"Ugh..." Aelric rose from the carcass of the grotesque aether being, stumbled toward a fallen tree in the vicinity, and sat down with his back against the trunk. "Natalie! Come on!"
[Yes, yes, I am working on it!]
Aelric's condition was far from optimal. He had scratches and gashes all over his physique, his arms were completely mangled up inside, and his lower body felt like jelly. A searing pain assaulted his senses as he writhed and squirmed in agony. Aelric felt as if his body was a glass on the verge of shattering.
Aelric's necklace, the storage artifact, contained several healing items, but the overwhelming pain prevented him from gathering aether energy and concentrating on activating the necklace and retrieving his medications.
"Natalie! Fuck!"
Aelric shouted through gritted teeth, his limbs outstretched and throbbing uncontrollably.
[Almost there! Hold on!]
As soon as those words resounded in Aelric's consciousness, a peculiar dull light exuded out of Aelric's body and enveloped the five-meter-tall aether being that was missing most of its abdomen.
[Eliminated a C-tier aethereal being, obtained 5600 experience points.]
[Quest: Eliminate fifty aethereal beings above E-tier. Progess: 50/50.]
[Quest Complete... Received 100000 experience points. All attributes +10. Received {Arcanum-Plex Potion x1}.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Extracting bloodline energies... Strength +11 Agility +8 Intelligence +12.]
"Aah~"
A stream of energy originating from the monstrosity assimilated into Aelric's body. Although it didn't visually affect the creature in any way, if a laboratory were to extract energies latent within its bloodline, they would only find death and desolation among the blood cells, stumping the best researchers across the human empire.
Aelric's expression eased a degree, and while the incoming bloodline energy didn't heal him completely, it alleviated the pain somewhat, at least enough to allow him to circulate aether without losing concentration.
Aelric activated his necklace and retrieved two vials filled with a violet-pink viscous liquid. After a minute of struggling against the aggravating pain, he managed to pop off the tops and chugged them.
"Ugh—"
The effect of the potions was instant. Aelric experienced a sensation of millions of termites gnawing on and inside his body, making him groan in uneasiness.
"Ugh... Fuck..."
[Oh, shut it! You've had worse.]
Natalie's exasperated voice reverberated inside his conciousness, causing Aelric's expression to contort in rage.
"That doesn't make me feel better, Natalie!"
Aelric's breathing was quick and shallow, trying to drown the pain and uncomfortableness as much as he could. It took about five minutes for his body to recover enough to stand up.
"Agh!"
Aelric groaned as he relied on the various objects around him to stand from the ground. He stowed away his spear and retrieved a stick from his necklace, using it to maintain balance as he waddled away from the trunk and headed toward a space with more leveled ground.
He gazed in the direction where the beast's blow had blasted the woman.
"You think she's dead?"
[Improbable. She had exemplary artifacts on her.]
"Makes sense... Should we go?"
[Of course! What do you mean by 'should we'?]
"Ugh... Yes..."
Aelric leaned further on the stick and tightly grabbed his torso in torment as he painstakingly made his way through the absolute destruction and chaos that the fight had caused. He observed the surroundings warily since even a D-tier aether being could end him given his condition, but no beasts dared to approach the area that had just seen a conflict of such magnitude.
Aelric exited the clearing, followed the line of forcefully smashed trees, and approached one that seemed to have survived the impact, though the wide truck was dented in the shape of a human. The number of eviscerated trees he had passed to reach this tree didn't inspire confidence in him about the well-being of the mesmerizing woman.
He inhaled deeply and looked around the base of the tree.
"Oh... She's definitely dead."
Aelric approached a sprawled feminine figure that was lying lifelessly near the base of the tree. The figure's shimmering cape was now in tatters, her powerful artifacts were damaged beyond repair, and blood pooled all around her. Her head was covered in a deep gash that was leaking blood relentlessly, dyeing her beautiful silver hair a crimson red.
[No. She's breathing, maybe even conscious. Quick, give her that potion!]
"You sure?"
Though Aelric said that, he scrambled to the woman's side, went on his knees with the help of the stick, and retrieved a vial filled with glowing golden liquid.
The golden liquid churning in the vial was an extremely rare and effective healing potion, which couldn't be purchased in the backward Lyraxia Star System. Aelric's generous master had left five of these life-saving treasures to Aelric when she disappeared, warning him not to involve himself in situations that would warrant the use of such a potion.
It hadn't been long since she had departed, yet Aelric had already consumed one bottle in a rather desperate scenario. This would be the second.
"So? How do we do this...?"
Aelric sat beside the woman and tried to flip her on her back gently, but stopped immediately. If he were to make the woman face up, the gash located on the back of her head would come in direct contact with the ground, and that could be unhygienic and problematic.
[She's losing way too much blood. Aelric, she has to drink this now!]
"...Fuck. If you are awake, this would be a great time to say something!"
Aelric spoke while settling the vial aside and crossed his legs. He nestled his arms under the woman's body, one around her lithe waist and one near her neck, and gently carried the woman to his lap, cradling her head cautiously with his palm, ensuring the wound was facing the sky. As he softly placed her face on his thigh, his pants got soaked by her blood, but he didn't have the time to care for that just yet.
The woman's chest was barely heaving, but it was a fact that she was not dead, yet. However, her heart was slowing by the second and the blood loss was eating at her vitality at a rapid pace.
"Don't fucking die."
Aelric snatched the vial, popped the top off with a stronger burst of aether energy, and delicately turned the woman's head to expose her mouth. He brought the vial's opening to the woman's lips, but she couldn't react.
[What are you doing? You have to feed it to her!]
"What do I do? Spit it in her mouth?"
[Mouth to mouth, Aelric! That's the only option!]
Aelric's expression hardened in hesitation as he looked between the vial and the woman.
In his previous life, Aelric wasn't much of a ladies' man, far from it. And in this new life, he hadn't found the time to court a woman. When he transmigrated, he was trapped in a fortified village where his very existence was despised. He could barely survive in the streets following his banishment, forget socializing, or looking for a woman. Finally, after triggering the phenomenon, he was taken in by his master before he could truly enjoy his strength, so he had yet to have his first kiss, both lives combined.
[Oh, come of it! Are you going to let her die just because you haven't kissed!?]
Natalie's accusatory voice boomed in Aelric's head.
"Fine, fine!"
Aelric brought the vial to his face and downed it, letting the somewhat spicy and sizzling liquid fill his mouth. He tenderly held the woman's head by its side and lifted it to his chest.
Aelric bent his torso and gazed at the stunningly enchanting visage of the woman. Her beauty couldn't be obscured by the dirt, grime, and wounds. He closed the distance and placed his lips on hers, using his tongue to open her mouth, and transferred the liquid.
"Haah~ Haah~"
Aelric returned the woman's head to his thigh as he leaned back with his arms supporting his body and reveled in the sensation of his first kiss. Aelric had heard people describe their first kisses as tasting like fruits or certain intense flavors, but all he could glean from that was the taste of blood, soil, and the potion. He even unintentionally swallowed some tree fibers that were stuck to her lips.
'Should've cleaned it first... Well, I guess this was an experience in of itself.'
Aelric chuckled as a golden glow enveloped the woman in his lap. Aelric had gone through the same process, so he didn't care too much and just focused on recovering, for there was no telling if an aether being would sense their weakness and attack the pair.
Eventually, overwhelmed by the pain in his body and the weight on his lap, Aelric decided to lie down. The woman was now completely covered in a golden hue and her body couldn't be viewed from the outside, which made Aelric sigh in relief. If the recipient dies, the potion's effect immediately dissipates and the glow vanishes, so at the very least the medicine was acting as it should.
Aelric retrieved his prized golden spear, placed it within reach, and settled down with the back of his head nestled within his overlapped palms. He simply stared at the ginormous tree since there was not much else to occupy his vision and entered his mindscape, channeling aether energy at a rapid pace.
Fifteen or so minutes elapsed before the golden hue covering the woman slowly dissipated, announcing her successful recovery. Aelric was occupied by a debate with Natalie, which he was being one-sidedly obliterated at.
"Ahn... Umm..."
Aelric was snapped out of his reverie by a melodious and lovely moaning that originated near his groin. He instantly shot up and watched as all the wounds and gashes around the woman's body were healed, revealing her ethereal beauty to the world once again.
Her eyelids fluttered open while Aelric hesitantly watched from above. He didn't know what to do, should he place her on the ground? Sit her up against something? Or let the situation play out as it was? While Aelric was contemplating his next course of action, the woman's eyes opened and her beautifully vibrant red pupils moved about curiously, observing her surroundings.
Aelric was worried that the woman would misunderstand the situation and lash out at him, and given her capabilities it would be difficult to defuse the situation, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, the woman stared at Aelric without blinking.
"H-hello?"
Aelric felt quite flustered under her unflinching gaze and muttered while trying his best to maintain his composure. Who could blame him though? His first intimate contact with a woman was with one bearing such elegance and charm that could cause wars among men vying for her beauty.
"That was my first kiss..."
"Cough! Cough!"
Blood rushed to Aelric's face as he coughed in embarrassment. However, he noticed that she didn't display much dissatisfaction and anger, so he assumed she must have been conscious and understood what had transpired.
"It was mine as well..."
Aelric coughed once again as he extended his arms toward the woman, intending to help her sit up. However, the woman shook her head, her silver hair jumping with her head.
"It's fine... I can't move well right now."
Her voice was a symphony of softness and charm, a melodic blend of sweetness that resonated with an almost otherworldly allure. Each word she spoke seemed to dance in the air, laced with a subtle, honeyed tone that caressed Aelric's ears as he admired her gorgeous countenance.
"You sure? My pants are covered in blood..."
"It doesn't matter. It's my blood anyway."
"I have a mattress in my storage artifact, you can be much more comfortable on it."
"No, I am fine. This is comfortable enough."
"How about the ground then? I can place a sheet."
"It's alright."
Aelric and the woman went back and forth at blazing speeds. He tried various ways to get her off his lap and increase their distance, but her stubbornness won in the end. He just sighed and let her lay on his lap. The woman adjusted and squirmed into a more comfortable position, almost brushing against Aelric's crown jewels and mighty blade, making him jump a little.
Aelric was aware that the potion, while not restoring the body to its optimal state, does wonders for the injuries, and the woman should have recovered enough to move around without any problems. However, for some reason, she just refused to move, and Aelric didn't want to cross that final line and expose her, for even though he was inexperienced in matters of love, he had lived for over twenty-nine years at this point between his two lives, so he wasn't completely ignorant of social cues.
'Natalie, what the hell is happening?'
[Heh... I can't believe the knight in shining armor strategy actually worked. She seems smitten with you.]
It was clear from Natalie's tone that she was teasing Aelric, and he couldn't even retort, for no matter how he viewed the situation, her analysis seemed to be correct.
'Haa~'
Aelric sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, relieving some of the accumulated tension.
[Why are you sighing? Weren't you crying for a girlfriend just a few days ago?]
'Yeah, you're not wrong, but... I have a bad feeling about this.'
[Oh, come on. Just say you are a pussy.]
Natalie's snickering resounded in Aelric's head, intensifying the warning of his instincts.
"Hey... What's your name?"
Aelric was so distracted that he didn't realize he had zoned out while looking straight at the woman in his lap.
"Huh? Aah~ I am sorry I forgot to introduce myself." Aelric had been in a perpetual state of befuddlement, with Natalie, the woman, and his instincts attacking his composure simultaneously. "My name is Aelric Drakonis. What about you?"
"Hmm~ Aelric, is it? I am Kizna. Thank you for saving my life."
Kizna said and smiled. Aelric couldn't reply instantly, for her smile radiated such magnificence and divinity that Aelric was instantly spellbound.
"Y-yeah, don't worry about it." Aelric took a deep breath and regained his bearings before he responded. "It's good I had that potion, or it would've been difficult."
Aelric said and smiled at Kizna, who had one of her palms resting on her cheek and the other holding on to Aelric's knee.
"Speaking of which... A potion of such potency isn't easily obtainable in our star system, right?" Kizna tilted her head and asked innocently. "Where did Aelric get it?"
"Cough! Hey, I saved your life, right? Let's not ask these questions."
"Fufu, okay~"
Kizna radiantly chuckled as she dreamily gazed at Aelric, causing a chill to travel up his spine.
'Why are my insticts screaming at me?'