Chapter 160: Lull To Twilight

“I can’t believe you stepped on my face.” Agni practically growled as she walked behind Shula. The group of eight were now on their way to their nightly ritual for the last time.

“You said not to hold back.” Shula replied casually as she walked ahead, next to Katrin.

A gentle pat on Agni’s shoulder was meant to console her, yet all it did was add salt to the wound. Ariadna offered a gentle gaze before walking ahead with everyone else.

“There there.” Merri offered. Her voice barely matched her physique. She was taller than Agni, by several centimeters with a blend of blond and brown hair. Her minotaur horns jutted out from beneath the blonde hair near the top of her head, yet they didn’t detract from her beauty in any way.

*I wonder if mine will get bigger.* Agni thought to herself as she inspected Merri’s horns. She subconsciously lifted a hand towards one of her horns, remembering the time a piece had been snapped off. Though it was healed, it still agitated her a bit, causing her to grunt.

“Is something wrong Agni? I mean.. Besides the obvious..” Merri asked. Of the members present, Agni had to admit that the minotaur was the one she knew least well. In her mind, Merri was simply Ariadna’s friend, the one who always seemed fixated on battling Grimlock.

“No. Not really. And I’ll survive. My pride may be a little wounded but I KNOW WHERE SHULA SLEEPS.” Agni said, cupping her mouth to emphasize her words. Shula flicked her hair outwards without reply — an obvious response to Agni’s threat.

“Ha ha. You two seem to get on well.” Merri replied. Standing next to her, it was difficult not to notice just how well built Merri’s body was. Her shoulders, biceps, thighs — the body definitely fit the ideal image of a warrior from just about any DnD game. Even Merri’s hair, which came down to above her shoulder line, was tied back into a small ponytail.

“How is it that you became so interested in Grimlock, Merri?” The thought just randomly popped into Agni’s head and it seemed as good a place to start as any.

“I mean..we’re adventurers. So..it’s kind of our job to fight them in a sense. But there’s all sorts of ways to make a living.” Agni continued. She studied the minotaur’s face, and for a moment she thought she saw a reaction of some sort. Instead, that was replaced quickly with a smile.

“Is there something wrong with wanting to be strong?” Merri asked.

“No. Not at all. I mean, just look at the past week. We’ve all been brainstorming other ways to improve. I’ve learned it’s not all about levels. You have to use your gifts, master them to the fullest in order to be considered a true adventurer.” Agni replied.

“Before… I mean, in my past life, I was what you’d call a bookworm. I wasn’t necessarily shy — I just hated the company of people. I found them to be…deceitful and misleading. Books were simpler to figure out, and when reading between the lines you knew where everyone stood.” Merri explained.

“I would never have thought it, honestly. I.. I mean based on how you look now.” Agni sort of stumbled on her words after realizing how this sounded. Merri simply offered another smile as she continued following everyone else deeper into the Lull Forest.

“Because of that, I never devoted any of my time or effort into fully exploring the capabilities of a human body. That was my biggest regret. I died at the age of 19 due to poor health. It was tough being sick, weeks on end and sometimes months. Near the end I could barely even leave my room. All I could do was read and window watch. And wouldn’t you know it? Right around the time I was supposed to ‘go’ I began to develop a severe case of wanderlust. The notion that I missed out on so much life pretty much consumed my thoughts. In the end, I couldn’t pass on peacefully.”

Agni hadn’t expected to hear such a personal and sad story, so she did the only thing she could do — stayed silent.

“Ah, but that’s all in the past obviously. When I got here, I realized it was a second chance. I have a new body, one that’s much stronger than I could have ever been.” Merri added with a smile, perhaps she sensed Agni’s mood twist due to her sudden overshare.

“So, now I work out every day. Sometimes even more than once a day if I can help it. I still love to read, of course — but I want to really push my limits! There’s only so far you can get with practice. At some point you need the real thing. I need to test my skills and see where I stand in order to grow.” Merri explained.

“I understand. Wholeheartedly.” Agni replied.

“That’s why I’m just so EXCITED!” Merri said as she pumped both of her fists. Agni listened intently to Merri’s words as the group traveled. As she did so, a sense of comfort settled upon the succubus. She cast a glance forward at the group of people ahead of her. Katrin and Shula were nearest, followed by Ariadna and Sypha. This pairing struck Agni as awkward considering Sypha was dressed mostly in white and grey, while Ariadna’s style was black with purple style accents. At the head of the group was Gigi the red haired Spellsword and Gates, the boyish looking young man who was dubbed the unofficial leader for this trip due to his sense of responsibility. That, coupled with his experience and rank made him all the more desirable.

For the briefest of times Agni wondered just how many moments like this awaited in the future. Not many, she thought inwardly. So she took in the sight for what it was, watching all of the people gathered around her walk and talk — before devoting her full attention to the woman at her side.

“I’ve never been inside a red shard. I can’t wait! Heck! This week was my first time inside a normal shard period!” Merri began to gush enthusiasm as the two adventurers followed in the rear. It wasn’t long before Gates’ voice rang out from in front.

“We’re here. Let’s take a small breather before we step inside.” He said.

The deeper the group of eight moved into the Lull Forest, the denser the foliage and tree clusters became. Agni surmised that they were fairly deep based on the way the trees stood no further than three meters apart. With the sun slowly, surely sinking over the horizon, it was now time to begin their nightly ritual — hunting Grimlock.

“Great. Now, before we enter I will just cover the basics for those who have limited or nil experience with shards. The first thing is you need to protect yourself from the harmful effects of miasma at all times. Failure to do so will poison you and in some cases kill you within minutes. Inside the shard, your protections against immediate death will be rendered null and void. W–” Gates paused , his face contorting with curiosity as he glanced over the people before him.

“Where’s Agni?” He asked, causing everyone else to look around.

“That’s weird.’ She was right here. Merri said as she spun around, casting her gaze in all directions.

——————————-

Agni walked through the forest, almost in a daze as her forced breaths filled the air. It was beginning to get dark, partially due to trees blocking out most of the sunset. She had enough presence of mind to get away from others, but the feeling building within her allowed for very little “rational” judgement. At some point along the way she’d begun shedding her clothing, one article at a time — a singular thought on her mind as the bangle on her wrist began to pulse with magical energy.

“I just need some distance. I just need some distance.” Agni repeated to herself, her eyes beginning to pulse with pink energy as her Succulust began to take over. With a few steps she was topless, then completely nude. She felt wonderful, the night skin kissed her body with a soothing temperature, one that completely contrasted the heat of her building fervor.

“I haven’t felt this hot in a long time.” She whispered as she ran her fingers against the flesh of her own body.

“Damn Shula. This is…all..her fault.” Agni said between panting breaths. Earlier in the day she’d checked the task, it was simple “Masterbate. Because self love is the best love.”. Unfortunately, due to her humiliating defeat at the hands of her familiar, she completely forgot!

“M-maybe I can still…do it before it’s too late.” She whispered, her voice growing hot. She’d already licked her own fingers before she knew it, a sticky trail of saliva caught up on her fingers. Not that she needed it. Her body was already dripping and wet, her clear nectar was coating the outside of her lips as Agni pressed her fingers between them and began to rub.