...And back again

Even after Elmeria calmed down they sat together in silence for some time, just enjoying each other's closeness. Eventually, however, Fenrir's hand began to explore Elmeria's body, at first innocently, running up and down her back and stroking her hair, then becoming more pointed, slipping down her side -fingertips just barely brushing the side of her breast- to caress her hip, then her thigh. She let it happen, albeit with the rising of goosebumps whenever Fenrir approached somewhere sensitive and a steadily growing blush. He never quite went all the way however, and eventually Elmeria couldn't stand it any longer.

She rose from her seat abruptly, pulling Mitzi along with her. The tiny goblin had been watching the foreplay with interest, eyes sparkling at every slight reaction from her dark elf companion. The unexpected movement almost overbalanced her, and she looked up with questioning eyes. Fenrir had his head cocked as well, though unlike Mitzi he was also smirking.

"I-I get it already, you want to have- to have sex. Wait here for a minute, I have a surp-" Elmeria flushed a deeper shade, and did not finish the sentence. "Just wait here!"

Pulling Mitzi with her, she entered her room and closed the door, slightly harder than was entirely necessary. Fenrir leaned back against the cushions to wait, his grin now approaching cheshire proportions. 'Elmeria's absolutely adorable when she's embarrassed,' he soliloquized, 'and it's so easy to embarrass her, too. Sooner or later she'll get used to being honest about how she feels, but in the meantime I get to enjoy her flusterment in all its glory.'

He had not yet had time to get impatient when the door opened to reveal Mitzi in a sheer black minidress, with extra lace stitching about the breasts and the hem. Fenrir wondered briefly where they had found something that actually fit the goblin before he realized it had originally been a babydoll top before being altered for Mitzi's use. A blouse that would only have extended to a little below Elmeria's waist was long enough on Mitzi to reach her mid-thigh. Granted, it was somewhat higher than that in the front due to the protrusion of her pregnant belly, but Fenrir was far from considering that a point against her. The goblin had also let her hair down from its usual low twintails, letting it instead fall freely to her shoulder blades, artfully tousled to create a captivating mess.

Somehow despite Mitzi being more fully clothed than he had ever seen her before, Fenrir found her to be sexier than ever as well. But then her outfit didn't really hide much of anything; it was thin enough that he could easily see she had no underwear, and he could even make out the glint of light reflecting off her clitoral piercing.

Mitzi fidgeted, playing with the hem of her dress, and Fenrir realized he had been staring. "...Do you like it?" she asked, peering up at him from under her bangs.

"'Like' is a weak word for how I feel about your appearance right now," Fenrir replied. "The only thing I want more than to sit here and drink you in is to walk over there and tear that dress off of you."

Mitzi's thighs came together hard enough to be audible. "...Oh," was all she managed, but her eyes spoke the delight her mouth had no words to utter. She went to him, crawling onto his lap and happily returning the kiss he gave her. "Elmeria coming soon. She wants to be perfect for you."

Fenrir opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the bedroom door opening a second time. This time, it revealed Elmeria, once more dressed in the translucent swaths of purple fabric that Fenrir had selected for her back in Goblintown. She had done her makeup as well, just enough to accentuate her features without seeming overdone. Despite the nervousness in her eyes, she sashayed up to him in a manner calculated to make any man's blood head south.

Fenrir was no exception. He had already been struggling to keep his arousal in check from Mitzi's entrance, and under the double **** of their charms his cock grew rapidly, something Mitzi found out firsthand when it poked her in the stomach.

She giggled at the sensation, guiding it past her belly to rest the tip comfortably against the side of one of her breasts, which due to her pregnancy were already larger than they had been the last time Fenrir had seen her. The direwolf, however, was a bit too distracted with Elmeria to pay much mind to what Mitzi was doing.

"You like it, Master?" Elmeria asked, twirling on the spot.

The change in her demeanor caught Fenrir off guard. Where had his Elmeria gone? The one who blushed at the mere mention of sex, who had trouble expressing her emotions even in the simplest of circumstances? Then he caught her eye again and understanding came to him. She hadn't gone anywhere; Elmeria was just hiding her embarrassment and nervousness under an act. She had had years to perfect this kind of act, after all. He wasn't certain he liked it too much; he preferred her authentic reactions even if they were more awkward, but he decided to play along for the moment.

"I do; very much. The last time you wore this for me it was because I **** you to and you did look absolutely ravishing in it, but knowing that you've put it on of your own free will because you wanted to please me makes you wearing it now even sexier than before."

She positively glowed under the praise, even more so than any of his other girls ever had. It was as though his approval was her raison d'être, the primary reason for her existence. "Thank you, Master! I'm glad."

Fenrir's eyes fell to the Mark of Submission that adorned her lower belly. Perhaps that wasn't so very far from the truth. He didn't really know all the effects of that particular ability, but this new revelation made him still more hesitant to grant Aimi's wish for a Mark of her own. If his praise could elevate Elmeria to such happiness, how far into the depths would a scolding sink her?

Well, he wasn't about to try it now. That would completely ruin the mood, not to mention she didn’t deserve anything of the kind. But there was something he did want to do, so he beckoned Elmeria closer. "Come here, I want to try something."

Elmeria picked up from his tone that his mind wasn't on sex precisely, and she approached with a face full of curiosity. "What is it?"

"Remember last time we had sex, in Apollyon? You were only able to take about a third of my cock. I'm pretty sure I can change that."

Elmeria flinched away instinctively. "Will it hurt?"

"It shouldn't, no. Don't worry, I'm not going to **** you onto my cock until I've bludgeoned my entire length into you, and damn the consequences to you. What I'm going to do is change your vaginal canal and your womb so you can take me deeper without any pain or damage."

The dark elf's eyes went wide as dinner plates. "You can flesh sculpt?" Her tone was pure wonder.

Fenrir nodded. "Indeed I can. Just yesterday I changed Nelith's mouth and throat to be able to take the entirety of my cock, much to our mutual delight."

Mitzi touched the lightly pulsing monolith before her, her mouth slightly open. It was easy to see she was trying to imagine someone taking it to the base in their mouth, and having some difficulty doing so.

"Once we get back home, I'm sure Nelith wouldn't mind demonstrating," Fenrir smiled. "But as for now..." He looked back up at Elmeria, and she advanced to within arm's reach. "I'll need you to hold still for this. If it hurts at any point, let me know," he told her, and she nodded, still looking a little uncertain.

Turning his full attention to his task, Fenrir began. First a lengthening of her vaginal canal, which necessitated some subtle rearrangement of her organs since it put her womb further up into her body. To avoid possible complications if she got pregnant, he made so it would only shift when prompted by a suitably large insertion. That should ensure her womb stayed where it belonged otherwise.

He also gave her uterus a general overhaul. If he was going to fit his entire length into her it would be necessary to penetrate the womb itself and he didn't want anything happening there that shouldn't; unlike his succubi, Elmeria's womb had never been intended to take a cock. Her cervix was given some special attention to ensure it would dilate to accept a cock without damage to itself, and everything got an upgrade in elasticity. Fenrir considered adding some more pleasure receptors, but aside from a few in the cervix to make the penetration of it especially intense, he refrained. She was likely to be overwhelmed with pleasure as it was, so he doubted she needed any extra help in that department.

While he worked, Elmeria twitched, gasped, bit back moans, and in general did her best to remain still while weathering the sensation of having her entire reproductive system optimized for sex with a monster cock like Fenrir’s. Mitzi looked on in awe and possibly just a hint of envy.

“I can optimize your body for my cock as well,” Fenrir told her. “Probably best to wait until after you’ve given birth, though, I don’t want to compromise that.”

“Oh.” The goblin thought that over for a second, then nodded. “Mitzi would like that.”

“We’ll do that at some point, then.” Taking his hand from Elmeria’s stomach, Fenrir looked up. “All done. Now the only question that remains is, who first?”

Elmeria and Mitzi exchanged glances. “Mitzi, you go first. It’s been longer for you than for me, plus your pregnancy has been making you extra horny.”

Mitzi beamed. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” There was just the barest hint of regret in Elmeria’s tone as she spoke, but to her credit, she kept her face clear of it.

Fenrir pulled her into a quick kiss. “Good girl,” he said, smiling at her. Her face went red again at the praise, the expression on it making it clear that she considered his words ample repayment for forgoing the first shot at his cock.

“Now,” continued Fenrir, turning his attention to the goblin on his lap. “It’d probably be best if we moved to the bedroom for this, though we’ll want to be careful to avoid making too much of a mess. Whoever does the cleaning had better not find out that there’s sex happening in the Saintess’ chambers.”

Both the girls’ eyes widened. “Oh!” Elmeria exclaimed. “I didn’t even think of that.”

“It should be fine; some sweat isn’t anything too out of the ordinary. We’ll just have to be careful of sexual fluids.” Fenrir stood, cradling Mitzi in one arm. “Now come. Ah, by the way, do either of you have any issue with me tending to both of you at the same time?”

Mitzi shrugged and shook her head, but Elmeria’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean having sex with both of you at once. Even if my cock is buried in Mitzi, I still have my hands and mouth,” Fenrir explained.

Elmeria blushed. “I-if you want.”

“But is the thought of it awkward or unappealing to you?” Fenrir asked, placing Mitzi down on the bed.

“Um, not really… I mean, it would be a little if you wanted us to do things with each other, like kiss or t-touch each other. I’m not really interested in women like that.”

“Mitzi not care either way. I more interested in cock, but playing with other women like that might be fun,” Mitzi contributed.

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunity to do that once we get back home, but since Elmeria wouldn’t be comfortable with it we’ll hold off on that for now. Now, as good as you look in that dress, let’s get it off of you. I want to get at what’s underneath.”

Suiting actions to words, Fenrir reached down and pulled Mitzi’s dress over her head. She raised her arms to make it easier for him, and once it was off, reached out for him. He bore her backwards to lay on the bed, laying kisses on her lips, jaw, and neck as he did. She responded with a trembling breath that blew hot over his face, her body wriggling under him.

Responding to her unspoken desire, Fenrir shifted to bring his cock to bear. Mitzi’s legs were already spread and her pussy soaked, so it was the work of but a moment for him to part her lower lips with the relatively narrow tip of his cock and begin spreading her wide around him, which made her let out a gasping cry.

The mattress shifted as Elmeria sat down not far from him, and Fenrir glanced up to see her eyes glued to his cock where it was disappearing into Mitzi’s tiny hole. Her hands were already straying to her own pussy, though she appeared largely **** of the fact.

He left her to her own devices for the present; Mitzi deserved all his attention, at least for the first round. She was no less tight than the first time they’d had sex, so he took his time spreading her open, letting his precum do its work to help him fit.

Of course, he only got so far before he came up against the closed door to her womb, but as before, that was largely compensated for by the milking of what did fit inside her by her near constant orgasms, and the mindbreaking ecstasy writ large across the tiny goblin’s face. Not to mention her moans, which were sweet music to Fenrir’s ears.

A thought came to Fenrir, and he shifted to sit back, pulling Mitzi up with him to sit in his lap, or more accurately, to hang impaled on his cock. Supporting her with his hands around her waist, he began to bounce her on his cock.

Even through the pleasure, Mitzi was able to retain enough presence of mind to reach out and hang on to the fur on his chest. She had been trying to put her arms around his neck, but the size difference was simply too great for her to reach.

This put her head within easy reach of Fenrir’s, and he began nibbling at her oversize ears, earning him a squeak and a particularly vicious convulsion of her pussy around his shaft. Apparently they were quite sensitive.

He filed the information away, speeding up his thrusts slightly. Even with most of his cock left unattended, he was already approaching his peak due not only to the attention the rest of it was getting, but also the sight of Mitzi in the throes of ecstasy as well as the show both his girls had treated him to earlier.

With one last thrust and a barely contained growl of satisfaction, Fenrir buried himself as deeply as he could and let loose, basting Mitzi’s insides with his potent cum. She squealed, burying her face in his chest to try to muffle the sounds of her cries, with mixed success.

He held her close as they both came down from the heights of pleasure, tense muscles relaxing and the world beyond the two of them coming back into focus. Fenrir glanced up to see how Elmeria had been handling the spectacle, and found her a little glassy-eyed, licking her juices off the fingers of one hand with her gaze still glued to him and Mitzi.

Smirking to himself and turning his attention back to Mitzi, he slowly began to lift her off his cock. She squeaked and her pussy clamped down around him again, but his strength was more than equal to her attempts to keep him inside, and after several inches' worth of oversensitivity for the both of them he came free of her.

His cum tried to follow now that the avenue was clear, but Mitzi immediately stopped the flow with both hands, unwilling to lose any more than she had to. His grin now no longer just internal, Fenrir laid Mitzi down on the bed and repurposed a pillow to elevate her hips somewhat. “That ought to help you keep it inside.”

She reached up to him, beckoning him closer, and when he leaned over her she pulled his face down to hers for a soft kiss. “Thank you, Master,” she whispered once it was broken. “Mitzi needed that.” Then she glanced over to the side, where Elmeria was sitting. “Elmeria need you now, though. Go.”

Fenrir chuckled and gave her one last kiss. “Roger that.”

Turning to Elmeria and just missing the look of faint confusion that crossed Mitzi’s face, he continued in a louder tone, “Your turn now. Ready to test out the changes I’ve made to you?”

Now that the moment was upon her, Elmeria’s eyes dropped away while her face colored yet again, then determination flashed across her face and she raised it to meet Fenrir’s gaze. “I’m ready, Master. Fill me with your huge cock. I’m so ready for you.” Her tone wouldn’t have been out of place coming from Aimi or Nelith.

‘Acting again. Well, it’s not as though she doesn’t want it, she’s just choosing this way of hiding her embarrassment, so I suppose it’s fine.’ Shifting over to sit beside her, Fenrir pulled Elmeria into his lap and captured her lips in a gentle kiss.

“How do you want it? I know you like it gentle, but would you like to be on top this time?”

Elmeria hesitated, then asked, “Could you hold me close while we do it?”

“Of course. How about this?” Fenrir laid Elmeria down on her back and lowered himself atop her, being careful to support most of his weight on his arms so as not to crush her. “Missionary’s a classic for a reason, and this way I get to see your face while I turn you into a puddle of bliss.”

This teasing remark was enough to break through Elmeria’s act, and she covered her face with her hands as she unsuccessfully attempted to turn away. Fenrir could see the brilliancy of her blush through the gaps between her fingers, and he dotted the backs of her hands with mischievous little kisses while she whined in the intensity of her embarrassment.

“Don’t, Master… It’s already hard enough for me without you teasing me like this.”

“But you’re so cute when you’re embarrassed. How can I resist?”

While the pleasure of the compliment warred for supremacy with her discomfiture, Fenrir continued his kisses further down her body, shifting aside the fabric over her breasts to tease her nipples with his lips and tongue. This pleasure effectively distracted Elmeria, especially once he brought a finger down to probe at her pussy. She hadn’t been lying about being ready for him; the situation and her earlier orgasm had her easily wet enough for penetration, even by a cock as large as the one now resting on her belly.

Still, he saw no reason why he shouldn’t tease another orgasm out of her before he went for the prize, so with a thumb on her clit and two fingers seeking out the most sensitive spots inside her pussy, he renewed his attentions to her breasts.

Her reaction was most satisfying. Elmeria writhed under the stimulation, her hands grabbing the fur of his neck and alternately trying to pull him away or pull him closer, as though she couldn’t make up her mind which she wanted most. Moans spilled unrestrained from her mouth, decorum completely forgotten, and though Fenrir had trapped her legs open with his own, he could feel her thighs straining to close to protect her slit from his ****.

It didn’t take her very long at all to come, thrashing under Fenrir like a fish out of water. Fenrir weathered it with a satisfied grin, wondering idly whether she was going to pull out a handful of fur with how tight a grasp she had on it.

She did not, however, and once the orgasm subsided and her moans subsided into gasps for breath, Fenrir moved back up to her face, giving her another gentle kiss.

“Whyyy, Master…” Elmeria whimpered.

This made Fenrir cock his head. “That’s an odd reaction. What do you mean?”

“You’re so kind, so giving. You make me feel like my heart is going to burst.”

“Giving? I haven’t been all that giving, have-” Fenrir cut himself off. ‘Ah, I see. This is the fault of Elmeria’s past.’ Aloud, he said, “While it’s true I’m not a selfish lover, mostly because I take so much pleasure in seeing my partners enjoying themselves, I haven’t been all that kind. You’ve just been so accustomed to people essentially **** you that having your partner care about how you feel during sex is a little overwhelming.”

Elmeria did not reply, only wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. Fenrir rolled onto his side, holding the dark elf close until her shoulders stopped shaking.

Once they did and she had pulled back a little, he said, “One more thing. You don’t need to put on an act for me, or pretend you want this more than you do. It may not be as seductive, but I much prefer your honest reactions, thoughts, and feelings.”

“...Oh,” Elmeria muttered weakly.

“Don’t mistake me, I’m not angry. I’ve just noticed that you’ve put on a false front several times now. I believe you did so a little when we had sex back in Apollyon as well.”

The dark elf jerked guiltily at his last sentence, looking anywhere but at his face. “...Sorry.”

“I’m not angry,” Fenrir repeated. “I just want you to be able to be honest with me and with yourself.”

“I- I understand, Master.”

“Good.” Fenrir captured her lips in another kiss, one which started slow and gentle, but before long became considerably deeper and hungrier. Clearly Elmeria was far from satisfied.

Taking the cue from this, he reached down and lifted her uppermost leg, nestling the tip of his cock at her entrance. She wiggled in embarrassment, but nodded when he asked, “Ready?”

As before, her tightness was something to marvel at, but her increased elasticity made it considerably easier to sink himself deep into her. He paused at her cervix, wanting to see every detail of her reaction once he pushed his way through, then with a slow but inexorable thrust **** her deepest barrier to spread itself wide around him as he claimed it and the space beyond.

Elmeria’s eyes snapped open wide and she gasped as though the thrust had driven all breath from her lungs, which considering how deeply she was impaled by his cock wasn’t as ridiculous a supposition as it might have been. Her pussy spasmed wildly, signaling the orgasm Fenrir had so abruptly **** her to, and her hands tightened convulsively on his arms, holding on so hard it almost hurt.

He drove in until his knot was brushing her labia, then paused to let her get somewhat used to her new status as a cocksleeve. “Fuuuuck,” she gasped out. “It’s t-too much, I’m gonna die.”

Fenrir chuckled. “I doubt it. I’ve fucked several of my succubi into unconsciousness before, but I’ve yet to kill anyone with my cock.”

“It feels like you will,” Elmeria managed between moans. “Y-You’re splitting me apart.”

“Not quite, I’ve made sure you can take my cock without harm. Physical harm, anyway; we’ll have to see how your mind handles the amount of pleasure I’m about to visit upon you.”

Elmeria shot him a look that might have been a glare had she not had a cock bullying every pleasure receptor in her pussy. “I take back what I said. You’re a fu- fucking sadist.”

Fenrir considered that for a moment. “Hmm, perhaps. I certainly do enjoy giving my girls more pleasure than they know how to handle. And speaking of which...”

Without waiting for a response he began slowly pulling out, and the appearance of the ribs along his cock thoroughly derailed any reply Elmeria might have been intending to give. Then before she could recover from that, with long, slow, easy strokes he began quite literally rearranging her insides, sending her well beyond the faintest hope of coherence.

Her entire world shrank to the cock in her pussy and the shaggy form of the one wielding it with such effortless mastery. There was no room for thoughts beyond that, and barely any room for thought at all. And Fenrir saw it all in her face, jaw slack, eyes unfocused, every exhale a moan and every inhale a **** gasp for more air to moan again, and he reveled in the fullness of her pleasure.

Yes, maybe he was a bit of a bully, but bullying someone with an overabundance of pleasure didn’t seem so very bad. ‘She may complain about it once this is over, but I’d be willing to bet she’d rather have it than not.’

Speaking of pleasure, however, Elmeria was -even if unconsciously- doing her best to give as good as she got. Her pussy wrung his cock with a vengeance, even her cervix getting in on the action, her oh-so-soft and feminine body writhed against his, all but demanding gropes and caresses, and her moans were nothing less than obscene.

Under such encouragement, Fenrir wasn’t going to last long, but he held on to the last possible moment, denying the growing need to come for as long as he could. Eventually biology would no longer be denied, however, and with a roar that he only just barely stifled into an impassioned groan he spent himself deep within the Saintess, the while she screamed out her ecstasy into his fur.

Fenrir leaned back in his seat with a satisfied sigh. Sundown was approaching, and with a full meal in his stomach he was ready for the trip back to his castle in the mountains. He had spent a considerable portion of the day fucking Elmeria and Mitzi in turn; while the actual sex was too intense for either of them to go for multiple rounds back-to-back, they had no problem with lazing around with him and essentially engaging in extended foreplay until they had recovered enough for more sex.

After the first round Elmeria had seemed to set aside her shame; Fenrir supposed that after being fucked into a near comatose state, one’s priorities might be expected to shift a little. He doubted it would last, but he didn’t mind her being more comfortable with sex for the duration of the day, and Mitzi of course had had no qualms about it in the first place. Once she had recovered enough from her first fucking, the dark elf had decided to step out to reschedule her meetings so she could spend more of the day with Fenrir, but he didn’t mind so long as she didn’t raise unnecessary suspicion.

So after a very satisfying day, they had all sat down to dinner. This time, unlike breakfast, Elmeria and Mitzi sat on either side of Fenrir, placing themselves so close to him that he had some difficulty using his arms. He wasn't particularly bothered, however, since he had to wait until after dark to depart anyway.

"Are you sure you can't stay one more day?" Elmeria asked, leaning against him and pulling his arm down around her.

"I'm sure. It's not that I don't want to, but Lilli and Yumiko could give birth any day now, and Mitzi isn't so very far from it either. The less time I spend away from them, the better."

"If you must..." she snuggled deeper into his embrace with a little sigh.

Fenrir opened his mouth, then closed it again as a thought occurred to him. "Elmeria, you wouldn't happen to know who actually owns Kharvionas Castle, would you?"

She looked up. "One of the noble families. House Torrent, I think; I did some research into the area after that magic surge which brought you to Mavenia."

Fenrir had begun his earlier recounting of events with his appearance in the castle, allowing it to sound as though he had been teleported there from another part of the world by unknown means. It was a believable explanation; unexplained magical phenomena weren't particularly uncommon in Mavenia between the ruins of the Ancient Race that had endured the millennia, the experimentation on magic that members of various races were engaging in at any given time, and the wild magic of the world that occasionally surged in unpredictable ways with equally unpredictable effects.

Now, however, he responded, "I wonder how willing they'd be to part with the property."

"Why? I mean, you don't actually care about who Mavenia says owns it, do you?"

"Well, no, not really. I just had the thought that if you owned it, you could occasionally take a vacation there without raising any sort of suspicion. How often do you travel without an entourage?"

Elmeria shrugged. "Every now and then. I came to the capital alone when I was investigating your magic surge, partly because I wanted to do it quietly. The magic signature didn't match anything I was familiar with, after all." Her eyes flickered to Fenrir's face, then away again. "If I did own the castle, I'm pretty sure I could go there alone without raising suspicion. Normally people might raise an eyebrow at the fact that I wouldn't be sending any servants, but no one's close enough to me to really notice whether I'd send any people there or not. The problem would be that if I were to suddenly go to House Torrent and ask to buy the property, they'd be curious why I've taken an interest, and they'd more than likely send someone up there to look the place over."

"I see. Is House Torrent a particularly powerful house, or what's their standing in Mavenia?"

"They're one of the more powerful noble houses, yes. One of the oldest as well; they claim to trace their lineage all the way back to King Kharos, the man who founded Mavenia in the first place and drove out the Dark-races which used to live here."

Fenrir blinked at this new knowledge. "When was that?"

"No one knows the exact date anymore, but estimates place it at around ten to fifteen thousand years ago. According to the few surviving accounts, he led a punitive **** against the Dark-races for some terrible wrong perpetrated against his people, but no one knows what it was anymore."

There was silence for a moment as Fenrir thought that over, then with a slight shake of his head he turned his attention back to his original topic. "So it's doubtful that we could gain ownership of Kharvionas castle without raising suspicion."

"I don't think so. But on the other hand, it's unlikely that anyone will realize you're living there anytime soon. Mavenia doesn't have any reason to pay attention to much of anything west of the edge of the mountains."

"That's interesting. The maps I've seen indicate that there's a decently wide strip of land between the western edge of the mountains and the sea. Who inhabits that?"

"No one, anymore. It used to be part of Mavenia, but there were just too many dungeons. By the time you'd clear one out three more would have popped up. With that and the sheer amount of monsters, Mavenia eventually had to give it up. The Battle of the Wyldwood closed off the pass to everyone, even the monsters, so there wasn't even any reason to keep the pass defended anymore."

"I... see." Internally, Fenrir wondered, 'Is that because the Ancient Dungeon Core has made her home on that side of the mountains?' Aloud, he asked, "But aren't there any other passes through the mountains?"

"None you could get an army through, at least not until you get way up north. But that's in Dark-race territory, so not really our problem."

"Hmm." While he thought that over, Fenrir idly stroked Mitzi's hair, who had shifted to lie with her head on his thigh. She was still awake, listening quietly to his conversation with Elmeria while she waited until it was time to go. Speaking of which, the sun had fully set while they had been talking, and the light along the western horizon was rapidly fading.

"I hate to break up this cozy moment, but it's about time to go," he said, brushing back Mitzi's bangs to see her eyes. She smiled up at him in a lazy sort of way, but Elmeria tightened her hold on him.

"You have to go already?"

"It's after dark, and I want to make the trip back in one night if possible."

"You- what? That's impossible."

"I rather doubt that. I got here in one night, after all, but then it was also downhill and I didn't have to worry about ensuring my passenger didn't go flying off into the bushes at every turn." Fenrir smirked down at Mitzi, who grinned back at him, entirely unfazed.

"What?! How?! And how are you so calm about this, Mitzi?"

The tiny goblin raised her eyes to look at Elmeria. "It Fenrir. If he says he can do it, I believe him."

"But Kharvionas Pass is over a hundred miles away!"

"A little over two hundred miles all told," Fenrir nodded.

Elmeria just looked her disbelief.

Resisting the urge to laugh, Fenrir asked, "Remember when we first got banished to Apollyon, and how I carried you part of the way across the wastes?"

"Yes..." Elmeria nodded.

"Do you remember how fast I was going then?"

She nodded again.

"That was me pacing myself, since I didn't know how far I would need to go. I can maintain a pace somewhere around twice that fast for quite a while if I need to."

"Marstolle preserve me," the dark elf whispered.

"Never fear, you're on my side now," Fenrir grinned, tousling her hair playfully. She batted at his hand, but her attempt at a scowl barely made it past the beginnings of a frown before collapsing as soon as she saw his smile.

"Jerk," she muttered at the carpet, but Fenrir only grinned the more, not least because he saw the traces of a happy smile which despite her best efforts Elmeria could not entirely suppress.

The direwolf stretched, and gently removing Mitzi's head from his lap, stood. Elmeria forgot her pique at this sign of his imminent departure and stood as well. He gave her a gentle hug, whispering into her ear, "Take care of yourself, and keep trying to make friends of the servants. I've seen your efforts thus far, and I'm pleased."

She stiffened in his arms and he felt her heartrate quicken, then she whispered back, "Thank you, Master." When they separated, he caught her surreptitiously wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She turned to Mitzi almost immediately, however, exchanging goodbyes that were positively tender. While he doubted they would mind his presence, he gave them a little space, walking over to the window and opening it to scan the grounds below for any signs of danger. There was only the occasional priest moving between the several buildings that occupied the Cathedral grounds along the lighted paths, and Fenrir doubted that they would be able to pick him out of the darkness even if one of them did happen to look up at him.

He was still occupied with this when Mitzi came up to him. Glancing back, Fenrir saw Elmeria, looking a little forlorn now, still standing beside the sofa upon which they had been sitting. "I'll try to set up a line of communication as soon as possible, but for now, farewell."

She nodded, and Mitzi waved, her large eyes bright with tears, answered by similar tears in Elmeria's. Then Fenrir swung the goblin to his shoulders, and stepping out of the window, began the long trek back to his castle in the mountains.

Mitzi didn't say anything until they had left the city behind and were on their way across the plains towards the mountains. He was running on all fours now with his passenger comfortably lying full length between his shoulder blades, her hands entwined in his thick fur. When she did finally speak, it was to ask, "When you think Mitzi will see Elmeria again?"

"Honestly? I'm not certain. Probably not until we can find an excuse to have Elmeria visit the castle, and I couldn't tell you when that will be."

He felt her nod into his back, and there was silence for a while. "You think your succubi will like Mitzi?"

"I don't see any reason why they wouldn't. If anything, I'd be worried about certain of their members doting on you too much. You're adorable, after all."

There was a squeak of embarrassment, then silence again. After another pause of perhaps ten minutes, Mitzi said, "Thank you for bringing Mitzi with you from Apollyon. Ruyanei is scary with so much new, but exciting too. And Mitzi glad she can be with you."

Fenrir smiled. "Likewise. It is a bit unfortunate that you only got to see Mavenia's capital from a distance, but it can't be helped. There's still a lot more to be seen in Ruyanei; hopefully I can show it all to you at some point."

"But you have enemies to fight first, yes?"

"Yes and no. I do have enemies, or at least those who would wish me dead. For some, perhaps even most of them, I don't quite return the sentiment. But you're correct in that I have to deal with them one way or another before I can move freely. It's entirely possible -even likely- that I'll never be able to do whatever I please, however I please, with no thought for those who would like to kill me. I am a Dark-race, after all. But there is some hope that I may at some point no longer need to move with the same caution I'm now **** to employ."

"But you come for Mitzi anyway." The statement was half a question.

"Yes. But I did it under cover of night and snuck into the city. So far as I'm aware, no one but my followers and myself ever knew I was anywhere near the city this time around. Unless somehow I entirely upend how Light-races and Dark-races feel about each other, which quite frankly I just don't see happening, I'm never going to be able to walk through Mavenia openly. Unless..." Fenrir trailed off as a thought occurred to him. Mitzi said nothing, but he could practically hear her cocking her head curiously. "It's not out of the realm of possibility that I perfect some sort of disguise in the future that allows me to pass for a Light-race under even the most intense scrutiny," he explained. "Time will tell."

Yet another silence fell, broken only by the muted thumps of Fenrir's feet and the rushing of the wind in their ears, but it was a comfortable one. While he ran, Fenrir considered his passenger. He had not forgotten the dungeon core he had found on the way back from Eldfall, and while he did not know for certain, he was reasonably sure Mitzi would be compatible with it. What he didn't know was how absorbing its power would affect her.

'Most likely scenario is that she just gets a substantial power boost. She's still unclassed at the moment, but as a goblin she should be able to gain a class. Just the fact that God's Eye points out she's unclassed is something of a giveaway, since my succubi don't have classes either, but it's not dwelt upon in their case. At most, God's Eye seems to treat their race, succubus, as a 'class' of sorts, but that's obviously not quite the same. So I wonder if the power boost will give her a class. Or maybe she simply won't be able to make use of the core until she has a class.

'Speaking of which, how do people normally gain classes? I find it a little difficult to believe the requirements laid out for me to gain classes are universal, and besides, there are quite a few classes out there which I seemingly don't have access to. No, it's a fairly safe bet that my system is unique to me, and there are different rules in place for everyone else. Safara would likely know the specifics; I should ask her once we get back.'

Fenrir looked within himself for a moment, reviewing his own levels and abilities. 'I do have a monster level, though it's not been entirely made clear just how that affects me. General strength and so forth, I suppose? Carnachias mentioned me evolving in the future, so presumably once my monster level gets high enough I'll evolve in some way. That tracks with what happens to my succubi, or will happen, anyway. They only have a monster level, and they evolve from lesser succubi at birth up to grand succubi at the top end, I believe. Katari, Tsavani, and Saeko, on the other hand, all have classes just like Light-races do, though I've yet to see a human with a Gladiatrix class. But Safara and Saeko both share the Sage class, and Tsavani's Assassin class is just one of the possible evolutions of the Rogue class.

'This whole class system gets pretty complicated, especially when you mix in all these different races. I wonder who decided what qualifies as Light- or Dark-race. The class system certainly doesn't seem to respect that divide.' He snorted under his breath. 'I bet it was just an arbitrary decision made by the now Light-races to differentiate themselves from 'those evil nasty monsters'.' Then that train of thought derailed violently as he remembered Marstolle. 'No, if there's anyone who'd love to tear the barriers down and have everyone make friends with each other, it's her, but even she spoke of Light and Dark as immutable. Light- or Dark-based souls, or something like that. So what does make the difference?'

Fenrir was correct; it took him significantly longer to make the return journey than it had to reach the capital. He even had to stop to rest twice, and it was midmorning before he reached the top of the pass where his castle stood. 'Well,' he soliloquized, 'this is a lesson to me not to underestimate the difference elevation makes.'

His followers were glad to see him, and as he had expected, Mitzi was an immediate favorite. "I can see why you brought her back from Apollyon, boss," Kira smirked at Fenrir. They were sitting together in the kitchens, where a meal was being prepared for Mitzi and Fenrir in between gushing over the diminutive goblin, who barely knew what to make of the attention.

The direwolf matched her grin. "I know, right? And after the way she immediately took to me, there was no way I was leaving her behind if I could help it."

"Still, pregnant already? I mean, I know she's a Dark-race, but with how big your cock is, I can't imagine that was too comfortable for her. Unless she was pregnant before you met her."

Fenrir shook his head. "No, the children she's carrying are mine. She was pretty sore the first time we had sex, but she loved every minute of it. It wasn't like with you, where you somehow manage to take the full length of my cock despite the fact that you really shouldn't be able to, but we made it work."

Kira gave a wry smile and shifted Penumbra in her arms. "I suppose you are basically a demigod of sex, being the champion of Carnachias and all, so I shouldn't be too surprised that even that kind of a size difference doesn't stop you."

"Huh. I never thought of it quite that way, but you might be right. But more importantly, how about you let me hold my daughter for a bit?"

"Fine, fine," the redhead laughed. "Here you go."

Fenrir settled Penumbra against his chest, where she looked positively tiny despite having already grown about five inches in the days since her birth. At the contact her mouth opened wide in a squeaky yawn and the fingers of one tiny hand curled around a tuft of his fur. A moment later, her eyes opened, blinked hazily, and then focused on Fenrir.

"Hello there, little one," he said softly. "Welcome to the waking world."

Penumbra cooed at him, her free hand waving in the air. Her other tried to as well, but the fingers of that hand were still entwined in his fur, so it only jerked around a little.

Kira's attention was drawn back by Penumbra's mouthings, and her eyes widened. "No way! She's opened her eyes?"

"Just now. I take it it's the first time she's done so?"

"Yes!" She paused to shoot Fenrir a mock glare. "Figures that she waits to open her eyes until you're the one holding her."

He chuckled and shrugged. "Maybe she just knew the touch of her father."

To his mild surprise Kira actually considered that seriously for a moment. "Yeah, maybe." Then she threw off the thought and leaned over Penumbra. "Hi there, little shadow. I'm your momma. Say hi to your momma?"

The direwolf pup did so, waving her free arm still more enthusiastically and gurgling in excitement as her mother spoke to her. "Awww," Kira crooned. "You're so precious, yes you are!"

Fenrir watched the exchange, a warm smile on his face that he could not have suppressed had he tried. 'Life has a lot to make it worth living, but it's moments like this that makes it truly rich.'

Update: Added something like 4k words to the beginning of this one, since my original version of the chapter (which didn't have the sex scene) never quite satisfied me. I should have followed my original instinct and included the sex scene (and accompanying character development) the first time I was writing the chapter, but oh well. You have it now, at least.
And Fenrir's back home. For once a plan went off without a hitch (at least as far as we know), Penumbra's already opened her eyes, and a trip didn't take at minimum five more chapters to chronicle than first expected. Unprecedented developments abound.
Turns out there was quite a bit of worldbuilding/exposition in this chapter. I considered whether or not to write out the sex between Elmeria, Mitzi, and Fenrir, but in the end it wouldn't have been anything really new nor would it have progressed the story in any meaningful capacity, so I chose to pass over it swiftly. Instead (among other things) we get some more information about the next major destination on Fenrir's itinerary, or at least the general area around it. But that's all in the future still, of course. First, there's several new children to welcome to the world, and touching base with the allies he's made so far. That'll take up the next few chapters at least.
Enjoy!