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February 19, 2023

NOTE: I'm alternating between IDH and this story (back and forth), mainly due to Writer's Block on IDH.

Enjoy.


<< Chapter 32 | Ch 1 (Book 1) | Ch 15 (Book 2) | Ch 29 (Book 3)


- CHAPTER 33: Haughty -

Present Day

A young human girl with pale skin, blonde hair, and brown eyes, sat alone in her room at the Guild Remnant as she read the letter that had just been delivered from her mother, the caretaker and head of their household, since her father wasn’t around. The desperate plea indicating that she would have to arrange that more coin be sent to them, so they could make it through the next few months.

Lyla always found it to be a difficult ordeal, since there was a risk the delivering individual would just run off with the coin instead of transporting it for the fair fee she offered, but it was her only option, since she couldn’t make the trip herself. Not when her team, the second strongest team in the top Guild Remnant, took difficult Quests so frequently. And not with the Northern Invasion beginning soon.

Dammit.

She almost wished she could take a break, but her team would never let her.

They needed her too desperately.

For, without her, and her unique gift, they wouldn’t be the second strongest team. Second only to an impossibly powerful group of three.

A part of her sincerely loved being ‘needed.’

While another part of her really wished the obligation didn’t feel so much like being imprisoned.

At least they respected her though.

Mostly.

The men left her alone…

But her roommate…

Lyla groaned when someone slammed into her closed door, gritting her teeth in annoyance as she heard passionate kissing, followed by a loud smack, probably to the ass, all before her healer companion barged into the room loudly.

The Green Oni Shaman, currently butt ass naked, sighed heavily as she closed the door behind her. “Ah, that was an amazing fuck. Best I’ve had in a couple of days. Only thing that would have made it better is if there were three guys, instead of only two.”

Lyla didn’t respond, readjusting her white silk dress, not wanting to antagonize the whore, since the woman was always more of a bitch just before and after sex.

That, and because the fucking slut was crazy.

Most people thought she was shy, because the woman barely said a single word around most others, and spoke softly when she did speak, but she was also the noisiest pig imaginable in private. Both, just in general, when it was only their team, and also the loudest fucker Lyla had ever heard in her entire life. The chick literally sounded like a fucking pig!

And shit, did the green chick basically fuck everyone!

Luring them in with her quiet demeanor, and then turning into a complete slut in the bedroom.

Fuck, why did Lyla have to deal with such an annoying teammate? An annoying roommate?

When the blonde human didn’t respond, the green woman laughed, no doubt at the tense posture, walking over to the short girl with a cheerful demeanor.

“Aww, you’re no fun, Lyla. Come on, why don’t you eat this creampie out? You’re looking sexy in that dress of yours."

“Fuck!” Lyla exclaimed, shoving her hand out when the woman got too close. “Fucking bitch, I’m not a whore like you! Go get some other slut to eat you out!”

The Green Oni Shaman just laughed. “One of these days,” she teased. “Or maybe you’re just waiting for that healer boy to pop that cherry of yours.”

“I’m not a fucking virgin!” she snapped.

“Uh-huh, sure. So you’ve been fucked then? Had a cock in your pussy?”

Lyla’s face turned red in anger. “I’ve…done stuff!” she managed.

The sexy Green Oni laughed hysterically, snorting as she did so. “So then, if you’ve done stuff, then why won’t you fuck anyone, huh? Because you’re in love with the healer boy?”

Lyla’s face flushed. “I hate his guts!” she snapped.

She chuckled. “Oh, trust me. I know. He’s all you talk about! Oh, and you’ve been just so worried about him this last week.” Her tone became more mocking as she tried to mimic Lyla’s voice. “Oh Allister, oh poor Allister, he didn’t deserve to be sent to his death. Oh Allister, oh the poor thing, I hope he survives. What will I do if Allister doesn’t return to annoy me? What will I do if he doesn’t come back to show me how incompetent I am, even though I try so hard?”

“Shut up, bitch!” Lyla snapped. “I never said any of that!”

She barked out another laugh. “You’re not denying what I said though. You really do want him to fuck you, don’t you?” She snorted. “Too bad you’re such a bitch though. Rumor has it that you missed your chance.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Lyla hissed.

The green woman grinned. “Oh, you care, huh?” she teased. “Thought you hated him?”

Lyla scoffed. “If you’re talking about that red chick, then I don’t give a fuck. She’s probably just toying with him anyway.”

The woman laughed. “Guess you didn’t hear about his betrothed then.”

Lyla gawked at her in shock.

She laughed again. “Fuck, how could you miss her?” she said playfully. “I guess she’s half human, half Holstaur, but damn does she have nice tits. Nice ass too. Nice everything. Rumor has it that Allister saved her mother some time ago, and her father handed her over. Your poor little Allister has actually had her for something like a year now.” She chuckled. “And here you thought he wasn’t getting any, like you. I’m sure he’s been visiting their farm to fuck her whenever he could.”

Lyla glared at her. “Like I give a damn. So what if he’s with someone? Couldn’t care less!”

She barked out another laugh. “I know! You hate him, but you love talking about him!” she giggled.

Lyla just rolled her eyes, not responding as she pretended to return her focus to her letter.

The woman then changed the subject slightly, her tone becoming much less mocking. Becoming a bit more serious. “Oh hey, did you hear? I heard he has the ‘Stun’ spell like you. And I heard that’s why he uses a slingshot! Somehow he’s able to make it work from a distance.”

Lyla looked at her in alarm, instantly serious. “Where did you hear that from?”

She shrugged. “Apparently he used it in front of the Queen. Dropped a big Red Oni like he was nothing. Stabbed him with his own sword too. Guess he’s got his secrets, just like you.” She grinned. “Little angel,” she teased.

Lyla scoffed, sitting up straighter. “Damn right,” she snapped back. “The team would be nothing without me.”

The green woman rolled her dark amber eyes. “Oh please. You’re so full of yourself, Lyla,” she spat.

“Right back at you, Layla,” Lyla spat right back. “You make me want to change my name,” she added.

The woman laughed harder. “But then people wouldn’t confuse us anymore! I still laugh when I think about that big blue guy who asked you to fuck! When he heard about how much of a whore you are! A tiny little slut!” she roared while grabbing her sides. “But oh man, he was a pretty good fuck after all. You really missed out.”

“God, will you just shut up,” Lyla groaned. “Why are you such a bitch when you’re horny? Didn’t those assholes wear you out already? Go take a nap or something.”

“Nah, I’m ready to fuck again,” the woman replied cheerfully. “I really want to sit on your face. Take off that dress and I’ll return the favor. I really want to taste that cute virgin pussy of yours.”

“Shit, you’re so fucking annoying,” she mumbled.

The woman’s tone was mocking again. “Hey, it’s your fault. Your little gift is the reason why I have all the energy in the world. Little angel,” she taunted.

“Ha!” Lyla scoffed. “Don’t blame being a whore on me, slut. My gift affects me too, dumbass, and you don’t see me fucking everything in sight.”

The woman sighed. “Lyla, will you just shut up and eat this creampie already? I’m about to start dripping. I can only keep it in so long.”

“Plenty of bitches here will eat you out,” she snapped. “Go find one of them.”

“Such a killjoy,” she mumbled, turning around and walking back out of the room…

Still completely naked.

Probably to find someone to eat her out.

Lyla groaned again, glad she’d left, only for her anger to flare up again when the door opened a second time, immediately turning to yell at her roommate.

“For fuck’s sake! I’m not eating you the fuck out!”

“Lyla,” Layla said firmly, catching her attention, that more reserved attitude she used around others in full force, as she gestured to the Elf Guard standing right there, who was expertly ignoring the sexy naked slut standing next to him.

The elf spoke up right away. “A message for Lyla Gottfried. As a competent healer of Remnant Guild, Allister Rosengard has requested your presence. You are to accompany me immediately to meet with him.”

Lyla’s heart fluttered, her face flushing, her mind going blank briefly as she tried to process what she’d just heard.

Allister…

He was finally back? He was safe?

And…

He was requesting to see her?

Her?

She didn’t know how to respond, just sitting their completely dumbfounded.

Because Allister…

Was requesting for her.

* * *

Everyone was on edge.

Everyone.

Because we’d already found one.

And three of the Elf Guard were dead, their blood painting the audience hall floor crimson, partially because I hadn’t been present when it happened, and partially because these abominations were just so impossibly fast.

Having already checked the dozen elf healers that General Vildred had brought, all of them capable of using Greater Healing, he requested I step outside so he could speak to me in private. A conversation I suspected wouldn’t be very friendly. However, no sooner had we stepped out, walking a fair distance from the audience hall, then suddenly that otherworldly shriek filled the air, combined with screams as it began attacking indiscriminately.

Followed immediately by the sound of repeated lightning strikes, as we both ran as hard as we could toward the stone steps, Eliza ultimately taking down the beast just after it decapitated its third victim, its arms having become separate mouths.

Dashing into the audience hall, I didn’t stop, running right up to the twitching mass of flesh, what had once ‘looked’ like a middle-aged elf man, one of the nobles, and jerking my hand inside its gaping torso filled with rib-like teeth, grabbing where I knew the red eye should be, and tearing it right out with a violent tug.

I then tossed it to Vildred for good measure.

The extremely tall elf catching the bloodied mess in his hands, his slate eyes wide, not shying away from the gore, but just completely stunned by what just transpired.

Eliza was still standing in front of her throne, both gloved hands raised, Sylvia standing defensively next to her. Had she not been there, quite a few more would have perished. I quickly healed the elves who were only injured, but there was no saving the decapitated ones, one of the severed heads residing within the actual arm-mouth of the eldritch, crushed by those powerful jaws.

Nearly everyone was still frozen in place, their eyes wide.

I supposed that ‘seeing’ a live one was very different than seeing a dead one.

And one thing was very clear.

While it was true that Greater Healing forced these abominations to reveal themselves, it didn’t actually stun the monster in any way, with my own experience being a bit different considering I had skills that allowed me to think and act extremely quickly.

But without Forethought, Instinctual Casting, and Haste allowing me to take advantage of the brief reaction to Greater Healing, my only other option would be using my Stun spell. Something that made things a bit more complicated.

The reason?

I didn’t know anyone else who could use Stun!

Yet they couldn’t rely on me as the only person to test others, because there were far too many people in the capital. Thus, once Eliza recovered from her shock, the audience hall turned into an urgent strategy meeting to figure out what specific skills and spells might be useful in taking down these monsters as fast as possible.

Of course, there was no way to actually know for sure without testing it out, which currently made Stun invaluable as the only proven spell. And since Stun would be so vital in the beginning, while other abilities were being proven as other monsters were revealed, Eliza requested that all the Guild Masters be contacted to determine if they were aware of anyone else who could use this particular rare spell.

In the meantime, I had spent a couple of hours in a living room area within the Queen’s castle, a bag of Essence Crystals at my feet, casting spell after spell, basically going through the entire Elf Guard, one-by-one.

We invited one new elf into the room at a time, and had them leave through a separate doorway where they were then promptly briefed on what was actually going on, in order to avoid tipping off any intelligent monsters to what was happening. However, perhaps unfortunately, we didn’t come across any more abominations, even after testing every elf in service of the throne.

Unfortunate, because we really needed these other skills to be tested out in order to verify that we had other options, aside from this extremely rare spell I possessed.

In particular, they were aiming to see if the common Battle Instinct and Intimidate skills that many of the Fighter Class possessed would be at all useful, as well as the skill Onslaught, which was fairly common among elves who had the Fighter Class, in particular.

The burst of speed of Onslaught combined with the intuition of Battle Instinct, as well as the possible stunning effect of Intimidate, could prove to be a potent combination that would allow nearly a third of the Elf Guard to be capable of taking one of these abominations down.

And then, there was the Ranger Class, especially those with the Archer Focus.

Common skills included Sharp Eye, Perfect Aim, Critical Bullseye, as well as Rapid Fire, with the latter in particular allowing an Archer to both notch an arrow and release it so quickly that they could empty their entire quiver in a matter of seconds, capable of landing perfect hits in combination with their other skills, despite the absurd speed.

Of course, the important part of that process would be the ‘releasing without consciously aiming part,’ since the Rangers would already have an arrow notched, just like the Fighters would already have their swords drawn. These abominations were so fast that speed would be everything in determining the effectiveness of a skill combination.

Unfortunately, while Beast Masters like Astaer and Celestine both had Sharp Eye and Ranged Weapon Proficiency, they didn’t have any of those other vital skills. Hence, the reason they were more useful as scouts and for communicating quickly over long distances. Without a doubt, they had a lot of utility for the kingdom, but helping with this situation was not one of them.

For my sake, I was also hoping for the best, that these skills would work out, since it would be a big issue for them to have to rely on me too heavily.

Problem was, the first Lesser Eldritch found in the capital, one of the older nobles, had also been the last one found so far.

Which meant, it was time to move on to the Guilds, starting with Remnant.

I arrived with nearly fifty elves accompanying me, including a dozen female healers, meeting right away with the Guild Master Lucius, so that I could explain to him in greater detail what was going on, even as the Elf Guard made preparations behind our training grounds to ensure there was some degree of privacy.

Privacy, again to avoid tipping off the potential enemies.

The plan was to test one or two at a time, with the elf receptionist Eira keeping track of who had been cleared. And the reason why we had the full dozen healers with us was because my Stun spell was just that – a spell. One that required essence to cast, same as Greater Healing, even if it was much less costly. Which meant, to save on Essence Crystals as much as possible, the other healers would be the ones to cast Greater Healing, rotating out as they used up their stored essence, while I waited to cast my Stun spell, just in case the Fighters standing in preparation were too slow to kill the monster with their own skills.

Well, me and one other person.

I was honestly shocked to learn that there was someone else who could use Stun.

Shocked that it was probably the worst person it could have been.

Or at least most annoying.

The bitch Lyla.

Fuck, she annoyed the hell out of me.

Acted so high and mighty, like she was the most valuable healer in the world, and yet only knew the two basic healing spells, Heal and Greater Healing. Were it not for her letting everyone on her team fuck the shit out of her whenever they wanted, or so the rumors went, then there was no way in hell she’d be on the second-best team.

Honestly, I truly felt bad for the other healer on their team.

The Green Oni Shaman.

She was such a quiet girl that I didn’t even know her name. Very soft spoken when she did speak up. And she let the bitch Lyla run all over her, despite the attractive Green Oni chick being a full head taller than her. Really, the woman had been as tall as me, same as Mel, prior to me growing a few inches.

And sure enough, when I saw the short blonde being escorted by one of the Elf Guard, adorned in a white silk dress that didn’t leave much to the imagination with how snuggly it clung to her small tits, she was holding her head high, her chin jutted out, as if she were the Queen herself being led by a peasant. She didn’t even seem overly surprised to have so many of the Elf Guard gathered behind the training grounds, her deep brown gaze observing everything as if she were fully ‘in the know’ of what was going on.

Damn, such arrogance.

Or perhaps it was just confidence, to an absurd degree.

Like she was truly royalty.

Possibly the most haughty individual I’d ever met.

And yet, I was fairly certain that not a single person looked at her, aside from me.

All the elves gathered in the area were well aware of the threat we faced, establishing their own formation in preparation for this undertaking, leaving me to inform the last couple of pieces to our plan about what was going on. I’d already explained everything to Eira, who was shocked but now focused on her parchment, marking the names of those who she was pretty confident were on quests at the moment.

In the meantime, I’d sent for two others.

Jackel, who wasn’t at the Guild right now, but somewhere in the capital.

As well as Lyla, apparently the only other healer secretly known by our Guild Master to be capable of the Stun spell.

For Jackel, main reason I wanted him here was because I felt confident he could kill one of these monsters, having no idea how competent or incompetent the other elf Fighters with me were. Plus, I also wanted to ask him personally if he would accompany me to the Ryfle Kingdom as part of the convoy that would be departing later this evening.

As for Lyla.

Well, having a second person capable of using Stun would at least allow us to test people twice as fast, so that we could get through this first part at least – the part where we were still uncertain what other skills would be effective.

Given that she was in a top team of our Guild, I was hoping she was at least competent with the Stun ability. After all, I had to give her at least a little bit of credit – being a Scourge Suppressor meant she’d frequently been exposed to great danger. She’d probably been frequently hurt too.

It was more than I could say about many in the Elf Guard, quite a few of whom had never even been in a Dungeon, their skills tested by other people.

Not by monsters.

Another reason why I wanted Jackel here.

Because there was a big difference between training with people and being battled-hardened by real monsters.

When the elf bringing Lyla to me arrived, with her truly holding herself like royalty, I nodded to him and then gestured for her to follow me through the patch of trees and to the northern stone wall that separated our guild from the next. One that was high and smooth enough that most wouldn’t dare try scaling it, not that anyone would bother anyway, when the second Guild could be reached plenty easily by just exiting through the gate and traveling a short distance down the street.

Lyla spoke up as she followed, her voice giving me strange urges.

Urges to scare her.

Urges to intimidate her.

Urges to dominate her.

My jaw was tense again like the last time the thought crossed my mind.

“What’s this about, Allister?” she sneered, venom in her tone when she said my name.

There were a lot of large trees in the small woods within the Guild Grounds. I decided to step around one that was by the wall, and turned to face her. She followed without hesitation, only for her eyes to widen as she looked up at me, beginning to back up into the tree as I approached her.

Cornered her.

I placed my hand on the trunk above her head, her face only level with my chest, her brown eyes widening in confusion and surprise. Her face was flushing, her pulse visible in her neck, her perky tits and hard nipples plainly visible due to the light white silk clinging to her skin, her tone finally uncertain for the first time as I leaned over her.

“W-What are you d-doing?” she stammered, her rich brown gaze, sharply contrasted against her pale skin and blonde hair, urgently searching over my body now, other realizations occurring to her. “W-What’s happened to y-you?” she managed. “H-How are you bigger?”

I pressed closer and her brown eyes abruptly became as wide as saucers, her hand immediately flashing out against my chest, pushing me as hard as she could, pushing herself back more flat against the tree. “S-Stop!” she demanded. “Or I’ll drop you right here and now, and kick you as hard as I can in the face!”

I leaned away a little then, her hand still on my chest, realizing she could truly do that.

For she too was capable of Stun.

In truth, despite my dramatic increase in power, I was well aware that I would still be susceptible to attacks from other spells, especially considering that Wren’s Dispel was completely unheard of. However, I was less worried about magical attacks, given how fast I was.

Stun was a bit different.

She’d be helpless once I recovered, unable to use it again on me right away, but I also hadn’t come here to fight with her. Right now, there was a desire to see if I could make her weak in the knees and want me, but I wasn’t about to do anything harmful to her. Or to do anything she didn’t outright ask me for.

Monster or not, this human girl was not my enemy, and so I would respect her request for me to stop. Of course, if someone were my enemy, then they could request for me to stop all they wanted, but it wouldn’t prevent me from harming them.

Most likely from killing them.

I didn’t pull back entirely though, just enough so that she would feel like I’d listened, but not enough that she dropped her hand. Her thin fingers were beginning to tremble from the contact with my broad chest, her short silk sleeves sharply contrasted against her lightly flushing skin. I’d already been muscular before, putting a lot of effort into my physical body, even though I was only a healer, but now my muscles were fuller.

And infinitely stronger.

Given that there were still a few people we were waiting on, prior to this lengthy process starting, I decided I wanted to mess with Lyla a little, since she’d know soon enough what was going on, and afterward we’d just be standing around until everyone was ready.

My tone was playful. Teasing. “What’s wrong?” I wondered. “Some reason you don’t like me so close?”

She glared at me, her hand tensing on my chest. “Fuck, you’re so full of yourself! Look, I’ll admit that it’s a big deal you created a new spell, but that doesn’t give you the right to act like you’re a god now!”

I frowned at that. “You believe me to be full of myself?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she snarled, her fingers curling slightly, grasping at my shirt a little, as if she were trying to hold me in place now. “You literally go around telling everyone you’re the best healer! And you walk around with a book in your nose all the time, like you can’t be bothered with the peons beneath you! Fuck! You’re the most dismissive asshole I’ve ever met! Always talking to me like I don’t deserve to be in a top team!”

I glared at her. “And letting everyone fuck the shit out of you doesn’t play a role?” I snapped without thinking.

Her mouth fell open, her jaw dropping in absolute shock…

Only for her face to instantly turn blood red, her hand unexpectedly flying up at me, smacking me in the face as hard as she could, activating her Stun spell for good measure, only to immediately shove me in the chest with both hands when I didn’t instantly fall down.

Just like that, she was climbing on top of me, her silk dress tight at the knees, her hand grabbing both of my cheeks as hard as she could, shaking violently as she practically spat in my face while curled over me on the ground.

The white silk was tight around her torso, clinging to all the outlines of her toned stomach, tight around her bony hips. Bony hips that looked strong when she sat on me like this, revealing muscles I wouldn’t normally notice on her.

“Fucking bastard!” she yelled, all of her face and neck bright red, barely half a foot away from mine. “I don’t let them fuck me! Asshole! That’s Layla! The other healer on my team! The Green Oni whore, you fucking dumbass!”

I just stared up at her, stunned to be hearing this for the first time.

And also…literally stunned right now, having never experienced this spell firsthand.

Unable to even take a breath if I wanted.

And also not even sure I believed her.

My brow furrowed then, as the Stun effect wore off, unbothered by her grabbing at my cheeks. “The quiet woman?”

“Like hell she’s quiet!” Lyla snapped, moving her hands to my hair instead, grabbing fistfuls firmly. “Bitch won’t shut up when others aren’t around! And she sounds like a fucking pig when she’s fucking every man who will wave a cock at her!”

I honestly couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Her name is Layla?” I repeated.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, only for her to grit her teeth, abruptly letting go and shoving up off of me. “Fucking bitch, I’m really going to have to change my fucking name!”

I sat up slowly, seeing she hadn’t gone far, but was turned away now, trembling with anger.

Her white silk dress truly didn’t leave anything to the imagination. It hid her legs, but hung on her tight ass, clinging to it, defining every detail of her lower back and crack. With a body like hers, I knew she’d be desirable to most elves at least, and definitely some Oni, so the idea that she wasn’t a slut was a bit difficult for me to believe. Not when I couldn’t think of another valid explanation for why she’d be on one of the top teams.

Most of her team was full of large Oni men.

“You really don’t let them fuck you?”

She immediately glared back at me over her delicate shoulder. “Fuck! Have you seen their cocks?! A horse is smaller!” she yelled. “And have you seen them fuck?! I don’t want to fucking die, you bastard! They’d fucking break me!”

I was still struggling to believe it.

I’d known Lyla for a couple of years now, and all this time I thought she was an absolute whore. Just a complete total slut. I’d heard so many stories, stories that seemed to match how loud this human girl was, who apparently shared a very similar name to her healer companion, that I was convinced she was truly an absolute trollop.

“So you don’t sleep around?” I tried again.

Turning more toward me, she abruptly crossed her arms, jutting her chin out, her face still red, her perky tits finally hidden from me. “Not that it’s any of your fucking business, but I’ve got high standards. It’s not that I don’t sleep around, it’s that there’s no one here good enough for me,” she snapped.

I couldn’t help it.

Because she kind of looked adorable when she was pissed like this.

I grinned a little.

She glared at me. “Better fucking wipe that fucking smirk off your fucking face,” she threatened.

I sighed, rising to my feet, prompting her to take a step back, her arms still crossed, but her expression hesitant now.

Part of me didn’t really care to be open with her, since I still kind of hated her guts, but I also realized there was at least some misunderstanding going on here.

Especially with how she perceived me and my actions.

I took a deep breath, my tone reserved. “A few years ago, I came across an Oni village that was suffering from severe Decay. Many of them were close to dying. I tried to help them, but Greater Healing wasn’t enough on its own.”

Her deep brown eyes widened at that, her silky shoulders growing less tense.

I continued. “I didn’t want them to die though. So I kept trying. And I ended up learning a new spell. Dispel Curse, Decay.”

She dropped her arms entirely, her eyes wide. “You…saved them,” she whispered.

I shook my head.

I didn’t want to tell her the entire truth, because I wasn’t going to tell her about my special skill, Domain of the Goddess, and it wouldn’t make as much sense if she found out what I’d only discovered recently.

So, I gave her some half-truths.

“No, I still failed to save them. Eventually, I learned Dispel Advanced Curse, but it was too little too late. And it’s haunted me ever since.” I sighed. “It’s why I’m always reading. Always learning, always trying to be ready for the next time I come across something that I don’t have a spell for. So that I can try to learn a new spell. So I can try to learn how to fix it, before it’s too late.”

Her expression was somber, with her dropping one arm, one of her small fists clenched tightly now in front of her clearly defined tits. “Allister…it’s not your fault. We can only do so much. We already do a lot.”

I shrugged, my tone firm. “Look, my reading shouldn’t affect your life at all, so there’s no reason for you to be offended by it. I don’t do it because I think I’m better than everyone else. I do it because I’ve seen people die that I couldn’t save. And I don’t want to experience that again, if I can avoid it.”

She grimaced at that, averting her deep brown gaze, some of her blonde hair falling to the side of her face.

I crossed my arms, my brow now furrowed. Because I still didn’t understand things. I had previously used my Eye of the Goddess skill on her, both when I first met her, as well as a few times since then, and at least divulged some of her information, but I knew there must be something I hadn’t divined.

Because the situation just didn’t make sense.

I cleared my throat. “Okay, I was honest with you, so now humor me.”

She gave me a confused look, her deep brown eyes uncertain.

I continued. “If you only know ‘Heal’ and ‘Greater Healing,’ then how are you on the second strongest team? Because I know for a fact that Stun isn’t that useful. Not enough to earn such a spot. And I know you have a very high Essence Regeneration Rate, but that’s again not that impressive on its own.”

She immediately crossed her thin arms too, puffing out her small chest and jutting her chin out. “So you do think you’re better than me,” she snapped.

I didn’t respond, just returning her glare.

Finally, she parted her full pink lips to speak, her brown eyes still hard. “It’s none of your fucking business,” she hissed.

“So you’re just going to keep being a bitch then?” I snapped.

Her face started turning red again.

I abruptly dropped my arms and started approaching her aggressively, her eyes flying open in alarm as she backed up into the tree again, with her shoving both hands against my chest this time as I invaded her personal space, her body trembling as I leaned over her with my palm planted firmly above her head.

My tone was sharp. “You claim you’re not on the team due to being a cunt for everyone to fuck, and I know you only have the two most basic healing spells, so if you don’t want me to think you’re lying, then you better give me a realistic excuse for why you’re deserving of the spot!”

“It’s n-none of your f-fucking business,” she repeated, her face turned away, visibly looking flushed now, instead of angry.

With my other hand, I grabbed her delicate chin and forced her to look up at me.

Her full bottom lip was trembling as she met my gaze, her rich brown eyes almost looking like they were swimming as her hands trembled against my chest.

“A-Angel,” she finally whimpered.

My brow furrowed, my hand tilting her chin up more as I leaned my face closer. Her full pink lips separated then as she started gasping for breath, her brown eyes truly looking almost drugged.

“M-My skill,” she whimpered. “Angel’s Blessing.”

Eye of the Goddess finally worked on the skill in question, both revealing to me that she had it in the first place, as well as what it did.

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SKILL: Angel’s Blessing

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DESCRIPTION

Level: 1/1

Type: Innate Passive

Effect: Bestow the Angel’s Blessing on all nearby allies, increasing their Essence Regeneration and Stamina Regeneration rates by tenfold.

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Oh my God.

Increase Essence Regeneration and Stamina Regeneration by TENFOLD?!

And it was a Passive skill?

A passive skill that worked on ALL nearby allies?

A skill that was Innate…

Innate Passive.

Implying that it was very likely tied…

To her race!

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Lyla Gottfried

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STATUS

Race: Angel/Human (Hybrid)

Gender: Female

Age: 22

Class: Healer

Focus: Cleric

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She was like Val…except half angel.

Half angel!

I didn’t even know angels existed!

I stared at her deep brown eyes from so close, completely shocked by this revelation, only for something unexpected to happen.

I’d been fully prepared to try messing with this girl a little, perhaps even try to get her to want me, but I wasn’t planning on taking it further than just that – only messing with her. If anything, I wanted to get her to want me, and then deny her what she craved.

So I wasn’t going to force her to kiss me, or something crazy like that.

Unfortunately, what I hadn’t anticipated…

Was her reaction to my provocations.

Instantly, her hands slid up my chest and she grabbed my face firmly, pushing up on her tiptoes as her lips mashed into mine, her entire body bowed upward against me, only for her arms to wrap around my neck tightly as she pulled herself up and wrapped both thin legs around my waist tightly.

As tight as she could manage, her silk dress barely giving her the space to do it.

Kissing me roughly on the mouth.

I stood up straight as she clung to me, attacking me with her lips, assaulting me with her tongue, passionately making-out with me like we were young lovers reuniting after having been separated for years. And I wasn’t expecting my own reaction.

When she started grinding into my stomach, her thin legs surprisingly strong…

I wrapped my arms tightly around her and started kissing her back, tugging up on the back of her silk dress to give her more range of movement and then grabbing a fistful of her blonde hair with one hand as I pulled her face down harder against mine.

I still felt like she was a bitch.

But in that moment, I’d decided…

That she was now, my bitch.


FEEDBACK: Thoughts? This situation is not going to result in sex, btw. This new 'relationship' (if you can even call it that) is going to be rocky for a bit.

The next chapter should hopefully be amazing/intense.


Chapter 34 >>

LIST OF STORIES >>

LIST OF ARTWORK >>

Comments

Anonymous

Yes, MOAR!!!

Anonymous

Did not see that turn of events coming, I wonder if she can learn the "Domain of the Goddess" as she is an angel. The problem with them having the same name made me smile :D

SovietDegendays

Good chapter nice little twist on the names but curse you for that ending lol

Ryan Hough

Good chapter. It was nice to get some insight into Lyla. I'm curious.to how Allister and Lyla's relationship is going to be going forward.

SmokeJam

thx for the chapter^^ Quite interesting to see that somewhat childish side of Allister again, he acts like a jealous highschool quarterback who got denied his cheerleader pussy xD Don't know if I like it or not, it is somewhat incongruent to his usually rational behaviour, even if Lyla was always a bitch and he despises her. But at least it is kinda funny^^ I'm really intruiged now what kind of people Angels are, good folks or arrogant evils, will they reappear in the story?

Rob Thiebeau

Holy smokes: Allie has gone from insecure to udder asshole, so many "How much of a whore cunt are you, lady I don't know, and then call her a bitch for being upset about his acccusations, pushing in on her like she's the monster and not asked to come help fix it, to the obligatory, now I'll screw the virgin I just attacked with the worst things you can do to a woman.

Ryan Hough

I can see her getting put over his knee and getting spanked happening lol.

KaizerWolf

He's got a lot of pent up aggression due to the last few days, including become a monster. Also, Lyla's 'increased Stamina regeneration' can have an 'irritable' effect on people, just as general. I tried to show this, both in how Lyla acts, but also in how her roommate acted.

Darth Mole

Great chapter! Three things: 1) I personally find it crazy bizarre that Allie would leave during the checking of the nobles, even more so that asshat top guy would pull him away. 2) Has the asshole top elf guard guy (Vindred?) been checked yet? 3) Allie’s sudden change to dominate anyone that shows submission (or an extreme lack thereof) makes sense if it is applied across the board. But why did he succumb to his urge with her specifically? Is it because she was the only female that openly acted superior to such a degree when around him? I get that she treated him badly and annoyed him but he goes full on feral domination (urge already there) simply from finding out she isn’t a slut and her kissing him. His thoughts regarding the other ladies in his life during or after this should be interesting. Thanks so much!

SmokeJam

To point 2: yes, he was one of the first people Allister checked upon his return, followed by checking the whole royal guard present

Anonymous

Wow, did not see that coming. I just wish there was more this second!

Pedro Comenda

*Whistles* this is starting to get real interesting, it kind of makes sense now why she acts the way she does, not to sure which is worse though, angels or nephilim. both sets are arrogent. I also found it a little wierd that he left, i would assume that he would temporarily stop the healing tests while he was absent.

KaizerWolf

He left because: 1) Vildred asked him to step aside, and denying him that wouldn't be wise, 2) because Allister is in the top Guild and is used to being around 'competent' individuals, who can take care of themselves, combined with the fact that the Elf Guard should be able to handle themselves. As in, there are plenty of Healers and plenty of Fighters to handle the issue, and even if he was present, he wouldn't be able to reveal himself. 3) And finally, because he didn't 'truly' think another monster would be found so soon.

KaizerWolf

To point 1: (a) Vildred asked him to step away, (b) Allister warned them of the seriousness and assumes that there are plenty of competent Fighters and Healers who can handle themselves, who 'should' be taking all this seriously, something that he is accustomed to by being in the top guild, and (c) there was a small part of him that didn't truly think that one of these monsters would be found so close as one of the nobles. He thought it was more likely that the first one would be either among the guard or in the guilds. Like, the entire point of him checking the healers and guard was so that they could handle it, since one person can't do everything on his own, nor does Vildred or anyone expect that (if anything, Vildred would be offended by the idea). To point 3: I'm surprised this confuses you, and wonder if it confuses anyone else. Different people can bring out different sides of us. The same person, who is nice and friendly with one person, might be irritable around someone else. Specifically, in this case, no one else is extremely haughty like Lyla is. Even Sylvia's initially cold attitude is completely different, because there was no 'interest' there residing under the surface, and Allister knew Sylvia was extremely powerful. Whereas Lyla is loud, pompous, seemingly arrogant, acts like a brat, and yet only knows the two basic healing spells, and also very short/small compared to him. Having someone who acts like they hate your guts, but also clearly has the hots for you, is a very... 'Provoking'...situation. I mean, in women's fiction, a huge theme in a lot of romance stories is 'Bully turned lover' for this exact reason. It's an aggressive kind of attraction on both sides. And just because she is provoking that out of him, at a time when he feels more aggressive in general, due to his physical change, doesn't mean he will treat anyone else different.

KaizerWolf

Different people can bring out different sides of us. The same person can be both rational and irrational in different situations and/or when dealing with different people. Kind of wondering if you've never had the 'honor' of dealing with someone like Lyla in real life. Someone who is both hot, but also so arrogant that you're both attracted to and also hate the person. In women's fiction, a very common theme is 'Bully turned lover' for this exact reason. Because it's a very provoking, aggressive, and eventually an extremely passionate/intense kind of attraction (which women tend to find hot, one of the reason why so many are attracted to 'bad boys').

Darth Mole

Thank you for the clarifications KW! #3 may just be me either expecting or not remembering more than just the one interaction with the bitch when he was saving the sister for her to have such influence over his behavior. I get what you mean regarding influences some people have over others, I guess I was just a bit surprised at how quickly the situation was presented and then how quickly it escalated. Again it could just be me. Or maybe I’m reacting to a plot twist without any foreshadowing (or I missed the foreshadowing) without recognizing it being a plot twist until now lol.

KaizerWolf

@SmokeJam Also, I just want to point out something. On IDH Ch 115, you complained that readers don't need so much 'explained' to them. That all the internal monologue isn't necessary, and I believe you said that 'anyone with half a brain' can figure this kind of stuff out. But then, over here on Combat Healer, where the pacing is faster and where there is less internal monologue (more 'doing' every chapter), I get all these questions from people who don't seem to understand 'why.' Why is this person acting this way? Why is he being irrational? Why is he being aggressive? Why is she provoking this childish behavior out of him? Even you seem a bit confused by his actions and reactions, despite claiming that anyone with half a brain could figure out all this on their own. Now, I'm not trying to criticize you at all, but only pointing out the exact reason why IDH has so much internal dialogue. Because sometimes things 'aren't' obvious, even after 115 chapters. Sometimes people 'don't' understand why he's doing what he's doing, even though you seemed to personally understand. Basically what I'm saying is that this is the struggle I have to deal with. If I include too much 'explaining' then people like you complain. And if I don't include enough explaining, then I get all these questions from those who are confused (including questions even from you, asking 'why,' despite me personally thinking the why is obvious, mainly because I'm the author and I'm obviously going to write what I know). Now, I'm not saying that doesn't mean everything I do is perfect, or that I shouldn't listen to your advice. But what I'm aiming for is for you to hopefully understand the struggle (and balancing act) I have to do between too much and too little. Because the exact line isn't very clear most of the time.

SmokeJam

I do understand the struggle indeed. What I would like to point out: yes, I did say in combat healer that his behaviour is incongruent, but I did not ask why, because again, you explained the side effects of Lylas skill indirectly in the italicised part, while in chapters before Allie had to deal with his mind becoming a monster too before he found his control again. So while it is a new side of him, it is one easily understood. And to make my last argument: I don't like the comparison of the two stories in this regard for one simple reason, that is the effective timelines. Kai is different since at least half the story (his death in Miriams mansion taken as the changing point) and since then a lot has settled. Yes with his memories you can argue a new change again, but they are actually just enhancing his former principles and mindset. He might be overwhelmed right now, but there is no immediate profound change like he had after his death, especially not in character. Allie in comparison just got a new make-over and the changes in behavior and decisions are a lot more distinct to his former human self. Given the same time, I would say the same thing about him as I said about Kai, whoever actively reads the story should be able to understand the characters without needing the author to dive into their principles over and over.

J Bone

Good chapter. I liked the balance of this chapter. We got some insight on other characters. The elves finally got to see one of those creatures at work. There are at least 2 people who can use Stun. I wonder if being half angel comes with other hidden talents? I'm curious to see what's up with Jackel. He was acting funny when we were first introduced to him. Im not sure I trust him. He could be one of those creatures but maybe he doesn't want to kill the people in his group. Not sure, just get an off vibe from him.

Keepit simple

Love this story KW! Just did a full read from beginning to now. Like both of your stories, characters developing well. Really makes me look forward to Sunday each week! Small suggestions on this one...maybe have a vein of silver or gold in boss room for a conquered "normal" dungeon. Gives the local population that suffered being attacked a brief way to get funds to repair and recover. Could put limit on amount and time available. Main plot of struggling kingdom stays same but always good to have a little treasure...though Wren is easily the best treasure found so far!

Martin Baute

"A book in your nose"? 😊