Dylan's inquiry doesn't surprise me too much, though the bluntness of it did. More timid guys from the sticks usually have to work up the courage over time to ask me, or they never do, or they have to get to know me before they feel comfortable asking, or they more shyly/subtly ask. A more direct request is usually from more confident guys.

The reason I'm not surprised he's wanting sex is because I've been able to feel his attraction to me from the moment he first entered my [Empathy] range. Also the fact that he's been on the horny side that's only grown while seeing me naked. Having only his hand to deal with things, and even that probably not all too often due to his circumstances, combined with his lack of social interaction for over two years, has probably made him a little more impulsive when it comes to being alone with me.

While he does have a pretty big dick, at 7.7" in length and 1.9" in thickness, that's about the only part of him that holds any appeal to me. He's just too skinny for me to be attracted to him. Period. And asking me this being the only thing he's really been fully confident with in the time we've been talking today doesn't help.

"You're not my type," I tell him, and I don't need to be an empath to know how strong his disappointment is. "I'm only attracted to guys with defined muscles, unless they're a powerful mage. Both is best."

"R-right," his cheeks turn a little red as embarrassment fills his mind. "Thomas is probably more your type."

"Yeah," I say. "Except the odds of him actually sleeping with me at any time in the next few months is next to none, so I'm not going to bother trying. He doesn't trust me and I doubt he's the kind of guy to sleep with someone he doesn't trust."

"He's not."

"That said," I say. "Going into town just to have sex isn't reasonable as it's a hassle," the trip costs too much mana for me to do frequently right now. "And before I came out here, I was having sex at least once a day, maybe twice or even thrice. I wasn't expecting to feel as strong of a desire to be in another guy's ass again as I am. If you're okay with having sex right now knowing the only reason I'm accepting is because I'm that horny and you're pretty much the only option I've got at the moment, then I'll agree to your request."

When there either aren't other options or they're too difficult to do, I'll get with a guy who isn't ugly as long as he seems decent. I probably wouldn't be considering this if it weren't for the fact that it's been over a month, I don't have enough mana and mana potions to make teleporting back and forth between here and the town a regular thing, and nature spirits seem to really like him.

Dylan thinks about what I said for a few moments, then strips his pants back off and nods. The feeling I'm getting from his mind lets me know that he's fully accepted my condition. I get out of the bath and he frowns at me.

"How did you dry off immediately?"

"Magic."

"Oh."

It's a habit from when I had far more mana than I do now, and while I've been trying not to do that with how low my current mana pool is, the situation made me forget.

Dylan seems pretty awkward as I walk past him and to where the grass has regrown in the yard, then beckon for him to walk over. There's a lot of uncertainty and nervousness in his mind, his inexperience really showing already. We could start this in a couple of different ways, but I want to get right to it.

"Lie on your back and lift your legs up," I tell him.

Surprise fills his mind and his nervousness increases.

"R-right," he says. "Um, I should probably mention, but I've never done anything with a guy before and-"

"I figured," I say. "That's why you're on your back rather than your hands and knees when I prefer the latter. If you want to stop or get uncomfortable, just tell me and I will."

There's some confusion in his mind, but he doesn't say anything further and instead gets into the position I instructed him to. I kneel and run two fingers along my dick, from the base of it to the very tip. As I do, a slick, gel-like substance trails after my fingers, clear and slightly warm. I'm on the larger side, at 8.3" in length and 2.2" in thickness, so I make sure to apply plenty of lube and coat it thoroughly before I start to push my dick into Dylan's ass, lifting his ass a little more as I do.

Dylan groans a little as a small amount of pain forms in his mind, and I stop when only an inch is in. I stop there and wait a few moments, then pull back just enough that the head slips out, then I push back in. Since he's not used to something so large, I do this a few times before adding a little more of the magically-created lube and sliding in a little bit further, until an inch and a half is in.

Based on the feeling I'm getting from his mind, the pain is pretty minor and not enough to make him want to stop. Separate from that, he's gotten hornier from having me start to enter him.

Combine that awareness of mine with the fact that his ass is so tight around my dick, I want to just slam it in and start thrusting at full speed. Instead, I moan a little tensely as I pull back so only the tip of my dick is in his ass, then I slide it forward so it's an inch and a half in again. Again and again, until the slight pain in his mind fades from his ass loosening and adjusting.

Then I pull out and add a little more lube. With how thick I am and how tight he is, it's better to keep reapplying as I go deeper and deeper after every stage. This time, I go until I'm two inches in, rest for a moment, then repeat the slow sliding process.

I continue slowly pushing deeper and deeper until I reach four inches in his ass. Dylan's jacking off with his right hand while gripping some of the grass with his left, soft groans escaping him. I can tell from the feel of his mind that he's getting close to bursting, especially with the stimulation each time I rub against his prostate.

Now that he's got four inches inside of him, it's probably safer to go a little bit deeper each time. When I pull out after sliding back and forth a few times at this depth, I lube up a little more, then slide back in.

This time, I slide five inches in and as I do, Dylan lets out a deep moan as stops jacking off, keeping his foreskin down. His ass tightens around my dick as he blasts shot after shot onto himself. The first shot reaches his chin, the second his upper chest. It leaves a splatter-like trail down to his dick, which has a little more hanging off from the tip. Dylan squeezes and pulls on his dick a few times to get the rest out and as his ass relaxes, I return to my process.

With as slowly as I'm taking things to ensure he can adjust, it takes me about twenty minutes to get my full length inside of his ass. Once I'm there, I stay like this for a minute, my breathing heavy while Dylan stares at me, an excess of horny in his mind. Despite how large I am, he wants me to keep going.

"You okay?" I ask anyway.

"Y-yeah," he nods. "Fuck, you're so big, Rowan. It's so big. Unnnnh."

That moan was a little tense, but not from pain, just the discomfort of something so large being so deep in him. There's a deep desire mixed into it in his mind, but it's still better to ask questions so he knows I actually care about his state. That's one thing I learned the hard way: not doing so can give the wrong impression on a pretty bad level.

"Want me to stop?"

"No," he answers. "Just… fuuuck. How haven't you cum yet?"

"Magic."

"Uh-huh," he's too deep into the feelings to really register what I'm saying.

"Going to start thrusting a bit more now," I tell him, then pull back a little so I can thrust properly.

These thrusts are quicker than the ones from before, and Dylan grunts with each one. I find the soft spot in the feelings in his mind to determine the speed that doesn't put him in pain or makes him too uncomfortable while still giving him plenty of his own pleasure.

Since he's not really attractive to me, I focus on his own feelings of pleasure to satisfy that need as I thrust. How much he's enjoying this, the way it feels to have my dick stretching and filling his ass, how it feels to have his ass tight around my dick, the pleasured grunts and moans he's letting out, it all heightens my experience further.

Stolen novel; please report.

When Dylan's ass tightens around my dick once more, cum once against shooting from his dick, I thrust all the way inside. Small, pleasured huffs escape me as my own climax begins, shot after shot of cum blasting into his ass. When I finish, I lean over him, breathing deeply as he reaches up and holds onto my sides, his own breathing quick and heavy.

"You… take forever to cum," Dylan says once he catches his breath.

"I told you," I'm still a little breathless. "I know how to… use magic to delay. Give me… just a sec…" I focus on finishing catching my breath. "My ex was fascinated by that when he learned, asked me if I could do it for him, too. Took a bit to figure out, but I can do it for others. Oh, but I didn't for you; only do it for someone if they want me to."

But it lets me hold off until someone hits their second climax, like with this time.

"That's… a neat trick."

It's one which interests him, based on the feel of his mind. He's actually pretty impressed, he's just still in the post-sex high. If he were a full-fledged mage, he'd be even more impressed by it as it's a mixture of holy and nature magic – both of which are considered high-level magic schools, and mixing magics of two schools together is difficult on its own.

The trick is complex enough that it actually earned me a Level into both of those Skills, but I'm not going to tell Dylan that.

"Going to pull out now," I tell him, and he nods.

After I pull out of his ass, Dylan and I wash up again, then pull our pants back on. He gingerly sits on one of the stools by the fire, and I glance toward the cabin.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," I tell Dylan.

"Where are you going?" Suspicion creeps into his mind, immediately erasing all of the lingering pleasure and even overriding his soreness.

"There's an apple tree about four hundred feet toward the eastern cliffs from here," I grab a basket. "And I get the feeling you haven't really been able to do more than just eat the apples, or maybe cook them over a fire. Is that right?"

"Yeah," he confirms.

"Thomas has been bringing me some ingredients as payment for something," I say. "It's how I had the wheat and eggs to make the noodles. Has Nolan ever had a pie before?"

"No," Dylan shakes his head. "I ain't really gone to festivals since having him, since the others don't like him much. Figured it's better to keep him away. Wait. You're going to make an apple pie?"

"A pretty simple one, yeah," I confirm. "Won't be as flavorful as I don't have all of the ingredients, but I think the little one'll like it, anyway."

"Speaking of Nolan," Dylan looks over, concern entering his mind as he stands, wincing a little from the movement. "I should check on him. His naps usually last an hour, but they sometime last less."

"He's been awake for a bit," I tell him. "Is currently rolling around on the fur making up my bed. Seems to be enjoying it."

Dylan takes a few moments to respond, confusion filling his mind first.

"How can you tell that from out here?"

Ah, crap. I mentioned that out of habit of responding to comments on whether or not someone is up, while forgetting that I'm trying to hide my full abilities. Everything that's been shown or assumed so far by the two who've interacted with me here is something they would view as simple due to their ignorance in magic. This one's real explanation is too far above "simple magic" for him to feel comfortable.

Should I just wipe his memory of my comment?

"You know what spirits look like, right?" I decide on an explanation.

"Small, humanoid figures with a little bit of a round-chubby build," he says.

"Yes," I say. "But also no. Low-level spirits are more akin to small motes of light – tiny spheres. The ones you're familiar with are mid-level spirits, which are the second stage of being a spirit. Very few low-level spirits advance to mid-level, in comparison to how many low-level spirits there are. They advance to mid-level by absorbing mana of their own magic type, and it eventually evolves them, granting them a greater mind and some other abilities.

"On occasion," I say. "A mid-level spirit will decide to absorb mana and become a high-level spirit. They'll absorb mostly that of their own magic type, but also some from others. That changes what kind of spirit they are when they evolve into a high-level spirit. They have greater powers, a wide range of them, and sometimes, even a different form.

"While we were fucking," I point at the cabin. "A spirit of an even higher tier than that went into the cabin and took a nap beside your son. He's not a familiar of mine, but we do have a telepathic connection – a way of communicating via thought. His name is Aluci and he's in the form of a shadow wolf. When you mentioned checking on Nolan, I asked him about Nolan's state and he let me know the kid's rolling around on the furs. Seems he woke up, saw an unfamiliar beast, got scared, realized it was peaceful, then decided to play. The fact that several spirits were visibly napping on Aluci's back probably helped him feel comfortable, after seeing others hanging out in the bath."

"Oh," Dylan's uncertain. "Wait. Spirits. Didn't you mention one was on my shoulder? Is it back on there? I'm guessing it left while you were fucking me?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," let's go with that. "He's currently lightly kicking his feet and looking at me as we talk. He's usually looking in the same direction as you, it seems."

The spirit gives me a nod to confirm that.

"Anyway," I say. "I'm going to go grab some apples to make the pie."

"I'm gonna check on Nolan."

I grab some apples from the tree and when I return to the camp, Nolan's in his dad's arms again and Aluci's napping beside the fire. The boy's staring over at the berry bushes, not responding to his father asking him what's got his attention. Or rather, Dylan's attempting to guess at it and Dylan just continues staring.

I peek into his mind and find that it's one of the first things Dylan asked: he wants more berries.

"By the way," Dylan looks at me. "How come the only insects I see are at your garden? I normally see 'em everywhere."

"When I was replacing the floor," I say. "I put a thick stone down beneath the boards so that it's concealed from view. That stone is covered in a runic formula which creates a ward against vermin. See that rune-covered rock sitting about five feet from the garden? It creates an exception within the warding scheme, allowing insects to come to the garden. They won't go anywhere else and will leave when they're done.

"The ward," I frown as I try to think of terms a commoner from the sticks would understand. "Think of it like making a place unnoticeable to vermin and monsters. It's not that it's dark to them, it's that it simply doesn't exist to them. Therefore, they can't just blindly enter it.

"The exception," I reach the trickier part of the explanation. "Allows them to perceive the garden. They can't feel the space between the garden and the boundaries of the ward, so some additional stuff is added in to allow them to travel to it. There's also a regulation to prevent there from being too many attempting to enter, only enough to keep the garden healthy."

There. Simple, even if not too neat. I don't even need to know the proper amount or types of insects to create the ward, the ward simply manages it on its own despite that.

"Ah."

I begin working on the pie while Nolan turns his attention back to me, accepting the apple skins I offer him after I peel the apples using magic. The perfect spiral fascinates him and he seems to enjoy watching it peel off the fruit.

Since I haven't built anything proper yet, I build a small oven using earth magics, then slide some wood underneath the baking shelf and ignite it with fire. It takes a few minutes to get the temperature right, then I slide the pie inside and set the door stone in front to help trap the heat within.

"Want to play a game while we wait?" I ask Nolan, who stares at me. A peek into his mind informs me that he's curious about the game but isn't sure. He's feeling shy more than anything. "It's a game we sometimes played when I was a little kid, back where I'm from, though changed a little. How it works is you try to approach Aluci. If he looks you, you have to stop moving. If you move while he's looking at you, you have to go back to the start. If you manage to reach him with stopping when he looks, he gives you a ride around the yard."

Nolan thinks about it for a moment, then tries getting out of his dad's arms. Dylan sets him down and we set the starting point about fifteen feet from Aluci.

"Go!" I tell Nolan.

The kid takes a few attempts before he gets the hang of the game and when he finally makes it to Aluci, we help him onto the wolf's back. Aluci then stands up and starts slowly walking around, and I can feel the thrill in Nolan's mind at the ride. Dylan, on the other hand, is filled with terror and is following behind with a hand hovering a little behind his son's back, just in case the kid falls.

No one falls off of Aluci unless the dream beast wants them to. I doubt Dylan would trust me when I say that, so I don't bother mentioning it.

We're able to do two more games of this before the pie's out of the makeshift oven, and I use a little bit of air magic to cool it to a temperature we can eat. Nolan devours an entire slice by himself, while Dylan seems a little impressed with the dessert but not a major fan of it.

Enough so that Nolan manages to sneak half of his dad's slice before getting caught.

"We should probably get going," Dylan says after dessert. "Thanks, Rowan. For letting me know about the curse and… everything else. The food was good, and Nolan seems to like you."

"No problem," I say. "I wouldn't mind you two visiting again. Before you go, I want you to take something."

"I can't do that," he shakes his head. "I ain't got anything to offer in return and-"

"It's meat," I tell him as I walk over to one of the crates. "I've got more than plenty of it and like I said earlier, I kind of need to get rid of it. The paper has some light enchantment work on it, to keep the meat good for up to a few days. You won't have to eat it today as long as you don't open the package and don't put it too close to a fire."

"Oh," he still has reluctance in his mind. "Thanks. Nol? Can you thank Rowan?"

Nolan looks over at me and doesn't say anything. A peek into his mind shows that he wants to thank me for the hot apples. Based on that phrasing and the rest of the thought batch, he's referring to the apple pie.

"You're welcome, little guy," I try not to laugh at that.

Dylan accepts the meat pack I give him, holding it a little awkwardly due to holding his son as well.

"May the spirits and gods guide your paths," I tell them.

"May the spirits and gods guide your paths," Dylan returns, then leaves.

A few moments after they're out of sight, I turn and find Aluci raising an eyebrow at me.

"It's been over a month," I say. "Give me a break."

The dream beast snorts.

"Shut it," I roll my eyes. "I'm going to do more scouting, see if I can't find more reagents."