As we made our way back to the village with the rescued little girl and her new "pet," the squirrel-like bandit snuggled comfortably in her arms, I couldn't help but feel an odd sense of relief. Sure, I was still bound to Yzara through a soul-linking spell that no one asked for, and yes, I had just fought a gang of tickle-obsessed fluffballs, but somehow, we managed to come out on top.
The girl, whose name we learned was Tessa, was happily chatting away with her new pet, now named Mr. Fuzzums (of course), as if the entire tickle ordeal had never happened. Mr. Fuzzums squeaked and nuzzled her hand, seemingly content with his new life as a "pet."
"I still can't believe we just fought a gang of fluffy bandits who used feathers as weapons," Nixie said, shaking her head in disbelief as we walked through the forest.
"It's Lavatoria," Ursha replied with a shrug. **"We've seen worse."
I groaned. **"I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad we saved the girl, but I think I've had enough of cute, fluffy creatures for a lifetime."
Yzara, who had been unusually quiet during our trek back, sidled up beside me with a satisfied smirk. **"Oh, Jake, darling. Don't act like you didn't enjoy watching me work my magic back there. You should be thanking me, I made sure you didn't get tickled to death."
"Yeah, thanks for that," I muttered, still bitter about the whole soul-binding thing. **"But I'd really prefer it if you weren't, you know, attached to my soul forever."
Yzara leaned in closer, her voice soft and teasing. **"Oh, but we're going to have so much fun together. Besides, you're already growing fond of me, aren't you?"
I groaned again, wishing this particular nightmare would end.
As we approached the village, we were greeted by a small crowd of villagers who had gathered to await our return. Tessa's father, the man who had come to us for help, rushed forward with a look of relief on his face.
"Tessa!" he shouted, sweeping his daughter up into his arms. **"You're safe! Oh, thank the gods!"
Tessa giggled as her father spun her around, Mr. Fuzzums still clutched in her arms. **"Daddy, look! I got a new friend! His name is Mr. Fuzzums, and he's going to live with us!"
The father blinked in surprise at the furry creature in her arms. **"Uh… that's… wonderful, dear. Just make sure he doesn't try to tickle anyone else, alright?"
Tessa nodded enthusiastically. **"He won't! He's nice now!"
Nixie grinned at the heartwarming reunion. **"Well, another successful rescue mission, I'd say."
"Yeah, let's just hope we don't have to deal with any more tickling squirrels in the future," Ursha added with a chuckle.
The villagers, grateful for our help, began showering us with thanks and praise, offering us small tokens of appreciation, mostly in the form of baked goods and knitted scarves, which, as far as Lavatorian rewards went, weren't half bad.
Later that evening, after we had returned to the inn for some much-needed rest, I found myself once again cornered by Yzara. Nixie and Ursha were downstairs enjoying a meal while I sat in a corner of the room, still trying to wrap my porcelain brain around the events of the day.
Yzara, ever persistent, slipped beside me with a sly smile, her fingers tracing the edge of my frame. **"So, Jake… now that we're bound together, don't you think it's time we fully embraced our connection?"
I sighed, feeling a familiar sensation of dread. **"Yzara, I'm really not in the mood for another one of your… attempts."
But Yzara's grin widened as she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper. **"Oh, Jake. You misunderstand. I'm not asking for your permission this time. You see, our bond is stronger than you realize."
My porcelain frame shuddered as I felt a strange warmth spreading through me, an odd, magical sensation I hadn't felt before. Yzara's magic was working, but this time it felt different, more intimate.
"What… what are you doing?" I asked, my voice wavering as the warmth grew more intense.
Yzara's eyes gleamed with triumph. **"I'm tapping into the bond we created. By taking more of your energy, your magical sperm, I can strengthen our connection even further. And you, darling, will feel the effects soon enough."
Panic surged through me as I realized what was happening. Yzara had siphoned more of my magical sperm than ever before, and with it, she was using a powerful spell to bind us even tighter, locking us into a permanent soul connection.
"You… you can't do this!" I stammered, trying to resist the magical pull, but it was no use.
Yzara smirked, her lips brushing against my porcelain as she whispered the final incantation. **"Oh, but I already have. We're bound now, Jake, soul to soul, body to body. Nothing can break this bond."
And with that, the spell was complete.
By the time the magical warmth subsided, I felt drained in more ways than one. My porcelain frame tingled with the aftereffects of Yzara's spell, and I could feel the bond between us pulsing with a new intensity.
Yzara, looking more satisfied than ever, gave me a playful wink. **"You'll thank me for this one day, darling. Now, you and I are truly one."
I wanted to argue, to push her away, but the bond was too strong. Yzara's presence was now a permanent fixture in my life, whether I liked it or not.
Before I could fully process what had just happened, the door to the room creaked open, and Nixie and Ursha walked in. Both of them took one look at Yzara and immediately knew something was up.
"What did you do this time?" Nixie asked, narrowing her eyes at the succubus.
Yzara smirked. **"Oh, nothing too drastic. Just a little spell to… solidify our connection."
Ursha's expression darkened. **"You're pushing your luck, succubus."
"Relax, darlings," Yzara said with a dismissive wave. **"Jake and I are closer than ever now. It's not like you two can change that."
I groaned. **"Great. Just what I needed."
Nixie and Ursha exchanged a look, clearly displeased with the situation, but there wasn't much they could do. Yzara had made sure of that.
As the tension in the room thickened, I sat there feeling like my life had spiraled completely out of control, more than usual, anyway. Being bound to a succubus who regularly siphoned my magical sperm wasn't exactly the future I had envisioned for myself as a sentient toilet.
Nixie crossed her arms, glaring at Yzara. **"We'll deal with this later. For now, let's focus on what matters, keeping Jake from becoming a magic battery for your schemes."
Yzara just gave a dismissive shrug, clearly unconcerned. **"Oh, don't be so dramatic. Jake is more than capable of handling this. And besides, I've only enhanced his powers. He's stronger now than ever."
"Yeah, I feel stronger all right… like I've been run over by a cart full of bricks," I muttered, still recovering from the magical exhaustion.
Ursha cracked her knuckles and stepped forward, her expression stern. **"If you try anything else, succubus, you'll be dealing with me."
Yzara, ever the confident seductress, gave Ursha a flirtatious wink. **"Oh, darling, you'll have to wait in line for that."
"Enough!" I said, raising my voice to cut through the bickering. **"Can we just… I don't know, not fight for five minutes? I've had a long day, and I'd really like to not get caught in the middle of whatever this is."
The room fell into an awkward silence, with Nixie and Ursha casting suspicious glances at Yzara. The succubus, meanwhile, looked perfectly content with the chaos she had caused.
"Fine," Nixie finally said, throwing her hands up. **"But we're keeping an eye on you, Yzara."
Later that evening, the village held a small celebration in our honor for saving Tessa. It wasn't the grandest of festivities, but the villagers brought out more food and drinks than I thought was possible in such a small town. Candles lit the square as music played, and for a brief moment, everything felt almost… normal.
Tessa ran around with her new pet, Mr. Fuzzums, who seemed to have adapted surprisingly well to his new life as a domesticated bandit. The villagers, still slightly confused by the presence of the fluffy creature, seemed content to let the girl keep him, especially after what she had been through.
"Well, this turned out better than expected," Nixie said, sipping from a mug of ale as we watched the festivities.
Ursha grunted in agreement. **"Yeah, but we've still got to keep an eye on the succubus. I don't trust her."
"Join the club," I muttered, still feeling the magical pull of the bond that now linked me to Yzara.
Speaking of which, Yzara was currently charming her way through the villagers, laughing and chatting as if she hadn't just bound her soul to mine in a nefarious ritual. I watched her from a distance, feeling a mixture of frustration and, if I was being honest with myself, curiosity. She was undeniably powerful, and whether I liked it or not, we were connected now.
Just as the evening was winding down and the villagers were starting to return to their homes, something strange happened.
A figure appeared at the edge of the village, shrouded in shadows and moving with an eerie, almost unnatural grace. The music faded as the figure approached, and the villagers fell silent, their gazes fixed on the newcomer.
Nixie, Ursha, and I immediately tensed. This didn't feel right.
"Who's that?" Nixie whispered, her eyes narrowing as she tried to make out the figure's features.
The figure stepped into the light, revealing a tall, gaunt man dressed in tattered robes. His eyes glowed faintly with a sickly green light, and there was an air of malevolence about him that made the hair on the back of my, well, I don't have a neck, but you get the idea.
"I've come for the one they call Jake," the man said in a low, gravelly voice that sent shivers down my porcelain frame.
I rolled backward instinctively, feeling a sense of dread wash over me. **"Uh… what? Why?"
The man's lips curled into a thin smile. **"You possess something I need. Something… powerful."
"Great," I muttered. **"Another person after my magical sperm. Just what I needed."
Nixie and Ursha immediately moved to block the man's path, their weapons at the ready. "What do you want with Jake?" Ursha demanded.
The man's glowing eyes flicked to them, but he didn't seem concerned. **"It is not what I want. It is what I need. Jake's power is the key to unlocking an ancient magic, one that has been sealed away for centuries. And I will have it."
Yzara, who had been standing off to the side, stepped forward with a raised eyebrow. **"Well, well, well. It seems Jake is quite popular these days."
"This isn't funny, Yzara," Nixie snapped, her eyes locked on the mysterious man.
The man reached into his robes and pulled out a small, glowing orb, the same sickly green as his eyes. **"You will come with me, Jake. Willingly or not."
"Yeah, I'm going to pass on that," I said, rolling further behind Nixie and Ursha. **"I've had enough weird magic for one day, thanks."
The man's expression darkened. **"You do not have a choice."
Before anyone could react, the man raised the orb, and a pulse of dark magic shot out from it, sending a wave of energy crashing over the village square. The ground trembled, and the air became thick with malevolent power. The villagers cried out in fear, scrambling to get away from the dark magic as it spread like a fog.
"Here we go again," Nixie muttered, raising her hands to summon her own magical defenses.
Ursha gripped her axe, stepping in front of me protectively. **"Looks like this guy's looking for a fight."
Yzara's eyes gleamed with amusement as she stood to the side, watching the scene unfold. **"Oh, Jake, darling. It seems we've attracted some rather dangerous attention."
I groaned, rolling my porcelain eyes. **"Yeah, no kidding."
The mysterious man's glowing eyes locked onto mine, and I could feel the pull of his magic reaching out to me, trying to siphon my power. But something strange happened. The bond Yzara had created, the one that linked us together, flared to life, creating a barrier that repelled the man's dark magic.
Yzara smirked. **"Looks like our bond has its advantages, doesn't it, Jake?"
The man frowned, clearly frustrated by his inability to take my power. "This is not over," he hissed, his voice low and menacing. **"I will return. And when I do, I will take what is mine."
With that, the man turned and vanished into the shadows, leaving behind an uneasy silence in the village square.
As the villagers slowly returned to their senses, Nixie, Ursha, and I stood in the middle of the square, still processing what had just happened.
"Well, that was… something," Nixie said, lowering her hands as the last of the dark magic dissipated.
Ursha scowled. **"Who was that guy? And why does everyone in this world seem to want Jake's power?"
"Good question," I muttered. **"And one I'd love to have an answer to."
Yzara, ever the opportunist, sidled up beside me and placed a hand on my porcelain frame. **"Don't worry, darling. With me by your side, no one will take your power. We're stronger together, remember?"
I sighed. **"Yeah, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."
For now, though, the danger had passed. The mysterious man was gone, and the villagers, grateful once again, resumed their celebrations, albeit with a bit more caution.