She smiled calmly, but her smile suddenly paled as the doorbell of the bar rang out, and an old man walked in. The old man wore a dark hat and a dark suit. His whole body seemed languid like a sheathed sword.
"What idiots we have all been. That bartender person is indeed harboring you, huh?" The old man said, "And a Heritage that helps him teleport? How overpowered! The world would be shocked to learn it."
Scarlett's sense of danger tingled crazily, and her eyes turned green.
She growled inside, trying to establish a mental connection with Ethan using her Voice Transmission Ability, but he didn't accept the connection.
Cold sweat trickled down her nape.
Danger!
'He must think I am still playing…'
Damn.
She should have just let him fondle for a while longer.
Her gaze condensed. Now was not time for regrets. Scarlett pushed away all sorts of distractions and looked at the old man, her abilities ready for activation.
Ethe would come back as long as I last for a while and make enough ruckus here; I have nothing to worry about, she thought inside, her mind spinning with competitive spirit and a tinge of fear.
But deep down, she calmed down. No matter what kind of words she said to him, deep down, she was completely assured of her safety.
Her new ability, [Fairy Form], was strong enough to last a long time, even against A-Rankers; it should also help her last for a while against S-Rankers. There was not much difference between those.
Scarlett's mind went into complete combat mode, her gaze flickering from one place to the other in search of the best action. But then, an involuntary sigh of relief left her, and her body completely relaxed, almost stumbled due to the suddenness of the shift that happened.
The old man's expression had also changed, and he looked at Scarlett again, but this time, a young man was casually hugging her from the back, kissing her cheek gently, again and again, with a curious smile on his face.
A dark hat now adorned his head. The old man's hat.
"This hat's good, old man, I'll take it." Ethan said, a curiosity to his tone, "I was wondering why an old dog was snooping around outside… but it was pretty obvious you were smelling out though. Hmm," he suddenly changed the subject, showing something in his hand, "I will also be accepting this wallet if you haven't noticed yet."
The old man's lip trembled at the sight of a brown leather wallet in Ethan's hand.
"Disgusting animals, give it back!"
Ethan smirked. "How many hours of cuddles do I get if I leave this old man with a blue face, gasping for breath like an old dog for real?"
"Tsk," Scarlett clicked her tongue, rubbing off his kisses on her cheek. "Who do you think you are? Obviously zero."
"What about a genuine... heartfelt kiss for the first time in my life?" he asked, startling her.
The old man didn't wait for them to finish their exchange as the cold phantom of a human-sized sword appeared behind him.
Ethan gulped and muttered, "Sorry, the chance is out; he is attacking sooner than expected."
"Just teleport already, you idiot!" Scarlett screamed, and just as she was about to defend and bring her hand in front of them, she found her surroundings shift.
Colors changed, smells changed, feeling changed. When she came to, they were standing atop a colossal building, looking down at the vast city below.
Under the night sky, the lights of the cement titans were bright and marvelous, resembling tiny stars dotting the ground. Her breath was taken away from her chest for a moment before she calmed down.
"I hate you, Ethe!" She blurted out.
She expected a snarky reply, but instead, she felt his gentle bite on her nape and was briefly stunned, but turning back, he was nowhere to be seen. He had escaped.
The blushing woman exhaled. "If you come now, I'll leave you five nice gropes, and maybe a cuddling night when I feel like it."
Ethan flashed into existence behind her and wrapped his hands around her supple waist. She could feel his warm body behind her and the smell of wine. He rested his head in between her shoulder and neck.
"Why is this old guy stalking you? Did you go devour the Ability of someone close to him?" he asked, his breath brushing against her neck.
"What does it matter to you?" She questioned, feeling rather frustrated thinking about the past and why she had run away from him in the first place.
It had been so long since they did something like this. Her heartbeat quickened. Yet, she felt defeated; she was fawning over him so quickly with just his pretty words and a few good gestures. She was completely under his wraps.
He bit on her nape again, and she frowned.
Why was he being so gentle?
Did he really regret his actions?
"What happened to you, Ethe?" she asked.
"What?"
"You would have usually groped around for a while before pushing me down the building or something similar. Why are you being so affectionate and cheesy instead?" Her annoyance was clear but there was a tinge of worry in her tone too.
"I've always been affectionate to you," he said, gently nibbling on her nape while groping her chest. "Don't you remember all those days when we were young? When I sneaked into your bed or bathroom at night, only for you to frustratedly look at me as I watched your privates affectionately?"
"Shut up the bullshit and tell me what is going on..." Her nape reddened for a second, making Ethan smirk halfway through his nibbles.
He murmured in her ear, "You are as cute as I remember."
She blushed from neck to ear.
He was sweet, at least, so he did have some remorse. Otherwise, he usually never spoke such sweet things.
Did he have any plans of apologizing at all?
"Stop fondling, It's already past five times!"
Ethan smiled but didn't stop. His hands moving even as he spoke.
"So why is this old man on your back? Tell me, and I might let you go," he offered, gently pinching her nipples through the cloth.
She moaned softly. "I devoured his granddaughter's Ability three days ago; I didn't know she had a big backing... just learned she had an S Rank grandpa yesterday. Didn't think he would find you…"
"What is this ability you devoured?"
She pushed him back and turned to look at him, her face flushed. "Check it yourself."
Ethan's eyes shone as if blue embers were simmering inside, and her image grew clearer and clearer to him while all her private and hidden capabilities and truths appeared in his mind, neatly ordered and arranged. This was the Eye ability that all Royal Heritage-Awakened had.
Even Ethan couldn't help but whistle at her new status—she had indeed broken through to become a B Ranker. Her ability pool was not much weaker than his own, either.
—
[Sana Scarlett]
[Core Heritage: Devour Heritage (B Rank)]
[Devoured Abilities:
Pillar of Protection, Body Size Manipulation, Butterfly Wings, Dress Copy, Voice Transmission, Fire Ball]
—
"You made an S-rank enemy for a simple [Fire Ball Heritage]?" Ethan was speechless. "You have way too much trust in my ability to run, Scarr. Damn, I was scared half to death when he used that sword phantom. You are being too reckless!"
"But I also became a B Rank. Take note, I already caught up with you..." she pouted, looking down at the ground.
"But still…" Ethan asked, "How did you become a B Ranker anyway?"
"Years ago, to become a C Ranker from a D Ranker, I had to Devour 3 Abilities," she said, her hands spread widely as her black hair floated behind her, "and to become a B Ranker, I needed to devour one Ability of all Five Types, Defense, Offense, Movement, Senses and Utility.
"For defense, I have my Pillar of Protection. For Movement, I have the Butterfly Wings. For Utility, both Body Size Manipulation and Dress Copy. For Senses, I have Voice Transmission, and now? I also have an Offense, Fire Ball."
Ethan examined her, his gaze becoming more and more curious; she could never outright Devour other people's Heritages like the old man said; she was devouring the abilities under the umbrella that was the Heritage, more than anything else.
He slowly walked around her, looking at her with a studious face while touching here and there.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Your butt seems to have stopped growing at some point," Ethan sighed. "What a pity."
Scarlett frowned. "It really stopped growing? Check again."
"No worries, it is plump enough for my taste," he said and tried to grab it, but she turned away with an irritated expression.
'Taste?!' she cursed in her mind, filled with frustration. 'You only used to see me as a woman, yet you now have types?'
"So, Mr. Ethan, tell me my current weakness," she asked with an emotionless expression on her face. "What ability do I Devour next?"
"A sense-type Ability would be good; your senses are far too weak. You could have sensed that old man otherwise. Voice Transmission is not really a good Sensing Ability, even though it comes in that category.
"Even now that your Core Heritage is a B Rank and you can use it as a B Rank Ability, its senses by themselves are far too useless. It can just help you search around for connections to transmit voices to, and it is not easy to sense for enemies with just that if they reject your connection.
"Also, a Healing Ability, since you lack it entirely, is a must, more than senses. It is considered among the Utility types, huh?"
"So what is the plan to get one?" she asked, curious.
She won't be able to use her Devour Heritage for quite a long time to devour another ability but it was better to know.
"No need to be so hurried," he replied, his face filled with an unknown sigh. "Practice with your current arsenal. If it were me who had all that, I'd completely dominate you in battle. Look at me; I don't have as many abilities as you do, but there is no hope for you to survive even an hour in a fight with me. It's quality that matters, not quantity."
"If you don't run, I'll beat you up," she said, her lips scrunching up.
"What kind of dumb logic is that?" He gently moved closer, wrapped his hand around her waist from the front, and kissed her cheek. Then, moved on, kissing her forehead and then on her lip while she looked at him weirdly without stopping him.
"What's up with you, Ethe?" she asked, a bit worried.
Did her running away last time after what he told her traumatize him or something? She didn't want it to go that far; she just wanted him to know that what he did hurt her without saying it outright. If that made sense.
"Give me a real, heartfelt kiss..." He caressed her cheek, making Scarlett frown.