Arcane Dropout 3

by Edmund Hughes

  Naka seemed to regain her spirit as the sex intensified. She began bucking her butt against Lee, almost hard enough to knock him back. He’d never ridden a mechanical bull before, but that was what his mind immediately jumped to. A living, breathing, sexy mechanical bull.

  “You—” grunted Naka. “Have… no…”

  Lee took her tightly by the waist and intensified his thrusts. Her butt jiggled each time he pounded forward, as did her breasts, proving that her body wasn’t quite as hard as it looked. The coarse fur coating of her thighs scraped at the skin of Lee’s abdomen. He didn’t care.

  “Don’t worry, Naka,” he whispered. “I’ll let you have a rematch. Eventually.”

  She let out a genuine scream, arching her back and shuddering as she came. She collapsed forward onto the cold tile, completely spent. Lee slowed his pace, thrusting into her slowly, almost lovingly, as he let himself continue to enjoy her body. He kissed her neck, holding her and pinning her as he gently released his seed into her lane.

  CHAPTER 9

  Lee pulled his clothes back on as he waited for Naka to regain her composure. Instructor Escher had already taken the sample she needed from the yak girl, but Lee held a hand up, urging her to hold off on ending the spell immediately.

  “So, Naka,” said Lee. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’m interested in learning a little more about you.”

  He pulled out the small notebook he’d brought with him for that very purpose and grabbed a pen off Escher’s desk.

  “…What?” asked Naka. She was still sitting on the tile, looking flushed and satisfied.

  “You’re very strong,” said Lee. “That much goes without saying. Do you have any other special abilities or hidden powers that I should know about?”

  “You would ask that question of one such as I?” muttered Naka. “Fine, powerful one. I can jump high. I can run long. I can smell.”

  “Let’s see… high jump, stamina, and… strong olfactory sense?” Lee raised an eyebrow and nodded as he settled on the right phrasing. “I could see that coming in handy, in certain situations. Alright, what would you say your greatest weakness is?”

  “Weakness?” Naka scowled at him. “Are you mocking me?”

  Lee chuckled, shook his head, and quickly scribbled down the word “pride.”

  “Do you have any relevant experience when it comes to fighting against supernatural entities?” he asked.

  “I have fought from birth,” said Naka. “My kind is molded and hardened through chaos.”

  “That’s a little vaguer than what I was hoping for, but still helpful. Thanks, I’ll be in touch.”

  He reached his arm out and shook Naka’s hand, ignoring the confusion on her face.

  “You’re treating this like it’s a job interview,” whispered Tess.

  Lee shrugged and hid his mouth with his hand as he responded. “So?”

  “It’s rude and demeaning!”

  “Just like a job interview, yeah,” he replied. “I didn’t design the modern labor market, I just learned from it.”

  Instructor Escher waited while he wrote down a few more notes before rubbing her hands together and preparing to cast her spell.

  “Satisfied, Initiate Amaranth?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “You?”

  “Most definitely.” Escher flashed a smile, her cheeks flushing slightly. “That was quite the… interaction the two of you had. Wrestling before intimacy. The juxtaposition is just fascinating.”

  “It would have been more fun sans the razor-sharp horns, but I agree,” said Lee.

  Escher cut the spell, and Naka disappeared in a flash of purple conjuration energy. Escher made her way back over to her desk and sat down, rearranging various papers and clearing her throat.

  “Now then,” she said. “I have your money right here, but we’ll still need to discuss your additional compensation. Have you decided yet which of the monster girls you’d like to have a summoning scroll for?”

  Lee ran a hand across his chin, considering the question for a few seconds before shaking his head.

  “I’m still not sure,” he said. “Can I take a rain check?”

  “This isn’t a complicated question, Initiate Amaranth. Just pick whichever one you enjoyed spending time with the most.”

  It was what Lee likely would have done had his life been a little simpler. As it stood, he still needed to get to the bottom of the recent spate of specters that had been infesting Primhaven. None of the monster girls could help him in those fights, but if a physical opponent lay behind the ghosts, then the choice of scroll would be a huge factor in the eventual fight.

  Each of the monster girls had their own unique skill set that he needed to take into account. Brie, with her gelatinous, shapeshifting body, could be useful for stealthy purposes. Thumper had her magic, given her nature as a hybrid ice elemental. Widow could wrap enemies up in webs, and both Naka and Ophelia, the lamia, were powerful physical fighters.

  “I’ll let you know by the end of the week,” said Lee.

  Escher sighed, but she didn’t object.

  ***

  Lee was on his way out of the Seruna Center and back toward his dorm when he spotted a familiar face cross the hallway intersection ahead of him. Nurse Susie was wheeling a suitcase and walking with purpose, and it took him a couple of seconds to catch up with her and snag her attention.

  “Susie,” he said. “Hey. Going somewhere?”

  Susie Cartier was about as close to distilled feminine perfection, at least from a visual perspective, as a woman could hope to be. She was tall, with a classic hourglass figure, full, curvaceous breasts, pale skin, and pink hair. Every inch of her dripped with sexuality in a manner which made it seem impossible for her to be anything but supernatural, which of course she was.

  As a non-practicing succubus, Susie had served as Primhaven’s nurse for reasons that Lee still hadn’t completely worked out. She’d forbidden herself from feeding until she’d met him and been tempted back into it. Tess’s absorption kept it from being dangerous, and in fact, it had even worked to their advantage when it came to collecting essence.

  “Ah, Lee,” said Nurse Susie. “Hello.”

  She glanced around to make sure nobody else was nearby before pulling him into a quick hug. She wore a green cardigan sweater over a white blouse and jeans, a much more casual outfit compared to the clean white robe she usually had on.

  “Are you going somewhere?” he asked.

  “For the time being, yes.” Susie flashed a small, rather uninspired smile. “I’ve decided to take my holiday vacation early this year.”

  “Any particular reason why?”

  “You could say so, yes. It’s… unfortunate.”

  “Did someone find out about you?” asked Lee.

  Susie let out a small, cutting laugh. “Straight to the point, as always. No, Lee, nobody has outed me… yet. The power balance that I find oh so delightful between you and I under the sheets would be spoiled if anyone else knew exactly what I was. It does so happen that there is someone here at Primhaven now who might be able to catch wind of me. So, I’ll keep things simple and bow out, for the time being.”

  After another quick glance to confirm that they were still alone, Susie gave him a quick kiss. The rush of her lips against his was unreal, a secure net of focused temptation and lust that made him want to seize her by the shoulders and press himself against her. Images of him and Susie rolling on the floor naked danced through his head. Lee heard her clear her throat as their mouths parted and he couldn’t stop picturing her tongue and mouth and where they would be best suited.

  “We will see each other again, Initiate Amaranth,” she said playfully. “I hope you’ll be ready to greet me warmly when I return.”

  “Yeah,” said Lee. “Most definitely.”

  She continued on her way out of the Seruna Center, her hips swaying in a manner that made her temporary departure feel like a genuine tragedy. Lee had to l
ean against the wall for a couple of seconds to get himself back into a state where he could walk without his erection poking an eye out.

  “Now that’s real power!” whispered Tess. “I wonder if she could teach me how to be a succubus?”

  “You can’t just learn to be a succubus,” said Lee.

  “How would you know? Have you ever asked her?”

  “No, but—”

  “Then you don’t know that it’s not possible.”

  Lee rolled his eyes. “You’re insufferable.”

  “Wouldn’t it be fun, though? The way that woman uses her lips…”

  “You’re already horny enough without needing to subsist off lust essence,” he said.

  “Proper ladies do not get horny! They get frisky.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Lee’s dorm room was filled with noise when he arrived back to it, and not the fun kind. Toma and Jenna were having one of their heated discussions, as their mutually conflict-adverse upbringing had apparently taught them to refer to their fights.

  “He’s your brother, Toma,” said Jenna. “What? I’m not allowed to be curious about him?”

  “There’s being curious about him and then there’s…” Toma made a frustrated noise. “Look, I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to Kei in months, and when we do talk, it’s just a few words. He hasn’t even come to see me since arriving at Primhaven.”

  “Shouldn’t we go seek him out?”

  “He should come seek me out,” said Toma. “He’s my older brother, not the other way around. The responsibility falls on him.”

  “Don’t be so childish. He’s probably just been busy.”

  “And how would you know that?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You know what that means?”

  “What what means?”

  “What?”

  Lee knocked on the door frame, smiling flatly as two angry faces turned to glare at him. “I hate to interrupt this valuable exchange, but I need to grab a sweatshirt.”

  “Lee,” said Jenna. “Would you talk to Toma, please? He’s acting like he and his brother are mortal enemies.”

  “That’s not even close to the truth!” snapped Toma. “You don’t get my family. Kei and I have a lot of history, and it’s always been weird between us.”

  “Can I at least meet him?”

  “Why do you need to meet him? Why do you keep asking about that?”

  “Toma, he’s your brother!”

  “And?”

  The upside to Toma getting a girlfriend was that it meant that Lee occasionally got the dorm room to himself. It seemed like a small prize in comparison to the times like this. He cleared his throat and pushed by where they stood in the center of the room.

  “I’m only going to butt in for long enough to offer objective feedback,” said Lee as he rifled through his closet. “Jenna, you probably don’t have the full story about what’s gone on between Toma and Kei, so maybe try to be a little more understanding. Toma, if Kei really is your brother, then keep in mind that he might not always be around, and you might wish that you’d tried harder to include him in your life.”

  Both Toma and Jenna narrowed their eyes at him. Lee slipped back out into the hallway before either could fully hook him into the argument and quickly shut the door behind him. He immediately started down the hallway, taking a step without looking, and crashed into someone who’d been going the other way.

  “Oops!” cried Eliza. “Sorry! I thought you saw me coming. I was, um, I mean, I came to find you, actually.”

  “Oh, hey Eliza,” he said. “What’s up?”

  “I was going to head to the library to study for the Midterm Trial. I thought that you and maybe Toma, too, might feel compelled to do the same.”

  Lee bit back his initial reaction to try to wiggle out of having to do real work. He was still at Primhaven, for the time being. Unless he planned on sneaking off before the midterm, which was technically still an option, he’d have to prepare for it.

  “Studying makes sense,” he reluctantly admitted.

  Eliza flashed an excited smile at him, brushing auburn curls out of her face. “It’ll be fun. I made flash cards!”

  “Flash cards, yay.”

  “Oh, don’t be such a jock. Flash cards can be fun.”

  Lee fell into step alongside her as they headed back out onto campus. It was late in the afternoon, and the sun was a beautiful orange, brushing downward against the edge of Primhaven’s wall. Eliza began talking about each of the individual challenges she’d caught sight of within the spatial vortex and which spells would be best suited for each. Lee was in the middle of forcing his attention where it belonged when he saw it.

  The specter was standing in the shadow of the Seruna Center, staring straight ahead. Lee exhaled. He was genuinely frustrated, and even studying would have been compelling to him at that moment compared to another round of “chase the elusive ghost.”

  “I’m going to have to catch up with you later,” said Lee. “I just remembered something.”

  “Uh, okay,” she said. “I’ll wait for you in the library.”

  He nodded and split off from her, making a show of doubling back toward the dorms before heading for his real target. The specter waited until he came within a few dozen feet before noticing Lee and taking off at a supernaturally fast sprint.

  “Why?” muttered Lee. “What’s the point of this? Why do they always run?”

  “Maybe they’re trying to help you get exercise?” suggested Tess.

  “But I’m already in decent shape!”

  “Mmmm. That’s debatable.”

  Lee rolled his eyes and did his best to act normal as he set off after the ghost. It was the time of day where everyone had somewhere to be, whether it was on campus or in town. He jogged after it, smiling nonchalantly while simultaneously gritting his teeth. The idea of invoicing Primhaven for his labor expenses felt more appealing with each and every step.

  ***

  Several hours later, Lee sat in the school’s mixed fruit orchard, back leaned against the thick trunk of an apple tree. He’d already gone to the library to let Eliza down gently after it had become clear that he’d be chasing the specter for a while. She’d made him feel simultaneously guilty and irresponsible for ditching her, but they’d left on good terms, at least compared to Toma and Jenna.

  It was a cloudy night and near pitch-black in places. After giving some thought to what the specter’s objective might be, Lee eventually decided to watch the arcanum crystals in case that was what had attracted the recent surge of entities. So far, it hadn’t panned out.

  “Maybe the specter has already possessed someone,” muttered Lee.

  “Wouldn’t that be the worst-case scenario?” asked Tess.

  “Yeah, but it would be a situation where I could take a break from hunting it. All I’d have to do is wait for someone to start acting weirdly and then knock the specter loose and banish it.”

  “What happens if you attack someone that’s just acting strange and not possessed?”

  “I get expelled, I guess? At least I wouldn’t have to study for the midterm.”

  “There is such a thing as looking too far on the bright side, Lee.”

  A few more minutes passed by before Lee finally got what he was waiting for. The specter appeared in the distance, running not toward the arcanum crystals, but toward the Seruna Center.

  “About time,” muttered Lee. “When we get in close, try to loop around to the front. If it runs, I want you to track where it’s going if it gets away from me.”

  “You could say please, you know.”

  “Please be a good ghost and do what I say.”

  “You’re so mean sometimes, Lee.”

  He flashed her a teasing smile and blew her a kiss, one that Tess dramatically received on her cheek. The two of them took off at a sprint, unconcerned about being seen now that the campus had emptied for the night.

  The specter did
n’t see or sense them coming. It had slowed to a stop by the door of the library. Strangely, it appeared to be writing down its observations in an ethereal notebook. It didn’t look all that powerful, especially compared to the hulking ghost from the previous night, but Lee felt the cold tingle of an enormous amount of spirit essence as he came within a hundred feet of it.

  “Get clear if a fight breaks out,” whispered Lee.

  “I’ll keep safe, but I’m not leaving you on your own,” said Tess.

  Her loyalty made Lee’s heart swell a bit, even if he worried it might put her at risk. He drew his kris dagger and approached the specter slowly, not wanting to spook it off and fully aware of how quickly he’d need to end the fight.

  “You don’t belong here, friend,” called Lee. “You’re dead. It’s time for you to move on.”

  The specter spun to face him. It had a young face, one of a teenager or early twenty-something, and wore a simple dress shirt and slacks. The specter had evidently been handsome in life, too.

  Handsome in life, and powerful in death. It wasn’t Lee’s favorite combination when it came to an entity. He hopped forward, drawing within striking distance, and delivering an exploratory slash with his dagger.

  The specter moved fast enough to make his ethereal blue form blur in his wake. Lee felt a sudden, deep, bone-aching pain as the entity countered with a sweeping kick to his shin. He wavered as the bottom half of his left leg went numb and threatened to buckle underneath him.

  “Look out, Lee!” shouted Tess.

  The specter was, of course, behind him. Lee turned, but not in time. Another strong blow connected, this time an ethereal fist through his stomach. It was a horrible place to take an attack from a ghost, as it led to a sensation that was a mixture of nausea and icy despair.

  Lee was at least quick enough to land a counter this time. The specter’s shoulder hissed as Lee delivered a slash with his kris dagger. He staggered to one knee under the intensity of his own pains, but the specter hesitated, distracted by the attack.