WinterWhereof

6.35 - The Heiress and the Fox

Rosalie only had a half-hour to metaphorically catch her breath before the next major event was upon her. Somehow, one that felt even more important than her meeting with her father.

"Aww," Delta's voice came from the window. "Look at the two lovebirds all cuddled up. It's so cute I might just vomit."

Rosalie and Zoey straightened out on the bed, their attentions snapping toward Delta's voice. Sure enough, she was poised there, sitting on the low windowsill of one of the many towe...

6.24 - ❤ Interrogation

Malice didn't think twice about obeying. For all she'd claimed she'd been 'reconsidering having submitted' to her, it had taken little effort to rectify her hesitation. Malice crawled across the bed until she was between Natalie's thighs, grabbing her cock.

"You promise?" Malice breathed. "Me next?"

"Nope," Natalie said. "Like I said, just maybe. You'll have to impress me."

Natalie watched with amusement as Malice masked her dismay at the uncertain promise. The poor wolfgirl...

6.23 - ❤ Denied

Natalie's hand slithered out from underneath Malice's t-shirt to creep up, instead, gently around her neck. She left her grip resting there, lightly putting pressure.

"You know," Natalie murmured. "I'm getting kind of tired of your bratty attitude. I expect my pets to be better behaved."

Malice scooted backward, rubbing her ass into Natalie's cock, sending a jolt of arousal through her—and causing the stiff member to swell outward, only half-softened from their previous conversa...

6.34 - Keep The Story Straight

It took nearly two full hours of Zoey idling inside her bed chamber, waiting for Rosalie while unsuccessfully trying to fill her time with alchemy study, for her girlfriend to finally arrive. After a polite knock and a "come in!", the blonde walked inside, her slumped posture looking nearly harried—an uncharacteristic sight that instantly worried Zoey.

Meeting her eyes, Rosalie let out a deep sigh. "You would not believe how exhausting that was."

Setting aside her alche...

6.22 - Secrets

"Rules of engagement?" Malice asked, shivering as Natalie left her hands resting on her thigh and her stomach. "What do you mean?"

"You're an amazing fighter," Natalie said, feeling the wolfgirl straighten up proudly in her lap, "but when I summon you, I want you to take a little longer to make sure you know what's going on. Especially if it's other humans attacking us. It might be a non-lethal fight. Or even if there isn't other people there, then we might have some other goal, like wi...

6.33 - The Heiress III

Father stared at her.

"I see," he said. "The goddess of sensuality. Fertility. Sex. Her conduit and champion. What makes you believe this?"

Rosalie's face reddened. "She has skills related to … Ephythithys's aspects."

Father stared at her.

Rosalie chickened out.

She'd been braced to explain things in direct terms. At least, more direct. To at least hint at the truth. And possibly even explain her relationship to Zoey.

But, unfortunately, Rosalie ...

6.21 - Getting Clean

"This is—this is an outrage," Malice sputtered. "Look what you've done to my hair!"

Indeed, Malice's wild, voluminous waist-length hair had been matted down by the spray of water. It was quite the sight.

"Oh, stop crying, it'll dry out fine," Natalie said, stifling her amusement. "Plus, I'll be introducing you to the wonders of modern shampoo and conditioner. I mean, your hair is gorgeous without it—I don't know how you manage that," she muttered, "But it'll be e...

6.20 - Rescue

Thank the Heavens, the civilians were fine.

It was standard practice to have panic rooms constructed when building on the outskirts of any town or city. In this case, it was a basement.

The heavy trapdoor leading down was barred on the other side. An axe was embedded into the thick wooden slab, splinters covering the ground. The goblins had clearly been trying to get in, chopping wildly. She wasn't sure how successful they'd have been, even given time, but Natalie was immensely re...

6.32 - The Heiress II

Father analyzed her runes and skills with a critical eye. Her Rune of the Spearmaster was entirely expected. Their entire family used, and had always used, spears as their primary weapon of choice.

Rosalie didn't know what runes Father had, but she wouldn't be surprised if Spearmaster was among them. Though that didn't mean they shared the same abilities.

Her Rune of Trailblazing was the more interesting one, though. Not only was it her superior-rated rune, but Rosalie also hadn't...

6.19 - Raid

The messenger came several hours later, well past midday. Natalie and her team, having not been doing much besides idly training and chatting while they waited, were ready to spring up at a moment's notice and rush off.

There were a number of ways to swiftly cross large distances, the most prominent being the system of trains that linked Valhaur. Of course, there were more personal methods, though more expensive, like enchanted wagons or horseback. Fortunately, the roads in Tarenhelm we...

6.31 - The Heiress I

Rosalie popped into existence inside a training yard. She stumbled a step, then corrected herself, finding her footing.

Lucinda stood in front of her, lacking her armor. In regular clothes again.

Time had passed, she was vaguely aware.

"I— I—" Rosalie said, her head spinning as she oriented herself. "How long has it been?"

"We'll talk later, brat," Lucinda said, though she sounded far less annoyed than when she'd first captured her. Time had definitely passed, enou...

Input on Plot Point in Ascent Requested (Mild Spoilers)

Hi everyone, just trying to gauge my audience's preferences on something. Since it's about a plot point for ascent, very mild spoilers ahead. So click away now if you prefer ...

....

I've been thinking of including a mini arc where a male character enters a shard with Zoey & co and transforms into a woman. Obvious shenanigans would ensue with progressing lewdness, from both POVs. There's a few reasons I could see why people wouldn't want that as a prominent plot point, but als...

6.18 - How-To

"I think she's having a little too much fun bullying that poor guy around," Jordan said wryly.

"It's Natalie," Sofia sniffed. "Of course she's having fun showing off."

The two of them had managed to disentangle themselves from the small group of Tenet admirers. Mostly because Natalie was occupying the majority of their attention as she sparred with Gareth, that [Lumberjack] boy. She and Sofia had wandered off to one of the further-away dirt sparring grounds with the ...

6.17 - Gentleman

Natalie was consciously aware of how much stronger she'd become over the past few weeks, much less the past several years, but experiencing it first-hand as she began her duel with Gareth—a normal person, rather than a peer—nonetheless came as a surprise.

Of course, she put barely any strength into her swings, fully aware of how fragile her opponent was. There was not only a level difference, but also a training one, a gear one, and a fundamental class one. Even ma...

6.30 - A Disoriented Fox VI

Delta's head spun. She looked between Zoey and the Guildmaster, unable to find her voice.

Eventually, she settled on something simple.

"Oh."

She didn't have anything else to add.

Enzo, at least, was quick to fill the silence.

"It was a surprise to me as well. It was certainly … uncharacteristic of my daughter to have formed a party of her own. She knows I had plans for her. Either she believes you three are more deserving of her company than who I woul...

6.16 - The [Lumberjack]

If Gareth wanted an honest appraisal of how idiotic his heading to the dungeon with a non-combat class was, Natalie would give it to him. It might be the only thing that stopped him from getting killed.

Though she doubted she would be able to change his mind. She recognized that stubbornness. The determination to pursue a dream regardless of the danger. Almost all academy-trained delvers had a similar attitude.

But maybe, by beating him around the sparring grounds, she could disab...

6.29 - A Disoriented Fox V

Delta guessed she shouldn't be surprised. It turned out that the room in the d'Celestin palace meant to hold unruly guests was well defended. There wasn't a single way out she could find. Even the windows were reinforced to the point that she, a fourth advancement wayfarer, couldn't break through them. And the only real escape—the front door—was watched over by an absurdly strong guard.

So. Delta had to sit there, annoyed, until she was sent for.

She didn't have to wa...

6.15 - Training Yard

It was weird being a minor celebrity of sorts.

Indeed, as their first impression had suggested, several of the men and women down in The Kraken's Hearth had been waiting on the arrival of the Tenet squad. And that was the source of their immediate admiration: Tenet. The prestige of Valhaur's oldest and most accomplished delving academy.

Though Natalie and her team were only level two and three—an accomplishment not all that hard to reach, objectively speaking—it wasn'...

6.14 - Liaise

Level six?

Natalie looked at the grizzled man donning a gray-speckled beard in a new light. Levels were progressively more difficult to advance in—and came with progressively stronger rewards, in terms of skills and stat bonuses. Considering his level, Natalie wondered whether a level six [Hunter] could have handled the goblin problem by himself.

She thought it unlikely. [Hunter] was one of those classes that rode a strange line between possibly a combat class and not. ...

6.28 - A Disoriented Fox IV

Slowly coming out of her post-orgasmic daze, Delta rubbed her forehead. Her thoughts clearing, she guiltily looked down at her naked lower half, her clone watching impassively from between her legs.

Delta blushed in embarrassment. It took a lot to make that happen.

She coughed.

Okay. Time to get serious.

She rolled off the bed and dispelled the shadow with a flick of her mind. It faded away into curling black wisps.

That had just been … a brief mental reset bef...

6.13 - The Baron

Natalie was pleased to see that the Baron meant his words: he really did launch straight into the briefing, forgoing further pleasantries, which they'd been all but drowning in while Tristan escorted them to the manor.

"It's a curious case," Baron Crestwood said. "A standard situation by many metrics, but equally as aberrant in some. By my understanding, Tenet has informed you of the basics?"

"Only that there's been a growing monster problem in the area," Jordan said. "They're pre...

6.27 - ❤ A Disoriented Fox III

Delta's heart started to beat faster. She didn't know why it had taken her so long to come up with the idea. To realize what she could do with a self-controlled, tangible shadow of herself.

Probably because she had more important things worry about. Trapped in a foreign room inside the d'Celestin palace, separated from her teammates, and in a current limbo of a situation, with no idea how things were going to progress, how to use her newest ability in a lewd way should be the l...

6.12 - Arrival

Soon enough the train had pulled into the station, and Natalie and her team stepped off into Tarenhelm.

Tarenhelm was a small city, tiny compared to Aradon, though it was still many, many times the size of Natalie's hometown, which might not even show up on all maps. Natalie mused at how much her standards had adjusted after living in a place like the capital of Valhaur. The bustle of the receiving station was nearly placid in comparison to Aradon.

A guide greeted them as they ste...

6.11 - Considerate

For a bit, everyone caught their breaths. Particularly Natalie and Liz, of course, but everyone in the secluded train car was blushing and a bit worked up, after Natalie's thorough abuse of the petite royal's throat.

Afterward, Natalie pulled out her vial of cleansing liquid and worked on making herself presentable again. That particular escapade hadn't been especially dirty, not by the standards of some events, but the rather eager way Natalie had grabbed Liz's head and used i...

6.26 - A Disoriented Fox II

Rubbing her forehead, Delta walked back to the bed and plopped down, sinking a good half-foot into the overly plush mattress. She couldn't say she was stunned by the realization. Rosalie was obviously part of wayfaring high society; Delta had intuited that the moment they'd met. Those stupid sharp cheekbones and arrogant blue eyes alone would have given it away, much less the enunciated words and her total disdain for any wayfarer not meeting her ridiculously exacting standards.

6.10 - ❤ Invigorate III

"Man, I don't know about you guys," Natalie said, looking at each of her teammates with a devious grin. "But after skipping breakfast, I could eat half that cart, I bet."

Their reactions were understandably varied. Sofia's blue eyes were comically wide, frozen in place as her attention flicked between Natalie, the cart attendant, then down at Natalie's lap, where she knew—but couldn't see—Liz choking on her cock. Jordan had a similar initial response but quickly mastered her express...

6.25 - A Disoriented Fox I

Delta stirred to wakefulness. Plush pillows and cool, soft bedsheets caressed her body. She didn't think she'd ever been so comfortable in her life. It was like she was sleeping in a bundle of clouds pulled from the heavens themselves.

It was … unfamiliar.

Her slow, gentle emergence into wakefulness abruptly shifted. Her muscles stiffened, brain jolting into awareness, and she shot up in bed, instantly on edge, purple eyes scanning the space she found herself in.

The sight...

6.09 - ❤ Invigorate II

Liz's eyes widened, locked on Natalie's exposed panties—or more specifically, the way they were straining upward. The royal swallowed, her small chest rising and falling rapidly as she stared at the bulge. Natalie could practically see the gears turning in her head, trying to decide if this was really happening. Whether she was going to obey. But the flush creeping up Liz's neck told Natalie all she needed to know about the girl's interest.

"I guess that's true," Liz mumbled.

Li...

6.08 - ❤ Invigorate I

Jordan stood and collapsed next to Sofia, breathing hard herself—though obviously not nearly as much as the gasping wreck of a girl next to her. Sofia had been seriously wrung out. Natalie sympathized; she knew firsthand that Jordan was a devil when it came to using her mouth.

But still. That fast? Less than a minute, with only a bit of foreplay, Jordan dragging her around and showing her cock off to the rest of their team? That had to be a record, even for Sofia.

Slowly, Sofia ...

6.24 - An Unhappy Mentor

Zoey walked through the inky black portal, feeling the cool, otherworldly material engulf her skin. She closed her eyes as her face hit the surface, taking one long stride to pass through.

Her foot met the ground in a totally different dimension. She squinted as she opened her eyes, the dim, hot environment of the magma caverns all at once replaced with a bright, cool meadow. After so many hours spent in the sweltering complex, the breeze was nearly blissful.

"Oh, man," Delta said...