Chapter 45: Chapter 45 – Hanging Out

Chapter 45 - Hanging Out

After the proverbial dust had settled, I was the proud owner of a brand new aura. Currently off.

And I was a little nervous about taking it for a spin. Much like a high end sports car, I was half afraid the thing was going to kill me. After all, being paralyzed was… not the worst. And experiencing lust on the level that I was expecting… well…

Anyway, this little plan of mine required that I gain at least one Layer, and I could not do that without opening my mouth. And I was paralyzed from toxic beetle venom.

Alright, Donum… It’s no big deal. You’ve been doing this to Jax and Hess all the time, after all. It’s time to take a spoonful of your own medicine.

So, with a mental finger held to the off-switch, I toggled the ability.

The conversion went slowly, for which I was grateful. Sometimes having a low skill level really does help one ease into things.

Gradually, the numbness and tension that had been gripping my body began to ease. And as I began to feel the pins and needles heralding the return of feeling in my body, thoughts began to invade my mind. Thoughts of Sherr Hess bent over a fence. Of her lustful eyes as her hand dipped between her legs. Of Jax, her breasts slowly swelling as she pressed them against my chest, rubbing them up and down. Taking my manhood between her wanton lips.

…Master…

Quickly slamming down on the ability, I trembled in my cocoon dangling from the ceiling.

Chebs…

That was like getting plugged in to my very own, personalized porn feed. Maybe a little too personal. In any case, the hard-on I was currently rocking was all too real, and if it were not for the fact that I was still having a hard time moving with any degree of reliability, I would probably be trying my damnedest to rub one out.

I took a deep breath. This… Was this really what it was like being around me? Was I slowly torturing my companions with this… beautiful agony? No… no. They always said it was a much slower build up. Still, once it started getting strong… woof. No wonder they were having so much difficulty.

Oh, Jax… Hess… I’m so sorry. Still… as tortures went, it was rather pleasant. Insidiously pleasant.

I took another breath.

Well… at least the two of them were somewhat used to it already. But if we ever fell in with anyone else, I would have to give them ample warning. If we ever got out of here. And Hess was still alive.

No. Nope. Not going there…

Oh, okay… there we go. That had actually helped a little. Contemplating the potential death of…

Nnnnnnope!

Inhale. Exhale.

Right. I could actually think a little bit now. About things other than… Ack! Dammit!

Come on, Donum… Okay, math. Uh… 3 9 81 6561… uh… 43 million… something…

I blinked. Huh… I actually got a bit further than I was expecting on that number sequence. And while I was fighting off a self-inflicted debilitating Lust Ailment. Nice! Double digit Intelligence at work!

Okay… I was still wielding a hunting spear of epic proportions, but I could at least function. And I could open my mouth. Whoo… If Jax were alive right now, she would absolutely love…

Shit…

— Ten minutes later —

Ugh…

What had I done to myself? No wonder that ability had been so cheap. Debilitating Emotional Ailment was right!

Oh, it’ll be no big deal! Lust is so much better than being paralyzed. Tra la la… Fucking dumbass!

Fucking… fucking… Jax… need Jax… Jax…

Dammit! Stop!

I was not equipped for this! I was only a man! Not some weird… lilim! Who could feed off of this stuff! And the worst of it was, I was still sore from Jax almost ripping off…

Ack! No! I refuse to be turned on by that!

Breathing… breathing…

At least I now knew that this was in no way what I had been doing to my companions. They could at least function!

Okay… okay… just… just get the job done, man. Right…

Inventory.

Instantly, a translucent screen appeared before my eyes with neat representations of my admittedly limited inventory. Quickly giving it a once over, I had my Coin Pouch, which was really more of a knickknack bag. It could hold anything as long as it was small and valuable. Kind of like Jax’s vagina!

I winced. Oy… Lust induced self-burn.

Right… uh… There was also my small collection of Dungeon Gold, that random Treasure Key I had gotten from the the Faen messing with me, forty Minor Gems, thirty Lesser, and the Greater that huge boss rat had dropped.

Okay, good. Now, how do I get anything out of here? Every other time I had interacted with this screen, I had used my hands to move things around and indicate what I wanted. It had all been very intuitive. But I was currently bound from head to toe. The only thing I had to use was my face.

Well… needs must. Extending my tongue, I poked at the little floating image of the Greater Gem. I figured that I may as well do this in as few steps as possible.

Instantly, the screen disappeared, and the Gem worked its way out of my pocket at my crotch, incidentally rubbing right against my erection and up my body before hovering in front of my face. The stimulation of it all absolutely shattered what little concentration I had managed to gather, and my eyes went cloudy.

Sherr Hess was right there. She was gigantic and completely nude. Her legs were spread and wrapped around my head. And that… lovely, lovely pearl was there. Shining before my face.

“Please, Donum!” she begged. “Please, take me! I’ve been waiting so long!”

My breath caught. There was no resisting her. I needed this. I needed to shove my tongue just as deeply into that warm and moist cavern as I possibly could. I needed to make Hess scream in ecstasy.

Slowly, I reached out and gave that shining bead the gentlest of licks. Sherr Hess threw her head back and gasped in delight.

And then the Gem fell to the ground, giving off a little puff as it plopped into the soil below.

Son of a bitch!

Several beetles immediately came to investigate the disturbance, and I held my breath. A tense moment passed as they cast about, but as there was nothing to eat or attack, they soon lost interest.

I sighed. This was going to suck.

— Fifteen minutes later —

No! No, you stupid thing! I just want one! One, do you hear me?!

— Twenty minutes later —

Yes… yes, that’s right. Touch it. You know you want to, you naughty girl…

— One hour later —

Very gently, a tear rolled down my cheek. It was a rare day that I felt so accomplished in having done something so simple. Yet, there it was, in all its glory!

Victory was mine. My dick was starting to ache, it felt like I had strained my tongue, and there was a small collection of Gems on the ground below me. But victory was mine!

I had ended up going with the Lesser Gems. Yes, they were expensive, and it was undoubtedly not the most efficient way to go about filling in my Core Layer. But I was way too horny to worry about that. I could deal with regrets later.

Right. How much longer until I can plow Jax’s sweet… I swallowed. That is… how much longer until Jax revives?

Okay! Good. That’s good. Plenty of time to condense my Core. It was just a shame that I would have to do this without her. After all, I always loved waking up to her naked…

I sighed. By Law, I was so done with this.

Well… let’s just hope that after I sleep, it’ll be over.

And with that, I closed my eyes and darkness took me.

 

When I came to, gentle rays of sunshine were filtering through the branches above, and birds were happily singing descants of adulation to the morning light. And a beetle was loudly munching on a sheep right next to me.

I could almost touch it.

Yeah… nothing to see over here, buddy. You wouldn’t want me anyway. I’ve been in the fridge too long.

Thankfully, the beetle was perfectly satisfied with its own meal, and after a while, it dropped to the ground below and went on its merry way.

Sighing with relief, I briefly took inventory. I was stiff as a board, and I had what was perhaps the worst case of blue balls known to man. But I could think uninhibited!

Oh, sweet Mercy! I never wanted to experience that again if I could help it. Or well… maybe if Jax was there. It might be fun. You know… if I did not have to do anything the next day.

Right… anyway… Quickly pulling up my stat screen, I took in the changes.

Oh, hey! 10 points in Wisdom. That’d put me at…

I stared at that screen for several long seconds, my expression flat.

Well… isn’t that nice. I would have just loved to have known about that fucking yesterday!

Deep breaths, Donum. Deep breaths.

The Lady was not out to get me. She was just being her typical reticent self. And besides, it would not have changed anything. I still needed to be able to move in order to fill in my Layer.

Right… how long was I out for anyway?

Eight hours?! I had thought it only took four! I was sure of it. Unless… maybe the torpor took longer because of the Status Ailments?

Well, whatever. There was nothing I could do about it now, and I had things to do.

Let’s see… five stat points available. Quickly, I put a point each in Toughness and Charisma. And then after a moment of hesitation, I went ahead and invested two into Wisdom. If that stat really did help with resisting mental effects, then I was all about it. That left me with one remaining, and unfortunately, I was still in much the same boat as before. Neither of the physical stats seemed all that helpful in the short run… but…

Next Layer, all of my my main attributes were going to be in the double digits. I was probably never again going to be in a position where a single point would be useful, and even if I saved it indefinitely, I would always be sitting with an odd number of points. So, it would just go to waste.

Strength or Agility, then. Well… as a man, there was always a certain appeal to becoming stronger. And it was becoming increasingly evident that I was the inventory monkey. On the other hand, Agility probably would help in dodging things. And it was a four.

Meh. Agility then. It probably would not make much difference either way.

Alright, next we take that skill for shunting off Lust to Jax, so that she can convert it.

It took me a few minutes to get the wording just right, but eventually, I had it like I wanted.

Hmm… No crazy-ass name this time. It must have been a more common ability pick, then. Or at least, common enough to have a normal sounding name. That was my theory, anyway.

Alright, I’ll take it.

The voices came as they always did, whispering in my ear the unintelligible Words of Power that served as the skill’s foundation. I was not quite sure, but it felt like there were a few more than usual. Maybe it was my improved memory at work, but I definitely felt as if there were half a dozen extra syllables there. But what the significance of that might be, I had less than no idea.

Eh… One more thing to ask Hess about. And maybe I would actually remember to do it this time.

That done, I began the tedious process of filling my Core once more. The more skills I had in my bag, the better able I would be to get out of this mess. And this time, I did not have the residual paralysis or that ridiculous mental impairment to contend with, so things progressed much more smoothly.

I did accidentally drop a single Minor Gem, though. Mistakes happen when you are only using your tongue, after all, but before long, it was done. My Core was full once more. Nodding to myself, I quickly checked Jax’s timer, and noting that I had about nine and a half hours left, I once again shut my eyes to slip into torpor.

Or I tried to.

When I found that nothing was happening, I blinked my eyes open in confusion. What I found waiting for me was disheartening.

Oh, come on! Really? I had to wait? Why? What possible difference would it make? And what the hell was I supposed to do for three and a half hours? Play tiddlywinks?

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Naturally, Bline had no inclination towards explaining herself.

I sighed. Well… I could probably do something constructive, if I set my mind to it. Maybe… I could practice my spell casting? I had been meaning to do that for a while now, but I had been understandably distracted. For that matter, what were my skill levels at on those, anyway?

Lady, please pull up my purchased skills and their levels.

Hmm… not bad. Not bad. I was improving steadily for the most part. Though, that was starting to become a bit of a hefty list.

Would it be possible to include a brief footnote for each of those? Just so I can be reminded as to what they all do?

Thank you. That’s better. 

Going from the descriptions She had added, She had ordered them by category. And from Her phrasing, it appeared that while Renewal of Consumption was a base spell, as I had guessed, it could not be paired with add-ons that did not go with it. That begged the question, though. What add-ons would work? It was an interesting notion, and I would have to look into it. However, I did not currently have a skill point available, so She would not answer any inquiries in that vein for the time being.

Okay… Well, the only thing I even could practice were my buffs. And Efficacy in the Gloom, being the newest of the bunch, was by far my weakest one. So, I was determined to start there.

However, I was not at all sure how the beetles would react to me casually slinging spells about. This would be a risk, but if it panned out, it would likely benefit me quite a lot.

So, very cautiously, I began to breathe out random sounds, seeing if they would respond. I started with airy whispers and soft consonants, working my way up until I finally got a reaction. I nodded. Much like insects on Earth, they largely ignored sound unless it was loud or sharp enough for them to detect it as a threat, and even then, they mostly just rose up a bit, searchingly. And I did not want to push them further than that.

It was not much, but I had some wiggle room. So, with nothing else to do and loads of time on my hands, I set about very quietly practicing.

 

Some time later, I had amassed a small cache of useful information.

When I cast a spell, there had always been a bit of a two-step process to it. Carefully assemble the syllables I needed in my mind, and then try very hard to say them all from beginning to end without screwing it up. That process was still markedly at play with my newest spell, however the base spell, Fortunate Shadows, and its add-on, Unclothe the Darkness, had been practiced to the point where I no longer needed to think about what I was trying to say. I still stumbled with actually spitting them out, of course. I was not quite that practiced.

So, I was resolved to get the spell to the point where it was on par with the others. My running hypothesis was that I would need to get it into the double digits for that to happen, but that was proving rather difficult. The first three points came fairly quickly, and the fourth, while stubborn, eventually gave way.

It was in trying to get to the fifth, however, that I began to really learn a few things. No matter how many times I repeated the spell, I simply could not get that last point to come. So, out of frustration, and boredom, I eventually began to experiment. Did it help if I just held the spell for a while? And for that matter, how long could I hold it?

The answer to that was inconclusive for the former, and about seven and a half minutes for the latter. After that, I simply became too exhausted to keep it up. Still, that felt quite impressive to me. After all, that was an eternity in a fight.

With that in mind and after a lengthy rest, I tried adding the base spell to it. Immediately, I noticed that the overwhelming pressure I had felt in holding the thing was quite simply not there anymore. And it was the same with the other spell pairing. I was not sure what had changed to cause that, whether it was some combination of stats or skill levels or what, but clearly something was different. In any case, I could hold the pair for a pretty substantial five minutes or so.

However, when I attempted to cast all three together, something I had previously been too afraid to even attempt, I immediately felt that old middle linebacker dropkick to the gut. That said, it was… perhaps less severe than what I had felt before. And when I attempted to hold it, I found that I could push it to a fairly decent minute and a half.

And it was at that point that I got a notification.

There were daily limits? I… supposed that would make sense. They always said you could not build Rome in a day, after all. But it seemed a little arbitrary. Unless… maybe five was just my specific limit? Or was it based on the skill? Or was that just a universal thing everyone had to adhere to?

I sighed. No idea. As usual.

In any case, I now had something to shoot for, and several hours later, I had a much more impressive looking skill line up.

My other two spells had reached the limit for the day, and Forgotten in Stillness had been getting a workout all on its own. It was one of the side benefits of being trapped with the enemy and bound head to toe.

Of course, by that point, I was totally exhausted, and if I had not been hanging from the ceiling I would have probably dragged my ass all the way back to the fountain and started inhaling. That would have been quite fatal, naturally, and for a multitude of reasons. But the inclination was there.

So, with quite literally nothing else to do, I let out a bit of a yawn and slowly drifted off.

 

<ping!>

Ugh… five more minutes… I don’t wanna…

<ping!>

Groaning, I tried to roll over to shut off the alarm clock, but I was far too wrapped up in my covers to move.

Blearily cracking an eye open, I frowned. Why was the alarm going off, anyway? It was dark outside. Had I screwed up on setting the timer again?

<ping!>

My Core had condensed? Oh… oh right. I was on another planet. Silly me.

<ping!>

I yawned hugely and made a face. My teeth felt like they were covered in a fine layer of silt. Roughly, I started working moisture back into my mouth.

Mercy, I’m parched. Ugh… I need coffee…

<ping!>

Yeah, yeah. I heard you. Would you quit…

I blinked, finally focusing on the message.

Oh shit!!!

My brain immediately began to whir in panic. What was I supposed to do? What could I do? It was… she needed…

And that was about as far as I got before the light hit me. The blinding white of it absolutely destroyed whatever night vision I had going. All that I could see was Jax’s form burning its way into reality on the ground beneath me, her head thrown back and arms spread into a T-pose.

It would have been really cool, too, if it were not for that fact that there were probably half a dozen gigantic beetles in the room. As the last parts of her filled in, I finally had enough mental wherewithal to actually do something, and I quickly started trying to cast my light tracing spell. She was going to need to be able to see, after all.

As the light finally winked out, she limply slumped for a moment before catching herself. Looking around in confusion, she shouted, “Master? Donum, where…”

That was as far as she got before the beetles were on her. And it was only a second after that when my spell took effect.

But by then, it was too late. Her left arm was already stuck to her body by a spat wad of beetle goo. Stumbling back, she quickly summoned her axe, and screaming, she slammed it down into the thick carapace of the nearest one. It stuck there, fast. And as she wasted a precious second trying to wrench it free, another bit her on the leg.

She did not go down immediately, and even managed a retaliatory strike on her aggressor. However the axe skipped off its armor, and she tripped over her own stiffening leg. The beetle quickly drove forward and bit her again on the arm before backing off to wait. It knew its business.

And I knew mine. Swiftly, I reached for the mental switch to convert the venom, but… then I had a thought.

There were too many beetles in here for her to overcome without a significant edge. Perhaps, if she had known what she was falling into and I had my full spell complement going to greet her, things would have been different. But now? At best, she would be cast into a hellish frenzy of lust as I converted more and more of the venom until she was whittled down and died again. She would need a mechanism to deal with all of that, or we were doomed.

Thankfully, true to form, now that she had been disabled, the beetles quickly went about wrapping her for a later meal, and I sighed in relief. I had hoped that would happen. If they just killed her outright, I would be back to square one, but now I had some time. And I was determined to use every scrap of it that I could.

Once they were done, one of them dutifully flew her to the ceiling and attached her there, some half-dozen paces from me.

Meanwhile, the rest of them converged on the one she had injured. Apparently, they were not big on nursing the wounded back to health, because they began cannibalizing it without missing a beat. I was… somewhat disgusted by the scene. There was something unnatural about the concept of eating one of your own… while it was alive… that sent chills down the back of my spine. Still, I was glad to see it. There was one less beetle in here and five less hungry ones.

When they were done, nothing remained of the corpse. They had eaten it carapace and all. And that spoke to the power of their jaws to say nothing else.

Glancing back up to her, I found Jax staring at me. It was hard to tell what emotions were at play there, but worry was featured heavily. Worry for me.

I smiled at her reassuringly, and sucking in a breath, I whispered, “Welcome back to the land of the living! I see you’ve met the neighbors. They do so love to make a person comfortable.”

She reacted to my antics about like I had expected. By not moving a muscle. Her eyes narrowed a bit, though.

“Right. Well, believe it or not, I’ve worked out a plan. But first, I need to ask you, do you have a skill point left?” I asked.

She just stared at me. Forcefully.

“Oh. Of course. Uh… I guess look up for yes and down for no?” I suggested.

Yes. Yes.

“Good,” I nodded. I assumed that was a yes to both questions. Now, how to phrase this… “Can you take a skill that lets you convert the Emotional Ailment of Lust into Life Energy?”

Confusion.

“Trust me, you’re going to need it…”

 

I spent a few minutes going over my plan with her, and a bit later, she indicated that she was ready.

“Alright. I have no idea how the skill you just bought works, so I’m going to do this a little at a time, okay?” I said.

Yes.

Mentally, I flicked the aura on for a solid three count, and then quickly slammed down on it again. The Lust Ailment was no joke, after all, and I wanted to make sure that she was not overwhelmed.

I knew from her expression that she had been hit hard by it. Her eyes had taken on that heavy-lidded and hungry look that was all too familiar. However, after a few moments, she took a breath and nodded slightly.

I smiled, “Good girl. Ready for round two?”

Another nod.

And so it went. Little bursts of conversion followed by slightly longer bouts of Jax wrestling the Lust down. Until eventually, she was clear.

“By the Three…” she groaned at last, “that were intense.”

I nodded in sympathy, “Be careful not to move too much. If you attract their attention, we’ll have to do this all over again.” And then I amended, “Or they’ll eat you.”

“Thank ye, no,” she muttered. “Been down that road once already.”

I winced. So that was what happened.

“What about ye?” she asked suddenly. “When ye disappeared, I… I thought… I’ll admit, I went a bit crazy.” She took a breath and swallowed, “Are ye well?”

“Me?” I scoffed. “Oh, you know. I’ve just been hanging out.”

She frowned at me, “Master, please do nay make jokes. I were terrified ye’d come to harm.”

I sighed and nodded apologetically. “I’m perfectly fine, Jax,” I said soothingly. “It’s… been a long day, though. And I’ve missed you. And Hess.”

“Ye missed me?” she smiled briefly and then immediately the corners of her mouth drew down. “A long… Ye been here a whole day?”

I nodded, “It takes time for you to come back. A whole day and night.”

“Wh— Then ye ain’t fine are ye, ye radge wee shite!” She growled at me. “Ain’t had a lick to drink nor a hint of tuck, besides!”

I tutted, “Can’t a man put on a brave front for his lilim?”

She just snorted at me.

“So, what about the skill you got,” I asked after a moment, changing the subject. “It seemed to take you a bit to deal with the lust.”

“Just need to get me level up a scanty,” she assured me. “That thing what ye did… it be too fast. Lust done proper should build slow like. Gives it time to build the flavors.”

I nodded, not really understanding, “It’s not called an Ailment for nothing.”

She grunted, both to acknowledge my point and my lack of comprehension. She had crossed into a land upon which I could never trespass, after all, and we were both quite well aware of it.

With nothing much else she could say, she asked, “Now what?”

I inhaled, “Now, you fill your Core. And then I try my damnedest to keep you alive long enough to condense it.”

I just had to hope I could pull this off. Or else I was going to be stuck here for a very long time.

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