Ch101: The Morning After

“Another cup,dear? Ya look like ya could use it.”

Thea simply scowls back at the innocently smiling Elf. After a few long seconds, she rather reluctantly reaches out and takes the stone mug being offered to her, giving it a bit of a glare before slowly lifting it up to her lips. The bitter taste of the steaming liquid within causes her to recoil slightly. Grimacing and grasping at the blankets tightly wrapped around her body, Thea forces herself to take another sip.

“Did ya learn yer lesson?” A faintly teasing tone underlines Beryl’s pointed question. A smug smirk plays at her lips as Thea sighs and nods. “Good girl~!” The Elf condescendingly coos, ruffling the brat’s silver-blonde hair.

“Ugh...” Thea quietly grumbles, not able to muster up enough energy to properly complain.

“This is why ya don’t try ta forceour loveta do somethin’ she doesn’t want ta.” The tanned Wood Elf speaks from experience, giving that grumpy girl one last stern look before stepping away from her. “My dearest love!” She loudly calls out. “Would ya like another cup as well?”

“Sure.” Krvavy replies from across the room, pulling one last brick from the ceiling before quite carefully climbing back down the sturdy wooden scaffold she had been standing on. The stone block in her hand is idly placed aside, adding to the a large pile of many other identical one.

“Ya feelin’ alright after wha’ thebratdid ta ya yesterday?” Beryl gently asks, a tinge of concern colouring her bright blue-green eyes. Still, a reassuring smile fills her face as she holds out another mug.

The barbarian rolls her shoulders and stretches her back. “I’m fine. Just a bit sore,” she takes the offered cup of tea, “but this helps with that.”

“Glad Ah can be o’ assistance.” The tomboyish Elf brightly beams, glowing with joy and happiness. Which is quickly spoiled as Thea groans in the background. Beryl’s brow knits together. “Ya sure tha’ ya don’t want ta punish ‘er though?”

“Nah, she is suffering enough already. I mean, justlookat her.” Krvavy tilts her head towards the bratty girl, who is glaring back at them with the squinted eyes of someone nursing a really nasty headache. “Her magic gave her a well deserved hangover.”

Beryl doesn’t look entirely convinced by that. “Don’t even want ta give ‘er abito’ a spankin’?” She asks, soundingslightlyserious. The corners of her lips twitch upwards. “Ach, tha’ wouldn’t be much o’ a punishment, now would it? She’d probablylike it~!”

“Oh, shedefinitelywould~.” Krvavy grins back, taking a sip of her bitter tea and pretending to not notice the angry gaze pointed her way.

“Aye, ya’ve really done a number on ‘er~! Ya trained tha’little slutinta yerperfect whore~!”

“I... I amnota slut!” Thea angrily yells from across the room, straining her hoarse voice.

“Oh~? Istha’all ya’re goin’ ta deny~?” A predatory gleam fills Beryl’s blue-green gaze as she lifts a hand up to hide her impish smile. “Are ya admitting ta bein’ awhoreferour dearest love~?”

“Ughh...!” The girl just groans in response, before breaking into a bit of a coughing fit.

The Wood Elf woman quietly giggles as she glances back towards her Draconic lover. “She is so much more fun tabullywhen she can’t properly respond~!”

“Nah.” The Drakling immediately disagrees. “It isway betterwhen you can turn her words back against her. Like you just did.”

“Hmm.” Beryl exaggeratedly taps her chin, pretending to ponder that statement. “I suppose tha’ yaarethe expert on this topic...” She slowly, and very seriously, nods her head. The smile plastered across her face kind of spoils that act.

“I amright here...” Thea sighs so quietly that she can justbarelybe heard from across the room.

Apparently having had enoughfun, the tomboyish Elf simply ignores the hungover brat. Her attention shifts, turning to look over at the area that will eventually become their bed. “Mydearest love,” she hesitantly begins, “don’t ya think this is gettin’ a bit... excessive?”

“Not you too...” The Drakling dramatically sighs, heavily exaggerating her disappointment.

“Ah know ya wanted our bed ta bebig, but...” Beryl gently grabs onto the barbarian’s arm. “Did ya really need ta extend the platform out?”

“Not really.” Krvavy admits with a shrug, taking a sip of her bitter tea. “It’s just that if I hadn’t then the room wouldn’t be symmetrical. Which would have bugged me. Guess I could have ‘rotated’ the whole design a bit...” She considers that for just a moment before shaking her head. “Nah. I’ve changed all of this enough already. And I still would’ve needed to round out both sides for that, so...”

“Ach...” The tanned tomboy softly shakes her head. “Ya could’a started wit’ somethin’ smaller and then expanded from there.” She leans right up against her Draconic lover, pressing her pert tits into Krvavy’s side. “This looks like it’ll take up more than ‘alf o’ the room.”

“Well, thisisthebedroom.” Krvavy can’t help but joke.

Which earns the barbarian a thoroughly unamused look.

“Ah’m just concerned wit’ the amount o’ moss Ah’ll ‘ave ta grow.” Beryl states with a sigh. “It’s a rather delicate process ta get it as perfect as can be fer beddin’.”

“You don’t need to cover the whole thing all at once. It’s big enough that there’ll be parts that we won’t use very often.” Making sure to not accidentally spill her very hot herbal tea, Krvavy loosely wraps an arm around hersweet berry. “Honestly, with the way it is turning out, the middle part will probably be the ‘main’ bed. The bits along the edges will be more private and cozy, kind of like lounge areas? I’m not quite sure yet. But whatever they end up being, you don’t need to cover them with moss right away.”

Beryl glances up at the barbarian, a single eyebrow raised. “Ya really can’t ‘elp yerself, can ya? First it was just meant ta be a stone bed covered in moss, then it became ‘alf o’ the room bein’ the bed, and now ya want ta section it apart...?”

“Come on, now you’re sounding likeThea.” Krvavy gently teases. “But really, don’t worry. I’m pretty sure this is as ‘complex’ as I’ll make it. I mean, itisjust a bed. There is only so much I can do to make it special or unique. Especially since it’ll just be made of moss and stone.”

“Ach, Ah don’t want ta sounddownor anythin’. Ilovetha’ ya are enjoyin’ all o’ this.” Beryl reaches her head up and gives the Drakling a quick kiss on the cheek. “Now, if it were a slog tha’ ya ‘ad ta force yerself ta work on,thenAh’d ‘ave somethin’ different ta say. But as long as ya are ‘appy, mydearest love, then so am Ah.”

Krvavy can’t keep the smile off of her face as she hugs this lithe Elf of hers, nuzzling into Beryl’s short brunette hair. “I love you so much~...”

“As ya should~.” A tinge of playfully smug arrogance underlines those teasing words. “Ah am, after all,nearlyas perfect as ya are, mydearest love~.” Beryl’s nimble fingers wrap around the now-empty mug held in Krvavy’s hands. With a rather reluctant sigh, the tanned tomboy pushes back against the barbarian, ending their hugged embrace and ‘stealing’ that stone cup at the same time. “Now... Ah’ll stop botherin’ ya, so tha’ ya can get back ta work. Gods know ya still ‘ave a lot ta do...”

With that, the Wood Elf turns around and begins to walk away, her slim hips swinging slightly with each step. If not for the mention of how much work there is for her to do, then Krvavy would have lost herself in the distracting sight of Beryl’s beautiful butt.

“Oh, actually, wait.” Krvavy calls out, causingher sweet berryto glance back at her. “Thea and I talked yesterday and, well, we realized that I don’t have a third Earth Magic spell yet. I have over thirty levels in the passive, in the whole ‘school’, but only two spells in it.”

“Really? Tha’ is odd.”

The barbarian blankly blinks. “Do you have an idea onwhythat has happened.”

Beryl presses her lips into a thin line, her brow furrowing in thought. “Aye, anidea. Ah can’t say fer certain though.” She pauses for a single, long second. “See, ta get a new spell from just levelling up yer skills, the magic needssomethin’ta latch onta. Some sort o’ desire it could ‘elp fulfill. But if ya were sofocusedon yer work as ta not evenconsiderwha’ ya’d like next... Well, Ah suppose tha’ would explain ya not gettin’ anythin’ just yet.”

“Alright.” A proud smile spreads across Krvavy’s face. “That’s pretty much what I assumed.”

“Well, since we’re on this topic, do ya ‘ave any ideas fer wha’ ya want tha’ third spell ta be?” Beryl curiously asks, tilting her head to the side.

“Oh, uh, no. Not really.” The barbarian shrugs back. “I mean, I’ve had a few ideas, but I’m not really sure if they’d be all that useful. I’ve considered some sort of ‘stone skin’ spell, as it wouldn’t hurt to have more armour and be a bit tougher, but I already have that withOakflesh. And I doubt I’d be able to use both at once, so one of them would end up being useless.”

“Ya likely wouldn’t be able ta use both at the same time, no.” Beryl is quick to confirm. “Ah’ll save ya the lecture, but those kinds o’ spells are fairlyphysical. Ta put it simply, the magic used ta achieve their results would occupy the same space within yer body, which means they don’t play well wit’ each other. Castin’Oakfleshtwice doesn’t cause it ta stack, it just refreshes the spell, so usin’ an Earth Magic equivalent would likely just overwrite it. Now, therearespells tha’ can be used wit’ other similar ones, but they are a lot more complex and tend ta be designed fer tha’. Ah – Ach, sorry, tha’ is a bit much, isn’t it?”

“No, no, it’s fine. It’s always interesting to learn more things about magic. And Idolove hearing you talk. Your voice is just sobeautiful~.” The barbarian smiles playfully as she nonchalantly praises her wonderful Wood Elf.

“Ahh, well...” A blush spreads across Beryl’s face. “Thank ya, mydearest love. But Ah don’t want ta waste yer time. So Ah’ll just make a suggestion: perhaps ya could use a spell not unlike mySinkin’ Soil? Just one not limited ta bein’ used on dirt. If ya could make the ground act like quicksand, well, it’d be quite useful fer fightin’andhuntin’.”

“That... That actually sounds pretty good...” Krvavy idly mutters out. “A bitterrifyingandnightmarish, causing someone to sink into the ground... But it’s also kind ofcool...”

“And it may even ‘ave some synergy wit’ yerSeismic Stomp, depending on ‘ow it ends up workin’.” The Wood Elf adds. “But tha’ is just a suggestion. Ya don’t need ta go wit’ it if ya think o’ somethin’ better. Ya aren’t in a rush.”

“When do you think I’ll get the new spell? You know, once I’ve made up my mind?”

“Hmm...” Beryl takes a moment to consider that, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Probably when yer Earth Magic skill levels up again? Tha’ would make sense, but Ah can’t really know fer certain.”

“There is a good chance that it’ll happen today then... Well, your idea sounds good and I’d be happy to have a spell like that. So,” Krvavy steps towards her Elf, “thank you, mysweet berry~.”

Beryl makes a happy sound as the barbarian claims her lips with a short but loving kiss.

“Guess I should get back to work now...” Krvavy softly sighs, her hands gently trailing down her tomboyish Elf’s toned sides.

“Another kiss wouldn’t ‘urt, mydearest love~.” Beryl coos, reaching her arms up and draping them around Krvavy’s neck. Her lips justbarelybrush over those of her barbaric lover. “Just one more, or maybe two~.”

“Are you evencapableof getting exhausted...? When you are not doing anythingdegenerate, I mean.” Thea grumbles and groans, a bitter tone in her voice.

“Yes, of course I am.” Krvavy sighs back, rolling her shoulders as she steps off of the scaffolding. “My legs are getting a little sore after climbing up and down this thing all day...”

“Just alittlesore...?! You should havecollapsedhours ago!”

“Wow, rude.” Krvavy clicks her tongue and glances towards the girl, who is still bundled up in their bedding. “I am inpeak physical condition. A little bit of climbing up and down a ladder isn’t enough to tire me out.”

Thea simply rolls her eyes at that.

“Come on now, why are youstillso grumpy? Aren’t you feeling better now?” The barbarian asks her brat, getting only an annoyed grumble in response. “Okay, so you’re fine and just want to blame anyone but yourself for how you woke up feeling hungover.”

“YOUare the one who mademe ZAP MYSELF!” The silver-blonde brat angrily snaps back. Her voice still sounds a little raw, but that obviously isn’t enough to keep her quiet.

“That wasclearlya self-defence situation. If you didn’t go socock crazythen it wouldn’t have happened.” Krvavy curtly replies.

“And I would not have been in such a state if my magic wasreasonable! Thatdamned spelldid not say that it would increase my l-libidoas well! It isso UNFAIR!”

“Excuses, excuses.”

“Lousy lizard! Degenerate dragon!” The brat trembles with impotent rage, grabbing fistfuls of her blanket as sheglaresacross the room. “It isyourfault, not mine!Yougave me thisperverted magic!”

“Mhm,sure. Keep believing that.”

“UGH!” Thea dramatically topples backwards onto the bedding.

“Not to call you an idiot or anything,but...” Krvavy pauses briefly as the brat shoots heranotherangry glare. “Look, my body heats up a bit when I use my fire magic, so... I’m just saying that getting horny is a completely reasonable and honestly expected side effect of usingliteral sex magic.”

“Ugh...!” Thea’s groan is muffled slightly as she rolls over, burying her face into a blanket.

The barbarian just smiles and shakes her head as she turns back to her work. But just as she picks up a brick, the silver-blonde brat’s voice quietly calls out from behind her.

“Do you have your new spell yet...?”

“Oh, yeah. I got it a while ago.” Krvavy nonchalantly replies, laying the brick down and melding it in place.

“WHAT?!” Thea bolts upright, throwing the sheets off her body. “When?! Why did you not say anything?!”

“Why would I? It’s not like it is asurpriseor anything.”

“Then what does it do!?”

“Exactly what you’d expect...?” Krvavy glances back at the blonde with a slightly confused expression on her face. “Seriously, it isn’t anything special. Just a less restricted version of what Beryl has.”

“Ugh...! Just give me the details already!” The bratty girl whines in obvious annoyance.

“Alright, fine...” The barbarian sighs, putting her work aside before bringing up the description of her new spell.

Grasping Ground: Earthen magics seep into the ground, slowly engulfing all those who stand upon the marked location. Costs up to 200 Mana per use. Associated attributes = Willpower, Toughness, & Endurance.

“There, see? It is a bit vague, but doesn’t seem to be anything unexpected.” Krvavy gently shakes her head after reading it out to her girl. “Why do you care so much about this?”

“Why do younot?!” Thea returns, sounding rather exasperated. “You have a gift, adivine blessing, that lets you learn every kind of magic there is withease! A gift that you areclearlytaking for granted! It isjust not fair! I seem incapable of learning how to use theonetype of magic I am capable of, struggling to even cast the damned spells without being overwhelmed with lust! And then hereyouare, almostindifferentto learning another spell for one of themanydifferent kinds of magic you already know how to cast!It! Is! INFURIATING!”

“I’m notindifferentorungrateful.” Krvavy comments, getting only a skeptical and scornful glare in return. “Magic isamazing. I absolutelylove it. But I’m not going to lose my mind over every new spell I get. Especially if it isn’t something I can use right away. Unless you were expecting me to, I don’t know, make the ground that you’re sitting on swallow you up?”

“No, ugh...! I am...” The bratty girl crosses her arms with an angry and frustrated huff. “I am justjealous! There, are youhappythat I have admitted that?! I am jealous that adepraved and perversebeast like yourself has all of this power whileIam just asworthless and uselessas I have always been!”

“You arenotworthless!” The barbarian hisses at her brat, finding herself already heading across the room.

“Oh, that is right!” Thea roughlythumpsthe palm of her hand into her forehead, her voiceoozingspiteful sarcasm. “I have thisdamned sex magic! How could I forget! I am theperfect toolto recharge your mana! Wow, guess Iamuseful for something!” The noble girl sourly laughs at herself. “Oh, but wait! That is not even my magic, is it?! The only reason I am evencapableof casting thosedegenerate spellsis becauseyour soul violated me!I am so worthless tha–AHMMPH?!”

Thea’s tirade is abruptly cut off as Krvavy’s hand darts out and grabs onto her face, completely covering the girl’s mouth and muffling any noise she makes.

“Donottalk about yourself like that!” The Drakling growls through clenched teeth, heartbeat hammering away in her ears as fury swirls within her soul. “I willnottolerateanyofmy girlsbeing spoken to like that! Even by themselves!Got it?!”

The brat simply rolls her eyes once more.

Krvavy scowls, rage burning through her very being. “You arenotworthless! You arenotuseless! You knowdamn wellthat I don’t just have sex with you to recharge my mana! You knowdamn wellthatwejust use it as an excuse to fuck, because you aretoo stuck-upto admit that youwant meto treat you likemy own personal whore!”

Thea’s will wavers, her defiance being chipped away with each word.

“There areso manythings I could praise you over, and Iknowyou’d justloveto hear me say them!” Krvavy looms over the girl, who is now refusing to look at her. “But I amnotgoing to say a single one! You don’tdeserveto hear them right now! Not with how you are acting! I am not going torewardyou for degrading yourself like this!Got it?!”

The girl sighs into Krvavy’s hand, nodding as best she can.

“Alright. Now, thereissomething I’ll tell you. I didn’t think you’d want to hear it before, but youclearlyneed to hear it now! And – Hey! Look at me!” The barbarian lifts Thea’s head up a bit, forcing the teary-eyed girl to meet her harsh gaze. “I did not give you your magic!”

Thea’s beautiful blue eyes burn with newfound fury as shesmacksat the Drakling’s hand, freeing her mouth. “DoNOTlie to me!” She vehemently shouts, shakily pointing a single accusing finger up at Krvavy. “I donotneed your lies to feel better about myself!”

“I’m not lying...!” Krvavy hisses back, forcing herself to breath more evenly in an attempt to get her anger to simmer down. “I got favour for, and I quote, ‘awakening my brat’s potential’...! You know what that word means, right?Potential? That ‘lewd sex magic’ isall yours!”

The silver-blonde brat scowls at that, blinking her soft-blue eyes and ignoring the tears trickling down her cheeks. “You want me to believethat?! ‘The power was inside of me all along’? Y-you vile cur! Could you not have come up with something moreoriginal?! Make your lies more believable next time! And... and lessdemeaningtoo!”

“I am not lying...!” Krvavy grits her teeth and sucks in a sharp breath. After a couple seconds, she slowly exhales. As gently as she can, her hand raises up and cups Thea’s chin, caressing the girl’s damp cheek with her thumb. “You know I’m not.”

Thea blinks her eyes again and again, trying to stop the tears from freely flowing down her face. “N-no... You...”

“Apologize.”

“W-wha...?” The girl weakly whimpers, her shoulders shuddering as she leans into the barbarian’s touch. That single hand is all that is keeping her upright.

“Apologize. To yourself.” Krvavy orders in a rather soft but stern tone. She clenches her jaw and ignores how her own eyes are growing wet. “You have been anabsolute bitchtomy girl, tomy little princess, tomy Thea. So apologize. To yourself.”

Thea’s body slumps even further. “I... I am sorry... I am... s-sorry...!” And with that, she immediately begins to cry in earnest, having trouble getting even a single word past her sniffling sobs. “I am... S-so sorry...!”

Krvavy slowly wraps her arms around the girl, tenderly pulling Thea into a hug.

She... did not expect anything like this to happen. Krvavy did not expect to have a conversation like this with herlovely little princess. She hopes, shereally really hopes, that she handled it well. She hopes that the words she said, mostly without thinking, were the right words to say. She doesn’t want to hurt her girl, and she doesn’t want her girl to keep hurting herself...

“S-sorry...!” Thea quietly sobs into her chest, her whole body shuddering and shivering with each shaky breath she struggles to take.

“I love you...” Krvavy closes her eyes and holds the girl tight. “I love you, Thea...”

The usually haughty girl just continues to cry in her arms.