Lorilay is the one to wake up first in the morning. She stares up at the tent for a few seconds before her lips slowly creep into a smile. She has the urge to jump up and run around, but settles for sitting up and flailing her arms after a couple of seconds debating internally. She doesn't mind in the slightest that the blankets aren't covering her upper body, a stark contrast to her nervousness from yesterday, I actually did it! I found my soulmate and became a proper woman, a true Elf! I'm now bound to him and I'm going to bare his children. My body gets restless just thinking about it. I can't believe it actually happened. I'm so happy...but I'm afraid it's all a dream and it will come crumbling apart, like it's too good to be true.
Lorilay, who now stopped flailing her arms, moves to be closer to Ren. She looks at his sleeping face, unable to resist the urge to poke his cheek, but the warmth I'm feeling right now, it can't not be real, "thank you...for actually existing", as she further leans over him and kisses his cheek, we might never be recognised by the Elves, but I don't regret it. We're bound for life, and that's everything I wished for all my life. To find my soulmate...and I know there will be more like me. Let's check how many soulmates you have, as she grips his hand.
She sees multiple images overlapping, making what she sees is indistinguishable, I can make out some flashes of colour like red and white, but it's mainly just black from the overlap. There is just too much going on to try and sort through it. This doesn't help much. All it tells me is that he has at least enough soulmates that it's going to get very busy around him.
Ren wakes up to Lorilay staring at him. His eyes meet hers, and he does his utmost to resist the urge to looks at the mounds filling the bottom of his vision. Lorilay naturally forms a relaxed smile as their eyes meet, "good morning". Ren, yep, just that smile made my heart melt. I was worried if I could feel these types of feelings with more than one woman, but I guess we really are soulmates. I'm getting the same feelings I get with Liza...which is love...right? I've never felt these things before now, so it's hard to know, "good morning...everything ok?".
Lorilay, "yep, just perfect", I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I always dreamed of waking up before my husband and watching him wake up. Another goal checked off the list. Ren, "what should we do now?". Lorilay, tired from holding her two chest weights up, decides to rest her body on his, her chest squish against his, "I think we should reunite with Liza. She was nice enough to give me the night, so she should probably take the morning at the very least".
Ren, resisting the insurmountable temptation to do something, "oh...ok", am I some sort of object to be passed around? Not that I'm complaining or anything. It's just...you know. Lorilay, "I assume she went to an inn. I don't mind camping out, but I'd prefer to stay in a bed from now on to be honest". Ren, "why didn't you?".
Lorilay, "it takes a lot of money to stay at an inn all the time. I didn't know how long it would take, so I couldn't buy a house or rent. Camping out was the best option. I only used an inn for when it wasn't feasible to stay outside". Ren, "oh, that seems like the obvious thing to do now that I think about it", it would be obvious if I thought about it a little...nope, there's still a lot I don't know a lot about this world. Anything could happen for all I know, so thinking about it could just be a massive waste of time and energy...I feel like I'm contradicting myself. Lorilay, "yep. Now, let's go", as she gets up to get dressed, giving Ren a view of a body sculptured by the divine.
They start to pack up Lorilay's stuff and head back to the Inn. They see Liza outside the Inn and leaning against a wall. She...doesn't seem to be in a good mood. She looks peeved, repeatedly tapping the spear in her head with her index finger. Ren stops in his tracks, afraid of what's going to happen. Someone stopping suddenly in the middle of the street draws Liza's attention, and they make eye contact. Liza immediately forms a smile, but it lacks any positive emotions. Her eyes are menacing due to the shadow cast on them from her cap.
Ren breaks out in a cold sweat, W-W-WHAT'S WRONG? She easily gave her permission, in fact, she practically shoved me into sleeping with Lorilay. She shouldn't be angry! Liza gets off the wall and slowly walks towards him. She greets Ren with a low and ominous, "good morning".
Ren has practically turned stone at this point, too scared to move, afraid of the impending wrath he's about to face. But as if doing an instant 180 in mood, Liza turns to Lorilay with the calmest smile, "did everything go ok?". Lorilay, completely unfazed, "it was the best first experience I could have asked for", returns her smile. Liza, "that's great", before turning beck to Ren with a very displeased glare, doing another 180 in mood change.
Ren is sweating buckets and shaking from her pressure, "em...did something happen?", his voice also cracking. Liza, her eyes empty like an endless void, "nothing happened...nothing", emphasising the last word quite slowly. Ren averts his eyes as best he can, what am I meant to do? I haven't the slightest notion of what I did wrong. Well, I can guess, but the why would she practically force the two of us together if she was going to be like this?
Lorilay, timidly raising her hand, "em...did I do something perhaps?", what happened was her idea, which I was very grateful for. I thought we would get along just from that, but maybe I misunderstood something?
Liza's face instantly softens as she faces Lorilay once again, "nothing of the sort. Ren promised we'd have sex yesterday, so I waited...and waited...and waited for him to come back, but he never did", I mean, it was only morning when I left!
Ren, did I make a promise like tha-... actually, if you interpret my words assuming that, I kind of did... Lorilay, "ah, then it is my fault. I wanted to get to know each other before we slept together, so we did it at night after talking all day".
Liza, not blaming Lorilay in the slightest, "oh, no need for you to apologise. Everything is his fault, no one else's", pointer her thumb at him. Ren, hey, that's just unreasonable! (He doesn't have the guts to voice this out loud). Lorilay, "no, this is my fault. You should take him now, and I'll tend to the horses while you do. We didn't do it this morning, so he should be good to go", as she gives Liza a thumbs-up.
Liza wastes no time in grabbing Ren by the wrist to start dragging him into the inn, "I'm grateful for your understanding". Ren, I'm really being treated like an object! After they enter the Inn, Lorilay goes over to the stable, ...I should've asked which ones are their horses.
Some time later, Liza wakes up from a power nap and groggily gets dressed, sex takes more stamina than I thought. Note to self, don't get too into it in the morning. You don't feel like getting out of bed. Ren is also groggy, but he can't help think, a world where my girlfriend gets mad because I didn't have sex with her so she practically jumps me? No complaints here. I'm tired, but it's so worth it.
They then go back outside and head to where Lorilay is. Lorilay greets them upon making eye contact, "ah, welcome back. I hope it went well. I was able to find the horses thanks to the owner showing me which ones belong to you two".
Liza, showing some remorse, "sorry, I was too lost in myself to think about that", I'm an idiot. Lorilay, "it's ok. I know pretty much everyone in this town, so I would have just talked to some people anyway". Liza, "I guess you would get to know people if you've been around for 5 years".
Lorilay looks nostalgic for a second before switching gears, "so, what should we do now?". They two of them fall into thought. After a bit of thinking, Liza looks at Ren, gesturing him to decide with her eyes. Ren, eh, me? Well, I guess I am the one with Ultra Instincts, "first things first, we...should probably go and register that Lorilay has joined our party", not sure if what we're doing could be called adventuring, but we should get her registered anyway.
They both agree and head to the local Adventurer's Administration to register Lorilay. Walking through the town, Lorilay draws all sorts of attention. Old women give her short greetings, adults wave at her, children run up to her and grab her skirt, causing Lorilay to desperately stop herself from being exposed by holding it down. Ren and Liza can't help but think, wow, she's really loved here.
The registration goes by uneventfully, the receptionist looking at her nails almost the entire time, but that's mainly due to Ren wearing a cloak. Had he not been, she would have been all over him. They quickly leave the building, far faster than they thought they would. This leaves them feeling like there was much more to be desired.
There stand around for a few seconds before Lorilay asks, "now what do we do?". Liza, "lets discuss it over lunch, I'm starving", sex is a workout. At lunch, Liza pulls out the map from before and makes a small but grand gesture for Ren to look at the map, "do your magic". Ren examines it, and after a couple of seconds contemplating, he points at where he thinks they should head next.
Both of the girls look at where he's pointing and then make eye contact with a quick glance at each other, figures. Ren, a little unsettled by their effortless mutual understanding, "w-what?". Liza, "nothing, just knew you'd go after her eventually". Lorilay, "once I heard you're going to defeat the Demon King, it was inevitable you'd go after her". Ren, "I'd appreciate it if you told me who you're talking about instead of keeping it to yourselves". Liza, "everyone's heard of the name far and wide". Lorilay, "everyone knows her deepest desire". Liza, "the one and only Elza, 'The Cleaver' of the Dark Elves".
Ren, "Dark Elves? They exist? What's the difference between them and normal Elves?", his curiosity mixing with his excitement and causing him to combine his questions. Lorilay, "Dark Elves are born without the ability to use magic, but as if in exchange for that, they have extremely high physical strength. This makes them the strongest race on pure strength alone. The Dark Elves' ruler is chosen by a combat tournament held every couple of years. The winner becomes the King or Queen of the Dark Elves. The current Queen is Elza, also know as 'The Cleaver', as she defeats most of her enemies with a single swing of her almost body sized Cleaver Sword. She-".
Liza forces herself into the conversation, confusing Lorilay, "Elza has been the Dark Elves leader for a handful of years now. Every year, she holds a tournament. She declared that she wants a husband, but only one who is stronger than herself can earn the right to be her spouse. The winner of the tournament gets to face off against Elza in a ono-on-one, and if she deems them worthy, she will become their wife".
Ren, trying to wrap his head around everything, "...ok, I understand. Well, if my instincts point me to that country, then it's obvious what I have to do…wait! A queen???". Both Liza and Lorilay nod after a second, expecting that response. Ren, concerned by how nonchalant they are, "why are you two acting like that means nothing? She's a Queen, a Queen for crying out loud!", his disbelief palpable.
Liza and Lorilay look at each other briefly again before turning back to him, "and?". Ren doesn't know what they aren't getting it and feels like his brain is about to explode. He cradles his head in his hand to try calm down. Liza, "what? Is there a problem with her being a Queen? Isn't that something you should be excited about?".
Ren, not letting his true feelings on that particular matter show, "that's beside the point. A Queen can't just abandon her duties to her country and travel around with us". Lorilay, "but your instincts say we should go there, right?". Ren, "well…yes, but that doesn't invalidate my point".
Liza smiles at Lorilay, who smiles in return, confusing Ren. Liza, "it's nice that you can recognise that". This does nothing to alleviate Ren's confusion, it actually confuses him more. Lorilay starts to explain, "it took me a second to figure out what Liza was trying to do when she cut me off, but I realised once she left out the second reason for the tournament", as she gestures for Liza to continue.
Liza, "Elza is very military focused. She's put a lot of time and effort into bolstering their forces during her rein. She's adamant in ending the Demon King's tyranny. The Dark Elves have defended their land for centuries, but Elza has been pushing to go on the offensive. This has been met with massive backlash. She came up with this tournament as a compromise. The winner gets her as a wife and a comrade. However, the winner has to be aiming to defeat the Demon King. She promises to fulfil her duties while travelling with a small group of elite fighters and create an opportunity for going on the offensive. Basically, attack the Demon King with a group that has a chance of winning and the Dark Elves will go on the offensive to support them when the time is right".
Ren, his head still hurting, "oh…ok. But why didn't you just tell me that?". Liza, "I just wanted to get some more information about your instincts. Just trusting them blindly is a bit worrying. I know that they've helped so far, but I still can't help but be sceptical". Lorilay, "and I don't blame her, so I decided to play along".
Ren, "oh, of course you still have doubts. So, by withholding important information, you wanted to see if I insisted on going there anyway and possibly cause a lot of problems without thinking anything through". Liza, "yes, but you properly assessed the situation. Seeing that has reassured me quite a bit".
Ren, "then I'm glad to hear that", as he then turns to Lorilay to hear her opinion. She has a gentle smile as she tells him, "my Gift has faced a lot of scrutiny, so I was happy to help alleviate any worries". Ren, "you don't have any worries about my instincts?". Lorilay, "my Gift told me that we're soulmates. Doubting yours would mean doubting mine".
Ren has nothing to say to that, "…good point", and then turns back to Liza, "I see you put a lot of thought into things". Liza, "I have to put in more thought than usual because a certain someone is completely ignorant of this world", giving Ren a snarky smile. Ren, "did you have to phrase it like that to change the subject?", I know it's inconvenient, but come on, cut me some slack. What else can I do?
Liza, "Just felt like it. There is one problem though. In order to get there on time, we would have to pass through part of the Demons' country, which is ruled by one of the Demon King's army Commanders, 'Vall, The Retaliator'".
Ren, changing the subject one second after just changing the subject? Lorilay, "I'm not confident enough to fight a big shot yet...how long would a detour take? I've never been to the Dark Elves' Country". Liza, "at least a week if we're really lucky, maybe a week and a half detour if we want a half-decent guide, but we'd miss the tournament at the very least".
Ren, looking at the map, "if we went through Vall's territory, how long would it take?". Liza, "about 3 days if we ride at a good pace. It would be less than half the detour distance". Lorilay, "It would probably take longer if we have to fight monsters or demons along the way...still shorter than the detour though even if that occurs". Ren ponders for a second before saying, "OK, let's go take down Vall".
Both Liza and Lorilay just look at him for a second before saying, "what?", how did it escalate to that? Ren, "it's a shorter distance, and the Demons should become less organised without their leader, making it easier to travel. And…if we are going to defeat the Demon King, we can't be scared of a single Commander", that sounded logical...right?
Both of them are stunned silent before Liza eventually breaks the silence, "...that's true, but isn't going and defeating a Commander a high hurdle to jump? A really…really high hurdle", her voice breaking a little from her panic. Ren, "I think we can do it...well, that's what my instincts are saying. If we want to get to the tournament on time we might end up fighting him no matter what because we must pass through there".
Liza, "but there's a big difference between picking a fight with someone and being forced to fight them. Ren, "you're right, but I just get the feeling that we shouldn't miss this chance. You know, instinct". Liza and Lorilay are still reluctant...but agree nevertheless, "fine". Liza, his instincts haven't been wrong so far. Saying they reassured me two seconds ago really worked against me. Lorilay, his instincts brought us together, so I trust them completely. We can do this...but I'm still aloud to worry, right?
Liza asks Lorilay, "are you able to travel immediately? As we should head out in the morning". Lorilay, "I am, but I don't have my own horse as I had to camp out the whole time. It would've cost too much to keep. I usually get a ride in a waggon if I need to travel".
Ren, "she doesn't have much stuff to load onto the horses, about the same as we have, so she can just alternate riding with the two of us. We can focus on getting her a horse after we get to the tournament". With that, they spend the rest of the day doing...amorous activities.