“I have better hearing and sight from my parents, and I have a chance of stunning anything I kick,” Cyra said.
“That stun might be helpful if something gets to you.”
“Yes. It’s why Velina is training me the way she is.”
Trish looked at Stern, who exhaled slowly and nodded. “I’ll show you Pawly’s, first. Pawly, please?”
Pawly got down from the chair and stepped away from the table. She took a seat and waited.
“Pawly herself is a perk, one of mine from birth,” Stern said. “However, I have three perks for her from the dungeons. First, is size.” He made Pawly larger and Trish whistled. “Second was a new form of attack.” The tentacles appeared and Trish sat back with a thoughtful expression. “Lastly was a defensive perk for her,” Stern said.
“What in the Goddess’ name?” Trish breathed out in wonder as Pawly appeared to be shifting where she was sitting without moving.
“They can be used in tandem or separately,” Stern said as he decreased Pawly’s size.
“That’s amazing. Pawly, you are amazing.”
Pawly preened.
Stern dismissed all of her bonuses. “As for my other perks...” Looking to the side, he took a deep breath. “I’m an irregular, as you might have guessed, hence why I look like I do. It’s also why I have Pawly as a perk. Summons normally come later in the dungeons and are monsters.”
“I’ve heard the term before,” Trish said.
“My other perk that’s irregular is Empathic Soul. I feel all the emotions around me. The stronger the emotion, the farther away I can feel it and the harder it is for me to ignore. It’s why I’m an asshole to most people… They fear and hate me on sight, and I respond to it out of reflex.”
“Oh...” Trish said slowly. “So you felt it when I was lustful?”
Stern nodded. “It’s also why I know Cyra really is interested in me.”
Cyra went red. “I was sure you knew, but it’s embarrassing to hear you say it.”
“I try to distance myself from as much as I can, but it’s nearly impossible to do so entirely. I had a chance to negate it… I was worried that I might have lost my ability to understand Pawly, and one of her upgrade perks was the other option.”
“I’m glad you chose Pawly’s perk,” Cyra said. “I don’t think I could have told you if I wasn’t so sure that you already might know.”
“My other perks are from my mother. I have Dark Vision and Fire Resistance.”
“Infernal?” Trish said. “I never would’ve guessed.”
“Yeah, infernal.”
“I didn’t know, either,” Cyra said, giving him a soft smile. “Thank you for telling us. It’s hard for you, isn’t it?”
“That obvious?” Stern asked.
“You don’t say much about your family,” Cyra said.
“He’s trying to be his own man, without their help,” Trish said. “It’s admirable. I hate those guys who think that their family being wealthy or powerful means you should listen to them.”
Cyra shuddered as her memory hit her.
Stern covered her hand with his. “It’s okay.”
“I know. The memories still bother me,” Cyra said.
“Guess it’s my turn,” Trish said, trying to help distract Cyra. “I have Thick Skin and Iron Skin, which helps a lot as a bulwark. I can brush off most light damage. Pawly can’t hurt me because of them… well, not in her small form. In her large form, I think she’d be able to.”
Pawly chuffed.
“I have Dark Vision, which lets me see if there’s at least some light. That made things easier for my old crew, but it didn’t really matter until the following dungeon, when Steve got something similar.”
Stern felt the spike of sadness with the name and made a mental note to ask about him later.
“I was born with the perk of Protector. It lets me take the place of the person next to me if they’re being attacked. It was usable once a day until I picked up Improved Protector, so now I can do it three times.”
“Very useful for a bulwark,” Stern said.
“It is. My last combat perk is Weighted Blow. That allows me to hit harder if the weapon bludgeons.”
“Which is why you use a hammer,” Cyra said, recalling what Trish had said earlier.
“Yeah. My other natural-born perks were geared mostly for crafting; Crafting and Leatherworker. During my last dungeon, I picked up Armorer, since I knew my crew wasn’t going to make any more runs.”
“Does your family have a history with leatherworking?” Stern asked.
“My grandmother was a leatherworker,” Trish replied. “My last perk from birth is Poison Resistance.”
“So that’s why you can hold your liquor so well,” Stern chuckled.
“Yeah.”
“Two of you are very focused on your tasks for the crew,” Stern said. “I have Pawly, which is good for damage and possibly scouting. I lack any perks to make me more effective in a dungeon currently, though.”
“Pawly’s very effective,” Cyra said.
Pawly jumped into her lap purring, rubbing against her.
“And lovable,” Trish laughed, reaching over to give her a head rub.
“We’ll be best served picking up a magic-user of some kind, and a trap-finder,” Stern said. “We’ll have to keep our eyes open for the right ones.”
“Agreed,” Trish said. “Now, Cyra, time to try on the armor.”
“Okay. Come on, Pawly, let’s go change.”
Stern stood up and started collecting the dishes. Trish moved a second later, helping him.
“Stern, what drives her?” Trish asked as they worked.
“Cyra wants to try to find out what happened to her parents,” Stern said. “They died shortly after she was born, searching for new dungeons.”
“Oh... That’ll be difficult.”
“Yeah, but we’ll likely have help when we get that far north,” Stern said.
“Family?” Trish asked. “I don’t want to pry much, but it feels right.”
“Yeah, my family is to the north.”
“Okay. I’ll wait until you want to tell me.”
“I just don’t want it to influence you or Cyra,” Stern admitted.
“It won’t,” Trish said, touching his shoulder. “But, like I said, I’ll wait.”
“Thank you.”
A few minutes later, Cyra came out of her room, looking nervous. “It’s a little awkward.”
“You’re just not used to it,” Trish said, moving to her side. “You’ll get used to it with time, and you’ll be training in it every day now.”
“Every day?”
“Yes, it’s the best way to train. You should train like you’ll fight,” Stern said.
“Hmm... I need to use longer straps for the buckles on the chest. You’ll put on more muscle between now and when we leave,” Trish said, going over the armor.
“Where are the plates?” Stern asked.
Trish used her knuckle to tap on the chest plate and thighs. “There. Save the lungs, heart, kidneys, and major arteries in the legs. Yours will be the same.”
“That’ll work for me. Thanks for dyeing it the same as mine.”
“Yeah, about that...” Trish started, “Should I do the same to mine?”
“Camouflage, and yeah. Every little bit can help.”
“I’ll get it done, then,” Trish said. “Okay, Cyra, take it off and let me have the chest plate back. I’ll get that fixed and get my armor touched up tomorrow. After that, I’ll work on yours, Stern.”
“Sounds good,” Stern said. “What armor do you wear?”
“Scale,” Trish said.
“Good armor for a bulwark,” Stern said, “until we can get you into plate, that is.”
“Plate is expensive, but agreed.”
Cyra headed back to her room. “Trish, help me out of this?”
“Sure,” Trish grinned.
“I’ll handle the dishes,” Stern called after them.
“Have a good night, ladies.”
“We will,” Trish winked as she shut the door behind them.
Pawly chuffed. She bumped into his leg, having come out of Cyra’s room.
“Yes, you can lick the plates,” Stern said with a smile.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Soft lips on his woke Stern. With a happy sound, he kissed them back.
“Good morning,” Trish said happily. “Hope you don’t mind me waking you.”
“Not at all. It’s a pleasant way to wake up.”
“Cyra is starting in on breakfast. I talked with her and I’ll be missing you both for the next two weeks.” Trish took a seat on the edge of his bed. “I’m going to get my armor and yours ready, make sure the shop is in order before I hand it off, and take care of a few other odds and ends.”
Stern lay there, looking at her in the dim light. Her short hair made sense— he knew she was a bulwark, and helms could be a real pain with long hair. He reached out and placed a hand on her leg. “That’ll suck, but it’s understandable.”
“I wanted to let you know. I’ll try to stop in for dinner once or twice, but I’m going to be missing a lot. Just do what you said with Cyra. Be receptive, but don’t make any moves yourself.”
“I’ll hold to what I said.”
“Good. So you’re aware, she and I have only kissed and snuggled. She’ll take time to open up to more, and it’s most likely that it’ll be me she makes advances with first. Are you really okay with that?”
“Yes.”
“Now, as for you and me...” Trish leaned down to him, stopping inches from his face. “We can be a bit more active, but I think it’s best that we go slow if we want the relationship to work the best between all of us.”
Stern swallowed, his vision filled with her blue eyes. Her warm breath tickled his cheeks, making him want to kiss her again. With her up this close, he could see the small nicks and scars that she’d earned from her time in the dungeons. “I understand.”
Trish’s eyes softened as she stared into his. “We can go at least as far as I have with Cyra,” she whispered before kissing him again.
Stern felt her lust spike a second before she kissed him. His own need rose in him, and the two emotions grew stronger as their kiss deepened. His arms went around her waist, pulling her closer as her tongue touched his lips. Accepting her invitation, the two of them dueled briefly, where it became clear that Trish was a better kisser.
With an agonizing moan, Trish broke away, placing her hands on his chest as she sat up. Face flushed with her lips parted, she panted lightly as she stared down at him. “Okay... maybe it’ll be harder than I thought with you.”
Stern’s lips twisted into a smirk at her phrasing. “It could only get a little harder.”
Trish laughed— it was warm, throaty, and made his spine tingle. “I look forward to finding out in the future. I’d never have guessed that we’d be here when we first met. Oh, I was at least partially interested. I like the unique, but this? I thought we’d have maybe a tumble after your first dungeon... Cyra and you, though... you’ve made me tremble with hope. Your drive and her pureness make me want to protect again. The fact you can give it to me as good as I do others makes it that much better.”
“I’ll try not to disappoint in the giving or giving departments,” Stern chuckled.
She laughed and kissed him again, but with more passion. Stern pulled her onto the bed and partially onto him as he kissed her back, learning as he went. The kiss built until Trish pushed off him abruptly, onto her feet, and backed away from the bed.
“Easy,” she panted, staring at him with hungry eyes. “We’re going to get carried away like that.”
“Probably,” Stern admitted as he watched. With a groan, he sat up, threw the covers off, and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. “Sorry, but you make me want more.”
Trish stopped backing away, and her smile was broad. “Oh, I understand. That tent there is intriguing me in all sorts of ways. I’m going to leave, though, or Cyra might start getting upset. Take your time to get ready. I’m sorry I can’t give you a hand or more right now.”
Stern laughed, shaking his head. “Fuck, you’ll get along really well with my family. Get out before I get up… stand up,” he corrected quickly.
Trish winked. “Going.”
The door shutting behind her helped Stern, as it took the temptation away. With a shuddering breath, he realized that his problem wasn’t going to vanish quickly. The faint warmth on his lips made him think of their kisses, and he exhaled roughly.
~*~*~
“Good morning,” Cyra smiled at Stern when he came out of his room.
“Good morning, Cyra. What’s for breakfast today?”
“We ran out of eggs,” Cyra admitted, “so I’m making frumenty.”
“The honey and some fruit are already on the table,” Trish said. “I’ve got some tea on the table along with the sugar and butter.”
“Nothing for me to do?” Stern asked.
“Dishes, when we’re done,” Cyra said.
“Of course.”
“Trish told you about not being around much for the next few weeks?”
“Yeah, we covered that,” Stern said.
“I was thinking she could move in here with us after that, until we leave,” Cyra said a little hesitantly.
“I’ll be staying with Cyra,” Trish grinned at him. “Sleeping in bed with her— tangled in the blankets— when we eventually get to sleep.”
“You’re terrible,” Cyra giggled.
“She is, indeed,” Stern said with a smirk at Trish. “I’m fine with her moving in and sleeping with you. I’ll let Jensen know and make sure to cover the cost if he wants more from us.”
“I won’t bring much with me,” Trish said. “A Walker’s life is one of being on the move.”
“Yes, it is,” Stern agreed. “A full pack, a few changes of clothing, and the gear needed for the runs.”
“Breakfast is ready,” Cyra said.
~*~*~
Trish left right after breakfast, giving each of them a quick kiss before she went out the door. Pawly was eating her kibble, slightly upset she’d not been provided any meat that morning. Cyra started stretching as Stern washed the dishes.
“Trish told me about what you two are planning...” Cyra said slowly. “About not going further than I go with her.”
“It’s better that way,” Stern said.
“Is it? I feel bad that you have to wait because of me,” Cyra said.
“You’re thinking of it the wrong way,” Stern explained. “For my entire life, I was kind of certain I wouldn’t have a woman really interested in me, for obvious reasons. Now, though... now, two beautiful women are interested in me. Truthfully, I’m waiting for one or both of you to tell me it was a mistake.”
“Never!” Cyra cried out, stopping her stretches.
Stern held up a soapy hand placatingly. “Fears don’t have to be rational. I’m sure you feel somewhat similar.”
Cyra nodded, slowly stretching again. “Why would either of you want me when you can have each other?”
“Exactly. The idea of going slow and making sure we’re all comfortable is for the best, even if it was hard to let Trish leave my room this morning.”
Cyra glanced at him. “She said the same thing... then she pushed me against the wall and kissed me.” Her cheeks flushed as she said it. “She is… forward.”
“To put it mildly,” Stern chuckled. “Did it feel okay for you?” he asked after a second.
“With her, yes. It feels a little awkward, but I feel warm and comfortable with her. I think about you doing it and I start to tense some, but a part of me wants to try it badly, too. The idea of any other man doin—” She cut off, shuddering. Her eyes closed tightly as the fear and revulsion hit her.
Stern swayed, bracing against the counter as her emotions spiked. “Cyra, it’s okay. It’s just you and me here.”
Eyes snapp
ing open, she wiped the few tears that had escaped away from her face. “Sorry.”
“No, no apologies. It’s okay. I understand. I’m happy that the thought of me doesn’t do that to you.”
Cyra sniffed as she dried her cheeks. “Because you care for me... I know it. It’s in your every action. It has been since that first day. I remember you running up to help as I cried over my grandmother... Pawly pushing into my arms to help comfort me. You let her stay with me when I was taken to the temple.”
Dungeon Walkers 1 Page 32