"So you mean this extremely cute thing is not poisonous or venomous, doesn't have hidden claws or spikes, and doesn't taste that bad either? They must fuck even more than rabbits then." Aki concluded, looking at the round fur ball with big blue eyes that was rolling in a circle in front of him with a new light.
"Pazus don't have genitals, I personally checked when I was but a hatchling. They just spawn in places of purity and nature. Besides, it's actually quite hard to build the will or want to even scratch one of these little things. Only starving animals even try, and they are actually quite the runners when they feel malice." Harry explained with great interest at the young man's reaction. She couldn't see any notification about it or the like, but she had a strong feelings it was because of her lover that she was able to become a dragon blooded species.
After all he was... Back up a bit, since when are we lovers? We are intimate, sure, but we've not gotten to that level yet, nor have either of us outwardly spoken anything of the like. Are we skipping something here? We already act like two old lizards when we're not doing anything!
"The little one can even jump and giggle, it's so cute I almost want to take it away and lock it in safety forever." Aki murmured as the pazu started jumping through a little obstacle course full of flying platforms and some spiraling ramps he'd quickly made with magic.
'I blame grandmother for my tastes.' She huffed. Even with the difference in species, it was clear his expression held great focus on the silly spirit, and for some reason it was very cute in her eyes. The fact he easily turned around and one hit killed the night hunter stalking them was also a good bonus. 'I'd probably be very worried he is just pretending around me if his body wasn't so honest while he slept.' She thought, a smile trying to tug on her mouth even though she railed the habit away long ago.
"These things are such a bother. I can already feel my second wall coming yet i just had to chose the laborer job now." He sighed, the construction related job aparently only getting a part of the the XP gained in combat because of a variety of modifiers he tried to explain. Once. She just stopped him and decided to remenber that it simply wasn't a fighter job.
"Speaking of that, it's getting late. We still have many days before we even reach the part of the forest i'm familiar with, so go make us a hut while i cook this cat." She shooed him after getting up, starting to look for some dry branches she could use to light a small fire before the sun went down. She'd still not dare to light one at night even if she reached rank 5.
On other news, she'd actually gotten a level in her cooking skill. Maybe because she'd not been cooking for her annoying siblins or because she had less ingredients she knew, but the effort put into it had become greater, allowing her to reach level 4 on the skill. The shaman would be proud.
"I'm done here. Tell me if you want to practice later, i'll collapse the table and chairs." He said while bringing the bowls, which were actually made of living wood. She'd tried making one herself when he said it was surprisingly easy to make with minor applications of life magic. Following his instructions had not resulted in anything that looked near what a bowl or mug should look like, so she threw it on the ground and burned it. "It didn't look that bad, remenbered me of some art i've seen even."
"You didn't say anything." So with her thoughts to herself, they ate in silence.
"Want to try target practice?" Aki suggested when she told him to open more space on the underground chamber. He'd made the entrance look like a small critter's hole, but the inside looked more like a big tent made of dirt to her.
"What do you suggest?"
"I stay in bed and shoot in your dirrection while you try to dodge, deflect and block. I'll even use water magic for practice." He smiled, sitting in the fur covered stone platform as he described it.
"Uh, i can see how it would be good practice."
One beat up wife later.
"I feel like shit. I need hugs~" Complained Aki as he extended his arms foward after having zeroed his mana pool.
"I'm the one with bruises all over, idiot." She grumbled but still hugged him while resting her head on his shoulder. "Still can't believe you can fire so many projectiles so fast in an area around you."
"I'm a great mage after all, I know aaalllll the tricks." He softly said as he massaged her neck. It was oddly relaxing even when she wasn't raising her own regeneration too. "I'm out of mana though, you want me to massage your feet?" He suggested.
"Ok. I mean, it can't be that bad, right?" She childishly asked.
Aki was pretty much recharged from her reactions though. The evolution aparently didn't undo knots or the like, and his new ability to apply his strenght pretty much made her pass out in relaxation.
"No, ahhh, more."
"I really can't stop. Your feet may be ugly but they make you very cute." He grinned, dodging a tail swipe. "Should i do your tail next than?" He asked, catching the offending appendage and ignoring the cries of protest. On a whim, Aki decided to bite the tip of her tail.
And that was the first night Aki slept on the ground.
*****
Some three days later.
"Finally got to max level." He grumbled a celebration that didn't have much strenght behind it.
"Why yes, i image making an underground cot on a swamp is a great enough achievement for that." Harry smugly said, having long said she was not going in there, instead sprawling herself in a nearby tree.
"C'mon you evolved chicken with a bubble but, it's basically as resilient as if it had been reinforced with iron on it's foundation!" He exclaimed, the water bullet he shot at her deflected by her tail. She'd finally learned a few tricks as well after days of repeats of their first session.
"Only when you make something above ground!" She rebuted.
He murmured a few curses and expletives, but ultimately just changed jobs to 'magician' and started building a baked mud house with various layers. He'd just use the basement as a place to collapse the thing tomorow. It was very ugly in the outside after all.
"See, it wasn't so hard to listen to your lover." She soflty said.
"Using that card now, at this rate I'll have to eat you up." He avoided her gaze as he said that.
"Do that, I dare you." She held his hand and softly whispered to him.
"You're serious." He pointed out, his ears red. "Xera, I'll be honest, I've never done this before even if I know what I should do."
"I guessed that already. If you really don't believe in yourself like I believe in you then change into a job related to sex." She said, like she'd just told him a very well guarded secret.
*****
Having cleaned his face, Aki now faced a great dilemma.
"Xera, I just got to my second wall."
"Uhm." Grumbled the satisfied lizard.
"Yet I just shot through to max level in apprentice hooker."
"Good for me." said the sprawled lizard resting her head on a small bundle of cleaned furs.
"Dear, take your brain out of your pussy for a moment, please. I can assure you, if this job is like any crafting or professional job I've seen on my list, it should not have shot up by just this much in one session." He said, patting the small of her back while making some calculus through the use of the available XP amounts known to him.
"What do you want to say?
"I can get about twenty times the normal amount of XP for each time I service you because you are a monster, has affection towards my person, are a willing partner, awakens the slut in me and are more powerful than me."
"Isn't that great?" She pointed out.
"For me and you, yes. For a lot of men and women all around the world, not so much." Xera could practically feel the ice in her lover's voice, so she got up.
"It's fine. I know you care about such things in a diferent way than me, but the world is too big. To do anything, you need power, so just keep being your own strange self and you will one day be able to do whatever you like about these complicated problems." Holding his back against her front, she did her best to be gentle while carresing his head.
"I just think too much some times, no need to worry about that. I do enjoy your attention though." He said, kissing her neck. "Xera?"
"Yes?"
"I'll be your only one even after we get to you village, right?"
"Oh, that. It's actually the men that are expected to have multiple lovers and the opossite goes to women after they find a mate." She explained, relieved that was an easier question.
"I don't want that. I simply refuse to sleep with someone I don't love. More importantly, that wasn't what I asked. Do you think I'm enough for you?"
"What, why wouldn't you be enough?" The question greatly confused her.
"Because... Nevermind, I'll just try harder." He began, but decided to leave it asside. It was fine if she didn't get it.
"Do what harder? You're acting weird Aki, let's just sleep." She worriedly pulled him to lay down. He seemed worried, but maybe it'd go away with time? She thought of trying to do something for him too after resting a bit, but it was clearly not the time.
There must have been a reason for her fangs to have become retractable after all.
*****
"My gods, I've already salted my feet and the water, how the fuck are there still leeches trying to bite me?" Complained a grumpy Aki, who had actually figured out he could have gotten some if he'd not gotten all scared and shit.
The high amount of dead, palm sized leeches he kept stepping on also didn't help his mood.
He'd even made stone boots for his feet and started ignoring how uncomfortable it was, but it was harder to ignore the sloshing sound and blackened water.
"I've got no idea. These normally don't come after lizard man, so I don't actually know much about then, but I think they are attracted to your high body heat considering you basically shine in this humid bog." Harry pointed out.
"Well shit, how much longer till we pass through it again?" He asked.
"A day an a half, then it should be easy enough to get to my tribe's hunting ground." She said with some expectation in her voice. She'd been captured a bit more than a month ago after all.
Seeing the glimmer on her eyes, Aki sighed, straightened his posture, and decided to stop mopping around.
"Harry, do you trust me?" Instead he'd try something new and efficient.
*****
"I can't tell if I should hate or love you more for this." Said the sprawled lizard with her jaw in the mud.
"Well, I can massage your whole body after you clean yourself and I can see a more normal forest right there, so I'd say it was a worth while idea to catapult ourselves with a series of earth platforms." Smirked Aki while the mud flaked itself from his body. He had very little mana at the moment, but this much was now easy for him.
"Urgh, you make a good point. I just wish it'd not made me so dizzy though."
"It's fine dear, I'll be sure to cherish your sacrifice later." He softly told her as he helped her get up.
Then it hit him and he blacked out.
*****
"You awake boy?" Asked a rough and reverberating voice.
"Enough to curse. Fucking hell, it feels like I emptied my mana pool and then decided to headbutt someone wearing a helmet till they died!" Exploded the young man. "Where is Xera?" He asked the crocodilic man standing by his bedside.
"At the main hut, telling the elders and the chief about your story. She was very surprised when she saw a human holding our youngest grandchild, I apologize for my wife's actions. She has not been well since this war started." His voice rumbled Aki's shaken brain, but he tried to pay attention anyway.
"If neither of us are in any kind of danger, then it is fine. I just hoped for a better first contact with you all. I'm Aki, nice to meet you shaman." He slightly bowed from his seated position.
"I am Shaman Zarun, Xera's grandfather. I did not actually expect to see her alive and well for a long time however."