Rest, Confide, and Rebuild.

Untitled by Luddi Ethos

As you crept along behind the minotaur, the air became quiet. The purple glow of the rocks faded behind you some time ago, but you weren't really paying attention as you only wanted to reach somewhere new, away from where potential shadow creatures could pop up.

The cavernous pathway changed quite drastically. The rocks around you begin to smooth out and a green moss flourished, changing the tone of the mountainous walls to something more...earthly. A green scattered light fills the walkway from above you, but it has nothing to do with sunlight from the surface. It is the result of certain areas of moss that glow, providing artificial sunlight to the rest of its moss family.

It appears that even in Madness, some organisms learn to adapt and survive. If only you could be as adapting, but the whole mountain is a giant mess with seemingly different ecosystems in front of its hard walls.

Water drips from above more frequently and you have no doubt that this is the best area to stop at given how warm and moist the area is compared to the rest of your journey.

"Let's rest here," you instruct.

The minotaur nods and places his axe down, sitting down and leaning against the wall of moss. He gives a low hum and for the first time, you're able to see the wounds of his arms and his main body. As you imagined, he had it worse off that you did with deep cuts across his chest and bite marks across the rest of his body. At the very least, he stopped bleeding which is impressive. Who knows? He may have a higher rate of healing given that he has been cut many times while under the control of this mysterious mistress.

Focusing your attention on the drow who's breathing became consistent, you crouch, slowly settling her down on the fuzzy green floor, having her lean against the wall.

In the back, close to your hips, you have a small jug of water that you weren't able to drink thanks to the cold of the mountain. By now, it should have melted, so you grab it and opened the cork with your teeth.

Spitting the cork out, you follow up by tilting the drow's head a little and pour water in her mouth. She twitches and her body gulps down the water. He stops after two or three gulps and then takes the cork, securing the jug of water again onto his belt.

Nathraena breathes normally again, but still extremely tired. After this, she'll definitely need two or three hours of rest before her body and mana supply recovers.

So will you.

Taking a deep breath, you settle down next to her and have the drow lean on your shoulder so that she doesn't fall to the hard ground. You knock your head back on the mossy wall and close your eyes, trying your best to sleep.

"N-no...please...Mahril..."

You snap your eyes open as you hear a cry and turn your head to the source. You raised your eyebrows in surprise as you see the drow weeping in her sleep, tears flowing down her dark cheek and onto your shoulder. Her breath was shaky and her body quivers, but it isn't because she is cold.

Is she having a nightmare?

You can't let her rest like this, so it would be best to try to wake her up. You gently shake her.

"Nathraena..." you whisper.

It didn't take much to cause her to slowly open her eyes, a sadness filling her face. She processed her surroundings and quivered one last time, sniffling.

"Where...are we?" she asked as calmly and composed as she can.

"Safe...for now," you hesitantly reply, knowing full well that you got off easy by that dark shadow woman. There is an ominous feeling that you were going to meet her soon. Just...who is she?

Nathraena snorts with a small smile before she goes back to being glum. She doesn't bother wiping the tears from her sad eyes. At the very least, her breath is steady and normal again.

Silence filled the air and not even the deep breathing of the minotaur next to you could break it. You didn't need to look to know that he's not truly asleep. He probably lost the capability to sleep in order to guard blindly.

You expected the drow to ask more questions, but she was probably content to be alive. Feeling the desire to console the drow, you decide to break the silence.

"You were having a dream about your sister?" you ask, wondering if she'll feel better talking about it.

She hums and glances away. "A bad one."

You can't help but snort this time. "Well, I figured."

"This one...was really bad, though," she clarifies, taking another deep breath before continuing, "...I saw memories of my sister when we were little. She's only a few months older than me, but we both call each other sister, nothing more...nothing less.

"These were happy memories for us; time spent with our clan who was like family, and with our mother who passed away naturally at 828. She lived quite long and so I'm happy that we were raised by an actual mother. Some drow children aren't as lucky after a war between different clans out of greed. My father died in one battle and I really never got to know him. My sister and I decided that we wanted to be warriors, so my mother helped train us to become assassins by using the darkness..."

She was growing quite happy while remembering the good times, but as soon as she stumbled upon the word, "darkness", her face fell and you know exactly why. She shook her head and continued her story.

"Actually, what happened earlier when that...unimaginable darkness materialized before has a lot to do with my dream. I'll just say for my history that I recall pulling a lot of pranks on our neighbors. We acted more like thieves than assassins, but when you think about it, the only difference is when you are trying to kill and the method of extracting information."

She smiles once more before her face hardened and she clenched her hands into a fist.

"...all those childhood memories were invaded, though. I was goofing around with Mahril when my total view was distorted, leaving only my sister in my view in a barren wasteland. She was spread far out, calling my name with such a happy smile that I ignored the change in scenery, but then, that shadow woman seeped out of the cracks within the ground and hovered over my sister. Her expression turned horrific and she cried after me. I tried to race after her, but she was caught by that creature and engulfed as if drowning in black water. She cried out to me with her arms trying to reach forward, 'Sister, please save me! Don't die! I don't want to die!'"

Tears fell from her eyes again, but this time, she wiped them away and looked hard at the mossy ground, gritting her teeth.

"I felt...completely helpless. I hate feeling helpless and when that monster of darkness appeared for the first time after battling so many lesser creatures, I felt like the odds were stacked so much against me that I would definitely die. Not even trying to slip by a dragon have I felt so...weak and insecure. What makes my dream so terrible is that I believe it to be my own volition. It wasn't something that the mountain decided to **** me with. It was like...if I die here, then my sister dies...if I die to this darkness, so does my sister."

Despite her tears falling, you were in awe at her resolve. She was angry, upset, terrified, and sad all at the same time, and you can see that she's trying her hardest to remain strong.

You can't help but wrap your arm around her back and pull her closer to you. At that moment, she broke down, unable to container her tears...her loneliness...her despair.

She twisted her hips a little to reach out with her other arm, **** to find something to hold and you take it with your free hand, sliding your fingers with hers as she sobs into your shoulders.

She needs someone to help her face this struggle. Now is not the moment for you to be hesitant because of your wife. You are resolved to find and save her, but you also need to save the drow in front of you who sacrificed so much for her sister...and for you.

You turn your head to see if Djarrus is still "resting" and is surprised to see him gone. He probably decided to give you and the drow some space. Although you can't see him, you hoped that he didn't travel too far. His scent told you he hasn't and will probably be waiting to move on.

Focusing your attention on the drow who finally raised her head having cried enough, she is about to give her thanks before you lean forward and press your lips onto hers.

She grows surprised, her tear-struck eyes widening for a moment before she relaxes and closes her eyes, accepting your love. She finds that she needs you more than ever in these frightful circumstances, letting go of your hand and wrapping her arms around your back. You do the same, putting one hand behind her head and keeping tight hold of her body.

The drow lowers herself onto the green mushy ground and you follow, still kissing each other with all your strength. She strategically spreads her legs and locks around your hips. Your hard member underneath your pants squished against her wet crotch, driving you insane.

You break away, both you and the drow out of breath as you stare at each other. She shifts her hands from your back to each side of your head, smiling at you with tears beautifully flowing down. She pulls you for another long kiss which you agree, this time, locking tongue with each other in desire.

Using her feet, she shrugs off your pants in one instance allowing your cock to free itself, and ready to penetrate the drow for the first time.

Pulling away to take your breath, she chuckles warmly at you while holding your head with her arms.

"Human..."

You snort, smiling equally warming towards her. You slide your hands across her sides causing her to shiver a little.

"It's Daeel. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

She hums, simpering like she would normally with a coy smile. "Maybe...maybe not."

You grin and start to slide your cock between her fold. You realize that she didn't have any pubic hair. Come to think of it, your wife didn't have any either! Were elfs and dark elfs born without having to worry about the "bush"?

Well regardless, you push through and you feel the drow tightening her inner walls and her legs in response. She utters a small grunt of pain before everything else became pleasure. Shivering, she pulls you back to her, but instead of connecting with her sweet lips, you move lower to lick down her body.

You don't give her a chance to be surprised as you thrust causing you to grunt yourself, but you didn't let yourself be overcome by the drow's welcoming body; instead, you lick down from her collarbone to her the center of her chest, stuffing your head between her lovely breasts. She shivers again and moves her hand to your back. As you thrust, hearing the resulting pleasure coming from the drow's mouth, you continue focusing on the rest of her body or more specifically, her chest.

You cup her large breasts and focus your attention on her left tit, licking around her nipple and then burying your mouth into her fat. She lurches and moans, holding you tight, not wanting to let you pull away from her chest.

After messing around with her left tit while maintaining a consistent thrust, you focus your attention on her right tit, twirling your tongue around her nipple and then sucking deeply, eating as much fat as you can.

Her moans are like sweet music to your ears.

Latching off, you focus your attention back to her face which is full of ecstasy. You rest on top of her completely, her huge wet chest sticking to your own, and connect your lips with hers for the third time. She utters muffled moans as you simply focus on thrusting, feeling like you could easily melt on top of her.

She was consistently tight, but something else was bothering you. Before you could dwell on it, you feel yourself about to cum. You decide it might be better to pull out, but the drow holds you in tight. She pulls away for a moment and sighs, cupping your cheek with one hand.

"Daeel, let's cum togther. Don't pull out," she pleads, her eyes full of want. You had a hard time rationalizing the reasons not to pull out as her legs kept your hips, forcing you to thrust if need be.

"I'm going to cum!" you grunt loudly and the drow did the same, lurching her head back as both of your crotches exploded with cum.

You blew everything you could into the dark elf and you feel your crotch warmed and stickied by the drow's vaginal juices. As you and her take a moment to recover your breath, you leaned forward to kiss her gently on the lips as the libido dies.

Her hold on you loosened and she utters happy hums as you pecked her lips. You leave your cock inside her for as long as you can before you need to pull out. As you did, the rest of your cum spilled out and you pull away, making sure to not dirty your only pair of olive pants.

It's a shame there isn't a pool of water to clean yourself.

As you gaze at the drow's lovely body and her state of bliss, you noticed some blood near her crotch. Then you remember what you were about to wonder before you came. For some reason, you didn't feel alarmed.

"So...that was your first time, huh? You fooled me pretty well considering how you downed my cock with such ease," you ask, grinning.

Nathranea grew a little embarrassed and her cheeks turned slightly rosy. She quickly sits up and allows your sperm to fall down.

"Oh please, if I really had a dedicated husband, he'd be with me on this journey. No, the only one I care for now is my sister. She is all that matters..."

Her voice grows soft as she smiles, "...but I think now, there's another person I can add to the list of people I care about."

You rubbed your neck meekly and then provide your hand. You knew she didn't need any help getting up, but she took your hand gladly and squeezed, pulling herself up while leveraging you.

Without saying much, you washed your crotch with a little water in your jug and then after feeling dry enough, you put your pants back on. Nathraena didn't have anything to wear, of course, except for the winter cloak that she could wrap herself in.

Breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly, she feels revitalized thanks to you. In the back of her mind, she wonders what would happen when you finally join with your wife. Surely, it would mean freeing her soul, but her body is all the way back at your village, right?

What will happen to her once she saves her sister?

She feels stupid for thinking about the future rather than the present. She shakes her head and maintains focus.

"Daeel, thank you," she suddenly thanked.

You raise your eyebrows. "For what?"

She chuckles. "For being there for me, obviously. I'm sorry you had to see me in such a...emotional mess. You're very kind-hearted."

You feel a little guilt as you thought about your wife, but you are certain you made the right decision. You love this dark elf woman as you love your wife, Elayna. You aren't sure what to expect, but you can only focus on the now.

"Djarrus is waiting for us ahead. I figured he didn't want to watch this time," you smiled.

Nathraena raises her eyebrows and holds back her smile as she did feel a little guilty. "I'll admit, I feel a tiny bit ashamed. He is a rather reserved and respectful individual, huh?"

"I think for our sake, we should be grateful," you suggest, not wanting to imagine any other possibility.

Djarrus was holding up a hundred meters from where you made love to the drow. He was stationed near a particular vine, but upon closer look, you open your mouth surprised to see the first old casualty of the mountain.

More importantly, a chance to no longer be naked for the drow. To say the least, Nathraena gasps with immense relief.

"I cannot tell whether the clothes will fit or not, but we are lucky to stumble upon one who has made it this far. I am curious how this dead one arrived at such a place," Djarrus notes.

You take a good look at the skeleton with wearing full, intact leather armor. From the bone shape and the type of leather, you can tell that this person was once a female ranger. The difference is that it has more of an elegant design with gold markings and scales coming down from the upper chest. Whether it fits or not will be a different story.

"It looks like a female ranger who died probably no more than a hundred years ago. I'm far from an expert on these kinds of things, but I've had to learn to identify bones while in many forests," you explain.

Nathraena frowns. "I'm more concerned why this ranger died here? Could it be she died out of exhaustion?"

You turn your head to face the drow, curling your lips and shrugging. "I am not sure, but we should be on our guard. In any case..."

As you turn your head back to look at the leaning skeleton encaged by the vines, you widen your eyes and gasp as the skeleton was replaced by your wife, Elayna, who looks at you with fear.

"Is she going to replace me, Daeel? Are you going to abandon me?!"

You grunt, closing your eyes and putting a hand to your forehead. You feel a hand touch your shoulder and the drow speak up.

"Are you okay, Daeel?"

Opening your eyes, you blink several times to see the skeleton and not your wife. You knew it was a hallucination, but...to see such fear of being abandoned in your wife. It fills you with guilt and pain.

Elayna is a very strong and resourceful woman, so to see such a horrified expression burns into your mind.

This godamned mountain.

Taking a deep breath, you nod. "No, I'm fine. It's this damn mountain playing with me."

Nathranea curls her lips and removes her hand from your shoulder. "Your wife?"

You hum in acknowledgment, but you aren't going to waste time dwelling on it. You motion to the leather armor.

"Let's get you fitted with this. I'm certain your sick of walking naked, right?" you ask.

Nathraena is a little concerned, but seeing how you didn't want to talk about your wife or the hallucination, she didn't push; instead, she narrows her eyes coyly.

"Ah, but aren't you fine with me naked? What about you, Djarrus?" she looks at you and the brown beast with a devious smile.

The minotaur stumbles a bit and looks away. "That is not my place to say, elf."

On the other hand, you feel no need to be hesitant and reply in a flat tone. "Honestly, I am fine with it. I guess we can move on and leave this skeleton, right?"

Nathraena sees her attempts to get a reaction out of you failed, but she is content with the minotaur's unseen blush.

"No, I'll take the armor," she declares before looking at the skeleton respectfully, "Forgive me, ranger. I hope you still rest in peace."

Nathraena removes the garments from the skeleton's body while being careful not to dislodge the skeleton itself. While she had to cut a few vines, she managed to slip off the armor and wasted no time in putting it on...

Drow concept 1 by Izmaeth

She hums, testing her flexibility against the leather. You hear it stretch a little in response. She shrugs. "It's acceptable. I don't usually wear full body pieces like this, but for a hundred-year-old armor, it feels surprisingly sturdy. It'll just take some getting used to; however, I do feel a little tight on the chest."

You raise one of your eyebrows. "I see no problem."

"Of course you don't," she chuckles before pointing at your damaged ranger uniform with a smrik, "...maybe if we find some better armor for men, you'll give me the pleasure of helping you change?"

Oh boy.