Ch183: A Couple Short Conversations

“Mm. Starting all the way down here, are you?”

A smile finds its way onto Krvavy’s face before she even glances back over her shoulder, eyes gleaming as she watches her Dwarf approach along the pathway, glowing lantern in hand. “Yup. I figured it’d be best to start working on one of the more manageable parts of the cave, where the ceiling isn’t quite as high and the walls aren’t nearly as far apart..”

“Wise.” Inanna comes to a stop just a few paces away. “What are your plans for these fortifications?” She curiously asks, looking over the work that has been done so far.

“Honestly? I kind of just want to block it off as best I can.” Krvavy replies with a shrug. “The small gap around that pillar, where the path is, will be a good spot for a gate of some sort. But I want this little ledge to just become a big wall, reaching all the way up to the ceiling.”

That serious shortstack turns her gaze back in the direction she just came from, darkness and the winding tunnel obscuring her sight. “Do you intend to do the same for the next few as well?”

“Have you seen how tall this cave can get?” The barbarian blankly returns, before giving her head a soft shake. “Maybe I’ll wall off the next ledge, because the ceiling isn’t too high in that area, but after that? Absolutely not. That would be a huge amount of extra work, and just feels unnecessarily excessive.”

Inanna nods, satisfied with that answer. “How will you handle the river? It flows directly through where you want a wall to be.”

“I’m not going to try redirecting it, if that’s what you’re asking.” Krvavy turns her gaze towards the rushing river in question, the deep channel it flows through having been carved into the stone over an unknowable amount of time. “I was just going to leave it as is. Well, kind of. See this little stretch between that bridge and the waterfall? I’m thinking about covering it all up with a floor. I don’t want to make a bottleneck and cause this place to flood when we get heavy rain, but there isn’t really anything down here so... I’ll take that over someone just climbing or swimming through a hole in the wall.”

“Mm.” The grey-skinned shortstack tilts her head to the side, critically looking over that particular natural stone arch of a bridge. “As long as you do not simply place a flat ‘cap’ atop this river, instead matching the underside of that bridge in height and curvature, then it should be able to handle a volume of water over three times this current amount. And if we are put into a situation where we must deal with a volume greater than that, then I would say that we would have more important issues beyond some flooding all the way down in this far off section of the cave.”

Krvavy quirks her brow. “You know, I expected you to have something to say about losing that bridge as a chokepoint.”

Inanna turns her intense copper-orange gaze towards the Drakling, raising a single dense eyebrow of her own. “Do you think me so paranoid for our safety that I would stress over a single slight advantage being removed? Especially when that is done to provide a greater benefit?”

“No, not at all.” Krvavy shakes her head, her smile growing ever so slightly wider. “I just figured that you’d want to remind me of that so I don’t have to waste time fixing such grave mistakes later on~.”

The very corners of Inanna’s thick, dark-grey lips twitch upwards. “Mm. I trust that the head you have on your shoulders is sufficient enough to not need such reminders, even if most thoughts inside of it are related to sex.”

“Speaking of sex~...?” Krvavy keeps her tone light and joking as she leans in towards her incredibly busty, and utterly bare, shortstack.

“Mm...” Inanna pretends to consider that leading question, slowly tapping her chin. “Perhaps later. If I am impressed by the work you’ve done down here, of course.”

“Ha, of course~.”

A hint of amusement hides within Inanna’s copper-orange eyes. Without a word, she steps forward, walking towards the ledge of that little cliff. The drop here is only a couple times her short height, so it is hardly dangerous. But still she is careful not to get too close to the edge. She holds her lantern up, its shining light reaching far enough to mingle with the faint sunlight spilling in through the entrance to this cave that they call home. “My Ushumgal, if I may make a suggestion...?”

“Aha!” Krvavy playfully points a finger at her busty shortstack. “I knew that you were going to have a problem with my plans!” She accuses, baring her carnivorous teeth in a wide and very non-serious grin.

“I do not, my Ushumgal.” The Dwarf denies, the corners of her lips curling upwards. “The idea that you came up with is adequate. I simply have a better plan for our first line of defence.”

Were this Dragon more arrogant, or if she did not have such high trust Inanna’s judgment, then her next words would be quite different. “Well then, let’s hear it.”

Inanna nods, getting straight to it. “It should be down there.” She gestures over the edge, to a spot closer towards the entrance of the cave. “Bring both walls in, narrowing the cave to such a degree that they hug that first bridge. The river would be obscured from that point to the waterfall, appearing to the outside world that it simply flows from some dark hole which may or may not pass beneath the bridge. The section of the cave between that point and the pillar would then be filled almost in its entirety, leaving only a comparatively narrow tunnel around the pathway. A tunnel which would be capped on both ends by reinforced gatehouses.”

“Sounds like it’d be unpleasantly cramped.”

“Yes, my Ushumgal, that is the point.”

Krvavy bites the inside of her cheek, emerald eyes trailing across that currently empty area. “I would need a lot of stone for that...”

“Indeed, though not nearly as much as you may think. For that space shouldn’t be entirely filled in.” The Dwarf calmly clarifies. “Instead, it would be ideal if there were a series of access tunnels surrounding the pathway, on both sides and above. Perhaps even below as well, though that would be less necessary. The primary purpose of these tunnels would be to connect various slits and holes, which could be used to combat any intruders with very little fear of retaliation. Additionally, those tunnels could house numerous runic arrays which would further help in defence of our home. Said arrays would primarily be used to strengthen the physical composition of the pathway’s defences, with a secondary purpose of sapping the will of those within to make them less capable of fighting back. And, if needed, the arrays could also be used to heat the contained pathway to such a degree that all those within would be cooked alive within a minute, barring extraordinary resistances.”

The barbarian simply stares at that busty shortstack, doing nothing but blinking blankly for a few long seconds. “That... definitely sounds more... effective... than a simple wall.”

“Mhm.” The grey-skinned Dwarf hums in affirmation. “If the first line of defence is easily surmountable, then what is the point of it? Though worry not, my Ushumgal, the work you have done thus far would not go to waste if you were to take my suggestion. This small cliff would still need to be raised up to the ceiling.”

“You know what... I think I will go with your idea.” Krvavy slowly nods, making up her mind. “It’ll take much more time to complete, sure, but it definitely sounds worth it. Plus, the cave is even narrower down there near the bridge so, at the very least, it’ll be quicker to block that part off with a makeshift wall. I’ll still have to fill in the rest later though...”

“I also have a suggestion to help with obtaining the amount of stone that you will need for this job.” Inanna briefly pauses, waiting for Krvavy to gesture for her to continue. Which is exactly what happens. “See that chamber over there?” She points past the pathway, into the darkness across from where they stand. “It would become entirely inaccessible if you were to follow my plan. And while we currently have no use for that area, we may one day have need of it. Thus, I suggest that you excavate an alternative access route, ideally by going the long way around through the currently standing walls. This is meant to be a method for you to excavate workable materials, after all.”

“And here I thought I was free from dealing with bricks...” The Drakling dramatically laments, despite the warm smile that has filled her face. “But really, thanks. That will save me a lot of mana, so I won’t need to pester Thea quite as much.”

The Dwarf bobs her head in a faint bow. “You need not thank me, my Ushumgal. It was my request that saddled you with all of this work, and my suggestion has only increased it further.”

“Better that you mentioned it now rather than after I’d finished this wall.” Krvavy casually replies, rolling her shoulders. Just the thought of lugging all those bricks around is leaving her feeling a little sore. “And speaking of... Do you have any other ambitious ideas that I should know about~?”

“Mm...” Inanna takes a moment to seriously consider that playful question. “Since you are asking, yes. Though it is not something I would expect you to start working on any time soon, if you were even willing to do so in the first place. It is something for the future, though how distant I cannot say. Perhaps a few years?”

“Really?” Curiosity piqued, Krvavy expectantly meets her Dwarf’s copper-orange gaze. “Just how big is this idea of yours?”

“To put it bluntly,” a tinge of... not quite excitement, more enthusiasm mixed with amusement... underlines Inanna’s otherwise neutral tone. “I would like you to completely alter the switchback path between the grotto and our home. Or at least the first two thirds of it.”

“Wow, yeah.” The Drakling slowly exhales, eyebrows shooting up as she does nothing to hide her surprise. “That would be a massive project...”

“Indeed.” The grey-skinned shortstack simply nods in agreement. “Now you see why I have no expectations of you taking it on within the near future. It may, perhaps, be a bit excessive. Or even unnecessary.”

Krvavy narrows her eyes, just a little. “Okay, now you’re just making me even more curious. What sort of crazy idea do you have? Knowing you, it’s bound to be pretty detailed.”

“Mm. It is admittedly a bit on the simpler side. Definitely less complex, and less defensive, than my proposed plans for this segment of the cave.” Inanna shrugs and lowers her lantern, finally stepping away from the edge of that small cliff. “In short, I would like the switchback path to be reshaped into a loop which passes over itself. This would allow for it to begin with a secure gatehouse that leads to a section flanked on both sides by a higher elevation. What is currently the second portion of the path would be roughly where the first currently is, resulting in a rather high wall bordering the grotto. This would, of course, also affect the rivers which currently flow through that area. Thus they would either need to be redirected, carried above the lower elevation in the middle via aqueducts, or passed beneath the higher elevation at the edge via culverts and drains. Likely a combination of all three.”

“Ah, yes.” A playfully sarcastic smile spreads across Krvavy’s face. “Just some gatehouses, large fortified walls, a massive amount of excavation, aqueducts. Simple.”

“Indeed.” The Dwarf’s copper-orange eyes glimmer with what would be laughter on a less restrained woman.

“It sounds really cool, I’ll give you that. But... Nnngh...” The Drakling grimaces, a sigh slowly escaping past her pale lips. “Dammit. I want to do that now... Well, not now... Just eventually. But it sounds like so much work...”

“Mm. Perhaps Thea does have a point when she accuses you of constantly expanding upon your projects.”

“Hey!” Krvavy glares at the slightly smug Dwarf. “You are the one who has infected me with this idea!”

“Yes, I am. But you could have brushed aside my fanciful and ambitious plans.” The busty shortstack innocently replies, her neutral voice tinged with a warm joy. “After all, we would already have approximately seven lines of defence before that point. And our home would loom directly above those fortifications, thus this wouldn’t protect us from artillery or other such ranged attacks. Though of course those would need to be launched from within the grotto. Or from the ‘skylights’ as you call them. But –”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Krvavy holds her hands up in disbelief. “Seven lines of defence!?”

“Yes again, my Ushumgal.” Inanna’s emotions may be rather subtle and subdued compared to the rest of Krvavy’s girls, but the gleam in her eyes and her amused smile shows just how much she is enjoying the Drakling’s reaction. Even if her tone remains rather calm and steady. “Though I must admit that ‘seven’ is a more generalized number. If you wanted to be more specific, it would be much higher. Perhaps around twenty or so? Though that would depend on what you consider to be a ‘line of defence’.”

“How are you getting these numbers?!”

“The generalized ‘seven’ simply groups the defences together based on proximity and according to how ‘related’ they are to each other. Thus I would say it is the more accurate count.” Inanna glances back towards the entrance of the cave, vaguely pointing into the darkness with her lantern. “For example, the defences I have proposed for this section of the cave would count as ‘one’ in the generalized number and as ‘four’ in the more specific count. The ‘four’ comes from the fact that it would have a gatehouse on either end, both of which would have two doors that any intruders would have to overcome.”

Krvavy takes a very deep breath and tries to calm down, struggling to resist the urge to bury her face in her hands. “Alright... Alright...!” She groans in open and unexaggerated exasperation. “You’re going to burn me out just by talking about all of the work I’ll have to do...!” The barbarian trails off with another sigh, before shaking her head with a bit more force than necessary. “Let’s just focus on something more reasonable instead. So how about we go and draw some lines on the ground to properly plan out what the ‘first line of defence’ will be like. Okay?”

“If that is what you want, my Ushumgal,” the Dwarf’s deferential nod doesn’t quite match the slight smirk playing at her dark-grey lips, “then I have no objections. It will take time, but together we’ll turn this simple cave into a fortress.”

“Eeeeeeeeeeiie...!”

“Oh, sorry, was I too–?”

“N-no!” The timid blonde hastily cuts Krvavy off. “I-I...! This i-is...!”

“A bit embarrassing~?” A warm smile dances across the Drakling’s face as she returns to gently trailing a soft-bristled brush along the length of a certain floppy bunny ear. “Not to sound mean, but that’s kind of the point. You won’t get used to how things are around here if you aren’t exposed to our weirdness~.”

“I-I-I kn-know...” Adeline weakly whispers back, unable to stop herself from shivering as a pleasant breeze blows in through the large bedroom windows, that cool air caressing her light olive skin.

Krvavy moves her free arm around, resting it half atop the Halfling’s wonderfully thick thighs, loosely hugging the nervous and naked girl sitting in her lap. She takes a deep breath, turning her focus inwards. Mana is quickly coaxed from her core, the most basic form of Fire Magic channelled throughout her body. “Is that better?”

An intense blush colours Adeline’s cheeks. But still she nestles further into that wonderful source of warmth. “Y-yes... Th-thank you...”

“Tell me if I get a bit too hot, okay? Or if you want me to turn up the heat a bit more.” Strong, black-scaled fingers glance over the Halfling’s wide hips, slowly sliding across that delightfully timid girl’s lower back. “You are one of my girls now, don’t forget, so I’ll do whatever I can to make you more comfortable.”

The bunny-mouse girl doesn’t verbally respond to that, simply nodding before turning to bury her face between the barbarian’s breasts. “Nnhhhhiiihh...” That slight squeak is muffled to the point where it can be felt better than heard, Adeline’s bottom-heavy body quivering from the embarrassment of what she just did of her own volition.

Krvavy places the soft-bristled brush aside so that she can completely embrace this utterly adorable girl of hers, using that hand for the much more important task of patting Adeline on the head. Her warm smile widens even further as she takes a few long seconds to simply enjoy holding onto her Halfling like this.

It is an undeniable fact that Krvavy is a pervert. And, to be honest, there is a pretty good argument to be made that she is a sex addict as well. But despite that, this cuddling hug is completely chaste. Well, if you ignore their shared nudity, that is.

“In the interest of trying to make this situation feel a bit more casual...” The Drakling slowly speaks up, reluctantly breaking the comfortable silence. “Why don’t we... talk a little?”

“O-okay...” Adeline’s response is muffled, but still audible, as she keeps her face where it is.

“Well, uh, you have a large family, yeah? So why don’t we start there?” Krvavy’s suggestion coaxes the Halfling’s head out of her tits, though the girl is clearly too embarrassed to even attempt to make eye contact after that. “What was it like growing up with... was it eight siblings?”

The bunny-mouse girl nods and turns her gaze downwards, staring thoughtfully at her clasped hands. Her fur-tipped tail tightens its coiled grip on the Drakling’s much meatier one as she slowly breathes in and then out again. “It was n-nice. L-lo-loud and hec-hectic. But n-nice. There was al-always s-s-som-someone there f-for me. S-some of my ol-older siblings m-may ha-ave teased me, b-but they would sto-stop o-ther kids from b-b-bul-bullying o-or being m-mean to me. N-not th-that that h-h-h-happ-pened off-often!”

Krvavy’s heart flutters as Adeline’s big hazel-brown eyes turn to stare up at her, like a deer in headlights. “Yeah, that does sound nice. I had something similar with my older sister.” She quietly states, grabbing the brush and continuing where she left off, idly trailing the soft-bristled thing along her Halfling’s even softer bunny ears. “Did you have a... I’m not sure favourite is the right word, but... did you have a sibling, or other relative I guess, that you got along with better than the rest?”

The tiny blonde quickly nods her head, keeping that motion restrained enough to not cause Krvavy any problems. “My c-cousin Maybelle...! Sh-she is a year a-an-and a half ol-old-der than me, but we st-sti-still grew up to-togeth-together.” A slightly wistful smile plays at Adeline’s lips, fighting her nervousness and embarrassment. “She is v-very outgoing and che-cheerful. Ev-everyone would f-f-f-feel better and happier when she w-was around. She ha-had a lot of oth-other friends, but always f-found time for me. Sh-she would go out of h-h-her way to h-h-hel-help me with ch-chores. She en-encour-couraged me to be more so-social, but wouldn’t fo-force me if I was un-uncomfortable.”

Soft, velvety fur is gently stroked and straightened, not a knot or kink in those short strands of dark-blonde hair. But still the brush glides over those large bunny ears, again and again and again. “She sounds like a great friend.”

“Y-yes. She i-is...” Adeline slowly sighs, leaning into the barbarian’s body and resting her fairly flushed cheek against a bare breast. “I hav-haven’t seen her in a f-few years... N-not since her w-wedd-wedding. Sh-she mov-moved away after getting m-m-marr-married... B-but we still talk! With l-lett-letters! She has t-two healthy sons and is h-h-hoping her next is a d-daughter!” The Halfling’s energetic tone suddenly drops away, leaving her looking a little concerned. “I hope she i-is-isn’t worried about m-me... That w-wouldn’t be good for her b-b-ba-baby...”

“Well, if you’re going to write a letter for your family, then why don’t you write one for Maybelle too?” Krvavy suggests, unconsciously dropping the unneeded brush so that she can stroke those soft bunny ears directly. “It won’t be any more trouble for me, so you don’t need to worry about that, and I’m sure she’d love to hear from you directly. Though I’m not sure if you’d be able to get a response back. We don’t exactly have an address...”

“Th-thank you.” With just a second of hesitation, this bunny-mouse girl grabs at the arm wrapped around her waist, little fingers finding and grasping at Krvavy’s hand. She shudders and pushes through her embarrassment, gently dragging that hand up to press it against her nearly flat chest, feeling the warmth emanating from the Drakling. “Wh-what about you...? Y-your sister?”

“Oh, uh...” The barbarian bites the inside of her cheek, idly grinding her jaws together as a faintly metallic taste slowly begins to fill her mouth. “Well... I guess that, just like your older siblings, she protected me. She was pretty much always there for me, at least when she was... still alive.”

Big hazel-brown eyes stare up at Krvavy, filled with compassion and concern.

Krvavy leans forwards, hunching over her Halfling and resting her chin atop the smaller girl’s head, saving herself from that kind gaze. “She kept me safe by... by putting herself between me and... danger. She took on so much pain in hope that I wouldn’t have to experience any of it. But... that didn’t really work out for her...”

“Eeee...” A few trembling tremors roll through Adeline’s bottom-heavy body. “Sh-sh-she... s-sounds like a... g-g-goo-good si-sister...” The bunny-mouse girl nervously comments, desperately trying to sound reassuring.

“Yeah, she... she was.” The Drakling sighs, her voice empty and hollow as she hugs onto the girl in her lap, holding onto the Halfling like a kid trying to find comfort in a doll. “She... was a better person than I could ever hope to be.” A long and slow sigh escapes past Krvavy’s lips. “After she was... gone... I wondered why she had even bothered to protect me. Why she would subject herself to... all of that suffering. I just didn’t understand it, not after experiencing what she had to go through... I was only ever a burden for her... She could have lived if I was there to share in her suffering. But... she didn’t want that. And I get it now. I understand. Even if it was all for nothing in the end...”

The timid blonde shudders in Krvavy’s embrace, quietly whimpering.

“Oh.” Krvavy closes her eyes and takes a deep, regretful breath. “Sorry, I...” She pulls back a little, bringing the hand that her Halfling isn’t holding onto up to Adeline’s face. Her scaled fingers wipe away a few tears from the girl’s cheek. “I didn’t mean to... ruin the mood.”

“N-no... it...” Adeline ever so slightly shakes, turning to look back up at the Drakling. The skin between her eyebrows is creased and her lower lip is quivering. She shakily raises up a little hand, pressing it against Krvavy’s own slightly damp cheek. “I-it is o-ok-okay... It... is okay...”

With that the girl wraps her arms around Krvavy’s body as best she can, pulling herself closer and, perhaps inadvertently, burying her face back into the barbarian’s big bare breasts.

“Yeah...” The Drakling’s hands find their way to her Halfling’s back, sliding across light olive skin as she returns that embrace. “Everything is okay.” She mutters, more to herself than to the girl clinging tightly onto her. “The past is just that: the past. It’s just some bad memories...”

Adeline’s arms tighten their grip, the small girl doing all that she can to comfort Krvavy.