Back to the Land of the Living

“Hhaaa!”

Krvavy gasps and bolts upright.

Her heart beats frantically as beads of sweat drip down her aching body.

The flames of the ever-burning campfire shine bright beside her. Warm and reassuring. The dense mat of Elgian moss, soft and padded, keeps her from the cold stone floor. The freshwater fountain in the corner trickles gently.

Krvavy slowly breathes out, recognizing where she is.

She is safe.

The contents of her dreams, her nightmares, are already fading away. She remembers being scared, feeling weak and hopeless, but that is all. And those feelings aren’t too surprising either. She did die, after all. Who knows what her soul had to go through to bring her back...

Krvavy’s whole body aches as she slowly struggles to rise up onto her feet. Her limbs feel heavy and lethargic, moving with a faintly disorientating delay.

The Drakling leans heavily against the cave wall.

A part of her just wants to just lay back down and rest. She can barely stand right now. She needs to regain her energy.

But Krvavy doesn’t want to do that. Not here. Not where she is all alone. She... needs to feel the warmth of her girls in her arms...

Shakily and hesitantly, Krvavy begins to walk. One foot in front of the other. Slow. Steady.

A dull pain echoes throughout her whole body. It feels as if she just ran a marathon. And followed that up by doing every workout under the sun. Without even a second of rest.

She passes through the illusionary stone wall, exiting out of her respawn point and into her little hoard. The treasures here, some more valuable than others, go completely ignored as she shambles through this storage platform.

Along the edge of the path stands a flower. Its blue-green petals spread open, glowing faintly in the dim light.

Most thoughts leave her mind as the light of her home grows closer and closer. She is nearly there...

“My dearest love!” Beryl suddenly barrels into her, nearly knocking the Drakling off her feet. Four vines spread out, stabilizing the two lovers as they hug each other tightly. “Ah...!” The former Wood Elf trembles slightly, taking a deep breath. “Are ya okay?”

“Yeah, just... sore... tired...” Krvavy’s voice slurs ever so slightly, her tongue thick and clumsy.

The Dryad gazes up at her Draconic lover, face all but buried between the barbarian’s bare breasts. Concern fills the black pools of her eyes. She bites her bottom lip, teeth digging into soft green flesh, before slowly sighing out. Without a word, she pulls back and slips beneath the Drakling’s arm, helping Krvavy stay upright.

“I... I missed you...” The barbarian softly sighs out, hugging onto her sweet berry.

“Ah missed ya too...”

Silence hangs in the air as they step into the living room.

“It’s early.” Beryl quietly states, her voice soft and breathy. “The others are... still sleepin’.”

Krvavy’s fingers dig into the backrest of the couch. She... isn’t sure if she can walk all the way to the bed. To the rest of her girls. Her eyes turn to the Dryad by her side, hoping to get the help she needs for this final stretch of her journey.

Her heart freezes.

There are... dark bags beneath Beryl’s eyes. The tomboy’s tanned skin is... paler than usual. The green of her lips has faded into a dull grey.

Beryl looked fine just a few minutes ago, so wha–?

“Your tree... You’re too far...!” Krvavy gasps out, panic flowing through her veins. She stumbles to the side, dragging the withering Dryad with her as she heads not towards her bed but in the direction of Beryl’s grove.

“Ah... Ah’ll be fi–”

“Mate...?” Khalia rubs her eyes amber-gold eyes in disbelief. A grin begins to spread across her face, only to die in an instant as she sees the state that both Beryl and the barbarian are in. Her plump lips press together as she marches forwards.

“Wai–hhnmghh...” Krvavy weakly gasps out as she and her Dryad are swept off their feet. A faint red flush fills her cheeks as she finds herself held in her precious puppy’s strong arms, lifted up in a bridal carry with the withering Dryad curled up atop her. But she is too exhausted to truly feel embarrassed about this.

Her heavy eyelids droop down and shut as she leans her head to the side, squishing her face into Khalia’s firm green tit. Her hands, weak and trembling, hold tightly onto Beryl. She can almost feel the warmth returning to the Dryad with every step that Khalia takes.

...

“Rrrgh... Mate... Mate. Mate!”

“Mnhhh...” Krvavy’s head swirls as she opens her eyes, staring up at the worried faces of her Orc and Elf. The vibrant canopy of Beryl’s tree hangs above their heads. “I’m... awake...”

“Rina... Rina told us wha’ ‘appened, my dearest love.” Beryl sighs out, running a hand through her short and messy hair. She looks fine again. Vibrant and full of life. “Ah... can’t scold ya fer wha’ ya did. Ya weren’t reckless. Ya didn’t do anythin’ wrong. Ya... ya saved Rina’s life.”

“Is she...?”

“She’s fine.” The former Wood Elf’s voice is a little terse. She sighs and carefully cuddles up against the Drakling’s side, prompting Khalia to claim the other half of their shared lover. “The Countess is back in Raseyne already. She’ll... want ta talk wit’ ya, but... but ya need ta rest first. So please, my dearest love, relax. Take care o’ yerself...”

A soothing warmth gently washes over Krvavy, the magic of life encouraging that simple request.

The Dryad shifts slightly, lifting herself up. Her almost entirely black eyes meet the Drakling’s exhausted gaze. A green blush begins to tint her cheeks. “Ah love ya, Krvavy. Ah love ya more than Ah thought Ah’d ever love anyone...”

“I love you too, Beryl...” Krvavy smiles warmly but tiredly. “I... wanted to ask you this before... before I left, but...” Her weak and shaky hands clasp onto one of her sweet berry’s far more dexterous ones. “Will you marry me, Beryl?”

Surprise fills the tanned tomboy’s face. Surprise that quickly gives way to joy. Beads of sap-like tears well up in her dark eyes, trickling down her increasingly flushed face as she smiles wider than ever before. “Aye. Aye, Ah will my love.” Her voice is breathy and soft. Beneath her calm words is an ocean of love and excitement, only restrained for the sake of her newly betrothed barbarian.

Still, the Dryad trembles as she leans forwards. Her soft, leafy lips press against Krvavy’s mouth. The kiss is chaste and serene. It lasts for an eternity, and yet ends far too soon.

“Sorry if this... if this moment isn’t special enough... I just...”

“Shhh... It’s alright, my dearest love. Any moment wit’ ya is special. Now... now relax. Rest and relax.” Beryl gently orders, brushing a strand of hair from her lover’s face. “Khalia and Ah are... we’re ‘ere fer ya.”

“Mate...” The uncharacteristically quiet Were-Beast breathes out that venerable title. Her usually gruff tone is soft. She sounds worried and concerned. And luckily not at all jealous over the honour that Beryl just received. She is, after all, already Krvavy’s Mate. What is a marriage proposal compared to that?

“I love you, Khalia...” The barbarian rolls her head to the side, planting a weak kiss onto the tip of her precious puppy’s nose. “Thanks for... for carrying us over here...”

“Rrrrrgh...” A rumbling groan, almost a growl, emerges from within Khalia’s chest as her response. A blush fills her green cheeks as she slips a leg over one of Krvavy’s, shifting her body to lay half on top of the Drakling. “Sleep.”

Krvavy smiles and slowly sighs. She would love it if her other girls were here too, but... they’ll be here soon enough, no doubt.

“I am not jealous...!” An exasperated and bratty voice softly echoes through Krvavy’s dreams. “Stop trying to lord that over me...! It does not even make sense...! I am already h–”

“Hush.” A neutral voice, sounding a little louder and much closer, cuts the first one off. “You will wake her.”

“Hmph...!”

“Mnnnhh...” Krvavy groans lightly, stretching her legs out as best she can despite the weights pressing down on them.

“Ach, too late.”

The first thing Krvavy sees as she opens her eyes is... Adeline’s face. The adorable Halfling girl’s big hazel eyes are watery and wide open. Worry and joy fill her face in equal measure, mixing with relief as she –

“Mhh~!” The tiny blonde lunges forwards, locking her little lips with those of the much larger Drakling. Her small hands clutch at Krvavy’s cheeks, trembling faintly. “Eeeeeeeeeeeiiie...!” She ends that kiss as abruptly as it began, squeaking in embarrassment as she curls into a ball and nestles herself into the crook of Krvavy’s arm.

The second thing that Krvavy sees after she opened her eyes is... a pair of titanic grey-skinned tits hanging above her head. She can just barely see the canopy of Beryl’s tree in the periphery of her vision, and only because those leafy branches stretch out so far from the trunk.

“I do hope that I make for a good pillow, my Ushumgal.” The faintest bit of mirth underlines Inanna’s words. One of her stout and stocky hands gives the Drakling’s shoulder a gentle and reassuring squeeze.

“One of the best~...” Krvavy happily sighs out. She still feels a little sore, but... not as tired.

“Pardon me fer smotherin’ ya, but ya must be ‘ungry. So drink up, my dearest love~.”

The barbarian can barely blink before another pair of breasts is shoved in her face, much smaller than those of the Dwarf. Beads of golden nectar leak out from the verdant green nipple closest to her mouth. With hardly even a thought, her lips latch onto that sweet and delicious teat, not wanting even a drop to go to waste.

“What.” Thea’s incredulous voice falls on deaf ears as she witnesses that sight. “Is... is that where your ‘nectar’ comes from!? I drank some of it!”

“Calm – mhhhh~!” The Dryad openly and shamelessly moans as her Draconic lover hungrily suckles on her nipple. “Calm down, the – ohh, yess~! – the stuff tha’ Ah – hhhm~! – fed ya came from – nnh, just like tha’, my love~! – from my tree~!”

“Ugh...” The bratty girl just groans out, sounding slightly relieved but also a little disappointed. Not that she would ever admit as much. “You... you’re squishing the mouse.”

“Oh~! S-sorry sweetie~...” Beryl coos, keeping her nipple firmly in the Drakling’s mouth as she shifts her body around so that she isn’t laying half on top of the Halfling.

“Rrmmmnnhhghn~...” Slightly disturbed by all of these noises, Khalia softly groans out, almost moaning as she sleepily grinds and rubs herself against her Draconic Mate’s body.

“Hhah~...!” A satisfied gasp and a wet pop marks the end of Krvavy’s meal.

“My dearest love, ‘ow was tha’ fer breakfast~...?” Beryl breathily asks, her face flushed a beautiful shade of green.

A part of Krvavy wants to be playful or cheeky and say something along the lines of her having had better, but... That would be a completely unbelievable lie. “It was amazing...” She sighs out, feeling utterly content and satisfied.

“If ya want more, then don’t be shy and just ask~. Ah’ll always be willin’ ta give ya another sip~.” The former Wood Elf’s honesty is not even slightly up for debate, despite her teasing tone. Everyone present can tell as much. “My dearest love,” her expression shifts subtly, growing a little more ****. “About wha’ ya asked before ya ‘ad a nap... Ya meant tha’, right? Ya weren’t just... out o’ it and delirious...? Ya... ya do remember it, right...?”

The Drakling’s meaty tail clumsily twists around, pressing against her sweet berry’s lower back. The tomboyish Dryad lets herself get pushed forwards, face hovering closely above that of her love. “Beryl, how could I ever forget proposing to you? It might not have been a grand spectacle, but...”

Any other words that Krvavy could have said are silenced as Beryl’s soft green lips press against her own once more.

“Mwahh~...” The tomboyish Elf makes an exaggerated noise as she pulls back, her cheeks a verdant green. “Good,” relief and joy fill Beryl’s voice as she tries to sound confident and sure of herself. Though she can’t quite keep a slightly sheepish tone from tinting her next few words. “Because Ah already told the others about it.”

“‘Told’?” Thea scoffs out. “‘Bragged to’ is more accurate.”

“And can ya blame me? Ah get ta call the greatest love o’ my life – the woman who saved me from centuries o’ misery and loneliness, the woman who gave me purpose in life and who ‘elped me become wha’ Ah was always meant ta be – my fiancée.” A kind smile dances across Beryl’s face as she meets the bratty girl’s gaze. “Ya know exactly wha’ Ah am talkin’ about, because the both o’ us are as blessed as can be.”

Thea pointedly turns her head away, doing her best to act like she isn’t blushing so intensely that the bright red colour has spread down from her cheeks to her shoulders. “That nectar of yours...” To avoid her embarrassment, the girl tries to change the topic. “The bottle that you gave Krvavy for her trip... Did you fill that from your teat as well, like some sort of debauched tree cow?”

The Dryad’s smile doesn’t falter at all. In fact, it only grows wider as she gazes at her fellow fiancée. “Aye.” She unashamedly admits. “Only the best fer our dearest love~.”

“Oh.” The barbarian blankly blinks, slightly ruining the mood. But she also gives her beautiful brat a bit of a reprieve, so that equals out. “I shared some of it with Rina.”

Thea looks scandalized by that admission, but none of the others seem to care at all. Except for Beryl. A teasing gleam fills the tanned tomboy’s expression.

“Tha’ so~? Did she like it~?” Nimble fingers affectionately brush across the barbarian’s cheek, trailing over the small patch of scales that rest beneath an emerald eye.

“Yeah, she loved it.” The corners of Krvavy’s lips twitch upwards. “Even wanted to see if we could sell some to her. Would you be up for that~?”

Beryl’s blush intensifies. “Ahh... Well, if... if it is just fer ‘er...” The Dryad almost timidly taps her fingers together, turning the dark pools of her eyes to the side.

“What, now you are getting bashful?!”

A genuine smile fills Krvavy’s face as she closes her eyes again, simply enjoying the presence of her girls. She really did miss them...

Despite the love and warmth surrounding her, Krvavy’s mood begins to drop. She is home again, yes, but... not under the best of circumstances.

“How long was I dead?”

Silence hangs in the air of Beryl’s grove.

“Roughly nine days.” Inanna is the first to speak up, her tone devoid of nearly all emotion. Except for a tinge of concern.

“It was only a week last time...” Krvavy frowns, opening her eyes to see a similar expression on both Beryl and Thea’s faces.

“Did ya get any... notifications about it?” The tomboyish Dryad hesitantly asks. “Different from before?”

You have died.
Blessed by an Otherworldly ****, your soul has the strength to return you to life in the location that it is bound to. But this process is straining and wears away at your soul: each **** will take longer than the last to recover from, until you meet your final ****.

+1 Divine Favour, for overcoming ****.

“It’s... it’s all the same. Same wording. Same amount of favour: just one point.”

“Ach, well, at least ya aren’t really bein’ rewarded fer dying...” Beryl ruefully shakes her head. “Wha’ about yer axe? Is it... alright? Rina mentioned tha’ it disappeared, and Ah... didn’t explain ta ‘er why or ‘ow tha’d ‘appen.”

With a fair bit of hesitation, Krvavy lifts her arm up and away from Adeline’s adorably curled up body – there is absolutely no way that Khalia would let her other arm move. She takes a deep breath and...

A soft flash of light appears above her hand, instantaneously taking the shape of her Soulbound weapon. It fully materializes a moment later. The whole thing, from end to end, looks completely undamaged and in perfect condition.

“Tha’ is a relief...” Beryl slowly sighs out, sparing the weapon only a quick glance before it fades away again. “Wouldn’t want ya ta ‘ave lost yer axe, and the favour ya spent on it.”

“My Ushumgal. Are you feeling alright?” The Dwarf asks, giving the Drakling’s shoulder another comforting squeeze. “We still do not know the extent of the consequences of you dying and returning to life.”

“I... I’m still a bit sore.” Krvavy admits, trying to stretch again. Which isn’t all that easy while lying down surrounded by and covered in the loves of her life. “But I feel a lot better now than I did right after I... got back.”

“Nothin’ else?”

“Well...” The barbarian bites the inside of her lip, brow furrowed in thought. “I had some nightmares while, uh, dead.”

“What of?” Inanna’s normally neutral voice is both curious and hesitant.

Krvavy simply shrugs. “Can’t remember...” A shiver trails down her spine as feelings of fear, hopelessness, and sorrow wash over her mind.

“Hmph!” Thea huffs out, rolling her beautiful blue eyes. “Enough of this! No point in dwelling on **** if this degenerate Dragon doesn’t have anything useful to say about it!”

“Aww, ‘ow adorable~!” Beryl’s sudden cooing catches the brat off guard, leaving the girl **** as four vines suddenly race out towards her.

“Wha!? HEY!” The silver-blonde noble girl barely has time to protest before she is grabbed and dragged deeper into the cuddle pile, all but being tossed atop of Krvavy.

“Rrrrmmmgh...” The Were-Beast grumbles in mild annoyance as the bratty girl’s nubile body thumps into her. “Girly...” She lightly shakes her head, lifting a strong furred arm up and wrapping it around Thea’s waist.

“Ugh... seriously...” The thoroughly imprisoned brat weakly complains, finding herself pinned between the cuddling Were-Beast and barbarian with no hope of escape. Not that she’d actually try to escape.

“There, tha’ is better~. Isn’t tha’ right, my dearest love~?” Beryl lovingly coos, not quite mirroring Khalia as she hugs onto her Draconic lover’s other arm, pressing her lithe body into Adeline’s back.

“Yeah...” Krvavy happily sighs out, luxuriating in the feeling of five women clinging onto her. Two on each side, and one who’s thighs make for an amazing pillow.

Peace and warmth surrounds the Drakling. Both in body and mind. The faintest remnants of her lingering nightmares fade even further, soon disappearing along with the rest of those dark and dreary dreams. A feeling that Krvavy once thought that she would never get to experience fills her entire being, stronger than she would have ever hoped it could be.

Love.

To love and be loved is more than she could ever ask for...

Inanna shifts slightly, causing the absolutely massive tits that are still taking up most of Krvavy’s vision to jiggle beautifully. “How was the Council?” She idly asks after a few long but relaxing minutes, voice barely a whisper. “As boring as expected?”

“Hhahhhh... Way, way, way worse.” Krvavy replies, a dopey smile on her face despite her sighed words. “It was painfully, excruciatingly boring. Almost would have preferred to die in the middle of it instead of after it was all over.”

“Ach, don’t ya joke about tha’.” Beryl gently scolds, giving the barbarian a light tap with her foot.

“Sorry... Tk.” The Drakling clicks her tongue in annoyance. “Honestly, the fact that I died is... kind of pissing me off. And not just because, you know, I died. Or even because Rina and I now have some things to explain to each other, which... eugh...” Krvavy grimaces and shakes her head, a little worried about whatever that conversation will entail. “It feels a bit stupid, but... Rina was going to reward me for suffering through that boring job, and...”

“Seriously...?” Thea sighs out, sounding just a little disappointed. “You had a whole week with that... that lewd Countess. And do not even bother trying to act like you never once laid a finger on her: you were not shy in harassing me with knowledge of the degenerate acts the two of you got up to!” The bratty girl huffs out, idly playing with the Far-Speaking ring clinging onto her finger. “Perverted toys...”

“She...” Krvavy’s cheeks burn a bright red colour. Her mostly soft cock twitches slightly. “She wanted me to fuck her ass.”

“W-wha’?!” Beryl gasps, caught completely off guard by that rather simple statement. “But... yer size...?”

“Rina... said something about having some potions to help with that.”

“Ach. Ah like the woman, Ah really do, but... Tha’ is a bit presumptuous o’ ‘er.” The tanned Dryad reaches an arm over Adeline’s adorably embarrassed body, possessively resting her hand onto the Drakling’s muscled abs. “Yer cock ‘asn’t been in any o’ our arses, so she’d be steallin’ tha’ virginity from ya... Though Ah suppose she would also be givin’ ya ‘er own at the same time...”

“D-do not look at me like that!” The silver-blonde brat nervously sputters out, her cheeks burning a brighter shade of red than Krvavy’s hair. “My perverted and degenerate and debauched trait m-may make me capable of... of...! But I-I...! What about your dog?! Her holes are bottomless!”

“Rrrgh...” Khalia grimaces, growling at the flustered noble clutched in her arms. “Can’t breed butt.” She quite plainly states, making her opinion on the matter known.

“You cannot be bred at all! Krvavy set that chance down to zero!”

“Rrrrrrrgghhhh...!” Being reminded of that fact just seems to aggravate the Orc even more.

“Well, my dearest love...” Beryl idly trails her nimble fingers down the barbarian’s buff belly. “Ya’re ‘ere now, wit’ us, so... ‘ow about we give ya a reward instead~? All o’ us~. At the same time~.” A teasing smile plays at the Dryad’s verdant green lips, faltering a little as she feels the need to add one more thing. “And this wouldn’t be a reward fer dyin’, no matter ‘ow ‘eroic yer sacrifice was, but... but fer bein’ the woman tha’ we love. So... ‘ow about it~? Wanna take yer mind off the pain ya suffered, focusin’ instead of the pleasure ya could experience wit’ us all~?”

“W-why are you volunteering all of us for such a perverted thing?!” Thea continues to sputter out, getting increasingly overwhelmed. The fact that one of Khalia’s strong paw-like hands is kneading her ass definitely isn’t helping her stay composed.

“If ya want ta sit it out, then Ah guess tha’ is fine. A bit disappointin’, but fine.” Beryl dramatically sighs out, shaking her head as she nuzzles her face into her Draconic lover’s shoulder. “So... who is up fer it? Khalia? Ach, why’d Ah even bother askin’? O’ course ya are! Wha’ about ya, sweetie?”

Adeline goes completely still, not even breathing, as she is put on the spot. “Hhhhh!” She sharply inhales, trembling and hiding behind her floppy bunny ears. “Y-y-yy-ess...!” Her muffled voice is slurred slightly, oozing shame and excitement in equal measure.

“I will also participate.” Contrasting the other inhumanly short girl, Inanna’s response is incredibly calm. As expected of her.

“F-f-f-fine!” Thea shakily blurts out, before anyone can even try to peer pressure her. “I will join in as well! Happy!?” Despite her words and this whole act, there isn’t even the slightest bit of **** in her tone. The bratty girl honestly sounds more excited about this than anyone else here.

“Well, ‘ow about it, my dearest love~?” The Dryad’s dexterous fingers dance around the root of the Drakling’s stiffening dick. Her eyes, those black pools with their shadowed blue-green iris’, peer at the barbarian full of nothing but love and lust. “Are ya feelin’ up fer it~? Would ya like us, all o’ us, ta completely and utterly spoil ya like tha’~?”