Aisha woke up groggily at the sensation of someone pinching her cheeks lightly. She tilted her head up at Celeste, who was smiling down at her.
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"Aishaaa~" She said softly, in a sing-songy voice. "It's time to wake up~"
"...Why?"
"They're making camp. Go help out!"
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Aisha rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and reluctantly left Celeste's arms to go outside. The cool night air hit her like a knife, an uncomfortable contrast to Celeste's warm body. She shivered a little, tightening her scarf around her. The scent was still so soothing, so comforting... it was like a drug.
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She looked around outside. Fei and Kua were gone, presumably to gather firewood or find some other supplies, which really left Aisha with nothing to help out with. She considered running back into the tent and getting more naptime in, but decided against it, grabbing her crossbow.
She was hungry. Maybe she would share some food with the other girls... maybe.
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Aisha returned to the little campground to the sight of Fei's drawn bow, a bright white arrow notched and pointed at Aisha. At the sight of the fey girl, she visibly relaxed and sighed.
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"Oh. It's just you."
"There aren't any monsters around. What are you looking for?"
"We heard a really loud noise in the forest." Kua explained, her arms gesturing wildly. "Like a Pwah! Or a kerplow! You know! A big cracking noise! I've never heard a sound like that before, it was almost like a ballista..."
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Aisha hefted her crossbow.
"Oh." Fei grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess I'm just not used to… that."
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Aisha walked past them towards the pile of firewood and set down her bear, starting to skin and clean it.
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Fei looked at the unlit fire and scratched her head.
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"Kua, can you use any fire magic?"
"No."
"Celeste?" Fei called.
A muffled "No" came from within the wagon.
"Ah shit. Usually Vigil would light the fire…"
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Aisha picked up a piece of wood and began to carve little shavings out of it, making a small pile of kindling in the firepit as the others looked around aimlessly. A bit of force with a rock, struck against the back of her crossbow yielded a spark, and before long, there was a small flame going in the firepit, fragile and fleeting. But when Aisha cupped her hands around it and blew gently, it grew large, eventually growing large enough to crackle and lick at the logs that Aisha began to feed into it.
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Aisha heard clapping from behind herself and saw Fei, the energetic girl looking amazed and excited - Aisha felt strange - on one hand, the tall woman's enthusiasm couldn't have been genuine at such a stupid, small skill, but on the other hand, she seemed so genuine and earnest in her face...
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"Wow! That's cool! I've never seen someone do that without fire magic!" Fei said.
"...Sure." Aisha settled on mutterring, not watching the confused expression that the ranger gave her.
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Kua knelt next to Aisha, holding her hands over the fire. Green mana flowed from her hands into the flames, and soon there was a roaring fire, lighting up the night sky.
Wind magic. How handy.
Aisha went back to skinning and cutting her bear. She vaguely heard someone from the trading wagon taking out some cookware and plates, her ears twitching slightly.
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"So Aisha. How have you been doing quests? Tell me!" Fei asked, absentmindedly stabbing her bear steak with a fork.
"...You're going to have to be more specific than that."
"What did you do on your last contract?"
"Well, I carried some guy's stuff from Drayen to here."
"Oh. What about the one before that?"
"I think it was a were contract. It was the same guy. He wanted the pelt."
"Wow! A were. I haven't killed one yet. How big was your party? Five? Six?"
"One."
"You did it solo???"
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Fei looked at Aisha with awe.
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"How'd you do it? Those things are crazy strong!"
"I just… shot it and ran away when it got too close."
"How'd you deal with it's magic? Isn't it super fast?"
"I dodged."
"Wow… you must be really fast!"
"With that crossbow too…" Kua mused.
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"Hey, hey! Arm wrestle Kua! I want to see who's stronger! Kua, use your strength enhancement! She might be stronger than you!" Fei said, excitedly.
"I-" Aisha started, but Fei was already hounding Kua, not listening to her.
"I'm not going to arm wrestle her. She might get hurt." Kua said.
"She's definitely stronger than she looks!
...Maybe you're just chicken!" Fei said, in a mocking tone.
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Aisha supposed it would be faster to just do it, instead of fighting the energetic girl. Kua probably thought so too, as she walked over to Aisha crouched down.
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Aisha placed her gloved hand in Kua's, her small arm dwarfed by Kua's large and muscled forearm and biceps.
Kua looked into Aisha's eyes, but she couldn't read Aisha's stony expression.
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"Ready...? 3… 2… 1… Go!" Fei yelled!
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Kua decided to not use her strength infusion, to make sure she didn't hurt the girl, but her eyes widened as her arm was wrenched down with incredible force, the back of her hand being forced into the ground and creating a small dirt crater.
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"You're strong!" She said, surprised. "Let me… use my full strength."
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Kua could hear laughing from behind her. She ignored it, focusing magic into her body, energy filling her veins and strengthening her muscles. Her body glowed a faint green, as she returned to the arm wrestling stance, grabbing Aisha's hand in hers.
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"Ready?" Fei asked. "3… 2… 1… Go!"
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Kua struggled, trying to force down Aisha's hand with all her might.
Her biceps bulged, and her forehead crinkled with exertion, as she put all of her strength into forcing the other girl's arm down. She closed her eyes and grit her teeth, slowly forcing her hand down. It was like trying to bend steel!
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Slowly, yet surely, she forced Aisha's hand all the way down into the ground. A bit of sweat dripped down her forehead, as she stopped infusing mana into her body, tired. She looked at Aisha, who was still just sitting there, stony expression as always.
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"Let's do one more! Tiebreaker! Aisha… you didn't look like you were trying very hard…" Fei said.
"No. I was trying my hardest. Let's stop here." Aisha said.
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Fei raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless she sat back down and picked back up her now cold steak.
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"That was a good show, Aisha." Celeste said, her torso poking out of the wagon, resting her head on her propped-up elbows. Aisha stared at her breasts longingly.
Celeste noticed, giggling.
"Will you be a dear and bring some food up here for me?" Celeste asked.
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Aisha nodded and hurriedly piled a steak and fork onto a plate, climbing into the wagon next to Celeste.
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"Good girl. Thank you!" Celeste cooed, her voice oozing with affection. She gave Aisha a kiss on the cheek.
"Ah… I'm so drearily tired from all that travelling. Won't you… be a dear and help me... feed myself?" She asked, batting her eyelashes.
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"You're so lazy, Celeste." Fei said from the campfire.
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Celeste pouted, even though Fei couldn't see her. Aisha thought the same thing, but she decided that she probably shouldn't make her thoughts public. Celeste playfully opened her mouth and lolled her tongue out slightly, showing off her perfect white teeth.
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Aisha blushed a little. She was usually the one being fed… The gesture was so… erotic. She cut a little bit of steak and put it into Celeste's mouth with her fork, which she ate slowly, savoring the meat.
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"Oh… that was good, dear. I think it would go well with… some berries. I think we brought some with us. They're in the back of the wagon. Can you… get some for me?"
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Aisha leaned over to move behind Celeste, grabbing a little sack of blueberries. The sack was slightly stained from the juices from the succulent berries.
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"Good girl!" Celeste said. Aisha blushed. Every good girl felt like a warm pat on the head, which Celeste also gave to her in spades.
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Aisha turned even redder as Celeste opened her mouth again, motioning for Aisha to feed her more berries. She gulped as she realized Celeste wanted Aisha to use her hands. She tentatively picked up a berry with her thumb and index finger, slowly moving it towards Celeste's awaiting mouth. She put it on her tongue, and shivered as Celeste's mouth closed around her fingers, and her tongue licked the digits inside.
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Celeste giggled mischievously at the embarrassed and slightly aroused expression on Aisha's face. She pat her on the head, cooing "good girl," enjoying the bit of ecstasy that leaked onto Aisha's face. With every "good girl," Aisha's expression became more heated… more melty... She was so adorable…
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But now wasn't the time for… more carnal activities. She pouted. Stupid traders. She would bring the girl back to her apartment when the contract was over. She ran her hands through Aisha's soft hair, hugging her, the erotic tension in the wagon slowly dissipating.
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"Are you done in there? Come out and keep watch, Celeste!"
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Celeste really hated keeping watch. The ground really hurt her back. She wished she could bring more pillows with her, but they got dirty really fast. She reluctantly left the wagon, putting on her white heels and gently descending onto the ground, grabbing a blanket with her. Aisha soon followed suit, her boots landing with a thump on the ground.
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Fei looked at Aisha's slightly disheveled state and grinned. Good for her. Celeste hadn't taken a lover for a while, after she had left her last boyfriend. He was a good looking guy, and Celeste had liked him at first, but after a while, Celeste just got… bored, and spending time with him had turned into a slog. Fei, Kua, and Vigil had to protect her from the man's wrath, after Celeste had told him that she just didn't feel attracted to him anymore.
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She hoped Celeste would stay with Aisha. She was really cute, and despite being a little creepy sometimes, her presence was calming. She had a certain… assuredness in all of her actions, and sounded wise. Well, at least, when Celeste wasn't around.
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She looked at the girl, cuddled up into Celeste's side, a blanket wrapped around the two of them. Fei looked at the smile on Celeste's face. She had never smiled like that when she was with Venne.
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But despite her happiness, a little thought nagged at her head. Even though she looked happy, Aisha never smiled. And sometimes… a distant look would creep onto her face. She was worried, but… she had pried enough into Aisha's personal life for the day.
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The night continued without incident. Aisha heard wolves in the distance, but they were much too far away to be cause for concern.
It was nice, just cuddling like this, next to a warm fire, enjoying the silence and the night sky.
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She wished she could share it with mistress.
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.
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Aisha's ears twitched, as she heard stirring from within the leading trade wagon, breaking the calm silence of the camp, broken only by the crackling of flames.
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"Alright, let's go." Kua said.
"We've got a bit of time before they wake up." Fei said, cheerfully.
"Time for what? Time for us to do nothing?"
"I do want to return to the wagon. This dirt is so… hard." Celeste said, groaning and holding her back as she got up from her sitting position.
"Aisha… can you get the dirt off my dress?" She said, turning around and bending over.
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Aisha got a good look at Celeste's squishy butt. She blushed as she dusted off dirt and grass from her dress, her ass jiggling with every brush. Aisha swore she could see the outline of her panties through the almost-translucent dress.
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Celeste gracefully climbed into the wagon, followed by Aisha, and then Kua.
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"Why isn't the ranger coming?" Aisha asked.
"Fei's job is to scout for monsters and bandits. We're far outside the walls now, so they're going to start showing up." Kua explained.
"You're kind of a ranger yourself. You wanna help?" Fei called.
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Aisha hugged Celeste, squishing her face into her soft breasts. Celeste giggled and Fei rolled her eyes, running off in front of the wagon. She put on her green amulet.
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"Sharp Eyes!" Fei called out.
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Aisha winced. She sounded so stupid! She watched as a green glyph formed in front of Fei, a large, ornate eye in the center. It faded, and Fei's eyes took on a dull green glow. She waved goodbye to them and disappeared into the treeline.
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"...Do all of you call out your spell names?" Aisha asked.
"Yes." Celeste answered.
"...Why?"
"It's mainly for communication. So that the party knows what buffs or debuffs are present." Kua explained.
"It sounds a little stupid-" Kua started
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"Really stupid." Aisha interrupted.
"..."
"..."
"...Ok." Kua said.
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"It sounds a little stupid, but we need to do it for proper communication. We don't call out offensive abilities, unless they're AOE."
"AOE?"
"Area of effect. So that our partymates don't get hit."
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"Still sounds stupid."
"You're going to have to do callouts too."
"Not really."
"...Oh. Right."
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The wagon started moving, and Kua shifted uncomfortably. Aisha didn't care, she was just screwing with her. Celeste giggled.
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Eventually, the soft rocking motion of the wagon, and Celeste's heat put Aisha to sleep.
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.
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"Dire wolves!"
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Aisha was woken from her sleep by Fei's voice, calling out. The wagon instantly stopped, Kua getting up and starting to put on her leather armor and harnesses. Aisha also snapped to attention, getting up and picking up her crossbow and bolts. She hopped out of the wagon into the misty air, shivering slightly.
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"Alright, it's time to show you what we can do!" Fei said, excited.
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"Sharp Eyes!" Fei called.
"Courage!" Kua cried.
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Aisha stared the brown and green glyph in front of her body, wincing internally at how stupid they sounded. The glyphs disappeared, and suddenly Aisha felt strength enter her limbs, and her eyesight focused.
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"Celeste? Are you going to join us?" Fei asked.
"You girls can handle wolves… I'm going back to sleep." Celeste said from within the wagon.
"...She really isn't… very energetic." Aisha said, lightly.
"Yeah, but she's kind of right. Dires aren't really a problem. I guess she just doesn't want to show off."
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Aisha could hear the sound of padded feet on the forest floor, and she hefted her crossbow, but put it back down after Fei motioned to her. Fei drew back her bow, a bright white arrow forming between her fingers, and released the arrow into the sky.
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"Rain of Arrows!"
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A wolf lunged out of the forest, glowing a bright blue and snapping its jaws at Fei. A solid wall of brown mana appeared in front of her, crushing the wolf's snout against the barrier.
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"Barrier." Kua called.
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The wolf backed off and snarled, gathering mana in its jaws. From the treeline, Aisha could see more coming, also glowing blue and growling.
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Fei turned around and winked at Aisha. A loud whistling could be heard as hundreds of little mana arrows rained down from the sky in front of Fei like raindrops, many missing their mark, but many more burying themselves in the backs and heads of the wolves.
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The loud noise of casting was deafening, a loud, ethereal noise emitting from each arrow as it flew.
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Aisha looked down at the dozen or so wolves that had been dispatched with ease, the magical arrows buried in them fading away. Wasn't Fei supposed to be some sort of ranger? Why did she have a spell like that?
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One last wolf lunged at Fei from the treeline, one last resort to take out Fei and take revenge for its pack. Kua, seeing the wolf, gathered mana in her hand, throwing her fist at the wolf. Aisha could see the air around her fist in a column shoot towards the wolf like a bullet, a rectangle of force making its way into the side of the wolf, sending it flying away and crushing its ribs.
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"Why did you let that one attack you?" Kua asked, frowning.
"I didn't see it."
"You have a spell that makes your eyesight better!"
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Fei grinned sheepishly.
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"Well, I wanted to give you a chance to show your abilities off!"
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Kua rolled her eyes, walking over to the trader wagons to tell them to resume movement. Fei struck a pose at Aisha, winking and making a peace sign, running off to continue scouting.
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(The other party almost got wiped to a smaller group of inferior wolves... )
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Aisha shook her head. Whatever happened to the party back in Drayen wasn't her problem.
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Fei clambered back into the wagon, the sun beginning to set and the skies turning dark. She stumbled a bit, the bumps in the road making her lose her balance and fall on her face. She grumbled, crawling over to an open space and sitting down.
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Aisha's eyes locked onto the book that she had sat on. Fei followed her line of sight and got up hurriedly, removing the book from underneath her.
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"Sorry. I wasn't looking. What is this?"
"... It's a memento."
"From who? Parents?"
"No. A… teacher."
"Oh. Cool! Can I… look inside?"
"Go ahead."
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Fei opened the thing to a random page, coughing at the slight amount of dust that filtered out.
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[ ...The processors in the motherboard appear to be damaged. I'll have to repair them, but there isn't anything like a soldering iron around here. Additionally, I don't know if a microchip constituted from the materials of this world will operate properly, given the influence of the mana, and I have no tools to properly engrave a circuit board... ]
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Boring! Fei didn't even understand half of the words in the tome. She flipped to another page, and then another, and then another…
[...or as he calls himself, Zaris, has made another "breakthrough" in casting, his fifth one today. He calls it mana shield… toss that one in with his other great names. The technique isn't even any good… He thinks we live in some video game, or something, where you just sit completely still and fire magic balls at each other or something…
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The technique itself operates on drawing the mana around you into a barrier. The properties of the shield resemble non-newtonian fluids… It is fascinating how the mana of this world can take on physical properties...
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A more efficient use for a barrier would be to focus all the mana into one space… I will look into it, after I finish etching... ]
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"Whoa. This book mentions Zaris, by name. This is the origin of mana shield!"
"Who's Zaris?"
"You don't know?? He's the father of all magic! The only who discovered all basic elements, and arcane magic, and created 90% of the spells we use!"
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"Oh. Cool." Aisha said, bored and distracted.
"Whoa, what?" Kua glanced over, interested.
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"Yeah! Aisha… who was your teacher? This is… really valuable! If the-"
"I dunno."
"What? You don't know? He might have been a descendent of one of the gods! This might be a record of the god wars!"
"Whatever."
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Fei closed the book gingerly, as if she was holding a pane of glass. She shouldn't pry any more, despite how much she wanted to. It wasn't hers. She held the book out to Aisha.
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Aisha took the book and threw it into a corner, returning to her laying position on Celeste's lap. Fei winced as the book skidded into the back of the wagon.
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"Isn't that important to you? You said it was a memento!"
"I'm not a historian, nor do I have any magical powers. It's not of any use to me."
"But… what about the sentimental value?"
"What about it?"
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Fei got the feeling that Aisha didn't have the best relationship with her teacher. She really wanted to make a good impression on the girl, so she decided to respect her space.
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The rest of the trip went without issue. They had cleared the area of wolves, and the other monsters of the area decided to not fall to the same fate.
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Aisha and the girls walked through the gate, the contract finished.
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"Hey, can you guys turn in the contract for us?" Celeste asked, her heels clacking on the cobblestones.
"Sure. ...Us?" Fei asked.
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Celeste wrapped her arms around Aisha and grinned mischievously, placing one of her hands on Aisha firm butt. Aisha turned her head and looked at Celeste with confusion.
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"I'm going to… Show Aisha around." Celeste said, licking her lips.
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Fei's mouth opened, "oh." silently being mouthed.
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"Well, have fun, you two!" Fei said, waving and dragging Kua away.
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"What do you me-wah!" Aisha yelped as a hand clamped around her wrist, dragged away by Celeste.
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Celeste opened the door to her apartment, ushering Aisha in and locking the door behind her. Aisha took a look around, taking off her boots. It looked really spacious. Celeste really liked to live her life of luxury. She didn't get much time to look, however, as Celeste hurriedly pushed her towards the bedroom.
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Aisha's eyes widened at the big, white, cushiony bed in front of her. She jumped on top of the covers, enjoying the slight poof that her body made, pushing the air out of the mattress and blankets. There were so many pillows! It was so soft!
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Aisha heard giggling behind her and looked back at Celeste, who was removing her silky white dress. The buxom woman jumped on top of her, her hands pushing down on the bed on both sides of Aisha's head.
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Wasn't Celeste going to show her around? Why were they…
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Aisha looked at the hungry look on Celeste's face.
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Oh.