by Dante King
I grinned. “Can do,” I said, carrying her across the garden. “Making things grow isn’t quite the same thing as killing them, but maybe it’ll get you off all the same.”
In truth, I’d been a little disturbed ever since Anna plucked that plant I’d created from underneath the tree. It hadn’t been much, but I’d created it. I didn’t like the thought of it springing to life from my touch only to be ripped out of the ground a few moments later—even if it did look so nice in my girlfriend’s robes. Just like with the dead leaf I’d replaced on the tree, I felt a strong desire to put back what had been taken.
Holding the scythe in a two-handed stance, I closed my eyes and concentrated. Mana poured into me from the surrounding life, filling me as I reached for Blossom—and then, to my great surprise, wrapping around the scythe in my hands.
Somehow, I channeled energy through the scythe. Mana flowed through it, causing the weapon to glow in my arms. Anna’s weapon form ignited like the noonday sun as energy roared across the square, bathing the dying tree before me in the light of pure life.
Anna roared inside my head. “Oh yes!” she panted, sounding more turned on than she’d been when we both lost control inside of Hazel’s cabin. “Ungh, fuck, that’s so good. Oh God, yes yes yes don’t fucking stop oh my gawwwwd…!”
Eric Casts Blossom!
As Anna’s cries reached their climax, light exploded from the scythe. It blinded me, tearing away my vision as I held onto the weapon for dear life. The tree shimmered before me as I tried to see it, its branches twisting and writhing as if we’d conjured a hurricane in its midst.
Oh fuck, I killed it, I thought, wincing. Whatever I did with Anna, it made my Mana so much stronger. Too strong!
I had made it stronger. But as my vision cleared, I realized I hadn’t killed the tree.
Quite the opposite.
Verdant green leaves sprung from every branch. The tree’s dark gray bark deepened to the rich brown hues of oak, its roots full and hearty in the ground below. Flowers bloomed between the fingers of the branches, way more than an ordinary tree would be able to sustain as the power crested. The earth rumbled beneath my feet as the roots grew too large to contain, the pavement cracking all around the tree.
When it finally stopped, the square was totally transformed.
Rather than a dead tree, this one brimmed with life. It stood tall and strong, the ravages of age reversed in an instant. And the sunflowers—so many sunflowers! They crowded around the trunk like eager children, jostling for space in the new dirt opened by the roots breaking through the pavement.
A crowd gathered around, staring in shock at what I’d done. I looked up and found myself staring into the eyes of the old woman I’d seen earlier: the one who’d nodded at my Cultivation.
Now, she clapped. A moment later, the round of applause spread through the square, and there were cheers.
Anna shimmered next to me, returning to her human form. Her long hair lay matted to her face with sweat, her cheeks as red and ruddy as apples. She looked like she’d been ridden hard and put away wet—but the smile on her face was so delicious I couldn’t really be mad.
“Holy hell,” my girlfriend panted, slumping against me with satisfaction. “That was even better than cutting up monsters, babe. No one’s ever made me cum like that before.”
“We did it together,” I said proudly, wrapping a hand around her waist. This was what it felt like to be a Cultivator. The adoration of the people—the power that increased a hundredfold when you channeled it through a woman who was also a weapon.
This is what it truly meant to be a champion of the people. To help them.
It felt fucking awesome. I wanted more of it, immediately.
As the crowd began to slowly disperse, a wiry-looking man pushed his way forward. Unlike most of the townsfolk, he barely spared a moment’s attention on the new, beautiful tree that dominated the square. He gave Anna a desultory glance, snorting at her obvious lassitude, then fixed his eyes on me. “You two are Cultivators?”
His manner felt more than a little rude—but, riding the high of joining my powers with Anna’s and making the tree bloom, I felt more than willing to overlook such a slight.
“Yes, we are,” I said, giving Anna a smile. “Is there something you need?”
“Got a job for you,” he said, glancing furtively around the square. His jaws moved even when he wasn’t speaking. After a few moments, I realized he chewed some kind of leaf, moving it constantly between his gums. “A good deed for good people. Lots of money in it, too.”
I guided Anna to the nearest bench and let her sit down. She’d been tired out in more ways than one by joining our Mana through the scythe. “Have a seat,” I said, sitting down and gesturing to the bench a few feet away. “Tell me about this opportunity.”
The man looked a little surprised that I entertained his proposition. “Would have gone to the Guild,” he muttered, as if he were trying to talk me out of this. “But they’d have just laughed in my face. Simple man like me, they don’t even see me as human.”
“That’s going to be changing around here soon,” I assured him. “Anna and I care about the people. What’s your problem?”
His eyes widened for a moment. He clearly didn’t believe me. “‘Tis a simple task,” he explained, chewing between each syllable. “I have an animal—rabid, you understand—who needs to be put out of its misery. Once it’s been done, I need its Beast Core.”
“A rabid animal?” I knew plenty about rabies. One of my classmates in middle school had been bitten by a rabid dog—he’d talked for weeks about the huge needle they’d had to stick in his stomach in order to keep him from getting sick. Something told me they had no such devices here. “It’s locked up tight, I hope.”
“Aye, aye,” the man said, dismissing my concerns with a wave of the hand. “She’s locked up in my barn. Poor creature! I would take care of the thing myself, but I’m afraid she’s truly lost her mind—doesn’t even recognize her owner anymore. I can’t risk being bit: I’ve got a wife and children to provide for. You have a woman of your own, I see—I think you understand.”
I did. And I was thinking about those Shields I could conjure on my hands. They’d definitely stop an animal’s bite.
At the time, the possibility that the creature the man spoke of was anything other than a household pet hadn’t occurred to me.
“I think we can help you out with that,” I said, confirming with a glance at Anna. My girlfriend didn’t look happy at all at the idea of killing an animal, but it was suffering, after all. Even a small act of kindness would increase our standing among these people, and help us out when it came time to open up competition against the Hollow Frog Guild.
The man nodded eagerly. “Wonderful,” he said, still chewing on that bundle of leaves in his mouth. Would he ever swallow it, or was it this world’s equivalent to a big ball of Bazooka Joe? Maybe he stuck it behind his bedpost at night and picked up where he left off the next morning. “Come with me—”
“Not right now,” I said, taking a quick step backward. “We have an appointment tonight. We can handle it for you first thing tomorrow.”
The man scratched his head, a confused look in his eyes. “Tomorrow? There’s plenty of daytime left.”
There was—yet I was keenly aware of Anna’s statement earlier regarding the barmaids. She didn’t want me to tire myself out completely before our date with Lyra. Even if this job turned out to be merely putting a rabid dog out of its misery, killing a helpless beast would put a damper on our mood going into the date—and drain our powers, besides.
Much better to handle it tomorrow, after we discovered whether or not we could turn Lyra into a Cultivator.
“I understand,” I told the man. “But this appointment of ours… we need to be sharp for it. Cultivator’s business, you understand.”
A deep frown scored the man’s greasy face. I swore I could hear him grinding his teeth around that ball of leaves in
his mouth.
“Aye, I’ll not question a Cultivator,” he said, spitting to the side. “But every moment that animal remains running around rabid is one I’m not able to use that barn to work, and support my family. The sooner it gets put out of its misery, the better.”
Anna and I nodded our assent, then agreed to meet the man shortly after sunrise back at the market square. I offered to show up at his home, tackle the problem more directly, but he seemed hesitant to give me his address. “It’s hard to find,” he assured us both, giving the wide thoroughfare a hard look. “You’re new to town, I can tell that. I’ll escort you there—that way there won’t be any trouble.”
Maybe he thinks we’re going to bail on him, I thought as he stalked off down the lane. I guess I can’t blame him for that. If my only experience of Cultivators were the Hollow Frog Guild, I’d probably expect them to rip me off, too…
“Shit,” Anna whispered. “Look at the sun.”
It dipped low over the horizon, just touching the farthest point that could be seen from the town. In the square, barkers began closing up their stalls for the day, hawking a few last-minute baked goods that wouldn’t keep until tomorrow. Between my excursion with the barrels this morning and practicing Cultivation while Anna went dress shopping, we’d burned most of the afternoon.
“I wanted to check out more of the town,” I said with a shrug. “But I guess there’s always tomorrow.”
Anna looked chagrined but nodded. “I’m sorry I took so long shopping,” she said, putting her hand in mine as we left the square. “I know you wanted to look at some of those cool weapons they had for sale. Maybe talk to the blacksmith about a custom job…”
She trailed off, seeing the look on my face. I only just barely held back laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Anna asked.
“What would I possibly need a weapon for?” I asked, my hand leaving hers. She glanced down with surprise at the lack of contact, only to moan as that hand gave her ass a spank. “I’ve got the most badass scythe a guy could possibly ask for. She’s got a hell of a dirty mind, too.”
Anna grinned wickedly. “You have no idea how naughty,” she purred, pressing her body against mine. “Let’s get back to the Hungry Herb. I can’t wait for our date with Lyra.”
Neither could I. But as we made our way back to the tavern, what I hadn’t realized was that I’d just told Anna a lie. She was the most badass scythe a man could ask for. But she was nowhere near the last weapon I’d be wielding in my quest to increase my Cultivation.
Before the night was over, I’d have a second one.
Chapter 16
By the time we made it back to the Hungry Herb Tavern, the place was absolutely packed with hungry townsfolk. It felt as if every person we’d seen on the streets surrounding the market square had swarmed Lyra’s inn, spilling out into the overflow tables outside. Barmaids made their way to and fro, looking more harried than usual as they served heaping trays piled high with food and drink. The smell of hot food mingled with the sounds of conversation, the latter getting more and more rowdy as the patrons consumed more of Lyra’s famous beer.
As we stood in the main hall, surveying the crowded tables, Kij saw us and made her way over. “Sorry for all the hubbub,” she said, wiping her hands clean on a rag. “It’s a holiday weekend—every laborer in the town has a little extra coin in their pocket and a desire to relax over the next few days. Makes sense they’d come here…”
“Never apologize for success,” I told Kij, trying my best to count the number of heads just in the main room. The place was at standing room only: had this been Earth, it almost certainly would have been in violation of some kind of fire code. “Lyra should be proud of her popularity. And if the food I’ve eaten here so far is the norm, she’s most definitely earned it.”
Kij blushed from the compliments. “Speaking of Lyra,” she said, dropping her voice as she stepped closer, “she asked me to send you up to your suite as soon as you arrived. She’s up there waiting for you.”
I stared at Kij for a moment, my jaw hanging slightly open. “Already? The place is so crowded…”
A little smirk rose on the servant’s face, and suddenly I realized every barmaid in the Hungry Herb knew exactly what the three of us were up to.
“She likes when it’s crowded,” Kij explained. “All the noise downstairs will mask anything going on with the, ah… guests upstairs.”
“Is that so?” Anna asked, her lips pursed in a pout.
Kij nodded. “Lyra gave me the full run of the house tonight, so any problems will come to me instead of her. I won’t disturb you, unless there’s a serious emergency. But it would take the building being on fire to get me knocking on your door tonight.” She gave both of us a cute little look. “I won’t disturb you, trust me.”
“Thanks,” I said, happy to have any awkwardness about the situation filed away in advance. “Can we grab a couple drinks to take upstairs?”
“It’s all been taken care of,” Kij assured me. For a moment, she was all smiles—then a cloud passed over her features. “Do you really think it’ll work?”
I didn’t need to ask to know what it was. Although I was more than a little surprised Lyra had confided in her right-hand girl her hopes of becoming a Cultivator. Had I known more about Lyra at the time, and the way she treated her employees like the daughters she’d never had, I wouldn’t have been as shocked.
“I hope so,” I said, glancing up at the stairs. They wrapped around the entire common area, leading up to the suite where Lyra waited for us. “She’s an awesome lady, Lyra. She’s helped us a lot. If we can help her, too—help her get something she’s wanted her entire life—then Anna and I will be totally into it.”
“We’ll be into it regardless,” Anna confirmed, giving Kij a little girl-girl fistbump. “But it’ll definitely be sweeter if we’re helping your boss out at the same time.”
We made our way up the stairs and to the suite. As we approached, the faint sound of humming reached my ears from the other side of the door. To our surprise, Lyra had locked it.
“Come in,” the Mistress of the Hungry Herb Tavern said a moment later, unlatching the lock.
Anna and I stepped into a romantic den. Lyra had closed the curtains tightly, blocking out the wan light of the sunset outside, and put candles all over the suite. They cast dim but enticing illumination across every surface, flickering in the darkness.
The woman herself sat at the foot of our bed, her curvy body hugged tightly by a jade bathrobe. She looked like she’d come here straight from the baths. Her hair remained faintly wet, tied into a fashionable up-do above her head and held together with chopsticks. Her long, pale legs stuck out from underneath, tucked under each other as she looked Anna and me up and down.
“There’s food and drink,” she whispered, the words catching as her eyes focused on Anna. “My goodness, you look ravishing. That dress… mmph…”
“Thanks,” Anna said, doing a little twirl. “You paid for it, so I thought you should get to be the first person to tear it off me.”
Such a frank mention of sexual activity made Lyra’s normally in-control air fumble. In truth, I’d kind of expected it. The mistress of the Hungry Herb Tavern was a champion flirt, as everyone who worked in a bar was, and I was sure she’d had no end of fun with her patrons in the past. But this was something far more serious we were discussing. If everything went right, this threesome would transform Lyra into a Cultivator, granting her powers similar to Anna’s and mine.
A tray of smoked meats lay near the door, along with a pitcher of Lyra’s frothy, dark beer. I poured myself a glass and downed the whole thing in a single gulp, gasping with pleasure as the alcohol warmed me.
“I’m sure you’ve gotten a head start on us,” I said, crossing the room to Lyra.
Her eyes went wide, like a deer caught in headlights. “I’m a little nervous,” the older woman admitted, rocking back on her heart-shaped ass. “Needed a little li
quid courage to get myself ready for you two…”
Lyra let out a lusty moan as my hand came down on the back of her neck. I tilted her face up to meet mine, looking down at her in a way the old, Earthbound Eric would never have had the balls to do. I made it perfectly clear how badly I wanted her—and how satisfied I planned to leave her tonight.
“You don’t need to worry about a thing,” I growled, pushing her chin up to meet my lips. “Just relax, Lyra. Enjoy this. Because I certainly will…”
Our lips met, and sparks flew between us. Lyra’s lips parted beneath mine, accepting my tongue into her wet, eager mouth. Her back arched like a bow as she rose from the bed, pressing her face against mine and wrapping her fingers in my hair. I’d been kissed plenty of times before, but rarely had I ever been able to feel the raw, desperate need in a kiss like the one Lyra gave me to kickstart that night.
“I’m sure you will,” Lyra gasped, breaking the kiss. “I brought something else with me tonight, Eric. Besides the snacks and the booze, that is.”
“Oh yeah?” I glanced over my shoulder, searching Anna’s eyes as she sipped at her own drink. If she and Lyra had planned something special together, my girlfriend had managed to hide it from me up until now. “What’s that, Lyra? You’ve got on something special under that robe?”
The mistress of the Hungry Herb Tavern let out a very un-bosslike giggle. “I’m not wearing anything under this robe, young man. Would you like to see?”
At my nod, Lyra leaned back and untied the sash holding her bathrobe closed. It slid open, exposing a body that was soft and fine and still dotted with droplets of water from her bath. She’d readied herself well for this date: her pussy was freshly shaved, with only a narrow band of dark hair standing above her clit like the line of an exclamation point. She spread her legs, showing off her soft pink folds. They glistened with juice.
“Why, Lyra,” I said, feigning offense. “You’re not a natural redhead!”