As Matt finished his thoughts on the future he began to search through his room and laid out his possessions on the cot. He had thick full plate adamantite armor along with a daunting helm that was shaped like a roaring jaguar. He also had one large round adamantite shield finished in brown and black. His full plate armor was also decorated in a similar fashion. A large black leather cloak that could attach to the armor was folded and placed to the side. He had a long sword with rose gold pictographic runes decorating the groove in the center of the sword. Its black lustrous blade started on a rose gold guard and black leather grip. Finished with an adamantite pommel in the same black stain as the blade. In addition, he had a few sets of noble tunics that were fashioned to represent the chieftain's family.
From what he understood of the game; adamantite was harder than steel but much heavier, mythril was lighter than steel but not as durable and was used as a conduit to augment mana. Orichalcum was the metal of legend, forged by the extinct ancient dwarves. The legendary equipment you could find in the game is usually found in dwarven ruins where lost enchanting and smithing techniques once ruled the world. There was also iron but that was reserved for starting mercenaries or knights in training. Unlike other games there were no adventurer systems, instead they had a mercenary guild. Matt dressed in his noble tunics and packed the rest of his belongings in a spatial ring.
The ring was introduced in the game as an inventory system, but Matt was relieved that it worked in the real world. Only nobility or those with obese coin purses could afford great spatial rings, while small-capacity spatial rings made by many apprentice wizards littered the market. Matt inherited his as a gift from his father, but after packing enough supplies to travel and camp half of the capacity was left. It also took time to channel mana to the ring and explore its contents. It would make it ineffective to stop in the battle to take your sword out, so it would be better to always keep your weapon on you. Matt continued to experiment with mana, it was a strange sensation to feel a living flow through his veins. He started to control the flow and explore how to use his mana. Most of his knowledge on how to use mana came from previous Matt's memories but feeling it for himself for the first time is another matter entirely.
"Fuuaagh" Matt breathed in deeply and then exhaled.
All of these new things were weighing on him. It was too much stimulus in too little time. As he tried to calm his mind, he figured he would go see if the bar was still open. It was now a couple of hours since Beth barged into his room, and as he expected his party was not downstairs. There were still some customers, but it seems most travelers decided to turn in for the night. Matt approached a table and sat down when a cute waitress walked up to him.
"Good evening, watcha gettin'?"
Matt asked "Get me whatever the cooks have left over for dinner and a tall pint of beer"
The teenage girl tilted her head and asked "Is it ok to serve you alcohol?" She brought her face to meet his eyes and squinted "You are older than 16 correct?"
Matt sighed again "Yes, although I appear very young, I am definitely 20." She stared at him for a couple more seconds before she stood up straight and said "OK! One chicken dinner and one pint of beer."
While Matt waited for his food he reminded himself of the currency in the game. They used a paper currency known as marks. They had certain printing and metal filament engravings to ensure no counterfeits could be made. Their currency was universal in Hathor and resembles dollar bills. They were denoted by types of marks; there were copper, silver, gold, and platinum marks. Copper marks were roughly $1, Silver marks were $20, Gold marks were $100, and platinum marks were $500. Once Matt devoured his food and ordered a few more beers the waitress closed his bill.
"That will be 9 marks, buddy." Matt stood up and left 15 marks.
Once he paid, he walked outside to the inn's covered porch and came across a familiar and heavenly smell. He turned and saw a bright ember in the corner, on a chair overlooking the main road and forest. A human man was smoking a cigarette!
Matt approached him, "Hey friend you wouldn't happen to be able to spare me one, would you?"
The man shrugged and opened his pack showing a somewhat fresh pack with matches in a side compartment of the pack.
"Say, seeing that the pack is fresh how about I buy it off you? I'll even buy it for the purchase price, even though you smoked a few."
The man sat in silence and then shrugged and said in a rough voice "They cost 4 marks."
Matt paid the man and went off to the side to walk along the building as he smoked a cigarette. He inhaled deeply and upon exhaling he tilted his head up as the smoke came plummeting out like the smokestack of a steam-powered train.
"Now this is some R&R." When he finished his cigarette, he heard some twigs cracking in the woods.
Curiosity got the better of him as he approached the noise to investigate if it was some wild game or something more nefarious. As Matt grew closer to the origination of the sound, he pulled out his claws, but then he heard soft yet heavy breathing. Through the moonlight, he saw Ava in the distance. Her armor was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she wore a faded white blouse rolled up to her collar and trousers that were pulled down to her knees.
Her breast was exposed while a dark paw gently kneaded the other. He then saw Kyle's face come up behind Ava's neck as if originating from the shadows of the night. It seems he whispered sweet nothings as her blushed face blossomed into a sensual smile. Satisfied with finding the cause of the noise Matt turned around and went to bed. After all, he had no interest in the game's heroines and Ava's route was particularly troublesome. After a life of strict family structure, she decided to let herself blossom during their adventure. She turned into an impassioned woman, the only way to conquer her is to display strong masculinity and level up enough stamina to actually satisfy her. After all, the dragonkin were known in this world for their strong stamina. As a recovering cub this was not a mountain Matt thought he could climb.
….
Kyle whispered into Ava's ear "I told you, we can't use my room anymore, that cub is next door. You told me you didn't want him to know right?"
"Mmmgh" Ava moaned as he traced the shape of her breast and caressed her naval, gently rubbing up and down but not directly touching her sex. Her smooth pale skin a canvas for his fingers to linger and stroke. He kissed up and down her neck and then licked between the silver scales on her ear while he pushed her round plush rear onto his cock.
"I know Matt, my dad's a commander for the dragonkin chieftain, all of the military families in the Vale Forrest augh…know each other mmgh... maybe we should just stop haah… until we can get some privacy again." She used her hips to gently grind onto Kyle, she felt the firm rod on her lower back as she began to feel a warmth throughout her body.
"You say that but who is teasing my cock right now?"
He moved his hand further south and stroked her slit, to find his finger wet with her moist nectar. He slowly raised his hand and showed her the glistening fluid on his hand.
"… you horny bitch, you really want me to stop" he then licked the salty nectar off his finger before delving back into her.
"Mmgh… haaah…" Her soft moaning became more frequent at all the stimulation. Her entire life Ava was respected and cared for, she never had anyone, other than while training or fighting, treat her roughly. Then Kyle came along. The sly wolf began to seduce her by giving her a massage after their most recent battle against a great orc that left Matt unconscious for weeks. His strength and sensuality opened her worldview on what pleasure really was. She found it strangely arousing to have someone in control of her. He stimulated her in all the right places until one day, after a hunt and a few rounds of beer he took her innocence. Kyle was surprised at Ava, for a virgin she lasted as long as most of his previous partners. As the second oldest of the group at 26 years old, seducing the young dragonkin of 19 was simple.
Kyle roughly turned her around, her flushed pale skin and exasperated face only served to excite him more. Her perky breast had a hard pink pebble with a small areola surrounding it, reminding him of a juicy cherry.
"Look at this, all your grinding caused this. So, you need to take care of it…"
His hungry eyes stared at hers as he grabbed his dick and jerked it a few times in front of her, revealing the tip that was covered only minutes before. Ava bit her lip and smiled as she remembers how good it feels inside of her. Kyle held it at the base and yet half still stuck out from his large grip. She wondered if all penises were this endowed.
"Get on your knees…"
Ava shook her head " I've never done that…"
Before she could finish Kyle grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her roughly to a deep kiss.
"Mmmgh" When they separated, he looked deep into her as he said, "I wasn't asking, I was ordering." A grin surfaced on his face.
Ava licked her index finger, feeling the scales on the back of her hand as she imagined his girth inside of her mouth. Without saying anything she got on her knees in the middle of the sparsely lit forest. "Tell me if it feels good or if I should do anything else." She grabbed his cock which was now in front of her face and started to lick his glands as she softly but firmly gripped his rod with three fingers. She began to stroke it like he taught her as she continued to lick the tip and work her tongue around his shaft.
"Uugh it feels great, put it in your mouth stop teasing me," Kyle demanded as he let the pleasure stimulate him.
She started small by sucking on the tip while her tongue explored all the sides of his member. She tried to encase more into her throat and found herself gagging, her eyes watered as saliva dropped down onto her chest. Kyle grabbed her head with both hands as he began to penetrate her throat. Ava tried hard to breathe through her nose as Kyle's disregard pushed her to new limits. She found herself slapping Kyle's knee to tell him she needed to breathe. He pulled his cock out of her throat.
Ava gagged and coughed as more juices flowed onto her naked figure. She looked up and glared at Kyle.
"Sorry I guess I went overboard it's just…" Kyle bent down and roughly whispered, "you're just so fucking sexy I wanted to go deeper."
Ava's grievances were over with that wide grin of his, his canines made her feel not like a dragonkin and more like a lamb.
"I want you inside of me…" she whispered sensually.
Kyle helped Ava to her feet and then roughly picks her up, his hands guiding her legs to wrap around the small of his back. Supporting her he walked a few paces to gently lean her back on a tree. Her elegant shoulders sparkle in the moonlight as the soft light hit her silver scales. The dragonkin mostly resembled humans and elves with sparsely placed scales and dramatic dragon eyes. He rubbed his penis over her lower lips as it mixed her saliva with her nectar. He could no longer hold back and plunged into her softly.
"Mmmgh" he slowly inched until his entirety was suffocated in her sex. He could feel the soft walls clenching as she tightened her arms around his neck. They stared at each other and began to kiss as he slowly started to sway in and out of her.
"Hah…mmgh… uugh… ha" Their sensual symphony was muted by the foliage around them. *pan smack smack pan* as Kyle sped up his movements the rhythmic dance started to sound louder. He continued to pump her until he lost restraint and pulled out of her. He turned her around and pushed her against the tree as he pulled her waist. Her plump ass in full view. He went deep right away and started smashing into her.
"Kyaaagh" Ava yelped at the sudden sensation. Kyle restrained her arms behind her as his other hand wrapped around her neck. He reached around to lick her face and kiss her strongly. He put firm pressure on her throat as he continued to force himself into her. The excitement muddled Ava's mind, she felt a strong sensation at the same time began to lose all sense of herself. After restlessly grinding into her she trembled and shivered as her pussy began to squirt out, drenching the tree as her fluids flowed down to the ground.
"Aaaagh…aaaagh… Kyle slow …. do… down… it's too much … right now" Kyle paid her no mind. He felt close to erupting.
"Aaaaagh" with a guttural yell he releases all he had into her. He started to slow down his swaying until he was now just slowly grinding into her and his cock continued to spasm inside of her. Ava lost all the strength in her legs as she leaned on the tree. Kyle staggered back and pulled his cock out. They were both breathless as they recovered from their orgasms. After a small delay, he began to flow out of her precious cavern. Kyle had a certain clarity only gained after reaching a high point of ecstasy. He pulled up his trousers and grabbed his tunic from a tree nearby. Out of breath, Kyle said.
"Haah… make sure to wait until it's all out before you put on your pants. You don't want people to think you wet yourself." While Ava collected her rationality Kyle callously left her panting and weak as he heads inside the inn.
...
Matt woke up after a quick nap, after waking up from a coma Matt was more than well rested. It made it hard to sleep but he suffered from boredom more than fatigue this morning. As he laid on his bed retracting and a stretching his claws he decided to try out his combat abilities. He walked outside with his sheathed sword and pants, without his tunic to avoid drenching it in sweat. Once he reached a small clearance between the main road and the inn he started exercising. He started by checking his flexibility with some stretches. He was much more flexible than Adel was. Then again, Adel was 40 years old. He then practiced his Marine Corps Martial Arts or MCMA. It was a mix of Kung fu, Karate, Thai Boxing, jujitsu, and knife fighting. Matt learned a form of wrestling taught by the jaguar tribe, its movements and techniques were pathways into their sword arts which took advantage of circular movements and hard striking techniques.
He took a deep breath and directed his mana to flow directly through his veins. It circulated and injected itself into his muscles, they became supple but not flexed. He started shadow boxing and moving from form to form. From what he knew, reinforcing the body and armor was the mana art that allowed Matt to take heavy hits without having it bother him or move him, regardless of his stature. It was a technique taught to him by his father, "Raging" Ross. He was more of a berserker knight than he was a tank.
Sweat glistened on his body as he stopped and unsheathed his sword. He took a second to concentrate and bring to the surface his memories containing his training. He let out a slow breath as he started swinging his sword. It was fluid and sturdy, focusing on continuous movement and binding work. Unfortunately for Matt, he did not have a sparring partner to practice his binding. When he felt he understood the capabilities of this body Matt paused. Contemplating how this all felt like a dream, then he wondered if it was Adel's life that was the dream. All at once solitude struck true as he thought of Jack. His boy and him had been partners in crime for so long, it brought a lingering pain to Matt's heart. He sighed as he tried to alleviate the sorrow on his mind. He went back to his room to clean up and headed down to the tavern for breakfast.
The sun still had not peaked over the forest but Matt could tell from the amber background that dawn has come. He wore his tunic and spatial ring before walking downstairs. Instead of the bright waitress, a middle-aged man was wiping down the bar this morning.
"You're up early kid" he said without sparring Matt a second glance.
"Let's just say I am eager to get the day started, and I am not a kid."
The man looked at Matt "well makes no difference to me, want some tea?" He thought for a second "Sure how much do I owe you?" The man started pouring a cup as he said, "1 mark."
Matt paid the man and sat down at a table, "hey make me some breakfast will ya? I am starving." The man gave a nod before he went into the kitchen and came out with a bowl of oatmeal. It was decorated with walnuts and berries.
"Thanks here is 10 marks, you can keep the change if it's too much."
The man is picked up the cash and said "it's plenty thanks" as he flashed a rare smile.
While he was eating, he noticed the guitar in the corner of the room. "Hey old man what's the story with the guitar?"
The old man looked and explained with a smirk. "Hmm, about a year ago a bard brought that guitar and performed here hoping to make enough to stay the night. He did enough but in the morning his group left early. He took his sack with him but forgot his guitar in the rush. Now that is there in case anybody wants to play it. Those things are quite pricey from what I know, why not make use of it?" The man shrugged as he finished his story. Matt smiled as he stood up and walked toward the corner of the room.
When he met Beth, he noticed that his feelings stirred, it was not a new feeling, but it felt novel since it had been so long. Like so many great players have said "Only way to get over being blue is to play the blues."
…..
Beth woke up to streaks of light pouring into her room through the wooden blinds. After a night worrying over Matt, she found that Calen's reassurances calmed her enough to get some rest. Ever since Matt fell unconscious, she used healing magic on him and wiped his body frequently. Thankfully, healing magic helps the body recover from a lack of nutrients, if not he would be too weak to get up, or worse he would be starved to death. She asked Calen how he went about dealing with the headache from Mana deficiency and ended up talking through many nights with him. They discussed their pasts, their journey so far, and their hopes for the future. The truth is her father received a proposal to arrange a marriage between Matt and her, but she asked him to refuse.
She wanted Matt to open up to her and propose. She loved him for as long as she could remember, she became a nun because she wanted to support Matt when he became the chief of the tribe. She smiled as she remembered fondly the boy who spoke of justice and swore to protect the people of the clan. However, they were 9 months into their journey and she was unable to make any romantic progress. She felt insecure and anxious, she trusted Calen with these thoughts.
It was then that he suggested practicing how to seduce Matt with subtle touches of intimacy. She was very hesitant but decided that she should learn how to best appeal as a woman. Calen was the oldest in the group at 67. His appearance reflects those of his comrades, but the Elves tend to live to be 350 years old while Demi humans live to be 180. She has spent many nights with Calen, but it was last week that he convinced her to learn about the male anatomy.
She was hesitant but decided to learn from him, she felt foul afterward. For the following few nights, they continued to learn more until she found his son deep in her chest. Even remembering the acts brought her shame, but she also understood it helped keep her mind off Matt. She would also touch herself afterward wondering if Matt would do those lascivious acts with her. Remorse weighed heavy on her mind, while sexuality was relatively open in Hathor, she felt that she had been betraying her feelings for Matt. She didn't know if she was even going to be able to look into his eyes when he awoke if he awoke.
As she finished changing into a summer dress and brushing her hair she heard rapping on her door followed by Emily's voice.
"Lady Elizabeth, are you up?" As a nun of Maria, the goddess worshipped by humans and demi humans alike, she gave up her last name to learn holy magic. It was the position of the church that nobility and position should be renounced should they join the church, to sever any relations that may corrupt the leadership of the organization. The only exception is retirement via marriage or another circumstance approved by the church.
"Yes, I'll be right there" She checked her appearance in the mirror and looked forward to seeing Matt, as she almost bounced toward the door. She found her party waiting for her in the hallway, all in casual wear but saw Matt was missing.
"Where is Matt?"
Calen replied "he was not in his room, perhaps he has descended to the dining room already. I imagine he is quite famished."
As soon as he finished speaking abrupt cheering could be heard from downstairs. They looked at each other before they moved to the dining room. As they climbed downstairs, they heard a guitar playing music they had never heard before. It was melancholic and somber; rapid notes in succession with a few notes choked permeated the dining room. They all looked dumbfounded as they saw Matt in the corner of the bar playing the guitar. They wouldn't know but he was improvising some jazz in front of the travelers, many of whom opted to stay and listen to him play rather than leave on time.
While most of the party was impressed by Matt's display of dexterity Beth stared in confusion and suspicion.
"Since when did Matt play the guitar?" She thought. When he finished playing, he noticed his party members and placed the guitar down. He grabbed the cigarette hoisted by the headstock of the guitar and bowed to the audience before joining his party at a table.
Matt sat down as he puffed on his cigarette.
"I didn't know you smoked little man." A surprised grin plastered Ava's face.
Matt took offense and stared at her; he exhaled a plume of smoke at Ava "I didn't know you liked midnight walks by the moonlight." Ava and Kyle's spines straightened out as they became stiff at his remark.
'Did he see us last night!?' they both thought.
"Well, anyways that is neither here nor there, let's talk about what Beth most likely already told you yesterday." He loosened his tunic and pulled it up to his collar exposing his body. "As you can see, I am no longer a champion."
They stared at him and sure enough, there was no sign of his crest. Emily retorted while she averted her gaze "Thank you for showing us but that is enough you can put on your tunic now."
"Sure thing, thanks for taking care of me and being patient by the way. Before I get bombarded with questions I want to say, I don't know why I no longer have my crest. According to Beth, I had it yesterday morning but not when I awoke in the late afternoon." Matt took another pull from his cigarette as he continued "I wanted to know, was there anything strange about my recovery?"
They all looked to Beth and Emily who took care of Matt when he was unconscious. "I only helped monitor your vitals a few nights when Lady Beth needed to sleep but asked us to monitor you in her stead."
Beth thought hard and something terrifying did come to mind. "We… well something strange and scary did happen yesterday" Beth gulped as she teared up "For about 20 seconds Matt's heart stopped… "
Everyone's eyes shook as Ava stood up "Why didn't you tell us?!"
"Woah there, don't lay an egg there Ava. She is still explaining what happened."
Ava glared at Kyle before muttering "Dragons lay eggs, we give birth like everyone else…" and taking her seat.
Tears now gently flowed down her cheek, but Beth managed to keep her voice composed. "I didn't want to believe it myself, I wanted to think it was all in my head. After a greater healing spell, he seemed fine, and nothing had changed. His heart started beating again, I mean he is awake now thank Maria, maybe it was in my head after all!"
The table was quiet, and a few travelers decided to leave the awkward aura from the group and hit the road. Matt was flabbergasted, he never would have thought the young cub would die so early in their journey. However, he wondered if that is the reason, he now inhabited this body. Perhaps there was an exchange of souls, maybe Adel and Matt had switched places. Maybe only I took over and Matt moved on. After a deafening silence, Matt put out his cigarette and looked at his companions
"It doesn't matter now; I am up as you said and I don't feel anything wrong with my body."
"What about with your memories?" Calen asked.
"Augh, yes I was a little shaken yesterday, but I feel fine." Everyone nodded at the good news.
"I don't believe I have the right to stand next to you all in battle…. I believe it is best I retire from the champion party and report to my father."
Beth was shocked and looked at Matt with eyes wide open. She never thought they would be separated so soon. Ever since they entered their later teenage years they stopped interacting as much as they used to. It was during this time that he was seriously trained to wield a sword and she was trained in holy spells.
"Sir Matthew, crest or not I assure you we all see you as our compan…"
"hold on…" Emily looked at Calen who cut her off. "My apologies for interrupting but we were told those with Crests would grow exponentially compared to regular people, I mean no offense, but you were already struggling to keep up. Without your crest, I am not sure our growth would align with yours."
Everyone at the table took a second to process Calen's words.
"That's why I am saying I am blowing Dodge" Calen scrunched his eyebrows in confusion "I mean to say I am getting the hell out of here. Don't worry I know there is a fight to be had but I don't think my place is with you all." Everyone was taken aback by his words once again.
The Matthew they had come to know on the journey was not crass and spoke eloquently. His shift in personality was dramatic, and they didn't know how to quite handle it. Beth couldn't help but wonder 'Was… he always like this?'