NOVEL NEXT Book 3 chapter 41
Himari rubbed her eyes as she let the terminal fall into her lap, blinking several times as the dark room slowly came into focus. She couldn’t help but sigh. Sitting in the only chair in their tiny inn room, she shifted uncomfortably, trying to stretch her legs that had long since fallen asleep her right leg throbbing; the sudden sharp pain causing her to shudder as she tentatively extended it.
“Everything alright?” Eryl’s soft voice cut through the darkness from her perch on the windowsill, the rotted shutters straining against her back as she leaned against them.
“Yeah,” Himari ground her teeth as her legs met the bed frame with a soft thump soliciting another silent wince. “Just a small… cramp.” She lied as she rubbed the tender spot just below her knee, the spot where the feeling in her leg abruptly ended.
It was such an odd feeling, one that still bothered her on occasion despite all the years that passed… Maybe she had thought the pain would go away eventually? No, Overseer had been very clear when she told her the damage would be irreversible, but looking down at her completely intact leg now, it still didn’t seem quite… real?
Himari’s leg looked fine, sure despite her best efforts it was a little thin compared to her other leg, but it appeared completely normal. Even if she inspected it with her magic everything pointed to it just being a completely healthy leg yet as she prodded it as she had thousands of times before she felt nothing. just a hole in her senses, a part of her body that simply wasn’t there. Both part of her and not…
“Does it hurt?” Eryl asked looking up from the terminal in her hand, her features bathed in an eerie red glow as one of her eyebrows rose along with her ear.
Every day. She thought as she smiled, “It’s nothing.”
Eryl’s ears fell as her face relaxed into her usual expressionless mask, “Well, if it starts to bother you let me know.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she looked back down to the terminal in her hands, one of Hecatolite’s, if the claw marks along the back were any indication. It was clear to Himari that Eryl did not believe her, but she was thankful she wasn’t going to press her for an answer.
In all actuality, Eryl could probably help alleviate the pain a little, though Himari knew the spell would be a very intricate, time-consuming process that didn’t feel worth the time if she were to be honest. It was a complex soul spell that would take the better half of a day to simply massage the injured part of her soul, and though it would help, some it would only be a temporary fix. Overseer and Babylon both had estimated the treatment would last a handful of days before needing to be repeated and even then, her leg would still be nothing more than a glorified prosthetic.
With a pulse of power she numbed the area, sure it was hardly a solution and only numbed the pain but it was more than enough for now. A quick burst of healing mana to keep the muscle from atrophying had her once again thanking whatever powers brought her to a world with magic. Sure, in her old world she could have numbed it with drugs and with extensive physical therapy she may have even kept it from withering; but here, with little more than a thought, she revitalized a dead limb.
She patted her leg, wondering if maybe getting a prosthetic would be a better option. Sure, she could heal it as long as it remained attached, but since her soul was damaged if she, for any reason, ever lost it then what? A thought for later, for now her cane worked fine.
A dull thud pulled her attention to the bed as the two girls tangled on it shifted. Himari found herself wondering, as she had done every night for the past week, how the two managed to sleep as they did.
She had learned that the twins were far from what she would call “sound” sleepers, both shifting nearly constantly as they grumbled in their sleep. Which Himari found odd, having seen Amethyst sleep without Hecatolite before, the young woman soundly slumbering without so much as a grunt, but once her twin was thrown into the mix… At one point she was sure Hecatolite had bitten Amethyst only to be met in kind with an elbow; a blow that Himari was sure would have broken her own nose causing little more than an annoyed grunt as Hecatolite simply rolled over.
Ignoring the lack of physical need to sleep, she couldn’t argue with the benefits of the act, if only for mental health; but looking at the two now Himari couldn’t help but feel it would be… uncomfortable. The way Hecatolite clung to her sister looked far too warm for her, though Amethyst’s reactions made Himari think that was something they had in common. Hecatolite seemed to cling to warmth in her sleep, always wrapping herself tightly in blankets and other people; where Amethyst rarely covered herself with more than her light night clothes, pushing her sister away at every opportunity made Himari think, much like herself, the young woman didn’t like heat in her sleep.
They had offered to share the tiny bed that barely fit the two only to shrug at both Eryl and Himari’s refusal, though Amethyst had offered to take turns.
That had sparked a three-day long argument between Hecatolite and Eryl, who believed sleeping to be a gross misuse of time; stating the time spent unconscious could be better used training or expanding their knowledge.
It was a strange argument as far as Himari was concerned, given that Eryl agreed the act was… relaxing, “a decent treat when needed” she had said. But the twin’s insistence of sleeping every night struck her as excessive, a stance Himari couldn’t take given the mental exhaustion of the past week. Her body no longer needed sleep, the connection with the system flooding her with mana acting like an iv-drip filled with caffeine, but her mind could use a break.
Constantly worrying during the day about the growing tension between Hecatolite and the elven elder; a tension neither Amethyst or Eryl seemed to notice or address. Then spending her nights slogging through the seemingly endless system errors on top of the admin duties she had been… neglecting. It wasn’t that she was ignoring them, just without any guidance Himari hadn’t actually known what she was supposed to be doing as an admin, a fact Eryl had pointed out; though it felt somewhat underhanded when the other woman said, “you did quite well with what you knew”.
The twins shifted again, Amethyst flinging her arm as if discarding a blanket as she pushed Hecatolite to the side only for the smaller girl to quickly latch back onto her side, both girls going still again as they seemed to be content with the position for the time being.
Himari couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the two, somehow despite all the chaos they looked… peaceful. Amethyst lay splayed out on the bed, her light shirt pulled up to her chest leaving her toned stomach bare, her lightly tanned skin drawing Himari’s eyes. She scanned Amethyst's figure, her eyes tracing the young woman’s muscular abdomen up to her ribs, past Hecatolite’s arm to the bunched fabric of Amethyst shirt resting just beneath her breast. Himari unintentionally swallowed as her eyes lingered on Amethyst's rising and falling chest, the light fabric of her shirt doing little to obscure her…
Mother Himari, your pulse is rising rapidly. Is everything alright? Babylon’s robotic voice snapped her out of whatever trance she was in causing Himari to quickly avert her gaze.
Babylon, Overseer sighed inside Himari’s mind. You shouldn’t interrupt Mother Himari when she is gawking at sleeping girls.
I wasn’t gawking! I was simply… admiring, that’s it. I was simply curious on how she stays so fit given her eating habits, that’s all. She did eat half a boar yesterday and…
Both Amethyst and Hecatolite Lapidary have the skill, Gluttony. Babylon offered an answer immediately.
So, it's a skill then? Himari risked a glance at the sleeping girls again only for her breath to catch in her throat.
Amethyst's head lulled back, her black hair fanning out around her head framing her face in a strangely calm darkness, her light skin standing out as a stark contrast as a few strands clung to her cheeks. Amethyst's small nose wrinkled slightly as her sister's tail coiled around her legs, the look of discomfort lasting only a moment before relaxing again but it was enough to draw Himari’s eyes to her slightly parted lips. Himari watched as a strand of hair danced in her breath, the sudden urge to brush the hair aside nearly over taking her as she traced Amethyst rosy red lips with her eyes.
Himari was sure Babylon and Overseer were still talking but she found herself unable to focus on the two as warmth grew inside of her. It was only a week ago she had “noticed” Amethyst, remembering comforting her when Hecatolite was missing, she had been sure it was just a fleeting thing; An urge to help the young woman, a motherly instinct to care for her but now, this… this was something different.
Himari’s whole body felt flush as she watched Amethyst sleep, remembering watching over her as she slept the night Hecatolite had left; she couldn’t help but admire the calm and content look on her face. The terror filled look nothing more than memory now; one that was quickly pushed aside by images of Amethyst smiling, laughing, pouting…
Her entire body jerked as she caught a brief flash of red, the memory of a red eye flicking through her mind as the slight warmth inside her flared into a near scolding burning. Himari’s eyes shot down to Amethyst's chest where Hecatolite’s head now lay, her eyes closed as a mischievous smile played across the girl's sleeping face illuminated by a soft pink glow coming from the bands on her arms.
Did Hecatolite wake up? Did she catch Himari staring at Amethyst… no, that can’t be it. I must have imagined it, that’s it. Hecatolite is always smiling like that…
Himari took a deep breath as she stood on shaky legs, this is too much. She thought as clutched her cane. Her entire body felt hot, too hot. Himari had been attracted to people, hells she had been married, had children for heaven's sake but this… is it because of her younger body? To say it had been a while for Himari would be an understatement, but she had been nearly a hundred in her past life! Now suddenly finding herself decades younger…
“Himari?” Eryl asked, looking up as Himari took a shaky step towards the door.
I need to get a grip, really, she’s young enough to be one of my great grandchildren! Then again so am I… “Bathroom, I’ll be right back.” Himari waved at her as she made her way to the door, for once thankful to be somewhere with an outhouse. Though this world had indoor plumbing it has yet to make its way into smaller towns, thankfully they had proper outhouses instead of chamber pots.
Eryl nodded, apparently accepting Himari’s excuse at face value. After all, unlike the three of them Himari’s body was still human, not that that meant anything… well pertaining to Eryl at least. Now that Himari thought about it, she had never seen or heard of either of the twins using the bathroom… ever. Must be a skill, maybe part of gluttony? Damn overpowered skill, getting to eat as much as you like and still look that good… damn hormones! Or does she have some kind of skill that makes her…
Himari’s cane tapped lightly on the stairs as she struggled internally with the growing warmth in her chest, trying to rationalize her sudden attraction to Amethyst as she made her way to the inn’s back door.
It’s not sudden though, is it? She thought back to the first time she had met Amethyst, back in Crown she could admit the girl was… cute. She couldn’t help but admit she had been impressed by Amethyst's accomplishments when she had heard about her. But at the time she had been too afraid of Hecatolite to admit it.
Now that they split though? Himari wasn’t so shrewd as to not notice the young woman, Amethyst was amazingly kind, intelligent, caring… and fit.
“Damn it.” She cursed as she stepped out into the brisk night, her thoughts wandering as she made her way across the inn’s yard to the small outhouse; ignoring the morning mist, though the few drops of cold rain did help her focus.
Finally, out of the small room, the cool mist clearing her mind as the heat in her body faded at a painfully slow pace. So slowly that Himari was forced to briefly consider a more… direct approach.
I will not masturbate in a bathroom like a horny… Himari’s thoughts were cut short as she heard a noise, an alarm? Babylo… The entire world went dark before she could even register the pain. Babylon’s alarm going unheard as Himari fell limply into the damp grass, though Overseers’s warnings were received, if a little… unique; but it had a lot of practice working around its more stringent counterpart.
Eryl nearly fell through the window as the terminal in her hands flared to life. “Danger, Hecatolite is going to be very upset you ignored her warnings about the “buddy system”.”
It had to be fate, that was the only thing Astari could think as he watched the human woman exit the inn. What else could it have been? Sure, it would have been better if it were the abomination or its “sister”, but with how his week had gone thus far he couldn’t help but feel things were finally looking up for him.
“I’m surprised she survived that.” one of the elven guards he had brought with him mused as he rolled the dark haired human onto her back.
Astari only grunted in response, he wasn’t aiming to kill this human, after all, people capable of healing magic always had their uses. That being said, if she had died… well it wouldn’t be a great loss. “Take her,” he waved a dismissive hand to the few men around him. The loyal guards of his town, unlike the traitorous soldiers that followed his nephew.
As the man grabbed the woman, tossing her over his shoulder with ease, Astari thought of how to go about his next steps. He had two options now, either return home and wait for news of the missing girl which was likely the safest option; or he could go with what his men suggested. Raise the alarm, act as if one of the denizens of the forest had made its way into town and taken her. If I do that the creature will likely run off to find the human. Then I can simply dispose of her at my own leisure…
“Once you have her secured,” a wicked grin grew on his face as he nudged the simple wooden cane the girl had with his foot. Shifting his weight he snapped the cane, “prepare…” he paused when he heard a faint crack, almost like the echo of the wood snapping beneath his foot…
Looking back to where his men were, his eyes fell on the man who had taken the human, the tall figure just standing there like a statue in the darkness. “Where did…” The words died in his throat as the man took a staggering step.
A single heartbeat later, Astari watched as a man he had known for years, someone he trusted, who had stood beside him when his own family had abandoned him, fell forward with a dull thud. Stunned, he blinked, trying to process what could have happened as the man’s limp body settled in the damp dirt.
He stood dazed for a long moment before snapping back to reality, his body moving on autopilot as he snapped orders to the men around him, but something was… different. The air around him felt heavy, as if the entire world had shifted slightly, he staggered and then he heard it, barely audible over the chaos of men scrambling into position around him a faint sound that settled into his very bones, laughter.
