Power Corrupts: Divine Release (Patreon)

Unfortunately, Hestia hadn’t climbed into bed at some point during the night. I awoke alone on my couch, and after a few minutes of failing to re-enter the blissful realm of unconsciousness, I got up to see that I was alone in the room as well. A note was folded on top of the coffee table, my name scrawled across it in messy handwriting. Picking it up, I flipped it open to see: 

Went to work, be back at 5. Your clothes are drying up top. 

Take care! 

Hestia

Looking at the time, I saw it was barely past 6. "She's going to have a long day," I missed, tossing the note into my inventory. Twelve hours. You never knew how much you needed something until it was gone. Never thought I would be missing labor laws, of all things. "But, I guess it'll give me a chance to use my Massage Skill." 

Wrapping the blanket around my waist, I stood up, my back popping like a machine gun. A groan escaped me, as I popped my neck as well, “ugh, the next thing I’m getting is an actual bed.” I don’t know where I would put it, but sleeping on the couch that felt three sizes too small was murdering my spine. 

I looked around for a moment, somewhat at a loss on what to do. It was still early, so maybe I should head down into the Dungeon? I was still 4000 in the hole, so I might as well start making some cash ahead of time. The last thing I needed was to wait until the last minute to make it all, only to fail, then not get my armor. 

Still, my gaze found the pile of books that I needed to thumb through. I preferred fiction, but if those self-help books could save my life, then I should read them sooner rather than later. Meh, I should go check my clothes before I decide on anything. Tying the blanket at my hip, leaving one leg dangerously exposed, but it covered all the important bits. 

Ducking low to walk back up the stairs, I pushed away a false wall that served as a door to reveal the ruined church. In the low light, it looked a lot creepier. The stone felt rough underfoot, so I was careful where I stepped. I don’t know if Gamer Body would protect me from tetanus, and the only way to find out was no way to find out. 

“Where is the clothesline?” I muttered, wiping the last vestiges of sleep from my eyes. It was weird, it didn’t feel like I needed sleep but waking up in the mornings was just as hard as it was before. I searched the interior of the church, only to find nothing. Did she mean that it was outside?

Stepping out, I looked around, spotting the clothesline on the side of the building. There was a slight problem, though. 

It was empty. 

“Er,” I started, blinking at it with some confusion. Did they get blown away or something? It didn’t storm last night, so I don’t see how they could have. Even then, my clothes were big enough that they wouldn’t have gone far if they did get blown off the line. “Am I looking in the right place?” She wrote that they were hanging up, but she didn’t mention that they were on the clothesline. 

“Hurry it up!” I heard a high pitched voice yell out, bringing my attention to what looked like a small kid in the distance. Which then lead my attention to another small kid running towards the first carrying a bundle of...were those my pants? Dark blue and ripped in a dozen places -- those were my pants. That kid was stealing my pants!

“H-Hey!” I called out, quickly giving chase. The one running off with my pants looked over his shoulder, revealing young-looking kid with dark brown hair, a face covered in scratches and smudges of dirt. His eyes widened comically when he saw me running after him, rapidly closing the distance between us thanks to my significantly longer legs. “Get back here! Give me back my clothes!”

Instead of dropping my clothes, the brat turned around and booked it towards the other two kids down the street. One was holding my dress shirt while the other was holding my tank top and boxers. The first was a young girl with straw blonde hair, while the other looked like an elf. They looked torn between waiting for their friend and running for the hills.

The first kid had a pretty big lead on me, but I closed it with every step. I raced down the street, barely believing what was happening. They were stealing my clothes. Why, of all things, were they stealing my clothes?!

“Hurry Rye! This way!” One of the punks shouted, running behind a building into an alleyway. The elf looked at her, then at me chasing the first punk down, before quickly deciding to cheese it. 

“Don’t leave me!” Rye, I’m guessing, shouted back, barely slowing as he rounded the corner, missing my swipe at the back of his shirt by an inch. He darted into the alleyway, gasping for breath. I rounded on the kid, grasping at him again, his stubby legs unable to keep up with me. He seemed to realize it to as he grabbed the edge of a barrel as he ran past, tipping it over to slow me down. 

“Just stop kid and give me back my pants!” I shouted after him, nearly tripping over the barrel as he darted out of my reach. He dared to look back at me, his eyes so wide they could have fallen out of his head before he darted...into the wall? What? Cursing loudly, I scrambled after him, moving a curtain that fed moths for months to reveal a hole. 

“He’s coming! He’s coming!” One of the punks shouted, followed by the sound of footsteps that grew fainter by the second. I didn’t even bother trying to fit down the hole, into what looked like some kind of cellar. I looked at the building, standing up and sprinting around it, intent on catching them on the other side. 

Sprinting around the old half-decayed building, I rounded on the other side just in time to see one of them disappear down another alley. I ran after them, cutting across a street, ignoring an odd look I got from one of the few inhabitants that lived in this part of the city. I must look quite a sight -- only a thin short blanket to protect my modesty, and only barely at that. 

Reaching the alley, I turned into the alley, to see that it lead to a dead end. I smiled briefly to myself, expecting to find the punks trapped. That smile was quick to fall when I realized when I was the only one in the alley. 

“God damn it,” I hissed, searching for where they slipped into. I found a wooden door cellar at the end of the alley, but when I grabbed it, it was locked on the other side. They must have locked it behind them. With a growl, I ran around the building again, intent on cutting them off now that I was so close.

I turned the corner, searching the streets for any sign of the punks...but this time, the streets were devoid of any life. My heart started to fall to my stomach, “no, no, no!” I muttered, searching the alleys for any trace of them. There was none. “This cannot be happening to me,” I cursed, looking at the building I just ran around. Could they still be inside? They had to be!

I ran over, reducing the door to splinters when it got in my way. Thankfully, it didn’t look like anyone’s home, so I didn’t just commit a crime. I tore through the abandoned house, searching for the cellar. When I found it, I found it locked with a thick padlock. Snarling with anger, I grabbed it and pulled, ignoring how rust bit into my hand. Eventually, with a loud groan, it broke free. 

“Look, I don’t want to hurt any of you, just give me back my clothes,” I said, swinging the doors open to reveal...an empty cellar. “No!” Instantly, I spotted another tunnel carved through one of the walls. I dropped to my knees, looking down it only to see darkness. I couldn’t tell where it went. 

I lost them.

“Ugh,” I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. How did this happen? I- no, I lost them. I wasn’t going to see those clothes again. I needed new ones. Standing back up, I looked down at my makeshift skirt. Tied off as it was, the blanket covered it dangly bits, all the way down to my knee. The blanket wasn’t big enough when I slept with it, and now it seemed painfully small. 

I was going to have to buy more clothes. Which would cost me money. Money that I didn’t have. Should I dip into our savings? I’m sure Hestia would understand when I explained what happened, but how much would it cost? A lot, given my size, and I didn’t know enough to stop myself from getting ripped off. 

Very aware of the 1000 valis in my inventory, I ran a hand through my hair, noting that some grease was starting to build up. 

Looking down at myself, I shook my head. “Fuck it,” I muttered crossly to myself, stomping my way out of the cellar. I needed money for armor and clothes. I needed to go down into the Dungeon. I pulled my sword and scabbard from my inventory before I stepped out of the building. I turned to the Tower of Babel and started walking, silently fuming every step of the way. I strode forward with a single-minded focus, uncaring that I didn’t have my armor in my inventory or my shoes. All because I wanted to cover my tracks about my inventory, so I had to be seen with them on and taking them off at home. 

Thankfully, it was still fairly early so the city wasn’t in full swing yet. Though, that didn’t mean that the streets were empty. Far from it. I earned more than a few looks from those I walked by, ranging from outright amusement to sly smirks to scowls to wolf whistles. From men and women. When I made myself this hot, I really didn’t think I’d end up walking through a city half-naked. 

With burning cheeks, I walked up the stairs into the Guild. I’m not sure if the gods in Heaven could hear my prayers, but I was praying my heart out to them any way that I didn’t run into anyone - annd there’s Eina. The brown-haired elf eyes zeroed in on my pretty much as soon as I stepped through the doors. 

I offered her a smile, snapping her out of whatever stunned dazed she was in. I can’t imagine she saw many adventurers that were stupid enough to enter the Dungeon half-naked. Without any armor on. Gods, I was so stupid. Eina seemed to pick up on my stupidity from where she was standing because she was quick to cut me off. 

“Um,” she started, not sure where to start. Which was fair. I had a whole situation going on. 

“Kids are evil,” I supplied, more or less summing up my feelings on children going forward. “They stole my clothes. My only set of clothes. And now I’m going into the Dungeon in a blanket to make money so I can buy new ones and not default on the armor I purchased.” I said, not angry...but...no, I was angry. Fuck those k- actually, just fuck it. 

“O-oh…” Eina muttered, giving me a pitying look. Not the kind of pity that would give me the clothes off her back, not that they would fit, but telling me that she wouldn’t do anything about my problem. “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? I understand you’ve made some progress in the Dungeon, but going down there without armor is reckless.”

I don’t think she would accept the reasoning that I forgot my armor and as too pissed to go back and get it as an excuse..

“I really don’t have much of a choice at the moment,” I said, some of my frustration leaking through. I needed money. I hated needing money. Since I moved out of my parents house the day I turned eighteen, I struggled to keep my head above water. I managed it by pinching every penny hard enough that it bruised. And now, in the span of a day, I was around 5000 in debt. At least. 

Eina pushed up her glasses, an expression of disappointment hovering around her. “I can’t stop you, but please, reconsider. Have you considered taking out a loan?” She offered, trying to nudge me off my path. 

I shook my head. I spent my entire life, my last life, without ever going into debt. The idea galled at me -- I had my reasons for never wanting to go into debt. Being in as deep as I was to Welf was already too much for me, I could accept it only because I knew I could pay it back quickly. Racking up further debt with the Guild? No, I couldn’t do it. Especially when there was a much simpler option in front of me. 

“I know what I’m doing is stupid and dangerous,” I admitted freely. “But I’m doing it. I’ve gotten pretty good with dealing with goblins, I won’t go past the first floor, and if I do find myself in a bad spot, I’ll turn tail and run.” I said, hitting all angles of attack. Unfortunately, my words didn’t make her magically okay with what I was doing but her shoulders slumped in defeat. 

“Please be careful. Misha would be really upset if you…” Eina trailed off, getting a nod from me. 

“I don’t plan on dying any time soon. I’ll be as safe as I can,” I said, stepping past her, hearing her mutter something under her breath but I couldn’t make out what. It didn’t matter. I had a goal and I was going to see it through. I walked into the Dungeon, unsheathing my sword and depositing the sheath into my inventory. As soon as I stepped foot in it properly, a goblin lunged at me. 

I cut it in half, gaining the first magic stone of the evening. 

For hours, I vented my frustrations on the goblin, slaughtering them in droves. I felt the effects of my status update -- my body felt a little more nimble, my hearing was a little sharper. Goblins came at me in groups, but none came close to taking a bite out of me this time. It seemed between my status update and getting used to their attack patterns, I could dispatch them with relative ease. 

I beheaded one goblin, before bringing my sword back down and bisection another with the backswing. Two more kills, two more magic stones. My breathing was steady as I walked over the rough stone ground. Maybe I should have gone back for my shoes and armor, I just hadn’t been able to stop myself from coming straight here. 

Even hours later, I still felt the anger simmering in my chest. I was robbed by a couple of kids. I couldn’t catch up with them, and then I lost them. That was pathetic. Because of it, I was in the Dungeon wearing a blanket. I looked like an idiot. I sure felt like one. “When I get my hands on them, I’m gonna…!” I brought my sword down on another goblin, finishing the thought. 

A sigh escaped me, knowing that I was lying. Pushing my hair out of my face with some irritation, I said status to summon the screen. I tsked when I saw my pitiful gains. A (+1) to Endurance and Dexterity after killing nearly thirty goblins. All in an hour’s work. Between the monster stones and monster drops, maybe I would have enough…

A sigh escaped me as I found myself wandering to the second floor. I should keep grinding. For one, I was still pissed, and two I might as well make as much money as I could at once. I wandered the halls, slaughtering whatever goblin dared to spawn near me until another hour ticked by. 

Then I heard the sounds of chatter echo through the empty halls. Of wooden wheels on stone, the wood creaking with every bump. I looked up, eyes narrowed. Who could that be? It sounded like there were a lot of them. 

Soon enough I had my answer. I saw a short man, bright blonde hair, with blue eyes that stood out with his dark purple shirt. He carried a spear that was twice the size of him on one shoulder as he looked up to chat with an elf walking beside him. She was taller than him by a head and shoulders taller than him. 

She had long mint green hair, dull green eyes with sharp pointed ears that poke out of her hair. She wore a high collared coat that stopped midthigh with a cream-colored cloak on top of it. She carried a magic staff in her hands, it almost looked like a spear but teardrop crystals branched out of it, connected by a silver hoop. 

Finn the Braver and Riveria Nine Hells. Both Level 6 adventurers. They chatted with each other, paying me no mind as I stood off some distance away, watching not only then pass by, but over a dozen others. I saw more familiar faces as they trailed by, wagons of supplies protectively placed between them. I saw Ais and Tiona, along with Tione, Tiona’s twin sister. Along with Bete, a silver-haired sour attitude werewolf, another blonde elf. Lefiya, the elf that had the hots for Ais. 

Where were they all going? With the...oh. They were going on the expedition, weren’t they? The one they were coming back from at the start of canon. 

Which meant that I was two weeks away from the start of canon. 

“Hey, why aren’t you wearing pants?” Tiona yelled out, spotting me as I stared at the passing expedition to the deep floors. I didn’t keep up with Sword Orario, but I did read the early bits. I knew they were walking into a horde of new monsters that were made of a powerful acid. I don’t remember anyone dying, though, so it should be fine.

“Long story,” I summarized, not having to fake the exhaustion in my tone. I didn’t feel tired at all, but I was already done with today. And it was only 8 o’clock. “If you want to hear it, then don’t die.” I offered with a wave, earning a giggle from the amazon. 

“I won’t!” Tiona said, waving back at me before she descended down to the second floor. I watched them go down, something settling on my shoulders like a heavy weight. I stood there, long after the final member of the Loki familia went down, just staring at the entrance to the second floor. 

Pressing my lips together into a thin line, I muttered, “status.”

Jericho

Level: 1

Progress to level 2: 123/1,000,000

Strength: 2

Endurance: 13 (+1)

Dexterity: 10 (+1)

Intelligence: 2 

Sense: 6

Development Abilities:

Physical Resistance: The user receives 1% less damage. Effectiveness is determined by the Endurance stat. 

Skills:

Gamer Body: The user’s body is that of a video game.

Massage: Skilled hands make targets tension and exhaustion melt away. Effectiveness is determined by Dexterity and Strength stat.

My jaw clenched when I read my experience points. 123 exp. Out of 1,000,000. Two of my stats were in the double digits, barely. I had one decent Development Ability, but it was a long way from being useful even with the Durable trait I picked up at the character creator. Maybe it was good progress. I had only been in the Dungeon three times now, but that didn’t matter. 

I had two weeks until the start of canon. In a month after that, Bell would have maxed out stats and then some before reaching level 2. Two weeks after that, he would reach the eighteenth floor, deliver the final blow to an enhanced monster that was level 4 with nearly maxed out stats again. 

At the rate I was going, it would be...about 27 years before I reached level 2. 

That wasn’t good enough. That wasn’t anywhere near good enough. Hell, should I go find Bell, let the rails of canon continue as they were, and let him be the protagonist? He was apparently much better suited for it with his utterly broken growth. Before he got that stupid Skill, didn’t he go down to the fifth floor in like a week?

I blew out a frustrated breath, the simmering anger starting to boil in my chest. If I was going to find Bell, then it had to be soon. He was probably out there, in the city, wandering about to find a familia that would take him in. If I was going to find him, then I had to start looking now. With the Skill Realis Phrase, he would turn the Hestia familia into a powerhouse. And…

My gaze shifted to the second floor. At the rate I was going, it was going to take way too long for me to level up, much less be useful when canon events started to tick by. I needed to set a goal. I needed…

I found myself walking towards the second floor even as any sense of rational thought railed against the idea. I didn’t have my armor. I was mostly naked. I should spend this time looking for Bell. Instead, I walked down the steps down to the second floor with a sense of grim determination. 

“One thousand exp,” I decided, looking to my right and left for monsters. I wouldn’t leave here until I had 1000 exp. At least. No matter how long it took. I didn’t need to eat or drink, and I had a health potion for emergencies and bandages for breaks. I had no reason to go back up. Until I reached that goal, I wouldn’t leave the Dungeon. 

Nodding to myself, I started to stalk the halls, bringing up my map function to make sure I didn’t get lost. It didn’t take long for me to find a monster, they likely spawned in response to the Loki familia, but they were too afraid to challenge them. I knew that monsters could feel fear since that’s why the minotaurs fled to the upper floors in the first place. 

This one wasn’t a goblin. It was nearly the same size, generally the same build, only that it had a dog-shaped head. Dog fur, dark brown eyes, with razor-sharp claws. A kobold. It barked at me, running on all fours, determined to take a bite out of me. Instead, I plunged my sword down into it before it could come close, making it vanish in a puff of black ash. 

Just like killing goblins. I heard more barking up ahead, looking up I saw another three were running at me. Clenching my jaw, I strode forward to meet them halfway. My bloodied sword lashed out, slicing through one as it jumped at me, the cut continuing until it slammed into another kobold. The third went for my legs and reached them when I kicked it in the face hard enough that its snout crumpled. I stabbed it in the head, killing it. 

My nostrils flared as I summoned my status again, this time the number had ticked up. They were still one exp each. I was going to be here all day. 

And that was okay. 

…

For hours, I stalked the halls of the second floor, killing any monster I came across. The second floor was bigger than the first by half, it took me nearly two hours to completely map it out. After that, I slaughtered my way through the halls with a single-minded focus. At some point, I stopped bothering to check my exp after every kill. I didn’t need to. 

233/1,000,000. I nearly doubled my previous exp but I wasn’t even a third of the way to my goal. It just wasn’t enough. It wasn’t even close. I spent nearly five hours down here and I accomplished practically fuck all. 

A growl escaped me as I slashed at a lizard monster. I had no idea what it was, and, frankly, I couldn’t care less. If it took me five hours to gain 100 exp, then I was going to be down here for nearly two days. Hestia would be worried sick. 

I stabbed a kobold, kicked another in the face before stomping on its head until it became ash. Blood coated my legs, splattering over my blanket. Sweat dripped from my forehead, my breathing deep and even. I felt the edge of being exhausted, but nothing that couldn’t be solved with a quick break. 

Leaning against the entrance, I took in deep breaths to regain my stamina. Stamina potions were a thing. I needed to look into those. Which would take more money than...well...I might have, but the fact remained that it was another expense. How much would they cost? A 100 valis? 200? More? Expense quickly racked up as an adventurer, it seemed. 

Wiping the sweat from my face with a blood-spattered arm, I walked down the steps to the third floor. 

…

I hadn’t really noticed it on the second floor, but the number of monsters slowly ramped up with each floor. There seemed to only be a few types of monsters on the uppermost floors, goblins, kobolds, and those lizard things. It was an idle observation as a mob of ten of the monsters raced towards me, a mix mash of species to make things interesting. 

Running forward, I threw myself at them, my sword slashing through two of them while I struck out with a foot. The rest circled me, attacking at my exposed legs, and at this point, I learned to expect it. As they jumped at me, I jumped into the air over them, tucking my legs up to ensure they went under me. I nearly bumped my head on the ceiling, but I cleared the distance. As I began to fall, I landed on two goblins, my weight killing them. 

A kobold managed to land on all fours, lashing out at me, catching my thigh. I hissed in annoyance more than pain, grabbing the monster by the scruff of its neck before launching it at the remaining monsters all the while I struck out with my sword. The kobold slammed into two goblins, knocking them off their feet and giving me time to deal with the last remaining three. 

With the backswing, I finished off the one I kicked in the face before I kicked a lizard thing in the throat hard enough that it was reduced to ash. The last upright goblin tried to lunge at me, plunging itself onto my blade. As it was reduced to ash, I raised my sword up high, gripping it with both hands, and swung down with all my strength. My blade caught the three remaining monsters, all of them neatly clumped together, slicing all the way through all of them with a single swing. 

“Hah,” I breathed, pushing my hair out of my face, sweat plastering it to it. My chest heaved, my blood thundering in my ears as my heart hammered away at my ribs like it was trying to escape. I looked down at my thigh, seeing three claw marks bleeding freely. I pulled a bloodied bandage from my inventory and placed it on there. Over the hours, I learned that bloodied bandages were worse than normal bandages, taking twice as long to restore a single point of health. 

109/110. I was still good to go. 

Taking in a long slow breath, regulating my breathing as I continued to walk down the halls. I noticed with each floor I descended, everything looked a little...rougher. The floors were tiled a little less completely, almost like someone gave up halfway through at some points. The walls were left bare, displaying rough rock. The lights were dimmer, the shadows darker, making the darkness feel suffocating. 

Slowly, my stamina returned, my breathing grew more even as I walked. My feet were sore from so much walking, another three hours ticking by as I cleared the third floor. From the look of it on my map, I was only halfway done. By the time I was, Hestia would be off work and at home. She probably wouldn’t be worried at first, but the longer I stayed the worse she would. 

“Ten o’clock,” I decided, my brisk walk turning into a jog, slashing at a goblin that leaped at me. I had until 10 o’clock to earn 1000 exp. It was...flat out impossible. I counted my kills, I knew exactly how much exp I had gathered over the hours. 

445/1,000,000. Still less than halfway. It was around 1 o’clock. If clearing this floor would take me another three hours...then I could always fully clear it later. I needed to go down deeper, where more monsters spawned to quickly farm the exp. Just one floor down, no more. I was doing really good so far. Great, really. I could handle one more floor. Easy. 

With that thought in mind, I made my way to the fourth floor. 

…

The fourth floor wasn’t so bad, I realized. There were monsters, a sharp uptick in them, but they were manageable. Instead of groups of 3, I got groups of 5. Or groups of 10, when I found myself at a dead end, there were around 12 or 15. I knew their attack patterns at this point, more importantly, I knew not only how to dodge them but how to counter-attack as well. 

The floor itself was rougher, almost completely bare of the manmade feel the first floor had. The only traces I found of it was sometimes the floor almost looked like it had a pattern to it. It was like I was walking through a cave now. A very large cave system because the fourth floor was twice the size of the third, it would take me hours to fully map it out. Instead, I just kept pressing forward, intent on gathering as much exp as I could to accomplish my goal of the day. 

“But,” I said, spotting the entrance to the fifth floor, “even if I do get a thousand exp a day...it would still be about three years before I level up.” Worse, if my current time wasn’t improved on, it would take nearly twenty hours to do it. Pretty much all day, spent down here, mindlessly fighting. To reach level 2 in years. 

I looked at the edge of my sword, noticing the nicks and flattened edge in some places. It was in desperate need of sharpening. Another thing I needed to take care of. 

A tired sigh escaped me as my feet carried me to the fifth floor. Above all else, I needed more exp. Or, rather, I needed monsters that gave me more than one exp a kill. Even two exp a kill would cut the time this took in half. More monster mobs were helping, but it wasn’t enough. At the rate I’m going, I could live down here and I wouldn’t make the gains that I needed. The gains that Bell made by wanting to fuck Ais. 

And you know what? I’m not okay with that. You know what? Fuck Bell. How is it right that he gets a stupidly broken skill that lets him go from a no-name scrub to beyond fucking plus ultra max level stats in about two weeks? All because he fell in love with a girl that saved his dumbass. 

Do you know who could have really used that Skill when she was being beaten and tormented by adventurers? Lili. Why couldn’t her hate for adventurers, or desire for freedom trigger a skill equal or greater to Realis Phrase? Do you know who also could use that Skill? Ais. She spent the last decade of her life trying to grow strong enough to kill the big bad evil dragon and save her mom. 

How was it right that Bell got this amazing Skill and no one else did? Was Bell really so goddamn thirsty for Ais that he apparently wanted her more than everyone else on the planet wanted anything? I knew the answer. It was because Bell was the protagonist, so of course, he gets the extra rare super-duper powerful Skill that completely breaks the setting because his dick is just that fucking big-

I shook my head, half to clear it of stray thoughts and half exasperation. “No point in thinking about it now,” I muttered, descending to the fifth floor. Bell was probably still wandering around the city. Or he got picked up by another familia. Or, better yet, he flat out didn’t exist. Of all the harem protagonists I’ve come across, he was one of my favorites but now that his bullshit was put in perspective? Fuck that guy. 

…

I sped through the fifth floor in a little over an hour. Apparently, the secret was to make right turns until you reached the entrance to the sixth floor. Immediately I noticed that the sixth floor was different. Everything had a cold blue hue to it because of the lighting and any man-made trace was gone. The halls were more of tunnels, much larger and wider than what they were previously. 

Stepping onto it, I gripped my sword a little tighter. If I remember correctly, this was the floor that new monsters start to spawn. War Shadows and...cyclops frogs, or something. Either way, it meant that I had to keep my guard up. 

The first monster the sixth floor threw at me was a goblin, of all things. I dispatched it with ease, a single swipe of my sword as I began to map the floor. My blanket was growing heavy with blood, stiff on the upper parts where it began to dry. I was going to need a serious shower after this was done. 

I aimlessly wandered the tunnels, taking right turns where I could. An old tactic born of over a decade of experience when dungeon diving in RPGs. Minutes passed in silence, only the sound of my feet on stone sounding impossibly loud before I picked up on the sound of croaking. I took in a steadying breath, trying to peer through the darkness ahead to see what it contained. 

The croaking got louder, nearer as did the sound of thumping as the frog began hopping towards me. It landed underneath a cool blue light, revealing a deep green toad with a massive eye. It was bigger than the other monsters, though not by much. If the goblins were about two feet tall, then the toad was closer to three. Still, it made for an easier target. 

Instead of rushing it, I settled into a mockery of a fighting stance, waiting for it to make the first move. The frog blinked its massive eye, croaking, the skin underneath its jaw ballooning out before it hopped forward once. Then again. And again. And another time. Every muscle was taut, ready to spring into action. When the monster’s mouth cracked open, I was already moving. 

Just like a normal frog, its tongue shot out of its mouth at speeds I could only follow because I knew it was coming. It raced through the spot I stood a mere moment ago. It was gone just as fast at it shot at me, forcing me to keep moving as it attacked again. It missed by inches, close enough that I would swear that I could feel some of my hair get blown out of place. 

With one final massive step, I stabbed the frog in its massive eye, making it squeal for a quick second before being reduced to ash. No sooner than that it was dead, I summoned upon my status screen, hoping that it gave me more than one exp. 

Jericho

Level: 1

Progress to level 2: 783/1,000,000

Strength: 2 (+2)

Endurance: 13 (+4)

Dexterity: 10 (+5)

Intelligence: 2 

Sense: 6 (+4)

Development Abilities:

Physical Resistance: The user receives 1% less damage. Effectiveness is determined by the Endurance stat. 

Skills:

Gamer Body: The user’s body is that of a video game.

Massage: Skilled hands make targets tension and exhaustion melt away. Effectiveness is determined by Dexterity and Strength stat.

A wide smile split my face, reinvigorating me. All of a sudden, it was all worth it. “They’re worth three exp,” I said, feeling so relieved that it was hilarious in a really sad way. Three exp was absolutely nothing yet it was three times better than what I was getting before. I guess it’s true what they say -- feed a dog four times a day and he will be angry if only fed three times. Feed a dog three times a day, he will always be thankful for a fourth. 

My smile fell when I heard more croaking. Looking over, I saw another frog. And another one behind it. I dismissed the windows and started moving, sprinting towards the frogs as their mouths cracked open. Making myself a giant was proving to be a hindrance again, since I was such a large target, between the two of them, there was no way I wasn’t going to get hit. 

I made eye contact with the second toad, trying to gauge where it was going to try to hit me. I had no idea. At all. So simply held my sword in front of me, hoping that it-

My thoughts were thrown off track when something slammed into my chest hard enough that I was knocked off my feet. I gasped, hitting the ground hard, any breath in my lungs exploding out of me in a gasp. The two sides of my chest hurt, marked with blood. Through the sudden pain, I looked over at the frog and saw blood leaking from its lips as it mewled pathetically. 

It went for my chest and got its tongue split by my sword. One thing they never mention in the movies -- a sword isn’t wide enough to make something split apart far enough that they two halves would sail harmlessly by. 

Ignoring the dull ache in my chest, feeling like I got kicked by a horse, I scrambled forward to put an end to them before they could do the same to me. I threw myself to the side, feeling the wind wash over me as the first frog narrowly missed. Rolling to my feet, I crossed the distance between us and plunged my sword into the monsters. They seemed to have no close rang defense, so it was a simple task to kill them. 

“Ugh,” I groaned, grasping at my chest. Looking down, I already saw a bruise forming. And that my blanket had gotten untied during the fight, so I stood nude in the Dungeon. Gods, I really was an idiot. No wonder my Intelligence stat was 2. 

After tying my blanket back to my waist, I glanced back at the exit. No. Not yet. A thousand exp. At least. Plus, I still had a few hours before Hestia started to get worried. 

I was almost there. Just over two hundred exp left until I reached my goal. I could do it. I had to. 

…

Hestia collapsed face-first into her bed, a sigh of relief escaping her, but she wasn’t able to properly relax because her spine had a sharp pain in her lower back every time she tried. Her legs ached, her muscles burning from overuse while her feet felt like they were hollowed out then filled with lead. 

She reached out to grab her pillow, dragging it under her head as she shifted her back so it wouldn’t hurt so much. The smell of a sack full of jagamarukuns was typically a welcomed scent, but if she never smelled the delicious snacks again, it would be too soon. After today, Hestia never, ever, ever wanted to look at them again. 

Customers...there were just so many of them! And they never stopped coming! All-day, Hestia doubted that she had less than ten people waiting in line for a scrumptious jagamarukun. During the lunch rush, it was closer to twenty. She moved as fast as she could, she said the company motto with a smile like a broken record, but still, she got the occasional customer that got really mad that he or she had to wait. 

It was a really long, really bad day and she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep. Maybe cuddle with Jericho as she fell asleep. Instead, she was greeted by an empty home. 

“I wish he would have left a note,” Hestia muttered, crawling underneath the covers. Where was he? She hoped he would have stayed in to read, but the pile of books looks like it hadn’t been touched. His armor was still here, so he couldn’t be in the Dungeon-

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard knocking at the stone false door that lead to her room. Hestia went stiff, unsure who would knock at her door. It couldn’t be Jericho. Maybe it was Hesphstus? It had to be. Who else could it be?

Throwing off her covers, Hestia winced as she pushed herself up to her feet. Everything hurt and everything sucked. Even still, she pushed herself forward to push open the door. Instead of being greeted by her redheaded friend, she saw a girl with dull silver hair and eyes dressed in a lime green maid outfit with a white apron. She was pretty, somewhere around Jericho’s age.

“Hello?” Hestia greeted, looking down to see three children. A brown-haired, sullen-looking boy that found his shoes very interesting. A young girl with blonde hair that looked like she was about to start crying. A younger child, an elf, stared up at her dully. 

“Hello, goddess Hestia,” the older girl greeted, curtsying. “My name is Syr Flova, these are Rye, Fina, and Roux,” she said, a sweet smile on her face as she pushed the children forward. “And they owe you and your familia member an apology.”

Hestia blinked, tilting her head as she tried to puzzle out what they would need to apologize for. The boy stubbornly refused to look at her, while the girl, Fina, made eye contact with her for an entire second before she threw her head back and started sobbing. 

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Fina wailed, fat tears running down her face as she acted like she was apologizing for the end of the world. Hestia reached out to her, unable to bear the sight of a crying child, and hugged her even though she still had no idea what she was apologizing for. 

“It’s okay, shh, shh,” Hestia soothed, rubbing calming circles into Fina’s back as she looked at the others with a bewildered expression. It was Roux, the elven child, that answered her unspoken question. 

“We’re sorry for stealing Mr. Tall Guy’s clothes,” Roux said, holding out...Jericho’s tanktop, underwear and socks out for her to take. 

“What?” Hestia asked, that being the very last thing that she expected for the child to say. 

“The children wanted to play a prank of your familia member and stole his clothes earlier this morning,” Syr began, clarifying the situation instantly. However, her expression was too serious to be making a couple of kids apologize for what amounted to be a harmless prank. It didn’t take Hestia long to figure out why. “They meant to hide them from him for a little bit then return them. But, your child...went into the Dungeon.”

“Oh,” Hestia muttered, a sinking feeling in her gut. Why would he do that- money. Jericho would be worried about money. He owed Welf several thousand for his leg armor, and he would be worried about buying new clothes. So, he would go into the Dungeon. But without his armor? That… “foolish…”

“I’m sorry! We just wanted to be funny! And now he’s in the Dungeon without any armor and...and...and he’s dead!” Fina wailed into her chest, holding onto Hestia for dear life. Her words made Hestia’s heart go still in her chest, her attention going to her blessing to see that it was still there. Jericho was alive.

“He’s alive,” Hestia reassured, pulling back to look down at Fina. “You might not have noticed, but Jericho is pretty strong. There’s no way some goblins would be able to hurt him! He’ll be just fine. I promise,” Hestia swore, desperately hoping that she wasn’t lying. To go into the Dungeon without armor, without clothes apparently, even on the first floor for a rookie adventurer that was one less than a day…

“...Really?” Fina asked, sounding hopeful. Rye looked up sharply, not as disinterested in apologizing as he tried to seem. Roux just blinked, his...or her expression revealing nothing. 

“Really. I bet when he gets back, he’s going to find this really funny.” Hestia promised with a bright smile, far more genuine than the ones she wore towards the end of her shift. “I bet he’ll feel really silly too.”

“See,” Syr began, placing a hand on Roux and Rye’s shoulders. “Goddess Hestia is very understanding, you don’t need to be afraid.” She nudged Rye forward a little, making the boy shot a glare up at her before he turned to Hestia. 

He shifted from foot to foot, unable to meet her gaze. Hestia smiled lightly, placing a hand on his cheek guiding his gaze to hers. His eyes had a red tint to them, fighting back tears, his bottom lip quivering. Even still, he puffed out his little chest, trying to make himself appear much bigger than he actually was. “I-It was my idea, so i-If anything bad happens to him, then I’ll take responsibility. I promise!”

Hestia simply smiled, the children completely unaware of what their words were doing to her emotions. Thankfully, Syr seemed to pick up on it by gently prying Fina from Hestia. “I took the time to stitch up his pants,” she informed, passing Hestia Jericho’s clothes. Hestia glanced at the stitching to see that it was nearly flawless. She...should have done that for him. 

“Thank you,” Hestia said, taking Jericho’s clothes. Syr smiled at her as she took back a reluctant Fina. “For bringing these back. And for apologizing,” she said to the children. 

Syr nodded, “to make up for it, I can treat you to a meal if you would like. I work at the Hostess of Fertility, over on Main Street. And I’m sure the children will want to apologize to Jericho personally, hmm?” She offered, turning her attention to the children at the last bit. Rye looked down, while Fina nodded her head, sniffling lightly as Roux just nodded. 

“I think he would appreciate that,” Hestia said, waving goodbye as they children and Syr turned around to leave. She watched them go, Fina turning around to wave goodbye at her, and before long they were far down the street. Now that they were gone, a stone of worry settled in her stomach. 

Her blessing was still there, so Jericho was alive. She had a hard time believing that he would fall to goblins, but he was down there with no armor or clothes. Hestia couldn’t stop herself from worrying. With a sigh that seemed to deflate her, Hestia gripped his clothes to her chest as she descended down the steps. The soap worked a little too well for her liking. They didn’t smell like him. 

She collapsed into her bed, curling up into a ball as she watched the day glass begin to trickle down. Sand began to fill it, steadily climbing past lines that marked the hour. 6 o’clock. 7 o’clock. 8 o’clock. 9 o’clock. With every hour, her worry grew. He was only on the first floor, so what was taking him so long?

Was it just a slow day? Did he lose track of time? Or was he lying on the Dungeon floor bleeding out? She couldn’t imagine that goblin could seriously hurt him, but what about other adventurers? Lok’s familia went on an expedition today. What if one of them did something? 

Hestia clutched his clothing closer to her chest, trying to put her worries at ease with faith in her child. Jericho was strong. He promised that he would never leave her alone. He would return to her. She had to believe that. She had to believe in him. 

As the day glass neared the tenth hour, she heard the familiar sounds of Jericho trying to softly push the stone door open. Hestia shot off her bed like a speeding bullet, racing up the steps before Jericho could fully open the door. As soon as she saw him, she slammed into him hard enough that he stumbled back a step, knocking the breath from his lungs. 

She squeezed him as hard as she could, burying her face into his stomach, fighting back tears of pure relief. A few moments passed, and she heard him sigh, a hand caressing her back. “I worried you. I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low and rumbly. 

Hestia’s throat was too clogged up with emotion to say anything, so she nodded. 

“I’m fine, I...not going to lie and say that I didn’t do something stupid. I did do something stupid. I got my clothes stolen by a couple of kids, I ran across the Loki familia in the Dungeons and I...felt frustrated with my progress. I mean, they were going to the deep floors while I was stuck on the first floor dealing with goblins.” Jericho muttered softly to her, his words calming her as she listened. 

“You went down to the second floor. Without any armor,” she guessed, making Jericho go still. He heaved a breath, telling her that she wasn’t going to like what he said next. She was right. 

“Sixth floor,” Jericho corrected, her gaze snapped up to him. The sixth floor?! On his second day of being an adventurer?! “I’m fine,” Jericho was quick to reassure her as if he could. Hestia pulled back from him, intent of finding every single scrape and cut. Only then did she noticed that he wore his blanket, that was worse for wear, with no small amount of blood spattered over the bottom half. 

“I’m fine,” Jericho repeated, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. “The worse that I got was some bruising on my chest, but its already gone,” he said, gesturing to himself. Hestia looked at him for a moment, something giving way in her chest that made her feel exhausted. 

“What were you thinking?” Hestia asked, letting Jericho lead her into their home. 

“I wasn’t thinking,” Jericho answered, guiding her to her bed. “I was frustrated with- are those my clothes?” He asked, spotting the pile of them peeking out from underneath the covers. Hestia nodded, a hand going up to his massive hands on her shoulders, gently starting to massage them. It felt fantastic. . 

“The kids that stole them brought them back. They wanted to play a prank on you, but you went off into the Dungeon. Without any armor,” Hestia answered, turning to face him. Her tone did the trick because he looked properly chided. 

“I overreacted,” Jericho admitted. “I realized that we were already in debt and I couldn’t stand the thought of us going any deeper. I meant to just go to the first floor, but then I saw the Loki familia.” Jericho explained, not defending his actions, she noted. “I just...expected more from myself.” He finished, earning a nod from Hestia. 

They had that in common, she thought. 

‘I understand,” she decided, accepting his apology. A sigh escaped her, the tension leaving her body with it. “Just...don’t scare me like that again. Promise?” She requested in a small voice as Jericho’s hands began to massage her shoulders. 

“I promise,” Jericho swore as she leaned into his touch. That Massage Skill...was really good. Hestia liked it. She liked it a lot. “Now...how was your day?” He asked, his thumbs working on her upper back, the knots of tension she hadn’t known were there were slowly being rubbed away. 

“It was fine,” Hestia answered, a tad too quickly. She was hardly going to complain to him after the day that he had. Jericho chuckled, working a little lower to between her shoulder blades, her head rolled back to rest against his hard stomach. 

“I had a rough day, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t too. Remember what we promised?” Jericho murmured, his dark blue eyes gazing into her own when she cracked them open. “We support each other. You had a long day. Your back is pretty much a giant ball of tension. Let me take care of that for you.”

Words of protest were heavy on her tongue. He just left the Dungeon -- if anyone should be getting a massage, it should be him. Instead, Hestia found herself nodding mutely, enjoying the feeling of his powerful hands gently working the stress from her body. 

Jericho smiled, “then hop on the bed. And, uh, let me get changed.” Jericho said, letting go of her. Hestia instantly missed the feeling of his hands on her shoulders, but she hopped on the bed all the same. Jericho reached out to grab his underwear, the sound of the blanket dropping to the floor seemed incredibly loud. 

He was naked behind her. Hestia’s faced burned at the thought. She buried her face into her pillow to hide the evidence. 

“Do your legs hurt again?” He asked, hopefully fully dressed. Hestia peeked out from her self imposed suffocation, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Though, she had little luck with her heart pounding in her chest. 

“They do,” Hestia admitted, closing her eyes. “I didn’t get a break again. Or lunch,” she admitted, almost wishing that she could take the words back as soon as she said them. She was complaining about standing around all day when Jericho had been fighting for his life. On the sixth floor. He-

Any trace of rational thought was blown away when she felt his hands on her feet. A soft breath escaped her, she clenched her pillow as he pressed down on the center of her foot. Jericho laughed when he heard it. “I guess the Massage Skill is the real deal,” he said, sounding too amused for his own good. 

“It isss,” Hestia breathed, taking in deep breaths as she let herself relax for the first time today. Her child was safe, and hopefully, he learned a lesson from this. 

“I guess I should be focusing on Strength and Dexterity. Maybe look into getting some oils,” Jericho mused aloud, focusing on her heel.

“No, I don’t need anything like that,” she protested firmly, doing her absolute best not to imagine his oily hands on her feet. How would that feel? She couldn’t imagine that it didn’t feel good. No, great. Getting a normal foot rub felt good, add oils to the mix and the combination had to feel great. 

“I actually made a fair bit today,” Jericho responded, massaging her toes. “I can pay off my armor tomorrow. Might get a sharpening stone while I’m at it and some potions. The rest, Hestia, is going to be spent on you.” Jericho decided, moving on to her other foot. A gasp stole her breath away before she could argue. 

“What would you like?” Jericho asked, making sure every last bit of soreness was through expelled from her feet. Then his hands traveled up her leg, massaging her calf. For a moment, Hestia couldn’t respond, the only thing she was aware of was his hands on her legs. And how good they felt. 

“We should save it,” Hestia protested, her heart rate starting to pick up even faster. Despite her words, she couldn’t stop a dopey smile on her face that was thankfully hidden by the pillow. He wanted to buy her nice things. It was so sweet. 

“But I want to spend it on my goddess,” Jericho argued. He said goddess differently than he normally did, Hestia noted as she basked in the feeling of his hands massaging her calf. Lower. Hungry, even. It made her blood feel hot in her veins. Not the kind of hot that she felt when she was particularly embarrassed, but like her entire body was going to overheat. It seemed to pool in her lower gut, where her belly button was. 

Hestia didn’t...dislike it, she decided. 

“I want to buy oils to give you proper massages every single day when you get off work,” he said, his hands going to her other calf. “To get out all the stress that builds up because of customers. I want to buy you shoes, and dresses...and books.”

Hestia perked up at the last one, her mind drifting when she imagined what he said. Every single day? This? That sounded...amazing, she thought as she took in shallow breaths through her nose. Her heart was still pounding at her ribs, her body felt so hot, and everywhere Jericho touched felt like electricity was coursing through her. 

“Books?” She echoed, the last one bringing her back down to the lower world, helping her focus on something other than his hands slowly making their way up towards her thigh. 

“Hm. Books. I know I don’t look like one, but I’m actually a pretty big reader,” Jericho said, earning a giggle out of her. He certainly was a big reader. “Oh, is that funny goddess?” He asked the way he said goddess sending...something through her. Almost like a shiver that made more heat pool in her stomach. 

“Do you really like reading?” She asked to cover up her bad pun. His hands glided over her thighs, replacing the aches with pure pleasure. 

“I do. Mostly fantasy books, and some si-fi when I’m in the mood,” he answered, his hands gliding up, switching between her thighs. They inched upwards, her blood growing hotter with every inch. Was she sweating? She hoped not. The very last thing she wanted right now was to gross out Jericho. 

“What’s si-fi?” Hestia muttered, Jericho’s hands going still for a moment before they continued to work their magic. 

“They’re stories about the stars, and those that travel them,” Jericho said, his hands climbing higher. They traveled over her upper thighs, his thumbs tracing her inner thigh. Hestia felt herself clench...down there...when she realized that his thumbs were mere inches away from touch her most sacred place. 

Impossibly, her heart started to beat even faster. She was so incredibly aware of his hands, feeling them massage upwards, kneading her flesh to rid it of any tension. Each time he pressed down, his hands would move just a little higher, each time bringing him closer and closer and closer to her sacred place. 

Should she say something? It wasn’t like he was doing it on purpose! No, she couldn’t say anything. If she let him know how much she was enjoying it, then he would think of her like she was a slutty goddess like Freya! He was just trying to make her feel good. 

“Wh- ah, what stories? Can- can you tell me one?” Hestia requested, fumbling with her words. His hands traveled upwards, his thumbs inching upwards- “ah,” a breath escaped her, a sound that she never made before escaping her throat before she knew what it was. His thumbs pressed against the sides of her panties, his hands pushing up the hem of her dress to expose her butt. 

His hands continued to massage her, pressing down on her inner thigh while his hands massaged her hips. He...was just giving her a massage. His thumbs traced where her panties met her thighs, ghosting over her flesh, making it rise in gooseflesh in response. Her breathing became harsher, more ragged, as she tried to calm her heart that felt like it was about to jump out of her throat. 

“Of course,” Jericho said, completely unaware of the effect his hands were having. His thumbs were so close to her sacred place, tracing the outline of her panties all the way to her butt. Not touching it exactly, but so close she could swear he felt his hands on it. She clenched again at the sound of his low voice, gripping her pillow until her knuckles were white. 

“Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a young boy.” Jericho began, his hands massaging over her hips. His thumbs traced the inside of her thighs, and when he squeezed down, Hestia swore she felt her lower lips part. She tried to listen to the story, but his hands proved to be too big of a distraction. His low rumbly voice wasn’t helping either. 

“Young and foolish, he lived his entire life on a farm. He dreamed of one day leaving it, to hop on a ship that would take him across the stars, but deep down, he knew he would never leave his home. It was where his parents lived, and where their parents lived and where their parents lived, and, one day, it would be where his children lived.” His voice wasn’t helping at all. All she could think about was how close his hands were to her special place, a place none had touched except for her. 

What would his hands feel like if he touched her there? She wanted to know. It would feel good. It had to feel good. His hands would take care of the burning ache between her legs like he did the ones in her feet. But…no, she couldn’t…

“Until one day, the boy’s world came crashing down around him. His family died, killed by an evil empire that stretched across the stars. And on that day, he learned that he was not destined to live and die on that farm. A goddess,” Jericho muttered, that word making a shiver race through her as she clenched again at how he said it. How could a word make her feel so good? “Appeared before him. Beautiful. Short with long black hair, her eyes were the same color as the purest sapphires. She wore a white dress-”

A giggle escaped Hestia, her chest light. “You’re describing me,” she pointed out, a smile in her voice. He thought she was beautiful. 

“Oh? Am I? Hmm,” Jericho said, and she could hear him smiling behind her. “I’m not sure. Let’s turn you over to find out.” He said, making her eyes go wide before he turned her over with such ease. Hestia didn’t fight it, but she clutched her pillow, letting it cover her face. “That won’t do. I need to see if your eyes are the same as the purest of sapphires.” How could he say something so ridiculous so seriously?

With a hand, he gently placed it on her wrist. He didn’t pry it away, simply massaging her wrist as his other hand ghosted over her thigh. Then it came to a rest on her hip, the tips of his fingers resting on the side of her butt. Her breathing was ragged, her chest heaving -- she couldn’t let him see her like this. Like some…

“Let me see your face, my goddess,” Jericho said, using those words again. His hand left her wrist, going to her waist to join the other one, though only for a second. He traced her sides, the tips of his fingers barely touching her ribs, as the palm of his hand barely brushed against the side of one of her breasts. Despite herself, Hestia felt her grip to lessen on her pillow. 

She swallowed thickly, feeling Jericho’s hands caress her arm, traveling to the pillow, and when he grabbed it, Hestia allowed him to take it. The first thing she saw was how he seemed to take up her field of view, towering over her. It might have been scary if she didn’t see his smiling face. 

“Ah, you do,” Jericho said, sounding surprised. “I suppose I was describing my goddess,” he said again, his hand going up to caress her cheek. A thumb lightly traced her parted lips as she stared up at him, unblinking. Slowly, her gaze dipped down to see that her nipples poked through her dress, pebbled against the thin fabric. 

Beyond that, Hestia saw his penis again. He wore his underwear, but his hard thing was too long to keep it trapped. It pushed one leg of the underwear up, standing straight up as much as it could. Hestia couldn’t look away. She knew of sex, if only from naughtier books and tales from others. She knew that...was supposed to somehow fit inside her. As she gazed at it, half expecting it to rip through the cotton at any second, Hestia couldn’t imagine that working. 

“Don’t worry about that. Tonight is about you, my goddess,” Jericho whispered to her, his hands moving across her body. The hand on her thigh shifted, a knuckle-dragging across her-

“Ah!” Hestia managed to get out before the dam of heat in her gut, the coil of pleasure became undone. Pleasure raced through her like a million volts of electricity, her mind going white as her hips jerked upwards, sounds that she never made escaping her lips because she couldn’t stop them. Distantly, Hestia was aware that she was really...wet down there. 

Through her pleasure hazed mind, she spared a worry that she had accidentally wet herself. Even the prospect of that humiliation was far gone as white-hot pleasure raced through her. She grabbed Jericho’s arm, squeezing down with all her might, her hips jerking again to seek out more of his touch. 

Slowly, Hestia came down from her high, her legs trembling from...whatever that was. She greedily sucked down deep breaths of air, her face flushed as she blinked to clear her glassy vision. Jericho was still above her, gently tracing her lips with a thumb. She should say something, anything, but she didn’t have the words. Her mind couldn’t form them. Instead, she gazed up at him, her body shaking from the aftershocks. 

“Was that your first orgasm?” Jericho asked, laying next to her. Hestia blinked slowly, her mind sluggish. Was this an orgasm? Really? Maybe...maybe slutty goddesses were on to something…

“Y-yes?” Hestia managed to get out, her gaze slowly dipping down. It swept over his chest, stomach and...penis before it landed on her lower body. She could see a wet spot on the covers, she could feel it on her skin, soaking her panties to her -- she-

“You squirted,” Jericho said, getting her attention before she died of embarrassment over wetting the bed. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Jericho said, reassuringly caressing her arm. Hestia looked at him, her mind full of fuzz. Slowly, she nodded, shifting slightly. “But, we should clean you up before bed.”

Again, Hestia nodded, not trusting her voice. She could catch a cold or something. She didn’t think that when she didn’t move to clean herself up, Jericho would lean over her to grab the blanket he had used in the Dungeon. What was he going to do with that-

Any rational thought came to a screeching halt when Jericho leaned over her, hooking his thumbs underneath her panties, and pulled them down. Her eyes went wide -- he could see her-! No, he couldn’t. His gaze never left hers, his dark eyes unusually intense as he pulled her soaked panties off of her. Hestia couldn’t so much as breathe, unable to even blink as she stared back at him. 

Then, slowly, he bundled up the blanket, careful to keep the bloody bits away from her, before he pressed it between her legs. He started at her thigh, gently wiping upwards, then going to the other thigh, then he-. A...moan...tore itself from her throat at the contact, her body sensitive in a way it never had been before. Still, Jericho gazed at her as he cleaned her lower body. It only lasted a few seconds, less than a minute, but it felt like an eternity. When he was done, Jericho tossed the blanket to the side. 

“Did you enjoy that, my goddess?” He asked, smoothing her dress back down so that she was covered. She was starting to suspect that he knew what that word did to her.

She should say no. What would he think of her if she admitted that she had? This was meant to be a simple message, and she turned it into something else with...with...her wanton lust! 

“Yes,” Hestia heard herself say, unable to lie. She never felt anything like that before. It was...mind-blowing. Her eyes dipped to his penis, her hands twitching towards it. “Should I…?”

Jericho grabbed her hands, “no, not tonight. Tonight was about your pleasure,” he whispered huskily. That was...it should be good, but it wasn’t. She wanted to hold it. She wanted to feel the hard pillar of flesh in her hands. 

He started to get up, to go sleep on the couch like normal, but Hestia stopped him. She gripped his muscled arm, she knew what she wanted to say, but not how to say it. “Please,” she started, her voice soft enough that she could barely hear herself. “Stay with me?” 

Jericho paused, then settled back down. A hand snaked underneath her, picking her up with what should be frightening ease, before depositing her on top of him, in the same position they woke up in on the first night. To keep her out of the wet spot she created, Hestia tried to rationalize to herself. 

“Always.”