[Mines of Moria]
Daniel thought he should say something… after all, he had just fought for nearly two straight days against a fire demon and, more importantly, he had won.
He had been pushed to his limits in every possible way: physically, mentally, and even spiritually, feeling during the fight as if he had been destroyed and rebuilt… quite literally.
His gaze dropped to where his arm should have been, finding nothing but empty space. Strangely, he felt no pain. He wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline or because it wasn't even the first arm he had lost since the fight began.
He looked away from the stump and glanced around, searching for the first arm he had lost.
"I know it's around here…", he thought, though without much hope.
At that point, it was quite likely that some opportunistic orc had already eaten it.
Resigned, he stopped looking and chose instead to focus all his attention on the woman… or rather, the Balrog lying defeated at his feet.
She had large, heavy breasts, wide hips, a well-defined ass, and a very pleasing hourglass figure, even with half her head wrapped in fire.
Her body still suffered small residual spasms of pleasure, trembling every now and then.
Daniel had no trouble deciding his next course of action.
"I'm going to fuck her…", he said in a calm tone, leaning over her without hesitation.
Of course, this wasn't an impulsive decision. Even though he was no longer bleeding out, his body felt painfully weak.
He wasn't sure how long he could hold on like this, but what he was sure of was that the stats he would gain from fucking a Balrog would be more than enough to stabilize himself… and maybe even earn some interesting skill.
His attention returned fully to the body in front of him.
Her skin was a bright orange-red, as if it were made of lava. Without thinking much, he brought his hand to her exposed hip and touched it carefully.
It was hot, but it didn't burn him like before. It was a soft, enveloping warmth, surprisingly pleasant.
He liked it.
He continued caressing her slowly, feeling how her body reacted to the contact, shivering slightly. His hand slid from her hip down to one of her thick, soft thighs, gripping it firmly and squeezing, testing her response.
"Mhmmm…", she purred under her breath, shifting slowly, clearly pleased.
A smug smile appeared on Daniel's face.
His hand moved down to her ass and squeezed it firmly, feeling the soft, warm flesh give under his fingers.
And although he deeply enjoyed the sensation, he didn't linger there for long. Reluctantly, he stopped kneading her and moved on to examine her garments.
At first glance, what seemed like lingerie was actually a kind of protective plating, a natural armor covering her body.
He ran his hand over it, noticing its initial hardness, solid and resilient.
But as he stroked it with slow, deliberate movements, the Balrog's breathing grew heavier and more audible. Her large breasts rose and fell more intensely.
Daniel lifted his gaze and met hers. He couldn't clearly see her eyes because of the fire, but he didn't need to. He understood perfectly what they conveyed.
Absolute submission.
And then, right beneath his hand, the "armor" began to change.
The hardness slowly started to give way, softening under his fingers, losing its rigidity until it didn't feel much different from normal fabric.
Sensing that he could now remove it, he moved his hand to the plates covering her chest and slowly pulled them aside, savoring the moment as they yielded easily under his touch.
When they finally opened, her large breasts were freed, giving a soft, subtle bounce. Her nipples were left exposed, firm and pronounced, immediately drawing his attention, almost inviting him to touch them.
He would have loved to take both in his hands, but since he only had one, he adapted.
He grabbed one of her breasts, too large to fully fit in a single hand. Even so, he squeezed it firmly, his fingers sinking into the warm, soft flesh, kneading it without restraint, shaping it under his grip. He enjoyed how easily it yielded to his pressure and returned to its full, tempting form.
"Mhmm~ ♡" She loved it.
She bit her lower lip, holding back a moan as her back arched, pushing her breasts upward, seeking more friction against the hand that was worshiping her.
Daniel kept massaging that breast with firm movements, but he couldn't help noticing how neglected the other one looked. Being the good person he was, he leaned down without thinking and captured it between his lips, giving it the attention it needed.
The Balrog's body tensed and shuddered at the sudden change.
Daniel didn't hesitate.
He sucked on her nipple hard, without any gentleness, handling it in a rough, dominant way. His mouth worked eagerly over it, licking, biting, and pulling it outward, stretching it enough to make her body jolt slightly from the harsh treatment.
He felt the nipple harden even more between his lips, becoming increasingly sensitive and reactive with every pass of his tongue. It was obvious she was enjoying it intensely.
Daniel knew all this foreplay wasn't necessary.
He didn't need to play with her breasts or treat her with any care, not when he could just fuck her and get what he needed.
But he didn't do it, or rather, he refused to.
After everything that had happened between them, the normal thing would have been for her to hate him to death, but that wasn't the case.
"MHMM ¡♡!"
She shuddered sharply when he bit down on her nipple and pulled back, stretching it before letting go and taking it back into his mouth.
The pain was brief… and clearly pleasurable.
Her hands reacted on their own, rising to his head, wrapping around it and pulling him against her chest, seeking to have him balance out the rough treatment with some play of his tongue.
He didn't disappoint her.
His tongue returned to the swollen nipple, circling it with slow, wet, steady movements, now pampering her with a softer, almost affectionate touch.
The grip on his head tightened, her fingers tangling desperately in his hair, keeping him pressed against her.
Despite being in a dangerous situation, with the Balrog's hands around his head and the possibility of being crushed at any moment, Daniel felt no fear. For the same reason he held no hatred toward her.
She wasn't human.
And, just like with Rosella, submission carried a very significant weight.
He sucked her nipple one last time, hard, stretching it as far as he could before releasing it with a soft, wet "pop", leaving it tense, swollen, extremely sensitive and needy.
She belonged to him.
He freed himself from her hands and began to trail hot, possessive kisses along her body, starting at the valley between her breasts, then moving up along her collarbone, advancing unhurriedly, enjoying the sensation of her warm, soft skin beneath his lips.
He reached her neck, where his wolf instincts became apparent.
He bit her lightly, not enough to hurt her, but enough to leave a clear mark on her skin, claiming her.
"My lord…!" she moaned, her voice soft, broken, and submissive.
Daniel liked hearing her call him that more than he expected.
He released her neck slowly and moved up to her ear, brushing his lips against it.
"Say it again," he demanded, his voice low but firm.
His hand rested on her cheek, caressing it with a softness that contrasted deliciously with his earlier roughness.
"My lord~~," she repeated, her voice trembling slightly as she left small, submissive licks and kisses along his cheek and chin, waiting, eager, for her affection to be returned.
Pleased with her attitude, Daniel slid his hand down her body. His fingers traced the soft curve of her abdomen, moving down slowly until they reached her pussy, still covered by the thin fabric of her lingerie.
He didn't stop.
He slipped his hand beneath the fabric, moving forward until his fingers touched her entrance, wet and incredibly sensitive.
"MY LORD!!" the Balrog let out a small cry, mixing both surprise and pleasure.
Daniel didn't pull his hand away.
He kept his fingers there, caressing her slick entrance, tracing her swollen lips without penetrating her just yet. He played with the edge, teasing her, torturing her with that sweet agony. It was enough to make her part her lips, panting heavily.
"Ah~… ah~… God~…!"
Her breathing turned uneven, her body trembling under this new kind of torture she was experiencing for the first time. She had never felt so exposed or so desperate.
She moved with need, begging for more.
Her hips lifted urgently, seeking greater contact, trying to press his hand harder against her soaked cunt. Every brush made her more sensitive, wetter, more restless.
Their faces were very close. Cheek to cheek.
Both could hear each other's breathing, their pants mixing in the hot air.
Daniel began rubbing her entrance more intensely, moving his fingers up and down, running them along her wet cunt with steady motions, keeping her right on the edge of orgasm.
"Tell me what you want…" he ordered in a low voice.
The Balrog didn't respond with words, only letting out broken moans.
She didn't know how to ask for it, couldn't find the words. Her body reacted before her mind, trembling with anticipation.
Then he pulled his hand away with cruel slowness.
Alarmed, her eyes snapped open.
She reacted instantly.
She brought her hands down in desperation, grabbing his with urgency, pressing it back against her soaked sex. Her gaze locked onto Daniel's, clear, direct, and pleading.
"Please…" she begged, but he didn't move.
She hesitated for barely a second, giving in to her instincts and the growing need she felt to fill the emptiness inside her.
"I want it inside—AH!"
She didn't finish the sentence.
Daniel's fingers plunged into her all at once, deep and firm.
Her body arched violently. Her hands climbed up to his back, digging into his skin as her cunt was invaded without mercy.
"Thank you!! ♡~"
It was the only thing she managed to say between moans.
His fingers began to move inside her with a steady, deep rhythm, pushing in and out over and over again. Her inner walls tightened around them, clenching hard, as if they never wanted to let them go.
"Yes, yes, yes!" she moaned without restraint.
Her hips started moving in small, eager circles, seeking more depth, trying to guide his fingers to every sensitive spot inside her.
Her breathing grew faster and more uneven.
A trembling smile formed on her lips as she felt that familiar heat building in her lower abdomen, growing out of control.
"I'm gonna cum!… I'm gonna cum!… please!" she cried in anticipation as her cunt tightened more and more around his fingers.
And then it hit.
"AAAHHH!!!"
The orgasm crashed into her.
Her whole body tensed completely before breaking into violent spasms. Her hot fluids soaked Daniel's hand as she came uncontrollably, trembling and moaning his name between broken cries of pleasure.
"Ohh… yes~~ Yes…!"
It took several seconds before the Balrog's orgasm finally began to settle.
Daniel, even though he knew she had finished, didn't pull his fingers out. He kept them inside her, moving them slowly, sliding in and out gently, stretching out the last waves of her climax.
Every now and then, his thumb would rise to stroke her swollen clit in slow circles, keeping her sensitive, preventing her from fully coming down from the pleasure.
From the small bites and licks she left along his neck, it was obvious she was enjoying every second of it.
"I need more… ♡~", she purred against his skin, still trembling, her voice thick with desire and need.
Daniel had no intention of disappointing her.
He straightened slightly.
That left her confused for a second… and then impatient.
Until, in a quick and decisive motion, he brought his hands to the sides of the Balrog's panties and began sliding them down her legs with deliberate slowness, enjoying the way the fabric gradually gave way.
When he finally removed them completely, he left her fully exposed before him. Her cunt glistened, swollen and pulsing, still wet from her recent orgasm. Her pink lips parted slightly, inviting him in an almost obscene way.
He didn't waste a second.
Daniel let his boxers drop to the ground, the last piece of clothing he had left, revealing his cock fully erect, thick, hard, and throbbing.
The Balrog, following her most primitive instincts, smiled with a mix of lust and anticipation. She slowly spread her legs, never breaking eye contact with him, until she was completely exposed and vulnerable before him. Then she raised one hand and, with a playful and provocative gesture, curled her index finger, beckoning him closer.
Daniel didn't need any invitation.
But seeing such a shameless gesture pleased him more than he was willing to admit.
He grabbed her firmly by one ankle and pulled her toward him in a rough motion, closing the distance instantly and leaving her right in front of him.
Without hesitation, he let his cock drop against her mound. His full length struck the Balrog's lower abdomen firmly, producing a wet, obscene sound.
She flushed deeply, biting her lower lip hard as her nails dug into the ground. Her breathing turned heavier and more uneven. Her mind couldn't help but compare the thickness and size of his cock to the fingers that had been inside her just moments ago. She shuddered visibly, imagining how much better, how much fuller she was about to feel.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Daniel smacked his cock several times against her soaked cunt, showing just how thick and hard it was. Each wet impact made her jolt and let out soft moans, teasing her further.
He himself was more than ready to take her, eager to feel that hot, tight interior wrapping around him. He slid his full length between her swollen lips, dragging himself up and down, slowly coating himself with her abundant juices that kept spilling out.
Each brush of his cock against her sensitive clit made her tremble violently. Her body responded without control, her hips moving in small, needy circles, seeking more friction, more pressure.
Daniel kept rubbing himself against her with deliberate slowness, taking his time, keeping her in a constant state of need.
When he felt he had teased her enough, he lined his tip up with her entrance. Her lips offered a slight, delicious resistance.
"It's going to be really tight…", he thought, enjoying the idea.
Everything would have been perfect…
If not for one small, annoying detail.
Entrapta was only a few inches away from them, sitting comfortably on her own hair as if it were an improvised seat, watching the scene with full attention while taking quick notes in her notebook.
There was a brief, awkward silence where Entrapta simply smiled with innocent curiosity when she noticed Daniel staring directly at her.
"What are you doing?" he asked, still with the tip of his cock slowly pressing against the Balrog's entrance, who was growing more and more eager and impatient to feel him inside.
Entrapta didn't lose her smile for a second.
"Social experiment!" she replied naturally, lifting her notebook filled with detailed observations of everything that had happened so far.
"It's fascinating how you went from trying to kill each other to… reproducing," she continued casually.
"That's quite an extreme behavioral shift, and I'd like to understand the factors that—"
She didn't finish when the spherical robot, Emily, who had arrived with her, moved to her side, emitting a series of quick, urgent beeps.
Bzzt bzzt.
Entrapta turned her head toward her, confused. "What do you mean it's not appropriate for me to watch?" she asked with genuine innocence.
Bzzt bzzt!
"That I'm bothering them?" she repeated, turning back toward the pair. "Does it bother you that I'm here?"
She didn't get an answer.
Because in that exact moment, Daniel completely lost his patience. He thrust his hips forward in a sharp, deep motion, burying himself all the way inside the Balrog in a single brutal stroke.
The impact of their bodies echoed loudly. The sensation was immediate and overwhelming: hot, impossibly tight, her inner walls clenching around his entire length in eager spasms, as if her cunt wanted to milk him from the very first second.
The Balrog's legs lifted and tensed violently, her heels digging into the air as the emptiness inside her was completely filled.
"RRGH—! AAaah…!" A long, rough moan tore from her throat.
"I'll take that as a no!" Entrapta exclaimed excitedly, pulling out her notebook again with enthusiasm.
She focused on Daniel, who gripped the Balrog's hips firmly as he began to move. He pulled back slowly, leaving only the tip inside… only to thrust back in with a hard, deep stroke that made her breasts bounce with every impact.
He repeated the motion several times, setting a steady rhythm.
"Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" Entrapta asked, though she didn't wait for an answer. "No? Great!"
She stepped a little closer, almost invading their personal space. The wet, carnal sounds of his thrusts mixed with the Balrog's increasingly loud moans.
"Ahmm~… Slap! Ah… yes… harder~… Slap! Hgnn~…"
Entrapta completely ignored the panting, trembling mess the Balrog had become.
"Would you consider it normal to have sex after fighting your enemy almost to the death?" she asked with genuine scientific curiosity.
Daniel didn't get annoyed. Not by her presence, nor by her questions.
She had been one of the few people who had helped him, so he decided to let her behavior slide… for now.
"I wouldn't call this having sex…" he replied in a rough voice, letting out a low chuckle as he delivered a particularly hard, deep thrust. "I'd call it fucking."
"AHMM!"
The Balrog's body reacted instantly, arching sharply, her mouth opening in a broken, desperate gasp.
Daniel changed the rhythm without warning. Now the thrusts were shorter… but much harder and more brutal.
Entrapta nodded once, scratched something out in her notebook, and quickly wrote over it again.
"But to answer your question…", Daniel continued, letting out a guttural growl as he felt her inner walls tighten especially hard and hot around his cock.
He looked down.
The Balrog was grabbing her own breasts with both hands, squeezing them in a tempting way.
She had learned quickly what he liked.
Without breaking eye contact, she lifted one of her heavy breasts slightly and brought the hardened nipple to her own mouth. She stuck out her tongue and licked it slowly, provocatively, before taking it between her lips and sucking on it eagerly, moaning around her own flesh while maintaining eye contact.
Daniel completely forgot what the question had been.
…
"Pay attention," Entrapta scolded, lightly tapping his head with her pen.
Then she tapped her notebook a couple of times, insisting he focus.
Daniel, putting all his strength into each thrust, answered through gritted teeth:
"I wouldn't say it's normal…" he started, but paused for a second as he remembered Rosella and Sadako. "...Well, it's only happened two more times before."
Entrapta wrote it down immediately, her eyes shining with interest. "So that's three times. That looks like a pattern."
She pointed at him with the pen, as if she were giving a test.
"Would you say this is A: a biological response triggered by adrenaline? or B: a social adaptation?"
Daniel was about to answer, he really was… but he didn't.
He got completely distracted when he saw the way the Balrog looked at him, her mouth open, her pink tongue out, hanging slightly, shamelessly inviting him to take it.
Ignoring that would have been a war crime.
"A bit of both…", he answered abruptly, leaning forward and capturing the Balrog's lips in a possessive kiss.
She responded instantly, hungry. Her tongue met his in an obscene, wet, desperate dance, exchanging saliva as she moaned into his mouth with every thrust she received.
—/—
Entrapta was excited, but not exactly because of the wild sex unfolding in front of her. She looked at her notebook with satisfaction, reviewing all the new notes she had gathered.
"This will be very useful for future social interactions", she thought, clearly pleased.
She had never been good at interacting with people, so to understand them she had started observing them in gatherings, private conversations… and now this: a rather particular and fascinating case.
She put the notebook away and looked back at the subjects of her experiment, especially Daniel.
He pulled away from the kiss slowly, leaving a thick strand of saliva connecting their mouths before it finally snapped. He straightened slightly and, using his only hand, began to massage the Balrog's swollen clit with firm, fast circular motions.
"AHG—! AHGH!!"
The reaction was immediate and violent. The Balrog's fingers dug into the stone beneath her, scratching the surface hard as her entire body trembled uncontrollably, completely at his mercy.
Entrapta focused on studying Daniel with scientific attention. She watched him as, despite missing an arm, he continued fucking the Balrog without the slightest hint of shame.
That made her step even closer.
She reached out and began touching his body with pure curiosity, running her fingers along his torso and muscles. Daniel shot her a quick glance, evaluating her for a second… but then ignored her completely, continuing to thrust into the Balrog over and over with deep, rhythmic movements.
Entrapta ran her hands over his muscles, squeezing lightly here and there, analyzing their texture and firmness as she opened a new section in her notebook.
"Interesting specimen… dense and compact muscle density…", she murmured as she wrote, fascinated.
It was quite impressive. She had seen him fight, and his strength didn't seem to match the appearance of his body. She had seen cases like that before, but none this extreme. Normally only princesses could reach that level… and he didn't seem to have magic.
That only made him more interesting to her.
Her attention then shifted to the arm he was missing.
"Let's see what we have here…", she thought excitedly, putting on her goggles and adjusting them as she leaned in for a closer look.
And then she noticed it.
"It's regenerating!", she squealed, unable to contain her scientific excitement.
She couldn't resist. Her long hair reacted on instinct, lifting her up effortlessly until her head was above Daniel's shoulder, giving her a perfect view of the scene.
He kept fucking her nonstop.
With his one hand, he had lifted the Balrog's hips, holding her in the air in front of him as he drove into her deeply.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Over and over again, hot fluids fell to the ground in small, obscene drops with each violent thrust.
"Do you mind if I take some samples from your body?" Entrapta asked, almost pleading, pressing her cheek against his, her eyes shining like stars as she got lightly smeared with Daniel's sweat.
Daniel barely reacted, too focused on how the Balrog's hot, tight walls clenched around his cock, gripping him as if they never wanted to let him go.
He only let out a low grunt and gave a brief nod in response.
That was more than enough for Entrapta, who smiled widely, clearly thrilled, since no one had ever agreed to let her take samples from their body before.
"Try to avoid direct contact with any of my fluids…", Daniel warned between thrusts.
Entrapta paused immediately, curious. "Why? Do they have some kind of poisonous effect?" she asked, looking at her hands already smeared with a mix of blood and sweat.
Daniel shook his head, not stopping his relentless pace as he kept fucking the Balrog.
"Possible aphrodisiac effect…"
Entrapta nodded thoughtfully and waited for a moment.
Not feeling anything immediate, she marked it as a minor concern and continued her work, taking samples of blood, tissue, and sweat without interfering too much with the mating ritual happening in front of her.
When she finished, she carefully stored all the samples inside Emily and prepared to leave… or at least that was the plan, until she looked around and remembered she had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there.
She wanted to ask where exactly they were, but before she could even open her mouth, her body froze completely.
[Aphrodisiac Essence x1]
She blinked several times.
A slow, dangerous smile spread across her face as her legs began to tremble, barely able to keep her standing. An intense, liquid heat started spreading through her lower abdomen, concentrating between her legs.
"So this is the aphrodisiac effect… fascinating…"
"Mhm—!"
An involuntary moan slipped from her lips. She lost her balance and ended up falling forward, bracing herself against Daniel's hot, sweaty body, who at that exact moment was thrusting into the Balrog with all his strength, far more savage than before.
His hips slammed hard, burying himself completely with every movement, in deep, scorching thrusts.
"AHG—! AHGH!!"
It didn't last much longer. Just a few more thrusts, until after a particularly hard one, Daniel bottomed out completely and stayed there, pumping a heavy load of thick, hot semen straight into her womb.
The Balrog didn't fall behind. "AHHHHMMM!!!!!!!"
She cried out loudly, her cunt clamping down violently around Daniel's cock, contracting in intense spasms and releasing hot bursts of her own fluids that coated his entire length and spilled onto the ground in a wet mess.
Entrapta couldn't look away from the scene.
This time, to her own surprise, she wasn't watching for scientific reasons.
She felt how her own sex began to heat up and grow wet, a new and overwhelming sensation that was hard to ignore.
It was easy to assume that her state and behavior were due to the aphrodisiac effect she had already been warned about.
She wanted to ask more about that effect, but she fell silent when she saw something truly impressive.
[Congratulations, you have cheated on your girlfriend!]
You have cheated on Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee with The Balrog (Durin's Bane)
Score: B
[Copying unique trait: Fire Immunity]
[Copying unique trait: Aura of Terror]
[Copying unique trait: Advanced Regeneration]
[Copying unique trait: Corrupted Spiritual Energy Body]
[Assimilating Balrog stats: 10% (maximum 25%)]
Daniel's missing arm was regenerating at an incredible speed. Bone, nerves, muscles, and skin formed in just seconds. Entrapta watched the entire process with wide eyes, completely amazed.
She couldn't help but touch the new arm, running her fingers delicately over the freshly formed skin, clearly fascinated by that level of regeneration.
[Aphrodisiac Essence x2]
Unfortunately, she couldn't maintain that level of amazement for long. A second, much more intense wave of pleasure made her shudder violently.
And not just her.
The Balrog, now lying on the ground with thick white semen still dripping from her open, pulsing cunt, twitched at the exact same moment.
That didn't go unnoticed by Entrapta, who immediately formed a theory: he could control when the aphrodisiac effects activated.
She wanted to figure out exactly how he did it, but her attention shifted once again when she noticed that Daniel's newly regenerated arm had ended up resting between her own breasts, pressing softly against them.
And more importantly, his palm was directly brushing against her vagina.
Even through the fabric, that simple contact was enough to make her whole body shudder. Entrapta bit her lip hard and, after making a quick decision, spoke in a shaky voice:
"Could you activate the aphrodisiac effect one more time?" she asked, shamelessly pressing her crotch against his hand.
Of course, this was purely for scientific purposes and nothing else.
Daniel looked at her in surprise for a second, but quickly understood that she had been affected by his ability.
He smiled, unwilling to disappoint his savior.
[Aphrodisiac Essence x3]
Entrapta clenched her teeth and pressed her face against Daniel's hot, sweaty torso as she felt her cunt grow wet, soaking rapidly and leaving a dark, visible stain on her clothes. She slowly moved her hips against his hand, grinding with need.
"Ah…!"
A muffled cry slipped out when Daniel moved his hand, now pressing his entire palm against her covered cunt and rubbing firmly. The motion made her ass lift instinctively as he kept stroking and pressing her entrance through the fabric.
"This is amazing…", she purred, moving her hips along with his hand.
[Aphrodisiac Essence x4]
Entrapta felt the fourth activation and reached her limit quickly. She came hard.
Her cunt clenched violently beneath the fabric as her hands curled into fists against Daniel's body. Her hips trembled in quick, sharp spasms, releasing hot bursts of her fluids that soaked through her clothes without the slightest concern from her.
The orgasm was intense and prolonged, followed by smaller aftershocks that gradually faded. Her breathing turned uneven and broken, her body slowly losing strength.
After several spasms, she simply couldn't hold herself up anymore.
She almost collapsed to the ground if it hadn't been for Daniel moving his newly regenerated arm around her waist, holding her firmly. His hand instinctively slid down to her ass and squeezed it, more out of reflex than conscious desire.
Entrapta didn't want to move. She felt incredibly comfortable like that, pressed against him, still trembling.
Her long hair moved on its own, picking up a small recorder.
"Log 1-9-4… I found a rather fun activity…", she murmured between soft, broken giggles.
Daniel could only chuckle softly along with her, watching as she slowly drifted off to sleep against his chest.
"Looks like you really needed to blow off some steam," he teased.
He carefully laid her down beside the Balrog, who was also fast asleep, her chest rising and falling slowly.
Daniel stood up, feeling his body completely renewed and full of energy, ready to leave the mine. But first, there was one more thing he had to do.
He straightened to his full height and looked up toward the ceiling of the mine, confirming that the orcs were still up there, watching him.
[Aura of Terror]
The moment he activated the skill, every single orc froze in place, utterly terrified.
They felt the same overwhelming fear they had experienced in the presence of the Balrog. The atmosphere grew heavy, dense, and suffocating. Not one of them dared to move.
Daniel narrowed his eyes in a clear challenge, staring up at them from below, deciding it was time to make it clear who was in charge now.
And what better way to do it than with a stolen speech.
He prepared himself, straightening calmly, and spoke in the orcs' language, letting his voice come out firm and deep, echoing through the chamber.
"Today is the end of the Republic. The end of a regime that acquiesces to disorder…"
—//—
Author's Note:
This chapter took me quite a while to write. I seriously need to start writing more +18 chapters—I'm getting rusty.
I don't even know what else to say… I know I was supposed to write something here, but whatever, it probably wasn't important.
Anyway, you better leave a comment or a question if you have one.
Kisses and hugs, you rats!
—//—
[KonoSuba Fanfic Chapter #3]
[Time Skip One Month - Stables]
In the middle of a pen, sitting on a pile of hay, Ryo rested calmly as he read Aqua's book, turning the pages at an unhurried pace. That small space, barely three square meters, had become his home over the past month.
Of course, it wasn't due to a lack of money.
He had more than enough to afford a room at an inn without any trouble, but he had refused, thinking that spending on that would only delay his main goal: gathering the money needed to get adventurer gear and move forward with his plans.
And in the end, the place wasn't as bad as it looked at first glance.
It was cheap, sure, mainly because it was a horse pen. Even so, the owners didn't mind him sleeping there; after all, a person tended to be cleaner than a horse, which saved them the trouble of dealing with waste.
Curiously, he wasn't the only one sleeping in the stables. It was a common practice among broke adventurers.
Living together was simple: no one talked. And anyone who dared to make noise at night ended up getting beaten by everyone else. Ryo figured that out quickly, keeping to himself without any issues.
The only inconvenience was that, every night without exception, he heard what he was sure was a mouse gnawing on something. He never saw it, but the sound was clear enough and hard to ignore.
Ryo yawned lightly, closing the book after finishing another section.
Of course, he hadn't spent the last month just reading and listening to rodents eat."
Finding work had been fairly easy, even with his unfriendly appearance. There was always demand in construction: cheap labor for whatever was needed.
He had worked on land preparation, on foundations, on masonry… whatever paid. Day after day, stacking up coins and turning down small pleasures like good food or alcohol.
But in the end, it had all been worth it.
He had enough now.
He stood up from the hay, stretching as his back gave a faint crack, and carefully put the book away. It was time to move forward.
On his way to the adventurers' guild, he passed by several shops, observing without stopping for long: blacksmiths, weapon shops, item stores… evaluating prices, quality, and possible future purchases.
He didn't enter any of them, since he wanted to choose his class first, until he stopped when he noticed a shop he recognized well: Benka's clothing store.
It wasn't the place itself that caught his attention, but what was displayed in the window.
There, presented with a certain pride, were his old clothes. They had been slightly modified, decorated with a few jewels to make them more eye-catching.
But what really stood out was the tag. The price was four times higher than what they had paid him for them.
Ryo stared at it for a few seconds, his expression unreadable, at least until, on the other side of the glass, Benka appeared and, upon noticing him, froze completely, like a deer caught in headlights.
There was a brief, awkward silence.
Then, without saying a word, Benka reached out and shut the curtain in one swift motion. Almost at the same time, the "open" sign flipped to "closed" in a rather convenient way.
Ryo let out a short sigh. The truth was, he wasn't upset, just a bit surprised by the price. He knew that world was technologically behind, but he hadn't expected a mid-to-high quality piece of clothing from his world to sell for that much.
He looked away and kept walking, with no intention of making any complaint; a deal was a deal, after all.
He continued on his way, making one last stop before reaching the guild, returning to the same spot where he had appeared when he was reincarnated into that world.
He kept a good distance, sitting on a nearby bench as he observed the place without drawing attention.
He waited patiently until noon, but when nothing happened, he stood up and left the same way he had arrived.
That behavior, while it might have seemed unproductive, had helped him understand how many reincarnated people were being sent to that world.
It hadn't been difficult for him to figure out that all reincarnated individuals always appeared at the same point and at roughly the same time. After all, he himself had arrived that way.
On top of that, some shopkeepers confirmed that, from time to time, people would appear in that spot. They didn't find it strange, as they assumed those appearances were the result of some teleportation spell.
After thirty days, the total number of reincarnated people, including himself, had reached three.
At least one every ten days.
"That's too many reincarnated people…" he thought as he resumed his walk toward the guild.
Ryo had already seen the other two reincarnated individuals, easy to distinguish by their clothes and behavior, though he hadn't bothered speaking to them for two reasons.
The first, and simplest one.
Statistics said that half of them would die. And that was exactly what happened. The third to arrive, a boy, died during his first week on a hunting quest, or at least that was what he had heard from other people.
No one was affected by his death, leaving it as a sad anecdote for the locals, who were already used to the deaths of novices.
The second reincarnated person, a girl, was the complete opposite. She leveled up at an incredible speed and left the beginner city in no time, just as expected from any adventurer who reached a certain level…
…Or at least that's what Ryo thought, until he realized that the beginner city was filled with veteran adventurers, many of them around level 25, stuck at that level because they couldn't find monsters of an appropriate level to hunt.
It wasn't hard for him to find the reason why they didn't move on to other cities.
Hidden in a secluded alley was a succubus café, a place that was one step away from being a brothel, basically an establishment full of succubi, low-ranking demons, who offered erotic dreams in exchange for vitality.
To Ryo, that place itself felt truly strange, considering that humanity was at war with demons and yet there was a café full of them right in the middle of the beginner city.
The explanation turned out to be quite simple.
There were low-ranking demons who offered services in exchange for vitality, not necessarily limited to erotic dreams.
Some offered contracts that allowed people to use certain types of highly advantageous abilities, making those demons useful enough that everyone chose to look the other way.
The second, and most important reason why he avoided the other reincarnated individuals was their unique items or abilities.
Ryo wasn't worried about the more cliché abilities, like enhanced strength, invulnerability, or some kind of powerful magic, even though he had no real way to defend against them either.
What concerned him more were the other kind. The problematic ones.
Mind control, body swapping, demon summoning.
Every single one of those abilities was an option offered to reincarnated people, and he had found all of them recorded in Aqua's book, which meant that at least one person had been reincarnated before him with a mind control ability.
Sure, that person was probably long dead by now, but even so, he couldn't help feeling irritated.
"The gods are a bunch of heartless bastards…" he thought, annoyed.
Sending people with that kind of power into a world filled with those they were supposedly meant to protect didn't seem like a good idea to him.
The worst part was that mind control didn't work on many types of monsters, like demons, undead, elementals, slimes, plant-type creatures, golems, or any kind of automaton, but what it did work on was humans.
Basically, an ability designed to screw over the world and its people.
Ryo could only let out a small, helpless sigh.
"I need to find some kind of mental protection…" he repeated to himself, though he still had no idea how to achieve it.
He pushed those thoughts aside when he realized he had already reached the adventurers' guild.
He walked in without hesitation, and as he did, he was surprised, though not in a good way.
The place was big, yes, but mostly because it was filled with tables, people eating, and waitresses moving from one side to another, making it look more like a restaurant than a guild.
"Welcome!" a girl in uniform said while holding a tray, speaking quickly as she nodded toward a table. "Take a seat if you want to eat, and if you need anything, head to the counter."
Without waiting for a response, she turned around and continued serving another table.
Ryo didn't waste any time and headed toward the counter, or at least he tried to, until a voice stopped him.
"Hey…"
He slightly turned his head, following the source of the voice until he found a tall, bulky man with a rough face and a very eye-catching mohawk, looking at him with a wide grin.
"Aren't you the guy who gave the clothing shop owner a sore throat?" he asked with obvious amusement.
Ryo looked at him with a blank expression. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The guy let out a short laugh, nodding to himself with a smug smile.
"Keeping it secret like a true gentleman… I respect that."
Ryo didn't respond. He genuinely had no idea what he was talking about.
"I'm Ruffian, by the way," he added, fixing his mohawk a bit. "So, what brings you around here?"
"I came to register as an adventurer," Ryo replied without beating around the bush.
Ruffian nodded energetically, as if he had just heard exactly what he was expecting.
"I see you've got guts. Welcome to the gates of hell! I expect great things from you."
Ryo turned around without saying anything else, already starting to hate the guy.
When he reached the counter, he was attended by a blonde woman, quite attractive, with a nameplate that read "Luna," who greeted him with a professional smile.
"Welcome, how can I help you?"
"I'm here to register as an adventurer."
Luna nodded without losing her smile. "That will be 1,000 Eris for registration."
Ryo didn't hesitate and took out the money he already had prepared, handing it over without any trouble.
Luna took it and pulled out a rather strange magical device from behind the counter along with a card.
"This is an adventurer card," she explained in a practical tone. "It records all the monsters you defeat, and if you defeat enough, you'll level up. That will give you points you can use to learn or improve skills."
Ryo gave a slight nod.
The explanation had been simple, but in essence, it meant that by killing monsters he could absorb part of their residual energy, while the card acted as an intermediary, organizing and facilitating the assimilation of that energy for the acquisition and improvement of skills.
Of course, he already knew about the card; he had researched it beforehand, understanding it as a sort of small system that every adventurer had, something that hadn't always existed, since before cards, the only way to learn skills was by practicing them repeatedly until mastering them.
It was still possible, but no one did it anymore.
Mainly because the cards allowed skills to be learned instantly, as long as you had enough points and the necessary stats to use them properly, making the whole process faster and easier.
Luna took Ryo's hand and guided it over the magical device, activating it while linking the card to him, beginning to record his stats with a small laser that moved precisely across the surface.
When she finished, she took the card and checked the data without taking long.
"All your stats are average, except for magic, which is below average," she said, pointing to one part of the card, then moving it to show another section.
"You can choose to be a Warrior, a Thief, or an Adventurer. I'd suggest picking Warrior, it's a highly demanded class, though thief isn't bad either."
Ryo nodded, noticing she hadn't mentioned anything about the adventurer class, and put the card away without overthinking it.
"Thanks for your help, goodbye," he said.
The receptionist stayed silent for a moment, slightly confused.
"Aren't you going to choose a class?" she asked, since that was the usual thing to do right then.
Ryo barely stopped. "I can choose it at any time now that I have the card, right?" he asked, slightly turning his head.
Luna nodded.
"Then I'll choose it later. Thanks again."
This time, Luna didn't stop him, because her job was to help those who didn't understand the card system or had general questions, and Ryo was clearly informed, so she simply let him go, hoping he wouldn't die like the other novices."
For Ryo, the available classes weren't any surprise.
He hadn't spent his life preparing to fight, so he didn't expect any advanced class; besides, he still hadn't decided which one to pick.
He opened Aqua's book as he walked, searching for the occupations section.
Warrior: A front-line fighter who uses heavy weapons, being the most common class among adventurers.
He turned the page.
Thief: A rogue specialized in dungeon exploration and stealing.
He flipped the page again.
Adventurer: The most general occupation of all, intended for those who didn't choose a specialized class, with the ability to learn any skill from other occupations as long as someone taught them.
He closed the book calmly.
On paper, the adventurer class seemed like the most broken one with the highest potential of all, but reality was far from that.
The adventurer class was the least chosen, and everyone considered it the weakest. And it wasn't hard to see why, since those who picked it usually did so because they had poor stats and a clear lack of talent for any other occupation.
On top of that, learning skills cost them more points than usual, but that wasn't even the worst part. Unlike other classes, adventurers didn't receive stat bonuses.
Generally, when someone leveled up, they didn't just gain skill points, there was also a chance to unlock stat improvements depending on each person's hidden talent.
Adventurers didn't have that advantage.
Which meant that, in a fight between a mage and an adventurer, both at mid level, the mage would most likely beat the shit out of the adventurer without even needing to use magic—just with bare fists, which made the problem pretty clear.
In short, the adventurer class was a mess.
Its only advantages were being able to learn any skill and leveling up faster than other classes, which sounded good, but in practice didn't make up for everything else.
And even with all that knowledge, Ryo still wasn't sure which class to choose.
In a normal situation, any sane person would pick another class if they had the option, but Ryo wasn't in a normal situation.
He could travel to other worlds, worlds with possible skills that didn't exist in the current one and that could represent a major advantage if he managed to obtain them.
He only had one problem.
If he wanted to learn many skills, he would need a large number of points. Points that would become harder and harder to obtain as his level increased.
"I need to find a way to farm points…" he muttered to himself, knowing it was easier said than done.
Feeling somewhat overwhelmed by all his pending tasks, he slightly changed direction and headed toward Wiz's shop, with whom he had formed a sort of friendship over the past few days.
He went there almost daily.
Not to check if she had sold the phone, but because the shop had some pretty strange items, the kind of things that would normally be a bad idea to use:
Potions that made you lose your memory, useful for forgetting mistakes, though they only worked for a limited time.
Others that attracted beasts toward whoever drank them, designed to help adventurers find monsters.
There were also more questionable items.
A collar that strangled its wearer if they didn't complete a specific objective within a set time, supposedly serving as motivation to achieve their goals.
Of course, Wiz sold all those items with the best intentions, trying to help people level up.
As a result, almost no one wanted to buy anything there.
Ding!
The entrance bell rang when Ryo opened the door.
Wiz looked up and smiled when she saw him.
"Hi, Ryo!" she greeted him energetically. "Did you come to check out the new merchandise?"
She looked excited, probably hoping to show him something useful and, with any luck, get him to spread the word and bring in more customers.
Ryo nodded. "What do you have that's new?"
Wiz's eyes lit up instantly, moving quickly to bring several items, showing them one after another with enthusiasm.
First, a portable toilet that generated a large amount of water, which in theory was useful, but also made quite a bit of noise, enough to easily attract monsters.
Then, an explosive pendant that activated if the wearer died, taking their enemies with them.
Ryo assumed Wiz hadn't considered that it would probably affect any nearby allies as well.
After that, she showed him an option to clean dirt off clothes that worked too well. So well that it ended up dissolving any clothing it was used on.
A classic.
Finally, a pair of glasses that allowed the user to see through clothing. Useful for detecting hidden weapons on enemies.
Ryo made a mental note not to mention that item to anyone.
With how bad the shop already was, the last thing it needed was to be filled with perverts.
Lastly, Wiz brought him one more potion, holding it with both hands as she presented it with obvious pride.
"This is a forbidden potion!" she said enthusiastically.
Ryo narrowed his eyes slightly. "If it's forbidden, why are you selling it?"
Wiz had the decency to blush and look away.
"Well… it might be forbidden, but I think it would be very useful for people," she replied, trying to justify herself without much success.
Ryo let out a sigh and carefully extended his hand, hoping it wouldn't explode as he brought it closer to read the label.
His eyes widened in genuine surprise when he did. "Level reset potion…" he read out loud.
Wiz nodded proudly, clearly satisfied.
"With this potion, adventurers can reset their levels and gain more skill points. Don't you think it's wonderful?" she asked excitedly, staring at him with sparkling eyes, waiting for his reaction.
Ryo stayed silent for a moment, looking at the potion.
Concluding that no sane person would ever drink something like that.
It didn't matter if it helped you get more points, because using it was basically suicide: by doing so, they would lose a massive amount of stats, not just the points gained from leveling up, but also those obtained from passive skills that all classes usually had, except for the adventurer class.
That meant losing a large portion of their strength, agility, or mana in an instant.
On top of that, leveling up wasn't easy.
At best, a person could reach level 20 in about four years, and no one was going to sacrifice all that progress just to get more points.
No one… except Ryo, who broke into a wide grin as he looked at the potion.
"It's amazing!!" he said, grabbing the potion and raising it with excitement.
Wiz smiled instantly, clearly happy that one of her products was being appreciated.
"This is the best potion in history!"
For him, it was exactly the missing piece in his plans.
Though, being honest with himself, he would admit it was more of a gamble than a plan, because expecting that in another world he would not only find unique and powerful skills, but also a way to level up quickly, was asking for too much.
Even so, it was a gamble he was willing to take.
His gaze fixed on Wiz. "Do you have more of these potions?" he asked with interest.
Wiz, despite having a potential buyer, seemed a bit discouraged and shook her head.
"They're potions made with rare ingredients, and I only have one for now… but I can make more if needed!" she quickly added, not wanting to lose the sale.
Ryo nodded, satisfied. He wanted to buy the potion, but after hearing about the rare ingredients, he assumed it would be expensive. Even so, that didn't stop him, because an idea quickly formed in his mind.
"Would you be willing to accept as payment the money still pending from selling my relic?" he proposed hopefully.
Wiz, to his relief, nodded without thinking too much about it and quickly pulled out an abacus, starting to do calculations.
"Let's see… if we reduce the potion's price with the money we'd get from selling your relic…" she murmured as she moved the beads, taking a moment to finish the math.
In the end, she looked up with a big smile.
"With the sale of the relic, you'd still owe me 50,000 Eris for the potion!" said the possible scammer with complete naturalness.
Ryo was left with a frozen, incredulous smile on his face.
Wiz, noticing his reaction, grew nervous and hurried to explain.
"L-like I said before, the potion has very rare ingredients, so its price is also very high… sorry," she apologized at the end, blushing slightly.
Ryo brought a hand to his face, processing everything in silence, taking a moment to think.
"Ah…" he sighed. "I'll buy your potion…" he finally said, completely giving in.
Wiz, upon hearing that, froze for a second, and then small tears began to form in her eyes, clearly emotional, since that month she would actually be able to eat meat.
"Then could you make more of this potion for me in the future?" Ryo asked, stopping her before she started crying completely.
Wiz quickly wiped away a tear and nodded several times.
After that, they spent the next hour finalizing a new contract, with Wiz agreeing to store the potion in her shop until Ryo needed it, closing the deal without any major issues.
In the end, Ryo left tired, somewhat defeated, and 50,000 Eris poorer.
Without thinking too much, he returned to the stables to sleep, as night had fully fallen.
—/—
In the stables, at midnight, everything was silent.
Ryo slept peacefully on a pile of hay; it was a fairly normal night… if not for a figure moving stealthily among the pens, advancing carefully as it searched.
Finally, it stopped in front of the space where Ryo was sleeping.
"I found you…" the intruder thought.
She entered without making a sound, slowly approaching, extending her hand not to attack him, but directly toward the bag Ryo kept nearby, where he stored Aqua's book.
She grabbed it carefully, pulling it little by little, trying not to wake Ryo in the process.
And she was succeeding.
It would have been a perfect crime, if not for the fact that, at that exact moment, a knife flew out from the neighboring pen, forcing her to jump sharply backward.
The noise was enough to wake Ryo immediately.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a dagger he kept hidden under the hay and took a defensive stance, focusing his gaze on his attacker.
It was a silver-haired girl, quite flat, wearing a black mask and an orange scarf that stood out even in the dark.
He didn't have time to ask her motives; at that very moment, the thief raised her hand, pointing directly at the bag.
"Steal!!!" she shouted, and a brief flash lit up the place.
The thief didn't even have time to check what she had taken, because a second knife flew toward her, forcing her to step back and retreat quickly.
Ryo didn't chase her.
The speed at which she moved was really high, almost certainly a dash-type skill. It was clear he wouldn't be able to catch her, so he decided not to waste time and hurried to check his bag.
But before he could, a female voice with a haughty tone caught his attention. "You're lucky I heard her…"
Ryo turned his head when he heard it.
[Image]
From the neighboring pen, another girl appeared, a half-beast with mouse traits: large ears, a long tail, and a big chunk of cheese in her hand.
Ryo immediately understood where the gnawing noises he heard every night came from. He didn't say anything; after all, she had helped him.
The girl stepped closer to look at the bag. "What did she steal?" she asked curiously.
Ryo didn't answer; he simply opened his bag, showing that the book was still there.
The girl frowned, confused. "I heard her use Steal."
Ryo nodded, but then pulled out another smaller pouch he kept next to the book and emptied it in front of her, letting small pebbles fall to the ground.
The girl went silent for a second, then burst into laughter, mocking the thief.
"Ahahaha… I see you're well prepared."
The mouse girl wasn't wrong. Ryo had already anticipated that something like this might happen.
That was why he always carried a pouch filled with pebbles, reducing the chances of something important being stolen, especially Aqua's book, which he was sure was the real target of that thief.
The girl took a few minutes to finish laughing, bending slightly as she tried to calm down. When she finally did, her expression shifted to a more serious, slightly annoyed one.
"Stealing from someone who sleeps in the stables is really low," she said, crossing her arms.
Ryo nodded without arguing.
It was frowned upon to steal from beggars or broke people, though in this case, it was clear to him that the thief wasn't doing it for money.
"What are you going to do now?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "Do you think the thief will come back?"
Ryo shook his head calmly. "I don't think she'll come back tonight," he replied, keeping his tone steady.
The girl seemed somewhat surprised. "You think she'll return?"
Ryo nodded, slightly raising the book. "I'm sure she wants this," he said bluntly before putting it back into his bag along with the pouch of stones.
The girl looked at him in surprise. "You don't seem worried."
"I'm not," he didn't deny it. "I have a plan to get rid of that little thief, though I could use some of your help."
The girl smiled immediately, without thinking twice.
"Of course!" she replied energetically. "Broke people gotta look out for each other."
She paused briefly. "By the way, my name's Vixie."
"I'm Ryo."
"Pfft…" she scoffed. "That's fake."
…
"Shut up."
—/—
[Adventurers' Guild]
The next morning, the adventurers' guild was in its usual state: people eating, talking, accepting quests… nothing out of the ordinary.
At least until the main doors burst open.
Bam!
Ryo walked in accompanied by Vixie, heading straight inside, followed by several guards who didn't go unnoticed.
The atmosphere shifted instantly, turning more serious.
Ryo scanned the place for a moment, his gaze moving around until he found what he was looking for, pointing without hesitation at a silver-haired girl sitting in a corner.
The guards reacted immediately.
They approached and grabbed her, putting handcuffs on her before she had time to react.
"Huh?!" Chris exclaimed, clearly confused. "What's going on?!"
One of the guards pulled out a scroll.
"You are accused of grand theft and attempted murder. You will be detained until the corresponding investigations are carried out."
"WAIT!" Chris shouted, struggling slightly in the guards' grip. "I haven't stolen from anyone!"
The guards pointed at Ryo and Vixie.
"These individuals filed the report and identified you as the attacker."
Several adventurers began to murmur, incredulous. Chris was a thief class, yes, but that didn't mean she was a criminal.
"How are you supposed to point at me as the thief?!" she protested. "The thief who attacked them was wearing a mask!"
There was a brief silence in the guild.
Ryo stepped forward. "First of all," he said calmly, "how do you know the thief was wearing a mask?"
Chris lowered her head slightly, tensing up.
Ryo didn't stop. "And second, WEARING A MASK THAT ONLY COVERS YOUR EYES ISN'T A DISGUISE!" he shouted, making her flinch.
"I've seen you around the city and the guild. You didn't even cover your hair, which is pretty unique here. What did you expect was going to happen?"
Chris didn't respond. She stayed silent, clearly embarrassed.
The guards didn't need any more proof and dragged her toward the exit.
Chris kicked and struggled. "NO, WAIT! I CAN EXPLAIN!" she shouted as she was taken away, but her cries were cut off when the guild doors closed behind her.
The guild fell silent for a moment; they had just watched their beloved Chris get taken away.
"So…?" Vixie asked, looking at him with bright eyes.
Ryo smiled slightly, satisfied with the result. It was time to fulfill his part.
The two of them sat at a table, letting Vixie order whatever she wanted, while the rest of the guild remained in mourning. Some threw hateful looks at Ryo, which he completely ignored.
—//—
Author's Note 2:
For those who are like, "Oh wow, how convenient, a potion that resets your level," I'll say this to all those scrotum-faced: the potion does exist in KonoSuba. They literally use it to defeat a Demon King General, since by resetting his stats, he can no longer maintain the Demon King's barrier because he becomes too weak.
Or maybe I dreamed it, I don't remember anymore… I think it does happen or something like that…
Well, that's three chapters, so I'll leave it here for now, you rats. At least leave a comment!
Whatever, hugs and kisses.