"In the name of all the gods, stop!" Ava screamed, her voice high and pleading. I laughed as we careened down the road at speeds no man would be able to keep for long. My feet devoured the flat and straight road, the cart barely slowing me down. The wind was flowing through my hair, my lungs were strong and steady no matter how much I ran, and a beautiful woman was screaming her head off behind me. A dust cloud rose behind out cart, and the miles disappeared bellow us. All was good.
That night, we pulled the cart off to the side of the road under a rock face. I'd slowed to a walk for the last hour or so, and Ava hadn't spoken to me the entire time. Finally, a rock formation with a decent overhang came into view.
"That looks like a good place." I said, pointing to the overhang. Ava grunted, and I took that as a yes. I pulled the cart under the rock as it was big enough for the wagon, a fire, and a tent. It was truly the perfect little camp, as someone had already found out. The remnants of a fire were clearly visible in the middle of the makeshift camp. I got out of the cart and stretched, my calves screaming as they stoped moving for the first time in hours. I sighed and turned to Ava, holding my hand out to her.
"My Lady," I said, putting on my best royal air. "may I help you down?" Ava scowled at me, but took my hand anyway. I helped her down and she wobbled away from the cart, trying to get her balance back. I chuckled and walked to the edge of the rock.
"I'll be right back." I called to Ava. "I'm gonna do a quick look around, make sure everything's all hunky-dory. Would you mind getting the fire started?" Ava's scowl remained, but she nodded anyway. I smiled at her, even if she couldn't see it.
"Thank you." I dashed out and around, making a full circle around the rock. I saw nothing out of place and nodded. Returning to Ava, I saw that she had a nice fire going and a pot beginning to bubble over it. Ava herself was struggling with a tent. She cursed as the mallet she was swinging missed the spike and hit her thumb. I chuckled and went over to her, wrapping my arms around her.
"Do we really need a tent? I can think of a few ways to keep us warm though the night." Ava turned around and playfully slapped my arm.
"Quiet, you. And, no, we don't necessarily need a tent, but I haven't slept outdoors in years and I would be more comfortable with something over my head." I nodded in understanding.
"A wood elf who doesn't like to sleep outdoors. imagine that." She hit me again. "Alright, alright. Would you like some help?" Ava sighed.
"Yes. I'm not going to get it by myself and I can smell that the soup is almost ready, so I'm going to abandon, I mean, leave this to you and get ready for supper." I laughed and let her go, smiling as she walked to the fire. I knelt and picked up the mallet, and went to work. I had set up many a tent in the Marines, and surprisingly, the ones here were pretty similar to the ones back home. I had the tent up and functional within five minutes and with only two bruised thumbs. They healed as I walked over the the cart and grabbed two bedrolls. I also saw a third in there and smiled. She really did think of everything. I walked back to the tent and laid them out. Satisfied, I turned back to the fire, and froze.
Ava was crouched down, knees to her chest, poking at the fire with a stick. Her jade hair sparkled in the firelight and it reflected off her skin, making her look like a forest nymph come to life. I stared at this beauty, amazed that something so gorgeous could exist.
"If you keep staring at me, your eyes are going to dry out." Ava said without looking at me. She rose to her feet, dusted off her green traveling dress, and put her hands on her hips. "Well? The food is ready. Come get some, I know you're hungry." My stomach roared its agreement and she chuckled, all sense of annoyance disappearing. She spooned some of the soup into a bowl and handed it to me. I took it gratefully and sat on the ground next to the fire. Ava filled a bowl for herself and sat down next to me. I sent a quick prayer of thanks to John Boy and asked Kelltim to keep any beasties or meanies away from us while we slept. I felt a warm breeze blow in from the south and smiled. I took my spoon and ate some of the soup, groaning as the taste of onions hit my tongue. It was greasy and oniony and warm and there was a hint of pepper to it. The broth was thick and rich and filled my stomach quickly. I grinned.
"Wow, this is fantastic." I said, turning to Ava. "Did you make this?" She shook her head no.
"All I did was boil some water and put things in a pot." She smiled shyly at her bowl, taking a delicate bite of her own soup. Her expression soured. "Argh, not quite. It's almost there, but it's missing something." Ava grumbled as she took another bite. I drained my bowl and got up to get seconds.
"I don't really care what you say, I could eat this whole pot by myself." I said, ladling another serving into my bowl. "Hell, I actually might." Ava chuckled and sighed.
"You're such a charmer." She said jokingly. I smiled and sat down next to her.
"You know it." We were quiet for a bit, and then Ava spoke.
"Micheal?" She asked and I turned to look at her. She held her empty bowl in her hands, her knuckles white. My brow creased in concern and I set my bowl down, reaching out and clasping my hands over hers. She gasped, tears wetting her lavender eyes.
"Ava? Hey, what's wrong?" Ava's smoky, cloudy eyes stared back at mine, wet with tears and filled with sorrow. She opened her mouth, but all that came out was a sob. I picked her up and pulled her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her and holding her close. "I understand." I said, rubbing her back. Her tiny hands clutched my shirt and her tears soaked through it as she sobbed into me.
The fire had burnt down to embers when Ava finally showed signs of movement. She had stopped crying a while back, but I still held her. Having been an emotional wreck pretty recently, I was keenly aware of how much good a comforting presence could do. Ava stirred in my arms, her tired eyes searching mine. All the light had left them, but some of it returned as she looked at me. Her lips parted a little and she leaned in, her jade hair covering one of her eyes. I leaned down and kissed her gently. She tried to deepen it, but I held her back. She pulled back, her entrancing eyes hurt. I chuckled.
"If you want to make out, we most certainly can, but let's at least put the dishes up, ok?" Ava nodded, wrapping her arms around my neck. I chuckled and patted her back. "Alright. I'll handle the dishes." I picked up our bowls and stood, walking over to the pot with Ava clinging on to me like a baby monkey. I put the bowls in the pot and the pot in the cart, then replaced the sheet. All the while, Ava kept her face buried in my shoulder. I walked over to the tent and touched her shoulder shoulder.
"Sweetie?" I whispered, the term of endearment slipping out by accident. I swore but rolled with it anyway, "It's time for bed. Unless you want to sleep in your dress, I need you to climb down and get ready for bed. Can you do that for me?" She nodded obediently and unwrapped her legs from my waist. She kept her arms in place, though. I smiled as Ava hung from my neck, staring at my chest. I picked her up and took her arms from around my neck like a necklace. I set her on the ground and Ava waved her hand, opening up her little green portal. Without waiting for me to turn around, Ava slipped her dress off of her waist and dropped it to the ground. My eyes bulged and I whirled around, trying to preserve some of her modesty. I peaked over my shoulder and saw her doing the same with her white blouse. Thankfully, she was wearing clothes underneath and she picked up her dress, shirt, socks, and shoes and chucked them into the portal. Then she whirled and marched into the tent. I sighed, unbuttoning my fatigue jacket and stripping down to my boxers. The grass felt nice and cool under my feet and the cooling air was nice on my skin. I made sure the fire was extinguished, took one last look around, and entered the tent.
Ava was curled up in a bedroll in a corner of the tent. She had her back to me, and I laid down next to her on my own bedroll. I chose to stay out of the bedroll incase anything attacked during the night. I doubted, but still, better safe than sorry. She turned to face me and extended her hand. I took it in my own, stroking her small fingers lightly. I marveled at how her hand fit in mine, how her fingers felt as I touched them. Her fingernails were trimmed and smooth, painted a nice, shiny red. I tilted my head. How could I see the color of her fingernails in the darkness of the tent? Now that I actually looked, the tent wasn't really all that dark. I yelped as a message appeared in my vision.
Help Menu: Why can I see in the dark?
Explanation: A Neathonian's eyes require less light to see. Bonus to sight in darkness. Penalty to sight in bright sunlight.
"There's been a help system this whole fuckin' time!?" I thundered, sitting up straight. Ava spazzed out, her limbs flying everywhere as I roared.
"Micheal!" She shouted, staring at me. Her jade hair was wild and frazzled and some of it fell to cover her face, so I reached out and brushed it away for her. Her wide eyes were stormy and I could have sworn that I saw a gold bolt of lighting flash in her left eye. I smiled at her as kindly as I could.
"I'm sorry, Ava. I didn't mean to startle you." I laid back down, pulling her with me. She resisted, choosing to rise from her bedroll and come over to mine. I smiled as she laid down and snuggled into my chest, resting her palms against me. I grabbed one of the blankets I had brought in from the cart and dragged it over us, then wrapped her in my arms. We were quiet for a while and I almost feel asleep as her steady breathing lulled me into a sense of security.
"Where did you come from?" She suddenly asked. Her voice was small and quiet, but it cut through the night like a knife. I jumped a little and Ava chuckled as she absently drew circles on my pec. I took a deep breath, then started talking.
"I come from a city called Jackson, in the sate of Mississippi, in the south-eastern part of the United States of America, which itself is in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet Earth."
"So it's true?" Ava sat up and looked at me, her lavender eyes regaining some of their life. "You are a Traveler?" I laughed.
"Traveler, huh? Is that what you call them here? I can work with that." I smiled and kissed her head. "Yes, I am a Traveler. I spent twenty years on Earth before I came to Sehal. I thought we confirmed that last night."
"I still wanted to hear you say it. I can't believe it, but it makes so much sense. Travelers are people of legends, heroic and evil, often both. You'll have one story portraying them as the hero that saved the village, and another story of that same person destroying a town for the fun of it."
"With great power comes great responsibility." I said, quoting my friendly, neighborhood Uncle.
"I don't think you'll be one of the bad ones." Ava said as she snuggled into me. "I think you'll have some bad stories about you."
"Hey!" I protested. She giggled and looked up at me.
"Don't deny it. Of course you're going to have some bad stories. Our first introduction was you slaughtering a man in cold blood." I cringed.
"Yeah. I'm still running on battle mind. I need to remind myself that I'm no longer at war."
"You were a soldier?" I nodded, staring up at the roof.
"United States Marines, 22nd Expeditionary Unit based out of North Carolina. I enlisted when I was eighteen, right out of high school. My best friend, Mark, he and I signed up together. We were going to do our four years like every American man should, Mark used to say, then get out and go back to school, get our degrees on the government's dime. He was all about the patriotism and the American Spirit, Mark. Thought America was the best place in the world, and it is, don't get me wrong. I love my country and all, but I saw the rot and the corruption festering in our government. It was a dying empire holding onto the olden days and I'm glad I left."
"Why did you leave?" I scoffed, a bitter and callous thing.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"I didn't leave. I died. I made a mistake, led my squad into a house that I shouldn't have. They knew we were in there, and it wasn't much cover anyway. The walls were riddled with bullet holes and half the ceiling was missing. I should have gotten us out as soon as I saw the shape it was in. But I didn't." My voice was deep and raw with emotion. Ava's hand moved from my chest to my neck, then to my cheek as I talked.
"What are 'bullet holes'?" She asked, her voice sounding warm to my ears. She laid one of her legs over mine and I felt a warmth enter my chest. It was comforting, like coming home after a long day and taking and hot shower.
"Bullets are like tiny, super fast arrows. Faster than the speed of sound and about the size of your finger." I held up her hand and frowned. "Actually, your pointer finger is the exact size of a NATO 5.56 round. It's the one I used most often." I said, playing with her finger. "Bullets are very, very fast. And when they hit something soft, like a wall or a person, they tend to go through that thing. If you know where the person is on the other side of the wall... Well, I don't know what happened, I was returning fire when a sniper shot rang out. I ducked and called it like I was supposed to. I thought we were good, nobody called that they had been hit. I looked around and..." I trailed off, closing my burning eyes. I felt the warmth on my chest move as Ava lifted head. I opened my eyes to find her hand glowing that same golden light she used to heal Elizabeth.
"You do not have to tell me if it is too painful for you." She whispered, her voice soft. I shook my head.
"I want to tell you," I sighed as I pulled her glowing hand to my lips. "but it's hard. My brothers died because of the decision I made. I died because of that decision. That was three days ago by my reckoning." Ava gasped.
"Three days!?" She stared at me, her lavender eyes wide with shock.
"I think. I don't really know how long I was dead for."
"Are you sure that you died? You're sure you didn't fall unconscious or anything?" I barked out a vicious laugh.
"Nope. I died. The last thing I saw before I passed were my own legs separated from my body and my heart resting on my lungs, both of which were outside my chest. So, yes, I'm pretty sure I died."
"Micheal." Ava whispered, her voice soft and filled with pain. I smiled at her.
"It's alright. I don't even really care that I died. I didn't have much of a life, and the only family I had was my mother. My father and sister both died when I was a teenager. But the sight of Mark without his face will haunt me forever. The things I did and the things I saw in that sandy shit hole have stained my hands." Ava put her hands on mine, the glowing growing brighter.
"What's that glowing?" I asked, kissing her hand again. The glow was warm on my lips and tasted like caramel. Ava giggled.
"My Specialization is Healer. I can use my mana to heal others, and it reacts to my emotions. The more I want to help someone, the stronger the healing is."
"How do you get a Specialization?" I asked, pulling up my sheet.
Micheal Level 3 Height: 6’5” Weight: 225
Race: Neathonian Specialization: None
Health: 54/54
Stamina: N/A
Mana: 300/300
Yep. Specialization: None
"You don't have a Specialization?" Ava gasped, genuinely shocked. I shook my head.
"Nope."
"You did everything you did without a Specialization?" I nodded and read the first little bit out to her.
"Yes, ma'am. Name: Micheal, Level 3, Height: 6'5" Weight: 225 pounds." I froze when I got to my race. It was still weird to think of myself as not human, but I guess that was the case. "Race: Neathonian. Specialization: None. Do you happen to know what a Neathonian is?" Those wide, cloud filled, lavender eyes looked up at me with their normal, shock filled look. Ava scoffed and laid her head back down on my chest.
"Of course you'd be one of them." She sighed. "The Neathonian are a legendary race; larger, stronger, and faster than many of the other races. They were all hunted to extinction because of their power four, five hundred years ago. My grandfather was there to see the last one executed."
"Jesus."
"You really have no Specialization?" Ava asked me again. I laughed.
"Yes. Is there a way to show you my sheet?" Ava shook her head, but the System said otherwise.
Help Menu: Window Settings
To make your window public, think 'Public'. To make it private, think 'Private'. To show specific people, target that person in your vision and think, 'Show My Status.'
"No, not without the proper spell. And besides, you should only show your sheet to someone you really trust." I grinned and tilted her head up to me, leaned down, and kissed her. She moaned and returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around my neck. Ava shifted against me, straddling me as we kissed. I fought to keep my composure, but her lips were so soft and her hands were so warm I couldn't hold for long. Ava giggled as she felt me loose the battle and I groaned against her lips.
"Gods, woman." I growled, then laughed, breaking our kiss. "Well, I'm sufficiently distracted. Thank you. Wanna see something else Travelers can do?" I focused on her, which wasn't that hard, I've harped enough on how entrancing her eyes are, and thought Show My Status. My sheet popped up in my vision and Ava gasped. She looked at me and I shrugged. "I know you said I shouldn't show people I don't trust, but you're the only person I know in this world, and if you wanted to kill me you would have by now."
"Micheal, I don't think you understand." Ava said. I saw a light blink out of her eyes as she dismissed my sheet. How the fuck did I know she dismissed my sheet? "Your Character Sheet is who you are. If you share it with the wrong person, they could really hurt you. Like sell-you-into-slavery, hurt you." I smiled at her and ran my hand through her jade hair a few times. I held my hand to her cheek and she leaned into the touch.
"And that's how I know I can share mine with you. I trust you, and if you do choose to hurt me, then it's my own damn fault, isn't it? This is my afterlife, Ava." I said, putting emphasis on the words. "I'll spend it doing whatever the fuck I want to. If I want to share myself with you, then I will." I blushed as my words left my mouth. "I... I meant my sheet, not... not anything else, un... unless you want to, I mean. God, I fucking this up so hard. What I mean is..." Ava shut me up with a kiss, her soft lips pressing into mine. I stopped talking as her tongue intertwined with my own, my mind going blank as the feeling of her body and lips against mine melted everything away. I sighed as she broke the kiss. "What was I talking about?" Ava chuckled, and a light appeared in her eyes as she pulled up my sheet. Immediately, her eyes went wide as she saw what I hadn't told her.
"What?!" She shouted and sat upright. Her night shirt did a terrible job of hiding her fantastic body, and I ogled her openly. I didn't care anymore, I wanted this woman. "You don't have Stamina?!"
"Huh?" I asked, trying to drag my eyes from her chest and to her eyes. It was an internal war as both were so very wonderful to look at, but my upstairs head finally won out and I looked into her eyes. "What? Yeah." I blinked, coming back to my senses. I laughed at her usual slack-jawed look of surprise and ran my hands along her thighs. They were soft and full, even through the fabric that ended halfway down. Her breathing hiccup'ed at my touch and I gripped her thighs tightly. Ava gasped, her surprise replaced with fluster and excitement.
"Yeah, I don't have a stamina bar, what of it?" I grinned at her as one of my hands traveled up her thigh and found her hip, gripping it slightly. Ava inhaled sharply and I felt her hips move under my hand. "Is that normal?" My other hand joined the first on her hips and Ava leaned down against my chest, bursting out into high, musical laughter as she did so. I could feel the heat radiating from her as my hands naturally transitioned to her ass. She sighed in pleasure as I squeezed it a little.
"As if anything you do is normal." She said, kissing my chest. I felt her look at my sheet again, even though I couldn't see her eyes. I shuddered, the feeling weird yet natural, like I had only just become aware of something I had been doing my whole life. Like suddenly learning I could control when I blinked. I could feel her eyes reading my sheet and I knew where she was looking. I pulled up my own and saw a green cursor in the shape of a heart moving steadily down my page.
Heart? Oh, that's not good. Might be getting a little too attached there, Micheal. I squeezed the wood elf's ass and she gasped, pushing herself against me, cyclones of lust in her eyes. Heat lighting flashed in the lavender clouds of her irises, sparks of golden light flashing within the clouds. Nah, we're definitely getting attached. What can I say? Once a Marine, always a Marine.
"Forty Strength." She whispered, her eyes returning to my sheet. Her gaze hovered on my Strength and Constitution.
"I know." I sighed, leaning back and looking at the ceiling. It was weird to have the menu follow me and not need to hold it. "I was gonna wait 'til I hit fifty Strength to start putting points into Dex and Agility, but I think I've got it wrong. I use my strength way more than I do my Agility, so I should be putting points into them to help keep myself balanced. I refuse to be a muscle-bound oaf to thick to do anything." Ava nodded.
"That sounds like a good idea, but don't forget about Intelligence and Wisdom. They are both very important." I sighed.
"You sound like my grandmother. 'Stay in school, Ben. College is important, Ben. You don't want to wind up digging ditches for a living, do you?'"
"Ben? Who's Ben?" Ava asked, looking up at me.
"Me." I said, meeting her gorgeous eyes. "My name back on Earth was Benjamin Farmer." She frowned.
"'Benjamin Farmer'." She sounded out the name and the English words sounded weird coming from her mouth. She had some sort of accent I couldn't place, like a combination of Irish and Cambodian. It was very pleasing, but I frowned as well. What language were we speaking? I had assumed that we were speaking English, but maybe not? Ava interrupted my thoughts.
"Wasn't Benjamin Farmer one of the people you buried?" I jerked, the question catching me totally by surprise."Oh, gods, I'm so sorry I didn't even think!" Ava apologized quickly. I laughed and settled back down.
"It's alright. Yes, Benjamin Farmer was one of the people I buried." I squeezed her again as the memory of my body lying in my grave surfaced. "It was surreal, you know? Firstly, I didn't have any of the wounds I was supposed have, thank you Kelltim. I have no idea how I would have handled burring only my top half." A soft breeze rippled through our tent. "Also, how often do you get to dig your own grave and walk away from it? Too bad I'm not a courier and this isn't the Mojave Desert."
"What?"
"Don't worry about it. It's a stupid joke. It probably would have crashed anyway."
"Gods, you're weird." Ava said, kissing me once then settling back down and returning to my sheet. I watched as the heart scrolled down to my Gifts. She read them over, shaking her head. "I am somehow surprised. Not only are you already incredibly strong, three times that of a normal man, it is then increased by this Gift?"
"Mhm-mm. But don't worry, I'd never hurt you." I said, slapping her ass with one of my hands. She yelped and glared at me. I grinned and leaned up into her ear, voice even deeper than usual. "Unless you want me too."
I felt a shudder pass through her body and I chuckled. I moved my right hand from her butt under her night shirt and up her back, resting it against her warm, pale skin. Ava's breathing became a little more ragged as our skin made contact. She touched my arm lightly, trailing one of her small fingers up and down. Goosebumps followed her finger, and I shivered in pleasure. She smiled at me mischievously and moved her finger to my chest, keeping the same pressure. I groaned as her soft touch drove me wild. I grinned down at her like a snake that had just caught sight of a mouse.
"Two can play at that game." I snarled as I took the hand on her back out of her shirt and up to her ear. I attacked the tip of her ear with my thumb, making circles and massaging it between my thumb and forefinger. Ava mewled as my fingers did their work. I dragged my thumb down the outside of her ear and she shivered like I had, her arms flailing against me weakly. She groaned in pleasure as I squeezed her ass with my other hand. Time to finish her.
I sat up, bringing Ava with me. She yelped, grabbing onto my neck as we moved. I grinned as it put her in the perfect position, leaving her ears open and ready for the taking. Ava's eyes went wide as I leaned down, mouth opening.
"Micheal, wait..." She tried to say something, but then my lips enveloped the tip of her ear and all complaints died in her throat. She whimpered and mewled, body twisting and writhing, but her head never once moved. I flicked my tongue over the tip of her ear. "Oh, gods, Micheal." She whimpered, her hips jerking slightly. I slid my hand down her arm and held her side. Her skin was so warm through the clothes, I had to feel it for myself. I snuck my hand down to her waist and into her shirt and she gasped as my hand met her hot skin. She was so soft and supple and I groaned into her ear as her hands roamed my body. They stayed away from my waist and I wanted nothing more than for her to touch me. I growled and redoubled my efforts on her ear, replacing my hand on her waist with the one on her ass. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close, bringing my hand up and quickly switching my mouth to her other ear as I continued to rub the one my mouth had abandoned. Ava cried out in ecstasy as I teased her ears. Her fingernails drew blood as they dug furrows into my chest that healed almost as quickly.
"Micheal!" She wailed. Ava's tiny fists balled and her entire body shook as she orgasmed, and I dropped my arm from her waist to her ass. I squeezed it slowly, enjoying the feeling of how her cheek filled my hand. I sucked on her ear and she groaned, her hips bucking in pleasure. "Micheal, please." Ava mewled, moving her hands up my head and tangling into my hair. "Please stop. I need... I need to catch my breath."
Slowly, I stopped teasing her ear, removing my lips and letting my hand drop. I kept my hand on her ass, however. She lay there, panting, her body occasionally shaking with the aftermath of her orgasm. The scent of tree sap and syrup wafted up to my nose. "Did you..." I let the question hang in the air and Ava glared at me.
"I thought I told you we couldn't do anything like that until Lily is safe." She hit me on the chest, scowling up at me. I laughed and laid back down, dragging her with me. I grabbed the blanket and pulled it over us. Even though we were hot and sweaty, the air had a slight chill to it and the blanket was just comfortable for us to cuddle under.
"I think your old man's a lying sack of shit, but I will do my best to restrain myself. But, gods, you make it so hard." She chuckled at my double entendre. Ava moved up my body and kissed me passionately, lying down on my chest. I could feel the heat between her legs as she straddled me.
"I don't like pain." Ava whispered into my ear. She pulled back and looked me in the eyes. "If this hurts me, will you kiss it better?" I looked at her curiously.
"Of course." I agreed without hesitation. Ava nodded and sat up. I stared in awe as she took her night shirt and, in one fluid movement, ripped it up and off, throwing it to the side. Her jade hair fell in a curtain around her neck, hanging down to just above her pale breasts. Light pink areolas and nipples sat perfectly upon her pale mounds and a light spattering of freckles stood out against her flushed skin as she leaned back down onto my chest. She scooted up until her head was just under mine and she sighed. I recovered us with the blanket and held onto her shoulder, making sure not to touch too far down. As much as I wanted to, I had made a promise and I had yet to break my word in this world. I wasn't going to start with this. And yet...
"Did that hurt?" I asked, using my free hand to stroke her jade hair. She shook her head.
"No."
"May I still kiss it better?" She took a moment to consider.
"Mhm." She nodded, parting her lips and leaning towards me. I kissed her slowly and deeply as I held her close. I don't know when we fell asleep, but we eventually did, each holding the other in our arms.