Dragon's Tale 4 (Patreon)

The sensation of waking up had been much more comfortable than I expected considering that I was sleeping in a poorly-constructed shelter in the middle of the sea half-naked, and had spent a considerable amount of power just before going to sleep. Still, even with the annoying sound of the wind ringing in my ears, I managed to get a night of good sleep, revitalizing me completely. 

It seemed that I owed my angry blanket my thanks, I decided with a smirk as I enjoyed the tight grip of the arms around my body, and even better, apparently, I managed to move during my sleep to wrap my arms around her in turn, creating a facsimile of a lover’s embrace. I cracked my eye open, only to come face to face with her angelic face, the sleep effectively removing all her negative emotions, leaving only her ethereal beauty. It would be a lie if I said that I wasn’t tempted to lean down to steal a kiss from her pouty lips, but it was easy to control the desire. Doing something like that would create a pointless crisis, something I needed to avoid in my already-complicated situation. 

Still, it didn’t mean that I was going to leave her alone while she had all that karma to work off. I shifted my legs until her core was resting directly against my shaft, which, combined with the pressure of her naked chest, turning the situation just delicious enough to make it worth the wait. Then, I stood motionless, watching her from my barely cracked eyes, doing my best impression of still being asleep. 

Her movements started before she woke up. First, her hips moved back, momentarily making me afraid that I was going to lose the opportunity. But before that opinion could solidify, they pushed forward, tight enough that I could feel the heat of her core despite my pants. And to make things even better, the motion started to repeat, each caress enhancing my erection further while also making her beautiful breasts rub against my chest, adding yet another layer of pleasure to the game. Soon, her lips parted and a soft moan escaped her mouth. 

Weirdly enough, it was her own moan that managed to wake her up. 

Her eyes slowly opened, filled with comfort and desire. Unfortunately, that appealing mixture of emotion didn’t last long, dispersing the moment she remembered whose arms were around her. Her mouth widened in shock, about to let out a cry, but she managed to stop herself before it was too late, and carefully examined my face instead, solidifying the impression that I was still asleep. After several seconds of careful examination, she was convinced about my state of sleep, and tried to pull herself out of my grasp.

That part wasn’t as successful as she hoped to be, especially since my grasp was tight enough to prevent an easy escape, especially since she was still afraid of me waking up, and seeing our intimate situation. It was not only amusing to watch her twist and turn helplessly, but also highly erotic. After all, the only piece of clothing she had on was her rather flimsy panties, and those were not in the best of conditions after spending hours in saltwater. 

As she twisted and turned, I finally managed to catch a full view of her breasts, even more beautiful than I imagined with their perfect firmness, cute pink areolas, and equally cute nipples. To make things better, her nipples were stiff, and while the cold played a role in their situation, I was confident enough to believe that it wasn’t due to the cold only. After all, she was wrapped in my arms, and regardless of my earlier reputation and standoffish behavior, I was still the savior that saved her from a fate worse than death. 

In parallel to my thoughts, she stilled after a minute of helpless twisting and turning, examining my face with a curious expression with hints of naughtiness on her face. Clearly, the apparent heaviness of my sleep had given her an excuse to be naughty. “Marcus,” she murmured a couple of times, and after my lack of response, her hands started to roam over my body, tracing my muscles, clearly impressed. I had to struggle not to push my chest out with pride. After all, only a minority of the magic users preferred a path that required physical fitness, and even among them, only a small minority had pushed their physical fitness to my level. It hadn’t been an easy process, but the results spoke for themselves.  So, her fascinated expression was only to be expected as she slowly caressed the muscles on my chest and my stomach. 

However, I was rather surprised when her hands continued to travel down until they landed on the obvious bulge in my pants. I hadn’t expected her to actually molest me to such a degree while thinking I was asleep. Apparently, my little noble lady was much more adventurous than my assumptions. Curious just how far she would go, I actually loosened my arms after she caressed my shaft a few times, giving her the opportunity she needed to get away from my grip. 

She took the chance, and after doing so, she pushed my shoulder slightly so I ended up laying on my back. However, her next step managed to surprise me even further. She poked me a couple of times while calling my name, but hadn't repeated the action louder when I failed to react, which would have been the reasonable action if she had been trying to wake me up. Instead, she crouched next to me, her arms hanging freely, her whole body on display, creating a divine view as the morning sun mixed with her blonde locks. 

Watching her like that, my pants were getting uncomfortably tight, enough to make me consider cutting the ploy short. At that point, however, Lillian decided to solve the problem for me. Her delicate fingers traced my waist until she found the button, trembling in excitement. She sent another gaze to my face, this time much more careful, then popped it open, something she immediately followed by lowering my zipper. A brief struggle with my underpants later, my shaft stood proud and free. 

I never felt such an urge to burst into laughter, unable to believe the prim and proper heiress Lillian, the girl that was idealized by all the other girls, and thought as the ideal wife by all the boys in the school, would go as far as to undress me in my sleep just for her curiosity. At that moment, I was sure that it would be the end, but she somehow had even more surprises for me. Her finger landed on my shaft, tracing across its length gently like she was trying to familiarize herself with its presence. A second finger was added to the mix, and soon after, her hand was wrapped around my girth, gently moving up and down. Her motions were stiff and amateurish, indicating that it was the first time that she had contact with a male member, but it only made the situation more delicious. 

Unfortunately, her little play of naughtiness ended soon after. For a moment, she leaned further, her tongue out, making me think that she would take that unbelievable step, but she got cold feet before her tongue could touch the crown, and like she realized what she had been doing, her hand jumped away, something she followed with her whole body a moment later. She looked at me with the full realization of what she had been doing, shock dominating her expression, and she jumped away. She even ran out of the crude residence I had built, leaving me alone. 

Only after sending a subtle mana wave to make sure she wasn’t around I stood up, unable to keep myself from chuckling. I sat for a few minutes, letting the magic flow freely in my body, testing the state of my reserves. And to my surprise, they were already full. 

I couldn’t help but frown at the revelation. Having my reserves back to full was convenient, but the fact remained that it shouldn’t have happened that quickly, not after I had spent that much power wreaking havoc in the ship and breaking the runic bracelets, unless I was sitting in the center of a sanctuary. But there was no way that this island was a sanctuary, because if it was, the empire would have never missed the chance of building a temple here. And even if they did, various other powers, or even pirates, would have established a hideout. 

I closed my eyes, focusing on my mana to understand the source. What I had found surprised me. The small box on my pocket was the source of it, a steady stream of mana had replenished what I had lost. With a sigh, I pulled the small box from my pocket, examining it curiously, unable to believe it was able to do something like that despite all the concealment and suppression runes around it. It was an even bigger treasure than I had first thought. 

But that wasn’t exactly the best of news. The pirates were going to follow me with all of their power, the blow I delivered to them was too insulting for them to do otherwise, so I had thought that stealing the box wouldn’t have made a lot of difference. But now, I was doubting that the box was something the pirates could have acquired, meaning that likely they were keeping it for another power, probably a major family. 

“Excellent,” I murmured. “Like my uncle wasn’t enough, I have managed to make another enemy in the shadows just a week after escaping the island,” I murmured mockingly. “Great going, Marcus.” 

With a sigh, I stood up, not letting the latest realization to spoil my mood. After all, the pirates were based in Britanium, meaning their supporting power was likely based in the same location. And since I was already determined to avoid the island, there was not a lot they could do other than sending the occasional assassin or mercenary band, and that was a confrontation I was confident in betting. 

And more importantly, these were considerations for when I reached the mainland and found a hideout. There was no need to spoil my mood preemptively, something I had learned by necessity. With the risks I always faced, I learned to enjoy the moment by necessity, otherwise, I would have died of depression long ago. 

I walked to the shore, where Lillian was sitting on a stone, her legs pulled against her chest, making a great show of watching the waves. Even if I hadn’t watched her naughty curiosity, seeing her like that would have been enough to make me suspicious. “You’re finally up, I have been waiting for you to wake up for hours,” she murmured when I was close enough.

“Weird, I’m usually a light sleeper,” I said, making a cloud of worry to occupy her face momentarily. “Still, it doesn’t matter, we need to leave without losing too much time. I have no doubt that our sailor friends have caught both lifeboats by now, and are now returning to catch us. While this little cropping is not the best temporary outpost, they’ll still drop by sooner or later.” 

“How are we going to leave this place. Even I know there’s no other island close enough to swim, and the mainland is too far away to reach with anything other than a ship, a simple boat would be suicide.” She sent a dismissive glare to the rocks around. “And even if that was doable, we still need a boat. And this place lacks anything we can use for that purpose.” 

“Are you really sure that there’s nothing here to build a boat?” I said, cutting her off. 

“Of course there isn’t, I’m not blind. There’s nothing here but rocks and sand,” she answered abrasively, which I easily recognized as a defense mechanism as she tried to compensate for her earlier curiosity. “And I know it because while you were busy sleeping lazily, I went through the place inch by inch. There are no trees, no debris, nothing.” 

I smirked suggestively. “And since you’re so sure about that, you will be willing to bet on it, of course,” I said. 

“Are you serious?” she said with a scoff, which was replaced with excitement when I nodded. “Excellent. Then, I want your pants.” 

“Naughty,” I said with a chuckle, and her face blushed enough to be mistaken for the evening sun. “

“Insolence!” she shouted, still sitting on the ground with her legs pulled against her chest. “Shut up. I’m just making sure that you are going to go through the same inconvenience I had gone through. I have no interest in the disgusting thing you’re hiding in there!” she continued, shaking her arm threateningly. 

I just chuckled. “Whatever you say, sweetie,” I said. “And from my part, I’m happy to have a day where you’re going to act as my maid.” Her face darkened at the bet, but before she could say anything, I continued. “Of course, we can have another bet if you’re afraid of losing.” 

I was planning it to be the first step of many taunts before she accepted the bet with anger. Instead, she shouted pridefully. “Of course I’m not afraid. I accept!” 

The session in the morning must have unbalanced her even more than my initial assumptions, I realized. It was a pity that staying in this little cropping could prove deadly, because I would have liked to see for how much I could push her in such a restricted space. It was such a pitiful loss of opportunity. Still, the gains were no less significant. “It’s a deal, then,” I said as I walked toward the shore, where I could dig for some sand. 

“What are you doing?” she asked as she watched me dig big scoops of sand from the bottom of the sea with my telekinesis and piling it on the shore. “Are you looking for your breakfast? If so, you would have more luck with fishing.” And just as she mentioned breakfast, a cute gurgling reached my ear, and she blushed. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle the breakfast in a few minutes. We need to secure our boat first.” And with that, I used my mana to shape a part of the sand into a long, thick sheet, approximately six feet to two feet, enough for two people to travel but a bit squeezed. 

A dismissive snort reached my ear as I started drawing runes on the surface of the sand. I understood her reasoning. The most accepted way of preparing the runes was using a specially-prepared carving set enhanced for stability and conductivity, and then applying those runes to specially prepared plates to ensure maximum longevity. Anything other than these two techniques was temporary. Therefore, almost no one studied the techniques to use runes outside the accepted ways. 

Of course, others didn’t have a crazy grandfather that abandoned them in the middle of a monster-filled forest with no shelter and no weapon time and time again, until they could perfect the art of rapid construction. The only reason I didn’t use these techniques last night to build a shelter was my reluctance to leave a clue for the pirates when they eventually found this outcropping. 

Her scoffing was replaced with silence in quick order when a visible wave of heat started to spread from the pile of sand, forcing the sand to melt while containment runes forced it to maintain its shape. After a few moments, I had a sheet of molten glass to work as a foundation for my construction. I wanted to turn and mock her a bit for her poor judgment. Unfortunately, constructing a glass boat was too tricky to lose time with such matters. It didn’t take too much mana, but the control it required was immense, especially while trying to maintain the runes on a liquid surface through sheer willpower. 

With that, I quickly constructed other blocks of sand, etching their runes quickly before letting them cook with internal magical fire, and soon, I had a glass boat that was radiating an unbearable heat. Without losing any time, I picked four flattish stones, and drew a rune each, using my fire-coated finger as the medium — a precious trick my grandfather taught me when I managed to make him proud by hunting a dozen dire wolves in retaliation when they dared to steal the prey I had trapped and killed, saying that he should reward sensible behavior. Crazy grandpa, I thought with equal amounts of fondness and hatred, placing the stones on the four corners of the boat, and pulled back, my task finally complete. 

“And that’s how you construct a boat from the available materials,” I said as I turned towards my accidental guest and quest, expecting to find a frustrated expression on her face. 

Therefore, I was surprised when I saw her standing, with open fascination on her face, watching the small boat I had built like she was hypnotized. The best evidence of her shock was her arms, which were gently hanging around her sides rather than covering her chest. I was surprised, but no way dissatisfied as I focused my attention on her breasts, watching them with an equal fascination. They were simply too perfect. 

“I have never seen something like this,” she murmured in fascination. “Not only you drew dozens of runes without any tools or air, but you also maintained them without the internal magic of the materials…” she murmured. “I have never seen anything so fascinating, even the runemasters of my family would struggle to achieve such a thing, and they have been working on the art for decades. How could you do something like that, and still fail to graduate?” 

I smirked as I gave her an exaggerated bow. “I aim to please milady. And let me say that I’m happy to see that you are happy with my craftsmanship despite losing the bet. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting you to display magnanimity in defeat,” I said with excessive deference, reminding her of the defeat in a way that would make it hard for her to argue without throwing her pride away. “And the issue of graduation is not as simple as you think, and it’ll take a while to explain. I’ll do so after catching us some breakfast.” She nodded, her gaze still on the cooling glass boat. I took a few steps before turning back, this time laughter clear in my tone. “By the way, I wasn’t expecting you to warm up to me this quickly, though I’m very happy with the results.” 

She looked at me questioningly, and I nodded towards her chest, where a very distinct absence of her arms had turned her into my eye candy. The angry cry I received, as a result, was simply delicious while she wrapped an arm around her chest, using the other to throw stones at me in anger. I chuckled as I used a mana shield to deflect the stones, leaving her with nothing but to let out another frustrated cry as she collapsed on the floor, her legs against her chest once more, her face burning with shame. 

Messing with her was simply too much fun…