Geral breathed, relieved. They had been able to close a couple of doors behind them whilst climbing to the second floor of a building, and it looked like the mass of wolshi had lost their track.

Well, the mass of the wolshi had lost their track, but not those already slithering under their armour.

They did not dare talk aloud, afraid that would attract the rest of the beasts, but still, Noviel could not contain a pained whimper as she removed one bigger wolshi from her belly. It came away only with bits of her skin. Her fingers trembled as she picked the glitching, twisting worm-like beast that was now wriggling in an effort to bite her fingers.

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She trembled, filled with fury and horror as she squished it. It practically exploded between her fingers, spraying bits of dark liquid whilst a gelatinous mass remained sticky between her fingers, and she fought not to retch. She shook her hand to get rid of the slime.

But what was one? They were covered by many small beasts! Especially her, as her leather armour was too loose, leaving too much room for the beasts to slip under.

She removed the jacket throwing it to the floor, and then the blouse and shook with horror seeing the wiggling grey mass that almost formed a second skin on her. She continued to undress as fast as she could. Geral grumbled:

“Be sure to remove them before they dig under your skin. The small ones are the worse!”

Noviel ground her teeth. She knew it already; he did not have to remember her. She shuddered: there were so many, and they were everywhere! Many, just a couple of centimetres long, others as long as a finger or even longer, navigating over her skin, trying to avoid her hands, finding places where they could not be taken away easily and trying to dig themselves fast in. Like hundreds of octopus tentacles sucking the skin and cutting it with their many triangular mouths.

In mere seconds they were completely naked, their skin covered with innumerable small bite wounds between the dark patches of beasts still clinging to them, Noviel about three times more than him.

“Help me!” - she said with tears in her eyes - “Please! The fucking, fuck! It's trying to enter my ear!”

He was not so impressed. He found the situation even a bit amusing but abstained from laughing at her desperate face. He was using a knife and tackled fast the wolshi from her ear, first pinning it and then dragging it back.

She was removing the beasts from her belly and breasts as fast as she could. Some were under her armpit! She turned her back to him - “My back, my back! Please!! I feel them!”

She was picking now the beasts from her legs, from between her toes. How many were there? Tens? Hundreds?

He started collecting the beasts from her back and from everywhere where he dared touch and saw one. She was but grateful.

“Faster!” - she whimpered impatiently, drumming the floor with her legs, turning to let him see the rest of her body. - “Do you still see any?”

“I think I have all!” - he answered, turning her around.

She was still shacking:

“No, no, no, I still feel them; please check, check everywhere! Please, please, please!”

Her hands were trembling as she feverishly scanned her skin, picking now and then some very small ones.

"I swear, the big ones brought the small ones with them!"

She raised a hand and picked one from behind her ear.

“Fuck, I knew it! Another one!”

Their relatively higher level compared to the beasts made their skin and flesh harder to penetrate, but given time, the beasts succeeded.

She was searching through her hair with both hands. She drummed the floor with her feet impatiently.

He chuckled as he checked her skin patiently. She let him look everywhere, but really no restrictions, without even a note of protest. He could not believe it. Was she flirting with him, or was she really that spooked?

“Everything gone? Sure? I still feel them! I feel them everywhere! Are you sure?”

She leaned herself in his arms. His heart started beating even faster. Was the adrenaline speaking in her now? Did this thing turn her on?

She was trembling in his arms, with her naked breast shaking against his body. She behaved as if she was drunk. She whispered in his ear:

Stolen novel; please report.

“Please check again. I dread them so!”

He made another methodical check of her anatomy while she leaned on him. She was soft and pliant to his hands. He let his hands run smoothly over her skin.

“You're clean!” - he finally said

She breathed deeply.

“Thanks, Geral! Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck, I hate these wolshi so much... Do you have a healing potion? I could use one now.” - she asked, hugging him tightly.

“No.” - he answered, shrugging - “Awa has the potions.”

The wounds were superficial, mere scratches. Hundreds of little scratches, but what really mattered was that she was still in his arms.

She stood there for quite some time until she stopped trembling. He didn't dare kiss her or do anything but was happy to oblige, happy to hold her tight.

After a while, she whispered:

“I'm feeling dizzy.” - she sighed, then added - “I have an ointment. It is better than nothing. I still feel as if some would be wandering around me, especially in the worst places” - her cheeks got red as she said that - “the ointment should help against.”

She bowed, searched her clothes on the floor, found her inventory box and took out the flask. She shook the flask to get some ointment in her hand. It had the consistency of honey. She sat, splashed some balm over her left shoulder above her breast and mumbled:

“You too.” - she said, pointing at the flask - “Some of these beasts can be venomous.”

“Ah, OK.” - he said

They worked separately for a couple of minutes. He could not abstain from glancing from time to time her way. Her perfect body was driving his hormone production through the roof. Only looking at her as she spread the ointment was enough to give him heart tingles, but she seemed oblivious. She spoke softly:

“You know that something happened to Anabella; we should go there!” - she raised her eyes to look into his. He could not un-see her breasts wobbling in front of his eyes as she did that.

He tried to concentrate on what she had said. Anabella! He also had felt the pang, but now it subsided.

“I think she is no longer in danger.” - he said, trying to gauge the feeling.

She watched him askew, and then a smile spread over her lips.

“Yes, you are right!”

She breathed, relieved.

“Should I apply the ointment on your back?” - he finally asked the question he had wanted to ask for some time.

She nodded bravely and turned her back to him. She was surprisingly submissive. Did he finally succeed?

He started to apply the ointment. Once done with her back, he looked further. There were a lot of places that she had missed. Why had she been so superficial? Was it to allow him to do it?

“What are you doing?” - she wondered as he was working at her legs. He thought about kissing them.

“You missed a lot of bite wounds! You should have spread the ointment everywhere!” - he answered

She chuckled and nodded, exposing herself to him:

“You do the ointment; I'm too dizzy. Maybe it is better if I lay down?”

She was speaking slowly. Slower than usual. He nodded. Yes, this is it! She smiled and rested on him as she lay with slow movements on her back. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“Everywhere?” - he wondered

She nodded and whispered:

“Yes, please... It's so good to know they are gone, and you're with me...”

He took a deep breath. He was allowed not only to see, but he may even touch everything! Was this not clear enough?

He continued to spread the ointment on her legs, advancing slowly up. It had a refreshing and slightly numbing effect.

She let him work. He took his time, continuing to focus on her wonderful body. So many tiny bite wounds everywhere! His heart's beatings accelerated, and his mind was dreaming of her. Finally, she is his! His eyes were drunk seeing the unattainable beauty spread naked in front of him! She was letting him do whatever he wanted to do with her. She just moaned as he slowly navigated up on her body.

He wanted to kiss her. He caressed her face, and she smiled but did not open her eyes.

He stopped and looked at her face. Really looked, and a frisson passed his body. Something was off. He saw her eyelashes trembling.

He froze, and his hand started to tremble lightly.

“Noviel?”

He got only a moan as an answer.

He felt a sweat drop running down his temple as his heart beatings accelerated.

He took her hand.

“Noviel?!”

She just hugged him weakly while her head fell to the side. She was no longer by conscience. He realized that her skin was burning hot.

His eyes went round with fear. A wave of shame, disgust, desperation and anger washed over him. Obsessed with his damned fixed idea, he had misunderstood everything.

“Oh fuck!!” - he grumbled, his hair rising on his head.