Across Eternity: Book 7 - Chapter 9

THIS STORY CONTAINS SEXUAL CONTENT AND ADULT THEMES AND SHOULD NOT BE READ BY ANYONE UNDER 18.

Team Building

With the assailants dealt with and the chaos put to rest, Noah and his friends returned to the Platinum Inn. Roc stepped into his dark bedroom and sat on the bed, sighing in exhaustion. The plan was to depart the next morning to go after Lupin, but after being pulled out of bed to deal with the assassins, he wouldn’t mind sleeping in a little. His fatigue also came from worry. He then perked up as he heard a soft tap on the window. Cynatas was perched outside on a flagpole, illuminated by the glowing crystals that lit the street below.

Roc went over and opened the window. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk. Can I come in?”

“Of course. After all the times you visited me, it’s nice to be able to let you in.”

He stepped back and Cynatas hopped through the window, her dress fluttering as she landed as softly as a feather. Roc sat down on the bed and took a moment to admire her beauty, even when she was doing something as simple as tucking her hair behind her ear.

“What did you want to talk about?” he asked.

“I noticed you seemed a little despondent at the meeting. What’s wrong?”

Roc paused and averted his eyes, but Cynatas placed her delicate hands on her cheeks and forced her to look at him. “Are you really so ashamed by what you feel, that you can’t even tell me what it is? Even when it’s the most important thing in the world to me?”

“It’s Prince Lupin. Once we save him, you’ll have to marry him, won’t you? The two of you are engaged, right?”

“We were, but that marriage was set up by our fathers, both having passed away, and I am tired of enslaving myself to the will of the dead. Now that I have fulfilled my oath, I am no longer bound to this city or even this nation. I can go wherever and do whatever I want, and I want to be wherever you are and do whatever you do.”

“Is that why you’re going to help us save him? Because I’m doing it?”

“Mostly that, but also because I owe Lupin. I never loved him, but I do respect him, and if I’m going to break our engagement, I might as well save his life as an apology. But that’s not all that concerns you, is it?”

“It’s Seraph, his brother. I think he’s fallen for you. When you were being attacked, I saw the same anger in him that I felt, the same desire to protect you. But I realized that he’s stronger than I am. He can protect you better than I can.”

“And? You’re worried that I’m just a dumb floozy attracted to strength?”

“Of course not. But what man could love a woman like you and not worry that he isn’t good enough? Besides, I am mortal, while you are an elf. Are you sure you want to spend your time with me, knowing that you’ll just have to bury me when I’m an old man, while you’ll look just the same as you do now? I don’t want to be a scar on your heart for you to carry for eternity.”

“Oh Roc,” she murmured, hugging him to her chest. “I’m over sixty years old, and I’d rather spend the next sixty years happy and in love with the perfect man than spend them alone while searching for an immortal one. And if you don’t think you’re good enough, then let me prove you wrong.”

She then stepped back and pushed her dress off her shoulders, letting it fall down to her feet, along with her undergarments. She stood naked before Roc, leaving him in awe. Despite her short stature, she had a sultry, hourglass figure, and though she tried to put on the airs of a confident, knowledgeable older woman, the blush of her cheeks and the glimmer of her eyes spoke of her inexperience and nervousness.

“Those pants of yours are going to get in the way,” she teased. Even with one arm, Roc got up and took them off in a flash. Cynatas stepped forward and touched him on the chest, hitting him with a burst of wind that knocked him onto the bed. She climbed on top of him, tickling him with her long raven hair.

“Do you have experience doing this sort of thing?” she asked.

“Well, there was a girl in my village that I fooled around with once or twice, and a party that Noah threw in Colbrand, but uh… I never actually got very far. Honestly, those moments were more embarrassing than educational.”

“Most of what I know comes from overhearing the palace maids’ gossip, and reading some romance novels I found hidden away. But that’s fine. I’m sure we each know enough to get started. As for the rest, we’ll find out together, the way I’ve always wanted.”

She lay atop him with their naked bodies pressed together like their lips. Roc wrapped his arm around her, wishing he had both arms more than ever before, if only to hold her better. Without the prison bars separating them, they could kiss with unbridled passion, immersed in each other’s sweet taste as their tongues got acquainted. The took their time, wanting to make sure they had mastered kissing and all its pleasures before advancing.

Eventually, Cynatas broke the connection and began to move down, using her lips to admire Roc’s muscles. Her fingers, small and delicate, wrapped around his manhood, sending both their hearts racing. Though he didn’t admit it, Roc couldn’t deny his pride in how big he felt in her hand. She gently stroked him, getting accustomed to the feel in her grip. It was hotter than she expected, and the firmness made her hair stand on end. Curiosity drove her to then begin playing with his balls.

“Are these really as sensitive as men say they are?”

“Ah, careful, please,” Roc muttered, feeling like he had a knife to his throat. Her fondling felt good, but even the softest grip sent a bolt of lightning up his spine and made his stomach twist.

Cynatas giggled at his reaction. “Fine, you big baby. I’ll leave your precious family jewels alone.” She put her hand back on his cock and resumed stroking him, now with more vigor. Roc began to tremble and pant, and once again, a coy smile crossed Cynatas’s lips from his reaction. “Oh? Oh? Is my sweet songbird going to chirp for me?” she teased.

Roc soon grunted as his pent-up lust was released in the form of several gooey white ropes, shocking Cynatas. “Wow. I had heard, but… I didn’t think it happened like that. Hey, you’re not going to fall asleep on me, are you?”

“No, no, but I’ll need a couple minutes to… uh… get back on my feet.”

“Well don’t worry. We have all the time in the world.”

She grabbed a handkerchief off the nearby table and used it to clean up the mess. She then turned and tossed it aside, and at that moment, Roc went on the attack. He laid her on her back, pinning both her hands with his one, and leaving Cynatas with wide eyes at the sudden reversal. He kissed her hard and passionately just as she had done to him, eventually pulling his lips away so that he could run them along her neck and make her hum in bliss. Lust compelled him further south, and he took his time to toy with her breasts, indulging his curiosity in their softness against his tongue and their sweet taste. Every pull of his lips on her nipples brought forth a euphoric whimper, with Roc enjoying his turn at being the one to tease.

He let go of her wrists so he could advance further south, running his tongue down her flat belly before spreading her legs. He had never gone down on a woman before, and was suddenly grateful that he and Foley had wandered into the Knight’s Sheath while Noah was giving his seminar. Now he just wished he had done the lemon training to prepare for it. He went down on Cynatas with his warrior tenacity, leaving her struggling to contain her voice. Her elven sweetness was addicting, with Roc using his tongue to prime the pump of her arousal like he was dying of thirst. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was drinking from the Fountain of Youth, and imbibing in her nectar would give him some of her elven longevity.

Soon, he got bold. As Cynatas wrapped her legs around his neck, he wrapped his arm around her waist and sat up with her resting on his shoulders. Even with her small size, doing this with one arm should still have been difficult, but she was so light that Roc could carry and move her however she wished. Sitting up and wearing her like a mask, he continued to probe her deepest recesses with her tongue, relishing not just her taste, but the softness of her thighs against his cheeks. Cynatas held onto his head as though afraid she’d fall to her death. She could no longer stop from moaning, with pleasure forcing her voice out as he brought her to climax. Fortunately, the door to Roc’s room was heavy, and the walls were thick, keeping her lustful cries contained.

Roc laid her down, admiring her beautiful body and the flushed look on her face as she gasped for air. He couldn’t wait any longer. He had to take her. He extended his left wing and curled it, using it like a replacement arm to help hold himself over her.

“Cynatas, I love you.”

“I love you too, Roc.”

They kissed once more, then separated, for what came next could not be done while they were face-to-face. Roc adjusted his position over her and Cynatas once more spread her legs for him, with her hands wrapped around his member. After all their foreplay, she was as ready as she could be, and could feel his own throbbing anticipation, but was still nervous about its size. Regardless, it was time to take the plunge. She guided his key to her lock, and given the all-clear, he took a deep breath and penetrated her. Cynatas tensed up and released a whine as her diminutive body struggled to accept his mass. Roc struggled as well with how tight she was, but that would soon change.

“Are you ok?” he asked, only a third of the way in her.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t stop.”

He continued on, staining the sheets red and burying his cock up to the base. He gave Cynatas a moment to collect herself and get used to the sensation, then slowly pulled back. After letting her rest for another moment, he pushed himself back in, coaxing out a pained moan, followed by a second and third, but by the fourth, there was pleasure in her voice. Though it took some effort to acquaint himself with the movement and mechanics, Roc set himself into a slow a steady rhythm, driving deep into Cynatas’s body with the tightness fading with each thrust.

Cynatas held onto him tightly with her face buried in his chest, rendered blissfully dizzy by his masculine scent. With each deep drive into her womanhood, Roc would kiss the top of her head, savoring her scent as she did his, as well as the softness of her hair. Never before had he felt so right in his actions, like he was exactly where he was supposed to be, with who he was supposed to be with, and doing what he was supposed to be doing. It was as though the planets had aligned to deliver him to his perfect moment.

Cynatas raised her arms, sliding her hand under his so that they could interlace her fingers, while she reached up and stroked his hair. Like him, she did not take the perfection of the moment for granted. In a city full of people who looked at her with disdain for her elf blood, she found a man who truly loved her and gave her all the happiness she always wanted. She loved Roc, and she always would. Now, thanks to him, she felt like her life could truly begin. After sharing a simultaneous orgasm, the two of them lay side by side, gazing into each other’s eyes. They were wrapped in Roc’s wings, not saying anything. Nothing needed to be said.

The next morning, everyone woke up and made preparations for the journey. It would have been nice to take their time, but Seraph was pulling them like a frantic dog on a leash. They packed their things, gathered food, and readied their horses, though one member of the group was delaying the departure. Foley had gone out to run some last-minute errands for the trip and said he would meet everyone by the city gates. They all gathered, waiting for him to show up. Both Roc and Cynatas were with them, but neither had mounts.

“Man, where the fuck is Foley with my ring?” Daniel asked, having loaned it to Foley to help him carry the stuff back.

“When he arrives, he’s going to be rushing to get out of here, and there may be people after him,” said Noah.

“What makes you say that?” Valia asked.

“Just a hunch.”

Foley soon arrived, running over and climbing onto his donkey. “Sorry I’m late! Well, let’s get going! Come on! Come on!”

“Hey, give me back my ring,” said Daniel.

“I’ll give it back later! Let’s hurry! We’re wasting daylight!”

Deep in the city of Duravound, alarm bells were being struck and soldiers could be heard shouting.

“Called it,” said Noah.

“You really did,” Valia added.

The nearby guards manning the city gates were starting to put two and two together, and were approaching Noah’s group, armed with spears and questions.

“Well, we don’t want any part of what’s going on back there. Let’s get going!” Foley exclaimed, ushering his donkey forward into a gallop. With the whole city reacting to the alarms like an overturned anthill, Noah and the others took off after him, not wanting to be questioned by the guards. Roc and Cynatas took to the sky, and they raced away from Duravound, not daring to slow down until they were sure they weren’t being followed. Once they were back on the roads and a safe distance from dwarven troops, Foley removed his family shield from Daniel’s ring and tossed it back to him.

“Ha! Finally!” he cheered.

“I hope that shield was worth it. If they catch you, you’ll be lucky not to end up with your head on a pike,” said Noah.

“Oh, it was very worth it. Do you know how long my family has wanted this shield returned to us? When I get back home and hang this over the hearth, my brothers will have no choice but to line up to kiss my ass.”

“You realize that when we inevitably have return to Duravound, there will be a lot of angry dwarves glaring at us, don’t you? We could all end up imprisoned for this,” Alexis chided.

“Like when you took your family’s heirloom bow to hunt some ogres?” Noah reminded her. Alexis simply scoffed with a smile in response.

“The king isn’t going to arrest you guys, not after all the shit that’s happened,” Foley groaned. “Besides, by the time you return, he’ll have probably forgotten all about it and moved onto something else to fuss over. As for me… well, yeah, I should probably avoid stepping back through those gates. Hey, I tried to do things the proper way. I tried to be polite and respectful, but once that royal prick found out the details of my family’s banishment, there was no reasoning with him. The way I see it, I had no choice.”

“What’s done is done,” said Cyrilo. “If we’re going to be fighting scores of Profane, I’d rather we do it with the best shield ever made.”

“See? She gets it!” Foley exclaimed.

“Just so you know, I will be hiding exclusively behind you when the shit hits the fan,” said Daniel.

“How long will it take us to reach Lupin?” Seraph asked.

“As long as we stick to the lowlands and avoid wasting time by scaling mountains, it should take us around two weeks, though that may be a generous estimation. We’ll just have to hope the roads and bridges remain passable as we get further north.”

“And that’ll give us plenty of time to get back to Duravound for whatever the Profane is planning, right?” Sophia asked.

“Yeah. No matter what they try to do, we and Duravound will be ready.”

Along with Lupin’s existence, Noah had also let slip that the Profane had plans for the city. It would be unusual for an assassin to know so much about the schemes of the upper echelon, so Noah left things vague, saying that some kind of weapon would arrive by ship in a little under three months. However, he was unaware that the schedule had been moved up.

With everything settled, Noah and his friends journeyed north. Everyone was glad to be beneath the sun once more, no more so than Roc and Cynatas. They flew overhead, keeping a watchful eye on the horizon and scanning for obstacles and enemies ahead, occasionally dropping down to check in. For the most part, they were just enjoying the freedom and seclusion of the sky. Finally, night fell, and everyone gathered to make camp. The group had swollen to eleven members, so the meals had to be even bigger. Game was ample here in the mountains, but they packed a lot of alchemically-dehydrated fruits and vegetables, as well as special compressed bread that would rapidly inflate into a softer form.

Roc sat with Cynatas in his lap, the two of them taking turns eating from each other’s plates. Because of this, Seraph kept his eyes downcast throughout dinner so as not to look at them. Their lovey-dovey atmosphere was causing everyone to snicker and exchange side-eye smirks.

“So, Noah, you got a story for us tonight?” Daniel eventually asked.

Noah put down his plate and leaned back. “I’ve always got a story. The problem is which one do I pick? Let’s see… Ok. So, a long time ago, I used to be what’s known as a ring racer.”

“Let me guess, it involved riding in some kind of big metal ring made of your absurd other-world technology?” Alexis asked.

“A decent guess, but no. The ring was the track. Specifically, the Rings of Saturn.”

“Bullshit!” Daniel exclaimed.

Noah smiled. “Let me show you. False World.”

The forest around their campsite disappeared, replaced with the emptiness of space, minus the vastness of the planet Saturn behind Noah. The ground beneath them was replaced with the ring that encircled the planet, stretching as far as the eye could see. Everyone scrambled in shock, looking around in all directions and trying to figure out where they were and what was happening. Only Valia and Shannon remained calm, having already helped Noah experiment with his new magic, but even they were left shocked by the sight. Since this was simply a visual demonstration, he didn’t need to flash everyone with the Rune of False in his eyes.

“Relax, it’s just an illusion. You’re still sitting on the ground in Vandheim. I’m simply showing you my memories,” said Noah, calming everyone.

“What is this place?” Cynatas asked with wide eyes.

“This is space, the realm above the sky where all planets reside, a realm so high that I doubt even you, with your powers, could reach it. The world we live on is like an island in a vast ocean of stars. Space is the harshest environment in existence, with no air to breathe, inhospitable temperatures, and little to no gravity. There is no “up” or “down,” only “towards” or “away” from different heavenly bodies. But just because it’s dangerous, doesn’t mean humans won’t do everything they can with it. The vastness of space simply means that there is more than enough room for all kinds of activities, such as the age-old tradition of finding out who is fastest.

This planet behind me is Saturn, a ball of condensed gas with a diameter around 9.5 times that of this solid, rocky planet, and I assume 750 times the volume, or something close. This ring you see is composed of dust, rock, and ice, and like I said, we used it as our racetrack.”

The view then shifted, as if they were circling the planet on a flying carpet. They arrived at a line of group of ships at the starting line. These elegant space cruisers were the cutting edge in speed and handling. To the inhabitants of the magical world, who were unable to understand how these crafts could possibly function or be used, they appeared almost like giant aquatic animals and birds, made of metal. Crustaceans, birds, dolphins, and fish; their streamlined appearances were like an homage to the wonders of evolution. Numerous other ships had gathered, filled with spectators eager to watch the race. Holographic screens were projected, where the announcer, in his flamboyant suit, egged everyone on to build excitement, speaking in a language only Noah could understand. That said, since this was space, nothing was actually audible.

“That’s my ship right there, The Gamma Ray, made of high-quality steel, blood, and sweat.” He pointed to an elegant craft with a bottle green exterior. “Let me show you the inside.”

He brought them into the cock pit, though Daniel, the only member of the group exposed to such crafts through movies and TV, was confused. Instead of a seat and controls arranged in front of the windshield, Noah’s past self was strapped into a large gyroscope, looking out at the track through a digital visor while his hands were sealed in control gauntlets.

“What’s the deal? No ejection seat and flight stick?” Daniel asked.

“You’ve seen too many movies. These ships need to turn, reverse, and pivot at hundreds, even thousands of miles an hour. The G-forces of such movements are enough to turn anyone strapped in a pilot seat into jelly. When those moments do occur, these gyro dampeners will rapidly spin the pilot in several different directions all at once to disperse the kinetic force.” Noah brought everyone back out to the side of the track.

“You see how each racer has a long fin keel on the bottom like a sailboat? That’s not for balance or maneuvering. Each one is a sensor. The rules of the race are simple: the racers circle the planet while using the ring as a track. Like I said before, there is no up and down, so it doesn’t actually matter which side of the ring you’re on, so long as that keel is moving through the actual ring itself like a plow. If your keel is exposed for too long, is destroyed, or you drift off either of the sides of the ring, you’re disqualified. Aside from that, almost anything goes. Just wait and see.”

A column of lights began to flash to signal the race was about to begin. All the racers began firing up their engines, with their thrusters coming alight. Red flashed to yellow, and then green, and all the ships took off. They rocketed across the ring of Saturn, each trying to take the lead while swerving from side to side to dodge larger chunks of debris in the ring. Their keels were built to take a lot of punishment, but a big enough rock striking against them would snap them off with ease, so the racers had to keep their eyes on the tracks to find the least dangerous paths along the ring. Noah had the view of the illusion follow his ship, as if he and his friends were riding on the roof. They were all left speechless by what they were watching, and even though they weren’t actually feeling any G-forces when the ship turned, just the view was messing with their minds and they were trying not to get motion sickness.

“Now, the first quarter of the race was purely about speed and performance. But after that, that’s when things got nasty.”

The threshold was crossed, and hatches on all the ships opened, exposing rotary guns and missile launchers. From there, all manner of ammunition was dumped between the ships, with each pilot trying to eliminate the competition. To avoid destruction, they had to dodge both explosions and debris, flipping and spinning through the vacuum of space while struggling to remain within the track. Explosions were blossoming in all directions as bombs exploded against rock and steel, with numerous racers smashing into floating mountains, getting pummeled by nonstop boulders, or meeting a fiery death from an opponent’s well-placed shot.

Despite all this death and destruction, The Gamma Ray had a strong lead over everyone. Noah, or rather his past self, was piloting with a level of coordination and skill that mortal humans could only dream of. Left in his dust, the other racers tried working together to bring him down, sending a tidal wave of artillery after him, but he dodged their attacks and then spun around, speeding along the track in reverse, and allowing him to mow down the competition with twin laser blasts. He fully circled the planet and took 1st place, not that there were many racers left.

“Well, that wasn’t much of a story, but you get the gist,” said Noah, releasing the illusion.

Immediately, Daniel, Cyrilo, Alexis, Foley, and Shannon rushed to the edge of camp and vomited their dinners, having suppressed the urge with Herculean effort.

“Shit, that was like an IMAX movie on shrooms,” Daniel groaned.

“This is why I prefer to keep my hooves on the ground,” Shannon added.

“I’m just a small-town guy with a shield! You can’t be showing me this stuff! My brain will crack like a walnut!” Foley complained.

“Goddammit, Noah! Stop making me puke! That skunk was bad enough!” Cyrilo barked.

Alexis couldn’t say anything. She simply stood, bent over, groaning as Sophia rubbed her back. Everyone else was also looking worse for wear. Seraph was breathing heavily, and both Roc and Cynatas looked like their pride had been crushed. After all the flying they had done today, they were shamed by the sight they could never hope to match. Perhaps Noah should have introduced them to something easier.

“My apologies. I guess that was a little too much. Come sit down and make it up to you.”  After the afflicted rinsed the taste of vomit out of their mouths, they all sat down. “Ok, look into my eyes.” He flashed them with the Rune of False, making them all flinch and shake their heads as the rune spread through their minds. “Here’s the story of the summer I spent working in an animal shelter, and the day someone dropped off a box of puppies at the door.”

The scenery changed once more, taking on the appearance of the break room at an animal shelter. A large cardboard box appeared before Noah, from which he began picking up illusory puppies and distributing them to everyone. Since they had looked into his eyes, he had full control over their senses, and the puppies felt like felt completely real, even if they were actually just holding and petting empty air. His friends knew the small creatures were simply an illusion, but they were fully interactive, and the tiny wagging tails and excited squeaks were too much to ignore. The intensity of the last memory was forgotten as everyone drank deep from the cup of puppy breath.

The next morning, Roc and Cynatas emerged from their tent to find a curious sight. Valia was performing the Dance of the Ivunara, but nearby, everyone else had lined up beside Noah and was following him as he performed his special workout.

“What’s going on?” Roc asked.

“This workout routine is one I’ve cultivated over centuries, providing maximum results in strength, dexterity, stamina, and so on. Come on, join us. The more of us do it, the stronger we get as a group.”

“We hate doing it, but Noah insisted that Cyrilo and I had to get in shape,” Daniel complained.

Next to Noah, Shannon did it out of love and subservience to her lord. Beside her, Seraph did it out of devotion to Noah’s teachings, and his desire to improve himself. Next to him, Alexis did it to get stronger, much like Sophia, who also did it out of her love for Noah and her enjoyment in doing things together with Alexis. Past Daniel and Cyrilo, both huffing and sweating, even Foley was doing it, and noticed Roc’s confused gaze.

“I know exactly what you’re thinking right now, because I thought the same thing, but trust me, don’t knock it until you try it.”

“And you all do this every morning?” Cynatas asked.

“Not every morning, but when we can. Come on, join us. It’s a great way to wake up and start the day, and I guarantee it’ll make you stronger,” said Noah.

“You go ahead. I’ll just watch for a bit,” said Cynatas, taking a seat by the campfire to observe.

Roc was hesitant. To him, the whole thing looked rather silly, and even just observing made him feel self-conscious, but if Noah said it would make him stronger, he was willing to give it a try. He stood next to Noah, opposite of Shannon, and began mimicking his movements and following his instructions. It didn’t take long for him to feel the heat of exertion. The workout was far more intense he expected.

Several movements had to be done slowly, but that’s where the challenge was. Like isometrics, the strain came not from making the positions and movements, but from maintaining them, and gradually shifting from one stance to the next with arduous sluggishness. Other parts required rapid movement, with his limbs feeling like they were submerged in mud. By the time they were finished, Roc was gasping for air and drenched in sweat. That was a surprisingly thorough workout.

He took a moment to get some final stretches in, then looked over to Cynatas, seeing Seraph talking to her. In an instant, that primal bloodlust filled him. “Hey!” he barked.

It was just one word, but the way he shouted it and the glare in his eyes spoke volumes. Seraph wisely moved away from Cynatas and Roc sat next to her.

“Was that really necessary? He was just asking if there were any leftovers from dinner last night. You say you love me, but it seems you don’t trust me.” Cynatas chided.

“I trust you with him, but I don’t trust him with you. Foley, Daniel, even Noah—I wouldn’t bat an eye to them looking at you, talking to you, making you laugh, or anything like that, but not Seraph. Anyone in the world but him. I know exactly what he wants and what he thinks when he looks at you.”

“Jealousy and insecurity are not attractive traits.”

“It’s not that, just a lot of bad blood.”

After breakfast, the group mounted up and set off to continue their journey. They were making good time, and if they maintained a good pace, they might even reach Lupin ahead of schedule, but the road was long and perilous. Just like in Uther and Handent, wild animals and monsters were a constant threat. The size of their group warded off most individual prowlers and predators, but wolf packs and mountain bears would still try their luck against Noah’s group, only to be scared off by his illusions. However, one mountain bear was granted a quick death and harvested for its meat. Eleven group members was a lot of mouths to feed.

At midday, they stopped to rest and eat. As they feasted on bear meat, Foley was telling everyone a story. “So there I am with a whole bunch of tail feathers stuffed in my butt, a crawdad gripping my nose, and my grandmother’s piss-soaked hat hanging lopsided on my head, and wouldn’t you know it? The priest steps through the door, takes one look at me, and says ‘your request has been denied,’ and then spits in my face. And that’s how my family got our three-legged dog.”

Everyone had to pause eating so they could laugh, with Shannon even giving herself hiccups. The levity was soon broken, however, when Cynatas yawned and stretched with her arms over her head, with Seraph’s gaze falling her to chest. Roc was quick to notice.

“Hey! Eyes to yourself, prince,” he growled.

Unlike that morning, however, Seraph got defiant. “I’m not going to make a move on her, but you don’t get to bark orders at me.”

Roc got to his feet. “You got something you want to say?”

Seraph did the same. “Yeah, I do. Just because you have a woman in your lap doesn’t mean every man in the world has to walk on eggshells around you.”

“I don’t have a problem with every man in the world, just your spoiled ass.”

“You think you can tell me what to do? Why don’t you prove it?” Seraph challenged.

“Both of you, stop it,” said Cynatas. Had she not said anything, Roc would have thrown a punch, but he was sensible enough to listen to her and turn away, but Seraph wasn’t the same.

“Walking away again? Just like in the tournament?”

Roc turned back around. “I beat you, remember? But there was no honor in claiming victory over someone as weak as you. I walked away because I didn’t want to get shit on my fist by punching a whiny turd.”

“Yeah, sure. I beat you over and over again at the academy, but the one time you actually had a slim chance at winning, you threw it away. I bet you quit because you knew that if you lost yet again, it meant you were still just the angsty punk I slammed into the ground over and over, and nothing had changed.”

They had past the point of being talked down. They acted simultaneously, each hurling a mana-imbued punch at the other. Several members of the group rushed up into stop them, but Noah was the fastest.

“False World.”

In that instant, the forest around them was replaced with a sea of bodies, and the sounds of birds and insects became a chorus of moans and grunts. The group was situated in the very center of a massive orgy, with strangers sucking, fucking, kissing, and licking each other in every direction. The sudden transition, along with the sights and sounds, shocked everyone to the point of leaving them unable to speak or even process what was happening around them.

Alexis and Sophia huddled together fearfully, for even after the time they spent working at the Knight’s Sheath, this was more than they could comfortably handle. Daniel and Foley were whipping theirs head around with big grins, not wanting to miss a thing, while Cyrilo seemed, at most, mildly impressed. Cynatas, still relatively new to sexual matters despite her age, was looking around through her half-covered eyes, feeling completely overwhelmed. Shannon was in a similar boat. Despite her vigorous sex life with Noah, she had never seen so many naked people fornicating before, while Valia was rubbing her forehead and exasperation, seemingly chiding herself for ever thinking Noah wouldn’t pull such a stunt. As for Roc and Seraph, Noah’s spell had succeeded in de-escalating the situation, as they were both caught like a deer in the headlights by everything going on around them.

“Ok, Noah, that’s enough,” said Valia. “I swear, you’re like a child with a new toy.”

“In my long life, I have yet to find a toy as fun as this,” he replied. “This is an orgy I attended a long time ago. As you can see, it makes for a great distraction. Can anyone guess which participant I am? The answer will shock you.”

“Noah!” Alexis shouted, while beside her, an illusory man was giving a phantasmal woman the piledriver, something she was trying very hard not to look at.

“Fine, fine,” Noah said, releasing the spell.

“No! No! Go back!” Daniel pleaded. “That guy with the ACDC tattoo was doing something really cool! I need to see it again so that I can take notes!”

Noah got to his feet and stepped between Roc and Seraph. “Now that the two of you have lost your fighting spirit, we can address the problem. It seems you both have a lot of excess energy to burn off. There’s only one way to put an end to this. Not the way you’re probably still thinking of due to the illusion; the other way. Follow me.”

He led them out of camp and into a clearing, with everyone coming along to observes.

“You want us to fight each other out here?” Roc asked.

“Since when has fighting each other ever solved either of your problems? Between the academy and the tournament, all it’s done is made things worse between you two.” Both Seraph and Roc averted their eyes from the scolding. “Listen. We’re going to be up against a whole fortress of high-level Profane, and we won’t get far if the two of you get distracted by bickering. You need to learn to work together, and to do that, you need practice and incentive. So, the two of you are going to be fighting me.”

His words struck fear into both their hearts, as Roc and Seraph knew with painful clarity how they compared to Noah. In the few times Roc had tangled with Noah, he was always laid out in moments, while Seraph, beyond simply their fight during Knight’s Day, sparred with Noah several times while they traveled to Lumestada, and not once did he feel like he could hold his own. His words made sudden sense. Fighting him would be the practice, while their incentive to work together would be to escape pain.

“Should I be worried?” Cynatas asked Valia.

“You can trust Noah not to take it too far. That said… how you and he define “too far” are probably very different. He won’t try to kill or maim either of them, but they’ll probably feel like he is.”

“Now, we’re going to do this without weapons or magic,” said Noah. “Roc, however, you may remain in your semi-transformed state. Along with it being two against one, I’ll give you an added handicap. My hat has a magical seal in it that restricts my movements, much like weights. I wear it all times as training. I’ll keep it on during the fight, but your goal will be to force me to remove it. My coat will also encumber my movements a bit.” Noah removed his sword from his belt and laid it on the grass. “Now, come at me.”

Roc took a deep breath and launched himself into the air, circling to build up speed. In the meantime, Seraph gathered his courage and strength and charged towards Noah, throwing his strongest non-magical right punch. Noah deflected the swing and jabbed Seraph in a pressure point under the arm, leaving it numb. Seraph tried for a kick with his left leg, but Noah again struck a pressure point, this time just above the knee, making Seraph stagger, and Noah struck him in the jaw with his elbow, rattling his brain and leaving him seeing stars. Noah then spun around and delivered a second elbow strike, this time to the solar plexus, knocking Seraph off his feet.

As Seraph fell, Roc swooped in for a divebomb kick. Noah faced it head-on, which understandably scared Roc, but he committed himself to the attack. Just as he was about to strike with his kick, Noah reached up and grabbed his leg, pulling down on his ankle and pushing up on his knee to use as a fulcrum, redirecting the energy of his momentum to make him faceplant into the ground. Had Noah wanted it, the blow would have been fatal, but he threw Roc at an angle, so that most of his inertia carried him off, rolling head-over-feat over twenty meters. Both Seraph and Roc were down, and everyone was recoiling in horror.

“On your feet, boys. Your training just started.” Both Roc and Seraph tried to get up, only to drop back to their knees, causing Noah to sigh. “Sophia, would you mind, please?” Sophia hurried over to give them first aid, but Noah only let her get them back on their feet. She gave him a look telling him to go easy on them, but she knew he wouldn’t. After all, the whole point of this was to leave them too beaten and exhausted to argue with each other.

Roc and Seraph stood on opposite sides of Noah, trying to muster up their dwindling courage. Roc moved first, launching himself at Noah and aiming for his head with a spinning kick. Noah dodged the attack, but Roc used his wings to manipulate his trajectory and deliver a second kick. Noah blocked the kick and the punch that came after, then grabbed Roc’s arm and struck his shoulder with his palm. For an instant, Roc’s shoulder was dislocated, sending a bolt of lightning through his nervous system, before the bone reset itself. Roc remembered Noah pulling the same trick at the academy, dislocating his hip.

Noah then threw Roc at Seraph, interrupting his attempted attack. Seraph pushed Roc out of the way, but before he could react, he took a kick to the side of the head, knocking his whole body sideways, and before he could hit the ground, Noah kicked him again, tossing him through the air before landing on Roc. Both were struggling just to get onto their hands and knees, and once again, Sophia had to give them some quick healing. Once they were standing, Noah looked them over and sighed.

“Your problem is simple: you both rush in, focusing only on attack, and it leaves you wide-open to counters. You’re both too impatient, trying to win the fight with the very first strike. You need to learn to play the long game, to study your opponent, to block more punches than you throw. Try to focus on defense this time, and for fuck’s sake, at least consider working together.”

Noah then strode towards them, putting Seraph and Roc on edge. It seemed he was going on the offense for this round. They braced themselves, each hoping Noah would attack the other first. Noah went after Seraph, and though he braced himself for a punch, he wasn’t prepared for the onslaught that was unleashed. Noah bombarded him with precise blows, putting Seraph’s defenses to the test. He blocked at many as he could, but Noah wasn’t just aiming for obvious targets like the head and gut. He targeted pressure points and nerve clusters, dismantling his guard, but when Noah moved in inflict real damage, Roc chose that moment to strike, attacking Noah from behind with a mighty kick, trying to catch Noah between him and Seraph like the assassin in Duravound.

Noah spun around and caught Roc’s leg, then countered with a kick of his own, knocking him back. He turned his attention back to Seraph, deflected the desperate haymaker thrown his way, and knocked him to the ground with a punch to the gut that rendered him unable to breathe. This fight continued on for the better part of an hour, with neither Seraph nor Roc managing to land a single blow on Noah. Finally, with a deep breath, he called it.

“All right, I’d say that’s enough for today. Let’s pick it up again tomorrow.”

Both Seraph and Roc were left bruised and bloody, but Noah’s plan had worked, as neither of them had the strength to argue with each other. The group continued traveling, and as night fell, they came upon a roadside inn. The Flaming Belch, a name that caused many raised eyebrows. It was surprisingly busy, with a line of dwarves moving out the front door and behind the building. There was a cliff face behind the inn, which the men would use as one big urinal.

“You think they’ll have enough room for all of us?” Valia asked.

“Who cares?” Daniel countered. “I smell good food and great booze.”

They hitched their horses and went inside. As expected, they received curious glares from everyone at the inn, but not the cold shoulder. Candles burned, pipes smoldered, and steins overflowed as rowdy dwarves relaxed after a long day. Many of them were eating food not normally found in Vandheim, such as chili, curry, and noodles, all of which contained peppers and spices not native to the country. There was also a wide variety of meats, cooked with a sauce that smelled delicious and spicy. Whoever the chef was, he was well versed in both ingredients and style. A few tables had to be pushed together to accommodate Noah’s group, but they were all able to sit together. A servant girl approached.

“Let me guess, more challengers?”

“Challengers for what?” Shannon asked.

“Our inn specializes in food cooked with peppers shipped from Ezeria. If you can get through a five-course meal—known as the Flaming Feast Challenge—it’s free, and you get your name recorded on our wall of champions.” The name of the inn suddenly made sense.

“I’ll take your test!” Daniel boldly announced.

“Are you sure about this?” Noah asked.

“Hey, I may not be a fighter, but when it comes to spicy food, I’m the strongest guy here.”

“Ooh, them’s fightin’ words,” said Foley. “Sign me up. Roc, you in, or is your spirit still crushed from before?”

Roc shook his head, knowing he’d regret it, but gave in. “Fine. After today, I really need a win.”

“I might as well give it a shot,” Seraph added. “I have to restore my honor.”

They all turned to Noah. “Come on, man, it’s no fun if you don’t take part,” said Daniel. “How can any of us truly win if you aren’t in the running?”

“If you insist, but only because I collect experiences and like trying new foods.” Noah then turned to Valia and the other women. “Any of you want to compete?”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll have plenty of fun just watching. I do smell some delicious pork, though. Whatever it is, I’ll have it,” said Valia.

“I’ll do it, if you help,” said Alexis, then turning to Sophia.

“I’m not really one for spicy foods, but you know I’ll face any challenge with you,” Sophia replied.

“I’ll pass on the challenge, but I’ll definitely have the spicy noodle bowl that dwarf over there is eating,” said Cyrilo.

“I’ll just have something mild, please,” said Shannon. “A little goes a long way for me.” When it came to things like seasonings and spices, Shannon was quite skilled, but that was because she had such a keen sense of taste; thus, dishes that focused on intensity over flavor were her natural enemy.

“I assume there will be a lot of food on this table left uneaten, so I’ll just graze off everyone’s plates,” said Cynatas with a shrug.

They had to wait for their dishes to be prepared, but soon, a whole smorgasbord was set before them. The first course was poppers, made with Ezerian peppers instead of jalapenos. Noah, Alexis, Sophia, Daniel, Roc, Foley, and Seraph all bit in, and felt the heat assail them.

“Whoo!”

“Agh!”

“Jesus!”

“Sweet mother!”

Seraph, Roc, Daniel, and Foley were certainly invigorated by that first bite and turned to their steins. Liquor didn’t exactly work well in alleviating spice, but that was their only option.

“Oh God, we made a mistake,” said Sophia, already looking miserable. “This was a terrible mistake.”

“Come on, we can do this,” replied Alexis, breathing hard to try and cool her tongue.

Noah was the only one to maintain a straight face. “That’s very good, a nice heat. It doesn’t quite match up to Byrnstoir’s Fury in the Anorvan forest, but it’s pretty decent.” Cynatas had a similar reaction as she gave Alexis and Sophia some help with their plate.

The contenders all finished the first course with varying levels of difficulty, with Valia, Cynatas, Cyrilo, and Shannon all enjoying the show. Everyone emptied their steins before they finished eating. The second course was delivered: a bowl of soup, red as blood, with a menacing wisp of steam. It also came with bread.

“You first,” said Sophia to Alexis.

Alexis dipped some of the bread in the soup and took a bite, fighting the urge not to immediately start writhing in pain. “Damn it!” she hissed, before handing a piece of bread to Sophia. She dipped it in the soup, took a deep breath, and choked it down, with tears soon running down her cheeks.

“Why are you doing this to us?!” Sophia yelled at Alexis.

While everyone suffered, Shannon was enjoying her baked potato, and Valia and Cyrilo panted and fanned themselves from the heat of their own plates. Meanwhile, the men were chugging the soup straight from the bowl, trying to get it down as quickly as they could. It took everything they had to keep drinking, not even allowing themselves to breathe, out of fear their concentration would break and the heat would hit them at full force. As one, they all slapped down their empty bowls, with everyone but Noah groaning and whooping in pain.

“Dragon’s blood, that’s what that is!” Foley yelled before taking to his stein and emptying it in one lung gulp.

“Mama didn’t raise no quitters,” said Daniel while pouring sweat. Roc and Seraph couldn’t talk, too busy using the bread like sponges to brush their tongues and remove the excess spice.

Once again, Noah kept his cool. “Shannon, you might want to try some of this. It could give you some ideas for your own cooking.”

Alexis and Sophia weren’t in any hurry to finish their soup, so Shannon helped them out. She tried it with bread, just as they had, but recoiled from that one bite. “Nope. No. I don’t need any ideas like that.”

“I’m not giving up just yet,” said Alexis, huffing and puffing. Sophia tried to stop her, but Alexis picked up the bowl and chugged it like Noah and the others. By some miracle, she managed to finish it, but when she slapped down the bowl, it was clear she regretted it. Still, she had passed the second course, and that was no small feat.

New bowls were then set out, filled with piping hot chili. Sophia looked at it and shook her head, refusing to partake in anymore. Alexis, with tears in her eyes, took one bite, then set down her spoon. “I can’t. I just can’t. I thought I could keep up, but it’s just….”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Valia. “In a contest like this, the real winner is the first person smart enough to drop out.”

Alexis pushed her bowl away, and when the servant girl came back, she simply asked for bread smeared with as much butter as it could possibly bear. Cynatas took her bowl and began eating the chili. “Huh, that’s pretty good,” she said, seemingly unbothered by the spice. Then Noah noticed the way she was breathing, using her wind powers to cool her tongue the same way Alexis had tried.

The men had their heads down, just trying to bear with it. After every bite, they’d take a long drink from their steins, needing to be refilled repeatedly. Even Noah was starting feel the spice take hold of him, and was taking longer and longer sips to try and quench the burning in his mouth. It wasn’t just the peppers that burned their mouths; this chili was loaded with dozens of different herbs and spices, testing the limits of what mortals could endure.

“This isn’t fun anymore,” Daniel whimpered.

“You started this shit, and you’d better finish it,” Foley grunted.

Meanwhile, Roc and Seraph were engaged in a standoff. Noah had taken away their desire for combat, but they’d found a new way to compete with each other. Despite their agony, neither one would give in, not until a winner was decided.

The fourth course then arrived: grilled chicken, dripping with sauce that could burn through a broad shield. By now, all of the liquor the men had been drinking was taking hold. Intoxication was helping them bear the pain, but all their lips were starting to swell and turn red. Even Noah was getting quite uncomfortable at this point. Still, the end was in sight, and their pride was on the line. They ripped flesh from bone, every bite leaving them in agony. At the very least, it was as tasty as it was painful. Finally, they were given dessert. It was spicy pudding, not quite as hot as everything that had come before it, but the continuing burning sensation was almost mocking them at this point. At last, everyone dropped their spoons and gave sighs of relief and anguish.

“That was the single greatest mistake of my life,” Foley groaned with his head resting on the table.

“I thought quitting heroin was painful,” Daniel added, slumped back in his chair after going limp. Roc and Seraph didn’t say anything, too busy downing more liquor.

The servant girl came back and smiled in amazement. “Wow! I can’t believe it! Five new names to add to the wall! We’ve never had so many winners at once before!”

“My compliments to the chef,” said Noah. “It was as delicious as it was spicy.”

“That pork really hit the spot,” said Valia, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

“Same with those noodles,” said Cyrilo.

Alexis and Sophia said nothing, continuing to fill up on buttered bread in shame. Beside them, Cynatas grazed from everyone’s plates, wanting to get a taste of everything. There was more than enough spicy chicken alone to fill her up.

Slowly, Foley got up from his chair and took a few wobbly steps. “I’ve never been this drunk and this miserable at the same time. I need to take a piss like there’s no tomorrow.”

His words flipped a switch in the men’s minds. They had been so preoccupied by the burning spice, they hadn’t noticed how all the liquor and soup they drank was pushing for freedom. At the moment, they each felt like they were going to burst. That urgency gave them the coherency they needed to push through their intoxication and go outside, hustling to the cliff face behind the inn. There, standing in the dark, they lined up and let nature take its course, only to immediately scream in pain.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” yelled Daniel.

“I’m pissing molten lead here!” Foley exclaimed.

“Motherfucker!” shouted Roc.

Seraph simply howled in anguish, and Noah, despite his pain tolerance, was left huffing and puffing in agony. They thought they had escaped the malice of the spice. They thought they had conquered its burning fury, but it was not done with them. All the undigested capsaicin and other spice-related compounds were trying to make a break for it, but the irritation had slowed their streams to a trickle, with every single drop feeling like a white-hot kidney stone. For several minutes, they stood there, groaning and crying in pain. Between the anguish and their intoxication, their legs were struggling to support them, forcing them to lean against the cliff with one arm. Poor Roc had to press his head straight to the cool stone, grateful he was so much taller than the dwarves that usually pissed on the cliff.

“Daniel, you stupid chickenshit! You did this to us!” Foley roared with tears in his eyes.

“Fuck! This is like if gonorrhea and chlamydia had a kid on steroids!” Daniel replied.

“Healing magic does nothing! It doesn’t block the pain!” Seraph wailed.

“I’m having Tijuana flashbacks,” Noah muttered.

Between his own tearful groans, Roc was praying to the spirits with everything he had.

Finally, after what felt like a stint in the burning pits of Hell, Noah and the others turned away from the stone, having expelled what they hoped to be the last of their pain. They slowly shuffled back into the inn with what little strength they had left, with the climb up the stairs feeling like a mountain ascent. Valia had taken care of lodging, but like at the last inn, the group had to split between two rooms, with the women in one room and the men in the other. Noah took the bed since he was paying, but his night was no more comfortable than his friends lying on the floor. The spice challenge had one last card to play.

Everyone who indulged suffered from cramps and stomach issues throughout the night to some degree. Alexis and Sophia held hands, trying to comfort each other through the storm. Valia and Cynatas both tossed and turned, grunting in discomfort, while Cyrilo took her cat form in the hope that it would allow her to sleep, only to find her stomach still hurt. Despite abstaining from the challenge, the spice was punishing them. Meanwhile, the men were suffering the worst. It was a sleepless night, full of cursing, whimpering, and hurried runs to the latrine. When dawn finally arrived, Shannon was the only one to have gotten a good night’s sleep. Everyone else was exhausted and miserable.

Although Roc and Seraph still had their feud, the experience had somewhat eased their anger, having forced them to bond over their shared agony. With enough mutual suffering, perhaps they could even be friends someday.

Please comment! Tell me your thoughts!