Chapter 27 Rip and Tear

Iryoku and Deborah ventured out of their base into the labyrinthine cave. Iryoku walked cautiously, fully alert to his surroundings. Now fully geared, he felt a surge of confidence, and having the backup of this Amazonian warrior was more than reassuring.

"Okay, Deborah, we'll advance with care," he said. "Gauh," Deborah responded with a growl-like sound.

Iryoku hoped she understood, but it seemed she had something else in mind.

After advancing for a few minutes, Iryoku detected something nearby. "Debor—" He hadn't even finished calling her name when Deborah shot forward like a bullet. Dropping to all fours, she dashed ahead, her body rapidly transforming. Black obsidian scales, gleaming like steel armor, spread across her body, the two bumps on her head morphed into massive horns, and her hands and feet grew powerful claws.

With unparalleled speed, she pounced on the unknown creature.

"GRRAWWW!"

Her claws pierced the skull of a hulking, fur-covered beast, instantly shattering its head in a gory explosion.

"What the hell…?" Iryoku stood frozen, stunned by the sheer brutality of her attack.

Deborah returned to him, dragging the lifeless body of the unfortunate monster behind her. Her entire form, along with her silver cloak, was splattered with its blood. She looked at him with a big, innocent smile.

"Iryu… grrrwl…" she attempted to speak, her feminine voice distorted by her transformation, as if she were asking for praise.

Iryoku sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Good job, babe, but next time, let me fight too." He glanced down at the decapitated monster and chuckled. "Look what you did to my boy, Bigfoot."

Deborah looked at him, as if trying to decipher the meaning of his words.

"Okay, let's keep going," Iryoku said, but as he advanced, Deborah went back to the monster and took a bite out of it.

"No, this isn't the time to eat. Let's go," Iryoku said, pulling on Deborah's arm and trying to get her to let go of the dead beast. She reluctantly followed him.

"We just ate a couple of hours ago," he reminded her, while Deborah made a pouting face. As her body transformation reverted, she looked almost completely human again.

"I guess this is going to be harder than I thought," Iryoku muttered.

After walking for some time through the tunnel, they came across their first split—the passageway opened into two separate paths.

"Hmm… what do you think?" Iryoku asked Deborah.

She simply responded with a "Grawuh."

"You're right. Let's pick one and hope for the best," he said, acting as if they could truly understand each other—though that wasn’t really the case. He decided to stick with the right tunnel.

“Fuck,” Iryoku cursed as they encountered yet another split—this time with four possible paths, some leading upward and others descending down. He scratched his head, flinching slightly as his fingers brushed over one of the burns on his scalp.

“Fak… grrl,” Deborah muttered.

Iryoku sighed. “How come you picked up that word so easily?”

Shaking his head, he walked over to the wall and marked it with his dagger before pulling a piece of paper from his pocket and jotting down notes. With a grin on his face, he turned to Deborah.

“Let’s go,” he said, not missing the chance to glance at her bare lower body.

Deborah mirrored his grin and followed him.

They continued advancing for a few more hours. The tunnels kept splitting into more paths, but Iryoku carefully tracked their route to avoid getting lost. Along the way, they encountered several monsters, all of which Deborah effortlessly dispatched—until Iryoku finally convinced her to stay back and let him fight on his own.

“Please, stay here. I’ll handle this one myself,” he explained, gesturing with his hands in an attempt to make her understand.

Deborah tilted her head but eventually sat down on the ground, watching him. “Good girl,” Iryoku said with a smirk, rubbing her head gently. Finally, I can test my new weapons, he thought.

Moving forward, Iryoku turned a corner and looked ahead. A massive spider-like monster loomed in the distance. It had two extra, spear-like legs protruding above its typical eight spider limbs, and its skin was a sickly shade of grey. A shiver ran down his spine, but he steadied himself.

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I can do this.

With that thought, he dashed toward the creature, swiftly pulling a pair of throwing blades from his pocket and hurling them at its eyes. The spider reacted instantly, leaping onto a nearby wall to evade the attack.

But Iryoku pressed forward.

The monster shot a web from its body, but he swiftly dodged to the side and unleashed another volley of throwing blades. This time, the blades hit their mark, piercing the creature’s thick exoskeleton and drawing a sharp screech of pain.

Seizing the opportunity, Iryoku rushed in, slashing at one of its legs with his dagger, the blade slicing cleanly through the tough shell. As he prepared to strike again, the spider lashed out, one of its powerful legs whipping toward his head. He barely managed to retreat in time, the attack missing him by mere inches.

Iryoku grinned.

The spider launched another web; however, Iryoku dropped to the ground, sliding smoothly to dodge the attack and reappearing beneath the beast. With both daggers in hand, he slashed deep into its underbelly before quickly rolling away.

The spider let out a shriek before collapsing onto the ground.

As Iryoku stepped forward to finish off the spider, his danger sense suddenly kicked in. The creature launched a massive web attack, and though Iryoku tried to dodge, the spider simultaneously lashed out with one of its powerful legs.

Reacting quickly, he crossed his daggers in defense, slashing through the limb with two precise swipes.

“Shit!” he cursed as he fell backward.

The web enveloped his entire body, leaving only his head uncovered. He struggled to break free, but the sticky threads held him tight.

“Dammit…”

The wounded spider, though wobbling, crawled toward him, its grotesque mandibles opening wide, ready to devour him.

"GRRRWWW!"

Just in time, a massive claw pierced the spider’s head from above.

Deborah appeared, fully transformed, her body radiating pure rage. Her eyes whites had turned completely black, and a dark, pulsing aura of energy surrounded her. With a second claw, she stabbed deep into the spider’s torso. Letting out a furious roar, she pulled her arms apart, ripping the beast’s body in half from the center, sending blood and viscera flying in all directions.

"GRRRWWWWWWW!"

As the carnage settled, Iryoku lay on the ground, his body trembling involuntarily at Deborah’s sheer power and fury.

She looks demonic… he thought.

Her breathing slowed, and her body gradually reverted to its human form. Without hesitation, she walked over to him and, with ease, tore the webbing off his body.

“Thanks… I owe you one,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.

To his surprise, Deborah’s expression softened into something almost… sad. Her eyes held a sorrowful look as if she were on the verge of tears.

Then, without warning, she lunged at him, wrapping him in a tight embrace, pressing his face deep into her ample chest.

Of course, he enjoyed it—at first.

But she was squeezing way too hard.

“O-okay! I’m sorry! My bad! Please don’t use so much strength—I’m gonna die!” he gasped.

After a few long moments, Deborah finally released him. He fell onto the ground, breathing heavily as he tried to recover.

“Ahhh… ahhh… ahhh…” he panted.

Deborah still looked at him with that little sad expression.

“Look, it’s okay if you want some skinship,” he said, grinning as he sat up. “As a matter of fact, I’d love it. A lot. But… maybe just ease up on the strength a little?”

He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Then again… dying by snu snu doesn’t sound too bad.”

He stole a glance at Deborah.

“Don’t worry, Deborah,” he said as he reached up and gently touched her face. She closed her eyes, seeming to enjoy the gesture.

Then, turning his attention to the dead spider, he walked over to the torn webbing.

Hmm… maybe I could fabricate a new harpoon and rope with this, he thought, realizing it could offer him extra mobility.

Stretching the silky web between his fingers, he pulled out his dagger to test its durability. To his surprise, it took a lot of effort to cut through the material. Satisfied, he gathered the webbing into a roll and slung it over his shoulder.

Sigh “We should head back to your lair—at least for today,” Iryoku said. “Gruh,” Deborah responded with a small grunt.“Tomorrow, we can continue… not that we even know if it’s day or night,” he added as they made their way back.

After a good meal and some rest, Iryoku got to work. Sitting close to the bonfire, he carefully knitted and twisted the spider web, hoping to form a sturdy rope.

But his enthusiasm quickly faded as he noticed the web starting to melt in his hands.

“Fuck this shit!” he yelled, throwing the useless strands aside.

I’m barely close to the fire, and it’s already melting, he thought. I need something more durable.

With a frustrated sigh, he dropped onto his back, staring at the ceiling in thought.

Beside him, Deborah crouched down and sniffed the discarded spider web, seemingly trying to understand what it was. Then, as if struck by an idea, she suddenly took off, dashing toward the hidden cave behind the waterfall.

Iryoku lifted his head, watching her naked bubble ass disappear.

Where is she going? he wondered.

It didn’t take long before she returned, carrying something in her hands. Still lying on his back, Iryoku looked up at her towering figure. His eyes flickered for a moment to her unripped pussy, then to the object she was holding—a white, wax-like material.

He quickly sat up and grabbed it. "Oh yeah, this thing," he muttered, pulling it close to the fire. To his surprise, the heat didn’t affect it. He moved it even closer—still nothing.“This might work, babe,” he muttered, intrigued.

He took out his dagger and tried to cut the material, but instead of slicing, it simply stretched.

Interesting…

After spending some time knitting, stretching, and twisting the waxy substance, he finally completed his project—a long, thin, white rope. He then pulled out one of the wolf claws and securely attached it to the new rope.

Winding up his makeshift harpoon, he aimed at a nearby tree and threw it. It shot through the air at unparalleled speed, the claw lodging itself deep into the bark. As he pulled with all his strength, the tension in the white rope snapped him forward like a rubber band.

In an instant, he was yanked off the ground and launched toward the tree, landing perfectly on a branch.

“Nice,” he said with a satisfied grin.

He jumped back down, landing in front of Deborah, who was watching him with bright eyes as she started clapping like an entertained spectator.

Feeling bold, Iryoku walked up to her and, despite her towering over 2-meter frame, held her by the back and bent her slightly. Then, leaning in, he kissed her cheek before gently setting her back on her feet.

“Thanks, Gorgeous. A little token of my appreciation,” he said, winking at her.

To his surprise, Deborah suddenly stepped toward him.

“Wait—” Iryoku started, but before he could protest, she effortlessly lifted him into a princess carry and licked his cheek with her tongue, her face adorned with an angelic, alluring smile.

“Dammit, girl, you don’t let me win, do you?” Iryoku muttered as she set him back down, his face tinged with red.