Chapter 15: The Core Concept ❤️

Ann felt the pain first. Her eyes cracked open, dried blood caking her face. It was still daylight. Seemingly, no time had passed since she collapsed. Turning her head, she saw Kat sitting close by with Bren. They were talking in hushed voices as they kept watch. Gently, she tested her left arm. It still hurt like hell, but she could move it again. Groaning as she sat up, she saw the others’ attention snap to her. “How long was I out?”

“You were unconscious for only two hours. Nothing to worry about. How are you feeling?” Bren asked as he moved over to her.

“Like I lost a fight with a cement mixer. Arm feels better, though.” Another groan escaped Annita’s lips as she pushed herself into a sitting position. “Did you say two hours? Shit, my time limit.”

“Aye, an hour left,” Kat said, hushed. “We’re gonna have tae figure that out. Can ye stand?”

Taking the hand offered to her, Ann leaned on Kat as she was lifted to her feet. She took a couple of unsteady steps before confidence returned to her body. Everything hurt, but she could move. “Yeah, I can. Think I can walk too. We’ve got to move. I’d rather not hit my limit in here.”

“Yes, that is completely understandable,” Bren agreed. He took a look around, gathering his bearings. “We will need to head past the apex of the hill and then down the other side. The Seed should have quieted now with the Guardian slain. Another will be grown, developed, or however they are created. It will take some time, though.”

“Then let’s move,” Annita grunted as she walked with Kat’s assistance.

The living forest had indeed quieted. No longer were the trees blocking their way, and they made it to the summit of the hill in roughly ten minutes.

The tree at the top was a genuine marvel. It was immensely thick, with sprawling roots that seemed to hide worlds of their own in the gaps between them. Warped squirrels and birds scurried and flitted in and out of nests created in the ancient monarch of the woods. Craning her neck, Annita gazed up into the canopy far above them. It shifted in the wind, giving the sunlight peaking through the illusion of being stars in the night sky.

As they made their way around the tree, Annita heard something. It was almost a song? A sad, slow music. Ethereal and nothing like she’d ever heard before. “Do you hear that?”

“Hm? Hear what?” Kat asked, her long ears twitching as she listened closely.

“Music, I think. It’s nothing like I’ve heard before,” Ann answered absently as her own Lupine ears swivelled, trying to find the source. “Over here.”

She left Kat’s shoulder and wandered to a gap between two large roots. Looking further in, she saw an earthen tunnel extending under the tree itself. “It’s in there.”

“Could it be the Core you’re hearing?” Bren mused. “Every Seed has a Core. The heart of the domain. It is what maintains the realm. The heart, if you will.”

“Don’t know,” Annita mumbled. “But I feel like I need to go down there.”

“Ye sure?” Kat asked, having come to stand beside her. “Could be more danger.”

“Yeah, definitely. Something is… pulling me. I don’t know if this has anything to do with Orenous, but call it a hunch.” Annita took a step forward, and then another. Bren and Kat shared a worried glance before following after her.

It was pitch black in the tunnel. Loose roots dangled from the earthen ceiling and walls, but the path never split. Annita followed the song with confidence, not needing to feel her way through as long as she relied on her ears. Kat and Bren were not so lucky, and they stumbled now and then over exposed roots and the occasional rock.

Soon, they saw a glowing green light ahead of them. Coming around a bend, they entered a cavern. It was small, low, and covered with leaves and roots. At the centre was a sphere. It gave off a verdant light that seemed to match the forest itself. However, covering its surface were motes of an inky black smoke that swirled in hypnotic patterns, creating an eerie pattern of light on the ceiling and walls.

“That is the Core. I am certain of it,” Bren said. “It is as I have read many times. A colour matching the domain of the God it was assigned to, as well as the inky black flowing across its surface.”

“It’s… beautiful,” Annita whispered as she slowly approached it. The closer she got, the clearer the song she heard became. It was a symphony of summer and of spring. Of plants and trees growing, but it was tainted. There was an undertone of rot, of stagnation and decomposition. A natural part of life, but unwanted in this realm. Slowly, she began to lift her arm to reach toward the Core.

“Ann, what’re ya doin'?” Kat asked nervously.

“I would not advise that!” Bren warned.

Annita couldn’t hear either of them. She neared the Core and brushed a fingertip across its surface. The black smoke shifted, suddenly much more active as it rushed to the point she made contact. Pain shot up her arm, and she recoiled, breaking the link with a cry.

“The feck happened. You all right?” Kat was holding her up, steadying her.

“I… yeah. I think so.” Annita looked at her hand. The black energy swirled around her fingertip before fading into her skin. She flexed her fingers, feeling a tingling pain as if she’d lost circulation before it faded. She looked up at the Core. The black smoke was still there, but it had faded. It was sort of like someone had turned down the opacity slider on it. “Weird. You saw that too, right?”

“Aye.” Kat was still holding her, concern plain on her face. “The black shite seemed to react to ye. Seemed like it was tryin’ tae get into ye.”

“I think it did. I don’t feel different.”

“Check your stat screen. See if anything changed?” Bren suggested.

“Yeah, good idea.” Annita pulled up the shimmering silver screen.

The first thing she noticed was three notifications. She’d levelled several times after they’d defeated the Guardian, but that was something she’d get to later. She pushed the notifications to the side before a different notification appeared. It was a black smoke instead of the normal shimmering light.

Warping Increased!

You have absorbed a tiny portion of the corrupting forces affecting the Seeds of the Gods. This will allow mutability of the flesh. The more you consume, the stronger the effects will be.

Current Choices Available:

Minor Cosmetic Mutation

At the sacrifice of 2 HP, you may modify the length and or colour of your body hair to your choosing. Colour must be natural in some spectrum. These effects will last until the skill is used again.

Virility Manipulation

Channel your mutation to allow yourself to control the virility of your ejaculate. Sacrifice 10 HP per use. Options are Sterile, Natural, or Extreme.

Annita felt a cold ice creep into her gut as she read the words. This couldn’t be a good thing, but it was there, staring her in the face. She’d taken in some of the evil that was overwhelming the Gods’ influence on their own domains. No word from Orenous or any little notes like she’d gotten before, either.

“So, I’m not sure what it means, but yeah. Seems like I did take in some of that,” Ann explained slowly. She read off the description of the skills presented to her. Bren and Kat listened solemnly.

“None of that first part sounds good,” Kat said quietly, still deep in thought. “Absorbin’ whatever’s causin’ the Warpin'? Nothin’ good can come o’ that.”

“Agreed. It seems to be a skill set that comes with costs to use it as well. Something requiring health to use is not unheard of for Paths like a Berserker; however, the mutagenic properties are not something I have heard of before.” Bren looked through a book he’d taken from his bag. “Yes, nothing that I see here. I will need to research further.”

“Yeah, but with Orenous’ other blessings, and my Path, that second option is incredibly tempting. Not having to worry about children? At least for now, that sounds dope.” Ann reviewed the options again. She was pretty sure she was going to take the second one, but understood the others’ concern about the source.

“On a related note, though, I am at 124/125 Libido at the moment. I, uh. I don’t think I’m going to last until we get out of the Seed. That’s at most twelve minutes if my math is right and this stupid sheet doesn’t do decimals.” Ann blushed. Some deeply ingrained shame was causing her body to heat up at the mention of her impending sexual need. She looked at Kat, whose ears had begun to blush slightly as well. “I can handle myself, if you want me to,” Annita offered.

“Hm, nae. Ye're a friend in need. Least I can do is offer a hand.” Kat grinned mischievously at her.

“I’ll… wait outside,” Bren said tersely as he turned and hurriedly made his way back into the tunnel.

Kat moved in quickly, her body brushing up close to Annita as her hands went to the other woman’s face. “So, yer at yer limit, an’ need tae blow off some steam?”

Annita’s face burned with the blush that had painted her skin red. Her breath quickened with her heart as she looked down into Kat’s icy blue eyes. She adored those eyes, so calm and cool, but with a light that betrayed her endless energy. Without even thinking about it, she leaned in and pushed her lips against Kat’s. Those icy pools closed as Kat melted into the kiss. Annita’s arms wrapped gently around her shoulders and waist, bending Kat at the waist as she leaned deeper into the kiss. Slowly, she moved her hands over Kat’s strong back and lower, cupping her firm ass through her leather pants.

Neither of their mouths were still, each having turns of taking and receiving the other’s passion. Air was the least of their concerns as they lost themselves to their passion for the other. Slowly, they made their way to the floor, Kat having ended up below Annita.

Ann looked down at the woman, her heart racing as she felt her desire growing as much as the cock that was pushing against her straining underwear. “Gods, Kat, I want you so much,” she moaned.

“I know,” Kat breathed back. “I want ye too, but I set me limits. Just a bit longer.”

With a laboured groan, Ann pulled back and rolled off Kat. “You said you’d offer a hand, right?”

“Aye, got somethin’ in mind?” Kat smirked back.

“Get your pants off,” Ann ordered as she followed her own demand.

Quickly, both women were naked from the waist down. Reaching over with one long arm, Ann pulled Kat up next to her on the wall of the cavern. Her skin was warm to the touch, and Ann took a moment to admire the freckles that dotted her thighs.

“Yer ears twitch when you’re excited,” Kat whispered into Ann’s sensitive ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

“Yeah, and fucking hell am I,” Ann said as she made sure they were hip to hip. “Now, let’s give each other a hand, shall we?”

She took her right hand, softly placing it on Kat’s thigh and began to massage gently.

“Oh, that’s what ye wanted? I like how ye think.” Kat smiled back as her eyes relaxed. Her left hand began to mirror Ann’s right, slowly massaging Ann’s thigh. She moved down to Ann’s knee, where skin gave way to fur, before working her way back up. Teasing gently closer and closer.

Ann was treating the Alf the same way, each movement of her hand moving tantalisingly close to Kat’s sex. She watched Kat closely, almost feeling predatory as she paid attention to each small movement, the hitching in her breath as she touched a sensitive portion of her thigh, the shivers that rocked her body as she finally brushed against her folds. She’d always thought herself an attentive lover, but she was seeing things more clearly than she ever had. Kat was like an instrument she was learning to produce the most amazing music with. She tucked the thought away to ask Orenous about later as she focused on her partner.

Kat wasn’t idle either. Annita’s heart jumped, and she felt her core clench and her cock bounce as Kat’s hand brushed up against her folds as well, drawing a soft moan from her lips. Kat took it as encouragement and gently moved her hand to cup Ann’s pussy, slowly tracing the outline with her fingers. Each stroke pushed through her outer folds, and teasing entry before pulling back at the last second.

Ann moved to mirror her movements, feeling her palm come to rest on Kat’s lower stomach as her longer fingers softly traced the slick folds of her partner. The sounds Kat was making were intoxicating. It took all of her will not to push further, but she wanted to enjoy this. Slowly, deliberately, she slid her middle finger up Kat’s folds before gently pushing in on the downstroke. They both moaned in unison as their mirrored movements gave their aching insides some of what they needed.

Ann felt Kat getting more eager, her middle finger beginning to pump into her. It felt amazing. The fighter’s finger was calloused and rough, but that only increased the texture and pleasure it caused Ann. Throwing her head back against the cavern wall, Ann closed her eyes and bit her lip as she revelled in the feeling. “More,” she moaned to Kat between heavy breaths.

Immediately, she felt a second finger enter her. The increase in girth of the second digit felt incredible, and the movements never stopped. It was all she could do to focus on returning the same attention to Kat, making sure that her palm never left the other woman’s clit. Her efforts rewarded her with a constant stream of moans as her fingers were covered in Kat’s slick fluids. The fingers inside her faltered as an orgasm wracked Kat, but the Alf was not to be hindered in her task, adding a third finger to Ann’s pussy unbidden.

Ann’s heart jumped, and her pussy ached as she felt the third finger stretching her sensitive walls. Every movement brushed up against sensitive nerves and spread her wide. It felt amazing, so fucking amazing, she felt herself beginning to tighten, a heat rising inside her as her cock pulsed heavily against her stomach. “Fuck, that’s it Kat, oh, oh fuck, that’s it. Right there. Fuck fuck fuck!” She cried as she felt herself clench, her muscles contracting. The fingers inside her felt massive as her walls squeezed around them. At the same time, jets of cum erupted from her cock, painting her stomach with sticky white seed. Kat never stopped her motions as Ann shook in orgasm. Gasps, moans and curses dripped from her upper lips as her juices did her lower ones.

Kat wasn’t stopping; she wasn’t letting her rest. Ann’s breathing was ragged, and the woman was still torturing her. Her oversensitive insides were constantly barraged by further friction.

“Kat! Kat, please. I’m so… so sensitive. Oh, fuck!” Ann felt her core clench again. Fuck, her hand in Kat's fell still as she lost control of her body. The over-stimulation was too much. She closed her eyes and submitted to the overwhelming sensation. Ann shook as her previous orgasm was perpetuated as she felt a second one building. She felt Kat realise as much as the fingers inside her sped up even further, Kat apparently putting some of her levels into the motions, increasing her strength and speed.

“No restin’. Give me another,” Kat purred breathily in her ear.

With a howl of ecstasy, Ann came undone again. Shaking wildly, ears flat against her head and her tail rigid, she came hard. She gripped the only thing she could, which was the inside of Kat’s pussy, drawing a loud moan from the other woman as she rode her orgasm. White stars flashed across her vision as she reached her peak and slowly faded as she began to come down.

Gasping for breath, Ann slumped against the wall, leaning against Kat as they both desperately tried to regain their breath. Her inner thighs were soaked, and she had covered her stomach and chest with her own cum.

“You always go that extra mile.” Ann laughed breathily as she lay her head on Kat’s.

“Aye, ye said ye were close tae yer limit. An’ where’s the fun in doin’ the bare minimum?” Kat replied contentedly, her fingers tracing through Ann’s sodden thighs. Idly, she took her fingers and slipped them between her lips. A moan reverberated through her as she sucked on Ann’s fluids.

“Hmmm, how’s this for bare minimum?” Ann asked, twiddling her fingers still in Kat’s core. The other woman twitched, her eyes going unfocused for a moment.

“Feck, not fair,” Kat gasped as she gripped Ann tightly.

“No, definitely not,” Ann whispered as she sped up her fingers. As she went, she realised that her fingers and wrist should be cramped by this point, but they felt as loose and dexterous as ever. Seemed like Deft Hands was coming in handy. Grinning, she pushed Kat further, feeling the woman quake with an orgasm as she began to curse. It started softly, but Annita wasn’t satisfied.

She tested her fingers, flexing them, pushing the limits of what she should be able to do, and finding further flexibility. Kat seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the experiment, as her curses were lost to guttural groans. With a final salvo, Ann brought the woman to her fourth orgasm of the moment. A ragged scream of ecstasy ripped from Kat’s throat as she threw her upper body back, pushing hard against the wall of the cavern. After a full minute, she felt Kat relax, slumping down against her.

“Good?” Ann asked with a grin.

“Ye’re evil,” Kat gasped.

Ann laughed and let Kat recover for a moment. “I gotta ask, though. How’d I taste?”

“Mhm. Good as yer cum. Here, take a taste,” she replied, gathering more of Ann’s fluids on her fingers.

Ann opened her mouth, closing her eyes as Kat raised her fingers into her mouth. Closing gently around the digits, Ann gently suckled on them. The taste was amazing. It tasted salty, but also refreshing. Like the sea almost. Her tongue followed Kat’s fingers as they left her lips, and she pulled back, a little embarrassed she’d enjoyed her own taste so much.

“Your turn,” Ann giggled as she took her fingers from Kat’s core and pressed them to the Alf’s lips.

Kat’s eyes looked at her, shocked, before fluttering closed and accepting the finger between her lips. Ann watched her bask in the lewdness of the moment, feeling her tongue gently lapping at her digits. A strange sense of pride welled up inside her as she watched the woman giving in to her wants.

It was over too soon, as Ann pulled her fingers back.

“Mm, aye, I see why ye liked bein’ between me legs the other night.” Kat giggled.

“You’ve never thought of doing that?”

“Tastin’ meself? Nah, not really. Much preferred takin’ in whoever my partner was. Focused on them, ya know?” Kat reached her left hand over and gently hugged Ann close.

Annita smiled as she gave in to the hug, savouring the moment of closeness, paying attention to Kat’s breathing as it matched her own. It was almost domestic, this comfort. Simple, innocent touch that stoked a warmth in her. She wanted more of that. More of Kat, to be honest with herself. She knew they’d only known each other for about a week now, but she just had this feeling that this was right. Or at least something she really wanted. Not yet, though. She was incredibly nervous about talking these feelings over with Kat. The fear of rejection, despite their actions together, still haunted her.

“This is nice,” Kat whispered on her shoulder, nuzzling into the crook of her neck.

“Yeah, it is. Thanks again for being there for me.” Ann replied quietly.

“Aye, love. Wouldn’t leave ye all helpless like tha’.” Kat said almost drowsily.

The words spiked the already nervous energies in her. Was that a confession? Was that just something she said to people she was close to? She never said it to Bren, but they bickered all the time for their affection. Annita took a long moment and forced herself to stop overthinking things. That’s for after their date.

With a heavy sigh, she shifted in Kat’s arm, and the other woman loosened her hold. “Bren’s going to be worried about us again. Or just thinks we actually started fucking this time.” A shaky laugh escaped her as she spoke.

“Oh, aye, he’s a worrywart, an’ I’ve seen the look he’s been givin’ us. He knew before this. I reckon we only confirmed it.”

“Yeah, he’s crazy observant for a normal human.” Ann giggled as she wiped off the best she could. Kat was following suit, but had less overall to clean up.

Before Ann could get all her cum off her chest, Kat gave her a cheeky smile and swiped her tongue across Ann’s clothed chest, taking a line of the sticky fluid with her. “Fer the road.”

Cleaned up, Ann with a fresh shirt, and properly dressed, they made their way out to Bren.

“Did you two have fun?” Bren asked dryly.

“Aye, sure did. How long’ve ye known?” Kat asked bluntly.

“I suspected the first night you went and checked on Annita. You were gone too long, even for a private chat. I now believe that this occurred on subsequent nights, as I woke to someone returning to the camp. You were always too quick to get into your bedroll for me to confirm, however. Last night was a major confirmation. You lost your subtlety there, and today was the outright admission.”

“Can’t keep anythin’ from ye. Known ye way too long, Bren.” Kat laughed as she clapped him on the shoulder. “Fer yer reference, Ann, he’s always been like this. Couldn’t sneak sweets outta the kitchens without me Ma hearin’ about it from some little snitch.”

“Yes, well, someone needed to teach you manners, and you were far too covert for most of the adults to notice,” Bren huffed. “We fought over this countless times until we grew older and the skill became useful in other ways. She still can not hide things from me for long, though.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re a real pain in me arse,” Kat laughed.

“And you, in mine, Your Majesty,” Bren retorted.

Annita found herself laughing at the back and forth between the two. “Y’all are great. Reminds me of my siblings. At each other’s throats for the longest time, but loved each other like nothing else.”

“Oi, Bren,” Kat cut her off, “ye leave tha’ there?” She pointed to a sack that was sitting on one of the nearby roots. Brown, unassuming, made of some sort of burlap, at Annita’s best guess. It was tied shut with a drawstring and had a piece of parchment attached.

“No. I did not,” Bren mumbled, confusion plain on his face. “That was not there a minute ago, either.”

“Looks like it has a note on it,” Ann observed. She walked over to it and pulled off the section of parchment. The letters were nothing like she’d ever seen before, but somehow she understood their meaning.

To the ones who helped my Seed:

Greetings and salutations. It would be my pleasure to proffer these rewards to the hero who has pushed back, even if just a little, the darkness surrounding my lands. May you continue in your journeys and be safe through them all.

Estvall - God of these woods

“A gift from a god?” Bren sputtered in disbelief. “And addressed to all of us. What, how?”

“Seems like whenever I touched that Core, it weakened the hold on the Seed? Maybe that let Him slip this in.” Annita crouched and undid the string around the bag.

Inside was a piece of wood, a gem, and a rolled-up strip of bark. The piece of wood was a gorgeous dark brown, polished and just a bit longer than Annita’s grip on it. She rolled it around in her fingers, but nothing happened. Neither the gem nor the bark seemed to be obviously magical, either.

“Reckon we’ll need an artificer tae figure out what those’re fer,” Kat pondered, taking a closer look at the bark.

“To identify them?” Annita asked.

“Aye, pretty standard. Magical monsters an’ the like drop all sorts o’ things. Artificers are everywhere ‘cause of it. Though with these, might be best tae find someone trustworthy. Them bein’ Gods given an’ all.” Kat returned the bark to Annita, who placed it back into the sack.

Putting the sack into her pack, Annita stood again. “I’m ready to get out of this place. You two ready?”

“Yes. Let us leave. The side we need to exit should be… this way.” Bren said as he consulted the large tree for direction.

Their travel from the Seed was uneventful. True to Kat’s word, the pocket dimension had calmed significantly. Birds and small beasts scurried about as usual, but nothing hostile crossed their path.

It was an hour’s walk before they came upon the iridescent wall that marked the boundary of the Seed.

“Well, this is it. Ye survived yer first seed! Congrats, Ann.” Kat said, giving her a pat on the shoulder.

“A feat that several do not accomplish. You did well,” Bren said, joining the compliments.

“Couldn’t have done it without you two. That’s for sure,” Ann laughed as she wrapped her arms around Kat and Bren’s shoulders.

“Damn right. Now let’s get out of here,” Kat laughed, taking Annita’s hand.

Forming the line they had made when they entered Estvall’s Seed, they calmly walked through the shimmering surface before them.