Combat Healer Ch. 02

March 11, 2021

NOTE: This used to be a part of Chapter 1, but I added a ton of information.

What 'used' to be Ch 2 is now Ch 3 and Ch 4.

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- CHAPTER 2: Battlemage -

Present Day

In the northeastern region of the Delanor Kingdom, toward the eastern sea, one of the Queen’s best elf scouts dropped to the forest floor below from her high perch, in response to spotting a wildcat running in her direction. Clearly, the urgency of its movements signaled that it had important news for her, though she already suspected she knew what it would be.

A new Scourge Dungeon must have appeared nearby.

Which meant, now she just had to locate it by sharing in the creature’s experience, and report her findings back to the Queen. Of course, most could not communicate with animals like she could, with her being able to perceive their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, but it was a common skill for a rare Beast Master like herself.

Brushing some of her chestnut hair out of her face, the strands having fallen loose of her tie, her deep blue eyes noted that the creature seemed more panicked than she was used to, as if it was actively running for its life.

Odd, since she did not hear, smell, or see any indication that there was a nearby threat.

However, when she crouched down in anticipation of a greeting, she was stunned when the wildcat continued running right on past her at full speed…not even slowing down…

It was running for its life.

And she felt it’s panicked thoughts, urging her to do the same.

‘RUN.’

The fine hairs on the back of her neck rose, as the scout looked up when she noticed silent movement in the trees, a bulbous midnight form, with eight long bony black legs, coming into sight in the near distance. Multiple red eyes focused on its prey, all belonging to one abomination.

Oh God.

The scout drew her bow, silently pleading for every creature to come to her aid, knowing it was too late to run.

It was too late to hide.

There was no escape.

She would be slaughtered, her insides liquified, her skin worn as a hide -- as was the known nature of this rare, but horrific monster. And its next victim would always know the face of the last, or at least a stretched version of it, which meant she was to become its first mask.

There was no escape.

There was no hope.

Nevertheless, she beckoned all.

However, as she sensed multiple creatures rushing to defend her…

She also silently bid one to run away.

To find her older sister, and report the threat.

So that at least one of them might survive…

So that at least one of them might report it to the Queen.

* * *

It took a few minutes for the bartender to get Mel’s food ready and she remained by the counter the whole time. Thus, when the attractive Red Oni finally sat down at my table with a tray in hand, I kept my eyes on the page, even though I was definitely not paying attention anymore. She collected the three deka bronze coins, which were twice as large as a normal bronze and had ten times the value, along with the extra change, and held her hand out to give it to me.

I glanced up at her, immediately focusing on her firm crimson tits peeking out of her tight black leather top, hoping she didn’t notice as I quickly shifted my attention to her hand. Unsurprisingly, her forearms were toned and defined, though her overall bone structure was more delicate than I was used to seeing on an Oni. Her rosy fingers were thin, and her hands were muscular but still feminine, even by human standards.

‘Strong-looking hands’ would probably be how they’d be described on a human woman.

Accepting the change, I stuffed it in my pocket, finally seeing what she ordered. Eggs and an entire loaf of bread. It wasn’t as bad as I suspected it might be, anticipating that she might go cheap based on her behavior, but it was still less than ideal.

When she grabbed the bowl of potato soup to hand to me, I shook my head. “I’m actually getting pretty full,” I replied, still having a handful of bites of my own bread and soup. “You can have it, if you want. Otherwise it’ll go to waste.”

Her gold eyes narrowed. “You weren’t going to eat it to begin with, were you?”

I shrugged, focusing on my book again, that comment alone verifying that she had decent wisdom. There was no delay in coming to that conclusion. She knew immediately what was going on the moment I refused the soup.

When I didn’t respond verbally, Mel hesitated, before setting the bowl back down and grabbing her loaf of bread, breaking it up into smaller chunks with her thin red fingers.

Damn, definitely strong hands.

And so feminine for an Oni.

I wasn’t really a hands or feet kind of guy, preferring tits, ass, and thighs, but damn. She had nice hands. Nice, strong, feminine hands.

Once she stuck a piece of her bread in the soup, I relaxed a little, having been sincerely concerned she wasn’t going to accept the offer of goodwill. She seemed to notice, because she spoke up a second later.

“So, you’ve bought my company with a meal. What do you want to talk about?”

I smirked, keeping my eyes on the tome that I definitely wasn’t reading anymore. “Depends on what you want to share, I suppose.” I looked up at her. “Unless you don’t want to share at all, then we can talk about something less personal.”

She frowned, seeming pensive. “What do you want to know?”

I paused as I thought about that. There were a lot of things I could ask her, such as basics like where she was from, or more personal stuff like about why she was searching for this mystery person, but I suspected she might still shut those types of questions down. Alternatively, I could try to keep it more professional by asking about her skills or weapon, which did seem like the safest option, so long as I approached the weapon thing carefully.

“How did you become a Battlemage?” I wondered, figuring that was a good place to start.

After all, the pathway to obtaining a ‘Focus’ could vary a lot, depending on the person, since it cost money for an official Class evaluation, as well as for the formal training and education to actually develop skills in that Class and officially unlock a Focus.

Some people managed to figure everything out on their own, while others might choose to pay for the evaluation, but then train by themselves. Or vice versa, in the event that they already were confident in what their Class was.

However, the tricky part was unlocking the Focus, which was absolutely essential to earn a place as a Scourge Suppressor in one of the many guilds. Even more so for the top five guilds, including Remnant, Raiders, Tempest, Brotherhood, and Guardians.

Otherwise, their efforts would be in vain, since even the smaller guilds were unlikely to recruit a Focusless, since their growth would be significantly stunted. It was possible to do it on one’s own with a shit ton of training, but most were required to undergo the Focus Ritual, which needed an Essence Crystal or some other kind of magical catalyst to unlock the specialty.

Mel relaxed a little at my question, clearly comfortable with discussing this topic, her toned muscles visibly softening in her red arms and stomach. “I grew up in a small town on the edge of Delanor and Ryfle. They had a retired Mage there who had also once been qualified to do Class evaluations. He evaluated me for free, and when he discovered I had an affinity for the Mage class, he began training me to see what Focus I’d unlock.” She paused to take a bite of her softened bread, chewing for a moment.

I assumed the Mage was an Oni, though I had a difficult part believing he did it for free, even if he was retired. “So what did he want in return?” I asked bluntly, with a knowingness in my eyes.

She frowned. “I didn’t fuck him,” she replied evenly. “Though my mother did. Or rather, she’d already been fucking with him, so it was just an extra favor.”

“Oh,” I said in surprise. Honestly, that shouldn’t have been too shocking, especially since I fully expected her to have fucked somewhere down the line in exchange for that kind of favor. Then again, she was technically average looking by Oni standards, even if she was gorgeous.

Mel took another bite, and then continued. “Once he determined that I could theoretically unlock Battlemage, just after I’d turned eighteen, my mother and father sent me to the capital of Ryfle to train.” She frowned. “I was going to fuck my way into getting an education for free, but I ended up stumbling across a catalyst that unlocked my Focus. That was about six years ago.”

I tried not to look at her black staff, suspecting it was the catalyst she was referring to. Also, despite my previous thought, I was kind of surprised she planned on getting an education in Ryfle by offering her body in exchange, because while I assumed her Mage teacher was Oni, the vast majority of the population in the Ryfle Kingdom was human, unlike here.

Supposedly, thousands of years ago, this land was originally occupied by only the Oni and Minotaur, before the elves migrated from the northern forests and mountains, while the humans appeared from across the sea to the east. Being that there was a desert past the western mountains, it wasn’t long before the four groups engaged in conflict as their populations grew, but the Scourge gave everyone a common enemy that ultimately resulted in two firmly established kingdoms in the north and south, ruled by the elves and humans, respectively.

Granted, due to the fact that the humans had trade relationships with their kind from across the sea, they ultimately had the greater economic and cultural influence on both kingdoms, even if the elves resisted their rule.

But then, given what this busty chick just implied, did that mean she was alright with fucking human men?

“And then?” I finally prompted, just to make it clear I was paying full attention.

She sighed, slouching slightly and getting more comfortable, leaning one elbow on the table as she stirred the soup with a piece of bread. The movement emphasized her red cleavage. “After that, I decided to try joining a guild in the capital there, to help with the Dungeons that appear further south along their border. I got in just fine, even though I was young and didn’t have much training in my Focus. One of the party leaders had an eye for me, so I took the opportunity to learn and grow.”

And there it was, the part she fucked for.

I knew it’d be there somewhere, given that she was an Oni. Meeting an Oni who didn’t fuck a lot was pretty much unheard of, and it wasn’t like I was lacking in the experience department either. At the very least, while my sex life had been scarce for years, I could confidently proclaim that I wasn’t a virgin by any means, since I myself grew up on the edge of the Ryfle Kingdom and had fooled around with a few human women before.

And my first time being intimate?

That had actually been with an elf girl around my age, crazy as it sounded, though the exact circumstances of our promiscuity were a topic I didn’t like to think about. Especially since the three months we spent together were a true hell, having only each other for comfort as we desperately attempted to survive the Scourge Dungeon we’d been swallowed up by.

Definitely a topic I wasn’t fond of recalling.

Not when only one of us could really fight.

Not when only one of us had to repeatedly suffer traumatizing wounds to help us survive.

Honestly, it was a miracle she wanted to be intimate considering the circumstances, but three months was an eternity in a dungeon, and we had no one else. All we had was each other. And I suspected that she longed for my comfort, just as much as I longed for hers.

I cleared my throat, focusing on the beautiful woman in front of me. “So how long were you there, then?” I wondered. “And how did you make it all the way up here in the capital of Delanor?”

She frowned. “My business is my own,” she said simply.

Again, I knew it was just their way of saying they didn’t want to share. The phrase lost its cultural meaning when said in the human language, but I still understood. At the very least, she’d pretty much told me that she’d probably spent a good five or so years in the human capital, assuming she only left to come here recently, but it was hard to know for sure.

“That’s fine,” I responded, working on finishing the last of my food. I still planned on asking her about her magical artifact, but wasn’t sure how to approach it. Preferably, I wanted to test the waters before jumping in.

She resumed eating too, only to surprise me by asking a question of her own. “So what about you? How did you become a…” Her white eyebrows knitted together. “What kind of healer are you again?”

“I’m an Essence Diviner,” I replied.

Her gold eyes widened. “I’ve never heard of that before.”

I nodded. “It’s a rare Focus. It comes with some evaluation skills, as well as advanced healing spells too.”

“Does that mean you can do Class evaluations?” she wondered, her head tilted to the side slightly.

The motion caused me to focus on her white hair, just reaching past her jawline on either side enclosing her crimson skin against a snowy frame, with me realizing how soft it looked. I kind of wanted to run my fingers through it, but knew that’d probably be a great way to get a broken wrist. Granted, I could just heal myself, but didn’t want to ruin the pleasant mood we had going.

Of course, class evaluations were done almost exclusively by one of the Focuses in the Support class, specifically an Essence Appraiser. Such individuals were fairly scarce, which meant unlocking the Essence Appraiser Focus pretty much guaranteed a comfy, safe, and wealthy life within the Elven kingdom. They were never exposed to dangerous conditions, usually remaining in the capital.

And it wasn’t something a Healer could normally do.

Nor was it something I was interested in doing, despite the perks, partially due to the scrutiny of a male healer having such a unique skill, and partially due to the fact that I had my own personal aspirations to find redemption to ease my own guilty conscience.

Really, the only reason why I was even capable of theoretically doing class evaluations was due to my skill Eye of the Goddess. And that was a skill I had no intention on telling anyone about. Being well aware of what a normal Appraiser was capable of, I knew what I could do was a very rare ability, if not completely unheard of. And I was already too unique by being one of the only male healers with a rare Focus.

I cleared my throat, lowering my voice. “Umm, technically yes, though I don’t advertise that. Otherwise I’d have people trying to get me to give out free evaluations.”

She immediately looked over her shoulder, scanning the now slightly crowded room full of tables and patrons for any signs that someone was close enough to overhear. Honestly, I’d been so focused on her that I’d barely noticed how lively the guild canteen had become. Certainly, it was nothing like the evenings, but there were a good number of tables with occupied seats now, with several barmaids quite busy as they took orders from those at the bar counter.

When she focused on me, reaching up to tuck some of her white hair behind her slightly pointy crimson ear, she spoke in a low voice too. “Apologies. I won’t say anything.”

“Thanks,” I said sincerely, glancing down at my book again.

She decided to switch subjects slightly. “So how did you go about discovering your Class and unlocking your Focus?”

I sighed. “Umm, well I kind of have a talent for healing. Meaning, I was able to do it even before I officially determined my Class.” I paused briefly when her white eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Yeah, it’s unusual, I know. I discovered I could heal minor injuries when I was twelve. I then got in a pretty bad situation when I was fifteen, which kind of forced me to get stronger and take everything more seriously.” I paused, hoping she didn’t ask more about that, but figuring her interest was only superficial to begin with. I cleared my throat. “Then, about two years ago, I got the bright idea to try to visit some areas where the Scourge had recently hit, figuring I could make some coin by healing whoever I could.” I grimaced. “I know it wasn’t the most ethical of ideas, but that’s how I ran into Turg, Dagru, and Shel. They were already a team back then, in the same village due to a Guild Quest, and I sort of saved Turg’s life. He’d been stung by an Ishtrical’Dung and was in pretty bad shape.” I paused. “They technically already needed a healer for their team, so Turg helped with the coin for my education as partial repayment for saving his life, as well as in exchange for a promise that I’d continue working with them. Technically, I’m the reason why we’ve shot up to the tenth strongest team, though the primary cause for why that happened is because I was able to help them grow in their Focuses thanks to my own unique talents.”

Her gold eyes remained wide as she listened. “You helped them get stronger?” she repeated, seeming stunned.

I nodded, kind of surprised at myself for being so open with her, but knowing I could just deny everything if she began spreading rumors. And knowing that the others in my guild would easily believe those denials, considering what I was claiming was a bit unbelievable.

Waiting for a few seconds to see if she was going to say something else, I decided to continue when she didn’t.

“So anyway, our elvish companion Jackel joined about six months after that. I only had to train for about three months, before I was ready to do the Focus Ritual, and once I officially joined the team, we realized the party needed a dedicated person to protect me, since I don’t really have any combat skills.” I smirked, recalling the day I met the guy. He was definitely a player and absolute manwhore, being very high in Charisma, but fun to hang out with when he wasn’t focused on his next catch. “I saw a lot of potential in him, and he was wanting to join a team that worked well together, which he might be able to help bring to the top, so it worked out well for all of us. Basically, he wanted to feel like he earned his way to the top, but didn’t want to start from scratch. And him being an Essence Slayer really evened out the team too, allowing either Turg or Dagru to fall back and protect me instead, either for healing or in the event that his unique skills are needed for a particular monster with a higher level of Essence Affinity.”

She nodded in understanding, seeming almost amazed now. “I think I understand why you’re a leader too,” she commented.

“Oh?” I responded, curious as to what she was thinking.

“For my kind, leaders are usually the strongest, but really what makes a good leader is their ability to unite those beneath them. You’re like the mortar that binds an impenetrable wall. You hold everything together.”

“Huh,” I said with a smirk, enjoying the compliment and finding myself impressed that she was so insightful. “Thanks,” I added.

She frowned, speaking as if she’d read my mind. “I didn’t mean it as a compliment, only a statement of fact.”

Ouch. I tried to hide my disappointment.

There was a small part of me that knew what she was implying, in her Oni way, that she wasn’t trying to win any favors by flattering me. That her statement was sincere, which theoretically was better than her trying to sweet talk me just to get on the team.

But it still kind of stung a little.

Her frowned deepened, but she didn’t say anything else, instead returning her attention to her meal, taking a big bite of her thick soup.

I decided to go ahead and continue reading for real now, since it felt like that was an end to the conversation. I still wanted to know about her staff, but figured I could just ask her when it was time to do her evaluation. For lesser quality objects and weapons, anything common or uncommon, I could usually get some information from my Eye of the Goddess skill, but with a magical artifact it would be difficult unless I saw it in action. And even then, the information I might perceive could be very limited, depending on rarity.

Thus, we sat in silence, with me being unsurprised that she didn’t try to continue the conversation, but leaving me sincerely a little disappointed. I almost wanted to admit to her that I did technically have a spell useful in a fight, one simply called ‘Stun,’ but I hadn’t even told my teammates about it even though I did use it occasionally in our battles, so I wasn’t sure why I was even considering sharing that information with her.

Of course, the main reason why I hadn’t told my teammates was because I knew it was my only way to defend myself in the event we got into a dispute that turned physical, a true possibility when dealing with Oni even though we were friends.

Yet, despite wanting it to remain a secret, I supposed I kind of wanted to share it with her just because she was really hot, and I was more desperate than I realized after going without some pussy for so long. Desperate enough to say almost anything to get her attention again.

Honestly, though, I knew it was better to not put too much trust in this stranger, and definitely not to get my hopes up.

Not to mention, if I was going to be working with her, then it was probably best if I kept it professional anyway. A small part of me wanted to find out if she’d fuck in exchange for a place on our team, but I didn’t want to deal with the jealousy that would come when she ended up fucking every guy in this place except me after that.

Because the first time would be in exchange for a favor.

Doubtful she’d do it a second time for pleasure. Plenty of other Oni cocks for that around here.

Dammit.

I needed a drink.

Getting up, I decided to offer, just to be nice. “Want an ale? Figured I’d have one to wash my meal down.”

She pursed her pale lavender lips, not responding.

“If I get two, then will you drink one of them?” I rephrased.

“I won’t let it go to waste,” she replied evenly.

I rolled my eyes, only to go put in my order. Barely a minute later and I was sitting back down, sipping one while she took a big gulp of hers.

Damn, she was hot.

When she tilted her head back to take a big swig, I got a good look at her thin neck, along with all the smooth rosy skin leading down to her massive firm tits, a sort of V shape created by the black leather. In her armpit, I saw the tiniest bit of white peach fuzz as well, though the rest of her appeared to be hairless, apart from the white hair on her head, her thin eyebrows, and snowy eyelashes.

I wasn’t surprised though. When I was younger, and around more humans, I’d known human women who tried to shave that area of their body, but Oni women certainly didn’t care. Most of them didn’t have much hair there anyway. If anything, the tiny bit of soft fuzz in her armpit was arousing in an exotic kind of way.

Especially on her, since the white was so sharply contrasted against her rose-colored skin.

Unfortunately, she caught me looking, though thankfully it was just her armpit instead of her tits. I quickly cleared my throat, hoping to make it seem like I was just staring into space as I thought.

“So,” I began hesitantly. “Mind if I ask you about your staff there, since I assume you use that to fight with?”

She flinched slightly, before slowly setting her mug down and reaching up to wipe her full pale lips with the back of her hand. “I understand some of the things you’ve told me are technically secrets, like about you helping with another’s Focus, or that you can do…” She lowered her voice more, glancing to the side briefly. “Class evaluations.” She cleared her throat. “And I appreciate the show of trust. But I’d prefer not to share information about my weapon unless I’m going to be a part of the team.”

I took a sip of my ale as I considered that. “The only issue is, even if your skills alone were less than I’d prefer, the right kind of weapon could drastically change that opinion.” I paused, smirking slightly as I continued. “So then, the question is. How confident are you in your abilities?”

It was a challenge, and she knew it.

She pouted slightly, almost seeming a little annoyed as her lavender bottom lip stuck out the tiniest bit, while her gold eyes narrowed. “How much of a display would you need to see in order to formulate an opinion?” she wondered.

“You’re worried about others seeing,” I assumed.

She nodded slowly.

“Not much,” I admitted. “Honestly, if you can just activate it without causing any destruction, then you can show me in my room…” My voice trailed off, hoping she didn’t take that the wrong way. Then again, if she did take that the wrong way and still agreed, maybe I was okay with that.

Instead, she frowned. “So then, you’re aware it’s more than what it seems.”

I sighed with a shrug. “I didn’t want to be rude. But yes.”

She nodded again. “Very well. Let me finish these last few bites and I’ll show you.”

I hesitated. “In my room?” I clarified, just wanting to make sure we were on the same page.

She rolled her gold eyes. “Yes,” she said simply, picking up her bowl to slurp up the rest.

As I watched her chug her ale after she finished off the soup, her crimson neck pulsing in waves as she swallowed with her head tilted back, kind of wishing it was my cum she was swallowing, my stomach began forming knots wondering what would happen when we got behind a closed door. Realistically, I assumed she’d show me her weapon and that’d be it, but if she was willing to fuck a human for an education, then was it possible she was assuming that was what I was suggesting?

Sex for a spot on the team?

And if that was indeed what she was prepared to do, then should I try to stop it from happening to delay the jealousy and pain that would come later? Or just let it happen and enjoy an amazing fuck while I could?

I honestly wasn’t sure.

Granted, I also had to remember that she probably wouldn’t be hanging around forever either way. She just needed a temporary way to make some coin while she searched for her mystery person.

Once we were both finished with breakfast, I grabbed my tome while she grabbed her leather bag and midnight staff, with us proceeding to head up the stairs to the massive second floor full of reserved rooms. In many ways, Remnant was set up on the right side like a tavern and inn, and a business with offices on the left, there being two main entrances to the massive building, though pretty much all of the second floor was rooms. Of course, we still had to pay for our stay, as well as for our food, so it wasn’t like anything was free, though things were easier here in many ways.

For me personally, it felt more like a home, whenever we were back in town.

Once we got to my dark room, I dumped my book on the small table, and activated the yellow Light Crystal attached to the wall to illuminate the dark space. It was bright outside, being early morning, but with no window to this particular room, the somewhat expensive magical item was necessary to prevent the space from being pitch-black when the door was closed.

There were a few such crystals illuminated in the hallway, so I was able to see just fine prior to illuminating this one, having about the same brightness as a couple oil lamps.

After turning it on, I sensed that it was running a little low on essence, so I took a second to refill it with a lingering touch, before moving to plop down in the wooden chair by the desk expectantly. I assumed it would be in bad taste to sit on the bed on the other side of the small room, figuring she’d opt to stand either way.

Mel entered a little hesitantly at first, before closing the door behind her on her own, and then depositing her bag next to the bed.

She then sat down, much to my surprise, holding the long metal staff across her leather-clad thighs.

Shit, she had nice thighs. Almost all muscle too, which was hot as hell.

When she didn’t say anything, seeming almost pensive, I raised my eyebrows, trying to use all my willpower to prevent my cock from raising instead.

She cleared her throat. “Care if I ask you a question?”

I shrugged. “Sure. Go ahead.”

She seemed to hesitate, before speaking as if she’d changed her mind about asking what she initially intended, using a diversion instead. “So tell me more about your education here,” she blurted out, seeming really uncomfortable for the first time.

I frowned, wondering what was actually on her mind, since she was acting a little weird now.

Focusing more intently on her, pretending to be thinking about her question, I decided to go ahead and try to give her abilities a closer look.

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Melantha

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STATUS

Race: Re’ju

Gender: Female

Class: Mage

Focus: Battlemage

Ailments: Fatigue (minor), Intoxicated (minor)

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ATTRIBUTES

Strength: 15 (Lv. 7)

Dexterity: 13 (Lv. 7)

Fortitude: 18 (Lv. 9)

Wisdom: 18 (Lv. 8)

Intelligence: 19 (Lv. 8)

Charisma: 13 (Lv. 8)

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Total: 96

Rank: A Tier

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Level: 47/50

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Her stats were about what I’d expect to see for a well-rounded A Tier Oni. Our mage Shel was similarly well-balanced, having no stats 20 or higher, but still being S Tier like myself and Jackel. Alternatively, the Oni brothers were A Tier and B Tier, but both had two attributes 20 or higher. Specifically, in attributes that mattered to their Class and Focus.

It was also interesting to note that Mel had a slightly lesser Strength number than me, being 15 whereas mine was 16, because it was actually possible that she might be stronger, considering that Oni appeared to have a different modifier than humans. At the very least, I knew for a fact that an Oni having an 18 in Fortitude was much different than a human having an 18 in the same attribute, not that I could compete either way, considering my Fortitude was only 12, which was about average for a typical human male.

At the very least, while I had no doubt that Mel would beat me in her capacity to sustain damage, the truth about which of us was actually stronger was kind of up in the air at the moment.

I also wasn’t surprised about her overall level being at 47 out of 50, considering I was at 47 as well, with all my other teammates being roughly in the same range. The primary reason for us all getting stuck around that spot was because of the double-edged sword of having high Essence Affinity. On the one hand, it was possible to have accelerated growth, and it was therefore common for a person to get close to one’s max potential before the age of twenty-five, so long as they put in the work.

However, the downside was that achieving those last few levels was nearly impossible, since gains were quick in the beginning and began slowing down a ton the closer someone got to their maximum potential. Going from 40 to 47 could take a couple of years.

But going from 47 to 48 could take that same amount of time, and going from 48 to 49 could take half a decade.

Like, my strength was at level 7, which was associated with a value of 16, and because Strength wasn’t related to my Class, combined with the fact that my combined level of 47 was already so high, I could train for six or seven years before gaining just one more level in strength.

And it was the same for Jackel, who was the most unique of us all.

His level was 53 out of a maximum of 55, which was a phenomenon I’d seen only in a few elves, though the exact same problems still plagued him. He had pretty much reached his maximum potential, and now his only way to gain battle prowess was to hone his skills, and possibly learn new ones through more training and experience, which was thankfully still possible to some extent.

Focusing on Mel again, instead of the information flowing into my mind, I recalled that she was a little tipsy, having minor intoxication listed in her ailments, and thus possibly more prone to a slight lapse in judgment.

It made me wonder if that had anything to do with her current behavior.

At the very least, she was being extremely patient with my response to her inquiry about my education.

I sighed as I finally replied. “I mean, it was pretty standard stuff. Healers do a lot of meditation, as well as a lot of practicing various spells by using themselves as test subjects.” I paused. “Obviously, the best motivation to develop the first and most basic healing spell is an injury to yourself, so cutting an arm or leg to practice is pretty standard. More motivation that way. I didn’t have to do any of that though, since I could already use a lot of healing spells.” I grimaced. “I had to deal with a lot of jealousy coming from all those women though. Men aren’t supposed to be good at healing magic, so having a man show them up didn’t exactly put me in their good graces.”

Although, what I didn’t say was that a lot of those women also hadn’t gone through the hellish trials I’d suffered, with many complaining about having to damage their delicate skin to learn their craft like the little insufferable brats they were.

Mel frowned. “Oh. I would have figured you had a ton of fun, with all those women to fuck.”

I shook my head. “Nope. They ostracized me, for the most part.”

“How old are you?” she wondered unexpectedly.

I pursed my lips, confused by why she cared. “Twenty-one. Why? What about you?”

“Twenty-four,” she replied, only to shrug regarding the ‘why’ part.

“So…” I said slowly, uncertain of what was going on. It wasn’t like she was super drunk by any means, so I knew her thinking should be clear enough. Yet she hesitated, being slow about probing for information about me.

In the back of my mind, there was a part of me that was thinking about what I knew of Oni culture. Specifically, the part regarding how relationships worked. They were pretty simple about it, compared to humans or elves. For Oni, if you found someone you were interested in, or just found attractive, and who also was interested in you, then you hooked up immediately until you either decided you wanted to be together long-term, or else decided to end the relationship.

They skipped all the hesitation, and just dove straight in, deciding if they liked the temperature of the water only after they were submerged. No sticking their toes in to test the waters first, like humans and elves typically did.

Of course, none of that applied to me, since I was a human and no Oni would ever consider me as a mate. Shit, they wouldn’t even consider me an exotic fuck, like how I might consider them. Nevertheless, I was still curious as to why she was asking these questions.

Was she just avoiding a different topic?

Mel took a deep breath, only to sigh heavily. “Sorry. You just remind me of home.”

“I do?” I said in surprise.

She nodded. “Yeah, I grew up with humans. I haven’t been back, except once in six years, and it’s kind of…comforting…” She paused. “Talking to you,” she clarified. “Just being around you in general.”

“Oh,” I said simply, unsure of how to respond to the last part. I decided to focus on the first thing. “That’s honestly really surprising that you grew up around humans,” I admitted. “I assume both your parents are Oni, right?”

She inclined her chin. “Yeah, both Red Oni, as you might expect, since Oni don’t typically breed with others outside of their own sub-race. My parents just really loved humans.”

I knew exactly what she was talking about. While clearly Oni of all sub-races, meaning colors, fucked with no qualms, they didn’t view ‘breeding and mating’ the same way. Shel, for example, would never want to father Turg or Dagru’s child if she ever decided to settle down. She’d pick a Blue Oni for a mate, although I had heard rare cases of both Oni and Minotaur, specifically the female Holstaurs, mating with humans.

“That’s interesting,” I replied sincerely.

“Yeah, my dad had a human woman he loved to bed, and my mom had two men she kept around a ton, though pretty much all the adults in the village knew my parents would fuck them if they wanted.”

“Ohhh,” I repeated, with a completely different emphasis.

She ignored my reaction, her grip still tight on her staff across her leather-clad thighs. “It was nice, though. Living with humans. I’ve heard horror stories in my six years away from home, of Oni being harassed and tormented in human villages, but I had a lot of human friends -- most of them boys -- and they were always really nice to me.”

“That’s good,” I said simply, wondering where this was going. Was she just opening up because I was comforting to talk to? I mean, not that I was complaining.

I also was aware that what she meant by harassed was different than what Oni did. She was talking more about being actually ostracized and possibly harmed physically. Usually there was no hatred behind the kind of teasing the Oni did to each other, unlike what she was referring to, at the hands of humans.

She smirked to herself, focused on the floor. “Probably helped that I let them play with my tits,” she added.

I nearly smacked myself in the face.

Of course the guys wanted to be her friend!

But then something else hit me.

She was alright with doing stuff with humans after all!

That basically confirmed it.

“Wait,” I said, before I could stop myself. “So then, if you used to do that kind of thing with humans, then does that mean…” My voice finally trailed off when her gold eyes narrowed.

She scoffed. “That I’ll let you play with my tits? No.”

Damn.

That wasn’t exactly what I was going to ask, but she got straight to the point. But shit, I couldn’t help but feel a little miserable now.

Fuck, what was it about me that was so undesirable?! This was almost the last straw! I was about to disappear and move someplace south where there were mostly humans, just so I didn’t have to put up with this shit anymore.

I was a prime specimen by human standards, dammit!

“I don’t let anyone play with them anymore,” she added evenly.

I looked up at her in surprise, seeing that her expression was neutral, even if her comment itself was almost compassionate in the sense that it told me that I wasn’t specifically the problem.

Given that we were speaking pretty freely at this point, I decided to inquire more.

“Can I ask why?” I wondered.

Her response was firm. “No.”

I sighed.

She sighed as well, her tone a little more gentle. “I like being around you, though,” she admitted. “It’s really comforting talking with you. You’re the first person in forever that’s made me feel like I’m home again. Just in the time we were speaking downstairs, I found myself wishing that we could keep talking forever. And I really love your smile.”

I sighed again, realizing that was exactly what this was. She just wanted to keep socializing because it reminded her of home. She was homesick and I was a way to ease the discomfort. And she was probably only being more open because of the ale.

Dammit.

“That’s good,” I said with no enthusiasm, feeling dejected.

We were both silent for a long few minutes. I wasn’t even sure what we were doing now. Like, the more detailed evaluation, of seeing her weapon and such, was barely even on my mind at this point. We were just sitting quietly in my room, with her rejection lingering in the air like it had a physical presence.

I didn’t fully realize I was staring at her hot muscular stomach, framed on the top and bottom by leather, until her muscles tightened slightly, prompting me to avert my gaze and look at the wall.

“Hey look,” she unexpectedly said, leaning forward slightly. “If I was…” She paused, taking a deep breath. “If I was, like, still into fooling around, then I probably would with you.”

I looked at her in disbelief. “Wait, really? It truly doesn’t bother you that I’m human? Or small compared to Oni men?”

Damn, I wasn’t helping my case by pointing out all my undesirable traits.

She smirked slightly, though she almost seemed somber. “Yeah, I actually prefer humans. And I prefer that the men I’m with are the same size as me, or smaller. You barely cut it, since we’re about the same size in most ways.”

Not going to lie. That made me feel a lot better.

I mean, she could be lying through her perfectly white teeth, but I was willing to believe that lie right now, especially with how sincere she seemed.

But dammit, I finally might have met a hot Oni woman who would actually fuck me, and she had some mysterious reason for not fooling around anymore. But if she was telling me the truth, then I supposed that meant she wouldn’t go fucking all the other guys either…

I sighed heavily, trying to sound playful. “Well, damn. Now I really kind of want to know why you’ve changed your ways.”

She was tentative. “Umm, I’ve sort of decided to look for a long-term relationship.”

I gawked at her.

Hearing an Oni say that was just plain shocking, especially the idea that she wanted to stick her toe in the water first, instead of just jumping straight in like how most Oni did. But why? What changed? Because it sounded like that was how she used to be, ready to fuck any hot guy who wanted to fuck, or at least being a bit more willing to let them play around with her a little.

I cleared my throat, hoping I didn’t sound too desperate. Because I kind of was. Living away from humans for so long had made me desperate.

“Umm, I’m not sure if you’re looking for a certain type of guy or something, but I’d be totally into having a long-term relationship with you.”

Now she gawked, looking alarmed. “Oh, b-but, umm, what I mean is…” Her voice trailed off. “I w-want a guy who will only fuck with me.”

That comment wasn’t too surprising. For Oni and Minotaur both, it wasn’t uncommon for the men to have multiple wives, nor was it too uncommon for the opposite to happen and a single woman to have a few husbands, but the vast majority still paired up as a couple, even if casual fucking with others still happened on the side.

Which I supposed meant that the ‘no casual fucks’ should be a bit shocking, to an Oni at least, but I wasn’t an Oni.

I simply shrugged. “Yeah, that’s how normal human relationships usually are. And, in case you didn’t realize, I already don’t have a sex life being surrounded by mostly Oni and Elves, so it’s not like I’d be missing out on something if I committed to one woman.”

She looked like she was going to pass out now, seeming even more uncomfortable.

When she didn’t continue, I sighed. “But you’re still not interested?” I assumed. Why else would she tell me that she liked being around me, say she was interested in a long-term relationship, but then still be against the idea of being with me, specifically?

I continued, wondering if her being raised around humans had an influence on her behavior.

“Look, I appreciate you trying to avoid hurting my feelings. Which I assume might be a trait you picked up from humans. But don’t. I’d rather you just be honest, instead of acting like you would date me under different circumstances.”

She still seemed really uncomfortable. “Umm, well, it’s not that…it’s just…” Her voice trailed off for a few seconds. “I just…want the next time I fuck…to be with someone I’ll be with for the rest of my life. Like, even if he is with someone else, I want my next time to be with him. There’s a sort of…beauty to it, in my opinion.”

“Oh,” I said in surprise, feeling a bit confused that she was backtracking on the part about having a guy who would ‘only fuck her,’ but then I realized she was probably just struggling to fully explain what she was looking for.

After all, I sort of already had a general grasp about how Oni mating worked, knowing full well that Shel would stop fucking both Turg and Dagru, as well as everyone else, if she ever decided to start looking for a mate. And because the purpose of finding a partner was a bit more serious, the hot Blue Oni would be a bit more choosy in that pursuit.

Of course, there was no set age when an Oni might begin looking for a partner, with some wanting to find a mate right away, while others like Shel planned on waiting until they were much older.

Similarly, it sounded like Mel had suddenly gained the desire for a lifelong partner, and was practicing abstinence until meeting that perfect guy for her. And once she’d decided on a guy, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d resume her sex-crazed lifestyle, though I was sure that the kind of relationship she and her partner would practice would be mutually decided on.

Basically like her parents, who had humans they fucked on the side.

Of course, if Mel became my woman, then I was never going to be okay with her fucking another guy, but I was more than willing to try to get to the point where we were at least discussing the subject.

Because, with how hot she was, and knowing she could go with me wherever I went, even a Dungeon due to her strength, I was definitely willing to try taking that chance.

I cleared my throat. “So then, does that mean you’d be open to dating? Like, dating with no sex,” I clarified, knowing that the concept was different for an Oni. “I’d be fine with that,” I continued, knowing I sounded desperate now. “As I said, I’m not getting laid as it is, so if you need time to get to know me, that’s fine…” My voice trailed off, mentally preparing myself for rejection again. “Worst case and you just decide that I’m not who you’re looking for in a mate.” I cleared my throat. “And then, you could move on, I guess…”

Her gold eyes were as wide as saucers, her white eyebrows high, her expression one of pure disbelief. “You’d date me, even without sex?” she said in shock.

I nodded, feeling a little more confident by her reaction. “Yeah. I know Oni do it differently, but it’s not entirely uncommon for humans to just be boyfriend and girlfriend, maybe kiss and such, but wait on the sex part.” I then recalled what she said about letting the guys play with her tits. “Although, sounds like your experience was a little different,” I commented.

She cleared her throat, looking down. “Umm, yeah. It was a little different,” she agreed with a frown. “Never had a boyfriend when I was younger, but definitely fooled around a lot.”

We were both silent for a solid minute. My heart was pounding now, wondering if she was seriously considering dating me, or if she was thinking of some way to avoid hurting my feelings.

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, wanting to break the silence. “So, umm, are you open to being my girlfriend? Because I’m honestly really interested in you, and would like to get to know you better.” I grimaced. “I mean, if you think I’m hideous or something, then seriously, don’t bother. But if you actually think I’m attractive, and think I might be someone who you could see yourself with long-term, then I’d be happy to give honorable human-style dating a shot with you.”

She was silent.

I was about to give up, when she responded.

“S-Sure,” she said hesitantly, making my heart flutter. “We can try that…I’ll let you be my boyfriend.”

I grinned like an idiot at the way she phrased it. ‘Let you be my boyfriend.’ Damn, that was hot. And damn, she was hot and clearly knew it. The only problem was, she didn’t seem very confident. I decided to point it out.

“You still seem hesitant,” I said bluntly. “Is it because I’m human? Like, are you going to want this to be a secret? Or can I tell the others?”

She didn’t respond for a few seconds. “Y-You can tell them,” she replied, just as tentative as before. She then sat up a little straighter. “Actually, it might help me avoid other Oni trying to bed me if I have that as an excuse.”

I grimaced, hoping that wasn’t the main reason why she’d agreed to it.

“N-Not that I need a boyfriend as an excuse,” she quickly added when she saw my reaction. She then sighed heavily, letting go of her staff, which was perfectly balanced on her leather-clad thighs, and then reached up to massage her temples. “We’re really going to date?” she repeated in disbelief. “Like humans.”

Shit, I was desperate.

“I thought we already were dating,” I commented, trying to sound playful. “I mean, you just agreed to it, so unless you’re breaking up with me, then we’re already boyfriend and girlfriend.”

She looked up at me in disbelief, before a small smile just barely touched her full pale lavender lips. She then immediately frowned. “We need rules, if you’re going to be my boyfriend.”

“Sure,” I agreed, assuming as much. “What are they?”

She gawked at me again, before becoming pensive. “You can’t touch my tits,” she said firmly.

I nodded, a little disappointed, but kind of assuming as much. “Okay, so does that mean all physical stuff is off limits? Or can we do stuff like kissing?” I asked seriously.

She frowned as she thought about it. “We might be able to kiss. But if I say stop, then you have to stop.”

Hell yes! Score!

“Sounds good,” I said evenly, trying not to seem too excited. “Is that it?”

“I can probably suck on your cock if you want,” she added with a straight face.

Fuck!

What the actual fuck?

Was she serious?!

“You…you’ll suck on my cock,” I repeated slowly.

She nodded once, sharply.

“Can…can I touch your ass?” I wondered, finding myself completely confused now.

Her brow furrowed again. “We can try it, but if I say stop, then I need you to stop. If you can’t handle that, then we can’t date.”

I nodded slowly, confused as hell as I tried to understand what was going on. Had I completely misinterpreted the situation? Clearly, I was missing something, but was uncertain if I should ask directly.

I cleared my throat. “Obviously, you’re the one who has certain boundaries you don’t want to cross, so I’ll do whatever you say.”

Of course, I really wanted to ask why in the hell I could touch her ass, but not her tits, or why she would suck my cock, but wouldn’t fuck.

But I wasn’t an idiot. No way in hell was I about to question these inconsistencies, and fuck up this opportunity by pushing her away. Because this was my chance, finally, to get laid by a fucking hot Oni!

Sure, maybe it wouldn’t be regular sex, but I’d take the mouth!

Hell yes, I’d take the mouth!

And if she’d let me touch that firm juicy ass?! Yes!

Hell yes!

That was when I had another idea.

“What about jerking me off?” I wondered.

She looked at me in surprise. “I mean, yeah, that’s fine. I can jerk you off.”

Fuck yes!

Maybe I was a little inebriated from the ale too. Of course, I could just fix that problem with a little spell, but I liked how warm I was feeling at the moment.

“Can we do that now?” I asked seriously.

She hesitated, before smiling slightly, grabbing her staff and lowering it to the floor, showing off her huge red cleavage as she did so.

“Sure. Take off your pants, and come sit on my lap.”

Fuck, the hell, yes!

I knew something felt a little off about this whole situation, but I wasn’t about to question it at this point, no matter how confused I was. If she was willing to fool around with me a little, and at least get me off, then I was more than happy to accept the offer. Still, it was obvious she was hiding something.

Something she didn’t feel comfortable with sharing.

Did it have anything to do with why she was seeking out a particular healer?

Or was that unrelated to her reservations to fuck? After all, she didn’t have any major indications that she would even need a healer for herself. Certainly no ailments or curses that I’d divined with my Eye of the Goddess skill.

So I honestly didn’t know, but I wasn’t about to care in this moment.

Because I was about to sit my naked ass down on her leather-clad lap and let her jerk me off, to experience all the wonderful bliss that was having her warm rosy body wrapped around mine.

Fuck yes!

FEEDBACK (for new version): What's your level of interest in the story at this point? (As of this chapter)

1) It's okay,

2) Really like it a lot,

3) Super Engaging (love it),

4) I am so obsessed with this story, and can't get enough.

Please be honest. A 1 or 2 is perfectly fine, if that's what you think. How does it compare to Innocent Devil's Harem? (I'll still write on that one, but just want a reference.)

Chapter 3 >>