Helena said:
"Wha…"
Jaspin cut her off:
"These are female Creepygender, nicknamed Creepywomen. They are the strongest species in terms of endurance. Am I right, Rita?"
"Leave me alone, and your statement is wrong."
"Hehehe, it's actually correct."
Helena said:
"Have you become this predictable?! Hhhh."
"Yes."
"Let me guess do they explode?"
"Of course they explode. Otherwise, why would the name be borrowed from that?
And their explosion is massive. It equals their body weight in TNT."
"It seems Enderwomen aren't the only random danger…
Honestly, I feel strange. I mean, there are things in this world that resemble planet Earth not just culturally, but… but in the creatures themselves. There are ideas from planet Earth, of course, if we exclude that moving pile of shit."
Jaspin replied:
"That's just a coincidence."
Rita replied:
"You'll learn the truth soon."
"Tell us now."
"Honestly, even I don't know. But I heard that the higher ranks of the Aeons know the secret of the world."
Jaspin asked:
"Do they have evidence?"
"I heard they deal with cosmic entities and have exclusive access to the Akashic Recorders in the depths of the Infosphere."
They sat in the middle of the green grass to have lunch. Jaspin said:
"The food is almost gone. I hope we arrive soon."
They gathered their things and continued. The environment began to change. The plants slowly receded, as if life was withdrawing from the land layer by layer. The further they advanced, the more the plants decayed in a disturbing way, until only withered grass remained. Even the withered grass eventually evaporated and disappeared completely.
The ground didn't look like a desert, but rather brownish-red soil with a brittle, spongy texture. It looked like fertile land that any farmer would dream of, yet there were no plants. The scene looked as if a curse had been cast upon the place. What was worse was that the traces of the caravan broken plants, wheel tracks, and footprints had all vanished. Jaspin said:
"I don't remember the road being like this. I remember Godyferty as a green town like Tauredia, maybe even better."
They kept walking and walking, resting whenever they found a boulder. It seemed Jaspin's calculations were wrong because the sun was about to set. She said:
"It feels like the road has gotten longer!!"
"What are we going to do, smart one? Are we going to sleep on this mud?"
"Then what do you suggest?"
Helena grabbed Hailey's shoulder.
"No… you're joking."
"I'm just proud of her."
Hailey said:
"Helena… proud…"
Helena was surprised by Hailey's sudden speech. She quickly stroked her neck and hair while Hailey purred and playfully dodged the tickling.
"My little one is going to be able to speak soon."
"She's like a small child. We have to talk in front of her so she can learn. Come on, say 'Jaspin'."
"Jas… Jaspinnn."
Jaspin, who had also become proud, began tickling her in return and said:
"She's very smart."
Rita appeared:
"Say 'Rita'."
Helena released her energy aura, forcing Rita to back away angrily. Helena squeezed her own face and stuck out her tongue, mocking Rita.
They hugged Hailey, held their breath, and prepared themselves. Following Helena's command, Hailey teleported them to a nearby hill. Under the remaining daylight, they searched carefully for a high place. They saw nothing the first time, so they moved to let the effects of the pressure drop fade, then teleported one last time. They found a smooth, flat rock suitable for sleeping… their last teleport before they started dancing from the pain.
Jaspin opened the bag and took out a blanket, spreading it over the rock. They sat on it to eat a cold dinner. They didn't even have the energy to light a fire after exhausting themselves completely from walking. The boulder was still slightly warm from the sun's heat, which was good. Jaspin said:
"This is our last meal. After this, we'll have to rely on survival methods."
Helena replied with her mouth full:
"Survival methods?!… What are we going to hunt? I haven't seen any animals for a long time."
"We should have asked that caravan how far Godyferty is."
"What?!
I thought you had visited it before."
"Yes, I did, but…
The place has changed. I remember the caravan taking only one day, and here we are, entering the night, and we haven't seen any sign of that town…
Don't worry. We'll find it tomorrow. We've covered a great distance today."
"I didn't want to say this, but damn you, Jaspin. If we had rented a carriage, we would have arrived instead of being lost relying on your guesses."
"I'm saving money for the return trip."
Helena opened her bag and took out the blanket from the bed they had slept on together.
Jaspin climbed down from the boulder and drew a triangle around their sleeping area with her shoe.
Helena yawned and said:
"Why...are you drawing these shapes?"
"I draw them so insects and crawling animals don't climb up… It's just camping tradition."
Jaspin climbed back up while Helena held the blanket open for her. She entered shyly and lay down beside Helena…
Face to face with her. Helena tucked the blanket underneath them to prevent the cold night wind from entering, since they were in a completely exposed, elevated place. Helena straightened her lying position. Their eyes met, and their warm breaths embraced each other. They felt their breasts pressing together, exchanging heat and shyness, but their admiring gazes never left each other's eyes. They stared at one another in silence, both literally and figuratively warm.
Hailey also slipped under the blanket and hugged Jaspin from behind, feeling her small pregnant belly, which had become firmer and more solid.
Jaspin was sandwiched between them, wrapped like a delicious warm sandwich. Jaspin shivered from the pleasant warmth. The gentle tremor of her body from the warmth made Helena rub her cheek against Jaspin's cheek as if happy with her happiness. Hailey was also happy and felt joy, saying in her robotic voice:
"I'm happy."
Helena extended her hand and stroked Hailey's hair. Hailey rejoiced and began purring. Her purring made Jaspin melt into the free massage. Helena said, her mouth close to Jaspin's mouth, almost touching it:
"You're so lucky."
Jaspin opened her eyes and stared lovingly at Helena. Her lips felt a magnetic pull toward Helena's delicious lips.
She said:
"I'm sorry, dear Helena. Sleeping in such a cold place was my fault."
"It's fine. I'm enjoying your company. Hhh. I thought your personality was strict and off-putting, but I was wrong."
"I'm glad to hear that…
The town of Godyferty is known as an isolated corner of ascetic monks and has a giant temple visible from a great distance."
"So has it disappeared or something?"
"The real question is whether this place has been cursed. I saw it… fertile soil, but nothing grows."
Hailey's purring frequency changed, and her body grew warmer. Jaspin lifted herself and touched Hailey's belly, breasts, and face. Hailey exchanged looks of admiration and lust with her. Jaspin said:
"She can raise her body temperature."
"I can't believe it! My little one is a heater too!! … Let's put her in the middle."
Hailey took the middle position in the bed, looking at the sky and clinging with her limbs to the bodies of Helena and Jaspin. The warmth and massage shook their bodies better than any blanket…
Helena held Hailey's body tightly while Hailey's trembling increased from the intensity of her excitement and sincere love for Helena, who began kissing her repeatedly.
And they fell into a sleep whose sweetness they had never tasted before.