"I have been violated" Glowmyth yelled in embarrassment with her entire face steaming red. "How could you let this... this, she devil do this to me!" She yelled at Craig, fuming. "How long was I in there?" She asked pointing at Maeli's chest.
"Ever since you fell unconscious. It's been a few hours now." Craig replied in amusement. He didn't see the reason why she was so worked up about something so trivial.
Trivial? Of course it was trivial to him who would melt in ecstasy if he were to wake up in a pair of luscious breasts. Then again, he might be terrified of the creature that was gigantic enough to fit him between her breasts.
Glowmyth didn't feel the same ecstasy that he would. She felt embarrassed and wholly violated. Her entire body rubbed and squeezed by two unfamiliar breasts. Even if they were familiar, what difference would it make. Even if she knew that she was merely placed there for convenience of travel, she couldn't help but see it in a sexual way.
"Hours?" She cried, placing her hands to the sides of her face. "Ohhhhh, I have lost my purity, my chastity." She spun around in the air like a crazy person.
Craig laughed at her adorable display. "Will you calm down. You haven't lost anything of the sort." He continued to laugh afterward.
Maeli shifted here gaze between them. "What is wrong with her?" She asked, looking rather lost.
Craig shook his head with a lingering smile on his face. "She thinks you violated her chastity." He replied in continued amusement.
"Oh?" Maeli raised an eyebrow and looked up at Glowmyth with a knowing smile on her face. She had already surmised as much based on her primary reaction. "There's nothing wrong with a little interaction between girls." She said to Glowmyth with a teasing smile.
Craig was bewildered. He didn't believe Maeli could display such charm and warmth. He shook his head helplessly with a bitter smile on his face.
"Interaction?" Glowmyth folded her arms with a light harrumph. "I never agreed to any... Interaction of that sort." She was preparing to launch a shipload of words at Maeli when Craig interrupted with a reminder.
"You do realize that she can't understand you right?" He was truly enjoying the show with astute delight.
Only then did the realisation occur to her that Craig had a natural ability to understand her, but without a spell Maeli could only hear tiny tinkling sounds when she spoke. She immediately concentrated her magic and flipped her hands around a few times, casting a spell. Two small balls of light flashed into existence and dove toward Maeli, entering both her ears.
Maeli didn't put up any resistance as she knew the spell was the wisp's translation spell.
Glowmyth folded her arms and repeated her previous statement as if it was important that she heard it. "As I just said, I didn't agree to any interaction of that sort. I don't care how cute you think I am, keep me out of your valleys."
Maeli laughed at Glowmyth with a suspicious look in her eyes. "You sound as if this isn't the first time you've been in a valley." She remarked.
Glowmyth trembled involuntarily. "You... I... I don't wanna speak to you anymore." She quickly flew over to land on Craig's shoulder, sitting with her legs crossed and her back facing Maeli. She was hiding all the embarrassment on her face as images of Petal doing the same to her flashed through her mind.
It had happened twice. Both times she had been caught off guard when bathing with Petal. Against her wishes she had been smashed into those cotton valleys of pure bliss. Yes, they were soft and comfortable but she had no choice but to fight against the temptation of their comfort.
Maeli giggled with a charming smile on her face completely overthrowing her usual distant cold look as if she could never be that emotionless. "I like her, she's truly adorable."
Once again Craig felt a sense of loss. He even blinked and rubbed his eyes once to ensure he wasn't hallucinating. He had to admit, when the ice thawed away, and she displayed her charm, any man's heart would involuntarily skip a few beats.
Noticing Craig's infatuated gaze, Maeli couldn't stop herself from blushing slightly before returning to her former demeanor. "Do you believe I'll remove your eyes if you keep looking at me like that?"
Craig slightly averted his gaze to the side with an awkward smile. He sighed disappointedly as she had returned to her former self. Ignoring her intentional cold behaviour, he called out to Glowmyth. "Hey, little fairy, I uh, wanted to thank you for putting in so much effort to help a stranger like me. If not for you I don't know how things would have turned out. I really don't know how I'm going to pay you back."
He was sincerely grateful to her from the bottom of his heart. He would definitely find ways to repay the favour one day.
Glowmyth stood up and flew into the air ahead of him. She smiled mischievously, "If you truly want to repay me then how about becoming my slave. I've always wanted a personal human slave." She said with a heavy trace of humor in her tone.
Craig raised an eyebrow and folded his arms whilst rubbing his chin in thought. "Hmmm. Let's make it mutual then. I'll become your slave if you become my wife." He joked in return, trying to pull Glowmyth's leg.
He did not expect that Glowmyth would be even more mischievous and actually accepted his conditions. "Fine! Then from today onwards you are my slave and I am your... wife." She said with red cheeks.
Craig was stupefied into laughing helplessly. He shook his hands in refusal. "I was only joking with you..."
"Too late." Glowmyth interrupted with folded arms. "You dare to chase a woman but don't dare to commit to her?" She teased.
Craig's forehead creased as he tightened his brows. "I don't recall ever chasing you." He said, playing along. He wasn't bothered at all, finding her to be extremely cute. Teasing her brought him a sense of joy.
"How else would you describe proposing to me if not as chasing." She retorted, wittily.
Craig searched his mind for a convincing comeback but his brain had let him down, giving him nothing. He could only sigh helplessly and admit defeat.
To the side, Maeli looked on with an amused expression on her face. At the same time she felt a bit uncomfortable in her heart. She frowned. Was she feeling, jealous of a wisp? No that wasn't it, was it? Maybe deep down she really wanted to be this carefree around Craig. Wait, why would she want that? She suddenly shook her head and attempted to clear her mind.
All Jokes aside, Craig had to have an important discussion with Glowmyth. "Now that we have a way to save our friend, we'll be heading back. From here on it's practically just a race against time to get back, nothing dangerous. Even if there was danger you've done more than enough already. So, for the time being this is actually, goodbye." His joyful expression faded into sadness, as he would truly miss her.
Glowmyth forced a smile. "I guess this is it for now then." She said, trying to hold the smile which nevertheless faded into a sad frown. All her life she had despised humans, never expecting that one day a human would be so much fun. That was it, the reason why she got attached to him this quickly. The adventure she had been through was more fun than she had in her entire.
The reason she resorted to mischief from time to time was all because she was bored and wanted to spice things up. She realised now that what she truly needed was adventure. Not just adventure but adventure laced with a sense of danger. It gave her a rush she'd never experienced, and she loved it.
She hovered down to float face to body with Craig, her eyes full of reluctance to part. "How long will it be till we can have another adventure like this?" She asked.
Craig smiled. "Well, according to Lady Stardust we are allies after all. It shouldn't be too long before we get together again." He explained.
The land of Terramis was slowly becoming unsettled. It wouldn't be long before conflicts started breaking out all over. Those who were allied together were bound to keep meeting one another, it was only natural. With Craig being the primary factor, how could they not meet again.
Glowmyth nodded. "Okay. I'll be waiting for our next adventure together. I hope there will be more conflict and fun the next time." She made a fist with an eager and determined expression.
"Hey don't jinx me with your wicked desires." Craig rebuked with a disturbed smile.
Glowmyth giggled and ignored him as she turned to look at Maeli. "You, breast lady." She pointed at Maeli, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "You better keep those breasts away from my husband okay." She warned looking dead serious as she narrowed her eyes into thin crescents.
Maeli, who found her to be super adorable nodded and laughed as she did.
"Hmph." Glowmyth harrumphed as she turned away from her, looking down at her her chest and measuring them with her hands. Then she smiled at Craig and stretched out her tongue at Maeli before dashing away and vanishing from sight. She didn't drag on the goodbye as there was essentially no point to it.
Craig looked at Maeli after she left and said teasingly. "It seems you have a rival huh?"
Maeli rolled her eyes at him. "We should get going before any unforeseen circumstances develop. Remember we aren't supposed to be in the open together. We should at least get out of here and go deeper into the Eldenwood forest." She strongly suggested eyeing him from head to toe. "You also need a new cloak."
Craig cast a final glance in the direction Glowmyth had left and entered the Eldenwood Forest alongside Maeli. They first headed for one of the elves secret stashes and found Craig a new outfit. This time around he discarded his entire damaged outfit and dressed in a male elf's attire, all in green. He draped a hooded green cloak over him that completed the outfit.
Like two ghosts, they flashed through the Eldenwood forest nonstop until night fell where they rested for a few hours.
During this time, Craig practiced feeling for the Divine Lotus within him. It was much easier than he thought it would be. He had assumed that it would have been hard to sense its energy but it was just the opposite. With its link with his soul he was able to clearly sense it and draw on its power by willing it through his body.
Now that he knew how simple it was to interact with it, they worry in his heart eased. He was wondering if he would have been able to control it when the time came to save A'ina. His concerns were futile. He decided to hold out on practicing its uses for now since he didn't know what characteristics would manifest when he used it. He would study this newfound power when he was alone in they coming days.
A few hours later they were on the move again and by the time the sun came up the following day, they were out of the Eldenwood forest. The journey was smooth with no hindrance from the woodlings. With Maeli's conceal and Craig's Undetectable aura they were like ghosts.
As they exited the forest and stopped to take a break Maeli looked at Craig with a puzzling curiosity. "I can't believe you were really granted a permanent untraceable aura by falling into that canyon." She said, feeling the idea was totally ridiculous but also believable based on how Craig had described the mana fount and other things.
Craig simply smiled. This was the explanation he had given he when she asked about it on the way through the forest. She had thought that it was Glowmyth who was concealing his aura but now that she was gone she had no choice to re-evaluate the possibilities.
Craig took a few steps forward after catching his breath and looked around in search for their horses. This was the precise location they had left them when entering the Eldenwood Forest before. The horses were trained to graze within the vicinity they were left so they should be Somewhere close by.
Whiiiii!
Craig whistled loudly through his fingers. He waited for short moment but there was no sign of any horse.
Whiiiiiiiiiii!!
He whistled louder and longer this time. It took a little while before the sound of galloping was heard approaching and soon a black and a white horse came running toward them from the left. They were coming from a small slope that led down to a stream below.
Craig's horse slowed down as it drew near and walked over to him, rubbing its head against him. "Good boy." He said as he hugged its head.
Snow also walked over to Maeli and cautiously sniffed her as if it were verifying if this was the same person. Maeli moved in closer and caressed its head with gentle strokes. "Did you miss me?" She asked smiling.