The Cave

Note: Next few chapters don't have sex scenes but do advance the plot. (And I think they're kind of wholesome to counter the constant **** in the other path <3)

Penny

We set off in the direction of the capital, dressed like sluts and weary from the battle. I followed Alice as she carved a path through the brush, slashing at branches and shrubs. Leaves kept getting stuck in my hair, and my bare legs were soon covered in hundreds of tiny scratches from thorns. The forest was filled with the buzz of insects, constantly trying to feed off of us, and our revealing outfits made our bodies a veritable buffet for them. The twilight sun covered the already dim forest in shadows, constant movement in the darkness startling us with every little sound. I could feel hundreds of eyes staring at me, whether with hunger or lust I couldn't tell. The creatures of this world were equally as happy breeding me or eating me, and that thought terrified me. Humans were cursed, or blessed depending on your point of view with the ability to procreate with just about anything to produce either hybrids, or non-humans. And half-breeds always had the best of both species, meaning that mating with a human was always in a creature's best interests. As I was lost in thought, worrying about being attacked by a bugbear, or ravaged by a satyr, I walked headfirst into an overhanging tree branch.

"Ow!" I yelped as my forehead slammed into it, sending me reeling backwards onto the ground. "Now the plants are attacking us too!" Alice quickly pulled me to my feet, helping me to brush the dirt off of my back. I rubbed my forehead, taking my hand off to see blood. The thorny branch had gotten me good. My wound was already burning horribly, and the stinging pain was irritatingly distracting.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked, inspecting my forehead. "It doesn't look that bad, head wounds just bleed a lot."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just stings like a bitch." I muttered back, trying to wipe the blood off faster than I bled.

"Here. We can't have you bleeding everywhere." Alice pulled out the white transparent dress and tore it into strips, before wrapping it around my forehead. I tied my raven hair into a ponytail to make it easier for her as she treated me. She expertly put pressure on the wound, and tied it in the back to keep it in place. She stepped back to study her handiwork before she swooped in and lightly kissed my wound.

"That'll make you feel better." She said with a smirk, before fake swooning. "Now you look like a proper warrior, wounded in action. And I'll be the sexy nurse that cares for you, and then falls for you, and then we make passionate love on the hospital bed before you head back to the battlefield. Ahh... It's so dreamy..."

"You really need to read stuff that isn't porn." I laughed, "If you became a nurse, all the men's blood would flow somewhere else if you know what I mean."

"I'm going to make your blood flow somewhere else once we're out of here." Alice whispered, suddenly inches away from me, so close that I could feel her warmth through the thin fabric of my dress. She ran a hand down my shoulder, before entangling her fingers in mine, her hand so soft despite all her fighting. She leaned forward and pecked me on the cheek, lingering for a few seconds as her copper hair tickled my nose, before retreating. We continued on our path, Alice leading the way with her sword and me following behind while holding her hand and dodging any more overhanging branches. She was chattering about something she read recently, trying to keep morale up. I feigned disinterest, but I was taking in every little detail. Nobles weren't supposed to read erotica, the genre belonging to the repressed masses without the means to fulfill every kink. We were supposed to carry out our kinks, no matter how strange. She was talking about some handsome prince and his harem of exotic beauties, all about how they vied for his attention, but he was really only interested in this peasant girl that worked in the kitchens. Classic romance plot, but her eyes shone with excitement and honestly, she only looked this happy after we made love. I was enamored by her passion, and I was finding it harder and harder to act disinterested.

The sky darkened quickly, and soon it was nearly pitch black in the forest. My girlfriend ignited her sword with those ghostly flames again, illuminating a small circle around us as even the fire struggled to penetrate the darkness. I huddled close to her, not just for the light but also for warmth. Without the sun's heat, the temperature dropped drastically and I was shivering in the cold with barely any insulation. A howl sounded somewhere to my right and a reply came somewhere to my left. Wolves. Or satyrs. Satyrs were the second worst forest-dwelling creatures after goblins. Only because they didn't kill or impregnate people. No one knows how they procreate, but everyone knows of the pheromones they secrete in their semen, driving both men and women mad with lust until they either got satyr dick, or died.

"We should find shelter for the night and travel at dawn." I said, clinging to my girlfriend's arm.

"Good idea, let's keep going until we find something that we can sleep in." She replied, and we set off again. Strange noises sounded in the air, nearly drowned out by the incessant buzzing of insects attracted to the light from Alice's flames. The mosquitos were relentless, biting me everywhere as I desperately tried to swat them with one hand. Alice was fine though, with anything landing on her immediately combusting from her internal heat. I swore under my breath as I smushed a blood-filled bastard that was about to take off from my neck. Another immediately took its place before flying off the instant before my hand hit it. I growled in frustration as we walked, still no sign of anything but dense trees all around us. My legs itched furiously, the combination of thorns and mosquitoes turning my skin more red than white. And on top of the mosquito bites, my legs ached from exhaustion. We'd been walking for around four hours at this point, fighting through the forest that seemed to delight in throwing obstacles at us. Suddenly, Alice stopped, peering into the shadows before she sent a small ball of light floating to our left.

"There! A cave!" She whisper-shouted with glee. I could have cried with joy. Finally we could get away from the mosquitos. We sprinted towards our salvation, dashing through the bushes and over a giant mud puddle until we stood in front of it. It was little more than a deep hollow, carved out of a small hill. A large round cavern was the first room, and a small tunnel led further into the hill. We slowly walked into the cave, and realized that we weren't the first to set foot in it. A firepit lay in the center of the round cavern, the flames having long gone out. Firewood was piled against a wall, and preserved animals hung from the ceiling, salted, smoked, and cured for later consumption. A musky, heady smell lingered in the air, familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"I don't think we're the first here," She started, observing the cave and taking in every detail. "What if whoever it is comes back?"

"Then we kill them. Because there's no way in hell I'm going back out there." I groaned and sat down beside a wall, scratching at my itchy legs.

"Holy shit, Penny! What-" She knelt in front of me, "Why didn't you say anything!? Oh my god, your legs..."

"I'm fine, its just some mosquitoes..." I reassured her, before wincing when she poked a particularly large bite.

"Nuh uh, you sit right here, and I'm going to try to help." She rubbed her hands together before gently touching a bite with a burning hot finger. She kept it there for about thirty seconds before moving to the next. I barely felt the heat, but as she moved up one leg, burning my bites and denaturing the mosquito proteins, I could see the swelling gradually reduce. She finished with my right leg, and the bites on my ankle weren't even itching anymore. She moved up my left leg, slowly eliminating all the bites, until she stopped halfway up my calf. She was shaking now, and I hadn't even noticed. I cursed myself as I grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Alice are you okay?" I asked, concern filling my voice as I took in the change in her appearance. She was sweating bullets, practically drenching her dress and dripping onto the stone floor. Her hands were shaky, and her breathing heavy and labored. Magic took a toll on its users, and excessive spellcasting has resulted in the **** of many an overconfident mage. As I grabbed her wrist, I could feel her pulse racing before she jerked her hand away.

"I'm fine," She muttered, voice wavering as she tried to keep from stuttering. "Let me finish the job."

She tried to move her hands back to my legs, but I stopped her. Alice tried to push through me, but she was so exhausted that I easily held her back. Something I could usually never do unless she let me. Gods, I was stupid. First the fight, then the torch for two hours, now this. She was going to burn herself out protecting me.

"Penny, let me-mmph!" I silenced her with a kiss, tenderly pressing my lips to her own. I broke off before fixing her with a stern glare.

"No. You're going to rest before you die of a heart attack from healing me."

"But-"

"Mosquito bites are not worth your life. Do you understand me?"

"Penny-"

"Do. You. Understand?"

"Y-yes ma'am." She spoke tiredly, finally submitting.

"Good girl," I softly said, cupping her face with one hand. "Now come here, and sleep." I spread my legs and pulled her by her chin towards me. She melted into my body, her heart pounding in her chest as she curled up against me. I wrapped one arm around her and started stroking her hair with my other. Alice rested her head under my chin as she leaned on me, breathing heavily as excess magic coursed through her veins. She'd only been formally training her pyromancy for two years at this point, and her mana reserves hadn't built up yet. If she overcharged her magic, using spells too powerful or for too long, her heart would literally stop beating and kill her.

"You did good today baby," I whispered gently to the top of her head. "You saved me a dozen times over."

"It was a team effort..." She **** out. I smiled at her before taking a handful of her hair and tickling her nose with it. She giggled, her laughter easing me as I knew she was feeling better now.

"Hey, isn't this like that smut you read a few weeks ago? You know, the one where the succubus gets bound to the beautiful queen because of a blood pact or something? The succubus ends up falling in love with the queen, and fights an assassin, using up a lot of her own power, leaving her weak and helpless. Then the queen cuddles her and tells her to stop before she hurts herself."

"This is exactly like that-" She said, before thinking, "Wait! I knew you liked my books! You actually listened to my ramblings!"

"Nope. I never pay attention to those."

"Sure you don't. You're just like Ilvarn."

"I am nothing like that stubborn, goat-headed farmer." I said indignantly.

"How did you know who he is, if you didn't listen to me?" She smiled up at me, eyes twinkling. Shit, she had me.

"Lucky guess?" I shrugged, trying to deflect.

She smirked at me, before kissing my jaw. "It's okay, I know you like to pretend you don't care." She nestled back into me, squirming until she found a comfortable position. She was curled up in a ball between my legs, her head resting on my breasts, while her arms were folded over her chest. I took off my jacket and draped it over her, before resting my head against the cave wall. After a few minutes, I could hear her breathing become more even, and felt her heartbeat calm down. Hugging her warm body made me sleepy, and it wasn't long before I joined her in dreamland.