she’d found herself talking with shopkeepers, guards, and anyone else who might help her achieve her goals.

Honestly, now that she thought about it, she actually knew quite a few people in the city and back home that she hadn’t known previously, and they all seemed to like her a lot. Then again, she was well aware at this point that she apparently had a body to be desired.

Her purple eyes alone would have made her stand out, being a very rare eye color only seen among the elves and Minotaur, but her Holstaur proportions mixed with a human body, combined with her deeply tan skin and straw-blonde hair, all really made her stand out.

She knew, because everyone looked wherever she went.

At the very least, she already had the Guard’s attention by the time she was within speaking range.

“Val!” a tall elf said cheerfully. “Wow, haven’t seen you in a long time. It’s been like six months, hasn’t it?”

Valshia gave him a warm smile. “Yes sir. Whenever I’ve visited the city, I normally use the southwestern gate.”

“A shame. I’ve missed your cheerful smile. Where are you headed today?”

Valshia found his comment strange, since she’d only met the elf twice in passing. Yet he missed her cheerful smile?

“I’m going to join Remnant, sir,” she replied, with Determination.

His eyes widened in sincere surprise. “You’re going to join?” he repeated. “What Class and Focus do you have?”

“I’d rather not say, sir,” she said politely, her expression a little pleading. She really didn’t want to be rude, but also didn’t want to be held up any longer.

Needless to say, the man looked almost dazed. “Oh, umm. That’s alright. Will you stop by when you leave? I’d love to treat you to a meal.”

Valshia shook her head. “Thank you so much for the offer, but I hope to have other plans this evening. Remnant is this way, correct?” she wondered, though she already knew, pointing toward her right.

The elf glanced over his shoulder, as if he himself had forgotten, before giving her a nod. “Yes, that’s correct. Please let me know if you need anything at all.”

“Thank you,” Valshia said simply, readjusting her pack on her slim tan shoulders, her extremely large breasts still bouncing slightly even though they were secure in a tight leather top. A top that made her look as if she was actively bursting out of it, her tits squeezed outward at the edges while simultaneously squeezed inward to reveal her deep cleavage.

She was sure a normal woman’s undergarments covered more than her outfit, all of her tan muscular thighs exposed as her leather shorts strained with every step. But her clothing options were somewhat limited with her excessive proportions.

Having the extremely wide hips of a Holstaur, and thighs to match, her upper body was mostly normal for a human female, minus her enormous chest that matched her Holstaur proportions. Of course, she might be able to get custom clothing made, but it was far more than she could afford right now, having been forced to live her entire life either wearing too much or too little.

Usually too much, as was the case when her betrothed first visited, her entire body covered in a patchwork of burlap sacks.

But hopefully, now that she had a rare Focus, and with her wearing something much more flattering, she hoped that her betrothed would be glad to see her, and ready to accept her in every way possible.

Both into his team.

As well as into his life.

As his wife.

* * *

It had been so long since I’d been truly intimate with a woman, that I knelt in front of Mel’s spread rosy thighs feeling a little nervous as I stared at her slowly swelling pussy. Not that I was anxious about what I’d see, since I sincerely doubted that I would find her juicy folds anything other than completely arousing, but rather just at the anticipation at getting to possibly fuck.

Shit, she was so fucking hot.

So fucking hot.

Her thighs were thick, her stomach toned, her tits firm and massive, and her face was so ridiculously gorgeous that it almost physically hurt, especially when faced with all of her sexy features all at once. Shit, she was making me such a nervous wreck right now, and I could tell it was turning her on.

She finally reached out with her thin red fingers then and gently began caressing my cheek and jaw as I kept my gazed focused on her still-swelling folds.

“Do you really like what you see?” she asked quietly, her tone affectionate.

Of course, being that I’d taken my pants off and was on my knees, she should know that I liked it, since my cock was sticking straight up, already beginning to leak.

“Yes,” I managed.

“I sucked on your cock earlier today. Maybe…maybe you can return the favor?” she wondered hesitantly.

I gulped loudly.

Her tone became full of lust. “I kind of want to smother you with my cunt.”

A tremor ran up my spine, causing my cock to twitch.

She reached up with her other hand then, grasping my jaw in both of her palms. “Are you going to let me smother you?” she wondered, her tone almost curious, even as she scooted her hips forward a little while gently tugging my face downward.

Oh fuck.

My breathing was coming in shallow gasps as her swelling folds began to fill my vision, with her spreading her legs even more, almost completely to each side as she shoved her pussy outward. Her huge lips were hanging against the side of the bed now, still fairly flat like normal pussy lips, but being much thicker, easily as thick as my index finger.

Two huge juicy folds, ready for me to bury my face in them.

“Oh Allie,” she whimpered, her hands moving to the back of my head to finish shoving my face down. “Let me bury you in my cunt.”

My hands flew to her knees to catch myself as she shoved my face fully into her snatch, beginning to shift her hips slightly to bury my face deeper between her massive rosy folds, continuing to pull until the top of my head was pressing up against her huge clit, my nose feeling like it was just at the entrance of her hidden depths. She was moaning now, the sound loud and unrestrained like I was giving her the greatest pleasure in the world, simply from having my face buried in her cunt.

And honestly, based on the fact that she had increased sensitivity, this probably did feel really amazing for her, especially after going without for so long.

Tilting my chin away, I sucked in a deep breath, overwhelmed by the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg that I’d noticed before when I first met her, before burying my face again.

Was this truly her natural scent?

Beginning to press my forehead more into the squishy orb, encouraged by her whimper and moans, she unexpectedly surprised me by pressing her cunt into me even more as she grabbed a hold of my hair, to the point that I was starting to fall backwards. All at once, she shoved me to the floor, my face still buried, her rosy knees at my shoulders as she sat fully on my face and began rubbing her folds back and forth.

Oni were well known to be much more aggressive during sex, and to have stamina that humans struggled to keep up with, so I knew this was probably just the beginning of a wild ride.

A ride where she did things to me, in the pursuit of enjoying herself.

But I still fully intended on trying to enjoy it as much as possible.

I reached up to grab her bubbly crimson ass.

“Uhh!” she moaned. “Oh God, oh my God! You’re so good! You’re so good!” she moaned again, beginning to thrust more and more, each forward movement freeing my mouth to breathe, only for her to slide right back down to lather my face in her juices. “Oh baby. Oh baby, I love you so much. I love you so much! It feels so fucking good!”

I wasn’t shocked by her admission of love, since that phrase meant less for an Oni than it did for other races. But still, it made me really happy to hear her say that, knowing this was probably the first time in ages since she’d felt any form of pleasure at all.

“Oh fuck, oh baby, oh FUCK!” She abruptly squirted all over my face, screaming at the top of her lungs as she continued to grind on my face, only for her to whimper loudly like it was the biggest release of her life. “Oh shit. Oh shit, I need your cock so badly.”

In one swift motion, she abruptly got up, long streams of her clear pussy juice dripping onto my face, only for her to twist around and plop right back down, shoving her cunt right on my forehead as she grabbed my cock in her thin strong hands.

She moaned again. “Oh fuck, I’ve missed this so much. It’s been way too long since I last cummed.” She thrust her hips, sliding her juicy folds down across my cheeks and covering my mouth, before shoving back again, even as she bent down and began licking the head of my cock. “Mmm, your cum is so good. I’m so sorry I couldn’t really enjoy it before when I jerked you off, but it’s so fucking good. Oh fuck, you’re making me so wet.”

My face was already lathered in her fluids, so the idea that she could get any more wet was hard to believe.

Shit, I should have known what I was getting into with an Oni. Their sex drives far exceeded humans, and I knew that I was probably about to endure several hours of her getting off on me, while I did my best to keep up with her.

But I wasn’t about to complain.

This was literally heaven.

And her massive cunt was nothing to be embarrassed about. It was so fucking hot, and I was so turned on. With her leather-clad tits now resting against my stomach, I reached out to grab them firmly, realizing I could do that now, since she was alright with getting aroused.

She moaned loudly. “That’s right baby, squeeze my tits while I wrestle your cock with my tongue. I want you to cum down my throat, and then I want you to cum in my pussy while I lick my fluids off your face.”

Oh fuck!

She abruptly engulfed me, moaning even louder as she thrust downward, beginning to swallow when I hit the back of her throat, until all eight inches were inside her mouth. And then she just continued to moan as she gagged herself on me, staying down for way longer than I would have thought was possible.

She finally came up for air, breathing heavily as she grinded more intently on my face while she started bobbing up and down on my shaft, my head repeatedly hitting the back of her throat over and over again.

“Mmmm! Mmmmmmm!” she moaned, her movements speeding up.

The moment my hips began tensing, signaling that I was about to get there, she abruptly thrust downward again, shoving my cock right back into her throat, beginning to swallow just as I blew my load.

She gulped and gulped, and then pulled away as I continued to cum, collecting the rest in her mouth, seeming to savor it as she slid her huge pussy lips across my face, only to swallow loudly just before she abruptly screamed again.

Her hips jerked into my face. “AHHHHH! Oh FUCK, that was so good! Oh FUCK!” She moaned again. “Fuck yes, oh baby, fuck YES! Oh fuck, I need your cock in me. Oh shit, I need you to cum in me so bad.”

In one swift motion, she lifted off my face, more streams of fluid dripping from her snatch, only for her to spin her hips completely around and expertly sink right down on my shaft.

Having my cock shoved into her pussy was so abrupt that my stomach tensed in response, just in time for her to grab my shoulders and tug me into her arms, her lips smashing into mine as my hands grabbed at her huge tits, still constrained by her glossy leather top.

“Mmmm!” she moaned, moving to glide her tongue along my cheek. “I forgot how much I love my taste. I could lick my juice off a cock all day and never get tired of it.” She moaned again, beginning to lift up on my shaft, only for her massive folds to squish against my thighs as she thrust back down, nearly screaming again.

“Ahhh! Oh fuck yes!” She lifted up again, beginning to get into a rhythm as she rocked up and down, squishing her lips against my thighs, while jerking forward a little at the bottom to shove her clit into my body, only to do it again and again. “Oh shit,” she moaned, shoving her lips into mine again. “Oh shit, OH SH--”

Her voice abruptly cut off, her toned rosy body suddenly tense, when someone unexpectedly knocked at the door.

What the fuck?

I didn’t even realize I was out of breath, until I tried to speak.

“Umm, who is it?” I wondered, having no idea who was interrupting us, knowing this wasn’t even close to the first time that fucking had been heard from the hallway. Especially not with so many noisy Oni finding time to fuck at all hours of the day.

“Umm, it’s Valshia Kumrahg, sir. Is this Allister’s room? I was told this was his room. I’m his betrothed. I’ve come to be his wife.”

My eyes were as wide as saucers as I met Mel’s gaze, her gold eyes just as shocked, both of us completely silent for a long few seconds.

“Is this a bad time?” Val wondered nervously. “Sounds like I interrupted something. If you want, I can wait downstairs.”

I was about to respond, only for Mel to unexpectedly speak up.

“No, stay right there. Just give us a minute.”

The fuck?

Val sounded relieved. “Oh, of course, ma’am. Thank you.”

I gave Mel a bizarre look, my voice low. “What are you thinking?” I asked seriously in a hushed whisper.

Mel slipped off my cock, but didn’t go far. “I’m thinking that a woman just showed up to marry you, and that we should probably deal with this in private, so rumors aren’t flying around the guild like cumshots.”

“Oh.” I paused, still just stunned. “Good point.”

She nodded, grabbing my blanket and wiping her swollen cunt on it, only to toss it to me while she went for her leather panties and pants. Surprisingly, her pussy was already beginning to shrink back to its normal size, definitely still being a bit larger than normal, but not enough to be noticeable once she had her leather pants on.

In the meantime, I focused on wiping my face as clean as possible too, glad I smelled like nutmeg instead of sex, only to quickly get dressed just in time for Mel to open the door.

We both had to do a doubletake.

I recognized Val’s name, of course, and knew exactly who it was. But holy fuck I’d never seen her dressed like that.

Previously, she’d only been wearing much more conservative clothing aligned with her lifestyle on a farm, which amounted to essentially adorning herself in outfits made of burlap sacks. But now she had on dark brown leather shorts that barely covered anything, and a dark brown leather top that held her huge tits together, while simultaneously making them look like they were about to bust from their restraint in every direction.

Probably didn’t help that she had laced leather cords in the middle, and on the sides, to hold everything together. All it would take was one strip of leather to snap, and it’d all come apart.

Her blonde hair and purple eyes were deeply contrasted against her brown horns and tan skin, while her proportions were insane, with her having thick toned thighs that connected to massive hips, leading to a toned waist that was thin enough to look like it belonged to a human girl, while being muscular enough to look like her midriff might be just as wide front-to-back as she was on the sides.

And then she had those slim arms, delicate shoulders, a gentle feminine face, and enormous tits that looked as plump and firm as Mel’s tits, only so much more ridiculously larger.

So much more ridiculously larger!

Each plump tit was like twice as big as her entire adorable head.

Fuck, she was like every man’s wildest fantasy, being so skinny and yet also being so muscular and having a shit ton of fat in all the perfect places.

Fuck.

She was standing with her left hand clenched at her side, like she was anxious, while the other hand was holding onto a strap on her shoulder, appearing to belong to a pack she was carrying. When she and I made eye contact, she looked both relieved and suddenly really nervous.

“M-Mr. Allister, s-sir,” she stammered. “I’m…I’m so happy to see you. I unlocked a Focus and got stronger, like you wanted. I’m ready to become your wife, and I want to join your team.”

“Wait,” Mel interjected, gesturing for her to come in. “First of all, come inside and close the door so we can talk in private.”

Val hesitated briefly, before doing so, with me moving to close the door behind her. Oh fuck, her tan muscular ass was so fucking hot. The dark brown leather shorts were too small to cover the bottom of her tan asscheeks, and despite being huge, it didn’t exactly look fat. Not like a human woman who was overweight.

No, that massive ass was super toned.

Granted, I was sure it had some fluff to it, but her entire body had strong muscle underneath it that made everything look tight, even if it was also thick.

Quickly averting my eyes when I noticed Mel glancing at me, I moved back in front of Val, so that the three of us were all facing each other, with my girlfriend now almost standing in the middle, on the side, as if she was our mediator.

Mel placed her rosy hands on her leather-clad hips, as she spoke again. “Okay, so what exactly is this arrangement you speak of?” she asked Val.

The busty Holstaur nodded at her, dropping both hands to her sides, clenched into small fists, while standing a little straighter. “My father offered me to Mr. Allister as repayment for saving my mother’s life, as well as the life of my youngest brother. But my betrothed said that he needed someone who could fight with him, and promised to take me as his wife if I could unlock my Focus and get stronger. I’ve been training almost nonstop for the last ten months, once I was able to get enough money for the Focus Ritual.”

Mel’s white eyebrows were high, only for her to shift her gold gaze to me.

“Did you make that promise?” she asked seriously.

Fuck.

I wanted to explain the circumstances behind the promise, how I thought Val wasn’t interested in me. And that, I figured she’d never be able to unlock a Focus, even if she did the Focus Ritual, since she was part-Holstaur and all. But I supposed I grossly misunderstood how she would come to feel about the situation, and also underestimated what it meant for her to be half-human.

Had she done this out of pure obligation?

I didn’t know, but I couldn’t say any of that in front of Val without hurting her feelings.

Because, while it seemed like she was still really innocent, just as innocent as I remembered her, she also was by no means stupid. She understood the things going on around her perfectly well. Or at least, most things…

She might not have realized we were having sex just now.

Or maybe she realized, and was playing innocent.

Hard to say.

I cleared my throat, choosing my words carefully. “Umm, yeah. I thought she wasn’t interested in me, so I said I’d marry her if she unlocked a Focus. Figured she wouldn’t even try.”

“Not interested in you?” Val said in alarm, only to look down, her tan cheeks flushing. “I…I’m…My father offered me to you, because he knew I wanted nothing more than to become your wife.”

Seriously? I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

I had assumed that her being here meant that she’d warmed up to the idea, or done it out of obligation, not that she’d been infatuated with me from the very beginning. Or that it was actually her interest that prompted the offer in the first place.

Fuck! I’d really messed up!

“But you ran away,” I said in disbelief. “As soon as he made the offer, you disappeared.”

Mel scoffed. “Seriously Allie? You’re not that dense, are you? She was obviously embarrassed.”

I glared at her. “I’m not dense at all,” I retorted. “You know very well that her disappearing could have been perceived as a bad thing.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.” She then focused on Val. “But then, I guess that means you really did unlock a Focus?”

She nodded confidently. “I did, and I was told it’s very rare. I’ve been practicing nonstop for the last ten months,” she repeated.

I frowned as I considered that, only for Mel to nudge me.

“What?” I said in surprise.

Mel rolled her gold eyes. “Well, do your thing. Analyze her or whatever. You made a promise, after all. You can’t break her heart.”

I gawked at her. Was she serious right now?

What about us?

Val gasped, suddenly looking mortified. “Did you truly not wish to wed me?”

“No, it’s not that,” I said urgently, definitely not wanting to hurt her feelings, and also not wanting the sexiest girl in the world to think I didn’t want her. “It’s just…” My voice trailed off.

Fuck, if I told Val that I was with Mel, it would break her heart.

My girlfriend spoke up again, her tone blunt. “What he wants to say, is that I’mcurrently dating him. But I’m sure you don’t mind sharing, right?”

What the fuck?!

I almost had to do a doubletake at her.

“Are you serious?” I said in disbelief.

“I don’t mind sharing!” Val blurted out. “I would never presume to be my betrothed’s only wife!”

I couldn’t believe this was happening right now.

Like, I literally felt like I must have passed out while Mel was fucking me, and this was some kind of crazy dream.

Of course, I knew that arrangements like this happened all the time, with sometimes two men sharing a woman, like Turg and Dagru did, and sometimes a few women sharing the same man.

But sharing me?

Two women wanted to share me?

I cleared my throat, trying to wrap my head around this. “Okay, so let me get this straight. Mel, you’re okay with sharing me.” I paused. “Does that mean I have to share you?” I asked seriously.

She scoffed. “No, of course not. I’m not going to show…” Her voice trailed off as she glanced at Val, before rephrasing, speaking more generally, clearly not wanting to talk about her juicy pussy problem right now. “Allie, I really do like you a lot, and you make me feel so happy. And everything I learn about you just makes me want you more.” She sighed, dropping one hand, her other rosy hand still on her hip. “As you can imagine, I’ve been with quite a few other guys before, and I know a million gold coins when I see it. Your kind, considerate, smart, level-headed, strong, and it’s like you’re always thinking ten steps ahead of everyone else. You study not because you need to know something now, but because you know you’ll need to know it later. And later might be ten years down the road, or it might be today, but you’re still preparing to handle anything that comes your way. I find that hot.”

Wow.

Hearing someone say my good qualities out loud like that was really great for my ego, but also…

She thought I was worth a million gold coins?

Dang.

Mel then shrugged again as she continued, her tone casual. “Besides, I’m into girls a little too, so if Val here is super serious about marrying you, then I’d be interested in fucking with her too.”

Val’s tan face immediately turned an extremely deep shade of red, with her squeaking as she tried to respond. “O-Oh. Umm, okay.”

Mel simply nodded at her, as if she hadn’t said anything overly strange.

And I mean, for an Oni, what she was saying truly wasn’t that strange. Not at all.

Honestly the only reason why I found it strange was because all my previous relationships had either been with the one elf or with human women. And while elves also sometimes participated in nonconventional relationships, it was much more common for two to pair off, as was the case with many humans.

Mel continued. “So, we good then? You get two wives, and I get two fucking hot humans.”

Val spoke up. “Oh, umm, I’m half-Holstaur,” she admitted.

Mel rolled her gold eyes. “Well, yeah I figured that much. The horns and all. But you’ve got like the body of a human with all the good parts of a Holstaur.”

Val’s tan face was that deep shade of red again. “Umm, thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Mel said simply, only to focus on me again. “So we agreed, then?”

I frowned. “Well, let me take a look at her, because if she’s not strong enough, then we can’t take her on Quests.” I focused on Val. “What did you say your Focus was?”

“Oh, umm, I didn’t say yet, s-sir…” She looked embarrassed. “Umm, s-should I call you m-master? The women of my kind call their husbands master.”

Mel laughed. “Yes, please do. I like that.”

Val smiled slightly, her shoulders unexpectedly relaxing a little. “Okay,” she said warmly. “Oh, and I’m an Essence Archer.”

Our eyes nearly bugged out of our heads.

That was just as rare as Jackel’s focus!

I quickly focused on her attributes.

----------------------------------------

Valshia Kumrahg

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STATUS

Race: Holstaur/Human (Hybrid)

Gender: Female

Age: 19

Class: Ranger

Focus: Essence Archer

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ATTRIBUTES

Strength: 15 (Lv. 7)

Dexterity: 18 (Lv. 9)

Fortitude: 17 (Lv. 8)

Wisdom: 12 (Lv. 6)

Intelligence: 19 (Lv. 10)

Charisma: 19 (Lv. 10)

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Total: 100

Rank: S Tier

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Level: 50/50

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Holy shit!

How was this even possible?!

No way she got so strong, so quickly!

And her level was maxed out!

What the hell?

I barely knew anyone who had a maxed level, and they were all much older! But she was only nineteen years old right now!

And, I mean, a few people in our guild did have a maxed level, but all of them were in the top five teams. And sure, I imagined that someone like Sylvia was also maxed, if I could even check her information, but almost everyone else in the guild was roughly 49 out of 50 at the highest, since getting those last few levels was super difficult.

On the one hand, this meant that her remaining growth would be solely through her skills. But honestly, that really wasn’t a bad thing, since we were all roughly in the same position, considering that getting even one more level could take years. Meaning, most of my growth came from skills now too.

And damn, she was even S Tier, so it wasn’t like she was weak by any means.

But how did she get so strong?! And in such a short period of time?!

I decided to see if I could divine her Abilities.

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Valshia Kumrahg

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ABILITIES

Skills: Determination, Sharp Eye, Perfect   Aim, Critical Bullseye, Rapid Fire, Iron Stomach, Ranged Weapon Proficiency

Spells: Essence Bow, Essence Arrow, Barrage,   Tempest

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Determination?

The other skills were pretty self-explanatory, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen anyone have a skill called Determination.

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SKILL: Determination

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DESCRIPTION

Level: 1/1

Type: Innate Passive

Effect: Accelerated growth associated with one’s level of determination.

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Holy fuck.

That was amazing. I didn’t even know such a skill existed.

But what did that imply? Did she literally get this strong, this quickly, because she was that determined to be with me?

Like, fuck.

I decided to ask. “Why did you work so hard to get strong?” I wondered.

Val looked surprised and confused. “What do you mean, master?”

I hesitated, briefly taken off guard that she was really going to start calling me master.

Ah fuck, whatever.

“Like, what were you trying to achieve in the last year?” I clarified.

She nodded, as if to indicate she understood. “You said you needed a woman to fight by your side, so I got stronger. I did everything so that I could be the woman you wanted and needed.”

Wow.

Just wow.

She really did this for me.

She got so strong, so quickly, because she was that determined to be with me.

I mean, no way she would have been able to do it without this Determination skill, but at the same time I suspected she obtained the skill simply because she was just that determined. Enough so, to push past the normal limits of what was possible, and grow at an accelerated pace, far beyond what was normal.

“So?” Mel wondered. “Is she good enough for the team?”

I sighed. “Yeah. She’s more than good enough. Honestly, she’s basically at the same level as me and you.”

Val’s purple eyes lit up in excitement, and Mel’s gold eyes widened in surprise.

“Only problem is,” I continued, causing Val’s expression to drop in concern. “Will Turg be alright with splitting our reward one more way?”

After all, while there was value in having more teammates, there was a point at which too many was just too many. Because the value of increased speed of clearing dungeons was lost when you had to split the reward too many ways. Not that there weren’t much larger teams than ours, but I could imagine Turg having an issue with adding another member at this point.

One more was fine, since we’d gotten in some situations where just having one more person would have been perfect. But two more? I wasn’t sure if he’d be okay with that.

Especially, if it was another pussy he couldn’t fuck.

“I don’t need a reward,” Val blurted out. “I just want to be with you.”

I smiled at her, sincerely touched by her obvious devotion.

Dang, this was great. But still a problem.

“Well, that would be an easy solution, if it was possible, but reward distribution is based on the guild’s rules. Otherwise, you’d have teams abusing some of their members. Thus, the guild divides the reward in equal parts, and it’s up to the teams to ensure everyone is pulling their weight.”

Val’s expression dropped again.

Mel chimed in. “What about forming our own team?” she wondered, only to pause when I looked at her in shock. “Only if Turg is against adding her,” she quickly clarified.

Of course, I knew forming our own team wouldn’t be a big deal to Mel, since she’d literally just joined and didn’t know the others, but I’d gone through a lot of tough shit with them, and wasn’t super thrilled to have our group split up.

Even if Turg and Dagru could be assholes sometimes.

Thus, I shook my head in disbelief. “It’s true that having a Battlemage, Archer, and Healer would meet the basic requirements for a stable team, but it would be extremely dangerous for us to go it alone. Not to mention, Turg would be pissed. Like, really pissed. Shel probably wouldn’t care, but Turg would, which would be a problem when I’d still have to see him every once in a while.”

Mel frowned. “Well, let’s maybe see what she can do, and then you can approach him about it.” She sighed. “And look, I get that you’re friends with the guy, but I’m going to be honest with you. I saw the look in his eyes when I told him that I wasn’t going to fuck him. He was not happy to discover that you were getting someone he couldn’t have, and I’m honestly not sure if he’s going to let it go.”

I sighed heavily, knowing she was right. “Yeah, I saw the look too,” I admitted. “And honestly, after getting along for so long, I’m only now starting to realize that part of the reason why we got along so well, was only because I didn’t have anything that he wanted.” I glanced at Val. “Like, he was always in a better situation than me, in most ways. But now that I’ve got something that he’d like to at least ‘try out’ once or twice, I’m seeing the more selfish side of him. Of course, I knew he was always a bit selfish, and definitely hates to lose, but I didn’t really have to deal with it before.”

“Plus,” Mel continued. “I have no doubt that every man in this place is going to try to bed Val, him included. Which means, if you have two things he wants to try out, then that might push him over the edge.”

Fuck.

Shit, she was right.

I knew she was right. But what was I supposed to do?

If it came to a fight, the guy would crush me. Literally, he could just sit on me, and I’d be dead within minutes, just from not being able to breathe. Of course, I’d thought about what I’d do in a fight before, and even learned some tips from Jackel.

If it was someone else, I’d use Stun, pull out my knife, and stab them in the throat.

Then, depending on the situation, I could heal them, leave them to die, or if I wanted to get really creative, then I could cripple them enough to not be able to chase me, and then heal them enough so that they wouldn’t die.

Kind of evil, but hey. If they were trying to attack me, then they’d get what was coming to them, which might be a life without hands or feet.

But Turg?

I mean, shit, if I fought him once and actually won, then he’d know what to expect next time, and jump me at a later date.

And even trying to switch guilds wouldn’t be an option, since it wasn’t like we would never see each other. Fuck, this could turn into a really huge problem, and I honestly wasn’t sure how to deal with it.

“Relax Allie,” Mel said reassuringly. “Val and I will protect you if it comes to a fight.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t think you realize how formidable he is. Not only does he have Battle Instinct, but he also has Warlord, an extremely formidable skill that makes him a monster in a fight. I’m not trying to belittle your abilities, but he could probably kill all three of us, by himself, if it came right down to it.”

And that was saying something, considering he was only A Tier with a total of 98 points. Meaning, he was basically at the same level as Val and Mel both, not to mention I was S Tier, and yet I still wasn’t confident we could survive against such a calculating, shrewd, and powerful foe. After all, there was a point at which nothing could compete with just skills and experience.

Unlike people, Scourge Beasts were different.

At the end of the day, they were no more intelligent than the average animal, but against a person like him? Especially one who was so battle-hardened and practically lived to fight? Yeah, that was a different story entirely. Turg was the kind of person who felt most alive in a fight, which was one of the reasons why he took on so many Quests.

Val spoke up. “I’m so sorry if I’ve caused you trouble,” she said sincerely.

“No, of course not,” Mel replied. “This was possibly going to be a problem either way. I knew that, from the moment when I had to deny him.”

“Yeah, it’s not your fault,” I said sincerely. “Again, the only reason why him and I got along so well before, was because I didn’t have anything he envied. But now that I sort of do, he’s just revealing how much of a selfish bastard he really is.”

“Well, for now,” Mel interjected. “Let’s maybe try to find him and see how he reacts to the idea of Val joining. She can explain that she is betrothed to you, and if it’s going to be a problem, then we should know right then and there. He should show us how he feels, without actually blowing up.”

“Good plan,” I agreed. “And yeah, he probably won’t do anything too crazy while he still thinks he has a chance to succeed. It won’t be until he’s tried a few times, that he’ll realize he’s been defeated, which will either piss him off, or just prompt him to get over it.”

Mel nodded. “And I think it’s important that we deny him, without bringing you into the situation.”

“What do you mean?” I wondered.

She sighed. “Well, if I say, ‘I’m with Allie, so no, I won’t fuck you,’ then he’s going to view you as being the problem. But if I say, ‘No, I’m not interested in Oni men,’ then he’ll realize that there’s no hope, whether you’re involved or not.”

My eyes widened. “Oh. Wow Mel, you’re really smart.”

She grinned at that.

“What about me?” Val wondered.

Mel shrugged. “Just say you’re not into Oni men. Say you like humans and elves. But don’t make it about Allister, or else he’ll view him as a problem that needs to be removed.”

“S-Should I admit I’m betrothed, then?”

Mel nodded. “Yes, I think that’s important. But if he asks to fuck, and you say no, let it because you don’t want to, rather than because you want to stay faithful to Allie.”

Val nodded more confidently, her thick straw-blonde hair shifting on her tan shoulders. “I can do that.”

I sighed. “Okay, then I guess let’s head downstairs and see if we can find him. Val, you can leave your stuff here if you want.”

“Oh. Okay, master,” she replied warmly. “Thank you very much!”

Oh fuck, now that this was really happening, I couldn’t help but enjoy the fact that she was calling me master. But I also realized that could be something that fuels the flames we’re trying to avoid getting any larger.

“Umm, maybe don’t call me that around others,” I commented.

Mel’s gold eyes widened. “Oh, of course.” She focused on Val. “Yeah, actually you can just call him Allie when we’re around others. I know it’s normal for Holstaurs to use ‘master’ for their man, but not so much Oni. At least, not unless it’s being used sexually.”

Val nodded. “Umm, okay. So, Mr. Allie, then?”

I sighed. “Sure, just as long as it’s not master.”

Her purple eyes looked concerned. “But I can call you that in private, right?” she said hopefully, almost sounding desperate.

“Of course,” I agreed, realizing I secretly hoped she did.

Shit, I was really going to get two women, wasn’t I?

How in the hell did I get so lucky?

Except that this luck might just bring a ton of misfortune.

Deciding to put our plan into action, we began heading downstairs together in hopes of finding Turg, but once I got to the bottom of the stairs, I decided it might be a good idea to investigate our possible second plan. Which would be to form our own team.

Indicating that I needed to make a stop first, I had the two of them follow me down the main hallway connecting the canteen to the offices on the western side of the building, hoping to find a certain elf receptionist who was someone I knew I could trust to keep my inquiry a secret.

Thankfully, Eira was sitting at her desk, just as she’d been doing earlier when I brought Mel by to sign-on with Remnant, currently helping a large Blue Oni man with some paperwork. Like most elves, she was a bit taller than me, having light brown hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. Yet, she had a certain look to her, a gentleness to her face and a depth to her rich dark eyes that made you feel like you could see into her kind soul.

There was definitely a good reason why she was the primary receptionist.

She made everyone feel welcome, and easily calmed even the brutish of men who might grow frustrated with the paperwork they were required to fill out.

Needless to say, she looked up at us when we entered the room, only to focus on Val in surprise. She then returned her rich brown gaze to me, her expression apologetic.

“I’ll be right with you, Allister, if you want to have a seat,” she said, gesturing to the benches along the wall.

That was another thing about her. She knew everyone’s name and always used it when addressing people in her gentle tone.

I simply nodded in response, moving over to the side, but choosing not to sit down. Both Val and Mel followed suit, standing on either side of me. Which just made the realization of this sudden change in my reality feel even more surreal.

A part of me was so happy right now, and I really wished I could just enjoy this unexpected arrangement I’d found myself in, specifically an arrangement that I felt like I’d actually earned, since both Val and Mel were interested in me because of my selfless deeds. After all, I’d never accepted payment for healing Val’s mother, and I’d gone out of my way to ensure that Mel had food in her belly and a way for her to make her own coin.

And yet, I couldn’t fully enjoy it at all, simply because I lived in a world where practically everyone fucked everyone else, especially the Oni, and I had two women that I wanted to keep for myself.

Obviously, it wouldn’t be a problem if I was okay with sharing, but I wasn’t okay with that.

Which meant having two girlfriends was going to cause problems.

A couple of elves came into the office area to drop something off and leave, only for Eira to finally finish up helping the Blue Oni man, before giving me her attention.

“What can I help you with Allister? I see you have a young woman with you. Are you wanting to add her to your team?”

“Sort of,” I admitted. “Can we talk in private?”

Her rich brown eyes widened slightly, before she nodded, rising to her feet and gesturing toward a cracked doorway. “Please, step into the Guild Master’s office. He’s out today, so we can use it to converse.”

I nodded, heading for the doorway while the other two followed, only for Eira to come in behind us and close the door fully.

I cleared my throat as we all faced her.

“First of all, this is Valshia Kumrahg, and she’s an Essence Archer.”

Her brown eyes widened as she focused down at Val. “Oh my. Such a rare focus.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Val replied.

“Anyway,” I continued. “I am interested in adding her to the team, but as you know, Turg and I often agree on those kinds of things together.”

She nodded. “Yes, I’m very much aware, Allister. Is there a problem?”

Mel abruptly spoke up. “Basically, the big guy wants to fuck me, but I don’t want to fuck him. And Val here is actually betrothed to Allie, so we’re concerned that Turg is going to be pissed that two women on his team don’t want to fuck him.”

Eira sighed. “Oh dear. How I wish these types of problems didn’t arise as often as they do.” She took a deep breath. “So how can I help?” she wondered, focusing on me.

“While it’s not ideal, I’d like to know how difficult it would be to form our own team. For all I know, he might end up handling the situation alright, but if not then I have major concerns about being out in the wilderness with him for weeks at a time. At the very least, our team’s ability to work together might completely fall apart, which would be lethal in a dungeon.”

“Yes, of course,” she agreed. “And I am so sorry this problem has arisen for you. As to your inquiry, it is not uncommon for larger teams to decide to break up and form their own units. As you mentioned, sometimes the unity falls apart, and having a smaller team that works well together can often be more effective than a large team with no solidarity.”

Mel spoke up. “So then, it’s possible? It wouldn’t be a problem.”

She frowned at that. “Lucius, our Guild Master, has placed limits on how frequently someone can either join a team, or switch to another team. It’s to ensure that team switching doesn’t happen too often, since that can create a lot of problems. Obviously, Allister, since you’ve never switched teams, it would not be a problem for you. Nor would it be a problem for miss Valshia here to join a newly formed team.”

“But for Mel?” I wondered.

She frowned. “I believe Lucius would make an exception for her. After all, it is not too uncommon for someone to join a team, only to discover that they don’t work well with some of their members. However, it would have to be approved by the Guild Master himself.”

Mel chimed in. “But he will approve it, right?” she asked seriously.

“I have reason to believe he would, but unfortunately we can’t ask him right now. It’ll have to wait until he’s back tomorrow. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

“No, not at all,” I said reassuringly. “And if Turg lets this issue go, then it would be better for us to stick with my current team. Especially with the Big Dive coming up.”

“I fully agree,” she replied. “Although, given the nature of the situation, I think it best to not request that we add Valshia to your team today, even if he decides he is okay with it.”

“To make sure it won’t truly be an issue,” I assumed.

She nodded. “Precisely. If by tomorrow morning you feel confident that adding her to the team won’t cause significant issue, then I’ll gladly help her fill out the paperwork. However, if by then you are certain it will become a problem, then you may speak with the Guild Master about allowing Mel to join a new team that you wish to form.”

“Eira, you’re the best,” I replied warmly.

She returned the smile. “I’m happy to help. Is that all you need for now?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I think--”

Unexpectedly, we all slammed our hands to our ears as an earsplitting screech, unlike none other, pierced through the building and pained our very bones, growing louder and louder in volume until it halted altogether.

“Oh my God,” Mel exclaimed the moment it stopped. “What was that?!”

But no one got to respond, before that nauseating screech pierced our ears again, causing us all to desperately cover our ears a second time.

But the moment my thoughts kicked into gear, even as the second wave of noise continued on, I was already on the move, heading for the door.

Because I knew exactly what it was.

I’d heard it once before.

Several of the Queen’s Scouts had the rare Beast Master focus, and could communicate with animals. And of those few, a pair of elf sisters had befriended a rare Gryphon, a creature that was not native to our lands.

Astaer and Celestine.

The same sisters whom I’d met once before.

However, while many did not know their names, there was hardly a soul in the capital who didn’t know of their existence. Because everyone knew that all the other scouts worked together to ensure that any vital information made it to the sisters, and by extension, the Gryphon.

So that he could sound the alarm, in the event the highest level of threat was upon us.

And the alarm had just been sounded…

There was an emergency.

The Guilds would be mobilized.

Chapter 9 >>